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GYANM GENERAL AWARENESS - MAY 2018 ISSUE - ENGLISH VERSION
GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 3
GENERAL AWARENESS
MAY 2018
Vol. 6, Issue 11
A PUBLICATION OF GYANM EDUCATION &
TRAINING INSTITUTE PVT. LTD.
SCO 13-14-15, 2ND FLOOR, SEC 34-A, CHANDIGARH
Contents
CURRENT AFFAIRS
JAN 2018 TO MARCH 2018
03-50
BULLET NEWS
OCT. TO DEC. 2017
51-62
LATEST 100 GK MCQs 63-69
RAILWAYS
MODEL TEST PAPER
70-74
CURRENT GK BYTES 75-102
FIGURES TO REMEMBER
REPO RATE (02.08.2017) 6.00%
REVERSE REPO RATE 5.75%
MARGINAL STANDING
FACILITY RATE
6.25%
STATUTORY LIQUIDITY RATIO 19.50%
CASH RESERVE RATIO 4.00%
BANK RATE 6.25%
BASE RATE(s)
(of various banks)
9.10 to
9.60%
INDIA’s RANK IN
Inclusive Internet Index 47th
Energy Transition Index 78th
Rank in World Happiness Report 133rd
Global Democracy Index 42nd
Corruption Perception Index 81st
Intellectual Property Index 44th
Index of Talent Competitiveness 81st
Cheapest Country to Live 2nd
Attractive market for Investments 5th
Rank in Emerging Economies 62nd
The Environmental Performance
Index
177th
Global Manufacturing Index 30th
The Legatum Prosperity Index 2017 100th
Best Country for Business 62nd
Ease of Doing Business 100th
Business Optimism Index 7th
IMD World Talent Rankings 51st
Global Climate Risk Index 6th
Global Gender Gap Index 108th
Family Business Report 03rd
SURGE IN BANK FRAUDS..!!
The banking system has been rattled with massive fraud by Nirav Modi
and others involving fraudulent transactions worth Rs.12,600 crore in
Punjab National Bank (PNB) Mumbai branch. According to PNB the
fraud was carried out by the perpetrators in collusion with the junior
level staff. It went on to explain the modus operandi of the scam and
said, "It was found through SWIFT trail that one junior level branch
official unauthorisedly and fraudulently issued Letters of Undertaking
(LoU) on behalf of some companies belonging to Nirav Modi Group for
availing buyers' credit from overseas branches of Indian Banks." It is
further said that none of the transactions were routed through the Core
Banking Solution or CBS system, thus avoiding early detection of
fraudulent activity.
WHAT IS LoU?
In international banking system, letter of undertaking is technically a
bank guarantee, under which the bank allows its customers to raise
money from another Indian bank foreign branch in the form of a short
term credit to make payment to the supplier of goods.
 According to RBI, LoUs are to be issued for a period of not more than
90 days.
 A bank, while issuing LoUs for a client, agrees to repay the principal
and interest on the client's loan unconditionally.
 For raising LoU customers has to be sanctioned credit limit and it
needs to pay the margin money to bank issuing LoU. Apart from
margin money, the bankers require the customer to provide the bank
with collateral in the form of FDR (term deposit).
 The issuing bank conveys the issuance of LoU through SWIFT to the
foreign branch, which then transfers the amount to its Nostro
account.
 SWIFT transactions are linked to the CBS of banks, which contains
transaction histories and other data of all customers, and can be
accessed by all branches where a customer has an account. SWIFT
transactions, therefore, are automatically recorded, and are seen by
officials from Regional Managers to General Managers. And, when the
amount is big, it should automatically alert the top management.
 When the letter of understanding which is a kind of letter of credit is
acknowledged and accepted, the lender branch transfers money to the
Nostro account of the issuing bank.
 Nostro account is the account that a bank holds in foreign currency
in another bank. The issuing bank then transfers the funds through
its nostro account to the supplier of goods.
 The customer gets the material in India and sells it after finishing it
and repays the bank.
WHY LoU PREFERRED OVER CASH CREDIT (CC) LIMIT
 This facility is mostly used by importers to purchase material from
overseas suppliers.
 The customer can get a CC limit issued from the bank, take loan and
purchase foreign currency and make payment to the supplier. But the
rate of interest here is ranging from 12 to 15%.
 In case of LoU, the customer just pays a prescribed fee to the bank for
getting a LoU issued.
 The customer is paying lesser interest while also earning interest on
his term deposit in India. The borrower gets credit facility at a place,
he may not have banking relationship.
 This makes LoU the preferred mode by the Indian customer to get
their supply of goods from abroad.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 4
 The banks also prefer the safe business of
issuance of a LoUs;
 The facility of issuance of LoUs to the
clients, the banks earns non-fund income
in the shape of fee.
 The facility is adequately covered with a
margin money and also the collateral(s)
(may be in the shape of fixed deposit) is
considered as more safe and secured.
 The margin money as well as the collateral
in the shape of fixed deposit also
constitutes deposit of the banks.
 The funds are released to the supplier
directly by the issuing bank through its
Nostro account and it ensures the end use
of the facility.
WHO COULD BE AT FAULT?
It is alleged by the PNB that the frauds have
been committed by the junior officials in
collusion with the client(s). But the role of the
following officials in the fraudulent transactions
cannot be overlooked.
 Role of Branch Manager.
 Role of Concurrent Auditors.
 Role of IT personnel for linking and delinking
of SWIFT.
 The official(s) who received informations
about transfer of the funds to the Nostro
account by the bank in the foreign country.
 The official(s) responsible for non-rotations of
the seats of the dealing officers. Bank officers
possessing assets disproportionate to their
known income. The official(s) dealing with
the seat never taken leave as per the
requirements.
WHAT WENT WRONG?
In Nirav Modi Mehil Choksi case neither a credit
limit was there nor did he ever given any margin
money or any fixed deposit to secure the facility.
Further the LOU were issued for One year
whereas these are not to be issued for a period
more than 90 days.
In the PNB case, the scamsters allegedly
delinked SWIFT from CBS in the case of
companies that were linked to Nirav Modi and
Mehul Choksi. However, LoUs of other
companies were routed through the SWIFT-
CBS System. It is indicated that funds were
provided to the Modi-Choksi companies
without being recorded in the bank’s CBS
system.
The alleged fraudsters exploited the gap left by
the global messaging system i.e SWIFT not
being integrated with PNB’s core banking
solution (CBS) to escape scrutiny.
The bank did not ensure the end use of the
funds as the amount in the foreign country
was released to the front companies floated by
Nirav Modi et al.
The LoU sent through swift did not show up on
CBS which links all PNB branches
electronically. Apart from LoUs, foreign letter of
credits (LCs) were also issued allowing the
jewellers to access buyer’s credit from overseas
banks at a cheaper rate of interest than
available in the home market. The letter of
credits issued were also reportedly illegal.
At the heart of the PNB fraud is the
unauthorised issuance of letter of
undertakings (LoUs) by certain staffers from
PNB’s branch at Mumbai in collusion with
firms controlled by the diamond traders
overseas and suppliers of pearls and rough
diamonds were not backed by any margin or
collateral.
When the 90-days period to repay the foreign
branch ended, PNB again issued LOUs as Modi
and Choksi did not pay the PNB branch here
to settle their dues. This ever-greening led to
the scam snowballing into thousands of
crores.
RBI GUIDELINES ON LoU:
 The RBI has specific guidelines, to issue LoU
only to those customers who have existing
credit relationship with a bank and also
instructed that bank should refrain from
issuing guarantees on behalf of customer who
do not enjoy credit facilities with them as non
compliance of RBI regulations in this regards
is likely to vitiate credit discipline.
 Validity of an LoU depends on the category of
goods that are important.
LATEST RBI GUIDELINES ON LoU:
RBI in its (DIR series) No.20, March 13, 2018
has issued following instructions for all
authorized dealers of Category I.
 On review of extent of guidelines on external
commercial borrowings, trade credit
borrowings and lending in foreign currency by
authorized dealers, it is decided by RBI to
discontinue the practice of issuance of
LoUs / LoCs and trade credits for imports
into India by the authorized dealers category I
banks with immediate effects.
Letter of Credits and Bank guarantees for trade
creditors for imports in to India may continue
subject to compliance with the provisions.
-- x x --
GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 5
NATIONAL NEWS
MARCH
PRESIDENT VISITS MAURITIUS, MADAGASCAR
President Ram Nath Kovind made a five day visit to
Mauritius and Madagascar. He attended the 50th
anniversary of independence celebrations of Mauritius
and inaugurated the World Hindi Secretariat building
built with Indian support. India announced a new Line
of Credit of $100 million for defense procurement by
Mauritius.
Next he visited Madagascar, the first ever visit by
an Indian VVIP. Madagascar is the fourth largest island
in the world, nearly the size of France. The two
countries signed an umbrella agreement in the field of
defence. The President was conferred the Grand Cross
of the Second Class, the highest civilian honour of
Madagascar for a non-citizen.
Prime Minister: Pravind Jugnauth
Currency: Mauritian Rupee
Capital: Port Louis
Madagascar President: Hery Rajaonarimampianina
Prime Minister: Oliver M. Solonandrasana
Capital: Antananarivo
Currency: Malagasy Ariary
INDIA WELCOMES GERMAN PRESIDENT
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier arrived in
New Delhi on a five-day visit to India. He also visited
Varanasi and Chennai. He also attended a business event
in New Delhi. Germany is India’s largest trading partner
in Europe and the 6th largest trading partner in the
world.
Chancellor: Angela Merkel Capital: Berlin
Currency: Euro
PRESIDENT OF FRANCE VISITS INDIA
French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in New
Delhi on a four-day visit to India. The visit aimed at
strengthening the bilateral economic, political and
strategic dimension of engagement between the two
countries.
Macron presided over the Founding Conference of the
International Solar Alliance in New Delhi. He also
inaugurated 101-megawatt capacity mega solar power
plant at Dadar Kalan village in Mirzapur district of Uttar
Pradesh, built in collaboration with the French company
ENGIE.
Prime Minister: Edouard Philippe Capital: Paris
Currency: Euro
KING OF JORDAN COMES TO INDIA
Jordanian King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein arrived in
Delhi for a three-day visit. Besides being the king, he is
also a highly acclaimed authority on Islam. He is the 41st
generation descendant of Prophet Muhammad and the
Custodian of the Holy Sites in Jerusalem.
India is Jordan’s fourth largest trading partner, mainly
due to import of fertilizers from Jordan. The two
countries signed four MoUs for mutual cooperation in
various fields.
Prime Minister: Hani Al Mulki
Capital: Amman Currency: Jordanian Dinar
VIETNAMESE PRESIDENT IN INDIA
Vietnam President Tran Dai arrived in India on a three-
day visit. He first visited Bodh Gaya and then came to
Delhi. The visit intends to further deepen
comprehensive strategic Partnership between the two
countries
Prime Minister: Nguyễn Xuân Phúc
Capital: Hanoi Currency: Dong
S C GRANTS ‘RIGHT TO DIE’
In a landmark verdict, the Supreme Court recognised
right to die with dignity and allowed an individual to
issue an advance directive in the form of a ‘living will’
authorising someone to withdraw his/her life support, if
he/she went into a vegetative state because of an
incurable and irreversible medical condition.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 6
The Court observed that right to die with dignity was a
facet of right to life and liberty guaranteed under Article
21 of the Constitution.
A “living will” is a document executed by an individual in
full possession of his/her decision-making capacity,
without any duress, enunciating the condition of ill health
in which he/she would not like to prolong life by artificial
support.
SC SAYS ‘NO’ TO KHAP PANCHAYATS
In a landmark judgement the Supreme Court has termed
the interference by illegal assemblies like ‘khap
panchayat’ in marriages of two consenting adults as’
absolutely illegal’ and laid down guidelines to prevent
such intrusions. The bench laid down certain punitive
and remedial measures to be followed until a suitable
legislation is put in place in this regard by the
Parliament.
CHILD MARRIAGES DOWN BY 20%
A report from the United Nations children's agency
UNICEF says that India has achieved a sharp decline of
20 percent in child marriages in the last decade. As
against 47 percent of the girls getting married before
the age of 18, a decade ago, now only 27 percent girls
are in this category.
UNICEF attributed the improvement to the increased
rate of girls’ education, proactive government
investments in adolescent girls and strong public
awareness about the illegality of child marriage in India.
INDIA 3rd IN ELECTRICITY GENERATION
According to a report by the India Brand Equity
Foundation, a trust established by the union commerce
ministry, India has become the third largest electricity
producer in the world generating 1,423 billion units in
2016-17. Its electricity production grew 34% over past
seven years. India is behind only China (6,015 BU) and
the United States (4,327 BU) as per 2016-17 data.
INDIAN FORCES 4th IN WORLD
India’s military prowess has been ranked fourth on the
Global Firepower Index-2017 that has ranked 133
countries on the basis of their global military prowess.
Index is topped by the USA, followed by Russia and
China. Pakistan ranks 13 on the list. The rankings are
based on 50 parameters, including military resources,
natural resources, industry and geographical features
and available manpower.
AMNESTY TO TRACK ‘HATE CRIMES’
The global human rights body Amnesty India launched
'Halt the Hate' website to track alleged hate crimes in
India against marginalised people such as the Dalits,
Adivasis, religious minority groups and trans-genders.
The website has documented hundreds of alleged hate
crimes against these marginalized people.
INDIAN SCIENCE CONGRESS IN IMPHAL
The 105th session of the Indian Science Congress was
held at Manipur University in Imphal, Manipur. Prime
Minister Modi delivered the inaugural lecture. The
theme of this year’s Congress is “Reaching the
Unreached through Science and Technology.”
NO TO FOREIGN LAW OFFICES IN INDIA
The Supreme Court has ruled that foreign lawyers and
law firms cannot open offices in India. However, they
are allowed to "fly in and fly out" to advise their clients
on foreign law on a temporary and casual basis. The
apex court also permitted foreign lawyers to appear in
international commercial arbitration.
INDIA BECOMES ‘HOST COUNTRY’ TO ISA
The International Solar Alliance (ISA) signed the
Headquarters Agreement with the Indian Government,
enabling the ISA to establish its headquarters in Host
Country to discharge its functions and programmes.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 7
INDIA SET TO JOIN EBRD
India has got the go-ahead to join the European Bank of
Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), after
shareholders of the London-based multilateral lender
agreed to allow it as the 69th member. This will enable
Indian companies to undertake joint investments in
regions in which the EBRD operates.
The EBRD was set up in 1991, for helping central and
Eastern European nations reconstruct their economies in
the post-Cold War era.
SUPER RICH TO GROW BY 71%
The number of wealthy Indians having assets of over
$50 million is likely to grow by nearly 71% to 4,980 by
2022 from 2,980 in 2017, according to the Wealth
Report 2018 by global consultancy firm Knight Frank.
As per the 'City Wealth Index' of the report, Mumbai
stood at 16th spot among the top 20 costliest global
cities, while Delhi stood at 22nd and Bengaluru at 26th
positions, respectively.
INDIA LAGS BEHIND IN CLOUD POLICY
A report by "BSA | The Software Alliance", a global
software watchdog promoted by the Microsoft shows
that India’s ranking in the adoption of cloud-friendly
policies has come down to 20 in 2017 from 18 in 2016,
out of 24 leading IT economies. This indicates that the
legal and regulatory environment in the country is
restricting innovation.
INDIA 47th IN INTERNET USAGE
An Inclusive Internet Index 2018 compiled by the
Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) covering 91% of the
world's population in 86 countries, has placed India at
the 47th position in terms of inclusive Internet and
connectivity for all due to low usage and poor quality.
INDIA RANKS 78th IN ENERGY TRANSITION
As countries across the world are moving towards a
more sustainable energy system, India, one of the
world's largest energy consumers, is lagging behind in
the race. It was ranked 78th among 114 countries on
World Economic Forum's Energy Transition Index 2018.
The index listed countries based on their ability
to balance energy security, environmental sustainability
and affordability. The Index was topped by Sweden,
followed by Norway at the second position and
Switzerland at the third.
INDIA FARES VERY LOW IN ‘HAPPINESS’
In a study of 156 countries for levels of happiness
conducted by the UN Sustainable Development
Solutions Network, India has been placed very low at
133rd spot. The World Happiness Report ranked
countries on the basis of factors such as per capita GDP,
social support, healthy life expectancy, social freedom,
generosity and absence of corruption. Finland topped
the list as the world's happiest country, followed by
Norway and Denmark.
 India and Hong Kong signed a Double Taxation
Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) to improve
transparency in tax matters and help curb tax
evasion and avoidance.
 India Post paid tribute to theoretical physicist and
cosmologist Stephen Hawking by issuing a special
cover on him.
 The Airports Authority of India (AAI) participated in
the 6th World ATM Congress held in Spain.
 Ministry of External Affairs and the International
Federation of Indo-Russian Youth Clubs organized
'Vision for Future' event in New Delhi on March 6 to
commemorate 70 years of the Indo-Russia ties.
 A two-day informal World Trade Organisation (WTO)
ministerial meeting was held at New Delhi.
 The first-ever International Exhibition of Graphic
Prints ‘Print Biennale India 2018’ was held in Delhi.
 The 7th India-Egypt Joint Commission Meeting was
held in New Delhi.
 The 5th India Maize Summit was held in New Delhi.
 First National Conference on Drug Law Enforcement
was held in New Delhi, organised by the Narcotics
Control Bureau and Ministry of Home Affairs.
 The third edition of National Conclave on Mines and
Minerals was held in New Delhi.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 8
 The 21st National Conference on e-Governance was
held in Hyderabad, Telangana on February 26- 27
with the theme “technology for accelerating
development”.
 The National Conference on Counterfeiting and Role
of Enforcement Agencies was held in New Delhi from
13-14 March, 2018.
 The two day international conference on Sustainable
Bio-fuels was held in New Delhi on February 26-27 by
Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India.
 A ‘National Conference on Down Syndrome’
organised by the National Trust under the Ministry of
Social Justice and Empowerment in New Delhi on
March 26.
 The 106th edition of the Indian Science Congress will
be held next year from 3rd to 7th January at the
Barkatullah University in Bhopal.
FEBRUARY
PRESIDENT OF IRAN VISITS INDIA
The Iranian President, Hassan Rouhani came to India on
a three day visit. Both sides signed nine pacts including
ones for the ‘Avoidance of Double Taxation and the
Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on
Income and Extradition Treaty’ besides those relating to
agriculture, health and medicine and the lease of phase-
1 of the Chabahar Port. The two leaders released a joint
postal stamp depicting Kandla port and the Shahid
Behshti port, Chabahar.
MODI VISITS 3 WEST ASIAN NATIONS
Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a four day visit to
three nations, Palestine, United Arab Emirates and
Oman, from 9 to 12 February. This was the first ever
visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Palestine. He
delivered keynote address at the Sixth World
Government Summit in Dubai.
CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER ARRIVES IN INDIA
Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau arrived in
India on a seven-day visit aimed at further
strengthening bilateral relations between the two
countries in key areas of mutual interest including trade
and investment, energy, science and innovation, higher
education, infrastructure development, skill
development and space.
FOREST & TREE COVER RISES TO 24.39%
As per the India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2017,
India’s forest and tree cover has increased by 8,021 sq.
km, up 1% since 2015, to total 802,088 sq. km, which is
about 24.39% of the total geographical area (GA) of the
country. India’s total forest cover is 708, 273 sq. km
(about 21.54% of GA) and tree cover is 93,815 sq. km
(about 2.85% of GA). Of the total increase of 8,021 sq.
km in forest and tree cover, forest cover grew by 6,778
sq. km and tree cover by 1,243 sq. km.
INDIA RATIFIES MINAMATA CONVENTION
The Union Cabinet approved the proposal for
ratification of Minamata Convention on Mercury,
enabling India to become a Party of the Convention. The
Convention gives 5 years time to India to control and
reduce emissions from new power plants and 10 years
time for the already existing power plants.
Minamata is a Japanese city that has become synonymous
with deadly mercury contamination since 1950. Mercury
is used in the chemical and petrochemical industries and
also in household products like Compact Fluorescent
Lamps (CFLs) and thermometers. It is heavily used in
artisanal and small-scale gold mining to separate gold
from the ore.
INDIA 6TH MOST WEALTHY COUNTRY
According to a report by New World Wealth, India,
though ranked 6th was the best performing wealth
market globally in 2017 as its total wealth swelled 25
per cent to $8.23 trillion in 2017, from $ 6.6 trillion in
2016. USA remains the wealthiest at $64.6 trillion,
followed by China ($24.8 trn) and Japan ($19.5 trn).
Total wealth, refers to the private wealth held by all the
individuals living in a country.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 9
INTERNATIONAL ‘THEATRE OLYMPICS’
For the first time, India hosted the 8th edition of the
Theatre Olympics. The festival started from the Red
Fort, New Delhi, will go on for 51 days, till 8th April,
covering 17 major cities of India. The theme of the
festival was - "Flag of Friendship". More than 25
thousand foreign artists also participated in the festival.
CONFERENCE OF PARLIAMENTARIANS
The 6th Conference of Commonwealth Parliamentary
Association (CPA) of India Region was held in Patna. The
2-day conference covered subjects like 'Parliament's
role in the development agenda' and 'Legislature and
Judiciary'. Over 100 delegates from India and abroad,
including Australia, Britain and Uganda, participated in
the conference.
INDIA JOINS ASHGABAT AGREEMENT
India has joined Ashgabat Agreement for the
establishment of an International Transport and Transit
Corridor between the Iran, Oman, Turkmenistan and
Uzbekistan. The agreement envisages facilitation of
transit and transportation of goods between Central
Asia and the Persian Gulf.
Ashgabat is the capital of Turkmenistan where this
agreement was entered in 2011.
SALARIES UP FOR PRESIDENT & GOVERNORS
The salaries of the President and the Vice-President
have been increased to Rs 5 lakh and Rs 4 lakh per
month, respectively. Salary of State Governors has also
been hiked to Rs. 3.5 lakh. The revised salaries will be
effective from January 01, 2016.
Post New Salary Old Salary
President 5 Lakh 1.5 lakh
Vice President 4 Lakh 1.25 lakh
Governor 3.5 Lakh 1.10 lakh
SALARY OF JUDGES REVISED
With the assent of the President to The High Court and
Supreme Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of
Service) Amendment Act, 2018, the Supreme Court and
high court judges will now get a nearly two-fold salary
hike. The salary hiked as per the recommendations of
the 7th Pay Commission, will come into force
retrospectively from January 1, 2016.
Judicial position Revised salary Old salary
Chief Justice of India Rs 2.8 lakh Rs 1 lakh
SC judges and HC
Chief Justices
Rs 2.5 lakh Rs 0.90 lakh
HC judges Rs 2.25 lakh Rs 0.80 lakh
DECLARE SOURCE OF ASSETS: SC
The Supreme Court has ordered that candidates
contesting elections will have to declare their sources of
income as well as that of spouses and dependents. The
Court ruled that it will be mandatory for candidates to
declare not only their assets but also the source from
which the asset was created so that it was in the public
domain whether the assets/properties were amassed
through legal means or otherwise.
INDIA’S FIRST ONLINE RADIO
India’s first online radio ‘Radio Umang’ has been
launched from Delhi. Listeners can tune in to this online
radio station through web streaming or download the
app. With 24 hours programming, it has found listeners
in Hindi speaking regions of India and in over 60
countries worldwide. Themed around love, peace and
happiness, the station airs enriching talk shows and
soothing soulful music.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 10
APP LAUNCHED FOR BAMBOO IN HOUSING
A seminar on Emerging Building Materials and
Construction Technologies organized by Building
Materials and Technology Promotion Council was held
in New Delhi. A mobile app ‘Bamtech’ was also launched
on Bamboo Housing & Construction.
70 YEARS OF CENTRAL STATE FARM
India and Russia celebrated 70 years of bilateral
relations in the field of agriculture at Suratgarh in
Rajasthan. Russia helped in establishing Central State
Farm (CSF) in Suratgarh in 1956.
MOUs SIGNED WITH OMAN & UAE
India signed eight MoUs with Oman to expand
cooperation in different sectors including defence and
tourism, trade and investment, energy, security, food
security and regional issues. Five MoUs were also signed
with UAE in key areas of energy sector, railways,
manpower and financial services.
DELHI HAS WORST AIR QUALITY
A study of air quality in 280 cities of India has revealed
that people living in eight of every 10 Indian cities
breathe toxic dust particles, PM 10, at levels exceeding
national safety limits. The report titled ‘Airpocalypse II’
released by Green Peace India, has listed Delhi as the
city with the highest (PM10) followed by Haryana’s
Faridabad, Bhiwadi in Rajasthan, Bihar’s Patna, and
Dehradun in Uttarakhand.
INDIA 3rd IN STEEL PRODUCTION
India has overtaken the USA to become the world's
third-largest steel producer, producing 101.4 million
tonnes (MT) of crude steel during 2017, just behind
Japan at 104.7 MT. China remains at top producing
831.7 MT.
INDIA SUFFERS HIGH NMR
According to a latest UNICEF report on the death rates
of newborn babies during the first 28 days of life,
Pakistan is the riskiest nation to be born in, as it has the
highest newborn mortality rates (45.6/1000 births) in
the world. India's neonatal mortality rate (deaths per
1,000 live births) was found to be 25.4, making it the
12th worst among 52 ‘lower-middle-income countries’
that pose risk for newborns. Japan is the best country in
this regard having the rate of less than one death per
thousand babies, followed by Iceland and Singapore.
INDIA’s FIRST ‘KHADI HAAT’
First ever 'Khadi Haat' in the country was inaugurated
in New Delhi. Entrepreneurs under Prime Minister
Employment Generation Program (PMEGP) will get an
opportunity to display and sell their exquisite products
in this haat.
SC FIRES CENTRE ON ‘GARBAGE REPORT’
A Supreme Court bench termed an 845-page affidavit of
the Central government on solid waste management as
“junk,” “garbage” and even “solid waste.” “We are not
garbage collectors”, commented one of the two judges of
the bench. The court was hearing a PIL on the
implementation of Solid Waste Management Rules 2016.
SEX RATIO SUFFERS SHOCKING DECLINE
The sex ratio at birth i.e. number of female births per
thousand male births saw a decline in 17 out of 21 large
states of the country during 2014-15 to 2015-16.
Gujarat recorded an alarming dip of 53 points to 854
females from 907 females per 1,000 males born. Kerala,
though at top with a ratio of 967, suffered a drop of 7
points. Punjab registered highest growth of 19 points,
from 870 to 889.
The data was released by the Niti Aayog in the report
titled ‘Healthy States, Progressive India’.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 11
INDIA FAIRS POORLY IN IP RANKING
India has “increased substantially” its score in the latest
International Intellectual Property (IP) Index released
by the US Chambers of Commerce. However, its rank
remains pretty low at 44thplace with 12.03 points in a
list of 50 countries.
India’s ranking, the report said, reflected a relatively
strong performance in the new indicators as well as
positive reform efforts on patentability of computer-
implemented inventions and registration procedures for
well-known marks.
The US tops the list with 37.98 points, followed by the
United Kingdom (37.97) and Sweden (37.03).
INDIA DOWN ON DEMOCRACY INDEX
India slipped 10 ranks to 42nd place on an annual
Global Democracy Index of 165 nations due to “rise of
conservative religious ideologies” and increase in
vigilantism and violence against minorities as well as
other dissenting voices. The list compiled by the London
based Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), is topped by
Norway, followed by Iceland and Sweden.
INDIA FARES VERY POORLY IN CORRUPTION
India has been ranked 81st on the global corruption
perception index for 2017, released by Transparency
International, which named the country among the
“worst offenders” in terms of graft and press freedom in
the Asia Pacific region. The index ranks 180 countries
by their perceived levels of public sector corruption.
Best country at top was New Zealand, followed by
Denmark and UK. Somalia was ranked at bottom.
 45th edition of IHGF (Indian Handicrafts and Gifts
Fair) Delhi Fair - Spring 2018 organised by Export
Promotion Council for Handicrafts was held at
Greater Noida, UP.
 India will host the World Environment Day this year,
on June 5. The theme this year is ‘Beat Plastic
Pollution’.
 The First ever International Kala Mela organised by
the Lalit Kala Akademi and the Ministry of culture
was held in New Delhi.
 The three day World Congress on Information
Technology was held in Hyderabad. Over 2,000
delegates took part in the Congress.
 National Informatics Centre organized National Meet
on Grassroot Informatics- VIVID 2018 in New Delhi
with the theme “Cyber Security and Innovation”.
 A two-day International Conference on Unani
Medicine was held in New Delhi with the theme
“Integration of Unani System of Medicine in
Mainstream Healthcare”.
 The 7th India Energy Congress was held in New
Delhi. This year’s theme was 'Energy 4.0: Energy
Transition Towards 2030'.
 The World Sustainable Development Summit 2018
was held in New Delhi. The summit’s theme this year
was ‘Partnerships for a Resilient Planet’.
 India’s biggest Global Conference on Pharma Industry
and Medical Devices was held in Bengaluru with the
theme, ‘Driving Next Gen Pharmaceuticals.
 India and United Kingdom jointly launched research
projects on ‘Water Quality Research’ and ‘Energy
Demand Reduction in Built Environment’.
 In order to promote cross border flow of investments
and technology, a revised DTAA (Double Taxation
Avoidance Agreement) was signed with Kenya.
 Oxford Dictionaries has chosen ‘Aadhaar’ as the Hindi
word of 2017. The word gained popularity due to
Aadhaar card, which was in news in 2017.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 12
JANUARY
ISRAELI PM VISITS INDIA
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in
New Delhi on a six-day visit to India. The visit marks the
celebration of 25 years of diplomatic relations between
the two countries. He inaugurated the third edition of
the annual Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi. The two
countries inked nine pacts to boost cooperation in key
areas, including cyber security & energy.
ASEAN HEADS CHIEF GUEST AT R-DAY
As a goodwill gesture to mark 25 years of the India –
ASEAN relationship, India hosted all the ten heads of
state of the Association of South East Asian Nations as
Chief Guest at the Republic Day parade down the
Rajpath in New Delhi on January 26. The 10 members of
the ASEAN are Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Laos,
Indonesia, Cambodia, Brunei, Vietnam, Myanmar and
Philippines.
This year contingent of the Punjab Regiment of India
army won the award for Best Marching Contingent.
Award for best tableau was won by Maharashtra tableau.
INDIA-ASEAN SUMMIT AT DELHI
India-ASEAN commemorative summit to celebrate the
25 years of Indo-ASEAN ties was held in New Delhi. The
summit focused on issues like counter-terrorism,
security, trade and connectivity. Leaders of the summit
issued a joint statement by the name “Delhi
Declaration”. The theme of the summit was "Shared
Values, Common Destiny".
INDIA JOINS AUSTRALIA GROUP
India has joined the Australia Group export control
regime as its 43rd member. It is an informal forum to
ensure that exports by a country do not contribute to
the development of chemical or biological weapons.
SRI LANKA JOINS KNOWLEDGE NETWORK
India signed four agreements with Sri Lanka for
collaboration in the Information and communication
technology (ICT) sector and setting up of an e-office
system. Sri Lanka has become first country to be linked
with the National Knowledge Network for collaboration
among universities and academics.
INDIA’s LONGEST ROAD TUNNEL
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has
approved construction of 14.5 km long Zojila Road
Tunnel in Jammu & Kashmir. The construction of this
tunnel will provide all weather connectivity between
Srinagar, Kargil and Leh and will bring about all round
economic and socio-cultural development.
ALL INDIA RADIO ON VOICE COMMAND
Listeners can now tune into All India Radio (AIR) by
giving a voice command from anywhere in the world,
thanks to a recent partnership between the public
broadcaster and Amazon Echo service. To avail this
‘voice on demand’ service, the listeners need to buy
‘Echo’ device from the Amazon.
INDIA AMONG CHEAPEST COUNTRIES TO LIVE
A survey of 112 countries by GoBankingRates that
ranked nations on the basis of four key affordability
metrics - local purchasing power, rent, groceries prices
and consumer price index, has placed India at 2ndplace,
just below South Africa, making us one of the cheapest
nation to live in. Among the most expensive countries in
the survey, Bermuda comes first, followed by Bahamas
and Hong Kong.
INDIA IMPROVES TALENT COMPETITIVENESS
The Global Index of Talent Competitiveness released at
the World Economic Forum summit has placed India at
81st rank amongst 119 countries. It is much better than
92nd spot secured last year. The index measures how
countries grow, attract and retain talent. The list is
topped by Switzerland, followed by Singapore and
America at second and third rank, respectively.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 13
INDIA RANKED 30TH IN MANUFACTURING
The World Economic Forum (WEF) has ranked India at
30th position on a global manufacturing index published
in the "Readiness for the Future of Production" report.
Japan has been found to have the best structure of
production in world.
INDIA SLIPS IN ENVIRONMENT PERFORMANCE
In a study of 180 countries done by Yale and Columbia
Universities along with the World Economic Forum to
study the performance of countries in protecting the
environment, India has been placed at 177th rank, falling
down 36 points from 141 in 2016. The Environmental
Performance Index pointed out severe air pollution as
the main factor behind the low ranking. Switzerland
tops the index, followed by France and Denmark.
INDIA BEHIND PAK AS EMERGING ECONOMY
India was ranked at the 62nd place among emerging
economies on an Inclusive Development Index of World
Economic Forum (WEF). In the report, China is on 26th
position and Pakistan is on 47th. Lithuania topped the
list of emerging economies while Norway was ranked as
the world’s most inclusive advanced economy.
‘TEEN MURTI HAIFA CHOWK’
The Israeli Prime Minister paid homage to 44 Indian
soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice for the
liberation of fortified Haifa city on September 23, 1918,
during World War I. As a mark of honour, the ‘Teen
Murti Chowk near Teen Murti Memorial in New Delhi,
has been formally renamed as ‘Teen Murti Haifa Chowk.’
INDIA RANKS 5TH IN BUSINESS INVESTMENT
As per a survey of CEOs around the world by the global
consultancy firm PwC, India has emerged as the fifth
most attractive market for investments and the
optimism over global economic growth. The USA
remains at the top spot, followed by China and Germany.
 India signed a MoU with Britain for the return of
Indians, who have been residing in Britain as illegal
migrants; and for sharing of criminal records.
 First PIO (Persons of Indian Origin) Parliamentary
Conference was held in Delhi on the occasion
of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.
 The 2018 edition of the historic Indian Science
Congress will be held at Manipur University, Imphal,
in March.
 78th session of the Indian History Congress was
hosted by the Jadavpur University in Kolkata.
 The 16th International Energy Forum) Ministerial
meeting will be held in New Delhi in April 2018.
 The 7th Asia Steel International Conference will be
held in Bhubaneswar, Odisha in February 2018
NEWS FROM STATES
MARCH
WORLD’s LONGEST SANDSTONE CAVE
World’s longest sandstone cave has been discovered in
Meghalaya, measuring 24,583 mts.
The sandstone cave named Krem Puri was first
discovered in 2016, but its actual length was confirmed
recently. It is 6,000m longer than the current listed
sandstone cave in the world, Cueva El Samán, (18,200m)
in Venezuela.
PUNE TOPS IN GOVERNANCE
Pune was ranked at top in the fifth edition of the Annual
Survey of India’s City-Systems done by urban
governance watchdog Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship
and Democracy. The survey evaluated the quality of
governance in India’s cities by assessing laws, policies
and institutional processes currently in place.
ANDHRA TO PROMOTE DIGITAL AWARENESS
The Andhra Pradesh Government launched, Naipunya
Ratham or World on Wheels, a multi-utility vehicle
which aims to bring technology to the remote corners. It
will facilitate and improve digital literacy, digital skills
and create an awareness on various government
schemes in rural areas.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 14
MAHARASHTRA TOPS IN BIOMEDICAL WASTE
A recent study by the ministry of health and family
welfare shows that Maharashtra tops in daily generation
of biomedical waste, producing 71,511kg/day in 2016.
Second is Karnataka (at 66,468kg/day), followed by
Tamil Nadu (40,552kg/day), Kerala (37,773kg/day).
Waste from hospitals, nursing homes, blood banks and
veterinary institutions, including used syringes, bandages,
amputated body parts and other human and animal bio-
waste generated during medical treatment and research
are categorised as bio-medical waste.
WORLD’s LARGEST SOLAR POWER PLANT
The first phase of a 2,000 MW solar park was
inaugurated in the drought-prone Pavagada region of
Tumkur district, Karnataka. The first phase of the Rs.
16,500 crore park called “Shakti Sthala” will generate
600MW, while the balance 1,400MW is expected to be
commissioned by the end of this year.
WEST BENGAL- BEGGARS FIRST CHOICE
The data released by the Union Ministry of Social Justice,
based on 2011 census, shows that there are around 4
lakh beggars in total in the country. The highest number
of beggars, 81,000, is in West Bengal; followed by Uttar
Pradesh and Bihar at number two and three
respectively. Lakshadweep, a union territory, has only
two people (least) begging for their livelihood.
TRIBUNAL FOR MAHANADI WATER DISPUTE
The Centre has constituted a three-member Mahanadi
Water Disputes Tribunal headed by the Supreme Court
Judge AM Khanwilkar to adjudicate the dispute between
Odisha and Chhattisgarh over sharing the river's water.
 Asia's largest tulip garden ‘Indira Gandhi Memorial
Tulip Garden’ was opened for visitors for the current
season in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir. The garden
has 12.5 lakh tulip bulbs of 48 varieties.
 Kerala launched ‘M-Kerala’, a unified app for all
government services.
 Kerala has declared Jackfruit has its official state
fruit. Kerala has been producing around 30 to 60
crore jackfruits every year.
 Gujarat's Surat district has become the first district in
the country to run all its 52 Primary Health Centers
fully on solar power.
 A first of its kind museum dedicated to study of
insects has been opened at the Tamil Nadu
Agricultural University in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.
 ADB agrees to grant $80 million loan to help
modernize Technical and Vocational Education and
Training institutions in Himachal Pradesh.
 India's tallest national flag was unfurled in Belagavi
(also known as Belgaum) in Karnataka. Measuring
9,600 sq ft, it was hosted on a 110-metre-tall flagpole.
 The Asiatic lions, found only in Gir Forest National
Park, have made a comeback from the brink of
extinction, with their population rising to over 600.
 Diu has become the first Union Territory in India to
meet its 100 percent energy requirements from solar
power.
 A week-long world-famous 29thInternational Yoga
Festival was held at Parmarth Niketan in Rishikesh,
Uttarakhand.
 India's first helicopter taxi service was launched
in Bengaluru to fly passengers from Kempegowda
International Airport to Electronic City.
 Odisha launched ‘Ama Gaon, Ama Vikas’ programme
to reach out to the people in rural areas and involve
themselves in the developmental activities.
 Maharashtra got its first Mega Food Park - Satara
Mega Food Park at village Degaon, district Satara.
FEBRUARY
BENGAL MODEL IS BEST
The Central Government has acknowledged that the
government in West Bengal has used the 100 Days’
Work Scheme (NREGA) very effectively in the service of
garbage disposal and solid waste management. Union
Rural Development Ministry has sent instructions to the
state and union territory governments to study and
implement the Bengal model.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 15
KERALA TOPS THE HEALTH INDEX
Kerala ranked as the best state in NITI Aayog’s latest
Health Index report, followed by Punjab and Tamil
Nadu. The report, for the first time, attempted to
establish an annual systematic tool to measure and
understand the heterogeneity and complexity of the
nation’s performance in the health sector.
HARYANA TO PROVIDE MEALS @ 10
The Haryana government has started ‘Antyodaya
Aahaar Yojana’ for opening subsidised canteens in four
districts-Faridabad, Gurugram, Hissar and Yamunanagar
to offer a meal at Rs. 10 to the poor. The government
plans to establish a total of 23 such canteens.
ASIA’s BIGGEST TRIBAL FAIR IN TELAGANA
Asia’s biggest biennial tribal fair – ‘Medaram Jathara’
was held in Medaram, a remote village in Eturu
Nagaram forest area in Bhupalapally district of
Telangana. Over one crore devotees from Telangana,
Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha
and Maharashtra are expected to throng the fair to pay
obeisance to tribal deities — Sammakka and Saralakka.
MISSION ONE CLICK LAUNCHED
The Madhya Pradesh government has launched Mission
One Click scheme to distribute the 30 types of
scholarship in schools. The profiles of 1.48 cr. students
of all government and private educational institutions of
the state have been made online for this purpose.
DIPC TO BE BUILT IN U P
A new Defence Industrial Production Corridor is being
planned in Uttar Pradesh, at an estimated cost of Rs
20,000 crore and it is expected to generate about
250,000 jobs. The corridor will link Agra, Aligarh,
Lucknow, Kanpur, Jhansi and Chitrakoot to focus on the
development requirements of Bundelkhand region.
ROBOTS TO CLEAN FOR SEWERS IN KERALA
The Kerala government plans to use robots to clean the
sewer holes in the state with a view to avoid deaths
caused during cleaning. Named 'Bandicoot', the robots
are equipped with Wi-Fi, blue tooth and control panels
and have four limbs and a bucket system attached to a
spider web looking extension to scoop out the waste
from sewers.
KERALA LINKS VACCINATION TO SCHOOLS
Kerala government has made vaccination compulsory
for school admissions from next academic year
onwards. Parents will have to show details of shots
given to children at the time of enrolment in schools.
UP LAUNCHES ‘DASTAK’ TO FIGHT AES/JE
Uttar Pradesh along with UNICEF has launched
massive door to door campaign DASTAK to eradicate
deadly Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) and Japanese
Encephalitis (JE) disease in the state. The war cry of
DASTAK is 'Darwaja Khatkhatao, AES aur JE ko bhagao'.
2 NEW GANGA PROJECTS IN UTTRAKHAND
Two new projects, Gangotri Swachh Iconic Place project
and Swajal -- a community owned drinking water
programme were launched in Uttarakhand in Uttarkashi
district. Under another special initiative, the Bagori
Ganga Gram project was launched in Bagori village for
a solid and liquid waste management scheme.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 16
OLA TO LAUNCH RIVER TAXI IN ASSAM
Assam signed a MoU with the cab aggregator Ola to
launch an app-based river taxi service in Guwahati. The
river taxis will be machine-operated boats and users
will be able to book the rides through Ola's app.
GOPALGANJ TOPS IN MAKING TOILETS
Gopalganj district of Bihar has set a new record by
constructing 11,244 toilets in only 100 hours. Three
thousand masons and over five thousand labourers
were engaged in construction work of toilets.
BENGAL NO TO HEALTH PROTECTION SCHEME
Bengal government has announced the decision to opt
out of Centre’s National Health Protection Scheme as the
state has already enrolled 50 lakh people under its
own Swasthya Sathi programme.
 An Inter-Ministerial Committee on Medicinal and
Aromatic Plants has been constituted for the North
Eastern Region.
 To keep the world famous one-horned rhinoceros
under the global spotlight, Assam has decided to
commemorate September 22 as 'Rhino Day'.
 Telangana signed a MoU with the Taoyuan City of
Taiwan for better technology partnership in the state.
 Uttar Pradesh's Khadi and Village Industries
Board has signed a pact with Amazon India to
facilitate online selling of Khadi products.
 On January 20, the Chhatrapati Shivaji airport
Mumbai, created a world record for single-runway
operations by handling 980 arrivals and take-offs in
24 hours.
 A first of its kind, Centre for learning Sanskrit was
launched in Gujarat University, Ahmadabad. It will
offer a 6 month course on how to speak Sanskrit.
 The Maharashtra has approved Ghodazari, covering
Brahmpuri forests in Chandrapur district as a new
wildlife sanctuary in the state.
 Jharkhand government plans to built the world’s
tallest Buddha stupa at Itkhori in district Chatra,
Jharkhand.
 A three-day international bird festival was held at
the Dudhwa National Park, Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar
Pradesh from 9 to 11 February.
 The Institute of Directors organised its 12th
International Conference on Corporate Social
Responsibility in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
 Asian Development Bank to give $84 million loan to
finance water supply projects in two cities of Bihar.
 The New Development Bank (of BRICS) to provide
$100 million loan for the financing of Rajasthan
Water Sector Restructuring Project for the Desert.
 The World Bank to provide $100 million loan for
Tamil Nadu Rural Transformation Project for
boosting up the rural economy.
JANUARY
ASSAM FIRST TO UPDATE NRC
Nearly 32 years after the Assam Accord was signed on
August 15, 1985, the Assam government released the
first draft of an updated National Register of Citizens
(NRC) for the State at midnight on December 31. It listed
1.90 crore names out of the 3.29 crore applicants.
Assam is the only State in the country that prepared an
NRC in 1951 following the census of that year and has
become the first State to get the first draft of its own
updated NRC.
GUJARAT TOPS IN TRADE LOGISTICS
The Logistics Ease Across Different States (LEADS)
index, a composite indicator to assess international
trade logistics across states and Union territories, has
ranked Gujarat at top, followed by Punjab and Andhra
Pradesh at the second and third positions, respectively.
The logistics performance of Indian states and Union
territories is “sub-par” owing to a host of inefficiencies
that need improvement.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 17
KARNATAKA PROTESTS FOR MAHADAYI
Farmer groups in five north Karnataka districts staged
wide spread protests over getting Mahadayi river water
from Goa to meet the drinking water needs of drought-
prone areas of the region. The Mahadayi (called
Mandovi in Goa) originates in Karnataka and flows to
Goa and Maharashtra. The three states are locked in a
protracted dispute over sharing its water for 30 years.
UP SCHEME TO PROMOTE DISTRICTS
The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet has approved 'one district,
one product' scheme to promote products indigenous to
every district to boost economic development of every
district and also help in the generation of five lakh new
jobs annually.
'SHAKTI' APP FOR WOMEN's SAFETY
Himachal Pradesh govt launched the 'Shakti' app, with
a panic button, for women's safety. The app does not
require internet connectivity and just shaking the
device (mobile phone) would trigger the app to send
its location through GPS to the nearest police station
and also activate the audio and video recording.
RAJASTHAN GETS ITS FIRST REFINERY
The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for a mega
Rajasthan oil refinery project at Pachpadra in Barmer
district of the state. This is the first refinery to be set up
in Rajasthan. It is a joint venture between Hindustan
Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) and the
Rajasthan government at a cost of Rs 43000 crores. The
project is expected to generate thousands of direct and
indirect jobs and bring an additional income of Rs
34000 crores to the state.
AFSPA RULE EXTENDED IN NAGALAND
Nagaland has been declared as a disturbed area for six
more months, till June end, under the Armed Forces
Special Powers Act (AFSPA). The decision has been
taken by the Union Home Ministry as killings, loot and
extortion have been going in various parts of the state.
PORTAL FOR HIGH-RISK PREGNANCY
Haryana has become the first state in the country to
launch High-Risk Pregnancy (HRP) Portal to ensure
early identification of high-risk pregnancy cases and
their timely referral to the civil hospitals for further
management.
 Maharashtra becomes first state to come out with a
public cloud policy directing all its departments to
shift their data storage onto the cloud.
 Madhya Pradesh has become the first state to fully
achieve the target of door-to-door garbage collection
in areas under urban bodies.
 Himachal launched a nutrition scheme for HIV-+
children to provide nutritional supplement and to
boost the immunity of children up to the age of 18.
 The Bihar government has banned manufacture,
distribution, sale, purchase, display and
advertisement of e-cigarette in the state.
 Sikkim has appointed renowned music composer A R
Rahman as the brand ambassador of the State.
 India’s first floating market is now open in Kolkata's
Lake Patuli. The market functions solely on 114
boats, where shopkeepers sell fruits, vegetables, fish
among other produce.
 India’s second Film and Television Institute is being
set up in Arunachal Pradesh for tapping the potential
of the North-eastern region.
 Maharashtra has approved 1% reservation for
orphans in govt jobs under the general category to
help their rehabilitation and secure their future.
 The International Kite Festival was held at Sabarmati
Riverfront in Ahmadabad, Gujarat.
 The 3rd Science Film Festival of India, titled SCI-FFI
Goa, held in Goa from January 16-19.
 The Andhra Pradesh Government and the Canton of
Zurich (Switzerland) signed a MoU to promote
mutual prosperity and development.
 Jaipur Literature Festival, popularly known as Kumbh
of literature, was held at Diggi Palace in Jaipur.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 18
 Arunachal Pradesh has been declared open
defecation free ahead of the national deadline of
October 2, 2019.
 The World Bank to provide $ 40 million loan for
'Uttar Pradesh Pro-Poor Tourism Development
Project' to boost tourism-related benefits for locals.
 The World Bank will provide a $120 million loan to
improve water supply services in peri-urban areas of
Uttarakhand.
GOVERNMENT
INITIATIVES
MARCH
NEW SCHEME FOR SCHOOL EDUCATION
Govt has approved an Integrated School Education
Scheme by merging Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA),
Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and
Teacher Education (TE) from 1 April, 2018. The new
scheme will ensure inclusive and equitable quality
education from nursery to senior secondary stage in
accordance with the Sustainable Development Goal for
Education.
NATIONAL NUTRITION MISSION LAUNCHED
The Prime Minister launched the National Nutrition
Mission from Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan. It is a
comprehensive approach towards raising nutrition level
in the country on a war footing by introducing IT based
solutions to improve and record functioning of
Anganwadi Workers.
It will also comprise setting-up of Nutrition Resource
Centres and involving masses through Jan Andolan for
their participation in improving nutrition awareness.
The mission targets to reduce stunting, under-nutrition
among young children, women and adolescent girls and
reduce low birth weight by at least 2 per cent per annum.
EFFORTS TO PROMOTE TRIBAL PRODUCTS
The Tribal Coop. Marketing Development Federation of
India (TRIFED) under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs
launched “e-Tribes India” to promote expansion of tribal
commerce and the availability of tribal products over
large area, reaping greater benefits for tribal artisans.
TRIFED also launched M-commerce app and ‘Tribes
India’ banners at Amazon, Snapdeal, Paytm and GeM.
AYUSHMAN BHARAT LAUNCHED
The Union Cabinet has approved the launch of
Ayushman Bharat -National Health Protection Mission.
The Scheme will provide medical benefit cover of 5 lakh
rupees per family per year. The scheme aims to cover
over 10 crore poor and vulnerable families.
WOMEN ENTREPRENEURSHIP PLATFORM
NITI Aayog launched the Women Entrepreneurship
Platform on the occasion of International Women’s Day.
The initiative is aimed at promoting a vibrant ecosystem
for supporting and strengthening women entrepreneur-
ship. The initiative will work on three pillars:
Ichha Shakti: Motivating aspiring entrepreneurs to
start their enterprise
Gyaan Shakti: Providing knowledge support required
for stating an enterprise
Karma Shakti: Providing hands-on support in setting-
up the enterprise.
'LAQSHYA' TO IMPROVE LABOUR ROOMS
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
launched 'LaQshya' Initiative- 'Labour Room Quality
Improvement Initiative' to improve the quality of care in
Labour rooms especially on the day of birth for
enhancing maternal and neonatal survival. It aims to
prevent adverse outcomes associated with childbirth.
SATH-E TO TRANSFORM SCHOOL EDUCATION
NITI Aayog released comprehensive roadmaps and
detailed timelines for its initiative Sustainable Action for
Transforming Human Capital in Education (SATH-E)
project. It will introduce system-wide governance
transformation in School Education initially in 3
participating States-Jharkhand, M P and Odisha to make
them ‘Role Model States’ in school education.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 19
‘SUKHAD YATRA’ APP FOR HIGHWAY USERS
The National Highways Authority of India, NHAI, has
launched ‘Sukhad Yatra’ mobile app to empower the
highway user. The app includes provision for the user to
enter road quality-related information or to report any
accident or pothole on the highway. It will provide all
necessary highway relates information such as
emergency help, places of interest, petrol pumps etc, on
a real time basis with location tracking feature.
‘SUVIDHA’ SANITARY NAPKINS LAUNCHED
Government has launched the 100 per cent Oxo-
biodegradable Sanitary Napkin named ‘Suvidha’ under
the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana. It
will be available for Rs 2.50 per pad at over 3200
Janaushadhi Kendras across India and would ensure
‘Swachhta, Swasthya and Suvidha’ for the
underprivileged Women of India.
‘INNOVATION CELL’ SET UP IN HRD MINISTRY
Government has decided to set up an Innovation Cell in
the HRD Ministry to strengthen innovation efforts,
leading to the creation of a new India. The cell would be
headed by a Scientist and will comprise of a senior
ministry official and young professionals who would
bring forth new ideas in promoting innovation.
UDYAM SAKHI PORTAL LAUNCHED
The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
(MSME) launched Udyam Sakhi (saheli of entrepreneur)
Portal for women entrepreneurs of India to nurture
entrepreneurship and create business models for low
cost products and services in order to empower women.
The portal would provide assistance for
entrepreneurship learning tools, incubation facility,
training programs, fund raising, providing mentors, etc.
‘CITIZEN SERVICES’ APP LAUNCHED
The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) has
introduced a Mobile App ‘Citizen Services’, which is a
bouquet of 9 police related services, for the citizen. It
can be used by the citizens for various services such as
registering police complaint and checking its status,
viewing FIR detail, sending SOS, locating police stations
and getting access to emergency contact list and police
stations telephone directory.
BILL TO REIN IN ECONOMIC OFFENDERS
Union Cabinet has approved the establishment of
National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA). The
NFRA will act as an independent regulator for the
auditing profession which was one of the key changes
brought in by the Companies Act 2013.
FUGITIVE ECONOMIC OFFENDERS BILL - 2018
The Union Cabinet gave nod to the Fugitive Economic
Offenders Bill - 2018 to deal with those escaping
overseas to avoid getting caught. The bill empowers
government to seize and confiscate properties and
asset, including the ‘benami’ ones, of the Fugitive
Economic Offenders. The economic offences worth 100
crore rupees or more will come under the purview of
the Bill.
2018 - NATIONAL YEAR OF MILLETS
The government has decided to declare 2018 as
'National Year of Millets to boost the cultivation of
millets on a mission mode to achieve nutritional
security. The push will promote cultivation of Jowar,
Bajra, Ragi. Millet cultivation has declined due to
change in dietary habits and unavailability of millets
leading to deficiency of nutrients like proteins, Vitamin-
A, iron and iodine among women and children.
UREA SUBSIDY TO CONTINUE TILL 2019-20
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has
approved the proposal of Department of Fertilizers to
continue Urea Subsidy Scheme up to 2019-20 at a total
estimated cost of Rs 1,64,935 cr. and for disbursement
of fertilizer subsidy. The decision implies that there will
be no increase in the price of urea till 2020.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 20
AWARDS FOR THE BEST INVESTIGATORS
For promoting high professional standards among
police forces, the government has decided to institute an
award for carrying out best investigation of crime. The
award - Union Home Minister's Medal for Excellence in
Police Investigation - will be given to the best
investigators from the rank of Sub-Inspector to
Superintendent of Police.
RULES TO BAN USE OF POPs
The Union Environment Ministry notified new
Regulation of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP) Rules,
2018 that ban the manufacture, trade, use, import and
export of the seven toxic chemicals listed under the
Stockholm Convention. The POPs are organic chemical
substances, mostly used in pesticides, which are toxic to
both humans and wildlife.
REPORTING OF TB CASES MADE MANDATORY
The Union Health Ministry has notified that all
pharmacies and chemists dispensing anti-tuberculosis
drugs will have to notify TB patients along with details
of medicines and a copy of the prescriptions
electronically or in hard copy to the nodal officer of the
district. Failure to do so will attract legal action and
penalties. The decision aims to trace the missing TB
cases by strengthening the reporting system.
JOINT FORUM FOR INDIAN METROS
An association of all Indian Metro Rail companies has
been formed, named ‘I-Metro’. It will be a forum to
exchange ideas, knowledge pool and share experiences,
best practices, innovations, etc among the Indian Metro
rail companies to nurture excellence in performance.
PMEGP EXTENDED UP TO 2020
The government has decided to extend the Prime
Minister's Employment Generation Programme
(PMEGP) beyond 12th Plan for three years from 2017-
18 to 2019-20 to provide better self employment
opportunities.
INDIA TO BE TB FREE BY 2025
The Prime Minister has give clarion call to achieve the
Sustainable Development goal of ending TB by 2025, 5
years, before the deadline set by the UN. A National
Strategic Plan for TB elimination has been launched for
this purpose. This plan is backed by a historic funding of
over 12,000 crore rupees for the next three years. It
aims at ensuring access to quality diagnosis, treatment,
and support for every TB patient.
INDIA 2018 AND BHARAT 2018
The two exhaustive reference annuals, the flagship
publications brought out by Publications Division of the
Government of India, were released on Feb 27 in New
Delhi.
It deals with all aspects of country’s development from
rural to urban, industry to infrastructure, science and
technology to human resource development, art and
culture, policy, economy, health, defence, education
and mass communication.
It also gives a glimpse of flagship programmes of the
Government, important events of the year and the story of
Indian States & Union Territories with their vital
statistics.
BAAL AADHAAR WITHOUT BIOMETRICS
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has
introduced a blue coloured 'Baal Aadhaar' card for
children below the age of five years. Initially, the card
will be issued without any biometric details. However,
once they turn five, they will be required to complete a
mandatory verification process, and again when they
are 15 years old.
NOW ENJOY JAPANESE FOOD IN DELHI
Department of Posts launched the Cool EMS Service
between Japan and India to allow Indian customers to
import Japanese food items in specially cooled boxes for
personal use. Initially, the service will be available in
Delhi only. EMS – Express Mail Service
GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 21
SALARY, ALLOWANCES REVISED FOR MPs
The Union Cabinet has approved amendment to various
rules that decide the amount of allowances to the
Member of Parliament. The new rates will be effective
from 1st of April this year and will be increased every
five years starting April 1, 2023, based on the Cost of
Inflation Index. The basic pay of the parliamentarians is
also set to be doubled to Rs. 1 lakh, w.e.f. April 1.
Expenditure head Old limit Revised limit
Furniture at residence 75,000 1,00,000
Constituency Allowance 45,000 70,000
Office Expense
Allowance
45,000 60,000
Wi-Fi facility 1700 2200
GOVT TO FOCUS ON SERVICES SECTOR
The Union Cabinet approved the proposal of the
Department of Commerce to give focused attention to
12 identified Champion Services Sectors for promoting
their development, and realizing their potential. These
include IT & ITeS, Tourism and Hospitality Services,
Medical Value Travel, Transport and Logistics Services,
Audio Visual Services, Legal Services, Communication
Services, Construction and Engineering Services,
Environmental Services, Financial Services and
Education Services.
 Govt. has launched India’s first sign language
dictionary with the aim of removing the
communication barriers between the deaf and
hearing communities.
 The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has
approved Integrated Scheme for Development of Silk
Industry for the next three years from 2017-20.
 Heralding a new beginning in the diplomatic ties
between India and Israel, the Air India has
introduced a thrice a week direct flight from New
Delhi to Tel Aviv.
FEBRUARY
STREE SWABHIMAN INITIATIVE LAUNCHED
Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has
launched Stree Swabhiman Initiative. Its aim is to create
sustainable model for providing adolescent girls and
women an access to affordable sanitary products by
leveraging Common Service Centres (CSCs). They will
provide access to affordable, reliable and modern (eco-
friendly) sanitary napkins to adolescent girls and
women in rural areas.
‘KUSUM’ LAUNCHED FOR SOLAR POWER
Government launched Kisan Urja Suraksha evam
Utthaan Mahaabhiyan (KUSUM) Scheme to encourage
farmers for solar farming. The scheme aims for
decentralized solar power production of up to 28250
megawatt (MW) over a period of five years.
INDO-HIGHWAY CAPACITY MANUAL RELEASED
India’s first ever manual laying down guidelines on
when and how to expand or manage different types of
roads was released in New Delhi. Titled ‘Indo-Highway
Capacity Manual’, it lays down parameters for capacity
augmentation of roads based on a country-wide study of
traffic characteristics on different categories of roads
such as single lane, two-lane, multi-lane urban roads,
inter-urban highways and expressways and the
intersections of these roads.
562 MORE EKALAVYA SCHOOLS
The Centre will set up 562 more Ekalavya Model
Residential Schools in tribal areas of the country to
provide free quality education and boarding and lodging
facilities to tribal students. 271 such schools have
already been sanctioned out of which, 190 are currently
operational. By the year 2022, every block having tribal
population of 20,000 or more tribals, will have an
Ekalavya School.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 22
Point to Ponder..!!
FINDING HAPPINESS
A factory owner called a meeting of its workers,
some fifty of them. He gave a balloon to every one
of them and asked them to write his/her name on
it using a marker pen. Then all the balloons were
collected and put in another room. Then, workers
were shifted to this room and asked to find the
balloon which had their name written, within 5
minutes.
Everyone was frantically searching for their
name, pushing, colliding with each other, and
there was utter chaos.
At the end of 5 minutes, no one could find their
own balloon.
Now each one was asked to randomly collect a
balloon and give it to the person whose name was
written on it. Within a minute everyone had their
own balloon.
This is exactly happening in our lives.
Everyone is frantically looking for
happiness all around, not knowing
where it is. Our happiness lies in the
happiness of other people. Give them
their happiness; you will get your own
happiness.
SCHEME TO PROMOTE SCIENE RESEARCH
Union Cabinet has approved implementation of Prime
Minister's Research Fellows (PMRF) scheme at a total
cost of 1,650 crore rupees for a period of seven years
beginning 2018-19. The scheme was announced in the
Union Budget for 2018-19.
Under this scheme, best students among those who have
completed or are in the final year of B. Tech or
Integrated M.Tech or M.Sc. in Science and Technology
streams from IISc or IITs or NITs or IISERs or IIITs, will
be offered direct admission in PhD programme in the
IITs or IISc.
SPECIAL FUND FOR HOUSING SCHEMES
Union Cabinet has approved the creation of National
Urban Housing Fund with a corpus of 60,000 crore
rupees. The fund will be under the Building Materials
and Technology Promotion Council in the Ministry of
Housing and Urban Affairs. The fund will ensure
smooth flow of Central Assistance under different
housing schemes.
ISRO TO ESTABLISH VRCs
To demonstrate the potential of satellite technology for
development of rural areas, ISRO has established Village
Resource Centres (VRCs) on a pilot basis, in association
with selected NGOs, trusts and state government. VRCs
provide various space technology enabled services such
as tele-healthcare, tele-education, natural resources
information, advisories related to agriculture, career
guidance to rural students, skill development and
vocational training etc.
24 NEW MEDICAL COLLEGES
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA)
gave its approval for setting up 24 new medical colleges
in under-served areas, increasing the under and post
graduate medical seats by 18,058 and adding 248
nursing and midwifery schools.
DL TO BE LINKED WITH AADHAAR
The government is planning to make linking of driving
licences with Aadhaar number mandatory to check fake
licences. A software for covering all states on a real time
basis for this purpose is under preparation. Meanwhile,
a draft notification has been issued to consider Aadhaar
as a valid proof of age and address for driving license.
PRIVATE COAL MINING ALLOWED
In a major reform in the coal sector since its
nationalisation in 1973, the Cabinet Committee on
Economic Affairs (CCEA) has now allowed private
companies mining of coal for commercial use, ending
the monopoly of state-owned Coal India Ltd.
Currently, the private sector is allowed coal mining for
captive use only. The move will lead to higher
investments and create lakhs of direct and indirect jobs.
Apart from increasing competitiveness, it will allow the
use of best possible technology into the sector.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 23
PLASTIC/PVC AADHAAR CARD NOT NEEDED
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has
clarified that the plastic or PVC Aadhaar Smart Cards are
not usable as the QR code mentioned on them usually
becomes dysfunctional during printing. UIDAI also made
clear that Aadhaar letter or its cutaway portion or
downloaded versions of Aadhaar on ordinary paper or
mAadhaar are perfectly valid.
TARGET HIKED FOR UJJWALA YOJNA
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved
enhancement of the target of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala
Yojana (PMUY) for providing LPG connections to BPL
families, to 8 crore from 5 crore at present. The hiked
target will be achieved by 2020 with an additional
allocation of Rs 4800 crore.
NO MORE RESERVATION CHARTS
Doing away with, the Railway Board has decided to
discontinue the age-old practice of pasting reservation
charts on coaches. The decision aims to avoid defacing
of newly done-up coaches and minimise possibility of
stampede, as people thronged around the pasted-charts
to see the number of their reserved seats. Reservation
details now will be displayed by digital boards.
JANUARY
AADHAAR TO HAVE FACE IDENTIFICATION
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDA) has
introduced face authentication as an additional means
of Aadhaar authentication along with fingerprint and
iris scan to facilitate easy authentication for those
individuals who face difficulties in other biometric
authentication such as fingerprint and iris scan. The
facility will be available by July 01, 2018.
CYBER SURAKSHIT BHARAT LAUNCHED
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
launched Cyber Surakshit Bharat initiative in
association with National e-Governance Division in
Delhi. The move is aimed at strengthening the cyber
security ecosystem in India keeping in view ‘Digital
India’ concept.
VIRTUAL ID FOR AADHAAR NUMBER
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has
introduced a concept of 'Virtual ID' to further
strengthen privacy and security of Aadhaar number
holders. Aadhaar card holder can generate the Virtual ID
from UIDAI website and give for various purposes,
including SIM card verification, instead of sharing the
actual 12-digit biometric ID.
‘SFOORTI’ APP TO IMPROVE RAIL TRAFFIC
With a view to improve the traffic flows and optimize
freight operations, Ministry of Railways has launched a
Geographic Information System (GIS) based Smart
Freight Operation Optimisation & Real Time
Information (SFOORTI) App for its Freight Managers.
‘iCREATE’ TO PROMOTE INNOVATION
Israeli Prime Minister inaugurated the iCreate facility at
Deo Dholera Village in Ahmedabad, Gujarat for
facilitating entrepreneurship through a blend of
creativity, innovation and leveraging emerging
technologies to deal with major issues such as food
security, water, connectivity, cyber security, IT and
electronics.
‘NARI’ PORTAL FOR WOMEN
Women and Child Development Ministry launched an
online portal NARI (National Repository of Information
– for women) for the empowerment of women. It will
provide easy access to information on over 350
government schemes and initiatives for women.
It will also cover tips on nutrition, suggestions for health
checkups, tips for job search, investment and savings
advice, information on crimes against women and
reporting procedures, contacts of legal aid cells,
adoption procedures and much more.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 24
7 STAR RATING FOR CLEAN CITIES
A ‘Protocol for Star Rating of Garbage-Free Cities’ was
launched in Goa. An initiative of the ministry of housing
and urban affairs, this smart star-rating system
developed by the Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban,
would rate the cities on a 7-star rating system, which
would be based on multiple cleanliness indicators for
solid waste management.
RESERVATION FOR ACID ATTACK VICTIMS
The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has
asked all central government departments to ensure
that one percent of each post be reserved for people
with blindness and low vision; deaf and hard of hearing;
locomotor disability including cerebral palsy, leprosy
cured, dwarfism, acid attack victims and muscular
dystrophy.
GOVT SAYS ‘NO’ TO PLASTIC FLAGS
The government has advised that the national flag made
of plastic should not be used as they are not
biodegradable like paper flags. Thus, they do not get
decomposed for a long time, posing a practical problem
corresponding with the dignity of the flag.
SOLAR DEVELOPMENT FUND SET UP
India announced setting up of a $350 million solar
development fund for solar-projects-financing in the
first International Solar Alliance outreach programmes
at the Future World Energy Summit at Abu Dhabi.
4 NEW SCHEMES FOR PROMOTING SCIENCE
The government has announced four new schemes to
promote young scientists and researchers in the
country. The schemes are:
i) Teacher Associateship for Research
Excellence: To connect the educators to
leading institutions like IIT, IISc or CSIR to
pursue research.
ii) Overseas Visiting Doctoral Fellowship: To
support 100 PhD scholars for training in
universities / laboratories abroad up to 12
months during their doctoral research.
iii) Distinguished Investigator Award: To offer
100 fellowships to principal investigators of
Science and Engineering Research Board and
Department of Science and Technology
projects.
iv) Augmenting Writing Skills for Articulating
Research: To encourage writings in science.
PROGRAMME ON URBAN PLANNING
The Ministry of Human Resource Development with
active support by NITI Aayog and Ministry of Housing
and Urban Affairs organized the first course on
Sustainable Urban planning using remote sensing and
Geographic Information System (GIS) under the Global
Initiative on Academic Network (GIAN).
The course aims to give participants state-of-the-art
remote sensing and GIS skills that will allow them to rise
to the challenge of managing the rapidly changing urban
environment of Indian cities, with special focus on water
resource management and water pollution control.
PCRA LAUNCHES SAKSHAM PROGRAMME
Petroleum Conservation Research Association
(PCRA) organized its annual flagship event Saksham
(Sanrakshan Kshamta Mahotsav) to focus on the active
involvement of the Oil & Gas PSUs along with State
Governments, for creating awareness on fuel
conservation through people-centric activities.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 25
GOVT DISCONTINUES HAJ SUBSIDIES
Falling in line with the Supreme Court orders,
government will no longer provide subsidy
to Haj pilgrims and has pledged that funds saved will be
used for the education of minorities, particularly girls.
In 2012, the Supreme Court ordered that subsidies for the
Haj be phased out by 2022 and the money saved (around
Rs. 450 crore annually) diverted to more welfare-oriented
activities. It was felt that the subsidy, essentially for air
travel, was helping airlines more and hajis less.
NPS NORMS RELAXED FOR WITHDRAWAL
PFRDA has permitted partial withdrawal under the
National Pension System (NPS) only for limited
purposes like purchase of residential premises,
treatment of critical illness, higher education and
marriage of children. NPS subscribers who have
contributed for three years can now withdraw up to
25% of the corpus for meeting these specified expenses.
ELECTORAL BONDS TO CLEAN POLITICS
The government has launched scheme of Electoral
Bonds, aimed at cleaning the system of political funding
in the country. The bonds will be a bearer instrument in
the form of promissory note and will be an interest-free
banking instrument.
The bonds will be issued in the multiples of one thousand,
ten thousand, one lakh, ten lakh and one crore rupees
from the specified branches of the State Bank of India for
ten days in January, April, July and October. They will
have a life of only 15 days during which they could be
used for making donation only to the registered political
parties.
SPECIAL LEAVE FOR APHERESIS DONATION
Union Ministry of Personnel has decided that special
casual leave may be granted to the central government
employees going for apheresis donation (blood
components such as red cells, plasma, platelets, etc), in
addition to blood donation at licensed blood banks on a
working day (for that day only) up to a maximum of four
times a year on submission of valid proof of donation.
MPLAD SCHEME EXTENDED TILL 2020
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has
approved continuation of Members of Parliament Local
Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) till the term of the
14th Finance Commission i.e. 31st March 2020. The
MPLAD Scheme enables the MPs to undertake
community projects based on locally felt needs such as
drinking water, sanitation, education, public health,
roads etc in their constituencies.
ONLINE TRAINING FOR CANCER
Tata Memorial Center in collaboration with the Health
Ministry launched the country’s first digital Online
Oncology Tutorial Series to train the doctors across the
country to educate them in early detection, prevention,
palliation, rehabilitation and treatment of cancers.
APP LAUNCHED FOR LIVESTOCK DISEASES
Govt has launched a mobile application which can
forewarn farmers about diseases affecting the livestock.
The app – Livestock Disease Forewarning (LDF) – has
been developed by ICAR-National Institute of Veterinary
Epidemiology and Disease Informatics. Apart from early
warning, the app will also provide information about
clinical samples for diagnosis in the case of an epidemic.
EC TO REVIEW SEC 126 OF RP ACT
The Election Commission of India has constituted a 14
member committee headed by Senior Deputy Election
Commissioner Umesh Sinha to suggest changes to
Section 126 of the Representation of the People Act,
1951 (RP Act) in view of social media expansion.
It will study the impact of new media and social media
channels during the “silence period”, the 48 hours no
campaigning period prior to beginning of voting, as
prescribed by section 126 of the RP Act.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 26
NO CASH FUNDING TO POLITICAL PARTIES
The Income Tax Department has cautioned people
against indulging in illegal cash transactions, including
donating more than Rs 2,000 in cash to political parties.
In a bid to clean up election funding, the government
early this year had notified 'electoral bonds' that can be
bought from specified branches of the SBI.
THE SAVINGS (TAXABLE) BONDS 2018
Government has launched Savings (Taxable) Bonds,
2018 scheme to enable resident citizens/HUF to invest
in a taxable bond, without any monetary ceiling. The
bonds have face value of Rs 1,000 and maturity period
of 7 yrs. Bonds will earn interest at 7.75% and interest
earned will be taxable and subject to TDS provisions.
 Indian government approved an agreement with
Myanmar to allow free movement of people across
the land border of the two nations.
 The beneficiary module of the Rapid Reporting
System for online monitoring of the Scheme for
Adolescent Girls launched in New Delhi.
 Union Cabinet approved a MoU with Transport for
London, UK, to improve passenger services and
promote the use of high-capacity buses in India.
ECONOMY & INDUSTRY
MARCH
GDP GROWTH JUMPS TO 7.2%
As per the second advanced estimates of the Central
Statistics Office (CSO), the economy is expected to grow
at 6.6% in the current fiscal ending March 31, 2018 as
the quarter ending Dec 31, 2017 recorded very high
growth rate of 7.2 per cent. This is the sign of recovery
after growth took a hit following the twin disruptions of
demonetisation and GST.
WORLD BANK PUTS INDIA's GROWTH AT 6.7%
The World Bank has projected India's GDP growth at 7.3
per cent for the year 2018-19. The World Bank's
biannual publication, India Development Update -
India's Growth Story, expects the economy to clock a
growth rate of 6.7 percent in the year 2017-18.
INDIA TO GROW BY 6.5% - FITCH
International rating agency Fitch has projected India's
economic growth to rise to 7.3 per cent in 2018-19 and
further to 7.5 per cent in 2019-20. Its Global Economic
Outlook report has projected Indian economy to grow
by 6.5 per cent in 2017-18, slightly less than official
estimates of 6.6 per cent by the Central Statistics Office.
MOODY’s PROJECT INDIA’s GROWTH AT 7.6%
Moody's Investors Service has estimated that Indian
economy will grow 7.6 per cent in calendar year 2018
(Jan to Dec) and 7.5 per cent in 2019, amid signs of
economic recovery from impact of demonetisation/GST.
INDIA 4th LARGEST VEHICLE SELLER
Selling over 4 million vehicles in 2017, India has
overtaken Germany to become the fourth largest
automobile market in the world, growing by 9.5 per cent
over 2016. The top three include China – 29.12 mn, USA-
17.58 mn and Japan – 5.24 mn.
INDIA IMPORTS LNG FROM USA
After crude oil, India has now decided to import natural
gas from the US. The first shipment of LNG was flagged
off from Louisiana, a port town in south-east USA.
State-owned gas utility GAIL India has contracted for
import of 3.5 million tonnes per annum of liquefied
natural gas (LNG) from Cheniere Energy, Inc.
TRAINS REPORTING SYSTEM UPGRADED
Railways Ministry has discontinued the practice of
manually recording punctuality of trains at major
railway junctions across the country. Arrival and
departure of trains now will be recorded with data
loggers to establish authentic punctuality status.
A data logger is an electronic device that records data
over time by sensing status of relays.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 27
RAILWAYS TO USE PoS FOR BILLING
Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation
(IRCTC) has introduced billing through Point of Sale
(POS) hand-held machines in trains to check
overcharging by vendors. This will help not only
making passengers aware of relevant information but
also in improving the passenger satisfaction.
TELECOM BASE IS SHRINKING
India’s telecom subscriber base dipped by almost 1.5
crore in January this year to 117.5 crore at the end of
the month, with smaller operators losing bulk of their
customers, as per monthly TRAI report. The mobile
subscriber base declined to 115.19 crore at the end of
January 2018 from 1,16.74 crore at the end of December
2017, down 1.33 per cent.
AIIB TO FUND INDIA’s INFRASTRUCTURE
China-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
(AIIB) has approved $ 1.5 billion in loans to India for
infrastructure-related projects in 2018. The funds
would be used for investment in India's energy, roads
and urban development projects.
ADB TO FINANCE INDIAN RAILWAYS
The Asian Development Bank has committed $120
million loan for completion of works for double-tracking
and electrification of railways tracks along high-density
corridors to improve operational efficiency of Indian
Railways.
 Iraq has become India’s biggest crude oil supplier by
overtaking Saudi Arabia with a wide margin in the
current financial year.
 Indian Oil Corp has launched home-delivery of diesel
on a pilot basis in Pune and plans to expand the same
to other parts of the country in near future.
 Government has decided to sell up to 76 percent stake
in Air India and transfer the management control to
private players.
FEBRUARY
GROWTH RATE HIKED TO 8.2% FOR 15-16
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) revised the GDP
growth rate for 2015-16 to 8.2% from the earlier
estimates of 8% and kept the 2016-17 growth
unchanged at 7.1%.
The real GDP or GDP at constant (2011-12) prices for the
years 2016-17 and 2015-16 stands at Rs 121.96 lakh
crore and Rs 113.86 lakh crore, respectively.
CLASSIFICATION CHANGED FOR MSME UNITS
The government has reclassified the micro, small and
medium enterprises (MSME) on the basis of turnover
rather than investment in plant and machinery /
equipment as at present. This will also give them the
benefit of corporate tax cuts announced in the Union
Budget. Corporate tax for units with turnover up to Rs
250 cr has been reduced to 25 per cent from 30 per cent
at present.
Size of Unit Annual Turnover
Micro Up to 5 cr
Small Over 5 cr up to 75cr
Medium Over 75 cr up to 250cr
Large Over 250CR
NO JUNK FOOD AD ON CARTOON CHANNELS
Food and Beverage Alliance of India (FBIA) has decided
to voluntarily restrict food and beverage
advertisements, particularly those showing junk food
having high fat/sugar/salt, on cartoon channels.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 28
ADB LOAN FOR RURAL ROADS
Asian Development Bank to grant $250 million loan to
finance the construction of over 6,200 kilometres all-
weather rural roads in Assam, Chhattisgarh, Madhya
Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal under the Pradhan
Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).
 The South Central Railway (SCR) has become the first
railway zone in the country to complete 100% LED
lighting at all the 733 stations under its jurisdiction.
 A new train named Palace Queen Humsafar
Express has been launched between Mysuru,
Karnataka and Udaipur in Rajasthan.
 Kia Motors, automobile giant from North Korea plans
to launch its cars in Indian market.
JANUARY
HIGHEST FOREIGN FUNDING FROM MAURITIUS
Latest data released by the RBI under the Census on
Foreign Liabilities and Assets of Indian Direct
Investment Companies, shows that during 2016-17 the
Mauritius was the largest source of foreign investment
in India, accounting for 21.8 per cent share, followed by
the USA and the UK.
PER CAPITA INCOME CROSSES 1 LAC BAR
Data released by the CSO- Central Statistics Office,
shows that India's annual per capita income, a gauge for
measuring living standard, grew by 9.7 per cent to Rs
1,03,219 in 2016-17. Due to slump in economic growth,
the per capita income this year is likely to witness a
slower growth of 8.3 per cent at Rs 1,11,782 in 2017-18.
FDI NORMS LIBERALISED
The Union Cabinet approved new foreign direct
investment (FDI) norms for several fields, including
allowing overseas airlines to own up to 49% of Air India
and permitting 100% FDI in single brand retail trade -
SBRT and construction development under the
automatic route. The Centre also eased the mandatory
sourcing requirement of 30% of purchases from India
for SBRT for first five years.
INDIA’s FIRST COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has
allowed Dornier 228 aircraft built by the Hindustan
Aeronautics Ltd, to be used for civilian flights. The 19-
seater aircraft is the first plane to be made in the
country for commercial flights.
JUTE PACKAGING MUST FOR FOODGRAINS
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has
approved mandatory packaging of 90 per cent of the
food grains and 20 per cent of the sugar products in the
jute material for the Jute Year 2017-18. The Jute Year
2017-18 period is from 1st July 2017 to 30th June,
2018.The decision would sustain the core demand for
the jute sector and support the livelihood of the workers
and farmers dependent on the sector.
 Paytm has become the country's first payments app
to cross the 100 million downloads mark on Google
Play Store in the second week of Dec 2017.
 India has emerged as the top borrower from the
China-sponsored Asian Infrastructure Investment
Bank, availing loans worth $1.5 billion last year.
 India and Afghanistan have launched the second air
cargo route, linking Mumbai to Kabul to boost export
of fresh fruits and medicinal plants from Afghanistan.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 29
BANKING & FINANCE
MARCH
NEW PSL NORMS FOR FOREIGN BANKS
The RBI has further tightened the priority sector lending
(PSL) norms for foreign banks with 20 or more
branches. Now they have to create sub-targets for small
and marginal farmers as well as for micro enterprises
(MSMEs).
A sub-target of 8 percent of Adjusted Net Bank Credit
(ANBC) or Credit Equivalent Amount of Off-Balance
Sheet Exposure (CEOBE), whichever is higher, shall
become applicable for lending to the small and marginal
farmers from FY 2018-19.
The sub-target of 7.50 percent of ANBC or CEOBE,
whichever is higher, for lending to the Micro Enterprises
shall also becomes applicable from FY 2018-19.
Further, RBI has withdrawn the credit limits for service
sector MSMEs for PSL, making all loans made to MSMEs
in service sector eligible for PSL, without any limits.
The PSL norms mandate foreign banks to lend 40 per cent
of their total loans to the priority sector, such as
agriculture, rural infra and MSMEs among others, from
April 2020.
PASSPORT DETAILS MUST FOR BIG LOANS
With a view to enable
banks to take timely
action and inform the
relevant authorities to
prevent fraudsters from
fleeing the country, it
has been decided to
make mandatory to
seek passport details of
borrowers taking loans
of Rs 50 crore and more. For all existing loans of over Rs
50 crore, banks have been asked to collect passport
details of borrowers within 45 days.
ACTION AGAINST WILLFUL DEFAULTERS
Tightening the noose around willful defaulters, the
government has asked banks to 'name and shame' such
borrowers by publishing their photographs and other
details in newspapers. The number of willful defaulters,
who did not repay loans to public sector banks despite
the capacity to do so, rose to 9,063 at the end of
December, 2017.
EXIM BANK TO FINANCE WEST AFRICA
The Export-Import Bank of India will provide a $500
million credit facility to Economic Community of West
African States (ECOWAS), a group of 15 countries in
southern and western Africa, to fund various
development projects in these countries.
SWIFT TO PROVIDE GPI TRACKER
Global financial services body SWIFT has announced the
extension of its GPI (Global Payments Innovation)
Tracker to cover all payment instructions sent across
the network, enabling its member banks to track all
their SWIFT payment instructions at all times.
INSTANT OD FROM ICICI BANK
ICICI Bank has launched instant overdraft ‘InstaOD’
facility for MSME (Micro, Small and Medium
Enterprises) customers in a completely online and
paperless manner. Customers can get overdraft facility
up to Rs 15 lakh for a year anytime, anywhere using the
bank’s Internet and mobile banking app. The facility can
be availed instantly without visiting a branch and
without submitting physical documents.
 The government has fixed the agriculture credit
target of 11 lakh crore rupees for banks for the year
2018-19 against last year’s target of 10 lakh crore
rupees.
 The RBI has discontinued Letters of Undertaking
(LoUs) and Letters of Comfort (LoCs) for Trade
Credits with immediate effect.
 The RBI has imposed a penalty of Rs. 50 million on
Airtel Payments Bank Ltd. for contravening operating
guidelines for payments banks and the directions on
know your customer (KYC) norms.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 30
 RBI imposed a penalty of Rs 40 lakh on State Bank of
India for non-compliance of its directions on
detection and impounding of counterfeit notes.
 A Rs 350 commemorative coin will be released to
mark the 350th birth anniversary of Guru Gobind
Singh, the 10th and last Sikh Guru.
 Two new commemorative coins in denominations of
Rs 10 and Rs 1,000 were launched to commemorate
Lord Jagannath's Nabakalebara festival.
 HDFC Bank signed a MoU with the Government e-
Marketplace (GeM) for agriculture to offer its
services to the Central and state govt organisations.
FEBRUARY
NPA LIMIT RAISED FOR MSMEs
The RBI has allowed additional time for loan repayment
to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs)
affected by the GST, to avoid their accounts being
classified as NPA.
Amounts overdue as on September 1, 2017 and
payments due between September 1, 2017 and January
31, 2018 (will) be allowed by banks and NBFCs to be
paid not later than 180 days from their original due
date.
This relaxation will be available only to those firms whose
aggregate loans are less than Rs25 crore and were
classified as ‘standard’ as on 31 august, 2017.
MOTHER OF ALL FRAUDS AT PNB
On Feb 14, Punjab National Bank detected “fraudulent
and unauthorised transactions” amounting to massive
Rs 11,400 crore at its Brady House branch in Mumbai.
The “transactions” involved PNB officials handing out
Letters of Undertaking - LoU to companies associated
with Nirav Modi and his maternal uncle Mehul Choksi,
both leading diamond traders, allowing them access to
massive foreign exchange loans that were completely
unsecured.
LoU is an undertaking provided by one bank to another
bank, in favour of or on behalf of a customer. LoUs are
used by a bank’s customer to avail short-term credit in a
foreign country.
BASE RATE TO BE LINKED TO MCLR
The RBI has decided to link the base rate with the MCLR
from April 1, 2018 to ensure expeditious transmission
of its policy rate to borrowers. RBI introduced the
Marginal Cost of Funds based Lending Rates (MCLR)
system with effect from April 1, 2016 on account of the
limitations of the Base Rate regime for transparent
fixation of rates of interest on bank loans.
REVISED GUIDELINES FOR BAD LOANS
The RBI has issued a revised framework for expeditious
resolution of high value bad loans. It has also been
decided to do away with the Joint Lenders’ Forum (JLF)
as an institutional mechanism for resolution of stressed
accounts.
As per the revised guidelines, the banks will be required
to identify incipient stress in loan accounts and
immediately on default, the account should be classified
as special mention account (SMA) and immediately put
in place Board- approved time bound ‘resolution plan’
(RP) for these stressed assets.
If the RP is not implemented as per the timelines
specified, bankers will be required to file insolvency
application, singly or jointly, under the IBC, 2016, within
15 days from the expiry of the specified timeline.
All banks will have to report to CRILC- Central
Repository of Information on Large Credits , all loan
accounts in default (with aggregate exposure of Rs 5
crore and above), on a weekly basis, on every Friday,
beginning from the week ending February 23, 2018.
GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 31
 RBI has constituted an expert committee under the
chairmanship of Y H Malegam to look into a range of
issues relating to classification of bad loans, rising
incidents of frauds and effectiveness of audits.
 The RBI has announced setting up of a separate
ombudsman for addressing customer grievances in
the non-banking finance companies (NBFCs).
JANUARY
SMALL BANKS TO SELL APY
The government has allowed Small Finance Banks and
Payments Banks to offer Atal Pension Yojana. RBI had
issued licenses to 10 Small Finance Banks and 11
Payment Banks. The government had launched this
social security scheme in 2015 for people in the age
group of 18 to 40 years.
FRDI TO PROTECT THE BANK CUSTOMERS
The Finance Ministry has confirmed that the Financial
Resolution and Deposit Insurance Bill, 2017 (FRDI) does
not modify present protections to the depositors
adversely at all but provides only additional protections
to the depositors in a more transparent manner.
As per the provisions of the FRDI Bill, the claims of
uninsured depositors in the case of liquidation of a bank
will be higher than those of the unsecured creditors and
government dues.
NEW TEN RUPEE NOTE
The RBI has announced introduction of new Rs 10
banknotes in chocolate brown color, which will have
India’s cultural heritage Konark Sun Temple as a motif
on the reverse side. The old notes, however, will
continue to be valid legal tender.
HDFC BANK CROSSES Rs. 5 Trn MARKET CAP
HDFC Bank became
India’s first bank to
cross Rs. 5 trillion
market cap mark.
Overall, it is the third
company to achieve
this milestone after
RIL and TCS. The
bank’s market
capitalisation (m-cap)
stood at Rs. 5,02,859.55 crore on Jan 18.
 Indian Overseas Bank has signed a MoU with
National Housing Bank for implementation of the
Rural Housing Interest Subsidy Scheme of the
Ministry of Rural Dev.
 The government has made it clear that it does not
consider crypto currencies like Bitcoin a legal tender
in India.
DEFENCE, SCIENCE
& TECHNOLOGY
MARCH
INDIA TOPS IN ARMS IMPORTS
A latest report by the Stockholm International Peace
Research Institute (SIPRI) shows that the weapons
imports by the Middle East and Asia have boomed over
the past five years, fuelled by war and tensions in those
regions.
India emerged as the largest importer of arms,
accounting for 12 per cent of total world imports. 62 per
cent of this came from Russia alone. Saudi Arabia stood
at second spot, accounting for 10 per cent of total arms
imports.
SIPRI, an independent institute, monitors arms deliveries
by volume over periods of five years in order to iron out
short-term fluctuations.
INDIAN NAVY HOLDS - MILAN
Andaman Nicobar command of Indian Navy organized
‘Milan’, a six day get-together of foreign navies, at Port
Blair. Navies from the 16 countries participated in the
exercise to enhance regional cooperation for combating
unlawful activities at sea.
NATIONAL ACADEMY OF COASTAL POLICING
The country's first national academy to train police
forces in effectively safeguarding the Indian shoreline
will start functioning from the next month in Okha,
Gujarat. The National Academy of Coastal
Policing (NACP) will train forces in maritime laws,
seamanship, boat work, navigation, weapons handling,
usage of sea guidance and surveillance gadgets and
survival skills for long haul operations.
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GYANM GENERAL AWARENESS - MAY 2018 ISSUE - ENGLISH VERSION

  • 2. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 3 GENERAL AWARENESS MAY 2018 Vol. 6, Issue 11 A PUBLICATION OF GYANM EDUCATION & TRAINING INSTITUTE PVT. LTD. SCO 13-14-15, 2ND FLOOR, SEC 34-A, CHANDIGARH Contents CURRENT AFFAIRS JAN 2018 TO MARCH 2018 03-50 BULLET NEWS OCT. TO DEC. 2017 51-62 LATEST 100 GK MCQs 63-69 RAILWAYS MODEL TEST PAPER 70-74 CURRENT GK BYTES 75-102 FIGURES TO REMEMBER REPO RATE (02.08.2017) 6.00% REVERSE REPO RATE 5.75% MARGINAL STANDING FACILITY RATE 6.25% STATUTORY LIQUIDITY RATIO 19.50% CASH RESERVE RATIO 4.00% BANK RATE 6.25% BASE RATE(s) (of various banks) 9.10 to 9.60% INDIA’s RANK IN Inclusive Internet Index 47th Energy Transition Index 78th Rank in World Happiness Report 133rd Global Democracy Index 42nd Corruption Perception Index 81st Intellectual Property Index 44th Index of Talent Competitiveness 81st Cheapest Country to Live 2nd Attractive market for Investments 5th Rank in Emerging Economies 62nd The Environmental Performance Index 177th Global Manufacturing Index 30th The Legatum Prosperity Index 2017 100th Best Country for Business 62nd Ease of Doing Business 100th Business Optimism Index 7th IMD World Talent Rankings 51st Global Climate Risk Index 6th Global Gender Gap Index 108th Family Business Report 03rd SURGE IN BANK FRAUDS..!! The banking system has been rattled with massive fraud by Nirav Modi and others involving fraudulent transactions worth Rs.12,600 crore in Punjab National Bank (PNB) Mumbai branch. According to PNB the fraud was carried out by the perpetrators in collusion with the junior level staff. It went on to explain the modus operandi of the scam and said, "It was found through SWIFT trail that one junior level branch official unauthorisedly and fraudulently issued Letters of Undertaking (LoU) on behalf of some companies belonging to Nirav Modi Group for availing buyers' credit from overseas branches of Indian Banks." It is further said that none of the transactions were routed through the Core Banking Solution or CBS system, thus avoiding early detection of fraudulent activity. WHAT IS LoU? In international banking system, letter of undertaking is technically a bank guarantee, under which the bank allows its customers to raise money from another Indian bank foreign branch in the form of a short term credit to make payment to the supplier of goods.  According to RBI, LoUs are to be issued for a period of not more than 90 days.  A bank, while issuing LoUs for a client, agrees to repay the principal and interest on the client's loan unconditionally.  For raising LoU customers has to be sanctioned credit limit and it needs to pay the margin money to bank issuing LoU. Apart from margin money, the bankers require the customer to provide the bank with collateral in the form of FDR (term deposit).  The issuing bank conveys the issuance of LoU through SWIFT to the foreign branch, which then transfers the amount to its Nostro account.  SWIFT transactions are linked to the CBS of banks, which contains transaction histories and other data of all customers, and can be accessed by all branches where a customer has an account. SWIFT transactions, therefore, are automatically recorded, and are seen by officials from Regional Managers to General Managers. And, when the amount is big, it should automatically alert the top management.  When the letter of understanding which is a kind of letter of credit is acknowledged and accepted, the lender branch transfers money to the Nostro account of the issuing bank.  Nostro account is the account that a bank holds in foreign currency in another bank. The issuing bank then transfers the funds through its nostro account to the supplier of goods.  The customer gets the material in India and sells it after finishing it and repays the bank. WHY LoU PREFERRED OVER CASH CREDIT (CC) LIMIT  This facility is mostly used by importers to purchase material from overseas suppliers.  The customer can get a CC limit issued from the bank, take loan and purchase foreign currency and make payment to the supplier. But the rate of interest here is ranging from 12 to 15%.  In case of LoU, the customer just pays a prescribed fee to the bank for getting a LoU issued.  The customer is paying lesser interest while also earning interest on his term deposit in India. The borrower gets credit facility at a place, he may not have banking relationship.  This makes LoU the preferred mode by the Indian customer to get their supply of goods from abroad.
  • 3. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 4  The banks also prefer the safe business of issuance of a LoUs;  The facility of issuance of LoUs to the clients, the banks earns non-fund income in the shape of fee.  The facility is adequately covered with a margin money and also the collateral(s) (may be in the shape of fixed deposit) is considered as more safe and secured.  The margin money as well as the collateral in the shape of fixed deposit also constitutes deposit of the banks.  The funds are released to the supplier directly by the issuing bank through its Nostro account and it ensures the end use of the facility. WHO COULD BE AT FAULT? It is alleged by the PNB that the frauds have been committed by the junior officials in collusion with the client(s). But the role of the following officials in the fraudulent transactions cannot be overlooked.  Role of Branch Manager.  Role of Concurrent Auditors.  Role of IT personnel for linking and delinking of SWIFT.  The official(s) who received informations about transfer of the funds to the Nostro account by the bank in the foreign country.  The official(s) responsible for non-rotations of the seats of the dealing officers. Bank officers possessing assets disproportionate to their known income. The official(s) dealing with the seat never taken leave as per the requirements. WHAT WENT WRONG? In Nirav Modi Mehil Choksi case neither a credit limit was there nor did he ever given any margin money or any fixed deposit to secure the facility. Further the LOU were issued for One year whereas these are not to be issued for a period more than 90 days. In the PNB case, the scamsters allegedly delinked SWIFT from CBS in the case of companies that were linked to Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi. However, LoUs of other companies were routed through the SWIFT- CBS System. It is indicated that funds were provided to the Modi-Choksi companies without being recorded in the bank’s CBS system. The alleged fraudsters exploited the gap left by the global messaging system i.e SWIFT not being integrated with PNB’s core banking solution (CBS) to escape scrutiny. The bank did not ensure the end use of the funds as the amount in the foreign country was released to the front companies floated by Nirav Modi et al. The LoU sent through swift did not show up on CBS which links all PNB branches electronically. Apart from LoUs, foreign letter of credits (LCs) were also issued allowing the jewellers to access buyer’s credit from overseas banks at a cheaper rate of interest than available in the home market. The letter of credits issued were also reportedly illegal. At the heart of the PNB fraud is the unauthorised issuance of letter of undertakings (LoUs) by certain staffers from PNB’s branch at Mumbai in collusion with firms controlled by the diamond traders overseas and suppliers of pearls and rough diamonds were not backed by any margin or collateral. When the 90-days period to repay the foreign branch ended, PNB again issued LOUs as Modi and Choksi did not pay the PNB branch here to settle their dues. This ever-greening led to the scam snowballing into thousands of crores. RBI GUIDELINES ON LoU:  The RBI has specific guidelines, to issue LoU only to those customers who have existing credit relationship with a bank and also instructed that bank should refrain from issuing guarantees on behalf of customer who do not enjoy credit facilities with them as non compliance of RBI regulations in this regards is likely to vitiate credit discipline.  Validity of an LoU depends on the category of goods that are important. LATEST RBI GUIDELINES ON LoU: RBI in its (DIR series) No.20, March 13, 2018 has issued following instructions for all authorized dealers of Category I.  On review of extent of guidelines on external commercial borrowings, trade credit borrowings and lending in foreign currency by authorized dealers, it is decided by RBI to discontinue the practice of issuance of LoUs / LoCs and trade credits for imports into India by the authorized dealers category I banks with immediate effects. Letter of Credits and Bank guarantees for trade creditors for imports in to India may continue subject to compliance with the provisions. -- x x --
  • 4. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 5 NATIONAL NEWS MARCH PRESIDENT VISITS MAURITIUS, MADAGASCAR President Ram Nath Kovind made a five day visit to Mauritius and Madagascar. He attended the 50th anniversary of independence celebrations of Mauritius and inaugurated the World Hindi Secretariat building built with Indian support. India announced a new Line of Credit of $100 million for defense procurement by Mauritius. Next he visited Madagascar, the first ever visit by an Indian VVIP. Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world, nearly the size of France. The two countries signed an umbrella agreement in the field of defence. The President was conferred the Grand Cross of the Second Class, the highest civilian honour of Madagascar for a non-citizen. Prime Minister: Pravind Jugnauth Currency: Mauritian Rupee Capital: Port Louis Madagascar President: Hery Rajaonarimampianina Prime Minister: Oliver M. Solonandrasana Capital: Antananarivo Currency: Malagasy Ariary INDIA WELCOMES GERMAN PRESIDENT German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier arrived in New Delhi on a five-day visit to India. He also visited Varanasi and Chennai. He also attended a business event in New Delhi. Germany is India’s largest trading partner in Europe and the 6th largest trading partner in the world. Chancellor: Angela Merkel Capital: Berlin Currency: Euro PRESIDENT OF FRANCE VISITS INDIA French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in New Delhi on a four-day visit to India. The visit aimed at strengthening the bilateral economic, political and strategic dimension of engagement between the two countries. Macron presided over the Founding Conference of the International Solar Alliance in New Delhi. He also inaugurated 101-megawatt capacity mega solar power plant at Dadar Kalan village in Mirzapur district of Uttar Pradesh, built in collaboration with the French company ENGIE. Prime Minister: Edouard Philippe Capital: Paris Currency: Euro KING OF JORDAN COMES TO INDIA Jordanian King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein arrived in Delhi for a three-day visit. Besides being the king, he is also a highly acclaimed authority on Islam. He is the 41st generation descendant of Prophet Muhammad and the Custodian of the Holy Sites in Jerusalem. India is Jordan’s fourth largest trading partner, mainly due to import of fertilizers from Jordan. The two countries signed four MoUs for mutual cooperation in various fields. Prime Minister: Hani Al Mulki Capital: Amman Currency: Jordanian Dinar VIETNAMESE PRESIDENT IN INDIA Vietnam President Tran Dai arrived in India on a three- day visit. He first visited Bodh Gaya and then came to Delhi. The visit intends to further deepen comprehensive strategic Partnership between the two countries Prime Minister: Nguyễn Xuân Phúc Capital: Hanoi Currency: Dong S C GRANTS ‘RIGHT TO DIE’ In a landmark verdict, the Supreme Court recognised right to die with dignity and allowed an individual to issue an advance directive in the form of a ‘living will’ authorising someone to withdraw his/her life support, if he/she went into a vegetative state because of an incurable and irreversible medical condition.
  • 5. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 6 The Court observed that right to die with dignity was a facet of right to life and liberty guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution. A “living will” is a document executed by an individual in full possession of his/her decision-making capacity, without any duress, enunciating the condition of ill health in which he/she would not like to prolong life by artificial support. SC SAYS ‘NO’ TO KHAP PANCHAYATS In a landmark judgement the Supreme Court has termed the interference by illegal assemblies like ‘khap panchayat’ in marriages of two consenting adults as’ absolutely illegal’ and laid down guidelines to prevent such intrusions. The bench laid down certain punitive and remedial measures to be followed until a suitable legislation is put in place in this regard by the Parliament. CHILD MARRIAGES DOWN BY 20% A report from the United Nations children's agency UNICEF says that India has achieved a sharp decline of 20 percent in child marriages in the last decade. As against 47 percent of the girls getting married before the age of 18, a decade ago, now only 27 percent girls are in this category. UNICEF attributed the improvement to the increased rate of girls’ education, proactive government investments in adolescent girls and strong public awareness about the illegality of child marriage in India. INDIA 3rd IN ELECTRICITY GENERATION According to a report by the India Brand Equity Foundation, a trust established by the union commerce ministry, India has become the third largest electricity producer in the world generating 1,423 billion units in 2016-17. Its electricity production grew 34% over past seven years. India is behind only China (6,015 BU) and the United States (4,327 BU) as per 2016-17 data. INDIAN FORCES 4th IN WORLD India’s military prowess has been ranked fourth on the Global Firepower Index-2017 that has ranked 133 countries on the basis of their global military prowess. Index is topped by the USA, followed by Russia and China. Pakistan ranks 13 on the list. The rankings are based on 50 parameters, including military resources, natural resources, industry and geographical features and available manpower. AMNESTY TO TRACK ‘HATE CRIMES’ The global human rights body Amnesty India launched 'Halt the Hate' website to track alleged hate crimes in India against marginalised people such as the Dalits, Adivasis, religious minority groups and trans-genders. The website has documented hundreds of alleged hate crimes against these marginalized people. INDIAN SCIENCE CONGRESS IN IMPHAL The 105th session of the Indian Science Congress was held at Manipur University in Imphal, Manipur. Prime Minister Modi delivered the inaugural lecture. The theme of this year’s Congress is “Reaching the Unreached through Science and Technology.” NO TO FOREIGN LAW OFFICES IN INDIA The Supreme Court has ruled that foreign lawyers and law firms cannot open offices in India. However, they are allowed to "fly in and fly out" to advise their clients on foreign law on a temporary and casual basis. The apex court also permitted foreign lawyers to appear in international commercial arbitration. INDIA BECOMES ‘HOST COUNTRY’ TO ISA The International Solar Alliance (ISA) signed the Headquarters Agreement with the Indian Government, enabling the ISA to establish its headquarters in Host Country to discharge its functions and programmes.
  • 6. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 7 INDIA SET TO JOIN EBRD India has got the go-ahead to join the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), after shareholders of the London-based multilateral lender agreed to allow it as the 69th member. This will enable Indian companies to undertake joint investments in regions in which the EBRD operates. The EBRD was set up in 1991, for helping central and Eastern European nations reconstruct their economies in the post-Cold War era. SUPER RICH TO GROW BY 71% The number of wealthy Indians having assets of over $50 million is likely to grow by nearly 71% to 4,980 by 2022 from 2,980 in 2017, according to the Wealth Report 2018 by global consultancy firm Knight Frank. As per the 'City Wealth Index' of the report, Mumbai stood at 16th spot among the top 20 costliest global cities, while Delhi stood at 22nd and Bengaluru at 26th positions, respectively. INDIA LAGS BEHIND IN CLOUD POLICY A report by "BSA | The Software Alliance", a global software watchdog promoted by the Microsoft shows that India’s ranking in the adoption of cloud-friendly policies has come down to 20 in 2017 from 18 in 2016, out of 24 leading IT economies. This indicates that the legal and regulatory environment in the country is restricting innovation. INDIA 47th IN INTERNET USAGE An Inclusive Internet Index 2018 compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) covering 91% of the world's population in 86 countries, has placed India at the 47th position in terms of inclusive Internet and connectivity for all due to low usage and poor quality. INDIA RANKS 78th IN ENERGY TRANSITION As countries across the world are moving towards a more sustainable energy system, India, one of the world's largest energy consumers, is lagging behind in the race. It was ranked 78th among 114 countries on World Economic Forum's Energy Transition Index 2018. The index listed countries based on their ability to balance energy security, environmental sustainability and affordability. The Index was topped by Sweden, followed by Norway at the second position and Switzerland at the third. INDIA FARES VERY LOW IN ‘HAPPINESS’ In a study of 156 countries for levels of happiness conducted by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, India has been placed very low at 133rd spot. The World Happiness Report ranked countries on the basis of factors such as per capita GDP, social support, healthy life expectancy, social freedom, generosity and absence of corruption. Finland topped the list as the world's happiest country, followed by Norway and Denmark.  India and Hong Kong signed a Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) to improve transparency in tax matters and help curb tax evasion and avoidance.  India Post paid tribute to theoretical physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking by issuing a special cover on him.  The Airports Authority of India (AAI) participated in the 6th World ATM Congress held in Spain.  Ministry of External Affairs and the International Federation of Indo-Russian Youth Clubs organized 'Vision for Future' event in New Delhi on March 6 to commemorate 70 years of the Indo-Russia ties.  A two-day informal World Trade Organisation (WTO) ministerial meeting was held at New Delhi.  The first-ever International Exhibition of Graphic Prints ‘Print Biennale India 2018’ was held in Delhi.  The 7th India-Egypt Joint Commission Meeting was held in New Delhi.  The 5th India Maize Summit was held in New Delhi.  First National Conference on Drug Law Enforcement was held in New Delhi, organised by the Narcotics Control Bureau and Ministry of Home Affairs.  The third edition of National Conclave on Mines and Minerals was held in New Delhi.
  • 7. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 8  The 21st National Conference on e-Governance was held in Hyderabad, Telangana on February 26- 27 with the theme “technology for accelerating development”.  The National Conference on Counterfeiting and Role of Enforcement Agencies was held in New Delhi from 13-14 March, 2018.  The two day international conference on Sustainable Bio-fuels was held in New Delhi on February 26-27 by Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India.  A ‘National Conference on Down Syndrome’ organised by the National Trust under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in New Delhi on March 26.  The 106th edition of the Indian Science Congress will be held next year from 3rd to 7th January at the Barkatullah University in Bhopal. FEBRUARY PRESIDENT OF IRAN VISITS INDIA The Iranian President, Hassan Rouhani came to India on a three day visit. Both sides signed nine pacts including ones for the ‘Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income and Extradition Treaty’ besides those relating to agriculture, health and medicine and the lease of phase- 1 of the Chabahar Port. The two leaders released a joint postal stamp depicting Kandla port and the Shahid Behshti port, Chabahar. MODI VISITS 3 WEST ASIAN NATIONS Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a four day visit to three nations, Palestine, United Arab Emirates and Oman, from 9 to 12 February. This was the first ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Palestine. He delivered keynote address at the Sixth World Government Summit in Dubai. CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER ARRIVES IN INDIA Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau arrived in India on a seven-day visit aimed at further strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries in key areas of mutual interest including trade and investment, energy, science and innovation, higher education, infrastructure development, skill development and space. FOREST & TREE COVER RISES TO 24.39% As per the India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2017, India’s forest and tree cover has increased by 8,021 sq. km, up 1% since 2015, to total 802,088 sq. km, which is about 24.39% of the total geographical area (GA) of the country. India’s total forest cover is 708, 273 sq. km (about 21.54% of GA) and tree cover is 93,815 sq. km (about 2.85% of GA). Of the total increase of 8,021 sq. km in forest and tree cover, forest cover grew by 6,778 sq. km and tree cover by 1,243 sq. km. INDIA RATIFIES MINAMATA CONVENTION The Union Cabinet approved the proposal for ratification of Minamata Convention on Mercury, enabling India to become a Party of the Convention. The Convention gives 5 years time to India to control and reduce emissions from new power plants and 10 years time for the already existing power plants. Minamata is a Japanese city that has become synonymous with deadly mercury contamination since 1950. Mercury is used in the chemical and petrochemical industries and also in household products like Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) and thermometers. It is heavily used in artisanal and small-scale gold mining to separate gold from the ore. INDIA 6TH MOST WEALTHY COUNTRY According to a report by New World Wealth, India, though ranked 6th was the best performing wealth market globally in 2017 as its total wealth swelled 25 per cent to $8.23 trillion in 2017, from $ 6.6 trillion in 2016. USA remains the wealthiest at $64.6 trillion, followed by China ($24.8 trn) and Japan ($19.5 trn). Total wealth, refers to the private wealth held by all the individuals living in a country.
  • 8. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 9 INTERNATIONAL ‘THEATRE OLYMPICS’ For the first time, India hosted the 8th edition of the Theatre Olympics. The festival started from the Red Fort, New Delhi, will go on for 51 days, till 8th April, covering 17 major cities of India. The theme of the festival was - "Flag of Friendship". More than 25 thousand foreign artists also participated in the festival. CONFERENCE OF PARLIAMENTARIANS The 6th Conference of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) of India Region was held in Patna. The 2-day conference covered subjects like 'Parliament's role in the development agenda' and 'Legislature and Judiciary'. Over 100 delegates from India and abroad, including Australia, Britain and Uganda, participated in the conference. INDIA JOINS ASHGABAT AGREEMENT India has joined Ashgabat Agreement for the establishment of an International Transport and Transit Corridor between the Iran, Oman, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The agreement envisages facilitation of transit and transportation of goods between Central Asia and the Persian Gulf. Ashgabat is the capital of Turkmenistan where this agreement was entered in 2011. SALARIES UP FOR PRESIDENT & GOVERNORS The salaries of the President and the Vice-President have been increased to Rs 5 lakh and Rs 4 lakh per month, respectively. Salary of State Governors has also been hiked to Rs. 3.5 lakh. The revised salaries will be effective from January 01, 2016. Post New Salary Old Salary President 5 Lakh 1.5 lakh Vice President 4 Lakh 1.25 lakh Governor 3.5 Lakh 1.10 lakh SALARY OF JUDGES REVISED With the assent of the President to The High Court and Supreme Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Amendment Act, 2018, the Supreme Court and high court judges will now get a nearly two-fold salary hike. The salary hiked as per the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission, will come into force retrospectively from January 1, 2016. Judicial position Revised salary Old salary Chief Justice of India Rs 2.8 lakh Rs 1 lakh SC judges and HC Chief Justices Rs 2.5 lakh Rs 0.90 lakh HC judges Rs 2.25 lakh Rs 0.80 lakh DECLARE SOURCE OF ASSETS: SC The Supreme Court has ordered that candidates contesting elections will have to declare their sources of income as well as that of spouses and dependents. The Court ruled that it will be mandatory for candidates to declare not only their assets but also the source from which the asset was created so that it was in the public domain whether the assets/properties were amassed through legal means or otherwise. INDIA’S FIRST ONLINE RADIO India’s first online radio ‘Radio Umang’ has been launched from Delhi. Listeners can tune in to this online radio station through web streaming or download the app. With 24 hours programming, it has found listeners in Hindi speaking regions of India and in over 60 countries worldwide. Themed around love, peace and happiness, the station airs enriching talk shows and soothing soulful music.
  • 9. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 10 APP LAUNCHED FOR BAMBOO IN HOUSING A seminar on Emerging Building Materials and Construction Technologies organized by Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council was held in New Delhi. A mobile app ‘Bamtech’ was also launched on Bamboo Housing & Construction. 70 YEARS OF CENTRAL STATE FARM India and Russia celebrated 70 years of bilateral relations in the field of agriculture at Suratgarh in Rajasthan. Russia helped in establishing Central State Farm (CSF) in Suratgarh in 1956. MOUs SIGNED WITH OMAN & UAE India signed eight MoUs with Oman to expand cooperation in different sectors including defence and tourism, trade and investment, energy, security, food security and regional issues. Five MoUs were also signed with UAE in key areas of energy sector, railways, manpower and financial services. DELHI HAS WORST AIR QUALITY A study of air quality in 280 cities of India has revealed that people living in eight of every 10 Indian cities breathe toxic dust particles, PM 10, at levels exceeding national safety limits. The report titled ‘Airpocalypse II’ released by Green Peace India, has listed Delhi as the city with the highest (PM10) followed by Haryana’s Faridabad, Bhiwadi in Rajasthan, Bihar’s Patna, and Dehradun in Uttarakhand. INDIA 3rd IN STEEL PRODUCTION India has overtaken the USA to become the world's third-largest steel producer, producing 101.4 million tonnes (MT) of crude steel during 2017, just behind Japan at 104.7 MT. China remains at top producing 831.7 MT. INDIA SUFFERS HIGH NMR According to a latest UNICEF report on the death rates of newborn babies during the first 28 days of life, Pakistan is the riskiest nation to be born in, as it has the highest newborn mortality rates (45.6/1000 births) in the world. India's neonatal mortality rate (deaths per 1,000 live births) was found to be 25.4, making it the 12th worst among 52 ‘lower-middle-income countries’ that pose risk for newborns. Japan is the best country in this regard having the rate of less than one death per thousand babies, followed by Iceland and Singapore. INDIA’s FIRST ‘KHADI HAAT’ First ever 'Khadi Haat' in the country was inaugurated in New Delhi. Entrepreneurs under Prime Minister Employment Generation Program (PMEGP) will get an opportunity to display and sell their exquisite products in this haat. SC FIRES CENTRE ON ‘GARBAGE REPORT’ A Supreme Court bench termed an 845-page affidavit of the Central government on solid waste management as “junk,” “garbage” and even “solid waste.” “We are not garbage collectors”, commented one of the two judges of the bench. The court was hearing a PIL on the implementation of Solid Waste Management Rules 2016. SEX RATIO SUFFERS SHOCKING DECLINE The sex ratio at birth i.e. number of female births per thousand male births saw a decline in 17 out of 21 large states of the country during 2014-15 to 2015-16. Gujarat recorded an alarming dip of 53 points to 854 females from 907 females per 1,000 males born. Kerala, though at top with a ratio of 967, suffered a drop of 7 points. Punjab registered highest growth of 19 points, from 870 to 889. The data was released by the Niti Aayog in the report titled ‘Healthy States, Progressive India’.
  • 10. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 11 INDIA FAIRS POORLY IN IP RANKING India has “increased substantially” its score in the latest International Intellectual Property (IP) Index released by the US Chambers of Commerce. However, its rank remains pretty low at 44thplace with 12.03 points in a list of 50 countries. India’s ranking, the report said, reflected a relatively strong performance in the new indicators as well as positive reform efforts on patentability of computer- implemented inventions and registration procedures for well-known marks. The US tops the list with 37.98 points, followed by the United Kingdom (37.97) and Sweden (37.03). INDIA DOWN ON DEMOCRACY INDEX India slipped 10 ranks to 42nd place on an annual Global Democracy Index of 165 nations due to “rise of conservative religious ideologies” and increase in vigilantism and violence against minorities as well as other dissenting voices. The list compiled by the London based Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), is topped by Norway, followed by Iceland and Sweden. INDIA FARES VERY POORLY IN CORRUPTION India has been ranked 81st on the global corruption perception index for 2017, released by Transparency International, which named the country among the “worst offenders” in terms of graft and press freedom in the Asia Pacific region. The index ranks 180 countries by their perceived levels of public sector corruption. Best country at top was New Zealand, followed by Denmark and UK. Somalia was ranked at bottom.  45th edition of IHGF (Indian Handicrafts and Gifts Fair) Delhi Fair - Spring 2018 organised by Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts was held at Greater Noida, UP.  India will host the World Environment Day this year, on June 5. The theme this year is ‘Beat Plastic Pollution’.  The First ever International Kala Mela organised by the Lalit Kala Akademi and the Ministry of culture was held in New Delhi.  The three day World Congress on Information Technology was held in Hyderabad. Over 2,000 delegates took part in the Congress.  National Informatics Centre organized National Meet on Grassroot Informatics- VIVID 2018 in New Delhi with the theme “Cyber Security and Innovation”.  A two-day International Conference on Unani Medicine was held in New Delhi with the theme “Integration of Unani System of Medicine in Mainstream Healthcare”.  The 7th India Energy Congress was held in New Delhi. This year’s theme was 'Energy 4.0: Energy Transition Towards 2030'.  The World Sustainable Development Summit 2018 was held in New Delhi. The summit’s theme this year was ‘Partnerships for a Resilient Planet’.  India’s biggest Global Conference on Pharma Industry and Medical Devices was held in Bengaluru with the theme, ‘Driving Next Gen Pharmaceuticals.  India and United Kingdom jointly launched research projects on ‘Water Quality Research’ and ‘Energy Demand Reduction in Built Environment’.  In order to promote cross border flow of investments and technology, a revised DTAA (Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement) was signed with Kenya.  Oxford Dictionaries has chosen ‘Aadhaar’ as the Hindi word of 2017. The word gained popularity due to Aadhaar card, which was in news in 2017.
  • 11. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 12 JANUARY ISRAELI PM VISITS INDIA Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in New Delhi on a six-day visit to India. The visit marks the celebration of 25 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. He inaugurated the third edition of the annual Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi. The two countries inked nine pacts to boost cooperation in key areas, including cyber security & energy. ASEAN HEADS CHIEF GUEST AT R-DAY As a goodwill gesture to mark 25 years of the India – ASEAN relationship, India hosted all the ten heads of state of the Association of South East Asian Nations as Chief Guest at the Republic Day parade down the Rajpath in New Delhi on January 26. The 10 members of the ASEAN are Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Laos, Indonesia, Cambodia, Brunei, Vietnam, Myanmar and Philippines. This year contingent of the Punjab Regiment of India army won the award for Best Marching Contingent. Award for best tableau was won by Maharashtra tableau. INDIA-ASEAN SUMMIT AT DELHI India-ASEAN commemorative summit to celebrate the 25 years of Indo-ASEAN ties was held in New Delhi. The summit focused on issues like counter-terrorism, security, trade and connectivity. Leaders of the summit issued a joint statement by the name “Delhi Declaration”. The theme of the summit was "Shared Values, Common Destiny". INDIA JOINS AUSTRALIA GROUP India has joined the Australia Group export control regime as its 43rd member. It is an informal forum to ensure that exports by a country do not contribute to the development of chemical or biological weapons. SRI LANKA JOINS KNOWLEDGE NETWORK India signed four agreements with Sri Lanka for collaboration in the Information and communication technology (ICT) sector and setting up of an e-office system. Sri Lanka has become first country to be linked with the National Knowledge Network for collaboration among universities and academics. INDIA’s LONGEST ROAD TUNNEL The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved construction of 14.5 km long Zojila Road Tunnel in Jammu & Kashmir. The construction of this tunnel will provide all weather connectivity between Srinagar, Kargil and Leh and will bring about all round economic and socio-cultural development. ALL INDIA RADIO ON VOICE COMMAND Listeners can now tune into All India Radio (AIR) by giving a voice command from anywhere in the world, thanks to a recent partnership between the public broadcaster and Amazon Echo service. To avail this ‘voice on demand’ service, the listeners need to buy ‘Echo’ device from the Amazon. INDIA AMONG CHEAPEST COUNTRIES TO LIVE A survey of 112 countries by GoBankingRates that ranked nations on the basis of four key affordability metrics - local purchasing power, rent, groceries prices and consumer price index, has placed India at 2ndplace, just below South Africa, making us one of the cheapest nation to live in. Among the most expensive countries in the survey, Bermuda comes first, followed by Bahamas and Hong Kong. INDIA IMPROVES TALENT COMPETITIVENESS The Global Index of Talent Competitiveness released at the World Economic Forum summit has placed India at 81st rank amongst 119 countries. It is much better than 92nd spot secured last year. The index measures how countries grow, attract and retain talent. The list is topped by Switzerland, followed by Singapore and America at second and third rank, respectively.
  • 12. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 13 INDIA RANKED 30TH IN MANUFACTURING The World Economic Forum (WEF) has ranked India at 30th position on a global manufacturing index published in the "Readiness for the Future of Production" report. Japan has been found to have the best structure of production in world. INDIA SLIPS IN ENVIRONMENT PERFORMANCE In a study of 180 countries done by Yale and Columbia Universities along with the World Economic Forum to study the performance of countries in protecting the environment, India has been placed at 177th rank, falling down 36 points from 141 in 2016. The Environmental Performance Index pointed out severe air pollution as the main factor behind the low ranking. Switzerland tops the index, followed by France and Denmark. INDIA BEHIND PAK AS EMERGING ECONOMY India was ranked at the 62nd place among emerging economies on an Inclusive Development Index of World Economic Forum (WEF). In the report, China is on 26th position and Pakistan is on 47th. Lithuania topped the list of emerging economies while Norway was ranked as the world’s most inclusive advanced economy. ‘TEEN MURTI HAIFA CHOWK’ The Israeli Prime Minister paid homage to 44 Indian soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice for the liberation of fortified Haifa city on September 23, 1918, during World War I. As a mark of honour, the ‘Teen Murti Chowk near Teen Murti Memorial in New Delhi, has been formally renamed as ‘Teen Murti Haifa Chowk.’ INDIA RANKS 5TH IN BUSINESS INVESTMENT As per a survey of CEOs around the world by the global consultancy firm PwC, India has emerged as the fifth most attractive market for investments and the optimism over global economic growth. The USA remains at the top spot, followed by China and Germany.  India signed a MoU with Britain for the return of Indians, who have been residing in Britain as illegal migrants; and for sharing of criminal records.  First PIO (Persons of Indian Origin) Parliamentary Conference was held in Delhi on the occasion of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.  The 2018 edition of the historic Indian Science Congress will be held at Manipur University, Imphal, in March.  78th session of the Indian History Congress was hosted by the Jadavpur University in Kolkata.  The 16th International Energy Forum) Ministerial meeting will be held in New Delhi in April 2018.  The 7th Asia Steel International Conference will be held in Bhubaneswar, Odisha in February 2018 NEWS FROM STATES MARCH WORLD’s LONGEST SANDSTONE CAVE World’s longest sandstone cave has been discovered in Meghalaya, measuring 24,583 mts. The sandstone cave named Krem Puri was first discovered in 2016, but its actual length was confirmed recently. It is 6,000m longer than the current listed sandstone cave in the world, Cueva El Samán, (18,200m) in Venezuela. PUNE TOPS IN GOVERNANCE Pune was ranked at top in the fifth edition of the Annual Survey of India’s City-Systems done by urban governance watchdog Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy. The survey evaluated the quality of governance in India’s cities by assessing laws, policies and institutional processes currently in place. ANDHRA TO PROMOTE DIGITAL AWARENESS The Andhra Pradesh Government launched, Naipunya Ratham or World on Wheels, a multi-utility vehicle which aims to bring technology to the remote corners. It will facilitate and improve digital literacy, digital skills and create an awareness on various government schemes in rural areas.
  • 13. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 14 MAHARASHTRA TOPS IN BIOMEDICAL WASTE A recent study by the ministry of health and family welfare shows that Maharashtra tops in daily generation of biomedical waste, producing 71,511kg/day in 2016. Second is Karnataka (at 66,468kg/day), followed by Tamil Nadu (40,552kg/day), Kerala (37,773kg/day). Waste from hospitals, nursing homes, blood banks and veterinary institutions, including used syringes, bandages, amputated body parts and other human and animal bio- waste generated during medical treatment and research are categorised as bio-medical waste. WORLD’s LARGEST SOLAR POWER PLANT The first phase of a 2,000 MW solar park was inaugurated in the drought-prone Pavagada region of Tumkur district, Karnataka. The first phase of the Rs. 16,500 crore park called “Shakti Sthala” will generate 600MW, while the balance 1,400MW is expected to be commissioned by the end of this year. WEST BENGAL- BEGGARS FIRST CHOICE The data released by the Union Ministry of Social Justice, based on 2011 census, shows that there are around 4 lakh beggars in total in the country. The highest number of beggars, 81,000, is in West Bengal; followed by Uttar Pradesh and Bihar at number two and three respectively. Lakshadweep, a union territory, has only two people (least) begging for their livelihood. TRIBUNAL FOR MAHANADI WATER DISPUTE The Centre has constituted a three-member Mahanadi Water Disputes Tribunal headed by the Supreme Court Judge AM Khanwilkar to adjudicate the dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh over sharing the river's water.  Asia's largest tulip garden ‘Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden’ was opened for visitors for the current season in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir. The garden has 12.5 lakh tulip bulbs of 48 varieties.  Kerala launched ‘M-Kerala’, a unified app for all government services.  Kerala has declared Jackfruit has its official state fruit. Kerala has been producing around 30 to 60 crore jackfruits every year.  Gujarat's Surat district has become the first district in the country to run all its 52 Primary Health Centers fully on solar power.  A first of its kind museum dedicated to study of insects has been opened at the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.  ADB agrees to grant $80 million loan to help modernize Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions in Himachal Pradesh.  India's tallest national flag was unfurled in Belagavi (also known as Belgaum) in Karnataka. Measuring 9,600 sq ft, it was hosted on a 110-metre-tall flagpole.  The Asiatic lions, found only in Gir Forest National Park, have made a comeback from the brink of extinction, with their population rising to over 600.  Diu has become the first Union Territory in India to meet its 100 percent energy requirements from solar power.  A week-long world-famous 29thInternational Yoga Festival was held at Parmarth Niketan in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand.  India's first helicopter taxi service was launched in Bengaluru to fly passengers from Kempegowda International Airport to Electronic City.  Odisha launched ‘Ama Gaon, Ama Vikas’ programme to reach out to the people in rural areas and involve themselves in the developmental activities.  Maharashtra got its first Mega Food Park - Satara Mega Food Park at village Degaon, district Satara. FEBRUARY BENGAL MODEL IS BEST The Central Government has acknowledged that the government in West Bengal has used the 100 Days’ Work Scheme (NREGA) very effectively in the service of garbage disposal and solid waste management. Union Rural Development Ministry has sent instructions to the state and union territory governments to study and implement the Bengal model.
  • 14. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 15 KERALA TOPS THE HEALTH INDEX Kerala ranked as the best state in NITI Aayog’s latest Health Index report, followed by Punjab and Tamil Nadu. The report, for the first time, attempted to establish an annual systematic tool to measure and understand the heterogeneity and complexity of the nation’s performance in the health sector. HARYANA TO PROVIDE MEALS @ 10 The Haryana government has started ‘Antyodaya Aahaar Yojana’ for opening subsidised canteens in four districts-Faridabad, Gurugram, Hissar and Yamunanagar to offer a meal at Rs. 10 to the poor. The government plans to establish a total of 23 such canteens. ASIA’s BIGGEST TRIBAL FAIR IN TELAGANA Asia’s biggest biennial tribal fair – ‘Medaram Jathara’ was held in Medaram, a remote village in Eturu Nagaram forest area in Bhupalapally district of Telangana. Over one crore devotees from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Maharashtra are expected to throng the fair to pay obeisance to tribal deities — Sammakka and Saralakka. MISSION ONE CLICK LAUNCHED The Madhya Pradesh government has launched Mission One Click scheme to distribute the 30 types of scholarship in schools. The profiles of 1.48 cr. students of all government and private educational institutions of the state have been made online for this purpose. DIPC TO BE BUILT IN U P A new Defence Industrial Production Corridor is being planned in Uttar Pradesh, at an estimated cost of Rs 20,000 crore and it is expected to generate about 250,000 jobs. The corridor will link Agra, Aligarh, Lucknow, Kanpur, Jhansi and Chitrakoot to focus on the development requirements of Bundelkhand region. ROBOTS TO CLEAN FOR SEWERS IN KERALA The Kerala government plans to use robots to clean the sewer holes in the state with a view to avoid deaths caused during cleaning. Named 'Bandicoot', the robots are equipped with Wi-Fi, blue tooth and control panels and have four limbs and a bucket system attached to a spider web looking extension to scoop out the waste from sewers. KERALA LINKS VACCINATION TO SCHOOLS Kerala government has made vaccination compulsory for school admissions from next academic year onwards. Parents will have to show details of shots given to children at the time of enrolment in schools. UP LAUNCHES ‘DASTAK’ TO FIGHT AES/JE Uttar Pradesh along with UNICEF has launched massive door to door campaign DASTAK to eradicate deadly Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) and Japanese Encephalitis (JE) disease in the state. The war cry of DASTAK is 'Darwaja Khatkhatao, AES aur JE ko bhagao'. 2 NEW GANGA PROJECTS IN UTTRAKHAND Two new projects, Gangotri Swachh Iconic Place project and Swajal -- a community owned drinking water programme were launched in Uttarakhand in Uttarkashi district. Under another special initiative, the Bagori Ganga Gram project was launched in Bagori village for a solid and liquid waste management scheme.
  • 15. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 16 OLA TO LAUNCH RIVER TAXI IN ASSAM Assam signed a MoU with the cab aggregator Ola to launch an app-based river taxi service in Guwahati. The river taxis will be machine-operated boats and users will be able to book the rides through Ola's app. GOPALGANJ TOPS IN MAKING TOILETS Gopalganj district of Bihar has set a new record by constructing 11,244 toilets in only 100 hours. Three thousand masons and over five thousand labourers were engaged in construction work of toilets. BENGAL NO TO HEALTH PROTECTION SCHEME Bengal government has announced the decision to opt out of Centre’s National Health Protection Scheme as the state has already enrolled 50 lakh people under its own Swasthya Sathi programme.  An Inter-Ministerial Committee on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants has been constituted for the North Eastern Region.  To keep the world famous one-horned rhinoceros under the global spotlight, Assam has decided to commemorate September 22 as 'Rhino Day'.  Telangana signed a MoU with the Taoyuan City of Taiwan for better technology partnership in the state.  Uttar Pradesh's Khadi and Village Industries Board has signed a pact with Amazon India to facilitate online selling of Khadi products.  On January 20, the Chhatrapati Shivaji airport Mumbai, created a world record for single-runway operations by handling 980 arrivals and take-offs in 24 hours.  A first of its kind, Centre for learning Sanskrit was launched in Gujarat University, Ahmadabad. It will offer a 6 month course on how to speak Sanskrit.  The Maharashtra has approved Ghodazari, covering Brahmpuri forests in Chandrapur district as a new wildlife sanctuary in the state.  Jharkhand government plans to built the world’s tallest Buddha stupa at Itkhori in district Chatra, Jharkhand.  A three-day international bird festival was held at the Dudhwa National Park, Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh from 9 to 11 February.  The Institute of Directors organised its 12th International Conference on Corporate Social Responsibility in Bengaluru, Karnataka.  Asian Development Bank to give $84 million loan to finance water supply projects in two cities of Bihar.  The New Development Bank (of BRICS) to provide $100 million loan for the financing of Rajasthan Water Sector Restructuring Project for the Desert.  The World Bank to provide $100 million loan for Tamil Nadu Rural Transformation Project for boosting up the rural economy. JANUARY ASSAM FIRST TO UPDATE NRC Nearly 32 years after the Assam Accord was signed on August 15, 1985, the Assam government released the first draft of an updated National Register of Citizens (NRC) for the State at midnight on December 31. It listed 1.90 crore names out of the 3.29 crore applicants. Assam is the only State in the country that prepared an NRC in 1951 following the census of that year and has become the first State to get the first draft of its own updated NRC. GUJARAT TOPS IN TRADE LOGISTICS The Logistics Ease Across Different States (LEADS) index, a composite indicator to assess international trade logistics across states and Union territories, has ranked Gujarat at top, followed by Punjab and Andhra Pradesh at the second and third positions, respectively. The logistics performance of Indian states and Union territories is “sub-par” owing to a host of inefficiencies that need improvement.
  • 16. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 17 KARNATAKA PROTESTS FOR MAHADAYI Farmer groups in five north Karnataka districts staged wide spread protests over getting Mahadayi river water from Goa to meet the drinking water needs of drought- prone areas of the region. The Mahadayi (called Mandovi in Goa) originates in Karnataka and flows to Goa and Maharashtra. The three states are locked in a protracted dispute over sharing its water for 30 years. UP SCHEME TO PROMOTE DISTRICTS The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet has approved 'one district, one product' scheme to promote products indigenous to every district to boost economic development of every district and also help in the generation of five lakh new jobs annually. 'SHAKTI' APP FOR WOMEN's SAFETY Himachal Pradesh govt launched the 'Shakti' app, with a panic button, for women's safety. The app does not require internet connectivity and just shaking the device (mobile phone) would trigger the app to send its location through GPS to the nearest police station and also activate the audio and video recording. RAJASTHAN GETS ITS FIRST REFINERY The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for a mega Rajasthan oil refinery project at Pachpadra in Barmer district of the state. This is the first refinery to be set up in Rajasthan. It is a joint venture between Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) and the Rajasthan government at a cost of Rs 43000 crores. The project is expected to generate thousands of direct and indirect jobs and bring an additional income of Rs 34000 crores to the state. AFSPA RULE EXTENDED IN NAGALAND Nagaland has been declared as a disturbed area for six more months, till June end, under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). The decision has been taken by the Union Home Ministry as killings, loot and extortion have been going in various parts of the state. PORTAL FOR HIGH-RISK PREGNANCY Haryana has become the first state in the country to launch High-Risk Pregnancy (HRP) Portal to ensure early identification of high-risk pregnancy cases and their timely referral to the civil hospitals for further management.  Maharashtra becomes first state to come out with a public cloud policy directing all its departments to shift their data storage onto the cloud.  Madhya Pradesh has become the first state to fully achieve the target of door-to-door garbage collection in areas under urban bodies.  Himachal launched a nutrition scheme for HIV-+ children to provide nutritional supplement and to boost the immunity of children up to the age of 18.  The Bihar government has banned manufacture, distribution, sale, purchase, display and advertisement of e-cigarette in the state.  Sikkim has appointed renowned music composer A R Rahman as the brand ambassador of the State.  India’s first floating market is now open in Kolkata's Lake Patuli. The market functions solely on 114 boats, where shopkeepers sell fruits, vegetables, fish among other produce.  India’s second Film and Television Institute is being set up in Arunachal Pradesh for tapping the potential of the North-eastern region.  Maharashtra has approved 1% reservation for orphans in govt jobs under the general category to help their rehabilitation and secure their future.  The International Kite Festival was held at Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmadabad, Gujarat.  The 3rd Science Film Festival of India, titled SCI-FFI Goa, held in Goa from January 16-19.  The Andhra Pradesh Government and the Canton of Zurich (Switzerland) signed a MoU to promote mutual prosperity and development.  Jaipur Literature Festival, popularly known as Kumbh of literature, was held at Diggi Palace in Jaipur.
  • 17. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 18  Arunachal Pradesh has been declared open defecation free ahead of the national deadline of October 2, 2019.  The World Bank to provide $ 40 million loan for 'Uttar Pradesh Pro-Poor Tourism Development Project' to boost tourism-related benefits for locals.  The World Bank will provide a $120 million loan to improve water supply services in peri-urban areas of Uttarakhand. GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES MARCH NEW SCHEME FOR SCHOOL EDUCATION Govt has approved an Integrated School Education Scheme by merging Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education (TE) from 1 April, 2018. The new scheme will ensure inclusive and equitable quality education from nursery to senior secondary stage in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goal for Education. NATIONAL NUTRITION MISSION LAUNCHED The Prime Minister launched the National Nutrition Mission from Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan. It is a comprehensive approach towards raising nutrition level in the country on a war footing by introducing IT based solutions to improve and record functioning of Anganwadi Workers. It will also comprise setting-up of Nutrition Resource Centres and involving masses through Jan Andolan for their participation in improving nutrition awareness. The mission targets to reduce stunting, under-nutrition among young children, women and adolescent girls and reduce low birth weight by at least 2 per cent per annum. EFFORTS TO PROMOTE TRIBAL PRODUCTS The Tribal Coop. Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs launched “e-Tribes India” to promote expansion of tribal commerce and the availability of tribal products over large area, reaping greater benefits for tribal artisans. TRIFED also launched M-commerce app and ‘Tribes India’ banners at Amazon, Snapdeal, Paytm and GeM. AYUSHMAN BHARAT LAUNCHED The Union Cabinet has approved the launch of Ayushman Bharat -National Health Protection Mission. The Scheme will provide medical benefit cover of 5 lakh rupees per family per year. The scheme aims to cover over 10 crore poor and vulnerable families. WOMEN ENTREPRENEURSHIP PLATFORM NITI Aayog launched the Women Entrepreneurship Platform on the occasion of International Women’s Day. The initiative is aimed at promoting a vibrant ecosystem for supporting and strengthening women entrepreneur- ship. The initiative will work on three pillars: Ichha Shakti: Motivating aspiring entrepreneurs to start their enterprise Gyaan Shakti: Providing knowledge support required for stating an enterprise Karma Shakti: Providing hands-on support in setting- up the enterprise. 'LAQSHYA' TO IMPROVE LABOUR ROOMS The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched 'LaQshya' Initiative- 'Labour Room Quality Improvement Initiative' to improve the quality of care in Labour rooms especially on the day of birth for enhancing maternal and neonatal survival. It aims to prevent adverse outcomes associated with childbirth. SATH-E TO TRANSFORM SCHOOL EDUCATION NITI Aayog released comprehensive roadmaps and detailed timelines for its initiative Sustainable Action for Transforming Human Capital in Education (SATH-E) project. It will introduce system-wide governance transformation in School Education initially in 3 participating States-Jharkhand, M P and Odisha to make them ‘Role Model States’ in school education.
  • 18. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 19 ‘SUKHAD YATRA’ APP FOR HIGHWAY USERS The National Highways Authority of India, NHAI, has launched ‘Sukhad Yatra’ mobile app to empower the highway user. The app includes provision for the user to enter road quality-related information or to report any accident or pothole on the highway. It will provide all necessary highway relates information such as emergency help, places of interest, petrol pumps etc, on a real time basis with location tracking feature. ‘SUVIDHA’ SANITARY NAPKINS LAUNCHED Government has launched the 100 per cent Oxo- biodegradable Sanitary Napkin named ‘Suvidha’ under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana. It will be available for Rs 2.50 per pad at over 3200 Janaushadhi Kendras across India and would ensure ‘Swachhta, Swasthya and Suvidha’ for the underprivileged Women of India. ‘INNOVATION CELL’ SET UP IN HRD MINISTRY Government has decided to set up an Innovation Cell in the HRD Ministry to strengthen innovation efforts, leading to the creation of a new India. The cell would be headed by a Scientist and will comprise of a senior ministry official and young professionals who would bring forth new ideas in promoting innovation. UDYAM SAKHI PORTAL LAUNCHED The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) launched Udyam Sakhi (saheli of entrepreneur) Portal for women entrepreneurs of India to nurture entrepreneurship and create business models for low cost products and services in order to empower women. The portal would provide assistance for entrepreneurship learning tools, incubation facility, training programs, fund raising, providing mentors, etc. ‘CITIZEN SERVICES’ APP LAUNCHED The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) has introduced a Mobile App ‘Citizen Services’, which is a bouquet of 9 police related services, for the citizen. It can be used by the citizens for various services such as registering police complaint and checking its status, viewing FIR detail, sending SOS, locating police stations and getting access to emergency contact list and police stations telephone directory. BILL TO REIN IN ECONOMIC OFFENDERS Union Cabinet has approved the establishment of National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA). The NFRA will act as an independent regulator for the auditing profession which was one of the key changes brought in by the Companies Act 2013. FUGITIVE ECONOMIC OFFENDERS BILL - 2018 The Union Cabinet gave nod to the Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill - 2018 to deal with those escaping overseas to avoid getting caught. The bill empowers government to seize and confiscate properties and asset, including the ‘benami’ ones, of the Fugitive Economic Offenders. The economic offences worth 100 crore rupees or more will come under the purview of the Bill. 2018 - NATIONAL YEAR OF MILLETS The government has decided to declare 2018 as 'National Year of Millets to boost the cultivation of millets on a mission mode to achieve nutritional security. The push will promote cultivation of Jowar, Bajra, Ragi. Millet cultivation has declined due to change in dietary habits and unavailability of millets leading to deficiency of nutrients like proteins, Vitamin- A, iron and iodine among women and children. UREA SUBSIDY TO CONTINUE TILL 2019-20 The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the proposal of Department of Fertilizers to continue Urea Subsidy Scheme up to 2019-20 at a total estimated cost of Rs 1,64,935 cr. and for disbursement of fertilizer subsidy. The decision implies that there will be no increase in the price of urea till 2020.
  • 19. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 20 AWARDS FOR THE BEST INVESTIGATORS For promoting high professional standards among police forces, the government has decided to institute an award for carrying out best investigation of crime. The award - Union Home Minister's Medal for Excellence in Police Investigation - will be given to the best investigators from the rank of Sub-Inspector to Superintendent of Police. RULES TO BAN USE OF POPs The Union Environment Ministry notified new Regulation of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP) Rules, 2018 that ban the manufacture, trade, use, import and export of the seven toxic chemicals listed under the Stockholm Convention. The POPs are organic chemical substances, mostly used in pesticides, which are toxic to both humans and wildlife. REPORTING OF TB CASES MADE MANDATORY The Union Health Ministry has notified that all pharmacies and chemists dispensing anti-tuberculosis drugs will have to notify TB patients along with details of medicines and a copy of the prescriptions electronically or in hard copy to the nodal officer of the district. Failure to do so will attract legal action and penalties. The decision aims to trace the missing TB cases by strengthening the reporting system. JOINT FORUM FOR INDIAN METROS An association of all Indian Metro Rail companies has been formed, named ‘I-Metro’. It will be a forum to exchange ideas, knowledge pool and share experiences, best practices, innovations, etc among the Indian Metro rail companies to nurture excellence in performance. PMEGP EXTENDED UP TO 2020 The government has decided to extend the Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) beyond 12th Plan for three years from 2017- 18 to 2019-20 to provide better self employment opportunities. INDIA TO BE TB FREE BY 2025 The Prime Minister has give clarion call to achieve the Sustainable Development goal of ending TB by 2025, 5 years, before the deadline set by the UN. A National Strategic Plan for TB elimination has been launched for this purpose. This plan is backed by a historic funding of over 12,000 crore rupees for the next three years. It aims at ensuring access to quality diagnosis, treatment, and support for every TB patient. INDIA 2018 AND BHARAT 2018 The two exhaustive reference annuals, the flagship publications brought out by Publications Division of the Government of India, were released on Feb 27 in New Delhi. It deals with all aspects of country’s development from rural to urban, industry to infrastructure, science and technology to human resource development, art and culture, policy, economy, health, defence, education and mass communication. It also gives a glimpse of flagship programmes of the Government, important events of the year and the story of Indian States & Union Territories with their vital statistics. BAAL AADHAAR WITHOUT BIOMETRICS The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has introduced a blue coloured 'Baal Aadhaar' card for children below the age of five years. Initially, the card will be issued without any biometric details. However, once they turn five, they will be required to complete a mandatory verification process, and again when they are 15 years old. NOW ENJOY JAPANESE FOOD IN DELHI Department of Posts launched the Cool EMS Service between Japan and India to allow Indian customers to import Japanese food items in specially cooled boxes for personal use. Initially, the service will be available in Delhi only. EMS – Express Mail Service
  • 20. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 21 SALARY, ALLOWANCES REVISED FOR MPs The Union Cabinet has approved amendment to various rules that decide the amount of allowances to the Member of Parliament. The new rates will be effective from 1st of April this year and will be increased every five years starting April 1, 2023, based on the Cost of Inflation Index. The basic pay of the parliamentarians is also set to be doubled to Rs. 1 lakh, w.e.f. April 1. Expenditure head Old limit Revised limit Furniture at residence 75,000 1,00,000 Constituency Allowance 45,000 70,000 Office Expense Allowance 45,000 60,000 Wi-Fi facility 1700 2200 GOVT TO FOCUS ON SERVICES SECTOR The Union Cabinet approved the proposal of the Department of Commerce to give focused attention to 12 identified Champion Services Sectors for promoting their development, and realizing their potential. These include IT & ITeS, Tourism and Hospitality Services, Medical Value Travel, Transport and Logistics Services, Audio Visual Services, Legal Services, Communication Services, Construction and Engineering Services, Environmental Services, Financial Services and Education Services.  Govt. has launched India’s first sign language dictionary with the aim of removing the communication barriers between the deaf and hearing communities.  The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved Integrated Scheme for Development of Silk Industry for the next three years from 2017-20.  Heralding a new beginning in the diplomatic ties between India and Israel, the Air India has introduced a thrice a week direct flight from New Delhi to Tel Aviv. FEBRUARY STREE SWABHIMAN INITIATIVE LAUNCHED Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has launched Stree Swabhiman Initiative. Its aim is to create sustainable model for providing adolescent girls and women an access to affordable sanitary products by leveraging Common Service Centres (CSCs). They will provide access to affordable, reliable and modern (eco- friendly) sanitary napkins to adolescent girls and women in rural areas. ‘KUSUM’ LAUNCHED FOR SOLAR POWER Government launched Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahaabhiyan (KUSUM) Scheme to encourage farmers for solar farming. The scheme aims for decentralized solar power production of up to 28250 megawatt (MW) over a period of five years. INDO-HIGHWAY CAPACITY MANUAL RELEASED India’s first ever manual laying down guidelines on when and how to expand or manage different types of roads was released in New Delhi. Titled ‘Indo-Highway Capacity Manual’, it lays down parameters for capacity augmentation of roads based on a country-wide study of traffic characteristics on different categories of roads such as single lane, two-lane, multi-lane urban roads, inter-urban highways and expressways and the intersections of these roads. 562 MORE EKALAVYA SCHOOLS The Centre will set up 562 more Ekalavya Model Residential Schools in tribal areas of the country to provide free quality education and boarding and lodging facilities to tribal students. 271 such schools have already been sanctioned out of which, 190 are currently operational. By the year 2022, every block having tribal population of 20,000 or more tribals, will have an Ekalavya School.
  • 21. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 22 Point to Ponder..!! FINDING HAPPINESS A factory owner called a meeting of its workers, some fifty of them. He gave a balloon to every one of them and asked them to write his/her name on it using a marker pen. Then all the balloons were collected and put in another room. Then, workers were shifted to this room and asked to find the balloon which had their name written, within 5 minutes. Everyone was frantically searching for their name, pushing, colliding with each other, and there was utter chaos. At the end of 5 minutes, no one could find their own balloon. Now each one was asked to randomly collect a balloon and give it to the person whose name was written on it. Within a minute everyone had their own balloon. This is exactly happening in our lives. Everyone is frantically looking for happiness all around, not knowing where it is. Our happiness lies in the happiness of other people. Give them their happiness; you will get your own happiness. SCHEME TO PROMOTE SCIENE RESEARCH Union Cabinet has approved implementation of Prime Minister's Research Fellows (PMRF) scheme at a total cost of 1,650 crore rupees for a period of seven years beginning 2018-19. The scheme was announced in the Union Budget for 2018-19. Under this scheme, best students among those who have completed or are in the final year of B. Tech or Integrated M.Tech or M.Sc. in Science and Technology streams from IISc or IITs or NITs or IISERs or IIITs, will be offered direct admission in PhD programme in the IITs or IISc. SPECIAL FUND FOR HOUSING SCHEMES Union Cabinet has approved the creation of National Urban Housing Fund with a corpus of 60,000 crore rupees. The fund will be under the Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The fund will ensure smooth flow of Central Assistance under different housing schemes. ISRO TO ESTABLISH VRCs To demonstrate the potential of satellite technology for development of rural areas, ISRO has established Village Resource Centres (VRCs) on a pilot basis, in association with selected NGOs, trusts and state government. VRCs provide various space technology enabled services such as tele-healthcare, tele-education, natural resources information, advisories related to agriculture, career guidance to rural students, skill development and vocational training etc. 24 NEW MEDICAL COLLEGES The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) gave its approval for setting up 24 new medical colleges in under-served areas, increasing the under and post graduate medical seats by 18,058 and adding 248 nursing and midwifery schools. DL TO BE LINKED WITH AADHAAR The government is planning to make linking of driving licences with Aadhaar number mandatory to check fake licences. A software for covering all states on a real time basis for this purpose is under preparation. Meanwhile, a draft notification has been issued to consider Aadhaar as a valid proof of age and address for driving license. PRIVATE COAL MINING ALLOWED In a major reform in the coal sector since its nationalisation in 1973, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has now allowed private companies mining of coal for commercial use, ending the monopoly of state-owned Coal India Ltd. Currently, the private sector is allowed coal mining for captive use only. The move will lead to higher investments and create lakhs of direct and indirect jobs. Apart from increasing competitiveness, it will allow the use of best possible technology into the sector.
  • 22. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 23 PLASTIC/PVC AADHAAR CARD NOT NEEDED The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has clarified that the plastic or PVC Aadhaar Smart Cards are not usable as the QR code mentioned on them usually becomes dysfunctional during printing. UIDAI also made clear that Aadhaar letter or its cutaway portion or downloaded versions of Aadhaar on ordinary paper or mAadhaar are perfectly valid. TARGET HIKED FOR UJJWALA YOJNA The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved enhancement of the target of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) for providing LPG connections to BPL families, to 8 crore from 5 crore at present. The hiked target will be achieved by 2020 with an additional allocation of Rs 4800 crore. NO MORE RESERVATION CHARTS Doing away with, the Railway Board has decided to discontinue the age-old practice of pasting reservation charts on coaches. The decision aims to avoid defacing of newly done-up coaches and minimise possibility of stampede, as people thronged around the pasted-charts to see the number of their reserved seats. Reservation details now will be displayed by digital boards. JANUARY AADHAAR TO HAVE FACE IDENTIFICATION The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDA) has introduced face authentication as an additional means of Aadhaar authentication along with fingerprint and iris scan to facilitate easy authentication for those individuals who face difficulties in other biometric authentication such as fingerprint and iris scan. The facility will be available by July 01, 2018. CYBER SURAKSHIT BHARAT LAUNCHED The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology launched Cyber Surakshit Bharat initiative in association with National e-Governance Division in Delhi. The move is aimed at strengthening the cyber security ecosystem in India keeping in view ‘Digital India’ concept. VIRTUAL ID FOR AADHAAR NUMBER The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has introduced a concept of 'Virtual ID' to further strengthen privacy and security of Aadhaar number holders. Aadhaar card holder can generate the Virtual ID from UIDAI website and give for various purposes, including SIM card verification, instead of sharing the actual 12-digit biometric ID. ‘SFOORTI’ APP TO IMPROVE RAIL TRAFFIC With a view to improve the traffic flows and optimize freight operations, Ministry of Railways has launched a Geographic Information System (GIS) based Smart Freight Operation Optimisation & Real Time Information (SFOORTI) App for its Freight Managers. ‘iCREATE’ TO PROMOTE INNOVATION Israeli Prime Minister inaugurated the iCreate facility at Deo Dholera Village in Ahmedabad, Gujarat for facilitating entrepreneurship through a blend of creativity, innovation and leveraging emerging technologies to deal with major issues such as food security, water, connectivity, cyber security, IT and electronics. ‘NARI’ PORTAL FOR WOMEN Women and Child Development Ministry launched an online portal NARI (National Repository of Information – for women) for the empowerment of women. It will provide easy access to information on over 350 government schemes and initiatives for women. It will also cover tips on nutrition, suggestions for health checkups, tips for job search, investment and savings advice, information on crimes against women and reporting procedures, contacts of legal aid cells, adoption procedures and much more.
  • 23. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 24 7 STAR RATING FOR CLEAN CITIES A ‘Protocol for Star Rating of Garbage-Free Cities’ was launched in Goa. An initiative of the ministry of housing and urban affairs, this smart star-rating system developed by the Swachh Bharat Mission – Urban, would rate the cities on a 7-star rating system, which would be based on multiple cleanliness indicators for solid waste management. RESERVATION FOR ACID ATTACK VICTIMS The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has asked all central government departments to ensure that one percent of each post be reserved for people with blindness and low vision; deaf and hard of hearing; locomotor disability including cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarfism, acid attack victims and muscular dystrophy. GOVT SAYS ‘NO’ TO PLASTIC FLAGS The government has advised that the national flag made of plastic should not be used as they are not biodegradable like paper flags. Thus, they do not get decomposed for a long time, posing a practical problem corresponding with the dignity of the flag. SOLAR DEVELOPMENT FUND SET UP India announced setting up of a $350 million solar development fund for solar-projects-financing in the first International Solar Alliance outreach programmes at the Future World Energy Summit at Abu Dhabi. 4 NEW SCHEMES FOR PROMOTING SCIENCE The government has announced four new schemes to promote young scientists and researchers in the country. The schemes are: i) Teacher Associateship for Research Excellence: To connect the educators to leading institutions like IIT, IISc or CSIR to pursue research. ii) Overseas Visiting Doctoral Fellowship: To support 100 PhD scholars for training in universities / laboratories abroad up to 12 months during their doctoral research. iii) Distinguished Investigator Award: To offer 100 fellowships to principal investigators of Science and Engineering Research Board and Department of Science and Technology projects. iv) Augmenting Writing Skills for Articulating Research: To encourage writings in science. PROGRAMME ON URBAN PLANNING The Ministry of Human Resource Development with active support by NITI Aayog and Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs organized the first course on Sustainable Urban planning using remote sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS) under the Global Initiative on Academic Network (GIAN). The course aims to give participants state-of-the-art remote sensing and GIS skills that will allow them to rise to the challenge of managing the rapidly changing urban environment of Indian cities, with special focus on water resource management and water pollution control. PCRA LAUNCHES SAKSHAM PROGRAMME Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA) organized its annual flagship event Saksham (Sanrakshan Kshamta Mahotsav) to focus on the active involvement of the Oil & Gas PSUs along with State Governments, for creating awareness on fuel conservation through people-centric activities.
  • 24. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 25 GOVT DISCONTINUES HAJ SUBSIDIES Falling in line with the Supreme Court orders, government will no longer provide subsidy to Haj pilgrims and has pledged that funds saved will be used for the education of minorities, particularly girls. In 2012, the Supreme Court ordered that subsidies for the Haj be phased out by 2022 and the money saved (around Rs. 450 crore annually) diverted to more welfare-oriented activities. It was felt that the subsidy, essentially for air travel, was helping airlines more and hajis less. NPS NORMS RELAXED FOR WITHDRAWAL PFRDA has permitted partial withdrawal under the National Pension System (NPS) only for limited purposes like purchase of residential premises, treatment of critical illness, higher education and marriage of children. NPS subscribers who have contributed for three years can now withdraw up to 25% of the corpus for meeting these specified expenses. ELECTORAL BONDS TO CLEAN POLITICS The government has launched scheme of Electoral Bonds, aimed at cleaning the system of political funding in the country. The bonds will be a bearer instrument in the form of promissory note and will be an interest-free banking instrument. The bonds will be issued in the multiples of one thousand, ten thousand, one lakh, ten lakh and one crore rupees from the specified branches of the State Bank of India for ten days in January, April, July and October. They will have a life of only 15 days during which they could be used for making donation only to the registered political parties. SPECIAL LEAVE FOR APHERESIS DONATION Union Ministry of Personnel has decided that special casual leave may be granted to the central government employees going for apheresis donation (blood components such as red cells, plasma, platelets, etc), in addition to blood donation at licensed blood banks on a working day (for that day only) up to a maximum of four times a year on submission of valid proof of donation. MPLAD SCHEME EXTENDED TILL 2020 The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved continuation of Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) till the term of the 14th Finance Commission i.e. 31st March 2020. The MPLAD Scheme enables the MPs to undertake community projects based on locally felt needs such as drinking water, sanitation, education, public health, roads etc in their constituencies. ONLINE TRAINING FOR CANCER Tata Memorial Center in collaboration with the Health Ministry launched the country’s first digital Online Oncology Tutorial Series to train the doctors across the country to educate them in early detection, prevention, palliation, rehabilitation and treatment of cancers. APP LAUNCHED FOR LIVESTOCK DISEASES Govt has launched a mobile application which can forewarn farmers about diseases affecting the livestock. The app – Livestock Disease Forewarning (LDF) – has been developed by ICAR-National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics. Apart from early warning, the app will also provide information about clinical samples for diagnosis in the case of an epidemic. EC TO REVIEW SEC 126 OF RP ACT The Election Commission of India has constituted a 14 member committee headed by Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Umesh Sinha to suggest changes to Section 126 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 (RP Act) in view of social media expansion. It will study the impact of new media and social media channels during the “silence period”, the 48 hours no campaigning period prior to beginning of voting, as prescribed by section 126 of the RP Act.
  • 25. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 26 NO CASH FUNDING TO POLITICAL PARTIES The Income Tax Department has cautioned people against indulging in illegal cash transactions, including donating more than Rs 2,000 in cash to political parties. In a bid to clean up election funding, the government early this year had notified 'electoral bonds' that can be bought from specified branches of the SBI. THE SAVINGS (TAXABLE) BONDS 2018 Government has launched Savings (Taxable) Bonds, 2018 scheme to enable resident citizens/HUF to invest in a taxable bond, without any monetary ceiling. The bonds have face value of Rs 1,000 and maturity period of 7 yrs. Bonds will earn interest at 7.75% and interest earned will be taxable and subject to TDS provisions.  Indian government approved an agreement with Myanmar to allow free movement of people across the land border of the two nations.  The beneficiary module of the Rapid Reporting System for online monitoring of the Scheme for Adolescent Girls launched in New Delhi.  Union Cabinet approved a MoU with Transport for London, UK, to improve passenger services and promote the use of high-capacity buses in India. ECONOMY & INDUSTRY MARCH GDP GROWTH JUMPS TO 7.2% As per the second advanced estimates of the Central Statistics Office (CSO), the economy is expected to grow at 6.6% in the current fiscal ending March 31, 2018 as the quarter ending Dec 31, 2017 recorded very high growth rate of 7.2 per cent. This is the sign of recovery after growth took a hit following the twin disruptions of demonetisation and GST. WORLD BANK PUTS INDIA's GROWTH AT 6.7% The World Bank has projected India's GDP growth at 7.3 per cent for the year 2018-19. The World Bank's biannual publication, India Development Update - India's Growth Story, expects the economy to clock a growth rate of 6.7 percent in the year 2017-18. INDIA TO GROW BY 6.5% - FITCH International rating agency Fitch has projected India's economic growth to rise to 7.3 per cent in 2018-19 and further to 7.5 per cent in 2019-20. Its Global Economic Outlook report has projected Indian economy to grow by 6.5 per cent in 2017-18, slightly less than official estimates of 6.6 per cent by the Central Statistics Office. MOODY’s PROJECT INDIA’s GROWTH AT 7.6% Moody's Investors Service has estimated that Indian economy will grow 7.6 per cent in calendar year 2018 (Jan to Dec) and 7.5 per cent in 2019, amid signs of economic recovery from impact of demonetisation/GST. INDIA 4th LARGEST VEHICLE SELLER Selling over 4 million vehicles in 2017, India has overtaken Germany to become the fourth largest automobile market in the world, growing by 9.5 per cent over 2016. The top three include China – 29.12 mn, USA- 17.58 mn and Japan – 5.24 mn. INDIA IMPORTS LNG FROM USA After crude oil, India has now decided to import natural gas from the US. The first shipment of LNG was flagged off from Louisiana, a port town in south-east USA. State-owned gas utility GAIL India has contracted for import of 3.5 million tonnes per annum of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Cheniere Energy, Inc. TRAINS REPORTING SYSTEM UPGRADED Railways Ministry has discontinued the practice of manually recording punctuality of trains at major railway junctions across the country. Arrival and departure of trains now will be recorded with data loggers to establish authentic punctuality status. A data logger is an electronic device that records data over time by sensing status of relays.
  • 26. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 27 RAILWAYS TO USE PoS FOR BILLING Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has introduced billing through Point of Sale (POS) hand-held machines in trains to check overcharging by vendors. This will help not only making passengers aware of relevant information but also in improving the passenger satisfaction. TELECOM BASE IS SHRINKING India’s telecom subscriber base dipped by almost 1.5 crore in January this year to 117.5 crore at the end of the month, with smaller operators losing bulk of their customers, as per monthly TRAI report. The mobile subscriber base declined to 115.19 crore at the end of January 2018 from 1,16.74 crore at the end of December 2017, down 1.33 per cent. AIIB TO FUND INDIA’s INFRASTRUCTURE China-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has approved $ 1.5 billion in loans to India for infrastructure-related projects in 2018. The funds would be used for investment in India's energy, roads and urban development projects. ADB TO FINANCE INDIAN RAILWAYS The Asian Development Bank has committed $120 million loan for completion of works for double-tracking and electrification of railways tracks along high-density corridors to improve operational efficiency of Indian Railways.  Iraq has become India’s biggest crude oil supplier by overtaking Saudi Arabia with a wide margin in the current financial year.  Indian Oil Corp has launched home-delivery of diesel on a pilot basis in Pune and plans to expand the same to other parts of the country in near future.  Government has decided to sell up to 76 percent stake in Air India and transfer the management control to private players. FEBRUARY GROWTH RATE HIKED TO 8.2% FOR 15-16 The Central Statistics Office (CSO) revised the GDP growth rate for 2015-16 to 8.2% from the earlier estimates of 8% and kept the 2016-17 growth unchanged at 7.1%. The real GDP or GDP at constant (2011-12) prices for the years 2016-17 and 2015-16 stands at Rs 121.96 lakh crore and Rs 113.86 lakh crore, respectively. CLASSIFICATION CHANGED FOR MSME UNITS The government has reclassified the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) on the basis of turnover rather than investment in plant and machinery / equipment as at present. This will also give them the benefit of corporate tax cuts announced in the Union Budget. Corporate tax for units with turnover up to Rs 250 cr has been reduced to 25 per cent from 30 per cent at present. Size of Unit Annual Turnover Micro Up to 5 cr Small Over 5 cr up to 75cr Medium Over 75 cr up to 250cr Large Over 250CR NO JUNK FOOD AD ON CARTOON CHANNELS Food and Beverage Alliance of India (FBIA) has decided to voluntarily restrict food and beverage advertisements, particularly those showing junk food having high fat/sugar/salt, on cartoon channels.
  • 27. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 28 ADB LOAN FOR RURAL ROADS Asian Development Bank to grant $250 million loan to finance the construction of over 6,200 kilometres all- weather rural roads in Assam, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).  The South Central Railway (SCR) has become the first railway zone in the country to complete 100% LED lighting at all the 733 stations under its jurisdiction.  A new train named Palace Queen Humsafar Express has been launched between Mysuru, Karnataka and Udaipur in Rajasthan.  Kia Motors, automobile giant from North Korea plans to launch its cars in Indian market. JANUARY HIGHEST FOREIGN FUNDING FROM MAURITIUS Latest data released by the RBI under the Census on Foreign Liabilities and Assets of Indian Direct Investment Companies, shows that during 2016-17 the Mauritius was the largest source of foreign investment in India, accounting for 21.8 per cent share, followed by the USA and the UK. PER CAPITA INCOME CROSSES 1 LAC BAR Data released by the CSO- Central Statistics Office, shows that India's annual per capita income, a gauge for measuring living standard, grew by 9.7 per cent to Rs 1,03,219 in 2016-17. Due to slump in economic growth, the per capita income this year is likely to witness a slower growth of 8.3 per cent at Rs 1,11,782 in 2017-18. FDI NORMS LIBERALISED The Union Cabinet approved new foreign direct investment (FDI) norms for several fields, including allowing overseas airlines to own up to 49% of Air India and permitting 100% FDI in single brand retail trade - SBRT and construction development under the automatic route. The Centre also eased the mandatory sourcing requirement of 30% of purchases from India for SBRT for first five years. INDIA’s FIRST COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has allowed Dornier 228 aircraft built by the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, to be used for civilian flights. The 19- seater aircraft is the first plane to be made in the country for commercial flights. JUTE PACKAGING MUST FOR FOODGRAINS The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved mandatory packaging of 90 per cent of the food grains and 20 per cent of the sugar products in the jute material for the Jute Year 2017-18. The Jute Year 2017-18 period is from 1st July 2017 to 30th June, 2018.The decision would sustain the core demand for the jute sector and support the livelihood of the workers and farmers dependent on the sector.  Paytm has become the country's first payments app to cross the 100 million downloads mark on Google Play Store in the second week of Dec 2017.  India has emerged as the top borrower from the China-sponsored Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, availing loans worth $1.5 billion last year.  India and Afghanistan have launched the second air cargo route, linking Mumbai to Kabul to boost export of fresh fruits and medicinal plants from Afghanistan.
  • 28. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 29 BANKING & FINANCE MARCH NEW PSL NORMS FOR FOREIGN BANKS The RBI has further tightened the priority sector lending (PSL) norms for foreign banks with 20 or more branches. Now they have to create sub-targets for small and marginal farmers as well as for micro enterprises (MSMEs). A sub-target of 8 percent of Adjusted Net Bank Credit (ANBC) or Credit Equivalent Amount of Off-Balance Sheet Exposure (CEOBE), whichever is higher, shall become applicable for lending to the small and marginal farmers from FY 2018-19. The sub-target of 7.50 percent of ANBC or CEOBE, whichever is higher, for lending to the Micro Enterprises shall also becomes applicable from FY 2018-19. Further, RBI has withdrawn the credit limits for service sector MSMEs for PSL, making all loans made to MSMEs in service sector eligible for PSL, without any limits. The PSL norms mandate foreign banks to lend 40 per cent of their total loans to the priority sector, such as agriculture, rural infra and MSMEs among others, from April 2020. PASSPORT DETAILS MUST FOR BIG LOANS With a view to enable banks to take timely action and inform the relevant authorities to prevent fraudsters from fleeing the country, it has been decided to make mandatory to seek passport details of borrowers taking loans of Rs 50 crore and more. For all existing loans of over Rs 50 crore, banks have been asked to collect passport details of borrowers within 45 days. ACTION AGAINST WILLFUL DEFAULTERS Tightening the noose around willful defaulters, the government has asked banks to 'name and shame' such borrowers by publishing their photographs and other details in newspapers. The number of willful defaulters, who did not repay loans to public sector banks despite the capacity to do so, rose to 9,063 at the end of December, 2017. EXIM BANK TO FINANCE WEST AFRICA The Export-Import Bank of India will provide a $500 million credit facility to Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a group of 15 countries in southern and western Africa, to fund various development projects in these countries. SWIFT TO PROVIDE GPI TRACKER Global financial services body SWIFT has announced the extension of its GPI (Global Payments Innovation) Tracker to cover all payment instructions sent across the network, enabling its member banks to track all their SWIFT payment instructions at all times. INSTANT OD FROM ICICI BANK ICICI Bank has launched instant overdraft ‘InstaOD’ facility for MSME (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) customers in a completely online and paperless manner. Customers can get overdraft facility up to Rs 15 lakh for a year anytime, anywhere using the bank’s Internet and mobile banking app. The facility can be availed instantly without visiting a branch and without submitting physical documents.  The government has fixed the agriculture credit target of 11 lakh crore rupees for banks for the year 2018-19 against last year’s target of 10 lakh crore rupees.  The RBI has discontinued Letters of Undertaking (LoUs) and Letters of Comfort (LoCs) for Trade Credits with immediate effect.  The RBI has imposed a penalty of Rs. 50 million on Airtel Payments Bank Ltd. for contravening operating guidelines for payments banks and the directions on know your customer (KYC) norms.
  • 29. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 30  RBI imposed a penalty of Rs 40 lakh on State Bank of India for non-compliance of its directions on detection and impounding of counterfeit notes.  A Rs 350 commemorative coin will be released to mark the 350th birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th and last Sikh Guru.  Two new commemorative coins in denominations of Rs 10 and Rs 1,000 were launched to commemorate Lord Jagannath's Nabakalebara festival.  HDFC Bank signed a MoU with the Government e- Marketplace (GeM) for agriculture to offer its services to the Central and state govt organisations. FEBRUARY NPA LIMIT RAISED FOR MSMEs The RBI has allowed additional time for loan repayment to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) affected by the GST, to avoid their accounts being classified as NPA. Amounts overdue as on September 1, 2017 and payments due between September 1, 2017 and January 31, 2018 (will) be allowed by banks and NBFCs to be paid not later than 180 days from their original due date. This relaxation will be available only to those firms whose aggregate loans are less than Rs25 crore and were classified as ‘standard’ as on 31 august, 2017. MOTHER OF ALL FRAUDS AT PNB On Feb 14, Punjab National Bank detected “fraudulent and unauthorised transactions” amounting to massive Rs 11,400 crore at its Brady House branch in Mumbai. The “transactions” involved PNB officials handing out Letters of Undertaking - LoU to companies associated with Nirav Modi and his maternal uncle Mehul Choksi, both leading diamond traders, allowing them access to massive foreign exchange loans that were completely unsecured. LoU is an undertaking provided by one bank to another bank, in favour of or on behalf of a customer. LoUs are used by a bank’s customer to avail short-term credit in a foreign country. BASE RATE TO BE LINKED TO MCLR The RBI has decided to link the base rate with the MCLR from April 1, 2018 to ensure expeditious transmission of its policy rate to borrowers. RBI introduced the Marginal Cost of Funds based Lending Rates (MCLR) system with effect from April 1, 2016 on account of the limitations of the Base Rate regime for transparent fixation of rates of interest on bank loans. REVISED GUIDELINES FOR BAD LOANS The RBI has issued a revised framework for expeditious resolution of high value bad loans. It has also been decided to do away with the Joint Lenders’ Forum (JLF) as an institutional mechanism for resolution of stressed accounts. As per the revised guidelines, the banks will be required to identify incipient stress in loan accounts and immediately on default, the account should be classified as special mention account (SMA) and immediately put in place Board- approved time bound ‘resolution plan’ (RP) for these stressed assets. If the RP is not implemented as per the timelines specified, bankers will be required to file insolvency application, singly or jointly, under the IBC, 2016, within 15 days from the expiry of the specified timeline. All banks will have to report to CRILC- Central Repository of Information on Large Credits , all loan accounts in default (with aggregate exposure of Rs 5 crore and above), on a weekly basis, on every Friday, beginning from the week ending February 23, 2018.
  • 30. GENERAL AWARENESS – MAY 2018 31  RBI has constituted an expert committee under the chairmanship of Y H Malegam to look into a range of issues relating to classification of bad loans, rising incidents of frauds and effectiveness of audits.  The RBI has announced setting up of a separate ombudsman for addressing customer grievances in the non-banking finance companies (NBFCs). JANUARY SMALL BANKS TO SELL APY The government has allowed Small Finance Banks and Payments Banks to offer Atal Pension Yojana. RBI had issued licenses to 10 Small Finance Banks and 11 Payment Banks. The government had launched this social security scheme in 2015 for people in the age group of 18 to 40 years. FRDI TO PROTECT THE BANK CUSTOMERS The Finance Ministry has confirmed that the Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance Bill, 2017 (FRDI) does not modify present protections to the depositors adversely at all but provides only additional protections to the depositors in a more transparent manner. As per the provisions of the FRDI Bill, the claims of uninsured depositors in the case of liquidation of a bank will be higher than those of the unsecured creditors and government dues. NEW TEN RUPEE NOTE The RBI has announced introduction of new Rs 10 banknotes in chocolate brown color, which will have India’s cultural heritage Konark Sun Temple as a motif on the reverse side. The old notes, however, will continue to be valid legal tender. HDFC BANK CROSSES Rs. 5 Trn MARKET CAP HDFC Bank became India’s first bank to cross Rs. 5 trillion market cap mark. Overall, it is the third company to achieve this milestone after RIL and TCS. The bank’s market capitalisation (m-cap) stood at Rs. 5,02,859.55 crore on Jan 18.  Indian Overseas Bank has signed a MoU with National Housing Bank for implementation of the Rural Housing Interest Subsidy Scheme of the Ministry of Rural Dev.  The government has made it clear that it does not consider crypto currencies like Bitcoin a legal tender in India. DEFENCE, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY MARCH INDIA TOPS IN ARMS IMPORTS A latest report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) shows that the weapons imports by the Middle East and Asia have boomed over the past five years, fuelled by war and tensions in those regions. India emerged as the largest importer of arms, accounting for 12 per cent of total world imports. 62 per cent of this came from Russia alone. Saudi Arabia stood at second spot, accounting for 10 per cent of total arms imports. SIPRI, an independent institute, monitors arms deliveries by volume over periods of five years in order to iron out short-term fluctuations. INDIAN NAVY HOLDS - MILAN Andaman Nicobar command of Indian Navy organized ‘Milan’, a six day get-together of foreign navies, at Port Blair. Navies from the 16 countries participated in the exercise to enhance regional cooperation for combating unlawful activities at sea. NATIONAL ACADEMY OF COASTAL POLICING The country's first national academy to train police forces in effectively safeguarding the Indian shoreline will start functioning from the next month in Okha, Gujarat. The National Academy of Coastal Policing (NACP) will train forces in maritime laws, seamanship, boat work, navigation, weapons handling, usage of sea guidance and surveillance gadgets and survival skills for long haul operations.