Monthly GK and Current Affairs Capsule Ju ly 2017 GK and Current Affairs Capsule ± July 2017 ......
Transcript of Monthly GK and Current Affairs Capsule Ju ly 2017 GK and Current Affairs Capsule ± July 2017 ......
Monthly GK and Current Affairs Capsule – July 2017
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Monthly GK and Current Affairs Capsule – July 2017
CONTENTS
S. No Topics Page No.
1. Important Days 2
2. Important State Wise National News 2
3. Important Ministry Affairs 13
4. Important Financial & Economy Affairs 18
5. Important Banking NEWS 21
6. Important International News 28
7. Important Appointments 35
8. Important Awards and Honors 38
9. Important Business News 41
10. Important MoU and Agreements 42
11. Important Schemes and Programs 46
12. Important Summit and Conference 48
13. Important Mobile App and Web Portal 49
14. Important Defence News 51
15. Important Ranking and Indexes 54
16. Important Bills and Acts 54
17. Important Books and Authors 54
18. Important Science and Technologies News 55
19. Important Sports News 57
20. Important Obituaries 64
Monthly GK and Current Affairs Capsule – July 2017
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Important Days
1st July : National Doctors‘ Day
1st July : Chartered Accountants' Day
1st Saturday : International co-operative day
Theme : Co-operative ensures no once left behind
2nd July : World Sports Journalists Day
3rd July : International Plastic Bag Free Day
6th July : World Zoonoses Day
7th July : Global Forgiveness Day
7th July : World Chocolate Day
11th July : World Population Day
Theme : Family Planning : Empowering People, Developing Nations
12th July : World Malala Day
15th July : World Youth Skills Day
Theme : Skills for All
17th July : World Day for International Justice
Theme: Preventing conflict and sustaining peace through decent work
18th July : International Nelson Mandela Day
19th July : Save Public Sector Bank
23rd July : National Broadcasting Day
24th July : Income Tax Day
26th July : Kargil Vijay Diwas
27th July : Central Reverse Police Force (CRPF)Foundation Day
28th July : World Hepatitis Day
Theme : Eliminate Hepatitis
28th July : World Nature Conservation Day
29th July : International Tiger Day
Theme : Fresh Ecology For Tigers‘ Protection
30th July : World Day against Trafficking in Persons
Theme : Act to Protect and Assist Trafficked Persons
STATE WISE NEWS
Arunachal Pradesh
Capital – Itanagar; CM – PemaKhandu; Governor – PadmanabhaAcharya
Kiren Rijijuhas inaugurated the Research Institution of World Ancient, Traditional, Culture & Heritage
(RIWATCH) Museum at Roing in Arunachal Pradesh
Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijijuhas inaugurated the Research Institution of World Ancient,
Traditional, Culture& Heritage (RIWATCH) Museum at Roing in Arunachal Pradesh. Later, on the sideline of
his visit to Roing, Rijiju also inaugurated the 235-meter longChimari Bridge, which would serve as a life line
between the National Highway 52 of Roing-Tezu.
Useful Info
Union Minister of state for Home – KirenRijiju
Constituency – Arunachal West
Centre releases advance grant-in-aid of Rs.51.30 crore to Arunachal Pradesh
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The Centre has released advance grant-in-aid of Rs 51.30 crore to Arunachal Pradesh for rescue and relief
operations on account of flash floods.
Due to heavy rains and floods in North East, department of expenditure in the Ministry of Finance has released
Rs 51.30 crore as grant-in-aid to Arunachal Pradesh on the basis of recommendation of the 14th Finance
Commission for relief necessitated by natural calamities to the state.
Bihar
Capital – Patna; CM – Nithish Kumar; Governor - KeshriNathTripathi
Nitish Kumar takes oath as Chief Minister of Bihar for the 6th time
Less than a day after resigning as Bihar chief minister, Nitish Kumar took oath at Raj Bhawan in Patna as the
head of the government that would include BJP and its allies. Prior to this, the party of Nitish Kumar, JD-(U)
was supported by Mahagathbandhan allies with LaluYadav led RJD. Nitish Kumar took oath as chief minister
of Bihar. Sushil Kumar Modi took oath as deputy chief minister. Ex-Deputy CM of Bihar, TejashwiYadav
meets Bihar governor KeshriNathTripathi in Patna to register protest over Nitish Kumar being invited to form
his government ahead of RJD.
Useful Info
Present Deputy CM - Sushil Kumar Modi
EX – Deputy CM - TejashwiYadav
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar expanded the Cabinet, inducting 27 new ministers
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar expanded the Cabinet, inducting 27new ministers which included 14 JD(U), 12 BJP
and 1 LJPlegislator.
CM Nitish Kumar -Home and Personnel, and Department of Monitoring portfolios.
Deputy CM SushilModi-Finance, Commerce, Forestry, and IT Department.
Krishna NandanVerma-Education Ministry.
Shravan Kumar -Rural Development and Parliamentary Affairs.
Delhi
CM – ArvindKejriwal; Governor – Anil Baijal
Delhi Police will be the first state police in India who will get „super cop belt'
National capital police the first state police in India who will get ‗super cop belt', a specially designed belt,
widely used by Police in UK, USA, Russia and para-military forces like CRPF, CISF, NSG etc. This belt will
help cops to keep things like Gun, Mobile Pouch, Security Batten, Wireless Set Pouch & ammunition pouch.
Delhi Metro is the first Metro system to become completely green in the world
Delhi Metro is the first Metro system to become completely green in the world. The Delhi Metro Rail
Corporation (DMRC) had earlier received the green certificates for its Phase-3 stations, depots, and sub-
stations. Delhi Metro has also secured the platinum rating for adherence to green building norms for its 10
residential colonies from the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC). DMRC has generated new solar power
facilities that produce 2.6 MW across the Metro network. DMRC also announced it is now generating 20
megawatt (MW) of solar power. The DMRC also mentioned ‗SwachhChetna – An Eco Club‘, a joint initiative
of the DMRC and Shri Ram School, Gurugram. It has been initiated to ―encourage school children to
participate in the more environment friendly projects and activities‖. Energy consumption has increased by
700% in the last four decades in the country and this will increase further three times by 2030. It is necessary to
focus on Metro systems and talk of green Metro.
Monthly GK and Current Affairs Capsule – July 2017
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Useful Info
DMRC - Delhi Metro Rail Corporation
Headquarters of DMRC - New Delhi
Chief executive - Mangu Singh
First Edition of WINGS 2017 – “Sab Uden, Sab Juden”- Expanding Regional Connectivity Hosted in New
Delhi
The First edition of WINGS 2017 – ―Sab Uden, Sab Juden‖- Expanding Regional Connectivity was hosted in
New Delhi by the Ministry of Civil Aviation. The Plenary session was chaired by the Union Minister of Civil
Aviation, Shri P. Ashok GajapathiRaju.
Useful Info
Civil Aviation Minister - P. Ashok GajapathiRaju
Constituency – Vizianagaram, Andhra Pradesh
Gujarat
Capital – Gandhinagar; CM – Vijay Rupani; Governor – Om PrakashKohli
India is set to get its first high-speed rail training center at Gandhinagar, Gujarat
The country is set to get its first high-speed rail training center at Gandhinagar. The center will provide for
advanced training modules on cutting edge technologies. While India‘s first bullet train is proposed to hit the
track in 2023, the training center is supposed to start operating by 2020
Useful Info
Managing director of National High-Speed Rail Corporation – AchalKhare
Ahmedabad city has been declared as a World Heritage City
Ahmedabad city has been declared as a World Heritage City at the 41st session of UNESCO's world heritage
committee being held at Krakow in Poland. Nomination of Ahmedabad was supported by close to 20 countries,
including Turkey, Lebanon, Tunisia, Portugal, Peru and Kazakhstan. The walled city has 26 ASI-protected
structures, hundreds of 'polls' that capture the essence of community living and numerous sites associated with
Mahatma Gandhi who lived here from 1915 to 1930. Now, Ahmedabad will join the world heritage cities like
Paris, Cairo and Edinburgh. Out of total 287 world heritage cities across the globe, there were only two cities in
the Indian subcontinent- Bhaktpur in Nepal and Galle in Sri Lanka. The UNESCO tag will add immense value
to Ahmedabad city which will also boost tourism.
Useful Info
UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
HQ – Paris, France
Director-general - Irina Bokova
Haryana
Capital – Chandigarh; CM – manoharlalkhattar; Governor – Kaptan Singh Solanki
Ornamental fish hatchery to be set up in Jhajjar district of Haryana soon
The Haryana government has decided to set up a modern ornamental fish hatchery in Jhajjar district at a cost of
Rs 13.68 crore. ―This will be the first-of-its-kind project in the country,‖ Agriculture and Fisheries minister Om
PrakashDhankar said.
First International Aviation Security seminar organised by National Security Guard in Haryana
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The Minister of State for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (I/C) Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy attended the first
International Aviation Security Seminar in Manesar Haryana. National Security Guard (NSG) has organized
the seminar, with the aim of bringing all major stakeholders under one roof and facilitate them sharing
views/opinion, discussions, brainstorming with the matters concerning Aviation Security. Shri Rajiv Pratap
Rudy also hoisted the National Flag at NSG Campus, during the National Flag Foundation program. It is the
India's 67th Flagpole and 26th highest Monumental Flagpole.
Useful Info
NSG - National Security Guard
HQ – New Delhi
Current Director General - SudhirPratap Singh
Minister of State for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (Independent Charge) - Rajiv Pratap Rudy
Constituency – Saran, Bihar
Jammu & Kashmir
Capital – Srinagar (summer), Jammu (winter); CM - Mehbooba Mufti Sayeed;
Governor - NarinderNathVohra
Jammu and Kashmir Assembly adopted a resolution to implement the goods and services tax (GST)
Jammu and Kashmir Assembly adopted a resolution to implement the goods and services tax (GST), bringing
the state‘s indirect taxation into the new unified tax regime that the rest of the country adopted on 1 July at a
landmark ceremony in Parliament. With this Jammu and Kashmir has become the last state to pass the GST bill
in the state.
Jammu & Kashmir government launches weekly festival „Cultrue of Cruise' at Dal Lake
The spectacular Dal Lake here hosted first ever 'Cultrue of Cruise', a weeekly cultural programmeorganised by
the Jammu and Kashmir government aimed to bring artists from various fields on one stage. The innovative
programme series brings writers, performance artistes, musicians, poets and academics together and offers a
program of performances, workshops, talks, forums and debates.
Karnataka
Capital – Bengaluru; CM – Siddaramaiah; Governor – VajubhaiVala
Kambala (the traditional slush-track buffalo race) Bill gets presidential assent
The traditional slush-track buffalo race of coastal Karnataka — are cleared with the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals (Karnataka Amendment) Bill, 2017, finally got the presidential assent.
Useful Info
Kambala – Kambala is an annual Buffalo Race held traditionally under the sponsorship of local land lords and
households, in coastal Karnataka, India.
Karnataka Government constituted a 9-member committee to study the possibility of designing a separate
state flag
Karnataka Government constituted a 9-member committee to study the possibility of designing a separate state
flag and providing it a statutory standing. This committee was constituted following representation of social
activists from the state urged the government to design a separate flag for Kannada ‗naadu‘ and accord
statutory standing for it. This committee will be headed by Principal Secretary, Department of Kannada and
Culture.
The new flag for Karnataka state has been designed
Karnataka government has recently formed a panel to design a separate flag for the state.
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Significance of Design AndColour of Kannada Flag
The official state flag for Karnataka is a longstanding demand of pro-Kannada activists.
The Kannada flag, which is divided into two equal horizontal stripes, a yellow strip for the top half and a red
strip below, could become the official state flag of Karnataka.
This flag was designed by Kannada writer and activist Ma Ramamurthy for a pro-Kannada political party.
The flag's red colour stands for Kumkuma (Vermilion) and the yellow stands for Arrishna (Turmeric),
symbolising auspiciousness and well-being of the state and its people. This flag is unofficially adopted and is
hoisted on the state's formation day every year since 1960s.
Vondaraguppe village in Karnataka's Ramanagara district has transitioned to a completely cashless system
Vondaraguppe village in Karnataka's Ramanagara district has transitioned to a completely cashless system.
Around 350 families, 90% of which are involved in the silk-rearing business, have deposited their cash in
banks and carry their business transactions through cheques. The villagers are using RuPay, an Indian domestic
card scheme, for everyday transactions.
Useful Info
State – Karnataka
Capital – Bengaluru
CM – Siddaramaiah
Governor – Vajubhai Vala
Kerala
Capital – Thiruvananthapuram; CM – PinarayiVijayan; Governor – P.Sathasivam
Kerala hosted the fifth edition of South India Writers Ensemble (SIWE)
Kerala hosted the fifth edition of South India Writers Ensemble (SIWE) at Chengannur, a town in Kerala‘s
coastal Alappuzha district. The core theme of the festival this year is ‗tolerance‘. So creative writers,
journalists, theatre and film personalities from across the industry will be seen deliberating on the theme at a
time when the country as a whole is witnessing raging debates over intolerance.
Madhya Pradesh
Capital – Bhopal; CM – Shivraj Singh Chouhan; Governor - Om PrakashKohli
Madhya Pradesh conduct a massive plantation campaign to save the environment and conservation of the
Narmada River
In Madhya Pradesh, a massive plantation campaign was undertaken to save the environment and conservation
of the Narmada river. According to official sources over six crores, saplings were planted in 24 districts of
Narmada basin in just 12 hours. Arrangements were made to record the whole event for the Guinness World
Record. Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched the plantation drive at Amarkantak of Anooppur
district. Later he also took part in plantation drives in Jabalpur and Omkareshwar.
Maharashtra
Capital – Mumbai; CM – DevendraFadnavis; Governor – ChennamaneniVidyasagarRao
Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus is turned into “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj”
Mumbai‘s iconic ChhatrapatiShivaji Terminus railway station has been rechristened with addition of an
honorific ‗Maharaj‘ after ‗Shivaji‘ to its earlier name. The British-era landmark was called Victoria Terminus
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before it was named after the Maratha warrior king in1996. The Central Railway (CR) issued a notification to
this effect on June 27.
Maharashtra, first state in the country to launch free injectable contraceptive for women
Maharashtra has become the first state in the country to provide women an injectable contraceptive for free.
The state‘s public health department launched a program called Antara to offer women an injection of Medroxy
progesterone acetate (MPA), a birth-control hormone. The announcements were made on the occasion of
World Population Day (11th July). According to state health officials, the injection, a safe means of birth
control, is effective for three months. The injection will be given intramuscularly to women in the age bracket
of 18-45 years.
Maharashtra has become the first state to make social boycott
Maharashtra has become the first state to make social boycott a crime after President Pranab Mukherjee cleared
the legislation. The Maharashtra Prohibition of People from Social Boycott (Prevention Prohibition and
Redressal) Act prescribes a maximum punishment of three years in jail and a fine of Rs1lakh. It aims to prevent
atrocities carried out by extra-judicial courts and caste panchayats. The Act also provides for compensation to
victims. The fines imposed on violators will be used to compensate them.
Maharashtra government has launched a medical insurance scheme up to 10 lakh rupees
The Maharashtra government has launched a scheme to cover medical insurance of up to Rs10 lakh for
legislators and their families. This scheme is aimed at curbing the use of fake bills in the medical
reimbursement scheme the legislators were covered under earlier.
The Maharashtra government has approved a revised policy of the 'MajhiKanya Bhagya shree' scheme
The Maharashtra government has approved a revised policy of the 'MajhiKanyaBhagyashree' scheme,
according to which families who have a yearly income of uptoRs 7.5 lakh will be benefited. The scheme was
launched by the state government on April 1, 2016 in place of 'Sukanya' scheme. It is aimed at improving the
skewed girl child ratio, prevent sex determination and female foeticide, and support female education.
Maharashtra government has lifted the ban on the sale of paan masala
The Maharashtra government has lifted the ban on the sale of paan masala until a single-member committee
decides on the matter. Maharashtra had banned paan masala in 2014.
Maharashtra government announced no intergrated coaching from next academic year
Maharashtra government announced that integrated coaching will not be allowed in the state from the next
academic year. It will be compulsory to attend college lectures and attendance will be marked through bio-
metric system. Integrated coaching is an arrangement between colleges and coaching centres, in which students
don't need to attend college lectures.
C. Vidyasagar Raoand Devendra Fadnavis has released the book „Mann Ki Baat – A Social Revolution on
Radio‟ at Raj Bhavan
C. Vidyasagar Raoand Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis has released the book ‗Mann Ki Baat
– A Social Revolution on Radio‘ at Raj Bhavanin Mumbai The book includes transcripts of the first 23
episodes of Prime Minister‘s monthly address on radio ‗Mann Ki Baat‘. This book will enable citizens to read
and understand Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s vision and his ideas of development.
Matunga railway station in Mumbai becomes India's first railway station run by women
Central Railway has taken a step towards women empowerment by appointing an all-female work staff at the
suburban Matunga station, Mumbai. Matunga station has now become the first such ladies special station.
According to the official, women have been manning this station, which falls on the Central Railway, since the
past two weeks. A total of 30 women staffers, including 11 booking clerks, five RPF personnel, seven ticket
checkers are working under the supervision of station manager MamtaKulkarni.
Useful Info
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Central Railway Headquarters –Mumbai CST
Mumbai Metro announced the launch of India's first Mobile Ticketing System 'OnGo'
Mumbai Metro announced the launch of India's first Mobile Ticketing System 'OnGo' which will help
commuters pass the AFC gates using their mobile phones. Commuters will be able to generate a QR Code
through 'OnGo' service for current or future journeys up to a week in advance by clicking the mobile app
wherein they would pay for their journey.
Useful Info
Mumbai Metro is a consortium formed by Reliance Infrastructure Ltd, MMRDA and Veolia Transport SA,
France.
Mrs. AshwiniBhide is the present Managing Director of Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation.
Mumbai railway is going to introduce a software to book tickets through USSD
The Mumbai railway is going to introduce a software which will help commuters book tickets through
Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) codes. The software will make use of SMS services, which
will allow commuters without smart phones to book tickets.
Meghalaya
Capital – Shillong; CM – MukulSangma; Governor - BanwarilalPurohit
Meghalaya CM Mukul Sangma launches LIFE program at Songsak
Meghalaya Chief Minister MukulSangma has recently launched an ambitious flagship program titled
―Livelihood Intervention and Facilitation of Entrepreneurship‖ (LIFE) at Songsak. LIFE will focus on capacity
building, Under the program, every 10 SHGs (Self-Help Groups) will be motivated to act like a bank and help
each other. LIFE aims to bring all the poor and vulnerable women into the SHGs movement.
MukulSangmalaunched „Mission Football‟ at a grand ceremony at JN Sports Complex, Shillong
Meghalaya Chief Minister Dr. MukulSangmalaunched ‗Mission Football‘ at a grand ceremony at JN Sports
Complex, Shillong recently. During the occasion, Dr. MukulSangma stated that through this mission the future
of Meghalaya can be foreseen when the State will be connected with the rest of the world because of the love
and passion for the game. Mission Football is an initiative to help develop skills of football enthusiasts and
develop young footballers for the country. It is a dedicated program for talent identification and nurturing of
talents to develop national and international players.
Nagaland
Capital – Kohima; New CM – TR Zeliang; Preceded by – Shurhozelie Liezietsu;
Governor - PB Acharya
TR Zelianghas been appointed as the Chief Minister of Nagaland by Governor PB Acharya
TR Zelianghas been appointed as the Chief Minister of Nagaland by Governor PB Acharya. This will be the
second term for Zeliang, his earlier term was from 2014 to 2017. Zeliang's appointment came after Nagaland
Chief Minister ShurhozelieLiezietsu and nine ruling Naga People‘s Front (NPF) legislators failed to appear for
the floor test. Zeliang was asked to prove his majority on the floor of the House on or before 22 July 2017.
Zeliang claims the support of 43 MLAs including seven independents.
Odisha
Capital – Bhubaneshwar; CM – Naveen Patnaik; Governor – S C Jamir
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik dedicated to the nation the state's longest bridge and named it after
NetajiSubhas Chandra Bose
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Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik dedicated to the nation the state's longest bridge and named it after
NetajiSubhas Chandra Bose. The 2.88 km bridge over the river Kathajodi will connect the state capital of
Bhubaneswar with Cuttack reducing the distance between the two cities by 12 km. Although the construction
work of the bridge started after Mr. Patnaik laid the foundation in February 2011, the completion missed the
deadline by over three years.
Odisha government signs Expression of Intent (EOI) with IAAF & AFI to establish High Performance
Academy
The Odisha government signed an Expression of Intent (EOI) with the International Association of Athletics
Federations (IAAF) and Athletics Federation of India (AFI) to establish a High-Performance Academy in
Bhubaneswar.
Useful Info
IAAF - International Association of Athletics Federations
HQ – Monaco
President - Sebastian Coe
President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the Bicentenary celebration of Paika Rebellion of Odisha
President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the Bicentenary celebration of Paika Rebellion of Odishaorganised by
the Union Ministry of Culture in New Delhi. Many scholars, researchers and historians have opined that the
Paika Rebellion of 1817 was India‘s first organised armed rebellion against British Raj.
Useful Info
PranabMukerjee 13th
President of India
Punjab
Capital – Chandigarh; CM – Captain Amarinder Singh; Governor – V. P. Singh Badnore
Strictly implement ban on sale of tobacco in Punjab announced by CM Captain Amarinder Singh
Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh directed the Health and Family Welfare Department to ensure
strict implementation of the ban on sale of tobacco laced products such as ‗gutkha‘ and ‗paan masala‘ in the
State. The source of manufacture and sale of banned products should be identified and plugged with no delay to
stop the problem from escalating, the CM said, adding he noted the blatant violation of the ban.
Punjab government has recently launched its flagship 'ApniGaddiApnaRozgar' scheme by flagging off over
100 uber MOTO bikes
The Punjab government has recently announced the launch of its flagship 'ApniGaddiApnaRozgar' scheme by
flagging off over 100 uber MOTO bikes. Under the scheme, the state government will be providing
commercial two wheelers and four wheelers to unemployed youth at subsidized rates. The scheme aims to
generate job opportunities for youth and providing better mobile transport in Punjab. Uber target is to create
10,000 entrepreneurial opportunities in one year and 45,000 in next five years.
Useful Info
Uber HQ –California, USA
The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) to set up India‟s first TISC in Punjab
The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), Ministry of Commerce & Industry has signed an
Institutional agreement with the Punjab State Council of Science and Technology in New Delhi to establish
India‘s first Technology and Innovation Support Center (TISC) at Patent Information Centre, Punjab, under the
World Intellectual Property Organization‘s (WIPO) TISC program. The objective of the TISC is to stimulate a
dynamic, vibrant and balanced Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) system in India to foster creativity and
innovation.
Useful Info
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Minister of State (I/C) for Commerce & Industry – Nirmala Sitharaman
Constituency – Karnataka, Rajya Sabha
Rajasthan
Capital – Jaipur; CM – VasundharaRaje; Governor - Kalyan Singh
Rajasthan becomes the first state in the country to fix minimum educational qualification for contesting
cooperative body polls
Rajasthan becomes the first state in the country to fix minimum educational qualification for contesting
cooperative body polls. To this effect, the Rajasthan Government amended the State Cooperative State
Cooperative Societies Rules, 2003. The new rules will benefit around 10,000 cooperative and agricultural
credit societies. For contesting election as members of governing boards of dairy societies, farming societies,
consumer societies, weavers' societies, urban banks, housing construction societies, primary land development
banks, credit societies and cooperative unions, the minimum educational qualifications will range from class 5
to class 8. The primary committee members need to have passed at least class 8. For district level members the
minimum qualification required is class 10, while those interested in being a member of State level committee
will need to be a graduate.
First child-friendly police station coming up at Rajasthan
Rajasthan‘s first ―childfriendly‖ police station will come up shortly in Dholpur, with the provision for
spreading awareness about laws against child labour, child marriage and sexual offences and establishment of a
colourful and attractive child cell.
Tamil Nadu
Capital – Chennai; CM – Edappadi K. Palaniswami; Governor – Vidyasagar Rao
NarendraModi inaugurated the former President, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam‟s memorial at Pei Karumbu in
Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu
Prime Minister NarendraModi inaugurated the former President, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam‘s memorial at Pei
Karumbu in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu on the second death anniversary of the former President. MrModi
unveils a statue of Dr. Kalam and hoisted the National flag at the memorial. Mr. Modi will flag
offKalamSandeshVahini, an exhibition bus which will travel across the country and reach RashtrapatiBhavan
on 15th of October, which marks the birth anniversary of the former President. The majestic memorial for the
missile man Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam has been designed and built by the Defence Research and Development
Organization.
Useful Info
Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam – AvulPakirJainulabdeen Abdul Kalam
Born – 15th
October 1931, Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu
11th President of India from 2002 to 2007
Earlier, another museum in memory of DrKalam was opened in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram.
Madras High Court directed that National Song VandeMataramshould be sung in all Tamil Nadu
educational institutions
Madras High Court directed that National Song VandeMataramshould be sung in all Tamil Nadu educational
institutions at least once a week. It further mandated all government and private offices sing or play it at least
once a month.
Useful Info
Chief Justice of Madras High Court - Justice Indira Banerjee
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Telangana
Capital – Hyderabad; CM – Chandrasekhar Rao;
Governor – Ekkadu Srinivasan Lakshmi Narasimhan
Telangana to have separate agriculture budget from next year
Telengana will have a separate budget for Agriculture from next year. This was decided after Chief Minister,
K. Chandrasekhar Rao met the Ministers and officials on Agriculture in Hyderabad. He said it has also been
decided to enhance fund for agriculture sector. Mr. Rao said the State will provide training of modern and
scientific methods of farming to increase the farm output. He urged the farmers associations at various levels to
organize cultivators.
Telangana Chief Minister K. ChandrashekharRao to launch massive plantation drive
Telangana Chief Minister K. ChandrashekharRao will formally launch the third phase of the
TelanganakuHaritha haram programme by participating in the plantation of saplings in Karimnagar town. Mr.
Rao will participate in the massive plantation drive along with 10,000 students.
Telangana government launched a special portal called “Janahitha”
The Telangana government launched a special portal called ―Janahitha‖ to receive complaints from the public.
The programme was inaugurated in Suryapet district on a pilot basis by TelanganaEnergy minister G Jagadish
Reddy. The portal, which has been developed by Telangana‘s IT department, is a single window for all
grievances and their redressal management.
India's first Eco-bridges for the movement of tigers in Telangana
In a first of its kind, Telangana State will have eco-friendly bridges over a canal cutting across the tiger
corridor linking the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in the Chandrapur district of Maharashtra with the
forests in Telangana'sKumramBheemAsifabad district. The ‗eco-bridges‘ will be constructed at key spots along
the 72 km-long, and at some places over a kilometre wide, right flank canal of the Pranahita barrage in the
Bejjur and Dahegaonmandals.
Useful Info
Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) – Maharashtra
Kawal Tiger Reserve is located at Jannarammandal of Mancherial District in Telangana state of India.
There are total 50 Tiger Reserves under the project tiger system in India.
Uttar Pradesh
Capital – Lucknow; CM – Yogi Adityanath; Governor – Ram Naik
GST to be part of UP higher education syllabus
The taxation system under GST will soon be part of the commerce and management curriculum in Uttar
Pradesh‘s higher education institutes, Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma said.
Anti-Copying bill will be introduced by Uttar Pradesh government
The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to introduce an 'Anti-Copying' Bill in the upcoming assembly
session to check for cheating in the state examinations.
UP Power Minister launched free power connection schemes for BPL families
Uttar Pradesh Power Minister Shrikant Sharma launched free power connection schemes for BPL families at
624 places across the state.
Union cabinet has approved to set up ISARC in varansi
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The union cabinet has approved the establishment of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), South
Asia Regional Center (ISARC) at campus of National Seed Research and Training Center (NSRTC) in
Varanasi.
Useful Info
NSRTC - National Seed Research and Training Center is located at Varanasi
Uttarakhand
Capital – Dehradun, Nainital (Judiciary); CM – Trivendra Singh Rawat;
Governor - Krishna Kant Paul
Uttarakhand records second highest tiger count in India
The count of tigers in Uttarakhand shot up to 242 with an increase of 63 big cats in the year 2017. The news
was announced by Trivendra Singh Rawat, Chief Minister of Uttarakhand. In addition, 11 cubs were also found
in the two tiger reserves, the Corbett Tiger Reserve and the Rajaji Tiger Reserve, in the state. Uttarakhand is
the second state in terms of tiger count behind Karnataka, which has 400 big cats. According to the latest
statistics, at least 208 tigers have been identified in Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve, up from last year's 163. Also six
cubs were identified there.
Useful Info
Highest tiger count in India – Karnataka
Jim Corbett National Park is the oldest national park in India. It was established in 1936 as Hailey National
Park to protect the endangered Bengal tiger.
West Bengal
Capital – Kolkata; CM – Mamata Banerjee; Governor – KeshariNathTripathi
The Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC), in association with the West Bengal government to host global
business meet in November 2017
The Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC), in association with the West Bengal government, will host Horasis
Asia Meeting, a global business meet, in the city in November. The two-day business meet, starting November
26, will focus on sustainable business practices in various areas, including power and energy.
Useful Info
ICC - Indian Chamber of Commerce
President of ICC - ShashwatGoenka
Rajeev Pratap Rudy &Shivraj Singh Chouhan laid foundation stone of country‟s biggest Global Skill Park
Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rajeev Pratap Rudy and MP Chief
Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan laid the foundation stone of the country‘s biggest Global Skill Park in Bhopal.
Former Captain of Indian Cricket Team K. Shrikant was present on this occasion.
Useful Info
Minister of state (independent charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship – Rajeev Pratap Rudy
Constituency – Saran Bihar
SriLankan Airlines from Visakhapatnam -Colombo flight launched
The inaugural flight of SriLankan Airlines from Visakhapatnam to Colombo was flagged off by the Union
Minister of Civil Aviation P. Ashok GajapathiRaju at Visakhapatnam International Airport. A total of 103
passengers travelled on the inaugural flight.
Useful Info
Country – Srilanka
Capital - Sri JayawardenepuraKotte (Administrative center), Colombo (Commercial Capital)
Currency – Sri Lankan Rupee
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MINISTRY AFFAIRS
PM Modi to address Chartered Accountants day celebrations of ICAI today
Prime Minister NarendraModiattend 68th Chartered Accountants Day function and GST event in New Delhi.
Finance Minister ArunJaitly and Revenue Secretary HasmukhAdhia will also attend the event. The national
professional accounting body of India, Institute of Chartered Accountants of India - ICAI celebrates its
Foundation Day as the Chartered Accountants‘ Day on 1 July every year. It was established on 1949 as a body
corporate under the Chartered Accountants Act, 1949 enacted by the Parliament to regulate the profession of
Chartered Accountancy in India. ICAI is the second largest professional Accounting and Finance body in the
world in terms of membership.
Indian Railways to introduce new Economy AC coaches soon
New class of 'Economy AC coaches' with fares less than normal 3AC tariff. The proposed fully AC train will
have three-tier Economy AC coaches besides AC-3, AC-2 and AC-1 classes as part of the transformation
exercise. An added feature would be automatic doors.
Useful Info
Minister for Railways – Suresh Prabhu
Constituency – Andhra Pradesh (RajyaSabha)
Railways were first introduced to India in 1830s for frieght purposes. First passenger train ran from Bombay to
Thane in 1853. In 1951 the systems were nationalised as one unit, the Indian Railways, becoming one of the
largest networks in the world.
NarendraModi becomes first Indian PM to visit Israel:
NarendraModi became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Israel in 70 years. Israeli PM Benjamin
Netanyahu received Modi at the airport, in a departure from the normal practice. Modi's three-day visit aims at
commemorating 25 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries and strengthening cooperation in the
areas of defence, agriculture and science and technology.
Country: Israel
Capital: Jerusalem
Currency: Israeli new shekel
Prime Minister: Benjamin Netanyahu
President:ReuvenRivlin
External Affairs Minister SushmaSwaraj has inaugurated the 9th edition of Delhi Dialogue
External Affairs Minister SushmaSwaraj has inaugurated the 9th edition of Delhi Dialogue. Under this
program, the premier annual track 1.5 event to discuss politico-security, economic and socio-cultural
engagement between India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Delhi. The theme for
Delhi Dialogue 9 is 'India-ASEAN relations: Charting the Course for the Next 25 Years'.
Useful Info
External Affairs Minister – SushmaSwaraj
Constituency –Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh
ASEAN - Association of Southeast Asian Nations
HQ – Jakarta, Indonesia
Anti-hijacking law comes into effect a notification issued by the Civil Aviation Ministry
The Centre notified the anti-hijacking law that entails capital punishment in case hijacking an aircraft leads to
death of ―any person,‖ including ground staff, flight crew, passengers and security personnel. The Anti-
Hijacking Act, 2016 came into force, a notification issued by the Civil Aviation Ministry said.
Useful Info
Civil Aviation Minister – Ashok GajapathiRaju
Constituency – Vizianagaram (AP)
The government of India will organize a global food fair in November 2017
The government of India will organize a global food fair in November this year to provide a platform to Indian
farmers and manufacturers to showcase their products and explore partnerships with foreign companies. The
three-day international level fair 'World Food India 2017' is being organized on November 3-5 by the Food
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Processing Ministry, where industry body CII will be an event partner. The World Food India is a step aimed at
creating India a 'Global Food Factory' and 'Global Food Retail Market'.
Useful Info
Minister of Food Processing industries - HarsimratKaurBadal
Constituency – Bhatinda (Punjab)
Mother Teresa‟s Blue-Bordered Sari declared an Intellectual Property
The famous blue-bordered sari of Mother Teresa, who has been canonized as Saint Teresa of Calcutta by the
Vatican, has been recognized as an Intellectual Property of the Missionaries of Charity. After a series of strict
legal proceedings, it was granted. This is the first time that a uniform has been made intellectual property. It
has obtained ―distinctive symbolic identity‖ of the Missionaries of Charity.
Useful Info
Mother Teresa
Born - 26 August 1910
Died - 5th September 1997 (at the age of 87)
Ramon Magsaysay Peace Prize - 1962
Nobel Peace Prize - 1979
External Affairs Ministry is going to make its website available in Arabic
Expanding its outreach to the Arab world, External Affairs Ministry is going to make its website available in
Arabic. The portal will include speeches, briefings and other documents of the ministry, and articles written in
Arabic on India and its foreign relations.
Useful Info
Minister of External Affairs – SushmaSwaraj
Constituency – Vidisha (Madhya Pradesh)
After French and Spanish, Arabic will be the third foreign language that will be available on the ministry's
website.
The new name for urban development & housing ministry is Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
(MoHUA)
The government has merged the urban development and housing and urban poverty alleviation ministries. Now
this will be known as Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). This is third time the ministries have
been merged.
Useful Info
Minister of urban development, housing and urban poverty alleviation - Venkaiah Naidu
Constituency – Rajasthan (RajyaSabha)
National Green Tribunal banned the use of „Chinese‟ kite strings, made of nylon
The National Green Tribunal banned the use of ‗Chinese‘ kite strings, made of nylon or any synthetic material
on the grounds that it poses threat to life and environment. The Tribunal directed all state governments to
prohibit the ―manufacture, sale, storage, purchase and use‖ of synthetic manja or nylon threads and all other
synthetic strings used for flying kites with immediate effect. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice
Swatanter Kumar ordered the authorities to ban import of any synthetic manja. The judgement came on a plea
filed by animal rights body People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and others, contending that
‗manja‘ poses a grave threat to humans and animals as every year a number of deaths are caused by it.
Useful Info
Present Chairperson of NGT - Justice Swatanter Kumar
AICTE has made it mandatory for engineering students to participate in one of five extracurricular
activities
The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has made it mandatory for engineering students to
participate in one of five extracurricular activities, otherwise they won't be awarded a degree. The activities
include yoga, National Service Scheme (NSS), National Cadet Corps (NCC), Unnat Bharat Abhiyanand sports.
Useful Info
AICTE - All India Council for Technical Education
HQ – New Delhi
Chairperson - Anil Sahasrabudhe
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Union Minister KirenRijiju to lead Central team to flood-hit States
Union Minister KirenRijiju will lead a high-level Central team to assess the rescue and relief operations in the
flood-affected areas of the north-east. During the tour, , the delegation will visit Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and
Manipur, where more than 15 lakh people have been marooned by flood water.
Useful Info
KirenRijiju – Minister of state for Home Affairs
Constituency – Arunachal Pradesh West
Railways Ministry launches RailCloud Project, NIVARAN-Grievance Portal and CTSE Scheme
Minister of Railways Shri Suresh PrabhakarPrabhu launched the following Initiatives:-
Rail Cloud Project.
NIVARAN-Grievance Portal (First IT Application on Rail Cloud).
Cashless treatment Scheme in Emergency (CTSE) Scheme.
About the Schemes in Brief-
RailCloud RailCloud is another step towards Digitization of Railways. Rail Cloud works on popular Cloud Computing
system. It aims to improve customer satisfaction, improve revenue and effective, efficient and safe operations.
NIVARAN ‗NIVARAN-Grievance Portal‘ is the first IT application to be launched on the RailCloud. It is the platform for
resolution of service related grievances of serving and former railway employees.
Cashless treatment Scheme in Emergency (CTSE) With an aim to provide immediate care to its retired employees in Golden Hour, the Railway Board has rolled
out a Cashless treatment Scheme in Emergency (CTSE) in empanelled hospitals for retired employees and their
dependent family members.
Useful Info
Union Railway Minister – Suresh Prabhu
Constituency – Andhra Pradesh, RajyaSabha
J P Nadda launched the National Strategic Plan for Malaria Elimination (2017-22)
Shri J P Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare launched the National Strategic Plan for Malaria
Elimination (2017-22). The Strategic Plan gives year wise elimination targets in various parts of the country
depending upon the endemicity of malaria in the next 5 years. This plan focuses on the states such as
Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. The strategies involve strengthening
malaria surveillance, establishing a mechanism for early detection and prevention of outbreaks of malaria,
effective indoor residual spray and augmenting the manpower and capacities for effective implementation for
the next five years.
Useful Info
Union Health & Family Minister – J P Nadda
Constituency – Himachal Pradesh, RajyaSabha
Government setting up passport centre every 50 kilometresin the country
Union Minister MJ Akbar said that the government is working towards setting up a passport centre every 50
kilometresin the country.
Useful Info
Minister of state for External affairs - M J Akbar
Constituency –RajyaSabha, Jharkhand
ArunJaitley released the National Trade Facilitation Action Plan
Finance Minister ArunJaitley released the National Trade Facilitation Action Plan. The WTO-Trade
Facilitation Agreement (TFA) was a major milestone for the global trading system. This Action Plan gives a
time bound map, not only for implementing TFA, but also for India's initiatives for trade facilitation and ease
of doing business which goes beyond TFA. According to a Finance Ministry statement, all actions covered
under the plan have been categorised by prioritising the activities into short, mid and long term.
Useful Info
Union Finance Minister – ArunJaitley
Constituency – Gujarat, RajyaSabha
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WTO – World Trade Organization
HQ - Geneva, Switzerland
Head - Roberto Azevêdo
Radio broadcasting in country completes 90 years
Radio broadcast completes 90 years in country and first ever radio broadcast in the country went on the air
from the Bombay Station on July 23, 1927 under a private company, the Indian Broadcasting Company. On 8th
of June, 1936, the Indian State Broadcasting Service became All India Radio. All India Radio (AIR) has been
serving to inform, educate and entertain the masses since it's inception, truly living up to its motto -
BahujanHitayaBahujanSukhaya.
Union Ministry of Rural Development is going to launch AajeevikaGrameenExpress Yojana (AGEY)
The Union Ministry of Rural Development is going to launch AajeevikaGrameenExpress Yojana (AGEY), a
sub-scheme under DeendayalAntyodayaYojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM). This
scheme aims to provide an alternative source of livelihood to members of Self Help Groups (SHGs) by
facilitating them to operate public transport services in backward rural areas.
Useful Info
Union Minister for Rural Development – Narendra Singh Tomar
Constituency – Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh
Ram NathKovind took office as country‟s 14th President
Ram NathKovindtook over as the 14th President of India. He administered the oath of office by the Chief
Justice of India Justice J S Khehar at a special function in the Central Hall of Parliament. The stage would be
shared by President and President-elect, Speaker, Vice President and Chief Justice of India. After the oath of
new President, a 21-gun salute will be honored followed by the acceptance speech of Mr. Kovind. Mr. Kovind
was elected the President recently as a ruling NDA candidate. He defeated the Opposition parties‘ nominee
Meira Kumar by a huge margin.
Useful Info
14th
President of India – Ram NathKovind
CJI - J S Khehar (44th
CJI)
1st CJI – H. J. Kania
Leila Seth was the first woman judge on the Delhi High Court
Rajnath Singh chaired the first meeting of the newly constituted Islands Development Agency (IDA)
The Union Home Minister ShriRajnath Singh chaired the first meeting of the newly constituted Islands
Development Agency (IDA). The Union Home Minister presented the vision for developing India‘s maritime
economy while preserving the natural eco-system and addressing the security concerns. He emphasized upon
the need for sustainable development of Islands with people‘s participation.
Useful Info
Union Home Minister – Rajnath Singh
Constituency – Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
IDA – Islands Development Agency
The IDA was set up on 1st June 2017
FSSAI has banned the use of stapler pins in tea bags from January 2018
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has banned the use of stapler pins in tea bags from
January 2018.
Useful Info
FSSAI - Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
HQ – New Delhi
Chairman - AshishBahuguna
Chief Executive - Pawan Kumar Agarwal
India's first bullet train project, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail, will be inaugurated this
September
India's first bullet train project, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail, will be inaugurated this September
by Prime Minister NarendraModi and his Japanese counterpart ShinzoAbe . A Loan agreement of over 76,900
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crore rupee is expected to be signed between the two nations during Abe's India visit. Japan's Shinkansen
technology will be used in construction of the line.
Useful Info
India‘s First Bullet Train between Mumbai – Ahmedabad
Country – Japan
Capital – Tokyo
Currency – Japanese yen
PM – Shinzō Abe
NitiAayog cleared 6 proposals of the transport ministry to improve public transport
Mass rapid transportation technologies such as hyperloop, metrino and pod taxis could soon be a reality in
India after NitiAayog cleared half-a-dozen proposals of the transport ministry exploring options to improve
public transport. Once these safety parameters are tried and tested and the pilot run is successful, some of them
including metrino, could be up for running by next year‘s end.
Useful Info
NITI - National Institution for Transforming India
Chairman – NarendraModi
Vice Chairman – ArvindPanagariya
CEO – Amitabh Kant
The Supreme Court ruled that the police cannot arrest the accused without conducting a preliminary
inquiry under dowry harassment cases
The Supreme Court ruled that the police cannot arrest the accused without conducting a preliminary inquiry
under dowry harassment cases. With this, apex court put an end to immediate arrest of the husband and his
family members in the dowry harassment cases filed under Section 498A of Indian Penal Code (IPC). The
Supreme Court passed this order keeping in view the fact of suspected misuse of the anti-dowry harassment
law framed in 1983.
Useful Info
Supreme Court– New Delhi
Present Chief Justice of India - J. S. Khehar (44th
CJI)
First chief justice of India–H.J. Kania
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has released Operational Guidelines for Planning and
Implementation of Family Participatory Care (FPC)
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has released Operational Guidelines for Planning and Implementation
of Family Participatory Care (FPC). These guidelines are aimed at improving newborn health. The guidelines
will serve as a guiding document for those intending to introduce FPC in their facility as an integral part of
facility based newborn care. It also provides details of infrastructure, training, role of health care providers and
steps in the operationalization of FPC in the newborn care unit.
Useful Info
Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare – J P Nadda
Constituency –Himachal Pradesh (RajyaSabha)
Railways launches India‟s first solar-powered DEMU train
Indian Railways has launched its first 1,600 HHP solar diesel multiple unit (DEMU) train. The train has a total
of 16 solar panels of 300 watts in each coach. The energy generated by these panels will be stored in batteries
The move is expected to save Rs 2 lakh worth of diesel per coach, per annum. It will help in reducing carbon
dioxide of almost nine tonnes per coach, per annum. It is also expected to save nearly Rs 672 crore per annum.
India to import crude oil from US for first time
India, the world's third-largest oil importer, will import crude oil from the United States for the first time after
Indian Oil Corp bought a cargo that will be delivered in October 2017. India is the latest Asian country to buy
US crude after South Korea, Japan, China, Thailand, Australia and Taiwan as the countries seek to diversify oil
imports from other regions after the OPEC cuts drove up prices of Middle East heavy-sour crude, or grades
with a high sulphur content.
Useful Info
Chairman of Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. - Sanjiv Singh
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India is going to invite the 10 leaders of ASEAN for 2018 Republic day Celebrations
India is going to invite the 10 leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as Chief Guests
for 2018 Republic Day celebrations. If this happens, the Republic Day 2018 would be the first Republic Day
event that will have so many leaders as the chief guests.
Useful Info
10 Member Countries of ASEAN are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
FINANCIAL AND ECONOMIC AFFAIRS
India has contributed $500,000 to the UN Peacebuilding Fund
India has contributed $500,000 to the UN Peacebuilding Fund, expressing hope that more funding by nations
will boost efforts by the world body to build and sustain peace. India has been a member of the Peacebuilding
Commission since its inception in December 2005 and has so far contributed $5 million to the Peacebuilding
Fund. The fresh contribution of $500,000 to the fund will be affected over the coming days. The fund was
launched to support activities, actions, programmes and organisations that seek to build a lasting peace in
countries emerging from conflict.
Useful Info
United Nation HQ – New York, USA
Secretary-General - Antonio Guterres
The government has lowered interest rate on small saving schemes by 0.1 per cent for the July- September
quarter
The government has lowered interest rate on small saving schemes by 0.1 per cent for the July- September
quarter. The move will prompt banks to lower deposit rates. The rates of small saving schemes like PPF, Kisan
Vikas Patra and Sukanya Samriddhi have been lowered across the board compared to the April-June quarter.
Since April last year, interest rates of all small saving schemes have been recalibrated on a quarterly basis.
According to finance ministry notification, investments in the public provident fund (PPF) scheme will fetch
lower annual rate of 7.8 percent. Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP) investments will yield 7.5 per cent and mature in
115 months. The one for girl child savings, Sukanya Samriddhi Account Scheme, will offer 8.3 percent
annually, from 8.4 per cent at present. The investment on 5-year Senior Citizens Savings Scheme will yield 8.3
per cent.
GST Council cuts tax rate on fertiliser to 5 % from 12 %
GST Council has reduced the tax rate on fertiliser to 5 percent from previously decided 12 per cent. Finance
Minister Arun Jaitley, who heads the GST Council comprising representatives of states, states the decision to
reduce the tax rate on fertiliser was taken because of apprehensions that price of the crop nutrient may go up.
The GST Council, in another move to give relief to farmers, also cut the tax rate on exclusive parts of tractors
from 28 per cent to 18 per cent.
Useful Info
Minister for finance, corporate affairs, defence – Arun Jaitley
Constituency – Gujarat (Rajya Sabha)
The growth of eight core sectors slowed to 3.6 per cent in May due to fall in output of coal and fertilisers
The growth of eight core sectors slowed to 3.6 per cent in May due to fall in output of coal and fertilisers. The
growth rate of eight infrastructure sectors— coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilisers, steel,
cement and electricity — was 5.2 percent in May last year (2016). Coal and fertiliser productions recorded
negative growth of 3.3 per cent and 6.5 per cent, respectively, as per the government data released.
From January 1, 2018 MRP to be sole price of a packaged good
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From January 1, 2018, the price of a packaged good would no longer depend on where you bought it- be it a
local Kirana store, a mall, a five-star hotel or an airport. The Consumer Affairs Ministry has amended the rules
that govern packaged commodities to this effect. As per the amended Legal Metrology rules for packaged
commodities, the Centre has clarified that the retail sale price shall be the maximum retail price (MRP)
inclusive of all taxes, with the provision to round off the price to the nearest rupee or 50 paise.
Useful Info
Minister of Consumer Affairs – Ramvilas Paswan
Constituency – Hajipur, Bihar
The next tranche of sovereign gold bond (SGB) scheme was launched by Finance Ministry
The next tranche of sovereign gold bond (SGB) scheme was launched recently by the Government. This time,
providing a 2.5 percent annual interest to investors. The bonds will be available in banks, Stock Holding
Corporation of India Limited (SHCIL), designated post offices and recognized stock exchanges namely
National Stock Exchange of India Limited (NSE) and Bombay Stock Exchange(BSE). Finance Ministry has
announced the sixth tranche of gold bonds applications for which will be accepted from July 10 to July 14,
2017, according to the finance ministry. The bonds will be issued to eligible applicants on July 28. The
investors will get the interest payable semi-annually on the nominal value of the investment. The minimum
investment will be 1 gram of gold. The maximum limit can be subscribed up to 500 grams per person per fiscal
year. A self-declaration to this effect will be obtained. Payment options available are cash payment (up to a
maximum of Rs 20,000) or demand draft or cheque or electronic banking.
Useful Info
Minister of Finance, corporate affairs, Defence (additional charge) – Arun Jaitley
Constituency – Gujarat (Rajya Sabha)
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Launches 'Aaykar Setu' To Enhance E-Access Of Taxpayers
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley launched 'Aaykar Setu', an e-initiative for the Income tax Department to directly
communicate with the taxpayers and aimed at providing information on useful tax services. To enhance mobile
access experience, a mobile responsive Android version was also released along with the desktop version. The
module compiles various tax tools, live chat facility, dynamic updates, and important links to various processes
within the Income Tax Department in a single module.
Useful Info
Head of GST Council – Finance Minister (Arun Jaitley)
First country to introduce GST – France, 1954
Last state in India which implement GST – Jammu & Kashmir
First State in India which implement GST – Telangana
Venezuela's state-owned oil firm Petroleos de Venezuela has offered a 9% stake in an oil field to ONGC
Videsh
Venezuela's state-owned oil firm Petroleos de Venezuela has offered a 9% stake in an oil field to ONGC
Videsh, the international arm of India's state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation. This comes as Venezuela
seeks to support its energy industry, which has been hit by falling oil prices and is struggling to maintain its
investment in oil fields.
Useful Info
Country – Venezuela
Capital – Caracas
Currency – Bolivar
5 Indian States and a Union Territory have formally adopted the centre‟s GeM
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5 Indian States (Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Telangana and Arunachal Pradesh) and a Union Territory
(Puducherry) have formally adopted the Centre‘s Government e-Marketplace (GeM) initiative. In this regard,
these states/UT have signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) to join GeM initiative. 4 more states
including Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand and Haryana, will ink such MoU soon.
Useful Info
What is Government e-Marketplace (GeM) initiative?
GEM Initiative is an Online Market platform to facilitate procurement of goods and services by various
Ministries and agencies of the Government. It aims to enhance transparency, efficiency and speed in public
procurement of goods and services and eliminate corruption
Government has launched a GST training programme to skill around two lakh youths in six months
The government has launched a GST training programme to skill around two lakh youths in six months to
handle tax compliance issues like invoice making. The people would be trained under the
PradhanMantriKaushalVikasYojana (PMKVY). The new training course would cater to the need of GST
trained professionals to help businesses in areas such as registration and calculation of tax liability under the
new tax regime.
Useful Info
Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (Independent Charge) - Rajiv Pratap Rudy
Constituency –Saran, Bihar
Chairman of GST – ArunJaitely
India has ranked 4th among world's fastest growing economies
India has ranked 4th among world's fastest growing economies. According to recently released World Bank's
Global Economic Prospects. India has been placed behind smaller economies of Estonia, Uzbekistan, and
Nepal in growth rate.
Useful Info
Country – Estonia
Capital – Tallinn
Currency - Euro
SEBI has entered into a pact with the ESMA for information exchange on CCPs
Markets regulator SEBI has entered into a pact with the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA)
for exchange of information concerning Central Counterparties (CCPs). CCPs are entities that help facilitate
clearing and settlement activities. The MoU establishes cooperation arrangements, including exchange of
information regarding CCPs which are established and authorised or recognised in India by SEBI and which
have applied for EU recognition under EMIR.
Useful Info
SEBI HQ – Mumbai
Chairman – Ajay Tyagi
Insurance giant Swiss Re is preparing an insurance policy for the Mesoamerican Reef in Mexico
Insurance giant Swiss Re is preparing an insurance policy for the Mesoamerican Reef in Mexico to prevent its
further deterioration. Under the scheme, which is the first for a natural structure, the premiums will be paid by
hotels and government, and money to pay for the repair of the reef will be released if a storm strikes.
Useful Info
Swiss Re - Zürich, Switzerland
CEO - Christian Mumenthaler
Centre and Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed a 220 million dollar loan
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The Centre and Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed a 220 million dollar loan for improving
connectivity as well as transport efficiency and safety on State Highways of Rajasthan. The loan is the first
tranche of the 500 million dollar Rajasthan State Highways Investment Program, approved by ADB Board in
May this year. An official release said the first tranche loan will improve about one thousand kilometres of
State Highways and major district roads.
Useful Info
ADB - Asian Development Bank
HQ - Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines
President - Takehiko Nakao
Government imposes 10% customs duty on imported mobile phones, parts
The government has imposed 10 per cent basic customs duty on mobile phones and certain parts with
immediate effect to boost domestic manufacturing. According to an official statement, 10 per cent customs
duty, will be levied on imported cellular mobile phones and accessories such as charger, battery, wire headset,
microphone and receiver, key pad, USB cable and other specified electronic goods. However, present
exemption from basic customs duty on specified parts of mobiles will continue.
GST to boost India‟s GDP, positive rating by Moody's
Moody's Investors Service has said, Implementation of the GST will be positive for India's rating as it will lead
to higher GDP growth and increased tax revenues. In a statement, Moody's Vice-President, Sovereign Risk
Group, William Foster said, over the medium term, GST is likely to contribute to productivity gains and higher
GDP growth by improving the ease of doing business, unifying the national market and enhancing India's
attractiveness as a foreign investment destination.
Useful Info
Moody‘s – Credit rating agency
HQ – New York City, USA
CEO - Raymond W. McDaniel Jr.
BANKING NEWS
RBI report sees India's economic growth rate at 7.3% in 2017-18
The Reserve Bank stated the ongoing accelerated reform initiatives like Goods and Sevice Tax and continuing
political stability will push the economic growth scale to 7.3 per cent in terms of Gross Value Added -GVA in
the current fiscal year (2017-18). The Financial Stability Report 2017 released, going forward, reforms in FDI
and real estate sector, implementation of GST, and revival in external demand are likely to contribute to a
better growth outlook. According to the RBI report, GVA growth is expected to be higher at 7.3 per cent in
2017-18.
Useful Info
RBI – Reserve Bank of India (It is the central bank of India)
Governor – Urjit Patel
HQ – Mumbai
RBI commenced its operations on 1 April 1935 during the British Rule in accordance with the provisions of the
Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934. Following India's independence on 15 August 1947, the RBI was
nationalised on 1 January 1949.
EPFO signed an agreement with four private banks for collection of provident fund
The Employees‘ ProvidentFund Organisation (EPFO)signed anagreement with four privatebanks and Bank of
Barodafor collection of providentfund dues from employersand payments to itssubscribers.This is the first time
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that theEPFO hastied up withprivate banks – namely, ICICIBank, HDFC Bank, Axis Bankand KotakMahindra
Bank.Earlier, only State Bank of Indiawas authorised to collectcontributions from employersand make payment
toemployees. The move willhelp the EPFO save about300 crore rupees annually as thefive banks have agreed
tozero transaction charges.
Useful Info
EPFO –Employees‘ ProvidentFund Organisation
HQ – New Delhi
Four Private Banks – ICICI, Axis, HDFC, Kotak Mahindra Bank.
PSU – Bank of Baroda
Indus OS partners with YES Bank to launch OS-integrated UPI platform
Indus OS has partnered with YES Bank to launch OS-integrated UPI (Unified Payment Interface) payment
platform in India. Users with Indus OS will be able to use this UPI payment platform on SMS, dialler interface,
and on third party apps like WhatsApp. This means P2P transactions, as well as utility payments, can be made
via SMS or messaging. The platform is expected to launch in this quarter.
Useful Info
YES Bank
HQ – Mumbai
Tagline – Experience our Expertise
CEO - Rana Kapoor
CEO of Indus OS - Rakesh Deshmukh
Credit card bill payment exempt from cash dealing limit of Rs 2 lakh
Revenue department has said that restrictions on cash dealings of two lakh rupees or more will not apply to
credit card bill payments, business correspondents appointed by banks and issuers of prepaid instruments. The
Finance Act 2017 banned cash transaction of 2 lakh rupees or above with effect 1st of April this year.
Canara, HSBC, Oriental Bank of Commerce Life Insurance ties up with Dhanlaxmi Bank for marketing
bancassurance
Private life insurance company Canara HSBC Oriental Bank of Commerce Life Insurance has entered into an
alliance with the Kerala based Dhanlaxmi Bank for marketing various life insurance products. As part of the
agreement, the Bank will be a corporate agent for 3 years. All the life insurance products of Canara HSBC
Oriental Bank of Commerce Life Insurance would be made available to customers of Dhanlaxmi Bank and
would be sold by the licensed staff of the bank.
Useful Info
HQ of Dhanlaxmi Bank – Thrissur, Kerala
Tagline – Tann. Mann. Dhan
MD & CEO - G. Sreeram
China's biggest banks lost $15 billion value in a week
China's biggest banks, including Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) and Agricultural Bank of
China, lost a combined $15 billion (nearly 97,000 crore rupees) in value in a week.
Useful Info
Country – China
Capital – Beijing
Currency – Renminbi – Yuan
President – Xi Jinping
ICBC - Industrial and Commercial Bank of China
HQ – Xicheng District, Beijing, China
Agriculture Bank of China
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HQ – Beijing, China
RBI is considering setting up of Public Credit Registry (PCR), an extensive database of bank loans
RBI Deputy Governor Viral Acharya said, that the Reserve Bank of India is considering setting up of Public
Credit Registry (PCR), an extensive database of bank loans. Acharya suggested the registry would be managed
by a public authority like the central bank, and reporting loan details should be mandatory.
Useful Info
RBI - Reserve Bank of India
HQ – Mumbai
Governor – Urjit Patel
RBI said Ombudsman cannot handle note ban plaints
Customers‘ complaints about problems like cash withdrawal and exchange of old notes faced post
demonetisation cannot be entertained under the Banking Ombudsman (BO) scheme, the Reserve Bank of India
has said.
Useful Info
Banking Ombudsman Scheme
First BO office in India – RBI, New Delhi (jurisdiction over Delhi and Jammu & Kashmir)
Second BO office in India – New Delhi (jurisdiction over Haryana (except Panchkula, Yamuna Nagar and
Ambala Districts) and Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddha Nagar districts of Uttar Pradesh)
Total BO office in India currently – 20
Nepal SBI launches first paperless Banking services sbi INTOUCH
Nepal SBI Bank, a subsidiary of the State Bank of India, launched its fully automatic digital banking services
in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu. This is for the first time the State Bank of India has expanded the paperless
banking system outside India. Digital banking provides various services including cash deposit, the opening of
new accounts, distribution of debit card, ATM and online banking information on the touch of the screen.
Customers can avail the services from SBI Intouch Bank. The digital banking unit also has a robot, which
provides important information to customers in an interactive manner.
Useful Info
Country – Nepal
Capital – Kathmandu
Currency - Nepalese rupee
President - Bidhya Devi Bhandari
Prime Minister - Sher Bahadur Deuba
SBI – State Bank of India
HQ – Mumbai
Chairperson - Arundhati Bhattacharya
Tagline of SBI – with you all the way, Pure Banking Nothing Else, The Nation‘s Banks on us.
GMR Goa International Airports Ltd gets Rs. 1,330 cr loan from Axis Bank for developing Mopa airport
GMR Goa International Airports Ltd, a subsidiary of GMR Airports Ltd, has executed a debt facility agreement
for the development of Greenfield airport at Mopa. The foundation stone for the project was subsequently laid
by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, on November 13, 2016. The entire debt of Rs. 1,330 crore was
underwritten by Axis Bank on a long tenor door to door basis of 18 years on competitive terms.
Useful Info
Chairman of GMR Airports - Srinivas Bommidala
Axis Bank HQ – Mumbai
MD and CEO of Axis Bank - Shikha Sharma
Tagline of Axis Bank – Badhti Ka naam Zindagi
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The Reserve Bank of India has amends order on bankruptcy action on 12 large NPAs
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has amended its earlier order asking banks to initiate bankruptcy proceedings
against 12 companies which have outstanding loans amounting to over Rs 5,000 crore as on March 2016. The
amendment, made through a notification, comes after the Gujarat High Court asked the RBI to remove the
stipulation on its order last month that the 12 non-performing assets (NPAs), or bad loans, would be granted
priority at the National Company Law Tribunal. Essar Steel, one of the 12 large NPAs identified by the RBI,
had approached the Gujarat High Court for the RBI proceedings.
Useful Info
RBI - Reserve Bank of India
HQ – Mumbai
Governor – Urjit Patel (24th
governor)
There are 4 Deputy Governors – S. S. Mundra, N. S. Vishwanathan, Viral V. Acharya, B.P. Kanungo
Axis Bank has entered into collaboration with Inter-American Investment Corporation (IIC) to facilitate
trade with Latin America and the Caribbean.
Axis Bank has entered into collaboration with Inter-American Investment Corporation (IIC) to facilitate trade
with Latin America and the Caribbean. Axis Bank becomes the first Indian bank to participate in the Trade
Finance Facilitation Programme as a confirming bank. IIC, a member of the Inter-American Development
Bank Group, is a multilateral development bank committed to supporting the private sector in Latin America
and the Caribbean.
Useful Info
Axis Bank HQ – Mumbai
MD & CEO – Shikha Sharma
Tagline of Axis Bank – Badhti Ka Naam Zindagi
IIC – Inter-American Investment Corporation
HQ – Washington D.C
President - Luis Alberto Moreno
SBI waives charge on IMPS fund transfer of up to Rs 1,000
Country's largest bank SBI has waived charges for fund transfer of up to Rs 1,000 through its IMPS
(Immediate Payment Service) to promote small transactions. State Bank of India had been charging Rs 5 along
with the applicable service tax for IMPS fund transfer of up to Rs 1,000. IMPS is an instant interbank
electronic fund transfer service through mobile phones as well as internet banking. For IMPS, the charge will
be Rs 5 along GST for fund transfer in the range of Rs 1,000 to Rs 1 lakh. The charge will go up to Rs 15 for
transactions of Rs 1-2 lakh. GST at the rate of 18 per cent is applicable on all financial transactions.
Useful Info
SBI – State Bank of India
HQ – Mumbai
Chairperson – Arundhathi Battacharya
YES BANK Launches „YES GST‟ Program to Assist MSMEs
YES Bank, India‘s fourth largest private sector bank, along with YES Global Institute has launched ‗YES
GST‘ program for MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) under its MSME CSR initiative, ‗Say YES
to Sustainable MSMEs in India‘. Through the program, the bank will help MSMEs to understand the impact of
the changes in tax system and prepare them to know the new GST tax system. YES Bank has also launched
GST-Ready products for MSMEs.
Useful Info
Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises – Kalraj Mishra
Constituency – Deoria (Uttar Pradesh)
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YES Bank HQ – Mumbai
MD & CEO - Rana Kapoor
Tagline of YES Bank – Experience our Expertise
State Bank of India launches website for home buyers
State Bank of India, the country‘s largest commercial bank, has launched 'SBI Realty' - a one-stop integrated
website www.sbirealty.in for home buyers. SBI Realty will help customers to choose their dream home from
3,000 SBI approved projects across the country. These projects are spread across 13 states and Union
Territories covering 30 cities, including metros, semi metro and towns. The site is developed by SBICAP
Securities in association with PropEquity in terms of data support, project information.
Useful Info
SBI – State Bank of India
HQ – Mumbai
Chairperson - Arundhati Bhattacharya
The Bank of England unveiled a new polymer £10 note featuring 19th century novelist Jane Austen
The Bank of England unveiled a new polymer £10 note featuring 19th century novelist Jane Austen, in a move
to replace paper £5, £10 and £20 with secure plastic notes. This makes Austen the only woman other than
Queen Elizabeth to be featured on a polymer British bank note. This note's introduction marks the 200th
anniversary of Austen's death.
Useful Info
Bank of England – It is the central bank of the United Kingdom
HQ - Threadneedle Street London, EC2 England
Country – United Kingdom
Capital – London
Currency – Pound Sterling
ICICI Bank offers up to Rs 15 lakh instant personal loan via ATMs
Largest private sector lender ICICI Bank will be selling personal loans of up to Rs 15 lakh through its ATMs
that can be availed of by select salaried customers even if they haven't previously applied for one. The facility
offers a bouquet of features - swift application in simple steps, multiple eligible loan amount options up to Rs.
15 lakh based on pre-checked CIBIL scores and instant transfer of the money to the customer‘s account.
Useful Info
ICICI Bank HQ – Mumbai
CEO – Chanda Kochhar
Tagline – Hum Hai Na, Khyal Apka
SBI and Carlyle Group will acquire GE Capital's entire stake in SBI Card
State Bank of India (SBI), the Carlyle Group and GE have announced that they have signed definitive
agreements, whereby SBI and Carlyle Group will acquire GE Capital's entire stake in SBI Card, the second-
largest credit card franchise in India. SBI Card is operated through two joint venture companies, SBI Cards &
Payment Services and GE Capital Business Process Management Services, which issue credit cards and
process card transactions in the Indian market. Following the transactions, SBI and Carlyle will own 74 percent
and 26 percent respectively in each of the two entities.
Useful Info
State Bank of India HQ – Mumbai
Chairperson – Arundhati Bhattacharya
Carlyle Group HQ – Washington, United States
GE Capital – Norwalk, Connecticut, United States
Aurionpro launches a Bank in a Box to reduce branch expansion cost for banks
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Aurionpro Solutions a global leader in digital innovation, enterprise security and banking solutions, announced
its Branch-in-a-Box product, the Virtual Teller Machine (VTM) a fully integrated self-service kiosk for
automating 90% of banking transactions at the branch level. The VTM helps in migrating routine transactions
like eKYC, account opening, passbook and statement printing, video assistance, bill payment, cash and
cheques (single and bunched) deposit, cheque account summary, cash withdrawal, personalised instant card
issuance, activation and replacement from the branch to the teller machines.
Useful Info
Aurionpro Solutions
Corporate HQ – Mumbai
US Headquarter - San Ramon, California
CEO - Samir Shah
Standard Chartered Bank has launched a Multi-currency Forex Card for overseas travelers
Standard Chartered Bank has launched a Multi-currency Forex Card for overseas travelers. The card will allow
customers the convenience of loading up to 20 widely used currencies on one card with an online reload
facility during overseas travel. The card will offer travelers protection against the frequent currency
fluctuations by locking in the currency exchange rate they availed during the time of loading the card, and not
pay different rates every time they use the card.
Useful Info
Standard Chartered Bank HQ – London, England
Chairman - Jose Vinals
Bolivia has declared "total independence" from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank
Bolivia's President Evo Morales has declared "total independence" from the International Monetary Fund
(IMF) and World Bank. Last year, Bolivia has announced that it will no longer respond to their demands.
Useful Info
IMF – International Monetary Fund
HQ – Washington D.C
World Bank HQ – Washington D.C
Country – Bolivia
Capital – Sucre
Currency - Bolivian boliviano
SIDBI has started full-fledged merchant banking operations to benefit MSMEs
Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has started full-fledged merchant banking operations to
benefit the expanding number of growth-oriented micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), especially
those with a strong technology and innovation quotient. The initiative is aimed at enhancing the access of
MSMEs to the capital markets, including the SME Trading Platform and Institutional Trading Platform.
Useful Info
SIDBI - Small Industries Development Bank of India
HQ – Lucknow
Chairman and Managing Director - Kshatrapati Shivaji
SIDBI was established in the year 1990
RBI sets up Supervisory Colleges for six Scheduled Commercial Banks
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has set up Supervisory Colleges for six Scheduled Commercial Banks which have
sizeable international presence: - State Bank of India, ICICI Bank Ltd., Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, Axis
Bank Ltd. and Punjab National Bank. The objectives of the colleges are to enhance information exchange and
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cooperation among supervisors, to improve understanding of the risk profile of the banking group and thereby
facilitate more effective supervision of internationally active banks.
Useful Info
Those 6 Banks are – SBI, ICICI, BOI, BOB, Axis Bank, PNB
HQ of Reserve Bank of India – Mumbai
24th
Governor of RBI Urjit Patel
1st Governor of RBI – Osborne Smith (British banker)
1st Indian Governor of RBI – C. D. Deshmukh
National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) receives final nod from RBI to function as Bharat Bill
Payment Central Unit
National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), the umbrella organization for all retail payment systems has
received a final nod from the Reserve Bank of India to function as the Bharat Bill Payment Central Unit
(BBPCU) and operate the Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS). On August 31, 2016, 8 BBPS operating units,
which received in-principle approval from RBI, took part in the pilot. Almost after a year of running the pilot,
streamlining the technology and business processes, NPCI has now received final clearance from RBI.
Useful Info
NPCI - National Payments Corporation of India
MD & CEO of NPCI - A. P. Hota
Indian Overseas Bank has offered Bharat Bill Payment System, introduced by NPCI
Public sector Indian Overseas Bank has offered Bharat Bill Payment System, introduced by the National
Payments Corporation of India, for its customers. BBPS is an integrated bill payment system that offers inter-
operable online bill payments to customers. The services include online payments of electricity,
telecommunication, DTH, water and gas bills, the Chennai headquartered bank said in a statement. Indian
Overseas Bank is one of the three public sector banks (apart from Bank of Baroda and Union Bank of India) to
get the approval from RBI for providing the service.
Useful Info
IOB – Indian Overseas Bank
Headquarters of IOB – Chennai
Tagline – Good people to grow with
MD & CEO of IOB - R Subramaniakumar
NPCI - National Payments Corporation of India
MD & CEO of NPCI – A. P. Hota
Canara Bank launched its first „Digital Banking Branch‟ at Bengaluru
Canara Bank, which has set an ambitious target of moving to ‗paperless‘ futuristic banking, launched its first
‗Digital Banking Branch‘ at Bengaluru. Titled ‗CANDI‘, the branch will provide an end-to-end digital
experience to customers.
Useful Info
State – Karnataka
Capital – Bengaluru
CM – Siddaramaiah
Governor – Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala
Canara Bank HQ – Bangalore
Tagline – Together we can
MD & CEO of Canara Bank - Shri. Rakesh Sharma
FINO Payments Bank has commenced operations as a payments bank
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FINO Payments Bank has commenced operations as a payments bank with effect from 30th June 2017
according to the Reserve Bank of India. FINO PayTech Ltd, Mumbai, was one of the 11 applicants which were
issued in-principle approval for setting up a payments bank. Besides FINO, the other applicants which have
launched payment bank operations are Airtel M Commerce Services, Department of Posts and Paytm Payments
Bank.
Useful Info
FINO Payment Banks HQ – Mumbai
FINO PayTech CEO – Rishi Gupta
RBI allows NBFCs to sell and market the new pension scheme
The Reserve Bank of India has allowed systematically important non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) to
sell and market the new pension scheme (NPS). NBFCs with asset size of Rs500 crore and above that have
made a net profit in the preceding financial year be permitted to sell NPS to their clients after registration with
the pension regulator.
Useful Info
IRDAI - Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India
HQ – Hyderabad
Chairman – T.S. Vijayan
RBI - Reserve Bank of India
Governor – Urjit Patel
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Russia extends ban on Western food imports for another 18 months
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree to extend a ban on Western food imports for another 18
months after the European Union extended economic sanctions against Russia. Putin‘s office published a
decree that keeps the food ban in place until December 31, 2018.
Useful Info
Country – Russia
Capital – Moscow
Currency – Russian Ruble
President – Vladimir Putin
China sets up research base to counter illegal drones:
China has set up its first research base in the country's Sichuan province to counter illegal flying drones. The
base will encourage the development of anti-drone technology and enhance aviation safety. Notably, the
number of cases of drones disrupting the normal operations of civil airports in the country has risen from four
in 2015 to 23 last year.
Country: China
Capital: Beijing
Currency: Renminbi
President: Xi Jinping
5th
Meeting of BRICS Ministers of Education was held in Beijing, China
Meeting of BRICS Ministers of Education was held in Beijing, China. The Indian delegation was led
byShriPrakashJavadekar, Minister of Human Resource Development, India. The delegation of all the five
BRICS countries participated in the two-day deliberations.Javadekar highlighted some of the initiatives of the
Govt. of India in education. He specifically spoke about the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF),
SWAYAM platform which has already hosted over 480 courses online, research initiative IMPRINT and Smart
India Hackathon.
Useful Info
BRICS - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa
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Minister of Human Resource Development – PrakashJavadekar
Constituency –Madhya Pradesh (Rajya Shaba)
India ranks 23rd among 165 nations in cyber security index
India is ranked a high 23rd out of 165 nations in a global index that measures the commitment of nations across
the world to cyber security. The second Global Cyber security Index (GCI) was released by the UN
telecommunications agency International Telecommunication Union (ITU).India is ranked 23rd on the index
with a score of 0.683 and has been listed in the maturing category. The index has been topped by Singapore
with a 0.925 score.
Useful Info
ITU - International Telecommunication Union
HQ - Geneva, Switzerland
The European Parliament has approved a first-ever cooperation deal between the EU and Cuba
The European Parliament overwhelmingly approved a first-ever cooperation deal between the EU and Cuba.
MEPs in the eastern French city of Strasbourg approved the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement
which was signed in December 2016. With the deal, Cuba joins other Latin American countries with similar
agreements with the EU, whose relations with the island had previously been conducted in the so-called
Common Position that linked ties to improvements in human rights.
Useful Info
The European Parliament
HQ - Brussels, Belgium
Country – Cuba
Capital – Havana
Currency – Cuban Peso
Twelfth G20 Summit held in Hamburg, Germany
Hamburg is hosted the twelfth G20 Summit. The G20, or group of 20, is an international meeting between
heads of states, finance ministers and central bank governors from the world‘s leading economies.
Useful Info
Country – Germany
Capital – Berlin
Currency – Euro
G-20 was founded in 1999.
The first meeting of G-20 was held in Berlin in 1999.
The last G-20 summit was held in China in 2016.
122 countries approved the first-ever treaty to ban nuclear weapons at the UN meeting
122 countries approved the first-ever treaty to ban nuclear weapons at the UN meeting boycotted by all
nuclear-armed nations. One country the Netherlands voting against while Singapore abstained. None of the
nine countries that possess nuclear weapons the United States, Russia, Britain, China, France, India, Pakistan,
North Korea and Israel took part in the negotiations or the vote. Even Japan the only country to have suffered
atomic attacks, in 1945 boycotted the talks as did most NATO countries.
Useful Info
NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organization
HQ – Brussels, Belgium
France will end sales of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040
France will end sales of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040 as part of an ambitious plan to meet its targets under
the Paris climate accord, Emmanuel Macron‘s government has announced.
Useful Info
Country – France
Capital – Paris
Currency – Euro
PM - Édouard Philippe
President - Emmanuel Macron
Top Car Brands in France
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Bugatti, Renault, Citroen, Peugeot
India and Bangladesh have decided to construct a bridge over Khawthlangtuipuiriver
To facilitate trade and to improve communication between the two countries, India and Bangladesh have
decided to construct a bridge over Mizoram‘s Khawthlangtuipui river (also known as Karnaphuliriver).
Useful Info
Country – Bangaladesh
Capital – Dhaka
Currency - Taka
French President Emmanuel Macron has announced a summit on December 12
Speaking at the G20 summit, French President Emmanuel Macron has announced that Paris will host a summit
on December 12 to address financing issues on the 2015 Paris climate agreement. The summit would aim to
mobilise private and public financing for the projects committed to in the Paris agreement.
Useful Info
Country – France
Capital – Paris
Currency – Euro
PM – Édouard Philippe
President - Emmanuel Macron
UNESCO has voted to leave Australia's Great Barrier Reef off its "List of World Heritage in Danger”
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has voted to leave
Australia's Great Barrier Reef off its "List of World Heritage in Danger" despite several reports claiming major
coral bleaching at the 2,300-km-long ecosystem. However, the UN body expressed "serious concern" about the
reef's health. The reef, which is also the largest living thing on Earth, was recently valued for the first time, at
$42 billion.
Useful Info
UNESCO - The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
HQ – Paris, France
Director-General of UNESCO - Irina Bokova
A Model United Nations (MUN) Regional Conference is held at Kathmandu
A Model United Nations (MUN) Regional Conference held at Kathmandu. The event is organised by the US
Embassy in partnership with the Youth Thinker‘s Society. Youths from 12 South and Central Asian countries
including India are participating in 5-day conference. The basic aim of the MUN is to provide a platform to
young minds to channelize energy and resources for a more prosperous and peaceful world. The conference
simulate four UN committees-United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Economic and Financial
Committee (ECOFIN), United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and United Nations Human Rights Council
(UNHRC).
Useful Info
Country – Nepal
Capital – Kathmandu
Currency – Nepalese rupee
The United States has deployed anti-aircraft missiles for the first time in the Baltics
The United States has deployed anti-aircraft missiles for the first time in the Baltics for use in NATO military
drills in Lithuania. This comes ahead of the Zapad exercise by Russia and Belarus, which NATO allies believe
could increase Russian presence.
Useful Info
NATO – North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
HQ – Brussels, Belgium
22nd World Petroleum Congress (WPC) International Conference held in Istanbul, Turkey
The 22nd World Petroleum Congress (WPC) International Conference was held recently in Istanbul, Turkey.
Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, DharmendraPradhan visited Istanbul to represent India
at the Conference. The theme for 22nd World Petroleum Congress was ‗Bridges To Our Energy Future‘. WPC
was first organized in year 1993. Currently, it is being held at the interval of three years.
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Useful Info
Country – Turkey
Capital – Ankara
Currency – Turkish Lira
Malta became the 24th
country to legalise same-sex marriage
The Roman Catholic Mediterranean island Malta became the 24th country in the world to legalise same-sex
marriage.
Useful Info
Country – Malta
Capital – Valletta
Currency - Euro
Indonesia has renamed part of South China Sea
Indonesia has named waters in its exclusive economic zone that overlap with China‘s expansive claim to the
South China Sea as the North Natuna Sea. The part of the renamed area falls in China‘s ―nine-dash line‖ waters
extending hundreds of miles to the south and east of China‘s island province Hainan.
Useful Info
Country – Indonesia
Capital – Jakarta
Currency - Indonesian rupiah
GST to be positive for auto, retail sector: Fitch
New indirect tax regime Goods and Services Tax (GST) is likely to be beneficial for auto, cement and
organised retail sectors, but will have a negative impact on oil and gas, and SME sectors, Fitch Ratings.
Useful Info
Fitch Ratings - credit rating agency
HQ – New York, USA
CEO - Paul Taylor
Founder - John Knowles Fitch
Founded - 1914
Indians among top asylum-seekers, according to the International Migration Outlook 2017
According to the International Migration Outlook 2017 report on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD) member countries, Indians are among top asylum-seekers in other countries such as
New Zealand, Australia, Finland, Japan, Latvia, Slovak Republic, United Kingdom and the United States of
America. According to the report on OECD member-nations, top asylum-seekers to New Zealand between
2012 and 2016 were from China, India, Fiji, and Iraq. Among these, India and China were the largest source
countries of asylum-seekers (11% and 9%), followed by Fiji (8%), Iraq (7%) and Pakistan (6%).
Useful Info
OECD - Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
HQ – Paris, France
Secretary-General: José ÁngelGurría
Australia became the 35th country to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA)
Australia became the 35th country to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA), an initiative launched by
Prime Minister NarendraModi in November 2015 in Paris. It is co-led by India and France. The aim of ISA is
to support developing countries to boost their solar production capacity. India on its part through the Indian
Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) and Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) is
contributing $1 million to the ISA fund. The larger aim of ISA is to mobilize over $ 1000 billion by 2030
towards promoting solar power on all fronts generation and storage.
Useful Info
ISA - International Solar Alliance
HQ – Gurugram
Country – Australia
Capital – Canberra
Currency – Australian Dollar
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PM - Malcolm Turnbull
SheikhaLubna Al Qasimi tops poll of most powerful Arab women: Forbes
SheikhaLubna Al Qasimi, the UAE Minister of State for Tolerance has topped a poll of the most powerful
Arab women in government for 2017, according to Forbes Middle East. Ms. Qasimi was followed by two
women from Egypt - Sahar Nasr, the country‘s minister of investment and international cooperation and
GhadaWali, the minister of social solidarity. Forbes has also released a list of the top 100 most powerful Arab
business women for 2017, and the UAE represents the highest number of women, with 18, followed by Egypt,
with 16.
Useful Info
Forbes - Forbes is an American business magazine. Published bi-weekly, it features original articles on finance,
industry, investing, and marketing topics.
HQ – New York
UAE –United Arab Emirates
Capital – Abu Dhabi
Currency - United Arab Emirates dirham
Lahore High Court lifted a ban on the airing of Indian television serials in Pakistan
Lahore High Court lifted a ban on the airing of Indian television serials in Pakistan. The court noted that
instead of a blanket ban, Indian content with "objectionable" or "anti-Pakistan" content could still be censored.
Useful Info
Country – Pakistan
Capital – Islamabad
Currency - Pakistani rupee
Facebook-owned WhatsApp has been partially blocked in China
Facebook-owned WhatsApp has been partially blocked in China following a censorship crackdown by the
government. China operates world's largest censorship system, called the 'Great Firewall', blocking platforms
like Facebook, Google, and Instagram.
Useful Info
Country – China
Capital – Beijing
Currency – Renminbi – Yuan
President – Xi Jinping
India-Japan agreement for Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy
India-Japan agreement for Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy has come into force recently.
Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and Ambassador of Japan to India Mr. Kenji Hiramatsu exchanged diplomatic
notes in this regard. The agreement was signed on 11th November 2016 in Tokyo during Prime Minister
NarendraModi‘s visit to Japan. The agreement is a reflection of the strategic partnership between the two sides
and will pave the way for enhanced cooperation in energy security and clean energy.
Useful Info
Country – Japan
Capital – Tokyo
Currency – Yen
PM - Shinzo Abe
U.K. gets its first woman president of top court
The U.K. government appointed Baroness Brenda Marjorie Hale, 72, as the first woman president of the
Supreme Court, the senior-most judge in the country. She will take charge in September.
Useful Info
Country – United Kingdom
Capital – London
Currency – Pound Sterling
Sean Spicer resigns as White House Press Secretary
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White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer resigned, ending a difficult tenure during which the conventional
Republican sought to defend and explain President Donald Trump, with limited success. Sarah Huckabee
Sanders, Mr. Spicer‘s deputy, will succeed him.
Useful Info
New White House Press Secretary - Sarah Huckabee Sanders
Country – United States of America
Currency – US Dollar
President – Donald Trump
US citizens ban from travelling to North Korea
The United States announced that the government will ban citizens from traveling to North Korea due to "the
serious risk of arrest".
Useful Info
Country – North Korea
Capital – Pyongyang
Currency – North Korean won
US retail giant Walmart has topped the 2017 Fortune Global 500 list
For a 4th consecutive year, US retail giant Walmart has topped the 2017 Fortune Global 500 list with revenue
of $486 billion. 7 Indian companies were featured in this list. Indian Oil, with revenues of over $53 billion in
previous fiscal, is the highest ranked Indian company and placed 168th globally.
Useful Info
Walmart HQ - Bentonville, Arkansas, United States
World's first floating wind farm emerges off coast of Scotland
The world‘s first floating wind farm has taken to the seas in a sign that a technology once confined to research
and development drawing boards is finally ready to unlock expanses of ocean for generating renewable power
in Scotland. The £200m Hywind project is unusual not just because of the pioneering technology involved,
which uses 78-metre-tall underwater ballast and three mooring lines that will be attached to the seabed to keep
the turbines upright. It will bring power to 20,000 homes.
Useful Info
Country – Scotland
Capital – Edinburgh
Currency - Pound sterling
UN has selected Dubai as the data hub for the Middle East North Africa and South Asia (MENASA)
The UN has selected Dubai as the data hub for the Middle East North Africa and South Asia (MENASA)
region for the city‘s integrated initiatives to mine and manage its data. The work is already under way to
prepare Dubai as the regional city data hub. The designation will be part of a portfolio of local and regional
data portals, analytics and reports to engage stakeholders and help accelerate progress. It will also serve as a
dedicated platform for city-to- city learning and ‗solutions transfer‘ across metropolitan, national and global
contexts.
Useful Info
Country - United Arab Emirates
Capital – Abu Dhabi
Currency - United Arab Emirates dirham
BRICS Youth Forum 2017 opened in Beijing
The 2017 BRICS Youth Forum opened in Beijing, China to discuss the development of the youth in the
countries of the grouping. The theme of three-day forum is 'Enhance BRICS Partnership, Promote Youth
Development'. It gathered 50 youth representatives working as civil servants, scholars, entrepreneurs, artists
and journalists from the BRICS countries. The five BRICS countries — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South
Africa — first came up with the idea of establishing a dialogue mechanism for BRICS youth in 2014 during a
meeting between BRICS leaders in South Africa.
Useful Info
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BRICS – BRICS is the acronym for an association of five major emerging national economies: Brazil, Russia,
India, China and South Africa. Originally the first four were grouped as "BRIC", before the induction of South
Africa in 2010.
Country – China
Capital – Beijing
Currency – Renminbi – Yuan
President – Xi Jinping
Nawaz Sharif has resigned as prime minister of Pakistanover Panama Papers verdict
Nawaz Sharif has resigned as prime minister of Pakistan following a decision by the country's Supreme Court
to disqualify him from office. The ruling came after a probe into his family's wealth following the 2015
Panama Papers dump linking Mr Sharif's children to offshore companies.
Useful Info
Country – Pakistan
Capital – Islamabad
Currency – Pakistani Rupee
2017 BRICS National Security Advisors (NSAs) meeting held in China
2017 BRICS National Security Advisors (NSAs) meeting was held in Beijing, China. National Security
Advisor (NSA)AjitDovalrepresented India at this meeting. This meeting is a major platform for Brazil, Russia,
India, China and South Africa (BRICS) countries to discuss and conduct cooperation in politics and security
fields. Discussions were held on topics including global governance, anti-terrorism, internet security and
energy security, as well as major international and regional hotspot issues. National Security Advisor AjitDoval
held talks with his Chinese counterpart and state councillor Yang Jiechi on the sidelines of the BRICS NSAs
meeting. Chinese and Indian troops have been locked in a face-off in Doklam area for more than a month, since
Indian troops stopped the Chinese army from building a road in the area.
Useful Info
Country – China
Capital – Beijing
Currency – Renminbi – Yuan
President – Xi Jinping
7th edition of SAARC Artists Camp & Exhibition of Paintings held at Kathmandu, Nepal
The 7th edition of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Artists Camp and Exhibition
of Paintings has begun at Kathmandu. Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation of Nepal, Jitendra
Narayan Devhas inaugurated the event. These events provide platform to artists for exchanging ideas with
fellow artists and helping in creating special bonding among them and 40 artists from SAARC member
countries except Afghanistan taking part in the 4 day camp.
Useful Info
SAARC - South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
Member Countries of SAARC –Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri
Lanka
HQ – Kathmandu, Nepal
Secretary General of SAARC - AmjadHussain B. Sail
Country – Nepal
Capital – Kathmandu
Currency –Nepalese Rupee
India has featured among 60 nations on Digital Evolution Index 2017
India has featured among 60 nations on Digital Evolution Index 2017, exhibiting a high potential in terms of
digital payments. On the Digital Evolution Index 2017, India has been categorised under the ―break out‖
segment which refers to countries that have relatively lower absolute levels of digital advancement, yet remain
poised for growth and are attractive to investors by virtue of their potential. The report outlined that India has
been experiencing rapid strides of progress with an evolving payments landscape, catalysed by the
government‘s demonetisation decision.
Russia Launches 73 satellites in one go, second most ever
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Russian space agency Roscosmos successfully launched ‗Kanopus-V-IK‘ Earth-imaging satellite and 72
microsatellites into orbit on a single rocket. This comes after ISRO launched a world record 104 satellites at
once earlier this year, breaking Russia‘s previous record of 37 satellites. The microsatellites include 62
CubeSats developed by US and others made by Japan, Germany, and Canada
Amitabh Bachchan's role as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador has been extended for two more years
Actor Amitabh Bachchan's role as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador has been extended for two more years. He
will now be working on spreading awareness regarding vaccination for MR (measles and rubella) infections for
children.
Useful Info
UNICEF – United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund
HQ – New York, US
CEO - Anthony Lake
APPOINTMENTS (NATIONAL)
New President of India Ram Nath Kovind (He is the 14th
President of India,
succeeds Pranab Mukherjee)
CEO and MD of Larsen & Toubro S.N. Subrahmanyan (Subrahmanyan is currently the
deputy managing director and president of L&T, now he
replaces AM Naik)
HQ of L&T – Mumbai
New Chairman of Tata Global Beverages Ltd.
(TGBL)
N. Chandrasekaran
About TATA Sons - Tata Sons Limited is the holding
company of the Tata Group and holds the bulk of
shareholding in these companies.
HQ – Mumbai
Chairperson - N. Chandrasekaran
new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Achal Kumar Joti (He is the Ex-Gujarat Chief
Secretary and will take charge after Nasim Zaidi retires
on July 6)
New DGP of Himachal Pradesh Somesh Goyal (He replaces Sanjay Kumar who has
been appointed as director general of the National
Disaster Response Force (NDRF)
About Himachal Pradesh:
Capital –Shimla
CM - Virbhadra Singh
Governor –AcharyaDevVrat
New Ambassador of India to Indonesia Pradeep Kumar Rawat (presently he serves as Joint
Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and
he succeeds Nengcha Lhouvum Mukhopadhaya)
About –Indonesia
Capital – Jakarta
Currency - Indonesian rupiah
New CEO of Vistara (The board of TATA SIA
Airlines Ltd, which owns and operates the full-
service airline)
Leslie Thng (former Silk Air head)
About Vistara:
Incumbent CEO of vistara - Phee Teik Yeoh
New CEO of vistara - Leslie Thng
Vistara, a joint venture between Tata Sons and
Singapore Airlines
New Attorney General of India K K Venugopal
New Director General of Goods and Services Tax John Joseph
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Intelligence (DG GSTI)
New Secretary of the Department of Economic
Affairs (DEA) in the Finance Ministry
Subhash Chandra Garg (He succeeds Shaktikanta
Das)
New director-general of the Directorate of Revenue
Intelligence (DG-DRI)
Debi Prasad Dash (He succeeds Jayant Misra)
New Director General of Indo-Tibetan Border Police
(ITBP)
R K Pachnanda
About Tibet:
Tibet is a region in China
Capital – Lhasa
Currency –Renminbi
New DG-ITBP – Shri R K Pachnanda
Preceded by - Shri Krishna Chaudhary
ITBP Headquarter – New Delhi
New Joint Secretary in the Prime Minister‟s Office Gopal Baglay (Senior diplomat and External Affairs
Ministry spokesperson, he has been appointed in place
of Vinay Mohan Kwatra, who has been already named
as India‘s Ambassador to France)
new chief of the National Disaster Response Force
(NDRF)
Sanjay Kumar (He succeed R K Pachnanda, who was
has taken charge as DG the Indo-Tibetan Border Police
(ITBP).
New Secretary to Indian President, Ram Nath
Kovind
Sanjay Kothari (Chairman of Public Enterprises
Selection Board)
Useful Information:
1st President of India – Dr. Rajendra Prasad
1st Vice President of India – Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
1st Women President of India - Pratibha Patil
14th President of India – Ram Nath Kovind
New spokesperson of the ministry of external affairs Raveesh Kumar (currently he is posted in Frankfurt,
Germany as Consul General of India, and will replace
Gopal Baglay, who was appointed the joint secretary in
the Prime Minister‘s Office)
New president of the National Rifle Association of
India (NRAI)
Raninder Singh
New MD & CEO of Oriental Bank of Commerce Mukesh Kumar Jain (He replaces Animesh Chauhan)
MD & CEO of Axis Bank Shikha Sharma was reappointed as the MD & CEO of
Axis Bank as her current term was to end in June 2018.
About AXIS Bank:
HQ – Mumbai
Tagline – Badhti Ka Naam Zindagi
MD and CEO - Shikha Sharma
New CEO of Janalakshmi Financial Services Ajay Kanwal (He is a veteran banker having 27 years
of experience in both consumer and commercial
banking sector)
About Janalakshmi Financial Services:
HQ – Bengaluru
Current CEO - V. S. Radhakrishnan
India‟s New Alternate Governor on the Board of
Governors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB)
Subhash Chandra Garg (Economic Affairs Secretary)
About ADB - Asian Development Bank
Headquarters - Manila, Philippines
President of ADB - Takehiko Nakao
Administrative Manager of the Indian Cricket Team Sunil Subramaniam (former Tamil Nadu Ranji team
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captain)
About BCCI - Board Of Control For Cricket In India
Headquarters of BCCI – Mumbai
Person who took additional charge of Ministry of
Information and Broadcasting (I&B)
Textiles minister Smriti Irani
part-time member on IRDAI board Ravi Mittal (additional secretary in the Finance
Ministry in place of Anil Khachi. Mittal has replaced N
S Rao at IRDAI)
About IRDAI –Insurance Regulatory & Development
Authority of India
HQ – Hyderabad, Telangana
Chairman - TS Vijayan
Rio Olympics silver medallist, who appointed as the
Group-I officer by the state‟s chief minister
P V Sindhu was appointed as the Group-I officer by the
Andhra Pradesh CM – Chandrababu Naidu
The new Chairman of Indian Institute of
Management (IIM) Amritsar
Sanjay Gupta
New Chairman of IIT-Kharagpur Sanjiv Goenka (Presently the Chairman of RP Sanjiv
Goenka Group)
New Chairperson of Broadcasting Content
Complaints Council (BCCC)
Vikramajit Sen (Former Supreme Court Judge Justice)
Chief Minister of Nagaland TR Zeliang
New Urban Development Minister Narendra Singh Tomar (Presently he serves as Union
Minister for Rural Development)
new Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Sushil Kumar Modi
New head of the Indian consulate in
New York.
Sandeep Chakravorty (India‗s Ambassador to Peru)
APPOINTMENTS (INTERNATIONAL)
First Female Prime Minister of Serbia Ana Brnabic (She is an openly gay woman, and
succeeded Ivica Dacic)
About Serbia:
Capital – Belgrade
Currency - Serbian Dinar
WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Autism in South
Asia
Saima Wazed Hossain (a globally renowned champion
for the cause of autism spectrum disorder)
About WHO – World Health Organisation
HQ - Geneva, Switzerland
Director–General - Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
new President of Mongolia Khaltmaa Battulga (Mongolian Business man and
Martial Arts expert)
About– Mongolia
Capital – Ulaanbaatar
Currency – Mongolian togrog
New President – Khaltmaa Battulga
Preceded by - Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj
New Chief Justice of Nepal Justice Gopal Prasad Parajuli
About Nepal:
Capital –Kathmandu
Currency –Nepalese Rupee
President – Bidhya Devi Bhandari
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PM - SherBahadurDeuba
New Chief Justice of Nepal - Gopal Prasad Parajuli
Preceded by – SushilaKarki
UK‟s first female President of the Supreme Court Brenda Marjorie Hale (She succeeds Lord Neuberger)
About United Kingdom:
Capital – London
Currency – Pound Sterling
PM – Theresa May
Newly included in the board of directors of Alphabet
(the search giant, Google‟s parent company)
Sundar Pichai (Google CEO)
About Google:
HQ – Mountain View, California, United States
Alphabet – Alphabet Inc. is an American multinational
conglomerate created in a corporate restructuring on
October 2, 2015. It is the parent company of Google.
HQ of Alphabet – Mountain View, California, United
States
Alphabet CEO - Larry Page
Interim Prime Minister of Pakistan Shahid Khaqan Abbasi (Presently He serves as the
Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources)
About Pakistan:
Capital – Islamabad
Currency – Pakistani Rupee
Ex-Prime Minister – Nawaz Sharif
New Interim Prime Minister - Shahid Khaqan Abbasi
The first woman chief executive of Hong Kong Carrie Lam
Person who has been nominated by US President
Donald Trump as next secretary of the Army
Mark Esper
UNICEF‟s Global Good will Ambassador Lilly Singh (Indian- origin Canadian YouTube star)
About UNICEF - United Nations International
Children's Emergency Fund
HQ – New York
CEO - Anthony Lake
Person who has been nominated by US President
Donald Trump as the ambassador to Peru
Krishna R
AWARDS AND HONOURS
Awards Winners
Winner of prestigious 'Great Immigrants' annual
award on US's Independence day
Adobe Chief Shantanu Narayen and former US
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy both are Indian-
Americans,
Winner of Order of Australia for community work,
the highest civilian award in Australia.
Guruswamy Jayraman (a 69-year-old Glenwood
resident who migrated from Delhi to Australia in 1991)
About Australia:
Capital – Canberra
Currency – Australian Dollar
PM - Malcolm Turnbull
Prime Minister‟s trophy for „Best Performing
Integrated Steel Plant‟
Tata Steel Ltd (Has won this for third consecutive
year)
About TATA Steel:
HQ – Mumbai
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Founder - Jamsetji Tata
Winner of 2017 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report
Heroes Award
Mahesh Bhagwat (Presently he serves as the first
Commissioner of Police of Rachakonda.)
Nominated at the World Soundtrack Awards Music composer AR Rahman for his music in the film
'Viceroy's House' Director - Gurinder Chadha
„Golden Peacock Award‟ for Environment
Management
Danfoss India (Climate and energy efficiency solutions
company, the award was presented in Hyderabad during
the 19th World Congress on Environment Management‘
in the presence of Supreme Court Justice Kurien
Joseph.)
About Danfoss
HQ - Nordborg, Denmark
Present President of Danfoss India - Ravichandran
Purushothaman
Country – Denmark
Capital – Copenhagen
Currency - Danish krone
Honoured as world‟s first completely green metro
system
Delhi Metro
Young Leaders Award for 2017 Ankit Kawatra (Award presented by by Queen
Elizabeth II at a ceremony in the Buckingham Palace)
„Sportsperson of the Year‟ award P V Sindhu (Rio Olympics silver medallist was
bestowed with the 'Sportsperson of the Year' award
during the ‗Maruti Suzuki Sportsperson of the Year‘
Charity Gala Awards)
Useful Information:
P V Sindhu – Sportsperson of the Year
Sindhu‘s Coach P Gopichand – Coach of the Year
award
Milkha Singh – Living Legend of the Year award
Cricketer K L Rahul – Game changer of the Year award
Abhinav Bindra - Lifetime Achievement Award
Deepa Malik - Inspirational athlete of the year award
Gaurav Gill - Athlete of the year award
Honorary Membership from Jodhpur Guide
Association
Shah Rukh Khan
Winner of 2017 Mahanayak Samman Shakuntala Barua
Honoured as World's Best City in a survey by Travel
and Leisure magazine
San Miguel de Allende in Mexico
Top 5 in the List:
San Miguel de Allende (Mexico)
Charleston (US)
Chiang Mai (Thailand)
Kyoto (Japan)
Florence (Italy)
Indian city has been declared as a World Heritage
City (WHC) by UNESCO
Ahmedabad
Winner of Lifetime Achievement Award for his
contributions as a parliamentarian in the Lok Sabha
BJP leader L.K. Advani (JD-U leader Sharad Yadav
also received the Lifetime Achievement Award as a
Rajya Sabha)
The other awardees from the Lok Sabha:
• Best Parliamentarian- Revolutionary Socialist
Party MP N.K. Premachandran,
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• Best Woman Parliamentarian- Congress leader
Kumari Sushmita Dev and
• Best Debut Woman Parliamentarian- BJP leader
Meenakshi Lekhi.
The awardees from the Rajya Sabha
• Best Parliamentarian- CPI-M leader Sitaram
Yechury,
• Best Woman Parliamentarian- Samajwadi Party
MP Jaya Bachchan and
• Best Debut Woman Parliamentarian- Congress
MP Rajni Patil.
Useful Info
• Present Speaker of Lok Sabha - Sumitra Mahajan
• Present Chairman of Rajya Sabha - Mohammad
Hamid Ansari
Honoured with a fellowship by the Department of
Culture, Government of India (GoI)
Nandakishore Kapote (Internationally-acclaimed
senior kathak dancer)
Winners of this year‟s Ramon Magsaysay Awards Yoshiaki Ishizawa, a Japanese historian who helped
Cambodians preserve the Angkor temples, and Gethsie
Shanmugam, a Sri Lankan teacher who counseled war
widows and orphans to overcome their nightmares, are
among the six winners of this year‘s Ramon Magsaysay
Awards. The other recipients named are
AbdonNababan, an Indonesian, a Singaporean
businessman Tony Tay, a Philippine theater group and
Lilia de Lima , a Filipino.
About the Award:
The Ramon Magsaysay Award is an annual award
named after former Philippine President Ramon
Magsaysay.
It is regarded as Asia‘s version of the Nobel Prize and
was first awarded in the year 1958.
Country – Philippines
Capital –Manila
Currency –Philippine Peso
Winner of 2017 UNDP Equator Prize for sustainable
farming model
Swayam Shikshan Prayog (Indian NGO)
The Personality of the Year award by Skoch
Consultancy Services (SCS)-2017
Kishore Sansi (MD & CEO of Vijaya Bank)
Winner of Mohun Bagan Ratna for this year Subrata Bhattacharya.
Winner of Indian of the year award by Brands
Academy in New Delhi
Preeti Shenoy (Indian Writer)
Topped in the list of most Powerful Arab Women by
Forbes
Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi (UAE Minister of State for
Tolerance)
Honoured as World‟s Richest Man Jeff Bezos (Founder of Amazon with a fortune of over
$90.5 billion)
18th edition of the International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA) 2017:
• Best Film- Neerja
• Best Director-Anirudh Roy Chaudhary for Pink
• Best Actor (Male)- Shahid Kapoor for Udta Punjab
• Best Actor (Female)- Alia Bhatt for Udta Punjab
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• Best Actor in Supporting Role (Female)- Shabana Azmi for Neerja
• Best Actor in Supporting Role (Male)- Anupam Kher for MS Dhoni: The Untold Story
• Best Debutant (Female):Disha Patani for M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story
• Best Debut (Male)- Diljit Dosanjh for Udta Punjab
• Best Lyricist- Amitabh Bhattacharya for the song Channa Mere Ya from Ae Dil Hai Mush kil
• Best Playback Singer (Male)- Amit Mishra for Ae Dil Hai Mushkil
• Best Playback Singer (Female)- Kanika Kapoor for Udta Punjab and Tulsi Kumar for Airlift
• Best Music Direction- Pritam for AeDil Hai Mushkil
• Best Actor In Comic Role- Varun Dhawan for Dishoom
• Myntra Style Icon Award- Alia Bhatt
• IIFA Woman Of The Year- Tapsee Pannu
About 18th IIFA award 2017:
Venue - MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
1st IIFA award 2000
Venue - Millennium Dome, London (UK)
Tamil Nadu government State Film awards for the Year (2009 to 2014)
Winners of Best Picture Category
• Pasanga (2009)
• Myna (2010)
• Vaagai SoodaVaa (2011)
• Vazhakku En 18/9 (2012)
• Ramanujan (2013)
• Kutram Kadithal (2014)
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
R-Cap arm invests 7 cr rupees in start-up Billionloans
Reliance Corporate Advisory Services Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Reliance Capital, has invested 7
crore rupees in Billionloans Financial Services, a start-up that focuses on facilitating loans. V. Balakrishnan,
former board member of Infosys, is currently the chairman of Billionloans. Billionloans would initially focus
on facilitating loans for education and affordable housing and personal loans.
Useful Info
Reliance Capital
HQ – Mumbai
Chairman – Anil Ambani
Nandan Nilekani, Helion's Sanjeev Aggarwal launch $100-million fund Fundamentum
Aadhaar architect Nandan Nilekani and Helion Venture‘s Sanjeev Aggarwal have launched an investment fund
called Fundamentum with a corpus of $100 million to back startups looking for growth capital. The corpus may
be extended to $200 million if the fund sees more opportunities, the two founders said. The fund, which has so
far closed $50 million, will see one-third of the corpus coming from Nilekani and Aggarwal. Fundamentum has
already brought on board six entrepreneurs who will also invest in the fund.
Samsung plans to launch smart speaker powered by Bixby
South Korean electronics maker Samsung plans to launch a standalone smart speaker powered by its own voice
assistant technology 'Bixby', according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. The speaker, codenamed Vega,
has been in the works for over a year. If launched, the speaker will compete with Amazon Echo, Apple
HomePod, and Google Home.
Company: Samsung
Head quarters: Seoul, South Korea
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Microsoft to equip 55000 Indian schools with digital classes:
Microsoft India signed a Memorandum of Understanding with National Independent Schools Alliance (NISA)
to equip 55,000 schools across 23 Indian states with digital classrooms. This partnership aims to create an
enabling ecosystem for schools to improve accessibility, affordability, and quality of education. NISA currently
caters to over 90 lakh students across the country
Company: Microsoft India
Head quarters: Gurugram
Telcos lost market share in 2016 due to Jio: TRAI report:
With Jio claiming 6.4% market share in 2016, telecom majors Airtel, Vodafone and Idea saw their market
shares drop, data by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) suggests. Country's largest operator
Airtel's market share dropped 0.49% reaching 23.58% even as its subscriber base increased 9.3%. Similarly
Vodafone's market share dropped 1% despite adding 1.1 crore new users.
Organisation: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
Headquarters: New Delhi
Chairman: R. S. Sharma
Japan‟s Tokio Marine raises stake in JV to 49%
Japan‘s Tokio Marine Asia raised its stake in a 17-year old general insurance joint venture with India‘s
fertilizer co-operative IFFCO from 26% to 49% at a cost of 2,530 crore rupees, in a transaction approved by the
IFFCO board.
Useful Info
IFFCO - Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited
HQ – New Delhi
Tokio Marine Holdings, Inc – It is a multinational insurance holding company
HQ – Tokyo, Japan
India has slipped by one spot to become the fourth-largest foreign investor into the UK
India has slipped by one spot to become the fourth-largest foreign investor into the UK, according to the
official figures released here today. The US remains on the top, investing in 577 projects in the UK, with China
(including Hong Kong) remaining in second place with 160 projects. India set up 127 new projects in Britain
last year and safeguarded 7,645 existing jobs as a result and created 3,999 new jobs in 2016-17. India shares
the fourth spot with Australia and New Zealand, which also set up 127 projects collectively.
Useful Info
Country – United Kingdom
Capital – London
Currency - Pound sterling
PM - Theresa May
MoUs and AGREEMENT
Agreement between BHEL and KHI (Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd) for manufacturing coaches for metro
trains
Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd has entered into a technology collaboration agreement with Kawasaki Heavy
Industries Ltd (KHI) of Japan for manufacturing of stainless steel coaches and bogies for metros. The
agreement covers establishing design, engineering and manufacturing facilities at BHEL using Japanese
technology. It will also entitle BHEL for all technological advances and upgrades.
Useful Info
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BHEL - Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (It has been granted the prestigious Maharatna (big gem) status in 2013
by Govt of India for its outstanding performance and vast scale.)
HQ – New Delhi
MD & Chairman of BHEL - Atul Sobti
KHI - Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd
HQ - Minato, Tokyo, Japan
65 MoUs signed on second day of Textile India 2017
Union textiles ministry has inked 62 Memorandum of Understanding MoUs on the second day of Textile India
2017 in Gandhinagar- Gujarat. These include MoUs with Australia, China, and Bangladesh for silk research,
fashion technologies and knowledge transfer. Apart from these, the Gujarat government has also signed three
MoUs on textile sectors. The signing ceremony was presided over by Union textiles minister Smriti Irani and
Union minister of state for textiles Ajay Tamta.
Useful Info
Union Textile Minister – Smriti Irani
Constituency – Gujarat (Rajya Sabha)
Union minister of state for textiles - Ajay Tamta
Constituency – Almora, Uttarakhand
MoU between Ministry of Health, Family Welfare and West Bengal Government to set up Centre of
Excellence in Transfusion Medicine at Kolkata
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare signed an MoU with the Government of West Bengal to formalize its
support to set up a state-of-the-art Centre of Excellence in Transfusion Medicine at Kolkata. The Centre of
Excellence in Transfusion Medicine will be set up in Kolkata. The initiative helps in strengthening the blood
transfusion services in the State and the surrounding region. The government of India has approved this
important initiative with an outlay of approximately Rs.200 Crores towards equipment, manpower and running
costs. The land for this initiative will be provided free of cost by the State government.
Useful Info
State – West Bengal
Capital – Kolkata
CM – Mamta Banerjee
Governor – Keshari Nath Tripathi
Minister of Health and Family Welfare – J P Nadda
Constituency – Himachal Pradesh (Rajya Sabha)
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has signed an MoU for the financial year 2017-18 with the Ministry
of Defence
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has signed an MoU for the financial year 2017-18 with the Ministry of
Defence. The annual MoU was signed between Ashok Kumar Gupta, Secretary, Department of Defence
Production and T Suvarna Raju, CMD-HAL. The MoU has outlined targets on various performance parameters
of the company during the year 2017-18. The revenue from operations has been targeted at Rs. 17,900 crore,
the highest ever. HAL has also laid specific emphasis on capacity building, modernization, solar power plants,
aiming to achieve capital expenditure of Rs. 1,300 crore.
Useful Info
Minister of Defence – Arun Jaitley
Constituency – Gujarat (Rajya Sabha)
HAL - Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
Chairman and Managing Director of HAL - T. Suvarna Raju
HAL Headquarter - Bengaluru
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Agreement between Erode-based Five P Venture India Private Ltd and Central Silk Board (CSB)
Erode-based Five P Venture India Private Ltd and Central Silk Board (CSB) inked an agreement for
development and commercialisation of handloom silk products. This MoU signed at the first-ever mega trade
fair for the textile sector organised by the Ministry of Textiles at Gandhinagar. This step will also help revive
the heritage skills of the handloom weavers in Chennimalai belt.
Useful Info
Central Silk Board (CSB) HQ – Bengaluru
Digital payments company MobiKwik has partnered with Samsung Pay
Digital payments company MobiKwik has partnered Samsung Pay, under which consumers will be able to
make payments with a single tap using select Samsung handsets. Samsung had unveiled a 'Mini' version of the
platform that integrates UPI and mobile wallets to work on mid-range priced smartphones.
Useful Info
Samsung HQ – Seoul, South Korea
Mobikwik HQ – Gurugram
Mobikwik CEO - Bipin Preet Singh
India and Sri Lanka have signed a MoU to develop a village in Anuradhapura District (in Sri Lanka)
India and Sri Lanka have signed a MoU to develop a village in Anuradhapura District (in Sri Lanka) at a cost
of 30 crores Sri Lankan rupees. The village in the name of a famous Buddhist monk Sobitha Thero, envisages
construction of 153 new houses, a multi-purpose community building, internal water supply system and
renovation of monk‘s quarters & library. The project is in line with Government of Sri Lanka‘s policy of
rehabilitation of rural villages for economic development. It will benefit 153 families residing in the village.
Useful Info
Country – Sri Lanka
Capital – Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte (administrative), Colombo (Financial)
Currency – Sri Lankan Rupee
President - Maithripala Sirisena
MoU between Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) and Department of Defence Production
Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL), a Miniratna Defence Public Sector Undertaking (DPSU) signed an MoU for the
financial year 2017-18 with Ministry of Defence. The annual MoU was signed between Secretary (Defence
Production) Shri Ashok Kumar Gupta on behalf of the Ministry of Defence and Chairman and Managing
Director, GSL Rear Adm (Retd) Shekhar Mital. This year‘s MoU target for ‗Revenue from Operations‘ has
been set at Rs1150 crore, which is 43 percent higher than the financial year 2016-17 target of Rs800 crore.
Notably, in the financial year 2016-17, the Shipyard achieved historical high VoP of Rs1030 crore and PBT of
Rs177 crore. GSL was adjudged as ‗Best Performing Shipyard‘ by MoD.
Useful Info
Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) - Goa Shipyard Limited is one of India's best shipyards and designated "mini-
Ratna" by the Government of India.
HQ – Goa
Defence Minister of India – Arun Jaitley
Constituency – Gujarat, Rajya Sabha
Union Minister of State for Defence - Dr. Subhash Ramrao Bhamre
Constituency – Dhule, Maharashtra
Bank of Baroda has entered into an agreement with Directorate General of Supplies & Disposal (DGS&D)
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Bank of Baroda has entered into an agreement with Directorate General of Supplies & Disposal (DGS&D) for
extending various banking services to Government e-Marketplace (GeM). DGS&D has been mandated to set
up GeM, an initiative intended to bring greater transparency and efficiency in public procurements.
Useful Info
BOB - Bank of Baroda
HQ – Vadodara
Tagline – India‘s International Bank
CEO - P. S. Jayakumar
Karnataka Bank partnered with PNB MetLife, has launched Met Loan and Life Suraksha (MLLS)
Karnataka Bank, in association with its PNB MetLife, has launched Met Loan and Life Suraksha (MLLS), a
single premium plan covering the loan liability of a customer. The bank has also introduced KBL MLLS, an
app for its employees to instantly calculate the insurance cover and premium based on loan liability of the
borrowers.
Useful Info
Karnataka Bank HQ – Mangalore
MD and CEO of Karnataka Bank - Mahabaleshwara M.S
Director of PNB MetLife - Sameer Bansal
Airports Authority of India (AAI), has signed an MoU with Government of Uttarakhand on aviation
development
Airports Authority of India (AAI), has signed an MoU with Government of Uttarakhand and joined hands with
Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA). The MoU was signed by S. Ramaswamy, Chief
Secretary, Government of Uttarakhand and Anil Gupta, General Manager (Business Development), AAI. The
scope of the MoU is to identify relevant factors influencing the development of civil aviation infrastructure in
Uttarakhand, assessing the commercial potential of various airports of the State, and identifying technical
considerations for airport operations in the State.
Useful Info
AAI – Airports Authority of India
HQ – New Delhi
State – Uttarakhand
Capital – Dehradun, Nainital (Judiciary)
CM – Trivendra Singh Rawat
Governor - Krishan Kant Paul
Tax authorities of the five BRICS countries have signed a landmark document to facilitate taxation
cooperation
Tax authorities of the five BRICS countries have signed a landmark document to establish a mechanism for
taxation cooperation. The BRICS Taxation Cooperation Memorandum, signed at the fifth meeting of BRICS
Heads of Tax Authorities, is the bloc‘s first document that elevates taxation cooperation to the institutional
level. The authorities also agreed to cooperate on taxation information exchange, improve consultation
procedures efficiency, boost taxation capacities and plan paths for coordination of taxation policies and tax
collection. The meeting comes ahead of the 2017 BRICS Summit to be held in Fujian province‘s Xiamen city
from September 3 to 5.
Useful Info
BRICS – Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa
BRICS was established in 2006
NDB – The New Development Bank, formerly referred to as the BRICS Development Bank, is a multilateral
development bank established by the BRICS states.
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HQ - Shanghai, China
President - K. V. Kamath
Punjab National Bank (PNB) and Bajaj Allianz General Insurance have signed an agreement for the
distribution of insurance products
Punjab National Bank (PNB) and Bajaj Allianz General Insurance have signed an agreement for the
distribution of insurance products through the branches. Under this agreement, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance
will offer personal lines of insurance products such as health, personal accident, home, motor and travel along
with commercial line of insurance products such as property, marine and engineering insurance, etc to the
bank's customers.
Useful Info
PNB - Punjab National Bank
HQ – New Delhi
MD of Punjab National Bank - Sunill Mehta
Bajaj Allianz General Insurance HQ – Pune
CEO - Tapan Singhel
BSE joined hands with Egyptian Exchange (EGX) for cooperation in exchange of information across
business areas
Leading bourse BSE joined hands with Egyptian Exchange (EGX) for cooperation in exchange of information
across business areas. Through this MoU a range of opportunities has been explored for the development of
their businesses, products and markets to share knowledge and strengthen international connectivity.
Useful Info
BSE – Bombay Stock Exchange
HQ – Mumbai
MD & CEO of BSE - Ashishkumar Chauhan
EGX - Egyptian Exchange
Country – Egypt
Capital – Cairo
Currency - Egyptian Pound
Sri Lanka, China sign $1.5 billion Hambantota port deal
Sri Lanka‘s government signed an agreement to sell a 70% stake in a $1.5 billion Hambantota port to China in
a bid to recover from the heavy burden of repaying a Chinese loan obtained to build the facility. The deal
document was signed between the Sri Lanka Ports Authority and China Merchants Port Holding Co. in
Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Useful Info
Country – Sri Lanka
Capitals: Colombo, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
Currency: Sri Lankan rupee
President: Maithripala Sirisena
SCHEMES AND PROGRAMS
JIGYASA, a student- scientist connect program was jointly launched by CSIR & KVS in New Delhi
Jigyasa, a student- scientist connect program was officially launched in New Delhi recently. Council of
Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), has joined hands with KendriyaVidyalayaSangathan (KVS) to
implement this program. MoU signing ceremony was held in the presence of Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Minister of
Science & Technology and ShriPrakashJavadekar, Minister of HRD. The focus is on connecting school
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students and scientists so as to extend student‘s classroom learning with that of a very well planned research
laboratory based learning. ―JIGYASA‖ is one of the major initiative taken up by CSIR at the national level,
during its Platinum Jubilee Celebration Year.
Useful Info
Union Human Resource Development Minister – PrakashJavadekar
Constituency – Madhya Pradesh (Rajya Shaba)
President launches three digital initiatives over e-education
President Pranab Mukherjee has launched digital initiatives - Swayam, SwayamPrabha and National Academic
Depository - in New Delhi to push e-education in the country. The aim of the initiatives is to raise the Gross
Enrollment Ratio in the higher education from 24.5 to 30 by 2020. Massive Open Online Courses, Swayam
will host courses taught in classrooms from Class 9th to post-graduation, which can be accessed by anyone,
anywhere at any time. It will target those students who could not complete their studies and professionals who
wish to upgrade their knowledge. SwayamPrabha is the platform of 32 DTH channels devoted to telecasting
high-quality educational programmes 24X7 using GSAT-15 satellite. National Academic Depository will
facilitate online verification of certificates. All the courses are interactive and available free of cost.
Useful Info
DTH - Direct to Home
GSAT - Geosynchronous Satellites
First President of India – Dr. Rajendra Prasad
13th
President of India – PranabMukerjee
The government has started a story-telling contest named 'AadhaarHaiToAasaaniHai‟ to create awareness
about Aadhaar number
To create awareness about Aadhaar number, the government has started a story-telling contest named
'AadhaarHaiToAasaaniHai'. People willing to participate can send a 200-500 word-long story about Aadhaar
till August 8 midnight. The top five stories will be awarded Rs 20,000 each, while the next 20 stories will be
awarded Rs 5,000 each.
Vijay Goel and NitinGadkari flag off 10th 'Slum YuvaDaud' at Khichripur in New Delhi
Sports Minister Vijay Goel and Road Transport and Highways Minister NitinGadkari flagged off the 10th
Slum YuvaDaud at Khichripur in New Delhi. The Slum YuvaDaud is a part of the Adopt a Slum campaign of
the Sports Ministry and Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan.
Useful Info
Minister of state (independent charge) for sports – Vijay Goel
Constituency – Rajasthan, RajyaSabha
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways – NitinGadkari
Constituency – Nagpur
Union Territory – New Delhi
CM – ArvindKejriwal
Governor – Anil Baijal
Government has implemented the “SeekhoaurKamao” scheme
Government has implemented the ―SeekhoaurKamao‖ scheme which encourages the youth from minority
communities to learn employment skills. The Minority Affairs Ministry has sanctioned over 460 crore rupees
to cover more than two lakh seventeen thousand minority youth.
Useful Info
Minister of State (Independent charge) for Minority Affairs - Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi
Constituency – RajyaSabha, Uttar Pradesh
Arun Jaitley launches Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana pension scheme
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley formally launched Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY), a pension
scheme exclusively for senior citizens with 8% fixed rate of interest on their savings. Under this scheme, there
will be an assured return of 8 per cent over a tenure of 10 years. It can be purchased offline as well as online
through Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India which has been given the sole privilege to operate this
scheme.
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Useful Info
Union Finance Minister of India – Arun Jaitley
Constituency – Gujarat, Rajya Sabha
LIC - Life Insurance Corporation
HQ – Mumbai
Chairman of LIC - V K Sharma
Cabinet approves revision of guidelines of Sovereign Gold Bonds Scheme
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given approval for revision of
guidelines of Sovereign Gold Bonds (SGB) Scheme with a view to achieve its intended objectives.
Two sets of changes have been made in the scheme:
Specific changes have been made in the attributes of the scheme to make it more attractive, mobilise finances
as per the target and reduce the economic strains caused by imports of gold and reduce the Current Account
Deficit (CAD).
Flexibility has been given to Ministry of Finance to design and introduce variants of SGBs with different
interest rates and risk protection / pay-offs that would offer investment alternatives to different category of
investors. Ministry of Finance (the issuer) has been delegated this power to amend / add to the features of the
Scheme with approval of the Finance Minister to reduce the time lag between finalizing the attributes of a
particular tranche and its notification.
Following specific changes in the scheme have been approved:
The investment limit per fiscal year has been increased to 4 kg for individuals, 4 Kg for Hindu Undivided
Family (HUF) and 20 Kg for Trusts and similar entities notified by the Government from time to time.
The ceiling will be counted on Financial year basis and will include the SGBs purchased during the trading in
the secondary market.
The ceiling on investment will not include the holdings as collateral by Banks and Financial institutions.
SGBs will be available 'on tap‘. Based on the consultation with NSE, BSE, Banks and Department of Post,
features of product to emulate 'On Tap' sale would be finalised by Ministry of Finance.
Useful Info
NSE – National Stock Exchange of India Limited
HQ – Mumbai
CEO - J. Ravichandran
BSE – Bombay Stock Exchange
HQ – Mumbai
CEO - Ashish Chauhan
SUMMITS AND CONFERENCE
The 10TH India-Jordan Trade and Economic Joint Committee (TEJC) Meeting was held in New Delhi
The 10TH India-Jordan Trade and Economic Joint Committee (TEJC) Meeting was held in New Delhi under
the co-chairs of Smt. NirmalaSitharaman, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Commerce and Industry,
(India) and Mr. YarubQudah, Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply (Jordan). The two leaders also inked the
revised Economic and Trade Cooperation Agreement between India and Jordan, aiming at boosting and
diversifying bilateral trade relations, in addition to promote economic, trade and investment cooperation based
on the principle of equity, non-discrimination.
Useful Info
Country – Jordan
Capital – Amman
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Currency - Jordanian dinar
Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Commerce and Industry - NirmalaSitharaman
Constituency –Rajya Shaba Karnataka
India will host 8th edition of Theatre Olympics in 2018
India will host 8th edition of Theatre Olympics in 2018, the biggest theatre celebration of the world. The
greatest carnival will start from February 17-April 08, 2018. India is hosting this event for the first time.
Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma stated in New Delhi that the Theatre Olympics will put India firmly among
the top nations in the world theatre map. The Theatre Olympics will take place simultaneously in various cities
across the country. There will be five hundred plays and seven hundred ambiance performances from across the
world.
Useful Info
The first country to host the Theatre Olympics was Greece in 1995
The 7th Theatre Olympics were held in Wroclaw, Poland
The Telecom department has made GPS mandatory for all phones from January 1 2018
The Telecom department has made it mandatory for all phones, including feature phones, to install Global
Positioning System (GPS) from January 1, 2018. The order aims to ensure consumers' safety as GPS can help
locate them in emergency situations.
Useful Info
TRAI – Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
HQ – New Delhi
Chairperson – Ram Sewak Sharma
Secretary - Sudhir Gupta
India is going to host Global Conference on Cyber Space (GCCS) 2017 in New Delhi, November 2017
For the first time India is going to host Global Conference on Cyber Space (GCCS) 2017, the world‘s largest
conference on cyber space and related issues in New Delhi in November 2017. This is the 5th edition of the
conference. This is for the first time GCCS is taking place outside Organisation for Economic Co-operation
and Development (OECD) nations. Theme of GCCS 2017:‗Cyber4All : An Inclusive, Sustainable,
Developmental, Safe and Secure Cyberspace'.
MOBILE APPS AND WEB PORTALS:
Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has launched mAadhaar app for mobile
UIDAI, which issues Aadhaar numbers, has launched mAadhaar app for mobile users that will allow users to
carry unique identification profile on mobile. A user can download Aadhaar number profile through their
smartphones and will therefore not require hard copies of the card, wherever applicable. It allows users to carry
their Aadhaar demographic information, i.e. name, date of birth, gender, address and the photograph linked
with their Aadhaar number, on their smartphones.
Useful Info
UIDAI - Unique Identification Authority of India
Chairman of UIDAI (Part Time) - J Satyanarayana
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is a statutory authority established on 12 July 2016 by
the Government of India under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, under the provisions
of the Aadhaar Act 2016.
Union Government has launched the Mobile App for Road Maintenance “Aarambh”
Union Minister for Panchayati Raj, Rural Development, Drinking Water & Sanitation- ShriNarendra Singh
Tomarand Deputy Director General (Policy) of International Labour Organization (ILO) Ms. Deborah
Greenfield have launched the Mobile App for Road Maintenance ―Aarambh‖. This Mobile Phone App aims at
the use of GIS based mapping for making road inventories, condition surveys, and producing cost estimates
and other relevant data for preparation and monitoring of annual road maintenance plans. In addition, Tomar
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and Greenfield also launched a Concept Note and Guidance Note for Mobilizing Funds for Maintenance of
Rural Road. The Concept Note outlines innovative ways, which can be adopted by the State Governments for
mobilizing additional funds for road maintenance.
Useful Info
Union Minister for rural development, Panchayati raj, drinking water & Sanitation – Narendra Singh Tomar
Recently urban development ministry has been additionally handed to Narendra Singh Tomar.
Constituency – Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh
ILO - International Labour Organization
Headquarters of ILO - Geneva, Switzerland
Director-General of ILO - Guy Ryder
Microsoft has officially launched „Kaizala‟ app
Technology giant Microsoft has officially launched ‗Kaizala‘, a productivity app that has been designed to
enhance the collaboration and communication experience for Indian enterprises. The ‗Made for India‘ app is
designed for large group communications and work management and works even on 2G networks. The product
will make it possible for organizations to interact with people within the organization as well as outside like
partners and vendors in a seamless manner.
Useful Info
Microsoft HQ – Redmond, Washington, United States
CEO - SatyaNadella
Union Minister of Science & Technology Dr. Harshvardhan launched an app “India Quake”
Union Minister of Science & Technology, Earth Sciences and Environment, Forests & Climate Change, Dr.
Harshvardhan launched an app ―India Quake‖ for Earthquake Parameter Dissemination on the occasion of
Foundation Day of Ministry of Earth Sciences. The App will make information dissemination faster with no
restrictions on the number of recipients. Any citizen can download this App and get the real time earthquake
location information on his/her mobile.
Useful Info
Earthquake is measured by Seismograph
Earthquake unit of measurement – Richter Scale
Richter Scale was developed by a seismologist named Conrad Richter
Harshvardhan launched an app “SagarVani” on the occasion of Foundation Day of Ministry of Earth
Sciences
Minister of Science & Technology, Earth Sciences and Environment, Forests & Climate Change, Dr.
Harshvardhan launched an app ―SagarVani‖ on the occasion of Foundation Day of Ministry of Earth Sciences.
‗SagarVani‘ has been launched to disseminate ocean related information and alerts to the user community in
timely manner for their safety.
Useful Info
Union Minister of Science & Technology, Earth Sciences and Environment, Forests & Climate Change - Dr.
Harshvardhan
Constituency – ChandniChowk (Delhi)
Ministry of Earth Sciences foundation day is celebrated on 27th July of every year
Google has launched 'Hire', a recruiting app for small- and medium-sized businesses
Google has launched 'Hire', a recruiting app for small- and medium-sized businesses that also integrates
seamlessly with G Suite. It is an move to compete with Microsoft-owned LinkedIn. "Hire makes it easy to
identify talent, build strong candidate relationships and efficiently manage the interview process end-to-end".
Useful Info
Google HQ – Mountain View, California, United States
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CEO – Sundar Pichai
Centre has launched an app – GST Rates Finder to verify the accurate tax rate on commodity and services
under the GST
Centre has launched an app – GST Rates Finder to verify the accurate tax rate on commodity and services
under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley launched the app in New
Delhi. Through this app, user can determine GST rate by entering the name of the commodity or service. The
search result will list all the Goods and Services containing the name which was typed in the search box. A
taxpayer can search for applicable CGST, SGST, UTGST rate and Compensation Cess on a supply. This
mobile app can be downloaded on any smartphone and can work in offline mode, once downloaded.
Useful Info
CGST – Central GST
SGST – State GST
UTGST – Union Territory GST
IGST – Inter-state GST
GST council is headed by Finance Minister of India Mr. Arun Jaitley
First Country to introduce GST – France, 1954
DEFENCE NEWS
DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) missile successfully test-fired
The Defence Research and Development Organisation on Monday successfully test fired an indigenously
developed Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air-Missile (QRSAM). It was flight tested from the Integrated Test
Range in Chandipur, off Odisha Coast at 11.30 a.m. This is the second test of the QRSAM. It was tested for the
first time on June 4.
Useful Info
DRDO - Defence Research and Development Organisation
HQ – New Delhi
Secretary - Dr.S.Christopher
The Malabar naval exercise involving Indian, American and Japanese navies will start on July 10
The Malabar naval exercise involving Indian, American and Japanese navies will kick start on July 10 in the
Bay of Bengal. A sizeable number of aircraft, naval ships and nuclear submarines of the navies of the three
countries will be part of the annual exercise, considered a major war game in the region. The aim of the
Malabar exercise is to achieve deeper military ties and greater interoperability among the three navies in the
strategically-important Indo-Pacific region. India and the US have regularly conducted the annual exercise
since 1992.
Useful Info
Defence Minister of India – ArunJaitley
Chief Naval Officer of Indian Navy – Sunil Lamba
Pakistan has successfully test-fired short-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile 'Nasr'
Pakistan has successfully test-fired short-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile 'Nasr'. NASR is a high-
precision weapons system with the ability for quick deployment and a range of 70 kilometers, or 43.5 miles.
Pakistan Army has conducted a series of training launches and tests during the current week for validation of
new technical parameters of 'NASR' with an enhanced range of 60-70 kilometers and flight maneuverability.
Useful Info
Country – Pakistan
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Capital – Islamabad
Currency – Pakistani Rupee
Army chief of Pakistan is Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa
Chinese troops are headed to Djibouti to set up China's first overseas military base
Ships carrying Chinese troops are headed to Djibouti to set up China's first overseas military base in an effort
to enhance its global reach. The base will be used for peacekeeping and humanitarian aid in Africa and West
Asia, China said. However, India believes the base would become another of China's "string of pearls" of
military alliances and assets.
Useful Info
Country – Djibouti
Capital – Djibouti city
Currency – Djiboutian franc
The U.S. Navy recently tested the world's first-ever active laser weapons system
The U.S. Navy recently tested the world's first-ever active laser weapons system, which is now deployed and
ready for war. The system has special materials that release photons and at the speed of light, it silently hits an
object, burning it to a temperature of thousands of degrees. Each strike travels 50,000 times the speed of an
incoming intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). In the test, the system was able to destroy a drone in flight
and moving targets in the Persian Gulf. With its addition, USS Ponce becomes the first ship in the world to be
deployed with such an advanced weapons system.
Useful Info
Country – United States of America
Capital – Washington DC
Currency – US Dollar
President – Donald Trump
Vice President – Mike Pence
Chief of Naval Officer of US Navy - Admiral John Richardson
Australia and US jointly launched multimillion hypersonic missile – HIFiRE
The US and Australia have jointly test-fired a hypersonic missile capable of moving at a speed eight times
faster than sound as part of a $54-million research project. The test was part of a project called the Hypersonic
International Flight Research Experimentation Program (HIFiRE) involving the US and Australian militaries,
Queensland University, Australia‘s Defence Science and Technology Group. A hypersonic glider capable of
moving at a speed eight times faster than sound has launched from a rocket range in the town of Woomera,
South Australia.
Useful Info
Country – Australia
Capital – Canberra
Currency – Australian Dollar
PM - Malcolm Turnbull
Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba had begun an eight-day-long two-nation tour of Mozambique and
Tanzania
Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba had begun an eight-day-long two-nation tour of Mozambique and Tanzania
with an aim of exploring new avenues of bilateral defence cooperation. Admiral Lanba, who also heads the
powerful Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC), will visit first Mozambique. Later on his tour, Admiral Lanba
will begin his five-day-long visit to Tanzania on July 26. He is scheduled to meet President of Tanzania John
Magufuli, Defence Minister Hussein Mwinyi and other higher delegations. India and Mozambique have a Joint
Defence Working Group (JDWG) for defence and security cooperation.
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Useful Info
Country – Mozambique
Capital – Maputo
Currency – Metical
President of Mozambique - Filipe Nyusi
Country – Tanzania
Capital – Dodoma
Currency – Tanzanian Shilling
President of Tanzania - John Magufuli
US Navy commissioned world‟s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R Ford
US Navy commissioned world‘s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R Ford into the fleet. The commissioning
ceremony was held at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia in presence of US President Donald Trump. USS Gerald
R. Ford is the first ship in this new class of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers for the U.S. Navy. The ship is
named after the 38th President of the United States Gerald Ford and has been built by Newport News Ship
Building Company. The massive 1,106-foot-long carrier displaces a staggering 100,000 tons fully loaded and is
powered by two new generation nuclear reactors.
Useful Info
Country – United States of America
Capital – Washington D.C
Currency – US Dollar
President – Donald Trump
Vice President – Mike Pence
Chief of Naval Officer of US Navy - Admiral John Richardson
Sweden is going to hold its 'first and biggest' military exercise in over 20 years
Sweden is going to hold its 'first and biggest' military exercise in over 20 years, involving all of its military
branches as well as troops from several NATO countries. The drills are aimed at strengthening Sweden's
defence capabilities and creating a "credible and visible" deterrent to warn potential enemies against the risks
of attacking Sweden.
Useful Info
NATO – North Atlantic Treaty Organization, also called the North Atlantic Alliance
HQ - Brussels, Belgium
Country – Sweden
Capital – Stockholm
Currency - Swedish krona
China and Russia held their First Joint Naval Drill in the Baltic Sea
China and Russia held their First Joint Naval Drill in the Baltic Sea. This exercise involves anti-aircraft and
anti-ship defence measures coordinated from the Baltiysk base in Russia's Kaliningrad enclave.
Useful Info
Country – Russia
Capital – Moscow
Currency – Ruble
Baltic sea – The Baltic Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, enclosed by Scandinavia, Finland, the Baltic
countries, and the North European Plain.
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RANKING & INDEXES:
TERI ranked among world‟s top think tanks
The Energy Resources Institute (TERI) has been ranked as the second best climate think tank in the world. The
rankings were released by the International Center for Climate Governance, which focuses on the design of
climate policy and related governance issues.
Useful Info
TERI - The Energy Resources Institute
Director General - Dr. Ajay Mathur
India has ranked 132nd out of 152 countries in Commitment to Reducing Inequality Index
India has ranked 132nd out of 152 countries on the inaugural ―Commitment to Reducing Inequality Index‖
released by international NGO Oxfam in association with Developmental Finance International. Sweden led
the index while Nigeria remained the worst performer. Among India‘s neighboring countries, China‘s rank is
87; Pakistan fared worse than India at 146 while Bangladesh ranked at 148.
Useful Info
The top 5 countries in the list are
1). Sweden
2). Belgium
3). Denmark
4). Norway
5). Germany
Raipur Airport Ranked First in Customer Satisfaction Index Survey
Raipur‘s Swami Vivekananda Airport was once again ranked first in Customer Satisfaction among 49 airports
in the country.
Raipur Airport achieved 4.84 score on a five point scale index in the latest CSI survey conducted by an
independent agency for the period of January-June 2017, followed by Udaipur, Amritsar and Dehradun airports
which have scored 4.75, 4.74 and 4.73 respectively.
India ranks 116 out of 157 nations on SDG index
India is ranked 116 out of 157 nations on a global index that assesses the performance of countries towards
achieving the ambitious sustainable development goals (SDGs).
The SDG Index and Dashboards Report produced by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN)
and the Bertelsmann Stiftung shows that world leaders need to strengthen their joint efforts to realise the 17
global goals.
BILLS AND ACTS
The LokSabha has passed The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Bill,
2017
The LokSabha has passed The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Bill, 2017.
This Bill amends the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE), 2009 to extend the
deadline for teachers to acquire the prescribed minimum qualifications for appointment.
PM Narendra Modi-led cabinet cleared the New Wage Code Bill
PM Narendra Modi-led cabinet cleared the New Wage Code Bill which will ensure minimum wage to 4 crore
employees across all sectors. The new minimum wage norms would be applicable irrespective of the pay
whereas it's presently applicable to workers getting up to 18,000 rupees monthly.
BOOKS AND AUTHORS
PM releases photo book titled "President Pranab Mukherjee - A Statesman"
The Prime Minister NarendraModi has released a photo book titled "President Pranab Mukherjee - A
Statesman", at an event in RashtrapatiBhawan. He presented the first copy of the book to the President. The
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book is a comprehensive photographic record of India's 13th president. It covers Mukherjee's presidency and
documents his various roles, the statement said. Union ministers ArunJaitley, PrakashJavadekar and Vijay Goel
besides BJP veteran L K Advani were also present on the occasion.
Useful Info
1st president of India – Rajendra Prasad
1st prime minister of India – Jawaharlal Nehru
1st woman president of India – PratibhaPatil
1st woman Prime Minister of India – Indira Gandhi
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
China‟s new heavy-lift carrier rocket launch fails
China‘s ambitious space programme suffered a rare setback on Sunday as its new heavy-lift carrier rocket, the
Long March-5 Y2 failed to put the country‘s largest satellite into orbit. An anomaly occurred during the flight
of the rocket, which blasted off from the Wenchang Space Launch Centre in Hainan.
Useful Info
Country – China
Capital – Beijing
Currency – Renminbi – Yuan
President – Xi Jinping
Oracle picks Bengaluru for its first digital hub in Asia-Pacific
American tech giant Oracle has said it is opening its first digital hub in Asia Pacific, which will be based in
Bengaluru. The company, with annual revenue of more than $37 billion, said the hub would provide cloud
computing technology and resources to small and medium businesses to empower them in their digital
transformation.
Useful Info
Oracle Corporation - Oracle Corporation is a multinational computer technology corporation
HQ - Redwood Shores, California
Founder – Larry Ellison, Bob Miner, Ed oates
Adobe announced that it will stop updating and distributing Flash Player plug-in by the end of 2020
Adobe announced that it will stop updating and distributing Flash Player plug-in by the end of 2020. Flash
technology was once one of the most widely used ways to watch videos and play games online. In recent years,
browsers such as Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Safari have been deprecating Flash in favour of its
alternative HTML5.
Useful Info
Adobe - Adobe Systems Incorporated is an American multinational computer software company.
HQ - San Jose, California, United States
CEO - Shantanu Narayen
Facebook TV is set to launch online in mid-August
Facebook TV is set to launch online in mid-August. The social media giant has partnered with media
companies like Group Nine Media, BuzzFeed, ATTN, and Vox Media which would provide inexpensive, five
to 10-minute shows.
Useful Info
Facebook HQ – Menlo Park, California, United States
CEO - Mark Zuckerberg
Iran successfully launched its most advanced satellite-carrying rocket called „Simorgh‟ into space
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Iran successfully launched its most advanced satellite-carrying rocket called ‗Simorgh‘ into space. The launch
took place at the Imam Khomeini National Space Station in Semnan. The development marks a significant step
forward for the Islamic Republic's young space program. It also raises alarm among the nation‘s adversaries
who fear that the same technology could be used to produce long-range missiles. The U.S. State Department
has termed the launch as "provocative."
Useful Info
The rocket is capable of carrying a satellite weighing 250 kilograms (550 pounds)
Country – Iran
Capital – Tehran
Currency – Iranian rial
Breakthrough Starshot successfully launch world's smallest spacecraft “Sprites”
The smallest spacecraft ever launched are successfully travelling in low Earth orbit and communicating with
systems on Earth, scientists have announced. Known as ‗Sprites‘, the miniature satellites are just 3.5cm x
3.5cm and carry radios, sensors and computers, with each device powered by sunlight and weighing just four
grams.While nanosatellites known as CubeSats have previously been sent into space, such systems have a mass
thousands of times that of the Sprites, weighing more than 1kg.
Useful Info
Breakthrough Initiatives is a program founded in 2015 and funded by Yuri Milner.
Yuri Borisovich (Bentsionovich) Milner - Russian entrepreneur, venture capitalist and physicist. Milner is
Russia's most influential tech investor.
China produces gas from methane hydrate, also known as„flammable ice‟ under South China Sea (SCS)
According to the Land and Resources Ministry China has successfully produced natural gas from methane
hydrate, also known as ―flammable ice‖, in an experimental project in the South China Sea (SCS).Under the
experiment, a drilling platform had produced a total of 309,000 cubic meters of natural gas from gas hydrate in
60 days. China has achieved theoretical, technological, engineering and equipment innovations and has made a
historical breakthrough. The methane hydrate is highly flammable and energy-intensive fuel as one cubic meter
of the compound can releases about 164 cubic meters of natural gas.
Useful Info
Country – China
Capital –Beijing
Currency –Renminbi– Yuan
President – Xi Jinping
India has declared itself free from highly pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1 and H5N8)
India has declared itself free from highly pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1 and H5N8) after surveillance in
the states showed no evidence of its presence. It has been notified to the World Organization for Animal Health
(OIE). The surveillance was carried out throughout the country since completion of the operation including
culling, disinfection and clean-up and surveillance in the states showed no evidence of the presence of Avian
Influenza Virus. India had reported outbreaks of influenza at various epicenters in different states across the
country between October 2016 and February 2017.
Useful Info
WHO – World Health Organisation
HQ – Geneva, Switzerland
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SPORT NEWS
Badminton
R. Karan Rajan became the champion of the Guatemala badminton future series
R. Karan Rajan of Chennai beat Hamblers Heymard of Guatemala 21-19, 21-12 in the final to emerge the
champion of the Guatemala badminton future series. Karan earlier upset the top-seed Ruben Castellanos in the
semifinals. He has now become the first player from Tamil Nadu to win an International singles event.
Useful Info
Country – Guatemala
Capital – Guatemala city
Currency – Guatemalan quetzal
Football
Germany has won their maiden Confederation Cup Football title
Germany have lifted their maiden Confederation Cup Football title. In the final played at St Petersburg, the
four-time World Cup winners defeated Chile by a solitary goal. Lars Stindl put Germany ahead in the first half
against the run of play, and Germany then held on to the lead.
Useful Info
Country – Germany
Capital – Berlin
Currency – Euro
Chancellor – Angela Merkel
Krestovsky Stadium - Saint Petersburg, Russia
India expresses interest in hosting FIFA U-20 World Cup 2019:
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has submitted an expression of interest to host the Under-20 FIFA
World Cup in 2019. Preparing to organise October's FIFA Under-17 World Cup, AIFF president Praful Patel
has said that hosting the FIFA Under-20 World Cup would be the next "logical step for the development of
football in India".
India has moved four places up to the 96th position in the FIFA World Ranking
India has moved four places up to the 96th position in the FIFA World Ranking released recently. This is the
country‘s second-best ranking and its previous best was the 94th position in February 1996.
Useful Info
FIFA - Fédération Internationale de Football Association
HQ - Zürich, Switzerland
President - Gianni Infantino
Italian football legend Francesco Totti anounced his retirement
Italian football legend Francesco Totti anounced his retirement from football after spending his 25- year-long
playing career with Seria A club Roma
Useful Info
Country – Italy
Capital – Rome
Currency - Euro
FIFA have lifted their ban on the Sudan Football Association
World football's governing body FIFA lifted the ban on the Sudan Football Association (SFA) imposed on it
for the failure to abide by agreements mentioned in articles 14 and 19 of the FIFA statute. The SFA and its
member officials are now eligible to benefit from the FIFA development program, course or training.
Useful Info
FIFA Headquarters - Zürich, Switzerland
Motto – For the Game. For the World
President - Gianni Infantino
Country – Sudan
Capital – Khartoum
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Currency - Sudanese pound
Indonesia to host AFC U-19 championship 2018
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Competition Committee officially awarded Indonesia the hosting of
the AFC Under-19 championship 2018. The AFC U-19 championship is scheduled to be held from October 18
to November 4 of 2018.
Useful Info
AFC - Asian Football Confederation
Headquarters of AFC - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Country – Indonesia
Capital – Jakarta
Currency – Indonesian rupiah
Country - Malaysia
Capital – Kuala Lumpur
Currency – Malaysian ringgit
Cricket
Sarfraz Ahmed named Pakistan Test team's captain
Pakistan's limited-overs captain Sarfraz Ahmed has been named the side's Test captain by the Pakistan Cricket
Board on Tuesday. Sarfraz recently led the Pakistani cricket team to its maiden Champions Trophy title. The
30-year-old wicketkeeper will take over from Misbah-ul-Haq, who stepped down as the Test side's skipper
after Pakistan's series.
Virat Kohli broke Sachin Tendulkar‟s record
Indian captain Virat Kohli scored his 18th ODI hundred in run chases. With this he broke Sachin Tendulkar's
record and became the batsman with most number of hundreds in run chases in the history of One Day
Internationals.
Ravi Shastri has been appointed as the new head coach of Indian cricket team
Ravi Shastri has overcome Virender Sehwag to become Indian cricket team‘s new head coach. The
appointment was confirmed by Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Shastri will take charge from
India‘s upcoming three-Test series against Sri Lanka, starting July 26. Shastri, was chosen by the BCCI‘s
Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) that included former captains Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and
veteran batting star VVS Laxman. Zaheer Khan has been appointed as the bowling coach of Indian Cricket
Team.
Useful Info
Anil Kumble recently resigned from the post of Head Coach
New Head Coach – Ravi Shastri
Bowling Coach – Zaheer Khan
Batting Coach – Rahul Dravid
BCCI Chairman – Vinod Rai
Mithali Raj became the first women‟s player to reach 6000 ODI runs
Mithali Raj has been India‘s premier player ever since she made her debut in 1999. Her exploits in the
international stage in both Tests and ODIs have made her India‘s premier player. She created a world record by
smashing seven consecutive fifty-plus scores, making her the first woman player to achieve the feat. In the
crucial game against Australia, Mithali became the woman cricketer who has scored most runs in ODIs.
Mithali Raj became the first women‘s player to reach 6000 ODI runs. England‘s Charlotte Edwards was the
previous leading run-getter in ODIs with 5992 runs. 164 - Number of innings that has taken Mithali to achieve
this feat. She has 48 not-outs to her name, which is the most in women‘s cricket.
Useful Info
Present Indian Women‘s team Captain - Mithali Raj
Sri Lankan Cricket captain Angelo Mathews resigned
Following Angelo Mathews' resignation as Sri Lanka's captain from all three formats, the country's cricket
board has named: Dinesh Chandimal as the Side's Test captain. Upul Tharanga as the limited-overs captain.
BCCI has appointed Bharat Arun as Team India bowling coach
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Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has appointed Bharat Arun as the Indian Cricket team‘s bowling
coach. BCCI‘s acting Secretary Amitabh Chaudhary announced that the cricket body has also decided to retain
Sanjay Bangar as an assistant coach and R Sridhar as fielding coach till the 2019 ODI World Cup. The
confirmation of their appointment came after newly appointed Indian coach Ravi Shastri met the four-member
committee comprising of acting president CK Khanna, acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary, BCCI CEO Rahul
Johri and Committee of Administrators member Diana Edulji in Mumbai.
Useful Info
BCCI‘s acting Secretary - Amitabh Chaudhary
BCCI CEO –Rahul Johri
India lose to England by 9 runs in ICC Women's World Cup final 2017 at Lord‟s, London
Indian eves lost to England by a narrow margin of nine runs in the ICC Women's World Cup final at Lord's in
London. Chasing a target of 229, Indian middle-order collapsed like a pack of cards, being bowled out for 219
in 48.4 overs. Opener Poonam Raut was top scored with 86, while Harmanpreet Kaur contributed 51. Earlier,
Natalie Sciver's 51 and Sarah Taylor's 45 laid the foundation for England's decent total of 228 for 7. For
England, it was their fourth Women's World Cup.
Useful Info
Final Match between India & England
Final Match at Lord‘s, London
ENGW 228/7 (50.0 Overs)
INDW 219-all out (48.4 Overs)
England Team Captain - Heather Knight
Indian Team Captain - Mithali Raj
PLAYER OF THE MATCH - Anya Shrubsole (England)
PLAYER OF THE SERIES - Tammy Beaumont (England)
Winner – England
Runner – India
India skipper Mithali Raj was chosen as the captain of the ICC Women‟s World Cup 2017 team by the ICC
India skipper Mithali Raj was chosen as the captain of the ICC Women‘s World Cup 2017 team by the
International Cricket Council. The 34-year-old Indian was selected as captain after she led India to the final of
the just-concluded ICC Women‘s World Cup. Mithali led by example, scoring 409 runs during the 30- day
tournament. The side includes four players from England, three from South Africa, and Australia all-rounder
Ellyse Perry. Mithali has been picked in the Team of the Tournament for the second time in her career.
Useful Info
ICC - International Cricket Council
HQ – Dubai
President – Zaheer Abbas
CEO – Dave Richardson
Chairperson – Shashank Manohar
Rahul Dravid has extended his contract as the coach of the U-19 and „A‟ teams for a two year term.
Former India captain, Rahul Dravid, who has played a part in shaping the careers of India‘s junior teams from
2015 to 2017, has given his consent to continue as the coach of India under-19 and India ‗A‘ team for two more
years (2017-2019).
Snooker
India won the Asian snooker team championship at Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
India‘s leading cueist PankajAdvani teamed up with LaxmanRawat to demolishPakistan in the final of
theAsian Team Snooker championship.
Useful Info
Country – Kyrgyzstan
Capital –Bishkek
Currency – Som
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I H Manudevhas won the first National Masters snooker tournament title in Chennai
I H Manudevhas won the first National Masters snooker tournament title in Chennai. Alok Kumar, a former
national men‘s champion, had been in fine form coming into the summit clash but found Karnataka‘s Manudev
a tough proposition. Manudev capitalized on the chances he got and kept scoring heavily and won the game by
four impressive frames.
Athletics
Manpreet Kaur, Govindan Laxmanan win gold in Asian Athletics Championships
India‘s Manpreet Kaur claimed the gold medal in the women‘s shot put on the opening day of the Asian
Athletics Championships 2017 at the Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar, Odisha. Govindan Laxmanan emerged
triumphant in the men‘s 5,000 meters and has also won Gold Medal.
Useful Info
Kalinga Stadium – Bhubaneshwar
India has topped the medal tally for first time in Asian Athletics Championships history
India has topped the medal tally for the first time in the history of Asian Athletics Championships. In a
stunning show of dominance on the fourth and final day of competitions in Bhubaneshwar, India clinched five
gold, 1 silver, and 3 bronze. With that, the hosts ended the championships on top with a haul of 29 medals
which included 12 gold, 5 silver, and 12 bronze. India‘s earlier best came way back in the 1985 Jakarta edition
where they had won 22 medals. India pushed China to the second spot (20 Medals). China ended this edition
with a tally of 8 gold, 7 silver, 5 bronze. Kazakhstan finished third (8 Medals) with 4 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze
while Iran ended on fourth with 4 gold and 1 bronze.
Useful Info
22nd
Asian Athletics Championships, at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar, odisha
Mascot – olly (Olive Ridley sea turtle)
Flag bearer – Tintu Luka
Oath taken by – Sravani Nanda
Special performance by famous singer – Shankar Mahadevan
Total 45 nations, 655 participants
1st India‘s Total Medal – 29
2nd
China‘s Total Medal – 20
3rd
Kazakhstan Total Medal – 8
Amit Saroha won silver medal at the World Para Athletics Championships 2017
Former national-level hockey player Amit Saroha, who met with an accident in 2007, clinched the Silver medal
in the club throw event in the F-51 category at the World Para Athletics Championships.
Useful Info
World Para Athletics Championships 2017 venue – London
Karamjyoti Dalal has won bronze medal at the World Para Athletics Championships 2017
India‘s Karamjyoti Dalal has won bronze medal at the World Para Athletics Championships 2017 in the discus-
throw. In the women‘s F55 category of discus-throw, she managed a throw of 19.02 m. Earlier, Sundar Singh
Gurjar had opened India‘s account at the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships by winning gold medal in
the men‘s javelin throw event. Later, Amit Saroha won silver medal in the club throw event in the F-51
category.
Useful Info
World Para Athletics Championships 2017 – London
The first IPC Athletics World Championships were held in Berlin, Germany in 1994.
Ajay Singh has won the bronze medal in Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships at
Kathmandu
India‘s Ajay Singh has won the bronze medal in Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships at
Kathmandu, taking India‘s tally to three. Ajay got third place in 77 kgs men‘s junior category lifting 143 kgs in
snatch and 172 kgs in clean and jerk. S. Nirpupama Devi had won bronze in 69 kgs women youth category.
Konsam Ormila Devi had won gold in 44kg weight category on an opening day.
Useful Info
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Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships 2017 – Kathmandu
Country – Nepal
Capital – Kathmandu
Currency – Nepalese Rupee
Prime minister of Nepal - Sher Bahadur Deuba
President of Nepal – Bidhya Devi Bhandari
20-year-old CaelebDressel becomes first ever Swimmer to win three gold medals in one night at worlds
Championship
The 20-year-old CaelebDressel established himself as America‘s newest star of the pool recently, becoming the
first swimmer to win three gold medals on a single night at either the worlds or the Olympics. CaelebDressel
accomplished this feat at 2017 FINA World Aqatics Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Not even Phelps
managed such an audacious feat. Dressel raced three times over the course of about two hours — and won
every time.
Useful Info
FINA World Aqatics Championships 2017, Budapest, Hungary
Country – Hungary
Capital – Budapest
Currency – Hungarian Forint
CaelebDressel – American Swimmer
Michel Phelps – He is the world‘s best swimmer from USA
Britain‟s Adam Peaty broke the 50m breaststroke world record for the second time
Britain‘s Adam Peaty broke the 50m breaststroke world record for the second time in a day as he reached the
World Aquatics Championships final in Budapest, Hungary. In medal tally US topped with 39medals (17 Gold,
12 Silver and 10 Bronze).
Useful Info
World Aquatics Championships 2017 – Budapest, Hungary
Adam Peaty – British Swimmer
Squash Sport
Harinder Pal Sandhu won the South Australian Open squash title
India‘s Harinder Pal Sandhu has defeated Rhys Dowling of Australia to lift South Australian Open squash title.
Useful Info
Winner - Harinder Pal Sandhu (India)
Runner - Rhys Dowling (Australia)
Harinder Pal Sandhu beat Rhys Dowling of Australia in the final of South Australian Open squash title
India‘s Harinder Pal Sandhu beat Rhys Dowling of Australia in the final to lift South Australian Open squash
title. He mounted a comeback to win it on extra points.
Useful Info
Dipika Pallikal was the Champion of 2016 South Australian Open title
Harinder Pal Sandhu wins Victorian Open squash tournament held at Melbourne, Austraila
India's Harinder Pal Sandhu has won the second title in two weeks, beating top-seed Rex Hedrick of Australia
in a 77-minute final of Victorian Open squash, a PSA Tour event, in Melbourne, Austraila. Third-seeded
Sandhu had recently won the South Australian Open. In the Women‘s PSA W10 final, Hong Kong‘s Tsz-Ling
showed every bit of her undoubted class in a straight games victory over fourth seed, Amanda Landers-
Murphy.
Useful Info
Country – Australia
Capital – Canberra
Currency – Australian Dollar
PM - Malcolm Turnbull
Neel Joshi, Ananya Dabke win Dutch Open Junior Squash Championship
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Mumbais Neel Joshi and Ananya Dabke bagged the under-15 boys and girls titles respectively in the Dutch
Open Junior Squash Championship in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Useful Info
Country – Netherland
Capital – Amsterdam
Currency - Euro
Golf
Atthaya Thitikul, a 14-year-old amateur from Thailand has won on the Ladies European Tour
Atthaya Thitikul, a 14-year-old amateur from Thailand has won on the Ladies European Tour, supplanting
Lydia Ko as the youngest champion on the circuit. She clinched a two-stroke victory at the Ladies European
Thailand Championship at Phoenix Country Club in Pattaya. New Zealander Ko held the previous record as the
youngest winner on the tour, after claiming the 2013 New Zealand Open at the age of 15 years, nine months
and 17 days.
Useful Info
The Ladies European Tour is a professional golf tour for women. It was founded in 1978.
Country – Thailand
Capital – Bangkok
Currency - Thai baht
Indian golfer Diksha Dagar won a Silver medal in Deaflympics in Samsun, Turkey
Indian golfer Diksha Dagar won a Silver medal in the women's individual golf event at the Deaflympics in
Samsun, Turkey. Diksha is the only Indian golfer (Under-18) to be ranked in the top 500 worldwide.
Useful Info
Deaflympics 2017 – Samsun, Turkey
Country – Turkey
Capital – Ankara
Currency – Turkish Lira
Tennis
Roger Federer won a record eighth Wimbledon title
Roger Federer won a record eighth Wimbledon title and became the tournament‘s oldest champion with a
straight-sets victory over Marin Cilic. Federer claimed his 19th Grand Slam title beating Cilic 6-3, 6-1, 6-4.
The 36-year old Federer is also Wimbledon‘s oldest men‘s winner of the modern era, succeeding Arthur Ashe,
who was almost 32 when he won in 1976. This was his 11th Wimbledon final and 29th title at the majors. With
this victory, Federer also became the first player since Bjorn Borg in 1976 to win Wimbledon without dropping
a set in the entire tournament.
Useful Info
Roger Federer – Switzerland
Wimbledon - The Championships, Wimbledon, commonly known simply as Wimbledon, is the oldest tennis
tournament in the world, and is widely regarded as the most prestigious.
Founded – 1877
GarbineMuguruza of Spain won Wimbledon 2017
GarbineMuguruza of Spain came out with the spectacular performance as she defeated seven-time Grand Slam
Champion Venus Williams in straight sets to clinch her maiden Wimbledon title. The 14th-seeded Spaniard
defeated Williams 7-5, 6-0 in what eventually turned out to be a one-sided contest lasting one hour and 23
minutes on the Centre court.
Useful Info
Winner - GarbineMuguruza (Spain)
Runner – Venus Williams (USA)
Monthly GK and Current Affairs Capsule – July 2017
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131st edition of the Wimbledon Championships tennis tournament – Winners List
131st edition of the Wimbledon Championships tennis tournament took place at All England Lawn Tennis and
Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom from 3rd – 16th July 2017. It was played on grass
courts, organised by the All England Lawn Tennis Club and the International Tennis Federation and is part of
the ATP World Tour, the WTA Tour, the ITF Junior tour and the NEC Tour. Here is the complete list of all the
winners in different categories of Wimbledon 2017.
Category Winner Runners-up
Men‘s Singles Roger Federer (Switzerland) Marin Cilic (Croatia)
Women‘s
Singles Garbine Muguruza (Spain) Venus Williams (USA)
Men‘s Doubles Lukasz Kubot (Poland) & Marcelo Melo
(Brazil) Oliver Marach (Austria) & Mate Pavic (Croatia)
Women‘s
Doubles
Ekaterina Makarova (Russia) & Elena Vesnina
(Russia)
Monica Niculescu (Romania) & Chan Hao-ching
(Chinese)
Mixed Doubles Jamie Murray (UK) & Martina Hingis
(Switzerland)
Heather Watson (UK) & Henri Kontinen
(Finland)
Useful Info
Wimbledon - The Championships, Wimbledon, commonly known simply as Wimbledon, is the oldest tennis
tournament in the world, and is widely regarded as the most prestigious.
Founded – 1877
Boxing
AIBA has announced that India will host their first Men‟s World Championship in 2021
The International Boxing Association (AIBA) has announced that India will host their first Men‘s World
Championship in 2021. The announcement was made after a two-day executive committee meeting that was
held in Moscow. The AIBA Men‘s World Championships 2019 will be held in Russia city of Sochi. The 2018
Women‘s World Championships will also be held in New Delhi.
Useful Info
AIBA - The International Boxing Association, originally the Association Internationale de Boxe Amateur
and still referred to as the AIBA
HQ - Lausanne, Switzerland
President - Dr Wu Ching-kuo
Shiva Thapa and Manoj Kumarwon gold in Czech Republic tournament
Indian boxers have bagged a total of 8 medals at the 48th Grand Prix at Usti Nad Labem in Czech Republic.In
the tournament out of the eight, five were gold medals. The three other medals are two silver and one
bronze. The five gold medals for India were bagged by world championships bronze-medallist Shiva
Thapa(60kg), former Commonwealth Games gold-medallistManoj Kumar(69kg), AmitPhangal,
GauravBidhuri(52kg) and Satish Kumar(+91kg).The two boxers who finished with silver medals were
KavinderBisht in the 52kg category and Manish Panwar in the 81kg category.SumitSangwan has awarded
bronze medal at 91 kg.
Useful Info
Country - Czech Republic
Capital –Prague
Currency –Czech koruna
Boxer Sachin Siwach wins Gold at Commonwealth Youth Games
World Youth Champion Sachin Siwach clinched a gold medal at the Commonwealth Youth Games, Bahamas
after defeating Welsh boxer James Nathan Prober 4-1 in the final. Siwach, who won gold last year, was the
only one of the 103 boxers to have clinched a gold so far in the tournament, taking place in Bahamas. He had
stormed into the finals after defeating SA Kuse 5-0. The World Youth Champion was also the flag bearer of
India for the tournament.
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Useful Info
Commonwealth Youth Games 2017 – Bahamas
Country – Bahamas
Capital – Nassau
Currency - Bahamian dollar
Other Sport News
Virender Sehwag and P T Usha named in 12-member Committee to pick this year's Khel Ratna and
ArjunaAwardees
Virender Sehwag and P T Usha named in 12-member Committee which has been handed the job to pick this
year's Khel Ratna and ArjunaAwardees.
Useful Info
P T Usha - Pilavullakandi Thekkeparambil Usha, popularly known as P. T. Usha, is a retired Indian track and
field athlete.
Virender Sehwag – Former Indian Cricket Player
In early 2004, he became the only Indian to score a triple century in Test cricket, with 309 against Pakistan in
the First Test in Multan, beating V. V. S. Laxman's previous Indian record (281 against Australia)
―Sultan of Multan‖ is one of the nick name of Virender Sehwag
Kamal Haasan to be brand ambassador of Tamil Thalaivas
Tamil film actor Kamal Haasan has been appointed brand icon of Pro Kabaddi League franchise Tamil
Thalaivas, co-owned by India batting legend Sachin Tendulkar.
Useful Info
The winner of the Pro Kabaddi League 2016 was Patna Pirates.
Valtteri Bottas won the Austrian Grand Prix
Valtteri Bottas won the Austrian Grand Prix for Mercedes on Sunday with Ferrari‘s Sebastian Vettel finishing a
mere 0.6 of a second.
Useful Info
Valtteri Bottas – Russian Formula 1 driver
He drives for Mercedes
His first victory – Russian Grand Prix 2017
Mercedes‟ Lewis Hamilton won the British Grand Prix for the fifth time
Mercedes‘ Lewis Hamilton won the British Grand Prix for the fifth time – matching the record of Jim Clark
and Alain Prost to cut Sebastian Vettel‘s championship lead to just a single point. They allowed ValtteriBottas
to grab second from KimiRaikkonen to secure a Mercedes one-two, as Vettel trailed home seventh.
Useful Info
Lewis Hamilton – British Formula 1 Driver
He Drives for Mercedes
OBITUARY
Former ambassador to U.S. Naresh Chandra dies
Former Indian Ambassador to U.S., and Padma Vibhushan awardee, Naresh Chandra (82) died at Manipal
hospital at Dona Paula near Panaji on Sunday night due to multiple organ failure.
Useful Info
Present Indian Ambassador to U.S - Navtej Sarna
India's noted cartoonist Mangesh Tendulkar passed away
Mangesh Tendulkar (83), a regular contributor to various magazines and newspapers, was spreading awareness
about traffic issues through his cartoons for the last several years and some of his works were also used by the
city's traffic department.
Useful Info
Mangesh Tendulkar was born in Kolhapur
Monthly GK and Current Affairs Capsule – July 2017
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China‟s most famous political prisoner, the Nobel laureate and democracy icon Liu Xiaobo, has died
China‘s most famous political prisoner, the Nobel laureate and democracy icon Liu Xiaobo, has died at the age
of 61. Liu was awarded the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental
human rights in China. The Chinese intellectual and activist is the first Nobel Peace Prize winner to die in
custody since German pacifist Carl von Ossietzky, the 1935 recipient, who died under surveillance after years
confined to Nazi concentration camps.
Useful Info
Country – China
Capital – Beijing
Currency – Renminbi – Yuan
President – Xi Jinping
Nobel Prize - The Nobel Prize is a set of annual international awards bestowed in several categories by
Swedish and Norwegian institutions in recognition of academic, cultural or scientific advances. First Nobel
prize was awarded in 1901.
Former Sikkim CM Nar BahadurBhandari passes away
Nar BahadurBhandari, one of the longest-serving chief ministers of Sikkim has died recently. Mr. Bhandari, a
three-term former Chief Minister was 77 years old. He became the Chief Minister of Sikkim for the first time
in 1979 on a JanataParishad ticket and then again in 1984 and 1989 on a Sikkim SangramParishad ticket. The
founder of the SSP, Mr. Bhandari remained its President till his death.
Useful Info
State – Sikkim
Capital – Gangtok
CM – Pawan Kumar Chamling
Governor - ShriniwasPatil
MoU between Indian Army and DRDO to raise MRSAM defence system
The Indian Army has signed MoU with Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to raise one
regiment of the advanced Medium Range Surface to Air Missiles (MRSAM) defence system. The MRSAM is
an advanced, all weather, mobile, land-based air defence system. It can shoot down enemy ballistic missiles,
aircraft, helicopters, drones, surveillance aircraft and AWACS aircraft. It is capable of engaging multiple aerial
targets at ranges of more than 50 km. The system will be jointly developed by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI)
and DRDO with the involvement of DPSUs and private sectors.
Useful Info
DRDO – Defence Research and Development Organisation
HQ – New Delhi
Secretary – Dr.S.Christopher
Chief of Indian Army - General Bipin Rawat
Indian Navy‟s second LCU Mark IV L52 ship was formally launched in Kolkata, West Bengal
Indian Navy‘s second LCU Mark IV L52 ship was formally launched in Kolkata, West Bengal. The LCU
Mark-IV vessels are designed for multipurpose amphibious operations jointly carried out Indian Navy and
Indian Army to ensure maritime security of Andamans and Lakshadweep islands. LCU L52 ship is the second
in series of the eight Mark IV LCU vessels built by GRSE for Navy.
Useful Info
State – West Bengal
Capital – Kolkata
CM – Mamata Banerjee
Governor – Kesari Nath Tripathi
The first ship of the series was commissioned in 2016.
LCU - Landing Craft Utility
American rock band Linkin Park's lead vocalist Chester Bennington (41) died by committing suicide.
Former ISRO Chairman Udupi Ramachandra Rao passed away
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Eminent space scientist and former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman Udupi Ramachandra
Rao passed away due to age related ailments. He was 85. He was currently serving as the chairman of the
governing council of the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad and the chancellor of the Indian institute
of science and technology in Thiruvananthapuram. Rao served as the chairman of ISRO for 10 years from
1984-1994.
Useful Info
ISRO - Indian Space Research Organisation
HQ – Bengaluru
Present Chairman - A. S. Kiran Kumar
Rao was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1976 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2017 for his contribution to Indian
space technology.
N. Dharam Singh, former Chief Minister of Karnataka, passed away
N. Dharam Singh, former Chief Minister of Karnataka, passed away following a heart attack. He was 80. He
was the 17th Chief Minister of the state. He headed the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) coalition government
from May 2004 to February 2006. Dharam Singh represented the Karnataka Legislative Assembly seven times
without a defeat and was a member of the Lok Sabha from Bidar constituency once (2009).
Useful Info
State – Karnataka
Capital – Bengaluru
CM – Siddaramaiah
Governor - Vajubhai Vala
Bollywood actor Inder Kumar passes away
Bollywood actor Inder Kumar passed away recently. He was 44. Inder Kumar suffered a heart attack at his
residence in Andheri‘s Four Bungalows. He has worked in more than 20 films. He also shared the screen space
with Salman Khan in Wanted and Tumko Na Bhool Paayenge among others.
Freedom fighter K.E. Mammen passed away
Freedom fighter K.E. Mammen (96), who had participated in the Quit India Movement, passed away. He was a
pacifist and adherent follower of Mahatma Gandhi
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