Current affairs for the month of May 2015. Latest General Knowledge 2015.

1. WHITLEY AWARDS FOR WILDLIFE CONSERVATION: Two Indians Dr. Ananda Kumar and Dr. Pramod Patil have won the prestigious whitely awards for their contribution to wildlife conservation. The awards were presented in a ceremony held in London. A total of 7 Conservationists were awarded the Whitley Awards for their efforts to protect wildlife in Developing countries.

2. WTO GETS A NEW MEMBER: World Trade Organization has added Seychelles as its 161st member. With just 90,000 in habitants, Seychelles has become the smallest member of WTO.

3. RBI IMPOSED 1.5 CRORE RUPEES FINE EACH ON 3 PSB‟S: RBI has imposed 1.5 crore fine each on 3 Public Sector Banks.The Ban is imposed for violating KYC norms and AML norms.The penalties have been imposed under the provisions of section 47(A) (1) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.

4. Surender Singh takes charge as DG of Central Industrial Security Force: Senior IPS officer Surender Singh took over as the new Director General (DG) of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

5. May Day or Labour Day or International Workers day Observed On 1st May: May Day, also known as ‗Labour Day‘ or ‗International Workers‘ Day‘, is an occasion when we pay tribute to the contribution that workers have made to progress, prosperity and well- being of our society.

6. Zimbabwe first Test playing nation set to tour Pakistan since 2009 Lahore attacks: Zimbabwe will become the first full ICC member nation to tour Pakistan in six years when it plays two Twenty20 internationals and three ODIs in Lahore from May 19-June 1. The first Twenty20 international will be the opening match on May 22.

7. Dr. Pramod Patil and Dr. Ananda Kumar won 2015 Whitley Awards for wildlife conservation: Two Indians, Dr. Pramod Patil and Dr Ananda Kumar have been awarded with the prestigious 2015 Whitley Awards for their contribution to wildlife conservation in developing countries.Both of them received a Whitley prize worth 35000 pound along with seven other environmentalists at a ceremony in Royal Geographical Society, London.

8. Motor Sports is recognised as Sports under NSF by – Union Sports Ministry: Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports recognised Motor Sports as a sport by including it in the list of sports ministry-backed National Sports Federations (NSF). 2

9. Lifetime Achievement Award for Prannoy Roy: NDTV executive co-chairman,Mr Pranoy Roy, was honoured with REDINK life time achievement award for the year 2015 in Mumbai.

10. Maulana Wahiduddin Khan conferred with Sayyidina Imam Al Hassan Ibn Ali Peace Award: At a function in Abu Dhabi , Indian Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi, congratulated famous islamic scholar and peace activist Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, on being bestowed with Sayyidina Imam Al Hassan Ibn Ali peace award.

11. Rajasthan government allocates 12 crore rupees for Project Great Indian Bustard: Rajasthan government allocates 12 crore rupees for Project Great Indian Bustard: Rajasthan Forest department has allotted more than twelve crore rupees for a bird conservation programme, Project Great Indian Bustard (GIB). For this project Japan Bank is going to provide financial support of three crore rupees.

12. CNR Rao conferred with Japan‟s highest civilian award: Eminent scientist and Bharat Ratna awardee Chintamani Nagesa Ramachandra Rao was conferred with Japan‘s highest civilian award the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star. He was bestowed with this award for his outstanding contributions to science and IndoJapanese science cooperation.

13. Indira Gandhi International Airport adjudged world‟s best airport: Delhi‘s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) has been adjudged the world‘s best airport for the year 2014. In this regard, Airports Council International (ACI) presented the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) award to IGIA Mudras at Indira Gandhi Delhi.

14. Russia signs up to $100 billion BRICS fund to rival IMF: Russian President Vladimir Putin ratified an accord to set up a $100-billion reserve fund for the so-called BRICS. BRICS fund – the five leading emerging economies that include Russia, China, Brazil, India and South Africa.Moscow is expected to contribute $ 18 billion to the reserve. Leading Contributor in BRICS fund is china with $ 41 billion. The BRICS fund that was set up after an agreement signed in July 2014 in Brazil. The fund is meant to shield the BRICS against ―short-term liquidity pressures‖ and promote greater cooperation between the five member countries.

15. DRDO scientist Sathish Reddy conferred with prestigious RIN fellowship: Senior DRDO scientist Satheesh Reddy, has been conferred with the prestigious Fellowship of the Royal Institute of Navigation (RIN). RIN has recognised Mr. Reddy for his work in the field of inertial and satellite-based navigation and avionics technologies.With this he also became the first Indian to get the fellowship from Royal Institute of Navigation.

16. Tennis player Rafael Nadal received Golden Medal for Merit in Work of Spain -: Ace tennis player Rafael Nadal received the Golden Medal for Merit in Work of Spain. Golden Medal is one of the highest civilian honours of Spain which aims to highlight an exemplary performance in any job or profession.

17. Rewa district of Madhya Pradesh will the World‟s largest solar photovoltaic plant is to set up -: The Madhya Pradesh Cabinet gave its approval to build 750 megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic (SPV) plant at Gurh tehsil of Rewa district. The development of plant will take place in three phases of 250 MW.

18. Floyd Mayweather Jr is the winner of World Welterweight title of Boxing: American boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. has won the World Welterweight title of World Boxing Association, World Boxing Organisation and World Boxing Council. He defeated Manny Pacquiao of Philippines with Judges Scores of 116-112, 116-112 and 118-110 in 12 rounds of intense boxing to win this title.

19. World Press Freedom Day 2015 observed: Information and Broadcasting minister Arun Jaitley Extended his wishes on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day and told to uphold the constitutional principles of independent, free and pluralistic media. Minister of State for I&B Rajyavarhdan Rathore also extended his greetings said that the government is fully committed to freedom of Press.

20. US technology giant Microsoft on 3 May 2015 has been awarded a patent for smart glasses: The salient features of this glass would be: The wearer of the glasses can determine who to analyse, whether an individual or a group, without their knowing 3

21. Writer, director Philip S. Goodman dies at 89: Philip S. Goodman, a film, television and stage writer and director, passed away at his residence. Mr. Goodman, who wrote episodes of the 1950s and 1960s TV shows such as ―Profiles in Courage‖, ―Alfred Hitchcock Presents‖, and ―Johnny Staccato‖, died, reports variety.com.

22. Shipping ministry to sign pact with IIFCL for projects at 12 major ports on PPP model: India Infrastructure Finance Company has agreed to provide long-term finance for developing port infrastructure in the public-private partnership mode, a senior government official said. The shipping ministry will soon sign an agreement with IIFCL that will secure funds for important projects at the country’s 12 major ports, the official said. The ministry aims to develop port projects worth Rs 15,000 crore through public-private partnership.

23. Core sector at 17-month low, contracts 0.1% in March: India’s core sector shrank for the first time in 17 months in March, hurt by dismal performance of industries such steel and cement. The poor numbers are indicative of supply-side bottlenecks that affected manufacturing activity, even as the government tries to promote local production through a series of measures under the ‘Make in India’ campaign. The eight-sector output fell 0.1% in March compared with a 1.4% expansion in the previous month, data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

24. Compensatory Afforestation Fund Bill cleared: Six years after a similar bill was defeated by the Rajya Sabha, the government Wednesday cleared a Compensatory Afforestation Fund Bill to manage and utilise thousands of crores of rupees that have been collected over the years as compensation for diverting forest land for ―non-forest purposes‖ like setting up industries or infrastructure projects. The Cabinet gave its approval to the bill that will create an ―appropriate institutional mechanism, both at the Centre and the states‖ to utilise these funds for afforestation, and other purposes that would mitigate the effects of diversion of forest land.

25. Mazen Darwish conferred with Cano World Press Freedom Prize 2015: Syrian journalist and rights activist Mazen Darwish was conferred with UNESCO-Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize 2015. 26. Akash „ Missile Inducted In Indian Army: Indian Army inducted the first regiment of the indigenously-developed surface-to-air Akash missile system.The Akash Weapon System (AWS) has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

27. Union Cabinet Approved India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement Bill: The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the 119th Constitutional Amendment Bill on Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) between India and Bangladesh.

28. World Asthma Day was Observed Across The World: World Asthma Day was observed across the world on 5 May 2015. Theme of the year is You Can Control Your Asthma and sub-theme is It‘s Time to Control Asthma. World Asthma Day takes place on the first Tuesday of May.

29. PM Narendra Modi Joined Chinese Social Media Platform Weibo: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has joined Chinese social media platform Weibo. Sina Weibo is a Chinese microblogging website. It is similar to Twitter and Facebook. It is one of the most popular sites in China, in use by well over 30% of Internet users, with a market penetration similar to the United States‘ Twitter.

30. “Charlotte Elizabeth Diana”is newly born daughter of Britain‟s Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge: The name ―Charlotte Elizabeth Diana‖ is being seen as a choice that honours the baby‘s late grandmother Princess Diana and her great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth.

31. Michael Blake passed away: Oscar-winning author and screenwriter Michael Blake has passed away, He was 69. He was passed away in Tucson, Arizona following a long illness, confirmed his manager and producer Daniel Ostroff, who’s working on the film’s sequel, The Holy Road.

32. Rajasthan Government signed deal with NHM, UNICEF & GAIN to counter malnourishment : Rajasthan State Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with National Health Mission (NHM), UNICEF and 4 GAIN (Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition) to meet the severe problem of malnourished of the state. Initially, the programme will be implemented in thirteen districts in which more than 10000 children have been identified as malnourished. To deal with malnourishment, a special management programme will be organised on the community basis.

33. Microsoft launches Edu-Cloud for institutions in India: Microsoft has launched, ‗Edu-Cloud‘, which is a cloud computing based offering meant to provide digital learning and teaching in schools and higher educational institutions.

34. President heads for Russia : President Pranab Mukherjee will land in Moscow for a visit that will be replete with symbolism. Mr. Mukherjee is one of an estimated 25 international heads of state and government expected to attend Russia‘s victory day parade in the Red Square, commemorating 70 years of the defeat of Hitler‘s army.

35. Pune ornithologist bags Green Oscar: Pune-based ornithologist Pramod Patil has won with the prestigious Whitley Award, popularly known as the ‗Green Oscar‘ for his work on the conservation of the Great Indian Bustard . The awards were presented on April 29 at a ceremony at the Royal Geographical Society in London.

36. Charlie Hebdo receives PEN award at literary gala in NYC: The French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, under armed security and a cloud of conflicted opinions and emotions, was presented a freedom of expression award from the PEN American Center.

37. Two billion people do not have bank accounts: IMF chief Christine Lagarde: Nearly two billion people globally do not have bank accounts including those in the US.

38. US-India trade-deficit in March stood at $2 billion: The trade defict between the United States and India stood at $2 billion in March, according to figures released. The US Census Bureau and the US Bureau of Economic Analysis, through the Department of Commerce, announced that the goods and services deficit was $51.4 billion in March, up $15.5 billion from February.

39. India loses ground on global motherhood index: India has slipped further in an annual survey analysing the world’s best places to be a mother, ranking 140th behind countries like Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and Iraq. Save the Children’s ‘State of the World’s Mothers’ report for 2015 ranked India at 140.

40. India slips to 10th spot in global m-cap ranking: The total worth of all listed Indian companies is less than the total market capitalisation of Switzerland-listed ones. It was the reverse story at the end of the 2014, when India was at the number nine spot in global rankings. India has now dropped to number 10.

41. India, Iran sign pact on developing Chabahar port: Notwithstanding US objections, India went ahead with the signing of an agreement with Iran for the development of the strategically important Chabahar port which will give India sea-land access route to Afghanistan bypassing Pakistan. The pact was signed after comprehensive talks between visiting Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari with the Iranian leadership.

42. Banks’ gross NPAs rises to 4.45% from 4.1% in 1 year: RBI: The banking sector’s asset quality woes further worsened in the last one year, with gross non-performing asset (GNPA) ratio inching to 4.45 per cent as on March 15 this year, as compared to 4.1 per cent in March 2014, according to the latest data released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

43. GST Bill passed in Lok Sabha: Lok Sabha cleared the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill , all eyes are on the Rajya Sabha which poses the real test because the government does not have a majority there.

1. SBI LAUNCHED RUPAY PLATINUM DEBIT CARD:State Bank of India has launched RuPay platinum Debit Card in association with NPCI. RuPay card is accepted at all payment channels like ATM‘s, PoS and ECommerce. Card is issued free of cost to customers maintaining a quaterly balance of 50,000 rupees. NPCI – National Payment Corporation of India.

2. INVESTMENT LIMIT INCREASES FOR FIPB INVESTMENTS: Union Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) gave its nod for increase in the investment limit for cases requiring prior approval of Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) Limit has been raised to 3000 crore Rupees from 2000 crore Rupees.

3. India home to 56 of the world‟s 2000 powerful companies: Forbes: India is home to 56 of the world‘s 2000 largest and most powerful public companies, according to the Forbes‘s annual list which is topped by the US with its share of 579 companies.

4. Jitu Rai crowned TOISA Sportsperson of the Year: Ace marksman Jitu Rai was declared the Sportsperson of the Year’ at the Times of India Sports Awards in a glittering ceremony that was graced by the legendary Carl Lewis. ‘Flying Sikh’ Milkha Singh received the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ from the ‘Olympian of the century’ and Times Group MD Vineet Jain in a ceremony that was attended by the who and who of India’s sporting fraternity.

5. Geeta wins Asian wrestling bronze: Geeta Phogat bagged a bronze in the Women‘s freestyle 58kg category, while Hitender Beniwal lost his bronze-medal play-off bout to return empty-handed in the men‘s 125kg division in the Senior Asian Wrestling Championship in Doha.

6. World food prices fall to nearly 5-year low in April: UN FAO: Global food prices fell in April to their lowest since June 2010, as dairy led most commodities down, the United Nations food agency .

7. Union Government, ADB signed loan agreement worth 31 Million US dollars: The Union Government and Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a 31 million US dollars loan agreement to boost water availability in selected river basins in Karnataka and ensure improved water efficiency in irrigation. ADB‘s loan of 31 million US dollars will cover about 65 percent of the total project cost of 48 million US dollars with the state government of 7 Karnataka providing the balance of 17 million US dollars. The loan is the first tranche of the Karnataka Integrated and Sustainable Water Resources Management Investment Program of 150 million US dollars, approved by ADB in 2014. The program will improve irrigation efficiency in three river basins in the state saving 1700 million cubic meters of water.

8. Liberia Declared Ebola Free By UN Health Agency: The United Nations health agency on 9 May declared Liberia Ebola-free, hailing the monumental achievement in the west African country where the virus has killed more than 4,700 people. A total of 11,005 people have died of Ebola in Liberia, neighbouring Guinea and Sierra Leone.

9. World Red Cross Day celebrated: World Red Cross Day was celebrated in connection with the 187th birth anniversary of Red Cross Society founder Jean Henry Dunant ON MAY 8.

10. Smita Purushottam Appointed India‟s Ambassador To Switzerland: Smita Purushottam,a 1980 batch IFS officer has been appointed India‘s Ambassador to Switzerland. Purushottam is currently serving as Ambassador to Venezuela. She is expected to take up her new assignment soon.

11. North Korea Successfully Test Fired Underwater Ballistic Missile: North Korea successfully conducted underwater test-fire of a newly developed Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile.

12. British PM David Cameron led Conservative Party wins 2015 general election: In the 2015 United Kingdom Parliamentary elections, Prime Minister David Cameron led Conservative Party has won the election.

13. Ten Indian-origin MPs elected to UK Parliament: A record number of 10 Indian-origin Members of Parliament (MPs) were elected in recently concluded general election that elected 56th Parliament of the UK.

14. Achal Kumar Jyoti appointed as Election Commissioner: Achal Kumar Jyoti, a former Chief Secretary during the tenure of Narendra Modi as Gujarat Chief Minister, was appointed as the Election Commissioner, filling one of the two vacancies in the three-member body.

15. Naval Base at Porbandar Commissioned as INS Sardar Patel by Chief Minister of Gujarat: Indian Navy has commissioned INS Sardar Patel naval base in Porbandar, Gujarat in the presence of Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel and Admiral RK Dowan. The aim of this new naval base at Porbandar is to beef up security along the 1600 km coastline of the state. Gujarat has a coastline of 1600 km interspersed with 43 ports. It will also increase the maritime security on western coast and strengthen surveillance and security in the region.

16. BrahMos land-attack cruise missile successfully test-fired from Car Nicobar Islands: Land-to-land configuration of BrahMos missile was successfully test-fired from the Nicobar Islands. BrahMos Block–III version i.e. land-to-land configuration of missile was launched from a Mobile Autonomous Launcher (MAL) for its fullrange of 290-km test.

17. Mhairi Black, youngest elected MP in United Kingdom: Mhairi Black at the age of 20 became the youngest elected Member of Parliament (MP) in United Kingdom in over 300 years. She was elected as MP to House of Commons i.e. lower house of UK Parliament from Paisley and Renfrewshire South constituency in Glasgow, Scotland. Mhairi Black represents Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP).

18. Arvind Saxena, becomes first RAW officer to be appointed as member of UPSC: President Pranab Mukherjee has appointed Mr. Arvind Saxena as Member of Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). The tenure of Mr. Saxena will commence from the date he enters upon the office till he attains age of 65 years.

19. PM Narendra Modi launches three social security schemes- 1 on pension, 2 on insurance: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 9 May 2015 launched three mega social security schemes in Kolkata, West Bengal: PM Narendra Modi launches three social security schemes- 1 on pension, 2 on insurance . The Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana will offer a renewable one-year life cover of Rs 2 lakh to all savings bank account holders in the age group of 18-50 years, covering death due to any reason, for a premium of Rs 330 per annum. The Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana will offer a renewable one-year accidental death-cum-disability cover 8 of Rs 2 lakh for partial/permanent disability to all savings bank account holders in the age group of 18-70 years for a premium of Rs 12 per annum per subscriber. Atal Pension Yojana will focus on the unorganised sector and provide subscribers a fixed minimum pension of Rs 1,000, Rs 2,000, Rs 3,000, Rs 4,000 or Rs 5,000 per month, starting at the age of 60 years, depending on the contribution option exercised on entering at an age between 18 and 40 years.

20. Haryana Government includes Deaflympics in its sports policy: Haryana Government has decided to include Deaflympics in its Sports Policy in order to boost the morale of differently-abled sportspersons in the state.

21. Rosberg wins Spanish GP ahead of teammate Hamilton: Nico Rosberg has finally got the better of Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton this season, winning the Spanish Grand Prix from pole position to gain ground on the championship leader.

22. Yuki Bhambri wins doubles title: Yuki Bhambri partnering Adrian Menendez-Maceiras of Spain clinched the doubles title with a 5-7, 6-3, 10-8 victory over second seeds Sergey Betov of Belarus and Mikhail Elgin of Russia in the $50,000 Challenger tennis tournament in Karshi, Uzbekistan.

23. S K Ray appointed new Member; CBDT now a full house: Senior IRS officer S K Ray has been appointed as the new Member in the Central Board of Direct Taxes, the apex policy making body of the Income Tax department.

24. Mortgage lender HDFC has emerged as the only Indian company among the world’s 10 biggest consumer financial services firms, after giants like American Express, Visa and Mastercard: The list is part of Forbes’ annual compilation of 2,000 biggest and most powerful companies globally, which includes a total of 56 companies from India across various sectors. However, the overall list is dominated by the companies from the US and China.

25. Narendra Modi on 10 May 2015 became the first passenger to fly out of the country’s first private-sector greenfield airport: History was created when Prime Minister Narendra Modi flew out of the country‘s first privatesector greenfield airport at Andal in Durgapur and became the first passenger to use the airport.

26. Prime Minister Narendra Modi became the first prime minister in last 30 years to visit Naxal hotbed of Dantewada (Chhattisgarh): The PM‘s stopover at Dantewada, the first by a prime minister since the visit of Rajiv Gandhi in 1985, took place under intense security with layers of security arranged for this visit. Welfare projects worth about Rs. 25,000 crore were initiated by the Prime Minister on this occasion and this included establishment of a major steel plant as well as a railway line.

27. CONSERVATIVE PARTY WINS UK GENERAL ELECTION 2015: David Cameron‘s Conservative Party have won the UK General Election 2015. Conservative Party have secured 331 seats from a total of 650 seats. David Cameron will continue to be the Prime Minister of UK.

28. COMMEMORATIVE COIN ON SWAMI CHINMAYANANDA: Prime Minister, Narendra Modi released commemorative coin on Swami Chinmayananda. Coin was launched to mark the birth centenary of Swami Chinmayananda.

29. ACHAL KUMAR JYOTI BECOMES ELECTION COMMISSIONER: Achal Kumar Jyoti is appointed as the new Election commissioner. Achal Kumar Jyoti is a retired IAS Officer of 1975 batch.

30. SBI LAUNCHED RUPAY PLATINUM DEBIT CARD: State Bank of India has launched RuPay platinum Debit Card in association with NPCI. RuPay card is accepted at all payment channels like ATM‘s, PoS and ECommerce. Card is issued free of cost to customers maintaining a quaterly balance of 50,000 rupees.

31. SHASHI KAPOOR CONFERRED WITH DADA SAHEB PHALKE AWARD: Veteran Actor Shashi Kapoor is conferred with the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Award 2014. The Award was presented to Shashi Kapoor by Union Information and Broadcasting Minister, Arun Jaitley at a function in Mumbai. Shashi Kapoor is 46th Film personality to receive this award.

32. PRANAB MUKHERJEE INAUGURATED NAMASTE RUSSIA FESTIVAL: President of India, Pranab Mukherjee Inaugurated Namaste Russia Festival in Moscow. It is celebrated to showcase Indian Culture in Russia.

33. ADVANCED VERSION OF BRAHMOS MISSILE SUCCESSFULLY TEST-FIRED: India has successfully test fired advanced version of Brahmos Supersonic Cruise Missile. Test-fired was conducted at Nicobar Islands in Andaman and Nicobar. Brahmos-III has a range of 290 km and can carry weight upto 300 kg.

34. NATIONAL TECHNOLOGY DAY OBSERVED ACROSS THE COUNTRY: National Technology day was observed across the country on 11th May. National Technology Day is celebrated to memorize the anniversary of Shakti, the Pokhran Nuclear Test held on 11th May 1998.

35. Uninor CFO Vivek Anand quits: Uninor‘s Chief Financial Officer Vivek Anand has resigned, about a year after joining the company. Mr. Anand had joined Uninor in May 2014 after its then CFO Prasoon Sinha was elevated to handle Group Finance function at headquarters in Oslo.

36. Kamath to head BRICS bank: India has named private banker K. V. Kamath as the first head of the new development bank the BRICS group of emerging market economies is setting up. ―Mr. Kamath has been appointed as the head of the BRICS bank.

37. NITI Aayog likely to junk expenditure criterion for estimating poor: How many poor people does India have? During the United Progressive Alliance government’s tenure, the number was put at 363 million, or about 30% of the country’s 1.2 billion population.

38. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw ranks second in the global list of „Medicine Makers‟: Biocon founder and managing director Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw has been ranked one of the most influential executives in the world in the field of medicine by a top UK-based medical publication

39. BRICS Cup from next year, first one to be held in India: Coinciding with the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit next year in India, an under-17 football tournament will be played between the nations.

40. UP Government launches Samajwadi water ATM scheme: Uttar Pradesh Government has launched Samajwadi water ATM scheme at bus stations. The scheme was launched by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. It seeks to provide potable water to bus passengers at reasonable price

41. Audio-Visual Co-Production Agreement between India and Republic of Korea: The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, gave its approval for entering into an Audio-Visual Co-Production Agreement between India and the Republic of Korea (RoK) and to complete internal ratification procedure, to enable the agreement to come into force.

42. Union Government Constitutes Justice AP Shah Committee to look into the issue of MAT on FIIs: Union Government has constituted Committee headed by Justice A.P. Shah to look into the issue of Minimum Alternate Tax (MAT) on Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs).

43. Deepak Iyer appointed as CEO and MD of Bharti AXA General Insurance: Deepak Iyer was appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director (MD) of Bharti AXA General Insurance. Iyer will take charge from Interim CEO and MD Milind Chalisgaonkar and join the board of company by end of June 2015.

44. New Governor appointed in 4 sates: President Pranab Mukheejee appointed new four governors in state of Meghalaya, Jharkhand, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh. Two governors appointed during the tenure of the UPA government were shifted to Mizoram and Manipur satate. New Governor appointed : i. V Shanmuganthan – appointed new governor of Meghalaya, J P Rakkhowa – appointed new governor of Arunachal Pradesh, Tathagata Roy – appointed new governor of Tripura, Draupadi Murmu – appointed new governor of Jharkhand. Two governors shifted: Nirbhay Sharma (shifted from Arunachal Pradesh to Mizoram, Syed Ahmed (shifted from Jharkhand to Manipur. 10

45. Punjab becomes first state to issue Soil Health Cards to farmers: Punjab has become the first state to issue Soil Health Cards to all farmers in the state. The state has got 66 such laboratories which can test 3.5 lakh soil samples annually.

46. Govt. approved Rs. 20,000-crore budget for Namami Gange scheme: The government has approved Rs. 20,000 crore budget for “Namami Gange” programme, which integrates the efforts to clean and protect the River Ganga in a comprehensive manner.

47. 10,000 Pounds UK literary award for Neel Mukherjee: United Kingdom‘s Encore Award for best second novel had been won by bengali writer Neel mukherjee for his novel ‖The Lives of Others‖. It was way back in 1990 that this award was first given that has cash prize of 10,000 pounds

48. Asia‟s wealthiest under 40 list-Arun Pudur tops: According to Wealth-X , Indian tech billionaire, Mr Arun Pudur, has been ranked as the India‘s wealthiest businessman under the age of 40. The owner and president of software firm Celframe, heads the list with wealth of 4 billion dollars.

49. India way behind on WHO health targets: India has met only four of ten health targets under the Millenium Development Goals (MDG), and has made next to no progress on another four, according to new data from the World Health Organisation. The deadline for achieving MDGs runs out this year.The WHO‘s annual World Health Statistics for 2015 were released in Geneva.

50. India-China trade deficit swells 34% to $48 billion: Trade deficit between India and China increased about 34 per cent to USD 48.43 billion in 2014-15 from USD 36.21 billion in the previous fiscal.

51. Foodgrain output to fall by 5% to 251 MT in 2014-15: India’s foodgrains production is estimated to have declined by 5.25 per cent to 251.12 million tonnes in 2014-15 crop year due to poor monsoon and unseasonal rain in past two months. The country had registered a record foodgrain production of 265.04 million tonnes in 2013-14 crop year (July-June).

52. India 100th on global human capital index; Finland tops: India ranked at a low 100th position on a global Human Capital Index, which measures the countries in terms of the economies leveraging their human capital, where Finland has topped the 124-nation list.

53. Banks enrol 63 mn people under Jan Suraksha schemes Among banks, SBI has highest enrolments at 16.8 million: Banks have enrolled 63.3 million people under the three Jan Suraksha schemes — Atal Pension Yojana (APY), Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY). State Bank of India (SBI) had highest enrolments at 16.8 million.

1. SBI LAUNCHED SBI INTOUCH: State Bank of India has launched contact less credit and Debit cards, State Bank of India INTOUCH. These cards are based on latest near field technology (NFC) ICICI Bank and HDFC bank have already launched such NFC cards.

2. CCEA APPROVED 5% DISINVESTMENT IN NTPC & 10% IN INDIAN OIL CO: Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs gave its approval for 5% disinvestment in NTPC & 10% in Indian Oil Corporation. This disinvestment will fetch government over 13000 crore rupees. NTPC and Indian Oil Corporation are among the Maharatana companies in India.

3. HARBHAJAN KAUR DHEER ELECTED AS MAYOR IN U.K: Harbhajan Kaur Dheer will assume charge as the Mayor of Ealing Council in London. Harbhajan Kaur Dheer is a 62 year old councilor of the Labour Party. Harbhajan Kaur Dheer will assume charge as the Mayor of Ealing council in London.

4. TAP AND PAY FOR TRANSACTIONS UPTO 2000 RUPEES: RBI has allowed TAP and PAY without PIN for transactions upto 2000 rupees. For Payments beyond 2000 Rupees, PIN authentication will be necessary.

5. India to grow at 8.1% in 2015-16: UN Report: Indian economy is likely to clock 8.1 per cent growth in the current financial year, spurred by strong consumer spending amid low inflation, infrastructure projects and government’s reform measures, says a UN report.

6. Indian-American wins National Geographic Bee championship: Karan Menon, a 14-year-old Indian-American student, has won the prestigious National Geographic Bee competition in the US, in which the top three positions were bagged by Indian-origin contestants.

7. Axis Bank launches „Ping Pay‟ for fund transfers: Axis Bank has unveiled the multi-social payment solution ‗Ping Pay‘ to enable customers with smart phones to transfer funds, person to person, including to non-Axis Bank account-holders, using varied social media channels.

8. ICICI bank to open branch in Shanghai: India‘s largest private sector lender ICICI Bank is set to expand its Chinese presence with the opening of a branch this weekend in Shanghai, China‘s biggest city and a major global financial hub.

9. India to assume presidency of World Health Assembly in Geneva after 18 years: After a gap of 19 years, India will again assume presidency of the 68th Session of the World Health Assembly (WHA), the top decision-making body of the World Health Organisation, beginning. Dr Chan addresses the World Health Assembly, Union Health Minister J P Nadda will preside over the WHA session and lead a high-level Indian delegation to the Assembly, which is slated to take place in Geneva from May 18 to May 27.

10. Infosys to open first overseas campus in China: Indian technology giant Infosys has announced to establish its first overseas centre outside India in China at Guizhou province, with an investment of about $120 million to tap in the burgeoning Chinese market 13

11. Vice President Hamid Ansari confers Pt. Haridutt Sharma Award to Anurradha Prasad: Vice President Mohammed Hamid Ansari conferred the Pt. Haridutt Sharma Award to senior journalist Anurradha Prasad in New Delhi. She was bestowed with this award for her contribution in the field of Journalism, Writing and Social Services.

12. Shri M.J. Joseph Appointed as Controller General of Accounts: Shri M.J. Joseph (ICAS-1979) has been appointed as the Controller General of Accounts (CGA) in the Ministry of Finance. Prior to this appointment, Shri Joseph was the Director General of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

13. Gagan Narang wins bronze medal in ISSF World Cup in the 50m Rifle Prone Event: India‘s ace shooter Gagan Narang won the bronze medal in the 50m Rifle Prone Event of the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup. With this win he qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics by earning himself a quota place.

14. Canada plans to cut emissions by 30 per cent by 2030: Canada announced it plans to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent below 2005 levels by 2030 amid international efforts to create a new framework for addressing climate change.

15. Fiscal Deficit for the Financial Year 2014-15 stands at 4.0 % as against the Target of 4.1 %: Government betters its own Financial Targets During 2014-15. Fiscal Deficit for the Financial Year 2014-15 stands at 4.0 % as against the Target of 4.1 % .while Revenue Deficit for FY 2014-15 stands at 2.8% as Against Target of 2.9%.

16. Vikas Gowda wins bronze in Shanghai IAAF Diamond League: Ace India discus thrower Vikas Gowda won a bronze medal in the second leg of the prestigious IAAF Diamond League series. The 31-year-old Gowda hurled the disc to a distance of 63.90m, which he achieved in his fifth and penultimate attempt to finish third behind 2013 World Championships silver medallist Piotr Malachowski (64.65m) of Poland and Robert Urbanek (64.47m), also of Poland.

17. India announces $1 billion credit line to Mongolia- India Mongolia Relations: India announced a credit line of USD 1 billion to Mongolia to expand its economic capacity and infrastructure, as they decided to upgrade their relationship from Comprehensive to ―Strategic Partnership‖.

18. Italian Open: Djokovic and Sharapova triumph: Top seed Novak Djokovic warmed up for the French Open with a comprehensive 6-4, 6-3 victory over Roger Federer to claim his fourth Italian Open title . Russia‘s Maria Sharapova also warmed up for the defence of her Roland Garros crown by securing her third title here with a 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 win over Spain‘s Carla Suarez Navarro.

19. IL&FS bags $1-billion funding from Industrial & Commercial Bank of China: Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL& FS) Group has raised $1 billion of financial support from Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, signifying increased collaboration between the two nations. The financial support has come amid Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China.

20. Harvard names two Indians for prestigious Radcliffe fellows: Two Indians from Indian Institute of Science and University of Delhi have been named for the prestigious Radcliffe fellowship of Harvard University. Shivani Agarwal from Indian Institute of Science and Maharaja Pandit from University of Delhi are among 50 scholars, scientists and artists who will begin their one-year fellowships along with 48 at the Radcliffe Institute in September 2015.

21. South Korea to give India $10 bn for infra projects: South Korea said it would provide $10 billion to India for development of infrastructure projects such as those related to smart cities, railways and power generation. The two countries agreed to upgrade their bilateral relationship to a ‘special strategic partnership’. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South Korean President Park Geun-hye held discussions on a wide range of issues and resolved to add “new substance, speed and content” in defence, trade & investment and regional cooperation.

22. Harkeert Singh Saini, an Indian-American wins Prestigious Police Award in Texas, US: A 44-year-old IndianAmerican policeman has been awarded the prestigious ―Top Civilian Supervisor of the Year‖ award for his efficient services to the Houston Police department in the US state of Texas. Harkeert Singh Saini received the award from 14 Police Chief Charles A McClelland and Houston Mayor Anise Parker during a function held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Houston earlier this week.

23. Hungarian writer Laszlo Krasznahorkai wins Man Booker International Prize 2015: Hungarian writer Laszlo Krasznahorkai has won the prestigious Man Booker International Prize for 2015. He was chosen from a list of 10 contenders from around the world. The prize, worth £60,000, recognizes an authors‘s achievement in fiction.

24. High Level Committee (HLC) Headed by Justice A.P. Shah on Direct Tax Matters Constituted: High Level Committee (HLC) Headed by Justice A.P. Shah on Direct Tax Matters Constituted. Committee to Examine the Matter Relating to Levy of MAT on FIIS

25. Indian investors cannot hold over 10% paid-up equity shares in insurance firms: No Indian investor will be allowed to hold shares exceeding 10 per cent of the paid-up equity shares in an insurance company, according to the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI). All investors (where there are one or more investors in an insurance company) jointly should not hold more than 25 per cent of the paid-up equity share capital of the insurance company.

26. Increase in Service Tax Rate from 12% to 14% with Effect from 1st June, 2015: In the Union Budget, 2015, an increase in the rate of Service Tax from 12% to 14% had been proposed from a date to be notified. The Finance Bill, 2015 has since been enacted and the Central Government has notified 1st June, 2015 as the date from which the rate of 14% would become applicable.

27. 12th South Asian Games 2015 to be held in Kerala in November-December this year: The Indian Olympic Association has allotted the 12th South Asian Games 2015 to Kerala to be held in November-December this year. Kerala also hosted 35th National Games, which was held between January 31 to February 14.

28. Yuki Bhambri, No. 1 among Indian men: Yuki Bhambri has a lot to celebrate. For the first time ever, the 22-yearold Delhi lad played the final of a clay court Challenger. The effort helped him reach 158 in the latest world rankings, the best for an Indian at the moment, ahead of Somdev Devvarman (172) and Saketh Myneni (196).

29. Astra missile successfully test-fired from Sukhoi-30 MKI: After postponing twice, the indigenously-developed beyond visual range air-to-air missile, Astra was successfully launched from Su-30 MKI fighter jet in two developmental trials conducted at the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur, Odisha.

30. India to pip China in economic growth in FY16: India‘s economic growth is projected to surpass that of China’s in 2016 with the GDP expected to zoom by 7.7%, according to a UN report which said India will help accelerating growth in South Asia.

31. SBI INKS MOU WITH AMAZON FOR PAYMENT, COMMERCE SOLUTIONS: India‘s largest public sector lender, State Bank of India (SBI) has signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) with e-commerce giant Amazon.

32. MEGHALAYA ACHIEVES 100% FINANCIAL INCLUSION UNDER PRADHAN MANTRI JAN DHAN YOJNA: Meghalaya has achieved 100 percent success in implementing Union Government‘s flagship scheme for financial inclusion-Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna (PMJDY). In the state, all eleven districts have been able to open at least one bank account of every household under the ambitious scheme.

33. INS KAVARATTI, ANTI-SUBMARINE WARFARE SHIP LAUNCHED IN KOLKATA : INS Kavaratti, Indian Navy‘s latest anti-submarine warfare class stealth corvette was launched in Kolkata. avaratti is the last of the four antisubmarine warfare class stealth corvettes being built for India under Project 28.

34. 6th EDITION OF NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON NUCLEAR ENERGY HELD IN NEW DELHI: The theme of this edition was Nuclear Energy: a Clean Energy option. It was organized by Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), one of the apex trade associations of India. The conference discussed the issue related to the status of Nuclear Energy in India.

35. TEJASWINI SAGAR WINS GOLD AT UNDER-15 WORLD SCHOOL CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP: Tejaswini Sagar from India won under-15 category of World School Chess Championships in her maiden attempt. 15

36. DAVID GRANGER: Former Army Brigadier David Granger in May 2015 was sworn in as the eighth President of Guyana. He was sworn-in as the President after his A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) party-led coalition won the national elections.In the national elections held in May 2015, his coalition APNU – Alliance for Change (AFC) defeated the ruling People‘s Progressive Party (PPP). With this, it ended the 23 year old grip on power of Indo-Guyanese PPP.

37. ARUNA SHANBAUG : ArunaShanbaug, the nurse of Mumbai‘s King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital, died in May 2015. She died after battling with coma for past 42-years following a sexual assault by a hospital ward boy. 66-year old Shanbaug was sexually assaulted on 27 November 1973 by a ward boy-cum-sweeper of the hospital, Sohanlal Bharta ValmikI.

38. SEBI NOTIFIED THE SEBI (MUTUAL FUNDS) REGULATIONS, 2015: The Security and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) in March 2015 notified the SEBI (Mutual Funds) Regulations, 2015.The notified regulations dropped the 20- 25 rule requiring a minimum of 20 investors and a cap of 25 percent investment by an individual investor in a particular scheme, for certain foreign entities.The rule will not be applicable to funds managed by local fund managers in regard to Category I and/or Category II FPIs (Foreign Portfolio Investors).Category I FPIs includes government and government related entities and Category II FPIs includes both broad based entities such as mutual funds, investments trusts and persons such as portfolio managers, investment managers, asset management companies, banks among others.

39. PETER M CHRISTIAN IS NEW PRESIDENT OF MICRONESIA: Peter M Christian in May 2015 was elected as the eighth President of the Federated States of Micronesia.The Federated States of Micronesia is an independent sovereign island nation in the Western Pacific Ocean consisting of four states viz., Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae.

40. SS AHLUWALIA APPOINTED AS CHAIRMAN OF JPC ON LAND ACQUISITION AMENDMENT BILL, 2015: SS Ahluwalia wasinmay 2015 appointed as the chairman of Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition Rehabilitation and Resettlement (LARR) (Amendment) Bill, 2015.The committee has 20 members from the LokSabha and 10 members from the RajyaSabha.The formation of the panel became necessary in the backdrop of disagreement among the political parties on the provisions of the bill which was introduced in the LokSabha on 11 May 2015.

41. PM NARENDRA MODI CONCLUDED 3 NATION TOUR: PM Narendra Modi has concluded his three nation tour to China, Mongolia and South Korea. PM six days visit was a part of Act East Policy.  India and China. 24 Inter-Governmental Agreements, 21 Business Agreements worth 22 billion US dollars, PM Modi Inaugurated ICICI’s first branch in China at Shanghai.  INDIA AND KOREA: South Korea will invest 10 billion dollar for Indian Infrastrure development Seven Agreements are signed including revised avoidance of double taxation  INDIA AND MONGOLIA : India announced 1 billion US Dollar line of Credit. 3 Agreements are signed Narendra Modi is the first ever Prime Minister of India to visit the country.

42. HUMAN CAPITAL REPORT 2015 RELEASED: The report elaborates the status of different countries across the world on the Human Capital Index A survey was done in 124 countries to prepare the report. finland topped the list followed by Norway and Switzerland.

1. Global energy subsidies to hit US $ 5.3 trillion this year: IMF report: International Monetary Fund (IMF) in its recent report titled Act Local, Solve Global: The $5.3 Trillion Energy Subsidy Problem has voiced alarm about energy subsidies across the world. The report has clearly mentioned that the energy subsidies across the world are expected to reach 5.3 trillion dollars in 2015, more than government health spending.

2. International Day for Biological Diversity 22 May: The United Nations has proclaimed May 22 The International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues.

3. Indian-origin councillor Parvinder Singh Batth was chosen as the mayor of Britain‟s Wokingham Borough Council: Indian-origin councillor Parvinder Singh Batth was chosen as the mayor of Britain‘s Wokingham Borough Council, the first Sikh to hold the position.

4. Obama named entered into Guinness Book of World Record: Barack Obama, President of United States, named entered into Guinness Book of World Record for reaching a million followers in a span of mere 5 hours after going live.

5. India ranked 6th among world space powers report: India has ranked 6th place in the top rankings of spacefaring nations, a report by a Chinese research institution has said. According to the report by a Chinese research institution, India‘s accomplishment in becoming the only Asian country to send a spacecraft to Mars has earned it a place in the top rankings of space-faring nations.

6. Yamuna Expressway becomes India‟s first road runway after IAF Mirage 2000 jet successfully lands: Yamuna Expressway in Uttar Pradesh had become India‘s first road runway after Indian Air Force (IAF) Mirage 2000 fighter jet successfully landed as part of trials to use national highways for emergency landing.

7. India at 24th position in Environmental Democracy Index 2015: India ranked at 24th position out of 70 countries in the first Environmental Democracy Index 2015. The index is topped by Lithuania at the first position, Latvia at the second and Russia at the third position. Environmental Democracy Index was released by Washington-based World Resources Institute (WRI) and the Access Initiative on 20 May 2015.

8. World Bank approved 250 million dollar credit for Enhancing Teacher Effectiveness for Bihar: 250 million US dollar credit approved by World Bank for Enhancing Teacher Effectiveness in Bihar Programme. This credit will be utilized to improve effectiveness of elementary school teachers in Bihar by making them more qualified, accountable and responsive.

9. AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa sworn in as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister for fifth time: AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa was sworn in for the fifth time as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu amid celebrations by party cadres and supporters all over the state. She returns to power nearly eight months after she was forced to quit over corruption charges.

10. Mohan Kumar appointed new defence secretary: G Mohan Kumar, a 1979 batch Odisha cadre IAS officer, has been appointed the next defence secretary with a fixed two-year tenure. He will replace RK Mathur who retires on May 24. 18

11. Virat Kohli named sixth most marketable athlete in the world: Indian cricket‘s pin-up boy and Test skipper Virat Kohli has been rated as the world‘s sixth most marketable athlete. Bouchard, 21, is winner of the Women‘s Tennis Asscociation‘s (WTA) Most Improved Player award for the 2014 season.

12. ISRO To Launch Its Maiden Reusable Space Shuttle – RLV-TD: The Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO) is developing its maiden reusable space shuttle which will be launched towards the second half of July. The 1.5 tonne space vehicle/ space shuttle, known as the reusable launch vehicle (RLV-TD) is developed to reduce the cost of access to space.

13. BSE drops Tata Power from Sensex; Lupin to come in: Private sector electricity producer Tata Power will move out of the stock market benchmark index Sensex and will be replaced by drugmaker Lupin .

14. Indo Singapore Bilateral Exercise SIMBEX Commences: Two Indian naval ships, INS Satpura and INS Kamorta, are participating in the bilateral naval exercise SIMBEX with the Singapore Navy which began in Singapore.

15. Lance Naik Nand Ram and Raju Joseph the Indian peacekeepers to be given UN Dag Hammarsjold Medal posthumously: Two Indian peacekeepers have been chosed posthumously for the prestigious United Nation’s Dag Hammarskjold Medal. Name of these two Indian Peace keepers are Lance Naik Nand Ram and Raju Joseph. Their names were selected among 126 police, military and civilian personnel who will be given this medal for their courage and sacrifice while serving operations of UN peace keeping and lost their lives during it.

16. World Turtle Day celebrated : The purpose of World Turtle Day, May 23, sponsored yearly since 2000 by American Tortoise Rescue, is to bring attention to, and increase knowledge of and respect for, turtles and tortoises, and encourage human action to help them survive and thrive.

17. PM Modi to launch ‘Kisan TV’ on 1st anniversary of NDA govt on May 26: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch Doordarshan’s ‘Kisan TV’ on May 26 to coincide with the first anniversary celebrations of the NDA government.

18. After polio, India set to win battle against tetanus at childbirth: A year after obtaining WHO certification for the elimination of polio, India is on the verge of crossing another milestone in public health. It has eliminated maternal and neonatal tetanus — an infection that at its peak killed an estimated 2 lakh adults and children every year — and is expecting an official certification from WHO within two months.

19. India set to become water scarce country by 2025 Report: India is set to become water scarce country by 2025 due to demand-supply mis-match. Due to this the water sector is expected to see investment of $13 billion from overseas players in the next few years, a new study has said. ―India‘s demand for water is expected to exceed all current sources of supply and the country is set to become water scarce country by 2025.

20. French film Dheepan honoured with Palme d‟Or Award at 68th Cannes Film Festival: French film Dheepan has been awarded Palme d‘Or Award at 68th Cannes Film Festival. The film is directed by Jacques Audiard. Dheepan story revolves around the trio of Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka‘s who pretend to be a family in order to flee their war-torn country to France.

21. Renowned American mathematician and Nobel laureate John Nash passed away: Renowned American mathematician and Nobel laureate John Nash passed away on 24 May 2015.

22. Mumbai Indians defeat Chennai Super Kings to win IPL 2015 for second time: Mumbai Indians (MI won the eight edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2015 by defeating Chennai Super Kings (CSK). In the final match played at Eden Gardens, Kolkata they defeated CSK by 41 runs. CSK had won the toss in final summit had chosen bowl first. MI by batting first had set the target of 202 to their opponent team. However the CSK failed to reach the target score. This is the second IPL title triumph for MI after their maiden win in the season six in 2013. Man of the Match: Rohit Sharma. Captains of the two teams: Mumbai Indains: Rohit Sharma, Chennai Super Kings: Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Other highlights of IPL 2015: Player of the Tournament: Andre Russell (KKR). Orange 19 Cap awarded to: David Warner (Sunrisers Hyderabad). Purple Cap awarded to: Dwayne Bravo (CSK). Emerging Player of the Season: Shreyas Iyer (Delhi Daredevils). Most Valuable Player: Andre Russell (KKR).

23. Indian boxers clinch 4 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze medals in Doha Boxing Tournament: Indian boxers have rounded off a brilliant run at the Doha International Tournament by winning four gold, one silver and two bronze medals. Gold medal winners are L Devendro Singh in 49 kg category by defeating Aldren Moreno of Philippines by 3:0. Shiva Thapa in 56kg category by defeating HYM Abdelaal of Egypt by 2:1. Manish Kaushik in 60 kg category by defeating Rabi Hamza of Morocco by 3:0. Manoj Kumar in 64 kg category by defeating Magliquian Nicole of Philippines by 3:0. The silver medal was won by Gaurav Bidhuri in 52 kg category. While Mandeep Jangra and Vikas Krishan bagged bronze medals in 69kg and 75kg categories respectively.

24. The NMDC (National Mineral Development Corporation) has won the PLATTS Global Metals Award 2015. The state run corporation is the first Indian firm to receive the award for its leadership in the Raw Materials and Mining Sector. Note that, PLATTS provides information on energy, petrochemicals and metals industries. It acts as a source of benchmark prices for these industries. The NMDC produces over 30 million tonnes of iron ore annually.

25. Japan unveils $110 b plan to fund Asia infrastructure: The amount of Japanese funds, to be invested over five years, tops the expected $100 billion capitalisation of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

26. India’s government expenditure on health among the lowest in the world: When it comes to government expenditure on health, India’s is among the lowest in the world. In 2012, at 60 PPP dollars per capita, it was barely 1.4 per cent of the US government’s per capita health dollar expenditure of 4,153 PPP dollars. Despite having such a high per capita public expenditure on health, the extremely high cost healthcare system in the US means the government covers only 47 per cent of total healthcare costs.

27. India outpaces China in steel production, up 6.7% this year: Even as steel production is on the decline globally, owing primarily to falling Chinese output, India remains the only exception among the major producing nations. According to World Steel Association‘s recent data, India‘s steel production grew by an impressive 6.7 per cent in the first four months of the current year a decline of 1.3 per cent in China.

28. Four Indians Among 100 Most Powerful Women In World: SBI chief Arundhati Bhattacharya, ICICI bank head Chanda Kochhar, Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and HT Media chairperson Shobhana Bhartia are among the world‘s 100 most powerful women, according to the Forbes‘ annual list which is topped by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

29. PM Narendra Modi Launched India‟s First Television Channel DD Kisan: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 26 May launched India‘s first television channel DD Kisan dedicated to farmers in New Delhi. The 24X7 channel is owned by public service broadcaster Doordarshan (DD) and is dedicated to agriculture and allied sectors.

30. Nirbhay Sharma Sworn In as Mizoram Governor: Lt General (Retd) Nirbhay Sharma was sworn-in as the governor of Mizoram on 26 May. Nirbhay Sharma, the former Arunachal Pradesh Governor was transferred and appointed as the governor of Mizoram on 12 May 2015 by the President Pranab Mukherjee.

31. Sunil D‟Souza Appointed as Whirlpool India MD: Sunil D‘Souza has been appointed as the Managing Director (MD) of Indian home appliances maker Whirlpool of India Ltd

32. Four Gold were won by Indian boxers at Doha International Boxing tournament 2015: Indian boxer won four Gold Medals, One Silver and two bronze medals. Commonwealth Games silver medallist Manish Kaushik (60kg), Manoj Kumar (64kg), Shiva Thapa (56kg) and L Devendro Singh (49kg) won the gold medals. The silver medal went to Gaurav Bidhuri (52kg), while Mandeep Jangra (69kg) and Vikas Krishan (75kg) bagged bronze medals.

33. MartMobi was acquired by – Snapdeal: E-commerce major Snapdeal acquired Hyderabad-based mobile technology startup MartMobi to strengthen its mobility platform for merchant partners. MartMobi creates apps and mobile sites for small, medium-sized businesses and e-commerce stores. It was founded by Pramod Nair and Satya Krishna Ganni. 20

34. CEAT International Cricketer of the Year 2015 – Kumar Sangakkara: Former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara was named as the International Cricketer of the Year 2015 while the middle order batsman Ajinkya Rahane was named as the CEAT Indian Cricketer of the Year 2015. International Lifetime Achievement Award at the 19th edition of the awards was awarded to Former Indian captain Kapil Dev. For a record-breaking score of 264 made against Sri Lanka in an ODI at Kolkata, Rohit Sharma was conferred with a special award.

35. 2014 FMSCI Motorsport Man of the Year Award presented to- CS Santosh: India‘s off-road racer CS Santosh was presented with the Motorsport Man of the Year Award at the 2014 Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) Price Distribution Ceremony held in Bangaluru, Karnataka.

36. GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) operationalised by ISRO : The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) announced the complete operationalisation of the GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN). The final operational phase of the system initiated as it began broadcasting APV1 Certified signals. With this, India has become the fourth nation after the US, Europe and Japan to have inter-operable Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS).

37. Union Government constitutes Committee headed by Vijay Kelkar to revisit PPP infra model: Union government has constituted a 10-member committee to review and revitalise public private partnership (PPP) mode of infrastructure development. The committee will be chaired by former finance secretary Vijay Kelkar and submit its report within a period of 3 months from the date of its Constitution. Members of Committee: C.S. Rajan, Dr. Shekhar Shah, S.B. Nayar, Pradeep Kumar, Vikram Limaye, Sudipto Sarkar, P.S. Behuria, Sharmila Chavaly, Representative of Ministry of Road Transport & Highways. Terms of Reference of the Committee Review of the experience of PPP Policy.

38. India and Vietnam Sign a Joint Vision Statement on Defence Cooperation: India and Vietnam signed a Joint Vision Statement on Defence Cooperation for the period 2015-2020. It was signed by Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and his Vietnamese counterpart Minister for National Defence General Phung Quang Thanh in New Delhi.

39. Punjab gets WHO award for campaign against tobacco: The World Health Organization (WHO) announced it was honouring Punjab for its exemplary campaign against tobacco. The WHO lauded the state’s efforts for taking measures to curb the usage of tobacco in any form and launching a sustained campaign to educate the masses besides taking punitive measures to punish offenders.

40. Tripura withdraws AFSPA from state after 18 years: The Left-ruled Tripura decided to withdraw the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) which gives sweeping powers and judicial immunity to security forces in conflict-hit areas. The law was enforced in the state 18 years ago to curb terrorism.

41. MIZORAM GETS NEW GOVERNOR Nirbhaya Sharma sworn in as New Governor of Mizoram. Nirbhaya Sharma replaced West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi.

43. ICICI BANK LAUNCHES VOICE RECOGNITION SERVICE: Private Bank ICICI has launched Voice recognition service for biometric authentication.The service will allow customers to execute banking transactions through banks call centre in a quick , secure and convenient manner.

44. INDIA –SOUTH AFRICA JOINT MINISTERIAL COMMISSION: 9 th session of India-South Africa Joint Ministerial commission held in Durban. Session was chaired by minister for external affairs and overseas Indian affairs Sushma Swaraj and her counterpart Maite Nkoana Mashabane. Next session will held in 2017 in India

45. ANTI TERRORIST DAY OBSERVED: Anti Terrorist Day was observed across the country on 21st May, 2015. This day is annually observed on the death anniversary of seventh Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Its motive is to promote unity, peace and harmony across the nation.

46. NASSCOM launches Cyber Security Task Force: National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) and Data Security Council of India have launched ‗NASSCOM Cyber Security‘ Task Force which aims to aims to build India as a global hub for providing cyber security solutions, developing cyber security R&D plan and develop a skilled workforce of cyber security experts.

47. Jawaharlal Nehru remembered on 51st death anniversary: The nation on 27 May 2015 remembered Jawaharlal Nehru on his 51st death anniversary with President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders paying tributes to the country’s first Prime Minister.

48. S Christopher is new DRDO chief: Eminent scientist S Christopher has been appointed as Director General of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for a two-year term.

49. Abhinav Bindra Becomes Fourth Indian Shooter To Qualify For 2016 Rio Olympics: Abhinav Bindra became the fourth Indian to qualify for 2016 Rio Olympics by finishing sixth in a field of 132 shooters with 122.4 points at the ISSF World Cup in Munich. Earlier, Gagan Narang, Jitu Rai and Apurvi Chandela were the Indian shooters who had qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics in various shooting disciplines.

50. India remains at 44 in IMD global competitiveness rankings: India remains at 44th rank in the annual global competitiveness report by a Switzerland-based business school which cited problems like high corporate taxes and existence of a parallel economy for the low ranking.

51. India tops world hunger list with 194 million people: India is home to 194.6 million undernourished people, the highest in the world, according to the annual report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations released. This translates into over 15 per cent of India‘s population, exceeding China in both absolute numbers and proportion of malnourished people in the country’s population.

52. Rajnish Kumar takes over as fourth MD of SBI: Country‘s largest lender State Bank of India said the government has appointed Rajnish Kumar as the Managing Director – Compliance and Risk department. The post was lying vacant since November last year after the then MD A Krishna Kumar retired.

53. China has 36 million people living under extreme poverty: Survey: China has about 36 million people, including four million children below six years, living in ‗extreme‘ poverty, an official survey said. Among the 36 million people in China who live in ‗extreme‘ poverty, 3.3 to 4 million are children aged 0 to 6 years, a report released by official organisations All-China Women‘s Federation and National Health and Family Planning Commission.

54. World Cups 2018 and 2022 to be hosted in Russia and Qatar: FIFA General Secretary Jerome Valcke confirmed that Russia and Qatar will host the Football World Cups in 2018 and 2022 respectively. The news came amid the ongoing corruption scandal affecting football’s governing body. 22

55. Finance MInister Arun Jaitley announces setting up of NIIF: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has announced the creation of a National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) in the Union Budget. The initial corpus of the National Investment Infrastructure Fund is likely to be between Rs. 5,000 crore to Rs. 10,000 crore.

56. Sepp Blatter Re-elected as FIFA president: Sepp Blatter was re-elected as FIFA president for a fifth term at the 65th Annual Congress of FIFA held at Zurich on 29 May. This election for the post of FIFA President was held amidst the worst scandal in the organization‘s 111-year history.

57. Pradeep Kumar Sinha Appointed as New Cabinet Secretary: Pradeep Kumar Sinha, a 1977 batch IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre has been appointed as next Cabinet Secretary.Sinha, has been serving as Power Secretary since July 2013 he will succeed Ajit Seth whose term ends on 13 June 2015.

58. China Sets Up Largest Gold Fund: China, the world‘s biggest gold producer, has set up a gold sector fund involving countries along the ancient Silk Road which is expected to raise $16.1 billion. The fund, led by Shanghai Gold Exchange (SGE), is expected to raise an estimated 100 billion yuan ($16.1 billion) in three phases. It is the largest fund set up by China in the gold sector.

59. U.S.Removes Cuba From State-Sponsored Terrorism List: The United States has removed Cuba from its list of state sponsors of terrorism this is a important move toward restoring diplomatic ties betweenthe countries. Both the countries met to negotiate the details of restoring diplomatic relations, including the opening of embassies in Washington and Havana. The removal form the list of State Sponsor of Terrorism has been one of the key demand of Cuba.

60. Two Indian American Students Become Spelling Bee Co-winners: Two Indian American students have jointly won the Scripps National Spelling Bee competition. Vanya Shivashankar of Olathe, Kansas, and Gokul Venkatachalam of Chesterfield, Missouri, were declared co-champions.

61. George Yeo is Nalanda Varsity Chancellor: Former Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo has been named the new Chancellor of Nalanda Universit. He was till now on the governing board of the prestigious Nalanda University in Bihar.

62. Maharashtra Govt Launched Swachhata Saptapadi Scheme: Maharashtra Government has launched Swachhata Saptapadi scheme on the lines of Union Government‘s flagship Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. The scheme was launched by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis along with actor Aamir Khan who is brand ambassador of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in Mumbai. The term saptapadi means vows taken during marriage by bride and groom in Maharashtra.

63. Finance Minister Inaugurated New Bank Note Paper Line Unit In Hoshangabad: Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley inaugurated the New Bank Note Paper Line unit of 6000 metric ton capacity at Security Paper Mill in Hoshangabad in Madhya Pradesh.

64. Gurpreet Singh Qualified For 2016 Rio Olympics: Former Commonwealth Games gold medallist Gurpreet Singh on 31 May became India‘s fifth shooter to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games finishing fourth in the 10m Air Pistol category at the ISSF World Cup Rifle/ Pistol in Munich.