Current Affairs - June 2015
Current Affairs - 21st & 22nd June 2015
1. International Yoga Day: Stamps, coins and commerce
i. The government of India has released stamp s and coins of the denomination of Rs.10 and Rs.100 on International Yoga Day (IYD) on June 21.
ii.The Department of Posts is bringing out stamp and the finance ministry coins.
iii. Also, on IYD, the Discovery Channel has telecasted a short film 'The Story of Yoga' to take viewers through a journey of rediscovering the Indian ancient practice.
2. India sets two Guinness world records on International Yoga Day
i. India has set two Guinness world records (GWR) in Rajpath yoga event held on the eve of first International Yoga Day led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
ii. First record is the largest number of participants- 35,985 people had participated in largest yoga demonstration at a single venue i.e. Rajpath yoga event.
iii. Second is the most number of nationalities at a single event– People of 84 nationalities performed yoga at one place.
iv. The awards were received by Union AYUSH Minister Shripad Yesso Naik from representatives of Guinness World Records.
v. In this event all participants of all ages had performed various yoga exercises on the entire two-km stretch from Rafi Marg crossing near Vijay Chowk to India Gate. This mass yoga event has broken previous world record on mass yoga exercise which was set by 29,973 students from 362 schools on November 19, 2005 led by Vivekananda Kendra at Jiwaji University Gwalior.
3. France announced ban on earphones for Drivers and Cyclists
i. France on 18 June 2015 announced a ban on wearing earphones while driving a vehicle and riding a cycle. The ban will come into effect from 1 July 2015.
ii. The ban was announced with an aim to reduce deaths due to accidents.
iii. Those found using earphones while driving a vehicle or riding a cycle will be fined 135 Euro (214 US dollar) and lose three license points. However, use of phone while having the caller on loud speaker will be allowed.
iv. The announced ban was initially proposed in January 2015 to cut down death toll on the roads in France and to improve driver’s attention while driving. The officials said that one in 10 deaths was linked to mobile phone use while driving.
4. Overnight Liquid Transaction facility on NSE’s Web-based Mutual Fund platform began functioning
i. National Stock Exchange (NSE) on 22 June 2015 operationalised the Overnight Liquid Transaction facility on its web-based Mutual Fund Service System (MFSS) platform. The platform was launched on 19 June 2015.
ii. The facility allows the participants to place purchase and redemption orders simultaneously in liquid schemes. This facility will only be available on MFSS Web based platform and in Physical mode only.
iii. Earlier in May 2015, a similar product was introduced by Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) which has so far seen daily transactions of worth 400-500 crore rupees.
5. Vocalist Sanjay Subrahmanyam selected for ‘Sangita Kalanidhi’ award 2015
i. One of the foremost south Indian classical vocalists, Sanjay Subrahmanyam has been selected for the ‘Sangita Kalanidhi’ award 2015. It will be bestowed upon him when he will preside over the 89th annual conference of the Academy which will be held between December 15, 2015 and January 1, 2016.
ii. With this, he is seventh artistes to be conferred with the award before completing 50 years of age. Others are Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer, Musiri Subramania Iyer, G.N. Balasubramaniam, Semmangudi R. Srinivasa Iyer, M.L. Vasanthakumari and M. Balamuralikrishna
iii. Sangita Kalanidhi is a prestigious award bestowed annually upon an expert of Carnatic Music by the Madras Music Academy. The award’s name has been derived from Sanskrit which means treasure of Music and art in English. This honour is considered one of the highest awards in Carnatic music.
6. HAL delivers ‘Orbiter Craft Module Structure’ of Chandrayaan-2 to ISRO
i. HAL has delivered ‘Orbiter Craft Module Structure’ of Chandrayaan-2 to ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC).
ii. The Orbiter Craft Module structure is a 3 tonne category bus structure made out of a central composite cylinder, shear webs and deck panels
iii. The Chandrayaan-2 mission is aimed at placing an Orbiter around the moon and sending a Lander and Rover to the surface of the moon. It will be launched by a Geo-Stationary Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-MKII).
iv. HAL has partnered and supported ISRO throughout its journey by providing hardware for satellites, SLV, ASLV, PSLV, GSLVMKII and GSLV MKIII (LVM3).
7. Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg of Germany won Austrian Grand Prix of Formula One
i. Mercedes racing driver Nico Rosberg of Germany on 21 June 2015 won the Austrian Grand Prix Formula 1 World Championship title. He won the final race held at the Spielberg circuit in Styria, Monaco.
ii. While his teammate Lewis Hamilton of Britain stood at the second position, Felipe Massa of Brazil representing the Williams team was at the third position.
iii. Sebastian Vettel (Germany) of the Ferrari team stood at the fourth position.
iv. It is the eleventh overall championship title for Rosberg and the second title in Austria having won the 2014 title too.
v. It is also the third title in the 2015 season. He won the Championships in Monaco and Spanish in early 2015.
vi. Nico Hulkenberg (Germany) and Sergio Perez (Mexico) of Force India stood at the 8th and 9th positions respectively in the final race.
8. Federer Wins Weber Title for Eighth Time
i. Roger Federer showed he was ready for Wimbledon by defeating Andreas Seppi of Italy, 7-6 (1), 6-4, on Sunday in Halle, Germany, to claim his record-setting eighth Gerry Weber Open title.
ii. It was Federer’s fourth title of the season, after wins at Brisbane, Dubai and Istanbul, and a timely boost for Wimbledon eight days before the tournament begins.
iii. Andy Murray claimed his 34th career title and third title of the season with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over unseeded Kevin Anderson in the final of the grass-court Queen’s Club tournament in London. Murray joined John McEnroe, Boris Becker, Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt as four-time winners of the event.
Current Affairs - 20th June 2015
1. PM to launch 3 flagship schemes for urban revamp on June 25.
i. The three big ticket projects — Smart Cities Mission, Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and the Housing for All, now named as Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), are worth Rs. four lakh crore.
ii. It marks a red-letter day in the history of urban development in the country with the simultaneous launch of AMRUT, PMAY and Smart Cities Mission.
iii. The Prime Minister will also release operational guidelines for the three urban missions besides unveiling logos and tag lines, according to a senior Urban Development Ministry official.
2. State Government initiative to make Arunachal an organic state.
i. In a bid to make Arunachal Pradesh a hundred per cent organic state, the State government decided to launch “State Soil Health Mission”.The programme aims at proper documentation of soil health and preparation of soil map.
ii. Arunachal Pradesh government which is among the top five states for devolution of powers to Panchayati Raj, has initiated steps to strengthen the urban local self-governance to enhance revenue base of urban local bodies.
3. Jharkhand Government banned sale of thermocol plates
i. Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghuvar Das on 19 June 2015 imposed a ban on sale of thermocol plates in entire state. The decision was taken with an aim to promote leaf plates and generate employment for the poor and tribal people of the state, who are engaged in making leaf plates.
ii. The Chief Minister, who is on a two-day visit to West Singhbhum district including naxal-affected Saranda, also announced one lakh rupees to the villages which will become liquor-free.
iii. Besides, the Chief Minister also directed officials to provide electricity in the Saranda area through solar power.
4. Sushma Swaraj leaves for New York for International Yoga Day event
i. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today left for New York where she is going to participate in the International Yoga Day event being organised by the Indian Mission at the United Nations.
ii. She will represent India next week in Nepal at a global donors' conference aimed at raising funds for the earthquake-hit country(Nominated by PM Shri Narendra Modi).
5. China launched world’s first electric passenger aircraft BX1E.
i. China launched the world’s first electric passenger aircraft named BX1E that could be used in pilot training, tourism, meteorology and rescue operations.
ii. The aircraft was designed together by Shenyang Aerospace University and Liaoning General Aviation Academy located in the northeastern Liaoning Province of China.
6. Brightest Galaxy in Early Universe named after Cristiano Ronaldo as CR7
i. Scientists in third week of June 2015 named a newly discovered galaxy after Portuguese football player Cristiano Ronaldo. The galaxy was labeled as CR7 (COSMOS Redshift 7).
ii. CR7 is three times brighter than the brightest distant galaxy known till now, called Himiko. This brightest galaxy was discovered in the early universe that contains the first generation of stars. For this discovery, they used ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT).
7. India Unlimited’ to boost synergies between Indian and Swedish entrepreneurs.
i. India Unlimited ∞ - a platform for connecting India and Sweden in every field where both stand to gain.
ii. Seeking synergies between Swedish and Indian entrepreneurship, Indian mission in Sweden has launched ‘India Unlimited’ platform.
iii. The aim of the platform ‘India Unlimited’ is promoting Brand India in Sweden and Brand Sweden in India.
8. Serbia edge Brazil in final to clinch Fifa U-20 World Cup title.
i. Serbia pulled off a historic 2-1 win in extra time to beat heavily favoured Brazil in the final of the Fifa Under-20 World Cup in Auckland on Saturday.
ii. Serbia, playing in the FIFA U-20 World Cup for the first time as an independent nation, will leave as its champions.Auckland's North Harbour Stadium. Nemanja Maksimovic's decisive, 118th-minute goal settled the final 2-1 in favour of the delirious Serbians, and left five-time champions Brazil to settle for silver.
Current Affairs - 19th June 2015
1. India set for World Yoga Day on 21 June 2015.
i) International day of yoga is also called as the world yoga day. United Nations General Assembly has declared 21st of June as an International Yoga Day on 11th of December in 2014.Launching a particular date of practicing yoga all across the world and celebrating as yoga day was initiated by the Indian Prime Minister to the United Nations General Assembly.
ii) Official name of this day is UN International Yoga Day and also called as Yoga Day. It is a worldwide event celebrated by the people of all countries through practicing yoga, meditation, debates, meetings, discussions, variety of cultural performances, etc.World Yoga Day or International Day of Yoga would be celebrated by the people throughout the world first time on 21st of June in 2015, at Sunday.
iii) In a country-wide campaign, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is organising yoga sessions for India Inc on Sunday (June 21), the International Day of Yoga. Thousands of representatives of industry, including CEOs, employees and family members, are rolling out their yoga mats to participate in the event.
2. India offers Tanzania expertise in natural gas sector
i) India on Friday offered its expertise to Tanzania in development of its potentially rich natural gas sector and decided to extend e-tourist visa to people of the African nation even as the two countries signed eight MoUs to expand engagements in diverse areas.During extensive talks Prime Minister Narendra Modi had with Tanzanian President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, both the countries also decided to establish a Joint Working Group to strengthen cooperation in counter terrorism.
ii)The MoUs signed included a loan agreement between Exim Bank and Tanzanian government on a line of credit for $ 268.35 million for extension of a pipeline project and cooperation in the field of hydrology, tourism and agriculture.India is the largest trading partner of Tanzania in Africa with bilateral trade in 2013-14 being more than $4 billion.
3. Aakar Patel appointed as Executive Director of Amnesty International India
i) Journalist and writer Aakar Patel appointed as Executive Director of Amnesty International (AI) India. He will head AI India’s operations and its efforts to end human rights abuses in India and worldwide.Patel as the organization’s chief political advisor, strategist and spokesperson will give direction to its goal of being an independent, effective, and deep-rooted organization in India.
ii) Patel’s previous work includes
• India: Low Trust Society (2015)
• Rights and Wrongs, a report on the 2002 Gujarat riots which he co-authored
• Worked as a columnist with publications in India and Pakistan
• Television and radio work as an independent expert
• Rights and Wrongs, a report on the 2002 Gujarat riots which he co-authored
• Worked as a columnist with publications in India and Pakistan
• Television and radio work as an independent expert
4. China and Australia formally sign free trade agreement
i)China and Australia have signed a trade agreement that is set to increase market access for Australian beef and wine exporters while boosting Chinese carmakers and electronics producers who wish to sell their goods to Australians.
ii) One flashpoint is the inclusion of an investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) clause, which grants foreign companies the right to sue governments for breaching commitments in such agreements. The Australian union movement has also raised concerns about the access to be granted to Chinese citizens under labour market provisions.
iii) The Australian prime minister, Tony Abbott, said the agreement would give each nation “unprecedented access to each other’s markets” and pointed to the reduction in tariffs imposed on trade.
“It removes barriers to Australian agricultural exports across a range of products, including beef, dairy, lamb, wine, horticulture and seafood,”
“It removes barriers to Australian agricultural exports across a range of products, including beef, dairy, lamb, wine, horticulture and seafood,”
5. SBI launches online forex platform
i)State Bank of India (SBI), the country’s largest bank, has launched SBI eforex, an Internet-based platform that enables customers to book their foreign exchange transactions online.
ii) This smart platform facilitates the customers of the bank to obtain forex rates without having to physically visit the branch.
iii) SBI eforex is an innovative platform incorporating robust security features and is designed to be user-friendly, fast and convenient. It is a highly flexible product offering the facility to the customers to customise and set their own limits for deal size, daily transaction limits etc. Details of all deals done are made available to the users on a real-time basis.
iv) Under the forex segment, SBI had recently launched 'Fx Out' which enables sending of foreign currency remittances from any its branches in India.
6. Chinese Version of Bhagavad Gita launched in China
i. The Chinese Version of the sacred ancient Indian scripture Bhagavad Gita was on 17 June 2015 launched in China during an international yoga conference. The book was released by Indian Ambassador to China Ashok K. Kantha.
ii. The book was translated by Chinese Professor Wang Zhu Cheng and Ling Hai of the Zhejiang University in Shanghai and was published by the Sichuan People’s Publications.
iii. The foreword to the book was written by K. Nagaraj Naidu, who was the Consul-General at the Indian Consulate in Guangzhou.
iv. This is perhaps the first time that a well known Hindu ancient religious text has been published in China. Last year, scholars from India and China published an Encyclopedia on the age-old cultural contacts between the two countries, tracing back their history to over 2000 years.
7. Union Government launched weather alert service NOWCAST
i) Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh launched a weather alert service named NOWCAST.NOWCAST will be used to send SMS alerts on extreme weather data like hailstorm, thunderstorm and squall originated by India Meteorological Department (IMD) to over one crore farmers whose mobile numbers are registered on government’s mKisan portal.Further, the mKisan portal will send warning SMSs to farmers located in affected district/blocks. These warnings will help the farmers to take precautionary measures as needed and feasible.
ii)The SMS will be sent in English, Hindi and regional languages as per farmers’ request.This technological break-through is a collaborative effort between mKisan Portal developed by DAC, weather technologies adopted by IMD and GIS Portal of NIC.
iii)Radha Mohan Singh also launched Insurance Web-Portals for Farmers (www.farmer.gov.in/insurance) that will enable farmers to insure their crops under three schemes.
iv)Prevailing provisions under which farmers can insure their crops are
• National Agriculture Insurance Scheme (NAIS)
• Modified National Insurance Scheme (MNAIS)
• Weather based Crop Insurance Scheme (WBCIS)
Besides, Coconut Palm Insurance Scheme (CPIS) also is applicable in some parts of the country.
• Modified National Insurance Scheme (MNAIS)
• Weather based Crop Insurance Scheme (WBCIS)
Besides, Coconut Palm Insurance Scheme (CPIS) also is applicable in some parts of the country.
8. Micromax launched world’s slimmest 4G phone Micromax Canvas Sliver 5
i. Micromax on 18 June 2015 launched the world’s slimmest and lightest 4-Generation (4G) phone named as Micromax Canvas Sliver 5. As per Micromax, it is the first smartphone to weigh below 100 grams.
Highlights of the Micromax Canvas Sliver 5
• The 97-gram device comes in a 5.1 mm thick body, the lightest one yet.
• It comes with a 4.8 inch AMOLED touchscreen with high definition (1280x720 pixels) resolution.
• The display has Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection as well.
• The handset is armed with the Android Lollipop operating system that runs on the 64 bit, 1.2 GHz quad core Snapdragon 410 processor and 2GB DDR3 RAM.
• The smartphone comes with only one SIM slot but offers 4G connectivity.
• For photography enthusiast, it offers an 8 megapixel rear camera with Sony IMX219 and CMOS sensor and Blue glass filter. In the front, there is a 5 megapixel camera.
• It has a 2000 mAh battery Li-Po battery which Micromax claims offer 8 hours of talktime and 345 hours of standby.
• It comes with a 4.8 inch AMOLED touchscreen with high definition (1280x720 pixels) resolution.
• The display has Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection as well.
• The handset is armed with the Android Lollipop operating system that runs on the 64 bit, 1.2 GHz quad core Snapdragon 410 processor and 2GB DDR3 RAM.
• The smartphone comes with only one SIM slot but offers 4G connectivity.
• For photography enthusiast, it offers an 8 megapixel rear camera with Sony IMX219 and CMOS sensor and Blue glass filter. In the front, there is a 5 megapixel camera.
• It has a 2000 mAh battery Li-Po battery which Micromax claims offer 8 hours of talktime and 345 hours of standby.
Current Affairs - 18th June 2015
1. Union Cabinet approves Solar Power capacity target to 1 lakh MW under JNNSM by 2022
i. Union Cabinet approved increasing India’s solar power capacity target under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) to 1 Lakh Mega Watt (MW) by 2022.
ii. 1 Lakh Mega Watt (MW) target principally will comprise of 40,000 MW from Rooftop and 60,000 MW through Large and Medium Scale Grid Connected Solar Power Projects.
iii. After meeting this ambitious target, India will become one of the largest Green Energy producers in the world by surpassing several developed countries.
iv. These projects will help in generation of additional 2000 MW capacity of Grid-connected solar power projects and create employment of about 12,000 people in rural and urban areas. It will also help to reduce about 3.41 Million Tonnes (MT) of carbon emissions into the open environment every year.
2. Beno Zephine becomes first 100% blind officer in IFS
i. The 25-year-old from Chennai was informed by the external affairs ministry on Friday that she has been inducted into the Indian Foreign Service, the first 100 per cent visually-challenged person to gain entry into the 69-year-old service.
ii. Former diplomats have hailed the decision to allow 100 per cent visually challenged people into the service.
iii. She was working as a probationary officer for state bank of India.
3. Japan's Parliament passed a Bill to lower voting age from 20 to 18
i. Parliament of Japan (Diet) on 17 June 2015 passed a bill to lower the voting age from 20 to 18. The bill that seeks revision of the public office election law was passed by the House of Councilors (upper house) after being approved in the House of Representatives (lower house).
ii. The legislation will come into effect during the 2016 Upper House Election and will add about 2.4 million new potential voters to Japan’s current voting population of 104 million.
iii. The passage of the bill follows a law passed in 2014 that sought to lower the voting age to 18 years in 2018 for national referendums on the Constitution.
iv. Last time, Japan lowered the age of voting from 25 to 20 and gave voting rights to women in 1945 after the World War II.
4. Hindi writers Babusha Kohli, Upasana won 10th Navlekhan Award of Bharatiya Jnanpith
i. 10th Navlekhan Award of Bharatiya Jnanpith was awarded to Hindi writers Babusha Kohli and Upasana on 16 June 2015. They were awarded for poem Prem Gilhari Dil Akhrot and novel Ek Zindagi Ek Ek Script Bhar respectively.
ii. The awards ceremony held at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi saw discussion on Contemporary Modern Poetry and Fiction Writing by writers Upasana & Jitendra Biseria and poetry recital by Babusha Kohli & Dilip Shakya.
iii. Navlekhan Award was instituted with an objective to award young authors writing in Hindi.
5. Odisha State Co-op Bank launches Bank on Wheels
i. Intervening directly the Odisha State Co-operative Bank is going to launch the ‘Bank on Wheels’ to help farmers get loans on their doorstep. Twenty vans with ATM facility will move around 20 remote and tribal pockets in Keonjhar, Koraput, Kalahandi, Mayurbhanj, Sundargarh and Sambalpur districts for the purpose.
ii. The Centre has provided Rs 6 crore, at the rate of Rs 30 lakh for each vehicle, to agriculture department for the scheme under Rashtriya Krishi Bikas Yojana.
iii. Anyone can withdraw money from the mobile ATMs though the scheme is meant for farmers
6. Union Cabinet gives nod to introduction of Bureau of Indian Standards Bill, 2015
i. Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved introduction of Bureau of Indian Standards Bill, 2015 in coming session of Parliament.
ii. The Bureau will perform its functions through a Governing Council consisting of President and other members.
iii. Mandatory certification regime: Empower government to bring mandatory certification regime for articles, processes or services which it considers necessary.
iv. Simplified conformity assessment schemes: In order to allow ease of doing business, the bill allows multiple types of simplified assessment schemes. It includes Self Declaration of Conformity (SDOC) against any standard which will give multiple simplified options to manufacturers.
v. Mandatory hallmarking: provisions related to compulsory hallmarking of precious metal articles. Strengthening penal provisions: It will help for better and effective compliance of law and enable compounding of offences for violations.
7. ‘Op DOGA’ to secure Yoga Day event
i. Foolproof security arrangements made at the venue of the International Yoga Day event on Rajpath this weekend have been dubbed ‘Operation DOGA’ – a combination of the words, dog and Yoga - in line with the magnitude of the deployment of security dogs for the purpose.
ii. As the venue around India Gate-Rajpath will be visited by close to 40,000 people, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi this Sunday, its peripheries and core areas have already been handed over for security checks to an undisclosed number of canine troops.
iii. The ITBP, nominated as the national ‘centre for excellence’ for sniffer and police dogs training, has put on job a special breed of Belgian Shepherd, ‘Malinois’, who gained prominence across the world after they reportedly participated in the strike of the U.S. Navy SEAL commandos on Al-Qaida chief Osama Bin Laden.
8. G Gurucharan given additional charge as Director General of Bureau of Indian Standards
i. Senior IAS officer G Gurucharan was on 17 June 2015 given additional charge as Director General, Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) for three months. He will hold the additional charge till the appointment of a regular incumbent or until further orders.
ii. Gurucharan is a 1982-batch IAS officer of Karnataka cadre. Presently, he is serving as an Additional Secretary in Department of Food and Public Distribution.
iii. The post of Director General has been lying vacant since MJ Joseph resigned and assumed the charge of Director of Controller General of Accounts on 15 May 2015. Joseph was appointed as DG of BIS on 6 January 2015.
iv. On the other hand, Anoop Kumar Srivastava was given additional charge of Secretary, Inter State Council Secretariat under Union Home Ministry for three months. Srivastava, a 1981-batch IAS officer of Assam-Meghalaya cadre, is working as Secretary (Border Management).
Current Affairs - 17th June 2015
1. BSNL to set up 40,000 wi-fi hot spots India
i. State owned telecommunications giant Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has announced to set up 40,000 Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) hot spots across the country.
ii. This project will come in lines with new digital architecture which is part of Union Government’s flagship Digital India Programme. The 40,000 wi-fi hot spots project will be entailed with an investment of about 6,000 crore rupees. The project is likely to be completed by 2018.
iii. It was announced by Union Minister of Communications & IT Ravi Shankar Prasad after launching the Wi-Fi facility at Taj Mahal in Agra, Uttar Pradesh.
iv. BSNL has installed the Wi-Fi facility at the premises of Taj Mahal as part of the Union Government’s plan to provide free internet services at major tourist places across country.
2. Archana Ramasundaram out of CBI, appointed Director of NCRB
i. Senior IPS officer Archana Ramasundaram has been moved out of the CBI and appointed as Director, National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
ii. Ramasundaram, a 1980 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of Tamil Nadu cadre, was appointed as Additional Director in CBI in February last year amid controversy.She was not assigned any work on the direction of the Supreme Court, which is hearing a writ petition against her appointment.
iii. The Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) has approved lateral shift of Ramasundaram from the post of Additional Director, CBI to hold Director General or equivalent level post at the Centre.
iv. Ramasundaram's appointment last year had generated quite a controversy as the CBI locked horns with Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) and Home Ministry over the choice.
3. India and Poland set trade target of 5 billion US dollars by 2018
i. India and Poland set trade target of 5 billion US dollars by 2018. The decision was taken on 15 June 2015 at the fourth session of the bilateral Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation, held in Warsaw, capital city of Poland.
ii. The commission also identified a series of actions to raise trade from the 2014 level of 2.3 billion US dollars to 5 billion US dollars by the year 2018.
iii. The meeting of the commission was co-chaired by Amitabh Kant, Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) and Jerzy Pietreiwicz, Secretary of State, Ministry of Economy of Poland.
iv. On the sidelines of the commission meeting, the three co-chairs of the newly created Joint Working Groups on Coal, Information Technology and Food Processing held their first meetings and presented the outcomes to the commission.
4. Election Commission suspends recognition of PA Sangma-led National People’s Party
i. Election Commission of India (ECI) has suspended recognition of the PA Sangma-led National People’s Party (NPP) which was a recognized state party in Meghalaya.
ii. The recognition of NPP was suspended under para 16A of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968 after the party failed to file the election expenditure statement incurred in 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
iii. At present NPP has one Lok Sabha member- PA Sangma from Tura constituency from Meghalaya. It also has 4 members in Rajasthan Legislative assembly and 2 in Meghalaya Legislative assembly.
5. ASCI launches mobile app to curb misleading advertisements
i. In a bid to address misleading advertisements, the Advertising Standard Council of India (ASCI) launched its consumer complaint mobile application – ASCIonline, to provide consumer complaint services on a mobile app besides providing the facility online.
ii. Talking about the initiative, Narendra Ambwani, ASCI chairman said, “One of the goals of ASCI is to provide convenient access for lodging complaint and hence this launch of mobile app."
iii. Lodge complaints by simply providing advertisement details and objection. Users can also attach the files like image or video or YouTube link of that advertisement.
iv. Status of complaints and complaint tracking also made simple and user-friendly.
6. Govt okays 16 FDI proposals worth Rs. 6,751 cr.
i. The government on Wednesday approved 16 foreign investment proposals, including those of Torrent Pharmaceuticals and Star India Private Limited, amounting to Rs. 6,750.86 crore.
ii. The proposals were cleared during the FIPB meeting held on May 28
iii. Broadcaster Star India Private Limited has been given approval for further issuance and transfer of shares to its foreign collaborator and acquisition of another Indian company engaged in broadcasting sector on a slump sale basis.
iv. Syngene International has been allowed to raise foreign investment to 44 per cent from 10 per cent by initial public offering of equity shares to FIIs, FPIs and NRIs.
Current Affairs - 16th June 2015
1. Indian Railways rechristened Haridwar Mail as Yoga Express
i. Indian Railways on 15 June 2015 rechristened train No 19031/19032 Ahmedabad-Haridwar Mail Express also known as 'Haridwar Mail' as Yoga Express. The name was changed with immediate effect.
ii. However, there will be no change in the train timings and its composition.
iii. Union Government is observing International Yoga Day on 21 June 2015.
2. Union Government launched Augmented Reality Application named Sakaar
i. The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER) Jitendra Singh on 15 June 2015 launched an Augmented Reality (AR) application named Sakaar to highlight the achievements of the Department of Space.
ii. The application has been developed by Development and Educational Communication Unit (DECU) of ISRO for Android devices.
iii. Sakaar consists of 3D models of MOM, RISAT, rockets (PSLV, GSLV Mk-III); videos of INSAT 3D-predicting cyclones, GSLV D5/Cryo, Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) orbit insertion, launch video of MOM, 360 degree animated view of MOM; Anaglyph of Mars surface.
iv. The Multimedia content of the Sakaar app is generated with the support of multimedia & editing facilities of DECU-ISRO.
3. LIC Nomura Mutual Fund CEO Nilesh Sathe appointed member, life at IRDAI
i. The government has appointed Nilesh Sathe, Chief Executive Officer of LIC Nomura Mutual Fund Asset Management Company, as the member-life of insurance regulator IRDAI.
ii. The post was lying vacant since the retirement of S Roy Chowdhury in February 2014.
iii. Sathe will be joining the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) on July 1 and have a four-year long tenure at the Hyderabad-headquartered insurance sector watchdog.
iv. Sathe held various positions in LIC, which include Executive Director (marketing) and Senior Divisional Manager in Mumbai.
4. PM Narendra Modi launched book titled Education of Muslims by Professor JS Rajput
i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 15 June 2015 launched a book titled Education of Muslims: An Islamic Perspective of Knowledge and Education – Indian Context edited by Professor JS Rajput.
ii. The book is aimed at informing and educating policy-makers, scholars and readers about role of Islam in pursuit of education and knowledge.
iii. The book contains 16 articles written by various scholars and historians including JS Rajput on wide ranging issues related to understanding of Islam religion, role of Islam and its educational institutions (madrasas) in dissemination of knowledge and educational status of Muslim children in India among others.
iv. JS Rajput is an accomplished educationist and historian. He is a former director of National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and Chairman, National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE).
5. UN elected Denmark's Mogens Lykketoft to head General Assembly
i. The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on 15 June 2015 elected Denmark's Mogens Lykketoft as its President for its upcoming 70th session in September 2015.
ii. He will have tenure of one year and succeeds Uganda's Sam Kutesa to preside over the 193-member body.
iii. Lykketoft presently is the speaker of Danish Parliament since 2011 and is a member of the Social Democrats party.
iv. Earlier from 1993 to 2001, Lykketoft served Denmark as its Foreign and Finance Ministers.
6. Rafael Nadal won Stuttgart Open
i. Spaniard Rafael Nadal on 14 June 2015 won the singles final of the ATP’s Stuttgart Open. In the final match in Germany, Nadal defeated Serbian Viktor Troicki 7-6, 6-3.
ii. It was Rafael Nadal’s third Stuttgart Men’s single title; the previous two were won in 2005 and 2007 respectively. With this victory he also became first tennis player to win titles at the event on both clay and grass surface.
iii. Stuttgart made the switch to grass starting with this edition as part of the new Wimbledon pre-season.
iv. Apart from this, India’s tennis player Rohan Bopanna along with his Romanian partner Florin Mergea won the Stuttgart Men’s Double Open title 2015. The Indo-Romanian pair defeated Austrian-Brazilian pair of Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares 5-7, 6-2, 10-7. This was fourth title for Bopanna.
7. Sunil Chhetri becomes first Indian to score 50 international goals
i. Prolific striker Sunil Chhetri on Tuesday became the first Indian footballer to score 50 international goals during his team's 2018 World Cup qualifying match against Guam.
ii. Chhetri's feat, though, came in a losing cause, as India suffered their second successive defeat in the preliminary joint qualification second round.
iii. Former captain Bhaichung Bhutia stays at the second spot with 42 goals in 107 matches while IM Vijayan has 40 goals from 79 games. This meanwhile, was Chhetri's 87th match.
iv. For the record, it was Chhetri who scored India's all the goals in the team's four joint preliminary round 2018 World Cup qualifying games so far.
Current Affairs - 15th June 2015
1. Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) launched India Nuclear Insurance Pool (INIP)
i. The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) on 12 June 2015 launched the India Nuclear Insurance Pool (INIP).The INIP has become the 27th such insurance pool in the world as countries such as France, Russia, South Africa and the U.S. have put in place such similar risk transfer mechanisms.Features of India Nuclear Insurance Pool (INIP)
ii. It will cover the risks of liability of nuclear operators and suppliers under Section 6(2) and Section 17 of the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damages (CLND) Act, 2010 respectively.It provides three types of policies viz., tier 1 policy for operators, tier 2 policy for turn key suppliers and tier 3 policy for suppliers other than turn key supply
2. Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) Motor Vehicle Agreement signed in Thimpu
i. India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal on 15 June 2015 signed the BBIN (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal) Motor Vehicle Agreement in the Bhutanese capital Thimphu.
ii. The transport ministers of four countries including the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari signed the agreement.
Key Features of BBIN Motor Vehicle Pact
• The regional motor vehicle pact is aimed at regulation of passenger, personal and cargo vehicular traffic amongst four SAARC member countries.
• It would promote safe, economical, efficient and environmentally sound road transport in the region.
• It would help each country in creating an institutional mechanism for regional integration.
• Each party will bear its own costs arising from implementation of this agreement.
• It is similar to the SAARC Motor Vehicle Agreement (MVA) draft with minor changes.
• It would promote safe, economical, efficient and environmentally sound road transport in the region.
• It would help each country in creating an institutional mechanism for regional integration.
• Each party will bear its own costs arising from implementation of this agreement.
• It is similar to the SAARC Motor Vehicle Agreement (MVA) draft with minor changes.
3. Railway Ministry decided to run Suvidha Trains
i. Ministry of Railways on 12 June 2015 decided to run Suvidha trains with dynamic fares from July 2015. The decision to run Suvidha trains was taken to address the rush during peak travel seasons.
ii. These trains will have dynamic fare system and there will not be any downward movement of the fare. Also, these trains may be run during peak seasons like winter rush, summer rush, Dussehra rush, Holi rush and on other occasions.
Some facts about Suvidha Trains
• Only confirmed and RAC tickets will be issued for these trains and there will be no waiting list. No concession like free passes/complimentary passes/warrant/concessional voucher will be available on these trains.
• The maximum advance reservation period will be 30 days while the minimum advance reservation period will be of 10 days.
• Full adult fare shall be changed for all passengers irrespective of their age.
• These tickets can be availed from e-ticketing as well as through PRS counters, but the traveler will have to carry his prescribed Identity Card during the journey for verification purpose
• Modification or duplicate ticket or cluster bookings or BPT will not be allowed.
• Only General quota bookings will be applicable.
• Upgradation option shall not be applicable in these trains.
• There shall be no First AC or Fist Class or Executive class or general class or 2nd sitting coach in the train composition of Suvidha Trains.Three types of trains to be run under the Suvidha Trains services
• Fully air-conditioned services with or without stoppages: Base Price: (Rajdhani base fare + Tatkal charges).
• Mixed services having no enroute commercial stoppages on mixed Duronto pattern: Base price: (Mixed Duronto base fare + Tatkal charges).
• For mixed services having some stoppages enroute and running as Mail/Express: Base price: (Mail/Express base fare + Tatkal charges).
• The maximum advance reservation period will be 30 days while the minimum advance reservation period will be of 10 days.
• Full adult fare shall be changed for all passengers irrespective of their age.
• These tickets can be availed from e-ticketing as well as through PRS counters, but the traveler will have to carry his prescribed Identity Card during the journey for verification purpose
• Modification or duplicate ticket or cluster bookings or BPT will not be allowed.
• Only General quota bookings will be applicable.
• Upgradation option shall not be applicable in these trains.
• There shall be no First AC or Fist Class or Executive class or general class or 2nd sitting coach in the train composition of Suvidha Trains.Three types of trains to be run under the Suvidha Trains services
• Fully air-conditioned services with or without stoppages: Base Price: (Rajdhani base fare + Tatkal charges).
• Mixed services having no enroute commercial stoppages on mixed Duronto pattern: Base price: (Mixed Duronto base fare + Tatkal charges).
• For mixed services having some stoppages enroute and running as Mail/Express: Base price: (Mail/Express base fare + Tatkal charges).
4. Ameising Luikham takes over as New Secretary, Department of Public Enterprises
i. Shri Ameising Luikham, IAS (MN:1981) today took over as Secretary, Department of Public Enterprises in the M/o Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises . Prior to this he was working as Secretary, North Eastern Council, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region.
ii. Shri Luikham's appointment is vice Shri Kapil Dev Tripathi, IAS (AM:1980) who already have been appointed as Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
5. Nasscom signs MoU with IESA
i. The National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) on Monday signed an MoU with India Electronics and Semiconductor Association (IESA) to speed up 'Make in India' and 'Digital India' agenda for electronic system design and manufacturing (ESDM) and IT.
ii. The aim is to create a common agenda that will guide the Government and industry to construct policies and an environment leading to the creation of ESDM and IT products, solutions and brands out of India.
Vinay Shenoy, Chairman, IESA, said: "By joining forces, we are now better able to address 'Device-Infrastructure-Application' and the interplay between them. Initial focus areas are likely to be policy frameworks, enabling capability build-up, knowledge sharing, eco-system discovery and promotion.''
Under the MoU, both industry associations will bring key stakeholders and partners from industry, Government, academia and investment community closer and identify key areas of investment.
Under the MoU, both industry associations will bring key stakeholders and partners from industry, Government, academia and investment community closer and identify key areas of investment.
6. BSNL launched free roaming today
i. State-run BSNL will launch free roaming, starting today, which will allow all its mobile customers across the country to receive incoming calls at no cost.“Now BSNL mobile customers will not need to carry multiple SIMs and handsets during roaming.
ii. They are free to talk as long as they want without worrying of any charges during incoming calls.“In fact, it is like a dream of ‘One Nation One Number’ coming true,” BSNL CMD Anupam Shrivastava said in a statement. One June 2, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had announced that the telco would be launching free roaming scheme from June 15.
iii. The company also clarified that it has not received any communication from sectoral regulator TRAI regarding the roaming scheme.“We have not received any such communication from TRAI.BSNL has announced this scheme with the consent of Minister of Communications & IT, Ravi Shankar Prasad who himself had announced it in a press conference held on June 2. TRAI has no objection to it,” Shrivastava said
Current Affairs - 14th June 2015
1. 14th June: World Blood Donor Day
i. World Blood Donor Day is being observed across the world on 14 June to raise the public awareness about the need for safe blood donation.
ii. The theme of this year’s campaign is Thank you for saving my life. This year’s campaign encourages donors all over the world to donate blood voluntarily and regularly with the slogan Give freely, give often. Blood donation matters.
iii. Objective
* To spread awareness about the need for safe and secure blood supplies.
* Provide an opportunity to draw public attention to the importance of blood donation for saving lives.
* Provide an opportunity to draw public attention to the importance of blood donation for saving lives.
2. VK Singh inaugurates first India-China Yoga College at Yunnan Minzu University, China
i. Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs V K Singh inaugurated first India-China Yoga College at Yunnan Minzu University in Kunming, China.
ii. This is first Indian government institution related Indian spiritual art form i.e. Yoga in China inaugurated ahead of the first UN Yoga Day to be observed on June 21.
iii. The Yoga College was established in lines with the MoU for establishing the Yoga College signed during the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China in May 2015.
iv. This college seeks to provide certification courses in the Indian spiritual art with them Indian teachers who are going to help in curriculum development and training.
3. RBI issued final guidelines for 6-year and 13-year Interest Rate Futures
i. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued the final guidelines for the 6-year and 13-year cash settled Interest Rate Futures (IRF) on government securities with residual maturity of 4-8 years and 11-15 years respectively under the Interest Rate Futures (Reserve Bank) (Amendment) Directions, 2015. For this purpose, RBI amended the Interest Rate Futures (Reserve Bank) Directions, 2013 dated 5 December 2013.
ii. For the 6-year cash settled IRF contracts, the underlying shall be a coupon bearing government security of face value of 100 rupees and the residual maturity of 6-year IRF is between 4 and 8 years on the expiry of futures contract.
iii. For the 13-year cash settled IRF contracts, the underlying can be a coupon bearing government security of face value of 100 rupees and residual maturity will be between 11 and 15 years on the expiry of futures contract.
iv. Moreover, the RBI also expanded the residual maturity for the existing 10-year cash settled IRF from 9-11 years to 8-11 years to provide market participants a greater choice and flexibility to hedge their interest rate risk across different tenors.
4. US becomes world's largest oil producer, says BP Report
i. As per recently released report by British Petroleum (BP) Energy Company, United States (US) became the world’s largest oil producer in 2014 surpassing Saudi Arabia.
ii. Production: US had produced 11.6 million barrels of oil per day (bpd) i.e. 15.9% more oil in 2014. While, Saudi Arabia was placed second position as it had produced 11.5 million bpd in 2014. Russia was placed at third position with 10.8 million bpd oil production.
iii. Natural Gas Production: US also has surpassed Russia as the world’s largest producer of natural gas.
iv. Consumption: China had remained the world’s largest growth market for energy in 2014
v. Facts related to India: India’s oil production gad declined by 1.3% at 895,000 bpd, while the consumption had increased by 3% to 3.8 million bpd. India has shown 7.1% rise in energy consumption.
5. Recommendations of Bibek Debroy Committee on restructuring of Indian Railways
i. The committee has suggested measures for restructuring the Railway Board and its departments so that policy making is separated from day-to-day operations.
ii. Recommendations of Bibek Debroy committee
* Establishment of an independent regulator Railway Regulatory Authority of India (RRAI) with a separate budget and to be independent of the Ministry.
* RRAI will decide on tariffs to revamp the cash-strapped railways.
* Railway Budget should be phased out with gross budgetary support to Indian Railways.
* No privatisation of Indian Railway but allowed participation of private sector in the railway projects.
* State governments should be asked to entirely fund the Government Railway Police (GRP).
* The recommended changes should be implemented only by Union Railways ministry in the first five years including the resolution of the social cost issue.
* RRAI will decide on tariffs to revamp the cash-strapped railways.
* Railway Budget should be phased out with gross budgetary support to Indian Railways.
* No privatisation of Indian Railway but allowed participation of private sector in the railway projects.
* State governments should be asked to entirely fund the Government Railway Police (GRP).
* The recommended changes should be implemented only by Union Railways ministry in the first five years including the resolution of the social cost issue.
iii. Background: Union government had constituted the high-level committee in September 2014 to restructure the Railways and suggest ways for resource mobilisation. It was seven-member panel headed by eminent economist and NITI Aayog member Bibek Debroy. The other 6 members are former cabinet secretary K M Chandrasekhar, Gusharan Das, Ravi Narain, Partha Mukhopadhyay, Rajendra Kashyap, Ajay Tyagi and Ajay Narayan Jha.
6. Government sacks Dr. Bimal Roy, Director of Indian Statistical Institute
i. Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI) has sacked Dr Bimal K Roy as the Director of Indian Statistical Institute (ISI). He was removed from the office on charges of indiscipline one-and-a-half months before the end of his term.
ii. Professor Sanghmitra Bandyopadhayay now will replace Dr Bimal K Roy as the Director of ISI. With this appointment she has become the first woman to lead the institute.
iii. Roy who is a renowned cryptologist was appointed Director of ISI in August 2010. In April 2015, he was conferred with India’s fourth highest civilian honour Padma Shri for his contribution in the discipline of literature and education.
Current Affairs - 13th June 2015
1. China launches freight train service connecting Europe
i. China today launched a freight train service between its northeastern city of Harbin and Europe, opening a new trade route to Europe covering a distance of nearly 10,000 kms.
ii. The train left Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province, carrying 49 containers of domestic goods such as electronic products and auto parts worth US$ three million from northeast and north China, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
2. Utility bills valid proof of address to open account: RBI
i. Bills for postpaid mobile service, piped gas and water supply can now be submitted as proof of address for opening account with banks or other financial institutions, the Reserve Bank said today.
ii. Utility bill which is not more than two months old of any service provider (electricity, telephone, postpaid mobile phone, piped gas, water bill) for the limited purpose of proof of address are deemed to be Officially Valid Documents (OVDs) under 'simplified measures.
3. AP launches ‘Mee Bhoomi’ digital depository of land records
i. The Andhra Pradesh government has launched `Mee Bhoomi', a digital depository of land records.The portal, http://meebhoomi.ap.gov.in/, makes all land details along with Adangal/Pahani and 1-B details, available to the people.
ii. It also lists details of land owners, area, assessment, water source, soil type, nature of possession of the land, liabilities, tenancy, and crops grown. One can also view individual/ village adangal and 1B details on the website.
iii. Besides the survey number or pattadar number, it also gives the option of entering the Aadhaar card number to view land details. Users can also search for their field measurement book (F.M.B) on the website. The details of any transactions will also be updated on the website.
iv. With respect to grievances related to land, people can register a complaint at the closest Mee-Seva centre, which will process the same within 15 days.Making the portal mobile-friendly, the government has also launched an Android app.
4. Sir Wesley Winfield Hall inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of fame
i. Former West Indies fast bowler Wes Hall was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame during the lunch break on the opening day of the Sabina Park Test between West Indies and Australia.
ii. He became the fourth cricketer to receive the honour this year after Betty Wilson, Anil Kumble and Martin Crowe.Hall, 77, received his commemorative cap from fellow Hall of Famer Courtney Walsh, and is now the 18th cricketer from the Caribbean to be bestowed with the award.
iii. Hall, who played 48 Tests for West Indies between 1958 and 1969, said he was "privileged" and "honoured" to receive the award which put him in the company of the "many greats of the game"
5. In Haryana village, contest of selfies with daughter to save girl child
i. Haryana's Bibipur village, which wants The Women's World' added to its name, has now come out with a unique idea to continue its efforts to create gender-neutral atmosphere in the state.
ii. The village panchyat has decided to organize a best selfie with daughters' contest to honour the winning family with a trophy, certificate and Rs 2,100 as cash prize.
iii. The panchayat has invited parents to send their selfies to the village sarpanch on WhatsApp by June 17 while the winner family would be announced after two days.
iv. Village sarpnach Sunil Jaglan said they that had already received more than 120 entries in past four days after they announced the contest.
6. 50-lakh penalty on Future Generali
i. The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has imposed a penalty of 50 lakh on Future Generali Life Insurance Company.
ii. The regulator, which had examined 34 charges on a variety of aspects related to business, said the company had violated many norms, including not settling ‘huge’ number of claims in respect of the group insurance schemes, continuation of corporate agency even after expiry of licence, use of unlicensed entities for procuring business and distribution of gift vouchers procured from Big Bazar, one of the group companies.
ii. The regulator, which had examined 34 charges on a variety of aspects related to business, said the company had violated many norms, including not settling ‘huge’ number of claims in respect of the group insurance schemes, continuation of corporate agency even after expiry of licence, use of unlicensed entities for procuring business and distribution of gift vouchers procured from Big Bazar, one of the group companies.
iii. It has been asked to pay the penalty within 15 days, according to an order issued by IRDAI Chairman TS Vijayan.
Current Affairs - 12th June 2015
1. World Day Against Child Labour observed globally
i. The World Day Against Child Labour was on 12 June 2015 observed globally with the theme NO to child labour – YES to quality education! The day is the United Nations observance to bring awareness against child labour.
World Day Against Child Labour 2015 calls for:
• Free, compulsory and quality education for all children at least to the minimum age for admission to employment and action to reach those presently in child labour;
• New efforts to ensure that national policies on child labour and education are consistent and effective;
• Policies that ensure access to quality education and investment in the teaching profession.
• New efforts to ensure that national policies on child labour and education are consistent and effective;
• Policies that ensure access to quality education and investment in the teaching profession.
2. TCS, Infosys face US probe for H-1B visa violations
i. The US government has opened an investigation against two of the biggest Indian outsourcing companies for possible violations of H1-B visa rules, according to a media report.
ii. The Department of Labour has opened the investigation against Tata Consultancy Services and Infosys for possible violations of rules for visas for foreign technology workers under contracts they held with an electric utility Southern California Edison
iii. The power company had recently laid off more than 500 technology workers amid claims that many of those laid off were made to train their replacements who were immigrants on the temporary work visas brought in by the Indian firms
iv. The move by the Labour Department comes days after the NYT had reported that hundreds of employees at entertainment giant Walt Disney were laid off and replaced with Indians holding H1-B visas.
3. Tamil Nadu and Adani Power Ltd signed PPA to set up 200 MW solar power plant in Ramanathapuram
i. Tamil Nadu Government and Adani Power Ltd in the second week of June signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) to set up a 200 MW solar power plant in Ramanathapuram district.
ii. The plant will be constructed with an investment of nearly 1400 crore rupees.
iii. The district was chosen by the group because of the fact that it is one of the two districts along with Thoothukudi that receive highest solar radiation in the state.
iv. In March 2015, Adani Power Ltd applied to Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGDECO) for a load flow study to establish 1000 MW solar plant at Kamuthi in the district.
v. In 2012, the State government unveiled Solar Energy Policy (SEP) that envisaged generation of 1000 MW every year for three years through utility scale projects, rooftops and Renewable Energy Certificates (REC) schemes.
4. Renewable energy targets quadruple globally in 10 years: IRENA
i. IRENA is an intergovernmental organization to promote adoption and sustainable use of renewable energy. It is a global hub for renewable energy cooperation and information exchange within its member nations.
ii. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has announced that in past one decade renewable energy targets have quadruple globally.
iii. It was mentioned IRENA Renewable Energy Target Setting report which was released by IRENA Director-General Adnan Z. Amin on the side lines of IRENA’s 9th Council meeting in Dubai.
iv. As per report, 164 countries have adopted at least one type of renewable energy target compared to 43 countries in 2005. All nations are adopting renewable energy targets to meet multiple objectives including energy security, environmental sustainability and socio-economic benefits.
v. The majority of 150 countries have focused committed renewable energy targets on the electricity sector The numbers of countries setting renewable targets for the heating and cooling sector have increased to 47 from 2 countries in 2005.
5. Legendary actor Sir Christopher Lee passes away
i. Legendary English actor, singer and writer Sir Christopher Lee passed away in London, United Kingdom. He was 93. The veteran actor was famously known as the master of horror for his famous villainy acting roles in numerous movies such as Dracula, The Wicker Man, James Bond, Lord of the Rings trilogy etc.
ii. Christopher Lee was born in London in 1922 Film career: His on screen acting career began in 1947 after he had the Rank Organisation where he was trained as an actor. His career spanned more than 7 decades. His famous acting roles include Francisco Scaramanga in The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), Saruman in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (2001–2003), The Hobbit film trilogy (2012–2014), Count Dooku Star Wars trilogy (2002 and 2005) and Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008).
iii. He also is known for his best performance portraying of Pakistan’s founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah in the biopic Jinnah (1998). Music career: Lee was also known for his singing ability. He had recorded various opera and musical pieces between 1986 and 1998.
iv. He also had recorded symphonic metal album Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross in 2010 after he had worked with several metal bands since 2005. Awards and Honours: He was knighted in 2009 for services to drama and charity and was awarded the Bafta fellowship in 2011 and Spirit of Metal award (2010)
6. Second border haat opens in Sipahijala district of Tripura
i. The second border haat (rural market) was opened for common people at Kamalasagar in Sipahijala district of Tripura bordering Brahmanbaria district of Bangladesh.
ii. The haat was jointly inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina by video-conferencing from Dhaka on June 6, 2015. This market is set up at the zero line of the international border with one part on the Indian side and the other in Bangladesh.
iii. Initially it will facilitate bilateral trade of 16 shortlisted locally produced goods. These goods include agricultural and horticultural crops, spices, minor forest products excluding timber, fish and dry fish, dairy and poultry products, cottage industry items, wooden furniture, handloom and handicraft items.
iv. People residing within a distance of 5 km from along the border are entitled to do business at the haat which will take place once in a week initially. No local taxes would be levied on the goods sold in the haats and currencies of both the countries would prevail.
v. First border haat was inaugurated on Srinagar- Purba border area in January 2015 by Union Commerce and Industries Minister Nirmala along with her Bangladeshi counterpart Tofail ahmed.
Current Affairs - 11th June 2015
1. African leaders signed 26-nation Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) agreement
i. African countries have signed a historic The Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) that facilitates creation of Africa’s largest free-trade zone.
ii. This free-trade zone will cover 26 countries in an area from southernmost tip of African continent i.e. Cape Town (South Africa) to Cairo (Egypt) in the north.
iii. The pact was signed in Egypt will intent to ease the movement of goods across 26 member countries which represent more than half the continent’s GDP. TFTA pact combines existing three trade blocs among the African nations viz Southern African Development Community (SADC), East African Community (EAC), Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).
iv. It will remove trade barriers on most goods, making them cheaper and stimulating $ 1 trillion worth of economic activity across the region of more than 600 million people.
2. Indian-Origin Surgeon General Vivek Murthy Presented With Pride of Community Award
i. Indian-origin US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has been presented with the Pride of the Community Award by a prominent Hindu advocacy group.
ii. Receiving the award by the Hindu American Foundation at its 12th Annual Day reception at Capitol Hill, Mr Murthy said that he draws inspiration from the life of Swami Vivekananda.
iii. HAF also awarded Anantanand Rambachan, Professor of Religion at St Olaf College, Dharma Seva award; Harpreet Singh Mokha of the Department of Justice, the Mahatma Gandhi Award for the Advancement of Pluralism; and Senator Mark Kirk and Rep Joe Crowley, HAF's Friend of the Community awards.
3. CAD shrinks massively to 0.2 per cent in Q4
i. The country’s current account deficit (CAD) narrowed sharply to USD 1.3 billion, or 0.2 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), in the fourth quarter of the last financial year on a sequential basis mainly on account of a lower trade gap.
ii. The CAD shrank to 1.3 per cent of GDP for full financial year 2014-15.
iii. On a quarter-on-quarter basis, CAD narrowed sharply to USD 1.3 billion (0.2 per cent of GDP) in fourth quarter of financial year 2014-15 from USD 8.3 billion (1.6 per cent of GDP) in the third quarter
4. Stanford scientist Manu Prakash makes water based computer
i. Manu Prakash, who amazed the world last year by building a paper microscope, has now come up with a computer that works by moving water droplets.
ii. rakash is an assistant professor of bioengineering at Stanford University and he has developed the water computer with the help of two of his students. He was born in Meerut, India.
iii. What Prakash did was devise a system in which tiny water droplets are trapped in a magnetic field. When the field is rotated or flipped, the droplets move in precise direction and distance. This became the basis of the computer clock, which is an essential component of any computer.
iv. Computer clocks are responsible for nearly every modern convenience. Smartphones, DVRs, airplanes, internet - without a clock, none of these could operate without frequent and serious complications.
5. Senior scientist Dr. Srivari Chandrasekhar appointed as Director of CSIR-IICT
i. Dr. Srivari Chandrasekhar was appointed Director of CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT) a premier research institute of Union Government based in Hyderabad, Telangana.
ii. He was named appointed to the top post by Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is ex-officio Chairman of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) functioning under Union Ministry of Science and Technology.
iii. He has made significant contributions in diverse areas of organic chemistry with a special emphasis total synthesis of biologically active natural products, on chiral chemistry and pharmaceutical products.
iv. He also has developed technologies for synthesis of latest anti-tumor and abortive drug mesoprostol, anti-tuberculosis drug bedaquiline and drug for treatment of schizophrenia asenapine etc. Apart from above contributions, he also has more than 250 publications with 5,000 citations to his credit.
6. Union Cabinet gives nod to Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) Motor Vehicle Agreement
i. Union Cabinet meet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the signing of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) Motor Vehicle Agreement.
ii. The agreement which is similar to the SAARC Motor Vehicle Agreement (MVA) seeks to regulate the vehicular traffic of passenger, personal and cargo amongst BBIN countries.The agreement will be signed on 15th June 2015 at the Transport Minister’s meeting in Thimpu, Bhutan.
iii. BBIN agreement aims to promote safe, environmentally sound and economical efficient road transport in the sub-region of BBIN. It also seeks to help each member country to create an institutional mechanism for regional integration.
iv. BBIN agreement will benefit member nations for mutual cross border movement of passenger and goods for overall economic development of the region. For implementation of this agreement each signatory member will bear its own costs.
7. Forbes list: Dhoni only Indian among world's richest athletes
i. Cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the only Indian sportsman in Forbes magazine's 100 highest-paid athletes in the world.
ii. Dhoni has been ranked 23rd on the Forbes list of The World's Highest-Paid Athletes 2015 dropping a notch from his ranking of 22 last year.
iii. Dhoni's total earnings stood at $31 million, including amount from salary/winnings at $4 million and endorsements worth $27 million.
iv. The earnings figures include salaries, prize money and bonuses paid out between June 2014 and June 2015.
Current Affairs - 10th June 2015
1. Indian Army carried out cross-border operation against militants in Myanmar
i. Special Forces of the Indian Army in coordination with the Air Force on 9 June 2015 carried out surgical operations (cross-border operation) inside Myanmar to target militant groups.
ii. In this one of the first-of-its-kind cross-border operation about 50 militants of groups namely NSCN (K) and KYKL were killed. They were hiding along the Nagaland-Myanmar and Manipur-Myanmar border.
iii. The move for such a surgical operation was taken after militant groups killed 18 jawans of 6 Dogra Regiment of Indian Army in an ambush in Chandel district of Manipur on 4 June 2015.
iv. The operation was guided by specific and precise intelligence input. The strike was carried out inside Myanmar with the coordination of local authorities.
v. The preparedness and finesse of the operation could be gauged from the fact that Indian Army did not suffer any sort of casualty.
2. Kapil Mishra to Succeed Jitender Tomar as Delhi's Law Minister
i. Delhi Jal Board vice chairman Kapil Mishra will succeed Jitender Tomar as Delhi's law minister. A letter has been sent to the president in this regard.
ii. Mr Tomar had stepped down on Tuesday after being arrested over allegations that he had faked his law degree.
iii. Mr Mishra, the legislator from northeast Delhi's Karawal Nagar, was placed in the crucial Jal Board to help realise the Aam Aadmi Party's election promise of providing cheap water to Delhiites.
3. RBI issues draft norms on rupee-linked bonds overseas
i. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Tuesday said that Indian corporates, eligible to raise external commercial borrowings (ECBs), are permitted to issue rupee- linked bonds overseas.
ii. Corporates which are, at present, permitted to access ECB, under the approval route, will require prior permission of the RBI to issue such bonds and those coming under the automatic route can do so without prior permission of the RBI.
iii. The RBI proposed that the subscription, coupon payments and redemption might be settled in foreign currency.
iv. It also stipulated the coupon on the bonds should not be more than 500 basis points above the sovereign yield of the Government of India security of corresponding maturity as per the FIMMDA yield curve prevailing on the date of issue.
4. SEBI cracks down on 200 illicit fund-raising activities in 1 year
i. Stepping up action against illicit fund-raising in a big way, SEBI has cracked down on nearly 200 such activities in last one year relating to fraud against gullible investors and recovered Rs. 25 crore.
ii. SEBI has passed close to 200 orders in last one year against illegal fund-raising activities and barred individuals and companies from mobilising money from public.
iii. The Securities Laws Amendment Act, which was notified by the government in August 2014, empowers SEBI to pass orders for attachment of properties, arrest of defaulters and to access call data records.
iv. A majority of orders against deemed public issues were in West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha. The same for CIS activities are in Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
5. 41st G7 summit held in Germany
i. G7 Summit 2015 was held at Schloss Elmau in Bavaria, Germany from 7 June to 8 June 2015. This was the 41st G7 summit and the theme for the summit was Think Ahead. Act Together.
ii. The Summit focused on the global economy as well as on key issues regarding foreign, security, environment and development policy. Further, the UN conferences to be held in 2015 as well as the post-2015 agenda and the issues of sanctions against Russia were also discussed.
The G7 Summit 2015 deliberated on following issues
• Protection of the marine environment and resources and marine governance.
• Antibiotic resistance, neglected and poverty-related diseases and Ebola.
• Retail and supply chain standards.
• Empowerment of women by giving vocational training.
• Antibiotic resistance, neglected and poverty-related diseases and Ebola.
• Retail and supply chain standards.
• Empowerment of women by giving vocational training.
6. Government to Give Rs 6,000 Crore Interest-Free Loans to Sugar Mills
i. The government has approved interest-free loans for cash-strapped sugar mills to help them pay nearly 30 per cent of the record Rs 21,000 crore they owe to cane farmers, many of whom are struggling with huge debts as the first country-wide drought in six years looms.
ii. Sugar cane prices, meanwhile, have jumped over the years due to the populist policies of state governments to raise minimum support prices for farmers.
iii. Mills in India, the world's biggest sugar producer after Brazil, have been lobbying the government for months seeking relief as prices of the sweetener have fallen below the cost of production due to ample supplies.
iv. The federal government earlier this year approved a subsidy to export raw sugar, although that failed to boost shipments amid a global glut.
7. Microsoft begins rebranding of Nokia Priority Stores
i. In order to increase its presence in emerging markets like India, Microsoft on Wednesday kick-started rebranding of Nokia Priority Stores as Microsoft Priority Resellers.
ii. India is the first country among Microsoft's global markets to roll out the new look for its retail outlets.
iii. This is perhaps one of the biggest rebranding exercises undertaken by a mobile manufacturer and we wanted India to lead the way being a priority market for us. For many consumers, the rebranded shops will be their first experience of Microsoft as a consumer hardware manufacturer.
iv. While existing Nokia stores would transform into Microsoft Priority Resellers, housing only Microsoft products, the multi-branded retail stores will be rechristened as Microsoft Mobile Resellers.
8. Shah Rukh Khan acquired CPL T20 team Trinidad & Tobago
i. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) co-owner Shah Rukh Khan on 9 June 2015 acquired Carribean Premier League (CPL) T20 team Trinidad & Tobago (T&T).
ii. Shah Rukh Khan is the first owner of an Indian Premier League team to own an overseas cricket franchise. Khan's company Red Chillies Entertainment Pvt Ltd along with KKR co-owners Juhi Chawla and her husband Jay Mehta invested in the T&T franchise.
iii. Hollywood stars Mark Wahlberg and Gerard Butler already own CPL franchises. Wahlberg owns reigning champions Barbados Tridents, led by Kieron Pollard, while Butler owns Jamaica Tallawahs, captained by Chris Gayle.
iv. The next edition of the tournament is scheduled to run from 20 June 2015 to 26 July 2015. KKR, IPL champions in 2012 and 2014, have been ranked the most valuable IPL team with a brand value of 86 million US dollar (over 500 crore rupees).
Current Affairs - 9th June 2015
1. R C Tayal appointed as new Director General of National Security Guard
i. Senior IPS officer R C Tayal has been appointed as the new chief of the elite counter-terror force National Security Guard (NSG).
ii. The 1980-batch Assam-Meghalaya cadre officer is at present serving as the Special Director General in paramilitary CRPF and is heading its formation in Jammu and Kashmir.
iii. He is expected to serve as NSG DG till August next year when he is scheduled for superannuation.
iv. NSG was raised in 1984 as a federal contingency force with a specific aim to undertake counter-terror and counter-hijack operations and it was later tasked to protect high-risk VVIPs.
2. Isro Bags Space Pioneer Award for Mangalyaan Mars Orbiter Mission
i. The country's low-cost Mangalyaan Mars orbiter mission which is in rendezvous with the Red Planet for an extended period has been presented with the Space Pioneer award for the year 2015 by the US' National Space Society.
ii. Space Pioneer award for the year 2015 was presented to Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) in the Science and Engineering category during the 34th Annual International Space Development Conference held at Toronto in Canada during May 20-24, 2015, Bengaluru-headquartered Isro said on its website.
iii. The Isro spacecraft was launched on its nine-month-long odyssey on a homegrown PSLV rocket from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh on November 5, 2013 and had escaped the earth's gravitational field on December 1.
iv. The spacecraft is under 'solar conjunction' at Mars, which means the spacecraft, which is orbiting Mars, is behind the sun as viewed from the Earth.
3. Haryana's Jind, Karnal & UP's Muzaffarnagar included in NCR
i. Jind and Karnal districts of Haryana and Muzaffarnagar of Uttar Pradesh were included in National Capital Region on 9 June 2015.
ii. This inclusion was announced by Urban Development minister M Venkaiah Naidu after a meet of National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) meeting in New Delhi.
iii. The meeting was attended by Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar and representatives and government officials of other member states. Delhi Health Minister Satyender Jain was representing Delhi government.
iv. Earlier on 1 July 2013, Bhiwani and Mahendragarh districts of Haryana and Bharatpur district of Rajasthan were included in the National Capital Region.
National Capital Region
* National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) came into being in 1985, with enactment of the National Capital Region Planning Board Act, 1985 of Government of India. The aim of the concept was to develop a metropolitan area around Delhi, so as to divert increasing pressure of population from the region.
* The concept was essential in order to protect Delhi's infrastructure from excessive pressure and a planned development of the region.
4. India’s first State-of-the-Art Tier-I Oil Spill Response Centre inagurated by Gadkari
i. Tackling pollution and oil spills in and around Mumbai will now become much easier, as Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways and Shipping, Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the India’s first of its kind State-of-the-Art Tier-I Oil Spill Response Centre for Mumbai & JNPT Harbour
ii. The OSRC which is equipped with State-of-the-Art equipment in operational readiness for combating Tier-I oil spill upto 700 tones, ensures adequate protection to the public health and welfare and to the marine environment.
iii. The facility which is funded by Participating Oil Companies (POCs) and MbPT has taken the responsibility of tendering and monitoring of Tier -I OSR facility.
iv. The area of operation includes the water limits of the Mumbai Port Trust MbPT, JNPT and ONGC’s facilities at Nhava and Uran.
v. The OSRC will be monitored on 24/7 basis and is also equipped with skilled and trained personnel and wireless communication facilities for immediately responding to any oil spill.
5. Government extends Bank of Baroda interim chief Ranjan Dhawan's term for 3 months
i. The government has further extended the term of Bank of Baroda's (BoB) interim MD & CEO Ranjan Dhawan for three months while Bank of India will be headed by its Executive Director B P Sharma for the same duration.
ii. Dhawan, the senior-most Executive Director of BoB, was given this additional charge in February.
iii. The post of a full-time MD & CEO at BoB has been lying vacant since July 2014 when the then Chairman and Managing Director S S Mundra was appointed RBI Deputy Governor.
iv. Sharma's appointment comes into force from June 8, 2015, and will be till the appointment of a regular MD & CEO or further orders, whichever is earlier, it added.
6. 7th International junior shotgun: Anantjeet wins skeet gold
i. Anantjeet Singh Naruka beat Lari Pesonen of Finland 12-11 in the skeet match for gold in the 7th International junior shotgun cup that concluded in Orimattila, Finland
ii. After having qualified at the bottom with a modest score of 110, following rounds of 21, 22, 21, 25 and 21, Anantjeet kept getting better, as he wriggled his way through to the gold medal match by winning a three-way tie in the shoot-off to challenge the Finn.
iii. Compatriot Angadvir Singh Bajwa, who had topped the qualification with 119 following a series of 23, 24, 24, 24 and 24, won the shoot-off for the bronze medal 6-5 against Matteo Chiti of Italy.
iv. Angadvir and the Italian had shot three each in losing the shoot-off for the gold medal match with Anantjeet who shot 4, after the three were tied on 13 in the semifinals.
7. World Ocean Day observed with theme Healthy oceans, Healthy planet
i. 8 June: World Ocean Day
ii. World Ocean Day 2015 was celebrated across the world on 8 June 2015 with the themeHealthy oceans, Healthy planet.
iii. To mark the occasion, various events were organised across the globe to spread awareness about the importance of oceans in economic, Security and biological spheres and need to protect them from vulnerabilities.
iv. For the first time, World Ocean day was introduced in 1992 at Rio de Janeiro with a motive of raising awareness of people towards the crucial role that sea plays in our lives. The official designation of World Oceans Day is an opportunity to raise global awareness of the current challenges faced by the international community in connection with the oceans.
v. In the year 2008, United Nations General Assembly decided to designate 8 June as the World Oceans Day from 2009 onwards with its resolution number 63/111, Paragraph 171.
vi. Oceans are a critical part of our biosphere and are essential for food security, health and survival of all lives and are responsible to power the climate of the world.
vii. The theme for the World Ocean Day 2014 was Together, we have the Power to Protect the Oceans.
Current Affairs - 7th & 8th June 2015
1. IOC to invest Rs 15,000 crore to raise Panipat refinery capacity
i. Indian Oil Corp, nation's largest oil firm, plans to invest about Rs 15,000 crore in raising capacity at its Panipat refinery in Haryana by 34% to 20.2 million tonnes (MT) by 2020.
ii. IOC owns and operates eight refineries and has only a few weeks back added ninth refinery at Paradip in Odisha.
iii. Its eight refineries have a cumulative refining capacity of 54.2 MT of crude oil and addition of 15 MT at Paradip refinery has helped it regain the top refiner slot in the country.
iv. Essar Oil is the only other private refiner having a 20 MT a year unit at Vadinar in Gujarat.
v. Panipat Refinery was commissioned in 1998 with a capacity of six MT per annum. The refining capacity was doubled to 12 MT in 2006 and then raised by a further three MT to 15 MT in 2010.
2. K.V. Chowdary is new CVC; Vijai Sharma new CIC
i. Former Chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes, K.V. Chowdary, was on Monday, appointed as the new Central Vigilance Commissioner, while the senior-most Information Commissioner, Vijai Sharma, is the new Chief Information Commissioner.
ii. A selection panel headed by the Prime Minister, which includes leader of the principal opposition party, and senior cabinet ministers selects the CVC,CIC,vigilance commissioners and information commissioners.
iii. The Central Vigilance Commission is headed by a CVC and comprises two vigilance commissioners and today’s appointment constitutes the full Commission.
iv. In the CIC, there are vacancies of four Information Commissioners. The incumbents are Basant Seth,Yashovardhan Azad, Sharat Sabharwal, Manjula Prasher, M A Khan Yusufi and Madabhushanam Sridhar Acharyulu.
3. Flood of fire written by Amitav Ghosh
i. Booker Prize awardee Amitav Ghosh on 7 June 2015 released his new novel Flood of fire. With the novel, he has concluded the Ibis trilogy, his fictional recreation of the events leading up to the first opium war of 1839-42.
ii. The Ibis trilogy is a work of historical fiction by Amitav Ghosh. It comprises Sea of Poppies (2008), River of Smoke (2011), and Flood of Fire (2015). The story is set in the first half of the 19th century. It deals with the trade of opium between India and China run by the East India Company and the trafficking of coolies to Mauritius.
4. SpiceJet signs deal to sell tickets to waitlisted railway travellers
i. IRCTC's public relations officer Sandip Dutta explained that the Railways have entered the tie-up with SpiceJet and Go Air.
ii. It enables a train traveller whose ticket is wait-listed to cancel the train ticket and instead get on to a flight of either airline by paying some incremental fee.
iii. There are no fixed sectors to which the scheme applies, no fixed number of tickets either airline must make available to IRCTC and no fixed rates.
iv. This scheme only applies to tickets booked at least three days prior to the date of the journey, these train tickets can only be cancelled on a specific website and flight tickets are available only for the day of the train journey or a day prior to it.
v. SpiceJet promoter Ajay Singh pointed out that this tie-up is promising for the airline and he expects "significant" passenger volumes to be generated through this scheme.
5. Tintu Luka finally strikes gold as India finishes 3rd at Asian Athletics Championships
i. Tintu Luka bagged her maiden gold in a major international event by winning the women's 800m finals as India finished with five medals on the final day of competitions to sign off third in the 21st Asian Athletics Championships here today.
ii. India secured a medal haul of 4 gold, 5 silver and 4 bronze in the championships to finish third behind China (15, 13, 13) and Qatar (7, 2, 1). Japan (4, 3, 11) and Bahrain (3, 3, 2) finished fourth and fifth respectively.
iii. This was India's best finish after 2007 in Amman, Jordan where the country was placed second.
National record holder Luka clocked her season's best timing of 2:01.53 to clinch the gold at Wuhan Sports Center.
iv. This was 26-year-old Luka's first individual title in a major international event after breaking into the scene in 2008-09 with a lot of promise under the tutelage of the legendary P T Usha.
6. Stanislas Wawrinka won Men's single title of French Open
i. Serena Williams emerged with a 20th grand slam title thanks to a 6-3, 6-7 (2-7), 6-2 victory over the Czech Lucie Safarova.
ii. The American is now two short of Steffi Graf, the open era leader, and four off Margaret Court, the all-time leader.
iii. Her win over Safarova was her fifth three-set victory of a tournament that was a struggle almost from day one.
iv. Stan Wawrinka played magnificently in a 4-6 6-4 6-3 6-4 victory at Roland Garros.
v. Wawrinka, 30, brought an end to Djokovic's 28-match winning streak as he claimed his second Grand Slam title.
vi. The victory makes him only the second Swiss to win at Roland Garros after Roger Federer, the man he beat in the quarter-finals.
Current Affairs - 6th June 2015
1. South Korea Tests New Ballistic Missile
i. South Korea successfully test fired a ballistic missile capable of hitting targets anywhere in North Korea.
ii. The test demonstrated improved ballistic missile capability that can strike all parts of North Korea swiftly, and with precision, in the event of armed aggression or provocation.
iii. The Hyunmoo-2B is an upgraded version of the Hyunmoo-2A, both of which were developed by the state-run Agency for Defense Development (ADD).
2. Prominent scientist Ameenah Gurib-Fakim sworn-in as President of Mauritius
i. Prominent scientist Ameenah Gurib-Fakim was on 5 June 2015 sworn in as President of Mauritius. With this, Gurib-Fakim became the first female president of Mauritius, which gained independence from Britain in 1968 and replaced Britain's Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state in 1992.
ii. Ameenah, an internationally-renowned scientist and biologist, succeeded Kailash Purryag who stepped down from his post on 29 May 2015.
iii. At the time of her appointment as President, Gurib-Fakim was director of Centre for Phytotherapy Research (CEPHYR) in Mauritius, which carries out research on plants for use in cosmetics, nutrition and therapy.
iv. Earlier, the Parliament on 4 June 2015 cleared her name for the ceremonial position of the Indian island nation after she was designated for the post by Government of Mauritius.
v. An alumni of the universities of Exeter and Surrey in Britain, she also serves as the chairman of organic chemistry at Mauritius University. She has also worked with the World Bank and other international institutions as well.
3. Naidu performs bhoomi pooja for AP capital
i. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and his wife Bhuvaneswari performed bhoomi pooja at around 8.49 a.m. for the new capital — Amaravati — at Mandadam village in Guntur district.
ii. Chief Minister's son and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) workers welfare committee convener Nara Lokesh; Union Ministers Nirmala Sitaraman and Sujana Chowdary were among those present for the ceremony.
iii. The ancient city of Amaravathi is being developed separately from the new capital zone as a heritage town with funds from the Centre.
4. UK Author Ali Smith won 2015 Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction
i. UK Author Ali Smith on 3 June 2015 won the 2015 Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction for her novel How to be Both.
ii. Other nominees for the award were English author Laline Paull, Canadian author Rachel Cusk, Pakistani author Kamila Shamsie and Welsh author Sarah Waters.
iii. Ali Smith, a Scottish author, has also won the 2014 Goldsmiths Prize and the Novel Award in the 2014 Costa Book Awards for the same book.
iv. Earlier, the book was shortlisted for the 2014 Man Booker Prize and the 2015 Folio Prize.
5. India, Bangladesh make history with land swap
i. India and Bangladesh on Saturday sealed a historic agreement that will settle a 41-year-old land boundary dispute through exchange of territories, removing a major irritant in bilateral ties.
ii. The two sides exchanged documents regarding the Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) that was passed unanimously by the Parliament last month in the presence of Mr. Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina.
iii. The exchange of documents paves way for the operationalisation of the 1974 India-Bangladesh LBA that provides for exchange of 161 enclaves between the two countries. A total 111 border enclaves will be transferred to Bangladesh in exchange for 51 that will become part of India.
iv. Under the agreement, India will have an advantage of 500 acres and 10,000 acres will go to Bangladesh.
6. Union Ministry of Water Resources launched nationwide Jal Kranti Abhiyan from Jaipur
i. Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejunivetion Uma Bharti on 5 June 2015 launched nationwide Jal Kranti Abhiyan (campaign) from Jaipur, Rajasthan.
ii. The aim is to consolidate water conservation and management in the country through a holistic and integrated approach involving all stakeholders, making it a mass movement.
Objective of the campaign
• To strengthen grass root involvement of all stake holders including Panchyati raj institutions and local bodies in the water security and development schemes like participatory Irrigation Management (PIM).
• To encourage the adoption of traditional knowledge in water resource conservation and its management
• To utilize sector-level expertise from different levels in government, NGOs, citizen, etc
• Enhancing livelihood security through water security in rural areas
• To encourage the adoption of traditional knowledge in water resource conservation and its management
• To utilize sector-level expertise from different levels in government, NGOs, citizen, etc
• Enhancing livelihood security through water security in rural areas
7. Dravid for India Under-19 coach
i. BCCI has announced Rahul Dravid as the coach of India A team and Indian U 19 cricket team.
ii. Working with the under-19 and 'A' teams might be the perfect solution as Dravid can make a tangible contribution without placing too much demand on his time.
iii. Dravid had a short stint as mentor of the Indian team before the series in England last year and several players spoke highly of their interactions with the former India captain.
Current Affairs - 5th June 2015
1. 5 June: World Environment Day observed globally
i. World Environment Day (WED) was observed globally on 5 June 2015 with theme Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with Care.
ii. The host country for the WED 2015 is Italy and the celebrations will be organized by Expo Milano 2015 that will run from 1 May to 31 October 2015 and will see the participation of 140 plus countries.
iii. The day is observed to raise global awareness to take positive environmental action to protect nature and the planet Earth. It is run by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
2. Delhi Metro got its first driver-less train
i. Delhi Metro on 4 June 2015 received its first driver-less train from Korea-based manufacturer. The train is equipped with several advanced features and will be operational on sections of Phase-III of the network, set to be operational by December 2016.
Features of these trains
• Manufactured at Changwan in South Korea, the new train has undergone significant technological as well as eco-friendly upgrades. Many additional features have been added to increase passenger comfort.
• The train will be more energy efficient because of improved design features such as better regeneration of energy during braking, energy efficient sub systems like LED lighting and air conditioning systems.
• The train is are designed for a maximum speed of 95 kmph and operational speed of 85 kmph
• Due to the absence of cabin for the operator, these train will be able to accommodate 2280 passengers, which is 240 more than the regular six-coach Metro train
• The train will be more energy efficient because of improved design features such as better regeneration of energy during braking, energy efficient sub systems like LED lighting and air conditioning systems.
• The train is are designed for a maximum speed of 95 kmph and operational speed of 85 kmph
• Due to the absence of cabin for the operator, these train will be able to accommodate 2280 passengers, which is 240 more than the regular six-coach Metro train
3. Prince Harry knighted
i. Prince Harry was today knighted by his grandmother the Queen as a sign of her personal esteem.
ii. The fifth in line to the throne was made a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in a private ceremony at Buckingham Palace.
iii. The Order was founded in April 1896 by Queen Victoria as a way of rewarding personal service to her, on her own initiative rather than by ministerial recommendation and remains entirely within the Sovereign's personal gift.
4. Mahindra business city to be carbon-positive
i. A 'green' integrated business city pioneered by the Mahindra Group has drawn a road map of becoming climate positive in 10 years, a distinction which places India on the world map.
ii. Mahindra World City Jaipur (MWCJ), spread across 3,000 acres on the Delhi-Mumbai corridor, has become the first project in Asia — and sixth in the world — to commit to a carbon-positive road map as part of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group.
iii. projected to reduce 8 lakh tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in about 10 years to become climate-neutral.
5. Essel, Rajasthan government ink Rs 4k crore pact for solar parks
i. Essel Group formed a 50:50 joint venture (JV) with the Rajasthan government to set up solar parks in the state.
ii. The solar parks will be set up in Bikaner and Jaisalmer regions with an investment of Rs 4,000 crore.
iii. Solar Park Project in Rajasthan will be India's turnkey project in the renewable energy space which will aid the clean energy initiatives of the Government of Rajasthan.
6. Infosys Limited appoints Seshasayee as Chairman
i. Infosys Limited announced that the Company’s Board have approved the appointment of R. Seshasayee as Non-Executive Chairman of the Board with immediate effect.
ii. K.V. Kamath will be stepping down from his position as Chairman of the Board and as an Independent Director of the Company, consequent to his nomination as President of the BRICS New Development Bank.
iii. Mr. Seshasayee has been an Independent Director on the Company’s Board since January 2011 and is the chairperson of the Audit Committee. Mr. Seshasayee’s other board positions include Non-Executive Vice Chairman of Ashok Leyland Ltd. and Chairman of IndusInd Bank Ltd.
7. Snapdeal-Tata Housing sells house worth Rs. 1.1 cr
i. E-commerce firm Snapdeal and Tata Housing, which have partnered to sell homes online, have announced their largest transaction worth Rs. 1.1 crore hours after commencing the sale of premium and luxury apartments.
ii. Snapdeal is also exploring alliances for providing options such as site visit facilities and documentation services.
iii. Snapdeal real estate category has grown 400 per cent in the last six months and currently comprise a portfolio of residential projects from developers across India including Tata Value Homes, Tata Housing, DLF, Sobha Developers, Godrej Properties, Mantri Developers, and Purvankara.
Current Affairs - 4th June 2015
1. Northern Railway rolled out India’s first rail coach lit by solar panels
i. The Delhi division of the Northern Railway on 3 June 2015 rolled out a non-AC coach lit by solar panels mounted on its roof.
ii. The eco-friendly solar panels will save fossil fuel as it needs reduced external charging of battery, thus reducing carbon foot print. The panels also require less maintenance in comparison to existing equipments.
iii. This is the first time in the history of Indian Railways, that a solar photovoltaic system has been used for power requirements of light and fan in a broad gauge coach.
iv. The coach, on an experimental basis, was attached to a high speed Self Propelled-Accident Relief Unit (SPART) that travelled from Delhi Cantonment to New Delhi railway station.
2. Syed Asif Ibrahim appointed as PM’s Special Envoy on Countering Terrorism and Extremism
i. Syed Asif Ibrahim was on 3 June 2015 appointed as the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy on Countering Terrorism and Extremism. He is a former Director of Intelligence Bureau (DIB).
ii. In this new capacity, he will liaise with governments in West Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and South East Asia, among others, in setting up channels for the exchange of intelligence and information on terror groups.
iii. The appointment took place in the back drop of growing concern over probable poaching of some Indian youth by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) and other militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq.
iv. He will report to National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and work out of the National Security Council (NSC) Secretariat in New Delhi.
v. Syed Asif Ibrahim was a 1977 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre and retired in December 2014.
vi. He held the position of DIB from 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2014.
3. Jayalalithaa announces aid for Cauvery delta farmers
i. Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa on Thursday announced a financial aid of Rs 41 crore for farmers in the Cauvery delta region to improve the kuruvai cultivation (short-term cultivation).
ii. The 'kuruvai package' announced by the government includes financial assistance to farmers and free supply of micro nutrients.
iii. Farm machines will be leased out to farmers free of cost. Besides, three phase power would be provided for 12 hours per day for irrigation.
iv. The ground water level had gone up considerably due to good rain. As such, to encourage kuruvai cultivation, a package of assistance to the tune of Rs 40.97 crore will be extended to the farmers.
4. India, Belarus agree on road map for stronger ties
i. India and Belarus decided to work together on defence and security issues as President Pranab Mukherjee met his Belarusian counterpart and agreed on a 17-point road map aimed at strengthening mutual trust and confidence.
ii. The President discussed a host of issues, including increasing trade ties, besides boosting co-operation in mining, education and heavy machinery with Mr. Lukashenko.
iii. Under the agreement, the two countries will enhance coordination in science and technology, energy sector, metals and mining, potash fertilizers, give boost to raw material in textile sector, extend cooperation by Belarus in modernisation of public electric transport system in India, agriculture and agro procession.
5. Suresh Kalmadi conferred with Asian Athletics Association President’s award
i. Suresh Kalmadi on 2 June 2015 was conferred with the Asian Athletics Association (AAA) President’s award. He was awarded for his contribution towards the development of athletics in Asian continent.
ii. Adille Sumariwala, the President of Athletics Federation of India received the award on behalf of Kalmadi at the function held in Wuhan, China ahead of the start of Asian Athletics Championships.
iii. He is credited with the introduction of top events like Asian Grand Prix series, Asian Indoor Championships and Asian All Star Meet and others during his tenure as the president of AAA for 13 years from 2000 to 2013. He was defeated by Dahlan Al-Hamad of Qatar in the presidential election of the AAA held in 2013 at Pune.
iv. Earlier in March 2015, he was named as the Life President of AAA for his contribution for Asian athletics. The decision was taken during the council meet of AAA in Jakarta, Indonesia.
v. He has served as the President of Indian Olympic Association from 1996 to 2012.
6. De Villiers crowned South African cricketer of the year
i. AB de Villiers won as many as five awards, including the South African Cricketer of the Year for a second consecutive time at a gala function, hosted by Cricket South Africa (CSA) in Johannesburg.
ii. The 27-year-old batsman was named the ODI Cricketer of the Year, Cricketers’ Cricketer of the Year, SA Fan’s Cricketer of the Year and also got the ‘So Good Award’ for scoring the fastest century in the history of ODI cricket against the West Indies in December 2014.
iii. Morne van Wyk won the T20 Cricketer of the Year, Dale Steyn received the Delivery of the Year and Rilee Rossouw was named the SA Newcomer of the Year.
7. India jumps six places in FIFA rankings
i. India has jumped six places to 141st position in the latest rankings released by world football’s governing body FIFA.
ii. India was previously placed 147th in the rankings list. Iran (41) is the top-ranked Asian team in the list, followed by Japan (52) and South Korea (58).
iii. World Champions Germany continued to head the rankings. Belgium jumped to second place, a place above World Cup runners-up Argentina.
iv. Five-time world champions Brazil are fifth, a spot below Colombia. Brazil is followed by the Netherlands, Portugal (seventh), Uruguay (eighth), and France (ninth).
Current Affairs - 3rd June 2015
1. Jaipur Metro starts operations
i. Jaipur Metro, touted as one of the fastest built metro systems in the country, was thrown open to public today.
ii. Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje flagged off the inaugural train on 9.6 km long route from Mansarovar to Chandpole.
iii. Jaipur Metro commenced its regular commercial operations from all its 9 stations-- Mansarovar, New Aatish Market, Vivek Vihar, Shyam Nagar, Ram Nagar, Civil Lines, Railway Station, Sindhi Camp and Chandpole.
iv. To encourage people to travel in the metro, upto 15 per cent discount has been offered on smart cards, which can be recharged using Jaipur Metro website or Ticket Vending Machines installed at all stations.
2. US President Barack Obama signed USA FREEDOM Act 2015 into law
i. US President Barack Obama on 2 June 2015 signed the USA FREEDOM Act 2015 in law. The USA FREEDOM stands for Uniting and Strengthening America by Fulfilling Rights and Ensuring Effective Discipline Over Monitoring Act of 2015.
ii. With this, the National Security Agency (NSA) lost its authority to collect the phone records of millions of Americans.
iii. The Act was approved by the Senate on 1 June 2015 by 67-32 votes and was passed by the House of Representatives on 13 May 2015. The Act will remain in effect until 15 December 2019.
3. Snowden awarded freedom of expression prize in Norway
i. Former security contractor Edward Snowden won a Norwegian prize for freedom of expression.
ii. The Norwegian Academy of Literature and Freedom of Expression said the 31-year old fugitive had won the Bjornson Prize named after a Norwegian Nobel literature laureate "for his work protecting privacy and for shining a critical light on US surveillance of its citizens and others."
iii. The academy requested assurances from the Norwegian government that Snowden would not be extradited to the US if he travelled to Norway to receive the 100,000 kroner ($12,700, 11,500 euros) prize money.
iv. Snowden was awarded Sweden's Right Livelihood Award in 2014 but chose to accept it by video link rather than leaving his exile in Russia.
4. Govt notifies FDI policy relaxations for NRIs
i. Non-repatriable investments by NRIs, OCIs and PIOs will be treated as domestic investments and will not be subject to foreign direct investment caps.
ii. It has been decided to amend the definition of NRIs as contained in the FDI policy and also to provide that for the purposes of FDI policy, investment by NRIs under Schedule 4 of FEMA regulations will be deemed to be domestic investment at par with the investment made by residents.
iii. The government has also notified increase in FIPB’s power to recommend foreign investment proposals of up to Rs 3,000 crore from the earlier Rs 2,000 crore.
5. Sepp Blatter resigned as FIFA president amid corruption scandal
i. Outgoing Fifa president Sepp Blatter is now part of the corruption probe by US prosecutors.
ii. Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro nominated Diego Maradona for the job.
iii. Jordanian Prince Ali bin al Hussein will stand in new elections for the presidency of world football's governing body.
iv. FIFPro welcomes the decision of FIFA president Sepp Blatter to resign as this creates an overdue and unique opportunity to fundamentally reform the governance of football.
6. US Defence Secretary Ashton B. Carter arrives in India
i. After delivering the keynote address at the crucial Shangri La dialogue in Singapore, US Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter arrived in India.
ii. he will hold meetings with PM Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. During his visit.
iii. The two countries will be signing the Defence Framework Agreement (DFA) that will define the US-India defence cooperation over the next decade.
iv. During Carter’s ongoing visit, the two sides will assess the progress made in these pathfinder projects— next generation Raven Minis UAVs, roll-on roll-off kits for C-130s, mobile electric hybrid power source and Uniform Integrated Protection Ensemble Increment.
Current Affairs - 2nd June 2015
1. Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa sworn-in as Arunachal Pradesh Governor
i. Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa was sworn-in as the 19th Governor of Arunachal Pradesh.
ii. President Pranab Mukherjee had appointed him as Governor on May 12, 2015 after then Governor Lt General (Retired) Nirbhay Sharma was transferred to Mizoram.
iii. Mr. Rajkhowa is a retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from 1968 batch. He is the former Chief Secretary of Assam and had retired from service in 2004.
iv. Mr. Rajkhowa has authored a book, Central Vigilance Mechanism with special reference to P.S.E’s, and also had contributed by writing number of articles to leading newspapers.
2. BIS App launched
i. Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan launched a BIS App to register complaints against sub-standard quality of ISI marked products and Hallmark jewellery.
ii. Operation of godowns under Food Corporation of India (FCI) has been made online to increase transparency in the functioning of the corporation.
iii. Mr Paswan said government has decided to continue food grain allocation for other welfare schemes for the poor. Saying that food grains older than a year and a half are not kept in the godowns.
3. Bangladesh Liberation War award for Vajpayee
i. Bangladesh is set to honour former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee for his outstanding support for the country’s independence from Pakistan in 1971 when he was a Lok Sabha member.
ii. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also approved a proposal to honour the families of the members of Indian armed forces for sacrificing their lives for the cause of Bangladesh’s independence.
iii. Bangladesh will hand over Vajpayee’s “Friends of Bangladesh Liberation War Award” to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his upcoming visit to the country from June 6.
4. RBI lowers repo rate to 7.25 per cent
i. The Reserve Bank of India in its second bi-monthly policy announced on has reduced the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) by 25 basis points from 7.5 per cent to 7.25 per cent with immediate effect.
ii. It has decided to keep the cash reserve ratio (CRR) of scheduled banks unchanged at 4.0 per cent of net demand and time liabilities (NDTL).
iii. It has decided to continue to provide liquidity under overnight repos at 0.25 per cent of bankwise NDTL at the LAF repo rate and liquidity under 14-day term repos as well as longer-term repos of up to 0.75 per cent of NDTL of the banking system through auctions and continue with overnight/term variable rate repos and reverse repos to smooth liquidity.
iv. the reverse repo rate under the LAF stands adjusted to 6.25 per cent, and the marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the bank rate to 8.25 per cent.
5. 92-year-old Harriette Thompson became oldest woman to complete a marathon
i. Harriette Thompson, a 92 year 65 days old cancer survivor, on 31 May 2015 became the oldest woman to finish a marathon.
ii. She achieved this fete at San Diego’s Rock 'n' Roll Marathon of 26.2 miles (42.2 kilometers) by completing the race in 7 hours, 24 minutes, 36 seconds. This was her 16th Rock 'n' Roll Marathon and by far, the hardest.
iii. With this, Harriette Thompson of Charlotte, North Carolina got her name inscribed into the record books. The previous record holder was Gladys Burrill. She made the record at the age of 92 years and 19 days at the 2010 Honolulu Marathon.
iv. According to Runner's World, Thompson has been running the San Diego marathon for 16 years and has raised more than 100000 dollar for cancer research in that time.
6. Ravi Shastri to continue as Indian team director
i. Former captain Ravi Shastri was on Tuesday retained as director of the Indian cricket team for the tour of Bangladesh starting June 10.
ii. Shastri, who served as team director during the tour of Australia and the subsequent World Cup earlier this year, is a stop-gap arrangement for the short trip.
iii. Mr. B. Arun, assistant coach (Bowling) and Mr. R. Sridhar, assistant coach (Fielding), will assist Mr. Shastri during the tour.
7. Ericsson partners Sterlite for smart city initiatives in India
i. Under the agreement, Ericsson will collaborate with Sterlite to design a roadmap and deploy solutions.
ii. The alliance will design, deploy, integrate and manage solutions in areas like communications, public safety, smart grid solutions and intelligent transport.
iii. Sterlite is working closely with the Government to drive smart sustainable city initiatives and supports Digital India programme.
iv. Solutions covered in the agreement include communications (Wi-Fi networks and fibre deployment), public safety (video situational awareness solutions and emergency response), intelligent transport (traffic management and fleet management) and smart grid solutions (smart grid communications and smart metering).
8. President gave assent to 119th Constitutional Amendment Bill on LBA between India and Bangladesh
i. President of India Pranab Mukherjee on 28 May 2015 gave his assent to the Constitution (119th Amendment) Bill, 2013 that related to the Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) between India and Bangladesh.
ii. Earlier, the bill was unanimously passed by both the houses of the Parliament in May 2015.
iii. It is the 100th amendment to the Indian Constitution and amends its first schedule.
iv. The Constitution (100th Amendment ) Act, 2015, as it is called now, is intended to operationalise the May 1974 LBA that pertains to exchange of certain enclaves of land between both the countries.
Current Affairs - 1st June 2015
1. K.Sivan-new VSSC chief
i. K. Sivan, Distinguished Scientist, ISRO, assumed office as the 12th Director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC).
ii. He takes over from M.S. Dathan who has retired from service.
iii. Dr. Sivan joined ISRO in 1982 in the PSLV project and has contributed towards mission planning, design, integration, and analysis.
iv. He also spearheaded the Reusable Launch Vehicle Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD) project. In April 2011, Dr. Sivan joined the GSLV project as director.
v. His leadership led to the successful flight of GSLV with an indigenous cryogenic stage.
2. China unveiled world's first facial recognition ATM machine
i. China on 30 May 2015 unveiled the world's first facial recognition ATM which will not allow users to withdraw cash unless their face matches their IDs. The ATM machine was created by Tsinghua University and Hangzhou-based technology company Tzekwan.
Highlights of the ATM Machine
• The machine is a combination of high speed ban-knote handling, improved counterfeit-bill recognition and face recognition.
• It has a camera installed in it that captures the facial features of the user and then compares it with a database of identification photos.
• It looks at the biological features and can identify people even if their facial features have changed.
• It will help in preventing thieves from accessing other people's accounts as the ATM records the serial number of every bank note deposited.
• The machine is 20 percent more accurate at verifying the authenticity of multiple currencies compared with the average ATM used globally.
• It has a camera installed in it that captures the facial features of the user and then compares it with a database of identification photos.
• It looks at the biological features and can identify people even if their facial features have changed.
• It will help in preventing thieves from accessing other people's accounts as the ATM records the serial number of every bank note deposited.
• The machine is 20 percent more accurate at verifying the authenticity of multiple currencies compared with the average ATM used globally.
3. Muhammadu Buhari assumed the office of President of Nigeria
i. Muhammadu Buhari on 29 May 2015 assumed the office of President of Nigeria. He became the 5th President of the country by defeating the incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan in the March 2015 general election.
ii. It is the first time in Nigeria's history that an incumbent President was defeated in an election by the opposition.
iii. He is a retired Nigerian Army Major General and was Head of State of Nigeria from 31 December 1983 to 27 August 1985, after taking power in a military coup d'état.
iv. Earlier, he unsuccessfully ran for the office of President in the 2003, 2007 and 2011 elections. In December 2014, he emerged as the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) that has also won the majority of seats in the Senate and the House of Representatives in the elections held in March 2015.
4. President's visit to Sweden
i. President Pranab Mukherjee arrived in Sweden on the first leg of his five-day state visit to Sweden and Belarus, the first ever by any Indian head of State, during which a number of key agreements on sustainable development, scientific research are likely to be signed.
ii. During his three-day State visit in Sweden, the President will meet Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, the Speaker of the Swedish Parliament, and the Leader of Opposition, Anna Kinberg Batra besides number of meetings with the King and the Queen.
iii. The visit will focus on innovation, sustainable development, urban development and scientific research with both countries exploring ways to enhance mutual exchange in the areas of trade and science.
5. Service tax increased to 14%
i. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his Budget had proposed to raise service tax from 12.36 percent (including education cess) to 14 percent.
ii. Some of the key services that will attract higher tax and hence become costlier are: railways, airlines, banking, insurance, advertising, architecture, construction, credit cards, event management and tour operators.
iii. Jaitley had proposed to raise the service tax rate to 14 percent to facilitate a smooth transition to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime, which the government wants to roll out from April 2016.
6. Shooter Gurpreet Singh qualifies for Rio 2016
i. Former Commonwealth Games gold medallist Gurpreet Singh became India's fifth shooter to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games finishing fourth in the 10m Air Pistol category at the ISSF World Cup Rifle/Pistol event being held in Munich.
ii. The 28-year-old shot a total of 154.8 points to finish fourth in the Final.
iii. Joao Costa of Portugal who shot a total of 201.4 in the event won the gold medal.
iv. The other Indians to have earned India the earlier four quota places are Jitu Rai, Olympic bronze medallist Gagan Narang, Apurvi Chandela and India's only individual Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra.
7. Tendulkar, Ganguly, Laxman inducted in BCCI’s Cricket Advisory Committee
i. Former greats Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, and VVS Laxman on Monday joined the BCCI in a newly-constituted advisory panel to guide the board in all matters related to the game.
ii. It has been learnt that Thakur and president Jagmohan Dalmiya will consult with the panel on all major cricketing decisions.
iii. Board wants batsmen to specifically speak to Tendulkar before any tough international assignment.
iv. Ganguly might well be consulted for preparing a blueprint for success of the team overseas with Laxman working on the bench-strength and the new talent coming in through the system.
8. Bhanot elected Asian Athletics Association vice-President
i. Scam-tainted former IOA Secretary General Lalit Bhanot was elected vice-President of the Asian Athletics Association (AAA) in polls held in Wuhan, China.
ii. Recommended by the Athletics Federation of India, Mr. Bhanot fought through a 14-strong challenge in the elections to be picked as one of the five vice-Presidents during the AAA council on the eve of the Asian Championships in Wuhan.
iii. Tainted in the corruption scandal that engulfed the 2010 Commonwealth Games, Mr. Bhanot served as secretary of AFI for more than a decade and was the Secretary General of the IOA when it served a 14-month suspension by the IOC.
