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PREFACE

‘How the real time preparation should be just one month before the examination?’This is the time where most of the students become panicked and anxious.

To make them calm, specific and reconstruct the syllabus in a confined manner for APSC PRELIMS scheduled on 24th November,2018, this time we decided to come up with a special edition under the name ‘MOZART’ for 2018 prelims exam where last 1 year current affairs (International, National and of ),General Knowledge along with Budget, The Economic Survey, Art & Culture, Literature, Miscellaneous, Science & Technology etc has been covered according to the last years question pattern of Prelims Examination.

Its completely an Aspirants’ initiative with the vision of covering more and more facts in this edition released in a concise form which is written in a very lucid manner to understand it easily.

It is hoped that this hand book will guide aspirants to achieve their goals and continue to be popular with students, teachers, aspirants and general public of Assam.

TEAM MOZART CONTENTS

1. CURRENT AFFAIRS------2-70  International  National  Assam

2. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE------72-98  First in Assam  Books and Authors  Festivals and Dances  Miscellaneous

3. ASSAM OVERVIEW------100-117  Polity  Economic Survey  Budget  Scheme 2018

Mozart Special Edition

CURRENT AFFAIRS International National Assam

1 2018

INTERNATIOMNAoLzISaSrUtE Special Edition 2017 TERI ranked 2nd among World’s Climate Think Tanks by International Centre for Climate Governance (ICCG)  TERI- The Energy And Resources Institute  It is a research institute that conducts research work in the fields of energy, environment and sustainable development  Sponsored by- Ministry of New and Renewable Energy

India- Israel ties  Narendra Modi, 1st Indian PM to visit Israel  Became strategic allies  Signed 7 pacts like innovation, agriculture, space, etc  Committed to cooperate for the early adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT)  Set up USD 40 million fund (USD 20 million each) for Industrial Research and Development and also for Innovation

India ranked 96th in FIFA World Ranking  It’s best in 21 years

Trilateral Malabar Naval Exercise  Held in on 7th July,2017  Participated by Naval Ships, Aircrafts and Personnel from India, Japan and United States  Addressed the variety of shared threats to maritime security in the Indo-Asia Pacific region

India ranked 23rd out of 193 countries on Global Cyber Security Index 2017  ITU (International Telecommunication Union) is an specialized Information and Communication Technology Agency under the United Nations  ITU is responsible for allocation global radio spectrum and satellite orbits, alongwith developing technical network standards

India emerging as front-runner against climate change : World Bank  India committed to solar power, innovative solutions and energy efficiency initiatives to supply its people with 24*7 electricity by 2030  India also walked away from plans to install nearly 14 GW of coal-fired power plants  Indian Govt. is setting ambitious targets that include 160 GW of wind and solar by 2022

2 2018

India to join new Global Foreign Exchange CommMitotezea(GrFtXCS)pecial Edition  GFXC is a newly constituted forum of Central Bankers and experts working towards promotion of a robust and transparent Forex market  The committee was set up in London during a meeting in May 2017  The committee has been set up under guidance of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) which is an international financial organisation  The Financial Stability Board (FSB) is an international body for global financial system, in a progress report on ‘reducing misconduct risks in the financial sector’

India will be the largest milk producer in 2026- OECD & FAO Report  OCED- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development  FAO- Food and Agriculture Organisation  OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook, 2017-2026- Released by OCED and FAO of the UN  Milk production will grow 49% by 2026

India ranks 116 out of 157 nations on Sustainable Development goals (SDGs) Index  SDG Index and Dashboards Report has been compiled by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the Bertelsmann Stiftung

India emerges as top trusted govt. in the world : OCED Report  OCED’s Govt. at a Glance Report- India emerged as the most trusted nation with 73% people voting for the current govt.

Australia joins International Solar Alliance (ISA) led by India and France  ISA- An initiative jointly launched by PM of India Narendra Modi and President of France Francois Hollande in Nov, 2015 in Paris on the side lines of COP21  Aim- To promote solar power on all fronts- generation and storage  ISA headquarters and the International Solar Allianceinterim Secretariat of ISA is at the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) in Gurugram, , India

BRICS nations sign memorandum to facilitate taxation cooperation  BRICS was established in 2006  It is an association of five major emerging national economies- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa  BRICS members are either developing or newly industrialised countries. They are also members of the G-20 group  It became BRICS after South Africa joined it in 2010  All the five nations agreed to work together to ensure steady employment and better quality of life for their nation as well as for their people

3 2018

 Aim of the memorendum- To establish a mMeochzanairsmt fSopr teaxcaitaioln Ecodopietriaotinon and also includes improving consultation procedures efficiency, boost taxation capacities and plan paths for coordination of taxation policies and tax collection

USISPF set up to deepen Indo-US ties  USISPF- US-India Strategic Partnership Forum  Set up to further improve business relations between the India and US  Aim- To promote bilateral trade and work on creating “meaningful opportunities that have the power to change the lives of citizens”  Board of directors includes- Chairman- John Chambers (Executive Chairman, Cisco) Vice Chairman- Punit Renjen (Global CEO, Deloitte LLP) President- Edward Monser (Emerson Electric)  Board members includes- Indra Nooyi (Chairman and CEO, PepsiCo) Ajay Banga (President and CEO, MasterCard)

India ratifies 2nd commitment period of Kyoto Protocol  Kyoto Protocol is an international Greenhouse Gases emissions reduction treaty linked to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate (UNFCCC)  It was adopted in Kyoto, Japan, in December 1997 and entered into force in February 2005  The protocol is based on principle of equity and Common But Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities  India became the 80th country to accept the amendment

China Launches First Cyber Court in e-commerce Hub  Specialised in handling internet-related cases in the e-commerce hub of Hangzhou, amid a spike in the number of online disputes  Offer regular people an efficient, low-cost solution to these new kinds of disputes that take place on the internet

Japan Launches New Satellite to Improve Country’s GPS  Name of the Satellite- Michibiki  An effort to build a homegrown geo-location system  Aim- To improve the accuracy of car navigation systems and Smartphone maps to mere centimeters

1st Regional Centre of New Development Bank opens in South Africa

4 2018

 NDB referred to as BRICS Bank is a multilaMteroalzdaervetloSppmenctibaalnkEedstiatbilioshned by BRICS nation  The idea of setting up NDB was proposed by India at the 4th BRICS Summit in 2012  Its headquarters is in Sanghai, China

Unicity launches World’s 1st ever Genomeceuticals Range of products in India  Unicity International- Headquartered in Orem, Utah, United States  Genomeceutical means Gene Controlling  US has launched World’s 1st ever Genomeceutical range of products to India  Genomeceutical is a ground-breaking, patent-pending, technology whereby certain secondary metabolites found in nature can help maintain the gene response whenever needed by the body and help maintain overall metabolic health

GIFT City's IFSC Bags 10th Place in Global Financial Centres Index  GIFT City - Gujarat International Finance Tec-City  GIFT City ranks ahead of Luxembourg, Seoul, Abu Dhabi, Toronto and Beijing in the list of the GFCI report  GIFT is operational with approximately 10 leading banks, 8 insurance companies and participating brokers and 2 International Exchanges (India INX and NSE IFSC)  around 100 capital market players have established their base at GIFT IFSC

India to sign $4.5 billion LoC deal with  Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley signed the 3rd LoC agreement for infrastructure and social sector development

Soumya Swaminathan is appointed as New Deputy Director General at WHO  The position is also the highest post held by an Indian in the WHO  She is currently the Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)  WHO - World Health Organization  It is a specialized agency of the United Nations that is concerned with international public health  It is a member of the United Nations Development Group  It was established on 7 April 1948  Its headquarters is in Geneva, Switzerland  The WHO is responsible for the World Health Report, the worldwide World Health Survey and World Health Day

Nobel Peace prize for anti-nuclear group ICAN  ICAN- International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons

5 2018

 An organisation seeking to eliminate atomMicowzeaprotnsStphreoucgihaalnEindteirtniaotionnal treaty- based prohibition

India Slips to 8th Rank in Valuable Nation Brand List  The Top 10 Valuable Nation brands are: United States, China, Germany, Japan, United Kingdom, France, Canada, India, Italy and South Korea

Nisha Desai Biswal Appointed as President of USIBC  Nisha Desai Biswal- Former Indian-American assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia  She oversaw the US-India strategic partnership during a period of unprecedented cooperation including launching the US-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue

Global Hunger Index denotes India Ranks 100 Among 119 Countries  India has more than a fifth (21 percent) of its children wasted (weigh too little for their height) slipped three places to 100th in the 2017 Global Hunger Index (GHI)

US to withdraw from UNESCO  The withdrawal will take effect on December 31, 2018  Paris-based UNESCO, which began work in 1946, is known for designating World Heritage sites  It is the successor of the League of Nations' International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation  It is also a member of the United Nations Development Group  UNESCO has 195 member states and ten associate members  UNESCO pursues its objectives through five major programs- education, natural sciences, social/human sciences, culture and communication/information  UNESCO's aim is "to contribute to the building of peace, the eradication of poverty, sustainable development and intercultural dialogue through education, the sciences, culture, communication and information”

India to boost infrastructure along China border  The Defence Ministry has decided to significantly enhance infrastructure along the nearly 4,000-km-long Sino-Indian border, including around the areas of dispute

Vanuatu became the First Nation to accept bitcoin as Payment for its Citizenship Program  Vanuatu- a South Pacific archipelago  A family of up to four can receive Vanuatu passports by paying the Bitcoin equivalent of $280,000 (₹1.8 crore)  Vanuatu citizenship allows individuals to reside on the island, and travel to over 100 countries without a visa

6 2018

India, Brazil, South Africa sign IBSA Trust Fund aMgreoemzaenrtt Special Edition  Seeks to fight poverty in developing countries  It was signed at the 8th IBSA trilateral Ministerial Commission Meeting in Durban, South Africa  IBSA Dialogue Forum (India, Brazil, South Africa) is an international tripartite grouping for promoting international cooperation among these countries  The forum provides the three countries with a platform to engage in discussions for cooperation in the field of agriculture, trade, culture, and defence among others

India and Russia participated in first-ever tri-services military exercise INDRA 2017  The Indian contingent comprises of 350 personnel from Army, 80 from Air Force, two IL 76 aircraft and one Frigate and Corvette each from the Navy  It is a landmark event in the history of Indo-Russian defense co-operation and will strengthen mutual confidence, inter-operability and enable sharing of best practices between both the armed forces

India among five countries responsible for 50% newborn deaths  As per a report titled “Levels and Trends in Child Mortality 2017”, India along with Pakistan, Nigeria, Congo, and Ethiopia is responsible for half of all newborn deaths in the world  This report has been authored by United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Health Organization (WHO), World Bank Group and United Nations

Bangladesh signs Gas Oil deal with India  Bangladesh signed long-term sales and purchase agreement with an Indian refinery to import gas oil to meet the country’s energy demand  The deal between Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) and Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) was signed in presence of India’s external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj

United Nations Day is observed on 24th October  It marks the 72nd anniversary of the UN Charter’s entry into force and celebrates everything that the UN represents  UN was established in 1945  The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization tasked to promote international cooperation and to create and maintain international order  Headquarters - Manhattan, New York City  At its founding, the UN had 51 member states; there are now 193

Xi secures 2nd term as head of China's ruling Communist Party

7 2018

 Xi Jinping secured a second five-year termMasotzheahretadSopfethceiraulinEgdCoimtimounnist Party as it unveiled its new leadership with the Chinese President attaining iconic status enjoyed by modern China's founder Chairman Mao Zedong

African country Burundi becomes first country to leave ICC  ICC- International Criminal Court  Located in Hague, Netherlands  It is an intergovernmental organization and international tribunal  The ICC has the jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for the international crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes  It began functioning on 1 July 2002

India Overtakes US to Become 2nd Largest Smartphone Market  In the second quarter of 2017, India’s smartphone market recovered quickly with shipments growing 23% year-on-year in the third quarter to reach just over 40 million units  Low smartphone penetration and the explosion of LTE (long-term evolution, or 4G) are the main drivers behind this

India to Host UN Wildlife Summit in 2020  The theme of the Conference was ‘Their Future is Our Future - Sustainable Development for Wildlife and People’  India will host the next CMS Conference of the Parties CMSCOP13  It was officially announced at the closing CMSCOP12 plenary, in Manila, Philippines

Word of the Year 2017- "Fake News"  Fake news, a term popularised by U.S. President Donald Trump, has been named the word of the year by Collins dictionary due to its widespread use around the world  The U.K.-based lexicographer found that the use of “fake news” registered a 365% rise in the last 12 months  'Fake news' takes over from Brexit which was named the definitive word last year The World Tsunami Awareness Day was observed across the world on 5 November  Theme for 2017 WTAD is 'Reduce the Number of Affected People' World Diabetes Day observed on 14 November  The theme for 2017 World Diabetes Day (WDD) is 'Women and diabetes - Our right to a healthy future'  Diabetes is the ninth leading cause of death in women globally, causing 2.1 million deaths each year

8 2018

China has launched world's first all-electric shipMozart Special Edition  It can travel up to 80 km with 2000 tonnes cargo after a two-hour charge  The 70.5-metre-long ship, which weighs about 600 tonnes, was launched in Guangzhou in South China's Guangdong Province  The vessel, manufactured by the Guangzhou Shipyard International Company Ltd, is powered by a 26 tonne lithium battery  It can cruise at the top speed of 12.8 km per hour

First Satellite ‘Asgardia-1’ into Space- Launched by Virtual Nation Asgardia  The Space Kingdom of Asgardia has launched its first satellite. This so-called ‘virtual nation’ is the pet project of Russian scientist and billionaire Igor Ashurbeyli  The Asgardia-1 satellite, which is about the size of a loaf of bread, and contains half a terabyte of data  It was launched from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia aboard a Cygnus spacecraft on an Orbital ATK Antares rocket. The 10th South Asia Economic Summit (SAES) was held in Kathmandu, Nepal  The theme of the 3-day summit is “Deepening Economic Integration for Inclusive and Sustainable Development in South Asia” France will host the 2023 Rugby World Cup  It is to stage one of the world’s best attended and lucrative sporting events The United Nations Universal Children's Day is celebrated every year on November 20  To promote international togetherness and improve children's welfare around the world  The theme of UCD 2017 is 'Kids Take Over'  The special day established in the year 1954, offers an opportunity for communities around the globe to promote children's rights in order to create a better world for kids. Zimbabwe's former Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa will be sworn in as the President of the country  Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda stated that the ruling ZANU-PF party has nominated him to fill the vacancy left by Mr Robert Mugabe, who stepped down after 37 years ruling the country. Bitcoin rose above the symbolic $10,000 threshold for the first time  It brought its rise for the year to date to more than 900 per cent  The price of the cryptocurrency edged above $10,000 on Coinbase, the largest dollar denominated bitcoin exchange, which gave the latest price as $10,052 in Asia  Bloomberg data gave the intraday high as $10,058 before easing to $9,999  Bitcoin was trading at around $1,000 dollars at the beginning of 2017. World AIDS Day is celebrated every year all over the world on December 1st

9 2018

 It is celebrated to raise the public awMaroenzeassrtabSoputeAcciqaulirEeddIimtimounne Deficiency Syndrome, AIDS  It is a pandemic disease caused due to the infection of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)  The theme for World AIDS day 2017 is 'Right to health' World Computer Literacy Day is celebrated every year on 2nd December  Aim- To promote awareness about computer literacy and electronic devices, the. Strategically important Chabahar port in Iran opened  The first phase of the Chabahar port on the Gulf of Oman was inaugurated by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani  It opened a new strategic route connecting Iran, India and Afghanistan bypassing Pakistan  The port in the Sistan-Balochistan province on the energy-rich nation’s southern coast is easily accessible from India’s western coast and is increasingly seen as a counter to Pakistan’s Gwadar Port, which is being developed with Chinese investment and is located at distance of around 80 km from Chabahar  The Chabahar port is being considered a gateway to golden opportunities for trade by India, Iran and Afghanistan with central Asian countries besides ramping up trade among the three countries in the wake of Pakistan denying transit access to India Venezuela has launched its own crypto-currency ‘Petro’  It was launched to circumvent US-led financial sanctions  The currency is expected to help the country to advance in issue of monetary sovereignty The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations celebrates World Soil Day  It is celebrated every year on 5th of December every year  The theme for this year is-‘Caring for the Planet starts from the Ground’ The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have recently formed a new economic group  It is names as Joined Cooperation Committee, separating from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)  This step has been taken as half of the member countries of GCC have boycotted Qatar accusing it for supporting and funding terrorism Britain and the European Union reached a historic deal on Brexit terms  It allows them to open up talks on a future relationship after the split The European Commission announced that it “recommends sufficient progress”  It had been made by Britain on separation issues, including the Irish border, Britain’s divorce bill, and citizens’ rights International Anti-Corruption Day celebrated

10 2018

 It is celebrated on 9th December Mozart Special Edition  The theme for this year is- ‘United against corruption for development, peace and security’ World Human Rights Day observed  It is celebrated every year on 10th December across the globe Kumi Naidoo has been appointed as the new Secretary General of Amnesty International  The South African Human Rights activist will succeed Salil Shetty from India in August 2018  Amnesty International (commonly known as Amnesty or AI) is a London-based non- governmental organization focused on human rights  The organization claims to have over 7 million members and supporters around the world  Amnesty International was founded in London in 1961, following the publication of the article "The Forgotten Prisoners" in The Observer on 28 May 1961, by the lawyer Peter Benenson 2018 UAE, Saudi Arabia introduce VAT for the first time  Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) introduced value-added tax (VAT)  These are the first two countries in the Gulf which have introduced the VAT system

Endangered ‘Bird Language’ of Turkey is in Intangible Cultural Heritage List  The "whistle language" commonly called "bird language" which is used as a means of communication by villagers in remote northern Turkey  It entered the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage

Iceland becomes the first country to legalize Equal Pay  Iceland has become the first country in the world to legalize equal pay between men and women  In Iceland now it will be illegal to pay men more than women for the work  Iceland has been ranked by the World Economic Forum (WEF) as the world's most gender equal country

World’s Largest Ice Festival Held in China  ‘International Ice and Snow Festival’, world’s largest Ice Festival was held in Harbin, China  It is the 34th annual Ice Festival in Harbin, north-east China

The US, Japan Joint Military Drill -'IRON FIST'  The 13th annual Iron Fist exercises was held in the U.S. western state of California

11 2018

 The US Marines and Sailors partnered wiMth JoapzaanresteSGproeuncdiaSellfEDdefietnicoenForce to train in fire support operations and amphibious assaults

4th International Dharma-Dhamma Conference in Nalanda  President Ram Nath Kovind has inaugurated the 4th International Dharma-Dhamma Conference on ‘State and Social Order in Dharma-Dhamma Traditions’ in Nalanda district, Bihar

India ranks 30th on WEF Global Manufacturing Index  The World Economic Forum (WEF) has ranked India at 30th position on a global manufacturing index below China’s 5th place but above other BRICS peers, Brazil, Russia and South Africa

India ranks 62nd in WEF’s Inclusive Development Index  It was placed among emerging economies on an Inclusive Development Index of World Economic Forum (WEF)  In the report, China is on 26th position and Pakistan is on 47th

India to grow at 7.4 pc in 2018: IMF  India is projected to grow at 7.4 per cent in 2018 as against China’s 6.8 per cent, the IMF said, making it the fastest growing country among emerging economies following last year’s slowdown due to demonetisation and the implementation of the GST

India ranks 81st in Global Talent Competitiveness Index  India has improved its position from 92nd in 2017 on the index  India has moved up on a global index of talent competitiveness to the 81st position in the report that was released in the first day the 48th World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland  Switzerland has topped the list, followed by Singapore and the US

India ranks 177th in Environmental Performance Index  India ranks 177 among 180 countries in the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) 2018, according to a biennial report by Yale and Columbia Universities along with the World Economic Forum

ASEAN leaders as Chief Guest on 69th Republic Day of India  Signifying India's fast growing strategic ties with ASEAN, leaders of all the 10 countries of the powerful bloc attended the parade at the majestic Rajpath which showcased the country's military might and cultural diversity

1st Military Exercise ‘VINBAX’ by Indian and Vietnamese Armies  The exercise named ‘VINBAX’ is the first military exercise between the two countries

12 2018

 Armies of India and Vietnam have begun Ma siox-zdayr-ltonSgpmeilictairaylexEedrcisteiionnJabalpur in Madhya Pradesh

Oxford Dictionary’s Word of 2017 – ‘’  Oxford Dictionaries has chosen ‘Aadhaar’ as the Hindi word of 2017  The word gained popularity due to Aadhaar card, which was in news in 2017  The announcement was made in the Jaipur Literature Festival

Government of India signs $250 Million Loan Agreement with ADB  The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Indian Government have signed a 250 million dollar loan to finance the construction of over 6 thousand 200 kilometres all- weather rural roads in 5 states of India  The basic objective of the programme is to improve rural connectivity, to facilitate safer and a more effective access to livelihood, to provide socio-economic opportunities for rural communities  These 5 states include Assam, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and . This move has been taken under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)

World Bank and India sign $100 Million project to boost Economy of TN  The government and the World Bank signed a $100 million loan agreement to support producer organisations and enterprises, especially women entrepreneurs in

World Cancer Day  The World Cancer Day is observed on 4th February every year to raise awareness about cancer its treatment and to encourage methods of its prevention  The theme for World Cancer Day 2016-18 is 'We can, I Can'

India ranked 44th in the Global Intellectual Property Index  India ranked 44th of 50 economies – a jump from 43rd of 45 economies one year ago, according to the sixth edition of the Index  The report analyses the intellectual property (IP) climate in 50 world economies based on 40 unique indicators that benchmark activity critical to innovation development surrounding patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secrets protection

India slips to 42nd place in Democracy Index  India has slipped to 42nd place on an annual Global Democracy Index amid “rise of conservative religious ideologies” and increase in vigilantism and violence against minorities as well as other dissenting voices

PM Modi conferred Palestine’s highest honour

13 2018

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi was confeMrreodzthaer‘tGrSanpdeCcoillaarloEf tdheitSitoatne of Palestine’, the highest Palestinian honour for foreign dignitaries,  It recognised his contributions to promoting relations between India and Palestine

Mumbai declared the 12th richest city globally  Mumbai is the 12th wealthiest city according to the New World Health Report, followed by Toronto with a total wealth of $944 billion, Frankfurt (14th, $912 billion) and Paris (15th, $860 billion)  The list was topped by New York with a total wealth of $3 trillion  Mumbai also features among the top 10 cities in terms of billionaire population

India becomes the 5th largest Defence Spenders  According to 'Military Balance 2018' India's has been placed on 5th largest defence suspender leaving behind the UK for the first time. The top nations being USA, China, Saudi Arabia and Russia

International Mother Language Day observed on 21 Feb  International Mother Language Day (IMLD) is observed on 21 February every year  It is celebrated to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and promote multilingualism

India and Indonesia Joint Military Drill 'Garuda Shakti'  The Indian and Indonesian armies had the sixth edition of their annual military exercise named 'Garuda Shakti' in Bandung, Indonesia  It was a two-week long joint Military drill  The exercises will include experience sharing in counter-terrorism operations, close quarter combat, and other areas of special operations

India ranks 81 in Corruption Perception Index 2017  Corruption Perception Index has been released by Berlin-based non-government organisation Transparency International (TI)  India is placed at 81st rank in it with 40 points

Winter Olympics 2018 held in PyeongChang, South Korea  PyeongChang Winter Olympics 2018, officially known as the XXIII Olympic Winter Games was held in Pyeongchang, South Korea from 9th – 23rd February, 2018  Motto of Pyeongchang Winter Olympics 2018 was “Passion.Connected”  Soohorang, a white tiger and Bandabi, an Asiatic black bear were the official mascots for this event

"Zero Discrimination Day" observed

14 2018

 Zero Discrimination Day was observed onMMoarzcha1rstt aSllpoveecr ithaelwEodrldition  The first Zero Discrimination Day was celebrated on 1st March 2014  UNAIDS launched the Zero Discrimination Campaign in December 2013 on World AIDS Day  Zero Discrimination Day is celebrated to stress the right of everyone to be free from discrimination

World Wild Life  The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) announced 3 March, as UN World Wildlife Day  It is to mark the date on which the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) was signed  The theme for World Wildlife Day 2018 is: “Big cats: predators under threat”

NASA launches advanced weather satellite for western U.S.  NASA launched GOES-S, another of world’s most advanced weather satellites  GOES stands for Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites  GOES-S has been launched to safeguard Western US, by monitoring, forecasting and providing crisp images of hurricanes, wildfires, floods, mudslides and other natural calamities

Marshall Islands becomes 1st country to launch own cryptocurrency as legal tender  Marshall Islands has announced that, it will launch its own cryptocurrency and it will be circulated as legal tender along with the U.S. dollar  This cryptocurrency is named SOV

Women's Day  The International Women's Day 2018 was observed across the world on March 8, 2018  Aim- To empower women in all settings, be it rural and urban, and celebrate the activists who are working constantly to assert women’s rights and realize their full potential  The theme of International Women’s Day 2018 was 'Time is Now: Rural and urban activists transforming women’s lives'

India and France inked 14 pacts  Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emanuel Macron met in New Delhi to sign 14 agreements  It Covered nuclear energy, defence production, maritime security, space and education, India and France are in the process of cementing a partnership

15 2018

Samvedna” Multilateral Air Force exercise fromMMaorczha1r2ttoS1p7ecial Edition  Multilateral Air Force exercise “Samvedna” will be held from March 12 to 17, 2018  Air Forces of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, UAE and Myanmar will participate in the exercise

Finland is World‟s happiest and India ranks 133 in World Happiness Report  Finland is the world’s happiest country, according to an annual survey issued  India was ranked at 133 in the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network’s (SDSN) 2018 World Happiness Report

Physicist Stephen Hawking Passed away at the age of 76 years  Stephen Hawking was born on 8th January 1942  He was diagnosed with life-threatening ALS disease in 1963 but still he went to Cambridge University to study Cosmology  There he got Phd also became a lecturer  His theories on Big Bang and Black Holes were most notable among other

US is India’s 2nd largest arms supplier; Israel 3rd Russia remained by far India's biggest arms seller  Overall, India is the world's biggest importer of major arms accounting for 12 per cent of the total global imports during the last five years

India to become world’s 3rd largest tourist economy by 2028  India is on the path to become the third largest travel and tourism economy by 2028 in terms of direct and total GDP

World Tuberculosis Day  It is observed on 24th March every year  It id designed to build public awareness about the global epidemic of Tuberculosis and efforts to eliminate this disease’  The theme for the year `2018 is ‘Wanted: Leaders for a TB-free world’

J S Rajput appointed Representative to the EXB of UNESCO  The has decided to nominate Professor J S Rajput, former Director NCERT, as India’s representative to the Executive Board (EXB) of UNESCO  The EXB has a four-year term of office and 58 seats  The executive board is one of the constitutional organs of UNESCO and is elected by the General Conference

World Autism Awareness Day  The World Autism Awareness Day was celebrated around the world on April 2nd

16 2018

 Its objective is to inspire the Member StaMtesoofztahertUnSitpedeNcaitaiolnEs tdoittakioe anctions to spread awareness about autism throughout the world

International Day for Mines  International Day for Mines Awareness was celebrated on 4th April 2018  It is to spread the awareness about the hazards caused by landmines to the protection, health and lives of citizen populations  The theme for 2018 was “Advancing Protection, Peace and Development”

India became the second largest producer of Crude Steel  According to Steel Users Federation of India (SUFI), India has overtaken Japan to become world’s second largest producer of crude steel in February 2018  China is the largest producer of crude steel in the world, accounting for more than 50% of the production

India to grow at 7.4% in 2018: IMF  The International Monetary Fund (IMF) stated that India is expected to grow at 7.4% in 2018 and 7.8% in 2019  It would re-emerge as one of the fastest growing major economies in the period

India ranked 10th in the Commonwealth Innovation Index 2018  As per the 2018 Commonwealth Innovation Index, India fetched 10th position in the index topped by the United Kingdom, Singapore, and Canada  The Commonwealth Innovation Index has been created in partnership with the United Nations World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) and its annual Global Innovation Index (GII)

World Earth Day  Every year Earth Day is being observed on 22nd April  It is to build support for environmental protection around world and to encourage people to carry out activities that will benefit Earth  The theme for 2018 Earth Day is ‘End Plastic Pollution’

World Malaria Day  World Malaria Day is observed on April 25 every year  It is to spread awareness about the disease around the world and to recognise the global effort to control malaria  The theme for this year’s Malaria Day is ‘Ready to beat Malaria’

India ranked 138th in the World Press Freedom Index 2018

17 2018

 According to the World Press Freedom InMdexo(zWaPrFIt) 2S0p18eccoimaplileEddbiytRieopnorters Without Borders (RSF), India has been ranked 138th out of 180 countries  World Press Freedom Index (WPFI) is an annual ranking of countries compiled and published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) based upon the organisation's own assessment of the countries press freedom records in the previous year

International Labour Day  May 01 is observed as International Labour Day also known as International Worker's Day or Labour Day or May Day  The theme of this year’s International Labour Day- “Uniting Workers for Social and Economic Advancement”

World Press Freedom Day  World Press Freedom Day is observed worldwide on May 3  It is to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom, protect the media from attacks and pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives while being on duty  The theme of 2018 World Press Freedom Day is ‘Keeping Power in Check: Media, Justice and The Rule of Law’

India rises to 5th spot in World's Top Five Defense spenders  India surpassed France to become one of the world's five largest military spenders; Swedish arms watchdog Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Report  India spent $63.9 billion on its military in 2017, an increase of 5.5% compared with 2016

No Nobel Prize in Literature This Year  The Swedish Academy decided to postpone the 2018 Nobel Prize in Literature, with the intention of awarding it in 2019  The decision has been taken in the wake of a sexual and financial scandal that has engulfed the Swedish Academy, the cultural institution responsible for awarding the prestigious prize  For the first time since 1949, the secretive jury will not unveil a winner this autumn

Google launched Android ‘Things’, it’s IoT platform  Alphabet Inc’s Google launched Android Things (codenamed Brillo), a variant of an Android Operating System for the Internet of Things (IoT) devices  Its goal is to enable IoT machines developers to be built faster, cheaper and more secure

$200 million loan deal signed with World Bank for National Nutrition Mission

18 2018

 India has signed $200 million loan deal wiMth oWzoarldrBtaSnkpfeorctihaelNEatdiointailoNnutrition Mission (POSHAN Abhiyan)  This loan would help India in attaining its goal of reducing stunting (a rare disease that stops growth) in children of age 0-6 years from 38.4% to 25% by the year 2022

Vladimir Putin sworned in as Russian President  Vladimir Putin sworned in as president of Russia for 4th term in the Grand Kremlin Palace, Moscow  Putin will now be serving the office of President for another six years

US withdraws from Iran Nuclear Deal  President Donald Trump announced US withdrawal from the 2015 landmark nuclear deal with Iran  Mr. Donald Trump signed a fresh set of sanctions against Iran and warned countries against any cooperation with Tehran on its controversial nuclear weapons programme  According to the President, the deal gave Iran millions in cash and did not prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons  The historic nuclear deal was reached in Vienna in July 2015 between Iran and the P5 (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council) along with Germany and the European Union

Sixth US-India aviation summit held in Mumbai, Maharastra  Sixth US-India aviation summit held in Mumbai, Maharastra  The summit was formally inaugurated by Union Minister for Civil Aviation. The Summit promoted a high-level dialogue on bilateral aviation issues and will provide a forum to identify solutions that support the rapid growth of India's aviation sector

Bangladesh’s first communication satellite to be launched by SpaceX ‘Falcon 9’  SpaceX launched its newest and most powerful Falcon 9 rocket, known as the Block 5, carrying the first high-orbit communications satellite for Bangladesh  The rocket was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida

Interanational Nurses Day  Every year International Nurses Day (IND) is celebrated all around the world on 12th of May to commemorate the birth anniversary of the Florence Nightingale  The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has chosen the theme “Nurses A Voice to Lead – Health is a Human right” for IND 2018

India emerges third largest solar market in the world

19 2018

 According to the report released by MercMomoCzoamrmtunSicpaetiocnisaIlndEiad, aitsuiobsnidiary of global clean energy communications and consulting firm Mercom Capital Group, India emerges third largest solar market in the world behind China and the United States

International Day for Biological Diversity 2018  International Day for Biological Diversity observed across the world every year on May 22  Aim- To increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues  The theme of International Day for Biological Diversity 2018 was ‘Celebrating 25 Years of Action for Biodiversity’ as the year 2018 marks the 25th anniversary of the Convention on Biological Diversity

World No Tobacco Day (WNTD)  Every year on 31 May, World Health Organization and partners observe World No Tobacco Day (WNTD)  Aim- To highlights the health and other risks associated with tobacco use, and advocating for effective policies to reduce tobacco consumption  The theme of World No Tobacco Day 2018 is: “Tobacco and heart disease

PM Modi’s 3 Nation Tour  Prime Minister Modi visited the three Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to boost the Act East policy  He visited Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore  He met Indonesian President Joko Widodo and a range of bilateral issues were discussed, including shared economic ties, academic and science cooperation, fostering tourism and culture, and maritime relations  15 Memoranda of Understanding were singed between the nations  He visited Malaysia to call on his newly-elected Malaysian counterpart Dr. Mahathir Mohamad in Putrajaya  Prime Minister went to Singapore and met Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong  The two countries inked a total of 14 MoUs

India ranked 113th on World Childhood Index  India ranks 113rd in the list of 175 countries indexed by a global child rights group ‘Save the Children’  India’s rank was 116th in 2017 and thus improves slightly in this year’s ranking

Save The Children Fund

20 2018

 The Save the Children Fund, commonly knMowonzaas rSatvSe tphecChiaildlreEnd, isitainoinnternational non-governmental organization that promotes children's rights, provides relief and helps support children in developing countries

Gaofen-6  China successfully launched a new Earth observation satellite ‘Gaofen-6’  It will be mainly used in agricultural resources research and disaster monitoring  It was the 276th mission of China’s Long March rocket series

World Environment Day observed on June 5th  World Environment Day is the United Nations’ (UN) one of the most important day for encouraging worldwide awareness and action for the protection of the environment  The theme for this year’s World Environment Day is beat plastic pollution  Started in 1974, it has been a campaign for raising awareness on emerging environmental issues from marine pollution, Human overpopulation to global warming

World Ocean Day  The World Oceans Day is celebrated on June 8 every year with the  Aim- To spread awareness about importance of oceans in our lives, no matter where on earth we live and to honour, help protect, and conserve the oceans of the world  Theme for this year’s observation day is Preventing plastic pollution and encouraging solutions for a healthy ocean

India discover planet 600 light years away, joins distinguished league  Scientists at Ahmedabad’s Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) have discovered a planet around 600 light years away from Earth  The ‘sub-Saturn’ or ‘super-Neptune’ planet’s mass is roughly 27 times that of Earth, and its radius six times  Scientists said the name of the host star is EPIC 211945201 or K2-236 and the planet will be known as EPIC 211945201b or K2-236b

India ranked 137th on Global Peace Index 2018  India has moved up four places to the 137th rank among 163 countries on the 2018 Global Peace Index  It is mainly due to a reduction in the level of violent crime driven by increased law enforcement  Iceland remains the most peaceful and Syria, the least peaceful country in the world  Global Peace Index (GPI) measures the relative positions of Nations’ and regions’ peacefulness

21 2018

 It is a report produced by the Institute forMEcoonzoamrictsSanpdePceaiacel(EIEPd)iatnidodneveloped in consultation with data collected and collated by the Economist Intelligence Unit

World Day Against Child Labour  India along with the whole world observed the “World Day Against Child Labour” on 12th June  The campaign aims to accelerate action to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target of safe and secure working environments for all workers by 2030 and SDG target of ending all forms of child labour by 2025  The World Day Against Child Labour is an International Labour Organization (ILO)sanctioned holiday first launched in 2002 aiming to raise awareness and activism to prevent child labour and is intended to foster the worldwide movement against child labour in any of its forms

Google signs agreement with Central Water Commission to predict floods  The Central Water Commission (CWC) and Google signed an agreement for flood predictions across the country. CWC will be given access to various technologies developed by tech  Giant Google such as artificial intelligence and geospatial mapping for the flood management  Google’s predictions will also provide more accurate flood warnings. Right now, the CWC issues warnings a day prior to the flood  CWC is a premier Technical Organization of India in the field of Water Resources  The Commission is entrusted with the general responsibilities of initiating, coordinating and furthering in consultation of the State Governments concerned, schemes for control, conservation and utilization of water resources throughout the country, for purpose of Flood Control, Irrigation, Navigation, Drinking Water Supply and Water Power Development

US withdraws from UN Human Rights Council  The US withdrew from the UN Human Rights Council and condemned its “shameless hypocrisy” in absolving wrongdoers through silence and falsely condemning those committing no offence  The decision was announced by US ambassador to the UN who also criticized the council for a “disproportionate focus and unending hostility toward Israel”  UNHCR- UNHRC is a United Nations body with mission is to promote and protect human rights around the world

22 2018

 The UNHRC has 47 members elected for sMtagogzeraedrthSrepe-eyecairatelrEmds ointiaorengional group basis. The headquarters of UNHRC is in Geneva, Switzerland

International Day of Yoga  Worldwide, the International Day of Yoga celebrated on 21st June, 2018  On June 21st 2015 the first International Yoga day was celebrated in different parts of the world  Yoga is an ancient form of holistic healing, is regarded as one of the most effective methods of establishing a connection between the body minds by Indian sages  This type of exercise is performed through diet, breathing and physical posture for the relaxation of body and mind

Global ban on use of Chemical Weapons  India extended support to the Chemical Weapon Convention to uphold the global ban on the use of chemical weapons  India’s Ambassador to the Netherlands and Permanent Representative of India to Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on 26th June 2018 said India is ready to co-operate with the international community  The OPCW Permanent Representative branded the use of chemical weapons as disregard of the United Nations and is contrary to the provisions of the Chemical Weapon Convention  Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)  OPCW is an intergovernmental organisation and the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention, which entered into force on 29 April 1997  The organisation promotes and verifies the adherence to the Chemical Weapons Convention, which prohibits the use of chemical weapons and requires their destruction

India rejects anti-chemical weapons draft at OPCW  India voted against a draft decision on addressing the menace of chemical weapons use at a special conference of the Organisation for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) at the Hague, expressing that the consultations were "incomplete"  According to India, the West-backed decision flouted the Chemical Weapons Convention of 1997 and gives unchecked authority to the OPCW's director general

Four Asian Banks given clearance to operate in India  4 Asian banks have been given a go-ahead by the Government of India and conveyed its approval to the RBI. Bank of China, Bank Pasargad of Iran and South

23 2018

Korea's KEB Hana Bank and KB KookminMBaonzkaarettShepfeoucribaalnEksdwihtiicohnare set to make their mark in the India

China launched two remote sensing satellites for Pakistan  China successfully launched two remote sensing satellites for Pakistan PRSS-1 and PakTES-1A from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre  The PRSS-1 will be used for land and resources surveying , monitoring of natural disasters and providing remote sensing information for the Belt and Road region

World’s biggest Mobile Manufacturing Factory to come up at Noida  Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South Korea President Moon Jae-in inaugurated a Samsung Electronics mobile phone manufacturing facility, in Noida  This facility will allow Samsung to manufacture phones at a lower cost due to its scale, while other phone making hubs in China, South Korea and Vietnam are getting expensive

India, South Korea signs 11 Agreements and aims to boost trade  India and South Korea have increased the target for bilateral trade to $50 billion in the next 12 years, even as they tried to add some strategic heft to their relationship with statements of support for de-nuclearisation talks with North Korea and joint projects in third countries

India ranked 57th at the Global Innovation Index 2018  The Global Innovation Index rankings, published annually by Cornell University, INSEAD and the UN World Intellectual Property Organisation, ranked India at the 57th spot this year, which is a slight improvement from the 60th position in 2017

India opens its largest visa centre in Bangladesh  India inaugurated its largest visa centre in the world in Dhaka to reduce the waiting time for applicants  Applicants from Bangladesh constitute one of the largest numbers of visitors from a single country to India

Europe fined Google with $5 billion antitrust fine  European antitrust regulators fined tech major Google a 4.34 billion euro ($5 billion) and ordered it to stop using its popular Android mobile operating system to block rivals  This penalty is nearly double of the previous record of 2.4 billion euros which Google was ordered to pay last year after its online shopping search service was deemed to be unfair to competitors

24 2018

 Google's Android system, which GoogMle oleztsadretviScepmeackiearls Eusdeiftoirofrnee, dominate the market and runs in about 80 percent of the world's smartphones

Bharat Vatwani and Sonam Wangchuk won Ramon Magsaysay award  Two Indian nationals, Bharat Vatwani and SonamWangchuk, are among the six personalities named for this year's Ramon Magsaysay award  The Ramon Magsaysay award, widely known as Asia's premier prize, is now in its 60th year of "honouring greatness of spirit and transformative leadership in selfless service to the peoples of Asia"  The prestigious award is given to persons, regardless of race, nationality, creed or gender, who address issues of human development in Asia with courage and creativity, and in doing so have made contributions which have transformed their societies for the better

International Tiger Day  It is observed on 29th July, The Assam State Zoo cum Botanical Garden, with the support of Tansukhrai Ratanlal Jewellers, organised International Tiger Day to raise the awareness about the animal’s plight, with less than 4,000 left in the world’s forests  The goal of the day is to promote a global system for protecting the natural habitats of tigers and to raise public awareness and support for tiger conservation issues

25 2018

NATIOMNAoLzart Special Edition  has been declared open defecation free. In 1st January 2018,Madhya Pradesh, , Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Haryana declared Open Defecation Free states in October. It is part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Campaign)

 An online portal NARI (National Repository of Information for Women) by Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi.

 Vijay Keshav Gokhale is present secretary (economic relations) in the Ministry of External Affairs.

 GAIL India Ltd has commissioned the country's second-largest rooftop solar power plant in Uttar Pradesh on January 3rd 2018.

 Smt. Preeti Sudan, Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, launched the country’s first digital Online Oncology Tutorial Series designed by the Tata Memorial Centre.

 Rajinder Khanna was appointed the deputy National Security Adviser (NSA). He was the former chief of the country’s external intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

 The world's biggest cleanliness survey 'Swachh Sarvekshan Survey 2018' was launched by PM Narendra Modi. It will be conducted from the 4th January to 10th March.

 Haryana has become the first state in the country to launch High-Risk Pregnancy (HRP) Portal. It tracks every high-risk pregnant woman till 42 days after delivery.

 Union Minister of Earth Sciences Dr Harsh Vardhan dedicated India’s fastest and first multipetaflops supercomputer named ‘Pratyush’ to the nation in Pune. It is established at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune.

 Sivan K was the Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Kerala for 3 years. He is the 9th chairman of Indian Space Research.

 The Indian Space Research Organisation is the space agency of the Government of India headquartered in the city of Bangalore, in 1969, by Scientist Vikram Sarabhai.

 National Youth Day is celebrated in India on 12 January on the birthday of Swami Vivekananda, the greatest social reformers, thinkers and philosophers of India. Theme of the Festival is 'Sankalp Se Siddhi'. Vivekananda founded the Ramakrishna Math and

26 2018

the Ramakrishna Mission, best known foMr hios zspaerecthSwphiechcibaeglaEn,d"Siitstieorsnand brothers of America .  President Ram Nath Kovind has inaugurated the 4th International Dharma-Dhamma Conference in Nalanda district, Bihar.

 With an aim to optimize freight operations and plan traffic flow, the Union Ministry of Railways has launched Smart Freight Operation Optimisation & Real Time Information (SFOORTI) application.

 On 15th January the ‘Army Day’ is celebrated to commemorate the day when General (later Field Marshal) K.M Carriappa took over the command of Army.

 Saksham (SanrakshanKshamtaMahotsav) is an annual flagship event of Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA) under the aegis of Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Govt. of India.

 Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik has launched the ‘Mukhyamantra Kalakar Sahayata Jojana’ (MMKSJ) – an assistance scheme for Artists in the state.

 HDFC (Housing Development Financial Corporation) Bank Limited is an India’s largest private sector lender by assets, banking and financial services company headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra.It was ranked 69th in 2016 BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands.

 Maharashtra has become the first state in the country that has come out with a public cloud policy, virtually mandating its departments to shift their data storage onto the cloud.

 The fourth edition of the India International Science Festival will be held in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.The 1st IISF was held at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) New Delhi in December, 2015.The 2nd IISF was held at CSIR-National Physical Laboratory, New Delhi in December, 2016.The 3rd series of IISF was held on 13-16 October 2017, Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

 The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has launched Cyber Surakshit Bharat initiative to strengthen cybersecurity ecosystem in India in line Government’s vision for a ‘Digital India’.

 Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri launched a star rating protocol for garbage-free cities in the country.Top 10 cleanest cities (1)Indore (2)Bhopal (3)Visakhapatnam (4)Surat (5)Mysore (6)Tiruchirappalli (7)New Delhi (8)Navi Mumbai (9)Tirupati (10)Vadodara.

27 2018

Government has launched the CMhieofzMainritsteSrp-gei HcaikaslheElgdiTietnigobnang (CMHT), a health assurance scheme for the poor and disabled people,launched by Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh.

 The Minister of State (IC), for AYUSH, Shri Shripad Yesso Naik laid the foundation stone for Central Research Institute (CRI) in Jaipur on 22nd January 2018. This will be the third CRI under the aegis of Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH).

 The first International Dam Safety Conference-2018 was held in Kovalam, Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) from January 23-24, 2018. It was inaugurated by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and was presided over by Union Minister of State for Water Resources Arjun Ram Meghwal.

 The Election Commission of India celebrated the 8th National Voters’ Day across the country on 25th January for enhanced participation of citizens in the electoral process.Theme of national voter day in 2018 “Accessible India”. It started from January 25, 2011 to mark Commission's foundation day.The theme of NVD 2016 is ‘Inclusive and qualitative participation’ reiterating thecommitment towards reaching out to the last voter and promoting informed and ethical voting.

 Kolkata has become the first Indian Metro to get a Floating Market. The market, located on the eastern fringes of the city, was inaugurated by West Bengal Chief Minister MamataBanerjee, to rehabilitate over 200 shopkeepers from a nearby market that was demolishedfor the widening of the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass.

 Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeITY) has launched Stree Swabhiman Initiative. Its aim is to create sustainable model for providing adolescent girls and women an access to affordable sanitary products by leveraging (CSCs).

 The Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Jai Ram Thakur launched the ‘Shakti’ app forwomen’s safety in the state on 29th January 2018. The app was developed by the National Informatics Centre(NIC) of the Himachal Pradesh government.

 Oxford Dictionaries has chosen ‘Aadhaar’ as the Hindi word of 2017. The word gained popularity due to Aadhaar card, which was in news in 2017.The announcement was made in the Jaipur Literature Festival.  The Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) project has been launched by the Himachal Pradesh government on 29th January 2018 to promote organic farming by the year 2022.

 Axis bank has launched the 4th edition of ‘Evolve’ in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu for its SME(Small and Medium Enterprises) customers. This edition of ‘Evolve’ is titled “Transform your Family Business into your dream company”.

28 2018

Mozart Special Edition  The Union Minister for Finance and The Corporate Affairs Mr. Arun Jaitley launched “CriSidEx,India’s first sentiment index for micro and small enterprises (MSEs) developed jointly by CRISIL & SIDBI.

 Green Good Deeds” campaign is launched by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on 6th Feb 2018.

 Uttar Pradesh State Government, in association with United Nations Children’s Fund(UNICEF) has launched ‘DASTAK’ on 5th February 2018. It was inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Mr. Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow.

 Bermuda becomes the first country to legalize and then repeal same-sex marriage.The top five performing states in reference to year-based composite index score are Kerala(76.55), Tamil Nadu (63.38), Gujarat (61.99) and Himachal Pradesh (61.20).

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred the ‘Grand Collar of the State of Palestine’,the highest Palestinian honour for foreign dignitaries, recognising his contributions to promoting relations between India and Palestine.Narendra Modi is the first Indian Prime Minister to make an official visit to Palestine.

 National Deworming Day observed on 10 February.

 Sharmila Nicollet become the first Indian golfer to qualify for the China Ladies PGA Tour

 Mumbai is the 12th wealthiest city, followed by Toronto with a total wealth of $944 billion, Frankfurt(14th, $912 billion) and Paris (15th, $860 billion)

 The International Conference on Unani Medicine was held in New Delhi. It was inaugurated by Minister of State (IC) for Ministry of Development of Northern Pics. It was organized by Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM), under Ministry of UNANI

 India's 1ST Online Radio Station 'Radio Umang' was launched recently in India.

 India’s Aadhaar and Umang App have won awards at recently concluded 6th World Government Summit 2018 in Dubai.

 Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the World Sustainable Development Summit 2018(WSDS 2018) at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. The summit’s theme this year was ‘Partnerships for a Resilient Planet’.

29 2018

 NABARD was established on the recomMmoenzdaartitonSspoef cBi.SaivlaEradmiatnioConmmittee, (by Act 61, 1981 of Parliament) on 12 July 1982 to implement the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development Act 1981.

 Chandrayaan-2 is India's second lunar exploration mission scheduled to launch in April 2018 after Chandrayaan developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the mission is planned to be launched to the Moon by a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV Mk II)

 With an aim to give exposure to the youth and children of Jammu and Kashmir, the Ministry of Home Affairs has launched "Watan ko Jano" programme

 Milkbasket, India's first and largest micro-delivery platform recognized as 'Startup of the Year' 2017 at the 7th Small Business Awards held in New Delhi

 On the occasion of International Women's Day, Maharashtra government will attempt to remove the taboo associated with the topic of menstrual hygiene with increased awareness by launching Asmita Yojana.The scheme will be formally launched on March 8

 International Mother Language Day (IMLD) is observed on 21 February every year,The day was announced by UNESCO on 17 November 1999

 India successfully test-fired Agni II medium-range nuclear-capable missile from APJ Abdul Kalam island off the Odisha coast

 Airtel and Huawei have successfully conducted India’s first 5G (fifth generation) network trial in Manesar, Gurugram, Haryana

 Flying officer Avani Chaturvedi scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman to fly a fighter aircraft solo.She flew a MiG-21 bison in her first solo flight from Jamnagar base of (IAF) in Gujarat.

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi Launched ‘Amma’, subsidised 2 Wheeler Scheme for working women in Tamil Nadu. This scheme was launched to mark 70th birth anniversary of Jayalalithaa , the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.

’s Andaman & Nicobar Command will be hosting a multinational mega event ‘MILAN 2018’ from 6th – 13th March, 2018 at Port Blair.Countries that will participate for first time: Brunei, Mozambique, Papua New Guinea,Oman, South Africa, Timor Leste and Vietnam.Other participants are India, Australia, Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, New Zealand, Oman,Thailand, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Kenya, Philippines and Cambodia.

30 2018

Mozart Special Edition  Chilika Lake in Odisha has become the single largest habitat of Irrawaddy dolphins in the world

 National Science Day is celebrated all over India every year on 28th February, to mark the discovery of the Raman effect by Indian physicist Sir CV Raman on 28th February 1928.National Science Day was first celebrated on 28 February 1987

 JP Nadda, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare inaugurated the World Rare Disease Day Conference 2018 in New Delhi. It was first introduced by EURORDIS and its council of National Alliances in 2008.The theme for World Rare Disease Day 2018 is Research. World Rare Disease Day 2018 was observed on 28th February 2018.

 Telangana government launched “T App Folio”, a mobile governance application, for delivery of government to citizen (G2C) and business to citizen (B2C) services anytime and anywhere.

 Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah inaugurated ‘Shakti Sthala’ a solar power park with 2,000 megawatt capacity at Pavagada in Tumakuru district of Karnataka. Karnataka has become the third-largest producer of renewable energy in India.

 The first Mega Food Park in Maharashtra, was inaugurated by Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Minister of Food Processing Industries at Degaon village, Satara district of Maharashtra.Satara Mega Food Park is the 12th Mega Food Park put to function in India

 Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami launched the toll free number 14417 through the 24-hour Education Guidance Centre that has been set up at the Secretariat.

 The Odisha government launched ‘Khushi’, a scheme that offers free sanitary pads to 17 lakh girl students from class 6 to 12 in Odisha.

 NASA launched GOES-S, another of world’s most advanced weather satellites.GOES stands for Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites.

 Odisha State Government has launched ‘Ama Gaon, Ama Vikas’ (our village, our development) on 4th March,2018

 Dr Jitendra Singh said that, First food processing centre in collaboration with Israel will be launched in Aizwal, on 7th March 2018.

31 2018

 Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra SMingohzRaarwtatSipnaeucguiaralteEddthiteiowneek-long 29th edition of annual International Yoga Festival (IYF) at Parmarth Niketan ashram in Rishikesh.

 India’s first helicopter taxi service (heli taxi) was launched in Bengaluru on 6th March 2018 .The first trip of the heli taxi was between Electronic City and Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru and was completed in 15 minutes

 Conrad Sangma took charge as Chief Minister of .Conrad Sangma took oath as the 12th chief minister of Meghalaya in Shillong. He is the President of National People’sParty (NPP).

 The headquarters of the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has been shifted from Chennai to Haryana’s Ballabhgarh for “better coordination” between the environment ministry and the the board.

 Sukhad Yatra mobile application has been prepared by National Highways Authority of India,NHAI, to empower the Highway user

 International Women's Day 2018 was observed across the world on March 8, 2018 with an aim to empower women in all setting

 Flying officer Avani Chaturvedi is the first Indian woman pilot in the Indian Air Force to complete a solo flight in a MiG-21 Bison fighter aircraft.

 The 90th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2017.. The Shape of Water won a leading four awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Guillermo del Toro.

 The government launched a biodegradable sanitary pad ‘Suvidha‘ on Thursday to mark International Women’s Day.The oxo-biodegradable sanitary pads priced at Rs. 2.50 per pad will be available at Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi centres.

 The Telangana government has launched a start-up incubator to exclusively promote entrepreneurship among women. The facility was launched on the occasion of International Womens Day. The incubator, named We-Hub, is the country’s first state- led incubator exclusively for women entrepreneurs.

 Multilateral Air Force exercise “Samvedna” will be held from March 12 to 17, 2018.Air Forces of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, UAE and Myanmar will participate in the exercise.

32 2018

 The Google added “Voice Navigation”Minozsaixrmt oSrpe elacnigaulagEeds: itBieongnali, Gujarati, Kannada,Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam.

 Indian PM, Narendra Modi inaugurated a campaign to eliminate TB from India by campaign was inaugurated following the launching of the Delhi End TB Summit, which is being co organised by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, WHO 2025, 5 years in advance than the globally decided last line on March 13th, 2018. The South East Asia Regional Office and Stop TB Partnership.

 The Three-day annual Krishi Unnati Mela will be organized between March 16 and March18, 2018 at Pusa New Delhi. The event aims to create nationwide awareness about the latest agricultural technological developments and receive feedback from the agricultural community that will help in designing and shaping the future research strategy of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the five-day Indian Science Congress at the Manipur University in Imphal.This was the second Science Congress in the northeast in the last 100 years.Three Indian cities New Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai are among the cheapest cities in the world, according to an Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) survey.The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) survey, named Singapore as the most expensive city.

 At 56 years of age, Mangala Mani, ISRO’s first woman scientist spent over 403 days in Antarctica. Mangala Mani was part of a 23-member expedition team that went to India’s research station, Bharati, in November 2016

 President Ram Nath Kovind has issued Rupees 1,000 and Rupees 10 memorial coins on the eve of Nabakalebar festival at a function organised in Puri, Odisha. These coins were issue tospot the festival which is a symbolic regeneration of sibling divinities including Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra.

 Bhawana Kanth, the flying officer became the second Indian Air Force pilot to fly a fighter aircraft solo.She flew in a MiG-21 “Bison” Aircraft from Air Force Station. Avani Chaturvedi was the first Indian women to fly a fighter aircraft solo.

 Google celebrated the 102nd birth anniversary of Shehnai maestro Ustad .The doodle has been illustrated by a Chennai-based illustrator, Vijay Krish.

 The Indian Space Research Organisation will launch the communication satellite GSAT- 6A on March 29. The satellite will be launched on board the GSLV Mk-II (GSLV F08) from the Space Centre in Sriharikota at 4.56pm on March 29. This will be the GSLV’s 12th flight and sixth flight with indigenous cryogenic stage

33 2018

Mozart Special Edition  The First Indian Sign Language Dictionary of 3000 words” was launched by Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot, Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment. The dictionary has been developed by Indian Sign Language Research & Training Centre (ISLR&TC) under Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), M/o Social Justice &Empowerment.

 The Government of Andhra Pradesh has recently launched "NAIPUNYA RATHAM" a multiutility vehicle which aims to bring technology to the remote corners. Chief Minister N.Chandrababu Naidu announced that the Government will roll out 12 more Naipunya

 India fruitfully released the GSAT-6A communication satellite with its heavy rocket GSLV-F08 vehicle, on March 29th, 2018

 Researchers have revealed a new organ Interstitium in the human body. This finding that could benefit the researchers understand the escalate of cancer in the human body. The conclusions of the finding were printed in the Nature Scientific Reports journal on March 27th , 2018

 Madhya Pradesh has got Geographical Indications label for a chicken breed Kadaknath, whose black meat is in much demand in various areas of the state.Kadaknath chicken:The meat content of Kadaknath chicken is protein-rich black meat and which is traded at a much higher price than other varieties of chicken. It is a native to Jhabua, Alirajpur and parts of Dhar district of MP.  Kotak Mahindra Bank has launched the country’s first artificial intelligence-powered voicebot in the banking sector

 The World Autism Awareness Day was celebrated around the world on 2nd April , 2018.It originates from a neurological illness that affects the brain functions

 Delhi became the first city in India to supply ultra-clean BS-VI rating fuel for both petrol and Diesel

 According to the time limit fixed by the GST Council, the e-Way Bill became compulsory from 1st April,2018 for all inter-state displacement of goods in India. The e-Way Bill system is being executed by GST Network in connotation with the National Informatics Centre.

 India has become the 2nd mega mobile phone producer in the world, only after China.The leading 3 mobile manufacturing nations are China, India and Vietnam.

34 2018

 The Indian Space Research OrganisationMwiollzlaaurncthStpheeIcRNiaSSl-1EI dsaitteilloitne in the NavIC navigation satellite constellation on April 12 2018 from Satish Dhaw an Space Centre in Sriharikota

 Chakravath, a joint humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) exercise was organised by the Indian Navy in coordination with the Kerala government. ‘Chakravath’ is being conducted by the Southern Naval Command, here from April 5 to 8

 Every year the World Homeopathy Day (WHD) is observed on 10th April 2018 on account of the founder and father of Homeopathy Dr. Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann’s.

 Chandra ShekharGhosh has been re-appointed as managing director and CEO of Bandhan Bank for a period of three years from July 10, 2018. Appointment was approved by the bank board.Bandhan bank 8th largest bank in India by market capital.

 Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) launched ‘Project Dhoop’ on 10 April 2018 at National BalBhavan in New Delhi.

 The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched the IRNSS-1I navigation satellite aboard the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)-C41, from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh on 12 April 2018.

 The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Delhi has installed a 1st radio lab with an array of antennas for "standardisation, research and manufacturing" of 5G equipment in 13 April 2018.

 The Massive MIMO Technology Lab has been set up at the Bharti School of Telecommunication Technology and Management, at IIT Delhi.

 Fifteen-year-old shooter AnishBhanwala became India's youngest gold medalist at the .

 Every year on 14th April is observed as AmbedkarJayanti to commemorate the birth anniversary ofB.R.Ambedkar who was born on 14 April 1891.He is known as the “Father of Indian Constitution” . He had received Bharat Ratna award in 1990

 MC Mary Kom becomes the first Indian woman to win boxing gold at the Commonwealth Games. She won the gold medal by defeating Northern Ireland's Kristina O'Hara in the 45-48kg category final at Gold Coast, Australia.

 Neeraj Chopra became the first Indian javelin thrower to claim a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games

35 2018

 SainaNehwal claimed gold in an all-IndMianofzinaalrotfSwpomecenia'slsiEngdleistinonbadminton.PV Sindhu in the first-ever all-Indian women's singles final at the Commonwealth Games.

 National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) was set up in 1982

 Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister, DharmendraPradhan launched Pradhan Mantri Ujwala Yojana (PMUY) in Telangana on the birth anniversary of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, at Suryapetby.

 National Institute of Virology (NIV),Pune has recently discovered that Indian mosquito, when contaminated with the Zika Virus (ZIKV), can transmit the infection to suckling mice.

 Prime Minister NarendraModi inaugurated the first health centre under Ayushman Bharat Scheme at Bijapur district in Chhattisgarh in 16th April 2018

 Lieutenant General PP Malhotra assumed charge as Director General of National Cadet Corps (NCC)

 Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated Odisha’s second longest river bridge(2.5km) built over the Ibriver in Sambalpur district between Sambalpur and Brajarajnagar

 Yes Bank’s ‘YES GST’, an OD (over draft) facility for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and is a first-of- its-kind product in the banking industry

 Olive Ridley turtles turned up for mass nesting for the second time at the Rushikulya rookery on the Odisha coast, where mass hatching of eggs of these endangered marine turtles is still continuing

 Minister of Communications Manoj Sinha launched DARPAN (Digital Advancement of Rural Post Office for a New India)-PLI (Postal Life Insurance) app that will help in collection of premium for Postal Life Insurance (PLI) and Rural Postal Life Insurance (RPLI) policies at Branch Post Offices anywhere in India, with online updation

 According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Bihar has the highest rate of crimes against Schedule Caste/Schedule Tribe population

 Rajasthan is one of the biggest beneficiaries under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) of NABARD, under which NABARD gave concessional loan of Rs 1,851.29 crore to the state government

36 2018

 Kerala will host the India Skills Kerala 2M01o8 zinaKrotchSi,paescpiaartloEf dthietWioonrld Skills India 2018

 Dilip Chenoy has been appointed as the Secretary-General of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI)

 Samsung has emerged as the brand Indians trust the most, topping the list second year in a row.

 The Madras High Court became the first court in south India and eighth in India to introduce e-court fee payment facility.

 Every year Earth Day is being observed on 22nd April to build support for environmental protection around world and to encourage people to carry out activities that will benefit Earth.The theme for 2018 Earth Day is ‘End Plastic Pollution’

 Every year in India 24 April is celebrated as the National Panchayati Raj Diwas (Day). This day marks the passing of the Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992 that came into force with effect from 24 April 1993.

 The Diu Smart City has become the first city in India that runs on 100 per cent renewable energy during the daytime.

 Kolkata’s TaniyaSanyal has become the first ever woman firefighter in the Indian aviation sector

 Senior Lawyer Indu Malhotra is the first woman lawyer to be directly appointed as a Supreme Court judge

 The Union Human Resource Development Ministry launched the second edition of Unnat Bharat Abhiyan in New Delhi on 27th April 2018

 NITI Aayog has launched the Atal New India Challenge under the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) with an aim to bring innovations and technologies relevant to the people on 27th April 2018

 The Prime Minister of India ShriNarendraModi launched the Van Dhan Scheme of Ministry of Tribal Affairs and TRIFED during the celebrations of AmbedkarJayanti at Bijapur, Chattisgarh on 28th April 2018

37 2018

Chief Minister PawanChamling MbecoamzaerttheSlponegcesita-sleErvdingitCiohinef Minister in India. He has completed 23 years, four months and 17 days of uninterrupted service in office

 Union Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation, Sushri Uma Bharti, launched the GOBAR (Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources - DHAN scheme at the National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) Auditorium, Karnal on 30th April 2018. The scheme was launched under Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin).

 Rafael Nadal has won Barcelona Open tennis title for 11th time in Barcelona Spain.

 May 01 is observed as International Labour Day also known as International Worker's Day or Labour Day or May Day

 Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister KE Krishnamurthy started Andhra Pradesh government’s ‘Bhu Seva’ (land hub) project. This project aims at offering integrated services related with land.

 New Delhi, Gwalior and Varanasi are in the most polluted city

 India is projected to be the second fastest growing country in the world for air passenger traffic

 Maharashtra became the first state to provide digitally-signed land record receipts (also known as 7/12receipt)

 Manipur CM N. Biren Singh launched ‘Go to Village’ mission throughout the state of Manipur on 4th May 2018. This mission was launched in 60 villages of all the 60 Assembly constituencies.

 Former chief economic adviser Ashok Lahiri has been appointed as full-time member of the 15th Finance Commission.

 The 4th Regional Conference on ‘Futuristic, Resilient and Digital Infrastructure’ organized by the Ministry of Finance in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), and Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) was organised in Bengaluru

 Human Resource Development Ministry launched a SWAYAM (Study Webs of Active- Learning for Young Aspiring Minds)

38 2018

 Delhi will host a Festival of Bharat betMweoezna9rtht MSpayeacnidal14EthdMitaiyoans 21stcentury tribute to the dignity and depth of civilization of India at Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) in New Delhi

 Punjab government along with World Wide Fund (WWF)-India is organizing the 1st count of Indus dolphins (one of the world’s rarest mammals). Indus river dolphin is the national mammal of Pakistan. IUCN conservation status ‘Endangered’

 India would be hosting the 15th Asia Media Summit (AMS-2018) in New Delhi. The theme of this summit is “Telling our Stories Asia and More”.

 The Union Ministry of Electronics and Information technology (MeitY) has launched ‘Digital India Internship Scheme’ portal. The portal was launched in Delhi by Shankar Prasad, Minister of Electronics and Information Technology

 Every year National Technology day is observed in India on 11 May to commemorate the anniversary of Pokhran nuclear tests of 1998. This year the National Technology Day is marked as "Technology for Inclusive and Sustainable Growth"

 Every year International Nurses Day (IND) is celebrated all around the world on 12th of May to commemorate the birth anniversary of the Florence Nightingale

 Bhopal Smart city Development Corporation Limited (BSCDCL) launched India's first cloud-based common Integrated Control & Command Centre (ICCC), with Data Centre, Disaster Recovery Center, all the 7 smart cities of the state

 According to the report released by Mercom Communications India, a subsidiary of global clean energy communications and consulting firm Mercom Capital Group, India emerges third largest solar market in the world behind China and the United States.

 Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, Hardeep Puri released the results of the Swacch Surveskshan 2018. Indore has emerged as the cleanest city again in India for the second consecutive year.Bhopal has been ranked as India's second cleanest city for two years in a row and Chandigarh was ranked as the third cleanest city, moving up from Rank 11 in 2017

 Uttam Pacharne was appointed as the Chairman of the Lalit Kala Akademi

 PM Narendra Modi inaugurated Zojila Tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir’s Leh district. The 14-kilometer long Zojila tunnel will be India’s longest and Asia’s longest and strategic two-directional tunnel, which will deliver all-weather connections among J&K’s Srinagar, Kargil and Leh districts

39 2018

 Nipah virus infection is zoonotic diseasMe tohaztareratsoSnps esecviearel dEisdeaisteioinnboth animals and humans. Fruit bats of the Pteropodidae Family, are natural host of the virus.

 International Day for Biological Diversity observed across the world every year on May 22 with the aim to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues.The theme of International Day for Biological Diversity 2018 was ‘Celebrating 25 Years of Action for Biodiversity’ as the year 2018 marks the 25th anniversary of the Convention on Biological Diversity Coimbatore racer Bala Prasath won the Formula Junior Racing Series 2018 Championship in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu

 JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy was sworn in as the 18th Chief Minister of Karnataka.

 The first 42-seater ATR aircraft of the Alliance Airlines commercial flight of Arunachal Pradesh under UDAN scheme landed at airport in East Siang district.

 Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has introduced VIKALP scheme for passengers in wait-listing to provide berth in alternative train

 The Union Cabinet today approved an ordinance to set up the country's first national sports university in Manipur

 The Union Minister for Human Resource Development,Shri Prakash Javadekar launched the ‘Samagra Shiksha’ - an integrated Scheme for school education. The scheme focuses on improving quality of education, enhancing the Learning outcomes and using technology to empower and teachers

 Arunachal Pradesh's Singchung Bugun Village Community Reserve, (SBVCR) in West Kameng district has won the National Biodiversity Award 2018 for conserving a bird species 'Bugun Liocichla', a rare wildlife resources found in the area

 The President of India Sri Ram Nath Kovind has appointed Prof. Ganeshi Lal to be the Governor of Odisha and Kummanam Rajasekharan as the governor of Mizoram.

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi has dedicated to the nation its first smart and greenhighway, the Eastern Peripheral Expressway at Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh on 27th May 2018

 United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) has recognized Cochin International Airport in Kerala as the world’s first fully solar energy-powered airport.

 Sangeeta Bahl has became the oldest Indian woman to scale Mount Everest at 53 years of age. She is the former model and entrepreneur from Jammu and Kashmir.

40 2018

Mozart Special Edition  The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and UN Environment signed an agreement to promote 'green' cricket in India

 Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has appointed Sudha Balakrishnan as the first Chief Financial Officer (CFO). She will be the twelfth executive director of the Reserve Bank of India and will have term period of three years

 Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change rolled out ‘Gaj Yatra’, in Garo Hills of Meghalaya with an aim to protect Elephants in the state

 Shri Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of AYUSH announced that the main event of 4th International Yoga Day celebrations (IDY-2018) will be held on 21st June 2018 at Dehradun in Uttrakhand

 Every year, on 31 May, World Health Organization and partners observe World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) with the aim to highlights the health and other risks associated with tobacco use, and advocating for effective policies to reduce tobacco consumption .The theme of World No Tobacco Day 2018 is: “Tobacco and heart disease.”

 IT Department has launched a new reward scheme titled “Benami Transactions Informants Reward Scheme, 2018”of 1 cr. aims at encouraging people to provide information about benami transactions and properties as well as income earned on such properties under Benami Property Transactions Act, 1988

 The Ministry of Culture, Government of India has introduced a new scheme namely ‘Seva Bhoj Yojna’ to reimburse the Central Government share of Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) and Integrated Goods and Service Tax (IGST) on purchase of raw items such as ghee, edible oil, atta/maida/rava/flour, rice, pulses, sugar, burra/jiggery etc which go into preparation of food/Prasad/langar/bhandara offered free of cost by religious institutions for Financial Years 2018-19 and 2019-20.

 India ranks 113rd in the list of 175 countries indexed by a global child rights group Save the Children

 The Agriculture Ministry launched Krishi Kalyan Abhiyaan to aid, assist and advice farmers on how to improve their farming techniques and raise their incomes.The campaign, from 1st June, 2018 till 31st July, 2018, would be undertaken in 25 villages with more than 1,000 populations each in all 111 aspirational districts identified in consultation with Rural Development Ministry as per the directions of NITI Ayog.

41 2018

 The Reserve Bank of India to launch thMe Foinzaancriatl SLipteeraccyiaWl eEekd,iwtitohnthe theme of customer protection

 World Environment Day is observed on 5th June every year. The theme for 2018 World Environment Day is beat plastic pollution.Uttarakhand to put a complete ban on use of polythene throughout the state from July 31, as decided by the Chief Minister on the occasion of World Environment Day, June 5,2018.

 The state cabinet headed by Chief Minister of the state, approved the Bijli Bill Mafi Yojana 2018 (Power Bill Waiver Scheme) which is expected to benefit about 77 lakh people of the state.

 According to a Forbes’ compilation of the World’s highest-paid athletes, India cricket captain Virat Kohli is ranked 83rd position in the world.

 The World Oceans Day is celebrated on June 8 every year .Theme for this year’s observation day is Preventing plastic pollution and encouraging solutions for a healthy ocean.

 In an incredible achievement, scientists at Ahmedabad’s Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) have discovered a planet around 600 light years away from Earth. The ‘sub- Saturn’ or ‘super-Neptune’ planet’s mass is roughly 27 times that of Earth, and its radius six, times bigger.

 The Eleventh edition of GeoIntelligence Asia 2018 was held at Manekshaw Centre New Delhi on 04-05 June 2018. It was organised by GeoSpatial Media and Communication with Directorate General of Information System as Knowledge Partners and Military Survey as Co-organisers.The theme of Seminar was ‘GeoSpatiial’

 President Ram Nath Kovind declared ’s queen variety pineapple as state fruit of Tripura.

 India is the second largest steel producer in 2018

 Reserve Bank of India survey conducted in six metropolitan cities in Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi

 India along with the whole world observed the “World Day Against Child Labour” on 12th June

 According to SBI’s annual report for 2017-18, Axis bank has the highest value share of mobile banking transactions by 17.2% whereas Paytm tops by Volume (22%).

42 2018

Mozart Special Edition  Niti Aayog selected 3000 more schools for setting up of Atal Tinkering Labs under the Atal Innovation Mission..As per the data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, India’s provisional consumer price inflation(CPI) rose to 4.87% in May 2018 This is higher than the final figure of 4.58% for April.

 In countries around the world, 14th June is celebrated as World Blood Donor Day, to express gratitude towards the voluntary, unpaid blood donors for their precious life- saving gifts of blood

 India’s economic growth forecast to 7.4 per cent for 2018-19 from it’s earlier estimation of 7.3 per cent for the current financial year. For 2019-20, it projected the growth at 7.5 per cent.

 The 3rd Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) would be held in Mumbai at the end of June month. Headquartered in Beijing.India is a founding member and the second largest shareholder in AIIB.

 Father’s Day is celebrated worldwide to recognize the contribution that fathers and father figures make to the lives of their children. It celebrates fatherhood and male parenting.It is celebrated on various dates worldwide, many countries observe this day on the third Sunday in June and this is 17th June this year.

 ICICI Bank named Sandeep Bakhshi as its Chief Operating Officer(COO) for five years. He will report to the board of directors.

 Worldwide, the International Day of Yoga celebrated on 21st June, 2018

 India’s newest telescope located at the Indian Astronomical Observatory (IAO) at Hanle in is also the country’s first robotic telescope and the first one designed to observe dynamic or transient events in the universe,Called GROWTH

 Madhav Lavakare, a seventeen yearDelhi boy invented a device for hearing impaired.It is a low-tech device that would help the hearing impaired.

 Cities and towns across India are awarded with the title of 'Swachh Cities' on the basis of their cleanliness and sanitation drive as a part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan that was launched in 2014.Among the states, Jharkhand is the cleanest state in the country, followed by Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh and West Bengal is at the bottom.

 The University of Michigan created a computer smaller than the world's smallestcomputer, as it could help cure cancer and be used in a variety of other researches.

43 2018

Mozart Special Edition  Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Delhi Metro's Mundka-Bahadurgarh section and said his government's priority is to build convenient, comfortable and affordable urban transport systems in cities

 India's R Praggnanandhaa has become India’s youngest and the world's second youngest Grand Master at the age of 12 years, 10 months and 13 days after reaching the final round of the ongoing Grendine Open in Italy

 The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) withthe Gujarat Forensic Science University (GFSU) to strengthen its cyber and digital forensicoperations.It is a state university in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.It is the first university in the world solely dedicated to forensic and investigative science.The prime objective of the Enforcement Directorate is the enforcement of two key Acts of the Government of India namely, the Foreign Exchange Management Act 1999(FEMA) and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act 2002 (PMLA)

 French utility EDF and GE will jointly build six reactors for the Nuclear Power Corp. of India’s Jaitapur Nuclear Power Plants in Maharashtra, which is planned as the world's largest nuclear power plant with a total capacity of 9,900 MW.

 The Maharashtra govt announced a new scheme called 'Kanya Van Samruddhi Yojana'aimed at empowering women and promoting tree plantation. Under the scheme, farmers families where girl children are born will be given 10 saplings free of cost from the forest department, for plantation

 The National Doctors' Day is celebrated on July 1 across India to honour the legendary physician and the second Chief Minister of West Bengal, Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy.

 Bharti Infratel and Indus Towers announced a merger which would create the world's largest tower company outside China.

 The union government has approved extension of recapitalisation scheme for Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) for next three years up to 2019-20 with an aim to strengthen their lending capacity.The scheme started in 2010-11 and was extended twice in 2012-13 and 2015-16.

 The Union Cabinet approved the contentious DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2018 that seeks to create a DNA databank of hardcore criminals. The legistalion, which was conceptualised around 15 years ago, would also help the administration in identifying missing persons and disaster victims faster.

44 2018

Mozart Special Edition  The Indian space agency Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) carried out the first in a series of tests to qualify a crew escape system, which is a critical technology for human spaceflight. The crew escape system was lifted off at 7 am at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota

 The first test (Pad Abort Test) demonstrated the safe recovery of the crew module in case of any exigency at the launch pad.

 YES BANK, India's 4th largest private sector Bank has received the final regulatory approval (Certificate of Registration) from the Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to commence its Mutual Fund business.YES Asset Management (India) Limited (‘YAMIL’) will operate out of the YES BANK Group Headquarters at YES BANK Tower, Lower Parel Innovation District, Mumbai.

 Ericsson has launched India's first 5G innovation and hub center in IIT-Delhi, focused on developing 5G tech, which has several applications

 Tripura’s Dipa Karmakar created history by becoming the first Indian gymnast to clinch a gold at a global event, as she emerged triumphant in the vault event of FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup at Mersin, Turkey.

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South Korea President Moon Jae-in inaugurated a Samsung Electronics mobile phone manufacturing facility, in Noida on 9th July 2018. The 35-acre factory, would be World’s largestCellphone Factory, will generate more jobs and also make India a global export hub.

 Net sales of dollars from the Reserve Bank of India hit the highest level in nearly five years in the month of May 2018, in response to stop the depreciation of the Indian rupee.RBI sold a net of $5.76 billion in May month.

 Andhra Pradesh has emerged as the top state in implementing reforms for the second year in a row and ranked first in the top position in the DIPP (Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion) and World Bank’s jointly released Ease of Doing Business Index in 2017.

 In 2017, India became the sixth largest economy with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of USD 2.59 trillion, relegating France to the seventh position, whose GDP stood at USD 2.58 trillion

 India inaugurated its largest visa centre in the world in Dhaka to reduce the waiting time for applicants.

45 2018

Mozart Special Edition  The nine day-long celebration of Kang (Rath Jatra) festival began in Manipur, on the second day of Engen month of Manipuri lunar calendar and ends on the 10th day of the month

 India successfully test fired supersonic cruise missile BrahMos from a test range at Chandipur in Balasore district off the Odisha coast

 Union government introduced the Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Bill, 2018 in the LokSabha, to protect small investors from ponzi schemes and prevent unregulated entities from collecting deposits from individuals.

 PAC is a not-for-profit research think tank situated in Bengaluru, Karnataka.  The Lok Sabha on 26th July passed the Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill 2018. The Bill was introduced by Minister of Women and Child Development, Maneka Gandhi.

 Two Indian nationals, Bharat Vatwani and SonamWangchuk, are among the six personalities named for this year's Ramon Magsaysay award.The Ramon Magsaysay award, widely known as Asia's premier prize, is now in its 60th year of "honouring greatness of spirit and transformative leadership in selfless service to the peoples of Asia."

 A crucial bill to grant death penalty to those convicted of raping girls below the age of 12 years, and making the law against such sexual offences more stringent, was passed by the Lok Sabha. The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2018 was passed after Minister of State for Home KirenRijiju's reply to an over two-hour discussion on the measure.

 Union Minister of State for AYUSH Shripad Yesso Naik on 30th July laid the foundation stone of the 2nd phase of construction of North East Institute of Ayurveda and Homeopathy (NEIAH) at its Campus at Mawdiangdi

 Agartala Airport renamed as Maharaja Bir Bikram Manikya Kishore Airport on 3rd July 2018.

 The ABB(India) Ltd has signed a memorandum of understanding(MOU) with the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee to develop Smart electricity distribution network on 6th July 2018.

 ISRO signed MOU with uttar Pradesh to help it map crimes.The tools and technologies have been developed by the Advanced Data Processing Research Institute(ADRIN) In Hyderabad.

46 2018

Mozart Special Edition  Ajeya Warrior-2017: Indo-UK combined military exercise held in Rajasthan. It was third joint military exercise between India and UK. The first exercise was conducted in 2013 at Belgaum and the second exercise was held in 2015 in the UK.

 Meet on sustainable development in globalised era. A two-day International Conference on “Sustainable Development and North East India in the Globalised Era” was organised in December 2017 by Federation of Government College Teachers’ Association, Manipur (FEGOCTA) in partnership with DM College and GP Women’s College and Institute of Bio-resources and Sustainable Development (IBSD), Imphal.

 GST comes into force after 17 years of debate .The Goods and Services Tax (GST), India's biggest tax reform since. Independence came into force on July 1, 2017 after a long series of debates and round of talks. The new tax regime was ushered in at a late night event in the historic Central Hall of Parliament

 National Mathematics Day observed on 22nd December. National Mathematics Day is celebrated in India every year on 22nd December to commemorate the birth anniversary of the famous Mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan.

 A Bill to set up National Medical Commission that seeks to replace the MedicalCouncil of India (MCI) was introduced in the LokSabha by Health Minister JP Nadda in December 2017. The Bill would also lead to constitution of four Autonomous Boards; The Under- Graduate and the Post-Graduate Medical Education Board to regulate medical education at undergraduate level and at postgraduate level respectively.  President Ram Nath Kovind has inaugurated the Andhra Pradesh Fibre Grid Project. The Project, also known as Triple Play2 Services will provide internet, television and telephone services to more than one lakh households in the state.

 Global Tiger Day is celebrated every year on 29th July. This year’s International Tiger Day was celebrated with the slogan ‘Fresh Ecology For Tigers Protection’.

 The United Nations World Day against Trafficking in Persons is observed on 30 July 2017 around the world. The day aims at raising awareness of the plight of human trafficking victims, and promoting and protecting their rights

 Matunga becomes India's first railway station run by women. In a bid to empower women, Central Railway has appointed all women staff at suburban Matunga station, a

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railway station on the Central line of theMMuomzbaairStubSuprbeacniRaalilwEady niteitwoonrk, to make it India’s first women special station.

 National Farmer’s Day or Kisan Diwas is observed every year on 23rd December to commemorate the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister of India Chaudhary Charan Singh.

 Jai Ram Thakur - new Himachal CM

 Bengaluru has become the first Indian city to have its own logo - ‘Bengaluru-Be U’.

 On the occasion of Good Governance Day (25th December), in 2017, the Union Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions launched the electronic- Human Resource Management System (e-HRMS). Good Governance Day is observed in India annually on the twenty-fifth day of December, the birth anniversary of former-Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

 The Airport Authority of India (AAI) has given approval to extend Lakshadweep’s . With this, India will get its first runway on a sea bridge soon.  Vijay Rupani - reappointed as Gujarat CM

 Government launched Ganga Gram Project.The Project has been launched by Union Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation under the Clean Ganga Programme also known as Namami Ganga Programme. In August, the Centre declared all 4,470 villages on the banks of the Ganges, open defecation-free (ODF). Of these villages, the Centre and the state governments have identified 24 villages to be taken up under a pilot project to transform them into 'Ganga Grams'.

 Uttar Pradesh Government has decided to establish cow sanctuaries in all the 75 districts of the state.

 Kumi Naidoo appointed new Secretary General of Amnesty International. The South African Human Rights activist will succeed Salil Shetty from India in August 2018. Amnesty International (commonly known as Amnesty or AI) is a London-based nongovernmental organization focused on human rights founded in London in 1961.

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 The Union Ministry of CommunicationsMhoaszalaruntcShepdePcroiajelctEDdAiRtPiAoNn(The Digital Advancement of Rural Post Office for A New India)- an IT modernization project that aims to realizing financial inclusion of un-banked rural population.

 World Diabetes Day observed on 14 November. The theme for 2017 World Diabetes Day (WDD) is 'Women and diabetes - Our right to a healthy future'.

 National Press Day celebrated as 16 November to commemorate the establishment of the Press Council of India, formed in 1966.

 The naval forces of India and Oman have participated in the 11th edition of Naseem-Al- Bahr (Sea Breeze) Exercise 2017 at Bin Sultan Naval Base in Oman.

 India’s first National and Transportation University at Vadodara

 Losar Festival celebrated in Ladakh in December. Losar is a festival in Tibetan . Losar is the Tibetan word for ‘new year’.

 Prime Minister inaugurated 60 MW Tuirial Hydro Power Project in Aizwal. Tuirial dam is an earth fill and gravity dam near Kolasib in the state of Mizoram in India. It is the Central Government’s first large hydropower project to be commissioned in Mizoram.

 26th November is observed as the Constitution Day. On the day in 1949, the constitution was adopted which came into force on January 26, 1950 marking the beginning of a new era in the history of India. From 2015, the Government is observing 26th November as Constitution Day.

 The Government of Meghalaya has launched ‘The Meghalaya Community Participation and Public Services Social Audit Act, 2017. Meghalaya has become the first state in the country to do so. The law will make the social audit of Government programmes and schemes a part of government practice.

 The third World Telugu Conference in Hyderabad. The main aim of the Conference is to promote Telugu and its literature besides helping the present generation learn more about and its rich culture and heritage. Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu had formally inaugurated the Conference.

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 National Institute of Transforming IndiMa o(NzITaI)rAtaSyopge’ cAitallIEnndoviattiionnMission has launched Atal Tinkering Lab (ATL) day in New Delhi. The day aims to provide 25 young mentors to more than 200 students who are not enrolled in the formal education sector.

 India to host 2023 Cricket World Cup. This will be for the first time India alone would host an ODI World Cup. Earlier it has cohosted ODI World Cup on three occasions- in 1987, 1996 and 2011. The 2019 Cricket World Cup (12th edition of Cricket World Cup) scheduled to be hosted by England and Wales, from 30 May to 14 July 2019.  Bihar Government launches Safe City Surveillance Scheme.Under the scheme, all the major public places will be monitored under the close circuit television (CCTV) cameras.

 Country’s first Electronic Manufacturing Cluster to be set up in Andhra Pradesh. The cluster will be designed and developed to provide facilities for manufacturing mobiles and allied products.

 In a move aimed at combating black money stashed abroad, India signed an agreement with Switzerland that would allow automatic sharing of tax- related information from January 1 ,2018.

 Senior Advocate and Constitution Law Expert KK Venugopal has been appointed the 15th Attorney General for India.

 India becomes 42nd member of Wassenaar Arrangement. The Wassenaar Arrangement was established on established on 12 July 1996, in Wassenaar, the Netherlands, to contribute to regional and international security and stability by promoting transparency and greater responsibility in transfers of conventional arms and dual-use goods and technologies.

 Kumbh Mela, India’s largest religious festival has secured its place in the UNESCO’s list of ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage’. According to the organization, the festival is the largest peaceful congregation of pilgrims on earth.

UP’s Shamli becomes 23rd district to be included in National Capital Region. With this, the NCR now includes 13 districts from Haryana, 8 districts from UP and 2 districts from Rajasthan.

 The first phase of the Chabahar port on the Gulf of Oman was inaugurated by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, opening a new strategic route connecting Iran, India and

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Afghanistan bypassing Pakistan, and refleMctiongzgarrowt iSngpceocnviearlgeEncdeiotfioinnterests among the three countries.

 Dia Mirza appointed as UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador for India

 India in Top 100 in Ease of Doing Business Report by World Bank.The rise to the 100th position from 130 last year made India one of the top 10 best improved countries

 Lifetime Pensions for 'Hindi Satyagrahis'- Haryana. The state government of Haryana has announced lifetime monthly pension of Rs 10,000 for 'Hindi Satyagrahis' and those from the state who were jailed during the Emergency.

 Neelmani N. Raju has been appointed as Karnataka’s first woman Director General and Inspector General of Police.

 14 days joint training exercise “PRABAL DOSTYK – 2017” between the and the Kazakhstan Army commenced with the Opening Ceremony at Bakloh, Himachal Pradesh in November 2017.

 Uttar Pradesh cabinet decided to make India's first conservation reserve for blackbuck in Allahabad's Meja. The decision taken for the protection of black deer will also help in wooing tourists.

 Five-time world champion and Olympic bronze medallist MC Mary Kom has been named as the ambassador of the upcoming AIBA Women's Youth World Championships .  Minister of Communications Shri Manoj Sinha launched a Pan India scholarship program for school children called Deen Dayal SPARSH Yojana to increase the reach of Philately.

 Army personnel of India and Bangladesh are going to take part in a joint training exercise 'Sampriti-7' in Meghalaya and Mizoram. This is the 7th edition of the joint training exercise.

 The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs gave the award to Surat Municipal Corporation for operating the 'best city bus services'.

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 Shri Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of RailwMayosz&aCrotalShpaselacuinaclheEdd‘Girtaihoank Sadak Koyla Vitaran App’ benefitting customers of Coal India Limited (CIL) lifting coal through road mode.

 Kerala Govt launched ‘She Pad’, a scheme to distribute free sanitary napkins to girl students from classes VI to XII in government and aided private schools affiliated to the state school board.

 NIT Agartala to set up rubber, bamboo research centres. Tripura is the second-largest rubber producer in India, after Kerala, a viable rubber research centre can be set up in the NITA to boost the rubber cultivation, industries and employment.  Haryana has emerged as the first state in the country to treat Hepatitis-C patients through oral medicine, according to the health minister Anil Vij of the state.

 Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) Summit Held in Vietnam.The theme of this meeting was ‘Creating New Dynamism, Fostering a Shared Future’. Leaders of 21 Pacific Rim countries attended this meeting.

 The Ministry of Women and Child Development celebrated the Child Rights Week by hosting ‘Hausala 2017’ festival from 16-20 November 2017. The festival was hosted by the Ministry as an Inter CCI Festival for the children who reside in Child Care Institutions (CCIs)

 A report by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has found that the air quality of holy city Varanasi is most polluted among the 42 cities monitored recently. Varanasi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) was at an alarming 491.

 India is the sixth most vulnerable country in the world in terms of facing extreme weather events, according to the report released by the Germanwatch. The top 5 countries on the list are- 1. Haiti 2. Zimbabwe 3. Fiji 4. Sri Lanka and 5. Vietnam.

 North East to get India’s first ever Air Dispensary. As per the plan, the helicopter will be based at two locations, namely Imphal in Manipur and Meghalaya in Shillong. From these two locations, specialist doctors, paramedical staff, and necessary equipment would move into the helicopter and hold a dispensary in different locations across the eight States of North Eastern Region.

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 To inspire, nurture and promote the spirMit ofzeantrretpSrepneucrsihaipl iEndtribtailoynouth, the NITI Aayog in partnership with the US government organized India’s first Tribal Entrepreneurship Summit at Dantewada.

 Eminent chartered accountant Sethurathnam Ravi appointed as the chairman of the leading Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). Ravi, who was a public interest director at the BSE, replaced Dhirendra Swarup.

scripted history when it became the first State in the Northeast to launch Point of Sale (POS) facility for electricity bill payment, where the mode of payment will be cashless. The POS facility was launched at Kohima. The POS facility would now enable the consumers to pay their electricity bills as cashless transactions have been made available to them.

 The government has given the go-ahead for setting up India’s first mega coastal economic zone (CEZ) at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Maharashtra as part of a plan to develop 14 such industrial clusters to spur manufacturing and generate jobs. The plan envisages a total investment of Rs 15,000 crore in the first phase and creation of more than 1.5 lakh jobs.

 India's Manushi Chhillar has won the coveted Miss World 2017 crown at a grand event in China, bringing to an end the country's dry spell of 17 years at the top pageant contest. Five Indian who won the title before Manushi are - Reita Faria won the crown back in 1966, Aishwarya Rai won in 1994, Diana Hayden in 1997, Yukta Mookhey in 1999, Priyanka Chopra in 2000.

 Telangana and Patanjali Group join hands together to establish Food Park. The Patanjali Group will set up a large food park in Telangana with units for processing edible oil, fruit pulp and spices.

 India ranks 23 of 193 countries on Global Cyber security Index 2017

 Women's Youth World Boxing Championship was held at in November 2017. Mascot - one-horned rhino 'Guppy'. Official Anthem - 'Make Some Noise'.

 Brahmos, the world’s fastest supersonic cruise missile created history after it was successfully flight-tested first time from the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) frontline fighter aircraft Sukhoi-30MKI against a sea-based target in the Bay of Bengal.

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Mozart Special Edition  Indian has become the second largest fish producing country in the world, whereas China is world’s largest producer of fish.

 India ranks 51 on IMD Talent Rankings. The annual IMD World Talent Ranking covers 63 countries and assessed methods countries adopted to attract and retain talent. Switzerland topped list.

 "Umang app" launched by PM Narendra Modi. Umang- an acronym for "unified mobile app for new age" e-governance - currently hosts around 162 services from 33 government departments of central and state governments. The app has been developed by the ministry of electronics and information technology (MEITY).

 Shubhangi Swaroop becomes first female pilot in Indian Navy. Swaroop who has been appointed in the Naval Armament Inspection (NAI) branch will now undergo pilot training at Dundigal Air Force Academy near Hyderabad. She is among the 328 cadets who passed out from the Indian Naval Academy's first batch of female officers.

 State Bank of India, the country’s largest public sector bank, has launched a unified integrated app called YONO (You Need Only One) that would offer all kinds of financial and lifestyle products. YONO will also allow customers to meet their lifestyle needs across 14 categories including booking and renting cabs, entertainment, dining experience, travel and stay, medical needs etc.

 Union Government to initiate Safe city plan for women in eight cities

 Eighth edition of the Global Entrepreneurship Summit-2017 to was held at Hyderabad

 Govt launches IPR awareness scheme for MSMEs, Startups. The ministry of commerce and industry has launched the scheme for awareness on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR). It was further step to take forward the National Intellectual Property Rights Policy 2016.

 Maharashtra stands as the single largest consumer of electricity in India, followed by Uttar Pradesh and Telangana.

 Golden Temple Awarded as Most Visited Place of the World

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 First Edition of International SymposiumMtooPzraomrtotSe pInenocviaatilonE&diRteisoeanrch in Energy Efficiency (INSPIRE 2017) was held in Jaipur, Rajasthan.

 Arun Jaitley launches Paytm Payments Bank. Currently, India has four Payments Bank including Paytm Payments Bank. The other three operational ones are Airtel Payments Bank (First), India Post Payments Bank and Fino Payments Bank.

 Shaktikanta Das named as India’s G20 Sherpa. There are two tracks in G-20 - Finance Track and Development Track. Finance Track is managed by the secretary (economic affairs) as India’s Deputy to G-20 and the Development Track is coordinated by the Sherpa.

 Badri Narain Sharma appointed as Chairman of National Anti Profiteering Authority

 Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City)'s International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) bagged the 10th spot in the latest edition of Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI), London.

 Soumya Swaminathan is appointed as New Deputy Director General at WHO. This is the first time such a post has been ever created within the organization. The position is also the highest post held by an Indian in the WHO. She is currently the Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

 The 39th and the last of the Nationwide ‘Sankalp se Siddhi’ programme held at Shillong. ‘Sankalp Se Sidhi‛ program being organized across the country to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of Quit India Movement

 Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Gujarat are the three best-performing states in "ease of doing business" NITI Aayog. One the other hand, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Assam fare worst in the rankings.

 India Slips to 8th Rank in Valuable Nation Brand List, US retained the top position

 Nisha Desai Biswal Appointed as President of USIBC (US-India Business Council)

 Global Hunger Index denotes India Ranks 100 Among 119 Countries

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 Vanuatu, a South Pacific archipelago, haMs boeczomaretthSepfiersct inaatlioEndtoitaicocenpt Bitcoins as payment for its 'investment citizenship' program. A family of up to four can receive Vanuatu passports by paying the Bitcoin equivalent of $280,000 (Rs. 1.8 crore).

 Rajasthan Assembly becomes first in India to call motions online

 Shillong held first India International Cherry Blossom Festival

 PM Modi launched India’s first Roll On-Roll Off or 'Ro-Ro' ferryservice between Ghogha in Saurashtra’s Bhavnagar district and Dahej in Bharuch district. The service is expected to reduce the distance between the two coastal towns from 310 km by road to 30 km, saving time and money.

 Bangladesh signed Gas Oil deal with India. The deal between Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) and Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) was signed in presence of India’s external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj.

 Chhattisgarh capital Raipur’s Swami Vivekananda Airport was once again ranked first in Customer Satisfaction among 49 airports in the country.  Reliance Industries Limited is First Indian Company to Cross Rs 6 Trillion Market Capital

 India Overtakes US to Become Second Largest Smartphone Market; China first.

 India to Host UN Wildlife Summit in 2020

 Indian government launched a portal, e-Rashtriya Kisan Agri Mandi(e-RaKAM), to provide a platform to sell agricultural produce. The portal is a joint initiative by state- run-auctioneer MSTC and Central Warehousing Corporation arm CRWC.

 India emerges as top trusted government in the world: OECD Report. While the present Indian government has the confidence of 73 per cent Indians, the highest in the world, Greece stands last with 13 per cent.

 Economist Rajiv Kumar to became New Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog in August 2017

 Vijender Singh wins WBO Asia Pacific Super Middleweight title

 S Aparna appointed as Executive Director of World Bank

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Mozart Special Edition  The Government of India to launch a new scheme, in August 2017, named ‚Aajeevika Grameen Express Yojana (AGEY)‛ as part of the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana ” National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM)

 15th BIMSTEC ministerial meeting in Kathmandu. The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is an international organisation involving a group of countries - Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and Nepal.

 David Rasquinha appointed MD of Exim Bank. Export–Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) is the premier export finance institution in India, established in 1982 under Export- Import Bank of India Act 1981  Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has launched Namo Yuva Rojgar Kendra, a farmers’ market on wheels, which aims at delivering farm-fresh organic produce at reasonable prices.

 In a landmark verdict on 24th August 2017, the right to privacy was declared a fundamental right under the Constitution by the Supreme Court, which said ‚privacy is the constitutional core of human dignity‛.

 The Central Government has declared August 7 as National Handloom Day, to be celebrated every year due to its significance in India's history, as 'Swadeshi Movement' was launched in 1905 on this day. The movement involved revival of domestic products and production processes.

 75th anniversary of Quit India Movement and Azad Hind Fauj celebrated across the nation in August

 Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, launched ‘Gaj Yatra’, a nationwide campaign to protect elephants on the occasion of World Elephant Day on 13th August.

 Cabinet Approves New Central Sector Scheme - "PMKSY". The objective of "Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY)” is to supplement agriculture, modernize processing and decrease Agri-Waste.

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 To create awareness about Beekeeping aMndouzseasrotf SitspperocdiuacltsEindcliutdiinognHoney, Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Limited (TRIFED) celebrated World Honey Bee Day (WHBD) on 19 August.

 Sadbhavana Diwas celebrated on 20 August. The Sadbhavana Diwas or Harmony Day is celebrated to commemorate the birth anniversary (August 20) of Rajiv Gandhi. On this day national integration, peace, love, affection and communal harmony among all Indians is encouraged.

 Ashwani Lohani: New Railway Board Chairman

 Andhra Pradesh’s Eastern Power Distribution Company Ltd (EPDCL) and the Southern Power Distribution Corporation of AP Ltd (SPDCL) have become the first state-owned distribution companies in India to accept payments through Bharat QR, the world’s first interoperable quick response code acceptance solution launched by the Reserve Bank of India.

 Karnataka Ties up with Microsoft to develop India’s First Farm Price Forecasting Model

 National Sports Day celebrated on 29 August. National Sports day is celebrated on 29th august every year to mark the birthday of .

 Government to Establish First National Sports Museum in New Delhi

 Nandan Nilekani appointed as Chairman of Infosys. Nandan Nilekani, is credited as the architect of the world's largest biometric ID card programme “Aadhaar”.

 Manipur’s Nungthaang Tampak- North East's First 100% Computer Literate Village. Kerala’s Chamravattom village is the country’s first 100 percent computer literate village.

 Nitasha Biswas, The Winner of Miss Transqueen India 2017.Nitasha, a trans woman who hails from Kolkata, was named the first Miss Transqueen India in Gurgaon on Sunday

 The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) of the Ministry of Earth Sciences inaugurated the Ocean Forecasting System for Comoros, Madagascar, and Mozambique at the third Ministerial Meeting of Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System for Asia and Africa (RIMES), held at Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea in August 2017.

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Mozart Special Edition  Gobindobhog Rice, a speciality from Burdwan district of West Bengal, has got the geographical indication (GI) status.

 Drug pricing regulator National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) joined hands with National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) to help athletes understand medicines that could contain prohibited substances in sports through its app 'Pharma Jan Samadhan'.

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ASSAMMozart Special Edition  An agreement for IBRD Credit of USD 39.2 Million from World Bank for the project “Assam Citizen Centric Service Delivery” has been signed on 6th of June

 World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors has sanctioned a loan assistance of 44 million dollars for the Assam State Public Finance

 Institutional Reforms (ASPIRe) Project. An agreement for IBRD Credit of USD 35 Million from World Bank for Assam State Public Financial Institutional Reforms(ASPIRe). Project was signed on 28th of June at New Delhi

 Five states and a union territory (Puducherry) including Gujarat and Telangana would ink a MoU with Government e-Market (GeM) for smart procurement of goods and services. The other states that will ink the agreement are Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh

 The Assam government has raised a new Special Rhino Protection Force (SRPF) on 1st July, 2017

 Govt to roll out operation Muskan-III. It is for the operation of rescue and recover of missing children

 Assam Chief Minister launches ambitious Avenue Plantation Program along National Highway from Kaliabar to Bokakhat on the occasion of 68th Van-Mahotsav

 The 8th India Bangladesh Friendship Dialogue concluded in the city on July 4th 2017 with adoption of the ‘Guwahati Declaration’ calls for overall growth

 Assam to host National Handloom Day for the first time on August 7th. A film made by showing distinct handloom products bearing Geographical Indication status will be screened at this event

 Assam forest department deployed around 10000 security and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel, 20 elephants and 20 excavators to evict 1400 families that have been encroaching upon Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary on the north- eastern fringe of Guwahati. The sanctuary is spread over 78.64 sq km

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 The state has deciMdedotzoadristtrSibputeec13ialalkEh SdoiiltHioeanlth Cards among farmers. The emphasis has been given to successfully implement Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sichai Yojna(PMKSY) in the state. The govt. has sanctioned 600 core rupees for Prime Minister Awas Yojna Urban scheme in Assam

 Assam government has decided that country liquor would be grain-based, undergo chemical tests and be branded and make it mandatory for the bottles to sport a hologram as in the case of IMFL. The factory at has registered the Rhino brand for their product

 On August 20,2017 Assam state government is introducing a new Scheme called, Scheme for Compassionate Family Pension (CFP) in lieu of Compassionate Appointment at Guwahati. The new scheme will be applicable to all employees of the state government, all others as eligible under Assam Services (Pension) Rules, 1969, all state government employees under NPS category and All India Services officers borne on Assam cadre

 The Indian Railway has taken up at least 15 major railway projects of new lines in NE region including Assam, MoS (Minister of State) for Railway Rajen Gohain said. The project includes Bogibeel Bridge with linking between and the North Bank (73km). Anticipated cost was 4,996 cores, expenditure incurred was 4,012 cores, and outlay for this fiscal year is 300 cores

 Kaliabor plans unique digital initiative SKP (Smart Kaliabor Project) for digital empowerment of the masses and ensure transparent and hassle free service delivery

 Development of DNA indexing of rhinos for probing poaching case. RhODIS (Rhino DNA Indexing System), which will help investigate and prosecute offenders in poaching case. Developed in Pretoria’s Veterinary Genetics Lab (VGL). Samples are likely to be sent to Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII)

 The four new Universities are to be set up in Assam: Bhattadev University at Bajali, at Bihpuria, and Rabindranath University at , Assam Cultural University at

 Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) formally accepted the proposal of a separate Assamese code chart submitted by the Assam Govt. BIS doesn’t provide the Unicode; it is a member of the ISO that provide Unicode

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 Assam government has signed a MoU wiMth GoozoaglretInSdpiaePvcti.aLtldE. todiintciroeanse digital literacy and takeInternet connectivity to the remotest part of the north-eastern state. Government would work to provide Internet connections to 26,000 villages and 1,500 tea garden areas in Assam. Information Technology Secretary Nitin Khare and Google India Country Head (Policy) Chetan Krishnaswami has signed the Memorandum of Understanding

 On 7th September 2017, Assam passed the Industrial Disputes (Assam Amendment) Bill, 2017, regarding lay off of employees, in Guwahati

 Mission Director of Assam Skill Development, Mr.A.P.Tiwari said that the skill development training would be given to 30,000 surrendered militants and jail inmates, during an AIR (All India Radio) talk show

 On 15th September, 2017, The Assam state Assembly passed PRANAM (Parental Responsibility and Norms for Accountability and Monitoring) bill that makes it mandatory for state government employees to take care of their parents and needy siblings or face a cut in their income. Assam is the first state to approve such legislation. Finance Minister introduced the bill. The bill was backed by all the ruling and opposition MLAs

 In Assam, the state govt. has set up a Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) Cell for implementation of DBT across schemes in the Country. It helps in coordinating efforts at the State Level in taking the DBT initiative forward with immediate effect. It will closely monitor & evaluate the progress of various Departments on DBT related indicators

 Assam government will upgrade employment exchanges to Modern Career Centres announced on 6th of Sep. 2017

 On 22nd September 2017, The Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Assam and NITI Aayog organized a health sector reforms workshop, in Guwahati. SATH- Sustainable Action for Transforming Human Capital Programme was launched in this occasion. NITI Aayog selected has three states for this programme: Assam, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka

 On 26th September 2017, Artists constructed a 100 feet bamboo idol of Goddess Durga, world’s tallest bamboo idol, in Guwahati, Assam

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 On September 1, 2017, Assam GovernmeMnt hoazsaexrttenSdepdetcerimalofEAdrmiteidoFnorces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), 1958 and declared entire state a Disturbed Area for six more months under section 3 of AFSPA act. This is for first time state government has extended AFSPA and Disturbed Area provision on its own

 President Ram Nath Kovind appoints Jagdish Mukhi new Governor of Assam. He was previously the Governor of Andaman & Nicobar islands

 Radhika Mohan Bhagawati, veteran Guwahati-based journalist and editor of DainikAsam, oldest Assamese daily newspaper had passed away. He was 84. Bhagawati was also chairman of Media Trust, successor to the Committee for Celebration of 150 Years of Journalism in Assam

 On October 30, 2017, Union Finance Ministry and World Bank signed a loan agreement worth $200 million (from International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) is for 16.5 yrs term) for the Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project

 The decision of setting up ISRO research centre at Guwahati was taken at a meeting between Assam Chief Minister and ISRO Chairman Dr.A.S.Kiran Kumar on 5th October 2017

 On 27th October 2017, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal launched a web portal ‘Assam Darpan’ where details of government schemes and projects would be available to the people. The Assam Darpan platform has been developed by National Informatics Centre, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, as a part of the Digital India Programme

 On October 3, 2017, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal laid the foundation stone for the first ever Industrial Training Institute (ITI) exclusively for the Dibyangans (Differently Abled) at ITI Complex in Dibrugarh

 “Once you visit Assam, it stays with you forever”- with internationally acclaimed actor Priyanka Chopra inviting people to visit Assam through this promo catch line

 The Tata Trust has announced a package of Rs 544 core for cancer treatment in Assam, the biggest ever funding for a particular disease in the history of state health sector

 On 18th November 2017, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated the Namami Barak festival at , Assam

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Mozart Special Edition  On 1st November 2017, Assam government signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Terms of Reference (ToR) with Singapore for skilling youth of the state. The MoU and ToR for North East Skills Centre (NESC) was signed between Skill, Employment and Entrepreneurship Department, of Assam and ITE Education Service, Singapore, in Guwahati, Assam. A MoU for Guwahati City Greening was signed between the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority and Singapore Corporation Enterprise. The Assam government’s project for beautification and improvement of quality of life of Guwahati is named ‘Guwahati Open Space and Park Integrator (GOPI) Network’

 On November 4, 2017, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal launched 647 schemes with a total financial outlay of Rs. 24.57 crore to boost Majuli’s development. Out of the 647 schemes, 448 schemes are under MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee) scheme which entails an investment of Rs. 21.90 crore

 School of Life Science-, Silchar on November 2017 signs MoU with Faculty of Agriculture-Shizouka University, Japan

 Govt. planning to sewt up world first in situ wild muga sanctuary in district of Assam

 Assam launches its first air ambulance for the public. Delhi based Flaps Aviation Private Limited will operate its air ambulance service from Guwahati with “Book Air Ambulance” as its brand

 6th International Tourism Mart (ITM) held in Guwahati, Assam on December 5, 2017. 6th ITM concluded on December 7, 2017. This event has been organised by Union Ministry of Tourism in association with the North Eastern States of India. 6th ITM will not only focus on North Eastern India’s tourism potential but will also put spotlight on India’s “Act East Policy” and strengthening of ties with Association of SouthEast Asian Nation (ASEAN) countries

 On December 29, 2017, Union Shipping Minister, NitinGadkari flagged off cargo movement on the Pandu- route (on National Waterway 2) along the in Assam

 Central Government has sanctioned Rs 1250 crore for overall development of inland water transport of Assam. Out of the total amount, Rs. 32 crore will be utilised for constructing 56 terminals and Rs 60 crore for Ro-Ro service

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Mozart Special Edition  On December 3, 2017, on the occasion of International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu launched Deen Dayal Divyangajan Sahajya Scheme in Guwahati, Assam. Under this scheme, every differently abled person in Assam would be entitled to a one-time grant of Rs 5000 for their treatment

 On December 16, 2017, Assam State Government and Isha Foundation signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for rejuvenation and conservation of rivers. (Isha Foundation is led by spiritual leader Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev. He has initiated nationwide 'Rally for Rivers' campaign for revitalising India's rivers). Assam is the sixth state to sign the MoU

 India has won first ever South Asian Regional Badminton Team Championship by defeating Nepal held in Guwahati

 The ASTC (Assam State Transport Corporation) signed an agreement with Mercedes Benz for operating around 175 buses manufactured by the German company in state under a PPP model

 Assam State Government has published first draft of Supreme Court monitored National Register of Citizens (NRC) on January 2018. As per Supreme Court directive, draft NRC for Assam was to be published on or before December 31, 2017

 On 2nd January 2018, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal launched ‘Chah Bagichar Dhan Puraskar Mela 2017-18’ at a function held at Sarbananda Singha auditorium in , Assam. During the launch Sarbananda Sonowal distributed cheques to beneficiaries. Under this scheme people belonging to tea community who opened bank accounts during demonetisation will be credited Rs 2500 in their accounts. In the demonetisation period, 6,58,250 tea community members opened bank accounts. Assam government will spend Rs. 182 crore for giving financial incentives to all the account holders

 “Majuli: Resources and Challenges” is a book that appreciates the beauty and challenges of Majuli in Assam, a world's largest freshwater river island and the single island district in India. The book was edited by Sanjib Kumar Borkakoti. It was published by Authorspress

 Assam has become the fourth state in the country to issue the Right of Way (RoW) guidelines for telecom service providers. (A legal right, established by usage or grant is

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referred to as Right of Way (RoW)). ThesMe gouizdealirntesSwpillercegiualalteEtdheiteisotanblishment of underground and over ground telecom infrastructure in Assam

 In terms of Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR), Assam is at the bottom of the list among all Indian States. (Annual number of female deaths per 100000 live births from any cause related to pregnancy is referred to as Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR)). MMR figure in Assam is 300 against the national average of 167. However, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Ashwini Kumar Choubey has stated that MMR in Assam has been declining. It was 383 fours ago and was 447 in 2002. In Assam, infant mortality rate (number of deaths per 1000 live births of children under one year of age) is also on higher side at 44 against the national figure of 37. In context of this news, it is important to note that fund spending under National Health Mission (NHM) in Assam is just 13.58 per cent for 2017-18

 Assam State Government will be setting up 3 Terminal Mart for agricultural products in the state in order to give a boost to agricultural market in the state. Assam State Agricultural Marketing Board is working towards setting up such marts at Silchar, Jorhat and Guwahati. Chairman of State Agricultural Marketing Board, Palit Kumar Bora has stated that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed to develop Asia’s largest banana market at Darangiri in district of Assam

 On February 5, 2018, Assam State Government and cab aggregator Ola entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to pilot an app-based river taxi service in Guwahati. As per the MoU, Ola will pilot rivers taxis from Lachit Ghat and Machkhowa in Guwahati to North Guwahati across the river

 Assam State Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with National Building Construction Corporation (NBCC) for setting up a twin tower trade centre in Guwahati. Estimated cost of construction of Twin Tower Trade Centre is Rs. 1950 crore which will completed approximately in 60 months. Green technologies will be used in various phases of construction. The building design & structure would reflect rich natural heritage and

 The Central Government has formed a committee lead by Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog, to study the Brahmaputra and flood control measures in Assam and nearby states

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 On February 3, 2018, Prime Minister NarMendorazMarotdiSinpauegcuiratledEGdloibtaiol Investors Summit 2018 - 'Advantage Assam' in Guwahati. The two-day Global Investor Summit 2018 aims to showcase manufacturing opportunities in Assam and related geostrategic advantages to foreign and domestic investors. The Summit is expected to position Assam as India's Expressway to Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries. It has been organised by the Assam State Government in association with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI)

 Assam State Government would soon set up ‘Invest Assam’ a new dedicated agency to look into all aspects of business and investment in the state. During the course of this summit, around 200 memorandum of understanding (MoUs) worth Rs one lakh crore were signed

 Assam government has announced that 22 September will be celebrated as "Rhino Day" to create awareness on protection of the one-horned rhinoceros of Assam. The Rhino Day will be a tribute to nearly 2500 rhinoceros in Assam. Also, a State Rhino Project in line with the National Rhino Project will be introduced soon in Assam

 On March 29, 2018, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal launched '181-Sakhi', a toll-free helpline number for women it is launched in wake of increasing crimes against women in Assam

 On March 12, 2018, Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma presented state's first e- Budget at the legislative Assembly. Each legislator of Assam State Legislative Assembly was provided with a tablet (computer) having details of the Budget. In order to truly make it an E-Budget, the reporters covering the state budget were given a pen drive containing the details

 Assam State Government has proposed an insurance scheme for journalists and their families in State budget for the year 2018-19. Mr. Sarma stated that for the year 2018- 19, budgetary allocation of Rs 63 crore has been earmarked for the Information and Public Relations Department that would implement schemes for journalists in Assam

 On March 26, 2018, Assam State Government launched a special programme to build one lakh toilets across the state under the Swachh Bharat Mission. This special programme is named ‘Mission Sambavh’ (Mission Possible ). Assam State government has set a target to make the state Open Defecation Free (ODF) during 2018. It is to be noted that five districts in Assam have already been declared ODF

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Mozart Special Edition  On March 26, 2018, Airport Authority of India (AAI) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Assam government for sustainable development of human settlements at villages in . Activities carried out under this MoU will be part of AAI’s Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) initiative. As per the terms of this MoU, AAI would provide financial assistance of Rs 4.58 crore for Kamrup district. This amount has been decided as per the estimates prepared by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to improve the resilience of communities around Guwahati Airport

 Central Institute for Research on Buffaloes (CIRB) said that, a cloned Assamese buffalo clone calf named Sach-Gaurav was born on 22nd December 2017 through a normal delivery. The calf was born to a Murrah buffalo.The birth weight of the calf was 54.2 kg

 On 18th April 2018, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu launched 'Atal Amrit Abhiyan', a health scheme of Assam government that provides free medical care of up to Rs 2 lakh for every person from Below Poverty Line (BPL) and Above Poverty Line (APL) families. Atal Amrit Abhiyan will cover 92 % of the Assam's population with annual income below Rs 5 lakh

 On 7th and 8th April 2018, the Assam Spring Festival was held at the Manas National Park, in Assam. The Assam Spring Festival was organized by Indian Weavers' Association and the Swankar Mithinga Onsai Afat. (Swankar Mithinga Onsai Afat is an association of reformed poachers who are now involved in wildlife conservation in Manas). The aim of the festival is to promote the local food and culture. The Manas National park is also a tiger and rhino reserve. It covers five districts of Assam: Kokrajhar, Baksa, Chirang, Udalguri and Barpeta

 On 7th April 2018, Assamese film-maker Munin died after fighting cancer, at his home, in Guwahati, Assam. He had received National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Assamese in 2005. He had also received the state award for best director for the year 2001-02 and the Lifetime Achievement Award 2017 from Prag Cine Awards

 On 3rd to 5th May 2018, ‘Vibrant North East 2018′ is held in Guwahati, Assam, organized by Centre for Agriculture and Rural Development (CARD), a New Delhi-based NGO.This is the fourth edition of the Vibrant North East expo in Guwahati. It acts as a platform to exhibit North East’s potential and for better implementation of Central schemes in Northeast. (The expo focuses on agriculture, MSME, food processing projects,

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horticulture, tea, spices, medicinal plants,Mcooir,zbaamrtboSop, reurcailacrlafEt pdroitdiuoctns, eco- tourism and agro and nature tourism, commerce and rural development, skills, jobs and entrepreneurship, health, hygiene, sanitation, power, role of cooperatives in agriculture, petroleum and heavy industries). 15 progressive farmers from the north-eastern region will be awarded at the expo by the Indian Council of Food and Agriculture (ICFA)

 Roll out of e-Way Bill system for intra-State movement of goods in Assam & Rajasthan. Union Finance Ministry has announced that E-way bill system for intra-state movement of goods valued over Rs 50000 would be rolled out in Assam from May 16, 2018 and in Rajasthan from May 20, 2018

 Guwahati now has India's first solar powered railway station. Nearly 2352 solar modules with a capacity of 700 kwp has been set up over the roof of the Guwahati railway station

 On 14th May, the Governor of Assam, Prof. Jagdish Mukhi inaugurated the two day regional conference on “Physical and Social Infrastructure for Regional Development” in Guwahati, Assam. This conference was organized by Ministry of Finance, Government of India in association with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) , Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) and FICCI. This is aimed to bridge the regional disparity through investment in physical and soft infrastructure. AIIB’s “lean and green policy”, govt’s HIRA (highways, Internet, Railways and Airways) policy and govt’s “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas” are the few sought out policies that need to be implemented for the inclusive growth of the area

 Google installed free Wi-Fi in 400 railway stations in India. Dibrugarh Railway station in India is the 400th railway station to be installed free Wi-Fi

 India, China Signs Mou to share Brahmaputra hydrological data and import of rice. The MoUs were signed after detailed discussion between India’s Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) and China’s President(Xi Jinping)

 Assam government to introduce “Sanskar” awareness programme against Superstitions. ASTEC (Assam Science Technology and Environment Council) would be the nodal agency and the programme would involve all the concerned govt. authorities, media, MLA MPs. Birubala Rabha, a social activist, will also be involved

 The London sitting of the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) Working Group-II nods to rename Bengali script as Bengali/Assamese script

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Mozart Special Edition  Govt of India is planning to bring workers under Govt. insurance scheme. Pradhan Mantri Jivan Jyoti Bima Yojna and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojna will backed these tea labours with a sum of 2lakhs in case of death or disability. Annaul premium of Rs 330 for PMJJBY and Rs 12 for PMSBY will be transferred

 Andhra Pradesh retains top position in Ease of doing Business index. Assam is ranked 17th with a score of 84.75

 The State Govt. has launched a Rs 460 core “Muga Mission” to raise Muga production by ten times more than what it is now. The World Bank-sponsored APART(Assams’s Agri-business and Rural Transformation Project) has taken up the districts of undivided Kamrup, Lakhimpur, Jorhat and Sibsagar for the plantation of muga and eri host plants, setting up rearing house and providing equipment support to the sericulture farmers

 The Manohari gold tea was sold at Guwahati Tea Auction Center for whooping Rs 39,001 per kg which is highest ever record price of any Indian Tea. It has fetched price of gold and will be helpful in reviving the tea industry in long run. Manohari tea Estate is situated at Dibrugarh and made by tea expert CK Parashar under the guidance of estste owner Rajan Lohia

 The Assam State Zoo cum Botanical Garden, with the support of Tansukhrai Ratanlal Jewellers, organised International Tiger Day to raise the awareness about the animal’s plight with less than 4000 left in the world forest

 Prof. Jagdish Mukhi launched- ‘No Horn Please’ campaign

 Satyakam Phukan’s Legacy of King Narak wins award(second best award for his direction) of the documentary at International Film Fest held in Omichka International Film Festival held in December 2017, Omsk, Russia. The film has been produced under the banner of Dr Phukan’s ‘Ri-Mita Bolsabi’. Earlier Dr Phukan’s Garbage Bin Meals had won second best documentary award for the month of May 2017 in same festival held at Cluj Napoca, Romania

 Lakhimi Borooah passes away in January 13, 2018. First Assamese lady to represent India in Tea Board in World Trade Fair in 1964 in New York, USA

 Guwahati Tea Auction Center is the India’s largest and World second largest Tea Auctioin center. It was established in 1970

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Mozart Special Edition  The Chief Minister of Assam organised tribal festival called ‘Aadi Mahotsav’

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Mozart Special Edition

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE First in Assam Books and Authors Festivals and Dances Miscellaneous

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FIRST IN ASSAM Mozart Special Edition Radio Station : Guwahati – Shillong

Film Studio : Jyoti Chitraban

High Court : Guwahati High Court

Bridge over Brahmaputra : Saraighat Bridge

University :

Medical School : Berry White Medical School, Dibrugarh

Medical College : Assam Medical College

Mental Hospital : Mental Hospital

Printing press : Mission press, Sivsagar

Lok adalat : Hajo

Institute for higher education : Cotton college, Guwahati

Graduate : Anandaram Barua

IAS (ICS) from Assam : Anandaram Barua

Assamese Governor : (Madras – 1957-1964)

Assamese President of India : Fakaruddin Ali Ahmed (1974-1977)

Director of Assamese film : Jyotiprasad Agarwala

Assamese Film director : Promothesh Barua - Devdas (Bengali),1934

Chief Justice of High Court : Haliram Deka

Woman doctor : Rajaniprabha

Women graduates : Sukhalata Duwarah, Sudhalata Duwarah

Woman minister in Union Cabinet : Renuka Devi Barkotoky

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Woman justice of High Court : MeMeraoSzaarmrat Special Edition Woman ACS : Suchibrata Raichowdhury

Woman IAS : Parul Das

Woman Chief Minister : Syeda

Recipient of Gold Medal in Asian Games : Bhogeswar Baruah

Cabinet minister of union cabinet : Fakarudding Ali Ahmed

Chief minister :

D.Lit of London university : Surjya Kumar Bhuyan

Lexicographer : Jaduram Dekabaruah

Recipient of : Jatindra Nath Duwarah (Bonphool)

Recipient of Jnanpith Award : Birendra Kumar Bhattacharya (Mrityunjay)

Recipient of Jnanpith Award, Woman : Mamoni Roysom

Assamese movie : Joymoti

Assamese colour movie : Bhaiti

Daily news paper in Assam : Dainik Batori (editor – Nilomoni Phukan)

English news paper in Assam : Assam Tribune

Assamese International award winning : Sagaroloi Bohudur () film

Book Fair (Sate level) : 1978 ()

Book Fair (National level) : 1984 (Guwahati)

Chairman, Sangeet Natak Academy : Dr. (1998-2004)

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Justice of Supreme court : ParMvaoti zKuamratr SGopsewcamiai l Edition Children Magazine : Lora Bondhu (Karunabhiram Barua)

Co-operative Society : Shillong Co-operative Bank

Director – AIIMS : Dr. Ramesh Deka

Director – National Museum : Rabin Dev Chaudhury

Director – Reserve Bank of India : Ganesh Phukan

Dictionary (Published) : Asomiya aru Engraji Abhidhan (1867, Miles Bronson)

History of : Asomiya Sahityor Buranjee – Devendranath Bezbarua

IAS, Woman : Parul Das

Modern drama : Ram Navami – by Gunabhiram Barua

Multi-Language online dictionary : Xobdo, www.xobdo.org

Oil Refinery :

PhD, Woman : Kamala Tai, Tilottama Gogoi

PhD of London University : Moidul Bora

President of Indian Football Association : Nurul Amin

President of : Devakanta Barua

Principal of a college, woman : Rajabala Das, Handique Girls College

Printed Book : Dharam Pustak – by Atmaram Sarma

Railway (Goods) : Dibrugarh – Dinjan

Railway (Passenger) : Dibrugarh – Sadiya

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Recipient of : BhMogeoswzarrBtarSuaphecial Edition Recipient of Arjuna Award, woman : Monalisa Barua

Recipient of Asom Ratna : Dr. Bhupen Hazarika

Recipient of Asom Ratna, Woman : Mamoni Roysom Goswami

Recipient of Dada Saheb Phalke award : Dr. Bhupen Hazarika

Recipient of : Krishnakanta Handique

Recipient of Padma Bhushan, Woman : Pushpalata Das

Recipient of Padmashree : Krishnakanta Handique

Recipient of Padmashree, Woman : Nalinibala Devi

Recipient of “Sir” title : Syed Sadullah

Recipient of Tegore Literature Award : Devabrato Das

Representative of Round Table : Chandradhar Baruah Conference

Speaker of Assam Legislative Assemble : Babu Basanta Kumar Das

Deputy Speaker of Assam Legislative : Bonoli Khongmen Assemble

Sports Person to take part in Olympic : Talimeran Aao (Captain of Indian Football team, 1948) Woman’s magazine : Ghor Jeuti

Woman Minister : Mavis Daan

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LITERATURE OF INTERNATIONMALo, NzAaTrIOt NSApLeAcNiDaAlSESAdMition FOREIGN BOOKS AND WRITERS

 Wealth of Nations - Adam Smith  Mein Kemf -Adolf Hitler  The world as I see it -Albert Einstein  Politics -Aristotle  Divine Comedy -Dantle  A passenger to India -E M Foster  Oddesey,Eliot -Homer  Sum of Life -H w Longfellow  Tropic of cancer -Henry Miller  Mother India -Catherino Mayo  The Prince, On the Art of War -Machiavelli  Mother -Maxim Gorky  Republic -Plato  The Social Contact -Roussean  Gathering Storms, History of 2nd World War -Winston Churchill  Dissent of man -Charles Darwin  As you Like it, A Mid Summer Night Dream, Hamlet, King Lear, Othello -Shakespeare  A tale of two cities, Oliver twist -Charles Dickens  The china passage, The Triump -J K Golebreth  Hindu Civilization -J M Beri  War and Peace -Leo Tolstry  Lolitta -B N ovakov  On contradiction -Mao Zedang  The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on reclaiming the American Dream -Barrack Obama

OFFICIAL BOOKS-OFFICIAL REPORT/ PUBLICATIONS OF

 Blue Book - the British Government  Green Book -Italy and Iran  Grey Book -Governments of Japan and Belgium  Orange Book -Government of Netherlands  White Book -China, Germany and Portugal  Yellow Book -French official Book

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 White paper Mo-GzoavrertnmSepnetscoifaBlriEtaidniatnidoIndia on a particular issue  Joint Paper -Point report of two or more than two Governments

INDIAN BOOKS AND WRITERS

 Paramveer Parwane - Dr Prabhakiran Jain  Vyakti Nahin Sankalp - Dr Baba saheb Ambedkar  Exam Warriors(3rd February,2018) -PM Narendra Modi  In Custody -Anita Desai  Sea of Poppies -Amitav Ghosh  The Argumentative Indian -Amartya Sen.  Unaccustomed Earth -Jhumpa Lahiri  Ayodhya -PV Narasimha Rao  An ordinary Person Guide to Empire -Arundhati Roy  The Argumentative Indian -Amartya Sen  The Future of India -Bimal Jalan  Confessions of a Secular Fundamentalist -Mani Shankar Aiyar  My Presidential Years -R Venkataraman  The Hindu View Of Life, Indian Philosophy -S Radhakrishan  Voice Of Conscience -VV Giri  Without Fear of Favour -N Sanjiva Reddy  Autobiography of an Unknown Indian -Nirad C Chaudhari  India: A Wounded Civilization, Area of Darkness Bend in the River - VS Naipaul  Confessions of a Lover -Mulk Raj Anand  The English Teacher, The Dark Room, Malgoody Days,Guide,My Days - RK Narayan  Godan,Gaban, Karamabhoomi,Rangabhoomi -PremChand  Indira Gandhi Returns, The Company of a Woman -  Untold Story, Confrontation with Pakistan -BM Kaul  Sakharam Binder -Vijay Tendulkar  Broken Wings, Golden Threshold -Sarojini Naidu  Dade Conrade -  Kamayani,Lahar -Jai Shankar Prasad  Bharat-Bharati -Maithili Sharan Gupta  Kurukshetra,Urvashi,Rashmirathi -Dinkar  Eternal India -Indira Gandhi

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 Devdas,Charistraheena,Srikenta M-SoarzataCrhtanSdpraeCchiaattlopEadhiytaiyon  “Akbar Nama” and “Ai-i-Akbari” -Abul Fazal  Ganga Lahiri -Panditraj Jagannath  The Problem of Indian Rupee -B.K.Ambedkar  Account of India –Shihab-ud-din-al-umri (Without ever visiting India)  Ramcharit Manas -Tulsidas  Futunhat+Alamgiri(A Digest of the Law of Islam), Critic of Akbar -Badayuni  Neel Darpan -Dinabandhu Mitra  “The Percepts of Jesur” the Guide of Peace and Happiness - Roy  Harshacharita -Banabhatta

ASSAMESE BOOKS AND WRITERS

 Jibanar Batot(after Independence) - Brichi Kumar Barua  Miri Jiyori(1894) - Rajnikanta Bordoloi  Jonaki(Monthly Journal,1889) - Chandra Kumar Agarwala  Arunodoi Sambid Patra(First edition  of Monthly Magazine,1846) - Dr Nathan Brown  Ram Nabami(First Social Drama) - Gunaviram Barua  First grammar Book(1839)-Robinson  Axom Buranji - Haliram Dhekial Phukan  Sankha-Sura-Badh,GitaGobinda, Sakuntala Kavya (translated a portion Of Brahmavaivarta Purana and Padma Purana during the reign of Ahom King Rudra Singha and Siva Singha) - Kaviraj Chakravarti  Katha Bhagabat and Katha Sita - Bhattadeva  Namghosa, Arjun Bhajan,Sordhara - Madhavdeva  Kirtan Ghosa,Rukmimi-Haran, Kellgopal, Kaliya Daman, and Harichandra Upakhyan - Srimanta Sankardeva(1449-1568)  Drona Parva of Mahabharata - Rudra Kandali  Valmiki Ramayana(Assamese version during the reign of Barahi King Mahamanikya) - Madhava Kandali

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CULTURE OMF AoSzSAaMrt Special Edition FESTIVALS 1.  Chief agri-based festival of Assam  Celebrated by Assamese community  3 types- - Also known as Rongali Bihu Marks the advent of the sowing season Celebrated in the month of April Kati Bihu- Also known as Kongali Bihu Marks the cutting and binding of crops Celebrated in the month of October - Also known as Bhogali Bihu Marks the harvesting of crops Celebrated in the month of January 2. BAISHAGU  Spring festival  Celebrated by Bodo and Kachari community  Bathou (Lord Shiva) is worshipped during the festival  Significant part- Baishagu Dance 3. BAIKHO  Spring festival  Celebrated by Rabha community  Baikho (Goddess of Wealth) is worshipped  Also known as Khoksi Puja 4. ALI-AI-LIGANG  Agri-based Spring festival  Celebrated by Mishing Tribe  Celebrated on the 1st Wednesday of ‘Gimur Polo’ i.e. in February  Significant part- Gumrag Dance 5. BOHAGGIYO BISHU  Spring festival  Celebrated by Deori community  Significant part- Deodhani Dance

6. ME-DUM-ME-PHI  Ancestor worship festival  Celebrated by Ahom community

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 Celebrated on 31st January every Myeaor zart Special Edition 7. AND CHOMANGKAN  Celebrated by Karbi community  Rongker is celebrated as Spring festival  Chomangkan is celebrated as Funeral ceremony 8. RAJNI AND HARNI GARBA  Agriculture festival  Celebrated by Dimasa tribe  Celebrated before any new cultivation is started 9. TEA FESTIVAL  Also known as Tusu Puja  Celebrated by Tea tribe  Observed in the month of January  Significant part- Jhumur Dance 10. RAAS  Vaishnavite festival  Celebrated in the month of October-November on the full moon day  Celebrated to mark the birth and life of Lord Krishna  Significant part- Raas Lila

DANCES 1.  Traditional  Performed by Assamese community  Dance movements depict fertility of men and women  Accompanied by Bihu songs and Bihu Musical Instruments like- Dhol, Mohor Xingor , Taal, Gogona, Toka and Xutuli 2. DANCE  Classical Dance  Performed in Sattras  Dance movements depict mythological stories  Accompanied by Borgeets and Musical instruments like- Khol, Taal, Flute 3. JHUMUR DANCE  Traditional Folk Dance  Performed by Tea Tribe  Accompanied by Songs and Musical Instruments like- Drum, Flute, Taal

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4. DANCE Mozart Special Edition  Traditional Folk Dance  Performed by Bodo community  Also called Bardwisikhla Dance  Accompanied by Songs and Musical Instruments like- Serja, Sifung, Tharkha, Kham or Madal 5. BOHUWA DANCE  Traditional Folk Dance  Performed by Sonowal Kachari community  Depicts different mythological stories  Accompanied by Songs and Musical Instruments like- Mridangam, Dhol and Cymbal 6. GUMRAG DANCE  Traditional Folk Dance  Performed by Mishing community  Depicts stories of mishing people  Accompanied by Songs and Musical Instruments like- Drum, Flute, Gong, Cymbal and Gungong 7. DEODHANI DANCE  Traditional Dance Form  Performed by Deori community  Associated with the worship of snake goddess i.e. Manasa or Maroi  Accompanied by Songs sung by an Oja and Musical Instruments like- Ciphung and Kham 8. BHORTAL DANCE  Folk Dance  Performed in and around the district of Barpeta  Propagation of Sankari culture and has its origin in classical arts (Sattriya)  Accompanied by Devotional Songs based on Bhakti Rasa and Musical Instruments like- Negera, Tal, Flute 9. OJA PALI  Classical Dance  Oja- Leader and Pali- Assistant  Focuses on the stories from Epics and Puranas  Accompanied by songs basically in Sanskrit and Musical Instrument like- Khutitaal

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Mozart Special Edition 10. BHAONA  Performing Art Form  Performed in village and Sattras  Theatrical depiction of the one-act play i.e. Ankiya Nat  Accompanied by lyrical song performed by Sutradhar at the beginning and proceeded by performance of Gayan-Bayan with Musical Instruments like- Khol, Taal, Doba and Negera

CULTURE OF NORTH-EAST FESTIVALS 1. HORNBILL FESTIVAL  Cultural Festival  Celebrated by Naga community of Nagaland  Celebrated to revive and protect the rich culture of Nagaland and display its extravaganza and traditions  It is organized in Naga Heritage Village, Kisama which is situated in Kohima  Celebrated from 1st to 10th December every year 2. MOATSU MONG  Marks the completion of sowing season  Celebrated by Ao tribe of Nagaland  Celebrated from May 1st to 3rd ever4y year  Held in Mokokchung district of Nagaland 3. LUI NGAI NI  Marks the beginning of seed sowing season  Celebrated by Naga tribe of Manipur  Celebrated every year on 14th and 15th of February 4. KANG CHINGBA  Hindu festival  Celebrated in Manipur  Similar to Puri Rath Yatra  Celebrated for 8 days in the month of July every year  Celebrates the journey of Lord Jagannath, his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra from Sri Sri Govindajee Temple in Imphal 5. DREE FESTIVAL  Celebrated by Apatani tribe of Arunachal Pradesh  Celebrated to ensure good harvest

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 Held in valley Mozart Special Edition  Celebrated on July 5th every year 6. LOSAR  New year festival  Celebrated by Monpa tribe of Arunachal Pradesh  Falls in the last part of February or early part of March every year 7.  Mystical festival associated with tantric sciences  Celebrated by Hindu held at Kamakhya Temple, Guwahati, Assam  Celebration of yearly menstrual cycle of Goddess Kamakhya  Celebrated around the middle of the month of June 8. JONBEEL MELA  Indigenous community fair  Celebrated in place called Dayang Belguri, Morigaon, Assam  Celebrated in the month of January or February every year  The locals get together to fish in the wetland which is called JonBeel  Significant part- Representation of the age old barter system prevalent among the ancient indigenous tribes like Tiwa, Karbi, Khasi, Jayantia 9. SAGA DAWA  Buddhist festival in Sikkim  Celebrated in the Tibetian Lunar month between May and June  Commemorates the birth, enlightment and death of Buddha 10. LOOSONG  Traditional festival of Sikkim  Sikkimese New Year  Celebrated by tribe and also by Lepchas  Celebrated every year in the month of December  Significant part- Cham Dance and Black Hat Dance at the monasteries 11. NONGKREM DANCE FESTIVAL  Harvest festival  Celebrated by Khasi tribe of Meghalaya  Celebrated in the month of November every year  Held in Smit, which is 15kms away from Shillong 12. WANGALA  Winter festival and is considered to be a post-harvest celebration  Celebrated by Garo tribe of Meghalaya  Also called 100 Drum Wangala Festival

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 Celebrated in month of NovemberMevoerzyayreatrSpecial Edition  Held in Asanang village near Tura in the Garo Hills  Significant part- Music 13. CHAPCHAR KUT  Agricultural festival  Celebrated in Mizoram  Celebrated in the month of March every year  Significant part- Bamboo Dance called Cheraw 14. ANTHURIUM  Named after a famous flower, Anthurium that blooms during autumn and summer  Celebrated in Mizoram  Objective- To promote tourism  Held in a small village called Reiek  Celebrated in the month of September every year 15. KHARCHI PUJA  Dedicated towards the worship of Lord shiva  Celebrated in Tripura  10 day long festival celebrated in the month of July every year  Held in Old Agartala or Purani Haveli, where there is a temple of 14 deities

DANCES 1.  Folk Dance  Performed by Sherdukpen tribe of the West Kameng district, Arunachal Pradesh  Performed during festivals  Objective- To ward off evil forces  Accompanied by dancers who wear masks of 12 different animals and perform to the beats of many percussion instruments 2. PONUNG  Folk Dance of Arunachal Pradesh  Performed before harvesting crops  Accompanied by songs and only one sword-like musical instrument called ‘Yoksha’ is used 3. WANCHO DANCE  Folk Dance of Arunachal Pradesh

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 Performed by the Wancho tribe dMurinogzfeasrtitvaSlsporeicmipaolrtaEndt ciutlitournal events  A peculiar dance step which involves thrusting of the sword  Accompanied by songs sung by men and women 4. BUIYA DANCE  Folk Dance  Main attraction of many Tribal festivals  Performed by the Digaru Mishmis of Arunachal Pradesh  Accompanied by playing different instruments like drums, gongs and cymbals 5. NONGKRAM DANCE  Folk Dance  Performed by Khasi tribe of Meghalaya  Performed during the months of May and November  The dance is a form of paying respects to the deity worshipped by the tribe 6. LAHO DANCE  Folk Dance  Performed by Pnar tribe of Meghalaya 7. KA SHAD SUK MYNSIEM  Dance of Meghalaya  Performed by men and unmarried women or young girls  Celebrated after every successful harvest  Accompanied by instruments like flutes, Spanish guitars and a host of percussions 8.  Performed by Riang clan of Tripura tribe in Tripura  Performed during festivals, such as ‘Laxmi Puja’, ‘’ and the third day of ‘Dusshera’  Women dance gracefully by balancing bottles or earthen lamps on their head  Accompanied by musical part by men 9. DHOL CHOLOM  Drum dance  Performed during Holi festival in Manipur  Performed by men who display acrobatic moves  Accompanied by playing Dhol– a large drum 10. PUNG CHALOM DANCE  Exclusive dance of Manipur  Introduction to the famous ‘Ras Lila Dance’  Acrobatics are performed

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 Accompanied by the beat of the ‘pMunogiz’ wahritchSispaekcinidaolf Ehadnditoipoenrated drum 11. THANG TA DANCE  Form of Martial Art of Manipur  Dance includes sword, spear, dagger and other outer weapons alongwith inner practice of controlling own self 12.  Part of a ritual in Mizoram  Women dance in between bamboo staves  The movement of the staves makes a unique beat 13. ZELIANG DANCE  Unique dance form of Nagaland  Performed by Zeliang tribe  Accompanied by foot beating sounds, some unusual chants and hand clapping sounds 14. CHANG LO  War dance  Performed by Chang tribe of Nagaland  Performed to celebrate victory over enemies  The costumes are dramatic which are worn by worriors 15. MARUNI  Originated in Nepal but forms an important part of the culture of Sikkim  Main attraction of Sikkim weddings  Performance includes a joker called ‘Dhatu Waray’ who makes fun of others  Accompanied by nine different musical instruments, collectively called ‘Naumati Baja’ 16. SINGHI CHHAM DANCE  Masked dance of Sikkim  Dance centres on the Snow Lion which is the symbol of Sikkim  Performed in the month of September  Demonstrates a great depiction of Sikkimese culture

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MISCELLMANoEzOaUrSt Special Edition 1. India’s first underwater tunnel is constructed under which river? Ans- Hooghly river

2. Who is the fifth president of India? Ans- Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed

3. In which year Naga Peace Accord signed? Ans- 2015

4. Which city is named by UNESCO as the world book capital of the year 2019? Ans- Sharjah, UAE

5. What is the full form of UJALA scheme? Ans- Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All

6. Which of Kerala’s dam is on the Periyar River and is administered by Tamil Nadu? Ans- Mullaperiyar dam

7. In Union budget 2018 a particular tree grown outside forest was removed from the definition of trees and is termed as ‘’Green Gold’’. Which tree is it? Ans- Bamboo tree

8. Curiosity, is a car-sized rover developed by NASA to explore which planet? Ans- Mars

9. United Nations General Assembly on 2015 declared which day as International Day of Yoga? Ans- 21 June

10. What is the name of Afghanistan-India friendship dam? Ans- Salma Dam

11. Who is regarded as the father of Indian Nuclear Programme? Ans- Homi J. Bhabha

12. Who is the current chairman of ISRO (his term started from January 2018)? Ans- Kailasavadivoo Sivan

13. The POSHAN (Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nutrition) scheme aims to? Ans- Ensure adequate nutrition to pregnant women, mothers and children.

14. India successfully performed the first test of surface-to-air missile with nozzle less booster powered by Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet (SFDR) technology, which is indigenously

88 2018 designed and developed by? Mozart Special Edition Ans- DRDO

15. Which country has launched Akademic Lomonosov, the world’s first floating nuclear power plant? Ans- Russia

16.Which Indian city won Pierre L’enfant International Planning excellence award 2017 for its good and advanced town planning and engaging its residents in the planning process? Ans- Bhubaneswar

17.Where is the head quarter of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)? Ans- Kathmandu, Nepal

18. Where is head quarter of BIMSTEC ? Ans- Dhaka, Bangladesh

19. Where is head quarter of BRICS ? Ans- Shanghai, China

20. Where is head quarter of IMF? Ans- Washington, D.C., U.S.

21. World Bank is headquartered at? Ans- Washington, D.C., U.S.

22. New Development Bank is headquartered at? Ans- Shanghai, China

23. Head quarter of NATO is located at? Ans- Brussels, Belgium

24. Which of the countries participate in the Trilateral (it was bilateral before2015) Naval Exercise Malabar ? Ans- India, United States and Japan

25. The Union Government has selected how many backward districts as Aspirational District for rapid transformation by 2022? Ans- 115

26. At present which Indian missile has the longest range? Ans- Agni-5

27. Which is the world’s largest international maritime warfare exercise? Ans- Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC)

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Mozart Special Edition 28. Scientists have recently discovered which element that have unique magnetic properties at room temperature? Ans- Ruthenium (Ru)

29. Who is the 9th (current) Secretary General of United Nations? Ans- Antonio Guterres

30. Which scientific organization governs the admission of new elements in the periodic table? Ans- International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC)

31. Falcon 9 rocket launch vehicles is designed and manufactured by? Ans- SpaceX

32. What is the natural host of Nipah viruses? Ans- Fruit bats

33. Which enzyme is able to digest PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) plastic? Ans- PETase

34. According to Indian Cellular Association (ICA), India’s position in mobile phone manufacturing is? Ans- Second

35. What is VoIP ? Ans- Protocol for delivery of voice communications over internet networks.

36. The Bitcoin transactions use which technology? Ans- Blockchain

37. What is Artificial Intelligence? Ans- Intelligence demonstrated by machines

38. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is responsible for issues that concerns information and communication technologies, is a specialised agency of ? Ans- United Nations

39. The BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was developed by joint venture of India and which other country? Ans- Russia

40. The technology of connection and data exchange between the physical devices, vehicles, home appliances and other items embedded with electronics and softwares is referred to as ? Ans- Internet of Things (IoT)

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41. Which country plans to launch ‘’Long MarMcho-5zBarroctkSetp’’ecacpiaablleEodf ciatriroyning a payload of 25,000 Kg in Low Earth Orbit ? Ans- China

42. India’s fastest multi-petaflops supercomputer is ? Ans- Pratyush

43. World’s smallest land fern named Malvi’s adder’s-tongue fern is discovered in the forests of Western Ghats in which state? Ans- Gujrat

44. Recently (2017 Dec) which country launched the world’s largest human genome research project of 100,000 people ? Ans- China

45. Cartosat-2 is ? Ans- Earth Observation Satellite

46. What are Border Haats ? Ans- Arrangements of India-Bangladesh small scale border trades.

47. Which country leads in installed renewable energy capacity worldwide ? Ans- China

48. The Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota is located in which state ? Ans- Andhra Pradesh

49. Which is the most powerful orbital launch vehicle developed in India? Ans- GSLV Mark III

50. National Institute of Virology (NIV) is located in ? Ans- Pune

51. India’s first 5G lab has been set up in which institute ? Ans- IIT Delhi

52. India to launch ambitious Rs 10,000 crore Deep Ocean Mission with what aim ? Ans- Explore and harness mineral resources beneath the ocean floor

53. The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was founded in which year? Ans- 1985

54. The United Nations was founded as a successor to which of the following organization? Ans- League of Nations

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55. World Trade Organisation (WTO) was forMmeodzinawrhticShpyeeacri?al Edition Ans- 1995

56. Presently, the World Trade Organisation has how many member states? Ans- 164

57. The United Nations (UN), to promote international cooperation and to create and maintain international order, was established on ? Ans- 24 October 1945

58. The United Nations has how many six principle organs? Ans- Six

59. Which country will host the 2022 FIFA World Cup ? Ans- Qatar

60. Which year is to be observed as National Year of Millets ? Ans- 2018

61. Digital India campaign launched by the Government of India, is primarily aimed to ? Ans- Promote e-governance

62.Which is the world’s largest power station in terms of installed capacity? Ans- The Three Gorges Dam (China)

63. India’s largest solar park, the Kurnool Ultra Mega Solar Park with a capacity of 1,000 MW, is located in which state? Ans- Andhra Pradesh

64. 105th Indian Science Congress was organized in which place ? Ans- Imphal

65. Which country will host 2020 Summer Olympics ? Ans- Japan ( in Tokyo)

66. What was India’s position in the 2018 Commonwealth Games medal table ? Ans- Third

67. Sun was formed approximately how long ago? Ans- Five billion years ago

68. How much time does it take for sunlight to reach Earth ? Ans- 8 minutes and 20 seconds

69. Normally human beings have how many pairs of chromosomes ? Ans- 23

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Mozart Special Edition 70. Descending order of four most abundant gas in Earth’s atmosphere is ? Ans- Nitrogen, Oxygen, Argon, Carbon dioxide

71. What is the speed of light in vaccum ? Ans- 3,00,000 Km per second

72. The asteroid belt, a circumstellar disc occupied by numerous irregularly shaped bodies called asteroids or minor planets, is located roughly between the orbits of which of the planets ? Ans- Mars and Jupiter

73. Which country recently launched the Type 001A aircraft carrier or CV-17 aircraft carrier ? Ans- China

74. What is the Triple point of pure water (the temperature and pressure at which the gas, liquid, and solid phase of any substance coexist in equilibrium) ? Ans- Temperature of 0.01oC at pressure of 611.2 Pa

75. Which waves are used to make and receive phone calls ? Ans- Radio waves

76. Astronomical Units (AU) are usually used to measure ? Ans- Distances in solar system

77. The loudness of a sound is determined by sound wave’s what ? Ans- Amplitude

78. The light-year is a unit of length used to express astronomical distances and measures, it is approximately equal to ? Ans- 9.5 trillion Km

79. Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), a statutory body of Govt. of India, is under the jurisdiction of which union ministry ? Ans- Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology 80. In India, which is the nodal agency to deal with the cyber security threats like hacking and phishing ? Ans- The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In)

81. Which organization is responsible for the .in Top-level domain (TLD) ? Ans- INRegistry

82. International day of world’s indigenous people is observed on which day? Ans- 9 August

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83. Army day in India is celebrated on ? Mozart Special Edition Ans- 15 January

84. Air Force day in India is celebrated on ? Ans- 8 October

85. Navy day in India is celebrated on ? Ans- 4 December

86. What is the name of the border line between India and China ? Ans- Mac Mohan Line

87. The 2009 calendar is same as the calendar of which year, with regard to its day and date combination ? Ans- 2015

88. If the average of 100 numbers is zero, then at the most how many numbers can be larger than 0 ? Ans- 99

89. World’s largest carnival festival is held in which country ? Ans- Brazil

90. In the year 2017 which country received highest remittance ? Ans- India

91. Which Indian state is the largest in terms of total area covered ? Ans- Rajasthan

92. With which country India signed a MoU for water conservation in India ? Ans- Israel

93. The end product of photosynthesis is ? Ans- Starch

94. Plant growth is measured by which apparatus ? Ans- Auxanometer

95. The longest dam in India is Hirakud dam (26 Km approx.), it is located in which state ? Ans- Orissa

96. Largest animal fair in India is ? Ans- Sonepur fair of Bihar

97. Headquarter of United Nation is located at ? Ans- New York city, U.S.A.

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Mozart Special Edition 98. The headquarter of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is located at ? Ans- Vienna, Austria

99. From which country India borrowed Dual GST Mode ? Ans- Canada

100. GST comes under which amendment bill ? Ans- 122

101. Fill in the blank: GST was introduced as ___ amendment act. Ans- 101

102. GST rate on Smart Phones is ? Ans- 12%

103. The Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) announced which day to be considered as GST Day? Ans- July1

104. Which state of India was the first to ratify GST bill ? Ans- Assam

105. Which state of India was the first that passed GST bill ? Ans- Telangana

106. Headquarter of GST council of India is located at ? Ans- New Delhi

107. Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System(IRNSS) constellation was named as ‘’NavIC’’. This project of ISRO will provide what ? Ans- Position, Navigation and Timing services over India and its neighbourhood.

AWARDS and HONOURS

108. Who won the Man Booker International prize 2018 ? Ans- Olga Tokarczuk (for ‘Flights’)

109. Who is selected for 2017 Saraswati Samman Award ? Ans- Sitanshu Yashaschandra

110. Who has won the prestigious Pritzker Prize 2018, often referred to as the Nobel Prize of architecture ? Ans- Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi

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Mozart Special Edition 111. Which organization won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017 ? Ans- International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear weapons (ICAN)

112. Who won the 2017 Ballon d’Or Award (Golden Ball) for world player of the year ? Ans- Christiano Ronaldo

113. Who was selected for for peace, Disarmament and Development for the year 2017 ? Ans- Manmohan Singh

114. Who won the 2017 Miss World Title ? Ans- Manushi Chhillar

115. Who has been chosen for the 53rd Jnanpith Award 2017 ? Ans- Krishna Sobti

116. Who has been awarded the 2017 Hridaynath Mangeshkar Award ? Ans-

117. The Bhupen Hazarika National Award 2017 has been conferred to ? Ans- Yeshe Dorjee Thongshi

118. Who were the recipients of Bharat Ratna Award (India’s highest civilian award) 2014 ? Ans- Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Madan Mohan Malviya (posthumously)

119. Who won gold medal in IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federation) 2018 U-20 400m ? Ans- Hima Das

120. 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics was conferred for decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves. There are three contributors who won the prize. The recipients are? Ans- Rainer Weiss, Barry C. Barish and Kip S. Thorne 121. 2017 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was conferred for developing cryo-electron microscopy for the high-resolution structure determination of biomolecules in solution. There are three contributors who won the prize. The recipients are ? Ans- Jacques Dubochet, Joashim Frank and Richard Henderson

122. 2017 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was conferred for discoveries of molecular mechanisms controlling the circadian rhythm. There are three contributors who won the prize. The recipients are ? Ans- Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash and Michael W. Young

123. A person, in novels of great emotional force, has uncovered the abyss beneath our illusory sense of connection with the world. He is the recipient of 2017 Nobel Prize in

96 2018 literature. He is ? Mozart Special Edition Ans-Kazuo Ishiguro

124. For the contributions in behavioural economis, who got the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2017? Ans- Richard H. Thaler

125. In 2017 who was awarded the for Hockey ? Ans- Sumarai Tete

126. Who was honoured as the Business Leader of 2017 by Economic Times ? Ans- Mukesh Ambani

127. Who won the 90th Academy Award (Oscar) for directing ’The Shape of Water’ ? Ans- Guillermo del Toro

128. In 2018 Commonwealth Games who won gold in 45-48 Kg category Boxing event ? Ans- M.C. Mary Kom

129. Who won the gold medal in Men’s 75Kg Boxing in Commonwealth games 2018 ? Ans- Vikas Krishan

130. Who won the Best FIFA Men’s Player in 2018 FIFA? Ans- Luka Modric (Croatia)

131. Who won the Gold medal in Men’s Freestyle Wrestling 65Kg in 2018 Asian Games ? Ans- Bajrang Punia

132. Who is the 1st Indian woman wrestler to win a gold in Asian Games (50Kg category) ? Ans- Vinesh Phogat (2018 Asian Games)

133. In 2018 Asian Games who is the 16 year old Indian boy to win a gold medal in 10m Air Pistol event? Ans- Saurabh Chaudhary 134. Who has been awarded the 2018 Best FIFA Goalkeeper? Ans- Thibaut Courtois (Belgium)

135. Who has been awarded the 2018 Best FIFA Men’s Coach ? Ans- Didier Deschamps (France)

136. In 2017 AIBA World Women’s Youth Boxing Championship who won in 64Kg category, and was declared the best boxer of the tournament ? Ans- Ankushita Boro (Assam)

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137. Who is the Tai scholar to win the 2017 SiuM-Koa-zPahartawSaprdeocniaAlssEamdiDtiivoasnor Siu-Ka- Pha Divas (December 2) ? Ans- Bimal Borpatragohain

138. Who are the winners of 2018 Kalaguru Bishnu Prasad Rabha award ? Ans- Janak Jhankar Narzary (sculptor) and Guneshwar Bhuyan (dance exponent)

139. Who are the winners of 2017 Kalaguru Bishnu Prasad Rabha award ? Ans- Pulak Gogoi (filmmaker) and Sailen Saikia (Sattriya dance exponent)

140. Winners of Wimbledon 2017 are - Men’s Singles: Roger Federer (Switzerland) Women’s Singles: Garbine Muguruza (USA) Men’s Doubles: Lukasz Kubot (New Zealand) and Marcelo Melo (Brazil) Women’s Doubles: Ekaterina Makarova (Russia) and Elena Vesnina (Russia) Mixed Doubles: Jamie Murray and Martina Hingis (Switzerland)

141. Winners of Australian Open 2017 are - Men’s Singles: Roger Federer (Switzerland) Women’s Singles: Serena Williams (U.S.A.) Men’s Doubles: John Peers (Australia) and Henri Kontinen (Finland) Women’s Doubles: Bethanie Mattek-Sands(U.S.A.) Lucie Safarova(Czech Republic) Mixed Doubles: Abigail Spears and Juan Sebastian Cabal (Colombia)

142. Winners of Australian Open 2018 are - Men’s Singles: Roger Federer (Switzerland) Women’s Singles: Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) Men’s Doubles: Oliver Marach (Australia) and Mate Pavic (Croatia) Women’s Doubles: Kristina Mladenovic (France) and Timea Babos (Hungary) Mixed Doubles: Gabriela Dabrowski (Canada) and Mate Pavic (Croatia)

143. Winners of US Open 2017 are - Men’s Singles: Rafael Nadal (Spain) Women’s Singles: Sloane Stephens (U.S.A.) Men’s Doubles: Jean Julian Rojen (Netherlands) and Horia Tecau (Romania) Women’s Doubles: Martina Hingis and Chan Yung-Jan (Taiwan) Mixed Doubles: Martina Hingis and Jamie Murray (U.K.)

144. Who won US Open Men’s Singles 2018 ? Ans- Novak Djokovic

145. Who won US Open Women’s Singles 2018 ? Ans- Naomi Osaka

146. Who won Wimbledon Men’s Singles 2018 ? Ans- Novak Djokovic

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Mozart Special Edition 147. Who won Wimbledon Women’s Singles 2018 ? Ans- Angelique Kerber

148. Who won French Open Men’s Singles 2018 ? Ans- Rafael Nadal

149. Who won French Open Women’s Singles 2018 ? Ans- Simona Halep

150. Who got the Dhyan Chand Award 2017 for Football ? Ans- Syed Shahid Hakim

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Mozart Special Edition

ASSAM OVERVIEW Polity Economic Survey 2017-18 Budget 2018-19 Schmes

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ASSAM MPOoLITzYart Special Edition Panchayati Raj system in Assam Assam has seen 5 Panchayati Raj Act 1. Assam Rural Panchayat Act,1948 2. Assam Panchyati Raj Act,1959 3. Assam Panchayati Raj Act,1972 4. Assam Panchayati Raj Act,1986 5. Assam Panchayat Act,1994( Presently acting)

Assam Panchayat Act,1994 The 73rd Constitution Amendment Act of 1992 provided guidelines and directives for bringing uniformity in Panchayati Raj Institutions throughout India. So, the Assam Legislative Assembly enacted the Assam Panchayat Act, 1994 as per the guidelines of the Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992. The new act replaced the Assam Panchayati Raj Act, 1986. The Act of 1994 provided for a three-tier Panchayat system comprising of Gaon Panchayat at the village level, Anchalik Panchayat at the block level and Zilla Parishad at the district level. Features of Assam Panchayat Act, 1994:  Three-tier system of Panchayati Raj: Gaon Panchayat at village level, Anchalik Panchayat and intermediate level and Zilla Parishad and District level.  Gaon Sabha consisting of all voters of a village or villages falling within the area of a Gaon Panchayat.  Regular meeting of Gao Sabha. Such a meetings is convened by the Secretary of the Gaon Panchayat with approval of the President and in consultation of the Block Development Officer.  Interval between such two meetings of Gaon Sabha mustn’t be more than three months.  Presence of one-tenth of the total members or one hundred members, whichever is less, is necessary to form a quorum.  Outlined functions of Gaon Sabha such as to consider the report of development programmes; promote unity and harmony in the village; send suggestions to Gaon Panchayat; mobilising voluntary labour for community welfare programmes; identifying beneficiaries for development schemes etc.  Mahkuma Parishad replaced with Zilla Parishad at District level.

Gaon Sabha- It consists of all the persons registered in electoral rolls.

Gaon Panchyat- The State government by notification may make a Gram Panchayat one or more number of villages. Members of Gaon Panchayat are directly elected. The President of Gaon Panchayat is also directly elected by the people. 1/3rd seats are reserved for women.

Functions of Gaon Panchyat- 1. Prepare annual Plans for development of villages under Gaon Panchyat 2. Prepare annual budget of Gram Panchyat 3. Mobilisation of funds in calamities

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4. Removal of encroachment on public propMertoy zart Special Edition 5. Maintain essential stats of villages.

Anchalik Panchyat- It is Panchyati Raj body at Block level. One member is elected from each Gaon Panchyaat. The President is elected by members among themselves. 1/3rd seats are reserved for women and SC/ST get reservations according to their population. Zila Parishad- Apex Panchayati Raj body is known as Zila Parishad. One member is elected from each Anchalik Panchyat. The President is elected by members among themselves. 1/3rd seats are reserved for women and SC/ST get reservations according to their population. District Planning Committees- It prepares joint developmental report of Zila Parishad and Municipal councils of the District. Members consists of MP’s ,MLA’s of the area, Chairman of Zila Parishad, Mayor of Municipal councils. The president is known as CEO. He/she is generally a bureaucrat.

Note- There is just one Municipal Corporation in Assam i.e. Guwahati Municipal Corporation.

Autonomous Council of Assam under sixth schedule of the constitution In Assam there are 3 Autonomous Councils under Sixth-Schedule of the Indian Constitution. The 3 Autonomous Councils are: Bodoland Territorial Council The Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) has legislative, administrative, executive and financial powers over 40 policy areas in the Bodoland Territorial Areas Districts comprising 4 Administrative Districts as- Udalguri, Baksa, Chirang, Kokrajhar comprising various protected tribal belts and blocks in Assam and 40 Elected Representatives to the BTC Legislative Assembly and provisions for 6 Nominated Members to be nominated by the Governor of Assam from the unrepresented communities in the BTCLA through direct election in the districts of Assam. It was established in 2003 following a peace agreement between the Government of India and Bodo Liberation Tigersand is functioning since 2003 under the provision of the Amended Sixth Schedule of the . The first Chief Executive Member of the BTC was Hagrama Mohilary. Its predecessor body Bodoland Autonomous Council was functional with lesser power. Its headquarters is at Kokrajhar Town in . Dima Hasao Autonomous District Council The Dima Hasao Autonomous District Council (DHADC) is an autonomous council constituted under the provisions of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India to administer the district and to develop the . Its headquarter is Haflong in . Karbi Anglong Autonomous District Council The Karbi Anglong Autonomous District Council, East Karbi Anglong (KAADC) is an autonomous council in the district constituted under the provision of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution

102 2018 of India for the development of . MIts ohezaadqrutaSrtepreiscDiaiplhuEidn iEtaisot nKarbi Anglong district.

Autonomous Council of Assam outside sixth schedule There are some autonomous council in Assam that are created to provide plain tribes of Assam outside sixth schedule. It was started in 1993. Presently there are six such autonomous council. They are- 1. Missing Autonomous Council(1995) 2. Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council(1995) 3. Lalung(Tiwa) Autonomous Council(1995) 4. Deori Autonomous Council(2005) 5. Sonowal Kachari Autonomous Council(2005) 6. Thengai Kachari Autonomous Council(2005)

Districts of Assam Smallest- South Salmara- Mankachar district(Area wise) Majuli( Population wise) Largest- Karbi Anglong( Area Wise) Nagaon( Population wise) Six new districts of Assam- Biswanath, , Hojai, South-Salmara Mankachar, West Karbi Anglong. Majuli(Newest-2016)

Chief Ministers of Assam

Name & From To Photograph

Maulavi Saiyid Sir September 1. Muhammad Saadulla, April 1, 1937 19, 1938 Premier

Gopinath Bordoloi, September November 17, 2. Premier 19, 1938 1939

Maulavi Saiyid Sir November 17, December 24, 3. Muhammad Saadulla, 1939 1941 Premier

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Mozart Special Edition Maulavi Saiyid Sir August 25, February 11, 4. Muhammad Saadulla, 1942 1946 Premier

Gopinath Bordoloi, February 11, August 6, 5. Premier 1946 1950

August 9, December 27, 6. Bishnu Ram Medhi 1950 1957

December 28, November 6, 7. B.P. Chaliha 1957 1970

Mohendra Mohan November 11, January 30, 8. Choudhury 1970 1972

January 31, March 12, 9. Shri Sarat Chandra Sinha 1972 1978

March 12, September 4, 10. Shri 1978 1979

Shri Jogendra Nath September 9, December 11, 11. Hazarika 1979 1979

Shrimati Anowara December 6, 12. June 30, 1981 Taimur 1980

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Mozart Special Edition Shri Kesab Chandra January 13, March 19, 13. Gogoi 1982 1982

February 27, December 23, 14. Shri 1983 1985

Shri Prafulla Kumar December 24, November 27, 15. Mahanta 1985 1990

16. Shri Hiteswar Saikia June 30, 1991 April 22, 1996

17. Dr. April 22, 1996 May 14, 1996

Shri Prafulla Kumar 18. May 15, 1996 May, 17, 2001 Mahanta

19. Shri May 17, 2001 -

Shri Sarbananda 20. May 24, 2016 Sonowal

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Economic SurveyMAsosazma2r0t17S-p18ecial Edition Assam Economy – Overview

Area and Population Assam is situated in the North-East region of India – bordering seven States viz. Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and West Bengal and two countries viz. Bangladesh and Bhutan. The geographical area of the State is 78,438 sq. km. of which 98.4 percent area is rural. Assam shares about 2.4% of the country’s total geographical area and provides shelter to 2.6% population of the Country as per 2011 census. Assam is a state of heterogeneous population with socio-cultural and ethnic diversity. According to the Census of India, 2011 the population of Assam is 312.05 lakh of which 159.39 lakh are male and 152.66 lakh are female. The decadal growth during 2001-2011 of the State’s population was 17.07% against 17.68% growth for the country as a whole. Out of the total population, 86% population live in rural areas and 14% population live in urban areas of the State, while the percentage of rural population of the State is higher than all-India average (69%). However, the urban population in the State has increased from 12.9% in 2001 to 14% in 2011. The density of the population of Assam in 2011 was 398 persons per sq. km. as compared to 340 persons in 2001. The sex ratio (no. of female per thousand male) of Assam has increased to 958 in 2011 from 935 in 2001. Compared to overall sex ratio of the State, the Child sex ratio(age-group 0- 6 years) has gradually declined from 975 in 1991 to 967 in 2001 and further to 962 in 2011. On the other hand, sex ratio at birth (0-1 year) in Assam as per 2011 Census was 957.

Gross State Domestic Product- As per quick estimates, GSDP of Assam at current price increased to Rs.249800.96 crore during 2016-17(QE) registering a growth of 10.55% over the previous year. GSDP of the State at constant price has increased to Rs.192399.92 crore during the year 2016-17(QE) registering a growth of 6.8% over the previous year.

Climate and Rainfall The climate of Assam is humid, with a sub-tropical nature, having warm humid summers and cool dry winters. Due to its unique geographical location, along with the presence of varied physiography, Assam has an array of climatic conditions. Assam is situated in the high rainfall zone with annual average rainfall of 2297.4 mm during . The state normally receives 2% of rainfall in Winter Season (January-February), 25% in Summer Season (March-May), 65% in Mansoon Season (June-September) and 7% in Post-Mansoon Season (October-December). However, Assam is prone to floods and sometimes there is also the presence of drought like situations with the lack of rains. Thus, though the State has enough natural potentialities for growing food grains in abundance, it at times faces losses impacting on its contribution and share to the national granary, due to the presence of erratic and unpredictable weather conditions, as experienced specially during the last few years. The State had experienced 2042.20 mm rainfall in 2016 against normal rainfall of 2295.80 mm and the departure was 7% during the year from normal rainfall.

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Mozart Special Edition Agricultural Production As per estimates, the total area under paddy cultivation during the year 2016-17 was declined to 24.67 lakh hectares from 24.85 lakh hectares in 2015-16. The area for paddy cultivation in 2016-17 was estimated at 92.5% of the total area under food grain in the State as compared to 92.61% in 2015-16. Total area under paddy showed a decline in the state, due to decline in area covered under Autumn Rice. The final forecast estimates show that the area under Autumn Rice has declined from 4.36 lakh hectares in 2004-05 to 1.91 lakh hectares in 2015-16 and further declined to 1.68 lakh hectares in 2016-17. However, the area under Winter Rice and Summer Rice has marginally increased from 18.89 lakh hectares and 4.05 lakh hectares in 2015- 16 to 18.90 lakh hectares and 4.08 lakh hectares respectively in 2016-17. The area under Wheat has declined by around 17% in the year 2016-17 from its previous year, while that of the area under Maize and Oilseeds has increased by 10.2% and 2.3% respectively in 2016 as compared to the 3 previous year’s area. As per estimates, total food grains production in the State had increased at minimum from 53.48 lakh tonnes in 2015-16 to 53.55 lakh tonnes in 2016- 17. The production of Rice in the State has slightly increased to 51.27 lakh tonnes in 2016-17 from 51.25 lakh tonnes in 2015-16. However, the production of total Cereal, Wheat, Pulses and Oilseed were declined in 2016 as compared to the previous year. IRRIGATION Irrigation is essential for sustainable development in agriculture, whichplays an important role in the . Assam is predominantly rural in nature and the economy of Assam is also primarily based on rural life with 70% of its population directly dependent on agriculture as a source of livelihood. Out of the total geographical area of 78.44 lakh hectares the land use pattern in Assam indicates that the gross cropped area of the State is 40.82 lakh hectare and the net area sown is 28.19 lakh hectare in 2014-15. The development programmes for improvement of irrigation facility in Assam is taken up under two broad heads, viz., Minor Irrigation and Major & Medium Irrigation. While the Irrigation Schemes are classified as Major, Medium and Minor they are categorized as Surface Flow, Surface Lift (for Major / Medium and Minor) and Ground Water Lift (for Minor only). Three Departments, viz. Irrigation, Agriculture and Panchayat and Rural Development are associated with development of irrigation facilities in the State. The State Irrigation Department, being the Nodal Department for development of irrigation in the State, executes and maintains Major, Medium and Minor Irrigation Schemes. The irrigation works of the other two departments are confined to minor irrigation schemes like Shallow Tube Wells, Low Lift Points and Temporary Minor Irrigation Schemes only. In the cropped areas of the State, the Irrigation Department alone created irrigation potential of 8.04 (appox) lakh hectares up to March, 2017 through both completed and ongoing irrigation schemes of which 2.79 lakh hectares through both Major and Medium Irrigation Projects. And the rest 5.25 lakh hectares covered through Minor Irrigation Schemes. Under Minor Irrigation Sector a potential of 1.49 lakh hectares was also created through Shallow Tube Wells (STWs) and Low Lift points (LLPs) installed by the Assam State Minor Irrigation Development Corporation (ASMIDC) Limited. FISHERY Fishery sector has been recognised as a powerful sector for its role in economic development, income generation and scope for generation of employment opportunities throughout the State, especially for rural youths through fish production and its related activities, besides providing food and nutritional security to the

107 2018 people of the State. The State’s vast water resouMrceos,ziancrlutdSespites ctwiaolmEajdorirtivioernsystems – the Brahmaputra and the Barak with its 53 tributaries. These covers water spread area of 4820 sq. km. Besides, there is wetlands, low-lying areas, derelict water bodies, beels, tanks, ponds etc, which all add up to its vast potential for fish production covering an area of 2.86 lakh hectares of water resources. Assam is having water bodies and is an abode of fish. The state is considered as a bio-diversified hotspot for its diversified aquatic flora and fauna. The state 4 has so far recorded a total of 217 fish species, out of which 160 fish species are with more than 30% of the total freshwater fish varieties found in our region. Fish production in the State has reached a level of 3.07 lakh metric tonnes during 2016-17 against the estimated nutritional demand of 3.42 lakh metric tonnes. The contribution of the Fishery sector to the State Domestic Product (at constant 2011-12 prices) was Rs.475816 lakh as per provisional estimates 2015-16 and Rs.498850 lakh in 2016-17(QE) with average growth rate of 4.7% per annum during the period. With a view to increase per capita availability of fish and to narrow down the production-requirement gap, State Fisheries Department has adopted a number of positive interventions and has given special emphasis for scientific fish farming in beels and community tanks through awareness, training, government support and subsequent bank linkage. Strategies have also been formulated for sustainable development of the fisheries sector. MILK, EGG AND MEAT PRODUCTION The total milk production of the state for the year 2016-17 was estimated at 904 million liters as against 888.14 million liters during the previous year, which is just a 2% growth over the previous year. During the year Indigenous/ non-descript cattle milk is observed to have constituted 54% of the total milk production of the State while the contribution of Crossbreed cattle milk is around 31% and thus the cattle milk together contributes 85% to the total milk. Buffalo and Goat milk contributes 13% and 2% respectively to the total milk production. As such the per capita availability is estimated to be 74 mili litre per day. The total number of egg production in the state for the year 2016-17 is estimated at 4770.73 lakh numbers as compared to 4740.48 lakh nos. of egg estimated in the previous year, which has shown a marginal increase of 0.64% over the year 2015-16. Out of the total egg production desi fowl egg constituted 71% while the contribution of improved fowl is only 4%. Thus the fowl eggs together constitute 75% to the total egg production. Desi duck and improved duck contribute 22% and 3% produstion respectively to the total egg production in Assam. The total meat production during 201-16 was estimated at 45 thousand tons against estimated 42 thousand tons meat production in 2014-15. The meat production in 2014-15 is showing about 7% increase in meat production over the previous year. INDUSTRY AND INDUSTRIAL GROWTH The Industry sector comprises Mining & Quarrying, Manufacturing, Electricity, Gas, Water Supply & other Utility Services and Construction. In GDP of the State it is estimated that there will be a 5.11% growth at current prices in 2016-17(QE) over previous year. At current prices, the share of growth of the sub sectors to the Industry sector is estimated in Mining and Quarrying 1.90%, Manufacturing 9.32%, Electricity, Gas, Water supply & other utility Services 6.50% and Construction 3.50% . At constant prices, the contribution of the sub sectors to the Industry sector during the same year is 5 estimated at 1.80% in Mining and Quarrying, 7.90% in Manufacturing, 7.20% in Electricity, Gas, Water Supply & Other Utility Services and 1.70% in construction . During the year 2016-17 the mineral production in the State has increased against a lower production of minerals during 2015-16, except Petroleum

108 2018 crude oil. During the year 2016-17 productioMn ofzCaoratl, SLipmeesctoianel EandditSiuolpnhur increased substantially by 51.13%, 261.31% and 52.04% respectively over the previous year. However, during the year 2016-17 production of Crude Oil has decreased over the previous year by 6.89%. Creation of environment for industrialization by setting up Industrial infrastructure in the perspective of industrial development and attract investment through proper planning is the prime objective of the State Government. To achieve the goal the Department is creating a good numbers of infrastructural facilities as well as upgrading the existing ones located in different districts of the state. Infrastructural facilities in the State are Export Processing Industrial Park (EPIP), Industrial Infrastructure Development Centre (IIDC), Growth Centers, Food Processing Industrial Park, Industrial Estates, Industrial Areas, etc. The State is richly endowed with mineral resources and is a major contributing factor for industrial performance. Estates etc are spreading throughout the State. At present (in 2017), there are 20 Industrial Estates, 8 Mini Industrial Estates, 20 Industrial Areas and 18 Growth Centers in the State where 800 Industrial units are functioning. One Export Promotion Industrial Park (EPIP) has also been established with world class infrastructure at Amingaon in Kamrup(Rural) district, where 44 industrial units are producing export quality product of various kinds. In addition, 11 Industrial Infrastructure Development (IID) Centre in different districts and 3 Industrial Growth Centre, one Food Park at Chaygaon in Kamrup District and one North East Mega Food Park at have been established. The Department has established 3 (three) Industrial Growth centre (under a centrally sponsored project) at Balipara (Chariduar), Matia and Chaygaon. Small scale industrial units occupies a vital role in industrial development in the State’s economy. There are 45509 SSI/MSME units in Assam and provided employment to 2.69 lakh persons till the end of 2016-17. Table–11.4 shows some annual statistics in respect of setting up of SSI/MSME units up to 31-03-2017. It is evident from the table that average employment per unit of manufacturing enterprises in Assam is around 7(Seven) person during the period 2005- 06 to 2016-17 and average investment per unit is Rs.15.61 lakh. The table also depicts that the average investment per unit is increased to 107% in 2016-17 over 2015-16. 6 PLANTATION CROP TEA The Tea industry occupies an important place in Assam and plays a very special role in the State economy. Assam alone produces more than half of India’s tea production. The first Indian tea produced in Assam was sent to United Kingdom for public sale in the year 1838. Although the tea cultivation was extended to other parts of the country between 50’s and 60’s of the last century, as of today, Assam Tea has maintained its international reputation and commands significant share in the World Tea Market. The total area under tea cultivation in Assam is accounting for more than half of the country’s total area under tea. In addition to existing big & large tea gardens owned by reputed both Indian and multinational Companies, the profession of tea plantation in the State has been taken up by common people as business venture at present, especially by unemployed youths. The tea industry in Assam also provides average daily employment to more than 6.86 lakh persons in the State, which is around 50 percent of the total average daily number of labour employed [on an average 11.1 lakh labour employed per day] in the country under Tea Industry. Assam has witnessed a spurt in the growth of small holdings during the last three decades and there is more than 1.0 lakh small holdings accounting for 200 hundred million kgs of made tea. Most of the Small Tea Growers (STGs) are first generation young and educated entrepreneurs who have started contributing

109 2018 immensely towards transformation of socio-ecoMnomoizcalifretoSf rpureacl AiasslamE.dAictcoiordning to the Tea Board of India, in 2014-15 there are 84591 registered small tea growers (STG) in Assam with 82251 hectares of land coverage in Assam. The estimated production of tea in Assam was 642.0 thousand tone in 2016 which is being produced in a 304 thousand hectare of land. Rubber Plantation The rubber cultivation has been gaining its popularity in Assam due to congenial agro-climatic condition as well as its eco-friendly environment. The Rubber Board has identified Assam as a “Potential State” from the “productivity” point of view as the State too has ample scope of rubber plantation. Considering the said conditions, the Rubber Board has planned to enhance rubber plantation area to 2 lakh hectares at the end of Twelfth Five Year Plan from the 28102 hectare at present to cope with the growing demand of rubber in the country which is expected to touch 1.78 lakh MT at the end of 2025. The area under rubber cultivation has grown from 16.5 thousand hectares in 2006-07 to 57.65 thousand hectares in 2016-17. The tapping area as well as production of rubber has also been increased considerably during the same period.

Sericulture Assam is proud of traditionally producing Muga, Eri and Mulberry and lastly the Oak tassar in the hills districts. The State accounts for highest production of non-mulberry silk, muga and eri in the country. Assam has the monopoly in the world in the production of Muga, the “Golden Silk”, as more than 97% of is produced in Assam. Assam has also achieved the right of ‘Geographical Indication’ for Muga thread. The State is also a Major producer of Eri Silk (about 65%).

Tourism Tourism is a fastest growing service sector industry in the world. Tourism is not only a growth engine but also an employment generator that has the capacity to create large scale employment both directly and indirectly, for diverse sections in society, from the most specialized to unskilled workforce. is based on wildlife, natural beauty, unique flora & fauna, holy shrines, lush green tea gardens, turbulent rivers, vibrant and colourful cultural festivals. Assam has immense tourism potentials espacially eco-tourism is one of the fastest growing segments, therefore, the Government of Assam has given emphaisis with relevant to natural beauty. During the year 2016-17, out of the five National Parks in the State, number of visit by foreign tourist increased in Orang, Dibru-Saikhowa and Nameri National Park. Maximum increase of 201% was noticed in Orang National Park compared to number of visit in 2015-16 followed by Dibru-Saikhowa (115%) National Park. However, the number of foreign tourist visit to these parks are still at low as compared to other parks of India. The trend of number of tourists visited various National Parks in Assam during the last nine years is shown in the main chapter. To unveil Assam to national and foreign tourist, various steps have been undertaken for infrastructure development and destination development and management for sustained growth of tourism sector of Assam. The electronic and print media are also been extensively utilized for publicity and marketing campaign.

Rural Development

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Poverty alleviation and economic upliftment MoforzuraalrtpoSopr eiscithael Ebadsiictioobjnective of the Panchayat and Rural Development Department of Assam for which various national and State level flagship schemes have been implementing by the this department. For eradication of poverty the Depart has been implementing various National and State level flagship schemes viz. Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme, National Family Benefit Scheme, Annapurna, Chief Minister’s Assam Bikash Yojona, Backward Region Grant Fund, etc. The Rural Development, on the other hand, is also implementing programmes like IAY, MGNREGA etc for upliftment life and gnerate and employment of the rural poor of the State.

Roads 12 The road network in Assam comprises of total 58202 km of roads consisting of 3900.44 km National Highways, 2530 km State Highways, 4379 km Major District Roads, 1615 km Urban roads, 37030 km Rural Roads and the rest are Panchayat & Other Non PWD Roads approximately 6000 km and Municipal Roads 1087 km. At present 49454.44 km road network including 3900.44 km National Highways [of which 223.31 km under construction and 894.79 km newly declared NH Way] is maintained by the State PWD. Excluding the National Highways, 27003 km out of the total 45554 km road length maintained by the PWD is blacktopped. Most of the State Highways and Major District Roads are Single lane roads and hardly 6% of the State Highway is double lane and Major District Roads are intermediate lanes. According to the India road Congress Vision, 2021, the State Highways should be 100% double lane and 40% of the Major District roads should be doubled lane. Also the weak pavements and bridges should be strengthened to cope with heavy traffic. The effort of the State PWD helps to bring down the number of semi-permanent timber bridges from 5450 in 2001 to 1433 as on March 2017. In addition construction of the number of RCC bridges has been increased from 309 in 2001 to 4563 in 2016. Presently more than 923 RCC bridges are at different stage of construction.

Transport The rapid increase of the number of motor vehicles on road in Assam has been observed over the past few years. The on road vehicle population in the State has reached 2837829 as on March 2017 compared to 2666589 as on March 2016. An additional of 171240, which is 6.42% on road motor vehicles was added during the year 2016-17 over 2015-16. Out of the total 2837829 motor vehicles during on road about 63% vehicles were two wheelers. According to the Motor vehicle registering authority of the State as many as 292980 new motor vehicles were registered during the year 2016- 17 in the State which is 0.72% more than that of the previous year. Out of the total registered motor vehicle more than 69.4% were two wheelers. The density of motor vehicles in Assam was 34.9 per sq. km. during the year 2015-16 as against 30.4 vehicles per sq. km. during the year 2014-15. During the year 2000-01, density of motor vehicles in Assam was only 6.8 per sq. km.

Inland Water Transport Inland water transport is generally accepted as the most efficient mode of transportation from the point of energy consumption. It is also considered as the cheapest mode of transportation as well as labour intensive and environment friendly in nature The Brahmaputra has 891 km.

111 2018 navigable length of water ways from Sadiya toMDhoubzrai wrthilSeptheecBiaarlakEhdasit1i2o1nkm. length of navigable waterways. The Sadiya – Dhubri stretch (891 km.) of the Brahmaputra River has been declared as the 2nd National waterways of the country in the year 1988 and afterwards the proposals to activate the Commercial Service have been moved for overall economic development of the Northeastern Region. The Lakhipur - Bhanga stretch of 121 km. of the Barak River is also declared by the Union Govt. as the 6th National Waterway in January 2013 for unified development of the waterways for shipping and navigation and transportation of cargo to 13 the North Eastern Region particularly in the states of Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh.

Education The role of education for socio-economic development of the society is well recognized. With the help of target oriented interventions, the number of educational institutions has increased over the years. Literacy Rate of Assam is 72.19 with male literacy rate 77.85, which is behind the National rate of 72.99 and male literacy rate of 80.89 respectively. The female literacy rate with 66.27 stood above the all-India average rate of 64.64. The Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) at Primary Level during 2014-15 and 2015-16 in Assam is 114.96 and 106.11 against 100.08 and 99.21 respectively for all States. The GER at Upper Primary Level during 2014-15 and 2015-16 in Assam was 95.86 and 93.05 compared to 91.24 and 92.81 for all States respectively as per U- DISE 2015-16. The average annual drop-out rate at Primary level in the State during 2016-17 as per DISE, was 5.7, which was 15.36 in 2015-16, against the all India drop-out rates of 6.7. At the Upper Primary level the average drop-out rate in the State during 2016-17 is 3.00, which was 10.51 in 2015-16, against the all India rate of 9.8. The Pupil-Teacher Ratio in the Primary and Upper Primary Levels of the State during the year 2015-16 was 21 and 23 while the PTR ratio during 2016-17 is 26 and 18 respectively as against the all States ratio of 23 and 17 respectively.

Health and Family Welfare The status of Health infrastructure in the State is improving over the years. At present there are 25 Civil Hospitals, 13 Sub-Divisional Civil Hospitals, 1014 PHCs, 62 FRUs, 151 CHCs and 4621 Sub Centres with 18356 numbers of total beds in the State at the end of 2016. The number of available Medical and Paramedical staff in the State is 5004 including Ayurvedic and Homeopathic doctors in 2016.

Some important Demographic Stats according to Economic Survey of Assam 2017-18 1. Geographical Area- 78438 sq KM 2. Districts- 33 3. Gaon Panchyat- 2202 4. Villages- 26395 5. Towns- Statutory Town-88/ Census Town-126 6. Population- 3.12 Cr 7. Rural Population-86% 8. Urban Population-14%

112 2018

9. Sex Ratio(Female per thousand male)- 95M8 ozart Special Edition 10. Density(per square Km)-398 11. Percentage Growth (2001-2011)-17.07% 12. Literacy Rate Male-77.28% Female-66.27% Total-72.19% 13. BPL(Tendulkar Methodology)- Urban-20.49% Rural-33.89% Total- 31.98% 14. Total Legislative Assembly Constituency in Assam- 126 15. Total Lok Sabha Constituency- 14

113 2018

Assam BudgMet o20z1a8-r1t9 Special Edition

Receipt and Expenditure of Assam Budget 2018-19 This years Assam Budget is a Surplus budget of Rs 999.99 Crores. This year the Finance Minister Himmanta Biswa Sarma presented state’s first e-budget in the electronic format. Each legislator was provided a tablet with all the details of the budget.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS 2030 GOAL 1: No Poverty GOAL 2: Zero Hunger GOAL 3: Good Health and Well-being GOAL 4: Quality Education on GOAL 5: Gender Equality GOAL 6: Clean Water and SanitaƟ on GOAL 7: Affordable and Clean Energy GOAL 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth GOAL 9: Industry, Innovati on and Infrastructure GOAL 10: Reduced Inequality GOAL 11: Sustainable Citi es and Communiti es GOAL 12: Responsible Consumption and Produce on GOAL 13: Climate Act on GOAL 14: Life Below Water GOAL 15: Life on Land GOAL 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions GOAL 17: Partnerships to achieve the Goal Budgetary allocations have been made for all the Goals. No need to mug up exact budget allocation.

Important Initiatives

Astadash Mukutar Unnoyonee Maala Additional Classrooms, Partition on Walls, and Electricity in Elementary Schools As announced in the Assam Budget 2017-18, Gunotsav was launched across the state and it has become one of the major success stories of the Government. However, the assessments on the infrastructure side present a very grim picture. There are hundreds schools that lack basic facilities such as separate classrooms, provision of electricity etc. For it Rs.980 crore has been allocated in one go, during the Financial Year 2018-19.

Conversion of 1000 Timber Bridges into RCC Bridges

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Many of these timber bridges are lifelines of RMuroalzAassratmSapndechaiavel bEedenitcioonsntructed many decades earlier and have hardly witnessed any maintenance & upkeep. In 2017-18, 208 such bridges were sanctioned. Another 792 bridges as well to fast-track the conversion of the remaining timber bridges into RCC bridges are expected to be sancti oned by PWD. Finance Department will liberally and expeditiously sanctio funds for this purpose. When completed, these strong, robust bridges will provide the much needed solid commutation on support for our rural areas.

Scholarship scheme for girl children belonging to the Minority Communities A new scheme is announced that proposes to support all girls belonging to minority community, to further aid and incentivize them to keep pursuing higher education. Towards this end, an annual scholarship of Rs. 2,000, Rs. 4,000, Rs. 6,000, Rs. 10,000 for girl students belonging to minority community studying in class 10th, 11th-12th, graduate on & post-graduate on, respectively has been proposed. These amounts which will be credited into their accounts through the DBT mode simply on self-certification that they are unmarried and pursuing their education. This step is taken in the firm belief that if we educate a woman, we educate a family and this translates to an educated society.

CM Adarsh Deep Yojna A special scheme for conservation of electricity. 52 lakhs family will get four 9W led bulbs.

Atal Atama Sansthapon Yojna Its self employment guaranteed scheme for educated youths. Rs 5 cr has been allocated in this year’s budget.

Deen Dayal Antodaya yojna 13000 youths will be trained under this scheme. It will aim for giving self employment.

Inclusive Cancer Programme has been started with support of Tata Trust. Rs 980cr has been allocated in this regard.

Pension Scheme for Journalists- A Fund has been set up Journalist Family Benefit Fund. Rs 1 cr allotted to it.

MOITRI Programme- It has been brought for upgradation of Police stations. Rs 100 cr allotted for it.

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ASSAM GOVERNMMEoNzTaSrCt HSEpMecEiSal Edition 1. Deen Dayal Divyang Xahajya Achoni Provision- An assistance of Rs. 5000 for medical treatment for our differently abled persons. This scheme is extended further by providing a monthly sum of Rs.1000 (Rs. 12,000 annual) to our Divyang people starting from 2018-19. This scheme will be legally enforceable.

2. MSME Credit Guarantee Scheme Provisions-20% reservation for local MSME products in all Government tenders ‘MSME Credit Guarantee Scheme’, will give an amount of Rs. 100crore will be parked in a Credit Guarantee fund, which will act as a guarantee in case of failure of a project. The guarantee will cover up to 50% of the loan amount taken from scheduled commercial banks & RRBs for loans up to Rs.50 Lakh. Both existing and new MSMEs will stand to benefit from this credit guarantee scheme. Note- Definition of MSME Sector Nature of Manufacturing Sector Service Sector activity of the Enterprise Micro Not exceeding Not exceeding Rs.25.00 Lakhs Rs.10.00 Lakhs Small More than Rs.25.00 More than lakhs but does not Rs.10.00 lakhs but exceed Rs.500.00 lakhs does not exceed Rs.200.00 lakhs Medium More than Rs.500.00 More than lakhs but does not Rs.200.00 lakhs exceed Rs.1000.00 but does not lakhs exceed Rs.500.00 lakhs

3. Gunotsav According Assam Budget 2017-18, Gunotsav was launched across the state. It is quality assessment programme at the state level.

4. Tejasvi Nav-adhitam-astu Edu-Infra Funds (TNEIF) ‘Tejasvi Nav-adhitam-astu Edu-Infra Funds (TNEIF)’ scheme to funds were allocated for the infrastructure development of professional colleges and Universities to be spent over a period of three to four years.

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5. Atal Amrit Abhiyan Mozart Special Edition Health assurance scheme for the citizens of Assam. Each beneficiary over 18 years of age has been given a laminated card with a unique identification number and we have captured the biometrics of each and every enrolled beneficiary for identification. It is envisaged that almost 92% of Assam’s total population will be covered by this scheme and when fully implemented, it would be one of the largest such universal health assurance schemes in the world catering to both BPL and APL population.

6. PRANAM PRANAM Act, a law that lays down that all Government employees should take care of their elderly parents, has already enacted in Assam. Further under it the State Government is launching a pension scheme that covers each and every senior citizen of the State, irrespective of whether they are above poverty line or below poverty line. With this scheme, each elderly citizen will be entitled to a monthly pension of Rs. 250 per month.

7. Chah Bagicha Dhan Puraskar Aru Jeevan Suraksha Yojana State Government announced that Rs.5000 will be credited to the bank accounts of each Tea Garden employee who had opened their Bank Accounts immediately post- demonetization. It has been done to incentivize financial inclusion of Tea Garden employees.

8. Kanaklata Mahila Sabalikaran Yojana The scheme is to promote at least one lakh self-sustainable, self-help groups (SHGs) in the State through loan and capital subsidy. Note- Kanaklata Baruah is women leader of Assam independence struggle. She died during Quit India Movement.

9. Axom Adarxo Gram Yojana Over the next three years, the Government will select two villages in each of the 126 assembly constituencies which would then be supported as model villages with holistic, inclusive social and economic development as fundamental objectives.

10. Axom Mela To undertake the improvement of State Highways & Major District Roads network, a programme – Assam Government is launching ‘Axom Mala’ in line with ‘Bharat Mala’.

11. Swami Vivekananda Assam Youth Empowerment Yojana or SVAYEM It envisages to provide financial assistance to young entrepreneurs to about one lakh young people. However, working on the various modalities and mechanism including

117 2018 appropriate banking linkages, took slightlyMloongzear rttimSeptehacniaalntEicdipiatteiod.nFinally, the scheme is going to be launched in the Financial Year 2018-19. 12. Samagra Gram Unanayan Yojana It will provide zero interest rate loans to the farmers for overall development of agriculture.

13. Mission Muga Target is to develop Silk production.

14. Paramparagat Krishi Vikas yojna Objective is to develop organic farming.

15. SITA( State Innovation and Transformation Ayog) Purpose of this institute is to bring industrial development. It has announced three initiatives- Biponi, Boneej,Sarothi for industrial efficiency.

16. Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana The objective is to provide affordable houses Urban and Rural areas. Launched in Assam in 2017

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