sign in sign up
<<
Home , Arvind Panagariya, A Death in the Gunj, Chanda Kochhar, Dabang Mumbai, Diana Edulji, Dilip Sardesai

www.mahendraguru.com

RECENT MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING 1. 's largest LNG importer Petronet has signed an agreement to set up a $950 million liquefied natural gas import project in . Capital : Dhaka Currency : Taka PM : Sheikh Hasina President : Abdul hamid 2. -listed Liquefied Natural Gas Ltd (LNG Ltd) has signed a pact to potentially supply gas from its planned Magnolia LNG project in the US to India for 20 years. Capital : Canberra Currency : Australian Dollar PM : Malcolm Turnbull 3. The Union chaired by the Prime Minister has approved signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Kenya on bilateral cooperation in the field of agriculture and allied sectors. Capital : Nairobi Currency : Kenyan Shilling President : Uhuru Kenyatta 4. India and Kazakhstan signed an agreement to amend the two-decade old bilateral tax treaty under which information exchanged between the two can be shared with other law enforcement agencies. Capital : Astana Currency : Tenge President : Nursultan Nazarbayev 5. India and Portugal signed six agreements - including one on defence cooperation - after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with Portugal's Prime Minister Antonio Costa. Capital : Lisbon Currency : Euro PM : Antonio Costa 6. India and Portugal have agreed to work out modalities for a co-production agreement in the Film Sector. The agreement would be framed in a time-bound manner keeping in mind the legal aspects of such an agreement. Capital : Lisbon Currency : Euro PM : Antonio Costa 7. India and the US have signed a MoU to collaborate in the fields of developmental activities and aid in third world countries. The MoU has been signed between the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), and Development Administration (DPA) of the Ministry of External Affairs of India. Capital : Washington D.C Currency : Dollar President : 8. The approved the signing of an agreement between India and the United Arab Emirates in the area of agriculture and allied sectors. The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has given its approval for signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and the United Arab Emirates in the field of agriculture and allied sectors. Capital : Abu Dhabi Currency : Dirham President : Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan 9. Government approved an agreement between India and Uruguay on co-operation and mutual assistance on Customs matters. Capital : Montevideo Currency : Peso President : Tabare Vazquez

www.mahendraguru.com [2] www.mahendraguru.com

10. The Ministry of AYUSH inked a MoU with the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) to identify potential misleading advertisements in its advertising sector. Under the MoU, the ASCI will also process complaints against the misleading advertisements through its Consumer Complaints Council (CCC). AYUSH Minister : Sripad Yasso Naik HQ : New 11. A Joint Venture Agreement was signed on 20th January, 2017 between Ministry of Railways and Government of for developing railway in the State. Railway Minister : Jharkhand Capital : CM : : 12. government signed a memorandum of agreement with Frances AEROCAMPUS Aquitaine on setting up an aero skills academy. Capital : Currency : Franc, Euro President : Emmanuel Macron Telangana Capital : CM : K Chandrashekhar Rao Governor : E.S.L Narsimhan 13. Hindustan Petroleum Corp (HPCL) and GAIL India has signed an agreement with the government for setting up Rs 40,000-crore petrochemical plant in the state. The 50:50 joint venture will set up a 1.5-million tonnes ethylene derivatives plant, which will produce a wide range of petrochemical raw materials for the manufacture of detergents, paints and coatings, cosmetics, textiles and adhesives. HPCL CEO : Mukesh Kumar Suarana HQ : GAIL CEO : B.C.Tripathi HQ : 14. Reliance Defence and Engineering Ltd (RDEL) has signed Rs. 916 crore contract with Defence Ministry for design and of 14 fast patrol vessels for . RDEL is a wholly—owned arm of Reliance Infrastructure Ltd (RInfra). Defence Minister : (Additional Charge) RDEL HQ : Mumbai CEO : H.S.Malhi 15. Tata Steel has signed a definitive agreement to sell Specialty Steel business in the UK to Liberty Group for 100 million pounds (about Rs 840 crore). The UK-based Liberty House Group, led by Indian-origin executive chairman Sanjeev Gupta, said the deal secures the future of around 1,700 jobs directly, and thousands more in the supply chain and regional economy. Capital : Currency : Pound Sterling PM : Theresa May Tata Steel CEO : T.V.Narendran HQ : Mumbai 16. Reliance Defence and Engineering announced an agreement with the American Navy for repair and alteration services for warships of the largest forward- deployed Seventh Fleet operating in the region. Capital : Washington D.C Currency : Dollar President : Donald Trump RDEL HQ : Mumbai CEO : H.S.Malhi 17. Reliance Jio announced a strategic partnership with cab aggregator Uber, which will start with allowing users to pay for their rides through a prepaid wallet launched by . Uber CEO : Travis Kalanick HQ : California (USA)

www.mahendraguru.com [3] www.mahendraguru.com

18. Direct-to-home operator Dish TV has tied-up with private lender ICICI Bank for digital payments. Dish TV Brand Ambassador : Shahrukh Khan CEO : Arun Kumar Kapoor HQ : Noida ICICI Bank HQ : Mumbai CEO : Established : 1994 Tagline : Khayal Aapka; Hum hain na 19. The has signed an agreement with the government to provide USD 201.50 million loan for quality engineering education across several states in India. The loan agreement is part of the Technical Education Quality Improvement Project (TEQIP III), which is the third phase of a 15-20 year programme that started in 2002. World Bank HQ : Washington D.C. Parent Organisation : UN Establishment : 1944 President : Jim Yong Kim CEO : Kristalina Georgieva 20. has inked a pact with Italian Railways for improving the safety level of the Indian carrier through a review of the infrastructure and transport management system. Capital : Rome Currency : Euro President : Sergio Mattarella Railway Minister : Suresh Prabhu 21. India and Sri Lanka signed an agreement to construct a multi-ethnic tri-lingual school in a north central district of the island nation that would provide opportunities to Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim students to learn in a multi-cultural environment. Capital : Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte Currency : Rupee President : Ranil Wickremesinghe 22. India and Austria agreed to amend their existing bilateral taxation treaty to prevent tax evasion as well as enable mutual assistance. Capital : Vienna Currency : Euro President : Alexander Van der Bellen 23. The government approved signing of an agreement between India and Senegal in the field of health and medicine which includes cooperation in AIDS control, integrated disease surveillance and emergency relief. Capital : Dakar Currency : Franc President : Macky Sall 24. India and the (UK) in February 2017 signed a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to allow more flights to boost and trade in both the countries. Capital : London Currency : Pound Sterling PM : Theresa May 25. Agreement between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the Republic of Croatia on Economic Cooperation was signed by Commerce and Industry Minister Smt. , and Ms. Martina Dalic, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Economy, Government of the Republic of Croatia on 14th February, 2017 in Zagreb, Croatia. Capital : Zagreb Currency : Kuna President : Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović

www.mahendraguru.com [4] www.mahendraguru.com

26. The Government approved signing of an Air Services Agreement (ASA) between India and Rwanda to allow the airlines of the two countries to operate services in each other’s territory. Capital : Kigali Currency : Franc President : Paul Kagame 27. The government granted its approval to the signing of Air Services Agreement (ASA) between India and Greece which allows the airlines of the two countries to fly in each other’s territory. Capital : Athens Currency : Euro PM : Alexis Tsipras 28. India and ADB have signed USD 375 million pact for loans and grants to develop 800-km - Industrial Corridor, which is the first phase of a planned 2,500-km East Coast Economic Corridor. ADB HQ : Philippines President : Takehiko Nakao Established : 1966 29. Airbus signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for establishing a Centre of Excellence for aerospace skill development in Hyderabad, together with the Government of Telangana, National Skill Development Corporation India and AEROCAMPUS France. Airbus HQ : Toulouse, France CEO : Fabrice Bregier Telangana Capital : Hyderabad CM : K Chandrashekhar Rao Governor : E.S.L.Narsimhan 30. The Telangana Government signed a MoU with NABARD for a loan of Rs 874 crore to the Horticulture Development Corporation to cover 3.15 acres under Micro Irrigation scheme for 2016-17 and 2017-18. NABARD HQ : Mumbai Established : 12 July 1982 Chairman : Harsh Kumar Bhanwala 31. Finnish company Nokia Technologies will partner with HMD Global to sell its smart health devices under the Withings brand by June in India. Nokia HQ : Espoo, Finland CEO : Rajiv Suri Established : 1865 32. European aviation major Airbus inked a land licence pact with Delhi International Limited (DIAL) for setting up a training facility, including the country's first full flight simulator. E-commerce major Snapdeal has partnered with External Trade Organization (JETRO), to showcase popular Japanese SME products on the online marketplace. Snapdeal HQ : New Delhi CEO : Kunal Bahl Establishment : 2010 Japan Capital : Tokyo Currency : Yen PM : Shinzo Abe 33. India signed the first loan agreement with the New Development Bank for USD 350 million for development and upgradation of project in . The project, which is to be implemented over 5 years, is expected to improve transport connectivity to the interior regions and resultant boost to economic activity in the rural hinterland. NDB HQ : Shanghai, China President : K.V.Kamath Founder : BRICS MP Capital : Bhopal, Jabalpur (Judicial) CM : Shivraj Singh Chauhan Governor : O.P.Kohli

www.mahendraguru.com [5] www.mahendraguru.com

34. India and Russia signed two key agreements for long-term maintenance and technical support for Russian-made Su-30MKI fighter jets of the . The pacts were signed between India's Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and the two Russian companies in presence of Defence Minister Arun Jaitley and Russia's Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov. Capital : Moscow Currency : Ruble PM : Dmitri Medvedev President : 35. The World Bank signed a USD 100 million credit agreement with the Centre and to improve quality of healthcare services in all 13 districts of the state. World Bank HQ : Washington D.C. Parent Organisation : UN Establishment : 1944 President : Jim Yong Kim CEO : Kristalina Georgieva 36. and signed the first MoU to strengthen defence ties, especially defence industrial production and exchange of military information and training of armed forces. Pakistan Capital : Islamabad Currency : Rupee PM : Nawaz Sharif President : Mamnoon Hussain South Africa Capital : , Bloemfontein, Cape Town Currency : Rand President : Jacob Zuma 37. India and South Korea agreed to deepen cooperation among their small and medium enterprises through technology transfer, joint ventures, business alliances and facilitation of mutual market access. Capital : Seoul Currency : Won PM : Moon Jae-in 38. The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) has partnered with India to drive digital literacy among women entrepreneurs in Nagaland. The initiative will enable them to sell their products internationally, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Minister said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha. Skill Development Minister : Rajiv Pratap Rudy Amazon HQ : Washington.D.C (USA) CEO : Jeff Bezos 39. Global e-commerce company eBay and Flipkart, have agreed to jointly pursue opportunities in the Indian market. Under this agreement, eBay will make a USD 500 million cash investment in and sell its eBay.in business to Flipkart in exchange for an equity stake in Flipkart. Flipkart HQ : Bengaluru CEO : Kalyan Krishnamurthy eBay HQ : California (USA) CEO : Devin Omidyar 40. India signed a USD 175 million loan pact with the World Bank for National Hydrology Project that aims to improve management of water resources. World Bank HQ : Washington D.C. Parent Organisation : UN Establishment : 1944 President : Jim Yong Kim CEO : Kristalina Georgieva 41. Department of Posts has joined hands with to promote SBI buddy e-wallet and POS machines for cashless transactions at Post Office counters while booking speed post and registered post items.

www.mahendraguru.com [6] www.mahendraguru.com

SBI HQ : Mumbai Establishment : 1 July 1955 Chairperson : Arundhati Bhattacharya Tagline : The Nation’s bank on Us, Pure Banking nothing else 42. World Bank Group IFC has said that Madhya Pradesh has signed project agreements with power companies for Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Park. MP Capital : Bhopal, Jabalpur (Judicial) CM : Shivraj Singh Chauhan Governor : O.P.Kohli 43. The Union Cabinet approved a MoU between India and Australia on cooperation in the field of communicable diseases and mental health. Capital : Canberra Currency : Dollar PM : Malcolm Turnbull 44. The Cabinet approved signing of air services agreement (ASA) with Georgia, which will help in establishing air connectivity between the two countries. Capital : Tbilisi Currency : Iari PM : Giorgi Margvelashvili 45. Israel has signed a USD 2 billion contract with India to supply it with missile defence systems, the state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries said. Capital : Jerusalem Currency : Shekel PM : Reuven Rivlin 46. executed project agreements with Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) for Phase I of the 750 MW liquefied natural gas (LNG) power project at Meghnaghat, near Dhaka. Capital : Dhaka Currency : Taka PM : Sheikh Hasina President : Abdul hamid 47. India-Australia signed six agreements India and Australia signed 6 agreements to boost the bilateral cooperation between the two nations. The signed agreements include cooperation in combating international terrorism and transnational organised crime. India and South Korea signed an agreement to firm up bilateral cooperation in defence shipbuilding. Under the MoU, conceived under the umbrella of the special strategic partnership, the two sides will nominate one shipyard each for this purpose. Capital : Seoul Currency : Won PM : Moon Jae-in 49. Airtel announced a strategic partnership with Ola to offer a range of digital services to customers. Airtel Payments Banks will integrate with Ola app to offer convenient digital payments solutions to customers for their rides. Airtel HQ : New Delhi CEO : Gopal Vittal Parent Organization : Bharti Enterprise Ola HQ : Bengaluru CEO : Bhavish Aggarwal 50. Mobile wallet company MobiKwik, announced its association with web portal and mobile application Bhopal Plus, which is part of Bhopal smart city initiative. The tie-up will enable residents of Bhopal in paying taxes and bills for utility services such as electricity and water, digitally. Mobikwik HQ : Gurugram CEO : Bipin Preet Singh

www.mahendraguru.com [7] www.mahendraguru.com

MOST RECENT SCHEMES

1. SAMPADA (Scheme For Agro-Marine Processing And Development Of Agro-Processing Clusters) By : Central Government Amount Allocation : 6000 Crore Objective : To supplement agriculture, modernize processing and decrease agri-waste. Future Aspect : SAMPADA will in creation of modern infrastructure with efficient supply chain management from farm to retail outlet. 2. UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) By : Civil Aviation Ministry Launched : January 2017 Objective : Economic flights for common man who have to travel frequently for commercial purposes. About : A person can buy 9-40 seats with only 2500/- per hour per seat for 500 km journey. 3. Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Yojana By : Central Government About : Penalty on those whose black money is disclosed. General provision : 200% tax for misreporting 50% tax for under reporting On disclosure : Existing: 30% charged flat + surcharge + 33% cess [50% Total] Proposed : 60% charged flat + 25% surcharge + cess [75% Total] Future Aspect : A step towards the development of the nation and equal distribution of income among every people of the country. 4. Operation Clean Money By : Income Tax Department Launched : 31 January 2017 Objective : To extract black money that earthen the society. About : Track all the cash transactions made between 9 November 2016 to 30 December 2016 and if any mismatch found in the ward's account, then he/she will be liable to pay the penalty. 5. Direct Transfer of Fertilizer Subsidy By : Central Government Launched : 1 November 2016 About : Farmers buy fertilizers on MRP, then government will repay the subsidised amount in their respective accounts. Objective : Enable farmers for batter cultivation at an affordable cost. 6. GST Bill About : Goods and Services Tax Bill is a type of indirect tax levied on the manufacturing, sales and consumption of any goods and services across India. In India, several state taxes are levied in these three mentioned processes.

www.mahendraguru.com [8] www.mahendraguru.com

After GST, there will be only one time tax that will be levied on the goods and services consumed within the boundary of the nation. Central government calls it ‘One nation one tax’ as after passing of the bill suppliers will have to bear onetime indirect tax for their business. Proposed Rates: S No Tax Rate in % 1 0 2 5 3 12 4 18 5 28 GST Council Head: Arun Jaitley GST Committee Head: Amit Mitra Roll Out date: 1 July 2017 onwards 7. Aadhar Seeding Application Launched by : Bandaru Datatreya Objective : For efficient service and widening the reach of Employees Provident Fund (EPF) benefits. About : It will enable a provident fund member or pensioner walk into any field offices of the EPFO or CSC outlets with UAN (Universal Account Number) and Aadhaar and seed the Aadhaar with the UAN. Under : Labour Ministry 8. Lucky Grahak Yojana & Digi Dhan Vyapar Yojana Launched By : Niti Aayog Objective : To encourage consumers & merchants for transition to digital payments in post demonetisation. About : This schemes aim to give cash awards to consumers and merchants who utilize digital payment instruments for personal consumption expenditures. Implementing agency : NPCI Focus : Bringing the poor, lower middle class and small businesses into the digital payment fold and restricted its focus on transactions within the range of Rs 50 and Rs 3000. 9. Deendayal Antyodaya Rasoi Yojana Launched By : Madhya Pradesh About : It will provide a full nutritious meal to poor people, workers and their families at subsidised rate of Rs. 5. First state to launch such scheme : (Under: Amma Canteen Name) 10. Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana Launched by : Union Government About : The scheme will be distribute free of cost physical aids and assisted-living devices for senior citizens belonging to BPL category in Camp mode. Implementing Agency : Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation (ALIMCO)

www.mahendraguru.com [9] www.mahendraguru.com

www.mahendraguru.com [10] www.mahendraguru.com

APPOINTMENTS

S K Patyal Lt Gen S K Patyal took charge as Deputy Chief of Army Staff succeeding Lt Gen Subrata Saha. Sandeep Kumar Jajodia Monnet Ispat & Energy Ltd (MIEL) reappointed Sandeep Kumar Jajodia as Chairman and Managing Director of the company. Maninder Singh Juneja National Bulk Handling Corporation (NBHC), India’s leading provider of integrated commodity and collateral management services of agri-commodities today announced appointment of Maninder Singh Juneja as the managing director and CEO. Indira Banerjee Delhi High Court judge Indira Banerjee has been appointed as the Chief Justice of the Madras High Court. Badar Durrez Ahmed Justice Badar Durrez Ahmed was sworn in as the Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court. B P Kanungo B P Kanungo took over as the Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). David R. Syiemlieh Prof. David R. Syiemlieh took the Oath of Office and Secrecy as Chairman, Union Public Service Commission, under clause (1) of Article 316 of the Constitution of India. Aruna Sethi Aruna Sethi, 1985 batch officer of Indian Cost Accounts Service (ICoAS) has been ele-vated to the position of Chief Adviser (Cost) in the Ministry of Finance, Department of Expenditure w.e.f. 1st APRIL, 2017. Mahesh Jain Mahesh Kumar Jain took over as the new managing director and chief executive of-ficer of IDBI Bank. Kishor Kharat Public sector Indian Bank has appointed Kishor Kharat as its new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. Kenichi Yokoyama Kenichi Yokoyama has taken over as the new Country Director of India Resident Mis-sion of the (ADB). Yokoyama has replaced M Teresa. Geetha Johri Senior IPS officer Geetha Johri was appointed ’s new DGP-in-charge, becoming the state’s first woman police chief as incumbent PP Pandey quit the post following the apex court’s reservation against him. Dr Ching-Kuo Wu International Boxing Association (AIBA) President Dr Ching-Kuo Wu has been re-elected a council member of the Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) for a four-year term. Malvika Sinha The Reserve Bank has appointed Malvika Sinha as Executive Director following the ap-pointment of B P Kanungo as Deputy Governor. Durga Prasanna Choudhury, Jatindra Prasad Das and Krushnaram Mohapatra Three additional judges of Orissa High Court were sworn-in as permanent judges of the High Court. S N Subrahmanyan and A M Naik Engineering conglomerate L&T has named S N Subrahmanyan as its new CEO with ef-fect from July, while long-serving head A M Naik will move to a new position of non-executive Chairman effective October 1. Vishal Amin President Donald Trump has tapped Indian-American Vishal Amin as his new ‘IP czar’ to coordinate US law-enforcement strategy around copyright, patents and trademarks.

www.mahendraguru.com [11] www.mahendraguru.com

Anuja Ravindra Dhir Indian-origin Anuja Ravindra Dhir, has become the first non-white judge to sit at the Old Bailey Court of London. Neil Gorsuch Neil Gorsuch was sworn in as the new judge of the US Supreme Court, capping a gruel-ing confir- mation process and filling the seat once held by the late conservative icon An-tonin Scalia. Sunita Sharma and B Venugopal Sunita Sharma and B Venugopal were appointed as Managing Directors in Insur-ance Corpora- tion of India. Rohit Sawhney India Ratings, the domestic subsidiary of Fitch Ratings, appointed Rohit Sawhney as the chief ex- ecutive with immediate effect. Ravi Venkatesan Infosys appointed Independent Director Ravi Venkatesan as co-Chairman. Achal Khare Achal Khare was appointed as the Managing Director (MD) of National High Speed Rail Corporation. Ashwini Aggarwal Indian electronics industry body IESA announced appointment of Ashwini K Aggarwal as its new chairman and Anilkumar Muniswamy vice-chairman. Manish Sinha Commercial data provider Dun & Bradstreet India said it has appointed Manish Sinha as Managing Director, effective from May 8 this year. Devendra Kumar Sharma Devendra Kumar Sharma, the Managing Director of Power Corpora-tion, joined as the chairman of Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB). Sulkhan Singh named new UP DGP In a major rejig of the Police, the state government named 1980-batch officer Sulkhan Singh the new Director General of Police in place of . Mridul Gehlot Mridul Gehlot and Dinesh Patel were elected unanimously president and general sec-retary of Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI). BJP leader and Association President Himanta Biswa Sarma was ap-pointed Badminton Association of India’s interim head during its executive council meeting. B S Sandhu The government appointed senior IPS officer B S Sandhu as the Director Gen-eral of Police. 1984 batch IPS officer, Sandhu will replace K P Singh. Bharat Kaushal Japanese Company Hitachi appointed Bharat Kaushal as the Managing Director of its Indian opera- tions. TKK Kumar Beverages major Coca-Cola announced appointment of T.K.K. Krishnakumar as presi-dent of its India & South West Asia Business Unit, replacing Venkatesh Kini, who will exit the company after heading it for over three years. Roberto Azevedo (WTO) members agreed by consensus to appoint Roberto Azevedo for a second four-year term as Director-General at a meeting of the General Council. Sanjiv Singh Sanjiv Singh has been appointed Chairman of the Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL), the country’s largest commercial enterprise. The Appointments Committee of Cabinet approved his appointment to the post for a period of five years, an order issued by the Personnel Ministry said. Nand Kumar Sai Senior tribal leader from and ex parliamentarian Shri Nand Kumar Sai as-sumed charge as the chairman of National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) in New Delhi.

www.mahendraguru.com [12] www.mahendraguru.com

D R Doley Barman Senior police officer D R Doley Barman was appointed as Director of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy, Hyderabad. The academy is a premier training institute for police officers. She has been appointed in place of Aruna M Bahuguna. N K Sinha Culture Secretary N K Sinha was given additional charge of the post of Secretary, Minis-try of Touris m. The competent authority has approved the assignment of additional charge to Sinha, a 1980 batch IAS officer of Bihar cadre, with immediate effect, an order issued by Per-sonnel Ministry said. P K Purwar P K Purwar was appointed as Chairman and Managing Director of state- telecom major Mahana- gar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL). JS Deepak Telecom Secretary J S Deepak has been named as India’s next Ambassador to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) from June this year 2017. A 1982 batch IAS officer from Uttar Pradesh, Deepak, who is at present attending the World Mobile Congress at Barcelona, has been shifted with “immediate effect” from the telecom ministry and has been made Officer on Special Duty in the commerce de-partment. Amjad Hussain B Sial Pakistan’s senior diplomat Amjad Hussain B Sial assumed office as the new Secretary General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). Sial has assumed charge of the office of Secretary General of SAARC from March 1, 2017, accord- ing to a press release issued by SAARC Secretariat. Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria Air Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria assumed charge as Air Officer Command-ing-in-chief of the Southern Air Command. Soma Mondal State-run Steel Authority of India (SAIL) said Soma Mondal has taken over as its Direc-tor Com- mercial. Prior to this, Mondal was Director (Commercial) at NALCO, . Manjeev Singh Puri Manjeev Singh Puri, India’s Ambassador to the European Union, Belgium and Luxem-bourg, is set to be the country’s envoy to Nepal. According to the sources at the Indian Embassy here said that Puri’s name has been proposed with the term of Ranjit Rae coming to an end. Sudhin Mathur Sudhin Mathur has been named as Managing Director of Motorola Mobility India and has been inducted as a full-time director on the company’s Board. T Jacob Senior IAS officer T Jacob has been appointed as Secretary, Union Public Service Com-mission (UPSC). He will hold the rank of an Additional Secretary in the Government of India. Ajit Pai US President Donald Trump has nominated Indian-American Ajit Pai to serve another term at the powerful Federal Communications Commission. Pradeep Nair Pradeep Nair, a seasoned public and private sector leader, will be the Ford Founda-tion’s regional director for its recently registered branch office in New Delhi serving In-dia, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. P K Pujari Power Secretary Pradeep Kumar Pujari has been given additional charge of the post of Secretary, Department of Telecommunications (DoT). Pujari is a 1981 batch IAS officer of Gujarat cadre. Deepak, a 1982 batch IAS officer from Uttar Pradesh cadre, was on March 1, shifted from the Telecom Ministry and made Of-ficer on Special Duty in the Commerce department.

www.mahendraguru.com [13] www.mahendraguru.com

Rajendra Menon Justice was sworn in as the Chief Justice of the High Court by Bihar Gov- ernor Ramnath Kovind at a function here in Raj Bhawan. Justice Menon would retire on June 7, 2019. Tulsi Gabbard Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu lawmaker in the US Congress, elected as the co-chair of the Congres- sional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans, has vowed to work for fur-thering Indo-US relations. India’s most successful doubles specialist Jwala Gutta has been appointed a member of the gov- erning body of Sports Authority of India (SAI). The two-time Olympian Jwala, has won the bronze medal at the 2011 World Champi-onship. Bibhu Prasad Kanungo ’s Bibhu Prasad Kanungo was on 14 March 2017 appointed as Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) with effect from April 2017. Rajendra Menon Justice Rajendra Menon was sworn in as the Chief Justice of the Patna High Court by Bihar Gov- ernor Ramnath Kovind at a function in Raj Bhawan. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, his Deputy Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and others were pre-sent on the occasion. Karun Sreerama Indian-American engineer Karun Sreerama has been named to head ’s De-partment of Public Works and Engineering by the city’s Mayor Sylvester Turner. 53-year-old Sreerama, a consistent local political donor, would replace retiring director Dale Rudick as chief of Houston’s USD 2 billion and 4,000-plus-employee operation. Mahesh Kumar Jain IDBI Bank has appointed Mahesh Kumar Jain as its new Managing Director & Chief Ex-ecutive Officer. Jain will head IDBI Bank for the remaining period of his current tenure or until further orders, which- ever is earlier. Ankur Khanna The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the appointment of Ankur Khanna to the post of Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Tehmina Janjua Tehmina Janjua assumed charge as Pakistan’s new foreign secretary, becoming the first woman in the history of the country to assume the position. Janjua replaced Aizaz Chaudhry, a career diplomat who has taken up charge as Paki-stan’s new ambassador to the . She was long considered a favourite for the position. Jason Kothari E-commerce firm Snapdeal today announced the appointment of Jason Kothari as the Chief Execu- tive Officer of its digital payment platform FreeCharge and a commitment to invest an additional USD 20 million in the company. Jason is a strong, strategic and versatile business leader and entrepreneur, who has al-ready been the CEO of two successful companies. Amul Thapar An Indian-American legal luminary Amul Thapar has been nominated by US President Donald Trump to a key judicial position on the powerful US court of appeals. Amul Thapar, 47, who in 2007 became the first South Asian Article III judge when he was appointed as a US District Judge for the Eastern District of Kentucky, is the first In-dian-American to be nomi- nated by Trump for a top judicial post . Upendra Tripathy Former New and Renewable Energy Secretary Upendra Tripathy has been appointed as the full- time interim Director General of International Solar Alliance. Tripathy was secretary Ministry of New and Renewable Energy from April 1, 2014 until October 31, 2016.

www.mahendraguru.com [14] www.mahendraguru.com

Hardeep Singh Puri India’s former Ambassador to the UN, Hardeep Singh Puri has been appointed as the chairman of a city-based autonomous think-tank that works under the Ministry of Ex-ternal Affairs. Hardeep Singh Puri (65), a 1974-batch officer, is expected to take up the assignment at the Research and Information System for Developing Coun-tries (RIS) shortly. Madhabi Puri Buch Madhabi Puri Buch has been appointed as new whole time member of SEBI. She is founder-director of Agora Advisory Pvt Ltd and currently at the New Develop-ment Bank in Shanghai, China. Maninder Singh Diversified financial services major Religare Enterprises (REL) has elevated Manindar Singh as the group chief executive officer (CEO). He has replaced interim Group CEO Nalin Nayyar. Rajesh Mandawewala Textile firm Welspun India has re-appointed Rajesh Mandawewala as the managing di-rector for five years. Mandawewala, whose term is going to end on March 31, is co-promoter of the firm and has been associated with the company since its inception. Vanita Gupta Indian-American Vanita Gupta, who headed civil rights division in the Department of Justice in the Obama Administration, has been appointed as president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Rights, becoming the first woman to head the prestigious organisation. Vanaja N Sarna Senior bureaucrat Vanaja N Sarna has been appointed as chairperson of Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC). Sarna, a 1980 batch officer of (Customs and Central Excise), is at present member in the CBEC, an apex policy making body for indirect taxes.

AWARDS

Businesswoman of Year Award Asha Khemka, Principal and CEO of West Nottinghamshire College, has been named the ‘Asian Businesswoman of the Year’ for her efforts in the field of education and skills at the Asian Business Awards ceremony. Pulitzer Prize for Fiction Colson Whitehead’s “The Underground Railroad,” his celebrated novel about an es-caped slave that combined liberating imagination and brutal reality, has won the Pu-litzer Prize for fiction. SCOPE Award Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), nation’s largest steelmaker and a ‘Maharatna’ Public Sec- tor Enterprise has been awarded with the prestigious SCOPE Award for Best Practices in Human Resource Management for the year 2014-15. Living Legend Lifetime Award Veteran actor Dilip Kumar was honoured with the Living Legend Lifetime Award by the Punjab As- sociation. Grand Jury Prize “The Golden Wing” has received the grand jury prize for best feature at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) 2017. Cannes Cinefondation Award A film directed by a third-year student of the Film & Television Institute of India (FTII) here has been selected for Cinefondation under the aegis of the upcoming Cannes Film Festival. American Helicopter Society Award An India-born aeronautics engineer Arvind Sinha from Australia has been honoured with the World’s Outstanding Aerospace Engineer Leadership Award by the American Helicopter Society (AHS) International.

www.mahendraguru.com [15] www.mahendraguru.com

Emerging Young Leaders Award A Hindu youth from Pakistan has been selected for the prestigious Emerging Young Leaders Award given by the US State Department for the positive role played by youngsters in sustainable peace. Sahitya award for translation Aniruddhan Vasudevans “One Part Woman”, a translation of Perumal Murugans con-troversial Tamil novel “Maadhorubaagan” has been chosen for the Translation Prize in English 2016, Sahitya Akademi has announced. Vega Medal in Stockholm Chinese scientist Yao Tandong received 2017 Vega Medal in Stockholm, recognizing his contribu- tions to research on glaciers and the environment on the Tibetan Plateau. P C Chandra Puraskaar 2017 Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi has been presented the P C Chandra Puraskar. Sat-yarthi was honoured with the award for his global crusade against child slavery and ex-ploitative child labour. Dadasaheb Phalke award Renowned director Kasinadhuni Viswanath, known for award-winning movies like “Sankarabha- ranam”, “Sagara Sangamam” and “Swati Mutyam”, was named for the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke award for outstanding contribution to the film industry. Goldman Environmental Prize 2017 Social activist Prafulla Samantara was selected for the Goldman Environmental Prize 2017 from Asia Region for his historic twelve year long legal battle that affirmed the land rights of indigenous Dongria Kondh and protected the Niyamgiri Hills from a mas-sive aluminum ore mine. Dinanath Mangeshkar Award Superstar was honoured with the 75th Master Dinanath Mangeshkar Award for his blockbuster “Dangal”. Jnanpith Award Eminent Bengali poet and literary critic Sankha Ghosh was conferred the 52nd Jnanpith Award by President . CII Woman Exemplar Award The President Pranab Mukherjee presented CII Presidents Award for Lifetime Achievement to and CII foundation Woman Exemplar Award in New Delhi. Rapid Lion Awards 2017 Filmmaker ’s epic saga “” scooped major trophies, including the best director and best film overall, at the South African International Film Festival, also known as the Rapid Lion Awards. There were no entries from China and Brazil, the other countries in BRICS. Truman scholarship Nominatioan Seven Indian-American students have been selected for the prestigious Harry S Tru-man Scholar- ship, which is given to college juniors for demonstrating leadership poten-tial and a commitment to public service. The finalists will be interviewed by a foundation regional review panel from March 3 to April 7, with the scholars being announced on April 21. Visitor’s Awards 2017 Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has won the annual Visitor’s Award for the ‘Best University’, 2017. Deepak Pant from the Central University of Himachal Pradesh won the Visitor’s Award for ‘Innova- tion’ while the Visitor’s Award for ‘Research’ has been jointly won by Shyam Sunder from Banaras Hindu University (BHU) and Professor Niranjan Karak from Tezpur University. Courage Award 2017 Former President was named the 2017 winner of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for carrying on his fellow Democrat’s legacy. President Kennedy called on a new generation of Americans to give their talents to the service of the country.

www.mahendraguru.com [16] www.mahendraguru.com

Maryland International Film Award Filmmaker Onir’s documentary “Raising The Bar” has been selected by the annual Mar-yland Inter- national Film Festival. The documentary is about six young individuals with Down syndrome and follows their stories at the World Down Syndrome Congress in Chennai. Global NGO Excellence Award DATRI, the largest unrelated blood stem cell donor’s registry in India, has received the Global NGO Excellence Award under the Best Healthcare NGO category. The award was presented at the 6th World Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Day in Mumbai on February 18. Vigyan Pratibha Samman Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister honoured P Kunhikrishnan, the director of Satish Dhawan Space Centre. Chouhan honoured Kunhikrishnan with Vigyan Pratibha Samman . Top honours at BCCI Award became the first player to win the prestigious Award for the third time when he walked away with the coveted title at the BCCI Annual Awards cer-emony. Best Actress Award at IFFAA actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan won Best Actress Award at the Internation-al Film Festival and Awards of Australia (IFFAA). Aishwarya grabbed the award for her role in 2016 film ‘Sarbjit’. Doctor of Science degree Honour RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat was conferred honorary degree of Doctor of Science (DSc) by the city- based Animal and Fishery Sciences University. Wellcome Book Prize 2017 Two Indian-American authors- Siddhartha Mukherjee and Paul Kalanithi have been shortlisted for the 30,000 pound Wellcome Book Prize, which celebrates fiction and non-fiction works engaged with the topics of health and medicine. Regeneron Science Talent Search Award Indian-American teenager, Indrani Das, won the top, $250,000 prize in the prestigious Regeneron Science Talent Search competition for her research on treating brain inju-ries and diseases. Another Indian-American, Arjun Ramani, took the third place, which carries a prize of $150,000, for his project on networks using mathematical field of graph theory and computer programming. Times of India Sports Award Ace shuttler and Rio Olympics silver medalist P V Sindhu was bestowed the Best Sportsperson of the Year award at Sports Awards (TOISA). Sindhu was also given the best Badminton player for the year award, selected by the jury. Shuttler Kidambi Srikanth bagged the best badminton player award in the peo-ple’s choice category. Ellis Island Medal of Honour PepsiCo CEO , author are amongst six Indian-Americans nominated for the prestigious Ellis Island Medal of Honour 2017 - the highest civilian award in the US for im- migrants. Among 88 named recipients, the four other Indian- Americans are Harman Interna-tional Industries chairman CEO Dinesh Paliwal,Dr Annapoorna S Kini, Yashvant Patel, Mohan H Patel, as well as Pakistani-American Dr Adil Haider. Sikh Jewel Award Indian-origin British director Gurinder Chadha has been honoured with the Sikh Jewel Award for 2017 for her immense contribution to British cinema. Kala Ratan Award Veteran actor will be honoured with the Kala Ratan Award by Vice Presi-dent Hamid Ansari. Kher was honored him the in 2004 and the in 2016 for his contribution in the field of cinema and arts.

www.mahendraguru.com [17] www.mahendraguru.com

National Law Day Award-2016 The National Law Day Award-2016 was presented to senior IPS officer Manish Shankar Sharma for his contribution to combat crime including in the field of counter-terrorism strategies and tactics. Dr B C Roy Award President Pranab Mukherjee honoured the director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences Ran- deep Guleria, and chairman of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital D S Rana, along with 47 other doctors, with national awards for excellence in the field of medicine. Anuvrata Puraskar 2016 Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was bestowed with the ‘Anuvrata Puraskar 2016’ for implementing total prohibition in the state. Soon after receiving the award, Kumar made a fervent appeal for anti-liquor move-ment across the country. Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Priti Patel, Britain’s senior-most Indian-origin minister, has vowed to champion the in-terests of the Indian Diaspora and work for strengthening the Indo-UK ties as she re-ceived her ‘Pravasi Bharatiya Samman’ at a ceremony. AHF Awards for 2016 Ace forward SV Sunil and young dragflicker Harmanpreet Singh has been named as the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) Player of the Year and Promising Player of the Year 2016 respectively. EULOGIES

Julian Stanczak Julian Stanczak, an artist known worldwide for his brightly colored, geometric Op art, has died. Ajey Jhankar Noted author and filmmaker Ajey Jhankar passed away. He was 57. Kishori Amonkar Renowned Hindustani classical vocalist Kishori Amonkar passed away. She was 84. G R Reddy Long-time hockey administrator G R Reddy, fondly known as Raju among the sports fraternity died. He was 70. Akhilesh Das Gupta Former Union Minister and former President of the Indian Badminton Association, Akhilesh Das died. He was 56. Narsingh Baitha Former Bihar minister Narsingh Baitha died. He was 100. Munshi Venu actor Munshi Venu passed away. He was 63. Girish Gary Saxena Former Jammu and Kashmir Governor , lovingly called Gary, died. He was 90. Emma Martina Luigia Morano Emma Morano, the world’s oldest woman and the last surviving person born in the 19th , died at the age of 117 at her in Italy’s Verbania town. Devineni Nehru Former Andhra Pradesh minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader Devineni Nehru died. He was 65. Ali Mohammad Naik Senior National Conference (NC) leader and former speaker of Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, Ali Mohammad Naik, passed away. He was 87.

www.mahendraguru.com [18] www.mahendraguru.com

Raj Kumar Bagri Indian-born prominent businessman Raj Kumar Bagri died. He was 86. He was the longest-serving chairman of the London Metal Exchange. Haji Abdul Salam Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member Haji Abdul Salam passed away. He was 69. Haji Abdul Salam is the first Manipuri Muslim to be a member of RS from . Taarak Mehta An Indian columnist, humorist, writer and playwright, Taarak Mehta, who was also known for the popular ‘Duniya Ne Undha Chashma’ in Gujarati language, passed away at the age of 87 John Hampshire Yorkshire president and Former England batsman John Hampshire has died. He was 76. Hampshire made history on his Test debut by becoming the first Englishman to score a century at Lord’s in his maiden Test in the series with the West Indies in 1969. Syed Shahabuddin Former IFS and MP Syed Shahabuddin died. He was 82. During his time, Shahabuddin had strongly opposed the demolition of the Babri Masjid and was the leader of the Babri Action Committee. Kalikaprasad Bhattacharya Popular Bengali folk music singer Kalikaprasad Bhattacharya died. He was 56. Arvind Padmanabhan Veteran journalist Arvind Padmanabhan passed away of cardiac arrest. He was 49. Arvind worked as an Executive Editor at IANS. Derek Walcott Derek Walcott, a Nobel-prize winning poet known for capturing the essence of his na-tive Caribbean, has died on the island of St. Lucia. He was 87. The prolific and versatile poet received the Nobel Prize in literature in 1992 after being shortlisted for the honour for many years. Anil Divan Senior advocate and noted constitutional expert Anil Divan passed away. He was 86. He had appeared in many important cases, including the blackmoney matter, in the Supreme Court where he represented senior advocate Ram Jethmalani. Govind Talwalkar Veteran Marathi journalist, writer and social historian Govind Talwalkar passed away. He was 91. Born in Dombivli near Mumbai on July 22, 1925, Talwalkar started his career with the Marathi daily ‘ and later joined the ‘. Ashokamitran Prominent Tamil writer, Ashokamitran died. He was 86. He was one of the few writers who wrote fluently in both Tamil and English. Arun Sarma Renowned playwright and Sahitya Akademi Award winner Arun Sarma died at a private hospital in the National Capital after a brief illness. He also won a number of awards, including Padma Shri, Sahitya Academi and Assam Valley Liter- ary. Ahmed Kathrada Anti-apartheid activist Ahmed Kathrada, who spent 26 years in jail _ many of them alongside Nelson Mandela _ for acts of sabotage against South Africa’s previous white minority government, died in Johannesburg at 87. Gurdev Singh Badal Former Punjab minister and senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Gurdev Singh Ba-dal passed away. He was 85.

www.mahendraguru.com [19] www.mahendraguru.com

MOST IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS NASA probes detect man-made bubble around Earth Humans have long been shaping Earth’s landscape, but now scientists know that we also can shape our near- space environment with radio communications. The impact of such communications extend out beyond our atmosphere, creating a bubble surrounding Earth, NASA’s Van Allen Probes, which electrons and ions in the near-Earth environment, have revealed. Indian-origin councilor elected as Loughton mayor in UK An Indian-origin councilor Philip Abraham has been elected as the mayor of populous Loughton town in the UK.Philip Abraham has been serving as the deputy mayor for the last one year. He has taken over the role from previous mayor Carol Davis. India retain top spot in latest ICC Test rankings India have retained their number-one position in the latest International Cricket Council (ICC) Test Team Rankings. While the Virat Kohli-led side lead South Africa by six points following the annual update, only nine points separate third-ranked Australia from seventh-ranked Sri Lanka, with ninth-ranked Bangladesh trailing eighth-ranked West Indies by six points. Indian activists Sanjay Gubbi and Purnima Barman win Whitley Awards 2017 Two Indian activists Sanjay Gubbi and Purnima Barman won the annual Whitley Awards, popularly known as the ‘Green Oscars’, for their works in the field of animal and bird conservation in India. These two Indians are among six global winners of the award shortlisted from 166 entries. Singer Chris Cornell Dies at 52 Chris Cornell, lead singer of Soundgarden and Audioslave, has passed away. He was 52. The Grammy-winning rocker was in performing with Soundgarden, which had embarked on a US tour in April. He formed the band Soundgarden in 1984, which was influential in the 1990s’ grunge movement. The group disbanded in 1997 and released a greatest hits compilation the same year. IndiGo wins Airbus “Best Operational Excellence Award” Globally IndiGo, India’s largest and fastest growing carrier, has been awarded the coveted award for ‘Best Operational Excellence’ by Airbus for the second consecutive time at a worldwide level, outperforming 46 airlines of international repute. IndiGo’s consistence performance in effective utilization of its Airbus A320 aircraft and maintenance of top-notch dispatch reliability has bagged the company this recognition amongst established global carriers at the A320 Family Symposium. SoftBank invests $1.4 billion in Paytm Japanese conglomerate SoftBank has pumped in $1.4 billion (over Rs 9,079 crore) in Indian digital payments platform, Paytm. The funding will help Paytm — operated by One97 Communications — expand its soon- to-be launched payments bank operations as well as grow its user base and introduce more financial products for consumers. Reliance Jio gets TM forum’s ‘Digital Service Innovator of the Year Award’ Reliance Jio has received TM Forum’s ‘Digital Service Innovator of the Year Award’ 2017. TM Forum is the industry association driving digital business transformation of the communications industry. Reliance Jio got this award by acquiring 90 million customers in four months. Digital Service Innovator of the Year Award is given to the company or organisation which has made the most significant and innovative contribution to advancing the digital revolution in society. Veteran actress died Veteran Bollywood actress Reema Lagoo passed away. She was 59. Her most popular movies were “Hum Aapke Hain Kaun”, “Hum Saath Saath Hain”, “” and “Kal Ho Na Ho”. Indian scientist Shrinivas Kulkarni wins Dan David Prize Indian scientist Shrinivas Kulkarni has won the prestigious Dan David prize for his contribution in the field of astronomy. Kulkarni is a professor of astrophysics and planetary science at California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

www.mahendraguru.com [20] www.mahendraguru.com

India to sign MoU with Japan’s QTEC for quality compliance The government has decided to sign an MoU with Japan Textile Products Quality and Technology Centre (QTEC) to jointly set up and encourage quality compliance activities. The textile and clothing industry is aim- ing to increase its exports to Japan, complying with quality requirements of the Japanese market, the Textiles Ministry said in a statement. MRSAM firing at extended range from INS Kochi successful INS Kochi of Western Naval Command has successfully conducted trial firing of the Medium Range Surface to Air Missile (MRSAM). The ship successfully tracked and intercepted a low- flying high-speed target at enhanced range with pin-point accuracy, said an official release. BSNL signs pacts with Facebook, MobiKwik State-owned telecom operator BSNL has inked a clutch of agreements with Facebook and MobiKwik as its looks to popularise the internet and its value added services among customers. The pacts were signed to com- memorate the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day. India, Tajikistan sign info-sharing pact on Customs The Union Cabinet approved the signing and ratifying of an agreement between India and Tajikistan on coopera- tion and sharing of intelligence in the area of Customs. The agreement will help in availability of information for the prevention and investigation of Customs offences, an official statement said. Cabinet approves MoU between India and Australia on Cooperation in Combating International Terrorism and Tran- snational Organized Crime The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given ex-post facto approval to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Australia on Cooperation in Combating International Terrorism and Transnational Organized Crime. Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave died Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave passed away. He was 60. Dave was a member of Rajya Sabha from the year 2009. Anil Madhav Dave was appointed as the Minister of State (MoS) independent charge of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in the Narendra Modi government on 5 July, 2016. Indian-American student wins National Geographic Bee contest Pranay Varada, the 14-year-old Indian-American student, has won the prestigious USD 50,000 National Geo- graphic Bee competition, maintaining the dominance of the community in the contest. A runner up last year, Varada this time did not want to give any chance. Dr Harsh Vardhan gets additional charge of environment Dr Harsh Vardhan has been given the additional charge of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF) after the death of Minister of State Anil Madhav Dave who held the portfolio under an inde- pendent charge. Dave was appointed as the Minister of State (MoS) with an independent charge of MoEF in the Narendra Modi government on 5 July, 2016. ISRO receives 2014 Peace Prize Former Prime Minister presented the 2014 Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The award, announced by a jury headed by Vice President Hamid Ansari in 2014, consists of a trophy, a cash prize of Rs 1 crore and a citation. ISRO chairman Kiran Kumar received the award here on behalf of the space body. David Letterman wins Mark Twain Prize for American humour Late-night host David Letterman has been named the next recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American humour, the award granted annually by the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The 70-year-old star, who is the longest-running host of late-night TV, is the 20th humorist to receive the prize, which began in 1998, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Former National champion boxer passes away Former national champion boxer Dennis Swamy passed away. He was 74. Swamy, who competed in the fly- weight and bantamweight divisions, was an eight-time national champion, six of them back to back starting 1961. He was conferred the in 1968. Swamy also served as a coach with the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh. UN revises downward India’s GDP growth for 2017 The United Nations has revised downward India’s economic growth forecast for 2017 but predicted an in- creased 7.9 per cent GDP growth next year as it cautioned that stressed balance sheets in the banking sectors will prevent strong investment rebound in the near term.

www.mahendraguru.com [21] www.mahendraguru.com

Mumbai ranks 24th in luxury price rise globally Mumbai ranked 24th among 41 cities globally with 1.1 per cent price rise of luxury homes for the year ended March 2017, property consultant Knight Frank India said. in China was first in the global list of 41 cities with 36.2 per cent price growth, according to Q1 2017 Knight Frank Prime Global Cities Index. Arunachal woman unfurls Indian flag at Mt. Everest for fourth time ’s scripted history of a sort by becoming the first Indian woman to scale the for the fourth time. She will attempt a double ascent to the world’s highest peak to make it a total five successful climbs. Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama had on April 2 this year flagged off the mountaineer’s double ascent expedition from Guwahati in Assam. India, Palestine sign five agreements for cooperation in different sectors India and Palestine signed 5 agreements for cooperation in different areas including agriculture, health and Information Technology. The Agreements were exchanged after delegation-level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas in New Delhi. The two leaders reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral relations, regional and international issues. Mukesh Ambani leads Forbes list of Global Game Changers Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani leads a Forbes list of Global Game Changers who are trans- forming their industries and changing the lives of billions of people around the globe. Forbes second annual Global Game Changers list includes 25 “intrepid business leaders” who are “unsatisfied with the status quo” and “transforming their industries and changing the lives of billions of people around the globe.” IIEST creates India’s first smart grid project The Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST) has successfully created the country’s first smart grid project, which will generate power from renewable sources of energy. The project will soon be inaugurated by President Pranab Mukherjee, IIEST Director Prof Ajoy Kumar Roy told. Best Holiday Award to Raneh waterfall near Khajuraho Raneh waterfall near Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh has been given the Best Holiday Award -2017 as the country’s most favourite waterfall. The award was given to Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation (MPSTDC) by the country’s well-known Travel and Information Portal Holiday IQ at a ceremony in New Delhi. SpaceX launches Inmarsat communications satellite SpaceX has launched a communications satellite for Inmarsat, marking its first launch for the London-based mobile broadband company. The Inmarsat-5 F4 satellite, built by Boeing, blasted off atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida at 7.21 PM (2321 GMT). Navy signs MoU with Space Application Centre The Indian Navy and - based Space Application Centre (SAC) inked a pact on data sharing and scientific cooperation in the field of meteorology and oceanology. The pact provides for creation of a common platform for sharing expertise achieved by SAC with the Navy in a number of areas, including satellite data acquisition technology. Mohd Anas smashes national record, qualifies for World Championships quarter-miler Mohammad Anas smashed the national record in men’s 400m race en route to winning a gold medal at the third leg of the Indian Grand Prix Athletics Meet. The 22-year-old Anas clocked 45.32 secs under hot and humid conditions at the Jawaharlal Nehru . He also qualified for the World Champion- ships to be held in London in August. The entry standard for the World Championships stands at 45.50 secs. French President Macron names new PM French President Emmanuel Macron named centre-right Les Republicains party Édouard Philipp as the country’s new Prime Minister. Philippe, a one-time socialist, has been mayor of the northern port town of Le Havre since 2010 and an MP for the region since 2012. Chamling conferred with first BS Shekhawat award by President Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling has been conferred with the first Lifetime Achievement Honour in Public Service by President Pranab Mukherjee. The award was conferred during the first Bhairon Singh Shekhawat memorial lecture delivered by the President. FICCI pegs India’s 2017-18 GDP growth at 7.4% Industry body FICCI’s latest Economic Outlook Survey has pegged India’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth at around 7.4 percent for the fiscal year 2017-18. The survey was conducted during March and April 2017 recorded a median GDP group forecast of 7.4 percent for the current fiscal year, with a minimum and maximum level of 7 percent and 7.6 percent respectively.

www.mahendraguru.com [22] www.mahendraguru.com

Rafael Nadal beats Dominic Thiem to win 5th Madrid Open title Spain’s Rafael Nadal on 14 May 2017 won Madrid Open title of Tennis. In the final match at Madrid, the Spaniard defeated a determined Dominic Thiem of Austria in straight sets 7-6(8), 6-4. Thiem resisted three championship points but Nadal seized the fourth with a drop shot to the back of the court to clinch his third consecutive clay-court crown, after winning in Monte Carlo and Barcelona in April 2017. For the 14-times Grand Slam Winner, it was also the 72nd tournament win of his career. Manav wins silver medal in Thai Open India’s Manav Thakkar won the silver medal in the junior boy’s singles of the SET 2017 Thailand Junior and Cadet Open table tennis tournament in . The young Gujarat paddler Manav seemed to have of steam and crashed at the final hurdle losing to Fumiya Igarashi of Japan in the final of the ITTF World Junior circuit event, according to information available here. India a bit player but South Asia figures in 3 Cannes films India, after the high of two Un Certain Regard selections in 2015, will be a bit player at the 70th Cannes Film Festival. The festival opens tomorrow with the screening of French director Andre Desplechin’s Ismael’s “Ghosts”, a drama featuring a quartet of top Gallic stars. India’s GDP growth to rise to 7.9 pc by Dec 2017: Morgan Stanley The Indian economy is entering a “productive growth phase” and real GDP growth is likely to rise to 7.9 per cent by December driven by favourable external demand, improving corporate balance sheets and private capex recovery, says a Morgan Stanley report. Productive growth phase is characterised as a period of improving growth while macro stability remains in check and typically sets the stage for a sustained growth cycle. India ranked second in renewable energy attractiveness index India has moved up to the second spot from third position in this year’s ‘Renewable energy country attrac- tiveness index’ released by EY. This is primarily due to a combination of strong government support and increasingly attractive economics, EY said in a statement. M P Veerendra Kumar presented G Ramanujam award 2016 Eminent Malayalam author and journalist M P Veerendra Kumar was presented the G Ramanujam award for 2016, by the Indian National Trade Union Congress. Kumar was chosen for the award, instituted in the name of late INTUC leader G Ramanujam by “Indian Thozhilali” magazine run by INTUC, for his invaluable contributions to the media field. Tech Mahindra entered into Top 20 global tech services brands IT firm Tech Mahindra said it has entered into the Top-20 global tech services brands list (by brand value) in 2017, as per an independent assessment by a valuation and strategy consultancy, Brand Finance. It also said the company has potential to be in the top-5 technology services brands by 2020. tourism department starts ‘hop-on-hop-off tourist bus service The Goa tourism department has launched the much-awaited ‘hop-on-hop-off (HOHO) sightseeing bus serv- ice for tourists visiting the coastal state. Tourism Minister flagged off the buses, being operated by -based private group Prasanna Purple. With 1 flight in 65 secs, Mumbai busiest single-runway airport The GVK group-run Mumbai airport has become the world’s busiest amongst the single-runway facilities by handling 837 flights a day or one in 65 seconds on an average in fiscal 2017, taking over London’s that had 757 flights a day. In terms of the number of passengers also, the city airport tops with 45.2 million people flying in and out in fiscal 2017 as against 44 million at Gatwick airport. Quinton de Kock scoops top honours at CSA awards Quinton De Kock was named South African Cricketer of the Year at a gala event hosted by Cricket South Africa (CSA). De Kock also won four other awards, including Test Cricketer of the Year and ODI Cricketer of the Year, at the event. Former PIO Rammohan Rao passes away Rammohan Rao, former Principal Information Officer (PIO) who had served as a media adviser to four prime ministers, passed away at the age of 83. Hailing from ’s South Canara district, Rao started his career with the Information Service in the 50s. Odisha nurse gets Nightingale award Krishna Kumari, a health worker in Ganjam district, has bagged the prestigious Florence Nightingale award 2017. The fifty-year-old woman received the award from President Pranab Mukherjee at a function at the Rastrapati Bhawan in New Delhi on Friday on the occasion of International Nurses Day. The award carries a citation, a medal and a cheque of Rs 50,000.

www.mahendraguru.com [23] www.mahendraguru.com

Amazon India partners FIEO to train sellers on e-commerce E-commerce major Amazon India has partnered with the Federation of Indian Export Organizations (FIEO) - South Zone to train merchants on selling their products online. FIEO is the country’s apex body of export promotion. First Sikh-American officer joins police department Mittan Katoch became the first police officer from the community to join the police department in Indianapolis, the capital of the US state of Indiana. According to IMPD, the current amount of minorities that make up the population of the department is about 18 per cent. Vikram Malhotra wins 5th PSA title India’s Vikram Malhotra won his fifth PSA title after beating Egypt’s Youssef Ibrahim in the final of the Abu Dhabi Open. The top seeded Indian, fresh from the Asian Championship held in Chennai, beat Hesham Mo- hamed Aly of Egypt in the first round and then seventh seed Ahmad Al-Saraj of Jordan in the quarters. Pakistani sitarist Ustad Raees Khan dies Legendary sitar player Ustad Raees Khan died. He was 77. Ustad Raees was born in 1939 in Indore, India in a family of musicians. He belonged to the Mewati Gharana of Indian classical music. His maternal grandfather Inayat Ali Khan was also considered one of the finest sitar players in the subcontinent. Heena wins bronze, India come back with 7 medals Heena Sidhu claimed a bronze medal in the women’s 10m Air Pistol as India ended the Grand Prix of Libera- tion Plezn 2017 shooting championships with seven medals. On the final day of the championship, Heena shot 218.8 in the eight-woman final, won by Greek shooter Anna Korakaki, who had won a gold medal in the 25m pistol and a bronze medal in the 10m air pistol at Rio Games. Pro-EU Emmanuel Macron becomes France’s youngest president Ripping up France’s political map, French voters elected independent centrist Emmanuel Macron as the coun- try’s youngest president, delivering a resounding victory to the unabashedly pro-European former investment banker and strengthening France’s place as a central pillar of the European Union. MTV Movie and TV Awards 2017:’Beauty and the Beast’ wins top honour Disney’s live-action adaptation ‘Beauty and the Beast’ was named Movie of the Year at the 2017 ‘MTV Movie and TV Awards’. The Bill Condon-directed movie won the top film honour beating the fellow nominees including ‘Logan’, ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’, ‘Get Out’ and ‘The Edge of Seventeen’, reported Ace Showbiz. Ganga is now one of the six best river cruises in the world Reputed international publication Conde Nast Traveller has put the Ganga cruise on its checklist as one of the top six river cruises to take in this year. The global luxury and lifestyle magazine has placed the luxury cruise vessel Ganges Voyager II, which sails on the Ganga from to , in the league of cruises on the Mekong and the Yangtze in China, the Amazon in South America, the Volga in Russia and the Irrawaddy in Myanmar. Centre approves renaming of two Mumbai railway stations The Union Home department has approved the renaming of two railway stations of Mumbai, Maharashtra Transport minister Diwakar Raote said. Raote said that the state government has published the changed names in English and Devnagri scripts in the gazette and had sought the Centre’s approval for renaming of the sta- tions. Britain dethrone Australia to reclaim Azlan Shah Cup after 23 years (sports) 7 may Great Britain won the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup title after a gap of 23 years with a rousing 4 -3 victory in the final against defending champions Australia. Hinduja brothers top UK annual rich list According to the Sunday Times Rich List 2017, The Hinduja brothers have topped the 2017 list of the richest people in the UK with a wealth of 16.2 billion pounds, a massive 2 billion pound hike in their fortunes over the previous year. Maruti Suzuki independent director Amal Ganguli passes away Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) said one of its independent directors Amal Ganguli passed away. He was 79. Ganguli, was also the chairman of the audit committee and nomination and remuneration committee in the country’s largest carmaker, MSI said in a regulatory filing.

www.mahendraguru.com [24] www.mahendraguru.com

Usha new head of Bank Usha Ananthasubramanian took over as the MD & CEO of Allahabad Bank from May 06, 20She succeeds Rakesh Sethi. Before joining Allahabad Bank, she was the MD & CEO of Punjab National Bank, a bank release said. Tata Technologies to acquire Escenda Engineering AB Engineering services company Tata Technologies said it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Escenda Engineering AB. India elected president of UN-Habitat India has been unanimously elected as the president of the UN-Habitat, an organ of the United Nations to promote sustainable human settlements across the globe. Sohail Mahmood to be Pakistan’s new envoy to India Sohail Mahmood, one of Pakistan’s senior-most diplomats, will be the country’s new High Commissioner to India. Mahmood is currently Pakistan’s ambassador in . He will replace Abdul Basit who has already completed his three-year tenure in New Delhi. India seen to become third-biggest solar market in 2017 India will become the third biggest solar market globally in 2017, says India Solar Handbook 2017 by to India, a consulting and knowledge service provider in the clean technology market. Airtel and Ola join hands to roll out integrated digital services Airtel announced a strategic partnership with Ola to offer a range of digital services to customers. With the partnership, Ola will leverage Airtel’s integrated suite of enterprise services to power its operations, while on the other hand, Airtel will leverage Ola’s vast network of hundreds and thousands of driver partners. India to grow at 7.7 per cent in 2018-19: IMF According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), India’s growth is expected to rebound to 7.2 per cent in the 2017-18 fiscal and 7.7 per cent in 2018-19.The temporary disruptions (primarily to private consumption) caused by cash shortages accompanying the currency exchange initiative are expected to gradually dissipate in 2017 as cash shortages ease, the International Monetary Fund said in its regional economic outlook. IIT Bombay professor bags INSA Young Scientist Award Professor Vikram Vishal, who serves as an Assistant professor in the department of Earth Sciences in the In- dian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay has won the prestigious Indian National Science Academy (INSA) medal for Young Scientist (2017). Till 2015, 737 young scientists have been recognized by INSA. Konkona wins top honors at New York Indian Film Festival Konkona Sensharma has been named the best director for her directorial debut “” and the best actress for “” at 2017’s New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF). MobiKwik partners Bhopal smart city initiative for payments Mobile wallet company MobiKwik, announced its association with web portal and mobile application Bhopal Plus, which is part of Bhopal smart city initiative. Bhopal Plus facilitates government-citizen engagement and collaboration, as a step towards the national smart cities mission. Venu Rajamony appointed India’s Ambassador to Seasoned diplomat Venu Rajamony, currently the Press Secretary to President Pranab Mukherjee, has been appointed as India’s Ambassador to the Netherlands. The announcement of his appointment was made by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). ’s City Patrol Unit wins FICCI’s smart policing award Uttarakhand Police’s City Patrol Unit (CPU) has won FICCI’s smart policing award for 2017 in the road safety and traffic management category. The elite motorcycle-borne unit, which was set up in April 2014, has been chosen from 133 entries received from forces and central paramilitary forces. Himachal, Belarus firm in MoU to build in Dharamshala Himachal Pradesh signed an agreement with a Belarusian company for starting a skyway transport facility in the tourist destination of Dharamshala. The MoU was signed by Himachal Pradesh government with Sky Way Technology Corporation, a transport and infrastructural development company of Belarus. becomes world’s highest -taker in ODI cricket Indian women’s team fast bowler Jhulan Goswami became the highest wicket-taker in history of ODIs, eclips- ing the decade-long record in the name of Australian .

www.mahendraguru.com [25] www.mahendraguru.com

R Subramaniakumar takes over as MD&CEO, Public sector Indian Overseas Bank said Executive Director R Subramaniakumar has been elevated to the post of Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer with immediate effect. Consequent to the notification issued by Ministry of Finance, Subramaniakumar has taken charge as Managing Director and CEO of Indian Overseas Bank, the Chennai-headquartered bank said in a release. India, Indonesia navies begin 17-day exercise In order to enhance bilateral maritime cooperation, the navies of India and Indonesia began a 17-day coordi- nated patrol and joint exercise. The joint exercise is being conducted at Port Blair under the aegis of the Andaman and Nicobar Command. Now pay after delivery of train tickets at doorstep IRCTC has offered delivery of rail tickets allowing passengers to make payment through any payment mode, including cash. Broad-basing the customer service, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation has now introduced pay-on- delivery service allowing passengers to book train tickets online and pay at the time of delivery. Senior NCP leader A T Pawar no more Senior NCP leader and former Maharashtra minister Arjun Tulshiram Pawar passed away. He was 80.The leader, who had for many years represented Kalwan, a constituency reserved for Scheduled Tribes in district, lost the 2014 state Assembly election. He was the minister of state for tribal welfare in the Congress- NCP government led by Vilasrao Deshmukh in 1999. PM launches integrated case management system of Supreme Court Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the integrated case management system of the Supreme Court in the presence of the . The system will help litigant’s access data and retrieve information online and will be a step towards a paperless Supreme Court. elevates Taranjeet Singh as Country Director for India Microblogging platform Twitter said that it has elevated Taranjeet Singh as its Country Director for India. Singh was earlier leading the charge for sales and marketing support for Twitter’s advertisers in India. In his new role, Singh will lead the team by driving an integrated business strategy and spearheading cross-functional collaboration, Twitter India has said in a statement. Manohar set to complete his full term as ICC Chairman The uncertainty looming large over Shashank Manohar’s tenure as ICC chairman ended after the former BCCI president made it clear that he will complete his term which runs till June 201 Tata Motors appoints O P Bhatt as independent director Tata Motors said ex-SBI Chairman O P Bhatt has been appointed as an additional and independent director on its board. The board of directors approved the appointment of O P Bhatt as an additional and independent director with effect from May 9, 2017 for a tenure of five years, Tata Motors said in a BSE filing. Pininfarina inks pact with Khodro for vehicle development Mahindra group-owned automotive design firm Pininfarina announced a 70 million euros pact with Iran’s first automaker Iran Khodro (IKCO) for vehicle development. Bahamas elects a new prime minister, Hubert Minnis Hubert Minnis emerged as the Bahamas’ next prime minister in general elections that saw incumbent Perry Christie concede defeat. Christie, leader of Progressive Liberal Party, conceded defeat in a statement in which he said he had made a congratulatory telephone call to Minnis wishing the leader of the Free National Move- ment success. Videocon D2H, Dish TV merger gets CCI nod The proposed merger of two Indian direct-to-home (DTH) players - Dish TV and Videocon D2H- has received the approval of Competition commission of India (CCI). I-T dept. launches new facility to link Aadhaar with PAN The Income Tax department has launched a new e-facility to link a person’s Aadhaar with the Permanent Account Number (PAN), a mandatory procedure for filing IT returns now. Anil Kumar Gupta takes over as GM of Western Railway Senior railway official Anil Kumar Gupta has been appointed as the general manager of Western Railway (WR).Gupta, a 1980 batch officer of the Indian Railway Service of Electrical Engineers (IRSEE), took charge of the office on ayM 9, a statement issued here by WR said.

www.mahendraguru.com [26] www.mahendraguru.com

British foreign aid boss to be named UN humanitarian chief UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has decided to appoint Mark Lowcock, the head of Britain’s inter- national development department, to be the world body’s new humanitarian aid chief, diplomats and UN officials said. Former Finnish President Mauno Koivisto dies at 93 Mauno Koivisto, Finland’s last president during the Cold War who led the Nordic nation out of the shadow of its huge eastern neighbour, the , into the European Union, has died. He was 93. India to host meet of Pacific Island countries in Fiji India will host a meet of 14 Pacific Island countries in Fiji from May 25 with a focus on issues such as blue economy, climate change and international solar alliance, the external affairs ministry said. Sakshi bags silver at Asian Championships Star Wrestler bagged a silver medal for India in the ongoing Asian Wrestling Championship after losing to Japan’s Risako Kawai in women’s 60kg category. NITI Aayog launches Energy Web Portal NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman launched an ‘Energy Web Portal’ which will have all data related to the energy sector. The web portal will host all the data related to energy sector including oil & gas, coal, solar & thermal energy etc. from 2005-06. Indian artist creates world’s longest sand Buddha in Lanka Sudarsan Pattnaik, the internationally acclaimed Indian artist, has created a 40-foot long sand sculpture of reclining Buddha, the worlds longest, in Sri Lanka. appointed WHOs goodwill ambassador The World Health Organization appointed Amitabh Bachchan as its goodwill ambassador for hepatitis in South-East Asia region to boost awareness and intensify action to arrest the epidemic. ‘Adiyogi bust’ declared World’s largest by Guinness Book The 112 feet tall bust of ‘Adiyogi’ Lord Shiva at the Isha Yoga Foundation has been declared the world’s largest bust by the Guinness Book of World Records. Disha Microfin gets final nod from RBI for small finance bank Disha Microfin, part of the financial inclusion platform Fincare, said it has received the final license from Reserve Bank to operate as a small finance bank. The bank will be called Fincare Small Finance Bank, and will start operations from July this year, the company said in a statement. V K Saraswat named as new JNU chancellor The HRD Ministry has named scientist and former DRDO chief Vijay Kumar Saraswat as the next chancellor of JNU. A full-time member of NITI Aayog, Saraswat will be replacing former ISRO chief Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan whose five-year term ended on March 30. Forbes Middle East declares top 100 Indian business leaders Retail Mogul Yusuff Ali and Pepsico executive Sanjeev Chadha are among the top 100 Indian business leaders in the Arab World 2017, according to a Forbes ranking for the Middle East. Nepal joins China’s OBOR initiative Nepal inked a major deal with China to join Chinese President Xi Jinping’s ambitious ‘One Belt One Road’ initiative to link Asia with Europe, a move that could raise concerns in India. Justice Mudgal elected head of FIFA Governance Committee Justice (Retd.) Mukul Mudgal was elected as head of FIFA’s governance committee at the world football governing body’s 67th Congress in Bahrain’s capital city of Manama. Spyder surface-to-air missile test fired India test fired Spyder surface-to-air missile from a test range in Odisha as part of a series of tests of the short-range quick reaction missile. Chanda Kochhar receives Woodrow Wilson Award ICICI Bank chief Chanda Kochhar has become the first Indian woman to be conferred with the prestigious Woodrow Wilson Award for Global Corporate Citizenship. Kochhar, 55, received the annual award which was instituted in 1998 by the prestigious Wilson Center to felicitate individuals whose actions and accomplish- ments, either in their careers or through service.

www.mahendraguru.com [27] www.mahendraguru.com

Gadkari launches NHAI’s first Masala Bond in UK National Highways Authority of India’s first Masala Bond was launched at the London Stock Exchange with Union Minister ringing the opening bell. The rupee-denominated offshore bond offered by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on the exchange is targeted at raising capital for India’s infra- structure projects. VVS Laxman awarded honorary life membership of Marylebone Cricket Club (sports) 11 may Former India batsman V V S Laxman was awarded an honorary life membership to the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). Dr Reddy’s Lab acquires Kolkata-based NBFC Dr Reddy’s Laboratories announced that it has acquired 100 per cent stake in Imperial Credit Private Ltd, a Kolkata-based non-banking finance company. The acquisition was for a consideration of Rs 05 crore. Indo-US pair claims bronze, hosts end on a high In a first for shooting sport, India’s Angad Veer Singh Bajwa teamed up with Haley Dunn of the USA to claim the Grand Prix bronze medal in mixed team skeet event of the ISSF World Cup. Nokia, HMD Global to partner in India for health device sale Finnish company Nokia Technologies will partner with HMD Global to sell its smart health devices under the Withings brand by June in India. President’s Standard and Colours Presentation to MTI and 125 (H) SQN at Air Force Station Tambaram and Supreme Commander of Indian Armed Forces, Pranab Mukherjee awarded the Prestig- ious President’s Standard and Colours to 125 Helicopter Squadron and Mechanical Training Institute (MTI) respectively, during a grand ceremonial parade held at Air Force Station Tambaram. The Commanding Officer of 125 Helicopter Squadron Group VD Badoni and Commanding Officer of MTI Group Captain an Arunachaleswaran received the President’s Standard and Colours respectively. Ola inks pact with MP Govt to train 25,000 people Taxi-hailing app Ola has signed an agreement with the Madhya Pradesh government to impart training to about 25,000 people. Cognizant buys Japanese digital firm Brilliant Service (business) Cognizant said it acquired Japanese digital IT firm Brilliant Service Co for an undisclosed amount, as it con- tinues its buyout spree. Iran tests sophisticated Russian-made air defense system Iran successfully test-fired a sophisticated Russian-made air defense system. Delhi Metro enters Limca Book of Records Delhi Metro has made it to the Limca Book of Records for erecting 200 girders in one of its upcoming lines within a month. Manpasand ties up with IRCTC’s e-catering service Fruit juice player Manpasand Beverages said it has tied up with IRCTCs e-catering service and betting big on Railways to expand its presence. Sudhin Mathur appointed Motorola India managing director Sudhin Mathur has been named Managing Director of Motorola Mobility India and has been inducted as a full-time director on the company’s Board. JNU wins Visitor’s Awards 2017 for best university Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has won the annual Visitor’s Award for the ‘Best U versity’, 201 Navy successfully test-fires anti-ship missile from Kalvari submarine The Navy successfully test-fired an anti-ship missile for the first time from an indigenously built Kalvari class submarine. Army gets weapon locating radar from DRDO An indigenous weapon locating radar ‘Swathi’ was handed over to the army by state-run military weapons developer DRDO and it is likely to be deployed along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. Railways to launch integrated app for total travel solutions The Railways will launch an integrated mobile application for all travel-related services, including ticketing, hiring taxis and porters, in order to make hassle-free.

www.mahendraguru.com [28] www.mahendraguru.com

NMCG Signs MoU with Rotary India for the Success of Namami Gange In its effort to make Namami Gange programme a mass movement with the involvement of more and more voluntary organisations, National Mission for Clean Ganga under Ministry of Water Resources, River De- velopment and Ganga Rejuvenation signed a MoU with Rotary India in New Delhi today. Barack Obama Named Recipient of JFK Profile in Courage Award Former President Barack Obama was named the 2017 winner of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for carrying on his fellow Democrat’s legacy. Highest-resolution 3D maps of dark matter created Scientists, including one of Indian origin, have created one of the highest-resolution 3D maps of dark matter ever, offering detailed evidence for the existence of the elusive particles believed to make up about 80 per cent of the universe. The dark matter map is derived from Hubble Space Telescope Frontier Fields data of a trio of galaxy clusters that act as cosmic magnifying glasses to peer into older, more distant parts of the universe, a phenomenon known as gravitational lensing. 1 T Jacob appointed as Secretary UPSC Senior IAS officer T Jacob has been appointed as Secretary, Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). HDFC, ICICI, Axis banks will now charge you Rs 150 after 4 free transactions a month Banks, including HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and Axis Bank, from March 1 started levying a minimum charge of Rs 150 per transaction for cash deposits and withdrawals beyond four free transactions in a month. P K Purwar appointed MTNL CMD P K Purwar was appointed Chairman and Managing Director of state-run telecom major Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL). JS Deepak named India’s next Ambassador to WTO Telecom Secretary J S Deepak has been named India’s next Ambassador to the World Trade Former England batsman Hampshire dies Yorkshire president and Former England batsman John Hampshire has died. He was 7 BCCI nominate Kohli as International Cricketer of the Year Indian captain Virat Kohli was nominated for the prestigious Polly Umrigar award presented to the International Cricketer of the Year while all-rounder will be receiving the award for Best Performance in Bilateral Series. For Kohli, this will be the third time that he will be conferred with this award after 2011-12 and 2014-15 season. Pak diplomat Sial assumed office as new Secretary Gen of SAARC Pakistan’s senior diplomat Amjad Hussain B Sial assumed office as the new Secretary General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). Sudan’s Bashir appoints PM for first time since coup Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has appointed a top aide as prime minister, reinstating a post he had abolished after coming to power in a 1989 coup, an official said. Wilbur Ross resigns from ArcelorMittal Board Billionaire investor Wilbur Ross, who will take over as the next US Secretary of Commerce, has resigned from the board of world’s largest steelmaker ArcelorMittal. Air Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria assumes charge Air Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria assumed charge as Air Officer Commanding-in-chief of the Southern Air Command. SAIL appoints Soma Mondal as Director Commercial State-run Steel Authority of India (SAIL) said Soma Mondal has taken over as its Director Commercial. 1 Manjeev Singh Puri set to be India’s envoy to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri, India’s Ambassador to the European Union, Belgium and Luxembourg, is set to be the country’s envoy to Nepal. 1 ‘Bajirao Mastani’ dominates RapidLion Awards 2017 in S Africa Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s epic saga “Bajirao Mastani” scooped major trophies, including the best director and best film overall, at the South African International Film Festival, also known as the RapidLion Awards.

www.mahendraguru.com [29] www.mahendraguru.com

1 7 Indian-American students nominated for Truman scholarship Seven Indian-American students have been selected for the prestigious Harry S Truman Scholarship, which is given to college juniors for demonstrating leadership potential and a commitment to public service. The finalists will be interviewed by a foundation regional review panel from March 3 to April 7, with the scholars being announced on April 2 1 Dwayne Smith bids adieu to international cricket West Indies batsman Dwayne Smith, who made his last appearance for the national side at the 2015 World Cup, has announced his retirement from international cricket with immediate effect. Azevedo reappointed WTO director-general World Trade Organization (WTO) members agreed by consensus to appoint Roberto Azevedo for a second four-year term as Director-General at a meeting of the General Council. Delhi slips, Thiruvananthapuram tops city governance ranking Delhi slips two places to rank ninth while Thiruvananthapuram retains its number one position in the annual city governance ranking, according to a survey released today, which evaluated 21 major cities from the country’s 18 states. Indo-Oman joint military exercise to begin from March 6 In an effort to build bilateral military-to-military relations and skills, a 14-day joint defence exercise Al-Nagah- II between the armies of India and Oman will begin in Himachal Pradesh from March India’s first heliport becomes operational in Delhi India’s first dedicated heliport built at a cost of Rs 100 crore for flying in and out of Delhi to nearby areas in choppers became operational. Sanjiv Singh appointed IOCL chief Sanjiv Singh was appointed Chairman of the Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL), the country’s largest com- mercial enterprise. The Appointments Committee of Cabinet approved his appointment to the post for a period of five years, an order issued by the Personnel Ministry said. ‘Lipstick under My Burkha’ win award at Film Festival Lipstick under My Burkha, which was denied a release certificate by the censor board, has won the audience award at the Glasgow Film Festival. India’s GDP grew 7% despite demonetization, CSO data shows (economy) Gross domestic product (GDP) for the third quarter (Q3) of financial year 2016-17 (FY17) grew at 7 per cent, allaying fears of any major effect of demonetization though it was the lowest expansion in four quarters. Nand Kumar Sai assumes charge as Chairman of National Commission for Scheduled Tribes Senior tribal leader from Chhattisgarh and ex parliamentarian Shri Nand Kumar Sai assumed charge as the chairman of National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) in New Delhi. Barman appointed chief of national police academy Senior police officer D R Doley Barman was appointed as Director of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy, Hyderabad. Congress Rajya Sabha MP passes away Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member Haji Abdul Salam passed away. He was 6 1 Writer Taarak Mehta, the inspiration behind ‘Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah’, no more An Indian columnist, humourist, writer and playwright, Taarak Mehta, who was also known for the popular column ‘Duniya Ne Undha Chashma’ in Gujarati language, passed away at the age of 87 1 South Korea, US forces begin joint military drills South Korea and the United States kicked off their annual, massive military exercise, ‘Key Resolve and Foal Eagle’. 1 N K Sinha to hold additional charge of Tourism Secretary Culture Secretary N K Sinha was given additional charge of the post of Secretary, Ministry of Tourism. 1 Homegrown supersonic interceptor missile test-fired India successfully test-fired it’s indigenously developed supersonic interceptor missile capable of destroying any incoming enemy ballistic missile at low altitude. 1 wins gold in 50m pistol event, Amanpreet Singh settles for silver at ISSF World Cup (sports)

www.mahendraguru.com [30] www.mahendraguru.com

India won its first gold medal at the ISSF World Cup in New Delhi after pistol shooter Jitu Rai clinched the top position in the 50m men’s air pistol event. 1 AIFF appoints Luis Norton de Matos as India U-17 coach The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Wednesday appointed Luis Norton de Matos as the head coach of the Indian squad for the upcoming FIFA U-17 World Cup. 1 India to host women’s Youth World Boxing Championship India will host the World Women’s Youth Boxing Championship in November this year — the first major international event to be held in the country since 20 Sumit Mullick appointed as Maharashtra Chief Secy Senior IAS officer Sumit Mullick was appointed as the Chief Secretary of Maharashtra. India, Ukraine to strengthen bilateral ties through cinema India and Ukraine agreed to strengthen the bilateral cooperation between the two countries through the medium of cinema. Railways partners with India Post in parcel business The Railways will now provide space to postal department and private players to ferry their parcels in the guard’s compartment of some selected trains. Shivalkar, Goel to get C K Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award Former domestic cricket giants Rajinder Goel and Padmakar Shivalkar, were nominated for the C K Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award alongside former national captain , who became the first woman to be chosen for the honor. Prabhu flags off nation’s first Antyodaya Express between Ernakulam and Howrah (national) Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu flagged off the fourth Humsafar class of trains and the first Antyodaya class of trains through video conferencing from Rail Bhawan. Former Union Minister P Shivshankar passes away at 90 Former Union Minister P Shivshankar, an influential Congress leader during the of Indira Gandhi and , passed away. He was 90. Kabir Bedi appointed honourary brand ambassador of Sightsavers Noted film actor Kabir Bedi was appointed as the honourary brand ambassador of Sightsavers, a global or- ganization working to prevent avoidable blindness, in a function. RBI sets up panel to review cyber threats The Reserve Bank announced setting up of the inter-disciplinary standing committee on cyber security to review the threats inherent in the existing and emerging technology. OECD cuts India growth to 7%, says India a star performer Paris-based think tank OECD cut India’s growth forecast to 7 per cent for 2016-17 in view of demonetization, but said the pace will accelerate to 3 per cent in the next fiscal. World Bank to provide $63 million loan for ‘Tejaswini’ project The World Bank will provide $63 million loan to India to empower 8 lakh adolescent girls in Jharkhand under the ‘Tejaswini’ project. Viola Davis wins best supporting actress Oscar Actress Viola Davis completed her award season haul with a well-deserved best supporting actress Oscar for her forceful portrayal of Rose Maxson in the movie revival of August Wilsons play “Fences”. Oscars 2017: Mahershala Ali wins Best Supporting Actor for Moonlight Mahershala Ali has won the Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the film Moonlight at the 89th . Moonlight, directed by Barry Jenkins, stars Mahershala Ali as Juan, a crack dealer who befriends Chiron, the film’s protagonist at an early age. Vivek Chaand Sehgal is EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2016 Vivek Chaand Sehgal, Executive Chairman of the auto components manufacturer Samvardhana Motherson group has been named EY Entrepreneur of the Year for 201 Post office passport centre launched in Vidisha Vidisha, the parliamentary constituency of External Affairs Minister , has now got a post office passport service centre. Normani Kordei named American cancer society global ambassador Fifth Harmony star Normani Kordei has been named a global ambassador for the American Cancer Society.

www.mahendraguru.com [31] www.mahendraguru.com

The singer has partnered with charity bosses to raise awareness about breast cancer screenings and HPV (hu- man papillomavirus) vaccines. RAHAT medical project launched in (national) The Chief Minister of Rajasthan, inaugurated a medical project called Rajasthan Heart Attack Treatment programme (RAHAT), launched by Eternal Heart Care Centre Hospital in Jaipur, on 25 February 201 Indian-origin South African human rights lawyer dies A prominent Indian-origin South African human rights lawyer, who had challenged the country’s notorious detention laws of the apartheid era, has died aged 8 Essa Moosa, who retired as a judge of the Western Cape High Court in 2011, passed away at his home in Cape Town. beat to lift maiden HIL title (sports) Kalinga Lancers defeated Dabang Mumbai 4-1 to win their maiden title. Mumbai richest Indian city with total wealth of $820 billion India’s financial capital Mumbai, which is home to 46,000 millionaires and 28 billionaires, is the richest Indian city with a total wealth of $820 billion, says a report. According to New World Wealth, Mumbai is the richest city in the country followed by Delhi and Bengaluru in the second and third place, respectively. inaugurates “Hunar Haat”. Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs (Independent Charge) and Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi inaugurated the second edition of “Hunar Haat”. It is being organized by the Minority Affairs Ministry to encourage, promote and provide national and international market to master artisans/craftsmen belonging to the Minority communities from across the country. ICAI elects Nilesh Vikamsey as president The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) elected Nilesh Shivji Vikamsey as its president and Naveen N D Gupta as its vice president. elects ‘anti-Trump’ Steinmeier as new president Billed as Germany’s “anti-Trump”, centre-left former foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier was elected as the new ceremonial head of state of US. Arjun-Shlok win men’s doubles title in Iran Young emerging Indian doubles pair of Arjun Madathil Ramachandran and Ramchandran Shlok notched up the men’s doubles title at the 26th Iran Fajr Badminton Tournament. The second seeded Indian pair defeated fifth seeded Indonesian duo of Kenas Adi Haryanto and Muhammad Reza Pahlevi Isfahani 11-8 11-8 11-9 in just 25 minutes to lay claim to the crown. Govt plans ‘Indradhanush 2.0’ for recapitalization of public sector banks Government plans to come out with ‘Indradhanush 2.0’, a comprehensive plan for recapitalization of public sector lenders, with a view to make sure they remain solvent and fully comply with the global capital adequacy norms, Basel-III. ‘Indradhanush 2.0’ will be finalized after completion of the Asset Quality Review (AQR) by the Reserve Bank, which is likely to be completed by March-end. INS Sarvekshak goes green; installs solar power system Indian Navy’s survey vessel INS Sarvekshak has gone green by installing a solar power system on board. Navy said the system, equipped on the ship, works on sunlight and hence is 100 per cent reliable for power source that can be used for communication equipment, battery charging and general onboard round the clock with battery outputs during night. India lifts 2nd successive Blind World Cup, beats Pakistan The Indian blind cricket team successfully defended its Twenty20 World Cup title, defeating -rivals Pa- kistan in the final for the second successive edition. Haryana wins Rs 1 crore Kabaddi championship Hosts Haryana won the first edition of the three-day Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay All India National Style Kabaddi championship held at Motilal Nehru School of Sports. Bowie’s Blackstar wins all nominated categories at Grammys David Bowie’s 25th and final album “Blackstar” won five posthumous trophies at the 59th annual Gram- mys. The late icons album was honoured for best rock performance, best rock song, alternative music album, recording package and engineered album (non-classical), sweeping in all nominated categories. Although he received a Grammy lifetime achievement award in 2006, this posthumous victory marks Bowie’s first wins

www.mahendraguru.com [32] www.mahendraguru.com

in musical categories. “Blackstar”, also Bowie’s only album to top the Billboard 200 in the US, was released on January 8 last year, just two days prior to his death. Nana Patekar to get Lifetime Achievement Award Veteran actor Nana Patekar will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Bodhisattva International Film Festival (BIFF) in Patna for his contribution to Indian cinema. Reliance Defence signs warship repair pact with US Navy Months after India and US signed a key logistics pact, Reliance Defence and Engineering today announced an agreement with the American Navy for repair and alteration services for warships of the largest forward- deployed Seventh Fleet operating in the region. The Seventh Fleets area of responsibility includes the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean and at any given time there are roughly 5070­ ships and submarines, 140 aircraft and approximately 20,000 sailors under its command. Virat Kohli most successful Indian captain after the first 23 Tests India defeated Bangladesh in the one-off Test in Hyderabad as Virat Kohli once again broke a slew of records. In the first innings, Kohli became the first batsman in history to slam four double hundreds in successive series. Sandeep Jajodia is new Assocham President Sandeep Jajodia has been elected President of the industry body Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham), it was announced. The industry body, in a statement, said Balkrishan Goenka, Chairman of Welspun Group, and Kiran Kumar Grandhi, Vice-Chairman of GMR Infrastructure, have taken over as senior vice-president and vice-president, respectively. Tehmina Janjua becomes Pakistan’s first woman foreign secretary Tehmina Janjua, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN in Geneva, has been appointed as the country’s first woman foreign secretary. Govt allocates Rs 500 cr to India Post Payments Bank Government has allocated Rs 500 crore to India Post Payments Bank for financial year 2017-18 as it gears up to set up 650 branches across country by September 2017. Priyanka’s “Ventilator” wins best screenplay award at PIFF Actress -produced Marathi film “Ventilator” has won best screenplay award at the 15th Pune International Film Festival (PIFF). The movie produced by her production house Purple Pebble Pictures, had released in November last year and won the award at the on-going festival. China plans to launch first cargo spacecraft China plans to launch its first cargo spacecraft using a heavy rocket to carry supplies for its experimental space laboratory. The Tianzhou-1 cargo spacecraft will be carried by Long March-7 Y2 carrier rocket in April. Mnuchin sworn in as US Treasury Secretary Investment banker and former Goldman Sachs executive Steven Mnuchin has been sworn in as the new Sec- retary of Treasury, filling a crucial position in US President Donald Trump’s economic team. He was sworn in as the Treasury Secretary by Vice President Mike Pence soon after he was confirmed by the US Senate by a vote of 53 to 48 yesterday. Racer Jehan Daruvala makes history by winning NZ Grand Prix Young Indian racer Jehan Daruvala tasted his first major success of 2017 when he won the New Zealand Grand Prix in style at the Chris Amon Circuit here. Jehan is the first and only Indian to win a Grand Prix in motorsport. India, UK signed bilateral MoU to allow more flights to boost tourism and trade India and the United Kingdom (UK) in February 2017 signed a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to allow more flights to boost tourism and trade in both the countries. The agreement was formally signed by Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Lord Ahmad in New Delhi. While Raju is the Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Lord Ahmad is a representative of the UK Government. India’s first floating elementary school inaugurated on Manipur’s Loktak Lake India’s first floating elementary school named Loktak Elementary Floating School was on 13 February 2017 inaugurated at Langolsabi Leikai of Champu Khangpok floating village on Loktak Lake in Manipur. Forgotten Sandeep Singh gets Honorary Doctorate Out-of-favour India international Sandeep Singh has become only the second hockey player from the country to receive an Honorary Doctorate.

www.mahendraguru.com [33] www.mahendraguru.com

Adam Voges announces retirement from international ’s attacking batsman has announced his retirement from the international cricket. Indian-origin Scotland Yard officer wins bravery award A heroic Indian-origin Scotland Yard officer has been honoured with a top bravery award in the UK for risking his own life to save a family trapped in a burning house, winning the vote of thousands of Londoners. Shand Panesar, along with colleague Craig Nicholson, won the Total Excellence in Policing Awards at the annual ceremony last week for rescuing a couple from a burning building. US Defense Attache in India made India, South Asia Director The US defence attache in India has been made in charge of India, Pakistan and Central Asian Affairs at the National Security Council of the . In a routine administration postings, the Pentagon said Brigadier General Robin Fontes has been posted as senior director for India, Pakistan and Central Asian Affairs at the National Security Council in the White House. Rekha to give 4th Memorial Award to SRK Veteran actress Rekha will hand over superstar the fourth Yash Chopra Memorial Award during a ceremony. Rekha along with Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao will give the award, instituted in the memory of the late Bollywood legend, to the “Fan” star on February 25, a press release issued by the organisers said. ISRO creates history, launches 104 satellites in one go India scripted a new chapter in the history of space exploration with the successful launch of a record 104 satellites by Isro’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) in a single mission. By far it is the largest number of the satellites launched under a single mission. Agreement between India and Croatia on Economic Cooperation Agreement between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the Republic of Croatia on Economic Cooperation was signed by Commerce and Industry Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, Gov- ernment of India and Ms. Martina Dalic, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Economy, Government of the Republic of Croatia. NIELIT to communicate with students via Data Radio Government’s IT and Telecom training institute NIELIT has partnered with IT Company Data XGen Technolo- gies to use its voice-based social messaging platform Data Radio to send communications to students enrolled with it. Usain Bolt wins Laureus ‘Sportsman of the Year’ award World’s “greatest” sprinter Usain Bolt pipped the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and LeBron James to win the ‘Sportsman of the Year’ trophy for a record-equaling fourth time, while gymnast Simone Biles clinched the top honour in the women’s category at the Laureus World Awards at a glittering ceremony. Swaminathan receives MRSI-ICSC award for 2017 S Swaminathan, Director, Center for Nanotechnology and Advanced Biometerial (CeNTAB), received the ‘MRSI-ICSC Super Conductivity and Materials Science Annual Prize’ for the year 2017. Military Exercise Cobra Gold 2017 begins in Thailand The Cobra Gold 2017 commenced on 14 February 2017 in Thailand. Cobra Gold is an annual multilateral military exercise co-sponsored by Thailand and the USA. L&T and MBDA establish Joint Venture for development of missile systems Engineering conglomerate Larsen and Turbo (L&T) entered into a joint venture (JV) with European defence major MBDA to develop and produce new-generation tactical missiles. The JV named as L&T MBDA Missile Systems will be registered in India. Besides being registered in India, the L&T MBDA Missile Systems will conduct business as an Indian Com- pany and in accordance with the subject of Indian laws. Delhi AIIMS gets 1st prize for cleanliness, PGIMER third Premier health institute AIIMS, New Delhi, has won the first prize, and a cash reward of Rs 5 crore, for main- taining high standards of sanitation and hygiene under the Governments Kayakalp awards. Govt approves India-Rwanda Air Services Agreement The Government approved signing of an Air Services Agreement (ASA) between India and Rwanda to allow the airlines of the two countries to operate services in each other’s territory.

www.mahendraguru.com [34] www.mahendraguru.com

Pakistan appoints Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry as new ambassador to US Pakistan appointed incumbent foreign secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry as its new ambassador to the US. He will replace outgoing ambassador Jalil Abbas Jilani. Airbus signs MoU for setting up Centre of Excellence in Hyderabad Airbus signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for establishing a Centre of Excellence for aerospace skill development in Hyderabad, together with the Government of Telangana, National Skill Development Corporation India and AEROCAMPUS France. becomes second woman to score 5,500 ODI runs Indian women’s cricket team captain Mithali Raj has become the second woman player to cross 5,500 runs in ODIs, achieving the feat during India’s women’s World Cup qualifier against South Africa. India slips to 143 in economic freedom index: US think tank India ranked a dismal 143 in an annual index of economic freedom by a top American think tank, behind its several South Asian neighbours including Pakistan, as progress on market-oriented reforms has been “uneven”. The Heritage Foundation in its Index of Economic Freedom report said despite India sustaining an average annual growth of about 7 per cent over the past five years, growth is not deeply rooted in policies that preserve economic freedom. Govt gives green signal to merger of SBI, associate banks Seeking to create a global sized bank, the government gave go ahead to the merger plan of SBI and its five associate banks but did not take a decision with regard to Bharatiya Mahila Bank launches TAMRA Portal and Mobile Application to ensure transparent award of Statutory Clearances for Mining Operations Union Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy and Mines, Shri Piyush Goyal pre- sided over the launching of the Transparency, Auction Monitoring and Resource Augmentation (TAMRA) Portal and Mobile Application, developed by the Ministry of Mines. It was simultaneously launched across 12 mineral rich States. Shri Goyal also made an important announcement that the Government is planning on bringing amendments to mining rules to bring transparency in award of exploration and mining licenses for the 100 identified off-shore mineral blocks soon. Dr. Mahesh Sharma launches pre-loaded Sim Card for Tourists arriving in India on E-visa Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Tourism and Culture, launched the initiative of the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India for providing pre-loaded Sim Card to foreign tourists arriv- ing in India on e-Visa. Trump names Acosta as new choice to become labor secretary President Donald Trump nominated R Alexander Acosta as the new labour secretary of the country. Former RAW chief Rajinder Khanna appointed OSD in NSCS Rajinder Khanna, former chief of the country’s external intelligence agency RAW, has been appointed Officer on Special Duty in the National Security Council Secretariat. ICAI, Railways ink pact for accrual-based financial statements Chartered accountants’ apex body ICAI signed an agreement with the Indian Railways for moving its account- ing system to the accrual format. Vikas Swarup appointed India’s new High Commissioner to Canada External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup appointed India’s High Commissioner to Canada. RBI to reimburse banks MDR charges effective January 1 The Reserve Bank will start reimbursing MDR charges to banks for payments made since January 1 through debit cards by citizens, in line with the government’s move to further digital solutions. In December 2016, the government had decided to absorb the merchant discount rate (MDR) charges in respect of debit card transactions for making payments to it. The move was aimed to encourage people to use digital payments post demonetisation. Miss France crowned Iris Mittenaere from France has been crowned the new Miss Universe during the 65th edition of the pageant, while Miss Haiti Raquel Pelissier was named first runner-up. Iris, 24, is a Parisian native, currently pursuing a degree in dental surgery. She plans to use her Miss Universe platform to advocate for dental and oral hygiene. She takes over from the till-now reigning Miss Universe, Pia Wurtzbach from Philippines. India’s Roshmitha Harimurthy failed to advance to the top 13 of the contest.

www.mahendraguru.com [35] www.mahendraguru.com

Federer pips Nadal to win Australian Open Swiss legend Roger Federer defeated Rafael Nadal in a pulsating summit clash to clinch the men’s singles title of the Australian Open. It was Federer’s fifth Australian Open title and 18th major crown in all. La La Land wins Producers Guilds top film award Season favourite “La La Land” won the Producers Guild of Americas (PGA) Darryl F Zanuck Award for best feature film of 2016. , Ivan Dodig end runner-up at Australian Open Sania Mirza will have to wait for her seventh Grand Slam trophy as the Indian and her Croatian partner Ivan Dodig lost the Australian Open mixed doubles final 2-6 4-6 to underdogs Abigail Spears and Juan Sebastian Cabal at . Australia’s 1st female High Court Chief Justice sworn in Australia’s first female Chief Justice of the High Court was officially sworn in at a ceremony in Canberra. Susan Kiefel, who replaces outgoing Chief Justice Robert French, is the first woman to hold the position in the High Court’s 113-year history. PV Sindhu wins her maiden women’s singles crown at the Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu has won her maiden women’s singles crown at the Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament. In the Men’s Singles, National Champion Sameer Verma bagged the title while in mixed doubles, Pranav Jerry Chopra and N Sikki Reddy won the title. Ashok Amritraj appointed as UN in India Goodwill Ambassador for the SDGs Award-winning Hollywood film producer and Wimbledon tennis player Ashok Amritraj was appointed as UN in India Goodwill Ambassador for the SDGs. In this capacity, Ashok Amritraj will work with the United Nations in India to amplify awareness about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Supreme Court appoints former CAG to head BCCI The Supreme Court appointed a committee of four administrators headed by former Comptroller and Auditor General Vinod Rai to manage the affairs of world’s richest cricket body BCCI after its president and other top office bearers were barred from cricket administration. A bench of Justices , A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud directed that the committee - also comprising eminent cricket historian , CEO & MD of Infrastructure Development Finance Company (IDFC) Vikram Limaye and former Indian women cricket captain - would supervise the management of BCCI and CEO of the Board would report to the panel. Irani launches first ever apparel making centre in Ampati Union Textile Minister inaugurated the first ever Apparel and Garment Making Centre in the home constituency of Chief Minister Mukul Sangma. Uber starts bike-sharing service in Hyderabad Cab aggregator Uber commenced operations of uberMOTO, its bike-sharing product, in Hyderabad. Amulya Patnaik is new Chief Government appointed Amulya Kumar Patnaik as Commissioner of Delhi Police, a post that fell vacant after Alok Kumar Verma was made CBI Chief. Aus govt partner with Tata group for USD 1.5 mn prize Australian government has partnered with Indian majorTata group and US-based XPRIZEto run a USD 1.5 million global ‘Water Abundance Prize’ challenge for innovators who use energy-efficient technology to harvest water from air. North East Investors Summit 2017 concluded in Shillong The North East Investors Summit 2017 was concluded in Shillong, Meghalaya. The summit was held for two-days beginning on 29 January 2017. It was inaugurated by the Union Textiles Minister Zubin Irani. ISB, IIM-B rise in FT Global MBA Ranking-2017 According to Financial Times Global MBA Ranking-2017, ISB which was in the 29th position last year climbed to 27th this year and IIM-B shot to 49th position from 62 last year. GDP growth in 2017-18 is projected at 6 ¾ to 7 ½ percent Post-demonetisation The Government says that the adverse impact of demonetization on GDP growth will be transitional. The Economic Survey 2017 presented in Parliament by the union Finance Minister, Shri Arun Jaitley states that

www.mahendraguru.com [36] www.mahendraguru.com

once the cash supply is replenished, which is likely to be achieved by end March 2017, the economy would revert to the normal. Therefore the real GDP growth in 2017-18 is projected to be in the range of 6¾-7½ percent. Jallikattu Bill Receives President’s Nod Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam said the Bill to replace an ordinance for the conduct of Jallikattu has received President Pranab Mukherjee’s assent and thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his support in enabling the bull taming sport to be held in the state. In a letter to Modi, Panneerselvam recalled his government had initially promulgated an ordinance and later replaced it with a bill passed unanimously by the state assembly. CSO revises GDP growth for 2015-16 upwards to 7.9% Government has marginally revised upwards GDP growth for 2015-16 to 7.9 per cent from the earlier estimate of 7.6 per cent. Ashok Mansukhani elevated as MD of Hinduja Media Hinduja Ventures, holding company of Hinduja Groups media companies, elevated its whole-time director Ashok Mansukhani as the new managing director and chief executive. He replaces Tony DSilva. Former Union Minister E Ahamed passes away E Ahamed, former Union Minister passed away. He was 78. Former top cop Alok Verma takes charge as CBI chief Former Delhi police commissioner Alok Verma took charge as the new Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) chief. Verma is a 1979 batch IPS officer of the AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh-Goa-Mizoram and Union Terri- tory) cadre. S C Bajpai appointed Ordnance Factories DG S C Bajpai was appointed the new director general of Ordnance Factories and the chairman of Ordnance Fac- tory Board (OFB). Before his new engagement, Bajpai was additional DGOF and a member at OFB. He was also in-charge of Armoured Vehicles division. An IOFS-cadre officer, he joined the Indian Ordnance Factories organisation in 1979. Rex Tillerson sworn-in as US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, the former chairman and chief executive of Exxon Mobil, has been sworn in as President Donald Trump’s secretary of state after having been confirmed by the Senate. 64-year-old Tillerson, who was confirmed by the Senate in a 56-43 vote, was administered the oath of office byVice President Mike Pence. DARPG starts ‘DARPGSEVA’ to address issues related to public grievances and administrative reforms The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions has started its Twitter Seva. The Twitter Handle is ‘DARPGSEVA’. The Twitter Seva aims to address issues relating to the DARPG like Public Grievances and Administrative Reforms etc. The Twitter Seva will enable the DARPG to reach out to the common public and various stakeholders for facilitating redress of grievances and other issues of importance relating to the department. World Bank signs loan pact for engineering education The World Bank has signed an agreement with the government to provide USD 201.50 million loan for quality engineering education across several states in India. The loan agreement is part of the Technical Education Quality Improvement Project (TEQIP III), which is the third phase of a 15-20 year programme that started in 2002. TEQIP III has supported 250 engineering institutes, including NIT Surathkal, College of Engineering Pune, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Hyderabad and BIT Mesra. Veteran theatre personality, painter, writer Asim Basu dead Veteran stage artist, theatre director, painter and writer Asim Basu died. He was 82. IPS officer Reddy appointed new NHRC DG Senior IPS officer PVK Reddy was appointed as the new Director General (DG) in the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). Reddy, a 1982-batch officer of cadre, is presently working as a Special Director General in the CRPF and will have a tenure till April in the Commission. Chahal became the first Indian bowler to take a 6-wicket in an innings of a T20 International match Indian leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal became the first Indian bowler to take a 6-wicket in an innings of a T20 International match.

www.mahendraguru.com [37] www.mahendraguru.com

19th Bharat Rang Mahotsav begins in New Delhi The 19th Bharat Rang Mahotsav or International Theatre Festival of India commenced on 1 February 2017 in New Delhi. The 21-day festival will conclude on 21 February 2017. Trump nominates Neil Gorsuch for Supreme Court US President Donald Trump has nominated conservative judge Neil Gorsuch as his Supreme Court nominee, a selection which has sparked strong opposition from the Democrats. Naidu unveils logo, tag line of NCRTC Union Minister unveiled the logo and the tag line ‘Gati se Pragati’ of National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), a body responsible for development of rail-based suburban regional rapid transport system (RRTS) to reduce travel time between NCR towns. Indian railways inks pact with Italian railways for improving safety Indian Railways has inked a pact with Italian Railways for improving the safety level of the Indian carrier through a review of the infrastructure and transport management system. India to construct multi-ethnic tri-lingual school in Lanka India and Sri Lanka signed an agreement to construct a multi-ethnic tri-lingual school in a north central district of the island nation that would provide opportunities to Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim students to learn in a multi-cultural environment. The MoU was signed by High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Taranjit Singh Sandhu and Secretary to the Ministry of Education Sunil Hettiarachchi. The secondary school located in President Maithripala Sirisenas home district Polonnaruwa will be constructed using a grant of SLR 300 million from the Indian Government. Pankaj Advani wins his 29th National Snooker title Champion cueist Pankaj Advani won the Indian National Snooker Championship with a 6-0 win over Pan- durangaiah of Railways. It is Advani’s 29th National Snooker title. China tests missile with 10 nuclear warheads China tested a new version of Dongfeng-5C missile that can carry up to 10 nuclear warheads. Virat Kohli maintains top slot in T20 rankings Virat Kohli maintained his top spot in the latest ICC rankings of T20 batsmen while India have gained a spot by virtue of their series win against England to climb to the second spot in the team rankings. Lakshya Sen becomes World No 1 junior badminton player The 15-year- old shuttler from Uttrakhand, Lakshya Sen, created history by becoming the number one junior singles badminton player in the world in the latest rankings of the Badminton World Federation (BWF). Cancer research institute inaugurated An institute dedicated to building collaboration in the areas of cancer prevention, research and care called the Centre of Integrative Oncology was inaugurated in New Delhi. The unveiling was carried out by Dr Saumya Swaminathan, Secretary, and Director General, Indian Council for Medical Research and Ajit M Sharan, Secretary, Ministry of AYUSH. BSE makes stellar debut on NSE, lists at nearly 35% premium Asia’s oldest stock exchange BSE’s Shares made a stellar debut at the National Stock Exchange (NSE), surg- ing nearly 35 percent against the issue price of Rs 806. Haryana government approves policy on land acquisition The Haryana government approved a policy on purchase of land voluntarily offered to government by farmers for development projects. Niti Aayog launches ‘India Innovation Index’ NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant launched “India Innovation Index”, the nation’s first online innovation index portal which will rank states based on their innovations. Praveen Mahajan elected as AITA president Senior bureaucrat Praveen Mahajan was unanimously elected as the President of All India Tennis Association (AITA) till 2020 during its Special General Meeting. Former CBI chief Joginder Singh passes away Former CBI chief Joginder Singh, who oversaw investigation of several high-profile cases including Bofors scam and Bihar’s fodder scam, died. He was 77. Prince Charles unveils Green App for Indian farmers Prince Charles has unveiled a new Digital Green App for Indian farmers to help them sell their crops online.

www.mahendraguru.com [38] www.mahendraguru.com

Gaurav Gill wins motorsports person of the year award Five time National Rally Champion Gaurav Gill was decorated with the prestigious motorsports person of the year award by Federation of Motor Sports Club of India (FMSCI). Tata Motors to launch new TAMO brand Tata Motors Ltd will introduce a new sub-brand called TAMO, which will incubate new technologies and make cars to meet expectations of consumers. Reserve Bank of India to soon put new Rs 100 banknotes in circulation The Reserve Bank will soon put into circulation new Rs 100 banknotes which will be similar to the design of the ones in Mahatma Gandhi Series-2005. Top Indian diplomat re-appointed to UN Joint Inspection Unit Achamkulangare Gopinathan, a top Indian diplomat, has been re-appointed by the UN General Assembly to the Joint Inspection Unit, the only independent external oversight body of the UN system. Gopinathan, along with Sukai Prom-Jackson of Gambia, Jean Wesley Cazeau of Haiti and Nikolay Lozinskiy of Russia were appointed members of the Joint Inspection Unit for a five-year term beginning January 1, 2018. Astronaut Eugene Cernan, last man on to walk on moon, dies at 82 Astronaut Eugene Cernan, commander of Apollo 17 and the last man to walk on the moon, has died at the age of 82. India & Mauritius Sign MoU for Cooperation in the field of Cooperatives The Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri and Minister of Business, Enterprise and Cooperatives, Govt. of Mauritius, Shri Soomil duth Bholah signed on MoU for Cooperation in the field of Cooperatives & related areas. Renowned actress Geeta Sen died Renowned actress Geeta Sen, wife of celebrated filmmaker Mrinal Sen, died in her residence after a month- long illness. She was 86. IMF cuts India’s growth rate to 6.6% due to note ban The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has lowered India’s growth forecast for the current fiscal 2016-17 to 6.6 per cent from 7.6 per cent estimated earlier. In an update of its flagship publication the World Economic Outlook, the IMF. India most trusted nation in terms of institutions Faring better than last year, India has emerged as the most trusted nation in terms of its institutions by gen- eral population even as there has been a “global implosion of trust” worldwide, says a survey. The Indian government is also the second most trusted after neighbouring China, according to the 2017 Edelman Trust Barometer released today ahead of the (WEF) annual meet. Shah Rukh Khan launches Karan Johar’s biography ‘An Unsuitable Boy’ Bollywood Actor Shah Rukh Khan launched famous filmmaker Karan Johar’s biography ‘An Unsuitable Boy’. Middle East Peace Conference held in Paris The Middle East Peace Conference, an international meeting aiming to revive the stranded Middle East peace talks, was held in Paris. Govt Okays MoU with UAE for cooperation in agriculture The government approved the signing of an agreement between India and the United Arab Emirates in the area of agriculture and allied sectors. Govt. launches ‘ShaGun’ - a web-portal for Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar yesterday launched a dedicated web portal ‘ShaGun’ in New Delhi. 6 Indian Cities in World’s Most Dynamic List According to JLL’s fourth annual City Momentum Index, Six Indian cities have made it to the world’s 30 most dynamic places with Bengaluru topping the chart. Other Indian cities in the list are Hyderabad (5th), Pune (13th), Chennai (18th), Delhi (23th) and Mumbai (25th). Top 10 cities in the JLL index are Bengaluru, Ho Chi Minh City, Silicon Valley, Shanghai, Hyderabad, London, Austin, Hanoi, Boston and Nairobi. Priyanka Chopra wins 2nd People’s Choice Awards for ‘Quantico’ Indian actress Priyanka Chopra has won the “Favourite Dramatic TV Actress” at the People’s Choice Award 2017 for her role in the American drama TV series “Quantico”.

www.mahendraguru.com [39] www.mahendraguru.com

Ellen Degeneres makes history at People’s Choice Awards 2017 Actress and comedienne Ellen Degeneres made People’s Choice Awards history by becoming the most deco- rated celebrity in the TV ceremony’s 43 years. Rachael Heyhoe-Flint: Former England women’s cricket captain dies aged 77 Former England women’s cricket captain Rachael Heyhoe-Flint has died at the age of 77, the MCC has an- nounced. Tajani elected president of European Parliament Antonio Tajani of the EPP Christian Democrat group has been elected president of the European Parliament in a day-long polling series during which he defeated his socialist opponent. inducted into Legends Club ‘ of Fame’ Cricket icon Kapil Dev was inducted into Legends Club ‘Hall of Fame’ in presence of former India captains , and at the Cricket Club of India. AIIMS signs three MoU All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi signed MoUs with NBCC (India) Limited, HSCC (India) Limited and with HITES HLL Life Care Ltd to expand infrastructure and other facilities. British poet Jacob Polley wins the 2016 TS Eliot Prize British poet Jacob Polley has won the 2016 T.S. Eliot prize for his fourth collection, ‘Jackself’, a sequence of narrative poems partly inspired by his childhood in Cumbria, media reports said. German passport world’s most powerful, India ranks 78th in global rankings Indian passport has been ranked a lowly 78 in a global ranking of the world’s most powerful passports which was topped by Germany. India becomes Associate Member State of CERN India on 16 January 2017 became an Associate Member State of European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) after the Union Government completed its internal approval procedures for the membership.Earlier in November 2016, India signed an agreement with the organisation in this regard Former Punjab Chief Minister Surjit Singh Barnala passes away, aged 91 Former Punjab Chief Minister Surjit Singh Barnala has passed away, He was 91. Former Chhattisgarh minister Tarun Prasad Chatterjee no more Senior Congress leader and former state minister Tarun Prasad Chatterjee passed away. He was 68. Sports Minister Vijay Goel inaugurates ‘Khelo India’ competitions Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Vijay Goel inaugurated national level competitions under the Khelo India scheme at the S.P. Awards 2017: Aamir bags Best Actor, Alia wins Best Actress The 62nd Jio have been awarded. Here is the complete list of winners of the 62nd Jio Filmfare Awards 2017: Best Actor (Male): Aamir Khan for Dangal Best Actor (Female): Alia Bhatt for Udta Punjab Best Film: Dangal Best Director: Nitesh Tiwari for Dangal Filmfare Critics Award for Best Film: Neerja App named ‘SEZ India’ launched by Commerce Ministry A Mobile app named “SEZ India” has been launched by the Commerce Secretary on 06.1.2017. SEZ Division, Department of Commerce under its broader e-Governance initiative i.e. SEZ Online System, has developed mobile app for Special Economic Zones (SEZs). Ecuador takes chair of UN group of 134 developing countries Ecuador took over the chair of the United Nations Group of 77. It took the charge of Group of 77 from Thai- land. 25th Asia-Pacific forum opens in Fiji The 25th Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) opened in Fiji, focusing on parliamentary partnerships for peace and security. The five-day forum, which was being held at Natadola saw the participation of delegations from over 20 countries from the Asia-Pacific region, including Australia, China, Japan, Peru, Philippines, and Russia.

www.mahendraguru.com [40] www.mahendraguru.com

India slips 3 places to 92nd rank on global talent competitiveness India has slipped 3 places to 92nd rank on the global index of talent competitiveness that measures how coun- tries grow, attract and retain talent, a list topped by . Delhi Police Commissioner Alok Kumar Verma new CBI Director The government appointed Delhi Police Commissioner Alok Kumar Verma as Director of CBI. His name was cleared by a three-member selection panel headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and comprising Chief Justice of India Jagdish Singh Khehar and Congress leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge as members. Dharamsala declared second capital of Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh declared Dharamsala as the second capital of the state. Praful Patel appointed member of FIFA’s finance committee All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Praful Patel was appointed member of FIFA’s all-important finance committee for a four-year term. China’s Alibaba becomes major sponsor of Olympics Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba has become a major sponsor of the after signing a deal with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that runs until 2028, the two parties said. India top the list of most 350-plus totals in ODIs India registered its 23rd 350+ score in ODI cricket during the Cuttack ODI against England, becoming the team with the most 350-plus totals in the 50-over format. Future Consumer forms JV with Tilda Hain India Kishore Biyani-led Future Consumer has forged a joint venture with Tilda Hain India Pvt, part of US’ Hain Celestial Group Inc, to manufacture and sell food products in the health and wellness space in India. President Inaugurates 28TH Dantan Gramin Mela -2017 The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the 28th Dantan Gramin Mela -2017 at Dantan, Paschim Medinipur, and . Local prosecutor becomes first Indian-American judge in Virginia Rupen R. Shah, who is currently the Chief Deputy of Augusta County Commonwealth in Virginia, has become the first Indian American judge to be elected the southeastern US state. Mahendra Singh Dhoni first Indian to hit 200 ODI sixes Mahendra Singh Dhoni became the first Indian batsman to hit 200 sixes in one-day internationals. AYUSH, ASCI sign MoU to weed out misleading advertisements The Ministry of AYUSH inked a MoU with the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) to identify potential misleading advertisements in its advertising sector. to open Economic and Trade Office in India Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region of China, would open an Economic and Trade Office (ETO) in India to strengthen trade ties and investment linkages. India’s biggest ship INS Vikramaditya to get ATM Indian Navy’s biggest aircraft carrier, INS Vikramaditya will soon to have an ATM onboard. State Bank of India will launch the ATM facility onboard premier warship today in Karwar, Karnataka. China acquires strategic 40 per cent stake in Pakistan stocks exchange A consortium led by Chinese firms has signed a strategic agreement to acquire 40 per cent equity of Pakistan Stock Exchange for $85 million, in a move aimed at mobilising funds for the $46-billion CPEC project and facilitating China’s entry into the Pakistani capital market. India concludes MoU on MSME Cooperation with Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Member Countries Ministry of MSME, Government of India finalised MoU on MSME Cooperation with Indian Ocean Rim As- sociation (IORA) member countries. The MoU will take effect for each party upon signature by 5 countries. The MoU finalized would be signed soon at an appropriate forum. Ministry of Railways Signs Joint Venture Agreement with the Govt. of Jharkhand. A Joint Venture Agreement was signed on 20th January, 2017 between Ministry of Railways and Government of Jharkhand for developing railway infrastructure in the State. U.S. scientists officially declare 2016 the hottest year on record In a powerful testament to the warming of the planet, two leading U.S. science agencies jointly declared 2016 the hottest year on record, surpassing the previous record set just last year — which itself had topped a record set in 2014.

www.mahendraguru.com [41] www.mahendraguru.com

Amitav Ghosh gets life-time achievement award at Lit Fest Eminent writer Amitav Ghosh was bestowed with the life-time achievement award at Tata Literature Live, the Mumbai LitFest. Meanwhile, Arvind Adiga’s ‘Selection Day’ won the book of year in fiction, whereas ‘The Gene’ penned by Siddhartha Mukherjee won an award in the non-fiction category. Thai Princess conferred first World Sanskrit Award Princess Maha Chakri of Thailand has been conferred the first World Sanskrit Award for her contri- bution towards promotion of the language. The award, instituted by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), is presented to eminent Sanskrit scholars to recognize their outstanding contribution to the study/ teaching /research in Sanskrit language and literature. Woman referee receives AFC special award In a rare development for Indian football, woman assistant referee Uvena Fernandes was awarded the AFC Referees Special Award at a function in . She is the first Indian assistant referee to ever officiate in any FIFA World Cup. Defence Minister commission’s new warship INS Chennai Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar commissioned INS Chennai, the third indigenously designed guided mis- sile destroyer in the Kolkata class. With an overall length of 164 metres and displacement of over 7,500 tons, INS Chennai is one of the largest destroyers in the Indian Navy’s fleet. India successfully test-fires twin trial of Prithvi-II missile India successfully test-fired it’s indigenously developed nuclear capable Prithvi-II missile twice in quick suc- cession as part of a user trial by the army from a test range at Chandipur in Odisha. Chandrababu Naidu inaugurates 5 Megawatt solar power plant in West Godavari Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu commissioned a 5 MW solar power plant on the Po- lavaram right bund at Gollagudem village in West Godavari district. The plant, set up at a cost of Rs 37.58 Crore in 37 acres, will produce 8.06 million units of power annually. Andy Murray beats Novak Djokovic to win the ATP World Tour Britain’s Andy Murray beat five-time champion Novak Djokovic to win his first ATP World Tour Finals title and end 2016 as the world number one. Indian-American felicitated with interfaith leadership award Azamgarh-born Indian-American entrepreneur and philanthropist Frank Islam has been felicitated with the Interfaith Leadership Award for his contributions towards the arts and higher education and support of interfaith dialogue. Pankaj Patel elected FICCI President for 2017 Zydus Cadila CMD Pankaj Patel has been elected president of industry body FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry) for 2017 and will take over once the incumbent Ambuja Neotia Group Chairman Harshavardhan Neotia completes his term next month. Ex-Governor of Madhya Pradesh Ram Naresh Yadav dies Former Madhya Pradesh Governor Ram Naresh Yadav passed away. He was 90. Yadav served as the Madhya Pradesh Governor from Czech film director selected for Lifetime Achievement award World renowned Czech film director Jiri Menzel will be honoured with the Lifetime Achievement award at this year’s International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK). Menzel, a member of the Czech New Wave, is also a well-known theatre director, actor and screenwriter. India successfully test-fires Agni-I ballistic missile India successfully test-fired its indigenously built nuclear-capable intermediate range ‘Agni-I’ ballistic missile, capable of hitting a target 700 kms away, from a test range off Odisha coast as part of a user trial by the Army. Virat Kohli moves up to career-high 4th in ICC Test rankings Virat Kohli has moved to a career-high 4th in the ICC’s Test rankings after hammering 167 and 81 in India’s victory over England in the Vizag Test. Kohli has enjoyed his best year in since his debut in 2008. ITPO develops mobile application for international trade fair India Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO), under the commerce ministry, today said it has developed a mobile application which is providing all information about the ongoing international trade fair.

www.mahendraguru.com [42] www.mahendraguru.com

India’s longest - Expressway opens with landing of IAF jets Agra-Lucknow Expressway was thrown open to public with fighter jets of the Indian Air Force touching down on it after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav inaugurated what is now India’s longest expressway. 03Mirage-2000 and 03SU-30 aircrafts of the Indian Air Force carried out a ‘touch and go’ on a portion of the newly constructed Agra-Lucknow Expressway. Acclaimed physicist and ex-ISRO Chief Prof MGK Menon dies at 88 Prof MGK Menon, an acclaimed physicist, who had played a prominent role in the development of science and technology in the country over the last five decades, died. He was 88. Menon was a member of the Planning Commission (1982-1989), Scientific Adviser to the Prime Minister (1986-1989), Vice President, Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) (1989-1990) and Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) during 1990- 96. Maldives to ink first FTA early next year Maldivian Vice President Abdulla Jihad, who is on a visit to India, said the country will sign its first free trade agreement early next year to boost trade and cooperation with other countries. However, he did not name any country for the FTA. Olympic Champion Eliud Kipchoge Wins Delhi Half Marathon As expected, Eliud Kipchoge, Kenya’s reigning Olympic marathon champion bagged the winner’s title in Delhi Half Marathon. While he was declared winner in men’s category, ’s Worknesh Degefa claimed the women’s title. Kipchoge, who won the gold medal at Rio Olympics in August 2016, is considered to be one of the greatest marathon runners of all times. Yudhvir Singh Malik new NHAI chairman Yudhvir Singh Malik, the Special Secretary with NITI Aayog, has been appointed as new Chairman of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). Trump nominates Indian-American Nikki Haley as US envoy to UN Nikki Haley was named as US ambassador to the United Nations by President-elect Donald Trump, becoming the first Indian-American to be appointed to a cabinet-level post in any US administration. Cabinet gives ex post-facto nod to India-France skill pact The Cabinet gave ex post-facto approval to a pact between India and France for cooperation in skill develop- ment, vocational education and training. The memorandum of understanding between the two countries is with respect to cooperation in skill development, vocational education and training, the source added. IIT- Kharagpur ranked top varsity in India in international survey For the second time in a row, IIT Kharagpur has been ranked as the top institution in the country by QS Em- ployability Ranking, with IIT Bombay also figuring in the list of top 100 universities in the world. The IIT Kharagpur has been ranked in the range of 71-80, the highest position among Indian institutions, out of 200 universities from across the world. Airtel Payments Bank goes live with pilot project in Rajasthan Airtel Payments Bank, a subsidiary of Bharti Airtel, rolled out a pilot of its banking services in Rajasthan, becoming the first payments bank to go live in the country. Customers in towns and villages in Rajasthan would now be able to open bank accounts at Airtel retail outlets, which would act as Airtel banking points and offer a range of convenient banking services. S Korea, Japan sign controversial intelligence deal Japan and South Korea signed a controversial agreement to share defence intelligence on North Korea, despite protests from opposition parties and activists in Seoul. South Korea’s defence ministry said the accord was “necessary” in the face of growing military threats from Pyongyang, which has conducted two nuclear tests and more than 20 missile launches this year. Portuguese PM Antonio Costa to be Chief Guest at Pravasi Bharatiya Divas The Union Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India announced that Antonio Costa, the Prime Minister of Portugal, accepted the proposal be the Chief Guest at the 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas. On the other hand, Michael Ashwin Satyandre Adhin, Vice President of the Republic of Suriname will be the Special Guest at the Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas. The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is scheduled to be held from 7 January to 9 January 2017 at Bengaluru in Karnataka. The Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas will be held on 7 January 2017.

www.mahendraguru.com [43] www.mahendraguru.com

Asia-Pacific champion Neeraj breaks into WBC rankings Indian professional boxer Neeraj Goyat has broken into the World Boxing Council (WBC) rankings courtesy his successful defence of the welterweight Asia Pacific title last month. The Indian is currently placed 35th in the WBC list which was updated after his victory over Australian Ben Kite. Cabinet clears proposal to set up green hospital at AIIMS The Cabinet cleared a proposal to sign an agreement between a Japanese organization, the Finance Ministry and the Health Ministry to set up a green hospital demonstration project at AIIMS. inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame Former Australia women’s captain Karen Rolton was inducted into the ICC’s Hall of Fame at a ceremony during the dinner break on the opening day of the third day/night Test between Australia and South Africa. Rolton is first of the four legendary cricketers who will be formally inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame this season. The other three are of Sri Lanka, Australia’s and England’s . PFRDA names Vinod Pande as ombudsman Pension regulator PFRDA has appointed Vinod Kumar Pande as Stipendiary Ombudsman, a position where he will oversee timely and effective resolution of grievances of subscribers. Yes Bank partners GSRTC to digitize bus ticket bookings Private sector lender Yes Bank has partnered with Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) to digitize payments for booking of bus tickets. Under the partnership, Yes Bank will install over 125 PoS (Point- of-Sale) terminals to facilitate booking of tickets through credit and debit cards at all GSRTC bus depots. N V Srinivasan new Indo-American Chamber of Commerce President Trade body Indo-American Chamber of Commerce has appointed N V Srinivasan, NVS and Associates Managing Partner, as its National President for the period 2016-17. Colombia signs contested new peace deal Colombia’s government and FARC rebels signed a controversial revised peace accord to end their half-century conflict, set to be ratified in Congress despite bitter opposition. Santos, who won this year’s Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end the conflict, said the new deal was better than the original. Manoj Bajpayee wins best actor at Asia Pacific Indian actor Manoj Bajpayee has won the best performance award by an actor at the 10th Asia Pacific Screen Awards beating Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who was awarded a special mention in the same category. Winners in the 10thAsia Pacific Screen Awards, said to be the region’s highest accolade in film, were announced at a glittering ceremony in . Adani to spend $300 mn on Aus solar plants; secures land deals Indian energy giant Adani Group has struck land deals in Australia to build two solar plants collectively valued at USD 300 million in a bid to develop 1,500 MW renewable capacity in five years, even as a court today dismissed appeals against its USD 16 billion coal and mine project. The contraction of AUD 200 million (USD 150 million approximately) each solar plants in South Australia’s Whyalla region and in Moranbah in the east of Australia will begin late next year, the company said. Senior journalist Dileep Padgaonkar, 72, passes away Veteran journalist Dileep Padgaonkar, passed away. He was 72. Padgaonkar was part of a three-member team of interlocutors appointed by the UPA government in 2010 to hold talks with all sections of people in Jammu and Kashmir. China launches Tianlian I-04 satellite China successfully launched the Tianlian I-04 satellite from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in Sichuan province of Southwest China. This data satellite was launched on a Long March-3C carrier rocket. The launch of the Tianlian I-04 marks the 241st mission of China’s Long March series of rockets. PM Narendra Modi Lays Foundation Stone of AIIMS in Punjab Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Bathinda district in Punjab. The 750-bed hospital and institute will be built at a cost of Rs 925 Crore and will be spread over 200 acres. INOX Leisure ties up with SBI for dispensing cash After Big Bazaar, multiplex chain INOX Leisure said that it has partnered with the State Bank of India to allow customers withdraw cash up to Rs 2,000 by using debit cards beginning.

www.mahendraguru.com [44] www.mahendraguru.com

Mariamma Koshy appointed as new President of Hockey India In the 41st Hockey India Executive Board meeting held, Hockey India announced Ms. Mariamma Koshy as its new President. Hockey India Secretary General, Mohd. Mushtaque Ahmad has now taken over as the Chairman of the Hockey India League Governing Board. 13th World Robot Olympiad in India for the first time The 13th World Robot Olympiad will be held in India for the first time, with over 2,000 students from 54 countries participating to find innovative ways, using robotic technology, to reduce, manage and recycle waste that we daily generate. The World Robotic Olympiad is an event for science, technology and education which brings together young people from across the world. Director Kanwal Sethi and Kabir Mehta win at Facebook awards Director Kanwal Sethi and Kabir Mehta took home Facebook awards for their films as the 10th edition of NFDC Film Bazaar concluded. Sethi’s “Once Again” was chosen from Work-In-Progress lab, while Mehta’s Buddhagram was selected from the 32 Film Bazaar Recommends. This is the first time that the films from the Film Bazaar Recommends section have received the award. Mobile app for fliers to register complaints launched The Civil Aviation Ministry launched a mobile app which would enable fliers to register their complaints regarding various services. Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju launched the mobile app, AirSewa, to offer people a convenient and hassle-free air travel experience. Vizag to host 20th National eGovernance Conference in January Visakhapatnam will host the 20th National eGovernance Conference in January next year that would witness the participation of IT industry giants and government officials. The two-day conference, to be held on January 9 and 10, will discuss among other things Internet of Things (IoT), data analytics, cyber security and digital connectivity. Fidel Castro, Cuba’s revolutionary leader, dies Fidel Castro has died at the age of 90, ending an era for the country and Latin America. RBL Bank, Oxigen deploy 25 micro ATM vans for doorstep banking Digital money wallet Oxigen and RBL Bank have joined hands to supply cash to people through micro ATMs installed in mobile vans across Delhi NCR. RBL Bank said it has commissioned Oxigen Services India, to deploy 25 of its Super PoS MicroATM on mobile vans to ease cash flow problems following demonetisation. China successfully launches its longest manned space mission China successfully launched a spacecraft carrying two astronauts, in its longest-ever manned space mission, who would later join its experimental space lab orbiting the Earth as the country moved a step closer to es- tablish its permanent space station by 2022. Chinese astronauts Jing Haipeng, 50, and Chen Dong, 37, were blasted off into space by Shenzhou-11 (heavenly vessel) spacecraft at 7:30 am local time (5 am IST) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre near the Gobi Desert in northwest China. Double delight for Aakarshi Kashyap at Krishna Khaitan Memorial Junior Ranking tournament Just after winning her girls’ singles U-19 final against top seed Shikha Gautam of Karnataka 22-20, 23-25, 21-15, Aakarshi Kashyap sauntered towards the outside of the badminton hall at the Punjab University and showed her mother Amita Kashyap a poster of Rio Olympics silver medalist PV Sindhu winning the same title in 2010. China decommissions its 1st nuclear submarine China’s first nuclear-powered submarine has been decommissioned after more than 40 years of military service. After undergoing a thorough denuclearization process, the submarine was towed to a wharf belonging to the Chinese Navy Museum in Qingdao, a port city in east Chinas Shandong province yesterday where it will be a public exhibit, state- run Xinhua news agency reported. Anna Meares announces cycling retirement after winning six Olympic medals Australian cycling champion Anna Meares has announced her retirement after a stunning career, including six Olympic medals. There was some speculation Meares would carry on until the 2018 on the Gold Coast, but the retirement will take immediate effect. Meares said it was hard to hang up her cleats after 22 years in the sport but was “really excited about the opening in to the next chapter of my life”. Reliance Def & Engg appoints Madan Pendse CFO Reliance Defence & Engineering Ltd said its board has appointed Madan Pendse as its chief financial officer (CFO). “The board of directors of the company at its meeting held, i.e. October 15, 2016, has appointed Madan Pendse as chief financial officer and key managerial personnel (KMP) of the company with effect from October 17, 2016,” the company said in a regulatory filing.

www.mahendraguru.com [45] www.mahendraguru.com

SSFL season III from Oct 19; Jayasuriya brand ambassador Into its third edition, the School Football League (SSFL) beginning October 19 will see more than 10,000 school level footballers from 300 schools of Delhi NCR playing for glory. This year, former Sri Lankan explosive batsman Sanath Jayasuriya has been named brand ambassador of the tournament. SSFL-3 will begin with league matches at over 15 different venues across four zones in Delhi. The finals will be played at the Thyagraj Stadium. Hardik Pandya becomes fourth Indian to win Man of the Match on ODI debut All-rounder Hardik Pandya made his ODI debut in the first match of the series against New Zealand at Dhar- amsala. Former captain Kapil Dev handing over the India cap to Hardik Pandya proved out to be extremely lucky for the young all-rounder as he produced a terrific spell of bowling to help bundle New Zealand out for 190 in the first ODI at Dharamsala. India chased down the target with 6 in hand to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. MS Dhoni surpasses , becomes second most successful skipper in ODI history Mahendra Singh Dhoni recorded his 108th victory as India skipper to go past former Australia captain Al- lan Border’s tally of 107 wins in the list of most victories by an ODI captain in the history of the game. The victory was also special as it came in India’s 900th ODI. The 35-year-old has captained India in 195 matches with a win percent of 59.78. CAD likely to stay below 1 pc of GDP this year: DBS India’s current account deficit is likely to stay below 1 per cent of GDP this year, largely due to a sharp fall in the trade deficit as against last year, says a DBS research report. India’s trade deficit in September stood at USD 8.33 billion when the trade gap was the highest in the last nine months. According to the global financial services major DBS, the widening of the trade deficit will be “watched closely”, especially at a time when the services sector receipts and private transfers are under pressure. Tata Trusts and GE Healthcare to skill 10,000 youths in healthcare sector Tata Trusts and GE Healthcare announced a partnership to train 10,000 youth in various technical areas of healthcare over a three-year period. The partnership will focus on bridging the skills gap in healthcare techni- cal or operating staff. The announcement was made in the presence of , Chairman of Tata Trusts, Terri Bresenham, president & CEO, Sustainable Healthcare Solutions, GE Healthcare and Banmali Agrawala, President and CEO, GE South Asia. China to host next BRICS summit in resort city of Xiamen China will host the ninth BRICS annual summit in the southeastern coastal city of Xiamen in September next year as it takes the rotating chair of the influential bloc. Chinese President Xi Jinping made the announcement on October 16 during a small gathering prior to the main conference of the 8th summit in Goa, and expressed his intention to open a new chapter for BRICS in the following year, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. Maharashtra to soon start ‘Ambulance-boat’ for villages near Mumbai The Maharashtra government will soon start an ambulance boat service for the villages located near Mumbai, to ensure quick response in medical emergency. The ‘ambulance boat’ can speedily reach villages located near Mumbai, Maharashtra Health Minister Deepak Sawant told reporters. appointed member of IOC’s Athletes’ Commission In a rare honor for an Indian sportsperson, star shuttler Saina Nehwal has been appointed as a member of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Athletes’ Commission. Saina received a letter to the effect from the IOC President Thomas Bach. “Following your candidature for the elections of the IOC Athletes’ Commission during the Olympic Games Rio 2016, it is with great pleasure to appoint you in consultation with the Chair, as Member of the Athletes’ Commission,” the letter said. Navdeep Suri to be India’s new envoy to UAE Senior diplomat Navdeep Singh Suri was appointed Ambassador to United Arab Emirates, a strategically important nation country which is major supplier of oil to India and is home to around 2.6 million-strong Indians. Suri, a 1983 batch Indian Foreign Service official, is expected to take up the assignment shortly, the External Affairs Ministry said. Amandeep Singh Gill appointed as India’s Ambassador to UN Conference on Disarmament, Geneva Amandeep Singh Gill was appointed as the Ambassador of India to the UN Conference on Disarmament, Geneva. He is expected to take up the assignment shortly. Gill is an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer of 1992 batch. Gill’s diplomatic career includes assignments in Switzerland, Sri Lanka, Iran, and the Permanent Mission of India to the UN.

www.mahendraguru.com [46] www.mahendraguru.com

India, Brazil ink four agreements India and Brazil signed four agreements in areas of investment cooperation and facilitation, cattle genomics, pharmaceuticals and agriculture. Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited Brazilian companies to invest in the country saying India can be a valuable partner in reviving Brazil’s domestic economic agenda. In his press statement after holding bilateral talks with President of Brazil, Mr. Modi said Brazil is among India’s most important trade partner in Latin America. INS Arihant, Indian Navy’s first indigenously-made nuclear submarine, commissioned Giving a quiet yet substantial boost to Indian Navy’s capabilities, India’s first indigenously-made nuclear submarine, the INS Arihant has been commissioned into service. According to various media reports, the nuclear submarine was commissioned in August this year by Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba, but it has not been formally declared. Navy too has declined to comment on the reports of Arihant being commissioned. Kerala Island finds mention in NatGeo’s best destinations list The tiny island of Kakkathuruthu in Kerala’s backwaters has made it to a select list of stunning destina- tions across the world compiled by the National Geographic magazine. Nestled along the Kerala Coast, the emerald-fringed “Island of Crows” has been listed in National Geographic’s ‘Around the World in 24 Hours’, a photographic tour of travel-worthy spots across the world. Modi dedicates 3 hydro projects to nation in Himachal Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated to the nation three hydro-electric projects (HEPs) with a generat- ing capacity of 1,732 MW in Himachal Pradesh. All the three power projects — Koldam HEP (4x200 MW) of NTPC, Parbati HEP Stage-III (4x130 MW) of NHPC and Rampur HEP (6x68.67 MW) of SJVN — are equipped with generating equipment supplied and commissioned by Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), state-owned BHEL said in a statement. Modi launches national SC/ST hub Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the National SC/ST Hub here to provide support to entrepreneurs from the community. With an initial outlay of Rs 490 crore, the hub will work towards strengthening market access/linkage, monitoring, capacity building, leveraging financial support schemes and sharing industry-best practices. Three independent directors inducted into Tata Power’s board Tata Power has appointed Anjali Bansal, Vibha Padalkarand Sanjay Bhandarkar as independent directors on the its board, effective from October 14.Ms Bansal is a Senior Advisor to TPG Capital (TPG), a leading glo- bal private equity fund, based in Mumbai. MS Padalkar is Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer at HDFC Standard Life Insurance Company Limited (HDFC Life) and Mr. Bhandarkar is the former Managing Director of Rothschild’s Investment Banking operations in India. Prabhu lays foundation stone for railway projects in MP Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu laid foundation stone of Rs 2,200 crore projects for laying broad gauge con- necting Rewa-Sidhi-Singrauli districts and the new Sidhi railway station building in Madhya Pradesh. At the function in Sidhi, he said 900-km railway lines will be constructed and 1,000-km tracks will be double lined and electrified in next three years. In Jabalpur, Prabhu said to give a fillip to the electrification programme in India, a meeting has been organised on November 3 in New Delhi. Cochin Shipyard, Engineers India ink MoU for LNG carriers Giving a big boost to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious Make in India programme, Cochin Ship- yard and Engineers India have joined hands for design and construction of small scale LNG carriers. Cochin Shipyard, a Miniratna central public sector enterprise under the Ministry of Shipping, and Engineers India Limited inked the MoU here on October 16 in this regard, officials said. S African struggle stalwart and Gandhian activist dies South African struggle icon and husband of Mahatma Gandhi’s granddaughter Mewa Ramgobin has died at the age of 83 after a prolonged illness. Ramgobin, the former president of the Natal Indian Congress which fought discrimination against Indians in South Africa, breathed his last at a Cape Town hospital. Ramgobin was married to , a human rights activist and Mahatma Gandhi’s granddaughter Indian Boxing Council inducted in WBO The Indian Boxing Council, a licensing body for the country’s professional boxers, has been inducted into the World Boxing Organization with voting rights in the WBO’s annual convention at Puerto Rico. IBC President Brig. PKM Raja attended the meet in which the Indian body was welcomed into the fold by WBO founder Chairman Luis Batista Salas.

www.mahendraguru.com [47] www.mahendraguru.com

Nawaz Sharif re-elected as PML-N president Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who is under pressure to quit following the Panama Papers leak, was unanimously re-elected as president of his party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in an intra-party election re-elected 66-year-old Sharif unopposed as no one contested his leadership. Kochi gets FIFA nod to host FIFA U-17 World Cup Kochi became the first Indian city to be officially declared as one of the venues for hosting the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup after it received a green signal from a high-level delegation of football’s world body. After visiting the Jawarharlal Nehru International Stadium, a 23-member high-level delegation comprising experts from FIFA and Local Organizing Committee (LOC) ratified Kochi as the venue for next year’s mega event. India to Lease Second Russian Akula-Class Nuclear Attack Submarine In a deal reportedly worth close to $2 billion, India is set to acquire a second Akula 2 nuclear-powered attack submarine from Russia. The contract for this, which has been unannounced so far, was finalized in Goa along with a slew of other defence deals worth more than $5 billion which have been made public. The Indian Navy already operates an Akula 2 class nuclear submarine, INS Chakra (formerly known as K-152 Nerpa), which was leased from Russia and commissioned on April 4, 2012 after India paid for its completion and sea-trials. Robert De Niro to be honored with Chaplin Award by Film Society of Lincoln The Film Society of Lincoln Center announced Robert De Niro as the recipient of the 44th Chaplin Award. De Niro will be presented with the award at an award gala on 8 May 2017.Robert Anthony De Niro is an Italian-American actor and producer. L&T Technology bags multi-million dollar contract; shares gain Share price of L&T Technology Services gained 1.6 percent intraday as it has received a new multiyear, multi-million dollar contract with a large global semi-conductor company. The company will provide verifica- tion support on their expansive portfolio of offerings and products. India, Myanmar signed 3 MoUs including Cooperation in the field of Power Sector India and Myanmar signed three agreements to boost the bilateral relations between the two nations. Keep- ing in view the sensitivity of each other’s strategic interests, the two nations also agreed for close security coordination in border areas. The MoUs were inked in New Delhi after delegation level talks with the visiting State Counsellor of Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi. Suu Kyi was on a three day visit to India. INS Tahiyu commissioned The 315-tonne INS Tahiyu is the sixth WJFAC Car Nicobar Class vessel to be commissioned and allotted to the Eastern Fleet of the Navy. Water Jet Fast Attack Craft (WJFAC) INS Tihayu was commissioned into the Indian Navy by the Flag-Officer-Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Naval Command Vice-Admiral H.C.S. Bisht. India, China hold first joint army exercise in Jammu and Kashmir As part of the ongoing initiative to enhance interaction and cooperation between India and China, under the provisions of Border Defense Cooperation Agreement, 2013, the Indian and Chinese armies held the second joint exercise “Sino-India Cooperation 2016 A”. This was a sequel to the first exercise held on February 6, 2016. Bengaluru FC create history, beat defending champs to become 1st Indian club to enter AFC Cup final A brilliant Bengaluru FC created history after becoming the first football club from India to reach the final of Asian Cup. The based club defeated defending champions Johor Darul Ta’zim 3-1 in the second leg of the semi-final in Bangalore. Bengaluru, a cameo which came into being just three years back, were led by their skipper who scored two goals on either side of the half to put Bengaluru in the lead and Joanan sealed the game with a header in the 75th minute. Coal India Director N Kumar passes away N Kumar, Director of State-owned Coal India Limited died. He assumed the charge of Director (Technical) of Coal India Limited in 2012. Kumar had graduated in mining engineering (B.Tech-Mining) from Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad in 1980. He joined Central Coalfields Ltd (CCL) as junior executive trainee the same year.

www.mahendraguru.com [48] www.mahendraguru.com

Anil Kumble, launch book on Virat Kohli in the capital A book penning the life of India’s limited-overs skipper Virat Kohli has been launched in the presence of sev- eral high-profile cricketing personalities. The book, named “Driven: The Virat Kohli Story” has been written by senior journalist Vijay Lokapally and published by Bloomsbury India. It was unveiled in an event. Indian football team achieves highest FIFA ranking in six years The Indian football team achieved its best FIFA ranking in over six years when the side jumped 11 places to be 137th in the latest list released. India, who defeated 114th ranked Puerto Rico in an International Friendly in Mumbai in September, garnered 230 points for the month. RBI permits 100 per cent FDI in ‘other financial services’ The Reserve Bank of India has permitted 100 per cent foreign direct investment in ‘Other Financial Services’ carried out by non-banking finance firms. “Other Financial Services will include activities which are regulated by any financial sector regulator viz. RBI, Sebi, IRDA, Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority, National Housing Bank or any other financial sector regulator as may be notified by the government in this regard,” it said. Sebi launches online system for investment advisers, analysts To promote ease of operations in terms of registration and compliance reporting, markets watchdog Sebi introduced an online system for investment advisers and research analysts. Now, applicants seeking grant for registration are required to submit only online application to Sebi. HCL Tech to buy Butler America Aerospace for $85mn IT services major HCL Technologies said that it will acquire Butler America Aerospace for USD 85 million in cash, a move aimed at strengthening its position in the aerospace and defence engineering services space. Butler Aerospace provides engineering, design services and aftermarket engineering services to US aerospace and defence customers, providing those services in areas of mechanical and structural design, electrical design, tool design and aftermarket engineering services Indian-American appointed DHS academic advisory council member A top Indian-American woman academic and president of the University of Houston was appointed as mem- ber of the US Department of Homeland Security’s Academic Advisory Council. The appointment of Renu Khator, Chancellor of the University of Houston System and president of the University of Houston (UH), was announced by US Secretary of Homeland Security . Mayor declares October 19 as ‘Waris Ahluwalia Day’ In a rare honor, New York City declared October 19, 2016 as Waris Ahluwalia day in recognition of the Sikh- American actor and designer for his “powerful” message of countering ignorance and advocating for religious understanding and tolerance. India’s First Female Olympic Wrestler Geeta Phogat Appointed DSP in Haryana Police India’s Olympic wrestler Geeta Phogat has been appointed as DSP in Haryana Police. Geeta is the first Indian woman to have qualified for wrestling event at the Olympics at London 2012, competes in the 55kg freestyle wrestling category. In state cabinet meeting, a proposal of the home department to appoint Geeta as DSP was approved by chief minister . The Sleepwalker’s Dream authored by Dhrubajyoti Borah released Book titled The Sleepwalker’s Dream authored by Dhrubajyoti Borah released. The book authored by Borah, President of Asam Sahitya Sabha, narrates the journey of a group of militants towards an elusive freedom and an uncertain future.The Sleepwalker’s Dream is about June, Ron and several other rebels fleeing their hideout in Bhutan after an army attack. Gavaskar to receive Lifetime Achievement Award from SJAM As a part of its golden jubilee celebrations, the Sports Journalists Association of Mumbai (SJAM) will present cricket legend Sunil Manohar Gavaskar with the Lifetime Achievement award here on December 11. The award will be presented to the former India captain on the fourth day of the fourth Test match between India and England at the , said a media release from SJAM. The SJAMs first

www.mahendraguru.com [49] www.mahendraguru.com

Indians finish on podium at IWF World Weightlifting c’ships India created history at the IWF Youth (Boys & Girls) World Weightlifting Championships at Penang, Ma- laysia, bagging a silver and a bronze medal in the 56kg weight category. Jeremy Lalrinnunga finished second with a lift of 108kg in snatch and 127kg in clean & jerk for a total effort of 235kgs. UK Mayor Sadiq Khan most influential Asian in Britain London Mayor Sadiq Khan, son of a bus driver from Pakistan, is the most influential Asian in the UK, accord- ing to a list featuring Britain’s 101 prominent Asians, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, the Hinduja brothers, Laxmi Mittal and musician Zayn Malik. According to GG2 Power List brought out by the leading bi-lingual weekly Garavi Gujarat, 46-year-old Khan “smashed one of the biggest glass in the country” by becoming the first Muslim mayor of a major western capital. Sudarshan Patnaik is brand ambassador for International Sand Renowned sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has been declared as the brand ambassador for the 5th International Sand Art Festival to be held at Konark by the tourism department of Odisha. International Sand Art Festival is a popular annual event organised by Odisha Tourism from December 1 to 5 at Konark in Puri. Several sand artists from India and abroad will participate in the festival. Government, World Bank sign $650 million pact for eastern corridor project Multilateral lending agency World Bank and India signed a USD 650-million loan agreement for the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC).”The project will benefit industries of Northern and Eastern India, which rely on railway network for transportation of material inputs and exports that would accelerate creation of jobs in the northern and eastern regions of the country,” the World Bank said in a statement. ‘Mumbai among 15 global cities in terms of total wealth held’ India’s financial hub Mumbai has been named among top 15 cities globally in terms of total wealth held, while London topped the list, says a report. According to New World Wealth, the wealthiest cities in the world are London with USD 2.7 trillion of total wealth, followed by New York City (USD 2.6 trillion) and Tokyo (USD 2.2 trillion) in the second and third place respectively. Pakistan to supply 10 trainer aircraft to Nigeria Pakistan signed an agreement for sale of ten Super Mushshak Aircraft to Nigerian Air Force, Pakistan Air Forces (PAF) announced. “The contract signing ceremony was held at Abuja (Nigeria), where Air vice Marshal Iya Ahmed Abdullahi and Air Marshal Arshad Malik, Chairman Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) signed the contract,” PAF Spokesman Air Commodore Syed Muhammad Ali said. Goa given green light to host FIFA U-17 World Cup Goa joined Kochi and Navi Mumbai as one of the venues to host next year’s FIFA U-17 World Cup after it received the green signal from a high-level delegation of football’s world body. A 13-member FIFA delegation along with the Local Organising Committee (LOC) on Saturday made an inspection to ascertain the readiness of Goa to host matches and training sessions at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2017. ‘A Death in the Gunj’ premieres at 18th Mumbai Film Fest Actress Konkona Sensharma’s directorial debut “A Death in the Gunj” saw its Indian premiere at the 18th Jio MAMI Mumbai International Film Festival with Star. The opening movie of the festival stars , , , , , and Ranvir Shorey among others. Esha named Goodwill Ambassador for children’s free heart surgeries Bollywood actress Esha Gupta has been named as the Goodwill Ambassador for the free heart surgeries for children under 16.Esha took to Instagram to share a photograph of herself with Suresh G. Roa, who is behind the initiative. She will next be seen in filmmaker Milan Luthria’s “Baadshaho”.

www.mahendraguru.com [50] www.mahendraguru.com

ABBREVIATIONS

## 1. ASSOCHAM- Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India ## 2. ATM- Automated Teller Machine ## 3. CAG- Controller and Auditor General of India ## 4. CII- Confederation of Indian Industries ## 5. CRAR- Capital to Risk Weighted Asset Ratio ## 6. CSIR- Council of Scientific and Industrial Research ## 7. CVC- Central Vigilance Commission ## 8. DRI- Differential Rate of Interest Scheme ## 9. ECB- External Commercial Borrowing ## 10. ECGC- Export Credit and Guarantee Corporation ## 11. ECS- Electronic Clearing Scheme ## 12. EEFC- Exchange Earners Foreign Currency ## 13. FCA- Foreign Currency Assets ## 14. FCCB- Foreign Currency Convertible Bond ## 15. FCNR(B)- Foreign Currency Non-resident (Banks) ## 16. FEMA- Foreign Exchange Management Act ## 17. FICCI- Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry ## 18. FIMMDA- Fixed Income Money Market and Derivatives Association of India ## 19. FRBM- Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act, 2003 ## 20. FRN- Floating Rate Note ## 21. HUDCO- Housing & Urban Development Corporation ## 22. IBRD- International Bank for Reconstruction and Development ## 23. ICAR- Indian Council of Agricultural Research ## 24. ICICI- Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India ## 25. IDBI- Industrial Development Bank of India ## 26. IFAD- International Fund for Agricultural Development ## 27. IFC- International Finance Corporation ## 28. IFCI- Industrial Finance Corporation of India ## 29. IIBI- Industrial Investment Bank of India ## 30. IIP- Index of Industrial Production ## 31. IMF- International Monetary Fund ## 32. IRBI- Industrial Reconstruction Bank of India ## 33. KVIC- Khadi & Village Industries Corporation ## 34. OLTAS- Online Tax Accounting System ## 35. LAMPS- Large-sized Adivasi Multipurpose Societies ## 36. LERMS- Liberalised Exchange Rate Management System ## 37. MIGA- Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency ## 38. MIS- Management Information System ## 39. NABARD- National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development ## 40. NASSCOM- National Association of Software and Services Companies ## 41. NBFC- Non-Banking Financial Companies ## 42. OECD- Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development ## 43. NEER- Nominal Effective Exchange Rate ## 44. NPV- Net Present Value ## 45. NSSF- National Small Savings Fund ## 46. PIO- Persons of Indian Origin ## 47. REER- Real Effective Exchange Rate ## 48. RIDF- Rural Infrastructure Development Fund ## 49. SDR- Special Drawing Right ## 50. SHGs- Self-Help Groups www.mahendraguru.com [51]