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GENERAL AWARENESS – JULY 2014 1
ROAD TO 16th
LOK SABHA
Article 79 of the Constitution of India provides for
formation of Parliament with two houses – Council of States
(Rajya Sabha) and The House of the People (Lok Sabha). As
per article 83, Lok Sabha has a tenure of five years. After
which it has to be dissolved to elect a new Lok Sabha.
 Article 324 of the Constitution of India confers the
relevant powers, duties and functions upon the Election
Commission of India. Accordingly, elections were
notified by Election Commission on March 5, 2014 to
elect the 16th
Lok Sabha.
 Section 14 of the Representation of the People Act,
1951 provides for conduct of the elections.
 General Elections 2014 commence from April 7 to May
12, and take place in nine phases covering 543
constituencies
 An estimated 81.4 Crore (814 Million) voters were
eligible to vote in this election, 10 Crore more than the
elections held in 2009.
 Counting of votes took place on May 16, 2014 and
Election results were announced by Election
Commission on 18th May, 2014
PARTY POSITION IN 2014 LOK SABHA
Bharatiya Janata Party 282
Indian National Congress 44
AIADMK 37
Trinamool Congress 34
Biju Janata Dal 20
Shivsena 18
Telugu Desam 16
Telangana Rashtra Samithi 11
Others 81
Total 543
MARCH TOWARDS NEW LOK SABHA
May 17: Last meeting of cabinet of UPA II under Chairmanship of
Dr. Manmohan Singh recommended the dissolution of
15th Lok Sabha.
May 18: Election results notified by Election Commission
15th Lok Sabha Dissolved by the President
May 20: Mr. Narendra Modi elected as leader of BJP
Parliamentary Party
President invites Mr. Modi form the government
May 26: Mr. Modi sworn as 15th Prime Minister of India
June 4: The first session of 16th Lok Sabha: June 4 to June 11.
June 9: President Address to both Houses of Parliament
PROFILE OF 15TH
PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA
Name: Narendra Damodardas Modi
Born: September 17, 1950 (age 63), Vadnagar
Education: M.A. Pol. Sci., (Gujarat University)
Spouse: Jashodaben Modi (married 1968)
Parents: Heeraben, Damodardas Mulchand Modi
Siblings: Soma Modi, Pankaj Modi, Prahlad Modi
Swearing in ceremony was attended by following
leaders of the SAARC nations:
Pakistan: Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister
Nepal: Sushil Koirala, Prime Minister
Bhutan: Tshering Tobgay, Prime Minister
Sri Lanka: Mahinda Rajapakse, President
Bangladesh: Shirin Chaudhury, Speaker
Afghanistan: Hamid Karzai, President
Maldives: Abdulla Yameen, President
Prime Minister of Mauritius Mr. Navinchandra Ramgoolam
also participated in the swearing in ceremony
COUNCIL OF MINISTERS
LIST OF CABINET MINISTERS WITH PORTFOLIOS
NARENDRA MODI Prime Minister, Personnel, Public
Grievances and Pensions; Department
of Atomic Energy; Department of Space;
all important policy issues and all other
portfolios not allocated to any Minister
Rajnath Singh Home Affairs
Sushma Swaraj External Affairs, Overseas Indian
Affairs
Arun Jaitley Finance, Corporate Affairs, Defence
M. Venkaiah Naidu Urban Development, Housing and
Urban Poverty Alleviation,
Parliamentary Affairs
Nitin Jairam Gadkari Road Transport and Highways,
Shipping
D.V. Sadananda Gowda Railways
Uma Bharati Water Resources, River Development
and Ganga Rejuvenation
Dr. Najma A. Heptulla Minority Affairs
Gopinathrao Munde Rural Development, Panchayati Raj,
Drinking Water and Sanitation
Ramvilas Paswan Consumer Affairs, Food and Public
Distribution
Kalraj Mishra Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
Maneka Sanjay Gandhi Women and Child Development
Ananthkumar Chemicals and Fertilizers
Ravi Shankar Prasad Communications and Information
Technology, Law and Justice
AG Raju Pusapati Civil Aviation
Anant Geete Heavy Industries and Public
Enterprises
Harsimrat Kaur Badal Food Processing Industries
Narendra Singh Tomar Mines, Steel, Labour and Employment
Jual Oram Tribal Affairs
Radha Mohan Singh Agriculture
Thaawar Chand Gehlot Social Justice and Empowerment
Smriti Zubin Irani Human Resource Development
Dr. Harsh Vardhan Health and Family Welfare
23 other ministers of states were also sworn in

Dance of
Democracy
India is known for its ‘kumbh mela’, the epitome of faith
and devotion for millions of Indians observed every twelve
years. A much larger celebration is held every five years
“General Elections”- the biggest democratic exercise on the
earth involving a much larger number of Indians and 814.5
million this time. The whole country, without any distinction
in caste or creed, without any fear or greed and without any
hatred or despise visit the electoral booths like they enter
their places of worship with nothing to demand but with
determination to see that the democratic traditions of the
country are upheld. When the devotee ( elector) presses the
‘button’ making a choice, he knows that he is just not going
to select a candidate, but deciding the destiny of the
country, with which his own future is intertwined. And the
most beautiful part of the exercise is the grace with which
he accepts the results of the mandate without any rancour
and bitterness.
This we can say is the beauty of democracy. The people
have the ultimate power to decide who would rule them and
they have the right to change the rulers if they do not come
to their expectations. The power to rule in India does not
come by birth nor by force. The people can even choose a
person who once was a tea vendor! India this time has
voted for a change.
Beginning of Change: The elections to the sixteenth Lok
Sabha held during April and May 2014, have been
remarkable for their unexpectedness. Without any doubt, it
was a landslide. Even the winner, Bhartiya Janta Party had
not thought that it would win a clear majority in the
elections of its own and would not have to depend on any
outside support to form the government. No psephologist
had given the party the numbers it eventually got. A few
months back, the general expectation was that the party
would get, at the most, around 160-180 seats and would
emerge as the single largest party to get the invite from the
President to form the government. But even then it would
have had to depend on support from regional parties to win
the vote of confidence on the floor of the house. It is also
for the first time since 1984, that any party has got the
majority of its own in the Lok Sabha. Further, most of the
opinion polls had given the Grand Old Party, the Congress
around 120 seats and no one had imagined that the party
would face its worst defeat in its history of existence since
independence with just 44 seats and being reduced to a
rump of what it was a few days back.
Rise of Aspirational Class: One great change in these
elections is addition of more than ten crore new and young
voterssince last general elections held in 2009. They have
proved that they cannot be taken for granted and that they
are not a pocket borough of any one party. This new
generation of voters has pressed their hand against the
EVMs with their open minds. With mobile in their hands and
google in their reach, the hopes of this generation have
soared high. Infact, these elections are victory of
aspirational class over dynastic politics.
The greatest achievement of Mr. Modi was his ability to
connect with this class, who is looking past the ‘roti, sadak,
bijli, pani’ kind of politics. As rightly stated by a journalist,
“Mr. Modi tapped into the frustrations of a generation of
Indians who climbed out of poverty in the past decade, but
who have been prevented from joining the middle classes
by slowing growth and a lack of employment”
This new generation is looking for better life, which they
know cannot come without better governance. In this age
of communication, people will look for results and not
slogans.
Dawn of a New Era: The results of these elections are an
eye opener for all traditional parties as they have rejected
caste based parties like Bahujan Samaj Party, Samajwadi
Party, Janata Dal(U). However, some states have elected
regional parties like Trinamool Congress in West Bengal,
Biju Janta Dal in Odisha and AIADMK in Tamil Nadu and
simultaneously in Kerala also supporting the UDF with
thumping majority. It may lead to concerns like those
witnessed in sixties when the Chief Ministers of Southern
states ( aka non-hindi states) had formed a syndicate to
stymie the efforts of the government in power at that time.
The Prime Minister of the country Mr. Narendra Modi has
single handedly changed the contours of Indian polity and
put at rest any doubt about his abilities. He also made a
great beginning by inviting all SAARC leaders at the
swearing ceremony which is likely to create more conducive
environment for better neighbourly relations. The future
beholds a tough time for him and he knows this when in his
acceptance speech, laying contours of his policy,he said:
“At the end of the day, for who is the government for? It is
for the poor. For rural areas, farmers, untouchables, the
weak and the pained; this government is for them. To meet
their aspirations and hopes, this is our priority, because our
weakest, our poorest have sent us here.”
We join all countrymen in wishing him good luck in
running the new government !!!

GENERAL AWARENESS
JULY 2014
Year: 2014 Vol. 3, Issue 01
A PUBLICATION OF GYANM EDUCATION &
TRAINING INSTITUTE PVT. LTD.
SCO 13-14-15, 2ND FLOOR, SEC 34-A, CHANDIGARH
CONTENTS
SECTION – A
CURRENT AFFAIRS
March to May 2014
1-18
SECTION – B
BULLET NEWS
DEC 2013 TO FEB 2014
19-30
SECTION – C
SBI PO MOCK TEST
MCQS FOR SBI
DESCRIPTIVE ENGLISH
31-49
50-63
64-72
SECTION – E
LATEST GK BYTES 73-95
FIGURES TO REMEMBER
REPO RATE 8.00%
REVERSE REPO RATE 7.00%
MARGINAL STANDING
FACILITY RATE
9.00%
STATUTORY LIQUIDITY
RATIO
23%
CASH RESERVE RATIO 4.00%
BANK RATE 9.00%
BASE RATE(s)
(of various banks)
9.80% –
10.25 %
INDIA’S RANK IN
Press Freedom Index 2014 78th
Ease of Doing Business (World Bank) 134th
Social Progress Index 102nd
World Press Freedom Index 140th
Environment Performance Index 155th
Index for Nuclear Safety 23rd
Index of Economic Freedom 120th
Rank in Energy Usage 69th
Ease of Doing Business (Forbes) 98th
Corruption Perception Index 94th
World Prosperity Index 106th
Global Hunger Index 2013 63rd
Human Capital Index 78th
Global Gender Gap Index 101st
Global Competitiveness Index 60th
Corruption Risk Index 69th
NATIONAL NEWS
MAY 2014
INDIA 2nd
BEST IN CONSUMER CONFIDENCE
As per the Nielsen global survey, Consumer confidence level in India jumped to
121points in the first quarter of the current fiscal, the highest optimism level since
the fourth quarter of 2012. India retains its position as the second most-optimistic
country in the survey. Indonesia leads the global index with 124 points and the
Philippines is in third place with 116 points.
INDIA 3rd
IN GDP SIZE
Data released by the international
comparison programme of the World
Bank group shows that in a matter of
six years, India has emerged as the
world's third largest economy (in
terms of PPP) in 2011, from being the
10th largest in 2005, moving ahead of
Japan, while the US remained the
largest economy closely followed by
China. The world produced goods and
services worth over $90 trillion in 2011
and almost half of this came from low
and middle-income countries.
GHNP FOR WORLD HERITAGE SITE
The Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) of Himachal Pradesh has been nominated
for the prestigious UNESCO-approved World Heritage Site status by The International
Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the advisory body to the UNESCO
Committee on Nature.
INDIAN CULTURAL FESTIVAL IN CHINA
India started its biggest year-long cultural festival, “Glimpses of India” in China with
a performance of classical Indian dances in Shanghai by artists from Chennai-based
Kalakshetra cultural academy.
INDIA 134TH
IN ‘EASE OF DOING BUSINESS’
World Bank and International Finance Corporation have released their annual report
for “Doing Business” as per which India ranks 134th
among 189 nations when it
comes to ease of doing business. Singapore ranked first in the list.
INDIAN EVMs TO BE USED IN NAMIBIA
Namibia has imported 3400 India-made Electronic Voting
Machines (EVMs) for use in their Presidential Election.
Namibia is the first African country to use such machines in
any of its Polls. These EVMs are manufactured by the public
sector unit, Bharat Electronic Limited (BEL) based in
Bangaluru.
‘TITLI’ SCREENED AT CANNES
Indian film Titli (butterfly), directed by Kanu Behl and produced by Aditya Chopra
was screened at Cannes Film Festival at Cannes, France. The film is about the
journey of a boy called ‘Titli’ who wants to escape from his oppressive brother.

INDIA 78TH
IN PRESS FREEDOM
Latest Press Freedom Index 2014 has placed India at 78th
place on the basis of freedom of media in the country.
Press freedom in India has deteriorated due to increased
"interference" by media owners ahead of the general
elections this year. Netherlands, Norway,
and Sweden topped the list, which included 197 countries.
W B AID FOR SARVA SHIKSHA ABHIYAN – III
World Bank has agreed to provide $ 1billion assistance to
India to support its Sarva Shikhsa Abhiyan – III, the largest
school education programme in the world. Funds will be
deployed by the HRD Ministry over a period of three years.
S C BANS BULLS USE IN ‘JALLIKATTU’
The Supreme Court has prohibited use of bulls in Tamil
Nadu’s ‘Jallikattu’ festivals, holding that use of bulls in such
events severely harmed the animals and constituted an
offence under the Prevention of Cruelty to the Animals Act.
INDIA TOPS IN ‘OPEN DEFECATION’
A UN report- ‘Progress on Drinking Water and Sanitation,
2014 says that 82 per cent of the one billion people
practising open defecation in the world live in just 10
countries, topped by India having sixty per cent (597
million) of this population.
DELHI MOST POLLUTED CITY
WHO has stated that the quality of air in most cities
worldwide failed to meet the WHO standards for safe levels
of pollution. The release counted Delhi among one of the
most polluted city in the world in terms of air quality as it
has highest concentration of particulate matters less than
2.5 microns, which is considered most serious.
HIGHEST INFANT MORTALITY IN INDIA
More than seven lakh newborns die in India every year, the
highest number of such deaths globally, a new study has
claimed. Each year 5.5 million babies leave the world
without celebrating their first birth day.
SC NOD FOR PROBING SENIOR BUREAUCRATS
A three judge Supreme Court bench headed by the Chief
Justice of India has held as invalid the legal provision that
makes prior sanction mandatory for the Central Bureau of
Investigation to conduct a probe against senior bureaucrats
(joint secretary and above) in corruption cases under the
Prevention of Corruption Act as it violates the article 14
(equality before law) of the constitution.
APRIL 2014
KEJRIWAL, MODI IN TIME TOP 100
The Time has named the 100 most influential people in the
world without ranking them and four Indians have made it
to the list. The four are - Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind
Kejriwal (highest score), followed by BJP leader Narendra
Modi, noted author Arundhati Roy and Coimbatore-based
health activist Arunachalam Muruganantham.
‘AADHAAR’ NOT MANDATORY – S C
The Supreme Court has directed the Centre to immediately
withdraw the instructions, if any, issued by it for making
Aadhaar card mandatory for citizens to avail government
services. The Court also said that biometric or any other
data should not be shared with any authorities unless the
accused gives consent in writing.
INDIA RANKS 83RD
IN USE OF ICT
A World Economic Forum report
says that India has slid down to
83rd spot among 148 economies in
terms of leveraging information
and communications technologies
for growth and well being. In
2013, it ranked 68th out of 144
countries.
SMALL STATES TOP IN POLICY EFFECTIVENESS
The India Public Policy Report 2014, brought out by Jindal
School of Government and Public Policy at the Sonepat-
based O.P. Jindal Global University, in association with the
Oxford University Press, has ranked India’s smallest states
— Sikkim, Mizoram, Goa, Punjab and Delhi — best in policy
effectiveness, while Gujarat has slipped over the decades to
the 16th place and Kerala comes in at 21st slot.
INDIA RANKS 102ND
IN SOCIAL PROGRESS
The Social Progress Index 2014 compiled by US-based non-
profit group Social Progress Imperative ranks India102nd
among the 132 countries. The index aims to measure
quality of life using measures of access to basic human
needs such as food and shelter and of equality of
opportunity such as education and personal freedom.
INDIA BHUTAN FOR JOINT HYDROPOWER
India and Bhutan have signed an agreement on
development of four hydropower projects for producing
2120 MW on a joint venture-model between public sector
undertakings of the two countries.
EUNUCHS RECOGNIZED AS ‘THIRD’ GENDER
In a landmark judgement, the Supreme Court has
recognised transgenders or eunuchs as third category of
gender and directed Centre and states to take steps to treat
them as socially and educationally backward classes and
extend reservation for admission in educational institutions
and for public appointments. The Court clarified that its
verdict pertains only to eunuchs and not other sections of
society like gay, lesbian and bisexuals who are also
considered under the umbrella term 'transgender'.
MARCH 2014
INDIA’S LARGEST SOLAR POWER PLANT
The largest Solar Power Plant of India, producing 130 MW
of power, was launched at Bhagwanpur in Neemuch,
Madhya Pradesh on 26 February 2014. The Welspun Solar
MP project has been constructed at a cost of Rs.1100 crore
on 305 hectares of land.

INDIA OFFERS $1 BN LOAN TO BANGLADESH
India has offered Bangladesh a $1 billion soft loan for
infrastructure development. This is the biggest loan
amount India offered to any foreign country at 1.75 per
cent interest rate with a repayment period 20 years,
including a grace period 5 years.
MANDATORY OPV FOR SEVEN COUNTRIES
India-bound travellers from seven countries where polio
cases are still being reported, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Syria,
Kenya, Somalia, Nigeria and Pakistan will have to receive
mandatory oral polio vaccine (OPV) six weeks before coming
to India. Indians headed for these countries will also be
administered the vaccine.
INDIA LARGEST IMPORTER OF ARMS
The report published by as Swedish Think Tank, Stockholm
International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) has claimed
that India continues to be the largest buyer of arms in the
world, much ahead of China and Pakistan.
 Home Ministry has advised that Telangana, the
country's 29th state, will come into exsistence on June
2 to start functioning as a separate state.
 A commemorative postage stamp released in the
honour of freedom fighter “Maulana Hasrat Mohani” .
 Global Ayurveda Festival held at Kochi, Kerala.
NEWS FROM STATES
MAY 2014
VIDHAN SABHA ELECTIONS IN 5 STATES
Along with the general elections, five states also elected
their new MLAs (member of legislative assembly). Following
were elected as the new Chief Ministers:
Naveen Patnaik (Biju Janata Dal) – Odisha, 4th
time
Pawan Chamling (Sikkim Democratic Fund) – Sikkim, 5th
time, becoming the longest serving C M in India.
Chandrababu Naidu (Telugu Desam Party)—Andhra
Pradesh
K Chandrasekhara Rao (Telangana Rastra Samithi) –
Telangana
Nabam Tuki (Congress) -- Arunachal Pradesh
Some other Chief Ministers were also changed:
Anandiben Patel (BJP): Elected as Chief Minister of
Gujarat in place of Narendra Modi.
Jitan Ram Manjhi became new Chief Minister of Bihar as
present CM Nitish Kumar resigned owing the responsibility
for poor performance of his party in general elections.
T R Zeliang (Naga People's Front): Elected as the new
Chief Minister of Nagaland following the resignation of
current C M Neiphiu Rio as he got elected as M P.
 A four-year ban which barred short messaging service
(SMS) on prepaid mobile phones in Jammu and Kashmir
has been lifted by the state government.
 Rajasthan has decided to open 325 Ma Bari centres in
tribal areas of the four districts to provide education to
the children of 6 to 12 age where there are no schools.
APRIL 2014
ARUNACHAL GETS CONNECTED BY RAIL
The Arunachal Pradesh was put
on the country’s railway map on
April 7 with the first passenger
train of about 400 commuters
arriving at Naharlagun, near
state capital Itanagar, starting
from Dekargaon, Assam.
MAHARASHTRA TOPS IN INVESTMENT
According to an Assocham report, Maharashtra has emerged
as the number one investment destination in the country
replacing Gujarat, attracting cumulative investment
proposals of Rs 14,73,466 crore as on December 2013,
while Gujarat drew proposals worth Rs. 13,98,347 crore
only.
Asia’s largest Tulip garden - Indira Gandhi Memorial
Tulip garden is located on the banks of Dal Lake, Srinagar,
J&K. Spread on 15-hectares, it has over 1.5 million tulips.
India’s first double-decker flyover opened in Mumbai
on 18th
April connecting the eastern suburbs with western
suburb via the Santa Cruz-Chembur link road.
MARCH 2014
MAHA LAUNCHES PHASE - I OF DMIC
The Maharashtra government launched the first phase of
the ambitious Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor project that
aims at generating industrial output of Rs 20 lakh crore by
2042. First phase includes development of Shendre-Bidkin
industrial city and an exhibition-cum-convention centre in
Aurangabad, alongwith multi-modal logistics park at Karmad
and water supply scheme for Shendre.
 Nagaland and Assam became the first two states to
be issued with Plastic Photo Identity Card for elections
in India.
GOVERNMENT
INITIATIVES
MAY 2014
SIT FOR PROBING BLACK MONEY
The Supreme Court has reconstituted a Special Investigation
Team (SIT) under the chairmanship of retired judge MB
Shah to monitor the probe into the black money cases, both
inside and outside the country. Incidentally, this is also the
first major decision taken by the Union Cabinet lead by Mr.
Modi.

SECURITY PACT SIGNED WITH MYANMAR
India and Myanmar have inked a pact to enhance security
cooperation in combating the key issues of insurgency, arms
smuggling and human trafficking. The agreement was
signed at Nay Pyi Taw, capital of Myanmar.
 In a move that signals changed priorities, the ministry
of environment and forests has been renamed as the
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
APRIL 2014
FREE SALE OF 5KG LPG CYLINDERS
Indian Oil Corporation has introduced the sale of market-
priced 5-kg Free Trade LPG (FTL) cylinders through kirana
stores and supermarkets for the first time in India. To begin
with, these have been launched in Bangalore, Chennai,
Gorakhpur, Lucknow and Aligarh.
MARCH 2014
FREE CHECK-UPS FOR MINORITY STUDENTS
Govt has launched the 'Maulana Azad Sehat Scheme' for
minority students in the age group of 5-14 years, enrolled in
institutions aided by the Maulana Azad Education
Foundation, to provide them free health check-ups twice a
year at the place where they are studying.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
MAY 2014
UN PUTS INDIA’S GROWTH AT 5%
According to the UN World Economic Situation and
Prospects (WESP) 2014 report, Indian economy will grow 5
per cent in 2014 and record a slightly higher expansion of
5.5 per cent next year riding on stronger consumption and
investment.
ECONOMY TO GROW BY 4.9% - OECD
Latest economic outlook by the Paris-based think-tank-
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD) says that India's economy is expected to grow up to
4.9% in calendar year 2014 from 4.5% a year earlier,
helped by a rebound in capital investments as well as a
pick-up in private consumption, but rising bad loans at its
banks threaten to choke the recovery.
IIP SHRINKS BY 0.5% IN MARCH
The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) contacted 0.5% in
March, compared with a 1.8% decline in February this year.
This shows the economy is still not showing signs of
recovery from tepid below-5% growth in 2013-14
CORE SECTOR GROWTH DOWN TO 2.5%
The core sector growth slowed to 2.5 per cent in March
from 7 per cent in the same month a year ago as the output
of crude oil, natural gas and fertilisers declined. The eight
industries forming the core sector - fertiliser, cement, steel,
electricity, crude oil, coal, petroleum refinery products and
natural gas, have a combined weight of about 38 per cent in
the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).
CAD SHRINKS TO 1.7% OF GDP
India’s CAD (Current Account Deficit) - a measure of the
inflow and outflow of foreign currency sharply narrowed to
1.7 per cent of the GDP or USD 32.4 billion in 2013-14 from
a record high of 4.7 per cent ($87.8 billion) in FY’13. The
position improved mainly due to sharp decline in imports led
by a steep fall in gold imports
TRADE DEFICIT DOWN BY $ 48 BILLION
India's exports grew to $318.6 in 2013-14, $ 12 billion more
than previous year, while imports shrinked to $ 466.2
billlion, $36 billion less than previous year, bringing down
the trade deficit to $147.6 billion, compared with $195.7
billion in last year.
 Foreign exchange reserves rose by $1.093 billion to
$314.92 billion in the week ended May 16, on account
of increase in currency assets.
APRIL 2014
LOW GROWTH DUE TO INTERNAL FACTORS
World Economic Outlook report by the International
Monetary Fund has attributed India's declining economic
growth, which has touched a decade's low of 4.5 per cent in
2012-13, to mainly internal factors. India's economic
growth, which touched 8.9 per cent in 2010-11 declined to
6.7 per cent in the following year and touched a decade's
low of 4.5 per cent in 2012-13. As for the 2013-14, the
Central Statistics Office (CSO) has pegged it at 4.9 per
cent. However as per the projection of ADB and RBI, the
growth in the current fiscal is likely to increase to 5.5 %..
GDP GROWTH MAY IMPROVE - IMF
According to the
International Monetary
Fund (IMF), growth of
India’s GDP could recover
to 5.4 per cent in the
current fiscal year (2014-
15) from 4.4 per cent
expected in 2013-14. It
may further increase by
one percentage point to 6.4 per cent in the year 2015-16
due to stronger global growth, an improvement in export
competitiveness and implementation of the recently-
approved investment projects.
WORLD BANK PUTS INDIA’S GROWTH AT 5.7%
The World Bank has projected an economic growth rate of
5.7 per cent in fiscal year 2014 for India on the back of a
more competitive exchange rate and many large
investments going forward.
ADB PUTS GROWTH RATE AT 5.5%
The Asian Development Bank has cut India's growth
projection for 2014-15 to 5.5% against 5.7% estimated
earlier, on account of weaker than expected industrial
growth. The Bank pointed out that government needed to
clear projects quickly and boost manufacturing, besides
carrying out structural reforms.

MARCH 2014
FITCH PUTS ECONOMY GROWTH @ 4.7%
Global rating agency Fitch expects that India's economy
may grow 4.7 per cent in the current year, lower than the
official estimate of 4.9 per cent. The agency expects the
economy to pick up in the next two financial years.
Latest data from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
shows that the total number of telecom subscribers in the
country rose marginally to 92.20 crore in January, 2014
from 91.51 crore at the end of December 2013.
MAY 2014
AGRI PRODUCTION TO CROSS 264 MN TON
The 3rd Advance Estimates of crop production in the 2013-
14 crop year (July-June) released by the Agriculture
Ministry says that India is likely to produce 264.38 million
tonnes of foodgrains during 2013-14 compared to 257.13
million tonnes last year, supported by higher production of
wheat and rice. The Agriculture Ministry comes out with
four estimates on foodgrains production at different stages
of crop harvesting.
INDIA IS CHEAPEST MAJOR ECONOMY
A report from German banking giant - Deutsche Bank says
that a weaker Indian rupee has allowed India to remain the
cheapest major economy in the world despite persistently
suffering the highest inflation rate. Australia is overall the
most expensive major economy, while the United States is
the cheapest developed country and Brazil most expensive
developing country.
TELECOM BASE TOUCHES 933 MILLIONS
India’s telecom industry added over one million users in
March, taking the total number of subscribers to 933 million,
as per latest data released by Telecom Regulatory Authority
of India (Trai). Rural India is growing faster claiming 377.73
million subscribers.
 Exim Bank has extended $ 100 million in line of credit
to Nigeria for building energy projects that will
eventually help boost Indian exports.
 FDI inflows from Singapore added up to nearly $6
billion in 2013-14, making it largest source of FDI in
India, followed by Mauritius at $4.9 billion.
APRIL 2014
INDIA TOPS IN INWARD REMITANCES
As per a World Bank report, India ranked first in receiving
global remittances in the year 2013 with a whopping $70
billion in its kitty, of which $65 billion were earned from the
country's flagship software services exports.
STEEL EXPORTS EXCEED IMPORTS
India became net steel exporter in 2013-14 after a gap of
six years and is likely to maintain the momentum in 2014-
15. Total steel exports by India during the last fiscal stood
at 5.59 million tonnes (MT), as against imports of 5.44 MT.
India is the world's fourth largest steel maker.
JICA TO FUND FOREST PROJECT IN U’KHAND
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has
approved a loan of about Rs 674 crore for a forest project in
Uttarakhand. The project will support implementation of
disaster reconstruction and prevention measures in the
forest area of Uttarakhand where heavy rains caused
devastating floods and landslides in June 2013.
MORE WOMEN DIRECTORS IN COMPANIES
Under the rules notified by the
Corporate Affairs Ministry, every
listed company and those public
firms having paid up share
capital of Rs 100 crore or more
should have at least one woman
director on their board. It will be
also applicable to entities with a
minimum turnover of Rs 300 cr.
SC ALLOWS IRON ORE MINING IN GOA
The Supreme Court has allowed mining of iron ore in Goa
after a gap of nearly one-and-a-half year when it was
banned. However, the court has fixed an annual cap of 20
million tonnes of iron ore that can be extracted in Goa.
SUN PHARMA BUYS OUT RANBAXY
In the biggest deal in two years, Sun Pharmaceutical
Industries announced to fully acquire rival Ranbaxy
Laboratories in an all-stock transaction valued at USD 3.2
billion to become the largest pharmaceutical company in
India, with estimated combined revenue of USD 4.2 billion,
and 5th
largest speciality Generics Company in the world.
CADBURY COMPANY CHANGES ITS NAME
Cadbury India has changed its name to Mondelez India
Foods Limited to fall in line with its parent company -
Mondelez International. The change in name will have no
impact on the names or packaging of its products such as
Dairy Milk, 5 Star, Gems, Perk, Bournvita, Tang and Oreo.
MARCH 2014
INFLATION TARGET FOR RBI
In a stern message to RBI, the Finance Minister has
stressed that economic stability should include both price
stability and growth and so the Parliament could also set a
target for the RBI to rein in inflation.
CSR RULES NOTIFIED
Govt has notified that ‘corporate social responsibility’ (CSR)
rules will take effect from April 1, 2014 as part of the new
Companies Act-2013. They will apply to companies with at
least Rs 5 crore net profit, or Rs.1,000 crore turnover or
Rs.500 crore net worth. Such companies will need to spend
2 per cent of their three-year average annual net profit on
CSR activities in each financial year, beginning 2014-15.

ETF LAUNCHED FOR PSEs
The government has launched an exchange-traded fund of
central public sector enterprises, to raise 3,000 crore rupees
for its disinvestment plan. This is an open ended scheme,
comprising of shares of 10 central PSEs including ONGC,
GAIL India and COAL India. It tracks an index fund, but
trades like a stock on the exchange.
INTEREST HIKED ON PO DEPOSITS
Govt has decided to hike interest rates on fixed deposit
schemes offered by post offices by up to 0.2 per cent, to 8.4
per cent, w.e.f. April 1, 2014. The interest rate on PPF
(public provident fund) has, however, been kept unchanged
at 8.7 per cent.
BANKING & FINANCE
MAY 2014
NAYAK COMMITTEE SUBMIT ITS REPORT
P J Nayak Committee appointed by the RBI to review
Governance of Boards of Banks in India has recommended
that the government should cut its stake in public sector
banks to below 50 percent. All banks be incorporated under
the Companies Act and a Bank Investment Company (BIC)
be constituted to which the Government transfers its
holdings in banks. It has also said that RBI — and not the
finance ministry — should have the last word on regulation
of public sector banks which command 70% of the market
share.
NO PENALTY FOR TERM LOAN PREPAYMENT
RBI has asked banks to consider allowing their borrowers
the facility of prepaying all floating rate term loans without
any penalty. Earlier this facility was available on house loans
only. Some banks are charging pre-payment penalty of up
to 2 per cent of the outstanding loans.
NO PENALTY IN INOPERATIVE ACCOUNTS
RBI has asked banks not to levy penalties on customers
who don’t maintain a minimum balance in any inoperative
account, as part of a consumer protection initiative.
Already, Banks are not allowed to charge customers for
non-operation or activation of Basic Savings Bank deposit
accounts. However, Banks are permitted to recover charges
for non maintenance of minimum balance in normal savings
accounts.
INDEPENDENT SB ACCOUNTS FOR MINORS
RBI has advised that banks are
allowed to open only savings
bank account in the name of
minors of age above 10 years,
independently, without the
name of their guardians.
However, it has been left to the
banks to decide various terms
and conditions, including
amount of withdrawal, issuance
of cheque book / debit cards.
RUPAY CARD LAUNCHED BY THE PRESIDENT
President of India formally launched India’s first indigenous
payment gateway, RuPay, to counter rival networks such as
Visa and Mastercard to work on ATMs and merchant outlets
and help in reducing cash transactions. Developed by the
National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), it is the
seventh such payment gateway in the world.
LOK ADALATS FOR CHEQUE BOUNCE CASES
The Law ministry is working on amendments to the Legal
Services Authority Act that would allow leading banks to set
up permanent Lok Adalats on their premises for settlement
of all disputes related to cheque bouncing. Retired district
judges or additional district judges may be appointed as
chairpersons of such Lok Adalats.
CRYSTALLIZE INOPERATIVE FC ACCOUNTS-RBI
The Reserve Bank has directed banks to convert credit
balances in any inoperative foreign currency (FC)
denominated deposit into Indian rupee if the former
remains not in use for three years from the date of maturity
of deposit.
BANKS TO TRANSFER UNCLAIMED ACCOUNTS
The Reserve Bank of India has asked banks to remit amount
lying in deposit accounts classified as unclaimed to the
Depositor Education and Awareness Fund (DEAF) by 30th of
June. An unclaimed deposit account is one in which there
are no transactions for 10 years or more.
BANKS TO HAVE TALKING / BRAILLE ATMs
RBI has directed that all new ATMs to be installed by
commercial banks from July 2014 onwards would provide
audible instructions and Braille keypads to customers.
Later, all existing ATMs should also be converted as talking
ATMs with Braille keypads. RBI also asked banks to
provide the facilities of magnifying glasses at all bank
branches for the use of persons with low vision.
10 YEAR TERM LOANS FOR EXPORTERS
The Reserve Bank has allowed banks to provide long-term
loans of up to a maximum tenor of 10 years to exporters to
be utilised for execution of long-term supply contracts for
export of goods. Existing norms allow banks to give loans
for up to one year only.
BMB DECLARED AS SCHEDULED BANK
Bharatiya Mahila Bank, the country's first all-women lender,
has been included in the second schedule to the RBI Act.
This means that now it is eligible for loans from RBI on bank
rate and to acquire membership of clearing houses.
RBI TO LAUNCH PLASTIC CURRENCY
RBI has advised that one billion plastic notes of Rs.10
denomination will be introduced in a field trial to be
launched in the latter half of 2014 in five cities selected for
their geographical and climatic diversity. The selected cities
are Shimla, Kochi, Mysore, Jaipur, and Bhubaneswar. Plastic
notes have an average life span of about five years and are
difficult to imitate.

RBI DEFERS BIOMETRIC AUTHENTICATION
RBI has put on hold its order requiring all future credit card
swipe machines and ATMs to be capable of biometric
authentication. Instead, a pilot project will be launched
where issuers of prepaid cards will be allowed cash
withdrawals on the basis of biometric authentication.
APRIL 2014
BANK LICENCE FOR IDFC AND BANDHAN
The Reserve Bank of India has granted "in-principle" bank
licences to only two applicants - Infrastructure Development
Finance Company and microfinance lender Bandhan
Financial Services Ltd. The in-principle approval is valid for
18 months. The announcement took time as there was a
debate over whether corporate houses and entities with
exposure to real estate should be given licences or not and
finally they lost the race.
RBI TO MEASURE INFLATION BY CPI
The Reserve Bank has adopted the new Consumer Price
Index (combined) as the key measure of inflation. Earlier,
RBI had given more weightage to Wholesale Price Index
(WPI) than CPI as the key measure of inflation for all policy
purposes. This has been done on recommendations of Urjit
R. Patel panel.
NO CHARGES ON MIN BALANCE VIOLATION
The Reserve Bank has asked banks not to levy penal
charges for non-maintenance of minimum balance in
ordinary savings bank account and inoperative accounts.
Instead, banks could curtail the services accorded to those
accounts until the balance is restored.
DOUBLE PASSWORD FOR ONLINE BANKING
The RBI report on 'Enabling Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)
in Payment System Applications’ has suggested that banks
should introduce two-stage authentication to ensure security
of online transactions. It also said that banks should also
inform customers about risks associated with different types
of online banking transaction.
RBI TO LAUNCH MSS FOR 50,000 CRORE
The Reserve Bank has fixed the quantum of intervention
through Market Stabilisation Scheme (MSS) at Rs 50,000
crore to manage liquidity. The government launched MSS in
consultation with RBI in 2004 with the objective to absorb
excess liquidity, arising out of significant foreign exchange
inflows, by issuing treasury bills or dated securities.
SBI JOINS TWITTER COMMUNITY
State Bank of India has taken one more step on the social
media front by launching a twitter handle. The Twitter
handle for SBI is https:// twitter.com/ The Official SBI". The
bank expects this Twitter handle to connect better with the
tech-savvy young generation.
PRE PAID CARD LIMIT FIXED AT Rs 50,000/-
The Reserve Bank has fixed the upper limit to Rs. 50,000 for
issuance of pre-paid payment instruments to make all
issuers comply with the strict money laundering laws and all
the relevant KYC norms. No card can be issued without
verifying the KYC of the issued party.
FIMMDA/FEDAI TO ADMINISTER BENCHMARKS
Accepting the recommendations of the Vijaya Bhaskar
committee, the Reserve Bank has asked the Fixed Income
Money Market and Derivatives Association of India
(FIMMDA) and the Foreign Exchange Dealers’ Association of
India (FEDAI) to act as administrators of the
Indian rupee interest rate and foreign exchange
benchmarks.
GOVERNMENT INTERNAL REVENUE ORDER
The panel set up by RBI under chairmanship of Umesh
Bellur to suggest modalities for setting up a system for
GIRO - Government Internal Revenue Order has suggested
a mechanism for centralised bills payment system in the
country, primarily by setting up two organisations - Bharat
Bill Payment Services or BBPS and the Bharat Bill Payment
Operating Units or BBPOUs. The BBPS will function as a
'not-for-profit' organisation which has necessary experience
in the payment systems while the BBPOUs may be operated
on commercial lines.
 The Reserve Bank has directed banks offering gold
metal loans (GML) to strengthen their credit
appraisal process in the wake of frauds committed by
certain jewelers.
MARCH 2014
RBI EXTENDS TIME FOR BASEL III NORMS
The Reserve Bank has extended the timeline for full
implementation of the Basel III capital regulations by a year
to March 31, 2019, instead of as on March 31, 2018. This
breather comes in the wake of industry-wide concerns about
the potential stresses (of the implementation of the
regulations) on the asset quality and consequential impact
on the performance/profitability of banks.
BANK DEPOSITS MOVE UPWARDS
Bank deposits continued to
outpace credit growth,
growing by 15.55 per cent
year-on-year to Rs 7,692,309
crore as on March 7,
according to RBI. Meanwhile,
credit grew at 14.65 per cent
year-on-year to Rs 5,937,249
crore during the same period.
SBI LAUNCHES ITS OWN PAYMENT GATEWAY
State Bank of India has launched a payment intermediary
christened as 'SBI ePay', which will facilitate e-commerce or
m-commerce transactions among merchants, customers and
various financial institutions for all kinds of payments with
electronic connectivity. SBI is the first bank in India to start
its own online aggregator services.

SWIFT TO START OPERATIONS IN INDIA
SWIFT India, the domestic arm of the Society for Worldwide
Interbank Financial Telecommunication has tied up with
nine domestic banks to provide its electronic channel for
financial messaging on transactions between banks and
other financial institutions. So far, they provided services to
banks for overseas transactions only, now, they will develop
the same platform for domestic operations by end 2014.
JOINT LENDERS’ FORUM FOR NPAs
RBI has issued guidelines for revitalising high value
distressed assets (loans gone bad) by forming Joint Lenders’
Forum (JLF) and adoption of Corrective Action Plan (CAP)
for operationalising the framework. The Indian Banks’
Association (IBA) would prepare a master JLF agreement
and operational guidelines for JLF which could be adopted
by all lenders.
 Reserve Bank has extended the date for exchanging the
pre-2005 banknotes to January 01, 2015.
 Axis Bank has become first private sector bank to
introduce the "Kisan Card" through which a farmer can
withdraw up to Rs 1 lakh per day from ATMs.
 RBI has announced to conduct review of the Monetary
Policy at bi-monthly intervals from 1st
April, 2014
onwards, instead of quarterly and mid quarterly at
present.
DEFENCE, SCIENCE
& TECHNOLOGY
MAY 2014
NANO FINGERPRINTS FOR CURRENCY / CARDS
Scientists have developed
invisible nano 'finger-
prints' that could be
embedded into gadgets,
banknotes and credit
cards, making it
impossible to counterfeit
the objects. Unique
patterns made from tiny,
randomly scattered silver
nanowires have been created in an attempt to authenticate
goods and tackle the growing problem of counterfeiting.
NEW ANTIBIOTICS DISCOVERED
In a breakthrough, scientists have discovered a new class of
antibiotics to fight deadly bacteria such as methicillin-
resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and other drug-
resistant bacteria that threaten public health.
The new class, called oxadiazoles, was discovered by
University of Notre Dame, USA.
UN WARNS AGAINST ‘EL NINO’ EFFECT
The UN weather agency-World Meteorological Organisation
(WMO) has warned that there is strong possibility of an "El
Nino" climate phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean this year,
bringing droughts and heavy rainfall to the rest of the
world, including India.
The El Nino phenomenon occurs every two to seven years,
when the prevailing trade winds that circulate surface water
in the tropical Pacific start to weaken.
JOINT NAVAL DRILL WITH SINGAPORE
Singapore Indian Maritime Bilateral Exercise - SIMBEX 14,
the 2014 series of annual bilateral naval exercises between
the Indian Navy and Singapore Navy was conducted in the
Andaman Sea from 22 May to 28 May 14 to enhance inter-
operability and mutual understanding between the two
navies.
ARMY HOLDS WAR PRACTICE IN RAJASTHAN
Indian Army conducted the “Sarvada Vijay” exercise in West
Rajasthan as part of regular training with a large army
formation for practising and honing war fighting skills in
tough desert conditions.
‘NABHRATNA’ TO TEST RADAR SYSTEMS
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has delivered a
Dornier light-weight aircraft named Nabhratna to the
Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO)
to carry out testing of its under-development airborne radar
systems.
ASTRA MISSILE TEST FIRED
India’s first indigenously developed beyond visual range
(BVR) air to air missile successfully test fired from a
Russian-built Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jet. It has a range of
60 kilometers.
SINO INDIA JOINT MILITARY EXERCISE
India and China have decided to conduct a joint military
exercise at Bathinda, Punjab, less than 100 kms from
Pakistan. Bathinda is the base of the Indian Army’s 10 Corps
and has a big airbase also.
 The DRDO has successfully test-fired the surface to air
Akash air defence missiles off the coast of Balasore in
Odisha.
 Pakistan successfully test-fired its surface-to-surface
ballistic missile Hataf-III Ghaznavi capable of
carrying nuclear weapons up to 290 kilometers.
APRIL 2014
IRNSS 1B LAUNCHED SUCCESSFULLY
India successfully launched its second navigational satellite
IRNSS 1B onboard PSLV-C24 from Sriharikota on Andhra
coast. The 1,432 kg satellite will form part of the Indian
Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), an equivalent
to GPS of the USA, comprising of seven satellites.
MICROSOFT SAYS GOODBYE TO WINDOWS XP
From April 8, Microsoft has stopped technical support for its
most popular operating system (OS) Windows XP globally.
The OS launched in October 2001, is three generations
behind the latest Windows 8 that hit markets in Oct. 2012.

NAVY SELLS OFF ITS FIRST AIRCRAFT CARRIER
The Navy has sold the iconic air craft carrier INS Vikrant to a
ship-breaking company for Rs. 63.2 crore. The ship
decommissioned in 1997 played a major role in 1971 war.
INS Vikrant (formerly HMS Hercules) was purchased by
India from the United Kingdom in 1957. It was operated
from 1961 to 1997. (The present INS Vikrant is the
indigenously built aircraft carrier which was launched in
2013 will be commissioned around 2018.)
NEW INTERCEPTOR MISSILE TESTED
In a significant milestone in the direction of developing a
two-layered ballistic missile defence system, India
successfully tested its maiden Prithvi Defence Vehicle (PDV)
for engaging targets (incoming missiles) at more than 120
km altitude.
JOINT INDO FRENCH AIR EXCERCISE
From June 3, India and France will start a 10-day joint Air
exercise 'Garuda-5 in Rajasthan's Jodhpur airbase, aimed at
training the pilots and crew of Indian and French fighters in
air superiority operations.
WOMEN TO BECOME COMBAT OFFICERS
The government has approved recruitment of young women
as 'combat officers' in Sashastra Seema Bal. Young women
up to the age of 25 years will be recruited as direct entry
officers in the rank of Assistant Commandants.
AGNI -I TESTED IN NIGHT TIME
India successfully
conducted maiden night
test of its indigenously
developed nuclear-capable
surface to surface ballistic
missile – Agni-I, with strike
range of 700 km from the
Integrated Test Range
(ITR) at Wheeler Island,
off Odisha coast.
INS SHIVALIK: The advanced Indian missile frigate
visited Qingdao - the eastern port city of China, to take part
in exercises to mark the Chinese Navy’s 65th anniversary.
 The Army successfully test fired an advanced version of
290-km range supersonic cruise missile, BrahMos, at
the Pokhran test range in Rajasthan.
 DRDO team successfully tested its indigenously
developed surface-to-air missile Aakash from the
Integrated Test Range near Chandipur, District Balasore
in Odisha.
MARCH 2014
LARGEST YELLOW STAR
Astronomers have spotted the largest yellow star ever
observed in our galaxy that is 1,300 times larger and one
million times brighter than the sun. Despite its great
distance of nearly 12,000 light-years from earth, the star
named HR 5171 can be seen with the naked eye.
WORLD’S LARGEST AIRCRAFT
Britain has unveiled the world’s largest aircraft—a 300 feet
long monster which is part plane, airship and helicopter,
capable of flying non-stop for 3 weeks without refuelling.
BRAIGO: Name of the low-cost Braille printer developed
by 12 years old Indian-origin boy Shubham Banerjee in USA
by using toy construction Lego pieces.
VENOM GT: World’s fastest car developed by the US car
manufacturer Hennessey, with a top speed of an incredible
435 km/hr.
JUMBO LOSS TO AIR FORCE
A recent and most modern acquisition of the Indian Air
Force from the United States, the C-130J Super Hercules
military transport aircraft, crashed on Friday near Gwalior
(MP), killing all five IAF personnel on board.
Ex-Surya Kiran Drills VI: Joint Indian and Nepal army
military exercise at Saljhandi in Rupandehi district, Nepal.
 Prithvi-II: India successfully test-fired it’s indigenously
developed nuclear-capable missile having a strike range
of 350 km, from a test range in Odisha.
INTERNATIONAL
MAY 2014
RUSSIA, CHINA VETO AGAINST SYRIA
Russia and China on 22 May 2014 exercised their veto
power in UN Security Council against a draft resolution
which was intended to refer the Syrian civil war to the
International Criminal Court (ICC). Of the total 15 votes in
Security Council, the resolution received 13 votes in favour
but was double vetoed by the Russia and China for the
fourth time.
VIETNAM PROTESTS AGAINST CHINA
Widespread violent protests against China spread in
Vietnam over the South China Sea dispute as thousands of
angry Vietnamese torched several Chinese projects to
protest attempts by a Chinese oil rig to drill in the disputed
waters.
US TROOPS TO STAY IN AFGHANISTAN
USA has said that America will withdraw its troops from
Afghanistan completely by 2016. The current 32,000-strong
US deployment in Afghanistan will be reduced to around
9,800 by the start of 2015 and to bare minimal by end of
2016.
OVER 200 GIRLS ABDUCTED BY BOKO HARAM
Suspected Boko Haram Islamist militants abducted more
than 200 school girls aged between 12 and 15 from north-
eastern Nigeria to pressurize Nigerian government for
release of their ally militants. USA and several other
countries have condemned this ghastly act and offered all
possible help to Nigeria for locating the girls. Boko Haram
literally means ‘Western education is forbidden’.

E E S FORMED LED BY RUSSIA
The leaders of Russia, Kazakhstan, and Belarus have signed
a treaty in Astana on the creation of a Russian-led Eurasian
Economic Union (EES) to create a territory for unified
customs tariffs beginning on January 1, 2015.
WORLD ECONOMY TO GROW BY 2.8% - U N
The United Nations has lowered its forecasts for global
economic growth in 2014 and 2015 to 2.8 per cent and 3.2
percent respectively, for reasons such as the exceptionally
cold winter in the United States, the escalating political crisis
in Ukraine, and financial turbulence earlier this year.
WHO WARNS AGAINST POLIO
The World Health Organisation has warned that polio has
reemerged as public health emergency, as new cases of this
crippling disease have been noticed in countries like Syria
and Pakistan.
UNO AND IOC TO PROMOTE SPORTS
The United Nations and the International Olympic
Committee have signed a historic agreement to use the
power of sports to promote peace and economic
development, a move that strengthens collaboration
between two of the world's major organizations.
TRAIN TUNNEL AT AN ALTITUDE OF 3.6 KMS
The world's highest tunnel for high-speed trains became
operational in northwest China on May 1 passing through
the Qilian Mountains at an altitude of 3,607.4 metres (11835
feet). The 16.3-km-long tunnel links the Gansu and Xinjiang
provinces.
MOLDOVA AND GEORGIA JOIN HAND WITH E U
Two former Soviet republic countries-Moldova and Georgia
have signed the European Union (EU) Association
Agreement to strengthen their trade and political ties with
EU. The accord will also help them defend from threats by
Russia which opposes the EU's eastward expansion.
ISLAMIC BANKING IN AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan's Central Bank, Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB) has
signed an agreement with a non-profit independent
organization 'Harkat' for implementing the Sharia compliant
banking system in the country. The Islamic banking or
Sharia compliant banking is a system based on the
principles of Islam which prohibit payment/charging of
interest on deposit/loans, respectively.
 Bhutan is likely to become the first country in the world
to go wholly organic in its food production, totally
avoiding usage of chemical fertilisers and pesticides.
 Royal Navy Submarine Service of United Kingdom for
the first time in its 110-year history has appointed
female submariners.
 Spain has suspended the 12th bull fight festival (called
San Isidro festival in Spain) after matadors got injured
by bulls.
 Brazil released two postage stamps to pay tribute to the
100 years of Indian cinema.
 Saudi Arabia has decided to ban the import of Indian
chilies due to presence of high pesticide residues.
APRIL 2014
G-20 FMs MEET AT WASHINGTON
Finance Ministers and business leaders from G20 nations
met at Washington, USA, to discuss ways to boost
investment in infrastructure to boost world GDP by more
than $2 trillion over the coming five years.
E U BANS IMPORT OF MANGOES FROM INDIA
The European Union has decided to temporarily ban the
import of Alphonso mangoes and four other vegetables from
India from May 1 due to the alleged presence of pests in
them. The trading community pegs the loss because of the
ban at more than Rs100 crore as India is the leading
exporter of mangoes in the world. India accounts for more
than half of the total Mango production in the world.
WORLD TRADE TO GROW BY 4.7%
Latest WTO report projects global trade to recover and grow
by 4.7% in 2014, more than double of what was achieved in
2013. The growth is projected to be slightly faster at 5.3%
in 2015, which is also the 20-year average growth rate. For
the past two years, global trade growth averaged 2.2%.
MARCH 2014
CRIMEA BREAKS AWAY FROM UKRAINE
Crimea's Parliament voted to join Russia, breaking away
from Ukraine. Crimea has now become a province of Russia,
despite strong protests from USA and its European allies.
The UN General Assembly has not approved this merger.
RUSSIA EXPELLED FROM G-8
The United States and its closest
allies in the Group of 8
industrialized democracies
expelled Russia from the G-8
Group to punish President
Vladimir V. Putin for his
lightning annexation of Crimea.
The Group has threatened
further tougher sanctions if Russia escalates aggression
against Ukraine.
The Group also cancelled its proposed meet at Sochi,
Russia. The meet now will be held at Brussels, Belgium.
MH 370 BOEING 777 MISSING
Investigating authorities from over 10 countries have failed
to locate the Beijing-bound Boeing 777-200 flight MH370 of
Malaysia Airlines, having 239 passengers aboard that went
missing mysteriously over the South China Sea on March 7.
GATES IS BACK AS TOP BILLIONAIRE
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has regained the title of the
world's richest man with $ 76 billion, in the Forbes
magazine's annual billionaire list that includes 56 India
based billionaires led by RIL Chairman Mukesh
Ambani. Gates is back at the top spot after a four-year gap
when Mexican telecom mogul Carlos Slim Helu was at top.

AIR POLLUTION CLAIMS 7 MN LIVES
From taxi tailpipes in
Paris to dung-fired
stoves in New Delhi, air
pollution claimed seven
million lives around the
world in 2012, according
to figures released by
the World Health
Organization. More than
one-third of those deaths, the organization said, occurred in
fast-developing nations of Asia, where rates of
cardiovascular and pulmonary disease have been soaring.
 The Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) 2014 held at The
Hague, Netherlands.
 Changi Airport, Singapore: Declared as world’s best
airport
PERSONS IN NEWS
MAY 2014
YINGLUCK SHINAWATRA: Prime Minister of Thailand
was removed from office by a Constitutional Court as she
was found guilty of abusing her power when she transferred
a civil servant to another post more than three years ago.
The court ordered her to step down immediately along with
all members of her cabinet who were in office at that time.
Later the army imposed martial law in the country.
RAMARNI WILFRED: An 11-year-old boy in the UK has
achieved the highest possible score of 162 on a Mensa IQ
test, making him brainier than physicist Albert Einstein.
ALENKA BRATUSEK: First lady Prime Minister of Slovenia
submitted her resignation as she lost the majority in her
own party.
APRIL 2014
CHUNG HONG-WON: South Korea’s
Prime Minister resigned taking moral
responsibility for the sinking of a
passenger ferry that left 300 people
dead or missing. He apologized for
having been unable to prevent the
accident from happening and unable
to properly respond to it afterwards.
SERIK AKHMETOV: Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Central
Asia's largest economy, was in news as he resigned from his
post, along with his entire cabinet.
JEAN-MARC AYRAULT: Prime Minister of France was in
news as he was sacked by his President after a stinging
defeat of his (Jean’s) group in local elections.
NANCY POWELL: The U.S. ambassador to India has
resigned following a row over the arrest of a junior Indian
diplomat Devyani Khobragade in New York and her
subsequent strip search that pushed relations between the
world's biggest democracies to their lowest ebb in more
than a decade.
MARCH 2014
NANDAN NILEKANI: He was in news as he resigned from
the Chairmanship of the Unique Identification Authority of
India (UIDAI) on 13 March 2014 to contest Lok Sabha
election from the Bangalore South on congress ticket.
K. C. CHAKRABARTY: Deputy Governor of the Reserve
Bank of India was in news as he resigned three months
ahead of the completion of his term.
ARJUN KAPOOR: Bollywood actor was in news as he
became the national ambassador of the Earth Hour 2014
that was observed on March 29. Under the Earth Hour
initiative, citizens are asked to switch off electricity for an
hour from 8.30 p.m. to 9.30 p.m. This year’s theme is “I
Will If You Will”
ALI ZEIDAN: Prime Minister of Libya was in news as he
was ousted by his country’s parliament, after passing a no-
confidence motion against him.
APPOINTMENTS
MAY 2014
MUKUL ROHATGI: 14th Attorney-General of India
RAJIV MATHUR: Chief Information Commissioner
Lt Gen D S SUHAG: Chief of Army Staff (28th)
RAJEEV SURI: President and CEO of Finnish tele-
communications equipment maker Nokia.
AHMED MAITEEQ: Prime Minister of Libya
DALIA GRYBAUSKAITE: President of Lithuania, popular
as ‘Iron Lady’ of Lithuania
PETRO POROSHENKO: President of Ukraine
JACOB ZUMA: President of South Africa, from African
National Congress party
LUIS GUILLERMO SOLIS: President of Costa Rica
APRIL 2014
RAJENDRA MAL LODHA: Chief Justice of India (41st),
appointed by President of India
ILA PATNAIK: Noted economist has been appointed
Principal Economic Adviser in the Ministry of Finance.
Admiral Rabinder Kumar Dhowan: New Chief (22nd) of
Indian Navy
ARVIND MAYARAM: Union Finance Secretary.
R. CHANDRASEKARAN: Chairman, National Association of
Software and Services Companies (Nasscom)
R. GANDHI: Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India
VIKTOR ORBÁN: Prime Minister of Hungary
KARIM MASSIMOV: Prime Minister of Kazakhstan
ABDELAZIZ BOUTEFLIKA: President of Algeria
MANUEL VALLS: Prime Minister of France

MARCH 2014
JUSTICE R.M. LODHA: 41st Chief Justice of India
RAJIV TAKRU: Finance Secretary, Govt. of India
SHEILA DIKSHIT: Governor of Kerala
RAKESH SETHI: Chairman and Managing Director of
Allahabad Bank.
JUSTICE B N SRIKRISHNA: Chairman of Financial
Planning Standards Board India
AJAY SHRIRAM: President CII (Confederation of Indian
Industries)
AAMIR KHAN: National Icon of The Election Commission
to spread awareness about the importance of voting and to
urge people to cast their votes.
ARJUN BAHADUR THAPA: Secretary General of the South
Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
SANCHEZ CEREN: President of El Salvador
MICHELLE BACHELET: First women President of Chile
AWARDS & HONOURS
MAY 2014
GOLD MEDAL FOR INDIAN DOCUMENTARY
“Silent Screams — India’s Fight Against Rape” a
documentary film directed by Pria Somiah won a Gold World
Medal for ‘Best Investigative Report’ as well as Bronze
Medals each in the ‘Current Affairs’ and ‘Human Concerns’
sections respectively at the 2014 New York Festivals
International TV and Film Awards.
NEW FRONTIERS AWARD 2014 FOR INDIA
Arabian Travel Market (ATM) awarded this award to India
for its outstanding contribution to rebuild physical
infrastructure and its rural tourism economy in the wake of
the June 2013 floods, landslides in the northern state of
Uttarakhand and the devastation wreaked by tropical
Cyclone Phailin.
Palme d’Or: The top prize for best picture at the Cannes
Film Festival Turkey’s Winter Sleep by Nuri Bilge Ceylan
National Florence Nightingale Awards 2014 conferred
on 35 nursing personnel by President of India for their
meritorious services.
APRIL 2014
THE IIFA 2014 AWARDS
Held at Tampa Bay, Florida, USA
Best Picture: Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
Best Actor: Farhan Akhtar for Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
Best Actress: Deepika Padukone for Chennai Express
Best Director: Rakeysh Om Mehra for Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
Lifetime Achievement Award: Shatrughan Sinha
Best Entertainer of the Year: Deepika Padukone
61ST NATIONAL FILM AWARDS – 2013
NAME OF AWARD NAME OF THE WINNER
Best Feature Film Ship of Theseus (English-Hindi) by
Anand Gandhi
Best Popular Film
Providing Wholesome
Entertainment
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (Hindi) by
Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
Best Hindi Film Jolly LLB by Subhash Kapoor
Nargis Dutt Award for
Best Feature Film on
National Integration
Thalaimuraigal(Tamil) by Balu
Mahendra
Best Direction Hansal Mehta for Shahid (Hindi)
Best Actor Raj Kumar
For Shahid (Hindi) & Suraj
Venjaramoodu for
Perariyathavar(Malayalam)
Best Actress Geetanjali Thapa for Liar’s Dice
(Hindi)
FEMINA MISS INDIA WORLD 2014 (KOYAL RANA)
1st Runner Up Jhataleka Malhotra
2nd Runner Up Gail Nicole Da Silva
Femina Miss India Asia Lopamudra Raut
Pacific 2014
GOLDMAN ENVIRONMENTAL PRIZE: Indian
environment activist Ramesh Agrawal has won the
prestigious award ‘Green Nobel’ that honours heroic
grassroot environmentalists around the world for their
achievements. Agrawal founded Jan Chetana, a grassroots
movement to protect people and the environment from
rampant industrialisation. The award is given to six persons
across the world annually by Goldman Environmental
Foundation based in San Francisco, USA.
PULITZER PRIZE (public service): American
journalism’s highest honour awarded to the leading US
newspapers The Washington Post and The Guardian for
revealing the massive U.S. government surveillance effort.
PULITZER PRIZE (POETRY): India-born poet Vijay
Seshadri, for his witty and philosophical collection of poems
– ‘3 sections’.

MILLENNIUM TECHNOLOGY PRIZE: Stuart Parkin,
British-American physicist has won the 1 million-Euro prize
for discoveries leading to a thousand-fold increase in digital
data storage on magnetic disks. His discoveries enabled
cloud services and the online distribution of social networks,
music and film.
THE KNIGHT GRAND CROSS: Tata Group chairman
emeritus Ratan Tata has been decorated with the British
government’s highest civilian honour in recognition for the
work his group is doing in England.
45th
DADASAHEB PHALKE AWARD – 2013: Gulzar,
veteran poet and film lyricist. His real name is Sampooran
Singh Kalra. It is the highest honour from the govt side to
recognize a person’s contribution in promoting Indian
cinema.
MARCH 2014
GANDHI PEACE PRIZE- 2013: Chandi Prasad Bhatt,
Eminent Gandhian and environmentalist, founder of ‘Chipko
Movement’ to save forests. The award, given by Govt. of
India, carries a cash reward of Rs one crore.
SARASWATI SAMMAN 2013: Noted writer Govind Mishra
for his Hindi novel, Dhool Paudhon Par. The award carries a
cash reward of Rs. 10 lac.
Protein Science Young Investigator Award: Dr. M.
Madan Babu, Indian-born scientist won the award at
Cambridge University, UK.
International Women of Courage Award:
Won by Indian acid attack victim, Ms. Laxmi for successfully
leading the campaign against acid attacks on women in
India.
86th ACADEMY AWARDS (OSCARS)
LOS ANGELES, USA
Best Picture: 12 Years a Slave by Steve McQueen
Best Director: Alfonso Cuaron for Gravity,
Best Actor: McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club
Best Actress: Cate Blanchett for Blue Jasmine
TEMPLETON PRIZE- 2014: Tomas Halik, Czech priest
and intellectual has been awarded £1.1 million prize for his
“exceptional contribution to life’s spiritual dimension.”
THE PRITZKER Architecture Prize: Shigeru Ban (Japan)
for his simple low cost designs.
BOOKS & AUTHORS
MAY 2014
Post Haste: Quintessential India by B.G. Verghese
Hard Choices by Hillary Clinton
India Junction – A Window to the Nation brought out
by Public Relations Directorate, Railway Board.
A Stamp is Born by C. R. Pakrashi
Arctic Summer by Damon Galgut
Capital in The Twenty First Century by Thomas Piketty
My Years with Rajiv and Sonia by R.D.Pradhan
Shivaji, the Real Hero: A pictorial book by the artist
Brijesh Mogre, released in Parliament of UK.
APRIL 2014
‘An Undocumented Wonder: The Making of the Great
Indian Election’ by S. Y. Quraishi
Story of A Death Foretold by Oscar Guardiola-Rivera
Good Governance: Never On India's Radar by Madhav
Godbole
MARCH 2014
The Hindus: An Alternative History by Wendy Doniger
India at Risk by Jaswant Singh
My Way by Derek O’Brien, Rajya Sabha member
In Pursuit of a Lesser Offence by Sujata Parashar
Be Careful What You Wish For by Jeffrey Archer
The Country Without a Post Office by Agha Shahid Ali
Dhool Paudho Par by Govind Mishra
The Political Economy of Energy and Growth by
Najeeb Jung, Lt. Governor of Delhi.
The Triple Package: What Really Determines Success
by Jed Rubenfeld, Amy Chua
OBITUARY
MAY 2014
RUSSY MODI: Noted corporate personality, Ex Chairman
and Managing Director of Tata Steel
MADHAV MANTRI: India's oldest Test cricketer, maternal
uncle of the legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar
GARY BECKER: Nobel Laureate economist from Chicago,
USA
APRIL 2014
V K MURTHY: Renowned cinematographer and Dada
Saheb Phalke awardee, known for capturing breathtaking
images in Guru Dutt's classics like Pyaasa, Sahib Bibi Aur
Ghulam and Kagaz Ke Phool.
GABRIEL GARCIA MARQUEZ: The Nobel laureate, most
popular veteran Spanish-language story writer and novelist
from Colombia. His famous works include ‘One Hundred
Years of Solitude’ and ‘Love in the Time of Cholera’.
MARCH 2014
KHUSHWANT SINGH: Writer, historian, novelist, humorist
and columnist. Known for his popular column ‘with malice
towards one and all’. His famous novels include ‘Train to
Pakistan’, ‘Delhi: A Novel’, ‘The Company of Women’ and
‘Sunset Club’
NANDA: Veteran film actress of Hindi Cinema

PLACES IN NEWS
MAY 2014
HERAT: City in Afghanistan was in news as militants armed
with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades attacked
the Indian Consulate. The Indian diplomatic staff escaped
unharmed, while all four attackers were killed. The attack is
believed to be the handiwork of elements operating from
Pakistan.
MANISA: place in the western Turkey was in news as
over 300 people were killed and hundreds more remained
trapped underground after an explosion and fire in a coal
mine took place.
AAB BAREEK: a village in Badakhshan province of
Afghanistan was in news as several hundreds of persons
were killed when their village was swept away due to a
heavy mud slide.
APRIL 2014
THE EBOLA (GUINEA): A deadly disease, outbreak of
which in West Africa has claimed more than 145 lives so far.
More than 240 people, mostly in Guinea, are suspected of
having caught the illness. There is no vaccine, no treatment
and the disease is almost always fatal.
MARCH 2014
RAKHIGARHI: Place in Hissar district, Haryana, was in
news as the discovery of two more mounds at this
Harappan site has led archaeologists establishing it as the
biggest Harappan civilisation site. Until now, Mohenjo-daro
in Pakistan was regarded as the largest among the 2,000
Harappan sites known to exist in India, Pakistan and
Afghanistan.
BHAGWANPUR: Site of the 130-MW solar power plant,
largest in India, set up at a cost of Rs. 1,100 crore on 305
hectares of land in district Neemuch, Madhya Pradesh.
AJNALA: City in Amritsar district was in news as the
remains of at least 282 persons who were executed by the
British for participating in the First War of Independence in
1857, were exhumed from a well at the local Gurdwara
Shaheedganj, during a digging of the well which was
popularly known as “Kalianwalia Khuh”.
KUNMING: Capital city of Yunnan province in China was in
news as a terrorist attack by knife wielding Islamic Uighur
fanatics killed over 30 civilians and injured 140 others in
city’s main Railway Station on March 1.
SPORTS WORLD
MAY 2014
Uber Cup for women’s badminton: China beats Japan in
the final played at New Delhi. Indian team lead by Saina
Nehwal won the bronze medal for the first time in Uber Cup.
Thomas Cup: (men’s badminton) Japan beats Malaysia to
lift their maiden trophy in the final played at New Delhi.
National Football Championship (women’s): Manipur
beats Odisha to clinch the title at Golaghat, Assam.
Virat Kohli was ranked no 1 in the latest ICC list of One
Day International (ODI) rankings.
Malavath Purna: The 13 year old school girl from
Khammam district of Andhra Pradesh created history by
becoming the youngest female to scale the Mount Everest.
Ronnie O'Sullivan: Snooker player from UK named World
Snooker's ‘player of the year’
World Snooker Championship 2014: won by Mark
Selby of England at Sheffield, England, beating the
defending champion Ronnie O Sullivan.
EUROPEAN CUP (football): Real Madrid won the cup
beating Atletico Madrid in the finals played at Lisbon, Spain
WTA Portugal Open 2014: Sania Mirza of India and Cara
Black of Zimbabwe won women’s doubles title held in
Oeiras, Portugal.
ATP World Tour Masters Tennis: Men’s title won by
Rafael Nadal (Spain) at Mutua Madrid, Spain. Women’s
title was won by Maria Sharapova of Russia.
FIFA WORLD CUP TO USE ‘BRAZUCA’ BALLS
In the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Brazil in June 2014,
technology will get a new meaning as the ‘Brazuca’ balls to
be used in the mega event will come with six in-built
HD cameras capturing 360 degree view of the on-field
action. These footballs have been specially manufactured by
the global sports company Adidas. The word Brazuca
meaning the Brazilian way of life was chosen by over one
million football fans.
Barcelona club has agreed to retained Football player
Lionel Messi on net annual salary of 20 million Euros ($27.4
million) making him world’s highest paid player
India has slid down two places to the 147th spot in the
latest FIFA Rankings of Football playing countries.
APRIL 2014
Manavjit Singh Sandhu: won the men's trap gold medal
at the ISSF Shotgun World Cup in Tucson, USA.
Saurav Ghosal: India's numero uno squash player has
been awarded the Dato Alex Lee Award for the 'Outstanding
Asian Men's Player of the Year 2013'.

Heena Sidhu has been ranked world No.1 in the 10 meters
air pistol event by the International Shooting Sport
Federation.
Chitra Magimairaj: won the senior’s title in World
Snooker Championships held in Leeds,UK.
7th
South Asia Judo Championships: Indian judokas
won 10 gold, one silver and one bronze medal at
Kathmandu, Nepal.
USA Open Karate Championship: Indian players won
eight medals comprising two gold and six bronze in held at
Las Vegas, USA.
Sri Lanka lifts ICC World T20 trophy after beating
India in the final at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket
Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Australia beats England to lift the ICC Women’s World
Twenty20 trophy at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket
Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Stanislas Wawrinka won the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters
Tennis Cup beating Roger Federer at Monte Carlo, Monaco.
2019 Asian Games: Vietnam has decided to quit as hosts
due to lack of preparedness and concerns that holding the
multi-sport event would not be financially viable.
MARCH 2014
RECENT SPORTS EVENTS
Event Venue Winner Looser
Vijay Hazare
Trophy – Cricket
Eden Gardens,
Kolkata
Karnataka Railways
Deodhar Trophy –
Cricket
Vishakhaptnam West Zone North Zone
Santosh Trophy -
National Football
Championship
Siliguri, West
Bengal
Mizoram Railways
Federation Cup –
Volleyball (Men’s)
Kerala Tamil Nadu Services
Federation Cup –
Volleyball
(Women’s)
Kerala Railways Kerala
Hockey India
Senior Men
National
Championship
Lucknow Air India CAG India
Hockey India
Senior Women
National
Championship
Bhopal, MP Railway Haryana
Manisha National
Snooker
Championship
(Men’s)
Lucknow, UP Pankaj
Advani
Kamal
Chawla
Manisha National
Snooker
Championship
(Women’s)
Lucknow, UP Vidya Pillai Arantxa
Sanchis
64th National
Basketball
Championship
New Delhi Tamil Nadu Punjab
(Men’s)
64th National
Basketball
Championship
(Women’s)
New Delhi Chhattisgarh Railways
BNP Paribas Open
Indian Wells
Tennis (Men’s)
California, USA Novak
Djokovic
Roger
Federer
BNP Paribas Open
Indian Wells
Tennis (Women’s)
California, USA Flavia
Pennetta
Agnieszka
Radwanska
Candidates
Tournament –
Chess
Khanty
Mansiysk,
Russia
Viswanathan
Anand
Peter
Svidler
Malaysian Grand
Prix – F1
Sepang,
Malaysia
Lewis
Hamilton
Nico
Rosberg
7th Asian Air Gun Championship in Kuwait:
Chain Singh and Ms Heena Sidhu clinched gold medal
Arvind Bhat won the Grand Prix Gold beating Hans-
Kristian Vittinghus of Denmark at German Open Badminton
Championship at Mulheim an der Ruhr, Germany.
Sachin Tendulkar voted Cricketer of the Generation
by a 50-member international jury.
R V Rahul won two gold and one silver in the boys’ 77kg
weight category in the 16th Asian Youth Weightlifting
Championships at Bangsaen, Thailand
LAUREUS WORLD SPORTS AWARDS - 2014
Men - Sebastian Vettel: Formula 1 world champion from
Germany
Women - Missy Franklin: American Olympic swimmer,
winner of 6 golds.
ICC World T20 tournament for men and women to be
held in Bangladesh from March 22 to April 6, 2014.
ICC U-19 World Cup: South Africa won the cricket trophy
defeating Pakistan in final played at Dubai, UAE.
Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship: Roger Federer
beats Tomas Berdych to lift the cup.
1st Asian Grand Prix Archery Championships held at
Bangkok, Thailand.
ALL THE NEWS ITEMS IN THIS MAGAZINE HAVE BEEN SOURCED
FROM VARIOUS NEWS PAPERS AND GOVT. PRESS RELEASES
A Child Without
Education ,is like a Bird
Without Wings

DAYS & DATES
JULY
Architecture day
Doctor’s day
International jokes day
July 01
World Sports Journalists Day July 02
Free 4th
of July July 04
World Zonnosis Day July 06
International day of Co-Operatives July 07
World Population Day July 11
Man Walks on the Moon July 20
Kargil Vijay Divas July 26
JUNE
International Children’s Day June 01
World Naturist Day June 03
World Environment Day June 05
Father’s Day June 16
Hugging Day June 21
International Olympic Day Rath Yatra June 23
International Anti-Drugs day June 26
World Diabetes Day June 27
MAY
World Labour Day, Maharashtra Day May 01
International Energy Day, World Asthma Day May 03
Coal Minor's Day May 04
World Midwives Day May 05
World Red Cross and Red Cresent Day May 08
World Migratory Bird Day, This year’s theme
is - Destination Flyways: Migratory Birds and
Tourism”
May 10-11
National Technology Day May 11
Mother’s Day (Second Sunday of May) May 11
International Nurses’ Day May 12
International Family Day May 15
World Telecom Day May 17
National Anti Terrorism Day May 21
World Turtle Day May 23
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N A T I O N A L N E W S
FEBRUARY 2014
 Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Kiran Kumar Reddy
resigned from his seat and the state was put under
President’s rule.
 For the first time in its history, President’s Rule was
imposed in Delhi following the resignation by the Chief
Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
 The ceiling on poll expenditure for Lok Sabha seat has
been raised to Rs. 70 lac per candidate from Rs. 40 lac
at present and to Rs. 28 lac from Rs. 16 lac for
assembly seat.
 Joachim Gauck, President of Germany visits India.
 India’s electorate for the general election 2014 will be
81.5 crore,
 Prime Minister attended the BIMSTEC-Bay of Bengal
Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic
Cooperation Summit at Nay Pyi Taw, capital of
Myanmar.
 India ranked 8th
among 10 countries in their use of
"digital government".
 As per World Press Freedom Index, India has been
ranked 140th
in the list of 180 countries in terms of
freedom of press.
 Govt has directed that Companies should use words
such as 'Bank', 'Stock Exchange' and ‘Exchange’ only
after receiving no-objection from the concerned
regulator.
 Government has decided to give two additional
attempts to all categories of candidates of the
prestigious exam conducted by Union Public Service
Commission.
 Indian to construct the 450 kms long Haramain High
Speed Railway project in Saudi Arabia to link two of
Islam’s holiest cities, Makkah and Medina.
 Purushottam Express, a super-fast train running
between Delhi and Puri will become the first train in
India to be attached with a Braille-embedded AC coach.
 The National Green Tribunal has banned the burning of
tyres at public places and also during protests by
political and religious groups as it is likely to cause
health hazard.
 India and China have agreed to celebrate 2014 as the
'Year of Friendly Exchanges'.
 India has signed a Double Taxation Avoidance
Agreement (DTAA) with Fiji.
 India signs three security agreements with Israel.
 57.62 crore Aadhaar cards issued till January 31, 2014.
People not having document based identity and address
proof can avail of introducer-based enrolment.
 India currently has the largest population of illiterate
adults in the world at 287 million. 37 per cent of the
global total.
 India and Saudi Arabia signed a Memorandum of
Understanding for cooperation in the field of defence
manufacturing.
 World Islamic Tamil Conference held at Kumbakonam,
Tamil Nadu from 14 to 16 February.
 101st Indian Science Congress held at the University of
Jammu, J&K, 3-7 February.
 A commemorative stamp released in honour of noted
ghazal singer Jagjit Singh
 DAVID JOHNSTON: Governor General of Canada
visits India.
 Ali Mohamed Shein, President of Zanzibar visited
India.
 Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of Baharin visited
India.
JANUARY 2014
 The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, passed by the
President. It has come in to force from 16th
Jan. 2014.
 Shinzo Abe, Japanese Prime Minister was the Chief
Guest at the Republic Day Parade of 2014.
 The 12th edition of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD)
Convention was held from 7-9 January, 2014 at Vigyan
Bhawan New Delhi
 Malaysian Minister for Natural Resources and
Environment, G Palanivel, who is president of the
Malaysian Indian Congress, was the chief guest at this
year’s PBD.
 Park Geun-hye, President of South Korea, the country’s
first woman president, visited India on a four-day state
tour.
 India has completed three years without reporting any
case of polio.

 Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, President of Maldives
visited India.
 Export-Import Bank has agreed to provide a Line of
Credit of $ 19.50 million to Vietnam
 Govt. has allowed super jumbo A-380 aircraft to fly into
India.
 Jeevan Raksha Padak awarded to 37 people for their
meritorious act of bravery in saving human lives.
 The 18th National Youth Festival held in Ludhiana from
Jan 12 to 16. 12th
January is birth anniversary of Swami
Vivekananda, observed as the National Youth Day.
 After Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis,
now the Jains have been accorded minority status by
the central government.
 A newly built railway platform at Gorakhpur has been
declared as the longest railway platform in the world,
spanning 1,355.40 metre.
 In the Nuclear Materials Security Index 2014 released
by the US-based think-tank Nuclear Threat Initiative,
India has been ranked at 23rd
place.
 Finance Minister presented the vote-on-account for
2014-15 on February 17 in the Lok Sabha in place of
regular budget.
 The Index of Economic Freedom-2014 ranks India
120th globally as India continues to suffer from low,
but improving levels of economic freedom.
 Indian Ordnance Factory has come out with “Nirbheek”,
a .32 bore light-weight (500gram) revolver designed
especially for women to defend themselves.
 Global Intellectual Property Cente, USA has placed
India last in list of 25 countries in terms of protection
and enforcement of intellectual property practices.
 India has been ranked at a low 155th position in a list
of 178 countries compiled by the 2014 Environmental
Performance Index.
 The seventh edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival
started on 17th
January in Jaipur with a keynote speech
by Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen.
 The National Capital Region Planning Board has
approved the inclusion of Jind and Karnal districts of
Haryana in the National Capital Region, NCR.
 Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) to celebrate 50
years of its existence (Feb.1964)
 India’s first Mono Rail starts operation in Mumbai
 India signs labour cooperation agreement with Saudi
Arabia to cover about a quarter of the 28 lakh Indian
expatriates working there.
 Asia’s biggest botanical garden will come up on 153
hectares of area near the Khandwa reservoir, in Naya
Raipur, Chhattisgarh.
 India and Israel have agreed to set up a $40 million
joint fund to support technological ventures for
consolidating and strengthening economic ties.
 Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and his
wife Queen Jetsun Pema were in India on a five-day
official visit.
 Foundation stone laid for Global Centre for Nuclear
Energy at Jassaur Kheri in district Jhajjar, Haryana.
 UGC- University Grants Commission celebrates its
Diamond Jubilee on completion of its 60 years.
DECEMBER 2013
 9th Ministerial Conference of WTO held in Bali,
Indonesia agreed to allow countries to provide subsidy
on staple food crops.
 The International Court of Arbitration (ICA) has upheld
India’s right to divert water from the Kishenganga river
for power generation in Jammu and Kashmir
 Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko visited
India.
 The maternal mortality ratio (MMR) — number of
women who die of pregnancy-related causes per one
lac live births — has come down to 178 in 2010-12
 National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO) report
says that number of slum dwellings has come down to
88 lakh, compared to 1.3 crore households in 2011.
 Number of homeless people across the country has
come down by 8.8%, from about 19.4 lakh in 2001 to
17.7 lakh in 2011, says latest Census 2011 data.
 The Global Energy Architecture Performance Index
Report-2014 has placed India at 69th position in terms
of their ability to deliver secure and sustainable energy.
 India has been ranked 98th in the Forbes list of world's
best countries for doing business.
 India has been ranked among the world's highly corrupt
nations at the 94th spot in a global list of 177 countries
compiled by Transparency International.
 The Labour Ministry report has revealed that
unemployment rate in the country during 2012-13 was
estimated to be 13.3 per cent for the age group 15-29.
 Film 'Liar's Dice, directed by Geetu Mohandas, selected
in the competition category at the prestigious Sundance
Film Festival in USA.
 The Sankirtana — ritual singing, drumming and dancing
of Manipur has been added to UNESCO's list of
"intangible heritage".
 India and San Marino, a tiny country within Italy,
signed a Tax Information Exchange Agreement (TIEA)
for exchange of banking and ownership information
 Govt has cleared a services and investment deal with
10-member Asean group as part of Comprehensive
Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA).
 Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement-DTAA signed
with Macedonia, a small country north of Greece.
NEWS FROM STATES
FEBRUARY 2014
 The Union Cabinet has approved Odia as the sixth
classical language of India. The other five classical
languages are - Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and
Malayalam.

 Sikkim has become first state to achieve more than
100 percent sanitation in rural and urban households
and other public sanitary centers.
 The Union Ministry of Tourism declares Sikkim as the
best State in implementation of rural tourism projects.
 Taj Mahotsav 2014 held at Agra, U P with the theme
- Paigham-e Mohabbat - the message of love.
 West Bengal and United Nations Children’s Fund
(UNICEF) launched a campaign about safe drinking
water and safe sanitation practices.
 Central Govt. to develop the 37 km stretch between
Sholinganallur to Kalpakkam in South Buckingham
Canal, Tamil Nadu as the National Waterway-4 (NW-4).
JANUARY 2014
 Karnataka has topped the first ever ranking of state
governments on the basis of their performance and
implementation of the midday meal scheme
 Odisha is the Best State for providing self employment
to urban poor under SJSRY (Swarna Jayanti Shahari
Rojgar Yojana) during 2012-13.
 Kerala won the ‘UNWTO Ulysses Award for Innovation
in Public Policy and Governance’ for the world
renowned backwater resort of Kumarakom.
 Odisha has launched 'Ama Jangal Yojana' (AJY) to
enhance forest cover in the state jointly by govt. and
forest dependent communities.
 Uttarakhand became the first State to adopt the
provisions of the recently passed Lokpal Act by passing
the Uttarakhand Lokayukta Bill-2014.
 Jonbeel Mela held in Assam to promote harmony
between people of Assam and Meghalaya
 Bihar has announced a bonus of Rs 250 per quintal on
procurement of paddy, pushing the MSP to Rs 1560 a
quintal, highest in the country.
DECEMBER 2013
ARUNACHAL PRADESH: is fast turning into a producer of
large cardamom, a sought-after spice.
5 NEW CHEIF MINISTERS
Vasundhara Raje: Rajasthan
Arvind Kejriwal New Delhi
Shivraj Singh Chouhan: Madhya Pradesh
Dr. Raman Singh: Chattisgarh
Pu Lalthanhawla: Mizoram
GOVT INITIATIVES
FEBRUARY 2014
 Govt has accepted the long pending demand of ex-
servicemen for ‘one rank, one pension’.
 A Bill that provides for the protection of livelihoods
rights, social security of street vendors and regulation
of urban street vending has been passed by the
parliament.
 A Bill to set up a regular mechanism to encourage and
protect persons to disclose information on corruption or
wilful misuse of power by public servants has been
passed.
 Quota of subsidized LPG cylinders has been raised from
nine to 12 in a year
 A committee led by M. P. Bezbaruah, has been formed
to examine the cause for violence and discrimination
against people from the northeast
 The government has extended Rashtriya Swasthya
Bima Yojna to auto and taxi drivers by committing to
pay half of the premium amount and other half by state
govt.
 The Planning Commission has introduced an annual
rating system for states to enable them improve on
their business climate.
 India will extend visa-on arrival to tourists of 180
nations as against 11 at present, to boost tourism.
 In order to utilize and harness the benefits of Cloud
Computing, Government of India has launched the ‘GI
Cloud’ named as ‘MeghRaj’.
 The Union government has launched an ambitious
project titled ‘Green Mission’ to increase forest cover
by 50 million hectares in the next 10 years
 India plans a multi-nation and multi-modal transport
corridor between India and Central Asia - Russia.
JANUARY 2014
 Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram launched to
cover health needs of the nearly 243 million children in
the age group of 10 to 19 years.
 On recommendations of the Sachchar Committee, Govt
has set up the National Waqf Development Corporation
Limited for the development of Waqf properties.
 Govt. has launched the India Inclusive Innovation Fund
(IIIF), with the initial corpus of Rs 500 crore to invest in
innovative, sustainable and profitable ventures.
 PAN card applicants will now have to submit Proof of
Address also.
 Govt. has decided to include works relating to rural
sanitation also in Mahatma Gandhi National Rural
Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS).
 The National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) launched in
Bangalore to provide adequate and efficient urban
public health delivery system for the urban poor
 The Union Cabinet has approved a new framework for
release of TRPs (Television Rating Points), fixing a
sample size of not less than 50,000 households.
 Union Cabinet has approved a proposal to constitute a
Rail Tariff Authority, RTA to advise the Railway Ministry
on fares.
 Govt. has launched the Housing Start Up Index (HSUI)
to measure level of house construction activity. The
HSUI is a joint initiative of the National Building
Organisation and RBI.

 Scheduled Tribes (ST) households living in forest areas
who have received land rights under the Forest Rights
Act, 2006 will get 150 days employment under mgnrega
scheme.
 The government has approved a proposal to pay formal
sector workers a minimum monthly pension of Rs
1,000, benefiting over 27 lakh pensioners.
 Govt has adopted the new National Youth Policy (NYP-
2014) to improve their participation in priority areas of
education, skill development and entrepreneurship.
 The Centre has approved the rollout of the Multi-
sectoral Nutrition Programme to address the problems
of maternal and child under-nutrition in the country.
 To encourage school children to explore scientific
discoveries, 100 innovation hubs will be set up by the
National Innovation Council in the country by 2017.
DECEMBER 2013
 Govt has agreed to grant constitutional status to the
proposed Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) for
appointment and transfer of judges
 The Centre has cleared a proposal for setting up of
National Cancer Institute at Badhsa village in Jhajjar of
Haryana at a cost of Rs 2035 crore.
 The Union Cabinet has approved the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities Bill, raising the reservation for Persons
with Disabilities (PWD) from three at present to 5%.
 Every NREGA job cardholder who plans to build a toilet
in his house will get Rs 10,000 from NREGA funds.
 Govt has launched e-inclusion project to make people
e-literate, aiming to make at least one individual in
every household e-literate.
ECONOMIC INDICATORS
FEBRUARY 2014
 India’s GDP growth during October-December 2013 was
at 4.7 per cent
 Due to subdued performance in agriculture, mining and
manufacturing in 2012-13, govt has revised growth rate
for the year to 4.5 per cent, from earlier 5 per cent.
 Per Capita Income in India at ‘current prices’ for the
year 2013-14 will be Rs.74920
 India has recorded an average annual economic growth
rate of 8 per cent during the 11th Five Year Plan (2007-
12) compared to targeted 9 per cent.
JANUARY 2014
 The Reserve Bank says that growth of GDP is expected
to fall below 5 per cent in 2013-14 in absence of pick-
up in manufacturing sector.
 Moody's Analytics says that India’s GDP growth will be
in the 5 to 5.5 per cent range through 2014, before
heading north of 6 per cent in 2015.
 UN World Economic Situation and Prospects 2014
(WESP) report projected India’s growth rate at less
than 5.3 per cent for this year.
DECEMBER 2013
 The economy grew at a faster pace of 4.8 per cent in
the second quarter (ending September 30th), primarily
due to improved performance of agriculture
ECONOMY
FEBRUARY 2014
INTERIM BUDGET FOR 2014 – 15
HIGHLIGHTS
 Income tax rates kept unchanged;
 10 pc surcharge on 'super-rich' having annual income
above Rs. 1 Crore to continue;
 5 pc surcharge on corporates with turnover of Rs 10 cr.
 Defence allocation increased by 10 per cent to Rs 2.24
lakh crore;
 Moratorium on interest on student loans taken before
March 31, 2009; to benefit 9 lakh borrowers
 Rs 11,200 cr. to be infused as capital in PSU banks in
2014-15.
 Target for banks for credit to farm sector during 2014-
15 fixed at Rs. 8 Lakh Crore
 Disinvestment target for FY2014-15 fixed at Rs. 36,925
Cr; plus Rs. 3000 Crore by residual stake sale.
 Allocates Rs 1,000 Cr more to Nirbhaya Fund;
 Rs. 2,46,397 Crore for food, fertiliser and fuel subsidy.
KEY BUDGET FIGURES – 2014-15
BUDGET HEAD Rs in Cr
1 Revenue Receipts (2+3) 1167131
2 Tax Revenue (net to centre) 986417
3 Non-Tax Revenue 180714
4 Capital Receipts (5+6+7) 596083
5 Recoveries of Loans 10527
6 Other Receipts 56925
7 Borrowings and other liabilities 528631
8 Total Receipts (1+4) $
1763214
9 Non-Plan Expenditure (10+12) 1207892
10 On Revenue Account - of which, 1107781
11 Interest Payments 427011
12 On Capital Account 100111
13 Plan Expenditure (14+15) 555322
14 On Revenue Account 442273
15 On Capital Account 113049
16 Total Expenditure (9+13)(Budget Size) 1763214
17 Revenue Expenditure (10+14) 1550054
18 Of Which, Grants for creation of
Capital Assets
146581
19 Capital Expenditure (12+15) 213160

20 Revenue Deficit (17-1) 3.3% of GDP 382923
21 Effective Revenue Deficit (20-18) 1.8% of
GDP
236342
22 Fiscal Deficit {16-(1+5+6)} 4.8% of
GDP*
528631
23 Primary Deficit (22-11) 1.5% of GDP* 101620
*–GDP for 2014-2015 has been projected at `12839952
crore (Rs. 128.39 trillion)
GOVT HOUSE KEEPING (In %)
Rupee Comes From Rupee Goes To
Borrowings 25 Central Plan Outlay 10
Corporate Tax 21 Plan Asst. to State / UTs 16
Income Tax 14
Non Plan expenditure
State/UTs
03
Custom Duty 09 Non-Plan Expenditure 11
Excise Duty 10 States Share of Taxes 18
Service Tax 10 Interest Payments 20
Non-Tax Revenue 10 Defence 10
Non Debt Capital
Receipts
01 Subsidies 12
Total 100 Total 100
 ADB to give $ 605.2 million loan for road development
in the N E region, power distribution in Madhya Pradesh
and improvement of railways services in the country.
 India and Namibia have agreed for early conclusion of a
preferential trade agreement between New Delhi and
Southern African Customs Union (SACU)
 Govt plans to roll out electronic toll collection on all
national highways by December to streamline the toll
collection and reduce commuter hassle.
 The government has set a deadline for public transport
vehicles running in major cities with a population of
over 10 lakh to install GPS devices by Feb. 20, 2014.
 Government mopped up around Rs 61,141 crore from
the auction of 2G spectrum in the 900 MHz and 1,800
MHz bands of radio waves.
 Asian Development Bank to give a $300 million loan to
improve road connectivity along key corridors in
Chhattisgarh state.
JANUARY 2014
 Govt has approved setting up of the Amritsar-Kolkata
Industrial Corridor (AKIC) and formation of the AKIC
Development Corporation (AKICDC).
 India, Bangladesh, China and Myanmarwill to develop a
joint trade corridor from Kunming in China to Kolkata,
via Mandalay (Myanmar), Dhaka and Chittagong.
 The Foreign Investment Promotion Board has approved
UK-based Tesco Plc's proposal to enter the multi-brand
retail segment in jointly with a Tata Group company.
 After a 16-month gap, India and Pakistan resumed their
trade talks by announcing a series of steps, including
24x7 trade activity at the Attari-Wagah border.
 EPFO has decided to increase the rate of interest on
provident fund deposits from 8.5% at present to 8.75%
for 2013-14.
 South Korean steel giant Posco has won environmental
clearance to build Rs 52,000 crore steel plant in Odisha,
involving the largest-ever FDI in India.
 RBI to include 'Maintenance, Repairs and Overhaul’
(MRO) of aircrafts as part of airport infrastructure for
the purpose of external commercial borrowings (ECB).
 The World Bank to give $500 million loan for the Rural
Water Supply and Sanitation Project for Low Income
States (Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh).
 The ADB to provide $700 million loan under the
Accelerating Infrastructure Investment Facility in India
(AIIFI) to accelerate infrastructure growth.
 ADB to provide $100 million loan for the project --
Supporting Human Capital Development in Meghalaya
for vocational and educational training to youth.
 As per a UN report, India received $ 28 billion as FDI,
ranking 16th among the top 20 global economies
receiving the most FDI in 2013.
DECEMBER 2013
 According to a study by global research firm Ipsos, has
ranked India as the seventh most economically
confident country in the world.
 The Asian Development Bank has agreed to lend $176
million to extend the first metro train line in Jaipur.
BANKING
FEBRUARY 2014
 RBI has allowed four companies for setting up and
operating White-Label ATMs (ATMs allowed to NBFCs).
 The country's first Post Office ATM was inaugurated at
Thiyagaraya Nagar Head Post Office (HPO), Chennai
 Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB) has tied with New India
Assurance Company to launch health insurance
products - BMB Sakhee, BMB-Nirbhaya and BMB-Parivar
Suraksha.
 NABARD has developed the concept called Joint Liability
Group (JLG) to provide institutional credit to small
farmers
 RBI has formed G Gopalakrishna committee to look into
capacity building and skill requirements at various levels
of banking and financial services
 The Reserve Bank has withdrawn from April 1, 2014,
the ceiling of 26% on the maximum interest rate that
the micro finance institutions (MFIs)
 The Reserve Bank has allowed banks to refinance
existing infrastructure project loans through take-out
financing agreements with any financial institution.
 IBA has cautioned banks to ensure business continuity
after Microsoft ends support for its Windows XP
operating system on April 8, 2014.
 HDFC Bank has launched its six basic banking
transactions through toll-free numbers.
 RBI has directed banks to provide credit data in a
revised format for all loan accounts of Rs. 5 crore or

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