Current Affairs and General Knowledge for June 2015.

1. Kolkata – Agartala bus service via Dhaka, the Bangladesh capital, starts from 01st June, 2015 : A trial run of the Kolkata – Agartala Bus Service via Dhaka began . The total time taken on this route, including the formalities of immigration centre checks, is about 14 – 16 hours.

2. Bangladesh Liberation Award for Vajpayee: The Government of Bangladesh is set to honour former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for his outstanding support for the country’s liberation from Pakistan in 1971. He will be conferred with, ‘Friends of Bangladesh Liberation War Award’ on June 6th, 2015. Indira Gandhi was the first foreign friend who was posthumously honoured with the ‘Bangladesh Liberation War Honour Award’.

3. Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa became 19th Governor of Arunachal Pradesh: Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa was sworn in as the 19th Governor of Arunachal Pradesh. He is a former IAS officer and has served as Assam Chief Secretary earlier. He will take over his duties from Lt. Gen. Nirbhaya Sharma.

4. Uttarakhand Health Minister conferred with the World No Tobacco Day Award: The World No Tobacco Day was observed on 31st May. On this day, the campaign ‘Stop illicit trade of tobacco products’ was launched by the World Health Organisation (WHO). S.S Negi, the Health and Family Welfare Minister of Uttarakhand, was conferred with ‘World No Tobacco Day Award’ for his accomplishments in tobacco control.

5. Meena Hemchandra Appointed As Executive Director Of RBI: Meena Hemchandra appointed as the Executive Director (ED) of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) with immediate effect. As an ED, She will look after Department of Banking Supervision, Department of Co-operative Banking Supervision and Department of Non-Banking Supervision.

6. 92-year-old Harriette Thompson Became Oldest Woman To Complete A Marathon: Harriette Thompson, a 92 year 65 days old cancer survivor, on 31 May 2015 became the oldest woman to finish a marathon. She achieved this fete at San Diego’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon of 26.2 miles (42.2 kilometers) by completing the race in 7 hours, 24 minutes, 36 seconds. This was her 16th Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon and by far, the hardest.

7. Mauritius Designated Ameenah Gurib-Fakim As First Woman President: The Government of Mauritius designated Ameenah Gurib-Fakim as new President of the Indian Ocean island nation.

8. China has unveiled first facial recognition ATM machine of World: It was the first time that some country unveiled the first ever as facial recognition ATM. This was unveiled by China, which will not allow users to withdraw cash till their face matches to the details.

9. Cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, Saurav Ganguly, VVS Laxman were inducted into BCCI Cricket Advisory Committee: The President of the BCCI, Jagmohan Dalmiya nominated former cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman as esteemed members of the Cricket Advisory Committee of the BCCI with immediate effect. This Cricket Advisory Committee will be advising the BBCI on various steps which will help Indian cricket to be better prepared for the challenges of the future and will also guide Indian Team to enhance their performance.

10. Air Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa AVSM YSM VM takes over as Vice Chief of the Air Staff: Air Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa AVSM YSM VM took over as the Vice Chief of the Air Staff (VCAS) on 01 June 2015. He was commissioned in the IAF in June 1978 as a fighter pilot. He is an alumnus of Rashtriya Indian Military College, the National Defence Academy and the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington.

11. Deepika Kumari wins bronze at Antalya Archery World Cup: Ace Indian archer Deepika Kumari has clinched the bronze medal in the women‘s individual Women‘s Recurve event at Antalya Archery World Cup held in Turkey.

12. Pinaka Mark-II rockets successfully tested at Pokhran: Advanced version of indigenous Pinaka mark-II rockets were successfully tested on 30 May 2015 in Pokhran field firing ranges in Rajasthan. They were test-fired using a multi-barrel rocket launcher (MBRL).

13. India, Sweden ink six agreements during President Pranab Mukherjee’s visit: India and Sweden inked six agreements, during the visit of President Pranab Mukherjee to Sweden, key Arctic Council member. It should be noted that Mr. Pranab Mukherjee is the first Indian President to visit Sweden.

14. Sweden backs India bid for UNSC MTCR memberships: Sweden has extended its support for India‘s bid to obtain a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). Sweden has also expressed support for India‘s claim to membership of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR).

15. Khoya Paya web portal jointly launched by Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi and Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad: The Khoya Paya portal is a citizen based website to exchange information on missing and found children. It has been developed by the Ministry of Women and Child Development and the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY).

16. Edward Snowden awarded Freedom of Expression prize in Norway: Edward Snowden, former US security contractor and electronic surveillance whistleblower has been awarded a Norwegian prize for freedom of expression (also known as Bjornson Prize).

17. RBI lowers repo rate to 7.25 per cent: The Reserve Bank of India in its second bi-monthly policy announced has reduced the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) by 25 basis points from 7.5 per cent to 7.25 per cent with immediate effect.

18. India signs MCAA pact on automatic exchange of tax information: In keeping with what was decided at the G20 Finance Ministers meeting in September last year, India joined the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement (MCAA) on Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information.

19. India’s sugar output to touch all time high of 28.3 MT: India’s sugar production is estimated to touch all time high of 28.3 million tonnes (MT) in the ongoing marketing year, 2014-15, as mills have already manufactured 27.95 MT so far. As compared to about 24.04 MT of sugar produced till May in the last 2013-14 sugar season (October-September), theIndian sugar industry has so far produced a record 27.95 MT, Industry body Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) said in its latest estimate.

20. India to post 7.3% growth in 2015: OECD: India‘s economic growth is projected to remain ―strong and stable‖ at 7.3% in 2015 on the back of revival in investments even as more reforms are needed to reduce uncertainties over taxation norms, said the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a Paris-based think tank.

21. Inderjeet gives India first gold: Inderjeet Singh bagged the gold medal in the men‘s shot put event as India opened the medal account on the first day of the 21st Asian Athletics Championships.

22. RBI NOTIFIED FIIs: RBI notified FIIs to invest up to 49% in Gammon Infrastructure projects limited.Investment can be made under Portfolio Investment Scheme (PIS). This change is notified under FEMA Act, 1999.

23. S VEENA JAIN APPOINTED AS DG OF DD NEWS: Veena Jain is appointed as the Director General of Doordarshan News. Veena Jain succeeded akshay Rout, a senior IIS officer. Currently Veena Jain is posted as Additional Director General in the News Services Division of All India Radio (AIR).

24. SBI LAUNCHED ONLINE CUSTOMER ACQUISITION SOLUTION: SBI has launched online customer acquisition solution (OCAS). It is an online platform to apply for Home Loans, car loans, Education Loans and personal loans Application was launched by SBI chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya.

25. UNITED NATIONS PEACE KEEPERS DAY OBSERVED ACROSS THE GLOBE: International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers was observed across the globe on 29th May, 2015. International Day of United Nations peacekeepers was observed with the theme ‗together for peace‘.

26. Sushma Swaraj to represent India at United Nations on Yoga Day: As part of International Yoga Day on June 21, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will lead the events at the United Nations in New York while Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend a mega yoga session at Vijay Chowk in the Capital.

27. India, Russia announce joint study on gas pipelines at OPEC summit: India and Russia will jointly study the feasibility of crude and gas pipelines between the two countries shortly, the oil ministry said in a statement following a meeting of the oil ministers of the two countries on the sidelines of the OPEC International Seminar in Vienna.

28. India loses poultry case against U.S. at WTO: India has lost a case at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as the body ruled that the Indian ban on import of poultry meat, eggs and live pigs from the U.S. was ―inconsistent‖ with the international norms. India will have 12-18 months to implement this ruling, after which the U.S. can begin exports of these products to India.

29. Rahul Dravid Appointed as India A And U-19 Team coach: Former India captain Rahul Dravid was named coach of the India ‗A‘ and under-19 teams.Rahul Dravid at GQ Men Of The Year 2012 .

30. UK Author Ali Smith won 2015 Baileys Women Prize for Fiction: UK Author Ali Smith won the 2015 Baileys Women Prize for Fiction for her novel How to be Both. Baileys Prize was set up in 1996 with an aim to celebrate and promote international fiction by women throughout the world.

31. Union Government launches Jal Kranti Abhiyan: Union Government launched nationwide Jal Kranti Abhiyan. It was launched by Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejunivetion Uma Bharti in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Jal Kranti Abhiyan aims at turning one water scared village in each district of the country into water surplus village water through a holistic and integrated approach by adopting conservation and management techniques.

32. World Ocean Day 8 June -This year, the theme is Healthy oceans, healthy plane: This year‘s celebration of the World Oceans Day, which will feature ―Healthy Oceans, Healthy Planet‖, World Oceans Day was first introduced in 1992 to raise awareness of the crucial role the sea plays as sources of food, oxygen and medicine.

33. India and Netherlands Signed a MoU for Development of Measles – Rubela vaccine: A Memorandum of Understanding was arrived at between India and Netherlands for development of vaccines. The MoU signed under Make in India‘ initiative of Government of India will enable the Bharat Immunologicals and Biologicals Corporation Ltd (BIBCOL), a Central PSU under Department of Biotechnology, to develop Measles – Rubella vaccine at its plant at Chola, Bulandshahr, U.P.

34. José Graziano da Silva re-elected as head of UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO): Incumbent Director-General of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) José Graziano da Silva re-elected to a second term in the agency‘s top post with the highest number of votes ever in the history of the FAO.

35. India slaps anti-dumping duty on steel imports from China, Malaysia and South Korea: India has slapped anti-dumping duty on imports of certain steel products from three South Asian countries viz China, Malaysia and South Korea. The anti-dumping duty was imposed by Union Finance Ministry on the recommendation of Directorate General of Anti-Dumping Duty (DGAD) to protect domestic producers from below-cost inbound shipments.

36. Govt. introduces simplified ITR forms: The Finance Ministry has come out with a new three-page Income Tax Return (ITR) forms – ITR 2. In the new form, the government has dropped the provision for mandatory disclosure of foreign trips and dormant bank accounts. The government has also extended the last date of filing to 31st August.

37. India, Bangladesh sign ratification pact to operationalise the historic Land Boundary Agreement: India and Bangladesh have signed pact to operationalise the historic Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) between both nations. It was signed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina during his maiden visit to Bangladesh.

38. Modi announces $2-bn credit to Bangladesh: India and Bangladesh opened a new chapter in their ties as they settled the 41-year-old boundary dispute and promised to do more in other areas amid Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s announcement of a fresh line of credit of $2 billion to the neighbouring country. With West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee standing by his side, Mr. Modi, on his maiden visit in Dhaka, also expressed confidence to have a ―fair solution‖ to the Teesta and Feni river water sharing issues with Bangladesh ―with the support of state governments in India‖.

39. Satnam hoping to become first India-born player in NBA: India-born Satnam Singh Bhamara may be included in this year‘s draft of America‘s National Basketball Association (NBA) as the 7ft-2inch, 290-pound Indian has taken part in training sessions of top teams — Sacramento Kings and Boston Celtics — this week.He is hoping to become the first India-born player in NBA. Gursimran ―Sim‖ Bhullar became the first player of Indian origin to play in the NBA when he turned out for the Kings in three games in April, reports Xinhua. In April, the team signed 7‘5 Sim Bhullar, who became the first player of Indian origin to play in the NBA. Canada-born Bhullar played in three games for the Kings and was released after his 10-day contract.

40. Serena Williams wins 20th Grand Slam title: World number one Serena Williams survived a mid-match meltdown to beat Czech Lucie Safarova 6-3 6-7(2) 6-2 to win the French Open , her 20th grand slam trophy. She is now third on the list of all-time major champions behind Australian Margaret Court (24) and German Steffi Graff (22).

41. Bihar’s first India-Pakistan trade, food fest kicks off in Patna: Aiming to boost cultural and business bilateral ties, an Indo-Pak trade and food festival opened for first time, showcasing the ethnic and culinary diversities of the two countries.

42. Mauritius regains top slot as source of FDI in India: Mauritius has regained the position as top source of foreign direct investment (FDI) into India by pushing Singapore to the second slot in 2014-15.

43. Luka wins gold, India finishes third: Tintu Luka bagged her maiden gold in a major international event by winning the women‘s 800m finals as India finished with five medals on the final day of the 21st Asian Athletics Championships . India secured a haul of 4 gold, 5 silver and 4 bronze to finish third behind China (15, 13, 13) and Qatar (7, 2, 1). Japan (4, 3, 11) and Bahrain (3, 3, 2) finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

44. Chowdary is new CVC; Vijai Singh new CIC: The Modi government appointed former chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes K.V. Chowdary as the Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) and Information Commissioner (IC) Vijai Singh as the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC), filling two vacancies that are key to the institutional framework for accountability.

45. Steel imports surge 58% in May: India‘s steel imports surged 58 per cent in May to about a million tonne, indicating tough times are here to stay for domestic producers facing price pressures and cheap imports from countries such as China and Korea.

46. 7th International junior shotgun: Anantjeet wins skeet gold: Anantjeet Singh Naruka beat Lari Pesonen of Finland 12-11 in the skeet match for gold in the 7th International junior shotgun cup that concluded in Orimattila, Finland.

47. RBI launches June round of Consumer Confidence Survey: The Reserve Bank launched the June-quarter Consumer Confidence Survey (CCS) to gauge economic conditions and employment prospects, among others. The study aims at capturing subjective assessments of around 5,400 respondents across six metropolitan cities — Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and New Delhi. Sigma Research & Consulting has been engaged to conduct the field work of the survey on behalf of RBI. The Reserve Bank of India has been conducting CCS on a quarterly basis since June 2010.

48. Cotton Association of India estimates cotton output at 382.75 lakh bales for 2014-15: The Cotton Association of India (CAI) estimated the May output of the crop at 382.75 lakh bales for the 2014-15 season (beginning from October 1, 2014). The total cotton crop stood at 407.25 lakh bales (of 170 kg each) during 2013-14, according to CAI data.

49. Banks get freedom to take 51% stake in defaulting firms, The move, amid a rise in slippages from restructured assets, is aimed at resolving stress in the banking system: In a significant move to provide a more flexible process for lenders to recover bad loans, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) allowed banks to acquire 51 per cent or more stake in companies defaulting after restructuring of their loans.

50. G7 pledges to cut emissions by up to 70% before 2050: Group of Seven leaders agreed to wean their economies off carbon fuels and supported a global goal for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but they stopped short of agreeing their own immediate binding targets. G7 Summit was held In Bavaria. The G7 leaders said they backed reducing global greenhouse gas emissions at the upper end of a range of 40-70 per cent by 2050, using 2010 as a basis. The Group of 7 (G7) is a group consisting of the finance ministers and central bank governors of seven major advanced economies.

51. Shri R.C. Tayal, Special DG, CRPF appointed as DG, NSG: Shri R.C. Tayal, IPS Special DG, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has been appointed as Director General, National Security Guard (NSG) from the date of assumption of charge of the post.

52. ‘Queen’, ‘Haider’ win big at 2015 IIFA awards: Vikas Bahl‘s drama ‗Queen‘ and Vishal Bhardwaj‘s ‗Haider‘ scooped major trophies at the 16th IIFA awards, including the best actress honour for Kangana Ranaut. ‘Queen‘, a middle class girl‘s self-discovery journey, and the Shahid-Shraddha Kapoor starrer Kashmir set drama took home three honours each.

53. PVR acquires DT Cinemas from DLF for Rs 500 cr: Country‘s biggest multiplex chain, PVR Limited announced the acquisition of DLF Ltd‘s subsidiary, DLF Utilities Limited, which runs its cinema exhibition business under the brand name of ―DT Cinemas‖ for an aggregate consideration of Rs 500 crore.

54. India, Iran to boost trade in agri-commodities: India and Iran have agreed to enhance cooperation in the agriculture sector and promote trade in farm commodities, including rice, wheat and oilseeds.

55. M.K. Sharma is ICICI Bank Chairman: ICICI Bank appointed M. K. Sharma as the non-executive Chairman of the Board for a period of five years, in place of K. V. Kamath. Mr. Kamath would shortly step down from the Board consequent to his nomination as the first President of the New Development Bank.

56. CAD shrinks massively to 0.2 per cent in Q4: The country‘s current account deficit (CAD) narrowed sharply to USD 1.3 billion, or 0.2 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), in the fourth quarter of the last financial year on a sequential basis mainly on account of a lower trade gap. The CAD shrank to 1.3 per cent of GDP for full financial year 2014-15.

57. Government approves Rs 4,721-crore road projects in MP, Telangana: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved two road projects, one in Madhya Pradesh and another in Telangana. The projects will be executed under the flagship road building programme National Highways Development Project (NHDP) at a cost of Rs 4,721 crore.

58. Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs okays Rs 6,000 crore interest-free loan to sugar mills: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved soft loan of Rs 6,000 crore to sugar mills to help them make payments to sugarcane farmers. The loan will not incur any interest for one year.

59. Indirect tax collection rises by 39.2% in April-May: Indirect tax collection has jumped 39.2% in April-May, with excise showing a smart rise reflecting pick up in manufacturing, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said . The collection of indirect taxes in all three categories — customs, central excise and service tax — has shown rising trend.

60. India, 3 others in Saarc to sign transport network pact: As Pakistan has expressed reservations, the Cabinet cleared the signing of a motor vehicles pact with three other nations of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) grouping — Bhutan, Bangladesh and Nepal. The pact, to be signed, will enable seamless transit of passenger and cargo vehicles among these nations.

61. India among top 5 emerging economies with higher investment commitments: World Bank: India has figured in top five emerging economies for highest investment commitments in private sector, infrastructure sector, energy, transport and water, according to a World Bank report. The top five countries with the highest investment commitments in 2014 are: Brazil, Turkey, Peru, Colombia, India. These five countries together attracted USD 78 billion, representing 73 per cent of the investment commitments in the developing world in 2014.

62. SURESH KALMADI CONFERRED WITH AAA PRESIDENT’S AWARD: Suresh kalmadi is conferred with asian atheletics association president‘s award. Adille Sumariwala, the president of atheletics federation of india received the award on behalf of kalmadi at the function held in wuhan, China.

63. WJP RULA OF LAW INDEX 2015 RELEASED: US based world justice project released rule of law index 2015. It provides data on how the rule of law is experienced in 102 countries around the globe. INDIA is paced at 59th position out of 102 countries.

64. INDIA’S FIRST RAIL COACH LIT BY SOLAR PANELS: Northern Railway rolled out India‘s first rail coach lit by solar panels. Delhi division of northern railway rolled out non-ac coach lit by solar panels mounted on it‘s roof.

65. WRESTLER PREM NATH PASSED AWAY: Indian Wrestler Prem Nath passed away. Prem Nath won Gold medal at the 1974 Christchurch Commonwealth Games.

66. STANISLAS WAWRINKA WON FRENCH OPEN: Stanislas wawrinka won men‘s single title of French open. Wawrinka defeated Novak Djokovic of Serbia in the final match. Serena Williams defeated Lucie Safarova of Czechoslovakia to win Women‘s title of French Open.

GK TEST

1. Who won French Open?
a. Stanislas Wawrinka    b. Novak Djokovic
c. Andy Murray      d. Rafal Nadal

2. WJP rule of law index released by which country?
a. USA b. UK
c. Canada d. China

3. Who is the new non executive chairman of ICICI Bank?
a. Chanda Kochar b. M K Sharma
c. S S Negi d. Suresh Kalmadi

4. India signed Agri Commodities agreement with ______ ?
a. Iran b. Iraq
c. USA d. UK

5. Which movie got best movie award at 2015 IIFA awards?
a. Queen b. Haider
c. Gadar d. Chennai Express

6. Which organisation plans to cut emissions by up to 70% before 2050?
a. G7 b. G8
c. G-20 d. SAARC

7. Who is the Director General of NSG?
a. R C Tayal b. U K Sinha
c. K C Neogi d. Y V Reddy

8. Which country top as source of fDi in India?
a. Mauritius b. Singapore
c. USA d. UK

9. Who is the new chairman of CVC?
a. krishna Iyer b. K G Neogi
c. K V Chowdary d. Vijai Singh

10. Who won Gold in 7th International Junior Shooting ?
a. Anantjeet b. Rahul Dravid

c. Yuvraj Singh d. Deepika Kumari

11. India-Pakistan trade, food fest kick off in which state?
a. Bihar b. UP
c. MP d. Punjab

12. Which state produces maximum cotton in India?
a. UP b. Mizoram
c. Gujarat d. Haryana

13. When is UN’s International Yoga Day observed?
a. 21 June b. 31 may
c. 5 June d. 8 June

14. Who won 2015 Baileys woman prize for fiction?
a. Ali Smith b. Uma Bharti
c. Roberto Azevedo d. Geoge Yeo

15. Where is the Head quarter of FAO?
a. Rome b. Pune
c. Nepal d. China

16. India slaps Anti Dumping duty on Imports of …….?
a. Copper b. Aluminium
c. steel d. silver

17. When is World Ocean Day observed?
a. 8 June b. 21 June
c. 8 August d. 2 October

18. Union Government launched Jal Kranti Abhiyan in which state?
a. Rajasthan b. Haryana
c. Punjab d. J &K

19. India announced $ 2 bn credit to which country?
a. Bangladesh b. Bhutan
c. Nepal d. Russia

20. Who recently launched consumer confidence survey?
a. SEBI b. RBI
c. IRDAI d. IMF

1. A
2. A
3. B
4. A
5. A
6. A
7. A
8. A
9. C
10. A
11. A
12. C
13. A
14. A
15. A
16. C
17. A
18. A
19. A
20. B