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TAMIL NADU
AISHE 2016-17: TAMIL NADU LEADS IN GROSS ENROLMENT RATIO
Prakash Javadekar released All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) report 2016- 2017.
Highlights of All India Survey on Higher Education (2016-2017):
As per the findings of the survey, overall enrolment in higher education institutions across India has increased from 27.5 million in 2010-11 to 35.7 million in 2016-17.
1. Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) has increased from 24.5% in 2015-16 to 25.2 in 2016-17.
2. Gender Parity Index (GP1) too has improved from 0.86 to 0.94.
3. Tamil Nadu topped in terms of Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education. Tamil Nadu recorded 46.9% GER.
4. Among Union territories, Chandigarh topped with 56.1% GER.
5. Bihar posted lowest GER of 14.4%.
RS PURAM POLICE STATION IN TAMIL NADU RANKS INDIA'S BEST POLICE STATION
R.S. Puram Police station in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu has been adjudged as the best police station in India in SMART Police Stations initiative of Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA),
• R.S. Puram Police Station House Officer T. JOTHI, received the award from Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on January 6, 2018 at the all India conference of Director General/Inspector General of Police held at BSF Academy Tekanpur in Madhya Pradesh.
• Abbreviation SMART in SMART Police stands for S-Sensitive and Strict; M-Modern with mobility; A- Alert and Accountable; R- Reliable and Responsive; T- Trained and Techno-savvy.
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GOVERNMENT STARTS PROCESS TO BUILD INDIA'S FIRST DEFENCE 'QUAD'
Union Defence Ministry has started the process to set up India's first defence industrial 'Quad' (quadrilateral corridor) linking Chennai with four other cities of Tamil Nadu to promote industries manufacturing weapons and military equipments.
• 'Quad’ project in Tamil Nadu will connect Chennai with Hosur, Coimbatore, Salem and Tiruchirappaili.
• Officials from Defence Ministry along with representatives from defence PSUs - Hindustan
CHENNAI TOPS IN FIXED BROADBAND SPEED IN INDIA: OOKLA REPORT
According to a study titled 'India's digital divide: how broadband speed splits the nation' by Ookla, Chennai has the highest fixed broadband download speed among 20 largest cities of India.
BROADBAND SPEED IN INDIA:
In context of this news, it is important to note that for February 2018, with fixed broadband average download speed at 20.72 Mbps, India ranked 67th in the world on Speedtest Global Index.
With fixed broadband average download speed at 32.67 Megabits per second (Mbps) Chennai has topped the list and has docked 57.7% faster download speed than the average for the rest of the country.
TN GOVERNMENT ROLLS OUT AMMA FREE WI-FI ZONES
On 5th April 2018, the Tamil Nadu government launched Amma Free Wi-Fi zones in 5 cities of Tamil Nadu.
Amma Free Wi-Fi zones have been introduced at the following five locations:
1. Labour Statue at Marina, Chennai
2. Central Bus stand at Salem
3. Central Bus stand at Tiruchirappalli
4. Gandhipuram Bus Stand in Coimbatore 3 | P a g e SHANMUGAM IAS ACADEMY: 46/1, Gokhale St, Opp Senthil Kumaran Theatre, Ram Nagar, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641009 WEBSITE: iasipstnpsc.in
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5. Mattu Thavani Bus Stand in Madurai
Users of Amma Free Wi-Fi zones will be offered 20 minutes of free internet service per day. After that the users will be charged Rs 10 per hour.
This scheme will be implemented in 50 spots by Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV Corporation (TACTV). Cost of this project is Rs 8.50 crore.
TN GOVT LAUNCHES MOBILE APP FOR FARMERS
Tamil Nadu (TN) Chief Minister K Palaniswami recently launched 'Uzhavan' (meaning - farmer), a mobile application for farmers.
1. This app allows farmers to have access to nine types of services, including details about their crop insurance, information on farm subsidies, book farm equipment and related infrastructure and receiving weather forecast for the next four days.
2. 'Uzhavan' app is available in Tamil as well as in English. The app also provides information on the available stocks of seeds and fertilisers in local government and private stores. This app is an attempt by Tamil Nadu State Government to use technology for benefit of farmers in the state.
MADRAS HC BECOMES FIRST COURT IN SOUTH INDIA TO INTRODUCE E-COURT FEE PAYMENT FACILITY
On April 20, 2018, Madras High Court became the first court in south India and eighth in India to introduce e-court fee payment facility.
1. e-court fee payment facility at Madras HC was jointly launched by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami and Chief Justice of Madras High Court, Indira Banerjee. (Now VIJAYA KAMALESH TAHILRAMANI)
2. It is an advocate/litigant-centric initiative which enables advocates and litigants to pay court fee online.
3. The e-stamps would not just do away with the hassle of procuring physical court fee stamps but will also help to tackle counterfeiting.
So far, only Supreme Court and the High Courts in Delhi, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh have the e-court fee payment facility.
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018 e-WAY BILL SYSTEM
The e-Way Bill system for Intra-State movement of goods is implemented from 25th April 2018 in Arunachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Sikkim and Puducherry. e-Way Bill system for Inter-State movement of goods was launched on 1st April 2018.
As on 20th April 2018, e-Way Bill system for Intra-State movement of goods has been rolled- out in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Telangana, Tripura, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.
Tamil Nadu will implement e-Way Bill system for intra-State movement of goods on 2nd June 2018
DEFENCE EXPO 2018
Tenth edition of India's mega defence exhibition, Defence Expo 2018 began at Thiruvidanthai (on the outskirts of Chennai) on April 11, 2018.
1. This is an exhibition of weapons and military hardware that showcases India's defence manufacturing capabilities to the world.
2. Live demonstrations, flying display and seminars on weapons and military hardware will be held during the course of this four-day event.
3. Theme of Def Expo 2018 is "India: The Emerging Defence Manufacturing Hub".
INDIA'S NEXT GENERATION DEFENCE AIRCRAFT TO BE BUILD IN TAMIL NADU
The proposal for India's Next -Gen Defence aircraft has been announced by The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA).
They announced that India's fifth generation aircraft could even replace the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) tejas and will be used to propel the Government of India's Make in India campaign forward.
The next gen aircraft is called Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA). And is for the first time being built by inviting private players.
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The is also the first time that any defence project is being built outside Bangaluru. It will be built in Sulur, Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu.
CHENNAI SUPER KINGS LIFT THEIR 3RD IPL TITLE
On 27th May 2018, Chennai Super Kings won their third Indian Premier League (IPL) title at Wankhede stadium, in Mumbai.
Chennai Super Kings defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets and won the IPL title for the third time.
Shane Watson scored 117 runs which is the highest ever score in an IPL final.
EMINENT TAMIL WRITER BALAKUMARAN PASSES AWAY
On 18th May, eminent Tamil writer Balakumaran passed away at the age of 71.
• He was well known for creating strong women characters in his works.
• Some of his works include Vazhimayakkam, Mercury Pookkal, Irumbu Kuthiraigal.
• He wrote the dialogues for Mani Rathnam's award-winning film Nayakan, Shankar's Gentleman, Kaadhalan and Jeans.
TAMIL NADU STUDENTS BAG TOP SPOT AT SMART INDIA HACKATHON 2018
Students from KCJ College of Engineering, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, have won first prize at the Smart India Hackathon 2018 Hardware Edition under the 'Smart Communication’ category conducted at the CSIR-CEERI in Pilani, Rajasthan.
JAI HIND 1-S: WORLD'S LIGHTEST SATELLITE
Four students from department of aerospace engineering in Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science near Chennai have designed the world's lightest satellite named Jai Hind 1-S that weighs only 33.39 grams.
Jai Hind 1-S will be put into space in August 2018 from the Colorado Space Grant Consortium, NASA, United States.
Jai hind-l S is an experimental satellite. It might also be the cheapest satellite. It has been built with a very low budget of Rs 15,000.
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The satellite has been made by 3D printed PLA Nylon.
TAMIL NADU GOVERNMENT UNVEILS DRAFT STATE FOREST POLICY
Tamil Nadu government has released the draft state Forest Policy that aims to conserve forests and wildlife, ecosystems, and climate change mitigation etc. It was released by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami.
It aims to increase forest cover, protect wetlands and other waterbodies in Tamil Nadu. The objectives are conservation of biodiversity, wildlife, rehabiliation and restoration of degraded forests, coastal ecosystem conservation etc.
1. The policy includes engagement of local tribal communities in protection, conservation and wildlife management.
2. Tamil Nadu has nearly 30.92 % of the forest declared as 'protected areas". It has 15 wildlife sanctuaries, 5 National parks, 15 bird sanctuaries, 3 biosphere reserves and 4 project tiger areas.
3. The Nation Forest Policy, 1988, states that the area under forest and tree cover should be improved to 33 % of the geographical area of India.
4. As per this policy, Tamil Nadu will develop innovative strategies to enhance forest and tree cover from current 21.76 % to 33 % by 2030.
5. The Forest department will also develop mangroves in Tamil Nadu as 'bio- shield" along the coast as per the policy.
6. The policy will also offer a major role for women in forest management and also the National Forestry Commission has recommended allocation of 2.5 % of the budget for forest and wildlife improvement.
IIT-MADRAS UNVEILS WORD'S FIRST REMOTELY OPERABLE LEAP MICROSCOPE
On 16th July 2018, the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) launched a remotely operable microscope worth Rs 40 crore, claimed to be the world's first remotely operable LEAP microscope, which will allow precise view of atoms of a material.
The Local Electrode Atom Probe (LEAP) has been developed by the collaboration 8 major research institutions in India. It was headed by IIT-M.
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Similar devices were already available in many parts of the world. But the LEAP launched at IIT-Madras is the first one that can be operated through a special terminal by researchers divided geographically.
Special terminals to operate the device have been established in all the 8 partner institutions.
TAMIL NADU CM K. PALANISAMY LAUNCHES APP, WEBSITE ON PLASTIC POLLUTION FREE TAMILNADU
He inaugurated a campaign to highlight the impact of plastic pollution. He appointed actor Vivek as the brand ambassador of the project.
Tamil Nadu Government has announced plastic ban with effect from 1ST JANUARY 2019. iCRAFPT
International Conference on Recent Advances in Food Processing Technology (iCRAFPT) gets held at IIFPT, Thanjavur.
It would be inaugurated by Union Minister of food processing industries, Harsimrat Kaur Badal.
The theme of the conference is: 'Doubling Farmers Income through Food Processing'
3 HC JUDGES APPOINTED AS SUPREME COURT JUSTICES
The appointed judges are:
Uttarakhand High Court Chief Justice KM Joseph,
Madras High Court Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Orissa HC Chief Justice Vineet Saran.
The number of judges in the top court after the fresh appointments has gone up to 25. There would still be six vacancies. (MAX limit 31)
JUSTICE VIJAYA KAMLESH TAHILRAMANI APPOINTED AS THE CHIEF JUSTICE OF MADRAS HIGH COURT
Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Prohit will administer the oath of office.
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She replaced Justice Indira Banerjee who has been appointed as Supreme Court judge.
WORLD JUNIOR SQUASH CHAMPIONSHIPS 2018 HELD IN CHENNAI, INDIA
From 18th to 29th July 2018, World Junior Squash Championships 2018 was held in Chennai, India.
A total of 171 players including 116 men and 55 women from 28 countries took part in the World Junior Squash Championship, Cyrus Poncha was the tournament director.
The individuals event for men and women are held every year since 2009. The team event is biennial.
India finished in 11th position.
About World Squash Federation WSF:
President - Jacques Fontaine Founded - 1967.
TNPL 2018
Final: Madurai Panthers win first title with dominant win over Dindigul Dragons
On 12th August 2018, Madurai Panthers won their first Tamil Nadu Premier League 2018 title, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Madurai Panthers' Arun Karthik scored his sixth fifty of this season and remained the highest run scorer in the tournament.
SPONSOR - Sankar Cement
FORMER TAMILNADU CM M KARUNANIDHI PASSED AWAY
On August 8, 2018, DMK chief and five-time Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M Karunanidhi died at the age of 94 in Chennai.
Mr. Karunanidhi became a Chief Minister in 1969,1971,1989,1996 & 2006.
Maanavanesan (predecessor to Murasoli) was his first manuscript magazine.
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TAMIL NADU GOVT ANNOUNCED SCHEME FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE EXOTIC NEELA KURINJI PLANTS
On September 21, 2018, Tamil Nadu government announced scheme for the protection of the exotic Neela kurinji (Strobilanthus kunthianus) plants in Nilgiri district of Tamilnadu.
These plants flower only once in 12 years.
The Neela Kurinji is a native to the Western Ghats.
ADB APPROVED $500 MN FOR TAMIL NADU WATER SUPPLY, SEWERAGE, DRAINAGE INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT
On September 25, 2018, Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved financing of up to $500 million for a multi tranche financing facility (MFF) infrastructure project in at least 10 cities of Tamil Nadu.
Objective: To develop climate-resilient water supply, sewerage, and drainage infrastructure.
The projects would include:
• Development of climate-resilient sewerage collection and treatment and drainage systems in 10 cities,
• Installation of country's first solar-powered sewage treatment plant on a pilot basis,
• Introduction of smart water management systems.
• Around 4 million people will benefit from piped water and sewerage connections and improved drainage.
TAMIL NADU & CENTRE SIGN MOLL ON IMPLEMENTING AYUSHMAN-BHARAT WITH STATE RUN CMCHIS
On September 14, 2Q18, the Tamil Nadu government signed an MOU with the centre to implement Ayushman Bharat along with state's Chief Minister's Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CMCHIS).
Tamil Nadu is the 30th State to sign up for Ayushman Bharat Scheme.
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This association would benefit about 77 lakh poor and vulnerable families in Tamil Nadu. Additionally, the insurance benefit for all those covered under the state scheme will be increased to Rs 5 lakh as per the National Health Protection Scheme.
It would also include all 8 high-end procedures upto Rs 25 lakh covered under state-run insurance scheme.
ABOUT CHIEF MINISTER'S COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH INSURANCE SCHEME (CMCHIS):
The Tamil Nadu's health insurance scheme covers 1.57 crore families and provides coverage of Rs 1 lakh per year for 1,027 procedures, and Rs 2 lakh per year for 154 specified medical procedures.
It also has a corpus for treatment of eight high-end procedures.
About Ayushman Bharat - National Health Protection Mission (AB-NHPM)
Ayushman Bharat - National Health Protection Mission is a scheme that cover over 10 crore poor and vulnerable families (approximately 50 crore beneficiaries) providing coverage upto 5 lakh rupees per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization.
Under this scheme, Rs 1200 crore has been allotted for establishing 1.5 lakh Health and Wellness Centres. 24 new Government Medical Colleges and Hospitals and at least 1 Medical College for every 3 Parliamentary Constituencies and at least 1 Government Medical College in each State of the country.
TAMIL NADU
1. Chennai-based transgender Mubina has won the 2018 Miss Koovagam beauty pageant title in Villupuram, Tamil Nadu.
2. A new snake species has been discovered in the Anaikatty hills, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. It is named as Uropeltis bhupathyi after the late herpetologist S. Bhupathy, for his contributions to the field.
3. Justice Ramalingam Sudhakar was sworn in as fifth Chief Justice of High Court of Manipur. In 2018, he was appointed as acting Chief Justice of High Court of J&K.
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4. The Police Museum at Coimbatore was opened for public by Tamil Nadu CM Edapaddi K. Palanisamy. This museum is Situated near Coimbatore railway Station. This museum exhibits modern weapons, Guns, Defence Weapons, etc.
5. Tamil Nadu’s Dindugal district ranks at the first place in the major role played by it in controlling and treating the Tuberculosis disease.
6. Novelist Balakumaran (71) was passed away on 15.5.2018. He was also known as Ezhuthu Sitthar. He was born on 1946, July 5 at Pazhamarneri near Thirukattupalli, Tanjore District. He had written more than 100 short stories and 274 novels. The famous one’s among it are Irumbu Kuthiraigal, Mercury pookal, Agalaya, Karaiyora mudhalaigal, Anandha yogam, Ananda Vayal, Gangai Konda Chozhan, Edho oru nadhiyil, Thirupoonthuruthi, etc.
His autobiography is famous among the readers “Idharku dhane Asai Pattai Balakumara”.
7. An integrated scheme for school education from pre-school till Class 12 and promised to increase the budget for the entire school education next year by 20 per cent was approved by the Union Ministry of HRD. The new scheme, called "Samagra Shiksha", is integration of three components into which school education was divided earlier. Thus, the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) -- which took care of the school education at primary and secondary levels -- and Teacher Training will now be coalesced into one whole.
8. 7 more e-NAM (National Agriculture Market), a pan India electronic trading portal (www.enam.gov.in) for trading agriculture products is going to launch by the central government in Tamil Nadu. In Tamil Nadu already 23 e- NAM markets are existing at Madurai, Dindugal, Theni, Ramanathapuram, Coimbatore, Vellore, etc. At Present there are585 agriculture regulating markets are added with e-NAM all over India.
9. The 19th edition Russian Education Fair held at Chennai on May 19- 20, 2018 in association with Study Abroad – The authorized India Representative for Russian universities.
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10. Kodaikanal Summer Festival 2018 and 57th Flower show was inaugurated by TN CM Edapaddi K. Palanisamy at Kodaikanal, Dindugal District on 19th May 2018.
11. A one committee was set up by TN Govt headed by Former High Court Justice Thirumathi Aruna Jagadessan for investigating the incident of protest against Sterlite Industries, Tuticorin and the report should be submitted for the same.
12. State Skill Summit 2018 will be held at Advanced Training Institute (A.T.I) in Chennai on 9-10, June 2018.
13. Former MLA’s hostel was opened at Chennai Omandur by TN Speaker. In this hostel, former members of legislative assembly can stay to a maximum of 5 days at a rent of Rs.300 per day.
13. 163 year Old steam locomotive –EIR 21 heritage train was flagged off by Southern railways for public use.
14. TN Govt decided to increase the awareness of 104 toll free service which deals with the availability of blood, organs and eye donation. By using this toll free no, one can get psychiatric opinion also.
15. The missing idols of Raja Raja Cholan and Ulagamahadevi 60 years ago which belongs to Tanjore Big Temple was found at Calico Museum of Sarabhai Foundation, Ahmedabad, Gujarat were brought back to Tamil Nadu.
16. Saukhyam – the reusable menstrual pads have been launched by the Amrita SeRVe (Self Reliant Village) of Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi Math Programme. The pads are made using banana fiber as the absorbent material and cotton cloth as the base. It can be used maximum of one year. Currently, these pads are available across India, one can purchase these online. In Bengaluru and Chennai, these pads are easily available in many offline stores.
17. An agreement was signed by the Neyveli Lignite Corporation Limited (NLC Limited) and National Mineral Development Corporation with the Environment Clean Technologies ltd., Canberra, Australia to set up an organization for the research and development of eco-friendly technologies.
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18. The 13th World Conference on Tamil Culture will be held in Bengaluru on June 16-17,2018.
19. John Louis (IAS officer) has been appointed as the Managing Director of Tamil Nadu Arasu Cable TV Corporation Limited.
20. Thiru Murugesan was appointed as the Vice-Chancellor of Annamalai University, Chidamabaram.
21. TN CM Edappadi K.Palanisamy had given the permit to produce NEERA and value added products from NEERA to three manufactures namely Vinayaga coconut manufactures Ltd, Coimbatore, Kovai Coconut Manufactures, Coimbatore and Pudukottai Coconut Manufactures, Pudukottai. NEERA is a drink produces from coconut tree. Tamil Nadu ranks no.1 in Coconut production in India.
22. India’s 13 beaches have chosen for getting international accreditation - Blue Block. The beaches which are selected include belongs to the states of Odisha, Maharashtra, Puducherry (UT) Goa, Daman-Diu, Lakshadweep and Andaman-Nicobar Islands. As of now, not a single beach from Asia got Blue Block certification.
23. Modern Forest tree seeds centre is going to set up at a cost of Rs. 1 Cr in Trichy district’s M.R. Palayam.
24. TN Govt has announced that plastic ban will come into effect from Jan 1, 2019.
25. Tamil Nadu Government awarded Green Awards 2017:
• At district level- it is given to Tanjore Collector Thiru A. Annadurai, Thiruvallur collector Ms. A. Sundaravalli, Villupuram collector Thiru L. Subramanian.
• At Private sector level- IL&FS Tamil Nadu Power Company, Cuddalore, Thiruvallur United Proveries, Namakkal Sheshasayee paper and Boards.
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• At education sector level- Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), National Institute of Technology (NIT) Trichy, Gandhigram Gramiya Deemed University, Dindugal.
26. Stone culverts belonged to the age of King Chaluva Narasingar was found at a coconut farm of Chinnamottur village, Vellore district. Chaluva Narasingar is the son of Kundaya Maharaja of Vijayanagar empire.
27. The double-decker Uday express from Coimbatore to Bengaluru would be flagged off on June 10 by Union minister of state for Railways by Rajen Gohain.
28. World Investors Summit is going to held between Jan 23-24,2019 in Tamil Nadu.
29. A fuel from plastic waste using solar energy for replacement of diesel was discovered by Divya Priya, a student of IIT, Chennai. It can be used for generators, Industrial boilers, diesel engines etc.,
30. The Antyodaya express consists of 18 unreserved coaches was flagged off from Tambaram –Trinelveli on 8th June 2018.
31. TN govt announced that the stipend for tamil scholars have increased from Rs 3000 to 3500.
32. Tamil Nadu ranks 3rd among the states to have highest NCC and NSS cadet corps.
33. Madras High Court has cancelled the appointment of the vice chancellor of Madurai Kamarajar University Thiru P.P. Chelladurai.
34. TN cricketer Ashwin became the 4th highest wicket taker in playing Indian test cricket.
Most wicket takers of India:
1. Anil Khumble – 132 test -619 wickets
2. Kapil Dev -131 test -434 wickets
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3. Harbhajan Singh – 103 test -417 wickets
4. Ashwin -58 test – 314 wickets
5. Zakir Khan – 92 test- 311 wickets.
35. TN govt has initiated the 277 Km 8-lane green expressway between Chennai to Salem.
36. Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Wednesday honoured P Chinnapillai (66) from Madurai district, who has been working for the uplift of rural women for over three decades, by presenting her the Tamil Nadu government’s Avvaiyar award for the current year. She received the award which carries 1 lakh, a gold medal, a citation and a shawl. In 2,000, Prime Minister AB Vajpayee, while presenting Stree Shakti Puraskar award to her, touched her feet as a mark of reverence for her social service
37. ACMEE 2018, 13th International Machine Tools Exhibition, the biggest exhibition on machine tools organized by Ambattur Industrial Estate Manufacturers Association (AIEMA) in Chennai Trade Centre, Chennai. India was held during 21 - 25 June 2018.
38. Central government has released the G.O for setting up AIIMS hospital which is going to be formed at Madurai district’s Thoppur at 200 acres. It will accommodate 750 beds. It will provide employment to 100 doctors.
39. 2018 Sahitya Akademy’s Yuva Puraskar is going to receive by Sunil Krishnan for his short story “Ambu Padukai”. He is from Karaikudi, TN. 2018 Sahitya Akademy’s Bala sahitya Award is announced for Kirunagi Sethupathi’s poetry collections titled “Siragu Mulaitha Yanai”. He is from Sivagangai’s Kirunga kottai.
40. Cambridge India Ramanujan scholarship is bagged by Kannan Veera Raghavan from Tanjore’s Sastra Deemed University. He will receive the scholarship for doing his research work in London’s Cambridge University.
41. TamilNadu ranks 3rd among the fiscal deficit states in the country for the financial year 2017-18 according to the report released by Reserve Bank of India.
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42. Tamil Nadu’s Praggnanandhaa (12 yr 10 months old) became World’s second youngest chess grandmaster. Ukraine‟s Serji Karjakin stands first and he became the young chess grandmaster in 2002 at the age of 12yr 7 months.
43. Country’s first hydro power production exhibition is opened for students at Manjoor, Nilgri district of Tamil Nadu.
44. Mrs. India Earth title was bagged by Gayathri Natarajan from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.
45. Tamil Chair is going to set up at Canada’s Toronto University.
46. The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) hosted the 17th World Tamil Internet Conference held from July 6 to 8. The theme of the conference is “Arivusaar Tamil Theduporigal (Intellectual tamil search engines)”
47. TN Land Reforms (Fixation of Ceiling on Land) Amendment Bill 2018, to increase the ceiling area for industrial or commercial undertakings from 15 acres to 30 was passed by voice vote in TN assembly.
48. Tamil Nadu with 48.6 % ranks 2nd in the admission of students in higher education. According to the Union HRD ministry Chandigarh ranks first with 56.4%, New Delhi with 46.3% ranks 3rd.
49. For the first time, a non Brahmin is appointed as temple priest in Madurai Lord Iyappa Temple by TN government. Marichamy who has completed his training in priest practice becomes the first non Brahmin to be appointed as priest.
50. Out of 26 metro rail stations in Chennai, 2 metros namely Shenoy Nagar and Koyambedu become fully operated by Women. In these stations all the operations including ticket checking to supervision is going to done by women.
51. Best School – National award for the academic year 2017-18 goes to Poondi Panchayat Union Elementary School, Vellore district.
52. Tamil Nadu becomes the top tourist destination for attracting both domestic and international touristers. Tamil Nadu ranks no.1, Maharshtra
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018 stood at second place and Uttar Pradesh ranks at 3rd place in attracting International touristers.
• Tamil Nadu ranks no.1, Uttar Pradesh ranks at 2 and Andhra Pradesh stood at 3rd position in attracting domestic touristers.
53. Tanjore Saraswathy Mahal public library is going to commemorate its 100th anniversary since it is opened to public from Oct 5, 1918 during the rule of Britishers. This saraswathy Mahal library is used only by the Nayak Kings and their families. It was built during 1535-1675 AD.
54. Tamil Nadu announced that it would soon set up the statue of Tholkappiar at Marina Beach, Chennai.
55. Justice V.K. Tahilramani of the Bombay High Court has been appointed as Chief Justice of Madras High Court after Justice Indira Banerjee was elevated to the Supreme Court of India.
56. Poet Sirpi Literary award 2018 is announced to Poet Magoodeswaran and Po.Ma. Subramaniam award is announced to Manal Veedu Magazine editor and folk music researcher Harikrishan.
57. Former TN CM and Chief of DMK Dr. M. Karunanidhi (94) has passed away on Aug 7, 2018 at Kauvery Hospitals Chennai after illness. He has been the Member of Legislative assembly for 13 times (from 1957-2016). (Except in the year 1984, when he did not contest in the legislative assembly elections.)
58. The National Green Tribunal on Aug 28, appointed a three-member committee headed by former Meghalaya High Court chief Justice Tarun Agrawal to decide on Vedanta’s plea, challenging the closure of its Sterlite copper smelting plant in Tuticorin.
59. 70 Students from Indian Institute of Industry Interaction Education and Research, Kolathur, Chennai have developed world’s largest two- wheeler. Its length is about 6.8 m and height are about 1.2 m. 15 persons can sit in this bike. This sets a world record of Guinness.
60. TN Chief Minister Edapaddi K. Palanisamy has flagged off a campaign “Plastic Pollution Free Tamil Nadu “on Aug 23, 2018. He also appointed Actor 18 | P a g e SHANMUGAM IAS ACADEMY: 46/1, Gokhale St, Opp Senthil Kumaran Theatre, Ram Nagar, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641009 WEBSITE: iasipstnpsc.in
TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018 and Social Activist Vivek, Actors Surya, Karthik and actress Jyothika were appointed brand ambassador of the campaign and carry forward the message of making the state pollution-free.
61. On behalf of Film Employees Federation of South India (FEFSI), TN CM Edappadi K. Palanisamy has opened the MGR Centenary Film Studio at Payyanur, Kanchipuram which has a length of 110 feet, width of 100 feet and height of 56 feet in 15 acres of land.
62. The Madras high court directed state government to suspend within a week, the Justice R. Raghupathi Commission of Inquiry, which was assigned the task of probing alleged irregularities in the construction of the new secretariat building at Omandurar Government estate, and stop all further allotment of funds and government facilities, till the final disposal of the writ petitions. Justice R. Raghupathi has resigned from the same.
69. International Conference on Recent Advances in Food Processing Technology (iCRAFPT) was held on 17.8.2018 at Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology, Tanjore, Tamil Nadu.
70. N-SIPI - NCAER State Investment Potential Index 2018: New Delhi was ranked at the top position, Tamil Nadu stands at second, Gujarat at third, Haryana at 4th and Maharashtra at 5th position respectively.
71. Dr. Sheila Stephen was appointed as the first ever woman Vice- Chancellor of Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University.
72. Justice Vijaya Kamlesh Tahilramani of the Bombay High Court was appointed as the Chief Justice of Madras High Court.
73. The farmers of Tirupur district has started a new website named happiy.com to sale their products directly to customers through online. Through this we can buy fruits, vegetables, seeds, insecticides and agri tools.
74. Good Governance Award of TN Govt were presented on 72nd Independence Day (15th Aug) by TN CM Thiru Edappadi K. Palanisamy.
1.) Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam Award – Actor Ajith Kumar’s Daksh Team, Space Research Centre of Anna University, Chennai. 19 | P a g e SHANMUGAM IAS ACADEMY: 46/1, Gokhale St, Opp Senthil Kumaran Theatre, Ram Nagar, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641009 WEBSITE: iasipstnpsc.in
TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018
2.) Kalpana Chawla Award – I. Muthukumari of Periya Kallar who saved her daughter from Cheetah.
CM’s Good governance Award:
1.) Project Star 2.0 of Registeration department of TN for their speedy work to the common people/public.
2.) TN State Welfare Society – TAIE.
3.) Civil Supplies and Consumer protection department
4.) Pandit Gangadhar IPS officer from Dharmapuri Dist.
5.) Kaveri Techno Groups
TN State Award for the best service provided to Physically challenged persons:
1.) Best Doctor Award – Dr. P. Senthil Kumar M.S. Ortho (Tirupur)
2.) Best Social Worker- Dr. Latha Rajendran
3.) Best Trust Organization – Arivalayam
4.) Best Private Sector Organization –Teddy Exports, Thirumangalam, Madurai for providing highest employment to Physically challenged persons.
5.) Best District Co-operative Bank- Salem District Co-operative bank for providing best service to physically challenged persons.
Award in the category of providing welfare/benefits to women:
1.) Best Social Worker- M. Sivakumar (Memorial organization of Indian freedom fighters, Coimbatore)
2.) Best Social Work organization –River- the power of Woman, Kilpauk, Chennai
75. Tamil Nadu – Hon’ble CM announced a cash incentive of Rs 20 lakh each to 3 Asian Games medalists from the state
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018
• Varun Thakkar and K C Ganapathy won bronze in Men‟s sailing-49er event Sharath kamal won bronze in Table tennis mixed doubles event
76. Chennai corporation – releases ‘Draft’ electoral rolls
The latest rolls has 2.7 lakh voters less when compared to the last year‟s rolls The corporation has 16 state assembly constituencies with a total of 38,01,919 voters (Last year – 40,73,703) Men – 18,76,652 Women – 19,24,355 Others - 901 Perambur has the highest number of electorates (2,96,058) and Harbour has the lowest number (1,64,939) Perambur has the most number of polling booths (297) and Egmore has the least.(169)
77. Trichy corporation – has launched a QR code-enabled door-to-door waste collection monitoring system – on a pilot basis in Thillai Nagar (Ward No 56).
78. Tamil Nadu – leads the states in having more number of doctors per patients -WHO- norm of 1:1000 (1 doctor for 1000 people) people
NATIONAL
1. India has been ranked joint-sixth in the list of doping violations with 69 cases, same as that of Russia, according to World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) report for samples collected in 2016. Italy topped the rankings of drug cases in 2016, followed by France (86), United States (76), Australia (75), Belgium (73).
2. GOBAR (Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources) – DHAN scheme was launched at the National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) Auditorium, Karnal, Haryana on May 1, 2018 by Uma Bharti, the Union Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation. The purpose of scheme is to positively impact village cleanliness and generate wealth and energy from cattle and organic waste. Under the scheme, cooking gas would be provided to rural habitations and technical support would ensure that the scheme functioned on a sustainable basis.
3. The high-powered inter-ministerial Telecom Commission, headed by Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan, approved in-flight mobile connectivity in Indian airspace on May 1, 2018, thus, allowing people to make
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018 phone calls and use internet services in flights over Indian airspace, with certain riders.
4. 14 Indian cities figure in a list of world’s 20 most polluted cities in terms of particulate matter PM2.5 levels in 2016 as per the data released by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
• The WHO Global Urban Ambient Air Pollution Database ranked Kanpur as the most polluted city among 4300 world cities which were monitored for their air pollution levels in the year 2016.The particulate matter PM2.5 includes pollutants like sulfate, nitrate and black carbon, which pose the greatest risk to human health.
5. The Union Government on May 1, 2018 released the draft of a new Telecom policy - National Digital Communications Policy, 2018.The policy aims to provide broadband coverage with 50 Mbps speed to every citizen, attract USD 100 billion investment in the sector and create 40 lakh new jobs by 2022.
6. President Ram Nath Kovind on May 2, 2018 presided over the first meeting of the national committee set up for commemoration of 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi in 2019. The 114-member committee, comprising Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former Prime Ministers and Chief Justice of India, will discuss the policies, plans and preparatory activities for commemoration of the birth anniversary. The birth anniversary of the Mahatma Gandhi will be commemorated from October 2, 2019 to October 2, 2020.
6. Maharashtra State will get a new airport at Parule Chipi in Sindhudurg district, which is expected to be functional by September 2018.
7. Sikkim’s Pawan Chamling (68) created history by becoming longest- serving Chief Minister in India. He has completed 23 years, four months and 17 days of uninterrupted service in office. He surpassed earlier record held by Jyoti Basu, 5 term West Bengal CM who held office for 23 years. Basu was in office from June 21, 1977 to November 6, 2000.
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018
8. The Task Force constituted on “Establishing a Coalition on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI)” has submitted its report to Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
• The Task Force was constituted by MHA in August, 2017 and was headed by Preeti Saran, Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
9. Maharashtra became the first state of India to provide digitally-signed land record receipts (also known as 7/12 receipts). 7/12 receipt is the most important document which establishes the ownership of the land. Farmers are required to provide it while applying for loans. Besides, it is also used by the government during crop surveys and to extend various facilities.
8. Haryana State Government has decided to adopt startup ranking framework issued by Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP). The Startup ranking framework covers seven areas of interventions with a total of 38 action points and overall score of 100 marks.
9. Under Central Government’s “Adopt a Heritage: Apni Dharohar, Apni Pehchaan scheme”, Dalmia Bharat group has adopted the Gandikota Fort (located in in Kadapa district, Andhra Pradesh) It is located close to Dalmia Bharat’s cement factory in Kadapa district and will thus make it easier to monitor development and maintenance work being undertaken at the fort.
10. On 3rd to 5th May 2018, “Vibrant North East 2018” is held in Guwahati, Assam. It is 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.
11. The proposal for renaming and restructuring of Multi-sectoral Development Programme (MsDP) as Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK) has been approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA). PMJVK aims to address development deficits in identified minority concentration areas.
12 On May 6, 2018, the Supreme Court of India ruled that an adult couple has the right to live together without marriage. They had found a place under the
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018 provisions of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 and also recognized by the legislature.
13. The continuation of Umbrella Scheme, Green Revolution – Krishonnati Yojana in agriculture sector beyond 12th Five Year Plan from 2017-18 to 2019- 20 has approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA).
14. A massive open online course (MOOC) platform SWAYAM was launched by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD).
• SWAYAM (Study Webs of Active –Learning for Young Aspiring Minds) programme aims to bridge digital divide for students (especially most disadvantaged) who have hitherto remained untouched by digital revolution and have not been able to join mainstream of the knowledge economy.
15. The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, has developed a new model that would be able to forecast the distance of a destructive tsunami wave after it hits the coast. The prediction could help reduce loss of life and property in the future. The warning service would be a Level-3 alert under India's Tsunami Early Warning System, which was put in place after the devastating 2004 tsunami.
16. The Supreme Court of India struck down Section 4(3) of the Uttar Pradesh Ministers (Salaries, Allowances and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1981 that allowed former Uttar Pradesh Chief Ministers to continue occupying government accommodation even after demitting office. The bench said such bungalows constitute public property which by itself is scarce and meant for use of current holders of public offices.
17. The first organized census of Indus Dolphins will be conducted over period of five days in 185 km stretch between Talwara and Harike Barrage in Beas River in Punjab Indus Dolphins is one of the world’s rarest mammals found only in India and Pakistan. The organised census aims at conservation of the species.
18. 15th Asia Media Summit (AMS-2018) which is being organized by Asia- Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD) in collaboration with its
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018 partners and international organizations in New Delhi from May 10-12, 2018 is going to host by India with the theme of the annual summit is “Telling our Stories- Asia and More”.
19. The First Apex Conference for CEOs of Smart Cities organised by Union Urban Affairs Ministry and inaugurated by Minister of State (I/C) for Housing & Urban Affairs was held in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. Total 99 cities have been selected for development as Smart Cities.
20. A Statement of Intent (SoI) with search engine giant Google was signed by the NITI Aayog to work together to foster growth for India’s nascent artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) ecosystem. Google will train and incubate Indian AI startups in accelerator program. These startups will be mentored and coached by Google and its affiliates to enable them to better leverage AI in their respective business models
21. The 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBS-2019) will be held in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh from January 21 to 23, 2019. The event would be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Mauritian counterpart Pravind Jugnauth. It will be organised by the Ministry of External Affairs in association with the Uttar Pradesh government with theme “Role of Indian Diaspora in building a New India”.
22. India’s first cloud-based Common Integrated Data Centre, Disaster Recovery Centre and Integrated Control and Command Centre (ICCC) has been launched by Bhopal Smart City Development Corporation Ltd. (BSCDCL). ICCC will enable Madhya Pradesh State administration to monitor and administer multiple city civic utilities and citizen services across seven smart cities in state through central cloud. These seven cities include Bhopal, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Indore, Ujjain, Satna, and Sagar. It is powered by Hewlett Packard (HP) Enterprise‟s Universal Internet of Things (IoT) Platform.
23. Green licence plates bearing numbers in white fonts for private e- vehicles and yellow for taxis to promote electric vehicles (e-vehicles) has approved by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) in India. Currently, there are four kinds of number plates in India-
• white licence plates with numbers on black font for private cars, 25 | P a g e SHANMUGAM IAS ACADEMY: 46/1, Gokhale St, Opp Senthil Kumaran Theatre, Ram Nagar, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641009 WEBSITE: iasipstnpsc.in
TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018
• yellow plates with fonts in black for commercial vehicles, • black plates with yellow font letters for self-driven rental vehicles and • blue plates with white font letters for Embassies and High Commissions.
24. Rythu Bandhu (friend of farmers) Scheme, an investment support scheme to support livelihood of farmers has been launched by Telangana government. Under this scheme, farmers will directly get financial support twice every year to maximise agricultural production and productivity. They will get investment support of Rs 8,000 per acre every year (Rs. 4000 each for monsoon and Rabi season) as crop investment support. It is first of its kind investment support scheme for farmers to be launched by any state in India.
25. World’s second oldest grain of magmatic zircon (a mineral that contains traces of radioactive isotopes) have been discovered by Scientists from Singhbhum rock sample (Champua) in Odisha’s Kendujhar district. It is an estimated 4,240 million years old. The oldest zircon older than this discovery was found in Jack Hill, Western Australia. It is 4,400 million years old and is the oldest known rock sample. It is metamorphosed sedimentary rock.
26. Under Swadesh Darshan Scheme, the Ministry of Tourism has decided to expand Buddhist tourism circuit to 21 more states to make it India’s first trans-national tourist circuit. The expansion of Buddhist tourism circuit aims to catch new-age Buddhist tourists from the West, besides those from traditional markets in South East Asia.
27. “Kerala Fibre Optic Network Limited”- a Joint Venture company will set up by the Kerala Government to launch its new optic fibre network. The company will implement the Kerala Fibre Optic Network (K-FON) project. The K-FON initiative will provide speedy internet connectivity to government offices and educational institutions and to the public at an affordable rate.
28. The skill development centre for clients of Bharosa, an integrated support centre for distressed women and children is going to set up by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Hyderabad, Telangana. This centre will be set up in line with agreement signed between Hyderabad Police and UNDP under Disha project. This initiative is aimed at empowering vulnerable and marginalised women by imparting skills training.
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018
29. The annual flagship report titled “World Employment and Social Outlook 2018: Greening with Jobs‟ was released by the International Labour Organization (ILO) on May 14, 2018.
30. South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network (SAWEN), an inter- governmental wildlife law enforcement agency’s fourth meeting was in Kolkata, West Bengal from May 8-10, 2018.
• It was first meeting of SAWEN to be held in India since its inception in 2011.
31. For the implementation of Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Swasthya Suraksha Mission (PMRSSM), an MoU was signed between 4 States and 1 Union Territory with the National Health Mission, Government of India. The scheme will target over 10 crore families belonging to poor and vulnerable population based on Socio Economic and Caste Census 2011 (SECC) database. Beneficiaries can avail of services anywhere in India. It will provide Rs. 5 lakh insurance cover per family per year, taking care of almost all secondary care and tertiary care procedures. There will be no cap on family size and age in the scheme.
32. The 4th edition of Global Exhibition on services in Mumbai was inaugurated by President of India on May 15, 2018.
33. Telangana to provide 2% quota for sportspersons in government jobs. The two per cent would be horizontal reservation and not vertical reservation. It would be applicable to 29 recognised sports disciplines. The move however, will not affect the overall percentage of reservation in the state.
34. In order to promote bio-fuels in the country, the union cabinet has approved the National Policy on Bio-fuels – 2018.
The Salient features of Policy includes i) categorization of biofuels - Basic Biofuels:
1. First Generation (1G) bioethanol and biodiesel. 2. Advanced Biofuels: Second Generation (2G) ethanol, Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) to drop -in fuels,
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018
3. Third Generation (3G) biofuels, bio-CNG etc. ii) Expansion scope of raw material for ethanol production iii) Use of surplus food grains. iv)Incentives to advanced biofuel v) Supply chain mechanisms. vi)Synergising efforts.
35. $25 million “Bharat Inclusion Initiative” to fund start-ups has launched by Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad’s (IIMAs) centre for innovation, incubation and entrepreneurship (CIIE). CIIE’s “Bharat Inclusion Seed Fund” aims to provide continuum of solutions to inclusion focused tech entrepreneurs across the preincubation, seed and scale-up stage and help them jump to the next orbit. CIIE was founded at IIMA to support entrepreneurs and turn business ideas into viable businesses models.
36. Integrated Centre for Crisis Management (ICCM) was inaugurated by President Ram Nath Kovind at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
37. The initial corpus of Rs. 5,000 crore for setting up of dedicated Micro Irrigation Fund (MIF) in NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) was approved by the Union Cabinet. The dedicated MIF will supplement efforts of Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) Component of PMKSY in an effective and timely manner. It will help to bring about 10 lakh ha of land under irrigation through innovative composite, community and cluster based micro irrigation projects with additional investment in MIF.
38. The Supreme Court on May 18, 2018 scheduled the Karnataka assembly floor test on May 19, 2018, – slashing the 15-day window given by governor Vajjubhai Vala to BJP chief minister BS Yeddyurappa to prove his majority.
39. Delhi is projected to become the most populous city in the world around 2028 with a population of about 37.2 million according to the United
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018
Nations estimates. Tokyo is the world’s largest city with population of 37 million inhabitants, followed by New Delhi with 29 million and Shanghai with 26 million.
40. Guwahati becomes India’s first railway station run by solar power.
41. Gujarat government has announced to launch free treatment scheme for the road accident victims. Under this scheme, the state government will bear medical expenses of up to 50,000 rupees for each victim of a road accident in the state for the first 48 hours. The government would reimburse the amount to the hospital concerned upon submission of bills.
42. Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, Hardeep Puri on May 16, 2018 released the results of the Swacch Surveskshan 2018. Indore has emerged as the cleanest city again in India for second year in a row. Indore and Bhopal have managed to retain their positions as the top 2 cleanest cities, as that of previous year. Chandigarh was ranked as the third cleanest city, moving up from Rank 11 in 2017. Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad was named as the fastest moving big city of the Swachh Survekshan 2018, moving up to Rank 36 from the previous 351 in 2017. Jharkhand was declared as the best performing state, followed by Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh.
India's Best City in Solid Waste Management- Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India's Cleanest Medium City- Mysuru, Karnataka, India's Fastest Mover Medium City- Bhiwandi, Maharashtra, India's Cleanest Small City- New Delhi Municipal Council, Cleanest State Capital- Greater Mumbai, Maharashtra, Fastest Mover State Capital- Jaipur, Rajasthan, Best State Capital in Citizens Feedback- Ranchi, Jharkhand, Best State Capital in Innovation & Best Practices- Panaji, Goa, Best State Capital in Solid Waste Management- Greater Hyderabad, Telangana.
43. Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Suresh Prabhu launched the Intellectual Property (IP) mascot “IP Nani” during a conference on the National Intellectual Property Rights Policy in New Delhi on 16th May 2018. This IP mascot will spread awareness about the importance of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) among people, especially children, in an interesting manner.
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018
44. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued advisory to Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and Lakshadweep archipelago (UT) over cyclonic storm “Sagar”. It is the first cyclonic storm of season to develop in Indian waters.
45. Nipah Virus (NiV) infection was detected for the first time in the state of Kerala. Its traces were found in blood and body fluid samples of two persons who died of viral fever in Kerala’s coastal Kozhikode region.
• Nipah virus (NiV) infection is zoonotic disease that causes severe disease in both animals and humans. Fruit bats of the Pteropodidae Family, Pteropus genus are natural host of the virus.
46. Kishanganga Hydroelectric Project (300MW) in Bandipora District of Jammu & Kashmir was inaugurated by PM Modi. It is 37 m high concrete faced rockfill dam (CFRD) constructed on Kishanganga River in Jhelum River basin in Bandipore in Jammu and Kashmir.
• He also laid foundation stone of 1000 MW capacity Pakal Dul Power Project. Pakal dul project will be largest Hydro Power Project in J&K on completion. It will be also first storage project in J&K. Pakal Dul Dam is proposed 167m concrete-face rock-fill dam (CFRD) on Marusadar River, a tributary of Chenab River in Kishtwar district of J&K. The primary purpose of the dam is hydroelectric power generation.
47. The construction of Rs 6,809 crore Zojila tunnel project in Jammu and Kashmir’s Leh was inaugurated by PM Modi. It will be India’s and Asia’s longest and strategic bi-directional road tunnel, which will provide all- weather connectivity between Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar, Kargil and Leh. Its objective is to provide safe, fast and cheap all whether connectivity to strategically important Leh region in J&K which at moment is limited to at best six months because of snow on mountainous passes and threat of avalanches.
• It will reduce time taken to cross Zojila pass from present three and half hours to just fifteen minutes.
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018
• It will be situated at altitude of 11,578 feet on Srinagar-Kargil-Leh National Highway (NH-1A).
48. India’s first Centre for Energy Regulation (CER) was set up by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Kanpur with the help of Government of United Kingdom.
49. Under zero-subsidy Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All (UJALA) scheme, the State run Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL) has distributed over 30 crore light emitting diode (LED) bulbs across country.
50. H D Kumaraswamy who heads the Congress-JDS coalition is set to become the chief minister for a second time on May 23, 2018 with the resignation of BS Yeddyurappa from CM’s post after failing to gather the required numbers to form a majority government. Governor Vajubhai Vala has directed Kumaraswamy to prove the majority on the floor of the House in 15 days but he plans to do it much before.
51. The state government of Assam decided to provide pension to 16 lakh senior citizens of the state who are 60 years and above.
52. Chatra Parivahan Suraksha Yojana is a scheme for safety of girls was launched by the state of Haryana.
53. India received first consignment of 2 million barrels of crude oil from United Arab Emirates (UAE) for its strategic petroleum reserve (SPR) at Mangaluru (on West Coast), Karnataka. Under agreement between Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Ltd (ISPRL) and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) this first consignment from UAE fill one of two strategic reserve caverns at Mangaluru.
54. Under UDAN scheme the first commercial flight (42-seater ATR aircraft of the Alliance Airlines) of Arunachal Pradesh landed at Pasighat airport or Advance Landing Ground (ALG) in East Siang district. Alliance Air, a subsidiary of Air India, will operate flight services on Kolkata-Guwahati- Pasighat route thrice a week.
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018
55. A new software called Nidaan for disease monitoring and strengthening telemedicine services in the government hospitals was launched by the government of Rajasthan. Nidaan Software will facilitate online entries for monitoring of as many as 46 diseases and healthcare services available for their treatment in different institutions. The software will help for providing presumptive diagnosis and monitoring of seasonal and non-communicable diseases as well as trends of ailments found in specific areas.
56. An ordinance to set up the country’s first national sports university in in Imphal (west), Manipur was approved by the Union Cabinet. The specialised university will be the first of its kind in the country and adopt best international practices. Manipur government has already allocated land for the proposed university.
57. India ranked 145th among 195 countries in terms of Healthcare access and quality (HAQ) index in the year 2016. The index was released as part of Global Burden of Disease study released by Lancet, one of the world’s oldest and best known peer-reviewed general medical journal. Top five countries with highest levels of healthcare access and quality in 2016 are Iceland (rank-1st, score-97.1 points), Norway (2nd, 96.6), Netherlands (3rd, 96.1), Luxembourg (4th, 96.0), and Finland and Australia (5th, each with 95.9).
58. VIKALP scheme for passengers in wait-listing to provide berth in another train has been introduced by Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation. Under the scheme, passengers from all classes & trains would be able to select 5 trains. However, the scheme does not guarantee a confirmed berth. The passengers would also need to be prepared, as they could be shifted to another train leaving even 12 hours prior to the booked one.
58. The Odisha government has decided to introduce a special mobile application to provide advance information on lightning which has claimed at least 61 lives between April and May 2018. The aim of the initiative is to reduce death toll due to lightning.
59. The 5th India-CLMV (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Vietnam) Business Conclave jointly organised by Ministry of Commerce & Industry along with Ministry of Commerce of Cambodia was held at Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
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60. The world’s largest bird sculpture, Jatayu is going to inaugurate in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. The rock “Jatayupara” where the structure is based, is the place where Jatayu fell after its wings were cut by Ravana. The replica of bird “Jatayu”, a character in the Ramayana is 65 feet tall & is positioned right at the top of a rock situated 1000 feet above sea level.
61. India ranked at 44th place in terms of competitiveness in the annual rankings compiled by International Institute for Management Development (IMD). As per the rankings, the US is the most competitive economy, followed by Hong Kong (2nd) and Singapore (3rd). India ranked 12th out of the 14 Asian countries on the list.
62. National Informatics Centre (NIC) has set up cloud-enabled National Data Centre at Bhubaneswar, Odisha. It is fourth cloud-enabled National Data Centre of NIC after Delhi, Hyderabad and Pune.
63. Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) in Kerala is recognized as the world’s first fully solar energy-powered airport by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The solar power plant generates 50,000 units of electricity daily. It makes airport absolutely power neutral in terms of energy consumption as it consumes around 50000 to 60000 units of electricity per day. CIAL is India’s first airport to be constructed in public-private-partnership (PPP) model in 1999. It is the busiest and largest airport in the state of Kerala.
64. The Telangana government has enhanced the retirement age limit for teaching professors of state health department from 58 to 65.
65. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first phase of Delhi- Meerut Expressway on May 27, 2018. It would be India’s first 14-lane highway. The project is being built in four segments and is expected to be fully completed by March 2019.
66. India’s first highway to be lit by solar power in Bagpat, Uttar Pradesh inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi on May 27, 2018. The highway has provisions of rainwater harvesting on every 500 metres on both sides and would showcase 36 national monuments and 40 fountains.
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65. The web portal www.praapti.in and app namely PRAAPTI (Payment Ratification and Analysis in Power procurement for bringing Transparency in Invoicing of generators has been launched by the Union Ministry of Power. The PRAAPTI app and web Portal will capture invoicing and payment data for various long term Power Purchasing Agreements (PPAs) from power generation companies (generators). The PRAAPTI app will also allow users to know the details related to payments made by Discoms to power generators and when they were made.
66. “Gaj Yatra”, an awareness campaign to protect elephants from Tura in Garo Hills of Meghalaya has been rolled out by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC). Gaj Yatra is 18-month-long national campaign aimed to protect elephants, India’s national heritage animal in 12 elephant range states. It was launched in August 2017 by Environment and Forest Ministry.
67. As a part of the “Himalayan Cleanup” programme, the state government of Tripura has set August 15,2018 as the deadline to phase out plastic carry bags completely from the state. The government urged people to replace their plastic bags with biodegradable ones.
68. Sangeeta Bahl, aged 53, has become the oldest Indian woman to scale the Mount Everest. She has already conquered 6 out of the 7 highest peaks of the world. She scaled the peak Mt. Everest on May 19, 2018, with the help of 2 Sherpas. She carried a banner to the peak advocating early detection of breast cancer in women & funding for the same.
69. The main event of 4th International Yoga Day celebrations (IDY-2018) will be held on June 21, 2018 at Dehradun in Uttrakhand.
70. Mission Raftaar – a one day workshop aimed at raising average speed of freight trains and coaching trains in New Delhi was conducted by the Ministry of Railways.
71. Andhra Pradesh Government notified its new state symbols after four year after bifurcation of undivided Andhra Pradesh in 2014 into two states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
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• State bird: Rose-ringed parakeet (Psittacula krameri). • State tree: Neem (Azadirachta indica). • State animal: Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra). • State flower: Jasmine (Jasminum officinale).
State symbols of Telangana:
• State bird: Indian Roller (coracias benghalensis) or Palapitta. • State tree: Jammi Chettu (prosopis cineraria). • State animal: Jinka or spotted deer. • State flower: Tangidi Puvvu (senna auriculata).
72. Among Indian states, largest quantity of E-waste is generated by Maharashtra (19.8%), followed by Tamil Nadu (13%), Uttar Pradesh (10.1%), Karnataka (8.9%), Gujarat (8.8%) and Madhya Pradesh (7.6%).
73. “Taj Declaration to Beat Plastic Pollution” was made in the presence of United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Executive Director Erik Solheim and UNEP Goodwill Ambassador Diya Mirza. The declaration came ahead to the World Environment day, June 5.
Theme: “Beat Plastic Pollution”.
74. Haryana Government has decided to give 15 days paternity leave to all male government employees to take care of the new-born child. This announcement was made by CM Manohar Lal Khattar.
75. The Uttarakhand Government has decided to completely prohibit the use of polythene or plastic from July 31, 2018.
76. The eleventh edition of Geo-Intelligence Asia 2018 was held at Manekshaw Centre in New Delhi on June 4-5, 2018. The seminar included an exhibition comprising stalls of various technological firms dealing with geospatial technologies.
77. As per the Status of Environment Report India 2015 that was released by Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan, India’s forest cover stood at 21.34 percent in 2015, an increase of 1.29 percent from 2009. Mizoram has the
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018 highest forest cover among the states and Union territories in the country with 89 percent.
78. To study the Special Economic Zones (SEZ) Policy of India, a group of eminent persons headed by Baba Kalyani, Chairman of Bharat Forge has constituted by the Union Government.
79. Tripura’s queen variety pineapple has declared as state fruit by President Ram Nath Kovind. Its sweetness and unique aroma differentiate it from pineapples of other states of Northeast region. It had received Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2015.
80. Under swift Humanitarian and Disaster Relief Operation (HADR) code named Operation NISTAR- Indian Naval Ship (INS) Sunayana successfully evacuated 38 Indian Nationals after it entered Porbandar harbour in Gujarat. They were stranded for nearly 10 days after severe cyclonic storm Mekunu devastated area around Socotra Island in Yemen.
81. The 12th edition of Global Peace Index 2018 was released by Sydney- based think tank Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP). India was ranked 136th among 163 countries. Iceland was ranked most peaceful country in the world and it managed to retain its position since 2008.
82. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has commended India’s progress in reducing maternal mortality ratio (MMR) by 77%, from 556 per 100000 live births in 1990 to 130 per 100000 live births in 2016.
83. Nepal-Bharat Maitri Irrigation Project - The project was launched in January 2017 to boost growth to Himalayan nation’s agricultural sector through enhanced facilities.
84. International Conference on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) organized by Federation of Computer Association Nepal (CAN) will be held in Kathmandu, capital city of Nepal from June 17-18, 2018. The Theme of two days conference is “Sustainable Development Goals for Smart Society”.
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85. The 10th Meeting of Global Alliance to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GAELF) was held in New Delhi, India. This is second time India hosted meeting of GAELF.
86. The 11th World Hindi Conference will be held in Mauritius from August 18 to August 20, 2018 with an aim to increase the popularity of Hindi globally. The conference will cover both classical and modern elements of Hindi and will see participation of delegates and scholars of Hindi from all over the world.
87. The indigenously upgraded artillery gun Dhanush has successfully completed final user trials and is ready for induction into Indian Army. Dhanush is upgraded version of Swedish 155-mm Bofors howitzers, which India procured in the mid-1980s, based on its original designs. It is also called desi Bofors.
88. National Digital Library of India (NDLI) launched by the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) on the occasion of National Reading Day (observed on June 17) in New Delhi. NDLI has been developed by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur. NDLI’s objective is to make digital educational resources available to all citizens of the country to empower, inspire and encourage learning.
89. Anukreethy Vas from Tamil Nadu was crowned Femina Miss India World 2018 on June 19, 2018 at a function held in Mumbai. Last year's Miss World Manushi Chhillar awarding her the crown.
90. Shillong, the capital city of Meghalaya, has been selected as 100th Smart City after evaluating the proposal submitted by it.
91. The world's first International Centre for Humanitarian Forensics was launched at Gandhinagar in Gujarat. It is a joint venture of the Regional delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross in India, Bhutan, Nepal and the Maldives and also Gujarat Forensic Science University.
92. The foundation stone of a new office complex for the Department of Commerce ‟Vanijya Bhawan” was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in
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New Delhi. The complex is located near India Gate. It will help in ease of doing business by bringing all Departments of Commerce under one roof.
93. The use of Aadhaar biometric data for criminal investigation is not allowed under Aadhaar Act, 2016 according to the notification of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).
94. According to the National Health Profile 2018 report, there is one allopathic doctor for 11,082 people in the country’s villages.
• India spends 1% of its gross domestic product on public health. India aims to increase its public health expenditure to 2.5% of the GDP by 2025.
95. Rajasthan has been ranked first by the NITI Aayog among all states after it registered a significant increase in groundwater level due to the water conversation structures built under Chief Minister’s Jal Swavlamban Abhiyan. As many as 4 lakh structures were built in Rajasthan in the last three years. The state also witnessed an increase of 81% in irrigation capacity.
96. India has pledged $5 million for United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) in the Near East.
97. India announced to increase its grant to Global Environment Facility’s (GEF) new four-year investment cycle, known as GEF-7 from $12 million to $15 million.
98. A draft bill to repeal the University Grants Commission (UGC) and set up the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI), a move that aims to reform higher education in India was proposed by the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development.
99. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has restricted the manufacture of Oxytocin formulations to public sector for domestic use only from July 2018. It has also banned the import of Oxytocin and its formulations. Only Karnataka Antibiotics & Pharmaceuticals Ltd (KAPL), a public sector company, would be manufacturing this drug for domestic use. No private manufacturer will be allowed to manufacture the drug for domestic use.
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100. The establishment of additional 6.5 Million Metric Tonne (MMT) Strategic Petroleum Reserves (SPR) facilities at Chandikhol in Odisha and Padur in Karnataka has approved by the Union Cabinet.
101. A MoU was signed with Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System (RIMES) by Odisha Government to enhance effective management of all kinds of disasters like flood, drought, heat wave, lightning and road accidents in the state.
102. Four cultural sites namely Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensemble of Mumbai (India), Sassanid Archaeological Landscape of Fars region (Iran), Hidden Christian Sites in Nagasaki Region (Japan) and Sansa, Buddhist Mountain Monasteries in Korea (South Korea) has inscribed on the World Heritage List at the 42nd session of World Heritage Committee (WHC) meeting of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) held in Manama, Bahrain.
103. Indian Naval officer Commander Abhilash Tomy has been selected to participate in the prestigious Golden Globe Race (GGR), which commenced from Les Sables d’Olonne harbour in France on July 1, 2018.The GGR requires all the participants to sail around the world, single-handed and non-stop. Abhilash Tomy is the only invitee from Asia to participate in the prestigious and unique voyage. The uniqueness of the race is that it forbids the use of boat designs and technology newer than 1968.
104. The Chhattisgarh government will set up a tribal museum in the state's upcoming new capital Naya Raipur with a view to exhibit culture and tradition of scheduled tribes. It will be named after Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh, a freedom fighter from the state who had made a tremendous contribution in the freedom struggle of 1857. A Tribal Culture and Language Academy will also be set up in the state.
105. IPS officer Sundari Nanda becomes the first woman DGP of the Union Territory Puducherry.
106. Punjab state cabinet decided to recommend to the Centre death penalty for drug peddlers and smugglers on July 2, 2018. This move was aimed
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018 to act as a deterrent to the heinous crime, which was destroying the lives of youth in Punjab and many other places.
107. C-vigil mobile application for citizens to report any violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) during elections has been launched by the Election Commission of India.
108. NITI Aayog in collaboration with various ministries and industry partners announced to organise “MOVE: Global Mobility Summit” in New Delhi on September 7-8, 2018. It will help drive Government’s goals for vehicle electrification, renewable energy integration and job growth, thus, speeding up India’s transition to a clean energy economy.
109. The proposal of renaming Agartala Airport in Tripura as Maharaja Bir Bikram Manikya Kishore Airport, Agartala was approved by the Union Cabinet. He is considered the father of modern architecture in Tripura, as entire planning of present-day Tripura was initiated during his rule. He was the king of Tripura from 1923 to 1947 before its merger with India. Agartala Airport was constructed in 1942 on the land donated by Maharaja Bir Bikram Manikya Kishore.
110. Satyarup Siddhanta has become second Indian mountaineer after Malli Mastan Babu to climb Mt Ojos del Salado (6893 m), the highest volcano in the world.
111. Gujarat became third state in India to grant religious minority status to Jews after West Bengal and Maharashtra.
112. The Eat Right Movement - a national campaign to improve public health and combat lifestyle diseases has launched by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
113. India becomes world’s fifth largest area cultivated under genetically modified (GM) crops in 2017 with 11.4 million hectares (mh) according to the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA) latest “Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/ GM Crops in 2017” report. United States has highest area under transgenic crops, at 75 mh.
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114. The new headquarters building of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) Dharohar Bhawan has inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at 24, Tilak Marg in New Delhi.
115. Nilgiri tahr is the state animal of Tamil Nadu. It is endemic to Western Ghats from the Nilgiris to Kanyakumari. IUCN in its red data book has classified it as Endangered (number fewer than 2,500 mature individuals).
116. United States President Donald Trump has invited to be the chief guest at 2019 Republic Day celebrations by the Union Government.
117. The Supreme Court on July 18, 2018 observed that banning the entry of women in Kerala’s Sabarimala temple by the temple authorities is unconstitutional and questioned the authorities regarding the same.
118. The 10th edition of the Delhi Dialogue got underway in New Delhi on July 19, 2018. The theme for this year is 'Strengthening India-ASEAN Maritime Cooperation'. This will be the first major event to be organised after the ASEAN-India commemorative Summit, which was held in New Delhi in January 2018.
119. The city of Udaipur has ranked 3rd among the 15 of the world’s best cities according to Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Cities report. The top 2 cities are both in Mexico: San Miguel de Allende and Oaxaca. Earlier in 2009 Udaipur has ranked 1st in the list making it best city in the world to visit. And in 2017 also it has received the 3rd rank. The ranks were given based on sights and landmarks, culture, cuisine, friendliness, shopping, and overall values.
120. The neelakurinji flower will bloom in the Anamalai hills near Munnar, Kerala after 12 years. Spread over 3,000 hectares of rolling hills, Munnar is home to this rarely occurring neelakurinji flower plants.These plants take another 12 years for the seeds to sprout again and grow up to 30 to 60 centimetres high.
121. Startup India Yatra began on July 30, 2018 in Raipur.
122. A tricolour logo for geographical indication (GI) certified products having a tagline “Invaluable Treasures of Incredible India” printed below it has
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018 unveiled by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) under Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
122. Kadaknath chicken meat from Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh has received Geographical Indication (GI) tag from Chennai based Geographical Indication Registry and Intellectual Property India. Kadaknath chicken was awarded GI tag in “Meat Product, Poultry & Poultry Meat” category.
123. The 123rd Constitutional Amendment Bill, 2017 has unanimously passed by twothird of majority of Lok Sabha. The constitutional amendment bill seeks to grant National Commission on Backward Classes (NCBC) constitutional status at par with National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) and National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCSTs).
124. India was elected as President of the Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD) for period of two years.
125. The iconic Mughalsarai Railway Junction of Uttar Pradesh was renamed as Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction Railway station on August 5, 2018. The Mughalsarai station got a new name after Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik gave his assent to the proposal in June 2018.
126. Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve in Himalayan state of Sikkim becomes the 11th Biosphere Reserve from India. It was included in UNESCO designated World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR). It is one of the highest ecosystems in the world, reaching elevations of 1, 220 metres above sea- level. It includes range of ecolines, varying from sub-tropic to Arctic (tundra), as well as natural forests in different biomes, that support an immensely rich diversity of forest types and habitats.
127. Operation Madad, - a major rescue and relief operation in flood-hit Kerala has launched by Indian Navy. Indian Army also has launched Operation Sahyog to rescue people in flood-hit Kerala. Both operations will support rescue and relief efforts of civil administration and National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF). The Operation Madad was launched to assist state administration and undertake disaster relief operations due to unprecedented flooding in many parts of Kerala following incessant rainfall and release of excess water from Idukki and other dams. Operation Sahyog - Indian Army has deployed 42 | P a g e SHANMUGAM IAS ACADEMY: 46/1, Gokhale St, Opp Senthil Kumaran Theatre, Ram Nagar, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641009 WEBSITE: iasipstnpsc.in
TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018 its men and machinery into disaster relief and rescue operations at Kannur, Kozhikode, Wayanad and Idukki after incessant rain and landslides hit various northern districts of the state. Karnataka and Kerala Sub area Headquartered at Bangalore was controlling the “Operation Sahyog” in Kerala.
128. Pune (Maharashtra) ranked first among 116 cities (with population of 1 million plus) in Ease of Living Index released by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). Besides, two more Maharashtra cities — Navi Mumbai and Greater Mumbai — figure in the second and third spots respectively. Chennai ranked 14th rank, Ahmedabad 23rd, Hyderabad 27th, Varanasi 33rd, Bengaluru 58th and Delhi 65th.
• Kolkata was excluded from index, as West Bengal Government had refused to participate in rankings.
129. Third Party Survey Report on Station Cleanliness was released by the Union Railway Ministry. Jodhpur (Rajasthan) was ranked first in survey A1 category stations, Marwar (Rajasthan) first in A category stations and North Western Railway first among all Zonal Railways.
130. Cyclone Warning Centre has been announced to set up in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
131. C-band Doppler weather radar is going to set up at Mangalore, Karnataka by Union Ministry of Earth Sciences. It is proposed to provide now cast alerts for severe weather, including thunderstorms triggered by heavy rain for the next 2-3 hours. This radar will cover northern Kerala and Karnataka.
132. National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) has been designated as nodal authority to curb online child pornography, sexual violence and rape videos by Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). It also has been mandated to launch online portal for receiving complaints and acting on them.
133. The state government of Chhattisgarh has decided to rename the state’s new capital city Naya Raipur as Atal Nagar in the memory of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The decision was taken during the state’s cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Raman Singh on August 21, 2018.
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134. Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat has said that Election Commission is ready for hundred per cent use of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail machines (VVPAT).
135. The fourth Summit of Heads of State/Government of Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) will be held in Kathmandu, Nepal on August 30-31, 2018. The group was formed in 1997 and it brings together Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka Myanmar and Thailand. Nepal is the current chair of BIMSTEC. Sri Lanka will be conducting the fifth summit of the BIMSTEC.
136. National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has written to Madhya Pradesh forest department to revive its Cheetah Reintroduction Project to reintroduce Cheetahs in Nauradehi sanctuary located in Sagar district of state. India’s last spotted Asiatic cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) had died in Chhattisgarh in 1947.
137. A 21-member science and technology council to advise Prime Minister Narendra Modi on matters related to science, technology and innovations has constituted by the Union Government. The council, named as Prime Minister's Science Technology and Innovation Advisory Committee (PM- STIAC), will be headed by K Vijay Raghavan, the principal scientific adviser to the Union Government. The panel will advise the Prime Minister on all matters related to science, technology and innovation and monitor the implementation of PM’s vision on the same.
138. Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARRIA) to systematically rank education institutions and universities primarily on innovation related indicators has introduced by Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD). ARRIA is named after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. ARRIA aims to promote culture of innovation and research in higher education. It will focus on quality of innovations rather than quantity and measure the real impact created by these innovations nationally and internationally.
139. To strengthen sewage water treatment infrastructure in Uttarakhand in an effort to clean River Ganga under Clean Ganga Mission, Germany has announced to provide soft loan of euro 120 million (Rs. 990 crores
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018 approximately) to India. German development agency GIZ also has prepared ‘Ganga Box’ aimed to target schools-going children and inform them about the river.
140. The temple, known as the 'Temple of Preah Vihear' is located in remote Preah Vihear district Prime Minister of India launched the ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ Movement, to boost nationwide public participation in the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, and catalyse the fulfilment of Bapu’s dream of a Clean India.
141. Jaipur Literature Festival began in Houston at the Asia Society of Texas (USA).
142. To combat human trafficking, the West Bengal government has rolled out a scheme, Swayangsiddha, means self-reliance.
143. Cabinet approved new Umbrella Scheme 'Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan, PM-AASHA for ensuring remunerative prices to the farmers for their produce.
144. The ‘first ever’ India Tourism Mart (ITM 2018) inaugurated by Union Minister for Railways and Coal, Piyush Goyal in Vigyan bhavan, delhi.
145. Sikkim's first-ever airport was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Pakyong, which is India's 100th functional airport and one of the country's five highest airports.
146. Andhra Pradesh has topped Ease of Living Index rankings under AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) followed by Odisha and Madhya Pradesh.
147. The Financial Inclusion Index was launched by Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Arun Jaitley, in New Delhi to measure the financial services for use of internal policy making.
148. For tackling toxicity in the air by sucking in particulate matter and release fresh air, the air pollution control device - Wind Augmentation Purifying Unit (WAYU) inaugurated by Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences and Environment Dr. Harsh Vardhan.
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149. To mark the second anniversary of the surgical strikes carried out by the Indian Army across the LoC, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Parakram Parv exhibition at the military station in Jodhpur.
150. The third edition of World’s Biggest Open Innovation Model - Smart India Hackathon 2019 - was launched in New Delhi, by the Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Prakash Javadekar.
151. The Union Government has announced that under Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, the treatment of childhood cancer will be covered.
152. Former Reserve Bank of India governor Bimal Jalan has been appointed by The Union Government as the head of the panel that has been tasked with selecting India’s next chief economic advisor (CEA).
153. India Gets Its 1st Ever Dedicated Dog Park in Hyderabad across an area of 1.3 acres.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
1. The first-ever India- South Africa Business Summit (ISABS 2018) was held at the Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa on April 29-30, 2018. The tag line of the Summit was “United by Legacy, Unified for Prosperity”
2. Cambridge Analytica, the UK-based data analytics company that was caught in a massive data-harvesting scandal that it illegally harvested data of over 87 million Facebook users has announced that it would immediately shut its operations, as the controversy has driven away virtually all of its customers.
3. A five-day cultural festival was organized by India in Egypt to commemorate the 157th birth anniversary of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.
4. UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has urged US President Donald Trump not to walk away from an international deal designed to prevent Iran acquiring nuclear weapons.
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018
5. On May 4, 2018, the 12th informal meeting of SAARC Finance Ministers was held in Manila, on the sidelines of the 51st Annual Meeting of Asian Development Bank (ADB).
6. Vladimir Putin was sworn in as the President of Russia for fourth time in the Grand Kremlin Palace, Moscow on May 7, 2018. With this, Putin will be serving the office of President for another six years. He won the presidential elections in March 2018 with 76 percent of the votes to his name by defeating Communist Party candidate Pavel Grudinin, who fetched 11.8 percent of votes.
7. 2018 World Robot Conference will be held in Beijing from 15th to 19th August 2018. This conference will enhance passion and innovation in the robot industry and help to improve research and development.
8. Under Operation Insaniyat, India has sent its second relief consignment to Bangladesh. Indian Navy Ship INS Airavat carrying 373-tonne relief consignment sailed from Vishakhapatnam and reached Chattogram port (formerly Chittagong) Port to help tens of thousands of displaced Rohingya Muslims who fled Myanmar into Bangladesh following military crackdown in violence-hit Rakhine state.
8. The direct bus service between Janakpur (Nepal) and Ayodhya (India) was jointly inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepalese counterpart KP Sharma Oli. It was launched as part of India’s Ramayan Circuit under Swadesh Darshan Scheme to promote religious tourism in Nepal and India. The government has identified 15 destinations in India for development under Ramayana Circuit theme under Swadesh Darshan Scheme. They are Ayodhya, Nandigram, Shringverpur and Chitrakoot (Uttar Pradesh), Sitamarhi, Buxar and Darbhanga (Bihar), Chitrakoot (Madhya Pradesh), Jagdalpur (Chhattisgarh), Mahendragiri (Odisha), Nashik and Nagpur (Maharashtra), Bhadrachalam (Telangana), Hampi (Karnataka) and Rameswaram (Tamil Nadu).
9. The first meeting of SCO tourism ministers (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) since the organization was established in 2001 in Shanghai was
47 | P a g e SHANMUGAM IAS ACADEMY: 46/1, Gokhale St, Opp Senthil Kumaran Theatre, Ram Nagar, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641009 WEBSITE: iasipstnpsc.in
TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018 held in Wuhan, China. The meeting approved joint action plan that will serve as guideline for tourism cooperation between SCO member states for 2019-2020.
8. The United States of America officially relocated its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, upholding the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 on May 14, 2018.
9. China’s first India-dedicated publicly offered investment fund named as Industrial and Commercial Bank Credit Suisse India Market Fund has launched by the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), a top state- run Chinese bank.
10. A comprehensive plan “REPLACE” to eliminate industrially-produced artificial transfats from global food supply by 2023 has launched by World Health Organization (WHO). REPLACE is abbreviated in six strategic actions as Review, Promote, Legislate, Assess, Create awareness and Enforce. The campaign provides step-bystep guide in six strategic actions of REPLACE package to ensure prompt, complete, and sustained elimination of industrially- produced trans-fats from global food supply.
11. World’s first floating nuclear power station was unveiled by Russia at port city of Murmansk. Akademik Lomonosov was constructed by Russian state nuclear power firm Rosatom.
12. The first ever Shanghai Cooperation Organisation-Regional Anti- Terrorist Structure (SCO-RATS) legal experts meeting in Islamabad was hosted by Pakistan since it became a permanent member of the organisation along with India in June 2017.
13. The United States uninvited China from one of the world's largest international maritime warfare exercises on May 23, 2018. The exercise, held in every two years in Hawaii, involves more than 20 countries from across the world including India, Australia, Japan and the UK. An official statement from Pentagon read that “China's behaviour is inconsistent with the principles and purposes of the RIMPAC exercise and so, it has disinvited the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy from the 2018 Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) Exercise.”
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018
• RIMPAC 2019 is the 26th exercise of its type, after first being held in 1971
14. Nepal became the first country in WHO’s South-East Asia Region to eliminate trachoma, world’s leading infectious cause of blindness. It is an eye disease caused by infection with bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. Infection is particularly common in young children.
15 Clean Air India Initiative was launched by India and Netherlands in New Delhi. Clean Air India Initiative is collaborative project between Get In The Ring, a platform for start-ups of Netherlands Government, Start-up India and INDUS Forum, an online matchmaking platform of Indian and Dutch businesses. It also aims build network of entrepreneurs working on business solutions for cleaner air.
16. The first edition of Global Wind Summit will be held in Hamburg, Germany from September 25 to 28, 2018. The summit combines will have two main conferences, WindEnergy Hamburg and WindEurope, Holinsky. The focus of the conferences will be on three major subjects viz. dynamic markets, cost efficiency and smart energy.
17. Colombia has formally joined North Atlantic Treaty Organization as global partner. The announcement came after Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) approved Colombia as a new member. It makes it first Latin American to join NATO.
18. To procure S-400 Triumf air defence missile systems for Indian Air Force (IAF), India has concluded price negotiations with Russia. They also have finalised financial component nearly Rs 40,000 crore of the deal. The deal will be announced before annual summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin in October 2018.
19. US Pacific Command (PACOM) – the United States oldest and largest stragically important military command has renamed to Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM). This decision was taken in recognition of growing importance of Indian Ocean in US strategic thinking.
20. The 44th summit of the Group of Seven (G7), which was held from June 8–9, 2018 in La Malbaie, Quebec, Canada.
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018
21. United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) elected South Africa, Indonesia, Dominican Republic, Germany and Belgium as non-permanent members of UN Security Council (UNSC). They will have two-year term beginning January 1, 2019.
22. In a historic first, delegation level talks between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un began in Singapore on June 12, 2018. The world’s two of the most powerful leaders held a brief one-on-one meeting at the Capella Hotel in Sentosa Island before beginning with their delegation level talks.
23. After Latvia assumed chairmanship of NSG for 2018-19, the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) plenary meeting took place on in Jurmala, Latvia on 14th and 15th June 2018. With this, Latvia became first Baltic state to chair the NSG.
24. US officials from Pentagon will meet the Indian experts on negotiation of communications military agreements on 18th June 2018. The US had granted India the status of a “Major Defence Partner‟ in 2016. The talks are based on the military agreement between India and US in 2016 on Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA). The agreements consist of COMCASA and Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo- spatial Cooperation (BECA) and singing of the Indian counterparts are required for this to take shape.
25. US has surpassed India as the top destination to attract Greenfield FDI investment according to the FDI Report 2018 compiled by FDI Intelligence, a division of The Financial Times Ltd on June 17, 2018. India has been the top destination for 2015 and 2016 but the number of investments has fallen by 21% for 2017.
26. The inaugural India, United States 2+2 Dialogue will be held on July 6, 2018 in Washington. DC, capital city of US.
27. The 11th edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD- 11) released by the World Health Organization in Geneva.
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018
28. In a first, women across Saudi Arabia were legally allowed to drive for the first time since 1957 on June 24, 2018, thus, putting an end to the world‟s last ban on female drivers which was seen as a symbol of women’s repression in the deeply conservative Muslim kingdom.
29. The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on June 27, 2018 added Pakistan to its “grey list” of countries involved in providing monetary assistance to terrorism and related causes.
30. The US State Department categorised North Korea as the "worst human trafficking country" for the 16th straight year in its annual '2018 Trafficking in Persons Report'.
31. The United Nations has placed Colombia's Chiribiquete national park on its list of world heritage sites
32. The 17th World Sanskrit Conference was held at Vancouver, Canada from 9th July to 13th July, 2018.
33. The US Congress agreed to waive sanctions on India under the Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) for buying Russian military equipment.
34. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan announced that he will take oath as Prime Minister on August 11, 2018. Mahesh Malani of Pakistan Peoples Party’s became the first Hindu candidate to win a National Assembly seat.
35. The United States has eased export controls for high-technology product sales to India by elevating its status to a Strategic Trade Authorisation-1 (STA-1) country. The designation of STA-1 country will allow India to buy more advanced and sensitive technologies from the United States, at par with that of the closest US allies and partners and ensure enduring cooperation into the future. The information was shared by US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross on July 30, 2018.
36. Emmerson Mnangagwa won presidential election of Zimbabwe.
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018
37. ‘International Buddhist Conclave (IBC), 2018’ will inaugurate in Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi on August 23, 2018 by the President of India Ram Nath Kovind. During the inaugural session, the Tourism Ministry will launch its website landofbuddha.in and a new film showcasing the Buddhist sites in the country.
38. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Peace Mission 2018 was held in Chebarkul, Russia. The exercise was aimed at enhancing cooperation between member states to deal with growing threat of terrorism and extremism. Military contingents of the all eight SCO member nations (China, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, India and Pakistan) participated in this exercise. It was for first time since independence, India and Pakistan simultaneously took part military exercise.
39. The Indian naval stealth warship Sahyadri entered the Port of Darwin in Australia to take part in the maritime exercise KAKADU. It is held biennially in Darwin and the Northern Australian Exercise Areas (NAXA). The exercise KAKADU was started in 1993, is a premier multilateral regional maritime engagement hosted by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and supported by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY / DEFENCE
1. “2018 Vijay Prahar” exercise of Indian Army’s South Western Command has started near Suratgarh in Rajasthan. The exercise that began a couple of weeks ago will conclude on May 9 and Army chief General Bipin Rawat and other senior officers are likely to witness the final phase.
2. NASA will be launching “InSight”, the first-ever mission dedicated to exploring the deep interior of Mars on May 5, 2018. “InSight” stands for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport. It is a stationary robotic lander. InSight will be NASA’s first mission since the Apollo moon landings to place a seismometer (a device that measures quakes), on the surface of another planet. ‟InSight” will be launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, US aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket. 52 | P a g e SHANMUGAM IAS ACADEMY: 46/1, Gokhale St, Opp Senthil Kumaran Theatre, Ram Nagar, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641009 WEBSITE: iasipstnpsc.in
TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018
3. India has emerged as fifth largest military spender in 2017 according to recently released report of Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). The world‟s five biggest military spenders in 2017 are United States ($610 billion), China ($228 billion), Saudi Arabia (69.4 billion), Russia (66.3 billion) and India ($63.9 billion).
4. The final and third phase of Varuna naval exercise 2018 conducted by Indian and French navies near Reunion Island in Indian Ocean region (IOR) to enhance their operational coordination.
3. ISRO has developed an atomic clock to be used in navigation satellites to measure clear-cut location data. The desi atomic clock is being developed by the Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad.This clock is currently undergoing a series of qualification tests.
4. A key peptide was successfully identified by researchers from Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre, Gandhinagar that can be used to develop a new preventive vaccine against leptospirosis. Leptospirosis is an emerging tropical infectious bacterial disease that affects humans and animals. It caused by corkscrew-shaped bacteria called Leptospira.
5. China successfully launched Gaofen-5, a hyper-spectral imaging satellite, as part of the country’s high- resolution Earth observation project on 8th May 2018. It is the world’s first full-spectrum hyper spectral satellite for comprehensive observation of the atmosphere and the land.
6. Bangabandhu-1 (Bangladesh‟s first communication satellite) will be launched from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. It is named after Bangladesh’s “Father of the Nation”- Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
7. “Type 001A”- China‟s first domestically manufactured aircraft carrier’s sea trials was carried out from Dalian port in Liaoning province.
8. A more no. of tests has demanded for genetically modified mustard- Dhara Mustard Hybrid (DMH -11) for “commercial cultivation” by the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC).
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018
9. India has decided to include Artificial Intelligence in its defence forces with an aim to enhance the operational preparedness of the armed forces after US, Russia and China. A task force has been set up under the chairmanship of N Chandrasekaran to finalise the specifics and framework of the project.
10. India successfully test-fired the Indo-Russian joint venture BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from a test range along the coast of Odisha. The missile was testfired from a mobile launcher stationed at Launch pad 3 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur on 21st May 2018.
11. The state of Chhattisgarh would soon be getting a specialised anti-Naxal combat force called the “Black Panther”. The force would be set up on the lines of Greyhounds unit, a special force in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh that is dedicated to anti-insurgency operations against Naxalites and Maoists.
12. Under Navika Sagar Parikrama expedition, after circumnavigating around globe in 254 days Indian Navy‟s six-member all-women Navy crew onboard of INSV Tarini vessel reached Panaji, Goa on May 21,2018. It sailed across four continents and three oceans and passed south of the Great Capes – Leeuwin, Horn and Good Hope.
The vessel was skippered by Lieutenant Commander Vartika Joshi, and other crew comprised of Lieutenant Commanders Pratibha Jamwal, P Swathi, and Lieutenants S Vijaya Devi, B Aishwarya and Payal Gupta.
13. SURYA KIRAN-XIII- the joint military exercise will be conducted between India and Nepal at Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand from May 30 to June 12, 2018. Exercise SURYA KIRAN is a biannual exercise which is conducted alternatively in Nepal and India. Notably, among all the military training exercises undertaken by India with various countries, it is Exercise SURYA KIRAN with Nepal which is the largest in terms of troop participation.
14. Rustom-II - Indigenously developed Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) will be delivered to armed forces by 2020 as per the contract. It is being developed for use of all three services of Indian Armed Forces, primarily for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) operations. It is a long-endurance UAV that has a 20
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018 hours approximate flight time. Its medium-altitude prototype can fly at over 22,000 feet.
15. The fourth element Ruthenium (Ru) is found to have unique magnetic properties (ferromagnetism) at room temperature was discovered by the Scientists from University of Minnesota, US. So far only three periodic table elements Iron (Fe), Cobalt (Co), and Nickel (Ni) have been found to be ferromagnetic at room temperature.
16. World’s first 3D printed human corneas (3D printed thin protective film over eye) that could solve problem of shortage of available eye donors and help millions of blind people gain sight again have created by the scientists from Newcastle University, UK. Cornea is outermost layer of the human eye.
17. A special kind of neutron star for the first time outside of the Milky Way galaxy have discovered by the scientists of NASA. It was discovered using data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and the European Southern Observatory‟s Very Large Telescope in Chile. Neutron stars are the ultra dense cores of massive stars that collapse and undergo a supernova explosion.
18. A new system to generate more accurate and area specific forecast of extreme weather events including rains, heat wave and cold wave named as new Ensemble Prediction System (EPS) has launched by the Ministry of Earth Science (MoES)
19. Rail MADAD (Mobile Application for Desired Assistance During travel) Application to expedite and streamline passenger grievance redressal has been launched by the Union Ministry of Railways. The app for the first time completely digitized the Complaint management system. The application was launched in line with Union Government’s Digital India Initative. It integrates RPGRAMS (Railway Passenger Grievance Redressal and Management System) developed by Northern Railway (Delhi Division).
20. Spanish scientists have identified absorbent materials that can help soak up pollutants found in urban waste water in less than 24 hours. The results show that the material C18Mica-4 is capable of eliminating the majority of pollutants that were evaluated in urban waste water, as well as surface water and potable water. 55 | P a g e SHANMUGAM IAS ACADEMY: 46/1, Gokhale St, Opp Senthil Kumaran Theatre, Ram Nagar, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641009 WEBSITE: iasipstnpsc.in
TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018
21. NASA approved an extension of Juno’s science operations until July 2021. This provides the space probe with an additional 41 months in orbit around Jupiter. The spacecraft was supposed to end its mission by crashing into Jupiter's atmosphere in July this year. The end of prime operations is now expected to be in July 2021, with data analysis and mission close-out activities continuing into 2022.
22. Scientists from Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad have discovered for first time distant planet revolving around Sun-like star. Both the planet and the star have been named EPIC. The planet has been named as EPIC 211945201b (or K2-236b) and host star has been named EPIC 211945201 (or K2-236). The EPIC planet is six times bigger than Earth and revolves around host about 600 light years away.
23. NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, who spent a record-breaking 665 days in space, has retired from the space agency on June 16, 2018. In 2008, she returned to the ISS and became the first female commander of the space station. She claimed the title for most spacewalks by a woman -10 spacewalks totaling 60 hours and 21 minutes and set the record for most time spent in space by a US astronaut, placing eighth on the all-time space endurance list.
24. The indigenously developed Pinaka rocket system has converted into a precision-guided missile, with enhanced range and accuracy to hit its targets by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The rocket has been named after Pinaka, the bow of Lord Shiva. It is known for firing 12 rockets in just 44 seconds and destroy target area of 4 sq km at time. It already has been inducted into Indian Army and Pinaka Mark I was used in 1999 Kargil conflict. Its initial version (Pinaka Mark I) was upgraded into Pinaka Mark II, with enhanced range of 70 to 80 km with a five metre accuracy compared to Mark I, with a range of 40 km.
25. 106th Indian Science Congress will be held at Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Jalandhar, Punjab from January 3 to 7, 2019. It will be organised by the Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA). The theme for the five-day science congress is “Future India: Science & Technology”.
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018
26. Glonass-M positioning satellite on board of Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket has been successfully launched from the Plesetsk space centre in Mirny, Arkhangelsk Oblast by Russia. With this launch, there are now total 26 Glonass satellites in orbit. The satellite is part of GLONASS network [GLONASS (Russian acronym for Global Navigation Satellite System, which provides real-time positioning data for Global Navigation Satellite System)] which provides real-time positioning data for surface, sea and airborne objects around globe, at accuracy reportedly at par with US Global Positioning System (GPS). It has design life of 7 years which is significantly higher than that of previous generation of Glonass satellites. It is about 2.4* 3.7 meters in size with solar array span of 7.2 meters.
27. The first satellite named RemoveDEBRIS to demonstrate a range of innovative technologies to clean up space debris orbiting Earth was successfully deployed from International Space Station (ISS). The satellite was designed, built and manufactured by consortium of space companies and research institutions led by Surrey Space Centre at University of Surrey, United Kingdom. The project is co-funded by European Commission. RemoveDEBRIS mission is aimed at performing key Active Debris Removal (ADR) technology demonstrations (e.g capture, deorbiting) representative of operational scenario during low-cost mission using novel key technologies for ADR.
28. “ReUnite”- a mobile application was launched by the Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation in New Delhi to track and trace missing and abandoned children in India. It has been developed by Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi’s NGO Bachpan Bachao Andolan and IT company Capgemini.
29. The standing committee of National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has recently added four species into Centre’s Recovery Programme for Critically Endangered Species on the recommendation by Wildlife Division of Ministry of Environment and Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC). The four species are namely Northern River Terrapin, Clouded Leopard, Arabian Sea Humpback Whale and Red Panda.
30. The Coal Mine Surveillance & Management System (CMSMS) and Mobile Application “Khan Prahari” launched by the Union Minister of Coal, Railways, Finance & Corporate Affairs, Piyush Goyal. Khan Prahari is a tool
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018 for reporting any activity taking place related to illegal coal mining like rat hole mining, pilferage etc. The CMSMS is a web based GIS application through which location of sites for unauthorised mining can be detected. It aims to report, monitor and take suitable action on unauthorised coal mining activities.
31. The test of Crew Escape System that provides escape mechanism for astronauts if the launch operation is aborted has successfully conducted by ISRO. The crew escape system is being developed as part of the he proposed human spaceflight programme. India at present does not have human space flight programme. Only three countries United States of America (USA), Russia and China have human space flight programmes. The only Indian scientist to ever travel to space was fighter pilot Rakesh Sharma who flew aboard Soyuz T-11 (spacecraft of former USSR) in 1984.
32. Saathi - a mobile help centre to reach out to people undertaking annual pilgrimage to 3,880-metre high holy cave shrine of Amarnath has launched by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). It will provide help and information to yatris staying in camps outside the Bhagwati Nagar base camp in Jammu. This will be in addition to security provided by CRPF to the yatra routes. In addition, they will also provide first aid treatment to people in need and would also be distributing medicines.
33. China successfully launched two remote sensing satellites PRSS-1 and PakTes-1A of Pakistan on board of Long March-2C rocket from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre. It is China’s first international commercial launch in nearly two decades after it carried Motorola’s Iridium satellites into orbit in 1999 and overall 279th mission for the Long March rocket series (mainly used to send satellites into low Earth or Sun-synchronous orbits).
34. Century’s (2001 AD to 2100 AD) longest total lunar eclipse of 1 hour 43 minutes will occur on July 27-28, 2018. This announcement was made by the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences. The entire eclipse will be visible from all parts of India.
35. An e-commerce platform IFFCO iMandi (a mobile application and web portal) has launched by Fertiliser major IFFCO to address all needs of the farming community associated with it. The e-commerce platform is one stop
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018 shop for agri inputs and produce, FMCG, electronics, loans, insurance etc. It has features like buy-sell, communication (chat and calling), entertainment and information/advisory content to keep farmers engaged.
36. ISRO has successfully conducted ground test of its high thrust version of Vikas Engine at ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC) in Mahendragiri, Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu for duration of 195 seconds. Vikas belongs to family of liquid fuelled rocket engines conceptualized and designed by ISRO’s Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre in the 1970s.
37. India's indigenously developed surface-to-surface supersonic cruise missile- BrahMos was successfully test-fired from the Chandipur Test Range, off the coast of Odisha on July 16, 2018. The previous test firing of the missile was conducted on May 21, when it was launched from a mobile launcher under life extension program. BrahMos is the first Indian missile whose life has been extended from 10 to 15 years.
38. China has announced that it plans to launch 300 low-orbit satellites Known as the Hongyan constellation to provide worldwide communication services, with the first in the series to be launched later this year. The constellation will be built in three stages. China’s Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation said, once completed, the satellite communication network will take the place of the ground-based network and allow a mobile phone to be connected everywhere on the planet, even in a remote desert or at sea.
39. As a part of the service life extension programme for Indian Army, DRDO has successfully test-fired supersonic cruise missile under extreme weather conditions from the Integrated Test Range at Balasore, Odisha. The test was conducted on the heels of earlier two trials conducted on May 21 and 22, 2018 in which the major sub-systems manufactured indigenously under the “Make in India” campaign were successfully tested inorder to increase the missile’s life from 10 to 15 years.
40. According to Landsat satellites data from NASA and the US Geological Survey taken between 1984 and 2016 (30 years), the world’s sandy shorelines are declining in protected marine areas. About 24 per cent of sandy beaches
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018 worldwide are eroding, while 27 per cent are growing. Africa has the highest proportion of sandy beaches (66 per cent) and Europe has the lowest (22 per cent). Beaches in Australia and Africa are experiencing more erosion than growth while Asia is experiencing the highest rate of overall growth.
41. Three new ages on geologic time scale of Holocene Epoch viz. Meghalayan Age, Middle Holocene Northgrippian Age and Early Holocene Greenlandian Age have approved by the scientists.
Meghalayan Age is named after cave in Indian state of Meghalaya. It has helped to define climatic events 4,200 years ago, marking beginning of phase that continues till today. Middle Holocene Northgrippian Age and Early Holocene Greenlandian Age-These two ages are defined with beginnings at climatic events that happened about 8,300 years and 11,700 years ago, respectively.
42. Remote Sensing Toolkit has launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to promote commercial use of satellite data. It has been designed to help users search for data, as well as utilize ready-to-use tools and code to build new tools.
43. TreadWill, an online tool to help people cope with issues related to mental health has developed by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur. It is website designed to help people deal with stress, low mood, lethargy and other depressive symptoms through different online exercises, questionnaires and games.
44. Scientists have identified new shape called scutoid while studying epithelial cells. Scutoid shape has five sides on one end and six on the other and a triangular surface on one of its longer edges and it is completely new to geometry and resembles beetle’s scutellum (shield-like structure) from top- down view. Epithelial tissue is one of four kinds of tissue that forms human body, which acts as safety shield of body that make up cell walls lining our blood vessels and organs.
45. e-Aksharayan - a desktop software to enable editing of text printed on scanned documents has launched by the Union IT ministry on July 31, 2018. It will convert scanned printed Indian language documents into a fully editable text 60 | P a g e SHANMUGAM IAS ACADEMY: 46/1, Gokhale St, Opp Senthil Kumaran Theatre, Ram Nagar, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641009 WEBSITE: iasipstnpsc.in
TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018 format in Unicode encoding. The software can be downloaded for free from its website. The software supports editing in seven Indian languages - Hindi, Bangla, Malayalam, Gurmukhi, Tamil, Kannada and Assamese.
46. Scientists from National Brain Research Centre (NBRC) have successfully identified molecular and cellular mechanisms by which Zika virus causes microcephaly. Babies born with microcephaly have significantly smaller head size compared with normal babies. Zika virus is vector borne disease transmitted primarily by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which also transmits dengue. It can also spread through blood transfusion and sexual contact.
47. NASA’s new planet hunting Spacecraft “Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS)” has become operational and has started collecting data after its successful launch in April 2018. TESS mission is led by Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research. Now, the TESS spacecraft will firstly scan patch of sky in southern hemisphere covering 2,300 degrees from south ecliptic pole to near ecliptic plane.
48. Gaofen-11- an optical remote sensing satellite was successfully launched by China as a part of its high-resolution Earth observation project. It is sub-meter resolution optical satellite developed by China Academy of Space Technology (CAST). It was launched on board of Long March 4B rocket from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern Shanxi Province. It was overall 282nd flight mission by Long March carrier rocket. Gaofen means “high resolution” in Chinese. It is ambitious space project of China that aims to launch seven high-definition observation satellites before 2020.
49. Astronomers have detected a radioactive molecule in space, believed to be from a stellar explosion that took place in the 17th century. The radioactive molecule is an isotope of aluminium monofluoride. The radioactive molecule was spotted with the Northern extended millimeter array and the Atacama Large Millimeter/ Sub millimeter Array radio telescopes.
50. WOW (Wellness of Women) mobile application aimed at creating awareness on preventive healthcare for women across the country has launched by FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO), the women’s wing of Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). It provides easy to use
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018 platform that allows users to talk to doctors through video conferencing or connect with them via voice or email. WOW app is backed by Chennai-based Apollo Hospitals Group that offers access to renowned doctors and provides health tips.
51. Move Hack –a global mobility hackathon to crowdsource solutions aimed at future of mobility in India has launched by NITI Aayog. MoveHack aims to bring about innovative, dynamic and scalable solutions to problems pertaining to mobility. It is organized in partnership with Government of Singapore and is powered by Hacker Earth. PwC is knowledge partner and NASSCOM is strategic partner. It is first platform in the world that has enmeshed public transport, private transport, road safety, multimodal connectivity and new age transport technologies such as zero emission vehicles and intra city aerial transport spearheaded by Government.
52. “Digital Literacy Library” has launched by Social networking giant Facebook. The library is resource for educators looking to address digital literacy and help these young people build the skills. There are 18 interactive lessons and videos have been developed in partnership with Youth and Media team at Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University for educators of youth aged 11 to 18. These lessons are in English language and Facebook is planning to launch these in additional 45 languages soon.
53. India’s second mission to moon- Chandrayaan-2 has been postponed to January 2019 by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). This will be second time mission has been postponed. The ambitious mission was earlier planned to be launched in April 2018 and was later fixed for October 2019. With this delay, India may lose fourth position in the world for soft-landing on the moon to Israel as it too planning to launch moon mission in December2018.
54. Two IT initiative Bidder Information Management System (BIMS) and Bhoomi Rashi and PFMS linkage were launchedby Union Ministry of Road Transport & Highway (MoRTH). BIMS portal aims at streamlining process of pre-qualification of bidders for EPC Mode of contracts for National Highway works with enhanced transparency and objectivity. Bhoomi Rashi portal has been developed by MoRTH and National Informatics Centre (NIC). It comprises entire revenue data of country, right down to 6.4 lakh villages. The Bhoomi Rashi
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018 portal has been integrated with Public Financial Management System (PFMS) to facilitate payment related to compensation for land acquisition to all beneficiaries directly through Bhoomi Rashi system. It will make payment of Compensation by MoRTH to beneficiaries in real time and without any parking of funds.
55. China successfully tested its first cutting-edge hypersonic “waverider” flight vehicle (aircraft) Xingkong-2 (Starry Sky-2). The Xingkong-2 hypersonic waverider flight vehicle was released in air from rocket after about 10 minutes. The test successfully proved various parameters of flight vehicle, thus marking successful launch of Xingkong-2 and first flight of Chinese waverider. The hypersonic waverider flight vehicle was designed by state-run China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics (CAAA) in collaboration with China Aerospace.
56. India has highest gender gap in mobile phone ownership amongst 18 comparable countries and ranks among the lowest in women’s access to Internet according to recent study released by LIRNEAsia. The study also included comparative research done by ICT Africa in Africa and DIRSI in Latin America.
57. Earth is at the risk of entering an irreversible hothouse condition according to recent study. Hothouse Earth climate will in long-term stabilise at global average of 4-5 degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial temperatures with sea level 10- 60 metres higher than today. Currently, global average temperatures are just over 1 degree Celsius above pre-industrial and rising at 0.17 degree Celsius per decade.
58. Chinese astronomers have discovered the most lithium-rich giant star ever known, which could shed new light on the evolution of the universe. A research team, led by astronomers from the National Astronomical Observatories of China (NAOC), made the discovery with the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fibre Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST). With 3,000 times more lithium than a normal star, it was found in the direction of Ophiuchus, on the north side of the galactic disk, at a distance of 4,500 light years from Earth. The star has a mass almost 1.5 times our sun.
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59. The TRAI Mobile Apps namely DND 2.0 and MyCall with UMANG Platform were integrated by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on August 7, 2018. From now onwards, the DND 2.0 and MyCall mobile apps will also be available on Umang Platform. This integration is part of the policy initiatives of TRAI that the authority has been undertaking over the years to protect the interests of the consumers to safeguard their interests.
60. The Union Minister for Electronics & Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad has released the Digital North East Vision 2022 in Guwahati, Assam. First electronics manufacturing cluster in northeastern region was also inaugurated in Guwahati, Assam. The vision document emphasizes on leveraging digital technologies to transform lives of people of north east and enhance ease of living.
61. NASA on August 21, 2018 said that scientists have found frozen water deposits in the darkest and coldest parts of the Moon's polar regions. Scientists used data from NASA's Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) instrument aboard the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, launched in 2008 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), to identify three specific signatures that definitively prove there is water ice at the surface of the Moon. Most of the newfound water ice lies in the shadows of craters near the poles, where the warmest temperatures never reach above minus 156 degrees Celsius. Due to the very small tilt of the Moon's rotation axis, sunlight never reaches these regions.
62. The maximum numbers of cyber-attacks on official Indian websites are from China, US and Russia according to recent report by Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In). It had analysed cyber-attacks from April-June 2018. The report was forwarded to National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) and other security agencies.
63. NETA (National Electoral Transformation) mobile application that allows voters to rate and review their political representatives has launched by former President Pranab Mukherjee. It is first of its kind platform in India. The app is brainchild of 27year-old entrepreneur Pratham Mittal. The app aims to foster political accountability and transparency among leaders. It is inspired by US approval system. This app was piloted during February 2018 bypolls in Rajasthan’s Ajmer and Alwar constituencies. It was later used in
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Karnataka ahead of the assembly elections in May 2018. The app in its beta version has already seen over 1.5 crore voters rating and reviewing their local leaders. The app is available on Andriod and iOS and web in 16 languages to cater to a diverse user profile. It uses combination of Artificial Intelligence (AI), one-time password (OTP) and Aadhaar numbers to ensure that voters who rate leaders are genuine.
64. The 5G steering committee chaired by Stanford University’s Professor Emeritus AJ Paulraj submitted its recommendations to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). It gave wide-ranging recommendations to drive India’s 5G adoption entailing areas like spectrum policy, regulatory policy, standards and education. AJ Paulraj committee gave has proposed promulgation of key norms on regulatory matters by March 2019 in order to facilitate early deployment of 5G technology. It expects commercial rollout of 5G in India by 2020. It noted that 5G technologies will start entering service globally beginning 2019 and advance to full range of services by 2024. It recommended that deployment of 5G in India should be classified into three phases based on technologies and use cases.
65. NASA’s asteroid sampling spacecraft OSIRIS-Rex (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer) has captured first images of its target asteroid Bennu and began its final approach towards it after almost two-year journey. OSIRIS-Rex mission was launched in September 2016 for studying 101955 Bennu, a carbonaceous asteroid. The first glimpses of targeted asteroid were captured by PolyCam camera OCAMS on board of OSIRIS-Rex from a distance of 2.1 million kilometre. It will help to study Bennu’s size, shape, surface features, and surroundings.
66. Project Navlekha to make online content relevant for more Indian users especially in local languages has unveiled by Google at fourth ‘Google for India’ event held in New Delhi. Navlekha is word derived from Sanskrit meaning “a new way to write”. This project aims to bring 135,000 local language publishers online by making web hosting smooth and simple. It will allow local publishers who do not have websites to make their offline content fit for online publishing in less than a minute.
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018
67. Union Government and European Union (EU) have collaborated for research programme named Horizon 2020 to develop Next Generation Influenza Vaccine to protect citizens across the globe. Under this project, cost- effective and affordable influenza vaccine will be developed. It aims at advancing the efficacy, safety, duration of immunity, and reactivity against an increased breadth of influenza strains. For this research programme, India’s Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and EU have committed Euro 15 million (Rs. 240 crore).
68. IBM has partnered with Indian IT companies (Persistent Systems, Invest India, Wipro, Capgemini and NASSCOM) for its ‘Call for Code’ initiative that aims to build global solutions for disaster management. The initiative seeks to solve one of the most pressing societal issues of preventing, responding to and recovering from natural disasters.
69. Bhuvan Ganga Mobile Application and Web Portal to aid flagship mission to Clean Ganga has launched by Union Government. Bhuvan Ganga application will facilitate public to upload pictures of pollution sources of the Ganga River for further action by the authorities concerned. Bhuvan Ganga Portal: It is deployed as part of Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO’s) Bhuvan’s geoportal with all geospatial layers related to Ganga River. It will be used as a tool to support decision making and planning for the Clean Ganga Mission.
70. Chander Mohan, an Indian-American scientist has identified as many as 50 protein biomarkers that can non-invasively detect inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a gut disorder that leads to diarrhoea, abdominal cramps and weight loss. IBD occurs when the body's immune system fights its intestinal cells. Two of the most common types are Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, both of which cause inflammation in the digestive tract.
71. Paytm Money app will be available for download on both Google’s Android platform and Apple’s mobile operating system iOS with an aim to double the mutual fund investor base in India to 50 million in the next 5 years.
72. Minister for Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu launched the mobile app: Coffee Connect and Coffee KrishiTharanga. The
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018 mobile app Coffee Connect has been developed to ease the work of field functionaries and to improve the work efficiency. The Coffee KrishiTharanga services are aimed at providing customized information and services to increase productivity, profitability, and environmental sustainability.
73. Researchers at Shizuoka University, a Japanese team, has developed a space elevator, a miniature version on satellites. This will be the world’s first experiment to test elevator movement in space.
74. ISRO plans to set up its first Overseas Ground Station at North Pole. The ground station will augment the Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) operations crucial not just for civilian needs like disaster management but also for the armed forces.
75. The Minister of Railways & Coal, Shri Piyush Goyal has launched a new app – “AAPOORTI” mobile App of “Indian Railways e-procurement system (IREPS)”.
76. Google launched a new search engine called ‘Dataset Search’, which works in multiple languages, to help scientists, data journalists and others find data required for their work.
77. The government of Andhra Pradesh launched a mobile platform, e- Rythu (e-farmer in Telugu) which will enable small-scale farmers to market their produce at reasonable prices. It was launched by the Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.
78. India’s first underwater robotic drone EyerovTUNA was launched and handed over to the Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL) of DRDO. It is the first commercial Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV)/ underwater drone and was supported by Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM).
79. Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS) has developed India’s first indigenous medical kit that may ensure protection from serious injuries and faster healing of wounds resulting from nuclear warfare or radioactive leakage. The kit has been developed by INMAS after 20 years of work.
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80. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launched its Ice Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite-2 known as ICESat-2, which will use an extremely precise laser to collect measurement data to track the Earth’s shrinking polar ice from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
81. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched PSLV C 42 with two British earth observation satellites NovaSAR and S1-4 in precision from the Sathish Dhawan Space Centre Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
82. Indigenously developed weapon system Man Portable Anti-Tank Guided Missile (MPATGM) was successfully flight tested for the second time from the Ahmednagar range, Maharashtra.
83. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched a space technology incubation centre in Agartala, Tripura.
84. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) gave its approval for the upgradation of the indigenously developed Akash short-range surface-to-air missile (SRSAM) system
85. Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully flight tested the indigenously developed surface-to-surface tactical missile “Prahar” from Launch Complex-III, ITR, Balasore, Odisha.
86. India successfully conducted the interceptor missile test Prithvi Defence Vehicle (PDV) mission is for engaging the targets in the exo-atmosphere region at an altitude above 50 kilometers of the earth’s atmosphere. It was launched from Abdul Kalam Island of the Integrated Test Range (ITR).
87. Japan became the world’s first country to land 2 robotic rovers in asteroid Ryugu. It is also the first man made robot to have landed in an asteroid.
88. The Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Finance and National Informatics Centre (NIC) have jointly developed a mobile app called Jan Dhan Darshak as a part of Financial Inclusion (FI) initiative. This app
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018 will act as a guide for the common people in locating a financial service touch point at a given location in the country.
89. The Indian Air Force successfully test fired the indigenously developed Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile Astra from a Su-30 aircraft. The missile, tested at the Kalaikunda Air Force Station successfully engaged a maneuvering target with high precision.
90. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) landed a pair of rovers on an asteroid, marking the world's first moving, robotic observation of an asteroid surface.
91. 'Apsara', the first research reactor in Asia became operational in Trombay campus of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in August 1956. After providing more than five decades of dedicated service to the researchers, the reactor was shut down in 2009.
• Nearly sixty-two years after Apsara came into existence, a swimming pool type research reactor “Apsaraupgraded”, of higher capacity was born at Trombay.
92. The 6th edition of the biennial Bengaluru Space Expo was inaugurated by ISRO Chairman Dr. K Sivan in Bengaluru, Karnataka. ISRO Chairman Dr K Sivan addressed that the ISRO wants to offer manufacturing of PSLV & small satellite launch vehicles along with small satellites to private industries.
ECONOMY
1. Interactive Robotic Assistant (IRA) 2.0, an interactive humanoid at its Koramangala Branch in Bengaluru, Karnataka was launched by HDFC bank. The interactive humanoid aims to enhance user experience for customers visiting in this branch. HDFC was first bank in India to introduce humanoid IRA 1.0 for customer service at Kamala Mills Branch in Mumbai in January 2o18. Currently, IRA 1.0 is stationed at Palarivattom Branch in Kochi.
2. India was ranked 11th position in the FDI Confidence Index 2018 released by global consultancy firm A T Kearney. It has slipped by three notches 69 | P a g e SHANMUGAM IAS ACADEMY: 46/1, Gokhale St, Opp Senthil Kumaran Theatre, Ram Nagar, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641009 WEBSITE: iasipstnpsc.in
TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018 in 2018 as it was ranked 8th in 2017 and 9th in 2016. This is first time India fell out of the top 10 since 2015. Top 10 countries in FDI Confidence Index 2018 are United States (1st), Canada (2nd), Germany (3rd), United Kingdom (4th), China (5th), Japan (6th), France (7th), Australia (8th), Switzerland (9th) and Italy (10th).
3. On May 4, 2018, the World Bank said that India is doing extremely well on electrification with nearly 85 percent of the country's population having access to electricity. In the latest report, the World Bank said that India provided electricity to 30 million people each year between 2010 and 2016.
4. The proposal to convert GST Network (GSTN) into government entity from current private entity status by taking over stakes held by private entities was approved by GST Council chaired by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in its 27th meeting. GSTN was set up as not for profit, non-Government, private limited company in 2013. It was established primarily to provide IT infrastructure and services to Central and State Governments, tax payers and other stakeholders for implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST).
5. $200 million loan agreement with World Bank for National Nutrition Mission (POSHAN Abhiyaan) for 315 districts across all states and union territories has been signed by the Union government. POSHAN Abhiyaan (Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nutrition) was launched in Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan in March 2018. It aims to ensure holistic development and adequate nutrition for pregnant women, mothers and children. The loan proceeds will be used for reducing stunting in children 0-6 years of age from 38.4% to 25% by 2022 under POSHAN Abhiyaan.
6. India slipped to 6th position in Global Business Optimism Index according to the report released by Grant Thornton’s International Business Report (IBR) in the first quarter of 2018. The top five nations are Austria, Finland, Indonesia, the Netherlands and US. India with a score of 89 was ranked at the sixth place in the index. The report was prepared based on the results of a survey of 2,500 businesses in 37 economies.
7. Walmart Inc will acquire a 77 percent holding in Flipkart Group for $16 billion. Japan’s Softbank will exit Flipkart by selling entire 20 per cent stake
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018 to Walmart. Flipkart co-founder Sachin Bansal will exit Flipkart by selling his 5.5 % stake to Walmart. This is said to be the largest-ever deal in e- commerce. It is said that, Flipkart will maintain a separate brand and operating structure.
8. India was ranked 4th out of 25 nations in Asia-Pacific region in the inaugural Asia Power Index released by Australian think tank Lowy Institute. Three of the world’s four largest economies are in Asia and United States is Pacific power.
9. India will be the fastest growing major economy in 2018, with growth rate of 7.4% and 7.8% in 2019 according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in its Asia and Pacific Regional Economic Outlook report.
10. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has put state-run lender Dena Bank under prompt corrective action (PCA) framework. This means Dena bank can disburse loans for credit facilities already sanctioned, but cannot sanction fresh loans. It has barred Dena Bank from extending fresh credit in view of deteriorating financial health due to mounting non-performing assets (NPAs) and mounting losses. It makes Dena Bank first lender to face curbs on lending under PCA framework.
11. India was largest remittance receiving country in the world with US $69 billion in 2017, according to recently released report “RemitSCOPE – Remittance markets and opportunities – Asia and the Pacific”. Top five remittance receiving countries in 2017 in the world were India ($69 billion), China ($64 billion) and Philippines ($33 billion), Pakistan ($20 billion), and Vietnam ($14 billion).
12. Bharti Airtel’s acquisition of Telenor India was approved by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). The department has transferred all licenses belonging to the Indian unit of Norway-based Telenor to Bharti Airtel.
13. The subscriber base of Atal Pension Yojana (APY) has crossed 1 crore subscribers mark since its launch in May 2015 according to Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA). Top ten states in APY mobilisation are: Uttar Pradesh (1,401,631), Bihar (1,061,660), Tamil Nadu (814,917), Maharashtra (758,695), Karnataka (686,504). Andhra Pradesh 71 | P a g e SHANMUGAM IAS ACADEMY: 46/1, Gokhale St, Opp Senthil Kumaran Theatre, Ram Nagar, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641009 WEBSITE: iasipstnpsc.in
TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018
(686,504), West Bengal (551,471), Madhya Pradesh (498,111), Rajasthan (497,962) and Gujarat (486,465).
14. The Supreme Court on May 17, 2018 barred all the high court’s from listening to any plea related to an RBI circular that prohibited dealings in virtual currencies such as the Bitcoin. The bench gave the direction while hearing to pleas seeking direction to the Centre to take immediate steps to restrain the sale and purchase of illegal crypto currency or virtual currency like Bitcoin. The ruling was passed by a three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud.
15. India is the sixth wealthiest country in the world with total wealth of $8,230 billion according to AfrAsia Bank Global Wealth Migration Review. Top 10 wealthiest countries: US ($62,584 billion), China ($24,803 billion), Japan ($19,522 billion), UK ($9,919 billion), Germany ($9,660 billion), India ($8,230 billion), Australia ($6,142 billion), Canada ($6,393 billion), France ($6,649 billion) and Italy ($4,276 billion)
16. Pakistan is listed among top three sources for money laundering in the country in the report released by United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA). The other two countries are Nigeria and Russia. UK is prime destination for foreign corrupt and politically exposed people (PEPs) to launder money. It has identified trade misinvoicing as one of the key mechanisms used for such operations. Investment in UK property, particularly in London, continues to be attractive mechanism to launder funds. The NCA is non-ministerial UK government law enforcement agency.
17. Multi Commodity Exchange of India Limited (MCX) – India’s largest commodities exchange platform launched country’s first copper options contracts. The copper option contracts were launched with lot size of 1 tonne in three contracts expiring in June, August and November 2018. The option contract will provide physical market participants additional instrument to hedge their price risk.
18. A high level group to explore and give recommendations for a balanced expansion of the health sector has been constituted by the Fifteenth Finance Commission. It will be headed by Dr. Randeep Guleria, Director,
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AIIMS, New Delhi and shall consist of eminent experts in health sector from across the country.
19. Paytm announced a programme called Paytm AshaKiran, which aims at educating rural women about financial services. It will help in creating new job opportunities in small towns & cities of India.
20. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) became the first Indian company to reach Rs. 7 lakh crore market capitalisation (m-cap) milestone. M-cap is value of company that is traded on stock market, calculated by multiplying total number of shares by present share price.
21. “Financial Literacy Week” is organized by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) across the nation from June 4 to June 8, 2018.This week will focus on four consumer protection messages like 'know your liability' for un authorized electronic banking transaction and good practices for a safe digital banking experience.
22. $200 million in India’s National Investment & Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) to give greater impetus to mega infrastructure projects has approved by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). It will be investing US $100 million now and remaining $100 million in the time to come. AIIB so far approved $4.4 billion investments in 25 projects. Of these investments, $1.2 billion have been approved for six infrastructure projects in India, making it largest recipient of funds from the multilateral agency.
23. Gender inequality in India is extremely high at the workplace and in terms of legal protection and political voice according to recent report by the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) for the Asia-Pacific region. It ranks countries on scale of 0 (signifying inequality) to 1 (signifying parity). India’s score was 0.30 in gender equality at work and 0.78 in legal protection and political voice.
24. As per the recommendations of Y.M. Deosthalee committee set up by the central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced that it will set up a Public Credit Registry (PCR) as a repository of information regarding loan information of individuals and corporate borrowers. On 6 June, 2018, RBI has disclosed the plans to establish the PCR in modular and phased manner. This 73 | P a g e SHANMUGAM IAS ACADEMY: 46/1, Gokhale St, Opp Senthil Kumaran Theatre, Ram Nagar, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641009 WEBSITE: iasipstnpsc.in
TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018 registry will distinguish between bad borrowers and good borrowers and will offer interest rates accordingly.
25. The first Delta ranking for 108 aspirational districts has released NITI Aayog to measure their incremental progress across five developmental areas during two month period of April and May 2018. In the first edition of Delta rankings, 108 districts out of total 112 had participated. The districts started entering data from April 1, 2018 in the “Champions of Change” dashboard. For these rankings, total 49 key performance indicators were mapped across five developmental areas: health and nutrition, education, financial inclusion and skill development, agriculture and water resources and basic Infrastructure.
Most improved aspirational districts: Dahod (Gujarat, rank: 1st), West Sikkim district (Sikkim, 2nd). Ramanathapuram district (Tamil Nadu, 3rd) and Vizianagaram (Andhra Pradesh, 4th) and YSR Kadapa district (Andhra Pradesh, 5th).
Least improved aspirational districts: Kupwara (Jammu and Kashmir), Begusarai (Bihar), Ranchi (Jharkhand), Simdega (Jharkhand) and Khagaria (Bihar) were listed as first to fifth aspirational districts, respectively, in least improved states.
26. India was ranked 57th among 130 countries according to the recently released Global Innovation Index (GII) 2018. This year, India has moved up 3 places as compared to 60th rank in GII 2017 and emerged as top-ranked economy in Central and South Asia. Top 10 countries include Switzerland (1), Netherland (2), Sweden (3), UK (4), Singapore (5), USA (6), Finland (7), Denmark (8), Germany (9) and Itreland (10) It was 11th edition of GII and was jointly released by Cornell University, INSEAD and World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).
27. India has become world’s sixth-biggest economy surpassing France to seventh place according to updated World Bank figures on GDP of countries for 2017. India’s gross domestic product (GDP) amounted to $2.597 trillion at the end of 2017, as against $2.582 trillion for France. At end of 2017, United States was world’s largest economy with size of US $19.39 trillion, followed by
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018
China (US $12.23 trillion) at the second place. Japan (US $4.87 trillion) and Germany (US $3.67 trillion) are at third and fourth places, respectively. Britain is still world’s fifth-biggest economy with a GDP of $2.622 trillion.
28. South Asia’s first ever Centre for Climate Change has launched by National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. The centre will help NABARD in enhancing its capacity building efforts manifold. It will extend professional support to stakeholders for designing climate related projects and take up collaborative studies and action research projects and take up collaborative studies and action research projects in the area.
29. Mukesh Ambani's telecom unit Reliance Jio was ranked as the top company globally on Fortune's “Change The World” list 2018 that ranked companies using the profit motive to help the planet tackle social problems. Jio is ranked ahead of pharma giant Merck and Bank of America. Chinese group Alibaba is ranked 5th on the list with food and drug stores Kroger at 6th, industrial machinery firm ABB at 8th and network and communications giant Hughes Network System at 10th.
30. Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) became first Indian company to cross Rs 8 lakh crore ($114 billion) market capitalisation. This record m-cap of RIL also bumped up Mukesh Ambani’s (India’s richest man) wealth to over $48 billion (according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index). M-cap is value of company that is traded on stock market, calculated by multiplying total number of shares by present share price.
31. The G20 Digital Economy Ministerial Meeting was held in Salta, Argentina from 23 to 24 August, 2018. The theme of the meeting was “Building consensus for fair and sustainable development”.
31. Vodafone and Idea cellular – merger formalities completed after the clearance of National Company Law tribunal. It creates a new entity, Vodafone Idea Limited – which becomes the country’s biggest telecom service provider, displacing Bharti Airtel
• Balesh Sharma – has been appointed as Vodafone Idea’s 1st CEO
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32. Under the World Wildlife Foundation's (WWF) 'Tx2' programme which aims to double the number of tigers all over the world by 2022, Nepal has become the first country in the world to double its tiger population in a decade.
33. The 4th BIMSTEC Summit began in Kathmandu, Nepal. Main focus – on countering terrorism, enhancing regional connectivity and boosting trade. Theme – “Towards a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable Bay of Bengal region”.
34. Annual joint military exercise named Rapid Trident has been launched by Ukraine, with the United States and other NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) member countries.
35. International Women Entrepreneurs Summit 2018 is being held in Kathmandu, Nepal. Theme - “Equality begins with Economic Empowerment”.
36. 87th Izmir International tradeshow which begins in Turkey, India is the Partner Country.
37. Second edition of Nepal-China joint military exercise (JME) named Mt Everest Friendship Exercise–2018 (Sagarmatha Friendship-2018) commenced in China’s south western Sichuan province.
38. Russia has launched its biggest military exercise since the Cold War named "Vostok 2018", China and Mongolia also take part in "Vostok-2018".
39. To promote global commerce and the new industrial revolution, G-20 trade and investment ministerial meeting at Mar del Plata in Argentina.
40. HDFC ERGO, a non-life insurance provider, announced the launch of a Cyber Insurance Policy for individuals 'E@Secure', for providing comprehensive protection to individuals and their families against any cyber- attacks, cyber frauds or digital threats.
41. Temasek, Singapore-based global investment firm has signed an agreement to invest up to Rs 2,750 crore ($400 million) in the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund’s (NIIF)
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42. Mauritius was the top source of foreign direct investment (FDI) into India in 2017-18 followed by Singapore, according to Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data. PayU India has received Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) approval to operate its own non banking financial company (NBFC).
43. A Mobile app called Jan Dhan Darshak has been developed by the Ministry of Finance and National Informatics Centre (NIC), as a part of financial inclusion (FI) initiative.
44. Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) has approved a new scheme- Atal Bimit Vyakti Kalyan Yojna for Insured Persons covered under the Employees State Insurance Act.
APPOINTMENTS/ RESIGNATIONS
1. Sitanshu Kar, a 1983-batch Indian Information Service (IIS) officer was appointed as the principal director general of the Press Information Bureau (PIB).
2. Subhash Chandra Khuntia, a 1981-batch Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer, has been appointed as Chairman of Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI).
3. Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, an MP from Gulbarga (Karnataka), has been re-appointed chairman of the 22-member Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament for its fresh term starting on May 1.
4. Journalist Carlos Alvarado was sworn in as 48th President of Costa Rica.
5. Uttam Pacharne was appointed as the regular Chairman of Lalit Kala Akademi by President of India. He will replace ML Srivastava, Joint Secretary (Akademies), Ministry of Culture who was appointed protem chairman of Akademi in March 2018.
6. Gina Haspel was confirmed as the first female director of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) on May 17, 2018 by the US Senate.
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7. Shashank Manohar was re-elected as the Independent Chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC) for his second term. He was the one who introduced a revised governance structure, including the appointment of the ICC's first independent female director. Following which, Indra Nooyi was appointed as the first independent female Director of ICC. Shashank Manohar became the first Independent Chairman of ICC in 2016.
8. Anil Kumar Jha was appointed as full time Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Coal India Limited (CIL) by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC). He will be in office till January 31, 2020.
9. Rajinder Singh has been named as the new President of Hockey India. He is currently the Senior Vice President of Hockey India. He has been chosen for the post following Mariamma Koshy‟s resignation from the post.
10. Former Supreme Court Judge CK Prasad has appointed as Chairman of Press Council of India (PCI) for second term by the Government of India.
11. JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy was sworn in as the 18th Chief Minister of Karnataka on May 23, 2018. Kumaraswamy was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala. Karnataka Congress leader G Parameshwara was sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka.
12. Sudha Balakrishnan has appointed as the first Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Reserve Bank of India (RBI). She will be the 12th executive director of the RBI and will have tenure of 3 years.
13. West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi was given the additional charge of Tripura, according to a statement issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan on June 7, 2018.
14. AR Rahman has appointed as Brand Ambassador of the State for a year by Sikkim Government. Earlier Rahman was made state’s Brand Ambassador of tourism and business. In his new role, he will promote and project Himalayan state‟s achievements nationally and globally.
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15. Justice AK Goel has appointed as the new Chairperson of National Green Tribunal (NGT) by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC). His appointment comes after he retired as Supreme Court Judge. He will have tenure of five years from date he assumes office or till he reaches age of 70 years, whichever is earlier.
16. Dr. TCA Raghavan was appointed as the Director General (DG) of Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA).
17. Prof Anil D Sahasrabudhe has been reappointed as the chairman of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) by Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC). He was joined AICTE as Chairman in July 2015.
18. Indian Athlete Hima Das has named as the first sports ambassador of Assam by Assam’s Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal. This announcement has been made after Hima Das became the first Indian woman to win gold medal in the women’s 400 m final race at IAAF World U-20 Athletics Championships held in France, recently.
19. Rekha Sharma (54) was appointed as chairperson of the National Commission for Women (NCW). It is apex national level organization of India the mandate of protecting and promoting the interests of women.
20. Former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet (66) was appointed as next United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. She was nominated by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and her appointment was approved by UN General Assembly.
21. Senior bureaucrat Ashish Kumar Bhutani was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) by the Government of India.
22. Bollywood actor Raveena Tandon has appointed as the brand ambassador of Mumbai city-based Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) by Maharashtra Government. It was formerly known as Borivali National Park (renamed to present name in 1996, after Sanjay Gandhi, eldest son of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi).
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23. Ganga Prasad was sworn in as the 16th Governor of Sikkim at a function held at Raj Bhawan in Gangtok on August 26, 2018. He succeeds Shriniwas Patil.
24. Justice Ranjan Gogoi – will take charge as the next “Chief justice of India” on 3rd Oct, 2018. He will be the 46th Chief Justice of India.
• The current CJI, Justice Dipak Misra – to retire on 2nd oct, 2018 • The next senior most Judge, Justice Ranjan gogoi is expected to retire on November 17 as the Supreme Court judge.
25. National Green Tribunal – has appointed Tarun Agrawal, former Meghalaya High Court Chief Justice – as the head of a three-member panel - to decide the course of action regarding Vedanta’s Sterlite Copper plant in Tamil Nadu‟s Thoothukudi district
• Earlier, former Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice SJ Vazifdar has decided to recluse himself to head the committee citing personal reasons.
26. Indian Boxer Mary Kom Signed as Brand Ambassador of BSNL.
27. Arif-ur-Rehman Alvi elected as the 13th President of Pakistan.
28. Scientist Kamlesh Nilkanth Vyas appointed as the secretary of the Department of Atomic Energy and chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission.
AWARDS
1. President Ram Nath Kovind presented the 65th National Film Awards at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi on May 3, 2018. In the history of the awards, it was for the first time that the President attended only the second half of the ceremony, honouring only a few of the winners.
2. The Swedish Academy announced that the Nobel Prize in Literature will be not awarded this year following the sex-abuse allegations and other
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018 issues within its ranks that have stained the body’s reputation on May 4, 2018. It is the first time since 1943 that the prestigious award will not handed over.
3. Fiji’s Indian-origin former Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry has been selected for the V K Krishna Menon Award for his contribution to the Indian diaspora.
4. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has secured 9th place among the 10 most powerful people in the world in Forbes 2018 list of the world’s most powerful people that was released on 8th May 2018. The list features a total of 75 people and the list is topped by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Russian President Vladimir Putin is in 2nd position. US President Donald Trump has secured third rank.
5. Dr Bindeshwar Pathak was honoured with the Nikkei Asia Prize in Japan for his contribution to Asia‟s development. He is the founder of Sulabh International in 1970. Dr Pathak was described as Indian social reformer tackling two of his country‟s biggest challenges — poor hygiene and discrimination. Nikkei Inc. is one of the largest media corporations in Japan. It has been presenting Nikkei Asia Prize since 1996 to honour people in Asia who have made significant contributions in one of the three areas: Economic and Business Innovation, Science, Technology and Environment and Culture and Community.
6. Polish author Olga Tokarczuk won the Man Booker International Prize 2018 for her novel “Flights”, becoming Poland’s first ever writer to win the award. The novel was first published in Polish language in 2007; and in 2017, it was translated into English by Jennifer Croft. Tokarczuk won the prize for the English translation of her novel “Flights”, which narrates multiple journeys in time, space and human anatomy. Tokarczuk shared the prize money of 50,000 pounds with translator Jennifer Croft.
7. The prestigious Nari Shakti Puraskar 2017 was conferred to India’s Navy all six women crew of INSV Tarini who completed India‟s first all- women circumnavigation expedition of the globe. They were supposed to be presented with award by President Ram Nath Kovind on occasion of International
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Women’s Day (March 8). However, the award was not be presented as they were sailing then. Now they received the award.
8. India Biodiversity Award 2018 in the “Conservation of wildlife species” category was awarded to Arunachal Pradesh-based NGO Singchung Bugun Community Reserve (SBVCR). It was awarded for its efforts to conserve rare critically endangered bird Bugun Liocichla.
9. Kerala cartoonist Thomas Antony has won an international award, in the best caricature category at the 13th edition of the World Press Cartoon awards, instituted by an organisation based in Lisbon, Portugal. The awards are given to the best works published in 2017 in newspapers and magazines from around the world.
10. India singer Zubeen Garg would be honoured with the 'Hero to Animals Award' from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India for his recent appeal to end animal sacrifice at the Kamakhya Temple in Assam.
11. India Smart Cities Awards 2018: Total nine awards in three categories including Innovative Idea Award, Project Award, and City Award were announced by Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs under India Smart Cities Awards 2018.
Innovative Idea award: Bhopal and Ahmedabad were jointly honoured for Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) and Safe and Secure Ahmedabad (SASA) Project, respectively. The award was given to project and idea particularly remarkable for its innovative, bottom-up and transformative approach towards achievement of sustainable integrated development.
Project awards: They were given to most innovative and successful projects in seven categories that have been completed by April 1, 2018. Projects selected under it are Governance category: PMC Care from Pune.
Built Environment category: Smart Place Making from Pune. Social Aspects category: Smart Class rooms from NDMC and Jabalpur, Smart Campus from Visakhapatnam, Lighthouse from Pune.
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Culture and Economy category: B Nest Incubation Centre from Bhopal and Conservation of Rajasthan School of Arts from Jaipur.
Urban environment category: Public Bike Sharing from Pune, Bhopal, Coimbatore and Waste to Energy Plant in Jabalpur.
Transport and Mobility category: Integrated Transit Management System (TMS) from Ahmedabad and Surat.
Water and Sanitation category: Smart Water Management through SCADA from Ahmedabad.
City Award: Surat smart city from Gujarat was selected for “City Award” for showing great momentum in implementation of projects under India Smart Cities Awards 2018 especially in categories of urban environment, transport and mobility and sustainable integrated development.
12. The World Food Prize 2018 was awarded to Lawrence Haddad and Dr. David Nabarro for their individual but complementary global leadership in elevating maternal and child under nutrition within food security. Lawrence Haddad is British economist and food policy researcher and Dr. David Nabarro has worked with the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations (UN) on health and hunger issues. Both have dedicated their careers to reducing hunger and malnutrition. This year’s $250,000 prize will be divided equally between two recipients.
13. IIFA 2018 Awards: Vidya Balan-starrer "Tumhari Sulu" won the Best Picture Award at the International Indian Film Academy Awards 2018 in Bangkok. Irfan Khan was adjudged the Best Actor for his role in the film "Hindi Medium". Sridevi was posthumously awarded the Best Female Actor for "Mom". The Best Director trophy was won by Saket Chowdhary for his film "Hindi Medium". “Newton", which was India's official entry to Oscars this year, won the award for Best Story for director Masurkar. Anupam Kher, who has over 500 films to his credit, was honoured with the Outstanding Achievement Award at the ceremony.
14. Under Prime Minister’s Safe Motherhood Campaign (Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan-PMSMA) Madhya Pradesh was awarded by
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Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for reducing maternal mortality. The maternal mortality rate in Madhya Pradesh was 221 in 2011-13, which has now dropped down further to just 173.
15. The prestigious National Kalidas Samman on noted artist Anjolie Ela Menon (78) Madhya Pradesh Government has conferred by Madhya Pradesh Government for her contribution to visual arts. She is a well-known muralist and one of India’s leading contemporary artists. Her preferred medium is oil on masonite, but she also has worked in other media, including glass and water colour.
16. Milan Shankar Tare, a fisherman from Maharashtra’s Palghar district, has been selected for this year’s National Maritime Search and Rescue Award. A Coast Guard press release issued in Mumbai stated that the fisherman had saved the lives of 12 people from a sinking fishing boat named Shivneri in May 2018. The award recognises Tare’s act of bravery at sea and selfless duty in sync with the highest traditions of maritime fraternity.
17. 2018 Sangita Kalanidhi award of Music Academy has been awarded to renowned Carnatic vocalist Aruna Sairam for her contribution to Carnatic music. Under this recognition, Mridhangist Thanjavur R. Ramadoss and vocalist K. Oman Kutty will be awarded Sangita Kala Acharya award. Veena player Kalyani Ganesan and nagaswaram player S.R.G. Rajanna will be awarded T.K. Awards. Dr. Premeela Gurumurthy, the Vice Chancellor, Tamil Nadu University will be awarded Musicologist award. veteran danseuse Shanta Dhananjayan will be awarded Nritiya Kalanidhi award.
18. Former West Bengal governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi has been selected for this year's Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavana Award for his outstanding contribution towards the promotion of communal harmony, peace and goodwill. The award will be presented to Gandhi at a special ceremony on August 20 at Jawahar Bhawan on the occasion of the birthday of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
19. The Prestigious World Health Organization (WHO) World No Tobacco Day 2017 Award was awarded to Delhi government’s additional director of health, SK Arora for his extraordinary contribution towards tobacco control. He
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018 was presented the award by Henk Bekedam, WHO India country head in New Delhi. World No Tobacco Day is observed around the world every year on 31 May.
20. General Dalbir Singh Suhag (Retired) of Indian Army has been awarded Legion of Merit (Degree of Commander) by United States Government for his exceptionally meritorious service as Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) from August 2014 to December 2016. With this, he becomes second Indian to get this award, first being General Rajendra singhji Jadeja in 1946.
21. Eminent neurosurgeon Dr B.K. Misra has been named for this year’s prestigious Dr B.C. Roy National Award as an Eminent Medical Person of the Year award. It is the highest medical honour of India, instituted by the Medical Council of India in 1962, it will be given away by President Ram Nath Kovind on July 1 next year, the National Doctors Day.
22. Two Indian nationals, Bharat Vatwani and Sonam Wangchuk, were given the Ramon Magsaysay award, popularly known as Asia’s Nobel Prize.
23. Odia poet Satrughna Pandav honoured with the prestigious 'Sarala Puraskar' for his poetry collection 'Misra Dhrupad'.
24. Anushka Sharma Receives Smita Patil Award during the 34th anniversary of Priyadarshni Academy Global Award, in Mumbai.
25. Dr. Raghupati Singhania, Chairman and MD, JK Tyre & Industries Ltd Conferred with Civilian Honour of Mexico.
26. For beating the odds in water with their enduring skills and sailing across the world for eight long months, All women crew of INSV Tarini has bagged the prestigious Tenzing Norgay National Adventure award.
27. For innovative marketing campaigns, Kerala Tourism has won two prestigious gold awards of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA).
28. India ranks third globally in terms of number of family-owned businesses with 111 companies, published by the Credit Suisse Research Institute (CSRI).
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29. Badminton player PV Sindhu in the Forbes India’s first ‘tycoons of tomorrow’ list of 22 young achievers in the fields of business, acting and sports.
30. Winners of Ramon Magsaysay Award:
• Sonam Wangchuk – Indian • Youk Chhang – Cambodia • Filipino Howard Dee – Philippines • Vietnam’s Vo Thi Hoang Yen – Vietnam • East Timor’s Maria de Lourdes Martins Cruz. – East Timore
31. Actress Aishwarya Rai has received the Meryl Streep Award for Excellence at the Women in Film and Television (WIFT) India Award
32. An Indian-American scientist and professor Arul Chinnaiyan, the University of Michigan, has been awarded an “Outstanding Investigator Award” along with a grant of $6.5 million by the U.S. National Cancer Institute.
33. GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd has received the Airports Council International Airport Service Quality World no.1 airport award trophy in the 5-15 Million Passengers Per Annum (MPPA) category. The award ceremony was organized at the “2018 ACI Customer Excellence Global Summit” at Halifax in Canada.
34. Kerala Tourism has won two prestigious gold awards of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) for its innovative marketing campaigns. The awards were presented at a glittering function in Langkawi, Malaysia during PATA Travel Mart 2018. Kerala Tourism got the first gold for its “Yalla Kerala” travel advertisement print media campaign in the Gulf countries. The second gold award came for an innovative poster Kerala Tourism had developed for the third edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB)
35. Chairman and Managing Director JK Tyre & Industries Ltd., Dr Raghupati Singhania has been conferred with “Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle”. It is the highest honor accorded to non-nationals by the Government of Mexico.
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36. The Indian film “Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota” (The Man Who Feels No Pain) has won the Grolsch People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award at 43rd Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
37. Prime Minister Narendra Modi got the UN’s highest environmental honor, also given to five other individuals and organizations, for his leadership of the International Solar Alliance and pledge to eliminate single-use plastic by 2022.
SPORTS
1. Hockey India on May 1, 2018 appointed Harendra Singh as the chief coach of the Indian mens hockey team, replacing Sjoerd Marijne who will return back to his responsibility as coach of the Indian Womens Hockey Team. Under Singh’s guidance, the Indian women's team finished an impressive fourth at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. The Indian men’s hockey team, however, had a disappointing run at CWG 2018, as the team lost to England in the bronze medal playoff match, finishing without a medal for the first time since CWG 2006.
2. Indian Blind Football Federation (IBFF) conducted the third edition of All India Invitational Blind Football Tournament in Kochi, Kerala from 27th April to 1st May 2018. Over 100 players from all over India participated in the tournament.
3. Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2018 was won by Formula 1 motorist Lewis Hamilton in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari came second while Sergio Perez of Force India came third. Azerbaijan Grand Prix was held for the first time in 2017.
4. World record holder Shahzar Rizvi has risen to the top of the world rankings in men's 10m air pistol in the latest International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) charts. Other Indian in the top 10 is Jitu Rai, who is placed sixth, while Om Prakash Mitharval is placed 12th.
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5. India has lost the top spot in the ICC ODI team rankings to England following the annual update. India lost a solitary point to be placed second with a total of 122 points. England have thus gained eight points and moved to 125 points. South Africa also dropped a place to be at the third position after losing four points, from 117 to 113.
6. Justin Langer was appointed as the new coach of the Australian national cricket team by Cricket Australia
7. Neeraj Goyat (Indian pugilist) has been awarded the WBC Asia Boxer of the Year Award.
8. Mohamed Salah of Liverpool football team has been named the Football Writers Association “Footballer of the Year” for 2017/18. Mohamed Salah is the first African winner of the award. Fran Kirby of Chelsea team won the inaugural FWA Women’s Footballer of the Year award.
9. According to the latest rankings released by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) in New Delhi, Saina Nehwal has entered into the top 10 and PV Sindhu remains at World No 3 in women’s ranking, Shuttler Kidambi Srikanth has reached the third spot. HS Pronnoy is in world number 8 position and Viktor Axelsen of Denmark has obtained the top rank in Men’s section.
10. India finished on top with 20 gold, 22 silver and 8 bronze medals, at the 3rd South Asian Junior Athletics Championships (SAJAC) at Sugathadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka won 12 gold medals 10 silver and 19 bronze medals and occupied 2nd place. Pakistan won 1 silver and 1 bronze medal and secured the third place.
11. India's Suhana Saini (12yr old from Haryana) claimed the gold medal in the Oman Junior and Cadet Open, an ITTF Premium Circuit event by beating Egypt’s Hana Goda in the Hopes Girls singles final 3-1 to annex the coveted title.
12. The third Asia Cup International Bridge Championship in Goa from June 4 to June 11, 2018 would be hosting by India. This will be contested in five categories namely men, women, mixed, super-mixed and senior. It will see participation from players belonging to countries including Australia, Bangladesh, Singapore, China, Japan, Indonesia, Pakistan and Korea. The first
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018 round of matches will be played from June 5-8. Four top teams in each category would then progress to the knock-out stage. While the semi-finals would be held on June 9, the finals and play-offs for the third place will be held on June 10.
13. Sanjita Chanu, who had won a gold in the women's 53kg category in the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, was tested positive for a banned anabolic steroid, testosterone. She is two-time Commonwealth Games champion weightlifter.
14. The United States, Mexico and Canada won the right to host the 2026 World Cup after beating Morocco in a vote by FIFA member nations in Moscow. Football's World Cup event will return to the North American continent for the first time since 1994 when the United States hosted the tournament.
15. New Zealand’s teenage player Amelia Kerr has created a world record in the women’s ODI cricket by scoring an unbeaten 232 runs in a match against Ireland in Dublin on 13th June 2018. She became the highest individual scorer in women’s ODI. Amelia Kerr has also become the third-highest individual run scorer in the history of mens and womens cricket. She has also become the second woman in the history of cricket to score a double hundred. She is also the youngest cricketer to have scored a double century.
16. In Archery, Deepika Kumari clinched a gold medal in the women's recurve event at stage three of World Cup in Salt Lake City of the US by defeating Michelle Kroppen of Germany. With this win, the four-time World Cup final silver medalist has automatically qualified for the Archery World Cup Final to be held in Samsun, Turkey in 2018.
17. India clinched Kabaddi Masters title by defeating Iran 44-26 in the summit clash in Dubai on July 1, 2018. India is the reigning world champions and they now hold the title of the Kabaddi Masters too. The team will now focus on the Asian games.
18. Major General V D Dogra becomes the first Indian Army officer to complete the Ironman Triathalon event, considered one of the most difficult one-day sporting events in the world, in Austria. The Ironman Triathlon comprises three consecutive events 3.8 km swim, 180km cycling and 42.2 km
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018 marathon - all completed in a day without a break. The competitors have to complete the events in sequence within 17 hours to earn the title of 'Ironman'.
19. Sports Authority of India (SAI), will now be known as “Sports India”. This announcement was made by Union Ministers of Youth Affairs and Sports Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore.
20. India’s leading gymnasts Dipa Karmakar won gold medal in the vault event of FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup at Mersin, Turkey. This is her first medal in World Challenge Cup. She created history by becoming first Indian gymnast to win gold medal in the vault event of FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup.
21. The Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) of Union Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs has included entire Men’s Hockey team of India under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS). The decision to include hockey was taken after India’s performance had improved as they had finished runners up in Champions Trophy in Netherlands. This is first instance that entire team has been made beneficiary of the scheme as earlier only individual athletes from different sports were included as beneficiaries of the scheme. the 18 team members will be provided with monthly allowance of Rs. 50,000 each under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS). The womens team may be also included in the TOPS after reviewing its performance in the upcoming World Cup and following Asian Games.
9. The 2018 Wimbledon Championships was a tennis tournament held from 2 July to 15 July 2018 at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom.
Serbia’s Novak Djokovic (World Number 21) won the 2018 Wimbledon title in mens singles category by defeating Kevin Anderson (South Africa). It was his fourth Wimbledon title (earlier won in 2011, 2014 and 2015). Overall, it was his 13th career Grand Slam crown.
It was by Mike Bryan and Jack Sock pair from United States won Mens Doubles by defeating Raven Klaasen (South Africa) and Michael Venus (New Zealand) pair.
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Angelique Kerber (Germany) won the 2018 Wimbledon title in womens singles category by defeating Serena Williams (United States).
Barbora Krejčíková and Kateřina Siniaková pair from Czech Republic won Womens Doubles by defeating Kveta Peschke (Czech Republic) and Nicole Melichar (United States).
Mixed Doubles was won by Alexander Peya (Austria) and Nicole Melichar (United States) pair had defeated Jamie Murray (United Kingdom) and Victoria Azarenka (Belarus).
10. 2018 FIFA World Cup Football was won by France. It defeated Croatia by 4-2 goals in the final match held at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia. It was France’s second World Cup crown after it had own it in 1998 (by defeating Brazil) on home soil. It was Croatia’s first World Cup final appearance and smallest country ever to reach final in the modern era. With this, victory France joins Uruguay and Argentina in winning World Cup for a second time. Qatar will be hosting next FIFA World Cup in 2022. It will be the first Arab country to host World Cup and it will also for first time it will be held in Middle East region.
2018 FIFA World Cup Awards:
Golden Ball award: Luka Modric (Croatia).
Golden Boot award: Harry Kane (England captain) for scoring six goals across six games.
Golden Glove award: Thibaut Courtois (Belgium).
FIFA Young Player award: 19-year-old Kylian Mbappe (France).
FIFA Fair Play Award: Spain for superb disciplinary record.
11. Former Indian off-spinner Ramesh Powar has been named as the interim coach of the Indian women's cricket team. Powar has been asked to coach the team by BCCI until they find a replacement for Tushar Arothe, who resigned as the coach of the women's team five months after being appointed. The BCCI has
91 | P a g e SHANMUGAM IAS ACADEMY: 46/1, Gokhale St, Opp Senthil Kumaran Theatre, Ram Nagar, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641009 WEBSITE: iasipstnpsc.in
TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018 invited applications for the post of the coach of the women's cricket team, with the last date to submit an application being July 30,2018.
12. Indian boxers ruled the ring at the Golden Glove of Vojvodinayouth tournament at Subotica in Serbia, finishing at the top with seven gold medals. Overall, the Indian medal tally included 17 medals, which comprised 7 Gold, 6 Silver and 4 Bronze. Kazakhstan came second with a gold medal count of 5 in their overall haul of 7 medals, while Russia with 11 medals including 3 gold, 2 silver and 6 bronze finished third.
13. World Junior Squash Championships 2018 was held in Chennai from 18th to 29th July 2018. Egypt national junior squash team defeated England 2-0 in the final and emerged as the 2018 World Junior Squash Champions. India finished in 11th position.
14. Tokyo 2020 will be first Olympics to use facial recognition technology to increase security around all venues. The facial recognition technology will use IC chips within identification cards to automatically verify the identity of those entering over 40 sporting venues. This system will help to prevent fraudulent entry by people borrowing, stealing or faking an ID card. The technology takes only 0.3 seconds to match up face with pre-registered photo, making it world’s fastest such system.
15. World Champion weightlifter Mirabai Chanu pulled out of the Asian Games after failing to recover from a lower back injury. Her absence from the upcoming Asian Games comes as a huge setback for India, as she was considered as one of the strongest contenders for a gold medal in the event.
16. The games period will be made mandatory in all schools from 2019 onwards. This announcement was made by Union Sports Minister, Rajyavardhan Rathore on August 6, 2018 Along with this, the Minister said that the Ministry of Education will ensure a 50 per cent reduction in the syllabus.
17. India’s first gold medal won by Wrestler Bajrang Punia in the men’s freestyle 65 kg final event by defeated Japan’s Takatani Daichi at the 18th edition of the Asian Games held in Jakarta, Indonesia. It was Bajrang’s maiden gold medal and overall second medal in Asian Games after he had earlier won
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018 silver medal in 2014 Asian Games (Incheon, South Korea) in the men’s freestyle 61 kg category.
18. Apurvi Chandela and Ravi Kumar were first Indian athletes to win medals in 2018 Asian Games. Both had won bronze medal in mixed team rifle shooting event.
19. India’s first medal was won by shooter Deepak Kumar, who won much- deserved silver in the men’s 10m air rifle finals event.
20. Two –time CWG champion Vinesh Phogat defeated Japan’s IrieYuki in the women’s free style 50kg final to become the first Indian Woman wrestler to win gold at the Asian games. She bagged her second Asiad medal.
21. Saurabh Choudhary won gold in 10m Air Pistol event with Asiad record, while Abhishek Verma bagged bronze. India’s Sanjeev Rajput, on the other hand, claimed the silver by finishing second in the finals of the 50m rifle event of 2018 Asian Games.
22. Teen cyclist Esow Alben has created history by claiming India's first ever medal - a silver- at the UCI Junior Track Cycling World Championships in Aigle, Switzerland. He put enormous pressure on Czech Republic's Jakub Stastny in the final sprint before settling for the silver medal. Esow finished just 0.017 seconds behind gold medalist Stastny in the thrilling photo-finish of a race.
23. Indian shooter Rahi Sarnobat winning the 4th gold in the finals of women’s 25m pistol event on 4th day of Asian Games 2018. With the feat, she became the first Indian woman to win a gold medal in shooting at the Asian Games.
24. Shardul Vihan (15), Young Indian shooter wins silver in the finals of the men’s double trap event. It is India’s 17th Asiad medal on Day 5 of Asian Games 2018. Ankita Raina won bronze in tennis women’s singles event. Indian tennis duo of Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan has entered the finals of their event, assuring India of a silver medal.
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018
25. Veteran India pacer Jhulan Goswami on Thursday announced her retirement from T20 Internationals with immediate effect. Goswami, a veteran of 10 Tests and 169 ODIs, is currently the leading wicket-taker in the women’s ODI format and also the first woman cricketer to take 200 ODI wickets. In 2010, she received the Arjuna Award and two years later, became only the second woman cricketer to be conferred the Padma Shri, after Diana Edulji. She won the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Women’s Cricketer of the Year award in 2007, the first Indian player to win it.
26. Shot-putter Tejinder Pal Singh Toor (24) won Gold medal in men’s shotput final at 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian GamesAsian Games held in Indonesia. He finished first in men’s shot put final and set new record at 20.75 m in his fifth attempt. It was India’s first Gold medal in Athletics event in this edition of Asian Games.
27. Indian tennis pair of Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan won gold medal in Men’s Doubles tennis at 2018 Asian Games by defeating Kazakhstan’s Aleksandar Bublik and Denis Yevseyv pair.
• It is second time Indonesia hosting Asian Games. • For first, it was held in Jakarta in 1962. • Trio of Bhin Bhin (bird of paradise), Kaka (one horned rhino) and Atung (deer) are mascots of 2018 Asian Games. These three mascots represent east, west and centre of country and they have dress traditional to each locality. • It is 18th edition of Asian Games hosted by Indonesia. It was held from August 18 to September 2, 2018 in two cities – Jakarta (capital of Indonesia) and Palembang (capital of Indonesia’s province of South Sumatra).
28. India's medal account opened on Day 9 of the 18th Asian Games with star shuttler Saina Nehwal winning a historic bronze after losing to World No.1 Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei in women's singles semifinals. Nehwal with her bronze medal became the only second singles player and the first female one to win an Asiad bronze after Syed Modi, who had won a bronze in 1982. In another first, India's PV Sindhu defeated Japan's Akane Yamaguchi in their semifinal clash to become the first-ever badminton player to reach the final 94 | P a g e SHANMUGAM IAS ACADEMY: 46/1, Gokhale St, Opp Senthil Kumaran Theatre, Ram Nagar, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641009 WEBSITE: iasipstnpsc.in
TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018 of Asian Games in either singles or doubles. Sindhu will now face World No.1 Tai Tzu Ying in the final.
29. At the 10th day of 18th Asian Games, women's singles gold medal match between PV Sindhu and Tai Tzu Yin, Sindhu had to settle for silver after she lost to Yin in straight sets. Despite the loss, Sindhu became the first Indian badminton player to win silver in Asian Games.
30. India’s Arpinder Singh (25) won gold medal in Men’s Triple Jump event at 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games. With this, Arpinder Singh became first Indian in 48 years to win gold in men’s triple jump at the Asian Games. India’s last Asian Games gold medal in men’s triple jump had come in 1970 from Mohinder Singh Gill. Ruslan Kurbanov of Uzbekistan won silver medal. Shuo Cao of China was third and won bronze.
31. Indian athlete Swapna Barman (21) won gold medal in women’s Heptathlon Athletics event at 18th edition of Asian Games held in Jakarta- Palembang in Indonesia. With this, she became first Indian to win gold medal in heptathlete event in Asian Games. Qingling Wang from China won silver medal and Yuki Yamasaki of Japan won bronze medal.
32. India's gold medal account on Day 12 of the 18th Asian Games opened with Jinson Johnson, who with a time of 3:44:72 finished first in the men's 1500m final. Johnson, who had won the silver in 800m, took the gold this time, while India's second gold of the day came through the Indian women's relay team who clinched the top position in the women's 4x400 relay finals. Hima Das gave India the lead at first and the other three racers - MR Poovamma, SL Gayakwad and V Koroth- maintained it right till the end. India took the first place with a timing of 3:28:72.
33. Defending champion Nitu, Haryana boxer (48kg) claimed her second successive gold at the world youth boxing championships with a gritty performance in the final in Budapest on August 30, 2018 by defeating Thailand's Nillada Meekoon.
• Amit Panghal, Boxing (22 yrs, Haryana) – defeats current Olympic champion, Hasanboy Dusmatov of Uzbekistan to win Gold in Mens light fly weight (49 kg) event 95 | P a g e SHANMUGAM IAS ACADEMY: 46/1, Gokhale St, Opp Senthil Kumaran Theatre, Ram Nagar, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641009 WEBSITE: iasipstnpsc.in
TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018
34. Pranab Bardhan (60 years) and Shibhnath Sarkar (56 years) (West Bengal) – won Gold in Men’s pair Bridge event – becoming the oldest to win an Asiad Gold for India
35. Women’s squash team (Dipika Pallikal, Joshna Chinappa, Tanvi Khanna and Sunayna Kuruvilla) – wins Silver medal in team event. Men’s hockey team – wins Bronze medal
• With these wins, India’s total medal haul of 69 medals, including 15 gold, 24 silver and 30 bronze – thereby becoming the highest-ever medal tally in Asian Games surpassing 65 medals obtained in 2010 edition at Guangzhou, China where they had finished sixth with 14 gold, 17 silver and 34 bronze. • Also the Gold medal tally of 15 is equal to the best haul in 1951, the inaugural Asian games at New Delhi
36. Government – approves the participation of India’s kho-kho team at the 1st International Kho Kho Championship in England from 1st to 4th September 2018
37. Maldives have lifted the 2018 South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Cup.
38. Indian five-time world boxing champion M C Mary Kom clinched her third gold medal of the year in 48 kg category, in Gliwice, Poland.
39. Udhayveer Singh won Gold Medal in Junior Men’s 25 metre pistol event in the World Shooting Championships in South Korea.
40. India to Host the Women’s Boxing World Championships in New Delhi.
41. Hangzhou, China will host the 4th edition of Asian Para Games in 2022.
42. Lewis Hamilton won the Singapore Grand Prix, in Singapore.
43. Yuvraj Wadhwani has won the 25th Asian junior individual squash championship title.
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018
44. 8th Asian Yoga Sports Championship has begun in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala organised by Asian Yoga Federation.
45. Ankur Mittal won the men’s double trap gold medal in the ISSF World Championship, in Changwon, South Korea.
46. Indian shooter Hriday Hazarika won gold medal in the 10 m air rifle junior men's event of the ISSF World Championships in South Korea.
47. India’s Saurabh Chaudhary won the 10 metres Air Pistol Junior gold at the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) Shooting World Championship in Changwon, South Korea.
48. Japanese swimmer Ikee Rikako has been named as the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 18th edition of the Asian Games.
79. Novak Djokovic of Serbia won the Men’s singles US Open Tennis final.
80. India Blue has won 2017-18 Duleep Trophy (cricket tournament) by defeating the defending champion India red.
BOOKS & AUTHORS
1. “Hidden India” – abook to promote the protection of Indian elephants was unveiled by wildlife photographer Latika Nath.
2. Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Shipping, Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari released a book “Water productivity mapping of major Indian crops‟ published by NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) at an event in New Delhi. The book “Water productivity mapping of major Indian crops‟ is about a study on 10 major crops done by a team lead by eminent agricultural economist Dr. Ashok Gulati. The 10 major crops are: rice, wheat, maize, pulses, oilseeds, sugarcane, cotton and potato etc. The book recommends to realign cropping pattern with focus on water scarcity of irrigation, ration irrigation supplies in canal irrigation system, enhance micro-irrigation and invest in water
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018 harvesting and artificial recharge and promote participatory irrigation management through water user association and farmer‟s producer organisation.
3. "Unfinished" is a collection of personal essays, stories and observations of the actor, producer, activist and UNICEF goodwill ambassador Priyanka Chopra. The announcement was made by publishers Penguin Random House India on June 19. The book will be published simultaneously in the US by Ballantine Books and in the UK by MichaelJoseph.
4. The book ―Winning Like Sourav: Think & Succeed Like Ganguly has been written by Abhirup Bhattacharya. This book speaks about Sourav Ganguly’s trust on talented youngsters that gained India one of its greatest cricketers of all times – Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Abhirup Bhattacharya has previously authored ―Winning Like Virat: Think and Success Like Kohli.
5. A book titled ―Gandhi: The years that changed the world (1914-1948) has been written Ramachandra Guha. This book will be released in September 2018. This book will be will be published by Penguin Random House India. Ramachandra Guha is a popular historian and author. This book will narrate the story of Gandhi’s life, from his departure from South Africa to his assassination in 1948. It will also tell the history of Indian freedom movement. This book also contains Gandhi’s arguments with B.R. Ambedkar, Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Subhas Chandra Bose, etc. This book is a follow up to ―Gandhi Before India (2013) ― Gandhi: The years that changed the world (1914-1948) is said to be the most definitive new biography of
6. The book ―When Coal Turned Gold: The Making of a Maharatna Company has been written by Coal India Ltd’s (CIL)’s former chairman Partha Sarathi Bhattacharyya. This book talks about the transformation of Coal India Ltd’s (CIL) from a loss-making enterprise into a profitable Maharatna PSU.
7. Congress MP Kapil Sibal will be releasing a new book titled “Shades of Truth: A Journey Derailed” arguing that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi- led NDA government “revels in the past” and debunking the claim of “Acche Din” that the BJP made in the run up to 2014 general elections.
8. Best-selling author Preeti Shenoy announced the launch of her new book, 'The Rule Breakers'. 98 | P a g e SHANMUGAM IAS ACADEMY: 46/1, Gokhale St, Opp Senthil Kumaran Theatre, Ram Nagar, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641009 WEBSITE: iasipstnpsc.in
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S. NO. NAME OF THE BOOK NAME OF THE AUTHOR
1 The book ‘Straight Talk’ Abhishek Manu Singhvi
“Across the Bench – Insight into the 2 Gyan Bhushan Indian Military Judicial System”
3 ‘Calling Sehmat’ Harinder S. Sikka
4 ‘Smart Cities Unbundle’ Dr. Samir Sharma
C. H. Hanumantha Rao
(He is a former Planning Commission ‘My Journey from Marxism- 5 Leninism to Nehruvian Socialism’ and member of the Finance Commission & released by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh)
“India’s Heritage of Gharana 6 Meeta Pandit Music: Pandits of Gwalior” 7 ‘Paramveer Parwane Prabhakiran Jain 8 ‘Exam Warriors’ Minister of India Narendra Modi “A Century is Not Enough” 9 Sourav Ganguly. (Autobiography) 10 ‘Imperfect’ (Autobiography) Sanjay Manjrekar “Citizen Delhi: My Times, My Life” Former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila 11 (Autobiography) Dikshit 12 “Indian Instincts” Dr. Miniya Chatterji 13 “The Diary of a Domestic Diva” Shilpa Shetty 14 “The Widows of Malabar Hill” Sujata Massey ‘Mister M K Gandhi Ki Arvind Mohan (released by Bihar CM 15 Champaran Diary’ Nitish Kumar) Union Road Transport Minister 16 “Have a Safe Journey” Gadkari inaugurated this book.
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Former Planning Commission & Finance Commission member C H ‘My Journey from Marxism- 17 Hanumantha Rao (Released by Leninism to Nehruvian Socialism’ former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh) Launched by the Amitabh Bachchan ‘Bollywood: The Films! The Songs! (Co-authored by S.M.M. Ausaja, 18 The Stars! Karan Bali, Rajesh Devraj and Tanul Thakur)
Pranab Mukherjee (Former President 19 “The Coalition Years” of India)
20 “The Golden House” Salman Rushdie
21 “India 2017 Yearbook” Rajiv Mehrishi
Raghuram Rajan (former RBI 22 “I Do What I Do” Governor)
23 “Immortal India” Amish Tripathi
David Grossman (Winner – Man 24 “A Horse Walks into a Bar” Booker International Prize 2017)
25 “How India Sees the World” Shyam Saran
26 “Hit Refresh” Satya Nadella
27 “Unstoppable: My Life So far” Maria Sharapova
Deepak Surana (Biography of Kargil 28 “The Shershah of Kargil” war hero – Late Captain Vikram Batra)
29 “Kadve Vachan” Tarun Sagar Maharaj
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018
30 “I am HIV positive, so what?” Jayanta Kalita
31 “Cryptocurrency for Beginners” Amit Bhardwaj
32 “Making of a legend” Bindeshawr Pathak
33 “Dalhousie Through My Eyes” Kiran Chadha
34 “Playing With Fire” Katie Price
“Future of Indian 35 Universities:Comparative and C. Raj Kumar International Perspectives”
“The Ministry of Utmost 36 Arundhati Roy Happiness”
37 “The Crisis Within” Ganesh Devy
38 “Indira Gandhi – A life in Nature” Jairam Ramesh
39 “Beren And Luthien” J.R.R. Tolkien
“Yug Purush, Bharat Ratna, Atal 40 Ramesh Pokhriyal “Nishank”. Ji”
41 “Matoshree” Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018
42 Sleeping on Jupiter Anuradha Roy
43 Vyomkesh Darvesh Vishwanath Tripath
Education of Muslims: An Islamic
44 Perspective of Knowledge & J S Rajput Education
45 Flood of Fire Amitav Ghosh
Sourav Ganguly: Cricket, Captaincy and 46 Saptarshi Sarkar Controversy
47 How to be Both Ali Smith
The Indian Parliament – A Critical 48 Appraisal Sudha Pai and Avinash Kumar
49 The Red Sari Javier Moro
50 Farishta (Hindi Novel) Kapil Isapuri
51 Neither a Hawk nor a Dove Khurshid M Kasuri
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018
Reeta Peshawaria Menon and Anu 52 Kiran Bedi: Kaise Bani Top Cop Peshawaria
Flora of Guntur City Andhra 53 PR Mohana Rao Pradesh
54 Shivaji Kon Hota Govind Pansare
55 “Family Life” Akhil Sharma
56 Nehru and Bose- Parallel Lives Rudrangshu Mukherjee
57 Lucknow Boy Vinod Mehta
58 Born Again on the Mountain Arunima Sinha
Pakistan’s EX-Foreign Minister 59 Neither a Hawk nor a Dove Khurshid M Kasuri
India’s Growth Resurgence: Yerram Raju, M Sitarama Murthy and Sectorial 60 Singala Subbaiah Issues and Governance Risks
61 God’s Bankers Gerald Posner
Modi–Incredible emergence of a 62 Shri Tarun Vijay. star (Chinese language)
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018
Red Tape to Red Carpet… and 63 Gina Rinehart then some
Transcendence: My Spiritual 64 Dr.A.P.J Abdul Kalam Experiences with Pramukh Swamiji
65 India Central Asia Relations Amiya Chandra
Beyond Doubt( on gandhi’s 66 Teesta setalvad asssasination)
67 Indian Parliamentary Democracy Meera Kumar
68 37 Bridges Aamer hussain
69 RD Burman: The Prince of Music Khagesh Dev Burman
70 Kashmir The Vajpayee Years Shri A.S. Dulat
Second political nonfiction ‘Making 71 Chetan Bhagat India Awesome’
72 Mrs Funnybones Akshay Kumar
1965, Turning the Tide: How India 73 Nitin Gokhale Won the War
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018
Globalisation, Democratization and 74 Prof. Mool Chand Sharma Distributive Justice
1965 : Stories from the Second 75 Rachna Bisht Rawat Indo-Pak War
76 The Duels of the Himalayan Eagle Air Marshal Bharat Kumar
To the Brink and Back: India’s 77 Jairam Ramesh 1991 Story
Building a Just World: Essays in 78 Dr. Kapila Vatsyayan honour of Muchkund Dubey
Graphic booklet on Sardar Post at 79 Rann of Kutch in the 1965 lndo-Pak Union Home Minister,Rajnath Singh War
80 Smita Patil – A Brief Incandescence Maithili Rao
81 Interlinking of Indian Rivers Radha Kant Bharati
82 From Fishing Hamlet to Red Planet P V Manoranjan Rao – ISRO
The President of India and the 83 Governance of Higher Education C Raj Kumar Institutions
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018
84 Rebooting India Nandan Nilekani & Viral Shah
85 What Happened to Netaji? AnujDhar
I know How to Live, I know How to 86 Mr. Neville Hodgkinson Die
87 Dadi Janaki: A Century of Service Ms. Liz Hodgkinson
“MARU BHARAT SARU Jain Acharya Ratnasunder suriswarji 88 BHARAT” (My India Noble India) Maharaj
Jawaharlal Nehru and the Indian 89 P.J. Alexander Polity In Perspective
90 A Kingdom for his Love Amar Chitra Katha
Abdul Kalam Transcendence: My Spiritual 91 Experiences with Pramukh Swamiji
Book titled Modi – Incredible 92 emergence of a star in Chinese Tarun Vijay language
Education of Muslims: An Islamic Professor JS Rajput 93 Perspective of Knowledge and Education – Indian Context
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018
Pakistan’s Ex-Foreign Minister 94 Neither a Hawk nor a Dove Khurshid M Kasuri
Indian Parliamentary Diplomacy – Former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira 95 Speaker’s Perspective Kumar
Arunima Sinha, launched by PM 96 Born Again on the Mountain Modi
Prince of Gujarat: The 97 Extraordinary Story of Prince Rajmohan Gandhi. Gopaldas Desai
2014: The Election That Changed 98 Rajdeep Sardesai India
General S. Padmanabhan Next China-India War- World’s 99 First Water War
Pranab Mukherjee The Dramatic Decade: The Indira 100 Gandhi Years
S Hussain Zaidi 101 My Name is Abu Salem
102 Playing it My Way Sachin Tendulkar & Boria Majumdar
The Narrow Road to the Deep Richard Flanagan, The Man Booker 103 North Prize for Fiction- 2014
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018
104 Final Test: Exit Sachin Tendulkar Dilip D‘Souza
Untold Story of Indian Public 105 Dr UD Choubey, Sector
And Then One Day 106 Naseeruddin Shah (Autobiography)
Yashwardhan Shukla, 13 Years old 107 God of Antarctica School boy
108 One Life is Not Enough Kunwar Natwar Singh
109 The Lives of Others Neel Mukherjee
The Substance and the Shadow Uday Tara Nayar 110 (Biography of Dilip Kumar)
111 A Bad Character. Deepti Kapoor
112 Blood Feud Edward Klein
An Uncertain Glory: India and its 113 Jean Dreze and Amartya Sen Contradictions
Aamer Hussein (Noted Pakistani 37 Bridges and Other Stories Author) 114
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TNPSC GROUP-2 CURRENT AFFAIRS 2018
IMPORTANT DAYS
DATE DAY THEME Education for the blind population Jan 4 World Braille day of the world Ancient Route, New Journey: Jan 9 NRI day / Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Diaspora in the Dynamic ASEAN INDIA Partnership Jan 10 World Hindi day -
Jan 12 National youth day Sankalp Se Siddhi Jan 15 Army day - Jan 24 National girl child day A girl is flower, not a thorn Jan 25 National Voters Day Accessible Elections A secure business environment Jan 26 International Customs Day for economic development Jan 26 69th Republic Day Sangat and Pangat International Day of Commemoration Holocaust Remembrance and Jan 27 in memory of the victims of the Education: Our Shared Holocaust Responsibility Jan 28 World Leprosy Day Zero disabilities in boys and girls Jan 30 Martyrs day -
FEBRUARY 2018
Date Day Theme Feb 2 World Wetlands Day Wetlands for a Sustainable Urban Future Reduce the illness and related deaths by Feb 4 World Cancer Day 2020 International day of Zero Feb 6 Tolerance to female genital End FGM mutilation Create, connect and share respect: A better Feb 7 Safer Internet Day internet starts with you Feb 10 National Deworming Day
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International day Women and Equality and Parity in Science for Peace Feb 11 girls in Science and Development Industry 4.0 Leapfrog Opportunity for Feb 12 National Productivity Day India Feb 13 World Radio Day Radio and Sports Workers on the move: the quest for social Feb 20 World Day of Social Justice justice International Mother language Linguistic diversity and multilingualism: Feb 21 day keystones of sustainability and peace Feb 22 World Thinking day Impact Feb 24 Central Excise Day Science and Technology for a Sustainable Feb 28 National Science Day Future
MARCH 2018
Date Day Theme World Civil Defence Civil defence and the national institutions for March 1 Day more efficient disaster management” Zero Discrimination March 1 - Day March 3 National Defence Day - March 3 World Wildlife Day Big cats – predators under threat March 3 World Hearing Day Hear the Future March 4 National Security Day - International March 8 Press for Progress Women’s Day Kidneys and Women’s Health – Include, March 8 World Kidney Day Value, Empower March 10 CISF Raising Day - March 12 Commonwealth Day Towards a Common Future
March 15 World Consumer Making Digital Marketplaces Fairer Rights Day
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National Vaccination March 16 - Day Join the Sleep World, Preserve Your Rhythms March 16 World Sleep Day to Enjoy Life Ordnance Factories March 18 - Day The Bureau of International Recycling (BIR)
March 18 proclaimed March 18, 2018 the first Global Global Recycling Day Recycling Day
March 20 International Day of Share Happiness Happiness March 20 World Sparrow day I Love Sparrows International Day for Promoting tolerance, inclusion, unity and March 21 the Elimination of respect for diversity in the context of Racial Discrimination combating racial discrimination. International Day of March 21 Forests and Sustainable Cities Forests
March 21 - World Poetry day World Down March 21 What I bring to my Community Syndrome Day March 22 World Water day Nature for Water World Meteorological March 23 Weather-ready, climate-smart Day
March 24 World Tuberculosis Wanted: Leaders for a TB-free world Day International Day of Remembrance of the Remember Slavery: Triumphs and Struggles March 25 Victims of Slavery for Freedom and Equality and the Transatlantic Slave Trade March 27 World Theatre Day -
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APRIL 2018
Date Day Theme
Prevention of April 1 - Blindness Week World Autism April 2 Empowering women and girls with autism Awareness Day International April 2 Children’s Book Day National Day For Mine Awareness and April 4 Advancing Protection, Peace and Development assistance in Mine action
April 5 National Maritime Indian Shipping – An Ocean of opportunity Day International Day for April 6 Sports Development and Peace Universal Health Coverage: Everyone, April 7 World Health Day Everywhere April 7 Handloom Week International Romani April 8 Romipen (Romani-ness) Day April 8 World Tradition Day World Homeopathy Innovate: Evolve,Progress: Exploring Science April 10 Day since 40 years National Safe April 11 Respectful Maternity Care Motherhood Day April 11 National Pet Day Don’t shop! Adopt! International Day of April 12 Human Space Flight Jallianwala Bagh April 13 Massacre (99th anniversary)
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Riding New Waves in Liver Diagnosis, Staging April 14 World Liver Day and Treatment Dr. Bhimrao April 14 Ambedkar Jayanti Customs Day April 14 National Dolphin Day
April 17 World Hemophilia Sharing Knowledge makes us stronger Day April 18 World Heritage Day Heritage for Generations April 21 Civil Services Day New India - Shaping the Future April 22 World Earth Day End Plastic Pollution World Book and April 23 Reading: It’s my right! Copyright Day World Lab Animals April 24 Day National Panchayati April 24 Day Women’s Political April 24 Swachh Panchayat, Swachh Bharat Empowerment Day April 25 World Malaria Day Ready to beat Malaria World Intellectual Powering Change: Women in Innovation and April 26 Property Day Creativity. World Day for Safety OSH (Occupational Safety and Health) April 28 and Health at Work Vulnerability of young workers The role of the veterinary profession in April 28 World Veterinary Day sustainable development to improve livelihoods, food security and safety International Dance April 29 Day April 30 International Jazz Day
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MAY 2018
Date Day Theme Uniting Workers for Social and May 1 International Labour Day Economic Advancement Never too early, never too late. It's May 1 World Asthma Day always the right time to address airways disease May 1 Gujarat, Maharashtra Day Keeping Power in Check: Media, May 3 World Press Freedom Day Justice and The Rule of Law May 4 International Firefighters’ Day May 5 World Cartoonist’s Day May 6 International No Diet Day May 7 World Athletics Day Border Roads Organisation May 7 (BRO) Raising Day Memorable smiles from around the May 8 World Red Cross Day world Science and Technology for a May 11 National Technology Day Sustainable Future Nurses A Voice to Lead – Health is a May 12 International Nurses Day Human right May 15 International Day Of Families Families and inclusive societies Know Your Numbers with a goal of increasing high blood pressure (BP) May 17 world hypertension day awareness in all populations around the world. International Day Against May 17 Homophobia, Transphobia and Alliances for Solidarity Biphobia World Telecommunication And Enabling the positive use of Artificial May 17 Information Society Day Intelligence for All Hyperconnected museums: New May 18 International Museum Day approaches, new publics May 18 World AIDS Vaccine Day
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May 21 Anti-Terrorism Day International Day For Biological Celebrating 25 Years of Action for May 22 Diversity Biodiversity May 24 Commonwealth Day Towards a Common Future International Day Of UN UN Peacekeepers: 70 Years of Service May 29 Peacekeepers and Sacrifice
JUNE 2018
DAY THEME & SOME FACTS It was the first official World Bicycle Day. celebrated to World Bicycle Day: 3 June raise awareness about the benefits of using the bicycle for transport and leisure. The theme is “customer protection “. It focuses on Financial Literacy Week Begins creating awareness among customers of banks about June 4 to June 8 financial products and services, good financial practices and going digital. World Environment Day: 05th The theme is "Beat Plastic Pollution". June Main focus - to prevent plastic pollution and encourage World Ocean Day: 8th June solutions for a healthy ocean World Day Against Child Main Focus on child labour and the action and efforts Labour: 12th June needed to eliminate it. World Blood Donors Day: 14 theme - ‘Be there for someone else. Give blood. Share June life’. The theme is ‘Now More Than Ever, We Need to Stand World Refugee Day: 20 June with Refugees’. Celebrated to celebrate the courage, strength and perseverance of millions of refugees. 4th International Yoga Day: 21 It was organised at Forest Research Institute in Dehradun, June Uttarakhand and The theme is "Yoga for Peace". known as 'Fete de la Musique' after a music festival that World Music Day: 21 June began in France in 1982. United Nations Public Service theme - “Transforming governance to realize the Day: 23 June Sustainable Development Goals”. It is a global awareness day to give special recognition to International Widows' Day: 23 the situation of widows of all ages and across regions and June cultures.
115 | P a g e SHANMUGAM IAS ACADEMY: 46/1, Gokhale St, Opp Senthil Kumaran Theatre, Ram Nagar, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641009 WEBSITE: iasipstnpsc.in
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International Day Against Drug theme -"Listen First - Listening to children and youth is Abuse And Illicit Trafficking: the first step to help them grow healthy and safe." 26 June
JULY 2018
DAY THEME & SOME FACTS National Doctor’s Day – “Zero tolerance to violence against doctors and clinical July 1 establishment’. Goods and Services Tax 1st Anniversary of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) coming Day: 1 July into force on 1st July 2017 also commemorated as ‘GST Day. World Sports Journalists The International Sports and Press Association (AIPS) was Day: July 2 established in the year 1924 World UFO day is an awareness day for people to gaze at the World UFO day: July 2 heavens scanning for unidentified flying objects and was founded by the UFO hunter Haktan Akdogan. America Independence 242nd America Independence Day Day:July 4 Zoonosis are infectious diseases (virus, bacteria and parasites) World Zoonosis Day: July that can be spread from animals to humans, and vice versa. 6 Zoonosis can spread from direct contact with animals or indirectly, vector-borne or food-borne. Global forgiveness 7th July was founded by CECA (Christian Embassy of day: July 7 Christ’s Ambassadors), World Chocolate Day: July Celebrated since 2009. 7 International Day Of ‘Sustainable societies through cooperation’. Cooperatives: 7 July World Population Day: 11 'Family Planning is a Human Right'. July International Malala Day: 12 July, the day of Malala’s Birth was declared as Malala Day 12 July by UN General Secretary Ban-Ki-Moon on her 16th Birthday. NABARD Foundation 37th Foundation Day. Founded on: 12 July 1982 Day: 12 July The United Nations General Assembly has decided to World Youth Skills Day - celebrate the first World Youth Skills Day (WYSD) on 15 July 15 July 2015.
116 | P a g e SHANMUGAM IAS ACADEMY: 46/1, Gokhale St, Opp Senthil Kumaran Theatre, Ram Nagar, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641009 WEBSITE: iasipstnpsc.in
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World Day for The aim of this day is to unite everyone who wants to support International Justice- July justice as well as promote victims rights. 17 Nelson Mandela The Nelson Mandela Foundation is dedicating this year's International Day: 18 July Mandela Day to 'Action Against Poverty', Kargil Vijay Diwas - July India Celebrates 19th Anniversary 26 World Hepatitis Day- July Test. Treat. Hepatitis 28 World Nature Conservation “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not Day- July 28 every man’s greed.” International Tiger Day - Established at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit in 2010 to July 29 raise awareness for this species. World Day against Trafficking in Persons - Responding to the trafficking of children and young people July 30 World Ranger Day - July World Ranger Day is organised by the International Ranger 31 Federation and was first held in 2007.
AUGUST 2018
DAY THEME & SOME FACTS An initiative of Global Footprint Network, which is Earth Overshoot Day 2018 – an international research organization that is 1st August changing how the world measures and manages its natural resources. 73rd Hiroshima day – 6thAugust National Handloom Day - 7thAugust International Day Of The World's Theme - ‘Indigenous peoples’ migration and Indigenous Peoples – 9th August movement’. Narendra Modi unveiled a Booklet on “National World Biofuel Day - 10thAugust Policy on Biofuels 2018”. 18th International Youth Day – Theme: “Safe space for Youth”. 12th August World Elephant Day - 12thAugust
International left handers day – 13th August
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Observed in all districts of Madhya Pradesh, to Shaheed Saman Diwas - 14thAugust honour families of martyrs of Madhya Pradesh origin. Rajasthan government announced that it would 72nd Independence Day - 15thAugust observe September as ‘month of nutrition’ World Photography Day – 19thAugust World Humanitarian Day - Campaign launched on World Humanitarian Day is 19thAugust "#NotATarget" World Mosquito Day – 20thAugust National Sadbhavana Day – 74th birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi 20th August Theme - “Stepping into the Future: Tapping the World senior citizen day – Talents, Contributions and Participation of Older 21st August Persons in Society.” National Sports Day – 29thAugust Birthday of legendary hockey player Dhyan Chand
International Day against Nuclear Tests – 29th August International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances – 30thAugust
SEPTEMBER 2018
DATE DAY THEME Coconut for Good Health, Wealth and September 2 World Coconut Day Wellness September 1-7 National Nutrition Week Go Further with Food International Day for September 5 ----- Charity September 8 World Literacy Day Literacy and Skill Development September 14 Hindi Diwas ----- International Day of Democracy Under Strain: Solution for a September 15 Democracy Changing World International Day for Keep cool and Carry on: The Montreal September 16 Preservation Protocol
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The Right to peace- The Universal September 21 International Day of Peace Declaration of Human Rights AT 70 September 21 World Alzheimer’s Day To create Awareness about Alzheimer International Day of Sign September 23 With sign languages everyone is included. Languages September 28 World Rabies Day Rabies: Share a message, Save a life September 29 World Heart Day My Heart, Your Heart IMO 70: Our Heritage: Better Shipping for September 27 World Maritime Day better future September 27 World TOURISM day Tourism and the digital transformation International Translation Translation: Promoting cultural heritage in September 30 Day changing times.
119 | P a g e SHANMUGAM IAS ACADEMY: 46/1, Gokhale St, Opp Senthil Kumaran Theatre, Ram Nagar, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641009 WEBSITE: iasipstnpsc.in