-Daily GK Updates - 1st - 2nd March 2015

1. Dalmiya becomes BCCI president

i. Jagmohan Dalmiya was on Monday

unanimously elected president of the
BCCI.
ii. The N. Srinivasan camp suffered a huge
setback with rival factions Anurag Thakur
beating Sanjay Patel for the post of
Secretary at the Boards Annual General
Meeting.
iii. Jharkhand Cricket Associations
Amitabha Chodhary was elected the Joint
Secretary beating Goas Chetan Desai,
belonging to the anti -Srinivasan faction.
2. Wipro partners World Economic
Forum for quantifying cyber risk
i. Countrys third largest software
services firm Wipro has partnered with
the World Economic Forum (WEF) to
develop a cyber value-at-risk (VAR)
framework.
ii. This will allow organisations to assess
threat landscape, the nature of assets
needed protection and quality of
defenc es.
iii. As per the Forums estimates, the
resultant new cyber regulations and
restrictive policies could hurt innovation
by about $3 trillion by 2020.
3. Govt gets 107 applications for
allotment of 43 mines to PSUs

1. Insurance Bill introduced in Lok Sabha

i. The long-pending Insurance Bill that
seeks to increase the Foreign Direct
Investment cap in the sector to 49 per
cent was introduced in the Lok Sabha.

i. The Coal Ministry received 107

applications from PSUs like NTPC, SAIL,
DVC and NLC for allocation of 43 coal
blocks to be given to state-run firms.
ii. The Palma II mine in Chhattisgarh got
nine applications, the highest for a single
block.
iii. The companies which have applied for
Gare Palma II mine in Chhattisgarh,
include NTPC, Singareni Collieries
Company Ltd, Andhra Pradesh Power
Generation Corporation and Gujarat
State Electricity Corporation.
4. Ficci appoints Arvind Virmani as
Economic Mentor
i. Noted economist, will now mentor
Ficcis public policy & economic work.
ii. Arvind Virmani, served as the countrys
Chief Economic Advisor and Principal
Advisor in the Planning Commission.
iii. Virmanis association as Economic
Mentor to Ficci will spur the growth
agenda for the Indian economy.

5. Arun Singh Named New Indian

Ambassador to United States
i. India has named Arun Singh, currently
its Ambassador to France, as its next top
envoy to the US and has informed the
American government in this regard.
ii. A 1979-batch IFS officer, Mr Singh will
be replacing S Jaishankar, who was
appointed as Foreign Secretary on
January 28 this year.
iii. Earlier, Singh had served as
ambassador to Israel (2005-2008) and
later was served as deputy chief of
mission in Washington (2008-2013.).
Singh was appointed as ambassador to
France in 2013.

iii. He will quit from other positi ons

including being a member of Singapore
Academy of Law's
Law Reform
Committee
and
a
local
telecommunications company M1 Board.
iv. Ramesh's appointment in the Supr eme
Court will now include 13 judges, 10
judicial commissioners and five senior
judges.
7. Government may declare additional
101 routes as national waterways
i. Government is considering a proposal
to declare an additional 101 routes as
national waterways.
ii. The proposal covers waterways across
the country, which have potential for
year-round commercial navigation.
iii. Infrastructure development is poised
to take a giant leap as the Budget
promises rapid construction of highways,
ports, ultra mega power plants, airports
and renewable energy projects with the
help of massive public funding ma de
possible by delaying fiscal belttightening.

Daily GK Update - 3rd March 2015

Sabha to introduce the The Insurance
Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2015.
iii. The Opposition contention was that
the Government was trying to set a new
precedent that violated the very structure
of the bicameral system of Parliament
that India has adopted.
2. INCOIS launches app for fishermen

ii. Union Minister of State for Finance

Jayant Sinha sought permission of the Lok

6. Kannan Ramesh appointed as Judicial

Commissioner to Supreme Court Bench
of Singapore
i. Indian-origin lawyer Kannan Ramesh
was appointed as Judicial Commissioner
to Singapore's Supreme Court bench.
ii. 49-year-old Senior Counsel Kannan
Ramesh has been appointed to the
bench for two years. He will acquire the
position on May 22.

i. The app, developed in-house by the

Hyderabad-based Indian National Centre
for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS)
Marine Fishery Advisory Services team is
for the benefit of fishermen.

ii. There are plans to make available the

app on Google Play store and on INCOIS
website.
iii. For those using basic phones the
Centr e unveiled an SMS service in local
languages. The text messages will provide
potential fishing zone advisory on a real
time basis.
3. Baldev Sharma appointed as chairm an
of National Book Trust
i. The government on Monday appointed
former Panchajanya editor Baldev Sharma
as the new chairman of the National Book
Trust, cutting short the ter m of incumbent
A. Sethumadhavan.
ii. Panchajanya is an Indian weekly
newspaper published by Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in Hindi. It was
launched by RSS pracharak Deendayal
Upadhyaya in 1948 in Lucknow.

ii. The company did not disclose the

financial details of the deals. As part of its
turnaround and transformation strategy
called Outlook, TNT is overhauling its IT
capability to reduce complexity and cost
and increase flexibility.
iii. Under the partnership, the current IT
applications of TNT will be consolidated
and standardised for higher quality of
service and lower cost of operations.
5. Savitri Jindal among five Indian
women on Forbes billionaires list
i. Five Indian women have made it to the
Forbes list of the worlds billionaires that
saw a record number of women this year,
although they still account for just about
11 per cent of the total.

4. Infosys signs outsourcing de al with

TNT
i. Infosys had signed a five-year
agreement with Dutch company TNT to
help it simplify and transform its
technology applications.
ii. Among Indian women, Savitri Jindal and
family was ranked 283 on the list with a

1. RBI cuts repo r ate by 25 basis points to

7.5 per cent
i. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cut
down repo rate by 25 basis points to 7.5
percent from 7.75 percent, with
immediate effect citing that the fiscal
consolidation was better than what
numbers show and that the combined
fiscal deficit is much lower due to the
government transferring more funds to
the states.

However, RBI has kept the cash reserve

ratio (CRR) unchanged at 4 percent.
ii. It is the second change in rates by 25
basis points since January 2015. With this
change, RBI is signaling that it was
convinced by the fiscal consolidation
measures announced in the Budget.
iii. This is the first time that the Reserve
Bank of India has announced a monetary
policy action ahead of markets opening.

Daily GK Update - 4th March 2015

2. Spectrum auction begins; govt eyes
over Rs. 80,000 crore revenue
i. The much awaited spectrum auction,
wherein 8 companies are bidding to
acquire airwaves in four bands started.

ii. The auction is the biggest ever sale of

2G and 3G airwaves which may fetch the
government over Rs. 82,000 crore.
iii. A total of 380.75 MHz of spectrum in
three bands the pr emium 900 MHz
band, 1,800 MHz and 800 MHz is put
on sale besides 5 MHz in the 2,100 MHz
band across 17 out of 22 telecom areas in
the country.
3. Worlds largest and tallest Indian flag
unfurled in Faridabad
i. Worlds largest and tallest Indian
national flag was unfurled at Town Park in
Faridabad, Haryana. The flag was unfurled

net worth of $5.3 billion in 2015, up from

$4.9 billion in 2014.
iii. Indu Jain who chairs media
conglomerate Bennett, Coleman & Co,
was placed at the 603 rank globally. Her
net worth stands at $3.1 billion.
iv. Christy Walton, who inherited a stake
in retailer Wal-Mart, retained the title of
worlds richest woman at $41.7 billion,
followed by Liliane Bettencourt, the
principal heiress to the LOreal cosmetics
fortune in the second place with $40.7
billion.
6. IAS officer Kewal K Sharma appointed
as Delhi Chief Secretary
i. IAS officer Kewal K Sharma is appointed
as Chief Secretary of Delhi. His
appointment was approved by Union
Home Ministry.
ii. At present, Sharma is the chief
secretary of Goa. Sharma was appointed
as the Goa chief secretary on 1 January
2015.
iii. Besides serving the Governments of
Delhi, Goa and Arunachal Pradesh,
Sharma served in the United Nations (UN)
Mission in Kosovo from 1999 to 2005 as a
Civil Affairs Officer.

by BJP president Amit Shah, Haryana CM

ML Khattar and Bollywood actor Ranbir
Kapoor.
ii. The flag has dimension of 96 feet by 64
feet and weighs 48 kilograms. Flag was
hoisted at the height of 250 feet (75
meters). Thus, making it the worlds
largest and the highest hoisted Indian flag
in the world.

iii. Another such flag is located at the

Central Park in Connaught Place, New
Delhi. This flag is 60 feet in width and 90
feet in length and is hoisted at the height
of 207 feet.
4. World Wildlife Day observed globally
i. The World Wildlife Day was observed on
3 March 2015. The 2015 theme of the day
is Wildlife crime is serious, lets get
serious about wildlife crime.

ii. The day is celebrated as an opportunity

to celebrate the varied forms of wild
fauna and flora and to raise awareness of
the
multitude
of
benefits
that
conservation provides to people.
iii. The day also reminds us of the urgent
need to step up the fight against wildlife
crime, which has wide-ranging economic,
environmental and social impacts.
5. Rani Mukerji awarded by National
Institute
of
Gender
Justice
for
representing the cause of women

i. Bollywood actress Rani Mukerji was on

3 March 2015 awarded with the National
Award for the Best Repr esentation of the
Cause of Safety, Security and Protection of
Women and Girl Child by National
Institute of Gender Justice (NIGJ).
ii. Rani is the first ever film personality to
be felicitated with this prestigious award.

She was awarded for creating awareness

about child trafficking in New Delhi.
iii. Rani was honoured not only for her
incredible work in cinema but also for the
kind of work she has been doing to create
awareness about child trafficking.

recognition
of
achievements.

6. Indian-American physician Rahul Jindal

selected
for
Fulbright
Nehru
Distinguished Chair
i. Indian-American physician Rahul Jindal
was on 3 March 2015 selected for the
prestigious Fulbright-Nehru Distinguished
Chair.
ii. The Ahmedabad-based HL Trivedi
Institute of Transplantation Sciences will
host Rahul Jindal for the duration of the
chair. The Institute performs about 400
kidney transplants in a year and has
developed innovative transplant tolerance
models.
iii. Rahul Jindal is a Professor of Surgery
and Global Health at the Uniformed
Services University of Health Sciences in
Bethesda, Maryland. Jindal was also
presented with a prestigious immigrant
award of the US government in 2013, in

Credit Rating Agencies of India & World

Important Credit Rating Agencies
Leading Credit Rating Agency in India
Indian credit rating industry mainly comprises of CRISIL, ICRA,
CARE, ONICRA, FITCH (India Ratings & Research) & SMERA.
CRISIL - Credit Rating Information Services of India Limited Headquarter Mumbai
ICRA - Investment information and credit rating agency Headquarter - Gurgaon, India
CARE - Cr edit Analysis and Research - Headquarters Mumbai
ONICRA - Headquarter - Gurgaon, India
SMERA - Headquarters Mumbai
Fitch (India Ratings & Rese arch) - Headquarters Mumbai
Note: CRISIL is the largest credit rating agency in India, with a
market shar e of greater than 60%.
Leading Credit Rating Agency in World
Standard & Poor's (S&P) Headquarter New York, US
Moody's Headquarter - New York, US
Fitch - Headquarter - New York, US
Regulators in India
Regulator

Sectors

Chairman

Headquarter

Reserve Bank
of India (RBI)

Financial system
and monetary
policy, Money
Market

Raghuram
Rajan

Mumbai

his

outstanding

7. President gives assent to Maharashtra

Animal Preservation Amendment Bill,
1995
i. President Pranab Mukherjee gave his
assent to the Maharashtra Animal
Preservation (Amendment) Bill, 1995. It
received assent nearly after 19 years it
was passed by State Assembly in 1995.

ii. This bill amends Maharashtra Animal

Preservation Act 1976 and bans slaughter
of bulls and bullocks in the state. As per
the provisions of new Act, anyone found
to be selling beef or in possession of it can
be jailed for 5 years and fined Rs 10,000.
iii. However, this Act allows slaughter of
water buffaloes, which provides carabeef
that is generally considered as an inferior
quality meat.

Securities
and
Exchange
Board of
India (SEBI)

Security & Capital

Market, stock
broking &
Merchant Banking,
Nidhis, Chit Fund
Companies

U.K. Sinha

Mumbai

Insur ance
Regulatory
and
Development
Authority
(IRDA)

Insurance industry

T. S.
Vijayan

Hyderabad

Telecom
Regulatory
Authority of
India (TRAI)

Telecommunication
Industry

Rahul
Khullar

New Delhi

Forward
Markets
Commission

Commodity Market

Ramesh
Abhishek

Mumbai

Pension Fund
Regulatory
and
Development
Authority
(PFRDA)

Pension sector

Hemant
Contractor

New Delhi

Daily GK Update - 5th March 2015

1. RBI adopted Inflation Targeting as a
policy tool for monetary regulation

i. Inflation targeting was in news recently

as Union Government and Reserve Bank
of India (RBI) on 20 February 2015 signed
an agreement on Monetary Policy
Framework. As per the agreement, RBI
accepted to focus on flexible inflation
targeting.
ii. Inflation targeting is defined as an
economic policy in which a central bank
estimates or decides for a medium-ter m
target inflation rate. In Indian context, as
per the agreement, inflation targeting
means that the RBI will have to maintain
iii. Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based
inflation targets below six per cent by
January 2016 and four per cent from
2016-17, with a band of plus/minus two
per cent.
iv. The transition from monetary targeting
suggested by Chakravarty Committee
(1988) to Inflation targeting suggested by
Urijit Patel Committee is similar to the
practice adopted by central banks in
developed countries.
Benefits of Inflation Targeting
The benefits of inflation targeting are
many. Two of the prominent benefits of
inflation targeting are enhancement of
transparency and reduction of price
variability.
The most important benefit of inflation
targeting is that it helps the central banks
to maintain low inflation and low inflation
eventually promotes long term growth.
Other most important benefits of using
inflation targeting include enhanced
public understanding of monetary policy,
increased central bank accountability, and
an improved state for economic growth.
2. Shanghvi is richest Indian: Forbes

i. Dilip Shanghvi of Sun Pharmaceuticals,

with a net worth of $21.5 billion,
surpassed Mukesh Ambani as the worlds

richest Indian on Wednesday, two days

after the Reliance Industries Ltd. chief was
ranked Indias wealthiest for the eighth
consecutive year.
ii. A real-time update by the business
magazine Forbes reworked the rankings.
On the global rich list, Mr. Shanghvi
moved up to the 37th position, while Mr.
Ambani slipped to the 43rd.
iii. Earlier on Monday, Forbes released its
annual rich list for 2015, ranking Mr.
Ambani at the 39th position and Mr.
Shanghvi at the 44th. Azim Premji of
Wipro was ranked 48th, from which he
has moved up one place now. Mr.
Shanghvis net worth stood at $ 21.5
billion, following a sharp rally in the share
prices of his group companies.
3. Union Minister Dadar ao Danve resigns
i. Union Minister Raosaheb Dadarao
Danve, who was made Maharasthra BJP
president a few months back, on Thursday
resigned from the Council of Ministers
over the principle of one-man, one-post
ii. Mr. Danve submitted his resignation to
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who
accepted it and forwarded it to President
Pranab Mukherjee, sources said.
iii. Mr. Danve, who held the portfolio of
Minister of State for Consumer Affairs,
Food and Public Distribution, quit the
Council of Ministers over the principle of
one-man, one-post, the sources said.
iv. Mr. Danve had taken over as the
Maharashtra
BJP
president
after
Devendra
Fadnavis,
under
whose
leadership the party came to power in the
October 15 Assembly polls last year in the
state, became the Chief Minister.
4. BBC released a documentary film
India's Daughter
i. British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
on 4 March 2015 released a documentary
film India's Daughter. The documentary
film has been directed by Leslee Udwin.
ii. The film is based on the Delhi gang rape
and murder of the 23-year-old female
named Nirbhaya that took place on 16
December
2012.
The
film
was
simultaneously released in Denmark,
Sweden, Switzerland, Norway and
Canada.
iii. The documentary includes an interview
conducted by British filmmaker Leslee

Udwin and BBC of Mukesh Singh, the

driver of the bus. Mukesh has made
derogatory statements against women.
iv. A Delhi court has restrained the media
from publishing, broadcasting, telecasting
or uploading the interview on the
internet.
Also,
Indian
Parliament
witnessed outrage over the interview and
demanded to ban the screening of the
documentary to which Union Government
heeded.
v. The makers of the documentary had
earlier decided to release the film on the
occasion of International Womens Day on
8 March 2015. However, they decided it
to launch it earlier following the decision
by the Indian authorities to ban the film.

5. Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar

completed his SAARC Yatra
i. Foreign
Secretary
S
Jaishankar
completed his SAARC Yatra of four nations
on 4 March 2015. His SAARC Yatra started
on 1 March 2015 and ended on 4 March
2015. He undertook the SAARC Yatra with
an aim to firm up Indias ties with
members of the grouping while reviewing
regional and bilateral cooperation.
ii. During the Yatra, he visited four
countries namely Afghanistan on 4 March
2015, Pakistan on 3 March 2015,
Bangladesh on 2 March 2014 and Bhutan
on 1 March 2015.
Jaishankar visit to Afghanist an: During
the visit, he called on Afghan President
Ashraf Ghani and CEO Abdullah Abdullah
and held extensive talks focusing on
India's development projects and the
security situation in the war-torn country.
Afghan leaders welcomed India being
partner of choice for Afghanistan and
briefed the Foreign Secretary Jaishankar
about their views on India's involvement
in furthering the cause of stability and
security in the country.
Jaishankar visit to Pakistan: During the
visit, he held Foreign Secretary level talks
with his Pakistani counterpart Aizaz
Chaudhary, which was cancelled in July
2015. He also met with Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif and his Advisor on Foreign
Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz.
He handed over a letter from Prime

Minister Narendra Modi to Pakistan Prime

Minister Sharif.
Jaishankar visit to Bangladesh: During the
visit, Jaishankar met with Prime Minister
of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka. He
also met with Bangladesh Foreign
Minister Abul Hassan Mahmud Ali and
Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Shahidul
Haque. He held foreign secretary level
talks in Dhaka.
Jaishankar visit to Bhutan: During the
visit, he met with Bhutanese Prime
Minister Tshering Tobgay and held
discussions on SAARC co-operation and
bilateral ties. He also met with the 4 th
King of Bhutan Jigme Singye Wangchuck.

1. Walm art India appoints Ashwin Mittal

as CFO
i. Walmart India today announced two
executive appointments with Ashwin
Mittal as the new Chief Financial Officer
and Javier Rojo as head of Real Estate and
Business Development.
ii. Mittal will replace Jill Anderson,
currently the CFO of Walmart India, who
will soon repatriate back to Walmart in
US.

iii. Mittal joined the company in 2007 as

Head of Financial Planning and Analysis
and since then has assumed various key
roles, including Head - Business Finance
and Strategy, Deputy CFO and Chief
Business Development Officer.
2. RBI ease s norms for home loans for up
to Rs 10 lakh
i. Giving a boost to affordable housing,
the RBI eased the norms for home loans
for up to Rs 10 lakh by allowing banks to
include stamp duty and registration
charges to the cost of a unit.

ii. These charges used to form around 15

per cent of the cost of the house and
place a burden on borrowers.
iii. As per the current practice, banks do
not include stamp duty, registration and
other documentation charges in the cost
of housing property.

6. Three South Asian women selected for

International Women of Cour age Award
i. Thr ee South Asian women, namely
Niloofar Rahmani, Nadia Sharmeen and
Tabassum Adnan on 3 March 2015 were
selected for the prestigious International
Women of Courage Award for the year
2015 given by the US Secretary of State.
ii. They were among the 10 extraordinary
women selected from 10 countries for the
award for demonstrating exceptional
courage and leadership in advocating for
peace, justice, human rights and gender
equality.
International Women of Cour age Award

Daily GK Update - 6th - 7th March

iv. The RBI also said that in cases of
projects sponsored by government,
statutory authorities, banks may disburse
the loans as per the payment stages
prescribed by such authorities, even
where payments sought from house
buyers are not linked to the stages of
construction.
3. EU formally adopts clim ate change
targets for December 2015 UNFCCC Paris
Conference

i. The European Union (EU) has formally

adopted climate change targets for
December
2015
UNFCCC
Paris
Conference. Adopted climate change
target includes a 40 per cent cut in
emissions by 2030.
ii. These targets were agreed by leaders of
the 28 EU member-states at a summit in
October 2014 but now have been officially
forwarded to the United Nations.
iii. United States also has formally
announced its intention to reduce
emissions by 26-28 per cent in 2025
compared with their level in 2005. It
should be noted that US accounts for 12
per cent of global greenhouse gases
emissions.
4. Fifteen crore Aadhar cards linked with
bank accounts
i. The National Payments Corporation of
India on Friday announced linking of 15
crore Aadhar cards with various bank
accounts in India.

Established in 2007, the annual Secretary

of State's International Women of
Courage Award honours women around
the globe who have ex emplified
exceptional courage and leadership in
advocating for human rights, womens
equality, and social progress, often at
great personal risk. This is the only
Department of State award that pays
tribute to emerging women leaders
worldwide.
Since the inception of this award in 2007,
the Department of State has honoured 86
women from more than 50 different
countries including India

ii. With this achievement NPCI has moved

a step closer to map its target of linking all
17 crore DBT accounts with Aadhaar
numbers by 30 June 2015.
iii. It is expected that soon all beneficiaries
of all types of government subsidiaries
and benefit transfers will be brought
under the linkage programme. Such a
framework of electronic benefit transfer
would not only be unique, but will be one
of the largest in the world.
iv. Apart from this linking programme
NPCI is also nodal agency for all retail
payment systems under the Pradhan
Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) which
was launched in 2014 to push DBT and
financial inclusion.
5. Prime Minister Narendra Modi named
among 30 most influential people on
internet: Time Magazine

i. Time Magazine has named Indian Prime

Minister Narendra Modi among the list of
30 most influential people on the
internet.
ii. As per Time magazine PM Narendra
Modi has around 38 million followers on
social networking sites Twitter and
Facebook.
iii. He is ardent user of social media and
uses it to communicate and reach to
Indias 200 million-plus online population
directly.
6. India lowest among 16 Asia-Pacific
countries in e conomic par ity for women
i. The socio-economic standing of women
in India is the lowest among 16 Asia
Pacific
countries,
according
to

Mastercards latest Index of Womens

Advancement.
ii. Indian women stand even lower than
their counterparts from Bangladesh and
Sri Lanka.
iii. Across the region, New Zealand had
the highest overall Index score of 77,
followed by Australia (76), the Philippines
(72.6) and Singapore (70.5).
iv. India (44.2), Bangladesh (44.6) and Sri
Lanka (46.2) had scores below 50,
indicating that much more needs to be
done to achieve gender parity.
7. Artificial glacier in the form of Ice
stupa to store water inaugurated in
Phyang village of Ladakh
i. Artificial glacier in the form of Ice stupa
was inaugurated at Phyang village in
Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir.

1. 'Aapki Beti Humari Beti' scheme

launched in Haryana
i. Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal
Khattar on Sunday launched a scheme for
girl child - 'Aapki Beti Humari Beti' - with
an aim to combat the problem of
declining child sex ratio in the state.
ii. 'Aapki Beti Humari Beti' will be
implemented in both rural and urban
areas of the state covering first-born girl
child of Scheduled Caste (SC) and Below
Poverty Line (BPL) families and all second
girl child born on or after January 22, 2015
of all families.

iii. Under this scheme, the first girl child

born on or after January 22, 2015, in SC
and BPL families will be eligible to receive
Rs 21,000. Similarly, all second girl child
born on or after January 22, 2015 of all
families will get Rs 21,000.
iv. He also announced to increase the
amount of Indira Gandhi Mahila Shakti
Award from Rs one lakh to Rs 1.5 lakh,
Behan Shanno Devi Award from Rs 51,000
to Rs one lakh, Life Time Achievement
Award from Rs 21,000 to Rs 51,000 and
other women achiever award from Rs
5100 to Rs 21,000.

Phyang village is a desert region of

Ladakh.

ii. The purpose of building such stupa is to

store water to green the entire desert of
Phyang which has an area of 1500 acres.
iii. The Ice stupa with a height of 50 feet
will store roughly two million liters of
water while another 6 million liters of
water absorbed in the ground will add
moisture to the earth for tree plantation.
8. NASAs Dawn space craft reaches dw arf
planet Ceres
i. NASAs Dawn spacecraft has created
history by becoming the first mission to
achieve orbit around the dwarf planet
Daily GK Update - 8th - 9th March 2015
2. Global food prices dip to 5-year low in
February
i. Global food prices fell to a nearly fiveyear low in February this year on
increased supply of key food items and
strong US dollar, according to the United
Nations food agency FAO.
ii. Food prices averaged at 179.4 points in
February, down from 181.2 points in
January and 208.6 points in February
2014, the Food and Agriculture
Organisations price index showed.
iii. According to FAO, international sugar
prices fell by 4.9 per cent, cereal prices
were down by 3 .2 per cent and meat
prices declined by 1.4 per cent in February
from the January levels.
3. Lalit Modi removed from Rajasthan
Cricket Association

i. Former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi was

on Monday removed from the post of
Rajasthan Cricket Association president as
the members of the association passed a
no-confidence motion against him and his
office-bearers at the Extraordinary
General Meeting.
ii. With the 17 out of 18 members casting
their votes against Modi, Amin Pathan is
all set to take charge as the new chief.

Ceres with an aim of providing new

insights and capturing images from the
distant world.
ii. The spacecraft was approximately
61,000 kilometres from Ceres when it was
captured by the dwarf planets gravity.
iii. Since its discovery in 1801, Ceres was
known as a planet, then an asteroid and
later a dwarf planet.

iv. From 2011 to 2012, the spacecraft

explored the giant asteroid Vesta,
delivering new insights and thousands of
images from that distant world.

iii. As per the Sports Act of the state and

Constitution of RCA, the Pathan Group
needed two-third majority to see the no
confidence passed.
4. Government decides to speed up Rs
90,000 crore power projects
i. government has decided to fast-track 10
power projects worthRs 90,000 crore
planned by state-owned companies led by
NTPC, which have been held up by landrelated issues.

ii. After factoring in the 10 projects taken

up by the power ministry, 305 projects
worth Rs 18.85 lakh crore are now
awaiting government intervention to get
off the ground, including 97 public and
private sector power projects with
investments of Rs 6.33 lakh crore.
iii. NTPC is developing eight of the 10
projects that the power ministry has
sought to expedite, with investments of
over Rs 76,000 crore at stake to generate
about 15,000 MW.
iv. Law and order problems over land have
stalled NTPC's 1,320 MW Meja thermal
power plant in Allahabad district, with
possession of land for laying critical water
pipelines pending in eight villages.
5. All England Badminton Championship:
Saina Nehwal loses to Carolina Marin

i. Olympic bronze medallist Saina

Nehwals quest for becoming the first
Indian woman to win the most prestigious
All England badminton championship
ended in agony after she suffered a
heartbreaking loss to Spains Carolina
Marin in the summit clash.
ii. The World No. 3 Indian let go of a huge
opportunity to script history as she
squandered an opening game lead to go
down 21-16 14-21 7-21 to the reigning

1. US dollar hits 12-year peak, emerging

markets spooked
i. The US dollar climbed to multi -year
peaks against the euro and yen in Asia
amid starkly diverging outlooks for
interest rates globally.
ii. Currencies from emerging markets
came under mounting pressure from risk
aversion.
iii. The skittish mood spread to Asian
stocks as MSCI's broadest index of Asia Pacific shares outside Japan slipped 0.6
per cent.

iv. Federal Reserve would start lifting

interest rates from mid-year, while central
banks in the European Union and Japan
were busy easing policy by buying billions
in government bonds.
v. Oil managed minor gains, with Brent
crude oil up 13 cents to $58.66 a barrel,
while U.S crude added 26 cents to $50.26.
2. India slips to second place in hiring
outlook for April-June quarter
i. India has slipped to the second place,
after Taiwan, in terms of the companies'
employment outlook for the nex t quarter.
ii. As per the latest quarterly Employment
Outlook
Survey
of
global
giant
ManpowerGroup released on Tuesday,
Taiwan has topped the charts in terms of
hiring plans for the April -June 2015
quarter, followed by India and Japan.
iii. The net employment outlook for India
stood at 38 per cent, indicating that job

world champion in the womens singles

final.
iii. Olympic bronze medallist, Saina, thus,
failed to emulate her long-time coach
Pullella Gopichand (2001) and legendary
Prakash Padukone (1980), who had won
the prestigious title in the past.
6.
Kumar
Sangakkar a
announces
retirement from Test cricket
i. Former Sri Lankan cricket captain and
ace
batsman
Kumar
Sangakkara
announced that he will retire from Test
cricket after playing three-match series
against India in August 2015.

Daily GK Update - 10th March 2015

seekers may benefit from a robust hiring
pace in the months ahead.
3. Infosys opens new 250-seater BPO in
Puerto Rico
i. Country's second largest software
services firm Infosys has set up a 250seater BPO arm centre at Aguadilla,
Puerto Rico, aimed at serving the aviation
sector.

ii. The 12,000-square feet centre,

developed in collaboration with the
Commonwealth administration and stateowned PRIDCO, will initially deliver orderto-cash business processes for clients in
the aviation sector.
4. Jharkhand CM announces Rs 1 lakh for
alcohol-free villages
i. The Jharkhand government will grant Rs
one lakh to villages which will become
alcohol-free.
ii. Chief Minister Raghubar Das said those
villages becoming alcohol -free would be
given the grant and women groups would
take the initiative.
iii. Chief Minister proposed to open 57
more Kasturba Gandhi Girl Schools in the
state
5. Pakistan conducts successful test
launch of Shaheen-III missile

i. Pakistan conducted a successful test

launch of the Shaheen-III Surface to
Surface Ballistic Missile .

ii. Sangakkara already has retired from

One-Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 cricket. He had retired from Twenty-20
cricket format after Sri Lanka won the T20
World cup in 2014.
iii. In ICC World Cup 2015, Kumar
Sangakkara created a record by becoming
first batsman to score hundreds i n three
consecutive World Cup matches.

ii. The Missile is capable of carrying

nuclear and conventional warheads to a
range of 2,750 km.
ii. The test launch was aimed at validating
various design and technical parameters
of the weapon system at a maximum
range.
iii. The launch came within a week of the
visit of Indian foriegn Secretary S
Jaishankar to Islamabad.
6. DLF Ties Up With Snapdeal to Sell Flats
Online
i. Realty major DLF has tied-up with online
market place Snapdeal to sell its
apartments and would offer 1 per cent
discount to potential home buyers.
ii. DLF will offer on Snapdeal about 50
flats in eight housing projects across the
country in a price range of Rs. 34 l akh to
Rs. 3 crore.
iii. The offer is likely to start this week.
These flats are in projects located at New
Chandigarh,
Panchkula,
Lucknow,
Bangalore, Chennai, Kochi and Kolkata.
6. India thrash Ireland to register record
9th successive World Cup victory
i. Shikhar Dhawan cracked a scintillating
century as a rampaging India on Tuesday
created a record winning their ninth
consecutive ICC Cricket World Cup match
by demolishing Ireland by eight wickets to
seal the top spot in the Group B table.

ii. It turned out to be an extended batting

practice session for the 'Men In Blue' as

they toppled the previous eight-match

winning streak record of Sourav Ganguly-

1. LIC to invest Rs 1 .5-L cr in Indian

Railways over next 5 years
i. State-run insurance major LIC
committed Rs 1.5 lakh crore to the Indian
Railways for development of various
commercially viable projects.

ii. The investment would be done in bonds

issued by various railway entities such
Indian Railways Finance Corporation
(IRFC), beginning next fiscal.
iii. Indian Railways are one of the l argest
railway networks in the world.
2. Obam a names David Hale as
ambassador to Pak
i. U.S. President Barack Obama has
nominated veteran diplomat David Hale
as the next ambassador to Pakistan.

ii. Mr. Hale previously served as the

Special Envoy for Middle East Peace from
2011 to 2013, and as Deputy Special
Envoy for Middle East Peace from 2009 to
2011.
iii. Hale has also served as Director of the
Office of Israel and Palestinian Affairs,
Executive Assistant to the Secretary of
State, and in other positions overseas in
Bahrain, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia.
3. Manmohan summoned in coal scam
case
i. A Delhi court on Wednesday summoned
former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,

1. India, Mauritius to work to avoid

'abuse' of DTAT
i. India and Mauritius will work together
to avoid the "abuse" of double taxation
avoidance convention.
ii. the two countries agreed to push
negotiations for a long pending revision of
the treaty.

led team in 2003. India's nine-match

record started from their group league
Daily GK Update - 11th March 2015
former Coal Secretary P.C. Parakh and
industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla and
others as accused in a coal block
allocation scam case.
ii. The CBI had sought closure of the case,
in which Mr. Birla, former Coal Secretary
P.C. Parakh and others were named as
accused.
iii. Dr. Singh held the charge of the Coal
Ministry for almost five years from the
time the United Progressive Alliance came
to power in 2004.
4. SBI sells 4% st ake in Cibil to IIFL for
around Rs 72 crore
i. State Bank of India has sold 4 per cent
stake in the largest credit information
company Credit Information Bureau India
Ltd (Cibil) for an estimated Rs 72 crore.
ii. Cibil is the largest and the oldest credit
bureau in the country having entered the
market in 2000.

iii. It claims to enjoy almost 90 per cent of

the credit information market in India
which has three other players - Experian,
Equifax and HighMark.
iv. IIFL India Alternatives is a leading midgrowth PE fund, founded by Shivani
Bhasin Sachdeva and sponsored by IIFL
Private Wealth.
5. Gadkari launches portal to help source
cement for concrete roads
i. In line with the plan to construct cement
concrete highways, instead of bitumen
ones, Union Road Transport and Highways
Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday

Daily GK Update - 12th March 2015

iii. Modi is on a two day visit to the island
nation of Mauritius addressed the
National assembly of Mauritius.

iv. Often corporates have been accused of

laundering money through the "Mauritius
route" for channelling FDI in India and the

game against West Indies at Chennai back

in 2011.

launched
a
web
www.inampro.nic.in.

portal

ii. INAM-PRO, which stands for platform

for infrastructure and materials
providers, will monitor the supply of
cement and hasten the process of orders
by prospective users and agencies with
the respective cement manufacturers.
iii. As of now, 36 participating cement
manufacturers will quote rates from 103
factories across India, along with the
cement stock available, on the web portal.
iv. The procurer/road developer can view
the asking price as well as the closest
factory price.
6. First Kisan Call Centre of North-East
opened in Agartala, Tripura
i. First Kisan Call Centre (KCC) of NorthEast was opened in Agartala, Tripura. The
KCC was launched by the Tripura Chief
Minister Manik Sarkar.
ii. KCC was financed by the Tripura
government. It will be run by a private
enterprise with experts of agriculture,
horticulture,
fisheries
and
animal
husbandry.
iii. The Kisan Call Centre will give
immediate solution and real time advisory
to farmers if they need expert
consultation regarding seed procurement,
agro-metric,
fertilizer,
soil
health,
pesticides usage and marketing of the
produces.
iv. Apart from that the farmers' portal will
issue advisory for farm production under
direct supervision of the experts.

two governments
have been in
negotiations to curb this practice.
v. This is why Prime Minister Modi and Sir
Anerood Jugnauth agreed to push forward
their negotiations for a long pending
revision of Double Taxation Avoidance
Treaty (DTAT).
2. New city 'NAINA' to come up over 600
square km near N avi Mumbai airport

i. Maharashtra government would be

developing a new city - 'NAINA' - over an
area of 600 sq km around the upcoming
Navi Mumbai International Airport.
ii. As a part of the smart city mission of
the Centre, the state government will
develop 30 towns, focusing on "themes"
such
as
education,
medical,
entertainment, industry, etc.
iii. The State also announced that for the
prohibition of slaughter of cows, bulls and
bullocks, the Maharashtra
Animal
Preservation (Amendment) Bill, 1995 had
been passed by the state legislature, and
with the President's recent assent, it had
now come into force.
3. Govt asks PSU banks increase lending
to minorities
i. The Union government has advised PSU
banks to step up lending to minorities
with a view to ensuring that they get
loans in proportion to their population.
ii. It was decided to increase the
percentage share of lending to each
minority community in proportion to their
respective share in minority population.

v. The cell is headed by an officer holding

the rank of Deputy General Manager or
Assistant General Manager (AGM) or any
other similar rank who should function as
a Nodal Officer.
4. IPS officer M Akhaya appointed as
Chief Vigilance Officer in telecom
department

i. IPS officer M Akhaya has been

appointed as the Chief Vigilance Officer in
the Department of Telecommunications.
ii. The appointment of the CVO, who a cts
as distant arm of the Central Vigilance
Commission to check corruption, comes at
a time when bidding for spectrum by
telecom companies is underway.
iii. Akhaya, a 1988-batch IPS officer of
Odisha cadre, has been appointed for an
initial period of three years.
5. EPFO trustees okay r aising age limit
under pension scheme to 60
i. Retirement fund body EPFO 's trustees
decided to raise the age limit from 58 to
60 years for vesting of pension.

iii. In term of population, Muslims

constitute the largest community,
followed by Christians. Third largest
minority group is that of the Sikhs.
iv. As per the RBI directive, banks have set
up a special cell to ensure smooth flow of
credit to minority communities.

the Central Board of Trustees (CBT), which

is headed by the Labour Minister, took the
decisions.
iii. After the amendment to the pension
scheme, a formal sector worker can
choose to contribute towards it till 60
years of age. This will provi de him a
benefit of 4 per cent enhanced pension
per year.
iv. The CBT also decided to appoint SBI as
it new fund manager for a three year ter m
beginning April 1.
6. Rs.3,168 crore for compensation in
new capit al of A.P.
i. The Andhra Pradesh Budget for 2015-16
has set aside Rs.3,168 crore towards the
compensation for taking the consent of
farmers, to part with their land for the
new capital project.
ii. As per the plan, 50 per cent of the total
land is to be used for common
infrastructure for the capital city.

iii. About 25 per cent of the land is to be

returned to the land owners in the form
of developed reconstituted plots.
iv. This would leave about 7,000 acres
with the State for constructing the capital
complex as well as bringing investments
to provide sustainable jobs for the
residents of the capital city.

ii. The Employees' Provident Fund

Organisation's apex decision making body,

Union Budget 2015 - Expected Questions

1.

On which date Union Budget 2015-16 was presented in

Parliament?
- 28 February 2015

2.
2. Name the Union Finance Minister who presented the Union
Budget 2015-16 in Parliament?
- Arun Jaitley
3. Personal Income Tax limit was not changed in Union Budget
2015-16. What is the present Personal I-T exemption limit?
- Rs 2.5 lakh

4. Health Insurance Premium deduction hiked from Rs. 15,000

to?

- Rs. 25,000 (for senior citizens to Rs. 30,000)

5. Transport allowance exemption hiked to Rs. 1,600, from
____ per month?
- Rs. 800
6. PAN card is must for all purchase above ____ rupees as
proposed in Budget 2015-16?
- Rs. 1 lakh
7. An additional ___% surcharge on people earning over Rs. 1
cr was put forth in the budget 2015-16?
- 2%
8. What change was made in the Wealth tax?

- Wealth tax abolished

9. DTC was dropped in the Budget 2015-16. Expand DTC?
- Direct Taxes Code
10. Corporate tax to be reduced from 30% to ___ over nex t
four years?
- 25%
11. Mudra banks to be established with capital of Rs.___
crore?
- 20000

12. Rs. ____ deduction for contribution to New Pension

Scheme?
- Rs. 50,000
13. GAAR implementation deferred by 2 years to?
- April 2017
14. Service Tax rate hiked to ___% from 12.36%?
- 14%
15. Tax free bonds were proposed in budget for?
- Roads, r ailw ays, irrigation proje cts

Daily GK Updates - 13th March 2015

1. Modi's visit to Sri Lanka
i. India and Sri Lanka on Friday signed four
bilateral pacts agreement on visa,
customs, youth development and building
Rabindranath Tagore memorial during
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first tour
to the island country.

ii. India stands ready to help Trincomalee

become a petroleum hub and announced
that New Delhi will provide a fresh Line of
Credit of up to USD 318 million for the
railways sector in Lanka.
iii. The Prime Minister will visit the
peninsular area of Jaffna home to the
island's Tamil minority and which bore the
brunt of a 37-year separatist war in which
.India was intricately involved.
iv. Rajiv Gandhi was the last prime
minister to visit Sri Lanka in 1987.
2. RBI, Sri Lankan central bank agree on
$1.5 billion currency swap deal
i. Reserve Bank of India has agreed for a
$1.5 billion currency swap agreement
with the Sri Lankan central bank to help
the island nation keep its currency stable,
ii. At the current valuation, one Indian
rupee is equivalent to 2.12 Sri Lankan
Rupee. It has lost almost three per cent
value in comparison to the Indian rupee
so far in 2015.
3. Electric power transmitted wirelessly
in Japan
i. In a breakthrough, Japanese researchers
have successfully transmitted electric
power wirelessly to a pinpoint target
using microwaves, an advance that brings
space-based solar power closer to reality.

ii. According to Japan Aerospace

Exploration Agency, or Jaxa, the
researchers were able to transform 1.8
kilowatts of electric power into
microwaves and transmit it with accuracy
into a receiver located 55 metres away.
iii. In space-based solar power generation,
sunlight is gathered in geostationary orbit
and transmitted to a receiver on Earth.
iv.
If
implemented,
microwavetransmitting solar satellites would be set
up approximately 35,000 kilometres from
Earth.
4. Cairn India gets Rs. 20,495-crore tax
notice
i. The Income Tax Department has
slapped a Rs. 20,495-crore tax demand on
Cairn India for failing to deduct
withholding tax on alleged capital gains
made by its erstwhile promoter, Cairn
Energy.

ii. I-T Department had slapped a Rs.

10,247-crore tax demand on Cairn Energy
for an alleged Rs. 24,500 crore worth
capital gains it made in 2006 while
transferring all its India assets to a new
company, Cairn India.
iii. A demand of approx Rs. 20,495 crore
(comprising tax of approx Rs. 10,248 crore
and interest of approx Rs. 10,247 crore) is
alleged to be payable.
iv. The company is the latest to join a slew
of multinational firms, including Vodafone
Group and Royal Dutch Shell, to face tax
demand owing to a retrospective tax law.

5. Saina rises to 2nd, Kashyap in top-10

of BWF rankings
i. Olympic bronze-medallist Saina Nehwal
attained a new high as she climbed to a
career-best second in the latest
Badminton World Federation (BWF)
rankings.

ii. The Indian, who is currently competing

in the Malaysia Open Super Series, is a
distant second to top-placed Olympic
champion Li Xuerui of China who has
94626.7153 points.
iii. In the mens list, Olympic quarterfinalist Parupalli Kashyap also headed
northwards as he reached a career-high
10th.
iv. P Kashyap, who was 11th in the
previous rankings, has 51986.6900 points
and is the only Indian in the top-25 of the
BWF list.
6. Karnataka clinch eighth Ranji Trophy
title
i. Karnataka scored a resounding victory
by an innings and 217 runs over
Tamil Nadu to retain the Ranji Trophy.
ii. K.L. Rahul, Karun Nair and R. Vinay
Kumar showed their batting prowess and
Karnataka made a statement that it was
the best team in two years, undefeated in
the last 28 matches.

iii. BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur gave

away the trophy. KSCA will receive Rs. 2
crore, while TNCA will get Rs. 1 crore.

1. Former Maldives President Nasheed

jailed for 13 years
i. Former Maldivian President Mohamed
Nasheed was convicted and sentenced to
13 years in prison after a quick and
disputed trial for allegedly ordering a
senior judge arrested while in office.

ii. Nasheed has denied ordering the

arrest. His supporters said the charges are
aimed at eliminating him as a challenger
against incumbent President Yameen
Abdul Gayoom in the 2018 presidential
election.
iii. Nasheed was the countrys first
democratically elected President.
2. Harvard University retains top position
in Times World Reputation Rankings
2015
i. Harvard University of United States (US)
has again topped in World Reputation
Rankings 2015 published by Times Higher
Education.

ii. Times Higher Education in the rankings

revealed the top 100 universities across
the world.
iii. The top ten universities are all located
in the US and United Kingdom (UK). US
alone has 8 universities in the top ten
rankings. While, UK has 2 universities in
the top 10 ranking.
iv. 2015 reputation rankings shows that
US alone has 43 higher education
institutions in the top 100. While, United
has 12 universities in the top 100.

Daily GK Update - 14th March 2015

Top 3 Universities in World Reputation
Rankings 2015 are:
Harvard University (US).
University of Cambridge (UK).
University of Oxford (UK).
3. India's GDP growth will be 7.5 percent
this year
i. Finance minister Arun Jaitley has said
that this year the GDP growth rate will be
7.5 percent.
ii. Arun Jaitley was in London for
Launching the Union Bank of India (UK), a
subsidiary of the Union Bank of India.
4. Government cuts import tariff on gold
and silver
i. The government has slashed import
tariff value on gold to $375 per 10 grams
and silver to $512 per kg following weak
global price trends.
ii. The tariff value on imported gold was
fixed at $393 per 10 grams and on silver at
$549 per kg.

iii. Gold is the second-largest import item

for India after petroleum. Higher gold
import bill adversely affects the country's
current account deficit (CAD).
iv. The government has been repeatedly
asking people to desist from buying gold
and instead invest in other saving
instruments.
5. NASA launches 4 spacecraft to solve
magnetic mystery

i. NASA has launched four identical

spacecraft on a billion-dollar mission to
study the explosive give-and-take of the
Earth and suns magnetic fields.
ii. The unmanned Atlas rocket, and
NASAs
Magnetospheric
Multiscale
spacecraft, took flight right on time.
Within two hours, all four observatories
were flying free.
iii. Each observatory resembles a giant
octagonal wheel, stretching more than 11
feet (3.35 meters) across and 4 feet (1.22
meters) high, and weighing 3,000 pounds
(1,360.79
kilogrammes)
apiece.
6. Pakistan tests 1st indigenous armed
drone Burraq and laser guided missile
Barq
i. Pakistan successfully tested its first
indigenously built all -weather armed
drone named Burraq and a laser guided
missile
named
Barq.
ii. By successfully testing of Burraq,
Pakistan became the 9th country in the
World to develop an unmanned combat
aerial vehicle (UCAV) domestically.

iii. It is developed by a venture of the

Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and the National
Engineering and Scientific Commission
(NESCO M).
iv. With
Barq laser-guided
missile
mounted on it can hit moving targets as
well as stationary targets with pinpoint
accuracy.

Daily GK Update - 15th & 16th March 2015

1. Wipro appoints Abid Neemuchw ala as
COO
i. India's third largest IT services exporter
Wipro Ltd. announced the appointment of
appointment of for mer TCS top ex ecutive
Mr. Abid Ali Neemuchwala as the Group
President and Chief Operating Officer of
the company.

iii. Apart from this he was also involved in

several leadership roles during his 23year-long career with TCS.

ii. Mr Neemuchwala was heading the

Business Process Services globally.

2. Facebook acquires The Find ecommerce search engine

i. Facebook has acquired The Find, a nineyear-old company with a search engine

that indexes products across thousands of

e-commerce sites.
ii. That probably means the ads Facebook
users see will be more relevant to
products theyve been browsing and
buying online, perhaps highlighting local
retailers. One of The Finds features is that
it attempts to mix online and local stores
and says its results are based on your
social profile.
iii. For Facebook, the technology might
make the social network a mor e valuable
platform for merchants. While The Finds
own website wont survive the
acquisition.

3. IMF supports tight stance of Reserve

Bank

i. The International Monetary Fund (IMF),

chief Christine Lagardes has supported
the tight monetary stance of the Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) and says 5-per cent
inflation in the country was still high.
ii. Lagarde is on a two-day India visit that
began from today.
iii. Ms. Lagardes itinerary during her twoday visit includes meetings Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and key leaders including
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and RBI
Governor Raghuram Rajan.
iv. IMF has previously expected a 6
percent growth for India.

1. Supreme Court sets aside Jat quota

i. The Supreme Court on Tuesday set aside
the notification issued by the erstwhile
UPA government to include Jats in the
Central list of Other Backward Classes
(OBC) for according benefits
of
reservation to them.

ii. a bench of Justice Tarun Gogoi and

Justice R.F. Nariman found fault with the
Centr es decision to overlook the findings
of the National Commission for Backward
Classes (NCBC) stating that Jats do not
deserve to be included in the Central list

4. Assam rolls out scheme to promote

double cropping
i. Assam government has launched an
ambitious scheme to increase agricultural
production by providing facilities and
assistance to farmers for double cropping
in their lands.
ii. Under the programme 'Momai Tamuli
Barbaruah Krishak Bondhu Scheme',
facilities and assistance will be provided
for double cropping in all the crop areas
which have so far been utilised for single
cropping only.
iii. Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi launched
the scheme at Timtimia village in Jorhat.*
5. Indian women win World Hockey
League Round 2
i. India won the final of the Hero womens
Hockey World League Round 2 with a
margin of 3-1 against Poland at the Major
Dhyan Chand National Stadium.
ii. Vandana Katariya broke the deadlock in
the 15th minute after several close
chances were missed.
ii. Poland struck back immediately on
resumption in the second quarter, Oriana
Walasek deflecting home off the teams
first penalty corner.
iv. The Final result: India 3 (Vandana
Katariya, Rani, Ritu Rani) bt Poland 1
(Oriana Walasek).

ii. During the tiebr eaker all the five

players including captain Anthony, Vibin,
Francis Zonuntulnga, Arun Tudu and
Rakesh Singh scored goal for the winners.
iii. Services have won the title for the
fourth time besides finishing runners up
on five occasions.
7. Srikanth wins Swiss Gr and Prix Gold
championship
i. Young Indian shuttler K. Srikanth
clinched the Swiss Grand Prix Gold
championship title after overcoming a
strong challenge from Viktor Axelson in a
hard-fought mens singles final.
ii. World No. 4 Srikanth showed nerves of
steel to prevail over his Danish opponent,
ranked sixth in the world, 21-15, 12-21,
21-14 in the thrilling summit clash of the
$120,000 event .
iii. Srikanth previously created a major
upset in the final of the 2014 China Open
Super Series Premier by beating five-time
world champion and two-time Olympic
gold medallist Lin Dan.

6. Services win fourth Santosh Trophy

title
i. Services lifted the Santosh Trophy after
edging out hosts Punjab 5-4 via tiebreaker in a nail-biting summit clash at
Guru Nanak Stadium in Ludhiana .

Daily GK Update - 17th March 2015

of OBC as they dont form socio-economic
backward class.
iii. The Narendra Modi government had
supported UPA regime's decision to
include the Jat community in the central
OBC list for providing reservation.
2. Centre includes compensation in GST
Const Amendment Bill

i. The Centre has included in the GST

Constitutional Amendment Bill the
compensation which will be paid to states

for revenue loss on account of rolling out

the new indirect tax regime.
ii. As part of the proposed GST r egime, the
CST is being phased out and its rate has
been reduc ed to two percent from four
percent.
iii. The Centre collects CST and distributes
it among states. The Centre has agreed to
compensate states for losses they have
incurred due to CST phase out.
3. Snapdeal buys stake in logistics firm
GoJavas
i. Online marketplace major Snapdeal
today picked up minority stake in logistics
firm GoJavas as it looks to further

strengthen its delivery operations in the

country.
ii. Snapdeal co-founder Rohit Bansal said
this is the first ever investment by
Snapdeal in the logistics segment and that
the company is looking to invest $150-200
million in logistics this year.
iii. Snapdeal, which has more than 60,000
sellers on board and more than 40 million
registered users, has been dependent on
third party services such as Blue Dart,
GoJavas, Ecom Express for handling
deliveries in the country.
4. Hitachi India, Siemens sign MoU with
CII for smart cities
i. Hitachi India Ltd and Siemens Ltd on
Tuesday signed an MoU with the
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to
form a consortium that would create
pilots and replicate them throughout the
country for setting up 100 smart cities.

1. India, Kyrgyzstan ink MoU

cooperation on textile, clothing

for

i. India and Kyrgyzstan signed MoU to

strengthen bilateral cooperation on textile
and clothing.
ii. The MoU was signed by Minister of
State (MoS) for Textiles Santosh Kumar
Gangwar and his counterpart Minister of
Energy and Industry of Kyrgyzstan
Kubanychbek Turdubaev in New Delhi.
iii. The MoU seeks to strengthen bilateral
cooperation between both nations in the
three fields including Textiles and
Clothing, Silk and Sericulture and Fashion.
2. WEF names Smriti Ir ani as Young
Global Leader from India

i. Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani was

today named Young Global Leader from
India by the World Economic Forum (WEF)
ii. Others who have been named Young
Global Leader (YGL) in the past include
British Prime Minister David Cameron,
Alibaba Group chief Jack Ma, Yahoo CEO

ii. The MoU aims to establish a national

mission for such cities as a platform
comprising industry leaders and experts
and provide policy advocacy and thought
leadership to Government and other
stakeholders.
iii. It would also manage a knowledge
repository to provide inputs to the
Ministry of Urban Development on best
practices.
5. Mirach to file $400 million defamation
suit against Sahara
i. US-based Mirach Capital today said it is
initiating a $400 million defamation
lawsuit against the Sahara group.
ii. The crisis-hit group had alleged that
Mirach and its CEO Saransh Sharma's
criminal conduct and lack of financial

Daily GK Update - 18th March 2015

Marissa Mayer, Google chief Larry Page,
Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.
iii. In the list of 187 YGLs for 2015 from
across the world, Irani is accompanied by
10 other Indians, including Gaurav Gogoi,
an MP and son of Assam Chief Minister
Tarun Gogoi.
3. Sohail Am an new Pakistan Air Force
chief
i.
Air Marshal Sohail Aman, an
accomplished fighter pilot, was appointed
as the chief of Pakistan Air Force.
ii. The Pakistan Air Force announced that
the new air chief will take over after his
predecessor Air Chief Marshal Tahir
Rafique Butt retires.
iii. Air Marshal Sohail Aman was
commissioned in the GD (P) Branch of
Pakistan Air Force in November, 1980.
4. Isr aeli prime minister Netanyahu
defies the polls to se al election w in
i. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu's ruling Likud Party scored a
resounding victory in the country's
election, a stunning turnaround after a
tight race that had put his lengthy rule in
jeopardy.
ii. The election was widely seen as a
referendum on Netanyahu, who has
governed the country for the past six
years.

capabilities to honour such huge

commitments led to the br eaking down of
the deal,
iii.
Mirach
accused
Sahara's
representatives of making unfounded
allegations against it while the group
scrambled for more time for its jailed CEO.
6. HDFC Bank launches instant money
transfer app
i. HDFC Bank has launched Chillr, a mobile
app that allows users to instantly transfer
money to any contact in their phonebook
24 hours a day and seven days a week.
ii. HDFC Bank has partnered with MobME,
a Kochi-based technology firm, to launch
this app.

iii. Netanyahu focused his campaign on

security issues, while his opponents
instead pledged to address the country's
high cost of living and accused the leader
of being out of touch with everyday
people.
5. South Africa e ase into semi-finals
i. South Africa cruised into the World Cup
semi-finals with a one-sided thrashing of a
sorry Sri Lanka in Sydney.
ii. Off-spinner JP Duminy took a hat-trick
and leg-spinner Imran Tahir 4-26 as Sri
Lanka were bowled out for 133.

iii. The Proteas then eased to their target

for the loss of only one wicket in 18 overs,
with Quinton de Kock making an
unbeaten 78.
iv. They go on to a last-four meeting with
New Zealand or West Indies in Auckland
on Tuesday.
6. Sangakkara, Jayaw ardene bid adieu to
ODI cricket
i. Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar
Sangakkara might not have got a fairytale

ending to their final ODI match of their

glorious careers.
ii. The duo had already called time on
their respective ODI careers before the
50-over showpiece event and it all ended
on a bitterly disappointing note as Sri
Lanka bowed out with a nine-wicket loss
to South Africa in the quarterfinal.

1. China-backed AIIB to be joined by

France, Germany, Italy
i. Thr ee nations from European Union
(EU) France, Germany and Italy have
agreed to join the China-backed Asian
Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)
after the United Kingdom (UK) decided to
join the bank.
ii. If these western nations join the bank,
the total number of the banks member
states including India will go up to 30.

iii. It should be noted that UK was the first

Western country to join the bank and also
first nation to disregard the reservations
expressed by the United States (US) which
had raised concerns over banks
transparency.
Note: AIIB is an international financial
institution p roposed by China which seeks
to provide support to infrastructure
projects in Asia. It is expected to be
operational by the end 2015 and its
headquarters will be located at Beijing.
2. Railw ays rope in Ratan Tata to le ad
Kaya Kalp panel

i. Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhu has

roped in noted industrialist Ratan Tata to
head a new innovation council called
Kaya Kalp he proposes to set up to turn
around the ailing state-run rail network.
ii. For mer Comptroller and Auditor
General Vinod Rai is likely to be a member
of the innovation council, which will also
include the general secretaries of the two
major railway unions.
3. India to host seventh Asian Ministerial
Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction

iii. The 37-year-old Sangakkara, scored

14,234 runs in 404 ODIs.
iv. Jayawardene, who had already quit the
longest format, now bows out of the
international scene after a career that
started in 1997. He leaves with 17,838
first-class runs to his name, 11,814 of

Daily GK Update - 19th March 2015

i. India will host the seventh Asian
Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk
Reduction (AMCDRR) in 2016.
ii. This was announced by Home Minister
of India Rajnath Singh at the Third UN
World Conference on Disaster Risk
Reduction held in Sendai, Japan.
iii. The conferenc e in 2016 will be held in
collaboration with the United Nations
Office for Disaster Risk Reduction
(UNISDR).
4. EVMs to carry photos of candidates
from May 1, 2015: EC

i. Election Commission has announced

that Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs)
and ballot papers will carry photographs
of candidates from 1 May 2015.
ii. This move of EC seeks to avoid voters
being misled by several namesakes in the
election fray.
iii. In this regard EC has issued an order to
all political parties and State Chief
Electoral Officers for implementation.
5. Kerala to host its first global
conference on gender equality
i. The Gender Park, an institution under
the state department of Social Justice, is
organising the three-day International
Conference on Gender Equality (ICGE -I)
here with the support of UN Women from
November 12-14.
ii. It is envisaged to be the country's first
such large-scale exercise in creating a
space to share knowledge and global
experiences in reducing gender
inequalities.
iii. "Gender, Governance and Inclusion" is
the core theme of the conferenc e that will
discuss issues ranging from citizenship,
globalisation, work, governance, health
and education to masculinities, disability
and the role of media
6. India Successfully Test Fires Air-to-Air
Astra Missile

them in 149 Test matches. He played 448

ODIs, accumulating 12,650 runs.

i. Indias indigenously developed Beyond

Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile Astra
was successfully tested from a Sukhoi -30
fighter aircraft.
ii. The test was undertaken at the
Integrated Test Range located at
Chandipur in Odisha.
iii. Missiles all subsystems like propulsion,
navigation, guidance and separation from
the aircraft were also successfully tested.

iv. The Missile is indigenously developed

by Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO).
v. It is a Surface to Surface BVR all weather missile and can be launched from
different altitudes.
7. Kavinder Gupt a elected as J&K
assembly Speaker

i. Kavinder Gupta was unanimously

elected as Speaker of the 12th Assembly
of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).
ii. The motion to elect the speaker of
assembly was moved by State Minister for
Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs
Basharat Bukari and seconded by Deputy
Chief Minister Nirmal Kumar Singh.
iii. Gupta was elected with voice vote as
there was no one from the Opposition
going against the motion. He will replace
the Protem Speaker Muhammad Shafi of
National Conference.
iv. Kavinder Gupta is Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) legislator from Gandhinagar
constituency in Jammu district. He is the
first time MLA to state assembly.
8. India storm into semi-finals by
thrashing B'desh by 109 runs

i. Rohit Sharma blasted a strokeful

century as defending champions India
stormed into the semi -finals of the ICC
Cricket World Cup by thrashing a hapless
Bangladesh by 109 runs in a lop-sided
contest here today.
ii. Riding on Rohit's spectacular 137 off
126 balls and his rollicking 122-run fourth
wicket stand in only 15.5 overs with the
belligerent Suresh Raina (65), India were

1. Union Government launches BIRAC

AcE Fund to accelerate growth of
entrepreneurs in Biotechnology
i. Union
Government
launched
Biotechnology
Industry
Research
Assistance Council (BIRAC) AcE Fund to
accelerate growth of entr epreneurs in
Biotechnology.
ii. It was announced by Minister of State
(MoS) for Science and Technology (S&T)
and Earth Sciences Y.S. Chowdary on the
occasion of the third foundation day of
BIRAC in New Delhi.
iii. The BIRAC AcE Fund aims to address
the pressing needs of accelerating the
growth of entrepr eneurs, in the field of
Biotechnology.

iv. This equity fund will be operated by

BIRAC a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU)
under the aegis Department of
Biotechnology (DBT) of Union Ministry of
Science and Technology.
2. Meira Kumars book released

i. Former Lok Sabha Meira Kumars book

entitled Indian Parliamentary Diplomacy
Speakers Perspective was released.
ii. The book was released by Lok Sabha
Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and its first
copy was presented to the President
Pranab Mukherjee at a function held in
Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi.
iii. The book featur es an account of the
parliamentary diplomacy and its role in
furthering
foreign
policy
and
strengthening international relations.

able to post a commendable 302 for six

after opting to bat at the MCG.
iii. India will now meet the winner of the
third quarter-final between Australia and
Pakistan at Sydney on March 26.

Daily GK Update - 20th March 2015

iv. It is also a collection of select speeches
and reports by Kumar during her stint as
Lok Sabha speaker and as leader of Indian
parliamentary delegations at several
international fora.
3. Former Australian PM dies
i. Former Australian Prime Minister
Malcolm Fraser has died aged 84.
ii. Mr Fraser, who led the nation between
1975 and 1983, died after a short illness.
iii. He became its leader in controversial
circumstances, after the unpr ecedented
dismissal of PM Gough Whitlam.

iv. He championed the rights of

Indigenous Australians and refugees, a
stance that put him on a collision course
with his own party in later life.
4. Sir Venkatraman Ramakrishnan named
as President of Britains Royal Society

i. Nobel Laureate Sir Venkatraman

Ramakrishnan has been confirmed as
President Elect of the Royal Society.
ii. His appointment was confirmed by the
societys council meet and will assume the
charge on 1 December 2015.
iii. He will succeed eminent geneticist Sir
Paul Nurse who had taken on the role in
2010 and will step down after the
customary 5-year term.
iv. In 2009, Ramakrishnan was awarded
Nobel Prize in Chemistry for discovering
the precise structure of ribosomes.

iv. The victory took the tally of India's

successive World Cup victories to 11,
including four in the last edition, as it was
yet another easy outing for the title
contenders.

5. NCPs Ramraje Nimbalkar unanimously

elected Mahar ashtra Legislative Council
Chairman
i. NCP nominee Ramraje Nimbalkar was
unanimously elected as the Legislative
Council Chairman, even as the Congress
and Shiv Sena withdrew their candidates
from the fray.
ii. The Congr ess had fielded party loyalist
Sharad Ranpise while the Sena had
nominated its spokesperson Neelam
Gorhe.
6. Wipro, HCL in race for Sebi's fraud
detection system upgrade
i. Tata Consultancy Services, HP, Wipro,
Tech Mahindra and five other companies
have evinced interest in assisting the
Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI)
in upgradation of its fraud detection
systems.
ii. The markets watchdog is planning to
expand the capacity of its Data
Warehousing and Business Intelligence
System (DW BIS) installed at data centres
in Mumbai and Chennai.
iii. DWIBS is used for speedy analysis of
trade data to identify possible violations
such as insider trading, share price
manipulation, front running and pumpand-dump scams.
7. Maharashtra Government announced
to rename Girgaum Chowpatty as Sw araj
Bhoomi
i. Maharashtra Government announced to
rename Girgaum Chowpatty as Swaraj
Bhoomi to honour veteran freedom
fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak.
ii. The demand was raised by the
Lokmanya Tilak Gaurav Samiti. They
demanded that the spot at Chowpatty
where Lokmanya Tilak was cremated, and

where a garden stands now, should be

called Swaraj Bhoomi.

iii. Girgaum Chowpatty is the oldest and

most famous beach of Mumbai,
Maharashtra. The Girgaum beach was
called Chau-pati because of four channels
of water that existed there.
8. National Air Quality Index to debut in
April
i. The environment ministry will be
launching the National Air Quality Index, a
simple, composite, and easy to
understand measure of air quality, on
April 6.

1. Union Cabinet approves Pradhan

Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana
i. The Union Cabinet has approved the
Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana
(PMKVY) to provide skills training to youth
across the country.
ii. Decision in this regard was taken in the
Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.
iii. The
PMKVY
Scheme
will
be
implemented by the Union Ministry of
Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
through the National Skill Development
Corporation (NSDC).
iv. The target for skilling under the
scheme will be associated with Union
Governments flagship programmes such
as Make in India, Digital India, Swachh
Bharat Abhiyan and National Solar
Mission.
2. 33% Cops in Delhi, Union Territories to
be women: Government

i. The Union Cabinet has cleared 33 per

cent reservation for woman in the lower
levels of police units of the seven Union
Territories (UTs), including Delhi.
ii. The
move aims at increasing
representation of women in police and to
make the force gender sensitive.

ii. The index will measure the eight major

pollutants that impact health - particulate
matter (PM 10 and PM2.5), nitrogen
dioxide, sulphur dioxide, ozone, carbon
monoxide, ammonia and lead - and
disseminate information on associated
health risks through a colour-coded easy
to identify format.
iii. Each colour will indicate a level of the
index. There are six levels: Good,
Satisfactory, Moderately polluted, Poor,
Very Poor and Sever e.
9. Australia beats Pakistan; to meet India
in semi-final
i. Australia defeated Pakistan by six
wickets to enter the semi -finals of the
cricket World Cup at the Adelaide Ova.
Daily GK Update - 21st March 2015
iii. This reservation for women will be
applicable in each category (SC/ST/OBC
and others) through direct recruitment in
non-gazetted posts from constables to
sub-inspectors.
3. International Day of Forests observed
i. International Day of Forests was
observed on 21 March 2015 with the
theme "For ests and Climate Change."
ii. The theme highlights forest-based
solutions to address climate change
mitigation and adaptation, and more
broadly
forests
and
sustainable
development.
iii. The day provides a platform to raise
awareness of the importance of all types
of forests and of trees outside forests. The
day is also used to communicate the vital
role forests play in poverty eradication,
environmental sustainability and food
security.

4. Amitabh Bachchan roped in as Brand

Ambassador for Campaign against
Hepatitis B

i. Megastar Amitabh Bachchan is roped in

as the brand ambassador for Union

ii. Shane Watson made the most of an

early reprieve to guide Australia to a sixwicket win over Pakistan with an
unbeaten 64 in the Cricket World Cup
quarterfinals.
ii. Pakistan won the toss and batted but
was all out for 213 in the last over, with
recalled paceman Josh Hazlewood taking
4/35 for Australia.
iii. Australia will play defending champion
India in a semifinal at Sydney on 26th
March 2015.

Governments campaign against Hepatitis

B, a critical public problem in India.
ii. Bachchan was roped in as the brand
ambassador for Indias fight against
Hepatitis B after his successful stint as
UNICEFs goodwill brand ambassador of
pulse polio campaign in India.
iii. The campaign against Hepatitis B will
be launched in April 2015. The campaign
is a part of the Union Governments
ambitious child immunization programme
named Mission Indradhanush, against
seven vaccine-preventable diseases.
5. Pakist ani cricketers Misbah-ul-Haq,
Shaid Afridi retired from ODI cricket
i. Pakistani cricketers, Misbah-ul-Haq and
Shaid Afridi retired from the One Day
International (ODI) format of cricket.
ii. They r etired after the World Cup
quarter-final match against Australia
played at Adelaide, Australia. In the
quarter-final, they lost to Australia by sixwickets.
iii. Though Misbah will continue to play in
the Test matches but Afridi will feature
only in T20 format of the cricket.

6. World Sparrow Day observed

i. The World Sparrow Day was observed
globally on 20 March 2015 with the

theme "I Love Sparrows". The theme has

been inspired by the hope that more and
more of us will celebrate the relationship
between People and Sparrows.
ii. The day is designated to raise
awareness of the house sparrow and
other
common
birds
to
urban
environments, and of threats to their
populations.

7. Cricket World Cup: Martin Guptill

double ton powers New Ze aland to
massive win over West Indies
i. New Zealand opener Martin Guptill sent
the ball soaring and the records tumbling
by striking a cricket World Cup record of
237 not out to set up his team's crushing
143-run victory over West Indies in the
last quarter-final.
ii. Guptill became the first New Zealander
to score consecutive World Cup centuries,
better ed his own national record of 189
not out then overtook Chris Gayle's World

Cup record of 215 set against Zimbabwe

at the current tournament. His innings
took 163 balls and included 24 boundaries
and 11 sixes.
iii. The Match made Guptill the first New
Zealander to score centuries in
consecutive World Cup innings after
having made 105 against Bangladesh.

Daily GK Update - 22nd & 23rd March 2015

1. Nation observes Martyrs Day
i. March 23 is marked as the Martyr's
Day to honour the sacrifice of Bhagat
Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev who were
hanged to death on this very day in
1931.

ii. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after

his arrival in Amritsar headed straight for
Hussainiwala by a helicopter wher e he
paid his respects to freedom fighters
Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev.
iii. It was in Hussainiwala that the three
martyrs
were
unceremoniously
cremated by the British after their
hanging in Lahore on March 23, 1931.
2. World Water Day 2015 observed with
the theme Water and Sustainable
Development
i. World Water Day (WWD) 2015 was
globally observed on 22 March 2015
with the theme Water and Sustainable
Development.
ii. The theme for the WWD 2015 talks
about how water links to all areas we
need to consider creating the futur e we
want.

iii. WWD is celebrated every year to

make a difference for the members of
the global population who suffer from
water related issues. Its a day to
prepare for how we manage water in the
future.
iv. Facts about the water crisis

Roughly 75% of all industrial water

withdrawals are used for energy
production.
There are 658 milli on people living
without access to water in Africa.
By 2035, the global energy demand is
projected to grow by more than onethird.
Diarrhoea caused by inadequate drinking
water, sanitation and hand hygiene kills
an estimated 842,000 people every year
globally, which is 2,300 people per day.
3. SEBI bars three companies from
mobilising public money
i. Securities and Exchange Board of India
(SEBI) has barred three companies from
raising funds from the public, with
immediate effect.
ii. SEBI said these companies collectively
garnered over Rs. 29 crore from close to
12,000 investors through issuance of
securities and prima facie violated
various provisions of the Companies Act.
iii. The firms Everlight Realcon
Infrastructure Ltd, Tr esty Securities Ltd
and Real Vision International Ltd
issued securities to over 50 persons
each, which under the rules made it a
public issue.
4. Infosys, Accenture in last lap for Rs
900-crore deal
i. Infosys and Accenture have entered
the final lap to clinch a Rs 900-crore
($150 million) IT outsourcing contract
from Australia-based financial services
provider Macquarie Group.
ii. Macquarie provides banking, financial,
advisory,
investment
and
funds
management services.
iii. It employs more than 13,900 people
in 28 countries.

iv. HCL, Cognizant and GenpactHeadstrong are some of Macquarie's

incumbent IT service providers.
5. Singapore founding father Lee Kuan
Yew dead

i. Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's first prime

minister and architect of the tiny
Southeast Asian city-state's rapid rise
from British tropical outpost to global
trade and financial centre, rested in
peace.He was aged 91.
ii. Mr. Lee co-founded the People's
Action Party (PAP), which has ruled
Singapore since 1959 and led the newly
born country when it was separated
from Malaysia in 1965.
iii. He stepped down as prime minister in
1990, handing power to Goh Chok Tong,
but remained influential as senior
minister in Goh's cabinet.
6. Rajendr a Singh, named as the 2015
Stockholm Water Prize Laureate
i. The Waterman of India Rajendra Singh
was named as the 2015 Stockholm
Water Prize Laureate.
ii. He was acknowledged for for his
innovative water restoration efforts,
improving water security in rural India,
and for showing extraordinary courage
and determination in his quest to
improve the living conditions for those
most in need.

iii. Mr Singh, born 1959, lives and works

in the Indian state of Rajasthan. The
results of his work are without equal: in
close cooperation with local residents,
he and his organization have revived
several rivers, brought water and life
back to a thousand villages, and given
hope to countless people.
7. India be comes 3rd biggest steel
producer overtakes US
i. India has become the third-largest
steel producer in the world by
overtaking United States (US) in first two
months of year 2015.
ii. It was revealed in the Data compiled
by World Steel Association (WSA).

1. Section 66 A of IT Act
unconstitutional, Supreme Court rules
i. The Supreme Court struck down
Section 66 A of the Information and
Technology Act, which allows police to
arrest people for posting 'offensive
content' on the internet.
ii. The bench said the public's right to
know is directly affected by Section 66 A
and the Section clearly affects the right
to freedom of speech and expression
enshrined under the Constitution of
India.

iii. A bench of justices J. Chelameswar

and R.F. Nariman had on 26 February
reserved its judgement on one of the
most controversial issues regarding the
freedom of expr ession that the court has
had to deal with in recent times.
iv. The government said it did not want
to curtail the freedom of speech and
expression but contended that the cyber
space could not be allowed to remain
unregulated.
2. Shashi Kapoor gets Dadasaheb
Phalke Award

iii. Indias production in first two months

i.e. January- February of 2015 was 14.56
million tonnes (MT).
iv. China tops in steel production and
accounts for nearly half of the global
steel production. During this period
China has produced 65 MT steel.v. Japan
is the second-largest steel producer and
has reported a total production of 17.4
MT.
8. 1st Counter-Terrorism Conference
2015 held in Jaipur
i. The 1st Counter-Terrorism Conference
2015 was held in Jaipur for three days
from 19 March 2015 to 21 March 2015.
ii. It was organised by India Foundation
in association with the Sardar Patel
University of Police Security and Criminal
Justice, Jodhpur at Jaipur in Rajasthan.
iii. The central theme of the Conference
is Integrated Approach to CounterTerrorism

Daily GK Updates-24th MARCH 2015

i. Charming Shashi Kapoor, whose
nuanced acts in memorable films like
Deewar, Satyam Shivam Sundaram,
Trishul and Kabhi Kabhie captivated
Hindi film buffs, will be conferred the
Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2014.

ii. The veteran actor-producer, 77, is the

46th winner of the honour, conferred by
the government for outstanding
contribution to the growth and
development of Indian Cinema.
iii. In 1978, Shashi set up his production
house Film Valas, which produced
critically acclaimed films such as
Junoon (1978), Kalyug (1981), 36
Chowringhee Lane (1981), Vijeta
(1982) and Utsav (1984).
3. India to grow at 7.8 per cent in 201516 :ADB
i. The Asian Development Bank
projected India's growth rate to surpass
China and improve to 7.8 per cent in
next fiscal and further to 8.2 per cent in
2016-17.
ii. The Asian Development Outlook, an
annual publication of the ADB said,
India's growth and investor confidence

9. Indian Wells Tennis championship

i. Simona Halep beat Jelena Jankovic 2-6
7-5 6-4 in an enthralling BNP Paribas
Open final at Indian Wells.

ii. World number one Novak Djokovic

recovered from a second-set battle to
beat Roger Federer 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 in
the BNP Paribas Open final.
iii. Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza have
completed a dream first tournament
together, beating Ekaterina Makarova
and Elena Vesnina 6-3, 6-4 to win the
BNP Paribas Open women's doubles
title.

will improve on the back of

government's structural reform agenda
and improved external demand.
iii. It forecast that India's growth will
improve from 7.4 per cent in current
fiscal to 7.8 per cent in 2015-16 and
further to 8.2 per cent in 2016-17.
4. World Tuberculosis Day observed
i. The President of India, Shri Pranab
Mukherjee gave message to the nation
on the occasion of World Tuberculosis
Day, which is observed every year on
March 24.
ii. In India National Tuberculosis Control
Programme has been able to test 86
million persons, treat 19 million patients
and save 3.4 million lives since its
inception in 1993.

iii. TB is a major health problem which

afflicts mainly the young and working
population of our country.
IV. It is unfortunate that in India even
today one person dies every two
minutes due to this menacing disease.
5. 62nd National film Aw ards 2014-15
announced -

i. The awards will be given by President

Pranab Mukherjee on 3rd of May in New
Delhi
ii. The awardees are Category

Winner

Best Actor

Sanchari Vijay
(Nanu Avanalla
Avalu)

Best Actress

kangana ranaut
(Queen)

Best Director

Srijith Mukerjee
(Chotushkone)

Entertainment
Film

Mary Kom

Environment Film

Ottal (Malayalam)

Music Director

Vishal Bhardwaj

Singer ( Male)

Sukvinder Singh

Singer (Female )

Utara
Unnikrishnan

6. Mangalyaan mission extended by six

months
i. The Indian Space Research
Organisations (ISRO) Mars Orbiter
Mission was extended for another six
months to further explore the Red
Planet and its atmosphere.
ii. As the 1,340 kg Mars Orbiter has
sufficient fuel (37 kg) to last longer than
it was intended earlier.
iii. The historic mission has completed six
months of orbiting the Red Planet. India
also became the first country to have
entered the Mars Sphere of Influence in
its maiden attempt.
7. South Africans choked again as Kiw is
advance to maiden final with 4-wicket
win
i. South Africa-born Grant Elliott`s
brilliant 84 not out, capped with a

stunning six off the penultimate ball, saw

New Zealand to a four-wicket win over
the Proteas in a cliffhanger World Cup
semi-final at Auckland`s Eden Park.
ii. NewZealand faced a revised target of
298 under the Duckworth/Lewis method
after South Africa made 281 for five in
43 overs.

iii. South Africa, struggling to throw off

their unwanted "choker" tag, have now
failed to win all four World Cup semi finals they have contested.
iv. Newzealand will now play with the
winner of the second semi final between
India and Australia.

Daily GK Update - 25th March 2015

1. Govt launches Digit al India initiative
with Twitter Samvad
i. The Union government launched a new
platform, in association with Twitter, for
direct communication among leaders,
government agencies and citizens through
tweets and text messages, helping boost
e-governance plans.
ii. Through Twitter Samvad, a set of
curated Tweets will be delivered every
day from the accounts of the government
and the leaders to mobi le-phone users
across the country as text messages.

4. Gujarat Philatelic Exhibition Gujpex2015 inaugurated in Ahmedabad

iii. RuPay is India's own card payment

gateway network like Visa and Master
Card, and provides an alternative system
for banks to provide a debit card service.
3. Man Booker International prize 2015
shortlist announced
i. Indian author Amitav Ghosh was
shortlisted for the 2015 Man Booker
International Prize. He is the only Indian
among the 10 finalists shortlisted for the
prize.

iii. The service can come in handy during

emergencies as government agencies can
share live updates, even time-sensitive
information on law and order or rescue.
2. India Railways launches RuPay prepaid debit card service
i. Railway passengers can now book their
tickets, do shopping and pay service bills
using RuPay pre-paid cards, as the IRCTC
launched the debit card service here
today.
ii. The service was launched by the Indian
Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation
(IRCTC) in collaboration with the Union
Bank of India and the National Payment
Corporation of India.

ii. Kolkata born, 58-year-old Mr. Ghosh

had narrowly missed out on the Booker
Prize back in 2008 when he was
shortlisted for his work Sea of Poppies.
iii. The international version of the
popular literary prize, to be held in
London on May 19, is awarded every two
years to a living author who has published
fiction either originally in English or whose
work is generally available in translation in
the English language.

i. Hon. Governor of Gujarat Shri O.P. Kohli

inaugurated Gujpex-2015 at Sardar
Vallabhbhai Patel National Memorial,
Ahmedabad. Gujpex-2015 is the 13th
state level philatelic exhibition of Gujarat
postal circle.
ii. Hon. Governor also inaugurate a special
cover on 'River front' and a book
'Collector's guide to british India bazaar
card- Edwardian & Georgian period'
written by philatelist Shri Prafful Thakkar.
iii. This exhibition will run from 24 March
to 27 March 2015 and is organized by the
Gujarat Postal Circle with the active
support of philatelic associations of
Gujarat.
5. 2 mega food parks e ach for Punjab,
Haryana; among 17 approved
i. Union Government has approved 17
mega food parks for food processing
across the country.
ii. It was announced by Union Cabi net
Minister of Food Processing Harsimrat
Kaur Badal. Out of these 17 food parks, 7

parks have been allotted to state agencies

whereas 10 to private players in 11 states.

iii. These food parks will attract

more INVESTMENT in the concerned
states
and
generate
employment
opportunities. It will also benefit five lakh
farmers who are suffering due to lack of
storage and proper transport system.
6. Madhav Gadgil and Dr. Jane
Lubchenco won Tyler Prize for
Environmental Achievement 2015

i. Indian ecologist Madhav Gadgil and US

Scientist Dr. Jane Lubchenco were named
for the Tyler Prize for Environmental
Achievement 2015.
ii. They were named for the award for
their leadership and engagement in the
development of conservation and
1. Vikas Swarup to be new
spokesperson of External Affairs
Ministry
i. Senior Indian Foreign Service (IFS)
officer and noted novelist Vikas Swarup
of Slumdog Millionaire-fame will be the
new spokesperson of the Ministry of
External Affairs.
ii. The Hollywood movie Slumdog
Millionaire which won eight Oscars was
based on Mr. Swarups successful debut
novel Q&A.
iii. The third edition of the summit is
scheduled to take place in India on
October 29.
2. Web Ratna Awards to honour
eGovernance initiatives
i. National Informatics Centre (NIC),
under the ambit of India Portal
(http://india.gov.in) organised the third
edition of Web Ratna Awards.
ii. For Innovative Use of Technology,
MKisanGovernment of India Portal for
Farmer Centric Services won the
Platinum Award.
iii. In the Citizen Centric Service Category
Platinum Award was bagged by Passport
Seva Project.

sustainability policies in the United States,

India and internationally.
iii. As the winners of the Tyler Prize,
Lubchenco and Gadgil will share the
200000 US Dollar cash prize and each will
receive a GOLD medallion at a private
ceremony in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles on
24 April 2015.

iv. National Kavi Pradeep Samman is

instituted by the Government of Madhya
Pradesh in the memory of late renowned
poet and songwriter Kavi Pradeep. v. The
Award carries a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh, a
shawl and a citation.
8. 'Largest ever asteroid impact' found in
Australia
i Scientists
at
Australian
National
University (ANU) found the worlds largest
asteroid impact zone in the Warburton
Basin
of
central
Australia.
ii. Dr Andr ew Glikson from the Australian
National University (ANU) School of
Archaeology and Anthropology was the
lead
author
of
the
study.
iii. The 400-kilometre (250-mile) wide
area is buried deep in the earth's crust
and consists of two separate impact scars.
The asteroid broke into two befor e it hit,
with each fragment more than 10km
across.

7. Veteran poet Gopaldas Neeraj

awarded inaugural N ational Kavi Pradeep
Samman
i. Noted Hindi poet Gopaldas Neeraj was
awarded with first National Kavi Pradeep
Samman.

ii. He was presented the award by

Madhya Pradesh Culture Minister
Surendra Patwa at a function held in
Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
iii. He is among the renowned poets and
authors in Hindi literature and also is a
famous poet of Hindi Kavi Sammelan.
Daily GK Update - 26th March 2015
iv. W eb Ratna Awards through its unique
initiative has contributed to the overall
increase in quality and quantity of web
presence of various
government
departments across the country.

3. Indian-American author Akhil Sharma

won The Folio Prize 2015 for novel
Family Life

i. He was presented with the winner

trophy by Jean-Marc Rathe of The Folio
Society and a cheque of 40000 pound at
the awards ceremony held in London.
ii. His novel Family Life was one among
the eight books shortlisted from 80
works of fiction and was chosen as the
best fiction published in the UK in 2014
by the 235 writers and critics who
constitute the Folio Academy.
iii. Family Life is an autobiographical
story of an immigrant family floundering
in America. The book tells the story of
Ajay Mishra who moves from Delhi to

the United States as a child in the late

1970s. When Ajay's brother has a lifechanging accident, it shatters his family's
new life.
About The Folio Prize
The Folio Prize was instituted in 2014.
The prize recognizes the best Englishlanguage fiction from around the world,
published in the United Kingdom (UK)
during a given year, regardless of form,
genre or the authors country of origin.
It is the first major English-language
book prize open to writers from all over
the world.
In 2014, American short story writer
George Saunders became the first
winner of The Folio Prize. He won for his
collection of short stories Tenth of
December.
4. Artist Bharti Kher conferred with the
Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters
of France

Bharti Kher's Bindi Art

i. Artist Bharti Kher of India on 23 March

2015 was conferred with the Knight of
the Order of Arts and Letters (Chevalier
dans lOrdre des Arts et des Lettres). This
is the highest cultural award of France.
ii. She was awarded for her contribution
in contemporary art landscape. Kher's
artworks span several mediums like
painting, sculpture and installation.
iii. Her An Absence of Assignable Cause
which is a 14 feet high sculptural
interpretation of the heart of the blue
sperm whale is among the finest works
from the experiment.
iv. The French government distinction
Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres (Knight
of the Order of Arts and Letters) is
conferred on persons who have
distinguished themselves
by their
creativity in the field of art, culture and
literature or for their contribution to the
influence of arts in France and
throughout the world.
5. Dolly Shivani Cherukuri became the
youngest Archer to enter India Book of
Records
i. Thr ee-year-old archer Dolly Shivani
Cherukuri of Andhra Pradesh on 24
March 2015 entered the India Book of
Records. She enter ed the list of records
by scoring 388 points in the recurve
segment in two distances, seven and five

India & Qatar ink six pact to boost trade and

investment
i. India and Qatar have signed six pacts
including agreements and Memorandum of
Understanding
(MoUs)
to
increase
commercial
and economic
exchanges
between both nations.
ii. These pacts were signed after Emir of
Qatar Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani had held
extensive talks with Prime Minister Narendra
Modi.
List of Agreements /MoUs signed between
both nations

meters, at the Volga Archery Academy in

Vijayawada.
ii. At the time of entering the India Book
of Records, she was nine days less than
three years.
iii. She shot 36 arrows each from five
metres and seven metr es to score 388
points in presence of judges from the
India Book of Records and the Archery
Association of India (AAI).
iv. Shivani is the youngest sister of
Cherukuri Lenin, former international
archery champion and archery coach,
who died in a road accident in 2010. She
was trained at the Volga Archery Institute
run
by
her
father
Cherukuri
Satyanarayana.

6. TCL partners with Indosat to make

inroads into Indonesia
i. Tata Communications Ltd (formerly
VSNL) has partnered with Indonesian firm
Indosat to provide a wide range of
technology and communication solutions
for enterprises in Indonesia and to make
inroads into that region.
ii. This partnership combines Indosats
extensive regional coverage and expertise
Daily GK Update - 27th March 2015
MoU for Cooperation in the field of
Information and Communication
Technology (ICT)
MoU between Union Ministry of
Earth
sciences
and
Qatar
Meteorological
Department for
Scientific and Technical cooperation
MoU between Diplomatic Institute
of Foreign Service Institute, MEA and
MOFA, Qatar
MoU for cooperation in the field of
Television and Radio
Agreement for Mutual Cooperation
and Exchange of News

NITI Aayog to set up working group on

Centrally Sponsored Schemes

Agreement on Transfer of Sentenc ed

Persons

21

with Tata Communications global

connectivity and managed service
capabilities to design a comprehensive
portfolio of services for the Indonesian
market.
iii. The total Enterprise IT spending in the
Indonesian market by 2018 is expected to
reach $14.09 billion out of which telecom
services will account for $4.96 billion.
7. India decimated, Australia through to
finals
i. India's World Cup dreams crashed as
they wer e inflicted a 95-run defeat by
Australia in their World Cup semifinal at
the Sydney Cricket Ground.
ii. Chasing a huge victory target of 329
runs, India were bowled out for 233 runs
in 46.5 overs.
iii. Steven Smith's brilliant century
propped up Australia before Indian
bowlers staged a comeback of sorts but
the hosts still managed to post a
commanding 328/7.
iv. Australia will now meet New Zealand
in the finals on 29th of March.

i. NITI Aayog will set up a working group to

prepare a draft report on how to make
implementation of Centrally Sponsored
Schemes (CSS) more effective.
ii. NITI Aayog CEO Sindhushree Khullar will be
the head of the working group prepare a
draft report on th e suggestions made by
various Chief Ministers in the meeting.
iii. After the first meeting of the Governing
Council of the Aayog, three sub-groups of
Chief Ministers were constituted on CSS, Skill
Development and Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan.
President confers Bhar at Ratna to At al Bihari
Vajpayeev.
i. Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee
has been conferred with India's highest
civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna by the
President of India Pranab Mukherjee at his
residence.

ii. Vice President Hamid Ansari and Prime

Minister Narendra Modi also attended the
ceremony.
iii. Vajpayee was the first non-Congress
leader to serve India for a full five year ter m
from 1999 to 2004.

nationwide footprint of contiguous 800/850

MHz spectrum.
iii. The company bought 900 MHz spectrum
in Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh
and won 1800 MHz spectrum in Odisha and
northeast.
iv. It has re-acquired spectrum in 900 and
1800 bands in four of the seven 2G spectrum
expiry circles.
KM Mani appointed as chairman of the
Empowered Committee of State FMS on
GST

NASA's Opportunity Rover completed 11

years of m arathon on Mars
i. NASA's Opportunity Rover on Mars is the
first human-made vehicle that has completed
11 years marathon in a record time.
ii. It is the first time that a robot has
exceeded the distance of a marathon on
another world's surface.
iii. The robot which is accessed by solar
power arrived at the Mars' Eagle Crater in
January 2004 and in these 11 years it
completed 153-foot drive.

i. Kerala Finance Minister KM Mani was

appointed as the Chairman of the
Empower ed Committee of State Finance
Ministers on Goods and Services Tax (GST) by
the Union Finance Ministry on 24 March
2015.
ii. The post was vacant since the former
Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Finance Minister
Abdul Rahim quit the position after the
defeat of National Conference in the J&K
Assembly elections held in December 2014.
iii. GST is intended to be implemented from
01 April 2016 as announced by the Union
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his 2015-16
budget speech. The Constitution (122nd
Amendment) (GST) Bill, 2014 has been

Reliance Communications acquires spectrum

in 11 circles
i. Reliance Communications, part of the Anil
Ambani-led group, has acquired new and topup 800/850 MHz spectrum in 11 circles.
ii. The company with this acquisition, has
become Indias first and only operator with

pending in the Lok Sabha since December

2014.
Ministry of Railways constitutes Ajay
Shankar Committee to review PPP Cell
functioning
i. Union Ministry of Railways has constituted
a Committee to review the existing Public
Private Partnership (PPP) Cell in the Railway
Board with former IAS officer Ajay Shankar as
its head.
ii. The Committee will recommend measures
needed to make the PPP Cell more customer
friendly, effective and result oriented.
iii. The Infrastructure Directorate of Railway
Board will be the Nodal Directorate for
functioning of the Committee. While the
Executive Director/Traffic (PPP) Railway
Board will be the Secretary to the Committee.
Ruth Porat appointed as Chief Financial
Officer of Google
i. Ruth Porat has been appointed as Chief
Financial Officer (CFO) of worlds largest
search
engine
giant
Google.
ii. She will succeed Patrick Pichette who had
announced his retirement on 10 March 2015
and assume charge on 26 May 2015.
iii. As CFO of Google she will directly report to
Larry Page, CEO and Co-Founder of Google.
iv. Prior to this appointment Ruth was
working as CFO at Morgan Stanley.

Daily GK Update - 28th Mar ch 2015

Book titled Food for All written by Uma
Lele
i. The book will be published by Oxford
University Press. The book surveys the
food and agricultural development
assistance delivered by five major
international organizations since their
establishment to gauges their relevance,
effec tiveness, and impacts in a
dramatically changed world.

Programme, International Fund for

Agricultural
Development
and
Consultative Group for International
Agricultural Research.
iii. The book is the result of a meeting
convened at the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation in October 2010 to explore
how to address the challenges and
opportunities of the global food and
agriculture system.

ii. The five organisations surveyed by the

book are: the World Bank Group, Food
and Agriculture Organization, World Food

About the Author

Uma Lele is Ph.D from Cornell University
and has four decades of experience in
agricultural research, project design and
implementation, policy analysis, and
program evaluation.

22

She is a former senior adviser to the

World Bank and has published notable
works on agricultural and rural
development.
CNN IBN announced Indian of the Year
Award 2014
i. CNN-IBN announced the Indian of the
Year Award 2014 on 18 March 2015. The
award recognises
the remarkable
achievements and contributions of
Indians who worked tirelessly towards
strengthening Indias foundation in 2014.
ii. The CNN-IBN Indian of the Year Award
is presented annually to various Indians
for their work in their respective fields.
The awards are presented in various
categories of Politics, Sports, Business,

Entertainment, Public Service and Global

Indian.
iii. List of the Winners of CNN-IBN Award
2014

Narendra Modi - Indian of the Year 2014

Arun Jaitley - Indian of the Year 2014:
Politics
Jitu Rai - Indian of the Year 2014: Sports
N Chandrasekaran - Indian of the Year
2014: Business
Chetan Bhagat - Indian of the Year 2014:
Entertainment
Tongam Rina - Indian of the Year 2014:
Public Service
Satya Nadella - Indian of the Year 2014:
Global Indian
K Chandrasekhar Rao - Indian of the Year
2014: Popular Choice
P Vijayan - Indian of the Year 2014:
Popular Choice
Kangana Ranaut - Indian of the Year
2014: Special Achievement
Pankaj Advani - Indian of the Year 2014:
Special Achievement
Kailash Satyarthi - Indian of the Year
2014: Outstanding Achievement
Azim Pr emji - Indian of the Year 2014:
Outstanding Achievement
The Indian Space Resear ch Organization
(ISRO ) - Indian of the Year 2014: Lifetime
Achievement
ADB sanctioned 300 million US dollars
under SCRIP for road construction in
NBNE region
i. The abbreviation SCRIP (SASEC Road
Connectivity Investment Program) was in
news as a loan agreement of 300 million
US dollars under the programme was
signed between the Asian Development
Bank (ADB) and the Union Ministry of
Finance on 26 March 2015.
ii. Under this multi-tranche programme,
about 500 km of roads will be
constructed in the North Bengal -North
East (NBNE) region. ADB is providing 500
million US dollars for the execution of the
programme.
iii. SRCIP is a strategic initiative that aims
to achieve regional integration among the
members of the South Asia Sub regional
Economic Cooperation (SASEC) group by
improving road connectivity within the
North Bengal-North Eastern Region in
India. The members of this group are
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal.

International Day of Remembrance of

the Victims of Slavery and Transatlantic
Slave Trade observed - 25 Mar ch
i. International Day of Remembrance of
the Victims of Slavery and the
Transatlantic Slave Trade 2015 was
observed globally on 25 March 2015.
ii. The theme for the year 2015 is
Women and Slavery. The theme is a
tribute to the many women who suffered
and died during the slave trade.
iii. On this occasion the United Nations
(UN) unveiled a permanent memorial for
victims of transatlantic trade, named as
Arc of Retrun, at the UN headquarters in
New York. The memorial reminds not
only the gross injustice done to African
slaves but also the successful journey of
the UN in restoring their dignity by
actively condemning the practice.
iv. The Arc was unveiled by the UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the
occasion of the International Day of
Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery
and the Transatlantic Slave Trade on 25
March 2015.
v. India contributed 260000 US dollar to
the memorial which was built under the
supervision of Haitian-American architect
Rodney Leon.

Nobel Laureate John Nash won Abel

Prize 2015 for work on partial
differential equations
i. Nobel Laureate John F Nash Jr. won the
Abel Prize 2015 for his work on partial
differential equations.
ii. The prize was announced on 25 March
2015 by the Norwegian Academy of
Sciences and Letters. They will receive the
Abel Prize from His Majesty King Harald
at a ceremony in Oslo on 19 May 2015.
iii. He will share the Prize with Louis
Nirenberg, Professor Emeritus at New
York University's Courant Institute of
Mathematical Sciences. They both will
share the prize money of 760000 US
dollar.

23

About the Abel Prize

The Abel Prize is an international prize
presented annually by the King of Norway
to one or more outstanding
mathematicians. The prize was named
after Norwegian mathematician Niels
Henrik Abel.
The award was established in 2001 by the
Government of Nor way and
complements the Holberg Prize in the
humanities.
The Abel Prize has often been described
as the mathematician's Nobel Prize,
competing in that respect with the much
older Fields Medal. It comes with a
monetary award of 6 million Norwegian
kroner (NOK).
ISRO w on Gandhi Peace Prize 2014
i. Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) on 27 March 2015 won Gandhi
Peace Prize 2014. The award was selected
by the jury under the chairmanship of the
Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
ii. Besides
Prime
Minister,
other
members of the Jury that selected the
ISRO for the award wer e Justice H L
Dattu, Chief Justice of India; Mallikarjun
Kharge, leader of the single largest
Opposition Party in the Lok Sabha; LK
Advani, Member of Parliament and
Gopalkrishna Gandhi.
iii. The Indian space agency successfully
launched Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM)
and at a very cost effective price of 450
crore rupees.

About the Award

The Gandhi Peace Prize for social,
economic and political transformation
through non-violence was instituted in
the year 1995 on the occasion of the
125th birth anniversary of Mahatma
Gandhi.
It is given to individual or organisation for
making social, economic and political
transformation through non-violence
means.
The award comprises an amount of one
crore rupees and a citation.

Delhi Government launches India's fir st

E-ration card service
i. Delhi government has launched First Eration card service in India. It was
launched Delhi Chief Minister Arvind
Kejriwal on 27 March 2015.

ii. In this service, E-ration card will be

linked with Aadhaar cards in order to
curb
corruption
and
increase
transparency in the system.
iii. Along with the E-ration card service,
Delhi government is also starting issuing
temporary Fair Price Shop (FPS)-licences.
These licenses will be issued to around
25,000 FPS in Delhi. FPS are operated by
private players to provide subsided
foodgrains
First goods train from Lumding to Silchar
in Assam flagged off
i. First goods train from Lumding to
Silchar in the northeastern state of Assam
was flagged off by the Union Railway
Minister Suresh Prabhu through video
conferencing at a function in New Delhi.
Key facts
1.
Madan
Mohan
Malaviya
posthumously awarded Bharat Ratna

i. Freedom fighter and educationist,

Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya on 30
March 2015 was conferred the highest
civilian award of the country Bharat Ratna
(posthumous). His family members
received the award from President
Prabab Mukherjee at a function in the
Ashoka hall of the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
ii. The award was given to Pt Madan
Mohan
Malaviya
or
Mahamana
Malaviyas family for his outstanding
work in the field of education and the
country's freedom struggle.
iii. Pandit Malaviya was born on 25
December 1861 in Allahabad. He studied
at Calcutta University and became a

The train was launched on 210 km

Lumding-Silchar section r ail line after the
gauge conversion was completed at a
cost of 3500 crore rupees.
This line will provide conne ctivity to
Barak valley of Assam with the rest of
the country. 210 km rail line consist of 28
stations, 4 halt st ations, 79 major
bridges and 340 minor bridges and 21
tunnels.

PM Narendr a Modi launches PRAGATI

platform for redressal of grievance s

i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 25

March
2015 launched
Pro-Active
Governance and Timely Implementation
(PRAGATI) platform.
ii. PRAGATI is a multi-purpose and multi modal platform aimed at addressing
grievances of common man. It also aims
at simultaneously monitoring and
reviewing important Union government
programmes and projects as well as
projects flagged by State Governments.
iii. It is an innovative project in egovernance and good governance and
accountability with real -time presence
Daily GK Update - 29th - 30th March 2015
school teacher. Later he also practiced as
a lawyer and even a newspaper editor.
He was the founder of Banaras Hindu
University (BHU) and Hindu Mahasabha.
iv. Besides, President also presented
Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and
Padma Shri awards.
2. Aditi Arya crowned FBB Femina Miss
World 2015
i. Aditi Arya was declared fbb Femina
Miss India World 2015 at a star-studded
event at the Yash Raj Studios.
ii. Aafreen Rachel Vaz walked away with
the fbb Femina Miss India 2015 first
runner-up crown, while Vartika Singh was
fbb Femina Miss India 2015 second
runner-up.
iii. Gurgaon girl Aditi Arya, a research
analyst, received the crown from Miss
India 2014 Koyal Rana. Aditi will
represent India at Miss World 2015 to be
held later this year.

24

and information exchange among the key

stakeholders.

Key features of PRAGATI

Designed in-house by the Prime
Ministers Office (PMO) team with the
help of National Informatics Center (NIC).
Uniquely bundles three latest
technologies including Digital data
management, geo -spatial technology and
video-conferencing.
Three-tier system that brings PMO, Union
Government Secretaries, and Chief
Secretaries of the States at one stage.
iv. Thus, offers a unique combination in
the direction of cooperative federalism.
v. Prime Minister can directly discuss the
issues with the concerned Central and
State officials with full information and
latest visuals of the ground level
situation.
vi. On a monthly basis, Prime Minister will
interact with bureaucrats i.e. on fourth
Wednesday of every month at 3.30 PMcalled as PRAGATI Day.
vii. Issues to be flagged before the PM
will be picked up from the available
database regarding Public Grievances,
pending
Projects
and
on-going
Programmes. These issues will uploaded
seven days prior to the PRAGATI day.

3. Cricket World Cup 2015: Australia

crush New Zealand in final
i. Australia overwhelmed New Zealand to
win the World Cup for a fifth time at an
ecstatic Melbourne Cricket Ground.
ii. Aussies defeated the Kiwis by seven
wickets to complete the fiver.
iii. James Faulkner was adjudged the Man
of the Match.
iv. Mitchell Starc was selected as the man
of the tournament for his breath taking
performance in the tournament.
v. ICC team of World Cup 2015: Brendon
McCullum (c), Sangakkara, Smith, De
Villiers, Maxwell, Corey Anderson,
Vettori, Starc, Boult, Morkel, Brendan
Taylor (12th man)

iv. Earth Hour is organised by the World

Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) since 2007
when it was first observed in Sydney,
Australia.
4. Reliance Powers Sasan UMPP fully
operational
i. Anil Ambani controlled Reliance Power
Ltd has announced the commissioning of
the sixth and last 660 MW unit of the
3,960 MW Sasan Ultra Mega Power
Project (UMPP).
ii. The Sasan UMPP is the largest
integrated power plant cum coal mining
project at a single location involving
investment of over Rs. 27,000 crore.
iii. Reliance Powers generation capacity
has increased to 5,945 MW which
includes 5,760 MW of thermal and 185
MW of renewable energy based capacity.
5. Earth Hour 2015 observed globally
from 8.30 pm to 9.30 pm local time
i. Earth Hour 2015 was observed globally
on 28 March 2015 from 8:30 pm to 9 :30
pm local time. The tagline for the global
campaign was Change Climate Change.
This was the ninth edition of the Earth
Hour that started in 2007.
ii. Earth Hour 2015 was observed across
172 nations and territories and around
1400+ iconic landmarks of the world
switched off the lights.
iii. Earth Hour is a global campaign with a
simple message to switch off nonessential lights for one hour on the last
Saturday of March between 8:30 and
9:30 pm. This is done as a commitment to
the planet.
Gods Bankers authored
Posner released

by Gerald

i. Book titled God's Bankers: A History of

Money and Power at the Vatican
authored by Gerald Posner was released
on 3 February 2015.
ii. Posner is an American investigative
journalist and an author, through this
book he has tried to present the secret
side of the 200-year history of Vatican
finances and the Vatican Bank, the

Earth Hour in India

India joined the Earth Hour campaign in

2009 and over the years has seen an
exponential growth in participation
across cities, towns and even far-flung
villages of rural India.
The brand ambassadors for Earth Hour in
India are Arjun Kapoor (actor), Priya Mani
(actress), Sania Mirza (Tennis player),
June Maliah (actress), and Suresh Gopi
(Malayalam actor).
6. ISRO navigation satellite in orbit
i. India demonstrated its ability to
establish an independent regional
navigation satellite system, as ISROs
PSLV C-27 successfully launched Indian
Regional Navigation Satellite System
(IRNSS) 1-D satellite into the intended
orbit.
ii. IRNSS is the series of navigational
sattelites in answer to the U.S. GPS
system, While the ambit of the U.S. GPS
was global, the IRNSS was meant for
regional coverage.
iii. While four of the seven satellites in
the IRNSS will be in geosynchronous
orbit, the other thr ee would be
positioned in geo-stationary orbit, some
36,000 km above the Earth.
Daily GK Update - 31st March 2015
Catholic
Church's
completely
independent financial institution.
iii. The book is about the churchs
accumulation of wealth and its byzantine
entanglements with financial markets
across the world. It talks about the
political intrigue and inner workings of
the Catholic Church. It displays with
extraordinary precision how the Vatican
has evolved from a foundation of faith to
a corporation of extreme wealth and
power.
Vice Admir al Sunil Lanba took over as
Commanding-in-Chief of Southern Naval
Command

25

7. Saina Nehwal, K Srikanth win India

Open titles
i. Saina Nehwal defeated third seeded
Ratchanok Intanon of Thialand to win
$275,000
India
Open
badminton
championship
ii. Saina blitzed past former World
champion Ratchanok Intanon 21-16, 2114 for her ninth BWF Superseries title and
first National Open.
iii. In the men's section Viktor Axelsen
was defeated by the Indian star K
Srikanth to script a brilliant 18-21, 21-13,
21-12 triumph.
8. Superb Saina scales historic World
No.1 ranking
i. Saina Nehwal scripted history by
becoming the first Indian woman shuttler
to attain the number one spot in world
rankings, reaffirming her status as the
country's most consistent performer in
the international circuit.
ii. official rankings will be out only on
Thursday next week, Saina has been
assured of her ascent to the top owing to
the performances in the Indian open.
iii. Only Indian to be at numero uno was
Prakash Padukone in the men's circuit.

i. Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba on 30 March

2015 took over charge as the Flag Officer
Commanding-in-Chief of Southern Naval
Command. He took the charge from Vice
Admiral SPS Cheema at a ceremonial
parade held at the Naval base in Kochi.
ii. Prior to assuming command, Vice
Admiral Lanba laid a wreath at the War
Memorial.
iii. Vice Admiral Cheema will now assume
the charge of the Flag Officer
Commanding in Chief, Western Naval
Command on 31 March 2015 on the

retirement of the present incumbent,

Vice Admiral Anil Kumar Chopra.
Balbir Singh Senior conferred with Major
Dhyan Chand Lifetime Achievement
Award of Hockey India

i. Hockey India on 28 March 2015

conferred Major Dhyan Chand Lifetime
Achievement Award on legendary Balbir
Singh Senior. As an award, he rec eived a
trophy and a cash prize of 30 lakh rupees.
ii. Balbir Singh Senior was a member of
three Olympic gold medal winning Indian
team, viz., London Olympics (1948),
Helsinki Olympics (1952) and Melbourne
Olympics (1956). He was the Vice Captain
of the Indian Hockey team during Helsinki
Olympics and Captain during Melbourne
Olympics.
iii. His 1952 record of most goals (five) in
an Olympic final still remains unbeaten
and he also figures in the list of 16 iconic
Olympians of all-time.
iv. He is often called Bal bir Singh Senior
to distinguish him from other Indian
hockey players named Balbir Singh.
Japan organised Worlds first Otaku Expo
i. Japan organised the world's first Otaku
Expo from 28 March 2015 to 29 March
2015 at Makuhari Messe Convention
Center in Chiba Prefecture.
ii. The Expo was organized as a part of a
special comic book fair held every five
years, which attracts about half a million
visitors.
iii. For the first time groups from outside
Japan were invited to mark the event.
About four dozen overseas Otaku groups
attended the Expo.
iv. The visitors so-called Otaku, usually
translated as geeks, from at least 18
countries and territories, many dressed as
their favourite anime characters.
v. The culture of Otaku has grown into a
major industry in Japan. The term is
commonly used in the country to refer to
people obsessed with Japan's unique take
on comics and animation. While it once
carried a negative connotation, many

Otaku are now proudly displaying their

love for two-dimensional heroes while
the number of for eign fans is also soaring.
Katsushi Inoue appointed as President &
CEO of Honda Cars India Ltd
i. Katsushi Inoue on 30 March 2015 was
appointed as President & Chief Executive
Officer (CEO) of Honda Cars India Ltd
(HCIL).
ii. He will assume charge on 1 April 2015
and succeed Hironori Kanayama who is
due to retire. Inoue was associated with
Honda Motor Co for past 29 years.
iii. About Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL)
HCIL is a subsidiary of the
Japanese carmaker Honda
dealing with the production,
marketing and export of
passenger cars in India.
It has started its operations in
1995 and was formerly known as
Honda Siel Cars India Ltd.
It was joint venture between
Honda and Usha International of
Siddharth Shriram Group. Later
Honda had completely bought
out Usha Internationals entire
stake and was renamed Honda
Cars India Ltd (HCIL). At pr esent
it is 100% subsidiary of Honda.

Former Union Minister and veteran

Congress Party leader Paty Ripple
Kyndiah died
i. Former Union Minister and veteran
Congress Party leader Paty Ripple
Kyndiah died on 26 March 2015 due to
cardiac arrest. He was 87.
ii. He had served as the Union Minister
for Tribal Affairs and Union Minister for
Development of North Eastern Region
(DoNER) in 2004 under the UPA-I
government led by Manmohan Singh. He
retired from active politics in 2009 prior
to the Lok Sabha polls.
iii. He also was a prominent figure in
Meghalaya politics. He was a member of
the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly from
1970 to 1993. While from 1975 to 1988,
Kyndiah served as cabinet minister in
State, as Leader of Opposition, Acting

26

Chief Minister and Speaker of

Assembly.

the

Vettori bids goodbye to cricket

i. Veteran left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori,
the most capped ODI player for New
Zealand, bid adieu to the 50-over format.
ii. Vettori ended an illustrious 18 year
career in which he created many records
for
New
zealand.
iii. In his 113 Test appearances, Vettori
took 362 wickets and his tally in Tests
stands
at
4531
runs.
iv. He is the most capped Kiwi player but
also the teams leading wickettaker
with 305 scalps at an average of 31.71
from 295 games.