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 Peoples
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 Hyes 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 countrys 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 21
ST
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 countrys 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 Lebanons Hezbollah guerrillas. Arrow III is designed to track and slam into ballistic missiles above the
earths 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 Syrias civil war.
BANGLADESH POLLS: SHEIKH HASINA WINS BUT FAILS TO QUELL UNREST: Bangladeshs 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.
ISRAELS 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 Years 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 18
th
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 15
th
anniversary, and the euro is now used by 333 million Europeans.
AWARDS
FIFA AWARDS 2013: CRISTIANO RONALDO WINS FIFA BALLON DOR AWARD: Ending Argentinas great
footballer Lionel Messis four year domination on Ballon dOr award, Cristiano Ronaldo , the star forward for Portugal
and his club Real Madrid claimed the prestigious FIFA Ballon dOr award.
20
TH
ANNUAL LIFE OK SCREEN AWARDS: The Kamla Pasand 20
th
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 Caf.
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: Australias Ashes hero Mitchell Johnson claimed his maiden
Allan Border medal, Australias 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.
71
ST
GOLDEN GLOBE WARDS: The 71
st
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
59
TH
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)
56
TH
ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS: The 56
th
Annual Grammy Awards, the prestigious awards of music world
were presented in spectacular award ceremony.
List of 56
th
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: Argentinas Juan Martin del Potro clinched the
Sydney International also known as Apia International mens 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: Spains Rafael Nadal emerged champion of the Qatar Open tennis title in
Doha beating Frances Goel Manfils.
AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2014:
Womens Single : Li Na (China) beats Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia)
Mens 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 committees Reports 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 INDIAS 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 10
th
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 10
th
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 69
th

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 COMMITTEES 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.
INDIAS FIRST MILK ATM: This one sure is innovative! Amul has launched the countrys 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 Zimbabwes 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 24
th
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 worlds 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: Indias 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 11
th
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 countrys 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 years 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 PAKISTANS HIGHEST AWARD: President Mamnoon Hussain of Pakistan conferred
the Nishan-e-Imtiaz, Pakistans 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 UNs 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 commissions 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 Indias 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 120
TH
IN INDEX OF ECONOMIC FREEDOM FOR 2014: Noting that India continues to suffer from low, but
improving, levels of economic freedom ranks nation 120
th
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 LEquipe. 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 1
st
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 banks 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 RBIs 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 Groups 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.
FACEBOOKS 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 governments 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
INDIAS PARAM AMONG WORLDS BEST : Indias 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 44
th
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: Odishas 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 12
TH
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 12
th
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 SALVADORS CHAPARRASTIQUE VOLVANO ERUPTS: El Salvadors 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: Frances Constitutional Council, the countrys highest court, has approved
millionaires 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 individuals 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) 41
st
B) 42
nd
C) 43
rd
D) 44
th

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) 120
th
B) 121
st

C) 122
nd
D) 123
rd

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 countrys
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 59
th
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 Indias 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. Indias rank on Corruption Perception Index is:
A) 93
rd
A) 92
nd

C) 95
th
D) 94
th

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 6
th
MARCH

1
st
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.
2
nd
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 Huruns 2014 global rich list is
stating that 5 largest Group of billionaires of the world is in India. Indias 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 Sons Pallonji Mistry (93rd Rank $ 12 billion), SP Hinduja & Family (93rd Rank $ 12 billion).
Worlds largest aircraft unveiled in Britain: Britain has unveiled the worlds 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: Indias 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.
HPCLs first woman chiefNidhi Vasudeva became the first woman to head a PSU: HPCLs 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.
3
rd
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 Indias Look East Policy of the 1990s, coinciding with Thailands 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: Indias 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.
4
th
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 countrys 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 countrys 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': Indias 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 Indias 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.
5
th
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.
6
th
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: Indias 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 Womens 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 1
st
FEB 6
th
MAR
1. In which of the following cities, Indias 1
st
post
office savings bank ATM inaugurated:
a. Bangalore b. Chennai
c. Coimbatore d. Hyderabad
2. Which team won the 2
nd
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. 21
st
Feb b. 22
nd
Feb
c. 23
rd
Feb d. 24
th
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
Indias 1
st
Auto City:
a. Karnataka b. Tamil Nadu
c. Kerala d. Orissa
11. Raghu Ram Rajan , Governor of RBI is ----------
Governor of RBI:
a. 21
st
b. 22
nd

c. 23
rd
d. 24
th

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. 11
th
b. 12
th

c. 13
th
d. none of these
18. Sheila Dikshit is recently appointed as Governor of
Which State:
a. Tamil Nadu b. Karnataka
c. Kerala d. Delhi

30

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 7-13
th
MARCH 2014
7
th
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 UAEs 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.
8
th
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 womens day is also called Working womens 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 womens 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

31

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.
9
th
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 companys 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.
10
th
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 Leagues 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 Womens 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 Womens 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

11
th
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.
Indias iron ore exports fall 28% to 12.57 MT in Apr-Feb: Countrys 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 fiscals 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: Indias 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. Ukraines 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.
12
th
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 PublicPrivate
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.
13
th
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, Indias 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 7
th
13
th
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 womens day is observed on:
a. 8
th
march b. 9
th
march
c. 12
th
Feb. d. 13
th
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 1
st
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 14
th
31
st
MARCH 2014
14
th
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 Womens 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 governments 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.
15
th
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.
16
th
March
Israel opens border crossing with Gaza: Israel opened a border crossing with Gaza to allow the transfer of gas, after
the coastal salients only power plant shut down for one day due to lack of fuel. Israel closed its border crossings with

38

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 BJPs Prime Minister Candidate.
17
th
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 Indias military debacle in 1962, has been made
public
Pakistans second Aam Aadmi Party: For the second time, Arvind Kejriwals 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. Kejriwals 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.
18
th
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 Womens 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 worlds largest arms importer: SIPRI: A new data on international arms transfers released on 17 March
2014 said that Indias 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 UNESCOs World Heritage Site Status: India nominated Rani-ki-Vav
located in Patan, Gujarat and the Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) in Himachal Pradesh for UNESCOs World
Heritage Site Status for 2014.
Novak Djokovic won Indian Wells final by defeating Roger Federer: The worlds 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.
19
th
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.
20
th
March
Raw sugar export subsidy under WTO scrutiny: Indias 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 BJPs 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).
21
st
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.
22
nd
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 Alzheimers disease for many years.
23
rd
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.
24
th
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.
25
th
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.
26
th
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 Koreas nuclear weapons programme
at a meeting in the Netherlands.
Rajat Guptas 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

27
th
March
Statues for Akbars 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.Agras
Divisional Commissioner Pradeep Bhatnagar has asked the Agra Development Authority to install fibre glass statues of
the nine jewels of Akbars 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
mens 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 Yorks first cupcake ATM launched, dispensing pastries 24/7: New Yorks 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 worlds 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
28
th
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.

44

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.
IAFs 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.
29
th
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.
30
th
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.
31
st
March
FII inflows in stocks hit Rs 80,000 cr in FY14: 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
63, 63 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 14
th
31
st
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) 11
th
March b) 12
th
March
c) 13
th
March d) 14
th
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
worlds 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) 21
st
March b) 22
nd
March
c) 23
rd
March d)24
th
March
Q.10. 3
rd
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) 24
th
March b) 25
th
March
c) 26
th
March d) 27
th
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