Current Affairs Magazine - February, 2015 - ExamPundit - Final

MONTHLY CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE
FEBRUARY, 2015
Table of Contents
Union Budget 2015-16
Railway Budget 2015-16
Economic Survey of India 2014-15
News Related to RBI/Finance/Economy
Business News/MoUs/Deals
News Related to India
New around the World
Appointments
Awards & Honors
Oscar Awards 2015
Sports News
National Games Kerala
Important Days in February
Books and Authors
Obituaries in February
Reports/Indexes
Current Affairs Quiz - Finance
Current Affairs Quiz - India
Current Affairs Quiz - World/Sports
Rail Budget 2015-16 Quiz
Banking Awareness Quiz
Answers
UNION BUDGET 2015-16 HIGHLIGHTS
Taxation
Education
1 Abolition of Wealth Tax.

2 Additional 2% surcharge for the super rich with
income of over ` 1 crore.
3 Rate of corporate tax to be reduced to 25% over
next four years.
4 Total exemption of up to ` 4,44,200 can be
achieved.
1 AIIMS in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Tamil Nadu,

Himachal Pradesh, Bihar and Assam.
2 IIT in Karnataka; Indian Institute of Mines in
Dhanbad to be upgraded to IIT.
3 PG institute of Horticulture in Armtisar.
4 Kerala to have University of Disability Studies

5 100% exemption for contribution to Swachch
Bharat, apart from CSR.
6 Service tax increased to14 per cent.
5 Centre of film production, animation and gaming to

come up in Arunachal Pradesh.
6 IIM for Jammu and Kashmir and Andhra Pradesh.
Infrastructure
1 ` 70,000 crores to Infrastructure sector.
Agriculture
2 Tax-free bonds for projects in rail road and irrigation
` 25,000 c
Rural Infrastructure Development
Bank
3 PPP model for infrastructure development to be

revitalised and govt. to bear majority of the risk.
` 5,300 cr
Micro Irrigation Programme
4 Atal Innovation Mission to be established to draw

on expertise of entrepreneurs, and researchers to
foster scientific innovations; allocation of ` 150
crore.
` 8.5 lakh cr
Targeted for farmer credit
5 Govt. proposes to set up 5 ultra mega power

projects, each of 4000MW.
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Welfare schemes
Defence
GST and JAM trinity (Jan Dhan Yojana, Aadhaar

and Mobile) to improve quality of life and to pass
benefits to common man.
Six crore toilets across the country under the

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
MUDRA bank will refinance micro finance orgs. to

encourage first generation SC/ST entrepreneurs.
Housing for all by 2020.
Upgradation 80,000 secondary schools.
DBT will be further be expanded from 1 crore to

10.3 crore.
For the Atal Pension Yojna, govt. will contribute

50% of the premium limited to ` 1000 a year.
New scheme for physical aids and assisted living

devices for people aged over 80 .
Govt to use ` 9000 crore unclaimed funds in

PPF/EPF for Senior Citizens Fund.
` 2,46,726 cr
allocated for defence
(an increase of 9.87 per cent over
last year)
Focus on Make in India for quick
manufacturing of Defence
equipment.
Renewable energy
` 75 cr
electric cars production
2022: 100K MW
Solar power
60K MW
Wind power
10K MW
Bio Mass
5K MW
Small Hydro
10 ` 5,000 crore additional allocation for MGNREGA.
Tourism
11 Govt. to create universal so
Develpoment schemes for churches and

convents in old Goa; Hampi, Elephanta
caves, Forests of Rajasthan, Leh palace,
Varanasi , Jallianwala Bagh, Qutb Shahi
tombs at Hyderabad to be under the new
toursim scheme.
Visa on Arrival for 150 countries
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Railway Budget 2015-16: Quality of Life in Journeys
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on 26 February 2015 presented his maiden Rail Budget 2015-16 in the
Lok Sabha. This was also the second rail budget of the Narendra Modi-led NDA government.
PROPOSED INVESTMENT PLAN (2015-2019)
Item
Amount (Rs in crore)
Network Decongestion (including

DFC, Electrification, Doubling
199320
including electrification and traffic

facilities)
Network Expansion (including
electrification)
193000
National Projects (North Eastern &

Kashmir connectivity projects)
39000
Safety (Track renewal, bridge works,

ROB, RUB and Signalling & Telecom)
127000
Information Technology / Research
5000
Rolling Stock (Locomotives, coaches,

wagons production &
maintenance)
102000
Passenger Amenities
12500
High Speed Rail & Elevated corridor
65000
Station redevelopment and logistic

parks
100000
Others
13200
TOTAL
8,56,020
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Four goals for Indian Railways to transform over next five years
To deliver a sustained and measurable improvement in customer experience.
To make Rail a safer means of travel.
To expand Bhartiya Rails capacity substantially and modernise infrastructure: for this purpose daily
passenger carrying capacity will be increased from 21 million to 30 million. Track length will also be
increased by 20 percent from 114000 km to 138000 km. Annual freight carrying capacity will be grown
from 1 billion to 1.5 billion tonnes.
To make Bhartiya Rail financially self-sustainable.
Key Highlights of the Railway Budget 2015-16

No increase in passenger fares
Passengers can book tickets 120 days in advance instead of 60 days which was available till date
Outlay for passenger amenities increased by 67 percent
New train sets that can save 20 percent journey time will be introduced in future. These trains will be
similar to bullet trains in design but can run on the existing tracks
The speed passenger trains across nine corridors will be increased to 160-200 km from 110 km
SMS alert will be introduced for train timings and under this passengers will be informed in advance
the updated arrival or departure time of the trains at starting or destination stations
Air-conditioned coaches for suburban trains will be introduced
Wi-fi will be available at 400 railway stations
Railways Intends to set up an Innovation Council called Kayakalp for Purpose of Business ReEngineering
Railways Proposes to set up Malaviya Chair for Railway Technology at IIT (BHU), Varanasi
Bidding system will be used for redevelopment of stations
10 satellite railway stations will be developed in 2015-16
800 km of gauge conversion will be commissioned
E-catering introduced in 108 trains can be accessed by ordering on IRCTC website
Water vending machines will be expanded on more stations
Onboard entertainment facility will be extended on Shatabdi trains
General class coaches will see introduction of mobile charging stations
For benefit of the common man, more general class coaches will be added to select trains
Pension funds, multi-lateral banks have evinced interest in Railways
Proposed the best operating ratio in nine years, of 88.5 per cent for 2015-16
Track capacity will be increased by 10 percent to 1.38 lakh kilometers
Feasibility report of high speed train between Mumbai and Ahmedabad is expected by mid-2015
To ease private investment, wagon-making scheme will be reviewed
All India 24x7 grievances helpline 138 will be started
Bio-toilets will replace more than 7000 toilets, while 650 stations will get new toilets
Passenger travelling unreserved can produce a ticket within 5 minutes and for this purpose Operation
Five Minutes will be introduced
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To address complaints of people Mobile application is being developed

Integrated tickets will be introduced
Hand-held devices will be introduced for ticket checkers; it is move towards paperless ticketing
In next 2 years, centrally managed railway display network will be introduced in over 2000 stations
Rail-cum-road ticket to be extended in many stations
Rail connectivity will be enhanced in North Eastern states
To aid expanding freight handling capacity and provide end-to-end logistic solutions, Transport Logistic
Corporation of India will be set up
PPP model will be used to augment resources and generate more employment
6608 kilometer of track will be electrified
96182 crrore rupees will be spent to expand capacity of 9420 km rail lines
For women safety, CCTVs will be introduced in selected trains and suburban trains
Train Protection Warning System and Train Collision Avoidance System will be installed on select
routes at the earliest
Projects for rail connectivity to many ports and mines
Foreign Rail Technology Cooperation Scheme will be launched in order to achieve the higher quality
service
Programme to improve design, quality and cleanliness of bed linen will be launched within the next six
months
In the budget, Prabhu gave 11 thrust areas to improve quality of life in train journeys which also includes
Swachh Rail - Swachh Bharat drive. The 11 thrust areas include
Cleanliness
Swachh Rail - Swachh Bharat campaign

New department for cleanliness
Integrated cleaning by engaging professional agencies and training our staff
Waste to energy conversion plants
New toilets covering 650 additional stations compared to 120 stations in 2014
Bio-toilets to be fitted in the coaches
Bed linen
National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Delhi to design bed linen

The facility of online booking of disposable bedrolls at select stations will be extended to all
passengers through the IRCTC portal on payment basis
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Help-line
Start a 24X7 helpline number 138 and a toll-free number 182 for security related complaints
Ticketing
Operation Five Minutes to ensure Speedy Purchase of Tickets for Unreserved Class Passengers.
Provision of modified hot-buttons, coin vending machines and single destination teller windows
will be launched to reduce the transaction time.
For the differently-abled travellers, a special initiative will be launched whereby they can
purchase concessional e-tickets after one-time registration.
Proposal to work towards developing a multi-lingual e-ticketing portal
Some other facilities include introduction of integrated ticketing system on the lines of rail-cumroad tickets on Jammu Srinagar route will be expanded.
Catering
Integrate Best Food Chains for E-Catering

Railway passengers to order their food through IRCTC website at the time of booking tickets
Leveraging technology
Introduce hand-held terminals to Travelling Ticket Examiners (TTEs) for verification of

passengers and downloading charts.
Extending facility of SMS on mobiles as a valid proof of travel for PRS tickets
SMS Alert service to inform passengers in advance of the updated arrival/departure time of
trains at starting or destination stations
Surveillance
Surveillance cameras will be provided on a pilot basis in selected mainline coaches and ladies
compartments of suburban coaches without intruding into privacy
Entertainment
Project for introducing on-board entertainment on select Shatabdi trains on license fee basis
Mobile phone charging facilities will be provided in general class coaches & its numbers will be
increased in sleeper class coaches
Station facilities
200 more stations to come under Adarsh Station scheme

Wi-Fi will be provided at B category station
Facility of self-operated lockers to be made available at stations
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Provision of concierge services will be introduced through IRCTC at major stations

Online booking of wheel chair on payment basis for senior citizens, patients and the differentlyabled passengers will be available through IRCTC on select stations
Train capacity
Capacity in identified trains will be augmented to run with 26 coaches

More General class coaches will be added in identified trains
Comfortable travel
NID to design user friendly ladders for climbing to the upper berths
Quota of lower berths for senior citizens will be increased
Middle bay of coaches will be reserved for women and senior citizens
NID will develop ergonomically designed seats
Provision of 120 crore rupees for Lifts and escalator has been made
The newly manufactured coaches will be Braille enabled
Entrances will be widened to ease of differently-abled passengers
Corporate houses & MPs requested to invest in improving passenger amenities at Railway
stations through CSR & MPLAD funds
In this regard, Railway Budget 2015 16 unveiled certain initiatives ranging from cleanliness drive to
development of infrastructure to improving the overall quality of life in train journeys.
The major initiatives undertaken in the Railway Budget 2015-16
Station Redevelopment
Zonal and Divisional offices to be empowered for quicker decision making
Development of 10 Satellite Railway terminals in major cities with twin purpose of decongesting
the city and providing service to suburban passengers
Network expansion
Fast-track sanctioned works on 7000 kms of double/third/fourth lines
Commission of 1200 km of network in 2015-16 at an investment of 8686 crore rupees
Expansion of freight handling capacity
Transport Logistics Corporation of India (TRANSLOC), to be set up for developing common user
facilities to provide end-to-end logistics solution at select Railway terminals through Public
Private Partnerships.
Policy for Private Freight Terminals (PFT) to be revised.
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Automatic Freight Rebate Scheme for traffic to be expanded
Long haul freight operations to be used extensively and construction of long loop lines to be
expedited.
Improving train speed
Speed of 9 railway corridors to be increased from existing 110 and 130 kmph to 160 and 200
kmph respectively.
Average speed of freight trains in empty and loaded conditions will be enhanced to 100 kmph
for empty freight trains and 75 kmph for loaded trains.
Bullet train
Feasibility study for High Speed Rail between Mumbai-Ahmadabad is in advanced stage.
Upgrading manufacturing capability
Creation of job opportunities by upgrading the manufacturing capability and review of

functioning of Indian Railways Production Units.
Workshops for technological upgradation and enhancing productivity be undertaken to make

them self-sustaining.
Safety
RDSO to develop a suitable device with reliable power supply system based on theft-proof
panels/batteries in consultation with Indian Space Research Organization using geo-spatial
technology.
Train Protection Warning System and Train Collision Avoidance System to be installed on
selected routes at the earliest.
Better welding techniques being promoted and digital type machines to replace analogue type
machines.
Technology upgradation
Constitution of an innovation council called Kayakalp for business re-engineering.
Technology portal being constituted to invite innovative technological solutions.
Research Centers to be set up in selected universities for fundamental research.
Partnerships for development
PPP cell to be revamped to make it result oriented. Foreign Rail Technology Cooperation scheme
to be launched.
Joint ventures to be set up with States for focused project development, resource mobilization,
land acquisition and monitoring of critical rail projects.
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Improvements to Management Processes and Systems
Systems audit to be conducted for review of all processes and procedures.
Constitution of a working group to modify present system of accounting, to ensure tracking of

expenditure to desired outcomes and Train operations to be audited.
Paperless working in material management system to be expanded and Vendors to be

integrated through Vendor Interface Management System.
Resource Mobilisation
Support from the Central Government for 41.6 percent of the Plan and Internal generation of
17.8 percent for setting up of a Financing Cell in the Railway Board.
Setting up an infrastructure fund, a holding company and a Joint Venture with an existing NBFC
of a PSU with IRFC for raising long term debt from domestic as well as overseas sources.
Digitized mapping of land records and responsibility fixing for encroachments.
New strategy to tap latent advertising potential including offering stations and trains for
corporate branding.
Railways in partnership with ports will deliver rail connectivity to Nargol, Chharra, Dighi, Rewas
and Tuna. Scrap disposal policy to be reviewed for speedier scrap disposal.
Human Resources
Human Resource Audit to be undertaken; Separate accounting head for HRD; ERP based Human
Resource Management System.
Setting up a full-fledged University during 2015-16 and Improved delivery of health services to
employees
Energy and sustainability
Environment Directorate to be constituted in Railway Board to give increased focus on

environment management.
Initiative likely to save at least 3000 crore rupees in next few years will be taken up. 1000 MW
solar plants will be set up by the developers on Railway/private land.
Water conservation mission will include water audit and expansion of water harvesting systems.
100 DEMUs to be enabled for dual fuel- CNG and diesel.
Noise levels of locos to be at par with international norms and concerns related to wildlife will
be addressed.
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Transparency and Governance initiatives
System of on-line applications introduced for two categories of recruitment as a pilot project.
All possible solutions be explored to address menace of corruption. E-procurement value chain
to be expanded.
Social initiatives
Infrastructure like stations and training centers to be made available for skill development.
Promotion of products made by Self Help Groups, consisting mainly of women and youth on the
model of Konkan Railway.
Tourism
Incredible Rail for Incredible India to be launched and Promotion of training of auto-rickshaw
and taxi-operators as tourist-guides on the model of Konkan Railway.
Coaches in selected trains connecting major tourist destinations to travel agencies may be
offered on a revenue sharing model.
IRCTC to work on promoting the Gandhi circuit to attract tourists to mark the occasion of 100
years of the return of Mahatma Gandhi to India from South Africa.
IRCTC will work on Kisan Yatra, a special travel scheme for farmers for farming & marketing
technique centres.
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Economic Survey of India 2014-15

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitely on 27 February 2015 presented Economic Survey of India 2014-15 in
the Parliament.
The Economic Survey reviews the developments in the Indian economy over the previous 12 months,
summarises the performance on major development programmes and highlights the policy initiatives of
the government and the prospects of the economy in the short to medium term.
Three pronged strategy suggested in Economic Survey 2014-15
To improve the investment climate and reduce the backlog of stalled projects, Economic Survey
2014-15 suggested a three-pronged strategy, namely
Revival of public investment in short term, to act as an engine of growth in infrastructure sector.
It argues that public investment cannot be a substitute for private investment; but is required as
a complement and to crowd it in.
Need of creative solutions to strengthen institutions relating to bankruptcy. This will ensure that
exit options are available. This will also ameliorate over-indebtedness that lowers the capacity
to generate new investments. Towards this end, it contemplates setting up of a high-powered
Independent Renegotiation Committee.
Economic Survey highlights the need for reorientation and restructuring of the PPP model. This
is expected to make them more viable in future.
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Main Highlights of the Economic Survey 2014-15

General Highlights
Using the new estimate for 2014-15 as the base, GDP growth at constant market prices is
expected to accelerate to between 8.1 and 8.5 percent in 2015-16.
Inflation declined by over 6 percentage points since late 2013 which is likely to remain in the 55.5 percent range in 2015-16, creating space for easing of monetary conditions.
The current account deficit declined from a peak of 6.7 percent of GDP in Quarter 3 of 2012-13
to an estimated 1.0 percent in the fiscal year 2015-16.
After a nearly 12-quarter phase of deceleration, real GDP has been growing at 7.2 percent on
average since 2013-14, based on the new growth estimates of the Central Statistics Office.
Foodgrains production for 2014-15 is estimated at 257.07 million tonnes, which will exceed
average food grain production of last five years by 8.5 million tones
Foreign portfolio flows have stabilized the rupee, exerting downward pressure on long-term
interest rates which is reflected in yields on 10-year government securities and surge in equity
prices.
From a cross-country perspective, a Rational Investor Ratings Index (RIRI) which combines
indicators of macro-stability with growth illustrates that India ranks amongst the most attractive
investment destinations.
It ranks well above the mean for its investment grade category (BBB), and also above the mean
for the investment category above it (on the basis of the new growth estimates).
In the short run, growth will receive a boost from the cumulative impact of reforms, lower oil
prices, likely monetary policy easing facilitated by lower inflation and improved inflationary
expectations, and forecasts of a normal monsoon in 2015-16.
Growth in medium-term prospects will be conditioned the balance sheet syndrome with Indian
characteristics that has the potential to hold back rapid increases in private sector investment.
In the long-run, private investments will be the engine of growth. However, there is a case for
reviving targeted public investment as an engine of growth in the short run to complement and
crowd-in private investment.
Expenditure control and expenditure switching from consumption to investment will be the key
to growth in the short-run
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It calls for complementing Make in India initiative with Skill India initiative to enable a larger
section of the population to benefit from the structural transformation that such sectors will
facilitate.
The Survey emphasizes on creation of a National Market for Agricultural Commodities in place
of thousands of agricultural markets
The Model APMC Act, 2003 should be amended along the lines of the Karnataka Model that has
successfully introduced an integrated single licensing system.
Fiscal Framework
The Survey calls for adhering to the medium-term fiscal deficit target of 3 percent of GDP. This
will provide the fiscal space to insure against future shocks and also to move closer to the fiscal
performance of its emerging market peers.
It also calls for moving toward the golden rule of eliminating revenue deficits and ensuring that,
over the cycle, borrowing is only for capital formation.
Expenditure control combined with recovering growth and the introduction of the GST will
ensure that medium term targets are comfortably met.
In the short run, the need for accelerated fiscal consolidation will be conditioned by the
recommendations of the Fourteenth Finance Commission (FFC).
The quality of expenditure needs to be shifted from consumption, by reducing subsidies,

towards investment.
Subsidies and the JAM Number Trinity Solution
Food Subsidy Bill stands at 107823.75 crore rupees during 2014-15 (up to January 2015) which
means an increase of 20 percent over previous year
The direct fiscal cost of select subsidies is roughly 378,000 crore rupees or 4.2 percent of GDP in
2011-12.
41 percent of subsidy given for the PDS kerosene is lost as leakage and only 46 percent of the
remaining 59 percent is consumed by households that are poor.
The JAM Number Trinity Jan Dhan Yojana, Aadhaar, Mobile can enable the State to transfer
financial resources to the poor in a progressive manner without leakages and with minimal
distorting effects.
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Indian Railways and Public Investment
The Indian Railways over the years has been plagued by host of issues. Some of them include
underinvestment resulting in lack of capacity addition and network congestion; neglect of
commercial objectives; poor service provision; and consequent financial weakness. These have
cumulated to below-potential contribution to economic growth.
As a result, the competitiveness of Indian industry has been undermined. Calculations reveal
that China carries thrice as much coal freight per hour compared to India. Coal is transported in
India at more than
the cost vis--vis China, and it takes 1.3 times longer to do so.
The railways public investment multiplier (the effect of a 1 rupee increase in public investment
in the railways on overall output) is around 5.
In the long run, the railways must be commercially viable and public support must be linked to
railway reforms. These include adoption of commercial practices, tariff rationalization, and
technology overhaul.
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News Related to RBI, Finance, Economy in February 2015

RBI 6th Bi-Monthly Policy
Keep the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) unchanged at 7.75 per
cent;
Keep the cash reserve ratio (CRR) of scheduled banks unchanged at 4.0 per cent of net demand
and time liabilities (NDTL);
Reduce the statutory liquidity ratio (SLR) of scheduled commercial banks by 50 basis points from
22.0 per cent to 21.5 per cent of their NDTL with effect from the fortnight beginning February 7,
2015;
Replace the export credit refinance (ECR) facility with the provision of system level liquidity with
effect from February 7, 2015;
Continue to provide liquidity under overnight repos of 0.25 per cent of bank-wise NDTL at the
LAF repo rate and liquidity under 7-day and 14-day term repos of up to 0.75 per cent of NDTL of
the banking system through auctions; and
Continue with daily variable rate term repo and reverse repo auctions to smooth liquidity.
Consequently, the reverse repo rate under the LAF will remain unchanged at 6.75 per cent, and
the marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate at 8.75 per cent.
Union Government on 7 February 2015 decided to infuse 6990 crore rupees in nine Public Sector Banks
to enhance their capital and meet global risk norms. The capital infusion was decided on the basis of
performance of each bank. This is the first tranche of capital infusion for which the government had
allocated 11200 crore rupees in the Union Budget 2014-15.
The criteria includes
Weighted average of Return on Assets (ROA) for all PSBs for last three years put together
Return on Equity (ROE) for these banks for the last financial year.
The Banks are:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
State Bank of India (SBI) - 2970

Bank of Baroda (BoB) - 1260
Punjab National Bank (PNB) - 870
Canara Bank - 570
Syndicate Bank - 460
Allahabad Bank - 320
Indian Bank - 280
Dena Bank - 140
Andhra Bank 120
Total 6990
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Union Government on 4 February 2015 approved a development package and ad hoc support of 850
crore rupees for Andhra Pradesh.
ICICI Bank on 10 February 2015 launched Indias first digital Bank on mobile phone, Pockets. This digital
e-wallet can be downloaded from Google Playstore. Pockets, the digital e-wallet uses a virtual VISA card
that enables the users to transact on any website or mobile application in India.
Users can fund it from any bank account across India and start transacting immediately. It requires no
documentation or branch visit. Users can also choose to add a zero balance Savings Account to the
wallet, which will allow them to earn interest on their idle money.
Mahindra Finance in talks with IFC for JV for Payment Bank. IFC is a World Bank Group. Most of the big
telecom players who possess huge distribution networks have entered the fray. Reliance Industries tied
up with SBI; Airtel with Kotak Bank.
Standard Chartered revised FY16 GDP growth forecast to 7.7% from 6.3%.
Union Government on 10 February 2015 approved a proposal to increase the authorised Share Capital
of the National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation (NMDFC) to 3000 crore rupees from
1500 crore rupees. NMDFC works for welfare of minorities.
ICICI Bank has tied up with UAE Exchange to offer an instant bank transfer service to the Indians residing
in the Gulf nation. FLASHremit service started by the bank enables customers to conveniently send
money instantly to their beneficiaries in India in Indian Rupees.
RBI issued guidelines on CCCB
Reserve Bank of India had issued guidelines on when it would require Indian banks to maintain a
CCCB, an additional layer of loss-absorbing capital on top of banks increased minimum capital
requirements under Basel III.
According to the RBIs guidelines, the key trigger for activating the CCCB will be when the
credit/GDP ratio has risen relative to its long-term trend.
The RBI said it would require banks to hold the full 2.5 per cent buffer when the gap between
the credit/GDP ratio and the long-term trend exceeds 15 percentage points.
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West Bengal Chief Minister (CM) Mamata Banerjee on 11 February 2015 launched the Micro Business
Credit Card in association with the State Bank of India to boost the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises
(MSME) sector in the state. The Micro Business Credit Card is the first of its kind in India. These
Business credit cards will even help the farmers to start businesses.
The Supreme Court of India on 13 February 2015 directed CBI to probe the role of Reserve Bank of
India (RBI) and Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) in the multi-crore chit-fund scam. It has
directed the CBI to investigate their role for effecting a mechanism.
The Reserve Bank of India on 13 February 2015 announced that soon the currency notes of one rupees
denomination will be in circulation. The notes will be printed by the Government of India. RBI in its
release informed that these currency notes are legal tender as provided in The Coinage Act 2011. It said
that the existing currency notes in this denomination in circulation will also continue to be legal tender.
Hidden Word Bharat () vertically arranged on right hand side will be present.
To get customers to use alternate banking channels such as ATMs, Internet and mobile banking, State
Bank of India has started technology learning centres at 385 regional business offices across the country.
Indias largest bank is conducting free interactive learning sessions for customers on the third Friday of
every month at these offices.
Government exempted oilseeds, raw cotton, 36 other products from commodity transaction tax.
The Reserve Bank lifted the ban on imports of gold coins and medallions by banks and trading houses.
The RBI in a notification also said banks are permitted to import gold on consignment basis. Domestic
sales will be, however, permitted against upfront payment only.
Foreign shareholding in Hathway Cable & Datacom Ltd has reached the prescribed limit and foreign
investors would not be allowed to purchase further shares in the company, the RBI said. The foreign
shareholding through GDRs/ADRs/FDI/NRI/PIO/ FIIs/RFPIs in Hathway Cable & Datacom Ltd has reached
the prescribed threshold limit, RBI said in a notification.
Digital wallet provider Paytm is looking to set up 30,000 to 50,000 retail outlets where its 2.4 crore
customers can load cash on their digital wallet.
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The government said up to 26 per cent FDI in insurance companies will be allowed through automatic
route, as it notified rules to increase foreign direct investment ceiling in the sector to 49 per cent.
Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas in the first week of February 2015 finalised new oil subsidy
sharing formula between the public sector oil refining companies and oil marketing companies. As per
proposal, No contribution towards subsidy for crude oil price less than and equal to 60 dollars per
barrel.
Assams Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on 19 February 2015 advocated for Naturonomics for Assam and
other North Eastern (NE) states to usher in a robust economy in the region.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 19 February 2015 approved the continuation of
the incentive scheme for marketing and promotion services of raw sugar production during the current
sugar season (October-September) of 2014- 15.
State Bank of India (SBI) will provide finance totaling ` 100 crore benefiting 3,000 small tea growers in
the North East soon.
Reserve Bank of India said it will shortly issue ` 10 denomination banknotes in the Mahatma Gandhi
Series-2005. "It will incorporate rupee symbol on the obverse and the reverse, with inset letter 'N' in
both the numbering panels, bearing the signature of Raghuram G Rajan, Governor, Reserve Bank of
India and the year of printing '2014' printed on the reverse of the Banknote," an RBI release said.
PSU banks employee unions and bank management, Indian Banks' Association (IBA), agreed on 15 per
cent wage hike and entered into an agreement for it. The bank employees will now also get holidays on
two Saturdays in a month. The second and 4th Saturday will be the holiday and other two will have full
working days.
Insurance sector regulator IRDA has given in-principle approval for setting up of ` 1,500 crore nuclear
liability pool for providing risk cover to nuclear reactors.
The Asian Development Bank has inked two loan agreements worth $400 million with India to upgrade
district roads in Madhya Pradesh and to support improvements to power transmission and distribution
systems in Assam.
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The Indian Army and State Bank of India (SBI) on 23 February 2015 signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) on the Defence Salary Package.
The oil ministry has suspended ONGC director (technical) Shashi Shankar over allegations of
irregularities.
ICICI Prudential Life Insurance has crossed the ` 1-trillion mark in Assets Under Management (AUM).
ICICI Prudential Life Insurance is a joint venture between ICICI Bank and Prudential PLC, a leading
international financial services group headquartered in the United Kingdom.
Union Government accepted 14th Finance Commission recommendations

Recommendations of the 14th Finance Commission
Tax devolution should be the primary route for transfer of resources to the states
The increased devolution of the divisible pool of taxes is a compositional shift in transfers from
grants to tax devolution
The panel recommended horizontal distribution by using broad parameters like population
(1971) and changes in population since then, income distance, forest cover and area among
others
Distribution of grants to States and local body was recommended by using 2011 population data
with weight of 90 percent and area with weight of 10 percent
Grants to States should be divided into two and they are
a) Grant to duly constituted Gram Panchayats
b) Grant to duly constituted municipal bodies
Grants should be divided into two parts and they include, basic grants depending upon the
performance of the gram panchayats and municipal bodies. The ration of basic to performance
grant is 90:10 for Panchayats and 80:20 for municipalities
It recommended a total grant of 287436 core rupees for a five-year period. Of this fund, 200292
crore rupees will go for panchayats while the remainder will go to the municipalities.
SEBI Cancelled Sahara AMC's Registration As Portfolio Manager.
In order to improve governance of public sector banks, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley proposed setting
up an autonomous banks board bureau to help lenders raise capital for meeting expansion needs.
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The government has decided to delink 8 Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS), including National
eGovernance Plan, Backward Regions Grant Funds, Modernization of Police Forces and Rajiv Gandhi
Panchayat Sashaktikaran Abhiyaan (RGPSA), from its support.
In a significant move, the Government said commodities market watchdog FMC will be merged with the
capital market regulator SEBI. After the emergence of a major crisis at National Spot Exchange Ltd, the
Forward Markets Commission (FMC) was last year brought under the Finance Ministry.
RBI Announces External Advisory Committee For Evaluating Applications Of Small Finance Banks And
Payments Banks. Usha Thorat, former deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will chair the
External Advisory Committee (EAC) to evaluate applications received for small finance banks, while Dr.
Nachiket Mor, Director, Central Board of the Reserve Bank will chair the EAC for payment banks. More
than 100 entities have applied for small finance and payment banks.
In its bi-monthly monetary policy review, RBI governor Raghuram Rajan said that 72 applications for
Small Finance Banks and 41 applications for Payments Banks were received up to the deadline for
submission. This number excludes applications that might have been received at other venues.
IRDAI released India Insurance Vision 2025. The study, India Insurance Vision 2025, done by McKinsey
for CII, was formally released by TS Vijayan, Chairman of Insurance Regulatory and Development
Authority of India (IRDAI). The industry has a potential to reach $250 billion mark by 2025, it said.
To give financial confidence to the budding entrepreneur, especially those in the socially excluded
category, the government has proposed creation of a special bank MUDRA to fund small enterprises.
MUDRA, or the Micro Units Development Refinance Agency Bank, will have a corpus of Rs. 20,000
crore and credit guarantee corpus of Rs. 3,000 crore.
03/03/2015
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Business News, MoUs and Deals in February, 2015

The Expert Appraisal Committee on Infrastructure Development on 31 January 2015 approved the
development of no-frill airports at Kishangarh, Ajmer in Rajasthan and Belgaum in Karnataka. The
committee was constituted by Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.
E-commerce firm Alibaba on 4 February 2015 signed an agreement to acquire 25 percent stake in
One97 Communications. One97 Communications is the parent of mobile commerce firm Paytm.
Homegrown handset maker, Micromax took over Korean electronics giant Samsung and became Indias
biggest smartphone vendor and third largest in the world. This was revealed by a report released by
research firm Canalys on 4 February 2015.
China on 9 February 2015 launched its first cruise liner to sail via its ambitious transcontinental initiative
Maritime Silk Road (MSR). The sail was launched from the Beihai port located in southwest Chinas
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
Gujarat State Handloom and Handicraft Development Corporation (GSHHDC) on 4 February 2015
signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with global e-commerce giant eBay.
CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-NCL) on 5 February 2015 signed a Memorandum of

Understanding (MoU) with Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Ltd (SPMCIL). The MoU is
aimed at fostering collaboration on research and exchange of technical expertise in areas of material
sciences and testing capabilities for bank notes, security documents and coins.
The Rajasthan Government and Adani Enterprises Ltd (AEL) on 9 February 2015 signed a Memorandum
of Understanding (MoU) to jointly set up Indias largest solar park with capacity of 10000 MW of
electricity in Rajasthan.
Reliance Communications and Facebook announced a tie-up to provide free access to 33 Web sites
an initiative that aims to encourage more people to use the Internet. These Web sites are across eight
categories social media, news, career, education and knowledge, sports, health and social welfare
and search engine Bing. The free Web sites include Facebook, ecommerce portal OLX, Cleartrip,
TimesJobs, Babajob and sports Web site ESPN Cricinfo.
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Star India Pvt. Ltd on 11 February 2015 acquired the Telugu television channel network Maa Television
Network Ltd (MTNL) including its brand, assets and four channels for an undisclosed amount.
Microsoft on 11 February 2015 acquired Sunrise for 100 million US dollars. Sunrise is the maker of one
of the top calendar apps for iOS and Android.
Union Government constituted Anil Baijal Panel to suggest a framework to assess CSR activities.
The India Cements Limited on 11 February 2015 transferred the Indian Premier League (IPL) team
Chennai Super Kings Cricket (CSK) franchise to its new subsidiary Chennai Super Kings Cricket (CSKC)
Limited.
The Board of Directors of Grasim Industries Limited on 11 February 2015 approved the proposed merger
of Aditya Birla Chemicals (India) Limited (ABCIL) with Grasim.
FMCG major ITC has entered into an agreement with Johnson & Johnson to acquire its brands, Savlon
and Shower To Shower, in India.
Kerala-based business conglomerate Muthoot Group on 14 February 2015 tied-up with World Wide
Fund (WWF) for Nature-India for its Friends for Life project.
To create Indias first online luxury mall, online marketplace Snapdeal.com announced the acquisition
of Exclusively.com (formerly Exclusively.in), the definitive online destination for premium and luxury
fashion.
Mashable, the leading media company for the Connected Generation, and India.com Web Portal
Limited, India's fastest-growing and leading publisher of original content, on Wednesday announced
their partnership to launch Mashable India.
Europe-based RUAG Aerostructures and Tata Group firm TAL Manufacturing Solutions on 17 February
2015 signed a multi-year contract worth over 150 million US dollar to supply components for Airbus 320.
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Samsung Electronics Co has bought U.S. mobile wallet startup LoopPay, signaling its intention to launch
a smartphone payments service to compete with a recent offering from rival Apple Inc.
The National Stock Exchange (NSE) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 26 February
2015 with the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT) to establish an international exchange in
Gujarat. The MoU was signed in the presence of Gujarat Finance Minister Saurabh Patel.
Tech giant International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) on 23 February 2015 tied-up with IT
services major Tech Mahindra Limited to build a platform for the development of cloud-based apps for
its clients to increase hybrid services adoption.
Self-drive car rental service Zoomcar on 25 February 2015 tied-up with automaker Tata Motors Limited
to add 50 more new Nano cars to its fleet. These new cars will be split between Pune and Bengaluru.
Andhra Pradesh (AP) Government on 23 February 2015 signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
with Wipro for building and implementing the AP State Enterprise Architecture (APSEA).
Tata Power has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Siberian Coal Energy Company
(SUEK) to develop opportunities in the energy sector.
The 5th India-Myanmar Joint Trade Committee (JTC) meeting was held in Nay Pyi Taw in Myanmar on 17
February 2015.
The first Renewable Energy Global Investors Meet & Expo, also called RE-Invest 2015, was held in New
Delhi from 15 February 2015 to 17 February 2015. The meet was organised by the Union Ministry of
New and Renewable Energy as a follow-up to the Make in India initiative of the Prime Minister.
Google on 24 February 2015 acquired Facebook mobile marketing startup Toro. Toro Company is best
known for its Facebook ad campaigns. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
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News Related to India in February, 2015

10th Aero India show concluded in Bengaluru
10th Aero India show concluded on 22 February 2015 at the Yelahanka Air Force Station in Bengaluru,
Karnataka. The five-day long show had started on 18 February 2015 and was inaugurated by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi.
During the 10th Aero India show, audience witnessed the performance of Sarang aerobatic team from
the Indian Air Force (IAF) flying the Dhruv helicopters. Squadron Leader Deepika Misra and Flight
Lieutenant Sandeep Singh became the first women to be a part of SARANG Team.
Audiences also witnessed the aerobatic performances of the aerobatic teams from Sweden, England,
Czech Republic and Open Sky Jump team from US.
Highlights 10th Aero India show
The 10th edition of Aero Show was focused on Make in India campaign of the Union
Government. It is aimed at encouraging small and medium industries to invest in defence
manufacturing base.
Delegates from 109 countries participated in the event and over 700 companies from India and
abroad took part in the exhibition.
In the exhibition, India showcased its indigenously made Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas,
Advanced Light Helicopter Dhruv, radars, missiles, satellites, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)
and Airborne early warning and control system (AWACS) .
Moreover, the foreign military aircraft also were displayed that included F-15C Eagle, Lockheed
F-16C, Boeing KC-135, Boeing C-17, Rafale and Embraer EMB-145I etc.
The United States with 64 companies had the biggest presence at the event.
Aero India Show is a biennial air show and aviation exhibition which is held in Bangaluru at the
Yelahanka Air Force Station.
On 10 February 2015, Delhi Elections 2015 counting was held. AAP won 67 seats and BJP just 3.
Bharatiya Janata Party's chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi lost to Aam Aadmi Party candidate SK
Bagga in the Krishna Nagar constituency by 2277 votes. Congress party candidates lost deposits in 63 of
the 70 seats, including senior leaders Ajay Maken, Yoganand Shastri, Kiran Walia and Sharmistha
Mukherjee. Arvind Kejriwal took oath as the CM of Delhi on 14 February 2015.
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Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on 5 February 2015 bagged a Defence contract of 1090 crore
rupees for supplying 14 Do-228 aircrafts to Indian Air Force (IAF) along with six reserve engines, one
flight simulator and associated equipment.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 8 February 2015 announced constitution of three sub-groups of Chief
Ministers within the NITI Aayog. The decision was made after the first meeting of the Governing Council
of NITI Aayog.
Uttarakhand Government on 7 February 2015 launched Himalaya Darshan programme at Dehradun.

The programme was launched as part of ongoing efforts to boost tourism by the State Government.
Mobile application-based taxi aggregator Uber on 11 February 2015 had introduced two new India
specific safety features. The features include panic buttons and in-app tracking tools.
The Navy is learnt to have taken the call to retire the decrepit warhorse INS Viraat, the aircraft carrier in
2016 that has had a service life of 56 years as on date first as HMS Hermes in the Royal British Navy
and in its present avatar since 1987.
Union Ministry of Home Affairs on 12 February 2015 constituted a three-member Special Investigation
Team (SIT) for re-investigation of the 1984 anti-Sikh riot cases. The three-member SIT will be headed by
Pramod Asthana, an IPS officer of 1986 batch.
India on 14 February 2015 successfully test-fired a BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from Indian
Navy's latest destroyer INS Kolkata.
Vanaj 2015 is a weeklong National Tribal Festival for the first time. It was in news as it was inaugurated
by the Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Jual Oram on 13 February 2015 at the the Indira Gandhi National
Center for Arts (IGNCA), New Delhi.
The third National Lok Adalat on 14 February 2015 disposed of 56000 cases in a single day. It also
disbursed of 265 crore rupees as claims towards final settlement in bank recovery and cheques bounce
cases.
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Construction of toilets under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's dream project, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan,
has gained momentum with 7.1 lakh individual household toilets being built in January, the highest for
any month since the project was launched in October, government data showed.
Dosmoche festival was celebrated with religious and traditional fervor in the Ladakh region of Jammu
and Kashmir in the third week of February 2015. The festival was celebrated with a week-long period of
prayers and ritual at Liker monastery.
India and Sri Lanka on 16 February 2015 signed bilateral agreements on civil nuclear cooperation,
cultural cooperation and cooperation in the field of Agriculture. Besides, an agreement was also signed
for Sri Lanka's participation in the Nalanda University Project.
Union Government on 18 February 2015 approved Project-17A worth 8 billion US dollar. The project is
aimed at building country's most advanced warships. Under the Project-17A seven frigates will be built
indigenously with stealth features to avoid easy detection.
India on 19 February 2015 successfully test-fired nuclear weapons capable, surface-to-surface Prithvi-II
missile from Chandipur-on-sea in Balasore district, Odisha as part of a user trial by the army. The missile
was tested for a shortened range of 250 km as against its full range of 350 km.
Indias first air quality checking Mobile App, SAFAR-Air was launched on 17 February 2015 at the Indian
Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune, Maharashtra.
State Government of Bihar on 18 February 2015 decided to give 35 percent reservation to women in
non-gazetted government jobs.
Justice KS Radhakrishnan panel on road safety submitted its report to the Supreme Court.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 19 February 2015 launched the nationwide Soil Health Card Scheme
in Suratgarh town of Sriganganagar district, Rajasthan. The nationwide scheme will help farmers to
scientifically analyse the soil of farms in the country. The scheme aims at helping farmers in improving
productivity by appropriate use of nutrients or fertilisers.
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Himachal Pradesh is set to become the country's first state to present a 'paperless' budget on March
11.
The 29th Surajkund International Crafts Mela was celebrated from 1 February 2015 to 15 February
2015 at Surajkund, Faridabad. Chhattisgarh was selected as the Theme State while Lebanon was
Partner Nation for the Surajkund Mela.
IRCTC Tied Up With Jubilant Foodworks to Deliver Pizza at Train Seats. Jubilant FoodWorks Ltd is an
Indian company based in Noida, Uttar Pradesh which holds the master franchise for Domino's Pizza in
India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, and also for Dunkin' Donuts in India.
The Eighth India-Nepal Battalion level Combined Military Training named Exercise Surya Kiran-VIII,
commenced on 23 February 2015 at Integrated Army Training Centre, Saljhandi, Nepal. The exercise will
end on 8 March 2015.
The Delhi Government on 24 February 2015 launched a mobile application mLiquorSaleCheck for the
benefit of the customers and to put a cap on sale of illicit liquor. The App will provide detailed
information about the liquor being sold in the city.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been made a member of the Governing Council of newly
formed NITI Aayog, which has Prime Minister Narendra Modi as its chairman. Kejriwal has come in
place of national capital territory's Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung.
Madhya Pradesh governor Ram Naresh Yadav on 25th February, 2015 sent his resignation after the
Union home ministry asked Yadav to step down after he was named in an exam scam in the state.
World Bank in January 2014 released a strategy report titled Building Resilience for Sustainable
Development of the Sundarbans. The report states that the environmental damage in the climate
change-hit islands of Sundarbans is costing India a sum of 1290 crore rupees annually.
Union Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers on 25 February 2015 declared the year 2015 as the Year of
Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API). It was declared by the Union Minister of Chemicals &
Fertilizers Ananth Kumar.
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Dreaded terror group ISIS and all its affiliate organizations, responsible for series of savage attacks and
killings in Iraq and Syria, have been banned in India under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Earlier Home Minister Rajnath Singh had said in Parliament on December 16, 2014 that the West Asian
group had already been declared banned in India under a United Nations Schedule.
Government will roll out a pilot project to give a digital boost to the flagship rural job scheme MNREGA
in gram panchayats to ensure its better implementation through mobile monitoring system. Under the
scheme expected to be functional from April this year, a total of 35,000 gram panchayats will be covered
which would be given a mobile/tablet, Minister of State for Rural Development Sudarshan Bhagat said in
a written reply in Lok Sabha. An amount of Rs 35 crore have been sanctioned as each mobile/tablet
would be costing Rs 10,000.
The Union Cabinet on 25 February 2015 approved the implementation of the scheme for setting up of
15000 Mega Watt (MW) Grid-connected Solar Photo Voltaic (SPV) Power projects under the National
Solar Mission (NSM).
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on 25 February 2015 issued 6th Amendment to the
Telecommunication Mobile Number Portability Regulation, 2009. This amendment will facilitate full
MNP (Pan-India Portability) across India with effect from 3 May 2015.
Indian Air Force, Army and Navy have placed orders worth Rs 83,858 crore from 2011 to the last fiscal
while domestic defence industries have earned Rs 69 crore by export of military hardware. Replying to
questions in the Lok Sabha, Parrikar also said that Foreign Direct Investment amounting to Rs 24.36
crore has been received after government opened the defence industry for private sector.
The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and the Gujarat Forest Department on 26 February 2015 signed
a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for conservation of Asiatic lion and its habitat.
Andhra Pradesh has become the first state to opt for executing the National Optical Fibre Network
(NOFN) on its own and the telecom department will reimburse the cost for the same.
Indian Navy on 27 February 2015 concluded its Theatre Level Readiness and Operational Exercise
(TROPEX)-2015. The event encompassed all dimensions of maritime warfare.
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Union Government on 12 February 2015 approved revised Guidelines for Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak
Yojana (PMGSY). The guidelines were revised to accord priority in the selection of roads for new
connectivity as well as upgradation, leading to the eligible habitations in the Gram Panchayats identified
by the Members of Parliament (MP) under Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY).
Union Government blocked private email network like Yahoo and Gmail for official work. The aim of the
move is to monitor staff's online activities.
Mufti Mohammad Sayeed led Jammu and Kashmir People's Democratic Party and Bharatiya Janata Party
formed J&K Government jointly. Mufti Mohammad Sayeed will take oath as CM on 1st March, 2015.
News around the World in February, 2015

Japan on 1 February 2015 successfully launched the Information Gathering Satellite, a spy satellite. The
Satellite was launched from the Tanegashima Space Centre in the Kagoshima Prefecture in the south of
Japan.
India and China on 2 February 2015 jointly launched the Visit India Year in China in Beijing during the
visit of Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to China.
Pakistan on 2 February 2015 successfully test-fired indigenously developed Air Launched Cruise Missile
(ALCM) Raad. The missile, also called Thunder in Arabic, has been developed by Pakistan's Air Weapons
Complex and NESCOM.
NASA on 31 January 2015 successfully launched its first Earth satellite Soil Moisture Active Passive
(SMAP). The satellite is designed to collect global observations of the vital soil moisture.
The Nagasaki-based Henn-na Hotel (meaning Strange Hotel) of Japan in the first week of February
2015 announced to open the first Robot-staffed Hotel of the World. The hotel will be opened on 17 July
2015 and it will significantly reduce the operating costs.
The First World Ocean Science Congress (WOSC) was held in Kochi, Kerala from 5 February 2015 to 8
February 2015.
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Yemen has been in crisis for months, with Shiite Houthi rebels besieging the capital and then taking
control. As a result along with USA and UK many countries closed their embassy in Yemen.
Ukraine ceasefire deal agreed at Minsk talks by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Experimental aerospace firm SpaceX on 12 February 2015 successfully launched the Falcon 9 rocket
from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida on its third attempt. The rocket carried an unmanned
Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite.
France on 16 February 2015 signed a 5.2-billion-euro (5.9 billion US dollar) agreement with Egypt for
the first foreign sale of its Rafale fighter plane. As per the deal, France will supply 24 Rafale fighters to
Egypt.
Three Indian, two women and one man were among the shortlisted 100 applicants who were chosen
for one-way trip to Mars under Mars One mission in the third week of February 2015. These Indians are
Ritika Singh, Shradha Prasad and Taranjeet Singh Bhatia.
Indian telecom major Bharti Airtel Limited on 18 February 2015 tied-up with United Nations Childrens
Fund (UNICEF) to provide health, education and youth-focused content to its customers in 17 African
countries.
India and the US on 19 February 2015 held their first-ever bilateral dialogue on the United Nations
(UN) and other multilateral issues in Washington.
Two tropical cyclones Marcia and Lam hit Australia on 20 February 2015. This is the first time that two
cyclones have hit Australia at one time.
Parliament of Thailand (National Legislative Assembly) on 19 February 2015 passed a law banning
commercial surrogacy, putting a halt on foreign couples seeking to have children through Thai
surrogate mothers.
Former President of Maldives Mohamed Nasheed was arrested on 22 February 2015 in Male. He was
arrested under anti-terrorism laws after a court said that he might flee the country to avoid hearings on
terrorism charges.
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WHO approved ReEBOV Antigen rapid test kit to identify Ebola-infected patients.
Former Jatiya Party lawmaker Abdul Jabbar was sentenced to life imprisonment on 24 February 2015 by
the International Crimes Tribunal-1 in Bangladesh.
The United States (US) on 24 February 2015 announced that it would allow work permits to spouses of
H-1B visa holders from 26 May 2015. The move will benefit thousands of talented and professional
Indian spouses who come to America but are unable to work.
Australian researchers unveiled the world's first 3D-printed jet engine, a manufacturing breakthrough
that could lead to cheaper, lighter and more fuel-efficient jets.
One of the largest public school system in the US is planning to introduce Texas's first Hindi dual
language school, a move that could benefit the country's significant Indian-American population.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of the United States (US) on 26 February 2015 voted to
implement the Net Neutrality Rules. Net Neutrality Rules define same rate by all Internet Service
Providers. It is very important for India and a lot of petitions has been filed for Net Neutrality Rules in
India.
FBI announced 3 million US dollar award for information on Evgeniy Mikhailovich Bogachev. Bogachev,
currently is one of the FBIs most wanted criminal. He created a virus named GameOver Zeus. According
to a report by Symantec, Gameover Zeus has largely been used for banking fraud and distribution of the
CryptoLocker ransomware.
Parliament of Jamaica on 25 February 2015 passed a law to decriminalise the possession of small
amount of marijuana up to 57 grams for personal use.
US blogger and creator of Mukta-Mona, Avijit Roy was hacked to death in Bangladesh.
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Appointments in February, 2015

India
1. Ashok K Agarwal appointed as General Manager of Southern Railway.
2. Nandita Chatterjee was appointed as the Secretary in the Union Ministry of Housing & Urban
Poverty Alleviation (HUPA).
3. LC Goyal appointed as Union Home Secretary. At the time of his appointment was serving as
Union Rural Development Secretary.
4. MO Garg appointed as Director General of Council of Scientific & Industrial Research.
5. M Ravindran appointed as Chairman of Indraprastha Gas Limited.
6. Krishna Chaudhary took charge as DG of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).
7. Arvind Kejriwal sworn-in as Chief Minister of Delhi.
8. Balasubramaniam Venkataramani appointed as MD & CEO of Multi Commodity Exchange
(MCX).
9. Jawed Usmani sworn-in as Chief Information Commissioner of Uttar Pradesh.
10. Tapan Misra appointed as ISRO's Space Applications Centre Director.
11. Ram Niwas Goel Elected Speaker of Delhi Assembly.
12. Nitish Kumar took oath as Chief Minister of Bihar. He succeeded Jitan Ram Manjhi, who
resigned from his office on 20 February 2015 before the trust vote.
13. Justice Amitava Roy sworn in as Supreme Court judge. Prior to this, he served as the Chief
Justice of Odisha High Court.
14. Kshatrapati Shivaji appointed as new CMD of SIDBI.
World
1. Sergio Mattarella sworn-in as the President of Italy.
2. Ajaypal Singh Banga appointed as member of US Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and
Negotiations.
3. Ashton Carter appointed as the new Defence Secretary of the US.
4. Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic sworn-in as First Female President of Croatia.
5. Indian-American Rashad Hussain appointed US Special Envoy and Coordinator.
6. Ravi Chaudhary appointed as Executive Director for Regions and Centre Operations at FAA of
the US.
7. Gopinath Pillai appointed as Special Envoy to Andhra Pradesh by Singapore government.
8. Indian-origin Kannan Ramesh appointed as Judicial Commissioner in Singapore Supreme Court.
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Awards & Honors in February, 2015

National
1. Mithileshwar awarded with Shrilal Shukla Sahitya IFFCO Award 2014.
2. Madhya Pradesh won the 10th National Award for excellent work in MGNREGA.
3. Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajans name was included in the LIMCA book of records in the
first week of February 2015. Her name was included for being the only woman of the country to
represent the same Indore Lok Sabha constituency on the same party ticket for eight times in a
row.
4. Marathi writer Bhalchandra Nemade on 6 February 2015 was chosen for the Jnanpith Award
2014 by the Jnanpith Selection Board.
5. Vinod Mehta awarded with Yash Bharti Samman 2015 by UP Government.
6. Dr. Ambedkar National Merit Awards conferred by Thaawar Chand Gehlot.
7. National mens team captain Sunil Chhetri was presented with All India Football Federations
2014 Player of the Year award.
8. National womens team striker Bala Devi was presented with 2014 AIFF Womens Footballer of
the Year.
9. Dr. Tessy Thomas, Geeta Varadan jointly named for Nayudamma Award 2014.
10. Chhattisgarh Government awarded for Renewable Power Development in the State.
11. Marathi Writer DM Mirasdar Selected for The Vinda Karandikar Jeevan Gaurav Puraskar.
12. Irom Sharmila or Iron Lady of Manipur won Sthree Shakti award.
International
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Zakir Naik won King Faisal International Prize for the year 2015.
Amartya Sen won inaugural Charleston-EFG John Maynard Keynes Prize 2015.
Indian-origin scientist Professor Srikanth Jagabathula received CAREER Award.
Nagesh Kukunoors film Dhanak won two awards at 65th Berlin International Film Festival.
Saurav Ganguly awarded Honorary Life Membership of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).
Indian-American Purnendu Dasgupta won 2015 American Chemical Society Division of
Analytical Chemistry J. Calvin Giddings Award.
7. Kristen Stewart first American actress to win the Best Supporting Actress Award at France's
Cesar Awards.
8. Clemson University honoured Ratan Tata with Doctorate of Automotive Engineering.
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87th Academy Awards or OSCAR 2015

Awards
Best Picture - Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) Alejandro Gonzlez Irritu
Best Actor - Eddie Redmayne The Theory of Everything as Stephen Hawking
Best Actress - Julianne Moore Still Alice as Dr. Alice Howland
Best Directing - Alejandro Gonzlez Irritu Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Best Supporting Actress - Patricia Arquette - Boyhood
Best Supporting Actor - J. K. Simmons Whiplash
Best Original Screenplay - Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) Alejandro

Gonzlez Irritu
Best Animated Feature Film - Big Hero 6 Don Hall, Chris Williams and Roy Conli
Best Foreign Language Film - Ida (Poland) in Polish Pawe Pawlikowski
Academy Honorary Awards
Jean-Claude Carrire
Hayao Miyazaki
Maureen O'Hara
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award
Harry Belafonte
Most Nominations & Awards - Birdman (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) 9
BAFTA Awards 2015
Best Film - Boyhood

Best Director - Richard Linklater - Boyhood
Best Actor in a Leading Role - Eddie Redmayne - The Theory of Everything as Stephen Hawking
Best Actress in a Leading Role - Julianne Moore - Still Alice as Dr Alice Howland
Outstanding British Film - The Theory of Everything
Best Film Not in the English Language - Ida - Polish Language Film of Poland, Lunchbox was
Indias entry but did not win.
Best Animated Film - The Lego Movie
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FIlmfare Awards 2015
Best Film Queen
Best Director Vikas Bahl for Queen
Best Actor (Female) Kangana Ranaut for Queen
Best Actor (Male) Shahid Kapoor for Haider
Lifetime Achievement - Kamini Kaushal
Best Supporting Actor (Female) Tabu for Haider
Best Supporting Actor (Male) Kay Kay Menon for Haider
Best Actress Critics Alia Bhatt for Highway
Best actor critics Sanjay Mishra for Ankhon Dekhi
Best film critics Ankhon Dekhi
Most awards - Queen with total 6 Awards
News related to Sports in February, 2015

Australian Open 2015 came to an end on 1 February 2015 at Melbourne, Australia. Novak Djokovic of
Serbia and Serena Williams of the US won the mens and womens single title, respectively. Indo-Swiss
pair Leander Paes (India) and Martina Hingis (Switzerland) won Mixed Doubles Titles.
Yuvraaj Singh was the costliest player in Indian Premiere League 8 auctions. He was sold for Rs 16 Crore.
Usain Bolt to retire after 2017 World Championships in London.
Indian leg-spinner Anil Kumble and Australian legend Betty Wilson and New Zealand legend Martin
Crowe was inducted into ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.
Anirban Lahiri won Hero Indian Open title of Golf.
03/03/2015
36
Somdev Devvarman retained the Delhi Open title of Tennis.
Ranchi Rays crowned Champions of Hero Hockey India League 2015. Indian Skipper MS Dhoni co-owns
the Ranchi Rays team.
Rohit Sharma Joins PETA Call to Get Cats and Dogs Sterilised.
India Set to Host Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Awards for the First Time.
11th ICC Cricket World Cup 2015

The opening ceremony was held in Melbourne, Australia and Christchurch, New Zealand.
Yahoo signed Jonty Rhodes as analyst for World Cup cricket.
Virat Kohli became first Indian cricketer to score century against Pakistan in World Cup. India defeated
Pakistan 6th time in the World Cups.
India defeated South Africa in their 4th World Cup meet. Earlier South Africa had a record of defeating
India 3 times in the World Cups.
Chris Gayle became first cricketer to score Double Century in Cricket World Cup. He scored against
Zimbabwe. He also became the first cricketer outside India to score a double century. There are total 5
double centuries, first double century was scored by Sachin Tendulkar, 2nd was by Virender Sehwag, 3rd
and 4th was by Rohit Sharma and also he score the Highest Individual Score(264 runs) in ODIs.
AB De Villiers hits fastest ODI 150 in South Africa World Cup win. He also holds the record of fastest
century. South Africa's 257-run victory was the joint-biggest by runs in World Cups, equaling India's win
over Bermuda in 2007.
03/03/2015
37
NATIONAL GAMES 2015

A Brief History
The very first National Games was held in 1924 in Lahore. During the year India got independence, in
1947, there was no National Games. However, the first National Games after Independence was held in
1948 in Lucknow.
The motto of National Games is Get Set Play.
35th National Games 2015 (31st Jan 14th Feb)

The 35th National Games was held in Kerala. It is the second time that Kerala is hosting the national
games after it hosted the 27th National Games in 1987.
The mascot of the 35th National Games is ''Ammu'', The Great Hornbill, or the Great Indian Hornbill, the
State bird of Kerala.
National Games mascot Ammu, the Great Hornbill, has immortalised itself by finding a mention in the
Limca Book of Records.
The mascot found a place in the record books owing to a play, Kalikkunna Kuttikalkkayi Bharatham
Kathirikkunnu (India Awaits Children Who Play) in which Ammu is featured.
According to the Limca Books 2015 Special Literature Edition, it is a play about a mascot which had
been staged in most number of schools.
Legendary Javed Akhtar penned Hariharan composed National Games Anthem for National Games 2015
Kerala.
The games torch,a cauldron shaped in the form of a traditional Kerala lamp, was lit by P.T. Usha and
Anju Bobby George, which was passed to them by Sachin Tendulkar.
The oath was taken on the behalf of the participants by the Kerala captain, Preeja Sreedharan.
Sachin Tendulkar was the goodwill ambassador for national games.
Maharashtra Netball player Mayuresh Pawar passed away during the 35th National Games.
03/03/2015
38
Medal Tally
The Services Sports Control Board has been the all-time leader in Medal Tally of National Games.
Individual
Sajan Prakash of Kerala won the most medals in National Games 2015. He won 6 Golds, 2 Silvers. He
won the medals in Swimming. He was ranked 1st in Individual Medal Tally.
Rajina Kiro of Andaman Nicobar and Inaocha Devi Mayanglambam of Madhya Pradesh 5 Golds 1 Silvers
each. They both won medals in Canoe & Kayak but individually. They ranked 2nd jointly in Medal Tally.
Aakanksha Vora of Maharashtra won 5 Gold Medals and 1 Silver Medal. She was ranked 3rd.
Saloni Dalal, a school girl of Karnataka became the youngest medal winner in the ongoing 35th National
Games in Kerala on 3 February 2015. The 12-year-old, Saloni won a Bronze medal in the 200 meter
breast stroke swimming event.
State Wise Medal Tally

Ranks States
1
Services SCB
Gold Silver Bronze Total

91
33
35
159
Kerala
54
48
60
162
Haryana
40
40
27
107
Maharashtra
30
43
50
123
Punjab
27
34
32
93
Madhya Pradesh
22
24
38
84
Manipur
18
18
24
60
Tamil Nadu
16
16
20
52
Telangana
16
11
11
38
10
Gujarat
10
20
The 2016 National Games is likely to be held in Goa.
03/03/2015
39
Important Days in February, 2015

World Cancer Day (WCD) 2015 was observed across the world on 4 February 2015. The tagline for the
WCD 2015 was Not beyond Us.
Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare Jagat Prakash Nadda declared 10 February as the National
Deworming Day.
World Radio Day was observed globally on 13 February 2015 with the theme Youth and Radio.
National Women's Day of India observed on 13 February on the date of birth of Indias first women
governor Sarojini Naidu.
15th International Mother Language Day was celebrated across the world on 21 February 2015. The
theme for the year 2015 is Inclusive Education through and with Language - Language Matters.
International Rare Disease Day observed on 28 February. The slogan for 2015 was Day-by-day, hand-inhand.
National Science Day celebrated on 28 February to commemorate the invention of Raman Effect by
Prof. CV Raman. The theme of 2015 National Science Day was Science for Nation Building.
Important Books in February, 2015

Fragile Frontiers The Secret History of Mumbai Terror Attacks - Saroj Kumar Rath
Editor Unplugged Media, Magnates, Netas and Me - Vinod Mehta
Flora of Guntur City Andhra Pradesh - PR Mohana Rao
Indias Growth Resurgence: Sectorial Issues and Governance Risks - Yerram Raju, M Sitarama Murthy
and Singala Subbaiah.
The Indian Parliament A Critical Appraisal - Prof. Sudha Pai and Avinash Kumar
Madhorubhagan (One Part Woman) - Perumal Murugan (under controversies for description of Hindus
half-female god, Ardhanareeswara)
The Red Sari (Unofficial and Controversial Autobiography of Sonia Gandhi) - Javier Moro
Neither a Hawk nor a Dove - Pakistan's Ex-Foreign Minister Khurshid M Kasuri
03/03/2015
40
Obituaries in the Month of February, 2015

Maharashtra Netball player Mayuresh Pawar passed away during the 35th National Games.
Acclaimed Indian sculptor and artist Mrinalini Mukherjee passed away.
Veteran Marathi theatre artist Atmaram Govind Bhende died.
Veteran journalist Diptosh Majumdar died.
Former Maharashtra Home Minister RR Patil passed away.
Veteran Cartoonist Rajinder Puri passed away.
Bollywood Actor Ashraful Haque passed away. Ashraful Haque was famously known for his roles in the
movies Delhi Belly and Fukrey.
Noted film producer and Dada Saheb Phalke award winner Daggubati Ramanaidu passed away on 18
February 2015.
Legendary Urdu Poet and the Chairman of the Urdu Advisory Committee, Government of Bihar Dr.
Kalim Ahmed Ajiz passed away.
Rana Bhagwandas, the first Hindu Chief Justice of Pakistan passed away.
Pioneer of mobile theatre in Assam Adya Sharma passed away.
Maria Golovnina, Reuters bureau chief for Afghanistan and Pakistan, found dead.
Veteran Tamil director and mentor of actor Kamal Hassan, RC Sakthi passed away.
Cinematographer-Director Aloysius Vincent passed away.
Former Haryana Chief Minister Hukam Singh passed away.
Acclaimed US actor Leonard Nimoy aka Mr Spock of Star Trek passed away.
Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov shot dead in Moscow.
03/03/2015
41
Reports, Indexes in February, 2015

Hurun Report Inc released the Hurun Global Rich List 2015.
Top 5 Billionaires in Hurun Global Rich List 2015
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Bill Gates - USA

Carlos Slim Helu & family - Mexico
Warren Buffet - USA
Amancio Ortega - Spain
Larry Ellison USA
As per the list, India has overtaken Russia and United Kingdom in terms of the number of billionaires in
the country. India has 97 billionaires, four more than Russia's 93. Mukesh Ambani is the richest Indian
with a fortune of 20 billion US dollars (Rank 41). The other Indians to figure in the top 100 are Dilip
Sanghvi of Sun Pharma who is ranked 53, Pallonji Mistry & family who own Tata Sons are ranked at 60
and Wipro's Azim Premzi is ranked at 74.
Telecom regulator Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on 7 February 2015 released a report on
subscriber base. India telecom subscriber base reaches all-time high at 970 million at the end of
December 2014. The number of telephone subscribers in India increased from 964.20 million at the end
of November 2014 to 970.97 million at the end of December 2014. Bharti Airtel has maintained its
leadership with 217.2 million mobile customers.
The Reporters Without Borders (RWB) on 12 February 2015 released the World Press Freedom Index
(WPFI) 2015. In the WPFI 2015, India was placed at 136th position out of 180 nations that were
surveyed worldwide in terms of press freedom. In the top of the list were three Scandinavian countries:
Finland on the 1st position followed by Norway and Denmark.
Forbes on 26 February 2015 released Asias 50 Power Businesswomen 2015 list. The list features six
Indian women CEO and Managing Director (MD). The Asia's 50 Power Businesswomen list showcases a
year of accomplishments by the region's female entrepreneurs and executives.
The list includes following Women from India
Arundhati Bhattacharya, CMD, State Bank of India

Chanda Kochchar, CEO, ICICI Bank,
Akhila Srinivasan, MD/Non-Executive Director, Shriram Life Insurance/Shriram Capital
Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Founder, Chairman and MD, Biocon
Shikha Sharma, CEO and MD, Axis Bank
Usha Sangwan, MD, Life Insurance Corp. of India
03/03/2015
42
Current Affairs Quiz February - Finance

d) Amazon
e) None of these
SET 1
1. What is the full form of NDTL?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Net Debtors and Total Liabilities

Net Demand and Total Liabilities
Net Demand with Total Liquidities
Net Demand and Time Liabilities
New Debtors and Total Liabilities
2. Union Government decided to infuse 6990

crore rupees in nine Public Sector Banks.
Which Bank will get the largest share from
Government?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
United Bank of India

Syndicate Bank
Union Bank of India
State Bank of India
Bank of Baroda
3. Union Government approved development

of no-frill airports at Ajmer and ______.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Belgaum
Chitrapur
Vimanapura
Mulbagal
Arikunte
4. Which E-tailer giant signed an agreement to

acquire 25% stake in One97 Communications
or PayTM?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
5. Gujarat Handloom Corporation signed a

MoU with which E-Commerce company?
03/03/2015
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Idea Cellular
Vodafone India
Reliance Communications
Tata Communications
Bharti Airtel
7. Which country recently launched its first

Maritime Silk Road cruise liner?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Japan
South Korea
India
Malaysia
None of these
8. Which of the following statement is WRONG

about Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF)?
a) It is it a Monetary Policy.
b) It was introduced to ensure smooth
transition and keeping pace with
technological upgradation.
c) The funds under LAF are used by the
banks for their day-to-day mismatches
in liquidity.
d) All commercial banks are eligible except
RRBs.
e) None of them
9. ICICI Bank launched POCKETS, Indias First
Digital Bank, Which of the following features is
WRONG about Pockets?
Walmart
Amazon
Flipkart
EBay
Alibaba
a) Alibaba
b) Ebay
c) Flipkart
6. Facebook signed an agreement with which

Indian company to provide Free Access to 33
Websites in India?
a) Users can also choose to add a zero

balance Savings Account to it.
b) The e-wallet of Pockets is Indias most
comprehensive wallet which can be
used to pay on all websites and mobile
apps in the country.
c) This e-wallet allows users to instantly
send/request money to/from any e-
43
mail id, mobile number, friends on

Facebook and bank account.
d) The ICICI bank account holders will be
the primary users.
e) The digital e-wallet uses a virtual VISA
card that enables the users to transact
on any website
10. Which TV Network(s) was recently
acquired by Star India Pvt Ltd?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
MAA TV Network
Sun TV Network
ETV Network
TV9
Both (a) and (d)
HDFC Bank
IndusInd Bank
Kotak Mahindra
Axis Bank
ICICI Bank
12. RBI recently issued guidelines for CCCB.

What does B stands for in CCCB?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Builder
Buffer
Bidder
Borrower
None of these
Bajaj Allianz
New India Assurance
National Insurance
ICICI Prudential
Life Insurance Corporation
03/03/2015
Export Credit Ratio

Export Capital Refinance
Export-Credit Rate
Export Credit Refinance
Export Credit Reserve
15. As per Hurun Global Rich List 2015, who is

the wealthiest person in the world?
Mark Zuckerberg
Bill Gates
Jack Ma
Warren Buffet
Carlos Sim
SET 2
1. Recently, RBI decided to bring back one
rupee notes. There will be a Hidden Word
vertically arranged on the right hand side.
What is the word?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
RBI
India
Bharat
Rupee
ONE
2. Which Indian bank recently started tech

learning centers across the country to help
customers?
13. IRDAI recently imposed `10 Lakh fine on

which Insurance Company?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
11. FLASHremit it is an Instant Money

Transfer Service between UAE Exchange and
_______.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
14. RBI in its 6th Bi-Monthly Policy has decided

to replace ECR Facility. What does ECR stands
for?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Axis Bank
ICICI Bank
United Bank of India
State Bank of India
Canara Bank
44
3. Union Government added 38 more products

to the list of products exempt from CTT. What
does C stands for in CTT?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Commodity
Consumer
Capital
Consignment
Commercial
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
4. To create Indias first online luxury mall,

Exclusively was acquired by ________.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Buzzfeed
TechCrunch
Huffington Post
TMZ
Mashable
6. The First Renewable Energy Global Investors

Meet & Expo, also known as RE-Invest 2015
was held in which city?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Mumbai
Shanghai
Beijing
New Delhi
Dubai
Cash Deposit Machines

Mobile Banking apps
Net Banking
Green Remit Cards
None of them
03/03/2015
`100 Cr.
`200 Cr.
`300 Cr.
`150 Cr.
`110 Cr.
10. As per the newly proposed Oil Subsidy

Sharing Formula between Union Government
and Public Sector Oil Companies, what is the
minimum price/barrel with No Subsidy
Contribution?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
$45
$50
$60
$75
$100
11. RBI restricted foreigners from buying

shares through GDRs and other foreign
investment schemes. What does GDR stands
for?
7. Which of the following is not a tech channel

of a retail bank in India
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Arunachal Pradesh
Assam
Meghalaya
Tripura
Manipur
9. State Bank of India announced to finance

small tea growers of North East India totaling
______.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Amazon.in
Ebay.in
Flipkart.com
Alibaba.com
None of them
5. India.com recently inked a deal to partner

with which US Media Company?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
8. Which North East Indian state chief minister

advocated Naturonomics for NE states to usher
in a strong economy?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Gross Domestic Ratio

Global Depositary Receipt
Gross Depositary Receipt
Global Depositary Ratio
None of the above
45
12. BCCI, IPL got `425 cr show cause notice for

alleged forex violations by _____.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Reserve Bank of India

Securities and Exchange Board of India
Export Import Bank of India
Enforcement Directorate
Central Bureau of Investigation
13. Which company recently announced to roll

out 50000 outlets for cash loading purpose in
digital wallet?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
KayPay
Pockets
OxyCash
Uber
PayTM
14. Union Government approved continuation

of incentive scheme for marketing of _____.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Raw Jute Production

Tea Production
Rice Production
Raw Sugar Production
Raw Cotton Production
15. Who has been appointed as MD & CEO of

Multi Commodity Exchange?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Punit Renjen
Balasubramaniam Venkataramani
Mr. Satyananda Mishra
Mr. Ravi Kamal Bhargava
Parveen Kumar Singhal
Set 3
1. Who has prepared the Economic Survey
2014-15?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
2. What is the expected GDP growth for the

year 2015-16?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Between 8.1 to 8.5

Between 6.8 to 8.3
More than 9.6
Between 7.1 to 8.1
None of the above
3. RBI to Issue Rs. 10 Denomination Bank

Notes in MG Series-2005 with which inset
letter?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
M
G
N
L
No inset letter
4. PSU banks employee unions and bank

management agreed with IBA on wage hike of
employees. What is the percentage accepted
in the agreement?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
14.6%
15%
15.6%
17.5%
None of them
5. India Insurance Vision 2025 was released by

_____.
a) LIC of India
b) Central Insurance Repository Limited
(CIRL)
c) IRDAI
d) Finance Commission
e) SEBI
Arvind Panagariya
Arun Jaitley
Arvind Subramanian
Raghuram Rajan
Both (a) and (d)
03/03/2015
46
6. Indian Army signed a MoU with which bank

for Defence Salary Package?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Canara Bank
Punjab National Bank
Dena Bank
ICICI Bank
None of them
7. Zoomcar recently tied up with Tata Motors.

What service does Zoomcar provide?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Cab Services
Self-Drive Rentals
Corporate Rentals
Test Drive of Cars
Expert Reviews of Cars
8. Which insurance company recently crossed

Rs 1 trillion AUM?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
LIC of India
New India Assurance Co. Ltd
HDFC Life Insurance
Bajaj Allianz
ICICI Prudential Life Insurance
9. Which Indian company signed a MoU with

Russia's SEUK?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Reliance Power
JSW Energy
Essar Energy
Tata Power
Adani Power
10. Union Government recently accepted the

___ Finance Commission recommendations.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
7th
15th
18th
16th
14th
Wipro
Infosys
IBM
Tata Consultancy Services
Tech-Mahindra
12. Union Government declared to set up

Micro Units Development Refinance Agency
Bank for which of the following purpose?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
To provide financial support to SC/ST

To attract investor in Make In India
To boost the microfinance sector
To boost the micro industries
Both (c) and (d)
13. Kshatrapati Shivaji was recently appointed

as the CMD of _______.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
IDBI
IRDAI
SEBI
SIDBI
Bandhan Bank
14. Forbes Asias 50 Power Businesswomen

2015 list featured Usha Sangwan. Who is she?
a) CMD of ICICI Bank
b) MD of LIC of India
c) Non-Executive Director of Shriram
Capital
d) CEO of Axis Bank
e) Executive Director of SBI
15. Recently a MoU on Golbal Hybrid Cloud

adoption was signed between International
Business Machines Corporation and ________.
11. To implement AP State Enterprise

Architecture (APSEA), Andhra Pradesh signed a
MoU with which company?
03/03/2015
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Tata Consultancy Services

Wipro
Tech-Mahindra
Infosys
None of them
47
Current Affairs Quiz February - India

5. Mrinalini Mukherjee, who passed away
recently, was a well-known _________.
Set 1
1. Which Indian state/union territory recently
announced to give free education to SC/ST/Girl
Students till Post Graduation?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Goa
Mizoram
Haryana
Jharkhand
Bihar
Uttarakhand
Himachal Pradesh
Sikkim
Arunachal Pradesh
Both (a) and (b)
3. Ashok K Agarwal was recently appointed as
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
General Manager, Eastern Railways

General Manager, Air India Limited
General Manager, ITDC
General Manager, Southern Railways
None of these
4. LC Goyal is the newly appointed Union

Home Secretary. Who was the previous Union
Home Secretary?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Nandita Chatterjee
Damyant Singh
Anil Goswami
Ajaypal Singh
Naveen Chopra
03/03/2015
Dancer
Singer
Theatre Artist
Sculptor
Film Actress
6. Dr. Ambedkar National Merit Awards 2015

was conferred by ________.
2. Which Indian state launched Himalaya

Darshan programme to boost tourism?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
a) Smriti Irani, Union HRD Minister

b) Hamid Ansari, Vice President
c) Maneka Gandhi, Union Minister for
Women & Child Development
d) Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister
e) TC Gehlot, Union Minister for Social
Justice & Empowerment
7. Krishna Chaudhary is the newly appointed

Director General (DG) of _________.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
National Security Guards

Central Industrial Security Force
Indo-Tibetan Border Police
Narcotics Control Bureau
Railway Protection Force
8. Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan named

in LIMCA Book of Records for representing
same party from same constituency for eight
years in Lok Sabha Elections. Which
constituency did she represent?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Gwalior Constituency
Vidisha Constituency
Ujjain Constituency
Indore Constituency
Bhopal Constituency
48
9. Who received Jnanpith Award 2014?

a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Kedarnath Singh
Laxman Joshi
Vijay Kuwalekar
Bhalchandra Nemade
Vinda Karandikar
14. In the 2015 Delhi Legislative Assembly

Elections, who was the chief minister
candidate for Indian National Congress?
10. Who won the innaguaral Charleston-EFG

John Maynard Keynes Prize 2015?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Raghuram Rajan
Amartya Sen
Kausik Basu
Manmohan Singh
Jagdish Bhagwati
11th February
12th February
18th January
10th March
None of these
Vodafone
Airtel
Idea
BSNL
Reliance
03/03/2015
Hockey Player
Football Player
Journalist
Theatre Artist
Novelist
1. What is the name of the project approved

by Union Government which is aimed at
building country's most advanced warships?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
186th
136th
163rd
126th
96th
13. As per Telecom Regulatory Authority of

India (TRAI)s report on Subscriber Base in
2014, which company has the largest mobile
customer base?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
SET 2
12. What is the ranking of India in World Press

Freedom Index 2015?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Ajay Maken
Rakhi Bidlan
Sheila Dixit
Nupur Sharma
None of them
15. Diptosh Majumdar, who passed away in

the month of February, 2015 was a veteran
_______.
11. National Deworming Day is celebrated on

_____.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Project 18B
Project 16A
Project 7A
Project 17A
Project 21A
2. Arvind Kejriwal sworn-in as the ____ Chief

Minister of Delhi.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
6th
8th
7th
9th
12th
49
3. VANAJ 2015, Indias first National Tribal

Festival was held in _______.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Hyderabad
Mumbai
Raipur
Ranchi
New Delhi
8. Who is the Union Minister of State for

Development of North Eastern Region?
4. Rajinder Puri, who recently passed away

was an eminent _______.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Journalist
Cartoonist
Actor
Director
Businessman
INS Kolkata
INS Delhi
INS Kamorta
INS Vikramaditya
INS Viraat
Piyush Goyal
Rajiv Pratap Rudy
Jitendra Singh
Nirmala Sitharaman
Dharmendra Pradhan
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
250-350
300-450
650-750
200-300
150-250
10. Under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, Union

Government built _____ toilets in January.
6. Dr. Y. Nayudamma Memorial Award 2014

was conferred to
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
9. Indias nuclear capable Prithvi-II missile was

test-fired from Chandipur in Odisha. What is
the operational range of Prithvi-II? (In KMs)
5. BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was

recently test fired from ______.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
c) Thailand
d) Vietnam
e) None of the above
Dr. Tessy Thomas

Geeta Varadan
Srikanth Jagabathula
Both (a) and (b)
Both (b) and (c)
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
8.1 lakhs
9.3 lakhs
7.1 lakhs
6.5 lakhs
None of the above
11. Dosmoche is celebrated in which Indian

state?
7. Tony Tan Keng Yam, who recently visited

India is the president of which country?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Arunachal Pradesh
Uttarakhand
Pondicherry
Jammu & Kashmir
Goa
a) China
b) Malaysia
03/03/2015
50
12. Rafale fighters were in news during AERO,

2015. Rafale is originated in which country?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Israel
Russia
France
Germany
USA
17. For the first time two women joined the

display team of IAF Sarang. Which aircrafts do
they showcase in their performance?
13. Jawed Usmani sworn-in as Chief

Information Commissioner of _______.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Delhi
Uttar Pradesh
Assam
Kerala
Orissa
Cricketer
Actor
Journalist
Economist
None of the above
15. Justice KS Radhakrishnan panel recently

submitted its report to the Supreme Court. On
what purpose the panel was appointed?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Tax Issue
Black Money
Coal Scam
Road Safety
Censorship of Movies
03/03/2015
Fighter Jets
UAVs
Multi-role Transport Aircrafts
Supersonic Fighter Jets
Helicopters
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Anurag Kashyap
Sujit Sircar
Dibakar Banerjee
Mira Nair
Nagesh Kukunoor
19. Which state was awarded by Narendra

Modi for Renewable Power Development in
the State?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Madhya Pradesh
Gujarat
West Bengal
Chhattisgarh
Kerala
20. D. Ramanaidu, who passed away recently

was an eminent ______.
16. Who is the newly appointed ISRO's Space

Applications Centre director?
a) Nripendra Misra
b) Ajit Kumar Seth
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
18. Indian film Dhanak won two awards at

65th Berlin International Film Festival. Who
directed the movie?
14. Ashraf-ul-Haque who recently passed

away, was related to which profession?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
c) Tapan Misra
d) Vijay Anand
e) Goverdhan Mehta
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Cartoonist
Actor
Director
Producer
Singer
51
SET 3
1. Zoological Society of London signed a
Memorandum of Understanding with which
state forest department to protect Asiatic
Lions?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Kerala
Madhya Pradesh
Gujarat
Karnataka
Uttar Pradesh
Haryana
Telengana
Arunachal Pradesh
Gujarat
Himachal Pradesh
3. The year 2015 has been declared

____________________ by Ministry of
Chemicals and Fertilizers.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients

Non-toxic Pesticides
Generic Pharmaceuticals Products
Biofertilizers
None of the above
4. Which country was the partner nation in

29th Surajkund International Crafts Mela?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Sri Lanka
South Africa
USA
Lebanon
China
03/03/2015
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Odisha High Court

Calcutta High Court
Chhattisgarh High Court
Gauhati High Court
Tripura High Court
6. Which Indian state government launched a

mobile application to put cap on sale of illicit
liquor?
2. Which Indian State/UT presented India's

first paperless budget?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
5. Justice Amitava Roy who sworn in as

Supreme Court judge prior to this was a chief
justice of which high court?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Gujarat
Kerala
Karnataka
Goa
None of them
7. Which Indian business tycoon was recently

honored with a doctorate by Clemson
University?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Azim Premji
Ratan Tata
Vishal Sikka
Mukesh Ambani
Venu Srinivasan
8. Surya Kiran VIII is a military exercise began

in the late February, 2015 between India and
________.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Israel
Vietnam
Sri Lanka
Nepal
Thailand
52
9. Aloysius Vincent, who recently passed away

was an eminent _________.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Director
Cinematographer
Musician
Both (a) and (b)
All (a), (b) and (c)
10. TROPEX Exercise 2015 was conducted by

____________.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Indian Air Force

Indian Navy
Indian Armed Forces and Indian Navy
Indian Navy and Sri Lankan Navy
Indian Air Force and French Air Force
13. Who was replaced by Arvind Kejriwal in

NITI Aayog Governing Council?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Najeeb Jung
Bibek Debroy
Nabam Tuki
Tarun Gogoi
Ram Naresh Yadav
14. Irom Chanu Sharmila who has been

conferred Sthree Shakti award is popularly
known as Iron Lady of ______.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
India
Assam
Manipur
Mizoram
North East
15. Which Indian Governor resigned after

being named in exam scam?
11. What was the theme of National Science
Day 2015?
a) Genetically Modified Crops and Food
Security
b) Fostering Scientific Temper
c) Science for Nation Building
d) Information Technology in Governance
e) Space Missions and Exploration
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
E. S. L. Narasimhan
Ram Naresh Yadav
Ram Naik
Ashish Kundra
Padmanabha Acharya
12. Building Resilience for Sustainable

Development of the Sundarbans was released
by Government of West Bengal and ________.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
World Bank
International Monetary Fund
World Wide Fund for Nature
World Meteorological Organization
None of the above
03/03/2015
53
Current Affairs Quiz February - World/Sports
SET 1
1. India launched Visit India Year in which
country?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Russia
United States of America
Singapore
Japan
China
Israel
Iran
Pakistan
Turkey
None of the above
Ukraine
Russia
Poland
Belarus
Serbia
Israel
Ukraine
Iraq
South Sudan
Yemen
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Jonty Rhodes
Rahul Dravid
Sourav Ganguly
Gary Kirsten
Glenn McGrath
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Cricket
Boxing
Football
Tennis
Badminton
9. Who is the newly appointed Defence

Secretary of US?
5. National Games mascot Ammu is a

________.
03/03/2015
Sydney
Melbourne
Christchurch
Both (a) and (c)
Both (b) and (c)
8. Bala Devi is related to which sport?
4. Recently, USA & UK were the major

countries to shut down its embassy in which
country?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
7. Yahoo recently signed a retired Cricketer as

their World Cup 2015 analyst. Who is the
cricketer?
3. Ukraine ceasefire deal agreed at Minsk talks

in the first week of February. Minsk is located
in which country?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
A great Indian Sumatran Rhinoceros

A Girl Child
A School going boy
A great hornbill
A Parrot
6. The ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Opening

Ceremony was held in
2. Raad is an Air Launched Cruise Missile

recently launched by which country?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Ashton Kutcher
Joe Biden
Chuck Hagel
Leon Panetta
None of them
54
10. World Radio Day is celebrated on which

day?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
10th February
21st January
13th February
1st February
11th January
Norway
Finland
Denmark
Switzerland
Italy
China
USA
Japan
Malaysia
UAE
Houthis
Islamic State
Basij
Hezbollah
Ba'ath Brigades
14. Who is the newly appointed president of

Italy?
03/03/2015
Pakistan
Afghanistan
Malaysia
Saudi Arabia
None of these
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Maria Sharapova
Caroline Wozniacki
Petra Kvitova
Ana Ivanovic
Martina Hingis
17. Leander Paes won Australian Open 2015

Mixed Doubles title teaming up with Martina
Hingis. Which country does Martina Hingis
represent?
13. In a recent announcement that shook all

countries, Yemen was taken over by _______.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
16. Serena Williams defeated whom to win the

2015 Australian Open?
12. First Robot-staffed Hotel of the World to

open in ________.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Gianfranco Fini
Sergio Mattarella
Giorgio Napolitano
Matteo Renzi
Massimo D'Alema
15. Zakir A. Naik received King Faisal

International Prize for the year 2015. Which
country does he belong?
11. Which country was ranked One in World

Press Freedom Index 2015?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Australia
Russia
United States of America
Serbia
Switzerland
18. Saloni Dalal became youngest medal

winner in National Games 2015. Which sport
does she belong?
a) Table Tennis
b) Swimming
55
c) Archery
d) Badminton
e) Boxing
d) Bangladesh
e) Sri Lanka
19. What was the 2015 World Cancer Day

tagline?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Not beyond Us
Debunk the myths
Achieving treatment for all
Cancer - Did you know?
Prevention, Detection, and Treatment
20. IMF, World Bank agreed for $19.5-bn

financial aid to _________.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Syria
Iraq
Israel
Ukraine
Turkey
Royal Challengers Bangalore

Delhi Daredevils
Mumbai Indians
Kings XI Punjab
Kolkata Knight Riders
2. Recently, with which country India signed

agreements on Civil Nuclear Cooperation &
Cultural Cooperation?
03/03/2015
Anil Kumble
Rahul Dravid
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Sunil Gavaskar
Sourav Ganguly
4. Which English cricket ground is owned by

the famous Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC)?
The Oval
Trent Bridge
Old Trafford
Lords
Headingly
5. India recently, with which country held firstever bilateral dialogue on United Nations?
1. Which IPL franchise bought Yuvraj Singh for

`16 Crore?
a) Australia
b) USA
c) China
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
SET 2
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
3. Which Indian Cricketer was recently

awarded Honorary Life Membership of
Marylebone Cricket Club?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
USA
Russia
China
Bangladesh
Pakistan
6. Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic has sworn in as the

first female president of Croatia. What is the
capital of Croatia?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Osijek
Rijeka
Zagreb
Split
Dubrovnik
56
7. Which international company recently

acquired LoopPay?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Apple Inc.
Xiaomi
Samsung
Micromax
Lenovo
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
8. Which Indian Company tied-up with UNICEF

to provide education to African Countries?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Aditya Birla Group

Tata Sons
Infosys
Reliance Industries
None of the above
9. Alberto Contador is related to which sport?

a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Sprints
Cycling
Swimming
Tennis
Chess
Ashton Carter
Robert O. Work
Rashad Hussain
Joe Biden
None of them
Rashad Hussain
Kumar Barve
Saqib Ali
Faz Husain
Rashad Haughton
03/03/2015
13. What was the Slogan of International

Mother Language Day 2015?
a) Inclusion in and through education:
Language counts
b) Languages and Cyberspace
c) Mother tongue instruction and inclusive
education
d) In the galaxy of languages, every word
is a star
e) None of the above
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
6th March
3rd March
11th March
10th March
12th March
15. 2015-2024 has been announced by UN as

the Decade of __________.
11. Who is the newly appointed U.S. Special

Envoy to the Organisation of Islamic
Cooperation?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Japan
China
South Korea
Malaysia
None of them
14. World Wildlife Day is celebrated on

_______.
10. Who is the newly appointed head of US

Pentagon?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
12. Which country recently passed a law to ban

commercial surrogacy for foreigners?
a) Saving the children

b) Women Empowerment
c) People of Various Tribes across the
world
d) Sustainable Energy for All
e) People of African Descent
57
16. Purnendu Dasgupta won a prestigious J.

Calvin Giddings Award for Excellence in which
field?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Physics
Chemistry
Medicine
Economics
Bio-technology
20. Usain Bolt annouced to retire after 2017

World Championships. The 2017 World
Championship will be held in?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
London
Sydney
Beijing
Seoul
New York
SET 3
17. Who won the Faculty Early Career
Development Award (CAREER)
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Arun M Kumar
Dalip Singh Saund
Srikanth Jagabathula
Shrikant Jichkar
E. Premkumar Reddy
18. With the century Virat Kohli became the

highest scoring Indian against Pakistan in the
World Cups. Who held the previous highest
score record?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Sourav Ganguly
Rahul Dravid
Sachin Tendulkar
Kapil Dev
None of them
International Women's Day

International Day of Wildlife
World Diabetes Day
Zero Tolerance Day
None of the above
03/03/2015
Jupiter
Saturn
Mercury
Mars
None of them
2. Which Indian cricketer was recently

inducted in the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Sourav Ganguly
Sachin Tendulkar
Javagal Srinath
Anil Kumble
Sanjay Manjrekar
3. The world's first 3D-printed jet engine was

unveiled in which country?
19. First day of March is celebrated as

_______.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
1. Europa is the moon of which planet?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
France
USA
Australia
Japan
China
4. Which of the following films was awarded as

the best foreign language film in Academy
Awards 2015?
58
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Lunchbox
Ida
Leviathan
Tangerines
Amour
c) Interstellar
d) Transformers 4
e) Gravity
9. Against which country did AB De Villiers

score the fastest 150 runs in ODI?
5. What is the name of the Russian politician
who was shot dead in Moscow recently?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Boris Nemtsov
Evgeniy Mikhailovich Bogachev
Vasiliy Averin
Grigory Kaminsky
Viktor Nogin
6. Which country recently announced to allow

work permits to spouses of H-1B Visa holders?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Finland
UK
Russia
China
USA
West Indies
Zimbabwe
Pakistan
New Zealand
India
10. Which film received the best picture award

in Academy Awards 2015?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Theory of Everything
The Imitation Game
Foxcatcher
Birdman
Interstellar
11. Who won the Hero Indian Open title of

Golf 2015?
7. Gopinath Pillai was appointed by Singapore

as special envoy to which Indian state?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Gujarat
Tamil Nadu
Andhra Pradesh
Telengana
Kerala
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Jeev Milkha Singh

Gaurav Ghei
Anirban Lahiri
Shiv Chowrasia
Bernd Wiesberger
12. Chris Gayle scored the first 200 runs in

World Cup and ____ in ODIs.
8. The Indian owned company Prime Focus

received best visual effects for which film in
Academy Awards 2015?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
4th
3rd
6th
2nd
5th
a) Birdman
b) Avengers
03/03/2015
59
13. What is the name of the founder of MuktoMona blog who was hacked to death recently?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Avishek Roy
Avijit Roy
Abir Roy
Ashim Roy
None of them
14. What is the name of the first American

actress to win Best Supporting Actress Award
at France's Cesar Awards?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Julianne Moore
Julia Migenes
Julia Roberts
Sandra Bullock
Kristen Stewart
15. Which nation appointed Ravi Chaudhary as

Executive Director at Federal Aviation
Administration?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Russia
France
Australia
Malaysia
None of them
03/03/2015
60
Rail Budget 2015-16 Quiz

SET 1
1. As per Railway Budget 2015-16, Daily
passenger carrying capacity is expected to
increase from 21 million to ____ million over
the five years.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
26
30
31
25
None of them
2. For Information Technology and Research

Purpose, How much amount is proposed for
investment? (In Crores)
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
a) Council for Business Re-Engineering

b) Council for Innovation in Indian
Railways
c) Council for Technological Improvisation
in Services
d) Both (a) and (b)
e) Both (a) and (c)
4. As per the announcement in Railway Budget
2015-16, Passengers can book tickets 120 days
before. Earlier it was how many days limit?
90 days
75 days
45 days
60 days
None of them
03/03/2015
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
88.5
80.5
78.5
86.5
None of them
6. As per the Railway Budget 2015-16, how

many kms of gauge conversion will be
commissioned?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
`5000
`2500
`10800
`7500
`8000
3. In rail-budget 2015-16, Suresh Prabhu

coined a term KayaKalp. What is KayaKalp?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
5. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu proposed

the lowest operating ratio in nine years. What
is the proposed operating ratio for 2015-16?
(In percentage)
880
750
800
900
650
7. What is the goal percentage for track length

expansion over next five years?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
35%
40%
20%
25%
15%
8. What is the proposed investment amount

for Passenger Amenities? (In Crores)
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
`10200
`12500
`8500
`7500
None of the above
61
9. How many satellite railway stations are

announced to be developed in 2015-16?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
25
15
8
10
More than 25
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
10. Indian Railways signed a memorandum of

understanding with which university(s) to set
up Railway Innovation and Technology Centre
for Railway Engineering training purpose?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
13. How many thrust areas were given by

Suresh Prabhu in railway budget 2015-16?
Delhi University
Jadavpur University
Pune University
Mumbai University
Both (c) and (d)
12
15
11
14
13
14. Which railway network was chosen as a

model for promotion of tourism in Railway
Budget 2015-16?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Nilgiri Mountain Railway

Konkan Railway
Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
Kalka-Shimla Railway
Both (a) and (c)
11. What is the total amount for Proposed

Investment Plan in the period 2015-2019?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
15. Railway Minister announced 200 more

stations to come under Adarsh Station scheme.
Who launched the Adarsh Station Scheme?
`7,56,020
`10,56,020
`12,56,020
`9,56,020
`8,56,020
12. Suresh Prabhu gave numerous thrust areas

in railway budget to improve ________.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Nitish Kumar
Mamata Banerjee
Ram Naik
Dinesh Trivedi
Ram Vilas Paswan
quality of life in train journeys

security of women in train journeys
internet connectivity and food
speed of trains across the country
e-services in railway
03/03/2015
62
6. Which of the following statements is

WRONG about Rail Budget 2015-16?
SET 2
for railway safety in coming five years?(In
Crores)
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
`127000
`125000
`135000
`116000
None of them
a) Rail-cum-road ticket to be extended in

many stations
b) Hand-held devices will be introduced
for ticket checkers
c) Projects for rail connectivity to many
ports and mines
d) Facility of self-operated lockers to be
made available at stations
e) None of these
2. As per rail budget 2015-16, which institute

will be designing bed-linen for rail coaches?
a) Symbiosis Institute of Design
b) National Institute of Fashion
Technology
c) National Institute of Design
d) International Institute of Fashion Design
e) None of them
3. The combined rail-cum-road ticket proposal
was cleared in the Rail Budget 2015-16. It was
started by Multi-Mode Transit System of
Which city's?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
1.38 lakh
1.10 lakh
1.28 lakh
1.41 lakh
None of these
9608
6608
7608
8608
8068
03/03/2015
28
20
18
26
None of these
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
460 Crore
680 Crore
800 Crore
860 Crore
None of them
9. What is the estimated rise in % of passenger

revenue in FY16?
5. As per Rail Budget 2015-16, how many

kilometers of track will be electrified?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
8. How many passengers are estimated to

travel in the next fiscal as said in Rail Budget?
Mumbai
Delhi
Bangalore
Hyderabad
Chennai
4. Track capacity is proposed to be increased

by 10% to ____ kms.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
7. As per Rail Budget 2015, capacity in

identified trains will be augmented to run with
how many coaches?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
17%
12%
38%
26%
28%
63
10. Which of the following fare has been

increased in Railway Budget 2015-16?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Sub-urban Railways
Luxury Railways (Maharaja Express)
Passenger Railways
Freight Railways
None of them
11. Speed of 9 railway corridors to be

increased from existing 110-130 kmph to
______ kmph.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
160-200
180-220
150-200
140-180
None of them
14. What was the goal(s) of Rail Budget 201516?

a) To deliver a sustained and measurable
improvement in customer experience.
b) To make Rail a safer means of travel.
c) To expand Bhartiya Rails capacity
substantially and modernise
infrastructure
d) To make Bhartiya Rail financially selfsustainable.
e) All of the above

for station redevelopment and logistic parks?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
`128000
`100000
`160000
`120000
None of the above
12. As per Rail Budget 2015, how many DEMUs

to be enabled for dual fuel- CNG and diesel?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
1000
200
100
160
None of them
13. The proposed helpline 138 will be started

for which purpose?
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Women Security
Time Enquiry
Grievance
Usages of New Technologies
Both (a) and (b)
03/03/2015
64
BANKING AWARENESS QUIZ

1. Banks generally insist account holders to
nominate persons to whom the money lying in
their accounts should go in the event of
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
Death of account holder

Illness of account holder
Account holder migrates
Account holder turns bankrupt
None of them
2. Credit Risk refers to the risk that

(a) A borrower will default on any type of
debt
(b) Wrong strategy is adopted
(c) Borrower may opt to get necessary
permit/licenses
(d) Loan processing may be faulty
(e) Interest rate in the markets may
increase
3. Which of the following is a source of

collecting money from the public for a
company for the first time?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
Bonus shares
Initial public offer
Rights issue
Follow on offering
Secondary offering
4. Which of the following concepts of banking

involves booking of web-enabled touch point
for basic banking services?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
5. Face value of a Government security is the

amount that is to be paid to an investor at the
maturity date of the security. The face value is
not the same as the
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
Market Price
Repayment amount
Par value
Redemption value
Principal value
6. The facility to help insurance policy holders

buy and keep policies in electronic form rather
than as a paper document is called (a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
Insurance Warehousing
Insurance Repository
Insurance Stockpile
Insurance Depository
Insurance Cache
7. Based on the recovery of the dues, banks are

required to classify non-performing assets
NPAs in the books of the bank under the
categories
(a) Substandard, Doubtful and Bad Debts
(b) Standard, Doubtful and Written-Off
Assets
(c) Standard. Substandard and Doubtful
Assets
(d) Standard, Doubtful and Loss Assets
(e) Substandard, Doubtful and Loss Assets
Extension Counters
Retail Banking
Satellite Banking
Kiosk Banking
Mobile Banking
03/03/2015
65
8. With introduction of ATMs, telebanking and

internet banking, banking hours is not a
constraint for transacting banking business,
which is known as
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
Universal Banking
Anywhere Banking
Worldwide Banking
Global Banking
None of them
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
9. A mutual fund scheme in which the investors

commit their money for a particular period is
known as
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
Long-End Scheme
Long-Term Fund
Closed-End Scheme
Back-End Scheme
Open-End Scheme
Credit Monitoring Process

Credit Rating Process
KYC Process
Due diligence Process
Credit Appraisal Process
11. CVV is an anti-fraud security feature that

helps verify that the customer is in possession
of her card. The Abbreviation of CVV stands for
(a) Card Virtual Valuation
(b) Confidential Virtual Verification
(c) Card Verification Value
Paper
Portfolio
Payment
Promissory
Position
13. Which of the following institutions is a

Credit Information Company?
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
10. The process that has to be undertaken by

banks and other financial institutions to
prevent them from being used by criminal
elements for money laundering is
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
12. CP is an unsecured money market

instrument issued in the form of a promissory
note. In the abbreviation CP, letter P stands
for
CRISIL
CARE
ICRA
ARCIL
CIBIL
14. The slogan Rest Assured with Us, is

associated with
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
SBI General Insurance

LIC of India
National Insurance Company
United India Insurance
Oriental Insurance
15. The Reserve Bank of India has recently

issued draft policy guidelines for differentiated
banks license which are
(a) Exclusively for foreign banks
(b) Aimed at the cooperative sector
(c) Aimed at Non-Banking Financial
Companies
(d) Aimed at furthering financial inclusion
(e) Both (a) and (d)
(d) Core Virtual Value

(e) Coded Vulnerability Value
03/03/2015
66
16. The Fair Practice Code for Credit Card

Operations is the banking industry has been
evolved by
(a) National Institute of Bank Management
(NIBM)
(b) Indian Banks Association (IBA)
(c) Banking Codes and Standards Board of
India (BCSBI)
(d) Banking Ombudsman (BO)
(e) Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
17. ATM is an electronic tele-communication
device that helps bank customers perform
financial transactions. The letter T in the
abbreviation ATM stands for (a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
20. Which of the following complaints is invalid

in Banking Ombudsman Scheme:
(a) Non-acceptance, without sufficient cause, of
coins tendered and for charging of commission
for this service
(b) Non-payment or delay in payment of inward
remittances
(c) Closure of account without customer concern
(d) Refusal to close or delay in closing the
accounts
(e) None of them
Transaction
Time
Telling
Teller
Traveling
18. When an account does not have sufficient

balance to honour the cheque issued by the
account holder, the cheque is returned by the
bank, which is known as
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
Cheque discounting
Cheque truncation
Cheque kiting
Bouncing of cheque
Cheque validation
19. The alphabet P in the abbreviation

EFTPOS stands
(a)
(b)
(c)
(a)
(d)
Point
Public
Primary
(b) Private
Permanent
03/03/2015
67
ANSWERS
Banking Awareness Quiz
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
A
A
B
D
A
B
E
B
C
C
C
A
E
D
D
C
D
D
A
E
Set 1
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
Set 2
E
C
D
E
D
E
A
C
E
A
B
C
A
B
E
A
E
C
A
D
D
D
A
E
B
C
E
A
D
A
E
B
E
D
B
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
C
D
A
E - Snapdeal
E
D
E
B
A
C
B
D
E
D
B
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Set 3
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
A
D
C
B
A
E
C
C
A
D
C
E
A
E
E
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Set 2
Set 1
C
A
C
B
C
E
B
E
D
E
A
A
D
B
C
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
E
A
D
C
D
E
C
D
D
B
E
B
B
A
C
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
Set 3
D
C
E
B
A
D
E Singapore
C
A
C
D
C
E
B
D
C
E
E
D
D
Set 2
Set 1
1. B
2. E
3. E
4. D
5. A
6. C
7. C
8. E Bharti Airtel
9. B
10. A
11. A
12. E
13. A
14. B
15. E
16. B
17. C
18. C
19. D
20. A
03/03/2015
Set 3
Set 2
Rail Budget 2015 Quiz
Current Affairs Quiz

WORLD/SPORTS
Set 1

INDIA

Finance
B
A
D
D
A
C
C
B
D
D
E
A
C
B
B
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
A
B
D
A
B
E
D
D
A
D
A
C
C
E
C
68
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
C
E
A
D
A
E
B
D
D
B
C
A
A
C
B
About the Magazine

The magazine is prepared by taking news from various news websites. The main new website is Hindu
and Economic Times and the News Content Copyright belongs to the respective websites.
We do no claim any sort of Copyright of the News Content, Images.
The Current Affairs, Banking Awareness Quiz are prepared by ExamPundit.
The answers can have typing errors so please confirm answers from Internet if you have doubt.
In case of any kind of wrongly typed News/Questions/Articles, we sincerely apologize.
Exampundit.in is a free website. We give all the materials, mock tests and Magazines for FREE!!! So we
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MONTHLY CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE

UNION BUDGET 2015-16 HIGHLIGHTS

1 Abolition of Wealth Tax.

1 AIIMS in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Tamil Nadu,

4 Kerala to have University of Disability Studies

5 Centre of film production, animation and gaming to

2 Tax-free bonds for projects in rail road and irrigation

3 PPP model for infrastructure development to be

4 Atal Innovation Mission to be established to draw

5 Govt. proposes to set up 5 ultra mega power

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GST and JAM trinity (Jan Dhan Yojana, Aadhaar

Six crore toilets across the country under the

MUDRA bank will refinance micro finance orgs. to

Housing for all by 2020.

Upgradation 80,000 secondary schools.

DBT will be further be expanded from 1 crore to

For the Atal Pension Yojna, govt. will contribute

New scheme for physical aids and assisted living

Govt to use ` 9000 crore unclaimed funds in

10 ` 5,000 crore additional allocation for MGNREGA.

Develpoment schemes for churches and

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Railway Budget 2015-16: Quality of Life in Journeys

PROPOSED INVESTMENT PLAN (2015-2019)

Amount (Rs in crore)

Network Decongestion (including

including electrification and traffic

National Projects (North Eastern &

Safety (Track renewal, bridge works,

Information Technology / Research

Rolling Stock (Locomotives, coaches,

High Speed Rail & Elevated corridor

Station redevelopment and logistic

Downloaded from ExamPundit

Key Highlights of the Railway Budget 2015-16

Downloaded from ExamPundit

To address complaints of people Mobile application is being developed

Swachh Rail - Swachh Bharat campaign

National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Delhi to design bed linen

Downloaded from ExamPundit

Integrate Best Food Chains for E-Catering

Introduce hand-held terminals to Travelling Ticket Examiners (TTEs) for verification of

200 more stations to come under Adarsh Station scheme

Downloaded from ExamPundit

Provision of concierge services will be introduced through IRCTC at major stations

Capacity in identified trains will be augmented to run with 26 coaches

Zonal and Divisional offices to be empowered for quicker decision making

Fast-track sanctioned works on 7000 kms of double/third/fourth lines

Commission of 1200 km of network in 2015-16 at an investment of 8686 crore rupees

Expansion of freight handling capacity

Policy for Private Freight Terminals (PFT) to be revised.

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Automatic Freight Rebate Scheme for traffic to be expanded

Improving train speed

Upgrading manufacturing capability

Creation of job opportunities by upgrading the manufacturing capability and review of

Workshops for technological upgradation and enhancing productivity be undertaken to make

Constitution of an innovation council called Kayakalp for business re-engineering.

Technology portal being constituted to invite innovative technological solutions.

Research Centers to be set up in selected universities for fundamental research.

Partnerships for development

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