Daily Wordlist 03 March 2015

		xenophobia [ zen-uh’-FOH-bee-uh’ ] [noun] MEANING : an abnormal hatred or fear of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange USAGE EXAMPLE 1: Some of the tribesmen who suffered from acute xenophobia attacked the luxury bus in which the foreign tourists were travelling. USAGE EXAMPLE 2: South Africa's government has denied claims that little has been done to tackle xenophobia a year after a deadly wave of attacks on migrants began. BBC, South Africa appeal on xenophobia, 11 May 2009

		jointure [ JOIN-cher  ] [noun] MEANING : 1. property set aside by a man for his wife which she may use for her livelihood after his death 2. an act, state or instance of being joined USAGE EXAMPLE 1: The lawyer explained to the grieving widow that her husband had left her the farm as jointure. USAGE EXAMPLE 2: The book starts by describing Burton Fire Brigade's humble beginnings of volunteer fire fighters and manual fire engines, and concludes with the brigade's jointure with Staffordshire in the more high-tech year of 1974. BBC, Sarah Williams, 2003

		zealot [ ZEL-uh’t ] [noun] MEANING : 1. a fanatic 2. a fervent and militant proponent of something USAGE EXAMPLE 1: When he denied that he was a zealot, his friends told him that he should live and let live. USAGE EXAMPLE 2: Afghanistan's former Justice Minister is a religious zealot known for ruthlessly implementing the Taleban's strict laws. BBC, Profile: Nuruddin Turabi, 8 January 2002

		zenith [ ZEN-ith; ZEE-nith ] [noun] MEANING : 1. the point on the celestial sphere that is directly above the observer 2. the point of culmination; the peak USAGE EXAMPLE 1: While he boasted of having reached the zenith of his career someone remarked that now the poor guy had nowhere to go but down. USAGE EXAMPLE 2: Unsurprisingly, anti-nuclear protests reached their zenith during the decade. CNN, Fueling the future, Matthew Knight, 25 April 2008

gullible [ guhl-uh'-buh'l ] [adjective] MEANING : credulous, easily cheated, tricked or duped USAGE EXAMPLE 1: He promised his parents that he would protect his gullible sister from harm. USAGE EXAMPLE 2: Some consumer watchdog groups say it's too simplistic to say that people are gullible. CNN, How I got taken by a work-at-home scam, John Blake, 7 January 2009

Daily Current Affairs 03 March 2015

1.PDP leader Mufti Mohammed Sayeed takes oath as J&K CM

79 year old Sayeed took oath as the Chief Minister along with 12 members each from PDP and BJP.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the swearing-in ceremony of the historic BJP-PDP coalition government. 

2.Ex-Minister Gulabchand Kataria discharged in Sohrabuddin case

A special CBI court has discharged senior BJP leader and Rajasthan's former Home Minister Gulabchand Kataria and marble trader Vimal Patni from the Sohrabuddin Sheikh and Tulsiram Prajapati fake encounter killing cases.

3.Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu presents rail budget; No hike in passenger fares. To Read full story of Rail Budget 2015 Click Here 4.Cabinet nod to BRICS bank for contingency fund, dev projects The proposal was approved at the Cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday. The setting up of the New Development Bank (NDB) and BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement (CRA) is for mobilising resources for infrastructure projects and providing short-term liquidity support to emerging economies in case of Balance of Payment crisis, said an official statement.  India will hold the Presidency of the USD 100-billion NDB for the first six years. The Bank will be based in Shanghai, China’s financial hub.  "The establishment of the Bank will help India and other signatory countries to raise and avail resources for their infrastructure and sustainable development projects," said the statement released after the Cabinet meeting. 4.Overdraft under Jan-Dhan is priority sector lending: RBI overdrafts extended by banks up to Rs 5,000 in PMJDY accounts will be eligible for classification under priority sector advances ('others' category) as also weaker sections, provided the borrowers household annual income does not exceed Rs 60,000 for rural areas and Rs 1,20,000 for non-rural areas," the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said in a notification on Wednesday.  Under PMJDY, the overdraft facility is permitted to Aadhaar-enabled accounts after "satisfactory operation" of accounts for six months 5.14th Fin Comm makes highest ever increase in tax revenue sharing between Centre, States The commission recommended increase in the share of states in the centre's tax revenue from the current 32% to 42%-the single largest increase ever recommended. The recommendations have also facilitated more powers to the states as to how the money meant for them will be spent 6.Dept of Post, Mahindras, Videocon join banking race Department of Post, Tech Mahindra, Videocon Group and stock exchange NSE have joined big corporates like Ambanis and Birlas to seek entry into banking business through newly created niche category of Payments and Small Finance Banks. NRI businessman M A Yusuff Ali's Lulu Group and microfinance company Ujjivan Financial Services Private Ltd are also in the fray, as per the list of 113 applicants released by RBI on Wednesday. As many as 72 applications for Small Finance Banks and 41 applications for Payments Banks were received by the RBI. The receipt of applications for licensing of small finance banks and payments banks closed on 2nd February. Coastal Local Area Bank, Equitas Holding, Janalakshmi Financial Services, Repco Micro Finance are among 72 have put in applications for setting up of small finance bank.  7.Aadhaar not mandatory for LPG subsidy; bank a/c to do: Govt Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday informed Lok Sabha that under the DBTL, the LPG consumers joining this scheme get all domestic LPG cylinders (subsidised as well as non- subsidised cylinder) at market price and subsidy amount as applicable for each domestic subsidised cylinder is transferred to their bank account. Pradhan said during Question Hour that a one-time advance in addition to the cash subsidy admissible is also provided to each LPG consumer joining the scheme. This is to fund the first cylinder purchased at market price. Subsidy is separately admissible on every cylinder, including the first cylinder 8.Inflation at 5 year low of (-) 0.39%, raises hope for rate cut Wholesale inflation turned negative for the second time in three months as fall in petroleum and food prices dragged it to a five-and-a-half year low of (-) 0.39 percent in January, raising hopes of a rate cut by RBI. 9.Industrial prod growth slows to 1.7% in Dec The growth in factory output, as measured by the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), in the month under review was, however, higher as compared to December, 2013 when it expanded by 0.1 percent. The November IIP has been revised upwards to 3.9 percent from 3.8 percent. For the April-December period of 2014-15, IIP is 2.1 percent as against 0.1 percent in same period of the last fiscal 10.India will catch up with China's growth rate in 2016-17: WB India will catch up with China's growth at 7 percent in the year 2016-17, the World Bank has forecast, saying India's economy has recovered in the wake of the economic reform measures taken by the new Indian govt, falling oil prices and lower interest rates. "India will catch up with China's growth in the year 2016 and 2017," World Bank Chief Economist and Senior Vice-President Kaushik Basu told reporters in Washington on Wednesday. "China's growth will remain high, but will begin to taper very gently, reaching 6.9 per cent in 2017," he said as the World Bank released the 'Global Outlook: Disappointments, Divergences, and Expectations Global Economic Prospects'. The World Bank in its report forecast a growth rate of 7 percent each in the fiscal year 2016 and 2017 as against Chinas 7 percent and 6.9 percent respectively.  11.Federer stuns Djokovic to win Dubai Open The Grand Slam record-holder from Switzerland beat the world number one from Serbia 6-4, 7-5 in a colourful success which took Federer's title haul in Dubai equal to those of Halle and Wimbledon. It also put him 20-17 up against Djokovic. Federer served superbly, his 12 aces taking his career total past 9,000, something only three other players have done since 1991. Even more noticable was his risk-taking, the frequency with which he approached the net, and the commitment with which he attacked his ground strokes.

INDIA GK Quiz

1.Consider the following about smart cities. Which one of the following is correct
a.At present 31% of total population is urban
b.60% of GDP in India comes from urban area
c.75% of GDP will be from urban areas in another 15 years
d.smart cities will have quality of life, employment and investment opportunities
A.a is correct B.a,c are correct
C.a,b,c,d are correct D.c is correct
2.Smart cities will have
a.24/7 water supply,electricity b.Investor friendly
c.IT/BT parks,trade center d.Skills development center
A.a,c are correct B.a,b,c,d all correct
C.a is correct D.a,d is correct
3.Consider the following about CSR(corporate social responsibility)
a.Annual turn over should be above 1000 crore or more
b.Network 500 crore or more
c.Profit should be 5 crore
d.2% of average profit in last 3 years should be set aside as for CSR
A.a,b is correct B.a is correct
C.a,b,c,d are correct D.a,b and c is correct
4.Tamil nadu reservation of 69% comes under which amendment
A.Amendment 72 B.Amendment 75
C.Amendment 76 D.Amendment 78
5.Consider the following regarding OBC reservations. Which are the ones related to that
a.9th schedule b.341 Article
c.93rd amendment d.76th amendment
A.a is correct B.a,b,c,d all are correct
C.a,c is correct D.a,b and c is correct
6.What are the functions of commission for protection of child rights
a.Examine review of safeguards provided by the constitution
b.Send annual reports to government
c.Study treaties and other international instruments and undertake periodical review
d.undertake research in field of child rights
A.a,b are correct B.a,b,c,d are correct
C.a,c is correct D.Only d is correct
7.Consider the following about national human rights commission
a.National Human Rights Commission came in 1993
b. National Human Rights Commission is chief justice of Supreme Court
c.National commission for minister, SC,ST, women shall be deserved to be member of commission in discharge of functions
d. National Human Rights Commission chairman can be selected for second term
A.a,b,c,d are correct B. a,b are correct
C.a,c is correct D.Only d is correct8. National Human Rights Commission chairman is selected by a committee constitute of
a.Prime minister-Chair person
b.Speaker, Home minister, Leader of opposition
c.Chief justice of India
d.Leader of opposition in council of state and deputy chairman of council of states
A.a only B.a,b,d is correct
C.a,c is correct D.d is correct
9.Consider the following about India consumer protection act 1986
a.Complainant can be a consumer
b.Consumer association
c.Central or State government
d.In case of death of consumer, legal heir can be the complainant
A.a,c are correct B. a,d is correct
C.a is correct D.a,b,c,d all correct
10.Consider the qualifications for member to the distinct consumer forum
a.Not less than 35 years of age
b.Possess a bachelor’s degree
c.A person of ability, integrity and studying
d.Out of two,one should be a woman member
A.a,b,c,d are correct B. a,b are correct
C.a,c is correct D.Only d is correct
11.Consider the following in consumer rights forums
a.Complaints representation will be accepted/rejected within 30 days
b.Complaints representation will be accepted/rejected within 21 days
c.The limit of value of foods in the district forum is 20 lakhs
d.A complaint should be registered within 2 years from the purchase/sale of goods or transactions
A.a,b,c,d are correct B. a,b,c are correct
C.a,c is correct D.Only d is correct
12.Shuddhi movement was started by whom
a.Ajit sugh b.Swami Dayal singh
c.Pandit Guru Dutt d.Pandit lekhram
A.a,c are correct B. a,d is correct
C.a is correct D.c,d are correct
13.Neel Dharpan was written by whom
A.Bankim Chandra Chatterjee B.Tapan Das
C.Dinabandhu mitra D.Titu mir
14.Who was responsible for stalling the Ilbert bill
A.Lytton B.Dufferin C.Canning D.Ripon
15.Vernacular press act came during which Viceroy
A.Lord Lytton B.Curzon C.Canning DRippon
16.Consider the following about Ilbert bill-Which ones are correct
a.Lord Rippon stalled the Ilbert bill jusy
b.Lord Rippon made a provision that trial by mixed jusy. For European subjects.
c.Ilbert was a law member in council
d.It is also called white mutiny
A.a,b is correct B.a,d is correct
C.a,b,c,d are correct D.a,b and c is correct
17.Consider the following about Jainism
a.In Jainism there is no Supreme Creative spirit
b.Adinath gives Jain philosophy
c.Jains believe in soul
d.Jain philosophy was propounded by Tirthankara Rishabhadeva
A.a,b is correct B.a,b,c,d is correct
C.a,c is correct D.d is correct
18.Consider the following about Jainism
a.Akbar honoured Hira Vijaya Jain
b. Akbar prohibited slaughter of animals during Jain festivals-‘pajju shame
c) Chalukya king Kumarla Pala patronised Jain scholar, Hemchandra
d) Kevalin- who is possession of omniscience
choose the right one from the option below
A) a and b B) a,b,c,d all the above C) a,b,c only D) a and d only
19.Consider the following about Bahubali monolith act sravana belgola
a.Bahubali is son of Rishabha
b.Gaya dynasty built Bahubali statue by commander Chamundarya
c.It was built on10th century AD
d. Mahamashtaka abshikem occurs once in 12 years
A) a and b B) a,b,c,d all the above C) a,b,c only D) a,b and d only
20. The money value kept for various Consumer forum are as follows-
Which is/are wrong?
a) 20 lakhs for District forum b) 10 lakhs for District forum
c) 2 crore for State forum d) 72 crores for Central (National) forum
21. Which will be the cultural capital of SAARC?
a) Dhaka b) New Delhi c) Bamiyan d) Kathmandu
22. Teesta III Hydro Electric Project is promoted by which state
a) Sikkim b) Himachal Pradesh c) Uttarachal d) Uttar Pradesh
23. Consider the following about India’s Arctic laboratory.
A. It is India’s first underground moored observatory in the Kongs & Jordan half way between Norway and North pole
B. It is developed by Earth System Science Organisation
C. It will aid climate change studies
D. It will help climate modelling studies to understand the influence of Arctic process in the Indian monsoon
Which is/are correct?
a) A, B & C b) B,C & D
c) A, B, C, D all the above d) A & D
24. The “Kolha” is a tribe indigenous to which one of the following states?

a) Odisha b) Jharkhand
c) Andhra Pradesh d)Uttar Pradesh
25. Who among the following is the chairman of the committee that submitted its report on rail fare hike, recently?

a) Kiran Singh b) Suresh Prabhu
c) D K Mittal d) A K Ojha
26.Recently, the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) has got president assent. The NJAC will comprise of:
1. Chief Justice of India
2. Two senior judges of Supreme Court
3. Two eminent personalities
4. The Prime minister and the law minister
Chose the correct answer from the codes given below:
a) Only 1, 2 & 3 b) Only 1, 3, & 4
c) Only 1, 2 & 4 d) 1, 2, 3 & 4
27. The Sukinda Chromite mine is located in _____?
a) Jharkhand b) Odisha
c) West Bengal d) Maharashtra
28. Which among the following services is/are currently providing by Post offices?
1. Saving account 2. Recurring deposits
3. Fixed deposits 4. Public Provident Fund Account
Chose the correct answer from the codes given below:
a) Only 1, 2 & 3
b) Only 2, 3 & 4
c) Only 1, 3 & 4
d) 1, 2, 3 & 4
29. The “Project-75” of the Indian Navy’s is related to construction and design of __?
a) Submarines b) Anti Ship missiles
c) Unmanned Aerial Vehicles d) Torpedoes
30.Identify the positive effects of the beginning of European commerce in India
i) Money economy grew up
ii) International market relations were set-up
iii) Increased quantity of India’s export.
iv) Price hike was fast
v) Indian agriculture was further commercialized
a) i, iv, v b) ii, iii, iv c) i, ii, iii, v d) i, ii, iii
31.Bring out the correct statements about British expansion in Madras
i) In 1658, all the English settlements on the coromandal and in Eastern India were placed under the control of Fort St. George.
ii) In 1801, Lord Wellesley created the Madras presidency as it existed till Indian Independence.
iii) In 1640, the British obtained the site of Madras from the Raja of Valikondapuram.
iv) The British built a fortified factory, viz. Fort St George, at Madras.
a) i, ii, iii b) i & iii c) i, ii, iv d) ii, iii, iv
32. The dual government that was established in Bengal after the Battle of Buxar:
a) Was approved later by shah Alam II
b) Led to the people being fleeced by the officials of the Nawab and the company
c) Failed to curb British power
d) Was stable and continued for ten years

33. By which one of the following Acts did the British government take supreme control over the affairs of the East India Company and its administration in India?
a) Regulating Act, 1773 c) Charter Act, 1813
b) Pitt’s Infia Act, 1784 d) Government of India Act, 1858
34. The state of Jhansi was made a part of the British Empire in India through:
a) Doctrine of Lapse c) War against Lakshmi Hai
b) Subsidiary Alliance d) None of these.
35. The subsidiary Alliance was not accepted by
a) The Nizam of Hyderabad
b) The Rajput States of Jodhpur, Jaipur and Bharatpur
c) The Scindia of Gwalior
d) The Holkar State of Indore
36. Sindh was annexed in
a) 1838 b) 1840 c) 1842 d) 1843
37.Which of the following is not true about the Government of India Act,1919?
a) The Act provided a dual form of government for the major provinces
b) The ‘transferred list’ included Agriculture, supervision of local government, Health and Education.
c) The Imperial Legislative Council became a bicameral legislature for all India.
d) The Act covered from 1919 to 1927.
38.Which of the following is correct about the Press Act of 1835?
i) it repealed the Licensing regulations of 1823.
ii) it was a liberal press policy.
iii) it was passed by Metcalfe.
iv) according to this,it was a penal offence to use or start a press without license.
a) i and ii only b) ii and iii only
c) I,ii and iii only d) I,ii,iii and iv
39.Which of the following is not correct about the pattern of European trade in India in 16th and 17th centuries?
a) from the start spices were very high on the list of commodities demanded by the Europeans
b)Cotton textiles, silk and saltpetre steadily rose in importance in place of
spices.
c)lndian textiles were regularly dernanded by the English and the Dutch .
companies.
d)none of these.
40.All of the following are true about the Pitt’s India Act,1784,except ?
a)British Parliament under Pitt’s India Bill of 1784 appointed a Board of Control.
b) It provided for a joint government of the Company (represented by the directors), and the Crown (represented by the Board of Control).
c) under this,in 1784,Lord Cornwallis was appointed as the first Governor-General.
d) It intended to address the shortcomings of the Regulating Act of 1773 by bringing the east India Company’s rule in India under the control of the British Government.
41.Which British Monarch visited India during the Delhi durbar held in delhi in 1911
a. King George V b. King George VI
c. King Henry V d. King henry VI

42. After 1857, the army was revamped on the following lines which one is not correct?
a) Supremacy of European branch ensured
b) Indians to be excluded from important and strategic locations
c) Army to be used for expansion of empire.
d) More Bengalis to be recruited
43. Consider the following statement
A) Regarding social reforms after 1857, British Administration fully
supported all social reforms
B) After 1857, non-interference in social reforms were the cornerstone
of British Policy
C) British started & encouraged caste & communal Consciousness & all the reactionaries
a) A, B, C all correct b) B, & C correct c) A & C correct
44. The system of diarchy was introduced in the provinces after
a) Indian Councils Act, 1909 b) Government of India Act, 1919
c) Government of India Act, 1935 d) Indian Councils Act, 1919
45. Who was the real founder of the British Civil Service in India?
a) Robert Clive b) Warren Hastings
c) Lord Cornwallis d) Lord Dufferin
46. Match List-I (Year) with List-II (events) and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists:
List-I
A. Act of 1892 C. Act of 1882
B. Act of 1861 D. Act of 1858
List-II
1. The Legislative Council was enlarged by the addition of 6 to 12 more members
2. The members of the Legislative Councils were allowed to discuss the budget
3. Queen Victoria was proclaimed the Empress of India
4. The post of the Secretary of State was created
5. Elected members were included in the municipalities
Codes:
A B C D
a) 4 3 1 2
b) 2 1 5 4
c) 4 1 5 2
d) 2 3 1 4
47. Consider the following statements:
i. After the death of Swami Dayanand, the Arya Samaj was divided into two sections Gurukul Section and D. A. V. section.
ii. Gurukul section was led by Lala Hansraj
iii. DAV section was led by Swami Sahajanand
a) Only (i) is correct b) (i) and (ii) are correct c) (i) and (iii) are correct d) All the above are correct
48.Which was not an inspiration for the various social and religious reform movements that took place in India during the 19th century?
a) Democracy b) Individualism c) Nationalism d) Socialism
49. Which was a unique feature of the social reform movement of Arya samaj?
a) Opposition to Purdah system c) Opposition to ritualism
b) Starting of the Shudhi Movement d) Opposition to casteism
50. Which among the following social and religious reform organizations of the Hindus in the 19th century, has been described as ‘Militant Hinduism’?
a) Brahmo Samaj c) Arya Samaj
b) Theosophical Society d) Prarthana Samaj
51. What were the twin pillars on which the Brahmo Sabha was based?
a) Humanism and Reason c) Reason, Vedas and Upanishads
b) Humanism and Vedas d) Humanism, Ramayana and Mahabharata
52. What was the main aim of the Akali Movement?
a) To propagate the tenets of Guru Nanak and Guru Gobind Singh.
b) To purify the management of gurudwaras
c) To spread awareness among the Sikhs about the national movement against the British
d) None of the above
53. Which one of the not correct about the tenets of Brahma Samaj?
a) Humanism b) Rationality c) Monotheism d) Revival of Vedas
54. Consider the following facts about Raja Ram Mohan Roy. Which ones are correct?
A. He despised Christianity outright in total
B. He supported the ethics of Christianity
C. He believed Jesus as a God
D. He didn’t believe in Avatars
a) B, D are correct b) A, B, C, D all are correct
c) A & D are correct d) A, C, D are correct.
55. Raja Ram Mohan Roy
A. Did not support Priesthood
B. Fought against Sati, Purdah, Child marriage
C. Supported Liberal Western Education
D. He found all answers in Upanishads
Which ones are correct?
a) A,B,C Only b) B, C, D only c) A, B, C, D all are correct d) A, C, D only
56. Consider the following statements.
A. Raja Ram Mohan Roy wanted to establish a New religion
B. He wanted to purge Hinduism of evil practices
a) A only correct b) B only correct c) A & B are wrong
57. Which one of the following facts about Raja Ram Mohan Roy is wrong?
a) He believed in monotheism
b) He remained a Hindu throughout life
c) His top most priority was for removal of untouchability
d) He believed in the Humanism of West and wanted a East- West cultural Synthesis.
58. What were Dayanand’s ideals
A. Unite India religiously B. Socially C. Nationally
a) A & B only b) B & C only c) A & C only d) All above
59. What are the exact tenets of Dayanand and what he stressed as uppermost importance?
A. Believed in Puranas B. Only Vedas C. Smiritis D. Idolatory
a) A, B, C, D only b) A, B, C only c) B Only d) None of the above
60. Arya Samaj believed in
A. Authority of Vedas B. Equality of Men and Women
C. Casteless Society D. Education
a) A, B, C only b) A, B, C, D all c) A, C, D only d) B, C, D only
61. “Best worship of God is service to through service of Humanity”. Who said this?
a) Dayanand b) Vivekanand c) Ranade d) Raja Ram Mohan Roy
62. Match list I with List II and choose the correct answers from the codes given below the lists:
List I (Movement) List II (Leader)
A. Self Respect Movement - 1. V R Shinde
B. Bahujan Samaj – 2. Mukundrao Pati
C. The Depressed Class Mission Society – 3. C N Mudaliar, T N & Nair P Tyagaraja chetty
D. Justice (Party ) Movement – 4. E V Naicker
a) A – 4, B – 2, C – 3, D – 1 b) A – 3, B – 4, C – 2, D – 1
c) A – 4, B – 1, C – 2, D – 3 d) A – 4, B – 2, C – 1, D – 3
63.Which of the following paper/ journals were started by Raja Ram Mohan Roy?
i. Banga Dutta ii. Shabad Kaumudi
iii. Mirat-ul- Akbar iv. Bengal Gazette
a) (ii) & (iii) b) (i), (ii) & (iii) c) (ii), (iii) & (iv) d) All the above

64. Abinav Bharat Society was formed by :
a) Rash Behari Bose b) K.T.Telang c) Ganesh Savarkar d) Lala Lajpat Rai
65.Who was the Deoband scholar to have played a prominent role in the Nationalist Movement?
a) Abul Kalam Azad b) Muhammad Ali Jinnah
c) Badruddin Tyabji d) Chirag Ali
66.What is the chronological order of the following events in the life of Swami Vivekananda?
(i) Speech at the Congress of the history of religions at Paris
(ii) First extensive tour of India
(iii) Establishment of a monastery at Baranagar
(iv) Speech at the World Parliament of Religions at Chicago
Choose the answer from the codes given below:
a) iii, ii, iv and i b) ii, iii, iv and i
c) iii, i, ii and iv d) iv, ii, i and iii
67.Which of the following statements about the religious ideas of Rammohun Roy are true?
(i) He believed in monotheism, the doctrine of the unity of godhead.
(ii) He considered the Vedas to be eternal and infallible.
(iii) He laid emphasis on human reason and rationality in all religious matters.
(iv) He opposed idol worship.
a) i, ii and iii b) i, iii and iv c) ii, iii and iv d) i, ii and iv
68.Which of the following statements about Ram Mohun Roy are incorrect?
(i) His book on Christianity embodied the moral and spiritual precepts of Jesus as well as the narrations of the miracles.
(ii) He defended Hinduism and its Vedanta philosophy from the ignorant attacks of Christians.
(iii) In his Brahmo Samaj meetings, he allowed the Vedas to be read by all non-brahmins.
(iv)He incorporated the best teachings other religions as well.
Select the answer from the codes below:
a) i and iii b) ii and iii c) iii and iv d) i and iv
69.Ram Mohun roy
(i) Campaigned against the practice of Sati and succeed in getting it abolished by the British Government.
(ii) Championed women’s rights like of inheritance and property.
(iii) Attacked polygamy and the degraded condition of widows.
(iv) Fought for the spread of traditional education through the medium of Sanskrit
(v) Made Bengali the vehicle of intellectual intercourse in Bengal.
a) i, ii and iii b) ii, iii and iv c) i, ii, iii and v (d) i, iii, iv and v
70.Ram Mohun Roy:
i) Strove to bring about national consciousness in India.
ii) Pioneered Indian journalism in order to educate the public on current issues
iii) Initiated public agitation on political questions like the need for reforms in the British administration.
iv) Passed away in India in 1833.
a) i, ii and iii b) ii, iii and iv c) i, ii and iv d) i, iii and iv
71.Which of the following statements about Native Marriage Act of 1872 are incorrect?
i) It was popularly known as the Civil Marriage Act.
ii) It was passed by Lord Lytton.
iii) It legalised the Brahmo marriages.
iv) It fixed the marriageable age for girls and boys at 18 and 20 respectively.
Select the answer from the codes given below:
a) i and ii b) ii and iii c) iii and iv d) ii and iv
72.Which of the following statements about Swami Dayanand Saraswati are incorrect?
i) He was born in 1824 in a small town of Punjab.
ii) He belonged to the vaishya caste.
iii) He spent 15 long years as a wandering ascetic.
iv) He received education from Swami Birajananda at Mathura.
v) He passed away in 1890
Select the answer from the codes given below:
a) i, ii and iii b) ii, iii and iv c) iii, iv and v d) i, ii and v
73.Which of the following statements about the Prarthana Sabha are true?
i) It was an off-shoot of the Brahmo Samaj of India.
ii) M G Ranade and R G Bhandarkar joined it in 1870 and infused new strength in it.
iii) It was a reform movement outside Hinduism.
iv) It concentrated on social reforms like inter-dining, intermarriage, remarriage of widows and upliftment of women and depressed classes.
Choose the answer from the codes given below:
a) i, ii and iii b) ii, iii and iv c) i, ii and iv d) i, iii and iv
74.Swami Dayanand
i) Considered the Vedas to be fallible.
ii) Opposed idolatry, ritual and priesthood.
iii) Considered the Puranas to be full of falsehood.
iv) Considered the two epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, as nothing more than good literary pieces.
v) Defended the caste system based on birth.
Select the answer from the codes given below:
a) i, ii and iii b) ii, iii and iv c) iii, iv and v d) ii, iv and v
75. Swami Dayanand
i) Attacked child marriages and polygamy.
ii) Encouraged inter caste marriage and widow remarriage.
iii) Opposed the spread of western sciences.
iv) Organised social services during natural calamities like floods, droughts, epidemics and the like.
a) i, ii and iii b) ii, iii and iv c) i, ii and iv d) i, iii and iv
76.Which of the following statements about the ‘Great Split’ in the Arya Samaj are true?
i) It occurred in 1892 over the question of the system of education to be followed.
ii) The ‘gurukula section’ advocated the adoption of the ancient system of Hindu education.
iii) The ‘college section’ advocated the spread of English education.
iv) The ‘gurukula section’ was led by Lala Lajpat Rai and the ‘college section’ by Lala Hans Raj.
Select the answer from the codes given below:
a) i, ii and iii b) ii, iii and iv c) i, ii and iv d) i, iii and iv
77. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa
i) Became a priest in the temple of goddess Kali at Dakshineshwar.
ii) Sought religious salvation in the traditional way of renunciation, meditation and devotion;
iii) Emphasised that there was only one road to god and salvation.
iv) Maintained that service of man was service of god.
Select the answer from the codes given below:
a) i. ii and iii b) ii, iii and iv c) i, ii and iv d) i, iii and iv
78.Which of the following statements about Swami Vivekananda are true?
i) He popularised his guru’s universal message of Vedanta and tried to put it in a form that would suit the needs of contemporary Indian society.
ii) He stressed social action without which knowledge was useless in the world
iii) He proclaimed the essential oneness of all religions.
iv) He declared Vedanta Va be a fully rational system.
Choose the answer from the codes below:
a) i, ii and iii b) ii, iii and iv c) i iii and iv d) All of them
79.Which of the following were the main objectives of the Theosophical Society?
i) To form a universal brotherhood of
ii) To spread Christianity in the world.
iii) To promote the, study of ancient religious and philosophies.
iv) To make a systematic investigation into the mystic potencies of life and matter, known as Occultism.
Select the answer from the codes given below:
a) i, ii and iii b) ii, iii and iv c) i, ii and iv d) i, iii and iv
80.Who were associated with the foundation of the ‘Rahnumai Mazdayasnan Sabha?
i) G K Devadhar ii) S S Bangali
iii) Dadabhai Naoroji iv) R G Bhandarakar
Select the answer from the codes given below:
a) ii and iii b) i and iv c) ii and iv d) i and iii
81.Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
i) Struggled in favour of widow remarriage.
ii) Opposed child marriage and polygamy.
iii) Campaigned in favour of education of women.
iv) Evolved a new technique of teaching Sanskrit and a modern prose style in Bengali.
v) Became the principal of Sanskrit college at Calcutta and admit non-Brahmin students into it.
Select the answer from the codes given below:
a) i, ii and iii b) ii, iii and iv c) iii, iv and v d) All of them
82.Which of the following statements about Jyotiba Phule are true?
i) He dame from a high caste family in Maharashtra.
ii) He waged a lifelong crusade against Brahmanical supremacy.
iii) He pioneered the widow remarriage movement in Maharashtra.
iv) He worked for the education of women.
Select the answer from the codes given below:
a) i, ii and iii b) ii, iii and iv c) i, iii and iv d) All of them
83.Which of the following statements about the Ahrar Movement are true?
i) It was founded in the first quarter of the 20th century.
ii) One of its founders was Maulana Muhammad Ali.
iii) It was begun in opposition to the loyalist politics of the Aligarh movement.
iv) Its members, moved by modern ideas of self-government, advocated active participation in the Nationalist Movement.
Choose the answer from the codes given below:
a) i, ii and iii b) ii, iii and iv c) i, ii and iv d) All of them
84.Which of the following statements about Sir Syed Ahmad Khan are true?
i) He was born in 1817.
ii) He worked for the social and educational advancement of the Indian Muslims throughout his life.
iii) He published a journal called Tahzib-ul-Akhlaq.
iv) He passed away in 1908.
Choose the answer from the codes given below:
a) i, ii and iii b) ii, iii and iv c) i, iii and iv d) All of them
85. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan
i) Fought against medieval obscurantism and advocated a rational approach towards religion.
ii) Asked for a reinterpretation of the Quran in the light of reason to suit the new trends of the time.
iii) Founded a modern school, at Aligarh in 1875, which became the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental college in1877 and later a full-fledged university.
iv) Founded the Muhammadan Educational Conference in 1886 as a spreading liberal ideas Muslims.
Select the answer from the codes given below”
a) i, ii and iii b) ii, iii and iv c) i, ii and iv d) All of them
86.Muhammad Iqbal
i) Emphasised the need for a reconstruction of Muslim religious thought in the light of the problems posed by the modern world.
ii) Propagated the ascetic elements of the Muslim religious thought
iii) Preached a life of self-assertion and self- realisation.
iv) Influenced the contemporary Muslim religious attitude through his poetry.
v) Was born in 1883 and passed away in 1948
a) i, ii and iii b) ii, iii and v c) i, iii and iv d) all of them
87. Which of the following statements about the Akali Movement are true?
i) Its main aim was to purify the management of the gurudwaras or Sikh shrines.
ii) It led to the enactment of a new Sikh gurudwaras Act by the British in 1920.
iii) The Akalis removed the corrupt mahants or priests from the gurudwaras with the help of the new act and sometimes through direct action.
iv) They began to manage the gurudwaras through the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee.
Select the answer from the codes given below:
a) i, ii and iii b) ii, iii and iv c) i, iii and iv d) All of them
88.Which of the following statements about Deoband movement are true?
i) It was started in 1866 at Deoband.
ii) One of its founders was Badruddin Tyabji
iii) Its aim was resuscitating classical Islam and improving the spiritual and moral conditions of the Muslims.
iv) Its founders gave liberal interpretation to Islam, which in turn created political awakening among its followers.
Select the answer from the codes given below:
a) i, ii and iii b) ii, iii and iv c) i, iii and iv d) All of them
89.Who was the governor-General of India during the revolt of 1857?
a) Canning b) Dalhousie c) Elgin I d) Ripon
90.With reference to the revolt of the year 1857, who of the following was betrayed by a friend; captured and put to death by the British?
a) Nana Sahib b) Kunwar Singh c) Khan Bahadur Khan d) Tantia Tope
91.Which of the following is correctly matched?
a) Atmiya Sabha — Radhakanta Dev
b) Dharma Sabha — Debendranath Tagore
c) Tattvabodhini Sabha — Rammohun Roy
d) Prarthana Samaj — Dr Atmaram Pandurang
92.The educated middle class in India
a) Opposed the revolt of 1857 b) Supported the revolt of 1857
c) Remained neutral to the revolt of 1857 d) Fought against native rulers
93.Certain measures of Lord Dalhousie created serious discontentment in India which was also responsible for the revolt of 1857. However, which among the following measures was not one of them?
a) ‘Doctrine of Lapse’ and annexation of several states
b) Introduction of Railways and Telegraphs
c) Abolition of titles and pensions of several rulers
d) Educational reforms
94.Who among the following was responsible for the massacre of the English at Kanpur?
a.Nana Sahib b) Tantia Tope c) Nana Sahib’s soldiers d) Rani Laxmi Bai.
95.Which among the following was not one of the grievances of the Indian soldiers against British?
a) The Indian soldiers were low paid
b) The British Soldiers ill treated their Indian soldiers.
c) The soldiers were asked to go anywhere without extra allowances
d) The recruitment of low-caste people in the Bengal army which was composed mostly of high caste Hindus.
96.Why did the annexation of Avadh by Lord Dalhousie in 1856 anger the company’s sepoys?
I. Most of the company’s sepoys came from Avadh
II. The sepoys felt that Dalhousie had no grounds for annexing Avadh
III. The sepoys had to pay higher taxes on the land their families held in Avadh
IV. The sepoys possessed regional patriotism.
a) I, II, III b) I, III, IV c) II, III, IV d) I, II, III, IV
97.The roots of the 1857 Revolt lay in:
a) Blatant discrimination against Indians by the British
b) Anger of the peasants on account of the exploitative land revenue policy
c) Oppression of the peasants by the corrupt governmental machinery and lower law courts
d) all of the above
98.The reasons for the failure of the 1857 Revolt were:
I. The Revolt was localized and poorly organized
II. The resources of the British empire were far superior t those of the rebels
III. Some of the Indian princes actively helped the British in suppressing the Revolt.
IV. The Indian Soldeirs who rebelled were incompetent
V. General population sided with the British
a) I, II and V b) I, III and IV c) II,III and IV d) I, II and III
99.The 1857 Revolt was the most intense in:
I. Western Bihar and Avadh
II. Rohilkhand and Delhi
III. Territory between the Chambal and the Narmada
IV. Bombay and Madras
V. Sind and Rajasthan
a) I, II and III b) II, III and IV c) III, IV and V d) II, IV and V
100.Which among the following was not one of the reasons for the failure of the Revolt of 1857?
a) Limited area of the revolt
b) comparatively less numerical strength of the revolting soldiers
c) Absence of capable leadership, military talent and united efforts
d) Support of many important native rulers to the British.

1 C 26 A 51 B 76 A
2 B 27 B 52 B 77 C
3 C 28 D 53 D 78 D
4 C 29 A 54 A 79 D
5 B 30 C 55 C 80 A
6 B 31 C 56 B 81 B
7 A 32 B 57 C 82 C
8 B 33 D 58 D 83 A
9 D 34 A 59 B 84 D
10 A 35 D 60 B 85 C
11 A 36 D 61 B 86 D
12 D 37 D 62 D 87 C
13 C 38 C 63 C 88 D
14 D 39 D 64 A 89 A
15 A 40 C 65 A 90 D
16 C 41 A 66 A 91 C
17 B 42 D 67 B 92 D
18 B 43 B 68 A 93 C
19 B 44 B 69 C 94 C
20 B 45 C 70 A 95 D
21 C 46 B 71 D 96 A
22 A 47 A 72 D 97 D
23 C 48 A 73 C 98 C
24 A 49 B 74 D 99 B
25 C 50 C 75 C 100 D
KEYS
GS TEST-14(2014-15)

RAIL BUDGET 2015

The Budget laid out a clear road map to make Railways the key driver of economic growth and envisaged investment Rs 8.5 lakh crore over 5 years for railway modernisation. 

Presenting his maiden Rail Budget, Suresh Prabhu was very much aware of the challenges that lay ahead on his path. 

Prabhu, endeavored to maintain a perfect balance between the challenges of revenue generation and expectations from the Rail Budget which for a long period had been a victim of populist policies. 

Prabhu underlined four goals he has set for making railway journey a passenger friendly while ultimately making the public carrier financially viable. 

Decongesting the railway traffic has been a major concern for railways. To ease this pressure across the nation railway has sanctioned fast track expansion of 7000 Km of existing railway routes at the same time 1200 KM of new lines will be commissioned in the year 2015-16. 

An Expansion of 77 projects covering 9,400KM of existing rail lines and their electrification has been announced this will cost over 96,000 crore. 

The efforts to smoothen the rail traffic finds priority in this year's railway budget and rail minister has given Rs. 2,374 crore for this purpose. 

The Railway Minister announced that long haul Journeys between metros like Delhi-Kolkata and Delhi-Mumbai could be covered overnight now. 

Speed of 9 railway corridor is to be increased form 110 Km to 140kmph and from 160 Km to 200kmph. 

Freight movement will be faster as freight trains could touch a speed of 100 Km per hour. 

Country moves a step closer to realised dream of bullet train. 

The feasibility study of bullet train on Mumbai-Ahmadabad route is expected by mid of this year. 

An innovation council "kayakalp' will be set up for introducing a spirit of innovation in railways. 

Indian railway will have auditing of train operations and energy savings, also land resources will be digitised. 

New strategy to be chalked out to tap the advertising potential of railway stations and train through corporate branding. 

A full fledged university to be set up during 2015-16. 

Four railway research centers to be set up in select universities. 'Malviya Chair for railways technology at IIT (BHU) to be set up. 

For the Green Initiatives, Prabhu announced a number of sustainability and energy optimization steps. An environment directorate is being set up to focus on environment management. 

1000 megtawatt of solar plants will be set up by the developer on railway land. Water auditing and expansion of water harvesting system has been announced in this railway budget. 

100 Demu trains will be enabled for dual fuel CNG and diesel. 

To give a fillip to Tourism, 'Incredible Rail' in line with 'Incredible India' will be launched. Railway Minister announced that IRCTC is working on promoting Gandhi Circuit to mark the occasion of 100 years of the return of Mahtama Gandhi to India from South Africa. 

Also a 'Kisan Yatra' to be launched for farmers for farming and marketing technique centres. 

The minister has announced that all initiative announced in the budget will be taken in mission mode. It gives a hope that people will be able to experience these initiative soon. 

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu had said before presenting the Railway Budget that the govt has tried its best tried to fulfil the expectations of people and the Budget did turn out to be a budget for all. Here's why...

# The overall outlay for passenger amenities has been increased by 67%. 

# In order to cut down the travel time, the Railway Minister has announced introduction of train sets that will save 20% of the journey time

# WiFi will be made available at 400 railway stations. 

# 10 satellite railway stations will be developed. 

# Water vending machines will be available at more stations. 

# An all India 24X7 helpline number 138 will be functional for redressing passenger grievances. 

# 7,000 more toilets will be replaced by Bio-Toilets. 

# A mobile application will be launched for grievance redressal. 

# Train Protection Warning System, Train Collision Avoidance System will be installed on select routes at the earliest. 

# The budget promised faster rail network growth in Jammu & Kashmir. 

# Barak Valley of Assam will be brought on broad gauge by March. 

# Coastal Connectivity Program in partnership with ports will be launched for rail connectivity to Nargol, Chharra, Dighi, Rewas and Tuna. 

# On-board entertainment will be introduced in select Shatabdi trains. 

# Facility of self-operated lockers will be available at stations. 

# More General class coaches will be added in identified trains. 

# Provision of Rs. 120 crore made for Lifts and escalators at stations. 

# Newly manufactured coaches will be Braille enabled. 

# Wider entrances of coaches will be built for the ease of differently-abled passengers. 

The Railways has also approached NID to design user friendly ladders for climbing upper berths.

Current Affiars Capsule December 2014

Current Affairs December 2014  is now ready and available for download. You can download your free copy in PDF here.

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Current Affairs January 2015

INTERNATIONAL

Palestinians To Join International Criminal Court
Palestine will join the International Criminal Court on 1 April 2015, announced UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on 6 January .The Palestinians will be able to sue Israel for war crimes, a move the Israeli administration has consistently opposed for decades.Along with the ICC application, the UN chief approved other sets of documents, enabling Palestine to join 16 international agreements, conventions and treaties.

Maithripala Sirisena Elected As Sri Lanka President
Pallewatte Gamaralalage Maithripala Yapa Sirisena (Maithiripala Sirisena) was elected as new President of Srilanka. Mithripala Sirisena, Health Minister in Rajapaksa government, won the 2015 Presidential Elections of Sri Lanka. The Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya announced the results on 9 January 2015. Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa from United People’s Freedom Alliance got 47.6 percent and Opposition candidate Maithripala Samisen from United National Party got 51.3 percent of the votes polled in the Presidential elections held on 8 January 2015.

Alexis Tsipras Elected As New Greece Prime Minister
Alexis Tsipras, leader of the Syriza anti-austerity party, was elected as the new Prime Minister of Greece. In Greece, anti-austerity Syriza party has won general election.In this election Syriza party has won about half the seats in Parliament.Alexis Tsipras, leader of the Syriza anti-austerity party, was sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Greece 26 January 2015.

Sergio Mattarella Elected As New President of Italy
Italy’s parliament has elected constitutional court judge Sergio Mattarella as the country’s President on 31 January.He will Italy’s 12th president and succeed Giorgio Napolitano who had resigned earlier in January 2015 citing reason of poor health before his 2020 expiry term.

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INDIA & WORLD

India To Host 2nd International Indian Ocean Expedition
India will be hosting the 2nd International Indian Ocean Expedition (IIOE) in December 2015, almost 50 years after it had hosted its first edition, during which the participating nations will also study the changes that have taken place in the Indian Ocean since the 1960s.The second IIOE will have at least 20 counties participating in it. It will start in early December 2015 and will continue for next five years.The IIOE-2 is a developing initiative under UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), which aims at providing an exciting platform for knowledge transfer and capacity building, besides raising global awareness about the importance of the Indian Ocean.

India To Provide USD 60 million Line of Credit To Guyana For Road Projects
India will provide 60 million dollars Line of Credit (LoC) to Guyana for its road infrastructure projects and passenger ferry service. The decision of granting the LoC was made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the bilateral talks with Guyana President Donald R. Ramotar on the sidelines of the 13th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas in Gandhinagar, Gujarat on 8 January 2015.

European Union Lifts Ban On Import Of Indian Mangoes
The European Union (EU) on 20 January decided to lift a ban on the import of mangoes from India after India made improvements in plant health controls and certification systems.The EU had imposed a temporary ban on Indian mangoes that came into effect from 1 May 2014. The ban was to remain effective until December 2015 and was imposed after the authorities had found consignments infested with fruit flies that they feared could damage European salad crops. On 20 January 2015 a European Commission committee voted to lift the ban.

India – US to Set Up Task Force To Develop Three Smart Cities
India and the US on 27 January decided to set up a task force for jointly developing Allahabad (Uttar Pradesh), Ajmer (Rajasthan) and Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) as Smart Cities with a mandate of preparing the roadmap within three months. The decision was taken at a meeting between Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu and visiting Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, two days after the two countries signed pacts under which the three cities will be developed as Smart Cities with the help of United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA).

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NATIONAL

Union Govt Established NITI Aayog To Replace Planning Commission
The Union Government on 1 January established NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog , as replacement for the Planning Commission.  This comes after extensive consultation across the spectrum of stakeholders, including state governments, domain experts and relevant institutions. NITI Aayog will seek to provide a critical directional and strategic input into the development process. NITI Aayog that replaced the 65 year old Planning Commission will be headed by Prime Minister. It will have a governing council comprising Chief Ministers of all the states and Lt. Governors of Union Territories. Apart from this, the NITI Aayog will also have a Vice-Chairperson and a Chief Executive Officer (fixed tenure, in the rank of Secretary to the Government of India), who will be appointed by the Prime Minister.

PM Narendra Modi Releases Coin In Honour Of Jamsetji Tata
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 6 January released a commemorative coin in honour of Jamsetji Tata, popularly known as father of modern Indian industry, on his 175th birth anniversary in New Delhi.Jamsetji is the first industrialist felicitated by the Indian government in such a manner.He founded Tata Group, India’s largest business conglomerate. He was born on March 3, 1839 in Navsari, a small town in south Gujarat.Jamsetji Tata founded the Tata group in 1868.

PM Narendra Modi Launched Sukanya Samridhi Yojana Under BBBP campaign
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 22 January launched a small deposit scheme Sukanya Samridhi Yojana for girl child under the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (Save the Daughter, Teach the Daughter) campaign. The scheme was launched at Painpat in Haryana, a state with one of the poorest sex ratio in the country . The scheme will ensure equitable share to a girl child in resources and savings of a family in which she is generally discriminated against a male child. Sukanya Samridhi Yojana will enable parents to open bank accounts of girls who are under 10 years of age.Sukanya Samridhi Account will fetch an interest rate of 9.1 percent and provide income tax rebate.

Union Government Released Commemorative Postage Stamps On Swachh Bharat Mission
Union Government has released set of three Commemorative Postage Stamps on Swachh Bharat Mission (Clean India Mission). This set of 3 stamps was released by Union Ministry for Communications & Information Technology and issued by Department of Posts. These stamps were released to in order to achieve the vision of Clean and Healthy India. Department of Posts has selected the design for the stamps through a competition among the children on the theme of Swachh Bharat Mission. Swachh Bharat Mission was launched by the Prime Minister on the 2nd October, 2014 on the occasion of Birth Anniversary of Father of the Nation- Mahatma Gandhi. This mission seeks to achieve Clean India and aims to provide access to toilets to all households in the country.

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STATES

PM Narendra Modi Launched Scheme For LED bulb Distribution In Delhi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 5 January launched a scheme for distribution of LED bulbs under the Domestic Efficient Lighting Programme in Delhi and a National Programme for LED-based Home and Street Lighting. Under the scheme, consumers in Delhi would be able to request for LED bulbs under the Domestic Efficient Lighting Programme through a new Website launched by Narendra Modi.

Presidential Rule Imposed In Jammu and Kashmir
President’s rule was imposed on Jammu and Kashmir on 9 January.President Pranab Mukherjee approved the recommendation of the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir N N Vohra. Governor N N Vohra had recommended for President Rule in light of deadlock over the formation of the new government continued in Jammu and Kashmir.

Dima Hasao District Of Assam Got Its First Broad Gauge Railway Track
Dima Hasao District of Assam got its first broad gauge railway track on 12 January. A goods train with 43 wagons reached the main railway station of the Dima Hasao district using this broad gauge track.The train in its first ever journey covered 98 km from Patharkhula station to New-Haflong station while crossing 9 tunnels, 15 stations, 15 major bridges and 135 minor bridges.The passenger trains will also be commissioned on the route from Pathakhula to New-Haflong on the track that is extended up to Silchar after the approval of Railway Safety Commission.

UN Chief Inaugurates Gujarat’s Second Canal-Top 10-MW Solar Power Project
United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on 11 January inaugurated Gujarat’s second canal-top 10-MW solar power project.It is located on 5.5 km stretch of Vadodara branch of Sardar Sarovar project canal. The plant is constructed by the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited and is the first of its kind in the country.It is implemented by Hyderabad-based Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited (MEIL).

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CONFERENCES

13th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Held In Gandhinagar
The 13th edition of the ‘Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) was held on 7 – 9 January 2015 at Gandhinagar, Gujarat.The theme of 2015 PBD was Bharat ko jano and Bharat ko mano.The chief guest of the 13th PBD was Guyana President Donald Ramotar. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 8 January inaugurated a state-of-the-art museum Dandi Kutir opposite Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.Narendra Modi also released Commemorative Postage Stamps to mark 100 Years of Mahatma Gandhi’s Return from South Africa to India. The coins are of denomination of 100 rupees and 10 rupees, while the stamps are of value of 25 rupees and 5 rupees. The event concluded with giving away Pravasi Bharatiya Samman awards to 15 members of the Indian Diaspora by the Vice-President Hamid Ansari.PBD conventions are being held every year since 2003 and are celebrated on 9th January every year to mark the contribution of Overseas Indian community in the development of India.The 13th edition of PBD marked the 100th year of Mahatma Gandhi’s return to India from South Africa.

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AWARDS & HONOURS

15 NRIs Awarded with Pravasi Bharatiya Samman 2015

Vice-President Mohammad Hamid Ansari presented the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards 2015 to 15 prominent Non-Resident Indians (NRI’s). The awards were presented on the concluding day of 13th Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas at Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The recipients were – Mala Mehta, Australia ; Donald Rabindernauth Ramotar, Guyana ; Dr. Rajaram Sanjaya, Mexico ; Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi, New Zealand ; Rajmal Parakh, Oman ; Duraikannu Karunakaran, Seychelles ; Essop Goolam Pahad, South Africa ; Shah Bharatkumar Jayantilal, UAE ; Ashraf Palarakunnummal, UAE ; Mahendra Nanji Mehta, Uganda ; Prof. Nathu Ram Puri ; Lord Raj Loomba, Britain ; Satyanarayana Nadella, USA ; Dr. Lulla Kamlesh, US ; Dr.Nandini Tandon, USA.

ISRO Mars Orbiter Mission Team Won Space Pioneer Award – 2015
The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) Team of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on 12 January won the 2015 Space Pioneer Award in the Science and Engineering category. The Mars Orbiter Mission team is located in Bangalore and is headed by Mylswamy Annadurai. This prestigious award is be given by the National Space Society (NSS), an American educational and scientific organization.

Kamal Kishore Goyanka Selected For Vyas Samman 2014
Well-known Hindi scholar and writer Dr. Kamal Kishore Goenka was on 13 January chosen for Vyas samman 2014. He has been chosen for this award for his research work ‘Premchand Kee Kahaniyo Kaa Kaalkramanusar Adhyayan’. It was published in 2012. This award is instituted by the K.K. Birla Foundation. It was started in 1991.

Jammu and Kashmir Won National E-Governance Award 2014-15
Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) has been selected for National e-Governance award 2014-15 for its best district level initiative in the country.J&K state has been selected on 16 January for this award by Department of Administrative Reforms for its e-Panchayat project.

Padma Awards 2015 Announced
The President of India Pranab Mukherjee on 25 January approved the conferment of Padma Awards 2015 to 104 person this year. The list of the awardees comprises of 9 Padma Vibhushan, 20 Padma Bhushan and 75 Padma Shri. The list also features 17 women as awardees and includes 17 persons from the category of foreigners, NRIs, PIOs and 4 Posthumous awardees.Padma Awards are one of the highest civilian Awards of the country, conferred in three categories – Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri – and given in various disciplines.

Padma Vibhushan
1. LK Advani- Public Affairs- Gujarat
2. Amitabh Bachchan- Art- Maharashtra
3. Prakash Singh Badal- Public Affairs- Punjab
4. Dr D Veerendra Heggade- Social Work- Karnataka
5. Mohammad Yusuf Khan alias Dilip Kumar- Art- Maharashtra
6. Jagadguru Ramanandacharya Swami Rambhadracharya- Others- Uttar Pradesh
7. Prof Malur Ramaswamy Srinivasan- Science and Engineering- Tamil Nadu
8. Kottayan K. Venugopal- Public Affairs- Delhi
9. Karim Al Hussaini Aga Khan (Foreigner)- Trade and Industry- France/UK

Padma Bhushan :-
1. Jahnu Barua- Art- Assam
2. Dr Vijay Bhatkar- Science and Engineering- Maharashtra
3. Shri Swapan Dasgupta- Literature and Education- Delhi
4. Swami Satyamitranand Giri- Others- Uttar Pradesh
5. N Gopalaswami- Civil Service- Tamil Nadu
6. Dr Subhash C Kashyap- Public Affairs- Delhi
7. Dr (Pandit) Gokulotsavji Maharaj- Art- Madhya Pradesh
8. Dr Ambrish Mithal- Medicine – Delhi
9. Sudha Ragunathan- Art- Tamil Nadu
10. Shri Harish Salve- Public Affairs- Delhi
11. Dr Ashok Seth- Medicine- Delhi
12. Rajat Sharma- Literature and Education- Delhi
13. Satpal- Sports- Delhi
14. Shivakumara Swami- Others- Karnataka
15. Dr Kharag Singh Valdiya- Science and Engineering- Karnataka
16. Prof Manjul Bhargava (NRI/PIO)- Science and Engineering- USA
17. David Frawley (Vamadeva) (Foreigner)- Others- USA
18. Bill Gates (Foreigner)- Social Work- USA
19. Melinda Gates (Foreigner)- Social Work- USA
20. Saichiro Misumi (Foreigner)- Others- Japan

Padma Shri :-

1. Dr Manjula Anagani- Medicine- Telangana
2. S Arunan- Science and Engineering- Karnataka
3. Kanyakumari Avasarala- Art- Tamil Nadu
4. Dr Bettina Sharada Baumer- Literature and Education- Jammu and Kashmir
5. Naresh Bedi- Art- Delhi
6. Ashok Bhagat- Social Work- Jharkhand
7. Sanjay Leela Bhansali- Art- Maharashtra
8. Dr Lakshmi Nandan Bora- Literature and Education- Assam
9. Dr Gyan Chaturvedi- Literature and Education- Madhya Pradesh
10. Prof (Dr) Yogesh Kumar Chawla- Medicine- Chandigarh
11. Jayakumari Chikkala- Medicine- Delhi
12. Bibek Debroy- Literature and Education- Delhi
13. Dr Sarungbam Bimola Kumari Devi- Medicine- Manipur
14. Dr Ashok Gulati- Public Affairs- Delhi
15. Dr Randeep Guleria- Medicine- Delhi
16. Dr KP Haridas- Medicine- Kerala
17. Rahul Jain- Art- Delhi
18. Ravindra Jain- Art- Maharashtra
19. Dr Sunil Jogi- Literature and Education- Delhi
20. Prasoon Joshi- Art- Maharashtra
21. Dr Prafulla Kar- Art- Odisha
22. Saba Anjum- Sports- Chhattisgarh
23. Ushakiran Khan- Literature and Education- Bihar
24. Dr Rajesh Kotecha- Medicine- Rajasthan
25. Prof Alka Kriplani- Medicine Delhi
26. Dr Harsh Kumar- Medicine- Delhi
27. Narayana Purushothama Mallaya- Literature & Education- Kerala
28. Lambert Mascarenhas- Literature and Education- Goa
29. Dr Janak Palta McGilligan- Social Work- Madhya Pradesh
30. Veerendra Raj Mehta- Social Work- Delhi
31. Tarak Mehta- Art- Gujarat
32. Neil Herbert Nongkynrih (Art), Meghalaya
33. Chewang Norphel- Others- Jammu and Kashmir
34. TV Mohandas Pai- Trade and Industry- Karnataka
35. Dr Tejas Patel- Medicine- Gujarat
36. Jadav Molai Peyang- Others- Assam
37. Bimla Poddar- Others- Uttar Pradesh
38. Dr N Prabhakar- Science and Engg- Delhi
39. Dr Prahalada- Science and Engg- Maharashtra
40. Dr Narendra Prasad- Medicine- Bihar
41. Ram Bahadur Rai- Literature and Education- Delhi
42. Mithali Raj- Sports- Telangana
43. PV Rajaraman- Civil Service- Tamil Nadu
44. Prof JS Rajput- Literature and Education- Uttar Pradesh
45. Kota Srinivasa Rao- Art- Andhra Pradesh
46. Prof Bimal Roy- Literature and Education- West Bengal
47. Shekhar Sen- Art- Maharashtra
48. Gunvant Shah- Literature and Education- Gujarat
49. Brahmdev Sharma- Literature and Education- Delhi
50. Manu Sharma- Literature and Education- Uttar Pradesh
51. Prof Yog Raj Sharma- Medicine- Delhi
52. Vasant Shastri- Science and Engg- Karnataka
53. SK Shivkumar- Science and Engg- Karnataka
54. PV Sindhu- Sports- Telangana
55. Sardara Singh- Sports- Haryana
56. Arunima Sinha-Sports- Uttar Pradesh
57. Mahesh Raj Soni- Art- Rajasthan
58. Dr Nikhil Tandon- Medicine- Delhi
59. H Thegtse Rinpoche- Social Work- Arunachal Pradesh
60. Dr Hargovind Laxmishanker Trivedi- Medicine- Gujarat
61. Huang Baosheng- Others- China
62. Prof Jacques Blamont- Science and Engg- France
63. Late Syedna Mohammad Burhanuddin- Others- Maharashtra (Posthumous)
64. Jean-Claude Carriere- Literature and Education – France
65. Dr Nandrajan ‘Raj’ Chetty- Literature and Education- France
66. George L Hart- Others- USA
67. Jagat Guru Amrta Suryananda Maha Raja- Others- Portugal
68. Late Meetha Lal Mehta- Social Work- Rajasthan (Posthumous)
69. Tripti Mukherjee- Art- USA
70. Dr Dattatreyudu Nori- Medicine- USA
71. Dr Raghu Rama Pillarisetti (Medicine), USA
72. Dr Saumitra Rawat- Medicine- UK
73. Prof Annette Schmiedchen (Literature and Education), Germany
74. Late Pran Kumar Sharma alias Pran- Art- Delhi (Posthumous)
75. Late R Vasudevan- Civil Service- Tamil Nadu (Posthumous)

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SPORTS & GAMES

Andy Murray Won ATP World Tennis Championship
Britain’s Andy Murray  Andy Murray won the ATP World Tennis Championship at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi on 4 January.He won the title after the Serbia’s Novak Djokovic withdrew from the final match citing illness.This was the first title of year 2015 for Andy Murray.

Brisbane Tennis Tournament Winners – 2015
Women’s Singles :- Maria Sharapova of Russia won the Brisbane International women’s singles title on 10 January.She defeated Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic in the final.It was her 34th career title.
Men’s Singles :- Switzerland’s Roger Federar won the Men’s singles title. He defeated Milos Raonic of Canada in the final.It’s a grand number for a 17-time Grand Slam champion, making him the only player after Jimmy Connors (1,253) and Ivan Lendl (1,071) to win 1,000 times on the men’s professional tour. Its the 83rd career title for this 17-time Grand Slam champion.

South Africa’s AB de Villiers Scores Fastest One-day International Century
South Africa’s batsman AB de Villiers hit the fastest century in One-Day International (ODI) cricket. AB de Villiers scored the century in just 31 balls. He achieved the feat in second ODI match of the 5-match ODI series played on 18 January at the Wanderers in Johannesburg against West Indies. The previous record was held by New Zealand’s Corey Anderson who scored a century in 36 balls against the West Indies on 1 January 2014.On the way to make the world record of fastest century, Villiers went to fifty off 16 balls, one ball less than Sanath Jayasuriya’s 19-year old record of the fastest ODI half-century. Jayasuriya scored the fifty in 17 balls for Sri Lanka against Pakistan in 1995-96.

Australian Open Tennis Tournament Winners – 2015
Women’s singles :- Serena Williams of US won the women’s singles title of Australian Open 2015 on 31 January 2015 by defeating Maria Sharapova.This was her sixth Australian Open singles title and 19th singles Grand Slam title. With this she overtook 18-time Grand Slam winners Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. She is now just three titles away from Steffi Graf’s record of 22 Grand Slam titles.
Men’s Singles :- Novak Djokovic (Serbia) won the Australian Open Men’s singles title. He defeated Britain’s Andy Murray in the final on 1 February.Djokovic had earlier won the Australian Open titles in 2008, 2011, 2012 and 2013. This was his 8th career Grand Slam title. Murray has now been runner-up four times here, losing twice previously to Djokovic in 2011 and 2013 and to Roger Federer in 2010.

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ECONOMY

ICICI Bank Launched India’s Contactless Credit and Debit Cards
ICICI Bank, the country’s largest private sector one, on 7 January launched contactless credit cards and debits cards called Coral Contactless Credit Card and Expressions Wave Debit Card respectively. These cards will enable customers to make electronic payments by waving the cards near a merchant terminal instead of dipping or swiping the cards.

India’s Growth To Reach 6.3 percent In 2016
According to the United Nations World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) 2015 report released on 14 January, India’s growth in terms of GDP is expected to reach 5.9 per cent in 2015 and 6.3 per cent in 2016.
Highlights of Report :-
India:- Its growth recovery is partly the result of improved market sentiment after the new government took office in the second quarter of 2014 and had announced plans to reform the bureaucracy, labour laws and public subsidies.
South Asia:- Economic growth in South Asia is set to gradually pick up from an estimated 4.9 percent in 2014 to 5.4 percent in 2015 and 5.7 percent in 2016. India, will account for about 70 percent of regional output in South Asia.
* Average inflation in this region is expected remain moderate at 7.8 percent in 2015 and 7.2 percent in 2016, as commodity prices are likely remain subdued and domestic demand picks up gradually.
Global Economy:- It is expected to grow at 3.1 percent in 2015 and 3.3 percent in 2016, compared with an estimated growth of 2.6 percent in 2014.

World Economic Situation and Prospects 2015 Report Released
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) on 19 January 2015 released World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) 2015 report. The report projects that the regional growth will pick up in 2015-16, as average GDP growth will accelerate from 5.0 percent in 2014 to 5.3 percent in 2015 and 5.7 percent in 2016.The report has highlighted that the South Asia’s economic growth is set to reach a four-year high in 2015. The average gross domestic product (GDP) growth of South Asia accelerated from 3.7 percent in 2013 to 4.9 percent in 2014, and is projected to strengthen further to 5.4 percent in 2015 and 5.7 per cent in 2016.

Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana scheme sets Guinness Record
Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) scheme was conferred with the Guinness record on 20 January 2015. The PMJDY scheme created a Guinness World Record for opening the maximum number of bank accounts in the shortest possible time. Altogether, 11.5 crore accounts have been opened under the scheme in less than five months. The scheme was launched on 28 August 2014 with a target of 7.5 crore till 26 January 2015. The Guinness authorities officially handed a certificate to Union finance minister Arun Jaitley in Delhi on 20 January 2015. Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana is government’s flagship financial inclusion programme that was launched on 28 August 2014 to help people in opening bank accounts.

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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Scientists Discovered Two New Earth-like Planets
The Scientists at the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics have discovered two Earth-like planets Kepler 438b and Kepler 442b. The findings of the discovery were published in The Astrophysical Journal on 5 January.The planets were spotted by Nasa’s Kepler space telescope which detects planets as they move across the faces of their stars. Kepler 438b is 475 light years away. It gets about 40 percent more heat from its red sun than Earth gets from the Sun.Kepler-442b is 1100 light-years away. It is 33 percent bigger than Earth and orbits its star once every 112 days. has a 60-percent chance of being rocky.

IAF gets First Indigenously Built LCA Tejas
First indigenously-built Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas was handed over to the Indian Air Force (IAF) by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar at ceremony held on 17 January at Bengaluru, Karanataka.It received its Initial Operational Clearance-I in January 2011, after being built by state-owned HAL. It is expected that the aircraft will receive its Final Operational Clearance by December 2015.

India Successfully Test-Fired Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile Agni-V
India on 31 January successfully test-fired its indigenously developed, intercontinental surface-to-surface nuclear capable ballistic missile ( ICBM) ‘Agni-5′, which has a strike range of over 5000 kms and can carry a nuclear warhead of over one tonne, from Wheeler’s Island off Odisha coast. This was the third successful flight test of the Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) and the first canister trial. The first test was conducted on April 19, 2012 and the second test on 15 September, 2013 from the same base.

NASA Launches SMAP Satellite
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has on 2 February launched Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite to observe soil moisture.It was launched from the Delta 2 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. SMAP satellite is three-year mission which will measure the amount of moisture in soil. It will produce high-resolution global maps from space and data collected from it will help scientists to monitor droughts and improve flood forecasts.

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PERSONS IN NEWS

A) APPOINTMENTS

Arvind Panagariya Takes Charge As NITI Aayog Vice Chairman
Noted economist Arvind Panagariya on 13 January took charge as the first vice-chairman of the newly-created NITI Aayog. NITI Aayog has replaced the 65-year old Planning Commission. He is an Indian-American economist and Professor of Economics at Columbia University.

A.S. Kiran Kumar Took Over As The New Chairman Of ISRO
Alur Seelin Kiran Kumar (A.S. Kiran Kumar) took over as the new Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 14 January 2015.A.S. Kiran Kumar became the 8th Chairman of ISRO.

HS Brahma Takes Charge As Chief Election Commissioner
Hari Shankar Brahma on 16 January assumed charge as the 19th Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) after he was elevated to the post on 14 January.He succeeded VS Sampath, whose tenure ended on 15 January 2015.

B)RESIGNS

Leela Samson Resigned As Chairperson of CBFC
Leela Samson on 16 January 2015 resigned as Chairperson of Central Board of Film Certification, (CBFC).She was appointed as the Chairperson of CBFC on 1 April 2011.

C)DEATHS

Veteran Scientist Vasant Gowarikar Died
Space veteran and eminent scientist Vasant Gowarikar was died on 2 January in Pune.  He was the chief of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and also the scientific advisor to the Prime Minister of India in 1991-1993. Gowarikar made valuable contributions to the fields of space research, weather and population. Gowarikar was involved in space research in early career under Vikram Sarabhai when his office was in the building of the local St Mary Magdalene Church in Thumba in Kerala. He pioneered solid propelant development and later served as Director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) between 1979 and 1985.Gowarikar was awarded Padma Shri in 1984 and Padma Bhushan in 2008. He also received the Fie Foundation Award.

D)VISITORS

U.S. President Barack Obama Visited India
U.S. President Barack Obama visited India from 25 January to 27 January 2015.As a part of his visit, he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and held wide-ranging discussions on bilateral relations as well as on regional and international issues of mutual interest and concern. India and U.S signed several pacts during the official visit of the President of U.S to India. Barack Obama , the  President of U.S was the Chief Guest of India on the occasion of the Republic Day parade on 26 January 2015. Obama became the first US president to be chief guest at India’s Republic Day parade. In the visit, the civil nuclear agreement that would allow nuclear contracts to be signed between U.S. firms and India.

E)MISCELLANEOUS

Miss Colombia Paulina Vega Crowned Miss Universe 2015
Miss Colombia Paulina Vega was crowned as Miss Universe 2015 at the final of the beauty pageant held in Miami on 25 January 2015. Vega, a 22-year-old student of business administration from Barranquilla, Colombia was crowned by the 2014 pageant winner Venezuelan Gabriela Isler.With this, Vega became the second beauty queen from Colombia to win the title. Luz Marina Zuluaga became the first Colombian to win the crown in 1956.

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PLACES  IN  NEWS

Qantas Named World’s Safest Airline
Australia’s national airline Qantas was named as the world’s safest airline by AirlineRatings.com on 6 January. Qantas, which is in its 95th year of operation, was hailed for “an extraordinary record of firsts” in terms of its safety history and ranked the best of 449 airlines, including low-cost carriers, assessed by the website.

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ABBREVIATIONS

NRDC —- National Research and Development Corporation

POTA —- Prevention of Terrorism Act

SAFTA — South Asian Free Trade Agreement

SAIL —- Steel Authority of India Limited

UNDP —- United Nations Development Programme

VSSC — Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre

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BOOKS IN NEWS

Vice President Released “The Indian Parliament – A Critical Appraisal”
The Vice President of India M.Hamid Ansari on 8 January released a book entitled “The Indian Parliament – A Critical Apprisal”. The book is authored by Prof. Sudha Pai and Avinash Kumar of Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.The book examines the credibility and legitimacy of the Indian Parliament and has scrutinised various aspects of its functioning.

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COMMITTEES

Subramanium Committee Recommended Single Window System For Environment Projects
In the month of January 2015, High-level committee (HLC) headed by former Cabinet Secretary T S R Subramanium submitted its report to Union Government. In its recommendation, the committee suggested single window clearance mechanism for green nods.The committee has suggested an umbrella law to help set up new national and state-level regulators that would also take the powers of the existing pollution control boards. The law – Environmental Management Act – would do away with the need for separate Acts to regulate air and water pollution that empower states to give the consent to operate and establish industrial units.

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IMPORTANT DAYS AND DATES

National Youth Day Observed Across India on 12 January
National Youth Day was observed across India on 12 January 2015. The day is observed annually to mark the birth anniversary of social reformer, philosopher and thinker Swami Vivekananda. This is the 152nd birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda and his birth anniversary is being celebrated as National Youth Day in India since 1985.The Union Government in 1984 had declared that 12 January, the birthday of Swami Vivekananda will be observed as the National Youth Day.Swami Vivekananda’s lectures and writings are a source of inspiration for youth and have motivated numerous youth organisation.His writings derive their inspiration from Indian spiritual tradition and the broad outlook of his Master Sri Ramakrishna. All his teachings can be found in The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, in nine volumes, published by Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata. Swami Vivekananda was born on 12 January 1863 as Narendra Nath Datta and regarded as a patriotic saint of India.

National Girl Child Day Observed On 24 January
National Girl Child Day is observed on 24 January 2015 across the nation. This celebration was started to offer more supports and new opportunities to the girls in the country. It is celebrated to increase the awareness among people about all the inequalities faced by the girl child in the society. This day is being observed every year on 24 January since 2008