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March 1-2, 2015

1) Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)

leader Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on

1 March 2015 took over as the new

Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir

at an oath ceremony held at

Jammu. Which BJP leader took

over as states Deputy Chief

Minister? Nirmal Singh

Explanation: Mufti Mohammad

Sayeeds accession to Chief

Ministers post became possible

after a historic deal between PDP

and the BJP. With this BJP became

part of the government in the State

for the first time. Sayeed became

J&K Chief Minister for the second

time. In 2002, he led a PDP-

Congress alliance and was Chief

Minister for three years. Separatist-

turned mainstream politician Sajjad

Lone also took oath as a Minister in

the government. Among others who

took oath as Ministers were Abdul

Rehman Veeri, Haseeb Drabu,

Naeem Akhtar, Basharat Bukhari

(all PDP), Lal Singh, Chander

Prakash, Sukhnandan Chowdhury

and Bali Bhagat (BJP). Priya Sethi

(BJP) and Aasiya Naqqash (PDP)

were the two women legislators

who took oath as Ministers.

2) Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar

left for his ambitious visit of SAARC

countries on 1 March 2015 and

reached Bhutanese capital Thimpu.

He is visiting how many SAARC

countries on this visit? Four

Explanation: S. Jaishankar is

visiting Bhutan, Bangladesh,

Pakistan and Afghanistan under

this visit, which has been given the

name SAARC Yatra by a few

media players. The visit to the

South Asian Association for

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Regional Cooperation (SAARC)

neighbours is part of Prime Minister

Narendra Modis emphasis on

neighbourhood outreach. During

the visit to the SAARC capitals, the

Foreign Secretary will review

various initiatives for the region,

including SAARC satellites and

regional university, as were

proposed by Prime Minister

Narendra Modi during his visit to

Nepal for SAARC Summit last year.

3) The proposed merger of

Forwards Markets Commission

(FMC) with SEBI as announced in

the Union Budget on 28 February

2015 is expected to sound a death

knell for the so-called dabba

trading. What is meant by dabba

trading? Illegal trading in

commodities market

Explanation: The so-called dabba

trading in commodities market is

widely prevalent across Gujarat and

many other parts of the country with

estimated turnover to the tune of

Rs. 50,000-1,00,000 crore a day.

While regulators and enforcement

agencies have been trying hard to

curb this menace for a long time,

the lack of a unified regulatory

mechanism has so far made it

difficult to fully control this problem.

In his Union Budget on 28

February, Finance Minister Arun

Jaitley proposed to merge the

commodity markets regulator FMC

(Forwards Markets Commission)

with the capital markets watchdog

SEBI (Securities and Exchange

Board of India). With this the efforts

to check this menace are likely to

get a major boost as SEBI already

enjoys greater powers including

those to conduct search and

seizure, impose penalties, order

arrests and take other strict actions

against wrongdoers.

4) Indian capital market regulator

SEBI has recently asked individual

investment advisers providing

opinion on securities or public offers

through TV channels or other media

platforms to get them registered

with it. This is being done with an

aim to safeguard Indian markets

from any manipulative research

reports. These individuals would be

registered in which capacity by

SEBI for the same? Research

Analysts

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Explanation: Last year, the

Securities and Exchange Board of

India (SEBI) had ushered in norms

for Research Analysts. Individuals

(including journalists) who offer

opinion on securities and public

issues through the media, are also

required to obtain registration as

research analysts with SEBI.

Investment advice refers to advice

on investments in securities or

investment products in written, oral

or through any other means of

communication for the benefit of the

client and includes financial

planning. However, the members of

the Institute of Company

Secretaries of India (ICSI), Institute

of Chartered Accountants of India

(ICAI), Institute of Cost and Works

Accountants of India (ICWAI) who

provide investment advice to their

clients incidental to their

professional services are exempted

from obtaining registration as

investment advisers.

5) Former Bihar Chief Minister Jitan

Ram Manjhi on 28 February 2015

launched a new political front to

expose the real face of Chief

Minister Nitish Kumar. What is the

name given to this front which is

being seen as the first step to

counter Nitish Kumar and his JD(U)

ahead of the Assembly elections?

Hindustani Awam Morcha

(HAM)

Explanation: Manjhi, who was

made Chief Minister in May 2014,

resigned on 20 February 2015 after

a leadership row with Nitish Kumar.

Nitish Kumar later took over as

states Chief Minister for the fourth

time. Manjhis supporters mostly

belong to Mahadalits his caste

and backward and extreme

backward castes.

6) Which city will host the 2022

Commonwealth Games (CWG) as it

is the lone contender for this

quadrennial sporting event?

Durban (South Africa)

Explanation: South Africa has

proposed a 12-day Games starting

from 18 July, birthday of late

president Nelson Mandela. Earlier

Canadian city Edmonton also

wanted to play host to the 2022

Games, but withdrew due to

financial constraints. Glasgow

(Scotland) hosted the 2014

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Commonwealth Games and the

2018 edition is scheduled for the

Australian Gold Coast. South Africa

has successfully hosted the

football, rugby union and cricket

World Cup tournaments. Bidding for

the Commonwealth event is seen

as a possible dress rehearsal for a

2024 or 2028 Olympics bid by

South Africa.

7) Which New Zealand cricketer

was inducted in the ICC Cricket Hall

of Fame on 28 February 2015 and

thus became the 3rd cricketer from

the country to find place in this

prestigious list? Martin Crowe

Explanation: Crowe became the

third New Zealander, after Sir

Richard Hadlee and Debbie

Hockley, and the 79th overall to be

inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of

Fame. The induction ceremony was

held during the innings break of the

New Zealand Australia match in

the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 at

Eden Park on 28 February which

was eventually won by New

Zealand. Crowe made his

international debut against Australia

in Wellington in February 1982 at

the age of 19. He retired 13 years

later after playing 77 Tests, in which

he scored 5,444 runs at an average

of 45.36. This included 17

centuries, the most by a New

Zealand cricketer, while his 299

against Sri Lanka in Wellington in

January 1991 stood as a national

record until Brendon McCullum

scored 302 against India in

Wellington in February 2014. Crowe

also played 143 One-Day

Internationals (ODIs) in which he

scored 4,704 runs at an average of

38.55, with four hundreds and 34

half-centuries. He was infected with

cancer in 2012 and is presently in

serious condition.

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March 3, 2015

1) According to information

disclosed on 2 March 2015, an

agreement was signed between the

Centre and the Reserve Bank of

India (RBI) during February 2015

that sets inflation target for the RBI.

What is this target? To bring

inflation down to 6% by January

2016

Explanation: The agreement

formalised a policy the RBI had

been following since January 2014,

which is a significant development

in Indias monetary policy

formulation championed by

Governor Raghuram Rajan. Under

this agreement the RBI will be

deemed to have missed its target if

consumer inflation remains above

the 6% level for three consecutive

quarters during 2015-16 or if it

remains below 2% for three

consecutive quarters during the

year 2016-17. The bank will have to

explain to the government the

causes, and what steps it intends to

take to steer inflation back within a

given time if it misses the target.

2) Indias total carbon emission

during 2013 stood at 15.63 million

tonnes as compared to 15.39

million tonnes in 2012. This was

disclosed by the Union Govt. on 2

March 2015 in Lok Sabha. What

was the reason given for around

1.5% increase in carbon emission

in 2013? Introduction of new

routes for airlines and overall

increase in aircraft movement

Explanation: The govt. also

disclosed that though the overall

aircraft movement and passenger

growth have increased in 2013 in

comparison with 2012, an overall

decrease in carbon emission per

aircraft and carbon emission per

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passenger have been observed. As

per the United Nations Framework

Convention on Climate Change

(UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol,

developing countries such as India

have no legal bindings in reducing

their carbon emissions. However,

DGCA has issued various aviation

environment circulars to address

aviation environmental issue.

3) Jagmohan Dalmiya made his

grand comeback in Board for

Control of Cricket in India (BCCI)

after he was unanimously elected

president of the BCCI on 2 March

2015. But the camp of former BCCI

President N. Srinivasan suffered a

major jolt as its candidate for the

post of Secretary lost to the

candidate from rival faction. Who

won the post of BCCI Secretary?

Anurag Thakur

Explanation: Anurag Thakur is

BJP Lok Sabha MP from Himachal

Pradesh and son of former

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister

Prem Kumar Dhumal. He is also

President of the Himachal Pradesh

Cricket Association (HPCA).

Barring Thakurs surprise win, ruling

camp loyalists swept the elections

for the other posts at the much-

postponed Annual General Meeting

(AGM) of BCCI that was held in

Chennai. The road for Jagmohan

Dalmiya becoming BCCI President

became clear after Sharad Pawar

failed to get a proposer from East

Zone, prompting him to pull out of

the race. This was East Zones turn

to nominate for the post of BCCI

President and Dalmiya had control

over two of the six votes in the

region.

4) Estonias ruling party scored an

important victory in the

Parliamentary elections held in the

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country on 1 March 2015. What is

the name of this party which will

form a coalition government in the

country? Reform Party

Explanation: The Reform Party is

led by Prime Minister Taavi Roivas,

who at just 35 years is the youngest

prime minister in Europe. His party

has won 30 seats in these

elections. The results, however,

came as a big blow to the Centre

Party, which was expected to do

very well in the elections. Reform

Party claimed 27.7% of the votes

down from 28.6% it won in last

Parliamentary elections held in

2011. On the other hand pro-

Russian Centre Party took 24.8%

votes and got 27 seats, an increase

of one seat than 2011. Reforms

coalition partner Social Democrats

now hold 15 seats while IRL Party

won 14 seats. It is worth mentioning

that the Centre Party has close ties

with Russian President Vladimir

Putin. The elections in Estonia were

also overshadowed by security

concerns sparked by Russias role

in Ukraine. About a quarter of

Estonias 1.3 million population

comprises of ethnic Russians,

many of whom are believed to be

Centre Party supporters.

5) Who was named as the new

Indian Ambassador to the United

States to replace S.Jaishankar?

Arun Singh

Explanation: Arun Singh, Indias

Ambassador to France, was named

as Indias new Ambassador to the

United States. He will take place of

S. Jaishankar, who was appointed

as Indias New Foreign Secretary

during January 2015. Arun Singh is

a senior officer of the Indian

Foreign Service (IFS) and belongs

to its 1979-batch.

6) Ola, which is the market leader in

the personal transportation space in

India, announced acquiring which of

its competitors for $200 million on 2

March 2015? TaxiForSure

Explanation: TaxiForSure currently

operates in 47 cities with over

15,000 vehicles registered on its

platform while Ola has over 1-lakh

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vehicles on its platform. The $200

million deal for acquiring

TaxiForSure was a cash and equity

deal. Under the deal, all of the

1,700 employees shall continue to

work with TaxiForSure, with Arvind

Singhal (currently COO) being

appointed the CEO. TaxiForSure

founders A. Radhakrishna and G.

Raghunandan will contribute in an

advisory role for a certain period.

7) Who was appointed as the new

Chairman of the National Book

Trust (NBT) on 2 March 2015?

Baldev Sharma

Explanation: Baldev Sharma is a

former editor of Panchajanya

the mouthpiece of the RSS. His

appointment was done by cutting

short the tenure of incumbent A.

Sethumadhavan by 6 months. NBT

is an autonomous publishing house

run under the Ministry of Education

(Govt. of India) and was established

in 1957. It publishes low-cost books

on a variety of subjects.

March 4, 2015

1) Union govt. on 3 March 2015

faced an embarrassment in the

Rajya Sabha when an amendment

moved by the Opposition to the

Presidents address over corruption

and black money was passed. It

was only the fourth time in Rajya

Sabhas history that an amendment

moved by the opposition to the

motion of thanks to the Presidents

address has been passed. This

movement was moved by which

leaders? Sitaram Yechury and

P. Rajeeve of CPI (M)

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Explanation: The amendment

moved by these two leaders was

passed through division of votes

after the governments plea for

withdrawal of the step failed. This

was the fourth time in Rajya

Sabhas history that an amendment

moved by the opposition to the

motion of thanks to the Presidents

address has been passed. The

previous times such a thing

happened was on 30 January 1980,

during Janata Party rule, then on 29

December 1989, during V.P. Singh-

led National Front and third time on

12 March 2001 when Atal Bihari

Vajpayee-led NDA government was

in power.

2) What is the name of the

programme launched by the

Election Commission of India (ECI)

from 3 March 2015 with the aim of

bringing a totally error free and

authenticated electoral roll and

linking it with Aadhar data of

UIDAI? National Electoral Roll

Purification and Authentication

Programme NERPAP

Explanation: NERPAP will focus

on improving image quality of

electors along with sorting issues

like corrections of errors etc.

Electors have been provided the

facility to feed their respective

Aaadhar number through SMS,

email, mobile application and

National Voters Service Portal

(NVSP) using web services through

election commission website. The

programme will end on 15 August

2015.

3) A ban on slaughter of cows and

the sale and consumption of beef

was imposed in which state during

March 2015? Maharashtra

Explanation: Ban on beef in

Maharashtra became possible after

the President of India gave his

assent to the Maharashtra Animal

Preservation (Amendment) Bill.

Now, anyone found to be selling

beef or in possession of it can be

jailed for five years and fined Rs

10,000. This bill was first passed in

1995 by states BJP-Shiv Sena

government in 1995 and was sent

to the president for approval in

January 1996. The BJP, which

returned to power in the state last

year, once again pushed for it to be

signed into law. The bill was given

Presidential assent recently. The

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slaughter of cows was previously

prohibited in the state under the

Maharashtra Animal Preservation

Act of 1976. However, the passage

of the new Act will ban the

slaughter of bulls as well as

bullocks, which was previously

allowed based on a fit-for-slaughter

certificate. The new Act will,

however, allow slaughter of water

buffaloes, which provides carabeef

generally seen as an inferior

quality meat that makes up only

25% of the total beef market in the

state.

4) International rating agency

Moodys on 3 March 2015

downgraded the ratings of some

securities of which two public-sector

banks? Central Bank of India

and Indian Overseas Bank

Explanation: The agency

downgraded to BA1 from BAA3 its

ratings on local and foreign-

currency deposits of Central Bank

of India and Indian Overseas Bank

(IOB). Apart from this IOBs senior

unsecured debt was also

downgraded to BA1 from BAA3.

BAA3 rating means below

investment grade ratings. This

downgrade by Moodys is being

seen as possibly the start of similar

rating revisions for other weaker

public-sector banks by the agency.

However, Central Bank of India and

IOB continue to have standalone

ratings of B3 and B2, respectively,

from Moodys. Moodys action

reflects its assumption of a lower

level of support from the

Government.

5) The Villarrica volcano, which

started erupting on 3 March 2015,

is situated in which Latin American

country? Chile

Explanation: The 2840m-high

Villarrica Volcano is situated in

south Chile. It started erupting in

the early hours of 3 March and

spewed ash and lava up to 1,000m

(3,300ft) into the air. More than

3,000 people were evacuated from

the volcanos vicinity. This volcano

is an active volcano with a lava lake

in its crater. Its last major eruption

was in 1985. It is a popular

destination for hikers. Hundreds

climb the peak each summer to

peer inside the crater. More than

100 people are thought to have

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died in mudflows on the slopes of

the volcano during the 20th century.

6) Who was chosen for the Mo

Ibrahim Award for African

Leadership, which is considered the

Worlds most valuable individual

award? Namibian President

Hifikepunye Pohamba

Explanation: The $5m (3.2m) Mo

Ibrahim Award for African

Leadership was instituted by Mo

Ibrahim, a British-Sudanese mobile

communications entrepreneur and

philanthropist who made billions

from investing in Africa. Hifikepunye

Pohamba is the outgoing President

of Namibia and is due to be

succeeded by President-elect,

Hage Geingob. He was a former

rebel and a founding member of the

South West Africa Peoples

Organisation (Swapo), an armed

movement that waged a decades-

long campaign against South

African rule. He was first elected in

2004, and again in 2009.

7) A Falcon 9 rocket of SpaceX

Company took off from Cape

Canaveral Air Force Station on 1

March 2015 carrying along two

satellites with it. What was special

feature of these satellites? They

were Worlds first all-electric

communications satellites being

launched into orbit

Explanation: The all-electric

satellites are fitted with lightweight,

all-electric engines, rather than

conventional chemical propulsion

systems. The main benefit of an

electrical-propulsion is that it allows

the satellite operator to need much

less fuel than when the satellite has

chemical-propulsion. On the other

hand the primary disadvantage of

electric propulsion is that it will take

the satellites months, rather than

weeks, to reach their operational

orbits about 35,800 km above

Earth.

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March 5-6, 2015

1) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on

5 March 2015 inaugurated two units

each of 600 MW of Shree Singaji

Thermal Power Plant. This plant is

situated at which place in Madhya

Pradesh? Dongaliya (Khandwa)

Explanation: Shree Singaji

Thermal Power Plant is a coal-fired

project located near Dongaliya

village in Khandwa. The project is

owned by the Madhya Pradesh

Power Generating Company

Limited (MPPGCL). Apart from

inaugurating these two units the

Prime Minister also laid the

foundation stone of two units each

of 660 MW of the same power

plant. The water from Indira Sagar

Reservoir at the Narmada River

flowing near this plant will be

utilized for the plant while coal is

procured from the South Eastern

Coalfields Limited (SECL).

2) What is the name of the U.S.

ambassador to South Korea who

was slashed in the face by a

Korean nationalist in an attack in

capital Seoul on 5 March 2015?

Mark Lippert

Explanation: The incident took

place when U.S. ambassador to

South Korea Mark Lippert was

taking part at a forum held in Seoul

to discuss Korean reunification. He

was attacked by a 55-year old

assailant, who was later identified

as Kim Ki-jong. He attacked Lippert

with a knife resulting in an 11-cm

gash on the right side of his face

and a puncture wound on his left

wrist. He later underwent two-and-

a-half hours of successful surgery

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at Yonsei Universitys Severance

Hospital. It is worth mentioning that

the attacker Kim is a member of the

pro-Korean unification group that

hosted the event. In 2010, Kim tried

to attack the Japanese ambassador

to Seoul by throwing a piece of

concrete and was given a

suspended jail term.

3) An agreement for developing the

first smart sub-city in East Delhi

was signed between National

Building Construction Corporation

Ltd (NBCC) and Delhi Development

Authority (DDA) on 4 March 2015.

What is the name of this city which

will be the first transit oriented

development (TOD) smart city in

Delhi? East Delhi Hub Project

Explanation: The East Delhi Hub

Project will come up at

Karkardooma in East Delhi. The

project, to be developed at a cost of

around Rs. 2,500-3,000 crore, will

include 4,800 houses, 80,000 sq m

of retail space, a 5 acre park, apart

from a laser park and a circular

skywalk. The sub-city will be

pedestrian-friendly, integrated by

multiple modes of transport, walk to

work concept, reducing the need to

travel for daily needs.

4) A documentary film made by

British director Leslee Udwin about

the fatal gang rape of the 23-year

old paramedic woman in New Delhi

in 2012 has been banned in the

country. This ban was imposed

over concerns that derogatory

comments made by one of the

rapists could create an atmosphere

of fear and tension. What is the

name of this controversial

documentary? Indias

Daughter

Explanation: Indias Daughter

features conversations convicts

who raped and tortured a 23-year-

old woman on a moving bus in

December 2012, sparking

nationwide protests and forcing

India to toughen anti-rape laws.

Comments released to the media

during a last few days showed that

in the film, a convict MukeshSingh

blames the victim for the crime and

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for resisting rape. He also says

women are more responsible than

men for rapes. The film was earlier

scheduled to be premiered in India

and several countries such as

Britain and Denmark on March 8 on

the occasion of International

Womens Day. However, BBC

broadcasted this documentary on 4

March 2015 despite ban imposed

by the Indian govt. This led to

faceoff with Indian government and

the BBC and is expected to

snowball into a diplomatic row

between India and the UK.

5) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)

on 4 March 2015 lowered its policy

repo rate by 25 basis points. This

was the second cut this year on the

back of easing inflation and a

government commitment to fiscal

discipline. What is the new Repo

rate after this cut? 7.5%

Explanation: The Repo rate stood

at 7.75% before this cut. It is worth

mentioning that the RBI had

lowered interest rates by 25 bps on

15 January 2015. Another important

thing associated with rate cut is that

both the rate cuts this year have

taken place outside of the central

banks scheduled policy review

meetings.

6) The national executive of the

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on 4

March 2015 removed Yogendra

Yadav and Prashant Bhushan from

partys highest decision making

body. This was done after the two

leaders had questioned the

functioning of party Convener and

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

What is the name of this body?

Political Affairs Committee

PAC

Explanation: AAPs 21-member

national executive met in Delhi on 4

March to decide the fate of

Yogendra Yadav and Prashant

Bhushan. In this important meeting

8 members voted in favour of

keeping Prashant Bhushan and

Yogendra Yadav in the PAC while

11 against them. This resulted in

their removal from PAC, which is

the most powerful decision-making

authority in AAP. It presently

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comprises of Arvind Kejriwal,

Manish Sisodia, Gopal Rai, Sanjay

Singh, Kumar Vishwas, Ilias Azmi

and Pankaj Gupta.

7) The BSE Sensex touched which

landmark figure on 4 March 2015?

30,000 points

Explanation: On 4 March the

benchmark BSE Sensex rose as

much as 1.46% to mark its all-time

high of 30,024.74, surpassing the

psychologically important 30,000-

level for the first time. Its previous

record high was 29,844.16 that it hit

on 30 January 2015. The record

highs came after the RBI lowered

its policy repo rate by 25 basis

points, delivering its second cut this

year on the back of easing inflation

and a weaker economy. However,

the euphoria generated by the RBI

repo rate cut did not last even a full

day as the Sensex closed at

29,380.73. This was mainly due to

concerns over corporate

performance and the weakness

shown by European markets

unnerving investors.

March 7, 2015

1) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)

during March 2015 relaxed the

norms for giving loans for houses

that costs under Rs. 10 lakh. What

relaxation is this? Stamp duty,

registration and other

documentation charges can be

added to the cost of the housing

unit

Explanation: Under the relaxation

provided by the RBI, banks may

add stamp duty, registration and

other documentation charges to the

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cost of the unit for the purpose of

calculating loan-to-value ratio. This

means, banks will now be able to

offer finance for paying stamp duty

and registration fee, which until now

had to be paid by the home buyer.

This relaxation will be application

for houses that cost less than Rs.

10 lakh and it is being seen as a

step to complement the Centres

thrust on affordable housing.

According to the RBI these

additional charges constitute

around 15% of the cost of the

house and place a burden on the

borrowers from economically

weaker sections and low-income

groups.

2) Apple Inc. will soon join the 30-

stock Dow Jones Industrial

Average, which is the oldest U.S.

stock average. It will replace which

stock which has been part of Dow

Jones for around a century?

AT&T

Explanation: The Dow Jones

Industrial Average is the oldest U.S.

stock average, first published in

1896. It comprises of just 30 stocks.

Even though professional

managers generally use the S&P

500 for benchmarking, additions

and removals from the Dow are still

a big event on Wall Street. Apple

will replace AT&T in this average as

announced by Dow Jones. Apple

will join the average after the close

of trading on 18 March 2015. It is

worth mentioning that AT&T was

added to the Dow in 1916, the year

after the first-ever transcontinental

telephone call. The decision to

nudge aside AT&T leaves only one

telecommunication company in the

average Verizon.

3) The shocking incident of a mob

breaking into a jail, pulling out a

rape-accused and then lynching

him on streets took place in which

city of Nagaland on 5 March 2015?

Dimapur

Explanation: A curfew was

imposed in Dimapur after this

shocking lynching incident. A mob

comprising of thousands of people

on 5 March forced its way into the

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Dimapur Central Jail, pulled out

rape accused Syed Farid Khan out

of the prison, paraded him and then

lynched him on the streets. Khan

had allegedly raped a Naga woman

several times before he was

arrested on February 25 February.

This lynching incident sent shocked

waves across the state

administration with the state govt.

three officials including the SP and

the central jail chief on 6 March. A

judicial enquiry was also ordered in

the incident. Union Govt. also put

neighbouring Assam on high alert

following the incident as the

deceased rape accused is believed

to be from that state.

4) According to the data pertaining

to mutual fund industry released on

5 March 2015 the assets under

management for the mutual fund

industry crossed a milestone figure

for the first time during February

2015. What is this milestone figure?

Rs. 12 lakh crore

Explanation: The assets under

management (AUM) that stood at

Rs. 10.5 lakh crore at the end of

December 2014 rose to Rs. 11.81

crore in January 2015 and then to

Rs. 12.02 lakh crore at the end of

February 2015 registering a growth

of 14% over the past two months.

This is the highest ever AUM

registered by the industry that has

seen AUMs value rise by Rs.

3,76,956 crore or 46% since the

beginning of this financial year. This

means that domestic retail investors

have returned to the mutual fund

route in large numbers in the

current year. The year witnessed

strong participation from retail

investors into domestic equities

through mutual funds after the BJP-

led NDA gained a clear majority in

the 2014 general elections and in

anticipation of reform measures

promised by them.

5) What is the name of the ancient

Assyrian city in Iraq with some of

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the worlds greatest archaeological

and cultural treasures which was

looted and bulldozed by the fighters

of the Islamic State (IS) recently as

disclosed by the Iraqi govt. on 6

March 2015? Nimrud

Explanation: Nimrud is a 3,000-

year-old city on the banks of the

Tigris River about 20 miles (30 km)

south of Mosul in Iraq. It was built

around 1250 BC. Four centuries

later it became capital of the neo-

Assyrian empire at the time the

most powerful state on Earth,

extending to modern-day Egypt,

Turkey and Iran. The IS fighters

recently destroyed this historic city

as they dismiss Iraqs pre-Islamic

heritage as idolatrous. Local tribes

residing around the area confirmed

that IS members came to the

Nimrud archaeological city and

looted the valuables in it and then

they proceeded to level the site to

the ground. Archaeologists have

compared the assault on Iraqs

cultural history to the Talibans

destruction of the Bamyan Buddhas

in 2001. But the damage wreaked

by the IS, not just on ancient

monuments but also on rival Muslim

places of worship, has been swift,

relentless and more wide-ranging.

March 8-9, 2015

1) 50th anniversary of the brutal

repression of a peaceful protest of

African Americans in Alabama state

of the United States was observed

on 7 March 2015. Which town of

Alabama was associated with this

incident which led to the passing of

the historic Voting Rights Act?

Selma

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Explanation: The Selma incident is

often called as Bloody Sunday. It

took place on 7 March 1965 when

some 600 peaceful activists were

attacked by Alabama State troopers

with clubs and tear gas at the

Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma.

This incident resulted in the then

President Lyndon Johnson passing

the Voting Rights Act that sought to

prevent racist officials from

excluding African Americans from

the ballot. Thus Selma incident

became a seminal moment in

Americas democracy. US

President Barack Obama took part

in the 50thanniversary of this

incident on 7 March 2015. He paid

stirring tribute to the sacrifice of a

generation of activists who marched

so that black Americans could enjoy

civil rights and opened the road that

eventually led him to the White

House.

2) Renowned journalist Vinod

Mehta, who passed away on 8

March 2015, was founder of which

famous weekly magazine?

Outlook

Explanation: Mehta was a

distinguished editor who

successfully launched a number of

publications such as the Sunday

Observer, Indian Post, The

Independent, The Pioneer (Delhi

edition) and, finally, Outlook in

1995. He was one of the most

distinguished commentators of

present times and was a popular

face in TV debates. Born in

Rawalpindi (now in Pakistan) in

1942, Mehta was known for his bold

journalism. He wrote the best-

selling autobiography Lucknow

Boy in 2011. He also authored

biography of Meena Kumari and

Sanjay Gandhi and published in

2001 a collection of his articles

under the title Mr. Editor, How

Close Are You to the PM?.

3) Which associate bank of the

State Bank Group on 8 March 2015

announced a 10 basis-point cut in

the base rate to 10.15% and with

thus became first major to come out

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with a rate cut in the post-Budget

phase? State Bank of

Travancore (SBT)

Explanation: State Bank of

Travancore (SBT) announced a 10

basis-point cut in the base rate to

10.15% effective from 16 March

2015. It became the first major bank

to announce rate cut after RBIs

second Repo rate cut of the year

was announced on March. It is

worth mentioning that the SBT has

sought to cut base rate at a time

when even market leader and

parent SBI was mulling its option.

4) What is the name of the

separatist leader of Jammu &

Kashmir who was released by the

state government on 7 March 2015,

a step which led to considerable

strain between the ruling coalition of

PDP and BJP? Masarat Alam

Explanation: Masarat Alam was

arrested during the 2010 unrest in

the Kashmir Valley. He was

accused of inciting youth during the

unrest in which at least 112 people

were killed in bloody clashes

between unruly mobs and security

forces. He belongs to the Muslim

League and is believed to be close

to hardline separatist leader Syed

Ali Geelani. It is worth mentioning

that Alam had evaded arrest for

months during the 2010 unrest and

his arrest was done after

considerable efforts by the security

forces. His release led to a lot of

discontent between PDP-BJP

coalition. On 8 March the BJP

made it clear that it was not

consulted on the issue of Alams

release. The party also registered

its complaint with Chief Minister

Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on the

issue.

5) Which New Zealand bowler

joined crickets exclusive 300 ODI

wickets club by claiming his

300th victim on 8 March 2015?

Daniel Vettori

Explanation: Daniel Vettori

became the 12th player and first

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New Zealander to complete 300

victims in one day internationals

(ODIs) when he claimed his

299th and 300th wickets in the World

Cup match against Afghanistan. 36-

year-old Vettori has played 291

ODIs since first selected in 1997

and his 300 wickets are at an

average 31.62.The ODI list of

leading bowlers is lead by Sri

Lankas Muttiah Muralitharan (534)

and Wasim Akram of Pakistan

(502), the only two players to have

breached the 500-wicket barrier.

6) Indian badminton ace Saina

Nehwals efforts to win her first All

England Championship went in vain

as she lost in the finals of this

prestigious championship on 8

March 2015. She was defeated by

which player? Carolina Marin

(Spain)

Explanation: Carolina Marin, the

reigning world champion and

present World No. 6, defeated

World No. 3 Saina Nehwal by 16-

21, 21-14, 21-7 in a nail biting final.

Saina lost the final even after

winning the first game and leading

in the second game by 6-1.

However, Marin made a strong

comeback to win the second and

third games to clinch this coveted

title. Only two Indians have won this

title Prakash Padukone (1980)

and P. Gopichand (2001). The All

England Open Badminton

Championships is one of the

Worlds oldest and most prestigious

badminton tournaments.

7) Sri Lankas Kumar Sangakkara

made which record when he scored

his century against Australia on 8

March 2015 in the ICC World Cup?

He became the first batsman to

score hundreds in three

consecutive World Cup matches

Explanation: Kumar Sangakkara

achieved this record when he made

a brilliant run-a-ball century against

Australia in a Pool A match in

Sydney on 8 March. He made a

brilliant 104 against Australia,

although Sri Lanka lost the match.

This was his 24th ODI century in his

402nd match. This century also saw

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him equal the overall ODI record for

consecutive hundreds held jointly

by the Pakistan pair of Zaheer

Abbas and Saeed Anwar, the South

African trio of Herschelle Gibbs, AB

de Villiers and Quinton de Kock and

New Zealands Ross Taylor.

March 10, 2015

1) What is the name of the solar-

powered plane that started its

historic 35,000-km round-the-world

journey from Abu Dhabi on 9 March

2015? Solar Impulse 2

Explanation: 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. The plan is to stop off at

various locations around the globe,

to rest and to carry out

maintenance, and also to spread a

campaigning message about clean

technology. Solar Impulse is

claimed to be the first aircraft to fly

day and night without a drop of fuel,

propelled solely by the suns

energy. The 17,248 solar cells built

into the wing supply electric motors

with renewable energy. The solar

cells recharge four lithium polymer

batteries totalling 633 kg each,

which allow the aircraft to fly at

night and therefore have virtually

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unlimited autonomy. The Solar

Impulse project has already set a

number of world records for solar-

powered flight, including making a

high-profile transit of the United

States in 2013. But the round-the-

world venture is altogether more

dramatic and daunting, and has

required the construction of an even

bigger plane than the prototype,

Solar Impulse-1.

2) Which country has overtaken

India to become the worlds biggest

weapons importer in 2014 as

disclosed by research company IHS

on 8 March 2015? Saudi Arabia

Explanation: IHS disclosed that

the top five importers in 2014 were

Saudi Arabia, India, China, the UAE

and Taiwan. The 2013 rankings

were India, Saudi Arabia, the UAE,

Taiwan and China. IHS claimed that

the defence imports from Saudi

Arabia rose 54% between 2013 and

2014, and based on planned

deliveries imports will grow 52% to

$9.8 billion in 2015. Saudi Arabia

and the United Arab Emirates

(UAE) are part of a U.S.-led

coalition involved in air strikes on

Islamist militants who have carved

out an Islamic State in Iraq and

Syria. The United States remained

the top defence exporter in 2014,

ahead of Russia, France, Britain

and Germany, a top-five ranking

unchanged from 2013.

3) What is the name of the first

indigenously developed and

manufactured rotavirus vaccine that

was launched by Prime Minister

Narendra Modi on 9 March 2015?

ROTAVAC

Explanation: ROTAVAC is a three-

dose vaccine that has been

developed through collaboration

between India and the United

States. It is expected to help bring

about a significant reduction in the

100,000 infant deaths caused by

the rotavirus diarrhoea in India.

Every year, diarrhoea caused by

rotavirus results in up to 10 lakh

hospitalisations and kills nearly

80,000 children under the age of 5

in the country. The vaccine has

been developed under an

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innovative public-private

partnership model. It involved a

partnership between the Ministry of

Science and Technology,

institutions of the U.S. government,

various government institutions and

NGOs in India, and has been

supported by the Bill and Melinda

Gates Foundation. Bharat Biotech

was involved in its development.

4) BSEs Sensex and NSEs Nifty

fell over 2 per cent on 9 March

2015, their biggest single-day drop

in two months. What was the main

reason for this dramatic fall?

Expectation of a rate hike by US

Federal Reserve following

stronger-than-expected jobs data

Explanation: On 9 March the 30-

share BSE index Sensex plunged

604.17 points or 2.05% to

28,844.78 and the 50-share NSE

index Nifty dropped 181 points or

2.03% to 8,756.75. On 6 March

2015 the United States reported

5.5% unemployment rate for

February 2015, which is the lowest

rate in more than six years. Falling

unemployment rate led to fears that

the Federal Reserve may raise

interest rates sooner than

previously thought. If interest rates

in the US go up, a lot of liquidity is

expected to flow into US bonds,

which will be negative for emerging

markets like India. Apart from this

selloff in banking stocks also

resulted in steep fall in stocks.

5) A German company named

named Khadi Natureprodukte GbR

came to news after it registered

Khadi as a trademark with the

European Union (EU). The Indian

Govt. has started the process of de-

registering this Khadi trademark in

the EU by this company. The

Khadi trademark is registered with

which Indian entity? Khadi and

Village Industries Commission

(KVIC)

Explanation: KVIC is a statutory

body engaged in promoting and

developing khadi and village

industries. It gives the permission to

use the term Khadi for products

made by micro and small

enterprises after ensuring that

products have been produced

through labour intensive

manufacturing process and are

generally hand-made. The Union

Govt. told the Parliament on 9

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March 2015 that it is working in

tandem with the KVIC to expedite

the process of de-registering Khadi

trademark in the EU by this German

company. On the other hand KVIC

has also initiated the process to

register Khadi trademark in India

and internationally. KVIC has filed

an application to register Khadi as

a word mark under IPR Authority in

Mumbai.

6) Who won the mens singles title

at the All-England Championships

for badminton on 8 March 2015?

Chen Long (China)

Explanation: World champion

Chen Long captured the title for the

second time in three years as he

defeated Jan O Jorgensen

(Denmark) by 15-21, 21-17, 21-15.

It was Chinas eighth mens singles

title in the event since 2005. Earlier

Saina Nehwal blew the chance to

become Indias first female winner

as she lost to Carolina Marin of

Spain in the womens singles final.

7) Which Indian company was

named as the top employer in

Europe for the third consecutive

year by Top Employers Institute,

the renowned employers

certification agency? Tata

Consultancy Services (TCS)

Explanation: TCS, the leading IT

services, consulting and business

solutions organisation, was named

as top employer in eight European

countries-the UK, Belgium, the

Netherlands, Germany,

Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark and

Norway. The TCS was ranked as

the overall number one in a process

that assessed 688 organisations

across Europe. Only companies

that have been certified as a top

employer in at least five individual

countries in Europe are eligible for

the award. The Top Employers

Institute is an independent

organisation that identifies top

performers in the field of Human

Resources worldwide.

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March 11, 2015

1) What was the insurance

penetration in India during 2013 as

informed by the government in

Parliament on 10 March 2015?

3.9%

Explanation: The Parliament was

informed that the penetration for the

insurance sector as a whole in the

year 2013 was 3.9% in India, as

against world average of 6.3%.

Insurance penetration, measured

as the ratio of premium to Gross

Domestic Product (GDP), was 3.1%

of life insurance and 0.8% for

general insurance in 2013. The

level of insurance penetration

depends on a large number of

factors like level of economic

development of the country, the

extent of the savings in financial

instruments and the size and reach

of the insurance sector. In relation

to BRICS countries, Indias

insurance penetration was better

than China and Russia but well

below South Africa and only a tad

lower than Brazil. The insurance

penetration of South Africa stands

at 15.4% (in 2013); China 3%;

Brazil 4% and Russia 1.3%.

2) In a bizarre incident, 10 people

including three top French sports

stars were killed when two

helicopters collided in Argentina on

9 March 2015 during the filming of a

reality TV show. The dead included

Olympic swimmer Camille Muffat,

yachtswoman Florence Arthaud

and boxer Alexis Vastine. This ill-

fated shooting was being done for

which French reality show?

Dropped

Explanation: Dropped is a reality

show for private TV station TF1

which involves contestants being

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left in the wilderness and using their

skills to find their way back to

civilisation. 25-year old Camille

Muffat had won the 400 metres

freestyle swimming gold at the 2012

London Olympics while 28-year old

Vastine won a boxing bronze at the

Beijing 2008 Olympics. 57-year old

Arthaud was one of the first women

to carve a place for herself in the

world of sailing and in 1990 secured

the record for the fastest solitary

crossing of the North Atlantic. The

other victims included the

helicopters two pilots.

3) Which former Union Minister

belonging to Congress was chosen

for the prestigious Saraswati

Samman for year 2014 as

announced on 9 March 2015? M.

Veerappa Moily

Explanation: He was chosen for

his 5-volume Kannada poem

Ramayana Mahanveshanam that

was published in 2007. In the

poem, Moily tried to explore the

Ramarajya or the true principle of

the ideal State from a secular and

modern point of view. This poem

has been translated into English,

Hindi, Telugu and Tamil. Saraswati

Samman was instituted by the K. K.

Birla Foundation in 1991 and is

given annually for an outstanding

literary work in any Indian language

mentioned in the Schedule VIII of

the Constitution. The award carries

a cash prize of Rs. 10 lakh, a

citation and a plaque. Apart from

being a former Union Minister in the

UPA governments, Moily is also a

former Chief Minister of Karnataka.

4) Which company is the largest in

India in terms of assets as

disclosed by the recent data

compiled by the Corporate Affairs

Ministry? Reliance Industries

Ltd (RIL)

Explanation: According to data

compiled by the Corporate Affairs

Ministry, RIL is the countrys largest

corporate with assets

worth Rs. 3.68 lakh crore, followed

by state-owned Indian Oil

Corporation (IOC) and mortgage

lender (Housing Development

Finance Corp (HDFC). At the end of

March 2014, RILs assets stood

at Rs. 3.68 lakh crore, while that of

IOC and HDFC was at Rs. 2.52

lakh crore and Rs. 2.25 lakh crore,

respectively. Other entities in the

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top ten are Power Finance Corp (4),

NTPC (5), Rural Electrification Corp

(6), Power Grid Corp (7), LIC

Housing Finance (8), Steel

Authority of India (9) and Bharat

Sanchar Nigam Ltd (10). Power

Finance Corps assets stood

at Rs. 1.94 lakh crore, NTPC

(Rs. 1.80 lakh crore), Rural

Electrification Corp (Rs. 1.53 lakh

crore), Power Grid Corp (1.40 lakh

crore), LIC Housing Finance

(Rs. 95,777 crore), Steel Authority

of India (Rs. 91,962 crore) and

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd

(Rs. 89,333 crore). In the list of top

10 corporates in terms of assets,

RIL and HDFC were the only two

firms from the private sector. The

list is based on data from 4,15,886

companies which had filed their

balance sheets for the year 2013-

14 till 30 November 2014.

5) Apple Inc.s Chief Executive Tim

Cook launched companys much

awaited watch (Apple Watch) on 9

March 2015. What is the

significance of this launch for

Cook? This is the first new

device from Apple since Cook

became its CEO

Explanation: Apple Watch is the

first new product to be developed

by the company since Tim Cook

took over the reins of the company

in 2011. It is also the first new

product with Apples founder and

mentor Steve Jobs not around.

Apple Watch was announced for

the first time by Tim Cook in

September 2014. On 9 March he

took the curtains off the watch and

announced 24 April 2015 as the

date of its shipping in as many as

nine countries. The Apple Watch

incorporates fitness tracking and

health-oriented capabilities as well

as integration with iOS and other

Apple products and services. Its

price will start from $349 and will go

up to to $17,000 for the Edition

model.

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March 12, 2015

1) Indian Railways on 11 March

2015 signed a Memorandum of

Understanding (MoU) that will raise

Rs. 1.5 lakh crore worth of funds to

finance its infrastructure. This is the

largest-ever funding in Railways

history. This historic MoU was

signed with which financial entity?

Life Insurance Corporation of

India (LIC)

Explanation: Under this MoU, the

LIC will make available to the

Ministry of Railways/its entities a

financial assistance with a limit of

Rs. 1,50,000 crore over the next

five years for implementing its

infrastructure projects. The financial

assistance will be available from the

financial year 2015-16. The

railways will use the funds to

augment its capacity. LIC will invest

in bonds issued by various railway

entities such as Indian Railways

Finance Corporation (IRFC),

beginning next fiscal. There would

be a five-year moratorium in

interest and loan repayment. The

bonds will have a tenor of 30 years

and will be disbursed over the next

five years. In his Budget Speech,

Union Rail Minister Suresh Prabhu

had announced his intention of

meeting a part of the total Plan

Budget of Rs. 1,00,011 crore for the

financial year 2015-16, through

extra budgetary resources, such as

market borrowings by tapping low

cost long term funds.

2) According to the information

given by the govt. in Parliament on

11 March 2015, two public sector

undertakings (PSUs) were added to

the list of sick PSUs. There were as

many as 65 units in the list of sick

PSUs as on 31 March 2014. Which

two PSUs are these? Air India

and MTNL

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Explanation: Air India and MTNL,

once market leaders in aviation and

mobile telephony sectors

respectively, were declared sick as

per the criteria for a PSU to be

declared as such, after they

incurred losses worth 50% or more

of their average net worth during

four preceding years. Govt. also

announced that it will close down 5

PSUs that include three HMT units

whose brand of watches and

tractors once ruled the market.

However, name of other PSUs to

be closed were not provided.

3) In an important development, on

11 March 2015 former Prime

Minister Manmohan Singh was

summoned as an accused along

with five others in a case linked to

the coal scam. This case pertaining

to mining rights is associated with

which company? Hindalco

Explanation: Hindalco, a major

producer of aluminium, is a part of

the $40 billion Aditya Birla Group. A

special CBI court also named

Hindalco, its chairman Kumar

Mangalam Birla, and former Coal

Secretary PC Parakh among the six

accused. The case involves the

allocation of a coal field in Odishas

Talabira block in 2005 to Hindalco.

At that time the Coal Ministry was

under the direct charge of the then

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The scam dubbed Coal-Gate

surfaced after the CAG report in

2012 questioned the governments

practice of awarding coal mining

blocks at a concession to

companies without competitive

bidding.

4) Which cricketer was named as

the Greatest ODI (one day player)

player in an online poll conducted

by ESPNcricinfos magazine

Cricket Monthly? Sir Vivian

Richards (West Indies)

Explanation: This poll was

conducted by ESPNcricinfos

magazine Cricket Monthly during

March 2015. With an astonishing 29

of 50 jurors picking him as the best

ODI player of all time, Richards won

by a landslide in this poll. He was

way ahead of Sachin Tendulkar.

Tendulkar narrowly beat former

Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram.

The last two positions in the top five

were taken by Australias Adam

Gilchrist and current Indian ODI

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skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Through the late 70s and 80s,

Richards dominated the one-day

arena like no other cricketer, and

helped his side to two World Cup

victories in 1975 and 1979. The 50-

member jury included legendary

cricketers Ian Chappell, Clive Lloyd,

Rahul Dravid, Ponting and Graeme

Smith.

5) On 11 March 2015 who became

the first-ever batsman to score four

consecutive centuries in the history

of ICC World? Kumar

Sangakkara (Sri Lanka)

Explanation: Kumar Sangakkara

achieved this feat in a World Cup

match against Scotland in Hobart

on 11 March. He had made 105 not

out against Bangladesh (26 Feb

2015), an unbeaten 117 in the

game with England (1 March 2015)

followed by 104 against Australia (8

March 2015). He also became the

first-ever player to do so in ODI

cricket history. He surpassed six

players who had scored three ODI

centuries in a row. They were

Zaheer Abbas and Saeed Anwar of

Pakistan, the South African trio of

Herschelle Gibbs, AB de Villiers

and Quinton de Kock, and Ross

Taylor of New Zealand.

6) Who was named as the next

U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan by

President Barack Obama on 10

March 2015? David Hale

Explanation: David Hale is

currently the U.S. Ambassador to

Lebanon, a position he has held

since 2013. If his nomination is

confirmed by the U.S. Senate he

would replace Cameron Munter.

Hale previously served as the

Special Envoy for Middle East

Peace from 2011 to 2013 and as

Deputy Special Envoy for Middle

East Peace from 2009 to 2011.

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March 13, 2015

1) The 20th Law Commission

submitted its 255th issue (pertaining

to electoral reforms) to the Union

Law Ministry on 12 March 2015.

What are the important

recommendations made by the

Commission in this issue?

- Independent candidates should

be barred from contesting

elections

- Paid news be made an electoral

offence and should lead to

disqualification of the candidate

- Laws should be amended to

make it mandatory for political

parties to disclose all amounts

over Rs. 20,000 received by

them, even if from a single donor

- Companies must place their

plans to fund a political party

before shareholders for approval

Explanation: The 20th Law

Commission was established in

2013 under the Chairmanship of

Judge of Supreme Court D.K Jain.

Its tenure was fixed till 2015.The

terms of reference of the

Commission include review/repeal

obsolete law, examine the existing

laws, revise central acts of general

importance etc. In November 2013

the Centre appointed former Chief

Justice of Delhi High Court Justice

Ajit Prakash Shah as the new

chairman of the Commission as

Justice Jain took as president

National Consumer Disputes

Redressal Commission.

2) The NDA govt. led by Narendra

Modi was able to pass its first major

reform bill in the form of the

Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill,

2015 when it was passed by the

Rajya Sabha on 12 March 2015.

The lower house (Lok Sabha) had

already passed this bill. When the

insurance bill was first introduced in

the Parliament? 2008

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Explanation: The bill was first

introduced by the UPA govt. in

2008. It sought to raise the FDI cap

in insurance sector from 26% to

49% among several other

provisions and was opposed by the

BJP then. Now with the passing of

the Insurance Laws (Amendment)

Bill, 2015, an earlier ordinance

issued in 2014 by the Narendra

Modi government will be replaced.

The legislation will shake up Indias

overcrowded life insurance sector,

allowing global insurers such as

Britains Prudential and others to

increase their Indian stakes. The

passage of the bill represents a rare

victory for Modi, who was elected

last May on a promise of jobs and

economic growth.

3) Karnataka won the Ranji Trophy

title for 2015 by thrashing

opponents Tamil Nadu by an

innings and 217 runs on the last

day of the Ranji Trophy cricket

tournament final at the Wankhede

stadium in Mumbai on 12 March

2015. With this win Karnataka has

won this prestigious title how many

times? Eight

Explanation: By winning their eight

Ranji Trophy title, Karnataka went

past Delhi to become the second-

most successful side after Mumbai.

Mumbai has won the title record 40

times. Karnataka bundled out Tamil

Nadu for 134 in the first innings and

then amassed 762 runs, courtesy a

triple century by middle-order

batsman Karun Nair (338). Chasing

an imposing 628, Tamil Nadu were

shot out for 411 in 107.5 overs in

the final session of the fifth days

play on 12 March. Karun Nair was

awarded the man of the match title

for his triple century. Karnataka got

a cash prize of Rs. 2 crore while the

runners-up Tamil Nadu received a

cash prize of Rs. 1 crore. Ranji

Trophy is Indias premier domestic

first-class cricket championship

named after Kumar Shri

Ranjitsinhji, who played for England

and Sussex. Karnataka has won

this prestigious title in 1974, 1978,

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1983, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2014 and

now in 2015.

4) The Union Govt. has formulated

a new programme for better

understanding of weather in the

mountainous States as announced

in the Parliament on 12 March

2015. This programme has been

formulated especially in view of

severe floods in Jammu & Kashmir

and cloudburst in Uttarakhand.

What is the name of this

programme? Himalayan

Meteorology Programme

Explanation: Himalayan

Meteorology Programme (HMP)

has been designed by Earth

System Science Organisation-India

Meteorological Department to

augment observing systems by

deploying Doppler Weather Radars,

rain radars, automatic weather

stations (AWS), Automatic Rain

Gauges (ARGs). This programme

will help in improving the

forecasting very short range (up to

6 hours in advance) and predicting

severe weather phenomena up to

72 hours in advance. It will thus

lead to improved understanding of

Himalayan weather in general and

severe weather in particular.

5) Indias formal entry into the

global market for warships was

marked with the commissioning of

an India-built naval patrol vessel for

Mauritius by Prime Minister on 12

March 2015. What is the name of

this first warship to be exported

from India? Barracuda

Explanation: Barracuda is a

1,300-tonne patrol vessel made by

Kolkata-based Garden Reach

Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd

(GRSE) for the Mauritian National

Coast Guard. It was handed over to

Mauritius in December 2014 but

was commissioned by Indian Prime

Narendra Modi on his state visit to

Mauritius.

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March 14, 2015

1) Which European country on 12

March 2015 withdrew its bid to join

the European Union? Iceland

Explanation: Iceland, the country

situated in the North Atlantic, on 12

March announced that it is

withdrawing its application for a

membership in the 28-nation

European Union (EU) as its interest

could be served best while it

remains out of the EU. Iceland had

started its membership negotiations

in 2010 primarily to better anchor

itself to Europe two years after its

economy imploded amid a banking

collapse. The ruling center-right

coalition has been staunchly

against EU accession since taking

power in 2013. Iceland tried to

withdraw its EU bid last January,

but canceled these plans following

massive public protests over the

decision being made without a

referendum.

2) Indian Naval Ship (INS)

Alleppey, which was

decommissioned from the Indian

Navy on 13 March 2015, was which

category of naval vessel?

Minesweeper

Explanation: The purpose of

minesweeper vessels is for mine

detection and delineation, which is

essential to keep the harbours clear

of sea mines for safe passage of

ships. INS Alleppey was

commissioned into the Indian Navy

on 10 June 1980. It was last of the

six Pondicherry Class

mineseweepers and has rendered

nearly 35 years of service to the

nation. With its decommissioning

the Navy is left with only 5

minesweeper vessels. Its

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decommissioning ceremony took

place at Mumbai Naval Dockyard

and was attended by ex-

Commanding Officers of the ship as

well as senior officers of the

Western Naval Command.

3) Income Tax Department on 12

March 2015 slapped a Rs. 20,495

crore tax notice on which entity for

failing to deduct withholding tax on

alleged capital gains? Cairn India

Limited

Explanation: Cairn India Limited

(CIL) received an order from the

Income Tax Department for an

alleged failure to deduct withholding

tax on alleged capital gains arising

during 2006-07 in the hands of

Cairn UK Holdings Limited (CUHL),

which was the erstwhile parent

company of CIL. The notice for

Rs. 20,495 crore comprises of

approx Rs. 10,248 crore and

interest of approx Rs. 10,247 crore.

It was in respect of the transaction

of CUHL transferring the shares of

Cairn India Holdings Ltd (CIHL) to

CIL as part of internal group

reorganisation in 2006-07 to

facilitate the IPO of CIL. CIL has,

however, not agreed to this tax

demand and will pursue all possible

options to protect its interest. CIL

thus became the latest to join a

slew of multinational firms, including

Vodafone Group Plc and Royal

Dutch Shell Plc, to face tax demand

owing to a retrospective tax law.

4) The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)

on 13 March 2015 entered into a

$1.5 billion currency swap

agreement with the central bank of

Sri Lanka. What is the primary

objective of this agreement? To

help keep the Sri Lankan rupee

stable

Explanation: Sri Lanka rupee has

been under pressure since January

2015 and fallen around 1.5% so far

this year despite the fact that the Sri

Lankan central bank defended it

with selling dollars.

5) The Communist Party of India

(Marxist) went in for a generational

shift in its West Bengal unit on 13

March 2015 with the legendary

Biman Bose stepping out as the

state CPI (M) chief. Who was

elected as the new chief to replace

him? Surjya Kanta Mishra

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Explanation: Surjya Kanta Mishra

was appointed as the State

Secretary of West Bengal as the

septuagenarian Biman Bose

stepped down after holding this

post for last nine years. Bose was

elected State secretary in 2006

after the untimely death of party

stalwart Anil Biswas. This change

was announced at partys 4-day

State Conference at Kolkata. It is

worth mentioning that West Bengal

is to go to Assembly polls next year.

6) Islamic State (IS) accepted a

pledge of allegiance from Islamic

militant group Boko Haram as

revealed in an audio tape circulated

on 11 March 2015. Some days

back Boko Haram had posted a

message saying it wanted to join

ranks with IS. Boko Haram is

militant group of which African

country? Nigeria

Explanation: Boko Haram was

founded in 2002 primarily focused

on opposing Western-style

education. Later it began a military

campaign to impose Islamist rule in

northern Nigeria in 2009. The

conflict has since spread to

neighbouring states. On the other

hand, the IS aims to establish a

caliphate, a state ruled by a single

political and religious leader

according to Islamic law, or Sharia.

Its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, is

known to his followers as Caliph

Ibrahim. It seized large swathes of

Iraq and Syria last year. It still

controls the key Iraqi cities of Tikrit

and Mosul, despite a major ongoing

Iraqi offensive on Tikrit. Boko

Haram had called for the expansion

of the Islamic caliphate to West

Africa some time ago and had

pledged it allegiance to the IS.

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March 15-16, 2015

1) In a historic event, a bronze

statue of Mahatma Gandhi was

unveiled at the Parliament Square

in London on 14 March 2015. What

is the significance of this statue for

India and Gandhi? With this

statue, Gandhi became the first

Indian and the only person never to

have been in a public office to be

honoured with a statue at the

Parliament Square

Explanation: This historic 9-foot

tall Mahatma Gandhi statue was

unveiled jointly by British Prime

Minister David Cameron and Indian

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and

stands adjacent to statues of iconic

leaders such as Britains war-time

Prime Minister Winston Churchill

and anti-apartheid icon Nelson

Mandela. Bollywood legend

Amitabh Bachchan and Mahatma

Gandhis grandson Gopalkrishna

Gandhi were also present in the

ceremony. Quoting some of

Gandhis famous words, Cameron

highlighted how his teachings

remain as potent today. The statue,

created by Philip Jackson, was

inspired by a 1931 photo of Gandhi

at No. 10 Downing Street, where he

met the then prime minister

Ramsay MacDonald.

2) What is the quarter-final line of

the ICC World Cup 2015 after the

culmination of the league matches

on 15 March 2015? South Africa

Vs. Sri Lanka, India Vs.

Bangladesh, Australia Vs.

Pakistan and New Zealand Vs.

West Indies

Explanation: West Indies and

Pakistan defeated the UAE and

Ireland respectively in their last

Group B league matches on 15

March 2015 to make it to the

quarters. Following is the schedule

of the quarterfinals

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1st Quarterfinal 18 March 2015:

South Africa Vs. Sri Lanka (Sydney

Cricket Ground)

2nd Quarterfinal 19 March 2015:

India Vs. Bangladesh (Melbourne

Cricket Ground)

3rd Quarterfinal 20 March 2015:

Australia Vs. Pakistan (Adelaide

Oval)

4th Quarterfinal 21 March 2015:

New Zealand Vs. West Indies

(Wellington Regional Stadium)

3) Union Govt. announced that it

will take several measures for

international branding and

promotion of the Puri Rath Yatra

Festival of 2015, which would be a

special event which comes every

19 years. What is the name given to

this years Rath Yatra?

Nabakalebar Rath Yatra

Explanation: The term

Nabakalebar associated with the

Rath Yatra of 2015 stands for the

periodical renewal of the wooden

images of Lord Jagannath,

Bhalabhadara, Subhadra and

Sudarshan. Last Nabakalebar was

celebrated in 1996. This years

Yatra is to be held on 18 July 2015.

The Union Tourism Ministry in

coordination with the Petroleum

Ministry is planning to observe this

special event as an International

Tourism Event of the year. The

Ministry of Culture will bring out

Coffee Table Book and also make

special documentary on the Rath

Yatra. Coins and stamps will also

be issued to commemorate the

Yatra.

4) Who was chosen as the brand

ambassador of the Northeast by the

Union Government to showcase the

potential of the region as

announced on 13 March 2015?

MC Mary Kom

Explanation: MC Mary Kom is a

five-time World Amateur Boxing

champion and the only woman

boxer to have won a medal in each

of the six world championships. She

is from Manipur, one of the eight

northeastern States. Union Govt. on

13 March announced its decision to

have a brand ambassador for

Northeast. This announcement was

made at the 10th North East

Business Summit in New Delhi.

According to a global consultancy

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EY report, released during the

Summit, Indias North East region

offers Rs 2.4 trillion opportunity,

with 45 million people looking to

consume goods and services. Mary

Kom is being roped in as the brand

ambassador to showcase the

various aspects of the region

including the cultural and business.

5) What is the name of the powerful

storm that hit the South Pacific

Ocean on 14 March 2015 to bring

heavy destruction in the island

nation of Vanuatu? Cyclone Pam

Explanation: Cyclone Pam is

considered one of the Pacific

Oceans most powerful ever storms

and it struck Vanuatu with winds up

to 340 kph (210 mph). Vanuatu is a

sprawling country of 83 islands and

260,000 people situated around

2,000 km northeast of the

Australian city of Brisbane. At least

8 persons were killed as the

cyclone tore-off roofs and uprooted

innumerable trees across the

country. Formerly known as the

New Hebrides, Vanuatu was jointly

ruled by France and Britain until

independence in 1980. It is among

the worlds poorest countries and

highly prone to natural disasters,

such as earthquakes, tsunamis and

storms.

6) Who won the Australian Grand

Prix first Formula 1 (F1) Grand

Prix of the season on 15 March

2015? Lewis Hamilton (Britain)

Explanation: The F1 2014

champion Lewis Hamilton of

Mercedes continued his dominance

by winning the Australian Grand

Prix at Albert Park racing arena at

Melbourne. He was followed by his

German teammate Nico Rosberg.

Former F1 champion Sebastian

Vettel (Germany) was third on his

Ferrari debut. He was earlier

associated with the Red Bull team.

7) What is the name of an open

source, free, online education portal

that was launched on 13 March

2015 by the Gujarat Chapter of

Code For India? Skill Up India

Explanation: Skill Up India (SUI)

is an online free educational

initiative promoted by the Gujarat

Chapter of Code For India, a U.S.-

based non-profit organisation of

techies from India. Under this

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initiative numerous free online

courses are being provided through

a platform which is similar to the

concept of virtual university. There

are no criteria for subscribing to the

courses offered on SUI. Currently in

its initial stages, the portal is

working on collaborating with

institutes such as the Indian

Institute of Management,

Ahmedabad, and the Indian

Institute of Technology

Gandhinagar to put up courses. In

addition, individuals willing to offer

any kind of knowledge can publish

a course. The SUI initiative is in

response to Prime Minister

Narendra Modis call to Skill India.

March 17, 2015

1) The Supreme Court on 16 March

2015 gave what important order

pertaining to Aadhaar cards? It

confirmed that Aadhaar cards are

not compulsory to avail of

government subsidies

Explanation: The Supreme Court

made it clear the Aadhaar cards,

issued by Unique Identification

Authority of India (UIDAI), are not

mandatory as far as availing the

subsidies associated with

numerous govt. schemes is

concerned. The apex court issued a

stern warning to the government on

learning that many government

authorities still insist on Aadhaar for

providing government subsidies

and basic services to ordinary

citizens. It made it clear that

demands made by officials for

Aadhaar card is in clear violation of

the Supreme Courts interim order

of 23 September 2013. In that

order, the court had directed that

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no person should suffer for not

getting the Aadhaar card, inspite of

the fact that some authority had

issued a circular making it

mandatory. It is worth mentioning

that over 750 million Aadhaar

numbers have already been

generated and the govt. is in the

process of linking all subsidy

schemes with Aadhaar numbers.

2) Countrys jewellers have put forth

its demand to the Union Govt. to

scrap the mandatory requirement of

Permanent Account Number (PAN)

Card during purchase of gold

ornaments. They feel that this step

announced in the Union Budget of

2015-16 would be impractical to

implement and hurt the jewellery

sector. What is the buying limit for

PAN cards? Above Rs. 1 lakh

Explanation: In the Union Budget

2015-16, the Finance Minister had

mandated that PAN card has to be

produced for purchase of gold

ornaments above Rs. 1 lakh. This

provision was announced to

prevent the circulation of black

money which easily gets converted

into gold bars or jewellery. The All

India Gems and Jewellery Trade

Federation (GJF), the national

federation of the gems & jewellery

sector, feels that this move would

discriminate against 70% of the

rural buyers who do not have PAN

cards and do not come under the

income tax net. According to

jewellers, the requirement of PAN

card would result in shifting of

business from law-abiding jewellers

to unscrupulous elements in the

trade.

3) Stockholm-based think tank

Stockholm International Peace

Research Institute (SIPRI) in its

report released on 16 March 2015

claimed that China raced ahead of

Germany to become the third

largest arms exporters in the world

after the U.S. and Russia.

According to this report which are

the three largest markets for

Chinese arms? Pakistan,

Bangladesh and Myanmar

Explanation: SIPRI in its report

claimed that exports of arms from

China grew 143% between 2010

and 2014. In the preceding five year

period China had ranked ninth

globally. It disclosed that more than

68% of Chinese exports went to

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Pakistan, Bangladesh and

Myanmar. It is worth mentioning

that Chinese-made equipment has

found eager buyers among

countries at odds with the United

States and its allies.

4) A series of peace marches were

held across more than 150 cities of

Brazil on 15 March 2015

demanding the impeachment of

President Dilma Rousseff for her

alleged role in a corruption case

involving a state-run oil company.

Which company is this?

Petrobras

Explanation: Petrobras is a semi-

public multi-national company of

Brazil engaged primarily in oil

exploration, refining and marketing.

It is the largest company in Brazil

with annual revenue of over $130

billion during 2013. The company

has been mired in a corruption case

which is alleged to be the biggest

corruption scandal ever uncovered

in Brazil. Under this at least $800

million was paid in bribes and other

funds by it in exchange for inflated

contracts. The protests held on 15

March were held on the

30th anniversary of Brazils return to

democracy after a long military

regime. The protestors were

claiming that the corruption case in

Petrobras was sponsored by the

Brazilian govt. led by President

Dilma Rousseff and demanded her

impeachment. She won a narrow

re-election held in October 2014.

5) What important power for

Pr