Final Spotlight February 2019

SPOTLIGHT
MONTHLY CURRENT AFFAIRS
RBI|SEBI|NABARD
COMPLETE COURSES:
RBI GRADE B 2019
SEBI GRADE A 2019
NABARD GRADE A 2019
TITLE PAGE
BLOG OF THE MONTH 02
NATIONAL NEWS 08
INTERNATIONAL NEWS 48
BANKING AND ECONOMY 51
APPOINTMENTS 61
IMPORTANT DAYS 63
AWARDS 65
SPORTS 70
MISCELLANEOUS 73
QUESTION BANK 76
ANSWERS 104
FEBRUARY 2019 CURRENT AFFAIRS
BLOG OF THE MONTH

INTERIM BUDGET 2019-20
Interim Budget 2019-20 was presented in Parliament on 1st February by the Union Minister for
Finance, Corporate Affairs, Railways & Coal, Shri Piyush Goyal. Besides having a major Scheme for
the farmers, it provides tax sops and sets the Developmental Agenda for the years to come.
Below are the areas with the benefits in this budget:
FOR FARMERS:
FOR DIRECT TAX PAYERS:
• Income up to Rs. 5 lakhs exempted from Income Tax.

• More than Rs. 23,000 crore tax relief to 3 crore middle
class taxpayers.
• Standard Deduction to be raised to Rs. 50,000 from Rs.
40,000.
• TDS threshold to be raised to Rs. 40,000 from Rs.
10,000 on interest earned on bank/post office
deposits.
• TDS threshold on rental income increased from RS. 1.8
Lakh to 2.4 Lakh annually.
• Existing rates of income tax to continue.
• Tax exempted on notional rent on a second self-
occupied house.
• New tax slab is as under:
NEW TAX SLAB

Income Tax rate (person less than 60 of age)
Up to RS. 2.5 Lakh NIL
Rs. 2.5 Lakh – 5 Lakh NIL (as get rebate of RS.12,500)
Rs. 5 Lakh – 10 Lakh 20% % (+ 4% Cess on 20% (20.80)

Rs. 10 Lakh – 50 Lakh 30% (+4% Cess on 30% (31.20)
30% (+ 10% surcharge on 30% (33%) +
Rs. 50 lakh – 1 Crore
4% Cess on 33% (34.32)
30% (+ 15% surcharge on 30% (34.5) + 4
Rs. 1 Crore and above
% Cess on 34.5% (35.88)
*Rs. 12,500 rebate for income up to RS. 5 Lakh (under the section 87A)
*4% of tax liability added as Cess;
*10% surcharge on Rs. 50 lakh – 1 Crore;
*15 % surcharge on incomes of Rs. 1 Crore or more
*tax slab for male and female is same.
FOR POOR AND BACKWARD CLASSES:
• “First right on the resources of country is

that of the poor”.
• 25% additional seats in educational
institutions to meet the 10% reservation
for the poor.
• All willing households to be provided
electricity connections by March 2019.
ALLOCATION FOR MAJOR SCHEME:
• Announcing an allocation of Rs.60,000

crores for MGNREGA for Budget Estimates
2019-20.
• Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna (PMGSY)
is being allocated RS. 19000 Crore in BE
2019-20 as against RS. 15,500 Crore in RE
2018-19.
• Allocation of RS. 27,584 Crore in BE 2019-20
Integrated Child Development Scheme
(ICDS) as against Rs.23,357 crore in RE
2018-19.
• Under the Ujjwala Yojna, out of 8 crore free
LPG connections 6 crore have been already
given and the remaining will be given by
next year.
FOR HEALTHCARE:
FOR WELFARE OF SC, STs AND DE - NOTIFIED COMMUNITIES:
Schedule Castes Schedule Tribes De-Notified communities

• A Welfare Development Board to frame special
strategies for the benefit of the De-notified, Nomadic
RS. 76,801 Crore RS. 50,086 Crore and Semi-Nomadic communities under the Ministry of
(an increase of (an increase of social Justice and Empowerment.
35.6 % over BE of 28% over BE of • A committee under NITI AYOG will be set up to
2018-19. 2018-19) complete the task of identifying De-notified, Nomadic
and Semi-Nomadic communities not yet formally
classified.
FOR WOMEN DEVELOPMENT:

FOR DEFENCE SECTOR:
For the first time, the country’s Defence budget will be off over RS. 3
lakh Crore.
FOR RAILWAY SECTOR:

• Capital support for Indian Railways is proposed at Rs.64,587 crore in 2019-20.
• Operating Ratio is expected to improve from 96.2 % in 2018-19 to 95% in 2019-20.
Capital support for Indian Railways is

proposed at Rs.64,587 crore in 2019-20.
Operating Ratio is expected to improve
from 96.2 % in 2018-19 to 95% in 2019-20.
Railways
in
Budget
FOR UN-ORGANIZED LABOUR:
• “Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan scheme” to ensure fixed

monthly pension to 10 crore unorganized sector workers.
• Rs 3000 per month after 60 years of age with an affordable

contribution of only Rs 100/55 per month under the above
scheme.
FOR ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY:
• Indian filmmakers to get access to Single window

clearance as well for ease of shooting films.
• To introduce anti-camcording provisions in the

Cinematograph Act to control piracy.
FOR MSME AND TRADERS:

• 2% interest subvention on an incremental loan of Rs 1 crore

for GST registered SMEs.
• At least 3% of the 25% sourcing for the Government
undertakings will be from women owned SMEs.
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS:
• Digital villages: The Government to make 1 lakh villages

into Digital Villages over next five years.
• Artificial Intelligence: New National Artificial Intelligence

portal to support National Program on Artificial
Intelligence.
FOR LIVESTOCK BREEDING AND FISHERIES:
• Outlay for “Rastriya Gokul mission” increased to Rs 750

crore.
• “Rastriya Kamdhenu Ayog” to be setup for sustainable
genetic up-gradation of the Cow resources.
• New separate Department of Fisheries for welfare of
1.5 crore fishermen.
• 2% interest subvention to Farmers for Animal
husbandry and Fisheries activities; additional 3% in
case of timely repayment.
FOR HOUSING AND REAL ESTATE SECTOR:
• TDS threshold for deduction of tax on rent to be increased

from Rs. 1,80,000 to Rs. 2,40,000.
• Benefit of rollover of capital gains increased from
investment in one residential house to two residential
houses for capital gains up to Rs. 2 Crore.
• Tax benefits for affordable housing extended till 31st March
2020 under Section 80- IBA of Income Tax Act.
• Tax exemption period on notional rent, on unsold
inventories, extended from one year to two years.
What is INTERIM BUDGET:

As per the dictionary, 'interim' means meanwhile. When it's an outgoing govt. or the case where
the govt. doesn't have time to present the full budget because the elections are approaching, it
presents a proposed budget which later can be approved finally by the incoming government.
STANDARD DEDCUTION:
The Standard Deduction is a deduction allowed as per the Income Tax, irrespective of the expenses
met or the investment made by the individual. It is a fixed amount of deduction – in this BUDGET
2019, an amount of Rs 50,000 can be reduced by salaried taxpayers, from their gross salary.
TDS threshold:
Tax Deducted at Source or TDS is a type of tax that is deducted from an individual’s income on a
periodic or occasional basis. This helps the salaried persons in paying the tax in easy instalments
and help the government to get funds throughout the year and run the government smoothly.
NOTIONAL RENT:
A sum put into accounts as rent where the person owns the building it is occupying and so does not
pay an actual rent.
REBATE:
A refund on taxes when the liability is less than the tax paid by an individual is referred to as
Income Tax Rebate.
WHAT IS CESS:
A CESS imposed by the central government is a tax on tax, levied by the government for a specific
purpose. In this budget it is levied for health and education purpose.
WHAT IS SURCHARGE:
Surcharge’ is an additional charge or tax levied on an existing tax. Unlike a CESS, which is meant to
raise revenue for a temporary need, surcharge is usually permanent in nature.
For example, if surcharge is 15% for a category of 30% taxpayer, actually he has to pay 34.5% as tax.
WHAT IS OPERATING RATIO:

The operating ratio shows the efficiency of a company's management by comparing operating
expense to net sales. The smaller the ratio, the greater the organization's ability to generate profit
if revenues decrease.
SINGLE WINDOW CLEARANCE:

The single-window system is a trade facilitation idea. As such, the implementation of a single
window system enables traders to submit regulatory documents at a single location and/or single
entity.
ANTI CAMCORDING PROVISIONS:
The anti-camcording provision prohibits the illegal filming and recording of films in theatres.
SUBVENTION:
Subvention refers to a grant of money in aid or support, mostly by the government.
NATIONAL NEWS
1. Smart Village Campaign was approved by Punjab Government to supplement the ongoing works
to build village infrastructure and provide essential amenities.
• Smart Village Campaign would be financed with funds from the 14th Financial
Commission and MGNREGA works.
• As per the scheme, individual works up to Rs 25 Lakhs would be considered and those
individual whose work cost above this would be needing the approval from state-level
committee.
2. Construction of six submarines worth 40 thousand crore rupees was approved by Defence
Acquisitions Council.
• It is the second project aiming to boost the government's ‘Make in India' program.
• Make in India was launched to encourage companies to manufacture their products in
India and enthuse with dedicated investments into manufacturing.
• The first project was the acquisition of 111 utility helicopters for the Navy.
3. According to the National Sample Survey Office’s (NSSO) Periodic Labour Force survey (PLFS),
India’s unemployment rate was at a 45-year high of 6.1 percent during 2017-18.
• According to the report, among rural males and females between 15 and 29 years of
age, unemployment stood at 17 percent and 13.6 percent respectively.
4. Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) proposed three models through which the states
can implement the scheme – Insurance Model, Trust-based Model, Hybrid Model.
• Insurance model: the premiums are paid to the insurance company, which administers
and pays the claim.
• Trust based model: Each state forms its own trust to manage the scheme and claims will
be disbursed from a corpus created from central and state government contributions.
• Hybrid model: comes under the insurance model while the balance gets processed
under the trust.
5. The Swadesh Darshan project was inaugurated in Sikkim for the first time under Swadesh
Darshan Scheme of Ministry of Tourism.
• Under this Project, the Ministry has developed tourism infrastructure facilities like
Meditation Centre, Tourist Information Centre etc.
6. ISRO launched the Human Space Flight Centre in Bengaluru.

• The Human Space Flight Centre will implement the first development flight of
Gaganyaan Project.
• Gaganyaan is India’s first manned space mission which has been accorded highest
Priority by ISRO.
7. The Defence Acquisition Council has approved the acquisition of 5,000 Milan-2T anti-tank
missiles from France.
• The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) was constituted to ensure a fair defence
procurement planning process.
• An Anti-Tank missile is aimed at destroying the vehicles that are heavily armoured.
• Milan Munitions consists of the missile in waterproof launch tube.
8. Assam occupied the top slot in the ranking of Best Practices in Budget Formulation, according
to the survey by Transparency International.
• The survey is based on the four parameters:
i. Public Disclosure
ii. Budgetary process
iii. Post budget fiscal management
iv. Efforts to make budget more transparent and citizen friendly.

• The states which figured lower in the ranking were Meghalaya, Manipur and Punjab.
States Ranks
Assam 1
Andhra Pradesh 2
Odisha 3
9. Transparency International is an international non-governmental organization based in Berlin,

Germany.
10. The 12th Edition of Aero India 2019 will be held at Air Force Station at Yelahanka in Bengaluru.
• It aims to provide a platform in bolstering business opportunities in the International
Aviation Sector.
• The Aero India 2019 has a tagline “The Runway to a Billion Opportunities” and has a
logo inspired by the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA).
11. A committee was setup under the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) to explore prepaid
payments by state electricity distribution companies to power plants.
• The formed committee, consist of the Chairman of distribution companies of Tamil
Nadu and Maharashtra, and representatives from Union power ministry and power
associations to look into problems of delayed payments from distribution companies
to power generators.
12. Two-day International Conference on 8th century Himalayan sage Guru Padmasambhava was
held in New Delhi, celebrating the 50 years of formalization of diplomatic ties between India
and Bhutan.
• This conference was organised by the Centre for Escalation of Peace (CEP) and was
titled ‘Life and Legacy of Guru Padmasambhava’.
13. The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme is announced under Ministry of
Finance to provide assured income support to small and marginal farmers
• The Centres Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) would provide an annual
grant of Rs 6,000 to farmers.
• Around 12 crore small and marginal farmer families are expected to benefit from this
scheme.
14. Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Madhan Scheme has been launched in the Interim budget 2019 by
Government of India, for the workers in the unorganised sector under Ministry of Labour &
Employment.
• Under this scheme, an assured monthly pension of Rs 3,000 per month will be provided
to workers in the unorganised sector after 60 years of age.
• To avail of the scheme, workers will have to contribute a minimal Rs 100 month per
month.
• This scheme will benefit 10 crore workers.
15. ICT Academy Bridge 2019 was inaugurated in Tamil Nadu.

• Theme of the conference: “Fostering for Industry 4.0”.
16. Minister of Railways, Piyush Goyal launched the “The Future of Rail” report of the
International Energy Agency (IEA).
• The Future of Rail is the first-of-a-kind report that analyses the current and future
importance of rail around the world through the perspective of its energy and
environmental implications.
17. India’s largest multi-cultural street festival -The Kala Ghoda festival begins in Mumbai to
celebrate its 20 years of art and culture through cinema, theatre, dance, literature, and
sculpture.
• Theme 2019: A Measure of Time.
18. Sahitya Kala Parishad organised the 6-day long music and dance festival 'Sopan 2019', to
encourage young artists to take up traditional art took place in New Delhi.
19. Kerala has become the first State to set up a Price Monitoring and Research Unit (PMRU) to
track violation of prices of essential drugs and medical devices under the Drugs Price Control
Order (DPCO). Role of PMRU:
• Monitor notified prices of medicines
• Detect violation of provisions of DPCO.
• Collect and compile market-based data of scheduled and non-scheduled formulations.
20. Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) App has been launched on Google play store.
• With the help of PM-JAY app one can simply to access the scheme details or check the
eligibility by entering the name, village and ID details.
21. ‘Darwaza Band- Part 2' campaign launched by Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation under
Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen Scheme in Mumbai.
• It focuses on sustaining the open defecation free status of villages across the country.
22. Oil Marketing companies (OMC) have released 6.23 crore free LPG connections to BPL (below
poverty line) households, under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), across the
country.
• The aim of PMUY is to make available free and cleaner fuel in poor household kitchens.
• A subsidy of Rs.1600 is provided to state owned fuel retailers for every free LPG
connection they provide to BPL families.
• The key condition of the scheme is that, no LPG connection should exists in the name of
any family member of BPL household.
23. Ministry of Union Labour and Employment has allowed women to work in mines, both in
opencast and underground, during the day and night, as part of the efforts to build more
opportunities for women.
• This decision has been taken, in line with the recommendations of the section 12
committee constituted under Mines act, 1952.
24. Shehri Samridhi Utsav, an initiative of Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has been
initiated in New Delhi, with aim to extend the reach of Deendayal Antyodaya Mission – National
Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM).
• Mission of DAY-NULM: To reduce poverty and vulnerability of the urban poor
households by enabling them to access gainful self-employment and skilled wage
employment opportunities.
25. Advita Kala hosted Second Edition of World Count festival 2019 in Pune, Maharashtra.
• During this festival, Ahmedabad Textile Industry Research Association (ATIRA)’s new
composite carbon fabric which is lightweight, durable, low cost and high heat resistance
which is replacing metal parts of satellites was announced.
26. The Defence Budget was increased by 6.87 per cent to Rs. 3.18 lakh crore against last year's
allocation of Rs. 2.98 lakh crore.
• Our defence budget will be crossing Rs. 3,00,000 crores for the first time in 2019-20
• The defence budget is around 1.44 per cent of the GDP.
27. Visually impaired and blind voters will be provided with Braille Voter Slips in the Lok Sabha
elections this year.
• Braille is a script with raised dots that can be read with the fingers by people who are
blind or who have low vision.
• The initiative is part of the strategic framework for accessible elections.
28. Know India Programme (KIP) is a flagship initiative under Ministry of External Affairs for
Diaspora engagement which familiarize Indian-origin youth (18-30 years) with their Indian roots
and contemporary India.
• An online portal (kip.gov.in) has been launched in 2017 exclusively for Know India
Programme in which Indian-origin youth will submit their applications online for
participation in the KIP to the Indian Missions/Posts abroad.
29. Delhi Government has launched Zero Fatality Corridor with an aim to curb the number of
accidents under Minister of Transport in Delhi during the opening ceremony of the road safety
week.
• Zero Fatality Corridor is a 3km stretch between Bhalswa chowk and Burari chowk on
the outer ring road has been chosen as a case study in this regard.
• The initiative is a collaborative approach of the transport, health, education, public
works department, together with Delhi traffic police to ensure that road fatalities in
Delhi are reduced.
30. The Parmanu Tech conference was organised by the Ministry of External Affairs and
Department of Atomic Energy (DAE). The Highlights of the Speech are:
• India has achieved a unique place in the international community
• India has always used technology for constructive use and never for destructive
purpose.
• Nuclear energy will be a big and cost-effective source of energy in future.
31. Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully launched its 40th communication
satellite “GSAT-31” from French Guiana by Arianespace launch vehicle.
• It will replace the InSAT satellite.
• GSAT-31 will enlarge the Ku-band transponder capacity in geostationary orbit and will
bestow the linkage to operational services on some of the in-orbit satellites.
32. Mobile App ‘DigiCop’ of the Chennai police department was launched using which people can
track the status of stolen two-wheelers and cell phones.
• The details of 18,000 stolen mobile phones are stored in the App.
• Using DigiCop App, people can verify IMEI, report lost two-wheelers and phones, know
the nearest police station, police news, and traffic alerts.
33. India Pavilion was launched at the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) 2019.
34. India and Bangladesh have signed an MOU for training 1800 Bangladesh Civil Servants at the
National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG).
• NCGG is an institute under the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public
Grievances (DAR&PG), Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Govt. of
India.
35. The Jammu and Kashmir Government declared Ladakh as the third administrative division of
the state.
• The new division will comprise Leh and Kargil districts with Leh being the division's
headquarters.
36. 2nd ASEAN-India Youth Summit was inaugurated at Hotel Taj Vivanta in Guwahati.
• Theme: “Connectivity: Pathway to Shared Prosperity”
• ASEAN-India Youth Summit is a step to facilitate socio-cultural exchanges between the
countries of the region, to further strengthen the values of tolerance, pluralism and
diversity, which is an integral part of the traditions of India and the countries of ASEAN.
37. Three-year Asiatic Lion Conservation Project was launched by The Ministry of Environment,
Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in collaboration with the state of Gujarat.
• MoEFCC allocated Rs 59 crores to focus on better management of the lion habitat,
disease control and veterinary care for them.
• Gujarat government also implemented Rs 80 crore that will be spent on specialised
veterinary hospitals and full-fledged ambulances for lions.
38. The Second Himalayan Cloud Observatory is set up in SRT campus in Tehri district of
Uttarakhand by Indian Science and Technology Department and Indian Institute of
Technology (IIT) Kanpur.
• The motive of the observatory is to forecast and monitor cloudburst incidents in the
Himalayan region and help to minimize the damage.
• The First Cloud Observatory was set up in Kerala.
39. The three-day Krishi Kumbh was inaugurated in Motihar, Bihar.

• The objective of Krishi Kumbh is to promote modern techniques and diversification in
agriculture that could help in doubling farmers income.
40. The Second edition of India Heritage Walk Festival (IHWF) 2019 was organised by Sahapedia
in partnership with UNESCO.
• This festival offers opportunity to discover the hidden gems linked to the history.
41. 2nd Phase of River Information System (RIS) was inaugurated between Farakka and Patna on
National Waterway-1 (River Ganga) in Prayagraj under Jal Marg Vikas Project under Ministry
of Shipping.
• The 2nd Phase of RIS is aimed at enhancing swift electronic data transfer so as to boost
movement of Cargo and Fishery Development in river Ganga.
• A new arrangement of Navigation Lock to enable breeding of Hilsa fish in River Ganga
and to conserve the river ecosystem is being constructed with the cost of Rs. 361.35
Crore at NW-1
42. Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Meet was organised in New Delhi in collaboration of
Ministry of Home Affairs with the Ministry of External Affairs and National Disaster
Management Authority (NDMA) based on Disaster Risk Management.
• It will focus and strengthen cooperation in disaster response intervention and
mobilization of relief material to affected countries.
43. Suresh Prabhu launched two scheme - Hirkani Maharashtrachi and District Business Plan
Competition in Mumbai under Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• Under Hirkani Maharashtrachi, women’s Self-help group (SHGs) will display their
business plan at taluka level
• Under District Business Plan Competition, competitors at district level will display ideas,
out of which five ideas will be selected from agriculture, social service, education and
Work order.
44. PM Modi during his visit to Arunachal Pradesh declared 100% electrification of all household in
the state.
• It was achieved under the ‘Soubhagya Scheme’.
• Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana or Soubhagya Scheme was launched by Government of
India in 2017 to provide electricity to all households.
45. The Health Ministry has notified 8 medical equipment, comprising of all implantable devices,
as “Drugs” under section 3 of the ‘Drugs and Cosmetics Act’.
• The equipments comprise of CT scan, MRI equipment, defibrillators, dialysis machine,
PET equipment, X-ray machine, bone marrow cell separator and all implantable
medical devices.
46. INS Trikand, commanded by Captain Srinivas Maddula, participated in a multi-national training
exercise ‘CUTCLASS EXPRESS 2019’.
• INS Trikand is the frontline warship of the Indian Navy,
• The participating nations in the exercise Cutlass Express 2019 were Canada, Comoros,
Djibouti, France, India, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Portugal,
Seychelles, Somalia, Tanzania, The Netherlands and the United States.
47. 25 lakh candidates have been trained under the Short-Term Training (STT) of the Pradhan
Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY).
• PMKVY is Flagship scheme of the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship
(MSDE), aimed at enabling a large number of Indian Youth to take up industry-relevant
skill training to help them secure a better
• “Skill Loan Scheme” was launched to support youth by providing a loan facility to
individuals who intend to take up skill development courses as per the Skill Loan
eligibility criteria.
48. The 2nd National Conference of Micro Missions of National Police Mission was held in New
Delhi by Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD).
• The motive of the conference is to discuss the issues of Skills and Competence at the
grass-root level, Attitudinal Changes in Police, Gender Sensitization, harnessing
technology and Community Policing.
49. 1st LAWASIA Human Rights Conference was held in New Delhi by LAWASIA in association with
the Bar Association of India.
• The motive of the conference is to explore a broad range of human rights issues of
relevance in the Asia Pacific region.
• Theme: “State Power, Business and Human Rights: Contemporary Challenges”.
• The Bar Association of India is a voluntary organisation of lawyers and LAWASIA is a
regional association of lawyers, judges, jurists and legal organisations, which advocates
for the interests and concerns of the Asia Pacific legal profession.
50. The first annual conference of media units was held in New Delhi under The Ministry of
Information and Broadcasting.
• It was hosted with a motive to discuss on emerging areas of communication paradigm.
• It is a unique platform to discuss and strengthen the synergy between the media units
in order to ensure last mile delivery.
51. Institute of Advanced Virology (IAV) was inaugurated in Bio 360 Life Sciences Park at
Thonnakkal in the capital city, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
• The institute will help in detection and prevention of virus-borne diseases such as Nipah.
52. The Legislative Assembly of Rajasthan passed the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Bill,
2019 and the Rajasthan Municipality (Amendment) Bill, 2019 to end the minimum education
criterion for panchayat and civic polls candidates.
• It is required to have passed Class X for contesting municipal elections, Class VIII for
contesting panchayat polls for the post of a sarpanch, and Class X for contesting Zila
Parishad or Panchayat Samiti elections.
• Construction of toilets in their homes as mandatory for contesting polls to the
Panchayati Raj institutions in the state.
53. The government has introduced the Registration of Marriage of Non-Resident Indian Bill, 2019
in the Parliament.
• The bill was introduced by the Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj in the
Rajya Sabha.
54. National Productivity Council (NPC) has been celebrating National Productivity week from
February 12th to 18th, 2019.
• Theme: “Circular Economy for Productivity & Sustainability”.
• National Productivity Council is an autonomous registered society under DIPP
(Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade), Ministry of Commerce &
Industry and is used to promote and adopt the new and improved culture of
productivity in India.
55. The Union Government has envisaged the development of the National Gas Grid.
• The government is implementing various projects of about 14,239 Km gas pipelines
which would add to the existing 16,788 Km natural gas pipeline.
• To provide clean and green fuel throughout the country.
• To connect gas sources to major demand centres.
• Development of City Gas Distribution Networks in various cities for the supply of CNG
and PNG.
56. The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change signed a letter of Intent establishing
the First India-Norway Marine Pollution Initiative together with the Norwegian Ministry of
Foreign Affairs.
• The Joint initiative aims to combat marine pollution, which is one of the fastest growing
environmental concerns.
57. Government e Marketplace (GeM) and Competition Commission of India (CCI) have signed a
Memorandum of Understanding to enable a fair and competitive environment in the e-
Marketplace.
• GeM aims to enhance transparency, efficiency and speed in public procurement.
• Competition Commission of India is a statutory body responsible for enforcing the
Competition Act, 2002 throughout the country.
58. Dikkibandi stadium (Meghalaya) has been renamed after PA Sangma by The Government of
Meghalaya.
• Purno Agitok Sangma has served as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and the Chief Minister
of Meghalaya.
59. India is in 36th position out of 50 countries in International IP Index 2019 released by The U.S.
Chamber of Commerce’s Global Innovation Policy Centre, (GIPC).
• The Index aims to create a roadmap for countries that aspire to foster economic growth
and global competitiveness through stronger IP.
• The U.S. and UK economies remain at top position.
60. Arundhati Scheme was announced by the government of Assam to provide gold at free of cost
to the brides.
• Under the scheme, the government of Assam aims to provide 1 Tola Gold at about Rs
38K to brides belonging to all such communities of Assam where it is customary to
provide gold at the time of the wedding.
• The benefit under Arundhati scheme can be availed upon formal registration of
marriages under Special Marriage (Assam) Rules, 1954.
• The scheme is named after Arundhati, wife of great sage Basistha.
61. The Annual Budget 2019-20 was tabled by Yogi Adityanath in Uttar Pradesh.
• The government presents Rs. 4.79 lakh crore budget.
• The government has launched Kanya Sumangala Scheme for upliftment of women
which would give ‘handsome’ money to all girls in the state when they get married or
pass graduation.
62. The 13th edition of PETROTECH-2019 was held at India Expo Mart in Greater Noida, New Delhi.
• It was organised by Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd. (ONGC) in association
with Federation of Indian Petroleum Industries under the aegis of the Ministry of
Petroleum and Natural Gas.
• The theme of PROTECH-2019 was “Shaping the New Energy World through Innovation
& Collaboration”.
63. India’s first agromet forecast centre- North Karnataka Agromet Forecasting and Research
Centre (NKAFC) was launched at University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS) in Dharwad,
Karnataka.
• The main objective of the centre is to give accurate reports on weather which would
enable the farmers to protect the crops and get good yield.
64. National Central Cooling Company PJSC (Tabreed) entered into a 30-year concession with
Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) to build India’s first district
cooling system in Amaravati, Hyderabad.
• The agreement is for a contracted cooling capacity of 20,000 Refrigeration Tons (RTs)
• The district cooling system will help save 40% of the energy currently being used and
reduce CO2 emissions.
65. Asia’s largest Early Childhood conference – Early Ed Asia 2019 was held in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
• The motto of the event was ‘Our Children. Our Future’.
• It was a two-day event on the topic Early Childhood.
66. India has withdrawn ‘Most Favoured Nation’ or MFN to Pakistan just a day after the terror
attach in Pulwama, Jammu & Kashmr in which 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CPRF) personal
lost their lives.
• The Most Favoured Nation clause is the first clause in the General Agreement on
Tariffs and Trade (GATT) by the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
• This clause requires countries to provide any concessions or privilege granted to one
nation, to all other World Trade Organisation (WTO) member countries.
67. The Swachh Shakti 2019, a convention of Women Sarpanches was held at Kurukshetra in
Haryana.
• Swachh Shakti is a national event which aims to bring in to focus the leadership role
played by rural women in Swachh Bharat Mission.
68. India and the European Union have made a decision to mutually invest up to 40 Million Euros
(Rs.323 Crore) on 7 Research and Innovation projects to tackle and handle immediate water
challenges in the country.
69. Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) launched a new portal Least Available Depth
Information System (LADIS).
• Designed to: facilitate the day to day operations of inland vessels plying on National
Waterways
• Ensure that: real-time data on least available depths is disseminated for ship/barge and
cargo owners
• Enhance: credibility and efficiency of information sharing
70. 5th International Dam Safety Conference 2019 was held in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha.
• The measures to be taken for Structural safety and operational efficiency of decade old
dams were discussed.
71. The Centre has exempted industries like steel, cement and metal from mandatory prior
environment clearance for setting up a new or expanding the existing..
• The exemption has been given to Thermal Power Plants using Waste Heat Recovery
Boilers without any auxiliary fuel.
• The exemption has been provided to promote energy conservation and reduce green-
house gas emissions.
72. Machilipatnam’s Bandarkota, in Andhra Pradesh, houses an old armoury – Cannonballs, which
is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
73. ‘Blackbuck’ is the state animal of Punjab.

• It faces a severe threat from stray cattle, stray dogs and habitat fragmentation due to
change in land use and cropping patterns over the past few years.
• Abohar Wildlife Sanctuary is known for blackbucks in Punjab.
74. According to the Dell Technologies Digital Transformation Index, India is the most digitally
mature country in the world.
• 91% of the business leaders believe that digital transformation should be more
widespread as compared to 78% globally.
• Dell Technologies in collaboration with Intel and Vanson Bourne, surveyed 4,600
business leaders from mid- to large-sized companies across the globe to score their
organizations’ transformation efforts.
75. The Centre has exempted industries like steel, cement and metal from mandatory prior
environment clearance for setting up a new or expanding the existing..
• The exemption has been given to Thermal Power Plants using Waste Heat Recovery
Boilers without any auxiliary fuel.
• The exemption has been provided to promote energy conservation and reduce green-
house gas emissions.
76. Machilipatnam’s Bandarkota, in Andhra Pradesh, houses an old armoury – Cannonballs, which
is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
77. As per Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, India’s goal of ending TB by 2025 will be a
tough task.
• Global Fund was created in 2002, to end the epidemics of AIDS, TB and malaria, the
three biggest infectious diseases in the world by 2030.
78. ‘Blackbuck’ is the state animal of Punjab.

• It faces a severe threat from stray cattle, stray dogs and habitat fragmentation due to
change in land use and cropping patterns over the past few years.
• Abohar Wildlife Sanctuary is known for blackbucks in Punjab.
79. The 15th Finance Commission will not alter its approach on solely using the 2011 Census for
population figures in its calculations for allocations to States.
• The Commission is a recipient of the Terms of Reference (ToR), obligated by the
Constitution to act on the basis of the Presidential Order.
• Chairman of the 15th Finance Commission – N.K Singh
80. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has published a set of guidelines to establish
charging station for EV (Electric Vehicles) at every 25 km to outline the ways to build fuelling
points.
• The government expects that 25% of road vehicles will be electric by 2030.
81. India with immediate effect has boosted the Customs Duty on all the goods imported from
Pakistan to 200% followed by the day after India repealed Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status
from Pakistan.
• This 200% tariff rate is higher than average bound rate of 113.5% for agriculture
products and 34.6% for non-agriculture products.
82. A mega exercise, EXERCISE VAYU SHAKTI-2019 involving 140 fighter jets and attack helicopters,
in a firepower demonstration was held close to the border with Pakistan at Pokhran in
Rajasthan.
• Vayu Shakti and Gagan Shakti are two important exercises held by Indian Airforce.
• For the first time, the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) and the Akash were deployed in
a military exercise.
83. The Uttarakhand Govt announced the interest free loans of up to Rs 1 Lakh to poor and small
farmers.
• Interest free loan up to Rs 5 lakh to self-help groups engaged in agro-related activities
was also announced.
84. As per Kerala Tourism Statistics, Kerala witnessed 156 lakh domestic tourist arrivals in the
2018 calendar year.
Tamil Nadu 13.78 Lakh (highest)
Karnataka 10.02 Lakh
Maharashtra 5.70 lakh
Andhra Pradesh 2.81 lakh
Delhi 2.58 lakh
85. According to the category by the 2018 Global go To Think Tank Index Report, the Hindu Centre
for Politics and Public Policy has been ranked 33rd in the ‘Top Think Tanks in China, India,
Japan, and the Republic of Korea’.
• The report has been published by the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program, The
Lauder Institute, University of Pennsylvania.
Country No. of Think Tanks
United States 1,871
India 509
China 507
Japan 128
South Korea 60
86. India's largest and leading full service law firm, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas (CAM), has set up
India's first legal tech incubator 'Prarambh'.
• Prarambh will work with young entrepreneurs to come up with new technology-based
solutions for the legal industry.
87. India has surpassed Italy by holding the dubious distinction of having the worst non-
performing loan ratio among the world’s major economies.
• There is a pile of $190 billion of stressed and soured debt.
• Italy succeeded in quickly reducing its bad-loan ratio with Non-Performing Loans falling
to about 200 billion euros ($227 billion) last year from their peak of over 360 million
euros in 2016.
88. The government exempted startups from ‘angel tax’ on funds they have raised from investors
in the last up to seven years.
• Angel tax is a term used to refer to the income tax payable on capital raised by unlisted
companies via issue of shares where the share price is seen in excess of the fair market
value of the shares sold. The excess realisation is treated as income and taxed
accordingly.
• Under Section 56 (2) (viib) of Income Tax Act, a start-up will be eligible for exemption if
it is a private limited company recognised by the Department for Promotion of Industry
and Internal Trade (DPIIT).
• An entity will be recognized as start-up up to 10 years from the date of its incorporation
or registration instead of the existing duration of 7 years.
• A firm can be a startup if its turnover for any of the financial years since its incorporation
hasn’t exceeded Rs 100 crore against the existing cap of Rs 25 crore.
89. The Union cabinet approved the promulgation of Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on
Marriage) Second Ordinance, 2019, in a move aimed at protecting the rights of married Muslim
women.
• The necessary official amendments have been approved in Muslim Women (Protection
of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2018, also called as Triple Talaq Bill.
• It will prevent divorce by the practice of instantaneous and irrevocable ‘talaq-e-biddat’
by husbands of Muslim Women.
90. The government has launched the ‘One Health’ Initiative at the One Health India Conference
2019 held in New Delhi.
• It is an inter-sectoral approach to tackling some of the world’s most urgent health
threats including Brucellosis, Tuberculosis, Anthrax, Antimicrobial Resistance.
91. The Emergency Response Support System, ERSS has been introduced for women safety in 16
states and Union Territories.
• All the states are required to set up an Emergency Response Centre, ERC.
• In the hour of need, a person can dial 112.
• In smartphones, press power button of the phone thrice without any delay to activate a
panic call to the Emergency Response Centre.
• Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offences (ITSSO) – it is an online portal that
provides real-time monitoring and management for completion of investigation in rape
cases in 2 months.
• Safe City Implementation Monitoring (SCIM) portal – It shall be implemented in eight
cities- Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow &
Mumbai which includes identifying the crime hot-spots, providing CCTV surveillance,
patrolling by women police in vulnerable areas.
92. Himachal Pradesh has passed the Bill to make Sanskrit as the second official language of the
state after Hindi.
• With this, Himachal Pradesh became the second state to adopt Sanskrit as the second
official language of the state after Uttarakhand.
93. The Union Cabinet approved the National Electronics Policy 2019 for the electronics system
design and manufacturing sector by 2025.
The policy has introduced “easier to implement” incentive schemes to replace some of
the existing ones under the National Electronics Policy 2012 including an interest
subvention scheme and credit default guarantee.
It proposes to provide interest subsidy of 4% on loans up to ₹1,000 crore on plant and
machinery limited to Rs 1,000 Crore.
94. The law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad launched a tele-law mobile application called Nyaya
Bandhu (Pro Bono Legal Services).
• The 'Pro bono legal services' initiative is a web-based platform, through which
interested lawyers can register themselves to volunteer pro bono services for the
underprivileged litigants, who are unable to afford it.
95. To promote tourism, the newly set up Island Development Agency (IDA) has identified seven
islands in Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep for seaplane operations.
• Key infrastructure projects such as operationalisation of the Diglipur airport in

Andaman and Nicobar Island for civilian aircraft and the construction of a new airport
on Minicoy Island, Lakshadweep have been accorded high priority by the government.
96. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved the launch of KUSUM, Kisan
Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan scheme.
• The scheme aims to provide financial and water security to farmers through harnessing
solar energy capacities of 25.75 gigawatts (GW) by 2022.
• The scheme has three components:
• Component A - 10,000 megawatt (MW) of decentralised ground mounted grid-
connected renewable power plants
• Component B - Installation of 17.50 lakh standalone solar powered agriculture pumps.
• Component C - Solarisation of 10 lakh grid-connected solar powered agriculture pumps.
97. The Union government has proposed a new rural Livelihood Scheme, the National Rural
Economic Transformation Project under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural
Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) through loan assistance from World Bank.
• It will enhance the livelihoods promotion and access to finance and scale-up initiatives
on digital finance and livelihood interventions.
98. The government of Odisha has launched the KALIA Chhatra Bruti scholarship for the children
of farmers.
• It has been launched under the KALIA, Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income
Augmentation, a scheme for financing farmers in Odisha.
• Students should be the children of KALIA beneficiaries.
99. The Union Minister of Commerce and Industries Suresh Prabhu launched SWAYATT (Start-ups,
Women and Youth Advantage Through eTransactions) and GeM Start-up Runway.
• SWAYATT – It will bring together the key stakeholders within the Indian entrepreneurial
ecosystem to Government e-Marketplace the national procurement portal.
• GeM Start-up Runway – to facilitate Start-ups registered with Start -up India to access
the public procurement market and sell innovative products and services to government
buyers.
100. The government has approved setting up of a new company under the Department of
Space to commercially exploit the research and development work carried out by Indian Space
Research Organization (ISRO) Centers and constituent units of DOS.
101. The Delhi-based National Physical Laboratory (NPL) that creates the indelible ink (purple
ink that used during elections), has a new concoction that when applied on the finger, doesn’t
leave a trace.
• It merely glows a bright orange when a low-intensity beam of ultraviolet light is shone
on it.
• The NPL prepared the ‘invisible ink’ as part of a pilot project mooted by the Mysore
Paints and Varnish Ltd. (MVPL).
• The MVPL, a Karnataka government company, has a monopoly on the manufacture of
indelible ink since 1962.
102. The Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry has recently launched the Operation
Digital Board.
• It was launched on the lines of Operation Blackboard to provide better digital education
in school.
• It aims to set up one digital and interactive board per classroom in government and
government-aided schools.
• Digital board will be introduced from class 9 onwards from the academic year 2019-20.
103. The 4th edition of International Conference on Pharmaceutical & Medical Device sector
took place in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
• The theme for India Pharma 2019– ‘Enabling Quality Affordable Healthcare’ and that of
India Medical Device 2019 – ‘Med-Tech India: Gearing up for Ayushman Bharat’.
104. A clearance for bulk production of 114 ‘Dhanush’ artillery guns has been received by the
Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) from the Indian army.
• It is the first long-range artillery gun to be produced in India.
105. The Union government has empowered Assam Rifles personnel to arrest anyone and
search a place without warrant in the states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland,
and Mizoram.
• Earlier, Assam Rifles was making arrests only in areas where the Armed Forces (Special
Powers) Act was in effect.
• Mizoram, Nagaland, Manipur, Assam, Jammu & Kashmir and parts of Arunachal
Pradesh are currently under AFSPA.
Section 41 of the States that any police officer may, without an order from a
Code of Criminal magistrate and without a warrant, arrest any person.
Procedure
Section 47 gives powers for search of place entered by person sought to be
arrested
Section 48 says a police officer may, for the purpose of arresting without
warrant any person whom he is authorised to arrest, pursue such
person into any place in India
Section 49 the person arrested shall not be subjected to more restraint than
is necessary to prevent his escape
106. The 12th edition of Air show "Aero India-2019" was held in Bengaluru.
107. The government of Nagaland has decided to make the Inner Line Permit applicable
throughout the State, including the commercial hub of Dimapur.
• Under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation Act of 1853, non-Nagas should have ILP
to visit the State, but Dimapur district was not included under the provisions.
• Inner Line Permit is an official travel document issued by the Government of India to
allow inward travel of an Indian citizen into a protected/restricted area for a limited
period.
• It is required in Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Nagaland.
108. Kerala Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan has inaugurated India’s first Humanoid Police Robot
named KP-BOT
• She is ranked as Sub-Inspector (SI), at the Police Headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram,
Kerala.
• Kerala State Police Headquarters has become the first police department in the country
to use a robot for police work.
• The robot’s gender is declared female keeping in mind women empowerment and
gender equality.
109. President Ram Nath Kovind gave assent to changes in the Indian Stamp Act, 1899, which
will rationalize and harmonize the system of levying stamp duty and help curb tax evasion.
• The Amendments to the Indian Stamp Act, 1899, were introduced as part of the Finance
Act 2019.
• The amendments propose to create the legal and institutional mechanism to enable
states to collect stamp duty on securities market instruments at one place by one
agency (through the Stock Exchanges or Clearing Corporations authorised by the stock
exchange or by the Depositories).
• The duties levied by Maharashtra will be taken as a benchmark as it accounts for 70% of
the total collection.
110. The 2-day long Regional Maritime Safety Conference 2019 was held in Mumbai to discuss
maritime safety in the India-ASEAN sub-region, safeguarding our shores and promoting
maritime trade.
• It was organized by India for the first time, by the National Maritime Foundation
(NMF), in coordination with Ministry of Shipping and Ministry of External Affairs.
111. Union Minister of State for Food Processing Industries, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, inaugurated
Tripura’s first mega food park named Sikaria Mega Food Park Pvt Ltd at Village Tulakona in
Agartala.
112. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) formed a 4-member committee to look into the
matter of taxation related pain points and submit its final report and recommendations by mid-
March.
• The committee will be headed by Income Tax Commissioner Sanjeev Sharma.
• It will tackle the issue by addressing some current pain points and recommending some
steps borrowed from international best practices.
• As per government figures, 465,349 cases related to taxation are pending at various
forums.
• Of this, about 1% cases are high value cases and constitute about 90% of the total tax
demand.
113. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated ‘Waste to Wonder Park’ which houses the
replicas of seven wonders of the world at Sarai Kale Khan, Delhi.
• The replicas are -- Taj Mahal (20 ft), the Great Pyramid of Giza (18 ft), Eiffel Tower (60
ft), Leaning Tower of Pisa (25 ft), Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer (25 ft), Rome's
Colosseum (15 ft) and New York's Statute of Liberty (30 ft).
114. Union Minister for Textiles, Smriti Irani launched the Integrated Large Scale Eri Farming in
Arunachal Pradesh under North East Region Textile Promotion Scheme (NERTPS).
• The project aims to support Eri food plantations and also empower the tribal women of
the state with employment opportunities and sustainable livelihood.
115. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has stated in the Supreme Court that
Spotted Cheetahs being translocated from Namibia would be kept at Nauradehi sanctuary in
Madhya Pradesh.
• India’s last spotted cheetah had died in 1947.
• In 1952, the animal was declared extinct in the country.
116. The government of Madhya Pradesh has launched the Mukhyamantri Yuva Swabhiman
Yojana to provide employment for youth.
• The scheme guarantees 100 days of employment every year to urban youths from
Economically Weaker Sections (EWS).
• The youth would get Rs 4,000 stipend per month and total Rs 13,500 for the 100 days
period would be provided.
• During this period, they would be given skill development training, so that they become
independent.
• The scheme defines Economically weaker sections as those whose family’s annual
income is less than Rs 2 lakh and the scheme is limited to youth in the age group 21-30
years.
117. The Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) has unveiled the Atmospheric Water
Generator (AWG) at the Aero India 2019 to meet the ever-increasing need for drinking water
worldwide.
• The Atmospheric Water Generator would generate water straight from the humidity
present in the atmosphere through a novel technology.
118. Bihar has become the first state to deploy specially-trained dogs to check smuggling of
liquor which continues to take place in spite of total ban imposed in the state for the last 3
years.
• 20 liquor-tracker dogs were trained rigorously for nine months in Hyderabad,
Telangana.
• This action was taken after the seizure of more than three million litres of illegal alcohol
since April 2016.
119. The 3rd Edition of “VIVID-Vision Insight and Voices as India goes Digital”- the District
Informatics Officer (DIO) meet was organized by National Informatics Centre (NIC).
• Launch of Digidhan Mitra Chatbot – An AI based Chatbot
• Launch of Technology Incubation and Development of Entrepreneurs (TIDE) 2.0
scheme – it aims to assist Institutions of Higher learning to strengthen their Technology
Incubation Centres.
120. A helpline for quick redressal of public complaints was launched by Uttarakhand Chief
Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat – 1905
• Citizens can contact any govt department.
121. Odisha govt has launched a Boat Ambulance Service which can be called by dialing ‘108’.
• It would be used to transport patients to hospitals in remote areas.
122. Jio Saavn– an India-based global audio and music that it scored the 1st rank among Indian
companies and 28th rank globally in the 2019 list of “50 Most Innovative Companies”.
123. Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Ashwini Kumar Choubey launched the
“National Action Plan – Viral Hepatitis” in Mumbai.
• It was launched in the presence of Amitabh Bachchan who is the Goodwill Ambassador
for hepatitis, WHO South-East Asia Region.
• According to World Health Organization (WHO), Viral Hepatitis has caused 1.34 million
deaths globally in 2015.
• Viral hepatitis is a global public health problem that kills nearly 2.72 lakh people
annually.
• It is an inflammatory condition of the liver caused by five known hepatitis viruses — A,
B,C,D and E.
• Of these, B and C are known to cause 96% mortality.
124. The Passport Index of 2019 showed that the Passport Power Rank of the Indian passport is
64.
• It ranks almost 199 countries in the world based on their-
• Visa-Free Score (VFS) – includes Visa-Free (VF) and Visa On Arrival (VOA)
• VF portion of their score vs VOA
• United Nations Development Programme Human Development Index 2015 (UNDP
HDI) is used as a tie breaker.
125. The Government of India released a new 41-page draft National E-Commerce Policy that
provides setting up a legal and technological framework for restrictions on cross-border data
flow.
• 6 broad issues of the e-commerce ecosystem are addressed in the draft:
i. Data
ii. Infrastructure Development

iii. E-Commerce Marketplaces
iv. Regulatory Issues
v. Stimulating Domestic Digital Economy
vi. Export Promotion Through E-Commerce
126. Arunachal Pradesh state govt has announced issuing Permanent Resident Certificate (PRC)
to six non-Arunachal Scheduled Tribes (APSTs) communities namely Deoris, Sonowal Kacharis,
Morans, Adivasis and Mishings.
• Permanent Resident Certificate is a legal document issued to Indian citizens that serves
as evidence of residence and is required to be submitted as residential proof for official
purpose.
• The protesting people feel the rights and interests of indigenous people will be
compromised if the proposal is implemented.
127. The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women (UN Women)
hailed Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for his government’s proposal of 33 per cent
reservation for women in Parliament and State Legislatures.
128. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has increased the risk and hardship allowance of the
Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel deployed in the most difficult areas of Jammu
and Kashmir and Left Wing Extremism (LWE)-affected States.
• For troops up to the rank of Inspector – To ₹17,300 a month from ₹9,700
• For officers above the rank of Inspectors – To ₹25,000 from ₹16,900.
129. The Govt. has banned Unregulated Deposit Schemes through an ordinance i.e. any deposit
scheme not registered with the government would be treated as an Unregulated Deposit
Scheme.
• This extends to the entire country except Jammu and Kashmir and is to come into force
immediately.
• There is no ban on any individual taking a quick loan to tide over a crisis from relatives
as prescribed under Section 2(4)(f).
• The ordinance does not prohibit Chit Funds as they are regulated by Chit Fund Act, 1982
and is treated as Regulated Deposit as per Schedule 1 of Banning of Unregulated
Deposit Ordinance, 2019.
• It bans Ponzi Schemes - is an investment fraud that pays existing investors with funds
collected from new investors.
130. The National War Memorial has been inaugurated in New Delhi.
• It is a monument constructed by the Government of India to honour armed forces.
131. The Indian Air Force (IAF) has commissioned the development of an Aerial Surveillance
System for monitoring suspicious movements under dense foliage cover along the international
border and some parts within the country.
• A first-of-its-kind in the country, Hyper Spectral Imagery Programme seeks to locate and
identify suspicious movements and is expected to be operational in the next two years.
132. Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Shri J P Nadda, inaugurated the ‘4th Global
Digital Health Partnership Summit’.
• It is the global intergovernmental meeting on digital health, hosted by the Ministry of

Health and Family Welfare in collaboration with World Health Organization (WHO) and
the Global Digital Health Partnership (GDHP).
133. The Central Information Commission (CIC) said that an Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) is
“information” under the Right to Information Act.
• It can be demanded by a citizen from the Election Commission (EC) by paying Rs. 10.
• This implies the Election Commission has to respond to an RTI application seeking the
EVM either by providing it or refusing it under exemption clauses in the Act.
• But that also can be contested before the CIC which is the highest adjudicating
authority in RTI matters.
• The decision was taken by Sudhir Bhargava- Chief Information Commissioner (CIC).
134. Union Minister Piyush Goyal launched Rail Drishti Dashboard which is an online portal
containing information related to passenger and freight trains and links to live feeds of IRCTC
kitchens.
• The URL of the dashboard is raildrishti.cris.org.in.
135. India successfully test fired the short-range Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QRSAM),
developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for the Indian
Army, from a test range along the coast of Odisha.
• It is an all-weather, all-terrain missile with a strike range of 25 km to 30 km.
• It will replace the ‘Akash’ missile defence system which is on its way out due to
technological obsolescence.
136. A leopard was killed by a tiger in Phen Wildlife Sanctuary under the Kanha Tiger Reserve in
Madhya Pradesh.
137. As per the ‘Loong Palace Hurun Global Rich List 2019’, Indian’s richest individual Mukesh
Ambani, CMD of Reliance Industries, was ranked at Eighth position among the top 10 richest
individuals globally.
• He is the first Indian to achieve this position as also the only Asian in this year’s list.
• His net worth is estimated at $54 billion (₹3,83,700 crore).

NAME RANK IN INDIA GLOBAL RANK NET WORTH
S.P. Hinduja 2 40 $21 billion
Azim Premji 3 57 $17 billion
Rank Name Wealth US$bn Main Company
1 Jeff Bezos 147 Amazon
2 Bill Gates 96 Microsoft
3 Warren Buffett 88 Berkshire Hathaway
4 Bernard Arnault 86 LVMH
5 Mark Zuckerberg 80 Facebook
138. Civil Aviation Ministry has organized “Aviation Conclave 2019” in New Delhi.
• The theme of the Aviation Conclave 2019 was “Flying for all”.
• New rules specifying rights of air travelers in case of delayed, cancelled or diverted
flights were released.
• In case the flight is delayed by up to 4 hours, passenger can avail free meal and
refreshments.
• In case, the flight is delayed for more than 6 hours, passengers will be availed for option
of an alternate flight or full refund of the ticket and will be provided free hotel
accommodation in case the flight was scheduled between 20:00 and 3:00 hours.
• In case a person dies on-board or suffers body injury only due to the airline fault,
airlines will be liable to pay Rs. 20 lakh.
139. Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani inaugurated the 'Titanwala Museum' in Bagru,
Rajasthan that showcases the Chhipa community's hand-block printing.
140. Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has unveiled a 800-kg “Astounding Bhagavad Gita” at
ISKCON temple in Delhi.
• This book is the world’s largest sacred book and was prepared by ISKCON devotees.
• The book measures around 2.8 by 2 meters and contains 670 pages.
141. Assam launched the Parents Responsibility and Norms for Accountability and Monitoring
(PRANAM) Commission.
• It is a panel set up to look after the issues with respect to the PRANAM Bill brought in
for protection of parents of state government employees at Guwahati, Assam.
• It is the first-of-its kind bill which states that if the PRANAM Commission gets a
complaint that parents of a state government employee is being ignored, then 10% or
15% of the employee’s salary will be deducted by the government and paid to the
parents or differently abled siblings.
142. India ranked 47th in the ‘Inclusive Internet Index 2019’ which is prepared by the
‘Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) for Facebook.
• The index was expanded to include 100 countries which will represent 94% of the
world’s population and 96% of global GDP.
• The ‘Inclusive Internet’ score was based on the scores of availability, affordability,
relevance and readiness categories.
143. A first-of-its-kind memorial for witch-hunt victims was unveiled in Odisha.

• It has a symbolic statue at its centre with the names of all known victims of the evil
practice etched on granite stones.
• In India, as many as 134 persons, most of them women, were killed after being labelled
as witches.
144. The government has brought 42 non-scheduled anti-cancer drugs under price control,
capping trade margin at 30 per cent, which would reduce their retail prices by up to 85 per cent.
• The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has invoked extraordinary
powers in public interest, under Para 19 of the Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013.
• As per the WHO estimate, there are approximately 18 million cases globally and 1.5
million in India alone.
• There were Eight lakh cancer deaths in India in 2018.
145. A draft student Start-Up Up Policy has been prepared in Rajasthan to support innovations
by the students and create an environment to facilitate their creative pursuits.
• The idea behind this is to help students become job giver and not seeker.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
1. Macedonia signed an accord to join NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) to become the
30th member of the US-led alliance.
• At a formal signing of the NATO accession protocol, Macedonia’s Foreign Minister
Nikola Dimitrov hailed the moment as showing that the country will never walk alone
once in the alliance.
• NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated the admittance of a new member
highlighted that all European nations who meet the entrance criteria could join the
regional alliance.
2. Singapore is declared to be the most livable location for Asian Expatriates for the 14th
consecutive year, according to ECA International Survey.
• ECA is a survey about the quality of life in hundreds of locations around the world,
forming the basis for fair and equitable location allowances.
3. Iran announced the successful test flight of Hoveizeh long-range cruise missile which marks the
40th anniversary of 1979 Islamic revolution.
• The Hoveizeh Cruise Missile is part of the Soumar family of cruise missile and has a
range of over 1,350 km (840 miles).
• It is designed to use against ground targets and is manufactured by the Aerospace

Industries Organization of Israel.
4. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has raised 5.2204 billion Philippine pesos ($100 million)
from a new issue of local currency bonds in the international market.
• The bonds pay a fixed interest rate of 5.25% and have a final maturity of 4 years.
5. Abu Dhabi has decided to include Hindi as the third official language used in its courts,
alongside Arabic and English, as part of a move designed to improve access to justice.
• Abu Dhabi is the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
6. The 5-day multinational maritime exercise ‘AMAN-19’ in which 46 nations participated from all
over the world was formally commenced at Pakistan. Navy Dockyard, with a colourful flag
hosting ceremony.
• Motto “Together for Peace”.
7. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has prescribed 150 minutes of weekly physical activity
for the age group of 18-64 years to reduce the incidence of Non-Communicable Diseases
(NCD).
• Physical inactivity is now identified as the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality.
• It is estimated to be the main cause for approximately 21%-25% of breast and colon
cancers, 27% of diabetes and approximately 30% of Ischemic heart disease burden.
8. Zimbabwe launched a new currency called RTGS dollars (Real Time Gross Transfer Dollars) to
resolve a long-term monetary crisis.
• RTGS Dollars is money made up of bond notes, bond coins and RTGS balances
(electronic money).
9. Thailand and the United States hosted the annual Cobra Gold military exercise in Thailand.
• It is the biggest activity of its type in the Asia-Pacific region with 29 nations taking part
as participants or observers.
10. A month-long ‘Festival of India’ began was inaugurated in Kathmandu, Nepal.

• The festival aims at making the youth aware about the similarities between Nepal and
India.
11. Afghanistan began exports to India through the Chabahar port in Iran.
• It is strategic transit route between India, Iran and Afghanistan that bypassed Pakistan.
12. Britain has won the approval at the World Trade Organization to remain within the WTO's
Government Procurement Agreement after it leaves the European Union.
• The GPA is a plurilateral agreement within the framework of the WTO, meaning that not
all WTO members are parties to the Agreement.
• The fundamental aim of the GPA is to mutually open government procurement
markets among its parties.
BANKING AND ECONOMY

1. ‘Kisan Suvidha loan’ was launched by Ujjivan Small Finance Bank for small and marginal
farmers.
• It provides loans to individuals with an amount ranging from Rs. 60000 to Rs. 2 Lakh to
fulfil the customized needs of the mass market segment.
2. Bank of India, Bank of Maharashtra and Oriental Bank of Commerce have been allowed to exit
the Reserve Bank of India’s Prompt Corrective Action Framework (PCA).
• The government had announced a capital infusion of Rs 10,000 crore for Bank of India,
Rs 5,500 crore for Oriental Bank of Commerce and Rs 4,500 crore for Bank of
Maharashtra, which helped the banks coming out of the framework.
3. The Central Statistical Office (CSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme implementation has
revised the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) Growth forecast to 7.2% from earlier estimate
of 6.7%.
4. Two regional rural banks (RRBs) - Pallavan Grama Bank and Pandyan Grama Bank - will be
merged to form the Tamil Nadu Grama Bank.
• The amalgamated regional rural bank namely ‘Tamil Nadu Grama Bank’ will be under the
sponsorship of Indian Bank.
5. RBI has released 6th Bi-Monthly Monetary Policy Statement.

• The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decided to Reduce the policy repo rate under
the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) by 25 basis points from 6.5% to 6.25% with
immediate effect.
6. India’s fiscal deficit has touched 112% of the FY19 Budget target of Rs. 6.24 lakh crore during
the period of 9 months from April to December 2018.
• Fiscal deficit was at 7 lakh crores during this financial year
• Fiscal Deficit is the gap between income and expenditure of the government.
7. Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections in January rose to Rs 1.02 lakh crore — The second-
highest monthly mop-up after April.
• The total gross GST revenue collected in January 2019 is Rs 1,02,503 crore of which
Central GST is Rs 17,763 crore, state GST (SGST) is Rs 24,826 crore, Integrated GST
(IGST) is Rs 51,225 crore and cess is Rs 8,690 crore
8. The Reserve Bank of India has slapped Rs1-crore penalty on Syndicate Bank and Rs20 lakh on
Axis Bank for violating norms.
• The penalty on Syndicate Bank is due to non-compliance with the directions regarding
frauds and risk management systems.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has also imposed Rs 2 crore penalty on UCO Bank for
non-compliance of instructions.
9. The RBI data shows that Indian Foreign Exchange Reserves have been increased by USD 1.497
billion to reach USD 398.178 billion.
• Foreign Exchange Reserves are the reserve assets held by a central bank in foreign
currencies. They are used to back liabilities on their own issued currency and monetary
policy.
10. RBI in the exercise of powers conferred under Section 47 A of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949
has levied a penalty of Rupees one crore on the State Bank of India (SBI) for not monitoring
the end use of funds in respect of one of its borrowers.
11. State-owned power giant NTPC has signed a term loan agreement for Rs 5,000 crore with State
Bank of India.
• The loan facility is extended at an interest rate linked to 3-Month MCLR of the Bank.
• This loan has a door to door tenure of 15 years and will be utilised to part finance the
capital expenditure of NTPC.
12. RBI has announced to increase the limit on collateral-free agriculture loans to Rs.1.6 lakh from
Rs.1 lakh.
• It will help to boost liquidity particularly among small and marginal farmers in the
farming sectors.
• RBI has also decided to set up an internal working group to address issues on disparity,
average issues and to review agriculture credit.
13. Government panel recommended lowering GST on under-construction residential properties

to 5% from 12%.
• The Group of Ministers headed by Nithin Patel was formed to analyse tax rates and
issues or challenges being faced by the real estate sector under the Goods and Services
Tax (GST) regime.
• The seven-member ministerial panel also favoured lowering GST on affordable housing
from 8% earlier to 3%.
14. The Reserve Bank has come out with a new policy for Overseas Borrowings.
• The new policy allows all eligible borrowers to raise External Commercial Borrowings
(ECB) up to $750 million or equivalent per financial year.
• The Minimum Average Maturity Period (MAMP) has been kept at three years for all
ECBs, irrespective of the amount of borrowing except the borrowers specifically
permitted in the circular to borrow for a shorter period.
15. JP Morgan is rolling out the first US bank-backed cryptocurrency to transform payments
business.
• The currency is designed to be decentralized so that no one has control over
transactions being sent over the network.
• A cryptocurrency is a digital asset designed to work as a medium of exchange that uses
strong cryptography to secure financial transactions.
16. Reserve Bank of India lifted the limit on Corporate bonds.

• They withdrew 20% limit on investment by Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) in
corporate bonds of an entity.
17. World Employment and Social Outlook Trends 2019 report was released by the International
Labour Organization.
• As per the report, unemployment rates will fall to 4.9% in 2019 and remains steady in
2020.
18. Indiamoneyinsurance.com, a subsidiary of the Indiamoney.com Group has acquired a broking

license from Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) of India’s to enter
Insurance Business.
19. The loans by Public Sector Banks (PSBs) amounting to Rs 7,277.31crore under Pradhan Mantri
Mudra Yojana (PMMY) had turned into Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) by the end of March
2018.
• Loans under PMMY can be covered under Credit Guarantee Fund for Micro Units
(CGFMU).
• CGFMU was formed to guarantee payment against default in micro loans up to Rs 10
lakh extended to eligible borrowers by the Member Lending Institutions.
20. Avendus Capital Public Markets Alternate Strategies, the alternative asset management arm of
Avendus Capital recently launched a $1 bn Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) fund.
• It’s one of India’s first funds to incorporate an ESG strategy for portfolio construction.
• ESG Fund invest in companies that integrate the welfare of their employees and the
local communities into their business model, while also accounting for environmental
sustainability.
• ESG investing is also known as socially responsible investing and sustainable investing.
21. The Reserve Bank of India announced that it would transfer ₹28,000 crore to the Centre as
interim surplus for the half-year ended December 2018.
• This will take the Centre’s total receipts from the RBI as surplus transfer in 2018-19 to
₹68,000 crore.
• The RBI follows July-June accounting year.
• It will help the Centre’s ability to meet the revised fiscal deficit target of 3.4% for this
fiscal.
22. The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDA) has issued an advisory to
Non-Life Insurance companies asking them to carry out proper due diligence when they enter
into reinsurance contracts through brokers.
• Insurance firms reinsure themselves to ensure they are able to pay claims even in
catastrophic events.
• THe tendency is to go beyond the obligatory limit, especially in the case of corporate fire
and marine insurance due to the large size of the risk.
• Insurers can also reinsure themselves through a reinsurance firm operating in India or
abroad.
• About 10 overseas reinsurance firms operate in India.
23. The first-of-its kind ‘Trip Protector’ insurance policy was launched by HDFC ERGO General
Insurance Company
• HDFC ERGO is the third-largest non-life insurance provider in the private sector in India.
• This policy is not applicable if the policyholder cancels the flight or hotel booking on
his/her own accord.
24. A new micro insurance plan ‘Micro Bachat’ was launched by the Life Insurance Corporation
(LIC) of India.
• It provides a coverage of up to 2 lakhs and is the first micro-insurance plan to do so.
• It provides both protection and savings and is a regular premium, non-linked,
participating endowment micro insurance plan.
• In case a policyholder dies, this plan would provide financial assistance to the family.
• It can be availed only by citizens in the age group of 18-55 years without undergoing any
medical examination.
• People can also avail loans from this plan provided that premiums have been paid for
three full years.
25. The finance ministry announced to pump in Rs 48,239 crore in 12 Public Sector Banks in this
fiscal to help them maintain regulatory capital requirements and finance growth plans.
• The latest move is part of the ₹2.1 trillion Bank Recapitalization Plan announced in
October 2017 to improve the health of the banking sector struggling with a pile of toxic
assets.
26. The Central Board of Trustees of the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO)
recommended hiking the interest rate to 8.65 per cent for the current financial year of 2018-19
from a five-year low of 8.55 per cent in the previous financial year.
27. An internal RBI group had proposed that all new floating rate loans should be linked to one of
four external benchmarks: the RBI’s repo rate, 91-day treasury bill Rate and 182-Day treasury
Bill rate, and corporate deposit rates.
28. According to a statement by Bank of Baroda, its merger with Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank shall
come into force from 1st April 2019.
29. The Reserve Bank of India created a single category for Non-Banking Financial Corporations
(NBFCs) by bundling their present three-tier structure.
• It has been done to provide greater operational flexibility to non-banking lenders.
• It has been decided that exposures to all NBFCs, excluding core investment companies,
will be risk weighted as per credit ratings.
• Asset finance companies, Loan companies and Investment companies have been
merged into a new category called NBFC- investment and credit companies (NBFC-
ICCs).
• A deposit taking NBFC-ICC shall invest in unquoted shares of another company which is
not a subsidiary company or a company in the same group of the NBFC, an amount not
exceeding twenty per cent of its owned fund.
30. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Bank of Japan formalised the USD 75-Billion swap
agreement.
• It would act as a cushion against any sharp swings in the local currency whenever the
international financial markets turn volatile.
31. World Bank, United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN
Women) and Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) launched new social impact
bonds exclusively for women called Women’s Livelihood Bonds (WLBs) with an initial corpus of
Rs 300 crore.
• It will enable individual women entrepreneurs in sectors like food processing,
agriculture, services and small units to borrow around Rs 50,000 to Rs 3 lakh at an
annual interest rate of around 13% to 14% or less and have a tenure of 5 years.
• They will be unsecured, unlisted bonds and offer fixed coupon rate of 3% per annum to
bond investors.
32. Most commercial banks in India are likely to select RBI’s repo rate as the External Benchmark
to decide their lending rates, from April 1.
• Banks had four options from which to choose the external benchmark: the Repo Rate,
the 91-day Treasury Bill, the 182-day T-bill or any other Benchmark interest rate
produced by the Financial Benchmarks India Private Ltd (FBIL).
• The Marginal Cost of fund based Lending Rate (MCLR) is currently the benchmark for all
loan rates.
33. According to the payroll data of the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC), nearly two
crore jobs were created in 16 months to December 2018.
• The ESIC data is one of the payroll numbers released by the Central Statistics Office
(CSO) in its reports based on people joining various social security schemes run by
Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) and Pension Fund Regulatory

Development Authority (PFRDA).
34. RBI removed three more banks from Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) list - Allahabad Bank and
Corporation Bank and privately held Dhanlaxmi Bank.
• IDBI Bank, UCO Bank, Central Bank of India, Indian Overseas Bank, Dena Bank and
United Bank of India are still under PCA framework.
APPOINTMENTS
1. Vice Admiral, MS Pawar has been appointed as the Chief of the Naval Staff.
2. Ajit Kumar has been appointed as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Naval
Command in Mumbai.
3. Rishi Kumar Shukla has been appointed as New CBI Director.
4. The former executive director of Canara Bank, P V Bharathi assumed charge as Chief Executive
Officer (CEO) of the Corporation Bank.
• P V Bharati became the first woman CEO of the Corporation Bank.
5. Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has been elected as the Chairman of the African Union
at the continental body’s summit in Ethiopia.
6. Ruchira Kamboj, currently serving as the High Commissioner of India to South Africa has been
appointed as the Ambassador of India to Bhutan.
7. Shane Warne (Australia) was entitled as the brand ambassador of Rajasthan Royals for the
upcoming 12th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL).
8. Dr. B. P. Sharma has been re-appointed as the new Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) of
the state-run helicopter manufacturer Power Hans.
9. Chandramouli Ramanathanhas been appointed to one of the topmost positions in the

Department of Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance (DMSPC).
10. Pramod Chandra Mody has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Central Board of
Direct Taxes (CBDT).
• CBDT is the policy making body of the Income Tax Department.
• He replaced Sushil Chandra as he has been named as the new Election Commissioner.
11. GC Anupama has been appointed as the first Woman President of The Astronomical Society
of India for the first time.
12. Anirban Mukherjee has been appointed as the CEO of PayU India owned by Naspers.
13. Praveena Rai has been appointed as the Chief Operating Officer of National Payments
Corporation of India.
• Dilip Asbe is the current CEO and MD of NPCI.
14. The Supreme Court appointed Justice D K Jain as the first ombudsman for the Board of
Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
15. Justice Uma Nath Singh took the oath as the first Lokayukta of Nagaland.
• The Lokayukta is an anti-corruption authority constituted at the state level.
• It investigates allegations of corruption and mal-administration against public servants
and is tasked with speedy redressal of public grievances.
16. Mohamed Tahir Ayala has been appointed as Prime Minister of Sudan.
17. Muhammadu Buhari has been appointed as the President of Nigeria for the second time –
Africa’s most populous country.
IMPORTANT DAYS
1. World Wetlands Day is celebrated every year on the 2nd of February to raise global awareness
on the value of wetlands for humanity and the planet.
• The theme of World Wetlands Day 2019 is 'Wetlands and Climate Change'.
2. World Cancer Day is being observed globally on 4th February.

• This year, Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), which organizes World Cancer
Day, is launching a new 3-year (2019-2021) campaign with the theme: “I Am and I Will.”
3. 6th February is observed as International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation.
4. 11th February is celebrated as International Day of Women and Girls in Science to recognize
the critical role women and girls play in science and technology.
• The idea behind this day is to ensure equal participation and involvement of women and
girls in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
5. 6th February is observed as the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital
Mutilation (FGM), which is also called as Female Genital Cutting (FGC) that is, removal of all or
part of a female’s genitalia for non-medical reasons.
• The theme for the year 2019 is #EndGFM.
6. ‘International Darwin Day’ was observed on 12th February every year.

7. National Deworming Day (NDD) 2019 was observed on 8th of February with a motive to
showcase the importance of worm free lives and maintaining sanitation to all school kids and
children.
• It is a single fixed-day approach to treating intestinal worm infections in all children aged 1-
19 years.
8. February 10, 2019 was celebrated as the first World Pulses Day.
• Pulses are a type of leguminous crops that are harvested solely for the dry seed and does
not include crops that are harvested green.
9. The World Radio Day was observed on 13th February.

• Theme: Dialogue, Tolerance and Peace.
10. February 20 is observed as World Day of Social Justice.

• 2019 theme: If You Want Peace & Development, Work for Social Justice
11. February 21 – International Mother Language Day has been observed every year since
February 2000 to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.
AWARDS
1. Gorkha Brigade received the best marching contingent trophy of the Republic Day parade.
• The CRPF won the best marching contingent prize for the para-military forces.
2. Rajiv Nath was conferred with prestigious Award of Appreciation for his contribution to the
Global Public Healthcare sector in New Delhi.
• Rajiv Nath has also been appointed as the Member on Board of National Medical
Devices Promotion Council by DIPP to boost the Indian Medical Devices Sector and lead
India to an export driven market in the Medical Devices sector.
3. The INS Dronacharya team won the Regetta trophy in the Kochi Area Pulling Regatta 2019 of
the Southern Naval Command (SNC) held in the Ernakulam Channel in Kerala.
• The Boat Pulling Regatta is one of the most prestigious and traditional naval sporting
activities conducted by the Navy.
4. P.S. Krishnan, former Secretary of Government of India, was entitled with K.Veeramani Award
for Social Justice 2018 in New Delhi.
5. An asylum seeker Behrouz Boochani wrote a book using WhatsApp while in an Australian
detention centre on an island in the Pacific.
• The Book ‘No Friend but the Mountains: Writing from Manus Prison’, was awarded
the 2019 Victorian Prize for Literature.
6. Azim Premji, Chairman of Wipro Ltd has been awarded with the Ernst & Young Lifetime
Achievement Award.
7. The State Bank of India’s UK chief Mr. Sanjiv Chadha has been honoured with the ‘Freedom of
the City of London’ by the city of London Corporation in recognition of his contribution to
promoting the bilateral relations.
8. Father Francois Laborde was conferred the Legion of Honour, the highest civilian award of
France, in recognition of his work for specially-abled children.
9. Yes Bank has been announced as the winner in ‘Innovation in Data Science’ category for their
industry-first project ‘Yes EEE (Engage Enrich Excel)’ at Panaji, Goa.
10. Netflix drama ‘Roma’ won the top prize at the 72nd edition of the British Academy of Film and
Television Arts or BAFTA awards.
Best Film Roma
Best Actor Rami Malek for “Bohemian Rhapsody”
Best Actress Olivia Colman for “The Favourite”
Best Director Alfonso Cuaron for “Roma”
11. Indian historian Sanjay Subrahmanyam won the prestigious Dan David Prize 2019 for his work
on inter-cultural encounters between Asians, Europeans and people of North and South
America during the early modern era.
12. Siddhartha Lal, MD & CEO of Eicher Motors has won the EY Entrepreneur of the year 2018
after transforming Eicher Motors and helping the company resurrect the Royal Enfield
motorcycle brand in India and making it a global brand icon.
13. Swachhata Excellence Awards 2019 was awarded:
1st Raigarh (Chattisgarh)
2nd Ambikapur (Chattisgarh)
3rd Kumbakonam (Tamil Nadu)
• Swachhata Excellence Awards 2019 was instituted by the Ministry of Housing and
Urban Affairs to recognise local bodies encouraging self help groups to achieve the
objectives of Swachh Bharat Mission.
14. Flight Lieutenant Hina Jaiswal from Chandigarh, became the First Indian Woman Flight
Engineer of the Indian Air Force (IAF).
15. Eva de Goede from Netherlands and Arthur van Doren of Belgium were titled the International
Hockey Federation’s Players of the Year for 2018.
16. The 61st Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
17. Yuwa, an NGO based out of Jharkhand was declared the winner of the Laureus Sport for Good
award in Monaco.
• Radha Kumari, Neeta Kumari, Konika Kumari and Hema Kumari represented the
organization.
• The NGOs empowers the girl child using football.
18. President Ram Nath Kovind presented the Rabindranath Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony.
• 2014 - Shri Rajkumar Singhajit Singh
• 2015 - Chhayanaut (a cultural organization of Bangladesh)
• 2016 - Shri Ram Sutar Vanji
19. Mukesh Ambani has topped the Hurun India Philanthropy list with donation amount of 437
crores.
20. National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC) was announced as the winner under
the Miniratna Category by Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) in its
campaign to felicitate CPSEs in recognition for their work in promoting SC/ST entrepreneurs.
21. Sunil Chhetri, was awarded India’s first-ever “Football Ratna”.

• He was also named as the 6th Indian Footballer in the Padma Shri list.
22. The 7th National Photography Awards were presented with the theme for the Professional
category as “Women-led Development” and theme for Amateur category was “Fairs and
Festivals of India”.
Lifetime Achievement Award • Shri Ashok Dilwali
Professional Photographer of the Year • Shri SL Shanth Kumar
Amateur Photographer of the Year • Shri Gurdeep Dhiman

23. 33-year-old, Divya Karnad became the First Indian Woman to be honored with the “Global
Future of Nature Award” for her work on marine conservation.
• She is the second Indian to receive this award after Dr. Charudutt Mishra.
24. Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL) was conferred with the prestigious ‘FICCI CSR Award‘ for
Women Empowerment for its innovative and high impact women.
25. Mahesh Elkunchwar, an eminent Indian Playwright, has been chosen for this 2019’s META
Lifetime Achievement Award, which will be conferred upon him at the 14th Mahindra
Excellence in Theatre Awards (META) festival.
26. The “Gandhi Peace Prize” for the years 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 were presented by
President Ram Nath Kovind.
Rural development, education, development
2015 Vivekanand Kendra, Kanyakumari
of natural resources
Akshaya Patra Foundation and
2016 Mid-Day meal and Sanitation respectively
Sulabh International (jointly)
Education, rural empowerment, gender and
2017 Ekal Abhiyan Trust
social equality
Goodwill Ambassador of the World Health
2018 Yohei Sasakawa
Organisation for Leprosy Elimination
27. The Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development, and Rejuvenation presented 82
National Water Awards in 14 categories for the year 2018.
28. PM Narendra Modi presented the National Youth Parliament Festival 2019 awards.
• It was organised by National Service Scheme (NSS) in collaboration with Nehru Yuva
Kendra Sangathan (NYKS), under the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports.
29. The Jammu and Kashmir bagged ‘Saubhagya Excellence Award’ for being the first State in the
country to achieve 100% household electrification under ‘Saubhagya’ scheme.
• The scheme was launched in September 2017 with the objective of electrifying all left-
out Indian households.
SPORTS
1. India captain Mithali Raj has become the first woman cricketer to play 200 ODIs 50 over
matches during the 3rd and Final ODI against New Zealand.
2. Golfer Vani Kapoor has become the first Indian to grab Australian Ladies PGA Tour (LPGA)
after securing 12th Rank tied with three others in the first ever qualifying tournament at the
Ballarat Golf Club in Australia.
3. Sana Mir has become the first Asian woman to play hundred T20Is.
• She was the Former captain of the Pakistan women Cricket team.
4. Nepal’s Sundeep Jora became the youngest man to score a half-century in T20 Internationals at
the age of 17 years and 103 days.
5. Qatar won its first major soccer title by beating four-time champion Japan 3-1 in the 17th
edition of the AFC Asian Cup held in United Arab Emirates (UAE).
6. World champion Indian weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu notched up a gold medal at the
EGAT Cup in Thailand.
• Chanu won the 48kg category gold with an effort of 192 kg in the silver level Olympic
qualifying event.
7. In Tennis, France’s Corentin Moutet has clinched the Chennai Open ATP Challenger
tournament title after beating Andrew Harris of Australia in the singles final.
8. Jamie Chadwick from England made history by becoming the first female driver to win the
MRF challenge title after scoring a triple win in the final round in Chennai.
9. Rohit Sharma became the first man from his country to smash a century of sixes in T20I cricket
in the second T20 between India and New Zealand held in Eden park in New Zealand.
10. The Sports and Youth Ministry in the meeting of Executive Committee of the National Games
2022 has chosen the ‘Smiling Clouded Leopard’ to be the Mascot for the National Games 2022.
11. Meghalaya will host the 2022 National Games, which is coinciding with its 50 years of
statehood.
12. New Zealand won the Twenty20 International (T20I) 3-match series at Seddon Park Ground,
Hamilton, New Zealand after beating India in the final match by 4 runs.
• New Zealand’s wicket keeper-batsman, Tim Seifert, won the player of the series award.
13. American Golfer, Nelly Korda won the SPS Handa Women's Australian Open in Adelaide.
14. Ethiopia's Samuel Tefera, middle distance runner set a new 1500m indoor world record at
World Indoor Championships, Birmingham, England.
15. German sports and lifestyle brand PUMA has appointed the 6 time world champion woman M C
Mary Kom as its new brand ambassador.
16. India became the winner of the First Mallakhamb World Championship held in Shivaji Park in
central Mumbai.
17. Mallakhamb coach, Uday Deshpande and batswoman, Smriti Mandhana were awarded the
Maharashtra State Government’s Shiv Chhatrapati Lifetime Achievement Award.
• Among the other award recipients are hockey player Suraj Karkera, paddler Sanil
Shetty, track and field athlete Siddhant Thingaliya, who specialises in 110 metres
hurdles, runner Monika Athare and squash player Mahesh Mangaonkar.
18. The Laureus World Sports Awards 2019 were announced at the Laureus Awards Ceremony in
Monaco.
Category Winner Sport Country
Sportsman of the Year Novak Djokovic Tennis Serbia
Sportswoman of the
Simone Biles Gymnastics USA
Year
France’s Football
Team of the Year Football France
Team
Comeback of the Year Tiger Woods Golf USA
Lifetime Achievement Football

Arsene Wenger France
Award (Manager)
19. Australia’s wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy set a new Guinness World Record after achieving the
feat for the ‘highest catch of a cricket ball’ (80 metres) at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
(MCG).
20. Harmanpreet Singh was awarded the 2018 Player of the Year award while women’s team
striker Lalremsiami as the Rising Player of The Year by the Asian Hockey Federation.
21. India-set short film, “Period. End of Sentence.”, a short documentary film based on
mensuration won the Oscar for “Best Documentary Short” category. It is directed by Iranian-
American film director, Rayka Zehtabchi.
• ”Black Panther” became the first superhero film to win “Best Original Score”.
Category Winner
Best Picture Green Book
Best Actress Olivia Colman – The Favourite
Best Actor Rami Malek – Bohemian Rhapsody
Best Director Alfonso Cuaron – Roma

MISCELLANEOUS
1. The second edition of data from Pan-STARRS, the Panoramic Survey Telescope & Rapid
Response System — the world’s largest digital sky survey has been released by The Space
Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in US.
• This second released survey contained over 1.6 petabytes of data.
• The Pan-STARRS observatory consists of a 1.8-meter telescope equipped with a 1.4-
billion-pixel digital camera.
2. Punjab Chief Minister, Captain Amarinder Singh, declared Indus River Dolphin, one of the
rarest mammals, which is only found in Beas River as Punjab State Aquatic Animal.
3. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released their report on analysis of global climatic change
for the year 2018, and remarked 2018 as the fourth hottest year.
• It is predicated that there is a rise of 5-9-degree Celsius temperature in this century.
4. P Chidambaram’s new book “Undaunted: Saving the Idea of India” was launched at Nehru
Memorial Museum, New Delhi.
• The book is a collection of essays on the country’s atmosphere of fear and how the
constitutional values are being threatened.
5. Infosys has launched a next generation digital platform ‘InfyTQ’.
• The platform will facilitate engineering students with best learning experiences by
imparting technical and professional skills.
6. The banned Punjabi poem ‘Khooni Vaisakhi’ on the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre which was
written by Punjabi writer Nanak Singh in 1919, will be published next month by Harper Collins
in English.
7. Scientists have discovered massive mountains or ‘the 660-km boundary’ in the Earth’s mantle
which separates the upper and lower mantle.
• It may change our understanding of how the planet was formed.
Crust
Upper Mantle
Transition Zone
Lower Mantle
Core
8. Israel is set to launch its first private mission of an unmanned spacecraft on the surface of the
Moon - Beresheet spacecraft.
• The 585-kg Beresheet (Genesis) spacecraft is to lift off atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape
Canaveral, Florida.
9. AntBot is the first walking robot to have navigational capabilities without GPS or mapping on
lines similar to desert ants who use polarised lights and UV radiation to navigate in space by
France.
10. India's first 'fulldome 3D Digital Theatre' was inaugurated by Union Culture Minister Mahesh
Sharma at Science City, Kolkata.
• It is first of its kind in India having a 23 metre titled dome to offer a fully immersive
experience to the visitors.
11. Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala shall host the Attaukal Pongala festival-one of the largest
religious gathering of women on a single day.
• It is for long dubbed as the Women's Sabarimala - had, in 2009, entered the Guinness
Book of Records as the largest gathering of women.
• The Attukal Bhagavathy Temple is lined with the makeshift stoves, turning the entire
region into a festival zone.
12. A small brown rat of bramble cay melomys species lived on a tiny island off northern Australia
and becomes the world’s first mammal to have become extinct due to “human-induced
climate change”.
13. Wallace’s giant bee (Megachile pluto) – the largest bee known on the Earth which was
considered to be extinct since 1981 was re-spotted in an Indonesian forest.
14. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has awarded French aerospace and defence company-
Thales a contract to supply 135 2.75-inch (70-mm) rocket launchers.
15. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu launched the book titled ‘Quality, Accreditation and Ranking
– A Silent Revolution in the Offing in Indian Higher Education‘.
• It presents an analysis of the past and present scenario in the Indian Higher Education.
QUESTIONS
Q.1) Which state govt gave approval for Smart Q.6) Which state has topped the ranking of
Village Campaign worth of Rs 385 crores? Best Practices in Budget Formation according
[A] Rajasthan to Transparency International?
[B] Tamil Nadu [A] Andhra Pradesh
[C] Punjab [B] Odisha
[D] Andhra Pradesh [C] Assam
[E] Kerala [D] Meghalaya
[E] Punjab
Q.2) What is the current Policy Repo Rate of
year 2019? Q.7) What is the tagline of Aero India 2019?
[A] 6% [A] The Runway to a Million Openings
[B] 5.25% [B] The Runway to a Billion Openings
[C] 7% [C] The Runway to a Million Opportunities
[D] 6.25% [D] The Runway to a Billion Opportunities
[E] 6.75% [E] None of These
Q.3) As per the National Sample Survey Q.8) India’s fiscal deficit has touched 112% of
Office's report, what is the unemployment the FY19 Budget target of ________.
rate for the year 2017-18? [A] Rs. 8.24 lakh crore
[A] 6.3% [B] Rs. 7 lakh crores
[B] 5.8% [C] Rs. 7.45 lakh crore
[C] 6.1% [D] Rs. 5.78 lakh crore
[D] 5.9% [E] Rs. 6.24 lakh crore
[E] 6.2%
Q.9) Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Madhan
Q.4) Which of the following models are Scheme Is launched under which ministry?
proposed by Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya [A] Ministry of Labour and Employment
Yojana (PMJAY)? [B] Ministry of Health and Family welfare
(1) Insurance Model [C] Ministry of Culture
(2) Trust-based Model [D] Ministry of Law and Justice
(3) Hybrid Model [E] Ministry of Women and Child
[A] Only 1 development
[B] Only 2
[C] only 3 Q.10) The Pradhan
[D] All of the above Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-
[E] None of the above KISAN) scheme is announced under which
ministry?
Q.5) The Defence Acquisition Council has [A] Ministry of External Affairs
approved the acquisition of 5,000 [B] Ministry of Finance
_______from France. [C] Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers
[A] Barak 8 Missile Welfare
[B] Helina Anti-tank Missile [D] Ministry of Labour and management
[C] Milan-2T Anti-tank Missile [E] Ministry of Human Resource
[D] Nag Anti-tank Missile Development
[E] Amogha Missile
Q.11) In which city Kala Ghoda festival
2019 was observed?
[A] Jaipur Q.16) What is the full form of NATO?

[B] Nagpur [A] North America Traite Organization
[C] Mumbai [B] North Atlantic Traite Organization
[D] Pune [C] North America Treaty Organization
[E] Kolkata [D] North Atlantic Treaty Organization
[E] None of These
Q.12) Which country has
launched Hoveizeh long-range cruise Q.17) Know India Programme is a flagship
missile? under which Ministry?
[A] Iran [A] Minister of Human Resource
[B] Pakistan Development
[C] Iraq [B] Minister of Minority Affairs
[D] Afghanistan [C] Ministry of Labour and Employment.
[E] Algeria [D] Ministry of External Affairs
[E] Minister of Social Justice and
Q.13) Which of the following is correct Empowerment
regarding the Role of Price Monitoring and
Research Unit? Q.18) Which state government has launched
[A] Monitor notified prices of medicines the Zero Fatality Corridor?
[B] Detect violation of provisions of DPCO [A] Delhi
[C] Collect and compile market-based data of [B] Assam
scheduled and non-scheduled formulations. [C] Odisha
[D] All of the Above [D] Punjab
[E] None of the Above [E] Haryana
Q.14) ‘Darwaza Band- Part 2' campaign is Q.19) Which organization launched its 40th
launched under which ministry which focuses communication satellite “GSAT-31”?
on sustaining the open defecation free status [A] BARC
of villages? [B] DRDO
[A] Ministry of Home Affairs [C] ISRO
[B] Ministry of Statistics [D] NASA
and Programme Implementation [E] None of These
[C] Ministry of Social Justice and
Empowerment Q.20) Which country is declared to be the
[D] Ministry of Health and Family Welfare most livable location for Asian
[E] Ministry of Drinking water and Sanitation Expatriates according to ECA International
Survey?
Q.15) _______ has allowed women to work in [A] Singapore
mine. [B] Bangkok
[A] Minister of Minority Affairs [C] Sri Lanka
[B] Minister of Textiles [D] Australia
[C] Ministry of Union Labour and [E] Kuala Lumpur
Employment
[D] Minister of Information and Broadcasting Q.21) Which bank launched the Kisan Suvidha
[E] Minister of Human Resource loan product for small and marginal farmers?
Development [A] Ujjivan Small Finance Bank
[B] Suryoday Small Finance Bank Limited
[C] Bandhan Bank [E] Bipin Rawat

[D] Janalakshmi Financial Services
[E] None of These Q.26) Who has been appointed as the CBI
Director?
Q.22) _______, [A] Rakesh Asthana
________ and ____________ have been [B] Rishi Kumar Shukla
allowed to exit the Reserve Bank of India’s [C] Ranjit Sinha
Prompt Corrective Action Framework (PCA). [D] Anil Sinha
[A] Bank of India, Allahabad Bank and [E] Alok Verma
Corporation Bank
[B] Bank of Maharashtra, Oriental Bank of Q.27) Who has been appointed as the first
Commerce and Allahabad Bank woman CEO of Corporation Bank?
[C] IDBI Bank, Bank of Maharashtra and [A] Nita Ambani
Oriental Bank of Commerce [B] Chanda Kochhar
[D] Allahabad Bank, Corporation Bank and [C] PV Bharti
IDBI Bank [D] Indra Nooyi
[E] Bank of India, Bank of Maharashtra and [E] Shikha Sharma
Oriental Bank of Commerce
Q.28) When is the World’s Wetland Day
Q.23) In 2017-18, GDP Growth forecast has Observed?
been revised by CSO from 6.7% to _____? [A] 5th February
[A] 7.2% [B] 4th February
[B] 6.8% [C] 2nd February
[C] 7.1% [D] 1st February
[D] 6.9% [E] 3rd February
[E] 7.0%
Q.29) What is the theme of World’s Cancer
Q.24) Which among the following banks will Day?
be merged to form the Tamil [A] We can. I can
Nadu Grama Bank? [B] I Am and I Will
[A] Pallavan Grama Bank [C] We can.
and Bangiya Gramin [D] I can
[B] Bangiya Gramin Vikash Bank [E] I am I will
and Pandyan Grama Bank
[C] Chaitanya Godavari Grameena Bank Q.30) When is the International Day of Zero
and Pallavan Grama Bank Tolerance Observed?
[D] Bangiya Gramin Vikash Bank and [A] 7th February
Chaitanya Godavari Grameena Bank [B] 6th February
[E] Pallavan Grama Bank [C] 5th February
and Pandyan Grama Bank [D] 4th February
[E] 3rd February
Q.25) Who has been appointed as the Chief of
Naval Staff? Q.31) Who received the trophy of Best
[A] Ram Dass Katari Marching in the Republic Day Parade?
[B] Sunil Lanba [A] ITBP
[C] Zafar Mahmood Abbasi [B] Brigade of Guards
[D] MS Pawar [C] CPRF
[D] Madras Sappers [A] Jhulan Goswami

[E] Gorkha Brigade  [B] Sphie Devine
[C] Sushma Verma
Q.32) Which team won the Regatta trophy in [D] Sana Mir
the Kochi Area Pulling Regatta 2019? [E] Amita Sharma
[A] Anti-Submarine Warfare
[B] INS Dronacharya Q.38) Who became the youngest man to
[C] INS GARUDA score a half-century in T20 Internationals?
[D] Southern Naval Command [A] Sundeep Jora
[E] None of These [B] Shubhman Gill
[C] Prithvi Shaw
Q.33) Who has been honoured with [D] Abhishek Sharma
the ‘Freedom of the City of London’ by city of [E] Kamlesh Nagarkoti
London Corporation.
[A] Suresh Sethi Q.39) Who has become the first Indian to
[B] Karnam Sekar grab Australian Ladies PGA Tour (LPGA) after
[C] A. S. Rajeev securing 12th Rank?
[D]Sanjiv Chadha  [A] Diksha Dagar
[E] Ashok Kumar Pradhan [B] Aditi Ashok
[C] Ankita Tiwana
Q.34) Who has been awarded with the Ernst [D] Vani Kapoor
& Young Lifetime Achievement Award 2019? [E] None of These
[A] Mukesh Ambani
[B] Azim Premji Q.40) Which State declared Indus
[C] Ratan Tata River Dolphin as State aquatic animal?
[D] Kiran Mazumdar [A] Andhra Pradesh
[E] Kushal Pal Singh [B] Kerala
[C] Punjab
Q.35) Who is the author of the Book ‘No [D] Tamil Nadu
Friend but the Mountains: Writing from [E] Jharkhand
Manus Prison’?
[A] James Patterson Q.41) Which state govt gave approval for
[B] Dan Brown Smart Village Campaign worth of Rs 385
[C] Behrouz Boochani crores?
[D] Nora Roberts [A] Rajasthan
[E] John Sandford [B] Tamil Nadu
[C] Punjab
Q.36) Who has become the first woman [D] Andhra Pradesh
cricketer to play 200 ODIs? [E] Kerala
[A] Mithali Raj
[B] Jhulan Goswami Q.42) What is the current Policy Repo Rate of
[C] Anjum Chopra year 2019?
[D] Anju Jain [A] 6%
[E] Smriti Madhana [B] 5.25%
[C] 7%
Q.37) Who has become the first Asian woman [D] 6.25%
to play hundred T20Is? [E] 6.75%
Q.48) India’s fiscal deficit has touched 112%

Q.43) As per the National Sample Survey of the FY19 Budget target of ________.
Office's report, what is the unemployment [A] Rs. 8.24 lakh crore
rate for the year 2017-18? [B] Rs. 7 lakh crores
[A] 6.3% [C] Rs. 7.45 lakh crore
[B] 5.8% [D] Rs. 5.78 lakh crore
[C] 6.1% [E] Rs. 6.24 lakh crore
[D] 5.9%
[E] 6.2% Q.49) Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Madhan
Scheme Is launched under which ministry?
Q.44) Which of the following models are [A] Ministry of Labour and Employment
proposed by Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya [B] Ministry of Health and Family welfare
Yojana (PMJAY)? [C] Ministry of Culture
(1) Insurance Model [D] Ministry of Law and Justice
(2) Trust-based Model [E] Ministry of Women and Child
(3) Hybrid Model development
[A] Only 1
[B] Only 2 Q.50) The Pradhan
[C] only 3 Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-
[D] All of the above KISAN) scheme is announced under which
[E] None of the above ministry?
[A] Ministry of External Affairs
Q.45) The Defence Acquisition Council has [B] Ministry of Finance
approved the acquisition of 5,000 [C] Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers
_______from France. Welfare
[A] Barak 8 Missile [D] Ministry of Labour and management
[B] Helina Anti-tank Missile [E] Ministry of Human Resource
[C] Milan-2T Anti-tank Missile Development
[D] Nag Anti-tank Missile
[E] Amogha Missile Q.51) In which city Kala Ghoda festival
2019 was observed?
Q.46) Which state has topped the ranking of [A] Jaipur
Best Practices in Budget Formation according [B] Nagpur
to Transparency International? [C] Mumbai
[A] Andhra Pradesh [D] Pune
[B] Odisha [E] Kolkata
[C] Assam
[D] Meghalaya Q.52) Which country has
[E] Punjab launched Hoveizeh long-range cruise
missile?
Q.47) What is the tagline of Aero India 2019? [A] Iran
[A] The Runway to a Million Openings [B] Pakistan
[B] The Runway to a Billion Openings [C] Iraq
[C] The Runway to a Million Opportunities [D] Afghanistan
[D] The Runway to a Billion Opportunities [E] Algeria
[E] None of These
Q.53) Which of the following is correct [E] Minister of Social Justice and
regarding the Role of Price Monitoring and Empowerment
Research Unit?
[A] Monitor notified prices of medicines Q.58) Which state government has launched
[B] Detect violation of provisions of DPCO the Zero Fatality Corridor?
[C] Collect and compile market-based data of [A] Delhi
scheduled and non-scheduled formulations. [B] Assam
[D] All of the Above [C] Odisha
[E] None of the Above [D] Punjab
[E] Haryana
Q.54) ‘Darwaza Band- Part 2' campaign is
launched under which ministry which focuses Q.59) Which organization launched its 40th
on sustaining the open defecation free status communication satellite “GSAT-31”?
of villages? [A] BARC
[A] Ministry of Home Affairs [B] DRDO
[B] Ministry of Statistics [C] ISRO
and Programme Implementation [D] NASA
[C] Ministry of Social Justice and [E] None of These
Empowerment
[D] Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Q.60) Which country is declared to be the
[E] Ministry of Drinking water and Sanitation most livable location for Asian
Expatriates according to ECA International
Q.55) _______ has allowed women to work in Survey?
mine. [A] Singapore
[A] Minister of Minority Affairs [B] Bangkok
[B] Minister of Textiles [C] Sri Lanka
[C] Ministry of Union Labour and [D] Australia
Employment [E] Kuala Lumpur
[D] Minister of Information and Broadcasting
[E] Minister of Human Resource Q.61) Which bank launched the Kisan Suvidha
Development loan product for small and marginal farmers?
[A] Ujjivan Small Finance Bank
Q.56) What is the full form of NATO? [B] Suryoday Small Finance Bank Limited
[A] North America Traite Organization [C] Bandhan Bank
[B] North Atlantic Traite Organization [D] Janalakshmi Financial Services
[C] North America Treaty Organization [E] None of These
[D] North Atlantic Treaty Organization
[E] None of These Q.62) _______,
________ and ____________ have been
Q.57) Know India Programme is a flagship allowed to exit the Reserve Bank of India’s
under which Ministry? Prompt Corrective Action Framework (PCA).
[A] Minister of Human Resource [A] Bank of India, Allahabad Bank and
Development Corporation Bank
[B] Minister of Minority Affairs [B] Bank of Maharashtra, Oriental Bank of
[C] Ministry of Labour and Employment. Commerce and Allahabad Bank
[D] Ministry of External Affairs [C] IDBI Bank, Bank of Maharashtra and
[D] Allahabad Bank, Corporation Bank and [C] PV Bharti

IDBI Bank [D] Indra Nooyi
[E] Bank of India, Bank of Maharashtra and [E] Shikha Sharma
Q.68) When is the World’s Wetland Day
Q.63) In 2017-18, GDP Growth forecast has Observed?
been revised by CSO from 6.7% to _____? [A] 5th February
[A] 7.2% [B] 4th February
[B] 6.8% [C] 2nd February
[C] 7.1% [D] 1st February
[D] 6.9% [E] 3rd February
[E] 7.0%
Q.69) What is the theme of World’s Cancer
Q.64) Which among the following banks will Day?
be merged to form the Tamil [A] We can. I can
Nadu Grama Bank? [B] I Am and I Will
[A] Pallavan Grama Bank [C] We can.
and Bangiya Gramin [D] I can
[B] Bangiya Gramin Vikash Bank [E] I am I will
and Pandyan Grama Bank
[C] Chaitanya Godavari Grameena Bank Q.70) When is the International Day of Zero
and Pallavan Grama Bank Tolerance Observed?
[D] Bangiya Gramin Vikash Bank and [A] 7th February
Chaitanya Godavari Grameena Bank [B] 6th February
[E] Pallavan Grama Bank [C] 5th February
and Pandyan Grama Bank [D] 4th February
[E] 3rd February
Q.65) Who has been appointed as the Chief of
Naval Staff? Q.71) Who received the trophy of Best
[A] Ram Dass Katari Marching in the Republic Day Parade?
[B] Sunil Lanba [A] ITBP
[C] Zafar Mahmood Abbasi [B] Brigade of Guards
[D] MS Pawar [C] CPRF
[E] Bipin Rawat [D] Madras Sappers
[E] Gorkha Brigade 
Q.66) Who has been appointed as the CBI
Director? Q.72) Which team won the Regatta trophy in
[A] Rakesh Asthana the Kochi Area Pulling Regatta 2019?
[B] Rishi Kumar Shukla [A] Anti-Submarine Warfare
[C] Ranjit Sinha [B] INS Dronacharya
[D] Anil Sinha [C] INS GARUDA
[E] Alok Verma [D] Southern Naval Command
[E] None of These
Q.67) Who has been appointed as the first
woman CEO of Corporation Bank?
[A] Nita Ambani
[B] Chanda Kochhar
Q.73) Who has been honoured with [D] Abhishek Sharma

the ‘Freedom of the City of London’ by city of [E] Kamlesh Nagarkoti
London Corporation.
[A] Suresh Sethi Q.79) Who has become the first Indian to
[B] Karnam Sekar grab Australian Ladies PGA Tour (LPGA) after
[C] A. S. Rajeev securing 12th Rank?
[D]Sanjiv Chadha  [A] Diksha Dagar
[E] Ashok Kumar Pradhan [B] Aditi Ashok
[C] Ankita Tiwana
Q.74) Who has been awarded with the Ernst [D] Vani Kapoor
& Young Lifetime Achievement Award 2019? [E] None of These
[A] Mukesh Ambani
[B] Azim Premji
[C] Ratan Tata Q.80) Which State declared Indus
[D] Kiran Mazumdar River Dolphin as State aquatic animal?
[E] Kushal Pal Singh [A] Andhra Pradesh
[B] Kerala
Q.75) Who is the author of the Book ‘No [C] Punjab
Friend but the Mountains: Writing from [D] Tamil Nadu
Manus Prison’? [E] Jharkhand
[A] James Patterson
[B] Dan Brown Q.81) The 13th edition of PETROTECH-
[C] Behrouz Boochani 2019 was held in _______?
[D] Nora Roberts [A] Pune
[E] John Sandford [B] Kolkata
[C] New Delhi
Q.76) Who has become the first woman [D] Mumbai
cricketer to play 200 ODIs? [E] Chennai
[A] Mithali Raj
[B] Jhulan Goswami Q.82) Where was India’s first AgroMet
[C] Anjum Chopra forecast centre established?
[D] Anju Jain [A] Manipur
[E] Smriti Madhana [B] Odisha
[C] Himachal Pradesh
Q.77) Who has become the first Asian woman [D] Jharkhand
to play hundred T20Is? [E] Karnataka
[A] Jhulan Goswami
[B] Sphie Devine Q.83) What was the moto of Early Ed Asia
[C] Sushma Verma 2019, Asia’s largest Early Childhood
[D] Sana Mir conference?
[E] Amita Sharma [A] The Future of Youth
[B] Educate Youth for Betterment
Q.78) Who became the youngest man to [C] Our Children. Our Future
score a half-century in T20 Internationals? [D] Children: Future of the Nation
[A] Sundeep Jora [E] Grow old with Youth
[B] Shubhman Gill
[C] Prithvi Shaw
Q.84) Inland Waterways Authority of India Q.89) Who became the First Indian Woman
(IWAI) launched a new portal Flight Engineer of the Indian Air Force?
__________, Designed to facilitate the day to [A] Mohana Singh
day operations of inland vessels plying on [B] Bhawana Kanth
National Waterways [C] Avani Chaturvedi
[A] Least Available Depth Information System [D] Hina Jaiswal
[B] E-Tender [E] Meghana Shanbough
[C] Water Portal
[D] Pani Online Services Q.90) Who among the following were
[E] Water Resources Services awarded as the International Hockey
Federation Player 2018 in FIH Hockey Stars
Q.85) Where was 5th International Dam Safety Awards 2018?
Conference 2019 held? [A] Eva de Gordw
[A] Sikkim [B] Arthur de Sloover
[B] Punjab [C] Alyson Annan
[C] Odisha [D] Both [A] and [B]
[D] Manipur [E] All of the above
[E] Rajasthan
Q.91) Who has been appointed as Controller,
Q.86) Which among the following became the Assistant Secretary-General for Programme
First US Bank with Cryptocurrency? Planning, Budget and Finance in the
[A] Wells Fargo management strategy, policy and compliance
[B] Goldman Sachs department?
[C] JP Morgan [A] Cyrus S. Poonawalla
[D] Bank of America [B] Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw
[E] None of These [C] Dilip Shanghvi
[D] Chandramouli Ramanathan
Q.87) As per World Employment and Social [E] None of These
Outlook Trends 2019 report unemployment
rates of 2019 will fall to? Q.92) Which of the following has got the 1st
[A] 5.2% Prize in Swachhata Excellence Awards 2019?
[B] 4.9% [A] Raigarh
[C] 6.7% [B] Ambikapur
[D] 8.9% [C] Kumbakonam
[E] 3.5% [D] All of These
[E] None of These
Q.88) Who has been appointed as the
new Chairman & Managing Director of the Q.93) Which is the most digitally mature
state-run helicopter manufacturer Power country in the world as per Dell Technologies
Hans? Digital Transformation Index?
[A] G N Agarwal [A] Japan
[B] Vinod Rai [B] Thailand
[C] Bhargava T [C] Brazil
[D] P N Singh [D] India
[E] B. P. Sharma [E] France
Q.94) Which of the following is the state Q.99) Which of the following NGO was
animal of Punjab? declared the winner of the Laureus Sport for
[A] Mithun Good award in Monaco?
[B] Asiatic Lion [A] Kashish
[C] Indian giant Squirrel [B] Yuwa
[D] Swamp Deer [C] CryforCasuse
[E] Blackbuck [D] HOPE
[E] Bachpan
Q.95) Recently, India has boosted the custom
duty on all the goods imported from _______ Q.100) Who has been recently appointed as
to 200%. the new brand ambassador of PUMA?
[A] China [A] Mary Kom
[B] Pakistan [B] Laishram Sarita Devi
[C] Iran [C] Sarjubala Devi
[D] Israel [D] Pinki Rani
[E] Sri Lanka [E] None of these
Q.96) Recently which state government has Q.101) Who among the following has set a
announced in the budget interest free loans new 1500m indoor world record at World
of up to Rs 1 Lakh to poor and small farmers? Indoor Championships, Birmingham?
[A] Uttarakhand [A] Michael Tefera
[B] Tamil Nadu [B] Ramon Tefera
[C] Odisha [C] Samuel Tefera
[D] Uttar Pradesh [D] Harich Tefera
[E] Gujarat [E] Ken Tefera
Q.97) The Reserve Bank of India announced Q.102) Recently, who has been awarded with
that it would transfer _______ to the Centre the Shiv Chhatrapati Lifetime Achievement
as interim surplus for the half-year ended Award?
December 2018. [A] Uday Deshpande
[A] Rs 14000 Crore [B] Smriti Mandhana
[B] Rs 18000 Crore [C] Mithali Raj
[C] Rs 24000 Crore [D] Both a and b
[D] Rs 28000 Crore [E] Both b and c
[E] None of these
Q.103) Infosys has recently launched the next
Q.98) Who has been recently appointed as generation digital platform _______
the new Chairman of the Central Board of facilitating engineering students with best
Direct Taxes? learning experiences.
[A] Ramesh Chnadra Mody [A] InfoTech
[B] Pramod Chandra Mody [B] InfyTQ
[C] Priyam Prakash Mody [C] InfoIQ
[D] Pandit Chandra Mody [D] InfyCQ
[E] Praveen Mohan Mody [E] InfoRun
Q.104) ______ is set to launch its first private [A] An entity will be recognized as start-up up
unmanned spacecraft to moon - Beresheet to 7 years from the date of its incorporation.
spacecraft. [B] A firm can be a startup if its turnover for
[A] Iran any of the financial years since its
[B] India incorporation hasn’t exceeded Rs 100 crore
[C] Israel [C] Exempted start-ups from Angel Tax on
[D] Iraq funds raised from investors in the last up to
[E] Indonesia seven years.
[D] Investment exempted from Tax for start-
Q.105) Which country has recently developed ups is Rs 25 Crore.
the first walking robot to have navigational [E] Both a and c
capabilities without GPS named AntBot?
[A] India Q.110) Various Women Safety initiatives have
[B] Canada been launched. An online portal named ITSSO
[C] Japan has been launched for real-time monitoring
[D] Russia and management. What does ‘I’ in ITSSO
[E] France stand for?
[A] Integrated
Q.106) India’s first 'fulldome 3D Digital [B] Improvised
Theatre’ was inaugurated. It will be operated [C] Implementation
under which ministry? [D] Investigation
[A] Ministry of Home Affairs [E] Institute
[B] Ministry of Commerce
[C] Ministry of Earth Sciences Q.111) Which of the following state has
[D] Ministry of Culture recently passed a bill to make Sanskrit as the
[E] Ministry of Tourism second official language of the state?
[A] Punjab
Q.107) The houses in Bandarkota houses an [B] Gujarat
old armoury which is protected by the [C] Uttar Pradesh
Archaeological Survey of India. Name it. [D] Himachal Pradesh
[A] Iron rings [E] Bihar
[B] Plate Armor
[C] Ceramic Plates Q.112) Which ministry has recently launched
[D] Brigandine Shield the mobile application named ‘Nyaya
[E] Cannon Balls Bandhu’?
[A] Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
Q.108) Recently _____ has surpassed Italy by [B] Ministry of Women and Child
holding the dubious distinction of having the Development
worst Non-Performing Loan ratio. [C] Ministry of Law and Justice
[A] US [D] Ministry of Human Resource Development
[B] India [E] Both a and c
[C] Japan
[D] China Q.113) A new agency has been set up to
[E] France promote tourism which has identified seven
islands in Andaman and Nicobar and
Q.109) Which of the following is incorrect Lakshadweep for seaplane operations. Name
with respect to Start-ups? of the Agency.
[A] Tourism Promotion Authority [D] Religare Health Insurance

[B] Island Development Agency [E] Tata AIG General Insurance
[C] Tourism of Island Development Authority
[D] Plane Development Agency Q.119) A new micro insurance plan ‘Micro
[E] Tourism Success Agency Bachat’ was launched by _______.
[A] Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance
Q.114) Where is the Diglipur Airport located? [B] HDFC Standard Life Insurance
[A] Daman and Diu [C] ICICI Prudential Life Insurance
[B] Delhi [D] Reliance Life Insurance
[C] Chandigarh [E] Life Insurance Corporation of India
[D] Andaman and Nicobar Island
[E] Lakshadweep Q.120) Who has been appointed as the first
Woman President of The Astronomical
Q.115) Which state government has recently Society of India for the first time?
launched the KALIA Chhatra Bruti [A] GC Archana
scholarship? [B] GC Suhani
[A] Chhattisgarh [C] GC Anupama
[B] West Bengal [D] GC Jayeshi
[C] Karnataka [E] GC Sneha
[D] Punjab
[E] Odisha Q.121) Who has been awarded as the India’s
first-ever “Football Ratna”?
Q.116) The Union Minister of Commerce and [A] Balwant Singh
Industries launched SWAYATT and GeM Start- [B] Sunil Chhetri
up Runway. What does S in “SWAYATT” stand [C] Jeje Lalpekhlua
for? [D] Sumeet Passi
[A] Social [E] None of these
[B] Start-up
[C] Secure Q.122) Who has been awarded with the
[D] Sanction Lifetime Achievement Award at the 7th
[E] Securitization National Photography Award?
[A] Shri Ashok Dilwali
Q.117) Which of the following has signed the [B] Shri SL Shanth Kumar
very first deal to buy US Crude Oil paying USD [C] Shri Gurdeep Dhiman
1.5 billion for 60,000 barrels a day? [D] Shri Harshdeep Dhiman
[A] Indian Oil Corporation [E] None of these
[B] Hindustan Petroleum
[C] Oil and Natural Gas Corporations Q.123) Who has been awarded the Sportsman
[D] GAIL of the Year Award at the Laureus World
[E] Bharat Petroleum Sports Awards 2019?
[A] Novak Djokovic
Q.118) Which of the following has launched [B] Roger Federer
the first-of-its-kind ‘Trip Protector’ Insurance [C] Tiger Woods
Policy? [D] Arsene Wenger
[A] Bharti AXA General Insurance [E] None of these
[B] Max Bupa General Insurance
[C] HDFC ERGO General Insurance
Q.124) Who has been awarded the [A] Ministry of Commerce and Industry
Sportswoman of the Year Award at the [B] Ministry of Housing and Urban
Laureus World Sports Awards 2019? Development
[A] Simone Biles [C] Ministry of Rural Development
[B] Serena Williams [D] Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
[C] Angelique Kerber Authority
[D] Simona Halep [E] Ministry of Human Resource Development
[E] None of these
Q.130) Which of the following is the first long-
Q.125) What is the theme of World Day of range artillery gun to be produced in India?
Social Justice 2019? [A] M777
[A] Gender Equality – Peace and Harmony [B] Pinaka
[B] Peace and Social Justice – Go hand in hand [C] Dhanush
[C] If You Want Peace & Development, Work [D] M77
for Social Justice [E] MILAN
[D] Equality – Peace and Harmony
[E] See the World peacefully Q.131) The Union government has
empowered Assam Rifles personnel to arrest
Q.126) Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana has been anyone and search a place without warrant in
launched by – the states –
[A] Ministry of Rural Development [A] Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and
[B] Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs Nagaland
[C] Ministry of Culture [B] Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur,
[D] Ministry of Finance Nagaland and Mizoram
[E] Ministry of Health and Family Welfare [C] Assam and Arunachal Pradesh
[D] Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland
Q.127) Current Chairman of ISRO- and Tripura
[A] A S Kiran Kumar [E] Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and
[B] K Nair Assam
[C] A S Kiran Nair
[D] K Sivan Q.132) Recently, the government of Nagaland
[E] A S Srinivasan has decided to make the ILP applicable
throughout the State including the
Q.128) Recently, National Physical laboratory commercial hub of Dimapur. What does ‘P’ in
that creates Indelible ink for elections has ILP stand for?
created a new concoction regarding the ink [A] Permit
for the upcoming elections. Choose the [B] Permission
correct statement. [C] Pass
[A] The colour of the ink has been changed to [D] Proposal
Green [E] Package
[B] It will be invisible ink
[C] It would be easily removed Q.133) Where is the India’s first Humanoid
[D] Both a and b Police Robot inaugurated?
[E] Both a and c [A] Tamil Nadu
[B] Andhra Pradesh
Q.129) Which ministry has recently launched [C] Uttar Pradesh
the Operation Digital Board? [D] Kerala
[E] Gujarat Q.139) Where is Attukal Bhagavathy Temple

located?
Q.134) ________ has prescribed 150 minutes [A] Tamil Nadu
of weekly physical activity for the age group [B] Andhra Pradesh
of 18-64 years to reduce the incidence of [C] Kerala
Non-Communicable Diseases. [D] Telangana
[A] International Red Cross and Red Crescent [E] Karnataka
Movement
[B] UNICEF Q.140) Recently changes have been
[C] Red Cross introduced in the Indian Stamps Act 1899.
[D] WHO Which state has been proposed as benchmark
[E] Both b and c state to levy duties on stamp collection?
[A] Delhi
Q.135) The EPFO has recommended to raise [B] Maharashtra
the interest rate to ______ from 8.55%. [C] Himachal Pradesh
[A] 8.65% [D] Gujarat
[B] 8.75% [E] Tamil Nadu
[C] 8.85%
[D] 8.95% Q.141) Sikaria Mega Food Park Pvt Ltd has
[E] 9.05% been inaugurated in which state?
[A] Telangana
Q.136) Who has been appointed as the Chief [B] Punjab
Operating Officer of National Payments [C] Madhya Pradesh
Corporation of India? [D] Tripura
[A] Dilip Asbe [E] Andhra Pradesh
[B] Praveena Rai
[C] Arif Khan Q.142) Central Board of Direct Taxes has
[D] Keshav Mohapatra formed a 4-member committee to look into
[E] None of these the matter of taxation related pain points.
The committee will be headed by-
Q.137) Who has been appointed as the first [A] Sanjay Kumar
ombudsman for the Board of Control for [B] Keshav Mahananda
Cricket in India? [C] Kishan Varma
[A] Justice M K Yadav [D] Suresh Yadav
[B] Justice Kishan Pal [E] Sanjeev Sharma
[C] Justice S K Gupta
[D] Justice D K Jain Q.143) Where is the ‘Waste to Wonder Park’
[E] Justice Keshav Yadav located?
[A] Delhi
Q.138) When is International Mother [B] Agra
Language Day observed? [C] Varanasi
[A] February 20 [D] Chennai
[B] February 21 [E] Ahmedabad
[C] February 22
[D] February 23 Q.144) In which state the Integrated Large
[E] February 24 Scale Eri Farming has been launched under
North East Region Textile Promotion Scheme?
[A] Tripura Q.150) Who became the First Indian Woman

[B] Arunachal Pradesh to be honored with the “Global Future of
[C] Nagaland Nature Award”?
[D] Mizoram [A] Divya Karnad
[E] Sikkim [B] Sudha Karnad
[C] Kriti Karnad
Q.145) Where is Nauradehi sanctuary [D] Megha Karnad
located? [E] Aishwarya Karnad
[A] Gujarat
[B] Karnataka Q.151) Which of the following was conferred
[C] Madhya Pradesh with ‘FICCI CSR Award’ for Women
[D] Odisha Empowerment?
[E] Chhattisgarh [A] Bhushan Steel Ltd
[B] Essar Steel
Q.146) Which state has recently launched the [C] Steel Authority of India
‘Mukhyamantri Yuva Swabhiman Yojana’? [D] Jindal Steel and Power Ltd
[A] Bihar [E] None of these
[B] Maharashtra
[C] Madhya Pradesh Q.152) Who among the following has set a
[D] Odisha new Guinness World Record after achieving
[E] Telangana the feat for the ‘highest catch of a cricket ball’
(80 metres) at the Melbourne Cricket
Q.147) Which country has replaced its Ground?
currency with RTGS Dollars? [A] Ellyse Perry
[A] US [B] Mithali Raj
[B] Chile [C] Alyssa Healy
[C] Egypt [D] Jess Jonassen
[D] Zimbabwe [E] Jhulan Goswami
[E] Vietnam
Q.153) Current CEO of Bank of Baroda –
Q.148) RBI has bundled present three tier [A] P. S. Jayakumar
structure of NBFCs into a new category [B] Karnam Sekar
called– [C] R A Sankara Narayanan
[A] NBFC – Investing Companies [D] Keshav Sekar
[B] NBFC – Credit Companies [E] R A Jayakuamar
[C] NBFC – Investment and Credit companies
[D] NBFC – Loan and Asset Companies Q.154) Recently the largest bee known on the
[E] NBFC – Asset Finance Companies Earth which was considered to be extinct
since 1981 was re-spotted in the forests of
Q.149) Who has recently taken oath as the _______.
First Lokayukta of Nagaland? [A] United States
[A] Justice Rajendra Menon [B] Australia
[B] Justice Uma Nath Singh [C] Indonesia
[C] Justice Ramalingam Sudhakar [D] India
[D] Justice Krishna Murari [E] Poland
[E] Justice Mohammad Yaqoob Mir
Q.155) Which state has become the first state Q.160) According to Ordinance passed to ban
to deploy specially-trained dogs to check Unregulated Deposit Schemes-
smuggling of liquor? [A] All the deposits except done with the
[A] Gujarat Banks and Cooperative Societies are banned
[B] Maharashtra [B] There is a ban on any individual taking a
[C] Bihar quick loan to tide over a crisis from relatives
[D] Chhattisgarh [C] It bans both chit funds and ponzi schemes
[E] Odisha [D] It extends to all the state of India
[E] None of these
Q.156) Which of the following Indian
company has been ranked first among the Q.161) Where is the National War Memorial
Indian companies in the 2019 list of “50 Most inaugurated?
Innovative Companies”? [A] Bengaluru
[A] Saathi [B] Chennai
[B] Jio Saavn [C] Delhi
[C] OLA [D] Chandigarh
[D] OYO [E] Kolkata
[E] Zomato
Q.162) Which of the following countries
Q.157) According to Passport Index of 2019, conducted the annual Cobra Gold military
the passport power rank of Indian passport exercise?
is– [A] Thailand and US
[A] 57 [B] France and Thailand
[B] 18 [C] France and US
[C] 90 [D] Japan and Thailand
[D] 64 [E] China and Japan
[E] 119
Q.163) World Bank, United Nations Entity for
Q.158) Arunachal Pradesh has announced to Gender Equality and the Empowerment of
issue ‘PRC’ to six non-Arunachal Scheduled Women and SIDBI launched new social impact
Tribes. What does P in PRC stand for? bonds exclusively for women called-
[A] Provisional [A] Women’s Empowerment Bond
[B] Permanent [B] Women’s Livelihood Bond
[C] Pro-status [C] Women’s Pride Bond
[D] Partial [D] Women’s Liberty Bond
[E] Planned [E] None of these
Q.159) Which of the following ministry has Q.164) As per RBI, what is the current
increased the Risk and Hardship allowance of benchmark for all loan rates?
the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) [A] Repo Rate
personnel? [B] MCLR
[A] Ministry of Finance [C] 91-day T-Bill
[B] Ministry of Commerce and Industry [D] 182-day T-bill
[C] Ministry of Corporate Affairs [E] Reverse Repo Rate
[D] Ministry of External Affairs
[E] Ministry of Home Affairs
Q.165) Who has been awarded the 2018

Player of the Year award by the Asian Hockey Q.170) Mukesh Ambani has been ranked at
Federation? ______ position in the Loong Palace Hurun
[A] Lalremsiami Global Rich List 2019.
[B] Manpreet Singh [A] 1
[C] Harmanpreet Singh [B] 8
[D] Ramandeep Singh [C] 40
[E] Both a and c [D] 57
[E] 5
Q.166) Which of the following Indian-set
short film won the Oscar for ‘Best Q.171) What was the theme for Aviation
Documentary Short’ category? Conclave 2019 held in Delhi?
[A] Black Panther [A] Flying around the world
[B] Green Book [B] High. Rise and Fly
[C] The Favourite [C] Catch the clouds
[D] Period. End of Sentence [D] Flying for all
[E] Bohemian Rhapsody [E] Begin to fly
Q.167) Choose the incorrect statement – Q.172) Where is the Titanwala Museum
[A] Current Chief Information Commissioner located?
of India – Sudhir Bhargava [A] Rajasthan
[B] Central Information Commission is the [B] Gujarat
highest appeal body under the Right to [C] Delhi
Information Act. [D] Karnataka
[C] Electronic Voting Machine is considered as [E] Bihar
‘information’ under the Right to Information
Act. Q.173) Which of the following religious texts
[D] Both a and c has been unveiled as the 800 Kg and 670
[E] None of these pages book-world’s largest sacred book?
[A] Bible
Q.168) Phen Wildlife Sanctuary is located in – [B] Quran
[A] Maharashtra [C] Upanishads
[B] Uttar Pradesh [D] Bhagavad Gita
[C] Madhya Pradesh [E] Torah
[D] Gujarat
[E] Kerala Q.174) Which state has launched the
PRANAM Commission with respect to
Q.169) What is the name of the portal PRANAM Bill?
launched by Union Minister Piyush Goyal [A] Andhra Pradesh
containing information related to passenger [B] Uttar Pradesh
and freight trains and links to live feeds of [C] Punjab
IRCTC kitchens? [D] Tripura
[A] Rail Kripa Dashboard [E] Assam
[B] Rail Samvad Dashboard
[C] Rail Success Dashboard Q.175) What is India’s rank as per the
[D] Rail Drishti Dashboard ‘Inclusive Internet Index 2019’ prepared by
[E] None of these Economist Intelligence Unit?
[A] 87 [C] Muhammadu Amaan

[B] 12 [D] Muhammadu Buhari
[C] 47 [E] None of these
[D] 64
[E] 90 Q.181) Who has been awarded with META
Lifetime Achievement Award 2019?
Q.176) Where is the first-of-its-kind memorial [A] Mahesh Elkunchwar
for Witch-Hunt victims has been established? [B] Neeraj Elkunchwar
[A] Bihar [C] Anurima Elkunchwar
[B] Assam [D] Keshav Elkunchwar
[C] Odisha [E] Sonia Elkunchwar
[D] Madhya Pradesh
[E] Tripura Q.182) Recently, President Ram Nath Kovind
presented Gandhi Peace Prize. Who among
Q.177) Recently, which port has been used as the following is the not the recipient of
a strategic transit route between India and Gandhi Peace Prize?
Afghanistan that bypassed Pakistan? [A] Vivekanand Kendra
[A] Gwadar Port [B] Akshaya Patra Foundation
[B] Chabahar Port [C] Ekal Abhiyan Trust
[C] Marmagao Port [D] Yohei Sasakawa
[D] Kandla Port [E] None of these
[E] None of these
Q.183) Which state has been awarded with
Q.178) Britain has won the approval at the the ‘Saubhagya Excellence Award’ under
World Trade Organization to remain within Saubhagya Scheme?
WTO's `GPA’ after it leaves the European [A] Kerala
Union. What does ‘P’ in GPA stand for? [B] Karnataka
[A] Permanent [C] Jammu and Kashmir
[B] Partial [D] Gujarat
[C] Passage [E] Uttar Pradesh
[D] Provisional
[E] Procurement Q.184) Which city hosted the month long
‘Festival of India’?
Q.179) Which of the following banks is not [A] Thimpu, Bhutan
under RBI’s Prompt Corrective Action plan as [B] Colombia, Sri Lanka
of February 28, 2019- [C] Delhi, India
[A] Dhanlaxmi Bank [D] Kathmandu, Nepal
[B] Central Bank of India [E] Naypyidaw, Myanmar
[C] Dena Bank
[D] IDBI Bank Q.185) Headquarters of WTO –
[E] UCO Bank [A] Manila, Philippines
[B] Geneva, Switzerland
Q.180) Who has been recently appointed as [C] Washington DC, US
the President of Nigeria? [D] Vienna, Austria
[A] Muhammadu Kripari [E] Paris, France
[B] Muhammad Taheer
Question Answer Question Answer Question Answer Question Answer

1 C 51 C 101 C 151 D
2 D 52 A 102 D 152 C
3 C 53 D 103 B 153 A
4 D 54 E 104 C 154 C
5 C 55 C 105 E 155 C
6 C 56 D 106 D 156 B
7 D 57 B 107 E 157 D
8 E 58 A 108 B 158 B
9 A 59 C 109 A 159 E
10 B 60 A 110 D 160 E
11 C 61 A 111 D 161 C
12 A 62 E 112 C 162 A
13 D 63 A 113 B 163 B
14 E 64 E 114 D 164 B
15 C 65 D 115 E 165 C
16 D 66 B 116 B 166 D
17 D 67 C 117 A 167 E
18 A 68 C 118 C 168 C
19 C 69 B 119 E 169 D
20 A 70 B 120 C 170 B
21 A 71 E 121 B 171 D
22 E 72 B 122 A 172 A
23 A 73 D 123 A 173 D
24 E 74 B 124 A 174 E
25 D 75 C 125 C 175 C
26 B 76 A 126 B 176 C
27 C 77 D 127 D 177 B
28 C 78 A 128 B 178 E
29 B 79 D 129 E 179 A
30 B 80 C 130 C 180 D
31 E 81 C 131 B 181 A
32 B 82 E 132 A 182 E
33 D 83 C 133 D 183 C
34 B 84 A 134 D 184 D
35 C 85 C 135 A 185 B
36 A 86 C 136 B
37 D 87 B 137 D
38 A 88 E 138 B
39 D 89 D 139 C
40 C 90 D 140 B
41 C 91 D 141 D
42 D 92 A 142 E
43 C 93 D 143 A
44 D 94 E 144 B
45 C 95 B 145 C
46 C 96 A 146 C
47 D 97 D 147 D
48 E 98 B 148 C
49 A 99 B 149 B
50 B 100 A 150 A
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Final Spotlight February 2019

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SPOTLIGHT

MONTHLY CURRENT AFFAIRS

BLOG OF THE MONTH 02

BANKING AND ECONOMY 51

BLOG OF THE MONTH

Below are the areas with the benefits in this budget:

FOR DIRECT TAX PAYERS:

• Income up to Rs. 5 lakhs exempted from Income Tax.

• New tax slab is as under:

NEW TAX SLAB

Rs. 5 Lakh – 10 Lakh 20% % (+ 4% Cess on 20% (20.80)

FOR POOR AND BACKWARD CLASSES:

• “First right on the resources of country is

ALLOCATION FOR MAJOR SCHEME:

• Announcing an allocation of Rs.60,000

FOR WELFARE OF SC, STs AND DE - NOTIFIED COMMUNITIES:

Schedule Castes Schedule Tribes De-Notified communities

FOR WOMEN DEVELOPMENT:

FOR DEFENCE SECTOR:

FOR RAILWAY SECTOR:

Capital support for Indian Railways is

FOR UN-ORGANIZED LABOUR:

• “Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maandhan scheme” to ensure fixed

• Rs 3000 per month after 60 years of age with an affordable

FOR ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY:

• Indian filmmakers to get access to Single window

• To introduce anti-camcording provisions in the

FOR MSME AND TRADERS:

• 2% interest subvention on an incremental loan of Rs 1 crore

• Digital villages: The Government to make 1 lakh villages

• Artificial Intelligence: New National Artificial Intelligence

FOR LIVESTOCK BREEDING AND FISHERIES:

• Outlay for “Rastriya Gokul mission” increased to Rs 750

FOR HOUSING AND REAL ESTATE SECTOR:

• TDS threshold for deduction of tax on rent to be increased

What is INTERIM BUDGET:

WHAT IS OPERATING RATIO:

SINGLE WINDOW CLEARANCE:

6. ISRO launched the Human Space Flight Centre in Bengaluru.

iv. Efforts to make budget more transparent and citizen friendly.

9. Transparency International is an international non-governmental organization based in Berlin,

15. ICT Academy Bridge 2019 was inaugurated in Tamil Nadu.

39. The three-day Krishi Kumbh was inaugurated in Motihar, Bihar.

73. ‘Blackbuck’ is the state animal of Punjab.

78. ‘Blackbuck’ is the state animal of Punjab.

• Key infrastructure projects such as operationalisation of the Diglipur airport in

ii. Infrastructure Development

• It is the global intergovernmental meeting on digital health, hosted by the Ministry of

• His net worth is estimated at $54 billion (₹3,83,700 crore).

Rank Name Wealth US$bn Main Company

1 Jeff Bezos 147 Amazon

2 Bill Gates 96 Microsoft

3 Warren Buffett 88 Berkshire Hathaway

4 Bernard Arnault 86 LVMH

5 Mark Zuckerberg 80 Facebook

143. A first-of-its-kind memorial for witch-hunt victims was unveiled in Odisha.

• It is designed to use against ground targets and is manufactured by the Aerospace

10. A month-long ‘Festival of India’ began was inaugurated in Kathmandu, Nepal.