CURRENT AFFAIRS 15th January’15 – 20th January’15 CURRENT AFFAIRS 15th January’15 1) What is the name of the world’s newest jetliner that took to the skies on 15 January 2015 carrying its first paying passengers from Qatar? – Airbus A350 Explanation: The first A350 Airbus departed from the Qatari capital Doha to Frankfurt, Germany on 15 January to mark the debut flight of this relatively lightweight, twin-aisle, long-range plane, which promises to connect smaller cities with major aviation hubs nonstop at a cheaper cost for airlines. The A350 is the third and final major new aircraft in a decade. First there was the double-decker Airbus A380, which debuted in October 2007. It’s the world’s largest passenger jet, designed to carry up to 525 passengers between some of the largest cities on the planet. Then came the lightweight Boeing 787, which carried its first passengers in October 2011. It led to new nonstop flights between cities that previously didn’t have enough passengers to merit such service. The A350’s lightweight design allows it to burn significantly less fuel than other jets of similar size. ________________________________________ 2) In a surprising move the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 15 January 2015 cut its repo interest rate by 25 basis points making its first reduction in a year. What is the new repo rate after this cut? – 7.75% Explanation: Repo rate is the level at which RBI lends to commercial banks. RBI cited lower-than-expected inflation, weak crude prices and weak demand as the reasons for its move, as well as the government’s commitment to sticking to a fiscal deficit target. The RBI had been under pressure from government and business leaders to reduce repo rate to increase lending and help kickstart the economy, but RBI governor Raghuram Rajan insisted that his priority was bringing inflation under control. India’s wholesale price index (WPI) for December 2014 rose just 0.11% year-on-year, after staying flat in November 2014. ________________________________________ 3) Who took over as the new Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 14 January 2015? – Alur Seelin Kiran Kumar (A.S. Kiran Kumar) Explanation: 62-year old A.S. Kiran Kumar became the 8th Chairman of ISRO. He also took over as Secretary Department of Space and Chairman of the Space Commission. Credited with the development of important imaging payloads and the country’s Earth observation spacecraft, Kiran Kumar inherited a 54-year-old organisation that is struggling to surmount old twin issues – those of self-reliance in satellite transponder capacity and launch capability that enables its GSLV rockets to lift our communication satellites. It is worth mentioning that his predecessor K. Radhakrishnan had retired as the ISRO Chairman on 31 December 2014. Shailesh Nayak (Secretary, Union Earth Sciences Ministry) had taken the interim charge of ISRO for around a fortnight. ________________________________________ 4) In an important development for India’s insurance industry, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 15 January 2015 gave what three major permissions to country’s bank with regard to their participation in insurance business? The banks have been allowed to act as brokers for insurers wherein they may undertake insurance agency or broking business departmentally and/or through subsidiary The banks have also been allowed to set up subsidiaries and joint venture companies for undertaking insurance business with risk participation The Banks have also been allowed to act as corporate agents without seeking prior approval from the RBI Explanation: Under existing “Bancassurance” guidelines, a bank can act as a corporate agent and sell policy of only one life insurer and one non-life insurance company. The new guidelines allow banks to act as brokers permitting them to sell insurance policies of different insurance companies. However, banks would have to comply with IRDA guidelines wherever applicable. This RBI announcement is expected to increase insurance penetration in the country. ________________________________________ 5) Which Northeastern state of India on 15 January 2015 officially lifted prohibition ending almost two decades of prohibition in the state? – Mizoram Explanation: Prohibition in Mizoram was lifted after the Mizoram Liquor (Prohibition and Control) Act 2014 was enforced in the state on 15 January. It replaced the Mizoram Liquor Total Prohibition Act of 1995, through which prohibition was imposed in the state in 1995. Prohibition has been revoked as the state government is of the view that total prohibition did more harm than good to the people of the state as many people died due to consumption of spurious liquor. However, the new law still provides for strict punishment for drunken driving, drinking without permit and causing public nuisance. ________________________________________ 6) Microsoft suspended the support for its highly popular Windows 7 operating system on 14 January 2015, which according to some industry estimates runs almost half of the personal computers globally. When Windows 7 was launched? – October 2009 Explanation: The general availability of Windows 7 was made on 22 October 2009. It was intended to address criticisms faced by its predecessor, Windows Vista. The company suspended “mainstream support” of Windows 7 on 14 January, meaning neither new features nor free help will be given to Windows 7 users. The company will continue to patch security vulnerabilities until 2020. ________________________________________ 7) Kalanithi Maran, the promoter of the beleaguered airline SpiceJet, would transfer his entire stake in the carrier to one of the original founders of airline, who had founded this airline in 2005. This announcement was made by the airline on 15 January 2015. What is the name of this promoter? – Ajay Singh Explanation: As part of plan to revive the airline, proposal of the principal shareholder and promoter, Kalanithi Maran and KAL Airways Pvt Ltd, to transfer the ownership, management and control of the no-frills airline to Ajay Singh was approved by the SpiceJet board at its meeting on 15 January. Maran and KAL Airways hold 53.48% stake in the BSE-listed SpiceJet. Retail investors hold 45.69% of the company that has a total market value of Rs. 1,000 crore. SpiceJet, which has been going through a turbulent patch, has been looking to infuse fresh capital as part of efforts to revive its sagging fortunes. ________________________________________ 8) 67th Army day was observed today (15th January) across the nation. The day is celebrated to commemorate the day when Lieutenant General K M Cariappa became the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army post Independence on 15 January 1949. He had succeeded General Sir Francis Butcher, the last British Commander-in-Chief of India. ________________________________________ 9) Former IPS officer Kiran Bedi joined BJP in presence of Party President Amit Shah, Union Ministers Arun Jaitley and Dr. Harshvardhan in New Delhi today and will contest upcoming Delhi Assembly polls. Ms Bedi had been associated with Aam Admi Party convenor Arvind Kejriwal during the anti-corruption movement but refused to join his political party. She said, “I am very grateful to PM for reposing his faith in me.” She also said “I’m here today because of his (Modi’s) inspirational leadership. His inspirational leadership has led to revival of hope, that’s why a person like me who dedicated life to social service is here today”. She also promised to make New Delhi corruption free if BJP comes to power. ________________________________________ 10) Anupam Shrivastava has been appointed as the new Chairman and Managing Director of state run telecom company Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC). He will take charge from BSNL’s Director Enterprises A N Rai who is currently handling the additional charge of CMD. ________________________________________ 11) Union Minister of State for Parliamentary and Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi was sentenced to a one-year jail term by a local court yesterday. He and 19 others were convicted for breaching prohibitory orders in the run-up to the 2009 Lok Sabha election. Section 144 was imposed in Rampur when local BJP workers staged a protest after the arrest of the BJP district president in 2009. Over 200 people were named in the charge sheet. ________________________________________ CURRENT AFFAIRS 16th January’15 1) India’s first CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) based train was flagged-off by the Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on 15 January 2015 from which station? – Rewari (Haryana) Explanation: Country’s first CNG-based train was launched on Rewari-Rohtak and Rewari to Bikaner section by the Railway Minister. These trains based on the dual fuel system, diesel and CNG, and will reduce greenhouse gas emission and consumption of diesel. The Indian railway plans to start more such trains on other routes in due course to reduce diesel consumption. ________________________________________ 2) Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) chairperson Leela Samson on 15 January 2015 tendered her resignation amidst controversy of a film featuring Dera Saccha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the lead role being cleared by the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT). What is the name of this controversial film that was earlier rejected clearance for public screening by the CBFC? – “MSG – The Messenger of God” Explanation: The CBFC had refused to clear the film for public screening following which it was referred to the appellate tribunal (FCAT). Later some media reports suggested that FCAT had cleared this film. Samson’s three ¬year term had ended in April 2014 but had been continuing with the charge in the absence of a fresh appointment by the Modi Government. She cited “interference, coercion and corruption of panel members and officers” appointed in the CBFC by the Union Information & Broadcasting Ministry as the reasons for her resignation. Later on 16 January another CBFC member Ira Bhaskar also put in her papers. Leela Samson is a renowned Bharatnatyam dancer. ________________________________________ 3) What is the name of the seed trust that was set up by the Union Government during January 2015 to promote more exploration of non-coal minerals and meet the growing needs of the domestic steel, aluminium, copper and other utilities? – National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET) Explanation: The National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET) was set up with a corpus of Rs. 500 crore to begin with. The establishment of NMET was announced through the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2015 that was promulgated by the government during January 2015. As per the ordinance, holders of mining leases or prospecting-cum-mining leases would pay to the NMET a sum equivalent to 2% of the royalty they pay to the government. The trust would utilise the money for fresh exploration. In effect, it would function similarly to the state-run Geological Survey of India (GSI) or its junior counterpart Mineral Exploration Corporation Limited (MECL). ________________________________________ 4) Which IT company during January 2015 announced setting up of the ‘Innovate in India Fund’ worth US $250 million that will be used for investments in promising new Indian companies? – Infosys Explanation: Vishal Sikka, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Infosys, announced establishment of ‘Innovate in India Fund’ during his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 14 January 2015. The Fund will be used to invest in young companies innovating in next-generation solutions and technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), automation, pervasive connectedness as well as collaboration and design technologies. ________________________________________ 5) What is the name of a controversial book on Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s life by Spanish author Javier Moro that was unofficially banned in India for almost last 7 years and has been released recently? – “The Red Saree” Explanation: The book, first released in Spain seven years ago, was not available in India as no publisher invested in its English translation, apparently reluctant to take on the Congress, which was in power for 10 years till May 2014. Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi had threatened a lawsuit against the author Moro. ________________________________________ 6) What is the name of the former director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) who resigned from the post of member of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) during January 2015? – Amar Pratap Singh (A.P. Singh) Explanation: A.P. Singh was the Director of CBI from 2010 to 2012 and he was appointed as a member of the UPSC in 2013. He resigned four years before the completion of his term and his resignation was accepted by the President on 14 January 2015. No clear reason for his resignation was known but some sources close to him felt that he resigned in response to a CBI court’s recent verdict on the fake encounter case against BJP president Amit Shah. ________________________________________ 7) Indian open water swimmer Bhakti Sharma came to news during January 2015 for what reason? – She set a world record by swimming 1.4 miles in 52 minutes in one degree temperature at Antarctic Ocean Explanation: Bhakti Sharma bettered the earlier record of British open water swimmer Lewis Pugh and American swimmer Lynne Cox. She is now the youngest in the world and the first Asian girl to have achieved this feat. She has been pursuing open water swimming for the last 10 years. She has now conquered all the five oceans of the world. ________________________________________ 8) During January 2015 which bullion company was slapped Rs. 100 crore fine by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) for violation of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) norms? – Riddhi Siddhi Bullion Limited (RSBL) Explanation: Mumbai-based RSBL RSBL had imported 550 kg of gold during 2014. According to a RBI circular, this entire quantity should have been re-exported. However, it had shipped back only 350 kg and the remaining 200 kg were supplied to the domestic market, violating NAC norms and the RBI circular. DGFT also cancelled its nominated agency certificate (NAC) for this violation. NAC is the mandatory document for direct import of precious metals. ________________________________________ 9) What is the name of the new book written by Congress leader and former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor that was released on 15 January 2015? – ‘India Shastra: Reflections on the Nation in Our Time‘ Explanation: According to the author (Tharoor), the book is a portrait of under-transformation contemporary India. It contains 99 essays on various contemporary subjects. Tharoor had been a best-selling author who had switched over to politics after he joined Congress in 2009 from being a top diplomat in the United Nations (UN). ________________________________________ 10) Tourism in Switzerland suddenly became expensive from 16 January 2015. What was the reason for this? – Swiss central bank decided to scrap a cap on the Swiss franc that pushed the currency up nearly 30% Explanation: Swiss National Bank (SNB), the central bank of Switzerland on 16 January 2015 took the decision to allow the franc to surge. This resulted in around 30% appreciation in its value. This appreciation thus made all utilities and services in the country expensive and it included tourism. Tourism contributes 3% of Swiss GDP and hotels and restaurants employ 5% of the labour force. The price of a six-day ski pass in Verbier, a Swiss resort popular with the Europeans, rose to 347 euros on 16 January , from 296 before the franc’s surge. There were reports of some cancellations in Switzerland as visitors rushed to rearrange their plans for the busy winter season. ________________________________________ 11) Pakistan plans to ban 10 terror outfits, including 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed-led Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and Haqqani Network after the deadly Peshawar school massacre by the Taliban recently. The move came a day after the US declared chief of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Mullah Fazlullah as a Global Terrorist. This will be a significant step by Pakistan if implemented. ________________________________________ 12) Former Australia fast bowler Brett Lee announced retirement from all forms of cricket today following the conclusion of the Big Bash League (BBL). With this, his glorius 20 years long career came to an end. He quit from international cricket in July 2012, but has continued to play Twenty20 cricket for Sydney Sixers at the domestic level in the BBL and the Indian Premier League. He is also Australia’s joint highest wicket-taker of 380 wickets in one-day internationals along with Glenn McGrath. He also picked up 310 wickets in 76 Tests. ________________________________________ CURRENT AFFAIRS 17th January’15 1) In an important development for Indian defence and aerospace sector, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) handed over the first indigenously manufactured Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) to Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and Air chief Marshal Anup Raha at Bengaluru on 17 January 2015. The LCA project was approved by the Government of India in which year? – 1983 Explanation: The ambitious LCA project was approved by the Union Government in August 1983 to replace the aging MiG-21 aircrafts. The initial cost of this project was Rs. 560 crore. However, it took almost 18 years for the first prototype of LCA to be tested in January 2001. It was named ‘Tejas’ by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The development of the production series of LCA took more time and the first aircraft Tejas Series Production-1 (LCA-SP1) was flown on 1 October 2014 by Commodore (retd) K A Muthanna. The aircraft that has been handed over has got Initial Operational Clearance-II, which signifies that Tejas is airworthy in different conditions. The Final Operational Clearance (FOC) is expected by the year end. The first operational squadron of Tejas is expected to be established by year 2017-18. One such aircraft is expected to cost between Rs. 220 crore to Rs. 250 crore. The entire project by the DRDO and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is estimated to cost over Rs. 30,000 crore. ________________________________________ 2) Union Government on 16 January 2015 approved raising the quarterly buffer stock and strategic reserve limits of Food Corporation of India (FCI) for both wheat and rice. A change in FCI’s buffer stock is being done for the first time since which year? – 2005 Explanation: In the revised norms, FCI has to maintain a stock of 41.12 metric tonnes (mt) in the second quarter as on 1 July, instead of the earlier limit of 31.9 mt. And, 30.77 mt should be kept in the third quarter as on 1 October, against previous norm of 21.2 mt. A marginally lower 21.04 mt is to be maintained in the first quarter as on April 1, as against 21.2 mt now. Similarly, 21.41 mt to be kept in the financial year’s last quarter as on 1 January, as against 25 mt. The buffer stocks and strategic reserve norms stipulate the amount to be held at the start of each quarter in a financial year, to efficiently run social welfare programmes like the Public Distribution System (PDS). However, due to bumper foodgrain harvest and an open-ended purchase system, it usually stores much more than stipulated by the buffer norms. The revision is also aimed at meeting World Trade Organization (WTO) obligations that governments must not store foodgrain much in excess of requirement. The annual foodgrain requirement under the new food security law is estimated to rise to 61.4 mt, as against the current 54-56 mt. The previous government had also tried raising the buffer norm but could not get cabinet approval because it was already holding much more than needed for the PDS. ________________________________________ 3) Two US agencies NASA and NOAA on 16 January 2015 disclosed that year 2014 was Earth’s hottest on record. They also gave evidences to substantiate that people are disrupting the climate by burning fossil fuels that release greenhouse gases into the air. Which was the hottest year till 2014? – Year 2010 Explanation: U.S. space agency NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), also came out with evidences to suggest that climate change was happening now and that action was needed to cut rising world greenhouse gas emissions. The 10 warmest years since records began in the 19th century have all been since 1997, the data showed. Last year was the warmest, ahead of 2010, undermining claims by some skeptics that global warming has stopped in recent years. Record temperatures in 2014 were spread around the globe, including most of Europe stretching into northern Africa, the western United States, far eastern Russia into western Alaska, parts of interior South America, parts of eastern and western coastal Australia and elsewhere. ________________________________________ 4) Biopic movie ‘The Theory of Everything’, which was released in India on 16 January 2015, is based on the life of which renowned international physicist? – Stephen Hawking Explanation: ‘The Theory of Everything’ was released in Indian theatres by Universal Pictures India on 16 January. This film is based on the life of Stephen Hawking, the iconic physicist, and is based on a book on him written by his ex-wife Jane Hawking. It features Hawking’s romance with Jane and his struggle to live with motor neuron disease. The film is one of the front-runners for the Oscar nominations. ________________________________________ 5) The first of its kind 3-day Tribal Food Festival-2015 was inaugurated on 16 January 2015. This festival is being organised in which city? – Delhi Explanation: This unique festival is organised by the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Limited (TRIFED) on behalf of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Govt. of India at Rajiv Gandhi Handicrafts Bhawan, New Delhi. The main objective of organizing this unique event is to introduce and create awareness on the varieties of ethnic Tribal Foods to the food lovers of Delhi with a view to providing additional source of income to the tribals. Tribal master cooks are participating in the food festival with their ethnic traditional delectable cuisines from all over the country. ________________________________________ 6) Former Aam Aadmi Party leader Shazia Ilmi joined BJP today evening after former IPS officer Kiran Bedi. After formally joining BJP said that she is not in favour of contesting in upcoming assembly election in Delhi, but she will follow orders of the party. She had quit AAP in May 2014 blaming lack of internal democracy in the party. ________________________________________ 7) Haryana government has appointed Yoga guru Ramdev as its brand ambassador as it plans to promote yoga and ayurveda aggressively. Haryana’s minister of sports and health Anil Vij announced to develop a herbal forest on thousands of acres of land in the state where 25 thousand species of ayurvedic herbs would be grown under the supervision of the yoga guru and his close aide Balkrishna. ________________________________________ 8) Censor Board Chief Leela Samson has quit as the chief of India’s Censor board today citing interference and corruption of panel members appointed in the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) by the Union Information & Broadcasting Ministry. She has quit amid reports that the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) had cleared the release of the film MSG – The Messenger of God featuring Dera Saccha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the lead role. ________________________________________ 9) India’s leading IT Services Company Wipro has appointed Senior VP (Finance) Jatin Dalal as the new Chief Financial Officer effective from 1st April 2015. He will succeed current CFO Suresh Senapaty who will retire after attaining the age of superannuation. ________________________________________ 10)UK’s Stephen Constantine has been appointed as the head coach of Indian men’s football team today. With this he will return as the head coach of Indian football team for the second time once he will take charge from next month. He will also be the coach of the India Under-23 national team. Earlier he was was Indian football team coach from 2002 till 2005, during which the national team won the LG Cup in Vietnam and finished runners-up in the Afro Asian Games. ________________________________________ CURRENT AFFAIRS 18th January’15 1) Which bank was ranked at highest place among Indian banks in the list of the Top 50 Most Valued Global Banks (in terms of market capitalization) that was released by Bloomberg on 17 January 2015? – HDFC Bank Explanation: HDFC Bank, which is India’s second-largest private bank (in terms of asset size), was ranked at 45th place in Bloomberg’s List of Top 50 Most Valued Global Banks of 2015. The bank was assigned 45th rank in the list with total market capitalization of $39 billion. State-run State Bank of India (SBI), with market capitalization of $38 billion, followed HDFC Bank with 46th place in this elite list. ICICI Bank, ranked 53rd, was the only other Indian entity to figure in the list of the 100 Most Valued Global Banks. Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) topped the list with a market capitalization of $285 billion, over seven times that of HDFC Bank. Chinese banks dominate the list of the top 10 global banks, with Bank of China ($212 billion), China Construction Bank ($208.1 billion) and Agricultural Bank of China ($202 billion) also figuring in the list. Wells Fargo ($263 billion) and JP Morgan Chase ($205 billion) are other major global banks, ranked second and fifth, respectively. The market capitalization, or value, of an entity is calculated by multiplying the total number of its shares outstanding by its stock price. ________________________________________ 2) Union Government on 16 January 2015 launched a new Rs. 200 crore venture capital fund (VCF) for the Scheduled Caste (SC) community with the objective of promoting entrepreneurship in the community. Which financial entity will act as sponsor, settler and Asset Management Company (AMC) for this fund? – IFCI Explanation: IFCI will act as sponsor, settler and asset management company to operate the scheme, and would contribute Rs. 50 crore that would comprise Rs. 5 crore as sponsor and Rs. 45 crore as investor. The main objective of the fund is to provide support and concessional finance to entrepreneurs belonging to the SC community. Under the scheme, financial assistance up to Rs. 15 crore for a period up to six years would be provided to SC entrepreneurs. SCs constitute around 16.6% of the country’s total population. ________________________________________ 3) South African captain AB de Villiers scored the fastest ever one-day international (ODI) century on 18 January 2015 as he scored his century of off just 31 balls against the West Indies in the ongoing ODI series. Whose world record he broke? – Corey Anderson (New Zealand) Explanation: Last year New Zealand’s Corey Anderson had scored his century off 36 balls against West Indies to broke Pakistan Shahid Afridi’s record made off 37 balls against Sri Lanka in 1996. AB de Villiers broke Andersen’s record by scoring his historic century in 5 less balls at Johannesburg. He scored 16 huge sixes in his innings to equal India’s Rohit Sharma’s record of equal number of sixes. AB de Villiers went on to make 149 in the innings to steer his side to a mammoth total of 439. This was South Africa’s highest ever ODI score, beating the 438-9 in a win against Australia in March 2006. South Africa defeated West Indies by 148 runs in this match to lead the ODI series 1-0. ________________________________________ 4) 24 children were selected for the National Bravery Awards 2015 as announced by the Union Government on 17 January 2015. Who were the winners of the prestigious Sanjay Chopra and Geeta Chopra Awards given under National Bravery Awards? – Master Devesh Kumar (Sanjay Chopra Award) and Gunjan Sharma (Geeta Chopra) Explanation: 16½ year old Devesh Kumar of Uttar Pradesh was chosen for Sanjay Chopra Award for displaying outstanding courage while confronting two chain-snatchers. 13½ year old Gunjan Sharma of Assam displayed exemplary valour in saving her friends from the clutches of the abductor. RumohMeto (13½ years) of Arunachal Pradesh, Late Riya Chaudhary (15 years) of Uttar Pradesh and Late Monika (16 years) of Uttarakhand have been given the Bapu Gaidhani Awards. Other winners are Zeal Jitendra Marathe, Hiral Jitubhai Halpati and Late Gaurav Kumar Bharti (all from Gujarat), Sahanesh R (Karnataka), Ashwini Bandu Ughade (Maharashtra), L. Brainson Singh and G. Tooldev Sharma (both from Manipur), Ripa Das (Tripura), Balram Dansena (Chhattisgarh), Rajdeep Das (Jharkhand), Anjith.P, Aqil Mohammad NK and Midhun PP (all from Kerala), Stevenson Lawriniang (Meghalaya), Late Mesak K. Remnalalnghaka (Mizoram), Mhonbeni Equng (Nagaland), Labhanshu (Uttarakhand) and Late Gaurav Kumar Bharti (Uttar Pradesh). Sanjay Chopra and Geeta Chopra Bravery Awards were instituted in 1978 the Indian Council for Child Welfare institute for children under the age of 16 and are conferred every year along with the National Bravery Awards. Bapu Gaidhani Awards were instituted in 1988-89. National Bravery Awards for children were first rewarded in 1957. ________________________________________ 5) Who won the men’s and women’s singles title in the senior National Table Tennis Championships that concluded at Puducherry on 18 January 2015? – Soumyajit Ghosh (Men’s title) and Mouma Das (Women’s title) Explanation: Soumyajit Ghosh defeated G. Sathiyan in the men’s singles final by 11-7, 9-11, 11-3, 13-11, 13-15, 11-9 and thus regained the title he had won in Raipur in 2013. Mouma Das defeated veteran Poulomi Ghatak in the women’s singles final by 7-11, 7-11, 11-3, 14-12, 11-7, 11-6. Mouma’s last National title came way back in 2007 (Ajmer) while Poulomi had won in 2012 (Lucknow). ________________________________________ 6) Pankaj Advani won his seventh Senior National Billiards Championship title by winning the Nationals held at Kolkata on 17 January 2015. Whom he defeated in the final? – Dhruv Sitwala Explanation: Pankaj Advani, the winner of 12 different world titles (in different cue categories) easily defeated Dhruv Sitwala by 5-0 to win his seventh national senior title. ________________________________________ 7) K. Tamilmani, Chief Controller of Aeronautics Cluster in the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), is likely to be appointed as the interim head of the government organization. He is the senior-most of the seven cluster heads in the DRDO. Earlier the government has terminated the 18-month contract of Dr. Chander and asked him to step down this month. ________________________________________ 8) Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Chairman R K Tyagi was awarded with the ‘JGBS-Top Rankers’ Excellence Award for CEO of the year’. He received the award from S M Khan, Director General, Registrar of Newspapers for India, at a function in New Delhi. HAL was rated as ‘Excellent’ with a score of 1.08 for the year 2013-14 which is the best among all Defence Public Sector Undertakings. HAL has also contributed to the success of Mars Orbiter Mission and GSLV Mk III launch in 2014. ________________________________________ 9) Famous Indian RTI activist Subhash Chandra Agrawal was awarded with the Giraffe Hero award 2015 by a US-based NGO “The Giraffe Heroes Project” which will be presented to him later this month. He was chosen for his bravery in utilizing the Right to Information (RTI) Act for public good despite numerous challenges. He also holds the Guinness record of filing highest number of published letters to the editors. More than hundred people from the US and 27 other countries have been honored with the award so far and the list of Indian winners include Baba Amte, Dr Mabelle Arole, Jaya Arunachalam, C P Bhatt, Ela Bhatt, Neha Gupta, Sunitha Krishnan, Usha Narayane, Bunker Roy, Vijay Saluja and G Venkatasam. ________________________________________ 10) India’s foreign exchange (forex) reserves increased by USD 236.4 million to USD 319.475 billion in the week ended 9th January, as per weekly report published by the RBI. The jump was mainly due to decrease in foreign currency assets which was increased by USD 308.5 million to USD 294.845 billion in the same week. However Special Drawing Rights and India’s reserve position in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) were dropped by USD 56.7 million and USD 15.4 million respectively in the same week. Gold Reserves remained unchanged at USD 19.377 billion in the same week. ________________________________________ 11) Indian tennis player Sania Mirza and her American partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands won women’s doubles title at the Sydney International Tennis Tournament. This is her first title of the season and 23rd of her career. They defeated top seeded Americans Abigail Spears and Raquel Kops-Jones by 6-3, 6-3 in the final match to win the title. It was fifth WTA title for Sania and Bethanie together. ________________________________________ CURRENT AFFAIRS 19th January’15 1) Renowned political scientist and theorist Rajni Kothari passed away on 19 January 2015 in Delhi. He was the founder of which prestigious institution engaged in research in the field of political and human sciences? – Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) Explanation: CSDS is a Delhi based institution that was founded by Rajni Kothari in 1963. Kothari also started Lokayan (Dialogue of the People) in 1980 as a forum for interaction between activists and intellectuals. In 1985, Lokayan was awarded the Right Livelihood Award, also known as “Alternative Nobel”. He was also associated with Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), International Foundation for Development Alternatives and People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL). Kothari has been counted as one of the great political thinkers of the 20th century. ________________________________________ 2) Who was appointed as the new Chairman of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) on 19 January 2015 to replace Leela Samson who quit recently? – Pahlaj Nihalani (Noted Hindi film producer) Explanation: Nihalani, who has produced films such as ‘Aankhen’ and ‘Shola aur Shabnam’, has been appointed in honorary capacity and his appointment became effective from 19 January 2015 for a period of three years. The nine persons who were appointed as CBFC members include writer-director Chandra Prakash Dwivedi, best known for the television serial Chanakya, scriptwriter Mihir Bhuta, Bengali film actor George Baker, Tamil and Telugu actor Jeevitha, actor Vani Tripathi Tikoo (national secretary of BJP), Tamil playwright and film actor S Ve Sekar, Syed Abdul Bari, Ramesh Patange and filmmaker Ashoke Pandit. All these members were also appointed for a period of 3 years. ________________________________________ 3) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 19 January 2015 came up with its additional guidelines on ‘Interest Rates on Advances’. What important guidelines on base rates were issues? Banks have been allowed to review their base rate methodology three years after it has been finalised, down from the current five years (This is to provide banks greater operational flexibility to them) From now, the spread (or the mark up over the base rate) charged to an existing borrower by banks could not be increased except on account of deterioration in the credit risk profile of the customer or change in the tenor premium (This means that if the credit rating of an existing borrowing unit deteriorates then at the time of the annual renewal of loan limit, the spread charged over the base rate will be increased. Otherwise the interest rate remains unchanged) Explanation: Base rate is the minimum interest rate below which a bank will not lend. The Base Rate system was introduced with effect from 1 July 2010 to enhance transparency in lending rates of banks and enable better assessment of transmission of monetary policy. ________________________________________ 4) Union Ministry for Water Resources would celebrate year 2015-16 as which year to spread the message the message of water conservation as announced on 17 January 2015? – ‘Jal Kranti Varsh’ (Water Revolution Year) Explanation: Under ‘Jal Kranti Varsh’ programmes will be organised in each district of the country to highlight the need of conservation and saving of water. This was announced by Uma Bharati, the Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation. ________________________________________ 5) What is the name of the Indian-American entrepreneur and philanthropist who was presented with the prestigious Martin Luther King Jr Award on 18 January 2015 in Washington? – Frank Islam Explanation: Frank Islam was born in Azamgarh, a district in Uttar Pradesh and went to the United States at the age of 15. He is now a successful entrepreneur, philanthropist, civic leader and thought leader with a special commitment to civic, educational and artistic causes. He was given this prize in recognition of his contribution to the legacy of the great leader, through his efforts in international service and civil engagement. ________________________________________ 6) Famous Mathematician and Fields medalist Manjul Bhargava has been chosen as the face and to lead Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pet education project to rope in eminent scholars and scientists staying abroad to teach students at IITs and central universities. He is the first person of Indian origin to win the coveted international prize, Fields medal, for his pioneering work in mathematics. Bhargava agreed to ‘recruit’ scientists in the USA and across the world to participate in the Global Initiative of Academic network (GIAN), a short-term teaching programme under which scholars abroad will be invited to teach in India. ________________________________________ 7) Microblogging site Twitter has appointed Taranjeet Singh as business head for its India operation. As head of Indian operation, he will be responsible to increase commercial opportunities for Twitter and will work closely with different brands and agencies to maximize its presence within India. Earlier, he worked as sales director of South Asia for BBC Advertising. ________________________________________ 8) The Company Secretaries’ Institute has appointed Atul Hasmukh Rai Mehta as the new President for 2015. He was elected by the new central council of the institute at its meeting held today. It has also elected Mamta Binani as Vice-President of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) for 2015. ________________________________________ 9) India’s largest private sector bank, ICICI Bank has announced the launch of banking services on Twitter, first by a bank in India. This application named as ‘icicibankpay’, enables ICICI Bank customers to transfer money to anyone in the country who has a Twitter account, check account balance, view last three transactions and recharge prepaid mobile. Any ICICI Bank savings account customer, who has a mobile number registered with the bank and has a Twitter account, can access the facilities of ‘icicibankpay’. The customer can send money to anyone in India even if the recipient does not have an ICICI Bank savings account. ________________________________________ CURRENT AFFAIRS 20th January’15 ) The Country Wide Tiger Assessment Report (CWTAR) for 2014 was released on 20 January 2015 by Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar. The report estimated the tiger population in the country at around 2,226, a rise of over 30% since the last count in 2010. Tiger population had dipped to 1,411 in 2006 but has improved since then. Which state has the largest number of tigers according to this report? – Karnataka Explanation: According to this report Karnataka had the largest number of 406 tigers followed by Uttarakhand (340), Tamil Nadu (229), Madhya Pradesh (208), Maharashtra (190) and West Bengal (76). The report revealed that India is now home to 70% of the world’s tigers. The total number of tigers was estimated to be around 1,706 in 2010 which had earlier dipped to an alarming 1,411 in 2006. The report said that the total estimated population of tigers was somewhere around 1,945-2491 (2,226) as per 2014 census while as per the 2010 census, it was between 1,520 and1909. The country had an estimated 100,000 tigers at the beginning of the 20th century. ________________________________________ 2) Which company overtook Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) to become the country’s most profitable private company for the quarter ended December 2014? – Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) Explanation: The Tata Group owned TCS’ net profits for the quarter ending December 2014 stood at Rs. 5,327.60 crore, compared with RIL’s Rs. 5,256 crore. RIL’s consolidated net profit declined for the first time in more than two years as the company had to suffer huge inventory losses because of the crash in global crude oil prices. By overtaking RIL in net profits, TCS clinched a feat no other company has managed in the last 23 years. RIL has been topping the profitability charts since 1992-93, when it went past Tata Steel in the rankings. However, RIL remains India’s biggest company by sales though. Its consolidated sales in the December quarter stood at Rs. 93,500 crore, more than four times TCS’ quarterly sales of Rs 21,300 crore. RIL operates the world’s largest refinery in Gujarat. TCS is a global player and gets most of its business from the US and Europe. ________________________________________ 3) The European Union (EU) on 20 January 2015 decided to lift a ban on the import of mangoes from India after India made improvements in plant health controls and certification systems. This effectively cleared the return of Indian mangoes to the 28-member EU for 2015. When EU had imposed this ban? – On 1 May 2014 Explanation: The EU had imposed a temporary ban on Indian mangoes that came into effect from 1 May 2014. The ban was to remain effective until December 2015 and was imposed after the authorities had found consignments infested with fruit flies that they feared could damage European salad crops. On 20 January 2015 a European Commission committee voted to lift the ban. The legislation now needs to be formally adopted and published by the European Commission. The EU accounts for more than 50% of total exports of fruits and vegetables from India. The UK is the main destination, followed by the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. ________________________________________ 4) Which scheme of the Union Govt. was conferred with the Guinness record on 20 January 2015? – Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) Explanation: The PMJDY scheme created a Guinness World Record for opening the maximum number of bank accounts in the shortest possible time. Altogether, 11.5 crore accounts have been opened under the scheme in less than five months. The scheme was launched on 28 August 2014 with a target of 7.5 crore till 26 January 2015. The Guinness authorities officially handed a certificate to Union finance minister Arun Jaitley in Delhi on 20 January 2015. ________________________________________ 5) Micro-blogging site Twitter acquired which Indian mobile phone marketing start-up as announced by it on 20 January 2015? – ZipDial Explanation: ZipDial is a Bengaluru-based company that gives clients phone numbers for use in marketing campaigns. Consumers call the numbers and hang up before connecting and incurring charges, and then receive promotion-related text messages. The service capitalises on a local tradition of communicating through so-called missed calls. The acquisition is the latest in India by global tech giants who have snapped up companies in a fledgling startup scene, concentrated in the tech hub of Bengaluru. ________________________________________ 6) China’s economy grew by 7.4% in 2014 according to the official data revealed by the Chinese Government on 20 January 2015. This was China’s slowest growth rate in how many years? – 24 years Explanation: The 7.4% growth rate recorded in China during 2014 was the slowest growth rate recorded since 1990. The growth rate during 2013 was 7.7%. However, few had expected China to meet its 7.5% full-year target, but the performance was better than feared at one point when credit collapsed, bad loans spiked and key activity indicators fell to multi-year lows. A series of modest support measures from the government over the year helped stave off worries of a more dramatic slowdown. Chinese economy is expected to lose more momentum this year, keeping pressure on policymakers to head off a sharper downturn. ________________________________________ 7) Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has named newly joined and first woman IPS Kiran Bedi as its Chief Ministerial candidate for the Delhi Assembly elections to be held on 7th February. She will contest from the Krishna Nagar seat in East Delhi. This will make Delhi assembly election more interesting as two former anti-corruption campaigners will compete with each other for the Chief Minister Post in Delhi. Earlier both Kiran Bedi and Arvind Kejriwal fought together along with Anna Hazare for the Lokpal bill during previous UPA regime. ________________________________________ 8) Axis Bank board reappointed Shikha Sharma as the bank’s managing director and chief executive officer (MD and CEO) for a three-year period today. She had joined the bank in 2009 from ICICI Bank and is set to complete a second three year term in May. ________________________________________ 9) Indian Tier-II IT Services Company, Mindtree has announced the acquisition of US-based Discoverture Solutions for USD 15 million during its quarterly result announcement today. This acquisition will help Mindtree to expand its presence in Insurance sector. ________________________________________ 10) The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has lowered global economic growth forecast for the current and next year. It has reduced global economic growth projection to 3.5% for 2015 from earlier projection of 3.8%. It has also reduced GDP growth projection for 2016 at 3.7%. UPDATED BY: TEAM - SIR JOHN SSC COACHING INSTITUTE IN CHANDIGARH & MOHALI SSC COACHING INSTITUTE IN CHANDIGARH & MOHALI BEST INSTITUTE FOR INTELLIGENCE BUREAU EXAM COACHING IN MOHALI BEST INSTITUTE FOR HOTEL MANAGEMENT EXAM MOHALI BEST INSTITUTE FOR CTET & PTET EXAM MOHALI BEST INSTITUTE FOR JBT TEACHERS EXAM CHANDIGARH
Posted on: Wed, 21 Jan 2015 04:37:58 +0000
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