Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve 2

The Genesis
May 2017 Issue I
Current Affairs
Baahubali 2: Matchless 3

GD: Action against those behind use of human shield in Kashmir 4

GD: Removal of red beacons is mere symbolism 5

GD: Making Hindi compulsory in CBSE schools across India 6

India, States 8, 12

World 14

Sports 16

Economy, Corporate 18, 21

Cyber Buzz 26
Baahubali-2: 3
Science & Technology 27 Since Baahubali is a period
film, given our obsession with
People Indian mythology and
folklore, it had a certain
Faces: Vinod Khanna, Kasinadhuni Viswanath 7 universal appeal right from
the word go
Business Biography: Siddhartha Lal 20

Knowledge Corners
Book Reviews 28

Do you remember? 29

Corporate Knowledge Quiz 32

Point-Counterpoint 35 Group Discussion: 4

Reports of Army personnel
Crossword 36 using a young man as a
human shield in Jammu and
Sudoku 37 Kashmirs Budgam

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www.endeavorcareers.com May 2017 Issue I THE GENESIS

Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve
Baahubali 2: Matchless
Rajmoulis magnum opus has transcended the barriers of language and its grand success is way
above what Bollywood could have ever imagined
The unprecedented buzz surrounding SS Rajamoulis
Baahubali 2: The Conclusion turned out to be a tsunami at
the box-office on the first day of its release on April 28.
Its the first movie in recent years to earn the tag of a
national film and several reports suggest that it is
already the highest ever earning movie in the history of
Indian cinema.
Baahubali 2 has become a landmark film at the worldwide
box office, by collecting over Rs 1000 crore in just 10
days. Its Hindi version alone has crossed Rs 300 crore and
is racing towards Rs 400 crore a new record for a
Hindi film.
The epic historical fantasy film with spectacular sets and
dramatic scenes of war has enthralled viewers. Widely
touted as Indias answer to Game of Thrones, the success
of Baahubali 2 has taken the movie world by a storm.
Since Baahubali is a period film, given our obsession with
Indian mythology and folklore, it had a certain universal
appeal right from the word go. Set in the fictional
kingdom of Mahismati, Baahubali 2 has two
swashbuckling cousins in a dynastic war over the
kingdom. Expensive special effects and high value
production costs have turned the drama into a visual
spectacle unseen in Indian films.
The films dazzling special effects have also drawn
audiences to theatres, and are inviting comparisons to
Hollywoods best. The film has convincingly recreated
magical kingdoms, thrilling bull fights, breathtaking
flights across mountain peaks and gripping chases down
icy slopes.
Smart marketing has also helped. For the past few
months, Baahubali 2s publicity campaign revolved
around the theme of Why did Kattappa killed
Baahubali?. The question inspired several theories and
memes ever since Baahubali: The Beginning released,
and the constant buzz about the question ensured that
there was enough curiosity among people when it came to
awaiting Baahubali 2s release. In a way, it was one of the
reasons why people flocked to theatres. There was a
genuine desire to know the answer.
Since people were already aware of the film franchise, the
extensive marketing campaign for the film across the
country, along with news that its going to have the
www.endeavorcareers.com May 2017 Issue I
3
biggest ever release for any film, raised peoples
curiosity.
There has been a long-standing view that films from other
parts of the country are not given their due simply
because they do not belong to the glitz and glamour of
Bollywood.
For any South Indian filmmaker, to test the waters in
North Indian market has been risky business. Except for
the likes of Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Shankar, Mani
Ratnam and Priyadarshan very few South Indian
filmmakers and actors have made their mark in Hindi. SS
Rajamouli was a recent entrant to the list when his 2012
film Makkhi (Eega in Telugu) caught a lot of attention,
although it didnt quite do well at the box-office. But
Makkhi was Rajamoulis passport to become a noted
figure in Bollywood and soon, the success of Baahubali:
The Beginning in 2015 changed everything. Its all about
building credibility, if you are venturing into a new
market. It takes years of hard work and patience to make
inroads in a different area and Baahubali 2 team has
proved how to do that.
Its an open secret that when it comes to films featuring A
list actors, remuneration forms a large chunk of the films
budget. And more the budget, more is the price at which it
is sold to distributors which also increases the risk factor.
Although Baahubali 1 and 2 boasted of a budget of nearly
Rs 450 crores, it worked a little differently for the whole
team. Rajamouli and Prabhas are said to have settled for a
monthly salary throughout the making of the film to
ensure that most part was spent on production.
Savvy business owners are seeing an opportunity in all
the madness. Cinema halls have been festooned with his
posters and cut-outs. Gyms are offering a Baahubali
workout regime that promise the fabulous abs of the
leading male actors, whose famous hand-to-hand combat
in the thunderous climax had them baring their torsos.
And many female fans have been spotted at cinemas
dressed in Baahubali saris with prints of the hero and
heroine.
In truth, this is a mania that has swept all of India, north
and south alike, but for the southern Indian fans who feel
their film industry has played a subordinate role to
Bollywood for so long, this is a big moment. (Credits:
bbc.com, firstpost.com)
THE GENESIS
Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve
Group Discussion
Action against those behind use of human shield in Kashmir
FOR
Reports of Army personnel using a young man as a
human shield in Jammu and Kashmirs Budgam district
must not only invite a swift inquiry and justice, but also
compel the Army and the government to issue clear
statements on the unacceptability of this shocking
practice.
A short video clip that went viral recently showed a man
tied to the bonnet of an Army jeep being driven through
the streets, as it escorted election officials on polling day
in the Srinagar parliamentary constituency.
The man was subsequently been identified as Farooq Dar,
a 26-year-old who embroiders shawls, and the Army
personnel are said to belong to the 53 Rashtriya Rifles.
Dar, who had come to vote, says he was subjected to this
humiliation as the vehicle passed through 10 to 12
villages, while Army sources have been quoted as saying
it was for just about 100 metres. But such questions
relating to distance are hardly the issue. The larger point
here is that if he was indeed forcibly strapped on to the
bonnet, it amounts to an instance of gross human rights
violation, and must officially be called out in clear terms.
Human shields have often been used cynically by terrorist
organisations the Islamic State uses civilians as shields
in its battles, and the LTTE used them in the closing
stages of the civil war in Sri Lanka. To use a person as a
human shield is to abduct him, to hold him hostage, and
to potentially put him in harms way. The difficulties in
fighting a difficult war do not constitute a justification for
the use of human shields, which is categorised as a war
crime by the Geneva Conventions.
It is true that the polling in Srinagar was held in a hostile
environment, the abysmally low 7% turnout being a
reflection of local alienation as well as intimidation by
militants to keep people away from voting. But the
security bandobast was aimed precisely to reassure the
people and not to force an us vs them binary. The Army
must expedite the inquiry and act against the erring
personnel where warranted. Its response must also
publicly affirm its Code of Conduct vis--vis civilians,
which includes the clause, Violation of human rights
must be avoided under all circumstances, even at the cost
of operational success. To do any less would amount to
being a party to rights violations. (Credits: thehindu.com)
www.endeavorcareers.com May 2017 Issue I
4
AGAINST
On April 9, while polling was being held during
byelections in Kashmir Valley, Major Beetul Gogoi,
serving as a Company Commander with a battalion of the
Rashtriya Rifles, received an SOS call from the local
police to rescue the staff and police personnel of a polling
booth in Budgam district from a rampaging mob of stone
pelters. The officer led the Quick Reaction Team (QRT)
himself.
Gogoi was not only responsible for the safety of the
civilian staff and policemen whom he had rescued but his
own soldiers as well. He was also concerned over the fact
that the agitating Kashmiris should not suffer casualties.
As it is, by the time he had set out for the rescue mission,
several people had lost their lives in almost 200 clashes
with the police in election related violence since the day
began.
By any yardstick, anywhere in the world, it was an
incredibly extraordinary situation. Major Gogoi could not
afford to procrastinate as there was no time to lose. The
crowd was closing in. At such a time, a young officer in
the field has no one to fall back upon, no one whom he
can consult. He has only his training and instincts to go
by and his innate sense of doing the right thing. It was his
call to make.
As all these thoughts raced through Major Gogois mind
and he instinctively weighed the options, he maintained
his calm. On the spur of the moment, he decided to use a
Kashmiri voter as a shield to enable his convoy to get
through. The sight of a fellow Kashmiri on the bonnet
forced the frenzied crowd to stop pelting stones so as not
to hurt him.
As luck would have it, the idea worked. The angry mob
was taken by surprise and stood aside as the convoy
zipped through. It cannot be denied that Major Gogois
unusual approach averted a certain bloodbath and saved
many precious lives.
The security forces deployed in J&K for internal security
duties have performed exceedingly well under extremely
challenging and difficult circumstances. They have made
numerous sacrifices in the service of the nation. They
deserve our gratitude and encouragement, not our
condemnation. (Credits: www.thestatesman.com)
THE GENESIS
Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve
Group Discussion
Removal of red beacons is mere symbolism
FOR
The Centre has decided to drop the red beacon light from
official vehicles including that of top brass from 1 May,
ostensibly in a bid to end the very important person
(VIP). Many see the move as mere symbolism. While the
Cabinet decided to do away with the lal battis, which
perhaps is the easiest to drop, it overlooked a plethora of
practices that differentiate the VIP from the common
man. Symbolism is good, only it followed by substance.
For instance, if the red beacon can be shaved off the top
of VIP cars, why cant sirens, which blare noisily, be
curbed? And limits to two or three vehicles be put on the
motorcade of endless vehicles that accompany a VIP. The
government also needs to look at the practice of stopping
the traffic to allow VIPs free passage. Nobody is arguing
for scaling down of security, but it should be unobtrusive,
preferably invisible and, of course, effective.
The red beacon is not the only expression of power on the
move. Will VIP passengers be permitted to hold up
aircraft, which they are wont to board fashionably late?
Will they and their henchmen be allowed special access to
railway bookings?
If an equal society is Indias declared objective,
politicians and administrators should travel like ordinary
people. A number of small privileges will have to be
stripped to bring equity to a deeply classist society. VIPs
consider it below their dignity to submit themselves to
security checks. Ordinary citizens wait in queues at
airports but VIPs insist on a special right to passage.
Instances of legislators publicly insulting or slapping
officials found wanting in acknowledging their privileged
position are not uncommon. This is because those in a
position to discipline the delinquents choose not to act.
After his government pulled the beacon privileges, Prime
Minister Narendra Modi tweeted that every Indian is a
VIP. The beacon is just the tip of feudal perks that public
servants must surrender in a post-feudal republic.
Up and down the sarkari pecking order a message needs
to go out loud: You are not a superior being. Stand in
queues, carry your own baggage, dont throw tantrums at
toll plazas or manhandle airline workers, dont lord it
over the people you are paid to serve. Empower the
common citizen not yourselves, because that is your job.
www.endeavorcareers.com May 2017 Issue I
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AGAINST
From May 1, beacons would only be allowed on vehicles
providing emergency services like ambulances, fire
engines and police conveyances. What really needs to be
applauded in the governments decision is that no
exceptions were made, not even for President or PM or
CMs. Government articulated a considered opinion that
beacons as symbols of VIP culture have no place in a
democratic country.
The move is belated but wholly welcome in a country
where the VIP beacon had become a status symbol, a
bauble for politicians and administrators to aspire to. By
marking them apart from common people, it conferred
power out of proportion with their standing. The sight of
motorcades bright with red beacons, shouldering aside the
common herd on the roads, put the message across with
palpable force.
Indeed, the red beacon perpetuated, in democratic India,
the segregation of the ruler and the ruled, which was a
hallmark of colonial power. Historically, a noteworthy
example of segregationism was the demolition of a part of
Shahjahanabad in Delhi after the East India Companys
forces re-occupied the city following the rising of 1857.
The intention was to drive a wide wedge between the Red
Fort, which became the British citadel, from Chandni
Chowk and the rest of the city, separating the ruler and
the ruled. The red beacon is a distant descendant of the
same colonial policy, and has no place in a democracy.
The so-called dignitaries will no longer have the privilege
of announcing their exalted status on the road by sporting
beacons on their passenger vehicles. For this, the Central
Motor Vehicles Rules of 1989 are to be amended, so that
the Central and State governments lose the power to
nominate categories of persons for the red-beacon
distinction. As a symbol of an assault on Indias over-
reaching VIP culture, this is a good beginning. The
flashing red beacon has become so closely associated
with unchecked official power that in popular culture it is
often all that is depicted to establish a characters place in
the hierarchy. In fact, it is seen to be such a symbol of
arrival in the countrys power structure that at a workshop
for first-time MPs in 2009, one of the main demands
made was that cars with red beacons be allotted to them.
(Credits: hindustantimes.com, thehindu.com,
telegraphindia.com, indianexpress.com)
THE GENESIS
Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve
Group Discussion
Making Hindi compulsory in CBSE schools across India
FOR
President Pranab Mukherjee has given in principle
approval to a parliamentary panel recommendation asking
the HRD ministry to make credible efforts to make Hindi
a compulsory subject. Hindi should be compulsorily
taught in all CBSE schools and Kendriya Vidyalayas till
class 10, says the order dated March 31. The government
is yet to decide on its implementation but those opposed
to this idea have begun protesting. Calling promotion of
Hindi as divisive is unfair.
People adapt to languages and cultures according to their
needs. Some of the denizens of southern states, who once
opposed the forcible imposition of Hindi tooth and nail,
now send their children to Hindi tutorials for better job
prospects in the North. Dravidian parties are anachronistic
in their opposition to Hindi, as they are in several aspects
of social, economic and cultural life.
The Constitution, in 1950, declared Hindi to be the
official language of the Union, as well as English.
Parliamentary business, according to the Constitution,
may be conducted in either Hindi or English. The use of
English in parliamentary proceedings was to be phased
out at the end of 15 years unless Parliament chose to
extend its use, which Parliament did through the Official
Languages Act, 1963.
Dakshina Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha in Chennai was
formed in 1918 for propagation of the Hindi as a national
language and to promote integration the Hindi speaking
states of the North with the Southern states. The Sabha
has done stellar work in fulfilling its founding objective.
Hindi imbibes a sense of unity among citizens. Making
Hindi compulsory in CBSE schools across the country
will go a long way in making Hindi as the language of
national integration. Several other steps could be taken to
promote the language as a unifying force. NGOs should
be encouraged to promote Hindi. Hindi libraries need to
be strengthened and Hindi ebook libraries should be
started. Hindi should be made language of science,
management, medicine and technology. Necessary
software should be made available free to cost to people
to promote Hindi through computers. Foreign students
studying Hindi should be given generous scholarships and
hostel facilities when they come to India.
www.endeavorcareers.com May 2017 Issue I
6
AGAINST
The suggestion of Parliamentary Committee on Official
Language to make Hindi compulsory till Class X in all
CBSE schools has, expectedly, generated resentment in
the non-Hindi speaking states. M.K. Stalin, the working
president of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in Tamil
Nadu, has warned New Delhi against sowing the seeds
for another anti-Hindi agitation. The reference is to the
protests in 1965, against the proposed imposition of Hindi
as the sole official language.
Although the recommendation in its final form is to
introduce compulsory Hindi up to Class X in Hindi A
states (Rajasthan, MP, UP and Bihar) after consulting
them, it still means that students would have less choice.
In Classes IX and X, they would either have to study only
English and Hindi, or three languages of which two are
fixed. It is good to learn languages. But the States
approach is coercive: the privileging of one language over
others can only lead to division and resistance.
The original three-language formula was sensitive to the
countrys linguistic diversity. It envisaged teaching a
modern Indian language, preferably from south India,
apart from Hindi and English till standard eight in schools
in north India. But Hindi-speaking states have never had
more than a handful of schools with teachers who can
teach Malayalam, Kannada or Tamil or, for that
matter, Bengali or Marathi. Sanskrit and in some
cases, foreign languages has become the default third
language choice in most such schools. The move to make
Hindi compulsory till class 10 compounds this perversion
of the original three-language formula.
The order asks the HRD ministry to encourage
institutes that do not have Hindi departments to open
them. But that could be a politically fraught project in
some parts of the country. The wounds caused by the
turmoil over the language agitation in Tamil Nadu, for
instance, have long healed and the government should be
careful not to reopen them in parts of the country that
have a long history of resistance to the imposition of
Hindi. In any case, why must the state invest crores in
promoting Hindi in places where such an action is likely
to be seen as an imposition? Havent Bollywood and the
music industry proved far more adept ambassadors of the
language? (Credits: hindustantimes.com, thehindu.com,
telegraphindia.com, indianexpress.com)
THE GENESIS
Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve
Faces
Vinod Khanna
Vinod Khanna, actor and BJP Lok Sabha MP from
Gurdaspur (Punjab), died in
Mumbai on April 27 at 70.
He made his debut as a
villain in Mann Ka Meet in
1968. He continued to play
villainous and supportive
roles in his initial years -
with films such as Purab
Aur Paschim, Aan Milo
Sajna, Sachaa Jhutha and
Mera Gaon Mera Desh. Khanna, however, first made a
mark as Shyam in Gulzars 1971 film Mere Apne,
where he stood out as a disillusioned young man.
Khanna was one of the few Hindi actors who began by
playing villains and moved on to play the hero. He got his
first break as a hero in Hum Tum Aur Woh (1971).
But Khanna shocked his fans when, at the height of his
career, he left Bollywood to follow his spiritual guru,
Osho Rajneesh, to Oregon in the United States in 1982.
Although married with two children, Akshaye and Rahul
(both of whom are actors) he left his wife, Geetanjali, and
the sons, to be with Rajneesh. The marriage ended in
divorce in 1985.
He returned to Bollywood in 1987 and it did not take him
long to reclaim his position in the industry. A string of
hits followed including Insaaf and Dayavan.
In 1990, he married again - to Kavita, with whom, he had
a son, Sakshi, and a daughter, Shraddha.
The actor, who was born in a Punjabi family of textile
merchants in Peshawar in 1946, chose Punjab to make his
political debut in 1997 when he joined the BJP and was
elected from Gurdaspur constituency in Punjab in Lok
Sabha elections in 1998. In 1999, he was re-elected from
the same constituency. PM Atal Behari Vajpayee made
him Union Minister for Culture and Courism in July
2002. Six months later, he was moved to the Ministry of
External Affairs (MEA) as Minister of State. In 2004 he
won re-election from Gurdaspur. However, Khanna lost
out in the 2009 elections. In 2014 general election he was
again elected for 16th Lok Sabha from same constituency.
He won three Filmfare awards in his career. In 1975, he
won Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for Haath
www.endeavorcareers.com May 2017 Issue I
7
Ki Safai and in 1979 he again won the Filmfare Best
Supporting Actor for Muqaddar Ka Sikander. He
received Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999.
Till the very end, Khanna was active in Bollywood. His
last few memorable screen outings were in Salman
Khans Dabangg series and Shah Rukh Khans
Dilwale in 2015.
Kasinadhuni Viswanath
Renowned Film Director & Actor Kasinadhuni
Viswanath has won the
Dadasaheb Phalke Award for
the year 2016. The Award is
conferred by the Government
of India for outstanding
contribution to the growth and
development of Indian Cinema.
The Award consists of a Swarn
Kamal (Golden Lotus), a cash
prize of Rs. 10 lakhs and a
shawl. The Award was
conferred by the President at Vigyan Bhawan on May 3.
A presenter of classical and traditional art, music and
dance, K. Viswanath has been a guiding force in the
Indian film industry. As a director he has made fifty films
since 1965 known for their strong content, endearing
narrative, honest handling and cultural authenticity. His
films on wide range of social & human issues had great
appeal to the masses.
Viswanath was born in February 1930 at Gudivadain
Andhra Pradesh. An ardent art lover, he made a series of
films based on varied themes of art, music and dance. His
films empathized with courage and frailty, aspirations and
convictions, perseverance and distractions, social
demands and individual struggle and at the core believed
in the goodness of the human spirit.
His contributions have received recognition in the form of
Padma Shri Award in 1992 by the Government of India
for his contribution to film making. He has also been
awarded 5 National Awards, 20 Nandi Awards (awarded
by the State Government of Andhra Pradesh), 10 Filmfare
Awards including Lifetime Achievement Award. His
national award winning Swathi Muthyam was the
Indias official entry to the 59th Academy Awards in the
Best Foreign Film category. (Credits: pti.com, ndtv.com,
wikipedia.com)
THE GENESIS
Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve
Current Affairs: India
HAPPENINGS
Assembly bypoll results
Assembly bypoll results in 8 states were announced on
April 13, BJP won 5 seats out of 10 while Congress got 3
seats, one seat each went to Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and
Trinamool Congress. The bypoll Elections were held on
April 9. The results are as follows:
RAJASTHAN: The ruling Bharatiya Janata Partys
Shobha Rani Kushavah won the Dholpur seat.
DELHI: BJPs Manjinder Singh Sirsa won the Rajouri
Garden seat.
MADHYA PRADESH: Ater seat was won by Hemant
Katare of Congress while Bandhavgarh seat was won by
the BJPs Shivnarayan Singh.
HIMACHAL PRADESH: BJP candidate Anil Dhiman
won the Bhoranj seat in Hamirpur district. ASSAM:
BJP candidate Ranoj Pegu won Dhemaji seat.
KARNATAKA: Congress retained the Gundlupet as
well as Nanjangud seat. In Nanjangud, ruling party
candidate K. Keshavamurthy won while in Gundlupet,
Mohan Kumari Uruf alias Geetha won.
WEST BENGAL: Ruling TMC won the Kanthi Dakshin
seat in Purba Medinipur district. Its candidate
Chandrima Bhattacharya won.
JHARKHAND: Jharkhand Mukti Morchas (JMM)
Simon Marandi won Littipara seat.
HIV Bill passed: Lok Sabha passed a crucial bill in
April to ensure equal rights to the people affected by HIV
and AIDS in getting treatment, admissions in educational
institutions and jobs. Terming the passage of the Human
Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune
Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) (Prevention and Control)
Bill, 2017 in the Lok Sabha as historic, Health Minister
J P Nadda said the government stands committed for
free treatment of HIV patients. The bill was passed by
Rajya Sabha in March. The Bill ensures that no HIV test,
medical treatment or research will be conducted on a
person without his informed consent.
LS passes Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill:
A draft legislation to amend the Motor Vehicles Act to
impose stiffer penalties for traffic rules violations and to
protect the Good Samaritans from legal harassment was
passed by the Lok Sabha by voice vote in April. The bill
proposes hefty penalties for various traffic offences,
three-year jail term for parents of minors caught driving
www.endeavorcareers.com May 2017 Issue I
8
and causing fatal accidents, and a ten-fold increase in
compensation for the families of accident victims, among
other things. The bill provides for facilitating delivery of
services to the citizens and transporters, and proposes
Aadhaar based verification for grant of online services,
including learners licence.
Bill accords constitutional status to NCBC:
The Lok Sabha passed a bill to accord constitutional
status to the National Commission for Backward Classes
(NCBC) in April. The Amendment Bill, which requires
two-third majority for passage, was approved by the
House with 360 members voting in favour of it with the
Opposition expressing apprehensions that it would impair
the power of states. The constituted Commission will
hear the grievances of socially and educationally
backward classes, which has been discharged till now by
the National Commission for Scheduled Castes.
IGNOU launches MOOC: Indira Gandhi National
Open University, which has been pioneer in distance
education, has now entered the digital education sphere
and launched 11 free Massive Open Online Courses
(MOOC). This was announced by Minister of State for
HRD, Mahendra Nath Pandey in April. MOOC is a
system aimed at unlimited participation and open access
via the web. It does not always quantify as formal
education but provides a platform to study quality courses
from institutions offering them, usually for free.
Both Houses of Parliament prorogued:
President Pranab Mukherjee prorogued both Houses of
Parliament on April 13. The Cabinet Committee of
Parliamentary Affairs had recommended for prorogation
of both Houses of Parliament after they were adjourned
sine die. The Budget session, which began on Jan 31, saw
the passage of as many as 18 Bills including those on the
GST passed by the two Houses. The entire financial
business of the government was completed before March
31. The productivity of the Lok Sabha during the Session
was 114% while that of the Rajya Sabha was 92%.
Sagar Kavach held in Goa: Sagar Kavach, a
comprehensive Coastal Security exercise was held in Goa
in April to test the preparedness of various agencies and
stakeholders along the states coastline. Several agencies
like Indian Coast Guard, Indian Navy, Goa Police besides
Goa Coastal Security Intelligence Agencies, Mormugao
THE GENESIS
Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve
Port Trust (MPT), Ports Administration Department,
CISF and Customs participated in the exercise.
AOL destroyed Yamuna floodplain: The
National Green Tribunal (NGT) appointed Committee of
Experts has found Sri Sri Ravi Shankars Art of Living
(AOL) foundation responsible for destroying the entire
Yamuna floodplain area used by the foundation for its
event during the World Culture Festival earlier in
March 2016. The expert panel has told the NGT that the
rehabilitation of Yamuna floodplains destroyed by AOLs
World Culture Festival will cost Rs. 13.29 crores and
take almost 10 years.
Map download website launched: The
government has launched a dedicated website allowing
the public the access to download 3,000 maps prepared
by the Survey General of India (SGI) but made Aadhaar
mandatory for the purpose. Using Aadhaar number, a
person can download three maps every day from the
portal (http://soinakshe.Uk.Gov.In/). The SGI completed
250 years on April 10. Harsh Vardhan, Minister of
Science and Technology, said the motto behind making
Aadhaar mandatory for using this service was to make it
available only to Indians. Swarna Subba Rao, Surveyor
General of India, was also present on the occasion.
Health system transparency index: India has
been placed second from bottom in a health system
transparency index, released by KPMG in April, which
also highlighted that the country is still woefully short
in terms of healthcare infrastructure. Among 32 countries
analysed in the report, India was only better than China.
Four Nordic nations - Denmark, Finland, Sweden and
Norway - stood at the top of the transparency rankings.
Bharat ke Veer portal launched: Home
Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the web portal and
mobile application Bharat ke Veer of Central Reserve
Police Force (CRPF) in New Delhi in April. The portal is
an IT based platform, with an objective to enable willing
donors to contribute towards the family of a brave-heart
who sacrificed his life in line of duty. The amount so
donated will be credited to the account of Next of Kin
of those soldiers.
CRPF Valour Day: Central Reserve Police Force
(CRPF) celebrated its Valour Day on April 9. The day is
celebrated in remembrance of an act of unparalleled
bravery displayed by a small contingent of CRPF
personnel, pitted against a full-fledged infantry brigade of
Pakistani Army, trying to overrun their post, at Sardar
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Post, Rann of Kutch, Gujarat, on April 9, 1965. They
not only defeated the Pakistani brigade but also killed 34
Pakistani soldiers and captured 4 of them alive.
HRD Ministry launches RUSA app: The
Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), under the
aegis of the Ministry of Human Resource Development,
got its own portal and mobile app in April. They were
launched by Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar in
New Delhi. The portal is a one-stop for States Higher
Education Plans, decision of the States Higher Education
Councils and details of the resources under this scheme.
India adopts new definition of blindness:
India has changed its over four-decade-old definition of
blindness, bringing it in line with the WHO criteria, a step
that would drastically bring down the number of people
considered blind in the country. According to the new
definition, a person who is unable to count fingers from a
distance of three metres would be considered blind as
against the earlier stipulation of six metres, which was
adopted in 1976. Also, the name of the scheme, National
Programme for Control of Blindness has been changed
to The National Programme for Control of Blindness and
Visual Impairment in April.
Virtual museums on tribals role in freedom:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said virtual museums
would be set up at 50 places in the country to highlight
the significant role of the tribals in the countrys freedom
struggle. PM Modi felicitated the family members of 16
great freedom fighters who participated in the first mutiny
against British rule known as Paika Rebellion at Raj
Bhawan in Bhubaneswar in April. The rebels undertook
an armed rebellion against the British East India
Company in 1817.
Recent Non-Fiction books:
Garrisoned Minds: Women and Armed Conflict in
South Asia by Laxmi Murthy and Mitu Varma
Demonetisation and Black Money by C. Rammanohar
Reddy
The Exodus is Not Over: Migrations from the Ruptured
Homelands of Northeast India by Nandita Haksar
Win-Win Corporations: The Indian Way of Shaping
Successful Strategies by Shashank Shah
Bollywood Boom by Roopa Swaminathan
Found Dead by Shantanu Guha Ray
Shattered: Inside Hillary Clintons Doomed Campaign
by Steve Schale
Playing to the Edge: American Intelligence in the Age
of Terror by Michael V. Hayden
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Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve
Make Millions from Agriculture: C. Hariharan
Lost Heritage: The Sikh Legacy in Pakistan: Amardeep
Singh
The Art of Discarding by Nagisa Tatsumi
Recent Fiction books:
Temporary People by Deepak Unnikrishnan
AWARDS
Civil Services Day Awards
Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented awards for
Excellence in Implementation of Priority Programmes
and addressed Civil Servants on the occasion of the
eleventh Civil Services Day in New Delhi on April 21.
The Prime Minister presented a total of 12 awards, which
include 10 under the five Priority Programmes and 2
under Innovation category.
These awards were given in three Groups, the first group
consisting of eight North-Eastern States and the three Hill
States of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and
Kashmir, second group comprising of the seven Union
Territories and the remaining 18 States constituting the
third group.
The winners are as follows:
Under Innovation category, Dantewada district of
Chhattisgarh was awarded for initiative Cashless
Village Palnar and Dungarpur district of Rajasthan was
given award for initiative Solar Urja Lamps Project.
Under the Priority Programme Pradhan Mantri Krishi
Sinchayee Yojana, Siaha district of Mizoram was
awarded in North East and Hill states category and
Banaskantha district of Gujarat was awarded under the
category of other states.
Under the Priority Programme Pradhan Mantri Fasal
Bima Yojana, the awards were given to Gomati district
of Tripura in North East and Hill states category and
Jalna district of Maharashtra under the category of other
states.
PERSONS IN NEWS
Girish Chandra Saxena, who served as
Governor of Jammu & Kashmir during the worst years
of insurgency (1990-93), died on April 14 at 90. Saxena
was also the Chief of the Research and Analysis Wing
(RAW) through the troubled years that began with the
storming of the Golden Temple in 1984. He was among
the first generation of post-Independence IPS officers
and served in several Uttar Pradesh districts before
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Seasons of the Palm by Perumal Murugan and V.
Geetha
Current Show by Perumal Murugan and V. Geetha
Jaffna Street: Tales of Life, Death, Betrayal and
Survival in Kashmir by Mir Khalid
Shot Down by Vivek Rao
Under the Priority Programme e-National Agriculture
Market (e-NAM), Solan district of Himachal Pradesh
was awarded in North East and Hill states category and
Nizamabad district of Telangana was awarded under the
category of other states.
Under the Priority Programme Deendayal Upadhyaya
Gram Jyoti Yojana, the awards were given to Sivasagar
district of Assam in North East and Hill states category
and Nalanda district of Bihar under the category of other
states.
For Start-Up India, the award was given to Gujarat state
under other states category and for Stand-Up India, the
award was given to North and Middle Andaman of
Andaman & Nicobar islands under Union Territories
category.
Krishi Karman Awards
Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has
selected Tripura for the Krishi Karman Award 2015-16
for commendable increase in food grain production in
small category states. Tripura gets this national award for
the second time. The northeastern state first received the
award in the 2009-10 fiscal.
For total food grain production, Tamil Nadu gets the
award in large category (production more than 10 million
tonnes), Himachal Pradesh in medium category (1 to 10
million tonnes) and Tripura in small category (less than 1
million tonnes). Each award-winning state would receive
a trophy, a citation and cash award of Rs five crore at a
function in New Delhi.
joining RAW in 1969. Saxena was awarded the Padma
Bhushan in 2005.
Nora Chopra, veteran journalist, passed away in
New Delhi on April 20 at the age of 64. Chopra had
started her career with the Pioneer in Allahabad.
Visitors: Federica Mogherini, European Union High
Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy,
called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi
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Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve
on April 21. United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC) Executive Secretary
Patricia Espinosa came on a two-day visit to India on
April 17-18.
EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
United States: The US retained India on its priority
watch list this year in April for lack of improvement in
the intellectual property (IP) framework. India remains
on the priority watch list this year for lack of sufficient
measurable improvements to its IP framework on long-
standing challenges and new issues that have negatively
affected US right holders over the past year, particularly
with respect to patents, copyrights, trade secrets, and
enforcement, the US Trade Representative (USTR) said
in a report. The Special 301 report is an annual review
of the global state of IP protection and enforcement.
France: The Indian Navy conducted a joint maritime
exercise with the French Navy at the Mediterranean Sea
in April to further deepen combat coordination between
the two navies. The Varuna series of exercises began in
2000 and have grown into an institutionalised form of
interaction between the two navies. Defence cooperation
between India and France has grown substantially in the
recent past. Bilateral exercises such as Garuda, Shakti Sri Lanka: India and Sri Lanka signed MoU on
and Varuna have been a regular feature between the two
nations.
South Korea: India and South Korea signed two
agreements to build artillery guns for the Indian Army
and for collaboration in shipbuilding in April. Indian
engineering conglomerate Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and
Hanwa Techwin of South Korea signed a contract to
manufacture self-propelled artillery guns for the Indian
Army. In the MoU for defence industry cooperation, India
has already nominated Hindustan Shipyard Limited
(HSL), Visakhapatnam while South Korea will designate
their shipyard soon.
Pakistan: A Pakistan military court has sentenced
Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav to death after he was
convicted of espionage and sabotage activities,
prompting New Delhi to warn Islamabad that it is a case
of premeditated murder. The award of the death
sentence to the 46-year-old former naval officer at a
court-martial was confirmed by Pakistans army chief
Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa on April 10 after the Field
General Court Martial (FGCM) found him guilty of all
the charges. India had acknowledged that Jadhav had
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Appointments: The Government appointed
Rajiv Rai Bhatnagar as the new Director General of
CRPF and R. K. Pachnanda as the new Director
General of ITBP in April 2017.
served with the navy but denied that he has any
connection with the government.
Canadas Indian-origin Defence Minister Harjit Singh
Sajjan paid obeisance at the Golden Temple in Amritsar
where he was presented with a robe of honour. The
minister inaugurated the new office of the Consulate-
General of Canada in Chandigarh on April 21. Sajjan also
laid a wreath at Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate.
Australias Education and Training Minister Simon
Birmingham awarded a three-year tuition fee waiver
scholarship to 11 Indian students worth AUD 1.1 million,
while leading a high-level delegation visit to the TERI-
Deakin Nanobiotechnology Centre (TDNBC) in Gurgaon.
The TDNBC was inaugurated by the Indian and
Australian Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and
Malcolm Turnbull on April 10.
economic co-operation following talks between Prime
Minister Narendra Modi and his Sri Lankan counterpart
Ranil Wickremesinghe in New Delhi in April. The MoU
proposes Indian investment in development of port and
oil tank farms in Trincomalee, setting up of a LNG power
plant and terminal, piped gas supply in capital Colombo,
highway and railway projects in north and east.
Armenia: India will help Armenia to build satellite and
remote sensing data matters and train Armenian scientists
as both the countries signed three agreements in capital
Yerevan on April 25. The agreements were signed after
Vice President Hamid Ansari held talks with the top
leadership of Armenia including President Serzh
Sargsyan and Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan.
BASIC: The 24th BASIC Ministerial Meeting on Climate
Change was held in Beijing, China in April. BASIC
countries comprising Brazil, South Africa, India and
China said that the global effort against climate change is
an irreversible process that cannot be postponed and
welcomed the early entry into force of the Paris
Agreement under the UN Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC).
THE GENESIS
Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve
Current Affairs: States
Uttar Pradesh
Days after ordering a judicial probe into the Gomti River
Front, the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government has put
on hold another flagship scheme launched by the previous
Akhilesh Yadav government, the Samajwadi Pension
Scheme. The CM has not only ordered a probe to find out
if those receiving benefits under the pension scheme are
eligible but also scrapped the word Samajwadi from its
name and renamed it as the Mukhyamantri Pension
Yojana or the Chief Minister Pension Scheme.
The Agra airport would now be named after Pandit Deen
Dayal Upadhyaya while the upcoming civil terminal at
Gorakhpur Air Force station would be named after
Mahayogi Gorakhnath who is known as the founder of the
Nath monastic movement.
Madhya Pradesh
The state government has decided to gift a smartphone to
newly married women under its flagship scheme -
Mukhyamantri Kanyadan Yojana. The move is aimed at
encouraging women to undertake cashless transactions
using smartphones.
Jammu & Kashmir
National Conference President and former Chief Minister
Farooq Abdullah on April 15 won the bypoll to the
Srinagar-Budgam parliamentary seat, beating his PDP
rival Nazir Ahmad Khan by 10,557 votes. Farooq polled
47,926 votes while Khan polled 37,369 votes. NOTA
(none of the above) were 714. A total of 89,865 votes
were cast for the by-poll.
Himachal Pradesh
The state government re-notified 16 state highways as
major district roads (MDR) in April to prevent the closure
of liquor vends in view of the Supreme Courts order
banning sale of alcohol within 500 metres of national and
state highways.
Haryana
Haryana has become kerosene-free as the supply of the
fuel has been stopped under the Public Distribution
System from April 1. With an aim to provide smoke-free
and healthy environment while cooking, the state
government had decided to provide free-of-cost LPG
connections under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana.
Under Operation Durga launched in April, the Chief
Ministers Flying Squad formed 24 teams to catch
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12
offenders from all districts of the state for their alleged
involvement in crimes against women.
The state government has decided to set up quiz clubs in
schools run by it to make learning more activity-oriented
and interesting for children.
Rajasthan
The Vasundhara Raje government has started imposing
10% surcharge on stamp duty for the conservation and
propagation of cow and its progeny from April 1.
Delhi
The Park Street in New Delhi will now be known after
Bangladeshs founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, with the
New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) approving the
decision in April.
Gujarat
PM Modi dedicated to the nation, Phase-1 (Link 2) of the
SAUNI (Saurashtra Narmada Avtaran Irrigation) Yojana,
at Botad on April 17. Earlier, he welcomed Narmada
water into the Krishna Sagar Lake by pressing a button.
Maharashtra
Attacking on-duty journalists and the media houses in
Maharashtra was made a non-bailable offence entailing a
jail term up to three years on conviction following the
passage of the Maharashtra Mediapersons and Media
Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage or Loss
to Property) Act, 2017, in the Assembly.
PM Modi mentioned the state governments flagship
project Jalyukta Shivar to tackle drought situation in the
country. Speaking at the BJP national conclave in
Bhubaneswar, he asked other states to replicate the
Maharashtra model to overcome water crisis and help
farmers. Under the Jalyukta Shivar project, the state
government plans to make all 25,000 drought-prone
villages water reliant by 2019.
Andhra Pradesh & Telangana
As many as 7,000 girl students performed classical dance
Kuchpudi in Visakhapatnam on April 11 to set a
Guinness World record.
Telangana
The state legislature passed a bill in April that raises
substantially the reservation for backward Muslims and
scheduled tribes, taking the total quotas in government
THE GENESIS
Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve
jobs and educational institutions much beyond the 50%
limit set by the Supreme Court.
Tamil Nadu
Eminent sculptor S. Nandagopal died in Chennai on April
14 at 71. He completed a diploma in fine arts at the
Government College of Arts and Crafts, Chennai, in 1971
and was the recipient of the Lalit Kala Academy National
Award in 1970.
Kerala
The Indian Union Muslim League on April 17 retained
the Malappuram Lok Sabha constituency with its
candidate P K Kunhalikutty winning by over 1.7 lakh
votes in the bypoll that was necessitated following the
demise of IUML leader E Ahamed.
The state Government has decided to provide pension to
former circus artistes in the state.
13
The state government promulgated an Ordinance in
April to make teaching of Malayalam mandatory up to the
Std. X in all schools.
Assam
PM Modi complimented the state government for starting
Gunotsav, a programme to improve quality of school
education in the state. Gunotsav is a quality improvement
programme where external evaluators are deputed to the
schools for conducting external evaluation of students.
Gujarat was the first state to launch this initiative.
The Assam Riffles felicitated its veteran, Naren Chandra
Das (76), who escorted the Dalai Lama during his escape
from Tibet in 1959, in Shillong in April.
Arunachal Pradesh
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama inaugurated the
Dorjee Khandu Memorial Museum in Tawang on April 9.

LATEST WHOS WHO

Organisation Headquarter Head (Designation)
International Maritime Organization London Kitack Lim (Secretary General)
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Paris Irina Bokova (Director-General)
Organization (UNESCO)
International Energy Agency (IEA) Paris Fatih Birol (Executive Director)
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Paris Jos ngel Gurra (Secretary-General)
Development (OECD)
International Criminal Court (ICC) The Hague Silvia Fernndez de Gurmendi (President)
International Court of Justice (ICJ) The Hague Ronny Abraham (President)
Transparency International Berlin Huguette Labelle (Chair)
International Renewable Energy Agency Abu Dhabi Adnan Amin (Director General)
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation Kathmandu Arjun Bahadur Thapa (Secretary-General)
Association of Southeast Asian Nations Jakarta L Lng Minh (Secretary-General)
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Singapore Alan Bollard (Executive Director)
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Jeddah Yousef A. Al-Othaimeen (Secretary-General)
Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Ebene K V Bhagirath (Secretary General)
International Hockey Federation (FIH) Lausanne Narinder Batra (President)
FIFA Zurich Gianni Infantino (President)
International Association of Athletics Federations Monaco Sebastian Coe (President)
International Olympic Committee (IOC) Lausanne Thomas Bach President)
International Cricket Council (ICC) Dubai Shashank Manohar (Chairman)
World Chess Federation (FIDE) Athens Kirsan Ilyumzhinov (President)
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Gland Carter Roberts (President & CEO)
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Los Angeles Gran Marby (CEO and President)
Numbers (ICANN)
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Montreal Fang Liu (Secretary General)
Asian Development Bank (ADB) Manila Takehiko Nakao (President)
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank Beijing Jin Liqun (President)
New Development Bank (NDB) Shanghai K.V. Kamath
Shanghai Cooperation Organization Beijing Rashid Olimov (Secretary General)
UN World Tourism Organization Madrid Taleb Rifai (Secretary-General)

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Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve
Current Affairs: World
HAPPENINGS
Cargo train from UK reaches China: The first
freight train linking China directly to the UK has arrived
in the eastern Chinese city of Yiwu on April 29. It left
London on April 10, passing through France, Belgium,
Germany, Poland, Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan during
its 20-day trip. Its locomotive and carriages had to be
changed en route because of the larger gauge on railways
in the former Soviet Union. The journey should be 30
days faster than moving goods by ship. About 80 percent
of global trade is currently shipped by sea. The new route
is longer than Russias famous Trans-Siberian railway,
but about 1,000 kilometers shorter than the record-
holding China-Madrid link, which opened in 2014.
Emergency declared in Egypt: Egypt declared a
three-month state of emergency and ordered the military
special forces to protect key infrastructure after the
Islamic State group triggered powerful bombs at two
minority Coptic Christian churches, killing at least 45
people on April 9. The deadliest attacks on Coptic
Christians in recent times on Palm Sunday, forced
President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi to make a brief appearance
on television, when he announced the state of emergency
for three months. The Islamic State group claimed the
bombings.
Australia ends 457 visa: Australia announced
tougher citizenship laws for new applicants, including
higher English language skills and longer residency
requirement, days after the government scrapped a
popular visa programme used mostly by Indians in April.
The move comes after Australia announced it would
abolish the popular 457 work visa used by over 95,000
foreign workers. It allows business to employ foreign
workers for a period up to four years in skilled jobs where
there is a shortage of Australian workers.
Dubai Gurdwara in Guinness Book: On the
auspicious day of Baisakhi, the Gurdwara in Dubai on
April 13, entered the Guinness Book of Records for
hosting Breakfast for people of 101 nationalities.
Officially called Breakfast for Diversity, the occasion
exemplified the spirit of charity, religious and cultural
tolerance amongst people of various nationalities and
faith.
World Heritage Day, also known as International
Day for Monuments and Sites, was observed on April 18.
In 2017, the theme is Cultural Heritage & Sustainable
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Tourism. World Heritage sites are officially recognised
by UNESCO as natural or man-made structures that have
international importances and hold cultural and physical
significance. There are total 1,052 heritage sites in all
over the World. In India, there are 35 World Heritage
Sites.
International Day of Human Space Flight
was observed on April 12, 2017 to celebrate the 56th
anniversary of the first human space flight, which ushered
in the beginning of the space era for mankind. The
International Day commemorates the historic space flight
that Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet citizen, took on 12 April,
1961, and which opened the way for space exploration.
New UN Day for small businesses:
Recognizing the importance of micro-, small- and
medium-sized enterprises in achieving the new global
development goals, the UN General Assembly has
designated 27 June as International Day for them.
Mother of All Bombs hits Afghanistan: As
many as 35 Islamic State terrorists were killed in
Afghanistan after the United States military attacked their
tunnel and cave network with a GBU-43/B Massive
Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) bomb on April 14. MOAB
is commonly known as the Mother of All Bombs and is
considered as the largest non-nuclear bomb. The 21,600-
pound munition was dropped on a tunnel and cave
network managed by the terrorists in Nangarhar province.
Sagarmatha Friendship held: Nepal and China
held their first-ever joint military exercise in April with a
special focus on combating terror and disaster
management. The 10-day-long military drill was named
Sagarmatha Friendship-2017. Sagarmatha is the Nepali
name of Mt Everest.
World Homeopathy Day was observed on April
10 to mark the birth anniversary of the founder and father
of Homeopathy Dr. Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann (born
1755, Germany). The World Haemophilia Day was
observed on April 17 to increase awareness about
haemophilia and other inherited bleeding disorders.
World liver day was observed on April 19.
The International Day of Reflection on the
Genocide in Rwanda was observed on April 7. The
UN estimates that in 1994 more than 800,000 people,
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Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve
most of them Tutsis, were systematically murdered
throughout Rwanda. The genocide was sparked when a
plane carrying ex-Rwandan president Juvenal
AWARDS
UNSECO Peace Prize: The UNSECO awarded its
Peace Prize to Giuseppina (Giusi) Nicolini, the mayor of
the Italian island of Lampedusa, for her commitment to
saving the lives of migrants and refugees. Nicolini was
bestowed with the honour in April for her effort that
saved thousands who fled across the Mediterranean often
on unseaworthy boats to find a better and peaceful life.
Lampedusa is the first European landfall for people
fleeing war and economic hardship in Africa and the
PERSONS IN NEWS
Theresa May, British Prime Minister, has announced
a snap general election in the UK on June 8. Her
government has not even completed half its term. May
took over as Britains Prime Minister in July 2016,
replacing David Cameron who resigned following the
British vote to break away from the European Union.
Conservative Party leader Theresa May became Britains
second woman prime minister after Margaret Thatcher
(1979-1990) in July 2016. May was the Home Secretary
under PM David Cameron who resigned.
Recep Erdogan: Turkish President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan narrowly won a referendum in April 2017 to
expand presidential powers. The Yes campaign had
won 51.41 per cent and No 48.59 per cent. Prime
Minister Binali Yildirim of the ruling Justice and
Development Party (AKP) said the Turkish nation gave
its final word by voting Yes in the countrys Verbania, in northern Italy. According to the US-based
constitutional referendum.
Achim Steiner: UN chief Antonio Guterres named
Germanys Achim Steiner as the new administrator of the
UN Development Programme (UNDP) in April. Steiner,
who previously served at the UN Environment
Programme, was selected to succeed Helen Clark, a
former New Zealand PM, who has steered the UNDP
since 2009. Headquartered in New York City, the UNDP
seeks to reduce poverty, improve social development and
encourage womens empowerment.
Malala Yousafzai: UN Secretary-General Antonio
Guterres named Pakistans Nobel Peace Prize laureate
Malala Yousafzai a UN Messenger of Peace, the highest
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15
Habyarimana, a Hutu, was shot down on April 6, 1994,
killing all on board. Rwandan Hutus blamed ethnic Tutsis
for the attack and sought immediate revenge.
Middle East. Since becoming Mayor in 2012, Nicolini has
been an outspoken defender of refugee and migrant rights.
Cervantes Prize: Spanish novelist Eduardo Mendoza
has been presented with the Cervantes Prize, the Spanish-
speaking worlds highest literary honour, by King Felipe
VI on April 20 in the central town of Alcala de Henares,
the birthplace of Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don
Quixote.
honour bestowed by his office on a global citizen, in
April.
Georgy Grechko: Russian space agency Roscosmos
says Soviet-era cosmonaut Georgy Grechko died at 85 in
Moscow on April 8. Grechko made three trips into space
between 1975 and 1985, spending a total of 134 days off
the Earth. His longest was a stay of more than three
months aboard the Salyut-6 space station in 1977-78.
Grechko later became a cosmonaut instructor and joined
the faculty at the Russian Academy of Sciences institute
of atmospheric physics.
Emma Morano, an Italian woman believed to have
been the oldest person alive and the last survivor of the
19th century, died on April 15 at the age of 117. Morano,
born on November 29 1899, died at her home in
Gerontology Research Group (GRG), Morano ceded the
crown of the worlds oldest human being to Jamaican
Violet Brown, who was born on March 10, 1900.
Moranos death means there is no one living known to
have been born before 1900.
Ruth Sulzberger Holmberg, long-time publisher
of The Chattanooga Times and a member of the family
that controls The New York Times, died in Tennessee
city of Chattanooga on April 19 at 96.
Clifton James, who was famous for his role as Sheriff
J W Pepper in James Bond films such as Live and Let
Die (1973) and The Man with the Golden Gun (1974),
died at the age of 96 in the US on April 15.
THE GENESIS
Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve
Current Affairs: Sports
Asian Games
The 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia will feature
39 sports, more than at the last event in South Korea (36),
the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) said in April. The
new additions at the 2018 games are Bridge, Pencak Silat
(Indonesian martial art), Jujitsu, Paragliding, Jet Ski and
Sport Climbing.
Cricket, which was at the last two Asian Games, is being
dropped after the OCA complained that major sides had
failed to send full-strength squads.
The 2018 Asian Games will take place from August 18 to
September 2, with most events in Jakarta and Palembang.
The country last hosted the Asian Games in 1962.
39 Sports are:
1: Aquatics (Swimming, Diving, Synchronised
Swimming, Water Polo) 2: Archery 3: Athletics 4:
Badminton 5: Baseball/Softball 6: Basketball 7: Bowling
8: Boxing 9: Bridge 10: Canoe/Kayak 11: Cycling
(Track, Road Race, Mountain Bike, BMX) 12: Equestrian
13: Fencing 14: Football 15: Golf 16: Gymnastics
(Artistic, Rhythmic, Trampoline) 17: Handball 18:
Hockey 19: Jet Ski 20: Judo 21: Kabaddi 22: Karate 23:
Martial Arts (Jujitsu, Pencak Silat, Wushu), 24: Modern
Pentathlon 25: Paragliding 26: Rowing 27: Rugby
Sevens 28: Sailing 29: Sepak Takraw 30: Shooting 31:
Sport Climbing 32: Squash 33: Table Tennis 34:
Taekwondo 35: Tennis (Tennis, Soft Tennis) 36:
Triathlon 37: Volleyball (Indoor Volleyball, Beach
Volleyball) 38: Weightlifting 39: Wrestling
The OCA has also decided to include video gaming as a
full sport at the 2022 Asian Games, with competitors in
electronic sports set to receive medals for their digital
prowess.
ICC slashes BCCI revenue share: The
International Cricket Council (ICC) has slashed BCCIs
revenue share by nearly half. The BCCI will now get a
total of 293 million US dollars for the eight-year revenue
cycle. This is a major drop from the 570 million the BCCI
www.endeavorcareers.com May 2017 Issue I
16
was getting till last year. The BCCI will still get the
biggest share in the new ICC revenue model followed by
ECB (England) with 143 million. Zimbabwe Cricket will
get 94 million and the remaining seven full members 132
million US dollars each. Associate Members will receive
funding of 280 million US dollars. The decision came at
the end of five days of ICCs Board and Committee
meetings in Dubai in April.
Younis Khan crosses 10,000 test runs:
Younis Khan became the first Pakistan player to complete
10,000 Test runs during his teams first innings in the
first Test against West Indies at Sabina Park in Kingston
(Jamaica) on April 23. The 39-year-old right hander
began his 116th Test with 9,977 runs from 207 innings
and went to the elusive landmark after tea. Khan is the
oldest to reach the milestone of 10,000 Test runs at 39
years and 145 days. Indias Sachin Tendulkar leads the
list of most run-getters in Test cricket with 15,921 in 200
matches.
Eden stands named after war heroes: Four
war heroes found a place of permanence in the hallowed
Eden Gardens Stadium of Kolkata as the Cricket
Association of Bengal on April 28 named four blocks of
the stadium in honour of them. The name plates of
Lieutenant Colonel Dhan Singh Thapa, Colonel N J Nair,
Havildar Hangpan Dada and Subedar Joginder Singh
were unveiled in a ceremony at the stadium that stands on
land owned by the Ministry of Defence.
London & Boston Marathons: Kenyan Daniel
Wanjiru won the Mens Race London Marathon on April
23 in two hours five minutes 48 seconds. Kenyas Mary
Keitany won the womens race, finishing in 2:17.01.
Kenyas Geoffrey Kirui and Edna Kiplagat were the
winners in the mens and womens categories of the 121st
Boston Marathon in Boston on April 17.
Asian Table Tennis Championship:
Defending champion Fan Zhendong of China beat South
Koreas Jeong Sangeun 11-5, 11-5, 11-8 to win the
Mens Singles title at the Seamaster 2017 ITTF-Asian
Championships in Wuxi (China) in April. Japans Miu
Hirano won the Womens Singles title beating Chinas
Chen Meng 11-9, 11-8, 11-7 in the final. Other winners
were: Zhu Yuling/Chen Meng (China): Womens
Doubles, Fan Zhendong/Lin Gaoyuan (China): Mens
Doubles, Zhou Yu/Chen Xingtong (China): Mixed
Doubles
THE GENESIS
Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve
Singapore Open Badminton: B Sai Praneeth
beat K. Srikanth 17-21, 21-17, 21-12 in an all-Indian final
to win the Mens Singles title at the Singapore Open
Super Series Badminton tournament in April. Other
winners Tai Tzu Ying (Taiwan): Womens Singles, Lu
Kai/Huang Yaqiong (China): Mixed Doubles, Christinna
Pedersen and Kamilla Rytter Juhl (Denmark): Womens
Doubles, Mathias Boe and Carsten Mogensen
(Denmark): Mens Doubles.
Monte Carlo Masters: Rafael Nadal won the
Monte Carlo Masters with a dominant 6-1, 6-3 defeat of
Spanish compatriot Albert Ramos-Vinolas in Monte
Carlo on April 23. Indias Rohan Bopanna and his
Uruguayan partner Pablo Cuevas won the Mens Doubles
title by beating Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez of Spain
in the final 6-3, 3-6, 10-4.
LATEST WHOS WHO
Organisation
International Fund for Agricultural Development
(IFAD)
World Food Programme (WFP)
European Union
1. European Union
2. European Commission
3. European Parliament
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
International Criminal Police Organization
(INTERPOL)
World Customs Organization (WCO)
United Nations Organization (UNO)
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
UN Women
United Nations International Childrens
Emergency Fund (UNICEF)
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
World Trade Organization (WTO)
United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC)
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
United Nations Conference on Trade and
Development (UNCTAD)
World Economic Forum (WEF)
World Health Organization (WHO)
World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
International Labour Organization (ILO)
Amnesty International
Commonwealth of Nations
World Energy Council (WEC)
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17
Chess: Former world chess champion Viswanathan
Anand of India finished third overall, with a score of 13.5
points from a possible 21 in the Korchnoi Zurich Chess
Challenge in April. American Hikaru Nakamura, with 15
points, emerged the overall winner. At the Reykjavik
Open Chess tournament organised in Iceland in April,
Anish Giri of the Netherlands won the tournament
followed by his countryman Jorden Van Foreest in
second place. Indian Grandmaster Harika Dronavalli was
adjudged the best womens player of the tournament.
F1: Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany won the
Formula One 2017 Bahrain Grand Prix at the Bahrain
International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain on April 16, 2017
while Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton of United
Kingdom and Valtteri Bottas of Finland finished second
and third respectively.
Headquarter Head (Designation)
Rome Kanayo F. Nwanze (President)
Rome Ertharin Cousin (Executive Director)
Brussels 1. Donald Tusk (President)
2. Jean-Claude Juncker (President)
3. Antonio Tajani (President)
Brussels Jens Stoltenberg (Secretary General)
Lyon Jrgen Stock (Secretary General)
Brussels Kunio Mikuriya (Secretary-General)
New York Antnio Guterres (Secretary General)
New York Babatunde Osotimehin (Executive Director)
New York Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka (Executive Director)
New York Anthony Lake (Executive Director)
New York Administrator (Administrator)
Geneva Peter Maurer (President)
Geneva Houlin Zhao (Secretary-General)
Geneva Roberto Azevdo (Director-General)
Geneva Choi Kyong-lim (President)
Geneva Francis Gurry (Director-General)
Geneva Mukhisa Kituyi (Secretary-General)
Geneva Klaus Schwab (Executive Chairman)
Geneva Margaret Chan (Director-General)
Geneva Petteri Taalas (Secretary-General)
Geneva Guy Ryder (Director-General)
London Salil Shetty (Secretary-General)
London Queen Elizabeth II (Head)
London Christophe Frei (Secretary General)
May 2017 Issue I THE GENESIS
Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve
Current Affairs: Economy
BHIM-Aadhaar launched
Enroute to the digital payments gaining the proportions of
a mass movement, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi
launched a series of initiatives in Nagpur on April 14.
BHIM-Aadhaar, the merchant interface of the BHIM
(Bharat
Interface for
Money) App,
will pave the
way for
making
digital
payments by
using the
Aadhaar
platform. The
transaction
will require
customers fingerprint for authentication. Any Indian
citizen can pay digitally using their biometric data like
their thumb imprint on a merchants biometric enabled
device which could be smart phone having a biometric
reader. Any citizen without access to smart phones,
internet, debit or credit cards will be able to transact
digitally through the BHIM Aadhaar platform.
The Prime Minister also launched two new incentive
schemes for the BHIM Cash back and Referral bonus
with an outlay of Rs. 495 crore for a period of six months.
Under the Referral bonus scheme both the existing user
who refers BHIM and the new user who adopts BHIM
would get a cash bonus credited directly to their account.
Under the Cashback scheme the merchants will get a cash
back on every transaction using BHIM. Both schemes are
to be administered by MEITY and implemented by NPCI.
The initial two incentives schemes viz., Lucky Grahak
Yojana and DigiDhan Vyapar Yojana, came to an end
after a 100-day campaign led by NITI Aayog to make
digital payments a mass movement in India.
20 year-old Shradha Mohan Mengshette, a second year
student of Electrical Engineering from Latur district in
Maharashtra, emerged as the winner of Rs.1 crore mega
draw for consumers.
The first prize of Rs. 50 lakh, under the DigiDhan Vyapar
Yojana category for merchants, was won by Anand
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18
Ananthapadmanabhan for accepting a payment of Rs.300
at GRT Jewellers in Tambaram, Tamil Nadu.
In order to achieve the target of 2500 crore digital
transactions during the current financial year, the Prime
Minister also announced 86 townships spread all over
India as less-cash townships.
Govt. to set up rail regulator: the government
has decided to set up a Rail Development Authority
(RDA), an independent regulatory body, to not only
determine tariffs but also ensure fair play and level
playing field for all stakeholder investments in the
railway sector. The RDA, which will have four members
including the Chairman, has also been mandated to set up
efficiency and peformance standards, and can engage
experts from relevant areas. The decision was a major
policy reform in the railway sector as the ministry till
now worked as a service provider and also determined
tariffs.
RCS flights exempted from charges: The
Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) has
ordered all major airport operators, including those run
under the defence ministry, to exempt flights operated
under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (UDAN-Ude
Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) from landing and parking charges.
Airfares for all passenger seats operated on flights under
RCS will also not be subjected to any levy or charge
imposed by the airport operators. Under UDAN,
kickstarted in April 2017, fares have been capped at Rs
2,500 for one-hour flights. The scheme also provides
three-year exclusivity to the airlines on the routes won by
them in bidding.
SCOPE awards given: The eighth Public Sector
Day was marked on April 11 with the presentation of
SCOPE (Standing Conference of Public Enterprises)
Awards to Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) by
the President in Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The Award
function was organized jointly by SCOPE and
Department of Public Enterprises (DPE). Anant G. Geete
is the Union Minister of Heavy Industries & Public
Enterprises. Babul Supriyo is the Minister of State for
Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises. Chairman of
SCOPE is Ved Prakash while Dr. UD Choubey is the
Director General.
All I-T communication now online: All
Income Tax department-related proceedings between the
THE GENESIS
Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve
taxpayer and the taxman from 2017-18 will be conducted
online. A notification in this regard was issued in April
by the CBDT. The objective is to minimise human
interface between the assessee and the Assessing Officer
(AO) thereby reducing complaints of harassment and
corruption. The new regime of e-communication is
however voluntary and a taxpayer can take a call on
whether to conduct his dealing with the taxman over the
e-system or through the existing procedure of manual
submissions of documents by visiting the I-T department
office.
National Board for Electric Mobility: The
government constituted National Board for Electric
Mobility (NBEM) in April to promote electric mobility
and manufacturing of electric (& hybrid) vehicles and
their components. The NBEM will comprise senior
bureaucrats as well as six nominated members of
eminence and expertise from the automobile industry,
academia and research & development. These include
Vikram Kirloskar, CMD, Kirloskar; Vinod Dashari, MD,
Ashok Leyland; Pawan Goenka, MD, Mahindra and
Mahindra; Annamalai Hemalatha, MD, Ampere Vehicles
Ltd and Sudarshan Venu, Joint MD, TVS Motors.
BS-IV fuel launched: India made a formal launch
of BS-IV grade fuel across the country from April to keep
carbon emission in check and set a target of ushering in
BS-VI fuel by April 2020. The launch came days after the
Supreme Court banned sale and registration of BS-III
vehicles from April 1. Union Petroleum Minister
Dharmendra Pradhan complimented oil marketing
companies for setting up refining infrastructure and
logistics in a record time for BS-IV grade fuel.
New fuel prices daily in 5 cities: Petrol and
Diesel prices will change every day in sync with
international rates in five select cities from May 1. A pilot
for daily revision of petrol and diesel price will be first
implemented in Puducherry, Vizag, Udaipur, Jamshedpur
and Chandigarh. State-owned fuel retailers IOC, BPCL
and HPCL will launch it on pilot basis and gradually
extend it to all over the country. State fuel retailers
currently revise rates on 1st and 16th of every month based
on average international price of the fuel in the preceding
fortnight and currency exchange rate.
Urja Mitra app launched: Power Minister Piyush
Goyal launched the Urja Mitra mobile application that
allows consumers across India to exchange real-time
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19
information with electricity distribution companies
(discoms) on power supply. Urja Mitra provides a
central platform in the form of web portal as well as
mobile app for state power distribution utilities to
disseminate information on outages to urban and rural
consumers through SMSs, emails or push notifications,
he said in April. Through this app, consumer can view
outages across the country, as well as lodge complaints
on outages in their area. The Power Ministry also
launched a related application -- Urban Jyoti Abhiyaan
(Urja) -- to monitor service delivery to consumers in
towns across the country.
Remittances decline 9% in 2016: India saw a
significant drop in remittances in 2016 but managed to
retain the top spot among remittances receiving nations,
the World Bank said in the latest edition of its Migration
and Development Brief released in Washington on April
21. India received $62.7 billion in 2016, a decrease of 8.9
per cent over $68.9 billion in 2015. India was the largest
remittance recipient followed closely by China ($61
billion), the Philippines ($29.9 billion), Mexico (28.5
billion) and Pakistan (19.8 billion), making up the top
five. As a share of the gross domestic product (GDP),
however, the top five recipients were Kyrgyzstan, Nepal,
Liberia, Haiti, and Tonga. Remittances accounted for 2.9
per cent of Indias GDP in 2016.
No service charge on e-ticket till June 30:
Passengers will continue to get benefits of service charge
exemption on train tickets booked online till June 30. In
order to help passengers and incentivise payments made
through digital modes for booking of reserved tickets,
service charge on online booking of train tickets was
withdrawn for the tickets booked from November 23,
2016 to March 31, 2017. The exemption facility effective
till March 31 this year has been extended further to June
30, Railway Ministry said in April.
Normal Monsoon-IMD: Southwest monsoon is
likely to be near normal this year with possibility of a
good distribution of rainfall across the country, the
India Meteorological Department (IMD) Director General
K J Ramesh said in April. The country will receive 96%
of Long Period Average with an error model of plus or
minus 5%. A 96% rainfall means it is on the border line
of normal and below normal precipitation. Anything
between 96 and 104% of the LPA is considered normal.
Rainfall under 96% is categorised as below normal.
Rainfall of 104-110% of the LPA is above normal.
THE GENESIS
Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve
Business Biography
Siddhartha Lal: Royal success
A strong brand ambassador for the company, the 43-year-old Lal is an unconventional CEO and
synonymous with the product that has made the company what it is
Eicher Motors Ltd. (EML) CEO & MD Siddhartha Lal
won the CEO of the year award at the Business
Standard Annual Awards recently. EML
comprises three entities Royal Enfield, VECV
and Eicher-Polaris.
The oldest motorcycle company in continuous
production, Royal Enfield made its first
motorcycle in 1901. A division of Eicher Motors
Limited, Royal Enfield has created the mid-size
motorcycle segment in India with its unique and
distinctive modern classic bikes. With its
enhanced manufacturing base in Chennai, India, Royal
Enfield is able to grow its production rapidly against a
surge in demand for its motorcycles. With 50% growth
every year for the last 3 years, Royal Enfield is fast
becoming a very important player in the global mid-size
motorcycle market and is working towards re-inventing
this space with motorcycles that are evocative and
engaging and great fun to ride. Royal Enfields product
line-up includes the Bullet, Classic and Thunderbird
models in both 350 and 500cc displacements; and the
recently introduced Continental GT 535cc cafe racer.
Royal Enfield operates through 12 company-operated
stores and 380 dealers in all major cities and towns in
India, and exports to over 50 countries across the world.
Lal was in his mid-twenties when he jumped into the
family business to look after Royal Enfield, a loss-making
unit. That was in 2000, when the Eicher board was about
to decide on shutting down or selling the motorcycle
business. He believed in the product and wanted to give it
a shot.
He visited several dealerships to gain customer feedback
on the vehicle. The Bullet was revisited, a new engine
was brought in and problems were addressed. Lal also
revamped dealerships and gave the motorcycle a new
look. A connect with the buyers was reinforced through
company-organised rides for owners. He sold the tractor
business and raised money to invest in Royal Enfield.
Royal Enfield motorcycles now enjoy a waiting period of
two-to-three months and wide popularity across the
nation, and account for more than two-thirds of the
companys profit. Within the span of a decade after Lal
took charge, Royal Enfields gears had reversed: The low
capacity utilisation of early 2000 was giving way to a
www.endeavorcareers.com May 2017 Issue I
20
capacity constraint. The pull of Royal Enfield
motorcycles created the need for capacity
expansion and the company opened a
second manufacturing facility at the existing
site in Tamil Nadu in 2013.
Since October 2012, Siddhartha is the
Chairman of VE Commercial Vehicles
(VECV); a joint venture between Volvo
group and Eicher Motors Ltd. (EML).
VECV is the third largest Commercial
Vehicles (CV) player in India and has
ambitions to drive modernization in commercial
transportation and become a leading trucks and buses
company in India and emerging world markets.
July 2012 onwards, Siddhartha is also the Chairman of
Eicher-Polaris Private Limited (EPPL), a newly formed
50:50 strategic joint venture between Eicher Motors Ltd.
and US based Polaris Industries Inc. that will design,
develop, manufacture and sell a full new range of
personal vehicles.
Siddhartha Lal holds a Masters degree in Automotive
Engineering from University of Leeds and is a Cranfield
University qualified mechanical engineer. Siddhartha is
also an Economics graduate from St. Stephens College in
Delhi and an alumnus of The Doon School.
Siddhartha is also passionately involved in the subject of
transportation and the role it has to play in sustainability,
especially in urban settings; and its role on our health,
safety and quality of life. Due to his efforts in this area, he
has also been nominated as a part of the World Economic
Forums (WEF) Global Agenda Council on Personal
Transportation Systems.
In 2015-16, EML posted a 43.6 per cent growth in
consolidated revenue to Rs 15,689 crore, while net profit
surged 66 per cent to Rs 1,278 crore. Profits in the first
three quarters (April-December) of 2016-17 also soared
57 per cent to Rs 1,117 crore. The market has saluted this
performance. Eichers stock price has multiplied several-
fold, rewarding investors who have shown trust in the
growth commitment demonstrated by the management.
Eicher remains debt-free and is highly profitable.
(Credits: www.eicher.in, business-standard.com)
THE GENESIS
Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve 21
Current Affairs: Corporate

RANKINGS & INDEXES

Times 100 most influential people
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Paytm founder Vijay
Shekhar Sharma were the only two Indians to make it to
an annual list of 100 most influential people in the
world this year released by the Time magazine in April.
The list features pioneers, artists, titans, leaders and icons
from around the world honoured for the power of their
inventions, the scale of their ambitions, the genius of their
solutions to problems that no one before them could
solve.

Pioneers Artists Leaders Titans Icons

Samantha Bee Emma Stone Theresa May Janet Yellen Simone Biles
Chance the Rapper Colson Whitehead Narendra Modi LeBron James Ashley Graham
Constance Wu Ed Sheeran Chuck Schumer Daniel Ek Cindy Sherman
Gavin Grimm Alicia Keys Donald Trump Bernard J. Tyson John Lewis
Kirsten Green Ryan Reynolds Elizabeth Warren Evan Spiegel Margaret Atwood
Bob Ferguson Donald Glover Julian Assange George Church Colin Kaepernick
Ivanka Trump Leslie Jones James Comey Jean Liu Jeanette Vizguerra
Demis Hassabis Ben Platt Kim Jong Un Tom Brady Neymar
Barbara Lynch Ava DuVernay Reince Priebus James Allison RuPaul
Hamdi Ulukaya Barry Jenkins Xi Jinping Rebekah Mercer Raf Simons
Jared Kushner Margot Robbie Rodrigo Duterte Jason Blum Biram Dah Abeid
Celina Turchi Sarah Paulson Stephen Bannon Jeff Bezos Leila de Lima
Jordan Peele James Corden Theo Epstein Vijay Shekhar Sharma David Adjaye
Glenda Gray John Legend Tom Perez Margrethe Vestager Gretchen Carlson
Yuriko Koike Alessandro Michele Vladimir Putin Fatou Bensouda
Conor McGregor Kerry James Marshall Wang Qishan Thelma Aldana
Riz Ahmed Demi Lovato Recep Tayyip Erdogan Fan Bingbing
Guus Velders Sandra Day OConnor Viola Davis
Tamika Mallory, Pope Francis Raed Saleh
Bob Bland, Carmen General James Mattis Cindy Arlette
Perez and Linda King Maha Contreras Bautista
Sarsour Vajiralongkorn
Natalie Batalha, Juan Manuel Santos
Guillem Anglada- Major General Qasem
Escud and Michal Soleimani
Gillon Melinda Gates
The magazine has also included US President Donald went on a promotional spree, inviting Indians to start
Trump, Russian President Vladimir using Paytms digital wallet to pay for
Putin and British Prime Minister everyday needs.
Theresa May in the new list of 100
most influential people. It worked. By the end of 2016, Paytm had
177 million users, compared with 122
In his profile of 43-year-old Vijay million at the beginning of the year,
Shekhar Sharma, Infosys co-founder Nilekani wrote.
Nandan Nilekani wrote that when
Sharma had catapulted himself into a
Indias government unexpectedly
nations consciousness. It was a
scrapped 86 per cent of the countrys
masterstroke by a small-town boy who studied in a Hindi
currency notes in November, Sharma seized the
medium school before conquering the countrys
moment.
Anglophone startup world, he wrote.
As Indians scrambled to exchange the banned notes for Paytm is now backed by the chief of Chinas Alibaba,
new currency, Paytm, Sharmas digital payments startup, Jack Ma, and Sharma is branching out into the more
www.endeavorcareers.com May 2017 Issue I THE GENESIS
Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve
heavily regulated world of banking, with plans to offer
digital accounts. He will face new challenges from deep-
pocketed and more-experienced competitors. But
knowing Vijay, he will win the next time around too,
Nilekani wrote.
Time 100 Reader Poll
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has won Time
magazines readers poll of
the 100 most influential
people in the world. The
Time 100 Reader Poll was an
online survey in which the
publication had asked its
readers to vote for who
should be included in this
years Time 100 list of the
worlds most influential people. Duterte received 5 per
cent of the total yes votes in the poll which closed on
April 16.
Time said since taking office in June 2016, Duterte has
waged an aggressive war on drugs that has killed more
than 8,000 people in the Philippines and his controversial
anti-drug campaign has inspired growing opposition from
human rights groups and some political leaders.
22
received the Star MNC of the Year award, while
NTPC got the Star PSU of the Year award. Dr Lal
PathLabs is the winner of Star SME of the Year award.
Freshdesk was selected as Start-Up of the Year. Axis
Bank won the Socially Aware Corporate of the Year
award. The Social Enterprise of the Year was given to
Pratham Education Foundation. ISRO received the
Innovative Organisation of the Year.
CBRE most expensive office locations
The Central Business District (CBD) of Connaught Place
in Delhi is the worlds 9th most expensive office location
with annual prime rent of USD 105.71 per sq ft at the end
of 2016, said property consultant CBRE in its Global
Prime Office Rents report in April. Mumbais Bandra
Kurla Complex (BKC) is at 19th position while the central
business district (CBD) of Nariman Point is at 30th place
in the list.
With annual prime rent of USD 264.27 per sq ft, Hong
Kong (Central) is the worlds most expensive office
Market. Beijing (Finance Street) and Hong Kong
(Kowloon) are placed at 2nd and 3rd positions,
respectively. Beijing (CBD) is ranked 4th in the list,
followed by London (West End), New York (Midtown
Manhattan) and Tokyo (Marunouchi/Otemachi).

Business Standard Annual Awards WEFs travel & tourism ranking

The Business Standard Annual Awards were presented in
Mumbai recently. Siddhartha Lal, the CEO of Royal
Enfield, won the CEO of the Year award. Lal is also the
MD & CEO of Eicher Motors Ltd., the flagship company
of Eicher Group.
Y C Deveshwar, non-executive chairman of ITC, was
presented the Lifetime Achievement award. The Banker
of the Year award went to HDFC Bank MD & CEO
Aditya Puri. Sanjit Bunker Roy of Barefoot College
won the Social Entrepreneur of the Year award.
Interglobe Aviation, the company that flies IndiGo
Airlines, won the Company of
the Year award. Maruti Suzuki
India has jumped 12 places to 40th rank globally in travel
and tourism competitiveness list by World Economic
Forum, WEF said in its Global Travel and Tourism
Competitiveness Report 2017 in April. The report ranks
136 countries across 14 dimensions, revealing how well
countries could deliver sustainable economic and societal
benefits through their travel and tourism sector.
In the global ranking Spain, France and Germany were
ranked at the top three positions, making them the most
tourism friendly economies. Traditional strong travel and
tourism destinations, including Japan (4th), the United
Kingdom (5th), the United States (6th), Australia (7th),
Italy (8th), Canada (9th) and Switzerland (10th), have also
made it to the top 10.

HAPPENINGS
Fearless Girl to stay Street for another year till March 8, 2018. Fearless Girl
on Wall Street: The was created by the sculptor Kristen Visbal and erected in
popular Fearless Girl statue Bowling Green, a small park, by the financial firm State
of a brave young woman Street Global Advisors in honor of International
staring down the famous Womens Day in March. However, not everyone has been
bronze Charging Bull pleased with the statue. Arturo Di Modica, the sculptor
sculpture will stay on Wall who created the Charging Bull in the 1980s, called it an
www.endeavorcareers.com May 2017 Issue I THE GENESIS
Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve
advertising trick by a financial firm and said it was a reviews, company information, interview tips and
mistake for activists to see it as a symbol for womens
empowerment.
ED attaches assets of Deccan Chronicle:
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) attached assets worth
Rs 263 crore, including land and bank accounts of the
Hyderabad-based Deccan Chronicle group, in connection
with a money laundering case related to a bank fraud. ED
said in March that the fraud by Deccan Chronicle
Holdings Ltd (DCHL) caused a total loss of Rs 1,161.93
crore to six public sector banks: Canara Bank, Andhra
Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Central Bank of India,
Corporation Bank and IDBI Bank.
BARC sets up disciplinary body: BARC India,
TV viewership tracking body, has set up an independent
Disciplinary Council to strengthen transparency and
credibility of its measurement system. The BARC
Disciplinary Council (BDC) will be headed by Justice
Mukul Mudgal, former Chief Justice, Punjab and
Haryana High Court. The six-member BDC will
investigate and address complaints related to viewership
malpractices and tampering of Broadcast Audience
Research Council (BARC) Indias measurement system.
Info Edge brings AmbitionBox in its fold:
Info Edge (India), the parent company of online
recruitment portal Naukri.Com, said in April that it has
brought AmbitionBox under its fold. AmbitionBox is a
discovery platform that assists job-seekers with company
PERSONS IN NEWS
Narendra Modi has emerged as the most followed
world leader on photo-sharing app Instagram with a
whopping 6.9 million followers, surpassing US President
Donald
Trump.
Modi, who
has put out
101 posts till
date (April
12), is also
the most
effective
world leader
on the
platform, a conclusion that was reached based on the
comments and likes that his posts garner. The findings are
part of a global study, World Leaders on Instagram, that
analysed the activity of around 325 Instagram accounts of
heads of state and government and foreign ministers over
www.endeavorcareers.com May 2017 Issue I
23
advice. Its founders Mayur Mundada and Subramanya T
H, joined Info Edge to develop the site further with the
help of Naukri resources.
Activa is the largest selling 2-wheeler:
Honda rolled out the 15 millionth (1.5 crore) Activa
scooter on April 27, 2017. A statement from Honda
Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) said that cumulative
sales of 1.5 crore units of Activa since the launch in 2001
is a landmark for the domestic two-wheeler industry. The
Activa is the largest selling two-wheeler brand in the
country today grossing 27.59 lakh units in 2016-17,
which is a lead of 2.09 lakh units over the nearest rival
Splendor.
FSSAI, Coca-Cola to train food vendors: The
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)
has tied up with Coca-Cola India to train 50,000 street
food vendors over the next three years under its Clean
Street Food campaign.
Tata Motors sets up JV with Jayem Auto:
Tata Motors has announced a joint venture with Jayem
Automotives for the manufacture of special performance
vehicles of Tata cars that incorporate customised design
and technical features by the Coimbatore-based firm. The
50:50 joint venture JT Special Vehicles will
develop a range of special performance vehicles for its
passenger car customers in a phased manner at a
dedicated line, currently being planned in Coimbatore.
the last one year. Trump, who occupies the second spot,
has 6.3 million followers while Pope Francis is in third
place with 3.7 million followers, ahead of the White
House account with 3.4 million followers. The study was
undertaken by public relations firm Burson-Marsteller.
Pierre Omidyar: eBay founder Pierre Omidyars
philanthropic
foundation pledged to
donate USD 100
million over three
years to support
independent media
and investigative
journalism
worldwide in April.
Among the first to
benefit from the Omidyar Network initiative will be the
International Consortium of Investigative Journalists,
THE GENESIS
Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve
which in 2016 broke the Panama Papers corruption
story, getting USD 4.5 million to expand its investigative
reporting. Other groups to benefit from the latest pledge
include the Anti-Defamation League, which combats anti-
Semitism, and the Latin American Alliance for Civic
Technology (ALTEC), a project launched this year by
Omidyar Network and others to support the technology
platforms to promote government accountability and
transparency in Latin America.
Sir Tim Berners-Lee (61), who invented the World
Wide Web, is this years recipient of the AM Turing
Award, computings version of the Nobel Prize. The
honour comes with a USD 1 million prize funded by
Google, one of many companies that made a fortune
thanks to Berners-Lees efforts to make the internet more
accessible and useful. The award announcement by the
Association for Computing Machinery in April marks
another pinnacle for Berners-Lee, a British native, who
has been named as one of the 100 most important people
in the 20th Century by Time magazine.
Ramesh Chandra Agrawal, Chairman of the
countrys leading publication house Dainik Bhaskar
Group, died in Ahmedabad on April 12 at the age of 73.
Divya Bhaskar is the
groups daily newspaper
published from Gujarat. Born
on November 30, 1944 at
Jhansi, Agrawal came to
Bhopal with his father late
Dwarkaprasad Agrawal and
laid the foundation of the
Dainik Bhaskar newspaper in 1958. Besides the Hindi
newspaper, the group also publishes Divya Bhaskar in
Gujarati, English newspaper DNA, Marathi newspaper
Divya Marathi, along with running FM Radio My FM and
DB Digital.
Ikutaro Kakehashi, founder of Japanese electronic
musical instrument maker Roland which defined much of
the sound of 1980s pop, died aged 87 on April 2, 2017.
Kakehashi founded Roland in
1972 after running an electronic
appliance shop in his native
Osaka in western Japan.
Kakehashi is also credited with
the establishment of the MIDI
(Musical Instrument Digital
Interface), a global standard
for transmitting electronic
musical data across various
digital instruments. In 2013, Kakehashi left Roland and
www.endeavorcareers.com May 2017 Issue I
24
set up the new digital instrument company ATV,
reportedly because of a clash with Roland management.
Yogendra Vasupal: The Madras High Court has
granted conditional bail to Yogendra Vasupal, one of the
founders of online accommodation aggregator Stayzilla in
April, almost four
weeks after he was
arrested by the police
on a complaint filed
by one of his
companys vendors,
Jigsaw Advertising
and Solutions.
Vasupal was arrested
on March 14 on
charges of cheating after Jigsaw complained that dues of
over Rs 1.69 crore were not paid by Stayzilla, after it
suspended the vendors operations. Stayzilla had decided
to halt operations in February and said it was looking at a
different business model.
Brand Ambassadors
Rio Olympics silver medal winning badminton player P
V Sindhu was roped in as the brand ambassador of
Panasonic Energy India in April.
Apart from unveiling a nationwide campaign called
#Selfiestan that features brand ambassador Alia Bhatt,
Gionee has signed up three celebrities Diljit Dosanjh,
Dulquer Salmaan and Shruti Haasan as its regional
Brand Ambassadors.
Tiger Shroff was named as the new brand ambassador of
Garnier Men and has joined John Abraham and Sushant
Singh Rajput who are already endorsing the brand.
Yakult Danone India Pvt. Ltd., a joint venture between
Yakult Honsha of Japan and Groupe Danone of France,
both global leaders in probiotics, announced celebrity
Shilpa Shetty Kundra as their new Brand Ambassador in
March.
Deepika Padukone was announced as a newly appointed
global ambassador of beauty brand LOral Paris in
March, joining the likes of Jane Fonda, Blake Lively,
Julianne Moore, Susan Sarandon and Aishwarya Rai
Bachchan.
Travel aggregator Goibibo appointed Deepika Padukone
as its celebrity brand ambassador in April and also
launched its summer campaign for travel social network
GoContacts.
Colgate-Palmolive India roped in Anushka Sharma as
the new brand ambassador for Colgate Active Salt
toothpaste in April.
Electronics maker Micromax has roped in Bollywood
actor Anil Kapoor as its brand ambassador in April.
THE GENESIS
Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve
Appointments
Former Microsoft India Chairman Ravi Venkatesan,
who has also authored an acclaimed book Conquering
the Chaos: Win in India, Win Everywhere, was
appointed as Co-Chairman of Infosys in April.
Engineering conglomerate Larsen & Toubro Ltd
appointed S N Subrahmanyan as the new chief executive
officer and managing director from July 2017.
LAUNCHES
YouTube Go: Google launched the beta version of its
YouTube Go app targeted at low income consumers in
April, allowing users to preview videos, saving video
offline and share with friends on the app without using
any data. The move to allow users share videos offline on
YouTube Go app - similar to sharing files on Shareit, will
allow Google to tap new data starved users and engage
with them before they come online.
811: Kotak Mahindra Bank aims to double its customer
base to 1.6 crore in 18 months through its latest digital
initiative christened 811, Uday Kotak, VC & MD, Kotak
Bank said recently. It would enable new account opening
in just five minutes using only income tax PAN and
Aadhaar number. Kotak said that the name 811 was
derived from the date the government started its
demonetisation process, November 8.
Others
Tube Investments of India, part of the diversified
business conglomerate Murugappa Group, launched
Brooks brand of bicycles that would be available as
an online exclusive, in April.
Auto-components maker OK Play India launched 8 e-
vehicles which includes passenger and commercial
vehicles under brand E-Raaja priced between Rs
1.25-1.5 lakh in April.
Mahindra & Mahindra launched a new small tractor
JIVO priced between Rs 3.90 lakh and Rs 4.05 lakh
(ex-showroom Maharashtra) in April.
MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS
Reliance Industries completed sale of its entire 76 per
cent interest in its East African company GAPCO (Gulf
African Petroleum Corp) to Total SA of France.
Indian auto parts maker Motherson Sumi Systems Ltd
(MSSL) completed the buyout of Finlands PKC Group
for 571 million euros ($619.4 million) in April.
Essar Group announced in April that it was exiting the
business process outsourcing (BPO) business by selling
www.endeavorcareers.com May 2017 Issue I
25
Japanese auto major Honda Motor Co appointed
Minoru Kato as President and CEO of Honda
Motorcycle & Scooter India (HMSI) from April 1.
IT industry body NASSCOM appointed Quatrro CMD
Raman Roy its Chairman for 2017-18 in April.
NIIT chief executive officer Rahul Patwardhan resigned
in April and was replaced by Sapnesh Lalla as CEO
from August 1.
TAL Manufacturing Solutions, a fully-owned arm of
Tata Motors, launched the countrys first locally
designed and manufactured industrial robot, the Brabo,
in April.
South Korean giant Samsung launched its Galaxy S8 in
April which has a voice assistant Bixby, to rival Apples
Siri, Googles Assistant, Amazon Alexa and Microsoft
Cortana.
Micromax forayed into premium devices with the
launch of 4G VoLTE ready smartphone Dual 5 priced
at Rs 24,999.
Panasonic India has launched two new smartphones in
its Eluga series that are equipped with Arbo the
companys in-house developed artificial intelligence
(AI)-based virtual assistant.
Swedish clothing giant Hennes and Mauritz (H&M),
which retails brands such as Cos, Other Stories, Monki,
Weekday and Cheap Monday, aunched its eighth
fashion brand ARKET in April.
TCS has partnered with Discovery Education, a digital
education content provider, to launch Ignite My Future
in School initiative to transform US education by
embedding computational thinking and problem solving
into core school subjects.
Google launched a new hyperlocal shopping app, Areo
in April, which will help users in Bangalore and
Mumbai to order food, home maintenance tasks, and
professional services. Digital payments platform PayU
India launched LazyPay in April that allows a deferred
payment option to users.
its back-office firm Aegis to Singapore-based private
equity fund manager Capital Square Partners.
Serie A giants AC Milan were sold to Rossoneri Sport
Investment Lux in April in a deal which saw the
Chinese-led consortium take a 99.9% stake in the club
owned by former Italian Prime Minister Silvio
Berlusconi since 1986. In recent times, the club has
struggled to match their unrivalled success of the 1990s.
THE GENESIS
Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve
Cyber Buzz
Google funds NGOs for e-learning
To bridge the quality education gap and provide students
with tech-based learning solutions, Google.Org
announced grants of USD 8.4 million in April to four
Indian NGOs working to improve education in the
country. Pratham Books StoryWeaver, Pratham
Education Foundation, Million Sparks Foundation and
Learning Equality will receive the grants over the next
two years to expand and scale the work they have been
doing.
The grants will be used to offer language-oriented
learning material, better training and support to teachers,
and to support students beyond classroom learning.
The Million Sparks Foundations with its digital content
platform and social community ChalkLit provides
teachers with lessons plans, learning modules and videos,
which are organised in accordance with the government
certified curriculum standards.
While Pratham Educations hybrid learning program
provides students with self-driven tablet-based solution,
Pratham Books StoryWeaver is an open-source online
platform which allows teachers and parents to create and
translate stories in over 67 languages.
In association with local partner Motivation for
Excellence, Learning Equality aims to help educators
access, organize and customize digital content, even in
the most remote locations through their platform
Kolibri.
Amazon to pay for kids app buys
Amazon has dropped its appeal of a US regulators order
and will pay refunds up to USD 70 million for app
purchases by children on its Kindle and Fire tablet.
The Federal Trade Commission announced it filed a joint
request with Amazon to withdraw a court challenge to an
order from last year, which was similar to actions taken
against Apple and Google for failing to get parental
authorization for purchases made by minors in their
respective app stores.
The end of the litigation clears the way for refunds of
some USD 70 million for in-app charges made between
November 2011 and May 2016. The FTC has reached
settlements with Apple and Google on similar cases,
arguing the lack of passwords had allowed children to
www.endeavorcareers.com May 2017 Issue I
26
make app purchases without parental consent. Amazon
however had challenged the FTC order in 2016.
Global initiative to fight fake news
A global alliance of technology industry and academic
organisations has decided to work together to combat the
spread of fake news. The objective is to promote news
literacy and build trust in journalism
The News Integrity Initiative will be based at the City
University of New Yorks journalism school, which will
coordinate research, projects and events. The founding
funders include Facebook and the Craigslist founder
Craig Newmarks philanthropic fund along with the Ford
Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation,
the Tow Foundation, AppNexus, Mozilla and Betaworks.
Fake news became a serious issue in last years US
election campaign, when clearly fraudulent stories
circulated on social media, potentially swaying some
voters. Concerns have been raised since then about
hoaxes and misinformation affecting elections in Europe
this year, with investigations showing how click farms
generate revenue from online advertising using made-up
news stories.
Pax for licensing of Android patents
Google has announced Pax, a new licensing agreement
group for patents across Android devices, in hopes of
reducing infringement claims and helping smartphone
manufacturers fight patent trolls. The group members
include prominent Android smartphone manufacturers.
Google is calling it Pax, which means peace in Latin, in
the hope of creating some peace around patents and
licensing terms. The Pax website describes the group as
royalty-free community patent cross-license, which will
cover Android and Google Applications that are pre-
installed on Android device.
This is a community license because all members grant
licenses to one another on a royalty-free basis, thereby
promoting patent peace within the Android ecosystem,
explains the website for Pax. According to Googles
blogpost with patent peace, there is space for innovation
and healthy competition, which will benefit users.
Googles Android is already an open-source OS, with
licenses being free for all manufacturers. (Credits:
bbc.com, msn.com, pti.com, google.com,
indianexpress.com, businessline.com)
THE GENESIS
Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve
Science & Technology
ISRO announces Venus mission
With a mission to Venus on its horizon, Indian Space
Research Organisation has made an Announcement of
Opportunity (AO) for space based experiments to study
the planet.
The AO is addressed to all institutions in the country,
andthe last date for receiving the proposal is May 19,
2017, Bengaluru-headquartered ISRO said in April.
Those sending proposals may be currently involved in
planetary exploration studies, or development of science
instruments for space, or willing to develop the
experiments, the space agency said in an announcement
on its website.
ISRO Chairman A S Kiran Kumar had earlier said that
mission to Venus is on the horizon and studies are
underway.
Venus is often described as the twin sister of the Earth
because of the similarities in size, mass, density, bulk
composition and gravity.
It is believed that both planets share a common origin,
forming at the same time out of a condensing nebulosity
around 4.5 billion years ago.
Stating that exploration of Venus began in the early
1960s, ISRO said the planet has been explored by flyby,
orbiter, a few lander missions and atmospheric probes.
It said in spite of great progress made in exploring Venus,
there still exist gaps in our basic understanding about
surface/sub-surface features and processes, super rotation
of Venusian atmosphere and its evolution and interaction
with solar radiation/solar wind.
The planet is around 30 per cent closer to the sun as
compared to Earth resulting in much higher solar flux.
Pointing out that the payload capability of the proposed
satellite is likely to be 175 kg with 500W of power, the
space agency said these values are to be tuned based on
the final configuration.
The proposed orbit is expected to be around 500 x 60,000
km around Venus, and the orbit is likely to be reduced
gradually, over several months to a lower apoapsis.
www.endeavorcareers.com May 2017 Issue I
27
Scripting space history, India on September 24, 2014, had
successfully placed its low-cost Mars spacecraft in orbit
around the Red Planet on its very first attempt.
Super Pressure Balloon launched
NASA successfully launched its football-stadium-sized,
super pressure balloon from New Zealand on April 25.
The aim is to detect cosmic rays from beyond our galaxy
as they penetrate the Earths atmosphere. The mission
will run for 100 or more days floating at 33.5 km in the
southern hemispheres mid-latitude band.
The 18.8-million-cubic-foot (532,000-cubic-meter) Super
Pressure Balloon lifted off from NASAs new launch pad
adjacent to Wanaka Airport carrying a suspended payload
of 2,495 kilogrammes.
As the balloon travels around the Earth, it may be visible
from the ground, particularly at sunrise and sunset, to
those who live in the southern hemispheres mid-
latitudes, such as Argentina and South Africa. The
progress of the flight, which includes a map showing the
balloons real-time location can be tracked on NASA
website.
While validating the super pressure balloon technology is
the main flight objective, the International Extreme
Universe Space Observatory on a Super Pressure Balloon
(EUSO-SPB) payload is flying as a mission of
opportunity.
EUSO-SPBs objective is to detect ultra-high energy
cosmic rays from beyond our galaxy as they penetrate the
Earths atmosphere. As these high-energy particles enter
the atmosphere, they interact with nitrogen molecules in
the air and create a UV fluorescence light.
EUSO-SPB will observe a broad swath of the Earths
atmosphere to detect the UV fluorescence from these deep
space cosmic rays coming in from above.
EUSO-SPB is now searching for the most energetic
cosmic particles ever observed. The origin of these
particles is a great mystery that this mission is attempting
to solve.
At a relatively low cost, NASAs heavy-lift balloons have
been critical launch vehicles for testing and validating
new technologies and science instruments to assure
mission success for costlier, higher-risk follow-on
spaceflight missions. (Credits: pti.com, nasa.gov)
THE GENESIS
Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve
Book Reviews
The Accusation: Forbidden Stories from
Inside North Korea by Bandi is a remarkable
literary discovery and a searing indictment of political
repression in the hermit kingdom.
In 1989, a North Korean dissident writer, known to us
only by the pseudonym Bandi, began to write a series of
stories about life under Kim Ilsungs totalitarian regime.
Smuggled out of North Korea and set for publication
around the world in 2017, the Accusation provides a
unique and shocking window on this most secretive of
countries. Bandis profound, deeply moving, vividly
characterised stories tell of ordinary men and women
facing the terrible absurdity of daily life in North Korea:
A factory supervisor caught between loyalty to an old
friend and loyalty to the Party, a woman struggling to
feed her husband through the great famine, the staunch
Party man whose actor son reveals to him the absurd
theatre of their reality, the mother raising her child in a
world where the all-pervasive propaganda is the very
stuff of childhood nightmare.
The Accusation is a heart breaking portrayal of the
realities of life in North Korea. It is also a reminder that
humanity can sustain hope even in the most desperate of
circumstances - and that the courage of free thought has a
power far beyond those seek to suppress it.
The Indian Spy: The True Story of the
Most Remarkable Secret Agent of World
War II by Mihir Bose tells for the first time the
full story of Bhagat Ram Talwar the most extraordinary
agent of World War II.
Talwar, a Hindu Pathan from the Northwest Frontier
Province of British India, was the only quintuple spy of
World War II, spying for Britain, Italy, Germany, Japan
and the USSR. His exploits and the people he worked
with were truly remarkable. His spying missions saw him
walk back and forth 24 times from Peshawar to Kabul
eluding capture and certain death. He fooled the Germans
so successfully that they gave him 2.5 million, in
todays money and awarded him the Iron Cross. His
British spymaster was Peter Fleming, the brother of Ian
Fleming, creator of James Bond. Fleming, operating from
the gardens of the Viceroys House in wartime Delhi,
gave him the code name Silver. Talwar became a spy
after he helped Subhas Chandra Bose escape India via
Kabul. Bose was seeking help from Germany and Japan
to free India and never discovered that Talwar was
betraying him to the British. Talwar settled in UP after
www.endeavorcareers.com May 2017 Issue I
28
India won independence; he died of natural causes in
1983. The book is based on research in previously
classified files of the Indian, British, Russian and other
governments.
The Last Gambit by Om Swami primarily
describes the relationship between a chess master and his
teenage student but the moral lessons and teachings
behind the story enlighten the reader about the
fundamental lessons in life in a lucid manner that strikes a
chord with young readers.
Success by design is infinitely better than a win by
chance. Vasu Bhatt is fourteen years old when a
mysterious old man spots him at a chess tournament and
offers to coach him on two simple but strange
conditions: he would not accompany his student to
tournaments and there would be no digging into his past.
Initially resentful, Vasu begins to gradually understand
his masters mettle. Over eight years, master and student
come to love and respect each other, but the two
conditions remain unbroken until Vasu confronts and
provokes the old man. Meanwhile, their hard work and
strategy pay off: Vasu qualifies for the World Chess
Championship. But can he make it all the way without his
master by his side? Inspiring, moving and mercurial, The
Last Gambit is a coming-of-age tale in a uniquely Indian
context.
Courting the People: Public Interest
Litigation in Post-Emergency India by
Anuj Bhuwania shows how public interest
litigation (PIL) grants the appellate courts enormous
flexibility in procedure, allowing them to manoeuvre
themselves into positions of overweening authority.
While PIL cases are usually politically analysed solely in
terms of their effects, whether beneficial or disastrous,
this book, based on empirical research, locates the
political challenges that PIL poses in its very process,
arguing that its fundamentally protean nature stems from
its mimicry of ideas of popular justice. It examines PIL as
part of a larger trend towards legal informalism in post-
Emergency India. Casting a critical eye over these
institutional reforms that aimed to adapt the colonial legal
inheritance to Indian realities, this book looks at the
challenges posed by self-consciously culturalist juridical
innovations like PIL to ideas of fairness in adjudication,
as well as democratic politics. (Credits: amazon.in)
THE GENESIS
 Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve 29
Do you remember?
(All questions based on content of previous issue; Answers on page No: 31)

1. Which was the Best Popular Film Providing 22. Which famous lyricist is the author of Apne Baare
Wholesome Entertainment at the National Film Mein (About Myself) released recently?
Awards in April? 23. The Hindi translation of Unfinished Memoirs was
2. Which was the Best Feature Film at the National Film released in April. The book is the autobiography of
Awards in April? which nations founder?
3. Who won the Best Director award at the National Film 24. Who was appointed Permanent Representative of India
Awards in April? to the UN offices in Geneva in March?
4. Who won the Indira Gandhi Award for the Best Debut 25. Indian Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat was conferred the
Film at the National Film Awards in April? title of honourary general by which neighbouring
5. Which movie won the Nargis Dutt award for the Best countrys President on March 29?
Feature Film on National Integration at the National 26. Mukta Dutta Tomar was appointed as new Indias
Film Awards in April? Ambassador to which European nation in April?
6. Which award was won by Pink (Hindi) at the 27. Vocalist Kishori Amonkar died on April 3 at 84. She
National Film Awards in April? belonged to which gharana of Hindustani classical
7. Which movie won the Best Childrens Film at the music?
National Film Awards in April? 28. Which of these awards was not won by vocalist
8. Who won the Best Actress at the National Film Kishori Amonkar (Padma Bhushan/Padma
Awards in April? Vibhushan/Sangeet Natak Akademi Award/ Sahitya
9. Best Male Playback Singer was won by Sundharayyar Akademi Award)?
for song in which language at the National Film 29. Assamese litterateur Arun Sarma passed away on
Awards in April? March 27 at 87 years. Which of these awards was not
10. Who won Best Female Playback singer at the National won by him (Padma Shri/Padma Bhushan/Sangeet
Film Awards in April? Natak Akademi award/ Sahitya Akademi award)?
11. Who won Best Book on Cinema award for Lata-Sur 30. Which nations capital was the venue of 136th
Gatha at the National Film Awards in April? Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in April?
12. Who won Best Film Critic award at the National Film 31. Monideep Chatterjee died on April 5 at 79. He was
Awards in April? known as: (Surgeon/Advocate/Architect/Chartered
13. Which award was won jointly by Adhish Praveen, Nur Accountant).
Islam, Saimul Alam and Manohara K. at the National 32. Which Israel government-owned company will
Film Awards in April? provide advanced medium-range surface-to-air missile
14. Who won the Best Actor award at the National Film systems (MRSAM) to the Indian Army as per a
Awards in April? contract signed in April?
15. Which was the Most Film Friendly State Award at the 33. Prime Ministers of the two nations jointly launched
National Film Awards in April? new rail services between India and Bangladesh on
16. Laws inconsistent with or in derogation of the April 8. The trains journey will start from Kolkata
fundamental rights are covered under which Article of and end in which place in Bangladesh?
the Indian Constitution? 34. Barasingha, or swamp deer, is the state animal of:
17. Navy launched IAAMS in March to bring accuracy in 35. Women of Substance awards were given by the
weather monitoring mechanism in the Indian Navy. Indian embassy in which nation in April?
Expand IAAMS. 36. What was the India-Mongolia military training
18. Who is the author of A History of Indian Sport exercise organised in Mizoram in April named?
Through 100 Artefacts released recently? 37. Art of Livings founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
19. Who received the Anuvrata Puraskar 2016 from Jain inaugurated a Yoga Cub in the parliament of which
Swetambhar Terapanth Dharma Sangh in March? nation April 5?
20. Which CRPF Commanding Officer, discharged from 38. The government of Madhya {radish has decided to
hospital in April, survived even after being hit by nine replace the word widow in official documents and
bullets in gunfight with terrorists in Kashmir on welfare related schemes with which word?
February 14? 39. The countrys longest road tunnel was inaugurated in
21. Who won the singing reality show Indian Idol 9 in J&K in April. The 9.28 km long tunnel links Chenani
Mumbai on April 2? in Udhampur district to ____ in Ramban district.

www.endeavorcareers.com May 2017 Issue I THE GENESIS

 Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve 30
40. Asias largest tulip garden opened for the tourists in 59. SAR in Hong Kong SAR refers to:
Srinagar on April 2. It is named after which former 60. Who is the new head of the U.N. World Food Program
prime minister? (UNWFP)?
41. Ashokamitran died at 86 in Chennai on March 23. 61. Who won Presidential election in Ecuador in April?
Which award was won by him ____ (Magsaysay 62. Who won Presidential election in Serbia in April?
Prize/Sangeet Natak Akademi Award/ Sahitya 63. Which Indian-origin South African anti-apartheid
Akademi Award)? activist died aged 87 in Johannesburg on March 28?
42. King Maha Vajiralongkorn is the monarch of which 64. Who was named Wisdens Leading Cricketer in the
Asian nation? World for 2016 in April?
43. UNFPA is: 65. Who were named Five Cricketers of the Year by
44. Which is the Uygur Muslim majority province in Wisden in April?
China? 66. Who won Mens and Womens singles titles at India
45. Which nation in South America became the first in the Open Super Series Badminton in April?
world to allow sale of recreational marijuana in 67. Who won Mens and Womens singles titles at
pharmacies from July? Malaysia Open Badminton in April?
46. Which military operation launched by Turkey in Syria 68. Who were the winners of matches for India in
ended in March? Asia/Oceania Group I Davis Cup Tennis tie against
47. Which multi-nation military exercise concluded in Uzbekistan in Bengaluru in April?
Nepal on April 3? 69. Akhilesh Das Gupta died in Lucknow on April 12 at
48. China had broken relations with Norway over the 56. He was the President of which sports national
award of Nobel Peace Prize to which activist in 2010? body?
49. Nicola Sturgeon is demanding separation of which part 70. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty play
from UK (Northern Ireland/Wales/Scotland)? doubles for India in which sport
50. The proposed merger of London Stock Exchange with (Badminton/Tennis/Squash/Table Tennis)?
_____ was rejected by the European Union in March. 71. Who won the Asian Billiards Championship, in
51. Which European nation is joining NATO as its 29th Chandigarh on April 14?
member? 72. Who won the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix in
52. The World Theatre Day was celebrated on: Shanghai on April 9?
53. The World Health Day was observed on April 7. What 73. K. Shyam Kumar won gold medal for India at the
was its theme? Thailand International Tournament in Bangkok in
54. Which University selects the winners of the annual April in which sport?
Pulitzer Prizes? 74. Cyrus Poncha won the 2016 Asian _____ Federation
55. Pulitzer Prizes are given for achievements in Coach of the Year award in April
Journalism, Literature and _______. (Badminton/Tennis/Squash/Table Tennis).
56. Who won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for the novel 75. Which state announced waiver of all farm loans upto
The Underground Railroad in April? Rs. 1 Lakh in March?
57. Which Mathematician won the 2017 Abel Prize of the 76. What was Indias External Debt at end-December
Norwegian Academy of Science & Letters in April? 2016 as per data released by the Finance Ministry on
58. Who was elected as Hong Kongs first woman Chief March 31?
Executive in March? 77. Who is the author of Indias Broken Tryst?
LATEST WHOS WHO
Organisation Headquarter Head (Designation)
International Monetary Fund (IMF) Washington D.C. Christine Lagarde (Managing Director)
World Bank Washington D.C. Jim Yong Kim (President)
Multilateral Investment Guarantee Washington D.C. Keiko Honda (Executive Vice President)
Agency (MIGA)
International Finance Corporation (IFC) Washington D.C. Philippe Le Houerou (Executive Vice President and
CEO)
International Centre for Settlement of Washington D.C. Meg Kinnear (Secretary-General)
Investment Disputes (ICSID)
International Bank for Reconstruction Washington D.C. Jim Yong Kim (President of the World Bank) and
and Development (IBRD) Joaquim Levy (Managing Director)

www.endeavorcareers.com May 2017 Issue I THE GENESIS

 Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve 31
Answers
1. Sathamanam Bhavati 26. Germany 57. French mathematician Yves
(Telugu) 27. Jaipur-Atrauli Meyer
2. Kasaav 28. Lalit Kala Akademi Award 58. Carrie Lam
3. Rajesh Mapuskar for 29. Padma Bhushan 59. Special Administrative
Ventilator (Marathi) 30. Bangladesh (Dhaka) Region
4. Deep Choudhary for Alifa 31. Architect 60. David Beasley
(Bengali) 32. Israel Aerospace Industries 61. Lenin Moreno
5. Dikchow Bonot Palash (IAI) 62. Aleksandar Vucic
(Assamese) 33. Khulna 63. Ahmed Kathrada
6. Best Film on Social Issues 34. Madhya Pradesh 64. Virat Kolhi
7. Dhanak 35. Egypt 65. Misbah-ul-Haq, Younis
8. Surabhi for Minnaminungu- 36. Nomadic Elephant Khan, Ben Duckett, Toby
The Firefly (Malayalam) 37. Japan Roland-Jones, Chris Woakes
9. Tamil 38. Kalyani 66. Viktor Axelsen (Denmark),
10. Iman Chakraborty (Bengali) 39. Nashri PV Sindhu
11. Yatindra Mishra 40. Indira Gandhi 67. Lin Dan (China), Tai Tzu
12. G. Dhananjayan 41. Sahitya Akademi Award Ying (Taiwan)
13. Best Child Artiste 42. Thailand 68. Ramkumar Ramanathan (2)
14. Akshay Kumar 43. United Nations Population & Prajnesh Gunneswaran (1)
15. Uttar Pradesh Fund in Singles and Rohan
16. Article 13 44. Xinjiang Bopanna & N. Sriram Balaji
17. Integrated Automatic 45. Uruguay in Doubles
Aviation Meteorological 46. Euphrates Shield 69. Badminton Association of
System 47. Shanti Prayas III India
18. Boria Majumdar 48. Liu Xiaobo 70. Badminton
19. Bihar CM Nitish Kumar 49. Scotland 71. Pankaj Advani
20. Chetan Cheetah 50. Deutsche Boerse 72. Mercedes driver Lewis
21. L. V. Revanth 51. Montenegro Hamilton
22. Javed Akhtar 52. March 27 73. Boxing
23. Bangladesh (Sheikh Mujibur 53. Depression: lets talk 74. Squash
Rahman) 54. Columbia University 75. Uttar Pradesh
24. Rajiv Kumar Chander 55. Music 76. $456.1 billion
25. Nepal 56. Colson Whitehead 77. Tavleen Singh

LATEST WHOS WHO

Organisation Headquarter Head (Designation)
International Development Association (IDA) Washington Jim Yong Kim (President of the World Bank)
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Vienna Yury Fedotov (Secretary-General)
(UNODC)
United Nations Industrial Development Vienna Li Yong (Director General)
Organization (UNIDO)
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Vienna Yukiya Amano (Director General)
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Geneva Filippo Grandi
(UNHCR)
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Geneva Prince Zeid bin Raad
Rights
United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs Vienna Simonetta Di Pippo (Director)
Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries Vienna Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo (Secretary General)
Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Vienna Lassina Zerbo (Executive Secretary)
Organization (CTBTO)
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Rome Jos Graziano da Silva (Director General)

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Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve 32
Corporate Knowledge Quiz
(Questions based on content in this issue & previous issue)
(Answer Key on last page)

1. Who among the following was appointed as Co- 8. Which corporate group launched Indias first locally
Chairman of Infosys in April? designed and manufactured industrial robot, the Brabo, in
a) Pravin Rao April?
b) Ravi Venkatesan a) Tata
c) Rajesh Krishnamurthy b) Mahindra & Mahindra
d) Ranganath D. Mavinakere c) Aditya Birla
d) Larsen & Toubro
2. Five airlines won bids on March 30 to operate on 128
routes under the regional connectivity scheme UDAN 9. Which minister in the Manmohan Singh government is
(Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik). Which airline bagged the the author of Hope in a Challenged Democracy: An
maximum routes? Indian Narrative released in April?
a) SpiceJet a) Shashi Tharoor
b) Air Deccan b) Jairam Ramesh
c) Air Odisha c) Ashwani Kumar
d) Turbo Megha Airways (TruJet) d) Salman Khurshid

3. Which online hotel booking company was co-founded 10. Ved Prakash was appointed as the Chairman of
by Yogendra Vasupal? Standing Conference of Public Enterprises (SCOPE) in
a) Oyo Rooms March. He is the CMD of which PSU?
b) Airbnb a) OIL
c) ibibo b) BSNL
d) Stayzilla c) NTPC
e) MMTC
4. Which of the following is not a brand marketed by
Hennes & Mauritz AB (H&M)? 11. Who launched a new small tractor JIVO in April?
a) Monki a) Mahindra & Mahindra
b) Weekday b) John Deere
c) Old Navy c) Escorts
d) Cheap Monday d) TAFE (Tractors and Farm Equipment)

5. Mark out the wrong pairs of persons and their 12. Who among the following is the co-founder of
companies. Truecaller app along with Nami Zarringhalam?
a) R.S. Agarwal: Emami a) Jack Dorsey
b) Harsh Mariwala: Marico b) Drew Houston
c) Siddhartha Lal: Eicher Motors c) Alan Mamedi
d) R.S. Goenka: Dabur d) Reid Hoffman

6. Which of the following pairs of recently appointed 13. Swarna Kamal is given to winners of which of the
brand ambassadors is not matched correctly? following at the National Film Awards?
a) Deepika Padukone: LOral Paris a) Best Feature Film
b) Priyanka Chopra: Goibibo b) Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director
c) Anushka Sharma: Colgate Active Salt toothpaste c) Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome
d) Anil Kapoor: Micromax Entertainment
d) All the above
7. Which of the following was the highest-selling two-
wheeler in the Indian market in 2016-17? 14. Who among the following Indian bankers is the only
a) Bajaj Pulsar Indian in Barrons list of worlds 30 best chief executive
b) TVS Scooty officers (CEO) launched in March?
c) Hero MotoCorp Splendor a) Chanda Kochhar
d) Honda Activa b) Rana Kapoor
www.endeavorcareers.com May 2017 Issue I THE GENESIS
Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve 33
c) Aditya Puri c) Member of ASEAN
d) Shikha Sharma d) Capital: Kuala Lumpur

15. Which of the following launched shopping app Areo 22. Who was appointed as the new Chairperson of
for users in Bangalore and Mumbai to order food, home Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) in April?
maintenance tasks and other professional services? a) Prabhu Krishnan
a) Google b) Vanaja N. Sarna
b) Flipkart c) Manoj Tripathi
c) Amazon d) Anant Sinha
d) Facebook
23. Who cautioned in April that loan waiver schemes
16. Which of the following is the online recruitment engender moral hazard, undermining honest credit
portal promoted by Info Edge (India)? culture and impairing incentives for borrowers to repay
a) Naukri.com bank loans?
b) Monster.com a) RBI Governor
c) Shine.com b) Finance Minister
d) Jobsahead.com c) CVC
d) CAG
17. Which premier league division football club in Italy
was acquired by Chinas Rossoneri Sport Investment Lux 24. Which was the best management college in
in April? governments National Institutional Ranking Framework
a) Fiorentina (NIRF) in April?
b) Napoli a) IIM, Indore
c) Juventus b) IIM, Lucknow
d) AC Milan c) IIM, Ahmedabad
d) IIM, Bangalore
18. Who is the most followed world leader on photo-
sharing app Instagram with a whopping 6.9 million 25. What is the online film certification system launched
followers, surpassing Donald Trump on April 12? by the government in March called?
a) Vladimir Putin a) e-cinepramaan
b) Pope Francis b) e-cinemantra
c) Xi Jinping c) e-cinepatra
d) Narendra Modi d) e-cineanumati

19. Ramesh Chandra Agrawal died on April 12 at the age 26. Which of the following pairs of recently appointed
of 73. Which newspaper group was founded by him? brand ambassadors is not matched correctly?
a) Amar Ujala a) P V Sindhu: Panasonic
b) Dainik Jagran b) Shruti Haasan: Gionee
c) Dainik Bhaskar c) Tiger Shroff: Garnier Men
d) Rajasthan Patrika d) Shilpa Shetty Kundra: Britannia

20. Bhoorsingh the Barasingha became the first ever 27. The Finance Bill 2017 was passed by Parliament on
mascot of a Tiger Reserve in the country in April. Which March 30, 2017. Which of the following is not correct?
one? a) Rs. 2 lakh limit has been put on cash transactions
a) Pench b) Limit on corporate donations to political parties
b) Kanha removed
c) Panna c) Agricultural income will be taxed from 2017-18
d) Bandhavgarh d) Aadhaar has been made compulsory for filing income
tax returns
21. PM of Malaysia visited India in April. Which of the
following regarding Malaysia is not matched correctly? 28. The Andhra Pradesh government has decided to
a) Prime Minister: Najib Abdul Razak rename airport in which city after legendary Telugu actor
b) Currency: Rupiah Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao in March?

www.endeavorcareers.com May 2017 Issue I THE GENESIS

Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve 34
a) Tirupati 35. T. R. Andhyarujina passed away in Mumbai on
b) Guntur March 28 at the age of 84. He was a well-known:
c) Vijayawada a) Surgeon
d) Visakhapatnam b) Advocate
c) Architect
29. The governments National Institutional Ranking d) Chartered Accountant
Framework (NIRF) was announced in April. Which of
the following pairs of No: 1 ranked institutions is not 36. Who among the following will take over as the new
matched correctly? CEO and MD of Larsen & Toubro from July 2017?
a) Colleges: Miranda House, Delhi a) S. N. Subrahmanyan
b) Universities: Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore b) R. Shankar Raman
c) Engineering: IIT, Kharagpur c) Shailendra Roy
d) Pharmacy: Jamia Hamdard University, New Delhi d) M. V. Satish

30. The central government has transferred land
belonging to National Textile Corporation-owned Indu
Mills in Mumbai to the state government for the
construction of a memorial for ___________.
a) Jyotiba Phule
b) Yashwantrao Chavan
c) Babasaheb Ambedkar
d) Gopal Krishna Gokhale
37. Which private sector bank has launched 811, a digital
initiative to double customer base in 18 months? 811
refers to the day and month of 2016 (November 8) the
date of the beginning of demonetisation process.
a) Axis Bank
b) IndusInd Bank
c) HDFC Bank
d) Kotak Mahindra Bank

31. Which of these pairs of Himalayan shrines and 38. Which cashless payment service launched LazyPay
Uttarakhand districts is not matched correctly? deferred payment option to users in April?
a) Kedarnath: Rudraprayag a) Paytm
b) Badrinath: Chamoli b) BillDesk
c) Gangotri: Pauri c) PayU
d) Yamunotri: Uttarkashi d) Oxigen

32. Which Indian academic institution has signed an 39. Ikutaro Kakehashi died aged 87 on April 2, 2017. He
agreement in April to train Malaysias Human Resource was the founder of which well-known electronic musical
Development department? instruments company?
a) Management Development Institute, Gurgaon a) Nord
b) Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad b) Roland
c) Institute of Entrepreneurship Development, Lucknow c) Korg
d) Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, d) Kurzweil
Gandhinagar
40. Tanushree Pareek became which paramilitary forces
33. IT industry body NASSCOM appointed Raman Roy first woman combat officer in March?
as its Chairman for 2017-18 in April. Roy is the CMD of: a) BSF
a) Quattro b) ITBP
b) NIIT c) CRPF
c) Mindtree d) Assam Rifles
d) Genpact
41. Which of the following pairs of intelligent personal
34. Who has won the AM Turing Award, computings assistants and their developer companies is not matched
version of the Nobel Prize, in April? correctly?
a) Vint Cerf a) Samsung: Bixby
b) Marc Andreessen b) Microsoft: Cortana
c) Len Kleinrock c) LG: Alexa
d) Tim Berners-Lee d) Apple: Siri

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Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve 35
42. Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy National Awards were given a) Gionee
to people in which profession by the President in March? b) Panasonic
a) Engineering c) Xiaomi
b) Journalism d) Micromax
c) Medical
d) Law 47. Which newspaper group saw seizure of its assets by
Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a
43. Which BJP leader is the author of Matoshree money laundering case in March?
released recently? a) Dainik Jagran
a) Maneka Gandhi b) Deccan Chronicle
b) Sumitra Mahajan c) Ananda Bazar Patrika
c) Sushma Swaraj d) Malayala Manorama
d) Nirmala Sitharaman
48. Who launched Brooks brand of bicycles in April for
44. Who created the famous bronze Charging Bull online sales exclusively?
sculpture which has become a symbol of the Wall Street a) Atlas Cycles
in New York? b) Hero Cycles
a) Jeff Koons c) Avon Cycles
b) Kirsten Visbal d) TI Cycles
c) Mircea Cantor
d) Arturo Di Modica 49. Hari Om Entertainment and Grazing Goat Pictures are
movie production companies owned by:
45. Which Indian IT company has partnered with a) Akshay Kumar
Discovery Education, a digital education content b) Amitabh Bachchan
provider, to launch Ignite My Future in School initiative c) Hrithik Roshan
in schools in the US? d) Ajay Devgn
a) Wipro
b) Infosys 50. Under the UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik)
c) Tech Mahindra scheme, fares for 50% of the seats in flights of duration
d) TCS upto one hour have been capped at:
a) Rs. 1000
46. Which of the following launched mobile phones that b) Rs. 1500
are equipped with artificial intelligence (AI)-based virtual c) Rs. 2000
assistant Arbo? d) Rs. 2500

Point-Counterpoint
Pakistan Army is a professional military
outfit and upholds the highest standards of
conduct. Allegations of mutilation are an
Indian attempt to divert the attention of
world from situation within the Valley.
Maj Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza,
Pakistan DGMO, on Indias claim that a
Pak special forces team sneaked across the
LoC, beheaded two Indian security
personnel and mutilated their bodies
Blood samples of the Indian
soldiers that have been collected and
the trail of blood on Roza Nala (near
LoC) clearly shows that people from
Pakistan occupied Kashmir returned
across the LOC.
Gopal Bagley, Spokesperson,
Ministry of External Affairs

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Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve 36
Crossword: (Solution on next page)

ACROSS
1. Mumbais old name? (6)
4. Congregate, gather or collect (5)
7. Packs tightly, forces or crams? (6)
13. One who supplies food and drinks at a
party or a function (7)
14. Notice of exception, abbr. (3)
15. Reachable targets for available guns are
thus (2.5)
16. State of agitation (4)
17. French word meaning good? (3)
18. Conjurers tool (4)
21. Keeping a not so big profile, in a way?
(5.3)
23. Most commonly used expression of
regret? (1,2,5)
27. Bluish violet gems (9)
29. Make steady (9)
31. Marking the formal start (of a series,
etc) (9)
32. Deprecates or disparages (9)
33. Hindered, stopped movements of (8)
37. One of Indias major rivers (8)
42. Ninth month, abbr. (4)
43. ___ Arun: Parde-ke-peeche... singer?
(3)
44. Heap of things (4)
47. Cease to feel angry or resentful towards
(7)
48. Nip in the _: stop something in the
beginning of its development? (3)

ACROSS ACROSS
49. Times of the years when the heat is at its maximum? (7) 51. Inclined from the perpendicular position (5)
50. Pulled or tugged sharply (6) 52. Portuguese money formerly (6)
DOWN DOWN
1. _to the hilt: give full support? (4,2) 25. Old time Hindi movie actor (5)
2. Slang word for a street dog? (4) 26. Last but not the_? (5)
3. Put on trial and publicly accuse (7) 28. Ugly old woman; witch (3)
5. Go blown anagram for something used by the archer? (7) 30. First in short (3)
6. Madras city as it is now called (7) 34. Childish (7)
8. Capital of Ontario (7) 35. Decayed or putrefied (6)
9. Thin flat organs on bodies of fish (4) 36. Run forward with the ball in control in hockey, or football (7)
10. Boil with anger (6) 37. ___ the heart of: please very very much? (7)
11. Football mad South American country (6) 38. Force from office (6)
12. American Indian hut (6) 39. Speak about: laud or praise profusely? (7)
19. Capital of Andhra Pradesh (9) 40. A biting insect? (6)
20. A collection of guns and cannons (9) 41. A complete failure (6)
22. Scottish biscuit (7) 45. Much respected Bollywood villain (4)
24. An art style of the 1920s and 1930s (3, 4) 46. Rahu Aur _ (4)

www.endeavorcareers.com May 2017 Issue I THE GENESIS

Endeavor Careers Dream Endeavor Achieve 37
Corporate Knowledge Quiz: Answer Key

1. c 2. d 3. b 4. b 5. d 6. d 7. a 8. d 9. d 10. a

11. d 12. b 13. b 14. b 15. a 16. a 17. d 18. c 19. b 20. b

21. a 22. b 23. b 24. c 25. d 26. b 27. b 28. c 29. c 30. b

31. d 32. c 33. c 34. b 35. c 36. c 37. c 38. b 39. b 40. a

41. c 42. d 43. b 44. b 45. a 46. c 47. c 48. d 49. a 50. b

Sudoku (Solution below)

SUDOKU I SUDOKU II

Solutions:
CROSSWORD SUDOKU I

SUDOKU II

www.endeavorcareers.com May 2017 Issue I THE GENESIS