Current Affairs 2015-August Pocket PDF

Current Affairs Pocket PDF

Indian Affairs

• Government revises scheme for Development of Particularly Vulnerable 75 Tribal Groups- with effect from April 1 st 2015- Conservation-cum-Development(CCD) Plan prepared by concerned state governments. • Delhi Govt launches country’s first witness Protection Scheme in New Delhi- Jessica lal and Nitesh katara murder cases, Delhi State Legal Services Authority (DSLSA) as the competent authority for implementation of the scheme. • India’s first Harbour Defence System “The Integrated Underwater Harbor Defense And Surveillance System(IUHDSS)” commissioned in Kochi in Kochi,on July 31,2015 by Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba. • Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis announced that the gov will build an 800-km-long expressway connecting Mumbai with Nagpur by September 2019- travel time reduces from 14 hours to 10 hours- Rs 30,000 crore. • Assam Gov banned the sale of packed drinking water named “Spring Drop” manufactured by Morigaon-based Company for an initial period of 30 days with immediate effect on August 1, 2015- chromium level.Already banned the Annapurna chilly sauce and Niyor packaged drinking water. • Tata Motors Ltd bagged an order of Rs.914 crore from the Indian Army to supply 1,239 high mobility vehicles - VS Noronha(Vice-President of Defence and Government Business). • India and Bangladesh exchange 162 enclaves after 68 years on August 1, 2015- during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Bangladesh on June 6-7, 2015. • Union Cabinet approved New Consumer Protection Bill, 2015 replacing 29 years old Consumer Protection Bill- model followed in U.S and European countries. Features:Central Consumer Protection Authority(CCPA),Stringent penalty,Product liability, Speedy disposal of court cases, Right to inquire,Power to order to withdraw false,Promises,Cancel license,Establishment of circuit bench. • India to host 2nd Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation(FIPIC)-14 island nations from Indo-Pacific oceanic region will be attending in Jaipur, Rajasthan on August 21, 2015. • Dial 138 for medical emergency on train launched by Manoj Sinha, Minister of State for Railways. • Govt to develop 15,000 km of NH at Rs 1.9 lakh cr,world’s second-largest road network at 4.80 million kms- Pon Radhakrishnan,Minister of Road Transport and Highways. • Multi-Application Solar Telescope(MAST) - Asia’s biggest telescope has been inaugurated at the Udaipur Solar Observatory in Rajasthan by the chairman of counselling management of Physical Research Laboratory Professor U.R Rao. • Lok Sabha passed the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Bill where most of the opposition parties boycotted the House, replacing the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Ordinance, 2014. • Govt lists manual scavenging as ‘career option’ in webportal National Career Services portal . • UP gov decided to rename UPTU as APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University-Akhilesh Yadav CM of UP . • Ministry of Rural Development launched ‘SAMANVAY’ portal for Gram Panchayats by Rural Development Minister, Chaudhary Birender Singh. • Haryana Gov launched “Thari Pension, Thare Pass” project-Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar. • Delhi(AAP) Gov decided to run trams in many areas of Old Delhi as a part of augment transport infrastructure, which covers Lal Quila, Jama Masjid, Digamber Jain Mandir, Sheeshganj Gurudwara, Old Delhi Railway Station and the New Delhi Railway Station. • Cabinet approved direct benefit transfer (DBT) to beneficiaries of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act(MGNREGA). • Radha Mohan Singh,Union Agriculture Minister launched 3 web portals – Soil Health Card portalwww.soilhealth.dac.gov.in,Fertilizer Quality Control System portal(www.fqcs.dac.gov.in) and 1 | P a g e Follow Us - FB.com/AffairsCloudOfficialPage Copyright 2015 @ AffairsCloud.Com

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Participatory Guarantee System India portal(www.pgsindia-ncof.gov.in). • Central Government Liberalises Single-Brand Retail Norms For Non-Resident Entities.Gov norm of 30% input sourcing from Indian MSEs or cottage industries relaxed for all non-resident entities who are involved in FDI beyond 51%. • Parliament passes Delhi High Court (Amendment) Bill, 2015, which was introduced in Rajya Sabha on February 17, 2014,related to increasing the pecuniary jurisdiction of district courts from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 2 crore. • PM Narendra Modi, inaugurated the first National Handloom Day at the Centenary Hall of Madras University in Chennai on August 7, 2015. • Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje india inked 12 MOUs worth Rs.2530 crores with private companies to set up industrial units in Rajasthan at investor event named “Delivering dreams, sharing prosperity”. • Gov has decided that Aadhaar enrolment of Non-Resident Indians,from now all residents including Indian national and foreigners with valid visas can be enrolled and provided Aadhaar number by the UIDAI announced by Planning Minister Rao Inderjit Singh. • GlobalSat for DRR”, a global satellite for earth observation and disaster risk reduction, renamed as Indian Missile Man APJ Abdul Kalam. • Mysuru of Karnataka topped in Swachh Bharat ranking and 3 more cities from Karnataka namely Hassan, Mandya and Bengaluru are in the top 10. • National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) signed the MoU with Jawaharlal Nehru University(JNU) for establishing a Centre for Excellence in Disaster Research and Resilience Building at the JNU. • Defence Research and Development Organisation(DRDO) developed a poly-herbal medicine for the treatment of leucoderma(white patches on skin) - Minister Manohar parrikar. • Center Gov agreed to setup a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to clean and rejuvenate river Yamuna. • BHEL commissioned 500 MW unit of Vindhyachal Super Thermal Power Station-Stage-V of NTPC. located in Vindhyanagar in Singrauli district of MP.Equipments for the project were manufactured at BHEL’s Trichy, Ranipet, Haridwar, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Bhopal plants. • Bihar Gov announced with an investment of Rs 1,000 crore the first 56-km stretch of the much-awaited Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) project to be commissioned in Bihar. • Dr Mahesh Sharma,Minister of State for Culture,Tourism and Civil Aviation inaugurated the Bhisham Sahni’s- Hindi writer birth centenary celebrations. • TRAI mandates Telcos to notify users on data usage,Customers can send SMS to 1925 by writing ‘START‘ to activate and ‘STOP’ to deactivate the service or by making a call on the number and following instructions. • In the wake of the Nirbhaya gang rape incident, Kerala Gov to Install GPS in Public Vehicles and plan to install GPS and CCTV cameras in public transport vehicles to ensure women's safety. • Government launches Suraksha Bandhan drive in Mission Mode,companies to facilitate enrollment under social security schemes Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, PMSBY, and Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, PMJJBY. • GOI launches ‘Nai Manzil’ scheme for minorities by Dr. Najma Heptulla - to bridge the academic and skill development gaps between deeni madrassas passouts and their mainstream counterparts -Rs. 3,734 crore • Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad launched mobile app "DISHA" for digital literacy. • Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar launched School Nursery Yojana to bring students closer to nature - class VI to IX in raising of saplings in nurseries created in school campuses.Theme : To plant a tree for sustainable future and to make the nation clean and green. • Union Government launches new train services in Northeast at the occasion as a Golden Day in the history of Northeast, Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on 10 August 2015 • Goa Police launched a mobile application “SOS app” for helping citizens to reach out for instant help in times of emergency, easily access Goa Police and developed by Karbens Infotech Pvt. Ltd • Coal-fired power plant located in Krishnapatnam in Nellore district of AP has signed agreement with Andhra Pradesh Power Distribution Companies for the supply of 500 MW to the Central, Eastern, Southern and Northern Power Distribution Companies for 25 years. 2 | P a g e Follow Us - FB.com/AffairsCloudOfficialPage Copyright 2015 @ AffairsCloud.Com

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• Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs(CCEA), approved a proposal for strengthening and upgrading drug regulatory system both at the Central and state level, at a total cost of Rs 1750 crore. • Union Power Ministry and New & Renewable Energy Ministry signed four MoUs to boost cooperation between both parties in the areas of electricity transmission, promotion of renewable energy and energy conservation in a time bound manner. • Maharashtra Gov forms Cabinet sub-committee to tackle drought crisis headed by Agriculture Minister Eknath Khadse empowered to monitor the water scarcity to tackle the crisis. • Indian cabinet approved spectrum sharing guidelines to address the issue of mobile phone call drops and the quality of services as also optimise the use of radio frequency spectrum for telecom services. • Government approves Soft loan scheme to sugar mills - Rs. 6000 crore . • Gov sanctioned 1,500-MW ultra mega solar power park for Andhra Pradesh in Kadapa district by NTPC. • Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO) has tied up with the Union Urban Development Ministry for mapping over 500 towns and cities, to make a base plan for better planning and management. • National Skill Development Fund (NSDF) and National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) are the two MoU’S signed by National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) for skill development training. • Assam passed Witch Hunting Bill, 2015 by the Assam state assembly that any person making any offence under the Act as non-bailable, cognizable and non-compoundable to eliminate rising cases of superstition leading to murder of so-called "witches". • UP CM Akhilesh Yadav launched of ‘Samajwadi Akhilesh’ mobile application, a channel through which users will stay connected with Samajwadi Party. • Government will spend Rs 14,000 crore to promote hybrid and electric vehicles in the country, Heavy Industries Minister Anant Geete. • International Climate Variability and Predictability project office set up in Pune for implementation of intra- seasonal, seasonal and inter-annual variability and predictability of monsoon systems. • Cochin International Airport will become the first Indian airport inaugurated by the Kerala CM Oommen Chandy - Rs 62 crore. • Odisha Government approves “Housing for All” policy in urban areas – CM Naveen Patnaik. • GMR Hyderabad International Airport (GHIAL) become the India’s first airport to get approval for implementation of the end-to-end e-boarding for domestic passengers. • Puducherry Science Centre, Planetarium renamed as Abdul Kalam On 68th Independence Day, CM N. Rangasamy. • On 69 th Independence Day PM Narendra Modi announced a new campaign “Start-up India; Stand-up India” to promote bank financing for start-ups and offer incentives to boost entrepreneurship and job creation which would in turn encourage entrepreneurship among the youth of India. • Ministry of Agriculture renamed as the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare by PM Narendra Modi. • Gov approved 42 mega food parks which will become operational by 2019 this will benefit about 12.5 lakh farmers-Rs 14,000 crore said by Union Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal • Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik approved Odisha Fisheries Policy, 2015, to enhance the productivity and production of fish from the inland, brackish water and marine resources,targets 7.15 lakh tonne of total fish production by the end of 2019-20. • Ministry of Home Affairs will setup a national fingerprint database.National Informatics Centre is creating a 'cloud' for this integration and containmore than 9.7 lakh finger print records . • Maharashtra using drones, satellites to assess crop damage,Private weather forecaster Skymet is using drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), to map 51 villages of Marathwada under a pilot project of the BJP . • Gov announced to maintain a publicly available database of sex offenders. The home ministry’s proposal to ‘name and shame’ those charged for sexual offences by putting their names in the public domain runs completely contrary to the principle. • Modi government to launch Accessible India to help physically challenged people-2.2 crore people with disabilities, or 2.13% of the population. • Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik, approved a Rs 1,500-crore State Capital Region Improvement of Power 3 | P a g e Follow Us - FB.com/AffairsCloudOfficialPage Copyright 2015 @ AffairsCloud.Com

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System (SCRIPS) scheme to facilitate 24x7 quality power supply to the people from 2015-16 to 2019-20. • AAP government announced a scheme ‘City Taxi’ under which permits will be issued to 600 cc vehicles which will charge Rs 10 per km. Small size taxis between 600 cc and 749 cc operational under the scheme ,rate of 25 rupees for first two kilometers. • Odisha gov set up a special entity to fast track approvals for investment projects,state level facilitation cell (SLFC) mandated to clear investment proposals in 15-30 days. • Kerala Government signed MoU with Adani Group for development of Vizhinjam Port-access to the Middle East, the Suez Canal, the coast of East Africa, Bay of Bengal and the Straits of Malacca. • Telangana CM K. Chandrasekhar Rao launched a programme Grama Jyothi on 17 August 2015. The scheme is aimed at comprehensive development of rural areas allowing planning and execution of works by villages themselves to improving the Human Development Index (HDI). • A special package of Rs 1,25,003 lakh crore was announced by PM Narendra Modi for Bihar state ahead of the Assembly elections in Bihar for its growth and development. • Bihar Gov announced 30% income tax rebate to new manufacturing plants and machinery to be set up in 21 'backward' districts of Bihar for 5 years under section 32 of the IT Act from April, 2015 to March, 2020. • Bharat Stage (BS)-IV emission norms will be barred in India from April 2017, with the government deciding to bring the entire country under the ambit of the tighter pollution control standard. • Govt launches portal vidyalakshmi.co.in on the occasion of Independence Day i.e. 15th August, 2015 for students seeking loans. • HP Government launches RISHTA(Rajiv Gandhi Illuminating Scheme for Hill Town Advancement (RISHTA) project,which is an efficient smart LED based street lighting projectby Virbhadra Singh,State Chief Minister of Shimla. • Under Swadesh Darshan Mission 2015-16, Tourism Ministry sanctioned Rs 99.86 crores for the ‘Integrated Development of Eco-Tourism Circuit’ project in Mahabubnagar district of Telangana. • Manipur Gov made agreement with the Joint Committee on the Inner Line Permit System, JCILPS, on insertion of five major points in the Draft Bill to safeguard the rights of indigenous people of Manipur. • Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi approved the promulgation of the Dadra and Nagar Haveli Value Added Tax (Amendment) Regulation, 2005 , under article 240 of the Constitution of India. • World’s1st fully solar-powered airport inaugurated by Kerala CM Oommen Chandy - 12 MWp (megawatt peak) solar power plant near the cargo complex at the Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL). • Gov holds 68.57 percent shares in Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), will sell over 24.28 crore shares or 10 per cent of its stake in Indian Oil at Rs. 387 a piece can get over Rs. 9,000 crore. • Committee set up by Ministry of Women and Child Development Consumption of Junk Food by School Children submitted its report to WCD Ministry under the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act, 2006. • Call To Action Summit 2015 for ending preventable child and maternal deaths will be co-hosted by The Ministry of Helath and Family Welfare, Government of India along with Ministry of Health Government of Ethiopia, USAID, UNICEF, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Tata Trusts in New Delhi on August 27-28, 2015. • Nendran’ banana variety, ‘Chengalikodan’, accorded with the Geographical Indication (GI) status- first cultivated in Chengazhikode. • Gujarat gov framed the rules making voting compulsory in the local elections, Gujarat High Court stayed its implementation after a lawyer moved a public interest litigation- Act 2009. • Union Minister for Minority Affairs Dr.Najma Heptulla Launched Online Application Management System (OAMS) for “Nai Roshni”for Leadership Development of Minority Women since 2012-13. • Appointments Committee of Cabinet(ACC) approved the guidelines for selection of MDs and CEOs in PSBs other than the five large PSBs and the hiring process will start from the next month. • Justice AP Shah Committee on minimum alternate tax(MAT-20%) recommended to the finance ministry that the levy shouldn’t be imposed on Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) for the period preceding April 1, 2015 - Finance Act, 2015 .

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• Smokeless tobacco on adults India accounts for nearly three-fourths of over a quarter million deaths worldwide caused by smokeless tobacco - TeCake study. • Indian Railways is expediting the process of installing CCTV surveillance cameras in 20,000 coaches at a cost of Rs. 700 crore, which will be derived from Nirbhaya Fund. • AP ink MoUs with Numaligarh Refinery Limited(NRL) and Hindustan Paper Corporation to help potential bamboo growers by Arunachal Pradesh Bamboo Resource Development Agency(APBRDA) Vice-chairman Yora Tagung. • India International Seafood show will be organized in Visakhapatnam by the Gov to boost trade and commerce in the seafood sector by Commerce and industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. • Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu launched a mobile-based application system R-Mitra (Railway Mobile Instant Tracking Response and Assistance) to ensure women’s safety - helpline number 56161. • Ministry of New and Renewable Energy approved a proposed master plan to develop 50 solar cities out of proposed 60 solar cities.8th cities are to be developed as ‘Model Solar Cities’-Nagpur, Chandigarh, Gandhinagar and Mysore. • Gujarat become the first state in the country to launch ‘Agro-Solar policy’ under which farmers will be motivated to tap energy from sun. • Delhi Jal Board(DJB) commissioned the first-ever hydropower plant in the national capital which produce 20,000 kWh of electricity per year at Chilla area in East Delhi-“Pollution Free Technology”. • United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change(UNFCCC) and Chennai-based MS Swaminathan Research Foundation(MSSRF) agreed to work together for the conservation of coastal resources in Krishna district in Andhra Pradesh-Rs. 3.8 crore . • Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad released a postal stamp on emperor Ashoka ,announced that stamps released soon to honour former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and Bihar’s mountain man Dashrath Manjhi-Rs.5 per stamp • Director General of Police(DGP) Jammu and Kashmir K Rajendra Kumar directed all district police heads to restrict tobacco advertisements at the point of sales (POS) across the state under section – 5. • For the Indian heroes of the 1965 and 1971 war with Pakistan, Jaisalmer War Museum’ has been established in the Military Station of Jaisalmer to commemorate the sacrifice of war heroes.Lieutenant General Ashok Singh,inaugurated the museum. • Muslim population in India grew by 24.6% while the decadal population growth for Hindus stood at 16.8% during between 2001 and 2011, by the Registrar General and Census Commissioner. • Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated birth centenary celebrations of freedom fighter Rani Gaidinliu in New Delhi, PM launched commemorative coin of 100 rupees and circulation coin of 5 rupees of Rani Gaidinliu. • Union Government announced to implement the Sendai framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 in letter and spirit by Kiren Rijiju in NewDelhi. • CM Vasundhara Raje approved the Aarogya Rajasthan Abhiyan programme a campaign for healthy Rajasthan from December this year to March 2016 to collect and compile health data of rural population- E-health card provided to all. • Union government launched a telemedicine initiative ‘Sehat’ in collaboration with Apollo Hospitals to provide healthcare facilities in rural areas,launched by Union Communication and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad . • Javadekar Launches E-Payment Module for Deposit of Compensatory Levies into CAMPA Funds to make the payment of compensatory levies receivable in lieu of diversion of forest land quicker and more transparent. • 21st edition of the DelhiBook Fair Begins in Delhi,theme of skill development. The DBF started in the year 1995 with cooperation of ITPO,event jointly organised by the Federation of Indian Publishers(FIP) and Indian Trade Promotion Organisation(ITPO) • Ministry of Civil Aviation and ASSOCHAM organized an event 8th International Conference on “Indian Civil Aviation & Tourism” in New Delhi,inaugurated by Union Minister of Civil Aviation Shri Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Culture and Tourism, Dr. Mahesh Sharma. • Board of Approval (BoA) for SEZ chaired by Commerce Secretary Rita Teaotia approval for six new proposals,

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including four from IT and ITeS sector, for setting up of Special Economic Zones (SEZs). • Maharashtra government acquires Dr. B. R. Ambedkar’s London House - three-storey bungalow on King Henry road in London where Dalit icon and architect of Indian Constitution,1920s. • NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Arvind Panagariya in New Delhi launched the second version of the India Energy Security Scenarios 2047 calculator (IESS 2047) an open source Web-based tool. • Railway Minister Advocates Launching of Zero Accident Mission- asked other countries to make India their base for manufacturing as the gov will be investing USD 120 billion over the next 5 years to develop the railway services. • New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) decided to rename Delhi’s famous Aurangzeb Road as APJ Abdul Kalam Road. • Gov release Rs 125 coin to mark Bhim Rao Ambedkar’s 125th birth anniversary. • India celebrated 50 th anniversary of 1965 war with Pakistan on 28 th India won the war under the leadership of PM Lal Bahadur Shastri--“victory carnival”,planned for 20 September on Rajpath. • NTPC,India’s largest power generator, achieved a record highest single-day electricity generation of 733.12 million units. • Union Cabinet gives nod to amend Arbitration and Conciliation Bill, 2015-to make the resolution of commercial disputes less time-consuming and fast-tracking the whole process- Section 34. • CCEA gives nod to Differential Royalty Payment to states on crude oil production through the budgetary allocation for the Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs) awarded to 28 discovered fields located in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Gujarat from 2015-16. • Tamil Nadu Government to construct ‘manimandapam’ for Sivaji Ganesan. • Cabinet gives nod to include Sipai, Patni, Jamat Kahar and Tanwar Singhariya in the OBC list • India declared maternal and neonatal tetanus free by WHO. • Government orders inclusion of 13 central laws within purview of Land Acquisition includes: 1. Railways Act, 1989.2. Electricity Act, 2003.3. Atomic Energy Act 1962.4. Indian Tramways Act 1886.5. Land Acquisition (Mines) Act 1885.6. National Highways Act 1956.7. Damodar Valley Corporation Act 1948.8. Petroleum and Minerals Pipelines Act 1962.9. Metro Railways (Construction of Works) Act 1978.10. Coal Bearing Areas Acquisition and Development Act 1957.11. Requisitioning and Acquisition of Immovable Property Act, 1948.12. Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act 1958.13. Resettlement of Displaced persons(Land Acquisition) Act, 1948. • PM Narendra Modi released a special digital version of epic Ramcharitmanas produced by All India Radio. • West Bengal Gov has decided to produce bottled drinking water-Pran Dhara ,water from Hoogly river.1 litre bottle will cost Rs 18. • Manipur Legislative Assembly onunanimously passed the Protection of Manipur People Bill, 2015 - Manipur Land Revenue and Land Reforms (Seventh Amendment) Bill, 2015 and the Manipur Shops and Establishments (Second Amendment) Bill, 2015- CM Ibobi Singh. • PM Narendra Modi will inaugurate a three-day international Hindi conference in Bhopal on September 10. • Andhra Pradesh gov has initiated steps to develop 10 new ports in the state - Bhavanapadu Port, Narsapur Port, Ramayapatnam Port, Machilipatnam Port, Kakinada SEZ Port (captive), Meghavaram Port (captive), Nakkapalli Port (captive), Nizampatnam and Vodarevu and Dugarajapatnam Port by CM N Chandrababu Naidu . • In West Bengal, 12 rivers are identified for national waterways, include the Allahabad-Haldia stretch of the Ganga Bhagirathi Hooghly river, Ajoy river(96 km) ,Bakreswar Mayurakshi river(110 km) Damodar river(135 km), DVC canal,(130 km) Dwarekeswar river(113 km) Ichamati river (634 km) Jalangi river(131 km) Rupnarayan river(72 km), Subarnarekha river (314 km) and Sunderban Waterways (201 km). • Housing ministry identified 305 cities and towns across 9 states to start building houses for the poor in urban areas under the 'Housing for All by 2022' - 2 crore homes(Pradhan Mantri Aawas Yojna) - Madhya Pradesh(74),Odisha(42),Rajasthan(40),Chhattisgarh(36),Gujarat(30),Telangana(34),Jammu & Kashmir(19) and Kerala(15) and Jharkhand(15). • Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan launched SAHAJ scheme for online release of new LPG

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International Affairs

• Pakistan(21 st member) is an associate member of CERN-world’s largest and most prestigious center for science research(European Organization for Nuclear Research). • Indo-UK bilateral Air Exercise concluded.It was between Indian Air Force (IAF) and British Royal Air Forces (RAF) named “Indradhanush” started in Britain on 21 July 2015. • India, China Hold First Ever Meet at Daulat Beg Oldie in Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir. Chinese People’s Liberation Army(PLA) delegation led by Colonel Song Zhoanli has hosted an Indian Army delegation led by Colonel BS Uppal. • India has foiled a British Company’s bid to patent use of turmeric, pine bark and green tea for treating hair loss. • 193 UN Members Reached Agreement On 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda-Transforming our World, deal with - People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, and Partnership. • Generalized system of preferences (GSP) of US Gov, expired on July 2013, renewed to till December 31, 2017 enabling duty-free entry of 3,500 product lines-S C Ralhan,President of Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO). • US Food and Drug Administration(USFDA) has hiked the fee for Abbreviated New Drug Applications (ANDAs) to $76,030 from $58,730 currently i.e by up to 30%. • Union Cabinet approved a proposal to sign an agreement with UNESCO for the establishment of a Centre for World Natural Heritage Management and Training Centre for Asia-Pacific region at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in Dehradun. • India & Mozambique signed MoU on cooperation in New & Renewable Energy during the official visit of Filipe Nyusi,President of Mozambique to India. • India and Myanmar inked agreement to set up CESDT in Myanmar-H.E Gen (Retd) V K Sigh, Minister of state for External Affairs of India during his visit to Kuala Lumpur to attend the ASEAN-India Foreign Affairs meet. • 48 th ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) foreign ministers meet was held between August 4 and August 6, 2015 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia • Abdelfattah el-sisi has inaugurated a major extension of the suez canal in stage-managed ceremony celebrating his government’s “gift to the world”. • Turkmenistan’s company TurkmenGaz will lead the(Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) TAPI consortium for the construction of 1800 km long pipeline carrying gas from the former Soviet state Turkmenistan to India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. • Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development(IESD), Banaras Hindu University(BHU) signed MoU with Graduate School of Global Environmental studies (GSGES), Kyoto University to research activities and to facilitate student and faculty exchange programmes. • GOI approvedto establish All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) , the first ever referral-cum-teaching facility in the world's oldest health care system, at Sarita Vihar in New Delhi . • China devaluated Yuan by 2 per cent largest since 1994 and central bank cut its daily reference rate by 1.9 percent. • Japan Restarts Nuclear Reactor For The First Time Since Fukushima Disaster,triggered by a powerful earth- quake and Tsunami in 2011. • National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) accredited as the 1 st National Implementing Entity (NIE) of Green Climate Fund (GCF) established under United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at the Board meeting of GCF at Songdo, Republic of Korea. • Union Cabinet approves MoU between India, Nepal for construction of petroleum pipeline ,from Raxaul in India to Amlekhgunj in Nepal - Rs. 200 crore. • China, Pakistan sign deals to beef up CPEC(China Pakistan Eocnomic Corridor) project, worth of $46 billion, connecting Xinjiang with Pakistan's Gwadar Port through PoK (Pakistan-occupied Kashmir), and 20 7 | P a g e Follow Us - FB.com/AffairsCloudOfficialPage Copyright 2015 @ AffairsCloud.Com

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agreements worth $1.6 billion (10.35 billion yuan) at the CPEC Forum held at Karamay city in Xinjiang province bordering PoK. • Govt approves MoU between India and America to establish PACE setter Fund to support the Promoting Energy Access through Clean Energy track of the U.S. • 2015 US – India Cyber Dialogue was held on 11 and 12 August 2015 at the US Department of State in Washington, DC led by the U.S. Cybersecurity Coordinator and Special Assistant to the President Michael Daniel and by India’s Deputy National Security Advisor Arvind Gupta. • Britain marks 70th anniversary of end of World War II on Aug 15 - Victory over Japan (VJ) Day. • India, Canada Working To Boost Economic Ties and bilateral foreign investment agreement in the key areas including the economy, trade and investment, civil nuclear cooperation, energy, education and skills development, agriculture, defence and security, science, technology, innovation and space, culture, regional and global issues etc. • India and Bangladesh have inked a MoU to tackle the menace of Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) at Joint Task Force on Fake Currency Notes (JTFFC) in Dhaka • China and Russia are stepping up their military collaboration by holding another round of naval exercise in the Sea of Japan. • Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, visited the United Arab Emirates from 16-17 August 2015 after 34 years-India, UAE released Joint Statement to take bilateral relations to a higher level. • Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi approved stringent new counter-terrorism laws to fight a growing jihadist insurgency and to establish special courts and offer additional protection from legal consequences for military and police officers. • United National Party(UNP) led United National Front for Good Governance(UNFGG) has emerged as the single largest party with 106 seats in the 225-member legislature. • PM Narendra Modi,Gov approved signing and ratification of the agreement between India and Seychelles for exchange of information with respect to taxes, to check Black Money Generation. • Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar and Maryland Lt. Governor Boyd K. Rutherford agreed that Haryana and the US state of Maryland to explore the possibility of cooperation in the fields of biotechnology, life sciences, agriculture, cyber security and engineering. • UN Framework Convention for Climate Change(UNFCCC) issued 3.56 million US Dollar Carbon Credit to Bangladesh for its fast growing solar home systems-became the first country to receive funds from UN. • United States has launched the largest NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) airborne drills in Europe since the end of the Cold War, named "Swift Response 15”, to enhance security and stability in the region. • Pakistan and Russia signed deal on the sale of four Mi-35 ‘Hind E’ in Rawalpindi,finalised during Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif’s visit to Russia - first major defence deal. • Countries in Asia, Europe, Africa the Americas and Oceana including Russia will join with China for a military parade in Beijing next month commemorating the 70th anniversary of victory over Japan in World War II. • Karachi Nuclear Power Plant II (Kanupp II) - 1,100 MW electricity,constructed with the assistance of China with an estimated cost of $10 billion inaguraeted by Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif . • Union Cabinet approved the signing of MoU between India and Australia on cooperation in the fields of education, training and research. • Union government removed Iran from the list of countries put under the restricted visa category. • Mumbai is to host the 24th annual Miss India Worldwide on September 5 announced by US-based organisers of the event . • American College of Cardiology (ACC), collaborated with Apollo Hospitals to expand medical education in India by providing new opportunities to cardiovascular physicians to improve their skills. • Pakistan cancelled the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference as India had threatened to boycott the meet. • 750 Mega Watts(MW) the world’s largest solar power station will be built in Rewa district’s Gudh area 1,500 hectares at Bandwar in Gudh tehsil of Rewa in MP.

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• India and Nepal signed an MoU for the construction of 41-km Raxaul-Amlekhgunj oil pipeline. signed between Nepal’s Minister for Commerce and Supplies Sunil Bahadur Thapa and Indian Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan. • British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond reopened the British Embassy in Tehran after 4 years. • ISIS blows up Baalshamin Temple in Syria’s Palmyra(Pearl of the Desert) - built in 17AD. • US and Canada provided support to Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar new policy that Haryana emerge as the “most favoured FDI destination” in India. • India, Egypt agree to step up bilateral cooperation to fight terrorism notably the dreaded terrorist outfit ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) in an efficient manner. • North and South Korea have come to an agreement, following marathon talks, on ending a tense military stand- off that had pushed the two rivals to the brink of armed conflict - leader Kim Jong-Un. • India and Australia will undertake their first bilateral maritime exercise – AUSINDEX in Visakhapatnam next month announced by Defence Minister Manohar Parikkar. • India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) second forum held in Jaipur, Rajasthan on August 21, 2015 attended by heads of states and governments and key officials of the 14 pacific island nations of the group. • India lost a case against US at WTO as the Dispute Settlement Body(DSB) of WTO ruled that India’s domestic content requirements under its ambitious solar power programme Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) . • Vassiliki Thanou sworn in as first female Prime Minister of Greece. • PM Narendra Modi approved an agreement between India and Afghanistan on legal and judicial cooperation in civil and commercial matters for the service of summons, judicial documents, commissions, execution of judgements and arbitral awards ,during visit to India of the President of Afghanistan, Mohammad Ashraf Ghani. • Ex-Ekuverin 2015’,6th joint military training exercise involving the Indian Army and the Maldivian National Defence Forces(MNDF), conducted at the Pangode Military Station in Thiruvananthapuram from August 31 to September 13. • Pakistan will become 3 rd largest nuclear stockpile in the world, behind only the US and Russia in less than 10 years. • Union Cabinet approved Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty in Civil and Commercial matters with Oman-for service of summons, for execution of Civil Decrees, for issuing Letter of Request, for taking of evidence under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (CPC) and Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996. • TCS announced a donation of $35 million (nearly Rs 231.77 crore) to the Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), American educational institute has received from outside the US. • India and US are working together to signed MoU to crack down on fake note network. • Pakistan bans Islamic State militant group vast stretches of Iraq and Syria. • India made a strong pitch for finalisation of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism(CCIT) at the UN during Sushma Swaraj visit to UN, General Assembly Mogens Lykketoft. • Pak Military-run National University of Modern Languages (NUML) become the first Pakistani university to award the MPhil degree in Hindi- Shahin Zafar. • Reliance Group has expressed larger role in the growing economic ties between India and Qatar by expanding business cooperation with the Gulf country, Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani. • First time Women in Saudi Arabia participate as voters in Election 2015.

Banking & Finance

• SBI’s Hong Kong branch fined $1 mn for violating money laundering law by Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA). • BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) business forum for the first time will be held at the Dubai 9 | P a g e Follow Us - FB.com/AffairsCloudOfficialPage Copyright 2015 @ AffairsCloud.Com

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Multi Commodities Centre in Dubai on September 9, 2015. • HDFC Bank and Snapdeal which is owned and operated by Jasper Infotech jointly launched co branded e- commerce credit card on 3 rd Aug, 2015. • IDFC received a universal banking licence from the RBI last year,will start banking operations from October 1st 2015.Vinod Rai,-former Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) and non-executive chairman of IDFC. • HSBC India to launch “green-bonds” in India to enable fund raising for investments in environmental projects - Naina Lal Kidwai, Chairman of HSBC • SBI Life Insurance has launched a new product, “SBI Life – Smart Humsafar” that provides a wide range of multiple benefits of savings and insurance cover for husband and wife under a single policy. • RBI allows banks to merge, shift or close branches in Urban areas without seeking its prior permission as per Section 23 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 -Relaxations in Branch Authorization Policy. • Swiss National Bank(SNB) hiked exposure to Indian companies namely Infosys and Tata Motors beside with Apple, Microsoft and ExxonMobil. • India has received USD 24 billion in Foreign Direct Investment from the 28-nation bloc over the last three years. • CBDT notifies changes in IT rules to comply with Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) with the US. • ICICI Bank launches ‘Saral-Rural Housing Loan’ Scheme - with a special interest rate for rural areas which includes women borrowers as well as seekers from weaker sections. • GOI and World Bank signed a financing agreement for World Bank (IDA) for additional financial assistance of USD 308.40 million for National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Projects I & II (NCRMP-I &II). • IRDAI allows Banks to tie up with insurers with a maximum of nine insurers from three segments which are life, non–life and standalone health insurers. • RBI notified Interest Subvention Scheme 2015-16 of Union Government for banks-4%. • Gov has cleared 23 foreign investment proposals, including Catholic Syrian Bank and Bandhan Financial Services, amounting to Rs 10,378.92 crore. • Axis Bank launched First Multi-Currency Contactless Card service in India, in association with VISA the payments gateway company in the country. • RBI paid a dividend of nearly Rs 66,000cr to the government, highest ever from the central bank in its 80- year history, and 22% more than it paid last year. • Indradhanush(rainbow) mission, a 7-pronged plan to revamp functioning of public sector banks (PSBs) was launched by GOI Finance minister Arun Jaitley- infuse Rs 20,088 crore into 13 PSU bank 7 Agenda: 1 Appointments ,2. Bank Board Bureau ,3. Capitalization ,4. De-stressing, 5. Empowerment ,6. Framework of Accountability and 7. Governance Reforms. • Union Bank of India (UBI) in association with Visa launched three new cards – one debit card and two credit cards for its customers. • Union Government decided to set up a Bank Board Bureau (BBB) to monitor key performance pointers of public sector banks (PSBs) announced by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. • HDFC will sell 9 percent stake in HDFC Life to its British joint venture partner Standard Life for a little over Rs 1,700 crore. • State bank of Travancore here has launched a new mobile ATM in Thiruvanathapuram, Kerala’s capital, With an aim to bring banking facility at the doorstep of customers. • RBI suspended licence of 7 Non-Banking Finance Companies (NBFCs) under RBI Act, 1934.Religare Finance, Artisans Micro Finance, Eden Trade & Commerce, RCS Parivar Finance, Nott Investments, Dewra Stocks & Securities and Swetasree Finance. • Union Finance minister Arun Jaitley launched State Bank of India’s mobile wallet- State Bank ‘Buddy’ in collaboration with Accenture and Master Card. • ICICI Bank launched locker facility named Smart Vault a fully automated locker available 24×7, including

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weekends and after banking hours. • Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley launched two funds – 1)India Aspiration Fund (IAF) and 2) SIDBI Make in India Loan for Enterprises (SMILE) under Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI). • LIC launches maiden unit linked insurance plan (ULIP) which offers investment cum insurance during the term policy and provide due benefit of risk cover and benefits of investment markets. • RBI granted ‘in-principle’ approval to 11 applicants to start a payments bank issued on November 27, 2014 - 1. Aditya Birla Nuvo Limited.2. Airtel M Commerce Services Limited.3. Cholamandalam Distribution Services Limited.4. Department of Posts.5. Fino PayTech Limited.6. National Securities Depository Limited.7. Reliance Industries Limited.8. Shri Dilip Shantilal Shanghvi.9. Shri Vijay Shekhar Sharma.10. Tech Mahindra Limited.11. Vodafone m-pesa Limited. • UAE-based bank Emirates NBD ties-up with Axis Bank, Empays Payment to transfer money directly into registered mobile numbers in India from UAE. • Centre declared that the second and fourth Saturday of every month would be a holiday for banks, with effect from September 1, 2015. • RBI’s nine-member Committee headed by R Gandhi recommended conversion of UCBs with business size of 20000 crore rupees or more into regular banks. • Online investment account launched by ICICI Securities for investment in mutual funds. • SBI announced that they are “working on” its low-cost consumer touch model to compete with payments banks in the remote areas-Arundhati Bhattacharya, Chairman of SBI. • Finance Minister Arun Jaitley inaugurated the Bandhan Bank in Kolkata’s Science City Auditorium on -first private bank in 11 years. • DRDO entered into licensing agreements with Ramdev’s company for transfer of Seabuckthorn technology based products developed by Defence Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR). • ICICI Bank launches ‘mortgage guarantee’ backed loans for retail customers allows a borrower to enhance the loan amount by up to 20% and also provides the option to extend the repayment period up to 67 years of age is launched by ICICI Bank. • Indian Bank launches IndPay mobile app service enables its customers to operate bank accounts from anywhere, anytime. • Canara Bank said the government will infuse an equity capital of Rs 947 crore in the bank. • HDFC Bank, slashed its base rate the minimum rate at which it lends by 0.35 percent to 9.35 percent.

Business

• Alibaba is to invest 4000 crore rupees in m-commerce giant paytm. • International Labour Organisation(ILO) and The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry(FICCI) signed an MoU for co-operation for establishing a National Coordination Centre for Sustaining Competitive and Responsible Enterprises(SCORE) Training Services in India to provide training to Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). • Visa is going to provide a new mobile payment service app mVisa in India. • India extended anti-dumping duty on Vitamin-C at 3.74USD per kg imports from China. • GOI has imposed 10 percent of import duty on wheat till March 31 2016 - gain revenue of about Rs 90 crore in the remaining part of the year. • According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) report, India retains its top position as the world’s largest exporter of beef which extended its lead over Brazil. • Shanghai-based Smartphone maker, Phicomm to invest $1 billion to set up India unit in Gurgaon or Bangalore, local Brownfield assembly unit and contract manufacturing units in India. • Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO) has fully commissioned and started commercial production at the first indigenous Titanium Sponge Plant at Chavara in Kerala. • Google restructuring under new parent company Alphabet Inc.Android and Chrome operating systems will be 11 | P a g e Follow Us - FB.com/AffairsCloudOfficialPage Copyright 2015 @ AffairsCloud.Com

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led by Sundar Pichai.Mr Larry Page will become chief executive of Alphabet. • Uninor signed worth Rs 1,200 cr contract with Huawei to modernise and manage its network across six circles in India within a three-year time frame. • Tata Sons will raise its stake to 41.06 percent in low-cost carrier AirAsia India. • India set to turn a big buyer of airplane Boeing’s annual India Current Market outlook(CMO),airplanes numbering 1460 with $160 billion. • India imposed Anti-dumping duty on potassium carbonate imports from Taiwan, South Korea based on the recommendations of the Directorate General of Anti-Dumping Duty (DGAD). • Trade Deficit widens to $12.8 billion as exports drop by Ministry of commerce and industry. • Datawind to open 2 more plants in India - Amritsar and partnered with Reliance Communications • The World Championships silver medallist regained the No. 1 rank ahead of Carolina Marin and also struck a landmark deal with management company IOS Sports & Entertainment. • The Indian foodgrain production is projected to decline by 4 .66 percent to 252.68 millio n tonnes in 2014-15 due to “setbacks” in kharif and rabi seasons. • Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation, owner of the country’s top dairy products brand Amul, plans to invest Rs 600 crore in a greenfield cheese plant in Palanpur. • India imposed Anti-dumping duty on Linen imports from China and Hong Kong. • MoU was signed between the Connecticut-based firm United Technologies and Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar to manufacture air conditioners at an eight-acre facility in Gurgaon • Lenovo has begun local manufacturing of smartphones at Sriperumbudur near manufacturing partner Flextronics, becoming the second Chinese company after Xiaomi to have its mobile devices made in India. • BSE sets up new system -Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs) used for checking money laundering through stock markets was set up by BSE stock exchange. • YouTube tied-up with Whistling Woods International(WWI) to set up YouTube Space in Mumbai. • Prasar Bharati(PB)(A Surya Prakash) and Russian Pay-TV programmer Digital Television Russia(DTR)(Dmitry Mednikov Yurievich) signed a deal on cooperation focussing on high quality production, marketing and distribution of content related to art, culture, research and technology. • Global nutraceuticals market is expected to cross $262.9 billion by 2020 from the current level of $182.6 by the report of Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India(Assocham) and RNCOS. • Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) in a 37-page order bars 59 entities from trading, buying, selling or dealing in the securities markets, either directly or indirectly-Rs 5,000-6,000 crore. • Life Insurance Corporation of India, bought 86 percent of shares on offer, in state-run Indian Oil Corp ,salvaging a $1.4 billion government sale. • Reliance Communications partnership with Internet of Things(IoT) platform provider Jasper to launch their IoT services to offer Internet of Things services in India. • DRDO collaborates with Patanjali Ayurved for marketing Seabuckthorn based products.

Appointments & Resigns

• Ved Prakash Mahawar takes charge as Director (Onshore) of state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation(ONGC). • S.K. Roy appointed as chairman of the Life Insurance Council,the apex industry body of insurers in the country.He will be heading the three members Executive Committee. • Lt Gen MMS Rai appointed as vice chief of Army staff by succeeding Lt Gen Philip Campose.Presently he was the chief of staff of Nothern command at udhampur. • Ganga Ram Agarwal has been appointed as new secretary of Railway board by replacing PC Gajbhiye. Presently he was the chief electrical Engineer in Central Railway an officer of Indian Railway Serives of Electrical Engineering(IRSEE). 12 | P a g e Follow Us - FB.com/AffairsCloudOfficialPage Copyright 2015 @ AffairsCloud.Com

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• Mercedes-Benz appointed Roland S Floger as managing Director and CEO of its Indian operations succeeding Eberhard Kern. • Nilanjan Roy is appointed as global Chief Financial Officer(CFO) of Bharathi Airtel, taking over from Srikanth Balachandaran and also appointed Rajiv Mathrani as Chief Brand Officer for its India operations. • Boston Consulting Group(BCG) appointed Neeraj Aggarwal as its Managing Director, replacing Arindam Bhattacharya. • Atul Keshap appointed as Ambassador to Sri Lanka,Maldives. • Department of Personnel and Training(DoPT) appointed Scientist Soumya Swaminathan as Director General(DG) of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Secretary in Department of Health Research. • Shri Rajiv Kumar Nagpal appointed as the next Ambassador of lndia to Iceland. • Satender Kumar appointed as the next Ambassador of lndia to Republic of Suriname. • Sanjay Rana appointed as the next Ambassador of lndia to the Republic of Azerbaijan. • Snapdeal appointed Amitava Ghosh former Chief Technology Officer (CTO) as Vice President Engineering. • Accenture appointed Rekha Menon as its new India chairman to succeed Avinash Vashistha. • Pranab Mukherjee appointed Ram Nath Kovind, Acharya Dev Vrat appointed Bihar, HP Governors . • Amrit Lugun appointed as Ambassador of Republic of the Sudan. • Telecomunications secretary Rakesh Garg has given additinal charge of secretary in department of electronics and information technology(DEITY) replacing S. Sharma. • Sundar Pichai was appointed as the new CEO of the technology giant Google. • Mallinckrodt, biopharmaceutical company acquires immunotherapy company Therakos Inc, for approximately 1.325 billion US dollars. • Larsen and Toubro appointed former Infosys executive Sanjay Jalona as the Managing Director and CEO of its IT arm, L&T Infotech. • Sudhakar Shetty of Maharashtra was elected as the president of the Gymnastics Federation of India (GFI) succeeds Jaspal Singh Kandhari. • Rajeev Shahare appointed as the Ambassador of India to Denmark. • Mafatlal Industries appointed Aniruddha Deshmukh as Chief Executive(CEO) and Managing Director. • Chief of Sabar Dairy, Jethabhai Patel, was re-elected as the chairman of the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF). • Justice Jayant Patel has been appointed as acting Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court. • Indian-American Atul Keshap appointed as new US Envoy to Srilanka • Om Prakash Rawat, a former Madhya Pradesh cadre IAS officer was appointed as the new Election Commissioner. • Rohit Chadda, co-founder of online food ordering and delivery firm Foodpanda India, has stepped down as MD. • Former cab secy Ajit Kumar Seth appointed PESB(Public Enterprises Selection Board) chief. • Gov has appointed senior lawyer Arun P Sathe on the board of markets regulator Sebi. • P S Jayakumar selected to head Bank of Baroda and Laxmi Vilas Bank Rakesh Sharma (57) selected to head Canara Bank.Ravi Venkatesan appointed as non-Exeuctive Chairman of Bank of Baroda. T N Manoharan appointed as non-Executive Chairman of Canara Bank • IDBI (Industrial Development Bank of India) appointed Kishor Piraji Kharat as its new MD and CEO. • Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar agreed to become Maharashtra’s tiger ambassador. • Britain’s Sebastian Coe become world athletics chief. • Abhay Kumar Singh Appointed as Private Secy To Agriculture Minister by Department of Personnel and Training. • PM Narendra Modi-led Appointments Committee of the Cabinet(ACC) assigned additional charge of Director, Enforcement Directorate to Karnal Singh. • Lieutenant General NPS Hira,Commander of Vajra Corps,appointed as Chief of Staff Northern Command at Udhampur.

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• Ashwani Lohani appointed as CMD of Air India Ltd succeed Rohit Nandan by the Appointment Cabinet Committee (ACC). • Ranil Wickremesinghe has sworn-in as the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka for fourth time. • Indian actor Anupam Kher appointed as the advocate for the United Nations’ Campaign “He For She” by UN Women Deputy Executive Director Lakshmi Puri . • AirAsia India appointed Mittu Chandilya as theMD of the company in addition to his current role as Chief Executive Officer CEO. • Justice (Retd) M L Tahaliyani called as ‘green judge’ sworn in as the new Maharashtra Lokayukta, at the Darbar Hall of Raj Bhavan. • Indian-origin businessman Gaurang Desai appointed as the new CEO of the Dubai Gold and Commodities Exchange in the UAE. • Veteran actor-filmmaker Amol Palekar has been appointed the chairman of India’s Oscar jury by the Film Federation of India (FFI), succeed Hariharan and Goutam Ghose. • Indian-American Vince Chhabria appointed as full-time federal judge by Obama-Bay Area’s first Indian- American federal judge. • HarperCollins appointed Ananth Padmanabhan as CEO of HarperCollins India. • Girish Sahni appointed as Director General of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research(CSIR) and Secretary, Department of Scientific & Industrial Research (DSIR), Ministry of Science & Technology. • Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) plans to beef up its headcount has embarked on a special recruitment drive for hiring 46 officers from weaker section of the society. • Sanjay Kapoor is stepping down as chairman of Micromax after joining the country’s No. 2 handset maker Samsung. • Rajiv Mangla appointed as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of eCommerce major Snapdeal. • Dr Kandakatla Manohar appointed as Director of NIMS Nizams Institute of Medical Sciences replacing Dr L Narendranath. • Tsewang Namgyal appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Cuba. • Rajeev Kumar appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Senegal. • Krishan Kumar appointed as the next Ambassador of lndia to the Czech Republic. • Ajay Kumar Sharma appointed as the next Ambassador of lndia to the Republic of Mali • Novak Djokovic -tennis player appointed as the a new goodwill ambassador for the UN Fund for Children. • Harcharan Singh appointed as Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee(SGPC) Chief. • Rajasthan cadre IAS officer Rajiv Mehrishi became the third Home Secretary replaces L.C. Goyal. • Senior IAS officer Raghav Chandra appointed as the Chairman of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

Acquisitions & Mergers

• Banque Nationale de Paris (BNP) Paribas to acquire Sharekhan, one of the first movers in the country’s online broking segment at a value between Rs 2,000 crore and Rs 2,200 crore- Joris Dierckx,head of BNP India. • Russia’s Rosneft to acquire 49% stake in Essar Oil - USD 3.2 billion. • Yahoo acquires style-tip specialist Polyvore. • Indian Ministry of Tourism assign Incredible India advertising campaign to McCann Erickson replacing Ogilvy India. • Airtel M-Commerce Services(AMSL), subsidiary of telecom service provider Bharti Airtel acquired digital financial company Yatra Tatra Sarvatra(YTS) Solutions to boost wallet services. • Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL), a Navratna company and National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) has decided to form a joint venture to set up a “Greenfield coal fired power plant”- Chairman cum Managing Director of RINL: P. Madhusudan.

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• Murugappa’s Group will form a Joint Venture(JV) with Japan-based Organo Group for providing water treatment services in the industrial sector. • Thomas Cook (India)Ltd has acquired Swiss tourism major Kuoni’s travel business in India and Hong Kong for Rs 535 crore. • Ministry of Defence(MoD) approving a proposal by the Defence Research and Development Organization(DRDO) for Transfer of Technology(ToT) for commercial production of its LAKSHYA pilotless target aircraft (PTA) to private sector defence manufacturer Larsen and Toubro (L&T). • Taiwan company Foxconn signed MoU with the Maharashtra Gov to invest $5 billion. • Pramerica Mutual Fund acquired Indian asset management business of Deutsche Mutual Fund(India) for an undisclosed sum. • Xiaomi ties up with Foxconn to set up 1st Assembly line in Andhra Pradesh at Sri City • South Korean steelmaker Posco, Joint Venture with Uttam Steel to set up steel plant in Maharashtra with an investmwnt amount of $1 billion • US company Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway buy Precision Castparts, a leading supplier for aerospace industry, for USD 37.2 billion and it is the largest industrial deal in 50-year history. • Hero Cycles acquires majority stake in UK’s Avocet Sports - Hero Cycles Chairman and MD Pankaj Munjal. • Group, green energy company in Hyderabad of India signed a non-binding deal with GIC (Government of Singapore Investment Corporation) the sovereign wealth fund of Singapore agreeing to sell its India assets to GIC – Rs.1600 Cr. • Real estate listing portal Housing.com has acquired Bengaluru-based HomeBuy360 for $2 million or Rs 13 crore. • Birla Corp to acquire two cement units from Lafarge India having a capacity of 5.15 million tonnes per annum for Rs. 5,000 crore. • Google and Amazon in fray to buy Tata’s data centre for Rs 4,261.4 crore to Rs 4,589.2 crore ($650-700 million). • Bharti Airtel Limited tied-up with the Uber Cabs, allowing Uber riders to pay using Airtel’s mobile wallet service Airtel Money. • Joint venture IFFCO-MC Crop Science Private Ltd, IFFCO holds 51% stake and the rest is held by Mitsubishi.

Awards & Recognition

• Cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin presented with Arjuna Award by the Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal in New Delhi. • Hindi litterateur Kashinath Singh chosen for Bharat Bharti literary award 2014 • Jalore electoral officer Rajan Vishal was awarded for Election commission’s Zonal award under the Best Electoral Practices Award-2014 at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on August 10 th 2015. • Bollywood stars Amitabh Bachchan(7 th ), Salman Khan(9 th ) and Akshay Kumar(18 th )are among the world’s top ten highest-paid actors in Forbes first global list of actors and Ranbir Kapoor(30 th ). • The International Centre for Theoretical Physics(ICTP),Italy, Department of Science and Technology, GOI, and the International Mathematical Union(IMU) joinly awarded the 2015 Ramanujan Prize to Hindu Mathematician Dr. Amalendu Krishna, Professor of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai. • Hindi litterateur Kashinath Singh chosen for UP state’s highest literary award Bharat Bharti literary award 2014. • National Dairy Development Board won the ESRI( Environmental Systems Research Institute) Special Achievement in GIS Award 2015. • Russian journalist, Zhanna Nemtsova awarded with Poland’s Solidarity Prize 2015 by President Bronisław Komorowski. • Sanjiv Sambandan wins Google Pitch Fest at IISc in Bengaluru.

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• Top 20 Tech Billionaires in the world : Bill Gates got rank 1 with net worth $79.6bn. Larry Ellison founder of oracle got rank 2 with net worth of $50bn.Azim premji (founder of wipro) has been awarded 11th place.Shiv nadir (founder and chairman of HCL Technologies) got rank 5th with Rs 94.3 crore. • Goa Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar honoured with PATWA awards-safari India south Asia travel award for the year 2015 at a ceremony in New delhi. • Indian Sociobiologist and professor Raghavendra Gadagkarwas awarded Germany’s highest civilian honor “The Cross of Order of the Merit”. • Kashmir Valley flood coverage has been announced as one of the eight international nominees for the 2015 news and current affairs categories of the 2015 International Emmy Awards. • Bobby Jindal becomethe youngest US Republican presidential. • Diplomatic and Strategic Affairs Editor at The Hindu -Suhasini Haidar,selected for the Prem Bhatia Memorial Award for Excellence in Political Reporting and Analysis, 2014. • 23-year-old prisoner Ajeet Kumar Saroj lodged in the Varanasi Central Jail has been awarded a gold medal by the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) for topping in Diploma in Tourism Studies (DTS). • Kerala government announces State film awards 2014: The list of awardees was declared by State Minister for Cinema Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.Nivin Pauly and Sudev Nair - Best Actors. Nazriya Nazim - Best Actress. Ottal - Best Movie. Om Shanti Oshana - Best Popular Movie. • President Pranab Mukherjee presented 24th Saraswati Sammaan for the year 2014 award to Dr. M Veerappa Moily, Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha). • Kochi become first Indian city to join World Tourism Cities Federation(WTCF) Council. • UP approved new guidelines for Begum Akhtar Award-modification empowers the CM to make any further modify to the guidelines and Begum Akhtar Award is named after Akhtari Bai Faizabadi. • Facebook awarded $21 million to Indian app developers under Fb Start initiative.Under this, Facebook runs two tracks called ‘Accelerate companies’ and ‘Bootstrap companies’. • Martha Bhaskar Rao, an Ayurvedic surgeon of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams-run Sri Venkateswara Ayurvedic College, Tirupati, has received ‘Vaidya Ratna’ award at a function organised recently by Suman Art Theatres in Hyderabad. • Professor Ajay Sood from the Department of Physics at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) elected as the fellow of prestigious Royal Society. • PAHAL scheme enters into Guinness Book of world records as the world’s largest cash transfer program (households). • Rakesh Sharma and Vikramjit from Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir got AIATF awards for overpowering Pak terrorist. • Taj Mahal becomes first historical monument in the world to have a Twitter account-@Taj Mahal launched by CM of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav. • Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa awarded the first APJ Abdul Kalam award to ISRO scientist N. Valarmathi, Programme Director, Microwave Remote Sening Programme, ISRO Satellite Centre (Bangalore). • Bhumi Pednekar,Indian actress, who played an overweight girl in the film “Dum Laga Ke Haisha” won the best actress award at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) 2015. • Sania gets Khel ratna, 17 others get Arjuna Awards.They are 1. P R Sreejesh (Hockey) 10. Swarn Singh Virk (Rowing) 2. Dipa Karmakar (Gymnastics) 11. Satish Sivalingam (Weightlifting) 3. Jitu Rai (Shooting) 12. Yumnam Santhoi Devi (Wushu) 4. Sandeep Kumar (Archery) 13. Sharath Gaekwad (Para-sailing) 5. Mandeep Jangra (Boxing) 14. M R Poovamma (Athletics) 6. Babita (Wrestling) 15. Manjeet Chhillar (Kabaddi) 7. Bajrang (Wrestling) 16. Abhilasha Mhatre (Kabaddi) 8. Rohit Sharma (Cricket) 17. Anup Kumar Yama (Rollerskating). 9. K Srikanth (Badminton)

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• Shri M. Hamid Ansari , Vice President of India presented Gujar Mal Modi Award 2015 to Prof. Mustansir Barma for his commendable contribution in the field of Science and Technology. • Kerala has set policy framework to make it first 'digitally literate' state in India,State Minister for Industries and IT P K Kunhalikutty. • Kandarp Sharma and Ritvika of Gwalior are the youngest two Indian siblings who set a new record to reach the base camp of the world's highest peak, the Mount Everest-altitude of 5,380 metres in northeast Nepal. • Queen Elizabeth is all set to become Britain’s longest-reigning monarch in history. • Tamil Nadu leads in organ donation in the country with organs of 683 persons being harvested and donated to over 3,000 beneficiaries. • Lonely Planet ranks Taj Mahal as world’s fifth most attractive travel hotspot – UNESCO. • Lionel Richie will receive the 2016 MusiCares Person of the Year award in honor of his storied music career and charitable work for multitude causes. • Novelist Zia Haider Rahman , Bangladeshi writer won Britain’s oldest literary award -James Tait Black Literary Prizes awarded by the University of Edinburgh. • Union tourism ministry conferred the title of 'twin national heritage cities' to the temple towns of Rishikesh and Haridwar - first of its kind instance where a city has been given such a tag. • Indian troupe Desi Hoppers — a group of seven members from across the country has emerged victorious at the World of Dance Championship in Los Angeles. • History writer Balwant Moreshwar Purandare was conferred with the ‘Maharashtra Bhushan’ award, the state’s highest honour,at Raj Bhavan, Mumbai. • TCS(64) ,Hindustan Unilever(41),Larsen & Toubro(58), Sun Pharma Industries(65) and Bajaj Autonamed (96)among the world’s 100 most innovative companies by Forbes in a list that has been topped by Tesla Motors. • List of highest-paid actresses according to the annual thespian earnings survey by Forbes. 1. Jennifer Lawrence, $52m,2. Scarlett Johansson, $35.5m,3. Melissa McCarthy, $23m,4. Bingbing Fan, $21m,5. Jennifer Aniston, $16.5m,6. Julia Roberts, $16m,7. Angelina Jolie, $15m,8. Reese Witherspoon, $15m,9. (tie) Anne Hathaway, $12m,10. (tie) Kristen Stewart, $12m. • India’s High Commissioner to Singapore, Vijay Singh Thakur , received ‘Asian of the Year 2014 ’ award by leading Singapore daily The Straits Times , on behalf of PM Narendra Modi . • India Maharashtra-based micro-irrigation firm Jain Irrigation Systems(7 th ) is the only company from the country named in Fortune magazine’s ‘Change the World’ list of companies. • Syria woman journalist Zaina Erhaim won the prestigious 2015 Peter Mackler Award for Courageous and Ethical Journalism at the National Press Club in Washington in late October 2015. • Punjabi University of Patiala won the prestigious Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA ) Trophy for the year2014 ,eighth time -Punjabi University vice-chancellor Jaspal Singh collect the award from President Pranab Mukherjee on the occasion of National Sports Day . • Co-Founder and Chief Executive of the Fb Mark Zuckerberg is the wealthiest individual under the age of 35 – $41.6 billion, Dustin Moskovitz-second place-$9.3 billion, Huiyan Yang, Huiyan Yang- third spot with $5.9 billion by Wealth-X report. • Dronacharya Award 2015: 1)Naval Singh- Athletics Para-sports coach,2)Harbans Singh- Athletics coach.3)Anoop Singh– Wrestling coach.4)Swatantar Raj Singh- Boxing coach.5)Nihar Ameen- Swimming coach. • Dhyan Chand Award 2015: 1)Romeo James– Hockey,2)Shiv Prakash Mishra- Tennis,3)P.P Nair– Volleyball. • Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar 2015: 1)Directorate General of Military Training (DGMT),2)Coal India Limited (CIL) .3)Haryana State Police.4).Sports Coaching Foundation (SCF). • 1st Sunhak Peace Prize 2015 was awarded to award to Kiribati President Anote Tong and fisheries scientist Dr. M. Vijay Gupta • 3 Indians - Pradeep Goyal, Vivekanand Kain, and Gankidi Madhusudhan Reddy and 3 Indian-origin achievers named Pranesh Aswath, Suveen Mathaudhu, Muthukumarasamy Sadayappan are among 29 people are named

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as Fellows this year by the American Society for Metals. • Mukesh Ambani dethrones Dilip Shanghvi as world’s richest Indian-with a net worth of $18.2 billion. • President Pranab Mukherjee awarded the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award 2015 to Indo-Tibetan Border Police official and mountaineer Jot Singh.

Science & Technology

• China is building the world’s biggest radio telescope-Five hundred meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) ,cost of 1.2 billion Yuan and diameter of 500 meters. • Researchers at the University Of Geneva(UNIGE), have discovered 3 super-Earths found 21 light years from Earth called HD 219134,using the HARPS-N spectrograph on the Italian Telescopio Nazionale Galileo at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory in Canary Islands. • Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO) will be launching nine nano/ micro satellites for United States during 2015-16 , 45 satellites from 19 countries said by Deviprasad Karnik, ISRO Director Public Relation. • Facebook Unveils Solar Drone-1st full scale drone that can beam the internet down to earth-Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. • Microsoft introduces translator app which users can type or speak the word or phrase they want translated. In response, the app will show the translated text on the screen • Software Technology Parks of India(STPI),an autonomous society under Union ministry of communication and information technology,plans to set up a facilitation centre at Bhubaneswar, Odisha • Microsoft will be working with AP Gov on TV White Spaces Project, a technology that uses unused TV spectrum to deliver low-cost Internet connection to users. AP CM N Chandrababu Naidu. • NASA’s engine for next-generation rocket RS-25 engine successfully tested at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. • China successfully test fired the power system of a Long March-5 carrier which is stated to be the largest space launch vehicle, used in the Chang'e-5 lunar mission around 2017. • Android’s next version named as Marshmallow. • ISRO successfully launched India’s communication satellite GSAT-6 first 2,000-kg-plus satellite using the Geo-synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) D6 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.

Environment

• New frog species named ‘Indirana Salelkari’ discovered at Netravali (Neturlim) in Sanguem Taluk by Wildlife researchers in Netravali forest sanctuary in Southern Goa. • Kanpur Zoological Park is only zoo in UttarPradesh to get a rare status of ISO certification 14001:2004. • Maharashtra govt declares Thane creek area as ‘Flamingo Sanctuary’,located on the western bank, between the Airoli and Vashi bridges that connect Mumbai with Navi Mumbai. • Australian PM Tony Abbott announced to cut emissions by 26-28 percent of 2005 levels by 2030, a target that will be submitted as part of negotiations on a global climate deal in Paris at the end of the year 2015. • Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar announced 347 species of flora and 424 of fauna, including two reptiles have been discovered in the country in 2013-2014. • India lost 41 tigers in 7 months by NTCA(National Tiger Conservation Authority) under the Ministry of Environment and Forests and TRAFFIC-India. • Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel today announced a ban on the use of plastic in the state. • Union environment minister Prakash Javadekar announced that eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) around the Okhla Bird Sanctuary in Delhi will be kept within reasonable limits after consulting members of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL).

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Sports

• India’s Saurav Ghosal at top 20 of Professional Squash Association(PSA) men’s rankings,Egyptian Mohamed EI Shorbagy is on top of the men’s Section, Malaysian star Nicaol David at the top of women’s rankings .From India In women Ranking’s Jodhana Chinappa is at 28 th rank and Dipika Pallikal is at 18 th rank. • Ranveer Singh Saini becoming the first Indian golfer to win a gold medal at the Special Olympics World Games. • India’s Prabhroop Sekhon wins 2 golds(300m and 500m Roller Skating) in Special Olympics World Games • South Sudan to become 206th member of the Olympic family approved by International Olympic Committee- South Sudan’s Olympic chief Wilson Kuoirot. • Indian women’s archery team(Deepika Kumari, Laxmirani Majhi and Rimil Buriuly) won silver medal defeated by Russian team(Inna Stepanova, Ksenia Perova and Tuyana Dashidorzhieva) in World Archery Championship in Copenhagen, Denmark . • Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award Scheme to nominate Sania and others are in Indian Hockey captain Sardara Singh, Squash player Dipika Pallikal, Discus thrower Vikas Gowda, Sprinter Tintu Luka and Archer Abhishek Verma. • Joshna Chinappa(10 th WSA title) defeated Line Hansen won the Women’s Squash Title in the US 15,000 dollars Victorian Open Women’s Squash Association (WSA) event in Melbourne, Australia. • ‘Frisbee’ officially recognized as an Olympic sport by the IOC at the 128th Session in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. • Rajat Chauhan of Rajasthan won silver in World Archery Championship by defeating Stephan Hansen of Denmark. • Sarah Sjostrom from Sweden breaks old world record in the women’s 100m butterfly in world swimming championship held in Kazan, Russia. • Indian artistic gymnast Dipa Karmakar from Agartala has won the women’s vault bronze medal at the Asian Championships help in Hiroshima.Chinese Yan Wang(gold) and Sae Miyakawa(Silver) from Japan. • US( Ryan Murphy, Kevin Cordes, Kendyl Stewart and Lia Neal - 3 min 42.33 sec ) breaks the world record in World Swimming Championship by breaking the Russia’s world record at the world swimming championships in Kazan, Russia. • India won 173 medals(47 gold, 54 silver and 72 bronze in 14 disciplines)at the special Olympic world Summer games 2015 in Los Angeles. • The Indian football team continued to be at 156 th in the latest FIFA rankings, as world champions Germany dropped to number three,Argentina still holding on to the number one spot. • Australia captain Michael Clarke retired from International cricket. • Board of Control for Cricket in India(BCCI) formed an ad-hoc five-member committee for cricket administration in Bihar and Uttarakhand. • Alzain Tareq, 10 year old Bahrainian girl -50 meter butterfly heats in World Championships in Kazan became the youngest-ever swimmer at world championships. • Jawahar Thayankari of Vembanad Boat Club,Kumarakom won the 63rd Nehru Trophy Boat Race at Punnamada Lake,Kerala. • Saina, Srikanth upbeat as India chase medals at World Championship for the first time. • England wins Ashes 2015 against Australia at Trent Bridge. • A British teenager Tom Davies-19, completed 30,000 kilometer around-the-world cycling journey -£60,000 for charity,including Prostate Cancer UK,Carney’s Community. • Indian hockey team midfielder Gurbaj Singh from punjab has been suspended for 9 months by Hockey India,because of his ‘misbehaviour and creating disharmony within the team. • India test cricket team trying to get third in the ICC Test rankings,At present India is at fifth rank . • Indian under-12 team finishes 2nd in Asian Youth Football defeated Team Xi’an AIZI football club of China and won second place in Asian Youth Football Festa 2015 held at Anseong, South Korea. • Pullela Gopichand's daughter Gayatri created history by becoming the youngest player to win two U-17 girls 19 | P a g e Follow Us - FB.com/AffairsCloudOfficialPage Copyright 2015 @ AffairsCloud.Com

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doubles titles in All India Junior (U-17 and U-19) Ranking Badminton tournament at Dehradun. • India’s Prakash Nanjappa(52 nd rank) who is 39 years old has earned a quota place for the 2016 Rio Olympics after getting eighth position in the finals of 50-metre men’s pistol event at the ISSF World Cup in Gabala, Azerbaijan. • Kabaddi is going to be big in Poland by 2016 said by polishkabbadi player Michael Spiczko. • India’s Pankaj Advani won his 9th world title by winning the IBSF 6 Reds World Championship snooker crown in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt by defeating Kacper Filipiak of Poland. • Srikanth World No. 3 Indian badminton player defeated Chinese Taipei’s Hsu Jen Hao and Prannoy Haseena Sunil Kumaralso defeated Uganda’s Ekiring Edwin in World Championship. • Indian golfer Anirban Lahiri won the star-studded Long Drive Competition at the Whistling Straits in the traditional event preceding the PGA Championships. • Maharashtra Government declared Dahi Handi as an "adventurous sport" to the human pyramids of 'Govindas' which are formed during the Dahi Handi festival. • Indian Men hockey team won European series by winning 2 matches in three matches series after winning final match against spain. • India’s fielder Ajinkya Rahane of Mumbai became the first in Test history to take eight catches, achieving the feat in the ongoing first cricket match against Sri Lanka in Galle. • Chain Singh clinches India’s 7th Olympic quota place after finishing eighth in the 50m rifle 3-position event at the World Cup in Gabala, Azerbaijan. • Australia names Steve Smith as captain of the Cricket team. • Saina Nehwal won silver medal at the World Badminton and become the first Indian world champion in badminton ended in heartbreak in Jakarta. • Abhishek Verma beat Iranian archer Esmail Ebadi to win gold medal in Archery World Cup in Poland. • Junior Boys: Final:Ronit Bhanja (WB) won against Abhimanyu Mitra (WB).Junior Girls: Final:Archana Kamath (AAI) won against R. Harshavardhini (TN) in the South Zone National-ranking table tennis championships at the Nehru Indoor Stadium. • Anirban Lahiri tied eighth after the third round of the $10,000,000 97th Professional Golfers Association (PGA) Championship at the par-72 Whistling Straits. • Andy Murray run against Novak Djokovic to win the Rogers Cup in Montreal,Canada.In the Women’s section, Belinda Bencic of Switzerland ,In the Women’s Doubles, the French-Slovenian team of Caroline Garcia and Katarina Srebotnik and Men’s Doubles trophy was bagged by America’s top seeded Bryan brothers, Bob and Mike. • Aditi Chauhan, India’s international football goalkeeper, has became the country’s first woman to play English league football. • Bangladesh defeated defending champions of India to won maiden Under-16 South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) championship title 2015 at the Sylhet District Stadium • Chess prodigy Aryan Chopra, 13 years and 10 months old has become India’s second youngest International Master (IM) after Parimarjan Negi. • Deepak Paul Chinnappa pulled off a dramatic win in the top-end Indian Touring Cars race in the fifth and concluding round of the MMSC-FMSCI National Racing Championship. • Karthik Tharanisingh clinched the title in the MRF Formula Ford 1600 series at the MMRT track. • India’s Golfer Aditi Ashok became the first Indian to win the Ladies British Amateur stroke play golf championship at the Moortown Golf Club. • Western & Southern Open of 2015 was held in Mason from 15 th August to 23 rd August, 2015. • Men’s Singles finals – Roger Federer defeated Novak Djokovic. • Women’s Singles finals –Serena defeated Simona Halep of Romania. • Open Era Men’s Doubles champions – Daniel Nestor of Canada and Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France defeated Marcin Matkowski of Poland and Serbia’s Nenad Zimonjic.

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• Open Era Women’s Doubles champions – Chinese Taipei duo Chan Hao-ching and Chan Yung- jan defeated Casey Dellacqua and Yaroslava Shvedova of Australia and Kazakhstan. • Usain Bolt beats Justin Gatlin for gold in 100 at worlds championship-third time. • U Mumba overcame a fighting Bengaluru Bulls to crown Pro KabaddiLeague 2015 at a packed NSCI Stadium in Mumbai. • England cricket team won 2015 Ashes Test series against Australia in the fifth and final match at The Kia Oval. • Lalita Shivaji ,Maharashtra girl Babar smashed her own national record in a creditable performance to qualify for the women’s 3000m steeplechase final in the World Athletics Championships. • Rahane, Mishra climb to career best 20th and 39th spots in the International Cricket Council (ICC) rankings. • Australia’s man of the series-Chris Rogers retire from international cricket. • Lewis Hamilton beat Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg and wins the Belgian Grand Prix championship. • Sports Authority of India(SAI) organize sports tournaments across India to identify talent, arrange to nurture it and take them through the city, district, state, zonal and national level of competitive sport. • 1st time in the history of weightlifting, an individual international tournament will be organised in India when it hosts the Commonwealth Youth, Junior and Senior Weightlifting Championships in Pune from October 11-15. • AB de Villiers broke Sourav Ganguly’s record of fastest 8000 ODI runs during the third ODI against New Zealand in Durban on 26 Aug, 2015. • Air India won the Guru Tegh Bahadur Hockey title after 7 years against Army XI 3-1,Final at the MHA- Mahindra Stadium in Mumbai. • PCB announced Doha, Qatar as the venue for hosting the inaugural edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) from February 4-24 next year. • Jamaica’s Usain Bolt wins(5 th time) fourth straight 200m world title 2015 World Athletics Championships held in china. • Barcelona’s Lionel Messi has received the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award for the second time. • Indian women’s hockey team qualifies to the Olympics after 36 years courtesy England making it to the final of the ongoing Euro Hockey Championships in London. • Virat Kohli has climbed up a place to number4 in the ICC rankings for the ODI batsmen, while the side retained its second position in the team list. • Ian Bell, England’s record ODI run-scorer, with 5,416 runs in 161 matches has announced his retirement from One Day Internationals. • In World Cadet Championship gold medal won by Wrestler Anil in the 50 kg freestyle category and grappler Ankus won silver medal in the 38 kg female category . • 15 th IAAF World Championships in Athletics was held between 22 August and 30 August 2015 at the Bird’s Nest Stadium at Beijing’s in China-Kenya(1 st - 16 medals),Jamaica (2 nd -12 medals) and SA (3 rd -18 medals).

Obituary

• Multi-award winning American country music singer Lynn Rene Anderson(The Great Lady of Country Music) died. • Former minister of Madhya Pradesh and senior BJP leader Jagannath singh passed away. • Commentator and journalist Sir Peter O’Sullevan(Voice of Racing) was died. • Punjab’s World War 2 hero Colonel Harwant Singh died. • Veteran Hollywood actor George Cole,best known as loveable rogue Arthur Daley from the TV series Minder has died. • Arnold Scaasi, the Canadian-born Fashion designer died. • Canadian doctor and thalidomide hero Oldham Kelsey died. • Freedom fighter, teacher, journalist and poet Kayyara Kinhanna Rai died.

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• Former Inter Services Intelligence(ISI) chief Lt General (retd) Hamid Gul passed away. • Viji Manuel,keyboard player par excellence passed away. • India’s First Lady Suvra Mukherjee, wife of President Pranab Mukherjee, passed away. • Bud Yorkin, a director and producer of topical TV comedy with the 1970s hit “All in the Family,” died. • Malayalam film actor Paravoor Bharathan died. • Eminent Sanskrit Scholar and Indologist NR Varhadpande passed away. • Editor Satyanand Pathak,editor of a local Hindi daily, passed away. • Former Australian Test opening batsman Arthur Morris, a member of Don Bradman’s 1948 Invincibles team died . • Veteran journalist Pranab Kumar Borah died. • Former Formula One driver Justin Wilson died. • Former Philadelphia Legendary NBA Player Darryl Dawkins died. • veteran Kannada writer and former Vice-Chancellor of Kannada University,M.M. Kalburgi died • Director of Scream and Nightmare on Elm Steet,Wes Craven died. • Senior Congress leader and former minister Mohidur Rahman died.

Books & Authors

• Igniting minds: Kalam’s books fly off the shelves-Wings Of Fire has been the No. 1 best seller on Amazon.in, and it has replaced Amish Tripathi’s latest book, Scion Of Ikshvaku . • Indian author, Chetan Bhagat, launches second political nonfiction ‘Making India Awesome’ after What Young India Wants, which was published in 2012 and was a national bestseller. • Actor-turned-writer Twinkle Khanna, wife of Akshay Kumar launched her first book Mrs Funnybones. • Vice President of India Shri M. Hamid Ansari releases the book ‘Modern Thought Leaders- Lal Bahadur Shastri Memorial Lectures (1997-2014)’- edited by Shri Anil Shastri. • Army book named “1965, Turning the Tide: How India Won the War” written by defence analyst Nitin Gokhale. • Arun Jaitley Releases Book “Globalisation, Democratization and Distributive Justice” Authored by Professor Mool Chand Sharma. • Lt Gen Rakesh Sharma, Adjutant General of Indian Army released a new series of Amar Chitra Katha and Aan Comics on Aug 28,2015. • Army Commander Western Command released the book and is published by Penguin Books India,on 1965 Indo Pak War. The book, “1965 : Stories from the Second Indo-Pak War” by Rachna Bisht Rawat.

Important Days

• Aug 1, 2015: World Breast Feeeding Day • Aug 6, 2015: Hiroshima Day, Anti Nuclear Day • Aug 7, 2015 : National Handloom Day • Aug 8 , 2015: World Senior Citizen's Day • Aug 9, 2015:International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, Kiranti Divas(Quit India Day) Nagasaki Day. • Aug 10, 2015:World Bio-Fuel Day • Aug 12, 2015 : World Youth Day, World Elephant Day. • Aug 13, 2015: World Organ Donation Day. • Aug 14, 2015: Pakistan’s Independence Day • Aug 15, 2015: India’s Independence Day 22 | P a g e Follow Us - FB.com/AffairsCloudOfficialPage Copyright 2015 @ AffairsCloud.Com

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• Aug 19, 2015: World Photography Day,World Humanitarian Day • Aug 20, 2015:Sadbahavana Divas or Harmony Day • Aug 23, 2015: International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Its Abolition. • Aug 29, 2015: National Sports Day, International Day against Nuclear Tests • Aug 30, 2015: Small Industry Day.

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