current affairs monthly april 2016

8/17/2019 Current Affairs Monthly April 2016

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THINKERz Current Affairs

THINKERz SCO: 40-41, 1st FLOOR, LEELA BHAWAN, PATIALA.

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THINKERz India, US ink MoU for setting up LIGO observatory i n India

India has signed a memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United States for setting up Laser InterferometerGravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) in India. LIGO is a large-scale physics experiment and observatory to detectgravitational waves. The MoU was signed in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the NuclearSecurity Summit in Washington.facts -.The agreement was signed between the US’s National Science Foundation (NSF) and India’s Department of Atomic

Energy (DAE) and Department of Science and Technology (DST).. As part of the agreement, the scientists of DAE, DST and NSF will form a Joint Oversight Group (JOG) for better

coordination of the project.

4th Nuclear Security Summit begins in WashingtonThe fourth edition of Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) began in Washington, United States to discuss a gamut of issuespertaining to nuclear security. In this edition of summit, heads of about 53 countries and representatives of five international

organisations including the UNO, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), European Union (EU), Interpol are taking part.India is being represented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the two-day summit. The fourth summit is the last summitunder the current format and also under the presidency of Barack Obama.The idea of Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) was mooted by the US President Barack Obama in 2009 and the first summitwas held in 2010 in Washington.

Banks adopt new rate formula Consumer loans became cheaper with banks moving to a new way of setting lending rates following RBI’s diktat to ensure

faster and effective transmission of its policy rate cuts to borrowers. A number of banks, including ICICI, Bank of India, IDBI today joined their peers like SBI, HDFC Bank and Axis Bank

to make a shift to lending rates based on marginal cost of funds.

Other banks that have adopted new methodology for calculating lending rates include Kotak Mahindra Bank, YesBank and Oriental Bank of Commerce.

Banking major SBI, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, among others would move to new methodology for setting lending ratesfrom April 1.

RBI had asked banks to price fixed rate loans of up to three years based on marginal cost of funds from April 1.

Flipkart acquires mobil e payments firm PhonePeIndia’s homegrown e-commerce giant Flipkart has acquired a Bengaluru-based mobile payments company PhonePe for anundisclosed sum. PhonePe has been co-founded by ex-Flipkart employees Sameer Nigam and Rahul Chari. After theacquisition, the mobile payments company will function as an independent business unit.

Shiva Thapa wins Silver medal at Asian/Oceania Qualifying event in China Ace Indian boxer Shiva Thapa has won the silver medal at the Asian/Oceania Qualifying Tournament held in Qian’an, Chinain the 56 Kilogram category final In the final match, he lost to Thailand’s Chatchai Butdee by 0-3 score who won the gold

medal.

Haryana Assembly passes bills for mandaotry educational criteria for urban local bodies elections The Haryana

Legislative Assembly has unanimously passed two bills to make minimum educational qualification criteria mandatory for theurban local bodies election (ULBs). These bills are (i) The Haryana Municipal (Amendment) Bill, 2016 (ii) Haryana MunicipalCorporation (Amendment) Bill, 2016.These bill seeks to amend the amend Section 13 A of the Haryana Municipal Act, 1973 and Section 8 of the HaryanaMunicipal Corporation Act, 1994 respectively.Key features-.Minimum educational qualification for a candidate contesting ULBs election in the general category would be

Class X i.e. matriculation.- Female candidate from open category and a male candidate from Scheduled Caste (SC) will be required to be at least 8thstandard pass..Minimum educational qualification for SC women candidates will be 5th standard pass..-Candidate should not be convicted or have charges framed against him in a criminal case by a court for an offencepunishable with imprisonment for not less than 10 years.-There should be no pending arrears of electricity bills against the candidate contesting the elections to ULBs. Candidatesmust have a functional toilet at their residence

Bihar Assembly Passes Liquor Ban Bill

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THINKERz The Bihar Assembly on 30 March unanimously passed the Bihar Excise (Amendment) Bill 2016 to enforce the ban on

country made liquor from 1 April 2016. The 1915 liquor Bill was amended to incorporate stricter penal provisions, includingdeath sentence, for manufacturers and distributors of illicit liquor in the event of a hooch tragedy.

World Autism Awareness Day – April 2

World Autism Awareness Day on 2 April is aimed at raising awareness about the condition. Every year on this day,thousands of iconic landmarks, skyscrapers, schools, businesses and homes across the world shine bright blue lights inhonour of the millions of people affected by autism.

PM Narendra Modi conferred Saudi Arabia’s highest civilian honour

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred Saudi Arabia’s highest civilian honour - the King Abdulaziz Sash. Theprestigious award was bestowed upon Indian Prime Minister by incumbent Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz at the

Royal Court.

West Indies wins 2016 ICC T-20 Cricket World Cup

West Indies has won the ICC Cricket World Men’s T-20 Cup 2016 by defeating England by 4 wickets in the final matchplayed at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. In the final match, England batting first had scored 155 runs for 9 wickets. West Indiessuccessfully chased the target by scoring 161 runs in 19.4 over at the loss of 4 wickets. With this win, West Indies becamethe only team to win the ICC World Twenty20 title twice. Earlier it had won its first title in 2012 by defeating Sri Lanka.Captains of the two teams West Indies: Darren Sammy.

England: Eoin Morgan. Awards. Player of the match: Marlon Samuels (West Indies).. Player of the series: Virat Kohli (India).

India ranks 6th in 2015 top-10 manufacturers lis t: UNIDO report

India has been ranked sixth among the world’s Top-Ten largest manufacturing countries in the United Nations IndustrialDevelopment Organization (UNIDO) 2015 Yearbook report. In this edition of report India has jumped by three positions tosixth position compared to earlier ninth position in the previous report.

Top 5: China, United States, Japan, Germany and South Korea. Indonesia was placed at the bottom at the tenthposition.UNIDO It is a specialized agency in the United Nations and is member of the United Nations Development Group(UNDG). It is headquartered in Vienna, Austria.

Novak Djokovic wins 2016 Miami Open Title World Number One tennis player Novak Djokovic from Serbia has won the 2016 Miami Open Title in the men’s singles

category. In the final match played on outdoor hard courts at the Tennis Centre at Crandon Park Florida, US, he defeated KeiNishikori (Japan) by 6-3, 6-3 score.

Nico Roseberg wins 2016 Bahrain Grand Prix Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg from Germany has won the 2016 Gulf Air Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix held at BahrainInternational Circuit in Manama. Bahrain Grand Prix title race was the second race of the 2016 season of Formula One inwhich total 11 teams had participated. It was Rosberg’s overall sixteenth championship title of F1 in his career and the

second win in the 2016.

Cyprian Kotut wins 40th Paris marathon 2016 Cyprian Kotut (23) from Kenya has won the 40th edition of the 2016 Paris marathon held on 3 April 2016 in the men’s

category. He finished the 35km race in an official time of 2hr 07min 10sec. Gebretsadik Abraha (Ethopia) finished the race atthe second position The women’s title was won by Visiline Jepkesho (Kenya). She completed the race in 2hr 25 min 52sec

ahead of Ethiopian pair Gulume Chala (2nd position) and Dinknesh Tefera (3rd position).

Former Italy coach, AC Milan player Cesare Maldini passes away

Former AC Milan FC defender and Italy coach Cesare Maldini passed away. He was 84. He was known for commanding andrespected defender with good technique and passing range. He was also known for his leadership, consistency, and tactical

versatility, as well as his discipline and class, both on and off the pitch.

Renowned journalist Babu Bharadwaj passes away



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THINKERz Veteran journalist and writer Babu Bharadwaj passed away due to cardiac arrest in Kozhikode, Kerala. He was 68. As a

journalist, he was part of prominent print and television media in Kerala.

Ahmed Naji to receive PEN/Barbey Freedom to Wri te Aw ard Ahmed Naji, an imprisoned Egyptian author and journalist is being given thePEN/Barbey Freedom to Wri te Award ,

presented by PEN America.

Bhartiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam appoints Kallol Roy as new CMD

Kallol Roy, an expert in nuclear reactor, appointed as the new chairman and managing director (CMD) of Bhartiya NabhikiyaVidyut Nigam Ltd (BHAVINI), which is building 500 Mw prototype fast breeder reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam near Chennai.Nifty launches new index for mid and small cap stocks The National Stock Exchange (NSE) added a new index to its broad market indices —Nifty Mid Smallcap 400 — torepresent the mid and small market capitalisation segments.The new index will comprise of 400 companies which are the

constituents of Nifty Midcap 150 and Nifty Smallcap 250 indices.

India expects $500M AIIB loan for solar power projects in 2016 India is hopeful of receiving the first loan issued by the newly formed Asian Infrastruc ture Investment Bank (AIIB) in the

second half of the year. The country is looking for funds on lower interest rates for its ambitious solar power project thatintends to scale the capacity to 100 gigawatts by 2022.The loan amount is expected to be approximately $500 million. The AIIB, headquartered in Beijing, without specificallycommenting on Indian loan, reiterated its president Jin Liqun statement that the lender bank was developing a project

pipeline in a number of countries.

India becomes four th largest spender on defence India has become the world’s fourth largest spender on defence, following a 13.1% increase in its 2016-17 defence budget,according to US research firm IHS Inc.

“Vidyut PRAVAH” App for common people to demand power Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal and New & Renewable Energy launched a mobile application ‘Vidyut

PRAVAH- Electricity, Price Availability and Highlights’. The mobile application provides highlights of the power availability in

the country on real time basis. The Web application can be accessed through vidyutpravah.in. The mobile version will befreely available for download from the Playstore for both Android and iPhones

Maharashtra first state to join National Cancer Grid

In a major step towards improvement of infrastructure for cancer cure, Maharashtratied up with the Tata Trusts to link allgovernment colleges and medical colleges to the national cancer grid for uniform cancer profiling and qualitytreatment. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Tata Trusts chairman Ratan Tata signed a memorandum ofunderstanding (MoU) for this collaboration at Vidhan Bhavan in Mumbai.

Nuclear Security Summit 2016 : Points to Note Nuclear Security Summit 2016 took place in Washington DC on April 1st, 2016. Leaders include Indian Prime MinisterNarendra Modi, British Prime Minister David Cameron, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President FrançoisHollande, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, Argentine President Mauricio Macri, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto,Chinese President Xi Jinping, Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and

South Korean President Park Geun-hye attended the Summit.

World Leaders underline the importance of the Convention on Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and its 2005 Amendment and the International Convention on the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism and will continue to

work toward their universalization and full implementation. Reaffirm the commitment to our shared goals of nuclear disarmament, nuclear non-proliferation and peaceful use of

nuclear energy.

Arvind Kejriwal launched Phase I of Green Delhi ini tiati ve

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal launched the first phase of the Green Delhi initiative by planting trees at the TriangularPark near ITO Chowk. The plan deals with steps to improve air quality in the National Capital Region. The initiative waslaunched in line with a detailed action plan submitted by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government to the Supreme Court after

it demanded information on steps being taken to improve air quality and reduce air pollution in the Capital.

Chandigarh Becomes First Kerosene-Free City

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THINKERz For the first time, a city has been declared kerosene free with sale of subsidised cooking and lighting fuel being stopped in

Chandigarh from 1 April completely. The Petroleum Ministry with the help of Chandigarh Administration has been working forthe last few months to make Chandigarh ‘a Kerosene Free City

Architect Zaha Hadid passes away

The most successful female architect of all time, Zaha Hadid, CEO of Zaha Hadid Architects, died at teh age of 65, from aheart attack in Miami. Also nicknamed “Queen of the curve,” . In 2016, she became the first woman awarded (in her own

right) with a Royal Institute of British Architects’ Gold Medal.

IISc ranked India’s top university in first NIRF Survey

The Indian Institute of Sciences (IISc), Bangaluru was adjudged as the best Indian university in the first National InstitutionalRanking Framework (NIRF). NIRF Survey was the first of its kind of indigenous ranking framework for higher educationinstitutions in the country. It was launched by the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development in September 2015.Top 5 universitiesIndian Institute of Science, Bangalore (Score: 91.81)Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai (87.58)Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi (86.45)University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad (85.45)Tezpur University, Tezpur, Assam (84.31)Top 5 management institutesIndian Institute of Management, Bangalore (Score: 93.04)

Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (89.1)Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (87.45) Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow (86.12)Indian Institute of Management, Udaipur (84.22)Top 5 engineering institutes

Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (Score: 89.41)Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (87.66)Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (83.91)Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (82.02)Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (81.07)Top 5 Pharmacy Institutions

Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, ManipalUniversity Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, ChandigarhJamia Hamdard, New Delhi

Poona College of Pharmacy, PuneInstitute of Pharmacy, Nirma University, Ahmedabad

World’s first White Tiger Safari opens in Madhya Pradesh

World’s first White Tiger Safari was inaugurated at Mukundpur in Satna district of Madhya Pradesh. It was inaugurated andopened to public by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The first of its kind safari is situated adjacent tothe Mukundpur Zoological Park. It is spread over an area of 25 hectares and has been built at cost of 50 crore rupees.

Vietnam Police Chief Tran Dai Quang sworn in as 9th President Tran Dai Quang has sworn in as the ninth President of Vietnam after he was elected by country’s National Assembly. He

succeeds Truong Tan Sang and shall have term of five years. He was elected as President after he had secured 91.5%votes i.e. 452 valid votes out of the total 494 members of the unicameral house.

Renowned Jazz saxophonist Gato Barbieri passes away Renowned Latin jazz saxophonist Leandro Gato Barbieri passed away in New York, US due to pneumonia. He was 83. Hehad won a Grammy Award for best instrumental composition for his music for Last Tango In Paris in 1973.

Mehbooba Mufti sworn in as first w oman Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti Sayeed (56) took oath as the first woman Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, bringing to an end thethree-month Governor’s Rule in the state. She was administered oath to the office by Governor NN Vohra at Raj Bhawan inthe winter capital city of Jammu. Along with her 22 member council of ministers from BJP-PDP alliance also took oath. BJP

leader Nirmal Singh took oath as Deputy Chief Minister of the state.Background- After the death of then CM Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on 7 January 2016 due to ill health, the stategovernment of J&K had lapsed. Since then it was under the Governor’s rule. The PDP-BJP coalition has 56 MLAs in the 87-



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THINKERz member J&K Assembly. The PDP have 27 members while BJP have 25.

Rajiv Gauba takes over as Secretary of Urban Development Minis try Rajiv Gauba took over as Secretary to the Government of India in the Ministry o f Urban Development. Gauba has wide-ranging experience in senior positions at policy making and programme implementation in the Central and State

Governments and in international organisations. Hailing from Punjab, the 1959 born Gauba is a physics graduate from PatnaUniversity. He was Chief Secretary, Jharkhand for 15 months before joining the central government today.

Bhartiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam appoints Kallol Roy as new CMD Kallol Roy, an expert in nuclear reactor, appointed as the new chairman and managing director (CMD) of Bhartiya NabhikiyaVidyut Nigam Ltd (BHAVINI), which is building 500 Mw prototype fast breeder reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam near Chennai.

PM Narendra Modi launches Stand up India scheme for SC/ST, women

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the Stand-up India scheme aimed at providing credit to Scheduled Caste (SC),Scheduled Tribe (ST), and women borrowers in the non-farm sector. The scheme is intended to promote entrepreneurshipamong SC/ST and women and further give a push to government’s financial inclusion programme. The broad features ofthe scheme-

Composite loan between 10 lakh rupees and up to 1 crore rupees will be provided to SC/ST and women and also inclusiveof working capital component for setting up any new enterprise.

-Debit Card (RuPay) for withdrawal of working capital.- Credit history of borrower to be developed of these under-banked sections of society.

- Refinance window through Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) with an initial amount of 10,000 crorerupees.

-Creation of a corpus of 5,000 crore rupees for credit guarantee through National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company(NCGTC).-Handholding support for borrowers with comprehensive support for pre loan training needs, facilitating loan, factoring,marketing etc. Web Portal for online registration and support services will be provided.-Under the scheme, 1.25 lakh bank branches will provide loans up to 1 crore rupees to SC/ST and women entrepreneurs.Thus it will help in creating 2.5 lakh entrepreneurs throughout the country

Vishwanathan Anand to be honoured w ith Hridaynath Mangeshkar Award

Five-time world chess champion Vishwanathan Anand (46) will be honoured with the Hridaynath Mangeshkar Award.Maharashtra State Governor C Vidyasagar Rao will bestow award upon him at an event to be held in Mumbai on April 12,2016. Hridaynath Mangeshkar Award Established in 2011 by Mumbai- based socio-cultural organisation Hridayesh Art in the

honour of music composer and singer Hridaynath Mangeskar. The award felicitates and recognises successful individualsacross the country from various walks of life. It carries monetary award of Rs 2 lakh and a memento.

Bihar Government imposes complete ban on alcohol

Bihar Government has taken a decision to completely ban on all types of liquor (alcohol) throughout the state including IndianMade Foreign Liquor (IMFL). Decision in this regard was taken by the state cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar inPatna. Earlier on 1st April 2016, state government had banned country made liquor in the state except IMFL in the firstphase.

DCB Bank launches India’s first Aadhaar -based ATM

DCB Bank has launched an India’s first of its kind Aadhaar -based Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) usage facility. Currently,this ATM has been placed in pilot site at DCB Bank at Peninsula Business Park, Lower Parel, Mumbai.

RBI cuts repo rate by 25 basis points to 6.5% The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cut down repo rate by 25 basis points to 6.5 per cent from 6.75 per cent, withimmediate effect. It was announced in the first bi-monthly monetary policy review of the RBI for the 2016-17 fiscal. First bi-monthly monetary policy for the 2016-17 saysRepo rate: RBI has reduced the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) by 25 basis points from 6.75 percent to 6.5 per cent. It is the rate at which RBI lends to the financial system.Cash reserve ratio (CRR): RBI has unchanged CRR and kept it at 4.0 per cent of net demand and time liabilities (NDTL).Reverse repo rate: RBI has adjusted (hiked) reverse repo rate under the LAF to 6 per cent. It is the rate at which banks can

keep excess funds with the RBI. The RBI also introduced number of measures to smoothen liquidity supply so that bankscan lend to the productive sectors.



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Apri l 5: National Marit ime Day

Every year 5th April is being observed as National Maritime Day of India. 2016 was the 53rd edition of National Maritime Dayand the theme was “Ease of doing business in the maritime sector”.

Researchers develop world’s smallest nanoscale diode Researchers have developed the world’s smallest nanoscale diode or molecular rectifier that could impact the developmentof molecular electronic devices in future. The breakthrough was achieved by the researchers from the University of Georgia

and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU). It has size of single molecule and facilitates electronic current flow in onedirection. Diodes are electronic devices that that allow current to move through it in one direction with far greater ease but notanother.

North East-ASEAN Business Summit ki cks off in Imphal

The first-ever North East-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Business Summit kicked off in Imphal, Manipurwith the focus on road connectivity, trade and tourism. The two day summit has been organized by Manipur Commerce andIndustries Department (MCID) in collaboration with the Union Ministries of External Affairs and Development of North-Eastern Region(DoNER), Indian Chamber of Commerce(ICC) and Indian Chamber of Service Industries(ICSI).

Hashim Thaci sworn in as new President of Kosovo

Hashim Thaci has sworn in as the President of Kosovo after he was elected by the parliament in March 2016. He succeeds Atifete Jahjaga. With this, he becomes fourth President of Kosovo after the European country had unilaterally declared

independence from Serbia in 2008. Prior getting elected as President he was serving as Deputy Prime Minister and ForeignMinister in the Government led by Isa Mustafa.Kosovo- It is a disputed territory and partially recognised state in Southeastern Europe after it had unilaterally declared its

independence from Serbia in February 2008

CP Gurnani appointed as Chairman of NASSCOM

The National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) has appointed CP Gurnani as its Chairman for2016-17 and Raman Roy as vice chairman for the period. Currently, Gurnani is Managing Director (MD) and Chief ExecutiveOfficer (CEO) of Tech Mahindra. He is a chemical engineer from the National Institute of Technology, Rourkela.

Former Union MoS Dr C Silvera passes away Former Union Minister of state (MoS) Dr C Silvera passed away due strokein Aizawl District, Mizoram. He was 80. He had served as Union MoS for Ministry of Health and Family Welfare from 17February 1994 to 15 September 1999. He was the first and so far the only person from Mizoram to be in the Indian Union

Council of Ministers as Minister.

3rd phase of Mission Indradhanush begins The third phase of Union Health Ministry’s universal vaccination programme Mission Indradhanush began on 7 April, 2016. It

will cover 216 Districts across several States including Bihar, Gujarat, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and UttarPradesh. Under it, children will be vaccinated against seven preventable diseases. Under the last two phases nearly 39 lakhchildren have been fully immunised across the country.

Sigurdur Ingi Johannsson named as new PM of Iceland Iceland ruling coalition Government has named Sigurdur Ingi Johannsson (53) as the new Prime Minister after igmundurGunnlaugsson had stepped down . Prior to this, he was Agriculture and Fisheries Minister (since 2013) and deputy leader ofthe Progressive Party of the Ireland. Earlier from May 2013 to December 2014 he also had served as Minister for theEnvironment and Natural Resources.

Foundation stone for Haryana’s first Horticulture University laid in Karnal Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Radha Mohan Singhlaid the foundation stone of Haryana State University ofHorticultural Sciences at Karnal. It is the first Horticulture University in the state that will cater the needs to support the gapbetween research, teaching and extension activities in the state.

Apri l 7: World Health Day Every year World Health Day (WHD) is being observed on 7 April to disseminate knowledge and awareness about human

health. The day focuses on increasing life expectancy by adding good health to the lives of people and promoting healthierliving habits across the globe. 2016 theme: “Beat Diabetes”. World Health Organisation (WHO) is marking its annual World Health Day (7 April), to celebrate Organization’s founding in



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THINKERz 1948 on this day in the first World Health Assembly.

India wins 2016 Asian Nations Cup Chess tournament Indian men have won the 2016 Asian Nations Cup Chess tournament by defeating Vietnam in the final round by 3-1 scoreplayed in Abu Dhabi. In the final round match, Indian Grandmasters S P Sethuraman and K Sasikiran won on the 2nd and

4th boards while, B Adhiban and Vidit Santosh Gujrathi drew their respective matches on top and 3rd boards

Odisha Govt Launched Adarsh Vidyalaya Project

The Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on 5 April launched Odisha Adarsh Vidyalaya (OAV) project at Sasan Ambagaonvillage in his home constituency Hinjli in Ganjam district. The project seeks to provide modern schools on the lines ofKendriya Vidyalayas in the underdeveloped rural areas of the State. The project will be implemented in phases and in thefirst phase 100 such schools will start functioning on 5 April 2016.

Sharad Agarwal appointed as head of Lamborghini India Pvt. Ltd

Lamborghini India Pvt. Ltd has appointed Sharad Agarwal as its country head with immediate effect. In his new role, Agarwalwill oversee the functions of sales, marketing, after sales and network development of the company. He was previously thehead of Field Force for Audi India.

Sri Lanka announces resumptio n of Chinese Colombo Port City project

Sri Lankan Government has formally announced the resumption of work on the stalled Chinese Colombo Port City project.The announcement was made in the Joint Statement by China and Sri Lanka at the conclusion of the official state visit ofPrime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to Beijing

Lee Chong Wei wins 2016 Malaysian Open title of Badminton

Malaysia’s badminton star Lee Chong Wei has won2016 Malaysian Open title in the men’s single category. In the final heldat Kuala Lumpur, Lee defeated Chen Long (world number 1) of China in straight games 21-13, 21-8 in a match that lasted 42minutes. It was Chong Wei’s overall 11th Malaysia Open title after having won in 2004, 2005, 2006 and consecutively fr om2008-2014.

NASA’s Kepler spacecraft goes into emergency mode NASA’s Kepler spacecraft has gone into emergency mode (EM) some 75 million miles from Earth. The lowest operational

mode EM of the spacecraft was discovered during a scheduled contact for undertaking microlensing observing campaign.

Initial indications shows that Kepler had entered EM before mission operations began the manoeuvre to orient the spacecraftto point towards the centre of the Milky Way. Kepler spacecraft hunts for Earth-like planets orbiting other stars. It waslaunched in March 2009. Since its launch, the mission has been incredibly successful and has led to finding of more than1,000 alien planets of which half are exoplanets to be ever discovered

Ukrainian PM Arseniy Yatsenyuk resigns Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk announced his resignation in the wake of a months-long political crisis. Hisresignation was approved by the President Petro Poroshenko and has selected Parliament speaker Volodymyr Groysman toassume the Prime Minister post.

IIT- Kharagpur w ins National IP Award

The IIT (Indian Institute of Technology)-Kharagpur has won the National Intellectual Property (IP) Award in the academicinstitutes category. The institute will be awarded the prize Top Academic Institute for Patents 2016 by the Union Ministry of

Commerce and Industry on the occasion of World IP Day i.e. 26 April 2016.

Pakistan, China launch joint air force training exercise Shaheen

Pakistan and China have launched a joint bilateral air force exercise named Shaheen (Eagle) 5 in Pakistan. This is the fifthedition of such drill between the two countries that will take place from April 9 to 30, 2016. This edition of exercise seeks toboost bilateral relations between all-weather friends China and Pakistan. For its part Pakistan wants to upgrade its air force,now dependent on a mostly outmoded fleet of US, French and Chinese fighter jets.

UN to observe 125th birth anniversary of Ambedkar

For the first time, United Nations (UN) will observe the birth anniversary of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, father of the IndianConstitution on April 13, 2016, a day before his date of birth. The main focus of this observance will be on combating



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THINKERz inequalities to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The 125th birth anniversary Dr. Ambedkar will be

commemorated at the UN headquarters in New York by the Permanent Mission of India to the UN, in association with theKalpana Saroj Foundation and Foundation For Human Horizon.

Saudi Arabia and Egypt to build br idge over the Red Sea

Saudi Arabia and Egypt have decided to build bridge connecting each other over the Red Sea to boost trade and commerce.In this regard, Saudi Arabi has announced that an agreement has been reached with Egypt. The announcement was madeby Saudi Arabia’s king Salman during his official state visit to Egypt. However it was not mentioned where the bridge would

be built.

Union Government cons titutes B B Tandon Committee to monitor Government Advertisements The Union Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry has constituted a three-member Committee to see that guidelines setfor government advertisements by the Supreme Court are followed. The committee will be headed by the former Chief

Election Commissioner (CEC) B B Tandon. Senior TV journalist Rajat Sharma and ad-man Piyush Pandey will be the othertwo members of the committee.

Sajibu Cheiraoba festival celebrated in Manipur with religious fervor

The traditional festival of Sajibu Cheiraoba was celebrated in Manipur to mark the beginning of a new year with cultural gustoand religious fervor. The festival is mainly observed on the first lunar day of the lunar month Sajibu (March/April) by theMeiteis community, a majority ethnic group of Manipur

Rajasthan becomes the first state to pass land titl e Bill Rajasthan state assembly passed the Rajasthan Urban Land (Certification of Titles) Bills, 2016 for providing statutorybacking to land records With this Rajasthan has become the first state to pass land title bill for effectively guaranteeing landand property ownership.

Veteran journalist Yogendra Bali passes away

Veteran journalist and author Yogendra Bali passed away in New Delhi after a brief illness. He was 86. In his long journalisticcareer, Bali had served The Times of India as its roving correspondent till retirement.

WTO cuts 2016 global t rade forecast to 2.8%

The World Trade Organization (WTO) has revised its 2016 global trade updated forecast for 2016 downward by more thanone percentage point to 2.8% from 3.9%. The main reasons for cutting the forecast rate is slowdown in China and broadmarket volatility that continues to threaten growth.

India, South Korea ink MoU for cooperation and mutual assistance in development of Ports

India and South Korea have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation and mutual assistance indevelopment of ports. It was signed by Union Road, Transport and Highways and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari and South

Korea Oceans and Fisheries Minister Kim Young Suk in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

MasterCard CEO Ajay Banga appointed as member of US cybersecurity body

US President Barack Obama has nominated MasterCard’s Indian-American CEO Ajay Banga as a member of theCommission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity. Mr. Banga is one of the 10 members of the Commission which alsoincludes General Keith Alexander former Director of the top US spying body National Security Agency (NSA). Thecommission was established in February 2016 to make detailed recommendations to strengthen cybersecurity in both thepublic and private sectors while protecting privacy, ensuring public safety and economic and national security.

India, US to collaborate on tackling offshore tax evasion India and United States (US) have agreed to enhance collaboration on tackling offshore tax evasion and increase co-operation in sharing of cross-border tax information. Decision in this regard was taken at the 6th US-India Economic andFinancial Partnership meeting held in Washington on the sidelines of the annual Spring Meeting of the IMF and the WorldBank. It was co-chaired by the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and US Treasury Secretary Jacob and a joint statementwas issued.

PM Narendra Modi inaugurates Maritime India Summi t 2016

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Maritime India Summit 2016 in Mumbai, Maharashtra. This is India’s first ever

Maritime Summit and the flagship event organised by Union Ministry of Shipping. Key facts The first of its kind two daysummit (from April 14 to 16, 2016) will be held at the Bombay Convention and Exhibition Centre in Goregaon, Mumbai. South



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THINKERz Korea is the partner country for the summit and will be represented by a high level ministerial and business delegation.

PM Narendra Modi launches Gram Uday Se Bharat Uday Abh iyan Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched ‘Gram Uday Se Bharat Uday Abhiyan’ (Village Self Governance Campaign) to

strengthen Panchayati Raj in villages and ensure social harmony in villages. It was launched on the occasion of 125th birth

anniversary of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar at his birthplace at Mhow, Madhya Pradesh.

India world’s largest remittance recipient in 2015:

World Bank As per recently report of World Bank, India remained the world’s largest remittance recipient in 2015. It wasrevealed by the World Bank’s annual report Migration and Development Brief. In 2015, India attracted about 69 billion US

dollars in remittances, down from 70 billion in 2014 .Other large remittance recipients in 2015 were China (64 billion dollars),Philippines (28 billion), Mexico (25 billion) and Nigeria (21 billion dollar).

India ranks 44th in 2016 Global Connectivity Index India ranked 44th with total score of 30 among 50 different countries in the 2016 Global Connectivity Index (GCI) reportcompiled by Chinese telecom giant Huawei. The GCI analyzes the full spectrum of measurements for connectivity andprovides a detailed map of the global digital economy. The index benchmarks 50 countries on the basis of its ICTinfrastructure including broadband, data centers, cloud services, big data and IoT in the scale ranging from 0 to 100. These50 countries, account for 90 percent of global GDP.Top 10 countries in 2016 GCI: United States (score-74), Singapore (72), Sweden (70), Switzerland (68), United Kingdom(65), Denmark (64), South Korea (63), Netherlands (63) and Japan (62).

BRICS Comparison: China (Rank-23, Score-44), Russia (26, 43), Brazil (30, 39), South Africa (21, 39) and India (44, 30).India’s Neighbours: Pakistan (Rank-50, Score-21), China (23, 44) and Bangladesh (49, 23).

Nauru becomes 189th member of IMF, World Bank

The Republic of Nauru, a tiny South Pacific island nation in Pacific Ocean became the 189th member of the InternationalMonetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank i.e. Bretton-Woods institutions. Nauru had applied for membership in the Washington-based IMF and World Bank in April 2014. Its initial subscription quota for IMF will be of SDR (Special Drawing rights) 2million or about $2.81 million. It will be the second smallest member of the Fund, after Tuvalu.

Sushila Karki: First female Chief Justice of Nepal’s Supreme Court

The Constitutional Council of Nepal has selected Justice Sushila Karki (63) for the post of Chief Justice (CJ) of the SupremeCourt of the country. With this selection she will become 26th chief justice of the apex court and the first female CJ in Nepal’shistory.

India, Germany sign Implementation Agreement on Ganga Rejuvenation

India and Germany have signed an Implementation Agreement for Ganga Rejuvenation under the Namami GangeProgramme in New Delhi. It was signed between the Union Ministry of Water Resources and German International

Cooperation (GIZ) of Germany.

Viswanathan Anand conferred with 2016 Hridaynath Mangeskar Award

Five-time world chess champion Vishwanathan Anand (46) was honoured with the 2016 Hridaynath Mangeshkar Award. Hewas presented with award by the Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao in Mumbai on the occasions of celebrations of25th anniversary of the Hridayesh Arts which gives the awards. He was selected for the award for his contributions to thegame of Chess by becoming five-time world champion. With this he became first sports personality to receive this prestigiousaward.

Dogri Poetess Padma Sachdev selected for 2015 Saraswati Samman Dogri Poetess and novelist Padma Sachdev (76) has been chosen for the prestigious Saraswati Samman for the year 2015.She has been chosen for her autobiography ‘Chitt-Chete’ written in Dogri language and published in 2007. Saraswati Samman is an annual award bestowed upon Indian citizen for his outstanding literary work written in any Indianlanguage mentioned in Schedule VIII of Constitution and published during last 10 years. It has been named after an Indiangoddess of learning and is considered to be among the highest literary awards in India. Established: 1991 by the K. K. BirlaFoundation.

England Cricketer James Taylor announces retirement from International Cricket



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THINKERz England batsman James Taylor has announced his retirement from all forms of International cricket at the age of 26 due to ill

health. He has been diagnosed with Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC) which needs an operation tohis Heart.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan wins 2016 Global Indian of the Year award

Bollywood Actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was awarded the 2016 Global Indian of the Year award at the NRI of the Yearaward function held in Mumbai. Besides her, Indian star tennis player Sania Mirza was also honoured at the 2016 NRI of theYear Award.

Global Tiger population inc reased for the first time in 100 years by 22%: WWF & GTF

According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Global Tiger Forum (GTF), the global tiger population has increased by22 per cent after a century of constant decline. The number of wild tigers across the globe has gone up globally by 22 percent to 3,890, from the 2010 estimate of 3,200. The data was based on national estimates of countries reported by the

International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).Tiger population in different countries: India (2226), Russia (433), Indonesia (371), Malaysia (250), Nepal (198), Thailand(189), Bangladesh (106) and Bhutan (103).

India Signed MoU with South Korea To Develop PortsIndia and South Korea have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation and mutual assistance indevelopment of ports. Union Road, Transport and Highways and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari and South Korea Oceansand Fisheries Minister Kim Young Suk signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 13 April 2016 in Mumbai.

Ex-army ch ief JJ Singh gets highest French ci vilian honour Former Indian Army Chief General (retd) JJ Singh was conferred with the prestigious Officer of the Legion of Honour, thehighest French civilian distinction. He was conferred the honour by French Ambassador to India, Francois Richier in NewDelhi.

12 April: International Day of Human SpaceEvery year 12th April is being observed as the International Day of Human Space Flight to commemorate the date of the firsthuman space flight in the history of mankind. On this day in 1961, Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet Union (USSR) cosmonaut

undertook first successful first human space flight. This historic event opened the way for space exploration for the benefit ofall humanity.

Federal Bank launches campus wallet for students

Federal Bank ties up with Chillar Payment Solutions Pvt. Ltd., a technology driven start-up company to promote the start-up’s technology product – ‘Campus Wallet‘. This is a student Identity Card integrated with banking technology.

Campus Wallet is a futuristic ID card that facilitates students to make petty payments within their school/college campuswithout opening a bank account.

Anthony Joshua Wins International Boxing Federation Tit le

Anthony Joshua won the International Boxing Federation heavyweight title in London with a second-round knockoutof Charles Martin. Joshua put Martin on the canvas twice in the second round to record his 16th knockout in all 16professional fights he has contested. Joshua, the 2012 Olympic gold medallist, captured his first world title in only his 16thprofessional fight.

Danny Willett won 2016 US Masters golf championship

Danny Willett claimed a shock Masters win with a superb five-under-par 67 as 2015 champion Jordan Spieth crumbled

during a thrilling final round. The Englishman, 28, won his first major by three shots on five under to become the first Britishvictor in 20 years. Overnight leader Spieth, 22, led by five shots as he approached the 10th at Augusta, but the American

dramatically dropped six shots in three holes. He ended with a one-over 73, tying for second with England’s LeeWestwood. Despite being born and raised as a Yorkshireman, Willett left Sheffield to play two seasons of golf in America.

Woman biker Veenu Paliwal dies in road accident One of India’s top women bikers, Veenu Paliwal, died in a road accident in Vidishadistrict in Madhya Pradesh. Paliwal, 44,was on a nationwide tour on her Harley Davidson when the accident took place. She was undertakingthe Kashmir toKanyakumari trip with fellow biker and companion Dipesh Tanwar. The two started their journey fromLucknow early in the morning for Bhopal on separate Harley Davidson bikes.



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THINKERz Bharti Airtel get payments bank licence from RBI

Airtel M Commerce Services Ltd (AMSL), a unit of Bharti Airtel Ltd, said it secured a payments bank licence. Payments

banks will offer basic savings, deposit, payment and remittance services to people without access to the formal bankingsystem. Bharti Airtel will set up the payments bank in partnership with Kotak Mahindra Bank, which holds 19.9% stake in AMSL.

Kohli becomes brand ambassador of Futsal league Virat Kohli has joined the recently-announced Premier Futsal football league as its brand ambassador.Premier Futsal was

launched amid much fanfare last week and Kohli, who has been the face of Indian Cricket over the last few years, will nowlend his name to Futsal, the newer, shorter 5-a-side variant of soccer.

Supercomputer ‘Param Kanchenjunga’ Unveiled at NIT Sikkim The supercomputer, named ‘Param Kanchenjunga’, was formally unveiled by Sikkim Governor Shrinvas Patil at the National

Institute of Technology (NIT) Sikkim campus at Ravangla in South Sikkim District. It has been named after Kangchenjungamountain, the third highest mountain in the world which lies partly in Nepal and partly in Sikkim. Param Kanchenjunga hasbeen jointly developed by Pune-based Centre for Development of Advanced Computing ‘C-DAC’ and the NIT Sikkim at acost of three crore rupees. The supercomputer is expected to help achieve excellence in research and engineering educationin the north-east region.

Panagarh Airbase Renamed In Honour of Arjan Singh Panagarh Air Force Base of West Bengal was renamed as Air Force Station Arjan Singh on 16 April 2016. This can be

termed as a rare honour to the nation’s oldest soldier Marshal of Air Force Arjan Singh. It was renamed on the occasion of93rd birthday of Arjan Singh. Air Officer Commander-in-Chief of the Eastern Air Command, Air Marshal C. Harikumarunveiled the rechristening plaque. This is first time in India’s defence history, a military installations has been named afterindividuals, especially when they are alive.

Delhi Ranked 44th Among World’s 50 Future-Ready Cities

National Capital of India, Delhi has been ranked 44th among the world’s 50 ‘future-ready economies cities’ that areembracing technology for growth. The list is topped by San Jose, followed by San Francisco, Singapore, London,Washington DC, etc. It was revealed by the recently released report ‘Future-Ready Economies Model’ by the Information

Technology major Dell.

Google Extends Free WiFi To 10 Railway Stations

The search engine giant Google has extended free internet service through WiFi to 10 railway stations across the country to

provide internet to over 1.5 million people. The free internet service was extended as part of Google’s tie up with Railtel, theinternet provider arm of Indian Railways. After the first launch at Mumbai Central last year, the high speed wirelessbroadband service now covers stations in Pune, Bhubaneshwar, Bhopal, Ranchi, Raipur, Vijayawada, Kacheguda(Hyderabad), Ernakulum Jn (Kochi) and Vishakhapatnam, providing internet to over 1.5 million people.

Austral ia w ins 2016 Sul tan Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament Australia has won the 25th edition of Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament 2016 for record ninth time. In the final matchplayed at Ipoh, Australia defeated India by 4-0 goals. With this India settled at the second position and was followed by NewZealand (defending champion) at the third position. This was the second time India had finished with the silver medal inseven final appearances. Earlier, Australia had won the Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament in 1983, 1996, 2004, 2005,2007, 2011, 2013 and 2014.They also holds record of most titles win of this tournament. Final Rankings: Australia (1st rank), India (2nd), New Zealand(3rd), Malaysia (4th), Pakistan (5th), Canada (6th) and Japan (7th).

BRICS New Development Bank approves first loans for renewable energy projects

The BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) has approved its first package of loans worth 811 million dollars for fourrenewable energy projects in Brazil, China, South Africa and India. The decision to approve the first loans was approved bythe NDB board of governors on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank spring meetings inWashington DC, US.New Development Bank The New Development Bank is a multilateral bank created by BRICS nations viz. Brazil, Russia,

India, China and South Africa. It had started its operations in July 2015 with initial authorized capital of $100 billion. It isheadquartered in Shanghai, China. The goal of the bank is to fund infrastructure projects in emerging economies forsustainable development. In the NDB, each participant country has been assigned one vote, and none of the countries have



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THINKERz veto power. Renowned Indian banker Kundapur Vaman Kamath is the President (first) of NDB.

US court s laps 940 million do llars fine on two Tata group companies The federal grand jury in the US State of Wisconsin has slapped 940 million US dollars fine against two companies of India’s

Tata group – Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Tata America International Corp. They were fined in a trade secret

lawsuit filed against them by the US based electronics medical records vendor Epic Systems. The jury verdict has directedtwo companies of India’s Tata group to pay 240 million dollars to Epic Systems for ripping off its software and pay 700 milliondollars in punitive damages

Sri Lanka’s veteran spinner Rangana Herath announces retirement from T20, ODI

Veteran Sri Lankan left-arm spinner Rangana Herath (38) has announced his retirement from T20 and One Day InternationalCricket (ODI). However he will continue to play in Test matches which always have been his personal passion. He took thedecision of retiring from T20 and ODIs in order to make room for fresh talent to be groomed for the 2019 World Cup.

Nico Rosberg w ins 2016 Chinese Grand Prix

Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg from Germany has won the 2016 Chinese Grand Prix held at the Shanghai InternationalCircuit.

Jharkhand Government launches Bhimrao Ambedkar Awas Yojana for widows

Jharkhand Government has launched Bhimrao Ambedkar Awas Yojana for widows to create equality and harmony insociety, ensuring all round development enshrined in the Constitution. It was launched by Chief Minister Raghubar Das on

the occasion of 125th birth anniversary of Dr. B R Ambedkar.The scheme (Yojana) aims at building 11000 units (houses) for widows in 2016-17 financial year with the budgetaryallocation of 80 crore rupees. Under it, beneficiaries would get an amount of 75000 rupees to build a house in hilly terrainsdistricts and 70000 rupees in plains area.

Mary Kom named as AIBA ambassador for Women’s World Boxing Championship

Iconic Indian woman boxer Mary Kom has been named as the International Boxing Association (AIBA) ambassador forWomen’s World Championship. She is one of the eight ambassadors for the upcoming World Championship of AIBAscheduled from May 19 to 27, 2016 in Astana, Kazakhstan.

MC Mary Kom Her full name is Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom and belongs to Kom tribal community of the north-easternstate of Manipur. She is nicknamed Magnificent Mary. She is Five-time World Boxing champion, and the only woman boxerto have won gold medal in each one of the six world championships. She had won a bronze medal in 2012 London Olympicsin the flyweight (51 kg) category and was only Indian woman boxer to qualify for this category. She is also first Indian woman

boxer to get a Gold Medal in the 2014 Asian Games held at Incheon, South Korea. Her Autobiography: Unbreakable

Hero g roup co-founder Satyanand Munjal passes awayThe co-founder of Hero Cycles group Satyanand Munjal passed away in Ludhiana, Punjab. He was 99. He was popularly

known as ‘mahatma’ Satyanand Munjal for being devoted to several social causes related to the Arya Samaj

Maharashtra Government bans digging of bore wells beyond 200 feet

Maharashtra Government has banned digging of borewells beyond 200 feet in order to check the steep decline in groundwater level across the state. It was announced by Water Supply and Sanitation Minister Babanrao Lonikar. StateGovernment has taken this decision in the wake for severe drought and decreasing ground water level across variousregions in the state. This ban will be implemented under the Maharashtra Groundwater Development and Management Actin order to control the excess water pumping through borewell. Henceforth, digging of borewell that violates prescribed ruleswill punishable offence. The violators of the rule would now face fine or even imprisonment.

Deepak Mishra appoin ted as ADG of CRPF Senior IPS officer Deepak Mishra has been appointed as Additional Director General in the Central Reserve Police Force(CRPF). His appointment was cleared by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). He will have tenure till November 2018with effect from the date of assumption of charge of the post. Deepak Mishra is IPS officer of the 1984 batch of the ArunachalPradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre

Rafael Nadal w ins 2016 Monte Carlo Masters t itle of Tennis

Ace tennis player Rafael Nadal (World No 5) from Spain has won the 2016 Monte Carlo Rolex Masters title of Tennis. In thefinal match he defeated Gael Monfils of France by 7-5, 5-7, 6-0 score. It was his overall 9th Monte Carlo Masters title and his68th win from 100 finals on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) World Tour. It was also Nadal’s 100th ATP Tour



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THINKERz final appearance and this win also helped Nadal to equal Noval Djokovic’s (World No 1) record of 28th Masters Titles

Beti Bachao Beti Padho Scheme Extended To 61 More DistrictsUnion Government has extended the Beti Bachao Beti Padho Scheme in additional 61 districts across 11 States and UnionTerritories with low Child Sex Ratio.It was announced on 19 April by the Women and Child Development Minister Maneka

Gandhi while addressing the function in New Delhi. The scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January2015 from Haryana in 100 districts of the country to address the issue of declining Child Sex Ratio.

Ceasefire w ith NSCN (IM) Extended By Another YearThe Ceasefire between the Centre and the NSCN-IM (National Socialist Council of Nagaland – Isak Muivah) has beenextended by another year i.e. till April 2017. In this regard, the ceasefire agreement was signed between the UnionGovernment and GPRN/NSCN, one of the strongest factions of Nagaland.

India Signs MoU with Mauritius For Cooperation In Traditional Medicine, Homoeopathy India has signed an MoU with Mauritius on cooperation in the field of traditional system of medicine and homoeopathy. TheMoU was signed during the recent visit of Minster of State for AYUSH (Independent Charge) and Health and Family WelfareShripad Yesso Naik to Mauritius. This MoU will promote cooperation in the field of traditional system of health and medicinebetween the two countries which already share these traditions due to our unique historical and cultural ties.

President Presented Hindi Sevi Samman Awards “President Pranab Mukherjee on 19 April presented the Hindi Sevi Samman Awards to 39 scholars in seven different

categories for the years 2012, 2013 and 2014. The awards were distributed at a function at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The HindiSevi Samman Awards were instituted by Central Hindi Institute, Agra in 1989. Fourteen scholars receive this award in sevendifferent categories every year for their contribution in the field of Hindi language and literature.”

India Ranked 133rd In 2016 World Press Freedom Index

India with a score of 43.17 was ranked 133 out of 180 countries in the 2016 World Press Freedom Index that was releasedon 20 April 2016. The Index was published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF). In 2015 Index, India with a score of 40. 49was ranked 136 out of 180 countries. The index has been topped by Finland followed by the Netherlands, Norway, Denmarkand New Zealand at second, third, fourth and fifth position respectively. At the bottom of the index lies Eritrea at 180th rank.

It is preceded by North Korea, Turkmenistan, Syria and China at 179th, 178th, 177th and 176th position respectively. Thereport has highlighted hat there has been a deep and disturbing decline in respect for media freedom at both the regionaland global levels. WPFI is compiled and produced by France-based international non-governmental organization ReportersWithout Borders (RWB), or Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF). It aims to promote and defend freedom of information and

freedom of the press. The index ranks the performance of countries according to index calculated based upon variousparameters.

Union Govt Merged Rajiv Gandhi Khel Abhiyaan with Khelo India

The Union Government has merged Rajiv Gandhi Khel Abhiyan (RGKA), launched by the UPA government, with the KheloIndia programme for development of sports. Two other sport projects, Urban Sports Infrastructure Scheme (USIS) andNational Sports Talent Search Scheme (NSTSS), launched by the Congress-led UPA regime have also been absorbedunder Khelo India. Khelo India is based on Gujarat’s model of Khel Mahakumbh, in which schools and colleges from different

parts of the country participate in about 27 disciplines. Similarly, the Sports Authority of Gujarat (SAG) organises summercamps under this project every year.

2016 Pulitzer Pri ze Winners “The 2016 Pulitzer Prizes winners were announced on 18 April 2016. The Sympathizer , a debut novel of Vietnamese

American professor Viet Thanh Nguyen has won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. While, Associated Press has won twoprestigious Pulitzer prize in Public Service for coverage for an investigation of severe labour abuses tied to the supply ofseafood to American supermarkets and restaurants.List of 2016 Pulitzer Prize Winners

Books, Drama and Music Fiction – The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen.Drama – Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda.History – Custer’s Trials: A Life on the Frontier of a New America by T.J. Stiles.

Biography – Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan,.Poetry – Ozone Journal by Peter Balakian.Music – In for a Penny, In for a Pound by Henry Threadgill.



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THINKERz Journalism

Public Service – Associated Press.Breaking News Reporting – Los Angeles Times Staff.Investigative Reporting – Leonora LaPeter Anton and Anthony Cormier of the Tampa Bay Times and Michael Braga of theSarasota Herald-Tribune.

Explanatory Reporting – Christian Miller of ProPublica and Ken Armstrong of The Marshall Project.Local Reporting – Michael LaForgia, Cara Fitzpatrick and Lisa Gartner of the Tampa Bay Times.National Reporting – The Washington Post Staff.

International Reporting – Alissa J. Rubin of The New York Times.Feature Writing – Kathryn Schulz of The New Yorker.Commentary – Farah Stockman of The Boston Globe.Criticism – Emily Nussbaum of The New Yorker. “

BCCI Appoints Rahul Johri as its First CEO “Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on 20 April appointed media professional Rahul Johri as its Chief ExecutiveOfficer (CEO). Rahul Johri, who previously served as Discovery Networks Asia Pacific’s Executive Vice-President andGeneral Manager for South Asia, will take on his new role starting 1 June 2016 onwards. The appointment of CEO of BCCIwas based on the lines of key recommendations of the three-member Justice RM Lodha Committee.”

22 April: Earth Day Every year Earth Day is being observed on the 22nd April to build support for environmental protection around the world.

This year is 46th anniversary of Earth Day. Significance of the Day: It recognises that Earth and its ecosystems provide itsinhabitants with life and sustenance. It also aims to raise awareness that humans have a collective responsibility to promoteharmony with nature and to balance the economic, social and environmental needs of present and future generations. 2016Theme: ‘Trees for the Earth!’.

Chadian President Idriss Deby wins fifth term

Chad’s incumbent President, Idriss Deby (63) has won a fifth term in office in a lopsided first-round victory. In the 2016election, Idriss Deby of Patriotic Salvation Movement (MPS) party secured the 61.56% of the vote in the first-round runoff.Opposition leader Saleh Kebzabo finished at second position with 12.80% of the vote followed by Laokein Kourayo

Mbaiherem with 10.60%

Music legend Prince passes away

Pop music superstar Prince Rogers Nelson popularly known as Prince passed away in suburban Minneapolis, United States.

He was 57.

Union Government merges Rajiv Gandhi Khel Abhi yan with Khelo India The Union Government has merged Rajiv Gandhi Khel Abhiyan (RGKA) with the Khelo India Programme for development of

sports. The RGKA was a centrally sponsored scheme launched by then Congress-led UPA government in 2014. UnionGovernment also has merged two other sport projects launched by then UPA regime viz. Urban Sports InfrastructureScheme (USIS) and National Sports Talent Search Scheme (NSTSS) under Khelo India. Khelo India Programme is based onGujarat Government’s model of Khel Mahakumbh. In it chools and colleges from different parts of the country participate inabout 27 disciplines. Even the Sports Authority of Gujarat (SAG) organises summer camps every year under this project.

Europe becomes world’s first region to end malaria: WHO Europe has become the world’s first region to wipe out Malaria, a mosquito-borne vetor disease with zero cases reported inthe year 2015. It was revealed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in its World Malaria Report 2015. Particular region

or country is declared Malaria free by WHO after it has zero locally acquired malaria cases for at least three consecutiveyears

Goa Government appoints Justice PK Mishra as Lokayukta

Goa Government has decided to appoint former Chief Justice of Patna High Court Justice P.K.Mishra as Lokayukta of thestate. It was announced by the Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar after state government obtained the concurrence of theChief Justice of Bombay High Court and the Leader of Opposition in the Goa Assembly as stipulated in the Lokayukta Act.

President’s decision is subject to judicial review: Uttarakhand HC Uttarakhand High Court has observed that the legitimacy of President’s decision to suspend the state assembly under

President’s rule is subject to judicial review. Observation in this regard was given by a HC bench comprising of Chief Justice



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THINKERz K M Joseph and Justice V K Bist. The bench was hearing arguments on the petition filed by the ousted Chief Minister Harish

Rawat challenging imposition of President’s rule in Uttarakhand.

RBL becomes first p rivate sector bank to open dedicated branch for s tartups The RBL Bank (formerly Ratnakar Bank) became the first private sector bank in India to open dedicated branch for startups.

The dedicated branch was inaugurated at Koramangala, Bengaluru by Nandan Nilekani, noted entrepreneur and formerchairman of UIDAI.RBL Bank The RBL Bank is a scheduled commercial bank headquartered in the Kolhapur, Maharashtra. Founded in August

1943, RBL is one of the oldest private sector banks in India. The Bank currently services approximately 1 million customersand has a total business size of over 20,000 Crore rupees.

Indian-American Geeta Pasi nominated as US envoy to Chad United States (US) President Barack Obama has nominated Indian- American Geeta Pasi as the country’s next envoy to

central African nation Chad. Ms. Pasi is a career member of the US Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counsellor. She hadserved as the United States Ambassador to Djibouti from 2011 to 2014.

India’s Durga Thakur Promoted as International Hockey Umpire

India’s Durga Thakur has been promoted to international outdoor umpire by the International Hockey Federation (FIH). She

was promoted following her good performance at the recently-held Hawke’s Bay Cup in Hastings, New Zealan

Indian diplomat Amitav Banerji honoured by Cyprus

Amitav Banerji, an Indian diplomat in the UK has been conferred with one of the highest awards of Cyprus for his work in anumber of senior roles within theCommonwealth Secretariat for over two decades. Banerji, 63, was presented withhisCommander of the Order of Merit at a ceremony at the Cyprus High Commission.

JK Tyres acquired Cavendish Industries for 2200 crore rupees Leading Indian tyre manufacturer JK Tyre and Industries has announced the completion of acquisition of CavendishIndustries at an enterprise value of Rs.2,200 crore. The acquisition brings three Birla tyre business undertakings housed inCavendish Industries located in Laksar , near Haridwar in Uttarakhand, into the JK Tyre fold and raises its plants count to 12 – nine in India and three in Mexico. The acquisition funded by a mix of internal accruals and debt will make Cavendish a

subsidiary of JK Tyre.

Rafael Nadal wins 2016 Barcelona Open

Ace tennis player Rafael Nadal (World No 5) from Spain has won the 2016 Barcelona Open title of Tennis. It was Nadal’s

overall 9th Barcelona Open title and 69th win from 101 finals on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) World Tour.He also has now won his first 10 matches of the European clay-court 2016 season.

24 April: National Panchayati Raj Diwas

Every year April 24 is being observed as National Panchayati Raj (PR) Diwas across India. Significance of the day: It marksthe passing of the Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992 that came into force with effect from 24 April 1993

India’s first online interactive heritage portal Sahapedia launched

The Union Government has launched India’s first online interactive heritage portal named Sahapedia was in New Delhi. Theweb portal is a collaborative knowledge resource on the arts, culture and heritage of India

23 April: World Book and Copyright DayEvery year World Book and Copyright Day is being observed on 23 April to promote reading, publishing and copyright. The

day seeks to encourage everyone and in particular young people, to discover the pleasure of reading. It also wants them togain a renewed respect for the irreplaceable contributions of those, who have furthered the social and cultural progress ofhumanity. Background The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) had created this dayand was first observed in 1995.

Mahindra became first Indian company to join EP100 campaign Automobile giant Mahindra & Mahindra has become the first Indian company to join a global energy campaign led by aninternational non-profit group that will work with the world’s most influential businesses in setting commitments to double theirenergy productivity. By signing up to ‘EP100‘ campaign led by ‘The Climate Group‘, the world’s largest manufacturer of

tractors has committed to doubling their energy productivity by 2030, a core requirement for any business signing on to thecampaign.



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THINKERz Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra will be among the dignitaries, including UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon,

French President François Hollande, President of the General Assembly Mogens Lykketoft and UN Messenger of PeaceOscar-winner Leonardo DiCaprio, who will deliver remarks at the opening of the signing ceremony

GOI notifies new rules to revamp SC/ST (Prevention of Atrociti es) Act

The Union Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry has notified new rules to give effect amended Scheduled Castes andScheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 was amended by Parliament in 2016.The amendments made stronger provisions for the protection of

Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes from atrocities against them.

Idriss Deby elected as Chadian President for the fifth time Chad’s President Idriss Deby has been re-elected for a fifth term in office in a landslide first-round victory. Mr. Déby earned61.5 percent of the votes cast on Election Day. The announcement came one day after a visit by Samantha Power, theUnited States ambassador to the United Nations, and by top American military officials that highlighted Chad’s prominence in

the fight against Islamic extremist groups like Boko Haram.

India ratifies Trade Facilitation Agreement of WTO

India has formally ratified the WTO’s (World Trade Organisation) Trade Facilitation Agreement, which aims at easing

customs procedures to boost commerce. In this regard, India’s WTO ambassador Anjali Prasad handed over the ins trumentof acceptance to WTO Director-General Roberto Azevêdo. India is the 76th WTO member to ratify the TFA. -The TFA is theWTO’s first-ever multilateral accord that aims to simplify customs regulations for the cross-border movement of goods. It was

outcome of WTO’s 9th Bali (Indonesia) ministerial package of 2013. The agreement includes provisions for

Salman Khan named as Indian contingent’s Goodwill Ambassador for 2016 Rio Olympics

Bollywood actor Salman Khan was named as the goodwill ambassador of the Indian contingent for the upcoming Olympics tobe held in August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This is the first time when a Bollywood superstar has been chosen as agoodwill ambassador for the Indian contingent at the Olympics.

President nominates 6 eminent members to Rajya Sabha President Pranab Mukherjee has nominated of six eminentmembers to Rajya Sabha as per the provisions of Article 80 of the Constitution. These nominated members areMary Kom: Legendary boxer and Olympic bronze medallist. She belongs to the Sino-Tibetan speaking Kom tribe of Manipur.

She is five-time World Amateur Boxing champion, and the only woman boxer to have won a medal in each one of the sixworld championships. In 2014, she became the first Indian woman boxer to get a gold medal in the Asian Games in Incheon,South Korea.

Narendra Jadhav: He is renowned economist and former member of the erstwhile National Advisory Council (2010-14) andPlanning Commission (2009-14). He is also the former vice-chancellor of Pune University.Suresh Gopi: He is Malayalam actor and had acted in over 200 films. He is a winner of the National Film Award andFilmfare AwardSwapan Dasgupta: He is journalist by profession. He had worked at senior editorial positions in various publications

including The Indian Express, India Today and The Times of India.Subramanian Swamy: He is BJP leader and was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1977, 1980 and 1988, and to the Rajya Sabhain 1974 and 1998.Navjot Singh Sidhu: He is cricketer-turned-politician and former two time member of Lok Sabha.

Bhupendra Kainthola appointed FTII Director

Indian Information Service (IIS) officer Bhupendra Kainthola has been appointed as Director of Film and Television Instituteof India (FTII). Kainthola will replace Prashant Pathrabe and shall have tenure of three years. He is a 1989 batch IIS officer.

Indian documentary wins bronze medal New York Festivals Miditech’s Undercover Asia: Girls for Sale has won a bronze world medal at the New York Festivals World’s Best Film & TV Awards in the Social Issues category. Undercover Asia: Girls for Sale talks about anti-trafficking activist Rishi Kant’s searchfor two minor girls, who have been abducted.

Radhika Apte wins best actress award at Tribeca Fest Bollywood actress Radhika Apte has bagged the best actress in an international narrative feature honour at this

year’s Tribeca Film Festival for her performance in anthology film ‘Madly‘. The 30-year-old actress starred in ‘Clean Shaven‘,which is a segment of ‘Madly‘. Madly is a mixture of six short stories, directed by different directors. The movie also starsSatyadeep Misra



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India replaces China as top FDI destination in 2015: FDI Intelligence Report

India has replaced China as top destination for foreign direct investment by attracting$63 billion worth FDI projects in2015. Also there was an 8 per cent increase in project numbers to 697. Major companies suchas Foxconn and SunEdison have agreed to invest in projects valued at $5 billion and $4 billion, respectively, in India in

2015. Of the top 10 destination states for FDI in 2015, India claims five places, with the top place going to Gujarat, whichattracted $12.4 billion. Maharashtra has been one of the strongest performers across the years attracting $8.3 billion,respectively, in 2015.

Google most influential brand in India, Flipkart 7th

According to the study by global research firm Ipsos, Google ranks on the top and is followedby Facebook, Gmail, Microsoft and Samsung in the top five — all of which are foreign brands. While another foreign brandWhatsApp is sixth on the India’s top 10 most influential brands, Flipkart is the top ranked Indian brand at seventh place. The

other two Indian brands on the list – SBI and Airtel – are ninth and tenth, US based Amazon is placed at number eight.

PM to launch Rs 8K cr scheme for free LPG connections to poor

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on May 1 launch an ambitious Rs 8,000 crore scheme to provide 5 crore free LPGconnections to BPL families using the money saved from 1.13 crore cooking gas users voluntarily giving up theirsubsidies. Modi will launch the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana at Ballia in Uttar Pradesh on May 1 and do a repeat functionat Dahod in Gujarat on May 15. Though ‘Give-it-Up’ campaign seeking the well-heeled to voluntarily surrender cooking gassubsidies for one year was launched in January, 2015, Modi on March 27 last year officially launched the programme.

India, France launch $1 Trillion Potential Solar Programme India and France have launched a programme with $1 trillion potential to help developing countries harness fully their solarresources for a clean energy. Power Minister Piyush Goyal and French Environment Minister Segolene Royal announcedthat the solar finance programme that aims to lower the cost of finance and facilitate the flow of more than $1 trillioninvestment to members of the International Solar Alliance (ISA).

Papa Wemba: Congo music star dies after co llapsing on stage The influential Congolese musician Papa Wemba has died aged 66 after collapsing during a concert. The musician, whose

real name was Jules Shungu Wembadio Pene Kikumba, rose to fame in the Congolese capital of Kinshasa during the 1970swith the band Zaiko Langa Langa, whose guitar-based fusion of Latin and African dance styles inspired a generation of African musicians.

25th Apri l : World Malaria Day 25th April is observed every year as World Malaria Day (WMD) to create awareness among the people about this vectorborne disease. The theme for 2016 is End Malaria For Good. This year’s theme reflects the vision of a malaria-free world setout in the Global technical strategy for malaria 2016-2030. The World Health Assembly adopted it in May 2015, the strategy

aims to dramatically lower the global malaria burden over the next 15 years. The strategy sets the target of reducing globalmalaria incidence and mortality rates by at least 90% by 2030.

India banned milk, mobile phones import from China

India has banned import of milk and milk products, certain mobile phones and a few other items from China after findingthem sub-standard or not following security codes. Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in Lok Sabha that Indiabanned import of milk and milk products from China as their quality was unacceptable.

Uber partners w ith Election Commission in Tamilnadu

Taxi operator Uber has partnered with Election Commission in Tamil Nadu to spread awareness on voting among theelectorate for the May 16 assembly polls. Uber held discussions with officials on the importance of voting and encouragingpeople to cast their vote and would collaborate with EC's Systematic Voters' Education and Electoral Participationprogramme, Uber India said in a statement.

Manoj Bajpayee To Receive Dadasaheb Phalke Award For 'Aligarh '

Renowned actor Manoj Bajpayee will be going to receive the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the movie Aligarh.The actor will receive the award in the best actor category of Critics Choice. The award will be presented on 1st of May,

2016. The movie 'Aligarh' is a biographical drama directed by Hansal Mehta and the actor Manoj Bajpayee has played a roleof Professor 'Ramchandra Siras' in it.



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India to host 2018 Commonwealth Judo Championships

India will host the 2018 Commonwealth Judo Championships in Jaipur. This was announced by the Judo Federation of Indiain a press release in New Delhi today. The Commonwealth Judo Congress had allotted the Championships to India at itsmeeting held at Port Elizabeth in South Africa on Saturday

Shyam Benegal Committee Recommendations on the functioning of Censor Board

The Shyam Benegal headed committee constituted by the Union Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry has submitted

its report to Union I&B minister Arun Jaitley. The committee was tasked to look holistically into the functioning of the censorboard and revamp the film certification nuances by Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).Recommendations -CBFC should only be a film certification body and its scope should be restricted to categorizing thesuitability of the film to audience groups on the basis of age and maturity. The board can refuse certification when a filmcontains contravenes the provisions of Cinematograph Act. It can also refuse certification when content in a film crosses the

ceiling laid down in the highest category of certification. The applicant for certificate must specify the category of certificationbeing sought and the target audience

Heart of As ia conference begins in New Delhi

The Heart of Asia (HoA) conference began in New Delhi with the objective of bringing peace and stability to Afghanistan. Theconference was attended by officials of a number of countries and is likely to deliberate on a host of issues like combatingchallenge of extremism and terrorism.Heart of As ia Conference -HoA conference is a part of the Istanbul Process established 2011 which provides a platform to

discuss an agenda of regional cooperation with Afghanistan at its centre. The 14 member countries of HoA engage in result-oriented cooperation for a peaceful and stable Afghanistan and, by extension, a secure and prosperous region as a whole.14 participating countries: Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan,Turkmenistan, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Azerbaijan and Turkey. Supporting countries: Australia, Canada, Denmark, Egypt,Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Iraq, Japan, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, UK and US. Supporting Organisations: UN,NATO, SAARC, SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation)

current affairs monthly april 2016

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