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1. Important Days 2
2. Important Banking News 8
3. Important Financial & Economy Affairs 22
4. Important Business News 28
5. Important State Wise National News 30
6. Important International News 66
7. Important Appointments 73
8. Important Awards and Honors 77
9. Important MoU and Agreements 82
10. Important Summit & Conference 89
11. Important Mobile App and Web Portal 101
12 Important Defence News 105
13. Important Schemes And Programs 112
14. Important Ranking and Indexes 118
15. Important Books and Authors 122
16. Important Sports News 123
17. Important Obituaries 137
IMPORTANT DAYS
JANUARY
Date Important Days Theme
Migrants and Refugees: Men and Women
Jan 1 Global Family Day
in search of peace
Jan 4 Braille Day
FEBUARY
Date Important Days Theme
MARCH
Date Day Themes
8th March International Women’s Day and Mother’s day. Press for Progress
15th March World Consumer Rights Day Making digital marketplaces fairer
24th March World Tuberculosis Day Wanted: Leaders for a TB-free world
2nd
No Smoking Day
Wednesday
APRIL
Date Important Days Themes
April 1 Orissa Day
International Children's Book
April 2 Let Us Grow With the Book
Day (ICBD)
World Autism Awareness
Empowering Women and Girls with Autism
Day
B.R. Ambedkar
Remembrance Day
April 17 World Hemophilia Day Sharing Knowledge
MAY
Date Observed Day Theme/Purpose
International Workers’ Day (or) “Uniting Workers fosr Social and Economic
May 1
Labour Day or Workers’ Day Advancement”
First Tuesday “Never too early, never too late. It's always the
of May World Asthma Day right time to address
(May 1, 2018) airways disease”
May 2 World Tuna Day
“Keeping Power in Check: Media, Justice and
May 3 World Press Freedom Day
The Rule of Law”
May 4 International Firefighters' Day
International Day of the “Midwives leading the way with quality
May 5 Midwife care”
World Cartoonists’ Day
May 6 International No Diet Day
First Sunday of
World Laughter Day
May (May 6, 2018)
“Memorable smiles from around the
World Red Cross Day
world”
May 8 “Thalassaemia past, present and future:
World Thalassaemia Day Documenting progress and patients’ needs
worldwide”
National Technology Day “Science and Technology for a
May 11
(in India) sustainable future”
Celebrated on the
Friday before
Military Spouse Day (or)
Mother’s Day in
Military Spouse Appreciation Day
USA
(May 11, 2018)
“Nurses A Voice to Lead – Health is a Human
May 12 International Nurses Day
right”
Second Saturday
of May World Migratory Bird Day "Unifying our Voices for Bird Conservation"
(May 12, 2018)
Second Sunday of
May Mother’s Day
(May 13, 2018)
JUNE
Date Observed Day Theme/Purpose
World Milk Day “Drink Move Be Strong”
June 1
Global Day of Parents
June 3 World Bicycle Day
World Day of Innocent Children Victims of
June 4
Aggression
June 5 World Environment Day “Beat Plastic Pollution”
Preventing plastic pollution and encouraging
June 8 World Oceans Day
solutions for a healthy ocean
June 12 World Day Against Child Labor
June 14 World Blood Donor Day Be there for someone else. Give blood. Share life
June 15 World Elder Abuse Awareness Day
June 16 International Integration Day
June 18 International Picnic Day
‘Now More Than Ever, We Need to Stand with
June 20 World Refugee Day
Refugees’.
World Music Day
June 21
International day of Yoga ‘Yoga for Harmony & Peace.
International Olympic Day
June 23
International Widows Day International Widows' Day
International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit "Listen First - Listening to children and youth is the
June 26
Trafficking first step to help them grow healthy and safe."
June 27 MSME Day The Youth Dimension
June 29 National Statistics Day ‘‘Quality Assurance in Official Statistics’
June 30 International Asteroid Day
June 4 to June
Financial Literacy Week
8
3rd Sunday of
Father’s Day
June
BANKING NEWS
Reserve Bank of India
Reserve Bank of India to issue new Rs 10 note in chocolate brown colour:
• India’s central bank will soon issue a new Rs 10 note in chocolate brown colour.The Reserve Bank
of India (RBI) has already printed 1 billion pieces of the new note. Further, the new note will bear
the picture of Konark Sun Temple.
Size 63*123
Design in Reverse side Konark Sun Temple.
Colour chocolate brown colour
There is no lines in Rs. 10
Lines
Note
RBI Ordered Banks to Recalibrate ATMs With Rs.200:
• Indian apex bank RBI orders all the banks to recalibrate ATM to install new Rs.200 for the more
circulation of the denomination. RBI introduced New Rs.200 Note in 25th August 2017
Image on Backside Sanchi Stupa
Dimensions 66 X 146 mm²
Colour bright yellow
RBI Increases Currency Derivative Trade Limit to USD 100 Million:
• The Reserve Bank of India raised the exposure limit under Exchange Traded Currency Derivatives (ETCD)
trading for residents and foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) to USD 100 million across all currency pairs involving
the Indian rupee.
Separate limit of Interest Rate Futures (IRFs) for Foreign Portfolio Investors:
• The Reserve Bank of India has eased position limit in interest rate futures (IRFs) for foreign portfolio investors
(FPIs). The banking regulator has allowed a limit of Rs. 5,000 crore for FPIs to go long in IRFs
RBI’S review on Currency Distribution & Exchange Scheme (CDES):
• The RBI has been providing several incentives to banks, from time to time for installation of various machines
by them to encourage technology absorption in their currency operations for improved customer service.
RBI’S review on Currency Distribution & Exchange Scheme (CDES):
• The RBI has been providing several incentives to banks, from time to time for installation of various machines
by them to encourage technology absorption in their currency operations for improved customer service.
RBI Lifts Per-Borrower Loan Capitalization for MSMEs:
• In view of the increasing importance of the services sector and to encourage banks to lend more to this sector,
the Reserve Bank of India has decided to do away with the per borrower loan limits to Micro/Small and Medium
Enterprises (Services) for classification under priority sector lending.
RBI To Conduct Additional Repo Operations to Provide Liquidity Support To Banks:
• According to the Reserve Bank of India it will conduct additional variable rate repo operations for longer tenors
up to 31 days every Tuesday in the month of March 2018 for Rs 25,000 crore each to provide additional liquidity
support to banks.
RBI Cancels Letters of Undertaking (LoUs) and Letters of Comfort (LoCs) for Trade Credits:
• The Reserve Bank of India has scrapped quasi bank guarantee instruments such as the Letter of Undertaking
and Letter of Comfort that blew a Rs. 14,000 crore hole in the books of Punjab National Bank as the regulator
attempts to plug a loophole and improve banks’ due diligence in trade credit.
RBI decides to set up Data Sciences Lab:
• Reserve Bank of India has decided to set up Data Sciences Lab to improve its forecasting, surveillance and
early warning detection abilities which will aid policy formulation. The unit is likely to become operational by
December this year
RBI switches back to GDP model from GVA model to measure economy:
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to use Gross Domestic Product (GDP) instead of Gross Value
Added (GVA) to measure economic activity in India.
RBI tightens reporting norms for Liberalised Remittance Scheme:
• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued a notification aimed at tightening reporting norms for the Liberalised
Remittance Scheme (LRS).
RBI allows FPIs to buy T-bills:
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has allowed foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) to invest in treasury bills issued
by the central government.
RBI announced Rs.10,000 crore bond purchases:
• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced that, it will buy Rs 10,000 crore of government bonds through open
market operation (OMO).
RBI tweaks norms for setting up of IFSC Banking Units:
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) modified norms for setting up International Financial Services Centres (IFSC)
Banking Units (IBUs) by banks in IFSCs. The parent bank will be required to provide and maintain at all times a
minimum capital of USD 20 million or equivalent in any foreign currency to its IBU.
RBI has directed private sector lender Dhanlaxmi Bank to keep the appointment of a non-independent director:
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has directed private sector lender Dhanlaxmi Bank to keep the appointment of
a non-independent director in abeyance till further orders. “It is hereby informed that Reserve Bank of India vide
letter dated May 16, 2018, has advised the bank that the proposal for the appointment of Arun Rao M. G. as a
non-independent director.
RBI tweaks norms to boost affordable housing lending:
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has increased the eligibility limit for a loan to classify as priority sector lending
in a bid to boost affordable housing. For metropolitan areas, loan limits have been raised from Rs 28 lakh to Rs
35 lakh and for other areas, it has been increased from Rs.20 lakh to Rs.25 lakh, provided the overall cost of
the home does not exceed Rs.45 lakh and Rs.30 lakh respectively.
New Information Repository to be set up by RBI
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will set up a Public Credit Registry (PCR) as a repository of information
regarding loan information of individuals and corporate borrowers. The decision has been taken as per the
recommendations of Y.M. Deosthalee committee set up by the central bank.
Reserve Bank aims to tighten working capital loan norms:
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has proposed a minimum 40% loan component for working capital funding of
Rs.150 crore and above to bring in greater credit discipline and improve monetary transmission.
Reserve Bank eases norms for FPIs to invest in debt:
• FPIs are allowed to invest in various debt market instruments such as government bonds, treasury bills, state
development loans and corporate bonds, but with certain limits and restrictions. The RBI increased the FPIs cap
on investment in government securities to 30% of the outstanding stock of that security, from the 20% earlier.
Centre kick starts merger of RRBs
• The government has decided to start the consolidation process of Regional Rural Banks (RRB) after a gap of
six years and bring down the number of such entities to 38 from 56 now. In a communication to the chiefs of
public sector banks, which are the sponsors of the RRBs, the finance ministry asked them to amalgamate the
RRBs within a State.
RBI tells banks to upgrade software at ATMs by June 2019 or face penalty:
• With banks failing to upgrade software in automated teller machines (ATM) despite repeated reminders, the
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has now directed the banks to complete the process in a phased manner latest by
June 2019.
RBI revises upwards housing loan limits under priority sector
• The housing loan limits for eligibility under priority sector lending will be revised to Rs 35 lakh in metropolitan
centres Rs 28 lakh earlier (with population of ten lakh and above), and to Rs 25 lakh from Rs 20 lakh earlier in
other centres, provided the overall cost of the dwelling unit in the metropolitan centre and at other centres does
not exceed Rs 45 lakh and Rs 30 lakh, respectively.
RBI tweaks norms to boost affordable housing lending:
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has increased the eligibility limit for a loan to classify as priority sector lending
in a bid to boost affordable housing. For metropolitan areas, loan limits have been raised from Rs 28 lakh to Rs
35 lakh and for other areas, it has been increased from Rs.20 lakh to Rs.25 lakh, provided the overall cost of
the home does not exceed Rs.45 lakh and Rs.30 lakh respectively.
New Information Repository to be set up by RBI
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will set up a Public Credit Registry (PCR) as a repository of information
regarding loan information of individuals and corporate borrowers. The decision has been taken as per the
recommendations of Y.M. Deosthalee committee set up by the central bank.
RBI Amends Gold Monetisation Scheme To Make It More Attractive:
• RBI has made changes in the Gold Monetisation Scheme (GMS) to make it more attractive. The revamping of
the scheme is aimed at enabling people to open a hassle-free gold deposit account.
• The short-term deposits should be treated as bank's on-balance sheet liability. These deposits will be made with
the designated banks for a short period of 1-3 years (with a facility of rollover). Deposits can also be allowed for
broken periods (e.g. 1 year 3 months; 2 years 4 months 5 days; etc.).
Reserve Bank aims to tighten working capital loan norms:
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has proposed a minimum 40% loan component for working capital funding of
Rs.150 crore and above to bring in greater credit discipline and improve monetary transmission.
Reserve Bank eases norms for FPIs to invest in debt:
• FPIs are allowed to invest in various debt market instruments such as government bonds, treasury bills, state
development loans and corporate bonds, but with certain limits and restrictions. The RBI increased the FPIs cap
on investment in government securities to 30% of the outstanding stock of that security, from the 20% earlier.
Centre kick starts merger of RRBs
• The government has decided to start the consolidation process of Regional Rural Banks (RRB) after a gap of
six years and bring down the number of such entities to 38 from 56 now. In a communication to the chiefs of
public sector banks, which are the sponsors of the RRBs, the finance ministry asked them to amalgamate the
RRBs within a State.
RBI tells banks to upgrade software at ATMs by June 2019 or face penalty:
• With banks failing to upgrade software in automated teller machines (ATM) despite repeated reminders, the
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has now directed the banks to complete the process in a phased manner latest by
June 2019.
RBI revises upwards housing loan limits under priority sector
• The housing loan limits for eligibility under priority sector lending will be revised to Rs 35 lakh in metropolitan
centres Rs 28 lakh earlier (with population of ten lakh and above), and to Rs 25 lakh from Rs 20 lakh earlier in
other centres, provided the overall cost of the dwelling unit in the metropolitan centre and at other centres does
not exceed Rs 45 lakh and Rs 30 lakh, respectively.
RBI issued license to Bank of China to operate in India
• The decision was based on the commitment made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Chinese President
XiJinping, during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Qingdao, China.
SBI
RBI slaps Rs 40 lakh penalty on SBI for flouting fake note norms:
• The Reserve Bank of India has imposed a monetary penalty of Rs 40 lakh on State Bank of India for non-
compliance of its directions on detection and impounding of counterfeit notes.
SBI Tie-up with IMGC to offer mortgage guarantee for non-salaried and self-employed home loan customers:
• India's largest lender SBI and India Mortgage Guarantee Corporation (IMGC) signed a pact to offer mortgage
guarantee scheme for prospective non-salaried and self-employed home loan customers.
Cheque books of six banks that merged with SBI to be invalid
• India's largest lender SBI has reminded its customers that cheque books of six banks that merged with it will
become invalid after March 31.
State Bank of India to soon set up blockchain-based exchange for bad debts:
• State Bank of India will soon have a blockchain-based exchange for bad debts along with other banks, asset
reconstruction companies and investors on the same infrastructure.
SBI to invest Rs 80 bn in hydropower project of Nepal
• India’s largest bank, State Bank of India (SBI) will be investing a total of Rs 80 billion in the 900 megawatt (MW)
Arun III hydropower project of Nepal.
SBI Launches UK Subsidiary With 225 Mn Pounds Capital:
• The SBI has announced the launch of its UK subsidiary, SBI (UK) Limited, with an initial capital commitment of
225 million pounds from its parent entity.
SBI To Invest Rs 80 Bn In Hydropower Project Of Nepal:
• The State Bank of India will be investing a total of Rs 80 billion in the Arun III hydropower project of Nepal,
which has 900 megawatts (MW) electricity production capacities.
SBI India's most trusted bank:
• The TRA Brand Trust Report 2018 said the State Bank of India was the most trusted bank (both public and
private sector) in the country. ICICI Bank topped the chart among the private ones.
GAIL signs Rs 2,000-cr loan agreement with SBI:
• GAIL (India) Limited and State Bank of India have signed a Rupee Term Loan Agreement of Rs 2,000 crores for
a door to door tenure of 15 years.A statement from the company said that the purpose of the loan is for general
capital expenditure of GAIL, mainly in the gas pipeline projects, in the forthcoming years.
SBI consolidates advertising account with Rediffusion-Y&R:
• State Bank of India has consolidated its advertising account for the first time, with the entire business going to
WPP’s Rediffusion-Y&R.
Arijit Basu Appointed SBI's New Managing Director
• The government appointed Arjit Basu as Managing Director of the country's largest lender State Bank of India
(SBI). He will fill the position that fell vacant following the elevation of Rajnish Kumar as the chairman.
SBI in process to shut 9 foreign offices as part of rationalisation
• State Bank of India (SBI) has closed six foreign branches and is in the process of closing down another nine
branches as part of rationalisation of overseas operations, said Managing Director (Retail & Digital Banking)
Praveen Kumar Gupta.
ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK
ADB has agreed in principle to give an aid of 1,700 crore rupees to Uttarakhand:
• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed in principle to give an aid of 1,700 crore rupees to Uttarakhand
for infrastructure development and creation of sewerage treatment facilities in urban areas.
HDFC
HDFC Bank Signs MoU with Government E-Marketplace:
• Private sector lender HDFC Bank signed an agreement with the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) under which
the bank will facilitate a host of services to the public procurement portal for Central and state government
organizations.
HDFC Bank Launches IRA 2.0:
• HDFC Bank launched IRA 2.0, its interactive humanoid at the Koramangala Branch in Bengaluru.
HDFC Bank increases lending rate by 10 bps
• HDFC Bank, the second largest private sector lender of the country, increased its marginal cost of fund-based
lending rate (MCLR) by 10 basis points (bps) across various loan tenures. As a result, its one-year MCLR is
now at 8.4%.
HDFC Bank wins Cabinet nod to raise Rs24,000 crore via FDI:
• The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a proposal to grant private-sector lender HDFC Bank permission
to raise additional capital of up to Rs.24,000 crore through foreign direct investment.
HDFC, 5th Biggest Consumer Financial Services Company Worldwide: Forbes
• Housing finance major HDFC has been ranked as the 5th biggest public company globally in the ‘consumer
financial services category’ on a list compiled by Forbes magazine. HDFC’s rank has moved up from 7th place
last year. American Express has topped this category, while Indiabulls Housing Finance is the only other Indian
company (at 13th place) on the list.
HDFC Bank most valuable bank in the emerging market outside China
• There are four lenders from India that now rank among the world's 500 most valuable companies. HDFC Bank
is followed by its housing finance cousin Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC), Kotak Mahindra
Bank and State Bank of India.
INDUSIND BANK
IndusInd Bank And Ripple Tie-Up For Cross-Border Remittances:
• IndusInd Bank announced its partnership with Ripple (the enterprise blockchain solution for Global Payments)
to facilitate payments into and out of India.
IndusInd Bank Gets RBI Nod To Acquire IL&FS Arm:
• Private sector lender IndusInd Bank has received RBI's approval to buy the securities services arm of IL&FS.
IndusInd Bank gets RBI nod for setting up arm for BFIL merger:
• The RBI has allowed IndusInd Bank to incorporate a wholly-owned subsidiary for the amalgamation of micro-
lender Bharat Financial Inclusion (BFIL) with the bank.
LAKSHMI VILAS BANK
Lakshmi Vilas Bank, Fisdom team up for digital NPS:
• Bengaluru-based start-up Fisdom and Lakshmi Vilas Bank have entered into a partnership to
enable investments in the National Pension Scheme (NPS) in a completely digital and paperless
manner.
ICICI BANK
ICICI Bank Launches Online Overdraft Facility ‘InstaOD’ For MSME Customers:
• ICICI Bank has launched instant overdraft ‘InstaOD’ facility for MSME (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises)
customers in a completely online and paperless manner. Customers can get overdraft facility up to Rs 15 lakh
for a year anytime, anywhere using the bank’s Internet and mobile banking app.
RBI imposes Rs.59 crore penalty on ICICI Bank:
• The RBI has penalized India's third-largest lender ICICI Bank with Rs.58.9 crore for failing to comply with held-
to-maturity (HTM) guidelines
ICICI loses Rs12,000cr in value amid probe into Videocon loan
• ICICI Bank lost as much as Rs.12,000 crore in market value on Monday after the CBI initiated a preliminary
enquiry into the bank's loan to Videocon.
ICICI Bank 1st to get Swift’s new cross-border payment service:
• Global financial messaging cooperative, SWIFT (Society for World Interbank Financial Telecommunication
System platform) announced that ICICI Bank has become its first Indian client to go live with an improved cross-
border payments service.
ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank repository participants for NERL:
• National E-Repository Limited (NERL), a group company of National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange
Limited (NCDEX), has empanelled ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank as repository participants.
CRISIL reaffirms rating on ICICI Bank at ‘AAA/Stable’:
• Credit rating agency CRISIL has reaffirmed its ratings on ICICI Bank’s debt instruments – Upper Tier-II Bonds
aggregating 8,495 crore, Tier-I Perpetual Bonds aggregating 518 crore, and Bonds/Debentures aggregating 629
crore – at ‘AAA/Stable’.
ICICI Bank launches digital form for opening current accounts:
Private sector lender ICICI Bank has introduced a 'digital form' which will help open current accounts in a few
hours.
WORLD BANK
World Bank approves $55mn for Bangladesh project:
• World Bank has approved $55 million to expand the use of clean renewable energy in rural areas of
Bangladesh that do not have access to grid electricity.
World Bank loan for Biopharma Mission:
• The government has secured a loan of about Rs1,600 crore from the World Bank to develop new vaccines,
medical devices and medicines. The money will be disbursed over five years and is part of the Department of
Biotechnology-led National Biopharma Mission.
India Signs Loan Agreement With World Bank For US$ 125 Million:
• A Loan Agreement for IBRD credit of US$ 125 (equivalent) for the “Innovate in India for Inclusiveness Project”
was signed with the World Bank in New Delhi. The closing date of Innovate in India for Inclusiveness project is
30 June, 2023.
Government enters agreement with World Bank on biotech:
• The government has entered into a legal agreement with the World Bank for a flexible financing arrangement to
accelerate research towards early development for biopharmaceuticals. A Statement issued by the government
said the mission has been approved at a cost of 250 million dollars for five years with 50 per cent funding
through the World Bank Loan.
India inks $200 mn loan from WB for nutrition mission(POSHAN Abhiyaan):
• India on Monday signed an agreement with the World Bank for a $200 million loan for implementing the
National Nutrition Mission across (POSHAN Abhiyaan) 315 districts of the country. Approved by the Union
Cabinet last year, the mission aims at reaching 10 crore beneficiaries, mainly children upto the age of six years,
pregnant women and lactating mothers and adolescent girls.
World Bank nod for Rs.6,000 cr. groundwater recharge plan:
• To address concerns about depleting groundwater reserves in India, the government has joined hands with the
World Bank to execute a Rs.6,000-crore scheme called the Atal Bhujal Yojana (ABHY).
India And World Bank Signs $500 Million Additional Financing For PMGSY:
• The Government of India and the World Bank signed a $500 million loan agreement to provide additional
financing for the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) Rural Roads Project, implemented by Ministry
of Rural Development, Govt. of India, which will build 7,000 km of climate resilient roads, out of which 3,500 km
will be constructed using green technologies.
NABARD
NABARD to expand its long-term lending to Rs 80,000 crore in FY19:
• NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) announced that, it has aimed to raise its long-
term on-lending or refinance portfolio to nearly Rs 80,000 crore in the current fiscal year in a move to improve
rural economy.
Government raises NABARD’s authorised capital to Rs 300 billion to aid rural economy:
• The government has raised the authorised capital of NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural
Development) by 6 times to Rs 300 billion, aimed to increase its lending to the rural economy, as a part of the
initiative to double farmers’ income by 2022.
NABARD Approves Rs 14,690 Cr Funding To Rajasthan:
• National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has extended total credit support of Rs 14,690
crore to Rajasthan for 2017-18.
PAYMENTS BANKS
Fino Payments Bank to deploy MPoS devices across 10,000 banking points:
• Fino Payments Bank has said it plans to deploy multi-utility Android-based mPoS (mobile point-of-sale) devices
across 10,000 banking points in the country in a phased manner.
RBI slaps Rs.5 Cr fine on Airtel Payments Bank over KYC norms:
• The RBI has imposed a penalty of Rs.5 crore on Airtel Payments Bank for breaching Know Your Customer
(KYC) norms.
Jio Payments Bank Limited Commences Operations
• Jio Payments Bank Limited has commenced operations as a payments bank. The Reserve Bank has issued a
licence to the bank under Section 22 (1) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 to carry on the business of
payments bank in India.
Jio, Sodexo join hands to accelerate digital transformation:
• Jio, Sodexo join hands to accelerate digital transformationJio, Sodexo join hands to accelerate digital
transformation
Paytm Payments Bank claims to have 100M KYC-compliant wallets:
Paytm set up offline centres and a team of agents to collect documents from customers for the KYC process;
the 100M milestone includes full and minimum KYC customers.
Paytm Bank to fan out 1 lakh ‘mobile bankers’ across India in a year:
The Paytm Payments Bank, India’s first bank providing zero balance accounts and zero charges on digital
transactions, plans to train and fan out one lakh banking business correspondents, including women, in a year
across India’s Tier-I and II towns, villages and remote areas.
• The Export-Import Bank, Exim Bank announced that it will provide a USD 500 million credit facility to Economic
Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to fund various development projects in western-south Africa.
SEBI Allows Physical Settlement Of Stock Derivatives
• The stock market regulator Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has allowed physical settlement of
both stock options and stock futures. At present only cash settlement of derivatives is allowed.
UCO Bank to merge branches in Hong Kong as it realigns overseas operations:
• Following the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)'s ban on letters of undertaking (LoU), Kolkata-based UCO Bank is
planning to merge its two branches in Hong Kong.
Long Term Capital Gains Tax To Come Into Effect From 01st April:
• Several Budget proposals, including the reintroduction of the tax on long-term capital gains (LTCG)
exceeding Rs 1 lakh from the sale of shares, will kick in from 01st April 2018, the beginning of the 2018-19
financial year.
Rivigo ties up with IDFC, YES Bank, for truck loans:
• Rivigo, a homegrown logistics start-up that owns as well as acts as an aggregator of trucks, is tying up with YES
Bank, IDFC and 10 other financial institutions to make cheaper funds available to truck owners and operators
on its platform.
SIDBI Foundation Day- Launches 'Samridhi- Virtual Assistant' & ' Bankability Kit':
• SIDBI (Small Industries Development Bank of India) celebrated its foundation day (2nd April 1990) as the day of
Sampark (connect), Sanwad (interaction), Suraksha (security) and Sampreshan (disseminate). Chairman SIDBI
also launched 'Samridhi- the virtual assistant' on banks revamped universal loan portal www.udyamimitra.in.
Softbank Signs $930 Million Deal to Set Up Solar Venture In India:
• Softbank has signed a $930-million deal with China's energy conglomerate Golden Concord (GCL) to produce
and sell solar equipment in India.
Indian Bank launches PFMS & also launched ‘Bharat QR’, a mobile payment collection:
• Indian Bank has introduced Public Financial Management System (PFMS) and has launched ‘Bharat QR’
facility. Indian Bank, Managing Director and CEO, Kishor Kharat launched these initiatives in Chennai.
Indian Overseas Bank launches IoT-based customer service app:
• As part of its ‘Customer First’ initiative, Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) has launched three ‘Internet of Things’
(IoT)-based customer service initiatives on a pilot basis at one of its branch in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
India, World Bank sign US$ 420 million project agreement to benefit farmers in Maharashtra:
• Government of India, Government of Maharashtra and the World Bank signed a US$ 420 million project to
benefit Small and Marginal farmers in the Marathwada and Vidarbha regions of Maharashtra.
J&K Bank launches special financing scheme ‘Add on Working Capital GST’ for industrial units:
• Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) Bank has launched ‘Add on Working Capital GST’, a special financing scheme to help
the state industry cope with the delay in reimbursement of Goods and Services Tax (GST) under special tax
relief.
AIIB decides to invest $140M to improve Rural Connectivity in India:
• The Board of Directors of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) have approved USD $ 140-Million
loan to improve the rural road connectivity and management for residents in Madhya Pradesh, India, at a
Meeting held recently in Beijing, China.
Chandra Shekhar Ghosh re-appointed as MD & CEO of Bandhan Bank:
• Chandra Shekhar Ghosh has been re-appointed as managing director and CEO of Bandhan Bank for a three
year term from 10thJuly 2018. Former deputy governor at Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Harun Rasid Khan, has
joined Bandhan Bank board.
SIDBI ties up with CSC to promote MSEs in 115 districts:
• Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has tied up with Common Service Centre (CSC) to run
micro enterprises promotion programme (MEPP) in 115 aspirational districts across India.
Reliance Jio raises Rs 3250 crore from Japanese banks to fund capital expenditure:
• Reliance Jio has signed an agreement to raise nearly Rs 3,250 crore as samurai term loan from Japan-based
banks. Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited said that, it had signed approximately JPY 53.5 billion samurai term loan
with 7 year bullet maturity.
Kotak Mahindra Bank Overcomes SBI to become India’s 2nd largest bank by market capitalization:
• Kotak Mahindra Bank led by Asia’s richest banker Uday Kotak became India’s second-largest bank by market
capitalisation surpassing India’s largest bank by asset State Bank of India to grab the spot.
Bhuj Mercantile Co operative Bank bags Banco Award:
• Kutch-based Bhuj Mercantile Cooperative Bank has bagged the prestigious Banco Award for best performing
cooperative bank.
Standard Chartered ties up with Zoho:
• Standard Chartered Bank has announced an alliance with Zoho, a software products company, to offer
solutions to enhance corporate banking experience. The bank’s business account holders can now pay their
suppliers and automate reconciliation right from Zoho Books, Zoho’s cloud accounting software.
PFRDA makes sharing of bank a/c, mobile number mandatory for NPS subscribers:
• Pension fund regulator PFRDA has made bank account details and mobile number mandatory for subscribers
of national pension scheme (NPS).
SEBI disposes of charges against Karur Vysya Bank:
• Markets regulator SEBI disposed of the charges against private player Karur Vysya Bank as it did not find any
violation of shareholding disclosure norms.
Axis Bank appoints global leadership advisory firm Egon Zehnder to hunt for MD and CEO:
• Private sector lender Axis Bank said it has appointed global leadership advisory firm Egon Zehnder to appoint a
new Managing Director and CEO for the bank. The move follows Shikha Sharma, the current Managing Director
and CEO of the bank, deciding to step down from the post after December 31 this year.
India highest recipient of remittances in 2017:
• India retained the top position as recipient of remittances with its diaspora sending about USD 69 billion back
home last year, the World Bank said.
Bank of India ties up with NeSL:
• Bank of India has entered into an agreement with National e-Governance Services Ltd (NeSL) for availing
NeSL’s Information Utility (IU) service to expedite the Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process.
Government to acquire RBI’s stake in National Housing Bank
• The government will soon acquire the stake of Reserve Bank of India in housing finance regulator National
Housing Bank (NHB).
Uday Kotak redesignated as MD & CEO of Kotak Mahindra Bank:
• The board of directors of Kotak Mahindra Bank has redesignated Uday Kotak as Managing Director and Chief
Executive Officer with effect from 1st May 2018.
• Kotak Mahindra Bank also informed that Shankar Acharya, part-time Chairman, will retire on 19th July 2018.
• Prakash Apte has been appointed as part-time Chairman of the Bank in place of Shankar Acharya.
Bandhan Bank CEO takes CII (ER) office:
• Chandra Sekhar Ghosh, Managing Director and CEO of Bandhan Bank, has taken over as the Deputy
Chairman of CII Eastern Region (ER). This was announced at the CII Eastern Regional Council Meeting on May
1.
RBI bars Dena Bank from lending, hiring:
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has barred State-run lender Dena Bank from extending fresh credit in view of
deteriorating financial health due to mounting non-performing assets (NPAs). In addition, the lender has also
been barred from recruiting staff.
• This initiative is aimed at improving farmers’ access to finance, ensuring effective use of digital banking
resources, and imparting good agricultural practices.
Vijaya Bank tags Reliance Naval as NPA:
• State-run Vijaya Bank has classified the Anil Ambani group-led Reliance Naval and Engineering, whose
auditors had recently expressed doubts about the company’s ability to continue as a “going concern”, as non-
performing asset from the March quarter.
RBI bars Allahabad Bank from giving fresh loans:
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has barred state-run Allahabad Bank from extending fresh loans, under it’s
prompt corrective action (PCA) framework, after the lender fell short of minimum capital adequacy ratio (CAR)
requirement.
• The bank’s CAR was 8.69% as on March 31, 2018 against the regulatory minimum requirement of 9%.
Allahabad Bank CEO divested of powers:
• State-run lender Allahabad Bank has decided to relieve its managing director and chief executive officer Usha
Ananthasubramanian of her powers after she was named in the first information report filed by the Central
Bureau of Investigation in the Rs.13,800-crore Nirav Modi scam that defrauded Punjab National Bank (PNB).
CSC, SIDBI ink pact for financial support to village level entrepreneurs:
• Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) will provide financial support to village level entrepreneurs
who operate the Common Service Centres (CSC) that act as access points for delivery of electronic services.
Bank unions threaten 2-day nation-wide strike from May 30:
• Employees of public sector banks have threatened to go on two-day nation-wide strike from May 30 against "a
meagre" 2 per cent hike offered by the management body, Indian Banks' Association (IBA).
4 NBFCs surrender their Certificate of Registration to RBI:
• The following NBFCs have surrendered the Certificate of Registration granted to them by the Reserve Bank of
India. The Reserve Bank of India, in exercise of powers conferred on it under Section 45-IA (6) of the Reserve
Bank of India Act, 1934, has therefore cancelled their Certificate of Registration.
• M/s Silver Trading and Services Limited, M/s Lotus Udyog Limited, M/s Kothari Safe Deposits Limited and M/s
Angel Finvest Private Limited are the 4 NBFCs
IDFC Bank had received the RBI’s approval for merger of Capital First:
• IDFC Bank said it had received the RBI’s approval for merger of Capital First, Capital First Home Finance and
Capital First Securities with the company.
Corporation Bank bags Best Expectation Management (Mid Cap)’ award for 2017-18:
• Corporation Bank has bagged an award instituted by Investor Relations Society India. The bank was chosen for
‘Investor Relations Awards 2018’ under the category ‘Best Expectation Management (Mid Cap)’ for 2017-18.
Canara Bank fined in UK for anti-money laundering breaches :
• Britain's markets regulator has fined the UK division of India's Canara Bank blocked it from accepting new
deposits for around five months for systemic anti-money laundering (AML) failures.
Sunil Mehta will be heading the ARC panel for stressed assets :
• The finance ministry has set up a committee to examine the possibility of setting up an asset reconstruction
company or an asset management company to fast track resolution of stressed assets. Punjab National Bank’s
non executive chairman Sunil Mehta will be heading the panel.
Mobile banking: Paytm tops volumes, Axis value:
• At 17.2%, Axis Bank commands the largest value share of mobile banking transactions but it’s Paytm that tops
volumes with 22%. However, Paytm’s value share is a meager 0.25%, according to State Bank of India’s (SBI)
annual report for 2017-18 which has put out Reserve Bank of India’s data for January 2018.
Oriental Bank of Commerce awarded for Atal Pension Yojana
• Oriental Bank of Commerce has been awarded as the best public sector bank for Atal Pension Yojana for the
year 2017-18. MoS for Finance Shiv Pratap Shukla presented the awarded to Mukesh Kumar Jain, MD and
CEO of the bank.
SBI MD B Sriram took charge as the CEO and MD of IDBI Bank for 3 months
• He has been appointed in place of Mahesh Kumar Jain who was recently made the Deputy Governor of RBI.
Sriram currently manages SBI's corporate banking division, which has a loan book exceeding Rs10 lakh crore.
AIIB to invest $200 mn in infra fund
• The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) will pump $200 million into the National Investment &
Infrastructure Fund (NIIF). The funding was announced by economic affairs secretary Subash Chandra Garg
ahead of the third AIIB annual meeting which will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi
EXIM Bank extends USD 10 million loan facility to Seychelles
• The Export-Import Bank of India(Exim Bank) announced that it has extended USD 10 million worth of line of
credit (LOC) to Seychelles for healthcare and procurement of goods and projects. It is the first tranche of the
$50 million sanctioned by the Exim Bank to the country. With this agreement for $10 million, Exim Bank has
extended two LOCs to Seychelles, taking the total value to $28 million.
IRDA approves LIC-IDBI Bank deal
• The Board of Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) has approved Life Insurance
Corporation’s (LIC) proposal to the acquisition of up to 51% stake in state-run lender IDBI Bank.
India will get Black Money Data from Swiss Bank by 2019
• As part of a bilateral treaty signed between the India and Switzerland, India would start getting data on deposits
made by Indians this year in Swiss Banks from 2019.
Banks Board Bureau recommends MDs from SBI for appointment as CEOs in other PSBs
• The Banks Board Bureau (BBB) on Saturday recommended managing directors from State Bank of India (SBI)
for appointment as managing directors and CEOs in other public sector banks (PSBs).
IIFL is India's No. 1 investment bank for Fiscal Year 2017 to 2018
• As per Prime Database Investment Bankers League table for FY 2017-18, IIFL is India's top investment bank for
equity issuances by private sector companies.
IndiaFirst Life Insurance Company Limited has announced its tie-up with Oxigen
• IndiaFirst Life Insurance Company Limited has announced its tie-up with Oxigen Services India Pvt. Ltd.
ICICI Bank's Mortgage Portfolio Crosses Rs1.5-Trillion
• ICICI Bank has announced that its mortgage loan portfolio crossed the Rs 1.5-trillion milestone, making it
the largest private player in the segment, and the lender is targeting to grow it to Rs 2 trillion by FY20.
Finance Ministry Keeps small savings schemes Interest Rates Unchanged For July-September Quarter
• The Finance Ministry has kept the interest rates on small savings schemes, including NSC and PPF,
unchanged for the July-September quarter.
Government taps RBI to track all financial transactions:
• In a move aimed at widening the crackdown on black money and following the money trail flowing in and out of
thousands of shell companies, the Centre is planning to set up an information technology (IT)-based
mechanism to keep a tab on all non-cash, financial transactions in the country.
RBI cancels licence of Alwar Urban Co-operative Bank:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said the licence of Alwar Urban Co-operative Bank in Alwar, Rajasthan has
been cancelled as it is not in a position to pay its depositors in full as and when their claims accrue, among
other reasons.
GDP RATE
ORGANISATION
2018-19 2019-20
RBI 7.4
IMF 7.4 7.8
Fitch 7.3 7.5
Moody 7.6 7.5
World Bank 7.3 7.5
ADB 7.3 7.6
HSBC 7 7.6
UN 7.6
India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) 7.1
CRISIL 7.6
9.9% Growth In Last year Foreign Exchange Earnings:
• The growth rate in FEEs in rupee terms in January 2018 over January 2017 was 9.9%, compared to the growth
of 18.0% in January 2017 over January 2016.
Centre Approves Rs 2900 Crore To Make Cities Safer For Women:
• Women and Child Development Ministry has approved projects worth over Rs 2,900 crore under the Nirbhaya
fund for eight major cities to make them safer for women. These cities are Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai,
Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmadabad and Lucknow.
• The Union Cabinet has given its in principle approval for inclusion of communities, namely ‘Parivara and
Talawara’ as synonym of Nayaka at in the list of Scheduled Tribes (STs) of Karnataka.
Cabinet Approves Agreement For Avoidance Of Double Taxation Between India, Iran.
• The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 14th March, 2018 approved an agreement for
the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income between
India and Iran.
Cabinet Clears Setting Up of NFRA To Oversee Auditors:
• Union Cabinet has approved the establishment of National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA).
• NFRA will act as an independent regulator for the auditing profession which was one of the key changes
brought in by the Companies Act 2013.
Finance Minister Inaugurates GPF and EPPO Modules on 42nd Civil Accounts Day:
• The Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Shri Arun Jaitley said that there is a certain amount of
sanctity which must remain attached to the Government Accounting System.
Cabinet approves continuation of PMEGP beyond 12th Plan for 3 years:
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the
continuation of Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) beyond 12th Plan for three
years from 2017-18 to 2019-20 with a total outlay of Rs 5,500 crore.
UN launches road safety trust fund USD 51000:
• United Nations (UN) has launched a UN Road Safety Trust Fund to spur action that could save lives and
prevent the loss of opportunity associated with road accidents.The fund has been launched in wake of tragic
road accidents in Canada and India.
E-Way Bill for Inter-State movement of goods comes into force:
• With the beginning of the financial year 2018-19, the e-way Bill System for Inter-State movement of goods
comes into force; An E-way Bill will be required for moving goods worth over 50,000 rupees from one state to
another.
IndiaFilings launches online income tax filing services:
• IndiaFilings launches online income tax filing services IndiaFilings launches online income tax filing services
Ola unveils in-trip insurance: Cost starts at Re 1, covers up to Rs 500,000:
• Ola has introduced an in-trip insurance programme for all its customers in India starting at just Re 1. This in-trip
insurance will cover for loss of belongings, missed flights, and medical expenses up to Rs 500,000 in case of an
accident.
HCL Technologies acquires C3i Solutions for $60 million:
• HCL Technologies has acquired C3i Solutions for USD 60 million, in a move to enhance HCL’s growth in life
sciences and consumer services.
FPI investment limit in Govt Securities hiked:
• The FPI investment limit in G-Sec has been hiked from 5 per cent of outstanding stock now to 5.5 per cent in
Financial Year 2018-19 and 6 per cent in Financial Year 2020.
RInfra wins Rs 1,081 crore contract for Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project:
• Reliance Infrastructure Ltd (RInfra) said that, it has won a Rs 1,081 crore contract from Nuclear Power
Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) for work in two units of the Kudankulam project in Tamil Nadu.
EPFO reverses decision, to allow offline claims of over Rs10L:
• The Employees' Provident Fund Organization has decided to accept provident fund withdrawal claims of over
Rs.10 lakh via physical forms, reversing its earlier decision.
TCS first Indian company with $100 billion market capitalisation:
• Tata Consultancy Services has touched $100 billion mark in market capitalisation as its share price surged
nearly 7%.
Idea Cellular's proposal seeking 100% FDI under consideration of DIPP:
• Idea Cellular Ltd's proposal to allow up to 100 percent foreign direct investment in the company is under
consideration of the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), an official said.
NSE Launches E-Gsec Platform For Bringing Retail Participation In Government Securities:
• National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) has announced the launch of its "e - Gsec" platform for facilitating the
non-competitive bidding in Government of India Dated Securities (G-Sec) and Treasury Bills (T-Bills).
SEBI extends trade timing for derivatives:
• The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has allowed stock exchanges to extend the trading session
for futures and options (F&O) segment from the current 3.30 p.m. to 11.55 in the night beginning October 1.
Government mulls 100% FDI in insurance intermediaries:
• The government is considering allowing 100 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in insurance intermediaries
with a view to give a boost to the sector and attracting more funds.
• The FDI policy, at present, allows 49 per cent foreign investment in the insurance sector, which includes
insurance intermediaries.
Walmart buys 77% stake in Flipkart for $16 billion:
• Walmart Inc buying 77 per cent stake in Flipkart for about USD 16 billion (Rs 1.05 lakh crore), its biggest deal
which will give the US retailer access to Indian e-commerce market that is estimated to grow to USD 200 billion
within a decade.
Finance Minister clears 3 FDI proposals worth Rs 3,250 crore:
• The finance ministry today said it cleared three foreign direct investment (FDI) proposals worth Rs 3,250 crore
in April.
Infosys sets up blockchain-based trade finance network with seven banks:
• Infosys Ltd. has formed a blockchain-based trade finance network with seven private-sector banks, to increase
security and efficiency in the banking sector while also broadening its product offering.
BSE becomes first Indian stock exchange to get US SEC’s DOSM recognition
• BSE Ltd (earlier known as Bombay Stock Exchange) has become the first Indian exchange to be designated as
Designated Offshore Securities Market (DOSM). DOSM status has been given by United States Securities and
Exchange Commission (US-SEC).
India To Achieve 9% Growth Rate By 2022: NITI Aayog:
• NITI Aayog vice-chairman Rajiv Kumar exuded confidence that Indian economy will achieve 9% growth rate on
sustained basis by 2022 on the back of reforms like GST, demonetisation and the Insolvency and Bankruptcy
Code (IBC).
MCX launches India’s first copper options contracts:
• India’s largest commodities exchange platform, Multi Commodity Exchange of India Limited (MCX) has
launched the country’s first copper options contracts
Finance Ministry Ties Up With 40 Companies Under Mudra Scheme:
• The Union Finance Ministry has tied up with 40 entities including Flipkart, Swiggy, Patanjali and Amul for
extending loans to small entrepreneurs under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY).
MCX launches India’s first copper options contracts:
• India’s largest commodities exchange platform, Multi Commodity Exchange of India Limited (MCX) has
launched the country’s first copper options contracts. The option contract will provide physical market
participants additional instrument to hedge their price risk.
Finance Ministry Ties Up With 40 Companies Under Mudra Scheme:
• The Union Finance Ministry has tied up with 40 entities including Flipkart, Swiggy, Patanjali and Amul for
extending loans to small entrepreneurs under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY).
EPFO notifies 8.55% interest for 2017-18:
• The Central Board of Trustees of the Employment Provident Fund Organisation has notified its field offices to
credit an 8.55% rate of interest on the holdings of subscribers for 2017-18. It is the lowest rate since the
financial year 2012-13. There are around five crore subscribers.
Govt reconstitutes FSDC
• The Union Govt reconstituted Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) to include secretaries from
revenue department as well as Ministry of Information Technology (MeitY). It will include Chairman of the
Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI).
Fiscal deficit for FY18 at 3.5% of GDP:
• India’s fiscal deficit in the year ended March 2018 came in at 3.53% of gross domestic product, in line with the
revised estimates. For the current fiscal year, the government estimates to trim the deficit to 3.3% of GDP.
Government puts FY18 growth at 6.7%:
• Stronger growth of 7.7% in the fourth quarter GDP estimates for 2017-18, driven in large part by the
manufacturing and construction sectors, led to an upward revision in the GDP growth projection for the full year
to 6.7%.
Cholamandalam to invest Rs. 50 cr in home finance arm:
• The board of Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Company Ltd., a part of Murugappa Group, has
decided to invest Rs.50 crore in its wholly owned subsidiary Cholamandalam home Finance Ltd.
Indian Oil Most Profitable PSU For 2nd Straight Year
• Indian Oil Corporation has emerged as India's most profitable state-owned company for the second consecutive
year. Indian Oil posted a record profit of Rs21,346 crore in 2017-18, followed by ONGC, whose profit stood at
Rs19,945 crore.
India gives Rs 99 million to Nepal for installing shallow tube wells
• India has extended a financial aid of Rs 99 million to Nepal for the construction of 2,700 shallow tube well
irrigation systems in 12 districts of the country's southern Terai region to boost agricultural productivity.
SEBI constitutes Group to review ITP framework:
• Market regulator, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) constituted Group to look into existing
Institutional Trading Platform (ITP) framework and suggest measures to facilitate listing of startups.
Govt approves financial assistance of Rs. 5.5 lakh per family
• The Union Govt approved financial assistance amounting to Rs. 5.5 lakh per family to West Pakistan Refugees
(WPRs). It will benefit 5,764 families of WPRs settled in Jammu and Kashmir. The scheme comes into effect
from Jun 2018.
Assam
Capital – Dispur; CM – Sarbananda Sonowal; Governor – Jagdish Mukhi
Assam govt starts construction of 1 lakh toilets under Swachh Bharat Mission
• The Assam government started construction of one lakh toilets today across the state under the Swachh Bharat
Mission. The toilets will be completed in 10 days. Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and the PHE Minister,
Rhino Daimary attended the central programme at Morigaon district.
Assam: Rhino census at world heritage site Kaziranga National Park begins:
• In Assam, the rhino census at the world heritage site Kaziranga National Park. Nearly 350 enumerators,
including senior Forest officials and wildlife experts, have been engaged in the exercise.
Airport Authority of India Signs MoU With Assam Government:
• The Airport Authority of India (AAI) signed an MoU with Assam government under its Corporate Social
Responsibilities (CSR) initiative for the sustainable development of human settlements at villages in Kamrup
district.
Assam Government launches ‘181’ women helpline number:
• The Assam government on Thursday launched 181-Sakhi toll free women helpline’ at Dispur for woman to
lodge complaints related to domestic violence, sexual harassment, dowry cases, eve-teasing in public/work
places etc.’
Assam Spring Festival organised at Manas National Park:
• The Assam Spring Festival was held at the Manas National Park, in Assam.The aim of the festival is to promote
the local food and culture. The Manas National park is also a tiger and rhino reserve. It covers five districts of
Assam: Kokrajhar, Baksa, Chirang, Udalguri and Barpeta.
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal pledges to serve the farmers on priority under APART project:
• Enveloping Assam’s ‘agri-business’ by focusing on farmers income, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal
directed to make farmers’ interests a priority.
• He advocated priority outlining and creation of adequate amenities for the farmers under the Assam Agri-
business and Rural Transformation Project (APART).
Venkaiah Naidu Launches Assam Govt’s Cashless Health Scheme:
• Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has launched a health scheme of the Assam government named Atal Amrit
Abhiyan that offers free medical care of up to 2 lakh rupees for every individual from Below Poverty Line (BPL)
and Above Poverty Line (APL) families.
Guwahati now has India's first solar powered railway station
• Guwahati now has India's first railway station run by solar power. The project of installing solar panels was
commissioned last year in April 2017.
Assam government to launch awareness programme — Sanskar
• The Assam government is planning to launch an awareness programme, ‘Sanskar’ in all development blocks
and panchayats. This comes in the wake of incidents triggered by superstition and ignorance including the
lynching of two young artistes in Karbi Anglong district of the state.
19 cancer centers in Assam to start functioning from mid 2020
• The Assam government on Saturday announced that 19 cancer care centres, to be set up across the State in
partnership with Tata Trusts on an investment of Rs. 1,910 crore, will start functioning from mid-2020. The
foundation stone of the proposed centres will be laid at a function on June 18.
Annual Ambubachi Mela started in Assam:
• The annual Ambubachi Mela started at Nilachall hillock where the Kamakhya temple is situated, in Assam. Over
10 lakh devotees are expected to attend the mela.
Centre Releases Rs 340 Crore For Flood Relief In Assam
• Centre has released 340 crore rupees for flood relief work in Assam. Minister of State for Development of North
Eastern Region (DoNER) Jitendra Singh announced this after holding a high-level meeting in Guwahati with the
State Government to assess the current situation of flood and the relief measures undertaken so far.
Bihar
Capital – Patna; CM – Nitish Kumar; Governor – Satya Pal Malik
Bihar Governor Satya Pal Malik has given additional charge as Governor of Odisha:
• Bihar Governor Satya Pal Malik has been given additional charge as the Governor of Odisha. A communique
issued by the President's Secretariat said Mr Malik will discharge the additional functions until regular
arrangements are made.
1 lakh incentive to SC, ST students in Bihar:
• The Bihar Cabinet on Tuesday announced a Rs1 lakh encouragement incentive for Scheduled
Caste/Scheduled Tribe students who clear the UPSC preliminary test. The Cabinet also decided to provide
Rs1,000 to each SC/ST student as hostel incentive and free supply of 15 kg foodgrain to the hostels.
Bihar CM inaugurates, lays foundation stones for schemes worth Rs 875 crore
• Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has inaugurated and laid foundation stones for more than 100 schemes,
worth Rs 875 crore, of the state bridge construction corporation.
Asian Development Bank Approves 503 Million USD Project For Bihar
• Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved 503-million US Dollar lining project of the Son canal in
Shahabad-Bhojpur region of Bihar which would benefit the agriculture sector immensely in the region.
Chhattisgarh
Capital – Raipur; CM – Raman Singh; Governor – Balram Dass Tandon
Chhattisgarh to Distribute Free Smartphones to Over 50 Lakh People Under Sanchar Kranti Yojana:
• Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh on Monday announced that his government would distribute over 30
lakh smartphones to college students, farmers, workers in tendu leaf plantations and labourers in the State over
the next five months under Sanchar Kranti Yojana.
Integrated Command And Control Centre Of Naya Raipur Smart City Inaugurated
• The Integrated Command and Control Centre of the Naya Raipur Smart City was inaugurated by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi. Integrated Command & Control Centre of Naya Raipurbecomes the 10th Smart City Centre to
be operational in the country.
Chhattisgarh govt to set up a tribal museum in Naya Raipur
• Inorder to exhibit culture and tradition of scheduled tribes, the tribal museum will be built at the cost of Rs 27
crore in an area of around 22 acres in Naya Raipur.
Gujarat
Capital – Gandhinagar; CM – Vijay Rupani; Governor – Om Prakash Kohli
Gujarat going to start India's first coastal policing academy by next month:
• The Union home ministry recently sanctioned the launch of the National Academy of Coastal Policing (NACP)
from a campus of Gujarat's Fisheries Research Centre located in coastal Okha in the newly created Devbhoomi
Dwarka district.
• Gujarat's Surat district has become the first district in the country to have 100 percent solar powered Primary
Health Centers (PHC).
World’s largest solar park to come up in Gujarat:
• Gujarat is to set up India’s largest 5,000MW solar park in Dholera Special Investment Region (DSIR). Gujarat
state government offered its in-principle approval to the project.
Gujarat Chief Minister launches Pocket Cop project:
• Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has launched the ‘Pocket Cop Project in order to ensure that the police
force of the state is equipped with modern day technology.
Surat railway station to be 3rd in country to have ‘airport like’ facilities:
• “Airport-like” amenities will be installed at Surat Railway Station under Union Railway Ministry’s ‘Rs 1 lakh crore
station redevelopment’ programme.Estimated cost for redevelopment of Surat Railway Station is Rs 5000 crore.
It is expected to be ready by 2020.
Gujarat Government Launches 'Reuse Of Treated Waste Water Policy':
• The Gujarat government unveiled its 'Reuse of Treated Waste Water Policy' which aims to reduce the state's
dependence on freshwater sources like the Narmada river.
1st International Centre for Humanitarian Forensics launched in Gandhinagar
• The world’s first of its kind and state-of-the-art, International Centre for Humanitarian Forensics has been
launched in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The centre is joint venture of Regional delegation of International Committee
of Red Cross (ICCR) in India, Bhutan, Nepal and Maldives and also Gujarat Forensic Science University.
Gujarat Launches Wind-Solar Hybrid Power Policy
• The Gujarat government announced wind-solar hybrid power policy - 2018, aiming to make optimum utilization
of the land and grid. The policy, which will have a coverage period of five years, provides encouragement to
renewable power producers supplying to the grid as well as to those having captive use.
Gujarat CM launches Suryashakti Kisan Yojana (SKY)
• Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani launched the Rs 870-crore pilot project of Suryashakti Kisan Yojana (SKY).
Under the Yojana, farmers can generate electricity using solar energy and sell the surplus to the electric grid.
Gujarat CM announces agriculture JWG with Israel
• Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani met Israel's Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Uri Ariel on the second day of
his visit to Israel. He announced a Joint Working Group (JWG) between Gujarat and Israel in the fields of
agriculture, horticulture, and allied sectors.
Goa
Capital: Panaji; CM: Manohar Parrikar; Governor: Mridula Sinha
Shigmotsav 2018 Celebrated In Goa:
• Shigmotsav or Shigmo is one of the several cultural festivals of the coastal state and is celebrated through
colours, costumes, music, dance and parades in Goa.
Nitin Gadkari inaugurates Inland Ferry Services in Goa:
• Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, River Development and
Ganga Rejuvenation Shri Nitin Gadkari has inaugurated the Inland ferry services in the port city of Vasco in
Goa.
Multi Modal Logistic Park inaugurated at Balli, Goa:
• Multi Modal Logistics Park at Balli Station near Madgaon in Goa was recently inaugurated. The part is located
on Konkan Railway route. It has been set as per MoU entered between Konkan Railway & Container
Corporation of India Ltd (CONCOR).
Goa govt to launch its app-based taxi service:
• Goa State Government has decided to launch its own app-based taxi service at some key tourist destinations
across the state. Goa govt to launch its app-based taxi service
Haryana
Capital – Chandigarh; CM – Manohar Lal Khattar; Governor – Kaptan Singh Solanki
India’s first Aviation Multi Skill Development Centre launched in Chandigarh
• India’s first Aviation Multi Skill Development Centre (MSDC) was launched at Chandigarh Airport’s old terminal.
The Centre is a CSR initiative of Airports Authority of India (AAI) and will initially train 2,360 students free of cost
in three years.
Gurugram's first cyber crime police station inaugurated
• Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority on Wednesday inaugurated the district's first cyber crime police
station where cyber crime victims can lodge complaints.
Haryana’s Mewat is India’s most backward district:
• The NITI Aayog has released a preliminary ranking for the 101 most backward districts of India that have signed
up for the Narendra Modi government’s ‘Transformation of Aspirational Districts’ programme.
• Haryana’s Mewat is the lowest-ranked among these backwards districts, while Andhra Pradesh’s Vizianagaram
is the best-performing district of the 101.
'Gobardhan Yojana' launched to Support Farmers:
• The Haryana government launched the 'Gobardhan Yojana' to provide for the sale of organic manure and cow
urine with an aim to benefit farmers. A provision of Rs 11 crore has been made to provide benefits of various
projects under this scheme.
Haryana Government launches Water ATM policy for urban areas:
• Haryana State Government has come up with Water ATM Policy to provide clean drinking water to people at
public places. Distance between two water ATMs within a city would be 400 metres, which could be adjusted
according to convenience of people.
Haryana to start 31 government colleges for girls:
• Haryana Government has decided to start 31 government colleges for girls with effect from ensuing academic
session 2018-19.
Israel invited to set up units at Hisar aviation hub, Haryana:
• Haryana has invited the Israeli aerospace industry to set up ancillary units at an aviation hub, which is being set
up at Hisar.
Haryana Govt to launch ‘Chatra Parivahan Suraksha Yojana’:
• The Haryana Government is planning to launch the ‘Chatra Parivahan Suraksha Yojana’ to ensure safety of girl
students. For facilitating women, the state govt has opened women police stations in districts. Besides, women
help desks have also been set up.
Foundation laid for India’s First Advanced Forensic Lab in Chandigarh
• Minister for Women and Child Development, Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi laid foundation of Sakhi Suraksha
Advanced DNA Forensic Laboratory in the campus of Central Forensic Science Lab, Chandigarh.
• The Himachal Pradesh government today decided to introduce free heli-ambulance services for timely air lifting
of patients, particularly in remote and tribal regions of the State, an official statement said.
Himachal Pradesh University to be 'disabled friendly'
• Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) will soon become the first 'disabled friendly' varsity in the northern region.
The university was spending Rs 40 lakh on various facilities for the disabled students.
HP govt sanctions Rs 25 cr for renovating Bantony Castle:
• The Himachal Pradesh govt will spend Rs 25 crore on renovating and developing the historic British Raj ‘Bantony
Castle Estate’ as a major tourist attraction.
Himachal Pradesh launches three welfare schemes
• Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur has launched three welfare schemes to mark completion of
four years of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre.
1. "Jan Manch" for redressal of public grievances.
2. "Mukhya Mantri Swavlamban Yojana" aimed at providing assistance to the unemployed youth.
3. "Himachal Grihini Suvidha Yojana" for offering gas cylinder security and gas stoves to those not
covered under the Ujjwala Yojana.
Union Government approves tourism projects worth 1,800 crore rupees for Himachal Pradesh
• For the development of tourism in Himachal Pradesh, the Centre has approved projects worth Rs1,800 crore.
This comes after tourism was affected in Shimla over severe water scarcity in May.
'Himachal gets national award for best performance under PMSMA'
• Himachal Pradesh has been adjudged first among states for its performance under the Pradhan Mantri
Surakshit Matritav Abhiyan (PMSMA) in the country.
Himachal Pradesh banned use of thermocol cutlery:
• Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur had announced the ban on the World Environment Day on June 5, but it was
observed that it was still in use.
Jharkhand
Capital – Ranchi; CM - Raghubar Das ; Governor - Draupadi Murmu
Centre approves to set up a plastic park in Deoghar district of Jharkhand:
• Centre has approved to set up a plastic park in Deoghar district of Jharkhand. The park is being set up at an
estimated cost of 120 crore rupees and is spread over 150 acres of land.
Approves setting up of new AIIMS in Deoghar, Jharkhand
• The Union Cabinet approved setting up of a new All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Deoghar,
Jharkhand under Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY).
PM Modi lays foundation stone in Patratu Super Thermal Power Project Jharkhand
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid foundation stone for first phase (2400MW) of NTPC’s coal based Patratu
Super Thermal Power Project in Jharkhand. This project is 74: 26 Joint Venture between Govt of Jharkhand
(GoJ) and Patratu Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd. (PVUN), a subsidiary company of NTPC.
Jharkhand To Set Up Country's 1st Khadi Mall
• Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das announced that the first 'Khadi Mall' of the country will be opened in
Jharkhand.
Karnataka
Capital – Bengaluru; CM – B S Yeddyurappa; Governor – Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala
Intelligent Traffic Management Solution is testing in Bengaluru:
• Bengaluru Smart City in collaboration with the Electronics City Township Authority (ELCITA) is testing prototype
of an intelligent traffic management solution to improve traffic management in the city.
• It aims to provide traffic information that is currently unavailable and help improve management of commuter
traffic.
World's largest solar park inaugurated in Karnataka:
• The world’s largest solar park, Shakti Sthala, was inaugurated in Karnataka's Pavagada by Karnataka CM
Sidharamaya and state Power Minister DK Shivakumar.
Karnataka Inaugurated ‘Arogya Karnataka':
• Karnataka Chief Minister Sidharamaya unveiled a healthcare scheme named 'Arogya Karnataka' (Healthy
Karnataka) aimed at benefitting about 1.43 crore households in the state.
India's first helicopter taxi service launched in Bengaluru:
• India's first helicopter taxi service was launched in Bengaluru on Monday to fly passengers from Campigowda
International Airport to Electronic City.
Micro tie up with Bangalore for its first renewable energy deal in India:
• Tech giant Microsoft has inked its first renewable energy deal in India for powering its new facility in Bengaluru.
The facility, which will be operational starting June, is spread over 5.85 lakh square feet.
Karnataka to Become 2nd State In Country To Unveil Its Own Flag:
• The Karnataka government unveiled the State flag (nada dhwaja) for the state. If approved by the Centre,
Karnataka will be the second State to have a flag after Jammu and Kashmir.
India’s Tallest Tri- Colour flag hoisted in Belagavi, Karnataka:
• India's tallest national flag was on Monday unfurled in Belagavi (also known as Belgaum) in Karnataka. Belagavi
District Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi unfurled the 120*80 sq ft wide flag on a 110-metre-tall flagpole.
Indo-French centre for engineers inaugurated in Bengaluru
• Coinciding with the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to India, an Indo-French Centre of Excellence
(CoE) was inaugurated in Bengaluru, Karnataka to impart vocational training to engineers in electricity,
automation and energy management.
Nasscom, Facebook launch ‘Design4India Studio’ in Bengaluru:
• In a bid to provide mentorship in design, innovation and entrepreneurship for software companies and startups,
the National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) in association with Facebook
launched “Design4India Studio” in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
Bengaluru to get 10,000 CCTV cameras to ensure women's safety:
• As many as 10,000 Artificial Intelligence-powered CCTV cameras will be installed at over 4,500 junctions and
main roads across Bengaluru to ensure safety of women, officials said. Termed 'Smart Eyes', the security
camera system will monitor areas on real-time basis.
Karnataka government declares minority status to Lingayats community:
• The Karnataka Government declared minority status to the Lingayats community. The decision, taken ahead of
the state Assembly election was critised by the Veerashaiva Lingayat Samanvaya Samiti and termed as
politically motivated move.
Pink Booths to third generation EVMs, several firsts in Karnataka:
• From all-women managed 'Pink Booths' to the use of third generation Electronic Voting Machines, the assembly
elections in Karnataka are marked by several firsts. In a women-oriented step, 450 "pink booths" called 'Sakhi'
have been set up.
Parameshwara to be Karnataka Deputy CM:
• After eight days of political upheaval in Karnataka, Janata Dal (Secular) Legislature Party leader H.D.
Kumaraswamy will be sworn in as Chief Minister on Wednesday, pending formation of a full-fledged Ministry
and allocation of portfolios.
Threat to Bannerghatta buffer zone
• At least 73 eco-sensitive villages, of which 22 are ‘red list’ villages, have been left out of the buffer zone of the
Bannerghatta National Park, which remains Bangalore’s last big, urban forest. ‘Red list’ comprises villages that
are adjacent to the forest and are highly eco-sensitive.
HRD nod to inter-university yoga centre in S-VYASA varsity:
• The Ministry of Human Resource Development has approved setting up an inter-university yoga centre at Swami
Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana in Bengaluru. The announcement was made by Union HRD
Minister Prakash Javadekar on the fourth International Yoga Day.
Bengaluru world's 2nd best location to launch tech startups
• Bengaluru has claimed the second spot in the list of best locations for launching tech startups, according to
research firm SmallBusinessPrices.co.uk. The first place was secured by Boulder city in the US while the third
best location was Johannesburg in South Africa. The research measured the average internet speed, the
average business valuation, and cost of living, among other metrics.
Bengaluru to get India's first government run eWaste recycling plant
• Union minister of chemicals and fertilisers Ananth Kumar announced that India's first e-waste recycling unit will
come up in Bengaluru. Bengaluru is also the third in terms of e-waste generation in the country.
Kerala
Capital – Thiruvananthapuram; CM – Pinarayi Vijayan; Governor – P Sathasivam
Kerala Govt to launch ‘community radio’ to update farmers:
• In May-June 2018, Kerala State Government will start a ‘community radio’ to update farmers about the latest
developments in the sector.
Kerala issues protocol to confirm brain death cases:
• With an aim to make organ transplants more transparent in the state, Kerala State Government has issued
guidelines to be followed to confirm brain death cases.
Delhi Metro withdraws from Kerala project due to govt delay:
• The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has said it was forced to withdraw from Kerala's Metro project in
Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode after the state government failed to sign the project agreement that was
submitted 15 months ago.
Kerala government declares jackfruit official fruit of state:
• The Kerala government has declared jackfruit as the official fruit of the state.
Kerala CM launches M-Keralam app for government services:
• Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan launched the M-Keralam app which will offer government services
through a unified interface. Public Wi-Fi will also be set up so that people can use the app.
‘ART deTOUR’ to protect freedom of expression:
• Any movement of youth to protect freedom of expression is a cause for celebration at a time when Fascists are
trying to stifle free speech and expression, Kerala Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran has said.
Kerala government to give home, Rs5 lakh to Maoists who surrender:
• The Kerala government has announced that it will provide a home and Rs5 lakh among other benefits to
Maoists who surrender and seek to reintegrate into the mainstream.
Free internet connection to 20 lakh poor families in Kerala:
• Moving ahead with its ambitious programme to provide free internet to over 20 lakh poor families, the Kerala
government today decided to set up a Joint Venture company to launch its new optic fibre pathway.
KSRTC monthly collection hits record Rs 207.35 crore.
• KSRTC has set a new record in its monthly collection even amidst crisis. For the first time, the transport
corporation’s monthly earnings crossed Rs 200 crore riding on efficient service delivery.
Smriti launches ‘Sampark for Samarthan’ Kerala:
• Union minister Smriti Irani called on MK Sanoo, a prominent literary figure in Kerala, at his residence as part of
the ruling BJP's programme to apprise prominent citizens of the achievements of Narendra Modi-led
government at the Centre, in the last four years.
Kerala State Literacy Mission Authority initiated a ‘water literacy’ campaign
• The Kerala State Literacy Mission Authority initiated a ‘water literacy’ campaign with the involvement of 70,000
students aiming to create awareness about the importance of water conservation in the State.
Nissan signs MoU with Kerala government for digital hub
• Nissan Motor signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Kerala to establish a new
global center for its digital operations in India.
Madhya Pradesh
Capital – Bhopal; CM – Shivraj Singh Chauhan; Governor – Anandiben Patel
Chief Minister Shivraj promises Pucca house for all laborers in Madhya Pradesh by 2022:
• Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan a state-wide campaign will be launched from April 1-14
for registration of unorganized laborers.
• Also, Pucca houses will be constructed for all laborers registered under Chief Minister’s Unorganized Laborer
Welfare Scheme by the year 2022.
Madhya Pradesh Has The Highest Number Of Tribal Population In The Country:
• Madhya Pradesh has the highest number of 55770 fully covered tribal habitations with the safe drinking water in
the country followed by Odisha and Jharkhand.
MP hikes retirement age for govt employees from 60 to 62 yrs:
• Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced the state has increased the retirement age for
government employees from 60 to 62 years.
Madhya Pradesh’s Kadaknath chicken gets Geographical Indication tag:
• Kadaknath, a chicken breed whose black meat is in demand in Madhya Pradesh has got the coveted
Geographical Indications (GI) tag label.
Government inks $210 million loan agreement with World Bank for Madhya Pradesh Rural Connectivity Project:
• The Union Government, Madhya Pradesh Government and World Bank have signed $210 million loan
agreement for Madhya Pradesh Rural Connectivity Project.
Central assistance for irrigation projects in drought prone areas of Maharashtra:
• Expenditure Finance Committee of Union Finance Ministry accepted the proposal of Union Ministry of Water
Resources to provide Central Assistance for completion of 8 Major/Medium Irrigation projects and 83 Surface
Minor Irrigation (SMI) projects in Vidarbha, Marathwada and drought prone areas of rest of Maharashtra.
First Integrated Smart Cities Control Centre Launched In MP:
• Madhya Pradesh State Government launched India’s first Integrated Control and Command Centre (ICCC) for
all seven smart cities of the state in Bhopal.
Approves establishment of National Institute of Mental Health Rehabilitation at Bhopal:
• The Union Cabinet approved establishment of National Institute of Mental Health Rehabilitation (NIMHR) at
Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
Madhya Pradesh Launches 'My MP Rojgar Portal'
• The Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan has launched 'My MP Rojgar Portal' to provide
jobs to youths as per their educational qualification, skills and interest and ensure availability of able candidates
to employers as per the need of their business.
U.P. & M.P. likely to start cash transfer for food subsidies:
• Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh are likely to be the next States to start implementing cash transfer for food
subsidies in certain areas, but Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan emphasized that banking systems and
infrastructure must be in place before any such scheme can begin.
Mohanpura Irrigation Project launched in Madhya Pradesh:
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the Mohanpura Irrigation Project in Rajgarh district in Madhya
Pradesh. The total outlay of the project is Rs 3,866-crore. It includes a dam and a canal system. The project will
facilitate irrigation of agricultural land in Rajgarh district. It will also provide drinking water to villages in the area.
Madhya Pradesh to be awarded for reducing maternal mortality
• Madhya Pradesh will be awarded for reducing maternal mortality under Prime Minister's Safe Motherhood
Campaign. The award ceremony will be held in New Delhi today.
Behdienkhlam Festival held in Meghalaya
• The famous 4-day Meghalaya Annual Cultural Festival, "Behdienkhlam", held every year at the small peripheral
town of Jowai, Meghalaya. Union Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region (I/C), Dr. Jitendra
Singhattended the Festival.
Maharashtra
Capital – Mumbai; CM – Devendra Fadnavis; Governor – Vidyasagar Rao
1st Mega Food Park Inaugurated In Maharashtra:
• The first Mega Food Park in the state of Maharashtra Satara Mega Food Park Pvt. Ltd. at Village Degaon,
District Satara was inaugurated by Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Union Minister of Food Processing Industries.
Maharashtra govt ties up with Wikipedia to promote Marathi:
• In a first, the Maharashtra government has announced collaboration with online encyclopedia Wikipedia to
promote Marathi globally and increase its online usage.
Mumbai is now the 16th Most Expensive City in the World
• According to the Knight Frank Wealth Report 2018, Mumbai ranks 16th among the top 20 costliest cities in the
world. Delhi, Chennai and Bengaluru feature among the top 100 cities in the list.
Mumbai gets 47th spot on global city wealth index says report:
• An independent global property consultancy, in a city wealth index report, ranked India's financial capital
Mumbai at 47th spot out of 314 cities across the globe.
Navi Mumbai junctions get buttons to change traffic signal:
• In a first, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation has installed pedestrian push buttons at certain junctions,
allowing pedestrians to change the traffic signal.
PM Modi Lays Foundation Stone Of Navi Mumbai Airport
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the Navi Mumbai International Airport site in Panvel,
nearly 21 years after it was mooted.
Piyush Goyal inaugurates Andheri-Goregaon Harbour Line section:
• Railway Minister Piyush Goyal inaugurated the Andheri-Goregaon harbor line at an event held at the Goregaon
station last night.
Maharashtra to install 2500 plastic bottle crushing machines:
• The Maharashtra government will install 2,500 plastic bottle crushing machines across the state to ensure
proper disposal of plastic bottles.
Maharashtra Government Signs MoU With British Council:
• The Maharashtra government signed a MoU with the British Council to strengthen educational and cultural
cooperation. The British Council, with this MoU, will expand its existing work in the state, where in recent times;
it has trained more than 100,000 teachers benefitting around five million learners.
The North Maharashtra University is to be renamed as ‘Kaviyatri Bahinabai Chaudhari North Maharashtra University’:
• The Maharashtra government decided to recommend the decalartion of an ordinance to rename the Jalgaon-
based North Maharashtra University after poetess Bahinabai Chaudhari.
Maharashtra first to issue land document online:
• Maharashtra has become the first state to issue a crucial land ownership document online and accept a digital
signature on it as valid. The state government's plan of digitizing the 7/12 extract is thus complete.
Maharashtra Govt to Give Rs 3-Per-Litre Subsidy to Milk Producers:
• Maharashtra State Cabinet decided to provide Rs 3 subsidy for every litre of milk to the co-operative and
private producers to manufacture milk powder.
Mumbai-Pune e-way: motorists will have to pay toll till 2045:
• Motorists using the Mumbai-Pune Expressway will now have to pay the toll till 2045. The earlier deadline for toll
collection was 2030.
Maharashtra Govt introduces new scheme to help the landless labourers
• The Maharashtra Govt introduced a new scheme to help the landless labourers among the Scheduled Castes
(SCs) to acquire agricultural land.
Mumbai-Pune e-way: motorists will have to pay toll till 2045:
• Motorists using the Mumbai-Pune Expressway will now have to pay the toll till 2045. The earlier deadline for toll
collection was 2030.
Tata Motors signed MoU With Maharashtra To Promote E-Mobility
• Tata Motors (India's largest automobile company by revenues) signed a MoU with the State Government of
Maharashtra for deployment of 1000 Electric Vehicles (EV) across its range of passenger and commercial
vehicles in the State.
Maharashtra Inks MoU with Canada’s Quebec Province for Greater Economic Co-operation:
• The Maharashtra government and Canada’s Quebec province have signed a pact to increase the economic
cooperation, especially in areas of information technology, biotechnology, artificial intelligence and welfare of
the tribal community.
Maharashtra CM Meets World Bank CEO Kristalina Georgieva
• Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis met World Bank CEO Kristalina Georgieva in Washington DC to
seek assistance for a Multimodal Transport Corridor and the Rural Livelihood Project which aims to provide
sustainable livelihood enhancements in 10,000 villages in the state.
Maharashtra Government Forms Study Committee For Floating Solar Power Plant:
• The Maharashtra government has set up a committee to study issues related to the development of a 1,000-
MW floating solar power plant at Ujani dam in Solapur district. The committee will be headed by the Director
(Commercial) of Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL), Satish Chavan.
“Victorian and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai” has been inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage list:
• In yet another landmark achievement, India’s nomination of the “Victorian and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai”
has been inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage list.
Maharashtra Govt signs MoU with MCX
• Maharashtra Government singed an MoU with India’s largest commodities exchange platform, Multi
Commodity Exchange of India Limited (MCX) to launched Cotton Mission to empower cotton farmers in the
state.
Manipur
Capital – Imphal; CM – Biren Singh; Governor – Najma A Heptulla
Sajibu Nongma Panba Cheiraoba celebrated in Manipur
• The traditional festival of Sajibu Nongma Panba Cheiraoba was celebrated in Manipur on 18th March to mark
the beginning of a new year.
Manipur’s Shirui Lily festival began:
• Shirui Lily Festival 2018 is being held in Ukhrul district of Manipur from 24th to 28th April, 2018.The festival
commemorates the significance of Manipur’s state flower, the Shirui Lily
Manipur Govt launches ‘Go to Village’ mission:
• The Government of Manipur has launched ‘Go to Village’ mission across the State from Konuma ground of
Komlakhong gram panchayat in Imphal West district.The mission was launched simultaneously in 60 villages in
all 60 constituencies.
Manipur Govt launches ‘Go to Village’ mission:
• The Government of Manipur has launched ‘Go to Village’ mission across the State from Konuma ground of
Komlakhong gram panchayat in Imphal West district.The mission was launched simultaneously in 60 villages in
all 60 constituencies.
Manipur to get air dispensary on May 15:
• Air dispensary services will be launched on May 15, said chief minister Nongthombam Biren Singh today
speaking at the annual state level tribal cultural festival at TRI, Chingmeirong.
India’s first National Sports University in Manipur
• The Union Cabinet approved an ordinance to set up the country’s first national sports university in in Imphal
(west), Manipur. The ordinance is on the lines of National Sports University Bill, 2017 which is pending in
Parliament (introduced in Lok Sabha in August, 2017).
Manipur Becomes First State in Northeast to Have Solar Toilet:
• Manipur has become the first state in the Northeast and the third state in India to have solar toilets. The solar
panel, connected to the toilets, absorb the heat to generate power and are also efficient to transform waste
material.
Meghalaya
Capital – Shillong; CM – Conrad Sangma; Governor – Ganga Prasad
Conrad Sangma Elected As Next Meghalaya CM:
• National People's Party (NPP) President Conrad Sangma will be the new chief minister of Meghalaya. There
would be no deputy chief minister for the state.
Krem Puri: World’s longest sandstone cave discovered in Meghalaya
• The world’s longest sandstone cave named Krem Puri was discovered near Laitsohum village in Mawsynram
area in East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya.
‘Gaj Yatra’ Flagged Off In Meghalaya:
• The Gaj Yatra campaign was flagged off by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) Brand Ambassador Ms Dia
Mirza at an event organised in Meghalaya. WTI and the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change,
Government of India, formally launched the unique campaign.’Gaj Yatra’, a “journey celebrating India’s
national heritage animal”, aims at securing 100 elephant corridors across India.
Nagaland
Capital – Kohima; CM - Neiphiu Rio; Governor – PB Acharya
Neiphiu Rio Appointed As Nagaland CM:
• Nagaland Governor PB Acharya has appointed Neiphiu Rio as the new Chief Minister of the state. Mr Rio will
replace TR Zeliang.
Ptilomera Nagalanda: New species of water strider found in Nagaland:
• Scientists from Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have discovered new species of water strider named Ptilomera
nagalanda Jehamalar and Chandra in Nagaland. It was found in river Intanki in Peren district of Nagaland.
New Delhi
Capital – New Delhi; CM - Arvind Kejriwal; Governor – Anil Bijal
• The Odisha government has decided to introduce a special mobile application to provide advance information
on lightning which has claimed at least 61 lives between April and May 22 this year
Odisha govt. to set up mineral police stations
• The Odisha government will soon establish mineral police stations in the State in order to curb rampant theft of
minor minerals from different districts.
NIC sets up cloud-enabled National Data Centre in Bhubaneswar :
• IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad is all set to inaugurate, on May 28, a cloud-enabled National Data Centre at
Bhubaneswar, which will offer round-the-clock operations with secure hosting for e-governance applications of
ministries and departments.
Odisha starts health insurance scheme for journalists
• Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday launched "Gopabandhu Sambadika Swasthya Bima
Yojana" for working journalists. The health insurance scheme for working journalists will be implemented with
effect from June 1, 2018.
Orissa announces free of cost medical services at government clinics:
• Each and everyone visiting any government health institution from district to sub-centre level in Odisha will be
provided all health services free of cost. Further, under the Biju Swasthya Kalyana Yojana, secondary and
tertiary cashless healthcare assistance will be provided up to Rs. 5 lakh per family per annum.
Panel for better temple management for Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri:
• In pursuance of last week’s Supreme Court order, the Odisha government has constituted a three-member
committee to study the management schemes of important shrines across the country as well as suggest
necessary changes for Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri.
Free Braille textbooks for Class IX, X students in Odisha
• From the current academic session, all visually impaired students of Class IX and X in Odisha will be provided
free Braille textbooks.Earlier, the Odisha Primary Education Programme Authority was providing free Braille
textbooks to all visually impaired students studying in Class I to VIII in government-managed schools.
Odisha CM increased the health cover under Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana:
• Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced that insurance coverage for women under the BJD’s health
insurance proposal has been raised to Rs 7 lakh from Rs 5 lakh.
First all-woman Post Office Passport Seva Kendra starts operations in Phagwara,Punjab:
• In a first, a Post Office Passport Seva Kendra (POPSK) run by an all-woman team has started operations in
Phagwara,Punjab.
Punjab’s new industrial policy expected by July 1
• Punjab’s new industrial policy, along with operational guidelines, is expected to become fully functional by July
1.
Punjab govt launches Business First Portal
• Punjab Govt has launched a “Business First Portal” to give a big push towards the ease of doing business in
the state. The portal was unveiled by Industry Minister Sunder Sham Arora.
Punjab offers saplings through mobile app
• To increase the State’s green cover, the Punjab government on Tuesday launched a smartphone
application that lets users order free plant saplings, officials said. The ‘i-Hariyali’ app under ‘Mission
Tandarust’ can be downloaded from the app store for free
Punjab CM orders mandatory dope test for all government employees
• Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh ordered all government employees, including police officers, to undergo
a mandatory dope test.
Rajasthan
Capital – Jaipur; CM – Vasundhara Raje; Governor – Kalyan Singh
Rajasthan going to introduce uniforms in colleges:
• The Rajasthan government has introduced uniform for college students in the state. The Rajasthan education
minister further clarified that they have not issued any direction on the colour of the uniform that the colleges
allow. “In the end, students have to decide.
Rajasthan Passes Bill To Award Death Penalty For Those Who Rape Girls Under 12 Years Of Age:
• Rajasthan assembly has passed an amendment bill awarding death penalty for convicts involved in the rape of
girls below 12 years of age.
Rajasthan Government announces 2% hike in DA:
• The Rajasthan government announced a 2 per cent hike in dearness allowance and relief for the state's
employees and pensioners, respectively.
Harsimrat Kaur Badal to inaugurate Rajasthan’s first mega food park in Ajmer:
• Union Food Processing Industries Minister Smt. Harsimrat Kaur Badal will inaugurate the first mega food park at
Roopangarh Village in Ajmer, Rajasthan.
Rajasthan institute comes up with new sheep insemination technique:
• Scientists at the Central Sheep and Wool Research Institute (CSWRI), Avikanagar, have come up with a new
laparascope-assisted insemination technique for sheep, which has resolved the difficulties involved in freezing
of semen and inability to transit the tortuous reproductive tract of the ruminant mammals kept as livestock.
Rajasthan govt invites Gurjar leader for talks ahead of quota stir:
• The Rajasthan government has invited Gurjar leader Kirori Singh Bainsla for talks tomorrow, after he threatened
to revive the agitation for reservation to the community.
Rajasthan launches ‘Nidaan’ software for disease monitoring:
• New software, ‘Nidaan’, has been launched in Rajasthan for presumptive diagnosis and monitoring of seasonal
and non-communicable diseases as well as the trends of ailments found in specific areas.
Tamil Nadu
Capital – Chennai; CM – Edappadi K. Palaniswami; Governor – Banwarilal Purohit
Tamil Nadu launches 24 hour helpline for students:
• Chief Minister K Palaniswami formally launched the toll-free number 14417 through the 24-hour Education
Guidance Centre set up at the Secretariat that would offer information relating to school education and offer
guidance to students.
India's first Insect Museum Opened In Tamil Nadu:
• A Rs 5 crore insect museums with the state-of-the-art amenities was unveiled by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K
Palaniswamy at the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore.
TN Government rolls out Amma Free Wi-Fi zones:
• On 5th April 2018, the Tamil Nadu government launched Amma Free Wi-Fi zones in 5 cities of Tamil Nadu
TN govt launches ‘Uzhavan’ mobile app for farmers:
• Tamil Nadu (TN) Chief Minister K Palaniswami recently launched ‘Uzhavan’ (meaning – farmer), a mobile
application for farmers.
Madras High Court introduces e-court fee payment:
• The Madras High Court became the first court in south India and eighth in the country to introduce e-court fee
payment facility.
Tamil Nadu CM launched portal for MSMEs:
• Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Saturday opened a portal – https://easybusiness.tn.gov.in/msme –
for single window clearance to the MSME sector.
• The Chief Minister also launched a portal – http://msmeonline.tn.gov.in/uyegp – to enable unemployed youth to
apply for loans under the Unemployed Youth Employment Generation Programme (UYEGP) scheme and
http://www.msmeonline.tn.gov.in/needs to help people apply for loans under the New Entrepreneur Cum
Enterprise Development Scheme (Needs).
TN to ban manufacture, use of most plastic products from Jan 1:
• The Tamil Nadu government announced its decision to ban manufacture and use of several plastic products in
the state from January 1, 2019.
ITC To Unveil Integrated Food Unit In Tamil Nadu Soon:
• The Hindu ITC may unveil the first phase of its integrated food manufacturing and logistics facility at Pudukottai
in Tamil Nadu by the second quarter of 2018-19. Products such as biscuits, atta, and noodles would be
manufactured at this plant.
AIIMS to set up in Madurai
• Tamil Nadu govt said the much-anticipated All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) facility announced for
the state by the Centre will come up near Madurai at an estimated cost of Rs 1,500 crore.
• Telangana Police launched a mobile application, COP CONNECT to support the professional communication
and collaboration needs of entire police department of the state.
Tripura
Capital – Agartala; CM – Biplab Kumar Deb; Governor – Tathagata Roy
Biplab Deb to Be Tripura's New Chief Minister:
• The Bharatiya Janata Party has named the party' State president Biplab Kumar Deb as the chief ministerial
candidate for Tripura. He will replace Manik Sarkar. Jishnu Devvarma has been named for Deputy Chief
Minister
President Declares ‘Queen Pineapple’ as State Fruit of Tripura
• The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind formally declared the “Queen Pineapple” as the state fruit of
Tripura.
Tripura starts 24x7 mobile policing service:
• The Tripura government on has launched the GPS (Global Positioning System) and wireless-based 24x7
mobile policing service to curb crime, especially against women. Launching it, Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb
said the BJP-led alliance government’s main thrust was to make Tripura a crime and drug-free State.
Uttarakhand
Capital – Dehradun; CM – Trivendra Singh Rawat; Governor – Krishnan Kant Paul
Harsimrat Kaur Badal inaugurates Uttarakhand’s second Mega Food Park:
• Union Food Processing Industries Minister, Harsimrat Kaur Badal inaugurated Uttarakhand’s second Mega
Food Park in Udham Singh Nagar district.
ADB to give Rs 1 700 crore aid to Uttarakhand:
• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will be giving an aid of Rs 1,700 crore to Uttarakhand for infrastructure
development and creation of sewerage treatment facilities in urban areas.
Uttarakhand High Court has banned water sports in the state:
• The Uttarakhand high court has banned paragliding, and white water rafting and other water sports until
the government frames a policy to regulate them.
Uttar Pradesh
Capital – Lucknow; CM – Yogi Adityanath; Governor – Ram Naik
PM Modi, French President Macron Jointly Inaugurate Solar Power Plant At Mirzapur In UP:
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting French President Emmanuel Macron jointly inaugurated 101-
megawatt solar power plant at Dadar Kala village in Mirzapur district of Uttar Pradesh.
UP saw most communal violence cases in 2017 with 195 cases:
• Uttar Pradesh witnessed the maximum incidents of communal violence across India in 2017 as 195 of the total
822 cases were reported from the state, MoS for Home Hansraj Gangaram Ahir has said.
UP Government has released 'Ek Saal-Naee Misaal' for highlighting its achievements:
• To mark the completion of its first year in office, the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh would release
a film and a booklet highlighting its achievements today.
• The film 'Ek Saal-Naee Misaal' will be screened and a booklet with the same title will be released at the
programme.
Ganga Hariteema Yojana launched in 27 districts of Uttar Pradesh:
• Ganga Hariteema Yojana (Ganga Greenery scheme) was launched in 27 districts of Uttar Pradesh, located on
the bank of river Ganga.
UP cabinet nod for integrated sugar complex in Pilibhit, Tiger Conservation Foundation in Dudhwa:
• Uttar Pradesh cabinet approved construction of an integrated sugar complex in Pilibhit and setting up a Tiger
Conservation Foundation in Dudhwa.
Smriti Irani launches GNFC’s Neem project in Uttar Pradesh:
• Union Cabinet Minister Smriti Irani inaugurated Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers & Chemicals Limited
(GNFC’s) Neem Project in Amethi district of Uttar Pradesh.
UP govt orders govt hospitals and orphanages to establish SHISHU SWAGAT KENDRA- PALNA:
• In Uttar Pradesh, Government has ordered all government hospitals and orphanages to establish SHISHU
SWAGAT KENDRA- PALNA and put up cradles in front of their buildings so that parents can give up
unwanted babies safely.
Yogi Adityanath lays foundation of college, stadium in Gorakhpur:
• Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today laid the foundation of a degree college and a stadium
named after his spiritual guru, Mahant Avaidyanath, in Jungle Kaudia area in Gorakhpur.
Ministry of WCD signs an MoU with Government of Uttar Pradesh:
• The Ministry of Women and Child and Development, Government of India has signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with Department of Women and Child Development, Government of Uttar Pradesh. for
management of Home of Widows at Sunrakh Bangar, Vrindavan.
NDMA Conducts Mock Exercise in Uttar Pradesh on Flood Preparedness
• The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) conducted a mock exercise on flood
preparedness in Uttar Pradesh in a move to improve flood preparedness ahead of the monsoon season. The
exercise was held in collaboration with State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA)
U.P. govt.’s ‘special exemption’ to Patanjali:
• The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday gave its nod to yoga guru-turned-entrepreneur Baba Ramdev's
company to transfer land to its subsidiary for setting up a multi-crore mega food park in Noida.The Patanjali
Food and Herbal Park would avail the special exemption of 'sublease facility' of land and a discount of 25% in
the existing rate of land allotment.
PM to inaugurate ‘Kabir Mahotsav’ in U.P.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the two-day ‘Kabir Mahotsav’, organised by the Union Ministry of
Culture, at Maghar in Uttar Pradesh’s Sant Kabir Nagar district to mark the 500th death anniversary of mystic
poet and saint Kabir Das.
Uttar Pradesh orders plastic ban from July 15, third time since 2015:
• During a programme in Barabanki district, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced ban on
plastic bags, cups and glasses across the state from July 15
UP government to ask non performing employees aged above 50yrs to retire
• The screening test is now mandatory for all government employees in Uttar Pradesh who have crossed the age
of 50 years.
Modi, S. Korean PM inaugurate “world's largest mobile manufacturing plant” in Noida:
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in on Monday inaugurated
Samsung’s mobile manufacturing plant, touted as the biggest in the world, in Noida.
West Bengal
Capital – Kolkata; CM – Mamata Banerjee; Governor – Keshari Nath Tripathi
The government of West Bengal launches ‘Rupashree’ Scheme
• The government of West Bengal has launched ‘Rupashree’ Scheme. This Scheme is for Unmarried girls.
According to this Scheme total amount of Rs. 25,000/- will be credited to the bank account of the girl before her
marriage.
Bangladesh Bhavan inaugurates in Santiniketan:
• Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina have inaugurated
Bangladesh Bhawan at Vishwa Bharti University in Santiniketan will house museum and library in West Bengal.
West Bengal State Pollution Control Board calls for ban on single-use plastics:
• The West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) on Monday gave a call for shunning single-use plastics
which triggers natural disasters such as flood and pollute the environment.
West Bengal Governor KN Tripathi to Hold Additional Charge of Tripura:
• Keshari Nath Tripathi, Governor of West Bengal given the additional charge of Tripura Governor, during the
absence on leave of Tathagata Roy, Governor of Tripura.
West Bengal Govt Decides To Invest Rs 107 Cr To Check Riverbank Erosion:
• The West Bengal Government has decided to invest 107 crore rupees to check erosion at vulnerable areas
along the banks of the Ganga and the Padma. A stretch of 15 kilometreswill be concretised, to prevent erosion.
The work will be completed by March next year.
Fishermen oppose CRZ draft:
• An organisation of fishermen in West Bengal has written to the Central government to scrap the draft Coastal
Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification 2018, alleging that it would have adverse effects on their livelihood.
Visva-Bharati University to set up yoga village:
• Visva-Bharati University (VBU), Birbhum, West Bengal founded by Rabindranath Tagore, will set up a yoga
centre inside the campus, named yoga gram (village). The centre is aimed at increasing awareness about yoga.
West Bengal chief minister cuts luxury travel for ministers, announces 'one person, one car' policy:
• In an attempt to reduce travel expenses of ministers and bureaucrats, West Bengal chief minister Mamata
Banerjee also announced that foreign travel of ministers and state officials would be sanctioned only by her,
apart from ordering cuts on hospitality expenses such as food and refreshments on an emergency basis.
Lakshadweep Island
Capital – Kavaratti; Governor - Shri Farooq Khan.
Lakshadweep joins hand to incorporate UDAY scheme providing electricity to people:
• Lakshadweep, the Union Territory joined hands with the UDAY scheme, which is meant for the revival of debt-
stressed power distribution companies (discoms) in the country.
Daman and Diu
Capital – Daman; Governor - Praful Khoda Patel.
Diu Becomes First UT To Be 100% Powered By Solar Energy
• Diu has become the first Union Territory in India to run 100 percent on solar power generated energy.
National News
Cabinet doubles guarantee to banks for market intervention in purchase of pulses, oilseeds
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved
extension of Government Guarantee provided to lender Banks for providing credit limit to the National
Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) to Rs 19,000 crore from Rs 9,500 crore for
undertaking procurement operation of pulses and oilseeds under Price Support Scheme (PSS).
NHAI to deploy all women toll collecting staff on international Women’s Day:
• The National Highways Authority of India has decided to deploy all women toll collecting staff in day shift on at
least one toll plaza close to the city area, in every state and UT of the country on 8th March 2018, International
Women’s Day.
Air Asia India going to begin overseas operations by January 2019.
• Budget carrier Air Asia India has charted out expansion plans to connect more tier-II and III cities. They set a
target to commence flights to overseas destinations by January 2019.
Air India operates all-women crew flight from Kolkata.
• National carrier Air India has operated a flight on the Kolkata-Dimapur-Kolkata sector with an all-women cockpit
and cabin crew.
Steering Committee has been constituted under Shri Subhash Chandra Garg for development of Fintech:
• A Steering Committee has been constituted by the Ministry of Finance under the Chairmanship of Secretary,
Shri Subhash Chandra Garg, Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) to consider various issues relating to the
development of Fintech space in India.
Animal Welfare Board of India headquarters shifted from Chennai to Ballabhgarh:
• Government has shifted headquarters of Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) to Ballabhgarh in Faridabad
District of Haryana from Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was shifted after consultation with AWBI for better coordination
between the Environment Ministry and AWBI for carrying out the animal welfare activities.
WTO to set up compliance panel in solar dispute case between India, US:
• The dispute settlement body (DSB) of World Trade Organization (WTO) has decided to set up panel to examine
whether India has complied with its 2016 ruling in case against US regarding domestic content requirements
(DCR) rules for solar cells and modules.
India Becomes Member of European Development Bank:
• India is all set to become the 69th member of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
after shareholders of the international financial institution gave their nod to the country’s candidature.
Girls' marriage age should be 21 in case of without parents concern:
• BJP MP Gopal Shetty has proposed a private member bill in the Lok Sabha demanding that the age bar for
girls' marriage be extended to 21 from 18, if the marriage doesn't have parents' consent.
Prakriti To Be 1st ITBP Woman Combat Officer:
• In another first for women, 25-year-old Prakriti has been inducted as the first direct-entry combat officer in the
Indo-Tibetan Border Police.
CISF to offer consultancy to 5-star hotels
• CISF has decided to offer security consultancy to 5-star hotels so that they can be prepared to deal with 26/11
type terror attacks. Central paramilitary force which is celebrating its 49th raising day has already prepared a
blueprint in this regard.
Passport mandatory for loans of Rs. 50 crore
• The government has made providing passport details mandatory for taking loans of Rs.50 crore and above.
• State-run carrier Air India may have to pay a penalty of $8.8 million to 323 passengers of its May 9 Delhi-
Chicago flight, which was delayed as a fallout of withdrawal of relaxations given on flight duty time limitation
(FDTL) of the crew.
Haryana hikes incentive for intercaste marriage:
• The Haryana government has doubled the incentive amount for intercaste marriages under the Mukhyamantri
Samajik Samrasta Antarjatiya Vivah Shagun Yojna with immediate effect, an official said. Under the scheme, an
incentive of Rs.2.5 lakh would be provided in the form of fixed deposit jointly in the name of the couple.
Bid to connect popular tourist spots by air:
• The Ministries of Civil Aviation and Tourism will jointly develop a strategy to improve air connectivity to popular
tourist destinations, like the temples of Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh and cave monuments of Ajanta and Ellora
in Maharashtra.
University and college teachers across the country will soon be able to connect in online:
• University and college teachers across the country will soon be able to connect with experts in their fields of
study and also pose queries on academic questions that they wish resolved through suggestions offered by
these experts or other teachers of their discipline.
IISER develops device to detect and remove arsenic from water:
• The Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) in collaboration with private company
developed a new device-Arsenic Sensor and Removal Media to detect and remove arsenic content from water
and make it safe and usable by households.
Railways plan ‘Gandhian menu’ on October 2:
• If a proposal from the Railways is approved, October 2 will not only be celebrated as Rashtriya Swachhta Diwas
but also as ‘Vegetarian Day’ as a mark of respect to Mahatma Gandhi.
IIT Kanpur sets up India’s first advisory Centre Energy Regulation (CER):
• The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Kanpur set up India’s first Centre for Energy Regulation (CER) with the
help of Govt of United Kingdom.
CSTT adopts AYUSH word:
• AYUSH word has become popular as acronym for five traditional and complementary systems of medicine,
namely Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy.
• CSTT approved ‘ayush’ word with meaning “Traditional and Non-Conventional Systems of Health Care and
Healing which include Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa, Homoeopathy etc”.
Habitat loss may have triggered Nipah outbreak:
• According to a report by the World Health Organization, there is “strong evidence” that the emergence of bat-
related viral infections can be attributed to the loss of the animal’s natural habitats.
UGC allows online degrees, certificates and diplomas:
• With the University Grants Commission approving the UGC (Online Courses) Regulations, 2018, in its meeting
on Thursday, higher educational institutions can now offer certificate, diploma and degree programmes in full-
fledged online mode in line with their regular programmes.
India To Be Host Country For Celebrations Of World Environment Day 2018:
• India will be the host country for celebrations of World Environment Day 2018. The announcement in this regard
was made by the Environment Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan. The theme for this year is 'Beat Plastic Pollution'.
The government has launched green deeds campaign to raise awareness about protection of the environment.
The World Environment Day will be celebrated on 5th of June.
Supreme Court refuses to interfere with NGT fiat on PVC pipes:
• The Supreme Court on Friday refused to intervene with an order of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to freeze
its own directive to publish a warning about hazardous lead content in Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) pipes.
Actor Sushant Singh Rajput to promote Centre's 'Women Entrepreneurship Platform':
• Actor Sushant Singh Rajput is collaborating with NITI Aayog for the promotion of Women Entrepreneurship
Platform launched by the government. An agreement in this effect was signed today by the actor with NITI
Aayog in New Delhi.
Dr Jitendra Singh announces Rs 28 crore for 'Brahmaputra Study Centre' at Gauhati University
• The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region
(DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh
has said the Government has approved setting up of an exclusive “Brahmaputra Study Centre” at Gauhati
University, Guwahati, for which a fund of about Rs. 28 crore will be provided by the Ministry of DoNER.
New User Interface Of Next Generation E-Ticketing System Launched
• Railway's Online Travel Portal, www.irctc.co.in has now launched beta version of its new User Interface. The
new link has more user friendly features for easier navigation.
Ministry of Railways organizes a one day workshop ‘Mission Raftar’
• Ministry of Railways conducted a one day workshop “Mission Raftaar” aimed at raising the average speed of
freight trains and coaching trains in New Delhi. The workshop was inaugurated by Shri Rajen Gohain, Minister
of State for Railways & Shri Ashwani Lohani, Chairman,Railway Board.
Nirmala Sitharaman Inaugurated 1st IAF Commanders Conference
• The First biannual Indian Air Force Commanders’ Conference was inaugurated by Defence Minister Nirmala
Sitharaman at Air Headquarters in New Delhi. Minister of State for Defence Dr Subhash Bhamre, Air Chief
Marshal BS Dhanoa were among those who were present at the conference.
1.5 lakh affordable houses sanctioned for urban poor under PMAY(urban)
• Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs has approved the construction of another 1.5 lakh affordable houses for the
benefit of urban poor under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) with an investment of Rs.7,227cr with central
assistance of Rs.2,209 cr.
IMD launches new system to improve weather forecasts
• The India Meteorological Department (IMD) launched a new Ensemble Prediction Systems (EPS) to provide
probabilistic weather forecasts up to the next 10 days. According to IMD, these new systems shall improve upon
deterministic forecasts that are prone to high margins of error.
No return to ballot papers: CEC Rawat
• Chief Election Commissioner O.P. Rawat on Saturday ruled out bringing back ballot papers in elections and
said the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) was being made a “scapegoat” as “it cannot speak.” Political parties
needed to blame someone or something for their defeat.
IISc Bangalore back in world top university list
• Bangalore’s Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has made it to the list of top 100 in the World Reputation Rankings
2018. Ranked at 91, Indian Institute of Science is the only Indian University to have made it to the prestigious
list.
• Union Cabinet has approved the revised guidelines of the Department of Public Enterprises on time bound
closure of sick and loss making Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) and disposal of movable and
immovable assets. The revised guidelines will reduce delays in implementation of closure plans of sick and loss
making CPSEs.
• The Centre has constituted a group of eminent persons to study the Special Economic Zones, SEZ Policy of
India. The group will be headed by Industrialist Baba Kalyani. The group will evaluate the SEZ policy, suggest
measures to cater to the needs of exporters in the present economic scenario and make the SEZ policy WTO
compatible. The Group has to submit its recommendation in three months.
• The World Health Organisation (WHO) commended India’s progress in reducing maternal mortality ratio (MMR)
by 77%, from 556 per 10000 live births in 1990 to 130 per 10000 live births in 2016. This progress puts India on
track towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target of MMR below 70 by 2030.
IRCTC inks MoU with CSC for delivery of rail tickets
• Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has signed an MoU with the Common Service Centres
(CSCs) Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for delivery of railway services through CSC centres.
10 New Swachh Iconic Places Launched Under Swachh Bharat Mission
• Ten new iconic sites have been taken up under Phase III of the flagship project Swachh Iconic Places (SIP) of the
Swachh Bharat Mission. The project envisioned by the Prime Minister is being coordinated by Ministry of Drinking
Water and Sanitation with the support of State governments and local administration.
10 New Iconic Sites are as follows:
1. Raghavendra Swamy Temple (Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh);
2. Hazardwari Palace (Murshidabad, West Bengal);
3. Brahma Sarovar Temple (Kurukshetra, Haryana);
4. VidurKuti (Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh);
5. Mana village (Chamoli, Uttarakhand);
6. Pangong Lake (Leh-Ladakh, J&K);
7. Nagvasuki Temple (Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh);
8. ImaKeithal/market (Imphal, Manipur);
9. Sabarimala Temple (Kerala); and
10. Kanvashram (Uttarakhand).
3,000 Additional Atal Tinkering Labs Announced:
• NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) has selected 3,000 additional schools for the establishment of Atal
Tinkering Labs (ATLs), bringing the total number of ATL schools to5,441.
Govt sets up T.C.A. Anant panel to bring transparency in jobs data:
• he union government has set up a committee headed by former chief statistician of India T.C.A. Anant to bring
in transparency in the jobs data calculation and presentation.
The Union Cabinet has approved a proposal for introduction of the Dam Safety Bill:
• The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved a proposal for introduction of the
Dam Safety Bill, 2018 in Parliament.
Cabinet approves proposal for withdrawal of Nalanda University (Amendment) Bill, 2013
• The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the proposal for withdrawal
of Nalanda University (Amendment) Bill, 2013 pending in the Rajya Sabha.
• The present proposal is for moving a motion in Rajya Sabha withdrawing the Nalanda University (Amendment)
Bill, 2013 introduced in Rajya Sabha on August 26, 2013 to amend certain existing provisions of the Nalanda
University Act, 2010 and add some new provisions.
New norms for college teachers recruitment and promotions:
• The University Grants Commission (UGC) has brought out a new set of regulations to alter the conditions for
recruitment and promotion of college and university teachers, so as to make universities more focussed on
research and colleges on the teaching-learning process.
Indian Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) scientists discover new planet
• Scientists from Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad discovered distant planet revolving around
Sun-like star for first time. Both the planet and the star have been named EPIC. With this discovery India joins
handful of countries which have discovered planets around stars. EPIC planet has been named as EPIC
211945201b (or K2-236b) and host star has been named EPIC 211945201 (or K2-236).
Govt extends sale of pre-GST goods with stickers of revised price till July 31:
• Sale of pre-Goods and Service Tax packaged goods has now been allowed with stickers of revised rates till July
31.
Extends tenure of Commission constituted to examine issue of OBC sub-categorisation
• The Union Cabinet gave final extension to commission constituted to examine sub-categorisation within Other
Backward Classes (OBCs) in Central list. The commission earlier had term till Jun 20, 2018 but with extension it
will now work till Jul 31, 2018.
Paper setters to receive training
• The National Testing Agency, which is being set up to relieve the Central Board of Secondary Education
(CBSE) of the burden of conducting multiple examinations, will also train paper setters to set better question
papers and provide better model answers.
PM Modi to interact with farmers through NaMo App tomorrow morning
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with farmers on June 20, 9:30 AM. Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
Minister Radha Mohan Singh said Mr Modi will have a direct dialogue with farmers across the country, in which
various initiatives related to doubling the income of farmers by 2022 will also be discussed.
and Skill Development and Basic Infrastructure. According to ranking, Dahod district of Gujarat improved 19.8
points to rank first.
NITI Aayog partners with GNFC Ltd to implement Fertilizer Subsidy Disbursement through Blockchain Technology
• NITI Aayog and Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers & Chemicals Limited (GNFC) have signed a Statement of
Intent (SOI) to work together towards implementing a Proof-of-Concept (PoC) application using Blockchain
Technology for fertilizer subsidy management.
Oxytocin formulations ban come into effect from 1st July 2018
• The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has restricted the manufacture of Oxytocin formulations for domestic
use to public sector only from 1st July 2018.
Government forms panel to upgrade norms for state, district level economic data collection:
• The government has set up a 13-member committee headed by Ravindra H Dholakia to upgrade the norms for
computation of economic data at states and districts level in the backdrop of plans to revise the base year for
National Accounts or GDP calculation.
Tax department launches ‘instant’ PAN card service:
• The Income Tax Department has launched an ‘instant’ Aadhaar-based PAN allotment service for individuals
seeking the unique identity for the first time.
Aadhaar, PAN Linking Deadline Extended To March 31 Next Year
• The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has extended the time for linking PAN with Aadhaar till 31 March
2019.
Monti Rajkhowa, the First Assamese Woman To Scale Mount Kanchenjunga
• Monti, who is professionally an executive engineer of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) based in
Mumbai, is the first lady ONGC officer among her male counterparts to have managed to scale the world's
toughest peak.
India increases GEF grants to 15 million dollar from 12 million dollar
• India will increase the money it pays to the Global Environment Facility (GEF) for the next four years to $15
million, from the $12 million currently.
2021 census data to be stored electronically:
• The data collected during the 2021 Census will be stored electronically, the first time since the decennial
exercise was conducted in 1951 in Independent India.
India to provide tariff concessions on 3,142 items to APTA members
• India has agreed to provide tariff concessions on 3,142 products to Asia Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA)
members, from July 1, 2018.
Consult UPSC for selecting DGP, SC tells States
• The Supreme Court on Tuesday restrained the State governments from appointing Directors-General of Police
without first consulting the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
Nipah outbreak from fruit bats, says ICMR:
• The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has confirmed that fruit bats were the primary source of the
Nipah outbreak in Kozhikode and Malappuram districts, where 17 people died due to the virus earlier this year.
President launches Solar Charkha Mission
• President Ram Nath Kovind has launched Solar Charkha Mission under which Govt will disburse subsidy of
Rs 550 crore to thousands of artisans, generating employment in rural areas.
• The Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi, Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay and Indian Institute of Science,
Bengaluru were the three public institutes announced as IoE. They will get Rs 1,000 crore from the government
in the next five years.
• From the private sector, BITS Pilani, Manipal Academy of Higher Education and JIO Institute by Reliance
Foundation were granted the status.
President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurates World Hindi Secretariat in Port Louis, Mauritius:
• President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated World Hindi Secretariat building in Port Louis, Mauritius.
Sebastian Pinera sworn in as Chile's president:
• Businessman-turned politician Sebastian Pinera was sworn in as Chile's president, beginning what will be his
second term in office after a four-year absence.
Amazon Launches First Debit Card In Mexico E-Commerce:
• Amazon.com Inc launched it’s first-ever debit card in Mexico, part of a push to encourage shoppers without
bank accounts to buy online.
Sri Lanka lifts FB ban after it agrees to curb hate speech
• Sri Lanka has lifted its ban on Facebook after the social media giant agreed to step up efforts to curb hate
speech amid the ongoing emergency in the country.
Xi Jinping re-elected as China President, Wang Qishan Vice President:
• Xi Jinping was today re-elected as President for a second five-year tenure by China's rubber-stamp parliament,
days after it scrapped the two-term rule for the Presidency and allowed him to have a life-long tenure.
Uber self-driving car kills woman in US, tests suspended
• Cab-hailing startup Uber has stopped all self-driving car tests after a car in autonomous mode killed a woman
who was crossing a street in the US state of Arizona.
EU and UK agree to finish Brexit transition by Dec 2020:
• The UK has reached a legal agreement with the European Union (EU) to end the Brexit transition by December
31, 2020.
India hands over last diesel railway locomotive engine to Myanmar
• India today handed over the 18th and last diesel railway locomotive engine to Myanmar, thus executing a key
project ahead of time as part of efforts to boost ties with the neighbor.
USA Bans Use Of Venezuelan Cryptocurrency- Petro
• The Donald Trump administration banned all use by Americans of Venezuelan Cryptocurrency (Petro), saying
that its introduction is intended to skirt U.S. sanctions.
Myanmar President, Htin Kyaw Resigns:
• Myanmar's President and Aung San Suu Kyi's right-hand man Htin Kyaw stepped down after two years in the
position. As per the official report, a new leader would be selected “within seven working days”.
Nanda Bahadur Pun Elected Nepal's Vice President:
• Nanda Bahadur Pun has been re-elected as the Vice-President of Nepal for the second term unopposed.
US Federal Reserve hikes interest rate by 25 bps:
• The US Federal Reserve raised interest rates and forecast at least two more hikes for 2018, highlighting its
growing confidence that tax cuts and government spending will boost the economy and inflation and spur more
aggressive future tightening.
US files trade complaint against China over licensing practices:
• The United States officially filed a trade complaint at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) against China over
its alleged discriminatory technology licensing practices.
World’s Largest Cruise Ship 'Symphony Of The Seas' Sets Sail In France:
• The world’s biggest cruise-liner, Symphony of the Seas, has left the shipyard of Saint-Nazaire in France to
embark on its maiden voyage in the Mediterranean. French shipbuilder STX handed over to U.S. giant Royal
Caribbean International.
India And China Agree To A Roadmap For Addressing Trade Imbalance:
• The eleventh session of the China-India joint-group on Economic Relations, Trade, Science & Technology was
held in New Delhi.
Abiy Ahmed becomes new PM of Ethiopia:
• Ethiopia’s ruling coalition has elected a new leader in the person of Dr. Abiy Ahmed. He will eventually become
Prime Minister of the country.
Disney announced that it was launching a free video app Oh My Disney with original content aimed at millennials:
• Disney announced Tuesday it was launching a free video app with original content aimed at millennials, who are
targeted by advertisers.
• The app -- called "Oh My Disney" -- will be a variation of the site of the same name, which publishes editorial
content and short videos on the world of Disney, Mickey and Marvel superheroes.
Islamabad’s new airport inaugurated:
• The Islamabad International Airport became operational when its first commercial flight, Pakistan International
Airlines (PIA) PK-300, landed from Karachi.
Putin becomes President for 4th time:
• Vladimir Putin took the oath of office for his fourth term as Russian President on Monday, promising to pursue
an economic agenda that would boost living standards across the country.
Australia pledges US$34-million to help save the koala:
• Australia on Monday unveiled a US$34-million plan to help bring its koala population back from the brink,
following a rapid decline in the furry marsupial’s fortunes.
China launches communication satellite:
• China has successfully launched ‘APSTAR-6C’, a new communication satellite into orbit. It was launched
onboard of Long March-3B carrier rocket from Xichang Satellite Launch Center.
Saudi women to start driving from June 24:
• Saudi women will be allowed to start driving in the kingdom from June 24, the General Department of Traffic
Director General Mohammed Bassami.
Uber reveals its first electric flying car prototype:
• Uber has unveiled its first electric 'flying car' concept aircraft featuring rotors which can reposition to help it fly
after a vertical takeoff. The aircraft can accommodate four passengers and travel 2,000 feet above the traffic at
241-321 kmph.
Ninety-two-year-old Mahathir Mohamad was sworn in as Malaysia’s Prime Minister:
• Ninety-two-year-old Mahathir Mohamad was on Thursday sworn in as the world’s oldest elected leader after a
stunning election win that swept Malaysia’s establishment from power after more than six decades.
NASA, Uber team up to get flying taxis off the ground:
• NASA and Uber have signed an agreement to explore putting flying taxis in the skies over U.S. cities. NASA
said that it will begin simulations for so-called “urban air mobility” vehicles that also include delivery drones. The
simulations are planned at its research facility at Dallas Fort Worth.
‘Ramayan Circuit’ gets a new bus service:
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepalese counterpart K.P. Sharma Oli jointly inaugurated a direct bus
service between Janakpur and Ayodhya, the two sacred cities for Hindus, as part of a “Ramayan Circuit” to
promote religious tourism in Nepal and India.
China seeks to reset ties with Japan:
• After engaging with India in Wuhan, China is rebooting ties with Japan, as part of a larger pan-Asian initiative
that appears to counter growing protectionism in the U.S.
China approves $1 bn loan for Sri Lanka expressway:
• China has approved a USD 1 billion loan to revive a long-delayed expressway in central Sri Lanka, the island's
government said today.
Russia unveils world’s first floating nuclear power plant:
• Russia unveiled world’s first floating nuclear power station at port city of Murmansk. Akademik Lomonosov was
constructed by Russian state nuclear power firm Rosatom.
Nepal becomes first country in south-east Asia to eliminate trachoma:
• The World Health Organization (WHO) validated Nepal for having eliminated trachoma, a contagious bacterial
infection of the eye
Ola to expand in Australia:
• Indian cab-hailing firm Ola on Tuesday said it had expanded its services in Australia to three more cities —
Brisbane, Gold Coast and Canberra.
Ireland overturns abortion ban in landslide vote:
• The pro-choice campaign won Friday's referendum with 66% of the 2.1 million votes cast. Ireland voted by an
overwhelming majority to overturn a constitutional ban on abortion in a historic referendum in this traditionally
Catholic country
Mia Amor Mottley becomes first female PM of Caribbean island of Barbados
• Mia Amor Mottley become the first female Prime Minister (PM) of the Caribbean island of Barbados.The win
makes Mottley just the 8th PM to lead Barbados since the island gained independence from Great Britain in
1966.
Columbia formally joins NATO
• One year after reaching partnership deal through a peace agreement with South America, Columbia has has
formally joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Netherlands joins Solar Alliance
• The Netherlands has become the 64th signatory member of the International Solar Alliance (ISA). The joint
statement issued hailed the Netherlands as India’s “Gateway to Europe”.
India launches 2nd IT corridor in China
• India has launched its second IT corridor in China to cash in on the burgeoning Chinese software market. The
National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) has established one more Digital
Collaborative Opportunities Plaza (SIDCOP) platform in China in an effort to provide market access to Indian IT
firms in the huge Chinese market.
India Releases Rs33.10 Cr To Nepal For 2 Road Projects
• India has released 33.10 Crore rupees to Nepal towards the cost of two road packages of Birgunj-Thori
Road being implemented under Postal Highway Projects in Nepal with Government of India’s grant assistance.
US Pacific Command Renamed As Indo-Pacific Command
• The United States has renamed its oldest and largest military command, US Pacific Command, or PACOM,
to Indo-Pacific Command, according to the US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis.
Denmark bans Burqa in public spaces:
• The Danish Parliament has passed a law banning the Islamic full-face veil in public spaces, becoming the latest
European country to do so.
Orchid named after Narendra Modi in Singapore
• “Dendrobrium Narendra Modi - an orchid named after PM @NarendraModi on the occasion of his visit to the
National Orchid Garden in Singapore,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted.
Former Chief Justice Mulk becomes Pak. interim PM:
• A former Pakistani Chief Justice Mulk was sworn in on Friday as the caretaker Prime Minister for an interim
period of two months, hours after Pakistan’s President dissolved the powerful Lower House of Parliament.
Giuseppe Conte (above right) was sworn in as Italy's 58th prime minister:
• Giuseppe Conte is a 53-year-old jurist who has never been elected to parliament was sworn in as Italy's 58th
prime minister. Populist leaders Salvini and Di Maio will be joint deputy prime ministers.
Pedro Sanchez was sworn as new PM of Spain
• Spain's Parliament ousted Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy in a no-confidence vote sparked by fury over his
party’s corruption woes, with his Socialist arch-rival Pedro Sanchez automatically taking over.
Arctic seas are the planet’s cleanest
• According to Murmansk Marine Biology Institute , the Arctic’s seas are the cleanest seas on the planet. In 2017,
the Institute’s scientists organized several big expeditions to the Arctic. The institute’s experts worked in the
Barents, Norwegian and Greenland Seas.
Biopic ‘Making of the Mahatma’ screened in Pietermaritzburg
• The screening of the biopic ‘Making of the Mahatma’ in Pietermaritzburg on Jun 06 marked the opening of a
three-day series of events to commemorate the historic incident 125 years ago when Mahatma Gandhi was
evicted from a train because the compartment he was in was reserved for whites only.
Indonesia wins UNSC as a non-permanent member vote
• The Maldives failed to get elected to the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member. Maldives and
Indonesia had contested for a seat in the UNSC, but in the plenary session of Friday held at the UN
headquarters in New York, Indonesia won the seat after securing 144 votes against 46 for the Maldives.
Fuego volcano erupts
• The Fuego volcano, in Guatemala, has recently erupted violently and buried several villages on its southern
flank It is an active stratovolcano. The death toll has risen to 99 in the Fuego volcano eruption.
India Is The Second Highest Sender Of Foreign Students In US:
• With 1,86,000 Indian students currently studying in the United States, India is the second highest sender of
foreign students to the US, next only to China. US consul general in Kolkata, Craig Hall, stated that the United
States is the top destination for foreign students worldwide and the number of Indian students in the US has
more than doubled in the last 10 years.
Venezuela Supreme Court rejects challenge to Maduro re-election:
• Venezuela's highest court refused to consider a lawsuit challenging President Nicolas Maduro's re-election
victory. The elections chamber of the Supreme Court announced its decision on Twitter, and did not give the
reasoning behind it.
• India has lowered the limits on the export of certain essential commodities such as potatoes, onions, and eggs
to the Maldives, according to a recent notification, in a move that sparked reports of possible food shortages in
the Maldives.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan re elected as the Turkish President
• Recep Tayyip Erdogan had won a 52.54% share of the national vote and re-elected as the Turkish
President, extending his 15-year grip on power. Erdogan has won several consecutive elections to become
Turkey's longest-serving leader.
China bans HBO after UK comedian criticises President Xi Jinping
• China has banned US film and television production company HBO's website following UK comedian John
Oliver's critique of Chinese President Xi Jinping on his show. Oliver had compared the Chinese President to
cartoon character 'Winnie the Pooh'.
India pledges USD 5 million for Palestine Refugees
• A total of 20 countries, including India, announced contributions to the 2018 budget of the United Nations Relief
and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine Refugees. In March, India announced it will increase its annual
contribution to the UNRWA from USD 1.5 million to USD 5 million (Rs34.09 crore) from 2018-19 for a period of
three years.
UNESCO may drop the Mesoamerican Reef, Belize from threatened sites list
• The Mesoamerican Reef was marked as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1960. It was placed on
endangered status in 2009 because of Belize’s plans to allow oil exploration. To protect the site a number of
measures were taken by the Belizean government and the activists. Now, UN body is considering to remove the
reef from the UNESCO’s list of threatened World Heritage sites.
EU leaders agree to extend economic sanctions against Russia
• European Union leaders agreed at a summit in Brussels today to extend economic sanctions against Russia
over the conflict in Ukraine for a further six months.
French government reintroduced compulsory national service for all 16 year olds
• Under the plan, all 16 year old French boys and girls would do a minimum of one-month service in the first
phase which would focus on voluntary teaching and working with charities among others. The second phase will
be voluntary and focus on areas linked to defence and security.The service program will start at the beginning
of the 2019.
US withdraws its military from South Korean capital after 70 yrs
• US withdrew its troops from Seoul after nearly 70 years and moved them to Camp Humphreys in the city of
Pyeongtaek. Camp Humphreys, the largest US overseas military base, was built over a period of 10 years
which cost nearly $11 billion. Over 28,000 US troops are stationed in South Korea.
India, Pakistan exchange lists of civilian prisoners and fishermen
• India and Pakistan exchanged lists of civilian prisoners and fishermen lodged in each other’s jails. The list was
shared as per the provision of bilateral agreement on consular access signed between both countries in May
2008.
Sri Lanka moves its naval base to China run Hambantota port
• Sri Lanka is shifting a naval base currently situated in the tourist district of Galle to the Hambantota port which is
built and controlled by China. Sri Lanka formally handed over the port to China in December, 2017. Sri
Lanka Prime Minister:- Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Air India removes 'Taiwan' from its website due to China's pressure:
• Air India has changed its reference to Taiwan on its website to 'Chinese Taipei' after pressure from China,
which does not recognize Taiwan as a separate country.
Beijing eyes UNESCO status for Mao tomb, Tiananmen Square:
• Beijing wants to have Mao Zedong's Mausoleum and Tiananmen Square, powerful and controversial symbols of
Chinese communist might, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Nawaz Sharif sentenced to 10 years in jail:
• An anti-corruption court in Islamabad on July 6 sentenced former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to 10 years in
prison.
Test-tube embryos may save the northern white rhinos from extinction
• Scientists have grown hybrid embryos from the sperm of near-extinct northern white rhinoceroses in the
laboratory, hoping to save the species.
Turkey to sell four corvette warships to Pakistan
• Turkey signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to build four corvettes for Pakistan under the MiLGEM
project in May 2017.
Nepal, India To Jointly Promote Tourism
• The 2nd meeting of the joint working group on tourism cooperation between India and Nepal concluded in
Kathmandu, Nepal. Both sides agreed to jointly promote Buddhist and Ramayana circuits and Adventure
tourism.
India to develop 'World's emptiest airport' in Sri Lanka
• India would operate Sri Lanka’s loss-making Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport in Hambantota, called the
'world's emptiest airport' due to a lack of flights.
UK town to be Amritsar's twin city to honour last Sikh king
• A small town Thetford of England will be converted into a twin city of Amritsar in the memory of the last king of
the Sikh Empire, Maharaja Duleep Singh.
IMPORTANT APPOINTMENTS
National Appointments
Person Designation
Vinay Kumar India’s ambassador to Afghanistan
Mahindra Singh Dhoni Brand ambassador of gaming platform Dream11.
Neiphiu Rio New Chief Minister of Nagaland
Conrad Sangma New chief minister of Meghalaya.
Biplab Kumar Deb New chief minister of Tripura
Vivek R Wadekar New Special Director in the Enforcement Directorate (ED)
Virat Kohli Uber's first Brand Ambassador in India.
Suresh Prabhu Ministry of Civil Aviation
Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi General secretary of RSS
Parag Agrawal Twitter’s CTO
Sitanshu Kar Next head of the Press Information Bureau (PIB)
N Chandrasekaran President of the court of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) for three years.
J S Rajput India’s representative to the Executive Board (EXB) of UNESCO
Vijay Raghavan Principal Scientific Advisor To Government
Rahul Dravid Election icon for Karnataka Assembly polls
Indu Bhushan CEO Of Ayushman Bharat Mission
Gen Harpal Singh Director General Border Roads
Jawad Rahim Chairperson of National Green Tribunal (NGT)
Kidambi Srikanth Deputy Collector by the Andhra Pradesh government
Chandra Bhushan Deputy Election Commissioner
Sathya Pal Malik Governor of Odisha
Conrad Sangma Chief Minister of Meghalaya
Biplab Deb Tripura's New Chief Minister
Debjani Ghosh New President Of Nasscom
M L Srivastava Protem chairman of the Lalit Kala Akademi.
Ashok Gehlot Member of Congress central election panel
Christian Sewing New CEO of Deutsche Bank
Brand Ambassador of Haryana’s Measles and Rubella (MR) vaccination
Manu Bhaker
campaign
Sripriya Ranganathan Next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Korea
Bhanu Pratap Sharma Chairman of Bank Board Bureau
P P Malhotra New Director General of the National Cadet Corps (NCC).
C Haridas Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) has a new Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Sitaram Yechury CPI(M) general secretary
Taniya Sanyal First woman firefighter of the Airports Authority of India(AAI).
Indu Malhotra Supreme Court Judge.
Gauri Sheoran brand ambassador for its two health-related programmes viz
Kavinder Gupta Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.
Uday Kotak MD & CEO of Kotak Mahindra Bank
Rajiv Bakshi Chief Marketing Officer of Intex Technologies
Sitanshu Ranjan Kar Director General of Press Information Bureau in New Delhi.
Subhash Chandra Khuntia Chairman of IRDAI
Anil Sardana Tata Power MD and CEO
Ashok Lahiri Full-time member of 15th Finance Commission
Jagdish Mukhi Governor of Manipur
R.M. Malla Independent director Adani Capital
Nikol Pashinyan Prime Minister of Armenia
Nitin Bawankule Country Head For Google Cloud India
CEO of FSSAI Pawan Kumar Agarwal
Mahathir Mohamad Malaysia’s Prime Minister
Mohit Chauhan Green Ambassador of Sikkim
International Appointments
Person Designation
Important Resignations
Person Designation
Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju
Minister of State for Science and Technology Y S Chowdary
Robert Fico Slovak Prime Minister
Ameenah Gurib-Fakim Mauritius President
Sebastian Pinera Chile's President
Htin Kyaw Myanmar President
Pedro Pablo Kuczynski Peru's president
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti
Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian
• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the International Solar Alliance (ISA) has signed a cooperation
arrangement to promote solar energy deployment in Asia and the Pacific.
India, France inked 14 pacts
• India and France inked key pacts in the strategic areas of security, nuclear energy after extensive talks between
PM Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron. Agreements in the field of education, environment, urban
development and railways were also signed.
India Announces USD 100 Ml LoC For Mauritius:
• India has announced a new Line of Credit of USD 100 million for defense procurement by Mauritius as the two
sides signed many agreements on the second day of President Ram Nath Kovind's visit.
India, Madagascar Sign Umbrella Agreement In Defence Sector:
• India and Madagascar have signed an umbrella agreement in the field of defence. Under the agreement, both
the countries will explore various ways of co-operation in the field of defence.
Health Ministry And WHO Signed Agreement For Enhanced Cooperation For Healthcare
• Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of WHO met J.P. Nadda, Union Health and Family Welfare
Minister in New Delhi.
IATA Partners With Civil Aviation Ministry In India:
• The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has signed an MoU with the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the
National Aviation University to enhance human resource availability in India's aviation industry.
India And ADB Signed $120 Million Loan To Improve Rail Infrastructure:
• India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $120 million loan agreement for completion of works for
double-tracking and electrification of railways tracks along high-density corridors to improve the operational
efficiency of Indian railways.
IRCTC – Ola joins to provide service in IRCTC App:
• With an aim to providing first-and-last-mile connectivity, railway PSU IRCTC announced a partnership with cab
aggregator Ola, giving commuters an option book taxi on its app.
India And EU Signed Agreement On Sharing Earth Observation Data:
• India and the European Union (EU) have signed an agreement that will enable them to share earth observation
data from each other’s satellites. The pact was inked in Bengaluru.
India Signs Double Taxation Avoidance Treaty with Hong Kong:
• India and Hong Kong signed a double taxation avoidance agreement (DTAA) that seeks to improve
transparency in tax matters and help curb tax evasion and avoidance.
NITI Aayog, Piramal Foundation ink SOI to improve health, education in Aspirational Districts
• NITI Aayog and Piramal Foundation have inked Statement of Intent (SoI) to work closely with District Collectors
and key officers of ‘Aspirational Districts’ to support their transformation in terms of healthcare, education and
nutrition.
ISA And India Sign Host Country Agreement
• The International Solar Alliance (ISA) and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), signed the Host Country
Agreement. The Agreement will give ISA a juridical personality and gives it power to contract, to acquire and
dispose off movable and immovable properties, to institute and defend legal proceedings.
Software major SAP partners with NITI Aayog's Atal Innovation Mission:
• Software major SAP has partnered with NITI Aayog's Atal Innovation Mission. Atal Innovation mission is a
flagship programme of the Government to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship.NITI Ayog's
CEO Amitabh Kant said that in next 3 years, 30,000 Atal Tinkering labs will be opened all across the country.
GIFT, Deloitte Sign MoU To Promote IFSC Operations:
• GIFT City has signed an MoU with Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India LLP (DTTILLP), which renders consultancy
services, for mutual cooperation in areas related to international financial services.
MoU between India And Canada On IPR:
• The Union Cabinet chaired by PM Narendra Modi has given its ex-post approval for MoU between India and
Canada. The MoU establishes a broad and flexible framework through which both countries can exchange best
practices and work together on training programs and technical exchanges to raise awareness on IPRs and
better protect intellectual property rights (IPRs).
Cabinet Approves MoU Between India, UK And Northern Ireland
• The Union Cabinet has approved the signing of MoU between India and the United Kingdom and Northern
Ireland regarding cooperation and Exchange of Information for the Purposes of Combating International
Criminality and Tackling Serious Organised Crime.
Meeting Of PIC Between India And Pakistan Held In New Delhi:
• The two-day meeting of Permanent Indus Commission (PIC) between India and Pakistan began in New Delhi.
Representatives from both the sides had discussed Water Treaty dispute and resolution of outstanding issues.
India and the United Arab Emirates signed MOU on technical cooperation in rail sector:
• The Indian Railways today apprised the Cabinet of an MoU signed between India and the United Arab Emirates
on technical cooperation in rail sector.
India and Canada signed MOU on foster cross-border partnerships:
• The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has been apprised of the Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) signed between India and Canada.
India and Afghanistan for cooperation in the field of food safety and related areas:
• The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the signing of a Cooperation
Arrangement between Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Ministry of Health & Family Welfare
(MoH & FW) and Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation & Livestock (MAIL), Afghanistan for cooperation in the field of
Food Safety and related areas, an official release said.
FIEO, PayPal ink MoU to empower Indian SMEs to sell globally:
• Digital payments company PayPal and the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for promotion of outbound shipments among small and medium
enterprises (SMEs).
Prime Minister of Nepal KP Oli signed different MOUs in India Visit:
• Prime Minister of Nepal, KP Oli was on a three-day official visit to India from 6th – 8th April 2018. India and
Nepal reiterated their commitment to promote bilateral cooperation in agricultural science and technology,
agricultural production and agro-processing.
President Ram Nath Kovind concludes visit to Equatorial Guinea with 3 MOUs:
• President of India, Ram Nath Kovind concluded his visit to Equatorial Guinea, the first leg of his visit to three
African nations – Equatorial Guinea, Swaziland and Zambia. Mr. Ram Nath Kovind is the first President of India
to visit Equatorial Guinea.
President Ram Nath Kovind signed two agreements signed with Swaziland:
• India and Swaziland signed two agreements on health and visa waiver. One of the agreement deals with
granting of the visa waiver for the diplomats and officials holding relevant passports while the other is to ensure
cooperation in the field of health and medicine.
India and Vietnam MOU on security and counter-terrorism cooperation:
• India, Vietnam discuss ways to boost tiesi. It is to be noted that in 2016, India and Vietnam formally upgraded
their relationship status (from Strategic Partnership) to “comprehensive strategic partnership.
India, Bangladesh sign six MoUs including 129.5 km oil pipeline deal:
• India and Bangladesh signed six pacts including the construction of a 129.5 km-long oil pipeline between Siliguri
and Parbatipur.India-Bangladesh Friendship pipeline between Siliguri (on Indian side) & Parbatipur (on
Bangladesh’s side) is aimed at transporting 1 million tonnes diesel per annum from India to Bangladesh.
India, Peru to hold next round of FTA talks this week
• Officials of Union Commerce Ministry are in Peru for the second round of negotiations for proposed free trade
agreement (FTA) to boost two-way commerce between both the countries.
India Signs MOU with World EXPO 2020 Dubai:
• The contract provides for the setting up of India pavilion at Expo 2020 on an extra large plot (about one acre) in
the ‘Opportunity’ segment. This is tune with the great opportunity for economic activity that India provides today
on the way to becoming a $5 trillion economy by 2025.
Indian Consortium and Saudi Aramco Sign MoU for Ratnagiri Mega Refinery in Maharashtra:
• Indian Consortium consisting of IOCL, BPCL and HPCL signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with
Saudi Aramco, the state-owned oil company of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to jointly develop and build
Ratnagiri Refinery & Petrochemicals Ltd. (RRPCL), an integrated refinery and petrochemicals complex, in the
State of Maharashtra.
NHAI signs agreement for its First International Project:
• To provide seamless vehicular movement for enhancing trade, business, health, education and tourism
between Indian, Myanmar and Thailand, the National Highways Authority of India has signed an agreement for
upgradation of Yagyi – Kalewa section of highway (Milepost 40/0 to Milepost 115/5) in Myanmar to two lane with
earthen shoulder.
AAI to develop Myanmar's Kalay Airport:
• The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has signed an agreement with the Ministry of External Affairs, for
preparation of a Detailed Project Report (DPR) on the first phase for development of the Kalay Airport as a
green airport in Myanmar.
Jayant Sinha to head Task Force for UAV technology:
• The Government has decided to constitute a Task Force under the chairmanship of Shri Jayant Sinha, Minister
of State for Civil Aviation for fast-tracking the roll-out of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technology. The
Headquarters of the Task Force will be at Ministry of Civil Aviation, New Delhi.
Indus Towers to merge with Bharti Infratel:
• Sunil Bharti Mittal-led Bharti Airtel has decided to merge Indus Towers with its tower arm Bharti Infratel, making
the combined company to be the world’s largest tower company outside China. In India, the merger will create a
pan-India tower company, with over 1,63,000 towers.
NHAI inks pact with Macquarie:
• National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) signed an agreement with Macquarie for road projects under the
highway monetisation initiative. The agreement has been signed with Macquarie for the first set of highway
projects worth USD 1.5 billion. This is one of the highest FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) in highways.
Dalmia Bharat Adopts Red Fort and Gandikota Fort:
• Dalmia Bharat Limited has signed a MoU with the Tourism Ministry to take up Red Fort and Gandikota Fort
(Andhra Pradesh) under the ‘Adopt a Heritage’ project.
MoU signed between PHDCCI, Indian Yoga Association to promote yoga:
• PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) and Indian Yoga Association (IYA) signed a memorandum
of understanding (MoU) to jointly promote yoga, health and spiritual tourism in the Krishna Circuit in Uttar
Pradesh.
Bilateral trade between India and China resumes through Nathu La border:
• The bilateral trade between India and China through Nathu La border has resumed. General Secretary of the
Indo-China Border Traders' Welfare Association, Tenzing Tsepel, said, trading through Nathu La was possible
only for two weeks last year due to the Doklam standoff which resulted into losses. He expressed hope of a
better transaction this year.
India, China to set up hotline between military HQs:
• The militaries of India and China have reportedly agreed to set up a hotline between their headquarters after an
informal summit between Indian PM Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
NITI Aayog and Google sign SoI to help grow AI ecosystem in India:
• NITI Aayog and Google signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) to enhance growth in artificial intelligence (AI) and
machine learning (ML) ecosystem in India.
MoU signed between PHDCCI, Indian Yoga Association to promote yoga:
• PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) and Indian Yoga Association (IYA) signed a memorandum
of understanding (MoU) to jointly promote yoga, health and spiritual tourism in the Krishna Circuit in Uttar
Pradesh.
Bilateral trade between India and China resumes through Nathu La border:
• The bilateral trade between India and China through Nathu La border has resumed. General Secretary of the
Indo-China Border Traders' Welfare Association, Tenzing Tsepel, said, trading through Nathu La was possible
only for two weeks last year due to the Doklam standoff which resulted into losses. He expressed hope of a
better transaction this year.
India, China to set up hotline between military HQs:
• The militaries of India and China have reportedly agreed to set up a hotline between their headquarters after an
informal summit between Indian PM Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
NITI Aayog and Google sign SoI to help grow AI ecosystem in India:
• NITI Aayog and Google signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) to enhance growth in artificial intelligence (AI) and
machine learning (ML) ecosystem in India.
India, Panama sign two agreements:
• India and Panama have signed two agreements on exemption of Visas for holders of Diplomatic and Official
Passports and in the field of Agriculture.
• These agreements were signed in the presence of Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and President of Panama
Juan Carlos Varela Rodrigues and Vice President and Foreign Minister Isabel de Saint Malo de Alvarado in
Panama city.
India, Guatemala ink MoU:
• India and Guatemala inked a pact for strengthening diplomatic cooperation through Respective Foreign Service
Institutes in educational field.
Venkaiah Naidu 3-Nation Visit: India & Peru Signs Agreement:
• India and Peru signed an agreement in the field of Renewable Energy at Lima. The pact was signed in the
presence of Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and the Prime Minister Cesar Villanueva Arevalo. This is the final
leg of the 3-Nation visit to central America of Indian Vice- President.
Aadhaar not mandatory for getting pension:
• Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh said that the Aadhaar card is not mandatory for central
government employees to get their pension,.
India Released Grant Of NRs 18.07 Crore To Nepal For River Training:
• India has released grant of Nepalese Rupees (NRs) 18.07 crore for river training and construction of
embankments along Lalbakeya, Bagmati and Kamla rivers in Nepal. Indian Ambassador to Nepal Manjeev
Singh Puri handed over a cheque of the grant to Dr Sanjay Sharma.
India Signs Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) in Nursing with Singapore:
• India has signed the Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) in Nursing with Singapore. This is the first MRA
being signed by India with any of our FTA partners.
India-US colloquium on Earth Observations and Sciences for Society and Economy inaugurated in Goa:
• The 2nd edition of India-US colloquium on Earth Observations and Sciences for Society and Economy has been
inaugurated at the CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography (CSIR-NIO), Dona Paula, Goa.
Cabinet approves 'Three Year Action Plan of Agricultural Education Division & ICAR Institutes
• The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the continuation of the Three
Year Action Plan (2017-2020) of the scheme for Agricultural Education Division and ICAR Institutes with an
outlay of Rs.2225.46 crore[Rs. 2197.51 crore + Rs. 27.95 crore (State share) as salary component for AICRP-
HS]for strengthening and developing higher agricultural education in India.
Raksha Mantri Inaugurates BEL representative office in Vietnam
• Raksha Mantri, Smt Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurated the first Representative Office of Navratna Defence PSU
Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Approves MoU between the ICMR and INSERM, France
• The Union Cabinet has been apprised of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU signed between the Indian
Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Institute National de la Santeet de la RechercheMedicale (INSERM),
France. It aims at cooperation in areas of common interest within medical, health research and life sciences
fields.
India, Italy agree to revitalise bilateral ties:
• India and Italy on Monday agreed to boost cooperation in counter-terrorism and cyber security as External
Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj met the top Italian leadership and discussed steps to revitalize bilateral ties.
India and Tajikistan agree to enhance mutual cooperation for sustainable water development:
• India and Tajikistan have reaffirmed their commitment to promote bilateral relations and agreed to enhance
economic cooperation, particularly in sustainable water development.
Four MoUs signed and 6 at an advanced stage under Adopt a Heritage Scheme
• Under "Adopt a Heritage Scheme", three MoUs have already been signed and six are at an advanced stage
and 31 more Adarsh Monuments are enlisted for coverage under the scheme. The scheme is being
implemented by the Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Culture and Archaeological Survey of India.
• The four MoUs include: 1. Mount Stok Kangri Trek Route, Ladakh 2. Gangotri Temple Area & Trail to
Gaumukh, Uttarakhand 3. Red Fort, Delhi 4. Gandikota Fort, Andhra Pradesh
Russia To Supply Technical Security Equipment To India
• Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation (Rosatom) had announced that its subsidiary Nikiret has signed an
agreement with Indian engineering services firm Core Energy Systems Pvt Ltd for the promotion of its technical
security equipment in India.
India, Cuba sign two MoUs
• India signed two Memorandum of understandings (MoUs) with Cuba to enhance cooperation in biotechnology
and traditional medicine. The MoUs were signed after delegation-level talks between President Ram Nath
Kovind and his Cuban counterpart Miguel Mario Diaz-Canel in Havana, Cuba.
Health Ministry inks MoU with IGNOU
• The Health Ministry has inked an MoU with the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) to scale-up
short-term healthcare courses and produce over 14 lakh trained manpower by 2025.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated National Legislators Conference on the theme ‘We for Development’
in New Delhi. The motive of the conference is to bring MPs and MLAs on a single platform where ideas and
plans for development can be exchanged.
'Wings India 2018' Event Inaugurated In Hyderabad:
• Telangana IT and Industries Minister K T Rama Rao inaugurated the biennial event on Civil Aviation and
Aerospace titled 'Wings India 2018' at the Begumpet Airport. The four-day event was jointly organised by the
Civil Aviation Ministry, Airports Authority of India and the Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
World Ocean Summit 2018 concluded in Mexico:
• World Ocean Summit was held recently in Mexico's Riviera Maya. It's a chance for business, government and
environmental leaders to talk about the problems facing the world's seas and to come up with solutions to
protect the planet's vast ocean resources.
Home Minister to inaugurate International Police Conference on Cybercrime & Terrorism:
• The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh will inaugurate the two-day Asia-Pacific Regional Conference of
the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) in New Delhi. The theme is "Challenges to Policing in
2020- How is Cyber Space shaping our approach to Cybercrime & Terrorism, how do we perform within it and
take advantage of it".
PM To Inaugurate 105th Indian Science Congress In Imphal
• PM Modi inaugurated the 105th Indian Science Congress in Imphal, Manipur. The theme for ISC 2018 is
'reaching the unreached through science and technology'.
WHO Member-Countries Commit To End TB By 2030:
• Member-countries of the World Health Organisation (WHO) South-East Asia Region, including India, committed
to intensifying efforts to eradicate tuberculosis by 2030.
India to host International Competition Network Annual Conference for the first time:
• India to host 17th Annual Conference of International Competition Network 2018 (ICN2018) from 21st to 23rd
March 2018 in New Delhi.
PM addresses Rising India Summit organized by Network 18
• The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi addressed the Rising India Summit, organized by Network 18. He said
that when we speak of a rise, in terms of a nation, it has a very broad context.
1st India-Japan Workshop On Disaster Risk Reduction Inaugurated
• The Vice-Chairman, NITI Aayog, Dr Rajiv Kumar inaugurated the First India-Japan Workshop on Disaster Risk
Reduction in New Delhi.
7th Women's Science Congress Inaugurated In Manipur
• The Women Science Congress, 2018 was inaugurated in the backdrop of the ongoing 105th Indian Science
Congress on its 3rd day being held at Manipur University, Imphal.
1st National Workshop on POSHAN Abhiyan Held in New Delhi:
• The first National workshop on POSHAN Abhiyan involving all the states and union territories was held at
Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra, New Delhi.
Third edition of National Conclave on Mines and Minerals to be held in Delhi:
• The third edition of National Conclave on Mines and Minerals will be held in New Delhi. Representatives of
various state governments, mining industry, industry associations, financial and academic institutions will
participate in the event.
• An international conference on ‘Water, Environment and Climate Change: Knowledge Sharing and Partnership’
started in Kathmandu, Nepal.
1st NITI Forum Meet At Agartala:
• Tripura is all set to host the first meeting of the NITI Forum- a unit of NITI Aayog in Agartala. In this meeting,
Chief Ministers of all Northeastern States, Minister of Development of North Eastern Region and senior officials
of NITI Aayog and Union Government will join the conclave.
Nepal President Inaugurates International Conference On Human Rights In Kathmandu:
• President of Nepal Bidhya Devi Bhandari inaugurated an International Conference on Human Rights in South
Asia in Kathmandu. The conference is organized by the National Human Rights Commission of Nepal.
Eighth Regional 3R Forum in Asia and Pacific was held in Indore, Madhya Pradesh:
• Eighth ‘Regional 3R Forum in Asia and the Pacific’ was held in Indore, Madhya Pradesh from 10th – 12th April,
2018. 3R stands for – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.
• Theme of this event was ‘Achieving Clean Water, Clean Land and Clean Air through 3R and Resource
Efficiency – A 21st-Century Vision for Asia-Pacific Communities’.
Logo, Website of 11th World Hindi Conference was released:
• Education Minister of Mauritius, Leela Devi Dookhun Luchoomun released the logo and website of 11th World
Hindi Conference in New Delhi.
Andhra CM Naidu inaugurates 'Happy Cities Summit 2018' in Amravati:
• Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Founder of Isha Foundation Sadhguru Jaggi
Vasudev has inaugurated a three-day long 'Happy Cities Summit 2018' in Amravati.
Conference of Lieutenant Governors and Administrators of UTs to be held at Megapode Resort, Port Blair:
• A conference of Lieutenant Governors and Administrators of Union Territories will be held at Megapode Resort,
Port Blair in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
India hosts 16th International Energy Forum (IEF) Ministerial Meeting:
• 16th International Energy Forum Ministerial (IEF16) Meeting was held on 10th -12th April 2018 in New Delhi.
This meeting was hosted by India and co-hosted by China and South Korea.
India, Russia sign seven MoU at Defence expo:
• India and Russia signed 7 MoUs at Defence Expo at Thiruvadanthai, near Chennai today.
• These MoUs were signed between the Indian Private Defence sector manufacturing companies and Russian
Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) for manufacture, development of spares, sub-assemblies and
assemblies of identified Russian origin platforms in use by the Indian Armed Forces. The MoUs were signed
during third India-Russia Military-Industrial Conference held on the sidelines of DefExpo 2018.
India Mobile Congress 2018 to be held between October 25-27:
• India Mobile Congress will be held from 25th to 27th of October this year at Aerocity in New Delhi. It is one of
the biggest marquee Mobile, Internet and Technology events in Asia, organized by Department of
Telecommunications and Cellular Operators Association of India.
US, Britain and France launch military operation against Syria:
• In a combined operation, the United States, Britain and France have launched a military operation against Syria
early today in response to an alleged poison gas attack in Douma last week.
SAARC regional summit held in Hyderabad:
• Agricultural experts from SAARC nations will present a position paper on ways to address impact of climate
change on agriculture at the SAARC regional summit, begins in Hyderabad.
First meeting of National Council on India's Nutrition Challenges under POSHAN Abhiyaan held in New Delhi:
• The first meeting of National Council on India's Nutrition Challenges under POSHAN Abhiyaan held in New
Delhi.
• Canada will be hosting the world’s small but growing band of female foreign ministers for talks ahead of this
year’s UN General Assembly. It has been announced by Canada’s Chrystia Freeland.
HRD Ministry Launches 2nd Edition Of Unnat Bharat Abhiyan:
• The Ministry of Human Resource Development, HRD launched the second edition of the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan
under which students from 750 higher educational institutions from across the country will adopt villages and
visit them to get acquainted with lifestyle of people there and the problems faced by them.
Health Minister J P Nadda chairs high level review meeting on control of vector borne diseases:
• J P Nadda, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, conducted a high level meeting to review the
preparedness of the Ministry for prevention and control of vector borne diseases like kalaazar, dengue, malaria
and chickungunya in India.
First edition of Cancer Screening Mela organized in Mizoram
• A Cancer Screening Mela was organized in Mizoram by the Health Department of Mizoram jointly with Public
Foundation of India and National Health Mission under the initiative of Swasth Uttar Purv.
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2019 to be held in Varanasi:
• The next Pravasi Bharatiya Divas will be held in the holy city of Varanasi in January with the Indian diaspora
having an option to participate in Kumbha Snan and attend the Republic Day parade in New Delhi, an official in
the Indian Embassy in Washington has said.
Second World Hindu Congress (WHC) is scheduled to be held in Chicago in September:
• Second edition of World Hindu Congress (WHC)/World Hindu Congress 2018 will be held in Chicago, US from
7th – 9th September, 2018. Theme: “Sumantrite Suvikrante” – “think collectively, achieve valiantly”.
Naval Commanders’ Conference held New Delhi:
• The first edition of 2018 bi-annual Naval Commanders’ Conference held in New Delhi.
International Buddhist Conference held in Lumbini, Nepal:
• International Buddhist Conference 2018 was held in Lumbini, Nepal on 28th and 29th April, 2018.The
conference was organised as part of 2562nd Buddha Jayanti celebrations. Theme: ‘Lumbini Nepal: The
birthplace of Lord Buddha and the fountain of Buddhism and world peace’.
9th India-Japan Energy Dialogue held in New Delhi:
• The 9th India Japan Energy Dialogue was held in New Delhi. Minister of State(IC) for Power and New
&Renewable Energy, Shri R.K Singh, and Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) Mr. Hiroshige
Sekosigned a Joint Statement at the conclusion of the meeting.
‘Vibrant North East 2018’ from May 3:
• The 'Vibrant North East 2018', an event in which people would be made aware of central government's
schemes and programmes will be held in Guwahati.
51st Annual Meeting of Asian Development Bank:
• An Indian delegation headed by Shri Subhash Chandra Garg, Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs,
Ministry of Finance is currently on a tour to Manila to attend the 51st Annual Meeting of Asian Development
Bank.
ISABS – 2018 held in Johannesburg:
• The first-ever India-South Africa Business Summit (ISABS 2018) has been held at the Sandton Convention
Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa. The tag line of the Summit was “United by Legacy, Unified for Prosperity”
and was attended by the Minister of Commerce and Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu.
• Second edition of World Hindu Congress (WHC)/World Hindu Congress 2018 will be held in Chicago, US from
7th – 9th September, 2018.
• Theme: “Sumantrite Suvikrante” – “think collectively, achieve valiantly”.
Naval Commanders’ Conference held New Delhi:
• The first edition of 2018 bi-annual Naval Commanders’ Conference held in New Delhi. It discussed aspects
concerning country’s maritime security, analyse mission-based deployments and larger issues of geo-strategic
Indian Ocean Region (IOR), a region witnessing increasing Chinese presence.
International Buddhist Conference held in Lumbini, Nepal:
• International Buddhist Conference 2018 was held in Lumbini, Nepal on 28th and 29th April, 2018.The
conference was organised as part of 2562nd Buddha Jayanti celebrations.
• Theme: ‘Lumbini Nepal: The birthplace of Lord Buddha and the fountain of Buddhism and world peace’.
9th India-Japan Energy Dialogue held in New Delhi:
• The 9th India Japan Energy Dialogue was held in New Delhi. Minister of State(IC) for Power and New
&Renewable Energy, Shri R.K Singh, and Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) Mr. Hiroshige
Sekosigned a Joint Statement at the conclusion of the meeting.
‘Vibrant North East 2018’ from May 3:
• The 'Vibrant North East 2018', an event in which people would be made aware of central government's
schemes and programmes will be held in Guwahati. Players from the agriculture, food processing, consumer
affairs, civil supply, drinking water and sanitation sectors will participate in the three-day event.
51st Annual Meeting of Asian Development Bank:
• An Indian delegation headed by Shri Subhash Chandra Garg, Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs,
Ministry of Finance is currently on a tour to Manila to attend the 51st Annual Meeting of Asian Development
Bank. Shri Garg held bilateral meeting with the Premier of Niue, Sir Toke Talagi on the sidelines of the 51st
Annual Meeting of Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Manila.
ISABS – 2018 held in Johannesburg:
• The first-ever India-South Africa Business Summit (ISABS 2018) has been held at the Sandton Convention
Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa.
• The tag line of the Summit was “United by Legacy, Unified for Prosperity” and was attended by the Minister of
Commerce and Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu.
12th informal meeting of SAARC Finance Ministers held in Manila:
• The twelfth informal meeting of SAARC Finance Ministers was held in Manila, the capital of Philippines on the
sidelines of the 51st Annual Meeting of Asian Development Bank (ADB).
• The meeting was attended by the Finance Ministers/Heads of Delegations from the SAARC member states.
Narendra Singh Tomar addresses Kaushal Vikas Melas:
• Aajeevika and Kaushal Vikas Melas were held in various parts of India as part of Gram Swaraj Abhiyan. Rural
Development Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, addressed the gathering at the main event held at Ranchi,
Jharkhand.
Delhi to host six-day Festival of Bharat:
• National capital Delhi will host a six-day-long Festival of Bharat between May 9 and May 14 as a 21st century
tribute to the majesty and depth of India's civilization.
India to host 15th Asia Media Summit:
• India will host 15th Asia Media Summit (AMS-2018) in New Delhi from May 10-12, 2018. It is being organised
by Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD) in collaboration with its partners and international
organisations. Theme: “Telling our Stories- Asia and More”.
3rd edition of UNPCAP held in New Delhi:
• 3rd edition of the United Nations Peacekeeping Course for African Partners (UNPCAP) was inaugurated in New
Delhi on May 7, 2018.The course in geared to build and enhance the capacity of the African Troop Contributing
Countries to the UN.
Union Minister for Civil Aviation Suresh Prabhu inaugurates 6th US-India Aviation Summit:
• The 6th US-India Aviation Summit was formally inaugurated by Union Minister for Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu
in Mumbai. The biennial Summit is jointly organised by Ministry of Civil Aviation and US Trade and
Development Agency (USTDA).
Suresh Prabhu inaugurates 6th US-India Aviation Summit in Mumbai:
• Union Minister for Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu inaugurated the 6th US-India Aviation Summit. This three-day
Summit is being jointly organised by Union Ministry of Civil Aviation and US Trade and Development Agency
(USTDA).
Customs And Postal Department Hold 1st Ever Joint Conference
• Indian Customs and Department of India Posts held a first-ever Joint Conference in Vigyan Bhavan in New
Delhi to deliberate on streamlining of imports and exports by post.
6th US-India Aviation Summit held in Mumbai:
• The 6th United States-India Aviation Summit, formally inaugurated by Union Minister for Civil Aviation Suresh
Prabhu, has been held in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The biennial Summit was jointly organised by Ministry of Civil
Aviation and US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA).
BIMSTEC Working Group on Customs Cooperation held in New Delhi:
• The first meeting of the BIMSTEC Working Group on Customs Cooperation held in New Delhi, India.Delegates
from all the BIMSTEC Member States, i.e., Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and
Thailand attended the meeting.
Nepal to host 2018 BIMSTEC summit:
• Nepal will host the 2018 Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation
(BIMSTEC) summit. It was announced by Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli during his meeting with Indian
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kathmandu (capital city ).
• BIMSTEC countries are India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka from South Asia and Myanmar, Thailand
from South East Asia.
President Kovind Inaugurates Global Exhibition On Services- 2018:
• President Ram Nath Kovind has inaugurated the 4th edition of Global Exhibition on services in Mumbai. He has
also released the logo for Services and launched the portal.
4th meeting of SAWEN held in Kolkata, India:
• The fourth meeting of South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network (SAWEN), an inter-governmental wildlife law
enforcement agency was in Kolkata, West Bengal (India).
First International Rail Coach Expo held in Chennai
• The first-ever International Rail Coach Expo (IRCE) held in Chennai, Tamil Nadu to focus on Rail Coaches and
train sets.
Physical and Social Infrastructure for Regional Development’ Conference held in Guwahati:
• The two days regional conference on ‘Physical and Social Infrastructure for Regional Development’ has been
held in Guwahati, Assam.
2018 BRICS Ministerial on Environment at Durban, South Africa:
• The 2018 BRICS Ministerial on Environment has been held at Durban, South Africa. The meeting has agreed to
include Indian societal movement “Green Good Deeds” in its official agenda in the next Ministerial in Brazil and
another meeting in Russia.
Venture Capital Symposium 2018 held in New Delhi:
• The Venture Capital Symposium 2018 has been organized by NITI Aayog in association with Vision India
Foundation in New Delhi.
Emergency Summit of OIC held in Istanbul:
• The 57-members Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has held extraordinary summit in Istanbul, Turkey to
discuss recent Israeli violence against Palestinian protesters in Gaza Strip.
71st World Health Assembly Held In Geneva, Switzerland
• The 71st World Health Assembly was held in Geneva, Switzerland. The Indian Delegation was led by Union
Health Minister of India, Mr J P Nadda at World Health Assembly. Mr Nadda also inaugurated ‘Walk the Talk’
event and gave a call ‘Health for all, Yoga for all’.
India to attend SCO meets in Pakistan:
• An Indian delegation will be among those attending an anti-terrorism conference being held here under the
banner of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
Regional Conference on “Clean and Renewable Energy” held in Bhopal:
• The Minister of New and Renewable Energy, Govt. of Madhya Pradesh (MP), Shri Narayan Singh Kushwah
inaugurated the one day Regional Conference on the theme of “New and Renewable Energy” in Bhopal,
Madhya Pradesh.
India-CLMV Business Conclave held at Phnom Penh, Cambodia
• The 5th India-CLMV (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Vietnam) Business Conclave held at Phnom Penh,
Cambodia. It was jointly organised by Ministry of Commerce & Industry along with Ministry of Commerce of
Cambodia
ASEAN India Film Festival held in New Delhi
• ASEAN India Film Festival, organised by Ministry of External Affairs (ASEAN Multilateral Division), held in New
Delhi. It was organised as part of the series of events to commemorate 25 years of ASEAN and India
relations. The film festival was non-competitive and its tagline was ‘Friendship through Films’.
9th edition of ‘Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav’ inaugurated in Tehri , Uttarakhand
• Ministry of Culture has organised 3 day long diversified cultural festival ‘Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav’ festival
which was inaugurated by Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Shri Trivendra Singh Rawat Near Tehri Lake,
Uttrakhand.
3rd Meeting of India– U.K. Home Affairs’ Dialogue:
• The Third Home Affairs’ Dialogue between India and U.K. was held in Mumbai on May 30. The Government of
India Delegation was led by Shri Rajiv Gauba, Union Home Secretary and the Delegation from Home Office of
the U.K. was led by its Second Permanent Secretary, Ms. Patsy Wilkinson.
Geo-Intelligence Asia – 2018:
• The Eleventh edition of Geo Intelligence Asia 2018 organised by Geo Spatial Media and Communication with
Directorate General of Information System as Knowledge Partners and Military Survey as Co-organizers, took
place at Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi.
IBSA Ministerial Meet held in South Africa
• A meeting between external affairs ministers of India, Brazil and South Africa has been organized in Pretoria,
South Africa.
Asia-Pacific Regional Conference on ECD held in Nepal:
• The Asia-Pacific Regional Conference on Early Childhood Development (ECD) and Third Asia- Pacific Regional
Policy Forum on Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) held in Kathmandu, Nepal.
KLIP receives approval of Technical Advisory Committee
• The Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) in Telangana has received the approval of Technical Advisory
Committee of the Union govt in Delhi. The expected cost of project is Rs 80,000 crore.
G7 summit 2018 held in Canada
• The 44th G7 summit was held on June 8–9, 2018, in La Malbaie, Quebec, Canada.This was the sixth time since
1981 that Canada has hosted the meetings.
Mauritius to host 11th World Hindi Conference
• Mauritius will host the 11th World Hindi Conference in its capital city Port Lois from Aug 18-20, 2018. It will be
organised by Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Govt of India in association with Govt of Mauritius.
International ICT conference to be held in Nepal:
• The Computer Association Nepal (CAN) is organizing an international-level 'Information and Communication
Technology (ICT) Conference-2018' in Kathmandu on June 17-18.
Conference on implementation of NPS by the CABs held in Delhi
• A Conference on Implementation of National Pension System (NPS) by the Central Autonomous Bodies (CABs)
was organized by Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) in Delhi.
106th Science Congress to be hosted by Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Jalandhar:
• Government was announced that The 106th Indian Science Congress will be held at Lovely Professional
University (LPU) in Jalandhar, Punjab from January 3 to 7, 2019.
India To Host European Union Film Festival
• The European Union Film Festival (EUFF) will premiere in New Delhi at the Siri Fort Auditorium. With a
selection of 24 latest European films from 23 EU Member States, this years' film festival brings some unusual
stories for the world cinema enthusiasts. The European Union Film Festival is organized by Directorate of Film
Festivals.
4th Governing Council Meeting Of NITI Aayog Held In Delhi
• The fourth meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog was held under the chairmanship of the PM
Narendra Modi at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. It was attended by 23 Chief Ministers and the Lieutenant
Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, apart from Union Ministers, who are ex-officio members and special
invitees.
SAARC Development Fund to launch SEDP
• SAARC Development Fund (SDF) will launch the social enterprise development programme (SEDP) as part of
its social window. SEDP will be implemented in all SAARC member states with an objective of identifying and
building social enterprises by using mix of grants and concessional returnable capital.
• Google may also launch a premium laptop Pixelbook along with intelligent home automation products such as
doorbell, camera, alarm system and a smoke detector, sold under the Nest brand along with its Wi-Fi system -
Google WiFi.
Ola Acquires Ticketing App Firm Ridlr:
• Ride-hailer Ola has acquired Mumbai-based Ridlr, an end-to-end public transport ticketing and commuting app.
Union Government constitutes committee to regulate news portals:
• The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) constituted a 10-member committee to regulate online
portals, including news websites, entertainment.
Flipkart Partners With MakeMyTrip To Offer Travel Services:
• Homegrown e-commerce giant Flipkart has forged a strategic partnership with online travel company
MakeMyTrip to offer travel services on its platform.
Union Government launches UTTAM App for Coal Quality Monitoring:
• Union Minister for Railways and Coal, Piyush Goyal launched UTTAM App for Coal Quality Monitoring.
Abbreviation UTTAM stands for ‘Unlocking Transparency by Third Party Assessment of Mined Coal’.
Khadi Store Locator App launched By Giriraj Singh:
• Minister of State for Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (Independent Charge), Giriraj Singh launched a mobile
phone application for locating Khadi stores in the country.
TN govt launches ‘Uzhavan’ mobile app for farmers:
• Tamil Nadu (TN) Chief Minister K Palaniswami recently launched ‘Uzhavan’ (meaning – farmer), a mobile
application for farmers.
Goa govt to launch its app-based taxi service:
• Goa State Government has decided to launch its own app-based taxi service at some key tourist destinations
across the state. Goa govt to launch its app-based taxi service
TRAI unveils beta site for comparison of telcos’ tariffs:
• The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) unveiled the beta version of a portal that aims to bring on one
platform, the tariffs offered by telecom operators in different service areas.
Amazon launches web browser in India which uses less data:
• Amazon has launched an Android web browser app called Internet which is designed to use minimal storage
and data. The app supports private tabs that don't save browser history and shows cricket news and general
headlines on its homepage.
DARPAN-PLI App launched by Manoj Sinha:
• Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Communications, Manoj Sinha launched DARPAN-PLI App, which
will help in collection of premium for Postal Life Insurance (PLI) and Rural Postal Life Insurance (RPLI) policies
at Branch Post Offices anywhere in India.
‘Study in India’ portal of HRD Ministry launched by Ms. Sushma Swaraj:
• Union Minister of External Affairs, Ms. Sushma Swaraj launched ‘Study in India’ portal of Human Resource
Development (HRD) Ministry in presence of Union Minister of Human Resource Development, Prakash
Javadekar and Minister of State for HRD, Dr. Satya Pal Singh.
Commerce Ministry Launches Digital Platform For MSME Exporters:
• Commerce and Industry Minister launched the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) Global Linker
platform for MSME exporters in New Delhi.
Vijay Goel launches Central Project Monitoring Unit for e-Vidhan project at Parliament House Annexe:
• Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goel inaugurated the new office of Central Project Monitoring
Unit for the e-Vidhan project of the Government at the Parliament House Annexe.
Government launches Seed import-export portal
• Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh launched a portal to facilitate import-export of seeds and
planting material.
Paytm Introduces 'Tap Card' Offline Payments Solution:
• One97 Communications Limited, the owner of digital payment major, Paytm, announced the launch of its offline
payments solution - the Paytm Tap Card, in line with the company's vision to provide seamless payments
solutions for non-internet customers.
Dhadkan mobile app was launched to monitor health of heart patients:
• Students at IIT Roorkee have developed a mobile application -- 'Dhadkan' -- for monitoring the health of people
suffering from heart ailments and provide them with medical assistance in case of emergency.
Now pensioners can view passbook using Umang app:
• EPFO announced that now Pensioners can view their pension passbook on mobile phones using Umang app.
Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has introduced this facility as a part of its plan to go paperless
by August 2018 and offer all services online.Umang app was launched by government in 2017.
Infibeam to buy arm of Snapdeal:
• Ahmadabad-based Infibeam said it will acquire Snapdeal’s subsidiary Unicommerce, which offers e-commerce
enablement software, in a deal worth up to Rs120 crore.
Andhra CM launches NCBN app to implement effective governance:
• Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu launched the official ‘NCBN’ (Nara Chandrababu Naidu)
App in the Collector’s conference held at Amravati. The ‘NCBN’ (Nara Chandrababu Naidu) App has been
launched to implement effective governance in Andhra Pradesh.
China's Alibaba Buys Pakistan E-Commerce Firm Daraz
• Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba had purchased leading Pakistani online retailer 'Daraz', continuing its
overseas expansion by gaining a foothold in the growing South Asian consumer market.
Paytm Introduces Automatic Recurring Payments
• Paytm introduced automatic recurring payments, a new feature that lets users configure the payments app to
pay for periodic recurring expenses automatically. Similar to standing instructions for bank accounts, the ‘My
Payments’ feature can be used for high-value payments for a variety of cases.
Suresh Prabhu launches IP mascot – IP Nani
• The Commerce and Industry Minister, Suresh Prabhu has launched the Intellectual Property (IP) mascot – IP
Nani – at the conference on National Intellectual Property Rights Policy in New Delhi.
Election Commission to launch app to help voters share malpractice proof:
• The Election Commission will launch a multi-lingual mobile application empowering people across the country to
share evidence of malpractice by political parties, their candidates and activists ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha
polls, directly with the electoral body.
Mobile app to be launched for advance lightning warning:
• The Odisha government has decided to introduce a special mobile application to provide advance information
on lightning which has claimed at least 61 lives between April and May 22 this year
Election Commission to launch app to help voters share malpractice proof:
• The Election Commission will launch a multi-lingual mobile application empowering people across the country to
share evidence of malpractice by political parties, their candidates and activists ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha
polls, directly with the electoral body.
Mobikwik launches UPI on platform
• Leading digital financial services platform, MobiKwik has announced the launch of Unified Payments
Interface (UPI) on its platform via its own Virtual payment address (VPA) handle @ikwik. MobiKwik’s users can,
by default, use their mobile number as their own VPA which will be ‘@ikwik’.
UNICEF launches data visualisation app:
• The UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund) has launched Data Visualisation App to provide user-
friendly visual representation of complex analytics of education scenario in India.
PRAAPTI App launched by Minister of State (I/C) for Power, Shri R.K. Singh
• A Web portal and an App namely PRAAPTI (Payment Ratification And Analysis in Power procurement for
bringing Transparency in Invoicing of generators), www.praapti.in, has been officially launched by Hon’ble
Minister of State (I/C) for Power, Shri R.K. Singh.
IRCTC website gets user-friendly features
• Now you need not log in to the IRCTC website if you just want to check the availability of seats in trains or to get
information on trains between two stations.
Patanjali Launches New Messaging App 'Kimbho':
• Yoga guru Baba Ramdev's Patanjali launched a new swadeshi messaging application called 'Kimbho' to
compete with WhatsApp. Kimbho caters to private and group chats with free phone and video calling.
NRL Becomes 1st Oil PSU To Introduce Online Legal Compliance
• Numaligarh Refinery Ltd (NRL) in Assam has become the first oil public sector undertaking (PSU) to adopt an
online legal compliance system by introducing 'Legatrix'.
Election Commission launches app to report electoral malpractice:
• The Election Commission on Tuesday launched an Android-based mobile application named “cVigil” for citizens
to share proof of malpractices by political parties, their candidates and activists when the Model Code of
Conduct is in force.
BSNL unveiled internet telephony service 'Wings'
• Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) will roll out its new internet telephony service with brand name "Wings" from
August 1
CBIC launched GST 'Verify App'
• Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has launched a mobile app 'GST Verify' developed by B
Raghu Kiran, joint commissioner GST Hyderabad.
• The fifth Indo-Kyrgyzstan Joint Training Exercise KHANJAR-V culminated on 29 March, after a joint tactical
validation exercise and a closing ceremony held at Counter Insurgency Jungle Warfare School.
SAHYOG- HYEOBLYEOG 2018: Indian, Korean coast guards hold joint exercise off Chennai coast:
• Indo-Korean joint anti-piracy, search and rescue exercise 'SAHYOG- HYEOBLYEOG 2018' was conducted off
the Chennai coast today. The Korean Coast Guard ship 'BADARO' took part in the exercise. Indian Coast
Guard ships and an aircraft also took part in it.
IAF to conduct Exercise Gaganshakti 2018 along Pakistan, China borders:
• From 10th to 23rd April, 2018, Indian Air Force (IAF) will conduct exercise ‘Gagan Shakti, 2018’, its biggest ever
combat exercise along Pakistan and China borders.
10th DefExpo India Begins In Tamil Nadu:
• The tenth edition of a biennial exhibition of weapons and military hardware - DefExpo India- 2018 has begun at
Kanchepuram in Tamil Nadu. The four-day long defence expo was formally inaugurated by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi.
Mahindra group ties up with Japanese firm for amphibious aircraft ShinMaywa US-2:
• Mahindra Defence Systems signed an agreement with ShinMaywa Industries, Japan, to manufacture and
assemble amphibious aircraft ShinMaywa US-2 in India.
The Indian Air Force conducted pan India Exercise Gagan Shakti-2018 from 08-22 Apr 2018:
• The Indian Air Force conducted pan India Exercise Gagan Shakti-2018 from 08-22 Apr 2018. The aim of the
exercise was real time coordination, deployment and employment of air power in a short and intense battle
scenario.
Sagar Kavach: Coastal security exercise held in Kerala:
• Two-day coastal security exercise ‘Sagar Kavach’ to strengthen and assess the loopholes in the coastal
security mechanism was held along Kerala coast. The exercise saw participation of Indian Coast Guard (ICG),
Indian Navy, Coastal Police and Marine Enforcement wing and various other security stakeholders.
Indo-Malaysian Joint Military Exercise 'Harimau Shakti' Held:
• As part of ongoing Indo-Malaysian defence cooperation, a joint training exercise Harimau Shakti will be
conducted in the dense forests of Sengai Perdik, Hulu Langat, Malaysia.
NDMA conducts mock exercise in North East on earthquake:
• National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) conducted a mock exercise on earthquake preparedness in
three North Eastern States – Tripura, Nagaland and Mizoram.
LCA Tejas Successfully Fired Air-To-Air BVR Missile:
• Indigenously developed Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas successfully fired an air-to-air beyond visual range
(BVR) missile.
India, Pakistan to participate in SCO counter-terror exercise Peace Mission 2018:
• For the first time, India and Pakistan will be part of a multi-nation counter-terror exercise, schedule to be held in
Russia in September 2018.
• The exercise has been named ‘Peace Mission 2018’ and almost all SCO member countries including China will
be a part of this exercise. Objective of conducting ‘Peace Mission 2018’ is to enhance counter-terror
cooperation among the eight SCO member countries.
South Western Command’s Exercise Vijay Prahar:
• South Western Command is carrying out Exercise VIJAY PRAHAR employing more than 20000 troops in the
Mahajan Field Firing Ranges close to Suratgarh in Rajasthan.
India emerges as fifth largest military spenders in 2017:
• According to recently released report of Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), India emerged
as fifth largest military spender in 2017.
China launches communication satellite:
• China has successfully launched ‘APSTAR-6C’, a new communication satellite into orbit. It was launched
onboard of Long March-3B carrier rocket from Xichang Satellite Launch Center.
SpaceX Launches Most Powerful Falcon 9 Rocket:
• The California-based aerospace company, SpaceX has blasted off its most powerful Falcon 9 rocket, which is
certified to carry humans to space later this year.
ISRO making green propellant:
• Scientists at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have reported progress in the development of an
environment-friendly propellant to power satellites and spacecraft.
Army finalises ammunition project:
• After years of deliberations, the Army has finalised a mega Rs.15,000-crore project under which a range of
ammunition for its critical weapons and tanks will be produced indigenously to overcome long delays in imports
and address the problem of a dwindling stockpile.
Indian Army flags of Women Officers’ Mountaineering Expedition:
• Indian Army flagged off Women Officers’ Mountaineering Expedition to Mt. Bhagirathi-II to explore maximum
potential of women officers in the field of adventure sports. Mt. Bhagirathi-II (6512 metres) is located in the
Garhwal Himalayas in Gangotri National Park.
Integrated Centre for Crisis Management for CBRN emergencies at BARC:
• President Ram Nath Kovind has inaugurated the Integrated Centre for Crisis Management (ICCM) at Bhabha
Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
India gears up for AI-driven wars:
• In an ambitious defence project, the government has started work on incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) to
enhance the operational preparedness of the armed forces in a significant way, which would include equipping
them with unmanned tanks, vessels, aerial vehicles and robotic weaponry.
All-women Indian Navy crew returns to Goa after historic circumnavigation:
• An all-woman crew commanding the INSV Tarini on Monday returned to Goa after successfully
circumnavigating the globe in a 55-foot sail boat in more than eight months, the first-ever Indian expedition
steered by women sailors.
India successfully test-fires BrahMos supersonic cruise missile:
• India successfully test-fired the Indo-Russian joint venture BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from a test range
along the Odisha coast to validate some new features. The missile was test-fired from a mobile launcher
stationed at Launch pad 3 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur.
China launches relay satellite
• China has launched relay satellite named Queqiao (Magpie Bridge) to establish communication link between
earth and its planned Chang’e-4 lunar probe (rover) that will explore the dark side of moon.
Chetak Corps of South Western Command conduct military exercise:
• Chetak corps of South Western Command of Indian Army has conducted military exercise Gandiv Vijay in
Mahajan field firing ranges of Rajasthan.
India-Nepal joint battalion level exercise:
• The thirteenth edition of India-Nepal joint military exercise, Surya Kiran-XIII will be conducted at Pithoragarh,
Uttarakhand from May 30 to Jun 12, 2018.
Military Exercise of Indian Army ‘Gandiv Vijay’ concludes
• The two-month long military exercise of India Army ‘Gandiv Vijay’ concluded in Mahajan field firing ranges near
Suratgarh in Rajasthan on May 23, 2018.
Rustom-2 drone to be delivered by 2020
• Indigenously developed Rustom-II Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) will be delivered to armed forces by 2020 as
per the contract. It has been developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
Exercise RIMPAC
• As many as 26 countries, including India, will participate in the biennial Rim of the Pacific, RIMPAC military
exercise from June 27 to August 2, in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. The
announcement was made by the Pentagon.
Trilateral war games to kick off from June 6-15.
• India, Japan and the U.S. will hold the annual Malabar trilateral naval war games off the coast of Guam in the
Philippine Sea from June 6-15.
DAC approves procurement of radars, air cushion vehicles:
• The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) on Thursday approved procurement of high powered radars for the
Indian Air Force and air cushion vehicles for the Army and the Coast Guard together worth over Rs.5,500 crore.
Indian Naval Ships arrive Guam to participate in Ex-Malabar 2018
• Indian Naval Ships Sahyadri, Shakti and Kamorta of the Eastern Fleet arrived at Guam to participate in the
22nd edition of Exercise Malabar, off Guam, USA from 07 to 16 June 2018.
Navy's INS Sunayna brings home 38 Indians from cyclone-hit Yemen's Socotra island:
• Thirty-eight Indians were on Thursday brought back home by the Indian Navy, four days after they were rescued
from the cyclone-hit Socotra Island in Yemen.
Dhanush artillery gun clears final test:
• India’s first indigenous, long-range artillery gun Dhanush has been successfully passed its final test at Pokhran,
Rajasthan. It paves its way for induction into Indian Army. Earlier the gun had passed tests under severe cold
conditions in Sikkim and Leh and in hot and humid weather in Balasore, Odisha, Babina in Jhansi.
India to host first BIMSTEC war games in September:
• India will host the first military exercise of the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical
and Economic Cooperation) group focussing on counter-terrorism in September. As part of this, a conclave of
the Army chiefs of all seven member-states is being planned.
India-Nepal joint military exercise concludes:
• The thirteenth edition of India-Nepal joint military exercise, Surya Kiran-XIII has been concluded at Pithoragarh,
Uttarakhand. The joint military exercise was aimed at further enhancing and strengthening level of defence
cooperation between the two neighbouring nations.
US Govt approves sale of AH-64E Apache attack helicopters to India
• The United States State Department approved sale of six AH-64E Apache attack helicopters along with support
equipments to India. The total estimated cost of the deal is $930 million.
• The Apache choppers are one of the most advanced multi-role combat helicopters which have advanced
weapons systems and night-fighting features, manufactured by Boeing.
ISRO plans next launch mission in August
• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has slated its next launch mission, an Earth observation
satellite, tentatively for August. The last one was in April. The upcoming episode will include 25 to 30 small
secondary foreign satellites as passengers on the light payload lifting rocket, PSLV-C42.
DRDO converts Pinaka rocket system into guided missile
• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) converted the indigenous developed Pinaka
rocket system into a precision-guided missile, with enhanced range and accuracy to hit its targets.
NASA’s record-breaking spacewoman retires as astronaut
• NASA’s record-breaking spacewoman, Peggy Whitson has announced her retirement as astronaut less than
year after returning from her last and longest spaceflight. During her career, she had racked up total of 665 days
in space — more than any other NASA astronaut, and record for women worldwide.
Russia launches Glonass-M satellite
• Russia successfully launched Glonass-M positioning satellite on board of Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket from the
Plesetsk space centre in Mirny, Arkhangelsk Oblast.
• The satellite is part of GLONASS network GLONASS (Russian acronym for Global Navigation Satellite System)
which provides real-time positioning data for surface, sea and airborne objects around globe, at accuracy
reportedly at par with US Global Positioning System (GPS).
Indian Coast Guard Ship ‘Rani Rashmoni’ commissioned in Port City Visakhapatnam
• Indian Coast Guard (ICG) commissioned fast patrol vessel (FPV) ICGS “Rani Rashmoni”, in Visakhapatnam,
Andhra Pradesh. It is the fifth and last ship to be commissioned in the series of fast patrol vessel (FPV) project
of ICG. The ship will be based at Visakhapatnam under the administrative and operational control of
Commander, No.6 Coast Guard District Headquarters (Andhra Pradesh).
India, Russia to hold military exercise Indra 2018 during the second half this year
• The tri-service joint Russia-India military exercise Indra-2018 will take place in an Indian military base in the
second half of this year. Russia has been a long-standing defence partner of India.
Indian Army is observing the year 2018 as the Year of Disabled Soldiers in Line of Duty
• To honour soldiers who have been disabled in line of duty, while serving the Nation and to celebrate the
undying spirit of ‘Soldiering’, Indian Army is observing the year 2018 as the ‘Year of Disabled Soldiers in Line of
Duty’.
India and Bangladesh have agreed to institute a Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) as an annual feature:
• India and Bangladesh have agreed to institute a Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) as an annual feature between
the two Navies. The first edition will be inaugurated by Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba during his visit there
from June 24 to 29.
India to sign 3,400 crore rupees deal with Israel to buy 4500 missiles
• India is set to sign a Rs3,400-crore ($500 million) deal with Israel for the purchase of around 4,500 Spike
missiles for the Indian Army. Spike is a fourth-generation man-portable fire-and-forget anti-tank guided missile
designed by Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.
Indra Vladivostok
10 India Russia
(Tri service) Russia
Sampriti Mizoram
12 India Bangladesh
(Military) India
IMBAX Meghalaya
14 India Myanmar
(Military) India
Mahe Island in
16 India Seychelles Lamitye 2018
Seychelles
Counter Insurgency
Jungle Warfare School,
19 India Kyrgyzstan KHANJAR-V
Variegate, Mizoram,
India.
• The mega annual cultural festival 'India by the Nile', organised to celebrate Indian culture and its diversity, will
begin in Cairo next week with the main focus on classical culture this year.
Rs. 5600 Crore Sanctioned Under Swadesh Darshan Scheme:
• A total amount of Rs. 5638.87 crore was sanctioned with the release of Rs. 2148.17 crore since 2014-15 till
date under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme of Ministry of Tourism. Under the Swadesh Darshan scheme,
thirteen thematic circuits have been identified for development.
Center sanctioned Rs. 687.92 Crore Under PRASHAD Scheme:
• Meanwhile, under the PRASHAD scheme, 23 projects have been sanctioned to 15 States for a total amount of
Rs.687.92 crore with the release of Rs.241.28 crore since 2015-16 till date.
International Yoga Festival Held In Risikesh:
• Uthrakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat inaugurated the week-long 29th annual, world-famous
International Yoga Festival (IYF) in Rishikesh's Parmarth Niketan.
Smriti Irani Inaugurated FICCI Frames 2018 In Mumbai:
• The Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting and Textiles, Smriti Zubin Irani inaugurated the FICCI
Frames 2018, in Mumbai. She has also released the FICCI-EY Media & Entertainment Report 2018 named 'Re-
imagining India's M&E Sector'.
NITI Aayog Has Launched Women Entrepreneurship Platform:
• NITI Aayog launched the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP), on the occasion of International Women’s
Day. CEO, NITI Aayog, Amitabh Kant, launched the WEP platform at NITI Aayog premises in New Delhi. The
WEP theme song “Naari Shakti” composed and sung by Shri Kailash Kher was released on this occasion.
RK Singh launches National E-Mobility Programme
• Shri R K Singh, Union Minister of State (IC) Power and New & Renewable Energy, launched the National E-
Mobility Programme.
PM Launches National Nutrition Mission And Pan India Expansion Of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao
• On the occasion of International Women’s Day, PM Narendra Modi launched the National Nutrition Mission
(NNM) and Pan India Expansion of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) covering all 640 districts of the Country at
a mega event held at Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan.
PM launches National Nutrition Mission:
• On the occasion of International Women's Day, the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, launched the National
Nutrition Mission, and expansion of the coverage of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao programme, at Jhunjhunu in
Rajasthan.
Government announces launch of ‘SUVIDHA’:
• Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Ananth kumar announced the launch
of ‘Suvidha’, the 100% Oxo-biodegradable Sanitary Napkin, under the Pradhan Mantri Bharatiya Janaushadhi
Pariyojana (PMBJP).
MP announces'Mukhyamantri Mahila Kosh' scheme pension for single women aged over 50 years
• On the International Women's Day on Thursday, Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced the
'Mukhyamantri Mahila Kosh' scheme aimed at providing pension to unmarried women aged over 50 years.
Annual Krishi Unnati Mela Begins In New Delhi
• The three-day annual Krishi Unnati Mela has begun in New Delhi with a focus on doubling farmers’ income. The
objective of the event is to create awareness among farmers about the latest agriculture-related technological
developments.
NITI Aayog Released SATH-E Roadmaps:
• NITI Aayog released comprehensive roadmaps and detailed timelines for its initiative ‘Sustainable Action for
Transforming Human Capital in Education (SATH-E)’ project. Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog released the
forward-looking blueprints.
LaQshya program launched to improve quality of Maternity care:
• The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched LaQshya program aimed at improving quality of maternity
care in labor room and maternity Operation.
More than 17 lakh beneficiaries enrolled under Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana:
• The Government of India has approved Pan-India implementation of PMMVY in all districts of the country from
01.01.2017 under which the eligible beneficiaries get Rs. 5,000/- under PMMVY and the remaining cash
incentive as per approved norms towards Maternity Benefit under Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) after
institutional delivery so that on an average, a woman gets Rs. 6000/-.
President Inaugurates Festival Of Innovation And Entrepreneurship in New Delhi:
• President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurates a Festival of Innovation and Entrepreneurship and present Gandhian
Young Technological Innovation awards at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi.
(KUSUM) scheme inaugurated to harness solar power for rural India:
• The Indian government is in process of formulating 'Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthan Mahabhiyan (KUSUM)
scheme' to harness solar power for rural India. The scheme will allow to setup grid-connected solar plants in
rural areas.
Cabinet clears Ayushman Bharat scheme for Rs.5L health cover to 10cr families:
• The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the Ayushman Bharat - National Health Protection Mission, which
aims to provide an annual health cover of Rs5 lakh to 10 crore poor families.
Government launches Sand Mining Framework to check illegal extraction
• The Union Ministry of Mines has launched Sand Mining Framework to help states deal with the sand mining
issues, including demand supply deficit and illegal extraction. It was launched at the third National Conclave on
Mines & Minerals held in New Delhi.
Housing & Urban Ministry has approved the construction of 3,21,567 affordable houses under PMAY:
• Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs has approved the construction of 3,21,567 more affordable houses for the
benefit of urban poor under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) with an investment of Rs18,203 crore with
central assistance of Rs4,752 crore. The approval was given in the 32nd meeting of the Central Sanctioning
and Monitoring Committee (CSMC) held in New Delhi.
11th Rashtriya Rifles biennial conference at Nagrota on 26-27 March 2018:
• The eleventh Rashtriya Rifles Biennial Conference is being conducted at Nagrota from 26 to 27 March 18.
SARAS Aajeevika Mela 2018 Held In New Delhi:
• SARAS Aajeevika Mela 2018 has been organised in New Delhi under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National
Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM). It is one of the flagship programmes of the Ministry of Rural
Development to alleviate rural poverty.
Government launches Swachh Bharat Summer Internship:
• Government is going to launch Swachh Bharat Summer Internship (SBSI) 2018 aimed at engaging college
youth with Swachhata work in villages in coming Summer vacation.
Tibetans to host 'Thank You India' campaign in Delhi:
• Former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit will preside over the opening ceremony of the Cultural Festival of Tibet
event, a part of the year-long 'Thank You India' campaign organised by the Central Tibetan Administration
(CTA), in New Delhi.
Ministry of Human Resource Development has launched the Rashtriya Avishkar Abhiyan (RAA):
• The Ministry of Human Resource Development has launched the Rashtriya Avishkar Abhiyan (RAA), a
convergent framework across School Education and Higher Education aiming to encourage children towards
learning Science and Mathematics.
TRAI proposes Wi-Fi grid to bring down cost of internet by 90%:
• Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) put forth a concept of open architecture-based public Wi-Fi grid to
bring down the cost of the internet by 90%.
8th Theatre Olympics concludes in Mumbai:
• 51-day long 8th Theatre Olympics, concluded in Mumbai on April 8, 2018. Theatre Olympics is the largest
international theatre festival and was held in India for the first time.
'Gobardhan Yojana' launched to Support Farmers:
• The Haryana government launched the 'Gobardhan Yojana' to provide for the sale of organic manure and cow
urine with an aim to benefit farmers. A provision of Rs 11 crore has been made to provide benefits of various
projects under this scheme.
FSSAI launches Project Dhoop to address vitamin D deficiency amongst youngsters:
• Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) launched ‘Project Dhoop’, an initiative to shift the school
assembly time to noon to make sure maximum absorption of Vitamin D in students through natural sunlight.
PM Modi Launches Largest Health Care Scheme On Ambedkar Jayanti:
• On the occasion of Birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the phase
one of the Ayushman Bharat schemes that aim at creating a healthy, prosperous and strong India. The first
phase of Ayushman Bharat will see 1.5 Lakh such Centers being set up across the country.
Government revises target to complete Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana from year 2022 to 2019:
• The Government has stated that the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana is well on its way to achieving the
target by March 2019.
• Sensing the importance and urgency of rural roads for national development, the target date for completion of
PMGSY-I has been proponed from 2022 to 2019.
• This centrally sponsored programme implemented in partnership with the state governments has seen the
greater focus and consistent improvement in pace and quality in the last three years.
Bharat-22 ETF follow-on offer may be worth Rs. 10,000 crore:
• The Finance Ministry might bring up a Rs 10,000-crore follow-on fund offer of the Bharat-22 exchange traded
fund (ETF) as it plans to dilute stake in Coal India to meet the minimum public holding norm.
Van Dhan Scheme launched by PM to help increase tribal income:
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Van Dhan Scheme of Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Tribal
Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) during the celebrations of Ambedkar Jayanti
at Bijapur, Chattisgarh.
• Eight States and four Union Territories have signed MoUs with the Union Health Ministry to implement the
government’s ambitious national health protection mission — Ayushman Bharat — which aims to provide a
cover of Rs.5 lakh per family annually to 10 crore vulnerable families.
PM’s maternity scheme benefits 23.6 lakh:
• After initial hiccups in implementing the maternity benefit programme Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana
(PMMVY), the government has finally made some headway and provided cash incentives to nearly 23.6 lakh
beneficiaries out of an estimated 51.6 lakh a year.
‘Government set to unveil Rs.500 cr. credit enhancement fund’:
• The government is set to unveil a Rs.500-crore credit enhancement fund next month to facilitate infrastructure
investments by insurance and pension funds.
PFRDA seeks to double pension limit under Atal Pension Yojana:
• The Pension Fund Regulatory Development Authority (PFRDA) has proposed to double the monthly pension
limit to Rs 10,000 from the existing Rs 5,000 under the Atal Pension Yojana. The proposal is now under the
consideration of the central government.
Met Dept To Use Flash Flood Guidance System For First Time To Forecast Floods
• India Meteorological Department (IMD) will use flash flood guidance system for the first time in the country
to forecast floods. Currently, the Central Water Commission issues flood warnings. The national weather
agency is preparing to launch this service from the next month. Different kinds of soil from various parts of the
country have been studied to find out how absorbent each variety was.
Women and Child Development launches ‘#YogaFor9to5’:
• The Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) launched a contest, ‘#YogaFor9to5’ focused on
generating awareness regarding benefits of Yoga at Workplace for Women. The contest invites self-
demonstration Videos & Pictures of Yoga Asanas being practiced during office hours. The Ministry proposes to
invite entries on easy Yoga Asanas which can calm Women during her work hours. The deadline for the contest
is June 21, 2018.
Government launches Swajal Scheme in 115 Aspirational districts
• Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation launched Swajal Scheme in 115 Aspirational districts of India to provide
clean drinking water. It involves total outlay of Rs. 700 crores through flexi-funds under existing National Rural
Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) budget.
20 States sign MoU for implementing AB – NHPM
• Twenty States signed MoU with Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) for implementing
Ayushman Bharat-National Health Protection Mission (AB-NHPM). The MoUs were exchanged during Health
Ministers’ conclave held in New Delhi.
KVIC adopts Jagatpur village in Delhi for Swachhata Abhiyaan
• The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has adopted Jagatpur village in Delhi for its Swachhata
Abhiyaan. The sanitation drive by KVIC began with a plantation drive and ended with cleanliness drive along the
bank of the Yamuna river.
Women Wizards Rule Tech programme launched by NASSCOM
• Indian IT industry’s apex body, NASSCOM (National Association of Software & Services Companies) launched
‘Women Wizards Rule Tech’ programme to increase number of women in senior levels in Information
Technology (IT) industry.
Jeff Bezos tops Forbes billionaires list for the first time:
• With a net worth of $112 billion, Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos has topped the Forbes billionaires list for the first
time, dethroning Bill Gates who topped the list 18 times in the past 24 years.
Delhi airport ranked number 1 in world in service quality:
• Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) has been ranked number one in the world on airport service
quality ranking.
World’s Best Airport: Delhi And Mumbai Airports Tie At No. 1
• Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) and Mumbai’s Chatrapathi Shivaji Maharaja International
Airport have beaten 1,952 other airports from 176 countries to tie at number one for world’s best airports, as per
Airports Council International (ACI) ASQ 2017 rankings.
Navi Mumbai has fastest 4G, Allahabad has slowest:
• Navi Mumbai has the fastest 4G speed at an average of 8.72 Mbps, while Allahabad has the lowest at 3.5
Mbps, an Open Signal analysis of 20 Indian cities between December-February revealed.
Pune Tops In Improved Quality Governance: Survey
• Pune came on top in the fifth edition of the Annual Survey of India’s City-Systems (ASICS), edging out
Thiruvananthapuram which had topped the previous two editions of the survey. Bengaluru was ranked at the
bottom.
Worldwide Cost of Living Report 2018- Singapore Most Expensive, Damascus Least
• Singapore remains the most expensive city in the world, according to The Economist Intelligence Unit’s
Worldwide Cost of Living report 2018.
• Damascus, the capital of war-ravaged Syria, is the cheapest city for living in the world, followed by Venezuela’s
capital Caracas.
Vienna rated world's most liveable city for 9th year in row
• Austria's capital city Vienna has been rated the world's most liveable city for the ninth consecutive year by
Mercer in its annual Quality of Living survey.
• Meanwhile, Iraq's capital city Baghdad has been rated the least liveable city for the tenth consecutive year.
Lakshadweep has least number of beggars, WB most in India:
• Union Minister for Social Justice Thaawarchand Gehlot has said that there are at least 4,13,670 beggars and
vagrants in India, with Lakshadweep having just two.
• West Bengal, with 81,000, has the maximum number of beggars, while Uttar Pradesh stood at second position
with 65,835 beggars.
India to be 3rd largest tourism economy in 10 years: Report
• India is expected to establish itself as the third largest travel and tourism economy by 2028 in terms of direct
and total GDP, a 2018 economic impact report by World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).
India Becomes 4th Largest Auto Market In The World:
• India has overtaken Germany to become the fourth largest automobile market in the world, According to the
latest global data. Automobile sales, including passenger and commercial vehicles, in Asia’s third-largest
economy, grew 9.5%.
India Becomes 3rd Largest Electricity Producer In The World:
• India has become the 3rd largest electricity producer in the world as its electricity production grew 34% over
seven years to 2017 after China and US.
India ranks 109th globally in mobile download speeds:
• India, the largest consumer of mobile data in the world, ranks 109th when it comes to mobile Internet download
speeds.
India replaces Vietnam to become second largest producer of mobile phones:
• India is now the second-largest mobile phone producer in the world after China.
India is now the world’s No 1 almond importer:
• India has toppled China and Spain to emerge as the world’s largest Importer of Almond in recent times.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has topped in Bloomberg Billionaires Top 100 Index:
• Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has added $21.8 billion to his fortunes this year and takes the top spot, Microsoft
founder Bill Gates was ranked 2nd in Bloomberg Billionaires Top 100 Index.
India pips Japan, becomes second largest manufacturer of crude steel:
• India has surpassed Japan and has become the world’s second largest producer of crude steel in February
2018, according to Steel Users Federation of India (SUFI) topped by China.
Patna tops in 4G connectivity among 20 largest cities:
• As per a report by OpenSignal, Patna has ranked No.1 among 20 largest cities in India in terms of 4G
availability.
Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport ranked among World’s Top 20 Busiest Airports:
• As per Airport Council International’s preliminary report on airport traffic for 2017, Delhi’s Indira Gandhi
International (IGI) Airport has ranked as 16th busiest airport in the world.
Commonwealth Trade Review 2018: India top recipient of Commonwealth FDI
• India has become the top recipient of foreign direct investment (FDI) from within the Commonwealth. It has
become the second-most lucrative source of investment within Commonwealth after the UK.
Bengaluru Highest Paying City For Talent:
• The garden city of Bengaluru is found to be the highest paying city in the country, with an average annual cost
to company (CTC) for talent across all levels and functions standing at about Rs 11 lakh, according to Randstad
Insights, the research and analysis division of Randstad India.
Airtel tops 4G download speed, Jio in coverage area:
• Bharti Airtel has topped the chart of 4G service providers with 9.31 mbps download speed on its network, a
report by broadband parameters research firm OpenSignal said.
India has world's 2nd largest unbanked population: World Bank
• India has 19 crore adults without a bank account, making it the world's second-largest unbanked population
after China, a World Bank report has said.
• India spent $63.9 billion on its military in 2017, an increase of 5.5% compared with 2016, the report stated. The
other countries in top five include the US, China, Saudi Arabia, and Russia.
Justin Langer Appointed Head Coach Of Australian Cricket Team:
• Cricket Australia appointed Justin Langer as the new coach of the Australian national cricket team. Justin
Langer Appointed Head Coach Of Australian Cricket TeamJustin Langer – Head Coach Of Australian Cricket
Team:
Mukesh Ambani only Indian businessman on Forbes most powerful people list:
• Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani is the only Indian businessman who made it to the Forbes latest
ranking of “The world’s most powerful people”.
India 3rd largest solar market in world: Mercom:
• India emerged as the third largest solar market in the world in 2017 behind China and the US, Mercom
Communications India said in a report.
Indore, India’s Cleanest City In Swachh Survekshan-2018
• As per the Swachh Survekshan-2018 results, Indore has once again emerged as the cleanliest city in
India. Bhopal has been ranked 2nd and Chandigarh 3rd in the survey at the national level.
Cleanest State Capital Greater Mumbai
Best city in Innovation and Best practices Nagpur
Best city in Solid Waste Management Navi Mumbai
North: Bhalso, Punjab.
East: Bundu, Jharkhand.
India's Cleanest City Zone-Wise North-East: Kakching, Manipur.
South: Siddipet, Telangana.
West: Panchgani, Maharashtra.
Aditya Puri in Barron’s list of top 30 CEOs:
• HDFC Bank MD Aditya Puri has been named in Barron’s list of top 30 Global CEOs, for the fourth consecutive
year. Jeff Bezos of Amazon, Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway, Jamie Dimon of JP Morgan Chase, Satya
Nadella of Microsoft and Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook figure in the list.
Niti Aayog’s Composite Water Management Index: Gujarat Tops, Jharkhand Lowest
• Minister for Water Resources Nitin Gadkari released Niti Aayog’s composite water management index report in
New Delhi. Gujarat topped the list while Jharkhand was adjudged as the worst performer. Gujarat is followed by
Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra.
Jio becomes India's second largest telco by revenue:
• According to TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India), Mukesh Ambani-ledReliance Jio surpass Vodafone
India as the country’s second largest operator in terms of "access service gross revenue" at INR62.2 billion
($903 million). Market leader Bharti Airtel still in No:1 with revenue of INR70.8 billion.
Money in Swiss banks: India moves to 73rd place, UK remains on top
• India has moved up 15 places to 73rd in terms of money parked by its citizens with Swiss banks in 2017, while
the UK remains on top.
Global Hunger Index 100
Family-Owned Businesses 3
Books Author
Fulfilling Bapu’s Dreams – Prime Minister Modi’s tribute to
Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev
Gandhiji’
Mahila Suraksha Jai Ram Thakur
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) paid tribute to former BCCI
'A Tribute to Jagu'
president Jagmohan Dalmiya.
Dr Prabhakiran Jain Paramveer Parwane
Namaste Shalom MP Shri Tarun Vijay
Think India journal on Deendayal Upadhyay NCP leader DP Tripathi
Sarvapriya Atalji Suresh Chand
CRICKET
IPL 2018 to feature DRS for 1st time in tournament's history:
• The Decision Review System (DRS) will be used in the Indian Premier League for the first time in the
tournament's 2018 edition following BCCI's approval.
Indian cricketer Harmanpreet Kaur joins Punjab Police as DSP:
• Indian woman cricketer Harmanpreet Kaur from her first day as Deputy Superintendent of Police in Punjab.
Venkatesh Prasad quits as BCCI junior selection chairman:
• Former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad on Friday submitted his resignation from the post of chairman of the
junior national selection committee.
Rashid Khan became the youngest cricketer as International caption at 19 years:
• Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan became the youngest cricketer at 19 years, 165 days to captain a national
side after leading the team as interim captain against Scotland.
Sunil Gavaskar named as Commissioner of T20 Mumbai League:
• Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has been named as the Commissioner of the T20 Mumbai League, which
will take place at Wankhede Stadium from March 11-21.
issue directions to increase the composition of the selection committees (senior men, junior and women) from
three to five members.
ICC bans smart watches from field, dressing rooms:
• The ICC has prohibited players and officials from using communication devices, especially smart watches, on
the field of play as well as the dressing room, taking another step at curbing corruption in the sport.
Chennai Super Kings won its third IPL title
• Shane Watson put up an exhibition of power-hitting in front of a packed Wankhede crowd as he struck a
memorable unbeaten century to power Chennai Super Kings to their third Indian Premier League title.
S. No Award Winner (Team)
1. Man of the Match (Final) Shane Watson (CSK)
2. Orange Cap (Most Runs) Kane Williamson (SRH)
3. Purple Cap (Most Wickets) Andrew Tye (KXIP)
4. Emerging Player Rishabh Pant (DD)
5. Stylish Player Rishabh Pant (DD)
6. Perfect Catch Trent Boult (DD)
7. Super Striker Sunil Narine (KKR)
8. Valuable Player Sunil Narine (KKR)
9. Fairplay Award
Toss will not be tossed away, says ICC Cricket Committee:
• The toss that brings in an element of intrigue at the start of a Test match will remain in force although former
captains and players had wanted it to be tossed away as pitches were being tinkered with to favour home
teams.
Dehradun International Cricket Stadium unveiled ahead of International debut:
• The Dehradun International Cricket Stadium was opened on Saturday, 26th May by the Chief Minister of
Uttarakhand, Shri Trivendra Singh Rawat, after a senior delegation comprising experts from the International
Cricket Council assessed the facility last week.
Virat Kohli among world’s highest-paid athletes
• India cricket captain Virat Kohli is the sole player from India to be featured in the world’s highest-paid athletes,
according to a Forbes’ compilation.The list has been topped by American boxing champion Floyd Mayweather.
Virat Kohli to get Polly Umrigar Award for best international cricketer:
• Virat Kohli will be honoured with the top BCCI award on June 12 with Polly Umrigar Award for being the best
international cricketer for the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons.
• Harmanpreet and Mandhana, both of whom played a crucial role in India's impressive runners-up finish at the
World last year, will become maiden recipients of the awards for best international cricketer (women) for the
2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons respectively.
Mithali Raj becomes first Indian to score 2,000 T20I runs
• Star batswoman Mithali Raj has became the first Indian cricketer to amass 2,000 runs in Twenty20
Internationals (T20I).
• Mithali achieved the landmark after scoring a knock of 23 during India's seven-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the
Women's Asia Cup T20.
• Rafael Nadal came out on top in a matchup of this year’s top two clay-court players, beating defending
champion Alexander Zverev 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 on Sunday to win a record-extending eighth Italian Open title.
Football
India U-16 football team lifts Jockey Cup:
• India Under-16 team has won the Jockey Cup International Youth Invitational Football Tournament title by
defeting Hong Kong.
Kerala Lifts Their 6th Santhosh Trophy:
• Kerala has lifted their sixth Santhosh Trophy Football title. In a thrilling final at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.
Barcelona Clinch its 25th La Liga Title Without Losing a Single Game:
• Barcelona has clinched their 25th La Liga title thanks to a 4-2 win over Deportivo La Coruna on Sunday night -
inspired by a Lionel Messi hat-trick.
Mohamed Salah named writers’ Footballer of the Year:
• Mohamed Salah of Liverpool football team has been named the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the
Year for 2017/18.
Juventus Win Italian Cup:
• AC Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma gifted two goals and Nikola Kalinic added an own-goal in a
nightmare 4-0 defeat for the Rossoneri as Juventus claimed a record fourth straight Italian Cup title .
Neymar named France’s player of the year:
• Neymar was named as France’s player of the year at an awards ceremony in Paris on Sunday, despite the
Paris Saint-Germain superstar missing the last three months of the season due to injury.
Neymar has been confirmed in a Brazil:
• Neymar has been confirmed in a Brazil 23-man World Cup Football squad of few surprises .
Iraq to host first international football tournament:
• Iraq is to host a West Asia Football Federation championship in the southern city of Basra in November, the first
international tournament to be staged in the country since the 1990s.
Zinedine Zidane quits as Real Madrid coach
• Zinedine Zidane quit as Real Madrid coach on Thursday, less than a week after leading the team to its third
straight Champions League title, saying the club needed a change in command.
FIFA lifts suspension on Guatemala:
• FIFA Thursday lifted a suspension imposed on Guatemala 18 months ago over its failure to comply with anti-
corruption rules.
Sunil Chhetri becomes joint second highest international goal scorer
• India’s football team captain Sunil Chhetri has become joint second highest international goal scorer among
active players along with Argentine superstar footballer Lionel Messi.
United States, Mexico And Canada Win Right To Host 2026 World Cup
• The United States, Mexico and Canada won the right to host the 2026 World Cup after easily beating Morocco in
a vote by FIFA member nations in Moscow.
Tennis
Nadal to become world no. 1 again:
• Spain's 16-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal displaced Swiss rival Roger Federer at the top of the ATP
men's singles rankings.
OTHERS
Tokyo Unveils Mascots For 2020 Olympics And Paralympics:
• Tokyo unveiled its long-awaited mascot for the 2020 Olympic Games: a futuristic blue-checked, doe-eyed
character with pointy ears and “special powers” that was picked by schoolchildren across mascot-mad Japan.
IOC lifts doping ban on Russia:
• The International Olympic Committee has lifted a ban against Russia, Moscow officials said Wednesday, after
the country was barred from the Pyeongchang games over state-sponsored doping.
Para-swimmer Prasanta Karmakar banned for 3 years for filming female swimmers:
• Kolkata-born Para-swimmer and Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Prasanta Karmakar has been
suspended for three years for recording videos of female swimmers.
India Wins Snooker Team World Cup 2018:
• India won the inaugural IBSF Snooker Team World Cup in Doha, Qatar. India beat Pakistan by 3-2 in the best-
of-five final.
RBI slaps Rs 3 Cr penalty on Axis Bank, 2 Cr on IOB:
• The Reserve Bank said it has imposed a penalty of Rs 3 crore on Axis Bank for violation of NPA classification
norms, and Rs 2 crore on Indian Overseas Bank for not complying with the KYC regulations.
Tejaswin Shankar Smashes National Record In High Jump:
• Delhi youngster Tejaswin Shankar smashed his own national record to claim the high jump gold as three
athletes booked their Commonwealth Games berths on the third and penultimate day of the 22nd Federation
Cup Senior National Athletics Championships.
Australia Lift 27th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup:
• World champions Australia have lifted the coveted Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey title. In the final at Ipoh, Malaysia,
they beat defending champions England by a narrow 2-1 margin.
India top medal tally at ISSF Shooting World Cup
• India topped the medals tally in the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup with four gold,
one silver and four bronze medals for a total of nine medals in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Deepa Malik Becomes Asian Rank 1 In Javelin F-53 Category:
• Indian Para-athlete Deepa Malik won a gold medal in the F-53/54 category javelin event at the World Para
Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai.
Purva Barve Wins Women’s Singles U-19 Title at Israel Junior 2018:
• India’s Purva Barve has won the Women’s Singles (Under-19) title at the Israel Junior 2018 Badminton
tournament held in Rishon LeZion, Israel.
Elavenil Valarivan wins 10m Air Rifle gold in junior ISSF World Cup:
• Indian shooter Elavenil Valarivan shattered the qualification world record and claimed the gold medal in 10m
women’s air rifle event of the season’s first junior ISSF World Cup in Sydney.
Pankaj Advani qualifies for knockouts at Asian Billiards Championship:
• All four Indian cueists, including multiple-time world champion Pankaj Advani, qualified for the knockout stage at
the Asian Billiards Championship in Myanmar.
Manu Bhaker wins gold in ISSF Junior World Cup shooting:
• Pistol sensation Manu Bhaker continued her terrific run of form, again claiming the individual as well as team
gold medal, while Gaurav Rana bagged a silver, as Indian shooters set the stage ablaze in the ISSF Junior
World Cup in Sydney.
Sebastian Vettel Wins Australian Grand Prix
• Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) won a dramatic Australian Grand Prix after leapfrogging Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
during a safety car period.
PV Sindhu To Be India's Flag-Bearer At 2018 CWG
• Indian Olympic Association (IOA) chooses PV Sindhu as the flag-bearer of the Indian contingent for the opening
ceremony of the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.The opening ceremony will be held on April 4.
Pankaj Advani Wins Asian Billiards Championships Title:
• Pankaj Advani defended his Asian Billiards Championships title by demolishing his practice partner B Bhaskar
6-1 in the summit clash in Yangon, Myanmar. With this win, Advani remains the reigning Indian, Asian and
world champion in billiards for 2017-18.
ISSF Junior World Cup- Anish Bhanwala Wins Gold
• India's 15-year-old shooter Anish Bhanwala won a gold medal at the ISSF Junior World Cup in the 25 meter
rapid fire pistol event in Sydney, Australia. It was India's third gold at the event. Bhanwala was placed 7th in the
same event at the ISSF Senior World Cup.
ISSF Junior World Cup- Manu Bhaker, Anmol Won Gold:
• The duo of Manu Bhaker and Anmol secured India’s seventh gold medal in the ISSF Junior World Cup in
Sydney, Australia.
17th Sub Junior National Wushu Championship Started in Jammu and Kashmir:
• The four-day 17th Sub-junior National Wushu Championship began in Jammu today. The national level sports
event is being organised in the winter capital city of Jammu by the the Wushu Association of India in
collaboration with J&K State Sports Council at MA Stadium.
HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar inaugurates Smart India Hackathon Grand Finale 2018-Software edition:
• Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar inaugurated the Smart India Hackathon Grand
Finale 2018 -Software edition in New Delhi.
Sebastian Vettel won Bahrain Grand Prix:
• Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel won his second Grand Prix in as many races, at the Bahrain Grand Prix, while
Mercedes' finished second by just 0.699 seconds.
• Meanwhile, reigning world champion Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton finished third.
17-year-old Pune swimmer Sampanna Ramesh Shelar double crosses Bangla Channel, sets world record:
• Sampanna Ramesh Shelar, a 17-year-old swimmer from Pune has set a world record to double cross the
Bangla Channel.
Daniel Ricciardo wins Chinese Grand Prix:
• Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull won Chinese Grand Prix to claim the sixth victory of his Formula One career.
8th South Asian Judo Championship begins in Lalitpur, Nepal:
• In Nepal, the 8th South Asian Judo Championship began in Lalitpur near Kathmandu. Besides host Nepal,
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are participating in the three-day championship.
IOC presents memento to Abhinav Bindra, Vijender Singh:
• International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach presented a memento to Indian Olympic medallist
shooter Abhinav Bindra and boxer Vijender Singh.
India wins 8th South Asian Judo Championship:
• India has won 8th South Asian Judo Championship. On the concluding day of the championship, Indian women
and men won team events in Lalitpur, Nepal this evening.
Bengaluru FC wins Super Cup Football tournament:
• Bengaluru FC have won the inaugural edition of Super Cup Football tournament. In the final at the Kalinga
Stadium in Bhubaneswar
India to host Asian weightlifting championship for the first time in 2019:
• India will host the Asian weightlifting championship for the first time in history next year, the national federation
announced.
Shahzar Rizvi's silver opens India's account at ISSF World Cup:
• World record holder Shahzar Rizvi claimed India's first medal at the ongoing World Cup organised by the
International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) at Changwon, South Korea.
Lewis Hamilton wins Azerbaijan Grand Prix
• Lewis Hamilton was handed victory in Azerbaijan Grand Prix during which both Red Bulls sensationally collided
with each other.
India's Neeraj Goyat is WBC Asia Boxer of the Year:
• Indian pugilist Neeraj Goyat has been conferred with the WBC Asia Boxer of the Year Award. Neeraj is the
current WBC Asia champion in welter weight category.
Hockey India names Harendra Singh as men's coach:
• Hockey India today named Women's hockey coach Harendra Singh as chief coach of the Indian men's team.
Incumbent men's in-charge Sjoerd Marijne was re-appointed as Indian women's hockey coach.
ISSF brings you ‘Athletes Handbook’:
• Quality guidance at a young age is the key to healthy growth in any sport. Keeping this in mind, the Athletes
Committee of the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF), with the former World and Olympic champion
Abhinav Bindra as the chairman, has brought out a comprehensive Athletes Handbook, for the benefit of
shooters around the world.
Talent search camp in Bengaluru:
• About 120 players are set to be trained in three batches at the Padukone-Dravid Centre of Excellence in
Bengaluru, in three batches, as part of the drive by the Badminton Association of India (BAI) to identify fresh
talent.
India finishes on top with 20 gold medals at 3rd South Asian Junior Athletics Championships:
• India finished on top with 20 gold, 22 silver and 8 bronze medals, at the 3rd South Asian Junior Athletics
Championships (SAJAC) at Sugathadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
• Host Sri Lanka won 12 gold medals 10 silver and 19 bronze medals and occupied 2nd place. Pakistan won 1
silver and 1 bronze medal and secured the third place.
NBA and FIBA to host BWB Asia:
• The National Basketball Association (NBA) and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) will host the
Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Asia event, open to the best boys and girls in the under-17 age group of the
Asia Pacific region, at the NBA Academy in the National Capital Region from May 30 to June 2.
Lewis Hamilton cruises to victory in Spanish Grand Prix:
• Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton easily won the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday for his second straight Formula
One victory, increasing his championship lead over Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel.
Heena takes gold in air pistol:
• Former World record-holder Heena Sidhu announced her readiness for the next World Cup in Munich with a
gold medal in air pistol at the international shooting championship here.
India's Neeraj Goyat is WBC Asia Boxer of the Year:
• Indian pugilist Neeraj Goyat has been conferred with the WBC Asia Boxer of the Year Award. Neeraj is the
current WBC Asia champion in welter weight category.
Hockey India names Harendra Singh as men's coach:
• Hockey India today named Women's hockey coach Harendra Singh as chief coach of the Indian men's team.
Incumbent men's in-charge Sjoerd Marijne was re-appointed as Indian women's hockey coach.
ISSF brings you ‘Athletes Handbook’:
• Quality guidance at a young age is the key to healthy growth in any sport. Keeping this in mind, the Athletes
Committee of the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF), with the former World and Olympic champion
Abhinav Bindra as the chairman, has brought out a comprehensive Athletes Handbook, for the benefit of
shooters around the world.
Talent search camp in Bengaluru:
• About 120 players are set to be trained in three batches at the Padukone-Dravid Centre of Excellence in
Bengaluru, in three batches, as part of the drive by the Badminton Association of India (BAI) to identify fresh
talent.
• The camp in June-July will be under the guidance of Prakash Padukone with assistance from Vimal Kumar, and
junior national coach Sanjay Mishra.
India finishes on top with 20 gold medals at 3rd South Asian Junior Athletics Championships:
• India finished on top with 20 gold, 22 silver and 8 bronze medals, at the 3rd South Asian Junior Athletics
Championships (SAJAC) at Sugathadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
NBA and FIBA to host BWB Asia:
• The National Basketball Association (NBA) and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) will host the
Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Asia event, open to the best boys and girls in the under-17 age group of the
Asia Pacific region, at the NBA Academy in the National Capital Region from May 30 to June 2.
Lewis Hamilton cruises to victory in Spanish Grand Prix:
• Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton easily won the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday for his second straight Formula
One victory, increasing his championship lead over Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel.
Heena takes gold in air pistol:
• Former World record-holder Heena Sidhu announced her readiness for the next World Cup in Munich with a
gold medal in air pistol at the international shooting championship here.
Lewis Hamilton Wins Spanish Grand Prix:
• Lewis Hamilton (of Mercedes) won for the second race in succession by dominating an eventful Spanish Grand
Prix 2018. Valtteri Bottas of Mercedes stood second in the race.
First Para-National Games to be held in Bengaluru:
• The inaugural National Para Games, on the lines of National Games for able-bodied athletes, will held under
the Khelo India Scheme from Jun 28 to Jul 07 in Bengaluru.
Shivangi Pathak becomes India’s youngest women to scale Mt Everest:
• At the age of 16, Shivangi Pathak has become the India’s youngest women to scale Mt Everest from Nepal
side. Shivangi climbed Mt Everest to spread the message that women could overcome any obstacle to achieve
their goals.
Mridul Banerjee Named Delhi Dynamos Assistant Coach:
• Indian Super League (ISL) outfit Delhi Dynamos appointed Mridul Banerjee as the new assistant coach of the
club. The 59-year-old will take over from Shakti Chauhan who left the side earlier this month.
Bala Prasath Wins Formula Junior Racing Series 2018 Championship
• Coimbatore racer Bala Prasath has won the Formula Junior Racing Series 2018 Championship in Coimbatore,
Tamil Nadu.
• Bala, who was trailing in second place after Round 1 with 91 points, was in his element in Round 2 at the Kari
Motor Speedway.
South Korea Wins Asian Champions Trophy 2018
• The Indian women’s Hockey team failed to defend its crown at the fifth Asian Champions Trophy, as it lost to
hosts South Korea, 0-1 in the summit clash at Donghae City, South Korea. A goal by Youngsil Lee clinched the
Korean team as the winner of Champions Trophy.
Japanese women’s badminton team clinches the Uber Cup
• Japanese women’s badminton team clinched the Uber Cup for the first time since 1981 when they defeated hosts
Thailand 3-0 at the IMPACT Stadium. The Uber Cup is also known as the Women’s World Badminton
Championship.
Vikas Gowda decided to quit sports:
• One of only three Commonwealth Games gold medallists for India in athletics, Vikas Gowda on Wednesday
decided to quit sports.
Sanjita Chanu provisionally suspended by IWF after failing dope test
• The Indian Weightlifting Federation's (IWLF) ‘attempt’ to make the sport free of doping has received a major
setback with Gold Coast Commonwealth Games gold medallist K. Sanjita Chanu (53kg) testing positive for a
banned anabolic steroid.
Pune’s Sarthak is youngest FIDE rated chess player:
• Pune youngster Sarthak Yashodhan Deshpande has become the youngest current rated chess player in the
country with FIDE ratings of 1,064.
Archana Girish Kamath qualifies for Youth Olympics:
• Table tennis player Archana Girish Kamath on Saturday qualified for the Youth Olympics in her last attempt,
joining fellow Indian Manav Thakkar for the October event in Buenos Aires.
• Indian boxer Mary Kom, who won a gold medal in the 51 kg category at the Asian Games in 2014, is set to skip
the 2018 edition of the championship.
Indian para-athlete Yogesh Kathuniya sets world record in discus throw
• India's para-athlete Yogesh Kathuniya smashed the world record in the men's discus F36 while winning gold in
the Para-Athletics Grand Prix in Berlin.
Max Verstappen won the Austrian Grand Prix
• Verstappen (20-year-old Dutch driver) won Red Bull's home Austrian Grand Prix Formula One to claim his first
win of the season.
Vikram Dogra become the first Indian Army officer to complete world's toughest Ironman Triathlon:
• Ironman Triathlon comprises three consecutive events: a 3.8-km swim, 180-km cycling and 42.2-km marathon,
to be completed within 17 hours.
Anju Khosla, Oldest Indian Woman To Complete Ironman Triathlon
• At 52, Anju Khosla has become the oldest Indian woman to complete an Ironman Triathlon – one of the
toughest one-day sporting events.
Sports Authority of India to be renamed 'Sports India'
• Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore confirmed that name of “Sports Authority of India" (SAI) will be
changed as 'Sports India'. Daily expenses on food and nutrition of the athletes will be increased.
Kerala to host world kayaking tourney:
• The Kayaking community from across the world will make a beeline for Thusharagiri in Kozhikode for the first
edition of the Malabar World Kayak Championship to be organised by the Tourism Department from July 18 to
22.
Vettel wins Silverstone epic four-way battle ahead
• Sebastian Vettel won a thrilling British Grand Prix which saw Lewis Hamilton come from the back of the grid to
battle for second.
Dipa Karmakar wins gold in Gymnastics World Cup:
• Returning to action after a long lay-off of nearly two years due to injury, India’s premier gymnast Dipa Karmakar
clinched the gold medal in the vault event of FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup at Mersin
Indias Bajrang Punia won gold medal at Tbilisi Grand Prix, Deepak won bronze
• Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia won the gold medal at Tbilisi Grand Prix in Georgia with a 9-3 win over Iran’s
Mehran Akbar Nasiriafrachali in the 65kg category final. Deepak Punia won the bronze medal in the 86kg
category by defeating Turkey’s Osman Gocen 5-3.
India's Dalabehera Bags Bronze In Junior World Weightlifting
• Indian lifter Jhilli Dalabehera has bagged the bronze medal in the 2018 IWF Junior World Weightlifting
Championships at Tashkent. She lifted 167 kg in the 48 kg category to finish third on the podium.
Dipika Pallikal to represent Asia in CGF AAC
• Squash player Dipika Pallikal has been appointed as Asia’s representative in the prestigious Athletes Advisory
Commission of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF).
Indian goalkeeper, Sreejesh is to lead Indian Hockey Team at Asian games 2018
• Indian goalkeeper PR Sreejesh will lead the 18 member Indian men's hockey squad and Chinglensana Singh
Kangujam will serve as his deputy in the 18th Asian Games. It will begin in Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia
in August 2018.
IMPORTANT OBITUARIES
PERSON FIELD
Kanakalata Mohanty Odia writer.
T Thomas Businessman.
Khagendra Jamatia Tripura minister.
Prafulla Das Veteran Literateur.
Shammi Veteran Bollywood actor.
Ustad Pyarelal Wadali Singers.
Sir John Sulston British genome pioneer.
Begum Hamida Habibullah Former Rajya Sabha member.
Ken Dodd Comedian.
Stephen Hawking Scientist.
Narendra Jha Film Actor.
Kedarnath Singh Hindi poet and critic.
R K Dorendra Singh Former Manipur Chief Minister
C.V. Rajendran Tamil film director
Ray Wilkins England Football Players
Munin Barua Assam film director
E N Rammohan Former BSF (Border Security Force) director general
S Nihal Singh Journalist
Barbara Bush US first lady President
T V R Shenoy Journalist and Columnist of Karnataka
Nerses Krikorian Scientist
Rajinder Sachar Former Delhi High Court Chief Justice
Balantrapu Rajanikantha Rao Musicologist and broadcaster
Lester James Peiris Sri Lankan filmmaker
Ashok Mitra Eminent Economist
Kottayam Pushpanath Malayalam detective novelist
Ravinder Sharma Renowned artist
Marshal Idris Hassan Latif Former Air Chief
Arun Date Renowned Marathi singer
B. N. Vijay Kumar MLA from Jayanagar in Karnataka
Balkavi Bairagi Noted Hindi lyricist, poet, politician
The South African Indian community is mourning the demise of musician and
Ramesh Hassan,
singer
Lester James Peiris Sri Lankan filmmaker
Ashok Mitra Eminent Economist
Kottayam Pushpanath Malayalam detective novelist