december double tonic 2015 1

www.bankersadda.com | www.careerpower.in | www.sscadda.com Page 1

Dear Readers, After the capsule which covered the news from September to December 12 to help you all to score well in General Awareness Section, we have made the Double Tonic of December 2015, which includes the news from 12th December to 24th December 2015.

Do read it as we have compiled all the important news from the entire topics.

This will surely help you in upcoming exams especially in IBPS CLERK MAINS 2016.


BANKING NEWS

In a bid to curtail domestic black money flow, the finance ministry recently announced mandatory furnishing of permanent account number (PAN) for all transactions above Rs 2 lakh through all payment modes with effect from January 1, 2016. Earlier this limit was Rs 1 lakh announced by finance ministry in budget the budget 2015-2016. Mandatory quoting of PAN cards are following....

1. The monetary limit for sale or purchase of immovable property has been raised from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh, and that for hotel / restaurant bills as well as buying tickets for foreign travel raised from Rs 25,000 to Rs 50,000. Sale or purchase of shares of an unlisted company has been raised from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh.

2. In line with the government's thrust on financial inclusion, opening of a no-frills bank account such as Jan Dhan will not require PAN. The requirement of PAN applies to opening of all bank accounts including in co-operative banks.

3. Installation of cellphone and telephone connections will not require quotation of PAN anymore.

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has extended the deadline for exchanging pre-2005 currency notes of various denominations by another six months to June 30, 2016. From January 1, 2016 such facility for exchanging pre-2005 currency notes will only be available at identified bank branches and Issue Offices of the RBI. Earlier in June 2015, RBI had set the last date for public to exchange pre-2005 banknotes notes as December 31, 2015.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 22 December 2015 created a dedicated helpline (Email) for start-ups in India in order to offer assistance on Forex matters to them for undertaking cross-border transactions within the ambit of the regulatory framework.

The Supreme Court on 16 December 2015 held that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is liable to disclose information about the banks and financial institutions for their action against the loan defaulters including industrialists under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005. The Court further ruled that RBI has statutory duty to uphold public interest and not the interest of individual banks. It has no legal duty to maximise the benefit of any public sector or private sector bank, and thus there is no relationship of trust between them.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 17 December 2015 released the final guidelines on computing interest rates on advances based on the Marginal Cost of Funds Methodology. The guidelines will come into effect from 1 April 2016. The new methodology is aimed at bringing uniformity among BRs of banks so that they

will be more sensitive to any changes in policy rates of the RBI like Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR), Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR), etc. All rupee loans sanctioned and credit limits renewed with effect from 1 April 2016 will be priced with reference to the Marginal Cost of Funds based Lending Rate (MCLR) which will be the internal benchmark for such purposes. The MCLR will be a tenor linked internal benchmark. Actual lending rates will be determined by adding the components of spread to the MCLR.

INDIAN ECONOMY IN NEWS

The World Bank on 15 December 2015 approved a 1.5 billion US dollar loan for the ambitious Clean India Campaign (Swachh Bharat Mission). The loan was granted to support the government in its efforts to ensure all citizens in rural areas have access to improved sanitation and end the practice of open defecation by 2019.

The Lok Sabha on 14 December 2015 passed the landmark Atomic Energy (Amendment) Bill, 2015. The bill seeks to overcome difficulties encountered in the setting up of new nuclear projects and enhancement of nuclear power generation.

The Union Cabinet, presided by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on 16 December 2015 gave its approval for the revised Model Text for the Indian Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT). The revised Indian model text for BIT will replace the existing Indian Model BIT. The revised model BIT will be used for re-negotiation of existing BITs and negotiation of future BITs and investment chapters in Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreements (CECAs)/ Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements (CEPAs) / Free Trade Agreements (FTAs).

Train passengers will now find it easier to make online

payments for the food ordered through e-catering with Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) entering into a tie-up with Paytm, a leading payment and e-commerce shopping website. Our tie-


up with Paytm will provide an additional payment gateway for food of their choice..

Pension fund regulatory body PFRDA has started using PAN instead of Aadhaar for validation of new customers who can now be registered online under the National Pension System (NPS) scheme. The Aadhaar-based online NPS account facility was started on a pilot basis, but following a Supreme Court judgment on usage of Aadhaar, it had to be discontinued.

The Payment of Bonus (Amendment) Bill, 2015: The Lok Sabha on 22 December 2015 passed The Payment of Bonus (Amendment) Bill, 2015. The Bill will allow doubling of wage ceiling for calculating bonus of factory workers. The Bill seeks to amend the Payment of Bonus Act, 1965. It seeks to raise the eligibility limit for payment of bonus from a salary of 10000 rupees to 21000 rupees a month.

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 22 December 2015 gave its approval for implementation of an umbrella scheme for integrated development and management of fisheries. The scheme will be implemented at an outlay of 3000 crore rupees, for a period of five years. It will cover development and management of inland fisheries, aquaculture, marine fisheries and all activities undertaken by the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) towards realizing Blue Revolution. The scheme aims development and management of fisheries and aquaculture sector to ensure a sustained annual growth rate of 6 to 8 percent. It will be implemented in all the States including North East States and Union Territories.

BUSINESS NEWS

Idea Cellular on 23 December 2015 became the third mobile operator in India to launch 4G services in India. Earlier, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone India had launched 4G services in India.

Tech Mahindra and Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd, part of the Mahindra Group, on 14 December 2015 acquired Italian car designer Pininfarina SpA for 165 million US dollars in an all-cash deal. Pininfarina is well-known for designing cars for Ferrari, Maserati, Rolls-Royce and Cadillac. For the acquisition of Milan-listed Pininfarina, Tech Mahindra and Mahindra and Mahindra have formed a 60:40 joint venture.

The National Stock Exchange (NSE) has launched three separate indices on three corporate houses of India viz. Tata, Aditya Birla and Mahindra Group. The first of its kind three separate indices based on corporate houses have been designed to reflect the performance of companies belonging to the respective corporate group.

1. Nifty Tata Group Index: It includes 25 companies across 12 sectors with a total market capitalisation of 7.51 lakh crore rupees. It represents 7.83 per cent of the total market capitalisation of companies listed on the NSE.

2. Nifty Aditya Birla Group Index: It consists of eight companies across seven sectors with the market capitalisation of 2.08 lakh crore rupees. It represents 2.17 per cent of the total market capitalisation of companies listed on the NSE.

3. Nifty Mahindra Group Index: It consists of seven companies with a market capitalisation of about 1.64 lakh crore rupees. It represents 1.71 per cent of the total market capitalisation of companies listed on NSE.

The Union Cabinet has approved a policy framework for development of Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) in unexplored coal and lignite bearing areas in the country. Decision in this regard was taken by Union Cabinet Committee meeting chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. What is Underground Coal Gasification (UCG)? UCG is a clean coal extraction technology for extracting energy from the coal seams and lignite resources which cannot be mined through traditional mining technology. It is mainly an industrial process which converts coal into product gases such as methane, hydrogen, CO and CO2 that are combusted for electricity generation. The gasification process is carried out in non-mined coal seams using injection of oxidants which brings the product gas to surface through production wells drilled from the surface.

India has joined select club nations to build Liquefied natural gas (LNG) ships after state owned Cochin Shipyard has received certification in this regard. Cochin Shipyard also became first shipyard in India to get the nod to build LNG-transporting ships for any client world-wide.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 22 December 2015 gave its approval for investment of 5000 crore rupees by Oil and Natural Gas Company Limited (ONGC) into the equity share capital of ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) by conversion of existing loan of equivalent amount into equity

NATIONAL NEWS

President of France Francois Hollande will be the Chief Guest at the 67th Republic Day parade of January 26, 2016. It was announced by Union Ministry External Affairs (MEA) after the French President accepted the invitation to witness Republic Day celebration as chief guest.

Project Loon - Union Government has given in principle approval to work on Loon project of internet


search engine giant Google for providing Internet connectivity by using large balloons. The announcement was made by Google CEO Sunder Pichai in New Delhi after meeting Union Communication and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. The project will be started on a pilot basis and state run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) will be partner with the project in order to expand Internet connectivity in the country.

National Commission for Safai Karamcharis presented its Annual Report 2014-15 to the Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Thawar Chand Gehlot on 11 December 2015.

Two Indian cities, Varanasi and Jaipur, on 11 December 2015 have made it to the Creative City Network of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for the first time ever. Varanasi and Jaipur made it to the network in the categories, City of Music and City of Crafts and Folk Art respectively.

National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered ban on registration of new diesel-run vehicles in Delhi to curb the growing menace of air pollution in the capital city.

The Union Government has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for establishing three Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIITs) in the country. These IIITs are being set up at Ranchi (Jharkhand), Nagpur and Pune (Maharashtra).

Supreme Court has banned the registration of all diesel

SUVs (Sports Utility Vechiles) and luxury cars in the entire National Capital Region (NCR) of Delhi. The ban will be valid to SUVs, luxury cars with engine capacity of 2000 cc or more till March 31, 2016. The SC ruling aims at curbing the alarming pollution level in Delhi. Presently, over 23 percent (around 8.5 million) of the vehicles on Delhi roads run on diesel and more than 1,400 new cars are added every day. These diesel vehicles produce much more carcinogenic nitrogen oxide than petrol cars and are one main source of Particulate Matters.

Union Government on 14 December 2015 requested the states and Union Territories (UT) to start Operation Smile-II from 1 January 2016. The operation will end

on 31 January 2016. Operation Smile-II is a campaign to rescue/rehabilitate the missing children. It is a follow up of the exercise Operation Smile that helped in rescuing and rehabilitating 9146 missing children.

Indias biggest Wildlife Rescue Centre named as Gorewada Zoo and Wildlife Rescue Centre has been commissioned at Gorewada near Nagpur, Maharashtra.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Dengvaxia vaccine- Philippines became the first Asian country to approve the sale of the worlds first ever dengue vaccine Dengvaxia in the country. The Dengvaxia vaccine has been manufactured by French pharmaceutical manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur. It has been designed to protect people in the 9-45 age groups from all four subtypes of the virus.

Inle Lake: Myanmar recently launched its first UNSECO Biosphere Reserve Inle Lake in Shan state. The Inle Lake was designated as UNESCO Biosphere reserve in Paris in June 2015. With this, Myanmar fulfilled its commitment to bio-diversity and eco-system conservation under the UNESCOs Man and Biosphere Prorgamme.

Zimbabwe's Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa on 21 December 2015 announced that the country has planned to adopt the Chinese Yuan as legal tender. It will be done in return for debt cancellation worth 40 million dollars in the second week of December 2015. As per the decision, Yuan will be a function of trade between China and Zimbabwe and acceptability with customers in Zimbabwe.

Saudi Arabian voters on 12 December 2015 voted to elect women in at least 18 municipal council seats. This was a historic local elections in Saudi Arabia in which women were allowed to vote and run for office for the first time. This event occurred for the first time in the history of the country. The results of the election were declared on 13 December 2015.

Construction work on the TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) Gas Pipeline project started in Turkmenistan on 13 December 2015. The work started after the button to begin the welding process of the project was pressed. The TAPI project is intended to deliver Caspian Sea natural from the energy-rich former Soviet republic Turkmenistan to three South Asian countries. The pipeline will carry the gas from the Dauletabad gas field in Turkmenistan to the Indian town of Fazilka, in the Punjab near the Pakistan-India border. The pipeline will cross the Afghan cities of Herat and Kandahar as well as Pakistan cities of Quetta and Multan.

The United Nations Human Development Report 2015 was released on 14 December 2015 with the title Work


for Human Development in Ethiopia. As per the report, 2 billion people lifted out of low human development in last 25 years. In the 2015 report, India with a score of 0.609 has been ranked 130 out of 188 countries in terms of Human Development Index (HDI). In the 2014 report, India was ranked 135 out of 187 countries.

Saudi Arabia has launched Islamic Military Coalition, a new military alliance of 34 nations mainly Muslim nations to fight terrorism. It has been established in pursuance of the objectives and principles of the charter of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). It calls for all member states to cooperate to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has ended its 12-year investigation into concerns that Iran might be developing nuclear weapons. In this regard, IAEA Board of Governors have passed a resolution ending its long-running inquiry against Ian but allowing inspectors to continue to police the countrys nuclear programme.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has unanimously adopted a resolution No. 2254 outlining a peace process in Syria. The resolution endorses an international roadmap for a Syria peace process to end Syrias five-year-long civil war.

Miss Iraq beauty pageant was held for the first time since 1972. It was held on 20 December 2015 at a hotel in the capital Baghdad and involved eight contestants. In the final event of the pageant, Shaymaa Qasim Abdelrahman was crowned Miss Iraq. She is a 20-year-old from multi-ethnic city of Kirkuk which is situated in the north of Iraq.

Government of Nepal on 20 December 2015 decided to amend the Constitution to address two key demands of agitating Madhesis regarding proportional representation and constituency delimitation.

STATES IN NEWS

Losar, the biggest Tibetan Buddhist Festival began on 12 December 2015 in Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir. The festival marks the beginning of New Year for Buddhists. The annual festival is celebrated by people of the area with traditional and religion fervor.

Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) on Monday announced the launch of the Phase-2 development, which will be focused on International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) to be set up in GIFT SEZ. With the launch of Phase-2 development, GIFT City has invited proposals from developers to build office towers in SEZ and non-SEZ areas, an official statement said here.

The Maharashtra government on 11 December 2015 constituted a task force for setting up an International Financial Service Centre (IFSC) in Mumbai. The task force will be headed by Union Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha.

Out of the total 60 Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) of the Arunachal Pradesh Assembly, 33 members on 16 December 2015 passed a resolution to remove the Speaker Nabam Rebia.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday recalled nationalist leader Shyamji Krishna Varma as the first non-Brahmin to have received a degree of Pandit in Varanasi. He was speaking after handing over the certificate of reistatement of Varma to the UK Bar to Chief Minister Anandiben Patel at an event here.

West Bengal Government has approved proposal for formation of five new districts in the state. With this the total number of districts of Bengal will increase to 25.

Following are the new districts:

1. Kalimpong 2. Sundarbans 3. Basirhat 4. Burdwan (Industrial) 5. Jhargram

Bihar government on 23 December 2015 banned 15-year-old diesel vehicles from plying in the Capital, Patna. The decision was taken in view of increasing pollution.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on 22 December 2015 approved much anticipated Patna Metro Rail project's proposal. The state government will now send the proposal for the union government's clearance.

Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 22 December 2015 approved the Lucknow Metro Rail Project Phase-1 A. To be developed at an expenditure of 6928 crore rupees, the project will cover a length of 22.878 km with 22 stations.

NEW SCHEMES (CENTRAL AND STATES):

Anwesha scheme: The Odisha Government on 21 December 2015 launched Anwesha scheme to provide free education to scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students. Under the scheme, 5000 SC and ST children will annually be enrolled into Standard I in leading private schools in urban areas of the state. The government will bear all expenses for education of the students under the scheme which will be implemented in 17 districts. The expenses for fees, uniform, books, hostel accommodation as well transportation will be sponsored by the government.


NEW APPOINTMENT (INDIA)

Pawan Kumar Agarwal- Senior IAS officer Pawan Kumar Agarwal has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Food Regulator Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). He will succeed Yudhvir Singh Malik who was appointed as Additional Secretary in National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog in September 2015.

Gautam H Bambawale- Gautam H Bambawale was on 23 December 2015 appointed as the High Commissioner of India to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. He is presently serving as the Indian ambassador to Bhutan. Bambawale will succeed TCA Raghavan, who will retire at the end of December 2015

Amit Agarwal- Private air carrier Jet Airways has appointed Amit Agarwal as its new full time Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

Prakash Kumar Singh: Prakash Kumar Singh appointed as the new chairman of state-run Steel Authority of India (SAIL). The post of permanent chairman in the company has been lying vacant since incumbent CS Verma was refused an extension by the government in June.

Ahmad Javed: Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on 11 December 2015 appointed Mumbai Police Commissioner Ahmad Javed as the Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. With this, Javed became the 20th Ambassador to Saudi Arabia. He is also the fourth IPS officer to be appointed as an Ambassador, which is generally is a domain of Indian Forest Service officers.

Arun Kumar Jain: Senior revenue service officer Arun Kumar Jain appointed Chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT). His appointment was approved by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Reva Khetrapal: Former Delhi High Court judge Reva Khetrapal on 17 December 2015 took oath as Delhi's new Lokayukta. The post of the anti-corruption ombudsman was vacant since November 2013, when retired Justice Manmohan Sarin renounced the office.

Lalit Modi : After being ousted as president of the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) for 14 months, former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi was, on Wednesday, reinstated.

R.K. Mathur: Former Defence Secretary R.K. Mathur has been appointed as Chief Information Commissioner (CIC), breaking away from the convention of appointing the head from among the serving Information Commissioners. The post had fallen vacant after Vijai Sharma completed his tenure on December 1. He will have tenure of about three years, till he attains the age of 65 years.

NEW APPOINTMENT (WORLD)

Pravin Gordhan: Pravin Gordhan an Indian-origin politician has been appointed as South Africas new Finance Minister. With this he becomes countrys third Finance Minister in a week. He replaces David van Rooyen who was appointed on 10 November 2015.

Sanjay Pradhan: The Open Government Partnership (OGP) on 16 December 2015 selected Indian-origin World Bank official Sanjay Pradhan to lead the organization. Currently vice president for Change, Leadership and Innovation at the World Bank Group, Pradhan will assume the new charge by mid-2016.

Jeff Williams: Jeff Williams was on 18 December 2015 appointed as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Apple Inc. The post of COO of the company had been lying vacant since Tim Cook's ascension to position of Chief Executive Officer of Apple Inc in 2011.

SUMMITS AND CONFERENCES

The five-day long 10th World Trade Organisation (WTO) Ministerial Conference concluded on 19 December 2015 in Nairobi, Kenya. The conference concluded with the adoption of the Nairobi Package that is aimed at benefitting organizations poorest members. The conference was attended by trade ministers of 162 member countries of the WTO. India was represented by Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Commerce & Industry Nirmala Sitharaman. It is for the first such meeting hosted by an African nation. The Nairobi Package contains a series of six Ministerial Decisions on agriculture, cotton and issues related to least-developed countries.

India-Laos International conference held in Delhi, inaugurated by Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma.

Conference of the Parties 21 (COP 21) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on 12 December 2015 adopted the Paris Agreement on Climate Change which was attended by 192 parties. India was represented by


Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar. The agreement facilitates enforcement of global green house emission reduction measures in the post-2020 (post Kyoto Protocol) scenario. It was prepared based on consensus among the parties incorporating Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) of the respective parties including that of India. The primary objective of the protocol is to limit the global average temperature to well below 2 C above pre-industrial levels. Efforts will be made to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 C above pre-industrial levels so that it will be possible to reduce the risks and impacts of climate change. It was adopted in the light of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in particular its goal 13 that advocates for urgent action to combat climate change.

UBM India recently concluded its 9th International Fire & Security Exhibition and Conference (IFSEC) India Expo 2015 in the Capital. It was inaugurated by Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia. Sisodia said, We need better security systems this is somewhat mandatory in the current scenario.

Combined Commanders Conference(Also known as Unified Commanders Conference), an annual tri-services event chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was held on board INS Vikramaditya about 50 kms off Kochi coast. This is the first time when the conference was held outside New Delhi. It was attended by Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, all three services chiefs and other senior officers of three armed services.

The three-day long 2nd World Internet Conference was concluded on 18 December 2015 at Wuzen in China. The conference was held with theme An Interconnected World Shared and Governed by AllBuilding a Cyberspace Community of Shared Destiny.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has formally inaugurated the All-India conference of Directors General of Police (AICDGPs) at Dhordo in white Rann of Kutch region near Bhuj, Gujarat. Three day conference was inaugurated in the presence of Union Minister for Home Rajnath Singh, Minister of State for Home Kiran Rijju and Haribhai Patel.

SPORTS NEWS

Brendon McCullum: New Zealand cricket captain Brendon McCullum on 22 December 2015 announced retirement from all forms of international cricket. He will retire after the two home test series against Australia, which will begin in February 2016.

Deborah Herold: Indian cyclist on 11 December 2015 became the first Indian female cyclist to be ranked

fourth in the World Elite Women Ranking for the 500m time trial event. The ranking was issued by cycling world body International Cycling Union (UCI).

Elizabeth Susan Koshy: Keralas Elizabeth Susan Koshy on 11 December 2015 won the Women's 50m Rifle 3 Positions Gold at the 59th National Shooting Championships held at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting range in New Delhi.

Orgnaising committee of 12th South Asian Games (OC-SAG) on 13 December 2014 unveiled mascot of the games and logo at ITA Cultural Center Machkhowa in Guwahati, Assam. The mascot Tikhor is a one horned rhino and is the brand ambassador of the games carries the message of peace, stability, amity and progress in the South Asian region. On the other hand, the logo has eight petals representing the countries participating in the mega event. The mega event will be jointly held in Guwahati and Shillong from 6 February to 16 February 2016.

Japanese shuttlers Kento Momota and Nozomi Okuhara on 13 December 2015 won Men's singles and Womens singles title respectively at the BWF World Superseries finals held at the Hamdan Sports Complex, Dubai. Okuhara defeated Chinas Wang Yihan by 22-20, 21-18 to grab the womens singles crown. Not much later, Momota crushed Denmarks Viktor Axelsen by 21-15, 21-12 and clinched the Mens singles title.

Vijay Kumar on 13 December 2015 won the centre fire pistol gold in the 59th National shooting championship at the Dr Karni Singh Range in Tughlakabad in New Delhi. To win the gold, Vijay Kumar scored 588 points to pip Gurpreet Singh by two points.

Indias star golfer Anirban Lahiri (28) has won the coveted Order of Merit crown of Asian Tour for year 2015. In the 2015 season world No. 41, Lahiri has earned $1,139,084 a way ahead of second-placed Scott Hend of Australia who has earned $491,631. With this he became only the fourth Indian golfer to win this coveted award after Jeev Milkha Singh (2006, 2008), Arjun Atwal (2003) and Jyoti Randhawa (2002). Anirban Lahiri has won twice on the Asias premier Tour to be ranked into the worlds top-50 golfers.

Apurvi Chandela from Rajasthan has won a Gold medal in the 59th National Shooting Championship in Delhi. She won the gold medal in 10-metre Air Rifle event in womens category by shooting 207.8 score in the finals.

The National selectors decided that M.S. Dhoni will remain captain of the limited-overs sides till the World T20 championship in March. Before announcing the teams for Indias upcoming tour of Australia next month, BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur announced the decision regarding Dhoni.


Bengaluru FC (BFC) midfielder Eugeneson Lyngdoh and striker Bala Devi on 20 December 2015 was named the 2015 All India Football Federation (AIFF) Player-of-the-Year and woman Footballer-of-the-Year respectively. The awards were announced at the AIFF Annual General Body Meeting held in Margao, Goa.

Kane Williamson, 25, on 21 December 2015 became the first cricketer from New Zealand to top the International Cricket Councils (ICCs) Test rankings. He clinched the spot after guiding the Black Caps to a series-clinching five-wicket win in the second Test against Sri Lanka in Hamilton.

Indias Abhay Singh on 20 December 2015 won the Under-19 Singapore Squash Open. In the final of the Old Chang Kee Singapore Open, he defeated second seed Alwin Chai of Malaysia.

Chennaiyin FC was crowned as the champions of the 2nd Indian Super League (ISL) Football tournament on 20 December 2015. In the final played at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, Goa, Chennaiyin defeated the hosts FC Goa, 3-2. Mendoza, who finished as the tournament's highest scorer with 13 goals, bagged the 'Golden boot' as well as the 'Hero of the League' award.

FC Barcelona on 20 December 2015 won the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup. To win the title, Barcelona defeated Argentinas River Plate by 3-0. The final match was held at the International Stadium in Yokohama, Japan.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on 23 December 2015 announced the winners for the 2015 ICC Awards in Dubai, the UAE. The awards were based on performance of individuals and teams, both men and women, between 18 September 2014 and 13 September 2015. Among the 10 awards announced, the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Cricketer of the Year and Test Cricketer of the Year were conferred on Australian captain Steve Smith. With this announcement, Smith became the fourth Australian and 11th overall to win the prestigious award named after former West Indies cricketer Sir Garfield Sobers. During the voting period, the 26-year-old from New South Wales finished as the leading run-scorer in Tests with 1734 runs in 25 innings of 13 matches at an average of 82.57. This included seven centuries and six half-centuries.

1. Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Cricketer of the Year - Steven Smith (Australia)

2. ICC Test Cricketer of the Year - Steven Smith (Australia) 3. ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year - AB de Villiers (South

Africa) 4. ICC Womens ODI Cricketer of the Year - Meg Lanning

(Australia) 5. ICC Emerging Cricketer of the Year - Josh Hazlewood

(Australia)

6. ICC Associate and Affiliate Cricketer of the Year - Khurram Khan (UAE)

7. ICC Twenty20 International Performance of the Year - Faf du Plessis (South Africa)

8. ICC Womens T20I Cricketer of the Year - Stafanie Taylor (West Indies)

9. David Shepherd Trophy for ICC Umpire of the Year - Richard Kettleborough

10. ICC Spirit of Cricket Award - Brendon McCullum (New Zealand)

International Tennis Federation (ITF) on 22 December 2015 announced winners of 2015 World Champions. The awards were conferred on the basis of players performance in the 2015 season. They will receive their awards at the 2016 ITF World Champions Dinner on 31 May 2015, in Paris, during Roland Garros.

1. Mens World Champion - Novak Djokovic (Serbia) 2. Womens World Champion - Serena Williams (the USA) 3. Mens Doubles World Champions - Jean-Julien Rojer

(Netherlands) & Horia Tecau (Romania) 4. Womens Doubles World Champions - Martina Hingis

(Switzerland) & Sania Mirza (India) 5. ITF Junior World Champions - Dalma Galfi (Hungary) &

Taylor Fritz (the USA) 6. ITF Wheelchair World Champions - Jiske Griffioen

(Netherlands) & Shingo Kunieda (Japan) Andy Murray of the UK on 20 December 2015 received

the 2015 BBC Sports Personality of the Year award in London. The Scottish tennis-player was presented the award by Irish boxing legend Barry McGuigan. AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS

National Medal of Science Awards of the United States- Indian American professor Dr. Rakesh K. Jain has been selected for 2015 National Medal of Science of the United States. He will be presented this top award along with 16 other winners by President Barack Obama at a White House ceremony in January 2016. All of them were chosen for this award for their individual achievement and leadership in advancing the fields of science and technology. Rakesh K. Jain is currently working as professor at Harvard Medical School and also is the director of tumour biology laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Graham Bell Award: Global software giant Wipro on 11 December 2015 announced that it won the 2015 Aegis Graham Bell Award for developing a solution for the Internet of Things (IoT).

Mailer Prize for lifetime achievement: India-born author Salman Rushdie on 10 December 2015 was awarded the prestigious Mailer Prize for lifetime achievement. American experimental performance artist Laurie Anderson presented the award to Rushdie


at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York City. The Mailer Prize is an American literary award established in 2009 by The Norman Mailer Center and The Norman Mailer Writers Colony.

Legendary actor Dilip Kumar was today presented the Padma Vibhushan by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh at the thespians residence in suburban Bandra.

South East Asian Write Award: Indian-origin Tamil writer Jamaludeen Mohamed Sali on 11 December 2015 was declared as the winner of the prestigious South East Asian Write Award for Singapore. Sali will receive the award for literary excellence on 14 December 2015 at a eremony in Bangkok. Born in Madras in 1939, J M Sali was invited to Singapore at the age of 25 to be an assistant editor at the Tamil Murasu newspaper by its founder, the late G Sarangapani. Sali worked for local broadcasting station, Singapore Broadcasting Corporation, as a broadcast journalist.

The West Bengal Government on 14 December 2015 honoured music composer Bappi Lahiri and singer Kumar Sanu with Lifetime Achievement Awards. Besides, Bollywood musician Shantanu Moitra was awarded with the Sangeet Mahasamman Award. The Bishesh Sangeet Samman was awarded to Dwijen Mukhyopadhyay, Ajoy Chakraborty and Sandhya Mukherjee. Vocalists Nachiketa, Sriradha Bandyopadhyay, Dileep Kumar Bose and Fakir Alamgir were honoured with Special Sangeet Samman.

Genesis Prize Laureate: Renowned Israeli-US violinist Itzhak Perlman on 14 December 2015 was announced as the 2016 Genesis Prize Laureate for his accomplishments as a musician, teacher and advocate for people with disabilities.

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)-ITC Awards 2015 for Excellence in Sustainable Business were conferred on 15 December 2015 in New Delhi. They were conferred on 26 awardees in 4 main categories and 9 sub categories.

Garwood Award: The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee received Garwood Award for Outstanding Global Leader in Open Innovation from UC Berkeley-Haas School of Business today (December 17, 2015) at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Prof. Solomon Darwin, Executive Director Garwood Center for Corporate Innovation presented the award to the President. The University of California, Berkeley, one of the most prestigious educational institutes in the world, has established the Garwood Award to acknowledge individuals who have embraced, supported and encouraged open innovation in a significant and impactful way.

Miss Universe 2015: Miss Philippines Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach was on 20 December 2015 crowned Miss Universe 2015 at the final of 64th edition of Miss Universe held in Las Vegas, the USA. She was crowned

by Miss Universe 2014 winner Paulina Vega of Columbia. Urvashi Rautela who represented India in the contest couldnt make it to top 15 semi-finals round. She is a Filipino-German actress, model and beauty pageant titleholder.

Miss World 2015: Miss Spain Mireia Lalaguna Royo on

19 December 2015 was crowned Miss World 2015 at the Beauty of Crown Theater in Sanya, China. Rolene Strauss of South Africa crowned Mireia Lalaguna as her successor at the end of the event. It is the first time Spain has won the title of Miss World. Mireia, a 23-year-old medical college student and a pianist from Barcelona, was crowned Miss World Spain 2015 on 24 October 2015 after participating at the 2015 edition of Miss World Spain held in Malaga, Spain. Miss Russia Sofia Nikitchuk was the runner-up, while Miss Indonesia Maria Harfanti stood third in the pageant.

Sahitya Academy Awards- Sahitya Academy has announced the names of 23 poets and authors who will be conferred the prestigious 2015 Sahitya Akademi Award. This award has recognised premier works in 23 Indian languages that includes 6 books of short stories, 6 of poetry, 4 novels, 2 books each of essays, criticism and plays and 1 memoir. 23 Awardees are:

1. Poetry: Brajendra Kumar Brahma (Bodo), Dhian Singh (Dogri), Ramdarash Mishra (Hindi), K.V. Tirumalesh (Kannada), Kshetri Rajan (Manipuri) and Ram Shankar Awasthi (Sanskrit).

2. Short stories: Kula Saikia (Assamese), Man Mohan Jha (Maithili), Gupta Pradhan (Nepali), Bibhuti Pattanaik (Odia), Maya Rahi (Sindhi) and Volga (Telugu).

3. Novels: Cyrus Mistry (English), Jaswinder Singh (Punjabi), K R Meera (Malayalam) and Madhu Acharya Ashawadi (Rajasthani).

4. Essays: Rasik Shah (Gujrati) and A. Madhavan (Tamil). 5. Plays: Uday Bhembre (Konkani), Rabilal Tudu (Santali). 6. Books on criticism: Bashir Bhadarwahi (Kashmiri) and

Shamim Tariq (Urdu). 7. Memoirs: Arun Khopkar (Marathi).


The adjudicatory chamber of the Ethics Committee on 21 December 2015 banned FIFA President Sepp Blatter and Vice-President and member of the Executive Committee of FIFA and President of UEFA Michel Platini. They were banned for eight years from all football-related activities (administrative, sports or any other) on a national and international level. TRADE AND AGREEMENTS

The Government of India and the Government of Japan on recently inked a protocol for amending the existing convention for the avoidance of double taxation and for the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income. Taking their robust bilateral ties to a new level, India and Japan recently inked a number of pacts in key areas of defence and nuclear energy as well as building of first bullet train network between Mumbai-Ahmedabad at a cost of about Rs 98,000 crore.

The Union Cabinet gave its ex-post facto approval to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between India and BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa) for strengthening energy efficiency cooperation. The MoU provides for Joint scientific and technological research and Conferencing and holding of lectures and seminars. Capacity building and technology transfer and Technology development, sharing policies and best practices was also included in the MoU. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Shaheen-IA: Pakistan has successfully tested the nuclear-capable Shaheen-IA ballistic missile with a range of 900 km. The test of the missile was aimed at re-validating several design and technical parameters of the weapon system.

(PSLV) C29: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 16 December 2015 successfully launched 6 satellites of Singapore into Space. The satellites were launched using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C29 from the first launch pad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) at Sriharikotta in Andhra Pradesh.

American aerospace company SpaceX on 21 December 2015 achieved the historic feat of successfully launching and landing Falcon 9 rocket. The Falcon 9 rocket was successfully launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida carrying 11 satellites to low-Earth orbit and was also successfully landed after 10 minutes to the Earth. It is the first time in the history of rocketry that a rocket has returned back after delivering a spacecraft to its orbit, so that it could potentially fly again.

China on 17 December 2015 launched the Dark Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE) Satellite to shed light on

mysterious dark matter. It was the country's first space telescope and launched on a Long March 2-D rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. DEFENCE NEWS

INS Godavari- Indias first indigenously designed warship INS Godavari has been decommissioned after 32 years of service. It was decommissioned at Naval Dockyard in Mumbai (Maharashtra) after it completed its full life cycle, meeting all responsibilities and duties assigned in 3 decades of service.

Union Ministry of Defence has launched a new Make in India website www.makeinindiadefence.com to make defence acquisition process simpler and to provide an interface with industry. The website was launched by Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar in New Delhi. It was launched in line with Union Governments ambitious goal in the process of creating a level playing field with more transparency in defence sector procurements.

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) on 18 December 2015 approved the purchase of Russian advance S-400 Triumf Air Defence Missile Systems from Russia at an estimated cost of 40000 crore rupees. The approval was given by Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar during DAC meeting in New Delhi. This system is capable of destroying incoming hostile missiles, aircraft and even drones within a range of up to 400 km. This air defence system is capable to take on upto 36 targets at range of over 150 kilometres. BOOKS AND AUTHORS

The Bose Brothers and Indian Independence An Insiders Account: The book titled The Bose Brothers and Indian Independence An Insiders Account authored by Madhuri Bose was released on 1 November 2015. Through the book, the author has tried to present a never-before account into the life of the iconic Bose Brother, Sarat and Subash Chandra Bose. COMMITTEES

Justice L Narasimha Reddy: The Union Government on 14 December 2015 appointed Justice L Narasimha Reddy, retired Chief Justice of Patna High Court, to head the Judicial Committee which will look into the implementation of One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme for the ex-servicemen.

Justice (retd) Ajit Prakash Shah: Union Ministry ofPetroleum and Natural Gas recently appointed a single-member committee headed by Justice (retd) Ajit Prakash Shah to look into the dispute between Oil and


Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) and Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) on Krishna Godavari (KG) gas fields.

Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium: Delhi Government on 21 December 2015 appointed a one-member commission of inquiry on Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) scam. The commission will be headed by former Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium. It will probe the alleged financial irregularities by the administrators of the DDCA.

OBITUARIES

Sharad Anantrao Joshi: A renowned agro-economist and veteran leader of farmers passed away in Pune, Maharashtra.

Chatla Sriramulu: Noted writer and theatre artiste Chatla Sriramulu passed away at Secunderabad on Friday. He was a railway employee who hailed from Vijayawada city. Mr. Sriramulu was awarded Best Actor twice by Andhra Nataka Kala Parishad and was also a recipient of Central Governments Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1982. He was the first artiste from Andhra Pradesh to receive Emeritus Fellowship from the Human Resources Department of Government of India. He was awarded the certificate of Producer and Teacher by the British Drama League, London in 1970. Mr. Sriramulu was instrumental in the establishment of popular literary and cultural organization Rasaranjani which dedicated to the field of theatre arts.

Peter Dickinson: British Novelist Peter Dickinson passed away on 16 December 2015 following a brief illness in Winchester, Hampshire. He was 88. He was a prolific novelist for adults and children. His last book In The Palace Of The Khans was published in 2012.

Noorul Huda: veteran leader of Communist Party of India (M) of eastern India, passed away on 17 December 2015 following a cardiac arrest in Kolkata. He was 86. Huda is survived by his wife.

Kurt Masur: widely regarded as one of the world's greatest conductors, passed away on 19 December 2015 in the United States. Known as one of the last old-style maestros, Masur was best known for serving as the music director of the New York Philharmonic (NYP) from 1991-2002. In that capacity, he led the Philharmonic in a performance of Brahms's Deutsches Requiem in the aftermath of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks. IMPORTANT DAYS

16 December: Vijay Diwas was observed across the country on 16 December 2015. On this day, nation

remembers martyrs, who laid down their lives during Indo-Pak War of 1971.

18 December: International Migrants Day was observed across the world on 18 December 2015. Since 2014, more than 5000 women, men and children lost their lives in search of protection and a better life while migrating. The year 2015 will be remembered as a year of human suffering and migrant tragedies. Tens of thousands have been exploited and abused by human traffickers.

22 December: National Mathematics Day observed to commemorate birth anniversary of Srinivasa Ramanujan. On this occasion, India and UNESCO agreed to work jointly in spreading the joy of mathematics and knowledge to students and learners across the world.

22 December: The United Nations General Assembly on 22 December 2015 adopted a resolution to observe 5 November every year as World Tsunami Awareness Day.

24 December: 30th National Consumers Right Day was observed across India on 24 December 2015. The day provides an opportunity to highlight the importance of the consumer movement and the need to make every consumer more aware of their rights and responsibilities.

MISCELLANEOUS

The average temperature over Arctic land for the year ending in September 2015 was the highest on record indicating that the Arctic is warming twice as fast as other parts of the Earth. It was revealed by the annual Arctic Report Card of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a federal agency of US for monitoring condition of the oceans and the atmosphere.

Cricketer Rohit Sharma along with Graphic India, UK-based ISM Komix and Cornerstone Sport are set to launch a new environmental superhero team called 'Hyper Tygers. The digital comic will be free to read on all devices from February 1 through Sharmas Facebook page and the Graphic POP! Mobile app.


The University of South Florida (USF) has announced a postgraduate fellowship in the name of former president Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam to support accomplished and talented Indian students looking to study abroad. Launching the fellowship at the Global Higher Education summit of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), USF provost Ralph Wilcox said "Dr. Kalam left an indelible mark on the academic community, one that will now continue over time through this most prestigious Kalam Fellowship". The fellowship is open to Indian students who wish to pursue PhD in specified fields in science and engineering at USF. Fellowship holders will receive a tuition waiver amounting to $84,500 in four years, plus a stipend of $18,000 per year.

Liberia has become the 164th WTO member and the 36th least developed country (LDC) to join the global trade body after 11 years of negotiations, Xinhua reported.

World Trade Organisation (WTO) on 17 December 2015 unanimously approved Afghanistans WTO membership at the WTOs Tenth Ministerial Conference (MC10) in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. With this, Afghanistan will become the 164th WTO member and the 36th least-developed country to become a WTO member since the organization was established in 1995.Liberia becomes 163rd member of WTO.

The Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health is to open its new centre in Mumbai, the first in South Asia, this Sunday, in a bid to help broaden and coordinate the Schools nearly 60 years of collaboration to improve health in India and around the world.

Mumbais iconic boulevard Marine Drive, also popularly called the Queens Necklace, completed 100 years, and residents of the citys western waterfront flagged off the centenary celebrations with a postcard showcasing the crescent-shaped bay off the Arabian Sea.

Scientists of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have a discovered a new species of eel named Bengal moray eel (Gymnothorax mishrai) along the coast of Digha in Purba Medinipur district of West Bengal. The Eels are mainly snake-like fishes with fins and gills and are mostly found at bottom of rivers and seas.

Union Minister of Agriculture Radha Mohan Singh on 18 December 2015 announced that Union Government had been taking considerable steps to improve production of pulses in order to reduce countrys dependence on imports. These steps are in tune with the 2016 International Year of Pulses launched by the United Nations. The UN on 10 November 2015 launched the year at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome, Italy. It was launched with the theme nutritious seeds for a sustainable future. The purpose of the launch is to raise awareness of the many benefits of pulses, boost their production and trade, and encourage new and smarter uses throughout the food chain.

Biocon Limited on 24 December 2015 launched the

generic version of hepatitis C drug in the Indian market. The generic version of the drug named Harvoni will be sold under the brand name CIMIVIR-L.

The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill, 2015: Rajya Sabha on 22 December 2015 passed the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill, 2015. With this passage, the bill awaits the Presidents nod to be qualified as an act as it was already passed by the Lok Sabha on 7 May 2015. Most importantly, the Bill permits juveniles between the ages of 16-18 years to be tried as adults for heinous offences. Also, any 16-18 year old, who commits a lesser (serious) offence, may be tried as an adult only if he is apprehended after the age of 21 years. The Bill replaces the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000. It addresses children in conflict with law and children in need of care and protection.

The Union Minister of Human Resource Development Zubin Irani on 21 December 2015 launched the 6th All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) in New Delhi. The survey covers all the Higher Education (HE) institutions of the country including Universities, Colleges and Stand-Alone institutions from 2010-11 to 2014-15.

ALL THE BEST FOR THE IBPS CLERK MAINS 2016

december double tonic 2015 1

Documents