These Notes Include

PD --(MARCH)

NEWS AND EVENT- -( MARCH)

MAGAZINE-3--( MARCH)

MAGAZINE-4--( MARCH)

WEEKLY GK -- ( 1 -31MARCH )

PD – MARCH – 2014

NATIONAL

ISRO LAUNCHES GSLV-D5 SUCCESSFULLY : Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully

launched GSLV-D5 rocket, which is powered by an indigenous cryogenic engine, from the Satish Dhawn Space

Centre in Sriharikota. Seventeen minutes after liftoff at 4.18 pm, the rocket successfully injected GSAT-14

communication satellite in geostationary transfer orbit.

ARMY STARTS RAISING ‘STRIKE CORPS’ ON LAC WITH CHINA: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was briefed

on the operational readiness along the line of Actual Control (LAC) with China, in the backdrop of the Army kicking

off the raising of a new mountain strike corps to get ‘ some offensive punch’ against the much larger People’s

Liberation Army.

N-CAPABLE PRITHVI-II MISSILE TEST-FIRED: India test-fired its indigenously developed Prithvi-II missile, which

is capable of carrying 500 kg to 1000 kg of warheads and has a strike range of 350 km, from a test range at

Chandipur in Odisha. The test was carried out as part of user trial by the Army. The surface-to-surface missile was

test-fired from a mobile launcher in salvo made from launch complex-3 of the Integrated Test Range.

POSCO GETS GREEN CLEARANCE FOR STEEL PLANT IN ODISHA: South Korean industrial giant POSCO has

won environmental clearance to build Rs. 52,000 crore steel plant in Odisha, ending eight years of wait for a project

that would involve the largest-ever foreign direct investment in India. The clearance, which came week before South

Korean President Park Geun Hye’s India visit, will however be conditional to POSCO spending on social

commitments which will raise the project cost by $ 600 million to $ 12.6 million.

GOVERNMENT PROVIDES MINORITY STATUS TO JAINS: The government has finally decided to accord minority

status to the Jains community at the national level. At present, Jains enjoy minority status in 14 states. The law

ministry has given its go ahead to a minority affairs ministry affairs proposal for making the Jains, with an estimated

population of five million in the country eligible for minority status nationally. So far five communities- Muslims, Sikhs,

Christians, Buddhists and Parsis- were recognised as national minorities under a certain law.

PM LAYS FOUNDATION OF LARGEST NUCLEAR POWER PLANT: Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh laid the

foundation stone of country’s largest 2800 MW nuclear plant at Gorakhpur village in Fatehabad district in Haryana.

GOVERNMENT MOVES TO ROLL OUT SHARIAH MUTUAL FUND : The UPA government is considering rolling

out a national mutual fund based on Islamic finance principles- a globally fast-growing alternative banking sector- in

a move expected to attract investment from Muslim households as well as big investors.

INDIA GOES POLIO-FREE FOR THIRD YEAR IN A ROW: India declared itself a polio-free country for the third

consecutive year without a single new case of the disease and braced itself for the March-end-review by WHO to

declare the entire south-east Asia region polio-free.

NANAVATI PANEL GETS 21ST

EXTENSION TO SUBMIT REPORT: The Gujarat Government has granted yet

another extension of six months to the Nanavati-Mehta Commission that is probing the 2002 Godhra train carnage

and subsequent communal riots in the state for submitting its report.

JIND AND KARNAL INCLUDED IN THE NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION (NCR) : The National Capital Region got

another expansion in its area at the two districts of Haryana state- Jind and Karnal have been included in the NCR

zone. The total number of cities in the NCR zone has gone up to 21 with the inclusion of these two districts of

Haryana.

BENGALI CELLULOID QUEEN SUCHITRA SEN PASSES AWAY: Bengali film actress, an enigmatic personality

passed away in Kolkata. Suchitra Sen captivated generations with her beauty, elegance and portrayal of myriad

characters, yet remained an enigma despite over three decades of self-imposed reclusion that prompted constant

parallels with Hollywood icon Greta Garbo.

BOOKS AND AUTHERS

Lamplight : Paranormal Stories from the Hinterlands : Kankana Basu Pan Macmillon

The hundred Names of Darkness : Nilanjana Roy Aleph

ACRONYMS

ACB – Anti Corruption Bureau

CAZRI – Central Arid Zone Research Institute

ECCAS – Economic Community of Central African States

NCAER – National Council of Applied Economic Research

NGT - National Green Tribunal

APPOINTMENTS/ELECTION

OBAMA RE-NOMINATES INDIAN-AMERICAN FOR FEDERAL JUDGESHIP: US President Barack Obama re-

nominated three Indian-Americans for federal judgeship.Obama sent the re-nomination proposals to the Senate

along with the names of 64 others for federal judgeship. The Indian-Americans include Vince Girdhari Chhabria, for

the northern district of California, Manish S. Shah, of the US district judge for the northern district of Illinois, Indira

Talwani for US district judge for the district of Massachusetts.

U.S. SENATE CONFIRMS YELLEN AS FED CHIEF: The US Senate confirmed Janet Yellen as the next Chief of

the Federal Reserve, the country’s central bank with outsized influence on the world economy.

NATIONAL POLICE ACADEMY GETS FIRST WOMAN HEAD : The Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police

Academy, where Indian Police Service (IPS) officers are trained , got its first woman chief in its 65-year old history.

The union home ministry appointed Aruna Bahuguna, a 1979 batch IPS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre, as NPA

director.

WORLD

ISRAEL TESTS ARROW MISSILE SHIELD SUCCESSFULLY: Israel successfully tested its upgraded Arrow

ballistic missile interceptor for the second time pushing forward work on a US backed defence against threats seen

from Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah guerrillas. Arrow III is designed to track and slam into ballistic missiles above the

earth’s atmosphere, high enough to safely disintegrate any chemical, biological or nuclear warheads. Iran and Syria

have long had such missiles, and Israel believes some are now also held by their ally Hezbollah, another knock-on

effect of Syria’s civil war.

BANGLADESH POLLS: SHEIKH HASINA WINS BUT FAILS TO QUELL UNREST: Bangladesh’s ruling party

Awami League headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina swept the polls boycotted by the main opposition and

plagued by deadly unrest. She rejected the opposition demand for repoll until her rivals put a halt to violence.

IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL TAKES EFFECT: consequent on the talks held between Iran and the 6 world powers (US,

Russia, China, France, UK and Germany) for a pretty long time Iran agreed to limit uranium enrichment and to open

its nuclear programme to daily inspection by international experts stating January 2014 setting the clock running on a

six month deadline for a final nuclear agreement .

POLITICAL CRISIS IN CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC- PRESIDENT RESIGNS AFTER DEADLY UNREST:

Central African Republic President Michel Djotodia has resigned over his failure to stem the sectarian unrest ripping

his country apart, a regional grouping announced.

ISRAEL’S FORMER PRIME MINISTER SHARON PASSES AWAY: Ariel Sharon , the hard-changing Israeli general

and Prime Minister who was admired and hated for his battlefield exploits and ambitions to reshape the Middle East.

He led his country into a divisive war in Lebanon in 1982 and was branded as indirectly responsible for the massacre

of hundreds of Palestinians at the Sabra and Chatilla refugee camps outside Beirut when his troops allowed allied

Lebanese militias into the camps.

OBAMA SIGNS $ 1.1 TRILLION GOVERNMENT SPENDING BILL: US President Barack Obama has signed a $

1.1 trillion spending that puts conditions on continuation of American aid to Pakistan.

DUBAI SETS NEW WORLD RECORD IN FIREWORKS DISPLAY: Dubai has set a new world record for the

largest fireworks display by firing 479,651 shells in just six minutes on the New Year’s Eve, breaking an earlier

Guinness World Record achieved by Kuwait in 2012.

LATVIA JOINED THE EUROZONE: Latvia officially joined the Eurozone making the former Soviet state of two

million people the 18th member of the Eurozone. Giving an emotional farewell to the Latvian currency-Lat, the Baltic

country took a significant step further out of the Shadow of Russia by accepting Euro as the official currency of the

nation. Latvia has already joined the European Union and NATO. Latvia enters the Eurozone as the single currency

bloc marks its 15th anniversary, and the euro is now used by 333 million Europeans.

AWARDS

FIFA AWARDS 2013: CRISTIANO RONALDO WINS FIFA BALLON D’OR AWARD: Ending Argentina’s great

footballer Lionel Messi’s four year domination on Ballon d’Or award, Cristiano Ronaldo , the star forward for Portugal

and his club Real Madrid claimed the prestigious FIFA Ballon d’Or award.

20TH

ANNUAL LIFE OK SCREEN AWARDS: The Kamla Pasand 20th Annual Life Ok Screen Awards ceremony at

the MMRDA grounds in Mumbai. ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’ was adjudged the best film. Farhan Akhatar won the Life Ok

Screen Award of Best Actor (Male) for ‘ Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’ . Shoojit Sarkar claimed the award of ‘Best director for

his film ‘Madras Café’.

CYRUS MISTRY GERS DSC PRIZE 2014: Renowned author-journalist Cyrus Mistry was honoured with the

coveted DSC prize for South Asian literature for 2014 at the Jaipur Literature Festival. Mistry got this honour for his

book ‘Chronicle of a Corpse Bearer which highlights the painful and miserable lives of members of the small

zoroastrian community of corpse carriers. Jeet Thayil was another Indian who won this award in 2013 for his debut

novel ‘Narcopolis’ . The DSC prize for South Asian literature was instituted in 2010.

MITCHELL JOHNSON WINS BORDER AWARD: Australia’s Ashes hero Mitchell Johnson claimed his maiden

Allan Border medal, Australia’s most prestigious cricket award beating skipper Michael Clarke.

MAMMEN MATHEW HONOURED WITH JOURNALISM AWARD: A prestigious journalism award , instituted by a

trust founded by Lokamanya Tilak, was conferred on Mammen Mathew, Chief Editor and Managing Director of

Malala Manorama.

71ST

GOLDEN GLOBE WARDS: The 71st Golden Globe awards were distributed to several films and actors in

different categories in Los Angeles(USA).

Category Winner

Best Drama Film - 12 years of Slave

Best Comedy or Musical Film - American Hustle

Best Actor (Drama Film) - Mathew McConaughey

Best Actress (Drama Film) - Cate Blanchett

Best Director - Alfonso Cuaron

Best Animated Film - Frozen

Best Foreign Language Film - The Great Beauty (Italy)

BCCI AWARDS 2012-13:

C K Nayudu Trophy for Lifetime Achievement – Kapil Dev

Pollu Umrogar Award for Best International Cricket 2012-13 - R.Ashwin

Best Woman Cricketer - M.D. Thirushkamini

LIST OF PADMA AWARDEES 2014:

PADMA VIBHUSHAN:

1. Dr. Raghunath A. Mashelkar, Science and Engineering, Maharashtra

2. Shri B.K.S. Iyengar, Others-Yoga, Maharashtra

59TH

IDEA FILMFARE AWARDS 2013:

Best Actor in Leading Role (Male) - Farhan Akhtar ( Bhaag Milkha Bhaag)

Best Actor in Leading Role (Female) - Deepika Padukone (Ram-leela)

Best Film - Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

Best Director - Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra (Bhaag Milkha Bhaag)

Best Debut Director - Ritesh Batra (The Lunchbox)

56TH

ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS: The 56th Annual Grammy Awards, the prestigious awards of music world

were presented in spectacular award ceremony.

List of 56th

Grammy Award winners:

Album of the year: Random Access Memories, Daft Punk

Record of the year : Get Lucky, Daft Punk with Spharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers

Song of the year : Royals, Lorde

Rock Song of the year: Cut Me Some Slack

SPORTS

CHURCHILL BROTHERS WINS FEDERATION CUP: Churchill Brothers clinched its maiden Federation Cup

football Title as it thrashed the higher-ranked sporting clube de Goa in the summit clash to lift the coveted football

title at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi.

FRANCE WINS HOPMAN CUP: France clinched its first Hopman Cup.

MARTIN DEL POTRO WINS SYDNEY INTERNATIONAL TITLE: Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro clinched the

Sydney International also known as Apia International men’s singles title beating defending champion Bernard

Tomic .

IVANOVIC WINS AUCKAND TITLE: Ana Ivanovic clinched the Auckland classic title beating former world

number one Venus Williams.

NADAL CLINCHES QATAR OPEN: Spain’s Rafael Nadal emerged champion of the Qatar Open tennis title in

Doha beating France’s Goel Manfils.

AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2014:

Women’s Single : Li Na (China) beats Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia)

Men’s Single : Stanislas Wawrinka(Switzerland) beats Rafael Nadal (Spain)

Mixed Doubles: Daniel Nestor (Canada) and Kristina Mladenovic (France) beats Horia Tecau (Romania) and

Sania Mirza (India)

ECONOMY

NEW NATIONAL YOUTH POLICY 2014: The Union Cabinet has given its approval for introducing a National

youth Policy 2014 (NYP-2014) which will replace the current on-going NYP-2003.

The vision of NYP-2014 is to empower youth to achieve their full potential, and through them enable India to find its

rightful place in the community of nations. For achieving this vision, the new policy identifies five well defined

objectives and 11 priority areas and suggests policy interventions in each priority area. The priority area are

education, skill development and employment, entrepreneurship, heath and healthy lifestyle, sports, promotion of

social values, community engagement, participation in politics and governance, youth engagement, inclusion and

social justice.

MOR PANEL RECOMMENDATIONS ON FINANCIAL INCLUSION: The committee on ‘Comprehensive Financial

Services for Small Businesses and low income households’ chaired by Nachiket Mor submitted its report.

Nachiket Mor committee’s Report’s highlights:

90% of small businesses have no link with the formal financial sector.

60% of the population does not have a function bank account

Bank Credit-GDP ratio is around 70%

There should be two types of National banks (i) one with branches (ii) one with agents. besides wholesale

consumer banks , wholesale investment banks and payment banks.

Entry capital requirements would be Rs 500 cr for National Banks and Rs 50 cr for the wholesale banks.

CRR should apply on Demand Deposits

SLR should be phased out for National as well as wholesale banks.

Wholesale banks should not accept deposit below Rs 5.00 cr.

Postal bank will work as a payments bank

Every low income household and small business should have ‘con-venient’ access to formally regulated

lenders for credit product at an affordable price.

By January 1, 2014 each district should have a credit-deposit ratio of a minimum of 10% , which should be

raised by 10% points every year to reach a minimum of 50% by January 1,2020.

In each district, there should be a minimum total deposits plus investments to GDP ratio of a minimum of 15%

which should be raised by 12.5% points each year to reach a minimum of 65% by January 1, 2020.

KEY FEATURES OF INDIA’S EXTERNAL DEBT:

Total external Debt Stock - US$ 400.3 billion

Long term External Debt - US $ 305.5 billion (76.3%)

Short term External debt - US $ 94.8 billion (23.7 %)

External debt-GDP ratio - 21.7%

Debt-service ratio - 5.9%

IIP DIPS TO 6-MONTH LOW LEVEL IN NOV -2013: Index of Industrial Production (IIP) contracted by 2.1 % in

November 2013 which is the lowest in last six months, mainly due to poor performance of manufacturing sector and

lower output of consumer goods particularly white goods.

GOVERNMENT UNVEILS NELP-X: The Union Government has unveiled the blocks of its 10th round of oil and gas

exploration auction. In this round of auction, at least 46 blocks, covering 166053 sq km, will be offered for domestic

and of reign investors. This 10th round of the New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP-X ) would be the second

highest after NELP-VI in which 52 blocks were offered.

8.8 MILLION HOUSEHOLDS LIVE IN URBAN SLUMS: National sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) in its 69th

survey report has revealed that 8.8 million households still live in the urban slums. The figures of this report cover

the survey period between July and December 2012. It was done in 3,832 urban blocks, spread over all states and

Union Territories.

SODHI COMMITTEE’S REPORT ON INSIDER TRADING REGULATIONS: The high level committee to review

the SEBI (Prohibition of Insider Trading) Regulations, 1992 constituted under the Chairmanship of Justice

N.K.Sodhi, former chief justice of Karnataka and Kerala High Courts and former presiding officer of the securities

Appellate Tribunal , submitted its report to SEBI Chairman, Shri U.K.Sinha.

The committee has made a range of recommendations to the legal framework for prohibition of insider trading in

India and has focussed on making this area of regulation more predictable, precise and clear by suggesting a

combination of principles-based regulations and rules that are backed by principles.

CURRUPTION PERCEPTION INDEX 2013: Corruption Perception Index 2013 has been released and published

by the global organisation Transparency International (TI). This is an index of 177 countries in the world and their

corruption levels. This rankings are based on perceptions of the country and how much illegal activity or scandals in

the public sector exist as well as many other factors.

According to the report , north Korea, Afghanistan and Somalia are the most corrupt countries in the world. On the

other end, Denmark and New Zealand are the least corrupt countries in the world in 21013.

WORLD ECONOMIC SITUTAION AND PROSPECTS 2014: According to the United Nations World Economic

Situation and Prospects 2014 (WESP) report, the global economic growth should increase over the next two years

with continuing signs of improvement. The global economy is expected to grow at a pace of 3.0 per cent in 2014

and 3.3 per cent in 2015, compared with an estimated growth of 2.1 per cent for 2013.

EPFO RAISES INTEREST RATE TO 8.75% FOR 2013-14: Retirement fund body Employment Provident Fund

Organisation (EPFO) has announced a rise in interest rate on provident fund (PF) deposits to 8.75% for 2013-14

which will benefit 50 million subscribers in the country. The interest rate on PF deposits in the previous financial

year was 8.5 % .the decision to raise the rate was taken by the Central board of Trustees (CBT) , the apex decision

making body of the EPFO.

RBI-INFLATION INEXED NATIONAL SAVINGS SECURITIES (IINSS): The RBI has recently launched a new

bond, called Inflation Index National Savings Securities. The return of the bond is closely linked to consumer

Inflation Index. According to RBI, this new instrument will offer an interest rate of 1.5% per annum while the

principal amount –on which the interest is paid –will keep rising up every month is step with inflation.

INDIA’S FIRST MILK ATM: This one sure is innovative! Amul has launched the country’s first milk ATM .The

vending machine has been installed at the Amul Dairy gate at Anand in Gujarat. According to Rahul Kumar, the MD

of Amul Dairy in Gujarat , this concept has been tried for the first time in India.

GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES NEW HEALTH PROGRAMME FOR ADOLESCENTS: The Union health ministry

launched a community-intervention based health programme for adolescents. The programme, named Rashtriya

Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK) , aims at delivering services to youth from urban and rural areas, poor and

affluent background and also to those in school or out of school.

FDI INFLOWS INTO INDIA IN 2013 ROSE 17% TO 4 28 BILLION: According to the UN Conference on Trade and

Development (UNCTAD) report for 2013, Global FDI during 2013 rose 11 % to $ 1.46 trillion which is the highest

since the start of the global economic crisis in 2008. Global FDI inflows in 2012 had shrunk 18 % to $1. 31 trillion

due to the weakening macroeconomic environment, slow growth in trade, GDP and employment. UNCTAD

forecasts that FDI flows will rise gradually in 2014 and 2015, to $ 1.6 trillion and $ 1.8 trillion, respectively indicating

that the worst may be over for the crisis-ridden global economy in terms of foreign investment.

FIVE MEMBER PANEL TO REVIEW COMMODITY FUTURE MARKET LIBERALIZATION: The ministry of

finance the administrative arm of all the financial regulators of the country has set up a 5 member panel to examine

whether the objectives of price recovery and risk management, which motivates liberalization of the commodity

future s market, have been or not. The five members of the panel are D.S. Kolamkar, M.S. Sahu, C.K.G.Nair,

Susan Thomas, Usha Suresh.

LIFE EXPECTANCY INCREASED BY 5 YEARS IN A DECADE: Thanks to better immunization and diet, along

with prevention and treatment of infectious diseases expectancy of life at birth in India has gone up by five years,

from 62.3 years for males and 63.9 years for females in 2001-2005 to 67.3 years and 69.6 years respectively in

2011-15.Average life expectancy was around 42 years in 1960.

INDIAN RUPEE TO BE LEGAL TENDER IN ZIMBABWE: According to Zimbabwe’s Central bank Indian Rupee

would be added to the basket of currencies to be circulated in Zimbabwe. The decision has been taken keeping in

view the growing trade and investment ties between India and Zimbabwe . Zimbabwe no longer has its own

currency.

MAGAZINE – 2

PERSONS IN NEWS:

SUSHMA SINGH: The President of India Pranab Mukherjee administered the oath of office of the chief Information

Commissioner to Sushma Singh at the Rashtrapati Bhawan. She is the fifth Chief Information Commissioner of the

Central Information Commissioner (CIC).

VINOD KUMAR DUGGAL : Vinod Kumar Duggal, former Union Home Secretary, was appointed as Governor of

Manipur, a post which was being looked after by Nagaland Governor Ashwani Kumar.

DR. M.VEERAPPA MOILY: Petroleum Minister, Dr. M. Veerappa Moily took additional charge of the Ministry of

Environment and Forests.

ARUP RAHA: Arup Raha, a veteran fighter pilot, took over as the 24th chief of the Indian Air Force, Succeeding Air

Chief Marshal NAK Browne.

R.CHANDRASHEKHAR: Former Telecom Secretary R. Chandrashekhar, under whom a government IT

department was set up for the first time, took over as President of NASSCOM – a body representing the USD 108

billion Indian IT- BPM industry.

SAHITYA AKADEMI AWARD: Gujarati poet Chinu Modi has been conferred the Sahitya Akademi Award for the

year 2013 for his poetry book ‘ Khara Zaran’

MIKHAIL KALASHNIKOV: Mikhail Kalashnikov whose work as a weapons designer for the Soviet Union is

immortalized in the name of the world’s most popular firearm, died at the age of 94.

Kalashnikov once aspired to design farm equipment. But even though his most famous invention –the AK-47

assault rifle- sowed havoc instead of crops, he often said he felt personally untroubled by his contribution to the

bloodshed.

NATIONAL

PRIME MINISTER RELEASED STAMP IN MEMORY OF BEANT SINGH: Prime Minister released a postage

stamp in the memory of Punjab leader Beant Singh, Saying it is the duty of every citizen to fight against divisive

forces posing threat to the country. Beantv Singh was assassinated in a car bomb attack in secretariat complex in

Chandigarh on August 31, 1995.

THE LOKPAL AND LOKAYUKTAS BILL, 2011: The Rajya Sabha passed the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill, 2011

and the Bill has been passed by the Lok Sabha .

Some of the important features in the bill are as below:

Lokpal at the centre and Lokyukta at the level of the states.

The Lokpal will consist of a chairperson and a maximum of eight members, of which fifty percent shall be judicial

members.

Fifty per cent members of Lokpal shall be from among SC/ST/OBCs , Minorities and Women.

Prime Minister

Speaker of Lok Sabha

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha

Chief Justice of India or a sitting Supreme Court Judge nominated by CJI.

Eminent jurist to be nominated by the President of India on the basis of recommendations of the first four

members of the Selection Committee.

Prime Minister has been brought under the purview of the Lokpal.

Lokpal jurisdiction will cover all categories of public servants.

All entities receiving donations from foreign source in the context of the Foreign Contribution Regulation

Act(FCRA) in the excess of Rs. 10 lakhs per year are brought under the jurisdiction of Lokpal.

Provides adequate protection for honest and upright public servants.

PINAKA ROCKETS SUCCESSFULLY TEST-FIRED: India’s indigenously developed Pinaka rockets were

successfully test-fired from a multi-barrel rocket launcher from a base at Chandipur. Six rounds of Pinaka rockets

were successfully tested from the proof and experimental establishment at Chandipur.

INDIA TEST-FIRED NUCLEAR-CAPABLE AGNI-III MISSILE: India test-fired its nuclear capable Agni-III ballistic

missile with a strike range of more than 3,000 km as part of a user trial by the Army from Wheeler Island of Odisha

Cost.

DEFENCE MINISTRY CLEARED PROCURMENT OF BARAK MISSILES: Defence Ministry cleared

procurements proposals worth over Rs 16,000 crore including that of the Israeli Barak missiles, whose acquisition

was on hold for the last five years due to CBI probe in an alleged bribery case.

GEN BIKRAM SINGH TOOK OVER AS NEW CoSC: Army Chief Bikram Singh took over as the New Chairman,

Chiefs of Staff succeed IAF Chief NAK Browne. The baton of the CoSC was handed over to Gen Singh by the

outgoing IAF chief in a ceremony attended by Admiral DK Joshi and a host of senior military commanders from the

three services.

A K JAIN APPOINTED WCD SECRETARY : The government swapped posting of two senior IAS officers,

appointing AK Jain as Secretary in Ministry of Women and Child Development.

FRENCH HONOUR FOR RAHUL VOHRA: The French government has bestowed the prestigious award of

‘Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres’ (Knight of the order of Arts and Letters)’ on Indian Actor-director Rahul Vohra

(48) for his contribution to cinema and theatre.

INDIA RE-ELECTED TO IMO COUNCIL: India, which ranks 11th amongst major shipbuilding countries in the world,

has been re-elected unopposed to the council of International Maritime Organisation (IMO) for two years. India has

had the privilege of being elected to and serving the council of the IMO , ever since it started functioning, and till

date, except for two years for the period 1983-1984.

GHULAM NABI AZAD LAUNCHED THE RASHTRIYA KISHOR SWASTHYA KARYAKRAM: Gulam Nabi Azad ,

Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare launched the Rahtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK). The

Union Health Minister while addressing the gathering stated that the programme will comprehensively address the

health needs of the 243 million adolescents, who account for over 21% of the country’s population.

INDIAN SCIENTIST WON TOP INTERNATINAL HONOUR: A researcher at the Indian Association for the

Cultivation of Science has become the first Indian to win the ‘Young Investigator Award’ from a renowned

international scientific organisation.

Inorganic chemistry researcher Abhishek Dey has been selected for this year’s honour by the Society of Porphyrins

and Phthalocyanines.

NEW JUDGE OF MEGHALAYA HIGH COURT SWORN –IN: Justice S.R Sen was sworn-in as Judge of the

Meghalaya High Court .He was administered the oath of office by Chief Justice P.C.Pant in the court premises in

presence of senior lawyers and government officials.

INTERNATIONAL

RUSSIA HONOURED THREE INDIANS: Russia has honoured three Indians, including Bharatiya Janta Party

(BJP) Member of Parliament Murli Manohar Joshi, with top awards for their contribution to strengthening ties

between India and Russia.

NEW ARMY CHIEF GOT PAKISTAN’S HIGHEST AWARD: President Mamnoon Hussain of Pakistan conferred

the Nishan-e-Imtiaz, Pakistan’s highest honour, on new army chief Gen Raheel Sharif and Joint Chiefs of Staff

committee chairman Gen Rashad Mehmood.

CHILE TOOK SEAT AT UNSC: Chile took its seat at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) as a non-

permanent member of the international body till December 31,2015. It marked the fifth time the South American

nation has been invited to sit on the council and help uphold the UN’s principles of non-intervention and respect for

international treaties.

In addition to Chile, other non-permanent members joining the council for the next two years including Chad,

Lithuania and Nigeria.

ECONOMY

GOVERNMENT APPOINTED H K BHANWALA AS CHAIRMAN OF NABARD: The government has appointed

Harsh Kumar Bhanwala as Chairman of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).

Bhanwala succeeds Prakash Bakshi, who retired as NABARD chairman in September.

CFTC NAMED SRINIVASAN AS ACTING CHIEF ECONOMIST: Commodity Futures Trading Commission has

announced that Sayee Srinivasan will serve as an acting Chief Economist of the US commodities market regulator.

In his new role, Srinivasan will be responsible for leading the commission’s efforts in drafting policy and rule-

making, advising the commission on industry practices and policy implications, among others.

CABINET APPROVED TRADE PACT ON SERVICES, INVESTMENT WITH ASEAN: The cabinet approved the

free trade agreement between India and the Association of the South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).The pact was

approved in the meeting, adding approval paves the way for signing of the agreement between the two regions.

The two sides were expected to sign the proposed pact on the sideline of WTO meeting in Bali, but the process

was delayed due to want of clearance from the cabinet.

INDIA,US INK RS. 4,000 –CR DEAL FOR SIX TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT: India has signed a Rs. 4,000-cr deal

with the US for procuring six more C-130J Super Hercules Special Operations aircraft for the Indian Air Force. The

proposal was cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

WORLD BANK TO PROVIDE $500 M LOAN FOR RURAL WATER SUPPLY: World Bank will provide $ 500

million loan for water supply and sanitation projects in the rural areas of Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar

Pradesh.

The World Bank has approved a $500 million credit for the Rural water supply and Sanitation (RWSS) Project for

Low Income States to improve piped water supply and sanitation services through decentralised delivery systems in

the Indian states of Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh.

MOILY , TATA GIVEN LIFE TIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Oil Minister M. Veerappa Moily and Ratan Rata,

chairman emeritus of one of India’s largest conglomerates, were awarded Life Time Achievement Awards. Moily,

who also holds the additional charge of the Ministry of Environment and Forest, was awarded with the Life Time

Achievement Award in Public governance instituted by Asian Centre for Corporate and sustainability.

INDIA 120TH

IN INDEX OF ECONOMIC FREEDOM FOR 2014: Noting that India continues to suffer from low, but

improving, levels of economic freedom ranks nation 120th globally and 25

th among 43 countries in the Asia-Pacific

region.

SPORTS

ANDY MURRY WON BBC AWARD: Wimbledon champion Andy Murray was named BBC Sports Personality of

the year 2013.

NADAL , SERENA WON FRENCH AWARDS: Tennis championships Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams have

been named as sportsman and sportswoman of the year by French sports daily L’Equipe. Nadal returned from

seven months on the injury sidelines to win the French Open, Wimbledon and five Masters Series titles as he

returned to the world number one spot.

SUNIL CHHETRI AIFF PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri was named the 2013 AIFF

Player of the year by AIFF President Praful Patel during the Annual General Meeting. Chhetri , who had earlier won

the Award twice in 2007 and 2011, was chosen the winner after voting by I-League Coaches at AIFF Headquarters.

MAGAZINE – 3

ECONOMY

BANKS WILL ACCEPT SCIBBLED CURRENCY : The RBI has clarified that the banks will continue to accept

currency notes with scribbling, dismissing the rumours circulating in the market that from 1st Jan,2014 banks will not

accept notes with anything written on them. The RBI , however, reiterated that writing or scribbling on bank notes

works against its clean-note policy.

BANKS TO HIKE ATM TRANSACTION FEE: Banks are likely to start charging customers for transacting more

than five times a month at any bank ATM, including their own bank. They have mooted the charge on ATM

transactions to pay for the increased security cost s at ATMs, put in place by many state governments, following the

grievous attack on a woman inside an ATM kiosk in Bangalore last November. Currently, there is no cap on the

number of transactions that a customer can undertake at his own bank’s ATM.

CCIL TO ISSUE LEGAL-ENTITY IDENTIFIERS: The RBI has selected the clearing corporation of India Limited

(CCIL) as a local operating unit to issue globally-compatible ‘legal-entity identifiers’. CCIL is the clearing and

settlement agent in government securities, money market and forex market. A legal-entity identifier is a 20-

character unique identity code assigned to entities that are parties to a financial transaction.

RBI EASES BANKS’ EXPOSURE NORMS: RBI has said banks’ exposure to qualified central counter-parties for

clearing activity ( pertaining to derivative products) will be kept outside the ceiling on the permitted amount of loans

and credit lies to a single such entity. A central counterparty (CCP) is an institution, acting in one or more securities

or cash markets, that is interposed between two trading parties.

URJIT PATEL PANEL RECOMMENDATIONS: An expert panel set up by the RBI headed by Deputy Governor

Urjit Patel said the recommendation is intended to better ground inflation expectations by making clear that inflation

is the RBI’s primary objective.

Highlights:

The Central Bank should adopt the new consumer price index(CPI) for anchoring the monetary policy.

It set the inflation target at 4 % with a band of plus or minus 2 % around it.

SHAH PANEL FINDS COS VIOLATING NORMS: Top firms such as SAIL, Tata Steel, Aditya Birla Group’s Essel

Mining and Odisha Mining Corp are among 70 firms that have violated environment and forest laws, the Justice MB

Shah commission on illegal mining in Odisha has held.

FACEBOOK’S FIRST INDIAN ACQUISITION: In its first acquisition in India Social media giant Facebook has

bough Little Eye Labs, a Bangalore-based software product start up, for an undisclosed amount.

FIRST AADHAAR-LINKED SALARY ACOUNT: The Trident group has become the first corporate in the country to

disburse salaries leveraging the Aadhaar payment bridge (APB), backing government’s claim of the immense utility

of this system in combating frauds.

KELKAR PANEL FOR EXISTING MODEL: The Vijay Kelkar Committee has favoured retaining the production

sharing contract (PSC) system for the oil and gas exploration sector in the country. The ministry has proposed to

put before national and international delegates the profile of 56 oil and gas blocks likely to be auctioned under the

New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP) round X.

SEBI BARS CASH TRANSACTIONS FOR CIS: After a large number of cases have come to light in past few years

where gullible investors have been defrauded through illegal CIS activities, the market regulator SEBI made it

compulsory for all investments into CIS funds to be made through banking channels , and not in cash, to thwart any

money laundering activities through such schemes.

NON-CONVERTIBLE DEBENTURES ALLOWED: The RBI has allowed Indian companies to issue non-

convertible preference shares or debentures to non-resident shareholders as bonus. The facility will also

encompass the depositories that act as trustees for the American Depository Receipt/ Global Depository Receipt (

DR/GDR) holders.

NATIONAL

INDIA’S PARAM AMONG WORLD’S BEST : India’s supercomputer PARAM YUVA II, developed by the Centre

For development of advanced computing (C-DAC), has been ranked first in India, ninth in the Asia Pacific region

and 44th in the world among the most power-efficient computer systems as per the Green 500 list announced at the

Supercomputing Conference (SC 2013) in Denver, Colorado, USA.

CONSTITUTIONAL STATUS FOR JAC: The Union Cabinet gave its nod for conferring constitutional status to the

proposed Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) for appointment and transfer of judges to the higher judiciary.

CHILIKA LAGOON: Odisha’s biodiversity hotspot has been named ‘destination flyways’ by the United Nations

World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) following its inclusion in a list of eight such sites worldwide

YARN SUPPLY SCHEME FOR 12TH

PLAN: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved

the continuation the Mill Gate Price Scheme (MGPS) along with 10% subsidy component with modifications. The

scheme is now renamed as the Yarn supply scheme (YSS). The plan outlay for YSS during the 12th plan will be Rs

443 cr. The scheme will cover the weavers who are under privileged as also vulnerable groups, by probing them

subsidised yarn so that they can compete with the power loom and mill sector.

NUHM LAUNCHED: The ambitious National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) , aimed at providing adequate and

efficient urban public health delivery system for the urban poor, was launched in Bangalore.

Highlights:

It would cover 779 urban areas with over 50,000 population by March 2015 across the country.

The central government will share 80 % of the cost to implement the programme.

Primary Health Centres, sub-centres and referral units would be strengthened in urban areas and be managed

by auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM).

These centres will be visited by mobile health check-up vans which will have two doctors, two nurses and a

pharmacist.

It is estimated that the NUHM will cover a population of over 220 mn people, of which an estimated 77.5 mn are

poor and vulnerable.

WORLD

EL SALVADOR’S CHAPARRASTIQUE VOLVANO ERUPTS: El Salvador’s Chaparrastique volcano erupted

recently, sending a dark cloud of ash miles into the sky, forcing thousands to evacuate from their homes and

snarling travel in the Central American country as airlines cancelled flights.

MILLIONAIR TAX IN FRANCE: France’s Constitutional Council, the country’s highest court, has approved

‘millionaire’s tax’ proposed by the president Francois hollande. The Tax will be levied on companies paying salaries

of more than 1 mn Euros a year. Hollande originally promised a 75 % tax on income over 1 mn Euros ($ 1.38 mn)

on parts of an individual’s income which exceeds that amount.

RIGHT TO NEGATIVE VOTES IN NEPAL: The Supreme Court in Nepal has given voters the right to cast negative

votes during the parliamentary or local elections in a landmark judgement.

PERSONS IN NEWS

RAKESH KUMAR : He has been appointed the new chairman of the Central board of Film certification (CBFC) ,

the board which certifies films before they are released in the country.

MYKOLA AZAROV : The Ukrainian PM has been making news for past some time for his high handedness in dealing

with protesters in the country.

CURRENT AFFAIR TEST PD – MARCH – 2014

Q 1. Recently, Which of the following country initiate

to cast ‘ Negative Vote’.

A) Sri Lanka B) Nepal

C) Pakistan D) Afganistan.

Q 2. Who has been appointed as the new chairman of

the centeral board of film certification.

A) Rakesh Kumar B) Ramesh Kumar

C) Mukesh Kumar D) Suresh Kumar

Q 3. India ‘s Super computer ‘PARAM’ is at_______

position at world level .

A) 41st B) 42nd C) 43rd D) 44th

Q 4. Who among the following has been named as BBC

sports personality of the year 2013.

A) Rafael Nadal B) Serena Williams

C) Andy Murray D)NOT

Q 5. what is the rank of India according to the index of

Economic Freedom ?

A) 120th B) 121st

C) 122nd D) 123rd

Q 6. Who among the following has been appointed as

Chairman of NABARD.

A) A.K. Jain B) N.K.Sodhi

C) Nachiket Mor D) H. K. Bhanwala

Q 7. Presently who is the Health Minister of India.

A) A.K.Jain B) Gulam Nabi Azad

C) P.C. Pant D) NOT

Q 8. Presently Who is the Chief Information

Comissioner Of India.

A) Sushma Singh B) Vinod Rai

C) Deepak Sandhu D) Shashi Kant Sharma

Q 9. Which of the following company has the country’s

first milk ATM.

A) AMUL B) VITA

C) VERKA D) MOTHER DAIRY

Q 10. Hopman cup is associated with?

A) Football B) Lawn Tenis

C) Cricket D) Table Tenis

Q 11. According to 59th Idea Filmfare award 2013,

Which Film won the award for ‘Best Film’.

A) The Lunch box B) Bhaag milkha bhaag

C) Ram leela D)None of these

Q12. Which country won the ‘ Hopman cup ”.

A)france B) china

C) Austraila D) spain.

Q 13. Currently, how many Countries are there in

Eurozone.

A) 15 B)16 C) 17 D)

18

Q 14. Recently , Which Community Gets the minority

Status.

A) Sikhs B) Parsis

C) Christians D) Jains

Q 15. Which of the following Countries Tests arrow

missile?

A) Iserael B) Russia

C) USA D) China

Q 16. Who among the Following won the women

singles title in Australia open 2014.

A) Dominika Cibulkora B) Lina

C) Sarena Williams D) NOT

Q 17. Which of the following countries have maximum

number of polio cases?

A) Bhutan B) India

C) Pakistan D) Sri Lanka

Q 18. The strike range of Prithvi-II Missile is

A) 250 Km B) 300 Km

C) 350 Km D) 400 Km

Q 19. Head Quarter of ISRO is at.

A) Banglore B) Mumbai

C) Sriharikota, AP D) New Delhi

Q 20. Recently, Prime Minister of India lays down the

foundation stone of India’s largest Nuclear Power

plant at:

A) Rawathetta B) Gorakhpur

C) Tarapur D) Pokharan

Q 21. ---------------- became the first woman to head

federal bank of USA:

A) Cristina Legarde B) Jenet Yellen

C) Margrat Chan D) Usha Sangwan

Q 22. In the group P5+1, 1 stands for:

A) Japan B) Germany

C) Brazil D ) India

Q 23. Nachiket Mor Committee has given

recommendations on:

A) Economic Inclusion B) Finance Market

C) Financial Inclusion D) Social Inclusion

Q 24. India’s rank on Corruption Perception Index is:

A) 93rd A) 92nd

C) 95th D) 94th

Q 25. Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakaram aims to

provide health facilities to:

A) Girl Child D) Women

C) Senior citizen D) Adolescents

22

CURRENT AFFAIRS FROM 1– 6th MARCH

1st March

Workdays for tribals under MNREGA raised from 100 to 150: Union Government of India raised the number of

workdays under MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005) from 100 days to

150 days. This hike in the workdays will benefit 14 lakh families in India and the decision Union Cabinet will come

into effect from April 2014.

National Food Security Act came into force in Madhya Pradesh : National Food Security Act came into force

in Madhya Pradesh from 1 March 2014. Total population of 75 percent people will be covered under the Act. This

implementation of the National Food Security Act in the state is a part of the national Bill that became an Act after

receiving the nod by the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee on 10 September 2013. The Act was launched by

with an objective to provide food and nutritional security to people of the country. To make this food available to

the people of the country, the government of India came with a scheme under which 67 percent population of

India (of which 75 percent is rural and 50 percent is urban population) will have an access to adequate quantity of

quality food at affordable prices. This scheme was planned to allow people to lead a life with dignity.

India and Iran agreed to take a decision on Chabahar Port by March 2014: Javad Zarif, the Foreign Affair

Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran was on an official visit to India. During this visit he met with Salman

Khurshid, the Union External Affairs Minister of India and the two sides reviewed the expanse of the bilateral

relations between the two countries and emphasized to nurture the relations also. Port of Chabahar is a seaport in

Chah Bahar in southeastern Iran and it is located on the border of Indian Ocean and Oman Sea. It is the only

Iranian port with direct access to ocean. Chabahar is Iran's closest and best access point to the Indian Ocean.

The port was partially built by India in the 1990s to provide access to Afghanistan and Central Asia, by passing

Pakistan.

Union Cabinet approved a new rail coach manufacturing unit in Kolar: The Union Cabinet approved setting

up of a new rail coach manufacturing unit at Kolar, Karnataka. The unit will manufacture 500 coaches per annum

at an estimated cost of 1460.92 crore rupees with active participation of State Government. The Ministry of

Railways will finance 50 percent of the cost. The government of Karnataka will provide the remaining 50 percent

of the project cost with escalation and required land to the extent of about 1118.38 acres, free of cost.

Chandi Prasad Bhatt won Gandhi Peace Prize for 2013: Chandi Prasad Bhatt, the noted Gandhian

environmentalist and social activist won the Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2013. The government of India

launched the International Gandhi Peace Prize in 1995 on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of Mahatma

Gandhi. It is a very prestigious Award and carries an amount of 10 million rupees, a citation and a Plaque. The

Award is selected by a Jury under the Chairmanship of the Prime Minister.

2nd March

Exhumation of 1857 martyrs: While the Union and the State governments have failed to act, the management

of a gurdwara in the border town of Ajnala in Amritsar district claimed to have exhumed the remains and other

articles of at least 282 persons who were executed by the British authorities for participating in the 1857

23

mutiny.They now await allocation of a suitable site by the State government to carry out cremation and build a

memorial for the martyrs.

5 Largest Group of billionaires of the world is in India: Report: China based Hurun’s 2014 global rich list is

stating that 5 largest Group of billionaires of the world is in India. India’s richest man is Mukesh Ambani, Chairman

of Reliance Industries. In the top global ranking list he is place at 41st position. Mukesh personal fortune is $ 18

billion. Top place of the global richest person place occupied by Bill Gates. His personal net worth is $68 billion.

Other Indians in the top 100 list are Lakshmi Mittal (49th Rank – $ 17 billion), Dilip Sanghvi (77th Rank – $ 13.5

billion), Tata Son’s Pallonji Mistry (93rd Rank – $ 12 billion), SP Hinduja & Family (93rd Rank – $ 12 billion).

World’s largest aircraft unveiled in Britain: Britain has unveiled the world’s largest aircraft, the Airlander, which

is 300 feet long and it is part plane, helicopter and airship. The new craft is longer than the current record holder,

the Russian Antonov An-225, which is 84 metres long, and the Boeing 747-8, at 76 metres long.

Largest solar plant of India in Madhya Pradesh: India’s largest solar plant was launched in Bhagwanpur in

M.P. with a capacity of 130Mw. The estimated cost of this project is around 1100 crore by Welpsun solar MP

Project. All the solar plants have been initiated under the Jawahar Nehru National Solar mission which was

launched in 2010.

Committee to study the demand for Bodoland state: The union govt. formed an expert committee to study

about all the viable options for the demand of a separate Bodoland state in Assam. The one man committee

under the chairmanship of former home secretary G K Pillai has been given a nine month time to seek views from

all the sections of the society about their view for a separate state bodoland carved out of Assam.

HPCL’s first woman chiefNidhi Vasudeva became the first woman to head a PSU: HPCL’s first woman chief

Nidhi Vasudeva became the first woman to head a PSU as she took over as the chairman and managing director

of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited. She took over the reins from Sudhir Roy Choudhary. She is an IIM

graduate and is also the vice president of World Petroleum Council.

3rd March

Former TRAI Chairman J.S. Sarma passes away: Former TRAI Chairman J.S. Sarma, an advocate of telecom

sector reforms, has passed away after an illness. He was 65. “Sarma, who presided over as Chairman, TRAI,

from May 14, 2009, to May 13, 2012, passed away in Hyderabad, after a brief ailment,” a Telecom Regulatory

Authority of India spokesperson said

Manmohan urges for more cooperation to tackle terror in South, East Asia: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh

made a strong pitch for a “collective vision” among South and East Asian countries to effectively deal with security

challenges emanating from international terrorism, transnational crime and drug trafficking to bring about peace,

stability and development in Asia as a whole. Arriving Nay Pyi Taw on a two-day visit for the the Summit of the

seven-nation grouping Bay Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC),

he also stressed that connectivity and sub-regional cooperation needed to be intensified in trade and investment,

energy, climate, tourism, agriculture and other areas to provide the “spark for the growth engine in our

region“.BIMSTEC is an expression of India’s Look East Policy of the 1990s, coinciding with Thailand’s Look West

Policy. The seven members - India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Bhutan and Nepal - bring

together over 20 per cent of the world population, which is about 1.5 billion, and a GDP of over $ 2.5 trillion.

'12 Years a Slave' wins best picture Oscar: With seven Oscars including a history-making Best Director award

for Alfonso Cuaron, the force of Gravity exerted itself at the 86th annual Academy Awards. The searing slavery

drama 12 Years a Slave has won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Directed by British director Steve

24

McQueen, the film is based on a true story and stars Chiwetel Ejiofor as Solomon Northup, a free man who was

kidnapped into slavery in the South. It is the first film directed by a black filmmaker to win the best picture Oscar.

Fiscal deficit exceeds revised Budget estimates: The fiscal deficit in the 10 months through January, 2014,

has overshot revised estimates of Rs.5.24 lakh crore for this fiscal provided by Finance Minister P. Chidambaram

in his interim Budget last week. According to the data released by the Controller General of Accounts (CGA) , the

fiscal deficit during April-January 2013-14 worked out to be Rs.5.32 lakh crore or 101.6 per cent of the revised

estimates. The government had in the Budget for 2013-14 proposed to bring down the fiscal deficit to 4.8 per cent

of GDP or Rs.5.42 lakh crore. This figure, however, was revised downwards in the interim Budget to Rs.5.24 lakh

crore or 4.6 per cent of the GDP.

West Bengal remains top in small savings collection: Trinamool Congress-ruled West Bengal, all through the

downturn and even otherwise, has been making the highest annual contribution to the Centre through the small

savings schemes to fund many of its welfare and infrastructure projects. In the last three-and-a-half years, West

Bengal has contributed over Rs 1 lakh crore. West Bengal's contribution through small savings, collected by the

network of post offices, was more than Rs 33,000 crore in 2010-11, though it came down in the last two years.

Nevertheless, it remained above Rs 24,000 crore a year, more than any other state. Small savings schemes are

majorly used to fund the Centre's social sector schemes and other welfare activities. The money collected through

these schemes have long repayment schedules and helps the government use them as long-term funding options

for many of its big-ticket infrastructure projects. About 50% of the net collections under these schemes are

provided to states as soft-term loans for building roads, hospitals and other community assets.

Indian economy grows 4.7% in third quarter: India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew at 4.7 per cent

during October-December 2013, the seventh successive quarter when the rate was below 5 per cent. The official

data released dashed expectations that the economy had “bottomed out.” Finance Minister P Chidambaram,

presenting the interim budget, had said growth in the third and fourth quarters would be at least 5.2 per cent. With

no more data releases scheduled, the UPA will have to go to the polls with a sub-5 per cent growth rate. “The

government was over optimistic, but there's a doubt on that upturn now,” former Chief Economic Advisor Arvind

Virmani told The Hindu. Shrinking output in key sectors such as mining and manufacturing dragged down overall

growth. Gross fixed capital formation shrank during October-December 2013 to 27 percent of the Gross Domestic

Product (GDP) from 29.4 percent in April-September, according to the official data released . The sectors which

registered significant growth during the quarter ended December 2013 are financing, insurance, real estate and

business services (12.5 percent) and community, social and personal services (7.0 percent). Agriculture, forestry

and fishing grew at 3.6 per cent. The growth rate in construction is estimated at 0.6 percent, according to the data

released. “With 4.4%, 4.8% and now 4.7% being the GDP growth for the last three quarters, it is needless to say

that the economic situation is of great concern. A weak investment demand is the biggest problem that needs

addressing,” Confederation of Indian Industry Director General Chandrajit Banerjee said in a statement. With the

country heading for general elections, it is not expected that key economic legislations would get transacted, he

added. Chairman of the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Economic Advisory Council C Rangarajan had said

“Third quarter GDP figure could be more than 5 per cent”. With the estimate coming out lower than the

expectation, it is likely that the official projection of 4.9 percent for the whole year 2013-14 may not be met.

RBI launches 35th round of inflation expectations survey: The Reserve Bank of India launched the 35th

round of the inflation expectations survey for the current quarter. Inflation expectations are based on subjective

assessments of about 5,000 households across 16 cities. “The survey seeks qualitative responses from

25

households on price changes (they foresee in general prices as well as prices of specific product groups) in the

next three months as well as in the next one year and quantitative responses on current, three-month ahead and

one-year ahead inflation rates,” the RBI said. The results of this survey are being used by Reserve Bank as one

of the important inputs to the monetary policy formulation.

South Africa won ICC under 19 World Cup 2014: South Africa on 1 March 2014 emerged as the winner of the

ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2014 by defeating two-time former champions Pakistan by six wickets at the

Dubai International Cricket Stadium. With this win South Africa captured the ICC Junior World Cup for the first

time. Playing first Pakistan was all out for 131 in 44.3 over, while the score was chased by African side in 42.1

overs.

Union Cabinet cleared reservation for Jats under OBC category: Union Cabinet cleared reservation for Jat

community under the central list of OBC (other backward castes quota) category in nine northern states. This

move of the cabinet will benefit to about nine crore people of the community. This decision will also help Jats to

avail benefits of reservation in central government jobs and in the central education institutions as per existing

norms. This decision of the Cabinet, the Jat community will be included under the the Central list of OBCs for the

states like Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarrakhand, Uttar Pradesh

and the National capital territory of Delhi will include the Jat community. Earlier on 30 January 2014, the Union

Cabinet approved amendments to the Central List of Other Backward Classes to include or delete 115 castes in

the list from 13 States and 3 Union Territories. The amendments were approved following the proposals received

by different states. The changes in the List of OBCs were approved following the advices received by the National

Commission for Backward Classes.

4th March

Vietnam, China pip India in rubber output: Tyre and rubber industries have expressed concern over the fall in

productivity and slack pace of growth in the country’s rubber production. An analysis of rubber production data

released by the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries for 2013 showed that India now trails Vietnam

and China in production. It has now slipped to the fifth position in rubber production. In 2013, the country’s rubber

production decreased 7.6 per cent to 8.49 lakh tonnes. Vietnam registered a growth of over 20 per cent and its

production has topped the coveted 10-lakh-tonne mark which India has been aspiring to achieve.

BIMSTEC leaders vow to jointly combat terrorism: Leaders from the seven-nation BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal

Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) vowed to jointly combat the growing threat of

terrorism, transnational crimes and drug trafficking and agreed to intensify efforts to enhance connectivity and

cooperation in areas like trade, energy and environment. The third BIMSTEC Summit Declaration, issued at the

end of the meeting of leaders from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Bhutan and Nepal, said the

members recognised the threat that terrorism poses to peace, stability and economic progress and agreed for

closer cooperation in combating all forms of terrorism and transnational crimes.

Now, exchange pre-2005 currency notes till Jan 1: The Reserve Bank of India has extended the date for

exchanging all bank notes that were issued prior to 2005 to January 1, 2015. The RBI has also advised banks to

facilitate the exchange of these notes for full value and without causing any inconvenience to the public. It has

appealed the masses to cooperate in withdrawing these notes from circulation by exchanging them at a bank

branch convenient to them. Earlier, the RBI had set the date of exchange to be July 1, 2014. In press releases

issued in January and February, the RBI had announced that these notes would be withdrawn and said the

rationale behind the move was that these notes lacked security features.

26

India, UAE discuss ways to expedite trade issue: India and the UAE discussed ways to expedite the resolution

of pending issues related to investments by Etisalat, DP World and Emaar. The matter was discussed during the

second meeting of high-level India-UAE Joint Task Force on Investments in Mumbai. The meeting was co-chaired

by Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma and chairman of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Court Sheikh

Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Bhat clinches German Open title: Seasoned campaigner Arvind Bhat reached a new high in his badminton

career when he defeated Danish Hans-Kristian Vittinghus to clinch the men's singles title of the $120,000 German

Open Grand Prix Gold.

'India's e-commerce to zoom to $76 bn by 2020': India’s e-commerce is expected to go up from the current $1

billion to $76 billion in the next six years, by 2020. Only in 2013, online shopping has increased by 88 per cent,

according to Saran Chatterjee, Vice-President, Product Management, Flipkart India Pvt Ltd. This phenomenal

increase in e-tailing will be due to deeper penetration of Internet-based smartphones that would make online

shopping easier,

SMS alert service for waitlisted rail passengers launched: Now you no longer have to dial 139 or visit the rail

website to check the status of your waitlisted ticket as the railways will now send booking status messages to

passengers on mobile phones, if the tickets get confirmed before the journey. “For the last 10 days the trial was

going on we formally launched the SMS alert service for all passengers whose waitlisted tickets get confirmed”,

Minister of State for Railways Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said .He said that everyday about four lakh passengers

will get SMS alerts on their mobiles about the status of their waitlisted tickets.

New chief for IREDA: KS Popli has taken over as the Chairman and Managing Director of Indian Renewable

Energy Development Agency . IREDA is Government-owned agency under the Ministry of New and Renewable

Energy that is mandated to promote, develop and extend financial assistance for renewable energy and energy

efficiency. Prior to this, he was Director (Technical) at IREDA. Earlier, Popli was associated with organisations

such as NHPC and PFC.

AIBA terminates India: Furious with the current logjam in the suspended Indian Boxing Federation, the

International Boxing Association has terminated the IBF from its fold stating that the current set of office-bearers

are “damaging the image, reputation and interest” of the sport. In a tersely-worded statement, the AIBA said it is

not in a position to make a “proper” judgement on how to handle India’s case after receiving conflicting

communications from various stakeholders. The boxers and coaches will, however, continue to remain unaffected

by the development and can participate in international events under the AIBA flag till the time the crisis is

unresolved.

5th March

Bill Gates richest in world with net worth of $76bn Mukesh Ambani richest Indian for 7th year in row: The

technology boom has helped propel numerous fortunes lately, as the Forbes global rich list boasts of a record 123

billionaires, including six Indians, who derived their fortunes from technology ventures. According to Forbes, the

US once again leads the world with 492 billionaires, followed by China (152) and Russia (111). There were six

Indian billionaires in the Forbes rich list, who hailed from the technology sector led by Wipro's Azim Premji who

was ranked 61 in the global list with a net worth of $15.3 billion. Other Indian tech billionaires include Shiv Nadar

(ranked 102), NR Narayana Murthy & family (1,046), Senapathy Gopalakrishnan & family (1,154), Nandan

Nilekani & family (1,210) and K Dinesh & family (1,540). The year's biggest dollar gainer was Facebook's Mark

Zuckerberg, whose fortune jumped $15.2 billion to $28.5 billion, as shares of his social network soared.

27

Interest rates on small savings up: The government hiked the interest rate on small savings schemes by 10-20

basis points on small duration deposits. The rates apply to post office saving schemes and the return on 1-2 years

deposits has been hiked by 20 basis points from 8.2% to 8.4%.

The deposits on 3-year maturities have been raised from 8.3% to 8.4% while for 5-year deposits, it has been

raised to 8.5%. The rates have been left unchanged for NSCs, MIS and PPF.

Nine phase Lok Sabha elections from April 7: The Election Commission announced a nine-phase poll for the

16th Lok Sabha from April 7 to May 12. The counting of votes will be taken up on May 16. The model code of

conduct has come into force with immediate effect. The Lok Sabha has a strength of 543 (excluding two

nominated members) and the term of the present 15th Lok Sabha ends on May 31. The nine phases of polls are

to be held on: April 7, 9, 10, 12, 17, 24, 30, May 7 and May 12. The elections to the 294-member Andhra Pradesh

Assembly will be held on April 30 and May 7 along with the respective Lok Sabha constituencies in the State.

Announcing the poll schedule at a crowded press conference in Vigyan Bhavan, Chief Election Commissioner

V.S. Sampath, who was flanked by Election Commissioners H.S. Brahma and S.N.A. Zaidi, said Bihar and Uttar

Pradesh will have the maximum of six phases polls each, followed by Jammu and Kashmir and West Bengal five

phase poll each. It will be three phase poll in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Madhya Pradesh and

Maharashtra, two phases in Andhra Pradesh, Manipur, Odisha, Rajasthan and Tripura. All the remaining States

and the Union Territories wil have a single phase poll. A massive 81.4 crore voters are eligible to exercise their

franchise through 9.13 lakh polling stations. Nearly 96 per cent of the voters have already been given Elector

Photo Identity Card (EPIC).

Sheila Dikshit appointed as Kerala Governor: Sheila Dikshit, a former three-term Chief Minister of Delhi, was

tonight appointed Governor of Kerala within three months of her defeat in the recent Assembly polls. A

Rashtrapati Bhavan spokesperson said that 75-year-old Dikshit succeeds Nikhil Kumar, a former Delhi Police

Commissioner, who resigned .

Michelle Obama to honour acid attack victim Laxmi: Laxmi, a victim of acid attack has been selected by the

US for the prestigious International Women of Courage Award. Ms. Laxmi would receive the award from First

Lady Michelle Obama at an awards ceremony in Washington.

RBI allows direct e-transfer of inward foreign remittances: To facilitate receipt of foreign inward remittances

directly into the bank accounts of beneficiaries, the RBI said it will allow such remittances to be transferred to the

Know-Your-Customer compliant beneficiary bank accounts through electronic mode, such as National Electronic

Funds Transfer and Immediate Payments Service. “Foreign inward remittances received by the bank acting as

Indian agent under the money transfer service scheme, may be electronically credited to the account of the

beneficiary, held with a bank other than the Indian agent bank (termed as ‘recipient bank’),”

Bank lending up 9.7% so far this fiscal: Robust demand for credit from priority, personal and services

segments saw gross bank credit increase 9.7 per cent in the financial year so far (up to January 24, 2014) against

8.7 per cent growth in the year-ago period. Within the priority sector segment, loan offtake increased smartly

under the heads of weaker section (29 per cent growth, with loans increasing by ₹79,600 crore); micro and small

enterprises (up 19.5 per cent or ₹1,09,500 crore); and agriculture and allied services (up 9.8 per cent or ₹57,600

crore). Within the personal loans segment, the consumer durables sub-segment saw the maximum credit growth

in percentage terms (up 31 per cent or ₹2,600 crore) and the housing sub-segment saw a growth of 14.8 per cent

or ₹67,600 crore, according to RBI data on deployment of gross bank credit by major sectors.

28

Mauritius President to be chief guest at Global Ayurveda Fest in Kerala: A five-day Global Ayurveda Festival

will be held from 20th February in Kerala to highlight the state's emergence as the global destination in which

Mauritius President Rajkeswar Puryaag will be the chief guest. Described as the biggest summit on Ayurveda,

Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy will inaugurate the second edition, in which 4000 delegates from 35

countries are expected to participate.

6th March

India not to achieve $325 bn export target this fiscal: FIEO: India's exports will not be able to achieve the

target of USD 325 billion in the current fiscal and will fall short by about USD 10 billion, FIEO said. "Domestic

factors like declining manufacturing growth and slow improvement in the global demand are the main reasons for

slow growth in the country's exports. The country's merchandise exports would touch USD 312-315 billion by the

end of this fiscal, ending 31st March. During April-January, exports grew by 5.71 percent to USD 257 billion, while

imports dipped by 7.81 percent to USD 377 billion. The trade deficit was about USD 119 billion.

Current account deficit contracts sharply to $4.2 b in third quarter: India’s current account deficit (CAD)

narrowed sharply to $4.2 billion (0.9 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP)) in the third quarter of the current

financial year from $31.9 billion (6.5 per cent of GDP) in the third quarter of 2012-13. This is also lower than $5.2

billion (1.2 per cent of GDP) in the second quarter of 2013-14. “The lower CAD was primarily on account of a

decline in the trade deficit as merchandise exports picked up and imports moderated, particularly gold imports,”

the RBI said in a release.

Graeme Smith announced retirement from cricket: Graeme Smith, the South African cricket team Captain on

4 March 2014 announced that he will retire from international cricket at the end of the test match against Australia

at Newlands. Smith is the longest serving captain for South Africa in international cricket.

Graeme Smith announced retirement from cricket: Graeme Smith, the South African cricket team Captain on

4 March 2014 announced that he will retire from international cricket at the end of the test match against Australia

at Newlands. Smith is the longest serving captain for South Africa in international cricket. His retirement came

after Jacques Kallis retired from the test team in December 2013.

Assam became the first state to observe Child Protection Day: The day was observed with the colourful

dances and skits performed by school children to highlight issues related to children namely • Quality education •

Importance of protection of children • Child trafficking and child marriage. During the conclusion of the celebration

of the day, Runumi Gogoi, the ASCPCR Chairperson made every person to pledge to always work for the

protection of Children against all forms of abuse and ensure their rights. Internationally Child Protection Day is

observed on 19 November every year. It was launched by the Women’s World Summit Foundation (WWSF) in

2000.

Cairn Energy founder Sir Bill Gammell announced retirement: Cairn Energy founder Sir Bill Gammell

announced retirement from the post of non – executive chairman. Sir William Benjamin Bowring Gammell

commonly known as Sir Bill Gammell will leave the post.

Hockey India accorded status of National Sports Federation: Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports declared

Hockey India as the sole body responsible towards promoting the sport in India. With this Hockey India has been

accorded with the status of a National Sports Federation (NSF) for governing the sport of hockey (both men and

women) in India.

29

CURRENT AFFAIRS TEST 1st FEB – 6th MAR

1. In which of the following cities, India’s 1st post

office savings bank ATM inaugurated:

a. Bangalore b. Chennai

c. Coimbatore d. Hyderabad

2. Which team won the 2nd edition of Hockey India

league cup, 2014:

a. Delhi Wave riders b. Jaypee Punjab Warriors

c. Ranchi Rhinos d. none of these

3. Who is sworn-in as Prime Minister of Egypt in

2014:

a .Hassan Rouhani b. Bashar-al-Assad

c. Ibrahim Mehlib d. none of these

4. Who among the following is defence secretary of

India:

a. Avinash Chander b. K. Radhakrishan

c. R K Singla d. None of these

5. International Mother Language day is observed

on:

a. 21st Feb b. 22nd Feb

c. 23rd Feb d. 24th Feb

6. Which of the following bank introduced e-KYC:

a. AXIS b. HDFC

c. ICICI d. SBI

7. Who is chief of Indian Navy at present

a. D.K.Joshi b. R.K. Dhawan

c. Pranab Mukherjee d. Vikram Singh

8. Which of the following states share the border

with china:

a. Assam b. W. Bengal

c. Himachal Pradesh d. All of these

9. The headquarter of UNESCO is at:

a. Washington DC b. Manilla

c. Paris d. Hagues

10. Which of the following Indian State will have

India’s 1st ‘Auto City’:

a. Karnataka b. Tamil Nadu

c. Kerala d. Orissa

11. Raghu Ram Rajan , Governor of RBI is ----------

Governor of RBI:

a. 21st b. 22nd

c. 23rd d. 24th

12. Workdays for Tribals under MNREGA is raised

from 100 to :

a. 200 b. 150

c. 250 d. 300

13. The largest solar plant of India was launched in:

a. Andhra Pradesh b. Madhya Pradesh

c. Himachal Pradesh d. Rajasthan

14. Who among the following became the first

woman to head PSU, HPCL:

a. Nidhi Vasudeva b. G K Pillai

c. Usha Ananthasuramaniam d. None of these

15. Who among the following won ICC under 19 world

cup 2014:

a. Pakistan b. South Africa

c. India d. None of these

16. Growth rate of India as projected by IMF in 2014

a. 5.4% b. 6.4%

c. 7.4% d. 8.4%

17. Which five-year plan is running currently

a. 11th b. 12th

c. 13th d. none of these

18. Sheila Dikshit is recently appointed as Governor of

Which State:

a. Tamil Nadu b. Karnataka

c. Kerala d. Delhi

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19. Who among the following person is richest in

India by Forbes

a. Azim Premji b. Mukesh Ambani

c. Anil Ambani d. Shiv Nandan

20. National Women day is observed on:

a. 11 feb b. 13 feb

c. 7 march d. 8 march

CURRENT AFFAIRS FROM 7-13th MARCH 2014

7th March

Australia replaced India in second position in ICC Test Team rankings: Australia replaced India at the number two

position in the Test team rankings of cricket. This place was achieved by Australia after they defeated South Africa by

245-run in the third and final Test match in Cape Town. Australia who replaced India at the second position in test

rankings entered the three test-matches series with South Africa at third position.

Crimea Voted to become a part of the Russian Federation: Authorities in Crimea voted to accelerate secession from

Ukraine and unanimously backed a law that declared the territory to be part of the Russian Federation. The cabinet had

decided to take the decision by referendum in 10 days. MPs of Crimea had voted by 78 votes to nil for the territory to

leave Ukraine. A referendum on more autonomy for the region due on 30 March 2014 was brought forward to 16 March

2014. Now the residents had the option to unify the Black Sea peninsula with Russia.

Bharti Airtel and Etisalat signed a pact to set up regional network infrastructure: Bharti Airtel and UAE’s telecom

giant Etisalat signed a pact on to set up a multi-service regional network infrastructure node in India. The partnership

includes Airtel's MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching) services supported by its global network. The MPLS will allow

Airtel to provide advanced data and wholesale services to its customers in the Middle East and Africa. It will also

provide a platform to Etisalat to reach out to key global business hubs such as Africa and India.

NDMC launched Stri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana: North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) launched a new health

scheme Stri Swasthya Suraksha Yojna for women. The Scheme aims to bring services closer for those living in rural

areas and unauthorized colonies.

8th March

International Women Day observed across the world: International Women Day was observed across the world on 8

March 2014. United Nation celebrated the 2014 Women day with the theme Equality for Women is Progress for all.

International women’s day is also called Working women’s day. Thousands of events occur to mark the economic,

political and social achievements of women. Organisations, governments, charities, educational institutions, women's

groups, corporations and the media celebrate the day. For the first time International women’s conference was held in

Copenhegen in 1911. The day was proposed by Clara, a German.

Committee set up to assist banking sector to apply Basel III norms: Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced to set

up a committee under the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC). The committee would set the guidelines

for the banking sector to comply with Basel-III capital norms. The decision was taken at a sub-committee meeting of

FSDC. The meeting was chaired by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan.

New India Assurance announced Asha Kiran a health insurance cover for girl child: Public sector general insurer

New India Assurance announced an exclusive health insurance cover New India Asha Kiran for girl child. New India

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Assurance cut health insurance rate for 50 per cent for the girl child. Besides being cheaper, the girl child policy also

provides a personal accident cover for parents. On occurrence of any accident to parent, the sum insured would be

placed as a fixed deposit in the names of the girl child. The ASHA KIRAN policy has daily cash benefit on

hospitalization, critical care benefit up to 10 per cent sum insured and emergency ambulance charges. New India also

announced health policies with added benefits for the women customer of bank. General Insurance had its tie up with

Bhartiya Mahila Bank.

Avaya appointed Priyadarshi Mohapatra as Managing Director for India and SAARC: Technology firm Avaya

appointed Priyadarshi Mohapatra as Managing Director for its India and SAARC operations. A 17 year veteran of the

industry, Mohapatra will provide strategic direction to India operations. He will manage business priorities and will

enhance Avaya's position as a leading business communications company. He will play a key role in strengthening

channel partner relations and driving significant growth in the mid-market segment.

9th March

FICCI CSR Award 2012-13 won by GMR Hyderabad: FICCI CSR Award 2012-13 won by GMR Hyderabad. This

award was achieved for the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative.

Vladimir Putin inaugurates Paralympic Games in Sochi: With a colourful inaugural ceremony and amid much

fanfare, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin inaugurated the Paralympic Games in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

10th March

William Clay Ford passes away: William Clay Ford Sr., who helped steer Ford Motor Co. for more than five decades

and owned the National Football League’s Detroit Lions, has died at the age of 88. The company said in a statement

that Ford died of pneumonia at his home. He was the last surviving grandson of company founder Henry Ford.

Afghan Vice-President Fahim dies: Afghan first Vice-President and powerful former warlord Marshal Mohammad

Qasim Fahim died , the presidential spokesman said. “The first Vice-President Marshal MQ Fahim has passed away.

May his soul rest in peace,” government spokesman Aimal Faizi tweeted.

Indian-origin student wins selling bee after epic 95 rounds: A 13-year old Indian-origin boy has emerged as the

winner of a spelling bee contest in the US in an epic verbal duel that lasted a total of 95 rounds, after judges ran out of

words in a previous marathon round held last month. Kush Sharma, a seventh-grader at Frontier School of Innovation

spelled out "definition" to clinch the Jackson County Spelling Bee title in Missouri, and a berth in the Scripps National

Spelling Bee in Washington in May.

Mizoram beat Railways; lifts maiden Santosh Trophy: Mizoram has clinched its Maiden Santosh Trophy defeating

Railways by 3-0 in Siliguri in the summit clash . It was an attacking show by Mizoram right from the start of the game.

President Conferred Stree Shakti Puruskar on International Women’s Day: Pranab Mukherjee, the President of

India conferred Stree Shakti Puruskar 2013 to six women in recognition of their achievements in New Delhi. The awards

were given away to mark the International Women’s Day. Indian women have played important roles before and after

Independence of the country and the Government of India to recognise the success stories of such women to make

them a role model for the future generations of Indian women. The Government of India had instituted five national

awards, which are called as Stree Shakti Puruskar.

32

11th March

Akhilesh Gupta elected president of IMS: Head of the Climate Change Programme at the Department of Science and

Technology, Akhilesh Gupta, has been elected as President of the Indian Meteorological Society for 2014-16. He

succeeds Shailesh Nayak, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences. Starting his career as Meteorologist at the Indian

Meteorological Department in 1985, Dr. Gupta has rich academic and professional experiences. His career includes a

spell as Secretary to the University Grants Commission during 2012-13. He also served as Advisor to Kapil Sibal, when

he was the Minister for Science and Technology. Established in 1956, the Indian Meteorological Society is a non-profit

organisation that promotes the advancement, dissemination of knowledge and application of meterorological and

related sciences. Its actvities including organising meetings, and lectures on important meteorological topics on a

regular basis.

India’s iron ore exports fall 28% to 12.57 MT in Apr-Feb: Country’s iron ore exports witnessed a 27.56 per cent

slump at 12.57 million tonnes (MT) during the April-February period of the current fiscal due to continuation of the export

duty, mineral industries body FIMI said. India, once the third largest exporter of iron ore, had exported 17.35 MT of the

mineral in the corresponding period of the last fiscal, data released by Federation of Indian Mineral Industries (FIMI)

showed. He added that this fiscal’s iron ore exports are expected to come down by over 20 per cent to about 13.5-14

MT from 18.37 MT in 2012-13. Paradip (4.6 MT), Vizag (4.46 MT) and Haldia (1.81 MT) are the major ports accounting

for the bulk of mineral exports, according to FIMI data.

Exports dip to $25.6 billion in February: India’s exports declined 3.67 per cent to $25.68 billion in February. Imports

fell 17.09 per cent to $33.81 billion, resulting in a trade deficit of $8.13 billion. For the April-February period, exports

were up 4.79 per cent to $282.7 billion, according to data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

World Bank to give $3 billion to Ukraine: The World Bank has said it would provide up to $3 billion in aid for Ukraine

in 2014 to help the country deliver much-needed economic reforms. The World Bank said in a statement that it received

a request for support from the interim Ukrainian government and is ready to assist with formulating and implementing a

comprehensive programme of structural reforms, reported Xinhua. Ukraine’s economy is facing a number of serious

challenges that will require urgent action in the short term as well as sustained reform over the medium and longer term,

the Washington-based institution said.

Seven women in Fortune India's 40 under 40 list: Seven women have made it to the Fortune India's first '40 Under

40' compilation that lists individuals who have managed to grow an idea into a profitable business. The list comprises of

entrepreneurs and professionals aged 40 years and less as of December 31, 2013. 'This is a listing, not a ranking,'

Fortune India said, adding that scions of business families were not included. Kavita Iyer Rodrigues, Director & COO of

Theramyt Novobiologics and who co-founded the first biotech startup in venture capital firm Accel Partners' stable in

2007 got featured in the list. So was Richa Kar Founder & CEO, Zivame.com. The other women entrepreneurs,

managers, founders in the list include: Kavita Bhupathi Chadda, Group CEO Globosport; Simeran Bhasin India

Marketing head Fastrack & New Brands, Titan Industries; Gauri Singh, Founder and Director, The Maids' Company;

Avani Saglani Devda, CEO Tata Starbucks and Neha Kirpal, Founder & Director India Art Fair.

Kiran Reddy launches party: Three weeks after resigning as Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister to protest against the

division of the state, N Kiran Kumar Reddy launched a new party "Samaikya Andhra" to fight for the protection of

"Telugu pride and dignity". Unveiling the party's name and executive committee at a press conference here, Kiran, a

33

former cricketer, said that details of the party's policies and programmes would be announced at a public meeting to be

held in the coastal city of Rajahmundry on March 12.

World champion Heena shoots gold in Asian meet: India's ace shooter Heena Sidhu produced some excellent

shooting to clinch the air pistol women's gold medal while Chain Singh bagged the yellow metal in men's air rifle event

at the 7th Asian Championship in Kuwait . After her standout performance in qualification round, Heena was ranked

number one with a score of 386/400. She maintained her lead in the final round and shot 200.3 to emerge winner.

India pledges to provide Rs 8.5 bn to Bhutan: India has pledged to provide Rs 8.5 billion to Bhutan for its 11th Five

Year Plan, helping the landlocked country to implement major projects that will improve the livelihood of its people. The

decision in this regard was taken at the first meeting of the Small Development Project Committee (SDP) for the 11th

Five Year Plan, comprising representatives from the Royal Government of Bhutan and two from the Embassy of lndia,

held in Thimpu last week.

12th March

Human development indicators on the upswing in BIMARU States: Human development indicators across the

poorer States with a high concentration of marginalised groups are catching up with the national average, according to

the latest figures released by the Institute of Applied Manpower Research (IAMR) under the Planning Commission. The

data suggest that these socially disadvantaged groups are starting to share benefits of the process of human

development. However, when comparing the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes with Muslims in terms of

human development input and outcome indicators, Muslims have consistently improved better than other marginalised

groups. The eight poorer States — Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh

and Uttarakhand — are home to nearly 48 per cent of all the SCs, 52 per cent of all the STs and 44 per cent of all

Muslims in the country. The report — an updated version of the Human Development Report-2011: Towards Social

Inclusion — ranks Delhi, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab among the best performing States in human

development indicators, while Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Odisha are the worst performers.

Most other States, including Gujarat, have more or less remained the same.

SpiceJet and Boeing ink record $4.4 bn deal at India Aviation Show: In the biggest-ever deal signed at the India

Aviation Show, SpiceJet has inked an agreement with Boeing for purchase of 42 737 MAX 8 aircraft costing Rs. 26,000

crore ($ 4.4 billion). The deal was signed between Boeing Senior Vice-President (Asia-Pacific and India Sales) Dinesh

Keskar, SpiceJet CEO Sanjeev Kapur and Sun Group CFO, S.L. Narayanan, on the inaugural day of the Hyderabad Air

Show-India Aviation 2014 in the presence of Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh.

FPSB appointed former SC Judge Srikrishna as its Chairman: Justice (Retd.) BN Srikrishna was appointed as the

Chairman of Financial Planning Standards Board India (FPSB). He will succeed Dhirendra Swarup, the former chairman

of Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA). Srikrishna is a retired judge of Supreme Court and

has served as the Chief Justice of Kerala High Court. Financial Planning Standards Board India is a Public–Private

Enterprise and a Professional Standards setting body for Financial Planners in India. FPSB India proactively guides the

development and promotion of standards for financial planning professionals to benefit and protect the public in the

country. FPSB India closely works with all the stakeholders’ viz. the Government, the Regulators, the

Industries/Associations, the Corporate, the Media and the General Public to achieve its objectives. FPSB's members

are nonprofit organizations from 25 territories around the world. The territory members include 24 countries and 25th

34

territory is Israel, which is its Associate member. SBI, LIC, ICICI, Axis Bank, UTI AMC are among the financial

institutions that has established it.

Michelle Bachelet sworn-in as President of Chile for second term: Michelle Bachelet was sworn-in as the President

of Chile in Valparaiso. The 62-year old Michelle, the socialist leader took the oath of the office on 11 March 2014. She

succeeded the conservative President Sebastian Pinera. In the Presidential election conducted in December 2013,

Michelle won 62 percent of the vote in the second round against the 38 percent vote won by the conservative leader

Evelyn Matthei.

13th March

Enterprise mobility in India may touch $1.8 billion by 2017: IDC: Enterprise mobility market is expected to touch $

1.8 billion by 2017 as more and more firms are turning towards mobility apps for enhancing productivity at the workplace

and strengthening business processes. According to research firm IDC, the enterprise mobility market in India is

forecast to grow at a CAGR of 63 per cent from $ 394.3 million in 2012 to $ 1.8 billion by 2017.

McFadden wins first Winter Paralympics medal: Making the transition from track to snow has been seamless for

Tatyana McFadden. Less than a year after taking on the new challenge, the American collected a first Winter

Paralympics medal to join the 10 won across the past three Summer Paralympics.

Retail inflation slows to 25-month low of 8.1%: Easing onion and potato prices pulled retail inflation in February to a

25-month low of 8.1 per cent, and is likely to increase the clamour for the Reserve Bank of India to cut interest rates in

its next monetary policy. Overall inflation in the food basket, including beverages, slowed to 8.57 per cent in February

from 9.9 per cent in the previous month, according to Consumer Price Index (CPI) data released by the government .

The rate at which vegetable prices increased eased to 14.04 per cent as against 21.91 per cent in January.

IPL-VII to start in UAE on April 16: After a gap of eight years, India’s top national and first-class cricketers will be seen

in action for almost two weeks in the United Arab Emirates. These players will represent eight franchise teams in the

Pepsi-IPL-VII that will begin in the UAE on April 16. With the relocation of the Twenty20 competition to India uncertain,

the Board of Control for Cricket in India, which is running short of time to put the logistics in place, has scheduled a

number of matches in Bangladesh from May 1 to 12 before making the IPL a truly domestic competition from May 13.

IIP enters positive zone after 3 Months: There's some good news for the struggling Indian economy. Industrial

production growth fought its way into unexpectedly positive territory in January after three months of contraction and

consumer inflation slowed to a 25-month low in February. But the good news ends there. Below those headline

numbers, there's very little to cheer about and based on this evidence the Reserve Bank of India is unlikely to cut

interest rates on April 1 and provide a boost to the economy. The Index of industrial production rose 0.1% in January

compared with a decline of 0.16% in the previous month and 2.5% growth in January 2012, data released by the central

statistics office (CSO) showed . The consumer price index, released at the same time, showed retail inflation eased to

8.1% in February against 8.79% in January because of a further decline in food inflation. February inflation is the lowest

since January 2012, when it stood at 7.65%. Food inflation moderated to 8.57% in February from 9.9% in the previous

month. Core inflation, a measure of demand, eased to 7.9% in February from 8.1% the month before.

Election Commission set up multi agency grid to curb Black Money: The Election Commission created a multi-

agency grid of revenue and security intelligence agencies. The aim is to curb the use of black money in Lok Sabha and

assembly polls. The intelligence agency will regularly update Election Commission about suspected financial

movements. The intelligence agencies include the officials from income tax intelligence and investigations, Financial

35

Intelligence Unit (FIU), Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Central Economic Intelligence Bureau, Narcotics Control

Bureau and the security forces of SSB, BSF, CISF and the Railway Protection Force. The board will meet twice a week

at Nirvachan Sadan to generate common leads and flag suspect money instances. The Constitution of India has vested

in the Election Commission of India the superintendence, direction and control of the entire process for conduct of

elections to Parliament and Legislature of every State and to the offices of President and Vice-President of India.

Election Commission of India is a permanent Constitutional Body. The Election Commission was established in

accordance with the Constitution on 25th January 1950. The Commission celebrated its Golden Jubilee in 2001.

Union Finance Ministry and SEBI finalized the norms for setting up CPSE-ETF: Union Finance Ministry and

Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) jointly finalized the norms of investment for setting up Central Public

Sector Enterprises (CPSE) - Exchange Traded Fund (ETF). The Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) headed by

Finance Minister P. Chidambaram had approved floating the CPSE ETF.

FPSB appointed former SC Judge Srikrishna as its Chairman: Justice (Retd.) BN Srikrishna on 11 March 2014 was

appointed as the Chairman of Financial Planning Standards Board India (FPSB). He will succeed Dhirendra Swarup, the

former chairman of Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA)

CURRENT AFFAIRS TEST 7th – 13th MARCH

1. According to ICC ODI rankings, which team is at

the first position:

a. Australia b. Sri lanka

c. India d. Pakistan

2. Working women’s day is observed on:

a. 8th march b. 9th march

c. 12th Feb. d. 13th Feb.

3. Where is the headquarter of SAARC:

a. Indonesia b. India

c. Kathmandu d. Manilla

4. Who is the current president of FICCI:

a. Sidharth Birla b. Naina Lal Kidwai

c. Sumit Bose d. None of these

5. Who among the following is appointed as

Chairman of financial planning standard board

India:

a. Y V Reddy b. B N Srikrishna

c. Kavita Bhupath d. Akhilesh Gupta

6. According to Human Development indicators,

which state is among the best performer:

a. Bihar b. Punjab

c. Odisha d. Madhya Pradesh

7. ‘Santosh Trophy’ is associated with:

a. Cricket b. football

c. Lawn tennis d. hockey

8. The currency of Bhutan is:

a. Bhutanese Rupee b. Ngultrum

c. Taka d. None of these

9. The president of Afghanistan is:

a. Hamid Karzai b. Dmitrg Mdev

c. Mohammad Qasim d. none of the

10. The headquarter of UNICEF is at:

a. Paris b. Washington DC

c. Manilla d. New York

11. Currently, who is the Attorney general of India:

a. GE Wahanwati b. Pallam Raju

36

c. Vinod Rai d. Shahi Kant Sharma

12. WTO (World Trade Organisation) deals with the

global rules of trade between nations. Who is the

director general of WTO:

a. Roberto Azeredo b. Christine lagarde

c. Raghuram Rajan d. C .D. Deshmukh

13. The venue for 2018 winter Olympics is:

a. Sochi, Russia b. Pyeongchang, S.Korea

c. Rio-de-janario, Brazil d. Tokyo,Japan

14. Presently, who is the chief election commissioner

of India:

a. V.S.Sampath b. Viond Rai

c. Shashi Kant Sharma d. G.E. Wahanwati

15. Who is the 1st president of Indian national

congress:

a. W.C.Banerjee b. A.O.Hume

c. George Yule d. None of these

16. Who is the president of World Bank:

a. Ban-ki-moon b. Jim yong Kim

c. Christine lagarde d. Margaret Chan

17. The chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, who

resigned from his post on Feb. 19,2014:

a. Kiran Kumar Reddy b. Vijay Bahuguna

c. Haraprasad Das d. Harish Rawat

18. The minimum age to be become the president of

India is:

a. 25 yrs b. 30 yrs

c. 35 yrs d. 40 yrs

19. Which part of our constitution deals with

alterations of boundary of states:

a. part I b. part II

c. part III d. part IV

20. Which of the following planet is also known as

‘Green Planet’:

a. Earth b. Jupiter

c. Uranus d. Venus

CURRENT AFFAIRS FROM 14th – 31st MARCH 2014

14th March

RBI hiked trade related remittance from 2 to 5 lakh rupees per transaction: Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 13

March 2014 hiked the trade related remittance limit from 2 lakh rupees to 5 lakh rupees per transaction with immediate

effect. It also increased the number of transaction handled by exchange houses. RBI decided to increase the limit of

trade transactions on a review of the permitted transactions under the Rupee Drawing Arrangements (RDAs). These

changes have been included in Memorandum of Instructions for Opening and Maintenance of Rupee/Foreign Currency

Vostro Accounts of Non-resident Exchange Houses.

Asian Grand Prix Archery Championship: Indian archers won 2 gold & silver in team events: Indian archers on 13

March 2014 bagged 2 gold and a silver in the team events in 1st Asian Grand Prix Archery Championships at Bangkok.

Whereas, in the Compound Women’s team event women team defeated Iran to clinch the first gold, 219 to 204. The

women compound team included Gagandeep Kaur, V Jyothi Surekha and P Lily Chanu.

World Kidney Day observed across the World: World Kidney Day was observed on 13 March 2014 with the theme,

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and aging. World Kidney Day is observed annually on the second in March. Australia

37

also observed the World Kidney Day with the theme Kidneys Age, Just Like You-take care of them to create awareness

on the prevention of kidney diseases.

Nilekani resigns as UIDAI chairman: Infosys co-founder and face of UPA government’s flagship ‘Aadhar’ programme,

Nandan Nilekani resigned as Chairman of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), three days after joining

Congress. Mr. Nilekani, who will contest Lok Sabha polls from Bangalore South, said he has submitted his resignation

to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. “Yes, I have resigned,” Mr. Nilekani told PTI.

Labour leader Tony Benn dies at 88: Tony Benn, a committed British socialist who irritated, fascinated and bored

Britons through a political career spanning more than five decades and who renounced his aristocratic title rather than

leave the House of Commons, has died. He was 88. Labour Party leader Ed Miliband praised Benn as “iconic figure of

our age” who will be remembered as a “champion of the powerless, a great parliamentarian”.

World's first solar-powered toilet set for India launch: A revolutionary waterless toilet powered by the Sun,

developed to help some of the 2.5 billion people lacking safe and sustainable sanitation around the world, will be

unveiled in India this month. Designed and built using a$777,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the

self-contained, waterless toilet with its innovative technology converts human waste to biochar, a highly porous

charcoal. It aims to provide an eco-friendly solution to help some of the 2.5 billion people around the world lacking safe

and sustainable sanitation.

ONGC, OIL buy 10% Govt stake in IOC: State-owned ONGC and Oil India Ltd (OIL) have bought a 10 per cent stake

in Indian Oil Corp (IOC) from the Government for Rs 5,340 crore. Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) and OIL bought 5

per cent stake each at Rs 220 for a share, sources privy to the development said.

Thomas Mathew elected as MCX Chairman: Former Home Secretary G.K. Pillai resigned as Chairman of MCX Stock

Exchange, even as the Government and market regulator SEBI tried to assuage concerns arising out of the bourse

coming under CBI scanner.

15th March

CPSE-ETF new fund offer launched: Goldman Sachs Asset Management announced the launch of CPSE-ETF

(Central Public Sector Enterprise- Exchange Trade Fund) new fund offer (NFO) on 14 March 2014. The fund will open

for retail investors on 19 March 2014. CPSE ETF is an open-ended Index Exchange Traded Scheme NFO. It will be

listed on the exchanges in the form of an Exchange Traded Fund (ETF), which tracks the Central Public Sector

Enterprises (CPSE) index. The CPSE Index, comprise ONGC, Gail, Coal India, Indian Oil, IOC, PFC, CCL, BEL and

EIL.

Sachin Tendulkar voted Cricketer of the Generation: Sachin Tendulkar on 14 March 2014 was voted as the

Cricketer of the Generation by a 50-member jury that comprised current and former cricketers and journalists. To win

the award, Sachin defeated his competitors spin legend Shane Warne and all-rounder Jacques Kallis.

Below 5 per cent inflation : Inflation slipped to a nine-month low of 4.68 per cent on the back of easing prices of onion

and potatoes and giving comfort levels for a possible rate cut by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in the monetary policy

review on April 1.

16th March

Israel opens border crossing with Gaza: Israel opened a border crossing with Gaza to allow the transfer of gas, after

the coastal salient’s only power plant shut down for one day due to lack of fuel. Israel closed its border crossings with

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the Gaza Strip some time back after the Palestinian group Islamic Jihad launched a massive barrage of rockets from the

Strip into Israel.

Car restriction to ease pollution in Paris: Motorists in Paris were gearing up for a radical change to their commute

after the government introduced alternate driving days to alleviate the veil of smog that has hung over the city for days.

The government announced that only cars and motorbikes with registration plates ending in an odd number would be

allowed in the greater Paris region.

Modi will contest from Varanasi in Lok Sabha Elections: In the Lok Sabha elections, Modi will contest from Varanasi

inUttar Pradesh. Modi is BJP’s Prime Minister Candidate.

17th March

Assam and Nagaland became first States to get Plastic Photo Identity Card: Nagaland and Assam will be the first

two states to be issued plastic Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The new

plastic EPICs have many scientific features viz. a hologram with coded details of the voter to prevent duplication, forging

and tampering.

Indo-China Strategic Economic Dialogue: India and China discussed in Beijing counter strategies to the Trans-

Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) being negotiated by the U.S.

Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia lead the Indian delegation to Beijing for the India-

China Strategic Economic Dialogue (SED). On the Chinese side, National Development and Reform Commission

Chairman Xu Shaoshi lead the dialogue.

Classified Henderson Brooks Report revealed: For the first time, a large section of the still classified Henderson

Brooks Report, which details a comprehensive operational review of India’s military debacle in 1962, has been made

public

Pakistan’s second Aam Aadmi Party: For the second time, Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party has found an echo in

Pakistan. First it was Arsalan ul Mulk from Gujranwala whose Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was registered by the Election

Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and now it is a former foreign services officer and lawyer Adnan Randhawa, 34, who

wants to follow in Mr. Kejriwal’s footsteps. Mr. Randhawa applied to the ECP for a formal registration for his Aam Aadmi

of Pakistan Party (AAPP). He was formerly with the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI), a party which has

often been likened to the AAP in India.

18th March

Hsieh Su-Wei and Peng Shuai won BNP Paribas Open 2014: Hsieh Su-Wei of Taiwan and Peng Shuai of China on

16 March 2014 won in Women’s doubles final of the BNP Paribas Open by defeating Sania Mirza and Cara Black from

Zimbabwe 7-6(5), 6-2. The BNP Paribas Open 2014 was held from 3 to 16 March 2014 at the Indian Wells Tennis

Garden in California. BNP Paribas Open is annually held ATP World Tour Masters 1000 and WTA Premier Event at the

Indian Wells Tennis Garden where the top men and women professional players will compete.

DoT issued new guidelines to tackle the threats of Cyber attack: Department of Telecommunications (DoT) under

the Union Ministry of Communications and Information Technology on 17 March 2014 released guidelines to tackle the

threats of cyber attacks and hacking of websites. DoT issued guidelines to all Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to adopt

new security measures to advise customers to take necessary precautions to protect modems from malware attacks

and hacking attempts. Modem is an instrument that connects a computer to the Internet.

39

India is the world’s largest arms importer: SIPRI: A new data on international arms transfers released on 17 March

2014 said that India’s import of weapon systems is three times more than Pakistan and China. The report published by

as Swedish Think Tank, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) has claimed that India continues to

be the largest buyer of arms in the world.

India nominated Rani-ki-Vav and GHNP for UNESCO’s World Heritage Site Status: India nominated Rani-ki-Vav

located in Patan, Gujarat and the Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) in Himachal Pradesh for UNESCO’s World

Heritage Site Status for 2014.

Novak Djokovic won Indian Wells final by defeating Roger Federer: The world’s number two Novak Djokovic on 16

March 2014 defeated Roger Federer to win the BNP Paribas Open Final in Indian Wells ATP Tennis Masters in

California 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (3). This trophy is the first title of the year for Djokovic and third at the BNP Paribas Open. Earlier

in February 2014, Djokovic lost to Federer in the semi finals of the Dubai tennis championship.

19th March

Russia signed Accession Agreement with Crimea: The Russian Federation signed an agreement with Crimea for

accession of Crimea in the Russian Federation on 18 March 2014 in Kremlin in Moscow, Russia. The agreement also

included a treaty on forming new constituent entities within Russian federation. The agreement was signed by the

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister of the Republic of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov and Chairman of the

Coordinating Council for the Establishment of the Sevastopol Municipal Administration Alexei Chaly and Chairman of

the State council of the Republic of Crimea, Vladimir Konstantinov.

India ranked 4th in spam e-mails export: Microsoft Report: India was ranked fourth in a Microsoft report in the list of

the countries sending out spam e-mails.

UNSC extended mandate of UNAMA till March 2015: The UN Security Council on 17 March 2014 extended the

mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) for another year until 17 March 2015. The

mandate is focused on local ownership and leadership regarding security, governance and development in Afghanistan.

Russia suspended from G-8 Countries Club over its incursion into Crimea: G-8 nations (Group of the eight

Countries) on 18 March 2014 suspended Russia from elite club of world powers. It has been suspended amid

heightened tensions over its incursion in Crimea of Ukraine.

Ekhon Nedekha Nadir Xipaare won audience choice award in North Carolina film festival: An Assamese thriller

film, Ekhon Nedekha Nadir Xipaare (As River Flows) on 18 March 2014 won the audience choice award in North

Carolina film festival. The film that stars Victor Banerjee is a socio-political thriller film set in river island of Majuli. The

film also stars Sanjay Suri, Raj Zutshi, Preeti Jhangiani and Bidita Bag.

20th March

Raw sugar export subsidy under WTO scrutiny: India’s recent decision to give subsidies to exporters of raw sugar is

facing international flak with many countries questioning its validity under global trade rules. Major nations such as

Australia, Colombia and Brazil, which export agricultural products, have said that the subsidies would affect their

interests and distort the world market.

FM pegs fuel subsidy for current fiscal at Rs 20,000 cr: A day after agreeing to dole out a record Rs 100,000 crore

in fuel subsidy for 2012-13, Finance Minister P Chidambaram said cash payouts to oil firms this fiscal will be just Rs

20,000 crore. At a meeting called by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the Finance Minister had yesterday agreed to

40

give an additional Rs 45,000 crore on top of the Rs 55,000 crore already paid to oil firms for selling diesel, cooking gas

(LPG) and kerosene at government-controlled rates.

Gujarat keeps top rank in economic freedom, gives Narendra Modi big boost: Report: Amid intense poll-time

discourse over claims of development in Gujarat, the latest report on the economic freedom of Indian states has

revealed that the western coastal state retained in 2013 the No.1 slot it held in 2011. Gujarat also widened the gap with

Tamil Nadu, which lost the top rank in 2011, in what could give ammunition to BJP’s prime ministerial candidate

Narendra Modi in the electoral sweepstakes. Bihar continued to languish at the bottom of 20 major states reviewed

since 2005 despite “significant” improvement under chief minister Nitish Kumar, showed the latest report on Economic

Freedom of the States of India (EFSI).

21st March

Aditi Khanna became first women President of Indian Journalist's Association: Aditi Khanna was unanimously

elected as the first women President of Indian Journalists’ Association (IJA) in London. This appointment of a lady as

the President has happened for the first time in the 67-years long history of IJA. Aditi Khanna is the London based

correspondent for the Press Trust of India. Apart from Aditi, the Rupanjana Dutta, the Associate Editor of Asian

Business Publication was appointed as its general secretary.

World Sparrow Day observed across the world: The day is observed to create awareness about the House Sparrow

and other common birds and the need for their protection. The theme for this year is Rise for the Sparrow. The First

World Sparrow Day was celebrated in 2010. World Sparrow Day is observed on 20 March annually.

Khushwant Singh, the renowned author and journalist died: Khushwant Singh, the renowned author and journalist

died on 20 March 2014 at the age of 99 at his home in Sujan Singh Park in Delhi. He was mainly famous as the best

storyteller. He was a lawyer, who turned to be a diplomat followed by being a writer. He is survived by his son Rahul

Singh and daughter Mala.

KC Chakrabarty quits RBI: KC Chakrabarty, Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India, has quit three months ahead of

completion of his term. Chakrabarty was appointed as Deputy Governor in June 2009 for a period of three years. In

2012, he got an extension of two years.

States grow much faster than national growth rate: The economic slowdown is not reflecting in the growth rates of

the States, data on which was released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) earlier this month. Sixteen of the 17 non-

Special Category States grew faster than the rate at which the all-India gross domestic product (GDP) grew in 2012-13.

The weighted growth rates for Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of States add up to 6.84 per cent for 2012-13,

according to the CSO data. The National GDP growth rate is 4.47 per cent.

22nd March

World Water Day observed across the World: World Water Day was observed with the theme Water and Energy to

raise awareness of the inter-linkages between water and energy. World Water Day is observed to preserve and ration

consumption of water.

Physicist Rajesh Gopakumar selected for G D Birla Award 2013: Physicist Rajesh Gopakumar was selected for the

23rd G D Birla Award for scientific research for the year 2013. It was announced by the K K Birla Foundation. The

award carries a cash prize of 1.5 lakh rupees and a citation. Gopakumar has been awarded for his important

contributions on topics in Quantum Field Theory and String Theory. At present he is working as a theoretical physicist at

Harish Chandra Research Institute, Allahabad.

41

Former Brazilian international footballer Hilderaldo Luiz Bellini died: Former Brazilian international footballer

Hilderaldo Luiz Bellini died after a heart attack. He was 83. He was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease for many years.

23rd March

India won against West Indies in T20 Match: India won against West Indies in T20 Match by 7 wickets. Man of the

Match was achieved by Amit Misra for making the West Indies batting under tight check.

Britain Royal Mail issued a postage stamp of Noor Inayat Khan: Royal Mail in Britain issued a postage stamp of

Noor Inayat Khan, World War II heroine of Indian origin,. She fought fascism and died in the Dachau concentration

camp. The stamp issued was a part of a set of 10 stamps in the Remarkable Lives series which honoured Noor on her

centenary year.

Shikhar Dhawan to lead Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 7: India opener Shikhar Dhawan will captain Sunrisers

Hyderabad in the seventh edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) which starts April 16. West Indian allrounder

Darren Sammy will be the vice-captain, the franchise announced.

Vandana Foundation launched AQUATM in Mumbai: A non-profit group Vandana Foundation launched AQUATM in

Mumbai. The AQUATM is a water vending machine from which water can be purchased. This water wending machine

will release 1 liter water at a price of 1 rupee. The best part of the machine is that it can be operated through prepaid

card.

24th March

‘World Tuberculosis Day’ observed: ‘World Tuberculosis Day’ is celebrated every year on March 24 to commemorate

the discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (the agent which causes TB) by Robert Koch in 1882. The day is designed

to build public awareness about the global resurgence of tuberculosis and efforts to eliminate the disease. In 2014, the

slogan for World Tuberculosis Day is "Reach the 3 million".

Adolfo Suarez, the first elected Prime Minister of Spain, died: Adolfo Suarez, the first elected Prime Minister of

Spain. He was 81. He was suffering from Alzheimer's disease for the past decade. The Spanish government announced

three days of official morning decided to give Suarez a state funeral. Adolfo Suarez was the man who led Spain to

democracy after decades of dictatorship and became the first elected Prime Minister after the death of General

Francisco Franco in 1975.

Stuart Oliver won 1st-ever Indian truck-racing championship: Stuart Oliver, the experienced British racer won the

inaugural Tata T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship at Buddh International Circuit (BIC) in Greater Noida. He

represented Castrol Vecton team in the race and took 30:26.848 minutes to complete 15 laps of the 2.5 km loop on the

5.1 km-long track.

25th March

Most rural population now not solely in agriculture: NCAER survey: As part of India Human Development Survey,

the team covered 42,000 households across the country. Employment in agriculture has fallen sharply over the last

seven years and a combination of farm-oriented and non-farm work is now the most common form of rural employment,

according to the findings of a nationwide representative sample survey conducted by the National Council for Applied

Economic Research (NCAER).

String-theorist wins G.D. Birla Award: Leading string-theorist Professor Rajesh Gopakumar of the Department of

Physics, Harish-Chandra Research Institute (HRI), Allahabad, has won the 23rd G.D. Birla Award for Scientific

42

Research for 2013. Instituted in 1991 by the K.K. Birla Foundation to recognise high-calibre scientific research by Indian

scientists living and working in India who are under 50, the award has a cash component of Rs.1.5 lakh.

Rajiv Takru appointed new Revenue Secretary: The Government appointed senior bureaucrat and Financial

Services Secretary Rajiv Takru as the new Revenue Secretary in the Union Finance Ministry. Takru, a 1979-batch

officer of the Gujarat cadre, will take over the new position from April 1 after incumbent Sumit Bose retires on March 31.

Supreme Court directed Centre not to make Aadhaar mandatory for citizens: The Supreme Court directed the

Centre to withdraw the instruction issued by centre for making Aadhaar card mandatory for citizens to benefit

government services. A Bench of Justices B S Chauhan and J Chelameswar directed that if there are any instructions

that Aadhaar is mandatory, it should be withdrawn immediately.

TCPSL launched white Label Automated Teller Machines: Tata Communications Payment Solutions Ltd. (TCPSL)

launched the white label Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) network under the brand name of Indicash. The first

Indicash ATM was inaugurated at Chandrapada in Thane district. TCPSL has tied up with Federal Bank, which has

been designated as a sponsor bank of care of cash operations, dispute resolutions and regulatory reporting. The

Indicash ATMs will be owned and operated by the TCPSL.

Govind Mishra, the Hindi writer selected for Saraswati Samman 2013: Govind Mishra, the renowned Hindi author

will receive Sarawasti Samman for the year 2013 for his book Dhool Paudho Par published in 2008. This honour will

make Mishra the second Hindi author to receive the honour after Harivansh Rai Bachchan. In 1991, Harivansh Rai

Bachchan became the first Hindi author to receive this honour. First novel of Mishra was Wo Apna Chehra published in

1969. Lal Peeli Zameen published in 1976 is MIshra's much talked novel.

26th March

North Korea test-fires ballistic missiles: North Korea test-fired two missiles into the sea early , an official in Seoul

said, prompting condemnation from South Korea, Japan and the United States. It was the latest of several such

launches this week, as South Korean, Japanese and US leaders criticised North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme

at a meeting in the Netherlands.

Rajat Gupta’s conviction on insider trading upheld by US court: India-born former Goldman Sachs director Rajat

Gupta was sentenced to two years in prison after his bid to overturn his conviction on insider trading charges was

rejected by a US court.

Third Nuclear Security Summit 2014 held in The Hague: The Third Nuclear Security Summit was held in The

Hague, Switzerland from 24 to 25 March 2014. The summit was attended by 58 World leaders. At the summit, the

leaders reached an agreement to prevent terrorists getting their hands on nuclear material that could be used to make a

nuclear weapon.

Managing Director of Britannia Industries Vinita Bali announced to retire: Managing Director (MD) of Britannia

Industries Vinita Bali announced to retire till the end of March 2014. Britannia Industries is a part of the Wadia Group.

Bali had joined Britannia in January 2005 and took over as company MD in 2006. Vinita Bali became the first woman to

head a major consumer goods company in India in 2005.

Acting CEO and CFO of Jet Airways Ravishankar Gopalakrishnan resigned: The acting Chief Executive Officer

(CEO) and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Jet Airways Ravishankar Gopalakrishnan resigned. Gopalakrishnan took up

the post of CFO in the airline in October 2012 and was closely involved in negotiations with Etihad and financial revival

of the airline. Prior to joining Jet Airways, he was executive director & CFO with TVS Capital Funds.

43

27th March

Statues for Akbar’s nine jewels at Fatehpur Sikri: Tourists visiting Fatehpur Sikri, the deserted capital of Mughal

emperor Akbar, will soon get to see the statues of the navratnas — the nine jewels of the imperial court.Agra’s

Divisional Commissioner Pradeep Bhatnagar has asked the Agra Development Authority to install fibre glass statues of

the nine jewels of Akbar’s court at vantage points in Fatehpur Sikri, about 30 km from Agra.

Turkish court lifts Twitter ban: A Turkish court ordered the telecommunications authority to restore access to Twitter ,

issuing a temporary injunction five days after the government blocked the social network in Turkey. Deputy Prime

Minister Bulent Arinc told reporters the telecommunications authority would obey the court decision when it received

official notice, but reserved the right to appeal.

Mathematician Ya.G. Sinai is 2014 Abel Laureate: Russian mathematician Yakov Grigorevich Sinai, one of the most

influential mathematicians of the 20th Century, has been chosen for the 2014 Abel Prize by the Norwegian Academy of

Science Letters.

Facebook to acquire virtual reality firm Oculus for $2b: Nearly a month after announcing $19 billion acquisition of

instant messaging firm WhatsApp, Facebook said it had reached a definitive agreement to acquire virtual reality

technology company Oculus VR, Inc., for about $2 billion in a cash and stock deal. The California headquatered Oculus’

flagship product — Oculus Rift — is a goggle like ‘virtual reality headset’ for video gaming.

Felix appointed India coach: Olympian and former India captain Jude Felix was, appointed coach of the National

men’s hockey team. He will be on probation for three months. Felix, an accomplished centre-half, played more than 250

international matches and represented the country in the Olympics (1988, 1992), World Cups (1990, 1994), Asian

Games (1990, 1994) and Champions Trophy (1985, 1987 and 1989).

New York’s first cupcake ATM launched, dispensing pastries 24/7: New York’s first cupcake ATM launched to the

delight of New Yorkers who can now fulfill their cravings for a freshly baked treat around the clock. The machine to

dispense the frosted pastries was debuted by Sprinkles Cupcakes, a chain that already has five similar ATMs operating

in the US including the world’s first such machine in Beverly Hills, California.

Aditya Puri headed RBI Panel submitted its report: A RBI panel headed by Aditya Puri submitted its report on 22

March 2014. The Report is titled Data Format for Furnishing of Credit Information to Credit Information Companies

(CICs).

Shigeru Ban, Japanese architect won the Pritzker Architecture Prize 2014: apanese architect Shigeru Ban won the

Pritzker Architecture Prize 2014. He won the award for his creative and inexpensive designs for disaster relief shelters.

The world's most prestigious architecture award was announced by the Hyatt Foundation on 25 March

28th March

Indian-Origin student Gopal Rao won UK Twitter Prize: Indian-origin Gopal Rao won UK Twitter Prize. The prize

was to meet the British Foreign Secretary William Hague and to discuss the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative

(PSVI).

Indian-origin Dutch woman presented with US Award: An Indian-origin Dutch woman has been presented with the

"World of Difference" award here in recognition of her non-governmental work in Delhi among destitute women. Co-

Founder of WORK+SHELTER, a Delhi-based NGO, Namita Krul-Taneja, was presented the award by Lisa Kaiser

Hickey, president of The International Alliance For Women (TIAW) at a ceremony held here yesterday.

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Malayalam director P Ramdas passes away: Yesteryear veteran director P Ramdas, who introduced the neo-realistic

wave in Malayalam cinema during the 1950s through his path breaking movie Newspaper Boy, has passed away at a

hospital. Ramdas (83) died following age-related ailments yesterday.

WHO certifies India as a polio-free nation: India and the 11-country South-East Asia region received formal

certificates issued by WHO to mark a health milestone – being polio-free. India, the largest country in region, was the

most recent member to achieve the status of being polio-free for at least three years. Minister of Health Ghulam Nabi

Azad received the certificate on behalf of India.

India successfully tests Prithvi II missile: India successfully test-fired its nuclear-capable Prithvi-II surface-to-surface

missile from a military base in Odisha, a senior official said. The indigenously-developed ballistic missile with a

maximum range of 350 km was fired from the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur in Balasore district, about 230 km

from Bhubaneswar.

IAF’s C-130J Super Hercules aircraft crashes 5 crew dead: In a major setback to the Indian Air Force, a US-made

C-130J Super Hercules Special Operations transport aircraft crashed near Gwalior killing five crew members. "Five crew

members, including four officers, were killed in the crash," said defence PRO in Jaipur.

29th March

Astronomers discovered first-ever miniature planet with two rings: Astronomers in fourth week of March 2014

discovered a miniature planet named Charkilo with two rings of ice and pebbles between Saturn and Uranus in the

Kuiper Belt. This is the first ever discovery of a celestial body with rings like giant planets Saturn and Jupiter.

Sunil Gavaskar appointed as Interim President of BCCI: Sunil Gavaskar was appointed as the interim president of

the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) by the Supreme Court. He was appointed as acting president of BCCI to

discharge the functions of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2014. Sunil Gavaskar replaced the present BCCI chief N

Srinivasan.

Jens Stoltenberg appointed as Secretary General of NATO: Jens Stoltenberg was appointed as the Secretary

General of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). This was announced by the North Atlantic Council in Brussels in

Belgium. Besides, he was also appointed as the Chairman of the North Atlantic Council. Stoltenberg will take charges of

Secretary General of NATO on 1 October 2014. He will replace the incumbent Secretary General Anders Fogh

Rasmussen, the former Prime Minister of Denmark.

Arjun Kapoor named brand Ambassador of Earth Hour 2014: Actor Arjun Kapoor was named as the brand

ambassador of the Earth hour 2014. Earth Hour 2014 will be observed on 29 March 2014 from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Earth hour is an initiative under which citizens are advised to switch off all electricity for an hour.

30th March

Hamilton wins Malaysian Grand Prix: Briton's Lewis Hamilton won the Malaysian Grand Prix with a pole-to-flag victory

ahead of Nico Rosberg in a first Mercedes one-two since they returned to Formula One as a works team in 2010. The

2008 Formula One world champion easily pulled away from his rivals on a dry track with a three-stop strategy to win the

race by 17.3 seconds, his 23rd career victory and first in Malaysia at the eighth attempt.

Tibetan Communist leader ‘Phunwang’ dead: Phuntso Wangye, also known as ‘Phunwang’, a once influential former

Tibetan Communist leader who later emerged as an unlikely — and outspoken — critic of Chinese rule in Tibet from

within the establishment, died . He was 92.

45

Black box of crashed C-130J sent to U.S.: The black box of the C-130J transport aircraft that crashed near Gwalior

has suffered damage and the Air Force has sent it to the U.S. to seek the assistance of its manufacturer Lockheed

Martin in decoding the data.

31st March

FII inflows in stocks hit Rs 80,000 cr in FY’14: Foreign investors have made net inflows of a staggering nearly Rs

80,000 crore in the Indian stocks during the current fiscal year, while they pulled out money from the debt market.

Djokovic beats Nadal to win fourth Miami title: Novak Djokovic won his fourth career title at the Miami Masters with a

6—3, 6—3 defeat of top seed Rafael Nadal. The trophy comes in addition to titles in 2007, 2011, 2012 and marked the

third win in a row in the series in which Djokovic now stands 18 wins and 22 defeats.

Serena beats Li Na for Sony Open title: Serena Williams won a record seventh Key Biscayne title when she

overcame a slow start and a set point to beat Li Na 7-5, 6-1 at the Sony Open.

April-Feb fiscal deficit at $100 billion, stays above budgeted estimates: Fiscal deficit in the first eleven months of

the 2013/14 financial year touched Rs 5.99 trillion($100.03 billion), or 114.3 per cent of the full year target, government

data showed . The deficit was 97.4 per cent during April-February a year ago.

EGoM clears 352-cr aid for 4 states to replant horticulture crops: The Centre will provide 352 crore assistance to

farmers for replanting horticultural crops that were hit by untimely rains and hailstorms early this month in Maharashtra,

Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, and Rajasthan, a Government source said.

Nepal to host 18th SAARC Summit on 14th Nov: Nepal will hold the 18th SAARC Summit in Kathmandu on 14th

November, the third time the country is hosting the event since the establishment of eight-member regional grouping in

1985. The date is subject to approval by SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) member states

that include India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. Nepal had last hosted

the 11th SAARC Summit in January 2002 and 3rd Summit in November 1987. The 17th SAARC summit was held in

Maldives in 2011.

46

CURRENT AFFAIRS TEST FROM 14th – 31st MARCH 2014

Q.1. UNSC stands for

a) United Nations social council.

b) United Nation Security Council.

c) United Nation Scientific Council.

d) United Nation Secular Council.

Q.2. Who is not the member of BRICS ?

a) Bhutan b) Russia

c) India d) China.

Q.3. The American President Barack Obama

belongs to which party.

a) Republic party

b) Democratic party

c) Liberal party

d) Social Democratic Party.

Q.4. “World Kidney Day” is observed on

a) 11th March b) 12th March

c) 13th March d) 14th March

Q.5. Who is elected as new chairman of

MCX.

a) Thomas Mathew b) G.K. Pillai

c) U.K. Sinha d) None of these

Q.6. Who among the following is voted as

“Cricketer of the Generation”.

a) J. Kallis b) Sachin Tendulkar

c) Ricky Ponting d) Virat Kohli

Q.7. Who of the following countries is the

world’s largest arms importer.

a) India b) Russia

c) US d) China

Q.8. Who is the chief of WTO

a) Pascal Lamy b) Robert Azevedo

c) Christina Lagard d) Margaret Chang

Q.9. “World Water Day” is observed across

the world on

a) 21st March b) 22nd March

c) 23rd March d)24th March

Q.10. 3rd Nuclear Security Summit 2014 is

held in

a) New York b) Beijing

c) The Hague d) Japan

Q.11. Who is appointed as New Revenue

Secretary?

a) Rajiv Takru b) Y.A. Sinha

c) Adtya Puri d) None of these

Q.12. Who among of the following is

selected for Saraswati Samman, 2013.

a) Govind Mishra b) Mahesh Kumar

c) Rajat Gupta d) Rajesh Gupta

Q.13. Who was the first Chief Election

Commissioner of India.

a) Sukumar Sen b) C.D. Deshmukh

9

c) Ranjit Sinha d) Hiralal J. Kania

Q.14. The number of digits in Aadhar Card

are

a) 12 b) 14

c) 16 d) 18

Q.15. How many gold medals are won by

India in Asian Grand Prix Archery

Championship.

a) 2 b) 3

c) 4 d) 5

Q.16. “ World Tuberculosis Day” is observed

across the world on

a) 24th March b) 25th March

c) 26th March d) 27th March

Q.17. “Imagining India: Ideas for the new

century” is the book written by

a) Khushwant Singh b) Nandan Nilekani

c) J.L. Nehru d) Rajiv Chawla

Q.18. The capital of Spain is

a) Madrid b) Paris

c) Nyapi Daw d) Cantabria

Q.19. Who among the following has become

fast woman president of India Journdist

Association?

a) chistina legarde

b) Aditi Khanna

c) Margrat Chan

d) poonam Kheterpal singh

Q.20. Recently, Royal Mail in Britain issued a

postage stamp of Noor Inayat khan ,was war

heroine of

a) WWI b) WWII

c) Indo-Pak War d) Sino-indo war

Q. 21. Which of the following Faundtion

launched AQUATM ( a water Vending

Machine ) In Mumbai .

a) Tata b) Amul

c) Vedenta d) Reliance

Q. 22. Adolfo Suarez Who died recently, was

first elected prime minister of ______.

a) Italy b) Spain .

c) Germany d) Israel

Q.23. Who among the following has won G.D.

Birla Award 2013?

a) Rajan Gopakumar

b) Rakesh Kumar

c) Rajan Gupta

.d) Suresh Kumar

Q. 24. Who among the following

Mathematician has won Abel Price 2014?

a) Yakov Sinai b) R.S. Aggarwal .

c) Vijay sinha d) R.S. Mother

Q. 25. World sparrow Day has been obsaved

an

a) 19 March b) 20 March

c) 23 March d) 24 March