Current Affairs

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GENERAL AWARENESS
Sri Lanka Blasts
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Nearly 290 people killed and not less than 500 hurt in explosions at churches and hotels in Sri Lanka
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on Easter Sunday, 21st April 2019. The blasts were reported, including at three churches in Negombo,
Batticaloa and Colombo's Kochchikade district during Easter services. The Shangri-La, Kingsbury and
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Cinnamon Grand hotels and one other, all in the capital, were also targeted.
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i bh Pulitzer Prize
New York Times and The Wall Street Journal were awarded Pulitzer Prizes for their separate
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investigations of President Donald Trump and his family.
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The New York Times won the prestigious journalism award for a probe of the Trump family's finances
that debunked his claims of self-made wealth and revealed a business empire riddled with tax dodges. The
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Wall Street Journal won for its coverage of Trump's secret hush money payments to two women during his
2016 presidential campaign who claimed to have had affairs with him. The Associated Press won a Pulitzer
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for international reporting for its coverage of the war in Yemen.
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Reuters was honoured for international reporting for its coverage of atrocities committed against
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Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.
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The South Florida Sun-Sentinel won a Pulitzer for its coverage of failings by school and law
enforcement officials before and after February 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
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The government suspended the LoC (Line of Control) trade in Jammu and Kashmir from 19th April
2019. The decision was taken as the government has been receiving reports that the LoC trade routes are being
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misused by the Pakistan-based elements for funneling illegal weapons, narcotics and fake currency. The LoC
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trade is meant to facilitate the exchange of goods of common use between local populations across the LoC
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in Jammu and Kashmir.
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India and Pakistan held a meeting to discuss various issues related to the speedy completion of the
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proposed Kartarpur corridor from Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district in Punjab in india to
Gurudwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Narowal on 16th April 2019. Kartarpur is located in Pakistan's Narowal
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district across the Ravi, about 4 km from the Dera Baba Nanak.
RCAP
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4th Resilient Cities Asia-Pacific (RCAP) Congress 2019 organized by the International Council for
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Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) at New Delhi on 15th April 2019.
Inaugurating the Congress the Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu , asked the town planners
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to make sustainable solutions such as harvesting solar energy, enhancing green cover and water conservation
an essential part of town planning.
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India finished with 5 medals in the Boxing World Cup concluded at Cologne, Germany on 13th April
2019. Meena Kumari Maisnam won the gold medal in the 54 kg category. Sakshi Malik (57 kg) and Pwilao
Basumatary (64 kg) settled for the silver. Pinki Rani (51 kg) and Parveen (60 kg) won bronze.
R-23-4-19
www.eenadupratibha.net
Currency chests
RBI comes out with guidelines for banks to set up new currency chests, which include minimum area
of 1,500 square feet for strong room.
For those situated in hilly/inaccessible places, the strong room/vault area of at least 600 square feet.
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The RBI said that the new chests should have a processing capacity of 6.6 lakh pieces of banknotes per
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day. It added that for those situated in the hilly/inaccessible places, capacity should be 2.1 lakh pieces of bank
notes per day.
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World Press Freedom Prize
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Journalists Kyaw Soe Oo and Wa Lone (Myanmar) will share this year’s UNESCO/ Guillermo Cano
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Press Freedom Prize. Both laureates are serving seven-year prison sentences. At the time of their arrest in
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Yangon on 12th December 2017, they were working for the Reuters news agency, reporting on alleged human
rights violations in Myanmar’s state of Rakhine.
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Mali's Prime Minister Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga and his cabinet resigned on 18th April 2019,
following a motion of no confidence in the government over its handling of violence in the centre of the
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country, according to the presidency.
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The government had come under mounting pressure over its handling of violence in the restive Mopti
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region and especially a massacre on 23rd March 2019 in which 160 people were killed in the village of
Ogossagou near the border with Burkina Faso.
w w MODEL QUESTIONS
1.
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India holds 140th Rank in the World Press Freedom Index 2019 as per the annual Reporters Without
Borders analysis. Which country topped in this index?
1) Denmark
5) Netherlands
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2) New Zealand 3) Finland 4) Norway
2.
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The first G20 meeting in the Arab world will be held in .......November 2020
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1) Iran 2) Iraq 3) Qatar 4) UAE
5) Saudi Arabia
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3. Indian women cricketer ........… has been named the goodwill ambassador of Team India at the Street
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Child Cricket World Cup.
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1) Smriti Mandhana
3) Veda Krishnamurthy
2) Harmanpreet Kaur
4) Mithali Raj
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5) Arundhati Reddy
4.
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World Hemophilia Day observed on..
1) 25th Apirl 2) 1st December 3) 17th April 4) 7th Apirl
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5) 24th March
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5. Kaziranga park located in ….where as the Supreme Court recently banned mining activities along this
park.
1) Assam 2) Manipur 3) Meghalaya 4) Arunachal Pradesh
5) Odisha
6. IN – VPN BILAT EX is the Navy Bilateral Exercise of India and ….......
1) Malaysia 2) Indonesia 3) Mongolia 4) Vietnam
5) Mauritius
7. India has rebuilt Chhyoiphel Kundeling Monastery in ..........
1) Israel
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2) Palestine 3) Japan 4) Nepal
5) Egypt
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Answers: 1-4; 2-5; 3-4; 4-3; 5-1; 6-4; 7-4.
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GENERAL AWARENESS
Waste to Wonder
21st February 2019.

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Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated “Waste to Wonder” Park in South Delhi on
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The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) made this park by creating replicas of the Seven
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Wonders of the World and the replicas have been fabricated from scrap material.
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The park sets an example of creation of ‘Wealth from waste' and he said that a Smart City cannot be
imagined without a proper waste disposal and recycling system.
a t PM - KISAN
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the ambitious Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme
(PM-Kisan) on 24th February 2019, transferring the first installment of Rs.2,000 each.
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Under the scheme, Rs.6,000 will be given per year to small and marginal farmers in 3 installments
having combined land holding or ownership of up to 2 hectares.
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The scheme was announced in the interim Budget 2019 - 20 on 1st February 2019. The scheme will
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benefit more than 12 crore farmers.
.e Seoul Prize
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Narendra Modi was conferred with the Seoul Prize for his efforts in promoting global peace and
harmony through inclusive economic growth and for improving quality of life.
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The Prime Minister was awarded the prize money of $200,000 that he contributed to the Namami
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Gange fund.
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During his visit to South Korea, both nations made MoUs in key areas including infrastructure
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development, media, start-ups and combating trans-border and international crime.
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Super Computer Param Shivay
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On 21st February 2019, Prime Minister Modi inaugurated ‘Param Shivay’ Super computer of 833
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teraflop capacity built at the cost of Rs.32.5 crore under the National Super Computing Mission at the Indian
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Institute of Technology (IIT), Banaras Hindu University (BHU).
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This super computer centre will help deal with social issues faced by common people. A postal stamp
and postal stamp album were also released on the centenary year of the institute.
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India’s first super computer called PARAM 8000 was launched in 1991.
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Tagore Award
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The President of India Ram Nath Kovind, presented the Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony for the
years 2014, 2015 and 2016 to Shri Rajkumar Singhajit Singh, Chhayanaut (a cultural organisation of
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Bangladesh) and Shri Ram Vanji Sutar respectively, at a function held at New Delhi on 18th February 2019.
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Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony was instituted by the Government from 2012 during the
commemoration of the 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore.
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14th Agricultural Science Congress - 2019 held between 20th February - 23rd February 2019 at New
Delhi.
Agricultural Science Congress marks the confluence of researchers, intellectuals, creativity and the
custodians of global food security.
R-26-2-19
The speakers concern about the changing climate and the vulnerabilities of agriculture and human to
the changes. They had given a call for a co-operative effort to mitigate the challenges in a holistic way by
addressing not only the effects, but causes also.
Theme of the congress is “Innovations for Agricultural Transformation".
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Pan India number 112
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On 19th February 2019, Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh and Minister for Women and Child
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Development, Smt. Maneka Sanjay Gandhi jointly launched the Women Safety initiative of Emergency
Response Support System (ERSS) in 16 States/ UTs and Mumbai city.
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People in these states and UTs can now call a single pan India number 112 for any emergency.
On the same day, the Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offences (ITSSO) and Safe City
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Implementation Monitoring Portal were also launched.
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The Aero India show 2019, showcases India's air defence prowess and also the largest aero show in
Asia began on 20th February 2019 at the Air Force Station Yelahanka , Bangalore.
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Launched by Defence minister, Nirmala Sitharaman said the show was the biggest so far, with 403
exhibitors and 61 aircraft in static or flying displays.
.e e MODEL QUESTIONS
PM-KISAN was launched in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh on 24th February 2019, is entirely funded by
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1.
the central government, will incur an annual expenditure of …... as per the interim Budget 2019 - 20.
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1) Rs.75,000 crore 2) Rs.65,000 crore 3) Rs.55,000 crore 4) Rs.45,000 crore
5) Rs.85,000 crore
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2. Who is the Director-General of ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research)?
1) Smt. Devola Devi Das
a . 2) B. Suman
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3) Trilochan Mohapatra 4) Varada Raja Guptha .A
3.
5) Sanjeev Hans
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Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare Radha Mohan Singh elected to Loksabha from ...?
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1) Purvi Champaran (Bihar) 2) Nagpur (Maharastra)
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3) Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh)
5) Vidisha (Madhya Pradesh)
4) Jaipur Rural (Rajsathan)
4.
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Gitanjali, 'Chokher Bali', the Postmaster, Gora and Kabuliwallah are some of the works written by ...?
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1) R.K. Narayan 2) Rabindra Nath Tagore
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3) Chetan Bhagath
5) Bankim Chandra Chattarjee
4) Maithilli Saran Guptha
5.
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P.V. Bharathi is the MD and CEO of .....?
1) Corporation Bank 2) Canara Bank 3) SBI 4) Andhra Bank
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5) ICICI bank
Answers: 1-1; 2-3; 3-1; 4-2; 5-1.
Writer: Amara Veeraswamy
GENERAL AWARENESS
Global gender equality index
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India ranked 95th out of 129 countries in global gender equality index that measures global gender
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equality looking at aspects such as poverty, health, education, literacy, political representation and equality at
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the workplace. The index includes 51 indicators across 14 of the 17 official Sustainable Development Goals
and covers 129 countries across all regions of the world. India's highest goal scores are on SDG 3 of health
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(79.9), SDG 2 of hunger and nutrition (76.2) and SDG 7 of energy (71.8). Denmark was ranked at the first
place and Chad at 129th place. China ranked at 74 position, Pakistan at 113 while Nepal and Bangladesh
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at 102 and 110 respectively.
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p r International Day of Yoga
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi lead the main event of International Day of Yoga 2019 celebrations to
be held in Ranchi, Jharkhand on 21st of this month.
n a Modi tour
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred with the Maldives' highest civilian award, ‘the Order of
the Distinguished Rule of Izzudeen’, by the President of the host country, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, in his
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Maldives tour. The Maldives says, the award is in recognition of the many services Prime Minister Modi
offered to cement the longstanding and amicable ties between the two countries.
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Reconstitution of NITI Aayog
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the reconstitution of National Institution for Transforming
India (NITI Aayog). Prime Minister Narendra Modi serves as the chairman of the policy making think tank
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and Rajiv Kumar will be the Vice Chairman. An official release said, V K Saraswat, Ramesh Chand and Dr
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V K Paul will be the full-time members of the NITI Aayog.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and
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Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar will be the Ex-Officio Members.
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Road, Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister
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Thaawarchand Gehlot, Rail Minister Piyush Goyal and Statistics and Programme Implementation Minister
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Rao Inderjit Singh will be the special invitees of NITI Aayog.
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e n #SelfiewithSapling
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Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar launched a people’scampaign #Selfiewith Sapling urging all
to join and plant a sapling and post the selfie with the sapling on social media. The Environment Day observed
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on 5th June every year. The theme of Environment Day is ‘Beat Air Pollution’.
Financial Literacy Week 2019

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Financial Literacy Week is an initiative of RBI to promote awareness on key topics every year through
a focused campaign. This year it is observed from June 3rd - 7th on the theme of 'Farmers' and how they
benefit by being a part of the formal banking system. Growth in agriculture is necessary for the overall
economic growth & finance.
R-11-6-19
Slow GDP
The growth rate of India's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) fell from 7.2 per cent in Financial Year
2017-18 to 6.8 per cent in FY 2018-19, due to poor performance in agriculture and manufacturing sectors. In
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January-March 2018-2019 quarter, the GDP growth slowed down to 5.8 per cent. The March quarter growth
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rate is slowest since 2014-15. The previous low was 6.4 per cent in 2013-14. Finance Secretary is Subhash
Chandra Garg.
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Five Deputy CMs in Cabinet
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Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jaganmohan Reddy designated five newly-inducted ministers as
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Deputy Chief Ministers. Pamula Pushpa Sreevani, Pilli Subhash Chandra Bose, Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas
alias Nani, K Narayana Swamy and Amzath Basha were designated as Deputy CMs. Mekathoti Sucharita
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was given home ministry and Buggana Rajendranath Reddy was given the most important portfolio of
finance, planning and legislative affairs. The 26-member Cabinet, including the Chief Minister, has three
women members.
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n a Repo rate cut third time..
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On 6th June, the Reserve bank of India in its bi-monthly monetary policy review reduced the repo rate
by 25 basis points to 5.75 per cent from 6.0 per cent with immediate effect. This is the third time in a row that
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the central bank has cut key rates this calendar year. The reverse repo rate stands adjusted to 5.50 per cent,
and the marginal standing facility rate and the Bank Rate to 6.0 per cent.
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Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, the Nigeria's Ambassador to the United Nations was elected as President of
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the 74th session of the UN General Assembly. The 193-member UNGA elected Muhammad-Bande, had been
nominated by Nigeria and endorsed by the African group, at the election by acclamation. He will succeed
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Maria Fernanda Espinosa as the President of the next General Assembly session that will commence in
September 2019. Tijjani assumes charge as the world body gets ready to celebrate the 75th anniversary of its
creation next year.
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Parliament of Thailand elected 2014 coup leader Prayuth Chan-ocha as Prime Minister. The
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military-backed party that nominated Prayuth won the second-highest number of seats in the House of
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Representatives in a general election in March. His appointment becomes official when it is endorsed by King
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Maha Vajiralongkorn. Prayuth did not run for office in the March election - the constitution enacted under
the junta he headed does not require that the Prime Minister come from Parliament.
.
1.
w w MODEL QUESTIONS
Who is the National Security Advisor?
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1) Bipin Rawat
3) Ajit Doval
2) Karanbir Singh
4) Sanjya Mithra
5) V.K.Singh
2. The Chief Minister of which state announced free travel for women in public transport to improve
safety and accessibility?
1) Andhra Pradesh 2) Odisha 3) Sikkim 4) Haryana
5) Delhi
3. Union Tribal Minister is..
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1) Arjun Munda
3) Ramesh Pokhriyal
a. n 2) Raman Singh
4) Shivraj Singh Chouhan
5) Jitan Ram Manjhi
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4.
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Who is the chairman of the committee that submitted the draft National Educational Policy (NEP) to
HRD ministry recently?
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1) T.N.Manoharan
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3) Dr. Kasturirangan 4) Sanjeev Sharma
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5) Amitb Kanth
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5. World Milk Day observed on…?
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1) 22nd Apirl 2) 22nd March 3) 1st June 4) 2nd Feb
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5) 3rd March
6.
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Former President of India Pratibha Patil was conferred with ‘Order of the Aztec Eagle’, the highest
civilian Award from which nation?
1) Mexico
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2) Argentina 3) Peru 4) Uruguay
7.
5) Brazil
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Global Disability summit held in…
1) Paris, France
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3) Geneva, Switzerland 4) New Delhi, India
5) New York, USA
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8.
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Which state medical and health department selected for the ‘World No Tobacco Day Award for 2019’
in the South –east Region?
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1) Karnataka
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5) Telengana
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9.
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For which state Health System Reform Programme, World Bank providing $287 million loan ?
1) Tamil nadu 2) Haryana 3) Kerala 4) UP
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5) Goa
10.
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Which PSU toppled Indian Oil Corp (IOC) to regain crown of being the country's most profitable
public sector company?
1) NTPC 2) SAIL 3) ONGC 4) BHEL
5) GAIL
11. In its Global Economic Prospects report, the World Bank retained its forecast of India's growth rate
at..…percent for the current financial year.
1) 7.3 2) 7.9 3) 7.8 4) 7.5
5) 6.8
12.
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In ISSF shooting World Cup Which Indian player won 10m Air Pistol Gold beating his own World
Record?
1) Japtyesh Singh Jaspal
a. n 2) Gagan Narang
3) Abhishek Verma
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5) Abhinav Bindra
13.
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Dzukou Valley in which state became Plastic Free Zone on the eve of World Environment Day?
1) Assam
5) Mizoram
up 2) Kerala 3) Tripura 4) Nagaland
14.
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SWIFT India and South Asia Conference held successfully on 9th May 2019 in…?
1) Delhi
en 2) Hyderabad 3) Pune 4) Mumbai
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5) Kolkata
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1-3; 2-5; 3-1; 4-3; 5-3; 6-1; 7-2; 8-3; 9-1; 10-3; 11-4; 12-4; 13-4; 14-4.
w et Writer: Amara Veeraswamy
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CURRENT AFFAIRS
Krishi Kumbh 2018
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The government of Uttar Pradesh in association with the Government of India is organising a mega
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Agriculture Expo called “Krishi Kumbh - 2018” from 26th - 28th October 2018 at Lucknow. Prime Minister
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Narendra Modi launched Krishi Kumbh Mela 2018 Via Video Conference.
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This Krishi Kumbh 2018 promotes modern technique and diversification in agriculture that could help
in doubling farmers' income. The event was held at Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research Lucknow.
is a big success.
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Participation of over one lakh farmers is expected in this mega event besides national and international VIPs
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Japan and Israel acted as partner countries in the initiative and share their technology in the event.
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Primary objective of Krishi Kumbh 2018 is to provide a common platform to farmers, farmers group,
technical experts and entrepreneurs for seamless exchange of knowledge regarding agriculture production,
food processing etc.
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IAEA Fusion Energy Conference
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27th IAEA Fusion Energy Conference (FEC 2018) held in Gandhi Nagar, Gujarat on 22nd October
2018. The event organised by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and hosted by the Department
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of Atomic Energy and Institute of Plasma Research, Gujarat.
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The purpose of the Conference is to know and understand the worldwide advances in fusion theory,
experiments, technology, engineering safety and socio-Economics.
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It fostered the exchange of scientific and technical results in nuclear fusion research and development
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through its series of Fusion Energy Conferences.
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Experts from across the world discussed the new challenges being faced by the fusion community in
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the light of a number of next-step fusion devices being implemented currently
ha DHARMA GUARDIAN – 2018
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On 1st November 2018, first-of-its-kind exercise DHARMA GUARDIAN – 2018, a joint military
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Vairengete, Mizoram, India. i
exercise between Indian & Japanese Armies, commenced at Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School,
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14 days long exercise aims to build and promote army to army relations in addition to exchanging skills.
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Both the armies jointly train, plan and execute a series of well developed tactical drills for neutralisation of
likely threats that may be encountered in urban warfare scenario.
Rifles.
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The Japanese contingent is represented by 32nd Infantry Battalion, while the Indian side by 6/1 Gorkha
e n ‘UTSONMOBILE’
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On 1st November 2018, Indian Railways launched ‘UTSONMOBILE’ app to enable passengers to book
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unreserved tickets using their smartphones and computers connected with internet. This facility enables
seamless booking of unreserved tickets all over Indian Railways
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Initially the pilot project for booking of unreserved tickets through mobile phone was commenced in
December, 2014 on select stations on Central Railway. Gradually, unreserved Mobile ticketing was extended
to all suburban sections in metropolitan cities of Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata and Secunderabad between 2015
and 2017 along with the facility of paperless ticketing.
R-13-11-18
World Internet Conference (WIC)
Fifth World Internet Conference (WIC) was held in Wuzhen, China between 7th to 9th November 2018.
It aimed to bring out exchanges, mutual learning, cooperation and sharing in the digital fields and stressed on
peace and development of the global cyberspace. 15 of the latest scientific and technological achievements in
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the global internet industry were unveiled.
security.
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The summit aimed at reaching faster Internet speed, more digital profit, and better web
a. SIMBEX
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SIMBEX, the “Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise” scheduled from 10th to 21st November
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2018 begun in Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal.
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The initial harbour phase held at Port Blair, the capital of Andaman and Nicobar Islands from 10th to
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12th November which will be followed by sea phase from 12th to 16th November in the Andaman Sea.
The second harbour phase will be held from 16th to 19th November at Visakhapatnam ‘the City of
Destiny’.
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H The final sea phase would be held in the Bay of Bengal from 19th to 21st November 2018.
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The sea phase of this year’s edition is being conducted under the Command of Rear Admiral Dinesh
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K Tripathi from Indian side and 2018 edition marks the Silver Jubilee of SIMBEX.
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SIMBEX will witness a diverse range of exercises at sea ranging from live weapon drills including
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multiple missile firings, Heavy Weight Torpedo (HWT) and Medium Range Gun/ Anti-Submarine Rocket
firings etc.
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Ashok Kumar Gupta appointed as the chairman of Competition Commission of India (CCI) on
9th November 2018. He will replace present chairman Sudhir Mittal.
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The CCI keeps a tab on unfair business practices across sectors. It’s aim is to create and sustain fair
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competition in the economy that will provide a ‘level playing field’ to the producers and make the
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markets work for the welfare of the consumers.
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It is the duty of the Commission to eliminate practices having adverse effect on competition, promote
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and sustain competition, protect the interests of consumers and ensure freedom of trade in the markets
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of India.
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Ayodhya Deepostav 2018, an event organised to mark Diwali celebrations in Ayodhya town entered
Guinness Book of World Records on 7th November 2018, when over three lakh clay lamps were illuminated
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at Ram Ki Paidi on Chhoti Diwali as part of Deepotsava.
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Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and South Korean First Lady Kim Jung-sook who is the
chief guest on the occasion participated.
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On this occasion, the UP Chief Minister announced that Faizabad District will be renamed as
‘Sri Ayodhya’ district.
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13th Annual Bilateral Summit of India-Japan attended by Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India
and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe on 29th October 2018 at Tokyo. Modi described India and Japan as
a “winning combination” and said Japan is most trusted partner in its economic and technological
modernisation at the end of the summit.
Some of the important MOU signed by both nations are:
H India and Japan sign $75 billion currency swap agreement.
H Establishing the “Platform for Japan-India Business Cooperation in Asia-Africa Region” for exchanges
between Japanese and Indian businesses and development of smart islands in India.
H
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Launching of a comprehensive India-Japan Digital Partnership to develop “Japan-India Start-Up Hub”
in Bengaluru
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H
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Linking of Japan’s Asia Health and Well-being Initiative (AHWIN) with India’s healthcare initiatives
such as Ayushman Bharat.
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H
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Japan announced joining the International Solar Alliance (ISA). It will be the 71st country to sign and
48th country to ratify the ISA FA (ISA Framework Agreement).
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On October 29th, 2018, PM Modi addressed “Make in India: India-Japan Partnership in Africa &
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Digital Partnership” in Tokyo also.
up MODEL QUESTIONS
1.
1) Ram Naik
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Present Governor of Uttar Pradesh is………..
2) E.S.L.Narasimhan
en
3) P.Sadasivam 4) Lalji Tandon
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5) Satya Pal Malik
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2. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was established in……?
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1) 1945 2) 1964 3) 1919 4) 1957
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5) 1981
3.
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Where is the head quarters of IAEA?
1) New York
5) London
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2) Rome 3) Vienna 4) Geneva
4.
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1) Yukiya Amano of Japan h
Present Director-General of IAEA?
2) Francis Gurry of Australia
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3) Roberto Azevedo of Brazil 4) Salil Shetty of India
5.
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5) Le Loung Minh of Vitenam
13th Annual Bilateral Summit of India-Japan held in…….?
1) Japan
du 2) India 3) Switzerland 4) France

5) USA
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6. The currency of Japan is……….
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1) Dollar 2) Rupee
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3) Renminbi Yuan 4) Euro
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5) Yen
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7. Who is the present Ambassador of India in Japan?
1) Navtej Sarna 2) Ruchi Ghanashyam
3) Sujan R Chinoy 4) Ajay Bisaria
5) Vijay Keshav Gokhale
8. SIMBEX is the joint navel exercise of India and Singapore. Who is the present Navy Chief of India?
1) General Bipin Rawat 2) Marshal Bipin Rawat
3) Ajith Doval 4) Admiral Sunil Lanba
5) Vice Admiral Ashok Kumar
9.
e t
World Internet Conference also called as….
1) Bejing summit
3) Wuzhen summit
a. n 2) Xi summit
4) Yellow River summit
10.
5) Screen Summit
i bh
Competition Commission of India was established on…………….
1) 4th October 2004
a t 2) 4th October 2012
p r
3) 4th October 2003
5) 4th October 2007
4) 4th October 2000
11.
d u
National conference on Public Procurement and Competition Law on 5th November 2018 held in ….
1) Mumbai
n a 2) Pune 3) Bhubaneswar 4) New Delhi
12.
5) Nagpur
.e e
Ekana International Cricket Stadium in Lucknow to be renamed after …as per the statement of UP chief
minister
ww
1) Sardar Vallabhai Patel
3) Lord Rama
2) Mahathma Gandhi
4) Lord Hanuman
w
5) Atal Bihari Vajpayee
et
a .n KEY
1-1; 2-4; 3-3; 4-1; 5-1; 6-5; 7-3; 8-4; 9-3; 10-3; 11-4; 12-5.
ib h Writer: Veeraswamy Amara
at
pr
du
na
. ee
w w
w
GENERAL AWARENESS
'Fit India' Movement
e t
On 29 August 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched nationwide 'Fit India' Movement on the
occasion of National Sports Day in New Delhi. He said that fitness is not just a word but a necessary
. n
condition of healthy and prosperous life.
a
The Fit India movement is aimed at encouraging people to inculcate physical activity and sports in their
day to day life.
i bh
Remembering Hockey Wizard Major Dhyanchand birth anniversary is celebrated as National Sports
t
Day, Mr. Modi said on this day we should congratulate India's young players, who are constantly giving new
a
r
glory to the tricolor at the world stage.
up National Sports Awards
d
On the occasion of National Sports Day, president Ram Nath Kovind gave away the National Sports
n a
and National Adventure Awards at a special function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
Asian and Commonwealth Games champion wrestler Bajrang Punia and Paralympics silver medalist
e e
Deepa Malik were awarded the country's highest sporting honour, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, though Punia
.
had to skip the awards ceremony as he is training in Russia for the upcoming World championships.
ww
Arjuna Award conferred on 19 Players including shuttler B. Sai Praneeth and cricketers Ravindra
Jadeja and Poonam Yadav and shooter Anjum Moudgil.
w
While the Khel Ratna award carries a prize purse of Rs.7.5 lakh, the Arjuna awardees are given Rs.5
lakh each along with citations.
et
n
Dronacharya Award given to coaches conferred on former badminton star Vimal Kumar, Sandeep
.
Gupta (table tennis), Mohinder Singh Dhillon (athletics). Also Sanjay Bhardwaj (cricket), Rambir Singh
a
Khokar (kabaddi) and Mezban Patel (hockey) were awarded with the Dronacharya Award (lifetime category).
b h
List of the winners of Sports Awards:
i
t
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award: Bajrang Punia, Deepa Malik
r a
Dronacharya Award: Vimal Kumar (badminton), Sandeep Gupta (table tennis), Mohinder Singh Dhillon
p
(athletics)
du
Dronacharya Award (Life-time category): Merzban Patel (hockey), Rambir Singh Khokhar (kabaddi),
Sanjay Bhardwaj (cricket)
na
Arjuna Award: Tajinderpal Singh Toor (Athletics), Mohammad Anas Yahiya (Athletics), S. Bhaskaran
e
(Body buidling), Sonia Lather (Boxing), Ravindra Jadeja (cricket), Chinglensana Singh Kangujam (Hockey),
. e
Ajay Thakur (Kabaddi), Gaurav Singh Gill (Motor sports), Pramod Bhagat (para badminton), Anjum Moudgil
(shooting), Harmeet Rajul Desai (table tennis), Pooja Dhanda (wrestling), Fouaad Mirza (equestrian),
w w
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (football), Poonam Yadav (cricket), Swapna Barman (Athletics), Sundar Singh Gurjar
(Para sports, athletics), Bhamidpati Sai Praneeth (badminton), Simran Shergill (polo)
w
Dhyanchand Award: Manuel Fredricks (Hockey), Arup Basak (Table tennis), Manoj Kumar (Wrestling),
Nitten Kirtane (Tennis), C. Lalremsanga (Archery)
Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Awards: Aparna Kumar (Land Adventure), Late Shri Dipankar
Ghosh (Land Adventure), Manikandan K (Land Adventure), Prabhat Raju Koli (Water Adventure),
RameshwerJangra (Air Adventure).
R-3-9-19
G 7 summit
45th G 7 summit was held on 24–26 August 2019, at Biarritz in France.
Although India is not a member of the G 7 group, Prime Minister Narendra Modi accepted an
invitation from French President Emmanuel Macron to attend the outreach session of the G 7
e t
PM Modi highlighted India's efforts towards eliminating single-use plastic, conserving water,
n
harnessing solar energy and protecting flora and fauna for a sustainable future in the summit.
a.
Modi categorically rejected any scope for third party mediation between India and Pakistan on
Kashmir, saying the two countries can discuss and resolve all issues bilaterally.
bh
The top leaders of the G 7 nations discussed and made remarks on overhaul the WTO, international
i
taxation, Brexit, truce in Libya, U.S. - China trade negotiations, nuclear weapons of Iran etc.
a t Composite Water Management Index
p r
Gujarat retained its first position in the Composite Water Management Index(CWMI).
u
This is the 3rd consecutive year that the state has retained its position in water management sector.
d
a
NITI Aayog conceptualized this Index as a tool to instill the sense of cooperative and competitive
n
federalism among the states.
.e e
It is an attempt to create a pan-India set of metrics that measure different dimensions of water
management and use across the lifecycle of water.
w
Mann ki Baat
w w
The prime minister of India said “when the country observes the 150 birth anniversary of the Father of
the Nation, we will launch a new mass movement against use of plastic”
et
In his monthly radio address ‘Mann ki Baat’, and requested NGOs and the corporate sector to come up
with ways for safe disposal of accumulated plastic waste before Diwali.
.n
He emphasised on creating awareness to fight malnutrition among children, particularly the girl child.
a
h
Modi expressed delight that India was able to achieve the target of doubling tiger population well ahead
b
of 2022.
t i
He also urged people to participate in the annual ‘Swachhta Hi Seva’ or ‘the quest for cleanliness is
a
service’ campaign, which will begin on September 11 this year.
accumulated plastic.
pr
He appealed the corporate sector to come out with ways and means for appropriate disposal of all
du Relaxing FDI rules
a
Union Cabinet relaxed Foreign Direct Investment rule for foreign single-brand retailers and also said
n
e
that 100 % FDI under automatic route in coal mining and associated infrastructure was approved. Union
e
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said that 26 % FDI allowed under government route for
w.
uploading and streaming of News and Current Affairs through Digital Media.Cabinet also allowed
single-brand retailers to start on-line sales, waiving the previous condition of setting up a mandatory
brick-and-mortar store.
ww Merger of PSB
On 30 August 2019, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the merger of ten public sector
banks into four banks.
She announced 4 sets of merger including the merger of Punjab National Bank, Oriental Bank of
Commerce and United Bank of India to emerge as second largest PSB with Rs 18 lakh crore business and
second largest branch network in India. The salient feature of merger includes Scale, nationwide & global
presence and high CASA to drive growth.
In the second set, Canara Bank and Syndicate Bank would be merged to emerge as fourth largest PSB
with Rs 15.2 lakh core business and 3rd largest branch network in India. Synergies, culture & common CBS
t
platform to enable quick realization of operational gains & enhanced lending capacity are important feature
e
of this merger.
. n
Union Bank of India would be merged with Andhra Bank and Corporation Bank to emerge as 5th
a
largest PSB with Rs 14.6 lakh crore business and 4th largest branch network in India. Important feature
h
includes strong scale benefits to all 3 with biz becoming 2 to 4-and times that of individual bank.
i b
Indian Bank and Allahabad Bank would be merged to emerge as 7th largest PSB with Rs 8.08 lakh
t
crore business. Important feature of this merger includes strong scale benefits to both with business doubling,
ra
high CASA & lending capacity combined in consolidated bank.
The country will now have 12 public sector banks compared with 27 PSBs in 2017.
up
SBI continues to be the biggest bank of the country while Bank of Baroda continues to be the
third-largest.
ad Panel to examine bank fraud
en
Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) constituted Advisory Board for Banking Frauds (ABBF) to
.e
examine bank fraud of over RS.50 crore and recommend action.
w
The panel in its previous avatar called the Advisory Board on Bank, Commercial and Financial Frauds.
w w
ABBF will headed by former Vigilance Commissioner T M Bhasin and it will function as the first level
of examination of all large fraud cases before recommendations or references are made to the investigative
t
agencies by the respective Public Sector Banks.
e
n
"Order of Zayed"
a .
On 24 August 2019, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed the full spectrum of the strong
ib h
India-UAE partnership with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
On this occasion, Mr Modi was also conferred with the highest civilian award of the United Arab
t
Emirates, the "Order of Zayed".
a
r
Modi also launched Rupay Card in the UAE, to promote cashless transactions abroad. With this, UAE
p
has become the first country in the Middle East to have this facility.
u
"The King Hamad Order of the Renaissance award"
d
na
Narendra Modi visited Bahrain and the visit is significant as it is the first visit of an Indian Prime
Minister to the country.
ee
Mr Modi was honoured with "The King Hamad Order of the Renaissance."
.
On this occasion, he held talks with King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa in Manama on various
w w
bilateral and regional issues, with a focus on business relations and cultural exchange.
Durand Cup
w
On 24 August 2019, Gokulam Kerala FC won the 129th Durand Cup, defeating heavyweights Mohun
Bagan 2-1 at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.
It was a close game throughout which saw both the teams go through testing moments. Gokulam
Kerala became the first club from the state in 22 years to clinch the tournament.
P V Sindhu
P V Sindhu won a Badminton World Championships Gold by beating familiar rival Nozomi Okuhara
of Japan in a lop-sided final at Basel, Switzerland on 25 August 2019. She won 21-7, 21-7 in the summit clash
that lasted just 38 minutes.
e t
Sai Praneeth Sai Praneeth won a bronze in men's singles category. He became only the second Indian
men's singles player, after the legendary Prakash Padukone to win a medal at the BWF World Championships.
a. n MODEL QUESTIONS
1.
bh
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced to celebrate September as a month of……………. in his
Mann Ki Baat programme on 25 August 2019
i
t
1) 'Rashtriya Poshan Maah' 2) 'Rashtriya Jal Maah'
ra
3) 'Rashtriya Bhima Maah' 4) 'Rashtriya Sramik Maah'
2.
up
5) 'Rashtriya Pension Maah'
Campaign ‘walk to work’ is a part of the Fit India Movement launched by….
1) Manipur
ad 2) Assam 3) Meghalaya 4) Nagaland
n
5) Arunachal Pradesh
e
e
3. The list of important UN days given. The correct combination is…?
w .
1) 9 August-International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples
2) 12 August-International Youth Day
w
3) 19 August-World Humanitarian Day
w
5) All of above correct
et
4) 29 August-International Day against Nuclear Tests
4.
.n
Mumbai has been ranked as the 45th safest city on the Safe Cities Index (SCI), revealed by Economist
a
Intelligence Unit. Which city got first rank?
1) Sydney
5) Osaka
ib h2) Melbourne 3) Tokyo 4) Singapore
5.
at
President of Democratic Republic of Congo is…
pr
1) Felix Tshisekedi 2) Omar al-Bashir
u
3) Carrie Lam 4) Jair Bolsonaro
d
5) Michel Aoun
a
n
6. Bus service between Nepal's capital Kathmandu and India's Siliguri in ….started recently
1) Bihar
. ee
3) Haryana
2) West Bengal
4) Himachl Pradesh
7.
w w
5) Jammu and Kashmir
Union Minister of Science and Technology Harsh Vardhan, inaugurated a plant that converts plastic
w
waste into diesel at Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP) in
1) Dehradun, Uttarakhand 2) Guwahati, Assam
3) Digboi, Assam 4) Mumbai, Maharashtra
5) Kochi, Kerala
8. Indian Railways’ Railway Protection Force (RPF) launched which drive against unattended/unclaimed
vehicles in all Railway Premises?
1) ‘Operation Shakti’ 2) ‘Operation Number Plate’
3) ‘Operation thirst’ 4) ‘Operation Milap’
5) ‘Operation Thunder’
e t
n
9. Who heads the “Expert Committee to Review the Extant Economic Capital Framework”, that
.
recommends Reserve Bank of India(RBI) to transfer Rs 1,76,051 crore to the government of India
a
h
1) Nandan Nilekani 2) U K sinha
3) Bimal Jalan
5) Rakesh Mohan
ti b 4) Meena Hemchandra
10.
ra
National Eye Donation Fortnight is observed between…
up
1) August 1 - August 15
4) August 25 - September 8
ad
5) August 20 - September 5
n
11. 4th edition of the Internet of Things (IoT) India Congress 2019 held in …
e
e
1) Hyderabad 2) Panaji 3) Mumbai 4) Bangalore
12.
w .
5) Shillong
Who claimed her maiden senior World Cup gold medal in the women's 10m air rifle competition at
w
Rio de Janeiro recently?
w t
1) Heena Sidhu 2) Apurvi Chandela 3) Elavenil Valarivan 4) Anjum Moudgil
5) Rahi Sarnoba
n e
.
13. 8th meeting of Conference of Parties to Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
a
(CITES) held in......
1) New Delhi, India
3) Geneva, Switzerland
ib h 2) Bangkok, Thailand
4) California, USA
a
5) Sao Paulo, Brazil
t
14.
r
Who will replace Sanjay Bangar as India's new batting coach?
p
1) Sachin Tendulkar 2) Vikram Rathour 3) Yuvraj Singh 4) Virendra Sehwag
du
5) Rahul Dravid
15.
a
On August 14,2019, Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey, Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
n
(MSDE) stated that world-class Indian Institute of Skills (IIS) will be set up in ....?
. ee
1) Nagpur
5) Mumbai
2) Pune 3) Mangalore 4) Cuttack
16.
w
PURNA ( Prevention of under Nutrition and Reduction of Nutritional Anaemia among Adolescent
w
Girls) launched by which state to eradicate malnutrition among children?
w
1) Gujarat
5) Tamil nadu
2) Rajasthan 3) Andhra Pradesh 4) Telangana
KEY: 1-1; 2-3; 3-5; 4-3; 5-1; 6-2; 7-1; 8-2; 9-3; 10-4; 11-4; 12-3; 13-3; 14-2; 15-5; 16-1.
GENERAL AWARENESS
Modi Second term
e t
President Ram Nath Kovind invited Narendra Modi to form a new government at the Centre.
Exercising powers under Article 75(1) of the Constitution, the President appointed Mr.Modi as Prime
. n
Minister and requested him to advice about the names of others to be appointed as members of the Union
Council of Ministers.
a
bh
Amith Sha, the President of BJP stated that 353 Lok Sabha members have extended their support to
Mr.Modi to head the government. Earlier the President Ram Nath Kovind dissolved the 16th Lok Sabha.
i
t
The BJP has won 303 seats surpassing its previous record of 282 in 2014.
ra Naveen Patnaik again
up
One of India’s most successful chief ministers, Naveen Patnaik, led the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) back to
power in Odisha for a fifth consecutive term. In Odisha Assembly, the ruling BJD retained power by winning
one seat each.

ad
112 seats in 146 member assembly. BJP won 23 seats while Congress 9 and CPI (M) and Independent bagged
en Man Booker International Prize
.e
Jokha Alharthi won the prestigious Man Booker International Prize for ‘Celestial Bodies', the story of
three sisters in a desert country confronting its slave-owning past and a complex modern world.
ww
She is the first Arabic-language writer to get the prize and the first female writer from Oman to be
translated into English. She will split the 50,000 pound ($64,000) purse with her U.K. based translator,
w
Marilyn Booth.
et
Dag Hammarskjold Medal
.n
Jitender Kumar is one among the 119 military, police and civilian personnel who will be honoured with
a
a prestigious UN medal this year for courage and sacrifice in the line of duty. He made the supreme sacrifice
ib h
while serving in the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Central African country of
Congo. He will be honoured posthumously with the Dag Hammarskjold Medal on the eve of the International
t
Day of UN Peacekeepers. India is the fourth largest contributor of uniformed personnel to the UN
a
peacekeeping. It currently contributes more than 6,400 military and police personnel to the UN peace
pr
operations in various nations.
ADB for Track Electrification
du
On 23rd May 2019 Asian Development Bank (ADB) said it signed an agreement to provide
na
$750 million loan to Indian Railway Finance Corporation (IRFC). This would be the largest single
non-sovereign loan ever committed by ADB and would fund the Railways Track Electrification Project.
. ee NSG Commandos Summit

The Commandos of the National Security Guard (NSG) scaled the Mount Everest, the world's highest
w w
peak, in their maiden attempt. The NSG seven-member team led by Lt Col J P Kumar, successfully unfurled
the Indian flag at the 8,848 metre tall peak on 17th May 2019. The team adopted the south eastern approach
w
via South Col in Solukhumbhu region of Nepal. The NSG called as the 'black cats', was raised in 1984 as a
federal counter-terror and counter-hijack contingency force.
ICC Song released

The International Cricket Council released the official song of the 2019 ICC World Cup. The official
R-28-5-19
song is titled "Stand By". The song is a collaboration between vocalist Loryn and drum and bass band
Rudimental, and will be played in ground and city events across the tournament as the official song to this
summer's showpiece event.
Not all animals migrate by choice
e t
On the eve of International Day of Biological Diversity celebrates on 22nd May, the UN Environment
India and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) of India launched an awareness campaign ‘Not all animals
. n
migrate by choice’ to be displayed at major airports across the country.
a SCO Mass Media Forum
bh
Second Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Mass Media Forum was held at Bishkek in
i
Kyrgyzstan. The Forum aims to strengthen the exchange and cooperation in the field of mass media amongst
a t
SCO countries. It was inaugurated by President of Kyrgyz Republic, S. Jeenbeko.
p r Power change in AP
d u
In Andhra Pradesh, results have been announced for all the 175 assembly constituencies. YSR congress
Party (YSRCP) secured 151 seats followed by Telugu Desam Party (TDP) with 23 and Janasena one seat.
n a
Jagan Mohan Reddy, the leader of YSRCP met Governor in Hyderabad and handed over the copy of
resolution electing him unanimously the leader of the legislature party.
.e e RISAT-2B
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched its earth observation satellite
ww
RISAT-2B from Sriharikota. PSLV-C46 carrying RISAT-2B blasted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre
on 22nd May 2019. RISAT-2B is a radar imaging earth observation satellite weighing about 615 kg. The
satellite is intended to provide services in the field of Agriculture, Forestry and Disaster Management.
w t
RISAT-2B meant for application in fields such as surveillance, agriculture, forestry and disaster management
e
support. It will replace the RISAT-2, which was launched in 2009.
.n
RISAT-2B is having several new features like expanded Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) making it an
a
advanced earth observation satellite, operating in spotlight mode, mode and mosaic mode.
1.
ib h MODEL QUESTIONS
Present secretary General of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is..?
1) Vladimir Norov
at 2) Patricia Scotland
pr
3) Nicolas Maduro 4) Dr. Yousef bin Ahmad Al- Othaimeen
2.
du
5) Yukiya Amano
International Day for Biological Diversity observed on 22nd May 2019 to increase understanding and
a
awareness of biodiversity issues Theme of this year is...?
n
e
1) Dedicated to forest biodiversity
. e
2) Biodiversity and poverty alleviation - challenges for sustainable development
w
3) Biodiversity: Food, Water and Health for All
w
4) Our Biodiversity, Our Food, Our Health
w
5) Biodiversity: Life Insurance for our Changing World
3. Governor of Arunachal Pradesh is...?
1) Tathagath Roy 2) B.D.Mishra 3) Ganga Prasad 4) Jagdish Mukhi
5) P.B.Acharya
4. Who was re-elected as president of Indonesia?
1) Volodymyr Zelensky 2) Cyril Ramaphosa
3) Joko Widodo 4) Benjamin Netanyahu
5) Kaja Kallas
5. Who won the Madrid Open title?
e t
1) Roger Federer
3) Novak Djokovic
a. n 2) Lorenzo Sonego
4) Yannick Hanfmann
6.
5) Rafael Nadal
i bh
Competition Commission of India (CCI) celebrated its 10th Annual Day on 20th May, 2019. The
t
present chairman of CCI is..?
a
1) R.S.Sharma
p r
3) Ashok Kumar Gupta
2) Shakthikanta Das
4) Subhash chand Kuntia
5) Ajay Tyagi
d u
7.
n a
Foreign Minister's meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) recently held in ...
e
1) Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan 2) Nursultan, Kazakhstan
.e
3) Tashkent, Uzbekistan
5) Beijing, China
4) Dushanbe, Tajikistan
8.
ww
Who has been conferred with Japan's second highest national award for his contributions to strengthen
the strategic ties and enhancing mutual understanding between India and Japan recently?
w
1) Pramod Kumar Mishra
3) Shyam Saran
et 2) G.D. Robert Govender
4) Nileena M.S
5) Rana Dasgupta
a .n
h
9. Cyril Ramaphosa re-elected as the president of..?
1) Uzbekistan
5) Ukraine
t ib 2) Argentina 3) South Africa 4) Australia
10.
r a
Volodymyr Zelenskiy took oath as the president of..?
1) Kazakhstan
5) Zambia
u p 2) Ukraine 3) Brazil 4) Philippines
a d KEY
e n
1-1; 2-4; 3-2; 4-3; 5-3; 6-3; 7-1; 8-3; 9-3; 10-2.
. e Writer: Amara Veeraswamy
w w
w
CURRENT AFFAIRS
New Agricultural Export Policy
Union government approved the ‘Agriculture Export Policy, 2018’ seeks to double farm exports to $60
e t
billion by 2022 from $30 billion last year. The government also invest Rs.1,400 crore to set up specialised
clusters in different states for different produce to push exports.
. n
This new export policy 2018, declared on 6th December 2018, brings efforts to double farmers income
by 2022.
a
bh
Union Commerce and Industry minister Suresh Prabhu said that the policy promote the production of
i
organic, ethnic and indigenous products also.
a t
He also said the government will set up ‘Brand India’ to promote exports and establish as strong
p r
quality regime for exports, and states will be extensively involved.
PRASAD Scheme extended
d u
Union Government included Gangotri and Yamunotri in Uttrarakhand, Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh
n a
and Parasnath in Jharkhand under PRASAD scheme.
PRASAD stands for Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASAD)
e e
to develop pilgrimage and heritage destinations in the country.
.
By this, the number of sites under PRASAD reached to 41 in 25 states. The scheme has an aim for
ww
integrated development of pilgrimage destinations in planned, prioritized and sustainable manner to provide
a complete religious tourism experience.
w
Ballon d'Or to Luka Modric
et
The Ballon d'Or is annual football award presented by France Football to the best football players of
n
the world. Luka Modric of Croatia conferred with Ballon d’Or 2018. He was rewarded for his key role in
.
Croatia’s historic run to FIFA World Cup final and his club Real Madrid’s third straight Champions League
trophy.
a
b h
First time, The Ballon d'Or Féminin, also known as the Women's Ballon d'Or introduced this year. It
i
honours the best female association football player. The award conferred on Ada Hegerberg of Norway.
at GSAT-11 launched successfully
pr
Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) most-advanced communication satellite GSAT-11 was
successfully launched on 5th December 2018.
du
GSAT 11, carried by the launch vehicle Ariane 5 VA-246 lifted off from Kourou Launch Base, French
Guiana.
na
The 5,854 kg GSAT-11 will provide high data rate connectivity to users of Indian mainland and islands
ee
through 32 user beams in Ku-band and 8 hub beams in Ka-band.
.
It will boost the broadband connectivity to rural and inaccessible Gram Panchayats in the country
w w
coming under the Bharat Net Project, which is part of Digital India Programme.
Year of Millets 2023
w
160th session of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Council held in Rome, approved India’s
proposal to observe an International Year of Millets in 2023.
Such declaration will enhance global awareness to bring back these nutritious cereals to the plate, for
food and nutrition security.
R-11-12-18
This international endorsement comes against the backdrop of India celebrating 2018 as the National
Year of Millets for promoting cultivation and consumption of these nutritious cereals.
Navy Day Celebrated

India celebrates Navy Day every year on 4th December.
e t
It was on this day in 1971 that Indian Navy left its shores for the very first time to
n
successfully attack Pakistan. Operation Trident, the codename for the naval attack on Karachi, is considered
a.
one of the most successful operations in the post-World War II era.
This year the Indian Navy personnel display their skills during the Navy Day celebrations at the
i bh
historical Gateway of India in Mumbai and various parts of the Indian sea shores.
t
Ajay Narayan Jha is the new Finance Secretary
ra
Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, appointed A N
Jha as the new Finance Secretary, as per the order released on 3rd December 2018. Ajay Narayan Jha IAS
p
succeeded Hasmukh Adhia. Recently ACC appointed Ajay Bhushan Pandey as the new Revenue Secretary.
u
ad ‘The Republican Ethic’ & ‘Loktantra Ke Swar’
n
Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu released two Volumes - ‘The Republican Ethic’ &
e
‘Loktantra Ke Swar’ at New Delhi with Selected Speeches of President of India, Ram Nath Kovind.
.e
The two books cover the vision and thoughts of President of India covered a wide range of issues of
national and international importance with a special focus on the challenges which India faces in the
ww
contemporary world.
‘The Republican Ethic’ has a collection of 95 select speeches in English out of the total 243 speeches
w
made by the President of India in the first year in the Office.
et
The second book ‘Loktantra Ke Swar’ – is a collection of 109 speeches in Hindi which talks about
n
different layers and levels of multifaceted largest democracy in the world and India.
a . SHINYUU Maitri-18
ib h
First-ever bilateral air exercise “EX SHINYUU Maitri-2018 concluded on 7th December 2018 between
Japanese Air Force and Indian Air Force at Agra. Theme of the exercise is joint Mobility/ Humanitarian
a
with aircrew & observers.
t
Assistance & Disaster Relief (HADR) on Transport aircraft. IAF is participating with An-32 and C-17 aircraft
pr Miss World 2018
du
Miss World 2018 finals took place at Sanya City Arena in China on 8th December 2018 and 118
contestants from all over the world competed for the crown.
na
Miss Mexico Vanessa Ponce De Leon got the title as Miss World 2018. She was crowned by Miss
e
World 2017 Manushi Chhillar of India.
. e
First runner up is Thailand's Nicolene Pichapa Limsnukan and Miss Belarus Maria Vasilevich stood
third in the row. Indian contestant Anukreethy Vas stood in 17th position.
w w MODEL QUESTIONS
1.
w
Union Minister for Trade and Commerce Suresh Prabhu elected to Rajyasabha from…..
1) Andhra Pradesh
3) Goa
2) Maharashtra
4) UP
5) Jharkhand
2. Soil health cards are provided to all farmers so as to enable the farmers to apply appropriate
recommended dosages of nutrients for crop production. Which day celebrated as World Soil Health Day?
1) 1st December 2) 2nd December 3) 4th December 4) 5th December
5) 3rd December
3.
e t
Theme of World Soil day 2018 is….
n
1) "Caring for the Planet starts from the Ground,"
.
2) “Soils and pulses, a symbiosis for life”
a
h
3) 'Soils, a solid ground for life”
i
4) “Management of soil”
t b
5) “Be the Solution to Soil Pollution!”
4.
ra
India’s first Miss World is………..?
u
3) Diana Haydenp
1) Yukta Mookhey 2) Aishwarya Rai
4) Reita Faria
ad
5) Priyanka Chopra
5.
en
Union Minister of State for Tourism is………
e
1) Alphons Kannanthanam 2) Hardeep Singh Puri
w .
3) Raj Kumar Singh
5) Manoj Sinha
4) Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore
6.
w w
Who is the present Director of ISRO?
1) Dr. Jitendra Singh
3) K.Sivan
et 2) Dr.C.N.R.Rao
4) K. VijayRaghavan
7.
5) S.Somnath
a .n
Admiral Sunil Lanba, Chief of the Naval Staff, released which book – The Indian Navy’s History from
i
1) ‘Blue Waters Ahoy!’ h
2001-10? (The book written by Anup Singh)
b 2) ‘India in Blue’
at
3) ‘Saga of Indian Navy Ahoy!’ 4) ‘Blue and Blue Ahoy!’
r
5) ‘India and Blue Ahoy!’
p
u
8. Who is the chairman of CCEA (Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs) and ACC (Appointments
d
Committee of the Cabinet)?
na
1) President 2) Home Minister
e
3) Prime Minister 4) Finance Minister
9.
. e
5) R B I Governor
On 4th December 2018, 13th edition of CII Agro Tech India-2018 inaugurated by President of India
w
at…………
w
1) Delhi 2) Vijayawada 3) Lucknow 4) Mumbai
10. w
5) Chandigarh
Central Soil Salinity Research Institute head office located at Karnal in ……
1) Rajasthan 2) Bihar 3) Haryana 4) MP
5) UP
11. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) headquarters located at……
1) Rome 2) Washington DC 3) Geneva 4) Nairobi
5) New York
12. Who is the present Director General of FAO?
e t
1) Christine Madeleine Odette Lagarde 2) Gilbert Fossoun Houngbo
3) Jose Graziano da Silva
5) Miroslav Lajcak
a. n 4) Fang Liu
13.
i bh
The famous football players and their nation given. The wrong combination is……
1) Cristiano Ronaldo- Portugal 2) Lionel Messi – Argentina
3) Neymar- Brazil
a t 4) Harry Kane – UK
r
p
u
14. FIFA cup 2022 to be hosted by……………..?
1) Qatar
3) England
ad 2) Canada, Mexico and USA
4) Brazil
5) Russia
en
15.
.e
Which nation and India completed tactical exercise called ‘Vajra Kayaa’ which is part of their joint mil-
itary drill ‘Vajra Prahar 2018’ in Jaipur, on 1st December 2018?
ww
1) Indonesia
5) France
2) Russia 3) USA 4) Ujbekistan
16.
w t
Indian Navy to conduct…………… as a part of two month long Exercise TROPEX from January 2019
e
n
1) Exercise sea troop 2) Exercise sea Titanic
3) Exercise sea Glide
a . 4) Exercise sea Vigil

5) Exercise sea Coast
ib h KEY
at
1-1; 2-4; 3-5; 4-4; 5-1; 6-3; 7-1; 8-3; 9-5; 10-3; 11-1; 12-3; 13-5; 14-1; 15-3; 16-4.
pr Writer: Amara Veeraswamy
du
na
. ee
w w
w
CURRENT AFFAIRS
M. Nageshwar Rao is the CBI interim director
director M. Nageshwar Rao as the interim chief of the agency.

e t
The government of India removed CBI director Alok Verma from his post by appointing CBI joint
. n
CBI director Alok Verma was removed by the government following a tussle with special director
Rakesh Asthana.
h a
Supreme Court ordered the Central Vigilance Commission to complete the probe into the allegations
i b
against director Alok Verma and the investigation must be conducted under the supervision of retired Supreme
Court judge A.K. Patnaik within 14 days. Meanwhile, Nageshwar Rao, who is the interim CBI director, has
been restricted from taking any policy decisions.
a t
M. Nageswar Rao hails from Telangana and received many awards and rewards including President's
Police Medal for Meritorious Service.
p r
d u
No sale of Bharat Stage-IV vehicles across the country from 2020
On 24th October 2018, Supreme Court ruled that no Bharat Stage−IV vehicle shall be sold across the
n a
country with effect from 1st April 2020. The Bharat Stage VI (BS−VI) emission norm would come into force
from 1st April 2020 across the country. Bharat stage emission standards are standards instituted by the
.e e
government to regulate output of air pollutants from motor vehicles.
Supreme Court made it clear that only BS−VI compliant vehicle shall be sold in the country from
st
w t
1 April 2020. In 2016, the Central government announced that the country would skip the BS−V norms
w
altogether and adopt BS−VI norms by 2020.
e
w n
Bharat Stage emission standards were set up by the Union Government to regulate the output of air
pollutants from internal combustion engine equipment, including motor vehicles.
.
Swachh Survekshan Grameen Awards 2018
h a
i b
Swachh Survekshan Grameen Awards 2018 were given at the concluding session of Mahatma Gandhi
International Sanitation Convention at Rashtrapati Bhawan Cultural Centre.
a t
Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave awards to top Ranked State, District and State with maximum
citizen participation based on the National Swachh Survekshan Grameen 2018. The awards were
r
commissioned by Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.
p
d u
Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation had commissioned 'Swachh Survekshan Grameen−2018'
(SSG 2018) through an independent survey agency to develop ranking of all districts of India on the basis of
n a
quantitative and qualitative sanitation (Swachhata) parameters.
6786 villages in 685 Districts across India were covered, as part of Swachh Survekshan Grameen.
.e e
Around 1,82,531 citizens were interviewed for their feedback in villages.
The top ranked States and Districts which received awards are as below
★ ww
Overall Ranking
wTop 3 States
1) Haryana
2) Gujarat
3) Maharashtra
R-30-10-18
★ Top 3 Districts
1) Satara, Maharashtra
2) Rewari, Haryana
★
3) Pedapalli, Telangana
e t
States with maximum citizen participation
1) Uttar Pradesh
. n
2) Gujarat
h a
★
3) Maharashtra
Districts with maximum citizens' participation
i b
1) Nashik, Maharashtra
a t
2) Solapur, Maharashtra
3) Chittorgarh, Rajasthan
p r
u
International Day for Disaster Reduction observed
d
n a
International Day for Disaster Reduction 2018 observed globally on 13th October 2018.
UNO General Assembly through a resolution had designated the second Wednesday of October as
e e
International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction in 1989. On 21st December, 2009 the UNO General
Assembly adopted a new resolution on in which it designated 13th October as the date to commemorate the
.
w w
Day and it also changed the day’s name to International Day for Disaster Reduction.
e t
The day observed to raise awareness of how people are taking action to reduce their risk to disasters.
w n
The theme of the 2018 International Day for Disaster Reduction is “Reducing Disaster Economic
Losses”.
.
h a
2018 theme continues as part of the "Sendai Seven" campaign, centered on the seven targets of the
economic losses in relation to global GDP by 2030’.
i b
Sendai Framework. This year focuses on Target C of the Sendai Framework, which is, ‘reducing disaster
a t
In 2016, the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) launched the
Sendai Seven campaign, which was centered on the seven targets of the Sendai Framework.
p r
Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015−2030 is the first major agreement of the
post−2015 development agenda, with seven targets and four priorities for action.
d u
The campaign seeks to create a wave of awareness about actions taken to reduce mortality around the
world.
n a
Seven targets of Sendai Framework are…..
1)
2) e e
Substantially reduce global disaster mortality by 2030
.
Substantially reduce the number of affected people globally by 2030
3)
4)
5) w ww
Reduce direct disaster economic loss in relation to global gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030
Substantially reduce disaster damage to critical infrastructure and disruption of basic services by 2030
Substantially increase the number of countries with disaster risk reduction strategies by 2020
6) Substantially enhance international cooperation to developing countries by 2030
7) Substantially increase the availability of and access to multi−hazard early warning systems by 2030
National Award in the name of Subhash Chandra Bose
The Prime Minister announced an annual award in the name of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose for police
and paramilitary forces for commendable contributions in disaster relief operations.
e
formation of India's first independent government−the Azadi government on 21st October 1943. Modi saidt
The announcement came on the 75th anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose's declaration of the
the award will be announced on 23rd January, the Netaji’s birthday.
. n
21st October observed as the Police Commemoration day and Prime Minister dedicated a Police
h a
memorial and museum at New Delhi. The memorial has been built in recognition of the supreme sacrifice
made by police personnel since independence.
Vijay Hazare Trophy champion is Mumbai

i b
a t
2018−19 Vijay Hazare Trophy won by Mumbai team. The final match was held at M.Chinnaswamy
Stadium, Bengaluru. Karnataka were the defending champion.
p r
In the qualifier 2 match between Haryana and Delhi, Gautam Gambhir of Delhi team scored his 10,000
8 Wickets as per VJD method.

d u
runs in List A Cricket. In the qualifier 3 match between Jharkhand and Maharashtra, the Jharkhand won by
n a
This is Mumbai’s third title and Aditya Tare of Mumbai team declared as the Player of the Match in finals.
MODEL QUESTIONS
1.
e e
To advise and guide Central Government agencies in the field of vigilance, Central Vigilance
.
w w
commission was established. Who is the present Central Vigilance Commissioner?
1) Om Prakash Rawat 2) Ranjan Gagoi
e t
w3) Radha Krishna Mathur 4) Urjith Patel
. n
2.
5) K.V.Chowdary
h a
Central Vigilance Commission declared which week as ‘Vigilance Awareness Week’?
1) 1st November to 6th November
3) 29th October to 3rd November
i b
2) 7th November to 12th November
4) 28th October to 2nd November
5) 1st October to 6th October
a t
3.
r
BS−IV norms have been enforced across the country since April ………?
p
1) 2015
5) 2010
2) 2017
d u 3) 2014 4) 2012
4.
a
Union Government reconstituted the Supreme Court−empowered Environment Pollution (Prevention
n
and Control) Authority under the chairmanship of………?
.e e
1) Bhure Lal
3) Sunita Narain
2) Vandana Shiva
4) Ashish Kothari
5.
w ww
5) V.S. Vijayan
International Conference on Status and Protection of Coral Reefs (STAPCOR – 2018) was held
in……….?
1) Andhra Pradesh 2) Tamil nadu
3) Karnataka 4) Lakshadweep
5) Andaman Nicobar Islands
6. Which day celebrated as the Police Commemoration day?
1) 15th January 2) 4th December 3) 21st October 4) 8th October
5) 1st December
7. Which of the famous slogan given by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose?
e t
1) Jai Jawan Jai Kisan
3) Chalo Delhi
2) Simon Go Back
.
4) Freedom is my birth Rightn
5) Jai Vignan
h a
8.
1) Andhra 2) Hyderabad 3) Delhi b
Mumbai team beaten which team to win Vijay Hazare trophy 2018−19?
i 4) Nagaland
5) Karnataka
a t
9.
1) Ambati Rayudu of Telengana
p r
Which batsman did the highest number of runs in Vijay Hazare trophy recently?
2) Hanuma Vihari of Andhra
3) Abhinav Mukund of Tamilnadu
d u 4) Shreyas Iyer of Mumbai
10.
5) Gautam Gambhir of Delhi
n a
Most number of wickets (24) taken by Shahbaz Nadeem of……….in Vijay Hazare trophy 2018−19?
.e e
1) Tamil nadu
5) Karnataka
2) Andhra 3) Jharkhand 4) Railways
11.
w w
Union Minister for Drinking Water & Sanitation is……….?
e t
w
1) Uma Bharati
3) Maneka Sanjay Gandhi
2) D.V. Sadananda Gowda
4) Ananthkumar
. n
5) Jagat Prakash Nadda
h a
12.
1) Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi
i b
Union Minister of State for Drinking Water & Sanitation is……….?
2) Kiren Rijiju
3) S.S. Ahluwalia
a t
4) Dr. Mahesh Sharma
5) General (Retd.) V.K. Singh
p r
KEY
d u
1−5; 2−3; 3−2; 4−1; 5−4; 6−3; 7−3; 8−3; 9−3; 10−3; 11−1; 12−1.
n a Writer: Veeraswamy Amara
.e e
w ww
GENERAL AWARENESS
Pradhan Mantri Laghu Vyapari Maandhan Yojana
e t
Union Labour ministry notified the Pradhan Mantri Laghu Vyapari Maandhan Yojana (PMLVMY) for
helping lakhs of retailers and small traders.
. n
The scheme assures a monthly pension of Rs.3,000 to small traders, retail traders, shopkeepers and
a
self-employed people after they attain the age of 60.
i bh
Such businesses are generally characterized by family-owned establishments, small scale operations,
labour intensive, inadequate financial aid, seasonal in nature and extensive unpaid family labour.
t
Interested persons can enroll themselves through over 3.25 lakh common service centres spread across
a
r
the country.
up
Government will establish a pension fund to run the scheme. The Life Insurance Corporation of India
has been chosen as pension fund manager responsible for managing the pension fund.
ad Global Innovation Index
en
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal released the Global Innovation Index (GII) rankings on
24 July 2019. In this ranking, India improved its ranking, by five places to 52nd from 57th position last
.e
year.The GII rankings are published annually by Cornell University, INSEAD and the UN World Intellectual
Property Organisation (WIPO) and GII Knowledge Partners.
ww
GII ranks 129 economies based on 80 indicators, ranging from intellectual property filing rates to
mobile-application creation, education spending and scientific and technical publications.
w t
Referring to GII theme of this year which is Creating Healthy Lives - The Future of Medical
e
Innovation, PiyushGoyal said that Government of India is focusing on not just curative but preventive
n
healthcare where wellness becomes a part of society.
a .
Switzerland retained its number-one spot on the index.
ib h BRICS Foreign Ministers Meet

BRICS Foreign Ministers meeting was held at Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. The meet stressed to prevent
t
the financing of terrorist networks and terrorist actions from their territories.The five nations Brazil, Russia,
a
r
India, China and South Africa condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.The member nations
expressed their conviction that a comprehensive approach is necessary to ensure effective results against
terrorism.
u p
a d Kargil Vijay Diwas
n
The 20th Anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas is being celebrated across the country on 26 July 2019.
e
‘Remember, Rejoice and Renew’ is the central theme of this year's celebrations.The day marks the victory of
e
Indian armed forces in Operation Vijay in 1999, when they evicted the infiltrators backed by Pakistani army
w.
from high outposts in Kargil sector. The Kargil war was fought for more than 60 days and ended with India
regaining control of all the previously held territory. The victory of Tiger Hill was one of the crucial
achievements. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, three service chiefs along with three Service Vice- Chiefs
ww
paid homage to the Kargil Soldiers by laying wreath at the National war memorial in New Delhi.
Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson became the new Prime Minister of United Kingdom on 25 July 2019 and promised to
leave the European Union on October 31 "no ifs, no buts" under a "new deal" with the 28-member
economic bloc.
R-1-8-19
He was the former foreign secretary and London Mayor who was formally invited by Queen Elizebeth
II to form a government after accepting Theresa May's resignation.
Boris Johnson appointed three Indian-origin leaders as ministers. They are Priti Patel, Alok Sharma and
Rishi Sunak.
e t
Three years after the referendum vote to leave the EU, Britain remains a member amid continued
wrangling in a divided Parliament on how to proceed.
a. n 40000 MW by 2020
h
The Government of India set a target for the installation of Rooftop Solar projects of 40,000 MW by
b
2022 in the country. The above projects include installation of solar panels on the rooftop of houses also.
i
Union Minister of Power, New and Renewable Energy minister Raj Kumar Singh said in the
t
a
Rajyasabha that more than 1700 Mega Watt of grid-connected rooftop systems has been installed in the
r
country.
rooftop plants.
up
He said on an average, it is estimated that 1.5 million units per MW per year are generated from solar
ad Hima Das 5 Gold Medals
en
Hima Das clinched the gold medal in the 400-meter race with a season-best time of 52.09 seconds at
Nove Mesto in the Czech Republic, which is her fifth Gold Medal in the month of July 2019. Known as
.e
'Dhing Express’, Hima Das already won gold in 200 meters race at the Poznan Athletics Grand Prix and
Kunto Athletics Meet in Poland.She also won her third 200 meters gold at the Kladno Athletics Meet and
ww
fourth gold at the Tabor Athletics Meet in the Czech Republic.
Global Healthcare Summit
w t
13th Global Healthcare Summit organized by the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin
e
(AAPI) and Global Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (GAPIO) at Hyderabad on 21 July 2019.
.n
On this occasion, the vice-president of India Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu urged doctors to adopt their native
a
villages and strengthening Primary Health Centres (PHCs) there.
b h
Expressing his concern over the rising incidence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) which
i
accounted for 61.08 per cent of all deaths in the country in 2016, he asked the medical fraternity to adopt the
at
concept of ‘Medical Social Responsibility’ on the lines of Corporate Social Responsibility and appealed to
doctors to visit schools once every week and counsel the children on the dangers posed by lifestyle diseases
r
and unhealthy dietary habits.
p
u
Dr. Suresh Reddy, President of AAPI, Dr. Pratap C Reddy, Chairman of Apollo Hospitals and other
d
dignitaries were present on the occasion.
na Indonesia Open
e
Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi in the final of Indonesia Open defeated Olympic silver medalist P.V.Sindhu
e
on 21 July 2019.
.
By this, Sindhu missed out on her first title of the year and the first Super 1000 title of her career.
w
Yamaguchi.w
This is the 15th meeting between the two players and Sindhu still holds a 10-5 head-to-head lead over
w Chandrayaan-2 success
On 22 July 2019, Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle GSLV MkIII-M1, successfully launched
the 3840 kg Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft into an earth orbit from Second Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan
Space Centre SHAR (SDSC SHAR), Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh
About 16 minutes 14 seconds after lift-off, the vehicle injected Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft into an
elliptical earth orbit. Immediately after spacecraft separation from the vehicle, the solar array of the
spacecraft automatically got deployed and ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC),
Bengaluru successfully took control of the spacecraft.
Chandrayaan-2 is India's second mission to the moon. It comprises a fully indigenous Orbiter, Lander
e t
(Vikram) and Rover (Pragyan). The Rover Pragyan is housed inside Vikram lander.
n
The objective of Chandrayaan-2 mission is to develop and demonstrate the key technologies for
.
end-to-end lunar mission capability, including soft-landing and roving on the lunar surface. It aims to further
a
expand our knowledge about the Moon through a detailed study of its topography, mineralogy, surface
i bh
chemical composition, thermo-physical characteristics and atmosphere leading to a better understanding of
the origin and evolution of the Moon.
a t INAS 313
p r
Indian Navy commissioned its fifth Dornier Aircraft Squadron - Indian Naval Air Squadron (INAS)
313 in Chennai on 22 July 2019.
d u
The Indian Navy chief Admiral Karambir Singh said “Commissioning of INAS 313 marks another
milestone in our efforts towards enhancing maritime security and safeguarding our nation’s maritime
interests”
n a
e
The strategic position of the squadron will give the nation, dominance over the North Eastern part of
e
the Indian Ocean which also consists of trade routes.
w . LIC to fund Highway Projects

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said that Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) agreed to offer
w
Rs.1.25 trillion line of credit by 2024, to fund highway projects.
w t
For the timely execution of the Rs.8.41 trillion ambitious Bharatmala project that aims to lay a grid of
pension and insurance funds.
n e
highways pan-India, the government has been looking to harness various sources of finances including
a .
The minister said that the Bharatmala programme will be funded through cess, toll revenue, market
borrowings, private sector participation, insurance fund, pension funds, masala bonds and other initiatives and
ib h
the LIC credit line was one such initiative
MODEL QUESTIONS
1.
at
On 27 July 2019, GST Council decided to reduce GST rate on electric vehicles to 5 per cent from the
existing ….
pr
u
1) 28 percent 2) 24 percent 3) 32 percent 4) 40 percent
2.
a d
5) 12 per cent
Asian Development Bank sanctioned Rs.1,925 crore project for up-gradation of power generation and
n
distribution in …?
e
. e
1) Tripura
5) Gujarat
2) Andhra Pradesh 3) Goa 4) West Bengal
3.
w
Aaykar Diwas celebrated on…?
w
1) 24 July 2) 14 July 3) 17 June 4) 4 Sep
4.
w
5) 1 July
B S Yediyurappa sworn in as Chief Minister of …?
1) Maharashtra 2) Karnataka 3) Puducherry 4) Tamil nadu
5) UP
5. In the recent FIFA rankings released recently, India got which rank?
1) 94 2) 112 3) 1 4) 103
5) 51
6. International Cricket Council (ICC) suspended which nation Cricket with immediate effect over
t
violation of its norms which doesn't allow any government intervention?
e
n
1) Pakistan 2) Kenya 3) Namibia 4) Zimbabwe
5) South Africa
a.
7.
1) 18 July
i h
National Broadcasting day observed on…?
b 2) 27 July 3) 31 July 4) 23 July

5) 1 Aug
a t
8.
1) Anton Aditya
p r
Who won People's Choice Prize at Boston International Sand Art championship in the USA?
2) Ramulu Pandey
d u
3) Sudarsan Pattnaik 4) Kailash Chandry
a
5) Raghu Parthy
n
e
9. India and which nation carry out military exercise ‘Hand in Hand’ this year?
1) USA
.e
5) Russia
2) UK 3) Myanmar 4) China
10.
w
Which state got first rank in the implementation of Pradhanamntri Suraksha Beema Yojna as per the
w
recent reports released?
w
1) Goa
5) Tamil nadu
et
2) Odisha 3) Uttar Pradesh 4) Haryana
11.
.n
Which nation won the Africa Cup of Nations for the second time?
a
h
1) South Africa 2) Namibia 3) Algeria 4) Mali
12.
5) Niger
t ib
India to give Ten thousand scholarships to heirs of liberation war fighters in ….?
1) Pakistan
r a 2) Afghanistan 3) Myanmar 4) Bangladesh

5) Nepal
u p
KEY: 1-5; 2-1; 3-1; 4-2; 5-4; 6-4; 7-4; 8-3; 9-4; 10-3; 11-3; 12-4.
a d Writer: Amara Veeraswamy
e n
. e
w w
w
GENERAL AWARENESS
A K Patnaik Panel
Supreme Court on 25th April 2019, constituted a one-man panel of former apex court judge Justice A
e t
K Patnaik to hold an inquiry into the allegations of a larger conspiracy to frame Chief Justice of India Ranjan
Gogoi and fixing of benches in the top court.
a. n IBF - 2019
h
India has been nominated as the “Guest of Honour” country at the 29th edition of the Abu Dhabi
b
International Book Fair (ADIBF) began on 24th April 2019. Books on the life and struggle of Mahatma
i
Gandhi displayed as part of the 150th birth anniversary celebrations.
a t
Indian Ambassador to the UAE is Navdeep Singh Suri.
p r Swacchta Pakhwada Awards-2019
d u
All India Radio, Publication Division and Children's Film Society of India were given Swacchta
Pakhwada Awards-2019 in New Delhi on 23rd April 2019.
n a
Secretary in the Information and Broadcasting Ministry Amit Khare gave away the awards. Director
General of All India Radio F. Sheheryar and Director General (News) Ira Joshi received the Award for All
India Radio.
.e e World Intellectual Property Day
ww
World Intellectual Property Day is being observed on 26th April 2019 across the globe. Intellectual
property refers to creations of the mind, inventions, literary and artistic works, and symbols, names and
w
images used in commercial activities.
et
The day is observed across the world to spread awareness about the role that intellectual property rights
like patents, trademarks, industrial designs and copyright play in encouraging innovation and creativity.
.n
The theme of World Intellectual Property Day 2019 is “Reach for Gold: IP and Sports”
a
h
'Imphal' at Mazagon Dock
ib
The Indian Navy launched guided missile destroyer 'Imphal' at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders in Mumbai
on 20th April 2019, as part of its Project 15B, which is aimed at adding state-of-the-art warships to the naval
t
a
fleet.
pr
The Navy had launched INS Vishakhapatnam, the first Project 15B ship, in April 2015, while the
second ship, INS Mormugao, was launched in September 2016.
du
Imphal is the third ship launched under a project in which ships are built to carry and operate two
a
multiple role helicopters.
e n RBI stake
e
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) exited the National Housing Bank (NHB) and the National Bank for
w.
Agriculture & Rural Development (NABARD), by selling its entire stakes to government for Rs.1,450 crore
and Rs.20 crore, respectively, making them fully government-owned now.
w
Asian Boxing Championships
w
India finished the Asian Championships with 13 medals in total which included two gold, four silver
and seven bronze. Boxers Pooja Rani and Amit Panghal gave India two gold medals.
Pooja Rani defeated reigning World Champion Wang Lina in the final to claim top honours in the
81-kg weight category.
Amit Panghal clinched gold in the 52-kg category after defeating Korea's Kim Inkyu.
R-2-5-19
World Book Capital 'Sharjah'
Sharjah was named this year's World Book Capital by the UNESCO. The annual programme was
kicked on 23rd April 2019, the day observed as World Book Day.
The city of Sharjah was selected because of the very innovative, comprehensive and inclusive nature
very large migrant population.

e t
of the application, with a community-focused activity programme containing creative proposals to engage the
. n
With the slogan "Read - you are in Sharjah", the programme focuses on six themes: inclusivity,
a
reading, heritage, outreach, publishing and children.
i bh GTC index
India moved up one position to rank 80th on the global talent competitive (GTC) index. Switzerland
a t
continues to top the list released at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting here by INSEAD
p r
business school in partnership with Tata Communications and Adecco Group.
The survey measures how countries and cities grow attract and retain talent, ranking 125 countries and
u
114 cities across all groups of income and levels of development.
d
a
Bold Kurukshetra
en
12th edition of four days joint military exercise between India and Singapore, 'Bold Kurukshetra 2019',
concluded on 11th April 2019 after an impressive closing ceremony held at Babina Military Station.
.e
The troops learnt about each other’s organisations and best practices being followed in combat.
1.
ww MODEL QUESTIONS
Which nation released a special commemorative stamp on the theme of Ramayana to mark the 70th
w
1) Malaysia
t
anniversary of the establishment of its diplomatic ties with India?
e
2) Denmark 3) Indonesia 4) Fiji
2.
5) Sweden
a .n
The Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un hold first talks in ….?
1) Hanoi, Vietnam
ib
3) Pyongyang, North Korea
h 2) Seoul, South Korea
4) Tokyo, Japan
at
5) Vladivostok, Russia
3.
r
Asian Snooker Tour title clinched by…….
p
u
1) Pankaj Advani 2) Aditya Mehta 3) Geet Sethi 4) Yasin Merchant
d
5) Manan Chandra
a
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4. Who was honoured with the National Intellectual Property Award for 2019 in the category of Top
e
Individual for Patents and Commercialization?
. e
1) Rujuta Diwekar
5) Ishi Khosla
2) Ryan Fernando 3) Benny Antony 4) Pooja Makhija
5.
w
Who won the Gold Medal in women's 1500m race in the Asian Athletics Championships at the
w
Khalifa Stadium in Doha, Qatar?
w
1) Dipa Karmakar
5) Swapna Barman
2) Dutee Chand 3) P U Chitra 4) Hima Das
KEY: 1-3; 2-5; 3-1; 4-3; 5-3.

GENERAL AWARENESS
Sri Lanka Blasts
t
Nearly 290 people killed and not less than 500 hurt in explosions at churches and hotels in Sri Lanka
ne
on Easter Sunday, 21st April 2019. The blasts were reported, including at three churches in Negombo,
Batticaloa and Colombo's Kochchikade district during Easter services. The Shangri-La, Kingsbury and
.
Cinnamon Grand hotels and one other, all in the capital, were also targeted.
a
i bh Pulitzer Prize
New York Times and The Wall Street Journal were awarded Pulitzer Prizes for their separate
t
investigations of President Donald Trump and his family.
a
p r
The New York Times won the prestigious journalism award for a probe of the Trump family's finances
that debunked his claims of self-made wealth and revealed a business empire riddled with tax dodges. The
d u
Wall Street Journal won for its coverage of Trump's secret hush money payments to two women during his
2016 presidential campaign who claimed to have had affairs with him. The Associated Press won a Pulitzer
a
for international reporting for its coverage of the war in Yemen.
n
e
Reuters was honoured for international reporting for its coverage of atrocities committed against
e
Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.
w .
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel won a Pulitzer for its coverage of failings by school and law
enforcement officials before and after February 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
w w Suspends LoC trade
et
The government suspended the LoC (Line of Control) trade in Jammu and Kashmir from 19th April
2019. The decision was taken as the government has been receiving reports that the LoC trade routes are being
.n
misused by the Pakistan-based elements for funneling illegal weapons, narcotics and fake currency. The LoC
a
trade is meant to facilitate the exchange of goods of common use between local populations across the LoC
h
in Jammu and Kashmir.
t ib Kartarpur corridor
a
India and Pakistan held a meeting to discuss various issues related to the speedy completion of the
pr
proposed Kartarpur corridor from Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district in Punjab in india to
Gurudwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan's Narowal on 16th April 2019. Kartarpur is located in Pakistan's Narowal
du
district across the Ravi, about 4 km from the Dera Baba Nanak.
RCAP
na
4th Resilient Cities Asia-Pacific (RCAP) Congress 2019 organized by the International Council for
. ee
Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) at New Delhi on 15th April 2019.
Inaugurating the Congress the Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu , asked the town planners
w
to make sustainable solutions such as harvesting solar energy, enhancing green cover and water conservation
an essential part of town planning.
ww Boxing World Cup

India finished with 5 medals in the Boxing World Cup concluded at Cologne, Germany on 13th April
2019. Meena Kumari Maisnam won the gold medal in the 54 kg category. Sakshi Malik (57 kg) and Pwilao
Basumatary (64 kg) settled for the silver. Pinki Rani (51 kg) and Parveen (60 kg) won bronze.
R-23-4-19
Currency chests
RBI comes out with guidelines for banks to set up new currency chests, which include minimum area
of 1,500 square feet for strong room.
For those situated in hilly/inaccessible places, the strong room/vault area of at least 600 square feet.
e t
The RBI said that the new chests should have a processing capacity of 6.6 lakh pieces of banknotes per
n
day. It added that for those situated in the hilly/inaccessible places, capacity should be 2.1 lakh pieces of bank
notes per day.
a.
h
World Press Freedom Prize
i b
Journalists Kyaw Soe Oo and Wa Lone (Myanmar) will share this year’s UNESCO/ Guillermo Cano
t
Press Freedom Prize. Both laureates are serving seven-year prison sentences. At the time of their arrest in
ra
Yangon on 12th December 2017, they were working for the Reuters news agency, reporting on alleged human
rights violations in Myanmar’s state of Rakhine.
up Mali PM resigns
ad
Mali's Prime Minister Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga and his cabinet resigned on 18th April 2019,
following a motion of no confidence in the government over its handling of violence in the centre of the
n
country, according to the presidency.
e
e
The government had come under mounting pressure over its handling of violence in the restive Mopti
w .
region and especially a massacre on 23rd March 2019 in which 160 people were killed in the village of
Ogossagou near the border with Burkina Faso.
w w MODEL QUESTIONS
1.
et
India holds 140th Rank in the World Press Freedom Index 2019 as per the annual Reporters Without
Borders analysis. Which country topped in this index?
1) Denmark
5) Netherlands
a .n
2) New Zealand 3) Finland 4) Norway
2.
b h
The first G20 meeting in the Arab world will be held in .......November 2020
i
t
1) Iran 2) Iraq 3) Qatar 4) UAE
5) Saudi Arabia
r a
p
3. Indian women cricketer ........… has been named the goodwill ambassador of Team India at the Street
u
Child Cricket World Cup.
a d
1) Smriti Mandhana
3) Veda Krishnamurthy
2) Harmanpreet Kaur
4) Mithali Raj
e n
5) Arundhati Reddy
4.
. e
World Hemophilia Day observed on..
1) 25th Apirl 2) 1st December 3) 17th April 4) 7th Apirl
w w
5) 24th March
w
5. Kaziranga park located in ….where as the Supreme Court recently banned mining activities along this
park.
1) Assam 2) Manipur 3) Meghalaya 4) Arunachal Pradesh
5) Odisha
6. IN – VPN BILAT EX is the Navy Bilateral Exercise of India and ….......
1) Malaysia 2) Indonesia 3) Mongolia 4) Vietnam
5) Mauritius
7. India has rebuilt Chhyoiphel Kundeling Monastery in ..........
1) Israel
e t
2) Palestine 3) Japan 4) Nepal
5) Egypt
a. n
Answers: 1-4; 2-5; 3-4; 4-3; 5-1; 6-4; 7-4.
i bh Writer: Amara Veeraswamy
a t
p r
d u
n a
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w et
a .n
ib h
at
pr
du
na
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w w
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CURRENT AFFAIRS
G20 Summit 2018
BuenosAires, Argentina.
e t
2018 G20 Summit held between 30th November 2018 and 1st December 2018 in the city of
. n
PM Modi presented a 9-point agenda to G20 Member Nations, calling for strong and active
a
co-operation to deal with fugitive economic offenders. The agenda was presented during the second session
i bh
of the G20 Summit 2018 on International Trade, International Financial and Tax Systems.
India also called for joint efforts by G-20 countries to form a mechanism that denies entry to fugitive
economic offenders.
a t
p r
This is 13th meeting of G20 and the first G20 summit hosted in South America. G-20 was formed with
an aim of studying, reviewing, and promoting high-level discussion of policy issues pertaining to the
d u
promotion of international financial stability.
n a Sunil Arora is the new CEC
. e
On 26th November 2018, Sunil Arora has been appointed as the new Chief Election Commissioner by
e
President RamNath Kovind. He takes charge on 2nd December 2018. He succeeds OP Rawat and Sunil Arora
has been working Election Commissioner since September 2017. Ashok Lavasa is another commissioner
ww
working in Election Commission.
ISRO PSLV-C43 mission success

w et
ISRO successfully launched PSLV-C43 mission that carried 31 satellites including the HysIS satellite
Space Centre in Sriharikota.
a .n
on 29th November 2018. This is the 45th launch flight of PSLV rocket, conducted from the Satish Dhawan
ib h
HysIS satellite is earth observation satellite. The primary mission of the Hyper Spectral Imaging
Satellite (HysIS), whose life is five years, is to study the earth's surface in visible, near infrared and
t
shortwave infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.
a
r
The other satellites from United States of America (23 satellites), Australia, Canada, Columbia, Finland,
p
Malaysia, Netherlands and Spain (one satellite each).
du Kartarpur Corridor foundation
na
On 28th November 2018, Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan laid the foundation stone for corridor
linking Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan’s Kartarpur with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district in
ee
Punjab (India) to facilitate visa-free movement of Indian Sikh pilgrims.
.
Kartarpur the final resting place of Sikh faith’s founder Guru Nanak Dev. The Kartarpur Corridor is
w w
expected to be completed within six months. The development comes ahead of Guru Nanak's 550th birth
anniversary next year.
w
Union ministers Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Hardeep Singh Puri and Punjab cabinet minister Navjot Singh
Sidhu graced the function.
On 26th November 2018, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu laid the foundation stone of the Kartarpur
corridor in the village Mann of Punjab(India) in Dera baba Nanak.
R-4-12-18
Konkan 18
Konkan 18 is a naval exercise between India and United Kingdom started in the off coast of Goa.
The harbor phase held between November 28th to November 30th 2018 followed by the sea phase from
t
2th - 6th December, 2018.
e
For this edition of exercise, Royal Navy represented by HMS Dragon, a Type 45 Class Destroyer
n
.
equipped with integral Wildcat helicopter and Indian Navy represented by INS Kolkata, the first ship of
h a
latest Kolkata class destroyers, equipped with integral Seaking and submarine and maritime patrol aircraft
Dornier. The thrust of exercise this year is on Anti-Air warfare, Anti-Submarine Warfare, Anti-Surface
i b
Warfare, Visit Board Search and Seizure (VBSS) and seamanship evolutions. Besides exercises at sea, it will
t
also encompass professional interactions and sports fixtures.
ra PAISA Portal launched
up
The centralised electronic platform for processing interest subvention on bank loans to beneficiaries
d
under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM) named
n a
“PAISA – Portal for Affordable Credit and Interest Subvention Access”, was launched on 26th November
2018. Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs launched during National Workshop on Municipal
.e e
Finance and Urban Planning held in New Delhi.
PAISA is another effort to connect directly with the beneficiaries, ensuring that there is greater
ww
transparency and efficiency in delivery of services.
Constitution Day celebrated
w t
Constitution Day celebrated every year on 26th November. On this day in 1949 the constitution of India
e
was adopted by the Constituent ssembly and constitution came into force on 26th of January in 1950.
.n
President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the Constitution Day Celebration in New Delhi.
a World Hockey Cup 2018
ib h
14th edition of the Hockey World Cup field hockey tournament commenced on 28th November 2018.
at
Sixteen teams participating in tournament. Hockey World Cup opening ceremony conveyed a powerful
message of "oneness of humanity". The ceremony showcased first-of-its-kind theatrical production - The
pr
Earth Song. The event concluded with the official song of the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2018
u
-‘Jai Hind , Jai India’ which is sung and composed by Rahman and written by veteran writer Gulzar.
a d
Turtle ‘Olly’ is the official mascot. It represents the endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles that travel
thousands of miles in the ocean and arrive in millions every year on Odisha’s beaches for their annual
nesting.
e n
e
The tournament hosting by Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
.
w w Blue Economy Conference
First Sustainable Blue Economy Conference concluded on 28th November 2018 at Kenyatta
w
International Convention Center, in Nairobi, Kenya. It aims to work through the framework of the Indian
Ocean Rim Association (IORA).
The main objective is to advance the global conversation on the sustainable development of the Blue
Economy.
Theme of this conference was ‘The Blue Economy and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.’
It was primarily hosted by the Government of Kenya with Canada and Japan as co-hosts and supported by
UNDP through a multi donor basket fund.
Ram statue in Ayodhya
e t
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath unveiled the finalised details for the construction of a 221
a. n
meters long statue of Lord Ram in Ayodhya. The height of the Ram statue would be 151 meters, its
overhead umbrella would be 20 meters while the pedestal would be 50 meters. The combined height of the
h
structure would thus be 221 meters, making it the world’s tallest statue.
i b
The statue will be made of bronze and will house a “modern museum” which will have history of
t
Ayodhya and the entire “Ikshvaku Vansh” right from King Manu to the present status of
“Ram Janmabhoomi”.
ra
up India - China Border Talks
d
21st round of India - China Special Representatives border talks concluded at Dujiangyan near
a
southwest China’s Chengdu city. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval from the Indian side participated.
n
e
The meet reviewed the progress made in bilateral ties in the Wuhan Summit between Prime Minister
e
Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping that held in April 2018. They discussed about the work of
w .
India-China Closer Developmental Partnership.
Both leaders told that working on a mutually acceptable solution to the India-China boundary question
w
at an early date is good for both sides.
w et MODEL QUESTIONS
1.
.n
2019 G20 summit to be hosted by…………?
1) Banglore, India
a 2) Osaka, Japan
3) Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
ib h 4) Milan, Italy
t
5) Hamburg, Germany
2.
r a
Membership of the G20 consists of 19 individual countries and …………?
1) ASEAN
u p 2) SAARC
d
3) European Union 4) UNO
5) NATO
na
e
3. VVPAT stands for..........?
. e
1) Voting Verifiable Paper Audit Transaction 2) Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail
w w
3) Voter Ventilate Paper Audit Trail
5) Voter Verifiable Paper Aim Trail
4) Voter Verifiable Purpose Audit Trail
4.
w
Guru Granth Sahib is the holy book of..........?
1) Muslims 2) Sikhs 3) Hindus 4) Jews
5) Christians
5. Who is the president of Pakistan?
1) Ashraf Ghani 2) Hassan Rouhani
3) Arif-Alvi 4) Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjan
t
5) Mohammad Khatami
6.
e
Commericial Arm of ISRO is...........?
n
1) NAVIC
a.2) Mangalyan 3) Antrix 4) Indra
h
5) Chandrayan
7.
i b
PSLV stands for..........?
t
a
1) Polar satellite launch vehicle 2) Polar satellite land vehicle
p r
3) Perfect satellite launch vehicle 4) Polar strait launch vehicle
u
5) Polar satellite lunar vehicle
8.
d
Which bank is the nodal bank PAISA scheme, launched by government of India?
a
n
1) Andhra Bank 2) SBI 3) Allahabad Bank 4) ICICI bank
9.
.e e
5) HDFC bank
Who is the chairman of Constituent Assembly?
ww
1) Mahathma Gandhi
3) Babu Rajendra Prasad
2) Sardar Vallabhai Patel
4) Sacchidananda Sinha
w
5) Jawahar Lal Nehru
et
a .n KEY
1-2; 2-3; 3-2; 4-2; 5-3; 6-3; 7-1; 8-3; 9-3; 10-3; 11-3.
at
pr
du
na
. ee
w w
w
GENERAL AWARENESS
PM visit of Bhutan
e t
Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a state visit to Bhutan on August 17-18, 2019. He was received
by the PM of Bhutan Dr. Lotay Tshering. Modi inaugurated the Mangdechhu hydroelectric power plant, one
n
of the major projects under Bhutan’s initiative to generate 10,000 MW (MegaWatt) hydropower by 2020 with
.
the Indian government’s support. The prime ministers of India & Bhutan jointly launched stamps to
a
commemorate 5 decades of India-Bhutan Hydropower cooperation. Ground Earth Station and SATCOM
i bh
network developed with assistance from Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) for utilization of South
Asia Satellite in Bhutan also inaugurated. On this occasion, PM Modi also launched RuPay Card.
a t Venkaiah three nations visit
p r
Vice President of India M. Venkaiah Naidu completed his visit to three Baltic nations Lithuania,
Latvia and Estonia from 17-21 August 2019. He addressed the India Lithuania Business Forum 2019 in
d u
Vilnius, Lithuania. In the presence of Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, the two nations made
agreements on agriculture and allied sectors and cultural exchange program from 2019-21. Vice President
n a
addressed the India-Latvia Business Forum 2019 in Riga, Latvia. He held bilateral talks with the prime
minister of Latvia, Mr. Krisjanis Karins to boost trade and investment cooperation. He addressed the
e e
India-Estonia Business Forum 2019 in Tallinn, Estonia and held bilateral talks with the President Kersti
Kaljulaid.
.
ww RTGS -Increase in operating hours
RBI issued notification stating that transfer of funds through the high-value Real Time Gross
w
Settlement (RTGS) system will be available from 7 am instead of 8 am from 26 August 2019. The customer
t
transactions (initial cut-off) will be up to 6 pm.
e
a .nWorld Education Summit-2019
14th World Education Summit-2019 was held on August 9-10 at New Delhi. In this summit, Rajasthan
ib h
bagged the “best innovation and initiative leadership award” for its achievements in higher education. The
state received the award for promoting higher education with the emphasis on inculcating ethical values
t
among the students, improving their personality through extra-curricular activities and developing their skills
a
to face competitive exams. Representatives of eight countries and 17 States of India attended the two-day
r
summit.
u p Aadi Mahotsav
a d
Aadi Mahotsav (National Tribal Festival), a joint initiative of Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government
of India & Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) started on 17th
e n
August, 2019 at Polo Ground, Leh-Ladakh. The theme of the festival is “A celebration of the spirit of Tribal
Craft, Culture and Commerce”. The event see around 160 Tribal artisans from more than 20 states across the
e
country, actively participating and showcasing their masterpieces.
.
w
Committee on CSR
ww
On 13 August 2019, the Corporate Affairs Secretary Injeti Srinivas presented the report to Finance
Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The report suggested doing away
with the provision for imprisonment in case of violation of the spending and disclosures. Instead of
imprisonment, the penalty be enhanced to two-three times the default amount, with a cap of Rs.1 crore. It also
recommended making CSR expenditure tax deductible, allowing the carry-forward of unspent balance for a
period of 3-5 years. The committee also recommended that companies having CSR-prescribed amount below
Rs.50 lakh may be exempted from constituting a CSR Committee.
R-27-8-19
Op-Blue Freedom
Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju and former India football captain Baichung Bhutia flagged off the
Delhi leg of Op-Blue Freedom on 21 August 2019. It is an initiative in which a group of armed forces
veterans train sports enthusiasts in survival training and self-defence. Op-Blue Freedom is a nation-wide
t
adaptive scuba diving programme for people with disabilities as well as the able bodied.
ne
Teacher education conference
a.
On 17 August 2019, Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal inaugurated an
international conference on teacher education at New Delhi. Forty renowned experts from India and abroad
i bh
deliberated their ideas in the key areas like the present scenario of teacher education in the Indian context;
innovations in teaching practices; integration of information and communications technology in teaching
a t Tax holiday
p r
Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) clarified that those small start-ups with turnovers of up to Rs.25
crore will continue to get the promised tax holiday as per the Income Tax Act, 1961. As per 80-IAC of Income
d u
Tax Act for claiming this deduction. It should be noted that the Income Tax Act provides deduction for 100
% of income of an eligible start-up for 3 years out of 7 years from the year of its incorporation.
n a Rs.70,000 crores to PSB
e e
On 22 August 2019, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman made many announcements to boost Indian
.
Economy in a 32-slide presentation. She announced upfront capital infusion of Rs 70,000 crore into public
w
sector banks. The move is expected to generate an additional lending and liquidity in the financial system to
the tune of Rs 5 lakh crore.
w w Rooftop Solar Index
et
On 21 August 2019, the Power Minister R K Singh launched the State Rooftop Solar Attractiveness
n
Index -SARAL in New Delhi. It encourages each state to assess the initiatives taken so far and to improve its
a .
solar rooftop ecosystem. SARAL currently captures five key aspects. They are robustness of policy
framework, implementation environment, investment climate, consumer experience and business ecosystem.
b h
Karnataka got first rank in the Index followed by Telangana and Gujarat that evaluates states based on their
attractiveness for rooftop development.
i
at NISHTHA
pr
On 21 August 2019, the Human Resources Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal launched the
Integrated Teachers Training Programme, NISHTHA (National Initiative for School Head’s and Teachers’
du
Holistic Advancement) at New Delhi. NISHTHA build the capacities of around 42 lakh participants covering
all teachers and Heads of the school at the elementary level in all government school, faculty members of state
Territories.
na
councils of Educational Research and Training and other educational departments of all States and Union
1.
. ee MODEL QUESTIONS
Edgar Chagwa Lungu recently visited India. He is President of….?
w w
1) Latvia
5) Zambia
2) Lithuania 3) Estonia 4) France
2.
w
New Cabinet Secretary is ….?
1) P K sinha 2) Ajay Kumar 3) Rajiv Kumar 4) Rajiv Gauba
5) Injeti Srinivas
3. Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Award by Tamil Nadu government conferred on….
1) Ravish Kumar 2) Bhupen Hazarika 3) Annie Zaid 4) K.Sivan
5) Jokha Alharthi
4. Who was the finance minister of India at the time of launching of GST (Goods and Services Tax ) on
1 July 2017, died recently?
e t
n
1) N D Tiwari 2) I K Gujral 3) Arun Jaitley 4) Madhu Dandavate
5) V.P.singh
a.
5.
i bh
The list of Union cabinet ministers given. The correct combination is…?
1) Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries- Giriraj Singh
t
2) Skill Development and Entrepreneurship- Mahendra Nath Pandey
a
p r
3) Minority Affairs- Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi
4) Parliamentary Affairs, Coal and Mines- Pralhad Joshi
d u
6.
a
Which of the following National Park is not located in Gujarat?
n
e
1) Marine National Park, Gulf of Kutch 2) Gir Forest National Park
.e
3) Silent Valley National Park
5) Velavadar Blackbuck National Park
4) Vansda National Park
7.
ww
28th BASIC Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change was held in…?
1) New Delhi, India 2) Sao Paulo, Brazil
w
3) St. Petersburg, Russia
et 4) Shanghai, China
n
5) Johannesburg, South Africa
8.
a .
New Home Secretary of India is…?
1) Amit Khare
3) Ashish Kushwaha
ib h 2) Ajay Kumar Bhalla

4) B. Suman
5) R S Shukla
at
9.
1) UP r
Atal Bihari Vajpayee residential schools for children of labourers to be set up by…
p 2) Bihar 3) Haryana 4) Karnataka

5) Assam
du
10.
a
Union Minister of Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri announced that the Hollongi Airport in…. will be
n
completed by March 31, 2022
. ee
1) Itanagar
5) Agarthala
2) Shillong 3) Imphal 4) Gangtok
w w
1-5; 2-4; 3-4; 4-3; 5-5; 6-3; 7-2; 8-2; 9-1; 10-1.
KEY
w Writer: Amara Veeraswamy
GENERAL AWARENESS
Union Budget
e t
On 5th July 2019, the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the first General Budget of
Narendra Modi Government’s second term. Infrastructure development, the vision for making India a
a. n
five-trillion-dollar economy, Farmer's welfare and water security are some of the key features of the budget.
Finance minister said that the government set the ball rolling for a new India and showed that the
h
principle of Reform, Perform and Transform can succeed. She asserted that connectivity is the life-blood of
b
an economy, and government given a massive push to all forms of physical connectivity through Pradhan
ti
Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, Industrial corridors, Dedicated freight corridors, Bharatmala and Sagarmala
projects, Jal Marg Vikas and UDAN Schemes. Around 2 crore houses proposed to be provided in the next
ra
3 years to the eligible beneficiaries.
up Economic Survey 2018 - 19
d
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tabled the Economic Survey 2018-19 in both Houses of
a
Parliament on 4th July 2019. The survey projects GDP to grow at 7 percent in 2019-20. The Indian
n
economy is expected to grow at 6.8 percent in 2018-19, while maintaining macro-economic stability. The
e
survey has provisionally estimated 2.9 percent growth rate for the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector. The
e
survey said that India needs to shift its gears to accelerate and sustain a real GDP growth rate of 8 percent to
.
achieve a 5 trillion dollar economy by 2025. The expenditure on Social Services by the Centre and States
w
increased from 7.68 lakh crores in 2014-15 to 13.94 lakh crore in 2018-19. The expenditure on education
increased from 2.8 percent to 3 percent and expenditure on health increased from 1.2 percent to 1.5 percent
w
from 2014-15 to 2018-19.
w et Jal Shakti Abhiyan
n
On 1st July, 2017 the Union Government launched Jal Shakti Abhiyan, to create awareness on the
.
benefits of water conservation and declining sources of water in the country.
a
h
Launching the initiative the Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that water
b
conservation is now a national priority and it is time to make water conservation a people's movement. The
t i
Jal Shakti Abhiyan has been launched in two phases. Under Jal Shakti Abhiyan, focus will be on 256 water
stressed districts and 1,592 water stressed blocks.
r a Transformation of Indian Agriculture
u p
Union government constituted a high powered committee of Chief Ministers of several states for the
transformation of Indian Agriculture. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will be the convener of
a d
the committee, while the chief ministers of some other sates included as members. Union Agriculture, Rural
n
Development and Panchayati Raj Minister will also be a member of the committee. Besides, NITI Aayog
e
member Ramesh Chand has been named the Member Secretary. The Committee will discuss measures for
e
transformation of agriculture and raising farmer's income. It will suggest the modalities for adoption and time
w.
bound implementation of agriculture sector reforms.
STRIDE
ww
University Grants Commission (UGC) approved a new scheme - 'Scheme for Trans-disciplinary
Research for India's Developing Economy' (STRIDE). STRIDE will provide support to research projects that
are socially relevant, locally need-based, nationally important and globally significant.
STRIDE supports creation, development, and integration of new ideas, concepts, and practices for the
public good and strengthening civil society.
R-9-7-19
Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said that STRIDE scheme will strengthen research culture
and innovation in colleges and universities and will help students and faculty to contribute towards India's
developing economy with collaborative research.
India for Palestine refugees
e t
India pledged to contribute 5 million US Dollars in 2019 to the UN Palestine refugee agency. It also
voiced concern over the agency's financial situation and called for ensuring sustained financial support for its
. n
work. India's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador K Nagaraj Naidu said the
a
Government has increased its annual financial contribution fourfold to the United Nations Relief and Works
h
Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA ) core budget, from 1.25 million dollars in 2016
b
to 5 million in 2018.
ti Poznan Athletics Grand Prix
ra
Indian sprinter Hima Das won the women's 200 m gold medal in the Poznan Athletics Grand Prix in
p
Poland.
d u
Hima, the world junior champion and national record holder in 400 m clocked 23.65 seconds on her
way to the 200 m gold. Another Indian, V.K. Vismaya finished third with a personal best time of 23.75
a
seconds in the race at Poznan.
n
e
While national record holder shot putter Tajinder Pal Singh Toor bagged a bronze medal, with a best
e
effort of 19.62 metre. Muhammed Anas, the 400 m national record holder, was third in the men's 200-metre
w .
race with a timing of 20.75 seconds. KS Jeevan won the men's 400-metre bronze in 47.25 seconds.
World Skills India
w w
On 2nd July 2019, 'World Skills India-International Cloud Computing Challenge, 2019' summit was
held at New Delhi. In this meeting, the Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Minister Mahendra Nath
et
Pandey said that about 2.5 lakh new jobs will be created in the IT sector in the coming months through the
n
comprehensive skill development programme. He called upon the youth to lead the fourth industrial
a .
revolution through modern knowledge and skill. He said rapid advances made in the digital technology in the
country can take this sector to the tune of 7.2 billion dollars from 2.5 billion in 2018.
ib h MODEL QUESTIONS
t
1. Economic survey down the strategic blueprint for fructifying PM Modi’s vision of India becoming a
a
5 trillion dollar economy by…
1) 2030
pr 2) 2040 3) 2050 4) 2020
u
5) 2025
2.
d
Who is the Chief Economic Advisor prepared the Economic Survey 2018-19?
a
1) Vijaya Raghavan
e n
2) Viral Acharya
. e
3) Krishnamurthy Subramanian
w
4) Sumithra Chowdary
w
5) Amartya sen
w
3. Finance minister said that to encourage housing, additional deduction of….. will be given on interest
paid on loans borrowed upto 31st March 2020 for purchase of house up to Rs. 45 lakh.
1) Rs.1.5 lakh 2) Rs.2.5 lakh 3) Rs.4.5 lakh 4) Rs.5.5 lakh
5) Rs.5.0 lakh
4. Finance Minister also proposed to provide a deduction of up to… for interest paid on loan taken for the
purchase of electric vehicles.
1) Rs.1,50,000 2) Rs. 2,50,000
3) Rs. 3,50,000 4) Rs. 50,000
5) Rs. 5,00,000
e t
n
5. How much fund allocated for 2019-20 for the interest of subvention scheme for MSMEs in the
budget?
a.
h
1) Rs. 50 crore 2) Rs. 150 crore
3) Rs. 350 crore
5) Rs. 450 crore
ti b 4) Rs. 250 crore
ra
KEY: 1-5; 2-3; 3-1; 4-1; 5-3.
up Writer: Amara Veeraswamy
ad
en
.e
ww
w et
a .n
ib h
at
pr
du
na
. ee
w w
w
GENERAL AWARENESS
Surgical Strikes
early hours of 26th February 2019.

e t
The Indian Air Force (IAF) struck against Jaish - e - Mohammed camp in Balakot of Pakistan in the
. n
The Mirage - 2000 fighter jets were used to drop explosives on terrorist training camps.
a
A large number of JeM terrorists, trainers, senior commanders and groups of jihadis who were being
i bh
trained for fidayeen action were eliminated.
This facility at Balakot was headed by Maulana Yousuf Azhar (alias Ustad Ghouri), the brother - in -
t
law of Masood Azhar, and chief of JeM.
a
r
India took this decision to answer the suicide terror attack was conducted by a Pakistan - based
p
terrorist organization Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) lead to the martyrdom of not less than 40 brave CRPF
personnel on 14th February 2019.
d u Trump Kim Talks
n a
U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un failed to reach an agreement at their
e
second summit in Vietnam.
.e
The Hanoi summit breaks down after North Korea demands end to sanctions on their nation, but
Donald Trump did not agree.
ww
According to Mr Trump, Mr Kim made a significant offer - to dismantle all of the Yongbyon complex,
the research and production facility at the heart of North Korea's nuclear programme. But in return Mr Kim
w
wanted all sanctions on North Korea lifted.
et
The US president said in his news conference that Mr Kim had not accepted for entire nuclear
n
destruction. This is the reason for the breakdown of talk between USA and North Korea
a . India in Oscars
on February 24th, 2019.
ib h
91st Academy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) took place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles
at
“Period. End of Sentence” won the Oscar Award in the Best Documentary –Short Subject Category. It
was directed by Rayka Zehtabchi. The documentary was produced by Indian producer Guneet Monga's
r
Sikhya Entertainment about Indian women leading a quiet sexual revolution.
p
u
The documentary follows a group of local women in Uttar Pradesh that makes low - cost, biodegradable
sanitary pads, which they sell at affordable prices.
a d
This not only helps to improve feminine but supports women to shed the taboos in India surrounding
e n
menstruation—all while contributing to the economic future of their community.
‘Green Book’ bagged best picture Award, where as the Best Director Award got by Alfonso Cuaron for
‘Roma’ film.
. e
w
Best Actor Award conferred on Rami Malek for his action in the film ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and Olivia
Colman received the best actress award for her action in the film ‘The Favourite’
ww Rail Drishti Dashboard launched

Union Minister of Railways & Coal, Piyush Goyal launched Rail Drishti dashboard, encompassing all
the digitalisation efforts in Indian Railways and promoting transparency and accountability.
The Rail Drishti Dashboard brings information from various sources on a single platform and gives
access to key statistics and parameters to every citizen of the country.
R-5-3-19
The application is mobile optimized for ease of use of public. The url of the dashboard is
“raildrishti.cris.org.in”.
SCoR Zone
Union Railway minister on 27th February 2019 declared a new zone in Indian Railways.The new zone
e t
named “South Coast Railway (SCoR)”, will comprise of existing Guntakal, Guntur and Vijayawada divisions
having head quarters at Visakhapatnam in AP.
. n
Waltair division shall be split into two parts. One part of Waltair division will be incorporated in the
a
new zone i.e. in South Coast Railway and remaining portion of Waltair division shall be converted into a new
i bh
division with headquarter at Rayagada in odisha under East Coast Railway (ECoR).
Muhammadu Buhari re-elected
a t
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has been re-elected for a second four-year term, after the
p r
election commission on 27th February 2019 declared the results of the poll plagued by claims of rigging.
He defeated former Vice-President and country's opposition leader Atiku Abubakar, with a margin of
d
and deadly violence. u
nearly 4 million votes. Voting for the presidential elections on February 23 was marked by hours-long delays
n a MODEL QUESTIONS
1.
e e
The IAF pilot was captured by Pakistani authorities on the eve of Balakot surgical strikes and later he
.
was handover to India recently. He is?
w
1) Wing Commander Puroshotham Vatsava 2) Wing Commander Rohith Pugale
w
3) Wing Commander Syam Mukarjee 4) Wing Commander Rodrigs Volte
w
5) Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman
2.
et
Samjhauta Express temporarily stopped but later resumed again. The train runs between….?
1) India and Bangladesh
3) India and Afghanistan
a .n 2) Pakistan and Iran

4) India and Pakistan
3.
5) India and Nepal
ib h
Indian Army recently acquired Dhruv for high altitude operations. It is…….
1) Guided Missile
at 2) Big size bomb
5) Laser Gun
pr
3) Military transport aircraft 4) Advanced Light Helicopter
4.
du
Best Foreign Film award in Oscars given to ……..?
na
1) Cold War (Poland) 2) Roma (Mexico)
e
3) Never Look Away (Germany) 4) Shoplifters (Japan)
5.
. e
5) Capernaum (Lebanon)
w
Union government and ……. sign 926 million loan agreement to operationalize two lines of Mumbai
Metro on 26th February 2019.
ww
1) Asian Development Bank
3) AIIB
2) World Bank
4) NDB
5) AFD
Answers: 1-5; 2-4; 3-4; 4-2; 5-1.
GENERAL AWARENESS
Wimbledon win
e t
Novak Djokovic clinched fifth Wimbledon title and 16th major on 14th July 2019, shattering Roger
Federer's bid to become the oldest Grand Slam champion in the longest final ever played at the tournament
. n
Djokovic is the first man in 71 years to win the title from match points down. He is now level with
a
Bjorn Borg as a five-time Wimbledon winner.
i bh
Simona Halep won woman Wimbledon title. The Romanian champion Halep defeated Serena Williams
6-2, 6-2 in just 56 minutes to clinch her first Wimbledon title.
a
a final for the third time.t
Serena Williams was trying to win her record-equalling 24th Grand Slam singles title, but she failed in
p r England scripts history
u
In the grand finale of ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, England cricket team defeated New Zealand
d
a
cricket team in the Super Over thriller to lift their maiden World Cup title at The Lord’s cricket stadium in
London on 14th July 2019.
en
Batting first after winning the toss, New Zealand had posted 241/8 in 50 overs in reply to which,
.e
England ended at the same score leading to the one-over eliminator.
In the Super Over, England batted first and the duo of Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler made 15 runs, and
ww
New Zealand also ended at the same score but for the loss of one wicket, paving the way for an English
victory on boundary count.
w t
Multidimensional Poverty Index
e
UN Development Programme released the 2019 global Multidimensional Poverty Index.
.n
Multi-dimensional poverty defines poor not only on the basis of income, but on other indicators,
a
including poor health, poor quality of work and the threat of violence.
b h
The report says that India lifted 271 million people out of poverty between 2006 and 2016, recording
i
the fastest reductions in the multidimensional poverty index values during the period with strong
t
improvements in areas such as “assets, cooking fuel, sanitation and nutrition.
a
r
The report said that in the 101 countries studied — 31 low income, 68 middle income and 2 high
p
income - 1.3 billion people are “multidimensional poor”, which means that poverty is defined not simply by
u
income, but by a number of indicators, including poor health, poor quality of work and the threat of violence.
a d
In 2005-2006, the population in India living in multidimensional poverty stood at about 640 million
people (55.1 per cent) and this reduced to 369 million people (27.9 per cent) living in poverty in 2015-16.
e n
Incidence of multidimensional poverty halved in India due to faster progress among the poorest in the
e
country, the report said. Among states, Jharkhand had the greatest improvement, with Arunachal Pradesh,
w.
Bihar, Chhattisgarh, and Nagaland only slightly behind.
Agri-Business Incubation Centre
ww
An Agri-Business Incubation Centre has started in Chhattisgarh. The centre is set up by the Union
Agriculture Ministry in the Indira Gandhi Agriculture University of Raipur.
It focuses on innovations, skill building and entrepreneur’s development in agriculture and allied
sectors, will act as catalyst for developing an ecosystem conducive for the growth of agri-enterpreneurship in
the state and foster a start-up culture.
R-15-7-19
The Agri-Business Incubation Centre is set up under the National Agriculture Development Scheme-
RAFTAAR (Remunerative Approaches for Agriculture and Allied sector Rejuvenation)
The objective of the scheme is to make farming a remunerative economic activity by strengthening
farmer’s efforts, risk mitigation and promoting agri-business entrepreneurship.
e t
Under the scheme, guidance, technology and infrastructure will be provided to youth and entrepreneurs
for start-ups in different areas of agriculture.
a. n World Population Day

World Population Day is observed on July 11th every year. It was established by the United Nations
i bh
Development Programme in 1989. World Population Day, which is being celebrated for over three decades,
is meant to raise awareness about solutions related to the issues of growing population.
a t
Each country celebrates World Population Day in a different way. A majority of the United Nations
r
Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) offices celebrate the World Population Day by making posters and
p
conducting essay and sports concerts to create awareness regarding the cause.
every year.
d u
Current estimates indicate that roughly 83 million people are being added to the world’s population
a
Even assuming that fertility levels will continue to decline, the global population is expected to reach
n
e
8.6 billion in 2030, 9.8 billion in 2050 and 11.2 billion in 2100, according to the medium-variant projection.
.e Performance Grading Index 2017-18
w
As per the Performance Grading Index 2017-18, Chandigarh has been ranked best among states and
Union territories in the field of education and is followed by Kerala and Gujarat.
w
Arunachal Pradesh is the least performing state and has been ranked 36 on the index.
w t
Kerala is the state with highest literacy rate followed by Lakshadweep and Mizoram.
e
n
The states were ranked on basis of five parameters including learning outcomes and quality, access,
.
infrastructure and facilities, equity and governance process
a
h
India, Russia space cooperation
ib
India and Russia held high-level talks in New Delhi to elevate bilateral co-operation to the next level
t
in the field of space, including assistance in India's maiden human space flight mission 'Gaganyaan'.
r a
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Dmitry Rogozin, Director General of Russia's space agency
(ROSCOSMOS) led the two sides in the meeting.
u p
The possibilities for the production of space systems in India were an important part of the discussions.
a d
Co-operation in futuristic technologies including new space systems, rocket engines, propellants and
propulsion systems, spacecraft and launch vehicle technology were also discussed.
e n World Bank MD and CFO
. e
Anshula Kant, Managing Director of State Bank of India, has been appointed as Managing Director
w
(MD) and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the World Bank.
w
She will be responsible for financial and risk management of the organisation.
w
Her work will include oversight of financial reporting, risk management, and working closely with the
World Bank CEO on the mobilization of the International Development Association (IDA) and other
financial resources. IDA is the part of the World Bank that helps the world's poorest countries.
President of the World Bank David Malpass said Kant brings more than 35 years of expertise in
finance, banking and innovative use of technology.
Meghalaya water conservation
Meghalaya became the first state in India to ensure the conservation of water and have own water
policy.
The draft policy was approved by the State Cabinet in a meeting chaired by Meghalaya Chief Minister
Conrad K. Sangma.
e t
n
The objective of the policy is to recognize water resources as a common pool resource, to provide safe
state.
a.
and hygienic water for drinking, domestic and sanitation and livelihood development to all residents of the
i bh
It also aims at ensuring protection and conservation of catchment areas of all water sources to prevent
degradation of the quantity and quality of water sources.
a t Pink City gets World Heritage Tag
p r
The Walled City of Jaipur, known for its architectural legacy and vibrant culture on made its entry into
the UNESCO World Heritage Site list.
d u
The announcement was made after the 43rd Session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee at
n a
Baku in Azerbaijan from 30th June to 10th July, examined the nomination of the Walled City of Jaipur for
inclusion in the World Heritage list.
. e
The city was proposed to be nominated for its value of being an exemplary development in town
e
planning and architecture that demonstrates an amalgamation and important exchange of ideas in the late
medieval period.
ww
The historic walled city of Jaipur in Rajasthan, was founded in 1727 AD under the patronage of Sawai
Jai Singh II. It serves as the capital city of the culturally-rich state of Rajasthan.
w et Copa America 2019
n
Brazil defeated Peru 3-1 to win Copa America 2019. The event was held in Brazil.
a .
The Mascot is Zizito a capybara whose name pays homage to Zizinho, the Brazilian footballer who
shares the all-time goal-scoring record in the Copa America (17 goals with Argentine Norberto Doroteo
Mendez)
ib h
Copa America 2019 main slogan is “Vibra el Continente/Vibra o Continente” (Rocking the Continent).
at
Brazil's veteran right back Dani Alves became the player of the tournament.
pr Kyriakos Mitsotakis
du
Centre-right candidate Kyriakos Mitsotakis was sworn-in as the new prime minister of Greece as his
New Democracy party won a landslide victory in the country's parliamentary elections, putting an end to the
a
rule of leftist Syriza government.
n
e
In his victory speech Mitsotakis vowed that Greece will "proudly" enter a post-bailout era of
e
"jobs, security and growth".
w.
The election came as Greece struggles to emerge from a nearly decade-long financial crisis that saw its
economy plunge by a quarter and thousands of mostly young people head abroad seeking better economic
w
opportunities.
1. w
FIFA women's world Cup won by...?
1) USA
Model Questions
2) South Korea 3) Brazil 4) Croatia

5) Argentina
2. Which operation launched by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) to crackdown the selling of
unauthorized Packaged Drinking Water (PDW) in the premises of railway stations?
1) Operation Milap 2) Operation Madad
3) Operation Thirst 4) Operation Sudarshan
5) Operation Vijay
e t
n
3. Which state has been adjudged as one of the country's five best performing states in 'Beti Bachao, Beti
empowerment?
a.
Padhao', a central scheme aimed at addressing declining child sex ratio and issues of women
1) Andhra Pradesh
5) Uttar Pradesh
i bh2) Bihar 3) Uttarakhand 4) Jharkhand
4.
a t
Deposits in Jan Dhan Yozana accounts recently crossed ... ?
p r
1) Rs.2 lakh crore 2) Rs.3 lakh crore
d u
3) Rs.5 lakh crore
5) Rs.2.5 lakh crore
4) Rs.1 lakh crore
5.
n a
Copa America 2020 to be hosted by...?
.e e
1) USA and Brazil
3) Columbia and Argentina
2) UK and Germany
4) Mexico and Russia
6.
ww
5) Chile and Panama
Which state is among the poorest regions in the world improving the fastest poverty reduction from
w
74.9% to 46.5% in the ten years as per the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI)?
1) Uttar Pradesh
et
2) Madhya Pradesh 3) Jharkhand 4) Bihar
7.
5) Himachal Pradesh
a .n
Parliament adopted a statutory resolution for levying 200 per cent duty on all goods originating in or
h
exported from....?
1) Pakistan
5) Japan
t ib 2) Afghanistan 3) USA 4) UK
8.
r a
Dilmun Burial Mounds of which country has been inducted into the list of World Heritage Sites by
p
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)?
1) Italy
5) Japan
du 2) Iraq 3) Iran 4) Bahrain
9.
na
Who was named as the Men’s Footballer of the year 2019 at the All India Football Federation‘s (AIFF)
. e
Awards for the third consecutive year ?
e
1) Sandesh Jhingan 2) Lallianzuala Chhangte
w
3) Sunil Chhetri 4) Jobby Justin
w
5) Kamaljit Singh
10.
w
In which country first model village built with Indian assistance inaugurated recently? The total
assistance declared by India Rs.1,200 million ($17.5 million) to build 100 Model villages.
1) Myanmar 2) Nepal 3) Pakistan 4) Sri Lanka
5) Afghanistan
11. Winter Olympics 2022 to be hosted by ..........?
1) Thailand 2) Norway 3) Beijing 4) Finland
5) Ireland
12. First train to be operated by private players in India is Tejas Express that run between...?
1) Delhi-Lucknow
e t 2) New Delhi-Agra
3) Vijayawada-Varanasi
5) Ahmedabad-Mumbai
a. n 4) Dibrugarh-Kanyakumari
13.
i bh
Who was awarded with the Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his contributions to the
UK-India relationship in 2019 UK-India Awards?
1) Tulip Mazumda
a t 2) David Ross 3) Mark Tully 4) Raman Satru
14.
5) P.Mukopadyaya
p r
India signed a deal with ……………..for acquiring the ‘Strum Ataka’ anti-tank missiles
1) USA
d u 2) Japan 3) UK 4) Russia
5) Australia
n a
e
15. Which nation’s mid-career civil servants will be trained at the National Centre for Good Governance
e
(NCGG) in Mussoorie between 2019-2025?
w .
1) Pakistan
5) Myanmar
2) Sri Lanka 3) Bangladesh 4) Afghanistan
16.
w w
Special Rhino Protection Force deployed in Kaziranga National Park located in the state of…?
1) Manipur
5) Tripura
et
2) Mizoram 3) Meghalaya 4) Assam
17.
a .n
Finance Minister in the budget told that every verified woman in Self Help Group member having a
Jan Dhan Bank Account, get an overdraft of …
1) Rs.5,000
5) Rs.10,000
ib h 2) Rs.50,000 3) Rs.15,000 4) Rs.20,000
at KEY
pr
1-1; 2-3; 3-3; 4-4; 5-3; 6-3; 7-1; 8-4; 9-3; 10-4; 11-3; 12-1; 13-3; 14-4; 15-3; 16-4; 17-1.
du
na
. ee
w w
w
GENERAL AWARENESS
NBSA Chairman
e t
Former Supreme Court judge Justice A.K. Sikri has been appointed as the Chairperson of the News
Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA). He succeeds Justice R.V. Raveendran. Justice Sikri has delivered
. n
several verdicts in the area of human rights on transgenders (given the legal status of third gender) and
euthanasia passive euthanasia for patients in permanent vegetative state.
a
i bh
First woman to cross the Atlantic Ocean
Captain Aarohi Pandit, a 23-year-old pilot from Mumbai became the world's first woman to cross the
t
Atlantic Ocean solo in a Light Sports Aircraft (LSA).
a
p r
She landed her tiny aircraft at Iqaluit Airport in Canada. Pandit and her best friend Keithair Misquitta
left India on the Women Empower (WE) Expedition in the tiny aircraft christened 'Mahi'.
d u First woman ICC Panel referee
n a
India's G.S. Lakshmi has become the first woman to be appointed to ICC's international panel of match
referees and will be eligible to officiate in international games. She is first officiated as a match referee in
matches.
.e e
domestic women’s cricket in 2008-09, has overseen three women’s ODI matches and three women’s T20I
w
'SDG Advocates' of UN
w
Indian actress Dia Mirza is one among the 17 global public figures appointed by UN Secretary-General
Antonio Guterres as the new advocates to drive action and solidify global political will for the ambitious
w
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
et
The new class of 'SDG Advocates' will be committed to raising awareness, inspiring greater ambition
.n
and pushing for faster action on the SDGs.
a MRSAM
b h
Indian Navy achieved a significant milestone in enhancing its Anti Air Warfare Capability with the
i
t
maiden cooperative engagement firing of the Medium Range Surface to Air Missile (MRSAM). The firing
a
was undertaken on the Western Seaboard by Indian Naval Ships Kochi and Chennai.
pr
The firing trial was carried out by the Indian Navy, DRDO and Israel Aerospace Industries. The
MRSAM has been manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited.
du IPL - 2019
na
Mumbai Indians (MI) became IPL champions for the fourth time after defeating Chennai Super Kings
(CSK) by one run in a thrilling final in Hyderabad Rajiv Gandhi Stadium on 12th May 2019.
ee
Orange Cap received by David Warner of Sun Raisers of Hyderabad for the most Runs in the event,
.
where as Purple Cap got by Imran Tahir for the taking of most wickets.
w w The Flight test.. ABHYAS

India successfully conducted the flight test of ABHYAS - High speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT)
w
from a test range in Odisha on 13th May 2019.
The trial, carried out by the DRDO from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur in Balasore. The
configuration of ABHYAS is designed on an in-line small gas turbine engine and it uses indigenously
developed Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) based navigation system.
R-21-5-19
Vision 2019 – 2021
RBI released the “Payment and Settlement Systems in India: Vision 2019 – 2021” on 15th May 2019.
In this vision document, the RBI set a target to increase the number of digital transactions, from 2,069
crore in December 2018 to 8,707 crore in December 2021.
e t GFDRR
. n
India has been unanimously chosen as co-chair of the Consultative Group (CG) of Global Facility for
a
Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) for the fiscal year 2020. The decision was taken during the
Disaster Risk Reduction.
i bh
meeting of GFDRR held in Geneva, Switzerland on the margins of the 6th session of the global platform for
t
GFDRR is a global partnership that helps developing countries better understand and reduce their
ra
vulnerability to natural hazards and climate change.
Scott Morrison wins
up
In Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison's Liberal-National Coalition won the federal elections.
ad MODEL QUESTIONS
1.
en
On which day the International Nurses Day is observed every year to honour the contributions made
e
by nurses in the society?
.
1) May 9th 2) May 1st 3) May 22nd 4) May 5th
2.
ww
5) May 12th
An Indian short film won the third prize in the international section of Nespresso Talents 2019 in
w
1) Seed Mother
et
Cannes Festival on 17th May 2019. It is….?
2) Mother India
3) Swacch Bharath
5) India at Heights
a .n 4) Make in India
3.
b h
SIMBEX-2019 is the annual Maritime Bilateral Exercise between India and which country?
i
t
1) Malaysia 2) USA 3) Russia 4) Singapore
5) France
r a
4.
u p
Bombay Stock Exchnage launched which app to enable more participation and help mutual fund
distributors process transactions faster?
a d
1) BSE StAR Sure 2) BSE StAR MF
n
3) BSE MF Rule 4) BSE Help MF
5.
. e
5) BSE STAR Me
e
Igor Stimac of which nation appointed as the Indian football team coach?
w w
1) Brazil
5) France
2) Argentina 3) Portugal 4) Croatia
6.
w
For strengthening of Agriculture Mechanization Service Centres, the Exim Bank on behalf of the
Government of India extends two Lines Of Credit (LOC) of $ 30 Million and $ 150 Million to….
1) Ghana 2) South Africa 3) Sri Lanka 4) Paraguay
5) Congo
7. United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) conferred Sasakawa Award 2019 for
Disaster Risk Reduction to…?
1) Dr. Pramod Kumar Mishra 2) K.L.Shingvi Rathod
3) S.Shayam Mukarjee 4) P.Rathna Prabodha
5) K.Sivagami Laxmi
e t
n
8. National Dengue Day observed on which day?
1) 15th May
a.
2) 4th May 3) 10th May 4) 16th May
9.
5) 19th May
i bh
First Asian country to legalize same-sex marriage is…?
1) Taiwan
a t 2) Singapore 3) Indonesia 4) Brunei

5) Philippines
p r
KEY: 1-5; 2-1; 3-4; 4-2; 5-4; 6-1; 7-1; 8-4; 9-1.
d u Writer: Amara Veeraswamy
n a
.e e
ww
w et
a .n
ib h
at
pr
du
na
. ee
w w
w
GENERAL AWARENESS
GST Council Meeting
e t
37th GST Council meeting was held at Panaji, Goa on 19th, 20th September 2019. It was held in the
backdrop of economic growth hitting a six-year low of 5% for the first quarter of the current fiscal. The
a . n
council recommended many cuts in taxation and all these rate changes and will be effective from 1st October
2019. Uniform GST rate of 12% to be levied on polypropylene bags and sacks used for packing of goods.
h
Job work services related to diamonds reduced from 5% to 1.5%. For machine job works in engineering
b
industry, GST down from 18% to 12%.
Moti Bagh nominated for Oscar

t i
r a
A documentary film based on life of an Uttarakhand farmer has been nominated for Oscars. The
p
documentary based on the life and struggles of a farmer named Vidyadutt hailing from Pauri district who
works towards sustaining himself in harsh conditions of the Himalayas. The director of Moti Bagh is Nirmal
u
Chander Dandriyal. The documentary inspires youth to stay in their villages and work for their communities.
d
n a Corporate Tax Cut
e
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced cut in corporate tax rate for domestic firms and new
e
domestic manufacturing companies. The corporate tax rate has been brought down to 22% from 30%. She
w .
added the effective corporate tax rate for the companies would be 25.17% inclusive of all surcharges and cess.
For new manufacturing companies the existing tax has been reduced to 15% from rate 25%. The
w
effective tax rate after surcharges and cess will be 17%. She added a point that the revenue foregone on
reduction in corporate tax and other relief measures would amount to Rs.1.45 lakh crore annually.
w et Gujarat Logistics Index
.n
The second edition of the Logistics Ease Across Different States (LEADS) index which is based on
a
indicators such as infrastructure, services, timelines, traceability, competitiveness, security, operating
h
environment and efficiency of regulation released.
ib
Gujarat topped this index of mobility of goods and efficiency of logistics chain among 22 states,
t
closely followed by Punjab and Andhra Pradesh. Himachal Pradesh stood last on the chart. As regards the
a
hilly states, Tripura retained the top spot. Among the union territories, Chandigarh occupied the top
pr
position followed by Delhi and Puducherry.
Belgian International Challenge
du
Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen stunned second seed Victor Svendsen of Denmark in straight games to
a
clinch men's singles title at the Belgian International Challenge on 14 September 2019. Lakshya was at his
n
e
best as he notched up a comfortable 21-14, 21-15 wins over Svendsen in the title clash of 34 minutes.
.e Migrant Stock 2019
ww
International Migrant Stock 2019, a dataset released by the Population Division of the UN Department
of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) provided the latest estimates of the number of international migrants
by age, sex and origin for all countries and areas of the world.
w
The report released on 18 September 2019. It revealed that India is the leading country of origin of
international migrants in 2019 with a 17.5 million strong Diaspora. Indian Diaspora now comprises 6.4% of
the total global migrant population. The report says that India hosted 5.1 million international migrants in
2019, less than the 5.2 million in 2015. Migrants from Mexico constituted the second largest Diaspora with
R-27-9-19
11.8 million people followed by China with 10.7 million people and Russia with 10.5 million people. The
report added that the number of migrants globally reached an estimated 272 million.
Phogat Won Bronze

Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat secured Tokyo Olympics qualification in 53 kg freestyle event by
e t
winning bronze medal at the World Championships held in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. She had beaten Maria
Prevolaraki of Greece in the match. Phogat shown excellent defensive skills when she defeated world No.1
. n
Sarah Ann Hilderbrandt of USA in the same event.
a ISRO and DRDO for Gaganyan
bh
On 16th September 2019, ISRO inked Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the DRDO for
i
development of human centric systems for the Gaganyaan project. ISRO is on course to its target of sending
a t
Indian astronauts to space by 2022 under the ‘Gaganyaan’ project, which entails an investment of Rs.10,000
r
crore. Some of the critical technologies to be provided by the DRDO to ISRO include space food, space crew
p
health monitoring and emergency survival kit, radiation measurement and protection, parachutes for safe
u
recovery of crew module.
ad SITMEX
n
SITMEX is the trilateral Maritime exercise of Singapore, India and Thailand of 2019 concluded in Port
e
Blair, Andaman Nicobar Islands. This exercise aimed at strengthening the maritime inter-relationships amongst
e
three nations and contributes significantly to enhancing the overall maritime security in the region. The
.
exercise also strengthens interoperability and development of a common understanding of procedures, it added.
ww Air to Air Missile Astra

Indian Air Force successfully flight-tested air-to-air missile Astra off the coast of Odisha. The missile
w t
was launched from a Sukhoi Su-30 MKI combat aircraft on 16th August 2019 as a part of User trials.
e
It is beyond visual range missile. It is capable of engaging different targets at different altitudes. It has a
a n
strike range of 70 km. The missile has a 15 kg high-explosive pre-fragmented warhead. The missile was
.
developed by the DRDO, the premier research and development organisation of the armed forces. A live
aerial target was engaged accurately by the Astra while the mission profile was executed in a text book manner.
ib h World Ozone Day
at
International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer or Ozone day observed on 16th September.
The day is meant to raise awareness about the importance of ozone layer and how its depletion is leading to
r
global warming and climate change across the world.
p
u
This year theme is '32 Years and Healing'. The theme for this year celebrates over three decades of
d
remarkable international cooperation to protect the ozone layer and the climate under the Montreal Protocol.
a
The Montreal Protocol has led to the phase-out of 99 percent of ozone-depleting chemicals in refrigerators,
n
air-conditioners and many other products.
1.
. ee MODEL QUESTIONS
Khaltmaagiin Battulga visited India. He is the president of ....
w w
1) Mongolia
5) Myanmar
2) Bangladesh 3) Mauritius 4) Kirgizstan
2.
w
RKS Bhadauria appointed as ....
1) Army Chief 2) Navy Chief
3) Air force Chief 4) National Security Adviser
5) Defence Secretary
3. Aramco oil units attacked by terrorists located in ……
1) Saudi Arabia 2) Iraq 3) Iran 4) Afghanistan
5) Sudan
4. Union Cabinet approved how many days bonus for Railway employees?
1) 78 days
e t
2) 68 days 3) 58 days 4) 48 days
5.
5) 38 days
a. n
List of Wild Life sanctuaries given. The wrong combination is
i bh
1) Kodiakkarai – Tamilnadu
3) Sechun Tuan Nalla – Himachal Pradesh
2) Girnar – Odisha
4) Eturunagaram – Telengana
a t
5) Coringa – Andhra Pradesh
6.
r
Southeast Asia’s largest solar power farm called ‘Dau Tieng Solar Power Complex’ inaugurated in
p
u
1) Brunei 2) Cambodia 3) Philippines 4) Vietnam
5) Laos
ad
n
7. Dr. Kalam Smriti International Excellence Award 2019 conferred on
.e e
1) Donald Trump
5) Maitripal Sirisena
2) Boris Johnson 3) Dr.Afrif Alvi 4) Sheikh Hasina
w
8. Maitree – 2019 is the joint military exercise between India and
w
1) China 2) Russia 3) Thailand 4) USA
9. w
5) France
et
Indian Railways undertaken a drive of …. with main focus on collection of plastic waste.
1) Massive Samman
3) Massive Sosha
a .n 2) Massive Sresta
4) Massive Shramdan
10.
5) Massive Sneha
ib h
Export Credit Insurance Scheme (ECIS) introduced which scheme to enhance loan availability and ease
the lending process?
at
1) ARPIT
5) NIRVIK
pr 2) PMAY 3) STRIDE 4) LEAP
11.
du
Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ launched LEAP 2019. In
a
this context, LEAP stands for…
n
1) Leadership for Academicians Programme
e
e
2) Leverage for Academicians Programme
w.
3) Locating for Academicians Programme
4) Leadership for Administrators Programme
ww
5) Leadership for Astronomers Programme
KEY
1-1; 2-3; 3-1; 4-1; 5-2; 6-4; 7-4; 8-3; 9-4; 10-5; 11-1.
CURRENT AFFAIRS
LEAP and ARPIT
t
Union Ministry of Human Resource Development launched two new initiatives namely, Leadership for
education faculty.
ne
Academicians Programme (LEAP) and Annual Refresher Programme In Teaching (ARPIT) for higher
a.
Leadership for Academicians Programme (LEAP) is 3 weeks flagship leadership development training
h
programme for second level academic functionaries in public funded higher education institutions. The main
b
objective is to prepare second tier academic heads who are potentially likely to assume leadership roles in the
future.
ti
a
Annual Refresher Programme In Teaching (ARPIT) is unique initiative of online professional
r
development of 15 lakh higher education faculty. It is a major and unique initiative of online professional
p
development of 15 lakh higher education faculty using the MOOCs platform SWAYAM (Study Webs of
u
Active –Learning for Young Aspiring Minds). For implementing ARPIT, 75 discipline-specific institutions
d
have been identified and notified as National Resource Centres (NRCs) in the first phase.
n a
These institutions are tasked to prepare online training material with focus on latest developments in
the discipline, pedagogical improvements and methodologies for transacting revised curriculum.
.e e ‘Sangwari’ polling booths in Chhattisgarh
w
The Election Commission of India set up ‘Sangwari’ polling booths in various constituencies of
Chhattisgarh to encourage women voters to exercise their franchise in the Assembly elections.
w
In Chhattisgarhi dialect, ‘Sangwari’ means friend. These women friendly booths will be manned by
w et
all-female staff including presiding officers, supervisors and security personnel. Chhattisgarh has about 1
crore 85 lakh electorates. Out of this, more than 92 lakh are females.
.n
The state go for elections in two phases on 12th and 20th November 2018.
a GSAT-29 launched
ib h
ISRO launched GSAT 29 successfully. ISRO’s heavy-lift rocket GSLV-MkIII-D2 successfully injected
t
GSAT 29 into orbit, which is country’s latest communication satellite.
a
r
The satellite intended to meet the communication needs of people in remote areas in the North East and
p
Jammu and Kashmir.
du
GSAT-29 is a multiband, multi-beam communication satellite, intended to serve as test bed for several
new and critical technologies.
na
GSLV Mk III is a three-stage heavy lift launch vehicle developed by ISRO. GSLV-MkIII rockets would
be used for the ambitious Chandrayaan-2 and the country's manned space missions in future.
. ee World Diabetes Day
14th
w w
World Diabetes Day is the primary global awareness campaign focusing on diabetes and observed on
November each year.
w
It was launched in 1991 in response to the rapid rise of diabetes around the world.
The theme for World Diabetes Day 2018 and 2019 is “The Family and Diabetes”. The two year theme
timeframe has been chosen to raise awareness of the impact that diabetes has on the family and support
network of those affected and promote role of family in management, care, prevention and education of
diabetes.
R-12-11-18
East Asia Summit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the 13th East Asia Summit in Singapore held between
14th - 15th November 2018. The summit discussed global and regional issues, including maritime cooperation.
In the summit, Modi reiterated India's vision of a peaceful, open and inclusive Indo Pacific region,
t
strengthening maritime cooperation and commitment to a balanced partnership.
e
. n
The East Asia Summit was formed to further the objectives of regional peace, security and prosperity.
East Asia summit is the group of 10 ASEAN nations plus 8 nations including India.
a
h
PM Modi interacted with leaders of other countries, including his Japanese counterpart and Vice
b
President of USA before the East Asia Summit Retreat.
ti Leasing out Six airports
ra
On 8th November 2018, Union Cabinet has given in-principle approval for leasing out six airports of
up
AAI – Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram and Mangaluru for operation,
management and development under Public Private Partnership (PPP) through Public Private Partnership
d
Appraisal Committee (PPPAC).
n a
Currently, the airports being managed under the PPP model include Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore,
Hyderabad and Cochin.
e e
The move is expected to enhance the revenue to Airports Authority of India (AAI) and increased
.
economic development in these areas in terms of job creation and related infrastructure.
ww
PPP in infrastructure projects brings efficiency in service delivery, expertise, enterprise and
professionalism apart from harnessing the needed investments in the public sector.
w et
Global IT Challenge
The Global IT Challenge for Youth with Disabilities, 2018 was inaugurated on 9th November 2018 at
New Delhi.
a .n
The objective of the event is to leverage IT skills among youth with disabilities and also to spread
ib h
awareness about the application of Information and Computer Technology (ICT) in enhancing the quality of
life of persons with disabilities especially in Asia-Pacific region.
at
This year around 100 youth with disabilities (visual disability, hearing disability, locomotor disability
and intellectual disability/ developmental disorder) from 18 countries participated.
pr 1 Crore loan in 59 minutes
du
Narendra Modi unveiled a dedicated digital platform to enable loans of upto Rs. 1 crore in just 59
na
minutes to the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector on 5 November 2018.
The main intention behind this announcement is promoting automation, reducing the lengthy loan
. ee
approval process and frequent visits to bank branches.
There is no mandatory requirement for collateral as the online portal is directly connected to
w
the Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE) scheme.
www.psbloansin59minutes.com is initiated for this purpose and the rate of interest (RoI) starts from 8%. After
ww
the approval in principle of the application, the loan amount will be disbursed in 7-8 working days.
Rs.75 commemorative coin

On November 13rd, 2018, the union ministry of Finance decided to release Rs.75 commemorative coin
on the occasion of 75th anniversary of the hoisting of Tricolour for the first time by Netaji Subhash Chandra
Bose at Port Blair, Andaman Nicobar Islands.
Features:
• The coin will bear the portrait of Subhash Chandra Bose saluting the flag on the background of
cellular jail.
• A numeral 75th along with inscription “anniversary” will be depicted below the portrait.
•
t
There will be inscription in both Devanagari script and English saying 'First Flag Hoisting Day'.
e
n
• The 35-gram coin will be composed of 50 percent silver, 40 percent copper and 5 percent each of
nickel and zinc.
a.
Earlier on October 21st, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hoisted the National Flag at Red Fort and
formed by Bose.
i bh
unveiled the plaque to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the formation of Azad Hind Government,
a t Youth Ambassador
p r
UNICEF (United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund) appointed Asian Games
d u
gold-medalist sprinter Hima Das as the country's first ever youth ambassador.
In her role as a Youth Ambassador, she will be working towards raising awareness about the rights and
n a
needs of children. Hima Das is an Indian sprint runner from the state of Assam. She holds the current Indian
national record in 400 metres with timing of 50.79 seconds that she clocked at the 2018 Asian Games in
.e e
Jakarta, Indonesia.
She is the first Indian athlete to win a gold medal in a track event at the IAAF World U20
w
Championships.
w w Model Questions
1.
t
Leadership for Academicians Programme (LEAP) will be implemented through ………
e
n
NIRF (National Institutional Ranking Framework ) top ranked Indian Institutions
1) 10
a .
2) 15 3) 20 4) 100
h
5) 50
2.
ib
In the field of open education, MOOC stands for……….
t
1) Monitor Open Online Course 2) Massive Odd Online Course
r a
3) Massive Open Offline Course 4) Massive Open Online Course
3.
u p
5) Multi Open Online Course
Which sports person nicknamed as ‘Dhing Express’?
a
1) M.S.Dhoni
d 2) Mary com 3) Hima Das 4) Saina Nehwal
n
5) Virat Kohli
e
4.
. e
Who is the chief Election Commissioner of India?
1) Radha Krishna Mathur 2) K.K.Venu Gopal
w w
3) Om Prakash Rawat
5) Rekha Sharma
4) Tushar Mehatha
5.
w
East Asia Summit is a unique Leaders-led forum of how many nations of the Asia-Pacific region formed
to further the objectives of regional peace?
1) 10 2) 12 3) 24 4) 28
5) 18
6. ISRO successfully launches its heaviest satellite GSAT-29 from …………
1) Ahmedabad 2) Chennai 3) Balasore 4) Sriharikota
5) Pune
7. World Diabetes day observed on 14th November, the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, who
co-discovered …. in 1922.
e t
n
1) B Vitamin 2) Amoxicillin 3) Insulin 4) Paracetamol
5) Ibuprofen
a.
8.
1) Rajesh Tripathi
i bh
Who is the present chairman of Airport Authority of India?
2) Vaidyanathan K
a t
3) Guruprasad Mohapatra 4) Raman Pole
9.
5) Bunsy Raman
p r
Union Minister of State for Social Justice & Empowerment Krishan Pal Gurjar elected from….
d u
1) Faridabad, Haryana 2) Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh
n a
3) Raighad, Maharashtra 4) Sundergarh, Odisha
e
5) Purvi Champaran
10.
e
Under 1 Crore loan in 59 minutes scheme, MSMEs will be able to apply for loans from SIDBI and 5
.
PSU Banks. The 5 PSU banks are SBI, Bank of Baroda, Punjab National Bank, Vijaya Bank and ….
ww
1) Indian Bank
3) Andhra Bank
2) Bank of India
4) Allahabad Bank
w
5) Canara Bank
et KEY
a .n
1-2; 2-4; 3-3; 4-3; 5-5; 6-4; 7-3; 8-3; 9-1; 10-1.
at
pr
du
na
. ee
w w
w
GENERAL AWARENESS
Modi Sworn in
e t
Narendra Modi was sworn in as Prime Minister for the second consecutive term on 30th May 2019.
President Ram Nath Kovind administered the oath of Office and Secrecy to him and his team of 57 ministers
. n
at a glittering ceremony on the forecourts of the Rashtrapati Bhawan 24 Cabinet ministers 9 Minister of State
a
with Independent charge and another 24 as Minister of State sworn in. The new Modi Government has the
h
maximum representation of 10 faces from Uttar Pradesh, followed by seven from Maharashtra.
ti b Buhari sworn in second time

On 29th May 2019, Muhammadu Buhari sworn in for a second term as Nigeria's president, following
ra
a campaign that focused on tackling security threats and rooting out corruption. Buhari, a former military
ruler, won 56 percent of the votes.
up PM- KISAN scheme for All
ad
On 31st May 2019, in the first Cabinet meeting, the government decided to extend PM- KISAN scheme
to all 14.5 crore farmers in the country costing Rs.87,000 crore a year.
en PM Kisan Pension Yojana
.e
Union Cabinet on 31st May 2019, declared the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Pension Yojana under which
w
small and marginal farmers will get a minimum fixed pension of Rs.3,000 per month on attaining the age of
60 years.
w
This scheme is a voluntary and contributory pension scheme for a small and marginal farmers across
w t
the country, with the entry age of 18-40 years. The Centre said it will match the contribution made by the
e
eligible farmer in the pension fund.
a .n
Burn Out and Video gaming
World Health Organization for the first time recognised “burn-out” in its International Classification of
ib h
Diseases (ICD) which is widely used as a benchmark for diagnosis and health insurers.
In the latest update of its catalogue of diseases and injuries around the world, WHO defines burn-out
at
as “a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully
managed”. It said the syndrome was characterized by three dimensions. The feelings of energy depletion or
pr
exhaustion, the increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to
one’s job and the reduced professional efficacy.
drugs like cocaine.

du
For the first time, WHO recognised video gaming as an addiction, listing it alongside gambling and
na Pema Khandu Again
ee
BJP leader Pema Khandu was sworn- in as the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh for a second term.
.
Along with Pema Khandu, 11 other ministers of the cabinet were also sworn in. Governor Dr. BD Mishra
w
administered the oath of office and secrecy to the council of ministers. The BJP led by Khandu won 41 seats
in the 60-member Assembly, in the elections held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections.
ww New Sikkim CM
Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) President Prem Singh Golay (Tamang) on 28th May 2019 took oath
as the new Chief Minister of Sikkim.
Governor Ganga Prasad administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mr. Golay and his
council of ministers at Paljor Stadium in Gangtok amid a huge gathering of people.
R-4-6-19
World Competitiveness Ranking
India has moved up one place to rank 43rd most competitive economy in the world on the back of its
robust economic growth, a large labour force and its huge market size.
Singapore topped the index by toppling the USA to grab the top position, a global study showed in the
e t
2019 edition of the IMD World Competitiveness Rankings. India has scored well on several economic
parameters and tax policies but has lagged in terms of public finance, societal framework, education
. n
infrastructure, health and environment in this ranking.
a
This IMD World Competitiveness Rankings, established in 1989, incorporate 235 indicators from each
i bh
of the 63 ranked economies to evaluate their ability to foster an environment where enterprises can achieve
sustainable growth, generate jobs and increase welfare for its citizens.
a tAll-women crew to fly M-17 Chopper
p r
Flight Lieutenant Parul Bhardwaj (Captain), Flying Officer Aman Nidhi (co-pilot) and Flight
Lieutenant Hina Jaiswal (Flight Engineer) became the country's first all-women crew to fly a medium lift
d u
helicopter Mi-17 V5 on 27th May 2019. The chopper took off from a forward air base in South Western air
command. The pilots had undergone their basic flying training at the Helicopter Training School at Air Force
Force (IAF).
n a
Station. Flight Lieutenant Hina Jaiswal from Chandigarh is the first woman flight engineer of the Indian Air
.e e Kailash Mansarovar
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) included the Indian part
ww
of Kailash Mansarovar in its tentative list of world heritage sites. In the month of April, the Archeological
Survey of India, which is under the Culture Ministry, sent the proposal mooted by the Ministry of
w
Environment and Forests to UNESCO. In the proposal, Kailash Mansarovar is in the mixed category − both
et
as a natural as well as a cultural heritage.
The Indian site is part of the larger landscape of 31,000 sq km referred to as the 'Kailash Sacred
.n
Landscape' constituting the Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar in the remote south-western portion of the
a
Tibet Autonomous Region of China and adjacent districts in the far-western region of Nepal.
ib h
If it comes through, Uttarakhand, a major transit point of the annual Kailash Mansarovar yatra, will
benefit as communities living along the yatra route can be incorporated in the plan to develop sustainable
t
tourism for the site.
r a MODEL QUESTIONS
1.
p
Union Minister of ‘Jal Shakti’ in the union cabinet is …?
u
d
1) Gajendra Singh Shekhawat 2) Giriraj Singh
na
3) Arvind Ganpat Sawant
5) Prahlad Joshi
4) Mahendra Nath Pandey
2.
. ee
Amit Sha is the new Union Minister of Home Affairs. He is elected to Loksabha from ?
1) Gandhi nagar 2) Vadodara 3) Lucknow 4) Varanasi
3.
w w
5) Amethi
Which of the among NDA partner decided not to be part of the new government by taking no birth
w
in the new union council of ministers?
1) Shiv Sena 2) Republic Party of India
3) JD (United) 4) Shiromani Akalidal
5) Lok Janshakti Party
4. Chandrani Murmu became the youngest member of Loksabha history. She won the Keonjhar Lok
Sabha seat from….?
1) Kerala 2) Madhya Pradesh 3) Odisha 4) Rajasthan
5) Tamil nadu
5.
t
World No Tobacco Day observed on…?
e
n
1) 1st May 2) 1st June 3) 31st May 4) 30th June
5) 15th May
a.
6.
1) Bipin Rawat
i h
Who has been appointed as the new Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee?
b 2) Karambir Singh 3) B.S.Dhanoa 4) Rajnath Singh

5) Nirmala Sitharaman
a t
7.
1) USA r
Sri Lanka, India and which nation sign MoU for development of Eastern Terminal of Colombo Port?
p 2) UK 3) France 4) Japan
5) Germany
d u
8.
a
Union Environment Ministry launched Which song to spread awareness about Air pollution on
n
29th May 2019?
.e e
1) Hawa Aane De
3) Hawa Hawa De
2) Hawa Khol De
4) Hawa Hone De
9.
ww
5) Hawa Chalo De
Which Indian origin woman appointed as the Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Entity
w t
for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) for Resource Management,
e
Sustainability and Partnerships?
1) Padmasree Warrior
3) Anita Bhatia
a .n 2) Komal Mangtani
4) Neha Narkhede
10.
i h
5) Kamakshi Sivaramakrishnan
b
Which Public Sector bank announced that it launched ‘Bank on Wheels’ facility in 14 of its lead
t
districts in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, besides Vijayawada?
a
r
1) SBI 2) Indian Bank 3) IOB 4) Andhra Bank
11.
5) UBI
u p
Which nation launched a nuclear-powered icebreaker called the ‘Ural’?
1) USA
a d 2) China 3) Russia 4) Japan
n
5) Australia
e
12.
. e
The Monaco Grand Prix clinched by..?
1) Pierre Gasly 2) Max Emilian Verstappen
w w
3) Valtteri Viktor Bottas
5) Lewis Hamilton
4) Sebastian Vettel
w KEY
1-1; 2-1; 3-3; 4-3; 5-3; 6-3; 7-4; 8-1; 9-3; 10-3; 11-3; 12-5.

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w w Suspends LoC trade

ww Boxing World Cup

i bh Writer: Amara Veeraswamy

21st February 2019.

ww Agricultural Science Congress

p r Aero India show 2019

Financial Literacy Week 2019

w UN General Assembly President

ib h 2) Buenos Aires, Argentina

en 2) Hyderabad 3) Pune 4) Mumbai

w et Writer: Amara Veeraswamy

ha DHARMA GUARDIAN – 2018

w w Competition Commission of India got new chief

u p Ayodhya Deepotsav 2018

ww 13th India-Japan Annual Summit

du 2) India 3) Switzerland 4) France

a t 2) 4th October 2012

n a 2) Pune 3) Bhubaneswar 4) New Delhi

ib h Writer: Veeraswamy Amara

up National Sports Awards

a t Composite Water Management Index

du Relaxing FDI rules

ad Panel to examine bank fraud

ad 2) Assam 3) Meghalaya 4) Nagaland

ra Naveen Patnaik again

one seat each.

en Man Booker International Prize

ADB for Track Electrification

. ee NSG Commandos Summit

ICC Song released

Not all animals migrate by choice

a SCO Mass Media Forum

t ib 2) Argentina 3) South Africa 4) Australia

. e Writer: Amara Veeraswamy

PRASAD Scheme extended

at GSAT-11 launched successfully

Year of Millets 2023

Navy Day Celebrated

pr Miss World 2018

a . 4) Exercise sea Vigil

pr Writer: Amara Veeraswamy

director M. Nageshwar Rao as the interim chief of the agency.

economic losses in relation to global GDP by 2030’.

the award will be announced on 23rd January, the Netaji’s birthday.

Vijay Hazare Trophy champion is Mumbai

8 Wickets as per VJD method.

d u 4) Shreyas Iyer of Mumbai

n a Writer: Veeraswamy Amara

ad Global Innovation Index

ib h BRICS Foreign Ministers Meet

ad Hima Das 5 Gold Medals

Global Healthcare Summit

w . LIC to fund Highway Projects

pension and insurance funds.

b 2) 27 July 3) 31 July 4) 23 July

r a 2) Afghanistan 3) Myanmar 4) Bangladesh

a d Writer: Amara Veeraswamy

p r Swacchta Pakhwada Awards-2019

.e e World Intellectual Property Day

very large migrant population.

KEY: 1-3; 2-5; 3-1; 4-3; 5-3.

w w Suspends LoC trade