1. Canara Bank ties up with Life Insurance Corporation

i. Canara Bank has entered into a memorandum of understanding with Life Insurance Corporation of India for offering the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojanainsurance cover to all its eligible customers.

ii. The bank has also partnered with the United India Insurance Company for offering the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana insurance cover.

iii. According to the MoU, LIC will offer a life cover of 2 lakh in case of death of the insured person at a nominal premium of 330 per annum.

iv. All savings bank account holders in age group of 18 to 50 years can avail themselves of product.

2. BARC India TV viewership rating

i. Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India, launched two years ago to measure and assess TV viewership in India, has announced its first data for week 16 of 2015.

ii. As per BARC data, Star Plus was the leading Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) in the Hindi-speaking markets (HSM), Zee emerged as a strong player in the regional channels such as Marathi and Telugu, Aaj Tak was the leader in Hindi news (HSM) and Times Now led in the English News category (All India).

iii. BARC India will monitor 12,000 sample households using a stratified random sampling technique. This will go up to 20,000 reporting homes.

iv. BARC India was set up as a collaboration between advertisers and the TV broadcasters to replace TAM (Television Audience Measurement) media research data.

3. Extremely simplified income tax return form

i. An extremely simplified income tax return form will soon replace the controversial 14-page ITR that sought information like all bank accounts and foreign trip details.

ii. The Finance Ministry is considering easy taxation form which an assessee can do things himself and does not have to run to various advisers.

iii. As it stands, the new ITR forms, including the ITR-1 and ITR-2, require an assessee to furnish the number of bank accounts held by the individual.

4. Reform implementation to determine rating upgrade

i. Indias sovereign rating will depend on implementation of policies by its leaders to improve the business environment for the private sector and for infrastructure growth according to rating agency Moodys.

ii. Moodys, which has given the lowest investment grade rating to India, named regulatory complexity and weak social and physical infrastructure as challenges before the country.

iii. Lower global commodity prices support Indias growth and balance of payments, but its banking system would pose sovereign risks over the medium term if asset quality and capitalisation levels do not improve.

5. India extends e-tourist visa scheme to 31 more countriesi. India will provide e-tourist visa to 31 more countries, including France and Canada, enabling the citizens of these nations easy entry to the country.ii. The e-tourist visa had been launched in November last year for 45 countries from nine designated Indian airports.iii. With the latest addition, the total number of countries under this scheme will go up to 76. By the end of current financial year Government intends to extend the scheme to 150 countries.6. Dr. Pramod Patil and Dr. Ananda Kumar won 2015 Whitley Awards for wildlife conservationi. Two Indians have been awarded with the prestigious Whitley Awards for their contribution to wildlife conservation.ii. Dr Ananda Kumar, a conservationist from India, was awarded the prize, in honour of his work using innovative communication systems to enable human-elephant coexistence in southern India.iii. Another winner of the Whitley Award, dubbed 'Green Oscar' is Dr Pramod Patil. He has been awarded for his work to protect the iconic great Indian bustard in the Thar Desert.

iv. HRH The Princess Royal presented the awards and each of them receiving a Whitley prize worth 35,000 at a ceremony in London.7. Seychelles becomes 161st member of World Trade Organisationi. Seychelles, an archipelago of 90000 inhabitants became the 161st member of the World Trade Organization (WTO). It is one of the smallest nations among the WTO members.ii. This approval by WTO ended Seychelles 20-year long wait to become a member of WTO since it had applied for WTO membership in May 1995.iii. Seychelles also became the 33rd government to accede to the rules-based multilateral trading system through Article XII negotiations since the WTO was established in 1995.iv. It should be noted that the Protocol of Accession was signed by former Seychelles Minister of Trade, Finance and Investment Pierre Laporte and WTO Director General (DG) Roberto Azevedo.

1. John Kerry's visit to Sri Lanka

i. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Sri Lanka to offer support for newly elected President Maithripala Sirisena after years of tensions with the former government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa over human rights.

ii. It is the first time in a decade that a U.S. secretary of state has visited Sri Lanka.

iii. Kerry will discuss U.S. interest in expanding trade and investment with Sri Lanka.

iv. Sri Lanka exports roughly $2.5 billion in goods, mostly textiles, to the United States a year.

2. Tata Power, L&T to supply mobile artillery system to the Army

i. The army is set to get an artillery boost with a proposal being moved to raise six new regiments of the indigenous Pinaka Multi-Launcher Rocket System (MLRS), a formidable system designed to annihilate enemy targets with a blanket of precisely guided rockets.

ii. Tata Power and Larsen & Toubro (L&T) will get a major share of the Rs 1,950-crore contract that is to be approved by the defence ministry as they are the primary manufacturers of the mobile artillery system, along with state-run Bharat Earth Movers (BEML).

iii. From the existing capacity of 1,000 rockets a year, the government has sanctioned an increase to 5,000 rockets annually.

3. CRPF to adopt village in earthquake-hit Nepal

i. para-military force CRPF has decided to adopt a village in the Himalayan country.

ii. The CRPF has decided to adopt Karikat village near Birganj in Nepal to provide people immediate relief and help in its reconstruction.

iii. The para-military force has set up a medical camp for earthquake victims and was also distributing daily need items like rice, tea, biscuit, candle etc.

4. Buenos Aires is worlds bookstore capital

i. The city has more bookstores per capita than any other major city in the world, according to a recent study by the World Cities Cultural Forum, an organization that works to promote culture.

ii. With a population of 2.8 million people within the city limits, there are 25 bookstores for every 100,000 people, putting Buenos Aires far above other world cities like London, Paris, Madrid, Moscow and New York. The closest is Hong Kong, which has 22 bookstores per 100,000 people.

5. Goldman Sachs invests in Foodpandai. Mobile food delivery app Foodpanda on Friday announced raising of fresh funds to the tune of $100 million (about Rs. 635 crore) in a financing round led by Goldman Sachs.

ii. Its investors include Rocket Internet (52 per cent stake), Phenomen Ventures, Investment AB Kinnevik and iMENA Holdings. Active in over 580 cities globally, Foodpanda has partnered with over 60,000 restaurants.iii. In India, the company has partnerships with more than 3,000 restaurants, including brands such as Pizza Hut, Subway, Nirulas, Faasos, Baskin Robbins and Ammis Biryani.6. Nitin Gadkari Dedicates to the Nation Two Major Highway Projects in the North Easti. Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari today dedicated to the nation two major Highway projects in the North East at a function near Shillong.ii. The projects considerably ease the travel from Guwahati towards Shillong and other parts of the North East. These include Shillong Bypass and four laning of Jorabat-Barapani Section of NH-40.iii. The Shillong Bypass connects NH 40 and NH 44 (New NH 6) and will decongest the traffic in the city of Shillong from trucks and heavy vehicles coming from or moving towards North Eastern parts of Assam and other states-Mizoram and Tripura.iv. The 48.76 Km Bypass begins from NH 40 at Umiam in Ri-Bhoi District and ends on NH 44 (new NH 6) at Mawryngkneng in East Khasi Hills District. The bypass was constructed by NHAI on BOT (Annuity) mode.

CNR Rao conferred with Japan's highest civilian award

i.Eminent scientist and Bharat Ratna awardee Chintamani Nagesa Ramachandra Rao was conferred with Japans highest civilian award the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star.

ii.He was bestowed with this award for his outstanding contributions to science and Indo-Japanese science cooperation.

iii.Rao is a National Research Professor, Linus Pauling Research Professor. He is also the Honorary President of Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advance Scientific Research, Bengaluru and a former Chair of the Japan-India Science Council.

A Book titled China Confucius in the Shadows written by Poonam Surie released

i.A Book titled China Confucius in the Shadows was released by the Vice President M. Hamid Ansari on 1 May 2015. Confucius was considered as the most efficient author in Chinese history.

ii.Book has been written by Poonam Surie. Poonam Surie is an Adjunct Fellow at the Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi.

iii.The book highlights that in the evolving socio political milieu of China; interpreting Confucian philosophy as being non-confrontationist, benevolent and with values such as filial piety and harmony could help the current political regime deal with such problems as corruption and rising inequalities.

Four Indians to be conferred with 2015 Spring Imperial Decorations of Japan

i. Four Indians will be conferred with the Spring Imperial Decorations of Japan which were announced on 29 April 2015.

ii. These Indians are among the 85 foreign recipients who will receive the award at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on 8 May 2015. The awards will be conferred by Emperor of Japan Akihito.

The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star-

Thottuvelil Krishna Pillai Aiyappankutty Nair (75):He is a former Advisor and Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh.

Chintamani Nagesa Ramachandra Rao (80):He is the Honorary President of Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advance Scientific Research, Bangalore and a former Chair of the Japan-India Science Council.

The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays

Nikunj Parekh (74):He is the President of Indo-Japanese Association, Mumbai and Director of Bonsai Study Group of Indo-Japanese Association, Mumbai.

The Orders of the Sacred Treasure, Gold and Silver Rays

Topgay Bhutia (64): Former local employee of the Embassy of Japan in India was awarded for his contribution to the activities of the Japanese overseas establishment.

Surender Singh took over as Director General of CISF

i.Senior IPS officer Surender Singh took over as Director General (DG) of central paramilitary force Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

ii.Surender Singh is a 1980-batch police officer of West Bengal cadre. Earlier, he served as a Special Director in the Intelligence Bureau (IB) before getting the new assignment.

iii.His tenure will end in August 2016. He succeeded Arvind Ranjan.

iv.CISF is the largest industrial security force in the world. It is directly under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and its headquarters are at New Delhi.

Rajasthan government allocates 12 crore rupees for Project Great Indian Bustard

i.Rajasthan Forest department has allotted more than twelve crore rupees for a bird conservation programme, Project Great Indian Bustard (GIB).

ii.For this project Japan Bank is going to provide financial support of three crore rupees.

iii.Under the GIB Project, closures will be made at many places in Khudi rasla, Pokhran and Shahgarh of Jaislmer district for safe habitat of bird. In order to regularly monitor the bird information chips will installed.

iv.The Great Indian Bustard locally called as Godawan is also the state bird of Rajasthan.

Status of the Great Indian Bustard

The Great Indian Bustard presently is confined to only eight pockets in 6 Indian states- Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

The largest population is found in Jaisalmer, Barmer, and Bikaner districts of Rajasthan

Great Indian Bustard is the State Bird of Rajasthan and locally is called as Godawan.

It is listed as critically endangered species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red data list.

IGI adjudged World's Best Airport

i.Delhis Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) has been adjudged the worlds best airport for the year 2014.

ii.In this regard, Airports Council International (ACI) presented the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) award to IGIA under the category of handling 25 to 40 million passengers per annum.

iii.IGIA had scored 4.90 on a scale of 5 points measured by 300 members of the ACI ASQ benchmarking programme. It should be noted that, IGIA has bettered its ranking from second position for three consecutive years 2011, 2012 and 2013 to emerge on top in 2014.

iv.Airport Service Quality (ASQ) is the key to understanding how to increase passenger satisfaction and improve business performance. While the ACI is a trade association of the worlds airports and was founded in 1991.

Tennis player Rafael Nadal received Golden Medal for Merit in Work of Spain

i.Ace tennis player Rafael Nadal on 1 May 2015 received the Golden Medal for Merit in Work. Golden Medal is one of the top civilian honours of Spain which aims to highlight an exemplary performance in any job or profession.

ii.Nadal received the honour from the Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy Brey at the PMs official residence Moncloa Palace in Madrid.

iii.Rafael Nadal is 14-time Grand Slam singles champion out of which he has won the French Open for a record nine times. He is often called The King of Clay and is currently ranked World Number Besides, he has won the 2008 Olympic gold medal in singles, a record 27 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 and 15 ATP World Tour 500 tournaments.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. defeats Manny Pacquiao to win World Welterweight Title of Boxing

i.American boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. has won the unified World Welterweight title of World Boxing Council, World Boxing Organisation and World Boxing Association.

ii.To win this title he defeated Manny Pacquiao from Philippines on a unanimous decision with Judges Scores of 118-110, 116-112 and 116-112 in 12 rounds of intense boxing.

iii.The legendary bout termed as Fight of the Century was played at iconic MGM Grand, Las Vegas. This fight was also the highest watched and most revenue generating with almost 400 million dollars of all time.

Direct tax collection falls short by 14% in 2014-15

i.The direct tax collection by the government during 2014-15 fell short of the target by about 14 per cent with Rs. 6,96,200 crore revenue coming to its kitty.

ii.The Income Tax Department which collects a variety of taxes like Income Tax and Corporate Tax collected approximately Rs. 6,96,200 crore in the fiscal ending March 31, 2015.

iii.The achieved collections are about Rs. 9,000 crore less or 14 per cent short of the projected target of Rs. 7,05,000 crore.

iv.The collections are, however, 19 per cent more than the last fiscal. In 201314, the mopup was Rs. 5,83,000 crore.

Gold imports jump 19.5% at $34.32 billion in FY15

i.Gold imports surged 19.5 per cent to reach USD 34.32 billion in 2014-15 due to declining prices and easing of restrictions by the Reserve Bank.

ii.Imports of the metal were USD 28.7 billion the previous fiscal, 2013-14.

iii.Increase in gold imports impacts the countrys trade deficit, which has reached USD 137 billion in 2014-15, and the current account deficit (CAD).

iv.The imports almost doubled in March to USD 4.98 billion which pushed the trade deficit to a four-month high of USD 11.79 billion for the month, according to the Commerce Ministry data.

v.India is the largest importer of gold, which mainly caters to the demand of the jewellery industry.

Future Group's Retail Business to Merge With Bharti Retail

i.Future RetailBSE 12.06 % Ltd said on Monday it had agreed to merge its retail operations with rival Bharti Retail Ltd to create one of India's biggest retail chain with more than 570 stores across the country.

ii.Under the deal structure, approved by the boards of the two companies, the retail business of Future Retail will be merged with Bharti Retail. The combined entity will own the retail operations of both the companies.

iii.In the second step, infrastructure, investments and assets of both the companies will be combined to create a new entity to be called Future Enterprises Ltd.

World Press Freedom Day observed globally

i.World Press Freedom Day is annually observed on May 3 to inform the international community that freedom of the press and freedom of expression are fundamental human rights.

ii.This year, the theme of World Press Freedom day is Let Journalism Thrive! Towards better reporting, gender equality and media safety in the digital age.

iii.World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in December 1993, following the recommendation of UNESCO's General Conference in 1991. Since then, 3 May is celebrated worldwide as World Press Freedom Day.

Tennis player Rafael Nadal received Golden Medal for Merit in Work of Spain

i.Ace tennis player Rafael Nadal received the Golden Medal for Merit in Work. Golden Medal is one of the top civilian honours of Spain which aims to highlight an exemplary performance in any job or profession.

ii. Nadal received the honour from the Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy Brey at the PMs official residence Moncloa Palace in Madrid.

iii. Rafael Nadal is 14-time Grand Slam singles champion out of which he has won the French Open for a record nine times. He is often called The King of Clay and is currently ranked World Number 5.

Indian Railway girls clinch 5th National Hockey Championship title

i.Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) have won the 5th National women hockey championship title.

ii.In the final match played at the Master Chandgi Ram sports stadium at Saifai, Uttar Pradesh the the RSPB girls team defeated Hockey Jharkhand by 12-2 goals.

iii.For the RSPB, Saundarya Yendala scored three goals in the final match while Sunita Lakra and Lilima Minz scored two goals each. Anuradha Devi, Manmeet Kaur, Anupa Barla, Poonam Barla, and Deepgrace Ekka scored one goal each for the winning team.

1. The Union Cabinet approved the 119th Constitutional Amendment Bill on Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) between India and Bangladesh.

i. Under the land boundary agreement, India and Bangladesh will exchange several enclaves which are under each other's adverse possession. The bill also includes the territories in Assam in addition to territories of West Bengal, Tripura and Meghalaya.

ii. The bill will need ratification by the Parliament and would also require ratification of at least 50 percent of the state legislatures before it comes into effect.

iii. Earlier in 2013, the bill in regard to this was placed in the Rajya Sabha and subsequently was referred to a select committee, which was headed by Shashi Tharoor of Congress. Later, the committee unanimously recommended implementation of the deal.

2. Surface-to-air short range Akash missile system inducted into Indian Army

i. Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL), in partnership with Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), is supplying critical electronic systems for Akash Weapon System (AWS) inducted into the Indian Army.

ii. 'Akash' is a surface-to-air missile indigenously developed by the Defence Research Development Laboratory (DRDL), under Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP).

iii. The first off production models (FOPM) of these systems were successfully realised and delivered by ECIL in close association with DRDL.

3. Microsofts Edu-Cloud to make learning fun

i. Microsoft India unveiled Edu-Cloud, a cloud computing-based offering, designed to offer digital learning and teaching in schools and higher educational institutions through virtual learning platforms in India.

ii. Microsoft India Chairman Bhaskar Pramanik said Edu-Cloud is expected to benefit 10 lakh teachers and 60 lakh students in over 1,500 institutes over the next 18 months.

iii. The company has also announced a tie-up with the Chaitanya group of educational institutions, which will adopt Edu-Cloud.

iv. In the last 10 years, Microsofts education, skill development, entrepreneurship and digital literacy programmes have touched over 5 crore people in 20 different states of India.

4. MoneyGram Ready to Handle Electronic-Mode Remittances in India

i. NASDAQ-listed MoneyGram is ready to handle remittances through electronic modes in India as soon as the government allows such transactions through a series of electronic modes such as online, ATM and phone banking.

ii. It would happen when the government allows transactions to be managed through a series of electronic modes such as online, Automated Teller Machines (ATM) and phone banking.

iii. In 2013, India received $70 billion in remittances topping the list in Asia, followed by China at $59 billion and the Philippines at $27 billion, according to the World Bank data.

iv. The top countries sending money into India are those in North America, the Middle East, the UK and Europe, according to the two MoneyGram executives.

5. Offering whole internet for free not sustainable: Mark Zuckerberg

i. Facebook is opening up Internet.org, which provides connectivity to people in developing nations, to outside applications following a controversy over its limited set of online services.

ii. Internet.org would operate as a free platform so anyone can build free basic services, but that the full internet would not be included.

iii. NDTV, Newshunt and Cleartrip had also announced that they were withdrawing from Internet.org on the same day.

6. India to tie up with Iran for Chabahar

i. India and Iran agreed in 2003 to develop a port at Chabahar on the Gulf of Oman, near Iran's border with Pakistan, but the venture has made little progress because of Western sanctions on Iran.

ii. Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari will travel on a day-long tour to Iran to sign a memorandum of understanding for development of Chabahar port.

iii. Iran has also proposed a free-trade agreement with India, a trade ministry source said. Rupee-denominated trade with Iran, started in 2012 because of complications arising from sanctions, has almost doubled Indian exports to Tehran in the past two years to $4 billion.

1. LS approves GST Bill

i. The long-pending GST bill was approved by Lok Sabha after a walkout by Congress even as government vowed to compensate states for any revenue loss and assured that the new uniform indirect tax rate will be much less than 27 per cent recommended by an expert panel.

ii. The Constitution Amendment Bill to implement the Goods and Services Tax (GST), originally mooted by the UPA, was passed by 352 votes against 37 after the government rejected the opposition demand of referring it to Standing Committee.

iii. By subsuming most indirect taxes levied by the central and state governments like excise, service tax, VAT and sales tax, the pan-India goods and services tax (GST) regime has proposed to facilitate a common market in the country.

iv. Taxes on alcohol make up a major chunks of state revenues -- for instance, in Kerala it contributes 22 percent of revenue, while in Tamil Nadu it yields about Rs.21,000 crore per year.

2. Government declared 11 pacts that signed between India, Germany at Hannover fair

i. Indian companies including HMT and Essel Group have signed 11 MoUs with German firms that will help boost foreign fund inflows as well as domestic manufacturing.

ii. The pacts were signed last month at the Hannover trade fair. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel had inaugurated the fair in Germany last month.

iii. These Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) are expected to increase FDI flows to India, bring in new technology, help growth of manufacturing sector and create employment opportunities in the country thereby boosting its economy.

iv. Instrumentation Ltd signed a pact with German-based KE Kauer Engineering for production of control valves. Vikram Solar inked MoU with Fraunhofer Institute for solar energy systems.

v. Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT) inked separate pacts with FT Machine Tools and Enit GmbH for collaboration in engineering sector.

3. Narendra Modi set to revive Vajpayee government's FIIA project

i. The Foreign Investment Implementation Agency, a brainchild of the former Vajpayee government, is set to get a new lease of life under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

ii. The agency's role will be reinvented and expanded to handhold foreign investors and keep tab on sectors that have end-use operational conditions.

iii. The Ministry of Finance and the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion have had discussions on FIIA playing a more effective role as the government looks to boost capital flows into the country.

iv. The Reserve Bank of India, the administrative ministries in charge of sectors, the department of economic affairs, which houses the Foreign Investment Promotion Board, and DIPP have all expressed difficulty in monitoring sectoral conditions.

4. Real estate bill sent to select committee of Rajya Sabha

i. A united Opposition forced Government to send the controversial Real Estate Bill that seeks to regulate realty business, to a 21-member select committee of Rajya Sabha, which has been asked to submit its report by the first week of the Monsoon Session.

ii. The government brought a motion to refer the bill to Select Committee, chaired by BJP member Anil Madhav Dave.

iii. The government had brought the bill earlier in this session after taking the view of all stakeholders. However, amid lot of criticim the bill was delayed even after the recommendations of the Standing Committee.

5. Salman Khan Finally Loses Celebrity Coveri. Actor Salman Khan, sentenced to five years for killing a homeless man in a hit-and-run in 2002, will not go to jail for now. He has been allowed to go home till Friday, when the Bombay High Court will hear his appeal for bail.ii. A Mumbai court this morning rejected Mr Khan's claims that it was his driver who was at the wheel of his Toyota Land Cruiser when it ran into a group of homeless men sleeping outside a Mumbai bakery. One man, Nurullah Mehboob Sharif, died, four were injured.

iii. Mr Khan broke down in court after hearing he was sentenced to five years in jail. The court said all seven charges against him -including culpable homicide- had been proven. The maximum sentence he could have got was 10 years.iv. Mr Khan, 49, then applied for bail to the Bombay High Court, which has said he will not be arrested till Friday.v. He is under trial in Rajasthan for shooting an endangered black buck gazelle in 1998. He spent a week in jail in 2006 in Jodhpur before being granted bail. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 7 years.6. World Asthma Day 2015 observedi. World Asthma Day 2015 was observed globally on 5 May 2015. Theme of the year is You Can Control Your Asthma and sub-theme is Its Time to Control Asthma.ii. World Asthma Day takes place on the first Tuesday of May. The inaugural World Asthma Day was held in 1998.

iii. The day is annually organized by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) to improve asthma awareness and care around the world.iv. An awareness drive and a continuing medical education (CME) were held at the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH) to mark the World Asthma Day.7. Bhel commissions GVK's hydro-power project in Uttrakhandi. State-owned power equipment maker Bhel has commissioned GVK Group's 82.5 MW greenfield hydro electric project in Uttarakhand.ii. Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd said in a regulatory filing that it has "successfully commissioned the first unit of 82.5 MW at the upcoming Shrinagar Hydro Electric Project (HEP) in Uttarakhand".

iii. The greenfield hydro electric project consisting of four units of 82.5 MW each is being set up by Alaknanda Hydro Power Corporation Ltd ( GVK Group).iv. The project is designed to utilise the waters of River Alaknanda by way of a diversion dam.v. Bhel said power generation from Shrinagar HEP is likely to result in reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

1. Lok Sabha passes Juvenile Justice Bill

i. The central government on Thursday moved the Juvenile Justice Bill in the Lok Sabha which will allow children in the 16-18 age group to be tried as adults if they commit heinous crimes.

ii. According to data from National Crime Records Bureau, crimes by juveniles in the age group of 16-18 years have increased, especially in certain categories of heinous crimes.

iii. The bill states that in case a heinous crime has been committed by a person in the age group of 16-18 years it will be examined by a Juvenile Justice Board to assess if the crime was committed as a 'child' or as an 'adult'.

iv. The legislation, which would replace the existing Juvenile Justice Act, 2000, was proposed in view of increasing number of serious offences being committed by persons in the age group of 16-18 years.

2. Election 2015: Party leaders cast votes in general election

i. A total of 650 Westminster MPs will be elected, with about 50 million people registered to vote.

ii. There are more than 9,000 council seats being contested across 279 English local authorities.

iii. Britain's ruling Conservatives and the opposition Labour Party were tied with support at 33 per cent.

iv. There are a total of 59 Indian-origin candidates in the fray from the Tories (17), Labour (14), Liberal Democrats (14), Green Party (4), United Kingdom Independence Party- UKIP (3), Independents (2) and one each from the smaller parties like All Peoples Party, Christian Movement for Great Britain, National Liberal Party, Socialist Labour Party and Young Peoples Party.

3. Indian Cabinet Approves Amendments to Whistleblowers Act

i. The union cabinet on Wednesday approved amendments to the Whistlebowers Protection Act, 2011 aimed at strengthening safeguards against disclosures.

ii. The bill was passed by the Lok Sabha in December, 2011 and by Rajya Sabha in February last year. The bill has received the assent of the president in May last year.

iii. The amendments would address concerns relating to national security and the amendment bill will be moved during the budget session of parliament.

4. Rajya Sabha unanimously passes Bangladesh land deali. In a historic step, the Rajya Sabha passed the bill to operationalise the Land Boundary Agreement with Bangladesh, and the entailing exchange of enclaves between the two countries.ii. The Constitution (One Hundred and Nineteenth Amendment) Bill, 2013, was unanimously passed by the upper house, with 180 votes in favour and none against it.iii. Moving the bill for passage, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj clarified that no movement of population was necessitated by the exchange of enclaves.iv. In 2011, then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Bangladeshi Premier Sheikh Hasina had signed the land swap deal known as the Land Boundary Agreement (LBA).5. India home to 56 of the worlds 2000 powerful companies

i. India is home to 56 of the worlds 2000 largest and most powerful public companies, according to the Forbess annual list which is topped by the US with its share of 579 companies.

ii. Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries leads the pack of 56 Indian companies in the 2015 Forbes Global 2000 list.

iii. Forbes said that for the first time, Chinas four biggest banks own the top four spots and the South Asian giant is home to 232 of the worlds largest companies, adding more spots than any other country in the world and surpassing Japan for the first time.

iv. The other Indian companies on the list are Oil and Natural Gas ranked 183, Tata Motors (263), ICICI Bank (283), Indian Oil (349), HDFC Bank (376), NTPC (431), Tata Consultancy Services (485), Bharti Airtel (506), Axis Bank (558), Infosys (672), Bharat Petroleum (757), Wipro (811), Tata Steel (903) and Adani Enterprises (944).

6. Cabinet gives nod to revise DTAA with South Koreai. The Union Cabinet gave its nod for revising the existing double taxation avoidance agreement (DTAA) with South Korea.ii. The new agreement will among other things provide for effective exchange of information for tax administration purposes. It will also have limitation of benefit clause so that the benefits of the DTAA are availed of by genuine residents of both the countries.iii. This Cabinet nod assumes significance as it came days before the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's official visit to South Korea. The existing double taxation avoidance convention between the two countries was signed in 1985 for the avoidance of double taxation and for the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income for the citizens of both the countries..

7. Geeta Phogat wins bronze in Asian championshipi. Geeta Phogat won a bronze medal in the Women's Freestyle 58kg category in the Senior Asian Wrestling championship in Doha.

ii. She defeated Vietnam's Thi Loan Nyguen by Fall verdict in the bronze medal play-off.iii. En-route to the bronze medal play off, Geeta lost in pool bout only to Kaori Icho of Japan, the Olympic gold medallist.

1. Conservatives win majority in UK elections

i.David Cameron has returned to Downing Street with the Tories having defied polls and won the general election.

ii.The Conservatives are expected to get a 37% share of the national vote, Labour 31%, UKIP 13%, the Lib Dems 8%, the SNP 5%, the Green Party 4% and Plaid Cymru 1%.

iii.Labour has been hammered in Scotland by the SNP, with Nicola Sturgeon's party seizing 56 of the nation's 59 seats. Jim Murphy, leader of the Scottish Labour Party, and shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander both lost their seats to the SNP.

2. RBI puts in place new mechanism for banks to check loan fraud

i.The RBI put in place a new framework to check loan fraud including by way of early warning signals at banks and red flagging of accounts, while swindlers will have no access to further banking finance.

ii. The central bank will set up a Central Fraud Registry that can be accessed by all banks to identify borrowers having committed frauds with any bank in the past.

iii.The CBI and the Central Economic Intelligence Bureau (CEIB) will also share their databases with banks.

iv.The concept of a Red Flagged Account (RFA) is being introduced in the current framework as an important step in fraud risk control.

3. Govt gets SC notice on PSB chief criteria

i.The Centre's new appointment norms for public sector bank chiefs capping the age at 55 years and mandatory three-year board level experience has come under judicial scrutiny with the Supreme Court.

ii.A bench of Justices A R Dave and R K Agrawal issued notice to the Centre and the Reserve Bank of India seeking their response on a PIL filed by a retired banker who alleged that the policy was intended to pave the way for private bankers to lead the country top banks - Punjab National Bank, Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, Canara Bank and IDBI Bank.

iii.The upper age limit for the post was 58 years but the government decided to amend the rules, arguing that it was part of a plan to professionalize bank boards.

iv.The rules fixed the age limit for MDs & CEOs at 45-55 years with 15 years of banking experience out of which three years should have been at the board level.

4. Jitan Ram Manjhi announces new party as Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM)

i.Expelled JD(U) leader and former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi today announced launching of a new party "Hindustani Awam Morcha" (HAM) which he said would contest alone all the 243 seats in coming Bihar polls.

ii.He named former Bihar minister Shakuni Chaudhary as Bihar President of the HAM.

iii.Names of 108 leaders were announced in the Bihar unit of the party. It comprises former Union minister Devendra Prasad Yadav, ex-MP Brahamdeo Anand Paswan and former state ministers and Legislators like Ganesh Yadav, Ram Kumar Yadav, Om Prakash Paswan, K D Yadav and Ramchandra Prasad Singh.

5. Pakistan helicopter crash kills foreign envoys

i.An army helicopter has crashed in a mountainous part of northern Pakistan killing seven people, including the Philippine and Norwegian ambassadors.

ii.The diplomats flying in the ill-fated MI-17 were headed for a little advertised but extremely exciting inauguration ceremony of a ski chairlift, built in the breathtaking resort of Naltar, in northern Pakistan.

iii.Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was scheduled to attend the inauguration, but his aircraft turned back from Gilgit after reports of the crash.

6. AK Jyoti, appointed as Election Commissioneri.Achal Kumar Jyoti, a former Gujarat Chief Secretary, was appointed as the Election Commissioner.ii.62-year-old Jyoti's tenure will commence from the day he assumes his charge.iii.He retired from active service in January, 2013 before serving in various capacities in Gujarat. He was also posted at the Kandla Port Trust between 1999 and 2004.7.Prime Minister releases commemorative coin on Swami Chinmayananda Saraswati

i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday released a commemorative coin to mark the birth centenary of Swami Chinmayananda.ii.Swami Chinmayananda was a renowned Hindu spiritual leader and teacher who had inspired the formation of a global nonprofit organisation called Chinmaya Mission to spread the knowledge of Advaita Vedanta.iii.Swami Chinmayananda born as Balakrishna Menon on 8 May 1916 pioneered works in the field of education and social reform. He died on 3 August 1993.iv.He saw the need to inculcate India's great culture and spiritual traditions, through the English medium, among an elite class of people, who had moved away from this heritage.

8. Jitu Rai wins 'Sportsperson of the Year' Award at TOISAi.Ace marksman Jitu Rai was declared the Sportsperson of the Year' at the Times of India Sports Awards in a glittering ceremony that was graced by the legendary Carl Lewis.ii. 'Flying Sikh' Milkha Singh received the 'Lifetime Achievement Award' from the 'Olympian of the century' and Times Group MD Vineet Jain in a ceremony that was attended by the who and who of India's sporting fraternity.iii.Besides Lewis and Milkha, prominent figures from the sporting world included former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly, Olympic bronze medallists boxer MC Mary Kom, shuttler Saina Nehwal and CWG gold medallist squash player Dipika Pallikal.

1. INS Sardar Patel commissioned

i.A strategically important new Naval base INS Sardar Patel was commissioned in Porbandar.

ii.The base was commissioned by Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel.

iii.Ms. Patel unveiled the plaque and read the commissioning warrant of the new base which is second in the state for the Indian Navy after INS Dwarka near Okha.

iv.Gujarat has a coastline of 1600 km interspersed with 43 ports. Of these, Kandla being a major port, 11 are intermediate and 31 are minor ports.

2. Russia celebrates victory day

i.Victory Day is Russia's most important secular holiday, both commemorating the Soviet Union's huge suffering in the war and highlighting Russia's portrayal of itself as a force for peace and security.

ii.Chinese President Xi Jinping was the most prominent world leader to attend the Victory Day parade.

iii.Russia showed off new machines of war, including a highly sophisticated tank, in the annual Victory Day military parade through Red Square that marks the surrender of Nazi Germany and the Red Army's key role in the defeat.

3. Modi to inaugurate first Gandhian studies centre in China

i.The first centre for Gandhian studies in China will be inaugurated at Shanghais Fudan University by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

ii.The Centre for Gandhian Studies will be established at the Fudan University in China and the staff for it will be provided by Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR).

iii.Mr. Modi, during his visit from May 14-16, will also announce the setting up of a Yoga College in China.

iv.India will provide Yoga specialists and help China to bring about a standardisation of Yoga techniques.

4. MoUs worth Rs 24,000 cr signed during PM Narendra Modi's visit to Chattisgarh

i.In a big push for infrastructure development in Chhattisgarh, MoUs worth Rs 24,000 crore were signed at Dantewada.

ii.Here is a list of the MoUs that were signed:

MoU between Government of Chhattisgarh, NMDC, IRCON and SAIL for 140 km rail line between Rowghat and Jagdalpur. Estimated project cost: Rs 2,000 crore.

MoU between Ministry of Steel, Government of Chhattisgarh, SAIL and NMDC for 3 million ton Ultra Mega Steel Plant with an investment of approximately Rs 18,000 crore.

MoU between Government of Chhattisgarh and NMDC for Slurry Pipeline and 2MTPA Pellet Plant at Nagarnar in Bastar District with an investment of Rs 4,000 crore.

MoU between Government of Chhattisgarh and SAIL for setting up 1MTPA Pellet Plant at Dalli-Rajhara, Balod District with an investment of Rs 826 crore.

5. PM Modi to unveil 3 social security schemes in Kolkata

i.Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch three social security schemes pertaining to insurance and pension in Kolkata.

ii.While two insurance schemes -Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY)andPradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY)will provide insurance cover in the unfortunate event of death by any cause or disability due to an accident, the pension scheme -Atal Pension Yojana (APY)will address the old age income security needs.

iii.The convenient delivery mechanism of the schemes is expected to address the problem of very low penetration of life or accident insurance and old age income security products in the country.

iv.The PMSBY will offer a renewable one year accidental death cum disability cover of Rs two lakh to all the savings bank account holders in the age group of 18 to 70 years for a premium of Rs 12 per annum.

6. India Posts's e-commerce centre set to start operations

i.To cash in on growing online shopping trend, India Post Delhi circle will start its e-commerce centre from 11th May 2015.

ii.Considering the rapid growth of e-commerce business in the country in the recent past, the Department of Posts, through Delhi Postal Circle has taken up a project to establish the e-commerce centre at Safdarjang, New Delhi.

iii.The centre is to be dedicated to the nation by Ravi Shankar Prasad, hon'ble minister of communications and information technology.

iv.The centre is capable of handling 30,000 parcels or articles per day and parcels collected from the e-commerce customers, processed and dispatched within 24 hours to respective destination through quickest available flight or train, as the case may be.

7. Now Whatsapp the money to your friends

i.Axis Bank, the country's third largest private sector bank now facilitates instant transfer of money on various social media channels like Whatsapp, Facebook, Twitter, Email list and phone contact list.

ii.The bank's Ping Pay service competes with other banks digital products like ICICI Bank's Pockets and HDFC Bank's Chillar.

iii.The transfer of funds is instant while in other platforms there is a waiting period of 30 minutes to one day

iv.The person to person funds transfer through Ping Pay would happen via NPCI's Immediate Payment Service (IMPS) and currently the transaction limit is at Rs 50,000 per day.

8. Sakshi, Lalita win bronze in Asian Wrestling Championship

i.Sakshi Malik and Lalita bagged bronze medal in Women's Freestyle 60kg and 55kg categories, respectively, even as Babita Kumari lost out on a third-place finish in 53kg division of the Senior Asian Wrestling Championship in Doha.

ii.Lalita was defeated by North Korea's Han Kum-ok 3-9 in the semifinal but she managed to settle for a bronze medal in the end in her category.

iii.In a total of five rounds in the 60kg category, Sakshi won two of her bouts to claim the third position.

Shashi Kapoor has been conferred with prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Award 2014i.The award was bestowed upon him by Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley at a special function held in Prithvi Theatre in Mumbai, Maharashtra.ii.He is the 46th film personality to receive this honour and third member of his illustrious family after father Prithviraj Kapoor (1972- Posthumously) and elder brother Raj Kapoor (1987).

About Shashi Kapoor

Born as Balbir Raj Prithviraj Kapoor on March 18, 1938 in Kolkata, West Bengal. Started acting in films as a child in late 1940s. Since then he has appeared in 160 movies altogether, 12 being in English and the rest in Hindi.

His Bollywood debut as a lead actor was in the film Dharmputra (1961). His best known performances as child artist were in Aag (1948), Awaara (1951) and Sangram (1950). He is also best-known for his performances in Hindi films like Jab Jab Phool Khile, Deewar and Kabhi Kabhie. American and British films: The Householder (1963), Shakespeare Wallah (1965), Bombay Talkie (1970), Heat and Dust (1982), The Deceivers (1988), Side Streets (1998) etc.

Apart from acting in movies, he also had worked as a film director, assistant director and film producer.

WHO declares Liberia Ebola-free

i.WHO has hailed Liberias Ebola eradication efforts as an enormous development in the long crisis and monumental achievement as the virus has killed more than 4,716 people in the country alone.

ii.Now, Liberias neighbous Guinea and Sierra Leone are only two countries fighting to stop Ebola outbreak since it began in December 2013.

Criteria for declaring a nation Ebola-free

WHO can declare a country Ebola free, if no new cases are reported over two incubation periods of virus i.e. 21 days.

In case of Liberia, no new cases of Ebola were reported in past 42 days i.e. twice the number of days the virus requires to incubate. The last confirmed death in Liberia was reported on 27 March 2015.

Haryana Government has decided to include Deaflympics in its Sports Policy

i.Haryana Government has decided to include Deaflympics in its Sports Policy in order to boost the morale of differently-abled sportspersons in the state. Decision in this regard was taken during a state cabinet meet chaired by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

ii.With this inclusion, Deaflympian medalists now will be able to get cash rewards, jobs and other benefits from the state government.

About Deaflympics

Deaflympics is an International Olympic Committee (IOC) sanctioned event, at which deaf athletes compete at an elite level.

The first event of was held in Paris in 1924. It is the first international sporting event for athletes with a disability.

Previously, it was known as World Games for the Deaf and International Games for the Deaf.

Organised by the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf, (French- Committee International des Sports des Sourds) since first event.

Deaflympics are held every 4 years and often considered as the longest multi-sports event, excluding the Olympic.

To qualify for the Deaflympics, athletes must have a hearing loss of at least 55 decibel (dB). In order to maintain equality and same level in participation among athletes, hearing aids, cochlear implants are not allowed during the games.

Navneet Rajan Wasan appointed as DG of Police Research & Development Bureau

i.The post of Director General (DG) of Bureau of Police Research and Development had been lying vacant since March 2015 following the retirement of Rajan Gupta.

ii.Presently, Wasan is working as Special Director General in the National Investigation Agency (NIA). He is a 1980-batch IPS officer of the Andhra Pradesh cadre.

Other Appointment-Indian Postal Service (IPoS) officer Sheuli Burman was appointed as the Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) in the Indian Telephone Industries (ITI), Bangalore.

Book titled Unbelievable Delhi to Islamabad written by Prof Bhim Singh released

i.Book titled Unbelievable Delhi to Islamabad authored by senior Advocate Prof. Bhim Singh was released on 8 May 2015 by Vice President M Hamid Ansari in New Delhi.

ii.The book, a travelogue is an effort initiated by the lawyers of India and Pakistan to work jointly to ensure that Pakistani prisoners languishing in Indian jails are treated in accordance with the spirit of the Constitution of India. Similarly, the same treatment should be mended for the Indian prisoners on Pakistan and they should be given fair trials.

1. KV Kamath appointed BRICS bank president

i.Eminent banker K.V. Kamath was on Monday appointed as head of the USD 50 billion New Development Bank being set up by the five emerging economies of BRICS grouping.

ii.Mr. Kamath will have a five-year term of the bank, which is likely to be operationalised within one year.

iii.About NDB - The New Development Bank (NDB), formerly referred to as the BRICS Development Bank, is a multilateral development bank operated by the BRICS states (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) as an alternative to the existing US-dominated World Bank and International Monetary Fund. The bank is set up to foster greater financial and development cooperation among the five emerging markets.

2. President Mukherjee inaugurates `Namaste Russia` festival in Moscow

i.President Pranab Mukherjee, currently on his four-day official visit to Russia, has inaugurated a festival of Indian Culture 'Namaste Russia' in Moscow.

ii.As part of the festival, the Russian Ministry of Culture will support the initiatives of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) in sending Indian teachers of music and dance to regional centres in Russia from May 2015 to October 2015.

iii.Special emphasis will be on encouraging the participation of youth of both the countries in cultural exchanges.

iv.The logo for the festival was designed by a young Russian from the Russian town of Krasnoyarsk, who succeeded in an open competition participated by both Indians and Russians.

3. Jayaram Jayalalitha cleared of corruption chargesi. An appeals court in southern India has acquitted powerful regional politician Jayaram Jayalalitha of corruption charges, clearing the way for her to return to public office.ii. The High Court of Karnataka delivered its verdict on the appeal by former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalitha challenging a special court order convicting her in the disproportionate assets case.

iii. Supporters from Jayalalitha's party cheered, set off fire crackers and danced in the streets of the Tamil Nadu state capital of Chennai, her hometown, after the Karnataka High Court in Bangalore delivered its verdict.4. China becomes world's top crude buyer

i.China overtook the United States as the world's top importer of crude oil for the first time in April, and its purchases are expected to remain strong despite a slowing economy, with far-reaching consequences for global oil and commodities markets.

ii.China is already the world's biggest energy consumer, with oil by far the largest traded energy market.

iii.The Saudi-led decision by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in November 2014 not to cut production despite the slide in oil prices has been largely motivated by an effort to defend market share against outside competitors like Russia or US shale producers.

5. Rosberg wins Spanish GP

i.Nico Rosberg has finally got the better of Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton this season, winning the Spanish Grand Prix.

ii.A crowd of 86,700 watched the race, with a total of 189,000 spectators attending the Catalunya circuit.

iii.McLarens misery continued as two-time F1 champion Fernando Alonso retired just short of halfway with faulty brakes on the track.

6. May 11: National Technology Day

i.Every year, `National Technology Day is observed across India on May 11.

ii.This day glorifies the importance of science in day-to-day life and motivates students to adopt science as a career option.

iii.National Technology Day is being commemorated to celebrate the anniversary of first of the five tests of Operation Shakti (Pokhran-II) nuclear test which was held on 11 May 1998 in Pokhran, Rajasthan.

iv.Apart from Pokhran nuclear test, on this day first indigenous aircraft Hansa-3 was test flown at Bangalore and India also conducted successful test firing of the Trishul missile on the same day.

7. Andy Murray beats Rafael Nadal to win Madrid Masters finali. Andy Murray claimed his first victory over Rafael Nadal on clay to win the Madrid Masters.ii. The Briton had never beaten Nadal in six previous meetings on the surface but won 6-3 6-2 to stun the home crowd.

iii. Defending champion Nadal was aiming for a record fifth win in Madrid but Murray outclassed his Spanish opponent to lift his first Masters title on clay.

1. GST bill referred to select committee

i. The government and opposition parties agreed to refer the constitutional amendment bill on goods and service tax (GST) to a 21-member select committee of the Rajya Sabha.

ii. The committee will submit its report on the last day of the first week of Parliaments monsoon session.

iii. The committee will be headed by Bhupendra Yadav, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP and a party general secretary.

Members of major political parties including BJP, Shiromani Akali Dal, Congress, Bahujan Samaj Party, Samajwadi Party and Janata Dal (United) will be represented in the committee.

iv. After passing the bill in the Lok Sabha, the government has faced problems in the upper house. The government, which has 62 members in the 244-member house, needs 162 members to support the bill for its clearance.

2. Nepal earthquake, magnitude 7.3, strikes near Everest

i. A major earthquake has struck eastern Nepal, near Mount Everest, two weeks after more than 8,000 died in a devastating quake.

ii. The US Geological Survey said it had a magnitude of 7.3. An earthquake on 25 April, centred in western Nepal, had a magnitude of 7.8.

iii. The tremor was also felt in northern India and Bangladesh, and was centred east of the Nepalese capital Kathmandu, in a rural area close to the Chinese border.3. LS passes Black Money Bill with Opposition supporti. A stringent law imposing 120 per cent tax, jail term of up to 10 years and penalty on undisclosed foreign assets and income to deal with the black money menace was passed in Lok Sabha Monday by voice vote and with support from the Opposition.ii. The Congress argued that the Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets (Imposition of Tax) Bill, 2015, is a finance bill.

iii. However, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan agreed to Finance Minister Arun Jaitleys argument that it is a money bill, in which case approval of the Upper House is not mandatory.iv. Under the proposed law, there would be a short compliance window within which persons with undisclosed income abroad can come clean by paying 30 per cent tax and 30 per cent penalty. Once the window closes, anyone found having undeclared overseas wealth would be required to pay 30 per cent tax, 90 per cent penalty and face criminal prosecution.4. Justice Cyriac Joseph appointed NHRC acting chiefi. President Pranab Mukherjee has appointed Justice Cyriac Joseph as acting Chairman of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).ii. His appointment comes after then Chairman of NHRC Justice K.G. Balakrishnan completed his tenure.iii. Presently, Justice Cyriac Joseph is member of NHRC. He hails from Kaiphuza village of Kottayam district in Kerala and was a Judge of the Supreme Court from 2008 to 2012.iv. Justice Balakrishnan, the former Chief Justice of India, completed his tenure as the sixth and the longest serving NHRC Chairperson. During his tenure, he was instrumental in charting out several new initiatives towards promotion and protection of human rights in the country.5. MIDC inks MoU with SIDBI to raise Rs 200-crore fund for MSMEsi. Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) has inked memorandum of understanding (MoU) with state-run Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) to provide easy finance to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) for their growth.ii. The MoU was signed Ananta P Sarma, MD and CEO of SIDBI and MIDC CEO Bhushan Gagrani in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadanvis in Nashik, Maharashtra.iii. As per the MoU, both signatory parties have jointly created funds to the tune of 200 crore rupees to provide immediate finance to the MSMEs.iv. Of the total amount, the MIDC has contributed 75 crore rupees, while SIDBI has provided the remaining 125 crore rupees.6. India-born Nikesh Arora named Japan's SoftBank Corp presidenti. Indian-born Nikesh Arora was on 11 May 2015 appointed as the President of Japans multinational telecommunications and internet company SoftBank Corp.ii. As per the announcement made at the companys earning conference, he will also be the Representative Director of SoftBank Corp.iii. Before the present elevation, he had been the Vice Chairman of the company and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SB Group US, Inc. (former SoftBank Internet and Media, Inc.) since September 2014.iv. He succeeds Masayoshi Son, Chairman and CEO of the Softbank Corp.v. Earlier, Arora worked in Google for 10 years and left the company as the Senior Vice President and Chief Business Officer before joining SoftBank Corp. in 2014.

7. Canara Bank launches mega CASA campaign

i. Canara Bank has launched a mega CASA (current account, savings account) campaign in Bengaluru with the CanBank men and women with their logo colour caps flooding the nook and corners of the city to sell their products.

ii. Executive directors P S Rawat and Harideesh Kumar spearheaded the campaign.

iii. The entire city was divided into 16 clusters covering 173 branches. Each cluster was led by the rank of a General Manager from head office.

8. Hyderabad to host global pharma summiti. Hyderabad will play host to a four-day global pharma expo and summit from July 23.ii. With Innovation and Advances as its theme, the event will deliberate on a range of issues, from pharmaceutical technology to education, indigenous drugs and drug regulatory affairs, besides serving as a platform for joint ventures and project collaboration.iii. Renowned pharmaceutical experts will be addressing the Indo-Global Pharma Expo and Summit 2015, being organised by Indus Foundation, in association with FTAPCCI and OMICS group, according to S.B.iv. Anumolu, president of the Foundation. More than 4,000 delegates are expected to attend the event, which will serve as a one stop stage for showcasing latest technological developments.9. Indian-origin Priti Patel gets British cabinet ranki. Indian-origin Tory MP Priti Patel has been appointed minister of state for employment in British Prime Minister David Cameron's new cabinet.ii. Patel, who called her new posting at the department for work and pensions "a real privilege", won the recent elections by securing 58% of the votes from Witham.iii. She was the exchequer secretary to the treasury from July 2014 to May 2015. The 43-year-old was first elected the MP for Witham in May 2010.

1. President Pranab Mukherjee appoints new Governors in six statesi.President Pranab Mukherjee on 12 May 2015 appointed Governors in six states. Their appointments will take effect from the dates they assume charge.Following are newly appointed Governors

Jharkhand:Former Odisha Minister Droupadi Murmu was appointed as Governor of Jharkhand. She will replace Dr Syed Ahmed.

Manipur:Dr Syed Ahmed has been transfered to Manipur for remaining period of his term.

Arunachal Pradesh:J P Rajkhowa was appointed as Governor of Arunachal Pradesh. He will replace Lt. General (Retd.) Nirbhay Sharma.

Mizoram:Lt. General (Retd.) Nirbhay Sharma has been transferred and appointed as Governor of Mizoram for the remainder of his term.

Tripura:Tathagata Roy will be the Governor of Tripura.

2. Centre okays Rs. 20,000-crore budget for Namami Gange scheme

i.The Cabinet approved the flagship Namami Gange programme, which integrates the efforts to clean and protect the River Ganga in a comprehensive manner.

ii. The programme has a budget outlay of Rs. 20,000 crore for the next 5 years.

iii.The amount was a significant four-fold increase over the expenditure allocated to the task of cleaning the Ganga over the past 30 years.

iv.The programme would be implemented by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), and its state counterpart organisations, that is, the State Programme Management Groups (SPMGs).

v.Namami Gange will focus on pollution abatement interventions, namely interception and diversion and treatment of waste water flowing through open drains via bio-remediation/ appropriate in-situ treatment/use of innovative technologies/sewage treatment plants (STPs)/effluent treatment plant (ETPs).

3. Houses nominate members for Joint Committee on land bill

i.Rajya Sabha on Wednesday named 10 members, including Digvijaya Singh of Congress and Trinamools Derek OBrien, to the Joint Committee that will look into the controversial Land Acquisition Bill.

ii.The 30-member Joint Committee of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha would submit its report on the first day of Monsoon Session on the bill which has already been passed by the Lower House.

iii.The government, which had promulgated ordinance twice on the bill since December last after it faced similar resistance earlier, had agreed to refer it to the committee after NDA allies Shiv Sena and Akali Dal joined the Opposition in Lok Sabha to oppose the measure.

4. Retail inflation eases to 4-month low

i.Retail inflation in April softened further and fell to a four-month low of 4.87 per cent as prices of food items, vegetables and fruits turned cheaper.

ii.The retail inflation, measured on the basis of Consumer Price Index (CPI), was revised upwards to 5.25 per cent from 5.17 per cent in March 2015.

iii.Food inflation, based on Consumer Food Price Index, fell to 5.11 per cent during the month from 6.14 per cent in March.

iv.Fall in food inflation was mainly driven by fruits, vegetables, milk and related products.

5. HSBC cuts India ratings to underweight

i.In the first major downgrade for Indian markets in the past one year, global brokerage HSBC changed its stance on the country to underweight, saying corporate earnings may remain muted, monsoon could be weak and odds are against further rate cuts.

ii.HSBC further said that India has become the second most expensive and one of the most over-owned markets in Asia.

iii.The downgrade comes at a time when Indian markets are already under acute pressure, primarily because of foreign investors turning heavy sellers on concerns related to the controversial MAT levy and delay in the ambitious indirect tax (GST) and land reforms.

6. Reliance Jio to raise $750 million from Korean company

i.Reliance Industries has signed up for a $750 million loan, backed by Korea Trade Insurance Corp, to primarily finance the procurements for its infrastructure rollout from Samsung Electronics and Ace Technologies Corp.

ii.It has a door-to-door tenor of 12 years, including a two-year availability period and a 10-year repayment period thereafter.

iii.Reliance Jio Infocomm is setting up a pan-India telecom network for 4th generation Net services, communication services and other digital services in areas like education, healthcare, security, financial services, government-citizen interfaces and entertainment.

7. BRICS Cup from next year, first one to be held in India

i.Coinciding with the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit next year in India, an under-17 football tournament will be played between the nations.

ii.As a lead-up to the 2017 under-17 FIFA World Cup, India will use the competition to test its infrastructure and on-field preparation.

iii.FC Barcelona or Qatars under-17 side have been mooted as possible participants due to their links with the United Nations body.

iv.The tournaments launch was accompanied by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Associated Chambers of Commerce (ASSOCHAM) and the Brazilian representatives.

Punjab becomes first state to issue Soil Health Cards to farmers

i. Punjab has become the first state in India to issue Soil Health Cards (SHCs), a Union Government initiative to all farmers in the state.

ii. In this regard, every district of state has been assigned mobile soil testing lab. These labs will take soil sample from every farm and issue a digitalised soil health details.

iii. Presently, state government has 66 such laboratories and has capability to test 3.5 lakh soil samples annually. State government also has made mandatory for these labs to check soil health on quarterly basis.

iv. It will help farmers in maintaining the balanced health structure of the soil and educate them to use right quantity of fertilisers in order to prevent soil from becoming arid.

v. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had formally launched the nationwide Soil Health Card Scheme in Februrary 2015 in Suratgarh, Rajasthan.

Disinvestment: Cabinet nod for IOC, NTPC stake sale may fetch Rs 13,600 crore

i. The government will sell its 10 per cent stake in blue-chip Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and 5 per cent in power producer NTPC to mop up about Rs 13,600 crore in this fiscals first disinvestment approval.

ii. The approvals are part of Rs 41,000 crore disinvestment target for the current financial year.

iii. Buoyed by diesel price deregulation, the government is looking at selling stake in Indians largest fuel retailer IOC for the second time in 13 months. Sale of 24.27 crore shares, or 10 per cent stake, in IOC would mop up close to Rs 8,000 crore at current market price.

iv. Decision in this regard was taken by Union Cabinet Meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.

v. Currently, Union government holds 74.96 per cent in NTPC and 68.57 per cent in IOC.

Lok Sabha passes Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill

i. The Lok Sabha passed the negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill, which aims at making filing of cases more convenient for payees if cheques bounce.

ii. The government faced questions from its own members and allies over whether the Bill's provisions could be used by corporates to harass common people.

iii. The Bill was passed by a voice vote, with Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha insisting that it would boost the "integrity of financial system" and not lead to the harassment of the common man.

iv. The Bill was necessitated due to a Supreme Court order that cases against those having defaulted on their cheque payments could only be filed in courts under whose jurisdiction the bank account of the accused fell.

RBI plans IT wing as financial crimes rise in cyber space

i. The Reserve Bank is planning to set up an information technology wing to face the rising challenges coming from the cyber world.

ii. It can be noted that online frauds in the financial sector have been on the rise and hundreds of gullible people have been defrauded by crooks, using their stolen credit and debit card information.

iii. The cyber thieves have even been using RBI logos to send out mails to cheat customers.

India way behind on WHO health targets

i. India has met only four of ten health targets under the Millenium Development Goals (MDG).

ii. The report finds that globally, life expectancy at birth has increased by six years for both men and women since 1990.

iii. Since 1990, child deaths have almost halved falling from an estimated 90 deaths per 1000 live births to 46 deaths per 1000 live births in 2013. Yet the world will not achieve the MDG target of reducing the death rate by two-thirds.

iv. In India, life expectancy grew by eight years between 1990 and 2013. While India has sharply reduced its infant mortality between 2000 and 2013, it still contributes for the most infant deaths globally. Non-communicable diseases are the top killers, followed by communicable diseases and injuries.

WPI inflation dips to record (-)2.65 per

i. Deflationary pressure continued for the sixth month in a row with inflation dropping to a new low of (-)2.65 per cent in April, mainly on account of decline in prices of fuel and manufactured items even as food prices increased.

ii. Inflation, as measured on the Wholesale Price Index (WPI), has been in the negative zone since November, 2014.

iii. The deflationary trend has bolstered the case for a rate cut by the Reserve Bank, as retail inflation has also eased and industrial production is down.

1. Modi's Visit to China

i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that India will grant e-visas to Chinese tourists.

ii. Agreements between India and China

1. Protocol for establishment of consulates in Chengdu and Chennai

2. Cooperation in vocational education and skill development and setting up of Mahatma Gandhi institute on skill development in India

3. Consultative mechanism on cooperation in trade negotiations

4. Cooperation between Foreign Ministry and and Central Committee of Communist Party of China (CCCPC)

5. Action plan between national railway administration of China and Indian Railways

6. Memorandum of Understanding on education exchange programme

7. Cooperation in the fields of mining and minerals

8. Space cooperation outline

9. Safety regulations on importing Indian rapeseed meal

10. Broadcasting agreement between CCTV and Doordarshan

11. Agreement for cooperation in the field of tourism

12. Memorandum of Understanding on establishing India-China think tanks forum

13. Memorandum of Understanding between NITI Aayog and Development Research Centre

iii. Two MoUs between Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and Yunnan Minzu University and another with Fudan University were signed on the establishment of a yoga college and centre for Gandhian and Indian studies, respectively.

2. Rajyavardhan Rathore inaugurates India Pavilion at 68th Cannes Film Festival

i. Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore inaugurated the India Pavilion at the 68th Cannes International Film Festival.

ii. The government is channelising that objective through campaigns like 'Make in India and Skill India, and realises that the film industry is an important part of these campaigns given its tremendous potential towards job creation.

iii. The session also saw unveiling of the 46th IFFI, 2015 regulations and India Film Guide by Rathore.

iv. The India Film Guide is a comprehensive booklet with information on policy initiatives by the government pertaining to film sector, the listing of Indian companies at Cannes Film Market.

3. Google in talks with Arunachal govt for Chromebook laptops in schools

i. Global tech giant Google is in discussions with the Arunachal Pradesh government to run a pilot for deploying Chromebook laptops for school students.

ii. The pilot is proposed to be run in schools in two cities Itanagar and Ziro.

iii. Chromebook is a laptop running Googles Chrome Operating System. The devices are designed to be used primarily while connected to the internet with most applications and data residing in the cloud.

4. SBI Launches NFC-Enabled Contactless Debit and Credit Cards

i. State Bank of India joined its private sector rivals to launch contactless cards using latest near field technology (NFC).

ii. Called the SBIinTouch cards, these contactless debit and credit cards are more secure and hassle-free to use at merchant outlets or ATMs and use the NFC technology, which enables users to make payments by waving or tapping the card near the contactless reader instead of swiping or dipping it.

iii. Private lenders ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank have already launched such NFC cards.

iv. Launching the cards, SBI chairperson Arundhati Bhattachrya said the bank has already issued 1.08 lakh new cards to its customers in the eight largest metros and the remaining customers will get the cards in the following months.

5. RBI allows transactions upto Rs 2000 without second factor authentication

i. In a move that will promote 'tap and pay' electronic payments, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said that bank can allow customers to transact with contactless card upto Rs 2000 without customers punching a separate PIN for authentication.

ii. The 'tap and pay' refers to the use of near-field communication ( NFC) technology, enabling users to make payments by waving or tapping the card near the contactless reader instead of swiping it.

iii. Prior to this relaxation, after tapping the card at a point of sale machines, the customer had to punch their PIN number as an additional factor authentication to avoid any chances of fraud.

iv. Tap and pay refers to the use of near field communication technology in payment cards where instead of the traditional swiping of the card and punching in payment details, all the customer needs to do is wave a card in front of an acceptance device for the bill to be settled.

6. MHRD Gave Nod For Setting Up IIIT in Nagpur, Maharashtra

i. Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) gave an in-principle approval for setting up an IIIT (Indian Institute of Information Technology) in Nagpur, Maharashtra.

ii. It will be the first IIIT to be set up in the state.

iii. The IIIT will join a batch of national institutes which are set to come up in the city, namely the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Indian Institute of Management (IIM).

iv. The setting up of these higher educational institutions in Nagpur is aimed at improving educational infrastructure in the backward Vidarbha region.

7. Tejaswini Sagar wins gold at Under-15 World School Chess Championship

i. Talented Indian youngster Tejaswini Sagar won her maiden world title bagging the gold in the under-15 category of World School Chess Championship that concluded in pattaya.ii. Needing a last round win and one favourable result, the Aurangabad-girl defeated Kavinya Miyuni Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka in the ninth and final round.iii. Tejaswini was aided by the result on the top board as overnight leader Irina Barbayeva of Russia lost to Alisa Kozybayeva of Kazakhstan in the final clash.iv. For the record, Tejaswini scored seven points out of a possible nine, winning six, drawing two and losing one game.

1. Egypt's ousted President Morsy sentenced to death

i.An Egyptian court has sentenced ousted President Mohammed Morsy to death.

ii.Judge Shaaban el-Shami referred his death sentence on Morsy and more than 20 others to the nations top Muslim theologian, or mufti, for his non-binding opinion.

iii.The ousted leader already is serving a 20-year sentence following his conviction on April 21 on charges linked to the killing of protesters outside a Cairo presidential palace in December 2012.

2. Airtel clinches $2.5 billion Chinese financing deals

i.Bharti Airtel has received financing commitments of up to USD 2.5 billion from China Development Bank and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, with an average maturity of about nine years.

ii.This is the single-largest bilateral commitment by China Development Bank to any telecom operator globally and the largest bilateral commitment to a private Indian company.

iii.Bharti Airtel announced a strategic collaboration with China Mobile, under which the two companies will work towards growth of the Long-Term Evolution (LTE) ecosystem and evolving mobile technology standards.

3.Arun Shrivastava assumes charge as Syndicate Bank MD and CEOi.Arun Shrivastava assumed charge as Managing Director & CEO of Syndicate Bank.ii.He was Executive Director of Bank of India, looking after Finance, Strategy & Planning, Large Corporate & Mid Corporate Business, Corporate Debt Restructuring, Project Finance & Syndication, Credit Monitoring & Asset Recovery, Publicity & Public Relations portfolios of the bank.iii.Earlier, Shrivastava was overseeing the foreign subsidiaries BoI Indonesia and Botswana and joint venture India Zambia Bank.iv.He is a Certified Associate of Indian Institute of Bankers and AIBM. He started his career as direct recruit officer in Bank of Baroda in 1979.4. Modi inaugurates ICICI Bank's first branch in China

i.Top private sector lender ICICI Bank opened its first branch in China, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

ii.The new branch would begin with 17 banking professionals handling different functions including corporate banking, operations, finance and treasury.

iii.Some public sector banks including SBI, UCO Bank, Canara Bank and Allahabad Bank have also expanded their presence in China in the recent years to tap growing trade flows between the two countries.

5. PM Modi extends e-visa for Chinese nationalsi.Brushing aside objections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced granting of e-visa (electronic visa also called visa on arrival) facility to the Chinese nationals in Beijing even as he urged China to "reconsider its approach" to issues that have long strained ties and complicated business between the two Asian giants.

ii.Pledging to improve historically weak economic links between their countries, India and China also signed 24 deals worth over $10 billion, including MOUs in the area of skill development, railways, establishing sister relations between cities of the two countries among others.iii.Modi's announcement on e-visas took everyone by surprise as only a couple of hours before had India's foreign secretary S Jaishankar said categorically, "We are expanding it (e-visa) bit by bit. With regard to China, no decision has been taken yet on extending e-visa."6. Shakuntala Gamlin takes charge as Delhi chief secretary despite CM Arvind Kejriwal's directivei.Senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Shakuntala Gamlin on Saturday took charge as acting Chief Secretary of Delhi Government despite being asked by the Chief Minister not to do so.ii.A senior Delhi government official said that in his letter to Gamlin, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said that her appointment is against the set rule.iii.Lt Governor Najeeb Jung gave the additional charge of Chief Secretary to Gamlin, a 1984-batch IAS officer, hours after she wrote a scathing letter to Jung claiming that she was pressurised by a senior bureaucrat in Chief Minister's office not to be in race for the post due to her alleged proximity to BSES discoms.7. Gagan Narang wins World Cup bronze, earns India quota for Rio Olympicsi.Gagan Narang won the bronze medal in the 50m Rifle Prone Event of the ISSF World Cup at Fort Benning in USA, earning himself a quota place for the 2016 Rio Olympics.ii.Narang, who won the bronze in 10m Rifle at the London Olympics, shot 185.8 overall to secure third place behind gold medalist Michael McPhail (208.8 points) of USA and Ole Kristian Bryhn (206.3) of Norway.iii.The other quota place from the event went to McPhail.iv.Earlier in the competition, Narang and India's only individual Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra, had failed to qualify for the 10m Rifle final.v.Narang is third Indian shooter to make the Rio cut after Jitu Rai and Apurvi Chandela.

PM's social security schemes: Canara Bank rolls out awareness campaigns across Delhi

i.Building on the success of Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, the state-owned Canara Bank on Sunday rolled out awareness campaigns across Delhi on the Prime Minister's three latest social security schemes.

ii.Roadshows were held in 16 clusters across Delhi to promote the three new social security scheme -

Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY)

Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY)

Atal Pension Yojana (APY).

iii.For the Delhi region, Canara Bank has enrolled the maximum number of persons (1,12,929 lives) under the PMSBY among all banks till date. Even in the case of PMJJBY, Canara Bank is leading the league table with 74,512 lives enrolled up to May 13 this year, data available with the Delhi State level Bankers' Committee showed.

CII welcomes biz outcomes of Modis China visit

i.According to CII,Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to China has redefined the economic partnership between the two largest and fastest-growing developing economies in the world.

ii.Welcoming the business outcomes of the visit, it said: Prime Minister Modis visit to China has redefined the economic partnership of the two largest and fastest-growing developing economies in the world.

iii.In the presence of the Prime Minister at the India-China Business Forum in Shanghai, Indian and Chinese companies exchanged 24 agreements for cooperation totalling $22 billion, including investments and financing across sectors, the statement said.

iv.Chinese initiatives in the sectors of railways, skill development, public health and medical education will further build on economic cooperation between the two countries, it added.

Govt contains fiscal deficit at 4% of GDP; beats its own target

i.The Government has managed to restrict the fiscal deficit to 4 per cent during 2014-15, which is even below the revised estimate announced in the budget. Fiscal deficit is difference between the income and expenditure of the Government.

ii.The fiscal deficit at the end of 2014-15, stands at Rs. 5,01,880 crore which is 98 per cent of the projected figure in RE (Revised Estimate) 2014-15. Fiscal deficit as a percentage of GDP is 4 per cent as against the RE of 4.1 per cent (4.4 per cent for the previous year i.e. 2013-14).

Revenue Deficit

The revenue deficit also came down to 2.8 per cent as against the revised estimate of 2.9 per cent. This deficit refers to mismatch in the projected earning ad expenditure. Since the Government managed to collect more taxes than it was expecting, it impacted positively not just the revenue but also fiscal deficit too.

Income

Tax authorities managed to collect over Rs. 12.45 lakh crore during the 2014-15, which is 9 per cent more than 2013-14. This collection is 9.8 per cent of GDP. Such earnings which also comprise of disinvestment stands at Rs. 43,439 crore with an increase of 4 per cent.

Expenditure

In terms of plan expenditure, the RE was Rs. 4.68 lakh crore, but actual was Rs. 4.36 lakh crore. Similarly, non plan expenditure came down to Rs. 11.91 lakh crore from the RE of of Rs. 12.13 lakh crore.

India grants $1 bn credit to Mongolia; deepens defence ties

i.India today announced a US$ one billion credit line to Mongolia for infrastructure development as they upgraded their ties to Strategic Partnership and agreed to deepen defense cooperation besides exploring potential for tie ups in areas like the civil nuclear sector.

ii.The two Prime Ministers signed a joint statement committing to further consolidate bilateral ties and upgrade the comprehensive partnership to strategic partnership and agreed to renew their Treaty of Friendly Relations and Cooperation.

iii.The two sides inked 13 other pacts that includes one on enhancing cooperation in border guarding, policing and surveillance, air services, cyber security and new and renewable energy.

Airtel clinches $2.5 billion Chinese financing deals

i.The funds will help the company further diversify its global financing pool and invest in growth of data networks.

ii.Bharti Airtel has received financing commitments of up to USD 2.5 billion from China Development Bank and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, with an average maturity of about nine years.

iii.The company signed the term sheets for the financing options in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is currently on an official visit to China.

Infosys to open first overseas campus in China

i.As India pressed China to open its markets for Indian IT firms, technology major Infosys on Sunday announced establishing its first overseas centre outside India in China with an investment of about USD 120 million to tap in the burgeoning Chinese market.

ii.An MOU in this regard was signed between Infosys and the local Chinese provincial government at the India-China Business Forum, which was addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Shanghai on Sunday.

iii.The development centre, to be established in Chinas Guizhou province, with a staff capacity of about 4,500 will help to focus on Chinese and global markets.

Rome Masters 2015: Winners

Women's Singles -Maria Sharapova

Men's Singles -N. Djokovic

Women's Doubles -Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic

Men's Doubles -P. Cuevas and D. Marrero

Narendra Modi reaches South Korea, economic and trade cooperation high on agenda

i.Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in South Korea on the last leg of his three-nation visit during which he will hold talks with the South Korean leadership aiming to give a fillip to economic and trade cooperation.

ii.A slew of agreements are expected to be signed during the visit including one on Double Taxation Avoidance Convention, cooperation in shipping and logistics, audiovisual co-production, transport, highways and electric power development in new energy industries.

iii.The Prime Minister, who flew in from Mongolia after his three-day visit to China, will hold talks on the entire gamut of bilateral, regional and global issues with President Park Geun-hye and explore ways to upgrade cooperation in diversified areas.

6th National Conference on Nuclear Energy held in New Delhi

i.Sixth edition of National Conference on Nuclear Energy held in New Delhi. The theme of this edition was Nuclear Energy: a Clean Energy option.

ii.It was organized by Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), one of the apex trade associations of India.

iii.The conference discussed the issue related to the status of Nuclear Energy in India.

iv.Apart from it various issues were also discussed including on nuclear energy to the decarbonisation of power sector, Climate change & the future of nuclear energy, nuclear energy expansion & Make in India.

Centre allocates Rs 5,000 crore for development of AYUSH

i.The government has allocated Rs 5,000 crore for the growth of Department of AYUSH and launched an independent National AYUSH Mission aimed at capacity building for the sector.

ii.For creating awareness about Ayurveda, the Ministry is considering to observe Ayurveda Day.

iii.Independent National AYUSH Mission is launched aiming capacity building for the sector. The mission will ensure creation of a centre of excellence for Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy independently.

HDFC Bank launches medical benefits prepaid card

i.HDFC Bank has launched 'HDFC Bank Apollo Medical Benefits Card'.

ii.The bank has partnered with Apollo Hospitals for this prepaid product, which allows corporates to easily disburse medical allowance to their employees, saving time and cost.

iii.With the card, the administrative process of disbursing money is being made quick and simple. Corporates can load the specified allowance onto the card each month, which can be used by employees for medical expenditure at pan-