RBI/ BANKING/BUSINESS NEWS (MAY-AUGUST 2015)

Transcription

1 RBI/ BANKING/BUSINESS NEWS (MAY-AUGUST 2015) 21 August: The Reserve Bank of India granted its in-principle approval to setting up Payments Banks to 11 entities. These are Aditya Birla Nuvo, Airtel M Commerce Services, Cholamandalam Distribution Services, Department of Posts, Fino PayTech, National Securities Depository Ltd (NSDL), Reliance Industries, Tech Mahindra, Vodafone m-pesa, Dilip Shanghvi and Vijay S. Sharma. The two individuals to get RBI s approval Dilip Shanghvi and Vijay S. Sharma, are associated with Sun Pharma and Paytm respectively. Payments banks will be the entities which will be mainly involved in remittance services and will be allowed to accept deposits up to Rs. 1 lakh but cannot lend. They can also issue debit cards and offer internet banking but will be not allowed to issue credit cards. 20 August: Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has launched two funds by Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), a fund of funds with total corpus of Rs 12,000 crore. The funds are Rs 2,000-crore India Aspiration Fund (IAF) and SIDBI Make In India Loan For Enterprises (SMILE) scheme with an investment size of Rs 10,000 crore. 20 August: The State Bank of India has launched its mobile wallet State Bank Buddy in collaboration with Accenture and MasterCard. The mobile wallet app is available in 13 languages on Google Play Store.The bank said the wallet will soon be available in the Apple App Store as well. 20 August: The Indian government's recent steps to support the capitalisation of public sector banks won't fully resolve their looming capital shortfall, according to a Standard & Poor's report. The government has recently announced its plan to allocate capital to each of the banks for fiscal (ending March 31), increase the capital allocation for fiscal 2016, and commit to further allocation in the next few years if needed. The government has earmarked Indian rupee (INR) 0.7 trillion (US$11 billion) for capital infusions for

2 20 August: To fund the unfunded, the Finance Ministry plans to launch a month long campaign for loans under Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana and hopes to double loan disbursement to the small business sector to over Rs 1 lakh crore during the fiscal. 20 August: The Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), the major player in the insurance sector launched its new endowment plus ULIP product. Mr B K Panda, Sr Divisional Manager LICI, Guwahati, along with Mr S Biswas, Manager Sales officially launched the policy. 18 August: The Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a new campaign 'Start-up India, Stand-up India' to promote bank financing for start-ups and offer incentives to boost entrepreneurship and job creation. The campaign was launched during the celebrations of 69th Independence Day at Red Fort, Delhi. The initiative is aimed at encouraging entrepreneurship among the youth of India. 18 August: Government appointed new heads in five Public Sector Banks. Bank of Baroda (BoB) and Canara Bank have become the first public sector banks which will be headed by private sector professionals. P.S. Jayakumar (53), who currently heads realty firm VBHC Value Homes, has been appointed as the managing director & chief executive officer of Bank of Baroda. MD and CEO of private sector lender Laxmi Vilas Bank Rakesh Sharma (57) will head Canara Bank. M.O. Rego (Deputy Managing Director, IDBI Bank), Kishore Kharat Piraji (Executive Director, Union Bank of India), and Usha Ananthasubramanian (CMD, Bhartiya Mahila Bank) are the new MD and CEOs of Bank of India, IDBI Bank and Punjab National Bank, respectively. 18 August: Reserve Bank of India notified the Union Budget Interest Subvention Scheme (ISS) and asked all banks to provide interest concession of 2 percent on short term crop loans of up to 3 lakh rupees. The central bank in its notification said that interest subvention of 2 percent per annum will be made available to public and private sector banks. 17 August: The Reserve Bank of India paid a dividend of nearly Rs. 66,000 crore to the government, the highest ever from the central bank in its 80-year history, and 22% more than it paid last year. On a point to point basis, RBI's dividend payment to the government is up more than four times in as many years. This payment can help ease the government's finances, help meet its fiscal deficit targets, provide liquidity to the system so that the rate of interest remains low. 17 August: The programme to pay cash subsidy to cooking gas LPG consumers has been recognised by Guinness Book of World Records as the largest cash transfer programme in the world. The Direct Benefit Transfer on LPG (DBTL), or Pratyaksha Hastaantarit Laabh (PAHAL) scheme, was launched in 54 districts on November 15, 2014 and all over the country from January 1, 2015 with a view to provide subsidy to the right beneficiary and to cut diversion and subsidised fuel being consumed by unintended segments like restaurants and other commercial establishments.

3 17 August: The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) allowed banks to tie up with insurance companies. This decision is taken on the basis of 'Bancasurance' guidelines soon to be notified. Prior to this decision no bank was allowed to tie up with more than one insurance company. Now, according to the new bancassurance guidelines banks can tie up with a maximum of 9 insurers from three segments life, non life and standalone health insurers as part of the new. While such a tie-up will not be mandatory on the banks. 13 August: Wipro Chairman Azim Premji and HCL founder Shiv Nadar are the only two Indian tycoons in the top 20 richest people in the world of technology, according to an inaugural list by Forbes that has been topped by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. Premji is ranked 13th on Forbes' first ever list of '100 Richest People In Tech', followed by Nadar on the 14th spot. Premji, 70, who has a net worth of $ 17.4 billion, is among Asia's most generous tycoons. Nadar has a net worth of $ 14.4 billion. 13 August: The Financing Agreement for World Bank assistance of US$ 104 million for Additional Financing under National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project-I (NCRMP-I) was signed between Government of India and the World Bank. The objective of Additional Financing under NCRMP-I is to reduce the vulnerability of coastal communities to cyclone and other hydro meteorological hazards in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. 13 August: The Financing Agreement for World Bank assistance of US$ million for National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project-II (NCRMP-II) was signed between Government of India and the World Bank. The objective of NCRMP-II is to reduce vulnerability to cyclone and other hydro-meteorological hazards of coastal communities in the States of Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra and West Bengal. 12 August: In view of the forthcoming festival of Raksha Bandhan, a special enrolment drive, Suraksha Bandhan, is being launched by participating banks and insurance companies for enrolling bank account holders in Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) and Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY). The Suraksha Bandhan drive aims to take forward the Government s objective of creating a universal social security system in the country. It is targeted especially at the poor and the under-privileged. 11 August: In a report on Working Conditions of Women in Public Sector Banks a parliamentary panel has recommended making at least 15 per cent public sector banks branches all-women offices to provide safe and convenient work environment to women in the banking sector. The PSBs have a total staff strength of about 8, 57, 868. Of this, women employees account for 1, 96, 374, constituting 24 per cent of the total workforce as of September, August: Payment system running companies in India like Airtel, Vodafone, OneMobikvik etc. who have applied for licence with Reserve Bank of India (RBI), might have to be under control of the two regulators. They will contnue to be regulated by the RBI, and after the Indian Financial Code (IFC) is

4 implemented the proposed financial authority will also superwise them. Regulation of banking sector, the systematically important payment systems and authorized dealerships shall remain with RBI. 11 August: The Varishtha Pension Bima Yojana launched by the Government of India on August 15, 2014, is set to close on August 14, Administered by the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India, the scheme is aimed at the welfare of the senior citizens of the country, offering a yield of 9.38 per cent annually. 11 August: ICICI Bank has launched its Saral-Rural Housing Loan at base rate of 9.7 per cent for borrowers from the rural areas.the loan would range from Rs lakh for a period of 3 20 years and the loan could be up to 90 per cent of the property value.the offer would be available in 189 cities across the country. 8 August: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) allowed banks to shift, merge or close branches in urban areas without seeking its prior permission. According to RBI banks can shift, merge or close all branches except rural branches and sole semi-urban branches at their discretion. Shifting, merging or closing a branch in a rural area or a sole branch in a semi-urban area would, however, continue to require prior permission from RBI. RBI took this decision to give extra freedom to banks. 8 August: In a historic move, retirement fund body Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) kickstarted the process of investing in the stock market, with an initial corpus of around Rs. 5,000 crore to be invested through Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) in the current fiscal. It invested in the major shares of SENSEX and NIFTY. Next year this investment woud increase upto 15,000 crore rupees. Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya announced the first investment. 8 August: Federal Bank launched India s first Mobile App for Bank Account Opening in Mumbai. Federal Bank has introduced this unique facility of Mobile based Bank Account Opening as an upgrade to FedBook, its e-passbook App, launched two years ago. With the new avatar of FedBook, anyone having an Aadhaar Card and PAN Card can now open a Savings Bank Account and get their Account Number instantly using a mobile from anywhere at any time. Further, the account can also be funded with an initial remittance through online fund transfer up to a maximum amount of Rs August: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) kept its interest rates unchanged in its third bi-monthly monetary policy review. The Reserve Bank of India retained the growth target for at 7.6 percent. The Repo Rate is retained at 7.25 percent, the Reverse Repo Rate at 6.25 percent, Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) and Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) at 4 percent and 21.5 percent, respectively 5 August: Snapdeal, an online marketplace, and HDFC Bank launched a co-branded credit card, 'Snapdeal HDFC Bank credit card' in partnership with Visa. This partnership aims at encouraging more customers from tier-2 and tier-3 markets to adapt to digital payments. Snapdeal will also give reward points to customers for making digital payments through the co-branded card.

5 4 August: The executive board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved the disbursement of about USD 1.7 billion to Ukraine. The IMF has pledged USD 17.5 billion in total financial assistance over four years. Thus, the total amount of financing of Ukraine from the Fund will reach 6.68 billion. This financing is aimed at restoring the country's economy, empowering public finance system and maintaining financial stability. 3 August: Kotak Mahindra Bank (KMB) launched Kotak Bharat, mobile banking app primarily for unbanked regions. Kotak Bharat is the inclusive digital banking app launched by KMB that is primarily targeted to benefit customers in the under-banked and un-banked regions, who can access its services in their preferred language. One major benefit of this app is that it requires no internet connectivity. The app is Android-based. It works on the existing SMS banking. 3 August: BNP Paribas, a multi-national bank announced to acquire Indian retail brokerage firm Sharekhan Limited. BNP Paribas is the leading French bank with worldwide presence. Currently, BNP Paribas has a presence in India through Geojit BNP Paribas in which it holds a stake of about 33%. Sharekhan was set up in 2000 by Mumbai-based entrepreneur Shripal Morakhia. 1 August: According to Global rating agency Moody's Indian economy started recovering by the end of 2014 but till now no big recovery is seen. According to Moody's accommodative monetary policy will lift the GDP (gross domestic product) to 7.6% in 2015, increasing to 8% in However, Moody s pointed out that India s true potential GDP growth lies somewhere near 10%. 1 August: According to a survey released by leading global management consulting firm AT Kearney, India has fallen four spots to 11th place in attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) during According to a latest survey titled Foreign Direct Investment Confidence Index 2015 commissioned by AT Kearney India attracted $35 billion as FDI in India lost its top 10 position for the first time since The US topped the Index for the third straight year followed by China. 30 July: India signed a loan agreement of 300 million US dollars with Asian Development Bank (ADB) for its flagship programme National Urban Health Mission (NUHM). The main of the NUHM is to improve the health status of the country s urban population. The loan agreement is titled Supporting National Urban Health Mission and it seeks to reinforce ongoing government efforts under the NUHM to develop health systems in urban areas that can deliver quality health services to the urban poor and vulnerable. 29 July: Axis Bank, India s third largest private sector bank, has signed a $200 million 7-year bilateral loan deal with the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The deal will help bolster Axis Bank s efforts of improving farm efficiency by extending customized and affordable agriculture credit to farmers. The bank would effectively leverage its extensive semi urban and rural branch network to deliver agriculture credit.

6 24 July: Unveiling a set of 13 corporate governance principles for the banking sector, the BCBS has said that regulators should set corporate governance guidelines in line with these principles, besides addressing expectations for checks and balances, clear allocation of responsibilities, accountability and transparency among the members of the board, senior management and within the bank. 24 July: Non-resident Indians (NRIs) can invest in National Pension System (NPS) to get a social security cover, pension regulator PFRDA s Chairman Hemant Contractor has said. While RBI has communicated to PFRDA about NRIs being eligible to make such investments, the government will shortly come out with a clarification on Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) guidelines to facilitate nonresident Indians to invest in National Pension System (NPS), he said. 22 July: The International Monetary Fund named Maurice Obstfeld, a widely respected economist known for his work on how policies spill over into the global economy, as the emergency-lender s next chief economist. Obstfeld, a University of California, Berkeley, professor and a member of the White House s Council of Economic Advisers, will replace Olivier Blanchard in September. 21 July: The Reserve Bank of India signed a special currency swap agreement with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka that will allow the latter to draw up to $1.1 billion. Under the arrangement, the Sri Lankan bank can draw up to $1.1 billion for a maximum period of six months. Earlier in March, RBI had signed a Currency Swap Agreement with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka for $400 million under the existing SAARC Currency Swap Framework within the overall limit of $2 billion. 21 July: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) retained its India GDP growth projection for FY at 7.8 percent and 8.2 percent in , but cautioned that delay in reforms relating to land acquisition and GST could hamper growth. Indian economy grew 7.3 percent in ADB, however, has cut its growth forecast for developing Asia to 6.1 percent from the earlier 6.3 percent. 20 July: The World Bank Group (WBG) and China signed an agreement to set up a trust fund to help reduce poverty. The fund aims to enhance the WBG-China cooperation and leverage financial and knowledge-based resources to help developing countries achieve inclusive and sustainable development. The fund worth $50 million is expected to start later this year. 20 July: India signed a pact with the World Bank for $250 million financial assistance for Andhra Pradesh Disaster Recovery Project which will help the state enhance its capacity to respond promptly and effectively in times of crisis. The project, through its different components, will provide both direct and indirect benefits to Andhra Pradesh. The beneficiaries include populations of the affected coastal areas, specifically four heavily impacted districts of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam and East Godavari. 20 July: Competition Commission of India (CCI) slapped Rs. 671 crore penalty on four state-run insurance companies -- National Insurance, New India Assurance, Oriental Insurance and United India

7 Insurance -- for cartelisation and indulging in anti-competitive practices. It is being considered as the biggest fine in the insurance sector of the country. Competition Commission has imposed a penalty of Rs crore on New India Assurance, Rs crore on National Insurance, Rs crore on United India Insurance and Rs crore on Oriental Insurance, respectively. 17 July: The Reserve Bank of India constituted a committee to work out a medium-term (five-year) action plan for financial inclusion. The 14-member panel will be headed by RBI executive director Deepak Mohanty. The Committee will work to spread the reach of financial services to unbanked population. 15 July: In order to leverage Indian creativity, expertise, and resources to identify and scale innovative solutions, the FICCI and the World Bank announced their partnership to advance the Millennium Alliance (MA) initiative. The agreement was signed to formalize a shared commitment to support sustainable and scalable innovative solutions in the identified priority areas of sanitation, education, healthcare, clean energy and agriculture. 13 July: The World Bank and Norway has approved an amount of 55 crore dollars for education sector in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. Group has signed an agreement with Norway for result based financial help in the education sector. Under this agreement both states will get a separate loan of 55 crore dollars. Loan to the state of Bihar is sanctioned for capacity addition of Primary teachers in Bihar while Madhya Pradesh will get the financial help for higher education reforms. 13 July: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) allowed mass transit system (MTS) operators like Mumbai Metro, Delhi Metro, Indian Railways, etc. to issue pre-paid cards to their customer. This is expected to provide a huge relief to the commuters who face problems while purchasing tickets. RBI guidelines also say that the balance in the prepaid instrument issued by the MTS should not exceed Rs. 2,000 at any point of time. Also, MTS would not be allowed to refunds cash that is stocked in the pre-paid instruments (PPI). These PPIs will have a minimum validity of 6 months from the date of issue. 13 July: Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) has signed a multilateral agreement to cooperate with New Development Bank (NDB) along with other member development banks of BRICS nations. New Development Bank (NDB) is promoted by the BRICS nations -- Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. The agreement was signed between Exim Bank Chairman and Managing Director Yaduvendra Mathur and Chairpersons or Presidents of other member development banks of BRICS in Ufa, Russia during the BRICS Summit July: Vodafone India, the telecom service providers, has entered into a strategic tie-up with Walmart India. This tie-up will enable business members of six Best Price Modern Wholesale stores, owned and operated by Walmart India, to make payments using M-Pesa from their mobile anywhere, anytime. The first-of-its-kind partnership with Walmart India, gives all its members, including small businesses such as kiranas/resellers, the benefit of sending money through their mobile phones instantly and securely and run their customer facing businesses more efficiently and in hassle-free manner.

8 11 July: MakeMyTrip, RBL Bank, Inox wind and IRCTC are among the firms that have made it to the Fortune Next 500 list of Indian companies, which has been topped by iphone distributor Redington India. Redington India tops the list with annual revenue of over Rs. 1,690 crore followed by Inox Wind (Rs 1,689 crore), ISMT (Rs 1,685 crore), Emcure Pharmaceuticals (Rs 1,683.5 crore) and Orientcraft (Rs 1,683 crore). 11 July: Country's second largest IT services firm Infosys has signed a multi-million euro deal with Deutsche Bank. Under the terms of the agreement, Infosys will provide services like development, application maintenance, digital and mobility, package implementation and testing services across the Deutsche Bank Group. 9 July: Sriram Kalyanaraman, Director-Business Development, Equifax Credit Information Services Pvt. Ltd has been appointed as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, National Housing Bank for a period of five years from the date of his taking over the charge. The appointment of Shri Kalyanaraman is unique in its way as he is the first person form the Private Sector to head a Public Sector Financial Institution. 9 July: China named Jin Liqun as the first Chief of the Beijing-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), which is being established as an alternative financial entity to World Bank and IMF. Jin Liqun is a former Finance Minister of China. AIIB is a multilateral development bank proposed by the government of China to provide finance to infrastructure projects in the Asia region. 9 July: According to World Bank India's rural employment guarantee programme MNREGA has been ranked as the world's largest public works programme, providing social security net to almost 15 percent of the country's population. According to World Bank Group's report 'The State of Social Safety Nets 2015', India is among the five middle-income countries running the world's largest social safety net programmes. India's Mid-day meal scheme has been classified as biggest school feeding programme benefiting 105 million beneficiaries. 9 July: State-run IDBI Bank has signed an agreement with Mudra Bank for refinancing of loans given to small enterprises. As per the agreement, the Bank will offer credit facilities up to Rs. 10 lakh to micro enterprises, at a competitive interest rate under Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) and Mudra will be providing refinance assistance to the bank for eligible sanctioned loan cases. 8 July: Taking a step towards digitalisation, Union Bank of India launched a slew of initiatives such as IMPS at branches and M-passbooks for its customers. The bank has become the first lender to launch immediate payment service (IMPS) through branches for its retail and corporate customers by integrating the platform to its core banking solution. This will allow customers to instantly transfer funds to any account from the branch. The limit has been set at up to Rs. 2 lakh per day. The digital passbook or M-passbook feature will enable customers to view account statement on mobile.

9 8 July: Euclid Tsakalotos, the deputy foreign minister of international economic affairs and chief coordinator of the country's negotiating team over the debt deal with lenders, has been appointed as new Finance Minister of Greece after Yanis Varoufakis resigned from the post because Greek voters delivered an overwhelming "No" vote in a referendum on whether to accept more austerity measures in return for new bailout cash. 7 July: Reserve Bank of India prohibited the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in manufacturing of tobacco products, though activities such as retail and wholesale trading fall under the sectoral restrictions. According to RBI notification Foreign direct investment (FDI) is prohibited in the manufacturing of cigars, cheroots, cigarillos and cigarettes of tobacco or of tobacco substitutes. Foreign direct investment in other activities relating to these products including wholesale cash and carry, retail trading shall be governed by the sectoral restrictions laid down in the FDI policy. 7 July: Corporation Bank has become the first bank to launch the MUDRA Card. Hasmukh Adhia, secretary, department of financial services, union ministry of finance launched the first MUDRA (Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency) card under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) for small entrepreneurs. Mudra Card based on the RuPay platform. PMMY aims to fund micro units in manufacturing, trading and services sectors with affordable credit upto Rs. 10 lakh. 7 July: China unveiled an Internet Plus scheme, aiming to integrate the Internet with traditional industries and fuel economic growth. China s Internet Plus action plan will integrate mobile Internet, cloud computing, big data with modern manufacturing, to encourage the healthy development of e-commerce, industrial networks, and Internet banking, and to help Internet companies increase their international presence. 6 July: The country s largest public sector lender State Bank of India (SBI) launched Project Tatkal, an initiative to provide doorstep services and expedite Home Loan Application (HLA) process. The project will help home loan applicants to get the loan within 10 days after receipt of application form and relevant supporting documents. 6 July: State-run operator BSNL launched a pre-paid card linked mobile wallet service which would allow its customers to transfer money, pay for services as well as withdraw cash of up to Rs. 1 lakh. The wallet service, Speed Pay, allows a customer to load money even if he does not have a bank account. The money loaded in the mobile wallet can be transferred to a bank account and even withdrawn at bank branches or at BSNL outlets. 6 July: Google India, Tata Trust and Intel have started a unique initiative to educate rural women about internet and create awareness towards it. These companies joined hands to launch a programme 'Internet Saathi'. Under the programme 1,000 specially- designed bicycles equipped with internet devices will be sent into remote villages. The aim of the initiative is to create awareness towards internet among 5 lakh Indian rural women in the next 18 months.

10 4 July: The World Bank announced to provide $650 million loan for a major project of Indian Railways, the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor project. Construction of the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor will help speed up the carrying of goods between Ludhiana in the west of India and Kolkata in the east. This huge project will span 1,840 kms (1,140 miles) across the North India. The loan is the third from the World Bank to help fund the freight corridor. 4 July: Mobile Number Portability (MNP) has been launched across the country on 3rd July With the launch of nationwide MNP, mobile users can retain their numbers despite changing states/circles across the country, without incurring any roaming charges. Telecom operators such as Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, Idea Cellular, Uninor, MTS, Reliance Communications, Videocon Telecom, BSNL and MTNL have already announced the launch of full MNP. 4 July: According to the data released by World Bank in Washington the size of Indian economy stood at $2.06 trillion at the end of It has almost doubled in size since the financial crisis hit the country in 2008, and has more than quadrupled from the start of this millennium. India s growth rate, at 7.4% in 2014, makes it the fastest growing major economy along with China s. 4 July: Just 4.6% of all rural households in the country pay income tax while such households with salaried income are close to 10%, the first Socio-Economic and Caste Census released in eight decades said. According to the Socio-Economic and Caste Census 2011 the percentage of Scheduled Caste (SC) households paying income tax was 3.49% while Scheduled Tribe (ST) tax-paying rural households were mere 3.34%. 3 July: Greece became the first developed nation to default on International Monetary Fund (IMF) debt. It became a defaulter after it missed the deadline for payment of 1.7 billion dollar (1.5 billion euro) to IMF. According to IMF's Fund spokesman Gerry Rice, Greece has too much debt to return and it can get finance from the IMF only if it repays the loan. 3 July: Country s largest bank State Bank of India (SBI) announced its tie-up with travel company MakeMyTrip.com. This partnership includes partnership with personal banking unit for consumer facing propositions including EMIs on purchase of holidays & international travel, customized travel products like Forex cards and travel products. On the other hand MakeMyTrip customers will be able to access special offers from SBI on debit/credit cards and personal financing. 2 July: National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and JCB International Co. Ltd, a subsidiary of Japan's JCB Co. Ltd., entered into a partnership for payment cards issuance and acceptance. Under the pact, JCB cards will be accepted at all NPCI locations in India. The partnership will also include the issuance of RuPay/JCB international cards by NPCI member banks that will be globally accepted through the JCB network. These cards will be launched in the second half of 2016.

11 2 July: Infosys has launched a mobile app, the 'Finacle SME Enable' to help banks enhance support and service for their small and medium business enterprise (SME) customers. The mobile-based financial and business management solution will provide bank s SME customers real-time access to their account information and relevant financial management tools to manage their day-to-day business operations in a self-service mode. 1 July: The Union Government approved 643 crore rupees drinking water and sewerage project for Shimla town for World Bank funding. Under the project, World Bank will provide a loan of 514 crore rupees and remaining 129 crore rupees will be provided by the state government as counterpart funding over a project period of three years. The project would help the people of Shimla and adjoining Special Planning Area in addressing the chronic water shortage problem and also sewerage connectivity. 1 July: Country's second largest private sector lender HDFC Bank launched '30-min auto' and '15- min 2-wheeler' loan schemes, for which customers have to provide only their biometric details. The 30- minute auto loan is available for HDFC Bank customers, as well as others. With this technology-enabled solution, loans for two-wheelers can also be approved within 15 minutes. 30 June: The Union Government in June 2015 increased the national floor-level minimum wage (NFLMW) to 160 rupees per day from 137 rupees per day. The new rate will be effective from 1 July June: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) decided to allow Authorized Dealer Category I (AD Category-I) Banks to borrow foreign currency from International/Multinational Financial Institutions (IFIs/MFIs). Authorized Dealer Category -I Banks (AD Category I Banks) is one of the three types of Authorized Money Changers (AMCs) approved by the RBI. 26 June: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has extended the date to exchange pre-2005 bank notes till December 31, 2015 for third time. Earlier in December 2014, RBI had set the last date for public to exchange these notes as June 30, June: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released the Financial Stability Report (FSR) June It is the eleventh issue of its half yearly publication. Besides, the report discussed issues relating to development and regulation of the financial sector. HIGHLIGHTS OF FINANCIAL STABILITY REPORT (FSR) JUNE 2015 Financial Institutions: Soundness and Resilience Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs) Urban Co-operative Banks and Non-Bank Financial Companies

12 Financial Sector Regulation, Banking sector, Securities market, Insurance sector, Commodity derivative markets, Pension sector 25 June: United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) released the World Investment Report 2015 (WIR15) titled. HIGHLIGHTS OF WORLD INVESTMENT REPORT 2015 In 2014, Global Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows fell by 16 per cent to 1.23 trillion US dollars mostly because of the fragility of the global economy, policy uncertainty for investors and elevated geopolitical risks. However, they are projected to grow by 11 per cent to 1.4 trillion US dollars in June: The Union Cabinet approved renaming of Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) as Renewable Energy Corporation of India (RECI). 24 June: Union Ministry of Finance issued draft proposals for facilitating electronic transactions in the country. E-transactions mean authorization of transfer of money through electronic means and flow of funds directly from one account to another. 24 June: The Board of Financial Benchmarks India Private Limited (FBIL) decided to adopt FBIL overnight Mumbai Inter-Bank Offer Rate (MIBOR) from 22 July 2015.FBIL overnight MIBOR is a new method to set the overnight interest rate benchmark that will be based on traded levels instead of contributions from market participants. 24 June: The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI relaxed the norms for technological start-ups to raise funds from the capital market while easing the norms for issuance of Initial Public Offering (IPO) by companies. It reduced the post-listing lock-in period for tech start-up promoters to six months, instead of three years for other IPOs. 23 June: Employee Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) notified an order to make Universal Account Number (UAN) mandatory for all employers covered under the Employees Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, June: National Stock Exchange (NSE) operationalised the Overnight Liquid Transaction facility on its web-based Mutual Fund Service System (MFSS) platform. 20 June: The Union Government released the Draft Outline of Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme. The government invited comments till 2 July 2015 on it.

13 The scheme is aimed at reducing the demand for physical gold and to shift part of the estimated 300 tons of physical bars and coins purchased every year for investment into demat gold bonds. 19 June: Union Ministry of Finance formed two committees for facilitating implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) from 1 April TERMS OF REFERENCE OF COMMITTEE ON GST RATE: It will recommend possible tax rates under GST that would be consistent with the present level of revenue collection of the Union and States. It will be headed by the Chief Economic Advisor (CEA), Ministry of Finance. The present CEA is Arvind Subramanian. 19 June: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, gave its approval for the Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for Kharif Crops of season. 19 June: HDFC Bank, India s second-largest private sector lender has launched a 10-second paperless instant loan Scheme for its existing customers. The 10-second loan Scheme was launched as part of HDFC Bank s digital banking platform GoDigital. With this, HDFC bank became first banking institution to completely automate the entire process of loan approval and disbursement. 19 June: The Union Government released the Draft Outline of Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme. The government invited comments till 2 July 2015 on it. The scheme is aimed at reducing the demand for physical gold and to shift part of the estimated 300 tons of physical bars and coins purchased every year for investment into demat gold bonds. 18 June: The Union Government decided to increase the number of workdays under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) from 100 days to 150 days in droughtaffected areas of the country. 18 June: The Union Cabinet gave its approval for stepping up of solar power capacity target under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) by five times to MW (100 GW).The target to be achieved by June: Bangladesh Supreme Court s appellate bench upheld the death sentence of war criminal and Jamaat-e-Islami leader Ali Ahsan Muhammad Mujahid. Decision in this regard was taken by 4-member bench headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha. The court has found Mujahid guilty of systematically killing intellectuals in the end of the 1971 Liberation War of Bangladesh.

14 17 June: Maharashtra Government has given nod to new Information Technology (IT) and Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES) policy. KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF MAHARASHTRA IT & ITES POLICY 2015 Aims at making state an IT, animation and gaming industry hub by attracting 50,000 crore rupees of investment and creating 1 million jobs in nest five years i.e. by Promotes a walk-to-work concept by proposing the construction of integrated IT townships along with residential apartments and social infrastructure such as schools, hospitals, multiplexes, malls and parks etc. 15 June: Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows into the services sector grew by over 46 per cent to 3.25 billion dollars in fiscal. It was revealed by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP). 15 June: The High Level Committee (HLC) on railway restructuring headed by Dr Bibek Debroy submitted its final report to the Union Ministry of Railways. 15 June: Domestic e-commerce giant Snapdeal has acquired Gurgaon based mobility solutions company Letsgomo Labs. With this acquisition Letsgomo team will become part of Snapdeal. It will help to strengthen Snapdeal position in the m-commerce domain by further strengthen it mobile technology capabilities. 15 June: State owned telecommunications giant Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has launched free pan India roaming scheme. This scheme will allow company s mobile customers across the country to receive incoming calls at no additional cost i.e. free of cost. It will benefit around 7.72 crore of its existing subscriber base as well as new subscribers. 15 June: Metal and mining giant Vedanta Ltd and its subsidiary oil explorer Cairn India have announced to merge. The merger will create India s largest diversified natural resources company. It will also help Cairn spread its risk from volatile oil business to other metals and commodities. 15 June: World Bank and World Health Organization (WHO) in their latest report have reported that around 400-million people worldwide lack access to essential health services. It was revealed in a report by the World Bank and WHO on tracking universal health care (UHC) coverage. It is the first report to measure health service coverage and financial protection and to assess countries progress towards UHC. 13 June: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued the final guidelines for the 6-year and 13-year cash settled Interest Rate Futures (IRF) on government securities with residual maturity of 4-8 years and years respectively under the Interest Rate Futures (Reserve Bank) (Amendment) Directions, 2015.

15 13 June: China has launched a freight train service between its northeastern city of Harbin and Europe. The 9,820-km-long distance rail route will open new trade options for Chinese goods in the European Market. 13 June: United States (US) government has opened an investigation against two of the biggest Indian Information Technology (IT) outsourcing companies for possible violations of H1-B visa rules. The two IT giants are Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Infosys. 12 June: Reserve Bank of Indian has allowed non-resident Indians (NRIs) to invest in chit fund to encourage flow of capital into the country. Decision in this regard was taken after RBI had revised the extant guidelines for subscription to the chit funds in consultation with the government. 12 June: The second border haat (rural market) was opened for common people at Kamalasagar in Sipahijala district of Tripura bordering Brahmanbaria district of Bangladesh. 11 June: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced Strategic Debt Restructuring (SDR) Scheme which allows banks and non-banking lending institutions to convert their loans into equity stake.the scheme will benefit all Scheduled Commercial Banks, excluding Regional Rural Banks (RRBs). 10 June: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved two road projects worth 4721 crore rupees, one in Madhya Pradesh and another in Telangana. The projects will be executed under the flagship road building programme National Highways Development Project (NHDP). 10 June: Union Cabinet approved an interest-free loan i.e. soft loan to the tune of 6,000 crore rupees to enable sugar mills pay arrears to farmers. 7 June: India has slapped anti-dumping duty on imports of certain steel products from three South Asian countries viz China, Malaysia and South Korea. The duties have been imposed for five years on imports of certain varieties of steel especially on hot-rolled flat products of stainless steel used in automobile sectors. 7 June: Adani Power Limited (APL) and Reliance Power Limited of India have signed separate memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB). These MoUs were signed on the first day of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi s visit to Bangladesh. The deals were signed to set up 4,600 MW power plants in Bangladesh worth $5.5 billion. 6 June: Reserve Bank of Indian has allowed non-resident Indians (NRIs) to invest in chit fund to encourage flow of capital into the country. Decision in this regard was taken after RBI had revised the extant guidelines for subscription to the chit funds in consultation with the government.

16 6 June: Kotak Mahindra Bank and ING Bank have inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for exploring opportunities arising from cross-border business, investment and trade flows across various regions, including Europe. 5 June: India has lost a poultry case against United States at World Trade Organization (WTO) after WTO s Dispute Settlement Board (DSB) ruled that India s ban on import of poultry meat, eggs and live pigs from US is inconsistent with the international norms. 4 June: India has joined the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement (MCAA) on Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information (AEOI). The new global standards has wide in scope and oblige the treaty partners to exchange wide range of financial information from institutions from their country. 3 June: Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has reduced the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) by 25 basis points from 7.5 per cent to 7.25 per cent with immediate effect. 3 June: Bangladesh has granted permission to India s state-owned insurance group Life insurance Corporation (LIC) to do business in the country. 2 June: Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA) was awarded the Miniratna (Category -1) status by the Department of Public Enterprises under the Union Ministry of Heavy Industry and Public Enterprises. 2 June: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) allowed cross holding in long-term infrastructure bonds. With this, now banks would be able to cross hold these bonds among themselves for financing infrastructure and affordable housing loans, which earlier was not permitted. 1 June: Researchers from China have successfully developed the first automated teller machine (ATM) with facial recognition technology. The machine has unique security feature which does not allow users to withdraw cash unless their face matches their facial ID. The first of its kind ATM was developed by researchers from Tsinghua University and technology firm Tzekwan. 1 June: The decision of the Parliament to increase the rate of service tax from12.36 to 14 percent became operational. 30 May: Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley inaugurated the New Bank Note Paper Line unit of 6000 metric ton capacity at Security Paper Mill in Hoshangabad in Madhya Pradesh. He also flagged off the first consignment of one thousand rupee bank notes made indigenously from this paper mill to the Currency Note Press Nasik. 30 May: A case was lodged in Barabanki court in Uttar Pradesh against Nestle India over inadequate safety standards of its product Maggi.

17 30 May: India s largest banking entity State Bank of India (SBI) has launched Online Customer Acquisition Solution (OCAS), an online platform to apply for loans. This online platform will enable SBI customers to apply for home, education, car and personal loans online. On filling the online form for loan requirement depending upon their eligibility customers will instantly get an e-approval. 27 May: Four Indians have been named in Forbes magazine s 12th annual list of World s 100 most powerful women. They are: Arundhati Bhattacharya: First woman (and youngest) Chairperson of State Bank of India (SBI) was placed at 30th position. Chanda Kochhar: Managing Director (MD) and CEO of India s largest private sector lender ICICI Bank was placed at 35th position. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw: Founder, Chairman and MD of Biocon Limited was placed at 85th position. Shobhana Bhartia: Chairperson and Editorial Director of the Hindustan Times Group was placed at 93rd position. It should be noted she has appeared on the list for the first time. Apart from them, two women of Indian-origin PepsiCo Chief Indra Nooyi (15th position) and Cisco Chief Technology and Strategy Officer Padmasree Warrior (84th position) also have appeared in the list. 27 May: Union government has constituted a 10-member committee to review and revitalise public private partnership (PPP) mode of infrastructure development. The committee will be chaired by former finance secretary Vijay Kelkar and submit its report within a period of 3 months from the date of its Constitution. 27 May: Union government has constituted a 10-member committee to review and revitalise public private partnership (PPP) mode of infrastructure development. The committee will be chaired by former finance secretary Vijay Kelkar and submit its report within a period of 3 months from the date of its Constitution. 27 May : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 26 May 2015 launched India s first television channel DD Kisan dedicated to farmers in New Delhi. 27 May: National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) and Data Security Council of India (DSCI) have launched NASSCOM Cyber Security Task Force. The aim of task force is to build India as a global hub for providing cyber security solutions, developing cyber security Research & Development (R&D) plan and develop a skilled workforce of cyber security experts.

18 25 May: India s largest private sector lender Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India (ICICI) Bank has launched voice password facility for users. This service will facilitate its customers to make transactions using their voice rather than using traditional means of authentication like entering id and password. 23 May: Steel Authority of India (SAIL) and world s largest steelmaker, ArcelorMittal signed a MoU to set up an automotive steel manufacturing facility in India. 21 May: India s largest public sector lender, State Bank of India (SBI) has signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) with e-commerce giant Amazon. 20 May: Tech giant Apple has acquired Global Position System (GPS) firm Coherent Navigation to improve its mapping capabilities. 16 May: ICICI Bank s first branch in China was inaugurated in Shanghai, a major global financial hub. It was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the presence of ICICI Bank s MD and CEO Chanda Kochhar. 15 May: India s largest lender, State Bank of India (SBI) has launched contact-less credit and debit cards sbiintouch. 13 May: Lok Sabha passed The Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill, 2015 by a voice vote. The Bills amends the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 in order to make cheque-bounce filing of cases more convenient for check payees (person who receives the cheque). KEY FACTS The bill adds provision to specify the territorial jurisdiction of the courts in cases related to bouncing of cheques which was not present in the parent Act. It says that cases in this regard need to be filed only in a court in whose jurisdiction the bank branch of the payee lies. 8 May: Indian Army and Bank of India (BOI) on 8 May 2015 signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Defence Salary Package. The signed MoU is a revised version of previous and first MoU which was signed in 2011 between both parties and was valid for a period of three years. Key facts of revised MoU 8 May: India s largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) has launched a RuPay Platinum debit card in association with National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI).

19 NATIONAL NEWS (MAY-AUGUST 2015) 19 August: IndiGo, India s biggest airline by market share signed a huge $26.55 billion order for purchasing 250 aircrafts from Europe s Airbus company, which is the largest ever order (by volume) for Airbus. It had earlier placed a provisional order for supply of 250 narrow-body A320neo aircrafts from Airbus during October The company confirmed that provisional order with Airbus. This order worth $26.55 billion is the largest supply order for Airbus by volume, i.e., the number of aircrafts to be supplied. It is also the second-largest order by value for Airbus. 19 August: Tamil Nadu led in employment generation in manufacturing sector in the country in , according to an analysis done by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM). Tamil Nadu was the leading State in employment generation in the country, generating as much as 15.2% of country s manufacturing sector jobs during During this period Tamil Nadu and West Bengal recorded a positive growth, while others saw a significant decline. 17 August: Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu announced an investment of Rs lakh crore in Haryana in the next five years to strengthen rail network in the state. To provide smooth journey to the passengers, it has been decided to develop 400 world class railway stations throughout the country. 14 August: Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association (TEEMA) signed a pact with Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) for establishing Taiwan Electronic Manufacturing Cluster (TEMC) in Benguluru with an investment of $500 million. This manufacturing cluster will be established at 100-acre Devanahally IT park. 12 August: The Government has launched the School Nursery Yojana, an initiative to bring students closer to nature, by involving them in raising of saplings in nurseries created in schools. The underlying theme of the Yojana is to plant a tree for sustainable future and to make the nation clean and green. 12 August: Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad launched a new mobile app named Disha to promote digital literacy in Bihar. The app aims to help people learn about computers and Internet through self learning modules. The app also aims to offer digital literacy to tribal and Dalit women in the state. The app can be downloaded for free from the Google Play Store. The Ministry also launched Disha handbook that has pictographic lessons on computers operations. The Disha handbook is framed by the Common Service Centres (CSCs) for the purpose of digital literacy. 12 August: Dr. Najma Heptulla, the Union Minister for Minority Affairs launched a new Central Sector Scheme Nai Manzil in Patna. The scheme Nai Manzil scheme will address educational and livelihood needs of minority communities in general and muslims in particular as it lags behind other minority

20 communities in terms of educational attainments. It is a new direction and a new goal for the all out of school/dropped out students and those studying in Madrasas. 11 August: On the 10th August in the afternoon, in many parts of north India, including Delhi-NCR, tremors of Earthquake were felt. The epicenter was Hindukush in Afghanistan, the earth was trembling in the national capital for nearly 40 seconds. Apart from Delhi-NCR, shocks were also felt in Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Srinagar. The intensity of the earthquake was August: For the first time Department of Science and Technology (DST) has decided to fund research on the impact of yoga and meditation on human health. Research and studies on yoga have so far remained within the domain of AYUSH, a government department whose mandate is to promote traditional medicine, including ayurveda, unani and homeopathy. 11 August: There has been a rush for registration of political parties, with as many as 239 new outfits enrolling themselves with the Election Commission between March, 2014 and July this year, taking their number to 1,866. Out of these, 56 are recognised as registered national or state parties, while the rest are unrecognised, registered parties. 10 August: As per India State of Forest Report 2013, the total forest cover in the country is 697,898 square kilometers which is 21.23% of the total geographical area of the country. There is a net increase of 5871 square kilometers in the forest cover of the country as compared with India State of Forest Report It is also been mentioned in the report that the density of population has increased in the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Jharkhand. 10 August: The Centre is going to extend the facility of E-Tourist Visa to 36 more countries from the 15th of this month. With this addition, the total count of countries under the scheme will go upto 113. Simultaneously, the Centre is going to add 7 more Indian airports as designated airports for entry on E- Tourist Visa from the 15th of this month. With this, the total number of designated airports will become 16. The Centre launched this scheme in November last year. Since the launch of this scheme more than 2 lakhs e-tourist Visas have been issued till now. 7 August: President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated Navachara Kaksh, a science and innovation museum in the Rashtrapati Bhavan campus. The museum aims to spark curiosity about technology among children visiting the Presidential Estate. It has been established with the assistance of the chip-maker Intel while many of the innovations are by Indian students. 7 August: State-run Punjab National Bank (PNB) inked Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with government aided telecom companies BSNL and MTNL for another term of 3 years. PNB, BSNL and MTNL had joined hands together in year 2004 and since then BSNL & MTNL are the primary IT link providers for providing connectivity to branches, ATMS and service outlets of the Bank.

21 6 August: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will be launching nine nano / micro satellites for United States during time frame. This will be the first time that ISRO will launch US satellites. Antrix Corporation Ltd, the commercial arm of ISRO, has signed agreement to launch about nine nano/micro (US) satellites during time frame. These satellites will go as piggyback on PSLV's (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle). So far, 45 satellites belonging to international customers from 19 countries have been launched successfully by ISRO's satellite launch vehicles. 6 August: Rural Development Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh launched a web portal SAMANVAY. It contains a compilation of all schemes of both Union and State governments for Gram Panchayats. SAMANVAY was launched with an aim to help MPs in utilising relevant schemes in the planning and implementation of Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana. More than 1800 state schemes from across all states have been documented in SAMANVAY. 4 August: Kochi (Kerala) naval harbour of Indian Navy became the first in the country to get the Integrated Underwater Harbour Defence and Surveillance System (IUHDSS), an automated system capable of detecting, identifying, tracking and generating warning for surface and underwater threats. IUHDSS is a state-of-the-art naval defence system which will enable operators to foresee, and respond to, surface and sub-surface threats to vital assets along the harbour and warships in the quay. It was designed by Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI). 4 August: According to data released from the 68th round of the National Sample Survey (NSS) on fuel used for cooking and lighting, the percentage of rural population in the country still used firewood for cooking in was 67.3%. The data relate to a survey conducted by the NSSO on a nationally representative sample during According to the survey Tamil Nadu had the highest use of LPG among rural households during August: The Union Cabinet approved amendments proposed by Rajya Sabha Select Committee on Goods and Services Tax (GST) Constitution Amendment Bill, According to the recommendations of Rajya Sabha Select Committee compensation to the states should be made for 5 years for any revenue loss due to introduction of GST. 3 August: Union Government has decided to celebrate first National Handloom Day on 7th August. This day will be celebrated every year as National Handloom Day. It was announced by Union Textiles Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar in both the Houses of Parliament. Observance of this day aims at development of handloom weavers in the country. It also seeks to promote genuine, global quality handloom in international market. 1 August: India had 2.6 million cases of Tuberculosis as per the latest count and ranks 14th among 22 high TB burden countries globally. As per WHO Global Tuberculosis Report 2014, in India, the estimated prevalence of TB is 2.6 million cases.

22 30 July: Union Government has announced to roll out e-tourist visa facility to Chinese nationals from July 30, Hong Kong and Macau nationals will also be provided with e-tourist visa facility along with Chinese citizens. This decision was taken in lines with promise made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in this regard during his visit to China in May It should be noted that PM Modi had made this announcement notwithstanding frequent issuance of stapled visa by Chinese to Indian citizens from Arunachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. 28 July: Rajesh Exports Ltd (REL) has announced acquisition of 100% stake in Valcambi, the world's largest gold refinery. The cash deal was settled on an investment of $400 million, which means, REL will maintain the globally acclaimed management of Valcambi. REL hopes to expand revenues and profitability of both the companies. Valcambi is the world s largest precious metals refining company, headquartered in Switzerland. 28 July: Battling the Maggi controversy, global giant Nestle recalled its current India chief Etienne Benet to Switzerland head office and appointed Suresh Narayanan as his successor -- the first Indian to get this position after a gap of over 16 years. Narayanan will take charge as the new Managing Director of Nestle India with effect from August July: In a major welfare measure for women employees in Jammu and Kashmir, the state government has approved Child Care leave for them for a period of two years to look after their children. As per the new provision, a women employee can avail a maximum period of 730 days of child care leave during her entire service for taking care of her two eldest children, an official spokesman said. 27 July: The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) has finalised a new Green Highways (Plantation and Maintenance) Policy, 2015 to tree-line 140,000 kilometres of national highways. Under this policy, one per cent of the civil cost of national highway development projects will have to be set aside for the planting of trees in a planned manner, covering both existing NH sections and new routes that would be added to the network. 27 July: Centre has said foreign direct investment amounting to USD 1.31 million has been received in the defence sector in last three years and current year. Minister of State for Defence Rao Inderjit Singh said that since the opening up of FDI in defence sector in 2012, 34 proposals involving foreign investment have been approved so far. He also said that a total 287 industrial licenses have been issued till date in defence sector. 27 July: Prime Minister of India has launched various development projects at Patna: Deendayal Upadhyay Gram Jyoti Yojana; inaugurated the Daniawan-Bihar Sharif new railway line; flagged off the Rajgir-Bihar Sharif-Daniawan-Fatuha passenger train and Patna-Mumbai AC Suvidha Express; dedicated to the nation the permanent IIT Campus at Patna; and inaugurated the construction of the first phase of the Jagdishpur-Haldia pipeline project.

23 25 July: NITI Aayog has constituted an expert panel to suggest ways to promote innovation and entrepreneur friendly ecosystem for pushing job growth. The group will also workout the detailed contours of Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and Self-Employment & Talent Utilisation (SETU). The Expert Committee has been constituted under the Chairmanship of Prof. Tarun Khanna, Director, South Asia Institute, Harvard University and Jorge Paulo Lemann Professor, Harvard Business School, USA. 25 July: Puducherry became the first city to send its nomination for the Smart City mission as the Union Territory of Puducherry nominated its capital city for inclusion in this ambitious project. Puducherry which has a population of 6,57,209 has done well in respect of several Stage-1 evaluation criteria and scored 75 of the possible 100 marks. 24 July: Seven Indian companies, including Reliance Industries and Tata Motors, are among the world s 500 largest companies, according to a list compiled by Fortune that has been topped by retail giant Walmart. While Indian Oil, Reliance, Bharat Petroleum, Hindustan Petroleum, and Oil and Natural Gas slipped in rankings from the previous year, Tata Motors and SBI improved in rankings. 23 July: Ram Vilas Paswan, Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution launched the Surakshit Khadya Abhiyan, a countrywide campaign to create mass awareness and capacity building for safe and hygienic food. The campaign planned by CII and its partners including Consumer Organization VOICE, and National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI), is an effort towards building a culture of food safety in the country. 22 July: Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the National Career Service (NCS) Portal at the 46th session of Indian Labour Conference as part of an endeavour to modernise all government-run employment exchanges. This portal aims to create a direct market place for workers and employers. The portal aims to bring on board around 20 million job seekers already registered with employment exchanges across India. It also aspires to bring 900,000 establishments and companies on the portal. The NCS will offer registration for job aspirants and employers for free. 20 July: The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, gave its approval for forming an expert group under the Chairmanship of Arvind Panagariya, Vice-Chairperson, NITI AAYOG, to classify the Caste names returned in the Socio-Economic and Caste Census, 2011 (SECC). The expert group will be serviced by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and Tribal Welfare. 20 July: Union Women and Child Welfare Minister Maneka Gandhi along with Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh inaugurated country's first 'One stop Centre' for women who have been victims of various kinds of violence in Raipur, Chhattisgarh. The victims of rape, dowry harassment, domestic violence, human trafficking, child marriage, infanticide and sati etc. will get medical aid, protection and also help in filing FIRs, legal advice and psychological counselling.

24 20 July: The Haryana government appointed Bollywood actress Parineeti Chopra as its brand ambassador for the 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' campaign to promote the cause of the girl child. She has bagged many awards including national and filmfare awards. Parineeti was chosen for the campaign as she hailed from the state's Ambala town. The campaign was launched from Haryana as the state has the worst sex ratio at 879 females per 1,000 males. The child sex ratio in Haryana is worst among all states in the country. 17 July: Union Rail Minister Suresh Prabhu inaugurated Gandhidham-Tuna Tekra Port Rail Line (Gujarat), a newly constructed broad-gauge railway-line which is the first Non-Government Railway Project of Indian Railways. The 11-km long Gandhidham-Tuna Tekra Port rail line connects Gandhidham in Kutch district of Gujarat with the Tuna-Tekra Port which are ports situated around 20 km west of Kandla in Gulf of Kutch in the state. 15 July: In fresh trials, India has test-fired its indigenously developed Nag an anti-tank guided missile, which can hit a target upto 7 km, from a helicopter at a firing range in Jaisalmer in Rajasthan. Three-round trial of helicopter-launched Nag (HeliNa) missile were conducted at the Chandhan firing range. HeliNa is a helicopter-launched version of Nag and has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP). 14 July: The foundation stone for an international Internet gateway was laid by Union Communication and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad at Tripura s capital Agartala. This Internet gateway is being established in an effort to create a hassle-free and potent Internet link for the northeastern states. The Agartala Internet Gateway would become third international Internet gateway in India after Mumbai and Chennai. This gateway will comprise of the optical fibre cable (OFC) link between Akhaura (near Agartala) and Cox s Bazar (Bangladesh). 11 July: Rashtriya Avishkar Abhiyan (RAA), a unique initiative developed by the Ministry of Human Resource Development with the objective to inculcate a spirit of inquiry, creativity and love for Science and Mathematics in school children was launched by the former President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. This is the Phase I of RAA, while Phase II of RAA will be launched in January, 2016 for higher education under which model science labs will be established in all districts of the North Eastern States. 10 July: The Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) the government company tasked to promote renewable energy has launched a new loan scheme in order to promote rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) power projects. The scheme will provide loans at the interest rate of 9.9 to percent to the system aggregators and the developers. The scheme was launched by Union Minister of State for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy Piyush Goyal. 10 July: Telangana government and International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to improve profitability of farmers. The MoU was

25 signed by C. Parthasarathi, Secretary and Agri-Production Commissioner; Jayesh Ranjan, Secretary, IT, Electronics & Communications; and ICRISAT Director General David Bergvinson. Under this MoU, the organisation will provide Information and Communication Technology (ICT)-based knowledge sharing platforms and other agricultural innovation initiatives to farmers in order to improve their productivity. 9 July: Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai, the railway coach manufacturing entity of the Indian Railways, became the first in the world to have manufactured 50,000 railway coaches. Union Rail Minister Suresh Prabhu released the 50,000th coach manufactured by ICF. To mark this occasion the Rail Minister also dedicated the New LHB Coach (Modern Passenger Coach) Manufacturing Unit in ICF itself to the nation. 8 July: Latest UNICEF data showed that both child stunting and the number of underweight children in India had fallen to a historic low for According to the Rapid Survey on Children (RSOC) conducted by the UNICEF, the Indian 4 states--tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Uttarakhand and Tripura have successfully reduced the proportion of underweight adolescent girls. Uttar Pradesh accounts for more than 50% of the children under the age of five years who are underdeveloped. 6 July: The Maharashtra government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with global technology major Cisco for making Nagpur a smart and safe city. This MoU is for making Nagpur a smart and safe city with the help of modern technology and use of Internet to improve quality of life. 4 July: Partaking in 'Digital India' week, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal launched the state Portal epms (Electronic Projects Management System) to fast track infrastructural development. The project was kicked off to enhance efficiency, bring transparency, boost the investor confidence, revive the investment cycle, eliminate the human interaction and improve the communication between industries to Government (B2G), State to Centre (G2G), or vice versa (G2B). 4 July: The Union Cabinet approved the institutional framework for the National Skill Development Mission The Mission will provide a strong institutional framework at the Centre and States for implementation of skilling activities in the country. The Union Cabinet also gave its approval for a new scheme called Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY). The Yojana was approved with an outlay of 50,000 crore rupees over a period of five years ( to ). Its aim is provide convergence to existing schemes of water management, thus bringing efficiency to the use of water. 4 July: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar launched a new automation software, ARPAN 3.0 for the over 12 lakh soldiers of the Indian Army which would provide them easy access to their service records including pay and leave details and transfer and postings among others. The roll out of ARPAN 3.0 (Army Record Office Process Automation 3.0) is aimed at digitisation of Indian Army's 45 Record Offices pan India in one year time. 3 July: Literacy rate in rural areas was pegged at 71 percent in 2014, compared to 86 percent in urban areas, while among the age group of seven years and above, male literacy rate was found higher

26 than the female literacy rate, according to NSSO survey. Among the age group of seven year and above, the male literacy rate was registered at 83 per cent vis-a-vis the female literacy rate of 67 per cent. 2 July: Sunil Mittal-led Bharti Airtel has become the world s third largest mobile operator with 303 million subscribers. It operates in 20 countries. According to World Cellular Information Service (WCIS) Bharti Airtel has moved up one position in the global rankings. China Mobile is the top mobile operator in the world with million subscribers. Vodafone Group of UK ranks second with million subscribers. 1 July: Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu inaugurated the Integrated Security System (ISS) at four railway stations in Mumbai comprising Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), Dadar, Kurla and Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT). The ISS was installed with a total cost of crore rupees. The ISS is aimed at improving security on Railway premises, ensuring safety of the people and averting terror attacks. It has a total of 118 CCTV cameras. 30 June: Construction of a memorial for former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao was completed in the fourth week of June 2015 at the Ekta Sthal Samadhi Complex in New Delhi. Already, Ekta Sthal Samadhi Complex hosts memorials of former Presidents Shankar Dayal Sharma, K R Narayanan, R Venkatraman, Giani Zail Singh and former Prime Ministers - Chandrasekhar and I K Gujral. 27 June: The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation approved a proposal for setting up a second international airport at Jewar in the National Capital Region. The proposal would soon be sent to the Union Cabinet for approval 26 June: Union Government requested the Chief Ministers of Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan to encourage supply of free milk in the Mid-Day Meal to school children. Milk Products will be provided with an aim to increase the nutritional level in the Mid-Day Meal for school children. 25 June: The Union Cabinet approved the setting up of a National Memorial at the birth place of Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan. Lok Nayak was born at Lala Ka Tola, Sitab, and Diara in Chhapra (Saran) district of Bihar on 11 October June: The Union Cabinet approved setting up of six new Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) in the country. The cabinet meet was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 25 June: Union Government launched the first modernised Anganwadi centre of India at Hasanpur village of Sonepat in Haryana. The centre was inaugurated by Maneka Gandhi, the Union Minister for Women and Child Development (WCD). 25 June: Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched three urban development schemes- AMRUT, Smart Cities Mission and Housing for All (Urban) in New Delhi.

27 ATAL MISSION FOR REJUVENATION AND URBAN TRANSFORMATION (AMRUT): It is aimed at developing infrastructure in 500 cities and towns that are having a population of one lakh and above with an outlay of crore rupees between and SMART CITIES MISSION: It is aimed at developing 100 smart cities across the country with an outlay of crore rupees between and HOUSING FOR ALL (URBAN): The Central Sector Scheme aimed at providing housing facilities to all eligible people in urban areas by June: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) designated Agatti and Minicoy islands of Lakshadweep as authorised Immigration Check Posts for entry into or exit from India.Both the islands will be used as transit points for all classes of passengers with valid travel documents from 30 June June: The Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers Ananth Kumar released the Task Force report on enabling the Private Sector to lead the growth of pharmaceutical sector. The Pharmaceutical Sector is suffering due to multiple decision making authorities. The Task Force recommended a Joint Committee which can take care of their problems. 18 June: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved inclusion of Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh in the list of States to be covered under the National Dairy Plan- I (NDP-I). 18 June: Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the transfer of a portion of land of erstwhile National Instruments Limited (NIL) to Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The land will be transferred by Jadavpur University in West Bengal to DRDO on long-term lease for establishing a defence research centre namely the Jagadish Chandra Bose Centre for Advanced Technology (JCBCAT). 17 June: The Union Cabinet gave its approval for Housing for All by 2022 Mission aimed at providing housing facilities to all eligible people in urban areas by Broad Components of Housing for All by 2022 Mission It has four components viz., slum rehabilitation, credit linked interest subsidy, affordable housing and beneficiary-led individual house construction or enhancement. 12 June: Union Government scrapped customs import duties on drugs and test kits used to treat AIDS. The exemption will remain in effect until March The MRC will provide information, guidance, advice and counselling on all aspects of overseas employment including legal and regulatory requirements; documentation and procedures; policies; and problems faced while working aboard to intending migrants and overseas Indian workers.

28 12 June: The Union Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) along with the Tamil Nadu Government launched the Migrant Resource Centre (MRC) in Chennai. The MRC in Chennai is the fourth such MRC in India set-up by MOIA. FUNCTIONS OF THE MRC The MRC will disseminate information on safe and legal migration. It will disseminate information about status of Recruiting Agents and other service providers. It will register and respond to complaints and grievances within the redressal forum of MOIA. It will also offer counselling support (walk in or telephone and support). The first Migrant Resource Centre (MRC) was established by MOIA in 2008 in Kochi, Kerala, followed by fully functional MRCs in Hyderabad (Telengana & Andhra Pradesh), Gurgaon (Haryana) and Chennai (Tamil Nadu). 10 June: Special Forces of the Indian Army in coordination with the Air Force carried out surgical operations (cross-border operation) inside Myanmar to target militant groups. 6 June: Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejunivetion Uma Bharti launched nationwide Jal Kranti Abhiyan (campaign) from Jaipur, Rajasthan. The aim is to consolidate water conservation and management in the country through a holistic and integrated approach involving all stakeholders, making it a mass movement. 3 June: The Union Government launched the Khoya Paya web portal Khoyapaya.gov.in, the firstof-its-kind citizen based website to exchange information on missing and found children. It was jointly launched by Maneka Gandhi, Union Minister of Women & Child Development and Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Minister of Communication & Information Technology. 3 June: The Union Government simplified the defence rules to boost defence manufacturing in the country and encourage foreign players to explore business in India. 2 June: The Union Minister of Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi launched the IAP Health Phone programme in New Delhi. The IAP Health Phone programme is the world s largest digital mass education programme for addressing the malnutrition in women and children. 2 June: President of India Pranab Mukherjee gave his assent to the Constitution (119th Amendment) Bill, 2013 that related to the Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) between India and Bangladesh.

29 1 June: The Union Government notified the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income as Assets) and imposition of Tax Act, The Act will come into effect from 1 April PROVISIONS OF THE BILL Concealment of income and assets and evasion of tax in relation to foreign assets will be prosecutable with punishment of rigorous imprisonment up to 10 years. Offence of stashing unaccounted money abroad will be made non-compoundable (A noncompoundable offence is one in which the complainant (the government in this instance) does not enter into a compromise with the accused. The offenders will not be permitted to approach the Settlement Commission. 30 May: Maharashtra Government has launched Swachhata Saptapadi scheme on the lines of Union Government s flagship Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. The scheme was launched by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis along with actor Aamir Khan who is brand ambassador of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in Mumbai. 30 May: Union Information and Broadcasting (I&B) ministry has appointed Veena Jain as director general (news) in Doordarshan (DD). 27 May: The High court bench of Justice Rajiv Shakdher also allowed Greenpeace to encash its fixed deposits and utilise the funds for running the organisation. 29 May: According to recently released United Nations (UN) annual hunger report titled The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2015, India was placed at top in the World Hunger list. The report has mentioned that India is home to the highest number of hungry people in the world with around 194 million people, surpassing China. The report was published by UN subsidiary body Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). 22 May: Union Cabinet has approved continuation of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) programme for another fifteen operational flights of PSLV-C36 to PSLV-C50. All the fifteen operational flights under this programme will be completed during the period May: Union Cabinet has approved the revival of closed urea unit of Fertilizer Corporation India Limited (FICL) at Sindri in Jharkhand with an investment of 6000 crore rupees. Union government has taken this decision in order to meet the growing demand of urea in eastern states of India including Bihar, West Bengal and Jharkhand. 22 May: Union Government has decided to amend Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) norms for NRIs, Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) and Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) to increase capital flows into the

30 country. Decision in this regard was taken at Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. In order to comply with this decision government will amend FDI policy on investments by NRIs, PIOs & OCIs which will give them parity in economy and education. 21 May: Indigenously-developed beyond visual range air-to-air Astra missile was successfully test fired at the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur, Odisha. In the test, the missile was fired from Sukhoi -30 MKI fighter jet in two developmental trials to prove its long range capability. 21 May: President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the 50th Anniversary of India s first historic climb of Mt. Everest in 1965 at a function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. 20 May: Tathagata Roy on 20 May 2015 was sworn in as the 16th Governor of Tripura in Agartala. He replaced Padmanabh Balkrishna Acharya, Governor of Nagaland, who had held the additional charge of Tripura 20 May: Meghalaya has achieved 100 percent success in implementing Union Government s flagship scheme for financial inclusion-pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna (PMJDY). In the state, all eleven districts have been able to open at least one bank account of every household under the ambitious scheme. More than 5.53 lakh households have been covered with 1.55 lakh new bank accounts. 19 May: Union Government has sanctioned proposals for setting up 30 new cold storage projects chain in the country with a total investment of crore rupees. These projects will play important role in reducing the wastage of food in the country. 19 May: India assumed the presidency of the 68th World Health Assembly (WHA) held in Geneva after a gap of 19 years. This edition of assembly is expeacted to deliberate on key issues of global interest that include Anti-microbial resistance. Air pollution and health Global health emergency, preparedness and surveillance. Global strategy and plan of action on public health. Innovation and intellectual property. Research and development in neglected tropical diseases. 15 May: Union Government formally launched Upgrading the Skills and Training in Traditional Arts/Crafts for Development (USTAAD) Scheme. It was launched by Union Minister of Minority Affairs Dr.

31 Najma Heptullah in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh in order to improve degrading conditions of world famous Banaras Saree weavers who belong to minority communities. 14 May: Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the flagship Namami Gange Program. The program integrates the efforts to clean and protect the River Ganga in a comprehensive manner by involving differed States and grassroots level institutions. It has a budgetary outlay of crore rupees for May: Union Cabinet has given its approval to Benami Transactions (Prohibition) (Amendment) Bill, The Bill seeks to amend the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act, 1988 by adding additional provisions that provides for stringent measures against violators in order to curb and check the generation of black money in the country. 13 May: Union Cabinet gave its approval to 5 per cent disinvestment in National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) and 10 per cent in Indian Oil Corporation (IOC). The proposed share sale of 5 per cent in NTPC will fetch Union government 5,565 crore rupees while that of 10 per cent in IOC will bring in 7,932 crore rupees. 13 May: Union government has announced that, the current immunisation rate in rural areas is around 58 per cent while it is over 67 per cent in urban regions of the country. 12 May: Union Ministry of Labour and Employment has appointed K Satish Reddy as the chairman of the National Safety Council (NSC). He will succeed Venu Srinivasan, who was appointed in July May: Dedicated E-Commerce Centre of India Posts, a government-operated postal system was launched in New Delhi to cater the e-commerce business enterprises. It is capable of handling parcels (articles) per day. It will also facilitate to collection of parcels from the e-commerce customers by processing and dispatching them within 24 hours to respective destination. For this purpose the centre will use quickest available transportation facility like flight or trains. 9 May: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 9 May 2015 launched three mega social security schemes in Kolkata, West Bengal. Three schemes intend to widen the process of financial inclusion in the country include Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Yojana (PMJJBY). Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY). Atal Pension Yojana (APY). 9 May: National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered that every household in Delhi must pay a monthly environmental compensation to clean up pollution in Yamuna River. 8 May: Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a commemorative coin to mark the birth centenary of Swami Chinmayananda Saraswati in New Delhi.

32 8 May: To enhance cooperation in the renewable energy sector, Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) with 12 countries in past 3 years. 7 May: The Union Cabinet has approved amendments in the Whistle Blowers Protection Act, 2011 to keep issues of national security out of its purview. The amendments accepted by the Union Cabinet to the parent Act are done with a view to incorporate necessary provisions that aim at strengthening safeguards against disclosures. 7 May: In recently released 2015 Mother s Index in the State of the World s Mothers (SOWM) report titled The Urban Disadvantage, India was placed at 140th position out of 179 countries. The Mother s Index scores countries on five parameters. They are maternal health, children s well-being (measured as under-5 mortality rate), economic status, educational status and political status. 6 May: Lok Sabha has passed the Goods and Services Tax Bill, 2014 which is also known as Constitution (122nd Amendment) Bill. The Bill seeks to amend the Constitution in order to introduce the goods and services tax (GST). 6 May: The Union Cabinet has approved Constitution (119th Amendment) Bill on Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) between India & Bangladesh. The Bill seeks to operationalize the Land Boundary Agreement with Bangladesh by exchanging several enclaves located along the common border of both nations. 5 May: Union Government has made Permanent Account Number (PAN) mandatory for private firms seeking central excise registration. As per the new rules, the PAN registration will now be given within two days of filing online applications to improve the ease in doing business in manufacturing. 4 May: State-owned electrical equipment maker Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL) has commissioned a 195-MW thermal unit in Muzzafarpur district in Bihar. The commissioned thermal unit is the first of the two 195-MW units to be commissioned by BHEL at the thermal power plant of Kanti Bijlee Utpadan Nigam (KBUNL). KBUNL is a joint venture (JV) of NTPC and Bihar State Power Generation Company (BSPGCL). 4 May: Nepal s devastating 7.9-magnitude earthquake on April 25 has partially damaged Swayambhunath Stupa located in Kathmandu which is believed to be the world s oldest Buddhist shrine. INTERNATIONAL NEWS (MAY-AUGUST 2015)

33 21 August: Pakistan and Russia signed a landmark defence deal that includes the sale of four Mi-35 'Hind-E' attack helicopters to Pakistan. The agreement was signed by top defence officials from Pakistan and Russia in Rawalpindi. Pakistan will use these helicopters in its anti-terrorist campaign. 19 August: To boost economic ties, the UAE agreed to increase investments in India to $75 billion (about Rs. 5 lakh crore) including through a dedicated infrastructure fund, while the two nations will raise their bilateral trade to nearly $100 billion in five years. UAE's investment would support investment in India's plans for rapid expansion of next generation infrastructure, especially in railways, ports, roads, airports and industrial corridors and parks. 19 August: Small Farmers Agri Business Consortium (SFAC) has been mandated as the lead promoter of National Agriculture Market (NAM), the national e-market for agriculture commodities, as announced by the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation (DAC). Small Farmers Agri Business Consortium (SFAC) is a registered society of DAC. It has been mandated as the lead promoter of India s e-market for agriculture commodities under the umbrella of the National Agriculture Market. 17 August: India and Slovak Republic have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on technical cooperation in railway sector. The MoU was signed between India's Union Ministry of Railways and the Ministry of Transport, Construction and Regional Development of the Slovak Republic. The MoU will be valid for a period of two years and after completion of valid term it will be automatically renewed for further successive period of two years at a time. 14 August: China and Pakistan signed 20 cooperation agreements, worth billion yuan (US$1.6 billion), and issued the "Karamay Manifesto" on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a major project in China's proposed Belt and Road Initiatives. The two countries pledged to boost bilateral economic development through energy and power projects, and will also cooperate in education and health care. 14 August: South Korean steelmaker POSCO signed an agreement with a unit of India s Uttam Galva Group to set up a steel plant with annual production of 3 million tons at an investment of nearly Rs. 20,000 crores in the western state of Maharashtra. Under the new proposed joint venture, POSCO and Shree Uttam Steel & Power Ltd., will build a plant in Satarda. 14 August: The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave its approval for the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the India and Nepal for the construction of a petroleum products pipeline from Raxaul (India) to Amlekhgunj (Nepal). The MoU will promote bilateral cooperation in the oil and gas sector and secure long term supply of petroleum products to Nepal. 13 August: In an important development in the process of evolving a new constitution for Nepal, Prime Minister Sushil Koirala and top leaders of CPN-UML, Nepali Congress, Unified CPN-Maoist and Madhesi Peoples Rights Forum Democratic (MPRFD) reached the landmark agreement to divide Nepal into six

34 provinces, each sharing its border with India. Dividing the state was one of the thorny issues of the new constitution. 13 August: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a high-level summit on sustainable development hosted by the UN on September 25 and will also travel to San Francisco during his US visit, becoming the fourth Indian premier to visit America s West Coast. The United Nations summit for the adoption of the post-2015 development agenda will be held from September 25 to 27 in New York and will be convened as a high-level plenary meeting of the General Assembly. 12 August: Thomas Cook (India) Limited announced acquiring Kuoni Group s travel businesses in India and Hong Kong for Rs. 535 crore. It is a very big deal in India's Tourism sector. The deal includes outbound travel brand SOTC and destination management brand SITA. India-born entrepreneur Prem Watsa backs Thomas Cook (India) Ltd. The deal to acquire Kuoni Group s travel businesses in India and Hong Kong is the third acquisition by it in the last two years. 10 August: India and Myanmar inked an agreement to set up Centre of Excellence in Software Development and Training (CESDT) in Myanmar. The project to be set up with the financial support through ASEAN-India Cooperation fund will be implemented by C-DAC. The project envisages setting up of a state of the art Information and Communication Technology Centre, imparting intensive teachers training, extending support for ICT curriculum development, and will be accredited as an authorized Centre of C-DAC 10 August: Global electronic manufacturing giant Foxconn announced to invest $ 5 billion over the next five years in Maharashtra to establish electronic manufacturing plant in the state. Foxconn is a Taiwanbased company. According to Foxconn Chairman Terry Gou the facility in Maharashtra will focus on research and development as well as manufacturing, and the company has chosen the state for being a financial centre, availability of quality talent and software-hardware integration facilities. 8 August: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-sisi opened a new USD 9 billion Suez Canal amid lavish celebrations as Egypt unveiled its 'gift to the world', the historic waterway that will run parallel to the existing one amid hopes of boosting the country's ailing economy. 8 August: India and Mozambique signed Memorandum of understanding (MoU) to deepen cooperation in New and Renewable Energy Sector. The agreement was signed during the official visit of Filipe Nyusi, President of Mozambique to India. Moreover, both nations also agreed to intensify cooperation in maritime security and ocean economy as both the countries have large coastlines and are linked by Indian Ocean. 7 August: NASA has extended a contract with Russia's space agency for $490 million to carry US astronauts to the International Space Station amid a lack of Congressional funding. The United States will continue to rely exclusively on Russia to take astronauts to the orbiting outpost under the new contract,

35 which runs until 2019, even as relations between the two countries have reached their lowest point since the Cold War. 7 August: In a historic first, a Chinese DNA experiment is set to fly on the International Space Station (ISS) as per the agreement signed between a US private firm and a research group from the Beijing Institute of Technology. The agreement was reached between the Houston-based NanoRacks and Beijing Institute of Technology. The Chinese team, led by Professor Deng Yulin, will shell out nearly $200,000 to NanoRacks for the delivery of the experiment to the ISS on board a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. 7 August: The International Labour Organisation (ILO) and FICCI took their partnership to the next level by signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to impart training to MSMEs to make them competitive and boost productivity. This is the second phase of the signing of SCORE Global Programme, wherein national institutes provide training to MSMEs. In line with the objective of Sustaining Competitive and Responsible Enterprises (SCORE), ILO is entrusted with building capacity of FICCI in three phases. 6 August: The 48th ASEAN foreign ministers' meet opened in Kualalumpur, drawing representatives from 10 Southeast Asian countries. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is in its final stages to establish a single community by the end of 2015, which involves a plan to create a common economic, political-security and socio-cultural region. 5 August: The 193 member states of the United Nations reached agreement on a new Sustainable Development Agenda for the next 15 years ( ). It calls for eradicating poverty and hunger, achieving gender equality, improving living standards and taking urgent action to combat climate change. The draft agreement outlines 17 goals with 169 specific targets. With this agreement, the document called "Transforming our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development" will be adopted at a UN summit just before the annual meeting of world leaders at the General Assembly in September August: A path-breaking peace treaty was signed between the Union Govt. and the Naga rebels led by the National Socialist Council of Nagalim-IM (NSCN-IM) on 03 August This treaty thus brings to end the ongoing peace talks between the Naga rebels and the Union Government. These talks had started in The treaty is expected to bring under control the decades-old insurgency problem in the North- East India including Nagaland. 4 August: CERN announced to formally confer its associate membership to Pakistan. With this Pakistan received a huge boost for its nuclear programme. Pakistan thus became the first member of CERN among Asian countries and the first non-european member of this prestigious organization. The associate membership will open a new era of cooperation that will strengthen the long-term partnership between CERN and the Pakistani scientific community. 4 August: South Sudan became the latest and the 206th member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at committee s ongoing annual meet at Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia). The significance of its inclusion is that this was done despite the ongoing fighting in the South Sudan. With the country now

36 officially part of the IOC, it can send a team to next year s Rio Summer Olympics who can compete under its own flag. 4 August: On August 21, India will host the heads of 14 island nations at the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC), in what is seen as a first step towards greater engagement with the region, which is important from an economic and geostrategic standpoint. The upcoming summit in Jaipur is expected to pave the way for agreements in agriculture, food processing, fisheries, solar energy, e- networks for coordination in telemedicine and tele-education, space cooperation and climate change. 3 August: Ending more than four decades of wait India and Bangladesh implemented their landmark Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) on 01 August India and Bangladesh started the exchange of 162 adversely-held enclaves. While India handed over 51 enclaves, comprising 7,110 acres to Bangladesh, the neighbouring country given India 111 enclaves comprising around 17,160 acres. 1 August: Singapore has appointed Indian-origin businessman Karan Singh Thakral as the country's Non-Resident Ambassador to Denmark. Karan Singh Thakral (81) has served as Singapore's High Commissioner to Sri Lanka. He is an Executive Director in the Thakral Group of Companies. Thakral is chairman of the South Asia Business Group and 'Business India' in Singapore as well as chairman of Givo Limited in India. 1 August: A Chinese firm has set up the world s first unmanned factory at Dongguan city where all the processes are operated by robots. Changying Precision Technology Company, known as the "world factory", which manufactures cell phone modules has 60 robot arms. This has reduced China's dependence on manual workers. In the plant, all the processes are operated by computer- controlled robots, computer numerical control machining equipment, unmanned transport trucks and automated warehouse equipment. 30 July: Government of Sri Lanka inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with search engine giant Google to launch the Google Loon project in the country. As per the MoU, Google will place 13 highaltitude balloons over the island nation to provide affordable high-speed 3G (3rd Generation) internet services to the entire country. It is also expected that this project will provide free Wi-Fi connectivity across Sri Lanka. Successful implementation of this project will make Sri Lanka the first country in the world to have Internet access covering the whole country with the government support. 30 July: The United States named a new special envoy to Syria, the third since the war began four years ago, as Washington seeks a political solution to the conflict. Michael Ratney, an Arabic speaker who served as US consul general in Jerusalem, and as a diplomat in Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco and Qatar, replaces Daniel Rubinstein. 29 July: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her delegation to the UK signed 21 MoUs with the UK in the fields of industry, health, education and urban development. The agreements were signed during a bilateral meeting at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. According to Britain's Minister

37 of State for Employment Priti Patel these MoUs will help bring the UK and West Bengal ever closer, and unleash the potential of India-Britain relationship. 29 July: The World Trade Organization formally accepted Kazakhstan as its member, ending nearly two decades of negotiations. Meeting at its headquarters in Geneva, the WTO General Council approved the membership terms finalised last month. With this Kazakhstan has become the WTO's 162nd member state. 29 July: Union Government sanctioned 1000 crore rupees for the laying of km long tracks to connect Indian Railways with Bangladesh through the North East. The Indo-Bangla Rail link would be completed by 2017 and the entire route will be constructed by IRCON. 28 July: India has seen the second biggest outflow of high net worth individuals in last 14 years, with as many as 61,000 millionaires shifting base to abroad due to reasons like tax, security and child education. According to a joint report by New World Wealth and LIO Global the change in domicile, along with a rise in second citizenship applications, has increased dramatically since the turn of the century. Some 61,000 uber-rich Indians have changed domicile between 2000 and 2014, second only to China, which saw an outflow of 91,000 ultra-rich persons in the same period. 27 July: WTO members has finalised a deal to cut tariffs on $1 trillion worth of information technology products in a boost for producers of goods ranging from video games to medical equipment. The agreement to update the WTO's 18-year-old Information Technology Agreement (ITA) adds more than 200 products to the list of goods covered by zero-tariff and duty-free trade. 27 July: Singapore s Foreign Affairs and Law Minister will address an industry symposium in India on 27th July as part of the city-state s 50th anniversary of Independence celebrations. K Shanmugam will address the Singapore Symposium 2015, which will host dignitaries and experts in a discussion and exchange with South Asian countries on issues pertinent to the region. 25 July: China announced to provide cash assistance of $10 million to help quake-ravaged Nepal in its reconstruction process. Nepal and China signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on this following a bilateral meeting on Post Disaster Reconstruction Plan at Nepal's finance ministry. 25 July: Pakistan will buy eight submarines from China in a multi-billion dollar deal that will boost Pakistani navy's maritime capabilities. An agreement was reached during a meeting between Pakistan Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and Xu Ziqin, President of state-owned China Shipbuilding & Offshore International Company Limited (SCOC)-- the trade arm of China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation. The two sides in-principle agreed on the sale of eight submarines that China will provide to Pakistan Navy. 24 July: India and Russia pursue joint programmes in a few areas of space research. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Russian Federal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS) have signed a new

38 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on expansion of cooperation in the field of the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes. There is no transfer of space technology envisaged under this MoU. 23 July: Anil Ambani-led Reliance group company Pipavav Defence has signed an agreement with Russia's company JSC Ship Repairing Centre for medium refits and life certification of 877 EKM submarines in India. This will also mark the first time the work for refit of submarines is being considered for the private sector in India. The indicative value of work proposed to be undertaken by the proposed JV is approximately Rs. 11,000 crore. 23 July: India has jumped to the eighth position for tourist arrivals in Australia till May this year, with over 27.5 percent more Indians choosing the country as their travel destination. According to latest official data released by Tourism Australia (TA), India was ranked Australia's tenth largest inbound market for visitor arrivals in 2014 but figures during the five months this year has moved India to eighth position. 23 July: China and Taiwan inked a landmark deal that will see water pumped from the Chinese mainland to a Taiwanese-controlled archipelago, in another sign of warming ties between the rivals. The agreement will see water pumped from China's southeastern province of Fujian to the 100,000 residents of Taiwan's Kinmen County by July: China has begun building the world s largest amphibious aircraft. Amphibious aircraft can fly in the sky and can also be used in the water. The assembly of the domestically developed AG-600 seaplane started in Zhuhai city. The AG-600 s overall specifications, such as the maximum takeoff weight and flight range, are better than other amphibious planes in the world. The aircraft can carry 50 people during a maritime search and rescue mission. 23 July: India and Singapore signed Technical Agreement (TA) on sharing white-shipping information to enhance maritime cooperation between the two navies. The agreement was signed during the visit of Navy chief Admiral R.K. Dhowan to Singapore. The White-shipping refers to commercial shipping information about movement of cargo ships. The Singapore Navy and the Indian Navy conduct the Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX) together annually. 21 July: India and Russia signed an agreement in defence sector. In a move aimed at boosting India s defence sector, 200 helicopters will be manufactured in the country with Russian collaboration as part of intensification and diversification of their strategic ties. According to Indian Ambassador to Russia P.S. Raghavan the agreement is one of the several new defence projects on which the two countries are working on, including under the ambit of Make in India programme. 21 July: With bilateral trade extremely low, India and Russia have initiated steps to remove the hindrances and boost commerce by signing an agreement in the area of customs and moving to liberalize business visas. The bilateral trade during the last year was just $9.51 billion. The two countries have fixed a trade target of $30 billion to be achieved by 2025.

39 20 July: Canada has been named as the most reputable nation in the world, in a recent survey on how countries are perceived across the world. The north American country reclaimed the top spot in the Reputation Institute's annual report, which looks at the government, environment and economy of 55 nations. The top five countries in the survey are Canada, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Australia. 20 July: The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Canada in the field of Civil Aviation. MoU will help in deepening the bilateral cooperation and enhancing the experience and technical knowledge in the field of Civil Aviation between India and Canada. 20 July: Indian-origin John Paul Joy Alukkas has made it to the list of Asia's top 10 wealthiest millennials, with a personal fortune of USD 820 million. The 29-year-old Alukkas, Executive Director Joyalukkas group has been ranked 8th wealthiest on the Wealth-X list of millennials -- defined as those born from 1981 to 1997, as per the global wealth intelligence and prospecting company. The list was topped by the 34-year-old Yang Huiyan (USD 6.1 billion) - Vice Chairman of Country Garden Holdings. 17 July: The Russian government has chosen Anil Ambani's Pipavav shipyard for a 'Make in India' naval frigate order that is likely to exceed $3 billion, making it the private sector's biggest-ever warshipbuilding project. Russia, which has been keen to build the frigates at a Russian shipyard, was firmly told last year that the order would only be placed through the Make in India route but it would have the flexibility to choose an Indian partner for the project. 17 July: Global aircraft maker Boeing and Tata Advanced Systems signed a pact to collaborate in aerospace and defence manufacturing as well as to tap into integrated systems development opportunities, including unmanned aerial vehicles. The companies, under the memorandum of understanding, intend to access markets jointly for products and platforms developed together by Boeing and TASL. The collaboration, which is in line with the government's 'Make in India' initiative, will not only work in the domestic market but will also be for international markets. 16 July: India is the highest recipient of US economic assistance according to USAID. The US provided USD 65.1 billion as economic assistance to India between 1946 and 2012, according to the US Agency for International Development (USAID) statistics. It was the highest among the economic assistance provided to 200 countries and regions by the US during the period. India is followed closely by Israel, which got USD 65 billion. 16 July: In an historic event, comprehensive deal on Iran s nuclear programme was reached on which brought to end a 13 year stand-off between Iran and western powers that had threatened to trigger a new war in the Middle East. The agreement between Iran and P5+1 group (five permanent members of the UN Security Council, namely China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, plus Germany) was reached after clearing final obstacles included a compromise between Washington and

40 Tehran that would allow U.N. inspectors of press for visits to Iranian military sites as part of their monitoring duties. 15 July: India and Georgia signed a MoU in New Delhi, for cooperation in the field of election management and administration. The major aims of MoU are: promotion of exchanges of knowledge and experience in electoral processes; exchange of information, materials, expertise and training of personnel; production and distribution of materials pertaining to electoral systems, voting technology, voters education and awareness, and participation of women and minorities in electoral process. 14 July: India and Tajikistan inked agreements in the field of culture and human resource development after talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Tajikistan s President Emomali Rahmon. This is the last leg of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 6-nation tour of Central Asian countries. As part of the agreement, India is to set up computer labs in 37 schools in Tajikistan. 14 July: India and Kyrgyzstan signed four agreements including one on bolstering defence cooperation and holding annual joint military exercises during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's fifth leg of his Central Asian tour to Kyrgyzstan. Kyrgyzstan's President Almazbek Atambayev and Narendra Modi signed four key agreements including on cooperation in defence and culture fields. Two MoU were also signed for cooperation between the Election Commissions of the two countries and on cooperation in the sphere of Standards, a move that will help economic relations. 13 July: India and Turkmenistan signed 7 agreements for enhancing cooperation in a number of sectors during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's fourth leg of his Central Asian tour to Turkmenistan. The agreements were signed in the fields of defence, supply of chemical products, foreign affairs, sports, science and technology, medicine and tourism. 13 July: India and Pakistan were accepted as full members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a regional grouping including China and Russia. This decision was taken at the 15th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit held in Russia. India, which has had an observer status for the past 10 years, will technically become a member by next year after completion of certain procedures. 11 July: India will host the next BRICS Summit in This was announced in the 7th BRICS Summit held in Russian city of Ufa in Bashkortostan. The eighth BRICS Summit will be organised in New Delhi in four years after India organised the fourth summit in India would become BRICS chairperson from February July: India and United States (US) signed Inter Governmental Agreement (IGA) to implement the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA). The agreement will promote transparency on tax matters between the two countries. As per the IGA, FFIs in India will be required to report tax information about US account holders directly to the Indian Government which will, in turn, relay that information to the IRS. The IRS will provide similar information about Indian account holders in the United States.

41 10 July: 7th BRICS Summit commenced in Ufa, Russia on 9th July with the theme, "BRICS partnership: A powerful factor for global development". The summit is being attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, South African President Jacob Zuma and Chinese President Xi Jinping. In a significant step in economic cooperation, Russia's Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) signed an MoU with India's Infrastructure Development Finance Company (IDFC) for funding of hydro-generation projects. 10 July: Russian oil firm Rosneft announced to buy 49 percent stake in Essar Oil, the firm that owns India's second biggest oil refinery. Both the firms signed a non-binding Term Sheet in this regard. Also, a Long Term Crude Oil Supply Agreement by the two firms was signed in Ufa, Russia for import of 10 million tonnes a year of crude oil for a period of 10 years. This contract has been signed in pursuance to the Key Terms executed between the two companies in December 2014 at New Delhi. 9 July: India and Kazakhstan inked 5 agreements, including defence, railways and uranium supply, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev on his second leg of visit to the Central Asian countries. Both sides also agreed to collaborate closely in the framework of the International North South Transport Corridor and through bilateral initiatives to improve surface connectivity. 9 July: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Kazakhstan premier Karim Massimov launched the first exploratory drilling of the Satpayev oil block by India's OVL and KazMunaiGaz. The two leaders launched the drilling through live video conferencing. ONGC Videsh Ltd. (OVL) -- the overseas arm of state-run ONGC -- had in 2011 picked up 25 percent stake in the Satpayev oil block in the North Caspian Sea. The Satpayev oil block is an offshore field in the Northern Caspian sea, with potential reserves estimated at 1.8 billion barrels. 9 July: India has overtaken the US to become the world's third largest steel producer and is working towards achieving 300 million tonnes (MT) target in the next 10 years. So far India was the 4th largest steel producer in the world only after China, Japan and the US. Last year the growth in crude steel production in India was more than 8 percent. 8 July: On the first leg of his visit to Central Asian countries and Russia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Uzbekistan. He held talks with Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov on key bilateral and regional issues including the situation in Afghanistan. India and Uzbekistan inked 3 pacts to boost cooperation between their foreign offices and in the field of culture and tourism. 8 July: Japan committed 6.1 billion US dollars (750 billion Japanese Yen) in Official Development Assistance (ODA) to Mekong Region countries for the next three years. The decision was taken by Japan during the 7th Mekong-Japan Summit held in Tokyo. The decision to provide the development aid to Mekong countries was taken in line with the Development Cooperation Charter approved by the Japan s

42 Cabinet in February The Mekong region countries include Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. 7 July: Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarked on his six-nation tour to attend the BRICS summit in Russia and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). Modi will visit five Central Asian nations-- Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to deepen strategic relations and energy cooperation. He is scheduled to travel from July 6 to 13 to five Central Asian countries and Russia where he will attend the summits of BRICS and SCO. 4 July: The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO, inducted the Old City of Sana a to the list of World Heritage in danger due to the serious damage done amid clashes between Shiite Houthi rebels and pro-government forces in Yemen. The decision was made during the 39th session of the World Heritage Committee in Bonn, Germany, while the Old Walled City of Shibam in Yemen and the ancient Iraqi city of Hatra were also added to the list. 2 July: The US and Cuba announced the opening of embassies in each other's capitals, a major step in re-establishing diplomatic ties severed in Relations had been frozen since the early 1960s when the US broke links and imposed a trade embargo with the Communist island. But the US and Cuba agreed to normalise relations at the end of July: Cuba has become the first country to eliminate the transmission of HIV and syphilis from mother to child, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). The World Health Organization hailed what it called one of the greatest public health achievements possible. Only two children in the country were born with HIV and five with syphilis in July: Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani, in an unprecedented move for the first time nominated a female to the post of judge in Afghanistan's Supreme Court. He has appointed Anisa Rasouli to the post of judge. Anisa Rasouli, the head of the Afghan Women Judges Association and a former juvenile court judge, is the only female nominated to the nine-member bench. 30 June: The US Supreme Court upheld the use of three controversial drug lethal injections protocol used in executions of inmates across the country. It said that it does not violate the Constitution in terms of being cruel and unusual punishment. 30 June: India and Thailand signed five Agreements/ Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs) during the 7th Meeting of India-Thailand Joint Commission in Bangkok. THE SIGNED AGREEMENTS/MOUS INCLUDES Agreed Minutes of the Seventh Meeting of the Thailand-India Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation:

43 Exchange of Instruments of Ratification of the Treaty on Extradition Memorandum of Understanding on the Establishment of Nalanda University: Agreement for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to taxes on Income MoU on the Establishment of the "Academic Chair in Ayurveda: 29 June: Delegates of 50 countries signed the 60-article agreement that will lay the legal framework for the China-initiated Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). The agreement outlined the financial share of each member, policymaking, business and operational systems and governance structure of the AIIB. 27 June: India and the United States (US) signed a series of agreements on health sector to enhance cooperation in areas such as cancer research, infrastructure development, training, capacity building and better assessment and application of new diagnostic technologies. 27 June: The United States (US) Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage across the nation. 26 June: The US Supreme Court ruled that federal subsidies under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), 2010 could be made available to individual States, even if those States did not set up their own insurance exchanges. 26 June: Sri Lankan President, Maithripala Sirisena dissolved the Parliament. Sirisena signed a gazette notification dissolving parliament in an effort to consolidate power and push through political reforms. 25 June: The one-day International Conference on Nepal s Reconstruction (ICNR) concluded 2015 in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. The Conference was organized by the Government of Nepal to raise funds for carrying out rebuilding of areas devastated by the April 25 earthquake of magnitude 7.8 on Richter scale, which claimed nearly 9000 lives. 25 June: Australia on announced that it will join the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) as a founding member. It will contribute 930 million Australian dollars (718.5million US dollars) as paid-in capital to the institution over five years and will be the sixth largest shareholder. 25 June: The Union Cabinet gave its approval for signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) between the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) and the Japan Patent Office (JPO), Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan. The MoC is aimed at establishing a framework for

44 bilateral cooperation in the field of industrial property (IP) with emphasis on capacity building, human resource development and awareness generation. 24 June: Austria decided to file a legal complaint against the European Commission (EU) s approval to the Hinkley Point C nuclear power project in the European Court of Justice (ECJ). 23 June: India decided to be a partner country in the major Industrial Fair named INNOPROM 2016 to be held at Yekaterinburg, Russia in July India accepted the invitation extended by the Russian Government in December June: Nepal-India Treaty of Transit of 1999 was amended to allow the movement of vehicles imported from a third country into Nepal through four border points. The four border points are Raxaul- Birgunj, Jogbani-Biratnagar, and Sunauli Bhairahawa and Nepalgunj Road-Nepalgunj border points. 23 June: To stop human traffickers from bringing migrants across the Mediterranean to Europe, the European Union (EU) launched a three-phase naval operation named EU NAVFOR Med (European Union Naval Force Mediterranean Sea). 23 June: Pitcairn Island, the world s smallest country by population, legalised same-sex marriage. The law change was unanimously approved by the local council. 22 June: India was placed at 61st position in terms of foreigners money in Swiss banks. This was revealed by latest data released by Swiss National Bank (SNB), the central bank of Switzerland, in the fourth week of June June: France announced a ban on wearing earphones while driving a vehicle and riding a cycle. The ban will come into effect from 1 July June: India and Tanzania signed six MoUs in the field of tourism, education and hydrography to deepen bilateral cooperation. LIST OF INKED MOU/PROJECT SIGNED/EXCHANGED WITH TANZANIA MOU on establishing a collaborative program in official statistics: MOU on cooperation in Agricultural Statistics, Computer Applications and Bio-informatics: MOU on Cooperation in the field of Tourism Loan agreement to operationalize the LoC: Agreement for appointing the former as PMC: MOU for Cooperation in the field of Hydrography & Protocol on exchange of Hydrographic Data:

45 20 June: China launched the world s first electric passenger aircraft named BX1E that could be used in pilot training, tourism, meteorology and rescue operations. The aircraft was designed together by Shenyang Aerospace University and Liaoning General Aviation Academy located in the northeastern Liaoning Province of China. 19 June: The Chinese Version of the sacred ancient Indian scripture Bhagavad Gita was launched in China during an international yoga conference. The book was released by Indian Ambassador to China Ashok K. Kantha. 19 June: China and Australia signed the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA) at Canberra in Australia. 18 June: Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the agreement between India and Spain on abolishing visa requirements for the holders of diplomatic passports. 17 June: Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the agreement between India and Spain on abolishing visa requirements for the holders of diplomatic passports. The Agreement will facilitate visa-free travel for holders of diplomatic passport of one country while entering into, transiting through, exiting from or staying for up to 90 days in the territory of the other country with additional safeguards. 17 June: The Agreement will facilitate visa-free travel for holders of diplomatic passport of one country while entering into, transiting through, exiting from or staying for up to 90 days in the territory of the other country with additional safeguards. 17 June: India and Poland set trade target of 5 billion US dollars by The decision was taken at the fourth session of the bilateral Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation, held in Warsaw, capital city of Poland. 16 June: The Department of Agriculture of Australia applied a holding order to Maggi brand noodles imported from India. 15 June: The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) of United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the second week of June 2015 decided to include four Indian languages to offer knowledge tests and lectures to aspirants who appear for driving test in the country. The four Indian languages included along with three other languages are Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil and Bengali. The other three are Chinese, Russian and Persian. 15 June: India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal 2015 signed the BBIN (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal) Motor Vehicle Agreement in the Bhutanese capital Thimphu. The transport ministers of four

46 countries including the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari signed the agreement. 14 June: Philae comet lander has taken on the surface of Comet 67P (Churyumov-Gerasimenko) from seven-month hibernation. It was announced by European Space Agency (ESA) after the comet lander managed to communicate with Earth for more than a minute. 13 June: Moldova's Prime Minister Chiril Gaburuci resigned from his post after he was questioned about the authenticity of his high school and university degrees. 13 June: China has launched a freight train service between its northeastern city of Harbin and Europe. The 9,820-km-long distance rail route will open new trade options for Chinese goods in the European Market. 13 June: Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs V K Singh inaugurated first India-China Yoga College at Yunnan Minzu University in Kunming, China. 13 June: As per recently released report by British Petroleum (BP) Energy Company, United States (US) became the world s largest oil producer in 2014 surpassing Saudi Arabia. It was reveled in BP Energy Company report tilled Statistical Review of World Energy. 12 June: The World Day Against Child Labour is being observed annually across world to bring awareness against child labour. The theme of this year is No to Child Labour, Yes to Quality Education. 12 June: The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has announced that in past one decade renewable energy targets have quadruple globally. ABOUT INTERNATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY AGENCY (IRENA) IRENA is an intergovernmental organization to promote adoption and sustainable use of renewable energy. It is a global hub for renewable energy cooperation and information exchange within its member nations. Founded: in 2009 and its statute entered into force on 8 July Headquarters: Abu Dhabi. 12 June: China has conducted the fourth successful test of a new Wu-14 hypersonic strike vehicle which is capable of delivering nuclear weapons. 11 June: African countries have signed a historic The Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) that facilitates creation of Africa s largest free-trade zone.

47 11 June: African countries have signed a historic The Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) that facilitates creation of Africa s largest free-trade zone. The pact was signed in Egypt will intent to ease the movement of goods across 26 member countries which represent more than half the continent s GDP. TFTA pact combines existing three trade blocs among the African nations viz Southern African Development Community (SADC). East African Community (EAC). Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). 11 June: The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, gave its approval for the proposal to promulgate the Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Ordinance, KEY FEATURES OF NEGOTIABLE INSTRUMENTS (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2015 Cases of bouncing of cheques can be filed only in a court in whose jurisdiction the bank branch of the payee (person who receives the cheque) lies. If a complaint against a person issuing a cheque has been filed in the court with the appropriate jurisdiction, then all subsequent complaints against that person will be filed in the same court, irrespective of the relevant jurisdiction area. If more than one case is filed against the same person before different courts, the cases will be transferred to the court with the appropriate jurisdiction. 11 June: India, Japan and Australia held their first ever high-level trilateral dialogue in New Delhi. 10 June: Major political parties of Nepal reached an agreement on the proposed framework of national Constitution providing for federal structure, form of governance, electoral and judicial systems. 9 June: The Justice and Development Party (AKP) of Turkey led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan won Turkey s parliamentary polls. 9 June: India and Netherlands have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the development of Measles- Rubella Vaccines. The MoU was signed under Make in India initiative of Union government in the presence of the Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte during his visit to India. 5 June: India has lost a poultry case against United States at World Trade Organization (WTO) after WTO s Dispute Settlement Board (DSB) ruled that India s ban on import of poultry meat, eggs and live pigs from US is inconsistent with the international norms.

48 1 June: The US removed Cuba from its list of state sponsors of terrorism. The removal of Cuba from the terror list would also help in the process of lifting economic sanctions. It had been a key Cuban demand as the countries move towards normalising relations. 30 May: United States (US) in a landmark decision has removed Cuba from its list of State Sponsor of Terrorism. In this regard US secretary of state John Kerry has signed an order removing Cuba from the terrorism blacklist. 28 May: United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has unanimously adopted a resolution on the protection of journalists in conflict zones. The resolution has urged member nations, governments and armed groups to take appropriate steps in order to ensure accountability for crimes committed against journalists, media professionals in situations of armed conflict. 26 May: An ancient aqueduct dating back 2,000 years ago was unearthed near Har Homa in East Jerusalem city of Israel. The discovered lower aqueduct was used in ancient times to transport water into the city of Jerusalem. 25 May: Russian government officially has enacted a law banning undesirable non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the country. The newly enacted law allows government authorities to Prosecute foreign NGOs or firms designated as undesirable on national security grounds. Individuals working for such NGOs could face up to six years in prison or fines. Ban foreign NGOs employees from the country. Ban Russian citizens or groups that have involvement or are engaged with such undesirable foreign NGOs. 25 May: China has set up a gold sector fund involving 65 countries along the ancient Silk Road. It has been set up in China s northwest Xi an city during ongoing forum on investment and trade. 23 May: Tanishq Abraham, 11-year-old Indian-American child prodigy created a record by graduating from California College with three associate degrees in science, maths and foreign language studies. 23 May: Republic of Ireland became first country in the world to constitutionally legalise same-sex marriage. 23 May: United Nation Security Council (UNSC) on 23 May 2015 adopted a resolution calling for stronger cooperation among member nations in stemming the illicit transfer and misuse of small arms and light weapons.

49 23 May: Two strong 6.8 magnitude earthquakes had strike the Solomon Islands in Pacific Ocean on 23 May May: Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants have taken complete control of the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra. 19 May: International Monetary Fund (IMF) in its recent report titled Act Local, Solve Global: The $5.3 Trillion Energy Subsidy Problem has voiced alarm about energy subsidies across the world. 19 May: India assumed the presidency of the 68th World Health Assembly (WHA) held in Geneva after a gap of 19 years. The 68th WHA session began on 18 May 2015 and it will conclude on 27 May The WHA session is presided by Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda who is also leading the high-level Indian delegation to the Assembly. This edition of assembly is expected to deliberate on key issues of global interest that include Anti-microbial resistance. Air pollution and health Global health emergency, preparedness and surveillance. Global strategy and plan of action on public health. Innovation and intellectual property. Research and development in neglected tropical diseases. 18 May: India and South Korea have signed 7 agreements /MoUs to enhance bilateral relations. Signed agreements are :- Agreement for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income. Cooperation in Audio-Visual Co-Production- MoU for Cooperation between the India s National Security Council and Korea s Office of National Security- MoU for cooperation in the field of Electric Power Development and New Energy Industries. MoU on Cooperation in Youth Matters- Framework of Cooperation in the Field of Road Transport and Highways

50 MOU in the Fields of Maritime Transport and Logistics- 18 May: India and Mongolia have decided to elevate their ties to the level of Strategic partnership. AS PER THE AGREEMENT, BOTH NATIONS WILL STRIVE FOR :- Enhancing cooperation in defence industry and military training. Promoting joint participation in military exercises. Increasing military cooperation in training and import of arms and equipment. Resolving conflicts through diplomatic means rather than using of force. 16 May: Sixth edition of National Conference on Nuclear Energy held in New Delhi. The theme of this edition was Nuclear Energy: a Clean Energy option. It was organized by Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), one of the apex trade associations of India 16 May: United Nations (UN) has adopted a resolution in order to call attention of international community to urgently assist Nepal and help rebuild the country after it was hit by devastating earthquake. The resolution was led by India and was co-sponsored by 65 other nations including Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Australia, Japan, China, Germany, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan UK and the US. 9 May: A record number of 10 Indian-origin Members of Parliament (MPs) were elected in recently concluded general election that elected 56th Parliament of the UK. FOLLOWING ARE THE ELECTED INDIAN-ORIGIN CANDIDATES CONSERVATIVE PARTY: Priti Patel- won from Witham constituency. Rishi Sunak- won from Richmond (Yorks) constituency. He is son-in-law of Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy. Alok Sharma- won from Reading West constituency. Shailesh Vara- won from Cambridgeshire Northwest constituency. Suella Fernandes- won from Fareham constituency. Labour Party: Keith Vaz- won from Leicester East constituency. Valerie Vaz- won from Walsall South constituency.

51 Virendra Sharma- won from Ealing Southall constituency. Seema Malhotra- won from south west London constituency. Lisa Nandy- won from Wigan constituency. 7 May: India and Iran have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the development of the strategically important Chabahar Port in Iran. KEY FACTS OF MOU By signing of MoU Indian and Iranian commercial entities will be able to commence negotiations for finalization of a commercial contract. Under the contract, Indian firms will lease two existing berths at the Chabahar Port and operationalize them as container and multi-purpose cargo terminals. 7 May: The French Parliament has approved a surveillance law that strengthens the intelligence services of the country to prevent terrorist attacks. 6 May: The Union Cabinet has approved Constitution (119th Amendment) Bill on Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) between India & Bangladesh. The Bill seeks to operationalize the Land Boundary Agreement with Bangladesh by exchanging several enclaves located along the common border of both nations. 5 May: World s largest flag was unfurled at an event in Ong Jmel in the southern desert area of Tunisia. Tunisian national flag of the size of 19 football pitches was unfurled in a bid to set a Guinness World Record and promote patriotism in the face of Islamist extremism 4 May: Recently published study in journal Science has found out that 1 out of 6 species on Earth could possibly extinct by the end of the century as a result of increasing global warming if the emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) stays the same. APPOINTMENTS/RESIGNATIONS (MAY-AUGUST 2015) 21 August: In a move set to further strengthen education ties with India, Australian government appointed former cricketer Adam Gilchrist as nation's inaugural ambassador to India on education. The announcement was made by the Minister for Education and Training Christopher Pyne prior to attending the Annual Ministerial Dialogue and third Australia-India Education Council meeting in New Delhi.

52 21 August: Veteran actor Anupam Kher has been appointed as the UN ambassador of the 'HeForShe' campaign for gender equality. The 'HeForShe' campaign has been initiated by UN Women. Its goal is to engage men as agents of change for the achievement of gender equality and women's rights, by encouraging them to take action against inequalities faced by women and girls. 21 August: Raffi Freedman-Gurspan is the first openly transgender White House staff member, appointed by President Barack Obama. She was a former policy adviser at the National Center for Transgender Equality and will serve as an outreach and recruitment director in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel. This is one of several steps the Obama administration has taken to show support for the LGBT community. 20 August: Britain's Sebastian Coe was elected as new International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) president at the 50th IAAF Congress 20 August: Athletics Federation of India President Adille Sumariwalla was elected as one of the members of the prestigious Council of the IAAF, the global governing body of the sport. Sumariwalla is the first Indian to be elected in the IAAF Council. 19 August: Union Government appointed former Cabinet Secretary Ajit Kumar Seth as the Chairman of the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB). He was appointed for a period of three years or till he attains 65 years of age. Seth succeeded Atul Chaturvedi, who has completed his tenure. Seth is a batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre. 17 August: Om Prakash Rawat, a 1977 batch Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre was appointed as the Election Commissioner of India. His appointment will come into effect from the day he assumes office. With Rawat s appointment, the sole vacancy in the three-member poll body has been filled. Rawat will have tenure of more than three years which will end in December He had retired from government service in December Naseem Zaidi is the Chief Election Commissioner and Achal Kumar Jyoti is the other Election Commissioner. 14 August: Sudhakar Shetty of Maharashtra was unanimously elected as the President of the Gymnastics Federation of India (GFI). He will have a four year term. He succeeds Jaspal Singh Kandhari. Shantikumar Singh has been appointed as general secretary, Gian Singh as treasurer and Riyaz Bhati as Vice President. Elections for the executive committee of Federation were attended by 35 members from 18 States and Units. 14 August: Larsen & Toubro has announced to appoint Sanjay Jalona as chief executive officer (CEO) and managing director (MD) of its wholly-owned subsidiary L&T Infotech. Prior to joining L&T Infotech,

53 Jalona was with Infosys as executive vice president. During his 15 years at Infosys, he had held senior leadership positions across USA, Europe and India. 12 August: India-born Sundar Pichai was named CEO of Google by the company's founders Larry Page and Sergei Brin in course of a re-organization that created a mother company called Alphabet. All the companies of Google will work in collaboration with Alphabet. Pichai, 43, is a Chennai native and a passout of IIT Kharagpur. Page will be CEO of Alphabet. 10 August: President Pranab Mukherjee appointed new Governors for Bihar and Himachal Pradesh. Acharya Dev Vrat has been appointed the Governor of Himachal Pradesh. Ram Nath Kovind, a BJP politician from UP, has been named governor of Bihar. 10 August: Global technology and consultancy giant Accenture elevated Rekha M. Menon as chairman of its India operations. It has also roped in Anindya Basu as the managing director (MD) in India. These appointments are effective from August 21, August: Amitava Ghosh was appointed as Vice President (Engineering) of e-commerce portal Snapdeal. As a Vice President-engineering, Ghosh will head company s technology innovation centre in Bengaluru. Prior to this appointment, he was the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at TaxiForSure. Earlier, he was serving as the Head of Indian engineering team of Tribune Digital Ventures. 7 August: President Mamnoon Hussain approved Justice Jawad S. Khawaja s appointment as new Chief Justice with effect from August 17 after retirement of Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk. Justice Jawad S Khawaja will take charge as Chief Justice from August 17. Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk is set to retire on August 16 after completing his tenure. Justice Khawaja is the senior most judge in the ranks after Justice Mulk s retirement. 7 August: Indian-American Atul Keshap has been confirmed as the U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Maldives, becoming the second Indian-origin diplomat to be posted to the region after Richard Rahul Verma. Keshap (44), a former official at the US Embassy in India, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the country s envoy which would be his first Ambassadorial posting. He is currently working as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in South and Central Asian Affairs Bureau of State Department. 6 August: Alibaba named former Goldman Sachs vice president Michael Evans as President, putting him in charge of the Chinese e-commerce company's global expansion. Goldman Sachs veteran Michael Evans will take over the role of president of Alibaba Group with immediate effect. Evans will lead the company's expansion outside China and help develop its international plans for growth. 6 August: Senior IPS officer Ashok Prasad has been appointed as Secretary of Home Ministry's crucial Internal Security division. Prasad is a 1979 batch IPS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre. He was appointed as Special Secretary (Internal Security) in Home Ministry on December 31, Prior to that, Prasad was posted as Special Director in Intelligence Bureau.

54 4 August: Ved Prakash Mahawar took over as Director (Onshore) of state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC). As Director (Onshore), a board level position, he will be directly looking after all the onshore operations spread across the country which significantly contribute towards ONGC's overall physical performance. He replaces Ashok Verma, who superannuated. 4 August: Ganga Ram Agarwal, an officer of the Indian railway services of electrical engineering (IRSEE), has been posted as the new secretary of the railway board. He takes over from P.C. Gajbhiye, who superannuated. Prior to this, Agarwal was working as chief electrical engineer, central railway. 30 July: Union Government appointed Ram Sewak Sharma as the new Chairman of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the regulating body of Indian telecom sector. R.S. Sharma, an engineering post-graduate from IIT Kanpur and a 1978 batch IAS officer of Jharkhand cadre, was till now Secretary, Information Technology Department. He will have tenure of 3 years. He succeeded Rahul Khullar who retired from post on 14 May July: Union Government appointed Ashish Bahuguna as the Chairman of food safety regulator Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). Former Agriculture Secretary, Bahuguna's tenure will be of three years and he succeeded K. Chandramouli whose tenure ended in January Since then the position was lying vacant and the Health Secretary Bhanu Pratap Sharma was given the interim charge of chairman of FSSAI. Bahuguna is a 1978-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of Rajasthan cadre who retired from the post of Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture in February July: Qualcomm Incorporated has appointed former BlackBerry India head Sunil Lalvani as vice president and president of Qualcomm India, as Avneesh Agrawal, senior vice president and president of Qualcomm India and South Asia exits the company. Lalvani has more than 20 years of experience in sales, business development, strategic planning and business operations across the IT and telecom sectors 27 July: Roelant Oltmans is new coach of the Indian hockey team, replacing Paul van Ass, who was sacked after a bitter spat with Hockey India President Narinder Batra. The 61-year-old Dutchamn will be at the helm of affairs at least till next year s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Van Ass was the fourth foreign coach to be shown the door unceremoniously ever since Hockey India took over the reins of the game in July: All India Football Federation President and senior NCP leader Praful Patel and Souter Vaz have retained their posts as President and Secretary of the Western India Football Association (WIFA) respectively. Former Union Minister Patel, who is also the Vice President of the Asian Football Confederation, and Vaz were re-elected unopposed. 22 July: Bhanu Pratap Sharma was given additional charge of Chairperson of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). Sharma is an IAS officer of 1981 batch from Bihar cadre. Sharma

55 was given this additional charge of FSSAI for three months or till the appointment of a regular incumbent. Currently, he is the Secretary of Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. 22 July: Pankaj Munjal was appointed as Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Hero Motors Group. He succeeded O.P. Munjal, who was elevated to the position of Chairman Emeritus. Pankaj Munjal joined the Hero group in 1988 as a trainee and was appointed as its Co-Chairman and Managing Director in December July: Prashant Pathrabe was appointed as the new Director of Pune-based Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) by the Union Govt. Prashant Pathrabe is the Director of National Film Archive of India (Pune) and he has been given the charge of FTII Director as additional charge. Pathrabe, an MBA from IIM, Ahmedabad joined the Indian Information Service in He replaced D.J. Narain. 16 July: Global financial services hub Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) has appointed Ajay Kumar Pandey as its new Managing Director and Group CEO. Pandey will take over the charge from August 1. Pandey will replace the current head of GIFT, Ramakant Jha, who has been associated with the project since November Jha will move to Mumbai as CEO of IL&FS's Smart City initiative. 16 July: Madhya Pradesh government has appointed former Chief Secretary Rakesh Sahni as the Chairman of Narmada Valley Development Authority (NVDA). After his retirement from the post of chief secretary, the 1972 batch IAS officer also served as the Chairman of MP Electricity Regulatory Commission. 15 July: Lieutenant General Man Mohan Singh Rai has been appointed as the Vice-Chief of the Indian Army. Rai will succeed Lt Gen Philip Campose, who will superannuate the office on 31 July Presently, Rai is working as the Eastern Army Commander. 13 July: Cipla, the country's leading company in Pharma sector, has appointed Samina Vaziralli as Executive Director on its board. Vaziralli is the daughter of M.K. Hamied, Vice Chairman of the Board of Cipla. She is part of the core leadership team and has been with the company since Earlier, she worked at Goldman Sachs's investment management department. Vaziralli brings diverse experience of working in the US, the UK, and more recently India. 13 July: NRI entrepreneur Lord Karan Bilimoria has been appointed as the President of the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA). He will replace Baroness Usha Prashar as she steps down, having served the maximum term of nine years. Hyderabad born Bilimoria, the founder of Cobra Beer, is also the Chancellor of the University of Birmingham. 11 July: Ashok K. Lahiri, a former Chief Economic Advisor (CEA), was named as the first Chairman of Bandhan Bank during the announcement of appointment of Board of Directors of the bank was made.

56 Chandra Sekhar Ghosh will be the MD and CEO of the bank. The bank will start its operations from 23 August 2015 and will be inaugurated by the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee. 11 July: Credit Information Bureau India Ltd (CIBIL), India s leader in credit information, has appointed Satish Pillai as its new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. Pillai succeeds Arun Thukral who retires this year after a decade. 10 July: Sunil Bharti led Bharti Enterprises appointed Rahul Bhatnagar as its new Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer. Bhatnagar takes over from Manoj Kohli, who has assumed the role of Executive Chairman, SBG Cleantech -- a JV between SoftBank, Bharti and Foxconn for renewable energy. 10 July: Nepal President Ram Baran Yadav appointed Justice Kalyan Shrestha as the new chief justice of the country. The president appointed Shrestha, 64, as the new chief justice on the recommendation of the Constitutional Council. He has been appointed to the post after the retirement of Ram Kumar Prasad Saha. 9 July: Sriram Kalyanaraman, Director-Business Development, Equifax Credit Information Services Pvt. Ltd has been appointed as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, National Housing Bank for a period of five years from the date of his taking over the charge. The appointment of Shri Kalyanaraman is unique in its way as he is the first person form the Private Sector to head a Public Sector Financial Institution. 6 July: Commodore C.D. Balaji (Retd) took charge as the Director of the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and Programme Director of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA). He succeeded P.S. Subramanyam, a distinguished Scientist, who superannuated on 30 June Prior to this appointment, Balaji, an outstanding scientist, was Project Director of the LCA s naval version. 3 July: The government appointed U.P. Singh, a Joint Secretary in Oil Ministry, as the interim chairman of state-run Oil India Ltd, after appointment of a regular head was delayed because of questions being raised on the shortlisted candidate. U.P. Singh, Joint Secretary (Exploration), Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas assumed the additional charge of Chairman and Managing Director in place of S.K. Srivastava who superannuated. 3 July: Balvender Kumar IAS (UP: 1981) took over as Secretary Ministry of Mines in New Delhi. Before joining the Ministry of Mines, Balvender Kumar was holding the charge of Vice-Chairman, Delhi Development Authority under Ministry of Urban Development. He took over the charge from Dr. Anup K. Pujari. 3 July: Congress leader K.A. Sabarinathan was sworn-in as a legislator of the Kerala legislative assembly. In the results for the Aruvikara by-election announced, Sabarinathan, 31, secured 56,448 votes to defeat former speaker and Minister M. Vijayakumar, 67, of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI- M), who secured 46,320 votes.

57 3 July: Dr. Anup K. Pujari took over as Secretary Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME). He is a 80th batch IAS officer. He succeeds Madhav Lal who superannuated on June, Before joining the Ministry of MSME, Dr. Pujari was holding the charge of Secretary, Mines. Pujari has served the Central and Karnataka Govt. in various capacities. 1 July: Senior IPS officer Y.C. Modi, who had been part of a Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) that probed 2002 Gujarat riots cases, has been appointed as Additional Director in the CBI. Modi is a 1984 batch IPS officer of Assam-Meghalaya cadre. He has been appointed in place of Archana Ramasundaram, who was recently moved out of the CBI and appointed as Director, National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). 1 July: Nandkumar Saravade has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Data Security Council of India (DSCI). He will take over from the current officiating CEO, Rama Vedashree, Vice-President of Nasscom. Saravade was, until recently, working as an independent advisor on fraud and security to Ernst & Young (EY) and ICICI Bank. Till September 2013, he was the South Asia head of security, investigation and vigilance function for Citibank. 1 July: Infrastructure financing firm IDFC appointed former Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) Vinod Rai as independent director. The appointment has been made with immediate effect. Vinod Rai also worked as Financial Services Secretary. He was director on several boards including the State Bank of India, ICICI Bank, IDBI Bank and Life Insurance Corporation of India. 26 June: Anshula Kant was appointed as the Deputy Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of State Bank of India (SBI). She succeeded P K Gupta, who was promoted as Chief Executive Officer of SBI Capital. 25 June: Former Pakistan cricket team captain Zaheer Abbas has been selected the new President of International Cricket Council (ICC) for one year term. He will be 13th President of ICC and succeeds Mustafa Kamal of Bangladesh who had resigned from the post of ICC President in April June: Kerala government has appointed Tennis Icon Steffanie Graf as Ayurveda brand ambassador. 20 June: Blue Opposition Bloc led by Lars Loekke Rasmussen of right-wing Venstre party won the parliamentary elections of Denmark. Blue opposition bloc, also called Centre-Right coalition, won 90 seats in the 179-member parliament. 19 June: Two Indian-Americans Niraj Antani, an Ohio State legislature and Janak Joshi, a Colorado State legislature, were appointed to the board of the Future Majority Project of the United States (US) Republican Party.

58 20 June: Justice Gian Parkash Mittal resigned from the Office of the Judge of Delhi High Court with effect from the afternoon of 8 July However, the reason behind his resignation was not disclosed. 19 June: Journalist and writer Aakar Patel appointed as Executive Director of Amnesty International (AI) India. He will head AI India s operations and its efforts to end human rights abuses in India and worldwide. 19 June: Britain s longest-serving Indian-origin MP Keith Vaz, has been re-elected as Chairman of Home Affairs Select Committee (HASC) in House of Commons of UK Parliament. 18 June: Senior IAS officer G Gurucharan was given additional charge as Director General, Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) for three months. He will hold the additional charge till the appointment of a regular incumbent or until further orders. 18 June: Archana Ramasundaram was appointed as the Director of National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), New Delhi. Ramasundram is an IPS officer of 1980-batch of Tamil Nadu cadre. 17 June: Narendra Kumar Yadav took charge as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the state-run telecom operator Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) with effect from 8 June June: Moldova's Prime Minister Chiril Gaburuci resigned from his post after he was questioned about the authenticity of his high school and university degrees. 12 June: Said Djinnit, the United Nations (UN) envoy to Burundi crisis, stepped down from his role as mediator of the crisis. 12 June: Prof Sanghmitra Bandyopadhayay was appointed as the Director of Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) by the Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI). She is the first woman to lead the institute and replaced Dr. Bimal K Roy who was removed on charges of indiscipline. 10 June: Mahendra Kumar Sharma was appointed as non-executive chairman of India s largest private sector lender Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India (ICICI) Bank. He will replace K V Kamath who had resigned from top most in order to join as President of the Shanghai based New Development Bank established by the BRICS nations. 10 June: Dr. Srivari Chandrasekhar was appointed as the Director of Hyderabad-based CSIR- Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT). The appointment was made by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is President of the CSIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research). 10 June: P L Subramanian has been appointed as Non-Executive Director India Cements Limited (CIL) with an immediate effect. Subramanian had joined former BCCI President N Srinivasan-led India Cements in 1986 and had served in various responsibilities.

59 9 June: Vijai Sharma was appointed as the Chief Information Commissioner in the Central Information Commission (CIC), New Delhi. He will have tenure of 5 years or till he attain the age of 65, whichever is earlier. 9 June: 1978-batch IRS officer KV Chowdary was appointed as the Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC). He was appointed by President Pranab Mukherjee on the recommendation of Selection committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 8 June: Senior IPS Officer RC Tayal was appointed as the Director General (DG) of National Security Guard (NSG). He succeeded JN Choudhury who retired on 31 May He will serve the office till August 2016 when he is scheduled for superannuation. 6 June: Government of Mauritius has designated internationally renowned biodiversity scientist and biologist Ameenah Gurib-Fakim as their new President. 4 June: Syed Asif Ibrahim was appointed as the Prime Minister s Special Envoy on Countering Terrorism and Extremism. He is a former Director of Intelligence Bureau (DIB). 3 June: Sepp Blatter resigned as President of FIFA amid the corruption scandal that has engulfed the football s governing body. Blatter has been serving as president of world soccer governing body FIFA since June: K Sivan was appointed as the Director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), an organisation that works under Indian Space Research Organisation in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. 2 June: S Somanath was on appointed as the Director of Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) with immediate effect. LPSC works under the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and is located at Trivandrum, Kerala. 2 June: P Kunhikrishnan was appointed as the Director of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR with immediate effect. He succeeded MYS Prasad, who superannuated in May June: Rear Admiral Philipose G Pynumootil was appointed as the Assistant Chief of Naval staff (Air). Prior to this appointment, Pynumootil served as the Principal Director of Aircraft Acquisition. 2 June: Meena Hemchandra was appointed as the Executive Director (ED) of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) with immediate effect. As an ED, She will look after Department of Banking Supervision, Department of Co-operative Banking Supervision and Department of Non-Banking Supervision. 2 June: Former Indian cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and V V S Laxman have joined the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI s) newly-constituted Cricket Advisory committee. They were nominated by BCCI President Jagmohan Dalmiya with immediate effect.

60 1 June: Muhammadu Buhari assumed the office of President of Nigeria. He became the 5th President of the country by defeating the incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan in the March 2015 general election. It is the first time in Nigeria's history that an incumbent President was defeated in an election by the opposition. 1 June: Former Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo was appointed as the new Chancellor of the Nalanda University, Bihar. 28 May: Indian- origin businessman and diplomat S Chandra Das was appointed as Resident High Commissioner to Sri Lanka by Singapore Government. 26 May: Union Government has appointed Manoj Mishra as Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of state-run National Fertilizers Ltd (NFL). 25 May: Sunil D Souza was appointed as Managing Director (MD) of India s home appliances maker Whirlpool. Prior to this appointment he was Head of PepsiCo s VIMAPS Business Unit located in Malaysia. 23 May: Parvinder Singh Batth, an Indian-origin Conservative party councillor was chosen as the mayor of United Kingdom s Wokingham Borough Council. 21 May: Akhil Amar, an Indian-American professor from Yale University has been appointed as a member of the prestigious National Council on Humanities of US by President Barack Obama. 20 May: V Shanmuganthan was sworn in as the 15th Governor of Meghalaya on 20 May 2015 at the oath taking ceremony held at Raj Bhawan in Shillong. 19 May: Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) MP Surendrajeet Singh Ahluwalia has been appointed chairman of a Joint Committee of Parliament that will look into the provisions of the Land Acquisition Amendment Bill, May: Ms. Draupadi Murmu was sworn in as the first woman and overall ninth Governor of Jharkhand since the state was granted statehood status after bifurcating from Bihar on 15 November May: Union Ministry of Finance has appointed M J Joseph as the Controller General of Accounts (CGA). He will succeed Jawahar Thakur, who was recently appointed as OSD (Accounting Reforms) in the office of CGA.

61 13 May: President Pranab Mukherjee on 12 May 2015 appointed Governors in six states. Following are newly appointed Governors Jharkhand: Former Odisha Minister Droupadi Murmu was appointed as Governor of Jharkhand. She will replace Dr Syed Ahmed. Manipur: Dr Syed Ahmed has been transfered to Manipur for remaining period of his term. Arunachal Pradesh: J P Rajkhowa was appointed as Governor of Arunachal Pradesh. He will replace Lt. General (Retd.) Nirbhay Sharma. Mizoram: Lt. General (Retd.) Nirbhay Sharma has been transferred and appointed as Governor of Mizoram for the remainder of his term. Tripura: Tathagata Roy will be the Governor of Tripura. Meghalaya: V. Shanmuganthan has been appointed as Meghalaya Governor. 12 May: Indian-origin Member of Parliament (MP) Priti Patel was appointed as Minister of State (MoS) for Employment in the David Cameron led United Kingdom Government. 11 May: President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated Namaste Russia, a festival of Indian culture in Moscow during the last leg of his tour in Russia. Namaste Russia will be six month long festival i.e. form May to November The festival seeks to enthrall the Russian audience with cultural events from India. 11 May: Eminent banker Kundapur Vaman Kamath was appointed as first President New Development Bank (NDB) of BRICS nations. 9 May: President Pranab Mukherjee has appointed Mr. Arvind Saxena as Member of Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). 9 May: Mhairi Black at the age of 20 became the youngest elected Member of Parliament (MP) in United Kingdom in over 300 years. 8 May: President Pranab Mukherjee has appointed Retired IAS officer Achal Kumar Jyoti as the Election Commissioner. He will serve as Election Commissioner for a period of three years. 8 May: In the 2015 United Kingdom Parliamentary elections, Prime Minister David Cameron led Conservative Party has won the election. 2 May: Senior IPS officer Surender Singh took over as the new Director General (DG) of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

62 AWARDS/HONOURS/WORLD TITLES/NEW DISCOVERIES (MAY-AUG 2015) 21 August: Manasvi Noel of Mississauga city has been crowned Miss India-Canada 2015 at the 25th edition of the annual beauty pageant organised in Toronto, Canada. The Dubai-born Noel won the esteemed title among the final top contenders of this event. In the event, bollywood actress Preity Zinta was also presented with the Special Achievement Award for her contribution to Indian and international cinema. 21 August: Bangladesh-born British citizen (novelist) Zia Haider Rahman won Britain's oldest literary award the James Tait Black award 2015 for his debut novel In the Light of What We Know. He received this prize during the 2015 Edinburgh international book festival. 18 August: Noted Urdu litterateur Shamim Hanfi has been selected for the first Jnangarima Manad Alankaran award, instituted by the Bharatiya Jnanpith in the year The award marks the seven decades of Jnanpith. Hanfi was selected for the award in a meeting of jury members chaired by Hindi author Vishwanath Tripathi. The Jnangarima Manad Alankaran award comprises a monthly honorarium for one year. 18 August: Prof. Mustansir Barma won the prestigious Gujar Mal Modi Award for Innovative Science and Technology for the year He was awarded for his commendable contribution in the field of Science and Technology. He received the award from Vice President of India Hamid Ansari at a ceremony in New Delhi. Barma, a distinguished Professor and former Director of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, has made immense contribution in the field of Statistical Physics in India. 18 August: Amitabh Bachchan starrer Hindi film "Piku" won the Best Film Award at Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM -2015). The award ceremony was held on the occasion of India's 69th Independence Day. Piku won the award of Best Film and Shoojit Sircar won award of Best Director at IFFM. 17 August: The two young men from Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir, who overpowered and caught alive Naveed alias Mohammad Usman, a Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorist last week, were given Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Bravery award for showing exemplary courage. Rakesh Sharma and Vikramjit were felicitated and given the award by the All India Anti Terrorist Front (AIATF) chairman M.S. Bitta and Bollywood actor Suniel Shetty. The duo were given cash prize of Rs. 1 lakh each 17 August: Bollywood actress Parineeti Chopra will be the Grand Marshall and guest of honour at the prestigious New York India Day Parade to be held in New York this year. The non resident Indians (NRIs) on August 16 will gather in New York from all across North America to celebrate the independence of India.

63 17 August: Marathi writer Prof Shyam Manohar has been selected for the Kuvempu Rashtriya Puraskar It is a national award instituted in memory of famous Kannada poet Kuvempu. The prestigious award carries a cash award of five lakh rupees. He will be honoured with the award in Kuppali, Karnataka on 29 December 2015, which is his birth anniversary. Shyam Manohar is the author of eight short story works, eight plays and many critical essays. Shyam Manohar is a retired professor from S.P. College, Pune. 14 August: India has regained its top spot as Abu Dhabi's largest international source market as guest arrivals into the emirate in the first six months of the year reached more than 1.98 million. According to the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi) India is at the top spot, seeing 1,27,312 Indian nationals arriving into the emirate. India is closely followed by the UK, China, Germany and the US as the largest overseas markets. 13 August: Versatile Marathi theatre actor, drama director, producer and songwriter Bhalchandra Pendharkar passed away in Mumbai after a brief illness, at the age of 94. Among Pendharkar's most memorable contributions to the field of theatre were plays like 'Duritanche Timir Jaavo', 'Panditrao Jagannath' and 'Gita Gaati Dnyaneshwar'. He was awarded many awards including Bal Gandharva Puraskar and Vishnudas Bhave Puraskar. 13 August: Suhasini Haidar, Diplomatic and Strategic Affairs Editor at 'The Hindu' newspaper, was presented the Prem Bhatia Memorial Award for Excellence in Political Reporting and Analysis, While 'The Times of India' newspaper's journalist Priyanka Kakodkar was presented with the Prem Bhatia award for excellence in environmental and development reporting, August: Kochi became the first Indian city to be a member of Beijing headquartered World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) Council. Kochi became the member of the council on ground of its partnerships in culture, sports and tourism. Kochi's cuisine, martial arts and snake and dragon boat races fulfill the set ground for membership. 12 August: President Pranab Mukherjee presented the 24th Saraswati Samman for 2014 to Kannada writer and former Union Minister Dr. M. Veerappa Moily for his epic Sri Ramayana Mahanveshanam written in Kannada. He is the second author to get this award in Kannada. Moily's award-winning epic Sri Ramayana Mahanveshanam was published in So far it has been translated in Hindi, English, Tamil and Telugu languages. 12 August: As per the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI) 2015, of the World Economic Forum, rank of India has improved significantly to 52nd in 2015 from 65th in Improving ranking of India from 65th to 52nd position in travel and tourism competitiveness index had been set as a target in the Result Framework Document (RFD) of Ministry of Tourism for the year

64 11 August: Mysore city in Karnataka has topped the Swachh Bharat Rankings of 476 cities in the country with three more from the State figuring in the top 10. West Bengal does well with 25 cities/towns from the State finding a place in the top 100 cities. These rankings are based on the extent of open defecation and solid waste management practices in these cities. The city of Mysore leads the cities with minimal open defecation and extensive adoption of solid waste management practices. 10 August: Zhanna Nemtsova, the daughter of slain Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, has been awarded Poland s Solidarity Prize Nemtsova received the award for championing democracy and human rights. Zhanna Nemtsova received prize money of 1.1 million US dollars. 8 August: Arvind Kumar Singh, senior journalist of Rajya Sabha TV has been awarded with top most award of Agricultural Journalism, the Chaudhary Charan Singh Award for Excellence in Journalism in Agricultural Research and Development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented the award to Singh in electronic media category at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research s 87th foundation day celebrations. Singh is a well known Hindi writer and journalist. 8 August: Delhi Government reconstituted the Urdu Academy which will comprise of 19 Urdu poets, renowned academicians, and authors. Dr. Majid Deobandi was appointed as the Vice-Chairperson of the Academy. Deobandi is a very well known and popular figure in the Urdu Circle. 7 August: Microsoft's Bill Gates tops the first Forbes list of the richest global tech billionaires. Gates led the group with an estimated worth of $79.6 billion, trailed by Oracle founder Larry Ellison at $50 billion. Jeff Bezos of Amazon came at third with net worth of $47.8 billion. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg snared the number four position ($41.2 billion), followed by Google founders Larry Page ($33.4 billion) and Sergey Brin ($32.8 billion). 6 August: The Ramanujan Prize for 2015 has been won by mathematician Amalendu Krishna of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai. Dr. Krishna has been recognised for outstanding contributions in the area of algebraic K-theory, algebraic cycles and the theory of motives. The prize is awarded jointly by the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Italy, the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, and the International Mathematical Union (IMU) to a person under 45 working in a developing country. 6 August: Bollywood actors Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar are among the world s top ten highest-paid actors in Forbes first global list of actors from Hollywood to Hong Kong and Bollywood. Amitabh Bachchan and Salman Khan entered the list in joint seventh place, with estimated earnings of $33.5 million in the past year. Akshay Kumar follows behind in ninth place with $32.5 million. Robert Downey Jr topped the list with estimated total earnings of $80 million while Jackie Chan came comes on second position with a $50 million pay packet.

65 5 August: Hindi litterateur Kashinath Singh has been chosen for the Uttar Pradesh's highest literary award Bharat Bharti for the year The award is given by UP Hindi Sansthan every year. It carries a cash prize of 5 lakh rupees. Singh has penned many novels and short stories. One of his most famous novel is Kashi ka Assi, which captures the vibrant hues of Banaras. 5 August: Veteran author Rangnath Ramdayal Tiwari was awarded 'Hindi Ratna Samman'. He was conferred with the honour at a ceremony held in Hindi Bhawan auditorium in Delhi. Rangnath Ramdayal Tiwari is the 18th recipient of Hindi Ratna Samman. It carries a citation and a cash prize of Rs.1 lakh. 3 August: Fourteen years old Master Prabhroop Sekhon won two gold medals in 300 metre and 500 metre Roller Skating at the Special Olympics World Summer Games. The event is being held at Los Angeles, USA. Sekhon is a student of ASHA School in Lucknow Cantt where he was coached and selected for various camps at State and National level as one amongst the 241 participants representing India. 1 August: Garth Brooks has been named as the highest-paid country singer in the music industry, according to a new Forbes report. He has made $90 million over the past year. Toby Keith s occupied second place on the list with USD 53 million earnings. Jason Aldean comes in at number three with an estimated USD 43.5 million. 1 August: Anuradha Roy is the lone Indian author among 13 international authors long-listed for the 2015 Man Booker Prize as announced by the Booker Prize Committee. Anuradha Roy was picked for her third novel Sleeping on Jupiter. This book has exposed the hypocrisies of Indian society. British-Indian Sunjeev Sahota was also among the 13 long-listed authors for his book The Year of the Runaways. 1 August: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has topped the list of the world's wealthiest private foundations established by living ultra high net worth (UHNW) individuals, according to a Wealth-X report. It has total assets of $43.4 billion. Li Ka Shing Foundation, founded by Hong Kong business magnate Li Ka-Shing, ranked second with $8.1 billion assets followed by Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation ($6.4 billion) and Bloomberg Philanthropies ($5.4 billion) in the third and fourth place, respectively. 30 July: Whistleblower Indian forest officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi, who was removed from the post of Chief Vigilance officer at AIIMS, and founder of NGO Goonj Anshu Gupta are the two Indians selected for this year's prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award. Three others who have been selected for the award include Kommaly Chanthavong from Laos, Ligaya Fernando-Amilbangsa from Philippines and Kyaw Thu from Myanmar. They will be formally conferred the Magsaysay Award on 31 August at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. 28 July: Helena Ndume of Namibia and Jorge Sampaio of Portugal were awarded the first-ever Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Prize by the United Nations (UN) at the UN Headquarters in New York. Ndume,

66 a female ophthalmologist, was awarded for treating blindness and eye-related illnesses in Namibia and throughout the developing world. While Jorge Sampaio, the former President of Portugal from 1996 to 2006 and also the former mayor of Lisbon from 1989 to 1995, was awarded for his contribution to his country for his struggle for the restoration of democracy in Portugal. 27 July: Veteran mountaineer Nalini Sengupta is set to become the first Puneite to have a Himalyan peak christened in her honour. Sexagenarian Sengupta, who has scaled several summits till now, was bestowed with his honour recently after trekkers of Giripremi, a noted mountaineering institute in the city, conquered peak 5260 in the Hamta pass region in Himalayas and decided to name it as Mount Nalini, to salute her persistent efforts to inculcate mountaineering in youngsters since July: Pulitzer winning Indian-born American doctor Siddhartha Mukherjee has been nominated for an Emmy Award for the documentary series on cancer based on his book 'The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer'. The six-hour programme based and titled after Mukherjee's Pulitzer Prize-winning 2010 book Produced and co-written by US filmmaker Ken Burns, the documentary titled "Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies" is a six-hour series for American TV channel PBS and is based on Mukherjee's book. 25 July: Ravi Kailas, Chairman and CEO, Mytrah Energy, was named the Wind Power Person of the year 2015 at the 3rd World Renewable Energy Conference in New Delhi. The award was conferred on him by the Renewable Energy Expert Committee headed by Dr. Praveen Saxena, Former Advisor, Ministry of New & Renewable Energy. 24 July: Nobel prize winner Peter Higgs has joined the ranks of Charles Darwin and Albert Einstein by winning the world s oldest scientific prize, the Royal Society s Copley Medal, for his pioneering work on the theory of the Higgs boson, which was discovered in The Copley medal was first awarded by the Royal Society in 1731, 170 years before the first Nobel Prize. 24 July: Indian hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand will be conferred with the Bharat Gaurav Lifetime Achivement Award by NRI orgainsation Sanskriti Yuva Sangstha at the House of Commons inside the British Parliament of July 25. On behalf of Dhyan Chand, his son and former Indian hockey player Ashok Kumar will receive the award 22 July: Actress-politician Hema Malini has been honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award for Art and Cinema. The 66 years old actress was honoured by the Bank of Baroda on the occasion of its 108th Foundation Day on July July: The British government has decided to honour India's greatest hockey player Major Dhyan Chand with 'India Pride Award'. In British Parliament's House of Commons this award will be presented to him on 25th July. On behave of Dhyan Chand, his son Ashok Chand and former captain of Indian hockey

67 Ashok Kumar has been invited to London for the award. One of the world's best hockey players Dhyan Chand won Gold medals in three Olympics: 1928, 1932, In 1956 he was awarded the country's third highest civilian honor, the Padma Bhushan. 21 July: The Kerala Tourism has bagged this year's Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) award for its Muziris Heritage Project in the 'Heritage & Culture' category. The award, sponsored by the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO), went to the Muziris Heritage Project for its conservational efforts, uniqueness and impact on local community. The flagship project of the government of Kerala is one of the biggest heritage conservation projects of modern India. 21 July: The French government has knighted veteran South African freedom fighter Ahmed Kathrada for his life-long service to the community. The award is part of the National Orders of the Legion of Honour established by Napoleon Bonaparte in May Kathrada, 85, became the confidante of antiapartheid icon and former South African president Nelson Mandela. 21 July: An Indian-origin doctor has received the honorary fellowship by one of the leading British Universities for his contribution to the community as a general practitioner and medical educator. 77-yearold Shiv Pande has been awarded an honorary fellowship of the University of Central Lancashire. 20 July: A PSU of Ministry of Railways, namely, RailTel Corporation of India Ltd. bagged the 12th National Awards for Excellence in Cost management Col Rajyavardhan Rathore (Retd.), AVSM, Union Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting presented the award to RailTel in a function. This award is organized by The Institute of Cost Accounts of India. RailTel has won the award in the category of Public- Service Sector (Medium). 17 July: An Indian American woman is among 12 faith leaders to be honoured as "Champions of Change" by the White House for their efforts in protecting environment and communities from the effects of climate change. Sunita Viswanath, the only Indian American to figure in the list, has been selected for her work to encourage Hindus to take care of the environment. Working with women's and human rights organisations for almost three decades, Sunita is co-founder and active board member of human rights organisation, Women for Afghan Women. 17 July: Modern Indian artist Sayed Haider Raza, has been conferred with the highest French civilian honour, The Legion of Honour for his peerless achievements. The award was bestowed by Ambassador Francois Richier at a function at the French Embassy. The French honour was conferred on the 93-yearold artist in acknowledgment of his peerless achievements transcending all boundaries, the lasting ties he has forged between France and India, and his continuing artistic quest straddling nations, cultures, religions and philosophies. 17 July: Varanasi has been chosen as City of Music by UNESCO under the Creative Cities Network. The city of Varanasi has been chosen in the music category under UNESCO s Field of

68 Excellence plan. The inclusion of Varanasi in this prestigious list paves the way for representing the cultural heritage of the holy city on the world stage through the UNESCO project. 16 July: Frost & Sullivan, USA presented the 2015 Asia Pacific Economic Development Innovation: Policy and Program Implementation Excellence Award in Manufacturing to Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion for the Make in India initiative. Frost & Sullivan, a US based Growth Partnership Company, enables clients to accelerate growth and achieve best-in-class positions in growth, innovation, and leadership. The award is in recognition of the outstanding contribution of the Make in India program s vision and implementation excellence to simplify the regulatory framework, reinforce connectivity and incentivize investments. 16 July: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav announced to give Yash Bharti award to noted Urdu poet Anwar Jalalpuri for translating Shlokas of the Bhagvad Geeta into Urdu verses. It is one of the most prestigious awards of Uttar Pradesh. Jalalpuri has translated the Shrimad Bhagwad Gita into over 1,700 Urdu couplets. 15 July: An India-based software products and technology services company is among the winners of the prestigious Microsoft Country Partner of the Year Award for 2015, a recognition that honours the technology giant s partner achievements across the globe. Comparex India Pvt. Ltd, headquartered in New Delhi, was honoured, along with 110 awardees by Microsoft, at its Worldwide Partner Conference July: Tata Steel's West Bokaro Division was conferred with the Golden Peacock Environment Management Award (GPEMA) 2015 during 17th World Congress on Environment Management organised in New Delhi. It was presented by the Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Prakash Javadekar to Sanjay Rajoria, General Manager of West Bokaro, Tata Steel of Jharkhand. 15 July: Olivia Jordan of Oklahoma was crowned Miss USA 2015.The competition was held in Lusiana. The 26-year-old winner was followed by first runner-up Ylianna Guerra, 22, of Texas, and second runner-up Anea Garcia, 20, of Rhode Island. 14 July: Buddha In A Traffic Jam film has won the best original screenplay in a Foreign Language award at the Madrid International Film Festival. The film is a political satire directed by filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri. It stars Arunoday Singh and Mahi Gill in a lead role along with Anupam Kher, Pallavi Joshi and introduces Anchal Dwivedi. 10 July: The Film Society of Jodhpur was conferred with the Pritiman Sarkar Award for the fourth time for being the best film society in Northern Region in raising awareness and film appreciation. The award was presented by the Federation of Film Societies of India (North Region). The award was given in recognition of screening of a series of films by the society in in Jodhpur to mark 100 glorious years of Indian cinema under the Incredible Journey of Indian Cinema.

69 10 July: Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka entered Guinness World Records for spending most number of days in the space. He achieved the feat by spending 804 days on the International Space Station (ISS). He surpassed cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev, also a Russian, record of 803 days, 9 hours and 41 minutes in the space which Sergei achieved across six missions from 1998 to Padalka, who is the commander of the crew on the ISS, is scheduled to return to earth in September It means he would have spent a total of 877 days in space by then. 7 July: Hyderabad House, Vigyan Bhawan and Jawaharlal Nehru Bhawan have topped the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (SBA) ratings, leaving behind 49 government buildings including Rashtrapati Bhawan in the capital that were screened for overall cleanliness. The three buildings scored 20 points each while Rashtrapati Bhawan and South Block were ranked 6th with 14 points each. The survey was conducted by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD). 6 July: Dr. Fazle Hasan Abed, the founder of Brac, the largest non-governmental organisation on the planet, has been awarded the World Food Prize 2015 for his unparalleled work on reducing poverty in Bangladesh and 10 other countries. Abed established Brac formerly known as the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee in July: Four Indian-Americans, including top US attorney Preet Bharara, are among 38 distinguished personalities who have been honoured with this year's prestigious "Great Immigrants: The Pride of America" award. Among other Indians honoured with the top annual award by the prestigious New York-based Carnegie Corporation are Rakesh Khurana, Dean of Harvard College and Marvin Bower Professor of Leadership and Development; Madhulika Sikka Executive Editor, Mic and Abraham Verghese, eminent physician, professor and author. 4 July: Indian-American Professor R. Paul Singh has been named as the 2015 Global Confederation for Higher Education Associations for Agriculture and Life Sciences World Agriculture Prize laureate. The award will be formally presented on September 20, during a ceremony at Nanjing Agricultural University, Jiangsu Province, China. 3 July: Noted scientist Sanjeev Galande has been selected for the prestigious G D Birla award for 2014 for his pioneering research in the field of epigenetics and molecular cell biology. Galande is a professor at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) in Pune and is widely respected for his works in genomics and related areas. He is the 24th recipient of the award. 2 July: Spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar was conferred with Peru's one of the highest awards 'Grand Officer' for social work and mission to deliver peace through his foundation 'The Art of Living'. Earlier the government of Colombia honoured him with the country's highest civilian award for his contribution to peace.

70 1 July: Bollywood stalwarts Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar and Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni are among the world's 100 highest-paid celebrities, according to the Forbes' annual list which is topped by American boxer Floyd Mayweather. The Forbes 2015 list of 'Celebrity 100: The World's Top-Paid Entertainers 2015' has been topped by Floyd Mayweather with earnings of 300 million dollars. Breaking into the elite global club, Amitabh Bachchan and Salman Khan are tied for the 71st rank with earnings of 33.5 million dollars each. Akshay Kumar is at 76th spot (USD 32.5 million). Dhoni is ranked 82nd (USD 31 million dollars). 29 June: President Pranab Mukharjee conferred Punyabhushan Award on Prataprao Pawar, Chairman of Sakal Media Group (SMG) at Balgandharva Auditorium in Pune. 29 June: The district administration of Nadia, West Bengal was conferred with the United Nations Public Service Award 2015 for eliminating open defecation in the district. 29 June: Veteran Writer Vishwanath Tripathi was selected for the 28th Moorti Devi Award for the year 2014 for his book Vyomkesh Darvesh. Vyomkesh Darvesh is a lifetime story of Acharya Hazari Prasad Dwivedi. 25 June: The spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar was conferred with the Columbia s highest civilian award Orden de la Democracia Simon Bolivar en el grado de cruz Caballero (Order of the Democracy Simon Bolivar) by Columbia. 25 June: Sahitya Akademi 2015 announced Bhasha Samman. Four scholars were selected for the award for their contribution to classical and medieval literature in various languages. Sahitya Akademi 2015 announced Bhasha Samman. Four scholars were selected for the award for their contribution to classical and medieval literature in various languages. Acharya Munishwar Jha has been recognized for Classical and Medieval Literature (Eastern) for the year 2014 Charu Chandra Pande and Mathuradutt Mathpal have been jointly recognised for their work towards the enrichment of Kumauni. 25 June: Sahitya Akademi announced Bal Sahitya Puraskar for the year The awards were conferred on five novelists, four writers of short stories and three authors of poetries, one book of one-act play and eleven writers for their contribution to children s literature. 24 June: Benni Joseph Mavelil, a UK-based philanthropist, was selected for the VK Krishna Menon Award in recognition of his outstanding professional and altruistic achievements, contributions and services to the community and wider multicultural society.

71 24 June: Three Indians 2015 won the inaugural Queen's Young Leaders Award in the UK for taking the lead in transforming the lives of others and making a lasting difference in their communities. These winners are Ashwini Angadi, Devika Malik and Akshay Jadhao. 21 June: Renowned carnatic vocalist Sanjay Subrahmanyam was selected for the Sangitha Kalanidhi award of the Madras Music Academy. 18 June: 10th Navlekhan Award of Bharatiya Jnanpith was awarded to Hindi writers Babusha Kohli and Upasana. They were awarded for poem Prem Gilhari Dil Akhrot and novel Ek Zindagi Ek Ek Script Bhar respectively. 13 June: Sangeet Natak Akademi announced the names of recipients of Sangeet Natak Akademi fellowships (Akademi Ratna) 2014 and Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards (Akademi Puraskar) THE LIST OF NAMES SELECTED FOR SANGEET AKADEMI FELLOWSHIPS: R. Janakiraman (Musicologist) S. Sathyu (film-maker) Vijay Kichlu (Classical singer) Tulsidas Borkar (Musician) 13 June: Former West Indies paceman Sir Wesley Winfield Hall has been inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. He is 80th cricketer to be inducted in the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame and 18th from West Indies. 11 June: The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) was presented with the Space Pioneer award for the year 2015 in the Science and Engineering category during the 34th Annual International Space Development Conference held at Toronto in Canada during 20 May- 24 May June: Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was conferred with the prestigious 14th Sant Namdev National Award at a function in Pune, Maharashtra. He was awarded for promoting peace, communal harmony and universal brotherhood. 9 June: The 16th International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards or 2015 IIFA Awards were presented in the first week of June 2015 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The awards were presented by the IIFA honouring the best Hindi films of 2014.

72 6 June: Eleven Indo-Canadians were honoured with ICCC Annual Awards 2015 for strengthening bilateral ties and their business achievements besides contributions to the economy. Each award carried a trophy and citation. 6 June: UK Author Ali Smith on won the 2015 Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction for her novel How to be Both. 4 June: Suresh Kalmadi was conferred with the Asian Athletics Association (AAA) President s award. He was awarded for his contribution towards the development of athletics in Asian continent. 2 June: New Zealand cricket captain Brendon McCullum and Coach Mike Hesson were honoured with Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM). They were awarded for their part in leading New Zealand to the final of 2015 Cricket World Cup for the first time. 1 June: Uttarakhand s Medical, Health and Family Welfare Minister Surendra Singh Negi was conferred with the World No Tobacco Day Award 2015 by the World Health Organsiation (WHO). 30 May: Gurnimrat Nimmy Sidhu, an Indian-origin teacher has been honoured with University of Oxford Inspirational Teacher Award. She received her trophy in Oxford along with 11 other teachers for helping their students get into the world-famous varsity. 25 May: French film Dheepan has been awarded Palme d Or Award at 68th Cannes Film Festival. The film is directed by Jacques Audiard. 23 May: Indian film Masaan has won the prestigious critics prize in the Un Certain Regard category at the 68th Cannes Film Festival after it was premiered on May 20, May: Two Indian peacekeepers have been chosen posthumously for United Nation s Dag Hammarskjold Medal. They are Lance Naik Nand Ram and Raju Joseph. Both of them are among the 126 police, military and civilian personnel who have been posthumously awarded a prestigious UN medal. 20 May: Hungarian writer Laszlo Krasznahorkai has won the prestigious Man Booker International Prize for He was chosen from a list of 10 contenders from around the world. 20 May: Shivani Agarwal and Maharaja Pandit are two Indians who have been selected for the prestigious Radcliffe Fellowship by Harvard University. 19 May: Six Indian-Americans and a British-Indian were presented prestigious 2015 Ellis Island Medals of Honor in United States for their contributions to America. 16 May: Vice President Mohammed Hamid Ansari conferred the Pt. Haridutt Sharma Award to senior journalist Anurradha Prasad in New Delhi.

73 15 May: President Pranab Mukherjee conferred the Presidential Awards for Classical Tamil for the years and It was bestowed on scholars who have made outstanding contribution to the development of Classical Tamil language and literature. Tolkappiyar Award for lifetime achievement in Classical Tamil was given to SV Shanmugam for year and R Krishnamurthi for year Kural Pitam Award was given to Eva Maria Wilden of Germany for Young Scholar Awards was presented to E. Ezhilvasanthan, K. Jawahar and K. Iyyappan for while for the year was given to R. Venkatesan, A. Sathish, M.R. Devak, U. Alibava and B. Jaiganesh. 13 May: Writer Neel Mukherjee s novel The Lives of Others has won the United Kingdom s Encore Award for the best second novel. 12 May: Dr. Sivanadane Mandjiny, an Indian-American Professor in US is named UNC Pembroke s recipient of the UNC Board of Governors 2015 Award for Excellence in Teaching. 12 May: President Pranab Mukherjee conferred the National Florence Nightingale Awards to 35 nursing personnel from across the country on the occasion of International Nurses Day. The National Florence Nightingale Awards were presented at a function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. 10 May: Veteran actor and film producer Shashi Kapoor has been conferred with prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke Award The award was bestowed upon him by Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley at a special function held in Prithvi Theatre in Mumbai, Maharashtra. 8 May: Nadia district in West Bengal has won the 2015 United Nations Public Service Award in the category of improving delivery of public services for the initiative Sabar Shouchagar 7 May: The French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo was presented a Freedom of Expression Courage award from the PEN American Center. The satirical magazine was recognized for this award by PEN American Centre as 12 of its staff members had died during January 2015 terrorist attack on its Paris based office. 4 May: Syrian journalist and rights activist Mazen Darwish was honoured with UNESCO-Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize May: Renowned crime writer Ruth Rendell passed away on 2 May 2015 in London, United Kingdom. She was May: Delhi s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) has been adjudged the world s best airport for the year In this regard, Airports Council International (ACI) presented the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) award to IGIA under the category of handling 25 to 40 million passengers per annum.

74 3 May: Maya Plisetskaya, one of the greatest ballerinas of the 20th century from Russia passed away in Germany. She was May: Philip S. Goodman, an American film, television and stage writer, producer and director passed away on 2 May 2015 in New York, United States. 2 May: Eminent scientist and Bharat Ratna awardee Chintamani Nagesa Ramachandra Rao was conferred with Japan s highest civilian award the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star. He was bestowed with this award for his outstanding contributions to science and Indo-Japanese science cooperation. 2 May: Senior DRDO scientist Satheesh Reddy, has been conferred with the prestigious Fellowship of the Royal Institute of Navigation (RIN). RIN has recognised Mr. Reddy for his work in the field of inertial and satellite-based navigation and avionics technologies. 2 May: Journalist Dr. Prannoy Roy, the executive co-chairman of NDTV, was conferred the RedInk Award for lifetime achievement. SPORTS NEWS (MAY-AUGUST 2015) 19 August: Goalkeeper of India's national football team Aditi Chauhan has signed a deal with English Premier League (EPL) club West Ham United Ladies team, becoming the first woman player from the country to play for a first eleven of a top club in England. Aditi was a late addition to their squad during preseason. West Ham Ladies are currently in the Football Association's (FA) Women's Premier League Southern Division, a league in the third level in the women's football structure in England. 19 August: India's Abhishek Verma won the gold medal in the compound men's individual section in the Archery World Cup Stage 3 competition at Wroclaw, Poland. The Asian Games silver medalist defeated Esmaeil Ebadi of Iran At the Incehon 2014 Asian Games, Ebadi defeated Verma Apart from this, India's recurve mixed pair of Deepika Kumari and Mangal Singh Champia won silver at the World Cup stage 3. The duo faced defeat by Mexican pair of Aida Roman and Juan Rene Serrano. 19 August: Indian golfer Anirban Lahiri created history by becoming the first from the country to finish inside the top-five of a major golf tournament. 28-year old Anirban Lahiri scaled a new high for Indian golf by becoming the first from the country to finish inside the top-five of a Major as he ended the prestigious PGA Championships at Wisconsin (USA) at fifth place. The tournament was won by Jason Day, who finally won a Major, after nine top-10 finishes. Branden Grace and Justin Rose were third and fourth, while Lahiri tied with Brooks Koepka for fifth place.

75 18 August: India s ace shuttler Saina Nehwal became the first Indian to win silver at the World Badminton Championship. She lost the women's singles summit clash to Spain's Carolina Marin 16-21, in Jakarta, Indonesia. Olympic bronze medallist Saina had reached the finals of the event by defeating Indonesia's Lindaweni Fanetri. This was India's fifth medal at the World Badminton Championship. 18 August: Top seed Chinese player Chen Long retained men's title at the World Badminton Championship in Jakarta by defeating Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei. Long stormed to a 21-14, victory in just over an hour by defeating world's no. two player Wei. This is Chong Wei's fourth consecutive world championships silver medal. 18 August: Indian batsman Ajinkya Rahane created a world record as he became the first player to take eight catches in a Test match. Rahane achieved the feat during the first Test against Sri Lanka at Galle when he caught catch of Rangana Herath. Prior to this Yajurvindra Singh (India), Greg Chappell (Australia), Hashan Tilakaratne (Sri Lanka), Stephen Fleming (New Zealand) and Mathew Hayden (Australia) made a record of 7 catches in a match. 14 August: FIFA has appointed François Carrard as the independent chairman of the 2016 FIFA Reform Committee. He was former Director General of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Carrard will head 11-member reform committee for bringing structural reforms in scandal-plagued FIFA. 14 August: Grandmaster and former national champion Surya Shekhar Ganguly defeated Zhang Zhong of Singapore and secured the silver medal in the Asian Continental Chess Championship 2015 that concluded in Al Ain, UAE. Out of the six medals at stake, the Indians won three with S.P. Sethuraman winning the bronze in the open while S. Vijayalakshmi got the bronze in the women's section that was held simultaneously. UAE Grandmaster A.R. Salem Saleh won gold medal. 13 August: India's star of cue sports Pankaj Advani clinched his 13th world title after winning the World 6-Red Snooker Championship held in Karachi, Pakistan. Defending champion Advani outplayed Chinese Yan Bingtao 6-2, stamping his authority on the green baize in the final. The final started off with a bang with the Bangalore cueist racing to a rapid 3-0 lead in the best-of-11 final. 13 August: London Olympics-2012 bronze medallist Gagan Narang finished fifth in the men's 10 metre Air Rifle event at the Shooting World Cup. Gagan gave a better account of himself in the final, moving up three positions with a score of Cao Yifei of China won the gold with a final round score of 207.4, while Kim Sang Do (206.9) of South Korea finished with the silver and Petar Gorsa (186.5) of Croatia bagged the bronze. 12 August: World's fifth seeded Japan`s Kei Nishikori defeated big-serving American John Isner 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 to win the Washington Open and capture his 10th career ATP title. The 25-year-old Asia's number one won his third crown of the season by defeating eighth seeded Isner.

76 12 August: Senior India hockey player Gurbaj Singh was suspended for 9 months for indulging in groupism and creating disharmony within the team. This suspension means that Gurbaj will be unable to play for India till 9 May The decision to suspend Gurbaj was taken after a meeting of Hockey India's disciplinary committee headed by Harbinder Singh with the midfielder and former India coach Jude Felix. 10 August: Michael Phelps clocked a stunning 1min 52.94sec to win the 200m butterfly at the US swimming championships Matt Conger came at second place with 1min 54.54sec. Phelps has posed the fastest time in the world this year -- eclipsing Hungarian Laszlo Cseh's world championship-winning time of 1: It's the fastest time Phelps has produced in the event since he set the world record of 1:51.51 in August: Katie Ledecky picked up her fourth gold medal at 2015 FINA World Championships in Kazan, Russia as the United States won the women's 4x200m freestyle title. Ledecky touched the wall in 7min 45.37sec. Italy won silver medal whereas China came third and won bronze medal. 6 August: The performance of Indian contingent at the 2015 Special World Summer Games held in Los Angeles, USA has been outstanding. India won a total of 173 medals, including 47 Gold, 54 Silver and 72 Bronze. In comparison India had won 156 medals (56 Gold, 48 Silver and 52 Bronze) in the last edition of the games held at Athens, Greece. 5 August: Ace Indian gymnast Dipa Karmakar clinched the women's vault bronze medal at the 6th Senior ART Gymnastics Asian Championships at Hiroshima, Japan. Dipa, who won a bronze in the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, stood third at the podium with points. Chinese Yan Wang defended her title with points and won gold medal. Japanese Sae Miyakawa with points won silver medal. 5 August: Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal defeated Italian Fabio Fognini to win the Hamburg Open and clinch his third title of the year. It is the 67th singles title of the 29-year-old's career and his third in Hamburg, where he last won in Nadal, who had played 14 Grand Slams, has now won his 47th title on clay. 4 August: Indian women's recurve team of Deepika Kumari, Laxmirani Majhi and Rimil Buriuly won a silver medal at the World Archery Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark. In the Summit clash, the Indian trio lost the World Championship final to top seeded Russians 4-5. The Russian team that defeated the Indian trio was comprised of Inna Stepanova, Ksenia Perova and Tuyana Dashidorzhieva. It is India's second silver in the ongoing World Archery Championships where compound archer Rajat Chauhan opened the account with a historic individual medal. 4 August: Golfer Ranveer Singh Saini created history by becoming the first Indian to win a Gold medal at the Special Olympics World Games. The 14-year-old autistic golfer achieved the feat in GF Golf-Level 2 Alternate Shot Team Play event. Ranveer and his partner Monica Jajoo were nine shots clear of joint

77 second-placed teams from Hong Kong (Tsz Leung Chung-Ka Kit Lam) and Nippon (Takefumi Hiyoshi- Tadatoshi Sakai). 4 August: Indian squash champion Joshna Chinappa won the women s squash title in the US Dollar Victorian Open WSA Event in Melbourne, Australia. In the final clash, Chinappa defeated second seeded Line Hansen of Denmark 11-5, 11-4, This was tenth WSA title for 28-year-old Joshna, the last being the Richmond Open title win in April August: China's capital Beijing was chosen by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to host the 2022 Winter Olympics in a secret ballot held at a convention centre in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia). It thus became the first city to be awarded both Summer and Winter Games in more than 120 years of Olympic history. Beijing had hosted the Summer Olympics in August: India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was presented the Arjuna Award which was conferred. on him last year, by the Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal. Ashwin was not present during the Award Ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhawan on August 29, 2014 as he was a part of the India ODI team, which was touring England at that time. 1 August: The Airports Authority of India dethroned Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) to win the youth girls team title in the 45th All India International Table Tennis Championships. In the finals, the men and women teams of PSPB defeated Railway Sports Promotion Board and Reserve Bank of India respectively to win the title. 30 July: Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports constituted a Working Group to prepare a revised draft of National Sports Development Code of India (NSDCI). The nine-member Working Group will be headed by Justice C.K. Mahajan (retd.), Former Judge of Delhi High Court. Its aim is to examine the existing NSDCI from both sports governance and legal angles and fine-tune/revise the same with the purpose of making it more precise and succinct. 30 July: Delhi boy Yash Singh bagged India's first medal at the Special Olympics World Summer Games 2015 in Los Angeles. The 13-year-old swimmer (suffering from autism) won bronze in the 25-metre backstroke swimming event.yash clocked seconds. The gold medallist clocked seconds and the winner of the silver clocked seconds. 29 July: Mexico won the CONCACAF Gold Cup football tournament played in Washington for a record seventh time by defeating Jamaica 3-1. Caribbean team reached the finals of the tournament for the first time. This is Mexico team's third title win in the last four tournaments. Andres Guardado in 31st minute, Jesus Corona in the 47th minute and Oribe Peralta in the 61st minute scored one-one goal each. 29 July: Shahrukh Khan s Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel defeated Barbados Tridents to win Caribbean Premier League T20 (CPL T20) 2015 at Queen s Park Oval in Trinidad. The Red Steel beat the 2014 champions, Barbados Tridents, by 20 runs.

78 29 July: The Australian state of Victoria has secured the rights to host football's International Champions Cup (ICC) for a further three years according to which Melbourne will host the tournament till New South Wales attempted to lure the tournament to Sydney but Victoria was granted "exclusive" rights to host the ICC for the next three years following the success of the three matches played in July. 28 July: Former World Formula 1 champion Sebastian Vettel (Germany) won the Hungarian Grand Prix in a surprising result as present champion and this year s leader Lewis Hamilton (Britain) finished the race at sixth place despite starting from the pole position. This was Vettel s 41st F1 title and with this win he equaled the record of former F1 champion Ayrton Senna. 28 July: The Indian women's wrestling team finished second in the fifth edition of Cup of the President of Republic of Kazakhstan held in Kazakhstan. The eight-member Indian team displayed a spirited performance in the event and won prize money of 10,000 dollars. The event was topped by hosts Kazakhstan with Mongolia settling for the third spot. 28 July: The 14th edition of Special Olympics Games is being held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles (United States) from 25 July to 2 August Over 7,000 athletes representing over 170 countries are taking part in these games and will compete in 25 sporting events ranging from weightlifting to the triathlon. The games were the brainchild of President John Kennedy s sister Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Special Olympics is the world s largest sports activity for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. 28 July: India's under-21 women's hockey team has finished third at the Volvo Invitational tournament in the Netherlands. They defeated England in a penalty shoot out after the match ended in a 1-1 draw after regulation time. In the penalty shoot-out, goal-keeper Inderpreet Kaur saved all the shots, with Deep Grace Ekka scoring the winning goal for India. 28 July: Britain's Cyclist Chris Froome became the first Briton to win the prestigious cycling championship of Tour de France twice when he safely reached the finish line in Paris at the end of the race. The 2013 champion finished alongside his team-mates on the final stage, behind a sprint won by Andre Greipel. Froome, 30, beat Colombia's Nairo Quintana to the yellow jersey by 72 seconds with Spain's Alejandro Valverde third. 28 July: Olympic champion and world record holder Usain Bolt won 100 metres race in the Diamond League meet. Bolt, hampered by injury for much of this year, prevailed in his first competitive heat in six weeks with a time of 9.87 seconds on the same track at the London Olympic Stadium where he delivered three gold medal winning performances during the 2012 Games. Bolt, outpaced US runner Michael Rodgers to claim the victory. 27 July: India s ODI cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was named the ninth most marketable sportsperson in the world ahead of the likes of football superstar Lionel Messi in a list prepared by London

79 School of Marketing. Dhoni also pipped football star Cristiano Ronaldo and Andy Murray in the list of the world s 20 most marketable sportspersons. 25 July: 10-year-old Shubham Jaglan created history by winning the International Junior Golf Academy World Stars event in Las Vegas. He brought home a score of 106 in three rounds to win by five strokes, ahead of two Americans Justin Dang and Sihan Sandhu and Thailand's Pongsapak Laopakdee for the Boys 9-10 years category title at the Angel Park. Less than a week back, the son of a milkman from rural Haryana, scripted a scintillating one-stroke win at the Junior World Golf Championships being played at Welk Resort Fountain Course in California. 25 July: First All Women Trans Continental Road Expedition from Delhi to London was flagged off. The expedition, which started from Major Dhyanchand Stadium of New Delhi, was flagged off by Union Minister of Chemical and Fertilizers, Ananth Kumar and Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Youth Affairs & Sports Sarbananda Sonowal. The three woman participants, namely Nidhi Tiwari, Rashmi Koppar and Soumaya Goel, will reach United Kingdom in 55 days. 25 July: India climbed up a rung to occupy the eighth spot in the men's section, while the eves remained static at 13th position in the latest International Hockey Federation (FIH) rankings issued. The FIH released the latest world rankings following the completion of four events comprising the Hockey World League Semi-Finals in Buenos Aires and Antwerp (men); Valencia and Antwerp (women). World Cup holders Australia men and the Netherlands women remain at the top of the chart. 23 July: Zach Johnson won the British Open Golf title for Zach Johnson of the United States claimed the second major triumph of his career as he won the prestigious British Open. 39-year-old Johnson surged through the field with a closing 66 before overcoming South African Louis Oosthuizen and Australian Marc Leishman in extra holes. His first major title was the U.S. Masters in July: Indian wrestler Sangram Singh made history by defeating Canada's Joseph Edward to win the WWP Commonwealth Championship at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in South Africa. He had signed the death contract that clearly stated no owning up by organizers if either of the two fighters are fatally hurt in the process. Sangram is said to be the first Indian wrestler to sign such an agreement. 22 July: Model-actor Milind Soman (49) has won the Ironman title at a triathlon held in Zurich in Switzerland. Milind Soman, who took part in the race, which is said to be the toughest triathlon, for the first time, took 15 hours and 19 minutes to finish it. The triathlon, organised by World Triathalon Corporation, includes a 3.8 km swim, km cycle ride and 42.2 km run and is widely regarded as the world s toughest race, which has to be completed in 16 hours by participants for an Ironman title. 21 July: French Formula One driver Jules Bianchi (25), who sustained serious head injuries at last year s Japanese Grand Prix, passed away. He was in coma for last 9 months. He was racing for F1 team Marussia at this Grand Prix. He sustained critical head injuries in the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka in October 2014.

80 16 July: The eighth Asian Airgun Shooting Championship will be held in National Capital New Delhi from September 25 to October 1 at the Karni Singh Shooting Range. There are 12 men and women events over four days of competition in the senior, youth and junior categories. Airgun competitions are restricted to the Air Rifle and Air Pistol segments. 16 July: India won the three-match One Day International (ODI) Series against Zimbabwe 3-0 played in Harare. India batting first in the third match of series scored 276 runs at a loss of five and in reply to the target Zimbabwe was bowled out at the score of 193 in 42.4 over. Kedar Jadhav for his 105 runs in 87 balls was declared Man of the Match whereas Ambati Rayudu won Man of the Series 15 July: Indian grapplers finished with an impressive haul of 16 medals, including three gold, at the Junior Asian Freestyle, Greeco-Roman and Female Wrestling championship at Nay Pyi Taw in Myanmar. The Indian team's performance has won them 68 Champion Trophy points, while the Greeco-Roman team finished runners-up with 59 points. In Men's Freestyle category, the Indians claimed a total of eight medals with Ravi Kumar bagging the yellow metal in 55kg division. 14 July: Serena Williams claimed her sixth Wimbledon title by beating Spain's Garbine Muguruza in the women s singles final. She now has 21 Grand Slam titles. On the other hand, Serbia s Novak Djokovic defeated Switzerland s Roger Federer by 7-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-3 in the men s singles final of Wimbledon World No. 1 Novak Djokovic has now won three Wimbledon singles title 2011, 2014 and July: In the Wimbledon 2015 women s doubles final, Indo-Swiss pair of Sania Mirza-Martina Hingis defeated Russian pair Ekaterina Makarova- Elena Vesnina by 5-7, 7-6, 7-5 to win their first Wimbledon title. On the other hand Jean-Julien Rojer, along with Horia Tecau beaten Jamie Murray and John Peers by 7-6 (5), 6-4, 6-4 to win their Wimbledon 2015 men's doubles title. 14 July: Indian tennis veteran Leander Paes won the mixed doubles title of the Wimbledon Championship 2015 with legendary Martina Hingis. This was Paes 16th Grand Slam title. Whereas this was overall 18th Grand Slam title of Hingis. Seventh seeded Indo-Swiss pair of Paes and Hingis drubbed the fifth seeded Austrian-Hungarian team of Alexander Peya and Timea Babos by in the lop-sided summit clash which was over in just 40 minutes. 14 July: Sumit Nagal became the sixth Indian to win a Grand Slam junior title after winning the boys doubles trophy at the Wimbledon championship year-old Nagal and his Vietnamese partner Nam Hoang Ly overcame Reilly Opelka and Akira Santillan 7-6(4), 6-4 in the title clash that lasted 63 minutes to make their place in history books. 11 July: A brilliant half-century by Thirush Kamini lifted India to a nine-wicket win over New Zealand and enabled them to take the five-match women's One-Day International (ODI) series 3-2. After bundling out New Zealand for 118 in 41 overs, India, spearheaded by Kamini (62 not out) and Deepti Sharma (44

81 not out), who put on 103 runs for the second wicket, made 121/1 in 27.2 overs to round off a commanding performance. 11 July: India dropped a whopping 15 places to languish at the 156th position with 161 points in the latest FIFA rankings, after successive losses to Oman and lowly-guam in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers match held last month. Earlier India was ranked 141st in world rankings. Argentina, meanwhile, takes top spot in the FIFA rankings from World Cup winner Germany despite losing another tournament final. Beaten by Chile in the Copa America finalargentina rises two places to lead the rankings. Germany falls to No. 2, followed by Belgium. 10 July: India's Shot putter Inderjeet Singh created history by winning the first ever gold medal for India in the shot put event at the World University Games 2015 in Gwangju, South Korea. His sixth and final throw covering a distance of was good enough to win him the coveted yellow metal. This helped India to register its first ever win in the World University Games. 9 July: Indian woman cricketer Mithali Raj made history by becoming the first Indian and second in women s ODI history to complete 5000 runs. Indian captain Mithali Raj achieved this distinction as she scored a stylish 81 runs in the fourth one day international (ODI) of the series against New Zealand to enable the Indian team to register a comfortable eight-wicket victory. She became the second woman cricketer in history to complete 5000 runs in ODIs after England s Charlotte Edwards. 9 July: Mariyappan Thangavelu from Salem district in Tamil Nadu clinched the high jump gold medal at the just-concluded IWAS World Junior Games 2015 in the Netherlands. He had cleared a distance of 1.77 meters in the F 42 category. 8 July: India has won a record 156 medals, including 89 gold and 50 silvers, in the World Police and Fire games held in the suburb of the American Capital. Topping this tally on medal haul was Richa Mishra from Central Reserve Police Force, who won six golds and two silvers in swimming events. This is for the first time that the Indian contingent's medal tally has crossed July: Aseel Shaheen (Kuwait) made history by becoming the first-ever Arab woman to officiate at Wimbledon Tennis Tournament Wimbledon tennis tournament is a traditional competition organised by All England Club, which primarily houses British match officials. She is a line judge and is one of around 350 men and women officiating at Wimbledon July: Fiji broke the record for the biggest win in international football with a 38-0 victory over Micronesia. This match was played under Pacific Games Fiji trounced the Federated States of Micronesia by 38-0 to break Australia s long standing record of 31-0 against American Samoa. That win came way back in 2001 during an Oceania confederation qualifier for the 2002 World Cup.

82 7 July: United States lifted the FIFA Women s World Cup 2015 for the third time. In the finals played at Vancouver, Canada, USA scored 4 goals in the first 16 minutes to dethrone Japan, 5-2 and win their first World Cup since England defeated Germany, 1-0 to finish third. 7 July: Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain won the 2015 Formula 1 British Grand Prix title by winning the final race held at the Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire, England. This is his second consecutive British Grand Prix title win. While his teammate Nico Rosberg stood second, Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel came at the third position. Both the drivers belong to Germany. 7 July: Chile created history by winning the Copa America tournament for 2015, football's most prestigious competition, organised in South America. The host team defeated the much-fancied Argentina by 4-1 on penalties to win the tournament in the finals played at Santiago. This was the first Copa America title for Chile. Chile had reached Copa America finals four times (1955, 1956, 1979 and 1987) times without winning the tournament. Peru finished at third place in Copa America July: India won the South Asian Basketball (SABA) Championship title. In the final of the 4th edition of the championship played at the Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India defeated Sri Lanka India was also the winner of third SABA Championship. With this win, India qualified for the FIBA Asia Championship in China. FIBA Asia Championship will be played in September July: A woman assistant subinspector (ASI) of Rajasthan Police Athletics Team Sapna, who represented Indian police team won a gold medal in the 5 km race walk event in the World Police Games 2015, held in Virginia, USA. Sapna completed the event in minutes, which is a new police games record. 2 July: Goa has been selected to host FIFA U-17 World Cup Goa would be one of the six centres in the country that are provisionally selected to host forthcoming FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017 matches. FIFA has provisionally shortlisted other centres like Guwahati, Kochi, Kolkata, Navi Mumbai and New Delhi besides Goa as the World Cup venues. 2 July: Star shot putter Inderjeet Singh and half-miler Jinson Johnson clinched their third gold in a row at the third and final leg of Asian Athletics Grand Prix Series 2015 held in Thailand's Chantaburi. With this gold, both Inderjeet and Johnson completed their golden hat-trick as they had bagged the yellow metal in their respective events in the first and second legs. Johnson led men's 800m final all through with a timing of 1:50.56 while Inderjeet produced a best effort of 19.83m to take the top honours. 2 July: Grandmaster and former world junior champion Abhijeet Gupta won the Commonwealth Chess Championship after settling for a quick draw with Arghyadip Das in the ninth and final round. Gupta made eight points out of a possible nine. In the women's section, Padmini Rout won gold medal by defeating S. Vijayalakshmi.

83 1 July: Khalin Joshi was the best-placed Indian golfer as he finished tied sixth at the USD 76,000 Bali National Golf Championship. Joshi carded one-under 71 and finished at five-under 288 in tied sixth place. Also finishing in top-10 was Himmat Rai (74) in tied ninth and Chiragh Kumar (75) was tied 15th. At the top, Matthew Giles of Australia sank a clutch birdie putt on the last hole to win the Bali National Golf Championship title by one-shot. 1 July: Brazilian racer Nelson Piquet Jr won the FIA Formula E Championship title of the season. He beat Switzerland's Sebastien Buemi. He won the title after finishing seventh in the final race held at Battersea Park in London, the UK. Piquet drove for Chinese team Nextev. It is the first such championship held by FIA, the global governing body for auto racing events. 29 June: Brazilian racer Nelson Piquet Jr won the FIA Formula E Championship title of the season. He won the title after finishing seventh in the final race held at Battersea Park in London, the UK. 29 June: Satnam Singh Bhamara became the first Indian national to join National Basketball Association (NBA) of USA. He is 19 years old. 29 June: Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia and Michelle Li of Canada won the men's and women s singles title of the Canada Open Badminton tournament respectively. 29 June: Indian pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwni Ponappa won the women's doubles of Canada Open Badminton tournament In the final played at Calgary, the third seeded Indian pair defeated top Dutch pair of Eefje Muskens and Selena Piek in straight games of 21-19, June: The International Cricket Council (ICC) Chief Executives Committee approved amendments to the ICC playing conditions. The approvals were given during the ICC Annual Conference held in Barbados. THE KEY CHANGES WERE In One Day Internationals (ODIs), there will be no compulsory catchers from the first to the 10th over. In ODIs, no batting powerplays will be allowed between the 15th and 40th over. In ODIs, five fielders will be allowed outside the 30-yard circle between the 41st and 50th over, rather than the current four. In ODIs and T20Is, all no-balls, not just foot faults, will lead to a free hit.

84 27 June: Veselin Topalov won the Norway Chess tournament 2015 by leaving behind Viswanathan Anand into a quick draw. Topalov secured 6½ points while Anand ended the tournament in second place with 6 points. 26 June: India s tennis player Leander Paes became the 47th player to play with 100 different partners on ATP Circuit. Of these 100 partners, While 71 played with him on the tour level, 29 at the Challenger level. 25 June: Former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar was voted as the Best Test Player of the 21st century in an online poll titled Top-100 Test players' list since The result of poll conducted by Cricket Australia s website, cricket.com.au was released in the fourth week of June June: Bangladesh won the three-match One Day International (ODI) Series against India 2-1 played in Dhaka. This was Bangladesh's first series win against India. 24 June: Inderjit Singh and Jinson Johnson of India bagged gold at the first leg of the Asian Athletics Grand Prix in Bangkok, Thailand. Inderjit won the gold in Shot Put by throwing meters while Johnson won the gold in 800 meter event with a time of 1: June: The Indian Railway Team won the World Railway Championship 2015 in Tennis and Volleyball. 23 June: Russia won the European Team Athletics Championships by winning 10 of the 40 events on the program. The championships were held in Cheboksary, Russia. 22 June: Jordan Spieth won the US Open at Chambers Bay. The win was his second straight major title of 2015 after he won the Masters Tournament at Augusta National, US in April June: China won the 2015 Nongfu Spring Snooker s World Cup by defeating Scotland 4-1 in the final match held at Wuxi near Shanghai in China. 22 June: Britain s Andy Murray won the men s singles of the Aegon Championships at the Queen s Club in West Kensington, England. In the final clash, Murray defeated South African Kevin Anderson 6-3, 6-4. This was his fourth Queen s title and the previous were won in alternate years, that is, 2009, 2011 and June: Serbia won the FIFA U-20 World Cup by defeating Brazil at the final match held at the North Harbour Stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. 22 June: Swiss tennis ace Roger Federer won the 2015 Gerry Weber Open tennis title at the Gerry Weber Stadium in Halle, Germany. In the summit clash, he defeated Andreas Seppi of Italy 7-6 (1), 6-4 to claim the title for record eighth time.

85 21 June: Mercedes racing driver Nico Rosberg of Germany won the Austrian Grand Prix Formula 1 World Championship title. He won the final race held at the Spielberg circuit in Styria, Monaco. 19 June: India's junior boys and cadet girls won the team championship titles at the South Asian Junior and Cadet Table Tennis Championships at the Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi. 17 June: The International Boxing Association (AIBA) constituted a five-member ad-hoc committee chaired by Kishan Narsi for boxing in India to manage the process of finding a group to organise and run boxing in India. 17 June: Sunil Chhetri has become the first Indian footballer to score 50 international goals. He achieved this fete in his 87th match i.e. during 2018 World Cup qualifying match between India and Guam. 16 June: Spaniard Rafael Nadal won the singles final of the ATP s Stuttgart Open. In the final match in Germany, Nadal defeated Serbian Viktor Troicki 7-6, June: India s tennis player Rohan Bopanna along with his Romanian partner Florin Mergea has won the ATP s Stuttgart Open final doubles trophy in Germany. 13 June: Former West Indies paceman Sir Wesley Winfield Hall has been inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. He is 80th cricketer to be inducted in the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame and 18th from West Indies. 13 June: Veteran West Indies fast bowler Sir Wesley Winfield Hall was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. With this, he becomes 80th cricketer to be inducted in the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame and 18th from West Indies itself. 11 June: FC Barcelona won the 2015 UEFA Champions League title (Union of European Football Associations) by defeating Juventus FC 3-1 in the final match held at the Berlin s Olympic Stadium in Germany. 11 June: Cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the only Indian to find place in the Forbes magazine s list of 100 World s Highest-Paid Athletes June: Barcelona FC has won 2015 Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Champions League trophy for the fifth time. 5 June: India s Machettira Raju Poovamma and Liksy Joseph have won silver medal each in 21st Asian Athletics Championships held in Wuhan, China. 5 June: India s Sundaram Ravi was inducted into the Elite Panel of International Cricket Council (ICC) Umpires for year

86 2 June: Former Indian Cricket Captain, Ravi Shastri was named interim coach of the Indian cricket team for the tour of Bangladesh starting from 10 June 2015 which will host one Test and three One-Day Internationals (ODIs). 1 June: Ace Indian shooter Gurpreet Singh has secured India a fifth quota place in shooting for the 2015 Rio Olympics. 1 June: Ace Indian archer Deepika Kumari has clinched the bronze medal in the women s individual Women s Recurve event at Antalya Archery World Cup held in Turkey. 1 June: Dilawar Singh of Haryana has won Pedal for Kashmir cycling competition, held along the banks of picturesque Dal Lake in Srinagar. 1 June: Kolkata s Mohun Bagan Football Club (FC) has won the I-League title by defeating Bengaluru Football Club. Mohun Bagan won the title after a 1-1 draw score against Bengaluru FC in their final game of the season played at the Kanteerva Stadium, Bengaluru. 30 May: Sepp Blatter has been re-elected as the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) President for a fifth term. 29 May: Abhinav Bindra has become the fourth Indian shooter to win a quota place for the 2016 Rio Olympics. 25 May: Mumbai Indians (MI) on 24 May 2015 won the eight edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2015 by defeating Chennai Super Kings (CSK). 25 May: Indian boxers have rounded off a brilliant run at the Doha International Tournament by winning four gold, one silver and two bronze medals. GOLD MEDAL WINNERS ARE L Devendro Singh in 49 kg category by defeating Aldren Moreno of Philippines by 3:0. Shiva Thapa in 56kg category by defeating HYM Abdelaal of Egypt by 2:1. Manish Kaushik in 60 kg category by defeating Rabi Hamza of Morocco by 3:0. Manoj Kumar in 64 kg category by defeating Magliquian Nicole of Philippines by 3:0. The silver medal was won by Gaurav Bidhuri in 52 kg category. While Mandeep Jangra and Vikas Krishan bagged bronze medals in 69kg and 75kg categories respectively. 25 May: Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg from Germany has won the Monaco Grand Prix Formula One (F1) World Championship title. It was the final race of F1 season 2015.

87 18 May: India s ace discus thrower Vikas Gowda won a bronze medal in the second leg of the prestigious International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Diamond League series in Shanghai, China. 18 May: Ethiopian runners won both the Men s and Women s titles in the eighth edition of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) World 10 Thousand metre run in Bengaluru, Karnataka. 18 May: World no 1 Novak Djokovic from Serbia has won his fourth Rome Masters Tennis Men s single title. In the final match, he defeated world no 2 Roger Federer from Switzerland with score of 6-4, 6-3. With this win, Djokovic earned 1000 Emirates ATP ranking points. 15 May: India s ace shooter Gagan Narang won the bronze medal in the 50m Rifle Prone Event of the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup. 15 May: Tejaswini Sagar from India won under-15 category of World School Chess Championships in her maiden attempt. 11 May: Britain s ace tennis player Andy Murray has won the 2015 Mutua Madrid Open Men s Singles Title. In the final match he defeated defending champion Rafael Nadal of Spain by 6-3, 6-2 score. This is Andy Murray s first Mutua Madrid Open title. 10 May: Haryana Government has decided to include Deaflympics in its Sports Policy in order to boost the morale of differently-abled sportspersons in the state.. 5 May: India s top rifle shooters have won a rich haul of three gold and two bronze medals at the International Shooting Competition of Hannover in Germany. In this shooting event, Beijing Olympics Games gold medallist Abhinav Bindra won both the individual and team gold in his pet 10 metre air rifle event. 4 May: Maniram Patel from Gujarat has won Gold medal in the men s 20 kilometre walk in the 19th Federation Cup senior athletics championship held at Mangaluru,Karnataka. 4 May: Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) have won the 5th National women hockey championship title. 4 May: Union Government has finally recognised motorsports as a sport in India. In this regard, Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has included Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) in the list of sports backed National Sports Federations (NSF). EULOGIES (MAY-AUGUST 2015)

88 20 August: Malayalam actor Paravoor Bharathan, who acted in nearly 300 regional films, died in Kerala. 19 August: President Pranab Mukherjee's wife Suvra Mukherjee passed away. The President's wife, Suvra Mukherjee, had been ill for some time. Country's First Lady founded the 'Geetanjali Troupe', whose mission is to propagate Rabindranath Tagore's philosophy as expressed through his songs and dancedramas. 14 August: Om Prakash Munjal, Co-Chairman of Hero Cycles Ltd. And a leading industrialist, passed away in Ludhiana. He was August: Colonel Harwant Singh (retd), a World War-II hero, died at Patiala. He was 95. He was officer-in-charge of the flag hoisting ceremony on the first Independence Day of India in Commissioned in 2nd battalion of the Sikh Regiment in September 1941, Singh served in Iraq, Palestine, North Africa, Cyprus and Italy during World War-II for the British Army flag hoisting ceremony. 6 August: Senior Congress leader and former Punjab Minister Chaudhary Jagjit Singh died. He was 82. Jagjit, a prominent Dalit leader, became an MLA for the first time in August: Former Madhya Pradesh minister and senior BJP leader Jagannath Singh passed away after prolonged illness. He was 69. Singh had served as state labour minister during in the BJP government 3 August: Sir Peter O Sullevan, an iconic British Horse Racing commentator passed away at the age of 97. Sir Peter O Sullevan was a former racing commentator associated with the BBC. He was known simply as The Voice of Racing throughout five decades at the microphone. 30 July: Clive Rice, South African team s former captain and legendry cricketer has died in a Cape Town hospital aged 66. He had been suffering from a brain tumour and visited India in March 2015 to have radiation treatment in Bangalore. He entered the first stage cricket in As Nottinghamshire and South Africa's Captain Rice scored 26,331 runs and took 930 wickets. 29 July: A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the 11th President of India and a pioneer of the country s space and missile programmes, passed away on 27 July 2015 at the age of 83. He passed away after collapsing during a lecture at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Shillong (Meghalaya). Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, popularly known as Missile Man of India, was the President of India between 2002 and He was honoured with highest civilian award Bharat Ratna in July: Popular Tamil film producer Ibrahim Rowther, who gave actor Vijayakant his moniker Captain and produced some of his biggest hits such as Pulan Visaranai and Captain Prabhakaran, died in Chennai. He was 64 years old.

89 23 July: Tom Moore, the "Archie" (America's famous cartoon character) cartoonist who brought to life the escapades of the freckled-face, red-haired character passed away. He was 86. Moore, who began drawing cartoons while in the US Navy during the Korean War, died in his hometown of El Paso. Annual sales of the comic regularly surpassed half a million during the 1960s. 17 July: Sheila Ramani, famous Bollywood actress of 50s passed away. She was 83. She is well known for her performances in films like Driver and Naukri. 16 July: Former Billiards and Snooker Federation of India (BSFI) President Pashupatinath Roy died in Kolkata. He was 76. Roy was also the President of West Bengal Badminton Association for more than five decades after he took over charge from his father B.K. Roy in late 1960s. 15 July: Southern music composer M.S. Viswanathan, who has over 750 films to his credit passed away. He was 87. He was popularly known as MSV in the film industry. Popular for composing music in more than 750 films in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam, MSV started his career as a composer for 1952 Tamil film "Panam". 10 July: Noted Urdu poet, critic and orator Bashar Nawaz, who had penned the immensely popular song 'Karoge yaad' in Hindi film 'Bazaar', passed away at Aurangabad. Born on August 18, 1935 at Aurangabad, Nawaz's writings were regularly published in various Urdu literary journals magazines in India and abroad. He was also honoured with prestigious "Pulotsav Samman" for his contribution to Urdu literature. 8 July: Renowned American Actress Amanda Peterson, whose most famous role was in the 1987 romantic comedy Can't Buy Me Love, has died at age of July: Renowned Urdu novelist from Pakistan Abdullah Hussain died in Lahore. He was 84. He authored the bestseller and critically acclaimed novel Udas Naslain, it is considered as a masterpiece of Urdu literature. His other famous works are Baagh, Faraib and Nashaib 6 July: Former Chief Justice of India Y.K. Sabharwal passed away at the age of 73. Justice Sabharwal was appointed as chief justice in 2005 and retired after a 14-month term. During his tenure, he gave several important decisions 3 July: Finland's Matti Makkonen, the man responsible for conceiving the idea of short messaging service (SMS) technology, passed away. He was also known as Father of SMS. He was June: Patrick Macnee, star of the legendary Avengers TV series, died in Rancho Mirage in California. He was 93. Macnee was known for playing the role of secret agent John Steed in the 1960s television series The Avengers.

90 27 June: Chris Squire, the co-founder and longtime bassist of progressive Rock Band Yes, died. He was June: Veteran journalist, columnist and peace activist Praful Bidwai was passed away in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He was June: James Horner, the two-time Oscar-winning composer, died in a plane crash in California, United States. He was 61. Horner won one Oscars (Academy Awards) for Best Original Song for My Heart Will Go On in the movie Titanic. 22 June: Sister Nirmala Joshi, who succeeded Mother Teresa as the head of Missionaries of Charity, died in Kolkata. She was 81. Sister Nirmala's life was devoted to service, caring for poor and underprivileged. 21 June: Former Indian women hockey captain Shashi Bala and her son Agrim Thakur died in a road accident at the Ropar-Nawanshahr-Phagwara in Punjab. 17 June: Former Turkish President Suleyman Demirel died. He was 90. Demirel was one of the dominant figures in Turkey's politics for over half a century. 16 June: India s renowned contemporary architect Charles Correa passed away in Mumbai. He was 84. He led the creation of architecture for post-independence India. 16 June: Las Vegas multibillionaire Kirk Kerkorian passed away. He was 98. He was famously known as a casino tycoon, Hollywood mogul, airline owner and auto industry investor. 16 June: India s renowned contemporary architect Charles Correa passed away in Mumbai. He was 84. He led the creation of architecture for post-independence India. 16 June: Las Vegas multibillionaire Kirk Kerkorian passed away. He was 98. He was famously known as a casino tycoon, Hollywood mogul, airline owner and auto industry investor. 14 June: Former Governor of Himachal Pradesh, ex-union Minister and Congress leader Sheila Kaul died. She was June: The creator of Chandigarh s Rock Garden Nek Chand Saini died in Chandigarh. He was June: German composer and Big Band leader James Last died in Florida. He was 86. He sold more than 80 million records worldwide and was best known for pop hits in a big-band style. 9 June: Former Indian cricketer Hemant Kanitkar died in Pune, Maharashtra. He was 72.

91 8 June: Legendary Telugu writer Dasaradhi Rangacharya died in Hyderabad. He was 87 7 June: Veteran actor Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee, famous as the master of horror, died. He was 93. Lee was famous for his role as Count Dracula in a sequence of Hammer Horror films. 12 June: Legendary English actor, singer and writer Sir Christopher Lee passed away in London, United Kingdom. He was June: Irwin Rose, a biochemist who won the 2004 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, died in Deerfield, Massachusetts. He was June: Hollywood Actor Hiroshi Koizumi passed away. He was June: Wrestler Prem Nath, a gold medallist at the 1974 Christchurch Commonwealth Games, passed away. He was 64. Influential documentary photographer Mary Ellen Mark passed away in Manhattan, New York. She was 75 The Oscar-winning cinematographer Andrew Lesnie passed away. He was 59. Celebrated American Photographer Mary Ellen Mark died at Manhattan in New York, USA. She was May: Argentine footballer Cristian Gomez died during a game. Gomez, 27, of Atletico Parana collapsed on the pitch during a second-tier game against Boca Unidos. 23 May: John Forbes Nash Jr., the Princeton University mathematician, died along with his wife in a car crash. He was May: The British actor Terry Sue-Patt passed away in east London. He was May: Academy Awards telecast director Marty Pasetta passed away in La Quinta, United States. He was May: Veteran jazz musician Bob Belden passed away. He was May: Eminent economist, policy advisor and noted academic Mrinal Datta Chaudhuri passed away in Pune, Maharashtra. 20 May: Popular Indian stage, film and television actress Sudha Shivpuri died due to multiple organ failure at a suburban hospital in Andheri. She was May: Ousted Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi was sentenced to death by Cairo court for his part in a mass jailbreak in 2011.

92 14 May: Riley B. King, the king of blues, passed away in Las Vegas. He was 89. He was known by his stage name B B King. 12 May: Eminent Bengali writer Suchitra Bhattacharya passed away in Kolkata, West Bengal. She was 55. She was one of the most popular and powerful novelists of contemporary Bengali literature. 12 May: Eminent historian Peter Gay passed away at Manhattan in New York City, USA. He was 91. He is one of the major American historians of European thought and known for his groundbreaking books on Enlightenment, the Victorian middle classes, Sigmund Freud, Weimar culture and the cultural situation of Jews in Germany. 10 May: Renowned Pop artist Chris Burden passed away in Topanga Canyon, California. He was May: Veteran Hollywood actress Elizabeth Wilson passed away following age-related illness at New Haven, Connecticut. She was May: Eminent historian and social scientist Amalendu Guha passed away following old age ailments at Ulubari, Guwahati. He was May: Oscar Holderer, the last known surviving member of the German engineering team that designed the rocket that took US astronauts to the Moon died in Alabama. He was May: Renowned crime writer Ruth Rendell passed away on 2 May 2015 in London, United Kingdom. She was May: Lu Ping, Chinese diplomat who oversaw Hong Kong s transition from British to Chinese sovereignty in 1997 passed away in Beijing. He was May: Michael Blake, the Oscar-winning writer of Dances with Wolves novel passed away in Tucson, Arizona, after a long battle with cancer. He was May: Former Union Minister and veteran Congress leader Baleshwar Ram passed away due to kidney-related ailments. He was 87. He was the leader from Bihar. 3 May: Philip S. Goodman, an American film, television and stage writer, producer and director passed away on 2 May 2015 in New York, United States. 2 May: Amitabha Chowdhury, veteran journalist, writer and renowned Tagore researcher passed away in Kolkata due to prolonged illness. He was May: Legendary Russian ballerinas Maya Plisetskaya died in Munich, Germany. She was 89.

93 MISCELLANEOUS NEWS (MAY-AUGUST 2015) 21 August: Wang Jianlin, Chairman of China's property and entertainment giant Dalian Wanda Group, has overtaken Hong Kong's Li Ka-shing to become the richest Chinese in the world, according to the new Hurun Rich List. Wang's wealth increased more than 50 percent year on year to 260 billion yuan (40.6 billion U.S. dollars) as of early June. Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing, 87, was the second richest with a fortune of 200 billion yuan and Jack Ma, founder and chairman of Internet giant Alibaba, was named third richest with wealth of 165 billion yuan. 21 August: Taj Mahal has made it to the top five of a prestigious new list of the world's best tourist attractions. Travel Guide Book Lonely Planet's Ultimate Travelist list ranks the Taj Mahal built in Agra by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as the fifth most attractive travel hotspot in the world and describes it as a "magnificent Mughal masterpiece". The Temples of Angkor Wat, a UNESCO World Heritage site in northern Cambodia, tops the list. The Great Barrier Reef in Australia comes in at number two, the Inca city of Machu Picchu in Peru at number three, and the Great Wall of China at four. 21 August: United National Party (UNP) led United National Front for Good Governance (UNFGG) coalition with 106 seats emerged as the winner in the 2015 Parliamentary elections of Sri Lanka. But it failed to secure absolute majority in the Parliament of 225 members. UNP led by incumbent Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe emerged the winner with his alliance taking 45 percent of the vote cast, or about 51 lakh votes. The main opposition party the United People s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) that is an alliance led by Mahinda Rajapaksa was able to secure 95 seats with 42 percent of votes. 20 August: Islamic leaders from 20 countries who have gathered at the International Islamic Climate Change Symposium in Istanbul, Turkey, issued a Declaration on climate change which calls for phasing out of greenhouse gas emissions. The declaration, replete with quotes from the Qur an, calls upon the world, particularly the 1.6 billion Muslims, to protect the planet from being destroyed by human activity. 20 August: A NASA spacecraft has confirmed for the first time that the Moon s thin atmosphere contains neon, a gas commonly used in electric signs on Earth because of its intense glow. There s not enough neon to make Moon visibly glow because the Moon s atmosphere is extremely tenuous. A dense atmosphere like Earth s is relatively rare in our solar system because an object has to be sufficiently massive to have enough gravity to hold onto it. 19 August: The Union Minister of Civil Aviation Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Culture (Independent Charge) and Tourism (Independent Charge), Dr. Mahesh Sharma jointly inaugurated direct flight of Air India s budget arm, Air India Express, between Varanasi and Sharjah (UAE). The Varanasi-Sharjah flight, IX 183, took off from Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport, Varanasi with 170 passengers.

94 18 August: UAE government announced its historical decision to allot land for building first temple in Abu Dhabi during PM Narendra Modi's two day (16th and 17th August) visit. Prime Minister Modi visited the famous Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. There are two temples in Dubai. One of Lord Shiva and the other one of Lord Krishna, but there is not a single temple in UAE's capital Abu Dhabi. 17 August: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) fully commissioned and started commercial production of its indigenous titanium sponge plant. With the commissioning of this plant, India has become the seventh country in the world producing titanium sponge commercially. ISRO s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (Ahmedabad) established India's first titanium sponge plant at Chavara in Kerala s Kollam district. Titanium sponge is used primarily for space and defence applications. 11 August: The largest ever rainfall in over a century by Super Typhoon Soudelor in China had forced evacuation of more than 3.34 lakh people. More than 550,000 people and 19,600 hectares of crops in ten cities were affected by the typhoon. 11 August: Overtaking the CIA, FBI, NASA and the Pakistani army Indian army once again has reached the top of popularity on social networking site Facebook. Indian Army Facebook page has now figured in the "People Talking About That" (PTAT) ranking in terms of popularity. It was the second time within a few months, when the Indian Army Facebook page topped the list. 10 August: A global satellite for earth observation and disaster risk reduction - GlobalSat for DRR - proposed under the UN framework is to be dedicated to A.P.J. Abdul Kalam as a tribute to the vision of the Missile Man of India and former Indian President who died on July 27. The "GlobalSat for DRR" is a UN-driven global initiative on sharing space technology for disaster risk reduction. 7 August: India s biggest telescope Multi-Application Solar Telescope (MAST) was inaugurated at Udaipur (Rajasthan). MAST would help in the study of movements of stars and sun even in day time. MAST has been installed at the Udaipur Solar Observatory, where it is surrounded by water to keep temperature pleasant. Authorised by the Ministry of Science and Technology, MAST has been funded by the Department of Space. So far Rs. 26 crore has been spent on the project 7 August: The US space agency NASA has named Kirk Shireman as the new manager of its International Space Station (ISS) Program, based at NASA s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Shireman has served as deputy director of NASA s Johnson Space Center in Houston since Shireman succeeds Michael Suffredini 5 August: NASA sets up a new traffic monitoring process to avoid spacecraft collisions on Mars. The system involves process of traffic monitoring, communication and maneuver planning. The step was taken after addition of two new spacecraft, namely NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) and India's Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan), to orbit the Mars has gone up to five.

95 3 August: An automobile group Volkswagen replaced Japanese auto giant Toyota to emerge as the world s largest-selling vehicle maker in the first half of It was for the first time in the history of automobiles when Germany's automobile group Volkswagen overtook Toyota in global vehicle sales. It sold 5.04 million cars between January and June 2015, which is slightly more than the 5.02 million sold by Toyota during the same period. 24 July: With 14,310 suicides contributing 10.9 percent of total suicides in the country in 2014 West Bengal ranks third among of States in the number of suicides after Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu as per the statistics released by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).Rate of suicides per lakh population in West Bengal was 15.5 per cent, while the national average was 10.6 per cent in July: Rajamahendravaram will be the new name of Rajahmundry, the historic and cultural city of Andhra Pradesh, as announced by state Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. The name Rajamahendravaram is derived from a Chalukya dynasty ruler of the 11th century who ruled over the city. 29 July: Google has partnered with NASA and 13 other companies, including Amazon and Verizon, to create an air-traffic control system for drones, called the Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Traffic Management. The move comes after a series of incidents involving drones. The government is seeking to work with the private sector to create rules of the aerial road and in view of growing demand and use of drones. 27 July: The first cargo ships passed through Egypt's New Suez Canal on 25th July in a test-run before it opens next month on 6th August, 11 months after the army began constructing the $8 billion canal alongside the existing 145-year-old Suez Canal. 25 July: The hunt for India's most desirable man by country's oldest and most prestigious pageant for men came to its end with Rohit Khandewal from Hyderabad being announced Provogue Personal Care Mr India Rohit Khandewal from Hyderabad was announced Mr India 2015 winner, Rahul Rajasekharan from Bangalore was announced 1st Runner up and Prateek Gujaral from Mumbai was announced 2nd Runner up. 24 July: The January-June period of 2015 was the hottest such period since 1880, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has said.during the period, the average temperature across global land and ocean surfaces was 0.85 degrees Celsius above the 20th century average. 24 July: RK Pachauri, accused of sexual harassment by a woman employee, has been sacked as the chief of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). He will be replaced by Ajay Mathur who is the Director General of Bureau of Energy Efficiency.

96 23 July: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) achieved a huge milestone as it successfully tested India s latest and most powerful cryogenic engine for 800 seconds. This cryogenic engine will be utilized to power ISRO s next generation monster rocket, the GSLV Mark-III, which will be capable of carrying the 8 ton class of satellites to space. This full duration test was performed successfully at Mahendragiri (Tamil Nadu). 22 July: Stephen Hawking, the eminent British scientist launched a whopping USD 100-million project to search for aliens in association with Russia's billionaire entrepreneur Yuri Milner. This is a 10 year project. This project was launched at the Royal Society in London and characterised as the biggest scientific search ever undertaken for study of aliens 22 July: An Indigenous Visibility Measuring System Drishti has been installed at New Delhi s Indira Gandhi International Airport with which the airport has become the first Airport in the country to have 10 indigenous systems operating in all its three runways. It that has been designed and developed by CSIR- National Aerospace Laboratories (CSIR-NAL), Bengaluru. It is primarily used for reporting the runway visual range, which is a critical parameter for safe landing and take-off of aircraft in poor visibility conditions. 17 July: The Prime Minister formally launched the Skill India Mission and unveiled the new National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship 2015 on 15 July 2015 on the occasion of the World Youth Skills Day. The aim of Skill India Mission is to converge and monitor all skill development schemes across the country, promoting entrepreneurship and equipping 500 million Indians with skills by 2022 that would enable them to find jobs. On this occasion Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), the flagship scheme of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, was also launched. PMKVY seeks to inculcate various skills among 24 lakh youth, across India, over the next one year. 15 July: Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju launched the GPS-Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) system, which would make airline operations more efficient and reduce costs. GAGAN is a satellite-based navigation system which provides autonomous, high precision geo-spatial location information of the user in terms of latitude, longitude and height along with velocity and time. Jointly developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Airports Authority of India (AAI), at an investment of Rs. 774 crore, GAGAN will offer seamless navigation to the aviation industry. 14 July: Indian-origin Sunita Williams is among four veterans picked by NASA to fly the first commercial space vehicles, a part of the space agency s ambitious plan to put a man on Mars by Williams, 49, accompanied by Robert Behnken, Eric Boe and Douglas Hurley, will train and prepare for commercial spaceflights. 14 July: India's first Community Skill Park has been opened at Chavara in Kollam district of Kerala with the aim to train youths so that they may become skilled to get better employment. Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy inaugurated the first 'Kaushal Kendra'. These 'Kaushal Kendras' will develop skills and increase the employability of the youth of the state which they need.

97 4 July: The Union Cabinet approved the institutional framework for the National Skill Development Mission The Mission will provide a strong institutional framework at the Centre and States for implementation of skilling activities in the country. The Union Cabinet also gave its approval for a new scheme called Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY). The Yojana was approved with an outlay of 50,000 crore rupees over a period of five years ( to ). Its aim is provide convergence to existing schemes of water management, thus bringing efficiency to the use of water. 3 July: China has become successful in making first fully indigenous bullet train. It has began testing the first bullet train completely made from locally produced parts. This move of China is being considered as a major step in eliminating dependence on import of bullet train from Germany, Canada and Japan. Till now most of the parts of bullet trains made by China were imported from abroad. 30 June: The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) defined the speed of 5G (Fifth Generation) standard for mobile networking as 20 Gigabits per second (Gbps). 26 June: A team of scientists led by Indian-American Debashis Chanda from University of Central Florida (UCF) developed a nature-inspired technique for creating the world's first full-colour, flexible thinfilm reflective display. The findings were published in Nature Communications journal. This technology can help you switch your dress colour to a different colour in the blink of an eye, if someone at a wedding reception is wearing the same dress as yours 24 June: Trinity College of Engineering in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala in the fourth week of June 2015 launched the Trinity Adrak Student Satellite (TASSAT) building project. The student satellite project is scheduled for completion by June: Scientists have shown that immunogen (virus protein) eod-gt8 60mercan successfully stimulate immune system to block HIV/AIDS infection in mice. The new results were published in concurrent studies in Cell and Science. 20 June: Scientists in third week of June 2015 named a newly discovered galaxy after Portuguese football player Cristiano Ronaldo. The galaxy was labeled as CR7 (COSMOS Redshift 7). 30-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo is also known as CR7 after his initials and jersey number. 18 June: A novel anti-malarial compound DDD that inhibits protein synthesis was discovered by the scientists. The study related to the discovery was published in the Journal Nature. 17 June: A team of astronomers observed a previously unknown extreme star formation Eye of Medusa in Medusa merger, a luminous collision of two galaxies at more than 100 million light years away from Earth.

98 16 June: Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in June 2015 set up a Micro Air Vehicle Aerodynamics Research Tunnel (MART) at the CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) campus, Bengaluru. 16 June: The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER) Jitendra Singh launched an Augmented Reality (AR) application named Sakaar to highlight the achievements of the Department of Space. The application has been developed by Development and Educational Communication Unit (DECU) of ISRO for Android devices. 15 June: Rosetta's lander Philae woke up after seven months in hibernation on the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. It is the first spacecraft in the space history to land on a comet. 15 June: The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) launched the India Nuclear Insurance Pool (INIP). The INIP has become the 27th such insurance pool in the world as countries such as France, Russia, South Africa and the U.S. have put in place such similar risk transfer mechanisms. 11 June: NASA scientists developed tool to predict destructive solar storms. The model will help predict solar geomagnetic storms 24 hours in advance. 10 June: Indian-origin scientist Manu Prakash along with his team developed World's first waterbased computer. The results were published in the journal Nature Physics. Manu Prakash is an Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at Stanford University. 10 June: Researchers in Peru have discovered trios of statuettes which belong to some 3,800 years ago. They were discovered by research team led by archaeologist Ruth Shady. The final discovery announcement was made by the Peruvian Cultural Ministry in Lima. 10 June: As per recent study published in the Conservation Biology journal, Yellow-breasted buntings (Emberiza aureola), a songbird are near to extinction. The study has mentioned that population this bird species which is also known as he rice bird in China has plunged by 90 percent since 1980 and disappearing from Eastern Europe, Japan and parts of Russia. 9 June: World s first prosthetic (artificial) leg capable of simulating the feelings of a real limb and fighting phantom pain was unveiled by researchers in Vienna, Austria. 6 June: Doctors from Texas State of United States have done the world s first partial skull and scalp transplant from a human donor. This rare medical feat which opens new frontier in transplant surgery was achieved by team of Doctors from Houston Methodist Hospital and MD Anderson Cancer Center. 4 June: Scientists at Central Institute of Medicinal & Aromatic Plants (CIMAP), Lucknow succeeded in whole genome sequencing of Holy basil or Tulsi(Ocimum sanctum). CIMAP is a frontier plant research laboratory of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

99 27 May: Scientists have developed the first man-made molecular pump which is capable to transport key proteins to cells for its functioning and can be used to power artificial muscles. 27 May: Scientists have developed the first man-made molecular pump which is capable to transport key proteins to cells for its functioning and can be used to power artificial muscles. 27 May: A new species of fish called Pethia striata was discovered by ecologists in Tunga River in the Kudremukh National Park, Karnataka. 20 May: Researchers have discovered the driest location on Earth in the Atacama Desert in Chile. The site discovered is called as Maria Elena South (MES). 18 May: Union Government has allocated 5,000 crore rupees for the growth of Department of AYUSH, that comprises Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy. 15 May: World s first fully warm-blooded fish named Opah or moonfish was discovered recently. It was discovered by scientists at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). 15 May: Doordarshan and China Central Television (CCTV) have signed an agreement for exchange of art, culture and development television programmes. 13 May: Daniel Mookhey has become first Indian-origin Member of Parliament (MP) from the Australian state of New South Wales to be sworn in to Australian parliament on the Hindu religious text, the Bhagavadgita. 7 May: Huge Lava Lake was spotted on Jupiter s Moon Io by an extremely powerful telescope on Earth named Large Binocular telescope Interferometer (LBTI). 7 May: NASA successfully tested a 10-Engine Electric Plane named Greased Lightning-10 (GL-10) that that can take off and land like a helicopter and fly efficiently like an aircraft. 6 May: Information technology giant, Microsoft has launched a cloud computing-based offering Edu-Cloud with an aim to Make Learning Fun. 6 May: Information technology giant, Microsoft has launched a cloud computing-based offering Edu-Cloud with an aim to Make Learning Fun 5 May: Recently released book Indian Bumblebees has revealed that India is home to 48 of the 250 known species of bumblebees. The book is written by entomologist M.S. Saini and co-authors Rifat H. Raina and Harpeet Singh Ghator.

100 RECURRING TERMS NEWS (MAY-AUGUST 2015) A P SHAH COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS MAT RELIEF TO FIIS Union Finance Ministry appointed committee chaired by retired SC judge A P Shah has recommended that Minimum Alternate Tax (MAT) should not be imposed on FIIs retrospectively for the period preceding 1st April 2015 This recommendation is considered as a big relief to FIIs as government had exempted them from MAT starting April 1, 2015 in the Union Budget for but had not made the clarification retrospective imposition. In its report committee has mention that there is no legal basis for levying 20 per cent MAT on past capital gains of FIIs. BACKGROUND Union Finance Ministry had appointed this 3 member Committee on the issue of levying MAT on capital gains made by FIIs retrospectively. Members of Committee: A P Shah (Chairman), Dr. Girish Ahuja and Dr. Ashok Lahiri. The committee was constituted after the tax department had sent legal notices to 68 FIIs demanding around six hundred crore rupees as MAT dues of previous years. This had raked up a MAT controversy within FIIs and they had moved to court challenging this tax imposition. EDUCATION LOAN PORTAL LAUNCHED FOR STUDENTS SEEKING LOANS On 20 August 2015, Government launched a web-based portal for the students seeking educational loans. In order to ensure that no student misses out on higher education due to lack of funds, finance minister in the Union Budget for had proposed to set a fully IT-based Student Financial Aid Authority. In line with this proposal this portal was launched with an aim to administer and monitor scholarship as well as educational loan schemes under the Pradhan Mantri Vidya Lakshmi Karyakram (PMVLK). The launch of this portal also aims to bring all banks providing educational loans under one roof. ABOUT THE PORTAL:

101 The portal has been developed and maintained by NSDL e-governance Infrastructure Limited (NSDL e-gov) under the guidance of Ministry of Finance, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development and Indian Banks Association (IBA). It is a first of its kind portal that provides access to information and makes application for educational loans provided by banks and also government scholarships under a single window. The portal also has a provision to apply to multiple banks for educational loans and facility for banks to download students loan applications among others. It also carter facility for banks to upload loan processing status and students can view status of their loan application and linkage to National Scholarship Portal for information and application for government scholarships on the dashboard of the portal. Up till now over 13 banks have registered and 22 educational loan schemes on the Vidya Lakshmi Portal. SBI, Bank of India, IDBI Bank, Canara Bank & Union Bank of India have integrated their system with the portal for providing loan processing status to students. NOTE: PMVLK was launched on 15 July 2015 under the government s ambitious National Skill Development Mission. DIRECT MARKET ACCESS FACILITY TO FOREIGN PORTFOLIO INVESTORS (FPI) On 19 August the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) has extended the direct market access facility (DMA) to foreign portfolio investors (FPI). Henceforth, the foreign investors will have direct access to the exchange trading system in Indian stock market without any manual interventions of the broker. Earlier FPI had to conduct stock exchange trading in BSE through the broker who used to manually place the orders on their behalf. According to SEBI regulations FPI seeking to avail DMA facility would not have to enter into a separate broker- client agreement and it would be replaced by a simpler terms and conditions document. BROKER S ROLE:

102 Henceforth the broker have to specifically authorize their clients and have to provide a technologically secure DMA system to their FPI clients. They are obliged to maintain client KYC records relating to exchange trading and have to maintain client margins in a separate bank account and also have to send settlement updates to the client including delivery/payment schedules. IMPLICATIONS: This step by BSE will provide FPI clients a direct control over their orders, now they can execute orders faster, secure and in transparent manner. It will increase liquidity in stock exchange market and will have lower impact costs for large orders. The FPI clients can now audit trails in better way and can use hedging and arbitrage opportunities through the use of decision support tools i.e. algorithms for trading in better way. ABOUT BSE: Bombay Stock Exchange is the oldest stock exchange in Asia formed by eight native stock brokers association in 1875 located at Dala street, Mumbai. It got temporary approval by Bombay government in 1927 and permanent approval by Indian Government on 31 Aug Today it is 10th largest stock market in the world by market capitalization at $1.7 trillion and has more than 5,000 companies listed in it. IN-PRINCIPLE APPROVAL TO 11 APPLICANTS TO START A PAYMENTS BANK Reserve Bank of India granted in-principle approval to 11 applicants to start payments banks. The Committee of the Central Board (CCB) of RBI has selected 11 entities among the 41 applicant who has the reach and the technological and financial strength to provide service to the customers and promote government s initiative of financial inclusion across the country. THE SELECTED APPLICANTS ARE: Reliance Industries, Airtel M Commerce Services, Tech Mahindra, Vodafone m-pesa, Aditya Birla Nuvo, Department of Posts, Cholamandalam Distribution Services, Fino PayTech, PayTm, National Securities Depository Ltd (NSDL), Sun Pharma.

103 AS PER RBI NOTIFICATION FOR PAYMENT BANKS: RBI has given in principle approval to these 11 applicants to set payment banks is valid for 18 month period. The payments banks will be able to take deposits and remittances, internet banking and other specified services but cannot undertake lending services. Their holding are restricted to a maximum balance of Rs 1 lakh per individual customer. They can issue ATM/debit cards but not credit cards and can also issue other prepaid payment instruments. They can distribute non-risk sharing simple financial products like mutual funds and insurance products. Non resident Indians will not be allowed to open accounts in payment banks Finance Minister had directed RBI to create a framework for licensing payment banks so as to meet government s financial inclusion target. It is mandatory for payment banks to hold minimum capital of Rs. 100 crore. FDI of 74 per cent is allowed in payment bank. It is mandatory for payment banks to hold minimum capital of Rs. 100 crore. FDI of 74 per cent is allowed in payment bank. SELECTION: The applicants were detailed inspected by an External Advisory Committee (EAC) under the Chairmanship of Dr. Nachiket Mor the Director, Central Board of the Reserve Bank of India. RS 1.25 LAKH CRORE SPECIAL PACKAGE FOR BIHAR Union Government has announced 1.25 lakh crore rupees special package for poll bound Bihar as part of Prime Minister s Bihar Package. It was announced by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Arrah, Bihar.It was announced by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Arrah, Bihar. KEY FACTS The special package to Bihar was declared in line with the on-going national social sector schemes of Union Government. These schemes are Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana,

104 Atal Pension Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, Free LPG connections to BPL and Swachh Vidyalaya Abhiyan. Roads and Railways: Off the total package amount around 55 thousand crore rupees will be spent on 4 laning and widening of highways. It will include construction of bridges across Sone, Kosi and Ganga, rivers and 12 Rail overbridges. Besides, around 14 thousand crore rupees will be provided for rural roads. Barauni Refinery: Over 21,000 crore rupees will be allocated for expansion of Barauni Refinery and setting up of new Petrochemical Plant along with construction of Gas pipelines and massive expansion in domestic LPG connections. Electrification: Around 16,000 crore rupees will be earmarked for electrification of villages and towns and over 3000 crore rupees for farmers welfare. ICICI BANK LAUNCHES SMART VAULT DIGITAL LOCKER FACILITY India s largest private sector lender ICICI Bank has launched Smart Vault first of its kind fully automated digital locker facility in India. It was launched by Managing Director (MD) and CEO of ICICI Bank, Chanda Kochhar in New Delhi. KEY FEATURES OF SMART VAULT The locker is equipped with multi-layer security system, including PIN, biometric and debit cards authentication. This system has been designed in lines with Make In India programme as it has been manufactured and designed by Indian partners of ICICI Bank. Customers can access the vault without any intervention by the branch staff and the facility will be available to customers even on weekends and post banking hours. The vault facility uses advance robotic technology to access the lockers from the safe vault. The lockers will be available in three different sizes and charges will depend on the size. SPECIAL OLYMPICS WORLD GAMES LOS ANGELES 2015 (LA2015) With 6500 athletes and 2000 coaches representing 165 countries, along with volunteers and an anticipated spectators, the 2015 Special Olympics World Games being staged in Los Angeles between 25 July 25 and 2 August 2015 will be the largest sports and humanitarian event anywhere in the world in It is also the single biggest event in Los Angeles since the 1984 Olympic Games.

105 Honorary Chairs of the Games are President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and California Governor Jerry Brown serving as Honorary Hosts. Fourteen year old Master Prabhroop Sekhon on 31 July 2015 won two gold medals in 300 metre and 500 metre Roller Skating at the Special Olympics World Summer Games. The event is being held at Los Angeles, USA. Sekhon is a student of ASHA School in Lucknow Cantt where he was coached and selected for various camps at State and National level as one amongst the 241 participants representing India. He has been a student of ASHA School since Sep An Autistic student, Prabhroop Sekhon is the son of a serving Air Force Officer, Group Captain BS Sekhon. 48TH ASEAN FOREIGN MINISTERS MEET HELD IN KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA The 48th ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Foreign Ministers meet was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia between 4 August and 6 August The meet was chaired by Anifah Aman, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia. The meet was held under the theme "Our People, Our Community, Our Vision", to create an ASEAN Community which is truly people-oriented, people-centred comprising all areas of cooperation. The foreign ministers of ASEAN had a productive discussion revolving round the theme of the meet. They also discussed regional and international issues as well as their ongoing efforts to maintain peace, stability and prosperity in the region. ASEAN is a political and economic organisation of ten Southeast Asian countries. It was formed on 8 August 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. Since then, membership has expanded to include Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), and Vietnam. The group aims to accelerating economic growth, social progress, and socio-cultural evolution among its members, protection of regional peace and stability, and opportunities for member countries to resolve differences peacefully.

106 Besides, the ASEAN foreign ministers meet was participated by India s Minister of State for External Affairs of India Gen (Retd) VK Singh. On the sidelines of the of ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers' meet, Singh held talks with the foreign ministers of ASEAN countries. ATAL PENSION YOJANA (APY) FOR SOCIAL SECURITY IN INDIA: Financial inclusion, social security, and low-cost benefits for the masses have been high on the NDA government s agenda. Ever since the NaMo government s ascent to the centre, PM Modi, FM Jaitley, and the Cabinet have worked relentlessly towards promulgation of new schemes that make financial security for the common man. The first step towards achievement of social security was the rollout of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY). With Phase I being declared a major success and 1.8 crore accounts having been opened across the country, the government has flagged off three new schemes on 9 May 2015 two insurance schemes (Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana), and a pension scheme (Atal Pension Yojana). This is called Phase II of the PMJDY, since it was important to get people into mainstream banking before any benefits can be extended to them. ATAL PENSION YOJANA: As our young population ages, it is also going to be pension-less. Encouraged by the success of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, I propose to work towards creating a universal social security system for all Indians that will ensure that no Indian citizen will have to worry about illness, accidents or penury in old age, said Finance Minister Jaitley in his February 2015 Budget speech. In keeping with this ideal, a National Pension Scheme, the Atal Pension Yojana will be effective from 1 June The scheme intends to bring pension benefits to allow people of the unorganised sector to enjoy social security with minimum contribution per month.people who work in the private sector or employed in occupations that do not give them the benefit of pension can apply for the scheme. They can opt for a fixed pension of INR 1,000 or 2,000 or 3,000 or 4,000 or 5,000 on attaining the age of 60. The amount of contribution and the individual s age will determine the pension. Upon the contributor s death, the spouse of the contributor can claim the pension and after the spouse s death the nominee will be returned the corpus accrued.the amount collected under the scheme is to be managed by Pension Funds as per the investment pattern specified by the Government. Individual applicants will have no choice of pension funds or investment allocation. BENEFITS OF ATAL PENSION YOJANA: The Atal Pension Scheme will bring security to ageing Indians while at the same time promote a culture of savings and investment among the lower and lower middle class sections of society. One of the greatest benefits of the scheme may be enjoyed by the poorer sections of

107 society. The government of India has decided to contribute 50 percent of the user s contribution or INR 1,000 a year (whichever is lower) for a period of five years. This contribution will, however, be enjoyed only by those who are not income tax payers and those who join the scheme before 31 December CLND CIVIL LIABILITY FOR NUCLEAR DAMAGE The Union Govt. on 13 June 2015 launched an Indian insurance pool to the tune of Rs. 1,500 crore which is mandatory under the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act (CLND). This insurance pool was launched to address the concerns of the clauses in the CLND Act, which give the operator the Right to Recourse and allow it to sue the suppliers in case of any accident. General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC Re) is the fund operator of this Rs. 1,500 crore Indian insurance pool and it includes 11 other non-life insurers as associates of the pool. Apart from GIC Re, New India, Oriental Insurance, National Insurance and United India Insurance from the public sector, the private ones are ICICI Lombard General Insurance, Tata AIG General, Reliance General Insurance, Chola MS General Insurance, IFFCO Tokio General Insurance, SBI General and Universal Sompo General. This pool will be the 27th such market pool globally. It is expected to address third-party liability insurance to begin with and later expand into property and other hot zone (inside reactor areas) risk. TFTA The Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) African countries have signed a historic The Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) that facilitates creation of Africa s largest free-trade zone. This free-trade zone will cover 26 countries in an area from southernmost tip of African continent i.e. Cape Town (South Africa) to Cairo (Egypt) in the north. The pact was signed in Egypt will intent to ease the movement of goods across 26 member countries which represent more than half the continent s GDP. TFTA pact combines existing three trade blocs among the African nations viz Southern African Development Community (SADC). East African Community (EAC). Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). It will remove trade barriers on most goods, making them cheaper and stimulating $ 1 trillion worth of economic activity across the region of more than 600 million people. Thus bolster intra-regional trade by creating a wider market that will increase investment flow and enhance regional infrastructure development. The pact will then be officially unveiled at the upcoming 25th summit of the African Union in South Africa. After adopting it will need parliamentary ratification from all member-nations.

108 SOVEREIGN GOLD BOND SCHEME The Union Government released the Draft Outline of Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme. The government invited comments till 2 July 2015 on it. The scheme is aimed at reducing the demand for physical gold and to shift part of the estimated 300 tons of physical bars and coins purchased every year for investment into demat gold bonds. FEATURES OF SOVEREIGN GOLD BOND SCHEME Bonds will be issued on payment of money and would be linked to the price of gold. The sell would be restricted to resident Indian entities and each entity cannot buy more than 500 grams per person per year. The bonds will be issued in denominations of 2, 5 and 10 grams of gold or other denominations. The bonds will be issued with a nominal rate of interest (which will be linked to international rate for gold borrowing). The rate of interest on the bonds will be payable in terms of grams of gold. The interest will be calculated on at a certain per cent say 2 or 3 percent. On maturity, the investor receives the equivalent of the face value of gold in rupee terms. Bonds will be issued on behalf of the Government of India by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The bond will be marketed through post offices and by various brokers/agents who may need to be paid a commission (like for Kisan Vikas Patra). The price of gold may be taken from National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX) / London Bullion Market Association/RBI and the rupee equivalent amount may be converted at the RBI reference rate on issue and redemption. Banks/ Non-bank financial companies (NBFCs)/Post Offices may collect money / redeem bonds on behalf of government (for a fee, the amount would be as decided). Capital gains tax treatment will be the same as for physical gold. This will ensure that an investor is indifferent in terms of investing in these bonds and in physical gold- as far as the tax treatment is concerned. The tenor of the bond could be for a minimum of 5 to 7 years so that it would protect investors from medium term volatility in the gold prices.

109 These Bonds will be easily sold and traded on commodity exchanges Bonds can be used as collateral for loans. The Loan to Value ratio can be set equal to ordinary gold loan mandated by RBI from time to time. During financial year gold bonds equivalent of 50 tonnes of gold would be issued. Since the amount, around crore rupees, is not very high, it can be accommodated within the market borrowing programme for Since these bonds are part of the sovereign borrowing, these would need to be within the fiscal deficit target for and onwards. COMMENT The announcement of Draft Outline of Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme is in tune with the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley s budget speech. Jaitley announced three major initiatives viz., Gold Monetisation Scheme, Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme and Indian Gold Coin to curb demand for physical gold there by reducing dependence on gold imports. Gold Monetisation Scheme (GMS), for which the draft outline was released, is intended to replace both the gold deposit and gold metal loan scheme and to allow depositors to earn interest on their gold metal accounts jewelers to obtain loans. Indian Gold Coin, which will carry the Ashok Chakra on its face, would help reduce the demand for gold coins and also help recycle the gold available in the country. SBI E-FOREX SBI eforex is the name of the online forex platform launched by State Bank of India (SBI) on 19 June 2015 that enables customers to book their foreign exchange transactions online. EXPLANATION: eforex is the name given to the Internet-based forex (foreign exchange) platform launched by the SBI that facilitates the customers of the bank to obtain forex rates without having to physically visit the branch and enable customers to book their foreign exchange transactions online. SBI eforex is also an innovative platform incorporating robust security features and is designed to be user-friendly, fast and convenient. It is a highly flexible product offering the facility to the customers to customise and set their own limits for deal size, daily transaction limits etc. SBIINTOUCH

110 SBI launches sbiintouch India s largest lender, State Bank of India (SBI) has launched contact-less credit and debit cards sbiintouch. sbiintouch is based upon latest near-field technology (NFC) that enables customer to transact using the card by just tapping or waving it against the reader of the point-of-sale machine Cards incorporated with NFC technology are secure and hassle-free. SBI is also proving a fraud liability cover of 1 lakh rupees on these cards. With this, SBI has joined league of private lenders like ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank. It should be noted that ICICI bank was first to introduce contact-less credit and debit cards in India. RBI rules on contact-less credit and debit cards Presently, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) allows banks to enable transactions in case of contactless cards up to Rs. 2,000 without the requiring a separate PIN authentication. But incase of amounts higher, banks should provide customers with an option of contact payment and pin authentication requirement. PPP MODE OF INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT Union government has constituted a 10-member committee to review and revitalise public private partnership (PPP) mode of infrastructure development. The committee will be chaired by former finance secretary Vijay Kelkar and submit its report within a period of 3 months from the date of its Constitution. Members of Committee: C.S. Rajan, Dr. Shekhar Shah, S.B. Nayar, Pradeep Kumar, Vikram Limaye, Sudipto Sarkar, P.S. Behuria, Sharmila Chavaly, Representative of Ministry of Road Transport & Highways. TERMS OF REFERENCE OF THE COMMITTEE Review of the experience of PPP Policy. It will also include the variations in contents of contracts and difficulties experienced with particular conditions. Suggest optimal risk sharing mechanism by analyzing risks involved in PPP projects in different sectors. It will also look into existing framework of sharing of such risks between the Government and project developer. Propose design modifications to the contractual arrangements of the PPP based on best international practices and in correspondence with our institutional context. Suggest measure to Government in order to improve capacity building for effective implementation of the PPP projects.

111 For firming-up its recommendations, the Committee may consult various stake holders in the different sectors including private, government sector, legal experts, banking and financial institutions and academia. BACKGROUND Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his budget speech of February 2015 had announced that the PPP mode of infrastructure development has to be revitalized and revisited in which the major issue involved is rebalancing of risk. MOTHERS INDEX India ranked 140th in 2015 Mothers Index Share on share on facebookshare on twittershare on printshare on google May 7, 2015No comments In recently released 2015 Mother s Index in the State of the World s Mothers (SOWM) report titled The Urban Disadvantage, India was placed at 140th position out of 179 countries. The report prepared by Save the Children and was launched by Union Minority Affairs Minister Najma Heptulla in New Delhi. KEY FACTS FROM THE REPORT Top 5 countries as per 2015 Mother s Index: Norway (1st), Finland (2nd), Iceland (3rd), Denmark (4th) and Swedan (5th). Bottom 10 countries: Niger (175th), Mali (176th), Central African Republic (177th), Congo (178th) and Somalia (179th). The report has noted that the growing number of slums in the world is main cause for the urban rich-poor gap and reducing urban under-5 mortality. In the slums, high child death rates are rooted to conditions that are related to disadvantage, deprivation and discrimination. WITH REFERENCE TO INDIA India is among the 10 countries in the world that have the greatest survival divide between wealthy and poor urban children.

112 In case of India, the 29 per cent of the urban population living in slums. Children s among this urban poor population is 3.2 times likely to die by the age of 5 compared to the urban rich population. ABOUT MOTHER S INDEX The Mother s Index scores countries on five parameters. They are maternal health, children s well-being (measured as under-5 mortality rate), economic status, educational status and political status. WORLD HUNGER LIST According to recently released United Nations (UN) annual hunger report titled The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2015, India was placed at top in the World Hunger list. The report has mentioned that India is home to the highest number of hungry people in the world with around 194 million people, surpassing China. The report was published by UN subsidiary body Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). KEY FACTS FROM REPORT Top ten countries: India (194.6), China (133.8), Pakistan (41.4), Ethiopia (31.6), Bangladesh (26.3), Indonesia (19.4), Tanzania (16.8), Philippines (13.7), Nigeria (12.9) and North Korea (10.5). Note: (population is million). At global level: The corresponding figures have dropped to 795 million in compared to 1 billion in In this case with East Asia led by China accounted for most of the reductions. India: It has shown reduction between 15 years timespan form 1990 to In , in Indian those who were starved of food were numbered around million. It came down to million in India s numerous social programmes and schemes have made great strides in reducing the proportion of food insecure persons in the overall population. These schemes are expected to continue to fight hunger and poverty. China: It was able to achieve reduction in the number of hungry people which was much higher than in India.

113 China s figures came down to million in compared to 289 million in Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target: 72 out of 129 countries monitored by FAO have achieved the MDG target of halving the prevalence of undernourishment by The overall analysis of the report had suggested that inclusive economic growth, social protection and agricultural investments along with political stability has played important role in eradication of hunger. RUPAY PLATINUM DEBIT CARD India s largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) has launched a RuPay Platinum debit card in association with National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI). The card initially would be issued free to customers maintaining a quarterly balance of 50,000 rupees. For the convenience of customers, this card has a special feature which is accepted at all payment channels including ATMs, point-of-sale (PoS) and ecommerce. RuPay Platinum debit card holders will also get additional benefits like 5 per cent cash back on utility bill, complimentary concierge services, personal accident death and permanent total disability insurance cover of Rs 2 lakh, complimentary airport lounge. It should be noted that, presently SBI has 19.7 crore debit cards in circulation. Of this total debit cards in circulation, 4.5 crore are RuPay cards. 16TH EDITION OF THE INTERNATIONAL INDIAN FILM ACADEMY (IIFA) 16th edition of the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) informally known as the Bollywood Oscars, was held in Malaysia. The award ceremony was held in Putra Indoor Stadium Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The 2015 IIFA Awards honoured the best films of 2014 and the ceremony took place from June 05 to 07, Haider was awarded the most awards (09). WINNERS POPULAR AWARDS Best Film: Queen. Best Director: Rajkumar Hirani PK. Best Actor In A Leading Role: Shahid Kapoor Haider as Haider Meer.

114 Best Actress In A Leading Role: Kangana Ranaut Queen as Rani Mehra. Best Actor In A Supporting Role: Riteish Deshmukh Ek Villain as Rakesh Mahadkar. Best Actress In A Supporting Role: Tabu Haider as Ghazala Meer. Male Debutant Star: Tiger Shroff Heropanti as Bablu. Female Debutant Star: Kriti Sanon Heropanti as Dimpy. Best Performance In A Comic Role: Varun Dhawan Main Tera Hero as Seenu. Best Performance In A Negative Role: Kay Kay Menon Haider as Khurram Meer. Best Story: Vikas Bahl, Chaitally Parmar, Parveez Shaikh- Queen. SPECIAL AWARDS IIFA Award for Outstanding Achievement in International Cinema: Subhash Ghai. IIFA Award for Entertainer of the Year: Deepika Padukone MUSICAL AWARDS Best Music Direction: 2 States Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. Best Lyrics: Galliyan from Ek Villain Manoj Muntashir. Best Male Playback Singer: Ankit Tiwari for Galliyan Ek Villain. Best Female Playback Singer: Kanika Kapoor for Baby Doll Ragini MMS 2. Best Sound Design: Shajith Koyeri Haider. Best Background Score: Vishal Bhardwaj Haider. TECHNICAL AWARDS Best Action: Parvez Shaikh & Andy Armstrong Bang Bang.

115 Best Special Effects: Reupal Rawal (Prime Focus) Kick. Best Choreography: Ahmed Khan Kick. Best Cinematography: Binod Pradhan 2 States. Best Costume Design: Dolly Ahluwalia Haider. Best Dialogue: Abhijat Joshi & Rajkumar Hirani PK. Best Editing: Anurag Kashyap & Abhijit Kokate Queen. Best Makeup: Preetisheel Singh & Clover Wootton Haider. Best Production Design: Subrata Chakraborty & Amit Ray Haider. Best Screenplay: Vikas Bahl, Chaitally Parmar & Parveez Shaikh Queen. Best Sound Mixing: Debajit Changmai Haider. Best Sound Recording: Eric Pillai for Galliyan Ek Villain. FRENCH OPEN MEN S SINGLES TITLE Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland won his first French Open Men s single title of Tennis. In the final match he defeated Novak Djokovic of Serbia by 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 score. It his first his first French Open title second grand slam title after Australian Open This victory also makes him only the second Swiss to win French Open mens single title after Roger Federer. WOMEN S SINGLES TITLE Serena Williams of United States won French Open women s single title. In the final match she defeated Lucie Safarova of Czechoslovakia by (2) 6-2 score. This was her third French Open title (earlier she had won in 2002, 2013) and overall 20th Grand Slam title. MEN S DOUBLES TITLE Ivan Dodig (Croatia) and Marcelo Melo (Brazil)

116 Ivan Dodig (Croatia) and Marcelo Melo (Brazil) pair won Men s Doubles Title. In the final match they defeated Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan pair from US by 6 7(5 7), 7 6(7 5), 7 5 score. WOMEN S DOUBLES TITLE Lucie Šafářová (Czech Republic) and Bethanie Mattek-Sands (US) Bethanie Mattek-Sands (US) and Lucie Šafářová (Czech Republic) won Women s Doubles Title. In the match they defeated Casey Dellacqua (Australia) and Yaroslava Shvedova (Kazakhstan) pair by 3 6, 6 4, 6 2 score. MIXED DOUBLES TITLE Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Mike Bryan pair from United States won Mixed Doubles Title. In the final match they defeated Lucie Hradecká (Czech Republic) and Marcin Matkowski (Poland) pair by 7 6(7 3), 6 1 score. BIBEK DEBROY COMMITTEE ON RAILWAY RESTRUCTURING A committee headed by Bibek Debroy, vice-chairman of National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog, presented its final report to the Rail Ministry on 12 June The Debroy Committee was constituted in September 2014 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the objective of recommending ways to restructure the railways and make the resources at its disposal more valuable. The final report of the committee has recommended some radical measures to improve the railways. IMPORTANT RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE BIBEK DEBROY COMMITTEE 1. PASSENGER OPERATIONS The committee has recommended the entry of private players to run passenger trains. However, that doesn t mean that they will also manage the tracks. The track management will be taken care of by a separate company working under the railways ministry s fold. But the railways will have to handle private trains competing among themselves, and also with its own trains, to attract passengers. While there was talk of private sector role in freight, this is the first time a move is being made to bring it in the running of passenger trains. Apart from this the committee has also supported the entry of private companies in operation and maintenance of railways. 2. INDEPENDENT REGULATOR The committee recommended the setting up of a Railway Regulatory Authority of India (RRAI) with a separate budget and independent of the railway ministry. The regulator, as envisioned by the committee,

117 would be independent of the rail ministry and have quasi-judicial powers with the function of tariff regulation, safety regulation, fair access regulation, service standard regulation and licensing and setting technical standards. 3. RAILWAY BUDGET The panel has also suggested the scrapping of a separate railway budget. The committee felt that Railways was just another public sector company. The concept of separate railway budget is seen as British colonial legacy which has lingered on for decades. This would also that by not having separate budget it would be easier to segregate the railways social responsibility (subsidizing passenger fares) from its operational finances. This would, in effect, result in the central government showing the subsidies on railway fares in the general budget and the state governments will have to bear their part for sub-urban trains. 4. EMPLOYING COMMERCIAL ACCOUNTING TECHNIQUES An important recommendation has been given with regard to switching over to commercial accounting of railway functions, corporatization of railways production units and involving private sector in manufacturing coaches, wagons and locomotives. It is worth mentioning that till now the railway had focussed on expenditure accounting to gauge operational efficiency. 5. NON-CORE OPERATIONS The committee has backed the idea of separating the Railways unremunerative activities, such as running schools, hospital, stadia, catering, real estate development and its huge security set up, RPF, from the core business of the railways. The railways run some of the biggest hospitals and schools across the country. 6. ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE Commenting on the organizational structure of the railways, the committee has said that it has become an overly centralized and hierarchical organization. Its departments worked in separate silos and that has adversely affected the work culture. The panel suggested rewriting of some of its staffing rules in order to attract outside talent and restructure the house along business units for ushering in efficiency. The committee noted that the silo structures of the eight Group A services within railways has led to departmentalism which has snapped the spirit of team work. He has suggested two feasible options for addressing the issue: amalgamation of all existing services into a single unified Railways Service or merging the eight services into two separate services Indian railways Technical Service and Indian Railways Logistics Service. The committee has recommended the second option. 7. PRIVATE PARTICIPATION

118 The committee stressed that it was not recommending privatization (in the sense of sale of equity) of the railways. The committee noted that private sector participation in railways has been muted when compared to other sectors such as ports, telecom, airports and roads. It found that one of the main reasons was that the same organization dealt with the three prime functions policy making, regulatory functions and operation. 8. SPEEDY COMPLETION OF PROJECTS For speedier execution of projects and to cut time and cost run, the committee suggested that construction organizations working at zonal railways must be brought under the umbrella of one or more PSUs such as RVNL, IRCON etc. It has also strongly recommended decentralisation of decision-making to empower divisional and zonal railway managers. WHAT IS THE ATTITUDE OF RAILWAY UNIONS TOWARDS THE REPORT OF DEBROY COMMITTEE? Bibek Debroy committee s recommendation to allow private players in Railways has met with strong opposition from employees union. The All India Railway Federation on 12 June announced its decision to observe black day on 30 June 2015 all over the country by wearing black badges. On its part, the committee observed that said it is not recommending privatisation of Railways by means of sale of equity but endorses private entry with the provision of an independent regulator. FULL NAME OF THE COMMITTEE Committee for Mobilization of Resources for Major Railway Projects and Restructuring of Railway Ministry and Railway Board Chairman of the Committee: Bibek Debroy (Vice-Chairman, NITI Aayog) Other 7 members of the Committee: K M Chandrasekhar (Former Cabinet Secretary) Ravi Narain (Former MD National Stock Exchange) Gurcharan Das (Former CMD Proctor and Gamble) R. Kashyap (Former Financial Commissioner, Railways) Partha Mukhopadhyay (Senior Fellow, Centre for Policy research) Ajay Tyagi (Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs)

119 Ajay Narayan Jha (Additional Secretary, Department of Expenditure) G7 GERMANY 2015 The 2-day Summit of G7 countries started on 7 June This summit is being held at Schloss Elmau (Germany). Schloss Elmau is a luxury hotel in the state of Bavaria in South Germany. It is site of the 41st Summit of G7 countries from 7 to 8 June G7 is the group of seven major advanced economies of the world and includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Apart from these 7 countries, the President of the European Commission is a permanent member at all G7 summits. Russia has been excluded from, what was previously known as the G8, since the annexation of Crimea last year. The G7 Summit 2015 in Schloss Elmau will focus on the global economy as well as on key issues regarding foreign, security and development policy. Additionally the UN conferences to be held in 2015 as well as the post-2015 agenda will be discussed. Russia is also a key subject of this summit over its role in support of Ukrainian rebels. AMRUT, SMART CITIES MISSION AND HOUSING FOR ALL (URBAN) SCHEMES LAUNCHED AMRUT & SMART CITIES MISSION Union Cabinet on 29 April 2015 approved the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) of 500 cities with an outlay of crore rupees over the next five years ( to ). Besides, the Cabinet also approved the Smart Cities Mission with an outlay of crore rupees. The two missions have twin objectives of meeting the challenges of growing urbanization in the country in a sustainable manner as well as ensuring the benefits of urban development to the poor through increased access to urban spaces and enhanced employment opportunities. (A) Main Features of AMRUT PURPOSE: To develop civic infrastructure in 500 cities and towns having population of one lakh and above. The mission also includes some cities situated on stems of main rivers, a few capital cities, important cities located in hilly areas, islands and tourist areas. Implementation: Implementation is linked to promotion of urban reforms such as e-governance, constitution of professional municipal cadre, credit rating of urban local bodies, energy and water audit and citizen-centric urban planning among others. In this regard, a reform matrix with timelines would be circulated by the Union Government to States in the Guidelines of the mission. APPROACH: The mission adopts a project based approach to ensure basic infrastructure services relating to water supply, sewerage, transport and development of green spaces among others. Funding: crore rupees will be spent under the mission over next five years. Central

120 assistance will be to the extent of 50 percent of project cost for cities and towns with a population of up to 10 lakh and one-third of the project cost for those with a population of above 10 lakh. Central assistance will be released in three installments in the ratio of 20:40:40 based on achievement of milestones indicated in SAAPs. 10 percent of budget allocation will be given to States/Union Territories (UTs) as an incentive based on achievement of reforms during the previous year. FEATURES OF SMART CITIES MISSION PURPOSE: To build 100 smart cities across the country by promoting smart solutions for efficient use of available assets, resources and infrastructure with the objective of enhancing the quality of urban life and providing a clean and sustainable environment. Focus: The focus of the mission will be on core infrastructure services like Adequate and clean Water supply, Sanitation and Solid Waste Management, Efficient Urban Mobility and Public Transportation, Affordable housing for the poor, power supply, robust IT connectivity, Governance, especially e-governance and citizen participation, safety and security of citizens, health and education and sustainable urban environment. FUNDING: While, each selected city would get central assistance of 100 crore rupees per year for five years a cumulative amount of crore rupees allocated for the mission Implementation: Smart City Action Plans will be implemented by Special Purpose Vehicles (SPV) to be created for each city and state governments will ensure steady stream of resources for SPVs. How AMRUT differs from Smart Cities Mission? Though the two missions are interrelated in the sense that AMRUT seeks to lay a foundation to enable smaller cities and towns to eventually grow into smart cities, they differ in the following ways: While Smart Cities Mission focuses on a select larger urban areas, the AMRUT mission is intended to improve infrastructure in small cities having population of one lakh and above and towns of special importance only. While Smart Cities Mission adopts area based approach focusing on improving amenities in a specific area of a larger city, the AMRUT mission adopts functional based approach focusing on improving the delivery of services in the designated towns and smaller cities. HOUSING FOR ALL BY 2022 MISSION The Union Cabinet on 17 June 2015 gave its approval for Housing for All by 2022 Mission aimed at providing housing facilities to all eligible people in urban areas by It will be implemented as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme and the States and Union Territories (UTs) are given greater autonomy in execution of the mission. BROAD COMPONENTS OF HOUSING FOR ALL BY 2022 MISSION

121 It has four components viz., slum rehabilitation, credit linked interest subsidy, affordable housing and beneficiary-led individual house construction or enhancement. States and Union Territories (UTs) can choose best options amongst four components of the mission to meet the demand of housing in their states. The process of project formulation and approval in accordance with Mission Guidelines would be left to the States, so that projects can be formulated, approved and implemented faster. Under the Slum rehabilitation component Union Government will provide grant of one lakh rupees per house. A State Government would have flexibility in deploying this slum rehabilitation grant to any slum rehabilitation project taken for development using land as a resource for providing houses to slum dwellers. Under the Credit Linked Interest Subsidy component interest subsidy of 6.5 percent on housing loans availed up to a tenure of 15 years will be provided to Economically Weaker Sections/ Lower Income Group (EWS/LIG) categories, wherein the subsidy pay-out on Net Present Value (NPV) basis would be about 2.3 lakh rupees per house for both the categories. Central assistance at the rate of 1.5 lakh rupees per house for EWS category will be provided under Affordable housing component in partnership with public and private sectors and Beneficiary-led individual house construction or enhancement. State Government or their para statals like Housing Boards can take up project of affordable housing to avail the Central Government grant. MAN BOOKER INTERNATIONAL PRIZE 2015 Hungarian writer Laszlo Krasznahorkai has won the prestigious Man Booker International Prize for He was chosen from a list of 10 contenders from around the world. ABOUT LASZLO KRASZNAHORKAI Laszlo Krasznahorkai was born in 1954 Gyula, Hungary. He had gained recognition in 1985 after he had published his debut novel Satantango, which he adapted for the big screen in Krasznahorkai s other famous novels are The Melancholy of Resistance (1989), War and War (1999), Seiobo There Below (2008). AWARDS AND HONOURS: In 1993, he was awarded Bestenliste-Prize of Germany for his novel The Melancholy of Resistanc.

122 In 2004, he was awarded with most prestigious cultural award in Hungary- The Kossuth Prize. ABOUT MAN BOOKER INTERNATIONAL PRIZE The prize, worth 60,000, recognizes an authors s achievement in fiction. It is a biennial award, bestowed upon a living author who has published fiction either originally in English or whose work is available in translation in the English language. The prize is sponsored by Man Group plc, which also sponsors the Man Booker Prize for Fiction. Unlike the UK Man Booker Prize for Fiction, publishers cannot submit authors works for consideration. The Prize is significantly different in that it highlights one writer s overall contribution to fiction on the world stage. The judges, who solely decide the winner, consider a writer s body of work rather than a single novel. DAG HAMMARSKJOLD MEDAL Two Indian peacekeepers have been chosen posthumously for United Nation s Dag Hammarskjold Medal. They are Lance Naik Nand Ram and Raju Joseph. Both of them are among the 126 police, military and civilian personnel who have been posthumously awarded a prestigious UN medal. They have been chosen for this award for their courage and sacrifice while serving in UN peacekeeping operations in 2014 and lost their lives as a result of hostile acts, accidents and disease. They will be presented with this medal on May 29, 2015 i.e. on the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers. Lance Naik Nand Ram had served with the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). While, Raju Joseph had served in a civilian capacity with the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). ABOUT DAG HAMMARSKJOLD MEDAL Established in December 2000.

123 Awarded posthumously to members of peacekeeping operations who lost their lives during service with a peacekeeping operation under the operational control and authority of the United Nations. Named after second UN Secretary General and Swedish diplomat Dag Hammarskjold (In office: from 1953 to 1961). Hammarskjold had died in a mysterious plane crash in He was posthumously awarded Nobel Peace Prize the year he died (exceptional case). In 2014, eight Indian soldiers had posthumously received the medal. IPL Mumbai Indians (MI) on 24 May 2015 won the eight edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2015 by defeating Chennai Super Kings (CSK). In the final match played at Eden Gardens, Kolkata they defeated CSK by 41 runs. CSK had won the toss in final summit had chosen bowl first. MI by batting first had set the target of 202 to their opponent team. However the CSK failed to reach the target score. This is the second IPL title triumph for MI after their maiden win in the season six in It should be noted that Chennai has now lost four finals of 2008, 2012, 2013, 2015 in six appearances and had won in 2011 and 2012 IPL seasons. Brief score: MI in 20.0 Overs (Lendl Simmons 68, Rohit Sharma 50, Dwayne Bravo 2-36) beat CSK in 20.0 Overs (Dwayne Smith 57, Mitchell McClenaghan 3-25). MAN OF THE MATCH: ROHIT SHARMA. CAPTAINS OF THE TWO TEAMS Mumbai Indains: Rohit Sharma Chennai Super Kings: Mahendra Singh Dhoni OTHER HIGHLIGHTS OF IPL 2015 Player of the Tournament: Andre Russell (KKR) Orange Cap awarded to: David Warner (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

124 Purple Cap awarded to: Dwayne Bravo (CSK) Emerging Player of the Season: Shreyas Iyer (Delhi Daredevils) Most Valuable Player: Andre Russell (KKR) ABOUT MUMBAI INDIANS Mumbai Indians (MI) is owned by India s biggest conglomerate, Reliance Industries led by Mukesh Ambani through its 100% subsidiary IndiaWin Sports. Ownership of MI: IndiaWin Sports Pvt Ltd (Stake: 98.3%), Teesta Retail Pvt Ltd. (Stake: 1.7%). PRADHAN MANTRI SURAKSHA BIMA YOJANA (PMSBY) It is an Accident Insurance Scheme (AIS) offering death and disability cover on account of an accident. KEY FEATURES OF PRADHAN MANTRI SURAKSHA BIMA YOJANA (PMSBY) It provides for the risk coverage of 2 lakh rupees for accidental death and full disability and 1 lakh rupees for partial disability due to an accident. It is available to people in the age group of 18 to 70 years having a savings bank account. The coverage period is of one year duration starting from 1 June to 31 March of the succeeding year. A premium of 12 rupees per annum is paid by the subscriber which will be deducted from the account holder s savings bank account through auto debit facility in one installment on or before 1 June of each annual coverage period. The product will be offered by Public Sector General Insurance Companies (PSGICs) and other General Insurance companies willing to offer the product on similar terms with necessary approvals and tie up with banks for this purpose. PRADHAN MANTRI JEEVAN JYOTI BIMA YOJANA (PMJJBY) PM Narendra Modi on 9 May 2015 launched Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) in Kolkata, West Bengal. The scheme is intended to provide for life insurance cover to the eligible subscribers.

125 KEY FEATURES OF PMJJBY It provides for an annual life insurance of 2 lakh rupees and covers death due to any reason. A premium of 330 rupees per annum is paid by the subscribers to enroll in the scheme. People in the age group of 18 to 50 years having a bank account are eligible to join the scheme. It will be administered through Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) and other Life Insurance companies willing to offer the product on similar terms with necessary approvals and tie ups with banks for this purpose. The coverage period is of one year duration starting from 1 June to 31 March of the succeding year. The Union Government will spend 50 crore rupees per annum between 2015 and 2020 for creating awareness about the PMJJBY and thepradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) launched on the same day to provide insurance cover for disabilities due to accidents. JOINT PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE ON LAND BILL The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to look into the clauses and provisions of the controversial land acquisition bill was constituted on 18 May The JPC comprises of 30 members of Indian Parliament, which will include 20 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 members of the Rajya Sabha. The JPC will submit its report on the first day of the monsoon session. The JPC was constituted by the Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, who also appointed its Chairman. JPC TO BE HEADED BY S.S. AHLUWALIA The JPC on Land Bill will be headed by senior BJP leader S.S. Ahluwalia. Ahluwalia is a former Union Minister and a Lok Sabha member from Darjeeling in West Bengal. OTHER PROMINENT MEMBERS IN THE JPC The 20 members of the Lok Sabha who are on the joint committee include K.V. Thomas, Rajiv Satav (both Congress), Anand Rao Adsul (Shiv Sena), Kalyan Banerjee (Trinamool Congress), B. Mahtab (BJD), Mohammad Salim (CPI-M), Chirag Paswan (LJP) and Udit Raj, Anurag Thakur and Ganesh Singh (all BJP). The 10 Rajya Sabha members in the committee include Ram Narain Dudi (BJP), Jairam Ramesh, Panna Lal Punia, Digvijay Singh (all Congress), Ram Gopal Yadav (SP), Sharad Yadav (JD-U), Sharad Pawar (NCP), Derek O Brien (TMC) and Rajpal Singh Saini (BSP).

126 WHY THE JPC ON LAND BILL CONSTITUTED? The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on Land Bill was constituted primarily to chalk out differences between the ruling BJP coalition and the opposition on the supposedly controversial clauses in the land acquisition bill being proposed by the govt. It is worth mentioning that apart from the main opposition parties like Congress, Trinammol Congress, CPM, SP, etc., even some members of the ruling NDA coalition like the Shiv Sena and the Swabhimani Paksha are opposing the land acquisition bill. The Congress and the Left parties have been specially targeting the Modi dispensation as anti-farmer and procorporate. ALL ABOUT LAND ACQUISITION BILLS Currently land acquisition is governed by the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 which came into force on 1 January Prior to this, the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 governed land acquisition. The so-called controversial land bill is the one which is named the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Second Amendment) Bill, 2015 and was introduced in the Lok Sabha by the Minister for Rural Development, Birender Singh on 11 May The Bill proposes to amend the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, The Bill also proposes to replace the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Amendment) Ordinance, 2015 which is to lapse on 4 June ABBREVIATIONS ADG- Additional Director General AFS Available For Sale AFSPA- Armed Forces Special Powers Act AIR - Assumed Interest Rate ALM- Asset Liability Management APR - Annual Percentage Rate APY- Atal Pension Yojana

127 ARM - Adjustable Rate Mortgage ASSOCHAM- Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India ATM Asynchronous Transfer Mode AYUSH - Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy BCSBI- Banking Codes and Standards Board of India BOE- Bill of Exchange BSCS- Basel Committee on Banking Supervision CAG -Controller and Auditor General of India CAGR - Compound annual growth rate CAO - Chief Accounting Officer CAPEX - Capital Expenditures CAR- Capital Adequacy Ratio CCEA- Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs CCEA- Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs CD - Certificate of Deposit CFA - Chartered Financial Analyst CFM - Certified Financial Manager CFO - Chief Financial Officer CIA - Certified Internal Auditor CIBIL- Credit Information Bureau of India Limited CISA - Certified Information Systems Auditor CLND- Civil Liability for Nuclear Damages

128 CMA - Certified Management Accountant CMO - Chief Marketing Officer COB - Close of Business COO - Chief Operating Officer CPA - Certified Public Accountant CPP - Certified Payroll Professional CSO - Chief Security Officer CTO - Chief Technology Officer DD -Demand Draft DRDO- Defence Research and Development Organisation DSCR- Debt Service Coverage Ratio EFT - Electronic Funds Transfer EPS - Earnings per share ETF - Exchange Traded Funds EXIM bank- Export and Import Bank of India FAO- Food and Agriculture Organisation FCNR- Foreign Currency Non Resident Deposit Accounts FDI Foreign Direct Investment FDIC - Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation FIFA- Federation International Football Association FOREX - Foreign Exchange FRB - Federal Reserve Board

129 GDP Gross Domestic Product GIC- General Insurance Corporation of India GMS- Gold Monetization Scheme GNP - Gross National Product GSM- Gold Monetisation Scheme GST- Goods and Services Tax I&B- Information and Broadcasting (I&B) ICICI =Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India ICRA- Investment Information and Credit Rating Agency of India Limited IFCI -Industrial Finance Corporation of India IFSC - International Financial Services Centre INR- Indian Rupee IRA - Individual Retirement Account IRDA- Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority IRDA- Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India IREDA- Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited IRENA- International Renewable Energy Agency ISO International Standards Organization ISSF- International Shooting Sport Federation JNNSM- Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission KCC- Kisan Credit Card KYC- Know Your Customer

130 LAMPS- Large Sized Adivasi Multipurpose Societies LIC- Life Insurance Corporation of India LLC - Limited Liability Company LOI - Letter Of Intent MCA- Ministry Of Company Affairs MERS- Middle East Respiratory Syndrome virus MGNREGA- Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act MMKT - Money Market MNP- Mobile Number Portability MOTR- Multi-Object Tracking Radar MTD - Month-to-Date NABARD- National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development NAPs- Non Performing Assets (NPA) NASSCOM- National Association of Software and Services Companies NAV - Net Asset Value NAV - Net Asset Value NBFC- Non Banking Finance Companies NBFC- Non Banking Finance Companies NCDEX- National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange NCND - Non-Circumvent and Non-Disclosure NDA - Non-Disclosure Agreement NEFT- National Electronic Fund Transfer

131 NHB National Housing Bank NIP- Nuclear Insurance Pool NPV- Net Present Value NRI- Non Resident Indian NRI- Non-Resident Indians NSE- National Stock Exchange NTPC- National Thermal Power Corporation Limited NYSE - New York Stock Exchange OCAS- Online Customer Acquisition Solution OCIs- Overseas Citizens of India OPCW- Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons P&L - Profit and Loss P/E - Price-to-earnings ratio PIOs- Persons of Indian Origin PMJJBY- Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana PMSBY- Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana PPP- Public Private Partnership PSP - Profit Sharing Plan QTD - Quarter-to-Date RBI- Reserve Bank of India REIT - Real Estate Investment Trust REITs- Real Estate Investment Trusts

132 ROA - Return on assets ROCE - Return On Capital Employed ROE - Return on Equity ROI - Return on Investment ROIC - Return on Invested Capital RONA - Return on net assets ROS - Return on Sales RTGS- Real Time Gross Settlement SDR- Strategic Debt Restructuring SDRF - State Disaster Response Fund SEBI- Securities and Exchange Board of India SEBI- Securities and Exchange Board of India SEC - Securities Exchange Commission SECI- Solar Energy Corporation of India SHG- Self Help Group SIDBI- Small Industries Development Bank of India SIV - Structured Investment Vehicle SLR- Statutory Liquidity Ratio SME- Small and Medium Industries SMEs- Small and Medium Enterprises TSA - Tax-Sheltered Annuity TSR - Total Shareholder Return

133 UNSC- United Nations Security Council USD US Dollars WC - Working capital YTD - Year-to-date YTM - Yield To Maturity WNTD- World No-Tobacco Day UNION MINISTERS CABINET MINISTRS MINISTRY "Prime Minister NAME Narendra Modi Ministry for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Department of Atomic Energy Department of Space Ministry of Home Affairs Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs Rajnath Singh Sushma Swaraj Ministry for Finance, Corporate Affairs and Information and Broadcasting Ministry of Defence Ministry of Railways Arun Jaitley Manohar Parrikar Suresh Prabhu

134 "Ministry of Urban Development Venkaiah Naidu Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs" Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Ministry of Shipping Ministry of Law and Justice Ministry of Water Resources, Nitin Jairam Gadkari D.V. Sadananda Gowda Uma Bharati River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Ministry of Minority Affairs "Ministry of Rural Development Najma Heptulla "Birender Singh Ministry of Panchayati Raj Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Ministry of Women and Child Development Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers Ministry of Communications and Information Technology Ministry of Civil Aviation Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Ministry of Food Processing Industries Ministry of Mines, Ministry of Steel Ministry of Labour and Employment Ministry of Tribal Affairs Ram Vilas Paswan Kalraj Mishra Maneka Gandhi Ananth Kumar Ravi Shankar Prasad Ashok Gajapathi Raju Pusapati Anant Geete Harsimrat Kaur Badal Narendra Singh Tomar Bandaru Dattatreya Jual Oram

135 Ministry of Agriculture Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry of Human Resource Development Ministry of Science and Technology Ministry Of Health and Family Welfare Radha Mohan Singh Thawar Chand Gehlot Smriti Irani Harsh Vardhan Jagat Prakash Nadda MINISTERS OF STATE MINISTRY Labour and Employment Petroleum and Natural Gas Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises Chemicals & Fertilizers Finance Development of North Eastern Region, NAME Bandaru Dattatreya Dharmendra Pradhan G. M. Siddeshwara Giriraj Singh Ravi Anand Jayant Sinha Jitendra Singh Prime Ministry's Office, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Home Affairs Social Justice & Empowerment Panchayati Raj Commerce and Industry Kiren Rijiju Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary Krishan Pal Nihalchand Nirmala Sitharaman

136 Culture, Tourism, Civil Aviation Railways Tribal Affairs Agriculture Minority Affairs, Parliamentary Affairs Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Mahesh Sharma Manoj Sinha Mansukhbhai Dhanjibhai Vasava Mohanbhai Kalyanjibhai Kundariya Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi Prakash Javadekar Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy Road Transport & Highways, Shipping Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Parliamentary Affairs Information & Broadcasting Drinking Water & Sanitation Human Resource Development Planning, Defence Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Food Processing Industries Agriculture Textiles Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation Youth Affairs and Sports AAYUSH, Health & Family Welfare Rural Development Piyush Goyal P. Radhakrishnan Rajiv Pratap Rudy Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore Ram Kripal Yadav Ram Shankar Katheria Rao Inderjit Singh Raosaheb Dadarao Danve Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti Sanjeev Kumar Balyan Santosh Gangwar Sanwar Lal Jat Sarbananda Sonowal Shripad Yasso Naik Sudarshan Bhagat

137 Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Human Resource Development Statistics and Programme Implementation, Babul Supriyo Upendra Kushwaha Vijay Kumar Singh External Affairs, Overseas Indian Social Justice & Empowerment Mines, Steel Science and Technology, Earth Science Vijay Sampla Vishnu Deo Sai Y. S. Chowdary