Current Affairs for August July 2016

Banking & Financial Awareness

1. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has constituted a committee to study various facets of household finance in India and benchmark____Dr. Tarun Ramadorai committee.

Note:

It will evaluate the design of new systems and the redesign of existing systems of incentives and regulations to encourage and enable better participation by Indian households in formal financial markets.

2. Which bank has launched cheaper home loan schemes for defense and other government employees with installment tenure extending up to 75 years of age___The State Bank of India (SBI).

Note:

There will be a lower EMI burden post retirement and 0.05 % concession over the home loan interest for 7th Pay Commission beneficiaries.

3. Which bank has launched “group credit life insurance scheme” of Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) in Mangaluru__Corporation Bank.

Note:

The scheme has been made available initially at all the branches of Mangaluru Zone which would later be extended to all branches.

The Scheme is available to bank’s customers in the age group of 18 to 60 year who have taken term loans.

4. Name of the portal launched by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to curb illegal money pooling by the firms___Sachet.

Note:

The portal “sachet.rbi.org.in” will help public to obtain information about entities allowed to collect deposits.

The portal will facilitate filing, tracking of complaints, besides providing information about whether any particular entity is registered with any regulator or is permitted to accept deposits.

5. The government has set an inflation target for the next five years__ 4%.

Note:-

The government has notified rules for setting up the Monetary Policy Committee giving effect to amendments in the RBI Act.

The finance ministry has notified the consumer inflation target for RBI until March 31, 2021, with an upper tolerance level of 6% and lower limit of 2%..

6. According to the RBI’s 3rd bi-monthly monetary policy review for FY 2016-17, the current repo rate is ___6.5 %.

Note:

The repo rate at which RBI lends to the system has been retained (6.5 %) while the reverse repo rate which is paid to banks has been maintained at (6 %).

The RBI has also kept the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) and Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) unchanged at 4.0 % and 21%.

7. Who has become the first Indian quasi-sovereign to issue a Masala bond on London Stock Exchange___NTPC.

Note:

The bond is Climate Bonds Initiative certified and will be listed on London Stock Exchange’s green bonds segment.

NTPC will invest the proceeds of the green Masala bond in the renewable energy market as it seeks to add more wind and solar power projects to its portfolio to support the Indian government’s ambition to generate 175GW of renewable energy by 2022.

8. First Indian state to ratify GST Constitution Amendment Bill (122nd)___Assam.

Note:

The 122nd Constitution amendment bill needs to be ratified by 50% of the Indian states before it can be sent for Presidential assent.

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) is India’s most important indirect tax reform since Independence.

A single rate of GST will replace various taxes to ensure seamless transfer of goods and services.

9. Project Ananya has been launched by the Indian bank____ Syndicate Bank.

Note:

It will focus on improved customer service and to offer latest in digital banking services.

The project would provide customers with best services while improving and modernizing the whole bank.

10. Which state had decided to increase tax rates on diesel by one percent and petrol by 1.5 percent is __ Bihar.

11. South Indian Bank partnered with _______to launch co-branded credit card.

Note:

With this partnership both South Indian Bank and SBI Card will launch two variants of credit card on VISA platform, namely South Indian Bank Platinum SBI Card and South Indian Bank SimplySAVE SBI Card.

12. The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has recently tied up with a bank to launch an USSD based application for their customer _____Union Bank of India.

Note:

The Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) is a GSM based technology

The technology used to send text between a mobile phone and an application program in the network.

13. Urjit Patel appointed as ___ Governor of Reserve Bank of India____ 24th .

Note:

Urjit Patel will replace Raghuram Rajan.

Prior to this appointment, he was appointed as the Deputy Governor of RBI in 2013.

After the recommendation of the Urjit Patel committee, RBI had shifted to bi-monthly policy review in March 2014. Earlier, RBI announces monetary policy statement on every Quarterly basis.

On recommendations of Urjit Patel Committee from April 2014 onwards, Central bank (RBI) had adopted the new Consumer Price Index (CPI) (combined) as the key measure of inflation. Earlier, RBI had given more weightage to Wholesale Price Index (WPI) than CPI as the key measure of inflation for all policy purposes.

14. Recently, RBI imposed penalties of up to Rs. 5 lakh on how many cooperative banks for violation of norms___Four

Note:

The name of 4 cooperative banks are - The Cooperative City Bank, Guwahati, Indapur Urban Cooperative Bank, Shri Dadasaheb Gajmal Cooperative Bank, The Model Cooperative Urban Bank.

15. India’s rank in the 2016 Global Innovation Index (GII)__66th.

Note:

The report is released by Cornell University, INSEAD and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

The list is topped by Switzerland, followed by Sweden, the UK, the US, Finland and Singapore.

16. 'iMobile SmartKeys' mobile app has been launched by the bank___ ICICI Bank.

Note:

Customers can transfer money to their registered beneficiaries. Also can pay their utility bills as well as recharge their mobile numbers.

17. Union Bank of India (UBI) has launched an Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) based mobile app___ *99# Mobile Application.

Note:

The Union Bank has partnered with National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to launch an USSD based *99# mobile application for their customers.

18. According to the study of Assocham, which country ranked the third largest number of technology driven startups in the world______India.

Note:

The study done by - Assocham in partnered with Thought Arbitrage Research Institute.

According to the report – US and UK has occupied the top two positions.

Bengaluru ranked first in the largest share of technology startups in the country which is followed by Delhi NCR and Mumbai.

19. Recently, Doha Bank has announced to open a state-of-the-art branch in ___Kochi.

Note:

This will be a first kind of branch which will be setup in Kochi, Kerala.

Doha bank had commenced its operation in Mumbai in April, 2015.

20. Which bank becomes the first among the private sector banks to offer Indian Gold Coins___ Federal Bank.

Note:

The bank has tied up with MMTC for distribution of Indian Gold Coins (IGC).

21. India’s rank on the 2016 World Risk Index____77th.

Note:

India has been ranked 77th out of 171 countries on the World Risk Index 2016.

The index assessed the risk of disaster in 171 countries through the combined analysis of natural hazards and societal vulnerabilities.

22. Which banks introduced NPCI’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) that allows customers to make payments via digital means are ____ Axis Bank, Union Bank of India, Federal Bank and Bank of Maharashtra.

23. The Company who has topped the Forbes list of The World's Most Innovative Companies 2016____Tesla Motors.

24. Indian’s highest-ranked company in the Forbes list of The World's Most Innovative Companies 2016___Asian Paints.

25. Head of the high-level committee constituted by Union Finance Ministry to suggest steps to promote card payments____Ratan P Watal.

Note:

The committee will be headed by Principle Adviser for social sector in NITI Aayog and former Finance Secretary Ratan P Watal.

The committee will also study and recommend need for changes, if any, in the regulatory mechanism under various laws, relevant for the purpose of promotion of payments by digital modes.

26. Who has launched a new digital technology platform “DiGi SENSE 1.0” to enable fleet owners to track their Mahindra vehicles in real time basis___Mahindra & Mahindra.

Note:

The new platform will enable customers to digitally build knowledge about the performance and location of their vehicles.

Mahindra has become the first Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) in India to integrate its product line-up onto a cloud-based technology platform.

27. As per the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)’s annual report 2015-16, India’s GDP growth forecast for FY 17 is ____7.6 %.

Note:

The report highlights that the passage of Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill will mark a new era in co-operative fiscal federalism and a growing political consensus for economic reforms.

28. Recently released report titled “Connecting to Complete 2016”, India has been ranked ____35th.

Note:

India has been ranked 35th out of 160 countries in the World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index (LPI) 2016.

The LPI report is published by World Bank in every 2 years.

29. India signed Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) with___ the United States.

30. India is ranked at the W10 report 2016 released by New World Wealth____Seventh.

31. Who has acquired the cement business of Reliance Infrastructure Ltd ____ Birla Corporation Limited.

32. Union Cabinet has approved revised Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) for avoidance of double taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income with ____Cyprus.

33. The Karnataka Bank has recently launched a mobile application___KBL-SMARTz.

Note:

The UPI is a new initiative from NPCI in the digital payments ecosystem.

The interface is designed to enable customers across UPI member banks to pay and collect money from their smartphones without entering any bank account information.

New Appointments

1. Who has been appointed as the new Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi___ Bhaskar Khulbe.

Note:

Earlier, he was the additional secretary in Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

2. Newly elected Prime Minister of Nepal____Pushpa Kamal Dahal (Prachanda).

Note:

He is the chairman of Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist-Centre).

3. Who has been appointed as the new President of Microsoft India__Anant Maheshwari .

Note:

Maheshwari will succeed Bhaskar Pramanik in March 2017.

He will be responsible for Microsoft’s entire product, service and support offerings across India.

4. Who has appointed new chairman of the National Dairy Development Board__Dilip Rath.

Note:

He will be on the post until the appointment of a regular incumbent.

5. Chairman of the Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) of Kerala___ VS Achuthanandan.

6. First Indian woman to join the International Olympic Committee___Nita Ambani.

Note:

She is the only current active individual member of the IOC from India and will serve the world body till the age of 70.

7. The former Defence Minister of Japan has been elected as the first woman governor of Tokyo ___Yuriko Koike.

8. Former Meghalaya Chief Secretary has been appointed as the Chief Information Commissioner of Meghalaya___ P B O Warjri.

9. Who has been appointed as Prime Minister of Tunisia___Youssef Chahed.

Note:

He succeeded Habib Essid, who lost vote of no-confidence in the parliament because of his handling of economic reforms and security.

10. Who has been sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Gujarat ___ Vijay Rupani.

Note:

He was elected an MLA for the first time in 2014, winning the Rajkot West seat vacated by Vajubhai Vala, who went on to become Karnataka Governor.

11. The former Chief Justice of India who has been appointed as the Head of BCCI legal panel to interact with Justice Lodha committee is ___Markandey Katju.

Note:

This panel will be a single point interface for the BCCI to interact with the Justice Lodha Committee.

Justice Markandey Katju is the former Chairman of Press Council of India.

12. Who has been appointed as the new Chairman of Central Silk Board (CSB) for a period of 3 years ____K M Hanumantharayappa.

13. Government has constituted a National Committee on Trade Facilitation (NCTF) under the Chairmanship ____Pradeep Kumar Sinha.

Sinha is the Cabinet Secretary of India.

The committee will facilitate domestic coordination and implementation of the TFA provisions.

14. Who has been appointed as the Managing Director of State Bank of India __ Dinesh Kumar Khara.

Note:

Prior to the appointment, he was working as MD and Chief Executive Officer of SBI Funds Management Pvt Ltd.

15. Who will be the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court___Manjula Chellur.

Note:

Currently, Justice Chellur is the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court.

16. Former RBI Deputy Governor Anand Sinha has been appointed to the Board of___ IDFC Bank.

Note:

The appointment of Sinha came after Vinod Rai resigned after serving on the board for a year.

17. Who has been appointed as the Transport Commissioner of Delhi __Sandeep Kumar.

18. Who has been reappointed as the CMD and CEO of Hero MotoCorp ___ Pawan Munjal.

19. New chairperson for the International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s Athletes’ Commission___Angela Ruggiero.

Note:

She will succeed Claudia Bokel, whose 4-year term is expiring at the end of the 2016 Rio Olympics.

The IOC Athletes’ Commission is a body maintained by the International Olympic Committee for the purpose of representing athletes.

20. Who has been appointed as Governor of Manipur_____Najma Heptulla.

Note:

She will succeed V Shanmuganathan (Governor of Meghalaya) who was holding additional charge as Manipur Governor since September 2015.

She had served as Union Minority Affairs Minister in the Union Cabinet of NDA Government.

21. Who has been appointed as Governor of Assam ______Banwarilal Purohit.

Note:

Purohit is three-time former member of Lok Sabha from Nagpur and Managing Editor of Central India’s daily ‘The Hitavada’.

22. Who has been appointed as Governor of Punjab___VP Singh Badnore .

Note:

He hails from Rajasthan and is associated with Mayo College, Ajmer.

23. Who has been appointed as Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands ___Jagdish Mukhi .

Note:

He is Delhi-based BJP leader and former MLA from Delhi.

24. Who has been appointed as Vice-Chancellor (VC) of Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI), Mumbai___ P D Gupta.

Note:

He has been appointed to the post for five years.

The HBNI is an aided institution of the Department of Atomic Energy and is a deemed university under the UGC Act.

25. Who has been re-appointed as the Chairman of Bharti Airtel for next 5 years with effect from October 1st ,2016.___Sunil Bharti Mittal.

Note:

Bharti Airtel Limited is an Indian global telecommunications services company based in New Delhi, India.

It operates in 18 countries across South Asia, Africa, and the Channel Islands.

On June 15, 2016, he was elected as Chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce.

26. Who has appointed as the new independent director on the board of India Post Payment Banks (IPPB)___R S Sodhi.

Note:

Sodhi is one of the 5 independent members to be appointed on the board.

It is set to be operational in March 2017.

27. Who has appointed as the head of the task force by the Union Government to study the structure of organized Group A Central services ___ T Jacob.

28. Anuradha Rao has appointed as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of ____SBI Mutual Fund.

29. The Indian film director has appointed as the UN Women’s Advocate for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in India ______Aishwaryaa Rajinikanth Dhanush.

30. Who has been appointed as the President of India Bullion and Jewellers Association _____Mukesh Mehta.

Important News – India

1. India’s first underground museum will be opened in ____New Delhi.

Note:

It will be opened at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on October 2, 2016.

The museum showcases a collection of relics associated with each of the past presidents of India along with a range of vestiges reflecting upon the history of India’s freedom struggle.

2. Union Cabinet has given its approval to Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Bill, 2016 that seeks to improve ____ Road Safety in the country.

3. The world’s tallest girder rail bridge will come up in the state ___Manipur.

Note:

The new tunnel will be 11.55 km long, more than the famous Pir Panjal tunnel on the Banihal-Qazigund line.

The rail bridge with height of 141m will surpass the existing tallest bridge in Europe which has a height of 139m.

4. The festival titled “Amazing North-East…Paradise Unexplored” will be held in the city ___ New Delhi.

Note:

The festival will be organised by the city-based NGO Life of Vision Foundation.

5. The 2016 India International Footwear Fair (IIFF) has started in the city___New Delhi.

Note:

The fair is the premier specialized B2B event of the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) and Confederation of Indian Footwear Industries (CIFI).

6. Committee constituted by RBI in August 2016 to look at various facets of household finance in India- Tarun Ramadorai Committee on Household Finance.

7. Constitutional Article has been referred by Delhi High Court to hold that Lt. Governor is the administrative head of the National Capital Territory ___ Article 239 & 239AA.

8. First tiger cell of India will set up in the city___Dehradune

Note:

The cell will house a database of tigers as well as DNA and stripes samples of the big cats from over 50 tiger reserves.

It will aid conservation efforts by preventing poaching and providing an update on tiger numbers.

9. The former Comptroller and Auditor General of India who stepped down from private sector lender IDFC Bank’s board is ____Vinod Rai.

10. India’s Ministry of Culture The Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre (EZCC) has organized a 64-day-long theatre festival in____ Kolkata.

Note:

Kolkata Theatre Festival 2016 will showcase as many as 245 theatres of several groups at Bharatiyam Cultural Multiplex in Kolkata’s satellite town Salt Lake.

The theatre festival will continue till the 2nd of October.

11. Who has launched a nation-wide breast feeding programme Mothers’ Absolute Affection (MAA)__ J P Nadda.

Note:

The goal of the programme is to enhance optimal breastfeeding practices.

The programme is a very cost-effective and significant health intervention along with de worming programme.

12. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved a new formula to calculate production subsidy for __Sugar Mills.

13. National Disaster Response Force Director General, OP Singh laid the foundation stone for a permanent NDRF station at Sudumbare village of ____Pune.

14. The Union Minister of Urban Development M.Venkaiah Naidu has launched Swachh Suvekshan-2017 project in ____New Delhi.

Note:

Citizens can seek information about the ways of participating in the cleanliness mission and can also enquire about the status of their applications for construction of toilets.

15. ‘70 Saal Azadi Yaad Karo Kurbani’ for Tiranga Yatra theme song has been composed by___Kesiraju Srinivas.

Note:

Srinivas popularly known as Ghazal Srinivas.

PM Modi has released a theme song ‘70 Saal Azadi Yaad Karo Kurbani’ for Tiranga Yatra, which will be organized from August 16 to 23, 2016 across the country.

16. The first National Conference of Investigation Agencies was held in ___New Delhi.

Note:

It was held on August 12-13, 2016 at ‘Vigyan Bhawan’ in New Delhi.

The conference has been organized by the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) in coordination with National Investigation Agency (NIA).

17. Government will constitute a committee to review e-commerce rules___Amitabh Kant committee.

Note:

It will be headed by the NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant.

The committee would also suggest ways to further promote the growth of the sector.

18. Manipur’s ‘Iron Lady’ ended her 16 - year long fast ___ Irom Chanu Sharmila .

Note:

She wants Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) to be revoked through political means in Manipur.

19. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has signed Memorandum of Understanding with _____IIT-Kharagpur.

Note:

IIT-Kharagpur will develop ‘Paneled Cement Concrete Pavements’ for highways.

The duration of the research project is 3 years.

20. Who has launched Twitter Sewa service to address the common man’s complaints regarding telecom and postal services___Manoj Sinha.

Note:

The complaints will be lodge through Twitter handle “@manojsinhabjp”.

The platform will also address the grievances that are raised against private players.

21. Who has joined hands with the forest departments of Punjab and Haryana to plant five lakh trees on rail land along tracks___Indian Railway.

Note:

The plantation along the tracks will help in protecting railway land from encroachment.

The plantation drive will be carried out by the forest departments without declaring such land as protected forest areas with the provision for resumption of such land for developmental projects.

22. Two-day meeting of BRICS women parliamentarian’s forum began in ____Jaipur, Rajasthan.

Note:

Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan has inaugurated the meeting which will have different plenary sessions.

Total 43 Parliamentarians from BRICS countries including 28 MPs from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are participating in the meeting .

BRICS is the grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

23. Who has inaugurated the Uttarakhand’s first animal birth control center (ABC) at Dehradun___Maneka Gandhi.

Note:

It will take up birth control measures with stray dogs the population of which has been rising in the city and the state.

The centers will be set up in Nainital and Mussoorie and other municipal corporations in Haridwar, Haldwani, Kashipur and Roorkee.

24. Mobile app has been launched by Union Government to monitor execution of the under construction power transmission projects__Tarang.

Note:

The Union Ministry of Power launched the TARANG Mobile App to Track power transmission projects.

25. Youth Voters’ Festival of 2016 will be held in ____Nagaland.

Note:

This festival will be held under the directives of the Election Commission of India (ECI) in Nagaland from 5th - 9th September 2016.

26. e-Library has been launched by the Union government for divyang___Sugamya Pustakalaya.

Note:

Sugamya Pustakalaya is an online library for Divyang and houses publications across diverse subjects and languages in multiple accessible formats.

Over 2 lakhs books are available in Accessible formats for people with visual impairment and other print disabilities.

27. A Bronze statue of B R Ambedkar will be installed at the Ambedkar memorial at Indu Mill land in Mumbai. The statue will be called the _____Statue of Equality.

28. A researchers group discovered a new species of eel, Gymnothorax indicus from ___ Bay of Bengal.

29. The Conference on “International Arbitration in BRICS: Challenges, Opportunities and Road ahead” will be held in ____New Delhi.

Note:

The purpose of conference is to asses, evaluate and debate ideas and insights regarding dispute resolution mechanism and arbitration which are integral to economic growth and stability.

30. The first Children Court of South India has launched in____Hyderabad.

Note:

This court is a child-friendly court and 6th in India with features like separate waiting rooms for children and a video camera trial for the accused, mandated under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POSCO) Act-2012.

31. Who has been named as the Chairman of a 5-member National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) review committee ____ Abhinav Bindra.

Note:

The committee will examine and the causes behind shooting not securing any medals at the Rio Olympics.

The committee is also mandated to recommend concrete steps that NRAI must immediately undertake to ensure that this is not repeated in future Olympics.

31. Union Women and Child Development Minister has launched Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) e-box in _____New Delhi.

Note:

POCSO e-box is an online complaint management system for easy and direct reporting of sexual offences against children and timely action against the offenders under the POCSO Act, 2012.

32. The 4th edition of Mother Teresa International Film Festival (MTIFF) 2016 has started in ____Kolkata.

Note:

The 4-day-long movie carnival at the state-run Nandan multiplex is screening a selection of 23 best foreign and Indian films ever made on or inspired by Teresa.

It is organized by the Archdiocese of Kolkata, Missionaries of Charity and SIGNIS India.

32. Redefined Engagement with Indian Diaspora Karnataka will host the 15th edition of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBS) 2017 in _____Bengaluru.

33. India’s first textile university will set up in ____Gujarat.

Note:

It will set-up at Surat, Gujarat to create a complete eco system for the textile industry in Gujarat and India.

34. High-level committee has been constituted by the Union Government to promote card payments____Ratan P Watal committee.

35. Indian Navy has set-up a high level committee to find out the extent of Scorpene submarine data leak and the damage to the Navy____ Ashok Kumar committee.

Note:

The committee will be headed by Deputy Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Ashok Kumar.

36. The committee has submitted report on border protection to Union Government___Madhukar Gupta committee.

Note:

The committee has submitted its report to the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

The committee was formed to strengthen border protection and to address the issue of gaps and vulnerability in border fencing along Indo-Pakistan Border.

37. The 2016 BRICS Convention on Tourism will be hosted by _____Madhya Pradesh.

Note:

The 2016 BRICS Convention on Tourism will be held at Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh from September 1 to promote intra-regional tourism.

38. Who has become the first Indian state to distribute two crore LED bulbs under the Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for all (UJALA) scheme____ Gujarat.

Note:

Gujarat has reached this milestone in just 96 days and over 42 lakh households have already benefitted from the scheme.

States News

1. The Aadi Perukku festival was celebrated in the state of India____ Tamil Nadu.

Note:-

The festival is celebrated on 18th of Aadi month in Tamil calendar year in gratitude to water bodies especially Cauvery river.

2. State government has launched citizen governance mobile App “HIM TCP” ___Himachal Pradesh.

Note:

The App ensures easy and single point access to the services and other functions of the department.

The TCP department would be able to process new and pending applications, no objection certificates, handling payments, issuing notifications and scheduled inspections speedily.

3. First Indian state to approve sewage and waste water policy___ Rajasthan.

Note:

All district headquarters, heritage cities and cities in the state which have more than one lakh population will be included. In it, treated waste water will be used in irrigation and agricultural work.

4. The traditional farm festival of “Hareli” was celebrated in the state ____Chhattisgarh.

Note: -

The festival marks the beginning of Shravan month.

The farmers across the state worship their equipment and cows on this festival.

During this festival, the Goddess ‘Kutki Dai’ is the presiding deity worshiped for good crops.

5. Who has decided to recruit transgender persons as jail warders as per the directive of the Supreme Court__Odisha govt.

Note:-

A letter to this effect has been sent to the Odisha Subordinate Staff Selection Commission to take necessary steps in this regard.

First time the state government will mention the third gender as a separate category in any of the recruitment process.

For this, they will have to succeed in the qualifying examination with other candidates

6. Who has launched an online service for consumers to apply for low-tension service connections___ Tamil Nadu government.

Note:-

Consumers can now apply online to secure a new low-tension service connection, upload all necessary documents on the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation website and also make payment.

7. The Odisha government’s special assistance scheme for elderly weavers that was launched to mark the National Handlooms Day is ___‘Baristha Bunakar Sahayata Yojana’.

Note:-

It is a pension scheme for weaver community in the state.

As per the scheme, the state government would provide Rs. 500 pension to the weavers, on the occasion of National Handloom Day.

The pension would be transferred directly to the bank account of the weavers.

8. IRCTC has signed pact with the state government to promote hospitality and tourism___Manipur government.

Note:

The pact aims to explore involvement of Self Help Groups in catering activities, setting up of water vending machines, use of Rail Neer and development of lounges and greeting services for tourists.

9. PM Narendra Modi has launched the phase-1 of Mission Bhagiratha at Komatibanda in ____ Telangana.

Note:

It is a flagship project of the Telangana government to provide safe drinking water through a pipeline to every household in the state.

The project aims to provide 100 liters of clean drinking water per person in rural households and 150 liters per person in urban households.

10. 'Azadi 70- Yaad Karo Kurbani' program has been started from the state of India___Madhya Pradesh.

Note:

It has been launched by PM Narendra Modi on August 9, 2016 to commemorate freedom fighters on the 70th year of India’s Independence and 75th anniversary of the Quit India Movement from the birth place of freedom fighter Chandrashekhar Azaz at Alirajpur district, Madhya Pradesh.

11. The state that organsied various initiatives to mark the Platinum Jubilee Celebration of the 1942 Quit India Movement is___Maharashtra.

Note:

This initiative at the historic August Kranti Maidan in Mumbai to mark the Platinum Jubilee celebration of the 1942 Quit India Movement.

12. India’s first repository on tigers will be set up at__Dehradun.

13. The Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has launched a data bank Portal of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in ___New Delhi.

Note:

The purpose of the portal is to gather information about MSMEs.

Through data bank, the census of MSMEs will be carried out online.

14. To mark the 70th Independence Day, the Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu has launched the ___Independence Day Film Festival.

Note:

15. The 12-day long Krishna Pushkar festival has started in ____Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Note:

The festival comes once in every 12 years.

16. Who has decided to make Aadhaar card mandatory for procurement of paddy in the state__Odisha government.

Note:

The government has also decided to link Aadhaar numbers of beneficiaries for availing ration under National Food Security Act (NFSA) and work under MGNREGA.

Now, the payments will be directly credited to the bank account of farmers from Odisha State Cooperative Bank.

17. India’s first Nuclear Suppliers’ insurance policy for Right to Recourse has been launched in the state____ Maharashtra.

Note:

It has been launched by India Nuclear Insurance Pool (INIP).

INIP is the 27th global nuclear insurance pool which was launched by state run General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC Re), in association with non-life insurance companies.

18. Who has decided to install 3050 solar water pumps of 2 HP, 5 HP and 10 Horse Power during this financial year in the state____ Haryana Government.

Note:

The farmers will share 10% of the body of solar pump and the remaining 90% cost would be shared by the Central and State Government as financial assistance.

This will result in solar capacity addition of 14.64 MW.

19. Sachin Tendulkar has selected a village for development under the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY)__Donja .

Note:

Under SAGY, each member of parliament needs to choose one village from their constituency and develop it as a model village.

The programme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the birth anniversary of Jayaprakash Narayan, on 11 October 2014.

20. First state in the country to launch comprehensive ‘Crime Criminal Tracking Network System’ (CCTNS)__ Maharashtra Government.

Note:

It was launched through the operationalisation of 34 cyber laboratories across the state in order to combat growing cybercrimes.

All police stations in the state will be linked with one another for sharing information about crimes in their respective jurisdictions.

The CCTNS has been developed by Pune based Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC).

21. The educational institute adopted five villages under the Namami Gange Programme to deploy its expertise to limit the flow of sewage into River Ganga ___ IIT-Kanpur.

Note:

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Kanpur has adopted 5 villages (Katri Ladhva Khera, Ramel Nagar, Khoyra Katree, Pratapur and Hari Hindpur) in Uttar Pradesh under the Namami Gange programme.

22. Civil engineering department of IIT-Kanpur will use its expertise to restrict the flow of sewage into the River Ganga.

23. Indian State that signed MoU with Japan to develop food value chain in the state- Andhra Pradesh

Note:

Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) will encourage direct investments by Japanese companies in the fields of agriculture and food-related industry in Andhra Pradesh.

MAFF will also establish food industrial parks and develop cold chains.

24. First Indian state to sign an agreement with the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation to develop 10 non-functional regional airports/ airstrips ___Maharashtra.

Note:

The Civil Aviation Ministry and Airports Authority of India (AAI) to develop 10 airports atShirdi, Amravati, Gondia, Nashik, Jalgaon, Nanded, Solapur, Kolhapur, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg.

25. A special Pink colour envelop under speed has been launched in the state to expedite judicial process_____Jharkhand.

Note:

All the notice and summons of the High Court will be served through this envelop, which would be a special category of Speed Post.

26. Who has proposed a draft notification to create 17 new districts in the state_____Telangana.

Note:

The existing 10 districts will be reorganized on the basis of population and convenience to people to reach the district headquarters with an aim for easier administration and better development.

27. Turga hydel project has been approved by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) located in ___ West Bengal.

28. Who has decided to engage retired teachers in government high schools under “Teacher on Call” scheme to meet the shortage of teaching faculty ___ Odisha government.

29. President Pranab Mukherjee has launched Kolkata Akashvani Kendra’s Moitree Service in Bangla for listeners in ____Bangladesh.

30. Who has launched the DNA Index System for DNA profiling of criminals ___Andhra Pradesh.

31. The state that fixed a target of planting over one crore saplings over an area of 15000 hectares in 2016____Himachal Pradesh.

32. The rocket has been used by ISRO to test Supersonic Combustion Ramjet engine called Scramjet, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikotta in Andhra Pradesh ____ ATV02.

33. Ministry of Civil Aviation has given green signal for expansion of ___ Agartala airport .

34. First Indian state to draft its own internal security act_____ Maharashtra.

Note:

The draft act has defined internal security as a situation posing threat to state within its borders, either caused or provoked, prompted, or proxy.

Important News – World

1. The World Economic Forum (WEF) India Economic Summit will be held in ___New Delhi.

Note:

Theme of the summit is “Fostering an Inclusive India through Digital Transformation” and it will be attended by over 500 business and political leaders.

2. Who has won the World Martial Arts Championships in Sydney, Australia ___Vivek Teja.

Note:

He defeated Australian taekwondo Matthew Rose in the final to clinch the title.

3. Who has launched first mobile telecom satellite ___China.

Note:

The Tiantong-01 satellite was launched at southwestern China’s Xichang Satellite Launch Center with the Long March-3B carrier rocket.

It was designed by China Academy of Space Technology and its ground service will be operated by China Telecom.

It will establish a mobile network with ground facilities, providing services for China, the Middle East, Africa and other areas.

4. The 2016 SAARC Home Ministers’ conference was held in ____Islamabad (Pakistan).

Note:

The focus of the conference is on strengthening networking among police authorities of SAARC member-countries and increasing information-sharing among law enforcement agencies.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh was attended the conference from India.

5. The International Meeting on Counter Terrorism will be held at ___Bali, Indonesia.

Note:

It aims to strengthen the international cooperation network in addressing the growing threat of cross-border movement of terrorism from the aspects of actor, information and also financing.

6. Who will host the first-ever SAARC Young Parliamentarians Conference (YPC)___Pakistan.

Note:

The first-ever SAARC Young Parliamentarians Conference (YPC) on ‘Peace and Harmony for Development’ will be held from August 16 to 18, 2016 in Islamabad, Pakistan.

A 3-member Parliamentary delegation will attend the SAARC YPC 2016 from India.

7. ‘Tomorrow’s India Global Summit’ will be held in ___Seoul, South Korea.

Note:

It is an initiative of the Global Social India Foundation to provide a platform to offer expansion and investment opportunities for Indian start-up community, MSMEs and corporate businesses.

8. Who has launched “Gaofen-3” an earth observation satellite into orbit by the Long March 4C rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in Shanxi Province__China.

9. The tropical storm that triggered landslides in Mexico __Earl.

10. NITI Aayog has signed agreement to set up web portal on energy data with___ US Energy Information Administration.

Note:

The portal will host data including oil & gas, coal, solar & thermal energy etc.

11. Who has successfully launched the world’s first quantum satellite __ China.

Note:

It is equipped with security features to prevent wiretapping and intercepts.

Quantum communication boasts of ultra-high security as a quantum photon can neither be separated nor duplicated.

It is hence impossible to wiretap, intercept or crack the information transmitted through it.

12. First SAARC Young Parliamentarians Conference begins in ____Islamabad.

Note:

The two-day ( 16-18th August 2016) intends to offer young Parliamentarians’ narrative as a prelude to the 19th SAARC Summit to be hosted by Pakistan in November 2016.

Three-member Indian Parliamentary delegation led by Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo (BJD Lok Sabha), Alok Tiwari of Samajwadi Party in the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha MP Devisingh Patel reached Islamabad to attend the conference.

13. The world’s largest aircraft has embarked on its maiden flight at an airfield in Cardington in central England____ Airlander 10.

Note:

It is 92-metre-long and 43.5m wide can fly at up to 4,880 metres and reach speeds of 148 km per hour. It can also be used for commercial purpose.

Airlander 10 is a partly plane and partly airship filled with helium gas.

14. The country who has hosted the 2016 World Trauma Congress (WTC)__India.

Note:

World Trauma Congress-2016 inaugurated by Union Health Minister J P Nadda at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi on August 18, 2016.

15. The World Humanitarian Day (WHD) is observed every year on August 19,what is the theme of WHD-2016 ___ One Humanity.

Note:

World Humanitarian Day recognize the aid workers who risk their lives in humanitarian service and mobilizes people to advocate for humanitarian action.

16. Longest and highest glass-bottomed bridge in the world will open in ____China.

Note:

It is 430 m long and 6 m wide bridge, concreted with 99 panes of three-layer transparent glasses and connects two mountain cliffs of Avatar Mountain and stands 300m above ground.

8,000 visitors are allowed to cross the bridge every day and a reservation must be made one day prior to visiting.

17. Indian has signed pact with a country on vocational training ___Germany.

Note:

German technical assistance will be used to increase industry institute partnerships between Indian and German organizations, build capacity of local training institutions and foster industry linkages which will help adapt elements of the German dual system into the Indian context.

18. The country accounted for the highest share of tourist arrival in India ___Bangladesh.

19. World’s largest indoor theme park will open in ____ Dubai.

Note:

United Arab Emirates (UAE) to lure back some of the tourists and residents who often flee abroad during the scorching desert summer.

20. The first Asian Science and Technology Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) was held in___Thailand.

Note:

The purpose of the conference was to discuss the key issues, challenges, needs and opportunities in application of science in policy making and share good practices from the region.

21. Who has launched its first Tibetan-language search engine ‘Yongzin’__China.

Note:

The search engine will serve as a unified portal for all major Tibetan-language websites in China.

There are 8 sections for news, websites, images, videos, music, encyclopedia, literature and forums.

22. The first BRICS Film Festival will be hosted by____India.

Note:

It will be held at the Sirifort Auditorium Complex, New Delhi from 2nd to 6th September, 2016.

The film festival will showcase an amalgamation of culture, films, song, dance and food of the 5-member countries including Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Around 20 films (four from each of the countries) will be scheduled to be screened in the competition section.

23. The Union Cabinet has given its approval for signing of new Air Services Agreement (ASA) between India and ___Fiji.

Note:

The update is as per latest ICAO template keeping in view the latest developments in civil aviation sector and with an objective to improve the air connectivity between the two countries.

24. The 19th SAARC Summit will host by _____Pakistan.

Note:

The 19th SAARC Summit will host by Islamabad (Pakistan) on 9th and 10th November this year.

SAARC Summit Cell has been constituted to work with all stakeholders and concerned authorities in Pakistan.

25. Typhoon that made landfall near Tateyama City in Chiba Prefecture south of Tokyo, Japan is__ Mindulle.

26. Who has launched the KN-11 ballistic missile from a submarine in Sea of Japan ___ North Korea.

27. The World's Highest-Paid Actresses 2016 is _____ Jennifer Lawrence.

28. The 6th edition of Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) 2016 was held in___Kenya.

Note:

This is the first time that the conference is held in Africa.

39. Scientists in Japan studying earthquakes have detected a rare deep-Earth tremor known as ____S wave microseism.

40. The focus country at the 47th edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2016__South Korea.

Note:

It will be held in Goa on November 2016.

In 2016 IFFI, South Korea’s movies will be showcased and well-known film personalities will also attend the festival.

41. The world’s first self-driving taxi service has been launched in ____ Singapore.

Note:

World’s first self-driving taxi service has launched by Singapore-based nuTonomy, an autonomous vehicle software startup in Singapore.

With this, nuTonomy has become an entity in the world first to offer self-driving taxi rides to the public.

Important Dates

1. The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is observed every year on ____ 9th August.

Note:

It will promote and protect the rights of the world’s indigenous population.

The 2016 theme “Indigenous Peoples’ Right to Education” is devoted to the right to education of indigenous people as a critical education gap exists between indigenous peoples and the general population.

2. The International Youth Day is observed every year on August 12,the theme of 2016 International Youth Day (IYD) was_____ “The Road to 2030: Eradicating Poverty and Achieving Sustainable Consumption and Production”.

3. The International Biodiesel Day is observed every year on __10th August.

Note:

It will create awareness about the importance of non-fossil fuels.

4. International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Its Abolition is observed globally on___ 23rd August.

5. The National Sports Day is celebrated on August 29 in India to mark the birth anniversary of ____Dhyan Chand.

Note:

The hockey player who won gold medals for India in the years 1928, 1932 and 1936.

6. The World Elephant Day is observed every year on ___August 12.

Note:

It will create awareness of the urgent plight of African and Asian elephants, and to share knowledge and positive solutions for the better care and management of captive and wild elephants.

Books & Authors

1. The book “Until the Lions: Echoes from the Mahabharata” has been authored by __Karthika Nair.

Note:

It is a poetic retelling of the Mahabharata from the perspective of many of its minor characters.

2. The book “India Rising: Fresh Hope, New Fears” has been authored by ___ Ravi Velloor.

Note:

The book captures the notable events of the years under former India Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and examines how the country dealt with those issues.

3. The book R D Burmania: Panchamemoirs has been authored by __ Chaitanya Padukone.

4. The book “Grassroots Innovation” has been authored by____ Anil K. Gupta.

Note:

The book is about the stories of extraordinary men and women who are silently contributing to the innovation movement for the economic development and advancement of society.

5. Author of the book “Gulbadan: Portrait of a Rose Princess at the Mughal Court” is ___Margaret Rumer Godden.

Note:

The book portrays the vivid life story of Princess Rosebody and her life in the 16th century Mughal royal family in India.

6. Author of the book ‘What Lies Between Us’ is ___ Nayomi Munaweera.

Note:-

It is a novel that sets out to explain one such crime and the possible causes behind it.

7. Author of the book ‘The Gospel of Yudas’ is __K.R. Meera.

Note:

The book raises alarmingly pertinent questions about the politics of faithfulness and the price of idealism.

8. Author of the book ‘Police and Counter Insurgency-The Untold Story of Tripura’s COIN Campaign’ is ___Kuldeep Kumar.

Note:

The book is a timely reminder for strategists, social activists and scholars struggling for solutions to insurgency.

9. Author of the book ‘A Book of Light: When a Loved One Has a Different Mind’ is ___Jerry Pinto.

Note:

The book is a collection of stories from people who recount their experiences of living with loved ones with a mental illness.

10. Author of the book ‘The Orphanage of Words’ is ___ Shinie Antony.

It is about loss and the mechanisms to cope with it.

11. Author of the book ‘The Ocean of Churn: How the Indian Ocean Shaped Human History is___ Sanjeev Sanyal.

12. Author of the book 'One Indian Girl' is ____ Chetan Bhagat.

Note:

The book is about an Indian girl who is intelligent and successful, because of which she finds it difficult to get love.

13. Author of the book “Theatres of Democracy: Between the Epic and the Everyday – Selected Essays” is___Shiv Visvanathan.

Note:

It provides fascinating insights into science and religion, politics and society, cricket and film in contemporary India.

14. Author of the book ' book Life In Diplomacy ' is _____ M K Rasgotra.

15. Author of the book” An Intimate History of Killing: Face to Face Killing in Twentieth Century Warfare” __ Joanna Bourke.

Note:

It reveals a simple truth: men and women derive pleasure from officially sanctioned killing.

16. Author of the autobiography “Chitt-Chete” written in Dogri language is _____Padma Sachdev.

Honours & Award

1. Bollywood film-maker who will be honoured with the Lifetime Achievement award at the 8th edition of Goa State Film Festival 2016___N Chandra.

2. Indian artist has won the 2016 PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grants___ Anita Gopalan.

Note:

He will be honoured at Awards Ceremony in New York in February 2017.

PEN America is a renowned literary organization of the United States.

3. Who will be honoured with the 23rd edition of 2016 Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award__Shubha Mudgal.

Note:

The award carries a citation and cash award of Rs. 10 lakh and would be presented to Mudgal on August 20, 2016,the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi

4. Who announces cash awards for medal-winning Indian athletes___Indian Olympic Association (IOA).

Note:

A cash award of 50 lakh rupees for the gold medal winning athlete, 30 lakh rupees for silver and 20 lakh rupees for bronze in the Rio Olympics 2016.

5. Former India football team captain who has been conferred with the Mohun Bagan FC’s prestigious Mohun Bagan Ratna (jewel) for 2016____ Syed Nayeemuddin.

Note:

Nayeemuddin is the only athlete to won the Arjuna Award and Dronacharya Award for his contribution to football both as a player and coach.

6. The legendary Carnatic vocalist will be honoured at the United Nations on India’s 70th Independence Day by A.R. Rahman is___M. S. Subbulakshmi.

Note:

To pay homage to Subbulakshmi’s birth centenary, Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rahman will perform at UNGA in New York, United States.

7. Who has been chosen for the 2016 Nag Bhushan Award that is conferred by Nagpur-based Non-Governmental Organization Nag Bhushan Foundation ___ Devendra Fadanvis.

8. Who has won the best actor award at Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2016____Nawazuddin Siddiqui.

Note:

He won the award for his role of psycho serial killer in “Raman Raghav 2.0″.

9. Who has bagged the Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Award for meritorious services in the Higher Education Department of Tamil Nadu___ P Shanmugam.

Note:

Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Jayalalithaa has presented the award comprising a certificate, Rs. 5 lakh cheque and 8-gram Gold medal

10. The Indian cricketer has recently made an honorary member of the esteemed Marylebone Cricket Club is __ Virender Sehwag.

Note:

He becomes the 23rd member to be awarded honorary life membership and joins the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble.

Sehwag played 104 Tests, 251 One Day International and 19 Twenty20 Internationals during his illustrious career.

11. Noted music composer has been honored by the America Tamil Sangam with its Tamil Ratna Award____ A.R. Rahman.

Note:

The award has been presented by New York based Tamil Sangam.

Rahman was bestowed with the honour after his concert at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) chamber.

He was invited at the UNGA to perform a concert to honour M.S. Subbulakshi, the doyen of Carnatic music.

12. The Uttar Pradesh has announced Rani Laxmi Bai award for ____Sakshi Malik.

Note:

The Rani Laxmi Bai award carries a cash prize of Rs 3.11 lakh, a citation and a statue of Rani Laxmi Bai.

13. Who will be conferred upon with the annual Sangeet Martand Ustad Chand Khan Lifetime Achievement Award 2016__Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma.

Note:

The society has been felicitating stalwarts of Indian classical music and dance with the award since 1986 to recognize their contribution towards enriching the art forms.

Last year, the honour was conferred upon Kathak exponent Pandit Birju Maharaj.

The award carries a cash prize of 50000 rupees, a memento and a citation.

14. Who will be awarded the prestigious Chevalier de L’Ordre Arts et Lettres by the French Government___Kamal Haasan.

Note:

The order is a part of France’s premier award, the Legion of Honor.

He will be the second Tamil actor after the legendary Sivaji Ganesan to be chosen for the honor.

The other recipients of the Chevalier Order from India include actors Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai,Nandita Das and Shah Rukh Khan.

15. Who has announced cash prize of Rs. 50 lakh to Dipa Karmakar who finished fourth in women’s gymnastics at Rio Olympics___ K Chandrasekhar Rao.

Note:

Deepa created a record as the lone Indian woman to qualify for a gymnastic event in Olympics after 52 years.

16. Who posthumously honoured with the Ashok Chakra on the 2016 Independence Day___Havildar Hangpan Dada.

Note:

India’s highest award for gallantry during peace time.

17. Who has been conferred with the prestigious 25th edition of Vyas Samman 2015___Sunita Jain.

Note:

The award, instituted by the K K Birla Foundation.

It carries a cash prize of Rs 2.50 lakh and is given annually to outstanding literary work in Hindi authored by an Indian citizen.

18. Flag bearer from India at the closing ceremony in the 2016 Rio Olympics______ Sakshi Malik.

Note:

She created history by becoming the first Indian woman wrestler to win an Olympic medal.

19. The scientist who has conferred the first IEI-IEEE Award for engineering excellence 2015 is ____ G. Satheesh Reddy.

Note:

The award is in recognition of his significant national contributions towards missiles and aerospace technologies.

IEI-IEEE Award has been constituted by the Institution of Engineers (India) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Asia Pacific region to mark IEI’s 50th anniversary.

20. First Asian to be nominated for 2016 Heritage Heroes Award of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)_____ Dr. Bibhuti Lahkar.

Note:

The award is aimed to recognize the outstanding efforts of conservationists around the world in making a difference in the conservation of World Heritage sites in challenging situations.

21. Who will be the brand ambassador for “Beti Bachao, Beti Padao campaign” in Haryana____Sakshi malik.

Note:

Chief Minister Khattar also awarded 2.5 crore rupees and Commendation Certificate to Rio bronze medal winner Sakshi Malik.

22. Who has awarded with the prestigious Saraswati Samman for the year 2015___Padma Sachdev.

Note:

She has been chosen for the prestigious Saraswati Samman for the year 2015 for her autobiography “Chitt-Chete“(in Dogri language).

She was felicitated by Delhi’s Lt Governor Najeeb Jung in New Delhi.

Saraswati Samman is considered to be among the highest literary awards in India.

23. The actor who has honoured with the Entertainer of The Year award by CNBC-TV18 is ____Irrfan Khan.

24. Indian actress made her entry in the Forbes list of World's Highest-Paid Actresses 2016_____Deepika Padukone.

25. The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has appointed as its brand ambassador ____PV Sindhu.

Note:

Sindhu will be honoured and presented the rank badges and camouflage combat fatigues of the CRPF at a ceremonial event.

This is a symbolic representation, with no salary or fee being given to the sports star.

Obituaries

1. Chemistry Prof and Nobel Laureate has passed away in United States__ Ahmed Zewail.

Note:

He won the Nobel Chemistry Prize in 1999 for his pioneering work in femto chemistry, the study of chemical reactions in ultra-short time scales.

He was professor at the California Institute of Technology and a Science Advisor to President Barack Obama and was the first Arab scientist to win the Nobel Prize.

2. Australia’s oldest Olympian who has passed away recently ___ Forbes Carlile.

3. The Indian-American linguist and Jubilee Professor Emeritus of Linguistics at the University of Illinois who passed away is __ Braj B Kachru.

4. Assamese litterateur who passed away in Nagaon district in Assam ___ Mahim Bora.

Note:

His literary works include Kathanibari Ghat, Bohubhuji Tribhuj, Eai Nadir Sonte, Mai Pippali Aru Puja, etc.

The Aircraft Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE) in Bengaluru, which included a multi religious prayer.

5. Tamil scriptwriter and director who has recently passed away in Chennai____Sundaram.

Sundaram worked for more than 350 films in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi and was known as the founder of social mythology.



6. The legendary Pakistani cricketer who passed away in Karachi, Pakistan___Hanif Mohammad.

7. Former Chief Minister Kalikho Pul passed away recently, was the Ex-CM of ____ Arunachal Pradesh.

Note:

He found dead at the chief minister’s official residence which he was yet to vacate in Itanagar.

8. Tamil actress who passed away was part of Hindi films like Pistolwali __Jyothilakshmi.

9. Well-known Yoga Guru has recently passed away in Chennai, Tamil Nadu___TKV Desikachar.

Note:-

Desikachar was known for transforming the way yoga was practiced and turned it into both a wellness concept and a therapy.

He founded Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram in 1976, a yoga learning institution where today about 1000 students visit every month to learn yoga.

10. Eminent Punjabi writer and novelist passed away after a prolonged illness___ Gurdial Singh.

Note:

One of his prominent works was ‘Marhi da Deeva’.

He was awarded Padma Shri in 1998, Jnanpith in 1999, Sahitya Akademi Award, Nanak Singh Novelist Award (1975) among others.

11. Malayalam filmmaker-scriptwriter passed away in Kochi___ TA Razaq.

Note:

He began his career working as an assistant director with the film Dhwani in 1987.

Razaq won his first state award for the film Kanakkinavu, which was directed by Sibi Malayil in 1997.

12. Former president of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) passed away in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil___ Joao Havelange.

Note:

He had served as president of FIFA for two decades and had played pivotal role in transforming football’s governing body into a multibillion-dollar business.

13. Veteran filmmaker and Odia actor passed away at Bhubaneswar, Odisha___Gobind Tej.

Note:

He has contributed in many Odia feature films either as an actor, director or producer in his career.

Tej had received Odisha State Film Award for best actor for “Bandhu Mohanty” in 1977.

14. Hollywood actress who starred as Eva in 1958 film The Gun Runners and passed away recently____ Gita Hall.

15. Former FIFA president and IOC member who passed away recently ___ Joao Havelange.

16. Singapore’s longest serving president passed away _____Sellapan Ramanathan.

Note:

He was the sixth and longest-serving (1999 to 2011) President of Singapore.

Ramanathan was closely associated with the founding leader of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew.

He was born in 1924 in the family of Indian Tamil descent in Straits Settlements of Singapore.

17. Former editor of ‘Mathrubhumi’ passed away in Kochi___K K Sreedharan Nair.

Note:

He was selected for the first Kelappaji memorial award instituted by Kerala Mahatmaji Samskarika Vedi in 2010.

It is an Indian general interest weekly magazine published by the Mathrubumi Printing and Publishing Company in Kozhikode, Kerala.

18. The journalist who considered the ‘dean of black press columnists’ passed away is____ George E. Curry.

19. The Belgian jazz musician, harmonica playing, who passed away recently ___ Toots Thielemans.

20. Former Governor and a recipient of Padma Vibhushan passed away___ Dr. A.R. Kidwai.

Note:

Kidwai served as the Governor of several states for a record period of 17 years.

He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan for his outstanding contribution towards public affairs.

21. The famous painter from the Bengal school of painting who passed away is ____Dhirendranath Brahma.

Sports News

1. How many sports has been included by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for 2020 Tokyo Olympics___5 sports.

Note:

The 2020 Tokyo Games will feature 33 sports and about 11,000 athletes, compared to the usual number of 28 sports and 10,500 athletes.

2. Women’s singles title in the 2016 Rogers Cup ___ Simona Halep.

Note:

She defeated Madison Keys (7-6, 6-3 ) in the final of Rogers Cup.

3. Who was the flag bearer from India in the 2016 Rio Olympics___Abhinav Bindra.

Note:

It is his 5th appearance at the Olympic Games.

Bindra is also one of the India’s goodwill ambassadors for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Others are Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar, Bollywood actor Salman Khan and music maestro AR Rahman.

4. The F1 racer who won 2016 German Grand Prix is _____ Lewis Hamilton.

5. The Olympic bound wrestler who was given clean chit by National Anti Doping Agency (NADA) ___ Narsingh Yadav.

Note:

NADA disciplinary panel exonerated him from charges of violating anti-doping rules of NADA.

Earlier, Narsingh Yadav had tested positive for a banned anabolic steroid methandienone in the out-of-competition doping tests conducted by NADA.

6. Who has won the 2016 ATP Toronto Masters, also known as the Rogers club title in the men’s single category ___ Novak Djokovic.

Note:

He defeated Kei Nishikori by 6-3, 7-5 in the final to clinch his 66th career title and 4th Canadian title.

First player to clinch 30 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles.

7. Who became the second Sri Lankan cricketer to claim a test hat-trick after seamer Nuwan Zoysa___Rangana Herath.

8. The American swimmer has set a new world record to win gold in the women's 400 metres freestyle at the Rio Olympics__Katie Ledecky.

Note:

She took 3 minutes 56.46 seconds to beat Britain’s Jazmin Carlin who took 4 minutes 01.23 seconds to finish the race.

She is the current world-record holder in the 400-meter, 800-meter and 1500-meter freestyle.

During her career, she has broken twelve world records.

9. The country who won the gold in first-ever Olympic Women's Rugby Sevens Championship ___Australia.

10. The American swimmer has won his 21st Olympic gold Medal at the Rio Olympics __ Michael Phelps.

11. Who has won gold medal of Judo in 73kg category at 2016 Rio Olympics ___ Shohei Ono(Japan).

12. Who has won men's 200m breaststroke swimming event at the Rio Olympics__Dmitriy Balandin (Kazakhstan).

13. India’s top squash player, has won the PSA Australian Open ____Dipika Pallikal.

Note:-

She has defeated Mayar Hany of Egypt in final by 10-12, 11-5, 11-6, 11-4 in Melbourne, Australia.

It is her first title of 2016.

14. The swimmer who became the first swimmer to win four consecutive gold medals in same event is __ Michael Phelps.

15. The Chinese player has won gold medal in Table Tennis at Rio Olympics and became the fifth male player to complete the Grand Slam is ____ Ma Long.

Note:-

He defeated China’s Zhang Jike by 4-0 to grab the gold medal in Table Tennis at Rio Olympics.

He also becomes second male player ever to be the defending champion of all three majors at the same time.

16. Who has won the silver medal in women’s singles badminton event at Rio Olympics2016__P V Sindhu.

Note:

World No-1 Spain’s Carolina Marin beat Sindhu 21-19, 21-12, 21-15 at the badminton final to take Gold medal.

Sindhu is the first Indian female and first ever Indian shuttler to win an Olympic silver medal.

P V Sindhu was born on 5th July 1995 in Hyderabad, India.

17. First Iranian athlete woman to win an Olympic medal recently is ___Kimia Alizadeh Zenoorin.

18. Who has won men’s 100-metre final at the Rio Olympics 2016___Usain Bolt.

Note:

Usain won the race in 9.81 seconds, followed by USA’s Justin Gatlin (9.89 seconds) and Canada’s Andre De Grasse (9.91 seconds)

He retained his coveted title “Fastest man alive on the planet”.

19. Indian cricketer who figured in the Top 10 Test Player Rankings of the ICC ___Ajinkya Rahane.

Note:

Indian batsman Ajinkya Rahane jumped three places (currently 8th) to enter the top-10 in latest Test rankings released by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Rahane is the only Indian in the top-10 with Australian skipper Steve Smith on top of the list.

20. Who has won the Australian Open squash___Dipika Pallikal.

Note:

India’s top squash player Dipika Pallikal has won the Australian Open squash title by beating Egypt’s Mayar Hany (10-12, 11-5, 11-6, 11-4).

This is Dipika’s first Professional Squash Association (PSA) title of the year.

21. Who has become first female Indian wrestler to win Olympic medal__Sakshi Malik.

Note:

Freestyle wrestler Sakshi Malik bagged the Bronze medal in the 58 kg weight class after recording a sensational comeback win over Aisuluu Tynybekova of Kyrgyzstan.

Malik had previously won silver medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and bronze medal at the 2015 Asian Wrestling Championships in Doha.

22. India’s tennis doubles pair of has clinched the Abierto Mexicano Los Cabos title in Mexico___ Purav Raja and Divij Sharan.

Note:

The duo defeated Israel’s Jonathan Erlich and England’s Ken Skupski by a score of 7-6(4), 7-6(3).

They earn 250 Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings points and split 38940 US dollar in prize money.

23. Jamaican athlete has won the men’s 200m gold in the 2016 Rio Olympics___ Usain Bolt.

24. The hammer thrower has created a world record of 82.29m in women’s hammer throw to win gold at Rio Olympics is __ Anita Wlodarczyk.

25. Who has won Gold medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics men’s singles tennis tournament___ Andy Murray.

Note:

Murray defeated Agentina’s Juan Martin Del Potro in final by 7-5, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5.

26. Who has topped the medal table at the 2016 Summer Olympics recently concluded in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil __ The United States.

27. Who will host 2016 Kabaddi World Cup____India.

Note:

Ahmedabad city will host the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup .

Kabaddi World Cup event will see 12 Kabaddi teams around the world (India, USA, Canada, UK, Australia, Iran, Poland, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Korea, Japan and Kenya) representing all the five geographies of the Olympic Games.

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