WBCS Current Affairs 15/05/2015 to 28/05/2015

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1. Writer Neel Mukherjee’s novel The Lives of Others has won the United Kingdom’s Encore Award for the best second novel. The novel The Lives of Others reflects the political and social convulsions of an entire society and based upon story of one family living in Calcutta in 1960s. It covers, various issues ranging from the mass hunger of the Second World War to independence and the emergence of the Maoist Naxalbari movement. Neel Mukherjee’s first novel A Life Apart was published in 2010. It was shortlisted for 2011 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature. It should be noted that, his second novel The Lives of Others was shortlisted for the 2014 Man Booker Prize. Neel Mukherjee was born in Kolkata in 1970. About £10,000 Encore Award It is an annual award bestowed upon writers for their best second novel. It was established in 1990. The award is sponsored by Lucy Astor. The award fills a niche in the catalogue of literary prizes by celebrating the achievement of outstanding second novels of writers.

2. Deepak Iyer was appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director (MD) of Bharti AXA General Insurance. Iyer will take charge from Interim CEO and MD Milind Chalisgaonkar and join the board of company by end of June 2015.

3. Union Cabinet gave its approval to 5 per cent disinvestment in National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) and 10 per cent in Indian Oil Corporation (IOC). Decision in this regard was taken by Union Cabinet Meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. These approvals are part of Union Government’s budgeted target to raise 41,000 crore rupees through strategic stake sales i.e. disinvestment for the current financial year 2015-16. Disinvestment in both Central Public Sector Undertaking (CPSU) may fetch the government over 13,000 crore rupees at current market price. The proposed share sale of 5 per cent in NTPC will fetch Union government 5,565 crore rupees while that of 10 per cent in IOC will bring in 7,932 crore rupees. Currently, Union government holds 74.96 per cent in NTPC and 68.57 per cent in IOC.

4. Telangana Government has inked a Memorandum of understanding (MoU) with tech giant Google Inc to build biggest campus outside US in Hyderabad. The MoU was signed between Telangana Secretary of IT Jayesh Ranjan and his counterpart David Redcliffe, Google’s global head of facilities and workplace in Google headquarters at Mountain View in USA.

105. President Pranab Mukherjee on 12 May 2015 appointed Governors in six states. Their appointments will take effect from the dates they assume charge. Following are newly appointed Governors Jharkhand: Former Odisha Minister Droupadi Murmu was appointed as Governor of Jharkhand. She will replace Dr Syed Ahmed. Manipur: Dr Syed Ahmed has been transfered to Manipur for remaining period of his term. Arunachal Pradesh: J P Rajkhowa was appointed as Governor of Arunachal Pradesh. He will replace Lt. General (Retd.) Nirbhay Sharma. Mizoram: Lt. General (Retd.) Nirbhay Sharma has been transferred and appointed as Governor of Mizoram for the remainder of his term. Tripura: Tathagata Roy will be the Governor of Tripura. Meghalaya: V. Shanmuganthan has been appointed as Meghalaya Governor. Constitutional provisions of Governor Article 153: It says that there shall be Governor for each state. But 7th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1956 facilitated the appointment of the same person as a governor for two or more states. Article 156: Governor is appointed by President and hold office during the pleasure of President. It should be also noted that this article also mentions tenure of Governor. In this regard it says that Governor shall hold office for the term of 5 years from date he enters upon his office.


6. Maharashtra Government has banned digging of borewells beyond 200 feet with a view to check the steep decline of groundwater-level across the state. State government’s decision comes in wake of increase the digging of new borewells by farmers and private players due to water scarcity during the summers.

7. Lok Sabha on 13 May 2015 passed The Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill, 2015 by a voice vote. The Bills amends the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 in order to make cheque-bounce filing of cases more convenient for check payees (person who receives the cheque).

8. Union Cabinet has given its approval to Benami Transactions (Prohibition) (Amendment) Bill, 2015. The Bill seeks to amend the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act, 1988 by adding additional provisions that provides for stringent measures against violators in order to curb and check the generation of black money in the country. It also adds provisions for attachment and confiscation of benami properties and imposes fine with imprisonment. The Bill also has provision for prosecution and aims to act as a major avenue for blocking benami property, which leads to generation and holding of black money especially in real estate.

9. Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the flagship Namami Gange Program. The program integrates the efforts to clean and protect the River Ganga in a comprehensive manner by involving differed States and grassroots level institutions. It has a budgetary outlay of 20000 crore rupees for 2015-20. It will be implemented National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) with the help of State Program Management Groups (SPMGs). In order to improve implementation of the program, a three-tier mechanism has been proposed for project monitoring. It will comprise of At national level: High level task force chaired by Cabinet Secretary and assisted by NMCG. At national level: State level committee chaired by Chief Secretary and assisted by SPMG. At District level: District level committee chaired by the District Magistrate.

10. Punjab has become the first state in India to issue Soil Health Cards (SHCs), a Union Government initiative to all farmers in the state. In this regard, every district of state has been assigned mobile soil testing lab. These labs will take soil sample from every farm and issue a digitalised soil health details. Presently, state government has 66 such laboratories and has capability to test 3.5 lakh soil samples annually. State government also has made mandatory for these labs to check soil health on quarterly basis. Importance of SHC in Punjab The advent of green revolution in Punjab has made soil testing more necessary in view of over exploitation of soil. It will help farmers in maintaining the balanced health structure of the soil and educate them to use right quantity of fertilisers in order to prevent soil from becoming arid.

11. Eminent Bengali writer Suchitra Bhattacharya passed away on 12 May 2015 following a cardiac arrest in Kolkata, West Bengal. She was one of the most popular and powerful novelists of contemporary Bengali literature. Her writings dwelt on contemporary social issues mainly affecting the urban middle class and also highlighted the pains and sufferings of women in contemporary society.

12. Union Government formally launched Upgrading the Skills and Training in Traditional Arts/Crafts for Development (USTAAD) Scheme. It was launched by Union Minister of Minority Affairs Dr. Najma Heptullah in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh in order to improve degrading conditions of world famous Banaras Saree weavers who belong to minority communities.

13. Indian-origin councilor Harbhajan Kaur Dheer of Labour Party became the first Asian woman to be elected as mayor in United Kingdom. She was elected as mayor of Ealing Council in London by succeeding councilor Tej Ram Bagha.

14. Supreme Court (SC) on 13 May 2015 issued a slew of guidelines on regulation of public advertisements. This guidelines seeks to prevent ruling politicians at all levels from misusing tax payers’ money to enhance their image or of their parties as it is against democratic principles. This judgment was given by SC Bench comprising Justices Ranjan Gogoi and Pinaki Chandra Ghose on a PIL filed by Common Cause, a registered society. Guidelines set by Supreme Court Ban on the use of photographs of ministers and party leaders in the government advertisements released by government institutions and autonomous bodies. Only photographs of the President, Prime Minister (PM) and Chief Justice of India (CJI) can feature in the government advertisements with their prior approval. Besides, the photos of late national leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru can be used in these advertisements. Henceforth, official advertisements should not carry the name of any political party, political symbol, logo or flag. In order to regulate the issue of public advertisement and to keep check on framed guidelines to prevent its violation, Union government must constitute a three-member committee. Background The SC issued the guidelines on the basis of the recommendations of a three-member Committee headed by Prof NR Madhava Menon, former Director of the National Judicial Academy (NJA), Bhopal. The committee was asked to frame guidelines in order to prevent misuse of public funds by the government and authorities in giving ads in newspapers and television to gain political mileage.

15. India and China signed 24 key agreements to strengthen their bilateral relationship in several fields including trade and commerce, education, skill development, railways, human resource and other areas. The agreements were signed in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang after delegation level talks in Beijing.

16. Tejaswini Sagar from India won under-15 category of World School Chess Championships in her maiden attempt. In the ninth and final round played at Pattaya, Thailand she defeated Kavinya Miyuni Rajapaksa of Sri Lank to win gold medal. In this championship, Tejaswini scored seven points out of nine by winning six, drawing two and losing one game.

17. World’s first fully warm-blooded fish named Opah or moonfish was discovered recently. It was discovered by scientists at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Opah or moonfish has ability to circulate heated blood throughout its body which makes it first fish known to be fully warm-blood.

18. India’s largest lender, State Bank of India (SBI) has launched contact-less credit and debit cards sbiINTOUCH. sbiINTOUCH is based upon latest near-field technology (NFC) that enables customer to transact using the card by just tapping or waving it against the reader of the point-of-sale machine Cards incorporated with NFC technology are secure and hassle-free. SBI is also proving a fraud liability cover of 1 lakh rupees on these cards. With this, SBI has joined league of private lenders like ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank. It should be noted that ICICI bank was first to introduce contact-less credit and debit cards in India. RBI rules on contact-less credit and debit cards Presently, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) allows banks to enable transactions in case of contactless cards up to Rs. 2,000 without the requiring a separate PIN authentication. But incase of amounts higher, banks should provide customers with an option of contact payment and pin authentication requirement.

19. Doordarshan and China Central Television (CCTV) have signed an agreement for exchange of art, culture and development television programmes. The agreement was signed between both parties during the first leg of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s three nation visit to China, Mongolia and South Korea.

20. Vice President Mohammed Hamid Ansari conferred the Pt. Haridutt Sharma Award to senior journalist Anurradha Prasad in New Delhi. She was bestowed with this award for her contribution in the field of Journalism, Writing and Social Services. Presently, Anurradha Prasad is the editor-in-chief of News-24 Channel and is Managing Director of the entertainment company BAG Films & Media ltd. She is wife of former Minister of State (MoS) for Parliamentary Affairs Rajeev Shukla.

21. Union Ministry of Finance has appointed M J Joseph as the Controller General of Accounts (CGA). He will succeed Jawahar Thakur, who was recently appointed as OSD (Accounting Reforms) in the office of CGA. Joseph is a 1979 batch Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS) officer. Prior to this appointment he was Director General (DG) of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

22. India’s ace shooter Gagan Narang won the bronze medal in the 50m Rifle Prone Event of the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup. With this win he qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics by earning himself a quota place.

23. United Nations (UN) has adopted a resolution in order to call attention of international community to urgently assist Nepal and help rebuild the country after it was hit by devastating earthquake. The resolution was led by India and was co-sponsored by 65 other nations including Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Australia, Japan, China, Germany, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan UK and the US.

24. Ousted Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi was sentenced to death by Cairo court for his part in a mass jailbreak in 2011. Now, country’s religious authorities will have to give their opinion before the sentence can be carried out. Morsi who is leader Muslim Brotherhood Party was earlier sentenced to 20 years in jail for was on charges of espionage for his involvement in ordering the arrest and torture of protesters during his time in power. He was Egypt’s first freely elected president after the military rule under Hosni Mubarak came to end in 2011.

25. Canada has formally announced its plans to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions by 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030. In this regard, Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s led government submitted its target to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

26. ICICI Bank’s first branch in China was inaugurated in Shanghai, a major global financial hub. It was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the presence of ICICI Bank’s MD and CEO Chanda Kochhar.

27. Sixth edition of National Conference on Nuclear Energy held in New Delhi. The theme of this edition was Nuclear Energy: a Clean Energy option. It was organized by Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), one of the apex trade associations of India. The conference discussed the issue related to the status of Nuclear Energy in India. Apart from it various issues were also discussed including on nuclear energy to the decarbonisation of power sector, Climate change & the future of nuclear energy, nuclear energy expansion & Make in India. Quick facts India is on course of doubling its nuclear power generation capacity in five years i.e. till 2020 by more than 10,000 MW. At present 3.5% of India’s electricity is generated by Nuclear power plants. In future its share will be less than 10% even if the installed capacity is tripled.

28. Ethiopian runners won both the Men’s and Women’s titles in the eighth edition of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) World 10 Thousand metre run in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

29. India and Mongolia have decided to elevate their ties to the level of Strategic partnership. In this regard a joint statement was issued after the delegation level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Mongolian counterpart Saikhanbileg in Ulaan Baatar. It should be noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is first Indian PM to Mongolia. Apart from this India and Mongolia signed 13 agreements to further strengthen bilateral ties in different sectors. They are Revised Air Services Agreement- To update the previous arrangements of international air services between India and Mongolia under the Convention on International Civil Aviation. Treaty on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons- Indian prisoners convicted in Mongolia will be transferred to India to serve the remaining part of their sentence. Similarly Mongolian citizens convicted in India can be sent to their home country to serve their sentence. Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Animal Health and Dairy- It envisages joint cooperation activities in the areas of dairy, modern technical application, quality control and animal disease control measures, marketing in dairy etc. MoU on Cooperation in the Field of Traditional Systems of Medicine and Homeopathy. MoU on Establishment of Cyber Security Training Centre in the Ministry of Defence of Mongolia. MoU on Establishment of India-Mongolia JointFriendshipSchool in Mongolia. Programme on Cooperation in the field ofCulture for the Years 2015-2018. MoU for Cooperation between the India’s National Security Council and the National Security Council of Mongolia. MoU on Cooperation between the Union Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia– To focus on all aspects of the bilateral relationship between both nations in the areas of political, commercial, economic, technical scientific and cultural cooperation as per Protocol on Cooperation signed between both parties on September 17, 1996. MoU on Renewable Energy- Both nations will focus on development of new and renewable energy technologies, viz. Solar Energy and Wind Energy. MoU on enhancing cooperation between the border guarding forces. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also announced a line of credit of US $ one billion to support expansion of Mongolia’s economic capacity and infrastructure.

30. Union Government has allocated 5,000 crore rupees for the growth of Department of AYUSH, that comprises Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy. It was announced by Union Minister of State (MoS) for AYUSH Sripad Naik at a function in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

31. India’s ace discus thrower Vikas Gowda won a bronze medal in the second leg of the prestigious International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Diamond League series in Shanghai, China.

32.Ms. Draupadi Murmu was sworn in as the first woman and overall ninth Governor of Jharkhand since the state was granted statehood status after bifurcating from Bihar on 15 November 2000. Jharkhand High Court Chief Justice Virendra Singh administered oath of office under the provisions of Article 159 of Constitution to her. She succeeds Syed Ahmed who was recently transferred as Governor of Manipur by President Pranab Mukherjee.

33. India and South Korea have signed 7 agreements /MoUs to enhance bilateral relations. The agreements were signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s last leg of three nation tour viz China, Mongolia and South Korea. Signed agreements are Agreement for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income- It was signed in lines with the Double Taxation Avoidance Convention (DTAC) signed between both nations in 1985. It revises previous convention with a view to avoid the burden of double taxation on taxpayers in the two countries. Cooperation in Audio-Visual Co-Production- It will boost opportunities for collaboration between both countries in film industries sector and facilitate collaboration, exchange and co-production of films, animation and broadcasting programmes. MoU for Cooperation between the India’s National Security Council and Korea’s Office of National Security- It will formalize consultations between the structures of National Security Council of both nations in a number of areas. MoU for cooperation in the field of Electric Power Development and New Energy Industries- It envisages cooperation in areas of electric power development and new energy industries. It basically includes areas such as smart grids and power information and technology, renewable energy, transmission and distribution of electric power, energy efficiency and storage system. MoU on Cooperation in Youth Matters- It will encourage and strengthen cooperation on youth matters through participation. It will basically enhance participation through international conferences, exchanges, youth camps, seminars, festivals etc. Framework of Cooperation in the Field of Road Transport and Highways– It envisages cooperation in areas such as road policies, construction and design, road operation, management and safety, electronic toll collection systems and intelligent transport systems. MOU in the Fields of Maritime Transport and Logistics- It envisages cooperation between the two countries in the fields of maritime transport and logistics. It will include sharing of information, technologies and experiences, exchange of experts and port operations, training of seafarers etc. Apart from signing these agreements both nations also issued Joint Statement for Special Strategic Partnership.

34. India assumed the presidency of the 68th World Health Assembly (WHA) held in Geneva after a gap of 19 years. The 68th WHA session began on 18 May 2015 and it will conclude on 27 May 2015. The WHA session is presided by Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda who is also leading the high-level Indian delegation to the Assembly. This edition of assembly is expected to deliberate on key issues of global interest that include Anti-microbial resistance. Air pollution and health Global health emergency, preparedness and surveillance. Global strategy and plan of action on public health. Innovation and intellectual property. Research and development in neglected tropical diseases. About World Health Assembly (WHA) WHA is the world’s highest health policy setting body and the top decision-making body of the World Health Organisation (WHO). It is governed by WHO’s 194 member state and generally composed of health ministers from member states. The first WHA assembly was held in 1948.

35. India Meteorological Department (IMD) and Power System Operation Corporation Ltd (POSOCO) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for optimum use of weather information and forecast in the power sector. The aim of MoU is to enable power operators, generators and utilities to make optimum use of their supply and generation capacities with knowledge of weather conditions obtained from IMD.

36. Aruna Shanbaug, a nurse who was in a vegetative state for 42 years after being sexually assaulted passed away in Mumbai’s King Edward Memorial (KEM) hospital. Earlier in second week of May she was put on ventilator after suffering a serious bout of pneumonia but she lost her battle for life.

37. GMR Infrastructure Ltd. has signed Memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Guizhou International Investment Corporation (GIIC) for developing Kakinada special economic zone (SEZ) in Andhra Pradesh. On behalf of GMR Infrastructure Ltd. the MoU was signed by its subsidiary Kakinada SEZ (KSEZ) Pvt. Ltd- President Challa Prasanna in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and GMR founder Grandhi Mallikarjuna Rao in Beijing, China.

38. International Monetary Fund (IMF) in its recent report titled Act Local, Solve Global: The $5.3 Trillion Energy Subsidy Problem has voiced alarm about energy subsidies across the world. The report has clearly mentioned that theenergy subsidies across the world are expected to reach 5.3 trillion dollars in 2015, more than government health spending. Key facts from report The rising subsidy figures are among the largest negative factors for economic growth which is piling up adverse effects on efficiency, growth and inequality. 2015 energy subsidies will represent 6.5 per cent of the global economy, likely exceeding government health spending across the world. China is the largest spender on energy subsidies and spends around 2.3 trillion dollars a year, followed by the United States at 699 billion dollars and Russia at 335 billion dollars. While India spends 277 billion dollars, Japan spends 157 billion dollars and European Union (EU) spends around 330 billion dollars. Overall energy subsidies had more than doubled since 2011 which had amounted to 2 trillion dollars i.e. 2.9 percent of the world’s gross domestic product. It has damaging effects on air quality and health, such as premature deaths due to global warming. By getting energy prices right can help national governments achieve their goals not only for the environment but also for inclusive growth and sound public finances. Definition of energy subsidies: The IMF report defined energy subsidies as the difference between the amount of money consumers pay for energy and its true costs, plus a country’s normal sales or value-added tax rate. In addition, the true costs include environmental effects like carbon emissions that lead to global warming and the health effects.

39. Reliance Jio Infocomm (RJio), a telecom arm of Reliance Industries (RIL) has signed a pact with Chinese telecom equipment manufacturer firm Huawei for sourcing various 4th Generation (4G) devices. As per agreement, Huawei will supply RJio with 4G devices which include smartphones, tablets and mifi dongles. Apart from Huawei two other Chinese telecom firms are eager to supply 4G devices to RJio.

40. Union Government has sanctioned proposals for setting up 30 new cold storage projects chain in the country with a total investment of 724.9 crore rupees. It was announced by Union Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Badal in New Delhi. For this project Union Food Processing Ministry will provide grant of 274.9 crore rupees.

41. Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) MP Surendrajeet Singh Ahluwalia has been appointed chairman of a Joint Committee of Parliament that will look into the provisions of the Land Acquisition Amendment Bill, 2015. The joint committee will comprise of 30-members- 20 members from Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha. The Committee will submit its report on the first day of the monsoon session.

42. Researchers have discovered the driest location on Earth in the Atacama Desert in Chile. The site discovered is called as Maria Elena South (MES). It was discovered by team of research scientist at the Blue Marble Space Institute of Science in Seattle, United States. This discovered site is dry as Mars and has a mean atmospheric relative humidity (RH) of 17.3 percent and a soil RH of a constant 14 percent at a depth of one meter.

43. Tech giant Apple has acquired Global Position System (GPS) firm Coherent Navigation to improve its mapping capabilities. Coherent Navigation’s technology will be used by Apple to significantly enhance its Apple Maps product which is struggling to provide accurate location information. Coherent Navigations is a company focused on hyper-accurate GPS and its navigation system provides accurate location information to within a few centimeters. The company also specializes in high-precision GPS technogy, which combines standard GPS data with data from the Iridium satellite communications constellation for pin point accuracy.

44. Meghalaya has achieved 100 percent success in implementing Union Government’s flagship scheme for financial inclusion-Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna (PMJDY). In the state, all eleven districts have been able to open at least one bank account of every household under the ambitious scheme. More than 5.53 lakh households have been covered with 1.55 lakh new bank accounts. The rural population has given more response to the financial inclusion scheme in the state compared to the urban population. Over 1.8 lakh bank accounts have been opened in rural areas, while in urban area the figure is over 47,000. All banks both from private and public sectors have contributed in successfully implementing the scheme. So far, under the PMJDY, banks have issued more than 1.31 lakh Rupay cards. About Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) It was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the goal of eradicating financial untouchability of the poor by opening at least one bank account for every family in the country in less than six months. It seeks to financially empower the poor by providing them access to formal banking system. It also seeks to provide platform for Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT) which will curb leakages in government subsidies and thus saving government exchequer. Initially, after its launch the scheme had a target of opening 7.5 crore bank accounts by January 26, 2015, but later it was revised and raised to 10 crore bank accounts.

45. V Shanmuganthan was sworn in as the 15th Governor of Meghalaya on 20 May 2015 at the oath taking ceremony held at Raj Bhawan in Shillong. Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court, Uma Nath Singh administered the oath of office to him as per the provisions of Article 159 of Constitution of India.

46. INS Kavaratti, Indian Navy’s latest anti-submarine warfare class stealth corvette was launched on 19 May 2015 in Kolkata. Kavaratti is the last of the four anti-submarine warfare class stealth corvettes being built for India under Project 28.

47. President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the 50th Anniversary of India’s first historic climb of Mt. Everest in 1965 at a function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. This function was organized by the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF) to celebrate the historic climb of Mt. Everest in 1965 by an Indian team led by Captain Mohan Singh Kohli. On this day in 1965, Indian team of 21 mountaineers led by Captain M S Kohli of Indian Navy had successfully climbed world’s highest peak Mt. Everest (8848 m) after a series of three unsuccessful attempts in five years.

48. Hungarian writer Laszlo Krasznahorkai has won the prestigious Man Booker International Prize for 2015. He was chosen from a list of 10 contenders from around the world.About Man Booker International Prize The prize, worth £60,000, recognizes an authors’s achievement in fiction. It is a biennial award, bestowed upon a living author who has published fiction either originally in English or whose work is available in translation in the English language. The prize is sponsored by Man Group plc, which also sponsors the Man Booker Prize for Fiction.

49. Tathagata Roy on 20 May 2015 was sworn in as the 16th Governor of Tripura in Agartala. Chief Justice of the Tripura High Court Mr. Jc. Deepak Gupta administered the oath of office to him as per the provisions of Article 159 of Constitution of India. He replaced Padmanabh Balkrishna Acharya, Governor of Nagaland, who had held the additional charge of Tripura.

50. India’s largest public sector lender, State Bank of India (SBI) has signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) with e-commerce giant Amazon. The MoU seeks to identify and tap the potential areas of collaboration for payments and commerce solutions between both signatory parties. Through this tie, SBI is seeking to enrich customers’ payment experience and opening up the windows of e-commerce to its small and medium enterprise (SME) customer’s base which is the largest in the country.

51. Eminent economist, policy advisor and noted academic Mrinal Datta Chaudhuri passed away in Pune, Maharashtra 19 May 2015. He had served as Director of Delhi School of Economics (DSE) and was a visiting professor of economics at the Universities of Harvard and Minnesota. He was popularly and affectionately called as ‘MDC’ among his circles.

52. Indigenously-developed beyond visual range air-to-air Astra missile was successfully test fired at the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur, Odisha.

53. Recently released UN World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) Report for Mid update -2015 has projected that India’s economic growth will surpass China’s growth in 2016. The report has projected India’s economy to grow by 7.6 per cent in year 2015 and 7.7 per cent in 2016. While, it has projected China’s economic growth will be 7 per cent in year 2015 and 6.8 per cent in 2016. Key facts from report It has termed South Asia’s economic outlook as largely favourable as most economies in this region are expected to experience a strengthening of growth in 2015-16. The main reasons for strengthening of growth in this region will be because of stronger domestic consumption and investment, and increase in exports. The report has forecasted South Asian region’s GDP will grow by 6.7 per cent in 2015 and 6.9 per cent in 2016. It also projected that the global GDP will accelerate slightly from 2.6 per cent in 2014 to 2.8 per cent in 2015. While, the global consumer price inflation will be at an average of 2.5 per cent, the lowest level since 2009.

54. Maharashtra Government has decided to allow women employees to work in night shifts. In this regard, state government is going to amend Section 66(1) (c) Factories Act 1948, thus making the way for women employees to work in night shifts. At present, section 66(1) (c) of Act does not allow women employees from working at a factory between 7 PM and 6 AM. However, after amending the 67-year old Act, the factory managements will have to ensure security of women working in night shifts.

55. Yamuna Expressway in Uttar Pradesh had become India’s first road runway after Indian Air Force (IAF) Mirage 2000 fighter jet successfully landed as part of trials to use national highways for emergency landing. The first of its kind initiative in India’s aviation history took place on Yamuna Expressway near Mathura with active support from Uttar Pradesh government, Yamuna Expressway Authority.

56. Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants have taken complete control of the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra. The city is a UNESCO designated World Heritage site and home to some of the world’s most magnificent ancient ruins.
Some facts Ancient ruins of Palmyra dates back to the first and second Century when it was under Roman rule. Palmyra was once a Silk Road hub and one of the cultural centres of the ancient world. The city occupies mythological status in Syria and is home to some of the most beautiful and well-preserved ruins of antiquity, including the Temple of Bel, built in 1st century.

57. Union Cabinet has approved continuation of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) programme for another fifteen operational flights of PSLV-C36 to PSLV-C50. The decision in this regard was taken at a Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. All the fifteen operational flights under this programme will be completed during the period 2017-2020. The continuation PSLV programme will enable Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to launch of satellites required for earth observation & navigation and Space Sciences. It will also help government to clinch commercial launch service contracts and meet the demand for the launch of satellites at a frequency of four to five launches per year. The continuation of programme will add additional 3090 crore rupees on government exchequer. About Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) programme It was sanctioned by Union Government in 2008 to use PSLV as a workhorse vehicle to meet the country’s satellite launch requirements. The operationalisation of this programme has made India self-reliant in the launching capability of satellites for the purpose of earth observation, disaster management, space sciences and navigation. PSLV also has emerged as a versatile launch vehicle to carry out Geo-synchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO), Sun-Synchronous Polor Orbit (SSPO) and low inclination Low Earth Orbit (LEO) missions. Thus, continuation of PSLV programme will help to sustain India’s capability and self-reliance in the launching of similar satellites for national requirements and even play key role in commercial launch opportunities also.

58. Union Cabinet has approved the revival of closed urea unit of Fertilizer Corporation India Limited (FICL) at Sindri in Jharkhand with an investment of 6000 crore rupees. Decision in this regard was taken at Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. FICL’s Sindri unit was lying defunct and was not in operation along with its associated facilities since 2002.

59. Union Government has decided to amend Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) norms for NRIs, Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) and Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) to increase capital flows into the country. Decision in this regard was taken at Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. In order to comply with this decision government will amend FDI policy on investments by NRIs, PIOs & OCIs which will give them parity in economy and education. Now non-repatriable investments of NRIs, PIOs & OCIs under under Schedule 4 of FEMA regulations will considered as domestic investment. The amendments will lead to greater foreign exchange remittances and investment in the country. Previous decisions taken NDA government on FDI are FDI in Railway infrastructure sector has been opened to 100 per cent FDI under automatic route. FDI limit in the insurance sector has been increased to 49 per cent. Sectoral cap for FDI in defence sector has been raised to 49 per cent.

60. Steel Authority of India (SAIL) and world’s largest steelmaker, ArcelorMittal signed a MoU to set up an automotive steel manufacturing facility in India. The MoU was signed by ArcelorMittal Chairman & Chief Executive Lakshmi Niwas Mittal and SAIL Chairman CS Verma in London.

61. Parvinder Singh Batth, an Indian-origin Conservative party councillor was chosen as the mayor of United Kingdom’s Wokingham Borough Council.

62. India has ranked 24th out of 70 countries in the first Environmental Democracy Index (EDI). The index was recently released by Washington-based World Resources Institute (WRI) and Access Initiative. In the first edition of this index, Lithuania has topped among the 70 countries. Top ten countries are: Lithuania, Latvia, Russia, United States, South Africa, United Kingdom, Hungary, Bulgaria, Panama and Colombia. Key facts from EDI report Right to environmental information has been established in the 93 per cent of the assessed countries. However, many nations lag on providing citizens basic environmental information i.e. around 79 per cent of assessed countries have earned only fair or poor ratings for public participation. Nearly half or around 46 per cent of assessed countries do not provide any ambient air quality data online for their capital cities. In 73 per cent of the countries, courts or their judiciary hear environmental cases. Only 14 per cent of the countries assessed have legal mechanisms that help women to access courts in order to obtain redress when their environmental rights are violated. About Environmental Democracy Index (EDI) EDI evaluates progress of countries in enacting laws in order to promote citizen engagement and accountability, transparency in environmental decision-making. The index evaluates countries based on recognised international standards including 75 legal and 24 practice indicators.

63. Republic of Ireland on 23 May 2015 became first country in the world to constitutionally legalise same-sex marriage. The referendum on this issue to amend country’s written constitution was passed with a resounding 62.1 per cent ‘Yes’. Off the total voter turnout of 60.5 per cent, 1,201,607 people voted in favour of same-sex marriage, while 734,300 voted against it.

64. United Nation Security Council (UNSC) on 23 May 2015 adopted a resolution calling for stronger cooperation among member nations in stemming the illicit transfer and misuse of small arms and light weapons.

65. Tanishq Abraham, 11-year-old Indian-American child prodigy created a record by graduating from California College with three associate degrees in science, maths and foreign language studies. He is native of Sacramento, California and youngest to graduate from the American River College (ARC), in Sacramento, California.

66.Two Indian peacekeepers have been chosen posthumously for United Nation’s Dag Hammarskjold Medal. They are Lance Naik Nand Ram and Raju Joseph. Both of them are among the 126 police, military and civilian personnel who have been posthumously awarded a prestigious UN medal.

67. Jayalalithaa was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for the fifth time on 23 May 2015. Governor K. Rosaiah administered the oath of office and secrecy to her at oath taking ceremony held at Centenary Auditorium of the University of Madras in Chennai. With this, Jayalalithaa became 29th chief minister of Tamil Nadu for record fifth time which matches the record of former state CM and DMK leader M Karunanidhi. Section 8 of RPA, 1915: Any convicted person sentenced to imprisonment for more than two years is disqualified from the date of such conviction and further barred from contesting election for 6 years after the release.

68. Bilateral naval exercise SIMBEX-15 between India and Singapore commenced on 23 May 2015 in Singapore. It is 3 days exercise which will conclude on May 26, 2015. This edition of naval exercise will give traditional emphasis on anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and more complex maritime exercises. It will involve various facets of naval operations such as air and surface practice firing, air defence, maritime security and search & rescue operations.

69. Indian film Masaan has won the prestigious critics prize in the Un Certain Regard category at the 68th Cannes Film Festival after it was premiered on May 20, 2015. The film is directoral debut of Neeraj Ghaywan and a joint production of Manish Mundra, Macassar Productions, Arte France Cinema, Sikhya Entertainment & Phantom Films. It stars Vicky Kaushal, Shweta Tripathi along with Richa Chadda and Sanjay Mishra. The film is a narrative set based in Varanasi and its characters connected with the Ganga. The critic’s prize in the Un Certain Regard category runs parallel to the competition for the main prize, Palme d’Or in the film festival. Apart from Masaan, Hungarian film Son of Saul by László Nemes has won the critics prize in Official Competition, and Paulina Paulina has won the prize in Parallel Sections. In this edition of festival, Indian film critic Borborah Bitopan from The Assam Tribune was part of the FIPRESCI jury.

70. Russian government officially has enacted a law banning undesirable non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the country. The law came into force after President Vladimir Putin signed the bill in this regard after it was passed by both houses of the Russian parliament.

71. China has set up a gold sector fund involving 65 countries along the ancient Silk Road. It has been set up in China’s northwest Xi’an city during ongoing forum on investment and trade. The fund will be led by Shanghai Gold Exchange (SGE) and is expected to raise 16.1 billion dollars in three phases. It should be noted that it is the largest fund set up by China in the gold sector.

72. Indian boxers have rounded off a brilliant run at the Doha International Tournament by winning four gold, one silver and two bronze medals. Gold medal winners are L Devendro Singh in 49 kg category by defeating Aldren Moreno of Philippines by 3:0. Shiva Thapa in 56kg category by defeating HYM Abdelaal of Egypt by 2:1. Manish Kaushik in 60 kg category by defeating Rabi Hamza of Morocco by 3:0. Manoj Kumar in 64 kg category by defeating Magliquian Nicole of Philippines by 3:0. The silver medal was won by Gaurav Bidhuri in 52 kg category. While Mandeep Jangra and Vikas Krishan bagged bronze medals in 69kg and 75kg categories respectively.

73. French film Dheepan has been awarded Palme d’Or Award at 68th Cannes Film Festival. The film is directed by Jacques Audiard. Dheepan story revolves around the trio of Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka’s who pretend to be a family in order to flee their war-torn country to France. Other awards at 68th Cannes Film Festival The Grand Prix: Son of Saul, directed by László Nemes. Best director: Hou Hsiao-Hsien for The Assassin. Screenplay: Michel Franco for Chronic. Best actress: Emmanuelle Bercot in Mon Roi and Rooney Mara in Carol. Best Actor: Vincent Lindon in The Measure of a Man. Camera d’Or: La Tierra Y La Sombra, directed by César Augusto Acevedo. Short Films Palme d Or: Waves ’98, directed by Ely Dagher. The Jury Prize: The Lobster, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos.

74.India’s largest private sector lender Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India (ICICI) Bank has launched voice password facility for users. This service will facilitate its customers to make transactions using their voice rather than using traditional means of authentication like entering id and password.

75. Sunil D’Souza was appointed as Managing Director (MD) of India’s home appliances maker Whirlpool. Prior to this appointment he was Head of PepsiCo’s VIMAPS Business Unit located in Malaysia.

76. A new scientific study has found that a sudden and massive ice loss in a previously stable region of Antarctica is causing small changes in the gravitational field of the Earth. This study was led by Dr Bert Wouters, a Marie Curie Fellow at the University of Bristol, England and was recently published in Science Journal.

77. Renowned American mathematician and Nobel laureate John Nash passed away on 24 May 2015. He was 86 and died in a car crash along with his wife Alicia Nash. John Forbes Nash, Jr. was born on June 13, 1928 in West Virginia State of United States.

78. Mumbai Indians (MI) on 24 May 2015 won the eight edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2015 by defeating Chennai Super Kings (CSK). In the final match played at Eden Gardens, Kolkata they defeated CSK by 41 runs. CSK had won the toss in final summit had chosen bowl first. MI by batting first had set the target of 202 to their opponent team. However the CSK failed to reach the target score. This is the second IPL title triumph for MI after their maiden win in the season six in 2013. It should be noted that Chennai has now lost four finals of 2008, 2012, 2013, 2015 in six appearances and had won in 2011 and 2012 IPL seasons. Brief score: MI 202-5 in 20.0 Overs (Lendl Simmons 68, Rohit Sharma 50, Dwayne Bravo 2-36) beat CSK 161-8 in 20.0 Overs (Dwayne Smith 57, Mitchell McClenaghan 3-25). Man of the Match: Rohit Sharma. Captains of the two teams Mumbai Indains: Rohit Sharma. Chennai Super Kings: Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Other highlights of IPL 2015 Player of the Tournament: Andre Russell (KKR). Orange Cap awarded to: David Warner (Sunrisers Hyderabad). Purple Cap awarded to: Dwayne Bravo (CSK). Emerging Player of the Season: Shreyas Iyer (Delhi Daredevils). Most Valuable Player: Andre Russell (KKR). About Mumbai Indians Mumbai Indians (MI) is owned by India’s biggest conglomerate, Reliance Industries led by Mukesh Ambani through its 100% subsidiary IndiaWin Sports. Ownership of MI: IndiaWin Sports Pvt Ltd (Stake: 98.3%), Teesta Retail Pvt Ltd. (Stake: 1.7%).

79. Union Government has appointed Manoj Mishra as Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of state-run National Fertilizers Ltd (NFL). Mishra’s appointment comes after Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) had recommended his name for the top post at NFL in September 2014.

80. Lt General (Retd) Nirbhay Sharma has sworn-in as the 17th governor of Mizoram. Justice T Vaiphei, judge of the Gauhati High Court administered him the oath of office as per provisions of Article 159 of Indian Constitution.

81. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 26 May 2015 launched India’s first television channel DD Kisan dedicated to farmers in New Delhi. The 24X7 channel is owned by public service broadcaster Doordarshan (DD) and is dedicated to agriculture and allied sectors.

82. India and Vietnam signed a Joint Vision Statement on Defence Cooperation for the period 2015-2020. It was signed by Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and his Vietnamese counterpart Minister for National Defence General Phung Quang Thanh in New Delhi.

83. National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) and Data Security Council of India (DSCI) have launched NASSCOM Cyber Security Task Force. The aim of task force is to build India as a global hub for providing cyber security solutions, developing cyber security Research & Development (R&D) plan and develop a skilled workforce of cyber security experts.

84. Influential documentary photographer Mary Ellen Mark passed away in Manhattan, New York. She was 75 She was best-known for her humanist work and was one of the premier documentary photographers of her generation. In her career she had photographed people who were mainly away from mainstream society.

85. Four Indians have been named in Forbes magazine’s 12th annual list of World’s 100 most powerful women. They are Arundhati Bhattacharya: First woman (and youngest) Chairperson of State Bank of India (SBI) was placed at 30th position. Chanda Kochhar: Managing Director (MD) and CEO of India’s largest private sector lender ICICI Bank was placed at 35th position. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw: Founder, Chairman and MD of Biocon Limited was placed at 85th position. Shobhana Bhartia: Chairperson and Editorial Director of the Hindustan Times Group was placed at 93rd position. It should be noted she has appeared on the list for the first time.

86. Union government has constituted a 10-member committee to review and revitalise public private partnership (PPP) mode of infrastructure development. The committee will be chaired by former finance secretary Vijay Kelkar and submit its report within a period of 3 months from the date of its Constitution. Members of Committee: C.S. Rajan, Dr. Shekhar Shah, S.B. Nayar, Pradeep Kumar, Vikram Limaye, Sudipto Sarkar, P.S. Behuria, Sharmila Chavaly, Representative of Ministry of Road Transport & Highways.

87. United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has unanimously adopted a resolution on the protection of journalists in conflict zones. The resolution has urged member nations, governments and armed groups to take appropriate steps in order to ensure accountability for crimes committed against journalists, media professionals in situations of armed conflict.

88. Himachal Pradesh forest department has set up the satellite tracking system to check and find the forest fire incidents during summer season. The main aim of this tracking system is to protect the precious forest in the state from forest fires. The system is designed in such a way that, occurrence of any fire in the vicinity of forests, will immediately send SMS alerts to forest officials.

89. Indian- origin businessman and diplomat S Chandra Das was appointed as Resident High Commissioner to Sri Lanka by Singapore Government. Earlier, Das had served as served as Singapore’s Trade Representative in the USSR erstwhile Soviet Union from 1970 to 1972.

90. Tripura government has decided to withdraw the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), 1958 from the remaining areas of the state. Decision in this regard was taken during the state cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Manik Sarkar in Agartala after Police in its latest half-yearly review had found no need to extend the act any further. Now state government will move to the Union Home Ministry for formal withdrawal of the central Act from state which was in effect for the last 18 years to curb insurgency.