A Russian airliner carrying 224 people crashed in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on October 31, 2015, killing everyone on board. An ISIS-affiliated militant group claimed responsibility, saying it downed the plane in retaliation for Russian airstrikes in Syria. New Zealand defeated Australia 34-17 to win the 2015 Rugby World Cup in London on the same day. The Indian Air Force commenced its annual exercise called Livewire on October 31, 2015 to evaluate operational capabilities. John Magufuli of the ruling CCM party was elected as the new President of Tanzania in elections held on October 25, 2015.

1. Page1CURRENTAFFAIRS

2. Page2CURRENTAFFAIRS
Nov 1, 2015
1) A Russian airliner carrying 217
passengers and seven crew members
crashed on 31 October 2015 resulting in
death of all persons on-board. A militant
group affiliated to the Islamic State (IS)
claimed responsibility for downing of this
plane. This crash took place in which
country? – Egypt
Explanation: A Russian aircraft
carrying 224 persons (including seven
crew members) crashed on 31 October
2015 in a remote mountainous region in
the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt. The
aircraft (Flight 7K9268) had taken-off for
Russia from Egypt‟s famous Red Sea
resort of Sharm al-Sheikh and it went off
radar 23 minutes after taking off.
 The flight was an international
chartered passenger flight operated
by Russian airline Kogalymavia
(branded as Metrojet). It was en-
route to Saint Petersburg. Most of
the passengers were Russians
while four were Ukrainian and one
was Belarusian.
 The wreckage was found roughly
100 kilometres (60 miles) south of
the North Sinai town of El-Arish. All
224 persons on-board this flight
were killed in the crash.
 Shortly after the crash, Islamic State
(IS) claimed responsibility for the
incident. IS claimed this was in
revenge for Russian air strikes
against militants in Syria, where IS
controls territories, along with
contiguous Iraqi territories.
2) The 2015 Rugby World Cup (Men)
was won by which country on 31
October 2015? – New Zealand
Explanation: Final of the 2015 Rugby
World Cup was played at London‟s
Twickenham Stadium on 31 October
2015. New Zealand defeated arch rivals
and neighbors Australia by 34 -17 to win
the title. With this New Zealand has won
the Rugby World Cup thrice and has
become the most successful team as far
as Rugby World Cup is concerned.

3. Page3CURRENTAFFAIRS
 New Zealand was the defending
champions, having won the 2011
World Cup, and thus also became
the first-ever team to successfully
defend their Rugby World title.
 Earlier on 30 October 2015 South
Africa defeated Argentina by 24-13
to win third place in the world cup.
 2015 Rugby World Cup was held in
England from 18 September to 31
October 2015. It was the 8th
edition
of the World Cup and saw
participation from 20 countries.
3) What is the name of the top-of-the-
line annual exercise of the Indian Air
Force (IAF) that commenced from 31
October 2015? – Livewire
Explanation: Livewire is the name of
the annual exercise of the IAF which
seeks to evaluate the operational
capability of the force in case of full-
fledged hostility. This exercise also
provides the IAF to check its latest
operational concepts in practical
environment.
 Along with operational
requirements, maintenance as well
as administrative requirements are
also being tested in as close to the
likely real-time scenario as possible.
Apart from this, joint operations with
the Indian Army and the Indian
Navy are also part of the 2015
edition of Livewire.
4) Who was elected as the new
President of Tanzania in the recently
held election in the country? – John
Magufuli
Explanation: John Magufuli is a leader
of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi
(CCM) party which won the Presidential
elections. He secured 58% votes in
these elections.
 The Presidential elections in
Tanzania were held on 25 October
2015. In the presidential race, the
ruling party‟s candidate, John
Magufuli, was pitted against former
Prime Minister Edward Lowassa,
who defected to the opposition
earlier this year after being rejected
as the ruling party‟s candidate.
 Lowassa (62), was Prime Minister in
President Jakaya Kikwete‟s
government from 2005 to 2008, but
was forced to resign by a corruption
scandal.
 55-year old John Magufuli is widely
seen as a corruption-free, effective
public servant who could improve

4. Page4CURRENTAFFAIRS
the ruling party‟s image in the eyes
of ordinary people fed up with state
graft. He is a trained chemist from
country‟s north-western Chato
district.
5) Which high ranking government
official was nominated in the Central
Board of the Reserve Bank of India
(RBI) by the Union Government on 30
October 2015? – Shaktikanta Das
Explanation: Shaktikanta Das is the
Secretary, Department of Economic
Affairs. He is a 1980 batch IAS officer of
Tamil Nadu cadre officer. His
nomination into RBI‟s Central Board
came to effect from 30 October.
 RBI‟s Central Board is the highest
body of the RBI which takes
decisions with regard to general
direction of RBI policies. It is
headed by the RBI Governor and
has 21 members altogether. Four
Deputy Governors of the RBI and
two representatives of the Ministry
of Finance are also part of this elite
body.
Nov 2, 2015

5. Page5CURRENTAFFAIRS
1) Indian Railway on 1 November 2015
launched a new pilot scheme under
which waitlisted passengers can get
confirmed accommodation in next
alternative train if they opt for the option
while booking their tickets online. What
is the name given to this unique pilot
scheme? – „Vikalp‟
Explanation: „Vikalp‟ is the name of the
new alternative train accommodation
scheme, which was launched on 1
November 2015 by Indian Railways. It
has initially been launched on a pilot
basis on two sectors – Delhi-Lucknow
and Delhi-Jammu.
 Initially, Vikalp scheme will be
available only for the tickets booked
through internet for six months and
option will be limited to mail and
express trains on the two selected
sectors. As per the scheme,
waitlisted passengers of a train
would be given option of getting
confirmed accommodation in the
next train running on the route.
 Passenger, if opts for the Vikalp
scheme while booking tickets
online, will get SMS alert on their
mobile phone about getting
confirmed accommodation in
alternative train. Railway aims to
achieve the twin objectives of
providing confirmed accommodation
to waitlisted passengers and ensure
optimal utilisation of available
accommodation by this scheme.
2) The 2-day talks to seek a diplomatic
solution to end the Syrian civil war were
held on 29-30 October 2015 at which
place? –Vienna (Austria)
Explanation: 11 countries met at
Vienna on 29-30 October 2015 with the
primary objective to seek a diplomatic
solution to end the Syrian civil war.
These 11 countries were – the United
States, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey,
Iran, Egypt, Qatar, Lebanon, France,
Britain and Germany. Representatives
of the European Union also took part in
the talks.

6. Page6CURRENTAFFAIRS
 However, the absence of
representatives of the Syrian
government and the Syrian
opposition was conspicuous during
the talks.
 It was the first time that Iran was
invited in talks pertaining to Syria.
 The Syrian civil war, now in its fifth
year, has left 250,000 dead and
displaced more than half of Syria‟s
population of 22 million, according
to the United Nations. The war has
greatly contributed to European
migrant crisis. It also created a
power vacuum that allowed Islamic
State militants to seize large swaths
of eastern Syria and western Iraq.
3) What is the name of the new minister
inducted in the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet
by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on 31
October 2015, who came into news as
he was inducted in the Cabinet despite
him neither being a member of the ruling
Samajawadi Party (SP) and nor him
being a member of either of the Houses
in UP? – Balwant Singh Ramoowalia
Explanation: Balwant Singh
Ramoowalia is a former union minister
and a member of the Shiromani Akali
Dal (SAD). He was Union minister for
Labour Welfare in 1996 as Rajya Sabha
member and was two- time Lok Sabha
member for SAD.
 But on 31 October he was
surprisingly included in the newly
reconstituted Cabinet of Uttar
Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh
Yadav. Yadav had expanded his
Cabinet a day after sacking 8
ministers of his Cabinet.
 Ramoowalia‟s induction was
surprising because he had not
joined the Samajwadi Party till the
day of his induction. Apart from this
he is not associated with UP politics
in any way and is not a member of
either Houses of UP Assembly.
4) Which political party of the country is
planning to launch a call-taxi service on
the lines of cab aggregators like Uber,
Ola and Meru with the objective of
providing job opportunities to taxi
drivers? – CPI (M)
Explanation: CPI (M) leader and former
Rajya Sabha MP P. Rajeeve recently
announced that the party is planning to
launch a call-taxi service on lines of
leading cab aggregators like Uber, Ola
and Meru who have weaned away

7. Page7CURRENTAFFAIRS
customers from conventional taxis. This
has resulted in huge job threat to taxi
drivers who are not associated with any
of the cab aggregators.
 CPI (M) is planning the trial-run of
the call-taxi service from November
2015 and this will be done in
association with taxi unions. It is
worth mentioning that the drivers
affiliated to unions like CPI (M)‟s
CITU are now faced with loss of
work due to aggressive policies of
cab aggregators.
 Party feels that due to low fares and
better, technology-based service of
the aggregators, conventional
drivers are losing customers to them
and this is resulting in conflicts
between conventional taxi drivers
and those of the aggregators.
5) Who won the Mexican F1 Grand Prix
on 1 November 2015, the event which
made its comeback to F1 circuit after 23
years? – Nico Rosberg (Germany)
Explanation: Mercedes‟ Nico Rosberg
won the Mexican F1 Grand Prix title to
score his first victory for more than four
months as he beat Mercedes team-mate
Lewis Hamilton (Britain) on 1 November
2015.
 This was just the fourth win of the
season for Rosberg and this win
moved him back into second in the
championship behind Ferrari‟s
Sebastian Vettel (Germany).
Williams‟ Valtteri Bottas claimed the
third spot.
Mexican Grand Prix made its return to
the F1 season after 23 years with this
race. Last Mexican GP was held in 1992
and then the event was taken-off the F1
circuit from 1993 to 2014. The event
was first held as a non-championship
event in 1962 before being held as a F1
championship event from 1963-1970
and 1986-1992.
Nov 3, 2015

8. Page8CURRENTAFFAIRS
1) China made an aviation history on 2
November 2015 as it unveiled country‟s
first big homegrown passenger jet off
the assembly line in Shanghai on this
day. With this China joined an elite
group of countries capable of making
large passenger aircrafts. What is the
name of this first Chinese passenger
jet? – C919
Explanation: China unveiled its first
large passenger jet C919 at a hangar
near Shanghai‟s Pudong international
airport on 2 November 2015. This 158-
seater passenger jet aims to rival
Boeing 737 and Airbus A320.
 C919 has been developed by the
Commercial Aircraft Corporation of
China (Comac). Work on this
aircraft began in 2008 and the first
test flight of the aircraft is expected
to take place in 2016. However,
many of the plane‟s systems have
been provided by foreign
companies, including Honeywell
and Rockwell Collins.
 Development of passenger jet by
the country is being seen as a major
achievement by the country. It also
has a huge symbolic value for the
Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
2) Which Indian automobile car
company has roped in Argentinian
football legend Lionel Messi as the new
global brand ambassador for its
passenger cars, as disclosed on 2
November 2015? – Tata Motors
Explanation: A senior officials of Tata
Motors confirmed that Messi has been
roped in to promote companies
passenger cars. Messi himself drives a
Range Rover whose manufacturer,
Jaguar Land Rover, is owned by Tata
Motors.
 The company will now kick off a
campaign „#madeofgreat‟ on 3
November 2015 seeking to
showcase the confluence of two
global brands, Tata Motors and
Lionel Messi.

9. Page9CURRENTAFFAIRS
3) Leading industrialist Brijmohan Lall
Munjal, who passed away on 1
November 2015, was the founder of
which Indian automobile behemoth? –
Hero MotoCorp
Explanation: Brijmohan Lall Munjal is
widely regarded as the father of the
Indian two-wheeler industry. He was the
founder of Hero Motocorp, the world‟s
largest two-wheeler manufacturer.
 Born in 1923 in Punjab‟s Kamalia,
now in Pakistan, Brijmohan Munjal
and his brothers shifted base to
Amritsar in 1943 and then to
Ludhiana, where they gave shape to
their bicycle component business.
The business graduated to cycle
manufacturing and in 1975, Hero
Cycles became the largest cycle
producer in India.
 Later Munjal inked an agreement
with Honda in the 1980s to
manufacture motorcycles in India.
Hero Honda was born as a result of
the 1984 agreement and the entity
ruled the motorcycle market in India.
In 2011, Hero parted ways with
Honda to create Hero MotoCorp.
Both Honda and Hero have grown
since then although Hero remains
the largest player with revenues of
Rs 27,500 crore in FY15.
 He was conferred with the „Padma
Bhushan, India‟s third civilian
honour in 2005. He passed away at
the age of 92 at a Delhi hospital. His
last rites were performed on 2
November 2015.
4) MTS India, the wireless, broadband
and mobile communication service
provider, merged with which
telecommunications entity as
announced on 2 November 2015? –
Reliance Communications (RCom)
Explanation: MTS India is the joint-
venture between India‟s Sistema Shyam
TeleServices and Russian
telecommunication company Mobile
TeleSystems (MTS). The entity provides
a variety of wireless, broadband and
mobile communication services under
the brand name MTS.
 On 2 November MTS India
announced its merger with Anil

10. Page10CURRENTAFFAIRS
Ambani-led Reliance
Communications (RCom). The main
feature of this merger is that it has
resulted in RCom having overtaken
Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio
as the holder of the biggest amount
of 800 MHz 4G spectrum in India.
 800 MHz 4G spectrum is
considered most appropriate
because it can go inside houses
and buildings, unlike other bands
which are not very good for in-
building use.
5) What is India‟s position in the recently
released annual report on world‟s most
valuable nation brands compiled by
Brand Finance? – Seventh
Explanation: With a total brand value of
$2.1 billion India recorded a 32%
increase in its „national brand value‟ as
complied by Brand Finance for 2015.
Thus India moved up one position to
become the world‟s seventh most
valued „nation brand‟.
 India is the second most valued
among these emerging economies
after China, followed by Brazil,
Russia and South Africa. It is only
country among the BRICS countries
to have witnessed an increase in its
brand value.
 The US remains on the top with a
valuation of $19.7 billion, followed
by China ($6.3 billion) and Germany
at the second and the third positions
respectively. The UK is ranked 4th
,
Japan is at fifth position and France
is sixth on the list.
 The national brand valuation is
based on five year forecasts of
sales of all brands in each nation
and follows a complex process.
Nov 4, 2015

11. Page11CURRENTAFFAIRS
1) Union Govt. held a meeting of Chief
Ministers of seven Naxal-affected States
on 3 November 2015 in view of
continuous incidents of Maoist violence.
This important meeting was held to
chalk out a strategy to fight the Naxal
menace and was chaired by Union
Home Minister Rajnath Singh. Which 7
Naxal-affected states were invited to this
meeting? – 1) Chhattisgarh, 2)
Jharkhand, 3) Bihar, 4) Andhra
Pradesh, 5) Maharashtra, 6) Odisha
and 7) Telangana
Explanation: The meeting discussed
overall Left-wing extremism (LWE)
scenario in 35 worst-affected states in
the said 7 sates. Altogether 105 districts
in 10 states are affected by Naxal
violence, of which 35 districts in seven
states are considered to be worst-hit.
 The main agenda of the meeting
was – Action against mass front
organisations of the CPI (Maoist),
preparation of specific anti-LWE
operations plans and checking of
flow of funds to the LWE cadres.
 The meeting formulated plans on
how to maximise the use of around
1,10,000 paramilitary personnel
currently deployed in Naxal-hit
states, monitoring of pilferage of
explosives and IEDs (improvised
explosive device), rehabilitation of
family members of persons killed in
LWE violence and investigation of
important cases against the
naxalites with the National
Intelligence Agency (NIA) and state
police forces.
2) Which railway station became the first
visually-challenged-friendly station in
India on 3 November 2015? – Mysuru
(Karnataka)
Explanation: Mysuru became country‟s
first visually challenged friendly station
on 3 November after many important
info-objects such as tactile maps of the
railway station and train schedules in
Braille were unveiled at the Mysuru
Railway station on this day.
 Along with tactile maps of station
describing the location and distance
of entrance, platforms, counters,
washrooms etc., schedule of trains,
showing their arrival and departure
time, the authorities have also put
up 400 metal signages in Braille
along the railings of the staircases
leading various platforms. The

12. Page12CURRENTAFFAIRS
menu cards at the canteen and food
plaza at the station are also being
made available in Braille.
 Anuprayaas, an NGO assisted the
railways in make Mysuru railway
station blind-friendly.
3) Internet giant Google is poised to
partner BSNL on a pilot project for
providing Internet connectivity by using
large balloons. What is the name of this
project which uses big balloons floating
at a height of 20 kilometres above earth
surface for transmission of Internet
services? – „Project Loon‟
Explanation: Google has recently
approached Indian government to seek
permission to set up the „Project Loon‟
and Drone-based Internet transmission.
The govt. has approved testing of the
project as of now. A committee under
chairmanship of Secretary, Department
of Electronics and Information
Technology (DEITY), has been formed
to work on it.
 Google is now poised to partner
with BSNL for testing this
technology by using broadband
spectrum in 2.6 Ghz band.
 Google, under its „Project Loon‟, is
using big balloons floating at a
height of 20 kilometres above earth
surface for transmission of Internet
services. It has already tested this
technology in New Zealand,
California (the U.S.) and Brazil.
 As per Google, each balloon can
provide connectivity to a ground
area about 40 km in diameter using
a wireless communications
technology called LTE or 4G. One
major advantage of this project will
be that it will not require mobile
towers for Internet transmission.
4) What is the latest outlook of global
Global rating agency Moody‟s with
regards to the Indian banking system as
disclosed by the agency on 1 November
2015? – It will remain stable over the
next 12-18 months
Explanation: Thus Moody‟s has
upgraded its outlook for the Indian
banking system to stable from negative.
This has been done on account of
gradual improvement in operating
environment.
 It is worth mentioning that Moody‟s
has maintained a „negative‟ outlook
for the Indian banking system since
November 2011. Negative outlook

13. Page13CURRENTAFFAIRS
was kept primarily due to
deteriorating asset quality of Indian
banks.
 Moody‟s in its report, “Banking
System Outlook – India: Gradual
Improvement in Operating
Environment Drives Stable
Outlook,” said the stable outlook is
based on its assessment of five
drivers including improvement in
operating environment and stable
asset risk and capital scenario.
5) What is the name of the controversial
Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the
Indian Premier League (IPL) who
resigned from his post on 3 November
2015? – Sundar Raman
Explanation: Raman was a
controversial figure in BCCI-promoted
IPL and he had faced a lot of flak
following the outbreak of 2013 IPL spot-
fixing scandal involving former Board
President N. Srinivasan‟s son-in-law G.
Meiyappan and Rajasthan Royals‟ then
co-owner Raj Kundra. Despite all the
controversies, Raman managed to sail
through for two years.
 In an effort to clean up the system,
the BCCI promptly accepted
Raman‟s resignation.
 According to some media reports he
had been asked by BCCI President
Shashank Manohar to put in his
papers by 31 October 2015.
Nov 5, 2015

14. Page14CURRENTAFFAIRS
1) Applications for buying sovereign
gold bonds of Govt. of India are being
accepted from 5 November 2015. The
ambitious scheme of sovereign gold
bonds instead of purchasing of physical
gold is being launched by which entity?
–Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
Explanation: Sovereign gold bonds will
be issued by the Reserve Bank of India.
They will carry the market value of
particular amount of gold it is issued. If
the price of gold increases the value of
the bond will also go up, thus benefiting
investors.
 The applications for these bonds will
be accepted from 5 November to 20
November 2015 by the RBI. The
bonds will be issued from 26
November 2015.
 Investors can buy a minimum of 2
units or 2 grams and a maximum at
500 grams per fiscal year. Investors
will get a fixed rate of interest of
2.75% per annum (payable every 6
months) on the initial value of
investment.
 The bonds have a maturity period of
8 years, with exit option from the
fifth year. Holdings can be
redeemed in multiples of one gram.
2) Who will be the new Chief Justice of
India (CJI), as announced on 4
November 2015? – Justice Tirath
Singh Thakur
Explanation: Justice Tirath Singh
Thakur (Justice T.S. Thakur) will replace
Justice H.L. Dattu as the Chief Justice
of the Supreme Court on 2 December
2015. His name was recommended by
Justice H.L. Dattu on 4 November 2015.
However, his Warrant of Appointment
would be issued only after the President
gives his approval.
 Justice Thakur is the senior-most
judge after Justice Dattu and his
appointment as the next CJI also
signals that seniority reigns
supreme in the highest judiciary
following the revival of the
Collegium system.
 Justice Thakur will become 43rd
CJI
of India and would be in office till 4
January 2017.

15. Page15CURRENTAFFAIRS
3) The Odisha Government and Ministry
of Railways entered into a historic
agreement on 4 November 2015 that is
likely to lay the track for the first railway
line to reach one of India‟s most
backward districts. Which district of
Odisha is this, which is often described
as “District Zero” by the media? –
Nabarangpur
Explanation: Nabarangpur in southern
Odisha is often termed as one of the
most backward districts of the country.
Lack of rail connectivity is often listed as
the major reason for area‟s
backwardness.
 On 4 November 2015 a path-
breaking agreement for setting up a
Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for
constructing a 40-km link
connecting the Nabarangpur district
headquarters to the nearest station
at Jeypore in neighbouring Koraput
district was signed between the
Govt. of Odisha and Indian
Railways.
 The said rail-link was evidently held
up for so long because it was found
to be economically unviable. Odisha
Govt. has decided to go for the SPV
model with the state government
contributing 51% of the project cost,
including land. This would result in
connect Nabarangpur district to rest
of the country.
4) World Economic Forum‟s (WEF) India
summit was inaugurated by Union
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley at New
Delhi on 4 November 2015. Participants
from across various fields engaged in an
intense one-day dialogue during the
summit. What was the theme of this
WEF India Summit? – „Delivering
Growth in the New Context‟
Explanation: The WEF India Summit
2015 witnessed participation of more
than 250 national stakeholders and
leaders from government, including 8
ministers, business and civil society.
The participants engaged in an intense
one-day dialogue looking at the fast-
changing economic, political and social
landscape in India.
 The participants deliberated on
forces of change in India in the
context of five of WEF‟s global
challenges – a) agriculture and food
security, b) environment and
resource security, c) employment,
skills and human capital, d) long-
term investing, infrastructure and
urban development and e) financial
inclusion.

16. Page16CURRENTAFFAIRS
5) Which US-based gaming company
will acquire King Digital Entertainment,
the creator of the iconic Candy Crush
Saga, for $5.9 billion, as disclosed on 3
November 2015? – Activision Blizzard
Explanation: Activision Blizzard is the
producer of world famous „World of
Warcraft‟ and „Call of Duty‟ games. It will
acquire King Digital Entertainment for a
cash-deal worth $5.9 billion. The
acquisition would make Activision
Blizzard a global leader in interactive
entertainment across mobile, console
and PC platforms.
 Activision Blizzard is offering $18 in
cash for each King share, and the
deal is expected to boost
Activision‟s earnings by about 30%.
 The „Call of Duty‟ series is one of
the world‟s best-selling console
games, while Candy Crush Saga is
among the most popular games on
mobile devices. Video game
publishers are switching from the
physical sale of games to digital
growth as consumers move from
consoles to playing on smartphones
and tablets.
 King Digital Entertainment has
focused on a business model that
allows users to play a game for free,
but pay extra for additional features.
Nov 6, 2015

17. Page17CURRENTAFFAIRS
1) T-Hub, a start-up incubator built on a
public private partnership (PPP) model,
was inaugurated on 5 November 2015
by industrialist Ratan Tata. This start-up
incubator, which is the largest in India till
date, has been established in which
city? –Hyderabad
Explanation: With opening of „T-Hub‟, a
brand new 70,000 square feet facility for
giving motivation push to start-ups,
Telangana capital Hyderabad has bid its
claim to become India‟s start-up capital.
This establishment expects to house
over 300 start-ups and have a futuristic
workspace for up to 800 people. The
Telangana government has invested Rs
40 crore to build this biggest incubator
facility in the country.
 „T-Hub‟ is a PPP (public-private
partnership) between the
Government of Telangana, IIIT-
Hyderabad, ISB and NALSAR and
key private sector leaders. As many
as four angel networks, 30 seed
funds and 20 venture capital funds
have been roped in to participate in
accelerating the start-up activity.
2) IMPRINT India, an initiative to
develop a road map for research to
solve major engineering and technology
challenges in 10 technology domains
relevant for the country, was launched
by President Pranab Mukherjee on 5
November 2015. This is a joint initiative
of which prestigious institutions of the
country? – IISc (Bangalore) and 5 IITs
Explanation: Indian Institute of Science
(Bangalore) and 5 Indian Institutes of
Technology (IITs) have done extensive
consultations and arrived at specific
themes in each area of research that
has immediate social relevance. This
initiative has been named IMPRINT
India, where IMPRINT stands for
Impacting Research Innovation and
Technology.
 IMPRINT India will motivate India‟s
technical institutions to conduct
research in 10 areas where the
country is heavily dependent on
foreign technology. These 10 areas
include health care, information and
communication technology, energy,
sustainable habitat, nano-
technology hardware, water
resources and river systems,
advanced materials, manufacturing,
security & defence and environment
& climate.
 The idea of launching „Imprint India‟
originated during the conference of
chairmen, board of governors and
directors of IITs, convened by the

18. Page18CURRENTAFFAIRS
President at Rashtrapati Bhavan in
August 2014.
 It is based on the Prime Minister
Narendra Modi‟s suggestion that
research done by institutions of
national importance must be linked
with immediate requirements of the
society at large.
 5 IITs involved in this initiative are –
IIT Kharagpur, IIT Kanpur, IIT
Roorkee, IIT Madras and IIT
Bombay.
3) An India-born former soldier was
inducted into the Cabinet of the new
Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
on 4 November 2015. What is his
name? – Harjit Singh Sajjan
Explanation: Harjit Singh Sajjan was
named as the Minister of National
Defence in the newly constituted
Cabinet of Prime Minister Justin
Trudeau on 4 November 2015. Sajjan
was elected to Canadian Parliament for
the first time in last month‟s election.
 Sajjan was born in Punjab (India) in
a Sikh family. His family immigrated
to Canada when he was five years
old. He grew up in Vancouver. He
joined Vancouver Police
Department and worked for 11
years and later became a regular in
Canadian Army. In 2011, he
became the first Sikh to command a
Canadian Army regiment when he
was named commander of the
British Columbia Regiment.
 Sajjan‟s appointment as Defence
Minister is illustrative of the
younger, more diverse cabinet that
new liberal PM Trudeau had aimed
to create.
 Sajjan will oversee an anticipated
change in Canada‟s military
involvement in the battle against
militants in Syria and Iraq. Newly
sworn-in Liberal Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau has already said he
wants to end Canada‟s air strikes in
the region in favour of providing
humanitarian help.
4) Maldives President Abdulla Yameen
declared a state of emergency in the
country on 4 November 2015. What is
the primary reason for declaring 30-day
emergency in the country? – Discovery
of explosive devices near President‟s
official residence
Explanation: The tiny Indian Ocean
nation of Maldives witnessed frenzy as
explosive devices were discovered near

19. Page19CURRENTAFFAIRS
President Abdulla Yameen‟s official
residence in capital Male. There also
were reports that huge stashes of
weapons were stolen from army stores.
These incidents were perceived as a
threat to the public and the nation and
the govt. imposed 30-day emergency on
4 November.
 It is also worth mentioning that the
emergency declaration came two
days before a demonstration
planned by the main opposition
party – the Maldivian Democratic
Party (MDP). MDP leader Mohamed
Nasheed was jailed in March 2015
after a widely criticised conviction
under anti-terror laws.
 The Maldives has been rocked by
political infighting in recent weeks,
with Vice-President Ahmed Adeeb
arrested in connection with an
alleged plot to assassinate the
president by blowing up his boat.
5) According to an announcement made
by the New and Renewable Energy
Ministry on 4 November 2015 which US-
based solar power company won a bid
to sell solar power in India at a record
low tariff of just Rs. 4.63 per kilowatt-
hour? – SunEdison
Explanation: According to the
information disclosed by the Ministry of
New and Renewable Energy, Missouri-
based SunEdison won the auction for a
500 megawatt project in Andhra
Pradesh. What was remarkable about
this auction was that it was won for an
all-time low solar tariff of just Rs. 4.63
per kilowatt-hour.
 The previous lowest solar tariff in
India was about 5.05 rupees per
kilowatt-hour for Canadian company
SkyPower‟s project in Madhya
Pradesh.
 This bid is expected to give a big
boost to Prime Minister Narendra
Modi‟s push for clean energy to
combat climate change as falling
rates could unlock more
government support for solar and
wind energy. Japan‟s Softbank and
iPhone maker Foxconn have
already pledged to invest about $20
billion in solar projects in India.


20. Page20CURRENTAFFAIRS
Nov 7-8, 2015
1) History was created on 7 November
2015 as the first-ever meeting of the
Presidents of China and Taiwan was
held on this day. Relations between the
two countries have remained strained
since China claimed sovereignty over
Taiwan in 1949. This historic meeting
was held at which place? –Singapore
Explanation: Chinese President Xi
Jinping and his Taiwanese counterpart
Ma Ying-jeou held a landmark meeting
in Singapore on 7 November 2015,
which was the first ever meeting
between top leaders of the two sides.
The meeting focused on relations
across the Taiwan Straits.
 Relations between the two countries
have remained cold and tense since
China had claimed sovereignty over
Taiwan since 1949. This happened
after China‟s Nationalist government
fled to Taiwan after defeat by the
Communists. Chiang Kai-shek‟s
Kuomintang (KMT) nationalists
formed their own government in
Taiwan after Mao Zedong‟s
communists took power in Beijing in
1949.
 The Chinese government claims
Taiwan as part of its territory and
threatens to counter any move to
outright independence by military
force. The relations between the two
countries worsened Taiwan lost its
seat at the United Nations (UN) to
China in 1971.
 Ties with China have improved
under President Ma Ying-jeou,
whose Kuomintang (KMT) party is
seen as pro-Beijing. However, Ma
suffered a crushing defeat in local
elections last year, a result that was
widely seen as a rejection of
President Ma‟s push for closer ties
with China.
2) Union Govt. on 6 November 2015
imposed how much Swachh Bharat
Cess on all services? – 0.5%
Explanation: The Swachh Bharat cess
of 0.5% will be imposed on all services
now liable to service tax from 15
November 2015. The proceeds from this

21. Page21CURRENTAFFAIRS
cess will be exclusively used for Swachh
Bharat initiatives.
 Apart from this a 2% regional
connectivity cess on international air
travel and flights between metros
and big cities will also be imposed.
The cess for the creation of the
regional connectivity fund (RCF)
corpus will be levied from 1 January
2016 to enable the regional
connectivity scheme to start from 1
April 2016.
3) India and Russia started their joint-
military exercise named „INDRA 2015‟
from 7 November 2015. This is the
seventh edition in a series of annual
bilateral exercises between the two
countries. This joint military exercise is
being held at which place in India? –
Bikaner (Rajasthan)
Explanation: „INDRA 2015‟, the
7th
edition of the annual series of joint
military exercises between India and
Russia commenced on 7 November
2015 at Bikaner. The exercise will
conclude on 20 November 2015.
 The joint exercise this year focuses
on „Counter Terrorism Operations in
Desert Terrain under a United
Nations Mandate‟. The joint training
would also focus on ensuring a high
degree of physical fitness, tactical
drills, techniques and procedures.
 During the exercise, participants will
engage in a variety of missions
including joint planning, cordon and
search operations, search and
rescue, joint tactical drills and
special arms skills. The exercise is
being conducted in two phases,
namely „Combat Conditioning &
Tactical Training‟ and „Validation‟
phases.
4) What is India‟s rank in the recently
released Transparency International‟s
Corruption Perceptions Index for 2014
which ranks countries on a scale for the
perceived levels of public sector
corruption? – 85 (out of 175 countries)
Explanation: In the study of 175
countries by anti-graft organisation
Transparency International, India was
ranked 85. The Corruption Perceptions
Index 2014 was released by
Transparency International on 6
November 2015.
 India was assigned a score of 38
points out of maximum score of 100.
India‟s score grew by two points

22. Page22CURRENTAFFAIRS
over last year‟s assessment.
Country‟s ranking was thus better
than China, which was ranked at
100th
place with a total score of 36
points.
 The Index rated Denmark as the
least corrupt country with a score of
92. Somalia and North Korea jointly
have been rated as the most corrupt
countries with scores of eight.
 According to the information
disclosed by Transparency
International, not a single country
got a perfect score (100) and more
than two-third countries scored
below 50, on a scale from 0 (highly
corrupt) to 100 (very clean).
Corruption Perceptions Index
measures the perceived levels of
public sector corruption worldwide
based on “expert opinion” from
around the world.
5) Indian professional boxer Vijender
Singh continued his sensational foray
into professional boxing with a second
successive knockout triumph on 7
November 2015. In this bout he
knocked-out which British boxer in the
first round itself? – Dean Gillen
Explanation: Vijender humbled British
boxer Dean Gillen in the second fight of
his professional career by a knockout
win in just the first round. The bout was
held on 7 November at Dublin (Ireland).
 Former Olympic bronze-medallist
Vijender had started his
professional career in style with a
technical knockout win against
Englishman Sonny Whiting.
Nov 9-10, 2015

23. Page23CURRENTAFFAIRS
1) The results of the Bihar Assembly
Elections 2015 were declared on 8
November 2015 in which the Grand
Alliance of Nitish Kumar and Lalu
Prasad Yadav humiliated BJP-led NDA
front. The Grand Alliance comprising
Nitish Kumar‟s JD(U), Lalu Prasad
Yadav‟s RJD and the Congress
notched-up a stunning 178 seats
against 58 mustered by the NDA. With
this win, Nitish Kumar would become
Bihar Chief Minister for ………..time. –
Fourth
Explanation: Nitish Kumar has been
Bihar Chief Minister for three terms. His
first term was just for 8 days in March
2000 when he was part of the erstwhile
Samata Party. His second term was
from 24 November 2005 to 20 May
2014. On 16 May 2014 he had resigned
taking moral responsibility for his party‟s
poor performance in the Lok Sabha
Elections 2014. His third term was from
22 February 2015 as he succeeded his
former ally Jitan Ram Manjhi. Having
won a decisive mandate in 2015 Bihar
Assembly Elections, Nitish is poised to
become Bihar Chief Minister for fourth
time. He will now take oath after Chhath
festival, state‟s most prominent festival.
Results at a Glance : Bihar Assembly
Elections 2015 (Total Seats 243)
JD(U) Combine – 178
JD(U) – 71, RJD – 80, Congress – 27
BJP Combine – 58
BJP – 53, LJP – 2, RLSP – 2, HAM – 1
Others – 7
2) History was created in Myanmar on 8
November 2015 as country‟s first openly
contested national election in 25 years
was held on this day. The results of
these historic elections were declared
on 9 November in which Aung San Suu
Kyi‟s party emerged as the winner. What
is the name of this party? – National
League for Democracy (NLD)
Explanation: The elections held on 8
November 2015 were Myanmar‟s first
general elections since its long-ruling
military ceded power to President Thein
Sein‟s quasi-civilian government in

24. Page24CURRENTAFFAIRS
2011. It is also believed to be country‟s
first free elections since 1990.
 According to preliminary reports
Nobel-laureate Aung San Suu Kyi-
led National League for Democracy
(NLD) has won majority of the seats
in these elections. On 9 November
the opposition Union Solidarity and
Development Party (USDP)
conceded its defeat to NLD. The
military-backed USDP has been in
power since 2011. However, 25% of
seats are reserved for unelected
military representatives, who are
expected to side with the USDP.
 Suu Kyi is barred from the
presidency as the constitution
disqualifies anyone with foreign
offspring. Her children are British.
3) West African country Sierra Leone
was declared Ebola-free by the World
Health Organization (WHO) on 7
November 2015 bringing huge cheer to
country‟s populace. With this, which is
the only country in the region still
affected with this deadly virus? –Guinea
Explanation: The ongoing Ebola
epidemic in West Africa primarily
affected three countries – Guinea,
Sierra Leone and Liberia. Other
neighbouring countries like Senegal,
Mali and Nigeria were also affected by
Ebola to marginal extent. But Liberia
and Sierra Leone have been officially
declared Ebola-free in 2015 and with it
Guinea remains the only country still
affected with it.
 Ebola has killed over 11 thousand
people in West Africa since it was
first reported in Guinea in December
2013. This is the most widespread
Ebola epidemic in history. However,
with huge efforts on part of
governments, NGOs, WHO and
other organizations, Liberia was
officially declared Ebola-free first in
May and later September 2015. On
7 November Sierra Leone was also
declared Ebola-free. There are a
handful Ebola cases still in Guinea,
from where the epidemic started.
4) Global FMCG behemoth Nestle‟s
Indian subsidiary re-launched its popular
Maggi noodles in India on 9 November
2015. Maggi re-launch was done five
months after they were banned for
allegedly containing lead beyond
permissible levels. Nestle India has
partnered with which online company for
this product‟s rollout? – Snpadeal
Explanation: Nestle India began rollout
of Maggi noodles from 9 November and
for this the company has tied up with
online marketplace Snapdeal.

25. Page25CURRENTAFFAIRS
 Nestle India announced that all
samples of Maggi Noodles Masala
have been cleared by three National
Accreditation Board for Testing and
Calibration Laboratories-accredited
labs as mandated by the Bombay
High Court.
 However, Maggi noodles will not be
available in eight states that have
banned its sale.
 In June 2015, Food Safety and
Standards Authority of India
(FSSAI) had banned Maggi
noodles, saying it was unsafe and
hazardous for consumption after
finding lead beyond permissible
limits. The company had soon
withdrawn the noodles brand from
the market.
5) Y. Ramakrishna Reddy and Lakshmi
Kanta Reddy, two amateur
archaeologists, came to news recently
for discovering rock paintings belonging
to Mesolithic periods in Andhra Pradesh.
The paintings representing geometrical
designs are seen on a big boulder
executed in red ochre. This unique
discovery has been made in which
district of Andhra Pradesh? – Kadapa
Explanation: Kadapa district is in
Rayalseema region of Andhra Pradesh.
The discovery of paintings belonging to
Mesolithic periods was made at
Peddakona near Anantapadmanabha
temple in Kadapa district.
 Ramakrishna Reddy, working as
conductor in the Proddutur bus
depot of AP State Road Transport
Corporation (APSRTC) and
Lakshmi Kanta Reddy, a police
constable in APSP battalion,
Siddhavatam, discovered these
paintings during their visit to a fort in
the region.
 The paintings representing
geometrical designs are seen on a
big boulder executed in red ochre.
The lines painted in the shape of
rectangles, triangles and circles
denote abstract forms of some
animals.

Nov 11-12, 2015

26. Page26CURRENTAFFAIRS
1) Union Govt. on 10 November 2015
issued letter of award (LoA) for setting
up a new electric locomotive factory in
Bihar to Alstom Manufacturing India
Limited. This new state-of-the-art plant
is being established at which place in
Bihar? –Madhepura
Explanation: The Electric Locomotive
Factory (ELF) at Madhepura will be
established as a joint-venture between
Ministry of Railways and Alstom
Manufacturing India Limited. For this a
new entity will be established as a joint-
venture between the two entities.
 The factory would manufacture and
supply modern electric locomotives
of high horse power (HP), i.e.,
12000 HP. The plant will
manufacture and procure 800 such
locomotives in 11 years. The basic
cost of these 800 electric
locomotives will be Rs. 19,000
crore. The project requires only five
electric locomotives to be imported.
The balance 795 locomotives are to
be manufactured in India.
 These High Horse Power (12000
HP) locomotives would be a
quantum leap over the existing 6000
HP locomotives used for freight
operations. These modern and
powerful electric locos will be useful
for heavy haul freight operations
and mega freight operations in the
Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor
and all India operations.
 Investment of Rs. 1,300 crore will
be done to establish this ELF.
Establishment of ELF at Madhepura
is expected to lead to substantial
development of ancillary
manufacturing units, generation of
direct and indirect employment and
substantial development in the
region.
2) Union Govt. on 9 November 2015
issued letter of award for setting up a
Diesel Locomotive Factory (DLF) at
Marhowra (District Saran) in Bihar.
1,000 diesel locomotives will be
manufactured at this DLF over a period
of 10 years. Which US-based company
has roped in for this joint-venture? – GE
Global Sourcing India Pvt. Limited
Explanation: GE Global Sourcing India
Pvt. Limited is the Indian subsidiary of
US conglomerate GE. This entity will
form a joint-venture with Ministry of
Railways for establishment for this
proposed DLF at Marhowra in Bihar.

27. Page27CURRENTAFFAIRS
 The DLF at Marhowra will
manufacture and supply modern
diesel locomotives of 4500 HP and
6000 HP to Indian Railways. The
basic cost of 1000 Freight Locos will
be about Rs.14,656 crore.
 This project is expected to usher in
new technologies into the Indian
Industry at large through high paced
indigenization within first two to
three years of commencing
production. The move is also seen
as a giant leap forward in Union
Govt.‟s „Make in India‟ drive.
3) Union Govt. eased foreign direct
investment (FDI) norms for how many
sectors on 10 November 2015? –
Fifteen (15)
Explanation: The Union Govt. eased
FDI norms in 15 major sectors on 10
November and raised the Foreign
Investment Promotion Board (FIPB)
approval limit from Rs 3,000 crore to Rs
5,000 crore.
 The major sectors in which FDI
norms have been relaxed included
defence, construction, civil aviation,
media, mining, broadcasting,
banking, agriculture and single
brand retail.
 Within defence manufacturing, firms
can automatically increase foreign
ownership to 49%, without seeking
government approval.
 In banking sector it will now become
easier for private sector lenders
such as Axis bank, Kotak Mahindra
Bank and Yes Bank to raise fresh
foreign capital, as foreign portfolio
investors can buy stakes of up to
74% on condition there will be no
change in control and management.
 The government also eased rules
on sourcing for single-brand
retailers, particularly for high-tech,
and allowed them to sell online
without specific permissions.
4) RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan was
elected as the Vice-Chairman of the
Bank of International Settlement (BIS)
on 10 November 2015. With this he
became the first Indian central bank
Governor to become the vice-chairman
of BIS. BIS is headquartered in which
Swiss city? – Basel
Explanation: BIS is headquartered in
Basel, Switzerland, and acts as a
coordinating body among central banks

28. Page28CURRENTAFFAIRS
to ensure global monetary and financial
stability. Its board comprises all central
bankers.
 Rajan, who has been a vocal votary
for increased co-ordination among
central banks, was elected vice-
chairman of the entity and will have
a three-year term.
 Rajan was appointed RBI Governor
amid a currency crisis in 2013 which
he was able to tackle soon after he
assumed charge. He has been a
strong critic of unconventional
monetary policies such as
quantitative easing and keeping
interest rates at near-zero level for
long.
5) In a major breakthrough the
Bangladesh Government handed over a
very prominent ULFA leader to India on
11 November 2015. What is the name of
this leader who is a founding member
and general secretary of ULFA? – Anup
Chetia
Explanation: Anup Chetia, a founding
member of United Liberation Front of
Assam (ULFA) and its general
secretary, is wanted for murder,
abductions and extortion in India.
 He had sought political asylum in
Bangladesh thrice in 2005, 2008
and in 2011 after Bangladesh police
arrested him in December 1997 and
was subsequently handed seven
years of jail terms by two courts for
cross-border intrusion, carrying fake
passports and illegally keeping
foreign currencies.
 Attempts for Chetia‟s secure
custody had been on for last two
decades and his return is likely to
weaken ULFA leader Paresh
Barua‟s position.
 ULFA is the most prominent
separatist organization in Assam.
Nov 13-14, 2015

29. Page29CURRENTAFFAIRS
1) What was India‟s retail inflation
(consumer price index) during October
2015, which was a four-month high, as
disclosed in govt. data released on 12
November 2015? –5.0%
Explanation: Consumer price index
based inflation, which is the primary
inflation gauge as far as RBI is
concerned, rose to 5% in October
versus 4.41% in the previous month
(September 2015). This was disclosed
in the data released by the Central
Statistics Office (CSO) on 12 November.
 Rise in inflation was primarily due to
record increase in food products,
particularly pulses. Higher demand
for consumer durables and food
items during the festival season
beginning in October also
contributed to rise in inflation.
2) What is the name of India‟s newest
communications satellite that was
launched on 11 November 2015 and will
replace Insat-3A and 4B satellites? –
GSAT-15
Explanation: GSAT-15 is country‟s
latest communications satellite that was
launched successfully from Kourou in
French Guiana (South America) on 11
November 2015. It was launched by
Arianespace‟s Ariane VA-227 launch
vehicle.
 It will replace the ageing Insat-3A
and Insat-4B satellites that are in
the same orbital slot when they
expire.
 GSAT-15 has 24 transponders on-
board that will mainly cater to public
and private direct-to-home
broadcasters besides VSAT
operators. It is worth mentioning
that a majority of private operators
use capacity leased on foreign
spacecraft.
 GSAT-15, including the fee to
European launch company
Arianespace, has cost over Rs. 850
crore.
3) In a historic development in Japan‟s
aviation history, country‟s first-ever

30. Page30CURRENTAFFAIRS
passenger jet aircraft was successfully
flown on 11 November 2015. Which
Japanese conglomerate has developed
this aircraft? – Mitsubishi
Explanation: Japan‟s first ever
domestic passenger jet, which was
tested on 11 November is called
Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) and has
been developed by Mitsubishi Heavy
Industries. Its test run was completed at
Nagoya airport.
 MRJ has two-engines, is
approximately 35 meters (115ft)
long and can seat about 80
passengers. Its maiden test flight
culminated a decade of
development for a programme
aimed at competing with other
regional passenger jet
manufacturers such as Brazil‟s
Embraer and Canada‟s Bombardier.
 The plane marks a new chapter for
Japan‟s aviation sector, which last
debuted a commercial airliner in
1962 – the YS-11 turboprop, which
was discontinued about a decade
later.
 Firms in Japan were banned from
developing aircraft by US occupiers
following its defeat in the 2nd
World
War.
4) Delhi Govt. held first-ever “Yamuna
Aarti” on 13 November 2015. This
event, being initiated as part of
government‟s efforts towards cleaning
the river and promoting tourism, was
held at which Ghat on Yamuna? –
Kudesia Ghat
Explanation: The first-ever “Yamuna
Aarti” was held on the lines of the
famous Ganga Aarti held at Haridwar,
Rishikesh and Varanasi. Delhi Govt.‟s
Water and Tourism Department
organized this event and 11 priests from
Varanasi were invited to conduct the
event.
 The aim of the event is to showcase
the cleaner and brighter side of the
Yamuna and also promote its banks
as a spiritual destination for visitors.
5) Which Indian private sector entity
bought a 40% stake in OakNorth Bank,
a British lender to small businesses and
entrepreneurs, as disclosed on 13
November 2015? –Indiabulls Group
Explanation: Mumbai-based Indiabulls
Group acquired a 40% stake in
OakNorth Bank, a British entity which
provides loans to small businesses and
entrepreneurs.

31. Page31CURRENTAFFAIRS
 Indiabulls, which has interests in
real estate development, financial
services and lending, bought the
stake through Indiabulls Housing
Finance, India‟s second-largest
private housing finance company.
The total cost of this acquisition is
66 million pounds ($100 million).
 This major investment by Indiabulls
is expected to enable it to
accelerate and expand ambitious
growth plans to take on the major
banks in small business segment.
The announcement coincided with
Indian Prime Minister Narendra
Modi‟s maiden visit to Britain.

Nov 15-16, 2015
1) The 10th
edition of Group of 20 (G20)
Summit started on 15 November 2015.
The event is being held in the shadow of
the terror attack in Paris two days ago.
Which city is hosting this prestigious
Summit, which is also being attended by
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi? –
Antalya (Turkey)
Explanation: Antalya, the southwestern
Turkish city known for breathtaking
views, is hosting the 2015 G20 Summit
on 15 and16 November 2015. The
Summit features 20 largest economies
of the world and includes all major
developed and developing economies.
 The G-20 comprises of Argentina,
Australia, Brazil, Canada, China,
France, Germany, India, Indonesia,

32. Page32CURRENTAFFAIRS
Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi
Arabia, South Africa, South Korea,
Turkey, United Kingdom, United
States and the European Union.
 Heads of states of 6 countries have
been invited as guest
representatives to the Summit.
These 6 countries are – Azerbaijan,
Malaysia, Senegal, Singapore,
Spain and Zimbabwe.
 French President François Hollande
is not attending the Summit due to
the Paris attacks of 13 November
and has sent Foreign Minister
Laurent Fabius and Finance
Minister Michel Sapin as his
representatives.
 The economic agenda of the 2015
G20 Summit was completely
overshadowed by terror following
terror attacks in Paris and Turkey
over the weekend.
2) At least 129 persons were killed in a
massive terror attack on French capital
Paris on 13 November 2015. The attack
comprised of at-least 8 armed militants
who carried out firing sprees at some
most famous restaurants and a theatre.
What is the name of the theatre that
bore the brunt of this attack with over 90
persons killed here? – Bataclan Theatre
Explanation: The famous Bataclan
Theatre, situated in Boulevard Voltaire,
was the most prominent target of this
attack. The attack was carried out as the
American rock band „Eagles of Death
Metal‟ were playing a sold-out concert to
about 1500 guests at the theatre.
 The attackers reportedly forced
people to lie on the floor and then
sprayed them with bullets, shooting
at anyone who tried to flee.
 Two explosions were also carried
out near Paris‟ most prominent
football stadium – the Stade de
France. At that time a friendly
football match between hosts
France and Germany was being
played at the stadium and was
watched by French President
François Hollande and German
Foreign Minister.
 Other attacks were at four
restaurant stadiums in the city. The
responsibility of the terror attack
was taken by the Islamic State (IS).
The attack was the biggest attack in
Paris since the Second World War.
3) What is the name of the Advanced
Torpedo Defence System developed by
the DRDO, which was handed over to

33. Page33CURRENTAFFAIRS
the Indian Navy on 14 November 2015?
– „Mareech‟
Explanation: „Mareech‟ is a state-of-
the-art indigenous system for torpedo
detection and countermeasures. It has
been jointly developed by Naval
Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory
(NPOL), Kochi and Naval Science and
Technological Laboratory (NSTL),
Visakhapatnam. The system was
handed over to the Indian Navy by
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar at a
function held at NSTL on 14 November.
 It offers a complete solution to
detect and locate the incoming
torpedo and to apply
countermeasures to protect naval
platform against torpedo attack.
Two production grade Maareech
systems have been developed and
user evaluation trials completed
onboard two Indian Navy ships.
4) The Pentagon (US Defence
Headquarters) on 14 November 2015
announced that the head of the Islamic
State (IS) in Libya has been killed in a
U.S. airstrike. What was his name? –
Abu Nabil
Explanation: Pentagon Press Secretary
Peter Cook on 14 November claimed
that Abu Nabil (also known as Wissam
Najm Abd Zayd al-Zubaydi) was an Iraqi
national. He was a longtime al-Qaeda
operative and later, became the senior
Islamic State leader in Libya.
 His death came days after an
American drone hit claimed the life
of the terror group‟s dreaded
executioner, Jihadi John. This
Pentagon announcement also came
as the Islamic State claimed
responsibility for 13 November‟s
attacks in Paris that killed at least
129 people.
 The Pentagon expects that Nabil‟s
death will degrade ISIS‟s ability to
meet the group‟s objectives in
Libya, including recruiting new ISIL
members, establishing bases in
Libya, and planning external attacks
on the U.S.
5) Indian Badminton ace Saina Nehwal
lost to which Chinese player in women‟s
singles finals of China Open Super
Series on 15 November 2015? – Li
Xuerui
Explanation: The finals of the China
Open Superseries women‟s singles was
played on 15 November 2015 in Fuzhou
(China) between India‟s Saina Nehwal

34. Page34CURRENTAFFAIRS
and Li Xuerui of China. While Saina was
the defending champion, Xuerui is the
reigning Olympic champion.
 Xuerui defeated Saina in straight
games by 21-12, 21-15. Saina
couldn‟t match the speed and
precision of the reigning Olympic
champion Xuerui and despite taking
lead in both the games, she
squandered it some unforced errors.

Nov 17, 2015
1) French warplanes launched a huge
retaliatory assault on Islamic State (IS)
late on 15 November 2015. The attacks
were made at which Syrian city, which is
often known as the de facto capital of
IS? – Raqqa
Explanation: Raqqa (also called Rakka
or Al-Raqqah) is a north-central Syrian
city situated on the banks of Euphrates
River. It is the sixth largest city in Syria
with a population of over 2 lakh. The city
was captured by the militants of the IS in
2014 and is used as their headquarters
in Syria from there on.
 10 French aircrafts dropped 20
bombs in Raqqa on facilities used
by the militant group Islamic State
(IS) which had claimed
responsibility for 13 November‟s
terrorist attacks in Paris. The
assaults were launched from bases
in the United Arab Emirates and
Jordan and were conducted in
coordination with U.S. forces, who
have compiled an extensive target
list in Raqqa.
 It is worth mentioning that U.S.
planes have repeatedly struck in
and around Raqqa in recent
months. French Defence Ministry
claimed that they have targeted a
command center, a militant-training

35. Page35CURRENTAFFAIRS
facility and an arms depot in the
city. The air assault was done just 2
days after the massive terrorist
attack in Paris on 13 November,
which claimed at least 129 lives.
2) On 16 November 2015 who was
named as India‟s new Permanent
Representative to the United Nations
(UN) to replace Ashoke Mukerji? – Syed
Akbaruddin
Explanation: Syed Akbaruddin is a
1985-batch officer of the Indian Foreign
Service (IFS) and has been the
spokesperson of the External Affairs
Ministry (MEA). He is currently serving
as an Additional Secretary in MEA.
 He will succeed Asoke Mukerji. As
India‟s Permanent Representative
to the UN in New York,
Akbaruddin‟s main task would be to
push for India‟s bid to gain
permanent membership of the UN
Security Council (UNSC) as well as
to strongly advocate its position on
key issues.
3) Highly versatile actor Saeed Jaffery
passed away on 15 November 2015 at
the age of 86 in London. He was known
for his roles in some acclaimed films like
Satyajit Ray‟s „Shatranj ke Khiladi‟ and
Sai Parajpye‟s „Chashme-Baddoor‟. He
was the first Indian to be awarded which
prestigious British royal award for his
contributions to drama? – “Order of the
British Empire” (OBE)
Explanation: Some of the most
acclaimed films of Saeed Jaffery
included „The Man Who Would Be King‟
(1975), „Shatranj Ke Khiladi‟ (1977),
„Chashme Baddoor‟ (1981), „Gandhi‟
(1982), „A Passage to India‟ (1984), „The
Far Pavilions‟ (1984), and „My Beautiful
Laundrette‟ (1985).
 He won a Filmfare Award for Best
Supporting Actor for his amazing
performance in Satyajit Ray‟s
„Shatranj ke Khiladi‟ in 1978.
 His important TV appearances were
in „Gangsters‟ (1975–1978), „The
Jewel in the Crown‟ (1984),
„Tandoori Nights‟ (1985–1987) and
„Little Napoleons‟ (1994). „Tandoori

36. Page36CURRENTAFFAIRS
Nights‟ was broadcasted on
Doordarshan also in 1988-89.
 Some of his mainstream Hindi films
were „Masoom‟, „Ram Teri Ganga
Maili‟, „Ram Lakhan‟, „Khoon Bhari
Maang‟, „Dil‟, „Henna‟ and „Naseeb‟.
 Saeed Jaffery was very well-known
abroad, having appeared in several
international movies. Some of the
prominent international stars he
worked with are Sean Connery,
James Ivory, Sir Richard
Attenborough, Michael Caine and
Pierce Brosnan.
4) During November 2015 which
separatist organization of the
Northeastern region of India was
declared a terrorist organization under
the provisions of Unlawful Activities
(Prevention) Act, 1967 by the Union
Govt.? – National Socialist Council of
Nagaland (Khaplang) or NSCN (K)
Explanation: NSCN (K) is a militant
organization active along the Indo-
Myanmar border. It was founded in 1988
by S.S. Khaplang, a separatist leader of
Nagaland, as an offshoot of the NSCN.
 The organization has been known to
resort to terrorism by killing innocent
civilians and security forces and
engaged in other violent activities
including the June 2015 attack on
the Army convoy in Chandel district
of Manipur killing 18 armymen.
 The Ministry of Home Affairs
announced NSCN (K) as a terrorist
organization in the gazette
notification of 6 November 2015.
5) India‟s first retail facility to provide
drugs for cancer and cardiovascular
diseases at highly discounted rates was
inaugurated on 15 November 2015 at
AIIMS, New Delhi. What is the name
given to this retail entity? – AMRIT
Explanation: AMRIT stands for
Affordable Medicines and Reliable
Implants for Treatment. It is the initiative
of the Union Health Ministry and it is
presently having 202 drugs of cancer
and cardiovascular diseases where the
price is 60 to 90% less than market
rates.
 AMRIT is being managed by the
government-owned HLL Lifecare
Ltd (HLL), which will sell both drugs
and implants at significant discount
on market rates, based on authentic
prescriptions from doctors not only
to AIIMS patients but even to

37. Page37CURRENTAFFAIRS
patients availing treatment at other
hospitals.

Nov 18, 2015
1) Which Indian institute recently
created history by becoming the first
from the country to make it into Top 100
list of the prestigious „Times Higher
Education (THE) Ranking for
Engineering & Technology‟ list 2015? –
Indian Institute of Science (IISc)
Explanation: Bangalore-based Indian
Institute of Science (IISc) was ranked
99th
in the „Times Higher Education
(THE) Ranking for Engineering &
Technology‟, which was released during
November 2015. Thus this institute
broke India‟s poor ranking spell by
making its debut in the coveted list, that
remains dominated by US institutions.
THE is considered the most prestigious
list of world‟s top 100 universities for
engineering and technology.
 IISc Bangalore is widely considered
as India‟s finest institution in its field
of scientific research and
engineering studies. It was
established in 1909 with significant
support from Jamshetji Tata. In
1958 it was given the status of a
deemed university.
 US institutions Stanford, CalTech
and Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT) were ranked top
three in the list. This was however a
very good year for Asian institutes
as they held 25 positions in the list,
up from 18 last year. On the other
hand US held 31 places, three down
from last year‟s 34.
2) The Board of Directors of ICICI Bank
on 16 November 2015 approved sale of

38. Page38CURRENTAFFAIRS
6% of bank‟s stake in its subsidiary
ICICI Prudential Life Insurance
Company. This stake is being sold to
which two entities? – Premji Invest and
Compassvale Investments Pvt Ltd
Explanation: According to the decision
taken by ICICI Bank‟s Board of Directors
on 16 November, 6% of bank‟s stake in
ICICI Prudential Life Insurance will be
sold to Premji Invest & its affiliates and
Compassvale Investments Pvt. Limited
for Rs. 1,950 crore. While Premji Invest
is the investment arm of Wipro
Chairman Azim Premji, Compassvale
Investments is a wholly-owned
subsidiary of the Singapore-based
investment company Temasek.
 This transaction has thus placed
ICICI Prudential Life Insurance
Company‟s value at Rs. 32,500
crore.
 Upon completion of the transaction,
ICICI Bank will hold around 68%
share of the company. Prudential,
ICICI Bank‟s joint venture partner,
will maintain its current share of
approximately 26%.
3) According to the information
disclosed on 16 November 2015,
Reliance Infrastructure Limited is
planning to sell a 49% stake in its
electricity generation business to
Canadian pension fund Public Sector
Pension Investment Board. This stake is
being sold in which Reliance entity
which is engaged in transmission and
distribution business in Mumbai and
adjoining areas? – Reliance Energy
Explanation: Reliance Energy is part of
Anil Ambani‟s Reliance Infrastructure
Limited. It distributes power to nearly
three million consumers, covering an
area of 400 sq. km., and catering to a
peak demand of over 1,800 megawatt,
with revenue of Rs. 7,700 crore in 2014-
15.
 Reliance Infrastructure will utilize
money from the stake sale in the
power distribution business to
reduce debt. The company had a
debt of Rs. 24,645 crore, as of 30
September 2015.
 The financial details of the proposed
deal have not been made public but
analysts expect the deal to be worth
about Rs. 3,500 crore.
4) Which global hotel group will acquire
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
Inc. for $12.2 billion to create the world‟s
largest hotel chain, as disclosed on 16

39. Page39CURRENTAFFAIRS
November 2015? – Marriott
International Inc.
Explanation: Marriott International Inc.,
after acquiring Starwood Hotels &
Resorts Worldwide Inc. for $12.2 billion,
will become the world‟s largest hotel
chain. It will have top hotel brands
including Sheraton, Ritz Carlton,
Starwood and the Autograph Collection.
 The combined company will own or
franchise more than 5,500 hotels
with 1.1 million rooms worldwide
and give Marriott greater presence
in markets such as Europe, Latin
America and Asia including India
and China.
 It is worth mentioning that while
Marriott is predominantly US-based
hotel group with around three-
quarters of its rooms in the US,
Starwood gets nearly two-thirds of
its revenue from outside the US.
5) Who won the Brazilian F1 Grand Prix
2015, the final of which was held on 15
November 2015? – Nico Rosberg
(Germany)
Explanation: Nico Rosberg of
Mercedes team defeated his British
teammate Lewis Hamilton to win his
successive F1 title. Hamilton has
already won the F1 title of 2015.
 Ferrari‟s Sebastian Vettel
(Germany) was third while Force
India driver Nico Hulkenberg
(Germany) got sixth place to grab
eight points.
6) „The Magic of the Lost Temple’, which
is the name of a newly released
children‟s book, is the 25th
book of which
noted author? – Sudha Murty
Explanation: Sudha Murty‟s 25th
book
titled „The Magic of the Lost
Temple’ was released on 14 November
2015. This is the latest title in Murty‟s
over three-decade-long writing journey.
 Sudha Murty, chairperson of Infosys
Foundation and wife of Infosys
mentor Narayan Murty is a prolific
writer in Kannada and English.

40. Page40CURRENTAFFAIRS
7) Senior VHP leader Ashok Singhal
passed away on 17 November 2015 at
the age of 89. He had organized a
mammoth „Dharma Sansad‟ in Delhi in
which year, in which the movement for
reclaiming the Ram Temple at Ayodhya
was born? – 1984
Explanation: Vishwa Hindu Parishad
(VHP) had organized a huge „Dharma
Sansad‟ in 1984 at Delhi‟s Vigyan
Bhawan. Ashok Singhal was the key
organizer of this event and it was able to
attract notable number of Hindus and
sadhus from all over the world to
discuss the problems pertaining to
Hinduism. From here the seeds of the
Ramjanmbhoomi Temple movement
were sown.
 Singhal was at the forefront of the
VHP‟s campaign for a Ram temple
at the disputed site in Ayodhya
where the Babri Masjid was
demolished on 6 December 1992.
The VHP is an affiliate of the BJP‟s
ideological mentor – the Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
 Singhal passed away on 17
November at a Gurgaon hospital.
He was suffering from respiratory
problems for over a month.
Nov 19, 2015
1) What is the name of the controversial
Lokayukta of Karnataka who is poised to
become the first Lokayukta in the
country to be removed from his post by
Assembly after the process for his
removal was initiated on 17 November
2015? – Y. Bhaskar Rao
Explanation: Y. Bhaskar Rao, the
Lokayukta (or the anti-graft
ombudsman) of the state of Karnataka
has been in news for an alleged

41. Page41CURRENTAFFAIRS
extortion racket in his office that involves
his son. He is on a long leave since July
2015 after his son Ashwin Rao was
arrested by the Special Investigation
Team (SIT) in connection with the case.
 On 17 November 2015 the
opposition parties of the state
petitioned the Karnataka Assembly
Speaker K. Thimmappa to initiate
the process for removal of Bhaskar
Rao from his post. 46 members of
BJP and 37 of JD(S) signed this
petition. As per the provisions, at
least 72 members have to sign such
petition.
 The process of the removal of
Lokayukta is a complex one as
mentioned in the provisions of the
Karnataka Lokayukta (Amendment)
Bill, 2015 that was passed earlier
this year. Y Bhaskar Rao, however,
has become the first Lokayukta
against whom such process has
been initiated.
2) Tata Steel on 18 November 2015
unveiled its first integrated steel plant in
the country in the last hundred years
after Jamshedpur. This plant has been
established in which place? –
Kalinganagar (Odisha)
Explanation: Tata Steel‟s first
integrated plant in India since the iconic
plant in Jamshedpur has been
established in Kalinganagar in Odisha‟s
Jajpur district. The plant was
inaugurated by Odisha Chief Minister
Naveen Patnaik on 18 November 2015.
 Tata Steel has invested around Rs.
25,000 crore in the project. The
plant would add 3 million tonnes per
annum (MTPA) capacity in the first
phase and a total 6 MTPA with
completion of the second phase.
The company will source iron ore for
the project from its Khandbandh
mines in Joda.
 However, the actual commissioning
of this plant will take a few days as
the blast furnace, sinter plant and
steel melting shop of the plant are
yet to receive clearance from the
Odisha State Pollution Control
Board.

42. Page42CURRENTAFFAIRS
3) Which senior ICICI Bank woman
officer was appointed by Standard
Chartered as the CEO of its India
operations, as announced on 17
November 2015? – Zarin Daruwala
Explanation: 50-year Zarin Daruwala
was working as the President of
wholesale banking business in ICICI
Bank till now. She resigned from the
post on 17 November after she was
hired as the CEO of the Indian
operations of Standard Chartered.
 Zarin Daruwala is a chartered
accountant and a company
secretary. She had joined ICICI
Limited in 1989 as a management
trainee and worked in almost all
verticals in the organisation that
later became a bank in 1994.
 Standard Chartered is the oldest
foreign bank in India. Daruwala is
joining Standard Chartered at a time
when the bank is in the news for the
wrong reasons. It is axing 15,000
jobs worldwide, and some
retrenchment will take place in India
as well.
4) Three newspapers of Nagaland ran
blank edit pages on 16 November 2015.
What was the reason for this hard
move? – To protest against an
allegedly anti-freedom order of the
Assam Rifles
Explanation: Three newspapers of
Nagaland – the „Morung Express‟, the
„Eastern Mirror‟ and the „Nagaland
Page‟ on 16 November ran empty
editorial space to protest against the
alleged curbs on freedom of speech as
demanded by a paramilitary force – the
Assam Rifles.
 The Assam Rifles in October 2015
had told editors of state newspapers
to stop covering rebel group
National Socialist Council of
Nagaland – Khaplang (NSCN-K).
This militant group has been fighting
for an independent homeland for
many years in a bitter battle against
Indian security forces. It was
recently banned and classified as a
terrorist group also.
 Various factions of the National
Socialist Council of Nagaland
(NSCN) have negotiated and signed
ceasefire deals with the Indian
government since 1997. But the
NSCN-K has refused to sign a
peace deal.

43. Page43CURRENTAFFAIRS
5) Anil Ambani Group‟s Reliance Power
has made its exit from which Ultra Mega
Power Project (UMPP) as announced
on 17 November 2015? – Tilaiya UMPP
(Jharkhand)
Explanation: The 4,000 MW Tilaiya
UMPP was one of the three UMPPs that
were intended to be established by
Reliance Power. The other two UMPPs
are Sasan and Krishnapatnam.
 According to the pertaining reports,
at least 10 of the 18 buyers, who
had signed power purchase
agreements (PPAs) to procure
power from Reliance Power‟s
Tilaiya UMPP, have agreed to
terminate these PPAs. In April 2015
Reliance Power had announced that
its special purpose vehicle
Jharkhand Integrated Power, which
was to run the Tilaiya UMPP, had
terminated the PPAs with 18 power
distribution companies (discoms)
spread across 10 states, citing the
reason of delayed land acquisition.
 Reliance Power would receive
compensation of around Rs. 800
crore from these buyers as well as
the ministry of coal.
 This UMPP was awarded to
Reliance Power in 2009 at a
levelised tariff of Rs 1.77 a unit.
6) Which Australian fast bowler retired
from all forms of international cricket on
17 November 2015? – Mitchell
Johnson
Explanation: 34-year old Australian fast
bowler Mitchell Johnson bid adieu to
international cricket on the final day of
the drawn second Test against New
Zealand in Perth on 17 November.
 With 313 wickets in 73 Test
matches, he is Australia‟s fourth-
highest Test wicket-taker after
Shane Warne (708 wickets), Glenn
McGrath (563 wickets) and Dennis
Lillee (355 wickets). He also took
239 one-day wickets.
 Johnson was also a useful lower
order batsman, scoring 11 half-
centuries and one century during a
career run haul of 2,034.


44. Page44CURRENTAFFAIRS
Nov 20, 2015
1) The Seventh Pay Commission
submitted its much anticipated report to
the Union Govt. on 19 November 2015.
The most important recommendation of
this Commission is hike salaries of the
Central Govt. employees by 16%. Who
headed the 7th Pay Commission? –
Justice A.K Mathur
Explanation: Justice A.K Mathur is a
former judge of the Supreme Court. He
was also the first Chairman of the
Armed Forces Tribunal.
 He was made the Chairman of the
7th
Pay Commission during February
2014. The other two members of the
Commission are – Vivek Rae
(former Secretary, Ministry of
Petroleum and Natural Gas) and Dr.
Rathin Roy (Director, NIPFP).
 The Pay Commission is constituted
by the Central Government every 10
years primarily to revise the pay
scale of its employees. The
recommendations of Pay
Commissions are often are adopted
by states after some modifications.
Important recommendations of the
7th
Pay Commission:
 Recommended Date of
implementation: 1 January 2016
 Minimum Pay: Rs. 18,000 per
month.
 Maximum Pay: Rs. 2,25,000 per
month (for Apex Scale and Rs.
2,50,000 per month for Cabinet
Secretary)
 In percentage terms the overall
increase in pay and allowances and
pension will be 23.55%.
 Within this the increase in pay will
be 16%, increase in allowances will
be 63% and increase in pension
would be 24%.

45. Page45CURRENTAFFAIRS
2) The Cabinet Committee on Economic
Affairs gave its approval for how much
stake sale in Coal India Limited (CIL) on
18 November 2015? – 10%
Explanation: The disinvestment plan
was announced by Coal and Power
Minister Piyush Goyal on 18 November.
He said that the Union Govt. is
expecting to mop up Rs. 20,000 crore
from the disinvestment in Coal India.
However, the date and price of the stake
sale is yet to be decided.
 At the company‟s current market
capitalisation, a 10% stake sale will
fetch the government around Rs.
21,100 crore. This will be third
disinvestment in CIL‟s history.
 If the government attains its target
amount from the Coal India stake
sale, this will go a long way in
meeting the disinvestment target of
Rs.69,500 crore for this financial
year. So far, the government has
been able to pare its stake in only
four companies – Power Finance
Corporation (PFC), Rural
Electrification Corporation (REC),
Dredging Corporation and Indian Oil
Corporation (IOC) – and has earned
only Rs.12,600 crore.
3) The 2015 Summit of the Asia Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC)
concluded on 19 November 2015. The
meeting of the 12-nation Trans-Pacific
Partnership (TPP) trade agreement was
also held on the sidelines of this
Summit. The APEC Summit for 2015
was held in which city? – Manila (The
Philippines)
Explanation: The 27th
Summit of APEC
was held on 18 and 19 November 2015
at Manila (Philippines). It marked the
second time that the Philippines played
host to the APEC, having hosted the
event previously in 1996.
 APEC is the forum of 21 Pacific Rim
member countries that promotes
free-trade throughout the Asia-
Pacific region. It was established in
1989.
 The 21 countries that feature in
APEC are – Australia, Brunei,
Canada, Chile, China, Chinese
Taipei, Hong Kong, Indonesia,
Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New
Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru,
the Philippines, Russia, Singapore,
South Korea, Thailand, the United
States and Vietnam.
 On 18 November US President
Barack Obama and 11 other world

46. Page46CURRENTAFFAIRS
leaders met to reach out to discuss
the ambitious Trans-Pacific
Partnership (TPP) trade agreement
– a landmark deal that proposes to
create the world‟s largest free trade
area. This meeting, organized on
the sidelines of APEC, was the first
meeting of 12 TPP countries after
this landmark agreement was
signed on 5 October 2015.
 The 12 countries that are involved in
TPP agreement are – Australia,
Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan,
Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand,
Peru, Singapore, the United States,
and Vietnam.
4) Who was named as India‟s new
Ambassador to the People‟s Republic of
China by the Union Govt. on 18
November 2015? – Vijay Keshav
Gokhale (V.K. Gokhale)
Explanation: V.K. Gokhale is currently
the country‟s Ambassador to Germany.
He will replace Ashok Kantha as India‟
Ambassador to China when his term
ends in January 2016. Ashok Kantha
was appointed as envoy to China in
January 2014 for a two-year term.
 Gokhale is a 1981 batch IFS officer
and is known to be one of the most
knowledgeable officials in Indian
Foreign Service (IFS). Before taking
up position in Germany as India‟s
top envoy, he has served in Indian
missions in Hong Kong, Hanoi,
Beijing and New York.
5) Over 17,000 employees of the
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) went on
strike on 19 November 2015 which
affected the settlement system in
country‟s banks. Why RBI employees
observed this strike, which was the first
at the central bank in six years? –For
better retirement benefits and to
oppose reforms at the RBI
Explanation: The strike by RBI
employees was observed in support of
better retirement benefits and to oppose
the proposed creation of a monetary
policy committee. The monetary policy
committee would include members of
the government and RBI employees see
this as a curb on the RBI‟s decision-
making powers.
 It is worth mentioning that RBI
Governor Raghuram Rajan has
supported the creation of a
monetary policy agreement,
although details about its
composition have yet to be
announced.

47. Page47CURRENTAFFAIRS
 The last time RBI employees struck
work was in 2009, again for higher
pensions.
Nov 21, 2015
1) Nitish Kumar took oath as Chief
Minister of Bihar for the fifth time at a
glittering oath ceremony held at Patna‟s
historic Gandhi Maidan on 20 November
2015. Who was appointed as the
Deputy Chief Minister of the state? –
Tejaswi Pratap Yadav
Explanation: Tejaswi Pratap Yadav, the
26-year old son of Rashtriya Janata Dal
(RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, was
appointed as the Deputy Chief Minister
after he took oath as a minister. He took
oath immediately after Chief Minister
Nitish Kumar, who became Chief
Minister of the state for fifth time.
 Tejaswi is the son and political heir
of Lalu Prasad Yadav. Yadav‟s
party RJD had made a grand
political comeback in Bihar
Assembly Elections where the party
garnered the highest 80 seats out of
243 seats.
 Tejaswi‟s older brother Tej Pratap,
also became a minister in the new
Nitish Kumar government.
Portfolios
 Tejaswi Yadav, who is now number
two in Nitish Kumar Cabinet, was
allocated Public Works Department,
Road and Construction and
Backward, Extremely Backward
Welfare portfolios. Tej Pratap
Yadav was given the portfolios of
Health, Minor Irrigation and
Environment and Forest.
 Chief Minister Nitish Kumar retained
charge of Home, General
Administration and Information and

48. Page48CURRENTAFFAIRS
Public Relations Department. Senior
RJD leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui was
given Finance while JD(U)
leader Rajiv Ranjan Singh
Lallan was allocated Water
Resources portfolio. Congress
leader Madan Mohan Jha was
allocated Revenue and Land
Reforms portfolios. State Congress
chief Ashok Chaudhury has become
the Education and IT Minister.
2) The committee, which was reviewing
the public-private partnership model
(PPP model) of infrastructure
development, has recommended
improving the financing of such projects.
Who was heading this committee on
PPP Model, which submitted its report
on 19 November 2015? – Vijay Kelkar
Explanation: The Vijay Kelkar
Committee to review the PPP model of
infrastructure development submitted its
report to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley
on 19 November 2015. The committee
was headed by Vijay Kelkar, former
Chairman of the Finance Commission.
 The committee analysed the risks
involved and the existing framework
of risk-sharing between the project
developer and the government in
the PPP model and gave its
recommendations. The report of the
Committee has recommended
reviving the PPP model and
redesigning it by introducing best
international practices and by
improving capacity building.
 During the consultation period,
leading infrastructure players had
pitched before the Committee for a
neutral regulator to look into all
issues arising in PPP projects
across sectors. The report of the
committee is being put into the
public domain soon.
 Apart from its head, Vijay Kelkar,
the 10-member committee included
CS Rajan (Chief Secretary,
Rajasthan) SB Nayar (Chairman
and Managing Director, India
Infrastructure Finance Company
Ltd), Shekhar Shah (Director-
General, NCAER), Pradeep Kumar
(Managing Director, CBG State
Bank of India) and Vikram Limaye
(MD, IDFC).
3) Which state is poised to become the
first state in the country to enact a law
against social boycott after this state

49. Page49CURRENTAFFAIRS
released a pertaining draft act on 18
November 2015? –Maharashtra
Explanation: The Maharashtra Govt. on
18 November published the draft of an
act called as the „Maharashtra
Prohibition of Social Boycott Act, 2015‟.
This act terms any action of social
boycott as a crime. With passing of this
act Maharashtra is poised to become
the first state in the country to officially
enact a law against social boycott.
 The proposed act will work against
social boycott of individuals or
families by caste panchayats. The
act has recommended seven years
of imprisonment or fine of Rs. 5 lakh
or both if the accused is proven
guilty. As per the act, the trial shall
be completed within a period of six
months from the date of filing of the
charge sheet.
 Maharashtra in recent times has
witnessed an increased number of
incidents of social boycott and
violence at the orders of seniors in
the caste panchayats, for not
adhering to their rules. Slain
rationalist Narendra Dabholkar too
had picked up the issue before his
murder in Pune.
4) The 10-day long International Film
Festival of India (IFFI) for year 2015
commenced at Panaji (Goa) on 20
November 2015. IFFI, which is country‟s
biggest film extravaganza, will feature
as many as 187 films in World Cinema
section. This is which edition of IFFI? –
46th
edition
Explanation: The 46th
edition of
International Film Festival of India (IFFI)
is being organized at Panaji (Goa) from
20 to 30 November 2015. The festival
was inaugurated on 20 November with
actor Anil Kapoor presiding over the
opening ceremony as the chief guest.
 Matthew Brown‟s “The Man Who
Knew Infinity” was the opening film
of the festival, while world‟s third
Sanskrit film “Priyamanasam”
opened the Indian Panorama
section.
 Spain has been selected as the
Focus Country at the IFFI-2015.
 187 movies will be screened in
World Cinema section of IFFI-2015,
while 47 films will be shown in the
Indian Panorama section. The
festival will also be recognising
young talents under its new
segment „First Cut‟ to showcase

50. Page50CURRENTAFFAIRS
some of the outstanding works of
debutante directors of 2015.
5) On 19 November 2015 BJP‟s
Prameela Sashidharan created history
when she was elected as the
chairperson of an urban municipal body
in Kerala. She thus became the first BJP
member to head an urban local body in
Kerala. She has become chairperson of
which Kerala municipality? – Palakkad
Explanation: Prameela Sashidharan of
BJP was elected chairperson of the
Palakkad municipality of Kerala as she
defeated UDF candidate Priya in
the election that was held on 19
November following the recent civic
polls. Earlier BJP had emerged as the
single-largest party in the civic polls by
winning 24 seats in the 52-member
municipal council. Although the party
failed to get a simple majority.
 51-year old Prameela Sashidharan
thus became the first BJP member
ever to head an urban municipal
body in Kerala. She took oath as
chairperson of Palakkad
municipality in a function held on 19
November.
 Palakkad, bordering Coimbatore in
Tamil Nadu, is considered to be the
gateway to Kerala.
6) A 1,111 carat high quality diamond,
which is said to be the largest diamond
found in over a century, has been found
in which African country? – Botswana
Explanation: Lucara Diamond Corp, a
Swedish company, on 19 November
2015 claimed that it has discovered a
1,111 carat high quality diamond from
one of its mines in Botswana that is the
world second largest gem quality
diamond ever recovered. It also claimed
that this diamond is the largest ever
diamond found in over 110 years.
 This newly found diamond is only
second in size to the famous
„Cullinan‟ diamond. „Cullinan‟
weighs 3,106-carat and was found
near Pretoria (South Africa) in 1905.


51. Page51CURRENTAFFAIRS
Nov 22-23, 2015
1) In an important development, leaders
of 10-nation group ASEAN declared the
establishment of an EU-style regional
economic bloc. This decision was taken
at the 2015 ASEAN Summit that
concluded in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)
on 22 November 2015. What is the
name chosen for this proposed regional
economic bloc? – ASEAN Economic
Community (AEC)
Explanation: The decision to establish
ASEAN Economic Community (AEC)
was taken at the 27th
ASEAN Summit
(for 2015) that concluded at Malaysian
capital Kuala Lumpur on 22 November.
The declaration to establish AEC was
signed by the leaders of 10-nation
grouping in front of world leaders
including Prime Minister Narendra Modi
and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-
moon.
 The AEC envisages a single market
with a free flow of goods, capital
and skilled labour across borders in
the highly competitive economic
region. It will integrate Southeast
Asia‟s diverse economies, a region
with 620 million people and a
combined gross domestic product of
$2.4 trillion.
 The ASEAN leaders also adopted
the declaration on “ASEAN 2025,
forging ahead together”. The
ASEAN 2025 document charts the
path for the AEC building over the
next ten years.
 ASEAN grouping includes Brunei,
Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos,
Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
2) Which landmark broad gauge rail line
in Assam was inaugurated by Union
Railways Minister on 21 November
2015, which brought the strategically
important Barak Valley on the broad
gauge map of the Railway? – Silchar-
Lumding

52. Page52CURRENTAFFAIRS
Explanation: The Silchar-Lumding is
considered a landmark broad gauge rail
line in Assam as it is expected to
accelerate development in state‟s
underdeveloped but strategically
important Barak Valley. This rail-link will
also provide immensely beneficial for
the states of Tripura, Manipur and
Mizoram.
 The line passes through 21 tunnels
and has 75 major bridges and 340
minor bridges along the track.
 The Lumding-Silchar Gauge
Conversion Project under the
Northeast Frontier Railway was
sanctioned in 1996-97 and was
declared a National Project in 2004.
The project was hit by insurgency
from 2006 to 2009. The Territorial
Army had to be deployed to take on
the insurgents.
3) African country Mali was site of a
hostage drama and mass shooting at a
hotel on 20 November 2015, which
resulted in the death of at-least persons.
Which Islamic militant organization
claimed responsibility for this attack? –
Al-Mourabitoun
Explanation: Around 4-5 gunmen
belonging to the Islamic militant group
Al-Mourabitoun stormed Hotel Radisson
Blu in Bamako, the capital city of African
country Mali on 20 November 2015.
They took over 170 people in the hotel
as hostages after carrying out a firing
spree. Later Malian Special Forces
stormed into the hotel and the hostage
drama unfolded after hostilities between
militants and the security forces. Malian
govt. claimed that 19 persons died in the
attack and this included 17 foreigners.
 Al-Mourabitoun claimed
responsibility for the attack, while
the claim was not verified initially. It
claimed that the attack was carried
out jointly with al-Qaeda in the
Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). It is worth
mentioning that Al-Mourabitoun is
made up of Tuaregs and Arabs from
northern Mali and is affiliated with
AQIM. The group, led by Mokhtar
Belmokhtar, formed in 2013 and is
based in the Sahara Desert.
 Following a military coup in 2012,
Islamic extremists took control of
northern Mali, prompting a French-
led military intervention in early
2013.

53. Page53CURRENTAFFAIRS
4) The legendary Windows operating
system completed how many years of
its launch on 20 November 2015? – 30
years
Explanation: Windows 1.01, the first-
ever operating system of the iconic
Windows series was launched on 20
November 1985. Windows 1.0 offered a
new way to navigate a PC, clicking a
cursor on various boxes rather than
scrolling through lines of text in order to
navigate data and applications. While
arguably less efficient than a command
line, the graphical user interface (GUI)
was more intuitive and easier for novice
users to manage.
 With the launch of the first-ever
version of Windows, Microsoft
started its journey to ultimately
become the most successful OS
company in the highly competitive
world of PCs. Windows 1.01,
however, was not exactly a stirring
success. But without doubt it was
the foundation stone to the
immense Windows edifice that was
to come.
 The first highly successful Windows-
based OS was Windows 3.11
5) Who was elected as the new
President of industry body – the
Federation of Indian Chambers of
Commerce and Industry (FICCI) on 20
November 2015? – Harshavardhan
Neotia
Explanation: Harshavardhan Neotia,
Chairman of Ambuja Neotia group, was
elected as the new President of FICCI
on 20 November. He will take over from
the current FICCI President Jyotsna Suri
during the chamber‟s AGM in December
2015.
 Neotia, a „Padma Shri‟ awardee, is
also a member of the Rajasthan
Chief Minister‟s Advisory Council
and West Bengal Chief Minister‟s
Core Committee on Industry.
 FICCI is the largest and oldest trade
and business organization in India.

54. Page54CURRENTAFFAIRS
Nov 24-25, 2015
1) World‟s biggest ever merger in the
healthcare sector was announced on 23
November 2015 in which Botox-maker
Allergan Plc. will be bought for about
$160 billion. Which US healthcare giant
will acquire Allergan? – Pfizer Inc.
Explanation: The acquisition of
Allergan Plc. by Pfizer Inc. for about
$160 billion is the biggest ever deal in
the healthcare sector.
Apart from male libido drug Viagra and
cholesterol drug Lipitor, Pfizer‟s major
drugs include nerve pain treatment
Lyrica and Prevnar, a treatment for
pneumonia. Allergan, best known for its
anti-wrinkle treatment Botox, also
makes Alzheimer‟s drug Namenda and
dry-eye medication Restasis.
 New York-based Pfizer will shift its
legal base to Ireland after this deal
so as to reduce its tax rate. Allergan
Plc. has its headquarters in Ireland.
The tax aspect of the deal has been
seen as critical. The US corporate
tax rate of 35% is among the world‟s
highest, and compares with
Ireland‟s rate of 12.5%.
 The businesses of Pfizer and
Allergan will be combined under
Allergan Plc., which will be renamed
Pfizer Plc. Pfizer Chief Executive
Ian Read will be CEO of the
combined company, while Allergan
CEO Brent Saunders will be Chief
Operating Officer (COO).
2) Which multinational life insurance
company during increased its stake in
Anil Ambani‟s Reliance Life Insurance
from 26% to 49%, as announced on 24
November 2015? – Nippon Life
Insurance (Japan)
Explanation: Japan‟s Nippon Life
Insurance acquired 23% additional
stake in Reliance Life Insurance for
₹2,265 crore to increase its stake in the
company from 26% to 49%. The
transaction thus pegged Reliance Life
Insurance‟s valuation at about ₹10,000
crore.

55. Page55CURRENTAFFAIRS
 Nippon Life Insurance has so far
invested an aggregate of Rs. 5,327
crore for acquiring 49 per cent of
Reliance Life Insurance. In addition,
the Japanese company has also
committed an investment of ₹3,303
crore for acquiring 49% stake in
Reliance Capital Asset
Management, taking its total
investment to ₹8,630 crore.
 In line with the new shareholding
structure, the name of the company
will also be changed to Reliance
Nippon Life Insurance Company
Limited.
3) Which senior Congress leader won
the Ratlam-Jhabua Lok Sabha seat from
Madhya Pradesh by snapping it from the
BJP as declared in the by-election
results announced on 24 November
2015? – Kantilal Bhuria
Explanation: Kantilal Bhuria is a senior
Congress leader and former Union
Minister from MP and had represented
Ratlam-Jhabua Lok Sabha seat six
times in a row. However, he had lost to
Dileep Singh Bhuria 2014 Lok Sabha
elections. But Dileep Singh‟s death
necessitated the by-election.
 The BJP gave the ticket to Petlawad
MLA Nirmala Bhuria, daughter of
Dileep Singh Bhuria. But she lost to
Kantilal Bhuria by over 80,000
votes. The loss of BJP in Ratlam-
Jhabua is being seen as a setback
to MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh
Chouhan.
 The BJP was, however, successful
in retaining the Dewas seat in MP.
BJP‟s Gayatri Raje Puar won the
bypoll from Dewas Assembly seat
by a margin of 30,778 votes,
defeating Congress‟ Jai Prakash
Shastri.
 The bypoll was necessitated by the
death of Gayatri‟s husband Tukoji
Rao Puar of erstwhile royal family of
Dewas.
 On the other Lok Sabha seat, for
which by-election was held, was
won by the Telangana Rashtra
Samithi (TRS). The ruling TRS party
won the Warangal Lok Sabha seat
in Telangana by-elections as its
candidate P. Dayakar defeated his
nearest rival Congress candidate S.
Satyanarayana by a record margin
of 4,59,092 votes. The BJP- TDP
combine finished at third position.

56. Page56CURRENTAFFAIRS
4) The BJP made its debut in the
Assembly of which Northeastern state
as announced in the assembly by-
elections on 24 November 2015? –
Manipur
Explanation: BJP‟s Khumukcham
Joykishan and Thongam Biswajit Singh
won assembly elections for the party to
make the first-ever entry in state‟s
Assembly. The party won both the
Assembly by-elections – Khumukcham
Joykishan defeated the Congress
party‟s Jyotin Waikhom in
Thangmeiband by over 1700 votes while
Thongam Biswajit Singh defeated the
Congress‟s Bijoy Koingjam in Thongju.
 The BJP now has two legislators in
the 60-member Manipur Assembly.
The Congress rules the state.
 On the other hand, Lal Thanzara of
the Congress retained the Aizwal
North III seat in Mizoram, while
Diosstarness Jyndiang of the Hill
State People‟s Democratic Party
won Nongstoin in Meghalaya.
5) Who emerged as the winner in the
recent Argentinian Presidential elections
that ended the 12-year rule of the
Peronist Party? – Mauricio Macri
Explanation: Mauricio Macri, the leader
of the leader of the Argentina‟s centre-
right opposition Conservative party was
confirmed as the winner in Argentina‟s
presidential elections after his ruling
party opponent Daniel Scioli conceded
his defeat. Macri won around 51.5%
votes to Scioli‟s 48.5%.
 The result was declared after a run-
off election was held between the
two rivals on 22 November 2015,
the first in the country‟s history. The
run-off was necessitated as Scioli
did not command enough of a lead
to win the first round of Presidential
elections held on 25 October 2015.
 The win of Mauricio Macri ended the
12-year regime of the Peronist Party
led by President Cristina Fernández
de Kirchner. Kirchner was re-
elected as the President in 2011.
Before her two terms her late
husband Nestor Kirchner was
country‟s President. But since
Argentinian Constitution doesn‟t
allow more than two consecutive
terms, Daniel Scioli was handpicked
as Kirchner‟s choice for the post of
President.


57. Page57CURRENTAFFAIRS
Nov 26, 2015
1) Which new global regulation for
passport usage as mandated by the
International Civil Aviation Organization
(ICAO) came to force from 25
November 2015? – From this date the
use of non-machine readable
(handwritten) passports has been
invalidated
Explanation: Beginning 25 November
2015, non-machine readable
(handwritten) passports have been
invalidated as per guidelines issued by
the ICAO earlier. It is worth mentioning
that there is no data available of people
who hold these kinds of passports. This
means that only machine-readable
passports (MRPs) will be accepted and
visas will be issued against such
passports only.
 Handwritten or non-MRP passports
were issued before 2001, and are
being phased out in many countries.
The ICAO regulation means that
those whose passports with 20-year
validity extend beyond 25
November 2015 will also have to
renew their passports.
 A machine-readable
passport (MRP) is a machine-
readable travel document (MRTD),
where the data on the identity page
is encoded in optical character
recognition format.
2) In a major international controversy,
which NATO member country shot down