January 1-5, 2015

evolve a coherent policy over the

years. Similarly, networking with
other national and international thinktanks and with experts and
practitioners,
as
has
been
envisaged, will add heft to the advice
that the NITI Aayog will provide.
1)
National
Institution
for
Transforming India (NITI) Aayog
replaced Planning Commission

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2 CURRENT AFFAIRS

The Government of India has

scrapped its 65-year-old Planning
Commission, replacing it with the
National Institution for Transforming
India (NITI) Aayog. The new National
Institution for Transforming India
(NITI) will act more like a think tank
or forum, say its supporters, in
contrast with the Commission which
imposed
five-year-plans
and
allocated resources to hit set
economic targets.
One significant change of note is that
one of the functions of the body will
be to address the needs of national
security in economic strategy.
Nowhere is this more relevant than in
the area of energy security where
India, unlike China, has failed to

NITI will have a governing council,

which will include leaders of Indias
29 states and seven union territories
comprising all chief ministers and
lieutenant governors the PM will
chair it and will work towards
fostering co-operative federalism for
providing a national agenda to the
Centre and states of India.
The institution will create a
knowledge,
innovation
and
entrepreneurial
support
system
through a collaborative community of
national and international experts,
practitioners and other partners.
It will also offer a platform for
resolution of inter-sectoral and interdepartmental issues to accelerate
the implementation of the countrys
development agenda.

The new body will also focus on

technology upgradation and capacity
building for implementation of
programmes and initiatives. The
Aayog follows Modis announcement
in his Independence Day speech that
there was a need for replacing the
Planning Commission with a new
body in the changed economic
scenario. The government has set up
the Aayog through a Cabinet
resolution.
The
Planning
Commission was also set up through
a government resolution, in 1950.
Objectives of NITI Aayog:

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3 CURRENT AFFAIRS

Key objective for establishing Niti

Aayog was to separate as well as
energize the distinct process of
governance from the strategy of
governance.
Second objective is to provide
governments at the central and state
levels with relevant strategic and
technical advice across the spectrum
of key elements of policy. This
includes matters of national and
international import on the economic
front, dissemination of best practices
from within the country as well as
from other nations, the infusion of
new policy ideas and specific issuebased support. The institution has to

be able to respond to the changing

and more integrated world that India
is part of.
Third objective is to change from the
past is replacing a centre-to-state
one-way flow of policy by a
continuing partnership with the
states. The institution to have the
necessary resources, knowledge,
skills and, ability to act with speed to
provide the strategic policy vision for
the government as well as deal with
contingent issues.
Lastly the institution must adhere to
the tenet that while incorporating
positive influences from the world, it
will find our own strategy for growth.
The new institution has to zero in on
what will work in and for India. It
should be a Bharatiya approach to
development.

2) A step towards Universal Health

Coverage
The Union government took a bold
step by releasing the draft National
Health Policy 2015. The policy is a
first step in achieving universal
health
coverage
by
advocating health as a fundamental
right. The key objective is to work

Page

4 CURRENT AFFAIRS

towards
universal
access
of
affordable health-care services. The
current government spending on
health care is a dismal 1.04 per cent
of gross domestic product (GDP),
one of the lowest in the world; this
translates to Rs.957 per capita in
absolute terms.
The draft policy has addressed this
critical issue by championing an
increase in government spending to
2.5 per cent of GDP (Rs.3,800 per
capita) in the next five years. But
even this increase in allocation falls
short of the requirement to set right
the
dysfunctional
health-care
services in the country. Insufficient
funding over the years combined
with other faulty practices have led to
a dysfunctional health-care system in
the country. The failure of the public
health-care system to provide
affordable services has been the
main reason that has led to
increased out-of-pocket expenditure
on health care. As a result, nearly 63
million people are driven into poverty
every year. The Ebola crisis in
Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone,
which underlined the repercussions
of a weak public health-care system,
should serve as a grim reminder of
this.

Draft on National Health Policy

2015
The national programmes at present
provide universal coverage only with
respect to certain interventions such
as maternal ailments that account for
less than 10 per cent of all
mortalities. Over 75 per cent of the
communicable diseases are outside
their purview and only a limited
number
of
non-communicable
diseases are covered. It is, therefore,
crucial for the Union government to
undertake proactive measures to
upgrade the health-care services of
poorly performing States such as
Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. As it
stands, health will be recognised as
a fundamental right through a
National Health Rights Act only when
three or more States request it.
Since health is at present State
subject, adoption by the respective
States will be voluntary. Though a
different approach has been taken to
improve
adoption
and
implementation by States, the very
objective
of
universal
health
coverage that hinges on portability
will be defeated in the absence of
uniform adoption across India.

3) A roadmap for reforming ailing

state banks

and governance, as well as asset

quality.State banks account for more
than 70 percent of total outstanding
loans in the sector.Public sector
lenders are estimated to need as
much as $60 billion in capital over
the next four years to meet upcoming
global regulations and to build a
buffer against rising bad loans.

Indias top bankers have gathered in

Pune in a one-of-a-kind Retreat for
Banks
and
Financial
Institutions called Gy

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5 CURRENT AFFAIRS

anSangamto discuss long-pending

reforms vital to improving the health
of ailing public sector banks in Asias
third-largest economy.The countrys
more than two dozen inefficient
state-run
banks
have
been
constrained by a pile of bad loans
and corporate governance issues.
They also lag their private sector
rivals in profitability.

The programme includes a separate

session devoted to sharing of the
best Practices followed by different
Banks. Learning from each other.
The following best practices would
be shared:

For years, political interference and

union opposition have thwarted
major reforms. If reformed, however,
the countrys mega state lenders
offer investors the best exposure to
any sustained upswing in Indias
economy.Besides the heads of all

public sector banks, the two-day

meeting ending on Saturday will also
be attended by Prime Minister
NarendraModi, Finance Minister
ArunJaitley and Reserve Bank of
India Governor RaghuramRajan.
The issues to be discussed include
industry consolidation, restructuring
of state banks for better efficiency

Axis Bank the Mobile Youth

account Retail banking Product
design based on life insights.
IDBI Bank The Electronically
secured bank and treasury receipts
and Payments.
State bank of India A Specialized
cadre of IT function. This has
created a viable track for specialist
talent in public sector banking.

Andhra Bank The Objective Key

Result Areas (KRA) and Key
Performance Indicators (KPI) for a

transparent
evaluation

and
IT
system
of

enabled
Human

Resources.

January 6, 2015

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6 CURRENT AFFAIRS

1) On 5 January 2015 who was

named as the first Vice-Chairman of
the newly announced NITI Aayog
(Policy
Commission),
which
replaced Planning Commission?
Arvind Panagariya
Explanation: Arvind Panagariya is
an eminent free market economist
and has been an Economics
professor at Columbia University in
New York. He, as vice chairman,
would have a pivotal role in
coordinating economic strategy and
hold cabinet rank. Economist Bibek
Debroy along with former secretary

of
defence
research
and
development V.K. Saraswat were
named as the other full-time
members of the commission. NITI
Aayog (the new commission) was
set up to modernise economic
strategy after decades of Sovietstyle central planning. Panagariyas
market-friendly,
pro-growth
economics has helped shape
Modis outlook and is seen by many
as an attack on overbearing labour
regulations
and
state-run
companies.
2) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
5 January 2015 launched a scheme
for distribution of LED bulbs in
which city under which consumers
will be able to request for LED
bulbs as replacement for ordinary
bulbs and CFL bulbs? Delhi
Explanation: Under the scheme,
consumers in Delhi will be able to
request for LED bulbs under the

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7 CURRENT AFFAIRS

Domestic
Efficient
Lighting
Programme (DELP) through a new
website launched by Prime Minister
on the same day. Consumers can
register for this scheme either
through the website or by sending
an SMS to a designated number.
Under the programme, consumers
will pay Rs. 130 per LED bulb as
compared to market prices, which
range from Rs. 350 to Rs. 600. LED
bulbs, which have longer lives, are
considered to be highly energy
efficient,
and
environmentally
friendly. In general, LED bulbs are
expected to have a life 50 times
longer than ordinary bulbs and 8-10
times longer than CFLs. It was
estimated that 7,000 units of
electricity could be saved by
replacing ordinary bulbs in South
Block, the central govt. office in
Delhi.
3) What major restrictions on willful
defaulters were imposed by Indian
capital market regulator Securities
and Exchange Board of India
(SEBI) on 5 January 2015?
- Companies in which a
promoter, director or subsidiary
is declared a wilful defaulter will

not be allowed to issue equity,

debt
securities,
or
nonconvertible
redeemable
preference shares
- Wilful defaulters will not be
allowed to make an offer to take
over a listed company in India,
but will be allowed to make a
counter-offer in case they are the
target of a hostile takeover
Explanation: Under
law
wilful
defaulters
are
classified
as
companies or individuals who
deliberately thwart repayment of
dues to lenders. The SEBI
proposals come as part of a
concerted
effort
by
Indian
policymakers to tackle the bad
loans that are hurting profitability at
state-run banks, where stressed
loans account for 12.9% of loans
compared with 4.4% at private
sector lenders, according to the
data issued by the RBI. The RBI
last year also passed tougher rules
on wilful defaulters, including
making companies that guarantee
loan obligations of their units
responsible if the subsidiary is
declared a wilful defaulter.

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8 CURRENT AFFAIRS

4) The Union Cabinet on 5 January

2015 approved the largest ever
telecom spectrum auction under
which under which the government
will sell 380.75 megahertz of
second generation (2G) spectrum in
three bands. What is the total value
that govt. expects to fetch from this
auction? Rs. 64,840 crore
Explanation: The Cabinet, headed
by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,
approved a reserve price of Rs.
3646 crore pan-India per MHz in
800 MHz, Rs. 3980 crore for 900
MHz band pan India excluding
Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and J&K;
Rs. 2191 crore pan India in 1800
MHz band. 2100 MHz may also be
put on auction simultaneously after
Defence
Ministry
vacates
it.
Proceeds from this years auction
will help government reach its fiscal
deficit target of 4.1% of GDP.
Government had garnered about
Rs. 62,162 crore from the last
auction in February 2014.
5) Who was appointed as the new
Chief Justice of Jammu & Kashmir
High Court on 5 January 2015 by
the
President?
Justice
Mohammad Yaqoob Mir

Explanation: Justice Mohammad

Yaqoob Mir was the senior-most
judge of the Jammu & Kashmir
High Court. He took place of Justice
Mahesh
Mittal
Kumar
who
superannuated. This appointment
was done by the President in
exercise of the powers conferred by
Section 100 of the Constitution of
Jammu & Kashmir.
6) Andhra Bank, which of-late was
facing threat of merger in view of
high non-performing assets (NPAs)
from
big
corporate
clients,
especially from the infrastructure
sector, almost got a new lease of
life recently and there is no merger
threat for the bank for now. Why
this threat has evaporated?
Presently no bank is in a
position to support another bank
in view of the prevailing
economic conditions
Explanation: The issue of mergers
came up for discussion in the twoday bankers meet (Gyan Sangam)
held in Pune between 2 and 3
January 2015. It emerged that
going by the prevailing situations no
bank is in a position to support
other by acquiring stake or by some

other similar manner. This, in effect,

gives a new lease of life for Andhra
Bank, the only public sector bank
from
Andhra
Pradesh.
The
Government is set to grant a capital
of about Rs. 200- 300 crore. Andhra
Bank with a 5.99% non-performing
assets (NPAs) in September 2014,
will continue to focus on retail and
small and medium enterprises.
Once the loan-waiver completes in
Andhra Pradesh, it hopes to have
agriculture portfolio back in the
prime.

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9 CURRENT AFFAIRS

7) Pakistan cancelled this years

first anti-polio campaign which was
to start from 5 January 2015. What
was the reason for this? Security
reasons and threat perceptions

Explanation: The anti-polio drive

was to begin on 5 January in some
areas of the Rawalpindi district, the
entire Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP),
the Federally Administered Tribal
Areas (FATA) and parts of Punjab,
Sindh and Balochistan. However
the drive was rescheduled to 19
January 2015 due to threat
perceptions. Meanwhile a polio
worker was attacked in the restive
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province on 5
January. The year 2014 has been
the toughest year for Pakistans
anti-polio programme as the
number of confirmed cases reached
297, the highest in the country
since 1999. During the past six
months, Pakistan recorded the
highest number of polio cases
followed by Afghanistan and
Nigeria.

January 7, 2015

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10 CURRENT AFFAIRS

1) Who became the first Indian

industrialist to be felicitated by a
commemorative coin after a
commemorative coin on this
industrialist was released by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi on 6
January
2015?
Jamsetji
Nusserwanji Tata (The founder of
Tata Group)
Explanation: Prime
Minister
Narendra
Modi
released
a
commemorative coin to mark the
175th birth anniversary of Tata group
founder Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata.
Jamsetji Tata founded the Tata
group in 1868. J.N. Tata is
considered father of modern
industry in India. The translation of
his vision led to creation of Indias

first integrated steel plant (Tata

Steels Jamshedpur plant-1907),
hydroelectric power plants that
service Mumbais needs till today
(Tata Powers Khopoli plant-1910)
and the Indian Institute of Science
(1909). The $100 billion Tata Group
now comprises over 100 operating
companies, with operations in more
than 100 countries across six
continents, exporting products and
services to over 150 countries.
2) Trade unions of which sector
went on a five-day strike on 6
January 2015 that was termed as
the biggest industrial action for any
sector since 1977? Coal sector
Explanation: The unions went on
strike
to
protest
against
disinvestment and restructuring of
state-run Coal India and to press
for their other demands including
the roll-back of what they call as
process of denationalising of coal
sector. All India Coal Workers
Federation (AICWF) claimed that
almost 7 lakh workers went on this

strike. The strike can affect coal

production of up to 1.5 million
tonnes a day and may also hit
supplies to power plants which are
already
grappling
with
fuel
shortages. On its part the Union
Govt. called a meeting with
representatives of major trade
unions BMS, INTUC, AITUC,
CITU and HMS to sort out the
issue.

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11 CURRENT AFFAIRS

3) The BSE Sensex crashed 905

points in intraday trade on 6
January 2015, which was its
biggest single-day fall in over 5
years. What were the major
reasons for this dramatic fall?
Continued fall in crude oil prices
and worries stemming out of the
Greek economy
Explanation: The crash recorded
in the BSE Sensex 6 January 2014
was the eighth biggest single-day
fall in Indian stock markets. Crude
oil prices continued to fall with Brent
hitting a low of $51.23 a barrel on 6
January. While cheap oil is good for
India as the country imports nearly
80% of its energy needs, but the
over 50% plunge in oil prices since
June has also raised deflationary

fears in many countries. The

second
major
reason
that
contributed in this crash was the
talk of Greece crashing out of the
Euro zone. Euro zone is a major
trade partner for the US, Eastern
Europe and Asia and hence worries
pertaining to it cast its spell on all
these markets including India.
4) Whose name was cleared as the
first CEO of NITI Aayog by the
Union Govt. on 6 January 2015?
Sindhushree Khullar
Explanation: Sindhushree Khullar
was the Secretary of the erstwhile
Planning Commission, which has
now been replaced by the NITI
Aayog
(Policy
Commission).
Khullar, a 1975 batch UT cadre IAS
officer, had taken over as Secretary
Planning Commission in April 2012.
Her appointment could be made at
any time according to media
reports. Noted economist Arvind
Panagariya has been appointed as
the first Vice Chairman of the
newly-created NITI Aayog.
5) Who was sworn in as the
19th Governor of Meghalaya on 6

January 2015? Keshari Nath

Tripathi
Explanation: Keshari Nath Tripathi
is the Governor of West Bengal and
he would continue to hold the office
of Governor of the state until further
orders. Meghalaya High Court Chief
Justice
Uma
Nath
Singh
administered the oath of office and
secrecy to him.

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12 CURRENT AFFAIRS

6) Which
Indian
auto
major
achieved
the
milestone
of
producing 50 lakh vehicles as
announced by the company on 6
January 2015? Mahindra &
Mahindra (M&M)
Explanation: M&M achieved this
milestone by rolling out its 5
millionth vehicle from Kandivali
plant in Mumbai. The companys
44 offroader, Mahindra Thar, was
rolled out as the 5 millionth vehicle
from this plant. The company had
achieved the 40 lakh mark in 2012
and reached the 50 lakh vehicle
mark in just two years. This
milestone is the result of combined
vehicle
production
from
the
companys six automotive plants,
namely Chakan, Nasik, Haridwar,

Zaheerabad, Kandivali and engine

plant in Igatpuri. Mahindra &
Mahindra is part of the Mahindra
Group and is one of the largest
vehicle
manufacturers
by
production in India and the largest
seller of tractors across the world. It
was set up as a steel trading
company in 1945 in Ludhiana as
Mahindra & Mohammed by brothers
K.C. Mahindra and J.C. Mahindra
and Malik Ghulam Mohammed.
After India gained independence
and
Pakistan
was
formed,
Mohammed emigrated to Pakistan.
The company changed its name to
Mahindra & Mahindra in 1948.
Starting as a licensee of Willys
Jeep in India the company later
became a leader in SUV, LCV and
agricultural auto products.
7) Which states won the mens and
womens title of 65th Senior National
Basketball Championship 2014-15,
that concluded on 5 January 2015
at
Bhilwara
(Rajasthan)?

Uttarakhand
(mens)
and
Chhattisgarh (womens)
Explanation: In the title clash for
mens title, Uttarakhand defeated
Tamil Nadu by 72-63 to reclaim the

title. Uttarakhand had last won the

Senior Nationals two years ago at
the
63rd Senior
Nationals
in
Ludhiana, Punjab. In the womens

title clash, defending champions

Chhattisgarh women scored a
convincing 84-75 win over Delhi.

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13 CURRENT AFFAIRS

January 8, 2015

1) What is the name of the French

satirical newspaper that came
under attack by two masked
gunmen on 7 January 2015
resulting in the death of papers
editor and 11 other people?
Charlie Hebdo
Explanation: The
attack
on
Charlie Hebdo was Frances
deadliest terror attack in at least
two decades. It resulted in the
death of newspapers Chief Editor

Charb (real name Stephane

Charbonnier) and 3 cartoonists
along with 9 others. The dead
included newspapers journalists
and 2 security personnel. The two
gunmen, suspected to be Islamist
fundamentalists, were however
successful
in
escaping
the
site.Charlie Hebdo (Charlie Weekly)
is
renowned
for
courting
controversy with satirical attacks on
political and religious leaders and
has published numerous cartoons
lampooning
the
Prophet
Mohammad. The last tweet on its
account mocked Abu Bakr alBaghdadi, the leader of the militant
Islamic State, which has taken
control of large swathes of Iraq and
Syria. It has been repeatedly
threatened
for
publishing
caricatures
of
the
Prophet

Muhammad,
among
other
controversial sketches, and its
offices were firebombed in 2011.
2) The 13th edition of Pravasi
Bharatiya Divas (PBD) started on 7
January 2015 with the inaugural
session of the Youth Pravasi
Bharatiya Divas. This years PBD is
being held in which city?
Gandhinagar (Gujarat)

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14 CURRENT AFFAIRS

Explanation: Pravasi
Bharatiya
Divas (PBD) is worlds largest
annual gathering of people of Indian
origin and is aimed at enhancing
networking
and
reinforcing
commercial linkages. The three-day
diaspora conclave is being held at
Gandhinagar from January 7-9 to
mark the centenary of foremost
Indian diaspora member, Mahatma
Gandhis return from South Africa to
India.
3) In an important development the
Finance Ministry during January
2015 gave what assurance to public
sector banks (PSU banks) and
financial
institutions?
Full
freedom in matters related to

commercial decisions, transfers

and postings
Explanation: The Finance Ministry
wrote letter to all public sector
banks and financial institutions on 5
January
2015
to
take
all
commercial decisions in the best
interest of the organisation without
any fear or favour. This assurance
followed a two-day brainstorming
meeting on 3-4 January 2015 in
Pune
where
Prime
Minister
Narendra Modi discussed ideas to
improve the health of state lenders,
who are facing mounting bad loans
and corporate governance issues. It
is worth mentioning that f or years,
political interference and union
opposition have thwarted major
reforms at the lenders that account
for more than 70% of total
outstanding loans in the sector.
PSU banks recorded the highest
level of stressed loans at 12.9% of
their total advances in September
last year, while the same ratio for
private sector banks was at 4.4%,
according to the latest RBI data.
4) President Pranab Mukherjee on
6 January 2015 promulgated an
ordinance
associated
with

citizenship which provides for the

amendments to the Indian Citizen
Act, 1955. What is the name of this
ordinance?
Citizenship
(Amendment) Ordinance, 2015
Explanation: Following are the
amendments proposed by the
Citizenship
(Amendment)
Ordinance, 2015 to the Indian
Citizen Act, 1955
The mandatory clause for one
year continuous stay in India for
Indian Citizenship has been relaxed
(for special circumstances)
Enabling of registration as
Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) by
a minor, whose parents are Indian
Citizens.

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15 CURRENT AFFAIRS

Enabling of registration as
Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) by
a child or a grand-child or a great
grandchild of such a citizen.
In respect of existing PIO card
holders central government may, by
notification in Official Gazette,
specify a particular date from which
all existing PIO card holders will be
deemed to be OCI card holders.
Enabling of registration as
Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) by

such spouse of a citizen of India or

spouse of an OCI registered under
Section 7A and whose marriage
has been registered and subsisted
for a continuous period of not less
than
two
years
immediately
preceding the presentation of the
application under this section.
5) What was the percentage
increase in the revenue earnings of
Indian Railways for the first nine
months of year 2014-15 (1 April
2014 to 31 December 2014) as
disclosed by the Rail Ministry on 6
January 2015? 12.57%
Explanation: The total earnings of
Indian Railways during 1st April to
31st December 2014 was Rs.
114656.13 crore as compared to
Rs. 101856.45 crore during the
same period last year, thus
registering an increase of 12.57%.
Of this earnings from goods
(freight) stood at Rs. 77161.55
crore (12.19% increase), earnings
from passenger fare stood at Rs.
31955.07 crore (15.59% increase)
and income from other sources
stood at Rs. 2862.19 crore (5.58%
increase). However, a decline of
1.64% in booked passengers

(6256.16 million compared to

6360.15 million) was registered
during these 9 months.

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16 CURRENT AFFAIRS

6) In an important development for

the field of countrys high-end
scientific research, the Union Govt.
during December 2015 gave its
approval to the highly ambitious
Neutrino Project. Under this project
experiments in high-energy physics
would be conducted using an
underground Neutrino Detector. For
this project the Indian Neutrino
Observatory (INO) would be
established at which place? Bodi
West hills at Pottipuram (Theni
district in Tamil Nadu)
Explanation: The INO project will
be funded jointly by the Department
of Science and Technology and
Atomic
Energy,
while
the
infrastructure will be created with
the help of the Tamil Nadu
government.
The
underground
project will comprise a complex of
caverns the main cavern, which
will house the current detector, will
be 130 metres long, 26 metres wide
and 30 metres high. There will be
two smaller caverns that will be
used for setting up experiments for

neutrino double detector and dark

matters. The complex will be
approached by a 2-km-long tunnel.
The Inter Institutional Centre for
High Energy Physics will come up
in Madurai, about 110 km from the
Observatory. India will also seek
international participation in the
project, so that it turns out to be an
international hub for high-end
research such as CERN in Geneva.
7) What was the average annual
growth in Indias rural wages
registered during November 2014
that was the lowest since July
2005? 3.8%
Explanation: According to the data
released by the Labour Bureau, the
rural wages in the country
registered
3.8%
year-on-year
increase during November 2014.
This is a significant drop relative to
the two-digit growth rates prevailing
until June, and the peak 20%-plus
levels of 2011. This nominal growth
is lower than the annual consumer
price inflation of 4.09% for rural
India in November 2014. It further
strengthened the case for the
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to

initiate policy interest rate cuts

sooner than later.

January 9, 2015

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17 CURRENT AFFAIRS

1) Which bank launched Indias first

contactless debit and credit card on
7 January 2015 that enables one to
make payments by just waving the
card near merchant terminals
instead of swiping the same?
ICICI Bank
Explanation: This type of card
uses the near-field communication
technology to provide customers
improved convenience of speed
and security over traditional cards
as these cards can complete a
transaction faster and be more
secured as they remain with

customer.
ICICI
Bank
has
introduced these two cards in
Mumbai, Hyderabad and Gurgaon
to begin with and it has installed
over 1,200 PoS machines capable
of accepting contactless payments
in these cities. The bank launched
two cards with the new technology
the Coral Contactless Credit
Cards and the Expressions Wave
Debit Cards and both can also be
used as regular cards at all
merchant terminals (in other cities)
2) The shareholders of Kotak
Mahindra Bank and ING Vysya
Bank approved the proposal to
merge ING Vysya Bank with Kotak
Mahindra Bank. The management
of the banks expects the new entity
to be operational by 1 April 2015. In
terms of total business, this new
entity would be Indias ..
largest private bank? Fourth

18 CURRENT AFFAIRS
Page

Explanation: The deal will make

Kotak Mahindra the fourth-largest
private bank in India, in terms of
total business after ICICI Bank,
HDFC Bank and Axis Bank. The
combined banking entity will have
1,214 branches in India. However,
the merger needs regulatory
approvals, including from the
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and
the Competition Commission of
India.
ING
Vysya
Banks
shareholders had approved the
merger proposal on 7 January while
shareholders of Kotak Mahindra
gave their approval to the same on
8
January
2015.
The
top
management of both banks had
made the merger announcement on
20 November 2014.

drastically cut the timeline for listing

of shares within 2-3 days of the
IPO, as against 12 days currently.
For already listed companies as
well, SEBI has proposed a fasttrack route for raising of funds
through FPOs (Follow-on Public
Offers) or Rights Offers (where
funds can be raised from existing
shareholders). The fast-track route
of raising capital has been
proposed for companies having
public
shareholding
market
valuation of as low as Rs. 250
crore, as against Rs. 3,000 crore
currently. SEBI has invited public
comments till January 30, after
which it would put in place final
norms for e-IPO as also for fasttrack issuances.

3) The Security and Exchange

Board of India (SEBI) on 8 January
2015 proposed e-IPO norms where
investors can bid for shares through
Internet and eventually on mobiles.
This was done so as to boost fund
raising from markets. What is the
proposed timeline for listing of
shares under e-IPO? 2 to 3 days

4) Which airline was named as the

worlds safest airline in a report
published
by AirlineRatings.com
that was released on 7 January
2015?
Qantas (The
national
airline of Australia)

Explanation: Under
the
new
norms, SEBI has proposed to

Explanation: The remainder of the

top 10 spots in this list in terms of
the worlds safest airlines were Air
New Zealand, British Airways,
Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Etihad

Page

19 CURRENT AFFAIRS

Airways,
EVA
Air,
Finnair,
Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines.
Qantas, which is in its 95th year of
operation, was hailed for an
extraordinary record of firsts in
terms of its safety history and
ranked the best of 449 airlines,
including
low-cost
carriers,
assessed
by
the
website.
AirlineRatings.com praised Qantas
for the way it monitors the engines
of its aircraft using satellite
communications, saying doing so
allows the airline to detect problems
before they become a major safety
issue. Qantas was founded in 1920
and it began its international
services in 1935.
5) Virat Kohli became the highest
scorer in a Test series in Australia
as he passed 619 runs in the series
on 8 January 2015 while batting in
the first innings in the fourth and
final test of the Test series against
Australia at the Sydney Cricket
Ground (SCG). Whose record of
619 runs he broke? Rahul Dravid
Explanation: Till now Rahul Dravid
was the highest scorer in a Test
series in Australia for the 619 runs
he scored against it in the 2003-04

Test series. On 8 January Virat

Kohli overtook Rahul Dravid as he
surpassed 619 runs in the series. It
is worth mentioning that Dravid took
8 innings to score 619 runs in 200304 while Kohli took 7 to reach
surpass this. Kohli scored his fourth
century of the test series and was
dismissed for 147 on 9 January
2015.
6) Which Indian diplomat was
appointed as Under-SecretaryGeneral in a department of the
United Nations (UN) as announced
by United Nations SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon on 7 January
2015? Atul Khare
Explanation: Atul Khare is a former
Indian Foreign Service officer and
AIIMS graduate and he was
appointed
Under-SecretaryGeneral, Department of Field
Support (DFS). He succeeded
Ameerah Haq of Bangladesh.
Khare has a long senior career with
the U.N., most recently as Assistant
Secretary-General
leading
the
Change Management Team (20112012) and Assistant SecretaryGeneral
for
Peacekeeping
Operations and Deputy Head of the

Department
of
Peacekeeping
Operations in New York (20102011). He was previously Special
Representative of the SecretaryGeneral for Timor-Leste and Head
of the United Nations Integrated

Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT) at

the level of Under-SecretaryGeneral (2006-2009).

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20 CURRENT AFFAIRS

January 10, 2015

1) Who took over as the new

President of Sri Lanka on 9 January
2015 after President Mahinda
Rajapaksa was defeated in the
Presidential elections held on 8
January? Maithripala Sirisena
Explanation: Maithripala Sirisena,
representing New Democratic Front
(NDF) was the main opponent of
Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was the
candidate of the ruling United

Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA).

Sirsena was declared the winner
after receiving 51.28% of all votes
cast compared to Rajapaksas
47.58%. These elections were
considered watershed elections in
Sri Lankas democratic history and
Rajapaksa vacated Temple Trees,
his official residence in Colombo,
on 9 January. Later in the evening
Maithripala Sirisena took over as
island nations 6th President at
Independence Square in Colombo.
UNP Leader Ranil Wickramasinghe
was sworn in as the new Prime
Minister. It is worth mentioning that
Sirisena was once an associate of
Mahinda Rajapaksa. While sections
in Sri Lanka hoped for this election
outcome, his defeat was least
expected even two months ago.

Rajapaksa had called for snap polls

in November, two years ahead of
schedule, targeting a record third
term in office. Hailed for his efforts
in crushing the rebel Tigers and
brining Sri Lankas brutal war to an
end,
Rajapaksa
was
widely
perceived as an invincible leader for
most part of his two successive
terms, until sections began getting
disenchanted over his familys
alleged dominance, allegations of
corruption
and
growing
authoritarianism.

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21 CURRENT AFFAIRS

2) French security forces ended a

three-day terror spree around Paris
on 9 January 2015 killing the two alQaida-linked brothers who staged a
murderous rampage at Charlie
Hebdo, a satirical newspaper.
What were the names of these two
brothers? Said and Cherif
Kouachi
Explanation: Said
and
Cherif
Kouachi methodically killed 12
people on 7 January 2015 at the
offices of the weekly newspaper
Charlie Hebdo before escaping by
car. The next day, a gunman police
identified as Amedy Couliably shot
a policewoman to death south of

Paris. The two brothers were killed

near a printing plant in the town of
Dammartin-en-Goele, northeast of
Paris, where they were holed up
with a lone hostage. Couliably was
killed at a Paris supermarket where
he was holding shoppers at
gunpoint and threatened to kill them
unless police let the Koachis go. All
the three were suspected to have
links with the Yemen unit of alQaida. The worst terrorist attacks
France has seen in decades killed
at least 20 people, including the
three terrorists.
3) Which anniversary of Mahatma
Gandhis return to India from South
Africa was observed on 9 January
2015? 100th
Explanation: 9
January
2015
marked the centenary of Mahatma
Gandhis return to India from his
highly enriching trip of South Africa.
He spent 21 years (1893-1915) in
South Africa, where he developed
his political views, ethics and
political leadership skills. Mahatma
Gandhi first employed nonviolent
civil disobedience as an expatriate
lawyer in South Africa, in the
resident
Indian
communitys

struggle for civil rights. His South

African stay shaped his social
activism and awakened him to
social injustice. When he returned
to India permanently on 9 January
1915 he was a completely
transformed
man
from
an
apparently shy young barrister to an
Indian nationalist, theorist and
organizer. In 2002 Indian Govt.
decided to celebrate 9 January as
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas(PBD) to
mark the contribution of the
overseas Indian community to the
development of India.

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22 CURRENT AFFAIRS

4) Vistara, the airline joint-venture

between Tata Group and Singapore
Airlines (SIA) started its operations
from 9 January 2015. This first flight
of the airline was between which
two cities? Delhi to Mumbai
Explanation: Vistara thus became
the third full-service carrier in the
country, after state-run Air India and
private carrier Jet Airways. The
launch of the new full-service airline
marks the re-entry of Tata group in
the airline business after over six
decades. The Tata Group had
announced in September last year
the formation of a 51:49 joint

venture with Singapore Airlines to

launch a full-service carrier in the
country. The group also holds 30%
stake in the domestic arm of the
Malaysian budget airline AirAsia
India. However, Indian aviation
space has been going through
turbulent weathers in the recent
past. While Kingfisher had to be
grounded after making a big splash
with its positioning as a luxury
carrier, budget airline SpiceJet is
currently going through tough times.
5) What is the name of the first new
antibiotic discovered in 30 years
that has been hailed as a major
discovery in medicine world as it
could pave the way for a new
generation
of
antibiotics?

Teixobactin
Explanation: The discovery of
Teixobactin was announced in
science journal Nature during
January 2015. It is the first new
antibiotic to be discovered in nearly
30 years and has been hailed as a
paradigm shift in the fight against
the growing resistance to drugs.
Teixobactin has been found to treat
many common bacterial infections
such as tuberculosis, septicaemia

Page

23 CURRENT AFFAIRS

and C. diff, and could be available

within five years. But more
importantly it could pave the way for
a new generation of antibiotics
because of the way it was
discovered. This discovery was
made by a team from Northeastern
University
in
Boston,
Massachusetts
(US)
who
discovered a new way of using an
electronic chip to grow the microbes
in the soil and then isolate their
antibiotic chemical compounds. The
first antibiotic Penicillin, was
discovered by Alexander Fleming in
1928
and
more
than
100
compounds have been found since,
but no new class has been found
since 1987. The lack of new drugs
coupled with over-prescribing has
led
to
bacteria
becoming
increasingly resistant to modern
medicines.
6) Which
country
overtook
Afghanistan to become the country
with the largest refugee population
under UNHCRs mandate as stated
by the U.N. Refugee Agency
(UNHCR) in its new Mid-Year
Trends 2014 report released on 8
January 2015? Syria

Explanation: Syrians, for the first

time, became the largest refugee
population
under
UNHCRs
mandate, overtaking Afghans, who
had held that position for more than
three decades. As of June 2014,
the three million Syrian refugees
now account for 23% of all refugees
being helped by UNHCR worldwide.
Despite dropping to second place,
the 2.7-million Afghan refugees
remain the largest protracted
refugee population under UNHCR
care. Following that, the leading
countries of origin of refugees were
Somalia (1.1 million), Sudan
(670,000), South Sudan (509,000),
the Democratic Republic of the
Congo
(493,000),
Myanmar
(480,000) and Iraq (426,000).
Pakistan, which hosts 1.6 million
Afghan refugees, remains the
biggest host country in absolute
terms. According to the report India
was home to over 2,00,000
refugees in the first six months of
2014. India was home to 1,98,665
refugees as of June 2014 and had
4,718 pending cases of asylum
seekers,
bringing
the
total
population of concern to 2,03,383.

January 11, 2015

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24 CURRENT AFFAIRS

1) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on

11 January 2015 inaugurated the
Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2015 (VGS
15), a flagship programme of the
Gujarat
government,
in
Gandhinagar, which was also
attended by UN Secretary General
Ban Ki-Moon and US Secretary of
State John Kerry. This is which
edition of Vibrant Gujarat Summit?
7th
Explanation: Three-day
Vibrant
Gujarat Summit of 2015 is touted to
be the biggest ever, with a host of
high-profile business as well as
political leaders attending it. Apart
from Ban Ki-Moon and John Kerry,
several ministers from Europe,
Japan, Australia and Canada and
over 50 CEOs of top Indian as well

as international companies are

paricipating in the summit that will
conclude on 13 January. Eight
countries -Canada, Japan, China,
Australia,
the
Netherlands,
Singapore, South Africa and the
U.S. are partnering with the state
government of Gujarat in this
summit. Vibrant Gujarat Summit is
the name given to a biennial
investors summit held by the
government of Gujarat. The event is
aimed at bringing together business
leaders, investors, corporations,
thought leaders, policy and opinion
makers; the summit is advertised as
a platform to understand and
explore business opportunities in
the State of Gujarat. VGS was first
held in 2003.
2) Bihar Government and the Bihar
State
Tourism
Development
Corporation (BSTDC) on 10
January 2015 organised the first of
its kind walk through a 13-km forest
trail which Lord Gautama Buddha
had taken to reach Rajgir from
Bodh Gaya around 2,543 years

Page

25 CURRENT AFFAIRS

ago. What was the name given to

this highly successful initiative in
which people from 11 countries
took part? Buddha Heritage
Walk
Explanation: The first-ever Buddha
Heritage Walk introduced by the
BSTDC started from Jethian in
Rajgir district, around 100 km
southeast of Patna. Buddha took
this route when he decided to move
to
Rajgir
after
attaining
enlightenment at Bodh Gaya. He
was welcomed at Jethian by
Bimbisar, the king of Magadh
Empire, whose Capital was Rajgir.
Bimibsara took Buddha to Venu
Van, around 13 km from there, and
offered the place to him as a gift.
Buddha had stayed there during his
visit. The route is well-documented
and is believed by scholars to be
the only authentic one among
several such routes taken by
Buddha during his 45 years of
preaching in various parts of India.
Over 500 pilgrims from 11 countries
converged on Jethian and took part
in this walk. Buddhists monks and
followers from Japan, China, South
Korea, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar,
Vietnam,
Taiwan,
Indonesia,

Malaysia and Brazil participated in

this historic event.
3) Who was selected for the
prestigious
Vikram
Sarabhai
Memorial Award for 2015 presented
by the Indian Science Congress
Association
(ISCA)?
M.Y.S.
Prasad, Director of Satish Dhawan
Space Centre, Sriharikota Range
(SHAR)
Explanation: Prasad was selected
for his outstanding contribution to
R&D in the field of space science in
his long and chequered career at
the
Indian
Space
Research
Organisation (ISRO). Prior to Dr.
Prasad, those who received this
award were former ISRO chairmen
Dr. Satish Dhawan, Dr. K. Kasturi
Rangan, Dr. G. Madhavan Nair and
Dr. K. Radhakrishnan. The ISCA,
which is a premier scientific
organization
of
the
country
established in 1914 in Kolkata, has
been giving this award in alternate
years.
4) What is the name of the Indianorigin executive who was named as
President
of
U.S.
database

26 CURRENT AFFAIRS
Page

behemoth Oracle during January

2015? Thomas Kurian

finance products and credit cards?

Gulf International Bank (GIB)

Explanation: Thomas Kurian thus

became perhaps the single most
senior executive in the company
after co-CEOs Safra Catz and Mark
Hurd. He had joined the $38 billion
Oracle in 1996, was executive VP
(product development). He is
originally from Kerala an alumnus of
Bengalurus St Josephs Boys High
School. He holds a BA in electrical
engineering
from
Princeton
University, where he graduated
summa
cum
laude
(highest
distinction). He has an MBA from
Stanford University where he was
an Arjay Miller scholar. Indians are
now at top levels in many IT firms
the notable being Satya Nadella,
CEO of Microsoft, and Sundar
Pichai, head of most major Google
products. A recent entrant is
Bhaskar
Ghosh,
management
committee member and group chief
executive of technology delivery at
Accenture.

Explanation: Gulf
International
Bank (GIB) is a Bahrain-based
entity but is 97%-owned by the
Saudi government. The online-only
retail banking business launched by
it has been launched for Saudi
Arabia and has been named as
Meem. It aims to have around a
3% share of the Saudi consumer
banking market by 2020. Saudi
Arabia is Middle-Easts largest
economy and around two-third of
the countrys population is under
30. Until now, GIB was solely a
wholesale bank and provided
services to big companies and
financial institutions. It needed a
bailout from the Saudi government
after suffering $757 million of losses
in 2007 from investing in complex
debt instruments linked to the U.S.
subprime housing crisis.

5) Which Middle-east based bank

during January 2015 launched
regions first online-only consumer
banking business will offer personal

6) Tennis ace Roger Federer

achieved which milestone by
winning the Brisbane International
Open title on 11 January 2015?
He claimed his 1,000th career
victory by winning this final

Explanation: Switzerlands Roger

Federer
defeated
third-seeded
Milos Raonic of Canada by 6-4, 6-7
(2), 6-4 in the Brisbane International
final to claim his 1,000th career
victory. This was his 83rd title. Only
retired greats Jimmy Connors
(1,253) and Ivan Lendl (1,071) have
won more than 1,000 matches on
the mens tour.

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27 CURRENT AFFAIRS

7) Which country created history on

10 January 2015 by winning its
maiden Hopman Cup by defeating
much stronger U.S. in the finals?
Poland
Explanation: Poland
defeated
much fancied United States led by
womens number one player
Serena Williams by 2-1 to win their
maiden Hopman Cup title. Polands
Agnieszka Radwanska shocked 18time major champion Williams by 64, 6-7 (7-3), 6-1 to give Poland 1-0
lead. However John Isner equalized
the tie by defeating Jerzy Janowicz.
In the final matchJanowicz and
Radwanska combined to defeat the
US in the mixed doubles to give a
historic title win. The Hopman
Cup is an annual international team

indoor featuring worlds top 8

mixed-gender teams and is played
at Perth (Australia). This was the
27th edition of Hopman Cup which
was founded in 1989.
8) West Indies created a world
record in chasing target in T20
when it successfully chased 232
run target set by hosts South Africa
at The Wanderers in Johannesburg
on 11 January 2015. Whose record
of highest T20 chasing it broke?
India
Explanation: West
Indies
successfully chased target of 232
run set by South Africa to beat
Indias record of chasing 211
against Sri Lanka in 2009. A total of
467 runs were made in this South
Africa-West Indies match which is
also a new world record. Chris
Gayle (90 runs of 40 balls) and
Marlon Samuels (60 runs of 39
balls) steered West Indies to this
record chase as they won the T20
series too. Earlier South Africas Faf
du Plessis blasted the second
fastest century (47 balls) in T20
internationals and he went on to
score 119 runs.

January 13, 2015

in the world. It seeks to link each of
the 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats of
India through broadband optical
fibre network. On its completion,
NOFN is expected to facilitate
broadband connectivity to over 600
million rural citizens of the country.

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28 CURRENT AFFAIRS

1) Indias first hi-speed Rural

Broadband Network (HSRBN) was
commissioned in which district of
Kerala and was declared the first
district in the country linked to the
National Optic Fibre Network
(NOFN) on 12 January 2015?
Idukki District
Explanation: The hi-speed Rural
Broadband
Network
was
commissioned at Keralas Idukki
district under the Digital India
Programme and the National
Optical Fibre Network (NOFN)
project of the Union Government.
Minister for Communications & IT
Ravi Shankar Prasad inaugurated
this network. NOFN is the largest
rural connectivity project of its kind

2) The Supreme Court of India on

12 January 2015 gave what
important direction regarding evoting by non-resident Indians
(NRIs)? It directed the central
government to enable e-voting
by NRIs within eight weeks
Explanation: With this Supreme
Court order NRIs will soon be able
to cast their vote from abroad,
without having to fly back to their
hometown during elections. SC
accepted an Election Commission
report
recommending
e-ballot
voting for Indian passport holders
abroad and it would have the
process in place after amending
laws. In e-voting, a blank postal
ballot paper is mailed to the voter,
who has to fill it and mail it by post

to their constituency. The system

has almost no risk of manipulation,
rigging or violation of secrecy, the
commission has said in its report.

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29 CURRENT AFFAIRS

3) As per the latest Finance Ministry

data released on 11 January 2015,
private sector banks are way
behind their PSU peers when it
comes
to
opening
financial
inclusion accounts under the
Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana
(PMJDY). What was the share of
private banks in this flagship
financial inclusion programme of
the government? Around 3%
Explanation: As per the latest
Finance Ministry data, 13 private
sector banks have opened 30.47
lakh Jan Dhan bank accounts as
against 8.62 crore by state-owned
banks as on 7 January 2015.
Private banks have a market share
of about 20% in Indian banking
scenario, but their contribution in
this flagship financial inclusion
programme of the government is
only about 3%. The number of such
accounts opened by even regional
rural banks (RRBs) stood at 1.92
crore. Prime Minister Narendra
Modi
launched
the
financial

inclusion scheme on 28 August

2014. The initial target was to open
7.5 crore such accounts, but the
later it was revised upwards to 10
crore to be completed by 26
January 2015. However, this target
has already been achieved.
4) The Assembly elections for 70
Assembly seats of National Capital
Territory (NCT) of Delhi would be
held on which date as announced
by the Election Commission of India
(ECI) on 12 January 2015? 7
February 2015
Explanation: Keenly-awaited and
highly
prestigious
assembly
elections for NCT of Delhi (70
seats) would be held on 7 February
and results for the same would be
declared on 10 February 2015. ECI
stated that it hopes that the whole
process of elections in Delhi gets
completed by 12 February 2015.
The last Legislative Assembly of
NCT of Delhi was dissolved by the
President
of
India
on
4th November, 2014 as no party
was found able to form a
government here. The forthcoming
elections are expected to be a

three-cornered fight between the

BJP, AAP and Congress.

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30 CURRENT AFFAIRS

5) The
Insurance
Regulatory
Authority of India (IRDA) has got an
actuary after a gap of over three
years. What is the name of the
person assigned the post of
member (actuary) in IRDA?
Pournima Gupte
Explanation: The post of member
(actuary) had been lying vacant
after R. Kannan retired from IRDA
in 2011. The post was kept vacant
for almost 3 years resulting in a
major bottleneck for insurance
companies in launching new
schemes. Gupte, who was originally
with Life Insurance Corporation
(LIC), had worked as actuary at
Reliance Life Insurance and IDBI
Federal. This is also for the first
time that a woman has been
appointed on the board of IRDA.
An actuary is
a
business
professional who deals with the
financial impact of risk and
uncertainty. Actuaries provide
assessments of financial security
systems, with a focus on their
complexity, their mathematics, and
their mechanisms.

6) Which club claimed its maiden

Federation Cup title after it won the
title clash held at Margao on 11
January 2015? Bengaluru FC
Explanation: Bengaluru
FC
defeated home side Dempo FC by
2-1 to win its maiden Federation
Cup title. This was the second
major title for Bengaluru FC in their
two years of existence. They have
won the I-League last season. For
Dempo FC, who won the title in
2004, they finished runners-up for
the fifth time. Federation Cup is
considered the second most
prestigious club football title in India
after I-League. It was first held in
1977.
7) Top seed Stanislas Wawrinka
retained the singles title of the
Chennai Open with a comfortable
6-3, 6-4 win over Slovenian qualifier
Aljaz Bedene in the final held on 11
January
2015.
This
was
Wawarinkas
Chennai
Open singles title? Third
Explanation: World No. 4 Stanislas
Wawrinka has been the mens
singles winner at Chennai Open in

2011 and 2014. In 2014, he went

on to win his first Grand Slam, the
Australian Open, just after winning
the Chennai Open.
8) Which German newspaper came
to news for being target of an arson
attack on 11 January 2015 after it
printed cartoons of French satire
magazine Charlie Hebdo following
the deadly attack on it?
Hamburger Morgenpost

Explanation: Hamburger
Morgenpost, like many other
German newspapers, had printed
cartoons of French satire magazine
Charlie Hebdo after the deadly
attack on it on 7 January 2015 in
Paris. An incendiary device was
thrown at the newspaper building in
the night and documents were
burned inside. Two suspects were
arrested near the crime scene.

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31 CURRENT AFFAIRS

January 14, 2015

1) In an important development for

Prime Minister Narendra Modis
Make In India pitch, for the first
time US aviation regulator the
Federal Aviation Administration

(FAA) gave its approval to two

aircraft parts manufactured by
Indian manufacturers. With these
FAA approvals the manufacturers
will be able to supply the parts to
aircraft manufacturing units in the
US and the world over. What are
the names of these two Indian
manufacturers? The India arm of
UTC Aerospace Systems (UTAS)
and HBL Power Systems
Explanation: A four-person life raft
developed by the India arm of UTC

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32 CURRENT AFFAIRS

Aerospace Systems (UTAS) and

nickel-cadmium batteries developed
by Hyderabad-based HBL Power
Systems were approved by the
FAA. The approval from the FAA
implies that these two products are
now internationally certified. This is
the first instance of any aircraft
parts manufactured by Indian
entities being approved by the FAA.
To promote the development of the
aerospace industry under the PMs
ambitious Make in India scheme,
most state governments are coming
up with their aerospace and
defence manufacturing policies
providing significant incentives and
policy support to potential investors.
2) The Union Government during
January 2015 asked states to
deploy an open source Linux-based
operating system meant to run
official computers under an initiative
titled BOSS. The acronym BOSS
stands
for
what?
Bharat
Operating System Solutions
Explanation: The BOSS initiative is
being proposed as a homegrown
alternative
to
the
Microsoft
Windows operating system, which
is the predominant operating

system in use across Central and

state
government
computer
systems, alongside other Linux
variants such as Redhat and
Ubuntu, as well as Android and
Unix systems. The Government has
entrusted a Chennai-based stateowned IT firm with the support and
promotion of BOSS.
3) The Union Govt. constituted a
Commission on Denotified and
Nomadic Tribes on 9 January 2015
for preparation of a State-wise list
of castes belonging to denotified
and nomadic tribes and suggest
appropriate measures in respect of
them. Who was appointed as the
Chairman of this Commission?
Bhiku Ramji Idate
Explanation: Bhiku Ramji Idate is a
Mahar
BJP
leader
from
Maharashtra, which is a Dalit subcaste. The terms of reference of the
Commission include preparation of
a State-wise list of castes belonging
to Denotified and Nomadic Tribes
and suggest appropriate measures
in respect of these tribes to be
undertaken
by
the
Central
Government
or
the
State
Government. Bhiku Ramji Idate

took over as the Chairman of the

Commission while Shravan Singh
Rathore took over as its Member
Secretary.

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33 CURRENT AFFAIRS

4) The
insurance
regulator
Insurance
Regulatory
and
Development
Authority
(IRDA)
expressed concern over the
skewed penetration of health
insurance in India with four states
accounting for 62% of premium.
Which four states are these?
Maharashtra,
Tamil
Nadu,
Karnataka and Union Territory of
Delhi
Explanation: This concern was
expressed in the Annual Report for
2014-14 that was published during
January 2015. While these four
states contributed 62% of total
health insurance premium, the rest
32 States/UTs contributed only 38%
of total premium. In fact, the health
insurance premium from 8 sister
States of North Eastern India was
only118 crore (0.6%) for 2013-14.
One of the reasons for the skew in
premium is that 46% of health
insurance premium comes from
group policies sold to corporates.
As a result the coverage is highest

in states with
industrialization.

high

level

of

5) Who took over as the Director

General Air Operations (DGAO) in
the Indian Air Force (IAF) on 13
January 2015? Air Marshal Anil
Khosla
Explanation: Air
Marshal
Anil
Khosla has over 4000 hours of
flying experience having flown the
Jaguar and MiG 21. He has vast
instructional experience and has
been directing staff at prestigious
institutions like Tactics and Combat
Development
Establishment
(TACDE) and Flying Instructor
School (FIS). He has commanded a
Jaguar squadron with maritime role
and two frontline bases of the IAF
at Jaisalmer & Ambala.
6) London-based financial journal
Central Banking named who as
the winner of the Governor of the
Year award on 13 January 2015?
Raghuram Rajan, RBI Governor
Explanation: This is the second
major prize for RBI Governor since
he held the helm of RBI a little over
a year ago. He was named in

recognition of the part the RBI and

its staff have been playing in
bringing macroeconomic stability to
the Indian economy, in creating
more competition and new growth
opportunities in the banking and
financial markets, as well as in
expanding financial inclusion. He
had earlier won the Best Central
Bank Governor award for 2014 by
Euromoney magazine. Rajan has
been credited with stabilising the
rupee and controlling stubbornlyhigh inflation that rocked Indias
economy for the last three years.

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34 CURRENT AFFAIRS

7) Who became the first Hindu to

be appointed as the Chief Justice of
Bangladesh on 12 January 2015?
Justice S K Sinha
Explanation: Justice S K Sinha is
the first non-Muslim to become the
countrys top judge. He will take
over on 17 January 2015 with the
present Chief Justice Muzammel
Hossain retiring on 16 January on
reaching 67, the retirement age for
Supreme
Court
judges
in

Bangladesh. Sinha is known for a

number of landmark judgements
including those on the killing of
Bangabandhu
Sheikh
Mujibur
Rahman
and
the
5th and
13th amendments
to
the
Constitution.
8) Which footballer was awarded
the FIFA Ballon dOr award for the
second year running and the third
overall on 12 January 2015?
Cristiano Ronaldo
Explanation: Portuguese footballer
Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays for
Spanish club Real Madrid, polled
more than double the number of
votes that were received by his
bitter rival Lionel Messi of
Argentina. Messi finished second
while Bayern Munichs German
goalkeeper Manuel Neuer took the
third spot. Joachim Loew won the
Coach of the Year of the award
after leading Germany to the World
Cup title in Brazil. Nadine Kessler
(Germany) won the womens Player
of the Year award.

January 15, 2015

Commissioner
and
Election
Commissioners are appointed by
the President for a tenure of six
years or up to the age of 65. The
Chief Election Commissioner can
be removed from office only
through
impeachment
by
Parliament.

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35 CURRENT AFFAIRS

1) Who was named as the new

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC)
of India on 14 January 2015?
Harishankar
Brahma
(H.S.
Brahma)
Explanation: H.S. Brahma will be
19th CEC and will take over from
V.S. Sampath who retires on 15
January 2015 after almost two and
half years as CEC. Brahma was
one
of
the
two
Election
Commissioners (ECs) in the
Election Commission of India (ECI)
till now. 60-year old Brahma, who
hails from Assam, is a 1975 IAS
officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre.
After J M Lyndogh, Brahma will
become the second officer from the
northeast to be appointed to this
post.
The
Chief
Election

2) What was the name of the

Director General of Defence
Research
and
Development
Organisation (DRDO), who was
sacked from his post on 13 January
2015 by the Union Govt.?
Avinash Chander
Explanation: Avinash
Chander
was
Secretary-cum-Director
General, DRDO and Scientific
Adviser to the Defence Minister. He
had retired on 30 November 2014
on attaining 64 years and was given
a contract for 18 months till 31 May
next year (2016). Thus his removal
after being given a contract raised
many doubts about governments
decision.
Opposition
parties
criticized this decision. It is worth

mentioning that Avinash Chander

was one of the chief architects of
the Agni series of the ballistic
missile systems.

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36 CURRENT AFFAIRS

3) Which Indian drug company

engaged in production of generic
drugs was recently barred by the
Delhi High Court from making or
selling a cheaper copy of Novartis
AGs respiratory drug Onbrez
domestically? Cipla Limited
Explanation: Cipla Limited, Indias
fourth-largest generic drugmaker by
revenue, had launched its copy of
Onbrez in New Delhi during
October 2014 at a fifth of the
original drugs price, citing urgent
unmet need in India. But in
December
2014
Novartis
challenged the Cipla move in the
Delhi
High
Court.
Onbrez,
chemically called indacaterol, is
used to treat chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease in adults, and
patents covering the drug expire
only in 2020. The Delhi court, in its
order passed on 9 January 2015
observed Cipla did not provide any
figures about the inadequacy or
shortfall in the supply of the drug,
while Novartis claimed it had

enough stocks to meet demand and

could supply more if needed.
4) Union Minister of State for
Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas
Naqvi was sentenced to one year
imprisonment along with 19 others
by a Rampur court on 14 January
2015. What is the charge on him?
Breaching prohibitory orders
during the 2009 Lok Sabha polls
Explanation: Naqvi along with 19
other people were booked in Patwai
police station in Rampur for
allegedly breaching prohibitory
orders and barging in a police
station in Patwai area while
campaigning during 2009 Lok
Sabha polls. They were charged for
unlawful assembly and not adhering
to the Model Code of Conduct
under sections of the IPC and
Criminal Law Amendment Act. He,
however, got bail from a higher
court and was released.
5) What is the name of the
Samsung Electronics Co.s own
smartphone operating system, first
smartphone based on which was

launched by the company in India

on 14 January 2015? Tizen

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37 CURRENT AFFAIRS

Explanation: Samsung Electronics

Co. Ltd launched the first
smartphone (Z1) powered by its
Tizen operating system in India on
14 January. The development of
this operating system is being seen
a major development in Samsungs
aim to build a software ecosystem
to rival Googles Android. The
launch is a key step in the
companys strategy to break free
from the Android platform, which
powers Samsungs flagship Galaxy
devices
and
most
other
smartphones on the market. The Z1
smartphone based on this new
operating system has been made
available in India only, targeting
first-time smartphone buyers.
6) What is the name of the Italian
President who handed in his
resignation as head of state on 14
January
2015?
Giorgio
Napolitano
Explanation: 89-year old Giorgio
Napolitano resigned before the end
of his second term in office because
of his advanced age. He was widely

respected outside Italy as a

guarantor of stability during the
euro zone crisis. His resignation left
Prime Minister Matteo Renzi with
the politically delicate task of finding
a successor. Italy is struggling to
emerge from years of recession
and the government faces a series
of hurdles to its economic and
constitutional reform agenda.
7) Pope Francis gave Sri Lanka its
first saint on 14 January 2015 at a
huge Mass held in capital Colombo.
What is the name of this Indianborn missionary who thus became
the first Saint from the country?
Joseph Vaz
Explanation: Vaz was born in 1651
in Indias Goa, then a Portuguese
colony. He travelled south at the
age of 36 to Sri Lanka, a country
then divided into kingdoms after
hearing about the persecution of
Catholics by the Dutch, and worked
for years under the protection of a
Buddhist
king,
King
Vimaladharmasuriya
II.
The
canonisation of Joseph Vaz was
seen as an example of Pope
Franciss no-nonsense approach to
creating saints to meet the

demands of the flock for new holy

figures, particular in parts of the

world where the Church is still

growing.

January 16, 2015

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38 CURRENT AFFAIRS

1) What is the name of the worlds

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. Its the

worlds 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
didnt have enough passengers to
merit such service. The A350s
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-thanexpected inflation, weak crude

prices and weak demand as the

reasons for its move, as well as the
governments
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. Indias wholesale price
index (WPI) for December 2014
rose just 0.11% year-on-year, after
staying flat in November 2014.

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39 CURRENT AFFAIRS

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 countrys 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
Indias insurance industry, the
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 15
January 2015 gave what three
major permissions to countrys 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.

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40 CURRENT AFFAIRS

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 nofrills 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.

January 17, 2015

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41 CURRENT AFFAIRS

January 2015 from which station?

Rewari (Haryana)

1) Indias first CNG (Compressed

Natural Gas) based train was
flagged-off by the Union Railway
Minister Suresh Prabhu on 15

Explanation: Countrys first CNGbased 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.

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42 CURRENT AFFAIRS

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. Samsons 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 noncoal 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

43 CURRENT AFFAIRS
Page

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).

5) What is the name of a

controversial book on Congress
President Sonia Gandhis 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

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: 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.

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.

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
courts recent verdict on the fake
encounter case against BJP
president Amit Shah.

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44 CURRENT AFFAIRS

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 bestselling 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
francs surge. There were reports of
some cancellations in Switzerland
as visitors rushed to rearrange their
plans for the busy winter season.

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45 CURRENT AFFAIRS

January 18, 2015

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

46 CURRENT AFFAIRS
Page

LCA project was approved by the

Government of India in which year?
1983

Aeronautics Limited is estimated to

cost over Rs. 30,000 crore.

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 (LCASP1) 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

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 FCIs 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 years 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

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47 CURRENT AFFAIRS

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 5456 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
Earths 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
Hawkings 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.

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48 CURRENT AFFAIRS

January 19, 2015

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

49 CURRENT AFFAIRS
Page

Explanation: HDFC Bank, which is

Indias second-largest private bank
(in terms of asset size), was ranked
at 45th place in Bloombergs 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. Staterun 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 countrys total
population.

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50 CURRENT AFFAIRS

3) South African captain AB de

Villiers scored the fastest ever oneday 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
Zealands Corey Anderson had
scored his century off 36 balls
against West Indies to broke
Pakistan Shahid Afridis record
made off 37 balls against Sri Lanka
in 1996. AB de Villiers broke
Andersens record by scoring his
historic century in 5 less balls at
Johannesburg. He scored 16 huge
sixes in his innings to equal Indias
Rohit Sharmas 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 Africas
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: 16 year old Devesh
Kumar of Uttar Pradesh was
chosen for Sanjay Chopra Award
for displaying outstanding courage
while confronting two chainsnatchers. 13 year old Gunjan
Sharma of Assam displayed
exemplary valour in saving her
friends from the clutches of the
abductor. RumohMeto (13 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

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51 CURRENT AFFAIRS

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 mens and
womens singles title in the senior
National
Table
Tennis
Championships that concluded at
Puducherry on 18 January 2015?

Soumyajit Ghosh(Mens title)

and Mouma Das (Womens title)
Explanation: Soumyajit
Ghosh
defeated G. Sathiyan in the mens
singles final by 11-7, 9-11, 11-3, 1311, 13-15, 11-9 and thus regained
the title he had won in Raipur in
2013. Mouma Das defeated veteran
Poulomi Ghatak in the womens
singles final by 7-11, 7-11, 11-3, 1412, 11-7, 11-6. Moumas 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.

January 20, 2015

International
Foundation
for
Development
Alternatives
and
Peoples Union for Civil Liberties
(PUCL). Kothari has been counted
as one of the great political thinkers
of the 20th century.

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52 CURRENT AFFAIRS

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),

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 actorGeorge 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?

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53 CURRENT AFFAIRS

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
Rejuvenation.

and

Ganga

5) What is the name of the IndianAmerican

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.

January 21, 2015

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54 CURRENT AFFAIRS

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

1) The
Country
Wide
Tiger
Assessment Report (CWTAR) for
2014 was released on 20 January
2015 by Environment Minister
Prakash Javadekar. The report

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 worlds 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.

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55 CURRENT AFFAIRS

2) Which
company
overtook
Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) to
become
the
countrys
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 RILs Rs. 5,256
crore. RILs 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 Indias 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
worlds 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.

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56 CURRENT AFFAIRS

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) Chinas economy
in 2014 according
data revealed by
Government on 20

grew by 7.4%
to the official
the Chinese
January 2015.

This was Chinas 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.

January 22, 2015

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57 CURRENT AFFAIRS

announced by Prime Minister

Narendra Modi during 2014 and is
being launched on 22 January
2015? 9.1% p.a.

1) What will be the interest rate

(notified on 20 January 2015) for
investments in Sukanya Samriddhi
Account (SSA), the special deposit
scheme for girl child that was

Explanation: SSA
will
attract
interest rate of 9.1% per annum for
the current fiscal year (2014-15).
SSA scheme prescribes opening of
a deposit account with post offices
in the name of a girl child by her
biological parents or legal guardian.
A girl is allowed only one account,
while a parent can open such an
account for a maximum of two girl
children. The account can be

opened in the name of a girl child

from birth till she attains the age of
10. A girl child who attains the age
of 10 years a year prior to the
commencement of new scheme will
also be allowed to open an account.
One can deposit maximum of Rs.
1.5 lakh in one financial year. This
is the same amount on which tax
benefit is available under Section
80C of Income Tax. The scheme is
being launched on 22 January
2015.

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58 CURRENT AFFAIRS

2) State-run Steel Authority of India

Limited (SAIL) and South Korean
steel major Posco recently agreed
to jointly set up a 3-million-tonne
integrated plant in India. This plant,
to be established with an estimated
investment of Rs. 18,000 crore
would be set up in which state?
Jharkhand
Explanation: This
greenfield
project would be set up adjacent to
SAILs existing plant in Bokaro
(Jharkhand). SAIL and Posco have
resolved their earlier differences on
ownership of the proposed project.
It has been decided that SAIL and
Posco would hold 49% stake each
and the remaining 2% would be

held by a financial institution. Since

the PSU has adequate surplus land
at its Bokaro unit, the proposed
project would not need to acquire
any
additional
land.
This
development is being seen as a
huge fillip to Prime Minister
Narendra Modis Make in India
initiative.
3) Union Government on 21
January 2015 launched a new plan
that seeks to preserve and
rejuvenate the rich cultural heritage
of the country. What is the name of
this plan? National Heritage
Development and Augmentation
Yojana (HRIDAY)
Explanation: HRIDAY
was
launched
by
Union
Urban
Development Minister M.Venkaiah
Naidu on 21 January. It seeks to
promote an integrated, inclusive
and sustainable development of
heritage sites, focusing not just on
maintenance of monuments but on
advancement
of
the
entire
ecosystem including its citizens,
tourists and local businesses.
Under HRIDAY Rs.500 crore would
be provided to the 12 cities selected
in the first phase and the Central

Government will meet the entire

expenditure under the scheme.
These 12 cities include Varanasi,
Amritsar, Warangal, Ajmer, Gaya,
Mathura, Kanchipuram, Vellankini,
Amaravati, Badami, Dwarka and
Puri.

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59 CURRENT AFFAIRS

4) Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF),

believed to be Asia biggest literary
event, was kicked-off from 21
January 2015 at Jaipur. The 5-day
event is which edition of the festival
which draws authors, poets and
celebrities from all over the world?
8th
Explanation: JLF is an annual
literary festival that is held at
Rajasthans capital Jaipur since
2006. The main venue of this
festival is the Diggi Palace Hotel
while some events are also held at
Hawa Mahal, Amber Fort and
Narain Niwas. China-born British
author
Jung
Chang,
former
President A P J Abdul Kalam, actor
Naseeruddin
Shah,
playwright
Girish Karnad, Nobel laureate V S
Naipaul, renowned contemporary
travel writer Paul Theroux, Pulitzer
Prize winning poet Vijay Seshadri,
Oscar-nominated screenwriter and

novelist Hanif Kureishi are few of

the participants for this 8th edition of
JLF.
5) What is the name of the 13-year
old Indian-American student who
recently became the youngest
entrepreneur in Silicon Valley (US)
as he launched a company to
develop low-cost machines to print
Braille? Shubham Banerjee
Explanation: Shubham Banerjee is
an 8th Grade student of California.
He founded his own start-up
company called Braigo Labs to
develop low-cost machines to print
Braille. Tech giant Intel Corp.
recently invested in his company.
He ventured into this business as
he was shocked to learn that Braille
printers, also called embossers,
cost at least $2,000, too expensive
for most blind readers, especially in
developing countries. His newly
started company seeks to develop
a desktop Braille printer that costs
around $350 and weighs just a few
kilograms, compared with current
models that can weigh more than
nine kilograms. His main product
has been named Braigo, a name
that combines Braille and Lego, and

60 CURRENT AFFAIRS
Page

has won numerous awards and

enthusiastic support from the blind
community.

7) Which company retained its

position as number one in global
vehicle sales in 2014? Toyota
Motor Company

6) A new milestone in neonatal care

was achieved during January 2015
after a six-day-old baby girls
kidneys and liver cells were given to
two separate recipients after her
heart
stopped
beating.
This
complex procedure was performed
in
which
country?
United
Kingdom

Explanation: Japanese company

Toyota Motor sold 10.23 million
vehicles globally during 2014 to
stay on top. Volkswagen AG of
Germany occupied second spot
with 10.14 million vehicles followed
by General Motors of the US which
sold 9.92 million vehicles during the
year. GM had been the top-selling
automaker for more than seven
decades until being surpassed by
Toyota in 2008.

Explanation: The six-day old girl

baby was born with some serious
ailments. She had been starved of
oxygen before birth and despite
resuscitation had profound brain
damage. Doctors at UKs Imperial
College (London) transplanted her
kidneys to a patient with renal
failure while in a separate operation
her liver cells were transfused to
someone with a failing liver. The
surgery was incredibly difficult and
intricate as kidneys at this stage of
life are just around 5 cm long. Thus
the first transplant of organs from a
newborn became a success.

8) Three
Russian
Olympic
medalists Sergey Kirdyapkin,
Valery Borchin and Olga Kaniskina
were tested positive for abuse of
performance improving drugs and
were subsequently banned by the
Russian
Anti-Doping
Agency
(RUSADA) on 20 January 2015. All
three of these athletes are
associated with which discipline?
Walking
Explanation: Sergey Kirdyapkin
was the gold medallist in mens 50
km walk at London Olympics 2012

while Kaniskina won a silver medal

at the same games. Both were
banned for three years and two
months. Borchin, who won the gold
medal in mens 20 km walk at the
Beijing Olympic Games in 2008
received a ban for eight years from

15 October 2012 and hence would

not be able to compete at the 2016
Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil. Now the International
Olympic Committee (IOC) would
decide whether to rescind medals
of these banned athletes.

January 23, 2015

- The govt. should reduce
coverage under the National
Food Security Act (NFSA) to 40%
of the population from the
existing 67%.

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61 CURRENT AFFAIRS

- FCI procurement should focus

on eastern belt, where farmers
do not get minimum support
price (MSP)
1) The 8-member committee led by
BJP MP Shanta Kumar to
recommend a complete overhaul of
the functioning of the Food
Corporation
of
India
(FCI),
submitted its report to the Union
Government on 21 January 2015.
What
are
the
main
recommendations
of
this
committee?

- FCI should hand over the task

of bulk procurement of foodgrain
to state agencies of states like
Punjab,
Haryana,
Andhra
Pradesh,
Chhattisgarh
and
Odisha for wheat and rice
- Food grain under NFSA for
those under below poverty line
should be raised to 7kg per

person from the present norm of

5kg per person
- Grain storage should be
outsourced
to
private
and
government agencies like stateowned
Central
Warehousing
Corporation (CWC) and state
warehousing corporations
- Uniform tax of minimum 3% and
maximum 4% and the same to be
included in the MSP, in view of
some
states
imposing
higher Mandi (market) taxes on
wheat and rice

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62 CURRENT AFFAIRS

- End-to-end computerisation
and setting up of a vigilance
committee
to
strengthen
distribution of foodgrains and
check leakage in PDS
- Implementation of cash transfer
in 52 cities having 1 million or
more population in two years and
the option of either supplying
grain or cash transfer should be
given to deficit states
Explanation: This committee was
set up in August 2014 under the
chairmanship of Shanta Kumar
(BJP MP) to give suggestions for a
complete
overhaul
of
the

functioning of FCI, which is the

Union governments nodal agency
for procurement and distribution of
foodgrains. Other members of the
committee are FCI Chairman-cumManaging Director C Viswanath,
Electronic and IT Secretary Ram
Sewak Sharma, G Raghuram (IIM,
Ahmedabad),
G.
Nancharaiah
(Hyderabad
University),
chief
secretaries
of
Punjab
and
Chhattisgarh.
Initially,
the
committee was asked to submit the
recommendation in three months,
but it sought two-month extension.
2) Prime Minister Narendra Modi
unveiled the Beti Bachao Beti
Padhao campaign on 22 January
2015. This campaign was launched
from which district of Haryana
which has amongst the lowest child
sex ratios in the country? Panipat
Explanation: Beti Bachao Beti
Padhao (Save the Daughter,
Teach the Daughter) campaign was
launched
with
the
objective
improving Indias child sex ratio.
The scheme was launched at
Painpat in Haryana, a state with
one of the poorest sex ratio in the
country.
The
Prime
Minister

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63 CURRENT AFFAIRS

administered a pledge to the

gathering that they will work to end
female foeticide and discrimination
against girls. Beti Bachao Beti
Padhao will focus on 100 gender
critical districts where the child sex
ratio is particularly low by enforcing
existing laws that criminalize prebirth gender selection, and by
improving girls school attendance,
among other measures. Indias
child sex ratio dropped from 964 in
1971 to a low of 918 in 2011,
according to U.N. data. Between
2001 and 2011, the decline was
seen in more than two-thirds of the
districts in the nation. On this
occasion
Sukanya
Samridhi
Account (SSA) scheme (girl child
prosperity scheme) was also
launched, under which girl children
below 10 years will have bank
accounts with more interest and
income tax benefits.
3) Union Government has planned
to sell how much of its stake in oil
marketing
major,
Indian
Oil
Corporation (IOC), for which the
Finance Ministry has invited
proposals from merchant bankers
and brokers? 10%

Explanation: Union
Government
currently owns 68.57% stake in
IOC.
It
expects
to
get
around Rs. 8,000 crore through this
sell-off and the effort on is to close
the transaction by 31 March 2015.
Completing the divestment in IOC
this fiscal is crucial as the mop-up
via this route is well below target.
Until now, the Centre has managed
raising a little over Rs. 1,700 crore
against the planned Rs. 43,125
crore.
4) The Delhi Development Authority
(DDA) and the National Buildings
Construction Corporation (NBCC)
have tied up to construct Delhis
first
100-storey
building
in
Karkardooma, East Delhi. This
iconic tower is part of which
proposed project to develop East
Delhi region on lines of Smart
City? East Delhi Hub project
Explanation: A total of 75 acre
land has been earmarked for the
East Delhi Hub project and it will
be based on the Transit Oriented
Development (TOD) norms and
smart city principles. There is a
proposal to construct one iconic
tower having more than 100

storeys, among other buildings

under this project. Still at the
drawing board stage, the proposal
will have to go through a series of
clearances, especially on account
of the iconic tower.
5) The BSE Sensex crossed which
milestone level for the first time on
22 January 2015? 29,000 points

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64 CURRENT AFFAIRS

Explanation: The BSE Sensex

scaled the historical 29,000 peak
for the first time on 22 January. On
this day it ended over this milestone
mark. On the other hand the Nifty
edged above 8,750 as stock
markets opened at record highs for
the third consecutive session.
Hopes that a low interest rate
regime will kick-start the domestic
investment cycle and buying of
shares by foreign investors were
the two big reasons for this record
high in stock markets.
6) What is the name of the Yemeni
President who resigned from his

post on 22 January 2015 due to

pressure from Houthi rebels, with
whom he had tried to enter into an
agreement?
Abed
Rabbo
Mansour Hadi
Explanation: President
Mansour
Hadi was held captive by Houthi
rebels on 21 January 2015 a day
after they seized the presidential
palace in capital Sanaa. Later he
tried to reach an agreement with
rebels to seek their withdrawal from
areas overlooking the presidential
palace. But the agreement talks
reached a deadlock as rebels
asked for further concessions. He
tendered his resignation to Yemeni
Parliament raising doubts that
country could again split apart. The
Houthis, an ally of Iran, swept into
the capital four months ago and
have emerged as the dominant
force in the country. President
Mansour Hadi was a close ally of
US in the fight against Al-Qaida in
the region.

January 24, 2015

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65 CURRENT AFFAIRS

1) Which historic move pertaining to

Scotland was started by the British
government on 22 January 2015?
It began the process of transfer
of power to Scotland from this
day
Explanation: The
process
of
transfer of power to Scotland was
initiated by paving the way for a
draft bill for the same. This was
done keeping in mind the pledge
the British government had given to
persuade
Scots
to
reject
independence from Britain in the
milestone referendum held in
September 2014. The draft bill, to
be enacted after a general election
on 7 May 2015, will further
dismantle
Britains
highly
centralized system of government.
This transfer of power could trigger

the beginning of the end of the

United Kingdom. Under the law,
Scotland, which voted to reject full
independence in the September
referendum, will be able to set
income tax rates, influence welfare
spending, and have authority to
decide how the Scottish parliament
and other structures are elected
and run.
2) Who was appointed the new
King of Saudi Arabia on 23 January
2015 after the death of King
Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud?
Salman bin Abdul-Aziz al-Saud
Explanation: Salman bin AbdulAziz al-Saud is Abdullahs brother
and was crown prince when
Abdullah ruled the country. Salman
is best known for overseeing the
development of the Saudi capital,
Riyadh, during his nearly 50 years
as its governor. He became the
countrys defense minister in 2011
as a series of uprisings were
shaking Arab leaders who had long
been Saudi allies. 90 year old King

Abdullah earlier passed away in the

early hours of 23 January 2015. He
had played very important role in
carrying out reforms in Saudi
Arabia. He ascended to the throne
on 1 August 2005 upon the death of
his half-brother, King Fahd. During
his reign he maintained close
relations with United States and
Britain and bought billions of dollars
worth of defense equipment from
both states. He also gave women
the right to vote and to compete in
the Olympics.

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66 CURRENT AFFAIRS

3) The European Central Bank

(ECB) on 22 January 2015
announced what major step to
revive the sagging European
economy? It announced the
plan to launch a 1 trillion govt.
bond buying programme that will
infuse huge amount of money
into economy
Explanation: ECB would purchase
sovereign debt starting from March
2015 until the end of September
2016 in an effort to release 60
billion euros ($68 billion) a month
into the European economy. This
announcement is the ultimate policy
decision by the ECB for reviving

economic growth and warding off

deflation in the euro zone economy.
However, it was felt that this
measure could also have negative
impact as it could allow spendthrift
countries to slacken economic
reforms. ECB is the central bank for
the euro and administers monetary
policy of the euro zone, which
consists of 19 EU member states
and is one of the largest currency
areas in the world.
4) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
on 22 January 2015 came out with
which guideline on loan cost for
countrys commercial banks? It
directed all banks to display all
costs associated with loans on
their website
Explanation: The RBI made it
compulsory for banks to set out
every possible cost in respect of the
loan in a fact sheet at the
processing stage. Banks will also
have to publish the annual
percentage rate representing the
total cost of credit to an individual
borrower. Besides, they will have to
display on their website the interest
rate range for various contracted
loans for the past quarter for

different categories of advances.

The significance of RBI direction is
that it will make it possible for
borrowers to compare loans from
two lenders. Also, by making the
charges a part of the contract, the
RBI has reduced leeway for lenders
to vary pre-payment charges
subsequently.

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67 CURRENT AFFAIRS

5) Indias
foreign
exchange
reserves touched an all-time high of
$322.135 billion in the week ended
16 January 2015 on account of a
surge in foreign currency assets.
When was the previous best in
countrys
foreign
exchange
reserves observed? 2 September
2011
Explanation: Indias
foreign
exchange reserves as on 2
September 2011 stood at $320.79
billion and it was the previous best
than the levels observed on 16
January 2015. The foreign currency
assets (FCAs), a major constituent
of overall reserves, jumped $2.685
billion to $297.53 billion in the
reporting week. FCAs, expressed in
dollar terms, include the effect of
appreciation and depreciation of
non-US currencies such as the

euro, pound and yen, held in

reserves.
6) An Indian Institute of Technology
(IIT) of the country claimed to have
developed a 10-inch netbook, which
it claims could be the worlds
cheapest, at around Rs 6,000.
Which IIT has developed this
netbook? IIT Bombay
Explanation: The
netbook,
conceived during the institutes
work with the low-cost Akash tablet,
will be unveiled in the second week
of February 2015. In a bid to
address the needs of students and
to drive information creation, the
team at IIT Bombay thought it was
important to have a fully functional
keyboard as opposed to a virtual
keyboard, more battery time, a
larger screen size (10 inches as
compared to a 7-inch screen on a
tablet), greater memory, more
storage, a normal USB slot (not a
micro USB), while not letting go of
the price focus. The netbook also
needed to be light-weight for
students to carry comfortably.

7) Who was named as the new

South Korean Prime Minister by
countrys President Park Geun-hye
on 23 January 2015 to replace
Chung Hong-won? Lee Wan Koo
Explanation: It is worth mentioning
that Chung Hong-won had offered
to resign over a ferry disaster that
killed more than 300 people in April
last year. But his resignation was
kept in abeyance then. The
government led by President Park
Geun-hye is going through heavy
public criticism about her allegedly
poor communications with the
public and lack of transparency in
personnel decisions. South Koreas
executive power is concentrated in
the president but the prime minister
leads the country if the president

becomes incapacitated. Lee Wan

Koo
is
countrys
top
parliamentarian.
8) The
17-time
Grand
Slam
champion Roger Federer was
ousted out of the Australian Open in
the third round on 23 January 2015.
Which unseeded player defeated
him in this match? Andreas
Seppi (Italy)
Explanation: Unseeded Andreas
Seppi defeated Federer by 6-4, 7-6
(5), 4-6, 7-6 (5) to oust him from the
tournament. He hasnt been beaten
this early at the Australian Open
since 2000. It was also the
unseeded Seppis first win against
Federer in 11 matches.

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January 25-26, 2015

1) U.S. President Barack Obama
arrived on 25 January 2015 on his
historic 3-day visit to India. Prime
Minister Narendra Modi broke with
protocol to meet the President as
he landed in New Delhi. What is a

historic fact associated with this

India visit of Barack Obama? He
became the first sitting U.S.
president to visit India twice

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69 CURRENT AFFAIRS

Explanation: Obama has already

made a state visit of India during
November 2010. With this visit he
became the first sitting U.S.
president to visit India twice. Dwight
Eisenhower was the first U.S.
President to visit India (in 1959).
Other U.S. Presidents to visit India
are Richard Nixon (1969), Jimmy
Carter (1978), Bill Clinton (2000)
and George W. Bush (2006).
Obama is also the first American
President to become Chief Guest at
Indias Republic Day Celebrations.

2) Which major agreements were

reached between India and the
United States on the occasion of
the second summit between Indian
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and
U.S. President Barack Obama held
in Delhi on 25 January 2015?
- The civil nuclear agreement that
would allow nuclear contracts to
be signed between U.S. firms and
India

- A renewed Defence Strategic

Framework, which covers all
aspects of defence cooperation,
including the Defence Trade
Technological Initiative under
which the two countries could
co-produce
four
pathfinder
projects and study cooperation
on aircraft carriers and jet-engine
technology
Establishment
of
secure
hotlines between the Indian
Prime Minister and the U.S.
President and National Security
Advisors (NSAs) of the two
countries
3
MOUs
for
Indian
governments smart city initiative
in which the U.S. would assist
India
Explanation: The
civil
nuclear
agreement signed between the two
countries on 25 January 2015
would allow commercialisation of
the Indo-U.S. civilian nuclear deal
that was signed in 2005. The deal
also
signalled
a
significant
diplomatic victory for Indias stand
that it would not dilute its liability
law, although it would almost
definitely mean a higher cost to any

70 CURRENT AFFAIRS
Page

nuclear deal concluded with U.S.

companies
than
was
earlier
anticipated. For the last few years,
talks on the civilian nuclear deals
administrative arrangements had
been stalled after the U.S. raised
objections to Indias Compensation
for Nuclear Liability and Damages
law of 2010. The law included two
sections, 17(b) and 46, which the
U.S.
felt
would
indemnify
companies
supplying
nuclear
reactors and parts to India beyond
what was required by international
law
or
Convention
on
Supplementary
Compensation
(CSC).

United
States
Trade
and
Development Agency and the
respective Chief Secretaries of
State
Governments
of
Uttar
Pradesh (for Allahabad), Rajasthan
(for Ajmer) and Andhra Pradesh (for
Vishakhapatnam). As per the pacts,
the U.S. will assist the cities in
project
planning,
infrastructure
development, feasibility studies and
capacity building.
The
State
Governments for their part will
provide resources like technical
information and data related to
smart cities planning; staff, logistical
and travel support and budgetary
resources.

3) India and the United States

signed
three
Memoranda
of
Understandings (MoUs) on 25
January 2015 as part of Indian
Governments ambitious Smart
Cities scheme. Under these
MOUs, the U.S. would assist India
in developing three smart cities to
be developed in which cities?
Allahabad,
Ajmer,
and
Visakhapatnam

4) Union Government announced

104 Padma awards consisting of
the Padma Vibhushan, Padma
Bhushan and Padma Shri on the
eve of countrys 66th Republic Day
on 25 January 2015. How many
personalities were named for
Padma
Vibhushan,
which
is
countrys second highest civilian
award after Bharat Ratna? Nine
(9)

Explanation: Three MoUs were

signed by the representatives of

Explanation: These nine Padma

Vibhushan awardees include BJP

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71 CURRENT AFFAIRS

patriarch Lal Krishna Advani,

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash
Singh Badal, senior advocate K.K.
Venugopal, nuclear scientist M.R.
Srinivasan,
philanthropist
Veerendra
Heggade,
Sanskrit
scholar Swami Rambhadracharya,
actors Amitabh Bachchan and Dilip
Kumar and Karim Al Hussiani Aga
Khan (the spiritual leader of the
worlds Ismaili Muslims). 20 Padma
Bhushan and 74 Padma Shri
awards were also announced.
Among the 20 names to be
awarded the Padma Bhushan are
senior advocate Harish Salve,
journalists Swapan Dasgupta, Rajat
Sharma, former Chief Election
Commissioner N. Gopalaswami,
Microsoft founder Bill Gates and his
wife Melinda Gates, constitutional
expert Subhash Kashyap and
Carnatic
vocalist
Sudha
Raghunathan.
Click Here for Complete List of
Padma Awards winners 2015

5) Who became the first ever

woman officer to lead the
ceremonial Guard of Honour by
leading the Guard of Honour

contingent that was inspected by

the U.S. President Barack Obama
at Rashtrapathi Bhavan on 25
January
2015?
Wing
Commander Pooja Thakur
Explanation: Wing
Commander
Pooja Thakur belongs to the
administrative branch of the Indian
Air Force (IAF) and is currently
posted at Disha, the publicity cell
under the Directorate of Personnel
Officers
at
the
Air
Force
Headquarters.

6) Top seed Saina Nehwal defeated

the reigning World Badminton
singles champion in the womens
singles final of the Syed Modi
International Grand Prix Badminton
Championships in Lucknow to win
the title on 25 January 2015. What
is the name of this world champion
whom Sania defeated in the finals?
Carolina Marin (Spain)
Explanation: Saina
outplayed
Carolina Marin to win the one-hour
and 19-minute marathon final 1921, 25-23, 21-16 and clinch the
Grand Prix Gold crown at the Babu
Banarasi Das Indoor Stadium,
Lucknow.

7) Who won the mens singles title

of the $120,000 Syed Modi
International Grand Prix Badminton
Championship on 25 January 2015
that was held at Lucknow? P.
Kashyap (India)

Explanation: Third
seed
P.
Kashyap defeated top seed and
compatriot Kidambi Srikanth by 2321, 23-21 to win the mens singles
title.

January 27, 2015

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72 CURRENT AFFAIRS

security protocol by remaining in

the open for more than two hours

1) The
nation
celebrated
its
th
66 Republic Day on 26 January
2015 with the main programme
being held in the form of the
Republic Day Parade at Rajpath in
capital New Delhi. U.S. President
Barack Obama made his place in
the history books by becoming the
first American President to be Chief
Guest at this event. Which another
distinction was made by Obama by
participating in this event? He
broke the U.S. Secret Services

Explanation: The
security
guidelines of the U.S. Secret
Service, the exclusive agency
responsible for an American
Presidents security, mandate that
he does not spend more than 45
minutes at any open-air venue. He
however, broke this sacred security
protocol by remaining in the open
for more than two hours when he
graced
the
Republic
Day
celebrations at Rajpath as the Chief
Guest of the event. He also
departed from the tradition of
accompanying the President of
India (Pranab Mukherjee) and

preferred to be driven to the venue

in his own multi-layered bulletproof
car The Beast.

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73 CURRENT AFFAIRS

2) Apart from US President Barack

Obama being the first ever US
President to become the Chief
Guest of the Republic Day Parade,
this event also became historic due
to which reason? This was the
first time that all-womens
contingent of the Indian Army,
Navy and Air Force took part in
this parade
Explanation: The Republic Day
Parade of 2015 became historic for
the women of the country whose
empowerment remained the central
theme of this event. From the
women contingent of the three
armed forces who marched in the
parade for the first time to state
tableaux depicting women at the
forefront, the event left the women
members in the crowd emotional
and proud. Captain Haobam Bella
Devi, a second generation army
officer from Manipur, unfurled the
tricolour at this marquee event, thus
becoming the first woman to do so.
The women contingent of the Indian
Army was led by Captain Divya

Ajith. Ajith earlier had created

history by becoming the first women
in the history of the Indian Army to
have won the coveted Sword of
Honour, awarded to the best cadet,
in 2010 at the passing-out-parade
ceremony at the OfficersTraining
Academy (OTA) in Chennai.
3) What are the names of the two
army
personnel
who
were
posthumously conferred with the
Ashok Chakra, Indias highest
peacetime military honour, on 26
January 2015 on the occasion of
countrys 66th Republic Day?
Late
Major
Mukund
Varadarajan andlate Naik Neeraj
Kumar
Explanation: Late Major Mukund
Varadarajan and late Naik Neeraj
Kumar had laid down their lives
while battling groups of militants in
separate operations in Shopian and
Kupwara districts of Kashmir
respectively. The wives of the two
martyrs were given the Ashok
Chakras by the President Pranab
Mukherjee
just
before
the
th
commencement of the 66 Republic
Day Parade.

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4) Who took over as the new Prime

Minister of Greece on 26 January
2015 after his party scored a
historic win in the landmark
elections held in the country?
Alexis Tsipras
Explanation: 40-year old Alexis
Tsipras took oath as Greeces
youngest Prime Minister on 26
January, a day after his leftwing
Syriza party swept to a sensational
victory in the snap election held in
the country on 25 January. He was
administered oath by President
Karolos Papoulias in a brief
ceremony held at capital Athens.
The election was held earlier than
scheduled due to the failure of the
Greek parliament to elect a new
leader by 29 December 2014.
Tsipras Syriza party secured 149
out of 300 seats in these elections.
After this Syriza party had formed a
coalition
with
right-wing

independent parties. His win sent

shockwaves throughout Europe as
this could put the country on a
possible collision course with the
EU over its massive bailout started
in 2010. A majority of voters in
Greece have essentially rejected a
core policy for dealing with the
eurozone crisis as devised by the
European Union (EU) and the
European Central Bank (ECB).
Tsipras thus formed an anti-bailout
govt. determined to face down
international lenders and end nearly
5 hours of tough economic
measures.

5) R.K. Laxman, believed to be the

greatest cartoonist India has
produced, passed away on 26
January 2015 in a hospital in
Mumbai at the age of 93. He was
best known for his daily cartoon
strip You said it that featured the
common man, his legendary

creation. This iconic carton strip

was published in which newspaper?
The Times of India
Explanation: R.K. Laxmans daily
cartoon strip You said it was first
published in The Times of India in
1951. His common man character,
featured in his pocket cartoons, was
portrayed as a witness to the
making of democracy. Laxman was
the younger brother of late R.K.
Narayan, the legendary English
writer and novelist.
6) Who won the Miss Universe for
2015 that concluded on 25 January
2015 at Miami in (United States)?
Paulina Vega of Colombia

Explanation: 22-year old Paulina

Vega triumphed over first runnerup, Miss USA Nia Sanchez in the
final round to win the coveted title.
Contestants from the Netherlands,
Jamaica and Ukraine rounded out
the five finalists at this event.
Noyonita Lodh, Indias contender
for the Miss Universe title, failed to
reach the Top 10 in the contest.
This was the 63rd edition of Miss
Universe pageant. Vega is the
fourth woman from South America
to win the pageant in the past
seven years, with contestants from
Venezuela taking the title last year
as well as in 2007 and 2008.

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January 28, 2015

1) 70th anniversary of the liberation
of
the
infamousAuschwitz
concentration camp run by the
German Nazi forces was observed
on 27 January 2015. This camp is
situated in which country, where
around 1.1 million people, with vast

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majority of Jews, were killed

between 1940 and 1945? Poland
Explanation: Auschwitz
concentration camp consisted of a
series
of
German
Nazi
concentration
camps
and
extermination camps built and
operated by the Nazi forces in
Polish areas annexed by Nazi
Germany during World War II. It
comprised of three major camps
Auschwitz I (the original camp),
AuschwitzBirkenau
and
Auschwitz-Monowitz, apart from
some 45 smaller satellite camps.
AuschwitzBirkenau went on to
become a major site of the Nazi
atrocities. From early 1942 until late
1944, transport trains delivered
Jews to the camps gas chambers
from all over German-occupied
Europe, where they were killed with
the pesticide Zyklon B. At least 1.1
million prisoners died at Auschwitz,
around 90% of them Jewish.
Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated
by the Red Army of the Soviet
Union on 27 January 1945. It was
opened as a museum in 1947.
German President Joachim Gauck
and French President Francois
Hollande were among the world

leaders who took part in the

70th anniversary observance on 27
January at Auschwitz (Poland).

2) In 2014 which airport claimed the

title
of
theworlds
busiest
international
airport from
Londons Heathrow airport, which
had held this coveted title for
decades? Dubai International
Airport
Explanation: Dubai
International
Airport
handled
70.5
million
international passengers during
2014 to emerge as the world
busiest international airport. In the
process it overtook Londons
Heathrow Airport, which handled
68.09
million
international
passengers in the same year.
Dubai has used its location at a
geographical crossroads between
Europe, Asia, Africa and the
Middle-east to establish itself as a

base for inter-continental transfer

flights, with Emirates already the
worlds No. 1 carrier by international
traffic. However, measured by total
customers, the two hubs continue
to lag behind Atlanta HartsfieldJackson (U.S.), home base to Delta
Airlines, which handled 96.2 million
passengers during 2014. Chinas
Beijing airport handled 86.1 million
in 2014. These two airports got
most passengers from domestic
flights.

asteroid will make to Earth for at

least the next two centuries. U.S.
space agency NASA currently
tracks more than 11,000 asteroids
in orbits that pass relatively close to
Earth. NASA has found more than
95% of the largest asteroids, those
with diameters 0.65 miles or larger,
with orbits that take them relatively
close to Earth.

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3) What is the name of the asteroid

that flew past the Earth on 26
January 2015? 2004 BL86
Explanation: 2004 BL86, that flew
past about 745,000 miles (1.2
million kilometers) from Earth on 26
January 2015, is measuring about a
third of a mile (half a kilometer) in
diameter. This asteroid orbits the
sun every 1.84 years and was
discovered 11 years ago by the
Lincoln
Near-Earth
Asteroid
Research, or LINEAR, telescope in
New Mexico. It is the largest
asteroid to pass this close to Earth
until asteroid 1999 AN10 flies by in
2027. The flyby of 2004 BL86 also
was the closest approach the

4) What name was given to

the winter snow storm that hit the
northeastern states of the United
Stateson 26 and 27 January 2015
that resulted in huge amount of
snowfall and shutting down of
public transport and cancellations of
thousands of flights? Juno
Explanation: Due to winter storm
Juno, parts of Connecticut, Maine,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire,
New York and Rhode Island saw
more than a foot of snow. The snow

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storm (blizzard) was initially billed

as possibly one of the worst-ever in
New York but it left only moderate
snow in the city. However, New
England bore the brunt of Juno
with many areas buried in snow.
Juno was expected to hit a large
area of the U.S. East Coast from
Philadelphia to New York City to
Maine. The National Weather
Service (NWS) had placed states
from New Jersey to Indiana under
winter
storm
watches
and
advisories.

5) At least nine people, including 5

foreigners, were killed when a
group of gunmen stormed a
Tripoli hotel (in Libya) on 27
January 2015 and blew themselves
up. What is the name of this luxury
hotel, popular with western tourists,
that was involved in this attack?
Corinthia Hotel

Explanation: The Corinthia Hotel is

used by foreign diplomats and
government officials while a number
of
foreign
companies
have
makeshift offices in the hotel. Three
militants rushed inside the hotel
after setting off a car bomb outside
the luxury hotel. After heavy firing
inside the hotel, they made it to the
24th floor which is a major hub of
diplomatic activity. Then they blew
them up by detonating the
explosive belts they were wearing.
It was claimed that the dead
included an American, two Filipinas,
a French citizen and a South
Korean. Tripoli branch of Islamic
State (IS) jihadist group later
claimed the responsibility of this
attack through a statement on
Twitter. It claimed that the attack
was carried out in revenge for the
death of Abu Anas al-Liby, a Libyan
jihadist who was suspected of
involvement in the bombings of two
US embassies in East Africa in
1998. Liby died on 2 January 2015
days before he was due to stand
trial.
6) What is the name of the first
female bishop in the Church of

England who was ordained as a

bishop on 26 January 2015?
Libby Lane

delayed by an opponent of the

change.

Explanation: 48-year old Libby

Lane became the first ever female
bishop in the last 500 years of the
male dominated Church of England.
She was consecrated in a
ceremony held at York Minster
cathedral in north England. The
English Church had formally
adopted
legislation during
November 2014 to allow women
bishops, following decades of
argument over womens ordination.
However, in an indication that some
Anglicans still oppose womens
ordination, the service was briefly

7) 14-time Grand Slam singles

champion Rafael
Nadal
was
ousted from the Australian
Open on 27 January 2015 by which
player? Tomas Berdych (Czech
Republic)
Explanation: Spanish tennis ace
Rafael Nadal was defeated in the
quarterfinals by seventh-seeded
Tomas Berdych by 6-2, 6-0, 7-6 (5).
Nadal was seeded third in this
grand slam event but he was facing
numerous fitness related problems
and had himself claimed that he
was unlikely to win more than a few
rounds at the event this year.

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January 29, 2015

1) Who was appointed as the new
Foreign Secretary after the Union
Govt., in a surprising move, sacked
Sujatha Singh about seven months
before her tenure on 28 January
2015? Dr. S. Jaishankar

80 CURRENT AFFAIRS
Page

Explanation: Dr. S. Jaishankar is

at present Indias Ambassador to
the United States. He was chosen
for this post apparently for his role
in rebuilding India-U.S. ties after the
Devyani
Khobragade
incident,
capped by the visit of U.S.
President Barack Obama to New
Delhi. He was due to retire on 31
January 2015, which pushed the
timing of the decision. Prior to his
assignment
in
Washington,
Jaishankar
had
served
as
Ambassador to China, and was
credited by former PM Dr.
Manmohan Singh for his deft
handling of tensions between New
Delhi and Beijing over the LAC in
2013. On the other hand, with her
sacking, Sujatha Singh became the
first Foreign Secretary to be
removed unceremoniously after
Rajiv
Gandhi
removed
A.P.
Venkateswaran 28 years ago in
1987.
Sujathas
father
T.V.
Rajeshwar was a former IB chief
and an old Congress loyalist.

2) According to announcement
made by international financial
transactions agency Society for
Worldwide
Interbank
Financial
Telecommunication
(SWIFT), which currency has
recently become one of the top
five most-used currencies in the
world, overtaking the Canadian
dollar and the Australian dollar?
Chinese Yuan
Explanation: SWIFT disclosed
that Chinese Yuan accounted for a
record 2.17% of global payments in
December 2014, up from 1.59% in
October 2014. It thus overtook
Canadian dollar and the Australian
dollar to become fifth largest used
currency globally. It was preceded
by the Japanese Yen with 2.69%,
while the U.S. Dollar topped the
chart with 44.6%, followed by the
Euro and the British Pound with
28.3% and 7.92%, respectively.

During December 2014, global

payments in Yuan increased by
20.3% while growth for payments
across all currencies was 14.9%
during the same period. The
Chinese government has been
trying to boost the use of the Yuan
globally by appointing more clearing
banks overseas, and also allowing
investors
to
devote
offshore
holdings of the currency in domestic
capital markets.

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3) Which
company
reported
quarterly profits of $18 billion on 27
January 2015 which isthe largest
profit
in
global
corporate
history? Apple Inc.
Explanation: Profit of $18.02 billion
reported by Apple Inc. was the
biggest-ever reported by a public
company, worldwide. This was
mainly due to record sales of
iPhones by the company. Apple
sold 74.5 million iPhones in its fiscal
first quarter ended December 2014,
while many analysts had expected
fewer than 70 million. With this,
companys revenues rose to $74.6
billion from $57.6 billion a year
earlier. Apples cash pile is now
$178 billion, enough to buy IBM or

the equivalent to $556 for every

American. The company also
confirmed that it did not sell more
iPhones in China than the United
States, despite some earlier
predictions by research analysts.
However, iPhones sales in China
rose by over 70% during the year.

4) U.S. space agency NASA on 27

January
2015
announced
the discovery a star that is 11.2
billion years old and has at least
five Earth-size planets. What is the
name given to this star, whose
discovery could point to the
existence of alien life? Kepler444
Explanation: Kepler-444
was
discovered by NASAs Kepler
satellite. It hosts five planets
smaller than Earth that vary in size
between those of Mercury and
Venus. These planets are so close
to their star that they complete their
orbits in fewer than 10 days.

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Kepler-444 is 25% smaller than our

Sun and is 117 light years from
Earth. The discovery of this sun is
significant because it proves that
such
planets
had
formed
throughout the 13.8-billion-year
history of the universe and could
also provide scope for the existence
of ancient life in the galaxy.

5) During
January
2015, excavations at which two
Harappan sites in India was
started as announced by the
Archaeological Survey of India
(ASI)? Rakhigarhi (Haryana)
and Binjor (Rajasthan)

Department of Archaeology and the

Deccan College Post-Graduate &
Research Institute, Pune. On the
other hand the excavations at Binjor
are
conducted
by
the
Archaeological Survey of India
(ASI). With the discovery of two
more mounds last year at
Rakhigarhi, the site had staked
claim to be the largest Harappan
site. One of the two newly
discovered mounds would be dug
this season. There are about 2,000
Harappan sites in India, Pakistan
and Afghanistan, with 500 in India
and 1,500 in Pakistan. At its glory,
the Harappan civilisation flourished
over two million square km, from
Sutkajendor on the Makran coast of
Balochistan to Alamgirpur in Uttar
Pradesh, and from Manda in
Jammu
to
Daimabad
in
Ahmednagar
district
of
Maharashtra.

Explanations: Rakhigarhi
is
situated some 25 km from Jind in
Haryana while Binjor is situated in
Anupgarh tehsil of Sri Ganganganar
district close to the India-Pakistan
border
in
Rajasthan.
The
excavations at Rakhigarhi site are
being conducted by the Haryana

6) Social-networking site Facebook

was hit with a major outage
globally on 27 January 2015 due to
which its users were not able to
access it for periods ranging from
45 minutes to 2 hours. On its part
Facebook claimed that an internal

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83 CURRENT AFFAIRS

technical change affected its

configuration systems and denied
that it was hacked. However, a
group notorious for attentionseeking antics online claimed
responsibility for this outage. What
is the name of this group? Lizard
Squad
Explanation: Lizard Squad is a
notorious hacking group that was
established in August 2014 by
mounting an attack on popular
game League of legends. It later
attacked servers of another major
game Destiny during November
2014 and on Xbox Live (1
December 2014). It also claimed
the attack on Malaysian Airlines
website on 26 January 2015. But it
was apparent that this outage was
caused by internal server problem
rather than an external attack as
Facebooks use of multiple data
centres meant an attack on one
would have affected one region but
this outage was global.

7) On 27 January 2015 Finnish

researchers claimed to have
developed a new search engine
that
outperforms
current
ones and helps people search
much more efficiently than search
engine behemoth Google. What is
the name of this search engine that
has been developed at the Helsinki
Institute for Information Technology
(HIIT)? SciNet
Explanation: SciNet search engine
is different because it changes
internet searches into recognition
tasks by showing keywords related
to the users search in topic radar.
People using SciNet would be able
to get relevant and diverse search
results faster, especially when they
do not know exactly what they are
looking for or how to formulate a
query to find it. Once initially
queried, SciNet displays a range of
keywords and topics in a topic
radar. With the help of the
directions on the radar, the engine

displays

how

these

topics

are

related to each other.

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84 CURRENT AFFAIRS

January 30, 2015

1) India Ratings (Ind-Ra), a leading

rating agency of the county, on 28
January 2015 stated that the
revision in base year of Indias
national accounts will increase the
size of the economy to Rs. 111.7
trillion in the financial year 2014-15.
With a view to present a more
realistic picture of the economy, the
government is coming out with a
new series of Consumer Price
Index (CPI) with a new base year.
Which new base year is being used
for the same? 2011-12

Explanation: Year 2004-05 was

the base year for computing the
economic growth rate till now. The
base year of the national accounts
is changed periodically to take into
account the structural changes
which take place in the economy
and to depict a true picture of the
economy
through
macro
aggregates. From January 2015 the
Union Government will release the
data pertaining to the Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) with a
new base year of 2011-12. This
data will be released in February
2015. This new base year has been
chosen so as to present a more
realistic picture of the economy as it
would include more sectors. Ind-Ra
expects the size of the Indian
economy
to
increase
6%
to Rs. 111.7 trillion ($1.8 trillion) in
2014-15 from the earlier estimate
with the change of base to 2011-12.

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2) MMP Mobi Wallet Payment

Systems Limited (MMPL), a Tata
Teleservices subsidiary, launched
an open loop prepaid, Visa
powered, PAY Smart card on 28
January 2015. The card will provide
a platform for the users to move
away from traditional cash based
transactions into an easy, secure
and private mode of payment.
MMPL launched this card in
partnership with which private
bank? RBL Bank (Ratnakar
Bank Limited)
Explanation: By obtaining a PAY
Smart card, mRUPEE customers
will be able to withdraw money from
Visa licensed ATMs and also pay
for goods and services at all
merchants
that
accept
Visa
debit/credit cards nationally. The
minimum money value the PAY
Smart card would hold is 200
rupees with the maximum value
being 1 lakh rupees at any point in
time. mRUPEE is a payment
gateway service and Mobile Money
Order & Semi Closed Wallet service
of MMPL. RBL Bank is one of
Indias fastest growing scheduled
commercial
banks
with
an
expanding presence across the

country. It has currently grown to a

network of over 180 branches / 350
ATMs across 13 Indian States and
Union Territories.
3) Who was appointed the new
Chairman of Sangeet Natak
Akademi (SNA) by the Union
Government on 28 January 2015?
Shekhar Sen
Explanation: Shekhar Sen is an
eminent singer, actor, theatre
director, composer and lyricist. He
was appointed for 5 years. The post
of SNA Chairman was vacant since
the resignation of Leela Samson in
September 2014. Sangeet Natak
Akademi is a national level
academy of performing arts that
was established by the Indian
Government on 31 May 1952. It has
its headquarters at New Delhi.
4) Which marching contingents
were jointly adjudged the best
marching
contingents
in
the
Republic Day Parade of 2015 as
announced by the Ministry of
Defence on 29 January 2015?
Sikh Regiment and Brigade of
Guards Regiment

Explanation: In the category of

Para-Military Forces and other
auxiliary marching contingents,
Central Industrial Security Force
(CISF)
contingent
has
been
adjudged the best contingent. In the
tableaux category, the tableau from
Maharashtra was considered the
best, followed by that of Jharkhand
(second) and Karnataka (third).

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86 CURRENT AFFAIRS

5) What is the name of the

impeached Sri Lankan Chief Justice
who was reinstated by the new
government led by President
Maithiripala Sirisena on 28 January
2015? Shirani Bhandaranayake
Explanation: Shirani
Bhandaranayake was the 43rd Chief
Justice of Sri Lanka and the first
woman to hold this top judicial post
in May 2011. She was removed
from her post in January 2013 after
being
impeached
on
the
recommendation of a parliamentary
committee dominated by the then
President Mahinda Rajapaksas
supporters
on
charges
of
corruption. However, President
Maithripala Sirisenas office called
her removal a procedural error
and reinstated her back to her post.

She returned to the Supreme Court

on 29 January to a rousing
welcome
by
her
supporters.
Sirisena, who dramatically defeated
Rajapaksa in presidential elections
on 8 January, had vowed in his
manifesto
to
restore
Bandaranayake.

6) The US Air Force (USAF) on 28

January 2015 stated that it would
use Boeing Cos commercial 747-8
airliner to replace its current fleet of
two Air Force One presidential
aircraft, which is one of the most
visible symbols of the United States
worldwide. Which aircrafts are used
presently in the Air Force One
fleet? Boeing 747-200Bs
Explanation: USAF
presently
operates two specially configured
Boeing 747-200Bs for Air Force
One. The 747-8 is the only fourengine commercial jet Boeing
makes, providing an extra margin of
flight safety over the more standard

twin-engine planes. Boeing has

been building the aircrafts for U.S.
Presidents for over 50 years now.

apparently in view of companys

worst financial performances in
years. Who will replace Thomson?
Steve Easterbrook

7) Private sector IndusInd Bank

launched a co-branded credit card
for football fans on 29 January
2015. It has tied up with which
renowned English Premier League
(EPL) club for this card? Chelsea
Football Club

Explanation: Don
Thompsons
retirement will come into effect on 1
March 2015 and he will be replaced
by Steve Easterbrook, the chains
chief branding officer at present.
McDonalds, which is one of
Americas
biggest
restaurant
brands, reported a sharp decline in
sales and earnings as stiff
competition and evolving consumer
tastes continued to take a toll on
the firm. Companys revenue in the
quarter ended December 2014 fell
7%, to $6.6 billion. Earnings
dropped 21%, to $1.1 billion from
$1.4 billion in the same period a
year ago.

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87 CURRENT AFFAIRS

Explanation: The card provides

attractive
offers
on
dining,
entertainment, personal grooming,
travel and rewards proposition
depending on the spending pattern
of the customers. With this card, the
bank has tried to strengthen the
Chelsea affinity through two
specially designed card designs,
while further driving the football
fans connect with the club through
offers, tie-ups and discounts on
merchandise and collectibles on
Chelseas official online megastore.
8) Global fast-food restaurant chain
McDonalds on 28 January 2015
announced replacing its President
and Chief Executive (CEO) Don
Thompson. This decision was taken

9) Which country will host the ICC

T20 World Cup for 2016 as
announced by the International
Cricket Council (ICC) on 29
January 2015? India
Explanation: The ICC T20 World
Cup 2016 will be held in India from
11 March to 3 April 2016. It will be
the 6th edition of T20 World Cup, the

prior World Cups being held in

2007
(South
Africa),
2009
(England), 2010 (West Indies),
2012 (Sri Lanka) and 2014
(Bangladesh). This was announced

by ICC Boards first meeting of

2015 held at ICC headquarters in
Dubai. It was chaired by Chairman
N. Srinivasan.

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88 CURRENT AFFAIRS

January 31, 2015

1) Union Govt. sold its 10% stake in

Coal India Limited (CIL) on 30
January 2015. This stake sale was
oversubscribed 1.05 times and
fetched about Rs. 22,600 crore.
This was the biggest ever share
sale by any private or public sector
company in India. It exceeded the
previous record of over Rs. 15,000
crore by CIL itself. That recordmaking stake sale was done by CIL
in which year? 2010

Explanation: The government had

offered to sell 31.58 crore shares,
or 5% stake, in CIL through a public
offer, with an option to sell another
5%. At the floor price of Rs. 358
apiece, the public offering is
estimated to fetch Rs. 22,600 crore
to the exchequer. This will make up
for around half of the budgeted
disinvestment target that was
targetted by the Union Govt. for
2014-15. Prior to the Coal India
share sale, the government had
managed to raise just Rs 1,715
crore through selling stakes in steel
maker SAIL. Till date, the highestever divestment collection in a year
was Rs 23,956 crore in 2012-13
and that record has been broken
now.

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2) India on 30 January 2015 revised

its economic growth (GDP) for fiscal
year 2013-14 from the previously
reported 4.7% to 6.9%. It also
revised its GDP for 2012-13 from
4.5% to 5.1%. What is the reason
for this upward revision? A
change in the formula to
measure the economy by the
govt. and change in base year

interfering with decision making

during her tenure in the UPA II govt.
She held which post in this ministry
that came into this controversy?
Environment and Forest Minister

Explanation: The
new
measurement of gross domestic
product (GDP) includes underrepresented and informal economic
sectors as well as new items such
as smart phones and LED
television sets. This move will make
it easier for the government to meet
fiscal deficit goals. A change in
base year has been implemented
and the new base year is 2011-12
instead of 2004-05. The base year
is altered every five years and the
change in measure of GDP data is
to bring it in line with global
standards.

Explanation: Jayanthi
Natarajan
held the post of Environment and
Forest Minister from July 2011 to
December 2013. She accused
Rahul Gandhi of interference in the
Environment Ministry by sending
her specific requests on green
clearances for large projects which
she duly stopped to honour those
requests. She also alleged that she
was being made a scapegoat for
the economic policy paralysis
observed in the UPA-II government.
Specifically, she believed that while
she took decisions of halting certain
industrial and infrastructure projects
at the behest of Rahul Gandhi,
certain sections of the party spread
rumours that she was made to
resign due to her stance on these
projects.

3) Former union minister Jayanthi

Natarajan resigned from the
Congress party on 30 June 2015
after launching a scathing attack on
Congress
Vice-President
for

4) Subhash Ghisingh, who passed

away on 29 January 2015 at the
age of 78, was the founder of which
party associated with Gorkhaland
movement of West Bengal?

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90 CURRENT AFFAIRS

Gorkha National Liberation Front

(GNLF)
Explanation: Subhash
Ghisingh
was one of the most important
leaders
of
the
Gorkhaland
movement of West Bengal. This
movement demanded separate
state for ethnic Gorkhas belonging
to Nepal. In 1980 he established
Gorkha National Liberation Front
(GNLF). GNLF led the movement of
separate Gorkhaland in West
Bengal
which
disrupted
the
Darjeeling district with massive
violence between 1986 and 1988.
The issue was resolved temporarily
in 1988 with the establishment of
the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council
(DGHC) within West Bengal. He
headed the DGHC as its first
Chairman from 1988 to 2008.
However, his one time associate
Bimal Gurung overthrew him from
the chairmanship of DGHC in 2008
and formed his own party Gorkha
Janmukti Morcha (GJM). With this
GNLF lost its support to GJM.
5) Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu
flagged off four Express trains
simultaneously from Bengaluru
remotely through Telepresence

Service on 29 January 2015.

Telepresence Service is a more
efficient video conferencing service
developed by which public sector
undertaking (PSU) associated with
the
rail
sector?
RailTel
Corporation
Explanation: Telepresence Service
is a more engaging video
conference service developed by
the RailTel Corporation. Under it
parties involved feel the immersive
presence of being present at
different locations. The service is
designed to improve collaboration,
save executive time, reduce costs
and carbon footprint with no capital
investment and obsolescence risk.
RailTel Corporation is the largest
neutral telecom services providers
in the country owning a Pan-India
optic fiber network covering all
important towns & cities of the
country and several rural areas
covering 70% of Indias population.
6) Sri Lankas Kumar Sangakkara
broke the world record for the most
dismissals by a wicketkeeper in
one-day internationals (ODIs) on 29
January 2015. He achieved this feat
when he reached his 473 dismissal

against New Zealand in an ODI.

Whose record he surpassed?
Adam Gilchrist (Australia)

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Explanation: Sangakkara achieved

his 473rd dismissal in ODIs when he
caught Corey Anderson off the
bowling of Shaminda Eranga in the
seventh and final ODI against New

Zealand that was played at

Wellington.
Retired
Australian
wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist had
held the record with 472 dismissals.
Sangakkaras
record
473
dismissals comprise of 377 catches
and 96 stumpings.

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