important committees in news of 2015 ramanandacharya swami rambhadracharya- others- uttar pradesh 7....

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Important Committees in News of 2015 Usha Thorat Committee For Evaluating Applications Of Small Finance Banks and Payments Banks The Reserve Bank of India on 3 February 2015 constituted a committee to evaluate applications received for the proposed small finance banks. The committee was headed by Usha Thorat, former Deputy Governor of RBI. The purpose of the small banks will be to provide a whole suite of basic banking products such as deposits and supply of credit, but in a limited area of operation. The objective for these Small Banks is to increase financial inclusion by provision of savings vehicles to under-served and unserved sections of the population, supply of credit to small farmers, micro and small industries, and other unorganised sector entities through high technology-low cost operations. Subramanium Committee Recommended Single Window System For Environment Projects In the month of January 2015, High-level committee (HLC) headed by former Cabinet Secretary T S R Subramanium submitted its report to Union Government. In its recommendation, the committee suggested single window clearance mechanism for green nods.The committee has suggested an umbrella law to help set up new national and state-level regulators that would also take the powers of the existing pollution control boards. The law – Environmental Management Act – would do away with the need for separate Acts to regulate air and water pollution that empower states to give the consent to operate and establish industrial units. Ajay Shankar Committee Constituted To Review The Existing PPP Cell In Railway Board The Ministry of Railways appointed Ajay Shankar committee on 25 March to review the performance of the Public Private Partnership (PPP) cell functioning under the Railway Board.Ajay Shankar is a former Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) under Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry Constituted Ajay Shankar committee To Simplify Clearances The Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry on 8 April formed an expert committee under the chairmanship of Ajay Shankar to suggest simplified compliance for establishing new industries. He is a former Secretary to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP). The Expert Committee has been constituted for examining the possibility of replacing multiple prior permissions with pre-existing regulatory mechanism and to prepare draft legislation for this purpose. Vijay Kelkar Committee To Revisit PPP infra Model Union government on 26 May constituted a 10-member committee to review and revitalise Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode of infrastructure development. The committee will be chaired by under former finance secretary Vijay Kelkar and submit its report within a period of 3 months from the date of its Constitution. The Kelkar committee will review the PPP policy and suggest a better risk-sharing mechanism between private developers and the government. AWARDS & HONOURS 15 NRIs Awarded with Pravasi Bharatiya Samman 2015 Vice-President Mohammad Hamid Ansari presented the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards 2015 to 15 prominent Non-Resident Indians (NRI’s). The awards were presented on the concluding day of 13th Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas at Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The recipients were –



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Mala Mehta, Australia ; Donald Rabindernauth Ramotar, Guyana ; Dr. Rajaram Sanjaya, Mexico ; Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi, New Zealand ; Rajmal Parakh, Oman ; Duraikannu Karunakaran, Seychelles ; Essop Goolam Pahad, South Africa ; Shah Bharatkumar Jayantilal, UAE ; Ashraf Palarakunnummal, UAE ; Mahendra Nanji Mehta, Uganda ; Prof. Nathu Ram Puri ; Lord Raj Loomba, Britain ; Satyanarayana Nadella, USA ; Dr. Lulla Kamlesh, US ; Dr.Nandini Tandon, USA.

ISRO Mars Orbiter Mission Team Won Space Pioneer Award – 2015 The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) Team of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on 12 January won the 2015 Space Pioneer Award in the Science and Engineering category. The Mars Orbiter Mission team is located in Bangalore and is headed by Mylswamy Annadurai. This prestigious award is be given by the National Space Society (NSS), an American educational and scientific organization.

Kamal Kishore Goyanka Selected For Vyas Samman 2014 Well-known Hindi scholar and writer Dr. Kamal Kishore Goenka was on 13 January chosen for Vyas samman 2014. He has been chosen for this award for his research work ‘Premchand Kee Kahaniyo Kaa Kaalkramanusar Adhyayan’. It was published in 2012. This award is instituted by the K.K. Birla Foundation. It was started in 1991.

Jammu and Kashmir Won National E-Governance Award 2014-15 Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) has been selected for National e-Governance award 2014-15 for its best district level initiative in the country.J&K state has been selected on 16 January for this award by Department of Administrative Reforms for its e-Panchayat project.

Padma Awards 2015 Announced The President of India Pranab Mukherjee on 25 January approved the conferment of Padma Awards 2015 to 104 person this year. The list of the awardees comprises of 9 Padma Vibhushan, 20 Padma Bhushan and 75 Padma Shri. The list also features 17 women as awardees and includes 17 persons from the category of foreigners, NRIs, PIOs and 4 Posthumous awardees.Padma Awards are one of the highest civilian Awards of the country, conferred in three categories – Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri – and given in various disciplines. Padma Vibhushan 1. LK Advani- Public Affairs- Gujarat 2. Amitabh Bachchan- Art- Maharashtra 3. Prakash Singh Badal- Public Affairs- Punjab 4. Dr D Veerendra Heggade- Social Work- Karnataka 5. Mohammad Yusuf Khan alias Dilip Kumar- Art- Maharashtra 6. Jagadguru Ramanandacharya Swami Rambhadracharya- Others- Uttar Pradesh 7. Prof Malur Ramaswamy Srinivasan- Science and Engineering- Tamil Nadu 8. Kottayan K. Venugopal- Public Affairs- Delhi 9. Karim Al Hussaini Aga Khan (Foreigner)- Trade and Industry- France/UK Padma Bhushan :- 1. Jahnu Barua- Art- Assam



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2. Dr Vijay Bhatkar- Science and Engineering- Maharashtra 3. Shri Swapan Dasgupta- Literature and Education- Delhi 4. Swami Satyamitranand Giri- Others- Uttar Pradesh 5. N Gopalaswami- Civil Service- Tamil Nadu 6. Dr Subhash C Kashyap- Public Affairs- Delhi 7. Dr (Pandit) Gokulotsavji Maharaj- Art- Madhya Pradesh 8. Dr Ambrish Mithal- Medicine – Delhi 9. Sudha Ragunathan- Art- Tamil Nadu 10. Shri Harish Salve- Public Affairs- Delhi 11. Dr Ashok Seth- Medicine- Delhi 12. Rajat Sharma- Literature and Education- Delhi 13. Satpal- Sports- Delhi 14. Shivakumara Swami- Others- Karnataka 15. Dr Kharag Singh Valdiya- Science and Engineering- Karnataka 16. Prof Manjul Bhargava (NRI/PIO)- Science and Engineering- USA 17. David Frawley (Vamadeva) (Foreigner)- Others- USA 18. Bill Gates (Foreigner)- Social Work- USA 19. Melinda Gates (Foreigner)- Social Work- USA 20. Saichiro Misumi (Foreigner)- Others- Japan Padma Shri :- Dr Manjula Anagani- Medicine- Telangana 2. S Arunan- Science and Engineering- Karnataka 3. Kanyakumari Avasarala- Art- Tamil Nadu 4. Dr Bettina Sharada Baumer- Literature and Education- Jammu and Kashmir 5. Naresh Bedi- Art- Delhi 6. Ashok Bhagat- Social Work- Jharkhand 7. Sanjay Leela Bhansali- Art- Maharashtra 8. Dr Lakshmi Nandan Bora- Literature and Education- Assam 9. Dr Gyan Chaturvedi- Literature and Education- Madhya Pradesh 10. Prof (Dr) Yogesh Kumar Chawla- Medicine- Chandigarh 11. Jayakumari Chikkala- Medicine- Delhi 12. Bibek Debroy- Literature and Education- Delhi 13. Dr Sarungbam Bimola Kumari Devi- Medicine- Manipur 14. Dr Ashok Gulati- Public Affairs- Delhi 15. Dr Randeep Guleria- Medicine- Delhi 16. Dr KP Haridas- Medicine- Kerala 17. Rahul Jain- Art- Delhi 18. Ravindra Jain- Art- Maharashtra 19. Dr Sunil Jogi- Literature and Education- Delhi 20. Prasoon Joshi- Art- Maharashtra 21. Dr Prafulla Kar- Art- Odisha 22. Saba Anjum- Sports- Chhattisgarh 23. Ushakiran Khan- Literature and Education- Bihar 24. Dr Rajesh Kotecha- Medicine- Rajasthan



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25. Prof Alka Kriplani- Medicine Delhi 26. Dr Harsh Kumar- Medicine- Delhi 27. Narayana Purushothama Mallaya- Literature & Education- Kerala 28. Lambert Mascarenhas- Literature and Education- Goa 29. Dr Janak Palta McGilligan- Social Work- Madhya Pradesh 30. Veerendra Raj Mehta- Social Work- Delhi 31. Tarak Mehta- Art- Gujarat 32. Neil Herbert Nongkynrih (Art), Meghalaya 33. Chewang Norphel- Others- Jammu and Kashmir 34. TV Mohandas Pai- Trade and Industry- Karnataka 35. Dr Tejas Patel- Medicine- Gujarat 36. Jadav Molai Peyang- Others- Assam 37. Bimla Poddar- Others- Uttar Pradesh 38. Dr N Prabhakar- Science and Engg- Delhi 39. Dr Prahalada- Science and Engg- Maharashtra 40. Dr Narendra Prasad- Medicine- Bihar 41. Ram Bahadur Rai- Literature and Education- Delhi 42. Mithali Raj- Sports- Telangana 43. PV Rajaraman- Civil Service- Tamil Nadu 44. Prof JS Rajput- Literature and Education- Uttar Pradesh 45. Kota Srinivasa Rao- Art- Andhra Pradesh 46. Prof Bimal Roy- Literature and Education- West Bengal 47. Shekhar Sen- Art- Maharashtra 48. Gunvant Shah- Literature and Education- Gujarat 49. Brahmdev Sharma- Literature and Education- Delhi 50. Manu Sharma- Literature and Education- Uttar Pradesh 51. Prof Yog Raj Sharma- Medicine- Delhi 52. Vasant Shastri- Science and Engg- Karnataka 53. SK Shivkumar- Science and Engg- Karnataka 54. PV Sindhu- Sports- Telangana 55. Sardara Singh- Sports- Haryana 56. Arunima Sinha-Sports- Uttar Pradesh 57. Mahesh Raj Soni- Art- Rajasthan 58. Dr Nikhil Tandon- Medicine- Delhi 59. H Thegtse Rinpoche- Social Work- Arunachal Pradesh 60. Dr Hargovind Laxmishanker Trivedi- Medicine- Gujarat 61. Huang Baosheng- Others- China 62. Prof Jacques Blamont- Science and Engg- France 63. Late Syedna Mohammad Burhanuddin- Others- Maharashtra (Posthumous) 64. Jean-Claude Carriere- Literature and Education – France 65. Dr Nandrajan ‘Raj’ Chetty- Literature and Education- France 66. George L Hart- Others- USA 67. Jagat Guru Amrta Suryananda Maha Raja- Others- Portugal 68. Late Meetha Lal Mehta- Social Work- Rajasthan (Posthumous)



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69. Tripti Mukherjee- Art- USA 70. Dr Dattatreyudu Nori- Medicine- USA 71. Dr Raghu Rama Pillarisetti (Medicine), USA 72. Dr Saumitra Rawat- Medicine- UK 73. Prof Annette Schmiedchen (Literature and Education), Germany 74. Late Pran Kumar Sharma alias Pran- Art- Delhi (Posthumous) 75. Late R Vasudevan- Civil Service- Tamil Nadu (Posthumous).

Eminent Marathi Writer Bhalchandra Nemade Selected For Jnanpith Award 2014 Eminent Marathi writer Bhalchandra Nemade on 6 February was chosen for the Jnanpith Award 2014 by the Jnanpith Selection Board. He is the 4th Marathi writer to receive the honour and is the 50th recipient of Jnanpith award.His novel Kosala (Cocoon) published in 1963 was not only instrumental in changing the dimensions of the Marathi novel, but also the world of Marathi fiction was transformed with its advent.

57th Annual Grammy Awards The 57th Annual Grammy Awards were held on 8 February at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. In all, 83 Grammy Awards were presented at the function. * Two Indians — Ricky Kej and Neela Vaswani — took home a Grammy Award each. Neela Vasvani won the trophy in the Best Children’s Album category for “I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up For Education And Changed The World (Malala Yousafzai)”. She had narrated the audio version of the book. On the other hand Ricky Kej’s collaboration in the album “Winds Of Samsara” won the Best New Age Album trophy. He had teamed up with South African musician Wouter Kellerman for the album, which symbolises peace and harmony. * Beck Hansen’s album “Morning Phase” won the Best Album of the Year Award while the song “Stay With Me” featuring James Napier, William Phillips & Sam Smith won Best Song of the Year Award and Best Record of the Year Award.

Amartya Sen Won John Maynard Keynes Prize Economist and Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has won the newly instituted Charleston-EFG John Maynard Keynes Prize 2015 on 10 February.With this, Professor Sen will receive 7500 British pounds to commission a work of art and will give the annual Charleston-EFG Keynes Lecture at the Charleston Festival in the United Kingdom. This year’s lecture is scheduled for 23 May 2015 and it will be on The Economic Consequences of Austerity.

87th Annual Academy Oscar Awards 2015 The 87th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) was held on 23 February at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles.The Academy Awards (commonly referred as Oscars) were presented in twenty four categories. They are :- * Best Actor – Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything). * Best Actress – Julianne Moore (Still Alice). * Best Supporting Actor – J. K. Simmons (Whiplash). * Best Supporting Actress – Patricia Arquette (Boyhood). * Best Director – Alejandro G. Iñárritu for Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance). * Best Original Screenplay – Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance). * Best Adapted Screenplay – The Imitation Game. * Best Original Song – Glory (Selma). * Best Original Score – The Grand Budapest Hotel.



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* Best Production Design - The Grand Budapest Hotel. * Best Editing – Whiplash. * Best Cinematography – Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance). * Best Sound Editing – American Sniper. * Best Sound Mixing – Whiplash. * Best Foreign Language Film – Ida (Poland). * Best Documentary Feature – CitizenFour. * Best Documentary Short Subject – Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1. * Best Live Action Short Film – The Phone Call. * Best Visual Effects – Interstellar. * Best Animated Feature Film – Big Hero 6. * Best Animated Short Film – Feast. * Best Makeup and Hairstyling – The Grand Budapest Hotel. * Best Costume Design – The Grand Budapest Hotel. * Most awards – Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) and The Grand Budapest Hotel (Both received 4 awards). * Most nominations in 87th Academy Awards – Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) and The Grand Budapest Hotel (both 9 nominations). Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba Won Mo Ibrahim Prize Hifikepunye Pohamba, outgoing Namibian President, on 2 March won the Mo Ibrahim prize for achievement in African leadership for year 2014.Pohamba served as Namibian President two terms. For first time he was elected in 2004 and again in 2009. The award is named after Mo Ibrahim, a British-Sudanese mobile communications entrepreneur and philanthropist, who had made billions of fortune from investing in Africa.

Veerappa Moily Selected For Saraswati Samman 2014 Former Union minister and senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily was on 9 March selected for the prestigious Saraswati Samman for 2014 for his famous Kannada poem ‘Ramayana Mahanveshanam’. Divided into five volumes, Ramayana Mahanveshanam was first published in 2007 in Kannada. Later the poem was translated into English, Hindi, Telugu and Tamil.

Activist Rajendra Singh Won Stockholm Water Prize – 2015 Rajendra Singh, an eminent environment activist, has been conferred the prestigious Stockholm Water Prize 2015 for his innovative water restoration efforts and extraordinary courage to empower communities in Indian villages. He is popularly known as Water Man of India.

Shashi Kapoor Selected For ‘Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2014′ Veteran actor and film producer Shashi Kapoor has been named for the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Award 2014. He is the 46th winner of the honour, conferred by the government for outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian Cinema. The 2014 Dadasaheb Phalke award to Shashi Kapoor made him the third member of Kapoor family to receive the award after Prithviraj Kapoor and Raj Kapoor.

62nd National Film Awards 2014 The 62nd National Film Awards for year 2014 was announced on 24 March 2015. Court directed by Chaitanya Tamhane was selected as the Best feature film. Mary Kom (Hindi) directed by Omung Kumar was selected as the Best Popular film providing wholesome entertainment. The 62nd National Film



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Awards in the various categories are as follows:- * Best Actor – Vijay for Nanu Avanalla Avalu (Kannada). * Best Actress – Kangana Ranaut for Queen (Hindi). * Best Direction -Srijit Mukherji, Director of Chotushkone (Bengali). * Best Hindi Film – Queen * Best Children’s Film - Kaakkaa Muttai (Tamil) and Elizabeth Ekadashi (Marathi). * Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director – Aditya Vikram Sengupta for Asha Jaoar Majhe (Bengali). * Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration – Chotoder Chobi (Bengali) directed by Kaushik Ganguly. Subadhra Devi Named For 2015 International Achievement Award Dr Subadhra Devi Rai, an Indian-origin Singaporean nurse, on 2 April 2015 was named for the 2015 International Achievement Award by the Florence Nightingale International Foundation (FNIF) of the International Council of Nurses.

Adonis Won 2015 Kumaran Asan World Prize For Poetry Paris- based Syrian-Lebanese Arab poet Adonis has been chosen for 2015 Kumaran Asan World Prize for poetry, instituted by the Kumaran Asan Memorial Association to honour poets of international stature and introduce them to Indian readers. Adonis was born as Ali Ahmad Said Esber in Western Syria in 1930. Since 1985, he had settled in Paris, France.

Susanta Lahiri Awarded Hevesy Medal Award 2015 Professor Susanta Lahiri was awarded prestigious the Hevesy Medal Award 2015. The award was presented to him for his outstanding contributions in heavy ion induced radioisotope production, converter targets, tracer packet technique and green chemistry.

Satya Nadella Honoured with the White House ‘Champion of Change’Award Microsoft’s Indian-origin CEO Satya Nadella was honoured with the White House Champions of Change on 16 April. He is one of the 12 local Champions of Change who were honoured for their exemplary leadership. Champions of Change honour is given to those who support working families and help make change in their companies or communities. CNR Rao Conferred with Japan’s Highest Civilian Award Eminent scientist C N R Rao was on 2 May conferred with Japan’s highest civilian award for his outstanding contributions to science and Indo-Japanese science coperation. The Emperor of Japan conferred the country’s highest award, the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star, on the Bharat Ratna awardee.Rao is also the only Indian to be elected as a foreign member of the Japan Academy in Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research.

Mazen Darwish Honoured with World Press Freedom Prize 2015 The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on 3 May presented the 2015 UNESCO-Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize to Syrian journalist and rights activist Mazen Darwish. The award was presented in Latvia on the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day in recognition of the work he has carried out in Syria for more than ten year as a human rights defender and a journalist.



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Pranab Mukherjee Presents Florence Nightingale Awards To 35 Nurses President Pranab Mukherjee on 12 May conferred the National Florence Nightingale Awards to 35 nursing personnel from across the country on the occasion of International Nurses Day.The Florence Nightingale Award was established by the Union Health Ministry to honour the selfless services rendered by Nurses with devotion, sincerity, dedication and compassion.

Laszlo Krasznahorkai Won Man Booker International Prize 2015 Hungarian writer Laszlo Krasznahorkai has been announced as the winner of the sixth Man Booker International Prize 2015. He was announced the winner at an award ceremony at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London on 20 May 2015. The prize, worth £60,000, is awarded every two years for an achievement in fiction on the world stage. The Man International Booker Prize is awarded to a living author of any nationality who has published fiction either in English or in English translation.

Science and Technology Scientists Discovered Two New Earth-like Planets The Scientists at the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics have discovered two Earth-like planets Kepler 438b and Kepler 442b. The findings of the discovery were published in The Astrophysical Journal on 5 January.The planets were spotted by Nasa’s Kepler space telescope which detects planets as they move across the faces of their stars. Kepler 438b is 475 light years away. It gets about 40 percent more heat from its red sun than Earth gets from the Sun.Kepler-442b is 1100 light-years away. It is 33 percent bigger than Earth and orbits its star once every 112 days. has a 60-percent chance of being rocky.

IAF gets First Indigenously Built LCA Tejas First indigenously-built Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas was handed over to the Indian Air Force (IAF) by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar at ceremony held on 17 January at Bengaluru, Karanataka.It received its Initial Operational Clearance-I in January 2011, after being built by state-owned HAL. It is expected that the aircraft will receive its Final Operational Clearance by December 2015.

India Successfully Test-Fired Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile Agni-V India on 31 January successfully test-fired its indigenously developed, intercontinental surface-to-surface nuclear capable ballistic missile ( ICBM) ‘Agni-5′, which has a strike range of over 5000 kms and can carry a nuclear warhead of over one tonne, from Wheeler’s Island off Odisha coast. This was the third successful flight test of the Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) and the first canister trial. The first test was conducted on April 19, 2012 and the second test on 15 September, 2013 from the same base.

NASA Launches SMAP Satellite National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has on 2 February launched Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite to observe soil moisture.It was launched from the Delta 2 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. SMAP satellite is three-year mission which will measure the amount of moisture in soil. It will produce high-resolution global maps from space and data collected from it will help scientists to monitor droughts and improve flood forecasts.



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Pakistan Successfully Test Fires Cruise Missile Ra’ad Pakistan on 2 February conducted a successful flight test of the indigenously developed Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM) named ‘Ra’ad’. The Ra’ad Missile, with a range of over 350 km, has been developed exclusively for launch from Aerial Platforms.This missile system has enabled Pakistan to achieve a greater strategic standoff capability on land and at sea.

Iran’s Safir Rocket successfully Launches Fajr Satellite into Orbit Iran has launched its Fajr (Dawn) observation satellite on 2 February, using a Safir-2 rocket, its first launch since 2012 and declared that it has safely entered orbit. The launch marks the 35th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution and comes one day ahead of the country’s Space Technology Day.

US Names Russian Nuclear Power Plants For India and Iran Best Projects of 2014 Iranian nuclear power station Bushehr and the Indian Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant topped the “Nuclear energy” category as the modern technologies they use produce cleaner and more effective sources of energy. The Russian-backed Iranian nuclear power station Bushehr and the Kudankulam Indian nuclear power plant projects were named projects of the year 2014 by the US Power Engineering magazine in the “Nuclear energy” category on 13 February 2015.

India Successfully Test Fired BrahMos Missile From INS Kolkata India on 14 February successfully test-fired its 290-km range BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from Indian Navy’s latest destroyer INS Kolkata. BrahMos is a missile with a range of 290 kilometers and can carry a conventional warhead of up to 300 kilograms. It has a top speed of Mach 2.8, which is three times faster than the US subsonic Tomahawk cruise missile. This speed makes BrahMos one of the fastest cruise missiles in the world. It can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft and land. INS Kolkata the country’s largest indigenously built warship was commissioned in Indian Navy on 16 August 2014.

India Successfully Test Fired N-capable Prithvi-II Missile Prithvi-II surface-to-surface missile was test-fired on 19 February at Chandipur, Odisha. The test-fired was part of a regular training exercise of Strategic Force Command of Defence (SFC) and monitored by Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO). Prithvi-II was developed indigenously which is nuclear-capable and has a strike range of 350 km. It is capable of carrying 500 kg to 1000 kg of warheads. SpaceX Rocket Lifts Off with World’s First All Electric Satellites World’s first electric satellites were successfully lifted off by a Space Exploration (SpaceX) Technologies rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, United States on 1 March. The rocket was carrying two all-electric commercial satellites built by Boeing. The satellites are owned by the French satellite provider Eutelsat and Asia Broadcast Satellite (ABS).

NASA’s Dawn Spacecraft Completed Its Orbit Around Dwarf Planet Ceres NASA’s Dawn space probe has on 6 March completed its orbit around dwarf planet Ceres which is the largest object in the Solar System between Mars and Jupiter. With the completion of orbit, Dawn probe has become first spacecraft to visit dwarf planet. Dawn has taken 7.5 years to reach the orbit of Ceres.



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‘ Solar Impulse – 2′ Begins Its Journey Around the World ‘ Solar Impulse – 2′, a solar-powered airplane, started its historic 35,000-km round-the-world journey from Abu Dhabi on 9 March 2015. Solar Impulse-2 took off from Abu Dhabi on its 5-month long journey in which it will skip from continent to continent, crossing both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans in the process. Andre Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard are the two pilots of this mission.

Pakistan Successfully Tests Indigenous Drone Burraq and Barq Pakistan on 13 March successfully tested its first indigenously built all-weather armed drone named Burraq and a laser guided missile named Barq.By successfully testing of Burraq, Pakistan became the 9th country in the World to develop an unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) domestically.

ISRO successfully Launched Fourth Navigation Satellite ‘ IRNSS 1D ‘ Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on 28 March 2015 successfully launched fourth navigation satellite Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) 1D. Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C27 injected IRNSS 1D into the designated orbit from the first launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. This was the 28th consecutive successful flight of PSLV. IRNSS is a navigation system that will cover India, and also extend 1,500 kms from its boundaries. It will provide accurate position information to users in India. Basically it will provide two kinds of services, Standard Positioning Services, which is available to all users, and an encrypted service that is provided only to authorized users. Nuclear-Capable Dhanush Missile Successfully Test Fired India on 9 April successfully test-fired its nuclear-capable Dhanush ballistic missile with a strike range of 350 km from a naval ship off the Odisha coast. The surface-to-surface Dhanush, a naval variant of India’s indigenously-developed Prithvi missile, was test fired from a ship in the Bay of Bengal off Odisha coast by the Strategic Force Command (SFC) of the defence force. Dhanush missile is capable of carrying conventional as well as nuclear payload of 500 to 1000 kilogram and can hit both land and sea-based targets within 350 km range.

Nuclear Capable Agni-III Ballistic Missile Test Fired Successfully The Surface-to-Surface Agni III ballistic missile was successfully test-fired on 16 April from the Wheelar Isalnd off the Odisha coast in the Bay of Bengal.Although the missile has a strike range of more than 3000 km, in the present test-fire, it was tested for a lesser range. The Agni-III missile is powered by a two-stage solid propellant system.

World’s First Self-Powered Camera Developed Columbia University scientists have created the world’s first self-powered camera. The camera can indefinitely produce an image in each second of any well-lit indoor area. K. Nayar, a computer scientist of Indian origin, headed the research. He designed a pixel that apart from measuring incident light also converts it into electric power.

Navy’s Stealth Destroyer ‘INS Visakhapatnam ‘ Launched Indian Navy’s new stealth destroyer named INS Visakhapatnam was launched on 20 April at the Mazgaon Docks Ltd (MDL) in Mumbai, Maharashtra.It was designed indigenously. It is a Kolkata class warship.It is also the first of P15-B stealth destroyers.The ship weighs 3000 tonnes and is 163 metres long.It is designed to achieve speed of more than 30 knots at displacement of around 7300 tonnes.INS Vishakapatnam will also be fitted with supersonic surface to surface missile system.



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NASA develops First 3-D Printed Copper Rocket Engine Part NASA engineers have developed the first full-scale three dimensional (3-D) printed copper rocket engine part. The part developed was a combustion chamber liner that operates at extreme temperatures and pressures using additive manufacturing technique. NASA ended Operations of MESSENGER Mission To Mercury NASA on 1 May ended the operations of MESSENGER Mission. MESSENGER stands for MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging and it was launched on 3 August 2004 to study Mercury’s atmosphere. The journey of the spacecraft came to an end with Expected Impact (EI) on Mercury’s surface. It plunged to the Mercury’s surface at around 14000 kmph, creating a crater up to 52 feet wide.NASA’s Messenger probe was launched on 3 August 2004 from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Messenger was actually an acronym for Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geo-chemistry and Ranging.

‘ Akash Weapon System ‘ Missile Inducted In Indian Army Indian Army on 5 May inducted the first regiment of the indigenously-developed Surface-to-Air missile Akash Weapon System (AWS). About Akash Weapon System (AWS) :- * Akash Missile is able to target a multitude of aerial threats of upto a range of 25 km. * Akash has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and is being built by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL). * It has a large operational range from a low altitude of 30 metres to a maximum of up to 20 km. * At 96 per cent indigenisation, it represents a major capability development for a crucial weapon system. * The first test flight of Akash missile was conducted in 1990, with development flights conducted up to March 1997.

Indian Army Test Fires BrahMos Cruise Missile Successfully Land-to-land configuration of BrahMos missile was on 8 May successfully test-fired from the Car Nicobar Islands.BrahMos Block–III version i.e. land-to-land configuration of missile was launched from a Mobile Autonomous Launcher (MAL) for its full-range of 290-km test. The missile flight test met all flight parameters, including high-level manoeuvres.It also hit the designated land- based target with the desired accuracy.

INS ‘Sardar Patel’ Commissioned In Porbandar India’s latest naval establishment – INS ‘Sardar Patel’ – was commissioned in Porbandar, Gujarat, by state Chief Minister Anandiben Patel on 9 May. It became the second in the state for the Indian Navy after INS Dwarka near Okha. It has been established as a Forward Operating Base (FOB) of the Indian Navy. Cmde BR Prakash, VSM who is the Naval Officer-in-Charge (Gujarat, Diu & Daman) became the first Commanding Officer of INS Sardar Patel.

SPORTS Andy Murray Won ATP World Tennis Championship Britain’s Andy Murray Andy Murray won the ATP World Tennis Championship at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi on 4 January.He won the title after the Serbia’s Novak Djokovic withdrew from the final match citing illness.This was the first title of year 2015 for Andy Murray.



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Brisbane Tennis Tournament Winners – 2015 Women’s Singles :- Maria Sharapova of Russia won the Brisbane International women’s singles title on 10 January.She defeated Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic in the final.It was her 34th career title. Men’s Singles :- Switzerland’s Roger Federar won the Men’s singles title. He defeated Milos Raonic of Canada in the final.It’s a grand number for a 17-time Grand Slam champion, making him the only player after Jimmy Connors (1,253) and Ivan Lendl (1,071) to win 1,000 times on the men’s professional tour. Its the 83rd career title for this 17-time Grand Slam champion.

South Africa’s AB de Villiers Scores Fastest One-day International Century South Africa’s batsman AB de Villiers hit the fastest century in One-Day International (ODI) cricket. AB de Villiers scored the century in just 31 balls. He achieved the feat in second ODI match of the 5-match ODI series played on 18 January at the Wanderers in Johannesburg against West Indies. The previous record was held by New Zealand’s Corey Anderson who scored a century in 36 balls against the West Indies on 1 January 2014.On the way to make the world record of fastest century, Villiers went to fifty off 16 balls, one ball less than Sanath Jayasuriya’s 19-year old record of the fastest ODI half-century. Jayasuriya scored the fifty in 17 balls for Sri Lanka against Pakistan in 1995-96.

Australian Open Tennis Tournament Winners – 2015 Women’s singles :- Serena Williams of US won the women’s singles title of Australian Open 2015 on 31 January 2015 by defeating Maria Sharapova.This was her sixth Australian Open singles title and 19th singles Grand Slam title. With this she overtook 18-time Grand Slam winners Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. She is now just three titles away from Steffi Graf’s record of 22 Grand Slam titles. Men’s Singles :- Novak Djokovic (Serbia) won the Australian Open Men’s singles title. He defeated Britain’s Andy Murray in the final on 1 February.Djokovic had earlier won the Australian Open titles in 2008, 2011, 2012 and 2013. This was his 8th career Grand Slam title. Murray has now been runner-up four times here, losing twice previously to Djokovic in 2011 and 2013 and to Roger Federer in 2010. 35th National Games The 35th National Games of India concluded on 14 February 2015 at Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala). In all the 35th National Games saw disbursal of 1334 medals comprising of 405 Gold, 406 Silver and 523 Bronze medals respectively. Services Sports Control Board emerged overall champion and winner of the Raja Bhalendra Singh Trophy for the third consecutive time. Services have won total 159 medals including 91 Gold Medals. It was followed by hosts Kerala with 54 golds and Haryana with 40 golds. Now the 36th edition of National Games would be held at Goa in 2017. The 2015 National Games of India, also known as the 35th National Games of India, were held in Kerala from 31 January 2015 to 14 February 2015.The mascot of the 35th National Games is”’Ammu”’, The Great Hornbill, or the Great Indian Hornbill, the State bird of Kerala.

Anil Kumble and Betty Wilson Inducted into ICC Cricket Hall of Fame Former India captain Anil Kumble and Australian legend Betty Wilson were inducted into the International Cricket Council Hall of Fame on 22 February at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia.



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Kumble and Wilson became the 77th and 78th inductees into the Hall of Fame. Kumble is the fourth Indian to be included in the elite group other three includes Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Bishan Bedi. Wilson is the second Australian woman in the Hall of Fame behind Belinda Clark. Wilson was given the honour posthumously. Anil Kumble had played 132 Tests for India and captured 619 wickets.

Chris Gayle Becomes First Batsman To Hit Double Century In World Cup History West Indies’ opener Chris Gayle made his name into history books by becoming the first ever batsman to score a double-century in the ICC World Cup. He achieved this feat against Zimbabwe in a Pool B clash in Canberra on 24 February 2015. Gayle hit Tendai Chatara for a boundary in the 46th over of the West Indies innings to reach the double-century mark in 138 balls. Assisted by this double-century, West Indies reached mammoth total of 372 for 2 wickets. Gayle surpassed the previous World Cup best of 188 not out by South Africa’s Gary Kirsten against the United Arab Emirates at Rawalpindi in 1996.

AB De Villiers Hits Fastest 150 In ODI History South Africa captain AB de Villiers has hit the fastest 150 in one-day internationals (ODI’s). He achieved this feat in 64 balls in World Cup Pool B match against West Indies held on 27 February at Sydney and also broke the previous record of Australia’s Shane Watson by 19 balls. AB De Villiers in the innings scored 162 runs from 66 balls and it comprised of 8 sixes and 17 fours. In this match, South Africa scored 408 runs which is the second-highest total in World Cup history. Karnataka Won Ranji Trophy 2015 Karnataka on 12 March won their eighth Ranji Trophy title of cricket. In the title clash played at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai, Karnataka defeated Tamil Nadu by an innings and 217 runs. Karnataka defeated Tamil Nadu by an innings and 217 runs in the final day of match played at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai.The man of the match was Karnataka’s Karun Nair who had scored 338 runs.

India Open Super Series Badminton 2015 Winners Women’s Singles:- India’s ace shuttler Saina Nehwal on 29 March won India Open Super Series Badminton Women’s Singles 2015 Title. She defeated Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon in the final match played at Siri Fort Indoor Complex in New Delhi. Men’s Single’s :- India’s Srikanth Kidambi has won India Open Super Series Badminton Men’s Singles 2015 Title. In the final match he defeated Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen.

Australia Won ICC Cricket World Cup For 5th time Australia on 29 March 2015 won the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 for the record fifth time. In the final match Australia defeated co-hosts of the tournament, New Zealand by 7 wickets played at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Australia. Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc was named the Player of the Tournament who finished with a figure of 22 wickets in the tournament. He was tied with New Zealand left-arm seamer Trent Boult for taking highest wickets in the tournament. Australian all-rounder James Faulkner was adjudged man of the match, while the man of the series award went to Mitchell Starc. He finished the tournament with 22 wickets.

Saina Nehwal Becomes First Indian Woman To Attain World No.1 Ranking Ace shuttler Saina Nehwal on 28 March created history by becoming first Indian woman to be ranked number one in the world in Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings in Women’s Singles category.



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She achieved this rare feat after Spain’s Carolina Marin’s lost her semi-final match to Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon in the Indian Open Super Series. Saina has overtaken China’s Li Xuerui to become the highest ranked player in the world. Saina Nehwal is the second Indian badminton player to achieve this feat, after legendary shuttler Prakash Padukone. He had achieved the top rank in 1980 in Men’s Single Category. Mariya Muzychuk Won Women’s World Chess Championship World Women Chess Championship 2015 was won by Mariya Muzychuk of Ukraine. She defeated Russian Natalija Pogonina by 2.5 to 1.5 points in the four-game final.Indian Grandmaster Dronavalli Harika on 6 April 2015 won Bronze medal along with Swedish Grandmaster Pia Cramling in the World Women’s chess championships held at Sochi, Russia.

Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara Named Wisden Cricketer of the Year for 2014 Sri Lanka great Kumar Sangakkara has been honoured with the Cricketer of the Year in the 2015 edition of the prestigious Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack on 8 April. He has become only the second cricketer after India’s Virender Sehwag to be bestowed with the award twice.

New Zealand Won Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament 2015 New Zealand won the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup men’s Hockey Tournament title on 12 April.In the final clash played at the Sultan Azlan Shah Stadium in Ipoh, Malaysia, New Zealand defeated World Champions Australia 3-1.India won Bronze Medal (third position) by beating south Korea by 4-1 in the penalty shoot-out.

Djokovic Won Laureus World Sportsman Of The Year 2015 Award The Laureus World Sports Awards for the year 2015 were given in seven categories on 15 April at Shanghai in China. Ace tennis star Novak Djokovic of Serbia and sprinter Genzebe Dibaba of Ethiopia were named as the Laureus World Sportsman and Sportswoman of the 2015 respectively.

Novak Djokovic Won Monte Carlo Masters Title Novak Djokovic of Serbia won the Monte-Carlo Masters title of Tennis on 20 April. He defeated Berdych of Czech Republic in the men’s singles final. It was his second Monte-Carlo Masters title of Tennis. With this win, Djokovic also became the first player to sweep the opening three ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events of a season. The previous two titles were won at Indian Wells and Miami. Floyd Mayweather Won World Welterweight Title of Boxing American boxer Floyd Mayweather on 3 May defeated Manny Pacquiao from Philippines to win the unified World Welterweight title.This bout (welterweight category) was held at MGM Garden Arena in Las Vegas (US).With this win, Mayweather added Pacquiao’s World Boxing Organization (WBO) title to his World Boxing Association (WBA) and World Boxing Council (WBC) crowns. Mayweather earned a mind-boggling Rs. 1142 crore, Pacquiao also pocketed Rs. 761 crore despite losing.

Nico Rosberg Won Spanish F1 Grand Prix Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg of Germany won Spanish Grand Prix Formula 1 World Championship title by winning the final race held on 10 May at Barcelona in Spain.

Rome Masters Tennis Tournament Winners Women’s Singles :- Maria Sharapova of Russia on 17 May won the Rome Masters tennis tournament women’s singles title.She defeated Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain. It was the 35th WTA Tour title of



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Sharapova’s career. Men’s Singles :- Novak Djokovic of Serbia won his fourth Rome Masters Tennis title. Djokovic defeated Roger Federer of Switzerland.

Mumbai Indians Won IPL 8 Mumbai Indians (MI) on 24 May won the eight edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2015 by defeating Chennai Super Kings (CSK).In the final match played at Eden Gardens, Kolkata they defeated CSK by 41 runs. This was the second title triumph for Mumbai Indians after their maiden win back in 2013. * Man of the Match – Rohit Sharma (Mumbai Indians) * Player of the Tournament – Andre Russell * Orange Cap (Most Runs) – David Warner (Sunrisers Hyderabad) * Purple Cap (Most Wickets) - Dwayne Bravo (Chennai Super Kings) * Emerging Player – Shreyas Iyer (Delhi Daredevils) * Most Valuable Player – Andre Russell (Kolkata Knight Riders) * Fair play Award – Chennai Super Kings Prize Money :- * Champions – Mumbai Indians (Rs 15 crore prize money) * Runner-up – Chennai Super Kings (Rs 10 crore) Captains of the two teams :- * Mumbai Indians – Rohit Sharma * Chennai Super Kings – MS Dhoni

Economy ICICI Bank Launched India’s Contactless Credit and Debit Cards ICICI Bank, the country’s largest private sector one, on 7 January launched contactless credit cards and debits cards called Coral Contactless Credit Card and Expressions Wave Debit Card respectively. These cards will enable customers to make electronic payments by waving the cards near a merchant terminal instead of dipping or swiping the cards.

India’s Growth To Reach 6.3 percent In 2016 According to the United Nations World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) 2015 report released on 14 January, India’s growth in terms of GDP is expected to reach 5.9 per cent in 2015 and 6.3 per cent in 2016. Highlights of Report :- India:- Its growth recovery is partly the result of improved market sentiment after the new government took office in the second quarter of 2014 and had announced plans to reform the bureaucracy, labour laws and public subsidies. South Asia:- Economic growth in South Asia is set to gradually pick up from an estimated 4.9 percent in 2014 to 5.4 percent in 2015 and 5.7 percent in 2016. India, will account for about 70 percent of regional output in South Asia. * Average inflation in this region is expected remain moderate at 7.8 percent in 2015 and 7.2 percent in 2016, as commodity prices are likely remain subdued and domestic demand picks up gradually. Global Economy:- It is expected to grow at 3.1 percent in 2015 and 3.3 percent in 2016, compared with an estimated growth of 2.6 percent in 2014.

World Economic Situation and Prospects 2015 Report Released United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) on 19 January 2015



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released World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) 2015 report. The report projects that the regional growth will pick up in 2015-16, as average GDP growth will accelerate from 5.0 percent in 2014 to 5.3 percent in 2015 and 5.7 percent in 2016.The report has highlighted that the South Asia’s economic growth is set to reach a four-year high in 2015. The average gross domestic product (GDP) growth of South Asia accelerated from 3.7 percent in 2013 to 4.9 percent in 2014, and is projected to strengthen further to 5.4 percent in 2015 and 5.7 per cent in 2016.

Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana scheme sets Guinness Record Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) scheme was conferred with the Guinness record on 20 January 2015. The PMJDY scheme created a Guinness World Record for opening the maximum number of bank accounts in the shortest possible time. Altogether, 11.5 crore accounts have been opened under the scheme in less than five months. The scheme was launched on 28 August 2014 with a target of 7.5 crore till 26 January 2015. The Guinness authorities officially handed a certificate to Union finance minister Arun Jaitley in Delhi on 20 January 2015. Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana is government’s flagship financial inclusion programme that was launched on 28 August 2014 to help people in opening bank accounts. RBI 6th Bi-monthly Monetary Review 2014-15 The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has on 3 February announced sixth Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy Statement 2014-15. In its bi-monthly monetary policy statement, RBI has not changed its main lending rate i.e.Repo Rate and cash reserve ratio (CRR). But changed statutory liquidity ratio (SLR) of scheduled commercial banks.The RBI reduced the statutory liquidity ratio (SLR) of scheduled commercial banks by 50 basis points from 22.0% to 21.5% of their net demand and time liabilities. ICICI Bank Launches India’s First Digital Bank Pockets The Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India (ICICI) Bank, has on 10 February launched India’s first digital Bank on mobile phones, Pockets. This service will enable users to instantly send money to any e-mail id, mobile number, friends on Facebook and bank account. Railway Budget 2015-16 Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on 26 February 2015 presented the Railway Budget 2015-16 in the Lok Sabha. In his first Railway Budget, Prabhu outlined a plan to invest over 8 lakh crore rupees over 5 years. The size of the Plan Budget has gone up by 52 percent from 65789 crore rupees in 2014-15 to 100011 crore rupees in 2015-16. 2015-16 Railway Budget at a Glance (Rs in crore) :- * Gross Traffic Receipts – 1,83,578.00 * Total Work Expenditure – 1,62,210.00 * Net Railway Revenue – 25,076.45 * Total Passenger Earnings – 50,175.00 * Good Earnings – 1,21,423.00 * Divindend Payable To General Revenues – 10,810,74 * Operation Ratio – 88.5% Highlights of the Railway Budget 2015-16 :- New Trains :- Announcement of no new trains (This will be done after doing a comprehensive analysis and feasibility studies) Passenger Fare :- No increase in Passenger fares Freight :- Freight increase up to 10% on select items: 10% for urea, 2.7% for cement and 6.3% for coal, 0.8% for iron and steel Railway Operations :- Railway’s Operating Ratio to improve to 88.5% in 2015-16 compared with targetted 91.8% in 2014-15



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Railway Finances :- a) Five-year outlay at Rs 8.5 lakh crore b) Plan expenditure in Railways to he hiked 52% to Rs 1.11 lakh crore for 2015-16 c) 77 projects totalling Rs 96,182 crore on cards to expand capacity Railway Safety :- a) Rs 6,581 cr earmarked on level crossing safety b) Train protection warning system to prevent fires c) Collision avoiding system d) 917 safety work projects to eliminate over 3,000 unmanned crossings in all states e) Audio visual warning and radio based signals design for unmanned level crossing with technical assistance from IIT-Kanpur on cards to enhance safety f) Five years safety plan will be ready by June 2015 g) Surveillance camera on cards for women’s safety, financing from Nirbhaya fund Improving Train Speed :- Speed of 9 railway corridors to be increased from existing 110 and 130 kmph to 160 and 200 kmph respectively. Average speed of freight trains in empty and loaded conditions will be enhanced to 100 kmph for empty freight trains and 75 kmph for loaded trains. Network Expansion :- Fast-track sanctioned works on 7000 kms of double/third/fourth lines Commission of 1200 km of network in 2015-16 at an investment of 8686 crore rupees. Railway Modernisation :- a) 6,000 km of route km to be electrified in 2015-16, up from 462 route km in 2014-15 b) 800 km of gauge conversion on cards Railway Convenience :- a) Proposes to move towards paperless ticketing b) Now, book your tickets 120 days in advance c) Rs 120 crore provided for lifts and escalators at Railway stations d) Phone charging facilities will be provided in all trains including general compartments e) Online booking of wheelchairs for seniors, physically challenged passengers f) Food can be ordered through IRCTC website while booking tickets g) Wifi availability at 400 railway stations across the country including B class stations too h) To introduce “Operation 5 minutes” to allow unreserved passengers to book tickets in 5 minutes Railway Cleanliness :- a) 17,000 toilets to be replaced and modernized b) Vacuum-based toilets on cards c) New toilets in 650 railway stations d) Railways will set up waste management plants to dispose off waste e) Will work on Swacch Rail in lines with Swacch Bharat Bullet Train :- Feasibility study for High Speed Rail between Mumbai-Ahmadabad is in advanced stage. Station Redevelopment :- Zonal and Divisional offices to be empowered for quicker decision making Development of 10 Satellite Railway terminals in major cities with twin purpose of decongesting the city and providing service to suburban passengers Infrastructure :- * Track capacity will be increased by 10% to 1.38 lakh km. * 10 satellite railway terminals will be developed in major cities in 2015-15. * Connectivity to North-East India will be improved. In J&K rail connectivity will be on focus. Tourism :- * Railways will promote Gandhi circuit in order to mark centenary year of Mahatma Gandhi’s return from South Africa. Special travel scheme Kisan Yatra for farmers for farming and marketing technique centres. Under Incredible India, Incredible Rail will be launched.



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Union Budget 2015-16 Union Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley on 28 February 2015 presented Union Budget 2015-16 in the Lok Sabha. It was the first full year Budget of the NDA government under leadership of Prime Minister of Narendra Modi and the second budget of Arun Jaitley as Finance Minister. 2015-16 Budget Estimates (Rs in Crore ) * Revenue Receipts – 1,141.6 * Capital Receipts - 635.9 * Total Receipts – 1,777.5 * Non-Plan Expenditure – 1,312.2 * Plan Expenditure – 465.3 * Total Expenditure – 1,777.5 * Revenue Deficit – 394.5 * Effective Revenue Deficit – 283.9 * Fiscal Deficit – 555.6 * Primary Deficit – 99.5 Highlights of the Union Budget 2015-16 :- Taxation:- * No change in the Tax slab on personal income. * Wealth tax abolished. * Additional 2% surcharge for the super-rich with income more than Rs. 1 crore. * For next 4 years, corporate tax has been reduced to 25 percent from present 30 percent. * Service tax increased to14 per cent. * Apart from CSR, 100% tax exemption for contribution to Swachch Bharat Abhiyan. New projects:- * New projects 5 more AIIMSs in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar and Assam. * IIT in Karnataka. While, the Indian School of Mines in Dhanbad, Jharkhand will be converted into IIT. * 2 more IIMs in Jammu and Kashmir and Andhra Pradesh. * Post-Graduation institutes of Horticulture in Amritsar, Punjab. * University of Disability Studies will be established in Kerala. * In Arunachal Pradesh, Centre of film production, animation and gaming will come up. * For Infrastructure sector Rs. 70,000 crores allocated. * Projects in rail road and irrigation bonds will be tax free. * Infrastructure development through PPP model will be revitalised and government will bear majority of the risk. * Atal Innovation Mission will be established to draw on expertise of researchers and entrepreneurs to foster scientific innovations. For this mission Rs. 150 crore allocated. * 5 ultra-mega power projects each of 4000MW proposed by Government Defence:- * 2,46,726 crore allocated for Defence. It is 9.87 per cent greater than last year. * Make in India campaign will take into consideration for speedy manufacturing of Defence equipment. Welfare Schemes and new Programmes :- * Under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, six crore toilets across the country will be built. * By 2020, housing for all. * Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Gurantee Act (MGNREGA) will get MGNREGA of Rs. 5,000 crore. It is highest allocation to this scheme. * To improve quality of life of common man, GST and JAM trinity (Jan Dhan Yojana, Aadhaar and Mobile)



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will be launched. To encourage first generation SC/ST entrepreneurs, MUDRA bank will provide finance. * Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) will be further be expanded to 10.3 crore from 1 crore. * Government will contribute 50% of the premium limited to Rs. 1,000 a year for the Atal Pension Yojana. * 9,000 crore unclaimed funds in PPF/EPF will be used for Senior Citizens Fund. * For all Indian, government will create universal social security system. * For electric cars production Rs. 75 crore allocated. * Renewable energy target for 2022 – 60K MW in wind; 10K MW in biomass, 100K MW in solar and 5K MW in small hydro plants. * Under the new tourism scheme, development of churches and convents in old Goa; Hampi, Elephanta caves, , Jallianwala Bagh, Forests of Rajasthan, Leh palace, Varanasi Qutb Shahi tombs at Hyderabad. * Visa on Arrival (VoA) facility to be increased for 150 countries from present 43 countries. * As an alternative to purchasing gold, Sovereign Gold Bond will be launched. * In order to facilitate depositors of gold to earn interest and jewellers to obtain loans on their metal accounts new scheme will be launched. * Forward Markets Commission (FMC) will be merged with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). * Under SARFAESI Act 2002, NBFCs registered with the RBI having asset size of Rs 500 crore and above to be considered as financial institution for mid-corporate businesses and fund SME. * For Rural Infrastructure Development Bank, Rs. 25,000 crore allocated. * To support Micro Irrigation Programme, Rs. 5,300 crore allocated. Economic Survey 2014-15 Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley presented the Economic Survey for 2014-15 in the Parliament on 27 February 2015.The Economic Survey forms the basis for the Union Budget for the fiscal year starting 1 April. This Economic Survey has been prepared by the Finance Ministry’s Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian. Following are the important highlights of Economic Survey:- Economic Growth :- * Economic growth at market prices is expected between 8.1 to 8.5% during 2015-16 (based on the new GDP calculation formula) * Growth rate in 2014-15 is estimated at 7.5% * The total stock of stalled projects stands at Rs. 8.8 lakh crore or 7% of GDP and are mostly in private sector Fiscal Deficit and Current Account Deficit :- * Union Govt. will stick to fiscal deficit target of 4.1% of GDP in 2014-15 * Country needs to meet its medium-term fiscal deficit target of 3% of GDP * Current Account Deficit (CAD) estimated to fall 1% of GDP in 2015-16 Inflation:- * Consumer inflation in 2015-16 likely to range between 5 to 5.5% * Inflation likely to be below RBI’s target by 0.5 to 1% point * Inflation shows declining trend in 2014-15 * Decline in inflation by over 6% points since late 2013 Foodgrain Production:- * Foodgrains production for 2014-15 estimated at 257.07 million tonnes * The production will exceed last 5 years by 8.5 million tonnes Subsidy :- * Food subsidy at Rs. 1,07,823.75 crore during 2014-15 (up to January 2015), an increase of 20% over previous year



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RBI reduced Repo Rate By 25 Basis Points To 7.5 percent The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 4 March reduced the repo rate by 25 basis points to 7.5 percent with immediate effect. This is the second time since January 2015 that RBI reduced the repo rate by 25 basis points. With this, the reverse repo rate under the LAF stands adjusted to 6.5 percent, and the marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank rate to 8.5 percent.

India’s Billionaires To Rise 104% By 2024 According to the latest Knight Frank Wealth Report, as of 2014,Wealth creation in India is likely to accelerate significantly with the number of ultra-wealthy individuals expected to double to 3,371 by 2024. India is home to 1,652 ultra high net worth individuals (UHNWIs), which is likely to swell to 3,371 by the year 2024, registering a jump of 104 per cent. The number of UHNWIs in India has increased from 622 in 2004 to 1,652 in 2014, registering a rise of 166 per cent over the past decade (2004-2014). At 0.1 UHNWI per lakh population, India ranks a distant 84 among 97 countries globally in terms of equitable distribution of wealth.

Indian Railways Signed MoU with LIC For Rs 1.5 lakh crore Investments Indian Railways on 11 March signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) to raise Rs 1.5 lakh crore for financing the development of its various commercially viable infrastructure projects. Under this MoU, LIC will make available a Financial Assistance of 150000 crore rupees to the Indian Railways for implementing Railway projects over the next five years. The Financial Assistance will be available from the Financial Year 2015-16.

India Becomes 3rd Biggest Steel Producer Over Takes US India has become the third-largest steel producer in the world by overtaking United States (US) in first two months of year 2015. It was revealed in the Data compiled by World Steel Association (WSA) on 22 March. India’s production in first two months i.e. January- February of 2015 was 14.56 million tonnes (MT). This production growth was the highest during this two month period at 7.6% as compared to the global average of just 0.6% at 127.6 MT.China tops in steel production and accounts for nearly half of the global steel production. During this period China has produced 65 MT steel. Union Government Unveiled new FTP Union Minister of Commerce & Industry on 2 April unveiled Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) 2015-2020. The new trade policy will incorporate government ambitious initiatives such as Make in India, Digital India mission, Skill India programme, ease of business in order to boost jobs and take India’s exports to 900 billion dollars by 2020. In the new policy FTP2015-20, two new schemes Merchandise Exports From India Scheme (MEIS) and Services Exports From India Scheme (SEIS) were introduced.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Launched MUDRA Bank Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 8 April launched the Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency Ltd. (MUDRA) Bank in New Delhi.The bank will provide credit of up to 10 lakh rupees to small entrepreneurs and act as a regulator for Micro-Finance Institutions (MFIs). The Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana will be the main support system for the bank and will be the part of Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI). MUDRA Bank has been started with an initial corpus of Rs. 20,000 crore. Apart from this, Rs. 3,000 crore has been earmarked as credit guarantee corpus.

India Ranks 125th In the World For Fixed Broadband Penetration According to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) latest report, India ranks 125th in the world for fixed broadband penetration with only 1.2 per 100 inhabitants and the global average is 9.4 per 100



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inhabitants.This rating puts India behind Sri Lanka and Bhutan. In the wireless or mobile broadband segment, India is ranked at 113th with a penetration of 3.2 per 100 inhabitants.

India Fourth Largest Supplier of Generic Medicines To US India has emerged as the fourth largest supplier of generic medicines to the United States. It was announced by Minister of State (MoS) for Chemicals and Fertilizers Hansraj Ahir gave this information in the Rajya Sabha in reply to a question. India’s generic medicines exports have touched over US 4 billion dollars in 2013-14 in spite of stringent regulatory measures imposed by US. Union Government also announced that Indian pharmaceutical companies are already exporting generic medicines to Africa, West Asia and European countries. 56 Indian Companies Among Forbes’ Global 2000 List US magazine Forbes on 6 May released Global 2000 Companies list. According to the list, India is home to 56 of the world’s 2000 largest and most powerful public companies.The list is topped by US (579 companies), followed by China (232 companies) and Japan (218 companies). Reliance Industries, the topmost India company is ranked 142 on the list, down from last year’s 135th spot.

SBI launches RuPay Platinum Debit Card India’s largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) on 7 May launched State Bank RuPay Platinum debit card in association with National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI). Initially, the card will be issued free to customers maintaining a quarterly balance of 50000 rupees. The RuPay card is accepted at all payment channels like ATMs, PoS and eCommerce.

Forbes World’s 10 Biggest Consumer Financial Services Firms Mortgage lender HDFC has emerged as the only Indian company among the world’s 10 biggest consumer financial services firms, after giants like American Express, Visa and Mastercard. HDFC is ranked 7th on the list, compiled by business magazine Forbes, where American Express is placed on the top followed by Capital One Financial, Visa, Discover Financial Services and Orix in the top-five.

Four Indians Among Forbes world’s 100 Most Powerful Women SBI Chief Arundhati Bhattacharya, ICICI bank head Chanda Kochhar, Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and HT Media Chair Shobhana Bhartia were listed in the 12th Forbes’100 Most Powerful Women List, which was released on 26 May . Arundhati Bhattacharya ranked 30th on the list, followed by Kochhar on the 35th spot, Mazumdar-Shaw (85) and newcomer on the list Bhartia is on the 93rd spot.The world’s most powerful woman in the list is German Chancellor Angela Merkel who fetched the first spot.

important committees in news of 2015 ramanandacharya swami rambhadracharya- others- uttar pradesh 7....

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