The More You Visit The More You Succeed!!!CURRENT AFFAIRS APRIL 2015 PDF CAPSULE Published by www.DayTodayGK.com DayTodayGK.com is a perfect platform for Knowledge Seekers. We abide by the principle – “Knowledge is Power”. 1. Daily updated Current Affairs DayTodayGK publish daily current affairs and provide you with extra General Knowledge in each and every post which is very useful for aspirants appearing in competitive exams. We are here to groom you and fill your mind with all the relevant information, so that you can pass with flying colours. 2. Current affairs Quiz on daily basis The best part of our site is that we provide our visitors - the daily current affair Quiz. We provide answers with explanations; so that it can serve you as a revision and help you remember each and every single detail about the post. 3. General Knowledge Material General Knowledge is an Ocean, and you have to dive deep and deeper to measure its depth. That’s why we are here to help you with our General Knowledge material which you can easily find in our site. So, tie your waist and get ready to explore the knowledge. 4. General Knowledge Quiz What are you searching for? Science quiz, history Quiz, Geography Quiz, English Quiz etc…Well, You are at the right place. Here, our experts provide Quiz Questions daily from different fields. 5. Monthly Pdf plus Current Affairs Questions Last but not least, we provide you with the monthly capsules of current affairs and also Current Affairs questions on our Monthly capsule. Turn the page and get ready to achieve your dreams. Current Affairs - April Awards and Honours Brendon McCullum Awarded with Sir Richard Hadlee Medal New Zealand cricket team captain Brendon McCullum has been conferred with the prestigious Sir Richard Hadlee Medal for 2014-15 for his excellent performance both as a player and the captain during the 2014-15 season. It is the highest cricketing honor of New Zealand and it was presented to him during the New Zealand Cricket (NZC) Awards presentation ceremony held in Auckland. McCullum has scored 5451 runs in 89 Tests and 5808 runs in 248 ODI matches. Sir Richard John Hadlee is a former New Zealand cricketer, regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers and all-rounders in cricketing history. Delhi Airport Wins the Golden Peacock National Quality Award 2015 Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) has bagged the prestigious Golden Peacock National Quality Award for the year 2015. The award will be presented to DIAL by the UAE Minister for culture, youth and development Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan at a specially organized presentation ceremony to be held in Dubai on April 20. DIAL is a joint venture (JV) company comprising of Airports Authority of India (AAI), GMR Group, Fraport and Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad. Arab Poet Adonis selected for Kumaran Asan World Prize for Poetry The Paris-based Syrian-Lebanese Arab poet Adonis has been selected for the prestigious Kumaran Asan World Prize for poetry. The award is presented by the Kumaran Asan Memorial Association in memory of the distinguished Malayalam poet. The Kumaran Asan prize comprises a prize amount of 3 lakh rupees. It will be presented to Adonis on May 3 at a function at Kayikkara. Adonis has been regularly nominated for Nobel Prize in Literature since 1988. He has authored more than twenty volumes of poetry in Arabic and widely translated into almost all languages. Adonis was born in Western Syria in 1930. He was imprisoned for his secular and nationalistic positions. He has been living in Paris since 1985. Pratap Singh Wins Institute of Physics Prize in UK An Indian-origin schoolboy named Pratap Singh, aged 15, has been conferred with the Institute of Physics Prize in the United Kingdom. He was awarded for conducting an experiment that verified an effect of Albert Einstein’s theory of special relativity. Pratap Singh, a student at The Perse School, Cambridge, has won the prize amount of 500 pounds along with the prestigious Institute of Physics Prize at the Big Bang Fair held at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. The Big Bang Fair attracted more than 200 students aged 11 to 18 years who explained their projects to thousands of visitors. DayTodayGK.com P a ge |2 Current Affairs - April Susanta Lahiri has been conferred with Hevesy Medal Award Professor Susanta Lahiri, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics and Homi Bhabha National Institute has been conferred with the prestigious Hevesy Medal Award 2015 at the Tenth International Conference on Methods and Applications of Radio-analytical Chemistry. Lahiri, the co-creator of super heavy element 117, has published nearly 180 papers in peer-reviewed journals such as Physical Review. Susanta Lahiri and his research team made nano particles of gold by a low-cost technique that requires the least amount of chemicals. The other person to also win the award this year is Professor Kattesh V. Katti of the Cedntre for Radiological Research, University of Missouri, Columia. Four Indians among the Time’s 100 most Influential People Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadela, ICICI CEO Chanda Kochar and mental health expert Professor Vikram Patel have been named in Time’s 100 most influential people of the world. The Indian Leader is joined by two other Asian leaders – Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo. US President Barack Obama writes profile for PM Narendra Modi in Time’s 100 most influential people list. Obama wrote “As a boy, Narendra Modi helped his father sell tea to support their family. Today, he’s the leader of the world’s largest democracy, and his life story — from poverty to Prime Minister — reflects the dynamism and potential of India’s rise.” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella gets Champions of Change award CEO Satya Nadella will be awarded with “Champions of Change Award” by US president Barack Obama for bringing about change within his company to support working families. Before being named CEO in February 2014, 47-year-old Nadella held leadership roles in both enterprise and consumer businesses across the company. Microsoft has made several changes in its policies towards remote-positioned suppliers who work for the company. They will now be eligible for 15-days of paid leave every year. AIMA Managing India Awards 2015 The VI edition of the prestigious AIMA Managing India Awards was held at Hotel Taj Palace, New Delhi to compliment the eminent persons from various fields such as business, media and corporate for their outstanding contribution in their respective fields. The Complete List of Award Winners Director of the Year Rajkumar Hirani MNC in India of the Year Hyundai Motor India Ltd Outstanding Institution Builder M V Subbiah DayTodayGK.com P a ge |3 Current Affairs - April Indian MNC of the Year Sun Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd Entrepreneur of the Year Nita M Ambani Business Leader of the year Aditya Puri Lifetime Contribution Award GM Rao Transformational Business Leader of the Year Kunal Bahl Outstanding Contribution to Media Shekhar Gupta British Indian Novelist Rana Dasgupta shortlisted for Orwell Prize British Indian Novelist and Essayist Rana Dasgupta’s Literary work “Capital” has been shortlisted for George Orwell Prize for Political Writing 2015. The book Capital is Gupta’s third literary work. His first two are Tokyo Cancelled (2005) and Solo (2009). His second work, Solo had won the 2010 Commonwealth prize. The shortlisted book “Capital” deals with life-changing consequences of People residing in Delhi, meeting with multi-billionaires and bureaucrats, politicians, drug dealers and metal traders, slum dwellers and psychoanalysts. The Orwell Prize comprise a cash award 3000 pounds. The award is being given to commemorate the renowned British journalist, novelist and essayist George Orwell. The winner of the award will be announced on May 21. Shah Rukh Khan honored with the Dadasaheb Phalke Film Foundation Award 2015 Shah Rukh Khan has been awarded with the Dadasaheb Phalke Film Foundation Award on 21st April 2015. SRK was given the award for his performance in Farah Khan’s blockbuster Happy New Year. The actor not only was present to receive the Award but he also interacted with the people there and broke into an Extempore and created magic on the stage by his charm. Bharatiya Mahila Bank conferred with the Asian Banker Achievement Award 2015 Bharatiya Mahila Bank Ltd has been conferred with The Asian Banker Achievement Award 2015. The award was presented for Technology Implementation in the category of Best Outsourcing Project (New Bank) at a function held recently in Hongkong as a part of The Asian Banker Summit 2015. The award was received by the Chairman and Managing Director of BMB Usha Ananthasubramanian. DayTodayGK.com P a ge |4 Current Affairs - April Tamil Nadu bags e-Panchayat Puraskar Award Tamil Nadu has bagged the 2014 e-Panchayat Puraskar award for developing a set of applications such as like PRIASoft, Local Government Directory, National Panchayat Portal, National Asset Directory and Plan Plus, which are useful for better administration of panchayati raj institutions. The award comprises a cash prize of Rs. 20 lakh. The Tamil Nadu government had spent about Rs. 80 crore on hardware at panchayats towards implementation of the applications as well. The award was presented to Rural Development and Panchayat Raj secretary Gagandeep Singh Bedi by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a function in New Delhi. K. Rajeswari Devadoss, president, Berahatty village of Coonoor block in The Nilgiris district, received the Rashtriya Gaurav Grama Sabha award and Rs. 10 lakh cash prize for outstanding performance through effective gram sabha. Indian-origin diplomat Gopinath Pillai conferred with ‘Outstanding Service Award’ Indian-origin diplomat Gopinath Pillai, 78, has been conferred with the prestigious ‘Outstanding Service Award‘ for his services to the city-state by the National University of Singapore (NUS). Presently he is serving as Ambassador-at-Large of Singapore and special envoy to Andhra Pradesh. Pillai has contributed significantly to Singapore through his distinguished service as a diplomat for more than 25 years. Anil Kapoor awarded with Master Deenanath Mangeshkar Award 2015 Famous Bollywood Actor Anil Kapoor has been awarded with the prestigious Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar Award on the occasion of the death anniversary of singer Lata Mangeshkar’s father. Anil Kapoor said “I have received national and few international awards in my career so far, but this award is special, in fact, priceless for me”. This was the 73rd edition of the awards. Other than Anil Kapoor, actor Dilip Prabhalkar was also conferred with the honour. Bhalchandra Nemade presented with 50th Jnanpith Award Famous Marathi Novelist Bhalchandra Nemade, seventy-six-year-old, has been presented with the 50th Jnanpith Award by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a award giving ceremony held in New Delhi. At the ceremony, the Prime Minister has appealed the people to inculcate reading habits. Praising the writing of Prof Bhalchandra Nemade, the Prime Minister compared his views with those of Shri Aurobindo. Nemade, who hails from Jalgaon, spoke about the need for the Indian society to stop thinking that progress would come only with adopting foreign influences. Jnanpith Award is the highest award in Indian literature. It carries a cheque for INR11 lakh, a citation plaque and a bronze replica of Saraswati, the Indian goddess of knowledge, music, and the arts. DayTodayGK.com P a ge |5 The Utah-based Sundance Film Festival is now considered the top U. She has been named the recipient of the 2015 Heinz Award for Technology. a tale of surreal meditation on mental health and the environment. Gigoo will now compete with the other four regional winners for the 5000 pounds grand prize. Redford has previously won accolades at the Oscars with an Honorary Award as well as the Golden Globes and Baftas. Bhatia. a Sri-Nagar based Novelist. has won a prestigious USD 250.000 Heinz award for her work in tissue engineering and disease detection. The Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2015 has announced the winners in different regions – Africa. independent film festival. and the Pacific.Current Affairs . Time magazine included Redford in its “Most Influential People in the World” declaring him the “Godfather of Indie Film“. Gigoo’s prize winning story has been published in the book “A Fistful of Earth and Other Stories“. has won the Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2015 for Asia region. Redford. to be announced in London on September 8. is famous all over the world for films such as “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”.April Indian Origin MIT Scientist wins $250000 Heinz award Sangeeta N. In April 2014. Caribbean. Yashwant Sinha conferred with Officier de la Légion d’Honneur Veteran Bharatiya Janata Party Leader and Former Union Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha has been honoured by the French Government with Officier de la Légion d’Honneur (Officer of the Legion of Honour). DayTodayGK. the Economy. Hollywood Actor Robert Redford conferred with Chaplin Award Hollywood Actor Robert Redford has been conferred with the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Chaplin Award. Robert Redford founded the Sundance Institute in 1981 to help emerging film makers. “The Last Castle” and “All the President’s Men”. who is 78 years old. who has developed artificial human microlivers for drug testing. an Indian-origin scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The award was presented to Mr Sinha by French Ambassador to India François Richier in Delhi. Asia.S. Canada & Europe. and Employment. Sinha contributed a lot in strengthening the Indo-French strategic partnership which was launched during the visit of the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Paris in September 1998. Siddhartha Gigoo wins 2015 Commonwealth Short Story Prize in Asia region Siddhartha Gigoo.com P a ge |6 . Gigoo has packeted 2500 pounds for his novel “Umbrella Man“. ie The Mars mission and the Chandrayaan-1. Mylsamy Annadurai will guide development of satellite technology and execution of satellite systems for scientific. has been appointed as India’s first Cyber Security Chief by the Government of India. The swearing in ceremony was attended by Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla. legislators and senior government officials. his cabinet colleagues. who was sacked last week. the Director General of Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT). Gulshan Rai heads the eSecurity and Cyber Law division in the Ministry of Communications and IT. who retired on March 31. Keshari Nath Tripathi Sworn in as Governor of Mizoram West Bengal and Bihar Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi has sworn in as the 16th governor of the northeastern state Mizoram. The other persons who were in considerations include former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly. technological and application missions. Previously Annadurai had been worked as Programme Director at Indian Remote Sensing Satellites and Small Satellite Systems. The 80-year-old Tripathi replaces Aziz Qureshi. An ISRO Press release states that he took charge as Director of ISAC on April 1 from S. He has been involved in various capacities regarding cyber security for more than two decades. He is also expected to lead the National Cyber Coordination Centre (NCCC) that the government is setting up with a budget of one thousand crore rupees. Justice Michael Zothankhuma of the Guwahati High Court administered the oath of office to Tripathi.April Appointments Central Government Appoints India’s First Cyber Security Chief Gulshan Rai. Earlier Shukla had lost the BCCI elections for the treasurer’s post to Anirudh Chaudhary. Dr Mylsamy Annadurai appointed as the Director of ISAC Dr Mylsamy Annadurai is the new Director of ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC). BCCI re-appointed Rajeev Shukla as Chairman of IPL Governing Council Rajeev Shukla has been re-appointed as the Chairman of the highly influential Indian Premier League (IPL) governing council by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).com P a ge |7 . Ajay Shirke and Ranjib Biswal. DayTodayGK. at the Durbar Hall of the Raj Bhavan in Aizawal.K. His term would have ended in 2017. Shivakumar.Current Affairs . His appointment has put an end to the month-long suspense over the selection of the top position of the Cricket league. As the Director of ISAC. He led two of the India’s much celebrated space projects. Bengaluru. She has been assigned to top most post by United States President Barack Obama for term of four year. Prior to this appointment.com P a ge |8 . He had been working as the Director General of National Institute of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD) functioning under the Union Ministry of MSME. Mohan Kumar is a 1981-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer. Nasim zaidi will have a tenure up to July. USA.e. He will succeed Arun Kumar who was recently appointed Ambassador to the United States. till October 2019. Mohan Kumar has been appointed the India’s next Ambassador to France on 15th April 2015. DayTodayGK. He was a graduate from St Xavier’s College. Dr Nasim Zaidi. Prior to joining MasterCard centre. She will be holding office in Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) for four years i. He replaced Mr Ajay Shriram as the new President. Arun Kumar Jha appointed as the CEO KVIC Arun Kumar Jha has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC). He holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) and a doctorate (PhD) from the reputed Sciences Po University in Paris. He will assume the charge of office of the chief election commissioner with effect from April 19. 2017 when he attains the age of 65. Shamina was global director for government services and solutions at MasterCard Centre for Inclusive Growth. Public Grievances and Pensions. he was serving as Ambassador of India to Bahrain. she had led government and public affairs for sports brand Nike and had 5 five years with Citigroup’s Global Community Development Group. Dr Zaidi is the 20th Chief Election Commissioner of India. He obtained his MBA from Sam Houston State University. Mazumder is also the Chairman and Managing Director of Tractors India Limited. Dr Mohan Kumar Appointed as new Ambassador to France Senior diplomat Dr. Presently. as the next Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) on 9th April 2015.Current Affairs .April Sumit Mazumder takes over as President of CII Sumit Mazumder has been elected as the President of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for the year 2015-16. Calcutta. Barack Obama nominated Indian-American Businesswoman Shamina Singh to Key Post Indian-American businesswoman Shamina Singh has been nominated as the member of the Board of Directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service. Arun Jha is a 1985batch officer of Indian Economics Service (IES). after the incumbent Harishankar Brahma will retire on April 18. Nasim Zaidi appointed as the Chief Election Commissioner of India President Pranab Mukherjee has appointed the senior-most Election Commissioner. he is working as Director General of National Institute of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD). Arun Kumar Jha was appointed by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) of the Union Ministry of Personnel. Texas. Rajeswari. Mr. Rishad Premji is all set to join Wipro board India’s third largest IT firm. 62. has been appointed as the new chairperson of the Children Film Society of India (CFSI). has become the first person of Indian descent to be named as a criminal court judge in New York City. is an assistant district attorney at the Richmond County District Attorney’s office. Andhra Pradesh. She was nominated to the bench by Mayor Bill de Blasio. Indian American Dr Vivek Murthy takes oath as US Surgeon General Indian-American Vivek Murthy. Murthy is also the highest ranking IndianAmerican in the Barack Obama’s Administration. Murthy became the youngest-ever in charge of the United States’ public health and he is the country’s 19th Surgeon General. who gone to United States when she was 16. The 56-year-old actor has taken over the charge from actor-director Amole Gupte. Wipro has announced the appointment of Founder Azim Premji’s elder son Rishad Premji on the company’s board.com P a ge |9 . 37. Rishad is the Chief Strategy Officer and he is taking care of the merger and acquisitions functions of Wipro. who resigned in June 2014.April Raja Rajeswari becomes New York’s first Indian American judge Indian born Raja Rajeswari. Currently. Sitaram Yechury took over as 5th general secretary of CPM Sitaram Yechury. The Chennai born girl. Mukesh Khanna appointed chairperson of CFSI Veteran actor Mukesh Khanna. has administered the oath for the post of US Surgeon General by Vice President Joe Biden. The SC had asked the three-member committee to determine the quantum of punishment for CSK and its official Gurunath Meiyappan and Rajasthan Royals and Raj Kundra for betting in IPL 2013. took over as the fifth general secretary of CPM on 19th April 2015 on the unanimous choice of the party’s new 91-member central committee. DayTodayGK. Yechury’s election as general secretary met with some challenge from the Kerala committee which preferred 77-year-old S Ramachandran Pillai. Now he carries the rank of Vice Admiral. Three-member committee of retired judges lead by former Chief Justice of India R M Lodh made a choice to appoint Vivek Priyadarshi. He was selected as general secretary at the party’s 21st Congress held in the port city of Visakhapatnam. who made his way into the hearts of children with his popular superhero TV series "Shaktimaan". He takes over from Prakash Karat.Current Affairs . Murthy took the oath on Holy Gita at the Commissioning and Change of Command Ceremony. IPL Spot fixing: SC appoints CBI SP Vivek Priyadarshi to probe The Supreme Court on 17th April2015 appointed CBI sleuth Vivek Priyadarshi to head a new investigating team to further investigate the IPL-6 spot-fixing and betting scandal. who is 43 years old. • The requests for permission to travel outside the State will have to be sent to President Secretariat anywhere between two weeks (for domestic visit) and six weeks (for foreign visit) before the date of travel. 1987 and named these rules as Governors (Allowances and Privileges) Amendment Rules. the political class and civil society have an equal voice. the governors will have to provide details of the circumstances and compelling reasons why it was not possible to obtain prior permission. DayTodayGK.com P a g e | 10 . • It also says that the duration of visits in extraordinary circumstances cannot exceed 20 percent of the days in calendar years. Now. Government of India notified National Judicial Appointments Commission Act.April Acts and Amendments Union Home Ministry notified Governors (Allowances and Privileges) Amendment Rules. in the appointments and transfer of judges in the highest judiciary. 2015 The Union Home Ministry of India has notified amendments to the Governors (Allowances and Privileges) Rules. along with the judiciary. • The Governors shall also obtain clearance under the Foreign Contributions Regulations Act (FCRA clearance) and Political clearance before undertaking any official foreign visit. replacing the two-decade old collegium system. 2014 Narendra Modi’s government has notified the National Judicial Appointments Commission Act with immediate effect. Main Highlights of the amended rules • The Governors can leave their respective State for a private visit to a foreign country or within India only after receiving the permission from the President except in case of emergent or extraordinary circumstances. which was used for appointing judges to superior courts with a more broad based process in which the executive’s opinion was taken into account.Current Affairs . • It bars Governors to stay in their respective states for at least 292 days in a year. The Governor cannot undertake such visits even under any emergent or extraordinary circumstance. 2015. • The rules also say that frequency of visit to the home State shall also be avoided or limited. • The intimation to the President Secretariat in emergency circumstances shall be given as soon as the programme is finalized. In such cases. • The Governors shall endorse the copies of communications to President Secretariat related to visit outside their State to the Prinicipal Secretary to the Prime Minister and to the Home Minister. The Board which will comprise psychologists and social experts. NJAC will be a six-member body. that has shocked the whole world. paves the way for a law on the matter in the near future. the same will be examined by the Juvenile Justice Board to assess if the crime was committed as a ‘child’ or as an ‘adult’. 4. The demand for punishment of juveniles in the age group of 16-18 years has raised since the infamous Nirbhaya rape and murder case in December of 2012. which would replace the Juvenile Justice Act. the law minister and two eminent people.April The Constitution (121st Amendment) Bill. 2014. This rule gives higher power to the executive than the judiciary. The amendment bill has special provisions to tackle heinous offences like murder and rape committed by juveniles in the age group of 16-18 years. 2000. 2. The government didn’t notify it in the gazette to make the law formal.Current Affairs . clearly defines and classifies offences as petty. DayTodayGK. The NJAC gives veto power to non-judicial members over judicial members. possibly because several petitions had been filed in the top court against the proposed body. 3. The Rights of Transgender Persons Bill. The government assured the House that it would bring an updated Bill in the Lok Sabha. On the basis of the Cabinet’s approval. The proposed legislation. It would damage the basic structure of the Constitution. The body comprises the CJI and two of his senior most judges. When a person in the age group of 16-18 years commits a heinous crime. a bill amending the current law will be introduced in the current session of Parliament. Rajya Sabha passes private bill on transgenders A private member’s Bill protecting and providing rights for transgenders was passed by the Rajya Sabha on 24th April 2015. Union Cabinet gave its nod to amend Juvenile Justice Act The Union Cabinet of India has given its nod to make changes in the existing juvenile justice act. 2014 enacted as the Constitution (99th Amendment) Act. ie independence of the judiciary. The Juvenile Justice Board will ensure that the rights of the juvenile are protected if he has committed the crime as a child. the Prime Minister and the Leader of Opposition or the leader of the single largest opposition party in the Lok Sabha.com P a g e | 11 . 1. One of the main accused of the heinous crime was declared juvenile and was given a light sentence. The eminent people will be nominated after consultations with the CJI. serious and heinous and defines differentiated processes for each category. Any two members can veto any name before them for consideration for appointment or elevation to the higher judiciary including the appointment of the CJI. virtually making India a single market. octroi and road tax. The Bill provides for creation of welfare boards at the Centre and State level for the community. The Bill also guarantees reservation in education and jobs.Current Affairs . Almost the entire Opposition raised technical objections and insisted that the bill be referred to the standing committee • • • • • Given that GST is a Constitution amendment bill that requires two-thirds support. A Union minister said the government would bring a fresh Bill “after removing the impractical clauses” in Lok Sabha. The bill was passed unanimously. For instance. The last private member bill was passed in 1970.com P a g e | 12 . About GST • • • GST will offer a single shot solution by subsuming a welter of local levies into one system. financial aid and social inclusion. surviving the Opposition over procedure. It also makes provisions for pensions and unemployment allowances for members of the community. 2014 is the first Private Bill in the last 45 years by the House. 2016. Transgender Rights Courts. Under GST all these will be subsumed under a single tax. a car’s price will vary among states because of different rates of taxes such as VAT. States wanted petroleum products to be kept out of GST. States impose different taxes with varying rates on same products. Under current laws only the Centre can impose a tax on services. DayTodayGK. Taxes from petro products yield more than a third of states’ indirect tax revenues. The Rights of Transgender Persons Bill. The bill also demands two per cent reservation in government jobs and prohibits discrimination in employment. GST will empower states to collect service taxes. The government plans to roll out GST from April 1. The government will push the bill through in both Houses by next week despite the majority of Opposition parties. Alcohol and tobacco will remain outside GST. Arun Jaitely tables GST Bill moved in Lok Sabha Arun Jaitley on 24th April 2015 moved the Goods and Services Tax Bill in the Lok Sabha for consideration.April • • • • • • • • • • Date of Passing: 24th April 2015 Passed: In Rajya Sabha through Voice Vote. the dues of people whose money is with it would be cleared first. • Ensure that if a system participant becomes insolvent. 2014. This bill amends Regional Rural Banks Act. Bringing India’s banking payment system in sync with international practices.com P a g e | 13 . Key points Passing of Bill • • Passed in Lok Sabha on December 22. 2015. • A Legal Entity Identifier will be a unique ID associated with a single corporate entity • Bill also mentions that the decision of the court.Current Affairs . Key Points • Date of Passing in Lok Sabha: 9th December 2014 • Date of Passing in Rajya Sabha: 27th April 2015 • The bill seeks to amend the Payment and Settlement Systems Act. • Bill has provision to protect funds collected from the customers by the payment system providers and to extend the Act to cover trade repository and legal entity identifier issuer. 2014 Parliament has passed Regional Rural Banks (Amendment) Bill. • Norms of banking as well as companies laws would not be applicable till such dues are cleared. 2014 Passed in Rajya Sabha on April 28.April Parliament passes Payments and Settlement Bill. 2015. Parliament Passes Regional Rural banks (Amendment) Bill. 1976 and aims to strengthen the Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) and deepen their financial inclusion. 2007 • Bill Seeks to improve the payment and settlement systems by increasing transparency and stability of Indian financial market. It was first passed in Lok Sabha on December 22. 2014 and later in Rajya Sabha on April 27. tribunal or any authority will not impact the settlement which had become final prior to the issuance of the order. DayTodayGK. It was first passed in Lok Sabha on December 9. 2014 and later in Rajya Sabha on April 28. 2014 Parliament has passed Payments and Settlement Bill. The bill aims at Addressing the problem of insolvency in the payment and settlement system by increasing transparency and stability in it. 2014. 2015. The bill raises the tenure of directors to 3 years from existing 2 years. regulation and winding up of RRBs. that classify corruption as a heinous crime and includes longer prison terms for both the bribe giver and the bribe taker. whereas the new bill has increased it to at least 3 years.com P a g e | 14 . The Bill also states that no director can hold office for a total period exceeding six years. It should be noted that the parent Act of 1976 mainly has provisions for the incorporation. It also mentions that directors will be elected by shareholders based on the total amount of equity share capital issued to such shareholders. The proposed amendment act ensure speedy trial. Director’s Provision The Bill adds provision that any person who is a director of an RRB is not eligible to be on the Board of Directors of another RRB. The Bill allows RRBs to raise capital from sources other than the central and state governments. 2013. 2013 is now pending before the Rajya Sabha.April Authorised Capital and Paid up capital This amendment bill increases the authorised capital of each Regional Rural Bank (RRB) from Rs 5 crore to Rs 2000 crore divided into Rs 200 crore of fully paid share of Rs 10 each As per the parent Act the Rs 5 crore Paid up share capital of RRBs is split into 5 lakh shares of Rs 100 each. DayTodayGK. The Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill. Earlier. and sponsor banks. It also provides that the authorised capital issued by any RRB’s shall not be reduced below Rs 1 crore and shares in all cases to be fully paid up shares of Rs 10 each. 1988 by clearing the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill. Cabinet Approves Stronger Anti Corruption Act The Union Cabinet of India has approved to amend the Prevention of Corruption Act. limited to two years.Current Affairs . However this amendment bill changes this date to 31st March in order to bring RRB’s balancing of books in uniformity with the financial year. Books and Accounts The parent Act had provision which mentioned that the balance books of RRBs should be closed and balanced by 31st December every year. for corruption cases. the Anti corruption Act proposed only six months of minimum punishment. In India.Current Affairs .5 per cent in fiscal year 2015-16. World Bank predicts India’s GDP to be 8% by 2017 The World Bank has predicted 8% GDP growth rate for India by 2017. After that the amount will automatically get debited from the prepaid account. The report has been written in collaboration with Accenture. who can merely tap the NFC-enabled mobile phone or a tag on the counter. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said MUDRA Bank is aimed at “funding the unfunded“. The Tap-n-Pay service is enabled with Near Field Communication (NFC) Technology.The report highlights the importance of wider private-sector participation to bridge the urban infrastructure and services funding gap of 110 billion US dollars. India’s largest private sector bank has launched a payment service called Tap n Pay in collaboration with Tech Mahindra. This service will greatly benefit merchants. The bank will act as a regulator for ‘Micro-Finance Institutions‘ (MFIs) and provide credit of up to Rs 10 lakh to small entrepreneurs. Mr Menon is the chief general manager with Nabard. It could reach 8 per cent in fiscal year 2017-18. who have been exploited by the money lenders. ICICI Bank launches Tap n Pay Payment Service ICICI bank. GDP growth is expected to accelerate to 7. Financial services secretary Hasmukh Adhia said that the GOI has already appointed Jiji Memon as CEO of Mudra Bank. on the back of significant acceleration of investment growth to 12 per cent during fiscal year 2016-2018.com P a g e | 15 . The Prime Minister asked the bankers to study the successful microfinance models being followed in other countries and try to adapt them according to the local requirements. (MUDRA) bank at the Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi. WEF released a report on Urban Development Recommendations for India World Economic Forum (WEF) on 13 April 2015 released a report titled Urban Development Recommendations for India under the Future of Urban Development and Services (FUDS) Initiative. the user should bring the NFC tag or the configured mobile phone near a device at the merchant’s facility.000 crore and a credit guarantee corpus of Rs 3000 crore. In order to make payments. DayTodayGK. strong expansion in the country and favourable oil prices will definitely accelerate economic growth in South Asia.April Banking and Finance MUDRA Bank Launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency Ltd. Prime Minister said MUDRA Bank will infuse a new confidence in the small entrepreneurs. enabling the customers to make over-the-counter payments without using any cash. According to the World Bank. which is widening due to India’s rapid urban population growth. The bank is launched with a corpus of Rs 20. without entering-in any code. Bank of Baroda signs agreement UAE Exchange for instant money transfer Indian public sector bank. The already existing categories are agriculture. Sectors like renewable energy. the ICICI bank has tied up with a leading UAE-based bank. ICICI links with UAE bank Emirates NBD for rapid money transfers One of the India’s four large banks. The only two other Indian banks to be listed in the US are ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank. education. As per the norms. The youngest Indian private bank has received a approval from its board to raise up to $1 billion by way of American Depository Receipts or through a Qualified Institutional Placement. export credit. UAE Exchange. and certain categories of housing. to provide an instant remitting service to Indians residing in the Gulf nation. the Bank of Baroda has joined hands with UAE Exchange to provide instant cash transfer facility to NRI customers. medium enterprises. Reserve Bank may consider relaxing the current two-factor authentication for small-value transactions but ruled out any plans for doing away with it completely. Integrating e-commerce with their own platforms will allow banks to work around the two-factor authentication requirement while doing transactions. Emirates NBD.Current Affairs . Banks have tied with several telecom companies to make instantaneous transfer of funds possible. paves way for the customers to send money to their bank accounts in Bank of Baroda in India within minutes. Reserve Bank of India has revised the priority sector lending norms The Reserve Bank of India has revised the priority sector lending norms and directed banks to give 8 per cent of the extended loans to small and marginal farmers. any bank that lends up to Rs 10 lakh to a household for solar power and biomass-based generators can classify the loan as priority sector. The agreement.April RBI allows banks to tie up with e-Commerce Companies The Reserve Bank of India has said that it is not averse to banks entering into joint ventures with ecommerce firms for smoother payments or appointing them as business correspondents for acquiring new customers. This tie up will enable the customers to transfer funds to account holders of ICICI bank in India within a minute via the DirectRemit service.com P a g e | 16 .9 million customers worldwide and currently has over 750 branches across 32 countries. micro and small enterprises. Customers will also receive a SMS notification the moment the amount is credited in the bank account. Yes Bank to be listed in American Stock Exchanges soon Yes Bank has become the third Indian bank to have its shares to be listed on American stock exchanges. serves more than 7. and social infrastructure are classified as priority sector and these sectors will get a boost now. DayTodayGK. Such tie-ups allow customers to transact through mobile banking. the leading global remittance and foreign exchange company. More than 9000 professionals from over 40 nationalities are part of the UAE Exchange team who strive to achieve excellence and bring delight to customers worldwide. the India Development Update has suggested fiscal reforms that protect public capital spending. FDI soars 63 per cent to USD 3. State Bank of Bikaner & Jaipur. DayTodayGK.5 percent in 2015-16. use of internal accounts for parking customer funds. the foreign fund inflows have grown by 39 per cent. Bank of India. the Finance Ministry expects GDP growth to be 8-8. opening of fixed deposit accounts and granting overdrafts without due diligence.5 percent in 2015-16 reaching 8 percent in 2017-18. Dena Bank and Oriental Bank of Commerce for violation of KYC norms (know your customer) and anti money laundering (ALM) norms.820 crore) in February. year-on-year.7% for current fiscal The government of India retained the rate of interest for General Provident Fund (GPF) and other related schemes at 8. The RBI has put a fine of Rs 15 lakhs on each banks. inadequate monitoring of customer accounts.5 percent for the current fiscal while Asian Development Bank (ADB) puts it at 7. GOI retains interest rate for GPF at 8. he 8.April Reserve Bank of India penalises 3 banks for violation of KYC norms and ALM norms The Reserve Bank of India has penalized Bank of Maharashtra. Punjab National Bank.28 billion in February Foreign direct investment (FDI) in India progressed about 63 per cent to USD 3. UCO Bank.5% in 2015-16 and 8% in 2017-18 The World Bank has suggested that India should step up economic reforms and encourage domestic companies to become “globally competitive”.Current Affairs . railways and defence forces. GDP growth (at market prices) is expected to accelerate to 7. The RBI has found out non adherence to KYC norms.7 percent interest will apply on Provident Funds of central government employees.. and Involvement of middlemen/intermediaries in opening of the accounts. and the Reserve Bank (RBI) has estimated it at 7. according to the data of Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP). 2015. Union Bank of India and Vijaya Bank to strictly follow the KYC practices.2 percent for 201617. 20. To achieve higher investment growth. financial sector reforms and reforms in business environment — all of which can help unlock private investments. to USD 28. The rate of interest will be effective from 1st April 2015.8 percent. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected a growth rate of 7.8 percent for 2015-16 and 8. During the April-February period of 2014-15.7% for the current fiscal.81 billion. However. According to the notification issued by the Finance Ministry. World Bank Predicts India to grow at 7.28 billion (about Rs. Punjab and Sind Bank. Acceleration in growth is conditional on the rate of investment picking up to 11 percent during FY16 to FY18.com P a g e | 17 .etc in its probe. The Banking Regulator has warned and directed Central Bank of India. The Central Bank had ordered a probe against these banks for violation of KYC norms and ALM norms based on a complaint received by a private organisation. The ERS will be able to receive voice calls from landlines. India produces around 5. SAARC Health Ministers Meeting held in New Delhi The fifth SAARC Health Ministers Meeting was held in New Delhi. fire and ambulance. The industry has set a record in production of nuclear fuel. voice and text messages.252 MT of uranium bundles. ie uranium bundles. The health ministers of the member countries apprised our Prime Minister’s initiative towards the adoption of June 21 as International Yoga Day by the United Nations.780 MW of electricity is generated by fuel processed at the NFC. mobile phones.April Indian Affairs TRAI Recommends 112 as India’s Single Emergency Number The telecom regulatory of India (TRAI) has proposed a single emergency number ‘112’ for all kind of emergency phone calls across India. The number closes to 1. which is close to double the annual fuel requirement of atomic reactors in India. In case of emergency. 102 and 108 into the proposed 112 helpline number. Internet as well as multi-line telephone systems. mental health. The production has also overreached country’s annual fuel requirement of 650 MT for the Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs).023 MT production in 2013-14.etc Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the the Health Ministers meet of SAARC countries and emphasized on the need for sharing of the best practices and vision in the fields of modern medical science and health care.Current Affairs . It should be noted that calls can be made from even outgoing facility barred phones. Of this. The two-day summit was attended by the health ministers from all member countries of SAARC. The Hyderabad-based Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC) has produced more than 30 per cent fuel compared to its 961.health infrastructure. similar to the allin-one emergency number ‘911’in the United States of America. 101. A software will interpret the call and chooses the appropriate response and dispatch. Now India has surplus nuclear fuel for next few months. the central government will integrate all existing emergency numbers 100. HIV/AIDS. including for police. Topics related to health issues such as prevention and control of communicable and non-communicable diseases. If the proposal is implemented. 4. India registers record production of Nuclear Fuel The nuclear Industry of India has reached the new milestone in its journey. DayTodayGK. public pay phones.com P a g e | 18 ..780 MW of nuclear power. immunisation for vaccine preventable diseases. the call directly goes to the emergency response system (ERS). NFC is the major producer of Nuclear Fuel in India and it supplies the fuel to 18 operating PHWRs and the two Boiling Water Reactors at Tarapur. brain and can cause even cancer. The CCEA also approved the four laning/two laning with paved shoulders of the MaduraiRamanathapuram section (115 kms) of National Highway – 49 in Tamil Nadu. The tribunal has directed the transport department of Delhi government and other concerned authorities to prepare a collective data of registration of all such vehicles which are 10 or more years old.400 crore. Gorakhpur and further to Nepal section (200 kms) of National Highway – 29 in Uttar Pradesh. Under this collaboration. Other than the Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. the life of people residing in NCR Delhi is becoming more vulnerable to various diseases and the greatest sufferers are young children. The estimated cost will be around Rs. This approval will upgrade Varanasi’s connectivity to Lucknow and other parts of Central Uttar Pradesh. CCEA approves Widening of three Sections of National Highways The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved the four laning of the Sultanpur-Varanasi section (138 kms) of National Highway – 56 in Uttar Pradesh. Diesel fumes cause damage to the lungs.com P a g e | 19 .400 crore. The project is likely to be completed in two and half years from the date of award.April Defence Minister undocks Scorpene Submarine Kalvari Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has undocked the India’s first Scorpene submarine at Mazagon Dock Limited. National Green Tribunal bans Diesel Vehicles older than 10 years in Delhi The National Green Tribunal has put a ban on all diesel vehicles which are more than 10 years old in the Capital city New Delhi to improve the ambient air quality. The estimated cost of this project is approximately Rs. The situation is so shocking that medically people have been even advised to leave Delhi. The remaining 25 states and Union Territories have not implemented it yet.Current Affairs . the event was attended by Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis and the Naval Staff Chief Admiral RK Dhowan. GOI extends National Food Security Act Deadline by Six Months Union Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan has announced that the Government of India has given six more months to the states for the implementation of National Food Security Act (NFSA) which was passed in September 2013. So far 11 states and Union Territories have implemented the National Food Security Act. The estimated cost of this project is about Rs.800 crore. The CCEA also approved the four laning of the Varanasi to Ghazipur. in collaboration with a French firm called DCNS. This is built under a venture called Project 75. Due to the gradual increasing pollutants of air.4. 1. This approval will improve regional connectivity and facilitate improved movement of people and goods in the region and across the border. DayTodayGK. Diesel is prime source of air pollution in Delhi.3. Indian Navy will get a total of six submarines. Government of India launches FAME-India Scheme The Government of India has launched a scheme called FAME-India to promote the eco-friendly vehicles by offering incentives on electric and hybrid vehicles. the minister of State for Ministry of Commerce & Industry.Current Affairs . Amaravati was a prosperous and historically important city of the Satavahana Dynasty in second century AD. Andhra Pradesh’s New Capital named as Amaravati Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu announced that Amaravati will be the name of the new capital city of Andhra Pradesh. is part of the region. A special importance has been given to ease of doing business in India. the minister of State for Ministry of Commerce & Industry. diabetes. The CM has told the reporters after a cabinet meeting that the unanimous decision has been made.April GOI unveiled the Foreign Trade Policy 2015-2020 Nirmala Sitharaman. environment and other needs of the capital city. DayTodayGK. the ancient town on the banks of the Krishna river. The new capital is being built in Vijayawada-Guntur region and Amaravati. • • • • Technology development Demand creation Pilot projects Charging infrastructure. has unveiled Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) 2015-2020. The scheme is a part of the National Mission for Electric Mobility.84%. The Master plan for the Capital City is being planned by experts from Singapore. GOI allows Pharma Companies to hike rates of 509 essential medicines Union government has allowed the pharmaceutical companies to hike the rates of 509 essential medicines by 3. and cancer. fungal infections. These medicines used for treating various ailments like hepatitis B and C. Nirmala Sitharaman. The construction of the new capital will begin in June. The scheme will have four focus areas. The focus of the new policy is to support both the manufacturing and services sectors. The Japanese companies are agreed to associate in construction. has unveiled Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) 2015-2020. FAME stands for Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles.com P a g e | 20 . Andhra Pradesh and Telangana share Hyderabad as a joint capital for 10 years. The new five year FTP 2015-20 provides a framework for • • • Increasing exports of goods and services Generation of employment Increasing value addition in the country. FAME-India envisages allocating 795 crore rupees support till 2020 for the manufacturing and sale of electric and hybrid vehicles. Till the completion of the project. deep inside the Bay of Bengal to test its full range. Procedure for adjustment of available balances under SDRF is simplified while releasing assistance from the NDRF in case of severe disasters. In this case the State Executive Committees have to work out the criteria and modalities. The Indian Minister has acknowledged the memorandum as a new chapter in Indo-US cooperation. Government of India issues revised norms for National Disaster Relief The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued orders on revised norms of assistance from National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) and State Disaster Respond Fund (SDRF). 5. The government also monitors prices of all other medicines and pharma companies are allowed to hike prices of such drugs by only up to 10% in a year. Norms related to various aspects of response and preparedness like ex-gratia to the kin’s in case of loss of lives. 3. cyclones. etc. Anthony Foxx led a delegation of high level US officials to exchange views on enhancing cooperation in the transportation sector between the two countries.Current Affairs . floods. 4. hailstorm. India and US signed Memorandum of Cooperation on Transportation India and United States (US) have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) on transportation between both countries. Revised Norms 1. earthquake. India successfully test fired nuclear-capable Dhanush Missile from ship India successfully test-fired its nuclear-capable Dhanush ballistic missile with a strike range of 350 km from a naval ship off the Odisha coast. disability and livelihoods have been revised. maximum of 5% of SDRF allocation can be spent. State Governments also can use upto 10% of their SDRF allocation on local disasters. Automatic annual updation of the norms by reference with the movement of wholesale price index (WPI) is also enabled.April The Government of India monitors the prices of 348 essential medicines based on the simple average of all medicines in a particular therapeutic segment with sales of more than 1%. 2.com P a g e | 21 . DayTodayGK. On capacity building. The ship-based Dhanush missile was launched from an Offshore Patrolling Vessel (OPV). It successfully hit the target point with high degree of accuracy. with respect of the Centrally notified disasters like tsunami. The test was carried out by the Strategic Force Command (SFC) of the defence force as part of regular user training. drought. State governments to use upto 10% of allocation of the SDRF on equipment. The MoC was signed by Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari and US Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx in New Delhi. It will be available to listeners in and around Delhi within a range of 60-65 km.com P a g e | 22 . Listeners will now enjoy the programmes with much clarity at all times in all weather conditions without any difficulty. The other existing FM services of AIR are FM Gold (106. An NGT bench headed by Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar ordered an immediate pull up to all construction activity in the NCR that do not follow the rules and regulations set forth in the 2010 guidelines of the Environment Ministry.53m-long Dhanush was built by the A Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) under the integrated guided-missile development programme (IGMDP) It is one of five missiles being created under the IGMDP and is intended for deployment by the Indian Navy as an anti-ship weapon and to destroy land targets within its range. liquid-propelled 8. Finance Minister launches FM transmission of Vividh Bharati Service of Delhi FM transmission of Vividh Bharati Service was launched by Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley on 14 April 2015. It has already been inducted into the armed services. Vividh Bharti service will be available on 100. Gujrat became operational on 10th April 2015.1 Megahertz (MHz) frequency. any builder. They will also allow individual and institutional investors from India and abroad.April The single-stage. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley unveiled rules and regulations for this global financial hub. National Green Tribunal directs Real Estate Sector in New Delhi The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has instructed the Real Estate Sector in the National Capital Region to look over the air pollution caused by dust discharging from construction sites. if found disobeying the orders. Aim of the Dhanush missile is to provide the Indian Navy with the potential to precisely strike enemy targets. including NRIs to trade.4MHz) and FM Rainbow (102. DayTodayGK. It will also check the flight of trading in rupee and Indian securities to such offshore financial hubs.6 MHz). He also added. It was launched at function held at New Broadcasting House of All India Radio (AIR) in Delhi. India’s first International Financial Services Centre (IFSC)became operational at Gujarat International Finance Tec City India’s first International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) at GIFT City in Gandhinagar. The regulations are aimed at creating a vibrant IFSC on the lines of those in Dubai and Singapore. They will allow foreign and Indian stock exchanges to set up separate bourses within IFSC as subsidiaries.Current Affairs . Justice Kumar also directed that all labours working on construction sites should be provided with masks. shall be liable to pay a fine of 50 thousand rupees. The Dhanush missile was successfully testfired in November 2014. It will be also available on mobile phone. which are in operation since 2007. in Arizona and have become the largest provider of medicine. The task force will be chaired by B. This was first adopted by Mariposa Community Health Center in 1980. BHEL has also earlier successfully executed 4 units of 250 MW each at Raigarh. The trial was carried out by the Strategic Forces Command of the Indian Army and was declared successful. DayTodayGK.Mexico border. promote and provide health care facilities where distance is a critical factor. Interlinking of rivers of India will definitely help Indian Economy to grow in a whole new level.000 km from Wheeler Island off Odisha coast. BSF has taken an extraordinarly steps to dilute the inconvenience in transferring the soldier in the time of emergency.April GOI forms Task Force to quicken work on Interlinking of rivers The Government of India has constituted a task force comprising experts and senior officials to overcome the hurdles in interlinking of rivers and also on establishing unity among different States for speedy implementation of the Modi government’s ambitious project. Telemedicine initiative has been encouraged by BSF (Punjab Frontiers) in 2014. Navalawala and take up all issues for expediting the work on interlinking of rivers in the country. The project has been hampered between the two states. Telemedicne is an efficient fusion of information and communication technology with medical science to prevent. India’s largest engineering and manufacturing company has commissioned the fourth 600 MW unit of the OP Jindal Super Thermal Power Project (STPP) ExtensionPP located at Tamnar in Raigarh district of Chhattisgarh. It will generate huge amount of employment and also benefit people for generations.com P a g e | 23 .800 MW capacity in the state of Chhattisgarh in the last three months. Oil India Limited Commissions wind energy projects in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh India’s second largest state-owned oil explorer. The missile was test fired from a mobile launcher at launch complex-4 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR). India successfully test fires Agni III from Odisha Coast India has successfully test fired its indigenously developed surface-to-surface missile Agni-III. BHEL has already added three units of 600 MW aggregating to 1. It allows the soldiers to monitor an injured fighter or soldier from central station rather than tranferring soldier to remote area for medical assistance. the nuclear capable ballistic missile having a range of more than 3.Current Affairs . Telemedicine an extraordinarily initiative by BSF The Telemedicine concept was introduced to provide health services to the people who have their shelter far away from cities. In India. BHEL Commissioned 600 MW Thermal Unit of the OP Jindal Super Thermal Power Project Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL). Oil India Limited has commissioned a 54 MW wind energy project in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.N.dental and disease prevention services on the Arizona. Saritha was provided all possible assistance from the DTC authorities for obtaining the mandatory public service vehicle badge from the transport department. NMDC was reviewing prices at the beginning of every month. The insurance premium will depend on the length of the journey and also the class of travel. In recent years. followed by five-year terms for Brazil and then Russia.Current Affairs . Gopal Rai. DayTodayGK. India will soon nominate the candidate for the Presidential post of the 100 billion USD New Development Bank. Venkadarath Saritha : Delhi Transport Corporation’s First Woman Driver Venkadarath Saritha. a customer will be offered additional services like insurance coverage for baggage while booking etickets on the IRCTC website. this is the first time that NMDC has reduced prices of iron ore in the middle of a month. India will head over the bank’s operations for the first six years. mobile phone or any other valuable articles will be covered as part of the travel insurance package. has reduced the prices of iron ore fines by 20% for the remaining days of the current month.960 per tonne and lumps prices are down by Rs 200 per tonne to Rs 3. lauded Saritha for accepting the challenge of driving a bus on the roads of Delhi and complimented DTC officials for their decision. A customer will be given an option to avail the insurance coverage. IRCTC to offer baggage insurance for passengers IRCTC is planning to offer a new service of ‘baggage insurance’ for passengers’. National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC). The goods like laptop. ie Rs 126. which will be headquartered atShanghai.com P a g e | 24 . • • • • • The passenger can claim the insurance money in case of lost or theft of the baggage. The total cost of the project is estimated to be Rs 439 crore. The tie-up is being formalized with New India Assurance India to nominate President candidate for New Development Bank soon The Finance Minister of India. The Transport Minister of Delhi. 30 year old woman from Telangana has been inducted as the first woman driver of Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC).050 per tonne. Mr Arun Jaitely has informed the members of the BRICS nations that.5 crore for Patan plant and Rs 312.45 crore for Chandgarh plant. The prices of iron ore fines are reduced by Rs 500 per tonne to Rs 1. NMDC cuts the prices of iron ore by 20% The Public Sector Giant.April Gujarat will have a 16 MW capacity plant at Patan and Madhya Pradesh will have a 38 MW capacity plant at Chandgarh. Under this. which will not be mandatory. The Capital City has seen women driving autos and cabs but it is witnessing for the first time. a woman driving a bus. designed to counter the threat of enemy aircraft and anti-ship cruise missiles. It is designed to achieve a speed of over 30 knots at a displacement of approximately 7.300 tons. China 3. The New Development Bank will be established together by BRICS countries – Brazil. Japan 4. China and South Africa. The Kolkata-class warship. Modi laid Foundation Stone of Ambedkar International Center in Delhi Indian PM Narendra Modi Ji laid the foundation stone of the Dr.Current Affairs . Russia. India Navy stealth Destroyer “Visakhapatnam” Launched Indian Navy’s new stealth destroyer. Ambedkar International Center in New Dlehi and promised that the NDA government at the center would complete the work within 20 months.000 tons during the launch. UN Report says India is the Fifth biggest Generator of e-Waste According to the United Nations‘ report. Brazil. was launched by Minu Dhowan. Germany 5. was launched in Mumbai on 20th April 2015. DayTodayGK. Visakhapatnam. The report point out that the volume of global e-waste is likely to rise sharply by 21 per cent in next three years. will revolve around the vertical launch and long range surface to air missile system. United States of America 2.April The announcement about the bank was made in July last year at the conclusion of the VIth BRICS Summit at Fortaleza. The top 5 countries are.7 million tonnes (Mt) of electronic and electrical equipment in 2014 alone.com P a g e | 25 . at Mazagaon Docks Ltd (MDL). India is the fifth biggest producer of e-waste in the world. India. The ‘Global E-Waste Monitor 2014‘ report was compiled by UN’s think tank United Nations University (UNU). wife of chief of Naval Staff Admiral R K Dhowan. the first of P15-B stealth destroyers. Vishkhapatnam is a 163-metre-long vessel which will be propelled by four gas turbines. The bank’s Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA) will have a fund of 100 billion US Dollars. India had discarded 1. The NDB will be set up with a starting capital of 50 billion USD with a provision to increase it to 100 billion USD. 1. designed indigenously and fitted with advanced features. The ship weighed approximately 3. The ship’s air defence capability. 4 per cent in January-March quarter this year compared with the first three months last year. that will monitor the implementation of ongoing railway projects on real-time basis. infrastructure target and board meeting follow-up. while the global average declined by 2. Bayer CropScience inaugurates new multi-crop breeding station in Haryana Bayer CropScience.7 per cent. the country’s crude steel production grew by 10 per cent to 7. 4.5 MT in the first three months of the year. World Steel Association data showed that the country’s production grew by 9. userfriendly and customised system. India retains third slot in global steel production in Q1 India retained it’s third position in global steel production with a total production of 14. The new facility will also have a cultivable area of 5 acres for field experimentation and 2 acres for polyhouses. which produces half of the world’s steel saw a decline of around 2 per cent to clock 203. Prime Minister’s Office and other Ministries for monitoring progress implementation of various programmes and follow-up of meetings. On 20th April BHEL has successfully commissioned its 250MW Coal based Thermal Power Plant in Gujarat. E-Samiksha software has been developed to make it a highly interactive web-based. The company has other R&D facilities in Bengaluru and Kullu. The name of char Dham are: 1. In March. the world’s leading innovative crop science company. DayTodayGK. Badrinath Dwarka Puri Rameswaram BHEL commissioned 250MW Coal based Thermal Power Plant in Gujarat Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) one of the leading Power. Pilgrimage for the Himalayan Char Dham Yatra begins The annual Chardham yatra commenced on 21st April 2015 with the opening of the sacred portals of the Himalayan shrines of Gangotri and Yamunotri after a six-month winter break.com P a g e | 26 .April Indian Railways launched E-Samiksha to monitor Rail Projects Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has launched an online monitoring mechanism called E-Samiksha. E-Samiksha is designed by National Informatics Center.5 acres and the station will be well equipped with all aspects of R&D infrastructure. has inaugurated a multicrop breeding station at Karnal in Haryana. 2. The software is currently being used by Cabinet Secretariat. Char Dham are the names of four pilgrimage sites in India that are widely visited by Hindus. and Manufacturing Company owned by GOI.Current Affairs .2 MT.6 million tonnes (MT) in the first three months of 2015. The high-tech breeding station is spread over 8. China. 3. the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has also suspended the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI). Viber offers free messaging and HD-quality calls and it has more than 500 million unique users across 193 countries. As per the data India saw six per cent of the social media scams globally. marginally higher than the UK and Canada. DayTodayGK. Sports Ministry suspends the Paralympic Committee of India Following the action from the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra with the total length of more than 300 km and with an approximate cost of Rs 5.150 crore in Haryana. The Kudermukh national park in Karnataka and Rajaji National Park in Uttarkhand have been finally got the approval to be declared as Tiger Reserves. India ranks Second in Cyber Attacks through Social Media According to the report released by Symantec. following the United States of America.April BHEL has commissioned the unit at GSECL(Gujarat State Electricity Corp Ltd). Rajaji and Kudermukh National Parks declared as Tiger Reserves The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has granted approval of two national parks to be declared as tiger reserves.Sikka -Thermal Power Station(TPS) which is based on the Engineering Procurement and Construction and is located near Jamnagar which is one of the biggest Industrial Hub of Gujarat. which was held from March 20-22 in Ghaziabad. India ranks second among the nations that were targeted with cyber attacks through social media in 2014. The reason for the suspension is gross negligence and poor management of the 15th National Para Athletics Championships. Sunabeda in Odisha and Guru Ghasidas in Chhattisgarh. Now globally India has become the largest base for the company.com P a g e | 27 .Current Affairs . Government approves three road highway projects worth Rs 5. The IPC has suspended PCI for an indefinite period.150 crore.150-crore The government on 22nd April 2015 approved three highway projects with a total cost of Rs 5. The sports ministry has urged the International Paralympic Committee to form an ad hoc committee in India till a new federation sanctioned by the world para body is formed. In-principle approval has been granted by the NTCA for the formation of reserves in Ratapani in Madhya Pradesh. Now it is more than 40 million Viber users in India!!! Instant messaging and calling Mobile Application Viber has said that the company has more than 40 million Viber users in India and the company has achieved this feat in less than two years after starting operations in India in December 2013. the leading security solutions provider. according to a RICS report. China. India is at sixth position with 5.3 per cent share in the global infrastructure market.P.com P a g e | 28 . Indonesia. Nadda announced that the government will launch a toll free help line for TB patients to give them proper counseling and treatment. the USA. Rajasthan are expected to be completed by 2019. Nigeria. Other than that government will use mobile and other telecommunication tools in an innovative manner for the programme. The name of the programme is ‘Call to Action for TB Free India‘. will be completed by 2019. where life-saving generic drugs will be sold. More than 50 per cent of urban growth will come from just seven countries: India. At present. DayTodayGK. China and India will contribute more than one-third of the total growth. The government health workers will contact the person to check the status of TB as well as provide medical intervention. Fast Breeder Reactor of 500 MW capacity is at an advanced stage of commissioning at Kalpakkam. Tamil Nadu. Any suspected person can call or even give a missed call on the helpline number. 3000 Jan Aushadhi centres. GOI to launch toll free help line for TB Patients Union Health Minister J. Chemical and Fertilizer Minister Ananth Kumar told Lok Sabha the government plans to have. It also added that Indian government has announced plans to not just create REITs but also investment infrastructure trusts (InvITs). in a few years. and it will provide additional benefit of over Rs 3000 crore to customers.April Four indigenous Nuclear Reactors will be ready by 2019: GOI A total of four indigenous nuclear reactors. which are under construction in two plants in Gujarat and Rajasthan. At present four indigenous nuclear reactors • • KAPP 3&4 (2X700 MW) at Kakrapar Gujarat RAPP 7&8 (2X700 MW) at Rawatbhata. Pakistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. any member can have 10 such centres in their constituency.Current Affairs . India will be fourth largest infrastructure projects market in the world by 2030 India would become fourth largest infrastructure projects market in the world by 2030 as real estate and construction sector is continuously evolving in the country. 350 Drugs Brought Under Price Control: GOI Government on 23rd April 2015 said 350 drugs had been brought under price control. MoS for Commerce and Industry (Independent Charge). The portal was developed by the Department of Commerce and the Services Export Promotion Council. More than 1. Nepal Earthquake : India begins “Operation Maitri” The Indian Army has named its rescue operation in Nepal as “Operation Maitri“.350 people. Maharashtra had 9.000 well trained personnel of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were also pressed into service. The Indian Air Force had airlifted more than 2200 people in many places over Nepal despite bad weather and an aftershock that briefly shut the Kathmandu airport.48 crore cards. India has deployed advanced helicopters and choppers for rescuing people and was also undertaking a “big evacuation” through the road route.Current Affairs .19 crore and West Bengal 6. Delhi. The portal covers all hospital and travel related information about India. Tesco was the first global retailer to apply for multi-brand retailing after the government allowed 51 per cent FDI in the segment in September 2012. Tesco invested Rs 850 crore in multi-brand retail: Government Government approved a proposal from Tesco Overseas Investment Ltd (Tesco). Aadhaar card enrolments were increasing at a rate of 2 crore per month.12 crore up to April 20.com P a g e | 29 . Tesco had announced formation of an equal joint venture with Tata group company Trent by picking up 50 per cent stake in Trent Hypermarket Ltd (THL). In March last year. JP Nadda.9 magnitude earthquake in Nepal was worst earthquake in last 80 years and it has killed more than 2. The event was attended by Ms Nirmala Sitaraman. Minister for Communications and Information Technology. The 7.April PM Narendra Modi inaugurated India’s Healthcare Tourism Portal PM Modi has inaugurated India’s Healthcare Tourism Portal at the “SAARC Trade Mart” in the Global Exhibition on Services at Pragati Maidan. Mr Ravi Shankar Prasad. Thousands of people are still under collapsed buildings and rescue force have been deployed from many countries in the world. According to the Economic Survey. Uttar Pradesh had the highest number of enrolments with 10. Ms Smriti Irani. DayTodayGK. The FDI inflow reported by the RBI from Tesco is Rs 850 crore. Minister for Human Resource Development. a UK company. Aadhaar card is now the World’s Largest Biometric Identification Programme The Aadhaar card has emerged as probably the world’s largest biometric identification programmes in the world with the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) issuing nearly 82 crore cards. The government had seeded over 10 crore bank accounts with registered Aadhaar numbers by December 2014. for foreign investment of not less than USD 110 million to carry out business of multi-brand retail trading in India. Minister for Health and Family Welfare. 000 crore and the AMRUT mission will receive Rs 50.April Indian Army conducts Akraman II defense exercise in Rajasthan The Indian Army has conducted a defense exercise named Akraman II in Rajasthan to test the latest generation of weaponry and platforms employed in the desert region. Bharat Mala like Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee built the Golden Quadrilateral. 5. Bharat Mala is the name given to a ambitious programme of the Modi government — a road built along India’s vast west-to east land border. The government will have to construct some 5. Haryana.000 crore. Bharat mala. The Smart Cities Mission will get a total of Rs 48. Those who violate will be fined with Rs. leaves. Uttarakhand. plastic and crop residues in Delhi-NCR region. South Western Army CommanderLieutenant General Arun Kumar Sahni witnessed army exercise. from Gujarat to Mizoram.000-14.com P a g e | 30 . Union Cabinet approves PM’s Smart Cities Project The Union Cabinet has approved PM Modi’s ambitious one hundred smart cities project to develop the urban landscape of India and also to make the cities more livable.000. The NGT has taken this step to tackle the heavy air pollution in Delhi-NCR. National Green Tribunal Bans Burning Garbage in Open The National Green Tribunal has imposed a complete ban on burning waste in open including garbage. Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh to “immediately” spread mass awareness regarding ill-effects of burning waste materials in open areas. The project will start from Gujarat and Rajasthan. Assam. from Maharashtra to Bengal.000 troops are participated in Akraman II defense exercise.Current Affairs . and around 10. Himachal Pradesh. The government hopes to finish the project in five years. A bench headed by National Green Tribunal Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar has asked the civic authorities and state governments of Delhi. Arunachal Pradesh. linking that to a road network in coastal states. The Cabinet has approved the government to spend a sum of Rupees one lakh crore on urban development under two new urban missions over the next five years.PM Narendra Modi Planned RS. DayTodayGK. Punjab. The exercise was conducted by the Chetak Corps. a part of South Western Command based in Bhatinda. More than 300 Combat Vehicles including Main Battle Tanks and Long Range Artillery Guns.000 crore over the next five years. and will finally end up covering the Indo-Myanmar border in Manipur and Mizoram. named.borne army units. 14000 crore road from Gujarat to Mizoram PM Narendra Modi raised 14000 crore for his Project. Earlier the NGT banned running of diesel vehicles which were more than 10 years old in the region.300 km of new roads at an estimated cost of about Rs 12. The exercise also tests the capabilities of Indian Air Force in launching deep insertion of airborne and helicopter.then move to Punjab and then will cover the whole Himalayan states – Jammu and Kashmir. The Cabinet has also cleared the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) for 500 cities. Uttar Pradesh and Bihar alongside Terai Sikkim. Only Nepal (121) and Sri Lanka (132) were considered desolate. Switzerland. Following the establishment of strategic partnership in 1998 between both countries. Varuna – The Naval Exercise between India and France A 10-day naval exercise ‘Varuna’ between India and France began on 23 April 2015 off the Goa coast. Iceland. Th MoS in the PMO Jitendra Singh said indigenous reactors would be established at • • • • Gorakhpur in Haryana. Denmark. India ranks 117 in Global Happiness Index Already rated an unhappy place in 2014 with a ranking of 111. In addition. It is the fourteenth edition of this naval exercise which will host of naval assets of both countries and will conclude on 3 May 2015. Pakistan ranked a surprising 81st. The World Happiness Report 2015 published by sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN). Kaiga in Karnataka Mahi Banswara in Rajasthan Reactors with foreign cooperation would be set up in • • • • • Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu Jaitapur at Maharashtra Chhaya Mithi Virdhi in Gujarat Kovvada in Andhra Pradesh Haripur in West Bengal. Norway. To know more – Varuna Exercise DayTodayGK. The United States came 15th and China was ranked at 84. and was as usual was dominated by wealthy countries. Bhutan. and Canada occupied the top five. the country dropped six places to 117 out of 158 countries ranked in the 2015 list. Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Ltd (BHAVINI). Even Bangladesh (109) fared better than India. every year Indian Navy and French Navy are conducting naval exercises.Current Affairs .April GOI approves New Sites for setting up Nuclear Power Projects The Government of India has concurred ‘in principle’ approval to 10 sites for setting up nuclear power projects in nine Indian states. which prides itself on its Gross National Happiness index. is currently building a Prototype Fast Breeder Reaction of 500 MWe capacity at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu. two Fast Breeder Reactors of 600 MW are also proposed to be constructed at Kalpakkam. is best placed at 79. the Chennai based Public Sector Undertaking.com P a g e | 31 . Chutka and Bhimpur in Madhya Pradesh. Bahamas. Costa Rica. Lithuania. Barbados. With this the total number of countries under the scheme has gone up to 76. Senior executives at Xiaomi told that they would seek Tata’s advice on how to expand to international markets and become the number one phone maker in the country in the next three years.Kitts & Nevis Paraguay. Cayman Island.April India’s foreign exchange reserves at a new high of $343.8 billion to $343. Many expect this decision will be followed by a rating upgrade which will allow India companies to mobilise resources from the overseas market at a lower cost. Liechtenstein. which was constituted by Union Ministry of AYUSH and has been approved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The logo was selected by the Committee of Yoga experts. Belize. France. Georgia. Anguilla. Montserrat. The logo has a tagline "Yoga for Harmony and Peace". Chile. International Day of Yoga logo launched in New Delhi The logo for International Day of Yoga was launched in New Delhi by Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Union Minister of State (MoS) for AYUSH Shripad Yesso Naik. Nicaragua. creating a new record. The 31 countries are: Antigua & Barbuda. Tata had earlier invested in startups like Snapdeal.2 billion.Vatican. DayTodayGK. Montenegro. Haiti. Bluestone and Cardekho.2 billion India’s foreign exchange reserves rose by $2. Urban Ladder.Current Affairs . In March. he picked up a stake in mobile commerce firm Paytm as well. Macedonia. The idea to observe 21 June as the ‘International Day of Yoga’ was proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September 2014 during his speech at United Nations General Assembly (UN-GA). RBI has added close to $24 billion in the reserves since January as overseas investors poured in dollars in local markets with the Narendra Modi government backing investment and clearing stalled projects. Grenada. St. Latvia. Honduras. Canada. The 78-year-old has invested an undisclosed amount in the company. Bolivia. Dominic an Republic. Ratan Tata has become the first Indian to pick up stake in Xiaomi Ratan Tata has become the first Indian to pick up a stake in China’s largest smartphone maker. Union Government extends e-Tourist Visa scheme to 31 more countries The Government of India has extended e-Tourist Visa scheme to 31 more countries with an effect from 31 May 2015. El Salvador. The rise in reserves in the week under review coincided with rating company Moody’s decision to revise India’s ‘Baa3′ rating outlook to ‘positive’ from ‘stable’. Xiaomi. and Seychelles. Estonia. Ecuador. Dominica.com P a g e | 32 . a Washington based company has released a list of top ten dangerous countries in the world based on Country Threat Index (CTI). incidents and the number of people killed and injured in a country over the past month.The index is based solely on terrorist and rebel related activity. photos. The CTI examines the volume of terrorist and rebel alerts. videos. The company collects these details and runs it through an algorithm to assign the country its CTI.April International Affairs Top Ten Dangerous Countries in the World – Country Threat Index IntelCenter. The higher the CTI the greater the risk. It does not evaluate other risk factors such as crime and political instability. The Top Most Dangerous Countries in the World Rank Country CTI Major Threat 1 Iraq 811 Islamic State Terrorists 2 Syria 717 Continuous Civil War 3 Nigeria 273 Boko Haram Group 4 Somalia 257 Al Shabab Militants 5 Afghanistan 186 Taliban Militants 6 Libya 157 Civil War 7 Yemen 132 Houthi Rebels 8 Pakistan 122 Terrorism 9 Ukraine 103 Pro-Russian Rebels 10 Egypt 72 Political Instability DayTodayGK.com P a g e | 33 .Current Affairs . messaging traffic. The planet has been named as ‘4538 Vishyanand‘.Current Affairs . based in the northeast Nigeria. Sports Persons who have minor planets named after them are Roger Federer. He will replace Ana Jara.4% of the total votes cast. The Operation Raahat was launched to make sure that Indian nationals are not harmed in the military operation that was started in Yemen in last week of March 2015 against the Houthi Rebels by Saudi Arabia and 10 other countries. In the evacuation exercise. an Islamic Terrorist Movement.) VK Singh. The party had been losing people’s trust due to rampant corruption and the rise of Boko Haram. has been named after the the former World Chess Champion. India has been ranked 119th out of 130 countries. A minor planet (4538). GOI Launched Operation Raahat to Evacuate 4000 Indians From Yemen The Government of India has launched Operation Raahat. As per the data. Donald Bradman. Goodluck Jonathan’s People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has been in power since the end of army rule in 1999. The Index helps the business executives all over the world to target their investments towards more genuine returns and also to protect their customers from any kind of unexpected disruption. more than 27 million Nigerian voted in the election. The operation started after India got permission to dock its offshore patrol vessel INS Sumitra at the Aden harbor of Yemen. Jesse Owens. Minor Planet named after Indian Chess Master Viswanathan Anand A planet has been named after Indian Chess Master Viswanathan Anand. Arsene Wenger. The complete rescue operation was overseen by Minister of State for External Affairs General (retd. who had lost a confidence vote and was sacked on 30 March 2015 by Peruvian Congress amid allegations of corruption.April General Muhammadu Buhari elected as Nigeria’s President General Muhammadu Buhari of All Progressives Congress (APC) party has won the Nigerian Presidential Elections. situated roughly between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.com P a g e | 34 . a massive air and sea operation to evacuate over 4000 Indian nationals from Yemen. India was ranked 112 in 2014 FM Global Business Resilience Index. FM Global Business Resilence Index 2015 Report FM Global has released the Global Business Resilence Index 2015. The 43 year old former General defeated the incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan by securing 52. Pedro Cateriano Bellido appointed as Prime Minister of Peru Pedro Cateriano Bellido was appointed as seventh Prime Minister of Peru by the President Ollanta Humala. The nationals will be flown to India in two Air Force C-17 Globemasters. The operation will involve total of five ships and four aircraft. DayTodayGK. 350 Indian nationals were evacuated from Aden to Djibouti by INS Sumitra. • • • • • • Social Progress Index released on 8th April 2015 Social progress Index was released by Non-Profit Social Profit imperative (SPI) On 8th April 2015.Current Affairs . The lowest three countries in the world on Social Progress are Afghanistan. America stand 16th in social progress index despite of having the second highest GDP among 133 Country list. Iran should implement the Additional Protocol of the International Atomic Energy Agency. which is intended to completely put an end to Iran from developing nuclear weapons. a weapons-usable fuel. The Iranians won the right to research. The framework agreement is called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). but not to use more modern machines for production for the next 10 years. providing greater access and information regarding its nuclear programme.S. Important Points to note in the Nuclear Agreement • Iran is permitted to keep its nuclear facilities for civilian uses only. India elected to four key bodies of United Nations Economic and Social Council India has been elected to four key subsidiary bodies of the United Nations agency on economic and social issues. • • • • United Nations Children’s Fund World Food Programme: Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice UN-Habitat DayTodayGK. but those facilities would be subject to strict production limits. to the subsidiary bodies of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) during its coordination and management meeting. Two facilities will be converted into research sites without fissile material. at least for the next 15 years. India was elected by acclamation.com P a g e | 35 . by twothirds to 5. which are used to enrich uranium. India Ranks at 101 in the list showing the lowest social progress while the U.000 kg to 300 kg.April Iran and P5+1 countries gave nod for nuclear agreement Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action Iran and the P5+1 Group of countries have adopted a joint statement for the removal of United Nations Security Council resolutions and sanctions against Iran in exchange of greatly limiting Iran’s uranium-enrichment programme. a form of election that does not use a ballot. stand at 16 despite of having the higest GDP among 133 Countries. Iran should reduce the number of centrifuges. Iran has agreed to redesign a heavy-water reactor at Arak in a way that would keep it from producing plutonium. Central African Republic. Chad. Iran must reduce its stockpile of low-enriched uranium from 10.060. Canada is the only country among the G7 countries that has been ranked in top ten on SPI 2015. which will not be enough for a nuclear weapon. VIE scheme to allow Indian students in France and French students in India to stay for a period of 24 months. Administrative Arrangement in the field of Cultural Heritage 11. ‘MOU between ISRO. Letter of Intent (LoI) between the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and National Institute of Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP) 13. Government of India and the Ministry of Ecology. India and the National Commission for Vocational Qualifications (Commission Nationale de la Certification Professionnelle – CNCD) DayTodayGK.April Agreements signed between India and France India and France signed 17 agreement and made three announcements during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first visit to the France. The Agreements are. Letter of Intent on Ayurveda between Ministry of Ayush and University of Strasbourg 18. MoU between ISRO and CNES on Megha Tropiques 4.com P a g e | 36 . MoU on Cooperation between the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports of India and French Ministry of Sports. MoU between Indian Heritage Cities Network Foundation (IHCN) and Association Nationale des Villes et Pays d’Art et d’Histoire et villes a secteurs sauvegardés et protégés (‘ANVPAH’) 15. Public Education and Community Life 7. Guarantee Agreement with AFD Financing of Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) 10. CNES and ONERA for Ka-band propagation experiment over Indian tropical region’ 5. France 14. Youth Affairs. MOU between School of Planning and Architecture. Railway protocol between Indian Ministry of Railways and French National Railways (SNCF) 9.Current Affairs . Proposal for twinning of historical monuments 16. Pre-engineering agreements between NPCIL and Areva 3. MoU between L&T and AREVA 2. Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the field of renewable energy between the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). Programme between ISRO and French National Centre for Space Studies (CNES) 6. Delhi and National Architecture Institute in Paris. 1. Letter of Intent on Tourism 12. Sustainable Development and Energy. Government of France 8. 17. MoU between National Skill Development Agency (NSDA). The announcements of agreements were made during a joint press conference by Modi and Hollande. BHEL is currently operating 23 major projects in 16 countries and has a presence in more than 75 countries.Current Affairs . The Joint Statement was released after the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Hannover and Berlin. DayTodayGK. Procurement. steam turbines. Canada. This potential agreement was signed between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart Stephen Harper after having detailed talks in Ottawa. and Construction (EPC) contracts. MoU between Department of Biotechnology of India and CNRS and UPMC on Collaboration for establishment of a National Institute of Marine Biology and Biotechnology in India To know in detail – Agreements Signed between India and France India and Germany released Joint Statement to strengthen strategic Partnership India-Germany Joint Statement was released on 14 April 2015 with an aim to strengthen the Strategic Partnership between the two countries. Canada to supply Uranium for five years On Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s visit to Canada. to set up a gas-based power project in Kazakhstan.com P a g e | 37 . Canada has agreed to supply 3K metric tonnes of uranium over 5 years to India under a $254 million deal to power Indian atomic reactors. The MoU’s main objective is to set forth a path to combine BHEL’s competence in design and manufacturing of power plants and INTMA’s strength in handling Engineering. an important agreement has been signed between the two countries.India Nuclear Cooperation Agreement that took effect in 2013. hydro turbines and boilers. BHEL is mainly engaged in manufacturing of power plant equipment like gas turbines. BHEL has a wide experience in construction of power plants in India and overseas. As part of the statement. The agreement comes in line with the Canada. MoU on cooperation in the field of Science & Technology between Department of Science & Technology of India and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) 20.April 19. the two nations agreed to take proactive steps to advance collaboration in the areas of • • • • • • • • manufacturing skill development urban development environment railways cleaning of rivers language science & technology BHEL and Russia’s INTMA signed to set up a gas-based power project in Kazakhstan State-owned power equipment maker Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has signed an MoU with a Russian company INTMA. Japan is well known for its Shinkansen Trains or “Bullet Train” that run on steel rails. The pledge was ordered by King Salman following the United Nations appeal for $274 million to provide emergency assistance to the millions of people affected by the conflict. The Maglev trains use electrically charged magnets to lift and move carriages above the rail tracks. has pledged to provide $274 million to Yemen as a humanitarian aid for the chaos-wracked country. Xi Jinping has been awarded with Pakistan’s highest civilian award. energy schemes and pipelines. These supplies will be under the safeguards of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). DayTodayGK. The train beat its earlier record of 590km/h. Japan’s Maglev Train sets new World Record in Speed Japan’s magnetic levitation or Maglev train has set a new world record in speed by hitting 603km/h in a test run near Mount Fuji. The 280km journey would take only about 40 minutes. The people of Yemen has been ransacked by fighting between Houthi rebels and government troops.000-km-long China-Pakistan Economic Corridor will link China’s backward far-western region to Pakistan’s Gwadar deep-sea port on the Arabian Sea via Pakistan occupied Kashmir through a massive and complex network of roads. This would double Pakistan’s submarine fleet. Xi Jinping is making $46 billion projects in Pakistan Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Pakistan on 20th April 2015 on a two-day visit.Current Affairs . Saudi Arabia is leading a war against rebel forces in Yemen. less than half the current time. Pakistan is scheduled to also sign a deal to buy eight Chinese submarines for $6 billion dollars. business zones. Saudi Arabia pledges $274m to meet United Nations call for aid Saudi Arabia. The Central Japan Railway has announced that the trains will operate at a maximum of 505km/h. railways. deals that would cause agitation in India ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s trip to Beijing. Canada’s Cameco Corporation will supply uranium to India for next five years starting from 2015. According to the UN estimate. This is Xi’s first foreign trip in 2015. the second largest Arab World.April As per this agreement. The Maglev trains are owned by the Central Japan Railway (JR Central). The 3.com P a g e | 38 . As of now passengers will not get to experience the maglev’s recordbreaking speeds.000 people have been displaced by fighting. more than 150. ‘Nishan-e-Pakistan’ on 21st April 2015. The report also says 12 million are short of food. where he announced $46 billion worth of infrastructure projects and plans to sell submarines. The fastest operating speed of shinkansen is 320km/h. but has been investing in Maglev technology which it is hoping to sell overseas. which wants to introduce the speed train service between Tokyo and the central city of Nagoya by 2027. Following this. This appointment relieved Crown Prince Muqrin bin Abdul Aziz from his duties and comes during a major Cabinet reshuffle.212 people have been sentenced to death since the start of 2014. Nazarbayev was elected as prime minister in 1984 and won the first presidential election in 1991. Morsi also faces serious charges in three other cases. Mohammed bin Nayef appointed as Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia by King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud Mohammed bin Nayef was appointed as Crown Prince and as Deputy Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia by King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud.April Former Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi jailed for 20 years A Cairo court has sentenced former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi and 12 other defendants to 20 years in prison.8 percent of the ballot. was appointed Deputy Crown Prince. Sudan’s Omar al-Bashir re-elected with 94 percent of vote Sudan’s president Omar al-Bashir has been re-elected with 94. including the head of the Muslim Brotherhood.4 percent and denied widespread reports of low participation. Prince Mohammed bin Salman. At least 817 protesters were killed in Cairo’s Rabaa al-Adawiya Square. Mohamed Badie. At least 1. saying there was little chance of a free and fair contest. Morsi was convicted on 21st April 2015 of ordering the arrest and torture of protesters in clashes outside the presidential palace in December 2012. 74.com P a g e | 39 . Nursultan Nazarbayev re-elected as Kazakhstan’s President Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev.5% of the votes. including an accusation that he passed intelligence to Qatar. DayTodayGK. Kazakhstan’s Central Election Commission claimed a record voter turnout of 95. The exit poll showed Nazarbayev’s closest competitor Turgun Syzdykov as scoring just 1.11 percent for the poll. The court acquitted the former president of murder charges that could have seen him face the death penalty.Current Affairs . The Election Commission of Sudan has put turnout at 46.7% of the votes. Morsi was deposed by his then military chief and Minister of Defence Abdel Fattah el-Sisi after mass protests against his rule in the summer of 2013. the former president’s supporters launched a series of protests and sit-ins across the country culminating in a crackdown by security forces that left hundreds dead. While King’s son. The major opposition parties have boycotted the election. Prior to this appointment he was Interior Minister of the kingdom. has been re-elected as the country’s president for the fifth consecutive time by securing 97. Mumbai and then he started teaching at Delhi University. Jayakanthan was the recipient of the prestigious Jnanpith and Sahitya Akademi awards. He is survived by his wife Dr Rupa Vajpeyi and daughter Ananya Vajpeyi. India’s Ace Mountaineer Malli Mastan Babu Passed Away Ace Indian mountaineer Malli Mastan Babu who went missing in the Andes mountains on March 24 during a climbing mission has been found dead.R. The legend was born on November 11. His death was announced on the “Rescue Malli Mustan Babu” page set up on Facebook by his friends and well-wishers. Uttar Pradesh.P. and Kuldeep. His dead body was recovered in the Andes Mountains between Argentina and Chile. she had undergone a surgery for oral cancer at the hospital. face of India’s anti-tobacco campaign has passed away at her native village in Bhind district of Madhya Pradesh. He had received his doctorate from the Lucknow University.April Obituary Poster Girl of India’s Anti-Tobacco Campaign Dies Sunita Tomar. Jayakanthan was born in Manjakuppam in Cuddalore on 24 April. Two years ago. Eminent Tamil Writer Jayakanthan Passed Away Eminent Tamil Writer Jayakanthan was passed away in Chennai on 8th April 2015 after a prolonged illness. 1934.. 13. “Mountains retained its favourite child. Few days ago she was admitted in Mumbai’s Tata Memorial hospital. In 1960 he worked with Times of India. Famous Tamil Singer EM Hanifa Passed away DayTodayGK.com P a g e | 40 . He became very famous for his novel “Sila Nerangalil Sila Manithargal” that won him a Sahithya Academy Award in 1972. Sunita is survived by two children Dhruv.I. Renowned Hindi Poet Kailash Vajpeyi Passed Away Eminent writer and renowned poet Kailash Vajpeyi has passed away due to heart attack in New Delhi at the age of 79.Current Affairs . but later shifted to Bhind town. 1936 in Hamirpur. amid indication of relapse of cancer. Sunita Tomar’s video was used by the government for its anti-tobacco drive to warn people against consumption of smokeless gutkha and pan masalas.” said a message posted on the page. 10. He was conferred with the Soviet Land Nehru Award in 1978 and the Russian government’s Order of Friendship in 2011. The 83-year-old Padma Bushan awardee had written around 40 novels and over 200 short stories and two autobiographies —”Oru Ilakkiyavathiyin Arasiyal Anubavangal” and “Oru Arasiyalvathiyin Ilakkiya Anubavangal“. Malli Mastan Babu. The family originally hails from Ramta village of Bhind’s Ater tehsil. April Renowned Tamil Muslim devotional singer EM Hanifa passed away on 8 April 2015 in Chennai. He is known for his number of devotional songs and was a leading propagandist of Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK) Party. Tamil Nadu. He was a brilliant gully fielder with amazing reflexes and a crowd puller wherever he played. retired in 1978 after a distinguished service of 38 years.com P a g e | 41 . He became the first Indian to fly faster than sound. German Nobel Laureate Novelist Guenter Passed Away German Nobel laureate novelist Guenter Grass passed away on 13th April 2015 in hospital in Lübeck. who lost neither a Test series nor his coolness in the field. An exceptionally skilled pilot. Benaud had been receiving radiation treatment for skin cancer for last one year. He won the National Award for his first film “Rag Birag” in 1996 in the category of Best First Film of a Director. Legendary Cricket Commentator Richie Benaud Passed Away Legendary cricket commentator and former Australian Captain Richie Benaud passed away at the age of 84. “Gun Gun Gane Gane” and “Dwar“. He died on 9th April 2015 at the age of 95. He is survived by a son and a daughter. Benaud was the first cricketer to achieve the Test double of 2000 runs and 200 wickets and. Chakraborty is survived by his mother and his wife. passed away in Pune after a prolonged illness. Moolgaonkar. Assamese Film Director and Actor Bidyut Chakraborty passes away Assamese filmmaker. He was admitted to Command Hospital on March 29. Grass is recognized for his efforts to revive German culture in the aftermath of World War II and also had given voice and support to democratic discourse in the post war Germany. Retired Air Chief Marshal Hrushikesh Moolgaonkar Passes Away Former Air Chief Marshal Hrushikesh Moolgaonkar. He was also a bold and victorious leader of men. He was commissioned in the Royal Indian Air Force in 1940. who took over as the Air Chief in 1976. He was also a threatening lowerorder batsman who hit one of the fastest Test centuries. He was a crafty leg-spinner who took a total of 248 wickets from just 63 Tests. Berlin. His competence as an ace pilot manifested as he flew 67 types of aircraft during his long span in the IAF. Benaud was considered as one of the greatest all-rounders in the game of Cricket. actor and director Bidyut Chakraborty has died at the age of 56 due to prolonged illness. as an all-rounder. who had the honor of leading the fly-past on Independence day in 1947. These films had won many prestigious awards. flying a Mystere-II fighter Bomber in 1951. DayTodayGK.Current Affairs . ranks as one of the greatest. He was well known for his films “Anurag“. His family announced that he passed away peacefully in his sleep. a well known and efficient playwright. He was knighted in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List of 2007 for his services to History. in which one UK-based crew of a B-17 bomber goes on one last mission. who is now president of Czech Republic. Patnaik was in the temple town to attend the convocation ceremony of the Rashtriya Sanskrit University. till 2005.April Bidyut Chakraborty was conferred with Indira Gandhi Award (Golden Lotus Award for Best Film) in 1996. Stanislav Gross was the youngest PM of Czech Republic and was elected in July 2004 at the age of 34. In 2007. Indian and global history. He had to be admitted to hospital after he complained of a chest pain late at night. Cambridge. over the heavily defended city of Bremen and Germany.com P a g e | 42 . Former Nepal PM Surya Bahadur Thapa dies at 87 Former Nepal Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa has died at the age of 87 due to cancer.e. Sir Christopher Alan Bayly passes away Sir Christopher Alan Bayly. and niece. novelist and screenwriter has died in Santa Monica at the age of 65 due to cancer. He was famous all over the world for the screenplay of the 1990 film “Memphis Belle“. has passed away at the age of 70 due to heart attack. a three-time Odisha chief minister and Assam Governor.Current Affairs . He was the lead actor and associate director of another popular Assamese film Ahir Bhairav which was shot entirely in the United Kingdom. Public television says he had been battling illness. His politcal career spans for more than 50 years. including under Milos Zeman. Former Odisha CM and Assam Governor. He was an historian specializing in British Imperial. Former Czech Republic Prime Minister Stanislav Gross passed away Former Czech Republic Prime Minister Stanislav Gross passed away on 16 April 2015. passed away in Tirupati 21st April 2015. J B Patnaik passes away J B Patnaik. Thapa was survived by a son and three daughters. He is survived by two brothers and two sisters. a top historian who unearthed the roots of Indian nationalism. The movie was about the World War II. He was co-editor of The New Cambridge History of India and sat on the editorial board of various academic journals. Gross is survived by wife Sarka and two daughters. Thapa had served as Prime Minister of Nepal for five terms under three different kings. a nephew. Prior to becoming PM he had served as interior minister from 2000 to 2004 in two governments. He had led the Social Democrat government as PM for one year i. Screenwriter Monte L Merrick Passed Away Monte L Merrick. he succeeded Professor Sir John Baker as President of St Catharine’s College. DayTodayGK. The movie was directed by famous Director Michael Caton Jones. 91 kilometres per second on the side of the planet facing away from Earth. the mother firm of The Weather Channel. MESSENGER has also found higherthan-expected potassium and sulfur levels on the planet’s surface. which has been orbiting Mercury for more than four years. the world famous cinematographer from Australia. has died at the age of 59. Asteroid 316201 named after Malala Yousafzai The youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner and girls education campaigner Malala Yousafzai now has an asteroid 316021 named after her on 10th April 2015. Her debut film was Chul aani Mul in 1946. It also announced a related partnership with the Weather Company. NASA’s Messenger will crash into Mercury on April 30’2015 NASA‘s Messenger spacecraft. GEochemistry. when it runs out of propellant. 2011. Rise of the Planet of the Apes. The Last Airbender. Lesnie had worked with many famous directors and he also shot films such as I Am Legend. Indian Railways to launch mobile app for paperless ticketing DayTodayGK. MESSENGER stands for MErcury Surface. The spacecraft was launched in 2004 and it traveled for more than six and a half years before it was inserted into orbit around Mercury on March. Veteran Marathi film and stage actress Bimba Modak passes away Eminent Marathi film and stage actress. astronomer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. Space ENvironment. One important finding of MESSENGER is that Mercury harbours abundant frozen water and other volatile materials in its permanently shadowed polar craters. Mainzer discovered the asteroid is in the Main Belt between Mars and Jupiter which gives her the right to name it.com P a g e | 43 . Modak. and Ranging. Amy Mainzer. Science and Technology IBM invests $3 Billion on Internet Of Things Opportunity US based International Business Machines (IBM) Corp will invest $3 billion over the next four years in a new ‘Internet of Things‘ unit. aiming to sell its expertise in gathering and making sense of the surge in real-time data.Current Affairs . which was directed by noted playwright and writer Vishram Bedekar. which powers weather apps of Apple. had entered into the film industry during the time when it was considered as taboo for women to work in cinema. The Messenger spacecraft will impact Mercury at more than 3. Google and Microsoft. who shot all the six Middle-Earth movies (The Lord of the Rings Triology and The Hobbit Trilogy). named Asteroid 316201 after Malala. Shanta alias Bimba Modak has passed away in Pune at the age of 97. Mr. due to heart attack. will crash into the Planet April 30th.April “Lord of the Rings” Cinematographer Andrew Lesnie Passed Away Andrew Lesnie. This unit will allow customers to collect and compute data from smartphones and sensor-equipped devices such as cars. this app also has features to renew the season tickets. Once the App is installed. Passengers can easily top-up the e-wallet at ticket counters or on the IRCTC website using a credit or debit card. Mylan has non-exclusive rights to manufacture and distribute generic Sofosbuvir in 91 developing countries. people can download the app from the Google App store for Android-based mobile phones. Brazil and Nigeria. By using this app. NASA 3-D Prints First Full-Scale Copper Rocket Engine Part Engineers at NASA 3-D . This app will also reduce the long queues at the railways ticket counters. Because the app is connected to Facebook. The main aim of the Hello app is to provide people more information about the caller. They just go to voice mail and can be reviewed in recent calls. The company secured product rights from Gilead under a licensing and technology transfer agreement signed by the two firms in September 2014. Hello is presently available in the United States.Current Affairs . Additive manufacturing has all the potential to reduce the time and cost of making rocket parts like the copper liner found in rocket combustion chambers where super-cold propellants are mixed and heated to the extreme temperatures needed to send rockets to space. Hello has options to automatically blocks the calls from commonly blocked numbers. Facebook Launches Phone-Calling Hello App for Android Users Facebook has unveiled a new voice-calling Hello app for Android phones. The infection is reported to be asymptomatic and ultimately lead to cirrhosis. Other than booking tickets. Hepatitis C is the leading reason for liver transplantation.com P a g e | 44 . It facilitates the Hello users to see information about the callers’ identity even if they don’t have them in their contact list. According to the plan. the user will get a registration ID number for creation of a railway e-wallet. DayTodayGK. This will help the commuters to a great extent. who were working with additive manufacturing. Hepatitis C is primarily affecting the liver by hepatitis C Virus. By using Hello it is also possible to search for people and businesses on Facebook and call them with just one tap. The e-wallet mobile payment system will have to be loaded with certain some of money via online or at a ticket counter at any station. Simpy Hello is meant to replace the voice dialer on phone. 3D printed copper rocket engine part – a combustion chamber liner that operates at extreme temperatures and pressures. including India. have developed the first full-scale.April Indian Railways is going to launch a mobile app to book rail tickets in unreserved categories. etc and these apps have met with limited success. The app has been named as “Hello” and it is the seventh child of Facebook Creative Labs. Mylan Pharmaceuticals launches generic hepatitis C drug ‘MyHep’ in India Mylan Pharmaceuticals has launched a generic hepatitis C drug under the name of MyHep in India. a passenger need not take a print out of the ticket and he can just show the soft copy on his mobile to the Ticket Examiner. Other releases include a newsreading app Paper or the video sharing app Riff. NASA said that the process they used to make the combustion chamber has the potential to drastically reduce the time and money needed to manufacture rocket parts. Including this win Vettel has a total of 40 career wins. Mills also played 42 Twenty20s and 19 Tests for New Zealand. Hawaii. The powerful version of the cryogenic engine was successfully ground tested for 635 seconds at the Liquid Propulsion systems centre (LPSC) at Mahendragiri in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. Mills’ dominant 14-years of international Cricket career has come to an end now. Dronavalli Harika wins Bronze in World Women’s Chess Championship Indian Grandmaster Dronavalli Harika won Bronze medal along with Grandmaster Pia Cramling of Sweden and pocketed 20000 US dollars in the World Women’s chess championships held at Sochi. A team headed by Director D Karthikesan had led the testing. This is Vettel’s first win with Ferrari. the Ferrari Driver from Germany. Sports Kyle Mills announced retirement from International Cricket New Zealand pace bowler Kyle Mills has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. only behind Daniel Vettori. Each of the discovered planets has mass 7 to 8 times that of Earth and complete their orbit’s in just 5.April Indigenous Cryogenic Engine Successfully tested by ISRO The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully tested its indigenously developed cryogenic engine. Mills represented New Zealand in 170 One Day Internationals and took 240 wickets.Current Affairs . DayTodayGK. who took 297 Wickets. 15. It will also give boost to India’s interplanetary probes and manned space missions.com P a g e | 45 . He also took part in three World Cups. Russia. won the Malaysian Grand Prix in 2012 and topped by Lewis Hamilton since then. that will help India put satellites of upto four tonnes in geostationary orbit. following Daniel Vettori. Kyle Mills was consistently ranked among the world’s top 10 one-day bowlers throughout his prominent 14-year career. and 24 days around HD 7924. Vettel. who quit after the World Cup final. He was also ranked number one for a very long time. Three super-Earths orbiting nearby star discovered Scientists have discovered three planets orbiting a nearby star named HD 7924 that is only 54 light-years away. Harika lost to Mariya Muzychuk of Ukraine in the semifinals. These planets were discovered by Automated Planet Finder (APF) Telescope located at Lick Observatory in California and W M Keck Observatory. Sebastian Vettel Wins the Malaysian Grand Prix 2015 Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel has defeated the Mercedes AMG Team and won the Malaysian Grand Prix 2015 for the first time since the Belgian Grand Prix 2014. He is the second highest wicket-taker of New Zealand in the limited overs game. and Sony Ericsson Open.000 USD ITF Futures Tournament Title Yuki Bhambri won the USD 15. seeded second.000 ITF Futures tournament on 11th April 2015 with a straight-set win over Dzmitry Zhyrmont and ensured that he will get entry into the French Open qualifying event. who defeated Natalija Pogonina of Russia by 2. The Tournament is held in March every year since 1985. The game is played on hard courts at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park. NASDAQ-100 Open. Title Winners of 2015 Miami Open Tennis The Miami Open Tennis is an annual tennis tournament for men and women held in Miami.5 to 1. Ivana Maksimovic of Serbia with score of 207. overcame his Belarusian third seed rival 6-2 6-4 in the final and pocketed 27 ranking points which will take him to a rank between 215 and 220. Apurvi Chandela won Bronze Medal in ISSF Rifle and Pistol World Cup Indian shooter Apurvi Chandela on 11 April 2015 won Bronze medal in the 10-metre air rifle event at the (International Shooting Sport Federation) ISSF Rifle and Pistol World Cup in Changwon. Pejcic Snjezana of Croatia with score of 209. Ericsson Open. South Korea In this world cup. 10–8 score.April The championship title was won by Mariya Muzychuk. The 22-year-old Yuki. Yuki Bhambri won the 15. Men’s Singles Title Novak Djokovic has defeated Britain’s Andy Murray 7-6 (7-3) 4-6 6-0 to win his fifth Miami title. USA. DayTodayGK.com P a g e | 46 .1 won gold medal. Women’s singles Title World number one Serena Williams defeated Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro 6-2 6-0 and secured her third straight title at Crandon Park. Men’s doubles Title American Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan pair has defeated Vasek Pospisil (Canada) and Jack Sock (US) pair by 6–3. Muzychuk bagged 60000 US dollars and Pogonina pocketed 30000 US dollars.Current Affairs . 1–6. Women’s doubles Title Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis (Switzerland) pair have defeated Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina of Russia. The tournament had many names such as Lipton International Players Championships.7 won the silver medal.5 points in the four-game final. Florida. Dronavalli Harika will play in the World Women Team Chess Championship in China in less than two weeks where Humpy will also join the Indian team. Anderson surpassed Ian Botham’s haul of 383 wickets in the final session on the last day of his 100th test. In Chinese Grand Prix. In regulation 60 minutes time. 32. They beat Dellacqua and Darjia jurak. Sania and Martina Hingis haven’t lost match since coming together in March. He took his his 384th wicket in a test match against West Indies in Antigua. It was also Lewis Hamilton’s overall 35th Grand Prix win. The 384th wicket was West Indies player Denesh Ramdin. • • • • Yao Ming– Retired Chinese professional basketball player. Yang Yang– Former Chinese short track speed skater Yang Yang. She is the first Indian Women to reach the top of of tennis rankings in any category. This is Sania-Hingis’ 3rd Straight title win after Indian Wells & Miami. Sania Mirza become World No. The other sportsmen are. In the final match.1 in Women’s double ranking Sania Mirza become the world No. both teams had tied at 2-2 goals. Sachin Tendulkar along with other four sports persons on 15 April 2015 was inducted into the prestigious Laureus Sports Academy.April New Zealand wins Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament 2015 New Zealand has won the 24th edition of Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament 2015 .com P a g e | 47 . The Gold medal of the event was won by Jin Jongoh of South Korea and Silver medal was won by Nuang Ye Tun of Myanmar.1 in Women’s double ranking on 13th April 2015. drpopping just 3 sets in 14 matches. James Anderson becomes England’s highest Wicket-taker in Tests England’s fast bowler. This was his second win of the season and his fourth Chinese Grand Prix win. New Zealand defeated World Champions Australia by 3-1 goals in the penalty shootout. 6-4. 6-0. lifted WTA faimly circle cup title in Charleston. DayTodayGK. US. Hamilton was followed by teammate Nico Rosberg at second place. Sachin Tendulkar inducted into Laureus Sports Academy Indian cricketer. Li Xiaopeng– Chinese gymnast. James Anderson. has become England’s highest wicket-taker in test cricket. South Korea.Current Affairs . Ranking achieved after sania and her aprtner. Indian shooter Jitu Rai won Bronze medal at the 10-meter Air Pistol Men final Indian shooter Jitu Rai on 12 April 2015 won Bronze medal at the 10-meter Air Pistol Men final in the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Rifle/Pistol World Cup held in Changwon. Martina Hingis. Tegla Loroupe– Kenyan long-distance runner. who was caught for 57 by Alastair Cook. Lewis Hamilton wins Chinese Grand Prix of Formula One Mercedes Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton on 12 April 2015 won Chinese Grand Prix of Formula One on the Shanghai International Circuit in China. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu – The First Indian to play for Top European Club Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. Gurpreet moved to Stabaek from East Bengal in August 2014. the $150. 23 year old from Mohali. was 31 seconds behind in second. DayTodayGK. who won a record 13 races last season. He became the first player in tennis history to win the first three Masters tournament of the year after completing the Indian Wells-Miami sweep this spring. also from Ethiopia. Rossi wins dramatic grand prix in Argentina Valentino Rossi cross the line for victory and defend World Champion Marc Marquez at the Grand Premio Red Bull de la República Argentina (Grand Prix of Argentina) on 19th April 2015. has became the first Indian ever to play a competitive match for the senior side of a first division European side. by defeating Mare Dibaba in a very close race by 4 seconds. Sunil Chhetri and Subrata Pal who plied their trade in Europe but never managed an appearance in the top tier. Wilson Chebet of Kenya finished third in the race. Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia wins Boston Marathon for second time Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia claimed his second victory in the men’s race of the Boston Marathon in an unofficial time of 2 hours. With his 23rd Masters title. the first man from United States to win the race in three decades. Kenya’s Carolina Rotich won the women’s race. Buzunesh Deba of Ethiopia finished third in the race. Novak Djokovic became Only Player to win first three masters of the year Novak Djokovic won the Monte Carlo Masters for the second time in three years by defeating sixth-seeded Tomas Berdych 7-5.com P a g e | 48 . 4-6. Spanish rider Marquez. Baichung Bhutia. he surpassed big names like Mohammad Salim. then clipped Rossi’s back wheel and crashed out as Rossi raced on to victory from eighth on the grid.Current Affairs . including a straight-set win over clay specialist Rafael Nadal in the semifinals. 6-3 on 19th April 2015. his best finish in a major marathon. Manish Rawat and Sandeep Kumar on 19th April 2015 qualified for next year’s Rio Olympics after exceptional performances in the IAAF Race Walking Challenge at Rio Maior in Portugal. The 6’6 ft tall goalkeeper turned out for Stabaek FC in a Norwegian Cup game in Sandefjord against Runar.April Three Indians race walkers qualify for Rio Olympics Three Indian race walkers. Khushbir Kaur. Yemane Adhane Tsegay. By starting for the first team. He has easily defeated 2014 champion Meb Keflezighi. Djokovic extended his winning streak to 17 matches.000 first prize and a winner’s medal. Desisa was in the men’s lead pack for the entire race. 9 minutes and 17 seconds to claim a golden olive wreath. Lelisa Desisa won his first Boston Marathon in 2013. That pushed Bayern 15 points clear of Wolfsburg. defending his title won last year in South Korea and adding another crown to his career. China’s Lin Dan won the men’s singles final at the Badminton Asia Championships in Wuhan China’s Lin Dan won the men’s singles final at the Badminton Asia Championships in Wuhan. central China’s Hubei Province. The goal scorers for Railways are Amit Rohidas (3). with the latter having five matches remaining. Having started second on the grid. From Uttar Pradesh team. after closest rivals Wolfsburg fell to a 1-0 defeat at Borussia Monchengladbach on 26th April 2015. and Affan Yusuf (1). In the 3rd Position match. Dieter Hecking’s Wolves needed to win at the Borussia Park to delay the coronation of Die Roten for another week. a five-time world champion and twice Olympic gold medalist. racked up his fourth Asian title with the victory. Schumacher Jnr led by controlling the race without any mistakes. between Hanover and Berlin on 26th April 2015. DayTodayGK.Current Affairs . Air India Sports Promotion Board outplayed Hockey Gangpur-Odisha by 5-3. Holder Bayern Munich claimed their 25th German League Title Bayern have been crowned champions of Germany.com P a g e | 49 . Former world champion and Indian Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand finished second by managing a draw against American-born Italian Chess Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana. Talwinder Singh (1). the goal scorers are Sunil Yadav (2) and Amir Khan (1). The Player-of-the-match was Amit Rohidas.April Mick Schumacher Jnr claims maiden victory in Berlin Mick Schumacher Jnr. 16-year-old son of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher was the fastest over the 18 laps at the Oschersleben track. Magnus Carlsen wins the Shamkir Chess International Tournament 2015 World champion Magnus Carlsen has won the Shamkir Chess International tournament for the second time by defeating Azerbaijani Chess Grandmaster Rauf Mamedov in the ninth and final round. but Max Kruse’s 91st minute winner – nudging a left-footed effort past Diego Benaglio – ensured a 25th German title for the Bavarians. Lin. Railways won 5th Senior Men’s National Hockey Championship The Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) has won the V Senior Men’s National Hockey championship 2015 by defeating Uttar Pradesh Hockey by 5-3. also known as the Amritsar massacre.April Important Days in April S. Apr 07 International Health Day 6. with WHO highlighting the challenges and make food opportunities associated with food safety safe” Nothing Aims at reinforcing the demands for clear and About Us standardized mechanisms and follow through for Without Us’ – citizens’ engagement vis-à-vis policies. 2 April. The National Maritime Day is celebrated every year on 5th April in commemoration of the maiden voyage of the first Indian Vessel 'S. Scindia Steam Navigation Company from Mumbai to London on 5th April 1919. was a seminal event in the British rule of India DayTodayGK.Current Affairs .NO 1. International Children's Book Day (ICBD) is celebrated to inspire a love of reading and to call attention to children's books. S. or IBBY. “From farm World Health Day will be celebrated on 7 April. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre. The day is observed to highlight the needs of autistic children as well as adults so that they get a better quality of life. Apr 02 International Children's Book day 4. to plate. Apr 02 International Autism Awareness Day(UN) THEME DESCRIPTION Employment: The United Nations General Assembly had The Autism declared 2 April as the World Autism Awareness Advantage Day unanimously. participation and engagement for improving women’s and children’s health. schemes Citizens and programs on women’s and children’s health. Since 1967. Apr 13 Janllian Wallah Bagh Massacre Day 2. Apr 05 National Maritime Day 5. Loyalty' owned by M/s. It is organized by the International Board on Books For Young People.com P a g e | 50 . DATE Apr 01 DAY April Fool's Day 3. on or around Hans Christian Andersen's birthday. Apr 11 National safe Motherhood day 7. This special day is mainly considered as tribute to all books and the authors for immense contributions towards the development and promotion of literature.R. This year’s Heritage day. It is celebrated to show people the importance of cultural heritage and its preservation. Apr 24 National Panchayati Day 15. International Mother Earth Day (also known simply as Earth Day) recognises that the Earth and its ecosystems provide its inhabitants with life and sustenance.R. also marks the 50th Anniversary of ICOMOS. UNESCO made this day known as World Book Day since 1995 On this particular day. National Conference was organised by Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj to recognise National Panchayati Raj Diwas and the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj honours best performing Gram Panchayats with Rashtriya Gaurav Gram Sabha Purskar. Apr 21 Apr 22 Civil Services Day International Mother Earth Day 13. Apr 14 B.Current Affairs . The day is mainly for the control and spreading of Malaria DayTodayGK. It also aims to raise awareness that humans have a collective responsibility to promote harmony with nature and to balance the economic. Apr 25 International Malaria Day (WHO) 12. B. Apr 18 International Hemophilia Day 11. International Heritage Day 124th birthday Building a family of support It’s our turn to lead invest in future and defeat malaria Dr.com P a g e | 51 .April 8. Apr 23 International Books and Copyright Day 14. Ambedkar Remembrance Day 9. The World Heritage Day was approved by UNESCO in 1983. Ambedkar is known as the 'Father of Indian Constitution' as he was the chief architect of the Constitution of India This day is observed by World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH). This day is an awareness day for hemophilia and other bleeding disorders. Apr 17 10. social and environmental needs of present and future generations. International Dance Day falls on April 29 of every year. The New Zealand Cricket Player.Current Affairs . The Joint Conference of CMs of States and Chief Justices of High Courts was held in 10. Mizoram 9. Keshari Nath Tripathi has sworn in as the 16th governor of which North Eastern State of India? 5.10) 1. The P5+1 countries have adopted a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with 7. Iran 2. US based International Business Machines (IBM) Corp will invest $3 billion over the next four years in 2. Pedro Cateriano Bellido was appointed as seventh Prime Minister of 4. The Government of India has extended the national Food Security Act by 3. 6 months 7. commemorating the birthday of Jean-Georges Noverre. New Delhi DayTodayGK. Delhi P a g e | 52 . Test Your Knowledge in April Month Current Affairs Set One 1. The venue for the meeting of foreign ministers P5+1 countries and Iran wrt to Iran’s Nuclear Programme was 9.com 5. The anti-corruption helpline 1031 was launched by ______ Government. Brendon McCullum 10. Apr 26 International Intellectual Property Day (UN) 17. It aims to increase people’s awareness and understanding of intellectual property (IP). April 4 3.April 16. a distinguished choreographer that brought about significant reforms in ballet production. Switzerland 4. who has been conferred with Sir Richard Hadlee Medal is? 6. Apr 29 International Dance Day World Intellectual Property Day is observed on April 26 each year with a variety of events and activities worldwide. The International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action Day is observed on 8. Peru 8. Answers (1 . Internet of Things 6. World Intellectual Property Day is sometimes referred as World IP Day Initiated in 1982 by the International Dance Committee of the UNESCO International Theatre Institute. Richie Benaud. PM Narednra Modi launched Air Quality Index in 3. New Delhi 6. Novak Djokovic defeated _________ to win the 2015 Miami Singles Title? 6. New Delhi Set – 3 4. Who has been appointed as the 20th Chief Election Commissioner of India? 8. Apurvi Chandela is associated with which Sports? 3. The recently launched MUDRA Bank will act as a regulator of 7. Rajeev Shukla 5. New Delhi 7. was associated with 5. The National Safe Motherhood Day is observed on DayTodayGK. The recently undocked Scorpene Submarine was built under a venture called Project 75.com P a g e | 53 . Martina Hingis 2. Who has been appointed as the CEO of Khadi and Village Industries Commission? 10. The National Green Tribunal banned Diesel Vehicles older than 10 years in 9. Chess 8. Name the Asteroid which is named after Malala Yousafzai? 2. Who has been selected for the prestigious Kumaran Asan World Prize for poetry? 5. Who won the Institute of Physics Prize in the United Kingdom? 8.2 1. 2. Dronavalli Harika is associated with which of the following sports? 4.April Set .Current Affairs . 9.10) 1. in collaboration with a firm called DCNS of Answers (1 . India’s first International Financial Services Centre became operational at 6. Who has been re-appointed as the Chairman of IPL Governing Council? 10. who passed was recently. India successfully test-fired ______ recently from a naval ship off the Odisha coast. Pratap Singh 3. France 1. The Golden Peacock National Quality Award 2015 was won by ______ Airport. Sania Mirza partnered with _______ to win the 2015 Miami Women's Double title? 7. Andy Murray 10. Yuki Bhambri is related to which of the following game? 4. Adonis 9. The World Wide Fund has named ______ named as the National Earth Hour Capital for 2015. Shooting 3. Who has been conferred with Chaplin Award for 2015? 2. What is AMRUT? 9. lesbian and transgender youth? 12. Songs and Dances of North East. Thane 14. India has agreed to buy combat aircraft from the France. Which of the following is not among them? 7. The 2015 Common Wealth Short Story Prize in Asia region was won by 4. Cricket 5. The V Senior Men’s National Hockey Championship Title was won by 3. Barack Obama 2. Asteroid 316201 6. What is the name of the Aircraft? 13.15) 1. ISRO has successfully grounded tested its indigenously developed cryogenic engine at the Liquid Propulsion systems centre. 14. Gujarat 12. Arun Kumar Jha 10. Micro Finance Institutions 11. which is in 5.com P a g e | 54 . Indian Air Force 7. India’s economy would grow to _____% in 2015-16. Tennis 4. the authorised capital of each Regional Rural Bank has been increased to 8. Who has been named as the World’s Sexiest Woman by the FHM Magazine? DayTodayGK.Current Affairs .4 9. ______. Nasim Zaidi 8.April 11. was associated with Answers (1 . 10. RBI has penalized 3 banks for not following the KYC Norms. 2014. 15. Dhanush Set .000 crore AMRUT Project. What is the name of the Cultural Festival inaugurated by President Pranab Mukherjee in North East? 15. Hrushikesh Moolgavkar. 2013 seeks to amend Prevention of Corruption Act. The Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill. Rafale 13. April 11 1. 6. As per the estimate of World Bank. who passed away recently. Union Cabinet approved the 50. Who condemned the psychiatric therapies designed to repair gay. As per the recently passed Regional Rural Banks (Amendment) Bill. Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has signed an MoU with a Russian company INTMA. was related to 9. Flipkart has acquired mobile marketing start-up 14.15) 1. GOI has decided to launch a toll free helpline for people affected with 8. Jharkhand 7. 7. the Cabinet has approved two additional battalions of the Sashastra Seema Bal for eastern Uttar Pradesh. 2018 12. 2000 crore 4. 1988 8.April 11. Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation 13. The National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology has signed an Mou with 11. Monte L Merrick.Current Affairs . ANSWERS (1 .com P a g e | 55 . Reliance Power has decided to exit from the proposed Tilaiya power project in 13. Robert Redford 6. Railways 11. Russia and ______ have signed agreement on Economic and Energy Cooperation. Which of the following is to be listed in American Stock Exchange soon? 7. The GOI has decided to increase the validity of industrial licence for defence sector to 15. Appiterate 14. Who has taken oath as the US Surgeon General recently? 3. Madhya Pradesh and _________ during disaster. Vijaya Bank 2. To strengthen the National Disaster Response Force. Seven Years 5. The first Indian to play for top European Football Club is 4. Who has been honoured with Dadasaheb Phalke Film Foundation Award 2015? 6. Tamil Nadu 3. Michelle Keegan 15. Siddhartha Gigoo 9.5 1. Varuna is the naval exercise between India and 10.5% 10. NASA has created a first full scale 3-d printed combustion chamber made up of 2. to set up a gas-based power project in 5. Arunachal Pradesh Set . DayTodayGK. Union Minister Ravishankar Prasad announced that the government is working towards pulling off a goal of 50 crore internet connections by 12. who passed away recently. The Calboco volcano has erupted in 13. Copper 6.in and vigneshnaidugk@yahoo. Contact us at prerikagupta@yahoo. NexTable 5. Argentina 2.April 12. Yes Bank 11.Gurpreet Singh Sandhu 7. Snapdeal 15. Chile 13.Current Affairs . Writing 12. Tuberculosis 8. Kazakhstan 9. The Stock Market that closes above 20000 for the first time in 15 years is 14. Vivek Murthy 3.com P a g e | 56 .ShahRukh Khan 10. Nikkei 225 4.in DayTodayGK. France 14. Mylan THANK YOU FRIENDS & ALL THE SUCCESS FOR YOUR EXAMS Kindly Share us your Valuable Suggestions. Which company launched Hepatitis C Drug MyHep in India? Answers (1-15) 1. Zomato has acquired US based online table reservation platform called 15.
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