Events of AUG 2011Updated 23 AUG 11

The state where the pollution control board has ordered closure of 22 coal mines

Jharkhand

The city in which a newly-laid Astro-turf hockey pitch, has been named after Indian hockey legend Dhyan Chand

Dhyan Chand

The disease affecting animals which has been declared to be globally eradicated

Rinderpest

The company which is being sued by thousands of South Koreans who claim it had invaded their privacy by storing a hidden log of their movements on their iPhones

Apple Inc.

Budh International Circuit, which will witness India's first F1 car race is located in

Greater Noida

The highly endangered cat species, Rusty Spotted Cat or Felis Rubiginosa, which is endemic to India and Sri Lanka was spotted at

Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve

The recipient of V.V.Giri Memorial Award 2010 recognition of Dr. Panchmal Dinanath Shenoy his outstanding contributions towards the understanding of the emerging labour issues

The oil tanker which has been hijacked by Somali pirates with 21 Indian sailors aboard, off the coast of Oman

Fairchem Bogey

The biennial Asia-Pacific Golf Championships for the Nomura Cup, at which the Indian team a bronze medal were held in

Fiji

The second of Shivalik class stealth frigate manufactured by

INS Satpura

Mazagaon Docks inducted into the Indian Navy in Aug 2011

The person who has been chosen to receive the International Award in Statistics, jointly instituted by Government of India and International Statistical Institute, Woorburg, The Netherlands

Prof. Victor Yohoi of Argentina

The smuggling of this wood which has increased substantially after reports of usingPterosibilin, its extract to make pills similar to Viagra

Red Sanders

As per a report by Global Financial Integrity, the total present value of India's illicit assets held abroad is

$462 billion

The Sukhoi fifth-generation stealth fighter, which is being jointly developed by Russia and India is named

T - 50

The first aircraft carrier of China is undergoing sea trials, the aircraft carrier, named Shi Lang, was acquired from Russia and formerly named

Varyag

The GoI scheme which envisages promotion of e-Governance AGRISNET with the objective to provide IT enabled services to farmers and also for computerization of various offices in the States in agriculture & allied sectors is known as

The cargo vessel Nafis-I which was found to be carrying weapons and intercepted by the Indian Navy belongs to

Iran

The winner of men's singles title in the 2011 Rogers Cup held in Montreal, Canada. See also Sports Events

Novak Djokovik

The Prime Minister of Nepal who assumed office in Feb 2011 only to resign in Aug 2011

Jhalanath Khanal

The Audio-Visual presentation of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagores Jana Gana Mana poem in full five stanzas by various artists unveiled in Aug 11 by Finance MInister Mr. Pranab Mukherjee is named

Jaya Hey

The person who has been awarded the Tenzing Norgay Lifetime Achievement Award, 2010

Late Col Balwant Singh Sandhu

The director of controversial Hindi film Aarakshan

Prakash Jha

The winner of National Snooker Championship held in Chennai

Aditya Mehta

The winner of National Billiards Championship held in Chennai

Pankaj Advani

The SAARC nation which has recently banned smoking in public places

Nepal

The world's largest floating library which has recently docked in at Visakhapatnam

MV Logos Hope

According to the World Investment Report 2011 released by UNCTAD in July 2011, Indias position among the top 20 FDI recipients is

14th (it was 8th in 2009.)

The number of unemployed persons in the country as the latest reports available for 2009-10 is

9.50 million

The joint operation launched by the security forces of Bihar, U.P. and Jharkhand to apprehend the maoists is named

Operation Vishwas

The spacecraft launched by NASA on a journey to Jupiter is named

Juno

The Committee on Customer Service in Banks, constituted by the RBI in 2010, which submitted its report in Aug 2011 was headed by

M. Damodaran

The theme of National Environment Awareness Compaign Forests for Sustainable Livelihood 2011-12 launched by the Ministry of Environment and Forests.

The cargo ship which started sinking off the coast of Mumbai and the crew of which were rescued by Indian Coast Guard

M.V. Rak Carrier

The animal which has been added by the Ministry of Environment and Forests to the list of animals that cannot be trained or used as a performing animal under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act of 1960.

Bull

M T Pavit, an oil tanker that drifted in from the Persian Gulf and lay stranded at Mumbai on 31 Jul 11 belongs to (the ship was set afloat on Aug 15 and set on sail to Dighi port)

Panama

The Indian shooter, who has secured number one rankng in the world in doubletrap shooting

Ronjan Sodhi

The variety of mango grown around foothills of Girnar mountains in Gujarat's Junagadh district, which has been granted the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.

Gir Kesar

The new Chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes

Shri M. C. Joshi

Events of June 2011Updated 30 Jun 11

The Indian businessman who has been awarded the Rahul Bajaj Knight in the Order of the Legion of Honor by the French Government

Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary, which has been directed by the Environment Minister to be upgraded to a tiger reserve is located in

Goa

The person who has become the first Indian to be appointed the Chief Operating Officer of Global FMCG giant Unilever

Harish Manwani

The new Chief of Integrated Defence Staff

Vice Admiral Shekhar Sinha

The person who has been conferred the Hindi Academy Shalaka Samman

Arvind Kumar

The person who has become the first Indian to be conferred Crans Montana Forum Award (The Crans Montana Forum is a Swiss International Organization created in Crans Montana (Switzerland) in 1986. It is formally recognised notably for its purpose to contribute to the construction of a more Humane World: "Committed to a more Humane World".)

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

The new social networking service launched by Google is named

Google Plus

The place from which the nationwide socioeconomic and caste census to identify people living below poverty line (BPL) was flagged off

Shankhola, in Tripura West

The latest version of Microsoft Office launched by Microsoft in India

Microsoft Office 365

The protest by Mahatma Gandhi, which has figured Salt Satyagraha in the Time magazine's list of Top 10 Most Influential

Protests

The Indian journalist, who has been presented with the 17th Indu Sharma Katha Samman 2011 for his novel 'MaCluskieganj'

Vikas Kumar Jha

The new chief of International Monetary Fund

Christine Lagarde (from France)

The venue of 12th International Indian Film Academy Awards ceremony

Toronto, Canada

Meghdoot Awards which were conferred recently are given to

Postal Employees

The chemical used in IEDs, whose production has been sought to be restrained in Pakistan by the US

Ammonia Nitrate

The country which has recently ratified two UN Conventions - UN Convention on Suppression of Terrorism Financing and UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crimes

Nepal

The country in which two-month long Festival of India has been organised with effect from 26 Jun 2011

South Africa

The Indian writer who has bagged two top literary awards for her critically- acclaimed debut novel Saraswati Park -- the Betty Trask Award and the Desmond Elliot Prize.

Anjali Joseph

The Tourism Ministry is planning to set up 20 parks on Sentosa model to boost tourism. Sentosa is an island in

Singapore

The project launched by Indian Navy in MoU with

Sagardeep

IGNOU, for in-service training to its sailors is named

The salary limit below which salaried tax-payers are exempt from filing income tax returns as per the latest government notification

Rs. 5 lakhs

So that Others May Live, a coffee table book has been released by

Indian Air Force

The gas-based 726 MW capacity Palatana Power Project, which is being constructed by ONGC is in

Tripura

Ducati, the motorcycle manufacturer which unveiled its latest model Diavel in India, is based in

Italy

The first new generation Nerpa Akula-II class nuclear attack submarine, which will be inducted in Indian Navy by the end of this year is being procured on 10-year lease from

Russia

The chemical used for artificial ripening of fruits, which has been banned by Delhi Government

Calcium Carbide

The arm of ISRO, which has prepared a detailed national inventory of wetlands on the basis of satellite imagery

Space Applications Centre

The National Hockey Championship, which was held Haryana in Bhopal was won by

Forbesganj, which was in news for police firing on unarmed villagers is located in

Bihar

Dakshin Dare, a car and bike rally held in Jun 11, began in Chennai and ended at

Bengaluru

A mishap at Cuddegal iron ore mine site killed 3 people recently. Cuddegal is in

Goa

Konaben , ONGC's gas well which is in news for unstoppable gas leak is located in

Tripura

MV Wisdom, the cargo ship which was grounded at Mumbai after it broke off from the tugboat while being towed to Alang for shipbreaking belongs to

Singapore

India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management, which has been launched in New Delhi, is under

Election Commission of India

The century's longest lunar eclipse which occurred on 16 Jun 2011 (past midnight of 15 Jun) lasted for

100 minutes

MV Suez, a cargo ship which was hijacked in Aug 2010, to be released recently after payment of a ransom belonged to (the ship had six Indians on board)

Egypt

The Hollywood action star, who alongwith Former Boxing champion Mike Tyson has been inducted into International Boxing Hall of Fame

Sylvester Stallone

Ustad Asad Ali Khan, the renowned musician, who passed away on 14 Jun 2011 was an exponent of

Rudra Veena

Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcano, which has erupted Chile early this month is located in the Andes range in

India's 10,000 MW Nuclear Power Project (which will Kovvada, Andhra Pradesh be the biggest when completed) has been given the clearance to come up at

Lafarge, an international cement company which is setting up a cement plant in Meghalaya and Himachal Pradesh is based in

France

The book by Jawaharlal Nehru which has been brought out in Braille edition

Letters from a Father to his Daughter

Indias first cruise liner and onboard training ship is named

M.V. AMET MAJESTY

Bharti group has exited the financial services joint venture with French firm AXA. The company has sold its 74% holding to

Reliance Industries Ltd

The island ceded by India to Sri Lanka in 1974, case Katchchatheevu for retrieval of which has been filed by Ms Jayalalitha in the Supreme Court

The age limit for the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS) has been lowered from 65 years to

60 years

The latest warship commissioned in the Indian Navy INS Kabra (built by Garden Reach Ship Builders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata and named after an island in Andaman and Nicobar archipelago)

Worlds highest railway bridge which is coming up Chenab between Katra and Laol in Jammu and Kashmir is over river (to be built at a height of 359 meters, the bridge will be 35 meters higher than the Eiffel Tower of Paris)

The bird species (once found in large numbers in India), which has been uplisted by IUCN to critically endangered due to drastic reduction in numbers

Great Indian Bustard

Etisalat, a major telecommunication company in the world, which was in news when its Indian unit Swan Telecom was involved in 2G Spectrum scam is based in

UAE

The tennis player who won the French Open 2011 for the sixth time, defeating Roger Federer

Rafael Nadal of Spain

The new heavy lift military aircraft being procured by C - 17 India from the U.S. in a biggest-ever defence deal to be entered between the two countries.

The city which has been chosen to be the venue of UN Conference on Bio-diversity to be held in Oct 2012

Hyderabad

The company which joined the United Nations' Clean Development Mission (CDM) programme, which aims to reduce CO2 emissions from its operations.

Maruti Suzuki

Li Na who won the French Open 2011 (the first China Grand Slam for her country) by defeating Francesca Schiavone of Italy belongs to

The new President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria with effect from May 29, 2011

Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan

Sania Mirza and her Russian partner Elena Vesnina Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka lost in the French Open Women's Doubles Finals to Czech duo of

MI6, the intelligence service which hacked the website of Al-Qaeda belongs to

United Kingdom

The deadly foodborne bacteria which has infected over 1600 people in 11 European nations, including

Escherichia coli

Germany and Spain

A major initiatives launched by the Ministry of Rural Development to bring the poorest of the poor above the poverty line by ensuring viable livelihood opportunities to them

National Rural Livelihood Mission

The endangered species of deer found only in Hangul Kashmir (Dachigam National Park), census of which was conducted by the Wildlife Institue of India in Mar 11

The Tibetan Parliament in exile which has been recently in news is headquartered at

Dharamshala (H.P.)

India's national initiative guaranteeing free delivery, free medicines and diet for pregnant women in government health institutes is named

Janani-Shishu Suraksha Karyakram

The state which has increased the minimum age limit for buying and drinking alcohol from 21 to 25

Maharashtra

Events of May 2011Updated 31 May 11

According to a report published by the United Nations, India's population is projected to peak by this year

2060

The winner of Santosh Trophy 2011 held in May 2011 in Assam

West Bengal

The country which has released a postal stamp on Rabindranath Tagore to commemorate his 150 birth anniversay

Sri Lanka

The US Space Shuttle which made its last flight in May 2011. (it had first flown in 1992)

Endeavour

The new Chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes

Prakash Chandra

The new aircraft being acquired by the Indian Navy for deployment on its aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya

MiG 29K

The medium-power radar being commissioned by IAF (developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation) to be deployed on Pakistan border is named

Arudhra

The country which has decided to shut down all its nuclear power plants by 2022, a decision that would make it the first major industrialised power to go nuclearfree in the aftermath of the atomic disaster in Japan

Germany

The country to which Tata Motors has first exported its small car Nano

Sri Lanka

The Committee constituted by GoI to examine ways to Chairman, CBDT strengthen laws to curb the generation of black money in the country, its illegal transfer abroad and its recovery will be headed by

India's longest railway tunnel, which is under construction Banihal in Jammu region. in the Pir Panjal mountain range will connect Qazigund in Kashmir with

The countries with which India has signed a Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) to check tax evasion and facilitate exchange of banking information

Ethiopia and Tanzania

The professor of IIT-Mumbai who has been selected for the prestigious G D Birla Award for Scientific Research for his contributions in the area of electronic communications

Subhasis Chaudhuri

With effect from 01 Jun 11, women will be considered senior citizens for railway concessions at the age of

58

The new FICCI Secretary General, replacing Amit Mitra who has joined the new West Bengal Govt

Rajiv Kumar

Grimsvotn volcano, which has erupted effecting air-traffic Iceland in Europe is located in

The People's Tribunal on the Safety, Viability and Cost Efficiency of Nuclear Energy set up by the protesters against Jaitapur Nuclear Project is headed by

Justice (retd) A P Shah and Justice (retd) S D Pandit.

The Pakistani Naval Base, which was taken over by Militants for about 18 hours on May 22-23

Mehran

The venue of Second Africa - India Forum, India being represented by Dr. Manmohan Singh

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Three Gorges dam, the largest in the world, has been causing environmental problems in China is built on the river

Yangtze

The climber from Arunachal Pradesh who has become the first woman mountaineer in the world to achieve the feat of climbing Mt Everest twice in the same season (First on May 12 and second time on May 22)

Anshu Jamsenpa

Sea-bird Naval base, Phase I of which was completed in May 2011 is located at

Karwar, Karnataka

GSAT-8, aboard Ariane 5 launcher was launched on May Guiana Space Centre, Kouru 21 from

Oldest Indian woman and also the first woman from Jharkhand to scale Mt Everest. See interactivity on Everest Achievers here

Premlata Agarwal

The green innovative concept, evolved at the behest of the President of India, to create eco-friendly sustainable urban habitats is named

Roshni

The place in Madhya Pradesh, where a new refinery set Bina up by Bharat Oman Refineries Ltd has been dedicated to the nation

The Indian swimmer who has won eight medals, including three gold at the 54th Malaysian Open Swimming Championship

Virdhawal Khade

The state which has become the largest producer of biofertilisers as per the latest data

Tamilnadu

Gamesa, the company which has signed an agreement with power company Caparo Energy India Ltd. to deliver wind turbines belongs to

Spain

The country which has leased land in Uganda and Tanzania to improve food-security in its own country

Bangladesh

The new Chief Minister of Puducherry

N Rangaswamy

The onboard magazine of Indian Railways which has been released recently to be distributed free on Rajdhani/Shatabdi Express trains and AC coaches of Duranto

Rail Bandhu

The winner of Sultan Azlan Shah Trophy played in Malaysia (Runner-up : Pakistan)

Australia

The new Chief Minister of Kerala (from Congress)

Oommen Chandy

The founder of Bharat Kisan Union who died on 15 May 2011 (BKU was formed on 17 Oct 1986)

Mahindra Singh Tikait

The person who has been chosen to captain Indian cricket team during its tour to West Indies in Jun 2011

Suresh Raina

The sixth economic census is planned to be conducted by the Government of India in the year (the 5th census was held in 2005)

2012

The venue of 2011 Arafura Games which are held once every 2 years for upcoming sportsperson of the AsiaPacific region

Darwin, Australia

The Indian boxer who was the lone Indian Gold Medallist at the Arafura Games and was also awarded the 'Best Boxer' trophy

Pinki Jangra

Pakistan's new 330-megawatt nuclear power plant built with Chinese assistance is located at

Chashma

The person who has bettered his own world record of climbing Mt Everest 20 times by doing it the 21st time

Apa Sherpa

The founder of Super 30, (an Indian educational program Anand Kumar to train 30 talented students from economically backward sections for IIT-JEE), who is being conferred 'Education in Excellence Award-2011 by Doha Chapter of Bihar Foundation

The person who has been chosen for 2011 ITU World Telecommunication and Information Society Award by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the leading United Nations agency for Information and Communication Technology

Mr. Sam Pitroda

The lake on which Tulbul project, talks on which have resumed between India and Pakistan, is located

Wular Lake

The person who has been chosen for Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding 2009.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel

The newly formed World Spice Organisation is to be headquartered at

Kochi, Kerala

Twelve-year old Mumbai girl nicknamed the 'Little Mermaid', who entered the Limca Book of World Records after becoming the youngest to win the Kimberley National Lake Argyle Swim in the crocodile infested waters of Kununurra, Western Australia.

Swapnali Yadav

The joint exercise of the Army and the Air Force being conducted in the deserts of Bikaner and Suratgarh in Rajasthan is named

Vijayee Bhava

Fivetime world champion who clinched her first gold medal of the year by winning the Asian Cup Womens Boxing tournament in Haikou, China

M C Mary Kom

The Indian origin person who has retained his position as Lakshmi Mittal the richest person in the UK for the 7th year in a row in 2011

The venue of 3-day film festival organised to commemorate the 150 birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore

New Delhi

The new Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh who has Jarbom Gamlin been appointed following the death of Mr Dorji Khandu in an aircrash

Maheshwar Hydro Power Project which was given the go-ahead for resumption of the stalled construction is located on

River Narmada in M.P.

The Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh who has died in Dorji Khandu a Pawan Hans helicopter crash

The limit for making payments using mobile phones, known as m-wallet, has been increased by RBI from Rs 5,000 to.

Rs. 50,000

India's fastest computer in terms of theoretical peak performance of 220 TeraFLOPS (220 Trillion Floating Point Operations per second) developed by Satish Dhawan Supercomputing Facility located at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) under Indian Space Research Organisation is named

SAGA-220

The venue of Asian Development Bank's 44th Board of Hanoi, Vietnam Governor's Annual Meet, India being represented by Shri Pranab Mukherjee

Events of Apr 2011Updated 30 April 11

Chief Minister's Sarvottam Shramik Puraskar and Labour Minister's Uttam Shramik Puraskar for workers in various sectors such as construction, manufacturing and transportation etc. have been launched by

Delhi Government

Shramik Helpline number launched by Delhi Government to handle complaints from workers.

12789

The coastal security exercise involving all the agencies looking after maritime security to be conducted on Goa's shoreline is named

Sagar Kawach

The new CEO and MD of Infosys Technologies

SD Shibulal

The new chairman of Infosys Technologies

KV Kamath

The place in Uttarakhand where Indian Institute of Management is coming up, the foundation stone of which was laid recently

Kashipur

The person who has been conferred the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2010

K Balachander

The person who has been appointed the coach of Indian cricket team in place of Gary Kirsten

Duncan Fletcher of Zimbabwe

The committee which has been appointed to look into Air India Wage issues is headed by

Justice Dharmadhikari

The person who has been appointed the chief of Indian Olympic Association in the wake of the arrest of Suresh Kalmadi

VK Malhotra

The first person to conquer Mt. Everest twice (in 1963 and 1965), who died recently

Nawang Gombu

The Indian cricketer who has been ranked 52nd in Time's MS Dhoni annual list of top 100 most influential people in the world. (The others are in the list are Mukesh Ambani (61), VS Ramachandran (79), Azim Premji (88) and Aruna Roy (89).

The table tennis player who has won the Joola Austria Junior and Cadet Open title at Linz, Austria beating compatriot Soumyajit Ghosh, and thus become the first Indian to win the Junior Boys singles title in the Global Junior Circuit events of the International Table Tennis Federation.

Harmeet Desai

The civil rights activist who has been honoured with the 2011 Gwangju Prize for Human Rights, South Korea's most prestigious award for those working on peace, democracy and justice in Asia

Binayak Sen

The police of this UT has become the first police force in the country to get Unmanned Aerial Vehicle for keeping a watch on criminal activities. (The UAV has been named Golden Hawk)

Chandigarh

Iodized salt is now proposed by the Government of India to Iron be additionally fortified by

X-SAT which was launched by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)-C16 alongwith RESOURCESAT-2 is the first satellite of

Singapore

YOUTHSAT which was launched by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)-C16 alongwith RESOURCESAT-2 satellite is a joint project of India and

Russia

Indian chess player who has won the Dubai International Open Chess by defeating Parimarjan Negi

Abhijeet Gupta

I AM KALAM, directed by Nila Madhab Panda, which won the audience award at Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) is produced by this NGO

Smile

Indian American cancer specialist and the author of 'The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer' who has been awarded this year's Pulitzer prize in the general nonfiction category

Siddhartha Mukherjee

The film which has won the best feature film award at the Geneva International Film Festival

The Desire

The actor-director who has been conferred the Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters, France's highest cultural award for her contribution to the development of IndoFrench cooperation in the field of cinema

Nandita Das

The space explorer mission launched by NASA in Dec 2009, which has recently released a trove of data from its sky-mapping mission to the world

WISE (Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer)

The country which has launched a Hindi website for providing better information access to families of Indian students

Australia

The city designed by German town-planner Dr. Otto Kolenigs Berger, which is celebrating 63 years of its formation this year

Bhubhaneswar

The Navratna Company which has been conferred the status of a Maharatna Company recently. See also Scope Awards and Maharatna and Navratna

Coal India Ltd

Companies

The Indian cricketer who has been named the Leading Cricketer of the World for 2010 by Wisden. (Virender Sehwag was the Leading Cricketer for 2008 and 2009)

Sachin Tendulkar

The jail at which National Literacy Mission has been launched to prevent prisoners from becoming second-time prisoners

Tihar Jail

The new chairperson of National Commission for Women with effect from 08 April 2011

Smt Yasmeen Abrar

Sanya the venue for BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-ChinaSouth Africa) summit in April is in (India being represented by PM Manmohan Singh)

China

The country, home to Europe's largest Muslim population, which has banned women from wearing fullface veils in public places

France

Beidou satellite launched as a part of Global Positioning System belongs to

China

The Chainsa-Sultanpur-Neemrana gas pipeline was commissioned recently. Chainsa and Neemrana are respectively in

Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan

The new Chairman of State Bank of India replacing OP Bhatt

Pratip Chaudhuari

The sportsperson who has been chosen for the Global Diversity Award for Sports 2011 for his outstanding achievements in cricket and his recent induction into the

Kapil Dev

ICC Hall of Fame 2010, by the Next Step Foundation.

Arthur Road has been in news recently more than once. What is located at Arthur Road?

Mumbai Central Prison

A painting by moghul period painter Abul Hasan sold at a record price of Rs. 10 crores at an auction in London. The painting was a potrait of

Jahangir

With effect from 01.04.11, the National Floor Level Rs. 115/- per day Minimum Wage (NFLMW) has been revised on the basis of rise in All India Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers from Rs. 100/- per day to

IIT-Kanpur's indigenously built nano satellite which is likely to be launched by the end of June this year from Sriharikota is named

Jugnu

The state which has raised Koya Commandos to combat the naxalites

Chhattisgarh

The Kannada writer who has been chosen for Saraswati Samman instituted by KK Birla Foundation

S L Bhyrappa

The interim headquarters of International Renewable Energy Agency which will become its permanent headquarters

UAE

The new Chairperson of Central Board of Film Censors, Sangeet Natak Akademi Ms Leela Samson, is also the chairperson of this institution

The Indian tennis duo which have become number one in the ATP Doubles Team rankings following their win at Miami Masters

Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi

The cricketer who has been conferred Sai Ratna Award by the Sai Baba Temple Trust at Shirdi

Sachin Tendulkar

The state which has recorded negative population growth for the decade 2001-11 as per the provisional census data

Nagaland

Poco poco dance has been sought to be banned for the Muslims of the country to which it belongs. The country is

Events of Mar 2011

The controversial book "Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi and His Struggle With India" has been written by

Joseph Lelyveld

The renowned Bharatanatyam danseuse who has been appointed the new Chairperson of Central Board of Film Censors

Leela Samson

The airport which has bagged the ''Best Airport India'' award at the Skytrax World Airport Awards in Copenhagen, Denmark

Bangalore International Airport (BIAL)

By commissioning its UP based 600 MW Lanco Lanco Infratech Anpara Power, this company has become the largest independent power producer in the country

Rajiv Trivedi, the police officer, who became the fastest person to swin the Palk Strait on Mar 25 belongs to

Andhra Pradesh

The comet-hunting spacecraft which was finally Stardust

shut down after 12 years of operation

The country which switched to permanent summer-time from daylight saving time providing for different standards of time for winter and summer

Russia

Baselworld Fair being held in Switzerland is premiere fair in

Watches, gems and jewellery

The decade 2011-20 has been declared by UN General Assembly as the decade for

Road Safety

Odisha and Odia are the new names given to erstwhile names of Orissa (state) and Oriya (language) by this amendment bill

113th Amendment Bill

SIMBEX-2011, joint naval exercise being held from 18 to 25 Mar 2011 involve India and

Singapore

The new drug for Tuberculosis manufactured by Cadilla, released by the Government on World Tuberculosis Day, Mar 24

Risorine

Nirmal Gram Puraskars which were awarded recently, have been instituted by Ministry of Rural Development, for villages which achieve

100% sanitation i.e they are 100% open defecation free (ODF)

Two drugs which have been banned with effect from 18 Mar 2011. See more onBanned Drugs

Gatifloxacin and Tegaserod

Kavoshgar-4 rocket launched recently with a test capsule designed to house an animal belongs to this country

Iran

The recruitment agency which has become the first ever ISO-9001:2008 certified recruiting agency in the Government sector

Staff Selection Commission (Northern Region)

The Kraal, which was once Mahatma Johannesburg, South Africa Gandhi's house recently in news for Coal India Ltd's effort to acquire it and convert it into a memorial is in

The Chowmohalla Palace which has been given the prestigious UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Merit Award for Culture Heritage Conservation is located in

Hyderabad

The sports disciplines which were a part of Beijing Olympics, but have been removed from XXX London Olympics

Baseball and Softball

The Exhibition of Innovations being held simultaneously with the Udyanotsav is held at

Rashtrapathi Bhavan, New Delhi

The committee constituted to review aspects of the agreement between Antrix (Arm of ISRO) and M/s Devas Multimedia Pvt. in the S Band Spectrum allotment was headed by

B.K. Chaturvedi

The MPLAD fund available for Members of Parliament has been increased from Rs. 2 crores to

5 crores

Arjun, the Main Battle Tank developed by DRDO and finally inducted into the India Army in Mar 2011 is manufactured at

Heavy Vehicles Factory, Avadi

The place where World Kannada Convention is

Belgaum

being held

The per capita availability of water in India as per the latest reports is (See alsoWater Stressed Condition

1,625 cubic meters

The person who has been selected for the Chameli Devi Jain award 2010 for outstanding woman mediaperson.

KK Shahina

The state where Hyderabad based Atomic Minerals Directorate has discovered uranium reserves (Nalgonda and Tummalapalle)

Andhra Pradesh

Bru refugees who were in news for being repatriated from Tripura to their homeland recently, originally belong to

Mizoram

The book "Matters of Discretion: An Autobiography" has been written by

I K Gujral

Bhuvan, a satellite mapping tool similar to Google Earth has been developed by

Indian Space Research Organisation

The state in which a case of illegal courts functioning by entertaining suits and issuing notices and summons has come to light

Tamilnadu

As per the latest report the state which has the highest number of wild elephants in India is

Kerala (6068), Assam (5281) Manipur (Nil)

Hinduastan Aeronautics Limited has tied up with Rosoboronexport to develop fifth generation aircraft. Rosoboronexport is a

Russia

company from

As per the latest report the state which has the highest rate of both urban and rural youth

Tripura

As per the latest government release the state which has the highest area of forest land under encroachment

Assam

The drugs which have been banned by the Government of India due to their side effects

Nimesulide, Cisapride and Phenylpropanolamine

The new scheme launched by Dept of Rakshak Telecommunications for jawans of Central Para Military Forces which would allow them to talk to their families at nominal cost

Pakistani leader who said, "The religious President Asif Ali Zardari fanaticism behind our assassinations is a tinderbox poised to explode across Pakistan. The embers are fanned by the opportunism of those who seek advantages in domestic politics by violently polarizing society."

Chutak Hydro-electric Power Project which is expected to be commissioned by Aug 2011 is located at

Kargil

The country which is the latest to join International Renewable Energy Agency

U.S.A.

The cricket player who refused a honorary doctorate from Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences citing professional reasons

Sachin Tendulkar

The 2006 Noble Peace prize winner and founder of Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, who was removed from his position as head of microlender Grameen Bank

Muhammad Yunus

The commonwealth country which has decided to remove the image of Queen of England from its currency notes and coins

Fiji

The person who has been picked by the military Essam Sharaf rulers to be the new Prime Minister of Egypt replacing Ahmed Shafiq

The places at which the Government is setting up underground oil storage facility to ensure availability of oil in case of abrupt disruptions

Visakhapatnam, Mangalore and Padur.

The road-map launched by Ministry of Sports to Operation Excellence or OPEX 2012 train and prepare Indian sportsmen for the London Olympics 2012 has been named

The world's highest tower which has overtaken Canton Tower in China is

Tokyo Sky Tree

The cricketer Kevin O'Brien who scored the fastest ever century in a World Cup match off 50 balls belongs to

Ireland

The film actor who has been chosen for Mother Teresa Award for his humanitarian work

Prem Chopra

The place which has been chosen to set up a National Centre for Marine Bio-Diversity

Jamnagar

The Indian origin doctor, who has been Dr. Satya Vrat Sharma conferred the Order of the British Empire Award for his medical services

The states and UT in which the assembly term is expiring in May-Jun 2011

Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Assam and Puducherry

Events of Feb 2011

The new chairman of the National Commission of Minorities

Wajahat Habibullah

The Karmapa monastery which was in news recently is in Himachal Pradesh

The 6th meeting of Environment Ministers of the four BASIC countries was held in New Delhi. The four BASIC countries are

Brazil, South Africa, India and China

The country which elected its first ever woman President Ms Dilma Rousseff who assumed office in Jan 2011

Brazil

The state in which Mobile Number Portability was launched as a pilot project before it was finally launched at the national level

Haryana

The US space shuttle which has been launched on its final mission, the shuttle will be retired after return from the mission

Discovery

The bank which has become a signatory investor to the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), a global initiative for sustainable development

State Bank of India

The 11 year old girl who secured her Woman FIDE Master (WFM) title after winning a silver medal in under12 girls category at World Youth Chess championship in

Ivana Furtado

Greece recently

The G-20 meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors was recently held in

Paris

The film 7 Khoon Maaf directed by Vishal Bhardwaj is based on a short story by this famous writer

Ruskin Bond

The second National Institute of Design is to come up at (The first is at Ahmedabad)

Jorhat, Assam

Pakistani Sufi singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and his manager were held by Directorate of Revenue Intelligence for allegedly possessing undeclared foreign currency at Delhi Airport. The Act under the provisions of which they have been charged is

FEMA (Foreign Exchange Management Act)

The Consortium which has been launched by Environment Minister, Mr Jairam Ramesh to save Asia's vultures from extinction

SAVE (Save Asia's Vultures from Extinction

The Canadian rock singer who performed at the opening ceremony of World Cup Cricket 2011 held at Dhaka

Bryan Adams

The painkiller drug which has been banned by Himachal Pradesh(the drug is banned in several countries and in India, a decision to ban its use for children has been taken by the health ministry recently

Nimesulide

The country with which India has recently signed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA)

Japan

The sportsperson who has been awarded NDTV Sportsperson of the year

Leander Paes

New mosquito repellants called Maxo Military and Maxo Safe and & Soft Wipes, have been developed by this organisation

DRDO

The award which has been instituted in memory of Pandit Swarbhaskar Bhimsen Joshi and whose first recepient is Lata Mangeshkar

The person who has been awarded the 23rd Moortidevi Award (2009) by the Jnanpith Trust

Akkitham Achuthan Namboodiri.

The anti-inflammatory drug administered to animals, which is posing a threat to vultures feeding on the carcases on such animals

Diclofenac

The place at which the Third Asian Conference of the Colombo Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) is being held, India being represented by Ms Meira Kumar, Speaker of the Lok Sabha

The International Container Trans-shipment Terminal (ICTT) which was dedicated to the nation recently is located at

Vallarpadam, Kerala

The place at which a new Indian Institute of Management is coming up

Tiruchirapalli

The Russian equivalent of American Global Positioning System (GPS)

GLONASS (Global Navigation Satellite System)

The state which has introduced Online Answering Information System (OAIS) in its Legislative Assembly

Rajasthan

National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning, the portal which is world's most viewed higher education site is a joint venture of

IITs and Indian Institute of Science

Antrix Corporation was in news for controversial deal with ISRO Devas Multimedia over alloting of shares S-band spectrum on ISRO satellites GSAT-6 and GSAT-6A. Antrix Corporation the commercial of arm of this government organisation

Facebook founder who was in news for being stalked by a person of Indian origin

Mark Zuckerberg

The city in which Aero India 2011 is being held

Bengaluru

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) of India has joined hands to develop state-of-the-art Concentrated Solar Power projects in India with

Abengoa, Spain

Sebi has made it mandatory for non-retail investors to apply for shares in public and rights offers through ASBA facility. This facility allows for debiting of money from investor's account only after share allotment. What does ASBA stand for

Application Supported by Blocked Amounts

The Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishwavidyalaya has developed 31 varieties of hybrid Maize seeds. One variety which yields 95.47 quintals per hectare is the highest yielder. It is known as

Dekalb Double

The 17th Commonwealth Law Conference with the theme Hyderabad 'Emerging Economies Rule of Law: Challenges and Opportunities' is being held at

A special stamp printed on 'Khadi' is being brought out by the Postal Dept on

Mahatma Gandhi

The World Philatelic Exhibition held at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi from 12 to 18 Feb 2011 is called

INDIPEX 2011

The person who said that the 'political-bureaucraticAPJ Abdul Kalam judicial system' in India was in a 'cancer-like' situation and

needed 'chemotherapy' to treat it

The newly elected Prime Minister of Nepal

Jhalanath Khanal

The place where World Telugu Conference is being held

Berhampur, Orissa

The California based university which was in news for having duped hundreds of Indian students

Tri Valley University

The slogan for World Wetlands Day 2011 is 'Forests for Water and Wetlands'. The World Wetlands Day is celebrated on

Feb 2

The yesteryears black and white film starring Devanand, Nanda and Sadhana which has recently been released in colour

Hum Dono

'De Ghuma Ke', the Cricket World Cup 2011 theme song, composed by Shankar-Ehsan-Loy has been written by

Manoj Yadav

The newspaper founded by Gopal Krishna Gokhale, which is celebrating 100 years of its foundation this year

Hitavada

The actor, producer who has been chosen to be a part of international jury at the Berlin International Film Festival 2011

Aamir Khan

The Pune campus of this private sector company will be provided security Central Industrial Security Force

Infosys

Surajkund, the venue of annual crafts fair where Andhra Pradesh has been made the theme state is located in this state

Events of January 2011

Shinmoedake volcano which erupted this month is located in

Japan

On 30 Jan 11, INS Vindhyagiri collided with MV Nordlake causing fire in INS Vindhyagiri. MV Nordlake belonged to

Cyprus

The state in which thousands of lawyers went on strike protesting holding of evening courts

Bihar

The TATA Steel Chess Tournament 2011 at Wijk aan Zee, The Netherlands which Hikaru Nakamura of the United States won the first place and Vishwanathan Anand of India, the second was held at

The magazine of the Parliamentarians of India brought out by the Constitution Club of India is called

Central Hall

Ravenshaw University which was in news recently due to a dispute involving overseas students in situated in

Orissa

The marching contingent which has been awarded the Best Marching Contingent Award amongst the three services for the 26 Jan, Republic Day this year

Indian Air Force

The marching contingent which has been awarded the Best Marching Contingent Award amongst the Para-military for the 26 Jan, Republic Day this year.

Indo-Tibetan Border Police

The state which has launched 'hut-free state' scheme to replace all huts in the state with permanent houses over a 6 year period

Tamilnadu

The state which has decided to ban nonbiodegradable disposable plastic products like cups, plates and glasses with effect from 15 Aug 2011.

Himachal Pradesh

The CPI leader who has been honoured with the "Vidarbha Bhushan" award by the newly-formed Vidarbha Foundation

AB Bardhan

The singer who has been conferred Kerala government's highest music award, "Swathi Puraskaram", in recognition of his outstanding contribution to Indian music.

KJ Yesudas

The new Rs. 5 coins will bear the potrait of this President of India, in commemoration of 125 years of his birth

Dr. Rajendra Prasad

Loreto College, which is celebrating its centenary Kolkata this year and at which Mother Teresa was once a faculty is located in

The state which is to be provided a rail link to Akhaura in Bangladesh, MOU of which is to be signed shortly

Tripura (Agartala)

Tuticorin Port Trust has been named after this V.O. Chidambaranar Pillai freedom fighter, who started the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company by procuring two ships and launching the first indigenous Indian Shipping service between Tuticorin and Colombo in the year 1906.

Maulana Gulam Mohammad Vastanvi, the VC of Darul Uloom Deoband stirred a controversy with his comments on Gujarat riots recently. The Islamic school is in Deoband which is in

Uttar Pradesh

Girnar mountain, which was in news for a new ropeway project awaiting clearance from the

Gujarat

Ministry of Environment and Forest is located in

The newly-appointed Commonwealth Games Organising Committee CEO

Jarnail Singh

The Additional District Collector of Malegaon who Yashwant Sonawane was burnt alive by oil mafia for interfering in the pilferage of kerosene in Nashik

The social networking site which banned an online group 'I hate Gandhi' for maligning Mahatma Gandhi

Facebook

The Indian discuss thrower who ranked 4th at the Vikas Gowda 2010 Asian Games but was awarded the bronze medal because the original bronze medallist from Qatar tested positive for drugs -

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the Chief Indonesia Guest at the 2011 Republic Day celebrations is the President of

This tableau made a comeback at the 2011 Republic Day celebrations after a 3 year gap

Delhi Tableau

The Sail Training ship built by Goa Shipyard Ltd s the latest addition to the Indian Navy

INS Sudarshini

The National Communal Harmony Award 2010 was awarded to this writer and social worker

Acharya Lokesh Muni

The army officer from the Army Medical Corps who was awarded the Ashok Chakra for his act of bravery in a terrorist attack in Afghanistan

Major Laishram Jyotin Singh

The rank of India in 2010 Global Prosperity Index, listed by the London based institute,

88

Legatum

Pt Bhimsen Joshi, and exponent of Khayal Gayki of the Kirana Gharana who died on Jan 24 was awarded the Bharat Ratna in

2008

Jal Hans, India's 1st Seaplane Service, launched Havelock Islands. recently by Pawan Hans and the Administration of Andaman and Nicobar islands connects Port Blair and

India's 1st Geothermal Power Plant which is expected to come up in Maharashtra within the next three year is being set up by

Thermax

India's first private firm to manufacture small civil aircraft which is likely to roll out its first machines by March this year

Mahindra Aerospace

US court has issued summons against this Urban Dev Minister Kamalnath minister for his alleged involvement in 1984 antiSikh riots. The Indian Govt has sought diplomatic immunity for him.

The music director who will be given the Crystal Award for his achievements in the world of art and music at the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland.

AR Rahman

The state which has decided to issue multipurpose identity cards to its fishermen to prevent infiltration

Orissa

The committee which is looking into Commonwealth Games' irregularities

Shunglu Committee

The city in which Mata Gujri Herbal Park has come up in a total area of 2.6 acres.

New Delhi

The mass contact programme launched by AP government

Rachabanda

National Girl Child Day with the theme 'Adolescent Girls: Issues and Challenges' was celebrated on

24 Jan 2011

Italian built fleet tanker which was inducted into the Indian Navy

INS DEEPAK

India Art Summit 2011, held in New Delhi from 20 Fourth Dimension. - 23 Jan 2011 was organised by

The Russian built aircraft carrier which will replace Indian Navy's aircraft carrier, INS VIRAT by 2018

INS Vikramaditya

The Geospatial World Forum 2011 was held in Jan 2011 in the following city

Hyderabad

The Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever, the first Animal ticks case of which was detected in Ahmedabad is transmitted through

The private airline company hitherto engaged in domestic operations has been accorded clearance by the government to launch international operations to Singapore, Bangkok etc. Earlier the company was in news for placing an order for 100 Airbus A320 aircraft.

IndiGo Airlines

Asia's largest literary festival, a book show held over 5 days from 21 Jan 2011 and organised by William Dalrymple and Namita Gokhale was held in

Jaipur

The parental house of this former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri in Ramnagar is to be converted into a museum to

attract tourists to the place. The house has been renovated by the UP Govt and will house things relating to his life and work

Jungle Mahal, a maoist affected area where train West Bengal services were temporarily suspended for about 7 months is in

The film which won the best motion picture The Social Network (drama) award at the Golden Globe Awards 2011

The actor who won the best actor award at the Golden Globe Awards 2011

Colin Firth

The actress who won the best actress award at the Golden Globe Awards 2011

Natalie Portman

This fair was held at Dilli Haat, New Delhi from 19 to 31 Jan 11. The fair is jointly organised by Council for Advancement of Peoples Action and Rural Technology (CAPART) and Min of Rural Development to facilitate the Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY) beneficiaries, rural artisans, craftsmen, Self Help Group and NGOs to exhibit and sell their products and provide them with opportunities for additional income.

Shishir SARAS Mela

The organisation which is adopting 5 districts of Uttar Pradesh to promote Organic Farming

Assocham

It is a Windows-specific computer worm. It came Stuxnet into news as it is said to have damaged Iran's nuclear facilities in Natanz thus delaying the start up of Iran's Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant.

Parashuram Kund, which received a record number of devotees who took a holy dip on the occasion of Makar Sankranti. According to a Hindu legend, Parashuram had once bathed in this kund to seek atonement from his sin of

Arunachal Pradesh (Lohit district)

matricide. The Hindus today believe that if a person takes a dip in the kund once, his sins would be wiped out forever. Parshuram Kund is located in

The state in which 34th National Games 2011 are Jharkhand being held

This organisation which was established on 15 The India Meteorological Department Jan 1875 keeps a watch on monsoon, cyclones, earthquakes etc. in India is celebrating 135 years of establishment

The team which won the Ranji Trophy for the first Rajasthan time in 2010. It defeated Baroda in the final match at Vadodara

As per Dr. Veerappa Moily , the Minister for Law and Justice, the pendency of cases in Indian Courts is to be brought down from 15 years to

3 years

As per ASER 2010, Annual Status of Education 3.5% (4% for 2009) Report 2010, released by the Vice-President of India Mr Hamid Ansari on Jan 14, the percentage of children not enrolled in schools for the year 2010 is (Read more in Current Topics)

The state which has decided to undertake GPS Mapping of all primary, middle, high and senior secondary schools in the state to identify locations for opening new institutes

Haryana

The Internet Protocol version which is set to succeed version 4 of Internet Protocol currently in use. IPv4 uses 32 bits and is nearing exhaustion . Government has decided to implement this version for all government departments by Mar 2010

IPv6 using 128 bits

SALVEX (Salvage Exercises), conducted in Jan 201 1 off Port Blair in the Andaman Sea,

the USA

involving INS Nireekshak, the diving tender of the Indian Navy and USS Safeguard a specialised salvage ship was jointly conducted by India and

The Indian industrialist selected for Jawarharlal Nehru Birth Centenary Award by Indian Science Congress

Ratan Tata

R&D Centre for Defence Shipbuilding named National Institute for Research and Development in Defence Shipbuilding (NIRDESH) is to come up at

Chaliyam, near Kozhikode (Calicut).

The new Ambedkar Sanctuary, where migratory birds from Siberia, China and Europe have started flocking is located in

Pratapgarh in UP

First Indian Comic Convention to facilitate direct interaction between readers and writers for creating new projects in country's comic industry will be held in Feb in

New Delhi

Bilateral Naval Exercise VARUNA 10 was conducted between the Indian Navy and this country's navy in the Arabian Sea in Jan 2011

France

The new index of 50 companies out of BSE 500 companies launched by Bombay Stock Exchange in Dec 2010

Shariah 50

This 17-year-old social activist from Chennai has been selected to attend the five-day World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland starting January 26. She and her colleagues will address on the theme 'Shared Norms for the New Reality. Besides, spiritual gurus Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Amritananda Mayi and Nikhilananda Saraswati (Chinmaya Mission) have also been invited to the forum.

Anjali Chandrashekhar

New post cards introduced by the postal dept which will be priced at 25 ps and carry advertisements

Meghdoot Postcards

The 3rd Research Base at Larsemann Hills, Bharati Antartica, the foundation stone for which was laid recently at New Delhi is named

Questions on Current Affairs of 2011 - I

1. Consider the following in respect of report released by UNAIDS in June 2011 1. 2. The rate of new HIV infections fell by more than 50 per cent in India between 2001 and 2009. The global rate of new HIV infections declined by nearly 25 per cent between 2001 and 2009.

Which of the above are true? a. b. c. d. Only 1 Only 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Both 1 and 2

2. Consider the following in respect of MF Hussain 1. 2. Through the Eyes of a Painter was the first film made by him. Before his death in London in 2011, he had accepted the citizenship of Qatar.

Which of the above is/are true? a. b. c. d. Only 1 Only 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Both 1 and 2

3. With which of the following films was the artist MF Hussain not associated? a. b. c. d. Gaja Gamini Through the Eyes of a Painter Life in a Metro Meenaxi - A tale of three cities

4. Consider the following in respect of Census 2011-

1. 2.

In addition to male and female sex status of a person, new category other than male or female has been introduced. Separate codes for divorced and separated have been introduced in addition to married and unmarried status

Which of the above is/are true? a. b. c. d. Only 1 Only 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Both 1 and 2

5. Consider the following in respect of Katchchatheevu: 1. 2. It is an island located in the sea between India and Sri Lanka ceded by India to the latter in 1974. A case has been filed by the TN CM Ms. Jayalalitha in the Supreme Court for its retrieval.

Which of the above is/are true? a. b. c. d. Only 1 Only 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Both 1 and 2

6. Consider the following in respect of World Environment Day June 5, 2011: 1. 2. The theme for the day this year was "Forests: Nature at your Service". India was chosen to be the Global Host of the day by United National Environment Programme (UNEP).

Which of the above is/are true? a. b. c. d. Only 1 Only 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Both 1 and 2

7. Consider the following in respect of Committee on Comprehensive Review of National Small Savings Fundwhich submitted its report recently 1. 2. The committee was headed by Shyamala Gopinath, Deputy Governor of RBI. The committee has reported that Postal Agents are being paid over Rs. 2000 crore as commission adding to the cost of small savings schemes.

Which of the above is/are true?

a. b. c. d.

Only 1 Only 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Both 1 and 2

8. Match the volcanoes which erupted in the recent past in List A with the countries they are located

List-I (Volcano)

List II (Country)

A. Puyehue

1. Japan

B. Grimsvotn

2. Chile

C. Shinmoedake
Code: a. b. c. d. A - 2, B - 1, C - 3 A - 2, B - 3, C - 1 A - 1, B - 2, C - 3 A - 3, B - 2, C - 1

3. Iceland

9. Consider the following in respect of MV Wisdom which was grounded at Juhu beach recently: 1. 2. 3. MV Wisdom was hijacked by pirates who abandoned it when attacked. MV Wisdom, is a Singapore based cargo ship which ran aground after the cable attached to a tugboat snapped. The ship was being towed to Alang, the shipbreaking yard in Gujarat.

Which of the above are true? a. b. c. d. Only 1 Only 2 1 and 3 only 2 and 3 only

10. Recently, the police in Tamilnadu seized a large quantity of sea cucumbers from smugglers. Which of the following is/are correct in respect of sea cucumbers? 1. They are a poisonous variety of cucumbers, which have been banned by the Govt.

2. 3.

They are marine animals found on the ocean floors all around the world and are currently endangered. They are smuggled because of their supposed medicinal properties.

Which of the above are true? a. b. c. d. Only 1 Only 2 1 and 3 only 2 and 3 only

11. Which of the following is the correct sequence of the places in the Dakshin Dare car rally held in Jun 2011? a. b. c. d. Chennai - Kodaikanal - Coimbatore - Mysore - Bengaluru Chennai - Coimbatore - Mysore - Kodaikanal - Bengaluru Kodaikanal - Coimbatore - Chennai - Bengaluru - Mysore Coimbatore - Kodaikanal - Chennai - Mysore - Bengaluru

12. Match the Ships, which have been in news recently with the reason for which they have been so

List-I (Ships)

List II (Reason)

A. MV Wisdom

1. Hijacked by pirates with Indians on board.

B. MV Suez

2. Indias first cruise liner and onboard training ship

C. M.V. Amet Majesty

3. Collided and caused fire in INS Vindhyagiri

D. M.V. Nordlake

4. Ran aground while being taken to Alang for shibreaking

Code: a. b. c. d. A - 4, B - 1, C - 2, D - 3 A - 4, B - 2, C - 1, D - 3 A - 1, B - 2, C - 3, D - 4 A - 3, B - 2, C - 1, D - 4

13. Which of the following is/are true in respect of recent decision by ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers)? 1. 2. 3. The ICANN has decided to allow virtually unlimited new domain names based on varied themes which will allow users to register domain names with innovative extensions. Such extensions (generic top-level domains - gTLDs) will be available on payment of a prescribed fee to the ICANN. Generic top-level domains have to be mandatorily in English

Which of the above are true? a. b. c. d. Only 1 Only 1 and 2 2 and 3 only Neither of the above

As per the historic decision by ICANN in Jun 2011, gTLDs can be in any language.

14. Which of the following is/are true in respect of Nerpa Akula-II class nuclear attack submarine? 1. 2. The submarines are being procured by India from Russia on a 10-year lease. They will be inducted as INS Chakra in the Indian Navy.

Which of the above are true? a. b. c. d. Only 1 Only 2 Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2

15. The anagram DISCOMS has been freqently in news recently. What does it stand for? a. b. c. d. Digital Selective Communications (in respect of mobile service providers) Division Support Command (of Army) Distribution Company (in respect of electrical power) None of the above

16. Consider the following in respect of Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) 1. 2. RSBY has been launched by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India to provide health insurance coverage for Below Poverty Line (BPL) families. In June 2011, the scheme was extended to cover all registered domestic workers.

Which of the above is/are true?

a. b. c. d.

Only 1 Only 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Both 1 and 2

Note: RSBY has been launched by the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

17. Consider the following in respect of Anjali Joseph 1. 2. 3. Anjali Joseph has bagged two top literary awards for her critically-acclaimed novel Saraswati Park -- the Betty Trask Award and the Desmond Elliot Prize. The Betty Trask Award is given to a debut novel by authors below the age of 35 who reside in a current or former Commonwealth nation. Desmond Elliot Prize is also awarded annually to the best first novel.

Which of the above is/are true? a. b. c. d. Only 1 Only 2 Only 1 and 2 All of the above

18. Consider the following in respect of the social security agreement signed between India and France coming into effect from 01 Jul 2011 1. 2. The agreement allows an employee affiliated to the French system, endorsed by India, to be maintained in the French pension scheme and vice versa. For medical insurance, accident at work and family benefits, these employees will be affiliated to the social security system of their host countries.

Which of the above is/are true? a. b. c. d. Only 1 Only 2 Both 1 and 2 None of the above

19. Consider the following in respect of double-hump camels 1. 2. Double-hump camels are not found in India. They are on the critically endangered list of IUCN.

Which of the above is/are true?

a. b. c. d.

Only 1 Only 2 Neither 1 nor 2 Both 1 and 2

Note: Double-hump camels are found in the Nubra Valley in Ladakh and are on the verge of extinction.

20. Consider the following with regard to the latest directive issued by RBI on transactions through ATM (w.e.f. 01 Jul 2011)? 1. 2. 3. Free transactions at ATMs of other banks are at present restricted to 5 per month. The facility is available only to savings account holders. Free transactions allowed at the ATMs of other banks will also include non financial transactions like balance enquiry and PIN change.

Which of the above is/are true? a. b. c. d. Only 1 Only 2 Only 2 and 3 All the above

21. Consider the following with regard to the latest directive issued by RBI on transactions through ATM (w.e.f. 01 Jul 2011) 1. 2. 3. The banks will have to credit amounts wrongly debited from the customer's account due to failed ATM transactions within seven days of the complaint, as against the current norm of 12 days. Banks will have to pay a penalty of Rs 100 per day if they fail to correct the wrong within seven working days, but only if the complaint is lodged within 30 days of the date of the transaction. The banks will have to send SMS and email alerts to customers for every transaction, as against the current practice of alerts for only select transactions beyond a certain amount, to check fraudulent transactions.

Which of the above is/are true? a. b. c. d. Only 1 Only 2 Only 2 and 3 All the above

22. Consider the following with regard to the Padmanabhaswamy Temple which was in news recently. 1. 2. The temple is located in Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva.

Which of the above is/are true? a. b. c. d. Only 1 Only 2 Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2

Note: The temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu.

23. Consider the following with regard to the Prime Minister's Shram Awards 2010. 1. The awards are given to selected workers employed in the Departmental Undertakings & Public Sector Undertakings of the Central and State Governments and Private Sector Units employing 500 or more workers This year, no nomination was found suitable for the presitigious Shram Ratna Award.

2.

Which of the above is/are true? a. b. c. d. Only 1 Only 2 Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2

24. Consider the following with regard to the French Open 2011 and Wimbledon 2011. 1. 2. The duo of Sania Mirza and Elena Vesnina lost in the French Open Women's Doubles Finals. The duo of Mahesh Bhupathi and Elena Vesnina lost in the Wimbledon Mixed Doubles Finals.

Which of the above is/are true? a. b. c. d. Only 1 Only 2 Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2

Note: Elena Vesnina is from Russia.

25. Which of the following Indian bowlers has not crossed the 400 wicket mark in test cricket? a. b. c. d. Kapil Dev Anil Kumble Javagal Srinath Harbhajan Singh

Note: Harbhajan Singh took his 400th wicket against West Indies in Jul 2011.

26. Which of the following is/are true in respect of South Sudan which became independent on 09 Jul 2011? 1. 2. 3. a. b. c. d. It has become the 193 UN recognised nation in the world. It is an oil rich country with Juba as its capital India was represented by President Smt Pratibha Patil at the independence ceremony 1 only 2 only 1 and 2 only All the three
rd

Note: India was represented by the Vice-President Hamid Ansari.

27. Zimbabwes NoViolet Bulawayo has won the 2011 Caine Prize? 1. 2. Caine Prize is given annually for African writing. It is named in memory of the late Sir Michael Caine, former Chairman of Booker plc

Which of the above is/are true in respect of the Caine Prize? a. b. c. d. 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2

28. Which of the following dates given below is not related to terrorist attacks? a. b. c. d. 26 Jul 2005 26 Nov 2008 13 Jul 2011 11 Sep 2001

Note: 26 Jul 2005 is remembered for Mumbai floods.

29. Consider the following in respect of Tripartite Agreement signed recently on the Gorkhaland issue 1. 2. The agreement was signed by the Central Government, West Bengal Government and Gorkhaland National Liberation Front (GNLF). The agreement provides for creation of autonomous elected hill council, the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA).

Which of the above is/are true in respect of the agreement? a. b. c. d. 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2

Note: The third party to the agreement is Gorkhaland Janmukti Morcha.

30. Consider the following in respect of Spect-R, a Russian astronomy satellite launched recently. 1. 2. 3. The satellite was launched aboard the rocket, Zenit RF from the Baikonour cosmodrome in Kazakhsthan. The satellite is designed to peer inside black holes, obtain views of collapsed stars and improve the measurement of the influence of dark energy on the cosmos. The receiver system of the satellite was built and space qualified by ISRO's Space Applications Centre in Ahmedabad 15 years ago and then sent to Russia.

Which of the above is/are true in respect of the event? a. b. c. d. 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 All of the above

Questions on Current Affairs of 2011 - III

31. Which of the following is/are true in respect of US Space Shuttle programme? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. The US Space Shuttle programme began on Apr 12, 1981 with the launch of Columbia. Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Endeavour and Atlantis were the 5 shuttles used by NASA. Columbia was the only space shuttle to be destroyed during a mission. Challenger, Discovery, Endeavour and Atlantis were retired in 2011 and US does not have any more space shuttles. Kalpana Chawla was aboard Discovery when it crashed.

Which of the above is/are true? a. b. c. d. 1 and 2 1, 2 and 4 only 2, 3 and 4 only All are true

Note: Challenger was destroyed within a few minutes of a launch in 1986, the other three retired in 2011. Kalpana Chawla was aboard Columbia when she died.

32. Which of the following is/are false in respect of Indian Statistical Institute? 1. 2. 3. a. b. c. d. The headquarters of Indian Statistical Institute are located at New Delhi. PC Mahalanobis was the pioneer in establishing the Institute. Indian Statistical Institute has opened a new centre at Tezpur, Assam in Jul 2011. 1 only 2 only 3 only All of the above

Note: The headquarters of Indian Statistical Institute are located at Kolkata. (Just for information: PC Mahalanobis chaired the National Income Committee formed in 1949.)

33. Arrange the following in descending order of runs scored in Test cricket 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. a. b. c. d. Sachin Tendulkar Brian Lara Ricky Ponting Rahul Dravid J Kallis 1-2-3-4-5 1-4-3-2-5 1-4-2-3-5 1-2-3-5-4

Note: Rahul Dravid with his century at Lords surpassed the total of Ricky Ponting to become the second highest run scorer in Test cricket.

34. Match the sportspersons mentioned in List I with the sports in List II

List I Sportsperson
A. Bombayala Devi B. V Santosh Kumar C. Dronavalli Harika D. Mayookha Johny

List II Sports/Games
1. Chess 2. Archery 3. Athletics (Long jump) 4. Boxing

Code: a. b. c. d. A - 1; B - 3; C - 4; D - 2 A - 2; B - 4; C - 1; D - 3 A - 2; B - 1; C - 4; D - 3 A - 1; B - 4; C - 3; D - 2

Note: Refer Sportspersons in News

35. Who of the following is the manufacturer of BlackBerry smartphone devices? a. b. c. d. Apple Inc Research in Motion Samsung Nokia

36. Which of the following is/are true in respect of Sudirman Cup 2011 held in Quindao, China? 1. 2. 3. a. b. c. d. The cup was won by China defeating Denmark in the finals. Indian team was led by Saina Nehwal and P Kashyap. The cup carries a prize money of $1 million and is held every two years. 1 only 1 and 2 only 1, 2 and 3 None of the above

Note: Sudirman Cup does not carry any prize money and players play for the prestige of their country and BWF World rankings.

37. Which of the following is/are true in respect of Bal Shree Awards? 1. 2. a. b. c. d. Bal Shree awards are given by National Bal Bhavan to children between 9 to 16 years of age in four categories viz. Creative Performance, Creative Art, Creative Scientific Innovations and Creative Writing. National Bal Bhavan is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Child development and Women's Welfare. 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2

Note: National Bal Bhavan is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD).

38. Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize for their pioneering research on Graphene. Which of the following is/are true in respect of Graphene? 1. 2. 3. a. b. c. d. Graphene is an allotrope of carbon. Graphene is one of the strongest, lightest and most conductive materials known to humankind. Future use of graphene may lead to faster computers and mobiles. 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 All the three

39. Which of the following is/are true in respect of population projections made by the United Nations in May 2011? 1. 2. 3. a. b. c. d. India's population will peak at 1.718 billion by 2050, after which it will decline. The world population will reach 10.1 billion by 2100. India has been placed in the high fertility countries list. 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 All the three

Note: India's population is projected to peak by 2060. India is in the intermediate fertility countries list.

40. Sudarshan Pattnaik has been in news quite often recently. With which of the following is he associated? a. b. c. d. Sand art Painting Odissi dance Classical music

41. Which of the following is/are true in respect of Ammonium Nitrate? 1. 2. 3. Ammonium Nitrate is widely used as a fertiliser. Ammonium Nitrate has been notified as an explosive by the Government of India. The possession and use would invoke penal action only if any composition had 50% or more ammonium nitrate content. 1 only 2 only 1 and 2

a. b. c.

d.

All the three

Note: Possession of any composition including emulsions, suspensions, melts or gels with more than 45%Ammonium Nitrate will be deemed to be explosive.

42. Which of the following is/are true in respect of Harish Hande, who was in news recently? 1. 2. a. b. c. d. He has been awarded the 2011 Magsaysay Award. He is the co-founder of Solar Electric LIght Company. 1 only 2 only 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2

43. Who is the founder of Bhagini Nivedita Gramin Vigyan Niketan (BNGVN), or Sister Nivedita Rural Science Center? a. b. c. d. Nileema Mishra Harish Hande Medha Patkar Teesta Setalvad

Note: Nileema Mishra has been awarded the 2011 Magsaysay Award for self-help groups for financing village women.

44. Which of the following is/are true in respect of International Space Station? 1. 2. The station was de-manned before the grounding of American Space Shuttles. The Americans would now have to use Russian Soyuz, which are 'single-use' to reach the station which would be more expensive. 1 only 2 only 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2

a. b. c. d.

Note: The Space Station is manned by Expedition 28 crew members (as of Jul 11). Using Soyuz is more economical than using the Space Shuttles.

45. Which of the following is/are true in respect of Geographical Indicator tag?

1. 2. 3. a. b. c. d.

The GI tag ensures that none other than those registered as authorised users (or at least those residing inside the geographic territory) are allowed to use the popular product name. The Registrar of Copyrights is the registrar of Geographical Indications. Darjeeling Tea was the first product to take the GI Product tag. 1 only 2 only 1 and 2 1 and 3

Questions on Current Affairs of 2011 - IV

Questions on Draft Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill - 2011
46. Which of the following according to the Draft Land Acquisition and and Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill - 2011 is a Public Purpose? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Code: a. b. c. d. 1 and 2 only 1, 2 and 4 only 2, 3 and 4 only All are public purposes Strategic purposes: e.g., armed forces, national security; Infrastructure and Industry: where benefits largely accrue to the general public Residential purpose for the poor and educational and health schemes Land for private companies for public purpose Needs arising from natural calamities

47. For which of the following purposes, according to the Draft Land Acquisition and and Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill - 2011 can the Urgency Clause be invoked? 1. 2. 3. a. b. c. d. National defense and security purposes Resettlement & Rehabilitation needs in the event of emergencies or natural calamities Fulfilment of commitment to Multinational Companies 1 only 1 and 2 only 2 and 3 only All of the above

48. According to the Draft Land Acquisition and and Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill - 2011, which of the following types of land will not be proposed for aqcuisition under any circumstances? a. Irrigated multi-crop land

b. c. d.

Land belonging to tribals Any land in Union territory None of the above

Questions on Economic Outlook 2011-12

49. According to the Economic Outlook 2011-12 released by the Government of India on 01 Aug 2011, at which rate is economy is expected to grow in 2011-12? a. b. c. d. 8% 8.2% 9% 7.8%

Note: Click here to access the Economic Outlook 2011-12.

50. Which of the following sectors recorded the highest rate of growth in the year 2010-11? a. b. c. d. Agriculture Industrial Services Both Industrial and Services sector grew equally

Note: Agriculture grew at 6.6%, Industry grew at 7.9% and Services grew at 9.4% in 2009-10.

51. Which of the following sectors is projected to grow at the highest rate (10%) when compared to other sectors in 2011-12? a. b. c. d. Agriculture Industrial Services Both Industrial and Services sector grew equally

Note: Agriculture is projected to grow at 3.0%, Industry is projected to grow at 7.1% while Services is projected to grow at 10.0% in 2011-12

52. Which of the following bodies releases the Economic Outlook for the country periodically? a. b. c. d. Ministry of Finance Planning Commission Economic Advisory Council National Development Council

53. Who of the following is the present chairman of the Economic Advisory Council? a. b. c. d. Pranab Mukherjee Y.V. Reddy C Rangarajan P Chidambaram

Questions on News item - India set to eradicate Yaws

54. Which of the following disease has India been successful in eradicating till date? 1. 2. 3. 4. a. b. c. d. Polio Small pox Guinea worm Measles 1 and 2 only 2 and 3 only 3 and 4 only All of the above

55. What is the mandatory period during which no instance (latent or clinical) of the disease should be reported before WHO can issue an eradication certificate? a. b. c. d. 2 years 3 years 5 years 6 years

56. Which of the following is/are true in respect of Yaws? 1. 2. a. b. c. d. It is a viral disease affecting skin, bone and joints. It can be cured by a single dose of long-acting pencillin. 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2

Note: Yaws is a bacterial disease caused by Treponema pallidum subspecies pertenue.

Questions on News item - Commemorative Postage Stamp released on Rashtrapati Bhavan

57. Which of the following is/are true in respect of Rashtrapathi Bhavan?

1. 2. a. b. c. d.

The construction of Rashtrapathi Bhavan was completed in 1931. Lord Reading was the fist occupant of the building which was earlier known as Viceroy's House. 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2

Note: The first occupant of the building was Lord Irwin.

Questions on News item - Rs.1150 Crore Earmarked for Micro-Irrigation in 2011-12

58. Which of the following defines micro-irrigation? a. b. c. d. It is a low-pressure irrigation system that sprays, mists, sprinkles or drips. It is an irrigation system deviced to supply water to smaller species of plants. It is a low-cost irrigation system. It is an irrigation system which does not use water from rivers, canals or tubewells.

Questions on GoI Press release - Power Generation Capacity Through Renewable Energy Sources Crosses 20,550 MW
59. Which of the following renewable energy sources accounts for the maximum share of total power generation through Renewable Energy sources in the country? a. b. c. d. Wind energy Solar energy Tidal wave Bio power

60. What percentage of total power generation in the country is the power generation through renewable energy sources? a. b. c. d. 20% 11.5% 5% 2%

Questions on Current Affairs of 2011 - V

61. Which of the following is/are true in respect of United Nations Security Council? 1. The Presidency of the council changes every three months in the English alphabetical order of the country's names.

2. Code: a. b. c. d.

India has taken over the Presidency of the UNSC with effect from 01 August 2011

1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2

Note: The Presidency of the UNSC changes every month.

62. Saputara, the only hill station in Gujrat lies in which of the following mountain ranges? a. b. c. d. Aravalli Sahyadri Vindhyas Satpura

Note: The hill station was in news as noted actor Amitabh Bachchan has been chosen to promote it.

63. Which of the following is the second of Shivalik class stealth frigate manufactured by Mazagaon Docks and planned to be inducted into the Indian Navy in Aug 2011? a. b. c. d. Satpura Talwar Tarkash Sahyadri

Note: Shivalik class frigates are named after hill ranges in India. Sahyadri is also a Shivalik class frigate which is likely to be inducted after six to eight months.

64. Which of the following animals cannot be trained or used as a performing animal under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act of 1960? a. b. c. d. Bear Monkey Bull All of the above

Note: Bull has recently been added to the list of animals that cannot be trained or used as a performing animal under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act of 1960.

65. Match the sportspersons mentioned in List I with the sports in List II

List I Sportsperson
A. Vidya Pillai B. Suranjoy Singh C. Ronjan Sodhi D. Ivana Furtado
Code: a. b. c. d. A - 4; B - 1; C - 2; D - 3 A - 4; B - 2; C - 1; D - 3 A - 2; B - 3; C - 4; D - 1 A - 1; B - 4; C - 3; D - 2

List II Sports/Games
1. Boxing 2. Shooting 3. Chess 4. Snooker

Note: Refer Sportspersons in News

66. With reference to the game of cricket what is Hotspot? a. b. c. d. the point where if a ball is pitched, the batsman will not be able to see it. an infra-red imaging system used in cricket to determine whether the ball has struck the batsman, bat or pad. the place in the stadium earmarked for cheerleaders a situation when it is difficult to give a decision even with the help of third umpire

Note: Apropos the controversy of an Indian batsman applying vaseline on his bat during the India-England Test series

67. Which of the following is/are true in respect of spacecraft Juno? 1. 2. Code: a. 1 only The spacecraft has been launched on a 2.7 bn km journey to Jupiter. The spacecraft is expected to reach Jupiter by 2014.

b. c. d.

2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2

Note: The spacecraft will reach Jupiter by 2016.

68. Which of the following is/are true about the Anti-Collision Devices being installed by Indian Railways to prevent accidents? 1. 2. a. b. c. d. Anti-Collision Devices are developed by Konkan Railway Corporation Limited The devices use infra-red rays to detect the presence of other trains on the same track. 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2

Note: ACDs take inputs from GPS satellite system for position updates and network among themselves for exchanging information using their data radio modems.

69. Which of the following is not one of the "Big Three" credit rating agencies of the world? a. b. c. d. Standard and Poor's Moody's Fitch Group JP Morgan Chase

Questions on Food Safety and Standards Act - 2006 which came into effect from 05 Aug 2011
70. According to the FSSA - 2006 which of the following is not included in the definition of food? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Code: a. b. c. d. 1 and 3 only 1, 3 and 5 only 4 and 5 only None of the above alcoholic drink packaged drinking water chewing gum unharvested plants live animals

70. The Food Safety and Standards Act - 2006 has repealed which of the following acts? 1. 2. 3. 4. Code: a. b. c. d. 1 and 3 only 1, 2 and 3 only 3 and 4 All of the above The Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954 The Fruit Products Order, 1955 The Meat Food Products Order, 1973 The Vegetable Oil Products (Control) Order, 1947

In addition to the above, The Edible Oils Packaging (Regulation) Order, 1998, The Solvent Extracted Oil, De oiled Meal, and Edible Flour (Control) Order, 1967, The Milk and Milk Products Order, 1992 and the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 relating to food have also been repealed.

71. Where is the head office of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India located? a. b. c. d. Mumbai New Delhi Chennai Lucknow

Questions on Annual Health Survey, results of which were released on 10 Aug 2011
72. The Annual Health Survey was carried out in 9 states. Which of the following is not one of these states? a. b. c. d. Gujarat Madhya Pradesh Uttarakhand Jharkhand

73. Which of the following districts of Uttarakhand has recorded the lowest Infant Mortality Rate of 19 deaths per 1000 live births? a. b. c. d. Rudraprayag Dehradun Nainital Chamoli

74. What is the UN Millennium Development Goal (MDG)-4 National target in respect of Infant Mortality Rate to be achieved by 2015? a. b. c. d. 20 28 32 25

75. Which of the following rates is not calculated with reference to the number of live births? 1. 2. 3. 4. a. b. c. d. Crude Birth Rate Crude Death Rate Infant Mortality Rate Maternal Mortality Rate 1 only 1 and 2 only 2 and 3 only 3 and 4 only

Questions on Current Affairs of 2011 - VI

76. Which of the following is/are true in respect of Uranium reserves and Atomic energy in India? 1. 2. Code: a. b. c. d. 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2 India has reserves of 1,71,672 tonnes of Uranium (U3O8) as of June 2011, which is adequate to fuel reactors of the capacity of about 10,000 MWe. India has a total Nuclear Power Plant Capacity of 4780 MWe.

Note: Based on press release by the Government of India.

77. Comoros, an archipelago was in news when a passenger boat capsized off its coast. Which of the following ocean - continent combination describes the location of Comoros? a. b. c. d. Indian Ocean, Asia Indian Ocean, Africa Atlantic Ocean, Africa Atlantic Ocean, South America

78. Match the sportspersons mentioned in List I with the sports in List II

List I Sportsperson
A. Aditya Mehta B. Virdhawal Khade C. P Kashyap D. Tintu Luka
Code: a. b. c. d. A - 4; B - 1; C - 2; D - 3 A - 4; B - 2; C - 1; D - 3 A - 2; B - 3; C - 4; D - 1 A - 1; B - 4; C - 3; D - 2

List II Sports/Games
1. Badminton 2. Swimming 3. Athletics 4. Snooker

Note: Refer Sportspersons in News

79. Which of the following High Court(s) was/were established under British Royal Charter of 1862? 1. 2. 3. 4. Code: a. b. c. d. 1 only 1 and 2 only 1, 2 and 3 only All the four Madras High Court Kolkata High Court Mumbai High Court Delhi High Court

Note: Delhi High Court was established under Delhi Court Act, 1966. Relevant News: Madras High Court enters its 150th year.

Reference News - Any bank can now join National Financial Switch (14 Aug 2011)
80. Which of the following is/are true with respect to National Financial Switch (NFS)?

1. 2. Code: a. b. c. d.

National Financial Switch (NFS) is a system to co-ordinate the functioning of ATMs of different member banks. NFS is managed by the Visa Inc, USA.

1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 Neither 1 nor 2

Note: National Financial Switch is managed by National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) which has ten core promoter banks viz State Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, Canara Bank, Bank of Baroda, Union bank of India, Bank of India, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Citibank and HSBC.

Reference News - See footnote

81. Which of the following is/are true with respect to blending of ethanol with petrol? 1. 2. 3. Code: a. b. c. d. 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 All the three Ethanol is considered a green fuel and reduces pollution. Ethanol can be produced from sugarcane, which will benefit the sugar industry. Blending of Ethanol will reduce import of petroleum.

Note: The Government has decided on 16.08.2010 to implement Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme upto a limit of 10%. However, as per availability of supply of ethanol, presently only 5% EBP Programme is under implementation in 13 States and 3 UTs, out of the notified 20 States & 4 UTs. (PIB Press release 18.08.11)

Reference News - Justice Soumitra Sen to be impeached (Aug 19, 2011)

82. Under which of the following articles of the Indian Constitution can a judge of a High Court be removed from office? a. b. c. d. Article 124 (4) Article 343 Article 243D Article 356

83. A judge of the Supreme Court/High Court may be removed by a Presidential order after an impeachment motion has been passed a. b. c. d. in the Rajya Sabha with over 2/3rd majority with a turnout of not less than half the strength in the Lok Sabha with over 2/3rd majority with a turnout of not less than half the strength in both the houses with over 2/3rd majority with a turnout of not less than half the strength with over 2/3rd majority in both houses turnout not being important

Reference News - Turmoil in African countries

84. Which of the following countries facing internal turmoil is NOT located in the continent of Africa? a. b. c. d. Egypt Syria Libya Tunisia

85. Match the countries mentioned in List I with their ruler in List II

List I Country
A. Egypt B. Libya C. Syria D. Tunisia
Code: a. b. c. d. A - 4; B - 3; C - 2; D - 1 A - 2; B - 4; C - 1; D - 3 A - 4; B - 3; C - 1; D - 2 A - 1; B - 4; C - 3; D - 2

List II Ruler
1. Abidine Ben Ali 2. Bashar Assad 3. Muammar Gaddafi 4. Hosni Mubarak

Reference News - International Award in Statistics

86. Which of the following is/are true with respect to International Award in Statistics? 1. The award has been instituted by the Govt of India in association with International Statistical Institute, Netherlands.

2. 3.

The recipient of the award this year is Prof. Victor Yohoi of Argentina. The award has been instituted in memory of Shri PC Mahalanobis who was the founder of Indian Statistical Institute.

Code: a. b. c. d. 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 All the three

Note: Refer also 32 in Questions on Current Affairs-III

Reference News - Rajiv Gandhi Manav Sewa Award 2010

87. Which of the following is/are true with respect to Rajiv Gandhi Manav Sewa Award? 1. 2. 3. Code: a. b. c. d. 1 only 2 only Both 1 and 2 All the three The awards are given to honour individuals who make outstanding contribution towards service for children. Ministry of Home Affairs oversees the selection of the recipients of the award The awards are announced on the Aug 15 every year.

Note: The Ministry of Women and Child Development is responsible for selecting the recipients of the award and the announcement is made on Aug 20, i.e. on the birthday of Shri Rajiv Gandhi.

88. Who of the following recipients of Rajiv Gandhi Manav Sewa Award 2010 is the founder of Shishu Sarothi? a. b. c. d. Dr.Mallika Nadda Smt. Mira Kagti Dr. S.A. Thasleem Sulthana None of the above

Note: Dr. Mallika Nadda from Himachal Pradesh is a leading social activist and founder of Chetna, at Bilaspur a civil society initiative with a vision to integrate physically and mentally challenged children.

Reference News - West Bengal to be renamed Paschim Banga

89. Under which article of the Indian Constitution is the Parliament empowered to alter the name of any state? a. b. c. d. Article 13 Article 3 Article 1 Parliament does not have any powers

90. Which of the following Schedules to the Indian Constitution primarily need to be amended when name of a state is changed? 1. 2. 3. 4. Code: a. b. c. d. 1 only 1 and 3 2 and 4 All the four Schedule 1 Schedule 2 Schedule 4 Schedule 8

India Current Affairs Quiz/Questions-Answers August 2011, August 8August 14 Article Category: India Current Affairs Quizzes, Current Affairs Quizzes, Current Affairs Prep Share| Quizzes on the India Current Affairs section are designed to cover the wide range of national issues and other informations related to India from different segments which are of general human interest. Taking the India Current Affairs Quiz for August 2011 will update you on the latest incidents that occured in India. The quizzes on India Current Affairs will equip you to take all competitive examinations as well. 1. The Government Set up NATGRID to Access all Intelligence Data. Consider the following statements on NATGRID. i) NATGRID has been formed to link databases for inputs to combat terrorism. ii) It is meant to improve India s capability to counter threats to its internal security.

Choose the right option: a) Both i and ii are correct. b) Only i is correct. c) Only ii is correct. d) Neither i nor ii is correct. Answer: (a) Both i and ii are correct. 2. The Report by Wildlife Institute of India Enlisted Major Threats to Three Tiger Reserves which are Kalakad- Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, Anamalai and Mudumalai. In which one of the following states these tiger reserves are located? a) Tamil Nadu b) Kerala c) Bihar d) West Bengal Answer: (a) Tamil Nadu 3. UP state government banned the release of Hindi film Aarakshan. The movie is directed by__ a) Prakash Jha b) Karan Jauhar c) Shahrukh Khan d) Amitabh Bachchan Answer: (a) Prakash Jha 4. Who was accorded a two-year extension by the Union government on 9 August 2011 beyond his term ending September 2011? a. D. Subbarao b. Raghuram Rajan c. Subir Gokarn d. C. D. Deshmukh Answer: (a) 5. 1948 batch Kerala cadre IAS officer Padinjarethalakal Cherian Alexander died. Which of the facts related to him is/are not true? 1. P.C. Alexander was at different times Principal Secretary to two Prime Ministers- Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi 2. Alexander s name was considered for the post of President during the

NDA rule in 2002 to succeed K.R. Narayanan 3. Alexander was appointed Governor of Kerela (1988-90) and Madhya Pradesh for two terms (from January 1993) 4. Alexander has authored several books, including My Years with Indira Gandhi and The Perils of Democracy. a. 1 & 4 b. 3 & 4 c. Only 4 d. Only 3 Answer: (d) Current Affairs Quiz/Questions-Answers August 2011, August 8-August 14 Article Category: Current Affairs Quizzes, Current Affairs Prep Share| Quizzes on the Current Affairs section are designed to cover the wide range of national issues, international events, and other information from different segments which are of general human interest. Taking the Current Affairs Quiz for August 2011 will update you on the latest incidents that the world is talking about. The quizzes on Current Affairs will equip you to take all competitive examinations as well. 1. She as a spy and had gone on to become the Allies most decorated servicewomen for her role in the French resistance during World War II, died in London on 8 August 2011. Identify her. a. Amy Elizabeth Thorpe b. Maria Gulovich c. Julia McWilliams Child d. Nancy Wake Answer: (d) 2. Which Indian state on 11 August 2011 flagged off the first-ever consignment of certified organic food to be exported to the United States? a. Andhra Pradesh b. Tamil Nadu c. Rajasthan d. Arunachal Pradesh Answer: (c)

3. China launched its first aircraft carrier for a maiden run on 10 August 2011. China had bought the aircraft carrier from which one of the following countries? a) India b) Russia c) USA d) France Answer: (b) Russia 4. US credit rating was downgraded to__ from AAA by Standard & Poor s. a) AA+ b) A c) A+ d) B+ Answer: (a) AA+ 5. In Afghanistan, a probe was launched by the ISAF, to determine the exact cause of the chopper crash which killed 30 American soldiers. What is the full form of ISAF? a) International Security Assistance Force b) International South Asian Force c) Indian Security Assistance Force d) Italian Security Assistance Force Answer: (a) International Security Assistance Force

Sports Current Affairs Quiz/Questions-Answers August 2011, August 8August 14 Article Category: Current Affairs Quizzes, Sports Quizzes, Current Affairs Prep Share| Sports Current Affairs Quiz have been drafted to test your knowledge about the recent sports events. Sports Current Affairs Quiz for August 2011 will help you increase your knowledge of the different sports events which are organised around the world. Taking the Sports current affairs Quiz, you will

enhance your knowledge of sports and crack questions in the sports section of all competitive exams. 1. Who claimed his maiden National snooker title in the best-of-eleven frame final at the Hash10 World Sim championships on 9 August 2011? a. Aditya Mehta b. Alok Kumar c. Pankaj Advani d. Yasin Merchant Answer: (a) 2. Which state wrested the overall championship in the 38th National junior aquatic championship that concluded on 9 August 2011? a. Maharashtra b. Tamil Nadu c. Karnataka d. Punjab Answer: (c) 3. Name the tennis player who became the oldest winner of the ATP Washington Classic since Jimmy Connors in 1988 on 7 August 2011. a. Gael Monfils b. Radek Stepanek c. Fabrice Santoro d. Jimmy Connors Answer: (b) 4. India's under-16 football team coached by India coach Thomas Joseph was defeated by which country 1-2 in the title clash of the SAFF Championship on 10 August 2011? a. Iran b. Pakistan c. Philippines d. China Answer: (b) 5. Russia defeated which team to win the FIVB World junior volleyball title in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 11 August 2011?

a. Argentina b. Serbia c. USA d. Japan Answer: (a)

Corporate Current Affairs Quiz/Questions-Answers August 2011, August 8August 14 Article Category: Corporate Quizzes, Current Affairs Quizzes, Current Affairs Prep Share| Taking the Corporate Current Affairs Quiz will test as well as enhance your knowledge of major corporate events. The corporate quiz for August 2011 will make you better prepared to face competitive examinations like that of Bank PO, NABARD, RBI, LIC, Civil Services, MBA etc. 1. Hindustan Motors launched this 0.8-tonne (800 kg) small commercial vehicle (SCV) available in both diesel (BS-III) and CNG (BS-IV) versions and in two models on 8 August 2011. Name the vehicle a. Veer b. Avigo c. Pajero d. Grand Answer: (a) 2. Which company announced in August 2011 that it bagged orders worth $889 million in the hydrocarbon sector from the UAE and Thailand? a. HCC Infrastructure b. Punj Lloyd c. Reliance Infrastructure d. Larsen & Toubro Answer: (d) 3. Billionaire entrepreneur Ajay Piramal purchased 5.5% stake in which of the following mobile service providers for Rs 2900 crore, or $640 million?

a. Idea Cellular b. Vodafone Essar c. Bharti Airtel d. MTNL Answer: (b) 4. This German luxury carmaker launched in India the new generation SLK 350 on 10 August 2011 priced at Rs.61.9-lakh. Name the auto maker. a. Mercedes-Benz b. Audi c. BMW d. Porsche Answer: (a) 5. Which electronic major unveiled its two tablets, Galaxy Tab 750 and Galaxy Tab 730 deemed to be the world's thinnest mobile tablets measuring just 8.6 mm? a. LG b. Phillips c. Samsung d. Videocon Answer: (c)

Economy Current Affairs Quiz/Questions-Answers August 2011, August 8August 14 Article Category: Economy Quizzes, Current Affairs Quizzes, Current Affairs Prep Share| Taking the Economy Current Affairs Quizzes will test as well as enhance your knowledge on economy related issues. Moreover the Economy Current Affairs Quiz for August 2011 will help you in the preparation for different competitive examination like that of Bank PO, MBA, NABARD, RBI, Railway, SSC, Civil Services Exam etc. 1. Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) in a first issued a showcause notice to which stock exchange following a probe into alleged client

code modifications by its broker members? a. MCX Stock Exchange b. Bombay Stock Exchange c. Bangalore Stock Exchange d. National Stock Exchange Answer: (d) 2. Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 5 August 2011 approved which PSU s proposal for revival of the Sindri unit of Fertiliser Corporation of India at an investment of nearly Rs 35000 crore? a. BHEL b. SAIL c. GAIL d. HPCL Answer: (b) 3. According to government data released on 8 August 2011, Foreign Direct Investment into India grew by wat per cent to 5.65 billion US dollar in June 2011? a. 57% b. 115% c. 200% d. 310% Answer: (d) 4. The Union government on 9 August 2011 permitted a new category of qualified foreign investors (QFIs) to invest up to what sum of money in equity and debt schemes of mutual funds (MFs)? a. $13 billion b. $18 billion c. $23 billion d. $5 billion Answer: (a) 5. The Reserve Bank of India panel to review facilities for individuals under FEMA (Foreign Exchange Management Act) submitted report on 10 August 2011. With regard to the following which of the following is not true 1. In the report it mentioned that the concept of non-repatriation basis

or non-repatriable funds was outdated. 2. Since non-residents were given the freedom to remit $1 million annually, it was compulsory to maintain procedures under FEMA. 3. The report suggested the procedural knots in the system need to be untied to enable the present forex liberalisation to be effective. 4. Issue of take-overs underwent changes in the past and now are taken care of under the ambit of SEBI regulations and using FEMA for this purpose is superfluous and an unnecessary. a. 2 & 4 b. Only 2 c. 1 & 4 d. Only 4 Answer: (b)

Science Current Affairs Quiz/Questions-Answers August 2011, August 8August 14 Article Category: Current Affairs Quizzes, Science Quizzes, Current Affairs Prep Share| Science Current Affairs Quiz test the participant s knowledge on latest discoveries, technological advancements made and in the process further enhances an individual s knowledge base. The quizzes also cover the Environment-Ecology segment. Number of questions is asked from this segment in the competitive exams. Science Current Affairs quiz for August 2011 will help you in the preparation for NDA, CDS, Bank PO, MBA, NABARD, RBI, Railway, SSC, Civil Services and other Exams. 1. British scientists developed the EndoBarrier to cure __. a) Diabetes b) Cancer c) AIDS d) Skin Cancer Answer: (a) Diabetes 2. Scientists at the University of Columbia in New York developed a portable blood test device which could be used effectively to prevent__.

a) AIDS b) Cancer c) Diabetes d) Leukemia Answer: (a) AIDS 3. US scientists found an antibody which acts against 30 of 36 strains of influenza. What is the name of that antibody? a) CH65 b) CCH65 c) DD65 d) CC65 Answer: (a) CH65 4. A new technique was engineered by the scientists that involved leukemia patients being treated with their own T cells. T cells are a kind of__. a) White Blood Cell b) Red Blood Cell c) Liver cell d) Cancerous Cell Answer: (a) White Blood Cell 5. Astronomers discovered that the planet named TrES-2b is blacker than any planet in our solar system. Astronomers made this observation after using NASA s__spacecraft. a) Kepler b) Freedom 7 c) Faith 7 d) Discovery Answer: (a) Kepler Science Current Affairs Quiz/Questions-Answers August 2011, August 1August 7 Article Category: Current Affairs Quizzes, Science Quizzes, Current Affairs Prep Share|

Science Current Affairs Quiz test the participant s knowledge on latest discoveries, technological advancements made and in the process further enhances an individual s knowledge base. The quizzes also cover the Environment-Ecology segment. Number of questions is asked from this segment in the competitive exams. Science Current Affairs quiz for August 2011 will help you in the preparation for NDA, CDS, Bank PO, MBA, NABARD, RBI, Railway, SSC, Civil Services and other Exams. 1. The Hershel Space Observatory s large telescope and infrared detectors provided the first confirmed finding of oxygen molecules in space. Oxygen gas was discovered in which one of the following years? a) 1774 b) 1974 c) 1600 d) 1707 Answer: (a) 1774 2. The Scientists from France and Uganda discovered in Uganda the 20 million year old skull at an excavation site called___. a) Napak XV b) Napak c) Napak V d) Napal X Answer: (a) Napak XV 3. A recent study found that vampire bats can locate blood vessels in their prey using infrared vein sensors on their lips. Consider the statements given below. i) Vampire bats are the only mammals known to feed solely on blood. ii) Besides vampire bats, the snake is the only other vertebrate that can detect infrared radiation. Choose the right option: a) Both i and ii are correct. b) Neither i nor ii is correct. c) Only i is correct. d) Only ii is correct. Answer: (a) Both i and ii are correct.

4. NASA scientists announced on 5 August 2011 that they had found the first evidence of flowing water on which one of the following planets? a) Mars b) Jupiter c) Mercury d) Venus Answer: (a) Mars 5. The First Trojan Asteriod of earth discovered by the scientists. What is its name? a) 2010TK7 b) 2010KT 7 c) 2010Xy d) 2010 YX Answer: (a) 2010TK7

India Current Affairs Quiz/Questions-Answers August 2011, August 1August 7 Article Category: India Current Affairs Quizzes, Current Affairs Quizzes, Current Affairs Prep Share| Quizzes on the India Current Affairs section are designed to cover the wide range of national issues and other informations related to India from different segments which are of general human interest. Taking the India Current Affairs Quiz for August 2011 will update you on the latest incidents that occured in India. The quizzes on India Current Affairs will equip you to take all competitive examinations as well. 1. Which of the following days in July is celebrated as Kargil Vijay Diwas to mark the Indian victory in the Kargil war back in 1999? a. 30 July b. 31 July c. 26 July d. 28 July Answer: (c)

2. This Sikkim high court Chief facing impeachment on charges of corruption and judicial misconduct resigned on 29 July 2011. Identify him. a. Justice PD Dinakaran b. Justice V Ramaswamy c. Justice Soumitra Sen d. Justice P C Joshi Answer: (a) 3. Who was elected Karnataka's 26th chief minister by BJP's legislator on 3 August 2011? a. B S Yeddyurappa b. D V Sadananda Gowda c. Dr. V S Acharya d. C M Udasi Answer: (b) 4. Restoration work on which of the following tombs in New Delhi led to the discovery of the country's oldest sunken garden? a. Isa Khan's tomb b. Humayun s tomb c. Safdarjang tomb d. Sultan Garhi tomb Answer: (a) 5. NSSF was approved by the Union Cabinet of India on 28 July 2011. NSSF stands for__ a) National Social Security Fund b) National Services Security Fund c) National Social Services Fund d) National Safe Security Fund Answer: (a) National Social Security Fund 6. Which State government recently decided to provide bicycles to ASHA activists to boost rural health services? a) Madhya Pradesh b) Haryana c) Bihar

d) Uttar Pradesh Answer: (a) Madhya Pradesh Current Affairs Quiz/Questions-Answers August 2011, August 1-August 7 Article Category: Current Affairs Quizzes, Current Affairs Prep Share| Quizzes on the Current Affairs section are designed to cover the wide range of national issues, international events, and other information from different segments which are of general human interest. Taking the Current Affairs Quiz for August 2011 will update you on the latest incidents that the world is talking about. The quizzes on Current Affairs will equip you to take all competitive examinations as well. 1. Which of the following days in July is celebrated as Kargil Vijay Diwas to mark the Indian victory in the Kargil war back in 1999? a. 30 July b. 31 July c. 26 July d. 28 July Answer: (c) 2. This Sikkim high court Chief facing impeachment on charges of corruption and judicial misconduct resigned on 29 July 2011. Identify him. a. Justice PD Dinakaran b. Justice V Ramaswamy c. Justice Soumitra Sen d. Justice P C Joshi Answer: (a) 3. Who was elected Karnataka's 26th chief minister by BJP's legislator on 3 August 2011? a. B S Yeddyurappa b. D V Sadananda Gowda c. Dr. V S Acharya d. C M Udasi Answer: (b) 4. Restoration work on which of the following tombs in New Delhi led to the discovery of the country's oldest sunken garden?

a. Isa Khan's tomb b. Humayun s tomb c. Safdarjang tomb d. Sultan Garhi tomb Answer: (a) 5. The foreign minister of Libya, Abdel Aati Al Obeidi visited India to brief about latest developments in his nation. What was the name of visiting Libyan foreign minister? a) Abdel Aati Al Obeidi b) Hosni Mubarak c) Hina Rabbani Khar d) SM Krishna Answer: (a) Abdel Aati Al Obeidi 6. President of India Pratibha Patil Visited South Korea as Part of ___ a) India s Look East Policy b) India s Look West Policy c) India s Look North Policy d) India s Look South Policy Answer: (a) India s Look East Policy 7. Italy Approved a Draft Law Banning Women from Wearing Veils in Public. Besides Italy, which other nations have banned women from wearing veil in Public? a) India and Pakistan b) China and Afghanistan c) Belgium and France d) Bangladesh and Bhutan Answer: (c) Belgium and France Sports Current Affairs Quiz/Questions-Answers August 2011, August 1August 7 Article Category: Current Affairs Quizzes, Sports Quizzes, Current Affairs Prep Share| Sports Current Affairs Quiz have been drafted to test your knowledge about the recent sports events. Current Affairs Sports Quiz for August 2011 will

help you increase your knowledge of the different sports events which are organised around the world. Taking the Sports current affairs Quiz, you will enhance your knowledge of sports and crack questions in the sports section of all competitive exams. 1. Name the McLaren driver who won the Hungarian Grand Prix on 31 July 2011? a. Sebastian Vettel b. Lewis Hamilton c. Jenson Button d. Mark Webber Answer: (c) 2. What was the rank of the Indian girl s team in the recently concluded World junior team squash championships? a. Third b. Fourth c. Second d. Seventh Answer: (b) 3. Name the Champion double-trap shooter and Asian Games gold medalist who was ranked No.1 in the world, as per the latest rankings released by the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) on 1 August 2011. a. Ronjan Sodhi b. Sanjeev Rajput c. Gagan Narang d. Vijay Kumar Answer: (a) 4. Name the Indian golfer who carded a creditable three-under 68 in the final round to rise 12 places and sign off tied 42nd at the Utah Championships golf tournament. a. Daniel Chopra b. JJ Killeen c. Rahil Gangjee

d. J.J. Killeen Answer: (c) 5. India lost to which team by a solitary goal in the opening match of the first-ever SAFF Under-16 football championship in Kathmandu on 1 August 2011? a. Afghanistan b. Pakistan c. Iran d. UAE Answer: (b) 6. Which country won the won the tenth edition of the UEFA European Under-19 Championship title in Romania on 1 August 2011? a. Spain b. Czech Republic c. Argentina d. Greece Answer: (a) Economy Current Affairs Quiz/Questions-Answers August 2011, August 1August 7 Article Category: Economy Quizzes, Current Affairs Quizzes, Current Affairs Prep Share| Taking the Economy Current Affairs Quiz will test as well as enhance your knowledge on economy related issues. Moreover the Economy Current Affairs Quiz for August 2011 will help you in the preparation for different competitive examination like that of Bank PO, MBA, NABARD, RBI, Railway, SSC, Civil Services Exam etc. 1. According to the figures released by the Commerce Ministry on 1 August 2011 by what percentage did India's exports rise to reach $29.21 billion during June 2011? a. 46.45 per cent b. 45.7 per cent c. 52 per cent

d. 69 per cent Answer: (a) 2. Telecom Commission, the apex decision-making body of the Department of Telecom in a meeting held on 22 July 2011 permitted imposition of a uniform licence fee of what percentage on all telecom operators? a. 6 % b. 6.6% c. 8.5% d. 10% Answer: (c) 3. Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) proposed to create regulations for alternative investment funds under the title SEBI (Alternative Investment Fund) Regulations on 1 August 2011. With regard to the statement which of the following is/are not true? 1. Alternative investment fund raise capital from a number of high networth investors to invest in accordance with a defined investment policy for the benefit of those investors. 2. SEBI made it optional for all types of private pools of capital or investment funds to seek registration with SEBI. 3. For PE funds, investments would be mainly in unlisted companies or companies proposed to be listed. 4. For infrastructure equity funds, minimum half of the investment would have to be in equity of infrastructure projects/companies. a. 1 & 4 b. 2 & 3 c. 1 & 3 d. 2 & 4 Answer: (a) 4. the a. b. c. Which of the following bodies launched Industrial Outlook Survey for July-September 2011 period in India? Finance Ministry Commerce Ministry Reserve Bank of India

d. Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and IndustryAns Answer: (c) 5. 1. The report on Customer Service in Banks by a committee chaired by M. Damodaran, former Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) that was released on 3 July 2011 recommended an increased deposit insurance cover of Rs.5 lakh so as to encourage individuals to keep all their deposits in banks. 2. The panel also suggested blocking of lost ATM cards through SMS and immediate restoration of funds in case of non-dispensation of cash at an ATM within 5 working days. Which of the above is not true? a. Only 1 b. Only 2 c. Both 1 & 2 d. None of the above Answer: (b) Corporate Current Affairs Quiz/Questions-Answers August 2011, August 1August 7 Article Category: Corporate Quizzes, Current Affairs Quizzes, Current Affairs Prep Share| Taking the Corporate Current Affairs Quiz will test as well as enhance your knowledge of major corporate events. The corporate quiz for August 2011 will make you better prepared to face competitive examinations like that of Bank PO, NABARD, RBI, LIC, Civil Services, MBA etc. 1. Name the sports channel that acquired the exclusive broadcast rights for Euro 2012 in the Indian subcontinent (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives) for Rs 100 crore? a. ESPN b. DD Sports c. Neo Sports d. Ten Sports Answer: (c) 2. Globosport India, the celebrity and sports marketing company picked up 50 per cent stake in Cornerstone Sports and Entertainment. Globosport is

promoted by which of the following Indian tennis stars? a. Sania Mirza b. Somdev Devverman c. Mahesh Bhupathi d. Leander Paes Answer: (c) 3. Who took charge as Chairman of the Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd, Visakhapatnam steel plant (RINL-VSP) on 31 July 2011? a. A.P. Choudhary b. P.K. Bishnoi c. N.K Mishra d. Binayak Mishra Answer: (a) 4. Which company displaced Wipro Technologies as India s No. 3 IT firm in terms of revenue after its revenue rose 34.4% to $1.49 billion in the quarter ended June 2011? a. Infosys b. Cognizant c. Cape Gemini d. Accenture Answer: (b) 5. India s largest auto maker Tata Motors on 2 August 2011 launched the new variant of which of its crossover vehicle Aria? a. Tata Nano b. Tata Aria c. Tata Indigo d. Tata Safari Dicor Answer: (b) Sports Current Affairs Quiz/Questions-Answers July 2011, July 25-July 31 Article Category: Current Affairs Quizzes, Sports Quizzes, Current Affairs Prep Share|

Sports Current Affairs Quizzes have been drafted to test your knowledge about the recent sports events. Sports Current Affairs Quiz for July 2011 will help you increase your knowledge of the different sports events which are organised around the world. Taking the Sports current affairs Quiz, you will enhance your knowledge of sports and crack questions in the sports section of all competitive exams 1. Uruguay defeated which team to win the Copa Amrica for a record 15th time on 24 July 2011 in Buenos Aires, Argentina? a. Brazil b. Argentina c. Paraguay d. Venezuela Answer: (c) 2. Which of the following Formula One drivers secured a brilliant victory in the German Grand Prix on 24 July 2011? a. Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) b. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) c. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) d. Mark Webber (Red Bull) Answer: (a) 3. Name the table-tennis player who prevented the Chinese monopoly of titles in the 17th Asian junior table tennis championship by claiming the junior boys' gold on 24 July 2011. a. Yin Hang b. Maharu Yoshimura c. Wu Jiaji d. Zhao Yan Answer: (b) 4. Who is the five-time national champion from Tamil Nadu who won the final in the National billiards and snooker championship on 25 July 2011? a. Vidya Pillai Tilakraj b. Arantxa Sanchis c. Neena Praveen d. Suniti Damani

Answer: (a) 5. Who claimed the men's 50-meter butterfly in a time of 23.10 seconds to win gold on 25 July 2011 at the 2011 World Swimming Championships in Shanghai? a. Matthew Targett b. Geoff Huegill c. Cesar Cielo d. Dale Oen Answer: (c) Economy Current Affairs Quiz/Questions-Answers July 2011, July 25-July 31 Article Category: Economy Quizzes, Current Affairs Quizzes, Current Affairs Prep Share| Economy Current Affairs Quiz July 2011 Online Economy Current Affairs Quiz with Question and Answers, Latest Economy Quizzes, Quizzes based on Economic Issues, Economy Quiz for Banking Examinations, MBA, Civil Services Exam and other Competitive Exams 1. The Central Department of Telecommunications (DoT) on 22 July 2011 approved Rs 30000-crore National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) for broadband connectivity to 2500 Panchayats in India. The project will be funded through which of the following? a. World Bank b. Universal Service Obligation [USO] Fund c. IMF d. UNO Answer: (b) 2. According to the state-wise cotton crop data released by the Agriculture Ministry for 2010-11 on 25 July 2011 which variety of cotton emerged as the largest cotton crop in all the major cotton producing states? a. V-797 b. RS2013 c. Digvijay

d. Bt cotton Answer: (d) 3. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in a bid to tame inflationary pressure hiked the short-term indicative policy rate (repo rate) by 50 basis points on 26 July 2011. The repo rate currently stands at what percentage? a. 7% b. 7.5% c. 8% d. 8.5% Answer: (c) 4. World Investment Report 2011 was released by UNCTAD on 26 July 2011. According to the report, what is India s position among the top 20 Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) recipients? a. 8th b. 10th c. 14th d. 4th Answer: (c) 5. The Union government on 26 July 2011 announced restoration of the popular duty entitlement pass book (DEPB) scheme for export of cotton. Which of the following is/are not true with regard to the following? 1. Restoration of the popular duty entitlement pass book (DEPB) scheme was announced for export of cotton with retrospective effect from 1 April 2011 and on cotton yarn from 1 October 2010. 2. Cotton yarn had been placed under Open General Licence for exports from 1 October 2011. 3. Exports of cotton were dis-incentivised by virtue of export tax, following a sharp rise in prices in January 2011. 4. Restrictions continue to remain on export of cotton, that is, 65 lakh bales this year. a. Only 1 b. Only 2 c. Both 1 & 2 d. Only 4 Answer: (b)

Corporate Current Affairs Quiz/Questions-Answers July 2011, July 25-July 31 Article Category: Corporate Quizzes, Current Affairs Quizzes, Current Affairs Prep Share| Taking the Corporate Current Affairs Quiz will test as well as enhance your knowledge of major corporate events. The corporate quiz for July 2011 will make you better prepared to face competitive examinations like that of Bank PO, NABARD, RBI, LIC, Civil Services, MBA etc 1. General Motors India launched the diesel version of which car with a starting price of Rs 4.29 lakh on 25 July 2011? a. Spark b. Chevrolet Beat c. Chevrolet Optra d. Chevrolet Cruze Answer: (b) 2. Name the leading education company which launched the master resource centre (MRC) in Chennai on 25 July 2011. a. Everonn b. Educomp Solutions c. Piron Education d. Curion Education Answer: (a) 3. Which telecom unit in a circular issued on 24 July 2011, announced its decision to combine two divisions offering services based on CDMA and GSM, two rival technologies? a. Tata Teleservices b. Bharti Airtel c. MTNL d. Idea Cellular Answer: (a) 4. Which company announced on 27 July 2011 that secured an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract worth $320 million from Jurong Aromatics Corp

a. Glencore b. SK Engineering c. Sanhai and Vinmar d. Essar Projects Ltd Answer: (d) 5. Name the public sector lender that selected Metlife as its partner for a proposed foray into the life insurance segment. a. Syndicate Bank b. Punjab National Bank c. Corporation Bank d. United Bank of India Answer: (b) Current Affairs Quiz/Questions-Answers July 2011, July 25-July 31 Article Category: Current Affairs Quizzes, Current Affairs Prep Share| Quizzes on the Current Affairs section are designed to cover the wide range of national issues, international events, and other information from different segments which are of general human interest. Taking the Current Affairs Quiz for July 2011 will update you on the latest incidents that the world is talking about. The quizzes on Current Affairs will equip you to take all competitive examinations as well. 1. British singer and song writer Amy Winehouse whose self-destructive habits overshadowed a distinctive musical talent was found dead on 23 July 2011 in London. For which of her albums did she win 5 Grammy awards? a. Back to Black b. Stronger Than Me c. Rehab d. Love Is a Losing Game Answer: (a) 2. Name the Former Indian Prime Minister who was honoured with the highest Bangladesh award the Bangladesh Swadhinata Sammanona (Bangladesh Freedom Honour ) on 25 July 2011? a. P. V Narasimha Rao

b. Indira Gandhi c. Rajiv Gandhi d. Atal Bihari Vajpayee Answer: (b) 3. Which of the following days is celebrated as the Foundation Day of Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) was formed in 2006? a. 25 July b. 26 July c. 27 July d. 31 July Answer: (c) 4. Which day was celebrated as first official World Health Organizationsupported World Hepatitis Day in July? a. 20 July b. 25 July c. 27 July d. 28 July Answer: (d) 5. Which one of the following nations Germany thus became the first European nation since 1995 to allow its citizens to visit Kashmir after it revised an advisory that had cautioned against trips to Kashmir? a) Germany b) France c) UK d) Spain Answer: (a) Germany 6. Which one of the following became the first Baltic nation to Sign a double taxation avoidance agreement with India? a) Lithuania b) Spain c) Estonia

d) Poland Answer: (a) Lithuania India Current Affairs Quiz/Questions-Answers July 2011, July 25-July 31 Article Category: India Current Affairs Quizzes, Current Affairs Quizzes, Current Affairs Prep Share| Quizzes on the India Current Affairs section are designed to cover the wide range of national issues, international events, and other information from different segments which are of general human interest. Taking the India Current Affairs Quiz for July 2011 will update you on the latest incidents that the world is talking about. The quizzes on India Current Affairs will equip you to take all competitive examinations as well. 1. The Annual Plan Outlay for Kerala for the Year 2011-12 Finalised at __ Crores. a) 12010 crores b) 13010 crores c) 11110 crores d) 14010 crores Answer: (a) 12010 crores 2. The Union Cabinet of India on 28 July 2011 approved the proposal for the enactment of a new legislation in the form of the Lokpal Bill, 2011. Consider the following statements regarding Lok Pal bill. i) The Lokpal will consist of a Chairperson and 8 members. Half of the members shall be judicial members. ii) The Chairperson would be from the judiciary and only a serving or retired Chief Justice of India or a Judge of the Supreme Court would be eligible for being appointed as Chairperson. Which of the above statements is/are correct? a) Both i and ii are correct. b) Only i is correct. c) Only ii is correct. d) Neither i nor ii is correct. Answer: (a) Both i and ii are correct. 3. The Union Cabinet Approved National Social Security Fund for

Unorganised Sectors. The fund is likely to benefit __crore workers in the unorganized sector. a) 43.3 b) 35.6 c) 34 d) 20.5 Answer: (a) 43.3 4. The President of India, Pratibha Devisingh Patil on 21 July 2011 released a commemorative postage stamp on Vitthal Sakharam Page. Which of the following facts related to Page are not true? 1. His integrated Area Development Scheme for the integrated development of village areas and the amelioration of small land holders, traditional artisans and agricultural labourers. 2. His persuasion to the Maharashtra Government to implement Employment Guarantee Scheme on a pilot basis finally led to enactment of Employment Guarantee Act in the Maharashtra in 1970. 3. As Chairman of the Maharashtra Cottage Industries Board, he implemented the Employment Guarantee Scheme for rejuvenating the ageold traditional village industries. 4. He was elected to the Bombay Legislative Council successively in 1952 and 1954 and to the Maharashtra Legislative Council in 1960, 1966 and 1972. a. Only 1 b. Only 3 c. 1 & 3 d. Only 4 Answer: (c) 5. Who did the Union government appoint on 23 July 2011 as the Solicitor-General, the second senior most law officer of India? a. Fali S Nariman b. Rohinton Nariman c. Gopal Subramanium d. Harish Salve Answer: (b) 6. According to World Health Organization-sponsored study on Major

Depressive Episode (MDE) published in the BMC Medicine journal what percentage of Indians suffer from what is called Major Depressive Episode (MDE)? a. 36% b. 27% c. 13% d. 42% Answer: (a) 7. Two Indians -Nileema Mishra and Harish Hande were chosen Ramon Magsaysay Award for 2011.Which of the facts regarding them are false? 1. Harish Hande established the company SELCO India in Bangalore in 1995. His company provides affordable renewable energy services to poor villagers along with doorstep financing and services. 2. Harish Hande runs a solar electricity firm that has lit up over 125000 households to emerge as India's leading solar technology firm. 3. Nileema Mishra was recognized for her purpose-driven zeal to work tirelessly with villagers. 4. She founded the Farmer s Association in Bahadarpur village of Madhya Pradesh which has a population of around 10000 to provide rotating interest- free loans to farmers. a. 2 & 4 b. Only 1 c. Only 4 d. 1 & 3 Answer: (c) Science Current Affairs Quiz/Questions-Answers July 2011, July 25-July 31 Article Category: Current Affairs Quizzes, Science Quizzes, Current Affairs Prep Share| Science Current Affairs Quiz test the participant s knowledge on latest discoveries technological advancements made and in the process further enhances an individual s knowledge base. The quizzes also cover the Environment-Ecology segment. Number of questions is asked from this segment in the competitive exams. Science Current Affairs quiz for July

2011 will help you in the preparation for NDA, CDS, Bank PO, MBA, NABARD, RBI, Railway, SSC, Civil Services and other Exams. 1. The Union Government of India granted environmental clearance to the 130 MW Kashang hydro power project. The project is located in which one of the following states? a) Himachal Pradesh b) Arunachal Pradesh c) Uttar Pradesh d) Madhya Pradesh Answer: (a) Himachal Pradesh 2. Scientists discovered that the source of the water in Saturn s upper atmosphere is its planet. What is the name of that planet? a) Enceladus b) Atlas c) Prometheus d) Pandora Answer: (a) Enceladus 3. Saturn has __ moons. a) 62 b) 45 c) 34 d) 2 Answer: (a) 62 4. India registered a __ per cent increase in tiger population in 2010, according to a report, Status of tigers, co-predators and prey in India2010, released on 28 July 2011. a) 20 b) 30 c) 15 d) 12 Answer: (a) 20 5. The national green tribunal on 28 July 2011 ordered Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Ltd (HPPCL) to stop all construction work related to the

Renuka Dam project. Renuka dam project is located on which one of the following rivers? a) Giri b) Yamuna c) Ganga d) Tapti Answer: (a) Giri India Current Affairs Quiz/Questions-Answers July 2011, July 18-July 24 Article Category: India Current Affairs Quizzes, Current Affairs Quizzes, Current Affairs Prep Share| Quizzes on the India Current Affairs section are designed to cover the wide range of national issues, international events, and other information from different segments which are of general human interest. Taking the India Current Affairs Quiz for July 2011 will update you on the latest incidents that the world is talking about. The quizzes on India Current Affairs will equip you to take all competitive examinations as well. 1. According to an Intelligence Bureau (IB) report, which of the following Indian dams is on the hit-list of Pakistan-based militant outfits such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD)? a. Nagarjuna Sagar Dam b. Gandhi Sagar Dam c. B.R.P Dam d. Bhakra Dam Answer: (d) 2. Which Indian Institute of Management (IIM) won a decade-long battle for autonomy, with HRD minister approving dramatic amendments to the institution s memorandum of association with the government? a. IIM-Ahmedabad b. IIM-Calcutta c. IIM-Bangalore d. IIM-Indore Answer: (a) 3. Name the BJP leader and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister who was elected

Chairman of the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers on GST. a. Sushil Kumar Modi b. Prafulla Chandra Ghadai c. Vijay Kumar Chaudhary d. Parveen Amanullah Answer: (a) 4. Who did Gujarat High Court appoint on 19 July 2011 to head the three-member body probing into 2004 Ishrat encounter? a. Karnail Singh b. Satish Verma c. Mohan Jha d. Rajiv Ranjan Verma Answer: (d) 5. According to statistics for 2010 released by the Union tourism ministry, which Indian state gained the position of the most visited destination in the country recording 155.8 million domestic tourists? a. Maharashtra b. Andhra Pradesh c. Kerala d. Tamil Nadu Answer: (b) 6. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was honoured with Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters from the French government by the Ambassador of France in New Delhi, Jerome Bonnafont on 13 July 2011. Which of the following Indian celebrities in the past did not win this prestigious award? a. Sharmila Tagore b. Upamanyu Chatterjee c. Habib Tanveer d. Sachin Tendulkar Answer: (d) 7. India accepted international norms for the prevention of air pollution emanating from ships. The norms were proposed under a 1997 protocol of the International Maritime Organisation(IMO). When was IMO established? a) 1948

b) 1997 c) 1982 d) 1937 Answer: (a) 1948 8. India and Sri Lanka signed a MoU on 20 July 2011 to develop the __port. a) Kankesanthurai b) Hambantota c) Oluvil d) Port of Point Pedro Answer: (a) Kankesanthurai 9. which one of the following countries announced a visa category named new Tier 1(exceptional talent) for India and Non-EU countries. a) Britain b) USA c) France d) Japan Answer: (a) Britain Current Affairs Quiz/Questions-Answers July 2011, July 18-July 24 Article Category: Current Affairs Quizzes, Current Affairs Prep Share| Quizzes on the Current Affairs section are designed to cover the wide range of national issues, international events, and other information from different segments which are of general human interest. Taking the Current Affairs Quiz for July 2011 will update you on the latest incidents that the world is talking about. The quizzes on Current Affairs will equip you to take all competitive examinations as well. 1. Name the U.S official who arrived in India on 18 July 2011 to attend the second round of India-U.S. strategic dialogue on 19 July. a. Vice President of the United States, Joseph R. Biden b. Department of State Secretary, Hillary Clinton c. Defence Secretary, Leon E. Panetta d. Commerce Secretary, Gary F. Locke Answer: (b)

2. Paul Stephenson and another senior officer John Yates of Scotland Yard resigned on 18 July 2011 over the News Of The World (NoW) phonehacking scandal. Name the owner of the British media group involved in the scandal. a. Rupert Murdoch b. Frederick Barclay c. Tony Gallagher d. Evgeny Lebedev Answer: (a) 3. Vice-President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Hameed Ansari reconstituted the panel to probe the charges against Chief Justice of the Sikkim High Court, P.D. Dinakaran on 18 July 2011. Name the chairman of the reconstituted panel. a. Advocate P.P. Rao b. Judge Aftab Alam c. Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court, J.S. Khehar d. Prof. G. Mohan Gopal, Director, Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Contemporary Studies Answer: (b) 4. Hina Rabbani Khar on 19 July 2011 became Pakistan s first woman foreign minister. Whom did she succeed? a. Farooq H. Naek b. Shah Mahmood Qureshi c. Ghulam Mustafa d. Noor Rabbani Answer: (b) 5. Who was awarded on the Ordre National du Merite by President Nicholas Sarkozy of France on 19 July 2011 for the extra ordinary services performed for strengthening and promoting cooperation between the Law Enforcement Agencies? a. Hameed Ansari b. Farooq H. Naek c. Amna Imran Khan d. Abul Kalam Azad Answer: (c)

6. The national register and national transport portal was launched___ to detect fake driving licenses and tracking stolen vehicles easier. a) 20 July 2011 b) 21 July 2011 c) 22 July 2011 d) 19 July 2011 Answer: (a) 20 July 2011 7. Which one of the following states of India cleared a bill to ensure doctors safety at their work places. a) Bihar b) UP c) Rajasthan c) Tamil Nadu Answer: (a) Bihar Science Current Affairs Quiz/Questions-Answers July 2011, July 18-July 24 Article Category: Current Affairs Quizzes, Science Quizzes, Current Affairs Prep Share| Science Current Affairs Quiz test the participant s knowledge on latest discoveries, technological advancements made and in the process further enhances an individual s knowledge base. The quizzes also cover the Environment-Ecology segment. Number of questions is asked from this segment in the competitive exams. Science Current Affairs quiz for July 2011 will help you in the preparation for NDA, CDS, Bank PO, MBA, NABARD, RBI, Railway, SSC, Civil Services and other Exams. 1. Scientists found a genetic change in a gene called__ which makes men less fertile. a) DEFB 126 b) DFEB 126 c) DEFB 125 d) DEEB 126 Answer: (a) DEFB 126 2. The scientists discovered that hepatitis B viruses attached themselves to receptors of the male sex hormone androgen before damaging liver

tissues and causing cancer. What is female sex hormone called? a) Testosterone b) Estrogens c) Anabolic steroids d) Androstenedione Answer: (b) Estrogens 3. Short-range surface-to-surface missile Prahar was successfully test-fired on 21 July 2011 from the Integrated Test Range in Balasore. Consider the following statements on Prahar. i) Prahar was developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation(DRDO). ii) Prahar is a single stage missile with a range of 150 km. Choose the right option. a) Both i and ii are correct. b) Only i is correct. c) Only ii is correct. d) Neither i nor ii is correct. Answer: (a) Both i and ii are correct. 4. India's communication satellite GSAT-12, reached its home in a circular geo-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 36,000 km on 18 July 2011. When it was put in orbit? a) 15 July 2011 b) 15 July 2010 c) 17 June 2011 d) 25 June 2011 Answer: (a) 15 July 2011 5. According to the result of University of Exeter research, one in 10 species could face extinction by the year __ if current climate change impacts continue. a) 2050 b) 2060 c) 2070 d) 2100 Answer: (d) 2100

Corporate Current Affairs Quiz/Questions-Answers July 2011, July 18-July 24 Article Category: Corporate Quizzes, Current Affairs Quizzes, Current Affairs Prep Share| Taking the Corporate Current Affairs Quiz will test as well as enhance your knowledge of major corporate events. The corporate quiz for July 2011 will make you better prepared to face competitive examinations like that of Bank PO, NABARD, RBI, LIC, Civil Services, MBA etc. 1. Which virtualisation software provider on 13 July 2011 globally launched a series of comprehensive suite of cloud infrastructure solutions to help customers drive a more productive relationship between IT and the businesses they serve? a. VMware b. BizSol Technologies c. GNWebSoft d. Milestone Answer: (a) 2. Which of the following PSUs announced on 18 July 2011, the merger of Maharashtra Elektrosmelt (MEL) with itself? a. BHEL b. SAIL c. HPCL d. IOC Answer: (b) 3. Indian Metals and Ferro Alloys (IMFA), one of the largest integrated producers of ferro alloys in India on 18 July 2011 acquired 70% stake in a coal mine in which country for $8.75 million? a. Egypt b. Indonesia c. South Africa d. Phillipines Answer: (b)

4. Which leading player in IT, BPO and consulting services, on 18 July 2011 announced that it secured a large contract worth potentially $177 million over a five-year term? a. Hexaware Technologies b. Genpact c. Accenture d. Infosys Answer: (a) 5. Online media network platform Komli Media has acquired which mobile advertising and publishing network to enter the mobile advertising network market? a. Zestadz b. InMobi c. Admob d. AdTwirl Answer: (a) 6. Government of India on 19 July 2011 appointed Usha Ananthasubramanian, former general manager of Bank of Baroda (BoB) as executive director of which public sector lender? a. Central Bank of India b. Punjab National Bank c. United Bank of India d. Gramin Bank Answer: (b) Sports Current Affairs Quiz/Questions-Answers July 2011, July 18-July 24 Article Category: Current Affairs Quizzes, Sports Quizzes, Current Affairs Prep Share| Sports Current Affairs Quiz have been drafted to test your knowledge about the recent sports events. Sports Current Affairs Quiz for July 2011 will help you increase your knowledge of the different sports events which are organised around the world. Taking the Sports current affairs Quiz, you will enhance your knowledge of sports and crack questions in the sports section of all competitive exams.

1. Who became the first Indian tennis player ever to win the Canadian U18 ITF Junior World Ranking Championship on 17 July 2011? a. Ambika Pande b. D Harika c. Koneru Humpy d. Chekrovolu Swuro Answer: (a) 2. Name the golfer who became the oldest winner of the British Open championship in 44 years as he ended his long wait for a Major on 17 July 2011. a. Phil Mickelson b. Dustin Johnson c. Darren Clarke d. Roberto de Vicenzo Answer: (c) 3. Kaushal Kumar and Aman Kumar of Artillery Water Sports Association (AWSA) won the title in the third Inland Hobie 16 National sailing championship. The competition was held in which of following lakes in India? a. Hussainsagar lake b. Hebbal Lake c. Jag Mandir lake d. Naukuchiatal Lake Answer: (a) 4. Name the Chinese who clinched his third successive world title in the men s 10m synchronised diving on 17 July 2011. a. Lin Yue b. Qiu Bo c. Huo Liang d. Yui le Answer: (c) 5. Japan lifted its first women's football World Cup by defeating which team in a dramatic final on 17 July 2011 in Frankfurt, Germany? a. Germany

b. Spain c. USA d. Brazil Answer: (c) Economy Current Affairs Quiz/Questions-Answers July 2011, July 18-July 24 Article Category: Economy Quizzes, Current Affairs Quizzes, Current Affairs Prep Share| Taking the Economy Current Affairs Quiz will test as well as enhance your knowledge on economy related issues. Moreover the Economy Current Affairs Quiz for July 2011 will help you in the preparation for different competitive examination like that of Bank PO, MBA, NABARD, RBI, Railway, SSC, Civil Services Exam etc. 1. The Union government in July 2011 allowed imports of 40,000 tonnes of natural rubber at a concessional duty. At what percentage concessional duty was the import permitted? a. 7.5% b. 7.8% c. 8% d. 8.5% Answer: (a) 2. The labour ministry-controlled Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) on 14 July 2011 appointed four fund managers for its 3.5 trillion pension fund corpus. Which of the following was not appointed? a. ICICI Prudential Asset Management Co. Ltd b. State Bank of India (SBI) c. Reliance Capital d. HSBC Asset Management Answer: (a) 3. The Export-Import Bank of the U.S. on 18 July 2011 sanctioned loans worth $1.4 billion (about Rs.6300 crore) for companies in which of the following Indian sectors, thereby increasing their investment in that sector? a. Handloom & Cottage industries b. Renewable energy sector

c. IT d. Media & Entertainment Answer: (b) 4. Group of Ministers (GoM) on 18 July 2011 approved in-principle additional equity infusion of 1200 crore and payment of 532 crore for operating VVIP and rescue flights for which carrier? a. Air India b. Jet Airways c. Sahara d. Kingfisher Answer: (a) 5. Revenue Department announced in July 2011 it s decision to impose anti-dumping duty of up to USD 1.41 per kg on imports of R-134a gas. With regard to the following, which of the following is true? 1. R-134a is an inert gas used primarily as a high temperature refrigerant for domestic refrigeration and automobile air conditioners. 2. The anti-dumping duty was imposed to protect domestic players from cheap Chinese and Japanese shipments. 3. The restrictive duty on the import of 1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane or R134a is to be imposed for a period of ten years. 4. Anti-dumping duty is imposed to check if domestic industry has been hurt because of a surge in cheap imports. a. Only 1 b. 1,2 & 4 c. 3 & 4 d. 1 & 3 Answer: (b) Corporate Current Affairs Quiz/Questions-Answers July 2011, July 4-July 10 Article Category: Corporate Quizzes, Current Affairs Quizzes, Current Affairs Prep Share| Taking the Corporate Current Affairs Quiz (Questions-Answers) will test as well as enhance your knowledge of major corporate events. The corporate quiz for July 2011 will make you better prepared to face competitive

examinations like that of Bank PO, NABARD, RBI, LIC, Civil Services, MBA etc. 1. Who of the following was conferred the best CFO Award in public sector? a. D.K. Sarraf b. P.K. Bajpai c. A.K. Singhal d. R.K .Aggarwal Answer: (a) 2. IFC planned to help Jain Irrigation system in India to set up Sustainable Agro-Commercial Finance Limited. What is the intention behind this planning? a. To provide irrigation facility to every nook and corner of India for cultivation b. To provide irrigation facility under the circumstances of drought c. To modernize all techniques used in irrigation d. To benefit farmers with limited access to credit Answer: (d) 3. Lafarge India, (French cement giant Lafarge) has four cement plants in the states of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal. In which of the following Indian states it plans to set up limestone mining operations? a. Meghalaya b. Assam c. Kerala d. Karnataka Answer: (a) 4. Who of the following was appointed as the Director (Finance) of Navratna Public Sector engineering and manufacturing enterprise, Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL)? a. P. K. Goyal b. P.K. Bajpai c. Bhaswar Mukherjee d. N.S. Kannan Answer: (b)

5. DCM Shriram Consolidated (DSCL) got environment clearance on 28 June 2011 from the Ministry of Environment and Forests for the Kaprion-KiDhani lignite mining project. Which of the Districts of Rajasthan is selected for this project? a. Jaipur b. Kota c. Nagaur d. Ajmer Answer: (c) Economy Current Affairs Quiz/Questions-Answers July 2011, July 4-July 10 Article Category: Economy Quizzes, Current Affairs Quizzes, Current Affairs Prep Share| Taking the Economy Current Affairs Quiz will test as well as enhance your knowledge on economy related issues. Moreover the Economy Current Affairs Quiz for July 2011 will help you in the preparation for different competitive examination like that of Bank PO, MBA, NABARD, RBI, Railway, SSC, Civil Services Exam etc. 1. The Reserve Bank of India imposed a penalty of 25 lakh on Citibank in July 2011. What was charge against it? a. Citibank violated anti money laundering (AML) b. It violated banking norms c. It involved illegal banking d. All of the above Answer: (a) 2. A. The Reserve Bank of India on 4 July 2011 allowed refinancing of redemption of foreign currency convertible bonds (FCCBs) by allowing firms to raise fresh overseas borrowing under the automatic route. B. This measure is aimed at helping Indian companies repay loans taken under bonds (FCCBs). C. This measure is aimed at helping Indian companies to take loans. D. A Bank will now be bound to repay loans within before it applies for a fresh loan.

Which of the following statement/statements is/are correct? a. A only b. A & B c. All of the above d. None of the above Answer: (b) 3. The RBI decided on 30 June 2011 to extend the buyback of foreign currency convertible bonds till March 2012. What does this signify? A. It will benefit several companies facing severe funding problems for buyback due to lackluster equity markets. B. It will benefit all the Indian banks facing funding problem. Which of the above statements is/are incorrect? a. Both A & B b. Only A c. Only B d. None of them Answer: (c) 4. Bhagyam Oil Field, which is the second largest in its kind in the state, belongs to which of the following Indian States? a. Assam b. Rajasthan c. Arunachal Pradesh d. Madhya Pradesh Answer: (b) 5. Food inflation in India eased to its seven week low at 7.61 percent for the week ended 25 June 2011. The reason behind decrease in inflation is cheaper pulses and vegetables. Who released the data? a. The WPI (Wholesale Price Index) b. FICCI c. Commerce Ministry of India d. Finance Ministry of India Answer: (a) Sports Current Affairs Quiz/Questions-Answers July 2011, July 11-July 17 Article Category: Current Affairs Quizzes, Sports Quizzes, Current Affairs Prep

Share| Sports Current Affairs Quizzes have been drafted to test your knowledge about the recent sports events. Sports Current Affairs Quiz for July 2011 will help you increase your knowledge of the different sports events which are organised around the world. Taking the current affairs Sports Quizzes, you will enhance your knowledge of sports and crack questions in the sports section of all competitive exams. 1. Which Indian athlete s B sample returned positive for anabolic steroid on 11 July quashing her chances to participate in 2012 London Olympics? a. Ashwini Akkunji b. Vijay Singh Chauhan c. Kamaljeet Sandhu d. T. C. Yohannan Answer: (a) 2. India achieved 1-0 test series triumph against which country after their two tests ended in a draw in July 2011? a. England b. Australia c. West Indies d. Pakistan Answer: (c) 3. According to the announcement made by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on 6 July 2011 which country won the vote to be the host city for the 2018 Winter Olympics? a. Pyeongchang (South Korea) b. Toronto (Canada) c. Amsterdam (Netherland) d. Beijing (China) Answer: (a) 4. Name the Defending champion who won the title for the third time in a row in the Optimist class competitions of the Monsoon Regatta sailing championships on 10 July 2011. a. Vir Amar Menon

b. Chintan Chatbar c. Upamanyu Dutta d. Rukayya Nasrullah Answer: (c) 5. Who won the British Grand Prix on 10 July thereby delivering Ferrari's long-awaited first win of 2011? a. Fernando Alonso b. Mark Webber c. Lewis Hamilton d. Sebatian Vettel Answer: (a) India Current Affairs Quiz/Questions-Answers July 2011, July 11- July 17 Article Category: India Current Affairs Quizzes, Current Affairs Quizzes, Current Affairs Prep Share| Quizzes on the India Current Affairs section are designed to cover the wide range of national issues and other informations related to India from different segments which are of general human interest. Taking the India Current Affairs Quiz for April 2011 will update you on the latest incidents that occured in India. The quizzes on India Current Affairs will equip you to take all competitive examinations as well. 1. Which state government launched Website & Helpline to discourage Sex Determination Tests? a. Rajasthan b. Haryana c. Maharashtra d. Punjab Answer: (c) 2. Renewable energy power company Orient Green Power Company (OGPL) commissioned a 18.7 MW wind farm project at Gudimangalam in Tiruppur district. To which state does the Tiruppur district belong to? a. Karnataka b. Tamil Nadu c. Kerala

d. Andhra Pradesh Answer: (b) 3. Oil ministry blocked which organisation s plans to begin oil production from the Bhagyam oilfield which is the second biggest find in the Rajasthan block. a. Cairn India b. IOC c. ONGC d. HPCL Answer: (a) 4. Name the Textiles Minister who on 7 July 2011 tendered his resignation following allegations by businessman C Sivasankaran that he misused his position as telecom minister from 2004 to 2007 and sought favours for granting a telecom licence. a. Kalanithi Maran b. Dayanidhi Maran c. Shankar Singh Vaghela d. Madhavsinh Solanki Answer: (b) 5. Name the 1977 batch of the Indian Administrative Service who July assumed charge as Secretary, Department of Defence Production in the Ministry of Defence. a. Shekhar Agarwal b. Madhusudan Ganapathi, c. Sindhushree Khullar, d. Shashikant Sharma Answer: (a) 6. Name the Solicitor-General , who hurt at Communications Minister Kapil Sibal's decision to engage a lawyer to defend him in the Supreme Court resigned from his post. a. Gopal Subramaniam b. Rohinton Nariman c. G.S. Singhvi d. Asok Kumar Ganguly

Answer: (a) 7. Supreme Court in its judgment held that ban imposed by centre on noniodised salt is unconstitutional. What is added in sea salt that it becomes iodized sea salt? a) Potassium Iodide b) Calcium Iodide c) Sodium Chloride d) Potassium Permanganate Answer: (a) Potassium Iodide 8. Which one of the following Indian states launched a website to help curb sex discrimination? a) Maharashtra b) Haryana c) Bihar d) Punjab Answer: (a) Maharashtra 9. The HRD ministry took over National council for teacher education. Who is at present the HRD minister at the centre? a) Kapil Sibal b) Arjun Singh c) Rahul Gandhi d) Sonia Gandhi Answer: (a) Kapil Sibal Current Affairs Quiz/Questions-Answers July 2011, July 11-July 17 Article Category: Current Affairs Quizzes, Current Affairs Prep Share| Quizzes on the Current Affairs section are designed to cover the wide range of national issues, international events, and other information from different segments which are of general human interest. Taking the Current Affairs Quiz for <January 2010> will update you on the latest incidents that the world is talking about. The quizzes on Current Affairs will equip you to take all competitive examinations as well. 1. Who was unanimously elected chairperson of the Public Health

Foundation of India (PHFI) on 11 July 2011? a. NR Narayana Murthy b. Rajat Gupta, c. Y V Reddy d. Shiv Nadar Answer: (a) 2. Eight Indian companies, including Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) featured in the list of the world's 500 largest companies compiled and released by Fortune magazine on 11 July 2011. Which of the following companies topped the list? a. Royal Dutch Shell b. Wal-Mart Stores c. Exxon Mobil d. Chevron Answer: (b) 3. 1976 batch IAS officer of Bihar cadre on 7 July 2011 was appointed as the new defence secretary. Name him. a. Shashikant Sharma b. Pradeep Kumar c. Shekhar Agarwal d. R K Singh Answer: (a) 4. The Greening Chandigarh Action Plan 2011-12 was released by the Department of Forest, Chandigarh Administration on the occasion of Van Mahotsav 2011. Van Mahotsav was initiated in 1950 by the then Union Minister for Agriculture and Food to create an enthusiasm in the mind of the populace for the conservation of forests and planting of trees. Name the minister who initiated Van Mahotsav. a. KV THomas b. Ranbir Singh Kanwar c. Agatha Sangma d. K M Munshi Answer: (d)

5. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced the appointment of which remote sensing expert as an independent chairman and managing director, for its commercial wing, Antrix? a. V. S. Hegde b. K. Radhakrishnan c. K Sridhara Murthy d. H N Madhusudana Answer: (a) 6. India signed an agreement with which one of the following countries to help it in upgrading its vocational training centres? a) Sri Lanka b) Pakistan c) Nepal d) Bangladesh Answer: (a) Sri Lanka 7. According to the report compiled by Swiss Re named World Insurance in 2010, India overtook Spain to become the _ largest insurance market in the world. a) 10th b) 11th c) 7th d) 6th Answer: (b) 11th 8. USA on 10 July 2011 suspended __ Million dollars military aid to Pakistan following the murder of Pakistani journalist Saleem Shahzad. a) 700 b) 600 c) 500 d) 800 Answer: (d) 800 Science Current Affairs Quiz/Questions-Answers July 2011, July 11-July 17 Article Category: Current Affairs Quizzes, Science Quizzes, Current Affairs Prep Share|

Science Current Affairs Quiz test the participant s knowledge on latest discoveries, technological advancements made and in the process further enhances an individual s knowledge base. The quizzes also cover the Environment-Ecology segment. Number of questions is asked from this segment in the competitive exams. Science Current Affairs quiz for July 2011 will help you in the preparation for NDA, CDS, Bank PO, MBA, NABARD, RBI, Railway, SSC, Civil Services and other Exams. 1. Neptune completed its first orbit around the Sun on 12 July 2011. Neptune is the _ planet of the solar system. a) Eighth b) Seventh c) Sixth d) Fourth Answer: (a) Eighth 2. Australia unveiled economic reforms with a plan to tax carbon emissions from the worst polluters in the nation. Consider the following facts given below: i) Australia relies on coal for 80 percent of electricity generation. ii) This accounts for 37 percent of national carbon emission. Choose the right option: a) Both i and ii are correct. b) Only i is correct. c) Only ii is correct. d) Neither i nor ii is correct. Answer: (a) Both i and ii are correct. 3. A Rare bird Jerdan s Baza was found for the first time in Dantepally tank area in Pocharam reserve forest of on 6 February 2011. Consider the given facts regarding Jerdan s Baza. i) Jerdan s Baza feeds mainly on frogs, lizards and large insects. ii) It is characterized by its broad round wings, a long squarish tail, jaunty crest and forest dwelling habits. Choose the right option: a) Both i and ii are correct. b) Only i is correct. c) Only ii is correct.

d) Neither i nor ii is correct. Answer: (a) Both i and ii are correct. 4. Scientists discovered eight genes which could pave the way for the development of effective treatments for ankylosing spondylitis which is painful form of_ a) Joint pain b) Headache c) Arthritis d) Cancer Answer: (c) Arthritis 5. The world s first double-leg transplant was performed by doctors in which one of the following countries? a) Spain b) UK c) USA d) India Answer: (a) Spain Sports Current Affairs Quiz/Questions-Answers July 2011, June 27-July 3 Article Category: Current Affairs Quizzes, Sports Quizzes, Current Affairs Prep Share|

Sports Current Affairs Quiz Sports Current Affairs Quiz have been drafted to test your knowledge about the recent sports events. Sports Current Affairs Quiz for July 2011 will help

you increase your knowledge of the different sports events which are organised around the world. Taking the current affairs Sports Quiz, you will enhance your knowledge of sports and crack questions in the sports section of all competitive exams. 1. Which Indian avenged her defeat at the Asian Team championships in Sri Lanka in early 2011 to notch up her maiden victory against Tsz Wing Tong of Hong Kong 6-11, 11-8, 10-12, 11-7, 11-7 to win the Asian junior squash championships? a. Dipika Pallikal b. Joshna Chinappa c. Anaka Alankamony d. Saumya Karki Answer: (c) 2. Which Chinese badminton player stopped defending champion Saina Nehwal from completing the hat-trick of titles at the Indonesia Open Super Series by defeating her in the final on 26 June 2011? a. Wang Yihan b. Lin Dan c. Lee Chong Wei d. Yi Jianlian Answer: (a) 3. Red Bull's Formula One World champion victory of the European Grand Prix on 26 June 2011 put him level with British great Stirling Moss in the all-time winners' list. Name the champion. a. Fernando Alonso b. Sebastian Vettel c. Mark Webber d. Lewis Hamilton Answer: (b) 4. Who did Sports management company Professional Management Group sign Abhinav to exclusively look after the rifleman's brand endorsements and other commercial commitments? a. Abhinav Bindra b. Jaspal Rana

c. Samresh Jung d. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore Answer: (a) 5. Which country on 27 June 2011 named former Australian cricketer Stuart Law as the new coach of their national team, replacing compatriot Jamie Siddons? a. Pakistan b. Bangladesh c. Sri Lanka d. India Answer: (b) Current Affairs Quiz/Questions-Answers July 2011, June 27-July 3 Article Category: Current Affairs Quizzes, Current Affairs Prep Share|

Current Affairs Quiz Quizzes on the Current Affairs section are designed to cover the wide range of national issues, international events, and other information from different segments which are of general human interest. Taking the Current Affairs Quiz for July 2011 will update you on the latest incidents that the world is talking about. The quizzes on Current Affairs will equip you to take all competitive examinations as well. 1. India-Malaysia CECA (Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement) became effective from__ a) 1 July 2011 b) 2 July 2011

c) 3 July 2011 d) 4 July 2011 Answer: (a) 1 July 2011 2. The Parliament of Bangladesh passed the bill to scrap the system of caretaker government holding general elections. What is the name of the bill? a) The Constitution (15th Amendment) Bill, 2011 b) The Constitution (14th Amendment) Bill, 2011 c) The Constitution (15th Amendment) Bill, 2010 d) The Constitution (13th Amendment) Bill, 2011 Answer: (a) The Constitution (15th Amendment) Bill, 2011 3. Foreign Minister of UAE visited India on 26-27 June 2011 to sign a bilateral MoU on periodic consultations between the two foreign offices on bilateral issues as well as regional and international issues. Who is the foreign minister of UAE? a) SM Krishna b) HH Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan c) Hosni Mubarak d) Omar al-Bashir Answer: (b) HH Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan 4. Sri Lanka included Chinese Currency Renminbi in the list of designated currencies permitted for international transactions through banks in Sri Lanka. Which one of the foreign currency is not in its designated list? a) Australian dollar b) Danish kroner c) Euro d) Indian Rupee Answer: (d) Indian Rupee 5. Los Alamos Nuclear Laboratory is under Threat from Wildfire. In which one of the following countries, Los Alamos Nuclear Laboratory is located? a) USA b) Japan c) China

d) India Answer: (a) USA India This Week: 20 June-26 June 2011 Article Category: India | World This Week, India This Week 2011, Current Affairs Prep Share|

India : Current Affiars A compilation of all the important topics and events of the week is given here. Update you Current Affairs Weekly with our India This week. 20 June JCT decided to disband its Phagwara-based popular football club stating lack of exposure and visibility as the reasons behind the decision. Union government decided to set up a high-powered task force for the revamp of defence management in India. Union Law Ministry has decided to keep 600 hundred Navodaya Vidyalayas in the country outside the ambit of the Right to Education (RTE) Act. 21 June Kothapalli Jayashankar, former Vice-Chancellor of Kakatiya University and proponent of separate state of Telengana died. The West Bengal state government issued a notification to turn the Singur Land Rehabilitation and Development Bill into law following Governor M.K. Narayanan s assent. Union Government appointed three independent directorson the Oil

and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) board clearing the way for ONGC s share sale. Eminent economist Prof. Suresh Tendulkar who played a significant part in moulding the government s economic policy making died. 22 June Union Ministry of Finance asked the Income Tax department to launch immediate prosecution action in tax evasion cases. Annual Plan for West Bengal for 2011-12 was finalised at Rs.22214 crore. National Advisory Council (NAC) directed the Tribal Affairs Ministry to consult the Jarawas before drafting a policy on their future. Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council approved the draft of the Food Security Bill. 23 June India's ace magician Gopinath Muthukad received the International Merlin Award from Tony Hassini, President of the US based International Magicians Society. Central Employment Guarantee Council rejected the suggestion of the Prime Minister s National Council on Skill Development s (NCSD) suggestion to include provision of skill development to unskilled wage seekers under NREGS. Union Cabinet approved extension of the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) to all the registered domestic workers in India. 24 June Union government decided to increase the price of diesel by Rs. 3 a litre, kerosene by Rs. 2 a litre and domestic LPG by Rs.50 a cylinder. Eminent Hindi litterateur Arvind Kumar was presented the Hindi Academy Shalaka Samman. 25 June Eminent Assamese short story writer and Sahitya Akademi Award winner Saurav Kumar Chaliha died at Guwahati 26 June Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda announced the decision of the state government to waive off the 5 per cent value added tax (VAT) on kerosene.

India This Week: 30 May-5 June 2011 Article Category: India | World This Week, India This Week 2011 Share|

India : Current Affairs A compilation of all the important topics and events of the week is given here. Update you Current Affairs Weekly with our India This week. 30 May Supreme Court on 30 May 2011 refused to stay the semester system introduced by the Delhi University for undergraduate courses. The minutes of the 24th meeting of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) of the RBI was released by the RBI. 31 May Prakash Chandra, a 1973-batch Indian Revenue Services (IT) officer took over as Chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT). A committee on allocation of natural resources headed by former finance secretary Ashok Chawla opposed oil ministry's plan to subsidise costlier imported LNG by making users of domestic natural gas pay more. The telecom department unveiled a new security framework. As per GDP data released the country's GDP (gross domestic product) growth slipped to 7.8 per cent in the fourth quarter (January-March) of 2010-11. 1 June The Coal Ministry cancelled the allotment of a coal block to Shree

Bhaidyanath Ayurved Bhavan over the company's failure to develop it in a timebound manner for captive use. The Union Government appointed Revenue Secretary Sunil Mitra as the new finance secretary. Senior-most medical officer in the army and a renowned surgeon Lieutenant General H.L. Kakria took over as Director-General of the Armed Forces Medical Services. The Maharashtra Cabinet approved the proposal to raise the minimum age for consumption of hard liquor from 21 to 25 years 2 June Delhi and Kerala won the titles in the 28th National youth basketball championship in the men s and women s category respectively 3 June The Union government amended guidelines for Public Financial Institutions (PFIs) permitting private companies, primarily engaged in infrastructure funding, to attain the status of a PFI. RBI permitted urban cooperative banks (UCBs) to give loans to self help groups (SHGs). 4 June Nokia (Finland s Mobile Company) launched mobile handset with dual sim. Yoga Guru Ramdev started his fast against the corruption and black money at Ramlila ground. CNG price increased by 55 paise per KG in Delhi and NCR region. 5 June Union Government approved of the setting up of a separate cell under the Tea Board to look after the interests of small tea-growers Spices Board launched a campaign to educate farmers, traders and exporters about aflatoxin, a naturally occurring toxin that degrades spices exported from India. World This Week: 23 May-29 May 2011 Article Category: World This Week 2011, India | World This Week

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World : Current Affairs A compilation of all the important topics and events of the week is given here. Update your Current Affairs Weekly with our World This Week. 23 May 2011
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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh began a six-day visit to Ethiopia and Tanzania. The ruling Maoist party of Nepal warned the GMR Group of India to stop work at its two major hydro-electricity projects in the country at least until 28 May 2011. China celebrated 60 years of Tibet liberation. 24 May 2011 Second Africa-India forum summit held at Addis Ababa (Capital of Ethiopia) from 24 to 25 May 2011. India and Afghanistan signed MoU for training and skilled development of media personnel. Iranian Parliament imposed sanctions on US officials. India and World Bank signed 162.7 million dollars agreement for Rajasthan rural livelihoods project. 25 May 2011 India signed two MoUs with Ethiopia to avoid double taxation and promote development of small industries.

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Satellite survey done by NASA in Egypt identified seventeen lost pyramids. 26 May 2011 The Inter-governmental meeting to finalise the text of the draft SAARC agreement on rapid response to natural disasters concluded in Male. G-8 summit begins in France with Kan's pledge on nuclear safety. 27 May 2011 The Group of Eight (G-8) pledged 20 billion dollars in aid to Tunisia and Egypt. 28 May 2011 Russia signed a deal with the United States for the supply of 21 helicopters to Afghanistan. 29 May 2011 Nepal s Constituent assembly term extended for three months. India This Week: 23 May-29 May 2011 Article Category: India | World This Week, India This Week 2011 Share|

India : Current Affairs A compilation of all the important topics and events of the week is given here. Update you Current Affairs Weekly with our India This week. 23 May 2011

Madhya Pradesh state government decided to form a separate agriculture cabinet. The Reserve Bank of India's working group on introduction of financial holding structure in India submitted its report suggesting a holding company model for the financial sector. BHEL 'S board approved of the proposal to offload government's 5 per cent stake in BHEL. Public sector lender Central Bank of India and the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) entered into an agreement in order to promote vocational training amongst the youth. Steel Authority of India called off the road shows of its share sale planned for June. Ajit Kumar Seth a 1974 batch IAS officer from the Uttar Pradesh cadre was on 23 May 2011 appointed the Cabinet Secretary of India 24 May 2011 The government of India puts spectrum auction on speed dial. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) relaxed the eligibility norms for using credit default swaps (CDS) on corporate bonds. Salaried taxpayers who do not have other sources of income and whose income are below 5 lakh rupees per annum, are being exempted from filing income tax return. Possibility of diversion to the power sector of the coal being sold by Coal India Ltd (CIL) through the e-auction route ruled out. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) gave the go-ahead to host the multi-discipline SAF Games in 2012. Union Environment and Forest Minister Jairam Ramesh launched an elephant conservation programme, Hathi Mere Sathi. 25 May 2011 The National Advisory Council (NAC) chaired by Sonia Gandhi gave its nod to government s go ahead for fresh survey identifying families Below Poverty Line, BPL. A MoU was signed between OP Jindal Global Univeristy and the National Institute of Administrative Research of the Lal Bahadur National Academy of Administration, Mussorie. Anti-monopoly watchdog Competition Commission of India (CCI) held NSE guilty of abusing its dominant position & of using unfair means in trading of currency derivatives.

Eminent harmonium player and Padma Shri awardee Ustad Mahmood Dholpuri died in New Delhi. Indian government issued an order to set up an independent panel under the civil aviation ministry that will investigate air accidents and serious incidents. 26 May 2011 Haryana Launched a Project to Enrol People for UID and Smart Cards. Lanco Solar announced to set up a 75 MW solar power plant at Dhule in Maharashtra at a cost of 884.18 crore rupees. Professor Subhasis Chaudhuri of IIT-Mumbai was selected for the prestigious G. D. Birla Award for Scientific Research for his contributions in the area of electronic communications. President Pratibha Patil rejected the mercy petition of Khalistani terrorist Davinder Pal Singh Bhullar convicted for a bombing outside the Indian Youth Congress office in Delhi in 1993. 27 May 2011 The Indian Ministry of Finance cleared the RBI s draft guidelines on new bank licences with a rider that the existing 74% cap on foreign direct investment (FDI) be retained. A high-level coordination committee on external commercial borrowings (ECB) decided to raise the external commercial borrowing limit to $ 30 billion for the financial year 2011-12. The government of India notified the new pictorial warnings to be printed on packages of smoking and chewable tobacco products. 28 May 2011 Committee constituted under chairman, CBDT to examine ways to strengthen laws to curb the generation of black money in the country, its illegal transfer abroad and its recovery. 29 May 2011 The southwest monsoon set in over Kerala on 29 May 2011; three days prior to the normal date of 1st June. India This Week: 18 April- 24 April 2011 Article Category: India | World This Week, India This Week 2011 Share|

India A compilation of all the important topics and events of the week is given here. Update you Current Affairs Weekly with our India This week. 18 April The Supreme Court stayed the order of the broadcast tribunal TDSAT and raised the rates paid by cable operators for TV channels to 42 per cent. Reserve Bank of India formed a conglomerate cell within its supervisory set-up to keep a constant vigil on 12 large domestic and foreign banks. Aditya Birla Group acquired leading Swedish speciality pulp and biorefinery company, Domsjo Fabriker. India-born Dr Siddhartha Mukherjee won Pulitzer Prize for his nonfiction book The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer. The Supreme Court of India banned employment of children in circus. 19 April Uttarakhand Governor, Margaret Alva approved of the APMC bill, which seeks to provide effective regulation in marketing of agricultural produces as well as establishment of proper marketing system. Oil regulator Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH) refused to approve Reliance Industries spending on KG-D6 gas fields. Former World junior champion and Grandmaster Abhijeet Gupta won the Dubai International Open chess title. The Supreme Court in India declared Khap Panchayats are illegal.

20 April India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) launched India's remote sensing satellite Resourcesat-2 from the spaceport of Sriharikota. State Bank of India decided to discontinue with its much debated teaser' home loan scheme. Tata Steel signed a licensing agreement with British-Australian mining major Rio Tinto for development of direct iron smelting process called HIsarna. Supreme Court ruled that courts must not behave like super legislatures and weigh the wisdom of legislation or policy decision of the government. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research initiated a Rs 350-crore national programme to help farmers sustain agriculture, particularly in dryland. Union Cabinet of India approved the signing of Nagoya Protocol. Supreme Court of India expressed its concern on poverty in India. 21 April President of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) Praful Patel appointed member of the Ad-Hoc Committee for Member Associations by the Asian Football Confederation. Indian government ordered constitution of an inter-ministerial group (IMG) to review India's foreign direct investment norms in the pharmaceutical sector. State-owned gas utility GAIL India honoured with the Outstanding PSU of the Year award by All India Management Association. CAG passed strictures against Maharashtra s aid to Nanded Cooperative Bank. 22 April Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued a notification to put into force the norms on creation of the defence mechanism by banks. 23 April Freedom House in its report ranked India 14th among 37 countries that were assessed on the basis of free and unrestricted access to the web. 24 April

Sathya Sai Baba, one of India's most influential spiritual leaders and philanthropist expired. Panel probing charges of corruption against Justice P.D. Dinakaran rejected his plea for recusal of senior advocate P.P. Rao. Nawang Gombu, the first man to scale Mt. Everest twice died India This Week: 16 May-22 May 2011 Article Category: India | World This Week, India This Week 2011 Share|

India : Current Affairs A compilation of all the important topics and events of the week is given here. Update your Current Affairs Weekly with our India This week. 16 May 2011 A court sent former registrar of Rani Durgavti University, Vijay Sharma to seven days judicial custody for his alleged role in Sex-for-marks scandal which rocked the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Medical College in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. Delhi State Cabinet Raised the Retirement Age for Nurses. 17 May 2011 Gujarat High Court ordered the release of caged birds. Registration of tourist agents, operators made mandatory in Delhi. 18 May 2011 Tamil Nadu overtook Karnataka in Bio-Fertilizer use.

Nagaland Annual Plan 2010-11 finalised at 1810 crore. 19 May 2011 The Annual Plan for Maharashtra for 2010-11 was finalised at 42000 crore rupees. 20 May 2011 The Ministry of Civil Aviation has agreed to the request of Ministry of Development of North East Region (DoNER), to introduce more flights to the Lilabari and Tezpur Airports in Assam. 21 May 2011 India s latest communication satellite GSAT-8 was successfully launched by Arianespace from Kourou in French Guiana. India -Africa Investment E-Portal launched to facilitate bilateral investments between the two regions. 22 May 2011 A report card on completion of two years of UPA-II government was released in New Delhi. India This Week 9 May- 15 May 2011 Article Category: India | World This Week, India This Week 2011 Share|

India : Current Affairs A compilation of all the important topics and events of the week is given here. Update your Current Affairs Weekly with our India This week.

9 May Six-day joint exercise of the Indian Army and the Air Force, Vijayee Bhava began. Five-time World champion M C Mary Kom (48kg) defeated Asian champion Kim Myong Sim of North Korea 4-3 in the final of the Asian Cup Women's Boxing tournament. Supreme Court of India Stayed Allahabad High Court Judgement on Ayodhya Issue. Supreme Court ruled that honour killings should be treated as rarest of rare cases. The AHF-MHC Hockey Academy was inaugurated by Sultan Azlan Shah, President, Asian Hockey Federation. Human rights activist Binayak Sen was appointed member of the Planning Commission's 40 member Steering Committee on Health 10 May Two senior Indian-American journalists- Suman Guha Mozumdar and Prakash M Swamy were among seven media personalities honoured in the New Jersey General Assembly by Speaker Sheila Y Oliver. Indian Union Ministry of Finance declared that food served in hotel rooms from air-conditioned restaurants holding liquor licences will not attract service tax. India s competition regulator announced the regulations for mergers and acquisitions and diluted several of its earlier proposals to address industry concerns. Indian government partially opened limited liability partnerships (LLP) to foreign investments on thereby ending wrangling over the extent of foreign ownership in this new form of business structure. 11 May Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) cleared GMR Airports Holding Ltd's proposal to raise further foreign direct investment of $200 million. 12 May Karnataka became the first Indian state to launch an e-payment system for commercial tax payers. Karnataka Launched e-payment System for Commercial Tax Payers and

became the first Indian state to do so. Supreme Court Scrapped 100% quota for army kids in ACMS (Army College of Medical Sciences). A list of 50 most wanted fugitives was released by India on 12 May 2011 hiding in Pakistan. 13 May Trinamool Congress and Congress alliance won an overwhelming victory (225 seats) in West Bengal against the Left that has been ruling in Bengal for the last 34 years. Delhi-based NGO Convicted by Supreme Court for Misusing PIL. 14 May State-owned oil companies increased petrol prices by Rs 5 per litre-the steepest so far. 15 May Gujarat High Court has ordered the release of 494 birds held captive in cages. India This Week: 25 April - 1 May 2011 Article Category: India | World This Week, India This Week 2011 Share|

India : Current Affairs A compilation of all the important topics and events of the week is given here. Update your Current Affairs Weekly with our India This week.

25 April CBI arrested Suresh Kalmadi the chief organizer of Delhi s corruptiontainted Commonwealth Games. The CBI named Kanimozhi, DMK supremo M Karunanidhi s 43-yearold daughter in its second chargesheet filed on the 2G spectrum scam. SEBI sought more time from the Supreme Court to give its views on the report of a high-powered committee that probed the IPO scam. 26 April National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) appointed Rajendra S. Pawar as the new chairman of its Executive Council. The Empowered Committee headed by cabinet secretary KM Chandrashekhar approved the urban development ministry's proposal to introduce a common mobility card Bihar became the first Indian state to set up agriculture cabinet. Indian Government Decided to Invite the IAEA Team. 27 April Reserve Bank of India (RBI) asked banks assess Basel-II preparedness to shift to the new approach. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) announced two new oil and gas discoveries in Gujarat in block CB-ONN-2004/2. Tribals given rights to harvest bamboo as a forest produce. A study Conducted by University of Calcutta estimated that Sunderbans Absorb more than Four Crore Tones of CO2 to Check Global Warming. 28 April The Union Cabinet cleared an ordinance to extend the term of the Board of Governors of the Medical Council of India (MCI) by one year. A conference of India's real estate leaders emphasised the need for laser-like focus on business transparency. Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved a Rs.7,000crore project to clean the Ganga. Indian mathematician and theoretical computer scientist Ravi Kannan awarded the 2011 Knuth Prize. Intensified Malaria Control Programme for North-Eastern States Approved by the Union Cabinet of India. 7000 crore rupees NGRBA (National Ganga River Basin Authority) project

was approved by the Union Cabinet of India. 29 April Director K. Balachander declared the winner of Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2010 by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry Conference of Parties to the Stockholm Convention in Geneva approved the recommendation for elimination of production and use of endosulfan. Supreme Court stayed all further proceedings of the three-member committee probing corruption charges against Chief Justice of the Sikkim High Court P.D. Dinakaran. 30 April Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Chairman Murli Manohar Joshi submitted draft report on 2G scam to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar. A Pawan Hans helicopter chartered by Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu went missing. The Prime Minister's Trade and Economic Relations Committee (TERC) approved of the launch of free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations with Australia. S.C. Chetal took over as Director of the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) at Kalpakkam Board of Directors of Infosys Ltd met on 30 April 2011 decided to appoint K.V. Kamath as Chairman of Infosys 1 May Murli Manohar Joshi was reappointed as chairman of the PAC for another year. India This Week: 2 May-8 May 2011 Article Category: India | World This Week, India This Week 2011 Share|

India : current Affairs A compilation of all the important topics and events of the week is given here. Update your Current Affairs Weekly with our India This week. 2 May Indian government appointed Girish Chandra Chaturvedi as petroleum secretary and shifted incumbent S Sundareshan to the ministry of heavy industries. Stock Holding Corporation of India (SHCIL) announced the appointment of Ashok Motwani as its new Managing Director and CEO. ISRO unveiled India s fastest supercomputer, SAGA-220. 3 May The Annual Monetary Policy for 2011-12 was presented by RBI Governor D.Subbarao RBI hiked the key rate at which banks draw liquidity from it by 50 basis points thereby moving the repo rate up to 7.25 per cent. Supreme Court upheld on 3 May 2011 the civil aviation ministry's 2008 order that kept the civil aviation requirements (CAR) in abeyance and revived the 1992 circular. The Postal Department launched Service Discharge Benefit Scheme for Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS) to provide post-retirement financial security. Delhi High Court issued contempt notice to nine office-bearers of the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA). 4 May Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister, Dorjee Khandu s body found amidst

Pawan Hans wreckage at 15,000ft near Luguthang, 60 km from Tawang town. Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda approved an outlay of Rs.1,255 crore for upgradation of water supply and sewerage works in the State. Environment Ministry issued revised draft guidelines for determining critical wildlife habitats as required by the Scheduled Tribes and Other Forest Dwellers Act, 2006. 5 May Supreme Court reserved verdict on the petition for a direction to the Chhattisgarh government to disband and disarm Special Police Officers as well as set up a mechanism for relief and rehabilitation of victims of violence in the State. 6 May Supreme Court set up a team to survey and demarcates 99 iron ore mines in Bellary-Hospet region of Karnataka. Air India pilots called off their 10-day-old strike after Government agreed to reinstate sacked and suspended pilots. Himachal Pradesh government introduces single window system to grant permission to film & TV serial makers to shoot in the region. Maheshwar Hydro-electric power project on Narmada river in Madhya Pradesh cleared by Indian Union Ministry of Environment and Forests. The annual plan for Andhra Pradesh for the year 2011-12 was finalized at Rs 43000 crores. 7 May Representatives of the government and civil society of Lokpal panel agree on basic principles for the proposed legislation on anti-corruption. Haryana government notified its new Stage Carriage Scheme. Legal Aid clinic inaugurated in Mewat village in Haryana. Indian government decided to institute a prestigious international award in the name of Rabindranth Tagore to recognise contribution towards the promotion of international brotherhood. 8 May

Minister for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh declared that the Union government approved two more tiger reserves in Karnataka. India This Week: 11 April - 17 April 2011 Article Category: India | World This Week, India This Week 2011 Share|

India : Current Affairs A compilation of all the important topics and events of the week is given here. Update your Current Affairs Weekly with our India This week. 11 April 2011 Telecom Policy 2011 including liberal acquisition & merger norms was unveiled by Communications and IT Minister, Kapil Sibal. Tata Steel vice-chairman B Muthuraman was appointed the new president of industry association Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). Indian Finance Ministry decided to issue biometric PAN cards to taxpayers across the country to erase the problem of duplicacy and fake ones. Union government revoked 352 licences of prohibited bore weapons issued by the authorities in Nagaland. The Delhi government gave its nod to a revised proposal for Metro's phase-III. The annual Plan for Jharkhand for 2011-12 was finalised at Rs 15300 crore following a meeting between CM Arjun Munda & Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia. Supreme Court admitted a writ petition filed by the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals challenging the Tamil Nadu law regulating the conduct of jallikattu.

Committee on Zonal Cultural Centres formed to revamp the functioning of Zonal Cultural Centres (ZCCs) submitted report to Union Culture Minister Kumari Selja. The Delhi state government on approved a revised proposal for Metro s phase-III. The Supreme Court Gave a Reprieve to the 44 Deemed Universities. The Supreme Court of India refused Odisha Government's plea to stay Polavaram Dam construction by Andhra Pradesh. Jharkhand Annual Plan 2011-12 Finalised at 15300 Crores. 12 April 2011 Supreme Court appointed M. Gopalakrishnan to assist the Central Water Commission in inspecting the Polavaram dam to ascertain whether it was being built as per the Godavari Tribunal Award. Union Government of India Put a Cap on Antibiotic Use in Poultry and Fish. 13 April 2011 Supreme Court refused to lift the ban on sale of tobacco products such as gutka and pan masala in plastic sachets Sachin Tendulkar named Wisden s Leading Cricketer in the World for the year 2010. TRAI issued important recommendations related to manufacturing, infrastructure and green telecom to promote structured growth of the sector. India decided to resume the bilateral cricket series with Pakistan which was put on hold in retaliation against the 26/11 terror attack on Mumbai. Supreme Court Refused to Lift Ban on Sale of Gutka in Plastic Sachets. 14 April 2011 British consumer products giant Reckitt Benckiser named its global marketing head Rakesh Kapoor as its new Chief Executive Officer. 15 April 2011 Bollywood Actress turned director Nandita Das was conferred with the Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters, one of the highest civilian awards of France. The Supreme Court granted bail to Human rights activist Binayak Sen,

who had been sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of sedition and for having links with the Naxalites. Playing for Mumbai Indians, Sachin Tendulkar made his first century in Twenty20s. 16 April 2011 Brigadier Sawai Bhawani Singh, the last Maharaja of Jaipur died. 17 April 2011 Shiv Kapur signed off at tied 13th at the Maybank Malaysian Open. World This Week: 16 May- 22 May 2011 Article Category: World This Week 2011, India | World This Week Share|

World : Current Affairs A compilation of all the important topics and events of the week is given here. Update your Current Affairs Weekly with our World This Week. 16 May 2011 India and Uzbekistan signed an action plan on tourism cooperation in New Delhi. NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) launched Space Shuttle, Endeavour from the Kennedy Space Centre, Florida for its final mission.

17 May 2011 India asked Sri Lanka to probe human rights violations. World Bank report stated that India would be among six nations to dominate global economic growth by 2025. 18 May 2011 The United States imposed sanctions on Syrian President Basher alAssad and six other top aides for human rights abuses. The Working group of NAC Drafted note on Land Acquisition. India and Uzbekistan declared strategic partnership. 19 May 2011 Japan agreed to sign the international treaty, the Hague Convention on International Child Abduction. 20 May 2011 Delegations of India and Pakistan met in Rawalpindi from 20-21 May 2011 to discuss the Sir Creek issue. Inaugural Session of the Senior Officials meeting of the Second India Africa Forum Summit held in Addis Ababa. 21 May 2011 Japan, South Korea and China agreed to set up an early warning system to alert each other of emergencies at nuclear facilities. 22 May 2011 The Australian Climate Commission warned that the world s sea levels could increase by 1 metre by the end of the century. World This Week: 9 May- 15 May 2011 Article Category: World This Week 2011, India | World This Week Share|

World : Current Affairs A compilation of all the important topics and events of the week is given here. Update your Current Affairs Weekly with our World This Week. 9 May South Pacific island nation Samoa, currently positioned to the east of the International Date Line decided to forego a day (28 December 2011) and shift to the time zone on its west. IMF projected Economic growth rate for India for the year 2011 from 8.2 percent to 8 percent. 10 May Iran agreed to initiate talks with 6 big nations on controversial nuclear programme. European Union banned the export of weapons to Syria. 11 May Cricket committee of the International Cricket Council recommended the use of the controversial Decision Review System (DRS) in all international matches. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was awarded the Sydney Peace Prize s Gold Medal for exceptional courage in pursuit of human rights. America and China concluded two-day strategic and economic dialogue. 12 May India ratified United Nations Convention against Corruption and the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime and its three protocols.

India Pakistan Resumed Dialogue on Tulbul Project after a gap of four years. 13 May Iran Received a New Shipment of Nuclear Fuel from Russia. India and Columbia signed double taxation avoidance agreement (DTAA). 14 May Michel Joseph Martelly took the oath of president of Haiti. 15 May Australia won the Sulan Azlan Cup Hockey tournament for the sixth time by defeating Pakistan. IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, widely expected to run for the French Presidency in 2012 arrested here over an alleged sex attack on a hotel maid. World This Week: 2 May- 8 May 2011 Article Category: World This Week 2011, India | World This Week Share|

World : Current Affairs A compilation of all the important topics and events of the week is given here. Update your Current Affairs Weekly with our World This Week. May 2 The panel overseeing Vanuatu's membership talks/accession to World trade Organisation adopted the final accession package of tariff and rules-

related commitments. May 3 Portugal reached a deal with the European Union and the IMF on a 78-billion 3-year bailout. May 4 The leaders of two main Palestinian-factions, Fatah and Hamas signed a reconciliation agreement for the formation of transitional national unity government followed by elections. Jhalanath Khanal, Prime Minister of Nepal expanded his cabinet. May 5 Vice-President M. Hamid Ansari arrived in Dhaka to represent India in the joint celebrations to mark Rabindranath Tagore's 150th birth anniversary. Pig-nosed turtles, Carettochelys Insculpta facing extinction. Supreme Court of Bangladesh dismissed two petitions by Dr. Muhammad Yunus to reverse High Court judgment on his sacking from the position of Managing Director of the Grameen Bank. British voters rejected proposal to abandon the first-past-the-post system in favour of Alternative Votes. May 6 Syria s security forces shot dead around five people during the rally on the Day of Defence against the autocratic rule of President Bashar alAssad. May 7 One of golf's greatest and most charismatic players, Seve Ballesteros of Spain died. Indian men settled for silver in the World Cup(Stage 1) archery meet at Porec. Singapore's 16th parliamentary general election held. May 8 NATO launched air strikes against Libyan government. Petra Kvitova won Madrid Women s tiltle in tennis.

Saina Nehwal lost to World No 3 Xin Wang in the finals of Malaysian Open Grand Prix in Quala Lumpur. World this Week: 25 April -1 May 2011 Article Category: World This Week 2011, India | World This Week Share|

World : Current Affairs A compilation of all the important topics and events of the week is given here. Update your Current Affairs Weekly with our World This Week. 25 April Winner of several prestigious literary awards Chilean poet Gonzalo Rojas expired. Anti-government protests in Syria intensified. 26 April China unveiled details of an ambitious new space station to be built in orbit within a decade USA signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Defence Research and Development Organization, DRDO to deal with the menace of terrorism. Russia proposed a plan to strengthen safety standards in nuclear power plants. India, Sri Lanka and Maldives Agreement to Keep their Seas Free from Pirates.

27 April Bapineuzumab jab, the Vaccine to Cure Alzheimer was developed. Pro-democracy Protesters Sentenced to death in Bahrain. 28 April Cairo on Thursday refusing to compensate Tel Aviv for the losses it suffered due to an explosion, a day earlier, of a gas pipeline close to its border. Tension grew between the Government and Christian Movement in China. 29 April Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin appointed Vladimir Popovkin, formerly First Deputy Defense Minister, as head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos. 30 April Saif al-Arab Gaddafi, the youngest son of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, and three of his grandchildren have been killed in a NATO air strike Libyan Strongman Muammar Gaddafi s Son Killed in NATO Strike. 1 May Pope Benedict XVI beatified the late Pope John Paul II at St. Peter's Square Lee Chong Wei became the first winner of the $200,000 India Open Super Series badminton championship at the Siri Fort Sports Complex by defeating Peter Gade. Protests in Maldives against its President Mohamad Nasheed. Novak Djokovic won the third edition of Serbia Open by defeating Spaniard Feliciano Lopez. Bin Laden was killed after a gunbattle with Navy SEALs and CIA paramilitary forces at a compound in the city of Abbottabad in Pakistan. World This Week: 18 April- 24 April 2011 Article Category: World This Week 2011, India | World This Week Share|

World : Current Affairs A compilation of all the important topics and events of the week is given here. Update your Current Affairs Weekly with our World This Week. 18 April
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World Heritage Day was observed with the theme of World Heritage Day 2011 was Cultural heritage of water. Jennifer Egan's novel A Visit from the Goon Squad won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.

19 April
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Pakistan test fired a newly developed short-range surface-to-surface missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. Organisers of Wimbledon tournaments raised the prize money for the winners of 2011 Wimbledon champions by 6.4%. Legendary Norwegian runner, Grete Waitz who won the New York City Marathon nine times ans also set four marathon world records died. President Raul Castro was named first secretary of Cuba's Communist Party. Syria passed a draft law to end 48 years of emergency rule.

20 April
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The process of jury selection for the corruption trial of ousted Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich began. The UN Security Council adopted a resolution to extend the mandate which obliges states to implement measures to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction by 10 years of the committee.

21 April
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Syrian president Bashar Assad appointed Ghassan Abdul-Alas governor of tense central province, Homs.

22 April
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Thailand and Cambodia exchanged gun-fire. Japan decided to cut its ODA (Official Development Assistance)

23 April
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14th World Book Day observed. 24 April

World number one Rafael Nadal defeated his Spanish compatriot David Ferrer 6-2, 6-4 to win a sixth Barcelona Open title. World this Week: 11 April - 17 April 2011 Article Category: World This Week 2011, India | World This Week Share|

World : Curretn Affairs A compilation of all the important topics and events of the week is given here. Update your Current Affairs Weekly with our World This Week. 11 April 2011 India and Senegal discussed cooperation in Fertilizer sector. India Offers Sugar Technology to Ethiopia. Libyan rebels rejected the peace plan from African union because it did not include the removal of Gaddafi from Libya. The French law became effective banning the burqa and niqab. Farooq Ahmed sentenced to 23 years in Jail in the US for planning attacks on the Washington Metro System. Opposition leader of Uganda Kizza Besigya arrested for protesting against fuel price rise. Shane Watson, the Cricket player from Australia broke then world record for number of sixes in the second One day International Cricket match against Bangladesh. 12 April 2011 Sixty Six Indian nationals, were safely evacuated from Abidjan Ivory Coast to Accra, the Capital of Ghana on a Boeing 737 aircraft. Japan's nuclear crisis worsened with the severity level at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi plant increasing to a maximum seven level bringing it at par with the 1986 Chernobyl catastrophe in Russia. The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh left for China to participate in

BRIC Summit-2011. Mr. Singh will also make a bilateral visit to Kazakhstan after BRIC Summit. The state of emergency in New Zealand is extended for another week following the 2011 Canterburry earthquake. The Senate of the US state of North Carolina pardoned former Governor William Woods Holden. He was impeached in 1871 for his suspension of habeas corpus in the process of battling the Ku Klux Klan terror campaign. 13 April 2011 China to Review Stapled Visas to People from Jammu and Kashmir. Syrian protests spread to Aleppo. Toyota shut down several plants in Europe for part of April and May because of parts shortages caused by the 2011 T hoku earthquake and tsunami. Royal Dutch Shell announced that it would close the Clyde oil refinery in Sydney, Australia. It will result in the loss of hundreds of jobs. Hosni Mubarak and his sons Alaa Mubarak and Gamal Mubarak, were detained in Egypt for questioning for 15 days as part of an investigation of charges of corruption and abuse of power. 14 April 2011 BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India and China) nations adopted the Sanya Declaration and agreed upon an Action Plan to deepen and broaden cooperation among member nations. 15 April 2011 European Parliament condemns Pakistan support to Taliban. Russia Finalised a Deal with NATO to Supply Combat Helicopters to Afghanistan. Abducted Italian pro-Palestinian activist Vittorio Arrigoni was found dead in the Hamas-governed Gaza Strip. Blaise Compaore, president of Burkina Faso, fled the capital Ouagadougou as a mutiny among his military bodyguards spread. Sydney-born Australian artist Ben Quilty wins the Archibald Prize for his portrait of artist Margaret Olley. Former Australian water polo player Keli Lane was sentenced 18 years

jail term for murdering her daughter Tegan in 1996. Two Croatian military leaders Ante Gotovina and Mladen Marka were convicted of war crimes against Serbs. 16 April 2011 Pakistan and Afghanistan decided to set up a two-tier joint commission regarding the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan. India and Kazakhstan signed deal on Nuclear Co-operation. Cuba marked its 5oth year of victory over CIA-backed exiles at the Bay of Pigs. Hundreds of traders in Burkina Faso set fire to the ruling Congress for Democracy and Progress headquarters and ransack other government buildings, after mutinous soldiers looted their shops. The capital Ouagadougou is placed under curfew. Second Ivorian Civil War: Ivorian Popular Front, the party of ousted Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo, calls upon its supporters to end the unrest in the country after his arrest. 70 Islamists are arrested after clashes with pro-monarchy groups in Zarqa and Rassifeh, Jordan during protests. A human rights group accused Laos and Vietnam of killing four Hmong Christians during insurgency in Laos. Mexican authorities announced the arrest of Los Zetas Cartel leader Martin Omar Estrada "El Kilo" Luna. Cuban President Ral Castro proposed term limits for public office. The ruling National Front coalition in Malaysia won an election in Sarawak, Malaysia s largest state. An Egyptian court ordered the dissolution of the former ruling National Democratic Party of Hosni Mubarak. Presidential election took place in Nigeria. 17 April 2011 A two-step up road map to deal with the challenges at the tsunami-hit Fukushima Daiichi atomic power plant was outlined in Tokyo, capital of Japan. Rebel forces in Libya won back the town of Ajdabiya. China raised its bank reserves requirements as an anti-inflation move, an increase of 50 basis points going to be effective from 21 April 2011.

Oman will spend 1 billion rials in an attempt to stop further antigovernment protests. Twelve people are killed in a severe storm in China's Guangdong Province. Police in China detained dozens of underground Protestant church followers in Beijing. Voters in Finland went to the polls for a parliamentary election. Goodluck Jonathan is all set to be re-elected as President of Nigeria based on unofficial results in the presidential election. The Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei refused to accept the resignation of Intelligence Chief Heyder Moslehi. The 17th edition of the CAF African Youth Championship started in South Africa. Lewis Hamilton of McLaren won the 2011 Chinese Grand Prix. Emmanuel Mutai won the London Marathon, setting a new course record. Chhattisgarh to have 9 New Districts, Taking the Total Number of Districts in the State to 27 Current Affairs Category: Chhatisgarh, August 2011 Current Affairs, State, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 15 Aug 2011 To 21 Aug 2011 Share| Chhattisgarh will have 9 new districts with effect from January 2012, taking the total number of districts in the state to 27. These districts will be Sukma, Kondagaon, Gariabandh, Balodabazar, Balod, Bemetera, Mungeli, Surajpur and Balrampur. This was announced by the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh on 15 August 2011 while addressing the people on the occasion of the Independence Day at the police parade ground in Raipur. This step will be a mile stone in the administrative history of the state. Scientists Discovered a Natural Preservative Called Bisin Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Science | Technology, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 15 Aug 2011 To 21 Aug 2011 Share|

Scientists discovered a natural preservative that could spell the end of rotting food. Researchers at the University of Minnesota identified the substance, called bisin, which destroys the bacteria that make meat, fish, eggs and dairy products decompose. The researchers said the preservative could extend the food's life for several years. They claimed that it can even work for opened bottles of wine and salad dressing. Google to Buy Motorola Cell Unit for 12.5 Billion Dollars Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Corporate, News , 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 15 Aug 2011 To 21 Aug 2011 Share| Google will buy cellphone maker Motorola Mobility for 12.5 billion dollars. It is being considered one of the biggest deals in the mobile handset space. The deal will also boost Google s competitive edge in the mobile computing arena and give it access to Motorola s range of Android operating system based offerings. Google will acquire the Motorola cell unit for 40 dollars a share. Both companies have a strong presence in India. Jharkhand State Government Launched Dal Bhat Scheme on Independence Day Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Jharkhand, State, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 15 Aug 2011 To 21 Aug 2011 Share| Jharkhand state government on 15 August 2011 launched the Dal Bhat scheme under which lunch will be given to a poor person at Rupees 5. To execute this scheme, 100 food centres in all the 24 districts were opened. Under the dal bhat scheme a person will get 200 grammes of rice, pulses and chokha. The food centres will be run by NGOs and monitored by the district administration. According to an estimate, half of Jharkhand s three crore population falls under the Below Poverty Line.

Indian Discus Thrower Krishna Poonia Won the Gold Medal Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Sports, News, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 15 Aug 2011 To 21 Aug 2011 Share| Ace Indian discus thrower Krishna Poonia won the Gold medal on 14 August 2011 in the Annual Athletic Meet at Portland in the United States. Taking part in the first competition of her training stint in the USA, she hurled the discus to 58.88 metres to bag the yellow metal. Astronomers Discovered Largest and Farthest Reservoir of Water Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, News Capsule, Inventions | Discoveries,2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 08 Aug 2011 To 14 Aug 2011 Share| Two teams of astronomers discovered the largest and farthest reservoir of water ever detected in the universe.The water in the reservoir is equivalent to 140 trillion times all the water in the world s ocean. The water surrounds a huge feeding black hole, called a quasar more than 12 billion light years away. A quasar is powered by an enormous black hole that consumes a surrounding disk of gas and dust. Astronomers studied a quasar called APM 08279+5255. This quasar harbors a black hole 20 billion times more massive than the sun and produces as much as energy as a thousand trillion suns. The water vapour was expected to be present in the early distant universe. There is water vapour in the Milky Way but 4000 times less than in the quasar. It is because most of the Milky Way s water is frozen in ice. TrES-2b: Darker than Any Planet or Moon in our Solar System Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Science | Technology, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 08 Aug 2011 To 14 Aug 2011 Share|

Astronomers discovered that the planet named TrES-2b was darker than any planet or moon in our solar system. This planet reflects less than one percent of the sunlight falling on it. NASA s Kepler spacecraft was used by the astronomers to make this observation. TrES-2b was discovered in 2006 by the Trans-Atlantic Exoplanet Survey. It orbits its star at a distance of only three million miles. The star heats TrES2b to a temperature of more than 1800 degrees Fahrenheit. TrES-2b orbits the star GSC03549, which is located about 750 ligh-years away. It can be observed near the constellation Draco. Rajasthans First-ever Export of Certified Organic Food to the US flagged off Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, News Capsule, Person Died, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 08 Aug 2011 To 14 Aug 2011 Share| Rajasthan Agriculture Minister Harjiram Burdak on 11 August 2011 flagged off the first-ever consignment of certified organic food to be exported from Rajasthan to the United States. The organic food comprised mainly conventional pulses for which there is a heavy demand in the U.S. The pulses were produced from the processing unit of the Morarka Organic Foods in Sitapura Industrial Area. Organic farming culture gaining ground in Rajasthan is deemed to be as significant as Harit Kranti (Green Revolution) introduced in 1965 by the then Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, as a result of which the wheat imports from the U.S. had stopped. Organic revolution in Rajasthan manifested itself in the production of pulses in the State which had touched 32.33 lakh tonnes in 2011, registering a four-fold increase in comparison to the 7.20 lakh tonnes produced in 2010. In addition to organic agriculture, adoption of modern farm techniques had led to the overall impressive growth. He also attributed the success to the policies of the State Agriculture Ministry. According to principal horticulture secretary Dinesh Goyal organic farming

in Rajasthan offered tremendous possibilities of growth to agriculturists. Organic farming will also help to protect the farm produces against harmful impacts of chemical fertilisers, he pointed out. Goyal also appreciated the efforts of the Morarka Foundation, the organic food exporting private company behind it. The Morarka Foundation has been engaged in organic farming in Rajasthan's Nawalgarh area since 1993 along with activities in health, education, women self-help groups and waste water management. It roped in 70000 farmers to join its organic agriculture activities in Jaipur, Jhalawar, Pali, Sirohi, Barmer and Jhunjhunu districts. The Foundation is to export 65 containers weighing 23 tonnes each to the U.S. this year. Veteran Journalist and Advertising Professional, R. Narasimhan died Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, News Capsule, Person Died, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 08 Aug 2011 To 14 Aug 2011 Share| Veteran journalist and advertising professional, R. Narasimhan passed away on 10 August 2011. He was 86. He is survived by his wife and two sons. Narasimhan joined The Hindu as a sub-editor in 1950. After working for seven years, he shifted to The Hindustan Times before becoming an editor of the Tamil evening daily, Navamani. He was responsible for the formation of The Hindu Office and National Press Employees Union and held the posts of vice-president and general secretary of the Madras Union of Journalists. He took to advertising, joining the Marketing and Advertising Associates to head its Chennai office. Narasimhan became a leading figure of the advertising community in the city and held the post of president of the Advertising Club in 1983-1984. Union Cabinet approved Agriculture Ministrys Proposal for setting up AGRlNDIA

Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, News Capsule, Miscellaneous, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 08 Aug 2011 To 14 Aug 2011 Share| The Union Cabinet approved the proposal of Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Agricultural Research & Education (DARE) for setting up of a new company, called AGRlNDIA. The AGRlNDIA will be a registered company under the Companies Act, fully owned by Government of India in the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) with a share capital of Rs.100 crore and initial paid up capital of Rs.50 crore. AGRlNDIA would undertake the following major activities: Protection and management of intellectual properties generated in the system and its commercialization / distribution for public benefit. Production, marketing and popularization of ICAR`s products, processes and technologies in agriculture and allied sectors. Providing skilled services from ICAR, such as consultancies, contract research, contract service, customized capacity building, technical support for turnkey project etc. Setting up research and development farms and assist in setting up production units outside India, especially in Africa and in the Asia-Pacific region and perhaps other regions of the world such as Latin America. Foster public-private partnerships in research, education and other capacity building in agriculture and allied sectors. AGRlNDIA would promote spread of R&D outcomes through IPR protection, commercialisation and forging partnerships both in the country and without. The farmers of the country would benefit from the formation of the company because of the following: The company would provide a model for quality seed availability in the country. The company would enable manufacturing and marketing models of good quality vaccines and diagnostic kits etc. It would establish ICAR`s R&D presence in other countries/region, such

as in Africa and the Asia Pacific region. Intellectual Property Rights in ICAR would be efficiently managed for their protection and consequent commercialization. Russia defeated Argentina to win the FIVB World Junior Volleyball Title Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Sports, News, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 08 Aug 2011 To 14 Aug 2011 Share| Russia defeated top-ranked Argentina 25-19, 23-25, 21-25, 25-18, 15-12 to win the FIVB World junior volleyball title in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 11 August 2011. It was the second-seeded Russia's eighth title in the under21 event. Russia's Leonid Shchadilov, the championship's best spiker, was adjudged as the most valuable player and his teammates Igor Filippov (best blocker) and Aleksey Kabeshov (best libero) won special prizes for their performance in the tournament. Serbia on the other hand defeated the USA 25-15, 25-20, 23-25, 25-13 and won the bronze medal. BSNL signed Agreement to share Passive Infrastructure with Datacom Solutions Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Agreement | Tieups, Corporate, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 08 Aug 2011 To 14 Aug 2011 Share| BSNL signed an agreement to share its passive infrastructure with new telecom licencee Datacom Solutions. BSNL's separate infrastructure wing New Business Group will aid existing and new operators in faster roll-out of their networks. The sharing agreement provided Datacom access to more than 42000 BSNL towers across the country, except in Delhi and Mumbai. Datacom is a joint venture between Videocon group and Nahata-owned Jumbo Techno Services Pvt Ltd. It has pan-India unified access service licences and plans to roll out global system for mobile communication services across the country.

New Business group will market the passive infrastructure by BSNL and will greatly help the existing and new operators in faster rollout of their network across the country as well as help in increasing the tele-density particularly in rural areas. US Scientists Develop Cells that Can Destroy Leukemia Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Science | Technology, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 08 Aug 2011 To 14 Aug 2011 Share| US Scientists recently developed cells that can destroy leukemia within three weeks. It could lead to new and effective treatments for the fatal blood cancer. A new technique was engineered that involved leukemia patients being treated with their own T cells. T cells are a type of white blood cell that was genetically modified to attack and destroy tumours within the body of the patient. White blood cells are unable to distinguish tumour cells from healthy tissue, which allows the cancer to spread unchecked. To overcome this problem, scientists inserted a protein called a chimeric antigen receptor in the white blood cells to enable them to attack tumour cells. The inserted protein will bind with another protein called CD19 which is present in Leukemia tumour cells. It results into the multiplication of T cells. Microscopic Organisms: The Main Reason behind Global Warming Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Environment | Ecology, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 08 Aug 2011 To 14 Aug 2011 Share| A new research published in Science magazine nature revealed that more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere causes soil to release the greenhouse gases methane and nitrous oxide. To establish this theory, scientists gathered data from several regions including Europe, Asia and North America by conducting experiments in forests, wetlands and agricultural fields including rice paddies. The common theme in their experiments was

to find out how extra carbon dioxide in the atmosphere affects and how soils absorb or release the gases nitrous oxide and methane. Scientists discovered that specialized microscopic organisms in soil are the main reason behind the global warming that respire the chemicals nitrate and carbon dioxide. The microbes also produce methane a greenhouse gas many times more powerful than carbon dioxide or nitrous oxide. The other reason these microorganisms become more active is that increasing CO2 makes plants grow faster and the extra plant growth supplies soil microorganisms with extra energy, increasing their metabolism. With more CO2, plants grow more, absorbing up carbon dioxide through photosynthesis. Annual Health Survey mentioned Higher Sex Ratio at Birth in Urban Areas Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, National | India, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 08 Aug 2011 To 14 Aug 2011 Share| Annual health survey by the Union government published in August 2011 pointed out that sex ratio at birth, defined as the number of female live births per 1000 male live births was higher in urban areas than in rural areas. The survey findings reported that the sex ratio at birth across nine states ranged between 764 in Pithoragarh district in Uttarakhand to 1,030 in Moradabad district in UP. The survey identified 57 districts in the country with worst health indicators, including 34 in UP where it aims to have a special focus. India s first-ever district level health survey showed 57 districts have the worst health indicators in terms of birth rate, infant mortality rate, maternal mortality rate and sex ratio.

The Annual Health Survey in nine states reported that districts of Uttar Pradesh, particularly Shrawasti, have the worst scenario while Rudraprayag and other districts of Uttarakhand have the best results. These 9 states - Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Assam account for about 48% of the total population in the country, are the high focus states in view of their relatively higher fertility and mortality indicators. These states together constitute 48% of country s population, 59% of total births, 70% of infant deaths, 75% of Under-5 deaths and 62% of maternal deaths. Bageshwar in Uttarakhand reported Minimum Crude Birth Rate (CBR) of 14.7 while Dhemaji in Assam had the Minimum Crude Death Rate (CDR) of 4.5 in 284 districts of 9 states surveyed. The CBR, which is measure of live births per 1000 population, was maximum at 40.9 in Shrawasti. The birth and death rates in rural areas of districts was found to be higher than the urban areas. CDR was highest in Shrawasti at 12.6. Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) was least in Rudraprayag (19) while in Shrawasti it was highest (103). Six districts - Purbi. Singhbhum and Dhanbad (Jharkhand); Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Pithoragarh and Almora (Uttarakhand) had already achieved the UN Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target of reducing child mortality of 28 by 2015. Another four districts - Bokaro and Ranchi (Jharkhand), Bageshwar and Nainital (Uttarakhand) are close to the target. Female infants in districts experienced a higher mortality than male infants and IMR in rural areas was significantly higher than that in urban. Rudraprayag also reported the minimum Neo-Natal Mortality Rate (NNMR) at 11 while Balangir in Orissa had the maximum (75). NNMR measures the

number of infant deaths (age below 29 days) per 1,000 live births. Out of every 10 infant deaths 6 -7 pertain to Neo Natal Deaths. Under Five Mortality Rate (U5MR) was found to be minimum in Pithoragarh (24) and maximum in Kandhmal of Orissa (145). The minimum Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) of 183 was from Kumaon in Uttarakhand and the maximum 451 from Faizabad in UP However, Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) was reported lowest at 764 in Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand and maximum 1030 in Moradabad. The survey highlighted the need to put in place a special health policy as well as the need to concentrate in these areas to ensure that the health schemes are implemented with more focus. Lancet Study revealed Higher Prevalence of Anaemia among Non-pregnant Women in India Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Report | Survey, News Capsule, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 08 Aug 2011 To 14 Aug 2011 Share| Recent study published in reputed medical journal The Lancet revealed higher prevalence of anaemia among non-pregnant women in India in comparison to other South Asian countries. According to The Lancet, anaemia affects a quarter of the global population, including 293 million (47%) children younger than 5 and 468 million (30%) non-pregnant women. Prevalence of anaemia was found to be higher in India in comparison to Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Pakistan and South East Asian countries. The researchers reviewed the epidemiology, clinical assessment,

pathophysiology and consequences of anaemia in low-income and middleincome countries. The analysis showed that anaemia was disproportionately concentrated in low socio-economic groups and that maternal anaemia was strongly associated with child anaemia. Data from the latest 2005/6 NFHS survey estimated the prevalence of anaemia among 55.3% women of reproductive age (and 53.2% in nonpregnant non-lactating women) and 69.5% in children under 5 in India. Fossilised Remains of a Giant Bird that Lived in Central Asia Discovered Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Environment | Ecology, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 08 Aug 2011 To 14 Aug 2011 Share| Palaeontologists on 9 August 2011 found the fossilized remains of a giant bird that lived in Central Asia. This discovery challenges theories about the diversity of early birds. The bird was named Samrukia nessovi after Lev Nessov a celebrated Russian palaeontologist who died in 1995 and after a mythological phoenix known as the samruk.The bones of the bird measure 275 millimetres. The bird was estimated to be 10 feet high and 50 kilos in weight. Birds are believed to have evolved from theropods(two-footed tiny dinosaurs) at the start of the Cretaceous era, around 1500 million years ago. So far 100 types of early birds have been discovered and only one Gargantua philoinos was large bodied. Gargantua lived around 70 million years ago. The other early birds were smaller. Supreme Court upheld Death Sentence for 2000 Red Fort Attacker Mohammad Arif alias Ashfaq Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, News Capsule, Miscellaneous, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 08 Aug 2011 To 14 Aug 2011 Share| The Supreme Court on 10 August 2011 upheld the death sentence for Mohammad Arif alias Ashfaq in connection with the 2000 Red Fort attack case. A division bench comprising justice VS Sirpukar and justice TS Thakur dismissed Ashfaq s appeal which had challenged the death penalty

awarded to him for the attack carried out on Delhi s historic 17th century Red Fort by the sessions court and upheld by the Delhi high court while six others sentenced for various jail terms had been acquitted. The high court had previously dismissed Ashfaq's appeal against a trial court verdict awarding death penalty to him for waging war against India and killing an army soldier and an army barber and a civilian working for the army in the 22 December 2000 attack on the Red Fort. The High Court had reversed the trial court findings against six convicts including the father-son duo Nazir Ahmed Qasid and Farooq Ahmed Qasid, sentenced to life imprisonment, and Ashfaq's Indian wife Rehana Yosuf Farooqui, a Pakistani national. Other convicts acquitted by the high court included Babar Mohsin Baghwala, Sadaqat Ali and Matloob Alam, who were sentenced to seven years rigorous imprisonment for sheltering and providing fake Indian identity cards to Ashfaq. China Launched its First Aircraft Carrier on Maiden Sea Trial Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, International | World, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 08 Aug 2011 To 14 Aug 2011 Share| China launched its first aircraft carrier for a maiden run on 10 August 2011. The aircraft carrier is about 300 meters long. It will be used for training and as a model for future carriers. The launch of the aircraft carrier is considered a part of Chinese naval strategy for expanding eastwards for the next 30 years. China bought its aircraft carrier from Russia. The aircraft was known as Varyag in Russia. India's under-16 Football Team defeated by Pakistan in SAFF Championship Current Affairs Category: Sports, News Current Affairs Week: 08 Aug 2011 To 14 Aug 2011 Share|

India's under-16 football team coached by India coach Thomas Joseph was defeated by Pakistan 1-2 in the title clash of the SAFF Championship on 10 August 2011. Mohammed Zaseen put Pakistan ahead when he found the back of the net in the 25th minute. India drew level through Daniel Lalhlimpuia's strike at the stroke of half-time. Lalhlimpuia restored parity scoring off a goal-mouth melee as both teams went to the breather with the scoreline reading 1-1. However, Pakistan took the lead again when Mohammed Mansoor scored early in the second half, a strike which eventually decided the fate of the match. Indian was shocked as Mansoor sealed the deal for Pakistan off a corner four minutes from the change of ends. From there on India desperately looked for an equaliser, but Pakistan's defence stood tall. Report of RBI panel to review Facilities for Individuals under FEMA published Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Economy, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 08 Aug 2011 To 14 Aug 2011 Share| The Reserve Bank of India panel to review facilities for individuals under FEMA (Foreign Exchange Management Act) submitted report on 10 August 2011. The RBI placed on its website the report of the committee to review the facilities for individuals under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), 1999, under the chairmanship of K. J. Udeshi. In the report it mentioned that the concept of non-repatriation basis or non-repatriable funds was outdated. It also mentioned that the relevant regulatory guidelines especially with reference to investments needed to be amended forthwith to indicate limited repatriability in accordance with the directions and up to the limits as may be specified by the RBI from time-totime.

However it is argued that since non-residents were given the freedom to remit $1 million annually, it made little sense to maintain procedures under FEMA that continue to treat these two categories, (repatriable and nonrepatriable funds) separately. The FEMA rules currently contain contradictory provisions and there is also a need to make definitions uniform and consistent across FEMA. The report suggested the procedural knots in the system need to be untied to enable the present forex liberalisation to be effective. It was pointed out that in the absence of untying of these knots, any further forex liberalisation would not be meaningful. The issue of take-overs' underwent changes in the past and now are taken care of under the ambit of SEBI regulations and using FEMA for this purpose is superfluous and an unnecessary cost and hassle to both the non-resident investor and the authorised dealer alike. Also the monitoring by RBI of the overall limit of 24 per cent shareholding by NRIs under PIS was stated useless. According to the report all that required monitoring was the total foreign holding comprising FIIs, NRIs/PIOs and the responsibility for the same lay on the company and not the Authorised Dealer or the Reserve Bank of India. It was also pointed out that in those sectors where 100 per cent FDI is permissible there is no rationale for monitoring the portfolio investments of NRIs/PIOs. To enable hassle-free remittances by resident individual banks were advised not to insist on the submission of Form 15 CA/15 CB for any remittances under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS). Resident individuals should be enabled to undertake any current account transaction (other than those included under Scheme I & II of GOI Notification No. GSR 381(E) dated May 3, 2000) up to $200000 per financial year on the basis of a simple application form presently used for remittances under LRS without banks insisting on any documentary evidence or a chartered accountant's certificate in Form 15 CA/15CB.

Padinjarethalakal Cherian Alexander who served as Principal Secretary to Two Prime Ministers died Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, News Capsule, Person Died, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 08 Aug 2011 To 14 Aug 2011 Share| Padinjarethalakal Cherian Alexander, a former IAS officer who served in Prime Minister Indira Gandhi s staff died of cancer on 10 August 2011 in Chennai. Born in 1921, at Mavelikkara in Kerala, Alexander post-graduated from the then Travancore University. and joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1948. He served in the then Madras and Travancore-Cochin states before moving to the Central Government in 1955. P.C. Alexander was at different times Principal Secretary to two Prime Ministers- Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, Indian High Commissioner in the United Kingdom, Governor of Tamil Nadu and, Maharashtra, a United Nations civil servant and even a Rajya Sabha MP. A 1948 batch Kerala cadre IAS officer, Alexander was picked by Indira Gandhi in 1980, she had to become Principal Secretary and, in the process, he became her political adviser, conscience keeper and administrative trouble-shooter. After her assassination in 1984, Rajiv Gandhi, who succeeded his mother kept him on in the same post. However in 1985, he was forced to quit after a spy scandal surfaced. He also served as the high commissioner in London. He had held senior posts in the UN civil service for 10 years. He was a Senior Adviser to the UN in New York during 1963-66. He served as principal secretary from 1981-85. He also served as Indian High Commissioner to the UK in 198588. He was instrumental in acquiring Gandhi s 260-odd letters to Herman Kallenbach.

Alexander was appointed Governor of Tamil Nadu (1988-90) and Maharashtra for two terms (from January 1993). He was also briefly in charge of Goa. He resigned as Maharashtra governor in July 2002 after he lost out in the race for the President s post to Dr A P J Abdul Kalam. Alexander s name was considered for the post of President during the NDA rule in 2002 to succeed K.R. Narayanan but he lost the race, leading to the election of A.P.J Abdul Kalam. Alexander authored several books, including My Years with Indira Gandhi and The Perils of Democracy and Through the Corridors of Power. Rahul Dravid-Second Highest Scorer in Test cricket announced Retirement Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Sports, Miscellaneous, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 08 Aug 2011 To 14 Aug 2011 Share| Veteran Indian batsman Rahul Dravid on 6 August 2011 announced his retirement from both the versions of the game- Test and ODI. His announced his retirement after he was chosen for the ODI and T20 series in England. He was recalled to the Indian squad for the one-off Twenty20 and five match One-Day International series against England on 6 August 2011 two years since his last appearance in an ODI. Dravid decided to play in the five-match ODI series against England beginning on 3 September 2011 and the one-off T20 match on 31 August 2011 before retiring. Dravid had last played an ODI match against the West Indies during the 2009 Champions Trophy in Johannesburg, South Africa. He became the second highest run-getter in Test cricket-12576 runs from 155 matches during the India-England test series. Dravid also equalled Sunil Gavaskar's record of 34 Test tons during the ongoing Test series against England.

Dravid has to his credit over 10000 runs in both the Test and ODI cricket, with 10765 runs in 339 one-dayers which is the seventh highest scorer in that format. Dravid has made 10765 runs in 339 ODIs with an average of 39.43 with 12 hundreds and 82 fifties. German Luxury Carmaker Mercedes-Benz launched in India the New Generation SLK 350 Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Corporate, New Launch, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 08 Aug 2011 To 14 Aug 2011 Share| German luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz launched in India the new generation SLK 350 on 10 August 2011. Priced at Rs.61.9-lakh SLK that pioneered the Roadster segment in the world comes with Magic Sky Control panoramic vario-roof for the first-time ever. Powered by 3.5-litre petrol engine, the car also has innovative BlueEFFICIENCY measures that ensure optimal performance and environment compatibility. The new SLK 350 boasts of the rich blend of sophistication with the latest in design and technology. The powerful innovative features and state-ofthe-art technology, the car proves not just to be an exhilarating experience to the driver but also a visual delight. Mercedes-Benz India sold 5819 cars in 2010, its highest-ever sales figure in India. UP Government Banned the Release of Hindi Film Arakshan Current Affairs Category: Uttar Pradesh, August 2011 Current Affairs, State, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 08 Aug 2011 To 14 Aug 2011 Share| UP state government banned the release of Prakash Jha's controversial Hindi filmAarakshan (Reservation) in Uttar Pradesh for two months on the grounds that it would create a law and order problem in the state.

The decision to ban the film was taken following a recommendation by a high level official committee set up by the Bahujan Samaj Party government in Lucknow. The film theme deals with a sensitive subject like reservation on which there has been a lot of controversy. Reliance Communications launched Android Operating system-based Reliance 3G Tab Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Corporate, New Launch, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 08 Aug 2011 To 14 Aug 2011 Share| ADAG group telecom company Reliance Communications (RCom) entered into tablet computer segment with launch of Android operating systembased Reliance 3G Tab on 9 August 2011. Reliance Communications became the first telecom operator in India to launch an Android tablet with 3G network support. The Reliance 3G tablet priced at Rs 12999 comes with Android 2.3, 512 RAM, 7 inch capacitive display and a 2 MP front and rear camera. The tablet comes with data offers with up to 33 per cent discount. The Reliance 3G Tab manufactured by ZTE comes with 512 MB RAM and a microSD external storage, weighing just 389 gram. Reliance is offering 1 GB data every month for 12 months for Rs 4500, 2 GB for Rs 5500 and 5 GB for Rs 7000. Monthly plans are also on offer with 20 to 33 per cent discount on regular tariffs. The tablet will support push email and other Android features like document on the go for editing and viewing documents. Other features include Mobile TV, voice calling, GPS and video recording. Reliance Communications is currently offering a free 4 GB SD card but customers can upgrade the memory up to 32 GB. Rcom has 3G network across 333 Towns in 13 Circles. The Government Set up NATGRID to Access all Intelligence Data Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Abbreviations | Terms, News Capsule,2011 Current Affairs

Current Affairs Week: 08 Aug 2011 To 14 Aug 2011 Share| NATGRID: National Intelligence GRID NATGRID stands for National Intelligence GRID. The union government of India has set up a National Intelligence Grid to access all intelligence data. It is to function as a tool for strengthening the capability of the existing intelligence and law enforcement agencies. It aims at improving access to information and its sharing. NATGRID has been formed to link databases for inputs to combat terrorism. It is meant to improve India's capability to counter threats to its internal security. Union Government accorded Two-year Extension to Reserve Bank of India Governor D. Subbarao Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, News Capsule, Person in News, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 08 Aug 2011 To 14 Aug 2011 Share| The Union government on 9 August 2011 accorded a two-year extension to Reserve Bank of India Governor D. Subbarao beyond his term ending September 2011. The extension will be with effect from 5 September 2011 till 4 September 2013. Dr. Subbarao was appointed the 22nd Governor of the apex bank in September, 2008, for a three-year term. The decision to extend Dr. Subbarao s term was intended to ensure continuity in charting India's monetary policy at a time when the country is battling high inflation. Dr. Subbarao as head of the apex bank's captain had steered the economy through and 2008 global meltdown. Subbarao, a career civil servant who was India's finance secretary before taking charge at RBI synchronised policy making in tune with the economic agenda of the government. Allies World War II Spy Nancy Wake who was code named The White Mouse died Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, News Capsule, Person Died, 2011 Current Affairs

Current Affairs Week: 08 Aug 2011 To 14 Aug 2011 Share| Australian Nancy Wake, who worked as a spy and had gone on to become the Allies most decorated servicewomen for her role in the French resistance during World War II, died in London on 8 August 2011. Nancy was code named The White Mouse by the Gestapo during the war. Nancy Wake was a woman of exceptional courage and resourcefulness whose daring exploits saved the lives of hundreds of Allied personnel and helped bring the Nazi occupation of France to an end. Born in 1912, Nancy was trained by British intelligence in espionage and sabotage. Wake lead 7000 resistance fighters in weakening German defences before the D-Day invasion in the last months of the war. She evaded capture during the distribution of weapons. She had reached the top of the Gestapo s wanted list. Nancy who was born in Wellington, New Zealand studied journalism in London and became a correspondent for The Chicago Tribune in Paris. A 1933 trip to interview Adolf Hitler in Vienna led her to become committed to bringing down the Nazis. France had honoured her with its highest military honour, the Legion d Honneur. Her biography was penned down by Peter FitzSimons. Scientists Found Components of DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) in Meteorites Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Science | Technology, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 08 Aug 2011 To 14 Aug 2011 Share| Scientists found components of DNA in meteorites which confirms the theory that some of the materials required to make early life forms came to Earth from space. The study was funded by NASA and was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Scientists used

advanced mass spectrometry instruments to scan 11 organic-rich meteorites called carbonaceous chondrites and one ureilite. Ureilite is a very rare meteorite with a different chemical composition. They discovered three nucleobases-purine, 6, 8-diaminopurine and 2, 6-diaminopurine-that are widely distributed in carbonaceous chondrites. Scientific research done in the past had revealed a range of building blocks of life in meteorites, such as the amino acids that form proteins. This was the first time all but two of these meteorites had been analysed for nucleobases. Finding nucleobase compounds not usually found in Earth s biochemistry strongly supports an extraterrestrial origin. This shows that meteorites were molecular tool kits, which provided the necessary building blocks for life on Earth. Aditya Mehta claimed his Maiden National Snooker Title by defeating Alok Kumar Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Sports, News, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 08 Aug 2011 To 14 Aug 2011 Share| Aditya Mehta claimed his maiden National snooker title by defeating Alok Kumar 6-2 (66-6, 29-69, 72-65, 67-41, 67-10, 74-58, 43-52, 82-5) in the best-of-eleven frame final at the Hash10 World Sim championships on 9 August 2011. Successive breaks of 24, 14 and 21 gave Aditya Mehta the first frame but Alok Kumar soon levelled the frame-score with a 69-29 verdict in the second. Leading 51-16 in the third, Alok Kumar's slightly heavy touch on the cue ball directed it into one of the pockets after having potted a colour (he later admitted to his touch being either too heavy or too light' all match) to let Mehta back into the frame again. Alok Kumar is a 13-time National champion. US Scientists Found An Antibody CH65 that Acts against Influenza Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Science | Technology, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 08 Aug 2011 To 14 Aug 2011

Share| US scientists found an antibody called CH65 that acts against 30 of 36 strains of influenza, according to a study published on 8 August 2011. The antibody, CH65, can stick to the surface part of the flu virus known as hemagglutinin which mutates every season. CH65 was found in cells from a man who was given the flu vaccine for 2007. It shows that the human immune system can modify its response to the flu and actually produce antibodies that neutralise a whole series of strains. The goal of the scientists is to understand how the immune system selects for antibodies and use that information to get better at making a vaccine. Hindustan Motors Ltd. launched Small Commercial Vehicle Veer Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Corporate, News , 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 08 Aug 2011 To 14 Aug 2011 Share| Hindustan Motors Ltd. launched their new Small Commercial Vehicle (SCV), Veer. HM Veer SCV has a payload capacity of 800 kgs and is available in both diesel and CNG variants. The diesel Veer is BSIII compliant while the CNG variant is BSIV compliant. HM India has planned to launch Veer in East India at first and gradually the SCV will be launched in the remaining Indian cities by the end of 2011. Foreign Direct Investment into India Grew to 5.65 Billion US Dollar in June 2011 Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Economy, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 08 Aug 2011 To 14 Aug 2011 Share| Foreign Direct Investment into India grew 310 per cent to 5.65 billion US dollar in June 2011 as per the government data released on 8 August 2011. The increase is highest in the past 11 years and it indicates revival of investor confidence in the Indian economy. FDI inflows in India in June

2010 amounted to 1.38 billion dollars only. In the April-June quarter of the current fiscal, the FDI went up by a massive 133 per cent to 13.44 billion dollars. In the last financial year 2010-11, FDI inflow into India had declined to 19.43 billion US dollars. But the inflows have maintained a positive outlook so far in the financial year 2011-12, according to the data. US Credit Rating Downgraded to AA+ from AAA by Standard& Poors Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, International | World, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 08 Aug 2011 To 14 Aug 2011 Share| The US credit rating was downgraded to AA+ from AAA by Standard and Poor s on 5 August 2011. This can increase the cost of borrowing for the US and setting off more panic selling in stock markets. This is the first time that Standard and Poor issued a negative outlook on the US government since it started rating the credit-worthiness of railroad bonds in 1860. The rating may be cut to AA within two years if spending reductions are lower than agreed to, interest rates increase or new fiscal pressures result in higher government debt. Gold Prices Set an All Time Record of 25230 Rupees per 10 grams Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Economy, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 08 Aug 2011 To 14 Aug 2011 Share| Gold prices breached the crucial Rs 25000-level for the first time ever in history. Gold set an all-time record of 25230 rupees per 10 grams in India on 8 August 2011. Because of the financial uncertainty in the markets, gold appealed to investors as a safer option. The heavy buying by stockists and investors in tandem with rising global trend mainly resulted into the prices touching record level. In addition, some local buying ahead of marriage season also boosted the price. Following downgrading of US' credit rating by Standard and Poor's (S&P), investors shifted funds from other options like equities and dollar to gold.

Radek Stepanek Defeated Gael Monfils to Win the ATP Washington Classic Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Sports, News, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 08 Aug 2011 To 14 Aug 2011 Share| Radek Stepanek on 7 August 2011 defeated Gael Monfils of France 6-4, 6-4 to win the ATP(Association of Tennis Professionals) Washington Classic. With this win, Stepanek became the ATP s oldest champion since France s Fabrice Santoro at 35, won at Newport in 2008. Radak is 32 years old and from Czech Republic. He also became the oldest winner of the ATP Washington Classic since Jimmy Connors in 1988. Lobsang Sangay Took Oath as the Kalon Tripa(Prime Minister) of Tibetans in Exile Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Person Appointed, News Capsule, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 08 Aug 2011 To 14 Aug 2011 Share| Lobsang Sangay was sworn in as the new Prime Minister (Kalon Tripa) of the Tibetan government-in-exile at the central courtyard of Tsuglagkhang, the main temple in Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh) on 8 August 2011.Sangay will have a five-year tenure. Lobsang Sangay emphasized on middle way approach in dealing with China. Labsang Sangay is 43 years old. He was born in Darjeeling. Sangay took over as the political head of the Tibet from Dalai Lama who on 10 March 2011 announced his decision to step down as political head of Tibetan government in exile. However, he (Dalai Lama) continues to be the spiritual head of Tibetan government in-exile.Sangay is a research fellow at the Harvard Law School. Sangay was a leader of the Tibetan Youth Congress. Scientists Developed Tiny Chips to Prevent HIV and AIDS Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Science | Technology, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 08 Aug 2011 To 14 Aug 2011 Share|

Scientists at the University of Columbia in New York developed a portable blood test device which can diagnose an infection within minutes. The device could be used effectively to prevent HIV and AIDS. The device is in the form of mChip, costing 1dollar and looks like a credit card. A Probe Launched by ISAF to Determine the Cause of the Chopper Crash in Afghanistan Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, International | World, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 08 Aug 2011 To 14 Aug 2011 Share| In Afghanistan, a probe was launched by the International Security Assistance Force, ISAF, to determine the exact cause of the chopper crash which killed 30 American soldiers, including Navy SEALs from the broader unit that killed Osama bin Laden. Besides, five more US soldiers, seven Afghan troops and an interpreter died in the crash of the helicopter during an anti-Taliban operation. This is the biggest single loss for American troops in the decade-long war. The Afghan Taliban claimed that its militants shot down the helicopter in Wardak province of Afghanistan. The Report by Wildlife Institute of India Enlisted Major Threats to Three Tiger Reserves Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Environment | Ecology, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 08 Aug 2011 To 14 Aug 2011 Share| The Report entitled the management effectiveness Evaluation of Tiger Reserves in India: Process and Outcomes 2010-2011 brought out by the Wildlife Institute of India and National Tiger Conservation Authority enlisted the major threats faced by the three tiger reserves in Tamil Nadu. These tiger reserves are Kalakad- Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, Anamalai and Mudumalai. The major threats are increasing pressure from tourism and pilgrimage, up and coming development projects and the increasing number of hotels and conflicts with local communities.

The report was prepared under the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas framework. It has come out with a management plan for the conservation of tigers. The report also stressed upon the need for a comprehensive resettlement programme to decrease biotic interference, guiding tiger foundations in proper direction and managing animals straying into agricultural fields. In Nepal, Ban on Smoking in Public Places Came into Effect Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, International | World, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 08 Aug 2011 To 14 Aug 2011 Share| In Nepal, ban on smoking in public places comes into effect from 7 August 2011. According to the Tobacco Control and Regulatory Act-2010, those smoking in public places will be fined and civil servants will be liable to departmental action. The Tobacco Control and Regulation Act-2068 bans smoking in government offices, educational and health institutions, public vehicles, daycare centres, orphanages, old-age homes, clubs, airports, public toilets, industries, restaurants, factories, theatres, cinema halls, hotels, canteens, hostels, lodges and religious places. Those violating the law are subject to pay fine from 100 rupees up to 100000 rupees. CCEA approved SAIL's Proposal for Revival of the Sindri Unit of Fertiliser Corporation Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Economy, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 08 Aug 2011 To 14 Aug 2011 Share| The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 5 August 2011 approved Steel Authority of India's (SAIL's) proposal for revival of the Sindri unit of Fertiliser Corporation of India at an investment of nearly Rs 35000 crore. SAIL was selected on nomination basis for allocation of land to set up a steel, power and fertiliser plants at the site. The proposed revival plan included setting up of a 5.6 million tonnes per

annum (mtpa) greenfield steel making plant at an investment of Rs 26000 crore. The revival plan also included setting up of 1.15-mtpa fertiliser plant with investment of Rs 4450 crore. In addition, the plan envisaged setting up of a Rs 4000-crore power plant. The total land available with FCIL at Sindri is 6652.6 acres, out of which about 5,481.6 acres will be made available for the project proposed by SAIL. The entire project will be spearheaded through a special purpose vehicle (SPV) with a PSU character. Three subsidiaries will cater to the proposed steel, fertiliser and power plants. The Sindri project will create direct/indirect employment potential for more than 5000 people. Cabinet s approval to the revival plan decision paved the way for SAIL's plan to expand its production capacity in Jharkhand. The Union Cabinet decision will provide significant strategic advantage to SAIL. Under the plan, the proposed steel plant will have a diversified flat productmix catering to the highend steel market. With major growth expected from steel-using sectors like oil & gas, auto and power, SAIL will produce new products like auto-body grades. While 4.2 mt capacity of the plant is proposed to be dedicated for production of hot rolled products, around 1.2 mt will be earmarked for cold rolled items. Apart from the steel unit, a 1.15 mtpa gas-based urea plant is to be set up after dismantling and disposing of the existing urea plant at the site. SEBI issued a Show-cause Notice to National Stock Exchange for Client Code Modifications Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Economy, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 08 Aug 2011 To 14 Aug 2011 Share| The capital market regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) in a first issued a show-cause notice to the country's leading stock

exchange, National Stock Exchange, following a probe into alleged client code modifications by its broker members. The bourse was asked to explain the large number of client code modifications. NSE also has to justify why action should not be taken against it for not exercising caution over such transactions. SEBI was alerted about the dealings by the Central Board of Direct Taxes, which noticed that a large number of trades were reversed by changing client codes for tax evasion. The tax department came across several instances where brokers transferred gains or losses from one individual to another by modifying client codes in the guise of rectifying an error. SEBI independently verified the information given by the income-tax authorities and found it to be true. A show-cause notice is not an indictment; it however contains allegations of violation. A show-cause notice requires the entity to which it is served to explain its side of the story. The Usual Practise Stock exchanges allow client code modifications but only to rectify a genuine error that could have occurred at the time of placing or modifying the order. Every client is given a code which is registered with the stock exchanges. The broker is allowed to change it between 3.30 pm and 4 pm to rectify a genuine error that may have occurred while entering the code. The facility ensures smooth functioning of the system and is expected to be used more as an exception rather than routine. The regulator had in July 2011 imposed a stricter penalty on such modifications to further strengthen the system. SEBI instructed bourses to impose a monetary penalty of 1% of the value of the transaction where the client codes were modified. According to brokers, the penalty is 50 times the yield in the F&O segment. The average yield in the derivatives segment is 0.02%. SEBI also directed the exchanges to conduct special inspection of

trading members to check whether such modifications are being carried on as per the criteria.

Aeronautical Engineer N.S. Prabhakar who flight-tested the first Indian Sail Plane Naidu died Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, News Capsule, Person Died, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 08 Aug 2011 To 14 Aug 2011 Share| Aeronautical engineer N.S. Prabhakar Naidu (83), a doyen among the first batch of aeronautical engineers to graduate from the Madras Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1952, passed away in Seattle, United States on 6 August 2011. N.S. Prabhakar Naidu was a distinguished technocrat who innovative concepts that contributed to advanced aircraft design, performance, safety and reliability. Prabhakar Naidu had worked with renowned and reputed aircraft manufacturers such as Handley Page in England in building the Herald passenger aircraft structures, Beverly air freighters and Buccaneer naval jet fighters. He flight-tested the well known Folland Gnat jet fighters. He worked with Short brothers in Ireland where he was into flight-testing and performance-analysing the Royal Air Force's turbo fighter Belfast. The Folland Gnat, developed for the Royal Air Force, became well known as the mount for the RAF's Red Arrows aerobatic team and was first exported to Finland, Yugoslavia and India. In later years, the Indian Air Force became its largest operator and eventually manufactured the aircraft under licence before developing Ajit, a modified and improved variant. He worked with Boeing in Seattle in the US and generated the FAA approved performance Flight Manuals for the famous fleet of B727, B737 and the B747. These aircraft needed to be flight-tested prior to sale to commercial airlines. He taught Aircraft Design and Production at the MIT and successfully flight-

tested the first Sail Plane designed in India by a team of students and staff of the MIT. Larsen & Toubro bagged Orders in Hydrocarbon Sector from the UAE and Thailand Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Corporate, News , 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 08 Aug 2011 To 14 Aug 2011 Share| Larsen & Toubro announced in August 2011 that it bagged orders worth $889 million in the hydrocarbon sector from the UAE and Thailand. Two orders worth $639 million were from the UAE- one from the Abu Dhabi Gas Industries for its Habshan-Ruwais-Shuweihat gas pipeline project valued at $189 million. This contract involved engineering, procurement and commissioning 123 km of pipelines. The second order for $450 million is an EPC contract awarded to L&T Hydrocarbon's Upstream Business Group, from ADMA-OPCO, a subsidiary of ADNOC and a major producer of oil & gas in the UAE. The early production project Phase-1 of /Nasr & Umm Lulu Field Development Projects include four wellhead towers and a manifold tower platform, connecting bridges and associated sub-sea pipelines. L&T is currently executing many pipeline projects in GCC countries for clients such as ADCO and Qatar Petroleum. The company also bagged a $250 million contract from PTTEP International, a subsidiary of PTT Public Co, Thailand, for its Zawtika Development Project, Phase-1A. The project consists of three wellhead topsides and three jackets weighing 7000-8000 tonnes for installation at a depth of 130-150 metres under water, besides 21 km of sub-sea pipelines. The project facilities are part of an overall field development, and will be integrated with other platform facilities on the field. PTTEP International is state-owned oil & gas major, and among the largest corporations in Thailand.

L&T has in-house engineering and fabrication facilities at three locations, including the GCC region at Sohar (Oman) and its own heavy-lift and pipelaying vessel, LTS-3000. Scientists Developed A New Device Called the EndoBarrier to Cure Diabetes Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Science | Technology, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 08 Aug 2011 To 14 Aug 2011 Share| British scientists developed an implanted sleeve which can cure diabetes. The implanted sleeve looks like a giant sausage skin. It s two feet long device which can reverse diabetes. The sleeve is made from a thin plastic. The new device is called the EndoBarrier. It is designed to have the same effects as the surgery but far safer. It is a plastic sleeve that lines the duodenum, meaning food can only be absorbed lower down the intestine. The sleeve is inserted through the mouth and passed into the digestive tract using a thin tube. The implant also decreases cholesterol levels and blood pressure. Special Scholarship Programme for BPL Students in Jammu and Kashmir Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Economy, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 01 Aug 2011 To 07 Aug 2011 Share| The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved a special scholarship programme for BPL students in Jammu & Kashmir to improve literacy and financially boost the BPL students. The students of J&K living below poverty line can now take admission in any part of India for pursuing medical, engineering and other degree courses. The BPL students will be eligible for scholarship if they have completed higher secondary school education from Jammu & Kashmir and they have a total family annual income of Rs 4.5 lakh. The student getting enrollment in medical college will be given Rs 3 lakh as

scholarship. While the engineering and other degree seeking students will get Rs 1.15 lakh and Rs 30,000 respectively. Under the scheme, 5,000 students will be provided with scholarship every year for the next five years. The government will incur an expenditure of Rs 1,200 crore for this programme.Interaction among students of different states will corroborate national integrity. A New Software Developed to Prevent Stampede Deaths Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Science | Technology, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 01 Aug 2011 To 07 Aug 2011 Share| German Scientists developed a new software which can accurately detect when crowds are starting to build up to dangerous levels. It could help prevent stampede deaths that often occur during festivals and mass celebrations. The software will give security staff the chance to disperse crowds to safety by pre-empting the problem. The software notices the motion of the crowd by scrutinizing the movement of each pixel between different frames of crowd video footage. And when there are highly symmetrical pixel motions, it means there is something unusual going on, and the software alerts the operator by highlighting the area in red. JSPL Signed MoU with Rio Tinto for Global Commercialisation of the HIsmelt Technology Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Agreement | Tieups, Corporate, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 01 Aug 2011 To 07 Aug 2011 Share| Jindal Steel and Power on 5 August 2011 announced that it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with global mining giant Rio Tinto to jointly work for global commercialisation of the HIsmelt technology. The technology will be used in a fully integrated steel-making facility. As per the MoU, Rio Tinto's Kwinana HIsmelt plant from Australia will also

be re-located to JSPL's steel plant in Angul in Orissa. The relocated plant will be fully owned by JSPL, while both firms, JSPL and Rio Tinto will jointly develop and market the HIsmelt technology in future. Vampire Bats Use Infrared Vein Sensors to Detect Blood in their Prey Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Science | Technology, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 01 Aug 2011 To 07 Aug 2011 Share| A recent study found that vampire bats can locate blood vessels in their prey using infrared vein sensors on their lips. The vampire bats have specially evolved nerves located near the nose, which they use to identify the highest concentration of blood close to the skin of their prey. The researchers found a sensitive, heat-detecting molecule found in vampire bat noses called TRPV. The findings could be used in the development of a new class of pain medications. The study says that vampire bats use a mechanism that is different from that of the snake, the only other vertebrate that can detect infrared radiation. Vampire bats are the only mammals known to feed solely on blood. They feed on sleeping cows, goats or birds. The Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006 became Effective Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, National | India, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 01 Aug 2011 To 07 Aug 2011 Share| The Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006 became effective in India from 5 August 2011 making it at par with the international standards. The Act was passed in Parliament in 2006. It includes several acts like Prevention of Food Adulteration Act of 1954, Fruit Products Order of 1955, Meat Food Products Order of 1973, Vegetable Oil Products (Control) Order of 1947, Edible Oils Packaging (Regulation) Order of 1988, Solvent Extracted Oil, De- Oiled Meal and Edible Flour (Control) Order of 1967, Milk and Milk Products Order of 1992 and also any order issued under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 relating to food.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) was established in 2008 under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 as a statutory body for prescribing science based standards for articles of food and regulating manufacturing, processing, distribution, sale and import of food to ensure safe and wholesome food for human consumption. NASA Announced First Evidence of Water on the Planet Mars Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Science | Technology, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 01 Aug 2011 To 07 Aug 2011 Share| NASA scientists announced on 5 August 2011 that they had found the first evidence of flowing water on Mars. NASA confirmed that the evidence gathered by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter would be the first discovery of active liquid water in the ground on the red planet. The US space agency said the orbiter circling Mars since 2006 had monitored numerous instances of what appeared to be water flows occurring in several locations during the Martian spring and summer. Time-sequence imagery of the Newton crater in the southern mid-latitude region showed finger-like markings spreading along several steep slopes and then fading again once colder temperatures move in. New Zealand Banned Synthetic Cannabis Products Including Kronic Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, International | World, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 01 Aug 2011 To 07 Aug 2011 Share| New Zealand government imposed a 12-month ban on Synthetic cannabis products which became effective on 5 August 2011. The government said the use of 43 artificial cannabis products could cause heart problems. Among the prohibited substances is a popular brand known as Kronic, which has been a legal alternative to marijuana for many years. Kronic is smoked like marijuana and has been available in shops.

Restoration Work on Isa Khan's Tomb led to Discovery of India's Oldest Sunken Garden Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, News Capsule, Inventions | Discoveries,2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 01 Aug 2011 To 07 Aug 2011 Share| Restoration work on Isa Khan's tomb in New Delhi led to the discovery of the country's oldest sunken garden. Restorers at the Isa Khan's tomb in the precincts of the Humayun's Tomb World Heritage Site discovered that the Isa Khan's tomb stood within a hitherto unknown sunken garden. The sunken garden predates the famed gardens that the Mughals built and popularised. Pieces of underlying archaeology were also uncovered at the site. The sunken garden Isa Khan's Tomb site predates the Humanyun's Tomb garden by two decades. Isa Khan's garden tomb is the earliest example of a sunken garden in India attached to a tomb. The concept of a sunken garden attached to a tomb was later found manifestation at Akbar's Tomb and at the Taj Mahal. The discovery is significant as it shed light on the grandeur of the tombs, rising above the gardens and overlooking the trees and the landscaping. Over the years gardens have come up at the level of the monuments, however the garden at Isa Khan s tomb revealed that originally gardens used to be three to four feet below the monument with the tomb sitting high. The ongoing restoration work also threw up underlying archaeology, including building elements such as finials of the dome and canopies and terracotta toys, all of which have immense historical relevance. The restoration work of the Isa Khan's Tomb is being carried out by the AKTC in partnership with the Archaeological Survey of India and with cofunding from the World Monuments Fund.

About Isa khan History remembers Isa Khan finds as a brave and valiant noble under Sher Shah Suri, the Afghan ruler who had overthrown Humayun. His tomb built in 1547 is octagonal in shape and has exceptional decorative detailing. RBI directed Banks to issue prepaid Payment Instruments to listed Corporates Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Economy, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 01 Aug 2011 To 07 Aug 2011 Share| In a circular issued on 4 August 2011 the Reserve bank of India declared that prepaid payment instruments such as smart cards, magnetic stripe cards, mobile wallets paper vouchers, gift cards and travel cards could be issued by banks only to corporates listed in India. Prepaid payment instruments could be issued only to corporate entities listed in any of the stock exchanges in India. The corporate entities would have to verify the identity of the employee to whom the card would be issued, along with copies of photograph and a proof of identity. Also, the corporate are required to provide details of bank accounts of the employee to the bank. RBI mentioned that the maximum value of an individual prepaid payment instrument should not exceed Rs.50000. The money in the prepaid instruments would be loaded by debit to the bank account after fulfilling all know-your-customer (KYC) norms. The central bank had in 2009 allowed all banks and non-banking financial institutions (NBFC), meeting the regulatory capital adequacy norms, to issue the instruments which can be used for purchase of goods and services. Corporates usually avail themselves of this facility from the bank for

onward issuance to their employees. Prepaid payment instruments facilitate purchase of goods and services against the value stored in it and the value The central bank directed the banks to transfer funds from such prepaid instruments to a regular bank account of the employee if the same has been requested for. Banks are expected to put in place additional features for authentication of all card-not-present (CNP) transactions performed over the telephone or via the post by 1 May 2012.

Panama-flagged Cargo Ship, RAK Carrier sank off the Mumbai Coast Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, News Capsule, Miscellaneous, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 01 Aug 2011 To 07 Aug 2011 Share| A Panama-flagged cargo ship, RAK Carrier sank nearly 20 nautical miles off the Mumbai coast on 4 August 2011. The bulk carrier ship was on its way from Lubuk Tutung in Indonesia to Dahej in Gujarat to deliver more than 60000 tonnes of coal. This vessel owned and managed by M/s. Delta Shipping Marine Services, Qatarand classed with Lloyds Register of Shipping had set sail from Indonesia on 14 June 2011. Apart from the 60054 tonne coal packed in the holds of the sunk vessel, the ship also contained around 290 tonnes of fuel oil and 50 tonnes of diesel oil. The 30 crew members were rescued by the Navy and the Coast Guard in a joint operation. According to Coast Guard inspector general S. P. S. Basra, the ship sank water ingress could be responsible for the sink. The Coast Guard diverted the Coast Guard Ship (CGS) Samudra Prahari, which was patrolling in the area, and Emergency Towing Vessel (ETV) Smit Lumba to attend to the vessel when an emergency call was sent out. A

merchant ship, MV Stella sailing close-by was also diverted to assist MV RAK carrier. The Coast Guard's oil pollution response vessel Samudra Prahari has been stationed near the location where the ship sank to monitor any pollution of the sea.

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved Equity Infusion of Rs.1200 crore into Air India Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Economy, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 01 Aug 2011 To 07 Aug 2011 Share| The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 4 August 2011 approved equity infusion of Rs.1200 crore into the cash-strapped national carrier Air India. Air India had so far received financial assistance amounting to Rs 2000 crore in the last two financial years while its cumulative loss and debt burden is around Rs 67000 crore. The equity induction would not only ease the cash flow situation of the company Air India which is passing through critical financial crunch. The cash flow would also preclude borrowings from the markets at high costs. CCEA s approval followed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh assured that salaries, along with productivity-linked incentives of the employees who have not been receiving their dues for June and July, would be paid soon. The airline has a debt of Rs.4695 crore on an equity base of Rs.2145 crore. IOA set up Eight Member Indian Court of Arbitration for Sports to settle Sports Dispute Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Sports, News, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 01 Aug 2011 To 07 Aug 2011 Share|

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) set up an eight member Indian Court of Arbitration for Sports (ICAS). ICAS was set up under the Chairmanship of Dr. AR. Lakshmanan, former Supreme Court Judge and former Law Commission chairman to resolve all sports related disputes in India. The other Members of ICAS include M.R. Culla and retired judges, Justices R.S. Sodhi, B.A. Khan, Usha Mehra, Lokeshwar Prasad and S.N. Sapra. All sports related disputes in the whole world are settled by the International Court of Arbitration for Sports situated at Lausanne, Switzerland through a panel of eminent experts in the field of law, medicine, sports and others. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) had given directions to the IOA to constitute the Indian court of Arbitration for Sports in order to resolve all sports related disputes within the territory of India. All disputes in relation to sports under the Indian Olympic Association will therefore be decided by the Indian Court of Arbitration for Sports. Indian Potash in Pact with Belarusian Potash to buy 1.2 million tonnes of Potash Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Corporate, News , 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 01 Aug 2011 To 07 Aug 2011 Share| Indian companies struck deals for 1.87 million tonnes of muriate of potash at an average price of less than $500 a tonne. Indian Potash on 4 August 2011 reached a pact with Belarusian Potash Co, an export marketing venture of Belarus' Belaruskali and Russia's Uralkali, for 1.2 million tonnes of MoP at $490 a tonne. The delivery of potash will be made on a cost-andfreight (CFR) basis. Potash supplier Canpotex, which controls the 60% of the world market decided to sell MoP at $470 a tonne to Coromandel and Tata Chemicals for the second and third quarter of 2011-12 fiscal, and $530 a tonne for the fourth quarter. Canpotex is a tie-up between Canada's Agrium and Potash Corp and the US-based Mosaic. Defining cost-and-freight (CFR) basis.

Cost-and-freight (CFR) is a trade term that requires the seller to arrange for the carriage of goods by sea to a port of destination, and provide the buyer with the documents necessary to obtain the goods from the carrier. Under CFR, the seller does not have to procure marine insurance against the risk of loss or damage to the goods during transit. ICICI Securities tied-up with Collins Stewart Hawkpoint of UK Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Agreement | Tieups, Corporate, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 01 Aug 2011 To 07 Aug 2011 Share| ICICI Securities and Collins Stewart Hawkpoint plc announced on 4 August 2011 that they entered into an alliance to co-operate with each other in growing their business franchises. The alliance will cover wide range of investment banking and institutional sales activities, including corporate advisory services, research-led agency securities trading and capital markets advice. The opportunities to be explored by both the companies will include advisory services, private equity transactions, debt advisory services and other corporate finance advice. The alliance will include introductions of Indian companies to the London securities markets, the distribution into the U.K. and Europe of the offerings and placements of Indian or dual listed securities as well as the joint publication and distribution into the U.K. and Europe of research on over 100 Indian listed companies and the facilitation of secondary trading, through ICICI Securities, of securities of Indian listed companies. Collins Stewart Hawkpoint is one of the leading independent financial advisory groups based in the U.K. NASA Scientists Found Oxygen Molecules in Orion Constellation Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Science | Technology, 2011 Current Affairs

Current Affairs Week: 01 Aug 2011 To 07 Aug 2011 Share| The Herschel Space Observatory's large telescope and infrared detectors have provided the first confirmed finding of oxygen molecules in space. The molecules were discovered in the Orion star-forming complex. Individual atoms of oxygen are common in space, particularly around massive stars. But molecular oxygen, which makes up about 20 percent of the air we breathe, remains undetected. Astronomers searched for the elusive molecules in space for decades using balloons, as well as ground- and space-based telescopes. The Swedish Odin telescope spotted the molecule in 2007, but the sighting could not be confirmed. Oxygen gas was discovered in the 1770s. Oxygen is the third most common element in the universe. Herschel is a European Space Agency cornerstone mission, with science instruments provided by consortia of European institutes. NASA's Herschel Project Office is based at JPL, which contributed mission-enabling technology for two of Herschel's three science instruments. Italy Approved a Draft Law Banning Women from Wearing Veils in Public Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, International | World, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 01 Aug 2011 To 07 Aug 2011 Share| An Italian parliamentary commission on 2 August 2011 approved a draft law banning women from wearing veils that cover their faces in public. The draft passed by the constitutional affairs commission prohibits women from wearing a burqa, naqib or any other garb that covers the face. Italy is the latest European country to approve a law against the burqa. Belgium and France have already banned the wearing of burqa in public.

This recent step banning veil has ignited heated debate about multiculturism in Europe. It s related to issues of religious freedom, secular traditions, female equality and fears of terrorism.

SEBI approved Single-window Clearance System for Approval to Change in Control of Management Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Economy, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 01 Aug 2011 To 07 Aug 2011 Share| Market regulator, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on 3 August 2011 approved a single-window clearance system for market entities like stock brokers, for grant of prior approval for change in control of their management structures. SEBI approved of the single-window system with an objective to expedite the process of granting prior approval (in case of change of control). Market intermediaries such as stock brokers, merchant bankers, debenture trustees, registrar to an issue and share transfer agents, underwriters, depository participants, bankers, and credit rating agencies which have more than one registration with the Sebi, are to submit multiple applications for prior approval to change in control. In case an applicant holds multiple registrations with the regulator, it shall make only one application to SEBI providing certain information about itself and the acquirer and its directors or partners. The information sought relates to whether any application was made in the past to Sebi seeking registration in any capacity which was not granted and its details, and what kind of action was initiated on the application and its current status. The applicant is also required to furnish details on any investor complaint pending against it, details of litigation, payment of due fees to SEBI, and a

guarantee that there will be no change in the Board of Directors of the firm, till the time prior approval is granted. The applicants are required to inform all its existing investors and clients in order to enable them to take informed decision regarding their continuance or otherwise with the entity with new management. In case, the applicant is registered stock broker and or depository participant, it shall also have to obtain approval or non-objection certificate from all the stock exchanges of which it is a member and submit a self attested copy of the same to SEBI. SEBI s notification noted that any prior approval granted under the singlewindow system shall be valid for a period of 180 days from the date of communication. SEBI had in June 2011 waived the requirement for bankers, debenture trustees and credit rating agencies to seek prior approval from it to change their status and constitution, in a move aimed at doing away with unnecessary rules and red-tapism. However, market entities still need to seek Sebi's prior approval in case of change in control. The UN Security Council Condemned the Syrian Governments Crackdown on Protesters Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, International | World, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 01 Aug 2011 To 07 Aug 2011 Share| The UN Security Council on 3 August 2011 condemned the Syrian government for a deadly crackdown on protesters. The council statement condemned the widespread violations of human rights and the use of force against civilians by the Syrian authorities. This comes as the Syrian army attack Hama, a centre of the opposition protest, with reports of much loss of life. Dozens of people are believed to have been killed in the action against Hama, with residents saying that and army tanks have now entered into Assi Square, in the centre of the city of 800,000 people.

Brain Scan Discovered that Could Help Detect the Early Signs of Alzheimers Disease Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Science | Technology, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 01 Aug 2011 To 07 Aug 2011 Share| A team at Britain s Manchester University discovered that a positron emission tomography (PET) scan, usually used to spot cancerous tumours, can diagnose dementia (Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia) in people by measuring their brain activity. For their research, the scientists analysed 44 healthy people - 40 with Alzheimer's disease and 94 others with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). In the healthy group the scan showed high levels of brain activity by measuring the amount of glucose being used by the cells in the brain. But those with MCI and Alzheimer's the activity was reduced, reports said. The scientists believe it will give doctors conclusive proof that a patient is set to develop Alzheimer's. At present patients undergo some six months of memory tests before they can receive any results about their condition. Committee to Review functioning of Indian Council of Social Science Research submitted Report Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Report | Survey, News Capsule, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 01 Aug 2011 To 07 Aug 2011 Share| The committee constituted by the Union government in September 2010 to review the functioning of the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) as well as the research institutes funded by the ICSSR for promoting social science research submitted its report in August 2011. The committee comprised Deepak Nayyar, Bakul Dholakia, Kirit S. Parikh, all academics who co-opted Kishnendu Ghosh Dastidar as member secretary. According to the committee, funding was a major issue that had adversely

affected the performance of this institution. It recommended the strengthening of the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) to enable it to fulfil its role of fostering and promoting social science research. The committee's report suggests that the ICSSR should create a corpus of about Rs. 1000 crore as a complement to funds from other sources for funding research and attracting researchers. Major changes in the governance pattern were also recommended. The committee observed after analysis of government funding patterns that social science research remained extremely underfunded in India. Funding for the ICSSR was found to be meagre, when compared to funding received by comparable bodies of repute such as the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). According to the report the total grant to the ICSSR was just about 2.3 per cent of the total grant to the CSIR and about 11 per cent of the total grant to the ICMR between 2005-06 and 2009-10. The disbursal of the ICSSR funds was concentrated in and around Delhi and northern India. The report thus pointed out a possible bias. According to the report, between 2000-01 and 2009-10 Delhi's share of all the doctoral fellowships awarded was 33.2 per cent and North India (other than Delhi) had a share of 27 per cent. However unlike the case of fellowships, there does not seem to be any strong regional bias in the distribution of research projects awarded by the ICSSR. The report also pointing out that appointment within the ICSSR system did not follow any transparent or systematic process. The committee further stated that there were no clear division of jurisdiction, duties and responsibilities of the ICSSR Chairman and member secretary. Even the exact role of the ICSSR Council could was not defined. The committee called for a revamp in the appointments. The report suggested that the chairman of the council must be a distinguished

academic with leadership qualities, who should be chosen by a search committee. The designation of Member-Secretary should be changed to Director-General with the level and payscale that of a Vice-Chancellor of a Central university. About ICSSR The ICSSR was set up in 1969 as the apex body for social science research. It was envisaged to be a premier body for promoting social science research, funded by the government, with the research agenda decided primarily by social scientists themselves. Damodaran Panel suggested Solution to All ATM-card Related Problems Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Economy, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 01 Aug 2011 To 07 Aug 2011 Share| The report on Customer Service in Banks by a committee chaired by M. Damodaran, former Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) was released on 3 July 2011. The Reserve Bank of India panel recommended an increased deposit insurance cover of Rs.5 lakh so as to encourage individuals to keep all their deposits in banks. The Damodaran panel mentioned that in case of sick banks, a possibility to enable customers to immediately avail themselves of a part of their insured deposits before the final fate of sick banks is decided should be explored. The recommendations were made in 3 broad categories: Home Loans: The panel recommended that banks should not impose exorbitant penal rates towards foreclosure of home loans. A policy should be devised to ensure that customers are not denied of opportunity to enhance their economic welfare by making choices such as switching to other banks/financial entities to enjoy the benefits conferred by market competition. Measures to stop practices of discriminating between new and old customers with identical risk profiles on the basis of interest rate offers were to be initiated.

Banks should automatically provide annual account statement to home loan customers. All home loan customers should be permitted a switchover between fixed to floating or vice versa at least once during the loan tenure at an appropriate and reasonable fee. The panel recommended that home loans backed by insurance products, in any eventuality, to be automatically settled by the insurance amount with minimum inconvenience to the nominees and heirs. The title deeds should be returned to the customers within 15 days after the loan closure and a suitable compensatory policy to compensate the customers for delayed return of title deeds to be put in place. Banks should ensure through government subsidy or insurance that educational loans are properly priced. The Board Approved Policy for educational loans should indicate the minimum percentage in value or number of such loans which will be disbursed to students from rural areas. Senior Citizens: There should be prioritised service to senior citizens, physically handicapped persons by effective crowd/people management available at all branches. The panel suggested introduction of provision of the SMS alerts service about balance in the account at periodic intervals and about due dates for submission of important documents. Automatic updation of the customers to the senior citizen category based on the date of birth would be introduced. Pensioner may be allowed to submit the annual life certificate at any of the (linked) branches and not necessarily at the home branch. Rural Areas: According to the panel banks should ensure proper currency exchange facilities and also the quality of notes in circulation in rural areas. Branches should be made functioning at a time convenient to the customers (agricultural labourers, workers and artisans).

Other Recommendations: Exchange facilities for soiled/torn notes is a right of every citizen using such facilities and the RBI, through its agents is to ensure that no holder of sovereign currency note is turned away at a bank counter when the exchange facility is desired. All banks should implement the citizens' charter on exchange facilities of notes and coins adopted by the Department of Currency Management, RBI. The panel suggested documentation of the bank's approach to develop Client First Attitude by its employees. Instant blocking of lost ATM cards through SMS and immediate restoration of funds in case of non-dispensation of cash at an ATM were some of the other recommendations made by the Reserve Bank of India's committee on customer service. For compensation to be paid by the banks for transaction deficiencies there should be in-built into the core banking system (CBS) software. As a measure of risk management, call centres as well as the online systems through Net banking should enable a customer to fix individual transaction limits for debit/credit card use, debar or fix limits for purchase of electronic or jewellery items. The panel is in favour of standardisation of account opening form by the Indian Banks' Association (IBA). Users (utilities, airlines, and railways) of electronic bank platforms for making collections may offer small discounts to their customers to favour electronic payments. Former Supreme Court Judge Justice Shivraj V Patil sworn in as New Lokayukta of Karnataka Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Person Appointed, News Capsule, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 01 Aug 2011 To 07 Aug 2011

Share| Former Supreme Court Judge Justice Shivraj V Patil was sworn in as the new Lokayukta of Karnataka on 3 August 2011. The oath was administered by Governor H R Bhardwaj at Raj Bhavan. Justice Patil succeeded Justice N Santosh Hegde who vacated office after completing eventful five-year tenure. Justice Patil headed the one-man committee to inquire into the 2G spectrum allocation issue recently. The committee studied the processes and procedures followed by the Department of Telecommunications in distributing licences and spectrum between 2001-09. Justice Patil had joined the bar at Gulbarga in 1962. He had also served as part-time lecturer in Seth Shankarlal Lahoti Law College, Gulbarga from 1967 to 1975 and as Principal of the same college from 1975 to 1978. Justice Patil moved to Bangalore in 1979 to exclusively practise in the Karnataka High Court. He was Standing Counsel for the Bangalore Development Authority and Central Silk Board. He was also the Advocate for Bangalore University and Gulbarga University. He was elevated as Judge of Karnataka High Court on 29 March 1990. He was later transferred to Madras High Court. He had also served as Chief Justice of High Court of Rajasthan in 1999. Justice Patil was elevated as Judge of the Supreme Court in 2000 and retired in 2005. Justice Patil has written a book on the life of the great saint Shree Sharanabasaveswara. Former Karnataka High Court Judge Justice R Gururaj was administered oath of secrecy as Upa-Lokayukta by the Governor. Reserve Bank of India launched Industrial Outlook Survey for the JulySeptember 2011 Period Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Economy, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 01 Aug 2011 To 07 Aug 2011

Share| The Reserve Bank of India on 3 August 2011 launched its Industrial Outlook Survey for the July-September 2011 period. The Industrial Outlook Survey provides for an insight into the perception of non-financial public and private limited companies that are engaged in manufacturing activities about their performance and future prospects. The responsibility for conducting the research on behalf of the central bank was bestowed on Centre for Research Planning and Action (CERPA). The CERPA is to get in touch with several manufacturing companies during the quarter July-September for seeking their valuable feedback so that it can be included in the survey. The survey is to cover non-financial private and public limited companies with a good size/industry representation. Those manufacturing companies which are not approached by CERPA can also participate in the survey by downloading the survey schedule from RBI s official website. The assessment of business sentiments for the present quarter and expectations for the ensuing quarter are based on qualitative responses to 20 major parameters. The parameters include overall business and financial situations, demand indicators, price and employment expectations, profit margins etc. The survey aimed to provide useful forward looking inputs for policymakers, analysts and businesses. The RBI has been conducting the Industrial Outlook Survey on a quarterly basis since 1998. CERPA CERPA was established in 1972 and conducts social science research, provides consultancy on developmental issues, helps planners and policymakers and provides charitable services to the disadvantaged and poor sections of the country.

Indians are the Third most Confident in their Country's Economy Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Report | Survey, News Capsule, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 01 Aug 2011 To 07 Aug 2011 Share| According to the Ipsos Global @dvisory: The Economic Pulse of the World report Indians are still the third most confident in their country's economy. The report is based on 18607 interviews in 24 countries, including around 1000 in India. Indians' confidence in the national economy, their local (personal) economy, and their outlook for the same in the next six months dropped over the last one year. Against 71 per cent of Indians, only 40 per cent of global respondents deemed their country's economy to be good. The report pointed out that while India still has confidence in its macroeconomic future, there is some level of local stress evident due to high inflation, periodic hikes in the interest rates and their impact on the market, increasing the cost of living for a family in India. 52 per cent of Indians are of the opinion that the economy will get stronger six months down the line. The softer outlook for the next six months compared to June 2010 by Indian citizens is primarily due to high inflation and the frequent scams involving large companies and the Government. India would require some positive developments in the next six months to strengthen the future economic confidence. Saudi Arabians continue to be most confident with 89 per cent rating their national economy as good. Hungarian and Spanish respondents were least confident in their national economy, with 6 per cent viewing it as good. The global average of local economic assessment remained the same among the 24 countries. Among all respondents, 30 per cent view their

local (personal) area economy as good and 26 per cent were optimistic about their economy to turn stronger six months down the line. Reserve Bank of India issued Guidelines with regard to the Derivative Deals by Banks Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Economy, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 01 Aug 2011 To 07 Aug 2011 Share| The Reserve bank of India issued fresh guidelines with regard to the derivative deals by banks in India. The modification in RBI's guidelines on derivatives was introduced in the backdrop of corporates dragging banks to the courts when their derivative bets suffered due to adverse currency movements. The Reserve Bank of India has asked banks to obtain board resolutions from companies on their risk management policy before offering derivatives products. Banks generally should not undertake derivative transactions with, or sell structured products to, users who do not have properly documented policies regarding management of risks that include guidelines on risk identification, management and control. RBI's guidelines are aimed at protecting the banks against the credit, reputation and litigation risks that may arise from a user's inadequate understanding of the nature and risks of the derivatives transaction. The board-approved risk management policy of corporate should have guidelines and procedures to be followed with respect to revaluation and monitoring of positions. The policy should contain names and designation of officials authorised to undertake transactions and limits assigned to them; and a requirement that the assignment of limits to an official would be specific. The policy should deal with the accounting policy and disclosure norms to be followed in

respect of derivative transactions. Since banks are well-regulated by the Reserve Bank of India, the modified guidelines issued by the RBI on derivatives are a way of ensuring responsible market behaviour by corporates through banks. RBI mentioned that the responsibility of Customer Appropriateness and Suitability review rest on banks, bank's compliance officer ought to submit a monthly report to the Board of Directors of the bank certifying that all the guidelines had been followed for all derivative transactions undertaken by the bank. Tintu Luka emerged victorious in the Folksam Grand Prix Meet at Karlstad, Sweden Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Sports, News, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 01 Aug 2011 To 07 Aug 2011 Share| Tintu Luka coached by P. T. Usha opened her European tour with a victory in the Folksam Grand Prix meet at Karlstad, Sweden, on 2 August 2011. The Indian record holder, Tintu Luka clocked 2:02.58, a shade under her season best (2:02.55 at Kobe) in the 800 metres event. Luka remained behind Lithuanian Egle Balciunate (personal best 1:59.47) for most of the race before moving ahead during the final 200 metres. Luka won 5000 Swedish Kroner (Rs 34,000) for her win. Baluciante came second in 2:02.72 while Melissa Bishop of Canada was third in 2:02.80. Luka is also scheduled to participate in Amsterdam (6 August 2011) and Leuven, Belgium (13 August) meets. She already qualified for the World championships to be held in Daegu, Korea, from 27 August 2011. The other Indian runner in the fray in the Karlstad meet, Ghamanda Ram, came fifth in the men's 800m race in a time of 1:47.25s. Briton Mukhtar Mohammed (1:45.90) took the gold and was followed by Sudan's Ahmad Ismail, the Beijing Olympics silver medallist, in 1:46.09 and Denmark's Andreas Bube, at 1:46.49.

Lanco Infratech Ltd bagged Contract for developing Maha Tamil Coal Block Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Corporate, News , 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 01 Aug 2011 To 07 Aug 2011 Share| Lanco Infratech Ltd bagged the mandate to be a mine developer and operator of Gare Pelma-II coal block of Maha Tamil Collieries Ltd (MTCL). The company also bagged the project for development of 2000 MW of thermal power plant in Raigarh district of Chhattisgarh. The diversified infrastructure company, Lanco Infrastructure managed to outdo GMR, GVK, Jindal Power, L&T, Reliance Coal and Sterlite in the bid called by MTCL through a tender floated in July 2010. Lanco will develop and operate the coal mine and set up a 2,000-MW power plant. MTCL is a joint venture formed and owned by Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) with 77 per cent stake and Maharashtra State Mining Corporation (MSMC) 23 per cent for exploring and developing the mine having geological reserves estimated to be 800 million tonnes. The Maha Tamil project offers 100 per cent coal supply required for the 2000 MW project through the captive mine, saving the project from high fuel cost and thereby helping it avoid infrastructure and logistic issues. As per the agreement, the TNEB will get 630 MW at Rs 1.99 a unit. MSMC will get 23 per cent of the coal produced and the Chhattisgarh Government will get 740 MW. As a mine developer and power producer, Lanco will get 630 MW of power for merchant sales. The Oldest Known Fossil of an African Ape Discovered in Uganda Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Environment | Ecology, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 01 Aug 2011 To 07 Aug 2011 Share| The Scientists from France and Uganda on 18 July 2011 discovered in Uganda the oldest known fossil of an African ape which will help shed light on how humans evolved. The 20 million year old skull was discovered at an

excavation site called Napak XV near Iriri in Uganda s northeastern Karamoja region. The discovery was announced on 2 August 2011. Details about the African Ape whose Skull Found The fossilized skull belonged to a male Ugandapitchecus Major, a remote cousin ofHominidea Fossil Ape which roamed the region around 20 million years ago. Preliminary studies showed that the tree climbing herbivore had the size of a chimpanzee s but a brain the size of a baboon s and he was about 10 years old when he died. Karamoja is a semi arid region in the north-eastern part of Uganda. The Significance of the Discovery The discovery will help in understanding human ancestry and its closest cousins. This is the first time a complete skull of an ape of this age has been found. It is first known in Africa and in the world. The discovery will help not only throw light on the evolutionary history of the region but also in understanding better the brain evolution, face evolution and how it relates to other modern apes and to human beings as well. It will also help in promoting tourism in Uganda. Supreme Court Issued Notice to Centre on Sterlite Project in Orissa Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Environment | Ecology, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 01 Aug 2011 To 07 Aug 2011 Share| The Supreme Court of India on 1 August 2011 issued notice to the Union government of India on Orissa Mining Corporation s petition. The petition challenged the revocation of the environment clearance for a Sterlite bauxite mining project in Niyamagiri hills of Orissa. A bench of Court including Justice Gyan Sudha Mishra and Justice RV Raveendran issued the notice to the Union ministry of Environment and Forest. Sterilite is the Indian arm of UK-based Vedanta Resources. D V Sadananda Gowda elected Karnataka's 26th Chief Minister by BJP's Legislators Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Person Appointed, News Capsule, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 01 Aug 2011 To 07 Aug 2011

Share| D V Sadananda Gowda, was elected Karnataka's 26th chief minister by BJP's legislator. DV s election reaffirmed the former CM's clout over the party. Gowda, MP from Udupi-Chikmagalur emerged victorious over rival Jagadish Shettar's camp. In the secret ballot Gowda polled 63 votes compared to Shettar's 55. Of 119 BJP MLAs, 117 voted. D. V. Sadananda Gowda born in 1953 hails from the Devaragunda family of Mandekolu Village of Sullia Taluk. He attained his degree in law at Udupi Vaikunta Baliga College of law and has been associated with different cooperative societies. D.V. has distinguished himself in various capacities in the Co-operative movement. He was the Vice President of SCDCC Bank, Mangalore and Director of SKACM Society. He worked within the BJP in various capacities: He worked as the President of BJP in Sullia Constituency, President of BJP Yuva Morcha in D. K Dist, Vice President of BJP in D.K Dist, State Secretary of BJP Yuva Morcha from 1983 to 1988, State Secretary of BJP in Karnataka in the Year 2003-2004. D. V. got elected as MLA in the year 1994 and retained his seat in 1999. During his second stint he became the Deputy Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly. He was a member of several committees like the Cell for preparing Draft Bill on prohibiting Atrocities on Women in Karnataka, Committee of Energy, Fuel and Power formed by the speaker of the Legislative Assembly in the year 2001-02 etc. Puttur Taluk, Panchayath had won the first place in development works in the state revel during B.J.P Administration under his guidance. The BJP made him the State President for Karnataka State during March 2006. His work in bringing unity in the party made him re-elected and took over the charge of State President of BJP during March 2007.

Aadhaar Scheme was Launched in Four Circles of Rajasthan Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, State, Rajasthan, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 01 Aug 2011 To 07 Aug 2011 Share| Rajasthan state government launched Aadhaar scheme on 2 August 2011 to provide 12-digit Unique identification numbers in Rajasthan Postal Circle, Jaipur during a function held at Rajasthan Police academy. The scheme was also launched in Ajmer, Jodhpur and Udaipur through video conferencing. The special cover of Aadhaar was also launched by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and department of Posts. AADHAAR is a unique identification project in India. Aadhaar is a 12-digit unique number which the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) will issue for all residents in India. The number will be stored in a centralized database and linked to the basic demographics and biometric information, photograph, ten fingerprints and iris of each individual. Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council Report on Economic Growth Estimates Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Report | Survey, News Capsule, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 01 Aug 2011 To 07 Aug 2011 Share| In the backdrop of a grim economic scenario resulting from uncertain global outlook and high domestic inflation, Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council (PMEAC) on 1 August 2011 scaled down its projection for the growth rate of the economy in 2011-12 to 8.2 per cent from 8.5 per cent. The estimates projected in the report are as follows: The report stated that the inflation rate would come down to 6.5 per cent by March 2012. PMEAC estimated the headline WPI inflation rate to continue to be at 9

per cent or higher in the months of July-October 2011. The country's agriculture output was projected to grow at 3 per cent in the current fiscal 2011-12 The 2011 monsoon was projected to be in the range of 90 to 96 per cent of the Long Period Average (LPA). In 2011-12, the industrial sector is expected to grow by 7.1 per cent as compared to a higher 7.9 per cent expansion in 2010-11. The services sector was projected to grow at 10 per cent this fiscal, down from 10.3 per cent estimated earlier With regard to fiscal deficit, the Council expects the government to achieve its target for 2011-12 at 4.6 per cent. According to the PMEAC report capital inflows in 2011-12 were likely to go up to $72 billion from $61.9 billion in 2010-11 PMEAC stressed on the urgent need to ensure that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) materialises by 2012-13 as the GST along with the Direct Taxes Code (DTC) would help in the government's efforts to boost revenue and reduce tax arrears. The report called for increase in efforts to collect larger revenue and resolve cases to reduce tax arrears. The council mentioned that there was need to grant the poor a legal entitlement to food through an appropriate legislative enactment. Union Government directed PSBs to Boost Credit to Small Industry & Farmers Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Economy, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 01 Aug 2011 To 07 Aug 2011 Share| The Union government suggested the state-run banks to focus on traditionally-credit starved areas, such as small industry and agriculture, while credit demand from big industry moderates. Reserve Bank of India revised the credit growth target to 18% from 19% in 2011-12 after it raised the key rates by sharp 0. 5 percentage points in its monetary policy review on 26 July 2011. The RBI raised the repo rate for the eleventh time since March 2010 to curb runaway inflation. Finance Minister, Pranab Mukherjee also raised the issue of increased lending in the agriculture sector. Currently, the banking system only covers 50% of the farmers in India.

The government set a target of Rs. 475000 crore bank credit for the farm sector in 2011-12. Banks that did not meet the targets for agriculture lending in the last three years were asked to step up their loan portfolios. The government also asked chairmen of state-run banks to frame a mechanism to increase the number of farmers bank accounts. The growth in the number of farmers account was 14% in the last one year while the loan disbursal towards the sector increased by around 17%. Banks are expected to meet the direct lending targets towards agriculture sector. In 2009-10, only 13 banks were able to meet their targets. There are 21 public sector banks in the country and five subsidiaries of SBI. According to the RBI guidelines, banks are required to lend 40% of their adjusted net credit to the priority sector, which includes agriculture (18%), small-scale industries and other weaker sections. In case the banks fall short of this target, they can buy the loans of RRBs or MFIs to meet the level. The RBI mentioned that loans given to non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) will not be considered priority sector lending except to finance companies lending to microfinance institutions. Banks are therefore likely to face more pressure to step up lending in 2011. Sanskrit Scholar and Bhagavatham Exponent Malliyoor Sankaran Namboothiri died Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, News Capsule, Person Died, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 01 Aug 2011 To 07 Aug 2011 Share| Sanskrit scholar and Bhagavatham exponent Malliyoor Sankaran Namboothiri died in Kuruppanthara, on 2 August 2011. Sankaran Namboothiri devoted his life to rendering and exposition of Bhagavatham. Born in February 1921, he was the shishya of eminent Sanskrit scholar Padappa Neelakantan Namboothiri at Guruvayoor. On the advice of the guru he took up rendering of Bhagavatham in total surrender to Guruvayoorappan.

His Bhagavatham rendition, known for its lucidity and erudition, attracted devotees from across the country. He focused his activities in the last few years at the Malliyoor Mahaganapathy temple, the name of which became synonymous with him. He was awarded the title Bhagavathahamsom by Guruvayoor Bhagavatha Vijnana Samithy after his successful completion of 2500 Bhagavatha Sapthaham. He was bestowed with Poonthanam Puraskaram by Akhila Bharatheeya Guruvayoorappan Bhaktha Samithy. Sankaran Namboothiri also received the Njananppana Puraskaram from the Guruvayoor Devaswom and the Bhagavatha Sevaaratna Puraskaram from the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam. His Navathy (completing 90 years) was celebrated during January-February 2011. Oil Ministry to make functioning of Directorate General of Hydrocarbon more Transparent Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Economy, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 01 Aug 2011 To 07 Aug 2011 Share| The oil ministry accepted an Ashok Chawla Committee's recommendation to make functioning of the Directorate General of Hydrocarbon (DGH) more transparent to prevent corruption charges. The ministry however firmly rejected the panel s suggestion to transfer the government's regulatory powers to an independent body. The ministry did not approve of the panel's demand to carve out DGH's regulatory functions into an independent regulator. The ministry also decided to accept the panel s recommendation to adopt disclosure norms related to investment audits and post-bid monitoring in tune with the best practices existing elsewhere in the world. The regulatory and contract management roles of the DGH are under scrutiny amid allegations that it did not safeguard the government's

interests while dealing with private energy firms - such as Cairn India, Reliance Industries, and BG. The Comptroller & Auditor General had criticised the DGH's role in its draft report and the CBI registered a case against the former head of DGH, VK Sibal and six others officials of the directorate. The Chawla Committee was constituted to consider measures for tackling corruption in allocation of natural resources after the 2G spectrum scam broke out. The Committee had suggested reconstituting the Directorate into a technical office for contract management under the oil ministry and setting up a separate independent upstream regulator to perform regulatory functions. It was however argued that the DGH does not fix prices and hence its independence from the government was unwarranted. DGH is inseparable from the oil ministry as it manages hundreds of contracts on behalf of the government. Technical regulation of oil and gas blocks is always with the government in all developed nations without any exception. The issue of segregating the DGH's role and entrust its regulatory functions to an independent regulator surfaced in the past as well. The Naresh Narad Committee in 2001 suggested creation of Upstream Hydrocarbon Regulatory Board (UHRB) to regulate country's upstream activities. UHRB could not be implemented amid stiff resistance by the then director general of the Directorate. Union Territory of Dadara and Nagar Haveli celebrated its 58th Liberation day on 2 August Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, News Capsule, Miscellaneous, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 01 Aug 2011 To 07 Aug 2011 Share| Union Territory of Dadara and Nagar Haveli celebrated its 58th liberation day on 2 August 2011. The main function was held at Silvasaa, the Headquarter of the Union Territory. The celebrations were marked by the flag hoisting ceremony, march past and parade and a host of cultural

programs. The Union Territory authorities reduced 5 percent VAT on Diesel prices in Diu, Daman and Dadara and Nagar Haveli-which to benefit the people. To mark the occasion a series of welfare schemes were also launched. Dadara and Nagar Haveli is situated between or surrounded by Gujarat and Maharashtra. 500 sq kilometer small area that is mostly under forest cover is celebrated the 58th Liberation Day, the day on which it was freed from the Portuguese rule in 1954. Indian Nationalist volunteers had librated Dadara and Nagar Havel and it became centrally administered Union territory from 11 August 1961. Spain won the Tenth Edition of the UEFA European Under-19 Championship Title Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Sports, News, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 01 Aug 2011 To 07 Aug 2011 Share| Spain won the tenth edition of the UEFA European Under-19 Championship title in Romania beating the Czech Republic 3-2 on 1 August 2011. Spain become the first country to hold both u-19 and u-21 title in the same year. Spain which is European and World champion at senior level defeated Switzerland 2-0 in the under-21 final on 25 June 2011. Paco Alccer who came off the bench to score twice in the final 12 minutes played a significant role in helping Spain attain the title. Spain was Champion in European Under-19 Championship in the years 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2007. The victory achieved on 1 August marked the fourth for their coach, the irrepressible Gins Melndez. Tata Motors launched the New Variant of its Crossover Vehicle Aria Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Corporate, New Launch, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 01 Aug 2011 To 07 Aug 2011 Share| India s largest auto maker Tata Motors on 2 August 2011 launched the new variant of its crossover vehicle Aria. Tata Aria 4x2 is priced between

Rs.11.61 lakh and Rs.14.26 lakh and is available in three trim levels- the Aria Prestige at the top-end, the Aria Pleasure and the Aria Pure at the lower-end. The vehicle is equipped with innovation luxury, safety and entertainment features. It comes with 2.2 litre direct injection common rail (DICOR) engine that delivers 140 PS power. So far the Tata Aria Crossover was available in the 4X4 version only in the country. With the launch of new 4X2 version, the Aria series will be enabled to compete more promptly with its rivals like Toyota Innova and Mahindra Xylo. Scientists Found a Chemical UDCA that Can Help People Recover from a Heart Attack Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Science | Technology, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 01 Aug 2011 To 07 Aug 2011 Share| Sceintists found a chemical named UDCA that could prevent abnormal heart rhythm or arrhythmia, both in people who've had a heart attack , and in foetuses. It changes the electrical properties of myofibroblast cells, which are existing in the foetal heart and in patients who suffered heart attack. UDCA could help the heart muscle conduct electrical signals more normally National Social Security Fund (NSSF) Approved by the Union Cabinet of India Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Abbreviations | Terms, News Capsule,2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 01 Aug 2011 To 07 Aug 2011 Share| NSSF: National Social Security Fund NSSF stands for National Social Security Fund. National Social Security Fund (NSSF) was approved by the Union Cabinet of India on 28 July 2011.

NSSF is meant for unorganized sectors and it is likely to benefit 43.3 crore workers in the unorganised sector. Securities and Exchange Board of India proposed Regulations for Alternative Investment Funds Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Economy, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 01 Aug 2011 To 07 Aug 2011 Share| The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) proposed to create regulations for alternative investment funds under the title SEBI (Alternative Investment Fund) Regulations on 1 August 2011. These alternative investment fund (AIF) raise capital from a number of high networth investors (HNIs) with an objective of investing in accordance with a defined investment policy for the benefit of those investors. The funds which would come under the proposed regulation includeVenture Capital Funds, PIPE Funds, Private Equity Fund, Debt Funds, Infrastructure Equity Fund, Real Estate Fund, SME Fund, Social Venture Funds, Strategy Fund. SEBI made it mandatory for all types of private pools of capital or investment funds to seek registration with SEBI. The funds could be formed as companies, trusts or body corporate including LLP structure. The fund manager/ asset management company or trustees of the fund is required to be specified, and change of such entities is to be reported to SEBI. The fund at the time of application would specify the category under which it is sought registration, the targeted size of the proposed fund and its life cycle and the target investor. SEBI proposed that the funds would be close-ended. Fund size can be revised upward up to XX per cent giving SEBI suitable reasons. Minimum investment amount would be specified as 0.1 per cent of fund size subject to a minimum floor of Rs.1 crore.

In case of an AIF constituted as company or LLP, the number of shareholders or partners would not be permitted to exceed 50. The size of units issued will not be less than Rs.10 lakh. Funds may be raised only through private placement through information memorandum. For PE funds, investments would be mainly in unlisted companies or companies proposed to be listed. For debt funds, the entire investment would be made in unlisted debt instruments. For infrastructure equity funds, minimum two-thirds of the investment would be in equity of infrastructure projects/companies. For Real Estate Funds, investment could be in real estate projects or shares in the SPVs undertaking real estate projects. The fund for strategy fund would be guided by the strategy it specifies at the time of registration with no other restrictions. Social Venture Funds will be targeted towards social investors willing to accept muted returns. SME funds would be for investing in unlisted entities in the SMEs in manufacturing services sector as also businesses providing infrastructure or other support to SMEs. PM's Economic Advisory Council scaled down Growth Rate Projection to 8.2 % for 2011-12 Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Economy, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 01 Aug 2011 To 07 Aug 2011 Share| The Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council (PMEAC) on 1 August 2011 scaled down its projection for the growth rate of the economy in 2011-12 to 8.2 per cent from 8.5 per cent earlier. The estimates were made in the backdrop of a grim economic scenario resulting from uncertain global outlook and high domestic inflation coupled with a subdued trend in investment and factory output. Projections The report stated that the inflation rate would come down to 6.5 per cent by March 2012. In its Economic Outlook for 2011-12, which was submitted to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last month, the PMEAC had maintained

that headline inflation would remain at 9 per cent or higher till October 2011 and thereafter ease to 6.5 per cent by the end of March 2012. The Council estimated the headline WPI inflation rate to continue to be at 9 per cent or higher in the months of July-October 2011. The country's agriculture output was projected to grow at 3 per cent in the current fiscal 2011-12 as against 6.6 per cent in 2010-11. The 2011 monsoon was projected to be in the range of 90 to 96 per cent of the Long Period Average (LPA). As a result, the farm sector output expected to grow at 3 per cent. The overall uncertain environment India and abroad led to a slowdown in investment as well as inflow of foreign capital and as a result, the industrial performance weakened. In 2011-12, the industrial sector is expected to grow by 7.1 per cent as compared to a higher 7.9 per cent expansion in 2010-11. The services sector, which has a share of over 50 per cent of the GDP was projected to grow at 10 per cent this fiscal, down from 10.3 per cent estimated earlier. With regard to fiscal deficit, the Council expects the government to achieve its target for 2011-12 at 4.6 per cent but it would be at 4.7 per cent with off-budget liability of 0.1 per cent for the Centre and 2.1 per cent for States. According to the PMEAC report capital inflows in 2011-12 were likely to go up to $72 billion from $61.9 billion in 2010-11. The investment rate was projected at 36.4 per cent in 2010-11 and 36.7 per cent in 2011-12. The domestic savings rate, as a ratio of the gross domestic product (GDP) was projected at 33.8 per cent in 2010-11 and 34 per cent in 2011-12. Suggestions & Analysis It was noted that the revised series (2004-05) for Index of Industrial

Production (IIP) showed an output growth pattern that is fairly different from what the old series (1993-94) had indicated. Also, the output growth was grossly underestimated by the old series in 2007-08 and overestimated in 2008-09 and 2009-10. The PMEAC stressed on the urgent need to ensure that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) materialises by 2012-13 as the GST along with the Direct Taxes Code (DTC) would play a key role in the medium-term as it would help in the government's efforts to boost revenue and reduce tax arrears. The report called for increase in efforts to collect larger revenue and resolve cases to reduce tax arrears. It also highlighted that avoidable expenditures must be minimised and wanted measures to be initiated to increase revenues. The council upon analysis of the recent data on growth rates indicated that while most of the lower income states had shown stronger growth rates, several of the higher income states had also shown an increase. Also it was stated that given the country's growth needs, a moderate trade deficit and current account deficit (CAD) were inevitable. To finance the CAD, foreign investment flows were needed to be promoted. However, CAD must be contained below 2.5 per cent of GDP, it said. The PMEAC stressed that the India growth story was inextricably linked to the power sector. Policy interventions were required for ensuring coal availability for the power plants, land acquisition and environmental clearances and revision of power tariff by states to reduce the high aggregate technical and commercial losses. The report also called for increased focus on nonconventional energy. The council on the question of food security mentioned that there was need to grant the poor a legal entitlement to food through an appropriate

legislative enactment. The report also stressed the need for reforms in the public distribution system (PDS) to strengthen distribution. It pointed out that computerization, introduction of smart cards and using unique identification numbers for the beneficiaries are important interventions. Telecom Commission permitted Imposition of Uniform Licence fee of 8.5 per cent Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Economy, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 01 Aug 2011 To 07 Aug 2011 Share| Telecom Commission, the apex decision-making body of the Department of Telecom in a meeting held on 22 July 2011 permitted imposition of a uniform licence fee of 8.5 per cent on all telecom operators. Operators currently pay between 6 per cent and 10 per cent of their annual revenues as licence fee. Though the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India had recommended bringing down the licence fee to a uniform 6 per cent, a panel set up by the DoT pegged this at 8.5 per cent with an objective to protect Government income. The Telecom Commission overruled the TRAI suggestions and ratified the views of the DoT committee with regard to pegging license fee at 8.5%. Telecom Commission s move is expected to benefit operators in Metro areas which are currently paying 10 per cent of the annual revenues. However, Internet Service Providers and Long Distance Telephony operators would have to pay out more as they currently pay only 6 per cent. For pan-India players, the move will not have any major impact as they end up paying about 8.5 per cent of the overall revenues on an average. The Commission also decided to take legal opinion on the issue of changing roll-out obligation for telecom players. TRAI had suggested roll out obligation based on population whereby operators would be required to cover all areas with more than 10000 people within two years. As per the current rules, operators are required to cover geographical area irrespective of the population. The DoT panel had rejected TRAI's views on

grounds that most of the operators have already completed the current obligations and, therefore, it would be legally untenable to change the norms. Other recommendations made by the DoT internal panel like TRAI demand powers to scrutinise spectrum usage by Government agencies such as the defence forces were agree to. The Commission also agreed with the DoT panel views that TRAI should only look at spectrum use by telecom operators. The Commission ratified DoT panel's views that there was no need to set up a new fund to meet expenses related to spectrum re-farming. It accepted moving to a new licence regime whereby all licences will be unified and spectrum will be delinked from the licence. The Commission decided that the TRAI should give detailed guidelines on moving to the new regime including implementing the first-come-firstserved policy for giving out unified licences. Champion Double-trap Shooter & Asian Games Gold Medalist Ronjan Sodhi ranked No.1 by ISSF Current Affairs Category: Personality, August 2011 Current Affairs, Sports, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 01 Aug 2011 To 07 Aug 2011 Share| Champion double-trap shooter and Asian Games gold medalist Ronjan Sodhi was ranked No.1 in the world, as per the latest rankings released by the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) on 1 August 2011. Double trap marksman Ronjan Sodhi won gold in the World Cup Finals in Turkey in 2010. He had recently won the silver medal in the Beijing World Cup to clinch the Olympic quota place. After the Beijing World Cup he went on to win a bronze medal in the next World Cup in Maribor. Ronjan Sodhi from Punjab lad had won the World Cup gold medals in Belgrade in 2008 (with two world records to boot) and Lonato in 2010.

Other Top Ranking Shooters In the Asian Games in Guangzhou in 2010, Ronjan won the only shooting gold for India, beating two Chinese. He had earlier settled for the individual and team silver medals in the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in October 2010. Peter Robert Russell Wilson of Britain jumped from No. 9 to the second spot, following a gold medal and silver in the World Cups recently. The reigning World champion Joshua Richmond, who shot a world record equalling 196 out of 200 in Munich in 2010 was reduced to the third spot. The reigning Olympic champion, Walton Eller of the US is only at No. 33, while the silver medallist Francesco D'Aniello of Italy and bronze medallist Hu Binyuan of China are placed No. 9 and No.5 respectively. Prominent Indian Shooters Among the Indians Gagan Narang in air rifle, Sanjeev Rajput in rifle 3position, Vijay Kumar in rapid fire pistol and Annu Raj Singh in women's air pistol were ranked No. 9. India's Exports rose by 46.45 per cent to $29.21 billion during June 2011 Current Affairs Category: August 2011 Current Affairs, Economy, 2011 Current Affairs Current Affairs Week: 01 Aug 2011 To 07 Aug 2011 Share| According to the figures released by the Commerce Ministry on 1 August 2011 India's exports rose by 46.45 per cent to $29.21 billion during June 2011. The increase in export was registered amid concerns that the upward growth could be hit by the troubled economic situation in the U.S. and the European zone in the second-half. In May, exports had grown by 56.9 per cent year-on-year to $25.9 billion. Owing to the spectacular rise of export in June 2011, exports grew by a hefty 45.7 per cent to $79 billion in the first quarter of the current fiscal

2011-12. Sectors including petroleum products, readymade garments, engineering or pharmaceuticals posted robust expansion. During the first quarter of this fiscal, the sectors which registered healthy export growth include engineering (94%), petroleum products (60%), gems and jewellery (19%), readymade garments (34%), electronics (69%) and chemicals (52%). Industry players and the Commerce Ministry however expressed concern about the continued financial crisis in the euro zone and the U.S which are India's traditional markets and together account for about 35 per cent of the country's exports, which stood at $246 billion in 2010-11. Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) opined that the growth trend would not be as good in the third and fourth quarters and would get restricted to around 35-40 per cent. Concerns were also expressed over high inflation and interest rates. The withdrawal of Duty Entitlement Pass Book scheme (DEPB) from 1 October is expected to further impact exports. However, it is also being projected that recent hike in interest rates from 11% to 11.25% by SBI would make export finance costlier and Indian goods would become noncompetitive in the international market. Imports grew by 42.46 per cent to $36.8 billion in June but the trade deficit of $7.6 billion was almost half the level of $14.9 billion seen in May 2011.Oil imports increased by 30 per cent to $10.18 billion while non-oil imports increased by 47.8 per cent to $26.6 billion. During the first quarter, oil imports grew by 18.1 per cent to $30.52 billion. Non-oil imports, too, increased by 44.68 per cent to $80 billion from $55.35 billion in April-June, 2010-11. Inbound shipments during the April-June 2011-12 period rose by 36.2 per cent to $110.6 billion, led by import of $30.5 billion worth of petroleum products. The trade gap during the period stood at $31.6 billion.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council (PMEAC), in its report on the state of economy mentioned that the merchandise trade deficit is projected at USD 154 billion, or 7.7% of the GDP, in 2011-12. The trade gap was USD 130.5 billion, or 7.59% of the GDP in 2010-11. The invisibles trade surplus on the other hand stood at USD 86.2 billion, or 5% of the GDP in 2010-11, and is projected at USD 100 billion, or 5%, in 201112.