SEPTEMBER CURRENT AFFAIRS

1. The RBI retained the growth projection for the current fiscal at 5.5 per cent. The apex bank sees FY16 growth at 6.3 per cent.
1. Bank Rate – 9 % (Unchanged) 2. Cash Reserve Ratio – 4 % (Unchanged)
3. SLR – 22 % (Unchanged) 4. Repo Rate – 8 % (Unchanged)
5. Reverse Repo Rate – 7 % (Unchanged) 6. Marginal Standing Rate – 9 % (Unchanged)
2. President Pranab Mukherjee authorized Vigilance Commissioner Rajiv to act as chief of
Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) until the appointment of the Central Vigilance
Commissioner.
3. Justice Handyala Lakshminarayanaswamy Dattu was sworn-in as the 42nd Chief Justice of India on 28 September 2014. He succeeded Chief Justice RM Lodha who demitted office on 27 September 2014.
4. AIADMK Treasurer O Panneerselvam was sworn-in as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. He replaced the former AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa.
5. Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai was sworn in as president of Afghanistan.
6. The Bangladesh government appointed Syed Muazzem Ali as the new Bangladesh High Commissioner to India.
7. Suresh Prabhu was appointed as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Sherpa for the Group of 20 annual Summit 2014. The G-20 annual summit will be held in Brisbane from 15 November to 16 November 2014. Sherpa is a senior official responsible for preparing the agenda for leaders to consider during the summit.
8. India TV chairman and editor-in-chief Rajat Sharma was appointed as the new president of the News Broadcasting Association (NBA) for the year 2014-2015.
9. Lieutenant General Rizwan Akhtar was appointed as the new head of the Pakistan’s spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
10. US President Barack Obama nominated Indian-American Richard Rahul Verma as the next US Ambassador to India.
11. Lalitha Kumaramangalam was appointed as chairperson of National Commission for Women.
12. Chinese President Xi Jinping appointed Le Yucheng as China's new Ambassador to India.
13. Actor Leonardo DiCaprio was appointed as United Nations Messenger of Peace with a special focus on climate change.
14. The International Economic Association appointed Kaushik Basu as president-elect of the association beginning September 2014. This has been prepared on the basis of news and events appeared in The Hindu Newspaper in the month of September 2014. However, he will continue to serve as Senior
Vice President and Chief Economist of World Bank.
15. Meghalaya Governor, Dr. Krishan Kant Paul was sworn–in as the Governor of Manipur.
16. Senior IAS officer Subhash Chandra Garg was appointed as the Executive Director (ED) of World Bank.
17. Former Chief Justice of India, Palaniswamy Sathasivam was appointed as the new Governor of Kerala. He will replace Sheila Dikshit.
18. Former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden and Alan Rusbridger, editor of The Guardian won Right Livelihood Award.
19. Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and Steve Waugh of Australia were selected as Bradman Honouree 2014.
20. Hindi-language feature film Liar's Dice was selected for India’s official entry in the 2015 Oscars Awards for the Best Foreign Language Film category. The film is directed by Geethu Mohandas. The 87th Oscar Awards event will take place in the US on 22 February 2015.
21. Govind Mishra, the renowned Hindi author was given the Saraswati Samman in New Delhi. He was given the Samman for his novel Dhool Paudhon Par that was published in 2008.
22. The World Health Organisation honoured Bangladesh and Timor-Leste with South East Asia Regional Award for Excellence in Public Health.
23. Court, an Indian movie written and directed by Indian writer Chaitanya Tamhane won the
Lion of the Future – Luigi De Laurentiis award for a Debut Feature at the 71st Venice Film Festival.
24. J Jayalalithaa, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu was found guilty in the disproportionate assets case by the Special Court in Bangalore. The Court pronounced a jail term of 4 years and fined 100 crore rupees to her. 
25. The 41st Chief Justice of India (CJI), Rajendra Mal Lodha retired.
26. South Africa denied visa to Dalai Lama for Nobel Summit. He was scheduled to attend the 14th world summit of Nobel peace laureates in Cape Town in October 2014.
27. Taslima Nasreen, the controversial writer of Bangladesh in first week of September was given a one-year long visa that allows her to stay in India till August 2015.
28. The President Pranab Mukherjee was on a visit to Vietnam from 14 to 17 September 2014.
29. Sushma Swaraj, the Union Minister of External Affairs and Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs visited Bahrain.
30. Former International cricket umpire Mohammad Ghouse died following a brief illness.
31. The British aid worker, David Haines was in news as he was beheaded by Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants.
32. Freedom fighter and veteran journalist Jitendra Chandra Paul.
33. Prominent Bangladeshi Nazrul Sangeet singer Firoza Begum died in Dhaka due to heart and kidney problems.
34. Legendary US comedian and talk-show host Joan Rivers died.
35. The world`s oldest test cricketer Norman Gordon died in Johannesburg. He was a former South African international fast bowler.
36. Former Attorney General of India Goolam Essaji Vahanvati died of a heart attack in Mumbai.
37. People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China on 20 September 2014 pitched seven tents at Point 30R Post in Chumar area of Ladakh within the Indian Territory.
38. The Forbes India magazine released The 100 Richest Indian List 2014. As per the list, the top 100 richest tycoons in India are all billionaires for the first time.. According to the Forbes India List, the Top 10 Richest people of India: 
1. Mukesh Ambani; 2. Dilip Shanghvi; 3. Azim Premji; 4. Pallonji Mistry; 5. Lakshmi Mittal; 6. Hinduja brothers; 7. Shiv Nadar; 8. Godrej family; 9. Kumar Birla; 10. Sunil Mittal.
39. World population will reach 11 billion by 2100 and it was highly unlikely that global population will stabilize by the end of 2100 according to UN report.
40. KPMG-FICCI study has ranked India among top three medical tourism destinations in Asia. The other two countries within Asia that receive maximum medical tourists are Thailand and Singapore.
41. The World Bank Group approved 105 million US dollars grant for Ebola Emergency Response project to fight Ebola in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
42. UN Climate Change Summit 2014 was held at UN headquarters in New York on 23 September 2014 to put the planet on course towards reversing global warming. The purpose of the 2014 Climate Summit was to raise political momentum for a meaningful universal climate agreement in Paris in 2015.
43. The G-20 Labour and Employment Ministerial meet was held at Melbourne, Australia.
44. The two brothers, Achin and Sarthak Narula of Delhi became the first ever contestants to win 7 crore rupees in the television show, Kaun Banega Crorepati, hosted by Amitabh Bachchan.
45. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott returned two stolen antique statues of Hindu deities to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. One of the idols is a Nataraja, the dancing Shiva that belongs to the Chola dynasty of 11th-12th century. The other sculpture is of Ardhanariswara which represents Shiva in halffemale
form. It belonged to the 10th century.
46. The revived Nalanda University started its first session with 15 students in its makeshift campus at the Buddhist pilgrim town of Rajgir, about 100 km from Patna.
47. Operation Megh Rahat – a rescue operation undertaken by Indian Army during Jammu and Kashmir floods Indian Army on 19 September 2014 completed rescue Operation Megh Rahat in Jammu and Kashmir.
48. SRPF (Special Rhino Protection Force) is to be setup to protect Rhinos from poaching in Assam. It will be created in Assam with the help of Central funds.
49. Barauni bound Lucknow – Barauni express collided with the coaches of Lucknow bound Maduadih-Lucknow Krishak Express near Gorakhpur station at Nandnagar railway crossing.
50. Bollywood actor Naseeruddin Shah released his autobiography And then One Day: A Memoir.
51. 50 years of man in space was authoured by Garik Israelien, Brian May and David J Eicher.
52. The Supreme Court of India formed a five member committee to evaluate the damage caused by devastating floods in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) in September 2014.
53. H Devaraj Committee reported that most of the deemed universities are not fit for being a university. It said that out of 41 C category deemed universities only 10 universities are found to be fit for being a university.
54. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley constituted H R Khan panel to assess the amount of unclaimed deposits in the PPF accounts and Post Office saving schemes.
55. Bombay High Court set up V V Daga Committee to conduct forensic audit of NSEL and liquidate the assets of its defaulting borrowers in the over 5500 crore rupees payments scam.
56. Sivaramakrishnan committee constituted by the Union Government to suggest the place to build the capital city of Andhra Pradesh submitted its report.
57. Union Government declared 25 September as Antyodya Diwas. Antyodya diwas was observed to mark the 98th birth anniversary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay.
58. National Hindi Divas (Hindi Day) was observed across India on 14 September 2014.
59. The India-US Combined Military Training Exercise Yudh Abhyas 2014 concluded at Ranikhet in Uttarakhand.
60. Indian Air Force gifted a vintage Dakota aircraft from its museum to Bangladesh Air Force.
61. Strategic Force Command of India successfully test-fired nuclear weapons capable ballistic
missile Agni-I with a range of 700 Km. The missile was launched from the Integrated Test
Range (ITR) at Wheeler Island, Balasore off the Odisha Coast.
62. India’s first Air Veteran Rally was held at the Air Force Auditorium, Subroto Park in New Delhi.
63. India's largest naval offshore patrol vessel INS Sumitra was commissioned into Indian Navy.
64. Indo-Nepal joint military exercise Surya Kiran-VII concluded on 31 August 2014 at Pithoragarh.
65. The Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy announced the organisation of the first Renewable Energy Global Investors Meet & Expo (RE-INVEST). The meet is scheduled to be held on 15 February 2015 in New Delhi.
66. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the country's biggest-ever cleanliness drive that is expected to cost over Rs 62,000 crore, asserting that the "Swachh Bharat" mission is "beyond politics" and inspired by patriotism. The Cabinet had last month decided to merge the 'Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan', a campaign for rural sanitation with Swachh Bharat Mission.
67. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has directed the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to ensure “universal coverage” under Aadhaar by June 2015. The current Aadhaar enrolment is about 68 crore, which means over 50 crore people will have to be brought under its ambit within the next eight months. Last month, the union cabinet set a target of 100 crore enrolment under Aadhaar by the end of next year.
68. Targeting a five-fold jump in Indo-US trade to USD 500 billion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama pledged to deepen economic cooperation and will set up a joint program to boost business investment.
69. US government welcomes India's offer for US industry to be the lead partner in developing smart cities in Ajmer (Rajasthan), Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) and Allahabad (Uttar Pradesh).
70. US President Barack Obama and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to deepen USIndian cooperation on maritime security to ensure freedom of navigation in what amounts to a response to China's naval muscle-flexing in Asia.
71. India and the US decided to set up an interagency contact group to address liability and technical issues hindering installation of American-origin nuclear reactors in India.
72. India and US agreed to extend their defence agreement for another 10 years which is expected to give a big boost to cooperation in this key area between the two countries.
73. The government announced setting up of four task forces to lay down the roadmap for
developing four new regulatory agencies — Public Debt Management Agency (PDMA),
Financial Sector Appellate Tribunal (FSAT), Financial Data Management Centre (FDMC) and
Resolution Corporation (RC).
74. PM Narendra Modi and President Barack Obama issued an India and the US vision statement "Chalein Saath Saath: Forward Together We Go" promising that their "strategic partnership" would work to combat terror threats and prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction.
75. The government is planning to introduce a fresh Bill in the winter session of Parliament to repeal
over a 1,000 archaic laws in the financial, social, land and infrastructure sectors.
76. The next Parvasi diwas will be held in Ahmedabad in January 8-9 next year. The Pravasi Diwas will coincide with the 100 years of coming back of Mahatma Gandhi next year. 
77. Standard & Poor’s improved its rating outlook for India to “stable” from “negative even as it retained the credit rating at “BBB-”. Among the other major rating firms, Moody’s maintains Baa3 rating for India with stable outlook while Fitch rates the country’s creditworthiness at BBB- with a stable outlook.
78. Standard and Poor's warned that it could downgrade rating of crisis ridden Syndicate Bank if its asset quality deteriorates. It has raised the rating outlooks on 11 Indian banks and financial institutions to stable from negative. These include, Bank of India, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, IDBI Bank, Indian Bank, IDFC, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Kotak Mahindra Prime, State Bank of India and Union Bank of India.
79. Revising India's GDP upwards by 0.3 per cent to 6.3 per cent in 2015, Asian Development Bank (ADB) has said the economy shows a new promise of turnaround after the election brought a stable government in May.
80. In a bid to make the country a manufacturing hub, Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised easy an effective governance to enable ease of doing business as he launched the 'Make in India' campaign.
81. Mumbai has emerged as the least expensive city in the world to live and work in, according to a
latest real estate analysis. British capital London has overtaken Hong Kong as the most expensive
city to rent living and working space. 
82. The Union government said the proposed Goods and Services Tax could become a reality from April 1, 2016. The finance ministry is set to introduce the Constitution (115th Amendment) Bill in the winter session.
83. India and China inked 12 pacts in a range of areas including railways and outer space as Beijing pledged investments of USD 20 billion over five years in a bid to boost economic ties and address India's concerns over trade deficit.
84. The Indian Railways will get assistance from its counterpart in China for semi-high speed corridors, which allow trains to run at a speed of up to 200 km per hour.
85. India has retained its sixth position in terms of number of billionaires with 100 such people collectively having USD 175 billion in networth, while globally the number of uber-rich has reached a record high of 2,325 persons according to the Wealth-X and UBS Billionaire Census 2014.
86. PSU oil marketers not only wiped out their “under-recovery” on diesel in the fortnight ended September 15 but also reported a marginal over-recovery of 35 paise a litre on its sales. The development, mainly due to monthly price hikes since January 2013 and also helped hugely by a relatively low global crude oil price. 
87. Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority has set up a panel of experts, headed by former Sebi chief GN Bajpai, to review investment norms for National Pension System (NPS) schemes for the private sector.
88. Industrial and infrastructure project proposals will get security clearance within 12 weeks as the Home Ministry has streamlined the process by issuing a detailed guideline in this regard.
89. To sort out the liability issue plaguing Indian nuclear reactors, the Centre has asked General Insurance Company (GIC) to work on a model that could be applied to insure such facilities in the country.
90. A new index Creative Productivity Index (CPI) ranks Japan as the most efficient among Asian
countries while Myanmar, Pakistan and Cambodia are least efficient. India is at 14th rank. The Asian Development Bank said it developed the index with the Economist Intelligence Unit to give policymakers a tool to assess how best to foster innovation and creativity in Asian economies.
91. With the target of providing houses for all by 2022, a new integrated National Housing Mission will be launched soon by merging some of UPA's flagship schemes like JNNURM and Rajiv Awas Yojana.
92. Boeing has delivered the fifth maritime patrol aircraft P-8I to India as part of a deal for eight aircraft to support the Indian Navy's maritime patrol requirements.
93. Finance minister Arun Jaitley is unlikely to attend the G-20 finance ministers and central bank chiefs’ meeting in Cairns, Australia, on September 20 and 21, as he is recovering from a diabetes management surgery. Minister of state (finance and commerce) Nirmala Sitharaman will attend the meeting instead.
94. The Expenditure Management Commission headed by Bimal Jalan, will submit its interim report by January, in time for its recommendations to be incorporated in the FY16 Budget. 
95. Rating agency Moody's said prospects have brightened with growth rate expected to accelerate to 5.2 per cent in 2014 and 6.5 per cent by end of 2015.
96. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has cleared sale of government's 11.36 per cent in NHPC. The government also gave a go- ahead to the much-awaited 10 per cent stake sale in Coal India Ltd, which could fetch over Rs 23,000 crore to the exchequer. Government also cleared 5 per cent disinvestment in oil major ONGC, which may fetch the exchequer about Rs 18,000 crore.
97. RBI said guarantors, group firms and management can also be classified as willful defaulters by lenders. If the guarantor refuses to comply with the demand made by the banker despite having sufficient means to make payment of the dues, such guarantor would also be treated as a wilful defaulter.
98. The NDA government has decided to start negotiations for a free-trade agreement (FTA) with Peru.
99. India has signed the free trade agreement (FTA) in services and investments with the 10-member
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). 
100.Declaring the Jammu and Kashmir floods as "national level disaster", Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Rs 1,000 crore as special assistance for rehabilitation. 
101.Seven years after the then Australian Prime Minister John Howard decided to sell uranium to India. India and Australia signed the civilian nuclear cooperation agreement.
102.Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu announced that the new capital of the state would be located "around Vijayawada".
103.India is among the worst- ranked countries when it comes to taxation and inflation burden on economy, as also in terms of the negative impact of crime, terrorism and health hazards on business environment, a WEF report said. Out of 144 countries analysed by the World Economic Forum, India ranks 133rd in terms of inflation, 130th for taxes and 131st for starting a business. Switzerland has retained its top slot. 
104.India will get $35 billion from Japan over the next five years for development projects, including building of smart cities and next generation infrastructure.
105.Japan offered to provide financial, technical and operational support to India for introduction of bullet trains. The two Prime Ministers look forward to the completion of the Joint Feasibility Study on High Speed Railway system on Ahmedabad–Mumbai route.
106.Prime Minister Narendra Modi signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Japanese PM Shinzo Abe to turn Varanasi into a ‘smart city’ with help from Kyoto.
107.The much-awaited minimum monthly pension of Rs.1,000 and a higher wage ceiling of Rs.15,000 for social security schemes run by retirement fund manager Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) will be implemented from September 1.
108.Ms. Mridula Sinha will be administered oath of office as the Governor of Goa.
109.Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ch. Vidyasagar Rao was sworn in as Maharashtra Governor. His
appointment followed the resignation of UPA appointed K. Sankaranarayanan.
110.A four-member high-level committee has been set up under the former Cabinet Secretary
T.S.R. Subramanian to examine five laws administered by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change.
111.Iran unveiled a new surface-to-air Talash-3 (Effort-3, in Persian) missile and two radar systems Arash-2 and Kayhan.
112.The Department of Personnel and Training has notified amendments giving autonomy to the Lokpal search committee to shortlist and recommend names independently for selection of Chairman and members of the anti-corruption body.
113.Mumbai’s Esplanade House, once the residence of Jamsetji Tata, founder of the Tata empire, and
the Shri Sakhargad Nivasini Devi Temple Complex in Satara are among the 14 projects from 10 countries that bagged the UNESCO Asia- Pacific Heritage Awards that were announced in Bangkok.
114.India and Bangladesh have reached a decision on ratification of the Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) and ensure zero border killings.
115.China will set up two industrial parks in India, one each in Gujarat and Maharashtra.
116.Tata Consultancy Services has reappointed N Chandrasekaran as Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director for a five year term.
117.Bihar is the fastest growing State while Tamil Nadu is the worst performer, the latest data released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) has revealed. Bihar’s Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) grew 10.73 per cent during 2012-13. The second-best performing State is Madhya Pradesh, which grew at 9.89 per cent.
Delhi is third with a growth rate of 9.33 per cent. 
118.Tezu in Arunachal Pradesh; Kishangarh in Rajasthan; Jharsuguda in Odisha; and Hubli and
Belgaum in Karnataka will soon get no-frills airports.
119.Kolkata-born British author Neel Mukherjee’s latest novel The Lives of Others has been
shortlisted for the prestigious Booker Prize 2014.
120.The Indian economy will grow at a rate of 5.6 per cent in 2014 according to United Nations
Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said.
121.ICICI Bank launched Instant Money Transfer. In which customer can now transfer money
from their account to anyone in India with a mobile number.
122.Meghalaya Governor Krishan Kant Paul has been given additional charge of Manipur and
Mizoram.
123.The European Union (EU) decided to slap new economic sanctions on Russia over its actions in
Ukraine.
124.Paypal will start accepting bitcoin payments through its subsidiary, Braintree, the company
has announced.
125.Haryana and Maharashtra will hold elections on October 15, with counting of votes on October
19, as per the schedule announced by the Election Commission.
126.China will be the focus country for the 45th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2014,
scheduled to be held in Goa between November 20 and 30.
127.Retail inflation moderated slightly to 7.8 per cent in August from 7.96 per cent in July.
128.India and Vietnam signed seven agreements, including one for enhanced cooperation in the
oil sector. ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) and Vietnam Oil signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) for
jointly exploring two more blocks.
129.India has warmed to the idea of the BCIM (Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar) corridor that could prove to be a game-changer in regional linkages among the four countries. The BCIM corridor, long promoted by China, is intended to link Kunming to Kolkata, Mandalay (Myanmar), Dhaka and Chittagong.
130.Chinese President Xi Jinping made a special announcement on opening a new route for pilgrims to Kailash-Mansarovar in the Tibetan Autonomous Region.
131.The Export-Import Bank of China (China Exim Bank) and the China Development Bank Corporation (CDB) signed various agreements with SBI, ICICI Bank and Axis Bank.
132.Public sector banks (PSBs) in India will need to raise up to $37 billion over the next 4-5 years to meet Basel III compliance norms, credit rating agency Moody’s said.
133.The government has set up a high-level committee headed by Bibek Debroy to reconfigure the Railway Board as well as to suggest steps for resource mobilisation for major projects.
134.The government postponed the decision on revising natural gas prices till November 15. NDA government had deferred the implementation of the Rangarajan formula, approved by the previous UPA-regime, till September 30.
135.The Supreme Court cancelled 214 coal blocks allocated since 1993.
136.Bamiyan has been selected to be the SAARC cultural capital for a year beginning April 2015. Dhaka will be the SAARC cultural capital in 2016-17. The year 2016-17 will also be declared the SAARC Year of Cultural Heritage.
137.Cricket legend Kapil Dev has been honoured with a Lifetime Achievement award at a ceremony in the House of Lords in London.
138.Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan resigned from his post, a day after the Nationalist Congress
Party (NCP) withdrew support to his government and reduced it to a minority.

Important Organisation 2014

1. United Nation (UN) – is an intergovernmental organization established on 24 October 1945 to promote international co-operation.
Headquarter – New York , Head – Ban ki-moon Member - South Sudan new member country . Total– 193 members
2. WTO (World Trade Org.) –Yemen new member country. Total – 160 members.
Headquarter – Geneva, Switzerland, Head - Roberto Azevêdo
3. World Bank - The World Bank is a United Nations international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programs.
Headquarter - Washington D.C. (United States) President – Jim Yong Kim
Member - South Sudan new member country. Total– 188 members
4. IMF – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is an international organization that was initiated in 1944 at the Bretton Woods Conference and formally created in 1945 by 29 member countries.
Headquarter – Washington DC . (United States) President – Christine Lagarde
Member - South Sudan new member country. Total– 188 members
5. European Union – Croatia new member country. Total– 28 member countries.
Headquarter – Brussels, Belgium
6. Eurozone - The growth of the eurozone is an ongoing process within the European Union (EU). All Member states of the European Union, except for Denmark and the United Kingdom
are obliged to adopt the euro as their sole currency once they meet the criteria.
Member – The eurozone currently comprise 18 EU states.
Note: Latvia becomes the 18th Member State to adopt the euro on 1 January 2014.
ii. Lithuania has been approved for euro adoption on 1 January 2015.
7. ASEAN - Association of Southeast Asian Nations is a political and economic organisation of ten countries located in Southeast Asia, which was formed on 8 August 1967.
Headquarter – Jakarta, Indonesia Member - 10 member countries (India is not the member of ASEAN)
8. APEC – Asia – Pacific Economic Cooperation –is a forum for 21 Pacific Rim member economies that seeks to promote free trade and economic cooperation throughout the Asia-Pacific region. It
was established in 1989
Headquarter – Singapore Member - 21
9. OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) is an international organization and economic cartel whose mission is to coordinate the policies of the oil-producing countries
Headquarter – Vienna, Austria , Member - 12 member countries
Points To Remember:
India deal with Australia
1. India signs civil nuclear agreement with Australia
Note: Australia will provide supply of uranium, production of radio isotopes, nuclear safety and other areas of cooperation to India.
Apart from the civil nuclear deal signed between India and Australia, the two countries also inked three more pacts. Other three pacts were
i. MOU on cooperation in Sport
ii. Renewal of MOU on cooperation in the field of Water Resources Management
iii. MoU on Cooperation in Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET)
Note: Australia as a nation has about a third of the world’s recoverable uranium resources and it exports nearly seven thousand tonnes of uranium in a year. This was Australia’s first nuclear deal with a Non-Nuclear, Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) signatory country.
ii. Earlier such deal was banned because India is not a signatory of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, NPT
New Colombo Plan: Australian PM Tony Abbott PM launched the 'New Colombo Plan' at the Mumbai University. Note: i. The New Colombo Plan is a concept of collective inter-governmental efforts to strengthen the economic and social development of member countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
ii. Canberra’s New Colombo Plan aims at lifting knowledge of the Indo-Pacific in Australia by supporting Australian undergraduates to study in India.
Plan involves
• Scholarship programme for study up to one year
• Internships or mentorships
• A flexible mobility grants programme for short- and long-term study
The plan will be implemented from the next academic year.
India deal with China
XI Jinping’s India visit - Chinese president XI Jinping’s paid a three day visit to India was accompanied by his wife Peng Liyuan. It was third visit by any Chinese president to India. President Hu Jinato visited India in 20016 and Jiang Zemin in 1996.
India signs pact with China to better trade ties of $20bn: India signed a 5-year trade and economic cooperation agreement with China with a view to improve the trade balance.
Note: i. The 'Five year Trade and Economic Development Plan' was signed by Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharama and her Chinese counterpart Gao Hucheng
Important Points –
1. India, China sign 3 MoUs including setting up Industrial Park in Gujarat
The agreements include
i. Sister city pact between Guangzhou in China and Ahmedabad
ii. Setting up of an industrial park in Vadodara district (Gujarat)
iii. The third is between the governments of Gujarat and a Chinese province.
2. New road to Kailash Mansarovar via Nathu La
3. Mumbai and Shanghai will be twin cities.
4. China will set up two industrial parks in India, one each in Gujarat and Maharashtra.
India deal with Japan
PM Modi Japan Visit – This was PM first visit to any country outside South Asia after becoming the Prime Minister of India. His earlier visits were to Bhutan & Nepal.
Important Points –
1. Japan promise to give USD 35 to India thorugh public & private funding over the next five years for developmental projects, including building of smart cities and next generation infrastructure as also cleaning of the Ganges.
Note: The USD 35 billion funding, at an average of USD 7 billion per year, would be the highest from any country.
2. Both sides signed 5 pacts covering – defence exchanges, cooperation in clean energy, roads & hishways, healthcare and women.
3. India, Japan sign MoU to develop Varanasi into ‘smart city’: by using the experience of Kyoto, the ’smart city’ of Japan, under a pact signed b/w India & Japan.
Note: Kyoto, which is a heritage city with Buddhist culture, provides special symbolism to the visit as the Prime Minister has the vision of “rejuvenating” Indian cities.
4. Japan lifted the ban on six Indian entities including Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) which was imposed in the aftermath of 1998 nuclear tests.
5. Japan offered to provide financial, technical and operational support to India for introduction of bullet trains. The two Prime Ministers look forward to the completion of the Joint Feasibility Study on High Speed Railway system on Ahmedabad–Mumbai route.
6. Japan to work with India in finding sickle cell anemia remedy. Modi met Shinya Yamanaka, Japan's stem cell pioneer and 2012 Nobel Prize winner for medicine, at Kyoto University and discussed treatment of the disease.
6. SBI, Japan Bank partner for export credit of $152 mn: The loan is co-financed with the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ Ltd (BTMU) amounting to 13.5 billion Japanese Yen ($135 million) and $21 million approximately. The total cofinancing amount came to $152 million (about Rs. 927 crore),”
Note: This credit line will be utilised by Meja Urja Nigam Pvt Ltd (MUNPL) to finance the procurement of steam turbine generator equipment to construct a supercritical pressure coal-fired power plant (660MWx2 units) in Meja, Uttar Pradesh.
ii. MUNPL is a joint venture equally invested by NTPC Ltd and UP Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd,
India deal with Nepal
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visit Nepal. This was PM second visit after becoming Prime Minister of India. His first visit to Bhutan.
Note: i. Narendra Modi is the second PM of India who visited Nepal in 17 years.
ii. The first Indian prime minister who visited Nepal was by I.K. Gujral in June 1997.
Important Points:
1. India and Nepal have agreed to build a pipeline for supply of petroleum products to the Himalayan nation.
Note: The project for construction of the pipeline will start from Raxual in Bihar to Amlekhganj in Nepal in the first phase and extend it to Kathmandu in the next phase.
2. India and Nepal ink 3 pacts including one on the 5,600 MW Pancheshwar dam on the Mahakali river.
Note: The project falls under the integrated treaty on Mahakali River, bordering both Nepal and India, which was signed in 1996.
3. India & Nepal to boost cooperation in defence, security, trade & investment
4. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced $1 billion line of credit to Nepal and proposed a "HIT" (H: Highways, I: Iways and T: Transways) formula for the development of the land-locked country.
5. India has provided Rs 69 million to procure and distribute Iodised salt in the rural areas of Nepal.
MOUs-Deal between India & Other Countries
1. ONGC Videsh Ltd, signed an agreement with Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) for cooperation in the Latin American nation.
Note: Mexico is the largest crude oil producing country in Latin America
2. Nepal seeks technical cooperation from India for extending Provident Fund (PF)
3. India and Vietnam inked seven pacts, including one to enhance cooperation in the strategic oil sector, as they called for “freedom of navigation” in the South China Sea,
4. Hero MotoCorp Limited has entered into an agreement with the Andhra Pradesh Government for setting up a Greenfield two-wheeler manufacturing plant in Chittoor district
5. Latin American nation Peru has plans to sign a free trade agreement with India.
Note: Peru is the sixth largest gold producer, mining 5 million ounces every year. Peru is also the second largest producer of silver and the third biggest producer of copper, tin, zinc and lead.
6. Bangladesh and India have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for enhanced cooperation in the fields of traditional medicine like Ayurveda and Unani,
7. United Arab Emirates has signed three agreements with the United Nations World Food Program, WFP, offering 31 million US dollars worth of humanitarian aid for the Syrian refugees.
8. Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and Tata Chemicals Limited (TCL) signed MoU to setup India’s first Coral Garden in Gujarat.
This Coral Garden will be set up at Mithapur coastal region of Devbhoomi-Swarka district of Gujarat.
9. India and Germany agreed to prepare a roadmap for cooperation in skill development, solid waste management and cleaning of rivers.
10. India signed loan agreement with World Bank for Mizoram State Roads Project (MSRP II). As per the agreement, soft loan window of World Bank, International Development Agency (IDA) will provide assistance of 107 million US dollars for the Project.
11. India and Czech Republic signed MoU on technical cooperation in Railway.
12. India to give grant of $1 million for construction of cricket stadium in Afghanistan. The stadium is set to come up in Aino Mina, a northern suburb of Kandahar city on land donated to the Afghanistan Cricket Board in 2012.
13. India and Brazil signed three agreements to strengthen the bilateral relation
The three agreements signed between the two countries are:
(i) MoU on Cooperation in the Field of Environment
(ii) Agreement on Space
(iii) MoU on Cooperation in the Establishment of a consultation mechanism on mobility and consular issues.
14. India signed a MOUs with Sri Lanka for setting up of a Faculty of Agriculture and a Faculty of Engineering for the University of Jaffna at Kilinochchi.
Scheme & Plan Launched by Union & State Government:
1. Swachh Bharat Mission (Ek Kadam Swachhata Ki Aur) launched on Oct 2: The concept of Swachh Bharat is to pave access for every person to sanitation facilities including toilets, solid and liquid waste disposal systems, village cleanliness and safe and adequate drinking water supply.
Important Points:
1. The Mission aims at fulfilling the dream of clean India of Mahatma Gandhi by his 150th birth anniversary in 2019.
2. Logo – created by Shri Anant Khasbardar of Kolhapur, Maharashtra has won the Logo design contest
3. The Tagline “Ek Kadam Swachhata Ki Aur” was given by Ms.Bhagyasri Sheth of Rajkot, Gujarat emerged successful in the contest for Tagline for the Logo.
4. PM Narendra Modi appointed bollywood actor Aamri Khan as the Brand Ambassador of the Swachh Bharat Mission
5. Prime Minister roped 9 celebrities including cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, industrialist Anil Ambani, Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra and Kamal Haasan, Goa governor Mridula Sinha, yoga guru Ramdev and the team of TV serial "Tarak Mehta Ka Ulta Chashma".
2. Prime Minister launches 'Make in India' global initiative with an aim to boost India`s manufacturing sector.
3. Union Government launched Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Antyodaya Yojana for urban and rural poor
Note: i. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Antyodaya Yojana has two components one for urban India and other for rural India.
ii. The Urban component will be implemented by the Union Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation
iii. Rural component named as Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana will be implemented by the Union Ministry of Rural Development.
Main Highlights of the Urban Scheme
i. Imparting skills with an expenditure of 15000 rupees to 18000 rupees on each urban poor
ii. Enabling urban poor form Self-Help Groups for meeting financial and social needs with a support of 10000 rupees per each group who would in turn would be helped with bank linkages.
Main Poins of the Rural Scheme
i. The Yojana aims at training 10 lakh (1 million) rural youths for jobs in three years, that is, by 2017.
ii. The minimum age for entry under the Yojana is 15 years compared to 18 years under the Aajeevika Skills Programme.
iii. The skills imparted under the Yojana will now be benchmarked against international standards and will complement the Prime Minister’s Make In India campaign.
4. Union Ministry of Science & Technology announces “KIRAN”( Knowledge, Involvement, Research, Advancement through Nurturing) scheme for Women Scientists
Objectives:-
i. To increase the number of women researchers in India.
ii. Provide Research grants particularly to those female researchers and technologists who had to take a break in career owing to household reasons.
iii. Bring about, as far as achievable, gender parity in the field of science and technology.
5. Government will soon launch Universal Health Assurance Mission to provide affordable health services to people. Under the mission about 50 essential drugs with a diagnostic package and 30 AYUSH drugs will be made available to all citizens at government hospitals and health centers across the country.
6. Bhamashah Financial Empowerment Scheme – Government of Rajasthan
The Government of Rajasthan has embarked upon Bhamashah Financial Empowerment Scheme, (BFES) whereby the Government will deposit Rs.1500/- into the savings accounts of 50 lakh rural families belonging to Below Poverty Line (BPL)
7. Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana: RSBY started rolling from 1st April 2008.
Note: i. RSBY has been launched by Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India to provide health insurance coverage for Below Poverty Line (BPL) families.
ii. The objective of RSBY is to provide protection to BPL households from financial liabilities arising out of health shocks that involve hospitalization.
iii. Beneficiaries under RSBY are entitled to hospitalization coverage up to Rs. 30,000/- for most of the diseases that require hospitalization.
8. National Pension System -: Government of India established Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA)- External website that opens in a new window on 10th October, 2003 to develop and regulate pension sector in the country.
The National Pension System (NPS) was launched on 1st January, 2004 with the objective of providing retirement income to all the citizens.
Note: i. Under Swavalamban Scheme- External website that opens in a new window, the government will contribute a sum of Rs.1,000 to each eligible NPS subscriber who contributes a minimum of Rs.1,000 and maximum Rs.12,000 per annum. This scheme is presently applicable upto F.Y.2016-17.
ii. The subscriber will be allotted a unique Permanent Retirement Account Number (PRAN). This unique account number will remain the same for the rest of subscriber's life. This unique PRAN can be used from any location in India.
9. Aajeevika - National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) was launched by the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), Government of India in June 2011. The basic idea behind this programme is to organize the poor into SHG (Self Help Groups) groups and make them capable for self-employment.
10. Indira Awas Yojan: It is one of the major flagship programs of the Rural Development Ministry to construct houses for BPL population in the villages
Note: i. The financial assistance provided for new construction in the form of full grant is Rs.70,000/- per unit for plain areas & Rs.75,000/- for hilly/difficult areas.
ii. Further, an IAY beneficiary can avail top-up loan upto Rs 20,000/- under the Differential Rate of Interest (DRI Scheme) from any Nationalized Bank at an interest rate of 4% per annum.
11. Pradhan Mantri Krishi Seenchayi Yojana: Pradhan Mantri Krishi Seenchayi Yojana was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi . The Yojna has been announced to meet the irrigation needs of all farmers across the country. Sum of 1000 crore rupees has been allocated for implementation of the scheme.
12. Karnataka, Kerala sign MoU for rural livelihood mission: As per the MoU, Kerala Governement’s Kudumbashree and Karnataka State Rural Livelihood Mission are to help train and hand-hold rural Self Help Groups (SHGs) in Karnataka.
13. Govt re-launches Varishtha Pension Bima Yojana: The government has re-launched the Varishtha Pension Bima Yojana, for the benefit of citizens aged 60 years and above.
Note: It will provide monthly pension ranging from 500 to 5,000 rupees per month to senior citizens of the country.
ii. The Scheme will be administrated by the Life Insurance Corporation, LIC.
14. National rural scheme on PPP model launched: Rural Development Minister Nitin Gadkari launched the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee National Rural Mission on PPP model with an allocation of 100 crore rupees.
Note: The scheme will be initially available in three districts of the country on pilot basis. The districts are Warangal in Andhra Pradesh and two districts in Maharashtra.
ii. The scheme is intended to stop migration from rural areas to cities. The government wants to create infrastructure in villages so that people can get employment there and do not migrate to cities.
15. Padho Pardesh scheme for minority community: Government has launched a scheme titled, Padho Pardesh, for providing interest subsidy on educational loans for overseas studies for students belonging to the notified minority communities like Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Parsis.
Note: The objective of the scheme is to award interest subsidy to meritorious students belonging to economically weaker sections of the notified minority communities so as to provide opportunities for higher education abroad and enhance their employability.
16. Government has launched the Rashtriya Gokul Mission to promote conservation and development of indigenous breeds in a focused and scientific manner. The mission aims at enhancing milk production, upgrading non-descript cattle using elite indigenous breeds and distribute disease free high genetic bulls.
Awards & Honours
Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology (SSB) is a science award in India given annually by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) for notable and outstanding research, applied or fundamental, in biology, chemistry,environmental science, engineering, mathematics, medicine and Physics.
1. 10 scientists get Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize :
The selected awardees in different fields are
_ Biological Sciences: Dr. Roop Mallik of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai
_ Chemical Sciences: Dr. Kavirayani Ramakrishna Prasad of Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru and Dr. Souvik
Maiti of Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB), New Delhi
_ Earth, Atmosphere, Ocean and Planetary Sciences: Dr. Sachchida Nand Tripathi of Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur
_ Engineering Sciences: Dr. S Venkata Mohan of Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR-IICT), Hyderabad and Dr. Soumen Chakrabarti of Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai
_ Mathematical Sciences: Dr. Kaushal Kumar Verma of Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru
_ Medical Sciences: Dr. Anurag Agrawal of Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB), New Delhi
_ Physical Sciences: Dr. Pratap Raychaudhuri, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research of Mumbai and Dr. Sadiqali Abbas Rangwala of Raman Research Institute, Bengaluru
2. Hindi film 'Liar's Dice has been selected as India's official entry to the best foreign film category at the Oscar 2015 awards. Note: Director - Geethu Mohandas
3. Noted writer and filmmaker MT Vasudevan Nair was selected for the JC Daniel Award for lifetime achievement for the year 2013. Note: The award given by the Kerala govt. recognizes the overall contribution of Nair to the Malayalam film industry.
4. Former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden and Alan Rusbridger, editor of The Guardian on won Right Livelihood Award.
Note: The Right Livelihood Award is also known as Alternative Nobel prize of Sweden.
5. Leading NRI businessmen G P Hinduja and S P Hinduja have been honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award in Business at a ceremony in the House of Lords.
6. Kolkata-born British author Neel Mukherjee’s latest novel The Lives of Others has been shortlisted for the prestigious Booker Prize 2014.
7. Indian scientist Kamal Bawa has won the 2014 Midori Prize in Biodiversity for his research, including in climate change in the Himalayas.
Note: Kamal Bawa, is the founder president of the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) in Bangalore.
ii. The Midori Prize is regarded a major element "at the service of the objectives of the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity 2011-2020".
8. Indian tennis star Rohan Bopanna to receive Davis Cup Commitment Award
9. Indira Gandhi Rajbhasa award: Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL) CMD Madhusudan honoured with the prestigious Indira Gandhi Rajbhasha Shield for the Best Hindi Implementation in the organisation.
10. Indian movie Court won best debut award at Venice Film Festival
Note: Court, an Indian movie written and directed by Indian writer Chaitanya Tamhane, won the Lion of the Future – Luigi De Laurentiis award for a Debut Feature at the 71st Venice Film Festival
Note: Court was also was awarded with the Orizzonti award for best film.
11. China awarded China Book Award to JNU professor Priyadarsi Mukherji
Note: Priyadarsi Mukherji was honoured in recognition of his long-term contribution to the translation and publication of Chinese works.
12. Oxford Award: Dr Mrunalinidevi Puar, Chancellor of Maharaja Sayajirao University at Vadodara, has been conferred with the "Best Manager" award by the Oxford Summit of Leaders (Science and Education) in UK, Note: Dr Mrunalinidevi Puar is known for her research in availability of zinc in Indian food and was also awarded PhD by a Hyderabad based university,
13. Vinod Mehta eminent journalist and Editorial Chairman of Outlook group, was selected for G K Reddy Memorial Award 2014.
14. Indian Telugu Actor, Akkineni Nageswara Rao became the first Indian actor to be honoured with a postage stamp by the US Post Service
15. US actor Harry Belafonte to receive Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Oscar Award
16. Maryam Mirzakhani: Iran's first woman to win prestigious math prize known as the Field Medal, the International Congress of Mathematicians. Maryam Mirzakhani, a Harvard educated mathematician and professor at Stanford University in California
17. Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) has bestowed the ICSI Life Time Achievement Award 2013 for Excellence in Corporate Governance to HCL Founder and Chairman Shiv Nadar.
18. Guru Hanuman Akhara, a Delhi-based wrestling academy was chosen for the 2014 Rashtritya Khel Protsahan Puraskar (RKPP) .
Note: The Akhara was chosen in the category of establishment and management of sports academies of excellence.
19. Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award: Muzaffar Ali, a noted filmmaker of India was selected for Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award. His name was selected for his outstanding contribution towards the promotion of Communal harmony, peace and goodwill.
Note: i. This will be the 22nd edition of the Sadbhawna award. Sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan was recipient of the 21st Rajiv Gandhi National Sadhbhavna Award.
20. Ramon Magsaysay Award 2014
The list of awardees included six winners among five individuals and one organization from Pakistan.
i. Hu Shuli: She is a Chinese investigative journalist.
ii. Saur Marlina Manurung: She is being recognized for her ennobling passion to protect and improve the lives of Indonesia’s forest people, and her energizing leadership of volunteers in SOKOLA’s customized education program.
iii. Omara Khan Masoudi from Afghanistan: He is being recognized for his courage, labor, and leadership in protecting Afghan cultural heritage.
21. Bachendri Pal, the first Indian woman mountaineer to scale Mount Everest was conferred with Bharat Gaurav, the highest honour of merit of East Bengal Club.
22. Environmentalist and social activist Chandi Prasad Bhatt has been awarded the prestigious Gandhi Peace prize for 2013.
23. AIMA ( All India Management Association) Awards: Chandra Shekhar Ghosh, CMD of Bandhan won ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ award
M G George Muthoot, Chairman, Muthoot Group (Emerging Business Leader of the Year), N Chandrasekaren, CEO & Managing Director, TCS (Indian MNC of the Year), Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Film Producer, Director of Bhaag, Milkha Bhaag (Director of the Year) and S. S. Badrinath, Founder and Chairman, Emeritus of Sankara Nethralaya (Outstanding Institution Builder).
24. Jnanpith Award 2013: Noted Hindi poet Kedarnath Singh has been chosen for the prestigious Jnanpith award for 2013. He will be the recipient of the 49th Jnanpith award.
25. Pen Pinter prize 2014: Salman Rushdie wins Pen Pinter prize for his outstanding literary output and support for freedom of expression.
26. World Food Prize 2014: India-born plant scientist Sanjaya Rajaram has been named the winner of the World Food Prize for his breakthrough achievement in increasing global wheat production by more than 200 million tonnes following the Green Revolution.
27. Moortidevi Award 2013: C Radhakrishnan selected for Moortidevi Award 2013. He has been selected for his novel Theekkadal Katanhu Thirumadhuram.
Note: i. Radhakrishnan is the second Malayalam writer to be awarded with the Moortidevi award. The first Malayalam author to win the award was Akkitham Achuthan Namboothiri in 2009 for his selected poems.
ii. Haraprasad Das was conferred the Moortidevi Award for 2012 for 'Vamsha, a poetic recreation of the Mahabharata
28. Sudarsan Pattnaik won prize at World Cup of Sand Sculpting-2014. He won prize for his work Save Tree, Save the Future.
29. Malala Yousafzai wins Liberty Medal from the National Constitution Centre in Philadelphia.
30. France honour Shahrukh Khan with Legion of Honour
Note: The award of Officier de la Legion d'Honneur (Officer of the Legion of Honour) is the highest honour among Civilians and Military bestowed by France on French citizen as well as foreigners.
31. Gro Harlem Brundtland awarded with the first Tang Prize in sustainable development.
32. Former TATA Group Chairman Ratan Tata received an honorary doctor of laws degree from York University in Toronto, Canada.
33. Indian origin physicist Tejinder Virdee was honoured knighthood Bachelor by Queen Elizabeth II. He was awarded for his work on the Higgs Boson theory.
34. Lifetime Achievement Award’: Leading NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul has been honoured with the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ by a UK-based business association for his outstanding contribution to the industry, education and philanthropy.
35. Goldman Prize for environmental activist Ramesh Agrawal. He received the prize for helping villagers fight coal mining in Chhattisgarh.
36. Caparo Group founded by leading NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul has won the International Business of the Year award 2014
37. Golden Peacock Awards 2014: Technopark Technology Business Incubator (T-TBI) was chosen for the Special Commendation at the Golden Peacock National Training Awards 2014.
38. Pulitzer Prize 2014: India-born poet Vijay Seshadri has won the prestigious 2014 Pulitzer Prize in the poetry category for his work '3 Sections'.
39. Donna Tartt wins fiction Pulitzer Prize 2014 for novel 'Goldfinch'
40. Gandhi Peace Prize for 2013: Eminent Gandhian and environmentalist Chandi Prasad Bhat selected for the award.
Note: A pioneer of the Chipko Movement for which he was also awarded the Magsaysay Award in 1982, Mr. Bhatt was given the Padma Bhushan by UPA-I in 2005.
41. Saraswati Samman 2013: Govind Mishra selected for for his book Dhool Paudho Par.
42. Pritzker Prize 2014: Japanese architect Shigeru Ban won the Pritzker Architecture Prize 2014. He won the award for his creative and inexpensive designs for disaster relief shelters.
43. Abel Prize 2014: Russian mathematician Yakov Grigorevich Sinai won the award.
44. Laxmi, an acid attack victim gets International Women of Courage Award (US honour).
45. Vyas Samman 2013: Vishwanath Tripathi been selected for the prestigious Vyas Samman for the year 2013.
Note: Tripathi has been chosen for his memoir 'Vyomkesh Darvesh', a biolgraphy of noted Hindi scholar Acharya Hazari Prasad Dwivedi.
Padma Awards 2014:
Padma Vibhushan
1. Dr Raghunath A Mashelkar: Science and Engineering, Maharashtra
2. B K S Iyengar: Yoga, Maharashtra
Padma Bhushan
Gulam Mohammed Sheikh, Art-Painting, Gujarat
Begum Parveen Sultana, Art-Classical Singing, Maharashtra
T.H. Vinayakram, Art-Ghatam Artist, Tamil Nadu
Kamal Haasan, Art-Cinema, Tamil Nadu
Justice Dalveer Bhandari, Public Affairs, Delhi
Ruskin Bond, Literature and Education, Uttarakhand
Pullela Gopichand, Sports-Badminton, Andhra Pradesh
Leander Paes, Sports-Tennis, Maharashtra
Prof Lloyd I Rudolph, Literature and Education, USA
Padma Shri
Mohammad Ali Baig, Art-Theatre, Andhra Pradesh
Nayana Apte Joshi, Art, Maharashtra
Vidya Balan, Art-Cinema, Maharashtra
Anjum Chopra, Sports-Cricket, Delhi
Sunil Dabas, Sports-Kabbadi, Haryana
Love Raj Singh Dharmshaktu, Sports-Mountaineering, Delhi
Dipika Rebecca Pallikal, Sports-Squash, Tamil Nadu
H Boniface Prabhu, Sports-Wheelchair Tennis, Karnataka
Yuvraj Singh, Sports-Cricket, Haryana
Mamta Sodha Sports-Mountaineering, Haryana
Oscar Award 2014:
Best Film - 12 Years a Slave – Directed by Steve McQueen
Best Actor - Matthew McConaughey for: Dallas Buyers Club
Best Actress - Cate Blanchett for: Blue Jasmine
Best Director - Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Jared Leto for: Dallas Buyers Club
Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Lupita Nyong'o for 12 Years a Slave
Best Foreign Language Film - The Great Beauty (Italy)
Note: "Gravity" pulled in 7 Oscars, including best
director, at the 86th Academy Awards on March 2, 2014.
61st National Film Awards:
Best Hindi Film – Jolly LLB
Best Feature Film: 'Ship of Theseus' – Director – Anand Gandhi
Best Actor: Rajkumar Rao for 'Shahid' and Suraj
Venjaramudu and Venajaramoodu for Malayalam movie 'Perariyathavar'
Best Actress: Geetanjali Thapa for Liars Dice
Best Director Award: Pranjal Dua for 'Chidiya Ud' (Hindi)
Best Popular Film providing Wholesome
Entertainment: 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag'
Best Supporting Actor: Saurabh Shukla, 'Jolly LLB'
Director of Film 'Shahid' – Hansal Mehta
Director of Film 'Jolly LLB'– Subhash Kapoor
Director of Film Liars Dice – Geetu Mohandas
The IIFA 2014 Awards Winners’ List
Best Actor (Male): Farhan Akhtar for Bhaag Milka Bhaag
Best Actress (Female): Deepika Padukone for Chennai Express
Lifetime Achievement Award 2014: Shatrughan Sinha
Best Entertainer of the Year: Deepika Padukone
Best Film: Bhaag Milka Bhaag
Best Director: Rakeysh Om Mehra for Bhaag Milkha Bhaag.
Best Debutant Award map: Dhanush for Raanjhanaa
John Travolta honoured the Most Popular All Time International Star in India at IIFA awards
59th Filmfare Awards 2014:
1. Best Actress: Deepika Padukone - Goliyon Ki Rasleela RamLeela
2. Best Actor: Farhan Akhtar - Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
3. Best Film : Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
4. Best Director: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra – Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
5. Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Nawazuddin Siddiqui - The Lunchbox
6. Best Actress in a Suporting Role: Supriya Pathak - Ram- Leela
7. Lifetime Achievement Award: Tanuja
Person in News:
1. Ian Edmondson: A former news editor at Rupert Murdoch’s now-defunct tabloid News of the World admitted to hacking phones of celebrities.
2. L Sarita Devi: Indian boxer L Sarita Devi refused to accept the bronze medal at Asian Games 2014.
Note: AIBA (All India Boxing Association)ban Sarita Devi and opened disciplinary case against her.
3. J Jayalalithaa: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister convicted under prevention of corruption act by a special court in Bangalore.
She has been given a jail term of 4 years by the bangalore special court and slapped a fine of 100 crores
Note: i. Special Judge John Michael D'Cunha convicted AIADMK Chief in a case of owning assets to the tune Rs 66,65 crores disproportionate to her known sources of income during 1991-96 when she was chief minister for the first time.
ii. Jayalalithaa, 66, will now lose MLA's post and disqualified from public office for next 6 years.
4. Alok Shetty: A 28-year-old Indian architect has been named “young leader of tomorrow” byTime magazine for his pioneering work in designing affordable flood-proof houses for slum dwellers.
5. Richard Rahul Verma: US President nominates as next US envoy to India
6. Hollywood star Arnold Schwarzenegger arrived Chennai to launch of Vikram-starrer “I”.
7. Akkineni Nageswara Rao – Legendary Telugu Actor Akkineni Nageshwar Rao became the first actor to be honored with a postage stamp by the US Service.
Resign/Retired
1. B Muthuraman, Vice-Chairman of Tata Steel retired from the Board of the company
2. Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan has resigned
3. Pankaj Advani announced to retire from professional snooker
4. Li Na: 2-time Grand Slam winner China player Li Na retires from tour
Note: she won the 2011 French Open, and Australian Open title
5. Vinod Kumar Duggal: Vinod Kumar Duggal resigned as Manipur Governor
6. Sheila Dikshit: Kerala governor resigned
7. K Sankaranarayanan: Maharashtra governor resigned
8. Kamla Beniwal: Mizoram Governor removed
9. Dipa Karmakar became first Indian woman gymnast to win medal in Commonwealth Games
10. Nehchal Sandhu: Deputy National Security Adviser resigned
Books & Their Authors
1. And Then One Day: Naseeruddin Shah's autobiography
2. God of Antarctica written by Yashwardhan Shukla: Delhibased 13 year old school boy Yashwardhan Shukla authored a novel, Gods of Antarctica. The book is fictional tale of gods and monsters.
3. “One Life is Not Enough” : written by Kunwar Natwar Singh
Note: The book is an autobiography of the former External Affairs Minister and senior Congress Party leader Natwar Singh.
4. A book entitled Munger through the Ages authored by late Devendra Prasad Yadav
5. The Lives of Others” a novel written by: Neel Mukherjee
Note: Novel is short listed for the prestigious Man Booker Prize 2014.
6. The Substance and the Shadow: written by Uday Tara Nayar, a former journalist.
Note: The Substance and the Shadow, the biography of 91-year-old actor Dilip Kumar.
7. Warrior State written by T V Paul
8. Blood Feud written by Edward Klein
9. A Bad Character: authored by Deepti Kapoor.
10. The Good, the Bad and the Ridiculous - Khuswant Singh
11. Train To Pakistan - Khuswant Singh
12. An Uncertain Glory: India and its Contradictions - Jean Dreze and Amartya Sen.
13. A Brush with Life- Satish Gujral
14. A Bend in the river- V.S. Naipaul
15. God of Small things- Arundhati Rai
16. Inheritance of Loss- Kiran Desai.
17. Joseph Anton- Sulman Rushdie (Autobiography)
18. “Khushwantnama-The Lessons of My Life “ –Khushwant singh
19. Lajja- Taslima Nasrim.
20. My Unforgettable Memories-Mamata Banerjee
21. My Years with Rajiv and Sonia written by R.D.Pradhan
22. ModiNomics: Inclusive Economics, Inclusive Governance: authored by Sameer Kochhar.
23. Crusader or Conspirator? Coalgate and other Truths authored by PC Parakh
24. The Accidental Prime Minister: The Making and Unmaking of Manmohan Singh authored by Dr. Sanjaya Baru
Leader’s visited India/World
1. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos visited India.
2. Frank Walter: Foreign Minister of Germany visited India
3. Australian PM Tony Abbott to visited India
4. Chinese President Xi Jinping visited India
5. President of India Pranab Mukherjee visited Vietnam
6. Sushma Swaraj visited Bahrain
7. Sushma Swaraj visited Nepal
8. Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi visited Nepal
9. Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi made his first foreign tour to Bhutan
10. Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi visited Japan
11. Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi visited US
12. Chuck Hagel: US Defence Secretary visited India
13. Jim Yong Kim: World Bank President visited India.
14. Bill Clinton: Former US President visited in Lucknow
15. William Hague: UK Foreign Minister visited India
16. Laurent Fabius: French Foreign Minister to visited India.
17. G L Peiris: Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka visited India
18. Wang Yi: Chinese Foreign Minister visited India