GENERAL AWARENESS PRACTICE MCQs

 

1) The Fifth Edition of the World Future Energy Summit was held in

a) Abu Dhabi

b) New Delhi

c) Tehran

d) Dhaka

Ans a

2) Planning Commission of India on January 18,2012 approved Rudrasagar development scheme.The Scheme is related to

a) Tripura

b) Assam

c) Manipur

d) Sikkim

Ans a

3) The Board of approval (BoA) under the Commerce ministry on January 24,2012 approved the proposal of this company to set up a special economics zone( SEZ) at Indore in Madhya Pradesh, Identify the Company ?

a) Reliance Industry

b) Tata Consultancy services( TCS)

c) Hero Motors

d) Infoysys

Ans b

4) Scientists identified a new gene in maize Plants called ?

a) Meg 1

b) Meg 2

c) Meg 3

4) Meg 4

Ans a

5) Researches discovered new earthworm species in Port Blair. What is the name of the new Species ?

a) Moniligaster ivaniosi

b) Annelida

c) Nematoda

d) Onychophora

Ans a

6) Scientists recently developed a new wireless device to detect the Presence of termites. Consider the following statement-

1) when the new device detects the presence of termites,it sends an SMS or email to a pest Control firm.

2) The Device is made of tiny sensor, even smaller than a fingernail

Choose the Right option

a) Both 1 and 2 Correct

b) Only 1 is Correct

c) Only 2 is Correct

d) Neither 1 not 2 is Correct

Ans a

7) According to the draft Sports Policy of this State Govt released on Jan 11,2012, a Special life-time achievement award in memory of G.V.Raja, the Founder-President of the State Sports Council is to be instituted.Which State is being referred to ?

a) karnataka

b) kerala

c) Tamil Nadu

d) Andhra Pradesh

Ans b

8) Which team defeated Uttarakhand in the Men's category to win the National title for the fourth time, in the 60th Senior national Volleyball Championship at Raipur on Jan 11, 2012 ?

a) Kerala

b) Andhra Pradesh

c) West Bengal

d) Tamil Nadu

Ans a

9) Which team extended their hegemony by defeating Kerala 25-12, 25-14, 25-16 in a one sided final in the women category at the 60th Senior National Volley-ball Championship ?

a) Punjab

b) Services

c) Railways

d) Delhi

Ans c

10) This Footballer was awarded the 2011 FIFA Ballon d'Oran January 9, 2012 in Zurich. He Won the award for the third Consecutive year for the world's outstanding footballer.Identify the Footballer ?

a) Cristiano Ronaldo

b) Xavi

c) Sergio Ramos

d) Lionel Messi

Ans d

11) State-run Northern Coalfields(NCL) agreed to surrender land required to mine two blocks attached to the Sasan ultra mega power plant to which of the following Companies giving the Company the benefit over Rs 6000 crore over the life of the Venture ?

1) Reliance Power

2) Adani Power

3) Birla Power Solutions

4) DLF Power

Ans a

12) Which car took home the Crown of Indian car of the Year 2012 in Jan 2012

1) Toyota Etios liva

2) Maruti Suzuki Swift

3) Hyundai Verna

4) Hyundai Eon

Ans b

13) As per the Wholesale Price Index, Published by the govt on Jan 16,2012.Reduced food Prices Caused the inflation to dip to a year low at what percent in December 2011 ?

a) 7.47%

b) 7.65%

c) 6.33%

d) 5.41%

Ans c

14) Maldives Authorities allowed male international airport development and insurance charges from passengers,nearly a month after a local court barred the Bangalore-based company from doing so.Name the operator?

a) GMR Infrastructure

b) International Air Transport

c) Fraport AG

d) DIAL

Ans a

15) Which French Construction major entered the Indian market by buying out 100 percent stake in NAPC, a Chennai-based construction Company?

a) Sinopec Engineering

b) Uhde

c) Vinci

d) Snamprogetti

Ans c

16) India Signed MOU (Memorandum of Understanding ) on Tourism with ASEAN on January12,2012.The agreement took place in-

a) Manado

b) Jakarta

c) Malaysia

d) Manila

Ans a

17) Pravasi Bhartiya Divas-2012 was held in Jaipur.Jaipur is the Capital of which one of the following states?

a) Rajasthan

b) Bihar

c) UP

d) Madhya Pradesh

Ans a

18) India and Japan on Jan 12,2012 agreed to enhance their cooperation in the ................. Sector.

a) Infrastructure

b) Tourism

c) Road and Transport 

d) Coal and Mining

Ans a 

19) He was Conferred the first S.K Singh Award for excellence in the Indian Foreign services in Jan 6,2012. Identify the diplomat

a) Ranjan Mathai

b) Shivshankar Menon

c) D.Bala venkatesh Verma

d) K.Raghunath

Ans c

20) Name the auto making company which launched three new variants of the Eon-D-Lite Plus,Era Plus and Magna Plus in the Indian market on jan 2012 ?

a) Tata Motors

b) Hyundai Motors India

c) Volkswagen

d) Maruti Suzuki

Ans b

21) Who was presented the Mahatma Gandhi International Awards for Peace and Reconciliation on Jan 4,2012 the fourth day of the tenth day Kalachakra initiations ?

a) Tibetan Spiritual leader, Dalai Lama

b) South African leader Nelson Mandela

c) Tanzania's Julius Nyerere

d) Burmese Pro-democracy leader Aung san suu kyi

Ans a 

22) European Union agreed in Principle to ban import of Iranian Crude oil.Consider the following statement:

1) The European Union(EU) is one of Iran's biggest markets for oil.

2) The EU is a Political and economical union of 27 member states

 Choose the Right option

a) Both 1 and 2 are correct

b) Only 1 is Correct

c) Only 2 is Correct

d) Neither 1 nor 2 is correct

Ans a 

23) The Israel-Palestine talks, in the first week of Jan 2012 were held in Amman.Amman is the Capital of

a) Jordan

b) Syria

c) Iraq

d) Iran

Ans a 

24) Maldives on Jan 4,2012 lifted ban on Spas in the upmarket tourist destination .Consider the following statement:

1) The Tourism industry is an important foreign exchange earner in the Maldives.

2) Maldives in 2011 received more than 850000 tourist

Choose the Right Option

a) Both 1 and 2 are correct

b) Only 1 is Correct

c) Only 2 is Correct

d) Neither 1 nor 2 is correct

Ans a  

 

25) As per the Wholesale Price Index, Published by the govt on Jan 16,2012.Reduced food Prices Caused the inflation to dip to a year low at what percent in December 2011 ?

a) 7.47%

b) 7.65%

c) 6.33%

d) 5.41%

Ans c

26) Maldives Authorities allowed male international airport development and insurance charges from passengers,nearly a month after a local court barred the Bangalore-based company from doing so.Name the operator?

a) GMR Infrastructure

b) International Air Transport

c) Fraport AG

d) DIAL

Ans a

27) Which French Construction major entered the Indian market by buying out 100 percent stake in NAPC, a Chennai-based construction Company?

a) Sinopec Engineering

b) Uhde

c) Vinci

d) Snamprogetti

Ans c

28) India Signed MOU (Memorandum of Understanding ) on Tourism with ASEAN on January12,2012.The agreement took place in-

a) Manado

b) Jakarta

c) Malaysia

d) Manila

Ans a

29) Pravasi Bhartiya Divas-2012 was held in Jaipur.Jaipur is the Capital of which one of the following states?

a) Rajasthan

b) Bihar

c) UP

d) Madhya Pradesh

Ans a

30) India and Japan on Jan 12,2012 agreed to enhance their cooperation in the ................. Sector.

a) Infrastructure

b) Tourism

c) Road and Transport 

d) Coal and Mining

Ans a 

31) He was Conferred the first S.K Singh Award for excellence in the Indian Foreign services in Jan 6,2012. Identify the diplomat

a) Ranjan Mathai

b) Shivshankar Menon

c) D.Bala venkatesh Verma

d) K.Raghunath

Ans c

32) Name the auto making company which launched three new variants of the Eon-D-Lite Plus,Era Plus and Magna Plus in the Indian market on jan 2012 ?

a) Tata Motors

b) Hyundai Motors India

c) Volkswagen

d) Maruti Suzuki

Ans b

33) Who was presented the Mahatma Gandhi International Awards for Peace and Reconciliation on Jan 4,2012 the fourth day of the tenth day Kalachakra initiations ?

a) Tibetan Spiritual leader, Dalai Lama

b) South African leader Nelson Mandela

c) Tanzania's Julius Nyerere

d) Burmese Pro-democracy leader Aung san suu kyi

Ans a 

34) European Union agreed in Principle to ban import of Iranian Crude oil.Consider the following statement:

1) The European Union(EU) is one of Iran's biggest markets for oil.

2) The EU is a Political and economical union of 27 member states

 Choose the Right option

a) Both 1 and 2 are correct

b) Only 1 is Correct

c) Only 2 is Correct

d) Neither 1 nor 2 is correct

Ans a 

35) The Israel-Palestine talks, in the first week of Jan 2012 were held in Amman.Amman is the Capital of

a) Jordan

b) Syria

c) Iraq

d) Iran

Ans a 

36) Maldives on Jan 4,2012 lifted ban on Spas in the upmarket tourist destination .Consider the following statement:

1) The Tourism industry is an important foreign exchange earner in the Maldives.

2) Maldives in 2011 received more than 850000 tourist

Choose the Right Option

a) Both 1 and 2 are correct

b) Only 1 is Correct

c) Only 2 is Correct

d) Neither 1 nor 2 is correct

Ans a  

 

37) As per the advanced estimates of CSO for the year 2011-2012, the GDP growth rate has been estimated as-

a) 7.6%

b) 6.9%

c) 6.4%

d) 6.1%

Ans b

38) The Primary growth in advance estimates for 2011-12 was 2.5% which was ............. in 2010-11-

a) 5.4%

b) 6.4% 

c) 7.0%
d) 7.3%

Ans c

39) 'Sensitive Sector' as defined by RBI includes-

a) Capital market

b) Real Estate

c) Commodities

d) All of the above

Ans d

40) PMEAC has revised its GDP growth estimates for 2011-12 to 7.1% and projected GDP growth for 2012-13 at-

a) 7.0% - 7.4%

b) 7.5% - 8.0%

c) 8.1% - 8.3%

d) 8.5 % 

Ans b

41) The newly Launched CPI-based inflation for Jan 2012 on Point to Point basis is 7.65%. This inflation has the base year-

a) 2004

b) 2006

c) 2008

d) 2010

Ans d

42) The new Chairman of FICCI( Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry )  Who took charge in Jan 2012 is-

a) Harsh Mariwala

b) R.V.Kanoria

c) Naina lal Kidwai

d) Siddharath Birla

Ans b

43) Which of the following Sector show the negative growth in the advanced estimates of CSO for the year 2011-12

a) Mining and Quarrying

b) Agriculture and Fisheries

c) Manufacturing

d) Electricity, Gas and water Supply

Ans a

44) Which organization is meant to ensure exports from India

a) EXIM Bank

b) ECGC

c) Ministry of Commerce

d) None of the above

Ans b

45) Which of the following is considered lending for Promotion of Exports?

a) Packing Credit

b) Overdraft

c) Cash Credit Account

d) Bill Discounting

Ans a

46) Which of the following major Part in India Celebrated its golden Jubilee in Jan 2012 ?

a) Kolkata / Haldia Port

b) Paradeep Port

c) Vishakhapatnam Port

d) Kandla Port

Ans b

47) As per India state of Forest Report 2011, the state having the Max forest area is-

a) Arunachal Pradesh

b) Rajasthan

c) Madhya Pradesh

d) Uttar Pradesh

Ans c

 

48) India State of Forest report 2011 Puts Forest area in the country at-

a) Below 25%

b) Between 25% and 27%

c) Between 27% to 30%

d) Above 30%

Ans a

49) At the end of December 2011, the Teledensity in the Country Stood at-

a) 72.38%

b) 76.86%

c) 79.03%

d) 80.76%

Ans b

50) As per the Changed import duty Structure on gold and silver, the import duty on gold and silver will be charged at ................ Resp of the value of the imported metal.

a) 1.5% to 5%

b) 2.0% to 6%

c) 1.5% to 6%

d) 2.5% to 6%

Ans c

51) As per the Status of the end December 2011, Which of the following Company holds the Max share in Telephone Services ?

a) Vodafone

b) Bharti Airtel

c) Reliance

d) BSNL

Ans b

52) Which type of Bank account can be opened by a Non Resident Indian(NRI) in India ?

a) Current Account

b) Fixed Deposit Account

c) Savings Account

d) Locker Account

Ans b

53) Trust Card has been launched by an Organization to make Consumer's Payment more Easier.The Organisation is-

a) Delhi Metro

b) ICERT

c) BSNL

d) Bharti Airtel

Ans c

54) The sixth Economics Census of Commercial Units was / will be done in the year-

a) 2011

b) 2012

c) 2013

d) 2014

Ans b

55) As per the HUNGAMA report the percentage of underweight( malnourished) children younger than five years in India is-

a) 65%

b) 54%

c) 42%

d) 31%

Ans c 

56) As per the second advance foodgrains estimates for 2011-12, foodgrains Production during 2011-12 is estimates at-

a) 246.46 MT

b) 250.42 MT

c) 254.68 MT

d) 262.32 MT

Ans b

57) As per Final estimates, Wheat and Rice Production in 2010-2011 stood at-

a) 86.87 MT and 95.98 MT respectively

b) 95.98 MT and 86.87 MT respectively

c) 88.31 MT and 102.75 MT respectively 

d) 86.87 MT and 102.75 MT respectively

Ans a

58) The Fourth Rail Coach manufacturing Factory ( The first in India to be Built on PPP Model ) is being made in-

a) Andhra Pradesh

b) Kerala

c) Karnataka

d) Tamil Nadu

Ans b

59) In Which of the following currencies, India has decided to make payment to buy Crude oil from Iran ?

a) US dollar

b) Indian Rupee

c) Pound sterling

d) Euro

Ans b  

 

60) As Per the advance estimates of CSO, the estimates growth  rate in tertiary( Service) sector for 2011-12 is-

a) 8.6% 

b) 9.0% 

c) 9.4% 

d) 9.8% 

Ans c

 

 

 

 

GENERAL AWARENESS PRACTICE MCQs

1. Name the Nobel Peace Prize winner who was named the winner of one of the world’s leading religion prizes, Templeton Prize for 2012 by the John Templeton Foundation on 29th March, 2012.
(1) Dalai Lama 
(2) Tawakkul Karman
(3) Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
(4) Baba Ramdev
(5) Anna Hazare

2. Who was elected the New President of Senegal?
(1) Abdoulaye Wade

(2) Macky Sall 

(3) Erich Sherry
(4) Abdou Diouf
(5) Naseer Abdullah

3. Following RBI’s decision to hike bank rate, the food ministry increased the interest rate on loans provided to sugar factories from the Sugar Development Fund (SDF)to what percent from the earlier 4% from Feb 2012?
(1) 7%

(2) 7.5% 

(3) 8%
(4) 8.8%
(5) 9%

4. Which of the following fall under the qualitative methods of credit control adopted by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)?
(1) Selective Credit Control
(2) Credit Authorization Scheme
(3) Moral Suasion

(4) All of the above 

(5) None of the above

5. As per the recent data released by the Government of India, approximately what fraction of India’s oil and petroleum consumption is consumed by fertilizer and power sectors?
(1) 30%
(2) 40%
(3) 50%
(4) 60%

(5) 70%

6. Name the youngest ever and the only Arab woman to win a Nobel Prize for ‘non-violent’ struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights.
(1) Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
(2) Leyhmah Gbowee

(3) Tawakkol Karman 

(4) Liu Xiabao
(5) Martti Ahtisaari

 7. India recently carried out the maiden test flight of its second indigenous Airborne Early Warning Control System aircraft developed by DRDO in-
(1) Odisha
(2) France
(3) Andhra Pradesh

(4) Brazil 

(5) Russia

8. Human Resource Development Ministry constituted a 10-member committee headed by Madhya Pradesh School Education Minister to prepare an ambitious plan to roll out community colleges in the country. Name of the minister is-
(1) Jhina Hikaka
(2) Heena Sidhu

(3) Archana Chitnis 

(4) Shivraj Singh Chauhan
(5) Ram Gopal Yadav

9. The Banking Laws Committee was headed by-
(1) R.K. Talwar

(2) Dr. P.V. Rajamannar 

(3) FKF Nariman
(4) Dr. Prakash Tandan
(5) None of the above

10. Fourteen major Indian Banks having deposits of more than Rs 50 crores were nationalized on-
(1) 15th August, 1947
(2) 26th Jan, 1950
(3) 19th July, 1969
(4) 14th February, 1970
(5) None of these

11. Which of the following is the first commercial bank who had launch a mutual fund?
(1) State Bank of India 
(2) Canara Bank
(3) Indian Bank
(4) Bank of India
(5) Indian Overseas Bank

12. ATM cards are issued to a person who maintains which of the following accounts with the bank?
(1) Saving bank accounts
(2) Current accounts
(3) Term deposits
(4) Loan or Cash credit accounts

(5) Either (1) or (2)

13. SEBI was established in the year.
(1) 1993
(2) 1992

(3) 1988 

(4) 1990
(5) 1994

14. The merchant banking activity in India is governed by-
(1) SEBI 
(2) RBI
(3) IRDA
(4) All of these
(5) None of these

15. The regulator of mutual fund in India is-
(1) FIMMDA
(2) AMFI
(3) RBI

(4) SEBI 

(5) None of these

16. Bankassurance is-
(1) an insurance scheme to insure bank deposits
(2) an insurance scheme to insure bank advances

(3) a composite financial service offering both bank and insurance products. 

(4) a bank deposit scheme exclusively for employees of insurance companies
(5) None of these

17. Which of the following is/are ‘Term Deposits’?
(1) Fixed Deposits 
(2) Re-investment Deposits
(3) Recurring Deposits
(4) None of the above
(5) All of the above

18. NABARD was set up as an apex Development Bank with a mandate for facilitating credit flow for promotion and development of-
(1) Agriculture
(2) Small Scale Industries
(3) Cottage and Village Industries
(4) Handicrafts and other rural crafts

(5) All of these

19. Which of the following is not a negotiable instrument?
(1) Promissory note
(2) Bill of exchange
(3) Cheque

(4) Bank Draft 

(5) Share certificate

20. Co-operative Banks are regulated by-
(1) NABARD
(2) RBI
(3) SBI

(4) Central Govt. 

(5) None of these

21. What amount has been allotted for capitalization of Public sector banks in the Union Budget 2012-13?
(1) Rs 1380 crore
(2) Rs 1490 crore
(3) Rs 1500 crore

(4) Rs 1588 crore 

(5) None of these

22. Under which category will you classify Regional Rural Banks?
(1) Scheduled Commercial Banks 
(2) Co-operative Banks
(3) Private Sector Banks
(4) Development Banks
(5) None of these

23. What is the current Cash Reserve Ratio?
(1) 3.75

(2) 4.75 

(3) 5.5
(4) 6
(5) None of these

24. Who decides on the quantity of coins to be minted?
(1) The Govt. of India 
(2) RBI
(3) Either (1) or (2)
(4) Both (1) & (2)
(5) None of these

25. The commercial banking system in India consists of –
(1) nationalized banks and private sector banks

(2) scheduled and non-scheduled banks 

(3) regional rural banks, co-operative banks and land development banks
(4) All of these
(5) None of these


26. What does EBT stands for-
(1) Electronic Belated Transfer
(2) Electronic Bearer Transaction

(3) Electronic Benefit Transfer 

(4) Electronic Basic Transaction
(5) None of these

27. Money market instruments-
(1) are usually sold in large denominations
(2) have low default risk
(3) mature in one year or less

(4) are characterized by all of the above 

(5) are characterized by (1) and (2)

28. Capital market is a market which deals in-
(1) short-term funds

(2) long-term funds 

(3) gilt-edge funds
(4) All of these
(5) None of these

29. When the rate of inflation increases-
(1) purchasing power of money increases

(2) purchasing power of money decreases 

(3) vale of money increases
(4) purchasing power of money remains unaffected
(5) amount of money in circulation decreases

30. A centralized databases with online connectivity to branches internet as well as ATM-network which has been adopted by almost all major banks of our country is known as-‘
(1) Investment banking

(2) Core banking 

(3) Mobile banking
(4) Banking Ombudsman
(5) Network banking

31. Upper limit prescribed for NEFT transaction is –
(1) Rs 1 lakh
(2) Rs 2 Lacs
(3) Rs 5 Lacks
(4) Rs 50 Lacks

(5) No upper limit is prescribed

32. Interest on savings bank account is now calculated by banks on-
(1) minimum balance during the month
(2) minimum balance from 7th to last day on the month
(3) Minimum balance from 10th to last day of the month
(4) maximum balance during the month

(5) daily product basis

33. Who is the Chairman of the committee constituted by RBI to study issues and concerns in the Micro Finance Institutions (MFI) sector?
(1) K C Chakraborty
(2) C Rangarajan
(3) M Damodaran

(4) Y H Malegam 

(5) None of these

34. Name the diesel locomotive engine built by Diesel Locomotive Works, Varanasi recently?
(1) Cheetah

(2) Bheem 

(3) Shera
(4) Kavita
(5) None of these

35. Who has been appointed as the New CMD of OBC?
(1) M G Sanghvi
(2) D Sarkar
(3) S L Bansal
(4) M V Nayar
(5) None of these

36. Who is the current Minister of Commerce and Trade?
(1) Jayanti Natrajan
(2) Mukul Wasnik
(3) Anand Sharma 
(4) Pawan Bansal
(5) None of these

37. The finance secretary of India is-
(1) R K Singh

(2) R S Gujral 

(3) Ajeet Seth
(4) Ranjan Mathai
(5) Sunil Mitra

38. The Nuclear Summit-2012 held recently in-
(1) S Korea 
(2) Brazil
(3) Australia
(4) Japan
(5) None of these

39. EFT (Electronic Fund Transfer) ensures-
(1) Speed
(2) reliability
(3) security
(4) accuracy

(5) All of these

40. Army has announced the year 2012 as – Year of the ____.
(1) Co-operatives

(2) Veterans 

(3) Green Energy
(4) Mathematics
(5) None of these

World Wildlife Fund released its Report on Global Environment

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in its report Living Planet Report 2012 released on 15 May 2012 noted that Biodiversity has decreased by an average of 28 percent globally since 1970 and the world would have to be 50 percent bigger to have enough land and forests to provide for current levels of consumption and carbon emissions.
The report further added that unless the world addresses the problem, by 2030 even two planet Earths would not be enough to sustain human activity. The WWF also urged the global community to take the issue of environmental degradation seriously.
A summit on the global environment is to be held in the Brazilian city Rio De Janerio from 20 to 22 June 2012. The summit is expected to draw more than 50000 participants from different nations. Politicians in the summit will be under tremendous pressure from environmentalists to agree goals for sustainable development, in the spirit of the Rio Earth Summit that spawned the Kyoto Protocol 20 years ago.

Sports Science Centres

Sports Authority of India(SAI) has established various sports Science Centres in the country for the purpose of training of sportspersons. This was stated by Shri Ajay Maken, Minister of State (I/C) for Youth Affairs & Sports, in the Lok Sabha, in a written reply to a question by Shri Bhisma Shanker alias Kushal Tiwari. SAI has set up four Sports Science Centres, details of which are as under:-

i) SAI Netaji Subhash Eastern Centre at Kolkata, West Bengal.
ii) SAI Netaji Subhash Southern Centre at Bangalore, Karnataka.
iii) SAI Netaji Subhash National Institute of Sports, Patiala, Punjab.
iv) Lakshmibai National college of Physical Education at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

The facilities available at these centres are being provided to SAI trainees and National Campers.

The Minister further stated that Government also proposes to set up a National Institute of Sports Science and Sports Medicine at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi to integrate the study, research and practice of sports science and sports medicine to achieve excellence in sports.

Call for Indian version of World Migratory Bird Day

Rejecting the celebration of World Migratory Bird Day at a time when no migrant birds could be spotted in India, a section of ornithologists is pitching for an exclusive Indian version of the occasion.

The theme of the 2012 celebrations, organised between May 12 and 13, was “migratory birds and people — together through time.”

The day is celebrated during the second week of May with “public events such as bird festivals, education programmes, and bird-watching excursions to celebrate World Migratory Bird Day and to help raise awareness around a specific theme,” say the organisers of the day.

United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP) two international treaties — Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals and the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement — are the organisers. 

The migratory season in India begins in September and extends up to April and nearly 600 species of birds can be spotted at various locations in the country. Most of these come from the north of Himalayas from countries namely Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Magnolia, and the Siberian region. The major wintering grounds are Chilka Lake, Bharatpur, East Calcutta Wetlands, Harike Lake, Kolleru Lake, Loktak Lake, Point Calimere, and Sambhar Lake. Some of the important long distance-migrants that reach the country during the eight-month-long season are White Stork, Bar headed Goose, Northern Pintail, and Eurasian Wigeon, experts say. 

Waste Management

Pursuant to the recommendations of the Committee on Solid Waste Management for Class-I cities constituted by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India in July 1998, the Government of India, Ministry of Urban Development had constituted a Technology Advisory Group (TAG) on Solid Waste Management in August 1999 and later reconstituted the Committee in January 2002. The objective of constituting the Committee was to collect information on various proven technologies for processing and disposal of waste, developing IEC material for creating awareness among the masses, promotion of capacity building, human resources development in Urban Local Bodies for efficient management of municipal solid waste. The Committee finalized its Report and submitted to the Ministry in May, 2005.

The report covers the details of the various technologies available within and outside the country for the treatment of municipal solid waste and deriving compost, Refuse Dried Fuel (RDF), power, etc., from the waste, their merits, demerits, their limitations etc. It also narrates the extent of application of these technologies in India so far. The TAG report also covers the financial aspects giving details of sectoral lending by financial institutions, the extent of private sector participation attempted, the legal issues related to private sector participation in India and makes recommendations of fiscal incentives for solid waste management infrastructure financing by the State and Central Government.

The TAG report also spells out the strategies proposed to be adopted for building community awareness through information, education and communication technique for ensuring public participation and for human resources development through internal capacity building of the officers and supervisory staff dealing with solid waste management at various levels through training at various levels.

Since all the recommendations have to be implemented by State Govts. / ULBs, the Ministry had already circulated the TAG report to all the State Governments for adoption.

India as Top Importer of Weapons

Authoritative information regarding import of weapons by China is not available. However, as per report published in March 2012 by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), India has become the largest importer of arms during 2007-11 and accounted for 10% of the global arms imports as compared to China`s share of5%.

Procurement of arms and equipment for the Armed Forces is a continuous process based on threat perception, operational challenges and available resources. The process is based on a 15 year Long Term Integrated Perspective Plan (LTIPP), five year Services Capital Acquisition Plan (SCAP) and Annual Acquisition Plan (AAP). Shortage of any weapons, is adequately addressed through indigenous production and import.

Competition Commission of India constituteded Eminent Persons Advisory Group

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) formed an Eminent Persons Advisory Group (EPAG) on 7 May 2012.  The group is constituted to provide CCI inputs and advice on issues impacting markets and competition, among others.
The group comprise Infosys founder N.R. Narayana Murthy, former Comptroller and Auditor General V.N. Kaul, former Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank of India Rakesh Mohan, Biocon Chairman and MD Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, former Director, of IIM-Ahmedabad Bakul Dholakia, former Chairman of CERC S.L Rao, former Vice-Chancellor of NLSIU, Bangalore N.L Mitra.
The group will hold its maiden meeting on July 2012. The Group will have interaction/meetings with the Commission two to three times a year.

Unemployment Survey by NSSO

The Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Statistics and Programme Implementation Shri Srikant Kumar Jena has said that Employment and Unemployment Surveys are generally conducted once in five years.

In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today he said, the last survey on the subject was conducted in NSS 66th round during July 2009-June 2010. Another survey on the subject is being conducted in NSS 68th round (July 2011-June2012). As per NSS 66th round the total number of unemployed in the age group of 18 to 25 years in the country according to usual status is estimated as 5.19 million.

Rural and urban area-wise figures of unemployed in the above age-group are 3.10 and 2.09 million respectively.

Agriculture Development Bank

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) was established on 12 July 1982 by an Act of the Parliament for providing and regulating credit and other facilities for the promotion and development of agriculture, small scale industries, cottage and village industries, handicrafts and other rural crafts and other allied economic activities in rural areas with a view to promoting integrated rural development and securing prosperity of rural areas, and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

NABARD provides refinance assistance under Sec.21 (i) of NABARD Act, 1981 for Short Term Seasonal Agricultural Operations (STSAO) purposes for a period not exceeding 8 months to Cooperatives, Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) and any other financial institutions approved by Reserve Bank of India. Further, in terms of Govt. of India’s instruction the Short Term refinance to Cooperative Banks, RRBs is being provided by NABARD at concessional rate of interest in order to enable them to provide crop loans upto Rs. 3 lakh for a period of one year to farmers at 7% p.a.

Education of Women/Girls

The government has initiated a number of schemes to promote education among girls in the country. Under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), the States are encouraged to recruit 50% women teachers. Each district is provided with an ‘innovation fund’ which can inter alia be utilized for need based interventions such as free textbooks and uniforms up to class VIII, separate toilets for girls to ensure better attendance and retention of girls.

3439 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs) are operational and benefit 3,35 lakh SC, ST, OBC, BPL and minority girls at upper primary level. 1925 hostels have been sanctioned for running of girls’ hostels for students of secondary and higher secondary schools. Under the scheme for Construction of Women’s Hostels in Polytechnics, financial assistance have been provided to 487 polytechnics amounting to Rs. 219.45 upto 31/03/2012.

National Policy on Microfinance

Planning Commission had constituted a High Level Committee on financial sector reforms under the Chairmanship of Shri Raghuram G. Rajan, Professor, Graduate School of Business, University of Chicago in August, 2007. The Committee submitted the report in September, 2008.

The Committee observed that, “despite its success, the future growth of microfinance is constrained by a number of factors. An important issue is the ability of MFIs to raise financing. Given the large estimated demand for microcredit, MFIs need multiple sources of financing, apart from the traditional loan financing from banks. Other constraints include an unclear regulatory environment and the lack of well-developed management information systems and an adequate supply of trained management talent to facilitate sustainable scaling up.”

To provide a formal statutory framework for the promotion, development, regulation and orderly growth of the micro finance sector and thereby to facilitate universal access to integrated financial services for the unbanked population, the Department of Financial Services is formulating Micro Finance Institutions (Development and Regulation) Bill 2012.

NRHM- Key Achievements

Some of the key achievements under National Rural Health Mission are:

1. Accelerated improvements in key reproductive health indicators e.g. Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR), Infant Mortality Rate (IMR), Total Fertility Rate (TFR) and Institutional Delivery Rate.

2. Upgradation and operationalization of 8250 Primary Health Centers (PHCs) as 24X7 facilities

3. Operationalization of 2312 FRUs which includes Community Health Centers (CHCs), Sub District Hospitals and District Hospitals for providing OPD and 24*7 indoor facilities especially for comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care.

4. 374 Special Newborn Care Units, 1638 Newborn Stabilization Units, and 11432 Newborn Care Corners have been established at different levels of health facilities.

5. Augmentation of the availability of skilled manpower by means of different skill- based trainings such as Skilled Birth Attendance for Auxiliary Nurse Midwives/Staff Nurses/Lady Health Visitors; training of MBBS Doctors in Life Saving Anaesthetic Skills and Emergency Obstetric Care including Caesarean Section.

6. Over 1.4 lakh Human Resources have been engaged across the country on contractual basis under National Rural Health Mission which includes- ANMs, Staff Nurses, Paramedics, AYUSH Doctors, Doctors, Specialists and AYUSH Paramedics.

7. Engagement of 8.61 lakhs Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) to generate demand and facilitate accessing of health care services by the community.

As per the Health Management Information System (HMIS) under the National Rural Health Mission, total institutional deliveries at public and private accredited health facilities increased from 1.62 Crores in the year 2009-10 to 1.68 Crores in the year 2010-11.

The key strategies adopted by the Government of India to strengthen NRHM are:

• Creation of strong institutional mechanisms at National and State level through Mission Steering group, State/District Health Mission.

• Strengthening Programme Management units for effective public health management through State, District and Block Programme management units.

• Enhanced fund allocation to NRHM for additional funding to States.

• Preparation of inter-sectoral District Health Plans.

• Integrating vertical Health and Family Welfare programmes at National, State, District and Block levels.

• Supporting States through united funds for the functioning of Village Health Sanitation & Nutrition Committees and thereby focusing on creation of Village Health Plans.

• Promoting access to healthcare at household level through ASHA.

• Supporting the States to train and enhance capacity of Panchayati Raj Institutions.

• Strengthening facilities from PHCs and above through grants to RogiKalyanSamitis (RKS).

• Promotion of Public Private Partnership through NRHM to improve service delivery.

Country poised to achieve total sanitation coverage by 2017

Total Sanitation Campaign, TSC, now underway in 607 rural districts covering all the States and Union Territories is expected to be completed by the year 2017. The information was given by the Rural Development Minister Shri Jairam Ramesh in a statement in the Lok Sabha today. He said, the Government has increased the allocation under TSC from 1500 crore rupees in the year 2011-12, the last year of the 11th Five Year Plan to 3,500 crore rupees as Budget Estimate during the year 2012-13, the first year of the 12th Plan. The states have also been advised for engagement of Swachchhata Doots to accelerate sanitation coverage. The Minister also informed that the Information, Education and Communication (IEC) and Human Resource Development, HRD, the key components to generate and meet demand for sanitation are being strengthened. Out of total project objectives of 12.57 crore Individual Household Latrines, 8.73 crore have been completed and about 88 lakh latrines have been reported to be completed during the year 2011-12. Similarly, school toilet units, Anganwadi toilets and community sanitary complexes are also on way to meet the targets. 

Establishment of Nyaya Panchayats

Ministry of Panchayati Raj had prepared a Draft Nyaya Panchayat (NP) Bill to provide for the establishment of Nyaya Panchayats at the level of each Village Panchayat or a cluster of Village Panchayats in consultation with Ministry of Law & Justice. The objective of the proposed Nyaya Panchayat Bill is to provide a sound institutionalized, alternative forum at the grassroots level with community involvement for dispute resolution through mediation, conciliation and compromise. After taking into consideration the comments received from the concerned Central Ministries/ Departments, the Draft Nyaya Panchayat Bill was sent to Ministry of Law & Justice. The Bill could not be finalized due to various objections raised by Ministry of Law and Justice which included, inter alia, the issues of its Constitutional validity and overlapping provisions of Gram Nyalaya Act 2008 already enacted by that Ministry. The Ministry of Law & Justice provided a copy of the revised Draft NP Bill 2010 in November 2010 for views/comments of the Ministry. Our detailed comments have been forwarded to Ministry of Law & Justice on 22nd June 2011. 

Report placed India on Fifth Position in the List of Countries affected from Cyber Crime

India, according to a report published by the Security and Defence Agenda (SDA) and McAfee on 6 May 2012, ranked fifth in the list of countries affected of cyber crime. The report, ‘Cyber Security: The Vexed Question of Global Rules’, rated the Internet privacy in the country as low. Brussels-based SDA spoke to leading global security experts to ensure that findings would offer useful recommendations and actions.

At the Cyber Security Summit which concluded in Bangalore on 4 May 2012, officials from the National Security Committee claimed that the government is firstly looking at capacity building that will lead to the draft of the national cyber security policy which is currently under discussion.

The report mentioned that India knows the repercussions of cyber crime which directly affects the reputation of the country as a safe investment or business place. The report also expressed concern over lack of a single operator to effectively control Internet, telecom and power sectors.

Population Living in Slums

The Minister for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (HUPA) Kumari Selja has said that Housing and Slum development being State subjects, it is for the States to provide housing and basic facilities like drinking water, electricity and sanitation etc depending upon their priorities and availability of financial resources etc. However, Government launched Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) in December 2005 to assist States/ Union Territories for undertaking programmes for provision of housing and basic services to urban poor/slum dwellers under Basic Services to the Urban Poor (BSUP) in 65 select cities including Mumbai and Integrated Housing and Slum Development Programme (IHSDP) - in other cities/towns. The duration of JNNURM was 7 years beginning from 2005-06. The Government has approved the extension of JNNURM by 2 years upto the end of financial year 2013-14 for completion of projects sanctioned upto March, 2012 and implementation of 3 pro-poor reforms. State-wise estimated population who live in slums in the country as per “Committee on Slum Statistics/Census” constituted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation is annexed.

In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today Kumari Selja said, a total of 1615 projects, 529 under BSUP and 1086 under IHSDP, have been approved so far for construction of 1602387 houses, 10,31,856 under BSUP and 570531 under IHSDP, and other related civic amenities like water supply, sewerage, community toilets, street lighting etc across the country.

She said, a new scheme ‘Rajiv Awas Yojana’ (RAY) has been launched in June 2011. The Scheme provides financial assistance to States that are willing to assign property rights to slum dwellers for provision of decent shelter and basic civic and social services for slum redevelopment, and for creation of affordable housing stock.

Slums being a State subject, it is upto the Government of Maharashtra to take steps to address the issues of slums, including Dharavi, availing allocation under JNNURM and RAY and mobilising State and Local Body funds, the Minister added.

Click here to see Annexure  (Population living in Slums)

National Workshop India’s National Communication to UNFCCC – Future Challenges

At National Workshop is held at New Delhi on India’s National communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), organized by the Minister of Environment and Forests on May 9, 2012; India’s Second National Communication to the UNFCCC was released. India’s Second National Communication to the UNFCCC has been prepared by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India towards fulfillment of the reporting obligation under the Convention.

Unveiling the Natcom II the Minster of state (I/C) for Environment & Forests Smt. Jayanthi Natarajan said that India is fully committed to its responsibilities towards global community. She said that India has voluntarily reduced carbon emission.She congratulated the scientists for commendable work.

The secretary, Ministry of Environment & Forest Shri T. Chatterjee said that National Communication II reiterates India’s commitment to global concerns on climate change. He said local and regional data has been very curial is preparing the document.

It is recalled that India is a Party to the UNFCCC. The Convention, in accordance with is Article 4.1 and 12.1 , enjoins all Parties, both developed and developing country Parties, to furnish information , in the form of a National Communication (a national report), regarding implementation of the convention. The Ministry of Environment and Forests is the Executing and Implementing Agency for the project for preparation of the national communication. A National Steering Committee (NSC) under the Chairmanship of Secretary (E&F) oversaw the implementation of the work programme devised for preparation by the Government of India. A National Project Director co-ordinates the activities and is assisted by National Technical Experts, housed under the Project Management Cell (PMC).

Towards fulfillment of the obligation of furnishing information on implementation of the Convention, the Government of India submitted its Second National Communication in May, 2012. The First (Initial) National Communication was submitted to the UNFCCC Secretariat on June 22, 2004.

A broad based participatory approach was followed involving multi-disciplinary teams and other stakeholders comprising of more than 220 scientists belonging to over 120 institutions. These teams were drawn from premier Research Institutions, Universities, Government Ministries and Departments and Non-Governmental Organizations of national repute across the country. Besides, the stakeholder consultations, training, thematic and awareness generation events covering more than 1000 participants were organized through 30 conferences/seminars/workshops/consultations across the country towards preparation of the report.

The salient features of report include:

The report provides the context and the National Circumstances inter alia India’s geography, imperative inter alia India’s geography, imperative of development needs, climate and economy; based on which India would be addressing and responding to the challenges of climate change.

The report includes results of wide ranging of studies, specifically conducted at the National level capturing diversity of India.

The Greenhouse Gas Inventory of gases of anthropogenic origin for the year 2000 has been reported, as per the stipulated guidelines using prescribed methodologies by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

It is to be noted that, for year 2000, the net Carbon dioxide equivalent greenhouse gas emissions for India were estimated to be 1301.21 million tones, indicating a growth of 4.2% in Carbon dioxide equivalent emissions from the levels in 1994.

The report also provides the GHG profile for the year 2007 - a unique feature of this report, which is estimated to be of the order of 1771.66 million tones CO2 equivalent.

The report provides details of climate change scenarios for one scenario, namely; A1B (for three time slices), which assumes a significant energy technological advancement, with a healthy mix of renewable energy technologies. A overall warming scenario is projected.

Climate change impacts in A1B scenario for key sectors of the economy such as water, agriculture, forestry, natural ecosystems, coastal regions, human health, energy, industry and human settlements were assessed using improved models.

It is expected that the information in this report shall be useful to the various stakeholders in policy making at different levels. It is also expected that the information will enhance the understanding of the issues related to climate change and its impacts and create general awareness relating to Government of India’s proactive efforts towards addressing the challenges due to climate change.

Implementation of RSBY in the Country

The Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY), which became operational from 01.04.2008, is presently being implemented in 24 States/Union Territory, namely, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Punjab, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal and Chandigarh Administration.

Puducherry Administration and Madhya Pradesh have taken initial steps to implement the scheme. Rajasthan had initially participated in RSBY and discontinued. The State has now again initiated the process for extension of RSBY to MNREGA workers, street vendors, domestic workers and beedi workers. Government of Sikkim has decided in-principle to implement the scheme. Government of Andhra Pradesh has recently floated tender inviting bids from insurance companies to implement RSBY in Rangareddy district on pilot basis.

Governments of Tamilnadu and Goa had initially participated in the scheme, but discontinued to launch their own scheme.

Since inception of the scheme, more than 2.94 crore smart cards have been issued till 30.04.2012. Target for the current financial year 2012-13 is to increase the number of smart cards to 3.4 crore.

Miss India World Vinya Mishra awarded with Kalpana Chawla Excellence Award

Yesteryear actress Sushma Seth and Miss India World Vinya Mishra were awarded with Kalpana Chawla excellence award on 6 May 2012 at Mavlankar Auditorium, New Delhi. The other awardees included Padmabhushan kuchipudi and bharatnatyam dancer Swapnasundari, IPS Officer Shalini Singh, who had won the police medal for meritorious service in 2012 and jewellery designer Puneeta Trikha.

The award instituted by PECOBA (Punjab Engineering College Chandigarh Old Boys Association was conferred by late astronaut's father Banarsi Lal Chawla Chawla. The awards are being given every year in the memory of Kalpana, who died in Space Shuttle Columbia disaster on 1 February 2003.

The Function was organized by PECOBA (Punjab Engineering College Chandigarh Old Boys Association). Kalpana Chawla was an alumnus of this College and got her degree in aeronautical engineering in 1982 from this college.

Report placed India on Fifth Position in the List of Countries affected from Cyber Crime

India, according to a report published by the Security and Defence Agenda (SDA) and McAfee on 6 May 2012, ranked fifth in the list of countries affected of cyber crime. The report, ‘Cyber Security: The Vexed Question of Global Rules’, rated the Internet privacy in the country as low. Brussels-based SDA spoke to leading global security experts to ensure that findings would offer useful recommendations and actions.

At the Cyber Security Summit which concluded in Bangalore on 4 May 2012, officials from the National Security Committee claimed that the government is firstly looking at capacity building that will lead to the draft of the national cyber security policy which is currently under discussion.

The report mentioned that India knows the repercussions of cyber crime which directly affects the reputation of the country as a safe investment or business place. The report also expressed concern over lack of a single operator to effectively control Internet, telecom and power sectors.

Vladimir Putin sworn in as the President of Russia

Vladimir Putin the former Russian Prime Minister and the president of the United Russia Party took the oath as the President of Russia on 7 May 2012. Putin had won the Russian presidential elections with 63.6 % of the vote on 4 March 2012.
Putin, who had served as the President of Russia for two consecutive terms from 2000 to 2008 was constitutionally ineligible to run for the third consecutive term as the president. After Dimitry Medvedev took over as the President of Russia in 2008, he appointed Putin as the Prime Minister of the country.
A graduate from the International Law branch of the Law Department of the Leningrad State University, Putin started his political career when he was in the University. Putin became a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union when he was in the university, and remained a member until December 1991 when the party was ultimately dissolved.
Putin’s re-election to the office of president witnessed a series of protest across Russia. He was also accused by the opposition party and some international groups of irregularities during the presidential poll.
The Russian Federation was formed in 1993 after the fall of the Soviet Union. Boris Yelstin was elected as the first president of the Russian Federation.

Central Banks of top 15 countries in the world

List of Central Banks of Top 15 countries in the world. The list of Top 15 countries is according to the list of International Monetary Fund (IMF)

Serial No.	Country	Central Bank
1	USA	Federal Reserve System
2	China	People’s Bank of China
3	Japan	Bank of Japan
4	Germany	Federal Bank of Germany
5	France	Bank of France
6	Brazil	Central Bank of Brazil
7	United Kingdom	Bank of England
8	Italy	Bank of Italy
9	Russia	Central Bank of Russian Federation
10	Canada	Bank of Canada
11	India	Reserve Bank of India
12	Spain	Bank of Spain
13	Australia	Reserve Bank of Australia
14	Mexico	Bank of Mexico
15	South Korea	Bank of Korea

Tamil writer Ashokamitran declared Recipient of the 6 NTR National Literary Award

Noted Tamil writer Ashokamitran, known for his novel Thanneer and other works was declared the recipient of the 6 NTR National Literary Award on 4 May 2012. The award is scheduled to be presented on 28 May 2012. The writer was born in Secunderabad and was closest to Telugu culture, language and people.

The announcement was made by chairperson of NTR Vignan Trust Nandamuri Lakshmi Parvati who recalled how the award was established and began with Kannada writer S.L. Bhyrappa, A. Somasundaram (Telugu), Sachidanandan (Malayalam), Mahasweta Devi and Gnanpith awardee C. Narayana Reddy.

The jury comprised writer Volga, Professor N. Krupanandam of the University of Hyderabad and litterateur Ketu Vishwanatha Reddy. Ashokamitran's name was finalised unanimously, considering the number of his works that were translated in other languages and their relevance to Telugu.

Indo-Bangla Joint Commemoration of the 150th Birth Anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore

A Joint Communique was issued highlighting the importance of joint Indo-Bangla celebrations to mark the 150^th Birth Anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore after the visit of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina to India in January, 2010. The decision to jointly celebrate the 150^th Anniversary provided the two countries an opportunity to build a vibrant and forward looking relationship.

A National Committee (NC) under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister had been constituted on 27^th April, 2010 to consider policies and lay down guidelines for the appropriate commemoration.  It held its first meeting on 20^th May, 2010.  A National Implementation Committee (NIC) had also been constituted on 27^th April, 2010 under the Chairmanship of Finance Minister Shri Pranab Mukherjee for chalking out the programmes and activities and to implement the decisions of the National Committee.  The NIC had met twice in 2010 - on 5^th May and 14^th July. The third meeting of the NIC was held on 6^th April, 2011 and the fourth meeting of NIC was held on 24^th March, 2012. Several programmes and projects were approved by the NIC for a befitting commemoration of 150^th Birth Anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore.

A delegation led by the then Secretary Culture, Government of India visited Dhaka in December, 2010 to chalk out the programmes of Joint Indo-Bangla Celebrations. Subsequently a delegation from Bangladesh also visited India in April, 2011 and further discussions was held on joint commemorations.  The inaugural function of the commemoration in India was held on 7^th May, 2011 in New Delhi to start the year-long joint celebrations. Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and Planning Minister of Bangladesh, Air Vice Marshal (Retd.), Shri A. K. Khandker, Smt. Sonia Gandhi, Chairperson, National Advisory Council (NAC). Finance Minister Shri Pranab Mukherjee, Culture Minister Kumari Selja, Information & Broadcasting Minister Smt. Ambika Soni, External Affairs Minister Shri S.M. Krishna, HRD & Communications Minister Shri Kapil Sibal and President, ICCR Dr. Karan Singh participated in the inaugural programme.

Earlier, an inaugural function was also held on 6^th May, 2011 in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

The National Implementation Committee had decided in its fourth meeting held on 24^th March, 2012 that the joint commemoration will culminate with Closing Ceremonies to be organized in Dhaka on 6^th May, 2012, and in New Delhi on 7^th May, 2012. Accordingly, the Closing Ceremonies are being organized in Dhaka and New Delhi. Vice-President of India Shri M. Hamid Ansari will be the Chief Guest at the Closing Ceremony on 7^th May, 2012 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.  Several cultural programmes will also be organized by Indian and Bangaladeshi groups on 6^th and 7^th May, 2012 in Delhi as well as Dhaka. 

During the year-long joint Indo-Bangla celebrations, several programmes involving various art forms like songs, dramas, recitation, poetry, kantha paintings etc,  were organized in India and Bangladesh. The programmes have been attended by several dignitaries, high officials and top cultural artists of Bangladesh. The performances in packed auditoria have received rave reviews in practically all leading newspapers and electronic media of India and Bangladesh. The same have renewed the bonds of shared cultural heritage of the two countries.

Boris Johnson narrowly wins London mayoral race

Conservative Boris Johnson has been re-elected for a second term as Mayor of London in a tight race with Labour Party challenger Ken Livingstone. The outcome of  vote means that Mr. Johnson, 47, will remain Mayor of the British capital during this summer’s London Olympics. Johnson defeated Livingstone, who held the post from 2000-08, in a close race. Around 5.8 million Londoners were eligible to vote.

U.S. unemployment ticks down to 8.1 per cent

In a development that is likely to buoy the Obama White House's election prospects in November, the U.S. economy's unemployment rate continued its slow but steady declining trend, inching down from 8.2 per cent in March to 8.1 per cent in April.

Announcing the monthly data release, the U.S. Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS) noted that non-farm payroll employment rose by 1.15 lakh in April, yet it described the unemployment rate for the month as “little changed.” At the macro level, employment increased in professional and business services, retail trade, and health care, but declined in transportation and warehousing, the BLS added.

Although the number of unemployed persons remained worryingly high at 12.5 million, the White House struck a cautiously positive note about the data.

Alan Krueger, Chairman of President Barack Obama's Council of Economic Advisers, said “Today's employment report provides further evidence that the economy is continuing to heal from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, but much more remains to be done to repair the damage caused by the financial crisis and the deep recession.”

While Mr. Krueger emphasised that private employer payrolls increased by 1.30 lakh jobs in April and the unemployment rate had fallen by one percentage point, from 9.1 in August, the BLS cautioned that the civilian labour force participation rate declined in April to 63.6 per cent.

INFOLINES – INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND DEVELOPMENTS

The European country which ordered shutdown of its seven (total seventeen) oldest nuclear power plants pending safety review after nuclear accidents in the Japan is	Germany
The first country to have fired first foreign shots in Libya after UN mandated No Fly Zone is	France
The major party of Ireland which has to face crushing defeat in recent elections for the manner in which it handled the economic crisis is	Fianna Fail
The country in which the Human Rights Protection Party led by incumbent PM Tuilaepa Aiona Sailele Malielegaoi won the recent elections is	Samoa
New Foreign Minister of Japan after the resignation of Seiji Maehara amidst political donations scandals is	Takeaki Matsumoto
Country which has recently introduced Yoga for the 1st time for physical fitness for its army personnel is	USA
Western nation whose Public Relations firms were criticized for advising some of controversial regimes (including Libya’s Gaddafi) following unrest in countries of North African nations	UK
The director of London School of Economics who resigned after allegations of liasioning with Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi	Howard Davies
Popular name of Secret Intelligence Service of UK (currently in news in context of Libyan crisis) is	MI6
The Acting President of Tunisia who called for elections on July 24th 2011 to rewrite constitution is	Fouad Mebazza
Gulf country conducted a successful test of its first domestically developed radar-evading aircraft	Iran
The first major world leader to visit Egypt after the ouster of its President, Hosni Mubarak	D Cameroon, PM, UK
The new name given by Obama Administration to the war in Iraq to reflect the reduced role to be played by US troops in securing the country (now only 50,000 US troops in Iraq) is	Operation New Dawn
In early March, there have been protests in Sarajevo after arrest of former Bosnian General following international warrants by	Serbia
China has made a substantial increase of 13% in its military budget, now it stands at	$92 billion
The countries to which natural gas supplies were suspended after an explosion in Arab Gas Pipeline in Egypt’s North Sinai region are	Israel and Jordan
The name of diplomatic effort consisting of four entities – US, UN, EU and Russia established in 2002 to mediate the peace process in the Israel-Palestinian conflict	Middle East (Madrid) Quartet
India-EU summit was held in December 2010 in	Brussels (Belgium)
The 10th RIC (Russia, India and China) meeting was held I n November, 2010 in	Wuhan (China)
BRIC may soon become BRICS, the country which is likely to be extended a formal invitation during the scheduled meeting in April-May 2010 in China is	South Africa
Two day meeting of BCIM (Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar) was held in January 2011 in	Kunming, China
In the largest $24 billion nuclear agreement, six European Pressurized Reactors (EPRs) each of 1650 MW, will be set up by French firm Areva in	Jaitapur (Maharashtra)
As per UN Conference on Trade and Development’s (UNCTAD) ‘Global Investment Trends Monitor report’, FDI attracted by developing and emerging nations as %age of total global during 2010 is	$1,122 billion
Country to cede 1000 sq km of land to China to settle a 130 year old territorial dispute is	Tajikistan
The country with which India signed Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CEPA) to give more market access to on reciprocal basis is	Japan
NATO is US led security umbrella organization, mainly of Western nations. Its 2010 summit was held in Lisbon (Portugal) in November 2010. The number of member nations in NATO is	28
A new cabinet of Egypt is sworn by Chairman of Supreme Council of Armed Forces	Hussain Tantawi
Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is regional organization of six nations – Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan have been given the status of observers. Its meeting was held in November 2010 in	Dushanbe (Tajikistan)
Secretary-General of Interpol who was re-elected to the post for a 3rd five-year term is	Ronald Noble
Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation is the 21 member forum to discuss economic issues. Its meeting was held on November 14, 2010 in	Yokohama (Japan)
India concluded its first-ever Tax Information Exchange Agreement (TIEA) with	Bermuda
An Intergovernmental regional organization, Economic Cooperation Organization was set up by Iran, Pakistan and Turkey in 1985. In 1992, 7 nations including Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan joined it. Its 11th summit was held in December 2010 in	Istanbul (Turkey)
The world’s biggest ever nuclear submarine (launched by Britain) which can fire guided missiles to pulverize target more than 1600 km away. It does not need refueling, can circumnavigate globe without any need of surfacing and able to make oxygen and fresh water from sea water. Its name is	HMS Ambush
G20 comprises of 19 member countries and EU. EU is represented by two governing bodies – European Council and European Commission. It was for the first time that G20 meeting was hosted by a non-G8 nation, (2010 G20 meeting to discuss post crisis world) was held  in November 2010 in	Seoul (South Korea)
The person of Indian-origin and also Deputy Speaker of Britain’s House of Lords who resigned from his position after his four month suspension from House over parliamentary expenses claim is	Lord Swaraj Paul
The former top aide to Saddam Hussein who has been sentenced to death by an Iraqi court for crimes against members of rival Shia political parties is	Tariq Aziz
The G20 for the year 2011 summit will be held in	Cannes, France
The G20 for the year 2012 will be held in	Mexico
A ten member regional association consisting of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam is	Association of South East Asian Nations
The year in which US opened diplomatic relations with People’s Republic of China is	1979
President of Italy who is currently facing corruption charges is	Silvio Berlusconi
The group which accounts for 90% of world’s GNP and two third of world’s population is	G20
A rare original King James Bible has been found in a church in	Wiltshare (UK)
President of Ivory Coast (capital Abdijan) who recently nationalized its biggest Coffee and Cocoa industries is	Laurent Gobago
Eight national group consisting of USA, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Canada and Russia is	G8
The current head of Middle East (or Madrid) Quartet’s who is also (ex-British PM), is	Tony Blair
Stealth fighters can’t be detected by radars. Nighthawks were the world’s first stealth fighters by USA and F-22 Raptor is the successor of Nighthawk. China also developed this technology and its inaugural flight took place in January, 2011. The name of stealth fighter developed by China is	Chengdu J-20
China allegedly developed stealth technology by applying reverse engineering from a F-117 Nighthawk which was shot down during Serbian war in	1999
G7 originally consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK and USA was set up in the year	1976
Recently India signed Preliminary Design Contract with Russia to jointly develop Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) which is	Sukhoi T 50
Pablo Picasso’s the most expensive painting ever sold which  has recently gone for public exhibition at Tate Gallery in London is	Nude, Green Leaves and Bust
New PM elected by Parliament of Nepal, thus ending seven months of political deadlock, is	Jhala Nath Khanal
In a significant development, Prime Minister who has been named as President of Myanmar following the 2010 general elections is	Thein Sein
The youngest son of Kim Jong II, who will succeed his father as the next leader of North Korea is	Kim Yong – Un
In an apparent case of cyber war, a mysterious worm targeted Iran’s nuclear programme and destroyed up to a fifth of centrifuges at the country’s nuclear facility in Natanz. Its name is	Stuxnet
In Operation “Dawn of Gulf of Aden”, South Korean Navy rescued the crew of hijacked chemical carrier (ship) killing eight Somali pirates. The name of ship is	Samho Jewelry
European Capital of Culture (ECC) is a city designated by EU for a period of one calendar year during which it organizes a series of cultural events. Athens (Greece) as First ECC (1985). Cities designated as ECC’s for 2011 are Turku and Tallinn which are in	Finland and Estonia
The name of islands which is a disputed territory between North Korea and South Korea, is	Yeonpyeong
Name of Joint Naval exercises of India and Russia which are being conducted since 2003, is	INDRA
The Islands which are bone of contention between Russia and Japan is	Kuril
Group of more than 750 small islands predominantly coral reef structures in South China sea which are bone of contention between Vietnam, Philippines, China, Malaysia and Brunei	Spratly Islands
Year 2011 has been officially designated by the UN as the International Year of	Chemistry
An UN organization which has dropped references to J&K and Arunachal Pradesh as ‘independent entities’ in its 2010 report also initiated a review of system for designating countries/territories is	Food and Agricultural  Organization
Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by US Govt. with three goals – providing technical assistance, helping outside people to understand US culture and helping US citizens understand cultures of other nations. Its founder Director who died recently is	Sargent Shriver
Orinoco Belt in a South American country consists of 297 billion barrel oil reserves, one of the largest in the world and claims to overtake Saudi Arabia as world leader in proven oil reserves is	Venezuela
Ex-chairman of Federal Reserve who was the brain behind legislation relating to proprietary trading and branded hedge funds and who resigned as the head of US President’s advisory panel – Economic Recovery Advisory Board is	Paul Volcker
India and UK formed a task force relating to	Corporate Governance
An environmental documentary about the effects of shale gas extraction, which was nominated for a “best documentary” Oscar. Its name is	Gasland
Following merger of Comcast and NBC Universal, critics apprehend greater media consolidation in US, thus hurting consumers. The size of deal is	$28 billion
Year 2011 has also been officially designated as International Year of	Forests
International organization which criticized British government for spending nearly £1 billion on 30 Watchkeeper WK450 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) which Israel’s military allegedly “field-tested on Palestinians” during the Gaza War is	Amnesty International
The first ever Russian President to pay a visit to West Bank in Palestine is	Dmitry Medvedev
African nation whose Parliament approved a new constitution to abolish direct President elections is	Angola
The name of former Swiss banker who passed on files detailing tax evasion attempts by hundreds of politicians, celebrities and business leaders to Wikileaks is	Julius Baer
The autonomous region of Somalia that says that it is ‘breaking away’ from the federation until a legitimate government is put in place	Puntland
Latin American country against whom many travel and other restrictions were eased by US is	Cuba
The country which is laying undersea optical cable of 1,500 kms length to Cuba so as to provide it high speed internet connectivity is	Venezuela
The country has the highest wind power capacity after adding 16 GW in 2010, bringing its total to 41.8 GW, pushing US to the 2nd place (with 40.2 GW with installed capacity) is	China
The leader of Israeli Labour Party is Ehud Barak and four other Labour Party MPs announced their resignation from party and announced the formation of a new ‘centrist Zionist and democratic’ faction called	Independence
The former President of Haiti who was arrested amidst corruption and theft charges	Jean-Claude Duvalier
President of Armenia has accused Turkey of ‘destroying’ a bid to normalize relations between two countries, which are currently locked in a dispute over mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during	World War I
Country which sought an arrest warrant against Israeli Opposition leader, Tzipi Livni (of Kadima Party) for war crimes committed when she was Foreign Minister during 2008-09 Gaza War is	South Africa
While Rotterdam (Netherlands) enjoyed the status of being the busiest container airport in Europe, the world’s busiest container port in 2010 after replacing Singapore port is	Port of Shanghai
As Arctic ice is melting, Russia, Norway, Canada, Denmark and USA are laying claims over maritime borders. Their main motive is to exploit its mineral wealth of Arctic. As per UN Convention on Law of Sea (UNCLOS), the limit up to which a coastal nation can claim exclusive economic rights to natural resources or beneath the sea floor is	200 Nautical miles (370 km)
Foued Mebazaa, speaker of parliament, took over as interim President (after its President fled the country after riots) and called for the formation of National Unity Government under PM Mohammed Ghannouchi. The country is	Tunisia
The most industrialized Asian country where PM has effected cabinet reshuffle with motive of fiscal consolidation and trade liberalization is	Japan
Eurozone has 17members as on January 17, 2011. The country to join Eurozone in 2011 is	Estonia
Executive Director of United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is	Antony Lake
Country known as Sick Man of Europe, active supporter of Iran’s Nuclear Programme and candidate for inclusion into European Union is	Turkey
The oil rich country in Africa where large scale riots took place in 2010 and elections are scheduled to be held on April 9th 2011 is	Nigeria
Member of Democratic Party and 3rd woman in Arizona’s history to be elected to serve in the US Congress, who was shot at among 12 people in Tucson in Arizona, USA	Gabrielle Giffords
India signed the Nuclear Liability Treaty under the aegis of IAEA. The number of countries which have signed the treaty so far is	14
Ex-Brazilian President who was selected for the prestigious Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for 2010 that is	Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
One of the world’s most volatile and dangerous volcanoes started erupting on November 23, 2010 is	Mt. Merapi (Indonesia)
Under the 1994 Bogor (Indonesia) Goals, year 2010 was the deadline for APEC’s industrialized nations to issue a report on their progress in liberalizing trade and facilitating investment. But during its annual session in November 2010, it accepted its failure to achieve the objectives. The session was held in	Yokohama, Japan
India ranked 119th among 169 countries in the latest edition of the Human Development Index (HDI). UN agency which annually releases HDI is	UNDP
South Asian Nation which has been chosen to head IAEA, despite its refusal to accept NPT and its dubious record in supplying nuclear parts and technology to Iran and North Korea is	Pakistan
The top country in contributing to space debris is	China
During Indo-Pak water talks although many pending issues were resolved but differences persisted over the construction of	Baglihar dam
South East Asian nation with which India recently signed a Social Security Agreement to enhance the movement of professions between the two nations and strengthen bilateral trade and investment is	South Korea
CEO and Managing Director of BrahMos Aerospace, an Indo-Russian joint venture is	Sivathanu Pillai
As per UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the country which has been replaced as the second most desired place of FDIs is	USA
The Asian country with which EU agreed to sign a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is	South Korea
The number of nuclear reactors in India operating under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards are	7
Country with which India signed a major pact to expand exchanges in education sector is	Australia
China is building a new airport near Mount Everest, which has been named as	Peace Airport
The ousted PM of Thailand who took up the Montenegrin citizenship is	Thaksin Shinawatra
The first country to sign a civil nuclear accord with India was	France
The region in Sudan which is a hotbed of revolutionary activities and fighting among warlords	Darfur
With expected trade of $12 billion, the India’s largest trading partner in Africa is	Nigeria
Republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia which have been recognized by Russia basically belong to	Georgia
The name of US space shuttle was launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral (Florida) for a 13-day trip to the International Space Station is	Endeavour
International Space Station (ISS) remains in the earth’s atmosphere at an average height of	300-350 km
India’s rank in World Uranium Production as per the latest data of World Nuclear Association is	13th
India, Brazil and Russia have found place in the Top 10 ranks of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the first time. Presently, the number of members in IMF is	187
According to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the largest buyer country of warplanes (out of the total 995 warplanes sold) during 2005-09 is	India
Country hosting of the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games is	Brazil
International Energy Agency reported that global oil demand is expected to reach 87.3 million barrels per day by 2011. China and India alone are expected to consume almost a third of world’s energy by	2030
The country producing 90% of opium in the world is	Afghanistan
The memoir of former US President George W Bush, highlight the major decisions Bush made in his personal life as well as during his presidency	Decision Points
In a significant gesture, US has allowed a waiver on restrictions on export of C-130 cargo aircraft to	China
Offshore Southeast Asia Exhibition (OSEA 2010) was held during first week of December, 2010 as a platform to explore oil and gas business avenues, expand market share and penetrate emerging markets. It was held in	Singapore
The Phase I of the new port was constructed by Chinese Company, at a cost of $360 million in a South Asian Country. It is	Hambantota, Sri Lanka
The country with which Russia has recently ended a 40 year dispute over their maritime borders in Arctic region and signed a treaty that will allow it to explore new oil and gas in the area is	Norway
Founded in 1985, South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) includes Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan and Afghanistan. The 16th SAARC summit was held in Thimphu in April 2010. The 17th summit will be held in November 2011 in	Male (Maldives)
National United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship is a political pressure group in Thailand. The popular name for the group is	Red Shirts
According to “Doing Business Report” by UN, the best country in the world to do business with is	World Bank
Indian Business conglomerate to give a whopping $50 million to Harvard Business School the largest gift received by it from an international donor in its 102-year old history) is	Tata Group
The only European country to have a female President and PM is	Finland (in 2003)
The country which sells oil to Bangladesh at a subsidized price and also employs over 2 million of its people is	Saudi Arabia
The country which successfully launched Plano Real in 1994 to contain inflation was	Brazil
The country where four New York Times journalists were captured and released later	Tunisia
The country with which USA announced its largest ever arms deal worth $60-70 billion to sell aircraft, helicopters and other weapons is	Saudi Arabia
According to US Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC), the largest circulated newspaper in US is	The Wall Street Journal
The US state to approve $6 billion Blythe solar power project (the world’s largest solar plant that would save one million tons of carbon dioxide annually) is	California
The central American country that is looking to spark India’s interest in a joint venture in carbon-neutral agriculture as well as adaptation of its technology from India aerospace industry	Costa Rica
India along with Pakistan, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan, has signed the gas sales purchase agreement (GSPA) for trans-national pipeline project, will transport gas from Turkmenistan to all these countries. International organization which is likely to fund project, fully or partially, is	Asian Development Bank
According to Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), global food prices rose to their highest level in two years due to a sharp rise in wheat prices. FAO is headquartered in	Rome
As per the latest World Economic Outlook Database, European country having the highest GDP is	Germany
The African country with which India signed an MoU to conduct a feasibility study for setting up a urea plant with an annual capacity of at least one million tonnes is	Ghana
The right to develop huge Trebs and Titov deposits in oil-rich Timan-Pechora province in Russia has been won by Bashneft oil company in December, 2010. Russian subsidiary of ONGC which applied for participation in the bidding process was	Nord Imperial
Latin American country to have signed 18 agreements with China covering infrastructure, energy and railway projects is	Argentina
The country with which Russia has signed an agreement to jointly develop a five million tonnes capacity LNG plant in city Vladivostok is	Thailand
African country conducted nation’s first democratic election since independence in 1958	Guinea
The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced a three-year partnership with an auto company through which the company will become a global partner with a major presence at all ICC events. The auto company in question is	Hero Honda
The Indian-origin man was given the Order of the Baobab in Silver, one of South Africa’s highest honours	Imtiaz Sooliman
India’s biggest trade partner in EU is	Germany
According to a recent report, both India and China buy their maximum defence equipments from	Russia
The Chairman of Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which is the world’s largest regional security club is	Kazakhstan
USA and China lead the list of Top 10 countries with the highest military expenditure. The country stands at number three spot is	France
A mechanism developed for energy efficiency by India which is to cover production units accounting for more than 50% of the fossil fuel consumption in India and help reduce CO2 emissions by 25 million tonnes per annum by 2014-15 is	Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT)
USA is the biggest arms supplier in the world, accounting for nearly 30 percent of weapons exports. It has entered into agreement to supply weapons worth $60 billion to	Saudi Arabia
According to UNIDO’s ‘Yearbook of Industrial Statistics 2010’, India’s rank in the world’s top ten countries in industrial production is	Ninth
Aditya Birla Group announced the acquisition of Compass BPO which belongs to	United Kingdom
The two countries in Latin America, which does not enjoy common border with Brazil are	Chile, Ecuador
Public Sector oil exploration company which has emerged as the world’s top oil and gas exploration and production company, overtaking China National Offshore Oil Corporation	ONGC
President of Iraq which formally asked the PM Nouri al-Maliki, to form a new government thus ending the eight nations of deadlock that plunged the country into uncertainty. President of Iraq is	Jalal Talabani
India is currently the world’s fifth largest importer of oil and likely to become the 3rd largest one after USA and China by 2025 (or even earlier). According to the BP Statistical Review of World Energy, India’s primary energy consumption in 2009 was 469 million tonnes of oil equivalent that is	4.2% of global consumption
Yamal-Nenets, which accounts for nearly one-fifth of the world’s natural gas production is located in	Russia (North West Siberia)
The country which hosted a four day summit of the global wildlife experts and politicians from 13 countries to discuss plan to revive the world’s tiger population	Russia
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was the Chief Guest on the Republic Day of January 26, 2011. He is the President of	Indonesia
World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is headquartered in	Montreal, Canada
The country which declared end of 6 year conflict with Houthi fighters in the country’s north is	Yemen
Indian-American chosen by World Economic Forum for its 2010 class of Young Global Leaders is	Sanjay Gupta
The largest export market for Australia is	China
The island country which is the only country in the world to be a simultaneously member of African Union, Francophonie, Organization of the Islamic Conference, Arab League and Indian Ocean Commission is	Comoros
The EU was established in 1957 with  headquarters at	Brussels, Belgium
The three largest creditors to US Government are China (mainland), Japan and UK with respective debts of (in billions $)	906.8; 877.4; and 477.6
Goodluck Jonathan is the President of	Nigeria
Nestor Kirchner was elected as the first Secretary General of South American Nations (UNASUR). He was the former President of	Argentina
French-American mathematician, who explored a new class of mathematical shapes known as ‘fractals’ and died recently is	Benoit Mandelbrot
Iran and Pakistan have signed the natural gas pipeline deal. The project was first conceptualized and proposed by	Rajiv Gandhi
The Asia’s largest residential university is	BHU, Allahabad
As per commitment on nuclear deal with US, India signed the “Convention of Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage” at IAEA Headquarters in	Vienna
The African country whose President Bingu Wa Mutharika on a state visit to India was conferred an honorary degree by Delhi University for his stupendous works  in the African Union is	Malawi
The four countries which doled out higher food subsidies in 2008 that what they had committed (as per WTO subsidy norms) and which was protested by USA and India are	Costa Rica, Poland, Israel and Norway
The total number of Landlocked developing countries in the world is	33
The Indian business leader who has been included in a 19 member group of notables that will assist the UK government in preparing business strategies and highlight priorities for the British economy	Ratan Tata
The person who is known as George Washington of South America is	Simon Bolivar
The annual bilateral ‘SIMBEX’ exercise is conducted between the navies of India and	Singapore
Jose Ramos Horta, the Nobel Prize winner was the President of	East Timor
African country where Mango Cooperative Program is being implemented in collaboration with UN Development Programme is	Mali
International Centre for Agriculture in Dry Areas (ICARDA) was visited by our President during her visit to Gulf countries in 2010. It is located in	Aleppo city (Syria)
World record holder from Ethiopia who recently announced his retirement, to drop out of the New York City Marathon, is	Haile Gebrselassie
In January 2011, the country ready to buy 4 to 5 billion euros (around $6.6 billion) of Portuguese sovereign debt to help the country ward off pressure in debt markets, is	China
UN General Assembly adopted a resolution appealing nations to impose a moratorium on the use of death penalty, 3rd such step by world body against capital punishment since 2007. The number of countries which have abolished the death penalty in law or practice are	136 (out of 192 UN members)
The name of Turkish humanitarian aid ship that was the scene of bloodshed during an Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in May, 2010 and welcomed by thousands of pro-Palestinian activists when it sailed into Istanbul’s Sarayburnu port after repairs at a port on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast is	Mavi Marmara
The promoter of Red Cross in 1864 was	Jean Henri Durant
The Organization that considered that right activist Binayak Sen is the prisoner of conscience and the life sentence handed down to him violates international standards of fair trail and has warned that it is likely to ‘inflame’ tension in the conflict-affected area, is	Amnesty International
The oil tycoon and once richest person of Russia who is serving a eight year prison term and now found guilty of stealing oil from his own company in second trail, is	Khodorkovsky
The first western country to declare caste discrimination unlawful by organization it as a form of racial prejudice (subject to acceptance of study commissioned to help it take a decision)	Britain
The WTO which replaced the earlier GATT, was set up in the year	1995
The country whose satellite namely X-Sat is to be placed into orbit by Indian Space Research Organization through Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C16), is	Singapore
Temasek is the investment arm of	Singapore
The Britain longest MP of Indian origin is	Keith Vaz
The world’s 3rd largest transmission utility, has decided to diversify in telecommunication is	Power Grid Corporation
The country gave Myanmar’s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi honorary citizenship in 2007, not its PM invited her to visit the country and personally accept the honorary citizenship is	Canada
The Indian who has been elected to Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), which controls the purse strings of UN and has an annual budget of $22 billion is	Namgya Khampa
New UN agency to promote equality for women and India has also been elected as its member is	UN Women
The former President of Argentina, who served as president from 2003 to 2007 and was being tipped to stand for election again in 2011 has died recently is	Nestor Kirchner
The chairman of UN’s Foundation and the founder of Cable News Network (CNN) who has donated $1 billion towards the eradication of polio in Nigeria is	Ted Turner
While the common name of People’s Republic of China is China, the Republic of China is known as	Taiwan