GYANM_GENERAL_AWARENESS_MONTHLY_ISSUE_NOVEMBER_2018

GENERAL AWARENESS – NOVEMBER 2018 3
GENERAL AWARENESS
NOVEMBER 2018
Vol. 7, Issue 05
A PUBLICATION OF GYANM EDUCATION &
TRAINING INSTITUTE PVT. LTD.
SCO 13-14-15, 2ND FLOOR, SEC 34-A, CHANDIGARH
Contents
CURRENT AFFAIRS
July 2018 to Sept. 2018
03-40
BULLET NEWS
April 2018 to June 2018
41-53
LATEST 100 GK MCQs 54-61
IBPS PO - PRELIMS
MODEL TEST PAPER
62-74
CURRENT GK BYTES 75-102
FIGURES TO REMEMBER
REPO RATE (01.08.2018) 6.50%
REVERSE REPO RATE 6.25%
MARGINAL STANDING
FACILITY RATE
6.75%
STATUTORY LIQUIDITY RATIO 19.50%
CASH RESERVE RATIO 4.00%
BANK RATE 6.75%
BASE RATE(s)
(of various banks)
8.75 to
9.45%
INDIA’s RANK IN
Human Development Index 130th
UN E-Government Index 96th
Global Innovation Index 57th
Global Peace Index 136th
World Childhood Index 113th
Rank in Overall Power 4th
Rank in Healthcare Services 145th
Rank in Business Competitiveness 44th
Global Optimism Index 6th
Rank in Wealthy Countries 6th
FDI Confidence Index 11th
Commonwealth Innovation Index 10th
Startup Ecosystem Ranking 37th
List of Cyber Threats 03rd
Index of Economic Freedom 130th
Word Press Freedom Index 138th
Inclusive Internet Index 47th
Energy Transition Index 78th
Rank in World Happiness Report 133rd
Global Democracy Index 42nd
Corruption Perception Index 81st
NATIONAL NEWS
SEPTEMBER
PRESIDENT VISITS CENTRAL EUROPE
President Ram Nath Kovind embarked on a three nation tour to Central Europe,
covering Cyprus, Bulgaria and Czech Republic from 2nd of September to 9th to
further strengthen trade and business relations and improving people to
people contact. In Cyprus, he addressed Indian community there and delivered
a lecture in Cyprus University. He addressed students at the Sofia University,
Bulgaria on the Teachers' Day. Later, on Sep. 6, he held talks with the local
business forum in the Czech Republic.
VP VISITS SERBIA, MALTA AND ROMANIA
Vice President Venkaiah Naidu made a three-nation visit to European countries
Serbia, Malta and Romania, from Sep 14 to 20. Besides meeting the leadership
of these countries, a number of MoUs including in the field of Agriculture and
Tourism were signed during the visit. Romania agreed to open a consulate
office in Chennai.
NAIDU ADDRESSES WORLD HINDU CONGRESS
Sh. M. Venkaiah Naidu, Vice President
visited Chicago, USA to address the
2nd World Hindu Congress held on
the occasion of 125th Anniversary of
Swami Vivekananda’s historic speech
at the Parliament of the World
Religions in 1893. Over 2000
delegates from across the globe
participated in the mega event. The
theme of the Congress was 'think collectively, achieve valiantly'.

TWO PLUS TWO DIALOGUE WITH USA
The first ever India-US two plus two dialogue was held
in New Delhi. The talks were held between External
Affairs Minister and Defence Ministers of India and USA.
From India, Sushma Swaraj and Nirmala Sitharaman
participated and from US side, Secretary of State
Michael Pompeo and Defence Secretary James Mattis
represented USA.
The two sides discussed issues like enhancing trade,
ways to counter terrorism and India's concerns over
changes to the H1B visa programme.
The two countries also signed the foundation or
enabling agreement COMCASA - Communications
Compatibility and Security Agreement. It is one of the
four foundational agreements that the U.S. signs with
allies and close partners to facilitate interoperability
between militaries and sale of high end technology.
SC UPHOLDS VALIDITY OF ‘AADHAAR’
The five-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court
upheld most of the provisions of the Aadhaar Act while
hearing the petitions challenging the constitutional
validity of Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and
Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016. Main
features of the judgement are:
 Section 57 of the Aadhaar Act, allowing private
entities to use Aadhaar for verification purpose,
struck down.
 Aadhaar - PAN Linkage mandatory.
 No need of Aadhaar for CBSE, NEET, UGC and school
admissions.
 No need of Aadhaar for mobile connections and for
opening bank accounts.
SC ALLOWS LIVE STREAMING OF COURTS
The Supreme Court of India has allowed live streaming
and video recording of court proceedings across the
country. The Court asked the government to frame rules
in this regard under Article 145 of the Constitution. It
observed that live streaming of court proceedings will
bring accountability and transparency into the judicial
system and serve the public interest.
CANDIDATES TO DECLARE CRIMINAL PAST
The Supreme Court has ruled that political candidates
cannot be disqualified from contesting elections merely
because charges have been framed against them in a
criminal case. However, all candidates seeking to
contest elections must declare their past criminal
charges/ records. Political parties must also display the
full details of the criminal charges faced by their
candidates on their official website.
INDIA INTL. CONVENTION AND EXPO CENTRE
The foundation stone for India International Convention
and Expo Centre (IICC), biggest in India, was laid in
Dwarka, New Delhi. Spread over an area of 221.37 acres,
the complex will provide largest indoor exhibition space
in India. The estimated cost of the project is Rs.25,700
crores, which will be borne by the IICC company, 100%
owned by the government.
INDO-BANGLA OIL PIPELINE
The India and Bangladesh agreed to start construction
of the 130 kms long ‘Friendship Product Pipeline Project’
to connect Siliguri in West Bengal with Parbatipur in
Dinajpur district of Bangladesh for supply of the refined
diesel oil from Numaligarh refinery in Assam.
JLF HELD IN USA
The Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF), Asia’s biggest
literature festival, was held for the first time, outside
India, in Houston, Texas (USA) from September 14 to 15.
Later, it moved to New York on September 19-20 and to
Boulder, Colorado from September 21 to 23.

SC PARTLY REJECTS SECTION 377 OF IPC
In a landmark judgment, the five-judge Constitution
Bench of the Supreme Court decriminalised
homosexuality, with a prayer to the LGBTQ community
(Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer) to
forgive history for subjecting them to “brutal”
suppression.
The Bench held that criminalisation of private
consensual sexual conduct between adults of the same
sex under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code was
clearly unconstitutional.
The court, however, held that the Section would still
apply to “unnatural” sexual acts like bestiality. Sexual
act without consent continues to be a crime under
Section 377.
INDIA LAGS IN HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
India climbed one spot to 130 out of 189 countries in
the latest human development rankings released by the
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
India’s HDI value for 2017 is 0.640, which put the
country in the medium human development category.
Norway, Switzerland, and Australia lead the ranking
from top at 1st, 2nd and 3rd rank, respectively.
The HDI is the composite measure of every country’s
attainment in three basic dimensions: standard of living
measured by the per capita income, health measured by
the life expectancy at birth, and education levels
calculated by the expected years of schooling for children.
INDIA RANKS 3RD IN FAMILY BUSINESS
According to the ‘Credit Suisse Family 1000 in 2018’
study, published by the Credit Suisse Research Institute,
Switzerland, India ranks third globally in terms of
number of family-owned businesses with 111
companies having a total market capitalisation of $839
billion. India closely follows China with 159 firms and
the US with 121 firms.
 Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani arrived in New
Delhi on a day-long visit to India.
 Bangladesh has allowed India usage of its Chittagong
and Mongla ports for the movement of goods to and
from northeast India.
 India organised it’s first-ever India Tourism Mart
(ITM) for three days from September 16 to 19 in the
Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
 The 4th World Summit on Accreditation was held at
New Delhi on September 8.
 India and France have signed an agreement on
‘Mobilise Your City’ to support three Indian cities to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions from urban
transport.
AUGUST
SC ADJOURNS HEARING ON ARTICLE 35A
The Supreme Court on August 6 adjourned the hearing
on pleas challenging Constitutional validity of Article
35A (of 1954) pertaining to Jammu and Kashmir (J&K)
that empowers the state to decide the ‘permanent
residents’ of the State and grant them special rights and
privileges in State public sector jobs, acquisition of
property within the State, scholarships and other public
aid and welfare programmes.
However, the petition in Supreme Court claimed that
Article 35 A was against the “very spirit of oneness of
India” as it created a “class within a class of Indian
citizens.” Restricting citizens from other States from
getting employment or buying property within J&K was a
violation of fundamental rights under Articles 14, 19 and
21 of the Constitution.

INDIA IMPROVES IN E-GOVERNANCE
India has jumped 22 places to break into the top 100 of
the United Nation’s E-Government Index 2018, at 96th
rank. The E-Government survey is released by the
United Nations in every two years. The Index captures
the scope and quality of online services, status of
telecommunication infrastructure and existing human
capacity. The Index of 193 countries is topped by
Denmark, followed by Australia and South Korea at 2nd
and 3rd rank, respectively.
INDIA WORST IN HUMAN SLAVERY
According to the 2016 Global Slavery Index, released by
Australia-based human rights group Walk Free
Foundation, around 45.8 million people, including
women and children, remain subject to some form of
modern slavery in the world. India has the dubious
distinction of having the highest number of people in the
world trapped in modern slavery with 18.35 million
victims of forced labour, ranging from prostitution,
begging to child labour, underpaid labour, etc.
GOVT SAYS ‘NO’ TO PLASTIC FLAGS
The government has urged all citizens not to use
national flags made of plastic as per the provisions
contained in the ‘Flag Code of India, 2002’ and ‘The
Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971. This
is so because plastic is not biodegradable and thus leads
to maltreatment of national flag.
NOTA NOT APPLICABLE TO RAJYA SABHA
The Supreme Court has ruled that the ‘None of The
Above’ (NOTA) option will not be applicable for voting
in the Rajya Sabha elections. The bench held that the
NOTA option is meant only for universal adult suffrage
and direct elections and not for the polls held by the
system of proportional representation by means of the
single transferable vote as done in the Rajya Sabha.
2 NEW CHECK POSTS ON MYANMAR BORDER
India and Myanmar for the first time opened two
international checkpoints on their land boundary. The
entry exit checkpoints have been opened at Tamu /
Moreh bordering Manipur and Rihkhawdar /
Zokhawthar bordering Mizoram. The opening of these
check posts will facilitate travel on both sides. People
holding passports and a valid visa will be allowed to exit
and enter through these border check posts.
 International Buddhist Conclave was held in New
Delhi, with Japan as the partner country. The theme
of the conclave was 'Buddha Path – The Living
Heritage'.
 Nepal-India Literature Festival 2018 was held in
Birgunj, Nepal.
 The first Nepal-India Think Tank Summit was hosted
by Kathmandu to foster greater collaboration and
knowledge-sharing.
 From July 22, the UN Radio started a weekly news
bulletin in Hindi as a pilot project.
JULY
PM ATTENDS 10th BRICS SUMMIT
Prime Minister Narendra Modi undertook a three-nation
visit to Rwanda, Uganda and South Africa from July 23.
The five-day visit started with Rwanda. India offered
two lines of credit of $100 million each for agriculture
and industrial sectors to Rwanda. From there he went to
Uganda. Two lines of credit worth $164 million were
extended to Uganda also. Later, he reached
Johannesburg in South Africa on July 25 to attend 10th
BRICS summit.

INDIA RECEIVED KOREAN PRESIDENT
South Korean President Moon Jae-in arrived in India on
a four day trip. He attended the India-Korea Business
Forum in New Delhi. He also announced a financing
arrangement of 10 billion dollars for infrastructure
development in India. Republic of Korea is also
partnering in many of our flagship projects like ‘Make in
India’, ‘Skill India’, ‘Digital India’, ‘Start-Up India’ etc.
BHUTAN PM VISITS INDIA
Prime Minister of Bhutan Dasho Tshering Tobgay
arrived in New Delhi on a three day visit to India. This
year both countries are commemorating the Golden
Jubilee of the establishment of formal diplomatic
relations.
INDIA IMPROVES RANKING IN INNOVATION
The Global Innovation Index (GII) has ranked India as
the 57th most innovative nation in the world. The
country has improved its ranking from 60th in 2017.
Compiled jointly by Cornell University, Insead, Paris and
the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) in
Geneva, it ranks 126 economies based on 80 indicators.
The index is topped by Switzerland.
INDIANS HOLD < 1% OF SWISS BANK DEPOSITS
With more Indians stashing their money in Swiss Banks,
India stands at 73rd place in terms of money parked by
its citizens and companies with Swiss banks, while the
UK remains on the top with over 27 percent share.
Latest data from the Swiss National Bank says that
Indian deposits now accounts for only 0.07 per cent of
the total funds kept by all foreign clients in the Swiss
banking system.
INDIA HOME TO 19,500 LANGUAGES
According to the latest census data, more than 19,500
languages or dialects are spoken in India as mother
tongues. Of these, 121 languages are spoken by 10,000
or more people in India. The 22 scheduled languages
mentioned in the Constitution are used by 96.71 per
cent population as their mother tongue.
BEST DENTAL COLLEGE
The Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences, Delhi has
been ranked the ‘Best Dental College in India’ for the
seventh year in a row. The ranking was done by Hansa
Research, Drshti Strategic Research Services and
Nielsen India.
INDIA PROVIDES AMBULANCES IN SRI LANKA
In a goodwill gesture India has launched emergency
ambulance service in Sri Lanka. Under the first phase,
88 ambulances were purchased for the two provinces
while another 209 ambulances will be provided to cover
all districts in the country.
 India was ranked 35th among 100 countries in the
Global Real Estate Transparency Index released by
the Chicago based realty consultant JLL.
 India has been elected as the head of the Asia Pacific
region of the World Customs Organisation (WCO) for
a period of two years.
 The Ministry of Statistics & Programme
Implementation organised the first International
Round Table Conference on 'Data for New India' in
New Delhi.
 For the first time in 76 years since it came into being,
the Rajya Sabha entered into a MoU with the Senate
of Rwanda for promoting inter-parliamentary
dialogue.
 The BBC World Service has launched its first Gujarati
language television news bulletin that would be
broadcasted five days a week.

NEWS FROM STATES
SEPTEMBER
CHHATTISGARH GETS FIRST TRIBAL CIRCUIT
The country's first tribal circuit tourism project under
the Swadesh Darshan Scheme was launched at Gangrel
in Chhattisgarh. The Scheme was launched in 2014-15
for development of thematic circuits in the country in a
planned and prioritised manner. The Circuit covers 13
sites in Chhattisgarh which include Jagdalpur and
Chitrakoot also.
DELHI SIGNS MoU WITH SEOUL
The Delhi government signed a MoU with the Seoul
Metropolitan Authority to work closely in the fields of
environment, tourism, waste water and solid waste
management, infrastructure and public health.
 Andhra Pradesh has topped the ‘Ease of Living Index’
rankings launched by the Ministry of Housing and
Urban Affairs. It was followed by Odisha and Madhya
Pradesh.
 The first of its kind university in the country in the
transport sector, the National Rail and
Transportation Institute, started operations in
Vadodara, Gujarat.
 For the first time, bus services between Bihar and
Nepal have started, connecting Bodhgaya in Bihar
with Kathmandu in Nepal.
 The 6th edition of the biennial Bengaluru Space Expo
was held in Bengaluru, with France as the strategic
partner.
 The BRICS' New Development Bank has approved a
$525-million loan for Madhya Pradesh for
rehabilitating major district roads.
 The World Bank to provide a $74 million loan for the
Uttarakhand Workforce Development Project.
 The World Bank to provide $ 250 million loan to
support Rajasthan to improve its ‘24x7 Power for All’
program.
 India and Asian Development Bank have signed $346
million loan agreement to improve over 400
kilometers of State highways in Karnataka.
AUGUST
JODHPUR, MARWAR - CLEANEST RLY STATIONS
Rajasthan's Jodhpur and Marwar railway stations have
emerged the cleanest among the major A1 and A
category stations, respectively, in the country in the
latest round of cleanliness assessment study of 407
stations. In the A1 category, Jaipur and Tirupati were
ranked second and third while in A category, Phulera
(near Jaipur) and Warangal (Telangana) secured second
and third rank.
A1 and A category stations contribute 80 percent of the
passenger revenue. The stations are categorised based on
revenue generated and footfalls.
PUNE TOPS IN URBAN RANKING
Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs launched
the Ease of Living Index to rank 111 cities of India based
on four parameters—governance, social institutions,
economic and physical infrastructure. Pune topped the
Index followed by Navi Mumbai at second and Greater
Mumbai at third place.
CHHATTISGARH PROVIDES RIGHT TO SKILL
Chhattisgarh became the first state in the country to
provide Right to Skills' Development to the youth in the
state. 15 specially built Skill Chariots were launched to
implement the project of 'Skills on Wheels' that will
travel across all districts in the state to ensure that
every youth is covered under skill training.

INDIA’s LARGEST BUSINESS INCUBATOR
Rajasthan launched India’s largest business incubator
the “Bhamashah Techno Hub” in Jaipur. The incubator
will provide end-to-end support to startups, ranging
from infrastructure, technology, angel funding, access to
venture capitalists, mentorship, exposure to national
and international organisations and much more.
SANTHALI GETS GLOBAL RECOGNITION
Santhali (Santali), a tribal language primarily spoken by
over 6.4 million people in the states of Jharkhand, West
Bengal, Odisha and Assam and in parts of Bangladesh
and Nepal, has received global recognition as the
Wikipedia launched an edition in Santhali.
U P GETS A DEFENCE CORRIDOR
A defence industrial corridor has been launched in
Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. The move is part of the
government’s efforts to develop specialised zones
dedicated to defence production in the state. Six nodal
points, Agra, Aligarh, Lucknow, Kanpur, Chitrakoot and
Jhansi have been identified in state for the corridor.
KHANGCHENDZONGA BIOSPHERE RESERVE
India’s Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve in Sikkim,
one of the highest ecosystems in the world, at a height
from 1220 meters to 8586 meters above sea level, has
been added to UNESCO's list of World Network of
Biosphere Reserves (WNBR).
The Reserve covers many mountains, peaks (including
Kanchenjunga peak, the 3rd highest in the world), lakes,
caves, rocks, stupas (shrines) and hot springs. It has
thousands of plant species and home to many rare
animals like Red Panda, Snow Leopard, Himalayan Black
Bear, Musk deer, Great Tibetan Sheep, Blue Sheep, Boral
and Barking Deer besides over 500 species of birds.
A biosphere reserve is an ecosystem with plants and
animals of unusual scientific and natural interest. It is a
label given by UNESCO to help protect the sites.
RAJASTHAN TO HAVE BIOFUEL POLICY
Rajasthan has become the first Indian state to
implement the national policy on biofuels. The State will
promote production of oilseeds and establish a Centre
for Excellence in Udaipur to promote research in the
fields of alternative fuels and energy resources.
HP LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN AGAINST NOISE
Himachal govt launched ‘horn not ok’ awareness
campaign and ‘shor nahin’ (no noise) mobile
application, to begin with, in Shimla and Manali. The app
allows people to upload a ten second audio clip of noise
incident. A GPS aided device will alert the local
authorities to take necessary action.
ASSAM’s SCHEME FOR PARENTAL CARE
Assam government will implement PRANAM (Parent
Responsibility & Norms for Accountability and
Monitoring) Scheme from October 2, 2018 with a view
to encourage their staff to take care of their parents and
physically challenged siblings. To ensure compliance it
provides for deduction of 10-15 percent of the gross
salary of employees who do not take care of their
parents and disabled siblings.
DELHI GETS INDIA’s 1st WOMEN SWAT TEAM
For the first time in Indian police, an all-woman Special
Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team, consisting of 36
commandos, all from North East was inducted in Delhi
Police for anti-terrorist operations.
They are equipped with AK-47 rifles, MP5 machine
guns, Glock 17 or 26 pistols and corner shot devices for
enhanced night vision. They have been trained to
undertake complex operations during terrorist attacks
at crowded markets, residential or office complexes.

MEGHALAYA MILK MISSION LAUNCHED
Meghalaya state launched the Meghalaya Milk Mission
to bridge the gap between demand and supply of milk
and to achieve doubling of farmers’ income by 2020.
The Mission aims to generate alternate livelihoods for
the rural people through the dairy sector and to create
and revive dairy co-operatives. The Mission is expected
to benefit 2,000 farmers in the next four years.
WEST BENGAL TO BE RENAMED AS ‘BANGLA’
The West Bengal Assembly passed a resolution to
rename the State as ‘Bangla’. The move is aimed at
climbing the alphabetical sequence of State names in
which West Bengal appears last in the list now. The
State will have to wait for the nod from the Union Home
Ministry for the final approval of the resolution.
JULY
CHEAPEST DRINKING WATER IN BIHAR
An innovative cost-effective drinking water project in
Bihar promises to lower the price of one-litre bottle to
50 paise -- cheapest in the world. The project ‘Sulabh Jal’
was launched in Darbhanga by Sulabh International to
convert contaminated pond water into safe drinking
water. This NGO is run by world famous social worker
from Bihar, Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak.
KERALA BEST IN REDUCING MMR
According to recent data released by the Registrar
General of India for progress made in reducing the MMR
- Maternal Mortality Rate, Kerala has been ranked at top
for achieving MMR of 46 per lakh of live births, followed
by Maharashtra at 61 and Tamil Nadu at 66, against the
national average of 130.
KERALA TOPS IN PUBLIC GOVERNANCE
The Public Affairs Index 2018 released by the think tank
Public Affairs Centre, Bengaluru has ranked Kerala as
the best governed state in the country, followed by
Tamil Nadu and Telangana at second and third place,
respectively. The index provides a multi-dimensional
and comprehensive matrix that attempts to capture the
complexities of governing the plural and diverse people.
A total of 30 focus subjects and 100 indicators were
measured to derive the ranking, relying solely upon
government data to ensure authenticity.
U’KHAND ANIMALS GRANTED LEGAL STATUS
In a unique first, the Uttarakhand High Court has
granted the status of ‘legal person or entity’ to all the
animals in the state and all the citizens of the state have
been declared as guardians of the animals and it is their
duty to ensure their (animals) welfare and protection.
ANDHRA TOPS IN ‘EASE OF DOING BUSINESS’
For the second year in a row, Andhra Pradesh has
topped the ‘ease of doing business’ ranking done by the
Ministry of Commerce. Telangana came second followed
by Haryana, Jharkhand and Gujarat. The north-eastern
state of Meghalaya was ranked lowest at 36th.
DISTRICT DAHOD TOPS THE DELTA RANKING
The NITI Aayog released the first Delta ranking
(incremental progress) for the 112 Aspirational
Districts (most backward), based on five developmental
areas of Health and Nutrition, Education, Agriculture
and Water Resources, Financial Inclusion and Skill
Development, and Basic Infrastructure. Dahod district
of Gujarat improved 19.8 points to rank first in ranking.
The ‘Transformation of Aspirational Districts’ programme
aims to quickly and effectively transform some of the most
underdeveloped districts of the country.
BRUS TO RE-SETTLE IN MIZORAM
Central Government signed a tripartite agreement with
Mizoram and Tripura to facilitate repatriation of more
than 30,000 people belonging to the Bru community,
who fled from Mizoram to Tripura in 1997 in the wake
of inter-community violence. Belonging to the Reang
tribe, these persons will be given financial assistance
and funds for home building to settle down in Mizoram.

TREE PLANTATION DRIVE IN HARYANA
Haryana has launched the 'Paudhagiri' campaign with
an aim to increase the green cover in the state. The drive
will cover 22 lakh students from class 6 to 12 of all
government and private schools in Haryana and they
will plant a sapling each during three months of
monsoon - July, August and September.
JHARKHAND TO HAVE ‘KHADI MALL’
Country’s first ‘Khadi Mall’ will be opened in Ranchi,
Jharkhand. The artisans would be provided
technological aid for value addition in their products,
while rural, urban and tourism 'haats' will provide them
markets for their goods.
 Delhi launched Mukhyanmantri Kissan Aaye Badhotri
Solar Yojna’ under which a farmer can rent out upto
33% of his land to a private firm to set up solar
panels at a rate of Rs one lakh per annum per acre.
 Delhi introduced a 'Happiness Curriculum' for school
students up to class 8. It will include meditation,
value education and mental exercises.
 ‘Sambal’ scheme launched in Madhya Pradesh to
provide subsidised power at a cost of Rs 200 per
month for BPL labourers and families.
 The Bhitarkanika National Park near Kendrapara in
Odisha has become the largest habitat of the
endangered estuarine crocodiles in the country.
 'Kanya Van Samruddhi Yojana' launched in
Maharashtra, wherein farmers families where a girl
child is born, will be given 10 saplings free.
 The iconic cluster of Victorian Gothic and Art Deco
buildings on Marine Drive in Mumbai has been
included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
 Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved $503-
million support for the lining of the Son canal in
Shahabad-Bhojpur region of Bihar.
GOVERNMENT
INITIATIVES
SEPTEMBER
AYUSHMAN BHARAT SCHEME LAUNCHED
The Prime Minister launched Ayushman Bharat -
Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana from Ranchi in
Jharkhand. Under the scheme, over 10 crore families
will be provided health assurance worth five lakh
rupees each, every year. The scheme will provide
cashless and paperless access to medical services for
over 1300 ailments.
‘PM-AASHA’ TO PROTECT FARMERS’ INCOME
The Union Cabinet approved a new umbrella scheme
‘Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay SanraksHan Abhiyan’
(PM-AASHA) to protect and promote income of farmers.
It will ensure that farmers actually get the benefit of
recently hiked minimum support price. The scheme will
have three components - Price Support Scheme; Price
Deficiency Payment Scheme and Pilot of Private
Procurement & Stockist Scheme.
ATAL BIMIT VYAKTI KALYAN YOJNA
The Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) has
approved a new scheme- Atal Bimit Vyakti Kalyan Yojna
for persons covered under the ESIC Act. Under the
scheme, cash relief will be paid directly to the bank
account of the beneficiary during unemployment and
while they search for new assignment.

NATIONAL NUTRITION MONTH
Government has decided to observe September as the
National Nutrition Month across the country to mark the
fight against malnutrition. During the month, various
programmes will be organized by the Ministry of
Women and Child Development to spread broad
awareness on the issues related to malnutrition like
stunting, under-nutrition, anaemia and low birth weight
in children.
The Month will also focus on adolescent girls, pregnant
women and lactating mothers to eliminate the
deficiencies prevailing in the Health sector.
INTEG. CONTROL ROOM FOR EMERGENCY
Home Ministry and ISRO have signed a MoU for setting
up of a state-of-the-art Integrated Control Room for
Emergency Response (ICR-ER) in Home Ministry. The
ICR-ER will cater to the requirement of Disaster
Management as well as Internal Security.
It will address the requirement of receipt of information
on near real-time basis, situation awareness, command
and control, preparedness and response in the diverse
internal security situation and disaster-related
emergencies.
'RAIL SAHYOG' PORTAL LAUNCHED
The Railways launched 'Rail Sahyog' web portal to
provide a platform for the Corporates and Public Sector
Units (PSUs) to contribute for providing various
amenities such as toilets, dustbins, benches, free wi-fi,
bottle crushers, etc. at or near Railway Stations through
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds.
PROGRAM FOR ENERGY EFFICIENT CHILLERS
The Union Ministry of Power launched the Chiller Star
Labelling Program to encourage the deployment of
energy efficient chiller systems in the country.
Chillers are used extensively for space conditioning of
buildings and for industrial process cooling applications
and consume over 40 percent of the total energy
consumption in commercial buildings.
MOVE SUMMIT HELD IN DELHI
The first of its kind, Global Mobility Summit - MOVE was
hosted by NITI Aayog in New Delhi. It aims to
revolutionise the way people travel in India, along with
making mobility more connected, shared and seamless.
Together, representatives from government, industry,
academia, civil society and media will set the base for a
transport system which is safe; clean, shared and
connected; and affordable, accessible and inclusive.
Over 2200 participants from across the world took part
in the summit.
3 YEAR JAIL FOR ‘TRIPLE TALAQ’
President promulgated an ordinance banning the
practice of instant triple talaq and declaring it a
punishable offence with a three-year jail term.
The crime will be recognised only when the woman
herself or her blood relative files a complaint against the
husband. However, the case may be dropped, if the duo
reaches a compromise, but only if the wife approaches
the magistrate.
ATAL RANKINGS FOR INNOVATION
To promote a culture of innovation and research in
higher education, the HRD ministry launched the ‘Atal
Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements’.
Named after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari
Vajpayee, it will rank educational institutions for
innovation output based on all major indicators and
parameters used worldwide.
 India plans to develop country’s first offshore wind
energy project in the Gulf of Khambat, off the coast of
Gujarat. Initially, 126 MW capacity will be
operationalised of the total capacity of 1,000 MW.

 The Union cabinet approved a proposal for the
complete electrification of Indian Railways by 2021-
22, reducing dependence on imported fossil fuel.
 An online portal – ‘e-Sahaj’ has been launched for
grant of faster online security clearance to private
firms.
AUGUST
SCHOOLS TO HAVE SPORTS PERIOD
Government plans to make a games period mandatory
in all schools from 2019 onwards. To facilitate this, the
Ministry of Education will ensure a 50 per cent
reduction in the syllabus. The change aims to highlight
the need to teach the importance of playing sports to the
school children.
MISSION TO COLLECT USED COOKING OIL
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
(FSSAI) launched RUCO (Repurpose Used Cooking Oil)
initiative for collection and conversion of used cooking
oil to biodiesel. Under this initiative, 64 companies at
101 locations have been identified to facilitate collection
of used cooking oil.
PROGRAMME TO BOOST MOBILITY OPTIONS
NITI Aayog has launched “Pitch to MOVE” - a mobility
pitch competition that aims to provide budding
entrepreneurs in the various fields of mobility an
opportunity to pitch their business ideas to a
distinguished jury of industry leaders and venture
capitalists for raising investments. Winners of the event
will be felicitated by Hon’ble PM during the Global
Mobility Summit.
OBCs MADE AT PAR WITH SC/ST
The Parliament passed the Constitution (123rd
Amendment) Bill that seeks to provide constitutional
status to the National Commission for Backward Classes
(NCBC). Now, all benefits given to the SCs and STs like
scholarships will also be extended to the backward
classes.
IMPRINT-2 TO PROMOTE RESEARCH
Government has approved 122 new research projects of
112 crore rupees under its ‘Impacting Research
Innovation and Technology’- IMPRINT-2 scheme. It is
the first of its kind government supported initiative that
aims to promote advance research in energy, security,
and healthcare domains in the higher education
institutions to handle the major science and engineering
challenges that India must address to enable the nation
for inclusive growth and self-reliance.
STERN PUNISHMENT FOR CHILD RAPE CASES
The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2018 passed by
the Lok Sabha. It proposes to enhance punishment for
rape of a child (below 12 years) to minimum 20 years
and up to death penalty and amends the Indian Penal
Code (IPC), 1860 to increase the minimum punishment
for rape of women from seven years to ten years.
THREE WATER AERODROMES TO SET UP
The Civil Aviation Ministry has approved a proposal for
setting up of water aerodromes in the country. Initially,
three places have been identified for this purpose-
Chilka Lake Odhisha, Sardar Sarovar Dam and Sabarmati
River Front in Gujarat. The development would
facilitate operation of amphibian planes (which can land
both in land and water) to enhance air connectivity.
These water aerodromes would be set up near locations
of tourist and religious importance.
UJJWALA CROSSES 5 CRORE MARK
The LPG connections to poor women under Pradhan
Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) crossed 5 crore mark on
August 03. The Scheme was launched on 1st May 2016
and it is implemented by Ministry of Petroleum and
Natural Gas through its Oil Marketing Companies.

Rs. 66,000 CRORE FOR FOREST COVER
The Union Government has unlocked green funds worth
over Rs 66,000 crore to increase the country’s forest
cover. The fund is an accumulated amount of money,
which user agencies have been depositing as
compensation for diverting forest land for non-forest
purposes, including industries and infrastructure, for
the past 10 years.
AADHAAR LINKED TO FACIAL RECOGNITION
Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has
announced that from September 15, facial recognition
will be mandatory for every authentication that requires
Aadhaar number. Facial recognition will be an
additional feature along with the regular authentication
process that identifies an individual based on
fingerprints or iris scans.
INSURANCE COVER FOR MENTAL ILLNESS
In a bid to help policyholders, the Insurance Regulatory
and Development Authority (IRDA) has recently
directed insurance companies to make provisions to
cover mental illness in the same way as the treatment of
physical illness.
According to the National Mental Health Survey
conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health and
Neuro Sciences, a startling 15 crore people at varying
stages of mental illness need immediate intervention.
LOGO & TAGLINE LAUNCHED FOR GI
A logo and tagline has been launched for Geographical
Indications (GI) to promote awareness about
intellectual property rights (IPRs) in the country. The
logo has tagline “Invaluable Treasures of Incredible
India”.
A GI product is primarily an agricultural, natural or a
manufactured product (handicraft and industrial goods)
originating from a particular geographical territory.
Darjeeling Tea, Tirupati Laddu, Kangra Paintings,
Nagpur Orange and Kashmir Pashmina, Benarasi Sarees
are some examples of the items having registered GIs.
UGC BANS JUNK FOOD IN UNIVERSITIES
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has directed
all varsities and higher education institutions to ban sale
of junk food on their campuses. The move aims to set
new standards for healthy food, making the students
live better, learn better and reduce obesity levels.
TOBACCO PACKS TO CARRY NEW WARNING
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has
amended the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products
(Packaging and Labeling) Rules, 2008 to notify new sets
of specified health warnings for all tobacco packs.
Now all packs of tobacco products will have ‘Tobacco
Causes Cancer’ and ‘Tobacco Causes Painful Death’
warnings written in white on a red background. The
words ‘Quit Today - Call 1800-11-2356’ will be inscribed
in white on a black background along with the pictorial
warning from September 1, 2018.
The quit line number 1800-11-2356 is an online on-call
assistance facility launched for those people seeking
support to quit the use of tobacco products.
SOFTWARE FOR INDIAN LANGUAGES
The IT ministry launched desktop software ‘e-
Aksharayan’ in a conference for Indian Languages
Technology Industry ‘Bhashantara’, in New Delhi. The
objective is to enable editing and printing of text in
scanned documents. The software can work in 7 Indian
languages viz. Hindi, Bangla, Malayalam, Gurmukhi,
Tamil, Kannada and Assamese.

RAILWAYS LAUNCHED ‘SATYANISHTHA’
The Indian Railways launched ‘Mission Satyanishtha’
and a programme on Ethics in Public Governance, in a
first-of-its-kind event in Railways. The mission aims to
sensitise all railway employees about the need to adhere
to good ethics and high standards of integrity at work.
 Atal Innovation Mission and portal MyGov have
launched the online portal ‘Innovate India Platform’
where users can view, comment, share, and rate the
innovations crowd sourced on the portal.
 Seeking to promote tourism, the government has
extended e-visa facility for citizens of 165 countries at
25 airports and five seaports of India.
 The Lok Sabha passed the National Sports University
Bill, 2018 that seeks to establish a National Sports
University in Manipur.
JULY
COMMITTEE TO PROBE MOB LYNCHING
Considering the increasing incidents of mob lynching,
the Union Government has constituted a high-level
committee chaired by the Union Home Secretary Rajiv
Gauba to deliberate in the matter and make
recommendations.
POLICE PROGRAMME FOR SCHOOL STUDENTS
Government has launched the Student Police Cadet
programme for students of classes 8 and 9 across the
country with a view to inculcate in them respect for law
willingly, practice responsible behaviour towards
others, demonstrate empathy for weaker sections of
society, and participate in tackling community issues.
NCERT TO PUT QR CODE IN BOOKS
The National Council of Educational Research and
Training (NCERT) has initiated the process of
introducing QR code in its textbooks with a view to help
the students understand the chapters better by
watching a film or reading additional content on laptops
and digital boards.
CAPITAL HIKE FOR HEFA
Union Cabinet approved the proposal for enhancing the
capital base of the Higher Education Financing Agency
(HEFA) to Rs 10,000 crore. The HEFA has also been
asked to mobilise Rs 1,00,000 crore for Revitalizing
Infrastructure and Systems in Education (RISE) by 2022.
HEFA was set up in 2017 as a not-for-profit NBFC for
providing additional finance for promoting research in
the higher educational institutions in the government
sector.
EVEN GIVING BRIBE IS CRIME NOW
The Parliament has passed the Prevention of Corruption
(Amendment) Bill 2018. Now, not only taking bribe, but
giving bribe would also be a crime. The bill provides for
prior approval to be sought before an investigation is
initiated against any government officer. The legislation
also provides immunity from arrest to all govt officers,
as against the previous provision of immunity to officers
above the level of a joint secretary so that they can
perform their duties fearlessly.
PENSION REVISED FOR SPORTSPERSONS
Government has revised the scale of pension payable
under scheme of ‘Pension to Meritorious Sportspersons'
as under:
Category of meritorious sportspersons Pension
(Rs./month)
Medallists at the Olympic Games / Paralympic
Games
20,000/-
Gold medallists at the World Cup/World
Championship
16,000/-
Silver and Bronze medallists at the World Cup and
Gold medallists of the Asian/Commonwealth
Games/Para Asian Games
14,000/-
Silver and Bronze medallists of the
Asian/Commonwealth Games/ Para Asian Games
12,000/-

NET NEUTRALITY TO CONTINUE
The Telecom Commission has approved net neutrality
rules that bar service providers from discriminating
against Internet content and services by blocking,
throttling or granting them higher speed access. The
decision intends to ensure open and free Internet.
NATIONAL SKILL TRAINING INSTITUTE
Government is planning to set up one National Skill
Training Institute (NSTI) in every State to meet the
rising demand for skilled manpower in the country.
Work on country’s first such skill training institute
started in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
REWARD SCHEME FOR WATER CONSERVATION
Ministry of Water Resources has launched a video
contest titled Jal Bachao, Video Banao, Puruskar Pao.
The Ministry has joined hands with MyGov portal to run
the contest that will continue till 4-11-2018. Three
winners will be selected every fortnight in the contest.
RAY OF HOPE FOR MISSING CHILDREN
The Bachpan Bachao Andolan NGO and tech giant
Capgemini have jointly launched a mobile application
called 'ReUnite' which helps to track and trace missing
and abandoned children in India. The app is multiuser
where parents and citizens can upload pictures of
children, and provide detailed description like name,
birthmark, address, reports to the police station, search
and identify missing kids.
INSTITUTIONS OF EMINENCE
The Union Government has granted “Institutions of
Eminence” (IoEs) status to six institutions - 3 from
public sector and 3 from private sector. The public
universities are - IIT-Bombay, IIT-Delhi and IISc-
Bangalore and the private universities include
Reliance’s Jio Institute, BITS Pilani and Manipal
Academy of Higher Education, Karnataka.
NTA TO CONDUCT JEE AND NEET
The engineering and medical entrance exams JEE (Joint
Entrance Examination) and NEET (National Eligibility
cum Entrance Examination) would now be conducted
online and twice a year by the newly formed National
Testing Agency (NTA). The NTA would also conduct its
first exam of UGC-NET (National Eligibility Test).
THE NSG OPTS FOR E-TICKETING
The National Security Guard has become the first central
paramilitary force to opt for e-ticketing instead of the
usual railway warrant for its personnel under an
agreement signed with the Indian Railway Catering and
Tourism Corporation-IRCTC.
SCHEME FOR CURBING HUMAN TRAFFICKING
The Ministry of Women and Child Development has
launched a contest, '#Childline1098' to mark the World
Day against Trafficking in Persons on July 30, 2018. The
contest invites people to share images of the Childline
1098 logo that they spot at unique locations and send it
with a tagline. The scheme aims to connect with the
citizens and engage them in spreading information
about the initiative towards curbing trafficking.
 The ‘Solar Charkha Mission’ launched to focus on the
important economic role played by Micro, Small and
Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). The Mission will
employ 400 to 2000 artisans in 50 identified clusters.
 Country’s first e-waste recycling unit will be set up in
Bengaluru, Karnataka in line with the Swachh Bharat
Abhiyan.
 Election Commission launched a mobile app named
‘cVigil’ for citizens to report any violation of the
model code of conduct during elections.

 Government has reduced the minimum annual
deposit requirement for accounts under Sukanya
Samriddhi Yojana to Rs. 250 from Rs. 1,000 earlier.
 The Archaeological Survey of India has issued an
order allowing photography within the premises of
all centrally protected monuments or sites, except at
Ajanta Caves, Leh Palace and Taj Mahal.
ECONOMY & INDUSTRY
SEPTEMBER
JUNE QTR GROWTH JUMPS TO 8.2%
Aided by a favourable base and fuelled by a pick-up in
manufacturing, construction, activities allied to
agriculture and an uptick in both rural and urban
consumption, India’s economic growth accelerated to
8.2% in June quarter, says the Central Statistics Office
(CSO). The growth rate is highest in over two years.
INDIAN GDP TO GROW BY 7.4% - RBI
The RBI in its annual report released recently, has said
that due to the evolving economic conditions, real GDP
growth for 2018-19 is expected to increase to 7.4%
from 6.7% in the previous year. It stated that its
monetary policy will continue to be guided by the
objective of achieving medium-term target for retail
inflation of 4 per cent.
FOODGRAIN PRODUCTION AT ALL TIME HIGH
The country's foodgrain production is estimated to grow
to an all-time high of over 284 million tonnes in the
2017-18 crop year ending June, driven by record output
in wheat, rice, coarse cereals and pulses after a normal
monsoon. Of this, rice will contribute 112.91 mil ton,
wheat 99.70 million tonne and remaining 71.39 million
tonnes will come from coarse cereals and pulses.
TCS CROSSES 8 TRILLION MARKET CAP
IT major Tata Consultancy Services - TCS became the
second Indian company, after Reliance, to attain a
market valuation of more than Rs. 8 trillion following a
surge in its share price. At close of trade on Sep 4, TCS
market valuation stood at Rs. 8.01 trillion on the BSE.
6 STATES SIGN MOU FOR LAKHWAR PROJECT
Union Water Resources Ministry signed a MoU with six
states for the construction of the Lakhwar multi-
purpose project in the upper Yamuna basin to deal with
water crisis. Under the project, a 204-metres high
concrete dam will be constructed across the River
Yamuna near Lohari village, district Dehradun in
Uttarakhand. The reservoir will provide irrigation
facility and drinking water to six states - Uttarakhand,
UP, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan.
THE VODAFONE IDEA LTD.
The merger of Idea with Vodafone has finally been
completed creating India’s largest telecom service
provider, to be named ‘Vodafone Idea Ltd.
It will now have more than 408 million subscribers and
a broadband network spread over 3,40,000 sites,
covering about 92 percent of country’s population and
32.2 percent of market share.
AUGUST
IOC TOP INDIAN IN FORTUNE 500
Seven Indian companies feature in the US magazine
Fortune 500 list of the world's largest firms, with Indian
Oil Corp with revenues of $65.9 billion, remaining the
top-ranked Indian company at 137th place in the 2018
rankings. American retail giant Walmart tops the list
with revenues of $ 485.8 billion.

Point To Ponder..!!
SELF APPRAISAL
Once a young boy was making a phone call from a retail
shop to a lady on the other end.
Boy: Madame, Can you give me the job of sprucing your
lawn?
Woman: Sorry, I already have engaged a boy for that.
Boy: Madame, I will charge much less than what you pay
to the boy. So, can I come?
Woman: But I’m very satisfied with the person who is
presently doing the job.
Boy: (with more conviction): Madame, I’ll even sweep
your verandah and your sidewalk, so that your lawn
stands out as the cleanest in the city.
Woman: No, thank you.
With a smile on his face, the young boy put down the
receiver. The shop keeper who was listening to all this,
called the boy and told him, “Young man, I like your
attitude; I would like to offer you a job.”
Boy: Thank you so much, but I do not need a job.’
Shop Keeper: But right now you were really pleading for
one.
Boy: No Sir, I was just checking my performance at the job
I already have. I am the one who is working for that lady I
was talking to!
We must examine our performance before blaming
others for doing better than us.
COMING SOON - NATIONAL LOGISTICS PORTAL
The Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry is
developing a National Logistics Portal to ensure ease of
trading in the International and domestic markets. The
portal will link all the stakeholders of international /
domestic trade and related activities on a single
platform. It will connect businesses, create
opportunities and bring together various ministries,
departments and also the private sector players.
NEW LOGO FOR NSE
The National Stock Exchange (NSE), the country's
largest bourse by profit, launched its new logo to mark
its entry into 25th year of existence. The age-old brown
patch in its logo has been replaced with dashes of
marigold, yellow, red and blue. The erstwhile squarish
emblem has been replaced with a more rounded
diamond like structure.
SBI IS MOST PATRIOTIC BRAND
In a survey conducted by YouGov, UK-based online
market research firm, State Bank of India (SBI) has been
ranked as the most patriotic brand, followed by Tata
Motors and Patanjali. The survey covered 152 brands by
around 1200 respondents.
‘NIRYAT MITRA’ TO SUPPORT EXPORTERS
The Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO),
the largest exporters’ organisation of the country,
launched the ‘Niryat Mitra’ app that provides wide
range of information required to undertake
international trade from the policy provisions for export
and import, applicable GST rate, available export
incentives, tariff and market access requirements.
RELIANCE TOPS IN MARKET CAP
The Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) became the first ever
Indian company to cross Rs 8 trillion market
capitalization after its shares surged nearly 37% in
2018. On August 23, it reported a market cap of Rs. 8.1
trillion.
 As per the IMF, India is projected to clock an
economic growth of 7.5 per cent in the 2019-20 on
strengthening of investment and robust private
consumption.
 Swedish home furnishing major IKEA opened its first
Indian mega store at Hi-Tec City in Hyderabad,
covering 4,00,000 sq.ft. area, spread over 13 acres.

JULY
MSP ANNOUNCED FOR KHARIF CROPS
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs headed by
the Prime Minister has approved a hike in minimum
support prices (MSPs) for kharif crops so that they are
50% higher than the cost of production, not including
land costs. This includes a Rs. 200 per quintal increase
in the MSP for paddy.
Commodity Season 2018-19
(Rs./qtl)
Increase
(Rs./qtl)
Paddy Common 1750 200
Jowar Hybrid 2430 730
Bajra 1950 525
Maize 1700 275
Arhar(Tur) 5675 225
Moong 6975 1400
Groundnut 4890 440
Sunflower Seed- 5388 1288
Cotton Long Staple 5450 1130
INDIA 6TH BIGGEST ECONOMY
India has become the world’s sixth-biggest economy,
pushing France into seventh place, according to updated
World Bank figures for 2017. India’s GDP amounted to
$2.597 trillion at the end of last year, against $2.582
trillion for France.
SIX MORE REACTORS FOR JAITAPUR PLANT
French Power Company EDF and American General
Electric have signed an agreement with Nuclear Power
Corporation of India to build 6 EPR (European
Pressurized Reactors) type nuclear reactors at Jaitapur
nuclear plant in Ratnagiri district, Maharashtra.
TRADEMARK FOR BSE BUILDING
Bombay Stock Exchange- BSE has secured a trademark
for its iconic building Phiroze Jeejeebhoy Towers, at
Dalal Street, Mumbai. This development marks an
important milestone in the journey of BSE Limited as
the tower has been an irreplaceable part of the soul of
the city. Now usage of the BSE building’s picture will
require consent from BSE.
DOUBLE-STACK DWARF CONTAINERS TRAINS
The Indian Railways has introduced a commercial
service to run double-stack dwarf containers on trains
from Rajkot in Gujarat to Rewari in Haryana to capture
the lost traffic through a new delivery model for
domestic cargo.
SAMBALPUR LEVEL CROSSING FREE ZONE
The Sambalpur railway division of the East Coast
Railway Zone has become first zone to eliminate all
unmanned Level Crossing Gates. The division set a
record by constructing six limited height subways (LHS)
at one go, in a single block of four and half hours.
 The Telecom Ministry approved the merger of Idea
Cellular Ltd. with Vodafone India and that will create
the country’s largest mobile services operator.
 The Telecom Ministry approved the merger of Idea
Cellular Ltd. with Vodafone India and that will create
the country’s largest mobile services operator.
 BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd) has unveiled the
country's first internet telephony service. It will allow
users to dial any telephone number in India through
its mobile app ‘Wings’, without using a sim card.
 Numaligarh Refinery in Assam has become the first
oil public sector undertaking to adopt an online legal
compliance system by introducing 'Legatrix'.
 Reliance Industries has emerged as the India’s largest
payer of GST, Customs Duty and Income Tax in the
private sector paying Rs.9844 crore in FY 2017-18.

BANKING & FINANCE
SEPTEMBER
INDIA POST PAYMENTS BANK LAUNCHED
Prime Minister Modi launched the India Post Payments
Bank (IPPB) on September 01 with 650 branches and
3,250 access points. The IPBB, fully owned by the Indian
government, will leverage the vast network of 1.55 lakh
Post Offices with more than three lakh postmen and
Grameen Dak Sewaks. Linkage of all the Post Offices
with the IPPB will be completed by Dec 31 this year.
Being a Payment Bank, it can open only savings and
current account with balance not exceeding one lakh and
cannot accept fixed deposits nor it can give loans.
BANK OF BARODA GETS VIJAYA, DENA BANK
The government has proposed amalgamation of Bank of
Baroda, Vijaya Bank, and Dena Bank to create India’s
3rd largest globally competitive Bank. The three banks
will be merged to create the country's third largest
lender as part of efforts to revive credit and economic
growth.
RBI TIGHTENS OMBUDSMAN GUIDELINES
The RBI has directed all scheduled commercial banks
(except RRBs) with over 10 branches, to appoint an
Internal Ombudsman to enhance their complaint
redressal mechanism.
The IO shall, inter alia, examine customer complaints
that are partly or wholly rejected by the bank. Further,
tenure of an IO shall be between 3 to 5 years and he
cannot be removed without approval of the RBI.
NEW FEATURES ADDED TO PMJDY
The Government has decided to make the Pradhan
Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) an open-ended scheme
and added more incentives to encourage people to open
bank accounts. The accidental insurance cover for new
RuPay Card holders has been raised from Rs. one lakh to
Rs. two lakh. The overdraft facility has been doubled
from Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 10,000 under the Yojana. The age
limit for availing overdraft facility has also been revised
to 18 to 65 years from the earlier 18 to 60 yea
DRT LIMIT RAISED TO Rs.20 LAKH
The government has raised the threshold limit for filing
cases in Debt Recovery Tribunals (DRTs) to Rs. 20 lakh,
from Rs. 10 lakh at present. DRTs have been established
for dealing exclusively with the loan recovery cases of
banks and financial institutions. The limit has been
raised to make the tribunals more effective and to
facilitate fast disposal of debt recovery cases.
SIDBI LAUNCHES CREDIT PORTAL FOR MSME
SIDBI has launched a first it's kind web portal in MSME
(micro, small and medium enterprises) banking credit
space. “www.psbloansin59minutes.com” is a unique
portal that integrates advanced fintech to ensure
seamless loan approval and management. The loans are
undertaken without human intervention till sanction
and or disbursement stage. Loans up to Rs. one crore
can be processed within 59 minutes, which traditionally
took 20 to 30 days, or even more.
10 PSBs GET NEW CEOs
The government of India cleared the appointment of
CEO and Managing Directors at 10 Public Sector Banks
(PSBs) as under:
1. Padmaja Chundru - Indian Bank.
2. Mrutyunjay Mahapatra - Syndicate Bank.
3. Pallav Mohapatra - Central Bank of India.
4. J Packirisamy - Andhra Bank.
5. Karnam Shekhar - Dena Bank.
6. S S Mallikarajuna Rao - Allahabad Bank
7. A S Rajeev - Bank of Maharashtra
8. Atul Kumar Goel - UCO Bank
9. S Harisankar - Punjab & Sind Bank.
10. Ashok Kumar Pradhan - United Bank of India
 Punjab National Bank has been ranked number one
public sector bank by the Department of Financial
Services, in terms of digital transactions.
 India Post Payments Bank has tied up with the Life
Insurer Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Co Ltd to provide
life insurance solutions to its customers.
 DBS Bank has been named the world's best bank by
Global Finance magazine, New York, in view of its
ability to invest in digital innovation.

AUGUST
REPO RATE HIKED TO CHECK INFLATION
The RBI’s monetary policy committee (MPC) in its 3rd
monetary policy review on August 1, raised repo rate by
25 basis points (bps) to 6.5% on account of inflationary
pressures arising due to hikes in minimum support
prices for the crops.
Consequently, the reverse repo rate stands adjusted to
6.25 percent, and the marginal standing facility (MSF)
rate and the Bank Rate to 6.75 per cent. The MPC
reiterated its commitment for achieving the medium-
term target for headline inflation of 4 per cent on a
durable basis.
RBI TO INSPECT AUDIT REPORTS OF BANKS
The RBI has begun simultaneous Annual Financial
Inspections (AFIs) for banks for the 2017-18 financial
year with an aim to collate a system-wide note on how
much banks are underreporting on bad assets.
The move comes in the backdrop of bad loans and
frauds coming to light in the banking system in a big
way in recent years. The framework would cover
instances of divergence identified in asset classification
and provisioning during the RBI inspection vis-à-vis the
audited financial statements of banks.
RBI TRANSFERS 50,000 Cr. TO GOVERNMENT
The Central Board of Directors of the Reserve Bank of
India approved the transfer of surplus amounting to Rs.
50,000 crore for the year ended June 30, 2018 to the
Government of India. It may be noted that Government
of India holds 100 per cent share capital of the RBI.
SBI LAUNCHES ‘MOPAD’ PAYMENT OPTION
The State Bank of India launched its new digital
payment device MOPAD (multi-option payment
acceptance device) under which customers will be able
to make payments through cards, Bharat QR, UPI and
SBI Buddy (e-wallet) on a PoS terminal and will also get
a printed proof of payment.
AXIS BANK OFFERS IRIS SCAN VERIFICATION
Axis Bank became first bank in the country to introduce
Iris Scan Authentication feature for Aadhaar-based
transactions through its micro ATM tablets. These
tablets are registered with UIDAI for authorised use of
iris database.
COSMOS BANK SUFFERS CYBER ATTACK
Pune based Cosmos Bank was attacked by the hackers
based in foreign countries that carried out a malware
attack on the bank’s servers and siphoned off Rs 94
crore over just two days, withdrawing the funds in
different countries.
JULY
BANKS TO GET CAPITAL SUPPORT
The Finance Ministry has approved investment of Rs
11,336 crore in the capital of five public sector banks to
help them meet the regulatory minimum capital
requirement. Later, a sum of Rs 53,664 crore will be
further invested to strengthen their capital base. Share
of allocation in five banks is as under:
1. Punjab National Bank: Rs 2,816 crore
2. Corporation Bank: Rs 2,555 crore
3. Indian Overseas Bank: Rs 2,157 crore
4. Andhra Bank: Rs 2,019 crore
5. Allahabad Bank: Rs 1,790 crore
DRAFTS TO SHOW APPLICANT’s NAME
With a view to avoid incidence of money laundering, the
RBI has now made it compulsory to incorporate the
purchaser’s name on the face of demand draft, pay
order, banker’s cheques and other such instruments wef
15 Sep, 2018.

RBI ISSUES NEW 100 RUPEE NOTE
The RBI has notified issuance of new 100 rupee notes in
lavender colour having motif of ‘Rani ki vav' - a step well
located on the banks of Saraswati river in Gujarat's
Patan, on the back side. All 100 rupees banknotes issued
earlier will also continue to be legal tender.
ICA FRAMEWORK FOR NPA RESOLUTION
Nearly two dozen Banks and Financial Institutions,
including SBI and LIC, have signed the Inter Creditor
Agreement (ICA) framework to speed up the resolution
of stressed assets which are under the 500-crore rupee
bracket. The framework is part of the Project Sashakt
suggested by the Sunil Mehta committee on NPA
resolution, earlier this month.
As of March this year, there were close to Rs. 3 trillion
worth of bad loans in the 50 to 500 crore bracket and Rs.
2 trillion under 50 crore ticket size.
LIC ALLOWED TO INVEST IN IDBI
In a first-of-its-kind transaction, the Insurance
Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI)
has approved a proposal allowing Life Insurance
Corporation (LIC) to acquire a majority stake in the IDBI
bank. The LIC can raise its stake in the IDBI up to 51%,
injecting Rs10,000-13,000 crore in capital.
AMENDMENT PASSED TO NI ACT
The Lok Sabha passed the Negotiable Instruments
(Amendment) Bill, 2017 which has the provision of
allowing a court trying an offence related to cheque
bouncing, to direct the drawer to pay interim
compensation to the complainant.
The interim compensation will not exceed 20% of the
cheque amount and will have to be paid by the drawer
within 60 days of the trial court’s order to pay such
compensation.
 The RBI issued license to Bank of China to operate in
India. This is the second Chinese bank allowed in
India, the first being Industrial & Commercial Bank of
China.
 The Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has
granted regulatory approval to the Yes Bank to start
mutual fund business.
 The Sunil Mehta Committee submitted its report
titled 'Sashakt' to the Finance Ministry,
recommending a 5-pronged strategy to tackle the
NPAs in the banks.
DEFENCE, SCIENCE
& TECHNOLOGY
SEPTEMBER
PRITHVI DEFENCE VEHICLE
India successfully conducted an interceptor missile test
off the Odisha coast, achieving a major milestone in
developing a two-layer Ballistic Missile Defence system.
This Prithvi Defence Vehicle (PDV) mission is for
engaging the targets in the exo-atmosphere region at an
altitude above 50 kilometres of the earth's atmosphere.
INDIA’S FIRST MID AIR REFUELLING
The first ever mid-air refuelling of the indigenously
developed light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas MK-1 was
successfully carried out on Sep 10, over Gwalior in MP,
placing India in an elite group of countries having air-to-
air refuelling capacity for military planes.
The mid-air refuelling was done by an Indian Air Force
IL 78 aerial refuelling tanker at an altitude of 20,000
feet, that transferred 1900 kg of fuel in Tejas, both
aircrafts flying at an speed of 270 knots (500 kmph).
 DRDO successfully flight tested the indigenously
developed surface-to-surface tactical missile ‘Prahar’,
from the ITR in Chandipur, Odisha.
 India’s first underwater robotic drone EyeROV TUNA,
was handed over by DRDO to Naval Physical and
Oceanographic Laboratory for research and
development activities for defence purposes.

 India’s first ‘smart fence’ pilot project was
inaugurated along the Indo-Pak border at the BSF
Headquarters in Paloura, Jammu. Smart fencing uses
a number of devices for surveillance, communication
and data storage.
 Indian Coast Guard (ICG) commissioned indigenously
built patrol vessel ICGS Vijaya in Chennai, Tamil
Nadu.
BIMSTEC Military Exercise (MILEX-18), the first
edition of Military Field Training Exercise for the Bay of
Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and
Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) nations was held at
Aundh in Pune, Maharashtra.
BIGGEST EVER MILITARY DRILL BY RUSSIA
Russia conducted its biggest ever military exercise in its
history, ‘Vostok 2018’, involving 3,00,000 troops along
with Chinese and Mongolian soldiers with 36,000
military vehicles, 1000 planes and 80 warships. The
week-long exercise was held in Eastern Siberia region of
Russia.
 The Indo-Mongolia joint military exercise ‘Nomadic
Elephant-2018’, was held at Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
 Nepal-China joint military exercise named ‘Mt.
Everest Friendship Exercise-2018’ (Sagarmatha
Friendship-2018) was held in Sichuan, China.
 A joint military training exercise between India and
USA ‘Yudh Abhyas 2018’ was held in the foothills of
Himalayas at Chaubattia in Uttarakhand.
 Indo-Kazakhstan joint Army Exercise 'KAZIND' was
held in Otar region of Kazakhstan.
 SLINEX-2018: Indian navy ships and aircrafts and Sri
Lankan navy took part in the joint exercise held near
Trincomalee, Sri Lanka.
 INS Sahyadri from Indian Navy took part in the
Exercise KAKADU 2018 hosted by the Royal
Australian Navy in Darwin, Australia.
REGULATIONS FOR CIVIL USE OF DRONES
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued
the civil aviation regulations for civil use of Remotely
Piloted Aircraft Systems, commonly known as drones, to
be effective from December 1, 2018. Drones have have
wide-ranging applications from photography to
agriculture, from aerial surveillance to delivery channels.
‘SMART INDIA HACKATHON-2019’
The 3rd edition of world’s biggest open innovation
model -‘Smart India Hackathon-2019’ started in New
Delhi. Around 1,50,000 students from over 3,000
institutes like IISc, IITs, NITs and other technical
institutions took part to solve problems and offer
technical solutions.
For the 1st time, Private industry/organisations and
NGOs have also been allowed to send their problem
statements to the Hackathon.
'APSARA' IS BACK IN ACTION
India’s oldest and Asia’s first nuclear research reactor
'Apsara', which was shut down permanently in 2009 for
repair, has been recommissioned with a higher capacity
at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, Mumbai.

WORLD’s BIGGEST EXPERIENCE CENTRE
Tech giant Samsung opened world’s biggest experience
centre in Bengaluru, Karnataka. Opened in the
renovated Opera House, the 33,000 sq ft iconic building
will showcase Samsung's mobile devices and other
consumer electronic products.
The centre would offer Virtual Reality (VR), Artificial
Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT)
experiences and for the first time in India, enthusiasts
would be able to enjoy VR experiences such as the “4D
Sway Chair” or the “Whiplash Pulsar 4D chair” that
makes 360-degrees three-dimensional movements.
 ISRO successfully launched PSLV C 42 with two
British earth observation satellites NovaSAR and S1-4
from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.
WORLD’S FIRST WIND-SENSING SATELLITE
European Space Agency successfully launched world’s
first wind-sensing satellite named ‘Aeolus’ into orbit on
board of Vega rocket from French Guyana. It will help in
mapping wind patterns on global scale, especially
tropical winds which are very poorly mapped. The
satellite is named after guardian of wind in Greek
mythology.
 Google has launched Project Navalekha to enable
Indian publishers of regional languages to publish
their content online really fast and with minimum
resources.
 NASA launched its Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation
Satellite-2, known as ICESat-2, which will use an
extremely precise laser to collect measurement data
to track the Earth's shrinking polar ice cover.
AUGUST
Helina, the indigenously developed helicopter launched
anti-tank guided missile, was successfully flight tested
from Army helicopter in the ranges of Pokhran,
Rajasthan.
The first-ever joint air exercise involving the Indian
Air Force and the Royal Malaysian Air Force was held at
Subang Air Base in Malaysia.
Exercise 'Maitree', a joint military exercise between the
Indian Army and Royal Thai Army was held in Thailand.
Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) conducted
its joint military exercise ‘Peace Mission 2018’ at
Chebarkul, Russia. All the 8 member nations, including
India and Pakistan took part in the exercise.
Royal Australian Air Force hosted the Exercise Pitch
Black 2018, a biennial multi-nation large scale warfare
exercise in Darwin, Australia in which more than 140
aircrafts from 16 nations, including India took part.
The International Army Games 2018 were held at
Patriot Park in Moscow region of Russia. Indian teams
took part in two major competitions-- Tank Biathlon
and Elbrus Ring competition.
China successfully tested its first cutting-edge
hypersonic aircraft, the Xingkong-2 or Starry Sky-2,
which could carry nuclear warheads and penetrate any
anti-missile defence systems.
‘VIKRAM’ TO LAND ON MOON
The ISRO has decided to name the lander on the
Chandrayaan-2 mission, ‘Vikram’ after Vikram Sarabhai,
the father of Indian space programme. Chandrayaan-2
involves a Lander soft-landing on the lunar surface and
unloading a Rover to study the Moon surface.
WORLD's FIRST THERMAL BATTERY PLANT
The world's first-ever thermal battery plant started in
Andhra Pradesh. The first-of-its-kind batteries aim to
boost renewable sources of energy production and
reduce the dependence on non-renewable fossil fuel-
based energy generation.

FIRST FLIGHT POWERED BY BIOFUEL
In a first of its kind experiment in India, the biofuel
made from the Jatropha seeds was developed by the
CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum, Dehradun. This
biofuel was mixed with ATF (air turbine fuel) in 25/75
ratio to power one of the two engines of the Q400
aircraft of Spicejet for the over 40-minute-long flight
from Dehradun to Delhi, making it country's first flight
powered by biofuel.
BANK FOR STORING GENETIC MATERIAL
India’s first genetic resource bank, National Wildlife
Genetic Resource Bank was opened at Centre for
Cellular and Molecular Biology Laboratory of
Conservation of Endangered Species in Hyderabad,
Telangana. The bank will store the genetic material to
further the cause of conservation of endangered and
protected animals.
WORLD’s FIRST EVER 4D PRINTING
Researchers from the City University of Hong Kong have
successfully developed the world's first-ever 4D
printing for ceramics that can be used to create complex,
shape-changing objects. The printed ceramic precursors
can be used in the manufacture of electronic devices.
4D printing is conventional 3D printing combined with
the additional element of time as the fourth dimension,
where the printed objects can re-shape or self-assemble
themselves over time with external stimuli, such as
mechanical force, temperature, or a magnetic field.
WATER MAY EXIST ON MOON
Scientists using data from NASA's Moon Mineralogy
Mapper (M3) instrument aboard the Chandrayaan-1
spacecraft, launched in 2008, have found frozen water
deposits in the darkest and coldest parts of the Moon's
Polar Regions. They have identified three specific
signatures that definitively prove there is water ice at
the surface of the Moon.
9th VERSION OF ANDROID - PIE
Google released its latest Android operating system
update, Android 9 Pie. New system introduces a new
gesture-based interface that's similar to the interface of
the iPhone X, with iPhone-like swipes for navigating
through the operating system.
NEW SHAPE DISCOVERED
Scientists have discovered a new shape called ‘scutoid’
that has five sides on one end and six on the other and a
triangular surface on one of its longer edges. It is a
twisted prism kind of shape that allows the tissue to
mould around organs and in formation of skin, cavity
linings in the human body.
 China launched Gaofen-11, an optical remote sensing
satellite, as part of the country's high-resolution
Earth observation project.
JULY
BRAHMOS TEST FIRED SUCCESSFULLY
India's supersonic cruise missile BrahMos was test fired
from Odisha's Chandipur range launch pad under
extreme conditions. The test was conducted in order to
increase the longevity of its life.
 The navies of India and Indonesia participated in
Passage Exercise (PASSEX) near port of Makassar in
Indonesia.
 Indian Air Force contingent of Su-30MKI fighter jets
took part in the multi-nation war exercise, Pitch
Black, in Australia.
 An Indian Army team participated in the
International Army games hosted by Russia in
Moscow.

SAFAR TO MONITOR AIR QUALITY
A new state-of-the-art Air Quality and Weather Forecast
System– SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather
Forecasting) was unveiled in Delhi. The giant true
colour LED display gives out real-time air quality index
on 24x7 basis with colour coding alongwith 72-hour
advance forecast.
ISRO UPGRADES VIKAS ENGINE
The ISRO has upgraded Vikas engine to improve the
payload capability of PSLV, GSLV and GSLV Mk-III
launch vehicles. It is used in the second stage of the light
lifting PSLV; the second stage and the four add-on stages
of the medium-lift GSLV; and the twin-engine core liquid
stage of Mk-III.
MICRODOTS SPRAYING TO CHECK CAR THEFTS
In a bid to put an end to vehicle thefts, the government
will soon launch a new standard for automobile
industry in which thousands of small dots laser etched
with a vehicle identification number will be sprayed on
all over the vehicle’s body. This will also include their
engines. This technique is termed as MicroDots and it is
almost impossible to remove these dots.
ISRO TESTS ‘CREW ESCAPE SYSTEM’
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
conducted successful flight testing of ‘Crew Escape
System’. It is an emergency escape measure designed to
quickly pull the crew module along with the astronauts
to a safe distance from the launch vehicle in the event of
a launch failure.
MOST ADVANCED ATOMIC MICROSCOPE
The Indian Institute of Technology-Madras launched a
highly advanced remotely operable microscope, claimed
to be the world's first of its kind that would enable
precise atom by atom view of a material. Named Local
Electrode Atom Probe, it has been developed in
collaboration with 8 top research institutions of India.
MASSIVE LAKE EXISTS ON MARS
A report led by Italian researchers says that a massive
underground lake has been detected for the first time on
Mars, raising the possibility that more water-and maybe
even life - exists there. The lake is about 20 kms wide,
located under a layer of Martian ice. It is the largest
body of liquid water ever found on the Red Planet.
NASA TO LAUNCH SOLAR PROBE
NASA plans to launch the Parker Solar Probe, a robotic
car-size spacecraft, to study the Sun and reveal multiple
mysteries behind the star. The spacecraft will fly into
the Sun's corona within 3.8 million miles (6.1 million
km) from the solar surface, seven times closer than any
other spacecraft.
WORLD’s LIGHTEST SATELLITE
Four science students from Chennai have developed the
world’s lightest satellite which will be launched from a
NASA facility in the US by August 2018. The 4cm ‘cube’
satellite ‘Jaihind-1S’ has a 3D printed outer casing made
from polylactic acid (PLA) nylon material, making it
lighter than a medium sized egg, at just 33.39 grams.
 The red planet, Mars came closest to Earth in the last
fifteen years on July 31, reaching just 57.6 million
kilometres away from our planet.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS
SEPTEMBER
THE GLOBAL CLIMATE ACTION SUMMIT 2018
The said was held at San Francisco, California, United
States. Over 4000 businesses, cities, states and civil
society delegates attended the summit and showed their
commitments to achieve the goals set by the Paris
Agreement.
INTERNATIONAL TSUNAMI MOCK DRILL
A multi-nation tsunami awareness endeavour “Indian
Ocean Wave Exercise 2018 (IOWave18)” began on
September 4 in the Indian Ocean. 24 nations, including
India took part in this tsunami mock drill that involved
evacuation of thousands of people from coastal areas in
over half a dozen coastal states.
NEPAL SET TO DOUBLE ITS TIGER POPULATION
Nepal is set to become the first country in the world to
double its tiger population as part of the 'Tx2'
programme of the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF)
that aims to double the number of tigers all over the
world.
 The International Women Entrepreneurs Summit was
held in Kathmandu, Nepal with the theme “Equality
begins with Economic Empowerment”.
 The 4th International Ayurveda Congress was held in
Netherlands to focus on promotion of Ayurveda in
Netherlands and its neighbouring countries.
 The trade and investment ministerial meeting of G-20
nations was held at Mar del Plata in Argentina.
 The European Union legislators voted
overwhelmingly in favour of launching punitive
action against the Hungarian government for
flouting democratic rules.
AUGUST
10TH BRICS SUMMIT HELD IN JOHANNESBURG
The heads of state of all five BRICS nations- Brazil,
Russia, India, China and South Africa convened for the
10th BRICS Summit from July 25-27, 2018 in
Johannesburg, South Africa to discuss various
international and regional issues of common concern.
The theme for the summit was ‘BRICS in Africa:
Collaboration for inclusive growth and shared prosperity
in the 4th Industrial Revolution'.
UN CENSORS MYANMAR ON ROHINGYAS’ ISSUE
United Nations investigators have called for an
international probe and prosecution of Myanmar's army
chief and five other top military commanders for
genocide against the country's Rohingya minority in
Rakhine, Kachin and Shan States of Myanmar.
Some 7 lakh Rohingya Muslims fled northern Rakhine
state to Bangladesh after Myanmar launched a brutal
crackdown in August last year on insurgents amid
accounts of arson, murder and rape at the hands of
soldiers and vigilantes in the mainly Buddhist country.
USA FORMS IRAN ACTION GROUP
USA has announced the formation of the Iran Action
Group (IAG) to coordinate and run the country's policy
towards Iran. The IAG will lead the way in growing
efforts with nations that share the same understanding
of the Iranian threat as the United States.

VIENNA RANKED AS BEST CITY FOR LIVING
The Global Liveability Index 2018, released by the
Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), covered 140 global
cities for ranking based on their living conditions.
Vienna, Austria topped the Index, followed by
Melbourne, Australia and Osaka, Japan.
Only two Indian cities could secure a place among 140
cities, Delhi at 112th position and Mumbai at 117th spot.
JAPAN BEATS CHINA FOR NO 2 PLACE
Data from Bloomberg showed that Japan with a market
cap of $ 6.17 trillion has overtaken China as the world's
second largest stock market as China has been swiped
this year by the threat of a trade war with the United
States and slowing economic growth. World’s top share
market is USA with market cap of $31 trillion.
 4th Summit of Heads of States of Bay of Bengal
Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic
Cooperation (BIMSTEC) was held at Kathmandu in
Nepal on August 30 and 31.
 The 24th World Congress of Philosophy was held in
Beijing, China from August 13 to 17. Its theme was
“Learning To Be Human”.
JULY
THE SUPER POWERS MEET AT HELSINKI
US President Donald Trump and his Russian
counterpart Vladimir Putin held their first one-on-one
summit in Helsinki, Finland on July 16. They held
discussions on crucial topics such as Russian meddling
in the 2016 US Presidential elections, Syria, Ukraine and
China to trade tariffs and the size of their nuclear
arsenals.
UK IS TOP ‘SOFT POWER’
As per the 'Soft Power 30' index 2018, the United
Kingdom has been ranked at the top. The index
compiled by the UK-based strategic communications
consultancy firm Portland and the University of
Southern California Center on Public Diplomacy,
covered 30 countries but does not covered India.
The term ‘soft power’ largely refers to the ability of a
nation to influence other nations through its culture,
foreign policies, political values and economy while
excluding powers such as force, money, military or arms
strength.
EU LEVIES $5 BILLION FINE ON GOOGLE
EU anti-trust regulators imposed a record 4.34 billion
euro ($5 billion) fine on Google for pushing its Android
mobile operating system to squeeze out rivals.
European Commission for Competition observed that
pushing by Google denied rivals the chance to innovate
and compete on the merits thereby denying European
consumers the benefits of effective competition in the
important mobile sphere.
FATF ADDS PAKISTAN TO GREY LIST
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Paris has added
Pakistan to its ‘grey list’ of countries involved in
providing monetary assistance to terrorism and related
causes. The grey list puts countries under the scanner for
not implementing the objectives of the task force.
BRITAIN FINES FACEBOOK OVER DATA BREACH
Britain’s data regulator plans to impose a half a million
pound (Rs. 4.52 crore) fine on Facebook for failing to
protect user data, as part of its investigation into
whether personal information was misused ahead of the
Brexit referendum.
JAPAN REELS UNDER HEAT WAVE
An "unprecedented" heat wave in Japan killed at least 80
people in July. Over 35,000 persons were hospitalised
due to heat stroke related problems. The temperature
set a national heat record, hitting 41.1 Celsius. The
weather agency classified the record breaking hot
weather as a "natural disaster.

 More than 200 persons were killed due to record
heavy rains in some parts of Japan. At least 140,000
homes and buildings were damaged due to flood in
Okayama Prefecture.
 UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has entered
into a partnership with search engine giant Google to
monitor the impacts of human activity on global
ecosystems by using sophisticated online tools.
 Myanmar joined the India-initiated International
Solar Alliance (ISA) as its 68th member to promote
optimum utilisation of solar energy.
 The 17th World Sanskrit Conference was held in
Vancouver, Canada, attended by more than 500
scholars and delegates from over 40 countries.
 The world’s first digital art museum opened its doors
to the public in Tokyo, Japan. Spread over 9,000 sq
mts, it allows visitors to step all the way into the
virtual artworks.
PERSONS IN NEWS
SEPTEMBER
Jack Ma: The charismatic co-founder of China's largest
e-commerce firm Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, announced
to step down as chairman in exactly one year on Sept 10,
2019.
He will handover the baton to current Alibaba Chief
Executive Daniel Zhang.
AUGUST
SMITHA V CRISHNA: As per the
'Kotak Wealth Hurun - Leading
Wealthy Women 2018' list, the
lady holding 20% stake in the
Godrej Group, is the wealthiest
woman in the country with an
estimated net worth of
whopping Rs 37,570 crore.
Roshni Nadar of HCL (30,200 crore) is the second richest
woman in the country, followed by Indu Jain of Bennett
Coleman (26,240 crore) and Kiran Majumdar-Shaw of
Biocon (24,790crore).
INDRA (KRISHNAMURTHY) NOOYI: The CEO of the
PepsiCo for past 12 years announced her decision to
step down by October this year. As CEO, she grew
PepsiCo’s revenue more than 80% and turned the
company’s focus on healthy foods.
GEORGE CLOONEY: American actor, director, producer
and businessman topped the Forbes’ list of World’s
Highest-Paid Actors 2018, with earnings of $ 239 million
in 2017-18.
SUNITA WILLIAMS:
Indian - origin U.S. astronaut is among the nine
astronauts named by NASA who will fly the first
missions into space on commercially provided rockets
and capsules, starting next year.
CURIE VOTED AS ‘MOST INFLUENTIAL LADY’
In a readers’ poll conducted by the BBC History
Magazine to select ‘100 women who changed the world’,
Marie Curie was placed at the top. Women from several
fields in areas like politics, science, sports, technology
and literature were shortlisted
JULY
MUKESH AMBANI: Reliance Industries Chairman has
dethroned Jack Ma of Alibaba, Chinese e-commerce
Company, to become Asia's richest person with a net
worth of $44.3 billion, $0.3 billion more than Jack Ma.
ISHWAR SHARMA: The eight-year-old Indian-origin
schoolboy, the under-11 UK national yoga champion,
has been named as the ‘British Indian of the Year’ for his
achievements in yoga.
SATYARUP SIDDHANTA: A techie from Bengaluru, has
become the second Indian mountaineer after Malli
Mastan Babu to climb Mt Ojos del Salado, the highest
active volcano (6,893 metres) in the world, located in
Andes mountains on the Argentina-Chile border.
COMMANDER ABHILASH TOMY: Indian Naval officer
has been selected as the only Asian to participate in the
prestigious Golden Globe Race (GGR), which
commenced from Les Sables d’ Olonne harbour in
France on July 1, 2018.
The GGR requires all the participants to sail around the
world, single-handed and non-stop. The race forbids use
of boat designs and technology after 1968. Hence, use of
GPS, satellite communication and navigational aids
would not be permitted.

Maj Gen V D DOGRA: He has become the first Indian
Army officer to complete the Ironman Triathalon event
in Austria.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER: The boxing king from USA has
been ranked number one by the Forbes 'Celebrity 100'
list of World's Highest-Paid Entertainers, earning $258
million.
JEFF BEZOS: According to the Bloomberg Billionaires
Index, his net worth crossed $150 billion, making him
the world's richest person in decades.
NAJIB RAZAK: Former Malaysian Prime Minister was
arrested by anti-corruption investigators of Malaysia on
charges of corruption.
APPOINTMENTS
SEPTEMBER
JUSTICE RANJAN GOGOI: Appointed as the 46th Chief
Justice of India
K VIJAY RAGHAVAN: The principal scientific adviser to
the Union Government will head the Prime Minister's
Science Technology and Innovation Advisory
Committee.
KAMLESH NILKANTH VYAS: Renowned scientist has
been appointed the secretary of the Department of
Atomic Energy and chairman of the Atomic Energy
Commission.
ANSHULA KANT: Appointed as fourth Managing
Director of the State Bank of India.
VARUN DHAWAN AND ANUSHKA SHARMA: Lead
players of film ‘Sui Dhaaga’ have been signed on to
promote and endorse the Skill India Mission. The actors
through their film saluted India’s entrepreneurs and
artisans, craftsmen and weavers.
MOUTAZ MOUSA ABDALLAH: Elected as the new
Prime Minister of Sudan.
DR. ARIF ALVI: Elected as the President of Pakistan
IBRAHIM MOHAMED SOLIH: Elected as the new
President of Maldives
AUGUST
SEVEN STATES GET NEW GOVERNORS
Satya Pal Malik Jammu & Kashmir
S N Arya Haryana
Lalji Tandon Bihar
Baby Rani Maurya Uttarakhand
Ganga Prasad Sikkim
Tathagata Roy Meghalaya
Kaptan Singh Solanki, Tripura
3 JUDGES FOR SUPREME COURT
President of India issued notifications announcing the
appointments of three Judges to the Supreme Court.
All three are Chief Justice of various states. K M Joseph -
Uttarakhand, Indira Banerjee - Madras and Vineet Saran
- Odisha.
Now there are 25 judges in the Supreme Court against
the sanctioned strength of 31 judges, including the Chief
Justice.
Dr G SATHEESH REDDY: Appointed as new Chairman
of the Defence Research and Development Organisation.
A distinguished scientist, he is known for his deep
expertise in missile development.
D. BALA VENKATESH VARMA: Appointed as the next
Indian Ambassador to Russia.
RAM SEWAK SHARMA: Re-appointed as the chairman
of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). His
term has been extended till September 2020.
HARIVANSH NARAYAN SINGH: Elected as the Deputy
Chairman of Rajya Sabha. He is the member of Rajya
Sabha from Janata Dal (united) from Bihar, since 2014.
He is a senior journalist.
AKSHAY KUMAR: Noted cine personality has been
appointed as Road Safety Brand Ambassador by the
Union Ministry of Road Transport & Highways.
MICHELLE BACHELET: Former President of Chile
appointed head of the United Nations Commission on
Human Rights - UNCHR
SCOTT MORRISON: Elected as the new Prime Minister
of Australia
IBRAHIM BOUBACAR KEITA: Re-elected as the
President of Mali (West Africa)
MARIO ABDO BENÍTEZ: Sworn in as the new
President of Paraguay
EMMERSON MNANGAGWA: Elected as the President of
Zimbabwe
IMRAN KHAN: Cricketer-turned-politician elected as
Pakistan’s 22nd prime minister. He is chairman of the
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party.
JULY
Dr. T.C.A. RAGHAVAN: The former IFS officer and
noted author has been appointed as the Director
General of the Indian think tank Indian Council of World
Affairs- ICWA, an institution of national importance as
declared by ICWA Act, 2001.
JUSTICE ADARSH KUMAR GOEL: Appointed the
Chairperson of the National Green Tribunal (NGT).

Maj. Gen. JOSÉ ELADIO ALCAIN: Veteran Uruguayan
Army official has been appointed by the UNO as head of
the U N mission tasked with monitoring the ceasefire
line between India and Pakistan.
ANDRÉS MANUEL LÓPEZ OBRADOR: Elected as
President of Mexico
AWARDS & HONOURS
SEPTEMBER
NATIONAL SPORTS AWARDS 2018
ANNOUNCED
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award 2018
No. Name of the Sportsperson Discipline
1. S. Mirabai Chanu Weightlifting
2. Virat Kohli Cricket
Arjuna Awards
1. Neeraj Chopra Athletics
2. Jinson Johnson Athletics
3. Ms. Hima Das Athletics
4. Ms. Nelakurthi Sikki Reddy Badminton
5. Satish Kumar Boxing
6. Ms. Smriti Mandhana Cricket
7. Shubhankar Sharma Golf
8. Manpreet Singh Hockey
9. Ms. Savita Hockey
10. Col. Ravi Rathore Polo
11. Ms. Rahi Sarnobat Shooting
12. Ankur Mittal Shooting
13. Ms. Shreyasi Singh Shooting
14. Ms. Manika Batra Table Tennis
15. G. Sathiyan Table Tennis
16. Rohan Bopanna Tennis
17. Sumit Wrestling
18. Ms. Pooja Kadian Wushu
19. Ankur Dhama Para-Athletics
Dhyan Chand Award is given for a lifetime of sporting
achievement.
1. Satyadev Prasad Archery
2. Bharat Kumar Chetri Hockey
3. Ms. Bobby Aloysius Athletics
4. Chougale Dadu Dattatray Wrestling
Dronacharya Award
The Dronacharya Award is presented to coaches and
mentors.
No. Name of the Coach Discipline
1. C A Kuttappa Boxing
2. Vijay Sharma Weightlifting
3. A. Srinivasa Rao Table Tennis
4. Sukhdev Singh Pannu Athletics
5. Clarence Lobo Hockey (Life
Time)
6. Tarak Sinha Cricket (Life
Time)
7. Jiwan Kumar Sharma Judo (Life Time)
8. V.R. Beedu Athletics (Life
Time)
Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award: All-
women crew of INSV Tarini conferred the prize for
sailing across the world for eight long months.
‘Village Rockstars’, a National Award-winning feature
film by Rina Das has been chosen to represent India in
the Best Foreign Language category at the 91st Academy
Awards (Oscars)next year.
'Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle': Chairman and MD
of JK Tyre & Industries Ltd., Dr Raghupati Singhania has
been conferred with the highest honour accorded to
non-nationals by the Government of Mexico for his
outstanding services towards humanity and his
contribution towards strengthening trade ties between
India and Mexico.
AUGUST
RAJIV GANDHI SADBHAVANA AWARD: Bestowed
upon former West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna
Gandhi for his outstanding contribution towards the
promotion of communal harmony, peace and goodwill.
The award given by the Indian National Congress carries
cash prize of Rs.10 lakh.
Indian Film ‘NEWTON’ won the award for the best film
at the 3rd BRICS Film Festival at Durban, South Africa.
LEGION OF MERIT (DEGREE OF COMMANDER): The
US government has awarded this prestigious honour to
General Dalbir Singh Suhag (Retired) for exceptionally
meritorious service as chief of the Indian Army.
FIELDS MEDAL: Most prestigious prize for maths won
by Akshay Venkatesh, a renowned Indian-Australian
mathematician from Stanford University for his
profound contributions to mathematics.
It is given to mathematicians under 40 years of age by the
International Mathematical Union, Germany, once in four
years.

JULY
RAMAN MAGSAYSAY AWARD 2018
Regarded as the Asian version of the Nobel Prize, it is
given to 6 persons from Asia for their outstanding
contribution to society.
This year two Indians won this award. Bharat
Vaswani, a psychiatrist who works for the mentally-ill
street persons and Sonam Wangchuk whose
initiative to harness science and culture creatively for
economic progress improved the lives of the Ladakhi
youth.
NATIONAL MARITIME SEARCH AND RESCUE
AWARD: Won by Milan Shankar Tare, a fisherman from
Maharashtra’s Palghar district, for his daring act of
saving 12 people from a sinking fishing boat in May
2018.
GOLDEN MAN BOOKER PRIZE: Sri Lanka-born
Canadian literary icon Michael Ondaatje won this special
onetime prize given to mark the 50th anniversary of the
prestigious literary award for best work in last 50 years
for his novel 'The English Patient'.
BOOKS & AUTHORS
SEPTEMBER
The Rule Breakers by Preeti Shenoy
The Perfect Us by Durjoy Datta
Everyone Has a Story 2 by Savi Sharma
Sea Prayer by Khaled Hosseini
Life is What You Make it by Preeti Shenoy
One Indian Girl by Chetan Bhagat
AUGUST
Atal Ji Ne Kaha by Brijendra Rehi
‘281 and Beyond’ - Autobiography of veteran cricketer
VVS Laxman
The Unending Game by Vikram Sood, former Chief of
RAW
Intertwined Lives: PN Haksar and Indira Gandhi by
Jairam Ramesh.
Ten Ideologies by Jaipal Reddy
The President is Missing by Bill Clinton and James
Patterson
‘No Spin’ - Autobiography of Shane Warne, legendary
Australian spin bowler
JULY
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
Gandhi: The Years That Changed The World by
Ramachandra Guha
The Hope Circuit by Dr. Martin Seligman.
All the Lives we Never Lived by Anuradha Roy.
Oxford Reading In Indian Art by B.N Goswamy &
Vrinda Agarwal.
Lethal White by JK Rowling
OBITUARY
SEPTEMBER
JASDEV SINGH: Renowned commentator and Radio
News Anchor passed
away at his home in New
Delhi at the age of 87. His
voice was a national
treasure, and his
commentary brought
alive so many sports
events and ceremonial
occasions to millions.
Legendary commentator
covered 48 Republic Day and Independence Day
parades, 9 Olympics, 6 Asian Games and 6 Hockey
World Cups. He was conferred with the Padma Shri in
1985 and the Padma Bhushan in 2008.
MUNISHRI TARUN SAGAR: Popularly known for his
sermons titled ‘Kadve (bitter) Pravachan’ the hugely
popular Jain monk passed away at Delhi after a
prolonged illness, at an young age of just 51.

KALPANA LAJMI: Renowned filmmaker passed away in
Mumbai at the age of 64 after a prolonged illness. Lajmi,
a director, producer and screenwriter, was known for
her women-oriented films like "Rudaali", "Daman",
"Darmiyaan".
ANNA RAJAM MALHOTRA: India's first woman IAS
officer post-Independence, died at her residence in
suburban Andheri, Mumbai at an age of 91 years.
PROF. VIJAY SHANKAR VYAS: Renowned agricultural
economist and former member of PM's Economic
Advisory Committee,died after a brief illness in Jaipur.
He was 87. He was former director of IIM, Ahmedabad
and was decorated with Padma Bhushan for his
outstanding services.
TRAN DAI QUANG: Vietnamese President died at the
age of 61 in a military hospital in Hanoi after a
prolonged serious illness.
AUGUST
ATAL BIHARI VAJPAYEE: An exemplary orator, veteran
leader and three time former
Prime Minister, Bharat Ratna
shri Vajpayee breathed his
last at AIIMS, Delhi on August
16 where he was admitted for
treatment. Born on 25th
December 1924, in Gwalior,
Madhya Pradesh, he was a
journalist by profession who
jumped in to politics in 1951.
A critically acclaimed poet, he was first elected to the
Lok Sabha in 1957 and had a long parliamentary
experience spanning over 47 years. He was elected to
the Lok Sabha ten times and two times for the Rajya
Sabha.
M KARUNANIDHI: Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister
for five times and DMK
President, died at the age of
94 in Chennai. A legendary
leader of masses, Muthuvel
Karunanidhi never lost an
election in nearly six
decades of his political
career. Besides being an
astute political leader, he
was also a versatile actor, dialogue and screenplay
writer and penned a number of books.
Dr BHISHMA NARAIN SINGH: Former Union Minister
and senior Congress leader from Bihar passed away
aged 85 in Noida after prolonged illness. He was also the
Governor of Assam and Tamil Nadu.
KULDIP NAYAR: Veteran
journalist and columnist
passed away in New Delhi.
He was 95. He served as
India's High Commissioner to
the United Kingdom and was
nominated to Rajya Sabha
also. He wrote several books
and is known for works like
India after Nehru, Emergency, Emergency Retold,
Without Fear: The Life and Trial of Bhagat Singh and his
autobiography, Beyond the Lines.
BALRAMJI DASS TANDON: Chhattisgarh Governor and
a veteran BJP leader, passed away at 90 in Raipur. He
was elected six times as MLA in Punjab.
SOMNATH CHATTERJEE: A veteran Communist leader,
10-time Lok Sabha MP and former Speaker of the Lok
Sabha from 2004 to 2009, passed away at Kolkata at the
age of 89.
GURUDAS KAMAT: Former Union Minister and senior
Congress leader died at a private hospital in New Delhi.
He was 63. A five times Member of Parliament from
Mumbai; he also headed the Indian Youth Congress at
national level.
AJIT WADEKAR: Former Indian cricket captain passed
away at the age of 77 in Mumbai after brief illness. He
was an aggressive batsman, a trailblazer in Indian
cricket, leading India to triumphs in England and the
West Indies in 1971. He was awarded Arjuna Award and
Padma Shri.
R K DHAWAN: Senior Congress leader, former Rajya
Sabha member and union minister died in Delhi. He was
81. Dhawan was personal assistant and most trusted
aide of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi for about
22 years.
V S NAIPAUL: Nobel Prize
winner in Literature in 2001,
died at his home in London. He
was 85. Born in rural Trinidad,
his full name was Sir Vidiadhar
Surajprasad 'Vidia' Naipaul. He
was known for works
including A Bend in the River
and his masterpiece, A House
for Mr Biswas. He received
many honours, including the Man Booker Prize in 1971
and a Knighthood for services to literature in 1990.
JOHN McCain: Senior Republican senator of USA, two
time presidential candidate, a celebrated Vietnam war
hero, died following a battle with brain cancer. He
served the senate for over three decades. He was 81.

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