December 2015

Current Affairs PDF: December 2015
Current Affairs December PDF Capsule 2015

( Dec 1 to 20 )
Contents
INDIAN AFFAIRS ............................................................................................................................................... 1
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS ....................................................................................................................... 37
BANKING & FINANCE ................................................................................................................................. 57
BUSINESS ........................................................................................................................................................ 66
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS ..................................................................................................................... 72
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS .................................................................................................................... 83
ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS .................................................................................................................... 90
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY ....................................................................................................................... 93
ENVIRONMENT ............................................................................................................................................. 99
SPORTS .......................................................................................................................................................... 102
OBITUARY .................................................................................................................................................... 113
BOOKS & AUTHORS .................................................................................................................................. 115
IMPORTANT DAYS ..................................................................................................................................... 116
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INDIAN AFFAIRS
Three-day MayyazhiMahotsavam kicked off in Mahe, Puducherry
The three-day MayyazhiMahotsavam(Fete de Mahe) celebrated from 29th November to
1st December at Mahe with a variety of programmes exhibiting the rich culture and tradition of the
region, situated inside Kerala to attract open public participation in that way fostering the
feeling of oneness.
Organised by Department of Tourism and the Legislative Assembly Secretariat at
Mahe AayiMandapam, the main venue witnessed the performance of artists of national and
international acclamation.
Seminar on waste is wealth and a debate was held.
Key points:
Chairman of the Festival committee and Regional Administrator of Mahe- Mangalatte

Dinesh
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President given assent Maharashtra Factories (Amendment) Bill, 2015
Purpose:For women to work night shifts with mandatory safeguards for security
Indian Railways inked Rs.40000cr deal of locomotive plants with GE
Americas General Electric i.e. GE and Frances Alstom inked deal with Indian Railways to set
up high horse power diesel and electric engines at Bihars Marhowraand Madhepura at cost of
Rs.40,000 crore(About 1,000 diesel locos in 11 years at a cost of Rs.14,656 crore and 800 electric
locos in 11 years at Rs.19,904 crore).
Deal:
Marhowra plant 4,500HP (horse power) and 6,000HP diesel engines, which can operate
as 9,000HP and 12,000HP units.
Madhepura will produce 12,000HP electric locomotives.
Use: For heavy haul freight operations in the dedicated freight corridors.
GE Transport India managing director Nalin Jain and Railway Board director Jayant Kumar signed
for Marhowra plant
Maharashtra topped in GSDP Brickwork Report
In accordance with the 4th edition of report by credit rating agency Brickwork, Maharashtra is the
biggest economy within India at Rs 16.87 lakh crore in terms of gross state domestic product
(GSDP). The rating agency looked at the State governments willingness and ability to honour debt
obligations.
Maharashtras GSDP has grown by 69% for the financial year ended March 31, 2015 and
is followed by Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.
Rating criterion
It includes an analysis of political, economic, budgetary, financial and institutional parameters that
were considered relevant to the Maharashtra governments creditworthiness.
Manufacturing sector
Gujarat and Maharashtra led this sector with 27.26% and 25.18% of GSDP respectively in 201415.
Other states with higher manufacturing sector share were Tamil Nadu (19.1 %), Jharkhand
(18.8%) and Haryana (18.1%).
Services sector
Karnataka leads in the growth of services sector due to the growth in the IT/BPO/ KPO sector
followed by Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.
Agriculture sector
Agriculture has been the mainstay of most states by employing 40-60% of the workforce directly or
indirectly but it has been neglected sector.
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National level
Indias GDP growth rate at 7.3% in 2015 exceeded that of China which grew at 6.9%.
The fastest-growing states were Bihar at 17.06%, Madhya Pradesh (16.86%) and
Goa (16.43%) while Telangana (5.3%), Punjab (10.16%) and Rajasthan (11%) have shown a slow
progress.
Union Government launched GIAN Scheme to boost higher education
Global Initiative of Academic Networks(GIAN) scheme to boost the quality of the country's
higher education through international collaboration launched at the Indian Institute of TechnologyGandhinagar by HRD Minister SmritiIrani, and was started at IIT Kharagpur in the presence
of R. Subrahmanyam(additional secretary for technical education), is inter-connected with
the 'Make in India' campaign and the IMPRINT programme.
Key points:
10-day courses:3D Digitisation for Cultural Heritage at IIT Gandhinagar and Orthopaedic
Biomechanics: Implants and Biomaterials at IIT Kharagpur.
201 courses approved under GIAN from among 495 courses so far.
Orthopaedic biomechanics courseby: Prof. NicoVerdonschot from the Netherlands

President given assent to Labour Laws (Gujarat Amendment) Bill, 2015
President PranabMukherjee given assent to the Labour Laws Bill of Gujarat, which has provisions
to ban strikes in public utility services for up to one year. The Bill was sent for the Presidents
approval along with the Gujarat Control of Terrorism and OrganisedCrime (GCTOC) Bill, 2015 which
is yet to be approved.
The bill also sought to change certain basic definitions in the Minimum Wages Act, 1948
and clauses in the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947
Objective: "To strengthen labourers and employers equally in the industrial hub of Gujarat.
Government fixed compounding amount for industrialist maximum of Rs.21,000 and for
labourers it is between Rs.150 and Rs.3,000, amending the Industrial Dispute Act.
Labour and Employment minister:Vijay Rupani.

Jharkhand Government declared state as drought hit
Jharkhand government declared the state as drought-hit because of scanty rainfall this season and
decision was taken in a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Raghubar Das.
Package of Rs.1,398 crore to drought-hit farmers for subsidized diesel, distribution of

seeds, construction of small check dams and other facilities declared by the state
government.
Delhi Assembly passed three major education bills

Three education bills passed will regulate the refund of excess fees at private institutions and also
toabolish the screening processes at nursery and crumbthe no detention policy till class 8th.
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Key points:
Delhi School Education Amendment Bill (DSEAA) and the Delhi School (Verification of
Accounts and Refund of Excess Fee) Bill lay down heavy fine(Rs.5 lakh for the first
breach and Rs.10 lakh for each subsequent breach) and imprisonment for violators of
various provisions.
Penalty of different grades for taking interviews at the entry levels plus the nursery
admission and charging capitation fees.
Salary and allowances payable to, and terms and conditions of employees of recognized
private schools shall be as per government schools.
Government gave nod to introduction of Regional Centre for Biotechnology Bill, 2015
The Union Cabinet led by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given nod for introduction of a
Bill to establish a Regional Centre for Biotechnology in Faridabad. It is currently active at the NCR
Biotech Science Cluster, Faridabad.
Objective:
To provide a legal status to the Centre so as to function autonomously and also an Institution of
National Importance for education, training and research in the fields of biotechnology.
MoU between India and Iran on visa facilitation
The Union Cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi ratified the signing of agreement between
India and Iran on visa facilitation for Diplomatic, Official/Service and Ordinary passport holders.
Resident Diplomatic Missions in the host country would, within 20 working days, issue
a cost-free visa valid for three months assigned on long-term missions to the
Diplomatic Missions or the Consulates General.
MoU between India and Germany for Capital Goods Sector and Solar Energy
The Union Cabinet led by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ratified a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) between India and Germany to magnify bilateral cooperation in the field
of Solar Energy by expandinguse of solar energy in India through technical as well as financial
cooperation.
Agreement:Germany would provide concessional loans in the range of one billion Euros over the
next five years through Kreditanstalt fur Wiederaufbau(KfW). It will be used for providing soft loans
to the end-users through partner banks.
Key points:
Cooperation in the field of solar roof tops
Development of solar parks or solar zones
Solar off-grid applications to improve the access to clean and sustainable energy.
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Memorandum of Understanding between India and Maldives in the field of sports and
youth affairs
The Union Cabinet led by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi given its nod for a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) between India and Maldives in the field of sports and youth affairs.
Benefits:
Expand knowledge and expertise in the areas of sports science, sports medicine, coaching
techniques, participation in youth festivals and camps as a result improvement in execution of
India's sports persons in international tournaments and strengthening of bilateral relations between
the two countries.
India signs pact with Bahrain for cooperation on terrorism, organised crime
India and Bahrain signed agreement to provide cooperation to tackle international terrorism
transnational organized crime and psychotropic substances and was inked during the talks between
union home minister Rajnath Singh and his counterpart Lt Gen Sheikh Rashed Bin Abdulla
Al-Khalifa at New Delhi.
Aim: To strengthen cooperation and information sharing to ensure faster investigations and
prosecutions of traffickers and organised crime groups in either country.
As per report compiled by United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC) after
southeast Asia, south Asia with India at its Centre is the fastest-growing region for human
trafficking in the world. Every year more than 1.6lakh people have been trafficked.
Memorandum of Understanding between India and Israel in the field of water resources
management and development cooperation
The Union Cabinet led by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its nod for signing of a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Israel in the field of water resources
management and development cooperation.
Benefit:
To strengthen the techniques in efficient use of water, micro-irrigation, recycling/re-use of waste
water, desalination, aquifer recharge and in-situ water conservation techniques.
Earlier agreements in this field: With Australia, Rwanda, Cambodia, Iran, Iraq, Fiji, China
Union Cabinet approves DTAC agreement with Japan
The Double Taxation Avoidance Convention (DTAC) which was signed between India and Japan
in 1989 has been amended in order by the Union Cabinet to facilitate tax-related exchange of
information.
The protocol will facilitate exchange of information as per accepted international

standards on tax matters, including bank information and information without domestic
tax interest.
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The protocol signed between the countries also has a provision to offer assistance to each
other country in collection of revenue claims as well as for exemption of interest
income from taxation in the source country with respect to debt claims insured by the
government or government-owned financial institutions.
Goa Government launches National Food Security Act, 2013

The Goa Government has launched National Food Security Act, 2013 with an aim to benefit
more than one third of the states population.
About the act:
National Food Security Act, 2013 is about forecasting sufficient quantity of quality food at
affordable prices to people to live a life of dignity under Article 21 of Constitution.
Under the act near about 5,11,000 people will get 5 kilograms of subsidized
rice or wheat per person per month in Goa.
Rice will be given at the subsidized rate of 3 rupees per kg and wheat at the rate of 3
rupees per kg to target persons.
The Act will also include the Midday Meal (MDM) Scheme, Integrated Child Development
Services (ICDS) scheme and Public Distribution System (PDS) under it to provide
subsidized food grains.
Union Cabinet gives nod to establish 6 new IITs

The setting up of 6 new IITs in the country has been approved by the Central Government in the
states of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala and Karnataka.
Each new IIT will have an initial intake of 180 students in its first year which would
increase to 450 in the second year and to 928 (840 Undergraduates, 80 Postgraduates
and 8 PhDs) in the third year of their operation.
The total cost for running these IITs is Rs 1,411.80 crore and will be incurred between
2015-16 and 2018-19. Each new IIT will have teacher to student ratio of 1 : 10 and
before shifting to their permanent campuses, they will be operated from their temporary
campuses for the initial period of three years.
Lok Sabha passes The Bureau of Indian Standards Bill, 2015

Lok Sabha has passed The Bureau of Indian Standards Bill, 2015 by a voice vote to establish
Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). The bill has proposed to make BIS as the National Standards
Body of India and enable the government to bring more products, systems and services under
ambit of standardisation.
The bill on standardization was pending for over 30 years and will replace the Bureau of
Indian Standards Act, 1986.
Key Points about the Bill:
The Bill was approved by the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in
June 2015.
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The bill will allow the central government to authorize any other agency having necessary
accreditation for the purpose of conformity assessment against Indian standards.
The Bill will allow multiple types of conformity assessment schemes in tune with global
best practices.
The Bureau would be a national body which will formulate, certify and implement
certain standards of quality for goods, articles, processes, etc.
Technical committees of experts will be constituted by the Bureau for the purpose of
formulating such standards.
Food and Consumer Affairs Minister, Ram Vilas Paswan said it is in national interest
and it will help in promoting Make in India and Made in India.
Union Cabinet approved rehabilitation package for Bangladesh enclaves

Central government approved Rs.1006 crore rehabilitation package for the people affected after
the exchange of enclaves between India and Bangladesh.
Union Cabinet meeting led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved rehabilitation
package and upgradation of infrastructure of former Bangladesh enclaves in Cooch
Behar district after exchange of enclaves
between India and Bangladesh. Infrastructure development and rehabilitation
assistance will help harmonious integration of areas and people.
Rs 898.50 crore as the fixed cost of strengthening and creation of infrastructure in

Cooch Behar district and former Bangladesh enclaves in India.
Rs 107.49 crore as a variable cost is likely to be encountered for the rehabilitation.
PM launches Accessible India campaign in Delhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a campaign that to make government buildings, public
transport, tourist places, international airports and railways stations disabled-friendly on December
3, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Arun Jaitley unveiled the Sugamya Bharat
Abhiyan.
Aim: To increase participation of people with disability in day-to-day practices. Sugamya Bharat is
a right step towards an inclusive society.
Initiatives:
75 railway stations and 27 international airports and about 5,000 public buildings
would be rendered to make them accessible.
All government websites W3C compliant that means all websites would have a text-tospeech feature which would make them accessible to the visually impaired.
Superhead of the Accessible India campaign: Joint secretary Mukesh Jain

NGT announces Rs 5,000 fine on use of plastic in Chandigarh
National Green Tribunal announced a fine of Rs 5,000 on anyone found using or dealing with
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plastic material in Chandigarh to make the city pollution-free.
Reason: The direction came while hearing an appeal by Chandigarh resident Rishi Dev Anand who
has suspected gross failure in waste management system and in tackling garbage disposal.
370 metric tonnes of garbage was produced day-to-day in Chandigarh which was being
dumped irrationally.
Himachal Pradesh became first state to launch Rotavirus vaccination project

Himachal Pradesh has become the first state in the country to launch Rotavirus vaccination
project. Chief Minister Shri Virbhadra Singh launched this project from Dharamsala in district
Kangra by dispensing the Rotavirus drops to the children under five years. It will help in
monitoring the deaths amongst small children due to Diarrhea.
Rotavirus infection amount to 30,000 deaths in India annually. It would be soon

presented in Vellore in Karnataka and Pune in Maharashtra State with technical assistance
of International Clinical Epidemiological Network bearing the entire cost of vaccines.
Union Government releases postage stamp to mark centenary year of ZSI

Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, announced that
the India Posts would soon launch postal stamps to celebrate biodiversity of India's flora and
fauna. It will also celebrate the centenary anniversary of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI).
CEA Dr Arvind Subramanian Committee suggests GST rate of 17-18 per cent
A key panel on GST(Goods and Services Tax) headed by the chief economic advisor Arvind
Subramanian submitted its suggestions to the government. Chief economic advisor suggested a
revenue-neutral rate 17-18 per cent GST rate and dropping of the one per cent additional tax on
inter-state sales.
Revenue-neutral rate:To preserve current revenues that is at which there will be no loss to both
state and central governments.
Key highlights:
CEA headed panel recommends eliminating all taxes on inter-state trade
Panel not to specify GST rate in Constitutional Amendment Bill
Revenue neutral rate of 15-15.5% for GST
Two options for states that is Single rate of 15% or 17-18%
Removal of the the 1 percent additional tax aimed to benefit the producing states like
Gujarat and Tamil Nadu
Higher GST rates on tobacco, luxury cars, pan masala and aerated drinks
Alcohol, real estate out of GST to achieve 15% rate
The key standard rate will translate into a structure of rates, a low one of 12
percent and a high rate of 40 percent for things like luxury products
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Delhi Assembly passes Delhi Jan Lokpal Bill, 2015
The Delhi Janlokpal Bill, 2015 passed by the assembly after encompassing two amendments
proposed by activist Anna Hazare.
The anti-corruption bill was passed with 64 votes in the 70-member Delhi Assembly.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government described it as the strongest anti-graft legislation in
the country.
First amendment:
A seven-member panel would select two members and chairperson in the institution of Jan
Lokpal.
Second amendment:
Jan Lokpal would be impeached only after a high court monitored probe against the
ombudsman.
Lokpal will have powers to probe acts of corruption against Union ministers and
central government officials working in the National Capital Territory of Delhi, which
may spark another round of conflict between the Kejriwal government and the Centre.
Delhi Assembly passed MLA of NCT of Delhi (Salaries, Allowances, Pension, etc.)
(Amendment) Bill, 2015
Delhi Assembly passed a bill, around 400 per cent hike in the salaries of MLAs. The Members of the
Legislative Assembly of the Government of NCT of Delhi (Salaries, Allowances, Pension)
Amendment Bill 2015 will allow the basic salaries of MLAs to surge from 12,000 rupees to 50,000
rupees.
Key Highlights:
Proposed to hike in constituency allowance from present 18,000 to 50,000 rupees.
A payback sum of 70,000 rupees per month as allowance under Secretarial, Research
and Office Assistance which is 30,000 rupees at present.
A communication allowance of 10,000 rupees per month as well as 30,000 rupees as

monthly conveyance allowance for each MLA. As a result their overall monthly package
will be over 2 lakh rupees as against the existing 88,000 rupees.
BJP has criticized the Delhi government for bringing this bill and to withdraw it, opposing
it will send a wrong message to the people.
This year a group of AAP legislators had demanded a significant hike in salary, as their earnings
were not enough to run their family and offices. rejection
Married daughters eligible for appointment on compassionate grounds: Allahabad HC
The Allahabad High Court ruled that married daughters of deceased government employees should
be considered for appointment on compassionate grounds under the Dying in Harness Rules.
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Division Bench led by Chief Justice D. Y. Chandrachud and Justice Yashwant

Varma passed the order allowing the writ petition of Vimla Srivastava, whose father
had died while serving as a revenue department official in Azamgarh district.
She had confronted the dismissal of her request for a job on compassionate grounds by
the District Magistrate, according to him as per Uttar Pradesh Recruitment of Dependants
of Government Servants Dying-in-Harness Rules requests of only widowed or unmarried
daughters could be accommodated.
AP CM launches 'She Autos' scheme

Andhra Pradesh Chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu launched 'She Autos' scheme and
distributed 49 CNG-fuelled autos to women drivers. Each auto costs Rs.1.90 lakh.
Purpose: To encourage women to take up driving as profession
Pay Rs 4,500 per month for a period of 18 months and the remaining amount would be
allowed by Women's Welfare Department as a subsidy.
Lok Sabha passes bill to enhance compensation for Air Travellers

Lok Sabha passed a bill to enhance the compensation that airlines must pay to passengers in case
of death, injury, lost baggage or even unreasonable flight delays.
The Bill proposed to raise the liability limit for damage in case of death or bodily injury for
each person from 1,00,000 SDR (special drawing rights) to 1,13,100 SDR.
Carriage by Air (Amendment) Bill, 2015 which was moved by Civil Aviation Minister P
Ashok Gajapathi Raju and passed by a voice vote proposed to increase the
compensation for death in an air accident to over Rs.1 crore from almost Rs 89 lakh
now.
It will enable the government to review the liability limits of air carriers in line with the
Montreal Convention, which was granted by India in May 2009. As a result in the Indian
carriers paying compensation corresponding to the rates paid by their global
counterparts.
Uttar Pradesh Government launches first International festival on Birds

The state government launched its first International Festival on Birds. The northern state has been
famous for hosting many indigenous and exotic migrant birds.
Purpose: To promote the collection of bird species in Uttar Pradesh
Inaugurated by: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Akhilesh Yadav, at the National Chambal
Sanctuary in Agra.
Hosted by: Uttar Pradesh Forest Department and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce
and Industry (FICCI).
National Chambal Sanctuary: It is a protected tri-state area that accommodates critically
endangered species such as Gharial (small crocodiles), the Red-crowned Roof Turtle and the
endangered Ganges River Dolphin,
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Location: Along the Chambal River, falls in the tri-point of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar
Pradesh
AP & Jharkhand joined discom betterment scheme UDAY
Andhra Pradesh has become the first state in the country to join the Centres scheme for
revival of debt stressed power distribution companies after the state gave in-principle nod to
the Power Ministry for joining UDAY.
(UDAY Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana)
Andhra Pradesh has been followed by Jharkhand by which latter has become the second
state to join the Centres UDAY.
The scheme is optional and operationalised through signing of MoU between State
Governments, State Discoms and Centre.
Commemorative coins on Babasaheb launched by PM Modi

As part of the 125th birth anniversary year celebrations of Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar
Babasaheb, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released two commemorative coins of Rs 125 and Rs
10 denomination.
The coins were issued on his death anniversary which is observed as Mahaparinirvan Divas
of Babasaheb Ambedkar.
On 30 September Union communication and IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad

releasedcommemorative postal stamps on him.
The Union government is celebrating 125th birth anniversary of Dr B R Ambedkar in the year
2015. The objective of yearlong celebrations is to make the world aware about the life and the work
of legendary social reformer who is often considered as a champion of the underprivileged.
Goa-Mumbai double decker train flagged off by Indian Railways
Railway minister Suresh Prabhu flagged off the 1,000-passenger Mumbai-Margao-Mumbai
double decker express train. The service will be operated thrice a week.
The double decker train will cover the distance in around 12 hours.
It has 8 compartments with a seating capacity of 120 in each compartment.
The Railways will soon sign an agreement with Japan government to improve safety and
standard of Indian railways.
AC Double Decker Express train no 11085 will have AC chair car coaches and will leave
Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 5:30 am and will reach
Margao at about 5.30 am on the same day. The train no 11085 will leave Margao every Tuesday,
Thursday and Saturday at 5.10 pm.
SWR Zones introduces Biodiesel for trains
Hubli (Karnataka) headquartered South Western Railways (SWR) Zone has introduced biodiesel
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for trains to reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs) emission and carbon footprint and also to make
fuel consumption more efficient.
In this regard, SWRs first train Hubballi-Bengaluru Janshatabdi Express powered

by 5% biodiesel blended with High Speed Diesel was flagged off from Hubli.
To meet its biodiesel demand, SWR zone has set up Biodiesel filling
centres at Hubli,Bengaluru and Hospet.
6th Meeting of Group on Automatic Exchange of Information held

The 6th Meeting of the Group on Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) Group of the Global
Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes (Global Forum)held
in the national capital.
Inaugurated by: Minister of State for Finance, Shri Jayant Sinha
Highlights:
Confidentiality and data safeguards in 32 countries, including India discussed and

considered for approval.
Discussed the process of monitoring and implementation of the Common Reporting

Standards (CRS) on AEOI
Specific reviews carried-out relate to confidentiality and data safeguards to be completed

by 2016 for all the jurisdictions which have committed to the new standards.
G-20 countries requested the Global Forum to take on the work of implementation of the
new global standard on automatic exchange of information namely the Common
Reporting Standard (CRS) on AEOI.
Naval exercise INDRA NAVY-15 commences in Vizag

The 8th edition of a bilateral exercise between the Indian and Russian navies INDRA NAVY
started from December 7 in Visakhapatnam and will continue till December 12 with an aim to
strengthen the strategic relationship between the two countries.
(Exercise initiated in 2003)
The scope of INDRA NAVY- 2015 includes wide ranging professional interactionsduring
the Harbour phase and a diverse canvas of operational activities at sea across a spectrum
of maritime operations.
Delhi & Tokyo may ink pact for Indias first Bullet Train
India and Japan are planning to ink an agreement on Bullet Trains during Japanese Prime
Minister Shinzo Abes visit.
Abes Special Adviser Hiroto Izumi will be in Delhi this week for high-level talks to
finalise the terms of the agreement on high-speed trains, known as Shinkansen in Japan.
The first train is planned between Mumbai and Ahmedabad.
The project will cut travelling time between Mumbai and Ahmedabad from seven to two
hours.
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Japan is likely to agree to finance the Rs 90,000 crore plus railway project through a soft loan at
0.5% interest with repayment tenure of 50 years.
National Youth Festival in Chhattisgarh from Jan 12
For the first time, Chhattisgarh will host the 20th National Youth Festival on January 12-16,
2016, at Naya Raipur. More than 6,000 students across the country are slated to participate.
The festival is being held on the occasion of 153rd birth anniversary of Swami
Vivekananda.
Every year, the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda is observed as the

National Youth Day.
The festival is being organized by Union ministry of youth affairs & sports, state
government, National Service Scheme and Nehru Yuva Kendra.
The event will have contests in 18 different areas including folk dance, classical music and drama.
A 38-member organising committee headed by Raipur divisional commissioner Ashok
Agrawal has been constituted for organizing the event.
Odd-even number scheme: Delhi government to provide full proof plan on driving rule by
Dec 25
Delhi Transport Minister Gopal Rai has announced that State Govt will come out with a full proof
plan for Odd-even number scheme before December 25.
The measure has been suggested by the AAP dispensation with an aim to curb air pollution
in Delhi.
The scheme is to be implemented from January 1.
The city government is also planning to strengthen the public transport system by introducing more
buses and increasing the frequency of Metro trains to accommodate the rush of commuters.
Shri Kalraj Mishra inaugurates Global SME Summit 2015
Union Minister for MSME, Shri Kalraj Mishra inaugurated Global SME Summit 2015 at India
Habitat Center in New Delhi.
Theme Make in India through Global SME partnerships
This summit is organized by CII in partnership with Ministry of MSME
The objective of this summit is to connect the Global SMEs with the Indian SMEs for mutual
business development and explore the emerging Indian market. This summit will also work towards
creating a strong platform for key decision makers, business leaders and multilateral, global
funding agencies to address issues common to SMEs and identify cross-border partnership
opportunities.
Kala Utsav promoting Indian culture kicked off in Delhi
HRD Minister Smriti Irani launched Kala Utsav, a four-day event, organised by the Ministry of
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Human Resource Development to promote Indian culture among school students started at Bal
Bhavan, New Delhi.
Participants 1,400 students from across India
Theme living traditions of tribal, folk and traditional arts of different regions
It aims at enhancing the life-skills of the participants and to increase awareness about various
Indian art forms and the countrys rich heritage among school children.
8 different biomes to be monitored through I-LTEO programme

India has launched the Indian Long Term Ecological Observatories (I-LTEO) programme to
scientifically monitor 8 different biomes (natural landscapes) across the country.
The initiative was launched on the sidelines of the Conference of Parties-21 (COP-21) of
UNFCCC in Paris.
Aims : Identify and monitor targeted socio-ecological challenges and help build capacity
within India. The studies under the programme will indicate the need for imminent adaptation
measures.
Highlights of the LTEO Programme
Training Under this programme, students and young scientists will also be trained
through sustained long-term support for research in the area of climate change.
Own data base It will help the country to have its own scientific data-base in this
key area without depending on studies done abroad.
Coverage The new initiative will cover all the major biomass of the country from
Western Himalayas to Western Ghats, Eastern Himalayas to Andaman & Nicobar Islands,
central India to the Sunderbans and from Jammu & Kashmir to Rajasthan and Gujarat.
Scientific monitoring Long term scientific monitoring of the natural landscapes,

water resources, grasslands, mammals, birds, fishes and insects will also be
carried out.
Climate affect The focus would be on the patterns of how changes in climate are
affecting natural and closely associated human systems of agriculture and
pastoralism.
Atomic Energy (Amendment) Bill, 2015 introduced in Lok Sabha to fast track nuclear
power projects
To expedite nuclear power projects, a Bill to amend the Atomic Energy Act to empower Nuclear
Power Corporation of India to enter into joint ventures with other public sector undertakings
introduced in the Lok Sabha.
Reason: To facilitate the fast expansion of nuclear power, utility and establishment, living up to
Indias commitment of using nuclear energy for peaceful purpose. and help in the common
objective of power generation network.
Moved by: Minister of State in the Department of Atomic of Energy (DAE) Jitendra Singh.
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Maharashtra becomes first state to allow MLAs raise online question
Maharashtra has become first state to allow the members of state legislature to raise online
questions.
Aim: To move towards complete digitization of the process. The idea is to raise it to 100% and
bringing the paperwork to minimum.
Programme: State government has given unique usernames and passwords to the members and a
server has been set up. Laptops of members have been configured to server, which is set up by
Maharashtra Knowledge Corporation Ltd.(MKCL)
Each member was given training once by MKCL, while members personal assistants were
trained twice.
Answers given by ministers will also be made available online and in the last step all
members, ministers and assembly speaker will be given touch screen tablets, connected
via-wireless network. Assembly and council have been connected through Wi-Fi for the
first time.
Principal secretary: Anant Kalse
First India International Science Festival begins at IIT-Delhi

Five-day science festival inaugurated at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IIT-D) with a
mega Science Technology and Industrial Expo displaying projects by students, experts and
entrepreneurs. It is the first International Science Fair (IISF) and will continue till December 8.
Inaugurated by: Minister of Science and Technology
Organized by: Vijnana Bharati (VIBHA), an NGO
Highlights:
240 projects are being displayed at the expo. A project which amassed major attention
was the solar-electric car made by 63-year-old Syed Sajjad Ahmed(school
dropout) that is equipped with solar panels to generate electricity to run the car.
Pramodh K. R.s project, a Class X student from Karnataka,Vision 2020 Bangarpet,

advocates the use of alternate resources such as solar energy and wind power to solve
problems of water scarcity, pollution, electricity, and traffic.
Lok Sabha passes High Court and Supreme Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of
Service) Amendment Bill, 2015
The Lok Sabha passed a bill amending the law on salaries and service conditions of Supreme Court
and high court judges
Aim: To bring in uniformity in pensions and other conditions of service of the judges.
Bill was brought in under Article 175 of the constitution to ensure that there is no
discrimination in salaries, pensions and other service conditions of the judges of the two
courts.
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Law Minister: D.V. Sadananda Gowda
Key points:
Supreme court of India: It comprises the Chief Justice of India(Justice H.L.Dattu) and
30 other judges. It has original, appellate and advisory jurisdictions.
Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill, 2015 consented by Rajya Sabha

Rajya Sabha has passed the Negotiable Instrument (Amendment) Bill 2015 which amends
the clauses relating to the territorial jurisdiction for filing Cheque dishonor Cases. The Bill provides
for filing of cheque bounce cases at the place where a cheque is presented for clearance
and not the place of issue.
It will amend the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 which defines bills of exchange,
promissory notes, cheques and creates penalties for issues such as bouncing cheques.
Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill, 2015 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on May 6,
2015.
There are an estimated 18 lakh cheque bounce cases across the country, of which about
38,000 are pending in High Courts.
Seven-member committee to examine online drug sale issue

In a bid of taking care of the risks and concerns related online sales of drugs, Drugs Consultative
Committee (DCC) has constituted a seven-member subcommittee to examine the issue of these
sales.
(Minister of Health and Family Welfare Jagat Prakash Nadda)
The sale and distribution of drugs in the country is regulated under the Drugs & Cosmetics
Act, 1940 and Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945.
A number of representations have been received from chemists and druggist

associations against the online sale of prescription drugs.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has constituted an expert core committee to review and
recommend the revision of National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) 2011 in the context of
contemporary knowledge of use of therapeutic products.
As per the Drugs (Price Control) Order, 2013, 680 medicines are currently under the
NLEM.
Govt extends PMJJBY and PMSBY deadline to Dec 31

The government has extended the deadline for enrolment in the nations two most popular social
security schemes up to December 31.
Insurance schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana

(PMJJBY)and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) are aimed at bringing the
unorganised sector and economically weaker population under risk cover.
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MoU signed between Ministry of Textiles & Ministry of MSME for establishing a
Technology Centre at Kanpur
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed among Ministry of Textiles, Ministry of
Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) & National Textile Corporation (NTC) in order
to set up a Technology Centre (Tool Room)
Place : Kanpur, UP
MoU Signed for Skill Development in Manufacutring Sector
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for skill development in the manufacturing sector, with focus
on capital goods and automotive sector was signed . The MoU was signed between Ministry of
Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and the Department of Heavy Industry
(DHI).
The Department of Heavy Industry has played a key role in promoting two key Sector
Skill Councils (SSCs), namely, Capital Goods Sector Skill Council and Automotive Skills
Development Council in the skilling ecosystem of this country.
Highlights of MoU:
This will ensure that a robust national ecosystem for development of skills in the
manufacturing sector is created in the country.
Under the MoU, all Central PSUs have committed to invest at least 20% of their
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds for skilling purpose.
The MoU will also enable significant scale up of apprentice training in the central PSUs
under the Department of Heavy Industry and promote adoption of ITIs by these
Central PSUs.
Apart from ITIs, Advanced Training Institutes and regional vocation training institutes
under the Skills Ministry, training partners of NSDC and Sector Skill Councils (SSCs) will
also work with the Central PSUs under DHI.
This agreement will enable private partnership in the entire value chain of skilling
through targeted interventions.
National Waterways Bill, 2015 approved by Cabinet

Union Cabinet has given its approval to carry out official amendments in The National
Waterways Bill, 2015. The amendments are based on the recommendations of the Department
related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture and comments
of State Governments.
It provides for enacting a Central Legislation to declare 106 additional inland

waterways as the national waterways by which the total number of NW goes upto 111
from existing 5.
Union Government is empowered to make laws on shipping and navigation on national

waterways as per Entry 24 of the Union List of the 7th Schedule of the Constitution.
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Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, 2015 consented by Cabinet
In a bid to create more consumer friendly, transparent and accountable real estate sector, Union
Cabinet has approved the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, 2015 which is
applicable both for commercial and residential real estate projects.
The bill is an initiative to protect the interest of consumers, promote fair play in real estate
transactions and to ensure timely execution of projects.
Provisions of Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, 2015
Creation of Regulator Establishment of Real Estate Regulatory Authority(RERA)

in States/UTs to regulate real estate transactions.
Registration Real estate projects and real estate agents must be registered with
the Authority.
Disclosure Mandatory disclosure of all registered projects including details of the

promoter, project, layout plan, land status, approvals, agreements along with details of
real estate agents, contractors, architect, structural engineer etc.
Construction Cost Compulsory for builders to deposit 70% of the amount raised
from buyers into an escrow account in a scheduled bank within a period of 15 days to
cover the construction cost of the project for timely completion of the project.
Dispute Resolution Establishment of fast track dispute resolution mechanismsfor

settlement of disputes through adjudicating officers and Appellate Tribunal.
Equal Rate of Interest Inclusion of equal rate of interest to be paid by the

promoters and buyers in case of default or delays. Currently it is in the favour of
builder.
Prohibition on civil courts Civil courts jurisdiction prohibited from taking up matters
defined in Bill, however, consumer court allowed to hear real estate matters.
Consumer consent must Promoters barred from changing plans and

designwithout consent of consumers.
Punishment Proposed jail term of up to 3 years or penalty or both in case of

builders
Lok Sabha passes Indian Trusts (Amendment), Bill 2015

The Lok Sabha passed the Indian Trusts (Amendment), Bill 2015 by voice vote. It will
amendIndian Trusts Act, 1882 to remove the archaic provisions from the 133 year old legislation
which have no relevance.
(Indian Trusts Act, 1882 regulates the functioning of private trusts and trustees in India)
Provisions of Indian Trusts (Amendment), Bill 2015:
The bill would enable the Central Government to notify securities or class of
securities for investment by trusts.
To remove the outdated provisions occurring in section 20 of the Indian Trusts Act,
1882.
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It provides greater flexibility and autonomy for the trustees to take decisions on
investment of trust money based on their assessment of the risk return.
SC directed State and UT Governments to consider acid-attack victims under Disabled

Quota
Supreme Court has directed the state governments and union territories administrations toinclude
the names of the acid attack victims in the list of disabled people.
The decision has been taken by the bench headed by Justice M.Y.Eqbal and Justice C.
Nagappan.
The decision has come while directing the Bihar government to give enhanced compensation
amount to Rs.10 lakh and Rs.3 lakh respectively to two Dalit sisters who suffered an acid
attack
CCEA approves measures to increase Pulses production

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved creation of buffer stock of
pulses to deal with wide fluctuation in prices of pulses and check food inflation.
The buffer stock will be created by the procurement and would be valid for fiscal year 201516.
As per decision:
The buffer stock will consist of 50000 tonnes of pulses from the kharif crop and 1
lakh tonnes from the Rabi crop.
The Procurement will be done at market prices through above Minimum Support Price
(MSP) out of the Price Stabilisation Fund.
If the prices fall below MSP, the procurement will be made at MSP under Price Support
Scheme of Department of Agriculture (DoA).
The CCEA also decided to import pulses through Union Ministry of Commerce depending on the
requirement.
Union Cabinet approves MoU between India and UK in the field of cooperation in the
energy sector
Union Cabinet has approved the MoU between India and United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland on cooperation in the energy sector with a focus on electricity market
structure and the integration of renewable energy into the grid.
The programme would work at both central and state levels to improve energy security
and reliability of supply, improve energy access and facilitate sustainable economic
growth.
2016: UK-INDIA Year of Education, Research and Innovation instigated

On the sidelines of PM Narendra Modi visit to UK, India and United Kingdom launched a joint
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initiative 2016: UK-INDIA Year of Education, Research and Innovation in New Delhi to
increase mobility of students and faculty.
The programme was launched by Union Minister for Human Resource Development,Smriti
Irani and the Secretary of State, Business Innovation and Skills, UK, Mr. Sajid Javid.
Apart from above, 20th Year of the Chevening Gurukul Fellowship Programme for
Leadership and Excellence, the United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Offices
leading fellowship in India.
Key Highlights of 2016: UK-INDIA Year of Education, Research and Innovation
India and UK aim to create a professional network of academicians and work towards promoting
research, education and teaching.
GIAN programme Global Initiative of Academic Networks (GIAN) will enable UK

academicians would come to Indian institutions to teach courses.
UKIERI-III Third phase of UK-India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI-III) with
budgetary allocation of 3 million GBP per year from each side will commence from 1st
April 2016 which will provide a basic framework for the bilateral cooperation between India
and UK over the next 5 years.
IMPRINT The programme will enhance partnership in research work in ten research
priority areas under IMPRINT (IMPacting Research Innovation and Technology).
Generation UK India UK is looking forward to send 25000 UK students to India in

next 5 years.
Ranking Framework of Indian institutions will provide a mechanism to UK students to get an

idea of quality of Indian institutions.
E-Auction of NTC instigated by Ministry of Textiles

National Textile Corporation (NTC) has started e-auction of yarn. The first e-auction of NTC
yarn was launched by the Union Minister of State for Textiles (I/C), Shri Santosh Kumar
Gangwar.
The decision has been taken to give maximum opportunity to dealers for lifting of NTC stock
and thereby reduce inventory and improve cash flow.
Mills selected for selling of produce through e-auction

Vijamohini Mill, Kerala Lakshmi Mill and Rajnagar mill have been selected for selling of its
produce through e-auction.
Health Ministry released India Health Report: Nutrition 2015
Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Jagat Prakash Nadda and Union Minister for
Women and Child Development, Maneka Gandhi released the India Health Report: Nutrition
2015 and Global Nutrition Report .
The report was released during an event Made in India: Good Nutrition for All:
Implications of the Global Nutrition Report and the India Health Report for Nutrition
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Security in India organized by Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) and
the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
Highlights of Reports
The India Health Report (IHR), 2015, offers a critical analysis of nutrition at the national and
State levels. The IHR compared nutrition levels among children in 28 States and Delhi.
India is on track to meet 2 (under-five overweight and exclusive breastfeeding rates) of

the 8 global targets for reducing malnutrition by 2030.
As per data, 39% of children under five in India are short for their age (stunted).
Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have made the least progress over the 2005-2014 periods that
had the worst stunting rates in 2005-06. The global rate is 24%.
The rate of improvement in nutritional status has not kept pace with Indias significant
gains in economic prosperity and agricultural productivity.
In Uttar Pradesh, 4% are children malnourished, the highest in the country.
India ignores the problem of under nutrition and its impact on child development at its
peril and risks large economic, health and social consequences for future generations.
Union Cabinet approved 4000 crore rupees proposal for shipbuilding industry
Union Cabinet chaired has approved Rs 4,000 crore budgetary supports for introducing measures
to encourage shipbuilding and ship repair industry in India under the ambitious Make in
India programme.
Features of Proposal
The policy will be in force for 10 years.
To counter the cost-disadvantages, the govt will grant a financial assistance of 20% of
the contract price or the fair price, whichever is lower following the delivery of the
ship.
The assistance will be reduced by 3% in every 3 years and will be given for all types
of ships.
It also includes grant of Right of First Refusal for Indian shipyards for govt
purchases,tax incentives and grant of infrastructure status for shipbuilding and ship
repair industry.
The shipbuilding industry has the same impact as infrastructure sector due to higher multiplier
effect on investment and turnover and high employment potential due to multiplier effect.
NGT directions on River Ganga rejuvenation
National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed a complete ban on use of any king of plastic from
Gomukh to Haridwar along Ganga with effect from February 1, 2016.
The decision has been taken by a bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter
Kumar which also comprises of judicial member M S Nambiar and expert members D K
Agrawal and B S Sajwan.
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Ganga cleaning project outlay 258 crores; out of which Rs. 78 crore has been spent.
Penalties & Prohibitions
Penalty of Rs. 5,000 per day will be slapped

on hotels, dharamshalas and ashramsspewing waste into the river.
Environmental compensation of Rs. 5,000 per incident will be imposed in case of

throwing of any municipal waste, construction and demolition wastes into Ganga and its
tributaries.
Penalty of Rs. 20,000 per violation if any hospital is found throwing waste anywhere
on land, water bodies or other places.
Complete prohibition on use & sale of plastice. plastic carry bags/plastic plates,
glasses, spoons, packages and allied items in all towns falling on the river Ganga and its
tributaries.
Fines ranging from 10 lakh rupees to 1 crore rupees on industrial units along the
river for discharging waste.
SABLA Scheme to empower Adolescent Girls

Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls (RGSEAG) Sabla has been
implemented by Govt which aims at empowering Adolescent Girls (AGs) between 11-18
years through nutrition, health care and life skills education. Nearly 100 lakh adolescent girls
per annum are expected to be benefitted under the scheme.
The scheme will cover 205 districts selected from all the States and UTs.
An amount of Rs 27486.79 lakhs has been released to states under SABLA in 2015-16 till
date and amount utilised is Rs 7844.49 lakhs.
Beneficiaries in 2015-16 till date 4868553
Union Government declares Tamil Nadu flood as Calamity of Severe Nature

The Centre has declared the recent floods in Tamil Nadu as a calamity of severe nature.
Centres announcement came after Tamil Nadu CM J. Jayalalithaa made a plea to Prime Minister
Narendra Modi seeking that the floods be declared as National Disaster.
In this regard, Parliamentarians are recommended to allocate upto 1

crore fromMembers of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) for
renovation and rehabilitation work in the flood-affected districts.
Control of Potable Alcohol along with 3 other bills approved

Four key economic Bills that would validate the reformist credentials of the Modi-led Government
were introduced in the Lok Sabha. These Bills sought to bring in legislative changes in atomic
energy, potable alcohol, commercial disputes and bonus payments.
Potable alcohol
A Bill to bring industries engaged in the manufacture of potable alcohol under the total and
exclusive control of States in all respects was also introduced in the Lok Sabha.
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The Bill proposes to amend the first schedule of the Act so that it would be in
conformity with the judgement of the Supreme Court of 1997 (potable alcohol is to
come under the control of states).
The Industries (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill was passed by a

voice vote.
Government inks MoU for establishing IIITs in 3 cities

The Central Government signed MoU and documentation for establishing 3 Indian Institute of
Information Technology (IIITs) at Ranchi, Nagpur and Pune.
These IIITs are operated on a Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) mode with participation of
state government and industry, apart from the Central Government.

The agreement has been signed by Vinay Sheel Oberoi, Secretary of Department of Higher
Education from the Central Government side and by Tata Consultancy Services, Tata
Motors, M/s ADCC Infocad, Nagpur and M/s Hubtown, Mumbai.
IIIT-Ranchi partnered with TCS and Tata Motors
IIIT-Nagpur partnered with M/s ADCC Infocad and TCS
IIIT-Pune partnered with M/s Hubtown Mumbai and M/S Roltas
Institutions have proposed to admit 120 students in each IIT in 2016 through JEE-2016.With this,
the total number of IIITs in the PPP mode has gone up to 16.
NGT bans registration of new diesel-run vehicles in Delhi
National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered ban on registration of new diesel-run
vehicles in Delhi to curb the growing menace of air pollution in the capital city. This ruling was
given by NGT bench headed by Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar.
In this regard, there will be no renewal of registration of vehicles which are more
than 10-year-old.
The Tribunal directed Centre and state governments to consider not to buy any diesel
vehicles for their departments.
Losar festival has been celebrated in Ladakh region of J&K

The festival of Losar has been celebrated across Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir with
traditional and religious fervour
The Losar festival marks the beginning of New Year in Ladakh and celebrated for 15
days, with the main celebrations on the first three days.

Yolmo Losar is observed on the same day as of the Chinese New Year.
Maharashtra constitutes a task force for setting up an IFSC in Mumbai

The Maharashtra government has constituted a task force under Union Minister of State for
Finance Jayant Sinha for setting up an International Financial Service Centre (IFSC) in Mumbai.
IFSC is one of the most ambitious projects of the state government.
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US English Access programme launched in Bihar
As part of US-India collaboration in the areas of development and education, an American
English language skill course was launched for students hailing from economically
disadvantaged section of the society.
The US Consul General in Kolkata Craig Hall inaugurated the first ever English Access
Microscholarship Programme (Access) programme in Bihar which is supported by the US
Department of State.
The Access programme here will be managed by a non-governmental body Association for
Promotion of Creative Learning (APCL).
The global programme after-school classes would provide foundation of English language
skills to talented students in the age category of 13-20 year.
Access programme consists of 180 hours of English language instruction during each
academic year and a 30-hour summer intensive course.
Japanese Premier Shinzo Abe visit to India An Overview

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was in India on a three-day from Dec 11 to Dec 13 for
firming up on Indias first bullet train and over progress in the talks on a civil nuclear deal.
After the delegation-level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese
counterpart Shinzo Abe both nations have inked 16 agreements.
3 agreements on cooperation in railway sector

Memorandum of Co-operation (MoC) to introduce High Speed Rail (HRS) on Mumbai
Ahmedabad sector: The HRS project will be Indias first high speed rail line. It is a 508 km line
connecting the cities of Mumbai and Ahmedabad.
Project Cost 97,636 crores rupees
Time 7 years.
It will reduce travelling time between the two cities from 8 hours to 3 hours.
Japan will extend highly concessional loan of $12 billion and technical assistance on
easy terms for this project through its Shinkansen Technology.
The loan will provided with the interest rate at 1% for a period of 50 years with a 15 years
moratorium.
1. Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) between Indias ministry of railways and Japans MLIT
(ministry of land, infrastructure, transport and tourism)
2. Pact on technological cooperation between Indias Research Designs and Standards
Organisation (RDSO) and Japans Railway Technical Research Institute (JRTRI)
Rest of the agreements
Peaceful uses of nuclear energy Civil Nuclear agreement India and Japan also have reached
substantive Agreement on Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy.
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Transfer of defence equipment and technology: It will enhance defence and security
cooperation by making available to each other defence equipment and technology necessary to
implement joint research, development and/or production projects.
Security measures for the protection of classified military information: It ensures the
reciprocal protection of classified military information transmitted to each other, provided that
the terms of protection are consistent with the national laws and regulations of the Receiving
Party.
Amending protocol of double taxation avoidance: It amends the convention between India
and Japan for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to
taxes on income, signed in 1989.
Letter of Intent on the strategic international cooperation programme between Indias
Department of Science and Technology (DST) & Japan Science and Technology Agency
(JSTA): The programme promotes and supports collaborative activities like joint research
projects, joint research laboratories and hub, joint seminars, symposia and other meetings between
the research institutes and researchers supported by JSTA and DST.
Letter of Intent toward establishing a young researchers exchange programme between
the DST of India and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science: The document intends
to establish reciprocal fellowship programme for capacity building and human resource
development in frontier areas of science and technology.
MoC between Indias Central Drugs Standard Control Organization and Japans ministry
of health, labour and welfare: The memorandum establishes the medical products regulation
dialogue and cooperation framework to facilitate a constructive dialogue in areas pertinent to raw
materials for pharmaceutical use, biological products and medical devices.
MoC in the field of education between Indias Ministry of Human Resource Development
and Japans Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology: The
memorandum encourages development of contacts and cooperation between the educational
institutions of the two countries and possible support for exchange of aspiring students between
India and Japan.
Statement of Intent between NITI Aayog and Institute of Energy Economics, Japan
(IEEJ): This statement lays down the broad mission of promoting cooperation between NITI Aayog
and IEEJ for the purpose of analysing issues related to energy sector in order to examine and
understand various energy sector related issues in the world.
Pact on cooperation between state government of Andhra Pradesh and Toyama
Prefecture: The memorandum strengthens existing bonds between Andhra Pradesh and Toyama
by facilitating mutual collaboration between their governments, institutions, and companies.
MoU between state government of Kerala and Lake Nakaumi, Lake Shinji and Mt. Daisen
area Mayors Association: Under the memorandum, Kerala and the Sanin region, Japan, agree to
develop trade, investment and economic relations between the business circles with particular focus
on small and medium enterprises.
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MoU between Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A) and Japans National
Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS): The memorandum promotes collaboration
between the two institutions to enrich the intellectual environment of both.
MoC between Indias Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Japans
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries: The memorandum endeavours to enhance
cooperation in human resource development and institutional exchange between training institutes,
sustainable forest management, enhancement of forest conservation and forest disaster
prevention.
Other Highlights
Both countries also issued a joint statement on India and Japan Vision 2025:
Special Strategic and Global Partnership Working Together for Peace and
Prosperity of the Indo-Pacific Region and the World.
India extended visa an arrival (VoA) facility for Japanese nationals, including
businessmen from 1st March 2016.
India and Japan had signed a pact to develop Varanasi as a Smart City. The plan
is to develop Varanasi on the lines of Japanese city of Kyoto.
Abe also attended the Ganga Aarti at Dasaswamedh Ghat in Varanasi.
Cancellation and Refund of Railway Tickets New Rules

With effect from 12 November 2015, certain provisions of Railway Passengers (Cancellation of
tickets and refund of fare) Rules have been amended and comprehensive Railway Passengers
Rules 2015 have been notified through Gazette Notification G.S.R. 836(E). dated 4 November 2015.
The information was given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Manoj Sinham in
Rajya Sabha.
Haryana joins UDAY scheme for debt-laden discoms
Haryana became the 11th state to join UDAY scheme (Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana) for
reviving debt- laden discoms.
Other states communicated in-principle approval to the Power Ministry for joining the UDAY
scheme
includes Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Punjab and Jammu &
Kashmir.
Rajasthan becomes the first state to submit smart city plan
Rajasthan has become the first state to submit smart city plans for three selected cities.
Selected cities Udaipur, Kota and Ajmer
Smart city Proposals were submitted by Manjit Singh, (Rajasthans princial secretary of
urban development) to Samir Sharma (Additional secretary of urban development).
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Investment outlays proposed for developing 3 cities as smart cities
Overall, Rajasthan has proposed a total investment of Rs.6, 457 cr for 5 years for developing four
cities as smart cities.
Kota Rs.1, 493 cr
Ajmer- Rs 1, 300 cr
Udaipur Rs 1,221 cr
Rajasthan also proposed to forward the smart city plan for Jaipur with investment
proposed of 2, 403 cr.
All states and UTs are expected to submit their Smart Cities plan to UD Ministry by December 15.
Goa govt green signal to Panaji Smart City proposal
The Goa government has approved the Rs 981.11 crore proposal for Panaji Smart City which
was submitted to the Union Urban Development Ministry.The proposal has major thrust on ecomobility, public transport system and improvement of conservation zones.
Approval given by
The High Powered Coordination Committee (HPCC) on Smart City headed by Chief
Secretary R K Srivastava granted its final approval to proposal and it was submitted to
the Centre today.Panaji in the list of first 19 cities which will receive funds this year.
Fund Information :
Rs 304.22 crores share by Central and State government respectively over next five
years. Another Rs 299.98 crore is expected to be funded through public private
partnership (PPP).
Of the total 304.22 crore state share, the entire amount would be contributed by the Goa
government, as the financial position of the CCP (Corporation of the City of Panaji) does
not allow it to take up such huge proposal.
BMC approved Smart City Proposal for Maharashtra

The Smart City Proposal (SCP) for the metropolis was today approved by the Brihanmumbai
Municipal Corporation (BMC) with worth of 32000 crore rupees.
The Shiv Sena, ruling party of the 227-member BMC, passed the proposal with a list of14
amendments attached to it. Out of the fourteen amendments, 12 were made by the Shiv
Sena and two by the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).
Maharashtra Cities selected for Smart Cities Mission

Amravati, Aurangabad, Mumbai, Kalyan-Dombivli, Nagpur, Nashik, Navi Mumbai, Pune, Solapur and
Thane.
Highlights of the Smart City Proposal
Navi Mumbai has prepared the most expensive plan with an outlay of 8500
crorerupees, with the aim to project Navi Mumbai as one of the first planned cities of the
country.
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Thane Municipal Corporation prepared plan worth 6630 crore rupees followed
byAmravati, which has drawn plans amounting to 5000 crore rupees.
Nagpur and Pune have also submitted ambitious plans of 3400 crore rupees and 2900
crore rupees respectively.
The plan enlists essentials of a smart city as 247 water supply, LED lights on
signals, zero-garbage zones and mobile governance.
Amendments Suggested
75% of the jobs being generated of the Smart city project should be given out to
thesons of the soil (local people).
The chairman of Special Purpose Vehicle should be the Mumbai Mayor.
Wi Fi facility should be implemented all over Mumbai rather than at four spots only.
The Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) be named as Mumbai municipal corporation

Smart City company.
Mechanical sweeping be made a part of the plan along with ducting be done for utilities
running through public roads.
The civic body should be given powers to appoint the Director.
There should be zero involvement of private companies in the SPV and 50%
reservation of public representatives in the SPV.
Lower Parel, which has been mentioned as an area for local area development, should
only be looked upon as an example and the corporation members should have a say on
what area would be selected.
Combined Commanders Conference held on an aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya

Shri Narendra Modi chaired the Combined Commanders Conference on board INS
Vikramaditya at Sea, off the coast of Kochi.
This is the first time that the Combined Commanders Conference has been held on board an
aircraft carrier.
The Prime Minister interacted with soldiers, sailors and airmen on board INS Vikramaditya.
Prime Minister witnessed an operational demonstration of Indias naval and maritime air
capabilities.
LS passes bill to allow NPCIL to have tie-ups with other PSUs
Lok Sabha passed a bill that will allow state-run NPCIL to have collaboration with other PSUs
in the nuclear field.
The Atomic Energy Amendment Bill 2015 proposes to amend the 1962 Atomic
Energy Act to change the definition of government company in the Act with a
view to expand its scope by including such joint venture companies as may be
formed between NPCIL and other PSUs.
At present, only two Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) Nuclear Power Corporation of
India Limited (NPCIL) and Bhartiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (BHAVINI), which are
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under the administrative control of Department of Atomic Energy, operate nuclear power plants
in the country.
Operation Smile-II to start from 1 January 2016
GOI has requested the States/UTs to start Operation Smile-II from 1st January, 2016 to31st
January to rolled out throughout the country as a follow up of the earlier campaign to
rescue/rehabilitate the missing children.
Key Impacts of Smile I :
So far 9146 children under Operation Smile and 19742 children under Operation
Muskaan were rescued/rehabilitated.
A large number of missing children have been reunited with their families which is a
remarkable achievement made by the field offices
About Operation Smile-II
Various activities are being undertaken with respect to the rolling out of Operation SmileII.
All children residing in shelter homes, platforms, bus stands, roads, religious
places, etc. are to be screened by trained police personnel.
Before 1st January, 2016, the Police Personnel from each state are to be properly trained
in methodology to extract information from such children tactfully without their getting
intimidated, as well as in various provisions of Protection of Children from Sexual
Offences (POCSO) Act, Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) JJ Act,
Protection of Child Right Act, relevant sections of Cr.PC & IPC and Advisories issued by
MHA etc.
During the operation, the particulars of such identified children will be uploaded on the
Missing child portal of the Ministry of Women and Child Development by the respective
State Police.
GIFT City Phase-2 work launched

Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) announced the launch of the Phase-2
development, which will be focused on International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) to be
set up in GIFT SEZ.
With the launch of Phase-2 development, GIFT City has invited proposals from developers
to build office towers in SEZ and non-SEZ areas.
Allotments:
GIFT IFSC has already made allotment to around 20 institutions including leading
names such as SBI, IDBI Bank, ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank and YES Bank.
GIFT has also signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with various leading Capital
Market players namely BSE, NSE, MCX and DMCC.
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NSE has signed MoU with London Stock Exchange for setting up global trading
platform at GIFT IFSC SEZ.
From the Insurance sector, GIC and New India Assurance have also received allotment
in GIFT IFSC.
Union Parliament passed Bill to create Commercial Benches in High Courts

The Lok Sabha has passed the Commercial Courts, Commercial Division and Commercial
Appellate Division of High Courts Bill, 2015 which the government claimed would help bring
in big foreign investments into the country and improve Indias global image on ease of doing
business.
The measure will help set up commercial benches in selected high courts to settle high value
commercial disputes.
The demand was first made by the BJPs Kirti Azad which was later supported by other
members. The bill was, however, opposed by the BJD and RSP saying that it accorded
special treatment and speedier justice for high-value commercial disputes and nothing for
the common man.
Supreme Court bans registration of new diesel SUVs, luxury cars in Delhi
After the National Green Tribunal (NGT) ordered a ban on the registration of all diesel cars in Delhi,
the Supreme Court has banned the registration of all diesel SUVs and luxury cars with
engine capacity of 2000 cc or more in the entire National Capital Region till March 31, 2016.
However, vehicles less than 2000cc can be registered.
The court said its order overrides all the other orders passed by other forums, including
the NGT.
The Supreme Court has also asked all the private cabs operating in the city to convert to
Compressed Natural Gas or CNG by March 1 next year.
Union Cabinet gives nod for development of Underground Coal Gasification

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved a policy
framework for development of Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) in coal and lignite bearing
areas in the country.
UCG is a method of extraction of energy from coal/lignite resources which are otherwise
regarded as uneconomical to work through conventional mining methods.
Development of UCG is envisaged to provide for energy security. An Inter-Ministerial

Committee under the Ministry of Coal with members from concerned Ministries will be
responsible for identification of the areas, deciding about blocks to be put to bidding or
awarding them to PSUs on nomination basis.
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UP Governor Ram Naik gave assent to states Revenue Code (Amendment) Ordinance
2015
Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik has given his assent to UP Revenue Code (Amendment)
Ordinance 2015. The state government had sent the ordinance to the Governor for his approval
for the amendment in UP Revenue Code 2006.
According to a spokesman, the Governor took the decision keeping in view the urgency of
the subject as there was possibility of convening winter session of UP Assembly in the last
week of January.
AP Shah Committee appointed to look into ONGC, RIL dispute on KG gas fields
The Justice (Retd) A P Shah panel has been constituted to look into acts of omission and
commission and recommend compensation toONGC whose natural gas from Bay of Bengal block
had flowed to adjoining fields of Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL).
The committee has been constituted after US-based consultant DeGolyer and
MacNaughton (D&M) stated that as much as 11.122 billion cubic meters of natural
gas, worth over Rs 11,000 crore, had migrated from idling Krishna Godavari fields of Oil
and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) to adjoining KG-D6 block of RIL.
The panel has been asked to look into legal, financial and contractual provisions and
submit a report within three months.
Union Cabinet gives nod to amend Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950
The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, gave its approval for introduction of a
Bill for amendments to the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950, in order to modify
the list of Scheduled Castes in respect of the five states Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Kerala, Odisha
and West Bengal.
The castes and communities that were found eligible for their inclusion in SC category:
From Chhattisgarh are Sais, who are also known as Sahis, Sarathi, Soot-Sarathi and
Thanwar.
Two castes from Haryana have also been included in the SC list. These are Aheria, also
called Aheri, Hari, Heri, Thori and Turi, and Rai Sikh.
In Kerala, Peruvannan caste has been included the SC list while Malayan from certain
areas will also be entitled to the same benefits.
Castes, which have been excluded from the OBC list consequent upon their inclusion in
SC list include Bariki and Kummari from Odisha, while the area restriction of the inclusion
of Chain caste in West Bengal has been removed.
The proposal also seeks some changes in the Central List of Other Backward Classes of the states
of Chattisgarh, Haryana and Kerala.After the Bill becomes an Act, members of the communities
included in the list of Scheduled Castes will be able to derive benefits meant for Scheduled Castes
under the existing schemes.
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Maharashtra announces 10512 crore rupees aid for farmers
The Maharashtra Government on 16 December 2015 announced a 10512 crore rupees relief
package for more than 15000 drought-hit villages in 14 districts of the states Marathwada and
Vidarbha regions.
The package was announced by state Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in the assembly in
Nagpur during a discussion on the drought situation.
Of the 10512 crore rupees, 7412 crore rupees will be direct financial assistance to cotton
and soybean farmers in Vidarbha and Marathwada. Out of the 7412 crore rupees, 2800
crore rupees will be given in the form of crop insurance to farmers and 1034 crore rupees
aid will be given to those who have not insured their crops.
Lok Sabha passes Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2015

The Lok Sabha has today passed the Arbitration and Reconciliation (Amendment Bill),
2015by voice vote. The Bill seeks to make the arbitration process more investor-friendly, cost
effective and suitable for expeditious disposal of cases.
It will also facilitate in making India a hub of international commercial arbitration. Courts
will also be asked to decide disputed arbitral awards within a year.
It may be noted that the President had promogulated an ordinance for amending the
earlier prevalent act, the Arbitration and Conciliation Act 1996 related and for
matters connected there with or incidental thereto.
DAC gives nod to purchase of Russian S-400 Air Defence Missile Systems
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar cleared the
purchase of five S-400 Triumf long-range air defence systems from Russia.
The defence deal worth Rs. 40,000 crore is one of the biggest of its kind to be approved
by the Modi government.
Mr. Modi government has been leveraging defence deals to reach out and further
strategic cooperation with other nations. During his visit to France last year, he surprised
everyone with the announcement for the direct purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets.
Union Cabinet gives nod to MoU with BRICS countries for energy conservation
Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has given its ex-post facto approval to a
pact signed between India and BRICS members for enhancing cooperation in building energy
efficiency.
The MoU includes cooperation in joint scientific and technological research,

conferencing and holding of lectures and seminars, capacity building and technology
transfer and technology development, sharing policies and best practices.
The agreement will also encourage use of energy efficient and energy saving approaches
and instruments in the work of the business entities of the BRICS countries, carried out
within the BRICS countries in consultation with the host country.
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Union Government gives in principle approval to Googles Loon project
Union Government has given nod to Googles Loon project in the country which was proposed by
Googles newly-appointed chief Sundar Pichai, while on his first visit to India.
Under the project Loon, Google has proposed to provide internet connectivity in hard to access
areas of the country from balloons floating at a height of 20 km using LTE or 4G technology.
Although there are some technical and security concerns over the project, Union minister
for telecom and IT Mr. Ravi Shankar Prasad said that the telecom ministry would help
Google in obtaining clearances from civil aviation and the defence ministries for
approvals. He also said he had also proposed a partnership with state run BSNL for
Project Loon.
Google had earlier announced a project to connect 400 Railway stations in the country
through Wi-Fi along with Indian Railways technology arm RailTel which is on track and the
first 100 stations will be connected by the end of 2016.
AP cabinet decided to abolish VAT, CST on sugar factories

Andhra Pradesh has decided to abolish VAT, CST on Sugar factories and permit foreign
institutions to establish their campuses in the state. The decisions were taken at the State Cabinet
meeting chaired by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
The other decisions the Cabinet approved includes hiking of wages of Anganwadi workers,
permitting 15 top foreign universities and 20 top universities in the country to
establish their campuses in the state and extend the lease of land given to the industrial
purpose to 99 years.
Green Peace India released report on National Air Quality Index of 17 cities
Greenpeace India has released a ranking of the 17 cities covered by the National Air Quality
Index (NAQI). The report reveals data to challenge the complacence of the Central and State
Governments regarding cities other than Delhi: as many as fifteen of the 17 Indian cities with
NAQI stations showed levels of air pollution that far exceed the prescribed Indian standards.
The report is the first analysis of air pollution levels in Indian cities carried out using the
NAQI system. Greenpeace India said that the shockingly high pollution figures
recorded between April and November indicate the continuing severity of the air pollution
disaster.
MLAs of Arunachal Pradesh Assembly passed resolution to remove Speaker Nabam Rebia
The Arunachal Pradesh Assembly today passed a resolution to impeach Speaker Nabam Rebia by a
voice vote and signatured consent of 33 members, including 20 rebel Congress MLAs, 11 of
BJP and two independents, in a vote boycotted by the supporters of Chief Minister Nabam Tuki.
Amid high drama, 34 MLAs seeking removal of the Speaker, including his deputy
Thongdok, met at the community hall for the session.
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Thongdok called out the name of Rebia to enable him offer a clarification, if any, on the
impeachment notice but the Speaker was not present. The resolution was then put to
vote and was supported by the members.
Uttar Pradesh government bans use of polythene bags across the State
The Uttar Pradesh cabinet has approved a complete ban on the distribution, manufacture and
sales of polythene carry bags in the state.
The polythene ban in the state is being initiated because of the courts order and also
because it is environment friendly.
The Allahabad high court had last month directed the Uttar Pradesh government to issue
a notification enforcing a complete ban on the sale of polythene across the state
byDecember 31. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) too had recently banned the use
of polythene along the Ganga, including areas in Uttar Pradesh.
PM Narendra Modi inaugurates top Police Officers Conference in Gujarat

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has formally inaugurated the All-India conference of Directors
General of Police (AICDGPs) at Dhordo in white Rann of Kutch region near Bhuj, Gujarat.
Three day conference was inaugurated in the presence of Union Minister for Home
Rajnath Singh, Minister of State for Home Kiran Rijju and Haribhai Patel.
The conference was organised by Intelligence Bureau (IB).
Jharkhand Assembly passes Single Window Clearance Bill, 2015 along with five others
bills
Jharkhand Assembly has passed Single Window Clearance Bill, 2015 along with five others bills.
The Bill was passed, with four amendments, after hour-long debate in the Assembly.
The treasury bench, however, did not agree to any amendment in Factory (Jharkhand
Amendment) Bill and it was passed without any amendment. The opposition parties
staged a walk out on that.
The other five bill passed by Jharkhand Assembly are Jharkhand Cinema Amendment
Bill , Factory (Jharkhand Amendment ) Bill, Bihar Industrial (National & Festival Holiday
and Casual Leave) Jharkhand Amendment Bill, Contract Labour (Exchange & Stoppage)
Bill and Jharkhand Value Added Tax (Amendment) Bill.
Narendra Modi hands over Shyamjis UK Bar certificate to CM Anandiben Patel

Prime Minister Narendra Modi handed over the certificate, acknowledging Indian barrister and
nationalist leader Shyamji Krishna Vermas posthumous reinstatement to the UK Bar to Gujarat
Chief Minister Anandiben Patel at a function in Gujarat.
The certificate was given to PM Modi in the presence of UK Prime Minister David
Cameron, during his visit to London last month.
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The certificate will be kept in the Kranti Tirth, a memorial of Verma built in the port town
of Mandvi in Kutch, where Shyamji Krishna Verma was born in 1857.
5 new districts to be formed in West Bengal

The Government of West Bengal has approved the proposal for introducing five new districtsin
the state. The total number of districts in West Bengal will increase to 25 after the formation of
these five districts.
(West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee)
Here are the new five districts to be introduced in the state:
Basirhat district: Basirhat is currently a city and a municipality in North 24 Parganas district.
Kalimpong district: It would be carved out by bifurcating Darjeeling district in North Bengal.
Burdwan (Industrial) district: The district is to be formed by bifurcating existing Burdwan
district.
Jhargram district: Currently a sub-divisional municipality in the Paschim Medinipur district in the
Indian state of West Bengal, Jhargram will be carved out of West Midnapore district.
Sundarbans district: The Sundarbans along the Bay of Bengal has evolved over the millennia
through natural deposition of upstream sediments accompanied by inter-tidal segregation. The new
district shall consist of part of worlds largest mangrove forest.
Union Cabinet approves development of Underground Coal Gasification (UCG)
To provide energy security, Union Cabinet has consented a policy framework for development of
Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) in coal and lignite bearing areas in the country.
The UCG policy framework has been framed in line with the existing policy for Coal Bed
Methane (CBM) development on revenue sharing basis.
42 mega food parks worth Rs 2,000 crore to be set up in the country

Union Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal announced the establishment of 42
mega food parks worth Rs 2,000 crore will be set in the entire country, out of which five have
already been established.
The announcement was made during the inauguration of Centre for learning resources
Development at L M Thapar School of Management Thapar University Campus Dera Bassi,
Punjab.
One of such food parks is at Fazilka in Punjab whereas 2 food parks at Ludhiana and
Kapurthala will be established with in next 2 years. She gave the approval for establishing Mega
Food Park at Lalru, Punjab.
Benefits of Food Parks:
These Food Parks will be having all facilities like Production, Processing Plant, Cold Store, Collection
centre & Transports.
One Mega Food Park provides employment to 30 thousand persons directly and will
provide benefit indirectly to more than 1 lakh persons.
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AICDGPs held in Gujarat
The 50th edition of the All-India conference of Directors General of Police
(AICDGPs)inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Dhordo village, organised near the
India-Pakistan border in white Rann of Kutch region near Bhuj, Gujarat.
The conference is organised by the Central Intelligence Bureau (IB).
Key issues Police Reforms, Radicalisation, Social Medias effect on Law and Order, security,
Disaster management, Women Safety and tourist police, Inter-state police coordination.
Participants All the DGPs and IGs of all the states and union territories, heads of National
Investigation Agency, Central Bureau of Investigation, IB, narcotics department and various police
training academies.
PFRDA switches to PAN for online enrolment under NPS
Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has started
using PAN(Permanent account number) instead of Aadhaar for validation of new customers who
can now be registered online under the National Pension System (NPS) scheme.
Following the Supreme Court judgment on usage of Aadhaar, the Aadhaar-based online NPS
account facility that was started on a pilot basis had to be discontinued.
Participating banks
The subscriber having an account with Internet banking facility with any of the 6 participating
banks can open his NPS account online.
State Bank of Travancore, State Bank of Patiala, Oriental Bank of

Commerce,United Bank of India, South Indian Bank and Syndicate Bank.
The Apex court has allowed usage of Aadhaar for the pension scheme under the National Social
Assistance Programme (Old Age Pensions, Widow Pensions, Disability Pensions), apart from
MGNREGS, PMJDY and EPFO.
U.P. joins Centres UDAY scheme
Uttar Pradesh has become the twelfth State to become part of centres UDAY (Ujwal DISCOM
Assurance Yojana) scheme for reforming debt-laden state electricity distribution companies.
(Union Minister of State for power, coal and new and renewable energy Piyush Goyal)
The State cabinet approved bringing the virtually bankrupt state-electricity utility, burdened
with outstanding arrears of about Rs 32,000 crore under UDAY.
About scheme:
As part of the scheme, States are required to take over 75% of discoms debt as on 30th
September, 2015, and shift it to their own balance sheet in two years without triggering their
fiscal deficit thresholds. States are also required to bring their AT&C losses down to 15%
from the present level by 2018-19.
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Apart from UP, eleven other States have intimated their in-principle approval to come under the
Uday scheme include Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand,
Chhattisgarh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand and Gujarat.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
MISR echeloned India at 131 on Global Index
As per UN International Telecommunications Unions (ITU) flagship annual Measuring the
Information Society Report (MISR), India has been ranked 131 out of 167 nations on a global
index.
The study had been made on 167 nations.
The number of households with Internet and computer has been increased in India over the
last 5 years still it gained a quite low position.
Mission Innovation launched for accelerating clean energy revolution

During United Nations Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21) in Paris World leaders of 20
countries has launched the Mission Innovation for accelerating clean energy revolution across the
world.
Tagline Accelerating the Clean Energy Revolution
Aim To reinvigorate and accelerate global clean energy
Objective To make clean energy widely affordable
Participating countries Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, France, Germany,
India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Sweden, United Arab
Emirates, United Kingdom and the USA.
20 countries committed to double their respective clean energy research and development
over the 5 years to 2020.
Highlights of Mission
As part of Mission Innovation, each of the countries involved will seek to double its
governmental or state-directed clean energy research and development investment

over the next 5 years.
The new investments will be aimed specifically at transformational clean energy

technology innovations that will be scalable across a variety of economic and energy
market conditions.
Working with existing international institutions, participating countries will cooperate and
collaborate to help governments, private investors and technology innovators.
The collaboration will cover areas such as- sharing of data, technology expertise and
analysis in order to promote commercialization and dissemination of clean energy
technologies.
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It was launched as a long term global response to tackle the problem of climate
change.
UN chief launched Anticipate, Absorb, Reshape Initiative to build climate resilience

Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) launched an initiative to build climate
resilience initiative Anticipate, Absorb, Reshape, at the Paris climate conference, called as 21st
Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC).
Aim: To strengthen the ability of countries to anticipate hazards, absorb shocks, and reshape
development to reduce climate risks that would assist address the needs people who live in at-risk
coastal areas just a few meters above existing sea levelsand those living in areas at risk of
droughts and floods.
Participants:FAO, UNEP, UNFCCC, UN-Habitat, UNICEF, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNOPS, UNISDR, WFP,
OCHA, WHO, and WMO.
China hosts 1st BRICS media summit
China took the initiative to create a media platform for the emerging economies by hosting the
1stmedia summit of countries Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS).
Objective:
To build a new institutional framework that would benefit the media of five emerging economies,
which have deep linkages with the Global South.
Key points:
Participants:25 media organisations
Chinas Xinhua news agency is the initiator of the project in collaboration with The
Hindu group of publications, the Brazil Communication Company, Russia International
News Agency, and South Africas Independent Media.
The formation of a cooperation office for BRICS Media Summit that will become an
executive body responsible for the daily contact of the committee members and the
organisation and coordination of the Summit.
German cabinet approved military mandate to fight Islamic State in Syria

German cabinet approved plans to pledgeup to 1,200 soldiers to back the international coalition
fighting against Islamic State(IS) in Syria.
After the Paris attacks, the Germany chancellor Angela Merkel agreed to honor a request
from France to provide support for its operations against ISIS in Syria. Germany
plans to send scoutingaircraft, tanker planes and a warship to the region, but will
notkeenlyinvolvein combat.
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The mandate is for one year at a cost of 134m (94m) and can be extended next
year.A German frigate could protect the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle in the
eastern Mediterranean, from which fighter jets are bombing shots, and tanker aircraft
could refill them mid-air to encompass their range.
Brazil entered longest recession since 1930s

The worlds seventh largest economy Brazils economy shrank 4.5 percent year-on-year in the
third quarter that is sharper than expected recession and its GDP shrank 1.7 percent from the
previous quarter.
Reason:
Primary reasons for recession are constant global economic slowdown, shrinkage in
exports and unprecedented scandal at the government-run oil company Petrobras.
All these reasons together have had impact on economy in the country and thus
diminishing economy.
Unemployment rate:8.9 percent during July-September 2015 higher from 6.8 percent in 201415.
Household spending: Cut down by 4.5 percent during July-September 2015.Real, Brazil's
currency down about 31 percent against the dollar.
Inflation: 10 percent which is the highest in 12 years
Russia, WADA agreed on road map to reform Russian Anti-Doping Agency
Moscow and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) signed an agreement to reform Russia's
anti-doping agency.
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) suspended Russia last

month after a report by a WADA independent commission found evidence of statesponsored doping and large-scale corruption in Russian athletics.
Russias anti-doping agency RUSADA and anti-doping laboratory have been suspended
over the report has undertaken to retrieve IAAF membership in time for its track and
field athletes to compete at next year's Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.
WADA's report accused RUSADA of consistently violating international testing standards

and allowing athletes banned for doping to compete in spite of being suspended from
competition, among other condemning indictments.
WHO released estimates of the global burden of foodborne diseases

The World health Organisation (WHO) has released its first ever report on global estimates of
foodborne diseases. The report is named as "Estimates of the global burden of foodborne
diseases" - the most comprehensive report to date on the impact of contaminated food on health
and well-being.
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The report has been prepared after a decade of work, including input from more than 100
experts from around the world. Based on the available information, it is known that the
global burden of foodborne diseases is considerable, affecting people all over the world
particularly children under 5 years of age and people in low-income areas.
Key Points of the report:
Burden of foodborne diseases is caused by 31 agents bacteria, viruses, parasites, toxins

and chemicals and due to which almost 1 in 10 people fall ill every year from eating
contaminated food and 420 000 die as a result.
Children under 5 years of age are at particularly high risk, with 125,000 children dying
from foodborne diseases every year.
Certain diseases, such as those caused by non-typhoidal Salmonella, are a public health
concern across all regions of the world.
Food prepared with unsafe water, poor hygiene and in inadequate conditions in food
production and storage, etc are some of the other factors making to foodborne diseases.
WHO African and South-East Asia Regions have the highest burden
of foodbornediseases, including among children under the age of 5 years.
Xi announces $60 billion of 'funding support' for Africa

Chinas president Xi Jinping has announced a funding support of $60 million to Africa at a
summit in Johannesburg for development purposes which includes $5 billion of grants in zero
interest loans (and) $35 billion in preferential facility and export credit loans and concessional
loans.
Chinese president also announced drought aid for the continent.
It is seen that inspite of the slow growth of the Chinese Economy, China's
commitment to Africa will continue and it will be focused on 10 projects over the next
three years.
Britain launches airstrikes against IS-controlled oil fields in Syria

Britain struck in the Omar oil fields in eastern Syria that help finance the Islamic State group and
Germany prepared to send scouting aircraft to the Middle East as coalition forces stepped up efforts
to fight the militants.
Many of the oil fields had been hit by the U.S. led Operation Inherent Resolve, Britain
chose a target with low risk of security damage in Syria.
Russia is also bombing Syria outside the U.S.-led coalition. Moscow supports Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad, while the United States and its associates are against him.
UN Agencies released report on prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Asia-Pacific region

According to a UN report, India, China and Pakistan are among the 10 countries in the Asia-Pacific
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that account for 98 per cent of youngsters aged 10 to 19 living with HIV. As per report it is facing a
"hidden epidemic" of HIV among adolescents.
The Asia-Pacific Inter-Agency Task Team on Young Key Populations including UNICEF and
the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS published the report 'Adolescents: Under the Radar
in the Asia-Pacific AIDS Response'.
Key highlights:
In 2014, 220,000 adolescents between 10-19 years were projected to be living with HIV
in Asia and the Pacific.
India is among the 10 countries in the region that is 98 per cent of those aged 10-19
are living with HIV. Other countries are Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Myanmar, Pakistan,
Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.
50,000 new infections in 2014 among those aged 15 to 19
Australia passes Anti-Terrorism law to strip citizenship

Australias parliament has passed the Australian Citizenship Amendment (Allegiance to
Australia) Bill to strip dual nationals of their citizenship if they are convicted of terrorism offences
or found to have fought with banned groups overseas, despite concerns about deporting terrorists.
The Bill will also ensure that terrorists who are dual nationals are prevented from
returning to Australia and dual nationals who engage in terrorism within Australia will be
removed where ever possible. The dual nationals would lose their citizenship if the person
is convicted of a terrorism offence and sentenced to at least 6 years of imprisonment.
Chinas first manned electric aircraft RX1E gets license for production
China's first manned electric aircraft, a two seater plane powered by rechargeable lithium
batteries, has been granted a license for production.
A 90-minute charge will give 45-60 minutes of flight time.
The two seater plane was designed by Shenyang Aerospace University and Liaoning
General Aviation Academy in north eastern Liaoning province.
Indo-Pakistan NSAs Ajit Doval, Nasir Janjua meet in Bangkok

National Security Advisors of India and Pakistan held talks on terrorism and Jammu and
Kashmir and agreed to take forward the constructive engagement in Bangkok.
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and his Pakistani counterpart Nasir Janjua, their
foreign secretaries S Jaishankar and Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry held their meeting in six days
after their Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Nawaz Sharif held a brief meeting in Paris
with a view to revive the delayed dialogue process.
Canada sends first consignment of uranium to India

Two years after the civil nuclear deal signed between the two, Canada has sent the first uranium
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consignment of 250 tonnes to India for its nuclear power reactors.
Highlights:
Cost: Contract to supply 7.1 million pounds of uranium concentrate (about 2,730 tonnes
uranium) to Indias Department of Atomic Energy was worth around Canadian Dollars 350
million ($262 million).
India has 21 power reactors in operation, with another 6 under construction and will start
in next four years. It plans to increase its nuclear generating capacity from the
present5800 MWe -27,500 MWe by 2032.
Shipment consists of uranium mined and milled at Camecos McArthur River and Key Lake
operations in northern Saskatchewan.
2nd FOCAC summit held in South Africa

The 2nd FOCAC (Forum on China-Africa Cooperation) Summit and 6th Ministerial
Conference were held on 4 to 5 December 2015 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Participants 36 African leaders, five heads of governments and the Head of African Union
Commission.
Theme Africa-China Progressing Together: Win-Win Cooperation for Common

Development
The summit was chaired by the President of China Xi Jinping and Co-chaired by the
President of South Africa Jacob Zuma.
Chinese Support to Africa

Chinese President Xi Jinping announced a total of US$60bn in funding support to Africa. The
support includes US$5b of grants in zero interest loans and US$35b in preferential facility and
export credit loans and concessional loans.
Education Centres Establishment of regional vocational education centers and

several capacity-building colleges for Africa, train 200,000 technicians for African
countries and provide the continent with 40,000 training opportunities in China.
Poverty Reduction On poverty reduction China will launch 200 Happy

Lifeprojects and special programs focusing on women and children.
Cancelation of Debts China has cancelled the outstanding debts borrowed by the
relevant least developed African countries that mature at the end of 2015.
Agricultural Modernization Agricultural development projects in 100 African villages

to raise rural living standards and establish a 10+10 cooperation
mechanismbetween Chinese and African agricultural research institutes.
Poor Harvest Poor harvest caused by El Nino in many African countries and will
provide one billion yuan (156 million dollars) of emergency food aid to the affected
countries
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Security cooperation 60 mn US$ aid to the African Union (AU) to support the
building and operation of the African Standby Force and the African Capacity for the
Immediate Response to Crisis.
Drought aid US$156m of emergency food aid to affected countries
IIT-D set record in Largest Practical Science Lesson

IIT Delhi has scripted Guinness World Record in conducting the largest practical science
lesson by assembling 2,000 school students from Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR) at
the sprawling lawns of Indian Institute of Technology.
The event was organised by Vijnana Bharati (VIBHA), the countrys largest science
movement, as part of the India International Science Festival (IISF) 2015.
Fifty students of Class 9 to 12 each were drawn from 40 government and private schools to
set the Guinness World Record.
About Experiment
Dressed in white lab-coats, students conducted two science practicals in the administrative block of
IIT-Delhi.
Both experiments related to catalysis a process that makes chemical reactions faster
without any additional input of energy and is extensively used in manufacturing some
90% products used in the world today.
Elephant Tooth Experiment It was the major feature of the exercise was in which
hydrogen peroxide underwent catalytic decomposition in the presence of iodide,
resulting in the liberation of a large amount of oxygen and foaming up to resemble a
giant toothpaste being squeezed.
Discolouration experiment The other experiment was discolouration of

methylene blue by hydrogen peroxide.
The participating students were addressed by Union Minister for Science & Technology and
Earth Sciences Harsh Vardhan and Union Human Resources Minister Smriti Irani.
Existing world record
The existing world record of largest practical science lesson before this event is held by a group
of1,339 Irish school students that was conducted at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast, Ireland on
24th February 2015.
GFI ranked India 4th in black money outflows p/a
A Washington-based research and advisory organisation Global Financial Integrity
(GFI)released its report titled Illicit Financial Flows from Developing Countries: 20042013showing a dramatic increase of illicit financial flows from 2004 when it was USD 465.3 billion
to USD 1.1 trillion in 2013.
(Illegal financial outflows includes tax evasion, crime, corruption and other illicit activity)
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Report ranked India at 4th place in black money outflows with USD 51 billion drawn out of
the country per annum between the years 2004-2013.
China tops the list with USD 139 billion average outflow of illicit finances per annum,
followed by Russia (USD 104 billion per annum) and Mexico (USD 52.8 billion per annum).
US House passed Visa Waiver Program Improvement Act of 2015

US House of Representatives passed the Visa Waiver Program Improvement Act of 2015. It
amends the United States visa travel practices.
Approved by a vote of 407-19, act would prevent any foreign national who has visited Iraq,
Iran, Syria or Sudan in the past five years from entering the US without a visa.
Highlights
The Bill would bar people who traveled after 1 March 2011 to 4 Nations from
participating in the visa-free program.
The bill also mandates travelers to be checked against Interpol databases.
The proposed Bill also contains provisions under which US can remove countries from
the visa waiver program if they do not cooperate with law enforcement and the
intelligence community.
After passage from the House of Representatives, the Act needs its passage from Senate and
approval from the President Barack Obama.
Asian Economic Integration Report 2015 released by ADB
Asian Development Bank (ADB) released a report titled Asian Economic Integration Report
2015: How Can Special Economic Zones Catalyze Economic Development?
The Asian Economic Integration Report (AEIR) 2015 was prepared by the Regional
Cooperation and Integration Division (ERCI) of ADBs Economic Research and Regional
Cooperation Department (ERCD).
The report examined the current trends in trade, finance, migration, remittances and
other economic activities in the region.
Report with respect to India
India has become the 3rd largest source of inward FDI for the United Kingdom (UK)
after the US and France in number of projects.
Indian economy switched focus to higher technology products as compared with 1990
when it focused mainly on low-technology exports
Indias labor productivity slowed in agriculture is mainly due to falling investment,

diversion of productive agricultural land to nonfarm purposes, and climate change which
reduced most farm yields.
Key Highlights of Report
Asia has emerged as an important source of outward foreign direct investment (FDI). Its
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outward FDI increased faster than inward FDI growing 45.3% in 2014 compared with
2010.
Asias income elasticity of trade declined from 2.69 before the global financial crisis
(2008-09) to 1.30 in 2015.
The value of Asias intermediate goods trade of almost 60% of total trade has
contracted 2.6 % in 2014.
Asia remains the worlds largest source of international migrants, accounting for a
third of the global total in 2013 and the region also accounted for nearly 50% of global
remittances in 2014.
5th Heart of Asia conference begins in Pakistan

The 5th edition of Heart of Asia conference, an annual regional gathering of Asian and other
countries commenced in Islamabad Pakistan. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif andAfghan
President Ashraf Ghani jointly inaugurated the ministerial-level meeting.
Theme Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process: Enhanced cooperation for countering security threats
and promoting connectivity in the Heart of Asia region
Participants Delegations from 14 participating states, 17 supporting countries and 12
international and regional organisations
Key areas to be discussed Counter-terrorism, counter-narcotics, disaster management,
education, trade and investment and regional infrastructure
About Heart of Asia conference Heart of Asia:
Istanbul Process was established 2011 in Istanbul, Turkey.
Seeks to provide a platform to deal common regional issues particularly encouraging

security along with political and economic cooperation among Afghanistan and its
neighbours facing problems of terrorism, extremism and poverty.
14 Member states: Pakistan, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan,

Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and UAE.
IMF changes rule on debt as Ukraine faces Russia deadline

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has changed a rule that would block its financial aid
program to Ukraine as the country defaulted on its debt owed to Russia.
The move comes as cash-short Ukraine faces a December 20 deadline to repay Russia for a $3
billion loan.
Ukraine is restructuring its debts under an IMF-led $40 billion bailout program.
Defaulting on the Eurobond loan could have put the program at risk.
UNCTAD released Handbook of Statistics 2015

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has released Handbook
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of Statistics 2015 which provides a comprehensive collection of statistical data relevant to the
analysis of international trade, investment and development, for individual countries and for
economic and trade groupings.
It revealed that the global trade in services grew by 5% while merchandise trade
stagnates and foreign direct investment falls.
Highlights of Handbook of Statistics 2015

Service exports International service exports accounted for 21% of total global exports ($5
trillion) in 2014 showing growth of 5% in comparison with the previous year.
Services exports in developed economies 5.3%
Services exports in developing economies 4.8%
Services exports from the transition economies declined sharply by 7%
Merchandise exports They were valued at $19 trillion with an increased by 0.3% in 2014 as
measured in current prices.
Merchandise exports in developed economies 0.4%
Merchandise exports in developing economies 0.6%
Total exports Total global exports for 2014 were valued at $24 trillion, up by 1.2% compared
with the previous year.
Total exports from developed economies 55% ($13.2 trillion)
Total exports from developing economies 41% ($10 trillion)
Total exports from transition economies 4% ($890 million)
Commodity Prices Total foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows were valued at $1.2 trillion,
fell by 16% compared with the previous year.
FDI flows in developed economies 28%
FDI flows in developing economies 1.6%
FDI flows in transition economies 52 %
Minerals, fuels, etc. The value of exports of minerals, ores, metals and fuels fell sharply
across countries in all regions irrespective of development status.
The most significant declines were in the value of fuel exports from Africa (down by 13%)
and minerals, ores and metals (including gold) from Asia (down by 11%).
Indo-Pak declared 10-point Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue

India Pakistan relations have taken a pleasant turn after both nations have agreed to engage in a
comprehensive dialogue dubbed as 10-point Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue
(CBD).The 10-point CBD will succeed the 8-point Composite Dialogue Process
(CDP) structured dialogue aka Resumed Dialogue.
The decision has been taken on the sidelines of Hearth of Asia Conference in Islamabad &
was declared in a joint statement that was issued after a meeting between External Affairs
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Minister Sushma Swaraj and Pakistan Prime Ministers Advisor on Foreign Affairs
Sartaj Aziz.
Matters to be taken under 10-point Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue (CBD):
1. Peace and security, confidence building measures (CBMs)
2. Jammu and Kashmir
3. Siachen
4. Sir Creek Boundary Dispute
5. Wullar Barrage/Tulbul Navigation Project
6. Economic and Commercial cooperation
7. Counter-terrorism, Narcotics control
8. People-to-people exchanges
9. Humanitarian issues
10. Religious tourism
The new elements included in CBD are Humanitarian issues and Religious Tourism to make the
peace process between both countries long lasting; rest all is the elements of CPD.
Other Matters covered in Joint Statement
National Security Advisors (NSAs) of both countries to take forward talks on

terrorism.
Pakistan committed to expedite 26/11 Mumbai attacks trial.
Secretary-level talks within stipulated time table.
India and South Korea ink MoU on taxation treaty

India and South Korea have inked a new MoU on suspension of collection of taxes during
pendency of Mutual Agreement Procedure (MAP) procedure.
This MoU will relieve the burden of double taxation for taxpayers in both the countries.
Apart from this, both countries also have agreed that transfer pricing dispute caseswill
be taken up for MAP under the revised Double Tax Avoidance Agreement
(DTAA)between India and Korea.
India is second most ignorant nation of the world: Survey

The survey conducted by Ipsos MORI, a London-based market research firm reported India as
the second most ignorant nation in the world after Mexico. Survey has polled 25,000 people
from 33 countries.
The rankings of the nations were based on the Index of Ignorance which was determined
by questions about wealth that the top 1 % own, obesity, non-religious population,
immigration, living with parents, female employment, rural living and internet access.
Highlights of Report:
Most Indians underestimate how much of their countrys wealth is concentrated

in the hands of the top 1%.
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Indians hugely overestimate the proportions of non-religious people in the country

to be 33% when the true figure is under 1 %.
India fell in the list of nations which overestimate representation by women in

politics.
Indian population seriously underestimates the rural population of the country and
thinks more people have internet access than in reality.
In India the average guess among online respondents for internet access is 60%, an
overestimation of the true picture of 41%.
UN Security Council adopted Resolution on Youth, Peace and Security

The United Nations Security Council adopted a historic resolution on youth, peace and
security that urges greater representation by young men and women in the prevention and
resolution of conflict amid the rise of radicalization to violence and violent extremism amongst
youth, which can be conducive to terrorism.
The resolution was introduced by Jordan during its presidency of the Security Council in
April.
Highlights of Resolution on Youth, Peace and Security
It covers the protection of youth in armed conflict, including all forms of sexual and
gender-based violence.
The Council also urged Member States to increase their political, financial, technical and
logistical support.
It also encourages all those involved in the planning for disarmament,

demobilizationand reintegration
The Resolution creates a paradigm shift away from the idea of young people being seen as a threat
to security towards the very real notion that they have the power to transform violent conflict.
Indo Japan inked concord to amend DTAA
India and Japan have inked a protocol for amending the existing convention for double
taxation avoidance that provides for effective exchange of information in tax matters
including bank accounts.
The existing convention on DTAA was signed by both nations in 1989.
The protocol was signed by Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia and Ambassador of
Japan Kenji Hiramatsu.
Highlights of agreement
It provides internationally accepted standards for effective exchange of information

on tax matters including bank information and information without domestic tax interest
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The information received from Japan in respect of a resident of India can be

shared with other law enforcement agencies with authorisation of the
competent authority of Japan and vice versa.
The amendment will allow India and Japan to assist each other in collection of revenue
claims.
It also provides for exemption of interest income from taxation in the source country
with respect to debt-claims insured by the government or government-owned financial
institutions.
Myanmar launched its first UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Inle Lake

Myanmar has launched the countrys first UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Inle Lake in Shan state,
opening a new chapter in its commitment to bio-diversity and eco-system conservation.
About Inle Lake :
Inle Lake was designated as Myanmars first biosphere reserve under UNESCOs Manand
the Bioshpere (MAB) programme in Paris in June this year.
The lake gets funding from the government of Norway under the framework of the Inle
Lake Conservation and Rehabilitation project.
The 489,721 hectares Inle Lake is located in Nyaungshwe township, Taunggyi

districtin Myanmars eastern Shan state.
The wetland ecosystem of this freshwater lake is home to 267 species of birds, out of which 82 are
wetland birds, 43 species of freshwater fishes, otters and turtles. Diverse flora and fauna species
are recorded.
Turkmenistan hosted International Conference on Policy of Neutrality
International scientific-practical conference The foreign policy of Turkmenistan as a factor of
security and stability in the world, devoted to the Year of Neutrality and Peace and
the 20th Anniversary of Neutrality of Turkmenistan was organized by the Embassy of
Turkmenistan in Ukraine together with the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs of Ukraine.
Participants
The heads of the diplomatic missions in Ukraine, representatives of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry
and the Diplomatic Academy, deputies of the Supreme Rada of Ukraine, representatives of the
ministries and agencies, politicians and scientists, leaders, teachers and students of higher
educational institutions of Ukraine.
Issue Discussed Fundamentals of peace-loving policy of Turkmenistan
US update jet-engine technology transfer policy with India

US has updated its policy on gas-turbine engine technology transfer to India to expand
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cooperation in production and design of sensitive jet engine components.
The announcement on policy change was made at a meeting between Defence Minister
Manohar Parrikar and his US counterpart US Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter at
the Pentagon in Washington.
Jet engine component are largely used in big warships for the Navy and have a big market in
merchant vessels. A gas turbine can also accelerate air to create thrust in aero engines or drive
generators to make electricity or turn pumps.
2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference
2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference or COP 21 was held in Paris, France from
30 November to 12 December 2015. It was the 21st yearly session of the Conference of the
Parties with a proposal of achieving zero GHG emissions growth by 2060-80.
The conference reached its objective for the first time to achieve a global agreement on
reduction of climate change in the Paris Agreement, which was adopted with acclamation
by nearly all states.
On the sidelines of summit 189 parties had submitted their Intended Nationally
Determined Contributions (INDCs) on climate actions.
How agreement on reduction of climate changes will become legally binding?

The agreement will become legally binding if at least 55 countries representing 55% of global
greenhouse emissions become a party to it through signature followed by ratification,
acceptance, and approval or through accession in New York from 22 April 2016 to 21 April 2017. It
is expected to take effect in 2020.
Highlights of Summit
According to the organizing committee, the expected key result was to limit the global
warming by 2100, compared to pre-industrial to below 2 degrees Celsius.
A 5C goal will require a zero level in emissions sometimes between 2030 and 2050
according to some scientists.
No detailed timeplan or country-specific goals for emissions were stated in the final
version of the Paris Agreement.
A zerolevel should be reached during the second half of the century.
Indias Participation
India launches global solar alliance of 120 countries PM Narendra Modi has launched an
international solar alliance of over 120 countries with French President Francois Holland.
Indian Govt is investing an initial $30mn in setting up the alliance

headquarter inIndia. The eventual goal is to raise $400m from membership fees and
international agencies.
Companies involved in project Areva, Engie, Enel, HSBC France and Tata Steel
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India pledges to Paris summit offered to draw 40% of its electricity from renewables
by 2030 as India is projected to be the worlds most popoluous city by 2030.
Indias has a target to install 175 GW of renewable energy by 2022.
African Countries Participation

African countries aimed at restoring 100 million hectares of degraded and deforested land
by the year 2030. The initiative dubbed as the African Restoration Initiative (AFR100)plans
to nurture and re-grows the forests that would lead to carbon sink and improve the livelihood of
rural people.
The coalition consists of 10 African countries, 9 financial partners and 10 technical

support partners.
World Bank pledged $1 billion while Germanys Federal Ministry for Economic
Cooperation and Development is providing support for development of AFR100
initiative.
Overall Financing
The conference was budgeted to cost 170m (US$186.87m). As per French government, 20% of
the cost will be borne by firms such as EDF, Engie, Air France, Renault-Nissan and BNP Paribas.
TAPI gas pipeline work instigated by Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan started work on its 1,814 Km natural gas pipeline to Afghanistan, Pakistan and
India (TAPI) project funded by Asian Development Bank. It designed to reduce its
dependence on gas sales to Russia and China.
The ground-breaking ceremony took place at city of Mary of Turkmenistan which was
attended by Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, Afghanistan
President Ashraf Ghani, Pakistan Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif and Indian Vice
President Hamid Ansari.
Project outlay $10 bn
Completion time December 2019
Leading partner Turkmengaz
Gambia declares itself an Islamic Republic

Gambias President Yahya Jammeh has declared the tiny West African country an Islamic
republic as because Islam is the majority religion of its citizens and is an attempt to break away
from the countrys colonial past.
Rights of minorities
Rights of Gambias Christian community will be respected who make up about eight
percent of the countrys population
There will be no mandates on dress.
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For non-market factors 4 indices launched by Asia Index
The Asia Index Private Ltd, a JV between S&P Dow Jones Indices and BSE has launched 4
new indices as part of its attempt to enable investors to invest based on
parameters likevaluation and volatility.
The four new indices launched under the umbrella of S&P BSE Factor Indices are:
S&P BSE Enhanced Value Index
S&P BSE Low Volatility Index
S&P BSE Momentum Index
S&P BSE Quality Index
The S&P BSE Factor Indices are designed to include non-market factors such
as value,momentum, quality and low volatility using a transparent and rules-based
methodology while ensuring reasonable liquidity.
Shock Waves: Managing the Impacts of Climate Change on Poverty report
World Bank released a report Shock Waves: Managing the Impacts of Climate Change on
Poverty. The report examines the relation between climate change and poverty and concludes
that climate change is one of the primary contributing factors for growing poverty scenario across
the world.
As a remedy to situation, the report provides guidance on how to create a win-win situation so
that climate change policies contribute to poverty reduction andpoverty-reduction
policies contribute to climate change mitigation and resilience building.
Highlights of Report
Coping poverty & CC go aside The agenda of ending poverty and addressing climate
change (CC) should go beside each other as climate change impacts could push more than 100
million people into poverty over the next 15 years.
To prevent this, the report calls for an immediate implementation of climatesmartdevelopment and measures to adapt to climate impacts.
Effects of major channels There are 3 major channels through which climate-sensitive
events already affect the ability of poor people to escape poverty-agricultural
production,ecosystems and food security, natural disasters and health.
Africa Climate Business Plan World Bank announced $16 billion in funding to help African
people and countries adapt to climate change and build up the continents resilience to climate
shocks.
Bank Group funding The Bank Group is using the INDCs as a basis of discussion with countries
about their national climate action needs and is already at work on initiatives that will help to
achieve those commitments.
Role of Bank Groups
Increase of portfolio share World Bank Group has committed to increasing the share of its
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portfolio devoted to climate finance, from the current 21 percent, to 28 percent, over the next five
years.
Inducting of funds In 2015, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) made $2.3
billion in climate-related investments, covering 103 projects in 31 countries and mobilizing an
additional $2.2 billion from private investors.
Carbon fund The Bank Group is also exploring ways to create incentives for large scale cuts in
emissions by widening and deepening carbon markets. The Bank Group has raised $4.36
billionthrough 18 carbon funds and initiatives, supporting 145 active projects in over 75
client countries.
More than 180 countries have submitted national pledges for climate action before and during
COP21, including more than 130 countries working with the World Bank Group.
India up 5 spots, ranks 130th in Human Development Index: UNDP
As per United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report on account of rise in life
expectancy and per capita income, India has been ranked among 130 among 188 countries in
2014 in Human Development Report 2015 comparing to 135 in 2014 report.
The 2015 Human Development Report (2015 HDR) was on Rethinking Work for
Human Development.
Between 1980 and 2014, Indias HDI value increased from 326 to 0.609 showing an
increase of 68.1% or an average annual increase of about 1.54%.
Toppers Norway topped followed by Australia and Switzerland.
FICCI and UN Women sign MoU to advance gender equality and women empowerment
FICCI and UN Women Multi Country Office for India, Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka have
signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in New Delhi to strengthen collaboration on
advancing gender equality and womens empowerment in the business sector.
Dr. Rebecca Tavares, Country Representative, UN WomenIndia MCO and Dr. Jyotsna
Suri, President FICCI who is also the Chairperson and Managing Director of Bharat Hotels
signed the MoU on behalf of their respective organizations.
Objective : To achieving the common goal of realizing the rights of women and girls as
critical preconditions for effective and sustainable development.
Highlights of MoU :
This MoU will enable us to identify, facilitate and influence business practices that
promote gender equality and women empowerment.
The MoU will provide a framework to both the organizations, to promote research and
advocacy on gender responsive policies in select sectorsand with the provisions of the
recent Companies Act 2013.
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UN Women will be collaborating with FICCI for the first ever FICCI-FLO Film Festival on
womens empowerment along with a Global Symposium on Gender in Media presented
by the Geena Davis Institute of Gender Studies in Mumbai in February next year.
Through this partnership UN Women and FICCI will also work towards furthering UN
Womens global solidarity movement on Gender Equality, HeForShe.
14th Meeting of Heads of Governments of SCO Member

The 14th Meeting of the Heads of Governments (Prime Ministers) of the Shanghai
Cooperation Organization Member States on Regional Economic Cooperation was held in
Zhengzhou, China.
Participants PM of Kazakhstan K Masimov, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, PM of Kyrgyzstan T
Sariev, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, PM of Tajikistan K Rasulzoda and First Deputy
PM of Uzbekistan R Azimov and representatives of observer states. India, which is a complied
state at present, was represented by Minister of State for External Affairs Gen V K Singh.
Key discussions
Exchanged views on a wide range of issues of international and regional economic

growth.
Discussed prospects and measures for improving economic and humanitarian

cooperation for further strengthening of mutual understanding and traditional friendship
between peoples of the SCO member states.
Leaders issued a joint statement on regional economic cooperation which emphasized the
importance of Chinas One Belt, One Road initiative* for developing infrastructure in
the region.
*Chinas One Belt One Road (OBOR) project aims to recreate the ancient Silk Road trade and
infrastructure networks across central, west and south Asia.
Step to Counter Terrorism: 34-Nation Islamic Military Coalition

Saudi Arabia has launched Islamic Military Coalition, a new military alliance of 34 nations mainly
Muslim nations to fight terrorism.
Joint operations headquarter is to be established in the Riyadh.
It is an effort to respond to Western assertions that it could do more in the fight against
the Islamic State.
Member nations: Saudi Arabia, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh,
Benin, Turkey, Chad, Togo, Tunisia, Djibouti, Senegal, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Gabon,
Guinea, Palestine, Comoros, Qatar, Cote dIvoire, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Maldives, Mali, Malaysia,
Egypt, Morocco, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Yemen.
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Fitch retains Indias rating at BBB-/Stable
American rating agency Fitch retained Indias sovereign rating at the lowest investment
grade of BBB-/stable, showing the nation will continue to post good growth despite subdued
prospect for the Asia Pacific region in a situation of dollar strength in the context of an expected
rise in US (Federal Reserve) rates and lower commodity prices.
Indias economy will grow by 5% in the current fiscal that will stand out globally but
warned that its business environment would remain weak despite improvements.
Emerging Asias growth in 2016 is expected to slow to 3% from 6.5% mostly due to the
projected slowdown in China.
UN atomic watchdog IAEA ends Iran weapons probe

The global nuclear watchdog, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has ended its 12year investigation into concerns that Iran might be developing nuclear weapons. The move is
seen as a key step towards lifting UN, EU and US sanctions.
Conclusion :
The IAEA concluded that Iran conducted nuclear weapons-related research until 2003 and
to a lesser extent until 2009, but found no evidence of this since.
India ranks 97th on Forbes best countries for business list
India has ranked a low 97th out of 144 nations, behind Kazakhstan and Ghana, on
Forbes annual list of the best countries for business in 2015, scoring poorly on metrics
like trade and monetary freedom and tackling challenges like corruption and violence.
Denmark topped the list of the 144 nations on the Best Countries of Business in 2015 list
by Forbes. The US has dropped four spots to number 22, continuing a six-year
descent since 2009 when it had ranked second overall.
The US is the financial capital of the world and its largest economy at USD 17.4 trillion
(China is second at USD 10.4 trillion), but it scores poorly on monetary freedom and
bureaucracy/red tape.
India is ranked 97th on the list, with Forbes saying that while the country is developing
into an open-market economy, traces of its past autarkic policies remain.
Afghanistan joins World Trade Organisation
The World Trade Organisation (WTO) on Thursday formally approved Afghanistans

membership at its 10th ministerial conference in the Kenyan capital Nairobi.
Afghanistan has become the 164th WTO member and the 36th least developed country
(LDC) to join the global trade body after 11 years of negotiations.
UNSC unanimously adopt resolution to cut-off supply of funds to IS group

The UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution to cut off funds for the Islamic
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State the extremist group, in a firmer move by the international community to fight terrorism.
The resolution was adopted by the 15-nation UN body at an open meeting chaired by
US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew, whose country holds the rotating council presidency
for December.
The resolution called for enhanced actions, from closing financial system loopholes to
stopping the abuse of charitable causes, as well as updating the existing ISIS and AlQaeda Sanctions List.
It also called for increased international cooperation in sharing information and closer
collaboration with the private sector to identify suspect transactions.
2015 World Internet Conference held in China

The 2nd World Internet Conference held at Wuzen in China. It was jointly organized by the
Cyberspace Administration of China and the Peoples Government of Zhejiang Province.
Chinas President Xi Jinping delivers keynote speech at WIC. Theme of the three-day
long conference is An Interconnected World Shared and Governed by AllBuilding a
Cyberspace Community of Shared Destiny.
The conference focused on issues such as the spread of Internet culture, innovative
development of the Internet, digital economy cooperation, Internet technological
standards and cyber governance.
UN welcomes historic signing of Libyan Political Agreement

Representatives from a broad range of Libyan society signed a United Nations-brokered
agreement on forming a national unity government.
The agreement will lead to the establishment of a single Government of National Accord
and national institutions that will ensure broad representation. It is a critical step
incontinuing Libyas post-revolution transition after months of turmoil and uncertainty.
UN Secretary General, Ban ki Moon said that the door will remain open to those who
wish to join on the road to peace. We will continue to work to broaden the basis of
support for the new Government.
ILO released Global Estimates on Migrant Workers

The Geneva based International Labour Organization (ILO) has released a report of new global
estimates on migrant workers.
The report shows migrant workers account for 3 million of the worlds approximately232
million international migrants.
The statistical study provides estimates of the proportion of labour migrant workers
among the total number of migrants worldwide. It outlines the regions and industries
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where international migrant workers are established and includes a specific focus on
migrants in domestic work with updated numbers.
UN Security Council adopts resolution on Syria peace plan
The United Nations Security Council has unanimously adopted the resolution developed by thefive
permanent members of the council.
The agreement will create a roadmap toward a peace process end the five-year civil war
in Syria.
It includes preparations for a ceasefire monitoring mechanism that would come into
effect as soon as the representatives of the Syrian government and the opposition have
begun initial steps towards a political transition under UN auspices.
The resolution also contains previously agreed upon terms for a transitional government,
with elections to be held under UN supervision, and calls on all parties to permit the
delivery of humanitarian aid.
US Senate passes IMF reform in a Budget Bill

The US Senate passes the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reform as part of a budget bill.
It will clear the way for emerging economies and new industrial powerhouses
like Chinaand India to have more clout at the international lender.
According to the new proposal, Indias voting rights will increase to 6% from the current
2.3%.
Chinas voting rights will rise from the current 3.8% to 6%. while the voting rights of US
will decrease from 16.7% to 16.5%
BANKING & FINANCE

Fifth Bi-monthly Monetary Policy Statement, 2015-16 released by RBI
Reserve Bank of Indias Governor Dr. Raghuram G. Rajan has announced fifth bi-monthly
monetary policy review in which key policy interest rate remained unchanged on the basis of
current and evolving macroeconomic situation.
Current interest rates:
Repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) unchanged at 6.75%
Reverse repo rate under the LAF unchanged at 5.75%
Marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Bank Rate has unchanged at 7.75%
Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) of scheduled banks Unchanged at 4.0% of net demand
and time liability (NDTL).
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Continuation of liquidity under overnight repos at 0.25 % of bank-wise NDTL at the LAF repo
rate.Continuation of liquidity under 14-day term repos as well as longer term repos of up to 0.75 %
of NDTL of the banking system through auctions.
Employers attestation not required for PF claim
The Employees' Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) has announced that its subscribers can
now directly file the applications for their PF withdrawals without their employers
attestation which was earlier mandatory for this purpose.
Employees whose details like Aadhaar Number and Bank Account Number have been
seeded in their Universal (or portable PF) Account Number (UAN) and whose UAN have
been activated will be able to enjoy this benefit given by EPFO. Claims will have to be
submitted manually by subscribers and this initiative will make the PF withdrawals easy
for the employees.
RBI inks info exchange pact with UK financial body

The Reserve Bank of India has signed separate Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) on
Supervisory Cooperation and Exchange of Supervisory Information with Prudential Regulation
Authority (PRA) and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), United Kingdom.
Earlier in July 2012, RBI had signed an agreement for supervisory co-operation with
the Financial Services Authority (FSA), United Kingdom.
Due to some reforms implemented in UK financial services regulation, the functions

exercised by FSA were transferred to PRA and FCA and due to which RBI had to sign
these separate MOUs for supervisory co-operation between the Reserve Bank and the PRA
and FCA.
With this agreement, RBI has entered into MOUs for Supervisory Co-operation with
supervisors of 33 countries to promote greater co-operation and share supervisory information.
Axis Bank launches country's first 'display variant' debit card
Countrys third largest private bank Axis Bank has launched countrys first 'display variant' debit
card which will ease generating one time password (OTP) over SMS while transacting.
The card has an embedded EMV chip, a display screen and a touch-sensitive button which
helps generating the OTP on the card itself. So the customer will not have to wait for
receiving the OTP via SMS or mail while transacting.
The card will allow free ATM access across the world, offers on lounge access, loyalty
points on transactions and an air accident insurance of Rs 25 lakh and a personal accident
insurance of Rs 5 lakh.
MMTC eyes tie-ups with SBI, ICICI, India Post for gold coins
As a part of gold monetisation programme of the Union Cabinet, Metals and Minerals Trading
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Corporation of India (MMTC) has decided to strengthen marketing network for selling Indian
Gold coins by entering into tie-ups with SBI, ICICI Bank and India Post.
Presently, MMTC is retailing 'Indian Gold' coins through 22 outlets. After the tie-ups,
initially 100-150 branches or outlets in the country will be finalized for selling Indian Gold
Coins and later it will be a national launch.
Key Points:
The 'Indian Gold' coin is of 24 carat purity and has the national emblem of Ashok Chakra
engraved on one side and the face of Mahatma Gandhi on the other.
Initially, the coins will be available in denominations of 5, 10 and 20 grams.
MMTC Headquarters: New Delhi
RBI announced revised Priority Sector Lending norms for Regional Rural Banks
The reserve bank of India has revised the priority sector lending guidelines for Regional Rural
Banks (RRBs) according to which the RRBs will have to increase 18% of their total outstanding
towards agricultural activities.
A target of 7.5 percent of total outstanding will be diverted towards micro enterprises and
another 15 percent for weaker sections. The new norms will be implemented
from January 1, 2016 and will be monitored on a quarterly and annual basis.
Singapore emerged as the top source of FDI in India

As per data from the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), Singapore
has replaced Mauritius as the top source of foreign direct investment (FDI) into India during
the first half of the current fiscal.
FDI in India from April-September 2015
Singapore Rs 43,096 crore
Mauritius Rs 23,490 crore
Sectors attracted highest foreign investment during April-September 2015
Computer software and hardware $3.05 billion
Trading $2.30 billion
Services and automobile $1.46 billion each
Telecommunications $659 million
Centre to support rural entrepreneurs under MUDRA

In a bid to support rural entrepreneurs of India, centre is planning to provide loans under Micro
Units Development and Refinance Agency (MUDRA) Yojana by Enhancing Rural
Entrepreneurship through Common Services Centres (CSCs).
CSCs are very small-scale initiatives and MUDRA is for such institutions and therefore,
people who want to start such service points but do not have any funding, MUDRA can help
them start their micro-ventures.
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The Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMMY) was launched in April, under which the overall loan
disbursement target has been set at around Rs.1.22 lakh crore for this financial year.
RBI abandoned COR of 56 NBFCs from conducting business
The Reserve Bank of India has cancelled the certificate of registration (COR) of 56 non-banking
finance companies (NBFCs).
These companies cannot transact in the business of an NBFC as laid down under the Reserve
Bank of India Act, 1934.
Companies included in cancellation list
Bajaj Finance is already an NBFC and Bajaj Finserve is a core investment company.
ABNL Investment share in Aditya Birla Nuvos net profit was at 0.17 per cent.
Future Ventures India has now transformed into Future Consumer Enterprise, a
sourcing-to-supermarket food company of the Future Group.
Apart from above, companies like Compact Lease Financing, Vapi Investments, Shree Holdings,
Neelkanth Fintrade included in the bar list from conducting business.
Federal Bank launches service to recharge mobile phone
Federal Bank has launched missed call service for account holders in Chennai to recharge
their mobile.
For availing the service, account holder shall do a one-time registration from his registered
mobile number by sending the
SMS ACTMOB<space><BeneficiaryMobileNumber><space><recharge
amount><space><last three digits of the account number> to 9895088888.
Once registered, the beneficiary has to just make a missed call from his mobile number to
8431700700, and their phone will be recharged immediately and the amount debited to the
account-holders bank account.
The maximum amount of recharge that can be done using missed call service is limited
to Rs.500 per day per account. Customers may call the Toll Free number 1800 425
1199 for further details regarding the service.
IDFC Bank selects TCS BaNCS for core banking

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a leading IT services, consulting and business solutions
organisation, has announced that IDFC Bank has selected TCS BaNCS for core banking, a
move that will enable it to offer next generation banking services that are more
personalised, convenient and faster.
IDFC Bank started operations on October 1, 2015 with 23 branches, powered by TCS
BaNCS.
TCS has deployed more than 300 similar projects worldwide.
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In about nine months, IDFC Bank has implemented solutions for core banking, corporate loan
origination, financial inclusion and Global Limits and Exposure Management (GLEM) from the TCS
BaNCS suite and has integrated them with a host of additional systems within the bank.
It has started operations in rural banking, corporate and wholesale

banking andtreasury in the first phase.
SEBI orders freezing bank, demat accounts for the Sunplant Forgings
Markets regulator SEBI has ordered attachment of bank and demat accounts of Sunplant
Forgings, its promoters and directors, to recover dues worth over Rs 17 crore.
The attachment order comes after SEBI, in April, had directed the company and its
directors to refund Rs 17.51 crore to the investors which it had illegally raised along
with an interest of 15 per cent per annum.
The company had allotted redeemable preference shares to 6,000 persons without
complying with the public issue norms.
Other Actions :
The company and its promoters and directors had been barred from the securities
markets for four years and this ban would continue till the completion of refund to
investors.
The regulator has slapped a penalty of Rs 5 lakh on Mangal Keshav Capital for alleged
failure to make timely disclosures about its acquisition of shares in Arms Paper Ltd.
Myanmar inaugurates a new stock exchange Yangon Stock Exchange

Myanmar inaugurated a new stock exchange with plans for six companies to start trading in March
next year by Minister of Finance Win.
Yangon Stock Exchange :
The Yangon Stock Exchange will initially be open only to Myanmar companies and
investors .
Myanmar had a stock exchange during its years of military rule but it attracted few
companies and trading was almost nonexistent.
The Yangon Stock Exchange is being set up with Japanese assistance. Myanmar
government planned law changes will eventually allow foreigners to invest in Myanmar
shares.
Luxembourg became the 10th country to ratify AoA of Asian Infrastructure Investment
Bank
Luxembourg became the 10th country to ratify the Articles of Agreement (AoA) that will lay
the legal framework for the China-initiated Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
Apart from Luxembourg, Australia, Austria, Brunei Darussalam, China, Mongolia, Nepal,
New Zealand, Singapore and United Kingdom ratified the 60-article agreement so far.
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These 10 countries are among the 57 founder-member countries of the multilateral

bank that has its headquarters in the Chinese capital Beijing.
Among the 57 founder-member countries, except Philippines all other 56 countries

have signed the AoA and 46 countries are yet to ratify it.
RBI issues guidelines for cross-currency futures

RBI issued guidelines for introduction of cross-currency futures and exchange traded crosscurrency option contracts in multiple currency pairs.
Under the new contracts, residents and foreign portfolio investors will be allowed to take
positions in the cross currency contracts without having to establish underlying
exposure subject to the position limits as prescribed by the exchanges.
Cross currency futures available for

Euro (EUR)-US Dollar (USD), Pound Sterling (GBP)-USD and USD- Japanese Yen (JPY), while on the
exchange traded option contracts front, Euro-Rupee (INR), GBP-INR and JPY-INR have been added
to the existing USD-INR pair.
New Zealand formally becomes member of AIIB
New Zealand has formally become a member of the Asian Infrastructure Investment
Bank(AIIB) announced by Finance Minister Bill English. New Zealands ratification would contribute
to the AIIB reaching the 50-percent threshold of the needed for the AIIB to establish operations,
English said in a statement.
New Zealand was the ninth country to formally become a founding member. The AIIB
would have around 100 billion U.S. dollars of initial capital to promote sustainable
development in the region.
New Zealands paid in capital will be around 125 million NZ dollars (83.05 million U.S.
dollars), paid over five years.
The bank was expected to begin operations in January 2016.
AIIB Founding Members :

Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Hungary, Taiwan and Ukraine, Colombia, Japan and New Zealand
DCB Bank cuts base rate by 15 bps to 10.7 pc
Maharashtra headquartered Development Credit Bank (DCB) has announced a cut in its base
rate by 15 basis points from 10.85% to 10.7%.
The private sector bank also trimmed its former benchmark lending rate by 15 basis
points from 18.10% to 95%.
Both the rate cuts are effective December 14.
World Bank Group, FIRST Initiative launched Principles for Public Credit Guarantee
Schemes
The World Bank Group and the FIRST Initiative announced the launch of a new tool to help
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governments implement public credit guarantee schemes (CGS).
Aim : To unlock finance for small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
The World Bank Group estimates that up to 68 percent of formal SMEs in emerging markets are
either unserved or underserved by financial institutions, with a resulting credit gap estimated to be
close to $1 trillion.
Credit guarantee schemes :
The CGS was launched in 2008 with the aim of making it easier for financial institutions to borrow
money. The Scheme was closed in 2012.
About FIRST(Financial Sector Reform and Strengthening Initiative):
These schemes are gaining popularity because they usually combine a subsidy element
with market-based arrangements for credit allocation, thereby leaving less room for
distortions in credit markets.
It can serve as a global reference for the design, execution, and evaluation of public
CGSs around the world.
It promotes robust and diverse financial sectors in developing countries by providing

rapid, targeted support.
It leverages the technical expertise of the World Bank Group and IMF to encourage
financial sector development through technical assistance projects.
SEBI links commodity trade data with its surveillance systems

For better surveillance of commodities derivatives market, regulator SEBI has integrated trading
data flow from various commodity exchanges to its own integrated surveillance and intelligence
systems. After merging FMC, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has become
the unified regulator for the entire securities market.
Data acquisition equipment have been installed and connectivity was established with
major national commodity derivatives exchanges NCDEX and MCX thereby
integrating trading data with IMSS (Integrated Market Surveillance
System) andDWBIS (Data Warehousing and Business Intelligence
System) surveillance systems of SEBI.
Data integration has been facilitated in generation of commodity market reports and alerts in
DWBIS and IMSS systems. Data from NMCE (National Multi-Commodity Exchange of
India) and regional exchanges are also being received in electronic form through e-mails on a daily
basis.
World Bank accorded USD 1.5bn for clean India
Washington D.C. headquartered World Bank has consented $1.5 billion loan for the clean
India campaign to support the government in its efforts to ensure all citizens in rural areas have
access to improved sanitation by 2019.
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This project aimed at strengthening the implementation of the Swachh Bharat initiative of
the government.
Funds usage
Apart from Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) Support Operation Project, funds will also be used to
develop the capacity of MDWS in program
management, advocacy, monitoring andevaluation.
Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (MDWS) will play the overseeing and
coordinating role for the programme and support the participating states.
Additional funds
The World Bank will also provide a parallel $25 mn technical assistance to build the capacity of
select state governments in implementing community-led behavioral change
programmestargeting social norms to help ensure widespread usage of toilets by rural
households.
Federal Reserve of US increased interest rate by 0.25% for the first time since 2006
The Federal Reserve System, the central banking system of the USA, on 16 December 2015
increased interest rate by 0.25 percent. A decision in this regard was approved by the Board of
Governors of the Federal Reserve System chaired by Janet L Yellen.
With this, the interest rates in the US are now in the range of 0.25 0.50 percent as
compared to zero to 0.25 percent range earlier. This is the first rate increase since 2006.
RBI liable to disclose information about banks under RTI Act: Supreme Court
The Supreme Court on 16 December 2015 held that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is
liable to disclose information about the banks and financial institutions for their action
against the loan defaulters including industrialists under the Right to Information (RTI)
Act, 2005.
The Court further ruled that RBI has statutory duty to uphold public interest and not the
interest of individual banks.
It has no legal duty to maximise the benefit of any public sector or private sector bank,
and thus there is no relationship of trust between them.
IISL launches three new corporate group Indices

India Index Services & Products Ltd (IISL), an arm of National Stock Exchange (NSE), has launched
three indices of Tata Group, Aditya Birla Group and Mahindra Group.
The Indices namely Nifty Tata Group Index, Nifty Aditya Birla Group Index and
Nifty Mahindra Group Index are used to track the performance of all the companies of
respective groups
These Indices are based on full market capitalization method and include all the
companies of the respective groups listed on the NSE.
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Nifty Tata group consists of 25 companies across 12 sectors. Nifty Aditya Birla group
contains 8 companies across seven sectors while Nifty Mahindra Group index includes
seven companies across six sectors.
RBI announces Marginal Cost of Funds Methodology to calculate base rate

RBI announced a new Marginal Cost of Funds Methodology to calculate base rate. The guidelines
come into effect from April 1, 2016. These measures are expected to improve transparency in the
methodology followed by banks for determining interest rates on advances. Some of the guidelines
are:
All rupee loans sanctioned and credit limits renewed with effective from April 1, 2016 will
be priced with reference to the Marginal Cost of Funds based Lending Rate (MCLR) which
will be the internal benchmark for such purposes.
Banks will review and publish the lending rate every month on a pre-announced date
Actual lending rates will be determined by adding the components of spread to the MCLR.
Dena bank ties up with SBI Life Insurance

Dena bank has tied up with SBI Life Insurance Company in order to provide Group Life Insurance
coverage to its housing loan borrowers under the Dena Grihaswami Suraksha
Yojana. According to the MoU, the insurance cover will be given to all housing loan borrowersat
a very low premium.
Single premium for the entire period of the loan at the time of entry into the scheme.
In case of death of the borrower during the term of cover, outstanding loan is set off
against the policy proceeds settled by SBI Life Insurance.
If the amount of death claim exceeds the outstanding loan, the excess amount is paid to
the nominee of the borrower.
RBI launches quarterly Inflation Expectations Survey of Households for December 2015
Reserve Bank of India, RBI, has launched the quarterly Inflation Expectations Survey of
Households for December 2015.
The survey seeks qualitative responses from households on price changes in the next
three months as well as in the next one-year and quantitative responses on current,
three-month ahead and one-year ahead inflation rates.
The apex bank also launched the December 2015 round of the Consumer Confidence
Survey (CCS). It has been carrying out the survey on a quarterly basis since June 2010.
The survey targets at capturing subjective assessments of around 5,400 respondents

across six metropolitan cities Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai
and New Delhi.
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BUSINESS
ICBC to become Tata Group's banking partner
Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd (ICBC) has joined hands with Tata Group to
become its strategic banking partner.
ICBC will provide the Tata group with financing products, global cash management,
consulting, international trade finance business, investment banking, foreign exchange,
derivatives trading, and other global financial services.
This alliance will be a global one with the geographies covered including India, China,
Singapore, Europe, the USA, and South America.
Tesla at 3rd position in BCG's innovation survey

According to a report released by Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Electric car star Tesla of
United States has been listed third in the list of the 50 most innovative companies. Two years ago,
Tesla had made its debut on the list at 41st place.
In this list, Apple and Google have hold the first and second spot respectively.
Tesla was followed in order by Microsoft, Samsung, Toyota, BMW, Gilead,

Amazon, and Daimler.
Wipro to buy IT services firm Cellent AG for Rs. 514 crore

Indias third largest IT services company, Wipro has announced to acquire Germany
based Landesbank Baden-Wuerttemberg (LBBW), Cellent AG for about Rs.514 crore.
Cellent AG currently employs around 800 consultants and serves the DACH market
region. With this deal all its employees will become a part of Wipro.
Key points:
Cellent AG is a leading IT consulting and software services company and has been offering IT
solutions and services to its customers in the DACH region of Germany, Austria and Switzerland for
the past 14 years.
NTC signed Integrity Pact with Transparency International India
National Textile Corporation (NTC) Limited signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU)
with Transparency International India (TII) to adopt Integrity Pact. With this NTC become the
first textile corporation in India to sign such a pact.
Integrity Pact:
It is a tool in which all activities and transactions between a company or government department
and their Suppliers are handled in a transparent and corruption-free manner. It forbids any kind of
bribing, favour or any other unethical practice, which is closely scrutinized by
honorary Independent External Monitors (IEMs).
Key Points:
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Transparency International India (TII): TII is a non-government, non-party and nonprofit organisation of Indian citizens with professional, social, industrial or academic
experience.
NTC(National Textile Corporation Limited): It is a Central Public Sector Enterprise under

the Ministry of Textiles which was built-in April 1968 to manage the affairs of sick textile
undertakings in the private sector, taken over by the Government.
Chairman and managing director of NTC: PC Vaish
CCI imposes Rs 74 cr fine on Alkem Labs

Competition Commission of India (CCI) has imposed a penalty of over Rs 74 crore on IPObound Alkem Laboratories and its two officials for indulging in unfair business practices.
CCI has directed to "cease and desist from indulging in any of the practices which are
found to be anti-competitive in terms of the provisions of section 3 of the (Competition)
Act".
It has also slapped fines of Rs 4.35 lakh on All Kerala Chemists and Druggists
Association (AKCDA) and one of its officials in the same case.
YouTube opens first video production studio in India

Youtube, in collaboration with Subhash Ghai-owned film school Whistling Woods International,
has opened its 8th (one of a kind) Youtube Space in Mumbai's Film City. It is the first video
production studio in the country. Similar to Youtubes existing studio hubs around the world, the
new Mumbai YouTube Space offers courses, equipment, workshops, collaborations, and more.
Through this collaboration, Indias popular up-and-coming YouTube creators, as well as

their students, will have free access to Whistling Woods studios, high-end audio, visual
and editing equipment, in addition to training programs, workshops and community
events.
Government imposes anti-dumping duty on kitchenware products

Government has imposed an anti-dumping duty of $1,732.11 per tonne on import of melamine
tableware and kitchenware products like dinner sets and mugs from China, Thailand and
Vietnam.
Aim: To protect domestic industry from cheap shipments
Anti-dumping duty in-between $582.85 1732.11 per tonne will remain in effect for five years.
Key Point:
Anti-dumping: It analyses to test if domestic industries have been hurt because of an increase in
cheap imports and also to ensure fair trade. It is not a measure to restrict imports or cause an
unjustified surge in the cost of products.
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Railways has undertaken PPP projects worth Rs 14,000 crore
Railways has undertaken PPP(Public-Private Partnership) projects worth Rs.14,000 croreduring
the 12th Five year Plan for laying new lines, doubling the present ones, enriching port
connectivity and electrifying its network under PPP model.
Highlights:
7 PPP projects worth Rs 5693 crore: Under implementation as many others involving
an expenditure of Rs 2236 crore are being implemented under customer funded model
3 PPP projects worth Rs 3016 crore: Executed through the annuity route
16 state governments which have given their nod for formation of special purpose
vehicles (SPVs) to implement rail projects in their respective states.
Odisha signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Railways to form a SPV for
implementation of rail projects in the state currently.
Tata Comm concludes deal to sell Neotel fixed line to Vodacom

Tata Communications will sell the majority of its subsidiary Neotels fixed line assets to
Vodacom South Africa but will retain control of licences including spectrum.
The deal was originally signed in May, 2014 wherein Vodafones South African subsidiary
Vodacom had reached an agreement to buy Neotel, controlled by Tata Communications,
for 7 billion rand (about Rs 3,200 crore).
In dollar terms, the value of transaction at that time was around USD 676 million which
has come down to USD 479 million due to depreciation in value of South African rand.
Tata Communications owns over 68 per cent stake in South Africas largest fixed line telephone
service provider Neotel.
IISc bags US military contract for R&D on solar powered micro-grid
The prestigious Indian Institute of Science has bagged a US military contract for research and
development on solar powered micro-grid announced at the meeting between defense minister
Manohar Parrikar and US defense secretary Ashton Carter at the Pentagon .
The federal contract worth USD 52,900 has been awarded by the US Pacific Air Forces,
Yokota Air Base in Japan to develop solar powered micro-grid with battery and super
capacitor energy storage system.
This is one of the rare instances that an Indian scientific institute known for its high-end
cutting edge research has been awarded a federal contract by the US military.
MoU Signed between ICIS and NBCC for Construction of ICIS at Tirupati and Noida
The construction of Indian Culinary Institutes (ICIs) at Tirupati and Noida was begin with the
signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Indian Culinary Institute (ICI)
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Society and the National Buildings Construction Corporation Ltd. (NBCC) at the Ministry of
Tourism, New Delhi.
The MoU was signed by Dr. Preeti Srivastava, Joint Secretary & Ex-officio Director, ICI
on behalf of ICI Society and Rajendra Chaudhari, Director (Commercial) on behalf of
NBCC Ltd. Secretary, M/o Tourism Vinod Zutshi and Joint Secretary, M/o Tourism Shri
Suman Billa also graced the occasion.
Andhra Pradesh Government has transferred land measuring 14.21 acres at Tirupati
in favour of ICI Society for construction of ICI Tirupati.
Karnataka govt signs EoI with Reitzel Group

Karnataka delegation, which is touring France to attract companies for the forthcoming
Invest Karnataka 2016 from February 3 to 5, 2016 in Bengaluru, has signed an Expression of
Interest (EoI) agreement with Reitzel Group.
As per the EoI, the company is expected to invest 20 crore and create about 50 new jobs to
the already 200 existing jobs. Reitzel is a Paris-based family-owned company in the
Agri and food processing industry.
The road show to promote Invest Karnataka 2016 is organised by MEDEF

International and GIFAS with a special focus on manufacturing and aerospace sectors.
French companies have invested about $4.5 billion in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in
India since the year 2000 which makes it the 9th largest FDI contributor to India.
There are about 170 French companies which are headquartered in Karnataka.
Union Government slaps anti-dumping duty on stainless steel

Union Cabinet has imposed an anti-dumping duty ranging from 5.39% to 57.39% on import of
cold-rolled flat products of stainless steel for 5 years.
It has imposed on the recommendation of Directorate General of Anti-dumping and

Allied Duties (DGAD).
Anti-dumping duty has been imposed on 7 countries China, South Korea, the US, South
Africa, Thailand and Taiwan and European Union.
The highest duty has been levied on steel imports from China at 57.39%, followed by the
European Union at 52.56%. Imports from Thailand have the least duty imposition of 4.58%.
The governments decision comes in the wake of rising incidence of dumping as it was
obstructing the performance of domestic industry with steel prices on a decline.
Centre sets up SETU to support start-up businesses

Government has set up a mechanism known as SETU to support all aspects of start-up businesses
and other selfemployment activities.
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SETU (SelfEmployment and Talent Utilisation) has been established under NITI
Aayog is a Techno-Financial, Incubation and Facilitation Programme to support all aspects of
start-up businesses, and other self-employment activities, particularly in technology-driven
areas.
Other schemes to assist start-up businesses

India Aspiration Fund (IAF) Government has also started IAF in August 2015 under theSmall
Industries Development Bank of India with a capital of Rs. 2,000 crore to give a boost to
startup ecosystem in the country.
The objective of the IAF is to catalyze equity investment into start ups and MSMEs
creating employment to lakhs of persons mostly educated youth over the next four to
five years.
TIDE Department of Electronics and Information Technology is implementing a scheme

dubbed Technology Incubation and Development of Entrepreneurs (TIDE) under which
147 start ups have been supported at 25 TIDE centres established in premier institutes like IITs,
NITs, IIMs etc.
Natco Pharma gets DCGI nod to sell hepatitis C treatment drug

Natco Pharma Ltd. has received approval from the Drugs Controller General of India
(DCGI) to launch in the country the generic version of Ledipasvir + Sofosbuvir combinationfor
treatment of chronic Hepatitis C.
The combination drug is to be launched under its brand name Hepcinat LP and through
strategic partners in India.
Cost 25,000 (for a bottle of 28 tablets)
A two-drug fixed-dose combination product, containing 90 mg of Ledipasvir and 400 mg of

Sofosbuvir in a single tablet, Ledipasvir + Sofosbuvir is sold globally by Gilead Sciences Inc. under
its brand Harvoni. The drug is indicated for the treatment of chronic Hepatitis C (CHC) genotype 1
infection in adults.
Earlier this year, company had signed a non-exclusive licensing agreement with
Gilead Sciences to manufacture and sell generic versions of the chronic Hepatitis C
medicines including generic version of Harvoni.
Natco became the first licensed company to launch the generic version of the
combination drug in Nepal.
Besides in India, this agreement is for 100 other developing countries.
Infosys invests USD 3 mn in sports startup WHOOP

IT major Infosys has invested USD 3 million (Rs 20 crore) in U.S. based wearable device startup
firm WHOOP to pick up a minority shareholding in the company.
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WHOOPs system includes a device worn by athletes on their wrist that

continuouslymeasures key strain and recovery variables and actionable analytics
powered by proprietary algorithms that generate intensity and recovery scores.
This enables athletes and coaches to gain visibility into the drivers of high performance, guide
training and make optimal game day decisions.
MoEF gives nod to NTPCs Telangana power project

The Ministry of Environment and Forests has given green signal to a power project being set up by
state-owned NTPC in Telangana while it has deferred another project of the PSU in Andhra
Pradesh.
Highlights of the project :
The NTPC Limited is presently operating a coal-based 2,600 MW (stage-I, II & III)
thermal power station at Ramagundam in Telanganas Karimnagar district and is in the
process of expanding it by addition of 2800 MW.
The cost of the expansion project is about Rs 9,954.20 crore, which includes about Rs
834.81 crore for environmental protection measures,the coal requirement will be 8
million tonnes per annum and has been allotted from Mandakini-B Coal Mine block in
Odisha.
Minister of Environment and Forests : Prakash Javadekar
IRCTC partners Paytm for food payments

Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has tied up with Paytm to offer an
additional payment gateway for food ordered through its e-catering facility.
To enable railway passengers to order food, IRCTC sends an email to passengers one day
in advance about food order, which can also be placed during ticket reservations.
On an average, IRCTC clocks 5.5 to six lakh e-catering bookings daily.
US lifts 40-year ban on oil exports

United States has lifted a 40-year ban on oil exports, marking a historic shift for the booming US
oil industry.
The ban was first imposed in 1975 as the United States was reeling from the 19731974 Arab oil embargo. Arab members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting
Countries had banned oil exports to the United States in retaliation for Washingtons
support of Israel during the Arab-Israeli war.
With the end of the ban, all 9.2 million barrels produced in the United States a day and
the 490.7 million barrels stockpiled commercially are available for export.
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AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

Robert Lewandowski awarded with four Guinness World Record certificates for scoring
five goals in nine minutes
Robert Lewandowski awarded with four world record certificates scoring five goals in nine minutes
in Septembers Bundesliga clash with Wolfsburg.He has scored the most goals by a replacementin
the Bundesliga and the fastest Bundesliga hat-trick.It was also the fastest four goals in the
league and the fastest to five.
About Lewandowski:
Born in Warsaw, is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for German

club Bayern Munich
Captain:Poland national team.
Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi gives away National Level Awards to Anganwadi Workers for
Exceptional Achievement
The Minister of Women and Child Development Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi gave away National
Level Awards to the selected Anganwadi Workers (AWWs) for Exceptional Achievement at
Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi for the years 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14.
Government of India formulated a scheme for awarding AWWs at National Level and
State Level in the year 2000-2001 under Sponsored by Integrated Child Development
Services (ICDS).
National Level Awards to Anganwadi Workers :
A total of 118 Anganwadi Workers have been selected for National Awards for the
years 2011-12 (32), 2012-13 (32) and 2013-14 (54).
The award at the National Level comprises of Rs.25,000/- cash and a citation.
Hinduja Brothers received lifetime achievement award at Asian Business Leadership

Forum 2015
Hinduja Brothers were honored with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the 6thannual
Asian Business Leadership Forum (ABLF) in Delhi
ABLF Royal Patron, H.H. Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Minister of Culture, Youth
and Community Development, UAE, presented the award to Gopichand P Hinduja, CoChairman of Hinduja Group of Companies.
This award recognizes the most powerful and influential business leaders.
Hinduja brothers :P Hinduja, GP Hinduja, Prakash Hinduja and Ashok Hinduja
Colombian film Embrace of The Serpent adjudged best film of 46th IFFI
Colombian film Embrace of Serpent (Directed by Ciro Guerra and Produced by Cristina Gallego)
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took the first prize the Golden Peacock Award at the 46th International Film Festival of India (IFFI)
Goa fest. The Golden Peacock award carries a sum of Rs.40 lakh.
Other winners:
Special Mention:Enclave(Serbian film) directed by GoranRadovanovic
Best director:British filmmaker Peter Greenaway for his English and Spanish language
Eisenstein in Guanajuato.
Best actor(Male):Vincent Lindonfor StephaneBrizes French film The Measure of a

Man.
Best actor(Female):GunesSensoy, DogaDoguslu, TugbaSunguroglu, ElitIscan and

IlaydaAkdoganfor DenizGamzeErguvens Turkish film Mustang.
Special jury award: Julia Vargas Bolivian film Sealed Cargo.
UNESCO-Fellini medal: Indian filmmaker KaushikGangulyfor his Bengali-language

Cinemawalla.
Lifetime achievement award:Oscar-winning Russian filmmaker Nikita Mikhalkov
Dr Abdul Kalam IGNITE award presented by President Pranab Mukherjee

The APJ Abdul Kalam Ignite Awards 2015 at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad
(IIM-A), President Pranab Mukherjee praised the innovative thinking school students
shownthrough their works and 31 ideas by 42 students bagged awards.
CM Anandiben Patel observed two inventionspresented at the exhibition a solar

seeder(tractor) and an adjustable handcart.
President called the Ignite 2015 awards named after former President APJ Abdul Kalam
afitting tribute to his memory and highlighted innovation as the key to economic
development.
Attended by: Governor of Gujarat OP Kohli, Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel Organised
by: National Innovation Foundation (NIF) and IIM-A.
Renowned violinist L Subramaniam to be honoured with ITC Sangeet Samman

Renowned Padma Bhushan & Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee, L Subramaniam will be
honoured with the Sangeet Samman at the ITC Sangeet Sammelan 2015 beginning on December
4 at the Victoria Memorial, Kolkatta.
He is the only musician who has performed and recorded South Indian and Western
classical music, both orchestral and non-orchestral, composed for and conducted major
orchestras.
The violinist will perform at the inaugural of 3-day Sammelan at the Victoria Memorial.
The next two days of the Sammelan will be held at the ITC SRA lawn.
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Delhi Development Authority awarded with E-India Award
The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has been awarded with the E-India Award for
adopting technology to serve the public better, and using manpower and resources efficiently
through mobile applications.
The authority received the award under the category of Digital India IT initiatives in the
field of 'land protection and engineering projects'.
One of the app for which the award was given is Vacant land photo uploading
system in which the officials of the land and engineering department can upload the
photographs of vacant land to keep a check on encroachment.
The second award winning app was themeasurement books which is for e-filing of measurement
of engineering projects for exact estimation of parameters and project requirements.
Narendra Modi in eighth place for Time magazines Person of the Year Poll
PM Narendra Modi is listed at the eighth place in the TIME Person of the Year readers' choice poll
with a vote share of 2.7 per cent.
According to the Time profile, "Modi has encouraged foreign direct investment in India
and is trying to modernize the world's largest democracy. He has also faced controversy
over what some see as right wing extremism".
With a vote share of 10.5 per cent, Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has
topped the list with Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai, Pope Francis and US President
Barack Obama at the second, third and fourth place respectively.
Adidas Indias Pulin Kumar won prestigious INBA Award

A group senior legal and compliance director of adidas India, Pulin kumar has been conferred
with the Indian National Bar Association's (INBA) General Counsel of the year 2015 Retail Award on the occasion of INBA's Annual International Conference-66th National Law Day.
He has received the award for his contribution to the legal field in and outside the
country for more than 21 years.
Nirma University fetched Excellence in Technology for Education Delivery

Nirma University has been awarded under the category of Excellence in Technology for
Education Delivery during the FICCI Education Awards 2015 as a part of the event under
the 11th FICCI Higher Education Summit 2015.
(FICCI Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry)
The event was organized at FICCI Federation House, New Delhi by FICCI in association with
the Ministry of Human Resource Development, GOI.
FICCI Higher Education Excellence Awards aim to recognize institutions and individuals
working to improve Higher Education quality in India.
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Hyderabad Police gets Express IT excellence award
Union Telecom and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad presented Express IT
excellence award to Hyderabad City Police in acknowledgment with IT initiatives launched by them
in last one year in Bengaluru.
Hyderabads Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Anjani

Kumar andHead of IT core team of Hyderabad Police Srinath Reddy received the
award on behalf of the Hyderabad City Police.
PAHAL scheme included in Guinness Book of World records

Petroleum Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan presented the certificate in recognition of
PAHAL as the largest cash transfer programme in the world, received from Guinness Book of
World Records to the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.
About PAHAL Scheme: Pratyaksha Hastaantarit Laabh
Launched in 54 districts of the country on 15.11.2014 and in remaining districts of the

country on 1st January, 2015. LPG consumers who join the PAHAL scheme will get the LPG
cylinders at market price and receive LPG subsidy directly into their bank accounts.
As on 3rd Dec, 2015, 14.62 crore LPG consumers have joined the PAHAL scheme and are
receiving the subsidy directly into their Bank Accounts.
Indo-American Frank Islam bestowed with UP Ratna Award

Uttar Pradesh Ratna Award has been conferred on Indian-American entrepreneur and
philanthropist, Frank Islam (63) to recognise his achievements and outstanding contributions in
a foreign country.
The award will be presented by UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav at the inaugural UP
Pravasi Diwas in Agra on January 4, 2016.
INS Sindhudhwaj bags award for innovation from PM Narendra Modi

INS Sindhudhwaj, a submarine of the Eastern Naval Command (ENC) awarded with The Best
Innovation Trophy by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as part of Navy Day Celebrations 2015.
About INS Sindhudhwaj :
The innovation undertaken by the submarine to repair their ventilation system under
challenging circumstances at sea during a search and rescue (SAR) operation was
adjudged the first among the 137 entries of Navy, a release from the cityheadquartered ENC.
The award comes as a great morale booster to the submarine arm which celebrates its
48th Anniversary on 08 Dec 15.
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Nobel Peace Prize conferred upon Tunisias National Dialogue Quartet
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2015 is to be
awarded to the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet for its decisive contribution to the building
of a pluralistic democracy in Tunisia in the wake of the Jasmine Revolution of 2011 aka Tunisian
Revolution.
National Dialogue Quartet was formed in 2013 when the process of democratisation was
in danger of collapsing because of widespread social unrest
The quartet established an alternative and peaceful political process as Tunisia was on
the brink of civil war.
Tunisia adopted a new constitution in January 2014 and held democratic elections at the
end of last year.
2 Indians win Queens Young Leaders award in UK

Two Indians Kartik Sawhney (21) and Neha Swain (28) are among the 60 others who have won
the Queens Young Leaders award in the UK for their exceptional work in transforming the lives
of others and making a lasting difference in their communities.
The award will be presented by the British monarch at a gala ceremony in Buckingham
Palace in June 2016.
Tech Mahindra conferred with Forbes Top 100 Middle East Award
Tech Mahindra, a specialist in digital transformation, consulting and business re-engineering
solutions has been awarded the prestigious Forbes Top 100 Middle East Global Meets Local
2015 Award. The award was presented at a special event hosted by Forbes Middle East in Dubai.
Forbes Global Meets Local recognizes the top regional executives in the largest and most
powerful global multinationals in the Middle East.
Here is the list of top 10 regional executives
Rank
1
2
3
Name
Nabil Habayeb
Takreem El Tohamy
Sanjeev Chadha
4
5
6
Markus Wildi
Yves Manghardt
Yousif Abdulghani
7
8
9
10
Curt Ferguson
Nour Suliman
Roy Haddad
Alaa El Shimy
Company
General Electric
IBM
Pepsi-Cola
International
Dow Chemical
Nestle Middle East
McDonalds Middle
East Development
Company
Coca-Cola Company
DHL Express
WPP
Hewlett-Packard
Title
President & CEO, North Africa
General Manager, Africa
CEO, Africa
President, Middle East
Chairman & CEO
Vice President & International
Relationship Partner
President, North Africa
CEO, North Africa
Director, North Africa
Vice President & Managing
Director, Africa
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President of India presented Shilp Guru and National Awards
President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee presented the awards to Shilp Gurus and National
Awardees at a function at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
(Union Minister of State for Textiles (I/C) Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar)
21 Shilp Gurus have been selected for the years 2012, 2013 & 2014, out of whom 18 are
male and 3 are female.
59 craftspersons have been selected for the National Awards for the year 2012, 2013, &
2014.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel named 2015 Times Person of the Year
Time magazine named German Chancellor Angela Merkel its Person of the Year 2015 for the
annual honour because her leadership has helped preserve and promote an open, borderless
Europe in the face of economic turmoil and an ongoing refugee crisis.
Contenders :
Islamic State leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi and Republican presidential hopeful Donald
Trump were among the eight candidates shortlisted by Time.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani and
Googles India-born CEO Sundar Pichai were among the initial 58 global leaders,
business chiefs and pop icons that Time had named as contenders for its annual honour.
Mr. Modi was a contender for the honour last year also and while he was not chosen the
Person of the Year by Time editors, he was named winner of the readers poll.
National Awards for Innovation in Educational Administrations Awarded

The National University of Educational Planning and Administration (NUEPA), New Delhi
has instituted National Awards for Innovation in Educational Administrations for District and Block
Level Education Officers.
The National Awards presented to selected District and Block level education officers from
different states and regions of the country by the Union Minister for Human Resource
Development, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani. Shri J. Veera Raghavan, Former Secretary, Ministry
of Human Resource Development.
Organizer : NUEPA
Venue : Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Auditorium, Teen Murti Bhawan, New Delhi.
Objective :To recognize innovative ideas and practices adopted by district and block
level education officers for effective management of the educational administrative system at
district and block levels, and ensuring institutional development and performance at school
level.
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A two day National Conference on Innovation in Educational Administration, 9-10
December, 2015 is also being organized by NUEPA, with participation by about 200 district and
block level education officers from Xacross India.
Lifetime membership of MCC conferred on Mahela Jayawardene

Former Sri Lanka Captain and countrys second highest Test run-scorer Mahela Jayawardene has
been conferred with Honorary Life Membership of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).
The membership recognized his 18-year career in which he played 149 Test matches and
scored 11,814 runs at an average of 49.84.
With this achievement he became the 14th Sri Lankan cricketer to get the MCC Honorary
Life Membership.
Naseeruddin Shah honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award

Veteran Bollywood actor Naseeruddin Shah and French actress Catherine Deneuve are
honoured with the lifetime achievement award at the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF).
The 12th edition of the festival opened with the screening of Lenny Abrahamsons
suspenseful and heartrending drama Room based on Emma Donoghues 2010 best-selling
novel of the same name.
2015 Mailer Prize for Lifetime Achievement conferred upon Salman Rushdie
India-born author Sir Ahmad Salman Rushdie (68) has been conferred with Mailer Centers
Annual Lifetime Achievement Prize that honours writers who fully exercise their freedom of
creativity and thrive on dialogue and debate.
The prize is named after renowned American writer Norman Mailer, considered among the
most influential writers of the second half of the 20th century.
Varanasi & Jaipur become members of UNESCO Creative Cities Network

Jaipur and Varanasi has made Indias maiden entry to the Creative City Network of the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Irina Bokova (Director-General of UNESCO) has announced the designation of 47 cities

from 33 countries as new members of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.
Jaipur (Rajasthan) is added in the Crafts and Folk Art category.
Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) is added in the Music category.
Wipro won 2015 Aegis Graham Bell Award for innovation in IoT
Global software major Wipro won the Aegis Graham Bell award for developing a solution for the
Internet of Things (IoT) and Minister of State Jitendra Singh presented the award to the
outsourcing firm at a function in New Delhi
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HPCL CMD Nishi Vasudeva named CEO of the Year
Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) Chairman and MD Nishi Vasudeva has been
chosenqwhile Reliance Industries has bagged the CSR Award at the 17th annual Platts Global
Energy Awards or Oscars of energy in New York.
Women won two of the top honors:
CEO of the Year : Nishi Vasudeva and
Rising Star: Individual Maria Victoria Zingoni.
This years winner is Indias most profitable company, and its CSR performance is a shining
example of the enormous positive impact on society that a corporate giant can bring when it
commits to sustainable development.
South East Asia Write award clinched by J.M. Sali
2015 South East Asia Write Award has been conferred upon Indian-origin writer Jamaludeen
Mohamed Sali aka J.M. Sali whose books are read in universities.
The author has written 57 books, 80 plays and more than 400 short
stories including Vellai Kodugal (White Lines) & Alaigal Pesuginrana (The Sound of
the Waves) that are now studied by Tamil literature students in Singapore and Indian
universities.
Born in 1939 in, Mr. Sali was invited to Singapore at the age of 25 to be an assistant editor
at the Tamil Murasu newspaper by its founder, the late G. Sarangapani.
Padma Vibhushan conferred upon on renowned Dilip Kumar

Bollywood veteran and legendary actor Dilip Kumar was presented the Padma
Vibhushan by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh at the the spians residence in suburban
Bandra.
The 93 year old legendary actor was presented a medal, a certificate and a shawl.
About Dilip Kumar

Born as Muhammad Yousuf Khan in Peshawar, Mr. Kumar made his debut as an actor in the
film Jwar Bhata in 1944 produced by Bombay Talkies.
Nickname Tragedy king of Bollywood
In a career spanned over six decades, he starred in films of a variety of genres such as
the romantic Andaz (1949), the swashbuckling Aan (1952), the dramatic Devdas
(1955), the comical Azaad (1955), the historical Mughal-e-Azam (1960) and the social
Ganga Jamuna (1961).
He also did films like Kranti (1981), Shakti (1982), Karma (1986) and Saudagar
(1991) and others.
His last film was Qila (1998).
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Director Ron Howard gets a second Hollywood Walk of Fame star
Oscar-winning director Ron Howard has been presented with another star on Walk of
Fame on account of his contribution to the TV and film industries.
The four-time Oscar nominee and two-time Oscar winner remains one of the most
in-demand directors in Hollywood.
He started as TV actor starring as Richie Cunningham in the legendary series "Happy
Days".
On leaving the show, he turned his hand to directing and has since developed a reputation for
being adept at helming different types of movies such as "Willow", "Apollo 13" and "Rush".
Etihad Airways wins worlds leading airline award
At the annual World Travel Awards Grand Finale gala ceremony 2015, Etihad Airways has
been awarded the Worlds Leading Airline award for the seventh consecutive year.
The company also bagged further two awards, Worlds Leading First Class and theWorlds
Leading Cabin Crew.
2016 Genesis Prize conferred upon Violinist Itzhak Perlman

The legendary 16 Grammys award winner Israeli-US violinist Itzhak Perlman has been
awarded the 2016 Genesis prize for his accomplishments as a musician, teacher and advocate for
people with disabilities.
The $1m (660,000) prize aka Jewish Nobel is given annually to an individual who
has achieved professional success, contributed to humanity and shown a strong
commitment to Jewish causes and the state of Israel.
Bappi Lahiri and Kumar Sanu with Lifetime Achievement Awards

West Bengal government honoured veteran music composer Bappi Lahiri and singer Kumar
Sanu with the Lifetime Achievement awards.
The award was presented by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the Sangeet Samman
award function in Kolkata.
Other Awards:
Bollywood musician Shantanu Moitra was felicitated with the Sangeet Mahasamman
award along with Mohammad Aziz, Kumar Bose and Shibaji Chattopadhyay.
Vocalists Nachiketa and Ajoy Chakrobarty were given special Sangeet Samman.
Bishesh Sangeet Samman was awarded to Dwijen Mukhyopadhyay, Ajoy

Chakraborty and Sandhya Mukherjee.
Sangeet Mela will be held for the next 10 days at different venues where 5,000 artists will
participate. Folk culture festival would be organised at Lal Dighi from December 23.
President Pranab Mukherjee received Global leader award
President Pranab Mukherjee received Garwood Award for Outstanding Global Leader in Open
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Innovation from UC Berkeley-Haas School of Business at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Executive Director of Garwood Center for Corporate Innovation, Prof. Solomon

Darwinpresented the award to the President, called a champion of innovative
thinking.
Mr.Mukherjee said that Open innovation is most essential for government entities,
which are tasked to serve the citizens. Placing of data in public domain without
compromising the privacy, promotes transparency, innovation and opens up new avenues
to solve problems of citizens efficiently and effectively.
Sahitya Akademi Awards for 2015 announced

Sahitya Academy has announced the names of 23 poets and authors who will be honored with
2015 Sahitya Akademi Award.
This award has recognised premier works in 23 Indian languages that includes 6 books of
short stories, 6 of poetry, 4 novels, 2 books each of essays, criticism and plays and 1
memoir.
Sr no
1
3
4
5
6
7
Awardees of the year 2015

Name of the winner
Brajendra Kumar Brahma (Bodo)
Dhian Singh (Dogri)
Ramdarash Mishra (Hindi)
K.V. Tirumalesh (Kannada)
Kshetri Rajan (Manipuri)
Ram Shankar Awasthi (Sanskrit)
Short stories
Kula Saikia (Assamese)
Man Mohan Jha (Maithili)
Gupta Pradhan (Nepali)
Bibhuti Pattanaik (Odia)
Maya Rahi (Sindhi)
Volga (Telugu)
Novels
Cyrus Mistry (English)
Jaswinder Singh (Punjabi)
Madhu Acharya Ashawadi (Rajasthani)
Essays
Rasik Shah (Gujrati)
A. Madhavan (Tamil)
Plays
Uday Bhembre (Konkani)
Rabilal Tudu (Santali)
Books on criticism
Bashir Bhadarwahi (Kashmiri)
Shamim Tariq (Urdu)
Memoirs
Arun Khopkar (Marathi)
Category
Poetry
Vatican to confer sainthood on Mother Teresa as Pope recognises her second miracle
Vatican announced to Sainthood to Mother Teresa. She will be made a saint of the Roman
Catholic Church in September 2016.
Pope Francis has approved a decree recognising a miracle attributed to her intercession
with God.
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Mother Teresa, who died in 1997 at the age of 87, was beatified in 2003 by the late
Pope John Paul. Beatification, which requires one miracle is the last step before
sainthood.
Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity to help the poor on the streets of
Kolkata and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.
Husband-wife duo Claude and Norma Alvares awarded with 2015 Sanctuary Lifetime
Service Award
The husband-wife duo of Claude and Norma Alvares on 18 December 2015 were honoured with
the 2015 Lifetime Service Award by Sanctuary Asia magazine.
On the other hand, Ashok Kumar, one of the pioneers of the fightback against wildlife
crimes in India and chairman emeritus of the Wildlife Trust of India, was named the
Sanctuary Legend. It is a new category in the list of Sanctuary Wildlife Awards for 2015.
CII Industrial Innovation Awards 2015 conferred upon 35 companies

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on 15 December 2015 conferred Industrial Innovation
Awards 2015 upon 35 companies. Among them 10 were start-ups and 25 were big and small
companies.
Delhi-based start-up Right Track Admizzionz Campuz won the top award in the startup category, while the pharma major Zydus Cadila was adjudged the Most Innovative
Company of the Year.
The awards were instituted by CII in 2014 to recognize and celebrate innovative Indian
enterprises across industry segments. These premier awards seek to recognize and honor
the Indian Industrys brightest stars and to identify the top Innovative Organizations in
the country.
US University announces APJ Abdul Kalam Fellowship for Indian Students

The University of South Florida has launched APJ Abdul Kalam fellowship worth $156000 for
Indian students those who wish to pursue PhD in specified fields of science and engineering at the
institution. Under this fellowship students would receive a tuition fee waiver amounting to $84500
in four years, plus a stipend of $18000 per year.
The USF already has 800 Indian students enrolled for this year. This fellowship will be
effective from 2016-2017, to attract more.
Ralph Wilcox, the head of USF said that Dr Kalam was an honoured visitor to the
University of South Florida, and he spoke at great lengths about the importance of green
energy and sustainability.
Miss Spain Mireia Lalaguna Royo crowned Miss World 2015

Spanish model Mireia Lalaguna Royo was named Miss World 2015 in Sanya, an island resort off
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the southern coast of China. This was 65th Miss World contest and the seventh held in China.
Mireia, a 23-year-old medical college student and a pianist from Barcelona, obtained the title
after beating 113 other contestants from around the world.
Miss Russia Sofia Nikitchuk finished the runner-up and Miss Indonesia Maria
Harfanti ranked at third position.
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS

Anil Kumble resigns as chief mentor of Mumbai Indians
Anil Kumble has stepped down as the Chief Mentor of Indian Premier League team Mumbai
Indian.He was associated with the Indian Premier League team since January 2013.
Roch Marc Christian Kabore elected as president of Burkina Faso
Roch Marc Christian Kabore has won Burkina Fasos presidential election by securing 53.5% of the
votes.
About Kabore:
Kabore has served as Prime Minister of Burkina Faso from 1994 to 1996 and President of
the National Assembly of Burkina Faso from 2002 to 2012.
Vijay Kumar Choudhary elected as Bihar assembly Speaker

Senior Janata Dal (United) leader and five-time MLA Vijay Kumar Chaudhary has been elected as
the new Speaker of the Bihar State Assembly. He was elected unanimously by all the political
parties.
Sir Venkatraman Ramakrishnan assumed Presidency of the Royal Society
Renowned Indian-born American and British biologist, Sir Venkatraman Ramakrishnan has been
appointed as the President of the British Royal Society. With this he became the 61st President of
Royal Society and has joined the elite group of scientists such as Isaac Newton, Joseph Banks,
Humphry Davy, and Ernest Rutherford, who had held the same position.
Indian-American Dr Vijay M Rao named as Chairperson of RSNA
Indian-American Dr Vijay M Rao(an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) graduate) was
named as the chairperson of the prestigious Radiological Society of North America (RSNA)
Board of Directors.
She was the David C Levin Professor and Chairperson of Radiology at Jefferson Medical
College of Thomas Jefferson University.
M C Mishra appointed new CBDT member

A senior IRS officer, M C Mishra has been appointed as a member in the Central Board of Direct
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Taxes (CBDT), the apex policy-making body of the Income Tax department.
About M C Mishra:
M C Mishra is a 1979-batch Indian Revenue Service officer.
He was posted as the Chief Commissioner of Income Tax in Pune.
After his portfolio being notified by ministry, he may soon get the charge of Personnel and
Vigilance or Income Tax.
Scientist M Nair Rajeevan appointed Earth Sciences Secretary

Renowned Scientist M Nair Rajeevan has been appointed as Secretary in the Ministry of Earth
Sciences. His appointment as Earth Sciences Secretary has been approved by the Appointments
Committee of Cabinet (ACC), an order issued by Department of Personnel and Training.
Rajeevan is serving as the Director of Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune.
He had also served in other institutions like Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
(TIFR) and Indian Meteorological Department (IMD).
Kaher Kazem appointed General Motors India head

General Motors has appointed Kaher Kazem(currently chief operating officer (COO) of GM India) as
President and Managing Director of its India operations replacing Arvind Saxena.
Benefit: His track record will enable the company to deliver to Indian consumers the great vehicles
they want and the world-class customer experience they deserve
Girnar Soft appoints Umesh Hora as CFO
Girnar Software Pvt. Ltd the operator of Cardekho.com, Gaadi.com and several other automobile
websites appointed Umesh Hora as its chief financial officer.
Latvias Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma resigned
Latvias Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma announced resignation after less than two years in
office, saying there was a need for new ideas following serious infighting within her centre-right
party.
She has been prime minister since January 2014, when she took over from Valdis
Dombrovskis who resigned after the deadly collapse of a supermarket roof .
Straujuma has in recent weeks been subject to rumours of her imminent resignation.
She has notably come under fire, including from within her own Unity party, over the tax
hikes included in the 2016 budget.
Ola appointed Joy Bandekar as Corporate President

Ola has appointed Flipkart executive Joy Bandekar as corporate president to head its new
initiatives arm.
About Joy Bandekar :
Bandekar has 10 years of experience in the e-commerce space in India and south-east
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Asia region, served as corporate president at Flipkart in his most recent stint.
Prior to Flipkart, Bandekar had worked at global e-commerce marketplace eBay. He also
had stints with firms such as Kirloskar, Reliance Industries, Maxworth Orchards, and
Atcom Technologies.
Karnataka Lokayukta Justice Y. Bhaskar Rao resign

Bhaskar Rao has finally resigned from his post of Karnataka Lokayukta over alleged
bribery scandal. His resignation letter was sent to Governor Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala.
Key facts :
Rao is on a long leave since July last after his son Ashwin Rao was arrested by the
Special Investigation Team (SIT) in connection with the case.
According to the Lokayukta Act, recently amended to simplify rules for removal of the
anti-graft ombudsman, on admission of the motion, the presiding officers shall refer the
matter to the High Court Chief Justice for investigation into the grounds over which the
removal is sought.
The investigation for proof of misbehaviour or incapacity of Lokayukta has to be done as

provided in the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968, by a three-member
committee,comprising two judges and a jurist.
P K Singh takes charge as SAIL Chairman

P K Singh took charge as the chairman of the domestic steel giant SAIL.He had been serving as
the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Durgapur Steel Plant since 2012.
Singh started his career in SAIL at the Bokaro Steel Plant in 1980. He also worked at
the IISCO Steel Plant, Durgapur Steel Plant and Bokaro Steel Plant.
Singh took over the baton from MSME Secretary Anup Pujari who held the additional
charge of SAIL Chairman.
FreeCharge appoints Anshul Kheterpal as CFO

Freecharge online payments company appointed Anshul Kheterpal as the chief financial officer.
Prior to his appointment at Freecharge, Kheterpal was CFO and Principal Officer for
Airtel Money. He was also until recently part of the steering committee of the BBPS and
represented Airtel Money in the executive council of PCI.
CEO and co-founder of FreeCharge : Kunal Shah

Mauricio Macri sworn in as President of Argentina
Mauricio Macri has been sworn in as Argentinas first non-Peronist president in 14
years,ending more than a decade of populist government with a promise to revive the countrys
struggling economy. He is the successor of Cristina Fernndez.
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Presidential election held in November 2015 Mr Macri had won the election by securing
more than 53 per cent votes. He had defeated his rival Daniel Scioli of ruling Peronist
Party who secured 47 per cent votes.
He was the third leader elected from outside the Peronist movement founded by Juan
Peron since the end of the countrys 1976-1983 dictatorship.
Udai Kumar to take over as MD & CEO of Metropolitan SE

The Metropolitan Stock Exchange (MCX Stock Exchange) appoint Udai Kumar as its interim
Managing Director.
About Udai Kumar :
He has worked in senior capacity with large institutions, such as JM Financial

Consultants, JM Morgan Stanley, Centrum Capital and Fortune Financial.
He joined Metropolitan Clearing Corporation from Inter-connected Stock Exchange where

he was Managing Director.
ABB India appoints Sanjeev Sharma as MD

Power and automation company ABB India Ltd appointed Sanjeev Sharma as its managing
director effective.He replaces Bazmi Husain, who ABB said in September will take over as the global
chief technology officer for ABB Group.
About Sanjeev Sharma :
Sharma, who joined ABB in 1990, was the global managing director for ABBs low
voltage systems business unit based out of Malaysia prior to the new post.
Sanjeev brings over 25 years of experience in ABB in diverse roles across various
locations and functions.
Kapil Chopra to head World tourism council

Kapil Chopra, President of the The Oberoi Group, has been appointed as the Chairman of World
Travel & Tourism Council, India Initiative (WTTCII) for 2016 announced at the Annual General
Meeting of the WTTCII .
Chopra, who served as the councils Vice-Chairman for 2015, takes over from Manav
Thadani, Chairman, HVS, South Asia. Ashwani Lohani, Chairman & Managing Director,
Air India, has been appointed as the Vice-Chairman of WTTCII for 2016.
Ahmad Javed appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Mumbai Police Commissioner Ahmad Javed has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India
to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He is expected to take up his assignment shortly announced by
the Ministry of External Affair.
First women councillors elected in Conservative Kingdom
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A historic step for poll in which women can vote and be candidates, female winners are declared
across the Saudi Arabia where women are banned from driving and face routine discrimination.
Salma bint Hizab al-Oteibi was elected to the council of Madrakah, a region in the holy
city of Mecca.
Rasha Hefzi, a prominent businesswoman who won a seat in Jeddah.
Municipal council elections indicated 17 female winners. These included four in Jeddah, one
near Mecca and others in Tabuk, Ahsaa and Qatif.
Zensar Technologies names HCL Technologies Sandeep Kishore as CEO

IT Company Zensar Technologies announced appointment of Sandeep Kishore as companys
Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director. He will succeed Ganesh Natarajan. Kishore
will join Zensar on January 12, 2016. He will be based in San Jose, California.
Govt Appoints Justice L Narasimha Reddy to Head Judicial Committee on OROP
A five-member judicial commission with representatives from military fraternity, the
government appointed Justice L. Narasimha Reddy, former Chief Justice of Patna High Court to
head the one-man judicial committee.
Committee for : To look into the implementation of One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme.
O P Longia new national president of IIMM
Senior supply chain professional O P Longia elected as its new National President of the Indian
Institute of Materials Management (IIMM).Ranbaxy was elected unopposed as the national
president of IIMM for 2015-17 at its national convention held in Vadodara.
Indian-origin politician Designated to Chair S Africas FinMin
Widely respected South Africas finance minister (2009-2014) and 66-year-old Veteran Indianorigin politician Pravin Gordhan has been appointed South Africas new Finance
Minister by President Jacob Zuma.
He will replace David van Rooyen who was appointed on 10 November 2015.
Gordhans appointment raised the Rand up almost 5%.
Arun Kumar Jain appointed Central Board of Direct Taxes Chairman

Arun Kumar Jain was appointed as the Chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) for
two months (till January 2016) approved by the appointment Committee.
About Arun Kumar Jain
Arun Kumar Jain is a 1978 batch Indian Revenue Services officer. CBDT is the
supreme policy making body of Income Tax department.
Arun Kumar was made the acting Chairman of CBDT after the retirement ofAnita Kapur as
the Chairman of CBDT on November 30, 2015.Currently, Anita Kapur has been
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appointed as the adviser on tax reforms in the Union Ministry of Finance for six
months.
Akhilesh Mishra appointed as the next High Commissioner of lndia to the Republic of
Maldives
Senior diplomat Akhilesh Mishra, currently Consul General of lndia in Toronto, has been
appointed as countrys next High Commissioner to Maldives announced by External Affairs Ministry .
Sumi Ghosh new CEO of Tata Starbucks
Tata Starbucks appointed Sumi Ghosh as its CEO with effect from January. The current CEO of
Tata Starbucks, Avani Davda resigned from the position.
Sumi Ghosh was Vice President of Starbucks United States mid-west region. She has
been with the group for eight years.
Tata Starbucks Private Ltd, a 50:50 joint venture between Starbucks Coffee Company
and Tata Global Beverages. Tata Starbucks operates over 70 stores in India. Starbucks,
worlds largest coffee chain operator entered in the country through its first outlet in
2012.
Justice Virendra singh appointed as Lokayukta of Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh Governor, Ram Naik appointed former High Court judge Virendra Singh as the
new Lokayukta of the state. Lokayukta is an anti-corruption authority constituted at the state
level.
A bench led by Justice Ranjan Gogoi, chose a former Allahabad High Court judge,
Virendra Singh as the new Lokayukta from a list of five members submitted by the state
government.
Lalit Modi reinstated as Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) President

Former IPL commissioner, Lalit Modi will be back as a president of the Rajasthan Cricket
Association (RCA).
RCA Vice President, Amin Pathan withdrew the no confidence motion against Modi.
Former Justice Gyan Sudha Mishra said 15 RCA member-districts had withdrawn their
no confidence in the interests of the game.
Lalit Modi suspended by the Board of Control for Cricket in India for financial irregularities
in 2013. The BCCI later suspended RCA after Modi was made its president. However,
Team RCA is participating in tournaments under the courts permission.
Reva Khetrapal appointed as Delhis Lokayukta.

Former Delhi High Court judge, Justice Reva Khetrapal, took oath as Delhis new Lokayukta (anticorruption ombudsman) at Raj Niwas. She will serve for five years.
A four-member panel had chosen Khetrapals name for the post of Lokayukta.
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Delhi Governor Najeeb Jung administered the oath taking ceremony.
Chief MinisterArvind Kejriwal, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Leader of Opposition
Vijender Gupta, high court judges, Delhi cabinet ministers, senior judicial officers and
senior bureaucrats were also present at the oath taking ceremony.
Former Defence Secretary R K Mathur appointed new CIC

Former Defence Secretary R K Mathur has been appointed as Chief Information
Commissioner (CIC), breaking away from the convention of appointing the head from among the
serving Information Commissioners.
The post had fallen vacant after Vijai Sharma completed his tenure on December 1.
He will have tenure of about three years, till he attains the age of 65 years.
Indian-origin official Sanjay Pradhan to lead Open Government Partnership

The Open Government Partnership (OGP) on 16 December 2015 selected Indian-origin World
Bank official Sanjay Pradhan to lead the organization.
Pradhan will help ensure that OGP continues to succeed in its mission to promote
government transparency, accountability and responsiveness to citizens.
Currently vice president for Change, Leadership and Innovation at the World Bank Group,
Pradhan will assume the new charge by mid-2016.
Jeff Williams appointed as Chief Operating Officer of Apple Inc

Jeff Williams was appointed as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Apple Inc. The post of COO of
the company had been lying vacant since Tim Cooks ascension to position of Chief Executive
Officer of Apple Inc in 2011.
Williams has been working with Apple Inc for about 17 years.
He played a key role in Apples entry into the mobile phone market with the launch of
iPhone. He continues to supervise development of Apples first wearable product Apple
Watch.
New envoys to Indonesia, Thailand, New Zealand appointed

Government appointed new envoys to Indonesia, Thailand and New Zealand.
Bhagwant Singh Bishnoi, a 1983 batch IFS officer, has been appointed Indias next
Ambassador to Thailand, succeeding Harsh Vardhan Shringla.
Bishnoi is currently posted as Deputy Permanent Representative of India in the UN in New

York.
1988 batch IFS officer Sanjiv Kohli, at present Joint Secretary in MEA, has been
appointed as the next High Commissioner of lndiato New Zealand.
Nengcha Lhouvum Mukhopadhaya, a 1980 batch IFS official, has been appointed as
the next Ambassador of lndia to Indonesia. She will succeed Gurjit Singh.
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Nengcha Lhouvum Mukhopadhaya appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the
Republic of Indonesia
Ms. Nengcha Lhouvum Mukhopadhaya has been appointed as the next Ambassador of lndia to the
Republic of Indonesia. She is expected to take up her assignment shortly.
Sushil Kumar Singhal appointed as the Ambassador of lndia to the Democratic Republic of
Sao Tome & Principe
Shri Sushil Kumar Singhal presently Ambassador of India to the Republic of Angola, has been
concurrently accredited as the next Ambassador of lndia to the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome &
Principe with residence in Luanda.
ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

Paytm acquires Near.in in a deal worth Rs 13 cr
Paytm has acquired Near.in, an online marketplace for hyper-local services in a cash and stock
deal, estimated at between $1.5 million-$2 million (Rs 10 crore-Rs 13 crore)
The acquisition of the Gurgaon based start-up in is considered as a strategic move by

Paytm to boost its online-to-offline play.
Tata Trusts partnered with Khan Academy for free online education
Tata Trusts partnered with US-based non-profit Khan Academy.
Aim: To provide free online education to Indians through open-access online platforms.
Partnership
It will not only hire Indian teachers but also create online content in Indian languages,
primarily based on NCERT textbooks.
First phase: Focus on creating educational resources that will benefit children from
middle- and low-income families in urban areas.
Second phase: Content in several Indian languages and to create content for Indian
students, first with subtitles, and finally original content in various Indian languages.
Govt proposes joint venture between NPCIL and NTPC, NALCO
The government has proposed joint ventures between Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL)
and other Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) like the NTPC, Indian Oil and NALCO.
This is subject to the passing of Atomic Energy Amendment Bill 2015 introduced in the Lok
Sabha.
Objective : To give boost to nuclear power generation in the country.
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Highlights :
The JVs proposed with other PSUs is to pool equity for expanding installed nuclear power
capacity.
These JV with with energy majors like NPCIL and NTPC, NPCIL and Indian Oil
Corporation Ltd. NPCIL and NALCO Power Ltd will be taken up by these companies after
allotment and approved by the government.
DuPont and Dow Chemical Company announced to merge to form DowDuPont

The Board of Directors of DuPont and Dow Chemical Company unanimously approved a
definitive agreement to merge the two companies in an all-stock deal.
The merged company will be named DowDuPont and it will have a combined market
capitalization of approximately 130 billion dollars.
Dow shareholders will receive a fixed exchange ratio of 00 share of DowDuPont for
each Dow share.
DuPont shareholders will receive a fixed exchange ratio of 1.282 shares in

DowDuPont for each DuPont share.
Andrew N Liveris will be named Executive Chairman and Edward D Breen will be named CEO
of combined company.
Alibaba agreed to buy South China Morning Post of Hong Kong

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd has agreed to buy the 112-year-old
newspaper and other media properties of Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) for an
undisclosed amount.
Other Acquisitions of Alibaba :
In October, Alibaba bought up all the shares in video streaming site Youku Tudou it
didn't already own for $3.6 billion.
Earlier this year, it invested about $200 million for a stake in Shanghai Media Group's
financial information company China Business News. It also has a stake in Sina Weibo,
which runs a Twitter-like microblog service.
The acquisitions are part of Alibaba's strategy of diversifying away from its core Internet
shopping business by tapping rising demand for online content from Chinese consumers.
Alibaba Chairman: Jack Ma
HealthFore Technologies to merge with Oscar Investments

Healthcare IT solutions and advisory services company HealthFore Technologies will
merge with Oscar Investments, pursuant to the approval of scheme of amalgamation between
the two entities.
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In this regard, the combined entity will be renamed as HealthFore Technologies Ltd.
As per the scheme of amalgamation, shareholders of HealthFore Technologies Ltdwill

receive 3 shares of Oscar Investments for every 20 shares held in HealthFore
Technologies Ltd.
The boards of HealthFore and Oscar have unanimously approved the scheme and will now seek
requisite regulatory approvals including the shareholders approval.
Mahindra Group acquired Italian auto design firm Pininfarina

Mahindra group will acquire Italian automotive and industrial design firm Pininfarina for an
overall outgo of over 50 million Euros (nearly Rs 370 crore) after months of negotiations.
Tech Mahindra and M&M will purchase 76.06 per cent of Pininfarina shares from the
current controlling shareholders Pincar srL at a price of Euro 1.1 per share.
The cost of acquiring 76.06 per cent in Pininfarina by the SPV will be Euro 25.3 million,
which would be funded by Tech Mahindra and M&M in the ratio of 60:40.
Pininfarina Spa Chairman : Paolo Pininfarina

Mahindra Group Chairman :Anand Mahindra
R-Infra acquires 17% more in Pipavav Defence
Anil Ambani-led Reliance Infrastructure (R-Infra) has acquired an additional 17 per
cent stake in Pipavav Defence and Offshore Engineering Co Ltd (PDOC) for an estimated Rs
850 crore through an open offer, taking its total holding to nearly 35 per cent and acquiring sole
management control of the company.
Major institutional investors have not opted to tender their shares for the open offer of
PDOC and have decided to stay invested in the company as R-Infra, on 16 Dec
2015 announced the closing of the open offer period for the acquisition of PDOC,
acquiring just 17 per cent of the shares against the offer to acquire 26 per cent.
HUL to acquire Indulekha for Rs 330 crore

Hindustan Unilever (HUL) on 17 December 2015 announced that it signed an agreement with
Mosons Group to acquire its flagship brand Indulekha for 330 crore rupees.
The proposed acquisition is in line with HULs strategic intent to strengthen its leadership
position in Personal Care.
Highlights of the deal
The deal includes the acquisition of the trademarks Indulekha and Vayodha, intellectual
property, design and knowhow.
HUL will pay Mosons Group 300 crore rupees upon closing of the transaction and a
deferred consideration of 10 percent on the domestic turnover of the brands each year,
payable annually for a five-year period commencing Fiscal Year 2018.
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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

GRSE launches fifth ship of Indian Navys LCU MK IV project
The fifth ship of Indian Navys LCU MK IV project was launched at Garden Reach Shipbuilders
and Engineers Ltd (GRSE) in Kolkata.
The chief guest, Vice Admiral AV Subhedar, AVSM, VSM, Chief of Material, Chairman &
Managing Director GRSE were present on the occasion.
Highlights :
LCU L-55 is the fifth vessel in the series of eight Landing Craft Utility Ships being
designed and built by GRSE for the Indian Navy.
The first ship of the class LCU-L51 was launched on March 12, 2014 and is presently
undergoing trials at GRSE. The vessel is likely to be delivered shortly to Indian Navy.
Worlds first dengue fever vaccine Dengvaxia cleared by Mexico for public use
The Mexican drug authorities have approved Sanofi Pasturs first ever dengue
vaccine Dengvaxia, which promises to reduce the disease burden by 50 percent in five years
among vulnerable populations.
About Dengvaxia :
The Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (COFEPRIS)has
approved Dengvaxia, tetravalent dengue vaccine, for the prevention of disease caused by
all four dengue virus serotypes in preadolescents, adolescents and adults, 9 to 45 years
of age living in endemic areas.
The approval from Mexican authorities, Sanofi is based on results from an extensive
clinical development program involving over 40,000 people of different ages, geographic
and epidemiological settings, and ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds living in 15
countries.
Keys : The World Health Organisation has called on endemic countries to reduce dengue mortality
by 50% and morbidity by 25% by 2020.
Aurobindo gets USFDA nod for multi disease treatment injection
Durg maker Aurobindo Pharma has received the approval from the US Food and Drug
Administration (USFDA) to manufacture and market Dexamethasone Sodium Phosphate
Injection- USP, 4 mg/mL (1 mL, 5 mL and 30 mL vials) in USA. The product is expected to be
launched by the last quarter of the current fiscal.
Dexamethasone Sodium Phosphate Injection can be used in the treatment of various

conditions such as severe allergic reactions, arthritis, blood diseases, breathing problems,
certain cancers, eye diseases, intestinal disorders and skin diseases.
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Delhi Government launched Mobile app to rescue homeless people
The Delhi government has launched a mobile-based application to rescue homeless people during
winters.
23 rescue teams have been formed by Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board
(DUSIB). After the download of app users can initiate a rescue operation over the phone
by taking a picture of the people and posting it on the app.
The DUSIB server will then automatically detect the location of the person and the
nearest rescue team will be informed and sent to the location. The user of the app can
also inform the nearest shelter through a list of shelters provided in the app.
Orbital ATK resupply mission successfully launched

Orbital ATKs CRS Orb-4 launched successfully from Space Launch Complex 41 at the Kennedy
Space Center in Florida.
Cygnus spacecraft took flight atop a ULA-produced Atlas V rocket and was packed with
more than 3,200 kilograms of crew supplies, hardware and scientific experiments.
Purpose: For commercial resupply services
Benefit: Successful launch would resume the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space
Administrations commercial cargo flights to the station as a result ending its
dependence on Russian and Japanese rockets.
Technology varsity in Madhya Pradesh discovers anti-cancer molecules

Instigated by the tested properties of turmeric, varsity claimed to have discovered anti-cancer
molecules in fighting the dreaded disease in an effective manner.
Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya (RGPV) announced that it has applied for a
US patent of the discovery of the new anti-cancer molecules code:
CTR-17 and CTR-20: The molecules stimulates anticancer activity through a mechanism
involving
Obstruction of cancer cell division by inhibition of tubulin
Tubulin: A protein which is important for many important cellular functions i.e. chromosome
segregation during cell division, intracellular transport, development and maintenance of cell shape,
cell motility and distribution of molecules on cell membranes.
Sanofi Pasteur launches injectable inactivated Polio Vaccine

Sanofi Pasteur(vaccines division of Sanofi) launched ShanIPV, an injectable inactivated polio
vaccine (IPV). K Chandrasekhar Rao(Telangana CM) launched the vaccine. ShanIPV would be
manufactured by affiliate Shantha Biotechnics(Hyderabad). India was publicized a polio-free
nation in 2014.
ShanIPV: A trivalent inactivated, injectable polio vaccine
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Goal: A polio-free world
Highlights:
All vaccines i.e. Imovax Polio of Sanofi Pasteur and ShanIPV of Shantha would be
delivered in India through UNICEF.
One dose of IPV at 14 weeks of age. IPV is to be given also the existing oral polio vaccine.
Cochin Shipyard launches fast patrol vessels for Coast Guard

Cochin Shipyard Ltd has launched the 19th of the 20 Fast Patrol Vessels being built for Indian Coast
Guard.
Name: ICGS Atulya
Launched by: Hema Subramaniam, wife of Commodore K. Subramaniam, Chairman &

Managing Director,CSL.
Features:
Long-range gun and ultra-modern vessel control navigation
communication tools
FPV(Fast Patrol Vessel): For patrolling within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), coastal patrol,
anti-smuggling and anti-piracy activities, search- and-rescue operations and fisheries protection
and monitoring.
Secondary role: Provides communication link, and guiding coastal troops, in times of hostilities
and war.
Central Research Institute in Yoga and Naturopathy to be set up in Khordha District of
Odisha
Central Council for Research in Yoga and Naturopathy (CCRYN), an autonomous organization
under the Ministry of AYUSH has obtained 20 acres of land from Odisha Government in
Binjhagiri Village in Khordha District to establish a Central Research Institute in Yoga and
Naturopathy.
Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga, New Delhi is an autonomous organization

under Central Government which is engaged in activities primarily related to education in
Yoga.
Additionally, in 16 states , 108 colleges and educational institutes of 54 universities

conducted courses on Yoga at various levels in the country (during 2012-13), as informed
by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
Hetero became first Indian company to receive DGCIs approval for hepatitis C drug
Drug maker Hetero received the approval to market generic version of Gileads Harvoni which is
used in the treatment of Hepatitis C from USFDA(U S Food and Drug Administration). The product
will be available under the brand name Ledisof.
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Key facts :
Hetero is the first company in India to receive the approval for the fixed-dose
combination Ledipasvir-Sofosbuvir (90mg/400mg) from Drug Controller General of India
(DCGI).
In India alone, it is estimated that 12-18 million patients are infected with Hepatitis C
which is several fold greater than those with HIV/AIDS.
Untreated chronic hepatitis C increases the risk of cirrhosis of liver, liver failure and
hepatocellular carcinoma.
Worlds first biologically powered chip created

The researchers at Columbia Engineering have harnessed the molecular machinery of living
systems to power an integrated circuit.
While other groups have harvested energy from living systems, Shepard and his team
are exploring how to do this at the molecular level, isolating just the desired function and
interfacing this with electronics.
Iran successfully tests fired Ghadr-110 ballistic missile
Iran has carried out a new medium range ballistic missile Ghadr-110 tested in breach of two
United Nations Security Council resolutions.
The test was held November 21, 2015 near Chabahar, a port city in
southeastIrans Sistan and Baluchestan Province near the border with Pakistan. The
launch took place from a known missile test site along the Gulf of Oman.
Features of Ghadr-110:
Ghadr-110 has a range of 1,800 2000 km, or 1200 miles
It is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.
The missile fired in November is an improved version of the Shahab 3, and is similar to
the precision guided missile tested by Iran on Oct-10, which elicited strong condemnation
from members of the U.N. Security Council.
Pakistan successfully test-fires nuclear-capable Shaheen-III ballistic missile

Pakistan successfully test-fired the medium-range Shaheen-III surface-to-surface ballistic
missile which can carry nuclear warheads up to 2,750 km bringing many Indian cities within its
range.
It is designed by National Engineering and Scientific Commission (NESCOM) and

Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO).
The test flight of the missile was aimed at validating various design and technical
parameters of the weapon system, according to a statement from the militarys InterServices Public Relations (ISPR).
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Website on Netajis last days launched in UK
A new website providing documentary evidence of the last days of Netaji Subhas Chandra
Bose was launched by UK-based independent journalist and Boses grandnephew Ashis Ray.
Website dedicated to the freedom fighter and Supreme Commander of the Indian National
Army (INA) aims to debunk numerous conspiracy theories surrounding Netajis death.
Website : www.bosefiles.info
In October, Prime MinisterNarendra Modi gave an assurance to a section of Boses

relatives that he will raise the matter with Russian President Vladimir Putin when he
meets him in Moscow later this month.
Website has started by posting documents from files of the Indian Embassy in Moscow
and the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs which establish that Bose never went to
theSoviet Union in or after 1945.
Mobile app to help choose energy efficient appliances

Power Minister Piyush Goyal launch a mobile app on the occasion of the National Energy
Conservation Day to help consumers compare and choose energy efficient appliances available in
the market.
About App :
The mobile application will allow consumers to instantly compare personalised energy savings
across all products of a specific class and thus enable them to choose more efficient products
available in the market.
Pakistan test-fires nuclear-capable Shaheen-1A
Pakistan successfully test-fired a nuclear capable ballistic missile Shaheen-1A in the Arabian
Sea with a range of 900 kilometres and days after testing a similar missile capable of hitting
targets as far as 2,750 kilometres away bringing many Indian cities under its range.
Shaheen-1A is capable of delivering different types of warheads to a range of 900

kilometres.
The launch was witnessed by senior officers from Strategic Plans Division, strategic
forces, scientists and engineers of strategic organizations.
Last week, Pakistan had test-fired the medium-range Shaheen-III surface-to-surface

ballistic missile which can carry nuclear warheads up to 2,750 kms.
ISRO launched six Singaporean satellites

National space agency Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched
six Singapore satellites and also tested the fourth stage of its PSLV rocket from Satish Dhawan
Space Centre.
These 6 satellites were launched as part of the agreement entered into between ST
Electronics (Satcom & Sensor Systems), Singapore and Antrix Corporation Limited, the
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commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), government of India
Company under the Department of Space (DOS).
PSLV C-29 lifts off successfully from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota in
Andhra Pradesh with all 6 Singapore satellites.
These six satellites took the count of foreign satellites launched by ISRO to 57.
The six satellites carried by PSLV-C29 together weighed about 624 kg at lift-off.
Snapdeal launched mobile website in Hindi, Telugu

Snapdeal Indias largest online marketplace in terms of sellers, launched its brand-new multilingual interface on its mobile site designed to enable consumers to shop online in their preferred
languages.
Key facts :
Snapdeal, which competes with Flipkart, the countrys largest ecommerce player and
Amazon India, developed a grammar engine to ensure error-free translations,
transliterations and grammar checks in each language.
The SoftBank, Foxconn and Alibaba Group-backed online marketplaces mobile user
interface will now be available in Hindi and Telugu.
Snapdeal CEO : Kunal Bahl
At pressure from Germany Google, Facebook, Twitter agree to delete hate speech in 24
hours
Facebook, Google and Twitter have agreed to delete hate speech from their websites within 24
hours, a new step in the fight against rising online racism following the refugee crisis said by
German Justice Minister Heiko Maas.
The government has been trying to get social platforms to crack down on the rise in antiforeigner comments in German on the web as the country struggles to cope with an influx
of more than 1 million refugees this year.
The new agreement makes it easier for users and anti-racism groups to report hate
speech to specialist teams at the three companies and agree that as a rule this should be
possible within 24 hours.
India to buy Russias S-400 Triumf missile systems

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has approved to purchase of five units of S-400 Triumf
Air Defence Missile Systems from Russia. The approval was given by the Union Defence Minister
Manohar Parrikar during DAC meeting in New Delhi.
Parrikar also cleared the purchase of about Rs 25,500 crore worth of defence
equipment, including the crucial six regiments of Pinaka rocket system, for the Indian
Army.
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The S-400 Triumf, an upgraded version of the S-300 missile system is a long-tomedium-range, surface-to-air missile system, and is designed to intercept a range of
ground-based and airborne targets, including stealth aircraft, strategic carriers, and cruise
and ballistic missiles at a distance of 400km
ENVIRONMENT
FSI Indias forest & tree cover increased by 5081 sq km
Forest Survey of India (FSI) has released the Indian State of Forest Report (ISFR
2015)showing Indias total forest and tree cover has increased by 5081 sq km in the past two
years.
It was released by Union minister of environment, forests and climate change, Shri
Prakash Javadekar.
The India State of Forest Report 2015 is the 14th report in the series. It is based on
interpretation of LISS III sensor data of indigenous Resourcesat II satellite.
2,600-year-old tombs discovered in central China

Over 200 tombs dating back to 2,600 years ago have been discovered in central Chinas Henan
Province.
The group of the rare structures, located in Yichuan County of Luoyang City, is composed of more
than 200 tombs, eight horse and chariot pits, over 30 ash pits and more than 10 kilns.
The tombs date back to the Spring and Autumn period (771-476 BC) and cover an area
over 200,000 square metres.
Alongside the tombs, an ancient city dating back to the Han Dynasty (202 BC-220)was also
discovered.
Archaeologists believe the site was home to an ancient tribe and was one of the few in the region
whose migration and time of perish was recorded.
Beijing issued first-ever Red Alert on Air Pollution

Beijing Govt has warned that the city would be shrouded in heavy smog from Tuesday until
Thursday (8 Dec 10 Dec), in this regard the city has issued its first ever red alert for
pollution. The notice is issued after days of heavy smog last week which also puts traffic
restrictions on certain types of vehicles.
The red alert was announced for the first time since an emergency air-pollution response
system was introduced in 2013.
The warning was an upgrade from an orange alert issued over the weekend. It is a part
of Chinas four-colour warning system that includes yellow and blue levels for less
polluted conditions.
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Glaciers in Mount Everest shrink 28% in 40 years: Report
Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Hunan University of Science and Technology and
Mount Qomolangma Snow Leopard Conservation Centre has released a report showing
Glaciers on Mount Everest have shrunk by 28% over the past 40 years due to climate change.
Glaciers on Mount Everest are a major source of Asian rivers including Brahmaputra and
Ganges.
Data was based on long-term remote sensing and on-site monitoring where glacial
shrinkage area is compared to the measurements taken in the 1970s.
Scientists find new species of horned dinosaur

The new species belonging to the ceratopsia family was found in the same fossil beds in Chinas
Xinjiang province where the robust and heavily built Hualianceratops was discovered in 2002 by
the same team. The findings were published in the journal PLOS ONE.
The team led by James Clark, Ronald Weintraub associate professor of biology at the
George Washington University and Xu Xing, professor at the Chinese cademy of
Sciences.
About new species of dinosaur :
Finding these two species in the same fossil beds reveals there was
more diversity there than previously recognised.
The ceratopsian dinosaurs already had diversified into at least four lineages by the
beginning of the Jurassic Period.
Hualianceratops lived approximately 160 million years ago
Philippines evacuates 700,000 ahead of Typhoon Melor

Hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated from central Philippines as a typhoon made
landfall bringing heavy rain and winds of up to 95 mph.
Typhoon Melor known locally as Nona, has led authorities to ground at least 40 domestic
flights, while 73 ferries and hundreds of fishing boats were ordered to remain in port. There
were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
Disaster authorities have temporarily closed schools and some offices and evacuated about
750,000 people in three provinces.
Around 20 major typhoons pass through the Philippines each year.
Odisha engages WTI to prepare Wildlife Management Plan

Odisha government has engaged Wildlife Trust of India to prepare a comprehensive wildlife
management plan for the state.The MoU beween state forest and environment department
and WTI was signed and as per the agreement management plans will be prepared for protected
areas as well as areas outside .
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At present, only protected areas including 19 wildlife sanctuaries and two national
parks have management plans.
These protected areas cover only 10.37 per cent of states forest area and 5.36 per
cent of its total geographical area.
A major objective behind the pact will be to reduce animal mortality by identifying conflict
zones.
Factors responsible for wildlife deaths such as poaching, deliberate and accidental killings through
electrocution and train hits will also be mapped by WTI
Arctic Region hits record high temperature over land: NOAA

Annual Arctic Report Card of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a
federal agency of US for monitoring condition of the oceans and the atmosphere has
revealed that the average temperature over Arctic land for the year ending in September 2015
was the highest on record indicating that the Arctic is warming twice as fast as other parts
of the Earth.
Highlights:
The Arctic was 3 degrees Celsius above average for the year ending in September
2015.
The recorded temperature rise is the warmest since observations began in 1900. Due to
temperature rise the ice in this region is growing thinner each year.
The sea ice coverage in the Arctic has reached its peak in February 2015 and marked
the lowest extent since record-taking began in 1979.
The newly formed thin ice comprises about 70% of the winter ice cover in the Arctic
Ocean compared to about half that in the 1980s.
Scientists discover new species of Sail backed dinosaur in Spain

Scientists found fossils of a new species of sail-backed dinosaur in Spain. The Scientists from
National University of Distance Education (UNED) in Spain described the species Morelladon
beltrani that lived a little over 125 million years ago.
Morelladon is a medium-sized styracosternan ornithopod of around 6 meter long, 2.5

meter tall and weighed two tons, similar in body length and proportions to its relative
Mantellisaurus atherfieldensis.
Countrys biggest wildlife rescue centre commissioned in Maharashtra

Maharashtra Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis has inaugurated Indias biggest Wildlife
Rescue Centre named as Gorewada Zoo and Wildlife Rescue Centre at Gorewada near Nagpur,
Maharashtra.
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The rescue centre will house sick, injured and rescued animals. There are four wards with
a burial ground on the same premises. The idea has been taken from Gir Forest National
park and Wild life sanctuary, Gujarat. The hospital has state-of-art facilities and equipped
with x-ray machine, operation theatre etc.
The foundation stone for this rescue centre was laid by former Chief Minister Prithviraj
Chavan.
New Eel species discovered in West Bengal

Scientists of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have discovered a new marine species of
eel along the coast of Digha in Purba Medinipur district, West Bengal.
Scientific name Gymnothorax mishrai
Proposed name Bengal moray eel
The specimen was collected from fishing boats at a fish-landing centre located at
Shankarpur, West Bengal. Bengal moray eel was collected from a depth of about 22
metres.
Prague zoo claims to have longest salamander

According to Prague zoo, Karlo, a Chinese giant salamander, is the biggest representative of its
species at 1.58 meters now on Earth.
The critically endangered animal is the largest amphibian on the planet.
According to the latest measurements, Karlo is 58 meters (5 feet, 2 and 3/16 inches) long.
Chinese giant salamander received 19 months ago from the State Museum of Natural History
in Karlsruhe, Germany is the biggest representative of its species.
Karlos age is estimated at 37 to 38 years and weight is 35 kilograms.
The largest salamander on record was 1.8 meters (5 feet, 11 inches) long.
SPORTS
Ashwin zooms to 2nd, de Villiers slips in ICC ranks
Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin rose to the second in the ICC Test rankings for bowlers
from 5th position even as AB de Villiers lost his top spot in the batsmen standings.
Others Position :
James Anderson and Yasir Shah drop to joint to third, while Stuart Broad fell to
fifth.Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood soared 10 places to 10th.
Amit Mishra up two to 31st who joins Imran Tahir up by 14 places to 35th in while
Black Caps bowler Doug Bracewell is one place and a single point further back in 36th
after gaining four places.
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Australia captain Steven Smith and Englands Joe Root have regained joint pole position
to third.
Murali Vijay is the top ranked India batsman in 12th position, while his captain Virat
Kohli has moved up one place to 16th and there were also gains for Shikhar Dhawan (up
one to 32nd) and wicket-keeper Wriddhiman Saha up 10 to 92nd. JP Duminy also moved
up three places to 40th position.
Yuki, Somdev drop two places each in singles rankings

Countrys number one singles player Yuki Bhambri lost two places to be 93rd , while Somdev
Devavarman also slipped to 181 in the latest ATP list.
ATP ranking list :
Saketh Myneni Indias number two was unchanged at 171.
Ramkumar Ramanathan jumped 13 places to 260.
Rohan Bopanna maintaining his world number nine rank and Leander Paes (41) and
Purav Raja (93). Myneni was at 126, Divij Sharan lost three places to 134.
WTA rankings :
Sania Mirza continues to be world number one, a position which she shares with her
Swiss partner Martina Hingis.
In singles, Ankita Raina was the highest-ranked Indian player at number 255. The next
best was Prerna Bhambri at number 473.
Indias Thakur Anoop Singh won gold medal in World Bodybuilding and Physique
Championships
Indian bodybuilder, Thakur Anoop Singh has earned the title of 'Mr World' by winning a gold
medal in a world bodybuilding meet held in Bangkok, Thailand.
He had also won Bronze in Mens Fitness Physique (Senior) category at 49th Asian
Bodybuilding and Physique 2015 which was held in Tashkent.
He was forced to leave his job as a pilot in 2008 when the world was hit by recession and
after that he turned to small screen. In the Mahabharata series that began in 2011, he
played the role of Drithrashtra.
AUS clinched the title of HWL defeating BEL

World champions Australia has clinched the title of the 2nd edition of Hockey World
League(HWL) Final at the Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel Stadium in Raipur, India by defeating
Belgium by 2-1.
Position
1
2
3
Final tally
Country
Australia
Belgium
India
World Rank
1
4
8
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Sarita, Shiva, Devendro win in China
Asian Games bronze-medallist L. Sarita Devi (60kg) returned to competitive boxing after her
one-year ban with a resounding victory in the opening contest of the training-cum-competition
assignment in the Chinese city of Qianan.
Sarita served a one-year ban for her emotional outburst at the Asian Games after a
controversial semifinal loss, defeated Mongolias Sowoderden 3-0.
World Championships bronze-medallist Shiva Thapa (56kg) beat Thailoands Yuttapong

Thong Dee 3-0.
Commonwealth Games silver-medallist Devendro Singh (49kg) notched up a Technical

Knockout against Chinas Yang Yufeng in the third round of his bout.
Another Commonwealth Games silver-medallist Mandeep Jangra (69kg) thrashed

Thailands Nick Fisher 3-0.
Shahzar Rizvi wins air pistol gold

Shahzar Rizvi of the Indian Air Force (IAF) beat Olympic silver medallist Vijay Kumar to the
gold in mens air pistol in the 59th National shooting championship at the Dr. Karni Singh
Range, Tughlakabad, New Delhi.
Results
10m air pistol Men:
1. Shahzar Rizvi 199.6 (577)
2. Vijay Kumar 198.2 (577)
3. Sib Kumar Ghosh 177.2 (580)
Juniors:
1. Achal Pratap Singh Grewal 577 (21x)
2. Pawan Yadav 577 (16x)
3. Arjun Das 575
Youth:
1. Saurabh Choudhary 573
2. Dhruv Pran Singh 572 (18x)
3. Shainki Nagar 572 (17x)
Phelps claims third race at Winter Championships
American swim star Michael Phelps 18-time Olympic gold medalist won the 200 meter butterfly
and claimed his third victory at the US Winter National Championships.
First Michael Phelps one minute, 56.11 seconds
Second Chase Kalisz finished 1.01 seconds
Third Dakota Hodgson in 1:59.09(3seconds slower than Phelps)
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Watson Crowned Hero World Challenge Champion
American professional golfer Bubba Watson clinched the title of Hero World Challenge. He is
followed by Patrick Reed and Ricky Fowler at 2nd & 3rd positions respectively
Bubba won the Masters Tournament in 2012 and 2014.
Watson is one of the few left-handers on the PGA Tour & registered his sixth top-five finish in
last 10 worldwide starts.
India grabs the second place in ICC Test Cship

India moved into the second place of the ICC Test Championship table after completing a 3-0
drubbing of South Africa in the four-Test series, which concluded with the fourth match in New
Delhi.
It notched up a massive 337-run victory over South Africa in the fourth and final Test
at the Ferozshah Kotla stadium after dismissing the visitors for 143 in 143.1 overs.
Pune and Rajkot teams replace Chennai and Rajasthan in IPL

Two new teams based out of Rajkot and Pune replacing suspended Chennai Super
Kings and Rajasthan Royals forthcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Intex group bagged the Rajkot-based IPL team, winning the reverse bidding for the franchise
while Kolkata-based business tycoon Sanjiv Goenkas RP-Sanjiv Goenka group won the bid for the
Pune-based team.
The RP-Sanjiv Goenka group acts as co-owner for the Indian Super League(ISL)
franchise Atletico de Kolkata and former Indian cricket captain and member of IPL
governing council Sourav Ganguly and La Liga club Atletico Madrid.
Intex groups bid for Rs -10 crore clinched the Rajkot team and RP-Sanjiv Goenka group
won the bid for the Pune-based team for Rs -16 crore.The base price for the reverse bid
from the central revenue pool was Rs 40 crore.
IPLs 2016 edition to be held from 9 April to 29 May and IPL auction will take place on 6 February,
2016 in Bengaluru.
Chen Long & Carolina Marin bagged 2015 BWF Player of the Year Awards
Chinas Chen Long and World No.1 and 2015 All England and World champion Carolina Marin
bestowed with the BWF Player of the Year award from BWF President Poul-Erik Hoyer in Dubai.
Other Awards:
World Junior Champion in Mixed Doubles and Mens Doubles Zheng Si Wei grabbed the
Most Promising Player of the Year.
Norways Helle Sofie Sagoy won the Female Para-Badminton Player of the Year.
Koreas Lee Sam Seop was named Male Para-Badminton Player of the Year.
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Maharashtra won Wheelchair Basketball Championship
Maharashtra has clinched the title of 2015 National Wheelchair Basketball Championship by
defeating Punjab which was opened on the eve of the International Day of People with Disabilities.
The trophy was presented by Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Thawar
Chand Gehlot.
This was the 2nd edition of the Wheelchair Basketball Championship was organised by
the International Committee of the Red Cross, Wheelchair Basketball Federation of
India and the Sports Authority of India.
Participants Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Delhi,
Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala
ICC announces OPPO as Global Partner
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced a new global partnership with OPPO for
four-year deal which runs from 2016 until 2020.
About OPPO :
OPPO is one of the worlds leading mobile telephone device companies launched in China
in 2004.
OPPO is established itself as one of the worlds leading electronic and technology service
providers. It has a strong presence in more than 20 countries and a significant number
of regions worldwide, including Australia, China, USA and right across Africa, Europe, the
Middle East, South Asia and Southeast Asia.
Dharamsala to host World T20 India-Pakistan match

Dharamsala will host the World Twenty20 2016 match between India and Pakistan on March 19
while the tournament semi-finals will be played in Delhi and Mumbai,fixtures released by the ICC.
Mens Event :
The mens event will be played in two stages between March 8 and April 3.
Group 1 :South Africa, England, West Indies and Sri Lanka
Group 2: India, Pakistan, New Zealand and Australia
Womens Event :
The womens tournament will kick off from March 15 with India taking on Bangladesh and New
Zealand playing Sri Lanka.
Group A : Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Ireland
Group B :England, West Indies, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
UCI ranked Cyclist Deborah World No. 4

As per World Elite UCI (International Cycling Union) ranking released by UCI, the 20 year old
Deborah Herold, from Andaman and Nicobar moved up to 4th spot in the world rankings from
earlier 10th rank.
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Her brilliant performance in Track Asia Cup & Taiwan Cup Track International
Classic event also led the Indian team to improve its world ranking to 13th.
India is the highest ranking Asian country in 500m time trial as China is on 15th spot.
Elizabeth wins womens 50m Rifle 3 Positions gold

Elizabeth Susan Koshy representing Kerala performed a hat-trick as she won the womens 50metre rifle 3-position gold by defeating Anjum Moudgil for the third time in the National
shooting championship at the Dr. Karni Singh Range, Tughlakabad, New Delhi.
Anjum Moudgil of Haryana won the silver while Gaayathri N of Tamil Nadu
bagged the bronze.
She has made a new final national record of 459.3 by beating her own record of
452.0.
Results of Women 50m rifle

1. Elizabeth Susan Koshy 459.3 (578)
2. Anjum Moudgil 448.8 (581)
3. Gaayathri 435.6 (575)
LOGO and MASCOT of 12th South Asian Games, 2016 Launched At Guwahati
The Organising Committee of the 12th South Asian Games, 2016 (OC-SAG) would unveil the
logo and mascot of the Games in a ceremony to be held at the ITA Cultural Center Machkhowa,
Guwahati, Assam.
Venue : Guwahati and Shillong
Date : February 6-16, 2016.
Kolhapurs Anant Khasbardar and Abhijeet Krishna of NIFT Patna won the mascot
and logo designing contests, respectively.
The Logo and the Mascot of the Games were selected from around 450 entries each.
About 4500 sport persons and officials from 8 countries are expected to participate in 23
events from 6th February to 16 February 2016 in 12th South Asian Games.
Chief Minister of Assam Shri Tarun Gogoi, Chief Minister of Meghalaya Shri Mukul Sangma, and
Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports (Independent Charge) Shri Sarbananda Sonowal would
be gracing the occasion.
Badminton World Superseries Finals 2015
The 2015 BWF Super Series Finals is an annual badminton tournament held under the Sheikh
Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of
Dubai Sports Council) from 9-13 December at the Hamdan Sports Complex in Dubai.
Japanese shuttlers Kento Momota emerged as the champion of mens single category and
while Nozomi Okuhara grabbed the champion title in womens singles categories.
World No. 5 Momota beat Denmarks Viktor Axelsen by 21-15, 21-12.
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World No. 4 Okuhara defeated Chinas Yihan Wang by 22-20, 21-18.
List of Winners
Category
Mens singles
Womens
singles
Mens doubles
Womens
doubles
Mixed doubles
Winners
Kento Momota
Nozomi Okuhara
Mohammad Ahsan & Hendra Setiawan
Luo Ying and Luo Yu
Chris Adcock and Gabriele Adcock
Anthony Joshua beats Dillian Whyte for British heavyweight title

Olympic champion Anthony Joshua (26) defeated former kick-boxer Dillian Whyte to won the
British heavyweight title with a bruising seventh-round knockout and edge closer to a possible
shot at the world crown.
He took his record to 15 knockouts from 15 fights since turning pro after winning 2012
Olympic gold in London.
Joshuas latest win raises the prospect of a clash with WBO and WBA heavyweight
champion Tyson Fury if his fellow British fighter beats Wladimir Klitschko in their world
title rematch.
Vijay Kumar won gold in the 59th National shooting championship

Olympic silver medallist Vijay Kumar with a score of 588 defeated Gurpreet Singh by two
points to win the centre fire pistol gold in the 59th National shooting championship.
Venue : Dr. Karni Singh Range, Tughlakabad.
Pemba Tamang, who won the rapid fire pistol gold in a dramatic climax after having
qualified in the sixth place with a modest 560 beat Harpreet Singh 49-48 in the shootoff to take the bronze in centre fire pistol after being tied on 582.
Achal Pratap Singh Grewal won his third gold after having clinched the top spot in air
pistol and standard pistol.

Men: 25m centre fire pistol
First
Vijay Kumar 588
Second
Gurpreet Singh 586
Third
Pemba Tamang 582
Juniors
First
Achal Pratap Singh Grewal 562
Second
Shivam Shukla 558
Third
Rushiraj Atul Barot 557
Rome to stage 2022 Ryder Cup
Rome won the right to stage the 2022 edition of golfs Ryder Cup for the first time.
The cream of world golf will descend on the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in seven years
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time for the biennial contest between Europe and the United States announced by Ryder Cup
organisers.
Four nations: Austria, Germany, Italy and Spain had been competing for the right to stage the
2022 edition.
Rome organisers now have seven years in which to carry out the changes to the course
that will be necessary to test the mettle of the worlds top golfers
Next years tournament will be held in Hazeltine National in Minnesota, while France
will host the 2018 event and Whistling Straits in Wisconsin hosts the 2020 Ryder
Cup, two years before it returns to the old continent.
Anirban Lahiri savours winning Asian Tours Order of Merit crown

Indias golfer 28 year old Anirban Lahiri has described lifting the coveted 2015 Asian Tours
Order of Merit crown. He become the fourth Indian golfer to win the regions biggest award.
He won twice on the regions premier Tour, broke into the worlds top-50, posted a
top-five finish in a Major, qualified for his maiden Presidents Cup and earned his PGA Tour
card.
Tennis Queen Serena named as Sportsperson of 2015

After conquering her illness and injury, Serena Williams, the star of tennis world now has been
named Sports Illustrateds 2015 Sportsperson of the Year.
The winner of 3 Grand Slam titles (Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon before
losing at the U.S. Open) dominated womens tennis this year. Williams is thefirst individual
woman to be selected to the honor since track champion Mary Decker in 1983.
Anand finishes 9th in London Classic

Former world champion Viswanathan Anand played out a draw with Anish Giri of Holland to
finish ninth in the London Classic.Anand faced the Berlin defense from Giri on the least day.
Reigning world champion Carlsen beat Russian Alexander Grischuk won the Grand
Chess Tour after winning the Classic on a final day.
Anand ended the Classic on 3.5 points out of a possible nine, winning one, losing three
and drawing the remaining five games in the 10-player round-robin tournament.
First
Second
Third
Winner List
Carlsen
Giri
Vachier-Lagrave
Chawrasia jumps 26 places in World golf ranking
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Indias S.S.P. Chawrasia jumped 26 places to be 211th in the world golf rankings after riding
on the tied seventh finish in the Thailand Golf Championship last week.
Chawrasia(37) from Kolkata is the second highest ranked Indian in the world.
The United States Jordan Spieth continues to top the rankings, followed by Australian
Jason Day and Northern Irelands Rory McIlroy.
Tiger Woods, 14-time Major champion Tiger Woods dropped two places to be 413th.
Other Indians :
Anirban Lahiri who received his Asian Tour Order of Merit crown, also moved up a place
to be 41st.
Rashid Khan dropped eight places to be 288th, while Chiragh Kumar gained three places
to be 306th.
Former Asian Tour champion Jyoti Randhawa moved two places down to be 397th,
while Rahil Gangjee slipped three places to be 422nd.
Veteran Arjun Atwal Asian Tour champion in 2003,jump of 43 spots to be 508th.
Two-time Asian Tour champion Jeev Milkha Singh was 889th, a drop of three places.
Peshawar sign Andy FLower as mentor for PSL

Former England coach Andy Flower has been signed on as the batting consultant and mentor of
the Peshawar franchise in the upcoming Pakistan Super League.
Pietersen has already made his intention of participation in the PSL clear via a video
message and it will be among a top favourite for the five franchises in the T20
competition.
The PSL is to be held in Dubai and Sharjah in February and the Peshawar franchise has
announced former Pakistan bowling coach Muhammad Akram as their head coach and
Flower as their batting consultant and mentor.
Ashwin, Jadeja in top-5 of ICC all-rounders rankings

Ravichandran Ashwin held in top 2nd spot, while Ravindra Jadeja held in 8th spot in the latest
ICC Test rankings.However, no Indian found a place in the top-10 of batsmens rankings list
Rankings of Test batsmen :
Kane Williamson stood just two steps away from the top spot ,rise to third place in the
rankings for Test batsmen.
Black Caps skipper Brendon McCullum has moved up two places to 17th, while his Sri
Lanka opposite number Angelo Matthews has marked the visiting sides presence in the
top 10 batsman rankings, down one place to seventh.
Over in Hobart, Australia skipper Steven Smith has tumbled three places to fourth and
he is now just 11 points ahead of his team-mate David Warner.
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Voges knock has vaulted him 19 places to a career-high 15th place in the latest
rankings.
Marsh has risen 17 spots to a career best 37th in the batsman rankings.
West Indies Darren Bravo has been rewarded for being the lone centurion from his side,
moving up two spots to 25th.
Rankings for Test bowlers :
Australias Josh Hazlewood has entered the top 10, rising up four spots after claiming
seven wickets in Australias win over the West Indies
Off-spinner Nathan Lyon has moved up two spots into 15th after a three-wicket haul in
Hobart.
Rory McIlroy bagged European Tour Golfer of the Year award

Northern Irish professional golfer Rory McIlroy(26) from Holywood in County Down was named
the European Tour Golfer of the Year. He received the award for the third time in four
years.The Northern Irishman won three times during the 2015 season, including an enthralling
victory in the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai last month.
Shiva, Mandeep among four boxers to receive IOC Olympic scholarships

Four Indian boxers selected by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for a scholarship.
World Championships bronze-medallist Shiva Thapa (56kg)
Commonwealth Games silver-medallist Mandeep Jangra (69kg)
Gaurav Bidhuri (52kg)
Sumit Sangwan (69kg)
Key facts :
Gaurav Bidhuri and Sumit Sangwan were the other two boxers picked by the IOCafter
recommendations from the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).

The boxers will get a sum of USD 800 every month till August next year, provided they
qualify for the Olympic Games, besides an additional USD 5,000 to cover their
transportation cost for participation in the Olympic qualifying events.
Japans Nozomi Okuhara, Kento Momota won singles titles at World Dubai Superseries
Finals
Japanese shuttlers Kento Momota and Nozomi Okuhara emerged champions in the mens and
womens singles categories, respectively, in the BWF Superseries Finals at the Hamdan Sports
Complex.
Mens Single title - World No.5 Momota beat Denmarks Viktor Axelsen 21-15, 21-12 in
36 minutes
Womens Single title -world No. 4 Okuhara overcame world No. 3 Yihan Wang from
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China 22-20, 21-18 in an hour and three minutes.
Womens doubles title - Chinese twin shuttlers Luo Ying and Luo Yu beating
Christinna Pedersen and Kamilla Rytter Juhl from Denmark.

Mens double title - Indonesian mens doubles pair of Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra
Setiawan beat Chinas Chai Biao and Hong Wei 13-21, 21-14, 21-14 in 53
Mixed double final - Adcock couple, Chris and Gabriele defeated South Korean pair of
Ko Sung Hyun and Kim Ha Na 21-14, 21-17 in 37 minutes.

Cheteshwar Pujara named as brand ambassador of Rajkot half marathon
Cricketer, Cheteshwar Pujara named as the brand ambassador of the first Rajkot half
marathon to be held on January 24. The marathon is jointly organized by the Rajkot Municipal
Corporation (RMC) and the city police. The 21km half run will be flagged off from Race Course
ground and also end at the same spot.
The half marathon is aimed at creating awareness about traffic and cleanliness.
More than 30,000 people are expected to take part in that event. A special website has
also been launched for the marathon.
Chennaiyin FC wins the second edition of ISL Football tournament

Chennaiyin FC has won the 2015 Indian Super League (ISL) Football tournament. The team
defeated Goa FC by 3-2 goals at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa.
ISL Golden boot Award: John Stiven Mendoza Valencia (Chennaiyin FC).
Golden Glove Award: Apoula Edima Edel Bete (Chennaiyin FC).
Hero of the League award: John Stiven Mendoza Valencia (Chennaiyin FC).
Muthoot Group Fair Play Award: Mumbai FC.
Key Points: Chennaiyin FC is owned by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Abhishek Bachchan and Vita Dani.
Barcelona FC wins 12th edition of FIFA Club World Cup
Barcelona FC has won the FIFA Club World Cup Japan 2015 for third time. The team defeatedRiver
Plate FC by 3-0 goals at International Stadium Yokohama in Japan.
Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar scored the three goals against the River Plate FC team.
Barcelona FC had already won the FIFA Club World Cup in 2009 and also in 2011.
Dhoni to remain captain till World T20

The National selectors decided that Mahendra Singh Dhoni will remain captain of the limitedovers sides till the World T20 championship in March.
It was announced by BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur.
He is the most successful Indian captain. He has won two World Cups for India, taken
India to no. 1 Test rankings.
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OBITUARY
Russian legendary film Director Eldar Ryazanov passes away
Film director Eldar Ryazanov(88) who satirized and romanticized the life of ordinary Russians in
his immensely popular comedies for almost six decades has died in Russia.
About Eldar Ryazanov :
Ryazanov directed almost 30 films, most of which became box-office hits and spawned
countless Russian catchphrases andpopular jokes.
His films ridiculed Soviet bureaucracy and lifestyle, but the lightness of his satires helped
him dodge Communist censorship.Comedy film The Irony of Fate is his most popular
film in USSR .
Awards :
He has received the USSR State Prize in 1977.He was named as a top USSR artistry tittle in 1984.
He has won the Nika Award for Best Director in 1991.
Veteran industrialist MAM Ramaswamy passes away
Co-Founder of Chettinad Group headquartered at Chennai and former parliamentarian, MAM
Ramaswamy passed away at the age of 84.
About MAM Ramaswamy:
He was a politician from Janata Dal (Secular) party and was a Member of the Parliament
of India representing Karnataka in the Rajya Sabha.
He was known as MAMR in political, business and sports circles and was widely known for
his philanthropic activities.
Veteran dovish Israeli politician Yossi Sarid dies

Veteran Israeli dove Yossi Sarid, a former government minister who remained a leading critic of
Israels policies toward the Palestinians until his final days
About Yossi Sarid:
One of the leaders of the Israeli peace camp and advocated Israeli territorial concessions
to resolve the conflict with the Palestinians.
Served as education minister and environment minister and led the dovish Meretz party
before he retired in 2006.
Former FIFA referee Bhattacharya passes away

Former FIFA referee S K Bhattacharya(87) passed away in Chandanpur, West Bengal.
About Bhattacharya :
He was the one of Indias most reputed referee in the 1960s and 1970s,
Bhattacharya held the distinction of supervising the Asia Cup finals in the 1972 in
Tehran.
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He also supervised the finals of all top tournaments in the country, including Durand
Cup,DCM trophy and IAF Shield.
Being very strict on the field, capitals players, in the prestigious Delhi Senior Division
league, were scared of his strict decisions and paid due respect.
Renowned agro-economist Sharad Joshi passes away

Veteran farmer leader Sharad Joshi Passed away
Veteran farmer leader Sharad Joshi(81) who had been suffering from cancer for the past few
years, died at Bopodi in Pune.
About Sharad Joshi :
Sharad Joshi was born in Satara.He received his formal education in Mumbai after which
he worked in the Savitribai Phule Pune University as a lecturer in economics.
Joshi subsequently joined the Indian Postal Services and later moved to Berne,
Switerzland, to work with Chief Informatics Service International Bureau, a UN
organisation.
After 10 years, he left the job and returned to India to work on agrarian issues and
formed the Shetkari Sanghatana in the late 1970s.
He launched Swatantra Bharat Paksha in 1994 and was elected a Rajya Sabha MP in
2004.
Theatre artiste Chatla Sriramulu passes away

Chatla Sriramulu, noted writer and theatre artiste passed away in Secunderabad. He was the first
artiste from Andhra Pradesh to receive the Emeritus Fellowship from the Human Resources
Department of the Government of India.
Sriramulu was awarded Best Actor twice by the Andhra Nataka Kala Parishad. He was
awarded the Certificate of Producer and Teacher by the British Drama League, London in
1970.
He was also a recipient of the Central governments Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in
1982.
British Novelist Peter Dickinson passes away

Peter Dickinson, 88 year old renowned British novelist passed away in Winchester, Hampshire.
He was best known for childrens books and detective stories.
He was the first author to receive twice the prestigious Carnegie medal in 1979 and 1980
awarded annually by librarians for the outstanding new childrens book in Britain
He wrote 60 books which have been translated into 53 different languages.
His first novel for children The Weather monger was published in 1968 and his last
book In the Palace of The Khans was published in 2012.
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Famous German conductor Kurt Masur passed away
Kurt Masur, the German conductor who led the New York Philharmonic orchestra for 11 years died
at the age of 88 years.
He was called as the one of the last old-style maestros.
About Kurt Masur
1927 born served in the Wehrmacht during the Second World War.
Masur spent 26 years leading the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra.
He also served as music director of the New York Philharmonic.
Awards & recognitions
In 1995, he received the Cross of the Order of Merits of the Federal Republic of
Germany.
In 1996 he received the Gold Medal of Honor for Music from the National Arts Club.
In 1997 he received the titles of Commander of the Legion of Honor from the French
government.
In 2001, Kurt Masur became an Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Music.
In 2014 received a Goldene Henne (de) award for his work in public policy.
BOOKS & AUTHORS

Sharad Pawars autobiography On My Terms released
The English and Marathi version of a book Life on My Terms From the Grassroots to the
Corridors of Power authored by Sharad Pawar released on the 75th birthday of Pawar, the
Maratha strongman and the leader of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) at Vigyan Bhavan in New
Delhi.
The event was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress President Sonia
Gandhi, President Pranab Mukherjee and Vice President Hamid .
About Book :
The Marathi version has been named Lok Majha Sangati
It is a semi-autobiography in which Pawar has recollected all important incidents in his

social and political career in the past 50 years.The 400-page book has 40 pages of
photographs.
It detailed his experiences of political and social issues spanning 50 years. He, in his
book, has provided a detailed account of the reason which helped in creation of rough
patches in his relation with Rajiv Gandhi. He tells that his proximity with Chandra
Shekhar brought rough patches to his ties with Rajiv.
President of India receives first copies of books Selected Speeches of the President and
Presidential Retreats
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The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee received first copies of the books Selected
Speeches of the President Volume 3 and Presidential Retreats at a function held at Rashtrapati
Bhavan from the PM Shri Narendra Modi.
About Selected Speeches of the President Volume 3 :
It is a third in a series of volumes containing important speeches of the President.
Speeches in this volume have been segregated into three themes such as Award
Functions, Important Days and Events and Conferences.
The book has been published by Publications Division, Ministry of Information &
Broadcasting.
About The Presidential Retreats of India :
It has been prepared by Sahapediaunder commission from the Presidents Secretariat and
Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA). This book, published by the
Publications Division covers.
Book: The Bose Brothers and Indian Independence An Insiders Account by Madhuri
Bose.
Madhuri Bose and Chandra Bose, grand-niece and grand-nephew of Netaji Subhas Chandra
Bose met the Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Parliament House complex.
Madhuri Bose presented a copy of her book titled The Bose Brothers and Indian
Independence An Insiders Account to the Prime Minister.
The Prime Ministers Office has already initiated steps to unveil 33 secret files related to
Netaji on January 23, the birth anniversary of the freedom fighter.
IMPORTANT DAYS
World AIDS Day
World AIDS Day is observed on 1 December every year since 1988. It raises awareness across the
world and in the community about the issues surrounding HIV and AIDS.
It is a day for people to show their support for people living with HIV and to
commemorate people who have died.
It is one of the eight officialglobal public health campaigns marked by the World Health
Organization(WHO)
Theme : Getting to Zero: Zero new HIV infections. Zero discrimination. Zero AIDS related deaths
International Day for the Abolition of Slavery

The International Day for the Abolition of Slavery is organized every year on December 2 by
the United Nations General Assembly.
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This day marks the anniversary of the United Nations adopting the Convention for the
Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others, in
1949.
Theme : "Women and Slavery"
International Day of Persons with Disabilities

Theme for 2015: Inclusion matters: access and empowerment for people of all abilities
History:
It has been commemorated since 1992 to promote awareness and activatesupport for critical issues
regarding inclusion of persons with disabilities in society and development.
Highlights:
By 2050, 66% of the worlds population will be living in cities. To evaluate the progress
and to design a New Urban Agenda, United Nations Third Global Conference on
Housing and Sustainable Development - Habitat III will take place in 2016 that will
provide a platform for the worlds urban development policy-makers and practitioners
Navy day celebrated across the country

Every year 4 December is celebrated as the Navy Day in India to celebrate the magnificence,
achievements and role of the naval force to the country. India celebrated 44th anniversary of the
India Navy on December 4 2015.
Navy Day in India is celebrated to commemorate the courageous attack on the Karachi
harbor during the Indo-Pakistan war (at 4th of December in the year 1971) by the Indian
Naval Missile boats as well as to reverence all the martyrs of that war.
Theme: Indian Navy Ensuring Secure Seas for a Resurgent Nation.
International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development

Theme: "The world is changing. Are you? Volunteer! "
International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development is celebrated every year all over
the world on 5th of December.
Exclusive chance for volunteers and organizations to celebrate their efforts, to share their
values, and to promote their work among their communities, non-governmental
organizations (NGOs), United Nations agencies, government authorities and the private
sector.
International Civil Aviation Day

International Civil Aviation Day is annually observed on December 7.
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Aim: To raise awareness of the importance of international civil aviation and the role
that the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) plays in international air
transport.
International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide
observed
On 9 December 2015 International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the
Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime was observed globally.
The 9th of December is the anniversary of the adoption of the 1948 Convention on the
Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (the Genocide Convention).
In September 2015, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) established 9 December
as the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of
Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime.
The resolution was initiated by Armenia.
International Anti-corruption day

International Anti-Corruption Day has been observed annually on 9 December to raise
awareness of corruption and of the role of the Convention in combating and preventing it.
Theme: Break the corruption chain
The 2015 joint international campaign focuses on how corruption undermines

democracy and the rule of law, leads to human rights violations, distorts markets, erodes
quality of life and allows organized crime, terrorism and other threats to human security
to flourish.
Human Rights Day

Human Rights Day is celebrated annually across the world on 10 December every year.
Organization: UN
Purpose : The day to honour the United Nations General Assemblys adoption and proclamation,
on 10 December 1948, of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the first global
enunciation of human rights and one of the first major achievements of the new United Nations.
Theme : Our Rights, Our Freedoms, Always
International Mountain Day
International Mountain Day is observed every year on December 11. FAO is the U.N. organization
mandated to lead observance of International Mountain Day.
International Mountain Day, was designated by the United Nations General

Assembly in2003 to highlight the importance of sustainable mountain development.
118 | P a g e

Purpose :To create awareness about the importance of mountains to life, to highlight the
opportunities and constraints in mountain development and to build alliances that will bring
positive change to mountain peoples and environments around the world.
Theme : Promoting mountain products for better livelihoods.
National Energy Conservation Day
National energy conservation day is celebrated every year by the people all over the India on14thof
December every year.
Purpose :To aware people about the importance of energy as well as saving or conserving the
more energy by using less energy.
The Energy Conservation Act in India was executed by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency
(BEE) in the year 2001. The Bureau of Energy Efficiency is a constitutional body which
comes under Government of India and helps in the development of policies and strategies
in order to reduce the energy use.
International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers

International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers is observed on December 17 every
year.The day was launched in 2003 as as a memorial and vigil for the victims of theGreen River
Killer in Seattle Washington.
This day to highlight the need for action to end violence against sex workers.
Purpose : To remember those lost this year and renew our commitment to the on-going struggle
for empowerment, visibility, and rights for all sex workers.
Theme : Stigma & Discrimination
International Migrants Day observed on 18th December 2015

International Migrants Day observed on 18th December 2015. The day was established in theyear
2000 as adopted its resolution by UN General Assembly.
To mark this years International Migrants Day, the International Organization for
Migration (IOM) is calling on the international community to come together and
remember the refugees and migrants who have lost their lives or have disappeared
while trying to reach safe harbour after arduous journeys across seas and deserts.
International Human Solidarity Day December 20

International Human Solidarity Day is observed every year on December 20 to celebrate our unity
in diversity. It is the day to remind governments to respect their commitments to international
agreements.
2015 International Human Solidarity Day theme is Shared Progress & Prosperity
based on global solidarity.
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UN Secretary General Ban ki-moon delivered a message that by adopting the historic
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, world leaders expressed their resolve to seek
shared progress and prosperity based on a spirit of global solidarity.
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All the Best for IBPS Clerk Main Exam

Chairman of the Festival committee and Regional Administrator of Mahe- Mangalatte

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President given assent Maharashtra Factories (Amendment) Bill, 2015

Madhepura will produce 12,000HP electric locomotives.

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Orthopaedic biomechanics courseby: Prof. NicoVerdonschot from the Netherlands

Labour and Employment minister:Vijay Rupani.

Package of Rs.1,398 crore to drought-hit farmers for subsidized diesel, distribution of

Delhi Assembly passed three major education bills

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Cooperation in the field of solar roof tops

Development of solar parks or solar zones

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The protocol will facilitate exchange of information as per accepted international

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Goa Government launches National Food Security Act, 2013

Union Cabinet gives nod to establish 6 new IITs

Lok Sabha passes The Bureau of Indian Standards Bill, 2015

Key Points about the Bill:

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Union Cabinet approved rehabilitation package for Bangladesh enclaves

Rs 898.50 crore as the fixed cost of strengthening and creation of infrastructure in

Rs 107.49 crore as a variable cost is likely to be encountered for the rehabilitation.

PM launches Accessible India campaign in Delhi

Superhead of the Accessible India campaign: Joint secretary Mukesh Jain

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Himachal Pradesh became first state to launch Rotavirus vaccination project

Rotavirus infection amount to 30,000 deaths in India annually. It would be soon

Union Government releases postage stamp to mark centenary year of ZSI

CEA headed panel recommends eliminating all taxes on inter-state trade

Panel not to specify GST rate in Constitutional Amendment Bill

Revenue neutral rate of 15-15.5% for GST

Two options for states that is Single rate of 15% or 17-18%

Alcohol, real estate out of GST to achieve 15% rate

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Proposed to hike in constituency allowance from present 18,000 to 50,000 rupees.

A communication allowance of 10,000 rupees per month as well as 30,000 rupees as

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Division Bench led by Chief Justice D. Y. Chandrachud and Justice Yashwant

AP CM launches 'She Autos' scheme

Lok Sabha passes bill to enhance compensation for Air Travellers

Uttar Pradesh Government launches first International festival on Birds

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Commemorative coins on Babasaheb launched by PM Modi

On 30 September Union communication and IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad

It has 8 compartments with a seating capacity of 120 in each compartment.

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In this regard, SWRs first train Hubballi-Bengaluru Janshatabdi Express powered

6th Meeting of Group on Automatic Exchange of Information held

Confidentiality and data safeguards in 32 countries, including India discussed and