SBI MAINS SPECIAL BOOSTER (WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO BANKING AND FINANCIAL AWARNESS)

MONETARY POLICY REVIEW

Second Bi-monthly Monetary Policy Statement, 2016-17(June 07, 2016)

Monetary and Liquidity Measures

On the basis of an assessment of the current and evolving macroeconomic situation, it has been

decided to:

keep the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) unchanged at 6.5 per cent;

keep the cash reserve ratio (CRR) of scheduled banks unchanged at 4.0 per cent of net demand and

time liabilities (NDTL); and

Continue to provide liquidity as required but progressively lower the average ex ante liquidity

deficit in the system from one per cent of NDTL to a position closer to neutrality.

Consequently, the reverse repo rate under the LAF will remain unchanged at 6.0 per cent, and the

marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate at 7.0 per cent.

Current Monetary Policy Rates:

CRR 4%

SLR 21.25%

REPO RATE 6.5%

REVERSE REPO RATE 6%

BANK RATE 7%

MARGINAL STANDING FACILITY 7%

The third bi-monthly monetary policy statement will be announced on August 9, 2016.

SBI RELATED FACTS AND NEWS

Facts about SBI

When it’s about banking in India, SBI is the most trusted and

preferred name.

SBI is one of the largest employers in India and has 14

regional hubs and 57

zonal offices.

The Bank of Bengal: The first presidency bank was

established in Kolkata in 1806 during the British Raj and was

named as Presidency Bank of Bengal.

Growing up: British’s instituted two new Banks in Mumbai known as the ‘Presidency of Bombay’

in 1840, and, ‘Presidency Bank of Madras’ in 1843. However, these three branches had private

shareholding and funded the share capital for East India Company.

The Paper Currency Act: Till 1861,

the paper currency act was implemented and

these three Presidency Banks had exclusive

rights for the production of paper currency.

Imperial Bank of India: On 17th Jan 1921, these

three Presidency banks were Amalgamate to form

a single bank named as ‘Imperial Bank of India.

Post-independence: After independence, Reserve Bank of India acquired the Imperial Bank of

India under the parliamentary Act, State Bank of India Act 1955. And so the Imperial bank of India

was renamed as State Bank of India on 30th April 1955, And Started functioning From July 1st

1955.

The Subsidiary Banks Act: In 1959, SBI passed the Subsidiary Banks Act and grew bigger with

eight subordinate banks.

These banks were termed as Associate Banks of SBI including State Bank of Bikaner, State Bank

of Jaipur, State Bank of Hyderabad, State Bank of Indore, State Bank of Patiala, State Bank of

Mysore, State Bank of Saurashtra and State Bank of Travancore.

Changes within association: Among these 8

associates, State Bank of Bikaner and State Bank of

Jaipur merged as State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur

in 1963.

However, State Bank of Saurashtra and State Bank

of Indore merged with parent SBI in the year 2008

and 2010 respectively.

Expanding worldwide: Presently SBI is operational with five associate banks in India and has 190

foreign offices in 36 countries worldwide.

SBI: Facilities and Technologies

SBI launches “State Bank of India NO Queue” Mobile App the Application was launched by Smt.

Arundhati Bhattacharya, Chairman, SBI in Mumbai.

“Green Pin” launched by SBI:an initiative by which the customers of the bank can get or reset their

debit card secret four digit pin number without having to visit the bank branch.

“M-Wallet” app SBI Buddy launched: The application is available in 13 languages. It carries

several features like cash transfer, bill payment, all types of ticket bookings payment and booking

for movies, hotels as well as for shopping.

SBI “Tab banking” to facilitate opening of Saving Accounts and another for Housing Loan

applicants.

SBI launched “Freedom Application”: State Bank Freedom Application offers - convenient, simple,

secure, anytime and anywhere Balance Enquiries, Remittances, e-Deposits, Bill Payments, Mobile

Top-ups, DTH Recharge can be made anytime 24x7.

SBI launched “Project Tatkal”: The project will help home loan applicants to get the loan within 10

days after receipt of application form and relevant supporting documents.

SBI launches its First Dedicated Branch for Startups – “SBI InCube”:State Bank of India (SBI) has

launched dedicated specialized branch for start-ups called ‘SBI InCube’ in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

Boutique financing scheme- SBI

The scheme aimed to offer working capital expenses to generate more working opportunities for

women.

The scheme will also help the women through loans. Women owner would get overdraft facilities.

SBI aimed to boost the growth potential of the segment.

It would give loans at a concessional interest rate and the maximum loan to be made available

would be 50 lakh rupees for a period of seven years

MAJOR SUBSIDIARIES OF SBI

SBI Capital Markets Ltd: SBI CAP was established in 1986. It is India’s largest domestic

investment bank, offering the entire range of investment banking and corporate advisory services.

SBI CARD: SBI cards was established in 1988 .It deals with State bank of India credit card.

Tagline- “Make life simple”

SBI life Insurance: SBI life Insurance was established in 2001. Tagline- “With Us, You’re sure”

SBI General Insurance: SBI general insurance company started its operation on 2010. SBI has a

74% stake in the company while the remainder is held by IAG.

SBI Mutual Fund: SBI mutual fund is a joint venture between SBI &Amundi Asset Management

(France) Tagline of SBI Mutual Fund -“A Partner for Life”.

SBI DFHI Limited: SBI DFHI limited is a primary dealer. An Institution created by RBI to

support primary auctions of government Securities & provide necessary debt and liquidity to

secondary market in government securities.

FINANCIAL AWARENESS NEWS.

Michael Dell announced at the casino capital of the world that the biggest merger in tech history

will be called Dell Technologies. CEO of Dell announced their $70 billion dollar merger with

EMC.

The Government of Bangladesh granted in-principle approval for the first phase of Anil Ambani-

owned Reliance Power's gas based power project of 750 MW.

The trade body of Indian IT firms NASSCOM has signed and MoU with Facebook to build a

product design initiative to engage the country's young entrepreneurs into becoming problem

solvers and solution builders.

World's first Exchange Traded Fund focused on India's sovereign bonds was launched by the MCB

Capital Markets and will be listed in Mauritius, providing global investors access to the Indian

government securities.

United Nation's International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) will provide grants worth

USD 150 million (about Rs 1,001 crore) to India in the next three years to aid the farm sector.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) said it has signed a pact with Bharat Electronics Limited

(BEL) for developing advanced airborne communication and electronic warfare systems.

Government has enforced the decision of retirement fund body EPFO to almost double the

maximum sum assured under its insurance scheme from 3.6 lakh to 6 lakh rupees. It will benefit

around four crore subscribers.

The Exim Bank has extended a line of credit (LoC) worth USD 1 billion to Mongolia for

developing its railways and related infrastructure.

Country's biggest lender State Bank of India announced the launch of mVisa, a mobile-based

payment solution. The service will help customers make payments through their smartphones by

simply scanning the unique merchant QR (Quick Response) code at merchant outlets.

Private sector lender ICICI Bank became the first financial institution in the country to tie up with

the BRICS Group promoted New Development Bank (NDB) for a partnership in bond issuances,

co-financing, treasury management and human resources. First chairman of NDB is K V Kamath.

IDBI Bank announced opening of its international banking unit (IBU) within the International

Financial Services Centre (IFSC) at Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City). With this,

IDBI became the first public sector bank to open a global desk at GIFT City. The bank is aiming to

provide foreign currency funding facility to its Indian clients from GIFT City

Nepal SBI Bank, one of the largest overseas subsidiaries of SBI, has launched payment gateway to

facilitate online trade and non-trade transactions between the Himalayan nation and India.

The Indian government signed a $100 million (about Rs.677 crore) loan agreement with multilateral

lending agency World Bank for the Karnataka urban water supply modernization project.

Jeddah-based Islamic Development Bank (IDB) is set to start its India operations from Gujarat.

India, the world's third largest steel producer, was among the top 10 importers of the alloy last year,

according to the latest data by the global industry body World Steel Association (WSA).

State Bank of India SBI's point of sales terminal (PoS) network is now the largest in the country. It

plans to add another 1 lakh PoS terminals in the current fiscal year ending March 2017.

The Reserve Bank of India will soon issue Rs 1000 denomination banknotes with the inset letter ‘R’

in both the number panels.

Seeking to attract more foreign investment, the Reserve Bank laid down rules allowing FDI up to

100 per cent in credit information companies (CICs) if ownership of the investor company is well

diversified.

However, the FDI cap will be 49 per cent if the ownership is not well diversified.

The country's largest lender, State Bank of India, has launched a virtual queuing mobile application

that will help customers save on time.

State Bank of India launched 'State Bank of India NO Queue' mobile application to save the

valuable time of its esteemed customers for availing of banking services.

Driven by India's expected GDP growth of 7.7 per cent in 2017 and 7.5 per cent in 2016, the World

Bank forecasted gradual acceleration in South Asia's economic growth from 7.1 per cent in 2016 to

7.3 per cent in 2017.

PNB also stated that other services include Unified Payment Interface, Launch of Mahila Kaushal

Vikas Yojna and Housing Finance Scheme on the occasion of 122nd Foundation Day.

India was among the first four countries to get a loan from the newly established BRICS (Brazil,

Russia, India, China and South Africa) ,New Development Bank (NDB) which gave a $250 million

funding to Canara Bank for a renewable energy project.

Vodafone m-pesa has partnered with Mumbai-based radio taxi service provider TABcab for

providing cashless transactions to commuters in the city.

Flipkart announced the acquisition of PhonePe, a city-based mobile payment company co-founded

by the e-commerce giant's two former employees.

Reliance Industries director Nita Ambani and State Bank of India chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya

have been ranked top two in Forbes “Asia 50 Power Businesswomen 2016” list.

India's limited-overs cricket captain M.S. Dhoni has been signed up as brand ambassador by

handset manufacturer Lava International in a move to strengthen its brand in India.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) retained India's growth projections for 2016-17 at 7.5 per

cent, while it cut global economic expansion by two percentage points to 3.2 per cent for 2016 and

one percentage point to 3.5 per cent in 2017.

The Indian entertainment arm of 21st Century Fox, STAR India, has announced a restructuring,

elevating chief executive officer Uday Shankar to chairman and CEO.

Ashok Chawla, former chief of Competition Commission, will be the new chairman of National

Stock Exchange subject to approval from market watchdog Sebi.

The exchange is now awaiting nod from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) for

appointing Chawla as the chairman.

Singapore-based DBS Bank, hitherto focusing on the affluent segment, has decided to shed that tag

and instead go for mass-market retail (individual) customers.

In the third roll-back in two months, the government raised the interest rate on employee provident

fund (EPF) contributions to 8.8% for 2015-16 against 8.7% approved by the Finance Ministry last

week.

To check debit card frauds, SBI has launched a facility under 'SBI Quick: SMS and Missed Call

Banking' service whereby the customer can choose to activate or deactivate their cards using

various platforms, like ATM, and Point of Sale (POS).

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) said that it has collaborated

with the German government for a special programme on 'Soil Protection and Rehabilitation for

Food Security'. A high-level delegation from the Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)

Ministry of Germany, led by Stefan Schmitz, Commissioner, was here in connection with the

programme, a release said.

Airtel M Commerce Services (AMSL), a subsidiary of Bharti Airtel, granted the first payments

bank license from Reserve Bank of India (RBI). AMSL is a wholly owned subsidiary of Airtel,

which offers mobile money services under the brand name Airtel Money.

The government permitted 100 per cent FDI in the market place format of e-commerce retailing.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) is not allowed in inventory-based model of e-commerce.

The Asian Development Bank's (ADB) lowers its growth forecast to 7.4 per cent from 7.8 per cent

for 2016-17.

ADB and the USAID signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to assist India in developing

the clean energy infrastructure.

The World Bank opened its office in Malaysia.

Reliance Defense formed a joint venture in India with Rafael of Israel with a seed capital of over

Rs.1, 300 crore.

Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley inaugurated Sydney Branch of Union Bank of India.

BMI Research said that the Indian economy is expected to grow at 7.2 per cent in 2016-17.

‘Yangon Stock Exchange’ Myanmar's first modern stock exchange opened for trading.

Telangana and French aviation companies signed a MoU to set up training center in Hyderabad.

Olahas signed a MoU with the Government of Maharashtra, to develop opportunities for

entrepreneurship for youth of the state, including women.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated ‘Krishi Unnati Mela’- the National Level

Agriculture Fair-cum-Exhibition in New Delhi. He also conferred Krishi Karman Awards.

The Public Provident Fund (PPF) will yield 8.1% compared with 8.7% at earlier and the Kisan

Vikas Patra (KVP) will fetch 7.8% against 8.7%.

The Reserve Bank of India signed a SAARC currency swap agreement with the Royal Monetary

Authority of Bhutan (RMBA).

Singapore's Changi Airport has been voted the World's Best Airport at the World Airport Awards

2016.

Second largest Private Sector HDFC Bank has launched SmartUp Banking Servicein association

with Zone Startups India (ZSI).

India Signs USD 35 Million Loan Agreement with the World Bank for Madhya Pradesh Citizen

Access to Responsive Services Project.

Bangladesh Reserve Bank Governor Atiur Rahman has resigned following an $ 80 million cyber

theft from the Bank's Reserve Fund Account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Moody's Investors Service has assigned a Baa3 rating to ICICI Bank Limited's (ICICI, Baa3, and

Positive) proposed USD denominated senior unsecured notes.

The Union Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley and Ms. Christine Lagarde, Managing Director, IMF

signed a MoU to establish South Asia Regional Training and Technical Assistance Center in New

Delhi.

Public sector lender Andhra Bank announced its tie-up with mobile payment app ‘Chillr’, to allow

its customers transfer money to any contact on their phonebook instantly.

Indian Railways signed Locomotives Export Contract with Myanmar Railways.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has been named as a top employer in the United States (US) for a

second consecutive year by the Top Employers Institute.

Largest Private sector ICICI Bank has signed a MoU with National Housing Bank (NHB) to

facilitate the credit-linked subsidy to the eligible home loan borrowers under the ‘Pradhan Mantri

Awas Yojana’.

According to the Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU), Singapore is ranked the world's most

expensive city to live in.

The Cabinet approved a Rs. 8,000 crore scheme to provide cooking gas (LPG) connections free of

cost to women members of poor households.

India and International Monetary Fund signed a Memorandum of Understanding for setting up of

South Asia Regional Training and Technical Assistance Center in India by the International

Monetary Fund.

Parliament has passed the Bureau of Indian Standards Bill 2015, with the Rajya Sabha. The Bill

extends the ambit of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) to include services, processes and

products while ensuring production of world class goods it will also proposes to make BIS a

national standards body.

Fitch Ratings lowered India's economic growth forecast for the financial year 2016-17 to 7.7 per

cent, but maintained the GDP projection for current fiscal at 7.5 per cent.

The Minister of Women and Child Development, Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi launched “Mahila e-

Haat”, an online marketing platform for women.

The Reserve Bank of India will share FDI-related information with country's intelligence agencies

IB and RAW to check black money from entering the country.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on

Supervisory Cooperation and Exchange of Supervisory Information with Bank of Israel.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi launched “Setu Bharatam” – an ambitious programme

with an investment of Rs. 50,000 crore to build bridges for safe and seamless travel on National

Highways.

International Monetary Fund has projected a robust growth rate of 7.3 per cent for the country this

fiscal, picking up to 7.5 per cent next year.

India Signed Financing Agreement with World Bank for US $300 Million for Madhya Pradesh

Higher Education Quality Improvement Project.

India has been ranked at the 90th place in a list of 126 countries compiled by WEF on the basis of

their ability to deliver secure, affordable and sustainable energy, which was topped by Switzerland.

World Bank Group member International Finance Corporation (IFC) launched its first Uridashi

Masala Bonds (Japanese bonds) to mobilize Rs 30 crore from Japanese retail investors.

Japanese financial services firm Nomura said that India's GDP growth is likely to pick up to 7.8 per

cent in fiscal 2016-17 from 7.6 per cent this year.

MOST IMPORTANT INTERNATIONAL NEWS

India and New Zealand signed a deal that opens the door for direct flights between the two

countries that could boost tourism and trade sectors.

An Indian-American woman Sikh lawyer from California has been elected to a key position in the

Republican Party at the national level.

C Raja Mohan, a foreign policy strategist, has been named as the inaugural Marshall Bouton Asia

Fellow of the prestigious Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

US President Barack Obama has announced to re appoint Indian-American Sachin Dev Pavithran to

a key independent government agency devoted to accessibility for people with disabilities.

Chinese authorities will test the country’s first hybrid-power train in June.

India and five other nations, including China and Israel, signed pact for automatic exchange of

information on tax issues and develop new tools and standards for tackling tax base erosion and

evasion.

Air Force General Lori Robinson took charge of the U.S. military’s Northern Command, becoming

the first woman to head a U.S. combatant command.

Panama has officially signed on to comply with OECD standards on exchanging tax information, a

move that comes more than a month after the Panama Papers data leak.

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was apprised of the joint issue

of UN Women “He forShe” postage stamp. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been

signed between Department of Posts and United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA) in

February, 2016 for this purpose.

India and Slovenia have signed a Protocol amending the existing Convention and Protocol between

the two countries for avoidance of double taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to

taxes on income in Ljubljana.

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif performed the ground-breaking ceremony of the Pakistan-

China Optical Fiber Cable Project which is part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The G7 finance summit started in Japan's Sendai city with a focus on boosting and balancing the

growth of the global economy amid the slowing down of the Chinese economy and those of other

emerging countries.

India and Oman vowed to deepen bilateral defense ties as the two countries signed four key

agreements in the critical sector with focus on enhancing military cooperation.

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi granted ex-post facto approval to the

Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India and

the Ministry of Tourism, Government of Maldives for strengthening cooperation in the field of

tourism.

Vietnam's National Assembly elected Tran Dai Quang as the country's new president.

Truong Tan Sang was relieved from duty as the president.

Marking the 60th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations with India, Oman has issued

special postal stamps depicting the TajMahal and the Gulf country's iconic Grand Mosque.

Oman Post issued the stamps in a ceremony at the Indian Embassy in Muscat.

The Chinese government will provide Bangladesh grant assistance of about $50 million for

construction of the eighth Bangladesh-China Friendship Bridge.

In this connection an agreement was signed between Bangladesh and China in capital Dhaka.

The length of the bridge will be 1,400 meters and Bangladesh roads and highway department will

carry out the project.

India and Maldives signed six agreements, including one on Defence Cooperation and avoidance of

double taxation, after delegation-level talks with visiting Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen

Abdul Gayoom and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Kyrgyz Prime Minister Temir Sariyev resigned, after several parliament members accused his

cabinet of corruption.

The government's work has stalled at such a difficult time.

Ukraine's parliament appointed pro-Western speaker VolodymyrGroysman as prime minister in a

bid to end months of political gridlock and unlock vital aid to the war torn-state.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he hoped the new government "will not be guided by some

sort of phobias or act in the interest of foreign agencies" -- a veiled reference to Brussels and

Washington.

Nepal's first woman acting Chief Justice Sushila Karki has assumed office, months after the country

got its first woman President and Speaker.

She is also known for judgments allowing women to pass their citizenship to their children,

previously open only to men in Nepal.

Anti-slavery crusader Harriet Tubman will become the first African-American on the face of U.S.

paper currency, and the first woman in more than a century, when she replaces former President

Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill.

MOST IMPORTANT NATIONAL NEWS

'Kalvari', Indian Navy's first indigenous Scorpene-class stealth submarine, sailed out for first sea

test.

With an aim of afforestation on the vast tracts of rail land, the Railways, joined hands with the

forest departments of Punjab and Haryana for plantation of 5 lakh trees in the two states as part of

the ‘Green India Mission’.

As part of the initiative of the Ministry of Commerce & Industry to provide easy access to the

public on export and import trends of India the Minister of State for Commerce & Industry (I/C)

Nirmala Sitharaman launched a dashboard on EXIM Analytics. This is a portal developed by the

Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics, at the instance of the Ministry.

Minister of Railways launches one E-enabled application, namely, Project Management &

Information System (PMIS) for proper Monitoring of all the Railway projects throughout the

country.

Air Marshal PP Khandekar assumed the responsibilities of Air Officer-in-Charge Maintenance at

Air HQ, New Delhi.

Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal and New & Renewable Energy launched

‘Contract Labour Payment Management System’- a portal of Coal India Limited (CIL).

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the signing of

Memorandum of Co-operation (MoC) between Ministry of Women & Child Development

(MWCD) and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) for the cooperation in Information and

Communication Technology enabled Real Time Monitoring (ICT-RTM) of Integrated Child

Development Services (ICDS) and other related technical matters.

Former judge of Delhi High Court Justice M L Mehta was appointed as chairman of a three-

member government panel on revision of Delhi Metro rail fares.

The single emergency number '112' will be operational throughout India from January 1, 2017 to

help people reach immediate services of police, ambulance and fire department.

As a part of 475th Birth Anniversary celebrations of MaharanaPratap Union Minister for Culture

and Tourism Dr. Mahesh Sharma released a Commemorative coin of Rs. 100/- and a Circulation

coin of Rs. 10/- in New Delhi.

The Minister for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) Kalraj Mishra inaugurated a

spinning and weaving centre and marketing plaza for khadi goods in Srinagar. At the centre --

Harmukh Khadi Gram UdyogSansthan -- Mishra also distributed 25 model charkhas among local

artisans at a function.

The Government has launched a web-based application on Integrated Waste Management System

(IWMS) –www.iwms.nic.in for better management of waste.

Minister of Railways Suresh PrabhakarPrabhu inaugurated Comrade UmraomalPurohit Memorial

Research Centre situated in All India Railwaymen’s Federation (AIRF) Office Complex, 4, State

Entry Road, New Delhi.

Western Union 'My Stamp' released to mark 15 years of collaboration between the money transfer

service provider and India Post.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation is all set to conduct the trial run of India’s first driverless train at

Mukundpur depot.

The Income Tax department has launched a special electronic grievance re-dressal system called ‘e-

nivaran’ in order to fast track taxpayer grievances and ensure early resolution of their complaints.

The closing ceremony of 27TH India-Indonesian CORPAT (Coordinated Patrol) was held from 16-

19 May 16.

State-run Himachal Pradesh Electricity Board Ltd (HPEBL) and Solar Energy Corp of India (SECI)

signed a pact to set up India's first solar wind hybrid power plant in the hill state. Its estimated cost

would be Rs.30.72 crore.

Apple opened a new office in Hyderabad which will focus on developing Maps for iPhones, iPads,

Mac and Apple Watch. The move will accelerate Maps development and create up to 4,000 jobs,

the technology giant

Apollo Tyres and Wildlife Trust of India have entered into a partnership to restore a critical

mangrove project in Kerala's Kannur district. Apollo Tyres and Wildlife Trust of India announced

the partnership to coincide with the International Day for Bio-diversity.

The government announced that 13 more cities will be eligible for priority funding under the Smart

City mission.

The multilingual knowledge portal www.bharatvani.in Bharatavani has become the Largest Online

Repository of Dictionaries in India on its Very First Day.

The Indian Coast Guard ship Arush, the seventeenth in the series of twenty Fast Patrol Vessels

(FPVs), designed and built by M/s Cochin Shipyard Limited, was commissioned at Kochi by the

Coast Guard Commander (Western Seaboard) Additional Director General SPS Basra.

The Bihar government, UNICEF and the Rajendra Agriculture University, Pusa entered into an

agreement to reduce malnourishment among women and children in the state.

Lakshadweep became first Union Territory (UT) to sign “24x7 Power for All” document.

Representative of Government of India and the Administration of Lakshadweep signed the

document in presence of P.K. Pujari, Secretary, Ministry of Power.

Central Railways launches safety 'panic button' feature for women's safety

Dr. Najma Heptulla, the Union Minister for Minority Affairs on 31 March launched innovative

entrepreneurship and skill development programme of Maulana Azad National Academy for Skills

(MANAS).

The Women & Child Development Minister, Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi on 30 March launched

(Swadhar Greh Scheme) the project of construction of a special Home for one thousand widows at

Vrindavan, Mathura.

Social Justice and Empowerment Minister of Haryana Government Kavita Jain launched a new

scheme named 'Anukool Greh' for the persons with disabilities on 29 March.

Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh launched a new mobile app 'Pusa Krishi' for

farmers in order to take the technology to farm fields.

India’s “unique” Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve is among 20 new sites added by the UN’s top

cultural body UNESCO to its World Network of Biosphere Reserves.

India successfully test-fired nuclear-capable Agni-I ballistic missile from a test range off Odisha

coast. This missile is capable of hitting a target 700 km away.

ISRO's sixth navigation satellite IRNSS-1F was successfully launched onboard PSLV C32 from the

spaceport.

Indo-Indonesia Joint Training Exercise GARUDA SHAKTI was conducted from 10 march.

Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy launched the first air ambulance service in the state. This

will be exclusively for speed in organ transplant.

North Korea launched a medium range Rodong missile on 19 March which flew some 800 km

before falling into the sea.

Sushila Karki became the first woman chief justice of Nepal.

On 11 March Nepal officially became the 34th member of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD).

On 04 MarchNamibian President Hage Geingob has officially inaugurated the northern main road

MR 129 built by a Chinese company.

Noted designer Ritu Beri has been appointed advisor to the Khadi and Village Industries

Commission (KVIC) for promotion of khadi in India and across the world.

Sir Dominic Asquith will be the new British High Commissioner in India. He will replace Sir James

Bevan.

Andrew Holness sworn in as the new prime minister of Jamaica after his general election win.

Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Alphabet - the parent company of Google, has been chosen by

Pentagon to head a new advisory board on defense innovation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi appointed Shri Vinod Rai, Former CAG of India, as the Chairman

of Banks Board Bureau (BBB).

MOST IMPORTANT APPOINTMENTS

Vice Admiral Sunil Lamba, who is currently heading the Western Command become the new Navy

Chief.

Senior IPS officer Kumar Rajesh Chandra was today appointed as chief of Bureau of Civil Aviation

Security (BCAS), the aviation security wing of the government; over three years after the post fell

vacant.

Manohar Kumar has taken over as Director (Engineering) on the Board of National Projects

Construction Corporation Limited (NPCC). NPCC is a PSU under Ministry Water Resources,

River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.

Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) finally saw new Managing Director and CEO,

MrugankParanjape.

Veteran cricket administrator Shashank Manohar was elected unopposed as ICC’s first independent

Chairman, two days after he stepped down from the post of BCCI President.

Senior audit service officer Hindupur Pradeep Rao appointed as Deputy Comptroller and Auditor

General (CAG).

Rao, a 1981 batch officer of Indian Audit and Account Service, is presently working as Additional

CAG.

US President Barack Obama has appointed an Indian-American engineer to a key administration

post.

Manjit Singh, co-founder of the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund has been

appointed as the member of President's Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood

Partnerships.

Chawla, former head of the Competition Commission of India (CCI), has been appointed as new

chairman of the National Stock Exchange (NSE).

The ICC announced the appointment of Claire Furlong as the world cricket body's General Manager

- Strategic Communications. She will take up her position on July 17.

Indian Foreign Service officer Namgya C Khampa was appointed as Director in Prime Minister's

office.

Khampa is an Indian Foreign Service officer of 2000 batch.

Senior bureaucrat B K Panda was appointed as Commissioner of Coal Mines Provident Fund

Organisation based in Dhanbad.

The Union Finance Ministry constituted a five member Fiscal Responsibility and Budget

Management (FRBM) panel.The panel would be headed by former revenue and expenditure

secretary and Member of Parliament N.K. Singh.

Indian-American politician Swati Dandekar has been nominated by the US Senate to the post of

Executive Director to the Asian Development Bank which has ambassadorial rank.

The US Senate has confirmed the nomination of Deven J Parekh, Indian-American by President

Barack Obama to the board of directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation.

Kenya United Nations Ambassador MachariaKamau was appointed as one of two UN special

envoys on El Niño and climate.

Lieutenant General S K Saini took over as the new commandant of the Indian Military Academy

(IMA).

Anurag Thakur was unanimously elected as the second youngest BCCI President, while Ajay

Shirke was chosen as Secretary.

Eminent scientist S K Sharma was appointed as Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of

Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL).

Vice Admiral K B Singh was appointed as the Vice Chief of Naval Staff, days ahead of the

retirement of current Navy chief Admiral R K Dhowan and his deputy Vice Admiral P Murugesan.

Vice-Admiral AR Karve took charge as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern

Naval Command (SNC) from Vice Admiral GirishLuthra.

Admiral Sunil Lanba, took charge as the Chief of Naval Staff in New Delhi as the current CNS

Admiral R.K.Dhowan retired after four decade of service.

MOST IMPORTANT AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS

Famous Urdu poet Prof. Malik ZadaManzoor Ahmed died after a prolonged illness. He was 91

'Britney Spears' receives the prestigious Millennium Award.She’ll share the stage with hosts

Ludacris and Ciara, alongside other confirmed performers Justin Bieber and Nick Jonas.

Actor Manoj Kumar received the 47th Dadasaheb Phalke Award, at a ceremony held in New Delhi.

A Social Science professor from India Prashar Kulkarni has won the Commonwealth Short Story

Prize for 2016, for the Asia region for his "politically grounded, funny" fiction.

Actor Pawan Shankar, who has appeared in TV shows like "Siddhanth", "Vicky Ki Taxi" and "Kya

Hua TeraVaada", was honored with the Bharat Excellence Award 2016 for his contribution in the

education sector.

Bureaucrat-turned-politician N.K. Singh was honored with Japan’s second highest national

decoration for his contribution in strengthening Indo-Japan ties in the field of trade and investment

over the last few decades.

South Korean author Han Kang won the Man Booker International Prize for fiction with “The

Vegetarian,” an unsettling novel in which a woman’s decision to stop eating meat has devastating

consequences.

Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries Ltd, has been awarded

the prestigious Othmer Gold Medal for his entrepreneurial leadership.

Sikkim chief minister Pawan Chamling was conferred the ‘YugKaviSiddhicharan Award’ by Nepal

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli for his commendable contributions in promoting Nepali literature in

India.

Cannes, Indian film 'The Cinema Travellers', a documentary on the traditional art of travelling

cinema in the country, has won the jury prize of the Cannes documentary award.

Bharti Enterprises founder and Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal has received this year’s Harvard

Business School Alumni Achievement Award.

An Indian-American scientist Arnab De has received the prestigious Springer Theses Award in

recognition for his outstanding research in which he developed transgenic mice to study a critical

tumor-suppressor called A20.

Bollywood Actor R. Madhavan become goodwill ambassador against leprosy

Pope Francis honoured Hollywood actors Richard Gere, George Clooney and Salma Hayek with the

Olive Medal of Peace in an event to promote the ScholasOccurrentes foundation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred with the Arabian country’s highest civilian honor —

the King Abdul-Aziz Sash. The prime minister was presented the award by King Salman bin

Abdul-Aziz at the Royal Court on the night before his scheduled departure to New Delhi. The

award is named after Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, the founder of the modern Saudi state.

The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee will confer the National Geoscience Awards - 2014

at a function to be held at RashtrapatiBhavan. The National Geoscience Awards carries a cash prize

and a certificate. Till date (i.e. up to NGA-2013), seven hundred twenty one geoscientists have

been honored with the National Geoscience Awards.

Former army chief General (retired) J J Singh will be conferred with the highest French civilian

distinction, Officer of the Legion of Honour

Mother Teresa has been posthumously conferred with the UK's prestigious Founders Award this

year which is given to recognize and reward exemplary achievements of people within the global

Asian community

Actress Priyanka Chopra will be given Dadasaheb Phalke Film Foundation's "Best Actress of the

Year" award.

Khadija Ismayilova, an investigative journalist from Azerbaijan, has been chosen to receive the

2016 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize.

Actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has won the 'Global Indian of the Year' award.

The Associated Press won the Pulitzer Prize for public service for reporting on abuse in the seafood

industry that helped free 2,000 slave laborers, and Reuters and The New York Times shared the

breaking news photography award for images of the European refugee crisis.

Novak Djokovicpipped the likes of Usain Bolt and Lionel Messi to win the 'Sportsman of the Year'

trophy for a third time, while Serena Williams clinched the top honour in the women's category at

the Laureus World Sports Awards.

Veteran actor Jeetendra, filmmaker Sanjay LeelaBhansali and Bollywood star Ranveer Singh were

honored with '74th Master Dinanath Mangeshkar Awards'.

Jeetendra, 74, got the lifetime achievement award while Bhansali and Ranveer got special award for

direction and acting for their magnum opus "Bajirao Mastani".

The top honor was given by legendary singer AshaBhosle.

New Zealand’s five-dollar note has been named the banknote of the year for 2015, a “clear winner”

among nearly 40 eligible designs from a record 20 countries.

The honor is awarded every year by the International Bank Note Society.

Union urban Development minister M Venkaiah Naidu conferred with the Skoch Lifetime

Achievement Award at 43rd SKOCH summit held in New Delhi.

Noted Malayalam writer M. Sukumaran has been chosen for the CV Kunhiraman literary prize.

Oxford University Professor Sir Andrew Wiles has been awarded the Abel Prize by the Norwegian

Academy of Science and Letters for solving a three-century-old mathematical mystery.

The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee conferred the ‘Nari Shakti Puraskar-2015’. The

awards are given every year by the Ministry of Women & Child Development to institutions and

individuals who have made exceptional contribution towards empowerment of women.

Veteran actor-director Manoj Kumar will be awarded with the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke

Award.

On 01 March most Prestigious Oscar awards for cinema were announced for the year 2016.

Leonardo DiCaprio won the Best Actor Award for "The Revenant" and Brie Larson won the Best

Actress Award for "Room".

MOST IMPORTANT SPORTS NEWS

Indian batsman Virat Kohli became the top-ranked batsman in the t20 ICC rankings, while India

remained static at the No.1 spot in the team list.

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) said that Finland's Tampere will host

2018 U-20 World Athletics Championship.

An Indian-origin Sikh hockey player Balbir Singh was honored in the Canadian province of British

Columbia (BC) for his contribution in hockey.

India's Jitu Rai won gold in the men's 50m pistol event Shooting World Cup.

AdilleSumariwalla was re-elected unopposed as the president of Athletics Federation of India (AFI)

for a second term at its Annual General Body Meeting.

Sumariwalla was the lone nomination received for the top post and was declared elected president

for the term 2016-2020 by the returning officer Justice (Retd) Kailash Gambhir on the first day of

the AFI AGM.

Pakistan Cricket Board appointed former Test leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed as the new head coach

of the National Cricket Academy.

Mushtaq, who was until recently the bowling coach of the national team, has been tasked with the

responsibility of running the NCA affairs.

The Indian cricket board has appointed Rahul Johri as its new chief executive officer, in line with

the recommendations of the Supreme Court-appointed Lodha Committee.

He will take on his new role on June 1, 2016, reporting to the BCCI secretary and will be based at

the Mumbai office.

The Goa government decided to appoint Justice P.K. Mishra, former Chief Justice of Patna High

Court who had recently retired as chairman of Goa State Human Rights commission, as Lokayukta

of the State.

Indian Information Service (IIS) officer BhupendraKainthola was appointed as Director of Pune-

based Film and Television Institute of India (FTII).

Kainthola, a 1989 batch IIS officer, has been appointed to the post for three years, an order issued

by Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).

Boeing India President Pratyush Kumar has been appointed as the Chairman of the American

Chamber of Commerce in India.

US Ambassador to India Richard Verma is the honorary President of the chamber.

Online marketplace Snapdeal announced the appointment of KanikaKalra as Vice President

(Marketing).

A seasoned global marketing professional with a career spanning over 12 years, Kanika joined

Snapdeal after several triumphant stints at Hindustan Unilever limited, Pepsico and

GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare Limited.

Bureaucratic Ashok Lavasa appointed Expenditure Secretary. Senior IAS officers Ashok Lavasa

and Ajay Mittal appointed as Expenditure and Information and Broadcasting secretaries

respectively in a top-level bureaucratic reshuffle.

In all, 14 new secretaries have been appointed in various central government departments.

Rajeev Sharma appointed as Chairman and Managing Director of Power Finance Corporation

(PFC), a Navratna Public Sector Undertaking. Sharma is presently CMD of Rural Electrification

Corporation Ltd.

India won the 2016 Asia Cup title after defeating hosts Bangladesh by 8 wickets in the finals played

at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on 6 March 2016. This was 6th Asia Cup

title for India.

Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) title for 2016: Patna Pirates team won the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL)

title for 2016 by winning the final on 5 March 2016.

World’s Longest All-Women Flight: Air India operated world’s longest all-women flight on 7

March 2016 on the eve of the International Women’s Day. This historic flight was between New

Delhi and San Francisco.

MOST IMPORTANT PERSONALITIES IN NEWS

Pralhad P Chhabria, founder and chairman of Finolex Group, died. He was 86.

Veteran freedom fighter and former Communist leader ChennamaneniRajeswara Rao died after

prolonged illness. He was 93

An Indian-origin pioneering Tamil scholar and author, who was instrumental in persuading the

South African government to introduce Tamil as a language at secondary schools, died at the age of

103.

Deepak Shodhan, who was the first Indian to make a Test century in his debut innings, has died

aged 87. He had been India's oldest living Test cricketer.

CPI(M) veteran and former MLA and MP K Anirudhan, who was 92, passed away at his residence

Senior journalist Aditya Awasthi passed away inearly morning following protracted illness.

CPI(M) veteran and former MLA and MP K Anirudhan, who was 92, passed away at his residence

Noted Marathi critic and litterateur R G Jadhav passed away at his residence due to his prolonged

illness. He was 83.

Malaysian icon Lee Chong Wei battled past home favourite and World No.1 Chen Long in the final

to regain his second continental crown after 10 years at the Badminton Asia Championships

Philipp Kohlschreiber overcame Dominic Thiem 7-6, 4-6, 7-6 to reap his third tennis title, the

BMW Open.

Leicester secured an incredible first Premier League title without playing after second-place

Tottenham drew 2-2 at Chelsea.

Former England all-rounder Matthew Fleming is all set to become the next President of the

Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). The 51-year-old will take up the post on October 1 this year.

India ended their campaign at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Junior World Cup

with a creditable fourth place finish, while Italy finished at the top spot in the medal's table.

Odisha sprinter Dutee Chand grabbed the spotlight once again as she won the gold in women's

100m dash with a fast timing in the second leg of Indian Grand Prix athletics series.

India tennis legend Leander Paes captured his first Challenger doubles title in 16 years after

winning Busan Open Challenger doubles title along with Sam Groth of Australia.

A decade after their first match, when they were a couple of promising teenagers, Novak Djokovic

defeated Andy Murray again in Madrid, this time to win a record 29th career Masters title.

Sunrisers Hyderabad clinched the 2016 IPL title by beating Royal Challengers Bangalore in the

final.

Virat Kohli bagged the coveted Orange Cap in the ninth edition of Indian premier League 2016.

Virat Kohli amassed 973 runs in 16 matches.

India's Kirti Gupta won the individual gold as well as team gold medal in trap event at the 8th

International Junior Shotgun Cup shooting 2016 at Orimattila, Finland.

Oscar winning US actress Patty Duke died in Idaho. She was 69.

Former Prime Minister of Denmark Anker Joergensen passed away. He was 93.

Noted South Indian actor and popular folk singer Kalabhavan Mani died. He was 94.

Inventor of email, Ray Tomlinson died. He was 74.

Former Lok Sabha Speaker and MLA PA Sangma died. He was 68.

Former New Zealand cricket captain Martin Crowe died. He was 53.

Actor and athlete Lee Reherman Died. He was 46.

Oscar-winning actor George Kennedy died. He was 91.

Legendary playback singer P. Susheela has become the Guinness World Records title holder for the

highest number of solo, duet and chorus backed songs in over six Indian languages.

India ranked 118th out of 156 countries in a global list of the happiest nations.

Times Magazine said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is among ‘The 30 Most Influential People

on the Internet’ for the second year in a row in this year’s unranked list.

London has been ranked as the world's most expensive city to live and work in. The only Indian

city in the list of top 20, Mumbai is ranked 17th ahead only of Berlin, Johannesburg and Rio de

Janeiro by the UK real estate firm Savills survey.

Forbes magazine included 190 women billionaires in the list of world’s richest people in the world.

Five Indian women Savitri Jindal (453rd), Indu Jain (549 rank), Smita Crishna (810th), Leena

Tewari (1067th) and Vinod Gupta (1577th) have made it to this list.

Microsoft's co-founder Bill Gates continued his reign as the world's richest person with a net worth

of $75 billion, according to Forbes' annual ranking of billionaires 2016, with Reliance Industries

Chairman Mukesh Ambani at 36th position in this list.

Malaysia's badminton star Lee Chong Wei won his 11th Malaysian Open title, a much-needed boost

for his pursuit of a still-elusive Olympic gold medal.

Unbeaten throughout the championship, Indian men’s and women’s kho-kho teams won both the

category’s championship titles at the third Asian Kho-Kho championship organized in Indore. In

both the finals, the hosts scored victory against Bangladesh teams.

Chess wizard Vishwanathan Anand was conferred with the prestigious Hridaynath Award, which

recognizes individuals for success in various walks of life. The honor comprises a cash award of

Rs 2 lakh and a memento.

DipaKarmakar created history by becoming the first Indian woman gymnast to qualify for

Olympics as she booked a berth for the Rio Games after a strong performance at the final qualifying

and test event.

Rafael Nadal claimed his ninth Monte Carlo Masters title, his first ATP crown since July 2014, as

the Spaniard defeated Frenchman Gael Monfils in final by three sets.

Superstar Salman Khan will represent India in the 2016 Olympics to be held in Rio as he has been

nominated as the Goodwill Ambassador for the Indian Contingent.

This is the first time that a Bollywood superstar has been chosen to as a Goodwill Ambassador for

the games.

The World Health Day is a global health awareness day celebrated every year on 7 April, under the

sponsorship of the World Health Organization (WHO).

In 1948, the WHO held the First World Health Assembly. The Assembly decided to celebrate 7

April of each year, with effect from 1950, as the World Health Day.

Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Sushri Uma

Bharti inaugurated Water Film Festival at Water Expo-2016 in New Delhi

The winners of this year's FBB Femina Miss India have been announced--after a glorious ceremony

night--and Delhi girl Priyadarshini Chatterjee has bagged the crown for FBB Femina Miss India

World.

Iconic Indian woman boxer M C Mary Kom added another honor to her list of accolades as she was

named one of the eight ambassadors for the upcoming World Championships by the International

Boxing Association (AIBA).

RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan, tennis star SaniaMirza, actress Priyanka Chopra, Google CEO

SundarPichai and founders of FlipkartBinny Bansal and Sachin Bansal have been named by Time

magazine in its list of the '100 Most Influential People in the World'.

The eleventh India-Mongolia joint training exercise, ‘Nomadic Elephant-2016’, to promote military

associations between the countries kicked off at Mongolia.

From the Mongolian Armed Forces, a total of 60 personnel will take part in the exercise.

Renowned artist SudarsanPattnaik has won the gold medal at ninth Moscow Sand Sculpture

Championship "The magical world of sand" 2016.

MOST IMPORTANT RECENT TERMINOLOGY

UJALA:Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal on 12 March 2016 announced UJALA, an acronym

for Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All, is being implemented by Energy Efficiency Services

Limited (EESL).

Trringo:Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd. Indian auto major is establishing the first-of-its-kind farm

equipment rentals named ‘Trringo’ which aims to bring in digital technology to the tractor and farm

equipment rental business.

India Aviation 2016:‘India Aviation 2016’ (5-day civil aviation show) was inaugurated by

President Pranab Mukherjee on 16 March 2016 at Begumpet Airport (Hyderabad).

Iron Fist 2016:The Indian Air Force (IAF) on 18 March 2016 demonstrated Iron Fist 2016 (its

combat and firepower) in the presence of the President Shri Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister

Shri Narendra Modi at Pokhran (Rajasthan).

Airlander 10:Airlander 10 is the name of the world’s largest airship-cum-plane ever that was

officially unveiled on 21 March 2016 and is ready to make its maiden voyage.

Emergency number 112:Emergency number 112 was adopted as the single emergency number for

India on 28 March 2016 and will work on par with the American emergency number 911.

Syn 3.0:Syn 3.0 is the name of the smallest-ever bacterial genome, development of which was

announced by genome trailblazer J. Craig Venter during March 2016.

MOST IMPORTANT SPECIAL FEATURE

UMANG

UMANG stands for Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance.

The project is being developed by the union ministry of communications and information

technology’s National e-governance division (NeGD).

The Government is all set to launch a master application, which is being hailed as ‘Mother of all

App’.

The app, UMANG will consolidate 200+ services offered by Central, State and Local

administrations under one single platform.

The Government has invited bids from partner agencies to develop an app that will incorporates

services like applying for a passport, filing income-tax returns and paying various bills or to access

any other government services through just one mobile app.

MCLR

All rupee loans sanctioned and credit limits from 1 April 2016 will be priced with MCLR(Marginal

Cost of Lending Rate) which will be the internal benchmark

MCLR will comprise -

o Marginal cost of funds

o Negative carry on account of CRR

o Operating costs

o Tenor premium

OMO and MSS

OMO: OMOs are the market operations conducted by the Reserve Bank of India by way of sale/

purchase of Government securities to/ from the market with an objective to adjust the rupee

liquidity conditions in the market on a durable basis.

MSS: MSS (Market Stabilization Scheme) securities are issued with the objective of providing the

RBI with a stock of securities with which it can intervene in the market for managing liquidity.

GYAN SANGAM(bankers’ retreat): The first edition of ‘Gyan Sangam’ was held in 2015 in Pune,

the second edition is being held on 4 and 5 March 2016 at Gurgaon.

FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY AND BUDGET MANAGEMENT (FRMB) ACT

The committee was constituted on it as on 18 may 2016.

It became an act in 2003.

Objective:

In long-run macro stability.

Coordination between fiscal & monetary policy.

Transparency in fiscal operation of the government.

FRBM rules in July 2004 to specify the reduction of fiscal deficit to 3% of government of India by

2008-09.

Union government constituted N.K Singh committee as on 18 may 2016.

It is a 5 member committee to review FRBM roadmap for future.

Members are:

Former finance revenue secretary & Rajya Sabha member N.K SINGH.

Former finance & revenue secretary SUMIT BOSE.

Chief economic advisor Dr. ARVIND SUBRAMANIAN.

Deputy Governor of RBI URJIT PATEL.

Director of National Institute Public Finance Policy (NIPFP) RATHIN ROY.

The committee was constituted as per announcement made by the Union Finance Minister Mr.

Arun Jaitley in 2016-17 budget speech.

The committee will summit its report to the union government by 31st October 2016.

TERMS &REFERENCE OF THE COMMITTEE:

It will review working of FRBM Act 2003 over last 12 years & suggest the way forward.

Suggestions should be submitted keeping in view the broad objective of Fiscal consolidation &

prudence and change required in context.

Panel will consult other government department outside experts about the changes and the

amendments.

THE 63RD NATIONAL FILM AWARDS (FOR YEAR 2015)

The 63rd National Film Awards (for year 2015) were announced on 28 March 2016.

Amitabh Bachchan won the best actor award for his Bengali turn in parental drama ‘Piku’.

Kangana Ranaut was announced the best actress for her double role in “Tanu Weds Manu Returns”.

The single-biggest honor for the year 2015 went to S.S Rajamouli’s bilingual blockbuster

‘Baahubali: The Beginning’, which was adjudged the best film.

Other prominent awards:

Best Popular Film: ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’

Best Supporting Actor: Samuthirakani (‘Visaranai’)

Best Supporting Actress: Tanvi Azmi (‘Bajirao Mastani’)

Nargis Dutt Award for Best film on National Integration: ‘Nanak Shah Fakir’

Best Film on Social Issues: ‘Nirnayakam’

Best Children’s Film: ‘Duronto’

Best Hindi Film award: ‘Dum Laga Ke Haisha’

Best Tamil Film: ‘Visaranai’

Best Telugu Film: ‘Kanche’

Best Kannada Film: ‘Thithi’

Best Malayalam Film: ‘Pathemaari’

Best Sanskrit Film: ‘Priyamanasam’

Best Bangla Film: ‘Shankhachil’

Best Marathi Film: ‘Ringan’

Best Odiya Film: ‘Pahada Ra Luha’

Best Punjabi Film: ‘Chauthi Koot’

Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Director: Neeraj Ghaywan (‘Masaan’)

Best Choreography Award: Remo D’Souza (‘Bajirao Mastani’)

IMPORTANT DAYS

June 5 World Environment Day

June 8 World Oceans Day

June 12 World’s Day Against Child Labor

June 14 World Blood Donor Day

June 18 Autistic Pride Day

June 20 World Refugee Day

June 21 Father’s Day

June 21 World Hydrography Day

June 21 International Yoga Day

June 26 International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking

01st May International Worker’s Day, May Day

12th May International Nurses Day

21st May Anti-Terrorism Day

24th May Commonwealth Day

2nd Sunday of May Mother’s Day

31st May World No Tobacco Day

2nd April World Autism Awareness Day

5th April National Maritime Day

7th April World Health Day

10th April World Homeopathy Day

14th April Dr.B.R. Ambedkar Jayanti

17th April World Hemophilia Day

18th April World Heritage Day

21st April National Civil Services Day

22nd April Earth Day

23rd April World Book & Copyright Day

24rth April Panchayati Raj Diwas

25th April World Malaria Day

26th April World Intellectual Property Day

Mar 3 National Defense Day

Mar 4 National Security Day

Mar 8 International Women's Day, World literacy Day

Mar 9 CISF Raising Day

Mar 15 World Consumer Rights Day

Mar 16 National Vaccination Day

Mar 20 World Happiness Day

Mar 21 World Forestry Day

Mar 22 World Day of Water

Mar 23 World Meteorological Day

Mar 24 World TB Day

Mar 26 Bangladesh Liberation Day

ABBREVIATIONS

SECI Solar Energy Corporation of India

PMIS Project Management & Information System

IWMS Integrated Waste Management System

AIRF All India Railway men’s Federation

ITBA Income Tax Business Application

NDAA National Defence Authorization Act

NPCC National Projects Construction Corporation Ltd.

FRBM Fiscal Responsibility & Budget Management

NIIF National Infrastructure & Investment Fund

OPIC Overseas Private Investment Corporation

BBB Banks Board Bureau

DMRC Delhi Metro Rail Corporation

ISS International Space Station

PKL Pro Kabaddi League

CDSCO Central Drugs Standard Control Organization

CLAB Capital Local Area Bank

NPS National Pension Plan

IRNSS-1F Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System-1F

UFEEBU United Forum of Regional Rural Bank Unions

NHSRCL National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited

SPV Special Purpose Vehicle

FCV Fuel Cell Vehicle

NGT National Green Tribunal

CCEA Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs

RSS Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh

UJALA Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All

HCE Host Card Emulation

SDSN Sustainable Development Solutions Network

SCIC Standing Committee of IIT Council

NAT National Authority of Test

WIPO World Intellectual Property Organization

IPO Initial Public Offering

FDA Food and Drug Administration

CR Central Railway

LATEST CURRENT AFFAIRS FOR SBI EXAMINATIONS

US President Barack Obama has nominated an Indian-origin diplomat Kamala ShirinLakhdhir as

the next American ambassador to Malaysia.

Just Dial, UTI Asset Management Company and IRCTC are among the firms that have made it to

the Fortune Next 500 list of Indian companies, which has been topped by Dynamatic Technologies.

The Max Life insurance board approved the merger with HDFC Standard Life Insurance.

In order to fund start-ups in the financial technology space, country's largest lender SBI has set up a

Rs 200 crore fund.

India and Thailand have inked two agreements in the field of culture and education. Both the

countries have also agreed to forge a closer partnership in the fields of defense and maritime

cooperation.

India's commercial-hub Mumbai has been rated as the least expensive on the basis cost of living in

the Asia Pacific (APAC) region, according to a visual analytics app - Qlik.

Human Resource Development Minister SmritiIrani launched the Vidyanjali School Volunteer

programme. With this programme any person can voluntarily teach government school children

without acquiring degree of a teacher.

Noted theatre personality and popular Odia film actress Manimala Devi died. She was 90.

Navy's Top officer AshutoshPednekar became the first Indian in sports history to participate and

win international tournaments in the sport of racketlon. He bagged Gold in plus 45 and Silver in

Men's amateur category at the Super World Tour- King of Rackets tournament held at Oudenaarde

Belgium.

India and the UK clinched two new key agreements on solar energy and nano technology as part of

their wider science and technology cooperation.

The UN agency promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women has appointed

Academy Award-winning actress Anne Hathaway as a global goodwill ambassador.

Canadian poet, novelist and environmental activist Margaret Atwood will be awarded the 2016

PEN Pinter Prize. Atwood will receive her award at a public event at the British Library on 13

October 2016.

SupriyaSahu has been appointed the director general of Doordarshan.

Sunil Bharti Mittal, Bharti Enterprises' founder and chairman, has been elected Chairman of the

International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) which is situated in Paris, France.

The Cabinet approved the merger of five associate banks of SBI — State Bank of Bikaner and

Jaipur, State Bank of Travancore, State Bank of Patiala, State Bank of Mysore and State Bank of

Hyderabad as well as Bharatiya Mahila Bank with State Bank of India.

Andhra Pradesh has become the first State to have obtained a telecom license and it can issue phone

numbers starting with the ‘797’ series from August this year.

President Pranab Mukherjee has been honored with the highest Civilian Award of Ivory Coast -

National Order of the Republic of Ivory Coast.

In the latest QS rankings 2016, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore and four IITs —

Mumbai, Delhi, Madras and Kanpur have found a place in the list of Asia’s top 50 universities.

IISC is placed at 33 this year in the list and IIT Mumbai is at 35th place.

Senior legal service officer Suresh Chandra has been appointed as the Law Secretary. Chandra, an

officer of Indian Legal Service, is currently Additional Secretary in the department.

Chinese internet and technology Company LeEco has signed up as the official sponsor of the

International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards 2016. 17th IIFA Awards will be held in Madrid,

Spain, from June 23 to 26.

Peter Thomson of Fiji has been elected the President of the next session of the UN General

Assembly. Thomson was the vice president of the General Assembly in 2010-11.

Sridevihonoured with the Lifetime achievement award for outstanding achievement in Indian

cinema at the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards in Madrid.

Government approved disinvestment of 10% stake in Housing & Urban Development Corporation

Limited (HUDCO).

Italy's "OsteriaFrancescana" has been crowned world's best restaurant of 2016 at an awards

ceremony in New York, the first Italian establishment to win the annual accolade.

DCB Bank launched its first Aadhaar-based ATM in Bengaluru. This ATM accepts Aadhaar

number and Aadhaar fingerprint (biometric) to dispense cash and it will not require any ATM/Debit

Card and PIN.

Major Technology Company Microsoft and Professional Networking Website LinkedIn have

entered into an agreement under which Microsoft will acquire LinkedIn for $26.2 billion.

Tony Fernandes, group CEO of Malaysia's AirAsia, has been given the 'Overseas Citizenship of

India' (OCI) status by the Indian Government.

Israel has been elected to head the United Nations' legal committee. It is the first time that Israel

will head one of the world body's six permanent committees since joining the U.N. in 1949.

The Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has

released the inflation rates based on Consumer Price Index (CPI) for May, 2016. According to

Consumer Price Index, retail inflation rate was 5.76 per cent in May, 2016.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) unveiled a new scheme for Sustainable Structuring of Stressed

Assets (S4A) for reworking the financial structure of big corporate entities facing genuine

difficulties. The scheme will be considered if the aggregate exposure (including accrued interest) of

all institutional lenders in the account is more than Rs 500 crore.

Bariatric surgeon Shashank S Shah has been honored with the American Diabetes Associations

'Vivian Fonseca Scholar Award 2016' for his contribution in the field of gastric bypass surgery for

diabetes.

According to global financial services firm DBS, recovery in the Indian economy will continue to

be 'uneven' and the GDP growth expected to increase from 7.6 per cent to 7.8 per cent in the current

fiscal 2016-17.

China launched the 23rd BeiDou navigation satellite to support its global navigation and

positioning network. The satellite, launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest

China's Sichuan Province, was taken into orbit by a Long March-3C carrier rocket.

Indian badminton star SainaNehwal defeated China's Sun Yu to win her second Australian Open

Super Series title.

Lewis Hamilton won the Canadian Grand Prix title for the fifth time and continuously for the

second time.

India has created a world record by installing 65000 solar pumps in the wake of Prime Minister

Narendra Modi's commitment of making the country a clean energy capital.

The Indian men's 4x400m relay team created a new national record, clocking 3:02.17 at the

International Sprint and Relay Teams Cup. They bettered the previous record of 3:02.62 set at the

1998 Asian Games in Bangkok.

India's Leander Paes will become the only tennis player in the world and the first Indian to make a

seventh appearance at the Olympics. Paes won the bronze medal for India in singles tennis at the

1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Russia has honored Kudankulam nuclear power plant site director R.S. Sundar with 'Order of

Friendship' for his role in the project being built with Russian assistance in Tamil Nadu.

Indian short film "Leeches", starring Sayani Gupta, won the Audience Choice Award at the Seoul

International Women's Film Festival (SIWFF).

In a first, China and Nepal are now connected by an optical fiber network through the Geelong

(Keyrong)-Rasuwgadhi border point.

Star Health Insurance entered into bancassurance agreement with Bank of India to market the health

insurer's products across the public sector lenders' branches across the country.

India, Japan and the US kicked off their annual naval war exercise named Malabar Exercise near

South China Sea. The 8-day joint exercises will see in action over 100 aircraft and 22 naval ships

including a nuclear submarine. India and the US have regularly conducted the annual exercise since

1992.

Realty portal Magic bricks has partnered with State Bank of India (SBI) to organize an online

'home-buying festival'.

Reserve Bank has cancelled registration of three NBFCs namely Escorts Finance, Jayant Security

and Finance and Express Trading & Securities.

Tourism Ministry said that USA occupies the top slot followed by UK and China Amongst the

Countries Availing E-Tourist Visa Facility during May 2016.

Olympic champion shooter AbhinavBindra has been chosen as the flag bearer of the Indian

contingent at the Rio Games’ opening ceremony on August 5.

A 30-year old Indian entrepreneur UmeshSachdev has been named by Time magazine to its 2016

list of "10 millennials who are changing the world" for building a phone which can help people to

interact and access critical services by communicating in their native languages.

Indian-American author Akhil Sharma won the prestigious 100,000-euro International Dublin

Literary Award, the world's richest award for a single novel, for his second novel 'Family Life'.

Jharkhand was adjudged 'top performing state' under the Digital India Programme.

Russian President Vladimir Putin awarded United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with the

'Order of Friendship' award. He was awarded for strengthening peace, friendship, cooperation and

mutual understanding between peoples.

Director of movies like 'The Martian', 'Gladiator' and 'Blade Runner', Ridley Scott will be honored

with the 30th American Cinematheque Award.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has appointed Swedish Major General PerLodin, a logistics

expert, to head the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) that monitors

the situation in Kashmir. India does not recognize the UNMOGIP's mandate.

In a ranking of 163 countries, compiled by global think tank 'Institute for Economics and Peace'

(IEP), Syria has been named as the least peaceful, followed by South Sudan, Iraq, Afghanistan and

Somalia. On the other hand, Iceland was ranked as the world's most peaceful country. India has

been ranked at 141st place in this Global Peace Index, making it less peaceful than countries like

Burundi, Serbia and Burkina Faso.

India, America and Japan participated in a trilateral maritime exercise Malabar-16, the exercise

took place at Sasebo in Japan.

Before the start of the EURO 2016, Germany and Arsenal's star midfielder MesutOzil has been

named as the Laureus Sport for Good Ambassador.

Maria Sharapova has been suspended for two years by the International Tennis Federation for

testing positive for meldonium at the Australian Open.

The World Bank has lowered its forecast for the global growth in 2016 to 2.4 per cent, saying that

the world economy is facing stronger headwinds.

Fashion designer and AIDS activist Kenneth Cole has been named as the International goodwill

ambassador by the head of the UN's AIDS-fighting organization.

President Pranab Mukherjee will be presented the 'National Order of the Republic of Ivory Coast'.

This is the highest Civilian award of Ivory Coast.

Eminent Indian-origin professor Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya has been awarded the prestigious

Regius Professorship in Manufacturing by Queen Elizabeth II for his outstanding contribution in

manufacturing.

The Government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $120 million loan

agreement to improve irrigation and water management infrastructure in Odisha.

Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal and New & Renewable Energy launched

“Surya Mitra” mobile App at National Workshop on Rooftop Solar Power. This App is a high end

technology platform which can handle thousands of calls simultaneously and can efficiently

monitor all visits of Suryamitra’s.

Arundhati Bhattacharya, the first woman chairperson of the nation's largest bank SBI, has been

ranked fifth most powerful women in finance by the Forbes magazine. She is also ranked 25th in

Forbes' list of 'The World's 100 Most Powerful Women' which includes four Indian Women. Others

are Chanda Kochhar of ICICI Bank (40th), Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw of Biocon (77th), and

ShobhanaBhartia of HT Media (93rd).

Hillary Clinton created history by becoming first woman presidential nominee of America.

Brazil will host 2019 Copa America Tournament. Brazil last hosted the Copa America in 1989.

Guwahati, Assam became the first city in the country to have its own City Animal with the Kamrup

Metropolitan district administration declaring the Gangetic river dolphin as the mascot.

According to the Forbes Magazine, American Tennis Star Serena Williams has overtaken Maria

Sharapova as the World's highest-paid sportswoman.

In line with the government’s Digital India campaign, PC maker Dell has announced the launch of

'Aarambh' – a pan-India initiative aimed at spearheading the use of personal computer (PC) for

education.

Deshauna Barber, Logistic Commander and IT Analyst of United States (US), was crowned as the

Miss USA 2016. With this, Barber became the first-ever military member to win Miss USA title.

The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), a Public Private Partnership (PPP) body

under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, announced the appointment of

Manish Kumar as MD and CEO and Jayant Krishna as ED and Chief Operating Officer (COO).

The coast guards of India and South Korea will hold a 4-day joint exercise 'Sshyog-Hyeoblyeog-

2016' in Chennai from June 8 to 11.

In a report, Yes Bank said that Indian economy is expected to grow at 8.1 per cent in the current

fiscal year 2016-17.

India's two-wheeler manufacturing major Hero MotoCorp Ltd will be the title sponsor of the men's

Hockey Champions Trophy 2016 which will be held in London from June 10-17.

Switzerland has supported India's membership to the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group. With this

Switzerland has also agreed to share informations on Money laundering and tax evasion.

According to 2016 Global Retail Development Index (GRDI), India has jumped 13 positions from

last year to rank second among 30 developing countries this year on ease of doing business. China

has been placed at first place in this report.

Pegging India's 'black economy' at over Rs 30 lakh crore or about 20 per cent of total GDP , a new

study of Ambit Capital Research says that black economy has been contracting gradually over the

years but still remains bigger than the overall economic size of countries like Thailand and

Argentina .

The world's largest food retailer Nestle and Chinese E-commerce Company Alibaba announced

their partnership to increase online selling. Under this initiative, Nestle will launch its biggest e-

commerce campaign ever with its diverse products, spanning 30 brands from coffee to baby

formula, being sold on Alibaba's expansive e-commerce platforms such as Tmall.

World No. 1 Serbian tennis Player, Novak Djokovic defeated Andy Murray of Britain to win his

first men's singles French Open title and with this he has become the third man in tennis history to

hold all four Grand Slam titles at the same time.

India was chosen to co-chair the important Working Group on Improving Maritime Situational

Awareness (MSA).This decision was taken in the 19th Plenary Session of the Contact Group on

Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) in Mahe, Seychelles. Seychelles is the current chairman

of the CGPCS for the biennium 2016-17.

Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhu launched Tiger Express train on the World Environment Day.

The objective of the train is to create awareness about our national animal, the Tiger.

Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia and Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei won the men's and women's

singles title respectively in the Indonesia Open.

Lucknow will host the FIH Junior Men's Hockey World Cup 2016. The countries that will

participate in the Junior World Cup, include hosts India, Argentina, Autralia, Austria, Belgium,

Canada, Egypt, England, Pakistan, Germany, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, New Zealand, South

Africa and Spain.

Bollywood actress DiaMirza has been named the ambassador for Swachh Bharat Mission's youth-

based 'Swachh Saathi' (student internship) programme.

India joined global ballistic missile proliferation regime Hague Code of Conduct (HCoC). The

HCoC is a voluntary, legally non-binding international confidence building and transparency

measure that seeks to prevent the proliferation of ballistic missiles that are capable of delivering

weapons of mass destruction.

Two Indian-origin women have featured on the Forbes' annual list of America's 60 wealthiest and

most successful self-made women entrepreneurs. India-born NeerjaSethi, who co-founded IT

consulting and outsourcing firm 'Syntel', is ranked 16th in list while president and CEO of Arista

Networks JayshreeUllal (55) is ranked 30th.

India and Tunisia signed two MoUs on promotion of handicrafts and IT and communication and

digital economy.

ESPN released the list of top 100 global sports personalities. Real Madrid's superstar Cristiano

Ronaldo tops the list. Kohli is No. 8 while Dhoni is No. 13 in the list of ESPN world fame 100

ranking. Apart from this Indian tennis star SaniaMirza is also included in this list, she is at No. 41.

N.K.Chari has been appointed as the new Managing Director of State Bank of Mysore.

Public Sector Telecom Company, BSNL announced partnership with Hitachi Payment Services for

facilitating round-the-clock phone bill payment through ATM.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has asked banks to immediately put in place a cyber-security to

protect the banking system from Internet-based threats.

V.O. Chidambaranar Port has bagged National Award for Excellence in Cost Management for the

year 2015 from the Institute of Cost Accountants of India under the category of Public Service

Sector. This is the third time this port is receiving the award, the earlier years being 2008 and 2012.

Former media professional Rahul Johri took charge as the first Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of

the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said that India's growth rate is

expected to be 7.5 per cent in the current fiscal year 2016-17.

The Rajasthan government signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the State Bank of

Bikaner and Jaipur (SBBJ) to boost the start-up ecosystem in the state.

The Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved setting up of the India Post

Payments Bank (IPPB) as a Public Limited Company under the Department of Posts, with 100%

Government of India (GOI) equity.

A Qatar-based Indian banker R Seetharaman has been awarded the 'Green Economy Visionary

award' for his contribution in environment-friendly activities and for promoting green economy for

nearly two decades. Seetharaman is the Group CEO of Doha Bank.

Senior IPS officer Navin Agarwal has been appointed chief of National Anti-Doping Agency

(NADA), working for dope-free sports.

India's leading broadcaster Star India announced that it has bagged exclusive broadcasting rights for

the next five editions of the French Open tennis tournament from 2017 to 2021.

The Government of India and the Government of the United States of America signed a

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance cooperation on energy security, clean energy

and climate change.

Razak Khan, one of the best comedians of Bollywood movies, passed away. He had in total acted in

more than 90 films during his career.

According to the report by New World Wealth, India has been ranked seventh in the list of top 10

wealthiest countries in the world, which was topped by the United States with total individual

wealth of $48,700 billion. On the other hand, on a per capita basis, the average Indian is "quite

poor".

As per the data released by Government, India's per capital income rose by 7.4 per cent to Rs

93,293 in 2015-16, compared to Rs 86,879 in the preceding fiscal.

The Finance Ministry said that it expects GDP growth rate to notch up to 8 per cent in the current

financial year 2016-17.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved Superannuation age of all doctors in Central Health

Service has been enhanced to 65 years. This decision will benefit about 4,000 doctors.

The government said that India met its fiscal deficit target of 3.9% of gross domestic production for

the last financial year. For 2016-17, the government aims to further bring down the fiscal deficit to

3.5 per cent.

The government appointed Ashok Lavasa, a 1980 batch IAS officer of Haryana cadre, as the new

finance secretary.

Reliance Industries said that it is in pact to sell its 76% stake in Mauritius-incorporated Gulf Africa

Petroleum Corporation (GAPCO) to a French energy company Total Marketing & Services.

Sri Lankan bowler NuwanKulasekara announced his retirement from Test cricket.

Retired Chinese tennis star Li Na has been named the 60th member of the Laureus World Sports

Academy.

Legendary Oscar winning Indian music composer A.R. Rahman has been awarded Japan's Grand

Fukuoka prize 2016 for his outstanding contribution to Asian culture through his music.

State Bank of India (SBI)'s point of sales terminal (PoS) network is now the largest in the country.

Upto February 2016, there were 2.96 million Point of sale (POS) terminals installed by SBI in the

country.

FICCI's Economic Outlook Survey said that India's GDP growth will be 7.7 percent for the fiscal

year 2016-17.

Actor R Madhavan has been appointed the goodwill ambassador against leprosy by LEPRA India.

LEPRA India is a non-government organisation working in the fields of leprosy, tuberculosis,

malaria, HIV/AIDS and community health.

Pope Francis honoured Hollywood actors Richard Gere, George Clooney and Salma Hayek with the

'Olive Medal of Peace'.

Star Indian batsman Virat Kohli has been named Ceat T20 Player of the Year while former Indian

captain DilipVengsarkar was conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

China successfully launched a new civilian ‘high-resolution mapping satellite’ along with two other

foreign satellites. The Ziyuan III 02 satellite took off on the back of a Long March 4B rocket from

the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in northern Shanxi Province. It was the 228th flight mission by

a Long March carrier rocket.

England Captain Alastair Cook became the youngest cricketer to complete 10,000 runs in test

cricket. Till now, this record was owned by Indian star Sachin Tendulkar.

National football team goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu has achieved a historic feat as he became

the first Indian to feature in a top-tier league match in Europe.

India has the highest number of people in the world trapped in modern slavery with 18.35 million

victims of forced labour, begging, according to the 2016 Global Slavery Index released by

Australia-based human rights group Walk Free Foundation.