Tnpsc_current_affairs_english_may_2018_vetrii_ias_academy.pdf

Vetrii IAS Study Circle The Best Academy for IAS & TNPSC Exams

TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS

MAY - 2018

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My Dear Aspirants, Greetings to all of you! “What we think we become” said Gautama Buddha. We all have dreams. To turn dreams into reality it takes a lot of determination, dedication, self discipline and hard work. We at VETRII IAS Study Circle are committed to provide the right guidance, quality coaching and help every aspirant to achieve his or her life’s cherished goal of becoming a civil servant. The class room coaching at VETRII IAS Study Circle is meticulously planned to equip the aspirants with all the relevant facts and fundamentals of the subjects. Further the VETRII IAS Study Circle Study material

aim to support

the

candidate

by providing

the most relevant

study material in a

comprehensive manner.

Wishing You All The Very Best !!

M. SHUNMUGAM DIRECTOR Vetrii IAS Study Circle.

TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS I

May 2018

CONTENT SL.NO

TITLE

PAGE NO

1.

Important Days

1

2.

International Affairs

4

3.

National Affairs

12

4.

Indian Polity

27

5.

Tamilnadu

28

6.

Economy

30

7.

Science and Technology

32

8.

Summit and Conference

33

9.

Honours and Awards

34

10.

Appointments

37

11.

Personality

42

12.

Schemes

43

13.

Sports

46

14.

Defence

48

15.

General Knowledge

52

16.

May Month Questions

61

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TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS I

May 2018

IMPORTANT DAYS MAY 1 – INTERNATIONAL LABOUR DAY Established by

: International Labour Movement

First Observed Theme

: 1886 : Uniting Workers for Social and Economic Advancement

MAY 1- WORLD ASTHMA DAY Established by

: Global Initiative for Asthma

First Observed Theme

: 1998 : Never Too Early, Never Too Late. It’s Always The Right Time to Address Airways Disease

MAY 3 – WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY Established by

: Universal Declaration of Human Rights

First Observed Theme

: 1991 : Keeping Power in Check: Media, Justice and The Rule of Law

MAY 8 – WORLD RED CROSS DAY Establishd by

: International Committee of the Red Cross

First Observed Theme

: 1828 : Memorable Smiles From Around the World

MAY 11 – NATIONAL TECHNOLOGY DAY Established by

: Technology development Board

First Observed

: 1998

MAY 12- INTERNATIONAL NURSES DAY Established by

: International Council Of Nurses

First Observed Theme

: 1953 : Nurses: A Voice to Lead – Health is a Human Right

MAY 12- WORLD MIGRATORY BIRD Established by

: United Nations General Assembly

First Observed Theme

: 1749 : Unifying our Voices for Bird Conservation

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TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS I

May 2018

MAY 12- WORLD FAIR TRADE DAY Established by

: World Fair Trade Organisation

First Observed Theme

: 1989 : Live Fair, One Product at a Time

MAY 13- INTERNATIONAL MOTHERS DAY Established by

: United Nations

First Observed

: 1905

MAY 15- INTERNATIONAL DAY OF FAMILIES Estblished by

: United Nations General Assembly

First Observed Theme

: 1993 : Families and Inclusive Societies

MAY 17- WORLD HYPERTENSION KNOW YOUR NUMBERS Established by

: The World Hypertension League

First Observed Theme

: 2005 : know your numbers

MAY 17 – WORLD TELECOMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION SOCIETY DAY Establised by

: United Nations General Assembly

First Observed Theme

: 1969 : Enabling the Positive Use of Artificial Intelligence for All

MAY 18- INTERNATIONAL MUSEUM DAY Established by

: International Council of Museum

First Observed Theme

: 1977 : Hyperconnected Museums: Hyperconnected Museums: New approaches, New Publics

MAY 18 – WORLD AIDS VACCINE DAY Established by

: Morgan State University

First Observed

: 1988

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TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS I

May 2018

MAY 20 – WORLD METROLOGY DAY Established by

: Global Colloboration Science Of measurement

First Observed Theme

: 1875 : Constant Evolution of the International System of Units

MAY 21- ANTI TERRORISM DAY Established by

: United Nations General Assembly

First Observed

: 1883

MAY 22- INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY Established by

: United Nations General Assembly

First Observed Theme

: 1992 : Celebrating 25 Years of Action for Biodiversity

MAY 29 – INETRNATIONAL DAY OF UNITED NATIONS PEACEKEEPERS Established by

: United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation

First Observed Theme

: 1948 : 70 Years of Service and Sacrifice

MAY 31- WORLD- NO- TOBACCO DAY Established by

: World Health Assembly

First Observed Theme

: 1987 : Tobacco and health disease

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TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS I

May 2018

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS INTERNATIONAL BHUDDIST CONFERENCE HELD IN NEPAL  International Buddhist Conference was held in Lumbini, Nepal to commemorate 2562nd Buddha Jayanti.  The theme of the conference was ‘Lumbini Nepal: The birthplace of Lord Buddha and the fountain of Buddhism and world peace’. Lumbini is birth place of Gautama Buddha, founder of Buddhist religion. Lord Buddha was born in sacred garden of Lumbini during 6th century BC and had attained enlightenment in Bodh Gaya, (now in Bihar, India) and gave his first sermon in Sarnath and died in Kushinagar.

US, CHINA BEGIN TRADE TALKS CENTRED AROUND TECH RIVALRY  Chinese and US officials met face-to-face in an attempt to resolve a dispute over technology that has taken the world’s two largest economies.  US treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin is leading the group, which includes commerce secretary Wilbur Ross and US trade representative Robert Lighthizer.  Liu He, President Xi Jinping’s top economic adviser, headed the Chinese side in the talks, which are expected to end

CHINA INSTALLS CRUISE MISSILES ON SOUTH CHINA SEA OUTPOSTS  China has installed anti-ship cruise missiles and surface-toair missile systems on three of its outposts in the South China Sea.  The installations, if confirmed, would mark the first Chinese missile deployments in the Spratly islands, where several Asian countries including Vietnam and Taiwan have rival claims.

INDIAN HITS JACKPOT WINS $1.9 MILLION IN ABU DHABI LOTTERY  An Indian has won a whopping $1.9 million in a raffle in the UAE  Anil Varghese Theveril, 50, who works in Kuwait as an executive assistant recited that he hit the jackpot on the ticket number that matches with his son’s date of birth, Khaleej Times reported.  He was declared the winner of the 7 million dirhams ($1.9 million or over Rs 12 crore) prize in the Big Ticket millionaire draw held at Abu Dhabi International Airport.

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TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS I NO NOBEL LITERATURE PRIZE IN THIS YEAR ACADEMY

May 2018

RECITED BY SWEDISH

 Two Nobel Prizes in Literature will be handed out next year, the 2018 prize and the 2019 prize.  The decision was made by Swedish Academy in Stockholm on the grounds that the group was in too deep a crisis to choose a Nobel winner properly. It will be the first time since 1949 that the prestigious award has been delayed. Last year, Japanese-born British novelist Kazuo Ishiguro won the prize.

CALIFORNIA’S ECONOMY IS WORLD’S 5TH BIGGEST  California’s economy has surpassed the economy of United Kingdom. California’s gross domestic product increased by $127 billion from 2016 to 2017.  California’s economy is concentrated in coastal regions around San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles and San Diego.  This result was made by public from new federal data California’s economy is now only behind the economy of the 1. United States 2. China 3. Japan 4. Germany

INDIA, SRI LANKA AGREE ON INFORMATION EXCHANGE FOR DRUG CONTROL  India and Sri Lanka announced that the two nations will cooperate to tackle smuggling of drugs in both countries.  This decision was taken at the third bilateral meeting between delegations from the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) of India, and the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) of Sri Lanka.  The meeting focused on narcotics, drugs and psychotropic substances and related matters. The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) is the nodal drug law enforcement and intelligence agency of India responsible for fighting drug trafficking and the abuse of illegal substances. The Director General of NCB is an officer of the Indian Police Service(IPS) or the Indian Revenue Service(IRS). www.vetriias.com

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TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS I

May 2018

AUSTRALIA PLEDGED 34 MILLION TO HELP SAVE KOALA POPULATION  Australia unveiled a US$34-million plan to help bring its koala population back from the brink, following a rapid decline in the furry marsupial’s fortunes.  The Australian Koala Foundation estimates there may be as few as 43,000 koalas left in the wild, down from a population believed to number more than 10 million prior to European settlement of the continent in 1788. USEFUL INFO  Australia Capital - Canberra  Currency - Rubble  President Vladimir - Putin

PM MODI 9TH ON FORBES’ LIST OF MOST POWERFUL PEOPLE IN THE WORLD  Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been ranked among the top 10 most powerful people in the world by Forbes in a list that has been topped for the first time ever by Chinese President Xi Jinping, who dethroned Russian President Vladimir Putin as the most influential person on the planet.  Modi ranks 9th on the Forbes 2018 list of 75 of the World's Most Powerful People who make the world turn.  "There are nearly 7.5 billion humans on planet Earth, but these 75 men and women make the world turn. Forbes' annual ranking of The World's Most Powerful People identifies one person out of every 100 million whose actions mean the most," Stated by Forbes . 

Forbes is an American business magazine. Published bi-weekly, it features original articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. Forbes also reports on related subjects such as technology, communications, science, politics, and law. Its headquarters is located in Jersey City, New Jersey.



Primary

competitors

in

the

national

business

magazine

category

include Fortuneand Bloomberg Businessweek. The magazine is well known for its lists and rankings, including of the richest Americans (the Forbes 400), of the world's top companies

(the Forbes

Global

2000),

and The

World's

Billionaires.

The motto of Forbes magazine is "The Capitalist Tool". 

Its chair and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes, and its CEO is Mike Federle. It was announced on July 18, 2014 that a majority stake in the publisher had been sold to a group of investors through their vehicle Integrated Whale Media Investments.

PAKISTAN NAMES FORMER CHIEF JUSTICE AS CARETAKER PM  Former Pakistan Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk appointed as the interim Prime Minister of the country until the general elections are held on July 25.  The decision comes ahead of the dissolution of the current government and parliament.

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TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS I

May 2018

CHINA LAUNCHES GAOFEN-5 SATELLITE TO MONITOR AIR POLLUTION  China successfully launched Gaofen-5 satellite, a hyper spectral imaging satellite, to monitor air pollution which is one of the country's major problems.  The satellite was launched off the back of a Long March 4C rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in northern Shanxi Province.  It was the 274th flight mission by a Long March carrier rocket.

CHINA’S FIRST DOMESTICALLY DEVELOPED AIRCRAFT CARRIER BEGAN SEA TRIALS  The aircraft carrier has not been named yet. It is a 50,000-metric tonne vessel. It started off from a shipyard of Dalian Shipbuilding Industry in Liaoning province.  This vessel will become China’s second aircraft carrier. China commissioned its first carrier the Liaoning in 2012.  This trial aims to demonstrate the reliability and capability of the ship’s propulsion systems.

WHO LAUNCHES ‘REPLACE’ CAMPAIGN TO ELIMINATE TRANS - FAT IN FOODS BY 2023  The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a comprehensive plan to eliminate trans -fats from the global food supply by 2023.  The WHO released its step-by-step guide called REPLACE, which aims to eliminate industrially-produced trans-fatty acids from food. Notes about REPLACE : REPLACE will target 6 key strategic actions - REview sources of industrially-produced trans fats, Promote the replacement with healthier oils, Legislate or take regulatory actions, Assess and monitor trans fats content in the food, Create awareness of negative health effects of trans fats, and Enforce compliance of policies and regulations.

METEOROLOGICAL DEPARTMENT TO DEPLOY 30 MORE DOPPLER RADAR SYSTEMS ACROSS INDIA  In the next 2 or 3 years, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) will add 30 more Doppler radar systems across the country.  The IMD will set up 14 in the northeast, 4 in Jammu and Kashmir, and 3 each in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.  The Doppler radar can provide area specific rain and storm warnings, which are beneficial for disaster management and emergency response, and even for aviation.

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TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS I



May 2018

A Doppler radar is a specialized radar that uses the Doppler effect to produce velocity data about objects at a distance.



It does this by bouncing a microwave signal off a desired target and analyzing how the object's motion has altered the frequency of the returned signal. This variation gives direct and highly accurate measurements of the radial component of a target's velocity relative to the radar.



Doppler

radars

are

used

in aviation,

sounding

satellites, Major

League

Baseball's StatCast system, meteorology, radar guns, radiology and healthcare (fall detection and risk assessment, nursing or clinic purpose), and bistatic radar (surface-toair missiles).

RUSSIA LAUNCHES WORLD’S FIRST FLOATING NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

 Russia on May 19, 2018 launched 'Akademik Lomonosov', the world's first floating nuclear power plant at the St Petersburg shipyard.  The plant is currently towed to a port town called Murmansk in northwest Russia, where it will be loaded up with fuel. The plant would be then taken to a town in the Arctic Circle called Pevek, where it will begin generating power in mid-2019. The ‘Akademik Lomonosov’ is to be the first of a fleet of floating nuclear power stations to be stationed in the Russian Arctic.  The 144-by-30-metre (472-by-98-foot) power plant holds two reactors with two 35 megawatt nuclear reactors that are similar to those used to power icebreaker ships.  The power plant has no propulsion of its own. It will be towed up North to avoid the steep cost of shipping it by land piece by piece to remote areas.  The plant is capable of producing enough electricity to power a town of 200,000 residents, far more than the 5,000 living in Pevek.

VENEZUELA'S PRESIDENT MADURO WINS RE-ELECTION  Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro was re-elected for a second six-year term in presidential elections, according to the National Electoral Council (CNE).  Some 14,638 voting centers have been set up nationwide for Venezuela's more than 20.5 million eligible voters, who are also voting for state legislators.  Mr. Nicolas replaced Hugo Chavez after his death from cancer in 2013.

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Page 8

TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS I 

May 2018

The National Electoral Council (Spanish: Consejo Nacional Electoral) (CNE) is one of the five branches of government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela that is designed to be independent.



It is the institution that has the responsibility of overseeing and guaranteeing the transparency of all elections and referendums in Venezuela at the local, regional, and national levels.



The creation of the CNE was ratified by citizens in Venezuela's 1999 constitutional referendum.

71ST WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY HELD IN GENEVA, SWITZERLAND  The 71st World Health Assembly held in Geneva, Switzerland has adopted resolution on Digital Health. The resolution was initiated by India and was co-sponsored by 20 countries. The World Health Assembly is highest decision-making body of World Health Organization (WHO). Its 71st session was attended by delegations from all WHO member states  The theme this year is “Health for All: Commit To Universal Health Coverage.” 

WHO is specialized agency of United Nations that acts as coordinating authority on international public health. It was established on 7 April 1948, it succeeded the Health Organization, which was an agency of the League of Nations.



It is a member of UN Development Group (UNDP). It is headquartered at Geneva. WHO flag features the Rod of Asclepius as a symbol for healing.

SMART CITIES INDIA 2018 EXPO UNDERWAY IN NEW DELHI  A three-day Smart Cities India 2018 Expo, began in New Delhi.  The mega event, consisting five expos is being held with a vision to help develop attractive and safe cities that evoke pride, passion and a sense of belonging among citizens.

INDIA RANKS 145TH AMONG 195 COUNTRIES IN TERMS OF HEALTHCARE ACCESS  As per Lancet’s Global Burden of Disease study, India ranked 145th among 195 countries in terms of quality and accessibility of healthcare on the Healthcare Access and Quality Index (HAQ Index).  India saw improvements in healthcare access and quality since 1990. www.vetriias.com

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TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS I

May 2018

Health care quality is a level of value provided by any health care resource, as determined by some measurement. As with quality in other fields, it is an assessment of whether something is good enough and whether it is suitable for its purpose. The goal of health care is to provide medical resources of high quality to all who need them; that is, to ensure good quality of life, to cure illnesses when possible, to extend life expectancy

BANK OF BARODA LOCATES MAJOR OPERATIONS AT GIFT CITY  Bank of Baroda successfully located most of its operational activities at a shared service center (SSC) at the GIFT City near Ahmedabad.  The bank will now offer its services including retail loan processing, deposit account opening, forex and call center from the SSC, which will have a staff strength of 200.  The bank will thus become one of the largest employers in the Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar region. Bank of Baroda (BoB) is an Indian state-owned International banking and financial services company headquartered in Vadodara (earlier known as Baroda) in Gujarat, India. It has a corporate office in Mumbai.

INDIA STANDS 44TH IN COMPETITIVE RANKINGS, USA TOPS  India rose one place to 44th this year in the global competitive rankings out of 63 countries that were ranked by the IMD World Competitiveness Center.  India started from the 40th position in 2013 and dropped to the 44th rank in 2014. The top 5 most competitive economies in the world are: 1. The USA 2. Hong Kong 4. The Netherlands and 5. Switzerland

3. Singapore

The India Meteorological Department (IMD), also referred to as the Met Department, is an agency of the Ministry of Earth Sciences of the Government of India. It is the principal agency responsible for meteorological observations, weather forecasting and seismology. IMD is headquartered in Delhi and operates hundreds of observation stations across India and Antarctica. Regional office are at Mumbai, Kolkata, Nagpur and Pune.

INDIA TO BE HOST COUNTRY ENVIRONMENT DAY 2018

FOR

CELEBRATIONS

OF

WORLD

 India will be host the country for celebrations of World Environment Day 2018.  The announcement in this regard was made by the Environment Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan.  The theme for this year is 'Beat Plastic Pollution'.

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TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS I

May 2018

MISSION INNOVATION MINISTERIAL MEETING HELD IN SWEDEN  The third Mission Innovation Ministerial meeting was held in Malmo, Sweden.  Ministers and high-level delegates from 23 nations participated.  Mission Innovation aims at accelerating clean energy innovations. 

Mission Innovation (MI) is a global initiative of 22 countries and the European Commission (on behalf of the EU) partnering to reinvigorate and accelerate clean energy innovation with the objective of making clean energy more widely affordable.



Mission Innovation recognises that accelerating widespread clean energy innovation is an indispensable part of an effective, long-term global response to the climate challenge, necessary to provide affordable and reliable energy for everyone and to promote economic growth, and critical for energy security.

PMS OF INDIA AND BANGLADESH INAUGURATE BANGLA BHAVAN IN SHANTI NIKETAN  Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina jointly inaugurate Bangladesh Bhawan at Shanti Niketan in West Bengal.  The two leaders then paid floral tributes to Rabindra Nath Tagore.  This is the first time in Indian history, that two prime ministers attended a convocation ceremony.

COLOMBIA TO BE NATO'S 1ST LATIN AMERICAN GOBAL PARTNER  Colombia would be formally joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).  The announcement was made by the Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos.  With the move, Colombia will become the first Latin American nation to be a part of the alliance. 

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between three of the five official nuclear-weapon states with the

power

to

veto

at

the

United

Nations

Security

Council (United

States, France and United Kingdom) and 26 other North American and European countries. The alliance is based on the North Atlantic Treaty that was signed on 4 April 1949. 

NATO constitutes a system of collective defence whereby its independent member states agree to mutual defence in response to an attack by any external party. NATO Headquarters are located in Haren, Brussels, Belgium

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TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS I

May 2018

NATIOANL AFFAIRS PRAVASI BHARATIYA DIVAS HELD IN VARANASI  The next Pravasi Bharatiya Divas held in the holy city of Varanasi in January with the Indian diaspora having an option to participate in Kumbha Snan and attend the Republic Day parade in New Delhi,

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2014 would be held between January 7-9 at Vigyan Bhawan New Delhi. This would be the 12th Edition of NRI Day held every year to celebrate Mahatma Gandhi’s return to India in 1915. 

In 2013, 11th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas was held in Kochi from 7–9 January, where the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) is organising partner of the summit.



The President of Mauritius, Rajkeswur Purryag, was the chief guest at the official inaugural session.



Canadian Minister Jason Kenney became the first individual of non-Indian heritage to address the gathering.

ARMED FORCES ACT WILL CONTINUE IN NAGALAND  Nagaland is the only State in the northeast, apart from eight police stations in Arunachal Pradesh, where ASFPA continues to be imposed by the Union Home Ministry.  Nagaland, Manipur and Assam are the only three States in the northeast that continue to be under AFSPA Armed Forces (Special Powers) Acts (AFSPA), are Acts of the Parliament of India that grant special powers to the Indian Armed Forces in what each act terms "disturbed areas". According to The Disturbed Areas (Special Courts) Act, 1976 once declared ‘disturbed’, the area has to maintain status quo for a minimum of 3 month.

PM HONOURED 360 CRORE TO DEVELOP BUDDHIST CIRCUIT IN FIVE STATE  Regarding the air connectivity, the Ministry is regularly pursuing with Ministry of Civil Aviation to take up opening of under-served and unserved airports / airstrips under RCS UDAN (Regional Connectivity Scheme). Ministry of Tourism has also taken up the development of Buddhist Circuit under its Scheme ‘Swadesh Darshan’ wherein the last mile connectivity of tourist sites is also one of the components

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TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS I

Sl. No 1.

Name of State Madhya Pradesh

Name of Circuit & Year Buddhist Circuit (2016-17)

2.

Uttar Pradesh

Buddhist Circuit (2016-17)

3.

Bihar

Buddhist Circuit (2016-17)

4.

Gujarat

Buddhist circuit (2017-18)

5.

Andhra Pradesh

Buddhist Circuit (2017-18)

Project Name Development of Buddhist Circuit in Sanchi-Satna-RewaMandsaur-Dhar in Madhya Pradesh. Development of Buddhist Circuit – Srawasti, Kushinagar, & Kapilvastu in Uttar Pradesh. Construction of Cultural Centre adjacent to Maya Sarovar on the western side at Bodhgaya, Bihar. Development of Buddhist circuit: JunagadhGirSomnathBharuch-KutchBhavnagar- Rajkot- Mehsana in Gujarat under Swadesh Darshan scheme. Development of Buddhist Circuit: ShalihundamThotlakondaBavikondaBojjanakondaAmravatiAnupu in Andhra Pradesh under the theme of Buddhist Circuit of Swadesh Darshan Scheme.

Total

May 2018

Amt. Sanctioned 74.94

Amt. Released 14.99

99.97

19.99

98.73

19.75

35.99

7.20

52.34

10.47

361.97

72.40

9TH INDIA JAPAN ENERGY DIALOGUE HELD IN NEW DELHI  Japan and India, as the third and the seventh largest economies respectively, recognized that having access to reliable, clean and economical energy is critical for their economic growth and in achieving this, both Ministers agreed on further strengthening of bilateral energy cooperation for energy development of both countries, while also contributing to worldwide energy security, energy access and climate change issues. 8TH India , Japan energy dialogue The Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power, Coal and New and Renewable Energy, Shri Piyush Goyal and the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Japan, Mr. Motoo Hayashi signing the Joint Statement at end of the 8th India-Japan Energy Dialogue, in Tokyo.

GOOGLE PICKS NITIN BAWANKULE FOR HEAD OF INDIA CLOUD BUSINESS  Google has appointed Nitin Bawankule as the country head for its cloud business in India.  Bawankule has been with Google for more than six years. His previous posts with the company include head of sales for the company’s e-commerce, retail and classifieds and education business. www.vetriias.com

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May 2018

PCI REJECTS WORLD PRESS FREEDOM INDEX CITING ‘LACK OF CLARITY’  Without Borders (RWB), the World Press Freedom Index measures the level of media freedom in 180 countries.  As per the Reporters without Borders’ annual report released on April 25, India dropped down two places from 136 in 2017 to 138 in 2018.  Justice C.K Prasad, Press Council of India Chairman mentioned RWB’s annual report has “lack of clarity” on the inputs that weighed in the rankings.

FASTEST GROWING COUNTRY FOR AIR PASSENGERS COUNTRY  India has been projected to be the second fastest growing country in the world for air passenger traffic. India has been projected to be the second fastest growing country in the world for air passenger traffic.  The Airports Council International (ACI), in its traffic forecasts, said, by 2022 passenger traffic in emerging economies like India will surpass advanced economies.  The ACI, a global trade body representing airports across the globe, has put Vietnam at the top position with an 8.5 percent growth rate, followed by India at 7.5 percent and Iran at 7.3 percent. China has been placed at the 8th position with 5.9 percent growth rate. GOVERNMENT RELEASES DRAFT NEW TELECOM POLICY  The government has released the draft of the new Telecom policy named National Digital Communications Policy, 2018.  The policy aims at creating 40 lakh new jobs by 2022, attracting 100 billion US dollars investment in the sector and ensuring broadband coverage at 50 mbps for every citizen.

14 INDIAN CITIES FIGURE IN WORLD’S 20 MOST POLLUTED LIST : WHO  Indian cities that registered very high levels of PM2.5 pollutants  Delhi and Varanasi are among the 14 Indian cities that figure in a list of 20 most polluted cities in the world in terms of PM2.5 levels in 2016, data released by the WHO Kanpur, Faridabad, Gaya, Patna, Lucknow, Agra, Muzaffarpur, Srinagar, Gurgaon, Jaipur, Patiala and Jodhpur followed by Ali Subah Al-Salem in Kuwait and a few cities in China and Mongolia.

GOVT RECOMMENDS GREEN REGISTRATION PLATES FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES  The Union road transport and highways ministry have recommended green registration plates for electric vehicles (EVs) so as to identify them for preferential treatment.  The ministry will soon issue a notification specifying the colour of the plates to be used by these vehicles, two senior government officials said on condition of anonymity.  Federal think tank Niti Aayog, which is framing the draft policy for EVs, had recommended green registration plates for such vehicles. www.vetriias.com

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May 2018

839 CRORE FARM RELIEF BY U.P GOVERNMENT  The Uttar Pradesh government has sought assistance of more than 839 crore for damage to crops, property and human life due to the drought and recent violent hailstorms.  The government submitted memorandums to the Centre seeking assistance of 678.98 crore for losses under drought in the rabi season and 153.43 crore for damage due to hailstorm

NATIONAL MUSEUM INAUGURATED IN NEW DELHI  ‘India and the world: a history in nine stories’ exhibition was inaugurated by the President, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, (IGNCA), Raam Bahadur Rai, at National Museum, New Delhi.

DEPWD TO ORGANISE ‘COCHLEAR IMPLANT AWARENESS PROGRAMME’ IN FARIDABAD  A ‘Cochlear Implant Awareness Programme’ was held at Huda Convention Centre, Sector-12, Faridabad, Haryana.





The Cochlear Implant Awareness Programme was organized by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment along with Indian Red Cross Society and Sarvodaya Hospital & Research Centre. Krishan Pal Gurjar, Minister of State for Social Justice & Empowerment was the Chief Guest of the programme.

NITI AAYOG SEEKS WORLD BANK’S HELP TO PREVENT FRAUD IN ABNHPM  With the help of World Bank’s assist NITI Aayog confirmed that there was no cheating of funds occurred in the Centre’s ambitious Ayushman Bharat National Health Protection Mission (AB-NHPM), expertise on fraud detection and prevention.

Facts about NITI Aayog  It is also National Institution for Transforming India, is a policy think tank of the Government of India.  Headquarters – New Delhi  Agency executives – Narendra Modi, Chairman & Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman www.vetriias.com

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BRO CELEBRATED ITS 58TH RAISING DAY  Border Roads Organisation (BRO) celebrated its 58th Raising Day on 7 May 2018. BRO is leading government organisation in arena of infrastructural development lopment in the border areas of the country. Since its inception in 1960, it has grown from 02 to 19 projects  The works executed by it have ensured territorial integrity and socio-economic upliftment of most inaccessible regions of country. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) develops and maintains road networks in India's border areas and friendly neighbouring countries. It is staffed by officers and troops drawn from the Indian Army's Corps of Engineers, Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Army Service Corps, Military Police and army personnel on extra regimental employment.

UNION GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCES PROJECT TO STRENGTHEN NAMAMI GANGE PROGRAMME  The 11th Executive Committee meeting of National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has approved the project which will make use of GIS technology.  The project to strengthen the Namami Gange programme will have a total budget of Rs. 86.84 crore.  For Ganga rejuvenation, the National Mission for Clean Ganga has tied-up with the Survey of India.  GIS stands for Geographic Information System technology.  The project includes use of Digital Elevation Model (DEM) technology which ensures accurate data collection.

‘Namami Gange Programme’, is an Integrated Conservation Mission, approved as ‘Flagship Programme’ by the Union Government in June 2014 with budget outlay of Rs.20,000 Crore to accomplish the twin objectives of effective abatement of pollution, conservation and rejuvenation of National River Ganga. GIS technology A geographic information system (GIS) is a system designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and present spatial or geographic data. The acronym GIS is sometimes used for geographic information science (GIScience) to refer to the academic discipline that studies geographic information systems

NITI AAYOG AND GOOGLE SIGN SOI TO DEVELOP AI ECOSYSTEM IN INDIA  NITI Aayog and Google have signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) to work on a range of initiatives to help build the AI ecosystem across the country.  The aim is to develop India’s artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) ecosystem. www.vetriias.com

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GOVERNMENT APPROVES 100 MORE ONE STOP CENTRES FOR WOMEN  The Ministry of Women and Child Development will set up 100 more ‘one stop centres’ to help women in distress.  The centres will be established in Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.

Agreements  India inks $200 million loan agreement with World Bank for national nutrition mission  The Government of India has signed a loan deal worth USD 200 million with the World Bank for the National Nutrition Mission (POSHAN Abhiyaan).  The aim is to reduce stunted growth in children from birth to 6 years, from the current figure of 38.4% to 25% by the year 2022.  POSHAN Abhiyaan was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 8 in Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan. POSHAN Abhiayan  POSHAN Abhiyaan was launched on 8th March 2018 by the Prime Minister in Jhunjhunu.  The Abhiyaan targets to reduce stunting, under-nutrition, anemia (among young children, women and adolescent girls) and reduce low birth weight by 2%, 2%, 3% and 2% per annum respectively.

‘SHE LODGE’ AT KERALA  The Kerala state Women’s development corporation Ltd execute this project .  It aimed at providing clean and hassle –free short –stay facility exclusive for women ,will turn a reality by 2019. Women who land in the Kerala capital city need not fret over a safe place to stay as the municipal corporation orporation is set to launch ladies-only lodges. The "She Lodges” will be a boon to unaccompanied women who come to the southern city ,especially from other states and are in dire need of a safe roof over their heads.

PM MODI TO INAUGURATE ALTERNATE ROUTE TO VAISHNO DEVI SHRINE  Prime Minister Narendra Modi will formally inaugurate Tarakote Marg, an alternate seven-kilometre track to the famous Vaishno Devi shrine.  Chief Executive Officer of the board Umang Narula recited the new track would be opened to pilgrims from the morning of May 13.  The board had approved in February 2011 Vohra’s proposal to construct an alternate track between Banganga and Adhkuwari.

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PM MODI LIKELY TO INAUGURATE PAKYONG AIRPORT IN SIKKIM  Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to commission the strategically important Pakyong airport in Sikkim.  The green field airport, close to the capital city of Gangtok, received the aerodrome license from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation last Friday.  The airport was approved by the Centre in 2008 and was constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 350 crore.

ANDAMAN & NICOBAR COMMAND SET TO GET IAF FIGHTER BASE  Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) by permanently stationing fighter jets and other combat platforms on the islands.  Ministry of Defence told that air bases in Car Nicobar and Campbell Bay have been identified as possible bases to station the IAF fighters. FACTS ABOUT ANC : The Andaman and Nicobar Command is the first and only Tri-service theater command of the Indian Armed Forces, based at Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a Union Territory of India. It was created in 2001 to safeguard India's strategic interests in Southeast Asia and the Strait of Malacca by increasing rapid deployment of military assets in the region.

MADYA PRADESH GETS INDIA’S FIRST SMART CITIES CONTROL CENTRE  The Madhya Pradesh government launched the country’s first Integrated Control and Command Centre (ICCC) for all seven smart cities of the state in Bhopal.  Bhopal, Indore, Ujjain, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Satna, and Sagar are the seven smart cities under SCM in Madhya Pradesh. Command and control centre  A command center or command centre (often called a war room) is any place that is used to provide centralized command for some purpose.  While frequently considered to be a military facility, these can be used in many other cases by governments or businesses. The term "war room" is also often used in politics to refer to teams of communications people who monitor and listen to the media and the public, respond to inquiries, and synthesize opinions to determine the best course of action.  Agreements

KERALA GOVERNMENT TO PROVIDE FREE INTERNET  The Kerala Government will set up a Joint Venture company ‘Kerala Fibre Optic Network Limited’ to launch its new optic fibre network.  The company will implement the Kerala Fibre Optic Network (K-FON) project.  The K-FON initiative will provide speedy internet connectivity to government offices and educational institutions and to the public at an affordable rate.

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INDIA INKS $200 MILLION LOAN AGREEMENT WITH WORLD BANK FOR NATIONAL NUTRITION MISSION  The Government of India has signed a loan deal worth USD 200 million with the World Bank for the National Nutrition Mission (POSHAN Abhiyaan).  The aim is to reduce stunted growth in children from birth to 6 years, from the current figure of 38.4% to 25% by the year 2022.  POSHAN Abhiyaan was launched by Prime Minister Narendra  Modi on March 8 in Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan.

POSHAN Abhiayan POSHAN Abhiyaan was launched on 8th March 2018 by the Prime Minister in Jhunjhunu. The Abhiyaan targets to reduce stunting, under-nutrition, anemia (among young children, women and adolescent girls) and reduce low birth weight by 2%, 2%, 3% and 2% per annum respectively.

INDIA PAVILION INAUGURATED AT CANNES FILM FESTIVAL 2018  The inaugural session of the Indian Pavilion at the Cannes Film Festival 2018 was held at Cannes, France.  It was hosted by actor Sharad Kelkar. And among the Indian delegation were Prasoon Joshi (a writer, poet and the chairman of Central Board of Film Certification India ) .  CM Pema Khandu inaugurates Arunachal’s biggest solar power plant  Arunachal Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Thursday inaugurated the State’s biggest solar power plant located at Energy Awareness Park.  The plant has a capacity of 1 MW and has an estimated investment of Rs. 8.50 crore.

ROCK DISCOVERED IN ODISHA GEOLOGICALLY IMPORTANT

IS

WORLD’S

SECOND

OLDEST,

 Scientists have identified a rock in Odisha as the world’s second oldest.  The rock was discovered 8 years ago in Champua, in Odisha’s Kendujhar district.  In the rock, scientists found a grain of magmatic zircon, which is a mineral that contains traces of radioactive isotopes. Scientists have found a grain of magmatic zircon (a mineral that contains traces of radioactive isotopes) in the rock that is an estimated 4240 million years old, making it the world’s second oldest rock.

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INDIA’S CLEAN ENERGY CAPACITY TOUCHES 70 GW: MNRE  Ministry of New and Renewable Energy R K Singh said India’s installed clean energy capacity has already touched 70 GW and 38 GW is under implementation as per the data compiled .  India is progressing fast in the areas of renewable energy and government is committed to meeting target of having 175 GW by 2022. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy or MNRE is a ministry of the Government of India. The ministry is currently headed by R. K. Singh, a Minister of State-In Charge. The ministry was established as the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources in 1992. It adopted its current name in October 2006.

GUJARAT INKS CULTURAL PACT WITH POLAND GOVERNMENT  A MoU was signed between Gujarat government and the Poland government regarding the centenary celebrations to mark independence of Poland in Delhi and other regions of the world.   

 

The department of youth and cultural affairs of Gujarat government will be coorganisers for the centenary celebrations. The MoU was signed by Polish ambassador to India Adam Burakowski and principal secretary of youth and cultural affairs department V P Patel According to the MoU, the Gujarat state government’s cultural affairs department will help Poland in organising and publicising “generations to generations” programme in Delhi and other regions of the world During the World War II, King of Jamnagar Digvijaysinh Jadeja offered shelter to more than 600 women and children of Poland. A programme about the king offering shelter to Polish people will be conducted. Poland got independence in October 1918.

SHRI J P NADDA HOLDS HIGH LEVEL REVIEW MEETING ON VECTOR BORNE DISEASES IN DELHI  JP Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare chaired a high-level meeting to

review the preparedness of various agencies for prevention and management of vectorborne diseases, in New Delhi.  JP Nadda recite the agencies to develop a separate registry for cases originating and taking place in Delhi.  He highlighted the importance of conducting focused and intensive IEC (Information, Education & Communication) campaigns and continuing them through the monsoon season.

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GOVT SET TO EXPAND BUDDHIST TOURISM CIRCUIT TO 21 MORE STATES

 Ministry of Tourism has finalised to expand Buddhist tourism Journey

under Swadesh Darshan Scheme to 21 extra states to make it India’s 1st trans-national tourist Journey.  Previously, it was imagined only to 7 major Buddhist pilgrimage sites in UP and Bihar. SWADESH DARSHAN SCHEME : 

The Union Ministry of Tourism had released the Swadesh Darshan Scheme in 201415 with an objective to advance theme-based tourist journeys in the nation. These tourist journeys will be established on principles of high tourist value, attractiveness and sustainability in a combined manner.



They will be established by synergizing efforts to attention on anxieties and requirements of all shareholders to enrich tourist experience and augment employment options.



Under this plan, 13 thematic journeys have been recognized for progress.

SURESH PRABHU LAUNCHES INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MASCOT ‘IP NANI’  Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Suresh Prabhu launched the Intellectual Property (IP) mascot ‘IP Nani’.  The mascot was launched during a conference on the National Intellectual Property Rights Policy in New Delhi.

 On the same occasion , an anti – piracy video featuring the Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan was also launched www.vetriias.com

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IIM-AHMEDABAD LAUNCHED BHARAT INCLUSIVE INITIATIVE  Centre for Innovation, Incubation, and Entrepreneurship (CIIE) of IIM-Ahmedabad has launched a Bharat Inclusion Initiative to build knowledge and promote innovation and entrepreneurial activity across areas such as financial inclusion, education and health.  The major aim of this initiative is to channelize approximately $25 million over coming 3-4 years towards backing gamechanging start-ups influencing the on going digital transformation in India.

 

The bharat inclusive initiative aims to nudge the directions of progress towards a more inclusive society. The bharat inclusive initiative will provide passionate entrepreneurs the domain knowledge, training financial support mentorship and the market access they need to bring inclusive, for-profit businesses to life.

INDIA PROVIDED GRANT OF NRS 18.07 CRORE TO NEPAL FOR RIVER TRAINING  India has released grant of Nepalese Rupees (NRs) 18.07 crore for river training and construction of embankments along the Lalbakeya, Bagmati and Kamla rivers in Nepal.  This river training aims at flood control and water resources management which benefit several million people inhabiting in watershed of these rivers in India and Nepal.

ENVIRONMENT MINISTRY LAUNCHED GREEN SKILL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME  Union Environment Ministry launched its full-fledged Green Skill Development Programme (GSDP).  The major aim of this programme is to train over 5.5 lakh workers in environment and forest sectors in country through 30 courses by 2021. Green Skill Development Programme : An initiative for skill development in the environment and forest sector has been taken up by the Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change (MoEF&CC) to enable India’s youth to get gainful employment and/or self-employment, utilising the vast network and expertise of ENVIS Hubs/RPs. It is called the Green Skill Development Programme.

NITI AAYOG’S THREE DAY VENTURE CAPITAL SYMPOSIUM 2018 BEGINS  Venture Capital Symposium 2018 is organized by NITI Aayog.  Vision India Foundation is the Knowledge Partner for the event.  It aims to enhance the economic relationships between France and India and to support the Start-up India programme. www.vetriias.com

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INDIA IS THIRD LARGEST SOLAR MARKET IN THE WORLD: MERCOM COMMUNICATIONS  India was the third largest solar market in the world in 2017 behind China and the US, according to Mercom Communications India.  India set a new record, with 9.6 GW of solar installations in 2017, which is more than double the 4.3 GW installed in 2016.

SWACCH SURVESKSHAN 2018: INDORE, BHOPAL & CHANDIGARH ARE TOP 3 CLEANEST CITIES OF INDIA  Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, Hardeep Puri on May 16, 2018 released the results of the Swacch Surveskshan 2018. Indore has emerged as the cleanest city again in India for second year in a row.  Indore and Bhopal have managed to retain their positions as the top 2 cleanest cities, as that of previous year.

Swachh Survekshan Organised Cleaniness Survey : The Swachh Survekshan 2018 was organised by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) under the aegis of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) with an aim to estimate levels of cleanliness across cities in the country LIST OF NATIONAL LEVEL AWARDEES Category

Place

India's Cleanest City - No. 1

Indore, Madhya Pradesh

India's Cleanest City - No.2

Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh

India's Cleanest City - No.3

Chandigarh

India's Cleanest big City

Vijaywada, Andhra Pradesh

India's Fastest Mover big City

Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh

India's Best City in Citizens Feedback

Kota, Rajasthan

India's Best City in Innovation & Best Practices

Nagpur, Maharashtra

India's Best City in Solid Waste Management

Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra

India's Cleanest Medium City

Mysuru, Karnataka

India's Fastest Mover Medium City

Bhiwandi, Maharashtra

India's Cleanest Small City

New Delhi Municipal Council

India's 'Fastest Mover' Small City

Bhusawal, Maharashtra

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Cleanest State Capital

Greater Mumbai, Maharashtra

Fastest Mover State Capital

Jaipur, Rajasthan

Best State Capital in Citizens Feedback

Ranchi, Jharkhand

Best State Capital in Innovation & Best Practices

Panaji, Goa

Best State Capital in Solid Waste Management

Greater Hyderabad, Telangana

CABINET APPROVES SETTING UP OF A NEW AIIMS IN DEOGHAR, JHARKHAND  The Union Cabinet has approved setting up of a new All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Deoghar, Jharkhand.  Funds of Rs.1,103 crore have been approved for the project.  The new AIIMS will be set up under the Pradhan MantriSwasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) scheme. 

The All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) are a group of autonomous public medical colleges of higher education.  These institutes have been declared by an Act of Parliament as Institutes of National Importance. AIIMS Delhi, the fore-runner parent excellence institution, was established in 1956. NTPC SIGNS MOU WITH GOVERNMENT OF BIHAR TO IMPROVE

PERFORMANCE OF POWER SECTOR IN BIHAR  The Government of Bihar (GoB) and NTPC Limited have signed an MoU to improve the performance of Power Sector in Bihar.  As per the MoU, the Barauni Thermal Power Station (720 MW) will be transferred to NTPC.  Also to be transferred to NTPC are 2 more power stations Kanti Bijlee Utpadan Nigam Limited (KBUN) and Nabinagar Power Generating Company (Pvt.) Limited (NPGC). 



The Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) aims at correcting the imbalances in the availability of affordable healthcare facilities in the different parts of the country in general, and augmenting facilities for quality medical education in the underserved States in particular. The scheme was approved in March 2006.

WORKSHOP ON CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES OF ARBITRATION IN SAARC REGION  Workshop on Challenges and Opportunities of Arbitration in SAARC region was conducted in collaboration with FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry), ICA (Indian Council of Arbitration) and SAARC Arbitration Council.  The workshop aims to focus on the role SARCO (SAARC Arbitration Council) in the SAARC region. SAARC : Secretary-General – Amjad B. Hussain, Headquarters – Kathmandu, Nepal.

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PM INAUGURATES 330-MW KISHENGANGA HYDEL POWER PROJECT IN SRINAGAR  Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 330-MW Kishenganga hydel power project in Srinagar.  The project has been built by the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district. It has been constructed at a cost of 5200 crore rupees.  It is expected to generate 1,713 million units of electricity per annum. Jammu and Kashmir would get 12 percent of power from the project. The Kishanganga Hydroelectric Plant is an $864 million dam which is part of a run-of-theriver hydroelectric scheme that is designed to divert water from the Kishanganga River to a power plant in the Jhelum River basin. It is located 5 km (3 mi) north of Bandipore in Jammu and Kashmir, India and will have an installed capacity of 330 MW

INDIA RANKED 6TH WEALTHIEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD  A report by New World Wealth has ranked India in the sixth position in the list of wealthiest countries.  It noted that India was the best-performing wealth market globally in 2017, as its total wealth increased from USD 6,584 billion in 2016 to USD 8,230 billion in 2017, registering a 25 per cent growth. Key Highlights • The United States is the wealthiest country in the world with a total wealth of USD 64,584 billion. • The report ranked China in the second place, as its total wealth in 2017 amounted to USD 24,803 billion. • Japan follows at the third position with a total wealth of USD 19,522 billion. • The top 5 also includes the United Kingdom at the 4th position with wealth amounting to USD 9,919 billion and Germany at the 5th position with USD 9,660 billion. • India is ranked at the 6th position with USD 8,230 billion, followed by France at 7th with USD 6,649 billion, Canada at 8th with USD 6,393 billion, Australia at 9th with USD 6,142 billion and Italy at 10th with USD 4,276 billion.

NABARD SANCTIONS SOLAR STREET LIGHTING SYSTEM IN ARUNACHAL PRADESH  Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh launches the Scheme by dint of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD),which Sanctioned the Scheme Under its Rural Infrastructure Development Fund.  The NABARD has given a total amount of Rs 87.83 lakh for implementing LED Solar Street lighting System in the State.

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Solar street lights are raised light sources which are powered by photovoltaic panels generally mounted on the lighting structure or integrated in the pole itself. The photovoltaic panels charge a rechargeable battery, which powers a fluorescent or LED lamp during the night.

ARUNACHAL’S FIRST COMMERCIAL FLIGHT LANDS AT PASIGHAT AIRPORT  Arunachal Pradesh has seen its first commercial flight land at Pasighat Airport, or Advance Landing Ground (ALG), in East Siang district.  The flight was a 42-seater ATR aircraft of the Alliance Airlines and carried 25 passengers including chief minister Pema Khandu.  It had taken off from Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi Airport in Guwahati and took 1.5 hours to get to Pasighat.

MADHYA PRADESH LAUNCHES ‘MY MP ROJGAR PORTAL’ FOR JOBS FOR YOUTHS  Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, launched ‘My MP Rojgar Portal’ to provide youths with jobs.  Jobs will be provided to youths based on their educational qualification, skills and interest.  The portal will ensure availability of able candidates to employers depending on the need of their businesses.  The portal was launched as a part of the ‘Ham Chhu Lenge Asman’ Mukhyamantri Career Counselling programme ‘Pahal,’ in Bhopal’s Model School.

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INDIAN POLITY PARLIAMENTARY PANEL TO LOOK INTO PERFORMANCE OF PUBLIC SECTOR BANKS

BLACK

MONEY

AND

 A parliamentary panel of 30 members estimate Committee also known as Continuous Economy committee has been constituted by the speaker of parliament . Veteran BJP leader Mr.Murali Manohar Joshi has been appointed as the chairman of this committee.  This committee will focus on the black money and the unaccounted money that was legitimised during the demonetization period as per RBI’s report  Also it will look into the performance of public sector bank, import of Uranium , preparedness of Indian armed forces, environment and mining activities, among other things related to various ministries in the year 2018-2019.

JUSTICE C K PRASAD LIKELY TO GET SECOND TERM AS PCI CHIEF  A committee of three members headed by Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu has given their approval for his appointment for a second term.  He has been the chief of PCI for three yearsfrom November 2014.  He has earlier replaced Justice Markaday Katju .

15TH FINANCE COMMISSION CONSTITUTES PANEL FOR HEALTH SECTOR  The Fifteenth Finance Commission has constituted a HighLevel Group consisting of eminent experts from across the country to examine the strengths and weaknesses for enabling balanced expansion of Health Sector.  High-Level Group on Health Sector will have Convenor by Dr. Randeep Guleria, Director, AIIMS (New Delhi). In the context of ambitious schemes like Ayushman Bharat and also keeping in mind the needs of the huge young population of the country, this is considered as an important step to understand the needs of the health sector in the country. Bharat Ratna Award Recipients from Tamil Nadu 1. C.V.Raman

– 1954 (Discovery of Raman Effect)

2. C. Rajagopalachari

– 1954 (Tamilnadu Politician)

3. S. Radhakrishnan

– 1954 (Tamilnadu Politician)

4. K. Kamaraj

– 1976 (Kingmaker of Indian Politics)

5. M.G. Ramachandran – 1988 (Actor and Chief Minister of Tamilnadu) 6. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

– 1997 (Missile Man of India)

7. C. Subramaniam

– 1998 (Architecst of Modern Agriculture Development

Policy) 8. M.S. Subbulakshmi

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– 1998 (Carnatic Singer)

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TAMILNADU TAMIL NADU TO BUILD INDIAS NEXT GENERATION DEFENCE AIRCRAFT  The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), which had conceived and designed the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas, has set the ball rolling for building the next generation defense aircraft, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), by extending an invitation to private players in Coimbatore to build a technology demonstrator  The proposal is not only the first time an indigenous military aircraft programme is seeing the involvement of private players, but it is also the first time a defense plane development project is proposed to be executed outside Bengaluru.  The project to be implemented in Sulur in Coimbatore district which may house the permanent base of the Tejas squadron marks Tamil Nadu’s first major defense aircraft project.

MUBINA HAS WON THE 2018 MISS KOOVAGAM BEAUTY PAGEANT TITLE  Chennai-based transgender Mubina has won the 2018 Miss Koovagam beauty pageant title in Villupuram, Tamil Nadu.  Apart from their beauty and attire, the contestants were tested for their knowledge in Indian mythologies.

13 PEOPLE DIED IN PROTESTS AGAINST TH ESTERLUTE COPPER PLANT IN TAMIL NADU  After the badly incident of 13 people died in protests against the Sterlite Copper plant in Tamil Nadu‟s Tuticorin .  \Earlier, the state govt has increased the compensation to families of those killed in antiSterlite protests from Rs. 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh. The awardees for 2018 Annual Awards of Viduthalai Siruthaigal Party of Tamil Nadu was announced .  Ambedkar Sudar Award 2018 : Kerala CM Pinaryi Vijayan.  Periyar Oli Award : Katthar (People‟s singer from Andhra)  Kamarajar Kathir Award – S. Thirunavukarasu ( President of Tamil Nadu Congress committee).  Kayed e Milad Pirai Award – M. Gulam Mohammed ( Editor of Vaigarai Velicham Magazine),  Ayodhi Dasar Adhavan Award – Dr. A. Cheppan ( Post humously)  Semmozhi Naiyuru Award – Va.Mu. Sedhuraman.

7 MORE E-NAM FOR TRADING AGRICULTURE PRODUCTS IS GOING TO LAUNCH  National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) by the central government in Tamil Nadu.  In Tamil Nadu already 23 e-NAM markets are exists at Madurai, Dindugal, Theni, Ramanathapuram, Coimbatore, Vellore, etc  At Present there are585 agriculture regulating markets are added with e-NAM all over India.

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THE 19TH EDITION RUSSIAN EDUCATION FAIR HELD AT CHENNAI ON MAY 19-20, 2018  The 19th edition Russian Education association with Study Abroad – The authorized India Representative for Russian universities.  This is being done with the intention to support their eligibility to pursue bachelor/post graduate programs.  Officials say there would be no pre-qualifying exams like CET, IELTS for admissions in universities in Russia.  However, MCI as a special case for the year 2018 has exempted students from writing NEET who had been admitted in medical courses overseas.

IMPORTANT POINTS ABOUT TAMIL NADU Tamil Nadu Capital & Imp Cities Formed in Districts Languages Known as/for

Major rivers

Chennai 26th January 1950 32 Tamil, Tulu, Telugu, Kannada. 2nd largest state economy Kaveri flows from Kodagu (Karnataka) to the Bay of Bengal through Tamil Nadu Vaigai flows from Varusanadu Hills (Tamil Nadu) to Palk StraitPalar flowing from Nandi Hill (Karnataka) to the Bay of Bengal through Tamil NaduThamiraparani flows from Pothigai Hills (Tamil Nadu) to Gulf of Mannar

Major regional festivals

Pongal, Adi perukku, Karthigai, Kanthuri, Kavadi, Mahamagam

Major art forms

Bharatanatyam, Kolattam, Karagattam, Chakkai Attam

Important tradition

Jallikattu – Bull fight on the 2nd day of Pongal

Industry

Cotton, commercial vehicles, safety matches, sugar, paper, cement

Minerals

Bauxite & ferrous minerals, lime stone, gypsum

Agriculture

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Rice, sugar cane, cotton, coconut, cashew, tea, rubber, coffee

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ECONOMY INDIA REVENUE WILL BE DOUBLE IN FIVE YEARS BY CONSTANTIA  This projected growth, said Constantia in a 30 April statement, is due to the company’s acquisition of a majority stake in India-based Creative Polypack and its group companies, in combination with plans for the expansion of its existing subsidiary, Parikh Packaging

VOLVO CAR TO INCREASE FOCUS ON MANUFACTURING IN INDIA  The company is likely to begin production of yet another car at its Bangalore factory in the second half of 2018.  Volvo Car India MD Charles Frump, who was here in Sweden to take part in the CEOs roundtable with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Stockholm city.  Volvo marked a robust 28% annual growth in volumes, ending the calendar year 2017 with highest ever 2,029 retails.

WALMART ACQUIRES FLIPKART FOR $16 BN IN WORLD’S LARGEST ECOMMERCE DEAL  American retail giant Walmart Inc. has acquired a 77% stake in domestic online retailer Flipkart (Rs 1.12 lakh crore).  This is the world’s largest e-commerce deal.

INDIA LARGEST REMITTANCE-RECEIVING COUNTRY IN WORLD  The Remit SCOPE – Remittance markets and opportunities- Asia and the Pacific report has recited that the following are the three largest remittance-receiving countries in the world in 2017:  India (USD 69 billion)  China (USD 64 billion)  Philippines (USD 33 billion)   

Remittances to India are money transfers from non-resident Indians (NRIs) employed outside the country to family, friends or relatives residing in India. India is the world's leading receiver of remittances, claiming more than 12% of the world's remittances in 2015. Remittances to India stood at US$68.91 billion in 2015, accounting for over 4% of the country's GDP.

GST COUNCIL APPROVES SINGLE RETURN  The Goods and Services Tax Council decided to convert the GST Network into a 100% government enterprise, and implement a single form for GST filing from the current three.  At its 27th meeting, the Council also decided to create a Group of Ministers to review the plan for imposition of a cess on sugar. The cess was meant to subsidise sugarcane farmers as their production cost is much higher than the selling price. www.vetriias.com

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FACTS ABOUT GST  Goods and Service Tax (GST) is an indirect tax (or consumption tax} levied in India on the sale of goods and services. GST is levied at every step in the production process, but is refunded to all parties in the chain of production other than the final consumer.  Goods and services are divided into five tax slabs for collection of tax - 0%, 5%, 12%,18% and 28%. Petroleum products and alcoholic drinks are taxed separately by the individual state governments. There is a special rate of 0.25% on rough precious and semiprecious stones and 3% on gold. In addition a cess of 22% or other rates on top of 28% GST applies on few items like aerated drinks, luxury cars and tobacco products. Pre-GST, the statutory tax rate for most goods was about 26.5%, Post-GST, most goods are expected to be in the 18% tax range.  The tax came into effect from July 1, 2017 through the implementation of One Hundred and First Amendment of the Constitution of India by the Modi government. The tax replaced existing multiple cascading taxes levied by the central and state governments

BUY RS 10,000 CRORE OFisGOVERNMENT BONDS  RBI AnTO open market operation (OMO) an activity by a central bank to give (or take) liquidity in its currency to (or from) a bank or a group of banks.  The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced that it would  The central bank can either buybuy or sell government bonds in the open market (this is where Rs. 10,000 crore of government bonds via open market the name was historically derived from)(OMO). or, in what is now mostly the preferred solution, operation enter into a repo or securedlending transaction a commercial thetocentral The RBI made thiswith announcement afterbank: failing sell allbank the debt it had offered bidders earlier. takes an eligible asset gives the money as a deposit for a defined periodtoand synchronously  After the RBI made this announcement, there was a spike in as collateral. bond yields.  A central bank uses OMO as the primary means of implementing monetary policy. The usual aim of open market operations is—aside from supplying commercial banks with liquidity and sometimes taking surplus liquidity from commercial banks—to manipulate the short-term interest rate and the supply of base money in an economy, and thus indirectly control the total money supply, in effect expanding money or contracting the money supply.  This involves meeting the demand of base money at the target interest rate by buying and selling government securities, or other financial instruments. Monetary targets, such as inflation, interest rates, or exchange rates, are used to guide this implementation. www.vetriias.com

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SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DYED CONTACT LENSES MAY CORRECT COLOUR BLINDNESS  Researchers have developed a contact lens that may help correct colour blindness simply by using a low cost dye.  Colour blindness - or colour vision deficiency (CVD) - is an inherited genetic ocular disorder where some people have difficulty distinguishing certain colours.

NEW SNAKE FOUND IN WESTERN GHATS  Uropeltis bhupathyi, a new snake species has been discovered in the Anaikatty hills, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. Uropeltis bhupathyi: i. The new species has been named Uropeltis bhupathyi after the late herpetologist S. Bhupathy, for his contributions to the field. ii. It is only 40 cm in length. It is brown in colour. It belongs to a family of snakes found only in India and Sri Lanka.

SCIENTISTS DISCOVER HIDDEN RESERVES OF WATER ICE DISCOVERED UNDER SURFACE OF MOON  Scientists from Tohoku University in Japan have discovered the possibility that frozen water (ice) could be present under the surface of the moon.  The scientists have found a mineral called Moganite in lunar meteorite, and it is this mineral which points to the possibility of the presence of water ice reserves on the moon. Scientists break ground on vaccine for leptospirosis  A team of scientists from the Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre, Gandhinagar have identified a key peptide, which can be used to develop a vaccine against leptospirosis.

ISRO WORKING ON ENVIRONMENT-FRIENDLY PROPELLANT  Scientists at ISRO’s Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) are developing an environment-friendly propellant propellant blend.  The new experimental fuel is based on hydroxylammonium nitrate (HAN) and ISRO is looking to use it to power satellites and spacecraft.

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SUMMIT AND CONFERENCE INDIA–SOUTH AFRICA JOHANNESBURG

BUSINESS

SUMMIT

CONCLUDES

IN

 The first India-South Africa Business Summit 2018 opened at the Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, in the presence of the Indian Minister of Commerce, Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu, and South Africa’s Minister of Trade and Industry Rob Davies.  The summit was also marked by the presence of trade and industry ministers from SADC countries and top CEOs and industry specialists from India, South Africa and SADC countries.

HAMBURG TO HOST 2018 GLOBAL WIND SUMMIT

 The first edition of the Global Wind Summit will be held in Hamburg, Germany in September 2018  The four-day event will see speakers from about 100 countries, including India, China, the US, Spain, and Denmark  

The conference on wind is the largest and most important meeting of the wind industry worldwide The event combines two conferences, WindEnergy Hamburg and WindEurope.

FIRST CLIMBERS OF 2018 REACH MOUNT EVEREST SUMMIT  Eight Nepali climbers reached the top of Mount Everest , the first of hundreds of climbers expected to summit the world’s highest mountain in coming weeks.  The team reached the summit while fixing ropes for foreign climbers, who will begin this week to ascend the mountain.  Iswari Paudel of Himalayan Guides Nepal, the company assigned to fix the ropes, confirmed that the team has scaled the mountain. China’s first home-built aircraft carrier begins sea trials.

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HONOURS AND AWARDS LEWIS HAMILTON WINS AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX 2018  Lewis Hamilton snatched an unlikely victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas was forced to retire with just three laps to go in a dramatic finale in Baku.  Hamilton moved to the top of the drivers’ standings, opening a four-point advantage over Vettel, who had to settle for fourth and will no doubt be frustrated at seeing victory slip through his fingers.  

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix (Azerbaijani: Azə rbaycan Qran Prisi) is a Formula One motor race that was held for the first time in 2017. It is held on the Baku City Circuit, a street circuit in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. The first Formula One race at the circuit, in 2016, was named the European Grand Prix.

JANET JACKSON TO GET BILLBOARD ICON AWARD  Jackson’s icon status is being confirmed at the Billboard awards.  The superstar is set to receive the Billboard Icon at a ceremony in Las Vegas ,hosted by Kelly Clarkson.

 The Billboard Icon Award was established in 2011 to recognize music singers and contribution.  The recipient of the award also performs during the ceremony.

LATA MANGESHKAR CONFERRED WITH SWARA MAULI AWARD  Singer Lata Mangeshkar was honoured with the title of “Swara Mauli” by spiritual guru Vidya Narsimha Bharati Swami at her residence in Prabhu Kunj, Mumbai.

In 2001, Lata Mangeshkar was awarded the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award in India. She was only the second vocalist, after MS Subbulakshmi, to receive the honour.

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DR BINDESHWAR PATHAK AWARDED NIKKEI ASIA PRIZE  The founder of Sulabh International Dr Bindeshwar Pathak has been awarded for Japan’s most prestigious Nikkei Asia Prize for his contribution to Asia’s development.  Nikkei Inc. is one of the largest media corporations in Japan. This corporation has been presenting the awards since 1996.

  

The Nikkei Asia Prize is an award which recognizes the achievements of people and organizations that have improved the lives of people throughout Asia. The awards were created and presented by Nikkei Inc, one of the largest media corporations in Japan. Launched in 1996, the program honors people in Asia who have made significant contributions in one of the three areas: regional growth; science, technology and innovation; and culture.

ANINDITA ANAAM HONOURED WITH JAYADEV RASHTRIYA YUVA PURASKAR AWARD  US-based Kathak dancer Anindita Anaam was honored with the prestigious 'Shri Jayadev Rashtriya Yuva Pratibha Puraskar 2018' for outstanding contribution to the field of art.

 The award was presented to the Kathak exponent during the ‘Jayadev International Dance Festival’ in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.  The four-day festival has been organised in Bhubaneswar under the aegis of National Culture Missionby Odisha’s culture department. NRI INDUSTRIALIST SWRAJ PAUL WINS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD IN UK  NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul was presented a lifetime achievement award for his contributions in promoting brand India in the UK, at a UK & Asia Business awards ceremony in London.  Swraj Paul is the founder of Caparo Group of industries. The Awards ceremony was organised by World Consulting and Research Corporation (WCRC).  Swraj Paul was presented the award by the Deputy High Commissioner of India to the UK, Dinesh K Patnaik

NARA LOKESH RECEIVES AWARD FOR ‘DIGITAL LEADER OF THE YEAR’  The Minister of IT, Panchayat Raj and Rural Development of Andhra Pradesh Shri Nara Lokesh has received an award for ‘Digital Leader of the Year’. www.vetriias.com

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 This award was given during the Businessworld Digital India Summit Award 2018 held in New Delhi.  This award was announced for the best utilization of technology governance and Nara Lokesh got it for development of the rural sector and water supply departments.

JAPANESE DIRECTOR WON CANNES' TOP AWARD  Asian, Arab, and women filmmakers scored big at the closing ceremony of the 71st Cannes Film Festival, while Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda took home the top prize -- the Palme d'Or. Kore-eda, in the festival's main competition for the fifth time won the Palme d'Or for 'Manbiki Kazoku' (Shoplifters).

PRAJNESH GUNNESWARAN WON T.K. RAMANATHAN AWARD FOR 2017-18  Prajnesh Gunneswaran won the prestigious T.K. Ramanathan award for the year 2017-18 at the Tamil Nadu Tennis Association (TNTA) annual day function at the SDAT tennis stadium.   

Kalpathi Ramakrishna Ramanathan (28 February 1893 – 31 December 1984) was an Indian physicist and meteorologist. He was the first Director of Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad. Ramanathan was awarded Padma Bhushan in 1965 and Padma Vibhushan in 1976

ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF POLISH NOVEL FLIGHTS WINS MAN BOOKER PRIZE  Polish author Olga Tokarczukwon the Man Booker International Prize for her novel ‘Flights’.  The novel, translated by Jennifer Croft, interweaves narratives of travel with explorations of the human body. 

The Man Booker International Prize is an international literary award hosted in the United Kingdom. The introduction of the International Prize to complement the Man Booker Prize was announced in June 2004.



Sponsored by the Man Group, from 2005 until 2015 the award was given every two years to a living author of any nationality for a body of work published in English or generally available in English translation

SANGEETA BAHL BECOMES OLDEST INDIAN WOMAN TO SCALE MOUNT EVEREST  Sangeeta Bahl, a 53-year-old former model become the oldest Indian woman to conquer Mount Everest.  Bahl, who currently resides in Gurugram, scaled the peak with the help of two Sherpas and was felicitated at the Indian embassy in Kathmandu.  She already conquered six out of the seven highest peaks in the world. www.vetriias.com

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APPONITMENTS PIYUSH GOYAL TO TAKE OVER FINANCE MINISTRY, SMRITI IRANI MOVED OUT OF I&B  Railways and coal minister Piyush Goyal will hold charge of the finance and corporate affairs ministries till Arun Jaitley returns.  In the cabinet reshuffle, Smriti Irani has been assigned to handle the Ministry of Textiles, having been left out of the high-profile information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry.

YES BANK LAUNCHES AGENDA 2525  YES Bank and YES Global Institute have launched Agenda 25×25, which pledges to create a synergetic start up environment for budding women entrepreneurs in India.  The effort would ensure that by 2025 at least 25% of all entrepreneurs in India are women.

  

Yes Bank is India's fourth largest private sector bank, founded by Rana Kapoor and Ashok Kapur in 2004. Yes Bank is the only Greenfield Bank licence awarded by the RBI in the last one decade. YES BANK is a “Full Service Commercial Bank”, and has steadily built a Corporate, Retail & SME Banking franchise, Financial Markets, Investment Banking, Corporate Finance, Branch Banking, Business and Transaction Banking, and Wealth Management business lines across the country.

RIL GETS GREEN NOD FOR RS 2,338 CR EXPANSION PROJECT IN MAHARASHTRA  Reliance Industries (RIL) has received environment clearance for the expansion and optimisation of its petrochemical complex at Nagothane in Raigad district of Maharashtra.  The estimated cost of the project is Rs.2,338 crore.  The project is for expansion and de-bottlenecking of petrochemical project at Nagothane.

APPLE IS ALMOST A $1 TRILLION COMPANY  Apple is on the verge of becoming the first $1 trillion publicly listed US company, but even if it gets there, it could soon be overtaken as Amazon.com surges from behind.

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MCX LAUNCHES INDIA'S 1ST COPPER OPTIONS  India's Multi Commodity Exchange launched the country's first copper options contracts.  Three contracts with a lot size of 1 tonne were launched.  The option contract will provide physical market participants an additional instrument to hedge their risk.  



Multi Commodity Exchange of India Ltd (MCX) is an independent commodity exchange based in India. It was established in 2003 and is based in Mumbai. It is India's largest commodity derivatives exchange where the clearance and settlements of the exchange happens and the turnover of the exchange for quarter ended December 2017 was 12.82 trillion rupees. MCX offers options trading in gold and futures trading in non-ferrous metals, bullion, energy, and a number of agricultural commodities (mentha oil, cardamom, crude palm oil, cotton and others).

UNION GOVERNMENT NOTIFIES 8.55% INTEREST ON PF FOR 2017-18  Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) asked its field offices to credit 8.55% rate of interest for 2017-18 into the Provident Fund accounts of around 5 crore subscribers.  According to an order issued by the EPFO, the Labour Ministry conveyed approval to credit 8.55% rate of interest for last fiscal. The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), is an Organization tasked to assist the Central Board of Trustees, a statutory body formed by the Employees' Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952 and is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India

MOODY'S SLASHES INDIA GROWTH FORECAST TO 7.3%  Moody's Investors Service report has cut India's GDP growth forecast to 7.3% in 2018, from the previous forecast of 7.5% due to higher oil prices and tighter financial conditions  It, however, kept growth expectation for 2019 remains unchanged at 7.5%. Moody's Corporation, often referred to as Moody's, is an American business and financial services company. It is the holding company for Moody's Investors Service (MIS), an American credit rating agency, and Moody's Analytics (MA), an American provider of financial analysis software and services

MICROSOFT IS THIRD MOST VALUABLE FIRM GLOBALLY  Software giant Microsoft surpassed Google’s parent company Alphabet in market capitalization for the first time in three years.  Microsoft becomes the third most valuable firm globally after Apple and Amazon. www.vetriias.com

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SAJID JAVID IS NEW HOME MINISTER  Pakistani-origin MP Sajid Javid was appointed Britain’s new Home Secretary to replace Amber Rudd who resigned after admitting that she had “inadvertently misled” Parliament over the existence of deportation targets for immigrants.

KANHAIYA KUMAR ELECTED TO NATIONAL COUNCIL  Student activist and former president of Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union Kanhaiya Kumar was elected to the 126-member National Council of the Communist Party of India, PTI reported.  S Sudhakar Reddy was elected the party’s general secretary for the third consecutive term.

HOCKEY INDIA APPOINTS HARENDRA SINGH AS CHIEF COACH OF MEN’S TEAM  Harendra Singh has been appointed as the chief coach of Indian Men’s Hockey team.  He will take over the position from Dutchman Sjoerd Marijne, who will be back as the coach of the national women’s team.

SHRI SITANSHU KAR TAKES OVER AS DG, PIB  Sitanshu Ranjan Kar, a 1983 batch officer of Indian Information Service, took over as principal spokesperson of Government of India and Director General of Press Information Bureau (PIB) in New Delhi .  Kar succeeded Frank Noronha, who superannuated on April 30.

LT GENERAL SUKHDEEP TAKES OVER AS DGAR  Lieutenant General Sukhdeep Sangwan has taken over the charge as Director General of Assam Rifles (DGAR).  He has taken over as 20th Director General of Force which is popularly known as Sentinels of North East.

Lt Gen Sangwan has also participated in Operation Blue Star, Operation Vijay and Operation Parakram. www.vetriias.com

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UTTAM PACHARNE APPOINTED AS CHAIRMAN OF LALIT KALA AKADEMI

 Uttam Pacharne appointed as the regular Chairman of the Lalit Kala Akademi.  His appointment was approved by the President Ram Nath Kovind. Pacharne is an eminent artist and sculptor. Lalit Kala Akademi :  To promote and propagate understanding of Indian art, the Union Government established Lalit Kala Akademi (National Akademi of Fine Arts) in New Delhi in 1954. The Akademi has its regional centres as Rashtriya Lalit Kala Kendra at Lucknow, Calcutta, Chennai and Bhubaneswar, and a small office in Mumbai. The Akademi receives the funds from the Union Ministry of Culture.

AMIT KHARE TO BE NEW I&B SECRETARY  Amit Khare is a 1985-batch IAS officer. Currently, he is serving in Jharkhand, his cadre state.  He will take charge as secretary to the information and broadcasting ministry from incumbent N K Sinha, who will superannuate on 31 May 2018.

GINA HASPEL CONFIRMED AS FIRST FEMALE DIRECTOR OF CIA  The US Senate confirmed Gina Haspel as the first female director of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).  Gina Haspel's confirmation in a 54-45 vote follows a partisan fight among senators about the CIA's Bush-era use of techniques such as waterboarding. 



The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the United States federal government, tasked with gathering, processing, and analyzing national security information from around the world, primarily through the use of human intelligence (HUMINT). As one of the principal members of the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC), the CIA reports to the Director of National Intelligence and is primarily focused on providing intelligence for the President and Cabinet.

PRAVIN AGRAWAL APPOINTED BHEL DIRECTOR  State-run power equipment maker Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) appointed Pravin L. Agrawal as a part-time official director on its board.  An Indian Forest Service officer, Agrawal is presently joint secretary in the Department of Heavy Industry (DHI), Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises. www.vetriias.com

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SHIVANGI PATHAK BECOMES YOUNGEST INDIAN WOMAN TO SCALE MOUNT EVEREST  India's Shivangi Pathak become youngest women of the country to scale Mt Everest from Nepal side.  According to the Managing Director of Seven Summit Treks, Mingma Sherpa, 16-year-old Shivangi successfully stood atop world’s highest mountain.  Born in Hisar of Haryana Shivangi climbed Mt Everest to spread the message that women could overcome any obstacle to achieve their goals.

AIRTEL PAYMENTS BANK APPOINTS ANUBRATA BISWAS AS MD AND CEO  Airtel Payments Bank has appointed Anubrata Biswas as its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer.  The position has been vacant since the end of December last year when Shashi Arora quit.  Biswas will be responsible for taking convenient and innovative digital banking services to the doorstep of every Indian.

PRESIDENT APPOINTS NEW GOVERNORS IN ODISHA AND MIZORAM  BJP leaders Ganeshi Lal and Kummanam Rajasekharan were appointed as Governors of Odisha and Mizoram, respectively.  According to a Rashtrapati Bhavan communique, Prof. Ganesh Lal will take over as the new governor of Odisha. He has replaced S C Jamir.  The President appointed Kerala BJP chief Kummanam Rajasekharan as the Governor of Mizoram. He will be replacing Lt. General (Retd.) Nirbhay Sharma.

R K AGRAWAL APPOINTED AS PRESIDENT OF NATIONAL CONSUMER DISPUTES REDRESSAL COMMISSION  The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet appointed former Supreme court Judge R K Agarwal as National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission ( NCDRC) from February 2014 to May 2018  He will succeed Justice D K Jain, who completed his term. Justice Agrawal was the judge of Supreme Court from February 2014 to May 2018. 



 

The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC), India is a quasijudicial commission in India which was set up in 1988 under the Consumer Protection Act, 1986. Its head office is in New Delhi. The commission is headed by a sitting or retired judge of the Supreme Court of India. The present head is Justice R K AGRAWAL, former judge of the Supreme Court of India. National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commision was established in 1988 and it is headquartered in New Delhi The commission is headed by sitting or retired judge of Supreme court of India.

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PERSONALITY RENOWNED PHYSICIST EC GEORGE SUDARSHAN PASSED AWAY  86-year-old famous theoretical physicist Ennackal Chandy (EC) George Sudarshan passed away in Texas, USA.  EC G Sudarshan, who proved Albert Einstein wrong, was nominated for the Nobel Prize nine times but never awarded.  Sudarshan was born in Kottayam on September 16, 1931.

KARNATAKA CHIEF MINISTER YEDDYURAPPA RESIGNS  BS Yeddyurappa resigned 55 hours after taking oath as the Karnataka CM, ahead of the floor test. BJP, with 104 seats, was seven short of the required number of 111.  The Congress with 78 MLAs, the JD(S) with 36 and three others were also individually not in a position to form the government.

ALAN BEAN FOURTH MAN TO WALK ON THE MOON DIED  Former US astronaut Alan Bean, who was the fourth man to walk on the Moon died in Texas, United States.  He was 86. Bean went into space twice, the first time in November 1969 as the lunar module pilot on the Apollo 12 moon-landing mission.  In 1973 he was commander of the second crewed flight to Skylab- America's first space station.

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SCHEMES GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES PILOT SCHEME  The Government kicks off a Pilot Scheme for Procurement of Aggregate Power of 2500 MW on competitive basis for three years under medium term from generators with commissioned projects but without Power Purchase Agreement.  Under the scheme a single entity can be allotted maximum capacity of 600 MW. The Scheme assures a minimum off-take of 55 per cent of contracted capacity. The Tariff will be fixed for three years without any escalation. The scheme is aimed reviving power demand, as muted demand growth at a time when the industry expanded its capacity has affected the generators not having power purchase agreements (PPAs), the government said in a release.

SWACHH BHARAT MISSION LAUNCHES GOBAR – DHAN SCHEME  The Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation has launched GOBAR (Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources) – DHAN scheme at National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) Karnal.  It was launched under Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) by Union Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation Uma Bharti 



Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (SBA) (or Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) or Clean India Mission in English) is a campaign in India that aims to clean up the streets, roads and infrastructure of India's cities, smaller towns, and rural areas. The objectives of Swachh Bharat include eliminating open defecation through the construction of household-owned and community-owned toilets and establishing an accountable mechanism of monitoring toilet use

 The GOBAR-DHAN Scheme aims to positively impact village cleanliness and generate wealth and energy from cattle and organic waste.  The Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources Dhan (GOBAR-DHAN) scheme was first announced by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley during his budget speech .  According to Jaitley, the scheme would focus on managing and converting cattle dung and solid waste in farms to compost, biogas and bio-CNG. “The Gobar-Dhan Yojana will help in keeping the village clean while increasing the income of farmers and cattle herders,” PM Modi had said after the budget.

UNDP TO SET UP SKILL DEVELOPMENT CENTRE IN HYDERABAD  The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will set up a skill development centre at Bharosa, Hyderabad, for distressed women and children.  This is an initiative of Hyderabad City Police and will be an integrated support centre.  The initiative is aimed at empowering vulnerable and marginalised women by teaching them skills and giving them training for them to earn a living.  It is an initiative under the Disha project and aims to make women who are affected by violence economically self-sufficient. www.vetriias.com

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AJEEVIKA AND KAUSHAL VIKAS MELA IN BHUBANESWAR  The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), joined hands to amplify the “Gram Swaraj Abhiyaan” of the government.  The Kaushal and Rojgar Mela was organised at New Women’s College in Khordha, Bhubaneswar.

Gram Swaraj Abhiyaan is a campaign that is being organised on the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti during the period 14th April to 05th May, 2018. The campaign is undertaken under the name of "Sabka Sath, Sabka Gaon, Sabka Vikas". Objective :  The objective of the campaign is to promote social harmony, spread awareness about propoor initiatives of government, reach out to poor households to enroll them as also to obtain their feedback on various welfare programmes.

THREE PUBLIC WELFARE SCHEMES LAUNCHED IN RAJASTHAN  President Ram Nath Kovind during his maiden two-day visit as head of the state to Rajasthan launched three public welfare schemes. The schemes aim to help the poor sections of the society to generate self-employment The schemes were announced by the Rajasthan state government during its 2018-19 budget presentation. 1. Sundar Singh Bhandari EBC Swarozgar Yojana Under the scheme, the government will provide loans of up to Rs 50000 to members of economically backward classes (EBC) from around 50,000 families at 4 per cent interest rate. This scheme will help poor sections of the society to generate self-employment. 2. Bhairon Singh Shekhawat Antyodaya Swarozgar Yojana Under the scheme, the state government would provide loans worth up to Rs 50000 at 4 per cent interest rate to about 50,000 families from the scheduled castes and tribes and other backward classes for self-employment. 3. Loan waiver scheme Under the scheme, the Rajasthan state government would be providing Rs 2 lakh worth interest-free loans to people belonging to SC/ ST community and other backward classes for the purpose of skill development and to create resources for employment.

TELANGANA GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCES UNIQUE LIFE INSURANCE SCHEME FOR FARMERS  Telangana government has announced a unique life insurance scheme for farmers.  Under the scheme, the government will provide life insurance facility of five lakh rupees to the nominee, after the death of the insured farmer.

The entire premium will be paid by the government to the insurance agency and the nominee will get the amount within ten days of the claim after the death of the farmer. the dependent family will get the benefit irrespective of the reason for the death of the farmer. www.vetriias.com

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GOVERNMENT TO LINK 200 MORE MANDIS TO ENAM  The Union Government will link 200 additional wholesale mandis to its online trading platform eNAM (electronic National Agriculture Market).  Currently, there are 585 regulated mandis in 14 states linked with the eNAM.

Note about eNAM  National Agriculture Market or eNAM is an online trading platform for agricultural commodities in India.  The market facilitate farmers, traders and buyers with online trading in commodities. The market is helping in better price discovery and provide facilities for smooth marketing of their produce.

GOVERNMENT EARNS RS 1,400 CRORE REVENUE FROM E-VISA SCHEME  The government has earned Rs.1,400 crore so far as revenue from its highly successful e-Visa scheme.  The e-Visa scheme was launched in 2014.  It was offered to citizens of 163 countries visiting India as tourists. E-VISA SCHEME  The e-Visa scheme has been implemented by the foreigners division of the home ministry with a view to improve the efficiency and transparency of various services being provided to foreign nationals.  The facility is now available for nationals of 163 countries for entry into India through 25 international airports and five sea ports.

AKSHAY KUMAR LAUNCHES TWIN PIT TOILET TECHNOLOGY CAMPAIGN  Film actor Akshay Kumar launched the twin pit toilet technology campaign in New Delhi  The actor appealed everybody to spread the awareness on the issue and make the cleanliness drive more effective The twin pit toilet technology is an Indian invention that collects defecation for a period of five years and then it turns into a valuable organic compost.

UNION MINISTER PRAKASH JAVADEKAR LAUNCHES SAMAGRA Shiksha Scheme For School Education  The Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar launched Samagra Shiksha scheme for school education from pre-school to senior secondary levels.    

The scheme will mainly focus on improving quality of education, enhancing the learning outcomes and using technology to empower children and teachers. The scheme will be focused on digital education and it will enhance the use of digital technology in education through smart classroom and digital boards. The scheme will provide a holistic education for holistic development. It would help improve the quality of education by focusing on teachers and technology.

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SPORTS RIZVI BECOMES WORLDS TOP LIST  Indian shooter Shahzar Rizvi grabbed the number one spot in ISSF world rankings, riding on his silver medal-winning performance in the just-concluded World Cup in Changwon, Korea.

INDIA’S CA BHAVANI DEVI WINS SILVER  India’s CA Bhavani Devi won a silver medal in the sabre event of the Tournoi World Cup Satellite Fencing Championship in Reykjavik, Iceland.  She had beaten Parede Torres 15-9 in the quarterfinal and followed it up by getting past Guila Arpino of Italy 15-10 in the semifinal.

SHRI NIVETHA SHOT THE WOMEN’S AIR PISTOL GOLD  P. Shri Nivetha shot the women’s air pistol gold, after topping the qualification list featuring 94 shooters, in the Grand Prix of Liberation international shooting competition .

INDIAN WINS 50 MEDALS AT SOUTH ASIAN JUNIOR ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS  India retained it top spot at the South Asian Junior Athletics Championships, winning 50 medals in the championships.  At the meet, Indian junior athletes bagged 20 gold, 22 silver and 8 bronze medals.  The 2018 South Asian Junior Athletics Championships were held in Colombo in Sri Lanka.

MANCHESTER CITY SMASH PREMIER LEAGUE POINTS RECORD  Manchester City crowned a remarkable Premier League season on Wednesday by smashing records for points earned.  City took their goals tally for the campaign to 105, their points total to 97 and their number of wins to 31, eclipsing previous best marks set by Chelsea.  The city can become the first team to reach 100 points in an English top-flight season if they beat Southampton on the final day

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HEENA SIDHU WON GOLD MEDAL AT INTERNATIONAL SHOOTING COMPETITION  Indian Shooter Heena Sidhu won gold medal in women’s 10m air pistol at International Shooting Competitions 2018 in Hannover, Germany.  She was tied with Mathilde Lamolle of France on 239.8 points. She won the tie to win the gold ahead of Mathilde.

LIONEL MESSI WON EUROPEAN GOLDEN SHOE FOR THE 5TH TIME  Barcelona forward Lionel Messiwon the European Golden Shoe for the fifth time.  The Argentina international claimed the prize after scoring 34 goals in La Liga this season, helping his club to a 25th league triumph.  Messi also won the award last year, as well as in 2010, 2012 and 2013.

BALA PRASATH CHAMPIONSHIP

WON

FORMULA

JUNIOR

RACING

SERIES

2018

 Coimbatore racer Bala P Archery World Cup 2018 asath won the Formula Junior Racing Series 2018 Championship in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu.  Bala, who was trailing in second place after Round 1 with 91 points, was in his element in Round 2 at the Kari Motor Speedway.

ARCHERY WORLD CUP STAGE II 2018 STARTS IN TURKEY  The second stage of Archery World Cup 2018 started in Antalya, Turkey.  India opened its account with a silver and a bronze medal in the compound section.

For the first time in the 12-year history of the Hyundai Archery World Cup, New Zealand has sent a full 16-athlete squad to a stage, to compete in the opening leg of the 2018 circuit in Shanghai, China.

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DEFENCE INDIA-NEPAL JOINT MILITARY EXERCISE SURYA KIRAN TO BE HELD IN UTTARAKHAND  Joint Military Exercise SURYA KIRAN-XIII between India and Nepal will be conducted at Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand.  The exercise will comprise of nearly 300 soldiers from both Indian and Nepal Army who would be sharing their experiences gained during the conduct of various counterinsurgency and counter-terrorism operations in the past. The aim of this exercise is to conduct battalion level joint with emphasis on counter terrorism operations in mountainous terrain

CABINET NOD FOR INDIA’S FIRST SPORTS VARSITY TO BE SET UP IN MANIPUR  The Union Cabinet has approved an ordinance to set up the country’s first national sports university in in Imphal (west), Manipur.  The ordinance is on the lines of National Sports University Bill, 2017 which is pending in Parliament (introduced in Lok Sabha in August, 2017)  



The specialised university will be the first of its kind in the country and adopt best international practices. Manipur government has already allocated land for the proposed university. The proposal to set up national sports university in Manipur was initially announced by Prime Minister Nar endra Modi. The was approved in 2014-15 budget with Rs. 100 crore allocation.The proposed university is expected to bridge gap that exists in sports technology high performance training

NINTH EDITION OF RASHTRIYA SANSKRITI MAHOTSAV INAUGURATED IN UTTARAKHAND  Ministry of Culture organized 3-Day long diversified cultural festival ‘Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav’ festival which was inaugurated by Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Trivendra Singh Rawat, Near Tehri Lake, Uttrakhand.  It is the ninth edition of this festival. Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav is a seven day festival showcasing the spectacular diversity of India, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari through folk, tribal and classical art forms in all its dimensions - dance, music, drama, entertainment and food.

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E-WAY BILL SYSTEM FOR INTRA-STATE GOODS MOVEMENT COMES INTO FORCE IN SEVEN MORE STATES, UTS  The e-Way Bill system for intra-state movement of goods came into effect in seven more states and Union Territories from May 28, 2018  The states and UTs include Maharashtra, Manipur, Chandigarh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu and Lakshadweep.  With this, the number of States, where the system is being implemented, will go up to 27  As per the decision of the GST Council, e-Way Bill system was rolled out from April 1, 2018.

1ST SMART & GREEN HIGHWAY EASTERN PERIPHERAL EXPRESSWAY AT BAGHPAT IN UP  Prime Minister Narendra Modi has dedicated to the nation its first smart and green highway, the Eastern Peripheral Expressway at Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh.  The 135-kilometer six-lane access-controlled expressway is eco-friendly and has world-class safety features. It envisages signal-free connectivity between Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Gautam Budh Nagar and Palwal. It has been built at a cost of 11,000 crore rupees.  It is India’s first highway to be lit by solar power besides provisions of rainwater harvesting.

PM MODI LAUNCHES SURVEY ON NAMO APP  Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched a survey on the NaMo App, asking people to rate the performance of the government at the Centre and MPs and MLAs in their constituencies.  He launched the initiative, to mark the completion of four years of the NDA government, which came to power at the Centre in 2014.   



The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is a centre-right coalition of political parties in India. At the time of its formation in 1998, it was led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and had thirteen constituent parties. Its chairman was former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Also representing the alliance are L. K. Advani, former Deputy Prime Minister, who is the acting chairman of the Alliance, Narendra Modi, current Prime Minister and Leader of the House in Lok Sabha; and Arun Jaitley, Leader of the House in Rajya Sabhaand Finance minister. The coalition was in power from 1998 to 2004. The alliance returned to power in the 2014 General election with a combined vote share of 38.5%. Its leader, Narendra Modi, was sworn in as Prime Minister of India on 26 May 2014. www.vetriias.com

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GAJ YATRA LAUNCHED IN GARO HILLS OF MEGHALAYA

 Gaj Yatra is an 18-month-long national campaign aimed to protect elephants, India’s national heritage animal in 12 elephant range states.

 

Gaj Yatra was organised by the wildlife Trust of India in collaboration with the State Forest Department. Under this campaign , an elephant mascot will be there .It as launched to the acknowledged good gesture of villagers from Garo Hills who had set aside part of their community – owned land to create village researchers.

COCHIN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, WORLDS 1ST FULLY SOLAR ENERGYPOWERED AIRPORT: UNEP  The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) recognized Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) in Kerala as the world’s first fully solar energypowered airport. CIAL is India’s first airport to be constructed in public-private-partnership (PPP) model in 1999. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is an agency of United Nations and coordinates its environmental activities, assisting developing countries in implementing environmentally sound policies and practices. It was founded by Maurice Strong, its first director ,as a result of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in June 1972.

NIC LAUNCHES INDIA'S 4TH DATA CENTRE IN BHUBANESWAR  Bhubaneswar (capital city of Odisha) becomes the fourth National data center of National Informatics Centre (NIC) after Delhi, Hyderabad and Pune.  The new cloud-enabled National Data Centre aims to offer round-the-clock operations with secure hosting for various e-governance applications of Central and State Governments and has the ability to support 35,000 virtual servers.  

NIC (National Informatics Centre) provides technology support to all government services and hosts nearly 10,000 websites of the government. NIC currently has 4,500 people across India in its various operations and will hire 800 professionals in the next one year

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FIRST DEFENCE SHIP BY PRIVATE COMPANY ICGS VIKRAM UNDER ‘MAKE IN INDIA’ DOCKS AT NEW MANGALORE PORT  ICGS Vikram, the first in the class of seven new generation offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) arrived at its base port the New Mangalore Port.  It is contracted by the ministry of defence (MoD) in March 2015 under the government’s initiative of ‘Make in India.  ICGS Vikram has a 3.6-metre draught, 2,140 tonnes displacement and a range of 5,000 nautical miles. 



The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) protects India's maritime interests and enforces maritime law, with jurisdiction over the territorial waters of India, including its contiguous zone and exclusive economic zone. The Indian Coast Guard was formally established on 18 August 1978 by the Coast Guard Act, 1978 of the Parliament of India as an independent Armed force of India. It operates under the Ministry of Defence.

NSA HEADS FIRST MEET OF DEFENCE PLANNING PANEL  The new Defence Planning Committee (DPC) met for the first time under the chairmanship of national security advisor Ajit Doval.  No major decision was taken since it was the first meeting of the DPC, which is now a permanent body under the NSA.  The Defence Planning Committee (DPC) was the ultimate authority on all questions related to NATO’s integrated military structure.[1] It was formed following a North Atlantic CouncilMinisterial meeting in Ottawa in May 1963. The DPC met for the first time on October 10, 1963 to prepare a Defence review

CRPF RAISES ‘BASTARIYA BATTALION’ TO COMBAT NAXALS ACTIVITIES  To enhance combat capabilities in Naxal-hit area of Bastar district in Chhattisgarh, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), for the first time, has decided to include local representation in a special unit. The special unit has been numbered as 241 and named as ‘Bastariya Battalion’, as all the candidates are selected from four highly Naxal infested district in Chhattisgarh, Bijapur, Dantewada, Narayanpur and Sukma.  One of the unique characters of this 241 Bastariya Battalion is that the representation of 33 percent female candidates has been maintaining as per policy of the government.  A special recruitment drive was launched by the CRPF to recruit 743 rural ST candidates to give a fair chance to the aspirants.

INDIAN ARMY FINALISES RS. 15,000-CRORE PROJECT TO PRODUCE INDIGENOUS AMMUNITION  The Indian Army has finalised a Rs. 15,000-crore project to produce ammunition in the country.  This will help overcome long delays in imports.  Under the project, a range of ammunition for its critical weapons and tanks will be produced. The aim of the project is to create an inventory for all major weapons so that India’s defence forces can fight a 30-day war. The long-term aim is to reduce dependence on imports. www.vetriias.com

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GENERAL KNOWLEDGE ISRO - IMPORTANT FACTS:  The Indian Space Research Organisation is the space agency of the Government of India headquartered in the city of Bangalore  In 1969 , ISRO superseded the erstwhile Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOSPAR) established in 1962 by the efforts of independent India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, and his close aide and scientist Vikram Sarabhai.  ISRO built India's first satellite, Aryabhata, which was launched by the Soviet Union on 19 April 1975.  It was named after the Mathematician Aryabhata. In 1980, Rohini became the first satellite to be placed in orbit by an Indian-made launch vehicle, SLV-3 and director of this project was APJ. Abdul Kalam. Indian Satellites

Aryabhata

Bhaskar

Launched Date

19th April 1975

7th June 1979

Purpose – –

India’s first satellite. It was build to gain experience in building and operating a satellite in space.

–

First experimental remote sensing satellite. Carried TV and microwave cameras.

–

Rohini Technology Payload

10th August 1979

Intended for measuring in flight performance of first experimental flight of SLV-3, the first Indian launch vehicle.

Rohini RS-1

18th July 1980

India’s launch.

Rohini RS-D1

31st May 1981

Conducts remote sensing technology studies using a landmark sensor payload.

Ariane Passenger Payload Experiment

19th June 1981

First experimental satellite.

Bhaskara – II

20th November 1981

Second experimental remote sensing satellite.

INSAT- 1A

10th April 1982

First

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communication satellite.

and

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meteorology

Rohini RS-D2

17th April 1983

Identical to RS-D1

INSAT-1B

30th August 1983

Earth observation satellite.

Stretched Rohini Satellite Series (SROSS-1)

24th

Carried payload for launch vehicle performance monitoring and for gamma ray astronomy.

IRS-1A

17th March 1988

First operational satellite

Stretched Rohini Satellite Series (SROSS-2)

13th

Carried remote sensing payload of German space agency in addition to Gamma Ray Astronomy payload.

INSAT-1C

21st July 1988

Same as INSAT-1A.

INSAT-1D

12th June 1990

Identical to INSAT-1A.

IRS-1B

29th August 1991

– –

Earth observation satellite. Improved version of IRS-1A

–

INSAT- 2DT

26th February 1992

It was a communications Satellite, earlier called as Arabsat. After its retirement, it was placed in the Graveyard orbit

Stretched Rohini Satellite Series (SROSS-C)

20th May 1992

Carried gamma ray astronomy and astronomy payload.

INSAT- 2A

10th July 1992

First satellite in the second-generation Indian-built INSAT-2 series.

INSAT-2B

23th July 1993

Second satellite in INSAT-2 series.

IRS-1E

20th September 1993

Earth observation satellite

Stretched Rohini Satellite Series (SROSS-C2)

4th May 1994

Identical to SROSS-C.

IRS-P2

15th October 1994

Earth observation satellite

INSAT-2C

7th December

Has an additional capability such

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March 1987

July 1988

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1995

May 2018

as mobile satellite service, business communication and television outreach beyond Indian boundaries.

IRS-1C

29th December 1995

Earth observation satellite

IRS-P3

21st March 1996

Carries remote sensing payload and an X-ray astronomy payload.

INSAT-2D

4th June 1997

Same as INSAT-2C.

IRS-1D

29th September 1997

Earth observation satellite.

INSAT-2E

3rd April 1999

Multipurpose communication meteorological satellite.

26th May 1999

Carries an Ocean Color Monitor (OCM) and a Multi frequency Scanning Microwave Radiometer (MSMR).- Earth observation satellite.

INSAT-3B

22nd March 2000

Multipurpose business communication, communication, communication.

GSAT-1

18th

April 2001

Experimental satellite for the first developmental flight of Geosynchronous Satellite.

22nd October 2001

Experimental satellite to test technologies such as attitude and orbit control system, high-torque reaction wheels, new reaction control system, etc.

INSAT-3C

24th January 2002

Designed to augment the existing INSAT capacity for communication and broadcasting and provide continuity of the services of INSAT-2C.

Kalpana-1 (METSAT)

12th September 2002

First meteorological satellite built by ISRO. Originally named METSAT. Renamed after Kalpana Chawla.

INSAT-3A

10th April 2003

Multipurpose

Oceansat-1 (IRS-P4)

Technology Experiment Satellite (TES)

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communication, broadcasting, and meteorological services along with INSAT-2E and Kalpana-1.

GSAT-2

10th April 2003

Experimental satellite for the second developmental test flight of Geosynchronous Satellite.

INSAT-3E

28th September 2003

Communication satellite to augment the existing INSAT System.

RESOURCE SAT-1(IRS-P6)

17th October 2003

Earth observation/remote sensing satellite. Intended to supplement and replace IRS-1C and IRS-1D.

EDUSAT

20th October 2004

India’s first satellite.

HAMSAT

5th May 2005

Micro satellite for providing satellitebased amateur radio services to the national as well as the international community.

CARTOSAT-1

22th December 2005

Provides stereographic in-orbit images with a 2.5-meter resolution.

INSAT-4A

10th July 2006

Advanced satellite for direct-to-home television broadcasting services.

INSAT-4C

10th January 2007

Geosynchronous satellite.

10th January 2007

Advanced remote sensing satellite carrying a panchromatic camera capable of providing scene-specific spot images.

Space Capsule Recovery Experiment (SRE-1)

10th January 2007

Experimental satellite intended to demonstrate the technology of an orbiting platform for performing experiments in micro gravity conditions.

INSAT-4B

12th March 2007

Augments the INSAT capacity for direct-to-home (DTH) television services and other communications.

INSAT-4CR

2nd September 2007

It carried 12 high-power Ku-band transponders designed to provide

CARTOSAT-2

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direct-to-home services.

(DTH)

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television

CARTOSAT-2A

28th April 2008

Earth observation/remote satellite.

IMS-1 (Third World Satellite – TWsat)

28th April 2008

Low-cost mission.

Chandrayaan-1

22nd October 2008

Carries 11 scientific instruments built in India, USA, UK, Germany, Sweden and Bulgaria.

20th April 2009

Radar imaging satellite used to monitor India’s borders and as part of antiinfiltration and anti-terrorist operations.

ANUSAT

20th April 2009

– Carries an amateur radio and technology demonstration experiments. – Research micro satellite designed at Anna University.

Oceansat2(IRS-P4)

23th September 2009

– Gathers data for oceanographic, coastal and atmospheric applications. – Continues mission of Oceansat-1.

GSAT-4

15th April 2010

Communications satellite technology demonstrator.

CARTOSAT2B

12th July 2010

Earth observation/remote satellite.

RISAT-2

–

micro

satellite

sensing

imaging

sensing

First Indian pico-satellite (weighing less than 1 kg). Developed by a team from seven engineering colleges from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

StudSat

12th July 2010

–

GSAT-5P / INSAT-4D

25th December 2010

C-band communication satellite.

RESOUR CESAT-2

20th April 2011

ISRO’s satellite

Youthsat

20th April 2011

Indo-Russian stellar and atmospheric satellite with the participation of

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university students.

21st May 2011

Communications satellite carries 24 Ku-band transponders and 2 channel GAGAN payloads operating in L1 and L5 band.

GSAT-12

15th July 2011

Extended C-band transponders to meet the country’s growing demand for transponders in a short turnaround-time.

MeghaTropiques

12th October 2011

Developed by India and France to track the weather.

Jugnu

12th October 2011

Nano-satellite weighing developed by IIT Kanpur.

RISAT-1

26th April 2012

First indigenous all-weather Radar Imaging Satellite (RISAT-1), whose images will facilitate agriculture and disaster management.

SRMSAT

26th April 2012

Nano-satellite University.

GSAT-10

26th

India’s advanced communication satellite is a high power satellite being inducted into the INSAT system.

GSAT-8 / INSAT-4G

April 2012

developed

3

by

kg

SRM

February 2013

The Satellite with ARGOS and ALTIKA (SARAL) is a joint IndoFrench satellite mission for oceanographic studies.

IRNSS-1A

1st July 2013

It is one of the seven spacecraft constituting the IRNSS space segment.

INSAT-3D

26th July 2013

Meteorological Satellite with advanced weather monitoring payloads.

GSAT-7

30th August 2013

Advanced multi-band communication satellite dedicated for military use.

Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM)

5th November 2013

Also known as Mangalyaan is India’s first Mars orbiter.

GSAT-14

5th January 2014

Twenty-third geostationary communication satellite of India to

SARAL

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25th

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augment the In-orbit capacity of Extended C and Ku-band transponders. IRNSS-1B

4th April 2014

Second satellite of the IRNSS.

IRNSS-1C

16th October 2014

Third satellite of the IRNSS.

GSAT-16

7th December 2014

Twenty-fourth communication satellite of India configured to carry a total of 48 communication transponders.

IRNSS-1D

28th March 2015

Fourth satellite of the IRNSS

GSAT-6

27th August 2015

Communication satellite.

Astrosat

28th September 2015

India’s first dedicated wavelength space Observatory.

GSAT-15

11th November 2015

Communications satellite carries communication transponders in Kuband and a GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) payload operating in L1 and L5 bands.

IRNSS-1E

20th January 2016

Fifth satellite of the IRNSS.

IRNSS-1F

10th March 2016

Sixth satellite of the IRNSS.

IRNSS-1G

28th April 2016

Seventh and final satellite of the IRNSS.

Cartosat-2C

22nd June 2016

Earth observation/remote satellite.

multi

sensing

LIST OF PUBLIC SECTOR BANKS IN INDIA AND THEIR HEADQUARTERS Banks/Head Quarters 1. Allahabad Bank ( Kolkata)

Tagline A Tradition of Trust

2. Andhra Bank (Hyderabad) 3. Bank Of Baroda (Baroda)) 4. Bank Of India (Mumbai) 5. Bank Of Maharashtra (Pune) 6. Canara Bank (Bengaluru) 7. Central Bank Of India (Mumbai)

www.vetriias.com

Establishment April 24, 1865

Where India banks Nov. 20, 1923 India’s International Bank July 20, 1908 Relationship Beyond Sept. 7, 1906 Banking One Family One Bank Sept. 16, 1935 Together We Can July 1, 1906, (Canara Bank Ltd. in 1910) Build A Better Life Around Dec. 21, 1911 Us

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8. Corporation Bank (Mangalore) 9. Dena Bank ( Mumbai) 10. IDBI Bank (Mumbai) 11. 12. 13. 14.

15.

16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21.

Prosperity For All Mar. 12, 1906 Trusted Family Bank May 26, 1938 Banking for all / Aao July 1964 Sochein Bada Indian Bank (Chennai) Your Tech-Friendly Bank Aug 15, 1907 Indian Overseas Bank (Chennai) Good People to Grow With Feb 10, 1937 Oriental Bank of Commerce (New Where Every Individual is Feb. 19, 1943 Delhi) Committed Punjab National Bank ( New Delhi) The Name You Bank Upon May 19, 1894 (founder - Lala Lajpat Rai) Syndicate Bank (Manipal) Your Faithful And Friendly Oct. 20, 1925 Financial Partner July 1, 1955 (earlier Pure Banking Nothing State Bank of India (Mumbai) Imperial Bank of Else,With You-All The Way India) UCO Bank (Kolkata) Honours Your Trust Jan. 6, 1943 Union Bank Of India (Mumbai) Good People to Bank With Nov. 11, 1919 United Bank Of India (Kolkata) The bank that begins with Nov. 11, 1919 “U” Vijaya Bank (Bengaluru) A Friend You Can Bank Oct. 23, 1931 Upon India Post Payments Bank Limited --Jan. 2017 (Delhi) .

Complete List of all Indian Missiles with Range, Type and Speed Missile Name Astra Missile K-100

Akash Missile Barak 8

Prithvi Air Defence (PAD) Advanced Air Defence (AAD) Prithvi Defence Vehicle (PDV) Nirbhay www.vetriias.com

Origin

Type Air-to-air missiles India Air-to-Air Missiles Russia & Medium Range air-to-air India missile Surface-To-Air Missiles Medium-range surface-toIndia air missile Isreal Long Range Surface to Air /India Missile Defence Missile Exo-atmospheric AntiIndia ballistic missile Endoatmospheric AntiIndia ballistic missile Exo-atmospheric AntiIndia ballistic missile Cruise Missiles Subsonic cruise India missile(Ship, submarine, 9600124042/ 9840097666

Range

Speed

60 – 80 km

Mach 4 +

300–400 km

Mach 3.3

30-35km

Mach 2.5 to 3.5

100 km

Mach 2

Altitude80km Altitude30km Altitude120km

Mach 4.5

1,000 -1500 km

Mach 0.8

Mach 5+

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BrahMos

BrahMos II

Agni-I Agni-II Agni-III Agni-IV Agni-V Prithvi I Prithvi II Dhanush Prahaar(Pragati) Shaurya

Sagarika (K-15) K-4 K-5 Nag Helina(HELIcopter launched NAg)

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aircraft and land) Supersonic cruise Russia & missile(Ship, submarine, 290 km India aircraft and land) Hypersonic cruise India missile(Ship, submarine, 300km aircraft and land) Surface-to-surface Missiles Medium-range ballistic India 700-1250 km missile (MRBM) Intermediate-range 2,000–3,000 India ballistic missile(IRBM) km Intermediate-range 3,500 km – India ballistic missile(IRBM) 5,000 km Intermediate-range 3,000 – 4,000 India ballistic missile(IRBM) km Intercontinental ballistic 5000 – India missile(ICBM) 8000Km Short Range Ballistic India 150 km Missile(Tactical) Short Range Ballistic India 350 km Missile(Tactical) Short Range Ballistic 350 – 600 India Missile(Tactical) km Short Range Ballistic India 150 km Missile(Tactical) Medium-Range Ballistic 750 to 1,900 India Missile (MRBM) km Submarine Launched Ballistic Missiles 700 – India Ballistic Missile 1900Km 3,500–5,000 India Ballistic Missile km India Ballistic Missile 6,000 km Anti-Tank Missile India Anti-Tank Guided Missile 4km 7-8km India Anti-Tank Guided Missile

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Mach 2.8 to 3 Mach Mach 7

Mach 7.5 Mach 12 5–6 km/s Mach 7 Mach 24

Mach 2.03 Mach 7.5

Mach 7+ Mach 7+

230 m/s

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May 2018

MAY MONTH QUESTION 1. Swachh Bharat Summer Internship 2018 programme is spread over a period of how many months? (A) 3 months (B) 2 months (C) 4 months (D) 6 months 2. ____________ villages of India have now been electrified. (A) 5,99,575 (B) 5,97,464 (C) 5,95,353 (D) 5,92,242 3. India has been projected to be the ______ growing country in the world for air passenger traffic. (A)Third Fastest (B) Fastest(option) (C) Second Fastest (D) Fourth Fastest 4. Which bank has recently launched an advanced version of interactive humanoid, IRA 2.0? (A) ICICI Bank (B) HDFC Bank (C) Kotak Mahindra Bank (D) Federal Bank 5. Argentina’s central bank has sharply raised its benchmark interest rate from 27.25 percent to _____ percent. (A) 28.75 Percent (B) 32.50 Percent (C) 30.25 Percent (D) 29.00 Percent 6. Who among the following has taken charge as the new Additional Director General of Military Nursing Service in May 2018? (A) Maj Gen Annakuttybabu (B) Maj Gen Elizabeth John (C) R K Pachnanda (D) Rajnikant Mishra 7. Which of the following payment banks has launched “Tap Card” an offline payment solution to its customers recently? (A)Airtel payments bank (B) Paytm payments bank (C) Jio payments bank (D) Finotech payments bank www.vetriias.com

8. Which of the following corporate companies has become the first in the country to take up “Adopt a Heritage” Project, by adopting Red Fort in Delhi and Gandikota Fort in Andhra Pradesh (A) DLF limited (B) Tata Consultancy Services (C) Dalmia Bharat limited (D) L and T limited 9. Anikta Raina is associated with which sports? (A) Tennis (B) Boxing (C) Badminton (D) Cricket 10. With which among the following institutions, India has requested financial assistance of $ 4 billion in a move to expand its sovereign and nonsovereign operations in the country? (A) Asian Development Bank (ADB) (B) World Bank (C) International Monetary Fund (IMF) (D) Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) 11. The central government holds___________ stake in GSTN (A) 51% (B) 49% (C) 24.5% (D) 40% 12. The Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCIL) has signed a pact with the Ministry of Power to incur capital expenditure of Rs________ crore for 2018-19 (A) Rs 15,000 crore (B) Rs 20,000 crore (C) Rs 10,000 crore (D) Rs 25,000 crore 13. Recently the government has set up NWIC as a single window source of updated data on water resources. Expand NWIC. (A) National Water Information Centre (B) National Water Informatics Centre (C) National Water Indicating Centre (D) National Water Instructing Centre

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TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS I 14. According to the Asian Developments Bank’s report, India’s economy is expected to grow at _______ percent in 2018 (A) 7.3% (B) 7.5% (C) 7.4% (D) 7.6% 15. Market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India has extended the timing of equity derivatives trading from current 3.30 pm to 11:55 pm with effect from __________. (A) July 1, 2018 (B) May 1, 2018 (C) October 1, 2018 (D) August 1, 2018 16. How much amount has been sanctioned by the Government of India for laying regional ring road around Hyderabad? (A) Rs 7,500 crore (B) Rs 6,500 crore (C) Rs 5,500 crore (D) Rs 4,500 crore 17. Recently, North Korea has adjusted its tome zone forward by _______ minutes to align it with the time of of South Korea in a move to promote reconciliation between two nations. (A) 15 minutes (B) 30 minutes (C) 45 minutes (D) 60 minutes 18. How much amount has been sanctioned by the Government of India for the inland waterway on Godavari River? (A) Rs 2,500 crore (B) Rs 1,000 crore (C) Rs 2,000 crore (D) Rs 1,500 crore 19. ) RBI will buy Rs___crore of government bonds(A) 10000 crore (B) 12000 crore (C) 8000 crore (D) 14000 crore 20. By India to forecast the reach of which natural disaster? (A) Drought (B) Tornados (C) Volcano (D) Tsunami www.vetriias.com

May 2018

21. Which international body has tied up with NITI Aayog to help prevent any fraud or corruption in Centre’s ambitious Ayushman Bharat Scheme? (A) Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) (B) World Bank (C) Asian Development Bank (ADB) (D) International Monetary Fund (IMF) 22. How many additional One Stop Centres have recently been approved by the government for the benefit of the violence affected women? (A) 50 (B) 100 (C) 150 (D) 200 23. Which country is not among India’s VP Naidu visited three countries? (A) Guatemala (B) Panama (C) Peru (D) Colombia 24. The IMF expects India to be the fastest growing economy of 2018 with a growth rate of___________ percent. (A) 7.8% (B) 7.6% (C) 7.4% (D) 7.5% 25. What is the total worth of the deal of Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India(ALIMCO)? (A) Rs 1 crore (B) Rs 2 crores (C) Rs 3 crores (D) Rs 5 crores 26. Which command of Indian Army in nuclear weapon environment Culminated Vijay Prahar? (A) South Western Command (B) Eastern Command (C) Northern Command (D) Training Command 27. With which country, India has recently signed two agreements in the field of agriculture? (A) Myanmar (B) Panama (C) Guatemala (D) Nepal 28. The government has decided to provide financial assistance of Rs_____ per quintal of cane crushed in sugar season 2017-18 to sugar mills. (A) Rs 2.50 (B) Rs 5.50 (C) Rs 7.50 (D) Rs 9.50

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TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS I 29. India's largest e-commerce Flipkart ______________. (A) 12.0 billion dollars (B) 16.0 billion dollars (C) 18.2 billion dollars (D) 20.8 billion dollars

startup

30. Ranjan Roy, who passed away recently, was associated with which field? (A) Politics (B) Law (C) Sports (D) Journalism 31. India has extended how much amount of line of credit to support 27 solar power projects in 15 countries? (A) $2.4 billion (B) $1.0 billion (C) $1.4 billion (D) $2.0 billion 32. Ch Kamalamma was native of which state? (A) Telangana (B) Tripura (C) West Bengal (D) Kerala 33. Which State Electricity Board has signed a MoU with the National Thermal Power? (A) Maharashtra (B) Telangana (C) Madhya Pradesh (D) Kerala 34. How much amount has been earmarked for the implementation of the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) in 2018-19? (A) Rs 18,500 crore (B) Rs 12,500 crore (C) Rs 14,500 crore (D) Rs 16,500 crore 35. PM of India and his Nepalese counterpart K P Sharma Oli jointly inaugurated a direct bus service between ______ and _______. (A) Jhansi and Itahari (B) Bhaktapur and Allahabad (C) Varanasi and Pokhara (D) Janakpur and Ayodhya 36. What percent for the current fiscal year by the Credit rating agency ? (A) 7.6 per cent (B) 7.5 per cent (C) 7.2 per cent (D) 7.3 per cent

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May 2018

37. Reserve Bank has initiated prompt corrective action against which public sector lender? (A) Canara Bank (B) Punjab National Bank (C) UCO Bank (D) Dena Bank 38. How much amount has been finalized by the Indian Army? (A) Rs 25,000-crore (B) Rs 10,000-crore (C) Rs 15,000-crore (D) Rs 20,000-crore 39. Which among the following sports federation has recently introduced NoNeedle Policy? (A) Athletics Federation of India (B) All India Football Federation (C) Badminton Association of India (D) Hockey Federation of India 40. Dr Nirmal Hirawat who passed away recently was former minister of which state? (A) Himachal Pradesh (B) Haryana (C) Rajasthan (D) Madhya Pradesh 41. Ahmed served as the __________ President of India. (A) 2nd (B) 5th (C) 7th (D) 6th 42. Credit rating agency Fitch has stated that India's economic growth will accelerate to ________ in the current financial year (2018-19) and ________ in the next fiscal (2019-20). (A) 7.2%, 7.4% (B) 7.2%, 7.5% (C) 7.1%, 7.3% (D) 7.3%, 7.5% 43. What is the total amount of Indian Army has finalised ammunition? (A) Rs8,000 crore (B) Rs10,000 crore (C) Rs15,000 crore (D) Rs18,000 crore 44. The recovery of black money panel is headed by _____________. (A) L K Adwani (B) Narendra Modi (C) Yashwant Sinha (D) Murali Manohar Joshi

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45. The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched REPLACE initiative (A) 2020 (B) 2022 (C) 2023 (D) 2025

53. India’s production of foodgrains touched a record _______ million tonnes in 201718. (A) 536.2 (B) 480.5 (C) 279.5 (D) 110.3

46. Wind-Solar Hybrid Policy aims to achieve 175 GW installed capacity from renewable energy sources by which year? (A) 2020 (B) 2022 (C) 2025 (D) 2030

54. Which Indian iron ore mining company has bagged the 2018 S&P Global PLATTS?

47. EC George Sudarshan who died recently was a renowned ________ (A) Journalist (B) Physicist (C) Writer (D) Agricultural Scientist 48. Which among the given sports apparel brand has been approved by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA)? (A) Adidas (B) Puma (C) Li-Ning (D) Converse 49. NALCO has inked pact with the Ministry of Mines and NALCO is based in ________ (A) Ranchi, Jharkhand (B) Kolkata, West Bengal (C) Hyderabad, Telangana (D) Bhubaneswar, Odisha 50. How much amount has been released by the Indian Government for the river training in Nepal? (A) NRs 100.00 million (B) NRs 180.74 million (C) NRs 125.52 million (D) NRs 150.81 million 51. Jivya Soma Mashe who passed away recently was an internationally acclaimed artist of which tribal art form? (A) Bhil (B) Madhubani (C) Gond (D) Warli 52. How much amount has been approved for dedicated “Micro Irrigation Fund”? (A) Rs 2,500 crore (B) Rs 7,000 crore (C) Rs 5,000 crore (D) Rs 10,000 crore www.vetriias.com

(A) Steel Authority of India (B) National Mineral Development Corporation (C) Kudremukh Iron Ore Co. Ltd (D) Essel Mining & Industries Limited 55. Raghuvir Singh, who passed away recently, was the freedom fighter from which district of Uttar Pradesh? (A) Azamgarh (B) Etawah (C) Jaunpur (D) Muzaffarnagar 56. The International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia is observed on____________ (A) May 18 (B) May 17 (C) May 19 (D) May 16 57. Who among the following has recently unveiled a photo museum in Odisha’s Bhubaneswar? (A) Hari Prasad Bharati (B) Aneel Prasad Mishra (C) Prasanta Kumar Nayak (D) Bijaya Kumar Panda 58. NITI Aayog’s 3 days Venture Capital Symposium 2018 is being organised between India and___________ (A) France (B) Nepal (C) United States (D) Vietnam 59. The World Day for Cultural Diversity on__________ (A) May 20 (B) May 22 (C) May 21 (D) May 19 60. What is the theme for the International Day for Biological Diversity 2018? (A) Biodiversity and Sustainable Tourism (B) Mainstreaming Biodiversity, sustaining people and their livelihoods

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(C) Biodiversity and Sustainable Plantation (D) Celebrating 25 Years of Action for Biodiversity

68. AB de Villiers was a star batsman of which cricketing side? (A) England (B) Australia (C) New Zealand (D) South Africa

61. The HSBC of 2018-19 averaging to _____ percent in the current fiscal. (A) 5.1% (B) 4.2% (C) 3.6% (D) 6.3%

69. What is the total length of the India’s first long highway expressway?

62. Which among the given novels has won the 2018 Man Booker International Prize. (A) The Vegetarian (B) A Horse Walks Into a Bar (C) Flights (D) The World Goes On 63. Name the first Indian father-daughter duo who recently conquered Mount Everest. (A) Ramesh Thakur- Geeta Thakur (B) Sunil Garg- Priya Garg (C) Ajeet Bajaj – Deeya Bajaj (D) Dipesh Mittal-Siya Mittal 64. Shanghai Cooperation OrganisationRegional Anti-Terrorist Structure (SCORATS) is hosted by – (A) Pakistan (B) Kazakhstan (C) India (D) Kajikistan 65. The Union Cabinet has sanctioned USOF What does “USOF” stands for – (A) Universal Service Obligation Fund (B) Universal Service Offering Fund (C) Universal Service Oak Fund (D) Universal Service Opacity Fund 66. In New Delhi, Prime Minister of Netherlands Mark Rutte inaugurated the ____________ (A) Indo-Dutch Yamuna Forum (B) Indo-Dutch Ganga Frontier (C) Indo-Dutch Ganga Forum (D) Indo-Dutch Yamuna Frontier 67. SIDBI was founded on ____________. (A) 22 May 1995 (B) 2 June 1983 (C) 14 May 1981 (D) 2 April 1990

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(A) 127km (C) 135km

(B) 105km (D) 148 km

70. Alan Bean passed away recently. He was a veteran______________ (A) Astronaut (B)Archaeologist (C) Painter (D) Author 71. Which bank has introduced the digital loans against mutual funds (LAMF)? (A) Yes Bank (B) HDFC Bank (C) Kotak Mahindra Bank (D) Federal Bank 72. What is the theme for the International Day of UN Peacekeepers 2018?‘’. (A) Investing in peace around the world (B) Honouring Our Heroes (C) UN70 and UN Peacekeeping: Past, Present, and Future (D) UN Peacekeepers: 70 Years of Service and Sacrifice 73. Name the cricketer who has emerged as the International Cricketer of the Year. (A) Shikhar Dhawan (B) Virat Kohli (C) AB de Villiers (D) MS Dhoni 74. Joko Widodo is the present President of ___________. (A) Singapore (B) Indonesia (C) Malaysia (D) Turkey 75. Who among the following Indian sportsperson has won the silver medal? (A) Karan Singh (B) CA Bhavani Devi (C) SN Siva Magesh (D) Abhishek Poswal

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76. Google Doodle recently celebrated Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay’s 115th birth anniversary on which date? (A) 1 April (B) 2 April (C) 3 April (D) 4 April

84. Which country has emerged as the largest remittance-receiving country of the world? (A) Inodnesia (B) China (C) India (D) Bhutan

77. Which group of nations suspended the new "good certificate"? (A) United States of America (B) United Arab Emirates (C) United Kingdom (D) United Nations

85. Name the veteran singer who was honoured with the Swara Mauli title (A) Asha Bhosle (B) Kavitha Krishnamurthy (C) Lata Mangeshkar (D) Subramanyam Swami

recently conduct

78. India observed ___________ birth anniversary of nation’s first Nobel Award winner Rabindranath Tagore on May 7, 2018 (A) 157 (B) 156 (C) 155 (D) 154 79. Which among the given Indian pair has won the silver medal in shooting? (A) Gagan Narang – Pooja Ghatkar (B) Abhinav Bindra – Heena Sidhu (C) Manavjit Singh Sandhu – Shreyasi Singh (D) Jitu Rai – Apurvi Chandela 80. With which of the following countries, India has recently signed MoUs? (A) Guatemala (B) Nepal (C) United States (D) Russia 81. The framework by US agreement took place in which year? (A) 2015 (B) 2016 (C) 2014 (D) 2012 82. . The first HADR exercise ‘Samvedna’ has started off the coast of which Indian state? (A) West Bengal (B) Kerala (C) Tamil Nadu (D) Andhra Pradesh 83. Mohamed Salah plays football club? (A) Manchester United (B) Liverpool (C) Real Madrid (D) A.C. Milan

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for

which

86. Who has been assigned the additional charge of the Finance Ministry till incumbent minister Arun Jaitley recovers from kidney surgery? (A) Manohar Parrikar (B) Piyush Goyal (C) Prakash Javadekar (D) Suresh Prabhu 87. The 2018 Venture Capital Symposium was organized by NITI Aayog? (A) South Africa (B) France (C) Germany (D) Italy 88. Which Bollywood personality has been honoured by European Union? (A) Akshay Kumar (B) Priyanka Chopra (C) Amitabh Bachchan (D) Deepika Padukone 89. Name the youngest Indian women who recently created history by mountaineering the world’s highest peak Mt Everest. (A) Shivangi Pathak (B) Ruchita Tripathi (C) Surbhi Srivastava (D) Anupama Rai 90. Which among the following international bodies has approved $300 million credit for the India Energy Efficiency Scale-Up Program? (A) International Monetary Fund (B) World Bank (C) Asian Development Bank (D) European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

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TNPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS I 91. Which Indian organization has recently signed a pact with ABB India? (A) TRAI (B) ISRO (C) NITI Aayog (D) DRDO 92. Name the Institute/Organization that has been awarded the Clarivate Analytics India Innovation Award 2018 (A) IISC, Bengaluru (B) ISRO (C) CSIR (D) ICMR

May 2018

99. Which nation’s court has ruled lawmakers with dual citizenship as ineligible to hold a parliamentary seat? (A) Australia (B) US (C) UK (D) Japan 100. Cambodia organized the 5th IndiaCLMV Business Conclave in __________. (A) Siem Reap (B) Mumbai (C) Phnom Penh (D) New Delhi

93. Who among the following has been appointed as the new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the RBI? (A) Rachita Gulati (B) Sudha Balakrishnan (C) Dhritidyuti Bose (D) Indranil Sen Gupta 94. Who has been named the Most Valuable Player in the 2018 Indian Premier League (IPL-11)? (A) Rishabh Pant (B) Shane Watson (C) Sunil Narine (D) Kiwi Trent Boult 95. RK Singh, Minister of State for Power, launched the web portal is ________ (A) TRIPTI (B) LAKSHMI (C) PRATISHI (D) PRAAPTI 96. Which Indian charity has won the Charity Clarity award? (A) RoadToFreedom (B) MilindFoundation (C) JagritiYatra (D) Cleft Lip and Palate Association

97. Yaddanapudi Sulochana Rani, was associated with which literary language? (A) Telugu (B) Malayalam (C) Hindi (D) Odia 98. Which Indian American professor received a grant of USD 1.6M? (A) Jitesh Pandit (B)TahirHussain (C) PalSawhney (D) Nakul Mehta

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ANSWER KEYS

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

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A B C B C A B C A A C D B A C C B C A D

21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

B B D C B A B B B D C A D D D D D C A D

41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60

B D C D C B B C D B D C C B D B B A C D

61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80

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A C C A A C D D C A B D B B B C B A A A

81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100

A B B C C B B C A B C C B C D C A B A C

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