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SBI MAINS SPECIAL BOOSTER (WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO BANKING AND FINANCIAL AWARNESS)
MONETARY POLICY REVIEW
Second Bi-monthly Monetary Policy Statement, 2016-17(June 07, 2016)
Monetary and Liquidity Measures
On the basis of an assessment of the current and evolving macroeconomic situation, it has been
decided to:
keep the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) unchanged at 6.5 per cent;
keep the cash reserve ratio (CRR) of scheduled banks unchanged at 4.0 per cent of net demand and
time liabilities (NDTL); and
Continue to provide liquidity as required but progressively lower the average ex ante liquidity
deficit in the system from one per cent of NDTL to a position closer to neutrality.
Consequently, the reverse repo rate under the LAF will remain unchanged at 6.0 per cent, and the
marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate at 7.0 per cent.
Current Monetary Policy Rates:
CRR 4%
SLR 21.25%
REPO RATE 6.5%
REVERSE REPO RATE 6%
BANK RATE 7%
MARGINAL STANDING FACILITY 7%
The third bi-monthly monetary policy statement will be announced on August 9, 2016.
SBI RELATED FACTS AND NEWS
Facts about SBI
When it’s about banking in India, SBI is the most trusted and
preferred name.
SBI is one of the largest employers in India and has 14
regional hubs and 57
zonal offices.
The Bank of Bengal: The first presidency bank was
established in Kolkata in 1806 during the British Raj and was
named as Presidency Bank of Bengal.
Growing up: British’s instituted two new Banks in Mumbai known as the ‘Presidency of Bombay’
in 1840, and, ‘Presidency Bank of Madras’ in 1843. However, these three branches had private
shareholding and funded the share capital for East India Company.
The Paper Currency Act: Till 1861,
the paper currency act was implemented and
these three Presidency Banks had exclusive
rights for the production of paper currency.
Imperial Bank of India: On 17th Jan 1921, these
three Presidency banks were Amalgamate to form
a single bank named as ‘Imperial Bank of India.
Post-independence: After independence, Reserve Bank of India acquired the Imperial Bank of
India under the parliamentary Act, State Bank of India Act 1955. And so the Imperial bank of India
was renamed as State Bank of India on 30th April 1955, And Started functioning From July 1st
1955.
The Subsidiary Banks Act: In 1959, SBI passed the Subsidiary Banks Act and grew bigger with
eight subordinate banks.
These banks were termed as Associate Banks of SBI including State Bank of Bikaner, State Bank
of Jaipur, State Bank of Hyderabad, State Bank of Indore, State Bank of Patiala, State Bank of
Mysore, State Bank of Saurashtra and State Bank of Travancore.
Changes within association: Among these 8
associates, State Bank of Bikaner and State Bank of
Jaipur merged as State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur
in 1963.
However, State Bank of Saurashtra and State Bank
of Indore merged with parent SBI in the year 2008
and 2010 respectively.
Expanding worldwide: Presently SBI is operational with five associate banks in India and has 190
foreign offices in 36 countries worldwide.
SBI: Facilities and Technologies
SBI launches “State Bank of India NO Queue” Mobile App the Application was launched by Smt.
Arundhati Bhattacharya, Chairman, SBI in Mumbai.
“Green Pin” launched by SBI:an initiative by which the customers of the bank can get or reset their
debit card secret four digit pin number without having to visit the bank branch.
“M-Wallet” app SBI Buddy launched: The application is available in 13 languages. It carries
several features like cash transfer, bill payment, all types of ticket bookings payment and booking
for movies, hotels as well as for shopping.
SBI “Tab banking” to facilitate opening of Saving Accounts and another for Housing Loan
applicants.
SBI launched “Freedom Application”: State Bank Freedom Application offers - convenient, simple,
secure, anytime and anywhere Balance Enquiries, Remittances, e-Deposits, Bill Payments, Mobile
Top-ups, DTH Recharge can be made anytime 24x7.
SBI launched “Project Tatkal”: The project will help home loan applicants to get the loan within 10
days after receipt of application form and relevant supporting documents.
SBI launches its First Dedicated Branch for Startups – “SBI InCube”:State Bank of India (SBI) has
launched dedicated specialized branch for start-ups called ‘SBI InCube’ in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
Boutique financing scheme- SBI
The scheme aimed to offer working capital expenses to generate more working opportunities for
women.
The scheme will also help the women through loans. Women owner would get overdraft facilities.
SBI aimed to boost the growth potential of the segment.
It would give loans at a concessional interest rate and the maximum loan to be made available
would be 50 lakh rupees for a period of seven years
MAJOR SUBSIDIARIES OF SBI
SBI Capital Markets Ltd: SBI CAP was established in 1986. It is India’s largest domestic
investment bank, offering the entire range of investment banking and corporate advisory services.
SBI CARD: SBI cards was established in 1988 .It deals with State bank of India credit card.
Tagline- “Make life simple”
SBI life Insurance: SBI life Insurance was established in 2001. Tagline- “With Us, You’re sure”
SBI General Insurance: SBI general insurance company started its operation on 2010. SBI has a
74% stake in the company while the remainder is held by IAG.
SBI Mutual Fund: SBI mutual fund is a joint venture between SBI &Amundi Asset Management
(France) Tagline of SBI Mutual Fund -“A Partner for Life”.
SBI DFHI Limited: SBI DFHI limited is a primary dealer. An Institution created by RBI to
support primary auctions of government Securities & provide necessary debt and liquidity to
secondary market in government securities.
FINANCIAL AWARENESS NEWS.
Michael Dell announced at the casino capital of the world that the biggest merger in tech history
will be called Dell Technologies. CEO of Dell announced their $70 billion dollar merger with
EMC.
The Government of Bangladesh granted in-principle approval for the first phase of Anil Ambani-
owned Reliance Power's gas based power project of 750 MW.
The trade body of Indian IT firms NASSCOM has signed and MoU with Facebook to build a
product design initiative to engage the country's young entrepreneurs into becoming problem
solvers and solution builders.
World's first Exchange Traded Fund focused on India's sovereign bonds was launched by the MCB
Capital Markets and will be listed in Mauritius, providing global investors access to the Indian
government securities.
United Nation's International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) will provide grants worth
USD 150 million (about Rs 1,001 crore) to India in the next three years to aid the farm sector.
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) said it has signed a pact with Bharat Electronics Limited
(BEL) for developing advanced airborne communication and electronic warfare systems.
Government has enforced the decision of retirement fund body EPFO to almost double the
maximum sum assured under its insurance scheme from 3.6 lakh to 6 lakh rupees. It will benefit
around four crore subscribers.
The Exim Bank has extended a line of credit (LoC) worth USD 1 billion to Mongolia for
developing its railways and related infrastructure.
Country's biggest lender State Bank of India announced the launch of mVisa, a mobile-based
payment solution. The service will help customers make payments through their smartphones by
simply scanning the unique merchant QR (Quick Response) code at merchant outlets.
Private sector lender ICICI Bank became the first financial institution in the country to tie up with
the BRICS Group promoted New Development Bank (NDB) for a partnership in bond issuances,
co-financing, treasury management and human resources. First chairman of NDB is K V Kamath.
IDBI Bank announced opening of its international banking unit (IBU) within the International
Financial Services Centre (IFSC) at Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City). With this,
IDBI became the first public sector bank to open a global desk at GIFT City. The bank is aiming to
provide foreign currency funding facility to its Indian clients from GIFT City
Nepal SBI Bank, one of the largest overseas subsidiaries of SBI, has launched payment gateway to
facilitate online trade and non-trade transactions between the Himalayan nation and India.
The Indian government signed a $100 million (about Rs.677 crore) loan agreement with multilateral
lending agency World Bank for the Karnataka urban water supply modernization project.
Jeddah-based Islamic Development Bank (IDB) is set to start its India operations from Gujarat.
India, the world's third largest steel producer, was among the top 10 importers of the alloy last year,
according to the latest data by the global industry body World Steel Association (WSA).
State Bank of India SBI's point of sales terminal (PoS) network is now the largest in the country. It
plans to add another 1 lakh PoS terminals in the current fiscal year ending March 2017.
The Reserve Bank of India will soon issue Rs 1000 denomination banknotes with the inset letter ‘R’
in both the number panels.
Seeking to attract more foreign investment, the Reserve Bank laid down rules allowing FDI up to
100 per cent in credit information companies (CICs) if ownership of the investor company is well
diversified.
However, the FDI cap will be 49 per cent if the ownership is not well diversified.
The country's largest lender, State Bank of India, has launched a virtual queuing mobile application
that will help customers save on time.
State Bank of India launched 'State Bank of India NO Queue' mobile application to save the
valuable time of its esteemed customers for availing of banking services.
Driven by India's expected GDP growth of 7.7 per cent in 2017 and 7.5 per cent in 2016, the World
Bank forecasted gradual acceleration in South Asia's economic growth from 7.1 per cent in 2016 to
7.3 per cent in 2017.
PNB also stated that other services include Unified Payment Interface, Launch of Mahila Kaushal
Vikas Yojna and Housing Finance Scheme on the occasion of 122nd Foundation Day.
India was among the first four countries to get a loan from the newly established BRICS (Brazil,
Russia, India, China and South Africa) ,New Development Bank (NDB) which gave a $250 million
funding to Canara Bank for a renewable energy project.
Vodafone m-pesa has partnered with Mumbai-based radio taxi service provider TABcab for
providing cashless transactions to commuters in the city.
Flipkart announced the acquisition of PhonePe, a city-based mobile payment company co-founded
by the e-commerce giant's two former employees.
Reliance Industries director Nita Ambani and State Bank of India chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya
have been ranked top two in Forbes “Asia 50 Power Businesswomen 2016” list.
India's limited-overs cricket captain M.S. Dhoni has been signed up as brand ambassador by
handset manufacturer Lava International in a move to strengthen its brand in India.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) retained India's growth projections for 2016-17 at 7.5 per
cent, while it cut global economic expansion by two percentage points to 3.2 per cent for 2016 and
one percentage point to 3.5 per cent in 2017.
The Indian entertainment arm of 21st Century Fox, STAR India, has announced a restructuring,
elevating chief executive officer Uday Shankar to chairman and CEO.
Ashok Chawla, former chief of Competition Commission, will be the new chairman of National
Stock Exchange subject to approval from market watchdog Sebi.
The exchange is now awaiting nod from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) for
appointing Chawla as the chairman.
Singapore-based DBS Bank, hitherto focusing on the affluent segment, has decided to shed that tag
and instead go for mass-market retail (individual) customers.
In the third roll-back in two months, the government raised the interest rate on employee provident
fund (EPF) contributions to 8.8% for 2015-16 against 8.7% approved by the Finance Ministry last
week.
To check debit card frauds, SBI has launched a facility under 'SBI Quick: SMS and Missed Call
Banking' service whereby the customer can choose to activate or deactivate their cards using
various platforms, like ATM, and Point of Sale (POS).
National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) said that it has collaborated
with the German government for a special programme on 'Soil Protection and Rehabilitation for
Food Security'. A high-level delegation from the Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Ministry of Germany, led by Stefan Schmitz, Commissioner, was here in connection with the
programme, a release said.
Airtel M Commerce Services (AMSL), a subsidiary of Bharti Airtel, granted the first payments
bank license from Reserve Bank of India (RBI). AMSL is a wholly owned subsidiary of Airtel,
which offers mobile money services under the brand name Airtel Money.
The government permitted 100 per cent FDI in the market place format of e-commerce retailing.
Foreign direct investment (FDI) is not allowed in inventory-based model of e-commerce.
The Asian Development Bank's (ADB) lowers its growth forecast to 7.4 per cent from 7.8 per cent
for 2016-17.
ADB and the USAID signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to assist India in developing
the clean energy infrastructure.
The World Bank opened its office in Malaysia.
Reliance Defense formed a joint venture in India with Rafael of Israel with a seed capital of over
Rs.1, 300 crore.
Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley inaugurated Sydney Branch of Union Bank of India.
BMI Research said that the Indian economy is expected to grow at 7.2 per cent in 2016-17.
‘Yangon Stock Exchange’ Myanmar's first modern stock exchange opened for trading.
Telangana and French aviation companies signed a MoU to set up training center in Hyderabad.
Olahas signed a MoU with the Government of Maharashtra, to develop opportunities for
entrepreneurship for youth of the state, including women.
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated ‘Krishi Unnati Mela’- the National Level
Agriculture Fair-cum-Exhibition in New Delhi. He also conferred Krishi Karman Awards.
The Public Provident Fund (PPF) will yield 8.1% compared with 8.7% at earlier and the Kisan
Vikas Patra (KVP) will fetch 7.8% against 8.7%.
The Reserve Bank of India signed a SAARC currency swap agreement with the Royal Monetary
Authority of Bhutan (RMBA).
Singapore's Changi Airport has been voted the World's Best Airport at the World Airport Awards
2016.
Second largest Private Sector HDFC Bank has launched SmartUp Banking Servicein association
with Zone Startups India (ZSI).
India Signs USD 35 Million Loan Agreement with the World Bank for Madhya Pradesh Citizen
Access to Responsive Services Project.
Bangladesh Reserve Bank Governor Atiur Rahman has resigned following an $ 80 million cyber
theft from the Bank's Reserve Fund Account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Moody's Investors Service has assigned a Baa3 rating to ICICI Bank Limited's (ICICI, Baa3, and
Positive) proposed USD denominated senior unsecured notes.
The Union Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley and Ms. Christine Lagarde, Managing Director, IMF
signed a MoU to establish South Asia Regional Training and Technical Assistance Center in New
Delhi.
Public sector lender Andhra Bank announced its tie-up with mobile payment app ‘Chillr’, to allow
its customers transfer money to any contact on their phonebook instantly.
Indian Railways signed Locomotives Export Contract with Myanmar Railways.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has been named as a top employer in the United States (US) for a
second consecutive year by the Top Employers Institute.
Largest Private sector ICICI Bank has signed a MoU with National Housing Bank (NHB) to
facilitate the credit-linked subsidy to the eligible home loan borrowers under the ‘Pradhan Mantri
Awas Yojana’.
According to the Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU), Singapore is ranked the world's most
expensive city to live in.
The Cabinet approved a Rs. 8,000 crore scheme to provide cooking gas (LPG) connections free of
cost to women members of poor households.
India and International Monetary Fund signed a Memorandum of Understanding for setting up of
South Asia Regional Training and Technical Assistance Center in India by the International
Monetary Fund.
Parliament has passed the Bureau of Indian Standards Bill 2015, with the Rajya Sabha. The Bill
extends the ambit of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) to include services, processes and
products while ensuring production of world class goods it will also proposes to make BIS a
national standards body.
Fitch Ratings lowered India's economic growth forecast for the financial year 2016-17 to 7.7 per
cent, but maintained the GDP projection for current fiscal at 7.5 per cent.
The Minister of Women and Child Development, Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi launched “Mahila e-
Haat”, an online marketing platform for women.
The Reserve Bank of India will share FDI-related information with country's intelligence agencies
IB and RAW to check black money from entering the country.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on
Supervisory Cooperation and Exchange of Supervisory Information with Bank of Israel.
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi launched “Setu Bharatam” – an ambitious programme
with an investment of Rs. 50,000 crore to build bridges for safe and seamless travel on National
Highways.
International Monetary Fund has projected a robust growth rate of 7.3 per cent for the country this
fiscal, picking up to 7.5 per cent next year.
India Signed Financing Agreement with World Bank for US $300 Million for Madhya Pradesh
Higher Education Quality Improvement Project.
India has been ranked at the 90th place in a list of 126 countries compiled by WEF on the basis of
their ability to deliver secure, affordable and sustainable energy, which was topped by Switzerland.
World Bank Group member International Finance Corporation (IFC) launched its first Uridashi
Masala Bonds (Japanese bonds) to mobilize Rs 30 crore from Japanese retail investors.
Japanese financial services firm Nomura said that India's GDP growth is likely to pick up to 7.8 per
cent in fiscal 2016-17 from 7.6 per cent this year.
MOST IMPORTANT INTERNATIONAL NEWS
India and New Zealand signed a deal that opens the door for direct flights between the two
countries that could boost tourism and trade sectors.
An Indian-American woman Sikh lawyer from California has been elected to a key position in the
Republican Party at the national level.
C Raja Mohan, a foreign policy strategist, has been named as the inaugural Marshall Bouton Asia
Fellow of the prestigious Chicago Council on Global Affairs.
US President Barack Obama has announced to re appoint Indian-American Sachin Dev Pavithran to
a key independent government agency devoted to accessibility for people with disabilities.
Chinese authorities will test the country’s first hybrid-power train in June.
India and five other nations, including China and Israel, signed pact for automatic exchange of
information on tax issues and develop new tools and standards for tackling tax base erosion and
evasion.
Air Force General Lori Robinson took charge of the U.S. military’s Northern Command, becoming
the first woman to head a U.S. combatant command.
Panama has officially signed on to comply with OECD standards on exchanging tax information, a
move that comes more than a month after the Panama Papers data leak.
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was apprised of the joint issue
of UN Women “He forShe” postage stamp. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been
signed between Department of Posts and United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA) in
February, 2016 for this purpose.
India and Slovenia have signed a Protocol amending the existing Convention and Protocol between
the two countries for avoidance of double taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to
taxes on income in Ljubljana.
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif performed the ground-breaking ceremony of the Pakistan-
China Optical Fiber Cable Project which is part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
The G7 finance summit started in Japan's Sendai city with a focus on boosting and balancing the
growth of the global economy amid the slowing down of the Chinese economy and those of other
emerging countries.
India and Oman vowed to deepen bilateral defense ties as the two countries signed four key
agreements in the critical sector with focus on enhancing military cooperation.
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi granted ex-post facto approval to the
Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India and
the Ministry of Tourism, Government of Maldives for strengthening cooperation in the field of
tourism.
Vietnam's National Assembly elected Tran Dai Quang as the country's new president.
Truong Tan Sang was relieved from duty as the president.
Marking the 60th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations with India, Oman has issued
special postal stamps depicting the TajMahal and the Gulf country's iconic Grand Mosque.
Oman Post issued the stamps in a ceremony at the Indian Embassy in Muscat.
The Chinese government will provide Bangladesh grant assistance of about $50 million for
construction of the eighth Bangladesh-China Friendship Bridge.
In this connection an agreement was signed between Bangladesh and China in capital Dhaka.
The length of the bridge will be 1,400 meters and Bangladesh roads and highway department will
carry out the project.
India and Maldives signed six agreements, including one on Defence Cooperation and avoidance of
double taxation, after delegation-level talks with visiting Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen
Abdul Gayoom and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Kyrgyz Prime Minister Temir Sariyev resigned, after several parliament members accused his
cabinet of corruption.
The government's work has stalled at such a difficult time.
Ukraine's parliament appointed pro-Western speaker VolodymyrGroysman as prime minister in a
bid to end months of political gridlock and unlock vital aid to the war torn-state.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said he hoped the new government "will not be guided by some
sort of phobias or act in the interest of foreign agencies" -- a veiled reference to Brussels and
Washington.
Nepal's first woman acting Chief Justice Sushila Karki has assumed office, months after the country
got its first woman President and Speaker.
She is also known for judgments allowing women to pass their citizenship to their children,
previously open only to men in Nepal.
Anti-slavery crusader Harriet Tubman will become the first African-American on the face of U.S.
paper currency, and the first woman in more than a century, when she replaces former President
Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill.
MOST IMPORTANT NATIONAL NEWS
'Kalvari', Indian Navy's first indigenous Scorpene-class stealth submarine, sailed out for first sea
test.
With an aim of afforestation on the vast tracts of rail land, the Railways, joined hands with the
forest departments of Punjab and Haryana for plantation of 5 lakh trees in the two states as part of
the ‘Green India Mission’.
As part of the initiative of the Ministry of Commerce & Industry to provide easy access to the
public on export and import trends of India the Minister of State for Commerce & Industry (I/C)
Nirmala Sitharaman launched a dashboard on EXIM Analytics. This is a portal developed by the
Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics, at the instance of the Ministry.
Minister of Railways launches one E-enabled application, namely, Project Management &
Information System (PMIS) for proper Monitoring of all the Railway projects throughout the
country.
Air Marshal PP Khandekar assumed the responsibilities of Air Officer-in-Charge Maintenance at
Air HQ, New Delhi.
Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal and New & Renewable Energy launched
‘Contract Labour Payment Management System’- a portal of Coal India Limited (CIL).
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the signing of
Memorandum of Co-operation (MoC) between Ministry of Women & Child Development
(MWCD) and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) for the cooperation in Information and
Communication Technology enabled Real Time Monitoring (ICT-RTM) of Integrated Child
Development Services (ICDS) and other related technical matters.
Former judge of Delhi High Court Justice M L Mehta was appointed as chairman of a three-
member government panel on revision of Delhi Metro rail fares.
The single emergency number '112' will be operational throughout India from January 1, 2017 to
help people reach immediate services of police, ambulance and fire department.
As a part of 475th Birth Anniversary celebrations of MaharanaPratap Union Minister for Culture
and Tourism Dr. Mahesh Sharma released a Commemorative coin of Rs. 100/- and a Circulation
coin of Rs. 10/- in New Delhi.
The Minister for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) Kalraj Mishra inaugurated a
spinning and weaving centre and marketing plaza for khadi goods in Srinagar. At the centre --
Harmukh Khadi Gram UdyogSansthan -- Mishra also distributed 25 model charkhas among local
artisans at a function.
The Government has launched a web-based application on Integrated Waste Management System
(IWMS) –www.iwms.nic.in for better management of waste.
Minister of Railways Suresh PrabhakarPrabhu inaugurated Comrade UmraomalPurohit Memorial
Research Centre situated in All India Railwaymen’s Federation (AIRF) Office Complex, 4, State
Entry Road, New Delhi.
Western Union 'My Stamp' released to mark 15 years of collaboration between the money transfer
service provider and India Post.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation is all set to conduct the trial run of India’s first driverless train at
Mukundpur depot.
The Income Tax department has launched a special electronic grievance re-dressal system called ‘e-
nivaran’ in order to fast track taxpayer grievances and ensure early resolution of their complaints.
The closing ceremony of 27TH India-Indonesian CORPAT (Coordinated Patrol) was held from 16-
19 May 16.
State-run Himachal Pradesh Electricity Board Ltd (HPEBL) and Solar Energy Corp of India (SECI)
signed a pact to set up India's first solar wind hybrid power plant in the hill state. Its estimated cost
would be Rs.30.72 crore.
Apple opened a new office in Hyderabad which will focus on developing Maps for iPhones, iPads,
Mac and Apple Watch. The move will accelerate Maps development and create up to 4,000 jobs,
the technology giant
Apollo Tyres and Wildlife Trust of India have entered into a partnership to restore a critical
mangrove project in Kerala's Kannur district. Apollo Tyres and Wildlife Trust of India announced
the partnership to coincide with the International Day for Bio-diversity.
The government announced that 13 more cities will be eligible for priority funding under the Smart
City mission.
The multilingual knowledge portal www.bharatvani.in Bharatavani has become the Largest Online
Repository of Dictionaries in India on its Very First Day.
The Indian Coast Guard ship Arush, the seventeenth in the series of twenty Fast Patrol Vessels
(FPVs), designed and built by M/s Cochin Shipyard Limited, was commissioned at Kochi by the
Coast Guard Commander (Western Seaboard) Additional Director General SPS Basra.
The Bihar government, UNICEF and the Rajendra Agriculture University, Pusa entered into an
agreement to reduce malnourishment among women and children in the state.
Lakshadweep became first Union Territory (UT) to sign “24x7 Power for All” document.
Representative of Government of India and the Administration of Lakshadweep signed the
document in presence of P.K. Pujari, Secretary, Ministry of Power.
Central Railways launches safety 'panic button' feature for women's safety
Dr. Najma Heptulla, the Union Minister for Minority Affairs on 31 March launched innovative
entrepreneurship and skill development programme of Maulana Azad National Academy for Skills
(MANAS).
The Women & Child Development Minister, Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi on 30 March launched
(Swadhar Greh Scheme) the project of construction of a special Home for one thousand widows at
Vrindavan, Mathura.
Social Justice and Empowerment Minister of Haryana Government Kavita Jain launched a new
scheme named 'Anukool Greh' for the persons with disabilities on 29 March.
Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh launched a new mobile app 'Pusa Krishi' for
farmers in order to take the technology to farm fields.
India’s “unique” Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve is among 20 new sites added by the UN’s top
cultural body UNESCO to its World Network of Biosphere Reserves.
India successfully test-fired nuclear-capable Agni-I ballistic missile from a test range off Odisha
coast. This missile is capable of hitting a target 700 km away.
ISRO's sixth navigation satellite IRNSS-1F was successfully launched onboard PSLV C32 from the
spaceport.
Indo-Indonesia Joint Training Exercise GARUDA SHAKTI was conducted from 10 march.
Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy launched the first air ambulance service in the state. This
will be exclusively for speed in organ transplant.
North Korea launched a medium range Rodong missile on 19 March which flew some 800 km
before falling into the sea.
Sushila Karki became the first woman chief justice of Nepal.
On 11 March Nepal officially became the 34th member of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD).
On 04 MarchNamibian President Hage Geingob has officially inaugurated the northern main road
MR 129 built by a Chinese company.
Noted designer Ritu Beri has been appointed advisor to the Khadi and Village Industries
Commission (KVIC) for promotion of khadi in India and across the world.
Sir Dominic Asquith will be the new British High Commissioner in India. He will replace Sir James
Bevan.
Andrew Holness sworn in as the new prime minister of Jamaica after his general election win.
Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Alphabet - the parent company of Google, has been chosen by
Pentagon to head a new advisory board on defense innovation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi appointed Shri Vinod Rai, Former CAG of India, as the Chairman
of Banks Board Bureau (BBB).
MOST IMPORTANT APPOINTMENTS
Vice Admiral Sunil Lamba, who is currently heading the Western Command become the new Navy
Chief.
Senior IPS officer Kumar Rajesh Chandra was today appointed as chief of Bureau of Civil Aviation
Security (BCAS), the aviation security wing of the government; over three years after the post fell
vacant.
Manohar Kumar has taken over as Director (Engineering) on the Board of National Projects
Construction Corporation Limited (NPCC). NPCC is a PSU under Ministry Water Resources,
River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.
Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) finally saw new Managing Director and CEO,
MrugankParanjape.
Veteran cricket administrator Shashank Manohar was elected unopposed as ICC’s first independent
Chairman, two days after he stepped down from the post of BCCI President.
Senior audit service officer Hindupur Pradeep Rao appointed as Deputy Comptroller and Auditor
General (CAG).
Rao, a 1981 batch officer of Indian Audit and Account Service, is presently working as Additional
CAG.
US President Barack Obama has appointed an Indian-American engineer to a key administration
post.
Manjit Singh, co-founder of the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund has been
appointed as the member of President's Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood
Partnerships.
Chawla, former head of the Competition Commission of India (CCI), has been appointed as new
chairman of the National Stock Exchange (NSE).
The ICC announced the appointment of Claire Furlong as the world cricket body's General Manager
- Strategic Communications. She will take up her position on July 17.
Indian Foreign Service officer Namgya C Khampa was appointed as Director in Prime Minister's
office.
Khampa is an Indian Foreign Service officer of 2000 batch.
Senior bureaucrat B K Panda was appointed as Commissioner of Coal Mines Provident Fund
Organisation based in Dhanbad.
The Union Finance Ministry constituted a five member Fiscal Responsibility and Budget
Management (FRBM) panel.The panel would be headed by former revenue and expenditure
secretary and Member of Parliament N.K. Singh.
Indian-American politician Swati Dandekar has been nominated by the US Senate to the post of
Executive Director to the Asian Development Bank which has ambassadorial rank.
The US Senate has confirmed the nomination of Deven J Parekh, Indian-American by President
Barack Obama to the board of directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation.
Kenya United Nations Ambassador MachariaKamau was appointed as one of two UN special
envoys on El Niño and climate.
Lieutenant General S K Saini took over as the new commandant of the Indian Military Academy
(IMA).
Anurag Thakur was unanimously elected as the second youngest BCCI President, while Ajay
Shirke was chosen as Secretary.
Eminent scientist S K Sharma was appointed as Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of
Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL).
Vice Admiral K B Singh was appointed as the Vice Chief of Naval Staff, days ahead of the
retirement of current Navy chief Admiral R K Dhowan and his deputy Vice Admiral P Murugesan.
Vice-Admiral AR Karve took charge as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern
Naval Command (SNC) from Vice Admiral GirishLuthra.
Admiral Sunil Lanba, took charge as the Chief of Naval Staff in New Delhi as the current CNS
Admiral R.K.Dhowan retired after four decade of service.
MOST IMPORTANT AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS
Famous Urdu poet Prof. Malik ZadaManzoor Ahmed died after a prolonged illness. He was 91
'Britney Spears' receives the prestigious Millennium Award.She’ll share the stage with hosts
Ludacris and Ciara, alongside other confirmed performers Justin Bieber and Nick Jonas.
Actor Manoj Kumar received the 47th Dadasaheb Phalke Award, at a ceremony held in New Delhi.
A Social Science professor from India Prashar Kulkarni has won the Commonwealth Short Story
Prize for 2016, for the Asia region for his "politically grounded, funny" fiction.
Actor Pawan Shankar, who has appeared in TV shows like "Siddhanth", "Vicky Ki Taxi" and "Kya
Hua TeraVaada", was honored with the Bharat Excellence Award 2016 for his contribution in the
education sector.
Bureaucrat-turned-politician N.K. Singh was honored with Japan’s second highest national
decoration for his contribution in strengthening Indo-Japan ties in the field of trade and investment
over the last few decades.
South Korean author Han Kang won the Man Booker International Prize for fiction with “The
Vegetarian,” an unsettling novel in which a woman’s decision to stop eating meat has devastating
consequences.
Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries Ltd, has been awarded
the prestigious Othmer Gold Medal for his entrepreneurial leadership.
Sikkim chief minister Pawan Chamling was conferred the ‘YugKaviSiddhicharan Award’ by Nepal
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli for his commendable contributions in promoting Nepali literature in
India.
Cannes, Indian film 'The Cinema Travellers', a documentary on the traditional art of travelling
cinema in the country, has won the jury prize of the Cannes documentary award.
Bharti Enterprises founder and Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal has received this year’s Harvard
Business School Alumni Achievement Award.
An Indian-American scientist Arnab De has received the prestigious Springer Theses Award in
recognition for his outstanding research in which he developed transgenic mice to study a critical
tumor-suppressor called A20.
Bollywood Actor R. Madhavan become goodwill ambassador against leprosy
Pope Francis honoured Hollywood actors Richard Gere, George Clooney and Salma Hayek with the
Olive Medal of Peace in an event to promote the ScholasOccurrentes foundation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred with the Arabian country’s highest civilian honor —
the King Abdul-Aziz Sash. The prime minister was presented the award by King Salman bin
Abdul-Aziz at the Royal Court on the night before his scheduled departure to New Delhi. The
award is named after Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, the founder of the modern Saudi state.
The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee will confer the National Geoscience Awards - 2014
at a function to be held at RashtrapatiBhavan. The National Geoscience Awards carries a cash prize
and a certificate. Till date (i.e. up to NGA-2013), seven hundred twenty one geoscientists have
been honored with the National Geoscience Awards.
Former army chief General (retired) J J Singh will be conferred with the highest French civilian
distinction, Officer of the Legion of Honour
Mother Teresa has been posthumously conferred with the UK's prestigious Founders Award this
year which is given to recognize and reward exemplary achievements of people within the global
Asian community
Actress Priyanka Chopra will be given Dadasaheb Phalke Film Foundation's "Best Actress of the
Year" award.
Khadija Ismayilova, an investigative journalist from Azerbaijan, has been chosen to receive the
2016 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize.
Actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has won the 'Global Indian of the Year' award.
The Associated Press won the Pulitzer Prize for public service for reporting on abuse in the seafood
industry that helped free 2,000 slave laborers, and Reuters and The New York Times shared the
breaking news photography award for images of the European refugee crisis.
Novak Djokovicpipped the likes of Usain Bolt and Lionel Messi to win the 'Sportsman of the Year'
trophy for a third time, while Serena Williams clinched the top honour in the women's category at
the Laureus World Sports Awards.
Veteran actor Jeetendra, filmmaker Sanjay LeelaBhansali and Bollywood star Ranveer Singh were
honored with '74th Master Dinanath Mangeshkar Awards'.
Jeetendra, 74, got the lifetime achievement award while Bhansali and Ranveer got special award for
direction and acting for their magnum opus "Bajirao Mastani".
The top honor was given by legendary singer AshaBhosle.
New Zealand’s five-dollar note has been named the banknote of the year for 2015, a “clear winner”
among nearly 40 eligible designs from a record 20 countries.
The honor is awarded every year by the International Bank Note Society.
Union urban Development minister M Venkaiah Naidu conferred with the Skoch Lifetime
Achievement Award at 43rd SKOCH summit held in New Delhi.
Noted Malayalam writer M. Sukumaran has been chosen for the CV Kunhiraman literary prize.
Oxford University Professor Sir Andrew Wiles has been awarded the Abel Prize by the Norwegian
Academy of Science and Letters for solving a three-century-old mathematical mystery.
The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee conferred the ‘Nari Shakti Puraskar-2015’. The
awards are given every year by the Ministry of Women & Child Development to institutions and
individuals who have made exceptional contribution towards empowerment of women.
Veteran actor-director Manoj Kumar will be awarded with the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke
Award.
On 01 March most Prestigious Oscar awards for cinema were announced for the year 2016.
Leonardo DiCaprio won the Best Actor Award for "The Revenant" and Brie Larson won the Best
Actress Award for "Room".
MOST IMPORTANT SPORTS NEWS
Indian batsman Virat Kohli became the top-ranked batsman in the t20 ICC rankings, while India
remained static at the No.1 spot in the team list.
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) said that Finland's Tampere will host
2018 U-20 World Athletics Championship.
An Indian-origin Sikh hockey player Balbir Singh was honored in the Canadian province of British
Columbia (BC) for his contribution in hockey.
India's Jitu Rai won gold in the men's 50m pistol event Shooting World Cup.
AdilleSumariwalla was re-elected unopposed as the president of Athletics Federation of India (AFI)
for a second term at its Annual General Body Meeting.
Sumariwalla was the lone nomination received for the top post and was declared elected president
for the term 2016-2020 by the returning officer Justice (Retd) Kailash Gambhir on the first day of
the AFI AGM.
Pakistan Cricket Board appointed former Test leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed as the new head coach
of the National Cricket Academy.
Mushtaq, who was until recently the bowling coach of the national team, has been tasked with the
responsibility of running the NCA affairs.
The Indian cricket board has appointed Rahul Johri as its new chief executive officer, in line with
the recommendations of the Supreme Court-appointed Lodha Committee.
He will take on his new role on June 1, 2016, reporting to the BCCI secretary and will be based at
the Mumbai office.
The Goa government decided to appoint Justice P.K. Mishra, former Chief Justice of Patna High
Court who had recently retired as chairman of Goa State Human Rights commission, as Lokayukta
of the State.
Indian Information Service (IIS) officer BhupendraKainthola was appointed as Director of Pune-
based Film and Television Institute of India (FTII).
Kainthola, a 1989 batch IIS officer, has been appointed to the post for three years, an order issued
by Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).
Boeing India President Pratyush Kumar has been appointed as the Chairman of the American
Chamber of Commerce in India.
US Ambassador to India Richard Verma is the honorary President of the chamber.
Online marketplace Snapdeal announced the appointment of KanikaKalra as Vice President
(Marketing).
A seasoned global marketing professional with a career spanning over 12 years, Kanika joined
Snapdeal after several triumphant stints at Hindustan Unilever limited, Pepsico and
GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare Limited.
Bureaucratic Ashok Lavasa appointed Expenditure Secretary. Senior IAS officers Ashok Lavasa
and Ajay Mittal appointed as Expenditure and Information and Broadcasting secretaries
respectively in a top-level bureaucratic reshuffle.
In all, 14 new secretaries have been appointed in various central government departments.
Rajeev Sharma appointed as Chairman and Managing Director of Power Finance Corporation
(PFC), a Navratna Public Sector Undertaking. Sharma is presently CMD of Rural Electrification
Corporation Ltd.
India won the 2016 Asia Cup title after defeating hosts Bangladesh by 8 wickets in the finals played
at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on 6 March 2016. This was 6th Asia Cup
title for India.
Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) title for 2016: Patna Pirates team won the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL)
title for 2016 by winning the final on 5 March 2016.
World’s Longest All-Women Flight: Air India operated world’s longest all-women flight on 7
March 2016 on the eve of the International Women’s Day. This historic flight was between New
Delhi and San Francisco.
MOST IMPORTANT PERSONALITIES IN NEWS
Pralhad P Chhabria, founder and chairman of Finolex Group, died. He was 86.
Veteran freedom fighter and former Communist leader ChennamaneniRajeswara Rao died after
prolonged illness. He was 93
An Indian-origin pioneering Tamil scholar and author, who was instrumental in persuading the
South African government to introduce Tamil as a language at secondary schools, died at the age of
103.
Deepak Shodhan, who was the first Indian to make a Test century in his debut innings, has died
aged 87. He had been India's oldest living Test cricketer.
CPI(M) veteran and former MLA and MP K Anirudhan, who was 92, passed away at his residence
Senior journalist Aditya Awasthi passed away inearly morning following protracted illness.
CPI(M) veteran and former MLA and MP K Anirudhan, who was 92, passed away at his residence
Noted Marathi critic and litterateur R G Jadhav passed away at his residence due to his prolonged
illness. He was 83.
Malaysian icon Lee Chong Wei battled past home favourite and World No.1 Chen Long in the final
to regain his second continental crown after 10 years at the Badminton Asia Championships
Philipp Kohlschreiber overcame Dominic Thiem 7-6, 4-6, 7-6 to reap his third tennis title, the
BMW Open.
Leicester secured an incredible first Premier League title without playing after second-place
Tottenham drew 2-2 at Chelsea.
Former England all-rounder Matthew Fleming is all set to become the next President of the
Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). The 51-year-old will take up the post on October 1 this year.
India ended their campaign at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Junior World Cup
with a creditable fourth place finish, while Italy finished at the top spot in the medal's table.
Odisha sprinter Dutee Chand grabbed the spotlight once again as she won the gold in women's
100m dash with a fast timing in the second leg of Indian Grand Prix athletics series.
India tennis legend Leander Paes captured his first Challenger doubles title in 16 years after
winning Busan Open Challenger doubles title along with Sam Groth of Australia.
A decade after their first match, when they were a couple of promising teenagers, Novak Djokovic
defeated Andy Murray again in Madrid, this time to win a record 29th career Masters title.
Sunrisers Hyderabad clinched the 2016 IPL title by beating Royal Challengers Bangalore in the
final.
Virat Kohli bagged the coveted Orange Cap in the ninth edition of Indian premier League 2016.
Virat Kohli amassed 973 runs in 16 matches.
India's Kirti Gupta won the individual gold as well as team gold medal in trap event at the 8th
International Junior Shotgun Cup shooting 2016 at Orimattila, Finland.
Oscar winning US actress Patty Duke died in Idaho. She was 69.
Former Prime Minister of Denmark Anker Joergensen passed away. He was 93.
Noted South Indian actor and popular folk singer Kalabhavan Mani died. He was 94.
Inventor of email, Ray Tomlinson died. He was 74.
Former Lok Sabha Speaker and MLA PA Sangma died. He was 68.
Former New Zealand cricket captain Martin Crowe died. He was 53.
Actor and athlete Lee Reherman Died. He was 46.
Oscar-winning actor George Kennedy died. He was 91.
Legendary playback singer P. Susheela has become the Guinness World Records title holder for the
highest number of solo, duet and chorus backed songs in over six Indian languages.
India ranked 118th out of 156 countries in a global list of the happiest nations.
Times Magazine said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is among ‘The 30 Most Influential People
on the Internet’ for the second year in a row in this year’s unranked list.
London has been ranked as the world's most expensive city to live and work in. The only Indian
city in the list of top 20, Mumbai is ranked 17th ahead only of Berlin, Johannesburg and Rio de
Janeiro by the UK real estate firm Savills survey.
Forbes magazine included 190 women billionaires in the list of world’s richest people in the world.
Five Indian women Savitri Jindal (453rd), Indu Jain (549 rank), Smita Crishna (810th), Leena
Tewari (1067th) and Vinod Gupta (1577th) have made it to this list.
Microsoft's co-founder Bill Gates continued his reign as the world's richest person with a net worth
of $75 billion, according to Forbes' annual ranking of billionaires 2016, with Reliance Industries
Chairman Mukesh Ambani at 36th position in this list.
Malaysia's badminton star Lee Chong Wei won his 11th Malaysian Open title, a much-needed boost
for his pursuit of a still-elusive Olympic gold medal.
Unbeaten throughout the championship, Indian men’s and women’s kho-kho teams won both the
category’s championship titles at the third Asian Kho-Kho championship organized in Indore. In
both the finals, the hosts scored victory against Bangladesh teams.
Chess wizard Vishwanathan Anand was conferred with the prestigious Hridaynath Award, which
recognizes individuals for success in various walks of life. The honor comprises a cash award of
Rs 2 lakh and a memento.
DipaKarmakar created history by becoming the first Indian woman gymnast to qualify for
Olympics as she booked a berth for the Rio Games after a strong performance at the final qualifying
and test event.
Rafael Nadal claimed his ninth Monte Carlo Masters title, his first ATP crown since July 2014, as
the Spaniard defeated Frenchman Gael Monfils in final by three sets.
Superstar Salman Khan will represent India in the 2016 Olympics to be held in Rio as he has been
nominated as the Goodwill Ambassador for the Indian Contingent.
This is the first time that a Bollywood superstar has been chosen to as a Goodwill Ambassador for
the games.
The World Health Day is a global health awareness day celebrated every year on 7 April, under the
sponsorship of the World Health Organization (WHO).
In 1948, the WHO held the First World Health Assembly. The Assembly decided to celebrate 7
April of each year, with effect from 1950, as the World Health Day.
Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Sushri Uma
Bharti inaugurated Water Film Festival at Water Expo-2016 in New Delhi
The winners of this year's FBB Femina Miss India have been announced--after a glorious ceremony
night--and Delhi girl Priyadarshini Chatterjee has bagged the crown for FBB Femina Miss India
World.
Iconic Indian woman boxer M C Mary Kom added another honor to her list of accolades as she was
named one of the eight ambassadors for the upcoming World Championships by the International
Boxing Association (AIBA).
RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan, tennis star SaniaMirza, actress Priyanka Chopra, Google CEO
SundarPichai and founders of FlipkartBinny Bansal and Sachin Bansal have been named by Time
magazine in its list of the '100 Most Influential People in the World'.
The eleventh India-Mongolia joint training exercise, ‘Nomadic Elephant-2016’, to promote military
associations between the countries kicked off at Mongolia.
From the Mongolian Armed Forces, a total of 60 personnel will take part in the exercise.
Renowned artist SudarsanPattnaik has won the gold medal at ninth Moscow Sand Sculpture
Championship "The magical world of sand" 2016.
MOST IMPORTANT RECENT TERMINOLOGY
UJALA:Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal on 12 March 2016 announced UJALA, an acronym
for Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All, is being implemented by Energy Efficiency Services
Limited (EESL).
Trringo:Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd. Indian auto major is establishing the first-of-its-kind farm
equipment rentals named ‘Trringo’ which aims to bring in digital technology to the tractor and farm
equipment rental business.
India Aviation 2016:‘India Aviation 2016’ (5-day civil aviation show) was inaugurated by
President Pranab Mukherjee on 16 March 2016 at Begumpet Airport (Hyderabad).
Iron Fist 2016:The Indian Air Force (IAF) on 18 March 2016 demonstrated Iron Fist 2016 (its
combat and firepower) in the presence of the President Shri Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister
Shri Narendra Modi at Pokhran (Rajasthan).
Airlander 10:Airlander 10 is the name of the world’s largest airship-cum-plane ever that was
officially unveiled on 21 March 2016 and is ready to make its maiden voyage.
Emergency number 112:Emergency number 112 was adopted as the single emergency number for
India on 28 March 2016 and will work on par with the American emergency number 911.
Syn 3.0:Syn 3.0 is the name of the smallest-ever bacterial genome, development of which was
announced by genome trailblazer J. Craig Venter during March 2016.
MOST IMPORTANT SPECIAL FEATURE
UMANG
UMANG stands for Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance.
The project is being developed by the union ministry of communications and information
technology’s National e-governance division (NeGD).
The Government is all set to launch a master application, which is being hailed as ‘Mother of all
App’.
The app, UMANG will consolidate 200+ services offered by Central, State and Local
administrations under one single platform.
The Government has invited bids from partner agencies to develop an app that will incorporates
services like applying for a passport, filing income-tax returns and paying various bills or to access
any other government services through just one mobile app.
MCLR
All rupee loans sanctioned and credit limits from 1 April 2016 will be priced with MCLR(Marginal
Cost of Lending Rate) which will be the internal benchmark
MCLR will comprise -
o Marginal cost of funds
o Negative carry on account of CRR
o Operating costs
o Tenor premium
OMO and MSS
OMO: OMOs are the market operations conducted by the Reserve Bank of India by way of sale/
purchase of Government securities to/ from the market with an objective to adjust the rupee
liquidity conditions in the market on a durable basis.
MSS: MSS (Market Stabilization Scheme) securities are issued with the objective of providing the
RBI with a stock of securities with which it can intervene in the market for managing liquidity.
GYAN SANGAM(bankers’ retreat): The first edition of ‘Gyan Sangam’ was held in 2015 in Pune,
the second edition is being held on 4 and 5 March 2016 at Gurgaon.
FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY AND BUDGET MANAGEMENT (FRMB) ACT
The committee was constituted on it as on 18 may 2016.
It became an act in 2003.
Objective:
In long-run macro stability.
Coordination between fiscal & monetary policy.
Transparency in fiscal operation of the government.
FRBM rules in July 2004 to specify the reduction of fiscal deficit to 3% of government of India by
2008-09.
Union government constituted N.K Singh committee as on 18 may 2016.
It is a 5 member committee to review FRBM roadmap for future.
Members are:
Former finance revenue secretary & Rajya Sabha member N.K SINGH.
Former finance & revenue secretary SUMIT BOSE.
Chief economic advisor Dr. ARVIND SUBRAMANIAN.
Deputy Governor of RBI URJIT PATEL.
Director of National Institute Public Finance Policy (NIPFP) RATHIN ROY.
The committee was constituted as per announcement made by the Union Finance Minister Mr.
Arun Jaitley in 2016-17 budget speech.
The committee will summit its report to the union government by 31st October 2016.
TERMS &REFERENCE OF THE COMMITTEE:
It will review working of FRBM Act 2003 over last 12 years & suggest the way forward.
Suggestions should be submitted keeping in view the broad objective of Fiscal consolidation &
prudence and change required in context.
Panel will consult other government department outside experts about the changes and the
amendments.
THE 63RD NATIONAL FILM AWARDS (FOR YEAR 2015)
The 63rd National Film Awards (for year 2015) were announced on 28 March 2016.
Amitabh Bachchan won the best actor award for his Bengali turn in parental drama ‘Piku’.
Kangana Ranaut was announced the best actress for her double role in “Tanu Weds Manu Returns”.
The single-biggest honor for the year 2015 went to S.S Rajamouli’s bilingual blockbuster
‘Baahubali: The Beginning’, which was adjudged the best film.
Other prominent awards:
Best Popular Film: ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’
Best Supporting Actor: Samuthirakani (‘Visaranai’)
Best Supporting Actress: Tanvi Azmi (‘Bajirao Mastani’)
Nargis Dutt Award for Best film on National Integration: ‘Nanak Shah Fakir’
Best Film on Social Issues: ‘Nirnayakam’
Best Children’s Film: ‘Duronto’
Best Hindi Film award: ‘Dum Laga Ke Haisha’
Best Tamil Film: ‘Visaranai’
Best Telugu Film: ‘Kanche’
Best Kannada Film: ‘Thithi’
Best Malayalam Film: ‘Pathemaari’
Best Sanskrit Film: ‘Priyamanasam’
Best Bangla Film: ‘Shankhachil’
Best Marathi Film: ‘Ringan’
Best Odiya Film: ‘Pahada Ra Luha’
Best Punjabi Film: ‘Chauthi Koot’
Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Director: Neeraj Ghaywan (‘Masaan’)
Best Choreography Award: Remo D’Souza (‘Bajirao Mastani’)
IMPORTANT DAYS
June 5 World Environment Day
June 8 World Oceans Day
June 12 World’s Day Against Child Labor
June 14 World Blood Donor Day
June 18 Autistic Pride Day
June 20 World Refugee Day
June 21 Father’s Day
June 21 World Hydrography Day
June 21 International Yoga Day
June 26 International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking
01st May International Worker’s Day, May Day
12th May International Nurses Day
21st May Anti-Terrorism Day
24th May Commonwealth Day
2nd Sunday of May Mother’s Day
31st May World No Tobacco Day
2nd April World Autism Awareness Day
5th April National Maritime Day
7th April World Health Day
10th April World Homeopathy Day
14th April Dr.B.R. Ambedkar Jayanti
17th April World Hemophilia Day
18th April World Heritage Day
21st April National Civil Services Day
22nd April Earth Day
23rd April World Book & Copyright Day
24rth April Panchayati Raj Diwas
25th April World Malaria Day
26th April World Intellectual Property Day
Mar 3 National Defense Day
Mar 4 National Security Day
Mar 8 International Women's Day, World literacy Day
Mar 9 CISF Raising Day
Mar 15 World Consumer Rights Day
Mar 16 National Vaccination Day
Mar 20 World Happiness Day
Mar 21 World Forestry Day
Mar 22 World Day of Water
Mar 23 World Meteorological Day
Mar 24 World TB Day
Mar 26 Bangladesh Liberation Day
ABBREVIATIONS
SECI Solar Energy Corporation of India
PMIS Project Management & Information System
IWMS Integrated Waste Management System
AIRF All India Railway men’s Federation
ITBA Income Tax Business Application
NDAA National Defence Authorization Act
NPCC National Projects Construction Corporation Ltd.
FRBM Fiscal Responsibility & Budget Management
NIIF National Infrastructure & Investment Fund
OPIC Overseas Private Investment Corporation
BBB Banks Board Bureau
DMRC Delhi Metro Rail Corporation
ISS International Space Station
PKL Pro Kabaddi League
CDSCO Central Drugs Standard Control Organization
CLAB Capital Local Area Bank
NPS National Pension Plan
IRNSS-1F Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System-1F
UFEEBU United Forum of Regional Rural Bank Unions
NHSRCL National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited
SPV Special Purpose Vehicle
FCV Fuel Cell Vehicle
NGT National Green Tribunal
CCEA Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs
RSS Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
UJALA Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All
HCE Host Card Emulation
SDSN Sustainable Development Solutions Network
SCIC Standing Committee of IIT Council
NAT National Authority of Test
WIPO World Intellectual Property Organization
IPO Initial Public Offering
FDA Food and Drug Administration
CR Central Railway
LATEST CURRENT AFFAIRS FOR SBI EXAMINATIONS
US President Barack Obama has nominated an Indian-origin diplomat Kamala ShirinLakhdhir as
the next American ambassador to Malaysia.
Just Dial, UTI Asset Management Company and IRCTC are among the firms that have made it to
the Fortune Next 500 list of Indian companies, which has been topped by Dynamatic Technologies.
The Max Life insurance board approved the merger with HDFC Standard Life Insurance.
In order to fund start-ups in the financial technology space, country's largest lender SBI has set up a
Rs 200 crore fund.
India and Thailand have inked two agreements in the field of culture and education. Both the
countries have also agreed to forge a closer partnership in the fields of defense and maritime
cooperation.
India's commercial-hub Mumbai has been rated as the least expensive on the basis cost of living in
the Asia Pacific (APAC) region, according to a visual analytics app - Qlik.
Human Resource Development Minister SmritiIrani launched the Vidyanjali School Volunteer
programme. With this programme any person can voluntarily teach government school children
without acquiring degree of a teacher.
Noted theatre personality and popular Odia film actress Manimala Devi died. She was 90.
Navy's Top officer AshutoshPednekar became the first Indian in sports history to participate and
win international tournaments in the sport of racketlon. He bagged Gold in plus 45 and Silver in
Men's amateur category at the Super World Tour- King of Rackets tournament held at Oudenaarde
Belgium.
India and the UK clinched two new key agreements on solar energy and nano technology as part of
their wider science and technology cooperation.
The UN agency promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women has appointed
Academy Award-winning actress Anne Hathaway as a global goodwill ambassador.
Canadian poet, novelist and environmental activist Margaret Atwood will be awarded the 2016
PEN Pinter Prize. Atwood will receive her award at a public event at the British Library on 13
October 2016.
SupriyaSahu has been appointed the director general of Doordarshan.
Sunil Bharti Mittal, Bharti Enterprises' founder and chairman, has been elected Chairman of the
International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) which is situated in Paris, France.
The Cabinet approved the merger of five associate banks of SBI — State Bank of Bikaner and
Jaipur, State Bank of Travancore, State Bank of Patiala, State Bank of Mysore and State Bank of
Hyderabad as well as Bharatiya Mahila Bank with State Bank of India.
Andhra Pradesh has become the first State to have obtained a telecom license and it can issue phone
numbers starting with the ‘797’ series from August this year.
President Pranab Mukherjee has been honored with the highest Civilian Award of Ivory Coast -
National Order of the Republic of Ivory Coast.
In the latest QS rankings 2016, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore and four IITs —
Mumbai, Delhi, Madras and Kanpur have found a place in the list of Asia’s top 50 universities.
IISC is placed at 33 this year in the list and IIT Mumbai is at 35th place.
Senior legal service officer Suresh Chandra has been appointed as the Law Secretary. Chandra, an
officer of Indian Legal Service, is currently Additional Secretary in the department.
Chinese internet and technology Company LeEco has signed up as the official sponsor of the
International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards 2016. 17th IIFA Awards will be held in Madrid,
Spain, from June 23 to 26.
Peter Thomson of Fiji has been elected the President of the next session of the UN General
Assembly. Thomson was the vice president of the General Assembly in 2010-11.
Sridevihonoured with the Lifetime achievement award for outstanding achievement in Indian
cinema at the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards in Madrid.
Government approved disinvestment of 10% stake in Housing & Urban Development Corporation
Limited (HUDCO).
Italy's "OsteriaFrancescana" has been crowned world's best restaurant of 2016 at an awards
ceremony in New York, the first Italian establishment to win the annual accolade.
DCB Bank launched its first Aadhaar-based ATM in Bengaluru. This ATM accepts Aadhaar
number and Aadhaar fingerprint (biometric) to dispense cash and it will not require any ATM/Debit
Card and PIN.
Major Technology Company Microsoft and Professional Networking Website LinkedIn have
entered into an agreement under which Microsoft will acquire LinkedIn for $26.2 billion.
Tony Fernandes, group CEO of Malaysia's AirAsia, has been given the 'Overseas Citizenship of
India' (OCI) status by the Indian Government.
Israel has been elected to head the United Nations' legal committee. It is the first time that Israel
will head one of the world body's six permanent committees since joining the U.N. in 1949.
The Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has
released the inflation rates based on Consumer Price Index (CPI) for May, 2016. According to
Consumer Price Index, retail inflation rate was 5.76 per cent in May, 2016.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) unveiled a new scheme for Sustainable Structuring of Stressed
Assets (S4A) for reworking the financial structure of big corporate entities facing genuine
difficulties. The scheme will be considered if the aggregate exposure (including accrued interest) of
all institutional lenders in the account is more than Rs 500 crore.
Bariatric surgeon Shashank S Shah has been honored with the American Diabetes Associations
'Vivian Fonseca Scholar Award 2016' for his contribution in the field of gastric bypass surgery for
diabetes.
According to global financial services firm DBS, recovery in the Indian economy will continue to
be 'uneven' and the GDP growth expected to increase from 7.6 per cent to 7.8 per cent in the current
fiscal 2016-17.
China launched the 23rd BeiDou navigation satellite to support its global navigation and
positioning network. The satellite, launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest
China's Sichuan Province, was taken into orbit by a Long March-3C carrier rocket.
Indian badminton star SainaNehwal defeated China's Sun Yu to win her second Australian Open
Super Series title.
Lewis Hamilton won the Canadian Grand Prix title for the fifth time and continuously for the
second time.
India has created a world record by installing 65000 solar pumps in the wake of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi's commitment of making the country a clean energy capital.
The Indian men's 4x400m relay team created a new national record, clocking 3:02.17 at the
International Sprint and Relay Teams Cup. They bettered the previous record of 3:02.62 set at the
1998 Asian Games in Bangkok.
India's Leander Paes will become the only tennis player in the world and the first Indian to make a
seventh appearance at the Olympics. Paes won the bronze medal for India in singles tennis at the
1996 Atlanta Olympics.
Russia has honored Kudankulam nuclear power plant site director R.S. Sundar with 'Order of
Friendship' for his role in the project being built with Russian assistance in Tamil Nadu.
Indian short film "Leeches", starring Sayani Gupta, won the Audience Choice Award at the Seoul
International Women's Film Festival (SIWFF).
In a first, China and Nepal are now connected by an optical fiber network through the Geelong
(Keyrong)-Rasuwgadhi border point.
Star Health Insurance entered into bancassurance agreement with Bank of India to market the health
insurer's products across the public sector lenders' branches across the country.
India, Japan and the US kicked off their annual naval war exercise named Malabar Exercise near
South China Sea. The 8-day joint exercises will see in action over 100 aircraft and 22 naval ships
including a nuclear submarine. India and the US have regularly conducted the annual exercise since
1992.
Realty portal Magic bricks has partnered with State Bank of India (SBI) to organize an online
'home-buying festival'.
Reserve Bank has cancelled registration of three NBFCs namely Escorts Finance, Jayant Security
and Finance and Express Trading & Securities.
Tourism Ministry said that USA occupies the top slot followed by UK and China Amongst the
Countries Availing E-Tourist Visa Facility during May 2016.
Olympic champion shooter AbhinavBindra has been chosen as the flag bearer of the Indian
contingent at the Rio Games’ opening ceremony on August 5.
A 30-year old Indian entrepreneur UmeshSachdev has been named by Time magazine to its 2016
list of "10 millennials who are changing the world" for building a phone which can help people to
interact and access critical services by communicating in their native languages.
Indian-American author Akhil Sharma won the prestigious 100,000-euro International Dublin
Literary Award, the world's richest award for a single novel, for his second novel 'Family Life'.
Jharkhand was adjudged 'top performing state' under the Digital India Programme.
Russian President Vladimir Putin awarded United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with the
'Order of Friendship' award. He was awarded for strengthening peace, friendship, cooperation and
mutual understanding between peoples.
Director of movies like 'The Martian', 'Gladiator' and 'Blade Runner', Ridley Scott will be honored
with the 30th American Cinematheque Award.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has appointed Swedish Major General PerLodin, a logistics
expert, to head the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) that monitors
the situation in Kashmir. India does not recognize the UNMOGIP's mandate.
In a ranking of 163 countries, compiled by global think tank 'Institute for Economics and Peace'
(IEP), Syria has been named as the least peaceful, followed by South Sudan, Iraq, Afghanistan and
Somalia. On the other hand, Iceland was ranked as the world's most peaceful country. India has
been ranked at 141st place in this Global Peace Index, making it less peaceful than countries like
Burundi, Serbia and Burkina Faso.
India, America and Japan participated in a trilateral maritime exercise Malabar-16, the exercise
took place at Sasebo in Japan.
Before the start of the EURO 2016, Germany and Arsenal's star midfielder MesutOzil has been
named as the Laureus Sport for Good Ambassador.
Maria Sharapova has been suspended for two years by the International Tennis Federation for
testing positive for meldonium at the Australian Open.
The World Bank has lowered its forecast for the global growth in 2016 to 2.4 per cent, saying that
the world economy is facing stronger headwinds.
Fashion designer and AIDS activist Kenneth Cole has been named as the International goodwill
ambassador by the head of the UN's AIDS-fighting organization.
President Pranab Mukherjee will be presented the 'National Order of the Republic of Ivory Coast'.
This is the highest Civilian award of Ivory Coast.
Eminent Indian-origin professor Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya has been awarded the prestigious
Regius Professorship in Manufacturing by Queen Elizabeth II for his outstanding contribution in
manufacturing.
The Government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $120 million loan
agreement to improve irrigation and water management infrastructure in Odisha.
Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal and New & Renewable Energy launched
“Surya Mitra” mobile App at National Workshop on Rooftop Solar Power. This App is a high end
technology platform which can handle thousands of calls simultaneously and can efficiently
monitor all visits of Suryamitra’s.
Arundhati Bhattacharya, the first woman chairperson of the nation's largest bank SBI, has been
ranked fifth most powerful women in finance by the Forbes magazine. She is also ranked 25th in
Forbes' list of 'The World's 100 Most Powerful Women' which includes four Indian Women. Others
are Chanda Kochhar of ICICI Bank (40th), Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw of Biocon (77th), and
ShobhanaBhartia of HT Media (93rd).
Hillary Clinton created history by becoming first woman presidential nominee of America.
Brazil will host 2019 Copa America Tournament. Brazil last hosted the Copa America in 1989.
Guwahati, Assam became the first city in the country to have its own City Animal with the Kamrup
Metropolitan district administration declaring the Gangetic river dolphin as the mascot.
According to the Forbes Magazine, American Tennis Star Serena Williams has overtaken Maria
Sharapova as the World's highest-paid sportswoman.
In line with the government’s Digital India campaign, PC maker Dell has announced the launch of
'Aarambh' – a pan-India initiative aimed at spearheading the use of personal computer (PC) for
education.
Deshauna Barber, Logistic Commander and IT Analyst of United States (US), was crowned as the
Miss USA 2016. With this, Barber became the first-ever military member to win Miss USA title.
The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), a Public Private Partnership (PPP) body
under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, announced the appointment of
Manish Kumar as MD and CEO and Jayant Krishna as ED and Chief Operating Officer (COO).
The coast guards of India and South Korea will hold a 4-day joint exercise 'Sshyog-Hyeoblyeog-
2016' in Chennai from June 8 to 11.
In a report, Yes Bank said that Indian economy is expected to grow at 8.1 per cent in the current
fiscal year 2016-17.
India's two-wheeler manufacturing major Hero MotoCorp Ltd will be the title sponsor of the men's
Hockey Champions Trophy 2016 which will be held in London from June 10-17.
Switzerland has supported India's membership to the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group. With this
Switzerland has also agreed to share informations on Money laundering and tax evasion.
According to 2016 Global Retail Development Index (GRDI), India has jumped 13 positions from
last year to rank second among 30 developing countries this year on ease of doing business. China
has been placed at first place in this report.
Pegging India's 'black economy' at over Rs 30 lakh crore or about 20 per cent of total GDP , a new
study of Ambit Capital Research says that black economy has been contracting gradually over the
years but still remains bigger than the overall economic size of countries like Thailand and
Argentina .
The world's largest food retailer Nestle and Chinese E-commerce Company Alibaba announced
their partnership to increase online selling. Under this initiative, Nestle will launch its biggest e-
commerce campaign ever with its diverse products, spanning 30 brands from coffee to baby
formula, being sold on Alibaba's expansive e-commerce platforms such as Tmall.
World No. 1 Serbian tennis Player, Novak Djokovic defeated Andy Murray of Britain to win his
first men's singles French Open title and with this he has become the third man in tennis history to
hold all four Grand Slam titles at the same time.
India was chosen to co-chair the important Working Group on Improving Maritime Situational
Awareness (MSA).This decision was taken in the 19th Plenary Session of the Contact Group on
Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) in Mahe, Seychelles. Seychelles is the current chairman
of the CGPCS for the biennium 2016-17.
Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhu launched Tiger Express train on the World Environment Day.
The objective of the train is to create awareness about our national animal, the Tiger.
Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia and Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei won the men's and women's
singles title respectively in the Indonesia Open.
Lucknow will host the FIH Junior Men's Hockey World Cup 2016. The countries that will
participate in the Junior World Cup, include hosts India, Argentina, Autralia, Austria, Belgium,
Canada, Egypt, England, Pakistan, Germany, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, New Zealand, South
Africa and Spain.
Bollywood actress DiaMirza has been named the ambassador for Swachh Bharat Mission's youth-
based 'Swachh Saathi' (student internship) programme.
India joined global ballistic missile proliferation regime Hague Code of Conduct (HCoC). The
HCoC is a voluntary, legally non-binding international confidence building and transparency
measure that seeks to prevent the proliferation of ballistic missiles that are capable of delivering
weapons of mass destruction.
Two Indian-origin women have featured on the Forbes' annual list of America's 60 wealthiest and
most successful self-made women entrepreneurs. India-born NeerjaSethi, who co-founded IT
consulting and outsourcing firm 'Syntel', is ranked 16th in list while president and CEO of Arista
Networks JayshreeUllal (55) is ranked 30th.
India and Tunisia signed two MoUs on promotion of handicrafts and IT and communication and
digital economy.
ESPN released the list of top 100 global sports personalities. Real Madrid's superstar Cristiano
Ronaldo tops the list. Kohli is No. 8 while Dhoni is No. 13 in the list of ESPN world fame 100
ranking. Apart from this Indian tennis star SaniaMirza is also included in this list, she is at No. 41.
N.K.Chari has been appointed as the new Managing Director of State Bank of Mysore.
Public Sector Telecom Company, BSNL announced partnership with Hitachi Payment Services for
facilitating round-the-clock phone bill payment through ATM.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has asked banks to immediately put in place a cyber-security to
protect the banking system from Internet-based threats.
V.O. Chidambaranar Port has bagged National Award for Excellence in Cost Management for the
year 2015 from the Institute of Cost Accountants of India under the category of Public Service
Sector. This is the third time this port is receiving the award, the earlier years being 2008 and 2012.
Former media professional Rahul Johri took charge as the first Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of
the Board of Control for Cricket in India.
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said that India's growth rate is
expected to be 7.5 per cent in the current fiscal year 2016-17.
The Rajasthan government signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the State Bank of
Bikaner and Jaipur (SBBJ) to boost the start-up ecosystem in the state.
The Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved setting up of the India Post
Payments Bank (IPPB) as a Public Limited Company under the Department of Posts, with 100%
Government of India (GOI) equity.
A Qatar-based Indian banker R Seetharaman has been awarded the 'Green Economy Visionary
award' for his contribution in environment-friendly activities and for promoting green economy for
nearly two decades. Seetharaman is the Group CEO of Doha Bank.
Senior IPS officer Navin Agarwal has been appointed chief of National Anti-Doping Agency
(NADA), working for dope-free sports.
India's leading broadcaster Star India announced that it has bagged exclusive broadcasting rights for
the next five editions of the French Open tennis tournament from 2017 to 2021.
The Government of India and the Government of the United States of America signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance cooperation on energy security, clean energy
and climate change.
Razak Khan, one of the best comedians of Bollywood movies, passed away. He had in total acted in
more than 90 films during his career.
According to the report by New World Wealth, India has been ranked seventh in the list of top 10
wealthiest countries in the world, which was topped by the United States with total individual
wealth of $48,700 billion. On the other hand, on a per capita basis, the average Indian is "quite
poor".
As per the data released by Government, India's per capital income rose by 7.4 per cent to Rs
93,293 in 2015-16, compared to Rs 86,879 in the preceding fiscal.
The Finance Ministry said that it expects GDP growth rate to notch up to 8 per cent in the current
financial year 2016-17.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved Superannuation age of all doctors in Central Health
Service has been enhanced to 65 years. This decision will benefit about 4,000 doctors.
The government said that India met its fiscal deficit target of 3.9% of gross domestic production for
the last financial year. For 2016-17, the government aims to further bring down the fiscal deficit to
3.5 per cent.
The government appointed Ashok Lavasa, a 1980 batch IAS officer of Haryana cadre, as the new
finance secretary.
Reliance Industries said that it is in pact to sell its 76% stake in Mauritius-incorporated Gulf Africa
Petroleum Corporation (GAPCO) to a French energy company Total Marketing & Services.
Sri Lankan bowler NuwanKulasekara announced his retirement from Test cricket.
Retired Chinese tennis star Li Na has been named the 60th member of the Laureus World Sports
Academy.
Legendary Oscar winning Indian music composer A.R. Rahman has been awarded Japan's Grand
Fukuoka prize 2016 for his outstanding contribution to Asian culture through his music.
State Bank of India (SBI)'s point of sales terminal (PoS) network is now the largest in the country.
Upto February 2016, there were 2.96 million Point of sale (POS) terminals installed by SBI in the
country.
FICCI's Economic Outlook Survey said that India's GDP growth will be 7.7 percent for the fiscal
year 2016-17.
Actor R Madhavan has been appointed the goodwill ambassador against leprosy by LEPRA India.
LEPRA India is a non-government organisation working in the fields of leprosy, tuberculosis,
malaria, HIV/AIDS and community health.
Pope Francis honoured Hollywood actors Richard Gere, George Clooney and Salma Hayek with the
'Olive Medal of Peace'.
Star Indian batsman Virat Kohli has been named Ceat T20 Player of the Year while former Indian
captain DilipVengsarkar was conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
China successfully launched a new civilian ‘high-resolution mapping satellite’ along with two other
foreign satellites. The Ziyuan III 02 satellite took off on the back of a Long March 4B rocket from
the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in northern Shanxi Province. It was the 228th flight mission by
a Long March carrier rocket.
England Captain Alastair Cook became the youngest cricketer to complete 10,000 runs in test
cricket. Till now, this record was owned by Indian star Sachin Tendulkar.
National football team goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu has achieved a historic feat as he became
the first Indian to feature in a top-tier league match in Europe.
India has the highest number of people in the world trapped in modern slavery with 18.35 million
victims of forced labour, begging, according to the 2016 Global Slavery Index released by
Australia-based human rights group Walk Free Foundation.
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