August 2015 Daily News Current Affairs

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  1. Aug 31, 2015
    1. August 31 - Independence Day of Trinidad and Tobago. It marks independence from United Kingdom in 1962.
    2. August 31 - Independence Day of Malaysia. It marks independence from United Kingdom in 1957.
    3. August 31 - Independence Day of Kyrgyzstan. It marks independence from USSR in 1991.
    4. PM Narendra Modi released digital version of Ramcharitmanas as a set of digital CDs produced by All India Radio.
    5. Rajiv Mehrishi has been appointed as Union Home Secretary of India replacing L.C.Goyal.
    6. Sunil Arora has been appointed as Secretary in Ministry of Information & Broadcasting.
    7. Minister of Steel & Mines, Narendra Singh Tomar Visited Australia to Attend ‘AIMEX- 2015 to Be Held During 1st to 4th September, 2015 at Sydney. AIMEX Stands for - Asia Pacifics International Mining Exhibition.
    8. K. Vijay Raghavan is appointed as Secretary in Ministry of Earth Sciences.
    9. Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences Harsh Vardhan launched web enabled project management information system for Department of Biotechnology (DBT) projects at URL http://dbtepromis.nic.in. It will help registration of new investigators, online submission of proposals and Online tracking of projects.
    10. United States International Trade Commission (USITC) extended the anti-dumping duty on preserved mushrooms from Chile, China, India, and Indonesia for another five years after it found that revoking anti-dumping duty orders would lead to continuation or recurrence of material injury.
    11. Mountaineer Jot Singh of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has been honoured with Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award 2014-15.
    12. Indian Bank launched IndPay mobile app service to enables its customers to operate bank accounts anytime from anywhere.
    13. Housing ministry identified 305 cities in nine states to build houses for poor in urban areas by 2022 for two crore families in economically weaker section (EWS).
    14. HDFC Bank slashed its base rate (the minimum rate at which banks lend) by 0.35 % to 9.35 %.
  2. Aug 30, 2015
    1. 15th IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) World Championships in Athletics Beijing (China)
      1. 1933 Atheletes from 206 countries particpiated in 47 Events.
      2. Kenya topped the medal tally for the first time, Followed by Jamaica on second and USA at Third.
      3. Host China was 11th. Russia, the overall winner of 2013 ended at 9th place.
      4. India stayed at 65th place in overall medal tally with no medals won. However, India's Lalita Babar finished eighth in 3000m steeplechase (Obstacle) event and earned one point for India. This one point gave india 65th place in medal tally.
        1. India has won only 2 medals in all 15 Athletics world championships held so far. Both by long jumper Anju Bobby George. One bronze was won by her in 2003 championships in Paris and one gold medal in 2005 championships in Monaco.
      5. Usain Bolt (Jamaica) won 3 golds in 100m and 200m events and as a part of 4*400m relay.
      6. Next (16th) IAAF world Athletics Championships will be held in London in 2017.
      7. Medal Tally Top 10 Countries -
        Country Gold Silver Bronze Total
        Kenya 7 6 3 16
        Jamaica 7 2 3 12
        USA 6 6 6 18
        Great Britain 4 1 2 7
        Ethiopia 3 3 2 8
        Poland 3 1 4 8
        Canada 2 3 3 8
        Germany 2 3 3 8
        Russia 2 1 1 4
        Cuba 2 1 0 3
    2. Government launched a SAHAJ scheme for online release of new LPG connections.
    3. Indian wrestlers won Two medals at Cadet Wrestling World Championships at SARAJEVO (Bosnia and Herzegovina). Anil won gold medal in the 50 kg freestyle and Ankush won silver in 38 kg women freestyle.
  3. Aug 29, 2015
    1. August 29 - India's National Sports Day - It marks birthday of Legendary Hockey Player Dhyan Chand who won Olympic gold medals for India in year 1928,1932 and 1936.
    2. National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) generated its highest single-day electricity generation of over 733 million units through its 18 coal-based, 8 solar and hydro and 7 gas-based power Plants.
    3. Indian womens hockey team qualified for Rio Olympics 2016 after 36 years as India took the quota place on the basis of its fifth-place finish in womens Hockey World League Semifinals in Belgium.
  4. Aug 28, 2015
    1. Indian Navy Ships - Betwa and Beas Visited Iran while Trikand visited Spain.
    2. Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting - Rajyavardhan Rathore visited Zimbabwe.
    3. Law Commission of India (Headed by Ajit Prakash Shah) submitted its Report No. 261 on Need to Regulate Pet Shops and Dog and Aquarium Fish Breeding by stating that pet shops and breeders violate provisions of animal welfare laws with impunity, and it is necessary to regulate their practices.
    4. Government Launched first lecture award in honour of M.G.K. Menon, renowned Physicist who has contributed to development of science and technology in India. One of his contributions is nurturing the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (Mumbai) that his mentor Homi J. Bhabha founded in 1945.
    5. South African Cricketer AB de Villiers became fastest batsman to reach 8000 One Day International runs in 182 innings. He broke previous record of Indian Sourav Ganguly who took 200 innings for the same.
    6. NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Arvind Panagariya launched second version of India Energy Security Scenarios 2047 (IESS 2047) as an open source web based tool aims to explore range of potential future energy scenarios for India.
    7. Reliance Communications sigend an agreement with USA's Jasper Technologies to offer Internet of Things (IoT) services in India.
      1. IoT is a network of internet connected devices with electronic sensors like cars, power systems and even tooth brushes. Data from IOT Devices will be transmitted to other devices and data processing systems and information generated will be used by companies and individuals to make better decisions. There will be over 100 billion IoT based devices in world by 2025.
    8. Telangana Government appointed Kandakatla Manohar as Director of Nizams Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) (Hyderabad).
    9. Air India won Guru Tegh Bahadur Hockey title by defeating Army XI 3-1.
    10. Thiru Onam (Thiruvonam) festival celebrated acrossKerala, marking birthday of Sri Padmanabham, the presiding deity of Thiruvananthapuram.
    11. Vassiliki Thanou has been appointed as Greece's First female prime minister. She will lead the country till elections to be held on 20 September.
    12. NDMC (North Delhi Municipal Corporation) will rename Aurangzeb road in Delhi as APJ Abdul Kalam road.
    13. Rajiv Mangla has been appointed as Chief Technology Officer of e-Commerce firm Snapdeal.
    14. Government approved six 6 Special Economic Zones (SEZs) proposals including HCL IT City Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh), Loma IT Park in Mumbai (Maharashtra) and North Mumbai International Commodity Township in Thane (Maharashtra). SEZs do about 25 % of the Indias total exports.
    15. Indian agricultural scientist Modadugu Vijay Gupta has been chosen for inaugural Sunhak Peace Prize for his work in developing sustainable aquaculture as a solution to future food crisis (Blue revolution). He will share this awards with Kiribati's president Anote Tong.
    16. Government launched e-payment module to make payments into Compensatory Afforestation Management Planning Authority (CAMPA) Funds to make payments for diversion of forest land more transparent. The e-payment module has designated accounts for States in which forest land is to be diverted.
    17. Footballer Lionel Messi (Argentina) has been voted as UEFA's Best season Player in a Europe-wide poll.
    18. Maharashtra government bought Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar's house in London where he stayed in 1920s in 3.1 million pounds deal.
    19. India lost case against USA at World Trade Organisation 's Dispute Settlement Body related to Indias requirement of only domestic solar equipments for its Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission. USA complained against India's JNNSM that favoured to use made in India solar equipments by stating that its is against trade norms as US Companies are looking at JNNSM as a big business potential. Earlier in June 2015, WTO ruled against Indias ban on import of poultry meat, eggs and live pigs from USA.
  5. Aug 27, 2015
    1. President of Seychelles, James Alix Michel visited India.
    2. Ministry of Civil Aviation and ASSOCHAM organized 8th International Conference on Indian Civil Aviation & Tourism in New Delhi.
    3. Google developed The Google Cultural Institute as an initiative to make Indias heritage accessible for global audiences and to preserve it digitally for generations to come.
    4. DRDO has tied up with Patanjali Ayurved for marketing of highly nutritional Seabuckthorn based products created by Defence Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR).
    5. 20th Law Commission of India (Headed by Ajit Prakash Shah) submitted its Reports Number - 258, 259 and 260.
      1. Report Number 258 - It is about Prevention of Bribery of Foreign Public Officials and Officials of Public International Organisations. It proposes to introduce Prevention of Bribery of Foreign Public Officials and Officials of Public International Organisations Bill, 2015 in the Parliament aimed at forming framework for offences against foreign Publis officials.
      2. Report Number 259 - It is about Early Childhood Development and Legal Entitlements. It suggests several constitutional amendments to make sure proper education and care for children under 6 years age.
        1. Article 24A be inserted to Part III of Constitution to make child’s right to basic care and assistance becomes an enforceable right.
        2. Article 21A of Constitution should be amended to extend right to education to children in under-6 age group as well. 
        3. Article 51 A(k) should be amended so that fundamental duty of parents to provide education is placed on every citizen. 
        4. Section 11 of Right to Education Act should be made mandatory that enforces Government to make arrangements for providing free pre-school education to children between age of 3 - 6 Years.
      3. Report Number 260 -It is about Analysis of the 2015 Draft Model Indian Bilateral Investment Treaty. It presents views to assist Government of India in achieving a balanced negotiating text that takes into consideration protection of Indian investors investing abroad and also safeguards regulatory powers of India.
    6. Government granted 800 crores under Deen Dayal Upadhyay Gram Jyoti Yojana to Karnataka for setting up feeder line to provide 24 hours quality power supply to farmers.
    7. Tennis star Novak Djokovic (Serbia) has been made new goodwill ambassador for United Nations Children's Fund, (UNICEF).
    8. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched Geo-synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) D6 that carried India's latest communication satellite GSAT-6. It is second for the ISRO scientists by using indigenously made cryogenic stage launch of GSLV-D5. ISRO is sixth space agency in world after US, Russia, Japan, China and France to have indigenous cryogenic engine crucial for launching heavier satellites of over two tonnes.
    9. Government extended tenure of 7th Central Pay Commission headed by Justice Ashok Kumar Mathur for 4 months extension (up to 31 December 2015).
    10. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Kazakhstan signed an agreement to create world's first internationally-controlled bank of low-enriched uranium to ensure fuel supplies IAEA Member nations and prevent nuclear proliferation.
    11. Former Crieketer Dilip Vengsarkar has been elected as president of Association of Indian Statisticians and scorers of India.
    12. Wealth-X report on Top 20 Wealthiest People Under 35 -
      1. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is wealthiest under 35 with personal worth 41.6 billion USD.
      2. Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz is second with net worth of 9.3 billion USD. Huiyan Yang (China) is third with net worth 5.9 billion USD.
      3. 11 of world’s top 20 wealthiest individuals under 35 are from USA, 3 from China and 3 from Switzerland.
      4. Youngest individual on list is Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel (25 years) with net worth 1.9 billion USD.
      5. No Indian is featured on the list.
      6. The top 10 are -

        Rank

        Individual

        Company

        Net Worth

        1

        Mark Zuckerberg

        Facebook Inc

        41.6 billion USD

        2

        Dustin Moskovitz

        Asana

        9.3 billion USD

        3

        Huiyan Yang

        Country Garden Holdings

        5.9 billion USD

        4

        Eduardo Saverin

        99

        5.3 billion USD

        5

        Scott Daniel Duncan

        Enterprise Products Partners

        5.0 billion USD

        6

        Elizabeth A Holmes

        Theranos

        4.5 billion USD

        7

        Nathan Blecharczyk

        AIRBNB

        3 billion USD

        8

        Brian Chesky

        AIRBNB

        3 billion USD

        9

        Joe Gebbia

        AIRBNB

        3 billion USD

        10

        Thomas Persson

        Hennes & Mauritz

        2.7 billion USD
    13. Kolkata Port Trust has been named as Major Port of Year 2014-15 at the Gateway Awards 2015 for its growth rate in volumes, capacity utilization and customer satisfaction. Kolkata Dock System and Haldia Dock System under Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) together achieved traffic growth of 23 %, while all other major ports together recorded growth of 5.8 %.
    14. Three Indians - Pradeep Goyal, Vivekanand Kain, and Gankidi Madhusudhan Reddy and Three Indian Origin Persons - Pranesh Aswath, Suveen Mathaudhu and Muthukumarasamy Sadayappan have been named among 29 Fellows of American Society for Metals (ASM) 2015.
    15. Rajendra Singh (Quoted as Waterman of India) has been conferred with 2015 Stockholm Water Prize for his water restoration efforts to defeat drought and empowering communities of Rajasthan through his organisation Tarun Bharat Sangh (India Youth Association).
    16. Government Included Sipai, Patni Jamat, Turk Jamat categories in Gujarat and Kahar and Tanwar Singhariya Catergories in Uttarakhand in Central List of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) as per advices from National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC).
    17. Kosovo and Serbia agreed to implement 2013 Brussels Agreement to normalize relations between both the countries. Key Features of Agreement are -
      1. Serbains in northern Kosovo will enjoy greater rights over issues like local economy and education.
      2. Kosovo will have a separate international dialing code to end inconvenience of Kosovo's mobile phone users of using Monaco or Slovenian international codes.
      3. Two sides will share the Mitrovica Bridge (on Ibar River) that separates Albanian and Serbs in north.
    18. Bharti Airtel acquired Augere Wireless Broadband to expand its 4G operations to nine circles.
    19. Minister of Urban development M Venkaiah Naidu announced list of 98 cities selected under smart cities mission.
  6. Aug 26, 2015
    1. August 26 - Independence day of Moldova. It marks declaration of independence from Soviet Union in 1991.
    2. Make In India Awards for Excellence – 2015 -
      1. Total 46 Companies have been awarded in 46 Categories.
    3. Lewis Hamilton (England) won Belgian Grand Prix 2015 -
      1. 2015 Formula One season -
        1. Total 19 Grand Prix Races to be organized across the world in 2015. Calendar is -
          1. Grand Prix Date Winner
            Australia 15 March Lewis Hamilton (UK)
            Malaysia 29 March Sebastian Vettel (Germany)
            China 12 April Lewis Hamilton (UK)
            Baharain 19 April Lewis Hamilton (UK)
            Spain 10 May Nico Rosberg (Germany)
            Monaco 24 May Nico Rosberg (Germany)
            Canada 7 June Lewis Hamilton (UK)
            Austria 21 June Nico Rosberg (Germany)
            Britain 5 July Lewis Hamilton (UK)
            Hungary 26 July Sebastian Vettel (Germany)
            Belgium 23 August Lewis Hamilton (UK)
            Italy 6 September
            Singapore 20 September
            Japan 27 September  
            Russia 11 October
            USA 25 October
            Mexico 1 November
            Brazil 15 November
            Abu Dhabi 29 November
        2. Trick for remembering recent F1 Races Winners so far (Based on data till Belgian Grand Prix held on August 25, 2015) -
          1. All countries starting with A, B and C except Austria WON by Lewis Hamilton (England)
          2. Hungary and Malaysian Races have been Won by Sebastian Vettel (Germany) (remember - Sabastian was HUNGRY in MALAYSIA) :)
          3. All other races including Austria have been won by Nico Rosberg (Germany).
    4. Andhra Pradesh Government will open call centres for verification and monitoring of claims To increase efficiency of claim settlement process for unorganised workers.
    5. Sri Lanka appointed former Cricketer Kumar Sangakkara as Sri Lankas ambassador to UK.
    6. PM Narendra Modi inaugurated birth centenary (100 years) celebrations of Nagaland's freedom fighter Rani Gaidinliu by issuing Commemorative coin of 100 rupees and circulation coin of 5 rupees.
    7. Rajasthan government launched a Three month Arogya Rajasthan campaign for collection and compilation of health data of rural population in Rajasthan by issuing health cards based on spot diagnoses.
    8. Russia and China Joint naval exercise called Joint Sea II held in Sea of Japan and off the coast of Russias Primorsky territory.
    9. Scientists in a study led by CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad identified THSD7A Gene as primarily responsible for obesity (Excessive Body Fat) in Indians.
    10. Indian-American Vince Chhabria has been appointed as full-time federal judge of California court in USA.
    11. Chhattisgarh capital Raipur will host 2015 Final of second edition of FIH World Hockey League to be held November - 6 December 2015.
    12. Rajasthan High Court Banned Santhara - Jain practice of facing death voluntarily at the end of one's life, terming it as a criminal offence under Section 306 of Indian Penal Code (IPC).
    13. Noted Journalist Pranab Kumar Borah passed away.
    14. Fortune's First Change the World List of 51 companies making significant progress in major social problems as a part of their business strategies.
      1. UK based Vodafone and Kenya based safaricom are jointly ranked no.1. Joint service of Vodafone and Safaraicom lets people without bank accounts to transfer money by phones. 42 % of Kenyas GDP is transacted through it.
      2. Search engine Google (Alphabet) is econd in List, Toyota automobile is third while retail giant Walmart is at fourth.
      3. In Asia, Bangladesh based Grameen Bank is at 12th position.
    15. Ancient Urdu Copy of Shri Ramcharitmansa written by Shiv Brat Lal in 1904 found in delhi.
    16. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India (RGI) released Population by Religious Communities data on Census 2011.
      1. As per the Census 2011, Total Population in 2011 was 121.09 crores.

        Religion

        Population

        Hindu

        96.63 crores (79.8%)

        Muslim

        17.22 crores (14.2%)

        Christian

        2.78 crores (2.3%)

        Sikh

        2.08 crores (1.7%)

        Buddhist

        0.84 crores (0.7%)

        Jain

        0.45 crores (0.4%)

        Other Religions & Persuasions

        0.79 crores (0.7%)

        Religion Not Stated

        0.29 crores (0.2%)
      2. Growth Rate -
        1. Growth rate of population in the decade 2001-2011 was 17.7 %. Break up is Hindus - 16.8 %; Muslims 24.6 % Christians 15.5 %, Sikhs 8.4 %.
        2. Muslim population grew at a faster rate than the Hindu population, but gap between the two growth rates is narrowing fast. The Growth rate difference in 2001 - 2011 was 7.84% (24.6-16.8) while in 1991-2001, the difference in growth rate was 9.6% (29.52 - 19.92).
    17. Washington-based Center for Global Development (CGD) released report on future of tropical deforestation from 2016-2050.
      1. Study says that if no proper forestration policies are imlemented then by 2050, 14 % (289 million hectares) tropical forests (size equal to India) will be deforested. It will add 169 billion tons of carbon dioxide into atmosphere by 2050, equivalent to running 44000 coal-fired power plants for a year. 
  7. Aug 25, 2015
    1. August 25 - Uruguay's Independence Day. It marks Independence from Brazil in 1825.
    2. India signed an Agreement with Afghanistan on judicial cooperation in civil and commercial matters for service of summons, judicial documents, execution of judgements and arbitral awards.
    3. Government approved signing an agreement with Oman for mutual legal and judicial cooperation in civil and commercial matters.
    4. Neerja Mathur has been appointed as a Member of Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) for Goa & Union Terrirtories.
    5. Girish Sahni has been appointed as Director General of Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR).
    6. Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad released a commemorative Rs. 5 postal stamp on Indian emperor Ashoka.
    7. Madanlal Laxmandas Tahaliyani is appointed as Lokayukta of Maharashtra.
    8. Rana Kapoor has been re-appointmented as MD and CEO of Yes bank for 3 years.
    9. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj visited Egypt. India and egypt signed Memorandum of Co-operation in Tourism and technical Cooperation.
    10. NITI Aayog decided to set up an experts committee to prepare a model land leasing law to be adopted by states as per their local needs. States agreed that land leasing, updating of land records and land titling would be win-win steps for all affected parties.
    11. Indias High Commissioner to Singapore- Vijay Singh Thakur received Asian of the Year 2014 award by leading Singapore daily The Straits Times.
    12. Yasutaro Koide of Japan received Guinness World Records certificate as he is formally recognized as the worlds oldest man alive at 112 years.
    13. Gujarat became first Indian state to launch Agro-solar policy. Under this, farmers will tap energy from the sun by installing solar power equipments in their fields. This will help farmers earn additional income from power generation companies. Farmers and power generation companies will both gain by such innoative generation of solar energy in agricultural fields.
    14. UK's Minister of State for International Development Desmond Swayned Visited India.
      1. He called for closer ties with India and announced United Kingdom's funding a capacity building programme for making Kolkata a low carbon city under UK-Kolkata Municipal Corporation joint programme.
      2. He also called for strengthening ties with Other states specially Odisha.
    15. Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) signed a memorandum of understanding with Gift Special Economic Zone of Gujarat International Finance Tec-City for setting up an electronic platform for trading in different asset classes for international investors.
    16. Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju announced to implement Sendai framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 at a workshop on Enhancing Private Sector Partnership for Disaster Risk Reduction in New Delhi. Sendai Framework was adopted at World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai, Japan in March 2015.
    17. War museums inaugerated at military stations of Jaisalmer and Longewala in Rajasthan to showcase bravery of Indian Army.
      1. Battle of Longewala (4–7 December 1971) was one of first engagements in Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. 120 Indian Soldiers defeated over 2000 Pakistani Soldiers alng with destroying over 1000 Tanks, Marking a new milestone in traditional bravery of Indian Army.
    18. Sports Authority of India launched School Sports Promotion Foundation to tap sporting talent at the school level by reaching out to around 100000 schools. Foundation will organise sports tournaments across country to identify talent and will nurture them accordingly.
    19. Australias Minister for Education and Training Christopher Pyne Visited India -
      1. He attended Third Annual Australia-India Education Council (AIEC) meeting.
      2. Australia agreed to extend BRIDGE (Building Regional Intercultural Dialogue and Growing Engagement ) school partnerships project to include Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) in India.
      3. India and Australia signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in education, research and training.
  8. Aug 24, 2015
    1. August 24 - Ukraine's Independence Day. It marks Independence from Soviet Union in 1991.
    2. Information Technology and Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad launched SEHAT Initiative in collaboratio with Apollo Hospitals to give rural citizens access to information, skills and other services in various sectors through digital technologies. Aim is to empower the vision of Digital India.
    3. Dronacharya Awards, Dhyan Chand Awards and Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar 2015 -
      1. Dronacharya Awards (Instituted in 1985) -

        S.No

        NAME OF THE COACH

        DISCIPLINE

        1

        Shri Naval Singh

        Athletics-Para-sports

        2

        Shri Anoop Singh

        Wrestling

        3

        Shri Harbans Singh

        Athletics- Lifetime

        4

        Shri Swatantar Raj Singh

        Boxing- Lifetime

        5

        Shri Nihar Ameen

        Swimming-Lifetime
      2. Dhyan Chand Awards 2015 (Instituted in 2002) -

        S. No.

        NAME OF THE SPORTSPERSON

        DISCIPLINE

        1

        Mr. Romeo James

        Hockey

        2

        Mr. Shiv Prakash Mishra

        Tennis

        3

        Mr. T.P.P. Nair

        Volleyball
      3. Rashtriya Khel Protsahana Purushkar 2015 (instituted in 2009)

        Sl. No.

        Category

        Entity recommended for Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Purushkar, 2015

        1.

        Identification and nurturing of budding /young talent

        Directorate General of Military Training

        2.

        Encouragement to sports through Corporate Social Responsibility

        Coal India Limited

        3.

        Employment of sportspersons and sports welfare measures

        Haryana Police

        4.

        Sports for Development

        Sports Coaching Foundation, Hyderabad
    4. Delhi Jal Board commissioned Delhi's first Hydro-power plant at Chilla area of east Delhi. It can generate upto 20000 KWH of electricity per year.
    5. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and India's Chennai based MS Swaminathan Research Foundation will work for conservation of coastal resources in Andhra Pradesh to overcome consequences of sea level rise and water inundation.
    6. Syrian journalist Zaina Erhaim won Peter Mackler Award 2015 for Courageous and Ethical Journalism for her efforts to train citizen reporters in syria - a war-ravaged country.
    7. Cincinnati Masters Tennis 2015 -
      1. Men's Singles - Serena Williams (USA) won second title after defeating Simona Halep of Romania.
      2. Women's Singles - Roger Federer (Switzerland) won for seventh time by defeating Novak Djokovic of Serbia.
    8. U Mumba won the second version of Star Sports Pro Kabaddi by defeating Bengaluru Bulls.
    9. India's 17 year old Aditi Ashok became youngest ever and first Indian winner of Ladies British Amateur golf championship at Leeds (United Kingdom).
    10. Sri Lankan cricketer Kumar Sangakkara retired from International Cricket.
    11. Amol Palekar has been appointed as chairman of India’s Oscar jury, which will select India's official entry in best foreign film category of 88th Academy Awards (Oscars).
    12. As per a recent statement by RBI Governor Raghuram G Rajan - India has about $380 Billion USD foreign exchange reserves to tackle the volatility in the currency market.
  9. Aug 23, 2015
    1. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley inaugerated Bandhan Bank- first commercial bank from Eastern India to get RBI clearance since independence.
      1. Kolkata (West Bengal) Based Bandhan Bank appointed Ashok Kumar Lahiri as Chairman and Chandra Shekhar Ghosh as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. It started banking operations with 501 branches opened across 22 states and 250 ATMs.
    2. Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Petroleum & Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan visited Nepal.
    3. Eminent Sanskrit Scholar and Indologist NR Varhadpande passed away.
    4. Former Jammu University VC Amitabh Mattoo has been appointed Advisor to J&K CM Mufti Sayeed.
  10. Aug 22, 2015
    1. Government issued norms for selection of MDs and CEOs for Public Sector Banks due to resistance arising after recent appointment of two private sector professionals as Chiefs of Canara Bank and Bank of Baroda.
      1. Top post in PSBs would be filled from existing executive directors / deputy managing directors in government banks.
      2. Selection will be done on the basis of Interview of 50 Marks and Annual Performance Appraisal Reports (APARs) of five years of 50 marks.
    2. Government will sell 10 % stake (24.27 crore shares) in Indian Oil Corporation worth INR 9,500 crore rupees.
    3. Puducherry Chief Minister N Rangasamy launched Scheme to provide free laptops to students passing 12th from Government Higher Secondary Schools in 2013-14 and 2014-15.
    4. Bharti Airtel tied-up with Uber Cabs to allowing Uber riders to pay using Airtels mobile wallet service and be able to use free high-speed internet from Uber powered by Airtel 4G.
    5. To popularize India Handloom brand, Government has created a policy framework to promote e-marketing of handloom products through e-commerce firms.
    6. Indian Badminton player Saina Nehwal has been ranked No 1 in world, leaving behind Carolina Marin (Spain) by 2,180 points. She also signed a INR 25 Crore Deal with management company IOS Sports & Entertainment.
    7. Jamaica's Sprinter Usain Bolt won Gold in 100 Metre Race in World Championships in Athletics 2015 in Beijing (China).
  11. Aug 21, 2015
    1. 21 Aug - World Senior Citizen's Day.
    2. Modern Thought Leaders- Lal Bahadur Shastri Memorial Lectures (1997-2014)’ has been edited by Anil Shastri, (son of Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri).
    3. Forum for India-Pacific Island Countries (FIPIC)'s second Summit hosted by India in Jaipur (Rajasthan).
      1. Indian PM Narendra Modi announced plans to open a new space research and satellite monitoring station on the Fiji Islands to provide India with an independent satellite tracking capacity. India presently relies on US and Australia for monitoring its satellites over the Pacific.
      2. Second FIPIC summit was attended by leaders of all 14 Pacific Islands countries - Fiji, Cook Islands, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. 
      3. India to establish information technology labs in each Pacific Island country.
    4. Ranil Wickremesinghe has been appointed as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka for fourth time following his party's victory in parliamentary polls.
    5. Foundation stone of National Research Centre on Integrated Farming (ICAR-NRCIF) laid out in Pipra Kothi in East Champaran district of Bihar by Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh. This Research Centre will work for welfare of farmers in the region through research in integrated farming system models for diverse agro-ecological conditions like Floods, with emphasis on rice, sugarcane and banana that require more water.
    6. Ajit Singh has been appointed as Chief Justice of Rajasthan High Court.
    7. Government will modernize Visvesvaraya Iron & Steel Plant (Karnataka) of SAIL by investment of Rs. 1000 crores.
    8. PM Narendra Modi announced Rs 1.25 lakh crores special economic aid package for Bihar.
    9. Himachal Pradesh Government launched Rajiv Gandhi Illuminating Scheme for Hill Town Advancement (RISHTA) project for implementation of LED based street lighting in collaboration with EESL. The scheme is also known as Centralized Control and Monitoring System (CCMS) Smart Street Lighting Scheme for Urban Local bodies.
      1. EESL (Energy Efficient Services Limited) is a joint venture by National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCIL), Power Finance Corporation and Rural Electrification Corporation.
    10. A secure line (Hotline) of communication launched between Indian PM Narendra Modi and USA President Barack Obama. India became fourth country after Russia, Britain and China with which USA has a hotline.
    11. Video sharing portal YouTube will set up YouTube Space in Mumbai with Asias renowned film schools Whistling Woods International (WWI). YouTube Space will provide production facility for YouTube video creators and students of WWI where they can learn video production.
    12. Rajasthan government signed an agreement with Future Consumer Enterprise Ltd to modernise public distribution system (PDS) by providing multi-brand consumer goods at competitive prices to public through fair price shops. The initiative is known as Annapurna Bhandar Yojna.
    13. Reserve Bank of Indias Committee on Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs) headed by RBI Deputy Governor R Gandhi has recommended conversion of Urban Co-operative Banks with business size of over 20000 crore rupees into regular banks to allow them to grow further for financial inclusion.
    14. Release of Bollywood movie Phantom has been banned in Pakistan by Lahore High Court.
    15. Government approved Dadra and Nagar Haveli Value Added Tax (Amendment) Regulation 2005 to help the Union territory generate yearly additional gross revenue and net tax generation of Rs 120 crore and 7 crore respectively.
    16. Book Making India Awesome authored by Chetan Bhagat has been released. It is his second non-fiction book after What Young India Wants.
    17. Book Mrs Funnybones: Shes Just Like You and a Lot Like Me has been written by Twinkle Khanna.
    18. NASA spacecraft LADEE (Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer) confirmed presence of Neon gas in Moon’s atmosphere. 
  12. Aug 20, 2015
    1. August 20 - Birth Anniversay of seventh Prime Minister of India - Rajiv Gandhi, also known as Sadbhavna Divas.
    2. Government approved agreements with Seychelles for revised Air Services Agreement (ASA) and exchange of taxes related information to curb black money. 
    3. Government launched Vidya Lakshmi Portal with URL www.vidyalakshmi.co.in on 69th Independence Day to ease up seeking Educational Loans by students. This portal provides Students access to loans related information and apply online for Educational Loans provided by Banks and Government Scholarships.
    4. Najma Heptulla, Minister for Minority Affairs Launched Online Application Management System (OAMS) for Nai Roshni scheme to bring transparency and quick delivery.
      1. Nai Roshni scheme is meant for Leadership Development of Minority Women to empower them by providing knowledge and for interacting with Government systems, Banks and other institutions.
    5. Ashwani Lohani has been appointed as Chairman and Managing Director of Air India Limited for 3 Years.
    6. Sports Ministry approved Financial assistance from NSDF of upto 10 Lakhs to Shiva Keshavan KP (Luge-Winter game) for Training.
    7. To reduce air pollution, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways will introduce Bharat Stage IV compliant 4 wheelers in India from 1 April 2017 . Only BS IV Compliant Cars to be Sold From October 2015.
    8. Forbes world's 100 most innovative companies -
      1. Tesla Motors (USA) is at top of the list, followd by Salesforce.com, Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and ARM Holdings.
      2. 3 Indian Companies - Hindustan Unilever (41st), Sun Pharma (71st) and Tata Consultancy Services (64th) are also in the List.
    9. Noted Historian Babasaheb Purandare has been conferred with Maharashtra Bhushan Award 2015 by Maharashtra Government.
    10. US military launched large NATO airborne drill Swift Response 15 with around 5,000 soldiers from 11 NATO member countries to increase stability in the european region.
    11. Bollywood actor Anupam Kher has been named an advocate for United Nations campaign on gender equality.
    12. Australian Minister for Education and Training Christopher Pyne visited India for Annual Ministerial Dialogue and 3rd Australia-India Education Council meeting. He also announced to appoint Former Australian Cricketer Adam Gilchrist as First Education Ambassador to India to further strengthen education ties with India.
    13. Karnal Singh has been appointed as Director of Enforcement Directorate.
    14. Reserve Bank of India approved 11 applicants to set up payments banks - India post, Airtel, Vodafone, Reliance, Aditya Birla Nuvo, Tech Mahindra, Fino Paytech, Cholamandalam, National Securities Depository Ltd and two individual entrepreneurs - Dilip Sahnghvi and Vijay Shekhar Sharma (Founder of Paytm)
      1. Payments banks will offer most of the banking services except loans and credit card products. Customers can deposit money up to Rs 1 lakh, transfer money, make payments and buy products such as insurance and mutual funds.
    15. Committee under director - National Institute of Nutrition (Hyderabad) recommended banning sale of junk food around schools to check issues related to growing problems of obesity among children due to over junk food comsumption.
    16. Prasar Bharti signed a memorandum of understanding with Digital Television Russia for cooperation in broadcasting space.
    17. Bangladesh became first country to receive funds from UN Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC) for its growing solar home systems. 395286 carbon credits worth 3.56 million USD have been issued to two Bangladeshi organisations - Infrastructure Development Company Ltd and Grameen Shakti.
    18. Bangladesh novelist Zia Haider Rahman won James Tait Black award 2015 for his debut novel In the Light of What We Know at the 2015 Edinburgh international book festival.
    19. USA State Maryland will co-operate with India's Haryana to explore possibilities of cooperation in bio-technology, life sciences and agriculture and cyber security.
    20. Government constituted a three member team under Registrar of Newspapers in India (RNI) SM Khan to assess situation over student protest in Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune.
  13. Aug 19, 2015
    1. August 19 - World Humanitarian Day. Theme for 2015 is Inspiring the World's Humanity.
    2. August 19 - World Photography Day.
    3. August 19 - Birth Anniversay of Ninth President of India Shanker Dayal Sharma.
    4. Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh Visited India to attend funeral of Smt. Suvra Mukherjee, wife of President Pranab Mukherjee.
    5. INS Trikand visited Israel for four day stay and engagements with Israeli Navy.
    6. Tata Trust will develop 264 villages in Vijayawada Lok Sabha constituency of Andhra Pradesh under Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana(SAGY) initiative. It has been possible due to efforts of MP of Vijayawada Srinivas Kesineni, who approached Ratan Tata seeking his collaboration to develop model villages in his constituency.
    7. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley launched two funds India Aspiration Fund and Make in India Loan for Enterprises (SMILE) under Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) to carter funding for start-ups in India. India Aspiration Fund has initial corpus of INR 2,000 crores with Life Insurance Corp. of India (LIC) as a co-investor in IAF. Second Fund SIDBI Make in India Loan for Enterprises has Initial corpus of INR 10, 000 crores.
    8. Life Insurance Corporation of India launched unit linked insurance plan (ULIP) product called as ‘New Endowment Plus that offers provides dual benefits of investment and insurance to the policy Holder. It provides risk cover and investment opportunity in market with option of partial withdrawal.
    9. Bombay Stock Exchange installed a Suspicious Transaction Reports system (STR) for reporting suspicious trades to check money laundering through stock markets. Reports of STRs will be submitted monthly to governments Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) along with Cash Transaction reports (CTRs).
    10. Book Kumbh Mela: Mapping the Ephemeral Megacity has been written by Tarun Khanna.
    11. Britain's Sebastian Coe has been elected as President of International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). India's Adille Sumariwalla has been elected as a member of IAAF.
    12. Malayalam actor Paravoor Bharathan Passed Away.
    13. Selection committee headed by former Indian hockey captain Zafar Iqbal recommended names of TPP Nair, SP Misra and Romeo James for 2015 Dhyan Chand award.
    14. Uttar Pradesh High Court (Allahabad) bench under Justice Sudhir Agarwal directed all government officials and elected representatives to send their children to primary schools under state Board for Secondary Education. Also, Penal provisions are to be laid down for those violating the order.
    15. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh announced to make Sanskrit as a mandatory subject in all Government schools of the state.
    16. Aditi Chauhan bacame First Indian footballer to play English league football. She made her debut for womens team of West Ham United affiliated with West Ham United FC.
  14. Aug 18, 2015
    1. State Bank of India launched mulipurpose financial activities management app - SBI Buddy in collaboration with Accenture and Mastercard.
    2. ICICI Bank launched Smart Vault locker facility with robotic technology. It will enable customers to conveniently access their lockers any time in a secure lounge where locker automatically comes up to the customer.
    3. Reserve Bank of India suspended licences of seven non-banking finance companies - Religare Finance, Artisans Micro Finance, Eden Trade & Commerce, RCS Parivar Finance, Nott Investments, Dewra Stocks & Securities, Swetasree Finance.
    4. Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao launched Grama Jyothi prgramme aimed at development of rural areas with investment of 25000 crore rupees.
    5. Maharashtra government appointed cricketer Sachin Tendulkar as new ambassador for Tiger Conservation Project along with Actor Amitabh Bachchan who was appointed earlier.
    6. Piraji Kharat is appointed as MD and CEO of IDBI Bank.
    7. Suvra Mukherjee, President Pranab Mukherjee's wife passed away.
    8. Delhi government announced City Taxi Scheme for 600 - 749 CC vehicles with Minimum 25 rupees charge for first two kilometres and 10 rupees per kilometer afterwards.
    9. Kerala government signed an agreement with Adani Group for developing INR 7525 crore Vizhinjam International Deepwater Multipurpose Seaport near Kovalam beach.
    10. UAE agreed to set up a 75 Billion USD Infrastructure Investment Fund with India for investment in India in railways, ports, roads, airports and energy during Visit of Indian PM Narendra Modi to UAE.
    11. Bangladesh won South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) under-16 title 2015 (Venue - Bangladesh) by defeating India.
  15. Aug 17, 2015
    1. August 17 - Independence day of Indonesia. It marks Proclamation of Independence from Japan and Netherlands in 1945.
    2. August 17 - Independence day of Gabon. It marks Independence from France in 1960.
    3. PM Narendra Modi visited United Arab Emirates.
    4. Government inaugurated direct flight of Air India Express, between Varanasi and Sharjah (UAE).
    5. Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha visited Oman and United Arab Emirates (UAE).
    6. Ajit Kumar Seth has been appointed as chairma of Public Enterprises Selection Board. Gauri Kumar and Anshuman Das have been made as members in PESB.
    7. Ministry of Home Affairs will establish pan-India National fingerprint database of about 28 Lakh convicts for speedy investigation of crimes across country.
    8. Worlds largest bicycle manufacturer Hero Cycles acquired majority stake in UK-based Avocet Sports.
    9. India and Bangladesh signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for cooperation to tackle fake Indian currency notes (FICN) smuggling.
    10. India's Birla Corporation will acquire French Lafarge Group's Jojobera unit (Jharhkand) and Sonadih (Chattisgarh) for Rs. 5000 crore.
    11. India's Taj Mahal became first historical monuments in world to have a Twitter account of its own.
    12. Government appointed PS Jayakumar as Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Bank of Baroda.
    13. Government appointed Rakesh Sharma as MD and CEO of Canara Bank.
    14. Real estate listing portal Housing.com acquired Bengaluru-based customer relationship management software company HomeBuy360 for 2 million USD (13 Crores).
    15. Odisha Government approved Fisheries Policy, 2015 aiming to increase production of fish from island, brackishwater and marine resources. Target is to increase fish production to 7.15 lakh tonnes by 2019-20 from 4.13 lakh tonnes annual production currently.
  16. Aug 16, 2015
    1. Maharashtra's Dahi Handi (Govinda) has been accorded with status of Adventure Sport. It will now be played as per rules and a State-level association will be formed for it. It will not be limited to Janmashtami only.
    2. Assam Assembly passed Witch Hunting (Prohibition, Prevention and Protection) Bill, 2015 to eliminate cases of superstition leading to murder of so-called 'witches'.
    3. Reserve Bank of India notified Union Budget-2015-16 Interest Subvention Scheme (ISS) -
      1. ISS was proposed to be implemented in 2015-16 for farmers for short-term crop loans up to 3 lakh rupees. After that, Government extended ISS to Banks and NABARD also.
      2. Interest subvention terms for Banks -
        1. RBI notified that interest subvention of 2 % per annum will be made available to public and private banks who lend short term credit at 7 % percent per annum to farmers.
      3. Interest subvention terms for Farmers -
        1. Interest subvention of 3 % will be available to farmers for repaying the loan within the due dates. So farmers paying promptly would get short term crop loans at 4 % during 2015-16.
    4. Indian Men's Hockey Team won three match series of their European Tour 2-1 against France and Spain. India won one game against each of France and Spain and lost one game against spain.
    5. India's Deputy National Security Advisor Arvind Gupta visited USA for US - India Cyber Dialogue 2015 to increase global cyber security and promote the digital economy.
  17. Aug 15, 2015
    1. August 15 - South Korea's Independence Day. It marks Liberation from Japanese rule in 1945.
    2. August 15 - Republic of the Congo's Independence Day. It marks Independence from France in 1960.
    3. August 15 - 69th Independence day of India. It marks declaration of Independence from British Colonial Rule on Aug 15, 1947.
      1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed Indian Citizens from Red Fort.
      2. PM Narendra Modi announced Start-up India; Stand up India campaign as an initiative to boost entrepreneurship among the youth and create employment in India. PM urged 1.25 lakh bank branches to provide finance to at least one Dalit or Adivasi and at least one woman entrepreneur.
      3. Government will rename Agriculture Ministry as Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ministry.
      4. Government committed to Set deadline of 1000 days to connect 18,500 villages with electricity.
    4. Plans for Revival of Public sector banks -
      1. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley launched a seven pronged plan called Indradhanush Mission to revamp public sector banks. Theseinclude appointments, de-stressing PSBs, capitalisation, empowerment, framework of accountability and governance reforms. 
      2. Bank Board Bureau (BBB) will become functional from 2016-17 to replace existing system Appointments Board in which top level appointments in PSBs are made by an appointments committee led by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor. BBB will consist of eminent banking professionals that will Give recommendations for appointment of full-time Directors and non-Executive Chairman of PSBs.
      3. Other planned reforms include Capitalisation of 25,000 crore rupees, Reducing lending pressure on banks, Strengthen asset reconstruction companies, Provide flexibility in hiring of manpower in PSBs.
      4. Next Gyan Sangam (also known as the Bankers Retreat) will be held from 14 to 16 January 2016. Employee Stock Option Plan (ESOP) will be initiated for top management.
    5. Gallantry Awards on 69th Indian National Independence Day (15 August 2015)
      1. Kirti Chakra - Nectar Sanjenbam and Rakesj Kumar
      2. Shaurya Chakra - Munindra Nath Rai, Tanuj Grover, Varun Kumar Singh, Bahadur Chetri and Tanka Kumar Limbu and 6 Others.
      3. Sena Medal (Gallantry) - 50 Awardees
    6. Gallantry Awards (Navy) -
      1. Mohan Milind Mokashi - Sharya Chakra (For carrying out Operation Rahatto evacuate Indian and Foreign nationals from war- ravaged Yemen)
      2. Nau Sena Medal - Rajesh Dhankhar and Pradeep Singh (For Operation Rahat)
    7. Jordan Spieth has been ranked as No. 1-Ranked Golf Player in World Surpassing Rory McIlroy.
    8. Huge Explosions occured in Chemical Warehouse in Tianjin Port city of China, Killing over 100 People.
    9. Cochin International Airport (Kerala) will become first airport in India to run completely on solar power. A 12MWp solar power project set up in the airport will generate 50,000 to 60,000 units of electricity per day.
    10. Rogers Cup Tennis 2015 -
      1. Men's Singles - Andy Murray (UK) won by Defeating Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
      2. Women's Singles - Belinda Bencic (Switzerland) won by Defeating Simona Halep (Romania)
      3. Men's Doubles - Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan (USA) won by Defeating Daniel Nestor (Canada) and Edouard Roger-Vasselin (France)
      4. Women's Doubles - Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) and Lucie Safarova (Czech Republic) won by Defeating Caroline Garcia (France) and Katarina Srebotnik (Slovenia)
    11. Indian archer Abhishek Verma won gold medal by beating Iranian Esmail Ebadi in World Archery Championships (Poland) 2015.
      1. 2015 Archery World Cup is 10th edition of the annual Archery World Cup organised by World Archery Federation.
      2. It consists of 4 preliminary stages (Legs) and Finals to be held in Mexico City. Locations are - First leg in Shanghai (China), second leg in Antalya (Turkey) third in Wroclaw (Poland) and Fourth leg in Medellin (Colombia). Finals will be held in Mexico City on 17–18 October, 2015.
      3. So far, South Korea is at top of Medal Tally with 18 Medals, USA second with 13 while Denmark is Third with 5 Medals.
      4. Indian Archers have so far won 4 Medals in 3 Legs of World Archery World Cup 2015 as follows -
        1. Indian team comprising Chinglensana, Abhishek Verma and Rajat Chauhan won Bronze in First Leg in Shanghai (China).
        2. Deepika Kumari won Bronze in Second leg of Archery World Cup 2015 in Antalya (Turkey).
        3. Mixed pair of Deepika Kumari and Mangal Singh Champia won silver in Third Leg of World Archery Championships 2015 in Poland.
        4. Indian archer Abhishek Verma won gold by beating Iranian Esmail Ebadi in Third Leg of World Archery Championships 2015 in Poland.
    12. BWF Badminton World Championships 2015 (Jakarta (Indonesia)) -
      1. China Stayed at top of table with 6 Medals, Indonesia is second with 4 Medals.
      2. India's Saina Nehwal won Silver after getting defeated by Carolina Marin (Spain).
    13. Gujarat Government declared ban on use of plastic in the State on the occasion of unfurling National Flag at 69th Independence Day ceremony.
    14. Kerala Government declared Kerala as first totally digital state in India. This declaration was made considering the rapid digital progress in Kerala by achieving 100 % mobile connectivity, maximum digital banking, 75 % e-literacy, broadband connectivity upto the Panchayat level, linking bank accounts with Aadhar cards and e-district plans.
  18. Aug 14, 2015
    1. Mustansir Barma (former Director of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai ) has been presented with Gujar Mal Modi Award for his contribution in Science and Technology.
    2. August 14 - Independence day of Pakistan.
    3. Indias Strategy for Economic Integration with CLMV Report has been issued by Ministry of Commerce and Industry. It provides views for establishing commercial and economic linkages between India and the Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam (CLMV) region.
    4. Jayant Manganlal Patel is appointed as Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court.
    5. Javad Zarif, Foreign Minister of Iran Visited India.
    6. India-US Combined Military Training Exercise YUDH ABHYAS 2015 will be held 09 to 23 Sep 2015 in USA.
    7. Axis Bank launched first Contactless Debit, Credit and Multi-Currency Forex Card in association with VISA payWave. It will enable withdrawal of 15 currencies via Multi-Currency Forex facility.
    8. Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has allowed banks to tie up with upto insurers from three segments - life, non–life and standalone health. Earlier, Banks were allowed to tie up with max One Insurer.
      1. Bancassurance means Banks as Insurance Agents. It is partnership between banks and insurance companies whereby the insurance company uses the bank sales channel in order to sell insurance products.
    9. National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) signed two Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) with National Skill Development Fund and National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) for skill development training in eastern states and Bihar. In the MoU with NSDF, NTPC will train 5000 youth and women across 22 locations with special focus on eastern states for two years. In the second MoU, NTPC will train over 25000 candidates in manufacturing across locations in Bihar for five years and cost of 30 crores.
    10. Odisha Govrnment approved Industrial Policy Resolution (IPR) 2015 for five years with focus on various sectors including infrastructure, automobile, agriculture and IT. The 1500 Crores State Capital Region Improvement of Power System (SCRIPS) scheme and 650.64 km ambitious Biju Expressway were also approved.
  19. Aug 13, 2015
    1. Om Prakash Rawat has been appointed as Election Commissioner.
      1. Election Commission of India has provision of a Chief Election Commissioner and two additional Commissioners.
      2. Currently, Nasim Zaidi is chief election commissioner and Anchal Kumar Jyoti, Om Prakash Rawat are election commissioners.
    2. Indian Government's Pahal scheme has been acknowledged by Guinness Book of World Records as largest cash transfer program (households) with 13.9 crore LPG consumers joining it. LPG consumers will get cylinders at market price and receive LPG subsidy directly into their bank accounts.
    3. Memorandum of Understanding has been signed with Slovakia for Technical Cooperation in Railway Sector.
    4. Railways Ministry has signed 4 Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) with Power and New & Renewable Energy Ministry for energy conservation, transmission and solarisation.
    5. Coca-Cola India made cricketer Sourav Ganguly as its social ambassador upto 2017.
    6. Telecom Firm Uninor signed an agreement worth INR 1,200 crores with Chinese firm Huawei for modernising its network across country.
    7. Government approved 1,500-MW ultra mega solar power park for Andhra Pradesh to be developed in Kadapa district by NTPC. Earlier two solar parks of 1,000 MW each were executed by NTPC at Anantapur and Kurnool districts of Andhra Pradesh.
    8. Sudhakar Shetty has been elected as President of Gymnastics Federation of India.
    9. China and Pakistan signed 20 agreements worth 1.6 billion USD to implement ambitious China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.
    10. Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved 300-crore rupees package to save standing kharif agriculture and horticulture crops from weak monsoon.
    11. Jayant Patel is appointed as acting Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court.
    12. Forbes First ever 100 Richest People In Technology List -
      1. Just over 50 tech billionaires are from United States, 33 people are from asia, 8 from Europe. 2 from Middle East and one from Latin America.
      2. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is at top with net worth of 79.6 billion USD. Oracle CEO Ellison is second (50 billion USD. Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos is third ranked at third (47.8 billion USD). Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg is fourth (41.2 billion USD). Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin are 5th - 6th.
      3. Indians in the list -
        1. Azim Premji of Wipro is 13th (17.4 billion USD) and Shiv Nadar of HCL is 14th (14.4 billion USD). Two Indian-origin people Romesh Wadhwani (72rd) and Bharat Desai (83rd) are also in the list.
  20. Aug 12, 2015
    1. August 12 - National Remote Sensing Day. It marks birth anniversary of Vikram Sarabhai, considered as Father of Indian Space Programme.
    2. Government signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Nepal for construction of a petroleum products pipeline from Raxaul (India) to Amlekhgunj (Nepal) and re-engineering of Amlekhgunj Depot and allied facilities. Aim is to promote cooperation in oil and gas sector and secure long term supply of petroleum products to Nepal to decongest international border at Raxaul.
    3. Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM - Pune) (under Earth System Science Organization) and World Climate Research Program (Geneva) signed an agreement for setting up an International Climate Variability and Predictability (CLIVAR) Monsoon Project Office (ICMPO).
    4. Government approved Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with USA to establish Pace Setter Fund as a fund to Promote Energy Access through Clean Energy track of U.S. – India Partnership.
    5. Government approved soft loan scheme upto 6000 crores for current sugar season to facilitate clearing of cane dues arrears of sugarcane mills.
    6. USA's Under-Secretary for Commerce Stefan Selig visited India.
    7. Government filed a class action suit against Nestle India (manufacturer of Maggi noodles), seeking approx Rs 640 crore in damages for alleged unfair trade practices, false labelling and misleading commercials.
    8. Employees Provident Fund Organisation started Nidhi Aapke Nikat public outreach programme to improve its service delivery.
    9. Rural Electrification Corporation (Navratna PSU) disbursed 16,070 crores as loan to Telangana State Power Generation Corporation for construction of 4000 MW Yadadri power plant.
    10. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has been accredited by Green Climate Fund of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) as national implementing entity for undertaking climate change related projects in India.
    11. Facebook awarded Indian App developer firms Samosa and Cardback with 21 million USD under its FbStart initiative. Hyderabad-based Samosa developed an app that offers curated collection of clips from popular movies that users can share while Delhi- based Cardback developed an app that helps cardholders and wallet users maximise their rewards and savings for transaction they make.
    12. Larsen and Toubro appointed Sanjay Jalona as Managing Director and CEO of its IT Arm - L&T Infotech.
    13. Indias Pankaj Advani won his 13th world title by winning World 6-Red Snooker Championship. He defeated Chinese Yan Bingtao.
    14. Delhi Government constituted a Committee headed by SN Agarwal for inquiry into CNG fitness scam of Delhi.
    15. Uttar Pradesh Government approved amended guidelines for Begum Akhtar Award. The award will annually be awarded to renowned singers of ghazal, dadra, and thumri from state.
    16. As per data by Election Commission of India, there are 1866 registered political parties in India. Out of these, 56 are recognised as registered national or state parties, while others are unrecognised.
    17. Actor Amitabh Bachchan became Maharashtra's state ambassador for Save the Tiger campaign.
  21. Aug 11, 2015
    1. August 11 - Independence day of Chad. It Marks Independence from France in 1960.
    2. Maharashtra government has declared area along Thane Creek as Flamingo Sanctuary. Sanctuary is Maharashtras second Marine sanctuary after Malvan (marine) Wildlife Sanctuary.
    3. Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) implemented its health insurance scheme to Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur and Andaman & Nicobar Islands union territory.
    4. Freedom fighter Kayyara Kinhanna Rai passed away.
    5. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) started commercial production at first indigenous Titanium Sponge Plant at Chavara in Kerala.
    6. ICICI Bank launched Saral-Rural Housing Loan Scheme for weaker sections of society.
    7. Kerala State film awards 2014 -
      1. Best actor - Nivin Pauly (Bangalore Days and 1983) and Sudev Nair (My Life Partner)
      2. Best actress - Nasriya Naseem (‘Om Shanthi Hosana and ‘Bangalore Days)
      3. Best Director: Sanalkumar Sasidharan for OraalPokkam
    8. Social security pact between India and Canada came into force after two years of waiting. As per its provisons - Employees posted by Indian entities in Canada are not required to contribute towards Canadas social security schemes for 5 Years and similarly the Canadian employees posted in India would enjoy the same benefit.
    9. National Sports Awards 2015 (Selection committee headed by V.K. Bali, former Chief Justice of Kerla High Court ) -
      1. Rajeev Gandhi Khel Ratna Award - Sania Mirza . She became second tennis player to be recommended for the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna.
      2. Arjuna Awards - 17 spoertspersons recommended for prestigious Arjuna awards this year.
        1. Jitu Rai - Shooter
        2. Rohit Sharma - Cricketer
        3. Dipa Karmakar - Gymnast
        4. P R Sreejesh - Hockey player
        5. Bajrang - Wrestler
        6. Babita – Wrestler
        7. M R Poovamma - Athlete
        8. K Srikanth - Shuttler
        9. Mandeep Jangra - Boxer
        10. Sandeep Kumar - Archery
        11. Swarn Singh - Rowing
        12. Satish Sivalingam - Weightlifting
        13. Santhoi Devi - Wushu
        14. Sharath Gaekwad - Para-sailing
        15. Manjeet Chhillar - Kabaddi
        16. Abhilasha Mhatre - Kabaddi
        17. Anup Kumar - Rollerskating
    10. Asian Youth Chess Championships 2015 (Suwon - South Korea) -
      1. India stayed a top with 17 medals (5 Gold, 5 Silver and 7 Bronze) out of total 36 Medals.
      2. Iran was second (7 Medals) and Vietnam was third (4 Medals).
  22. Aug 10, 2015
    1. August 10 - World Bio Fuel Day (Also called Biodiesel Day). It marks powering of first diesel engine on August 10, 1893 in Augsburg, Germany by Rudolf Diesel.
    2. August 10 - Independence Day of Ecuador. It Marks Proclamation of independence from Spain in 1809.
    3. August 10 - Birthday of 4th President of India - Varahagiri Venkata Giri.
    4. China-Based Smartphone maker Xiaomi tied up Taiwan-based Foxconn Group to set up manufacturing unit in Andhra Pradesh under Union Indian Government's Make in India initiative.
    5. Kochi (Kerala) became first Indian city to be a member of Beijing headquartered World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) Council and join its league of leading tourism cities across the world. Kochi became member of the council due to its partnerships in culture, sports and tourism.
    6. Ganga Ram Agarwal from Indian Railway Services of Electrical Engineering (IRSEE) has been appointed as new Secretary of Railway Board.
    7. Pakistan has became first Asian country to be conferred the Associate Membership by European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN).
    8. South Sudan became 206th member of International Olympic Committee and will compete in Rio 2016 Olympics.
    9. 193 member nations of United Nations signed an agreement on outcome document New Sustainable Development Agenda for next 15 years (till 2030). The draft document is called Transforming our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The draft agreement outlines 17 non-binding goals with 169 specific targets that comprise different socio-economic issues. These goals will succeed 8 MDGs which was adopted in 2000.
  23. Aug 9, 2015
    1. Aug 9 - Nagasaki Day (Second US Nuclear Bomb Fell on Japan's Nagasaki on Aug 9, 1945).
    2. August 09 - International Day of World's Indigenous People. Theme for 2015 is Post 2015 Agenda: Ensuring indigenous peoples' health and well-being.
    3. August 09 - National Day of Singapore. It Marks independence from Malaysia in 1965.
    4. World Bank approved assistance of USD 308.40 million for National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project-II (NCRMP-II) of India.
    5. World Bank approved assistance of US$ 104 million as Additional Financing for National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project-I (NCRMP-I) for India.
    6. Indirect Tax Revenue collections increased from 40,802 crore in July 2014 to 56,739 crore July 2015 (39.1% up).
      1. Central Excise collections increased 13,512 crore in July 2014 to 22,273 crore in July 2015 (64.8 % up).
      2. Service Tax collections increased from 11,871 crore in July 2014 to 15,470 crore in July 2015 (30.3 % up).
      3. Customs collections increased from 15,419 crore in July 2014 to 18,996 crore in July 2015 (23.2 % up).
    7. Noted Marathi stage actor, singer and producer Bhalchandra Pendharkar Passed Away.
    8. Rajasthan High Court banned Santhara ritual prevailing in Jain Community in ths State by considering it as a criminal act amounting to suicide.
    9. Hockey player Gurbaj Singh has been suspended for 9 months for indulging in groupism and creating disharmony within the team.s
    10. Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad launched Disha mobile app to promote digital literacy in Bihar. The app will help people learn about computers and Internet through self learning modules.
    11. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu launched new train services in Northeast after completion of North Lakhimpur-Murkongselek and Balipara- Bhalukpong sections into broad-gauge.
  24. Aug 8, 2015
    1. Swachh Bharat rankings by urban development ministry, based on extent of open defecation and solid waste management practices -
      1. Mysore (Karnataka) is cleanliest among all 476 cities while Bengaluru is cleanest state capital.
      2. Karnataka has four in top 10 cities. West Bengal has also done well with 25 cities in top 100.
      3. Damoh in Madhya Pradesh is worst in terms of cleanliness.
      4. Southv India has done better with 39 southern cities in top 100, followed by East India (27), Western India (15), Northern India (12) and Seven cities from Northeastern states.
    2. 24th Saraswati Sammaan 2014 has been presented to M. Veerappa Moily for his Kannada work'Sri Ramayana Mahanveshanam.
    3. Bhutan's Speaker of National Assembly - Jigme Zangpo and Chairperson of National Council of Bhutan - Sonam Kinga visited India.
    4. Minority Affairs Minister Najma Heptulla launched Nai Manzil scheme in Patna aimed at addressing educational and livelihood needs of minority communities by giving the bridge courses to trainees and getting them Certificates for Class XII and X from distance medium educational system. Skill training in 4 courses - Manufacturing , Engineering, Services and Soft skills shall also be imparted to trainees. The scheme will cover people in between 17 to 35 age group from all minority communities as well as Madrasa students.
    5. M.K. Iyer has been appointed as Member of Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC).
    6. Ministry of Road Transport and Highways drafted a new Road Transport & Safety Bill that proposes creation of National Road Safety & Traffic Management Authority (NRSTMA) to look after issues related to vehicle regulation and road safety by utilizing information technology based systems to ensure efficient and safe transport.
    7. Travel & Tourism Competitive Index 2015 Released by World Economic Forum -
      1. Rank of India has improved significantly to 52nd in 2015 from 65th in 2013.
      2. Spain is at top of List followed by France (Second) and Germany (Third).
    8. Number of foreign tourist visits to North Eastern States increased from 84820 in 2013 and further to 118552 in 2014 (39.76 %).
    9. India-Born Sunder Pichai has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Google.
      1. Google's Former CEO Announced to Promote Sunder Pichai as New CEO after Company announced plans to restructure itself as a subsidiary of a New Company - Alphabet. Larry Page will be CEO of Alphabet which will have numerous subsidiary companies Including Google.
  25. Aug 7, 2015
    1. August 07 - First Indian National Handloom Day. It marks launch of Swadeshi Movement on Aug 7, 1905.
    2. 48th ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Foreign Ministers meet held in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)with theme Our People, Our Community, Our Vision.
      1. Minister of State for External Affairs of India Gen (Retd) VK Singh attended on India's Behalf.
      2. India and Myanmar signed inked an agreement to set up Centre of Excellence in Software Development and Training (CESDT) in Myanmar. Financial support will be through ASEAN-India Cooperation fund and project will be implemented by C-DAC.
    3. Forest Ministers of southern states decided to set up a Southern Forest Ministers’ Inter-state Coordination Council to be headed by Kerala Forest Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan for first year. Aim is to tackle forest-related problems in the region and ensure ecological, socio-economic and livelihood security.
    4. SBI Life Insurance launched Smart Humsafar as a unique plan that offers multiple benefits of savings and insurance cover for husband and wife under a single policy.
    5. FIFA World Rankings August 2015 released -
      1. Argentina remaining No 1 in World, followed by Belgium (second) and Germany (Third).
      2. India with 161 points retained its 156th position in FIFA World rankings.
      3. Biggest upward move by points - Albania (166 points up).
      4. Biggest downward move by points - Germany (185 points down).
      5. Biggest upward move by rank - Jamaica (21 ranks up).
      6. Biggest downward move by points rank - Serbia (23 ranks down).
    6. India decided to boycott 61st Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference to be held in Islamabad (Pakistan) from 30 September - 8 October 2015.
    7. Tripura assembly passed a resolution to replace life sentence unto death by requesting Union government to amend the Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
    8. Tendong Lho Rum Faat (Prayer of the Tendong Mountain), an ancient festival of ethnic Lepcha tribe of Sikkim was celebrated.
    9. Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) commissioned seventh 500 MW Unit of Vindhyachal Super Thermal Power Station, Stage-V of National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) in Vindhyanagar (Singrauli district of Madhya Pradesh). It is so far highest commissioned capacity by BHEL in a power project.
    10. Rekha M Menon has been appointed as chairperson of Accenture India.
    11. Typhoon Soudelor struck east coast of Taiwanese city of Hualien and caused fierce winds with huge rainfall.
    12. Global satellite GlobalSat for DRR will be named after former Indian President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam who passed away recently. The satellite to be used for earth observation and disaster risk reduction will be renamed as UN Kalam GlobalSat.
      1. The proposal to name the satellite after Dr. Kalam was made by Milind Pimprikar, Chairman of CANEUS (CANada-Europe-US-Asia) at third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held at Sendai (Japan) in March 2015.
      2. The renaming of GlobalSat after Kalam will be a tribute to his vision - World Space Vision-2050 that entails space fairing nations joining hands to find solutions to mankind’s major problems such as natural disasters, energy and water scarcity and weather prediction.
      3. The proposal will be formally adopted by over 150 countries at UN Session in New York in September 2015.
    13. Goa Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar received Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA) Safari India South Asia Travel Award 2015. Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA) is a professional organization of travel writers. Safari India is a regional tourism magazine covering India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan and South East Asia.
    14. Global electronic manufacturing giant Foxconn and Maharashtra Government signed an agreement to invest 5 billion USD in Maharashtra over next five years. Foxconn manufactures gadgets for worlds leading electronic brands, including Apple, Huawei, Xiaomi, BlackBerry and Motorola.
    15. Government launched Suraksha Bandhan initiative to enhance enrolment under social security schemes- Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY), Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) and Atal Pension Yojana (APY). Aim is to create a universal social security system targeted at the poor and under-privileged. Participating Banks and Insurance Companies will work towards local outreach, awareness building and enrolment facilitation. Last date for enrolment under PMSBY and PMJJBY schemes is extended till 30 September 2015.
    16. Australian cricketer Michael Clarke announced retirement from International Cricket after ongoing Ashes series.
    17. Ram Nath Kovind has been appointed as 35th Governor of Bihar.
    18. Acharya Dev Vrat has been appointed as 26th Governor of Himachal Pradesh.
    19. Indian sociobiologist Raghavendra Gadagkar has been awarded with Germany's highest civilian honour Cross of Order of the Merit for his contribution in behavioural ecology and sociobiology and research corporation between India and Germany.
    20. Government launched School Nursery Yojana as an initiative to bring students closer to nature by engaging class VI - IX students in nurseries created in schools. 
  26. Aug 6, 2015
    1. August 06 - 70th Hiroshima Day. It marks the day when an American Boeing B-29 Superfortress dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.
    2. August 06 - It marks independence from Spain in 1825.
    3. Jharkhand Government empowered Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) to arrest Minister, MLA and senior civil servants without permission in cases of taking bribes.
    4. Maharashtra government increased retirement age for group 'A' medical officers from 58 to 60 years.
    5. SHEFROL (SHEet Flow ROot Level) technology based waste water treatment plant set up by Ashraf Bhat in Chinna Kalapet fishing hamlet in Puducherry tested successfuly. The plant uses inexpensive technology to treat wastewater using two aquatic plants, four leaf clover and water hyacinth.
    6. Uttar Pradesh government renamed Uttar Pradesh Technical University (UPTU) as Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University (APJAKTU).
    7. Bihar Assembly passed Bihar Public Grievance Redressal Bill, 2015 aimed at empowering people to seek redressal of their grievances by government servants in a time-bound manner.
    8. Zhanna Nemtsova has been awarded with Poland's Solidarity Prize 2015 for her work for democracy and human rights.
    9. Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) signed two unilateral Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs) with two Multi-National Companies which includes the first APA with a “rollback” provision.
      1. CBDT has so far signed 14 APAs of which 13 are unilateral APAs and one is a bilateral APA.
      2. Unilateral APAs are agreed between Indian taxpayers and CBDT without involvement of tax authorities of country where the associated enterprise is based.
      3. Bilateral APAs include agreements between tax authorities of the two countries.
      4. APA with rollback provision extends tax certainty for nine financial years as against five years in APAs without rollback.
      5. APAs are meant to settle transfer prices and methods of setting prices of international transactions in advance. Government promotes having large number of APAs to foster tax cooperation and certainty.
    10. Lok Sabha passed Delhi High Court (Amendment) Bill, 2015 that proposes following changes -
      1. Civil cases up to 2 crore rupees will be heard by 11 district courts in delhi instead of Delhi High Court. Previous limit for District courts was 20 Laks Rupees.
      2. It empowers Chief Justice of Delhi High Court to transfer any pending case to a relevant subordinate court.
    11. Harwant Singh - a World War-II hero passed away.
      1. He was officer-in-charge of flag hoisting ceremony on the first Independence Day of India in 1947.
      2. Commissioned in 2nd battalion of Sikh Regiment in September 1941, he served in Iraq, Palestine, North Africa, Cyprus and Italy during World War-II for the British Army.
      3. He was awarded with Military Cross (highest award of British Army) in 1944.
  27. Aug 5, 2015
    1. USA's NASA signed contract of 490 million USD with Russia's space agency Roscosmos for carrying US astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS).
    2. Airtel Telecom launched high-speed 4G services across 296 towns across India . In April 2012, Airtel launched its 4G services in Kolkata and then conducted trials in 51 cities. For 4G devices, Airtel has teamed up with handset maker Samsung to develop 4G-enabled handsets in India.
    3. Indian-American Atul Keshap has been appointed as USA's Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Maldives. He became second Indian-origin diplomat to be posted to the region after Richard Rahul Verma (USA Ambassador to India).
    4. Rajasthan government signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with several private companies worth Rs 2,452 crore at an investor meet in New Delhi. The Investment will generate over 7000 jobs in the State.
    5. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi launched major expansion of new Suez Canal. The new waterway is will boost traffic passing through canal by allowing bigger ships to pass smoothly. The expansion project had estimated cost of 8 billion USD.
      1. The expansion is expected to double the ship capacity of the Suez Canal from 49 to 97 ships a day by 2023.
      2. About Suez Canal - Suez Canal was opened in 1869 after ten years of construction. It is an artificial waterway in Egypt that connects Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea. The canal allows traders and ships to navigate between Europe to South Asia without passing through Africa. Egypt earns about 5 billion USD every year through Suez Canal.
    6. Indo-UK bilateral Air Exercise Indradhanush Completed in UK.
    7. Maharashtra government announced construction of 800 kilometers of Nagpur-Mumbai six-lane expressway, also called Communication Super-expressway. Cost of the project will be 30000 crore rupees.
    8. Sri Lanka announced to renovate one Hindu Temple (Rato Machindranath) and one Buddhist temple (Swayambhunath ) in Nepal that were destroyed in recent earthquake at a cost of 34 crore Sri Lankan rupees.
    9. Tamil Nadu government started a youth award in name of former President APJ Abdul Kalam. The award will have 8 gram gold, 5 laks rupees and a citation. It will be given from 2015 onwards on every Independence Day to a person who works exceptionally in science, humanities and students welfare. Tamilnadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa announced that Dr Kalams birthday on October 15th would be celebrated as the Youth Revival Day.
    10. Indian Squash Player Joshna Chinappa won womens squash title in Victorian Open in Melbourne (Australia).
    11. India foiled a British Companys bid to patent use of turmeric, pine bark and tea for treating hair loss to protect its traditional knowledge.
      1. UK based Pangaea Laboratories Limited had filed patent application at European Patent office in February 2011 on a medicinal composition containing turmeric, pine bark and green tea for treating hair loss. Indias Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) filed pre-grant opposition along with prior-art evidences to prove that turmeric, pine bark and green tea, are used as a treatment for hair loss, since long in Indian systems of medicine like Ayurveda and Unani.
    12. Aadi Perukku festival celebrated in Tamil Nadu by thousands of people including newlywed couples. Aadi Perukku is a Hindu Tamil festival celebrated on the 18th day of the Tamil month of Aadi (mid-July to mid-August) in gratitude to water bodies especially Cauvery River.
    13. Forbes World's Highest-Paid Actors List 2015 -
      1. The List has names of 34 global actors, topped by Robert Downey Jr. for the third year in a row with earnings of 80 million USD
      2. Jackie Chan is second with 50 million USD earnings, Vin Diesel third (47 million USD).
      3. Indian Actors in List -
        1. Amitabh Bachchan and Salman Khan are seventh in List with earnings of 33.5 Million USD Each.
        2. Akshay Kumar is ninth in list with earnings of 32.5 Million USD.
        3. The Forbes list has 12 newcomers of which five are from India alone.
        4. The Indian actors are second with combined earnings of 140.5 million USD, just after USA.
    14. Haryana government launched Thari Pension Thare Pass scheme ensure transparency in disbursement of social security pensions.
  28. Aug 4, 2015
    1. Asias biggest telescope - Multi-Application Solar Telescope (MAST) has been inaugurated at Udaipur Solar Observatory (Rajasthan). The project will be monitored by Ahmedabad based Physical Research Laboratory.
    2. Mathematician Amalendu Krishna has won Ramanujan Prize 2015 for research in algebraic cycles, algebraic K-theory and theory of motives. Ramanujan Prize is named after Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan and recognizes outstanding researchers under 45 years age. First Indian to win it was Sujatha Ramadorai (2006).
    3. IDFC Bank will start lending operations from October 1, 2015 After demerger of financial undertaking from IDFC Ltd.
    4. National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) won Esri Special Achievement in GIS Award 2015 for appreciated work in Dairy Geographical Information System. NDDBs Internet-based Dairy Geographical Information System (i-DGIS) application is first of its kind in India for village-level integration of data at such a large scale.
    5. Ministry of Rural Development launched SAMANVAY web portal to monitor progress of Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) for development of Gram Panchayats. SAMANVAY web portal has approx 1800 Central and State government for Gram Panchayats. This portal will help Members of Parliament to utilise relevant schemes for implementation of SAGY.
    6. To augment transport infrastructure of the city, Delhi government decided to run trams across areas including Lal Quila, Jama Masjid and Old Delhi Railway Station. Shahjahanad Redevelopment Corporation will be created to carry out infrastructure projects in Old Delhi.
      1. A tram is a rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets (called street running). The lines or networks operated by tramcars are called tramways.
      2. Kolkata tram in Kolkata is only public tram system in the country.
    7. Filipe Nyusi, President of Mozambique visited India. On this occasion, India and Mozambique signed Memorandum of understanding for cooperation in New and Renewable Energy, maritime security and ocean economy.
    8. International Labour Organisation (ILO) and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) signed MoU to impart training to Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to make them more competitive udner the second phase (Jan 2014 - Dec 2017) of Sustaining Competitive and Responsible Enterprises (SCORE) Global Programme.
      1. SCORE training programme is supported by Norway Agency for Development Cooperation (NADC) and Swiss Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SSEA) and is Presently operational in eight countries.
      2. In case of India, SCORE will help build capacity of industry body FICCI in 3 phases.
    9. Government approved direct release of wages into the accounts of workers engaged under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). Aim is to streamline flow of funds and to empower state governments to deliver entitlements as perobjectives of the Act.
    10. Water treatment engineering company Polutech Limited of Murugappa Group signed an agreement with Organo Corp of Japan to setup an industrial water treatment requirement Joint venture company.
    11. Numerous burial sites belonging to Megalithic period found in a village in Siddipet mandal of Medak district (Telangana).
    12. Tamil Nadu state  High Court permitted a transgender to participate in physical test for the post of Sub-Inspector.
    13. As per recent Data, 10.2 % growth registered in Foreign Tourist Arrival in 2014 over 2013 and 2012 years.
    14. Employees Provident Fund Organisation entered stock markets through exchange-traded funds route with an initial corpus of Rs 5,000 crore, It could possibly go up to Rs 15,000 crore next year.
    15. Government approved hiving off BSNL's tower assets into a separate company and offered Rs 627.20 crore as compensation to BSNL and MTNL for surrendering CDMA spectrum auctioned in March 2015.
  29. Aug 3, 2015
    1. India’s first Integrated Underwater Harbour Defence and Surveillance System (IUHDSS) commissioned in Kochi, Kerala. It is Designed by Israel Aerospace Industries and is Capable of detecting threats and generating warning for all types of underwater and surface threats to harbour security.
    2. Government conferred Arjuna Award on Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin. He became 48th cricketer to receive the prestigious Arjuna award.
    3. India will host 2nd meeting of Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) on 21 August 2015 in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Meeting will be attended by the heads of 14 island nations from Indo-Pacific oceanic region.
      1. It will boost India's engagement with the geostrategically and economically important Indo-Pacific oceanic region and will counter growing Chinese influence in this oceanic region.
    4. Mercedes-Benz has appointed Roland S Folger as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of its India operations.
    5. HDFC Bank launched Dhanchayat as educational film to raise awareness on risks of borrowing money from unorganised sources. This film has been launched under HDFC Bank's corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative - Swachh Banking.
    6. HDFC Bank and online marketplace Snapdeal launched co branded e-commerce credit card aimed at getting Snapdeal's customers to make online payments instead of availing the cash on delivery option.
    7. 2015 World Archery Championships -
      1. Organized in Copenhagen (Denmark). 623 Competitors from 96 nations Participated.
      2. South Korea remaied at the top with 9 Medals. Denmark second with 2 Medals.
      3. India won 2 Silver Medals. One by womens recurve archery team consisting of Laxmirani Majhi, Deepika Kumari, and Rimil Buriuly. Other silver medal was won by Rajat Chauhann the compound category.
    8. Government extended term of Rajan S Katoch as Director of the Enforcement Directorate till October 31, 2015.
    9. HSBC Indias chairman Naina Lal Kidwai announced to launch green bonds in India for raising funds for investments in environmental projects.
    10. Operation Muskaan launched as an initiative by railway police to trace missing and destitute children and reunite them with parents.
    11. Telecom operator Bharti Airtel acquired YTS Solutions mobile payments solutions for an undisclosed price.
    12. International Olympic Committee (IOC) officially recognised ‘Frisbee as an Olympic sport during 128th IOC Session held in Kuala Lumpur (Malayasia). IOC gave official recognition to World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF). Frisbee is the sport of flying disc which became popular in the 1960s and 70s.
  30. Aug 2, 2015
    1. Dharmendra Pradhan (Minister of State (I/C) for Petroleum & Natural Gas) visited Ashgabat (Capital of Turkmenistan) to attend 22nd Steering Committee meeting of TAPI (Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline) natural gas pipeline project.
    2. Motoyuki Fujii, Japan's Minister of State for Science & Technology, Education, Culture, and Sports visited India.
    3. President Pranab Mukherjee Inaugurated International Conference on ‘Inclusive Museums' with Theme Museums as Civic Spaces.
    4. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is establishing a Centre for World Natural Heritage Management and Training for the Asia and Pacific Region as a UNESCO Category 2 Centre at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun. It is for the first time that an existing institute has been accorded status of UNESCO Category 2 Centre (C2C) and is also first centre to be established for management and training in natural heritage.
    5. Minister of Shipping, Road Transport & Highways, Nitin Gadkari cisited Egypt.
    6. Union Minister Mahesh Sharma released film Shesher Kobita as part of 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Rabindranath Tagore.
    7. Government included 36 more countries under e-Tourist Visa scheme, taking total countries under this scheme up to 113.7 more Indian airports as designated airports for entry on e-Tourist Visa.
    8.  Scientist Soumya Swaminathan has been appointed as Director General of Indian Council of Medical Research and and Secretary in Department of Health Research.
    9. Government of India deferred proposed talks between Chief negotiators on India – EU Broadbased Investment and Trade Agreement (EU-BTIA) due to disappointment by action of European Union for imposing ban on sale of around 700 pharma products by Indian Company GVK Biosciences.
    10. The award money given to Awardee Teachers has been enhanced to Rs. 50,000 from Rs. 25000 Currently.
      1. National Awardas are given every year by President of India on 5th September (Teacher's Day) to upto 378 meritorious school Teachers.
  31. Aug 1, 2015
    1. Iqbal Ahmed Ansari has been appointed as Chief Justice of Patna High Court (Bihar).
    2. Narendra Kumar Sinha has been appointed as Secretary in Ministry of Tourism.
    3. Kundan Sinha appointed as a New Member Traffic in Railway Board.
    4. Bharat Parv, a 13 day celebration of Culture & Cuisine from different Indian states started in Delhi as a part of Independence Day celebrations.
    5. Special Summer Olympic Games 2015 (Los Angles -USA) -
      1. 6500 Atheletes from 177 Countries Participated in various events in 25 sports.
      2. Indian Athletes won total 173 medals - 47 gold, 54 silver and 72 bronze.
      3. Ranvir Singh Saini became first Indian golfer to win a gold medal in special olympics.
    6. Government approved setting up of Central Research Institute for Yoga and Naturoapthy (CRIYN) at Nagmangla (Karnataka) and Jhajjar (Haryana).
    7. Tamil Nadu has most (751) registered Yoga & Naturopathy practitioners in the country, followed by Karnataka (609). There are total 2034 such registered practitioners across India.
    8. Government has established National Adaptation Fund on Climate Change (NAFCC) of Rs.350 crores for 2015-16 and 2016-17 and estimated requirement of Rs.181.5 crores for 2017-18. Aim is to assist vulnerable States to the effects of climate change in meeting the cost of adaptation. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) is appointed as Implementing Entity for adaptation projects under NAFCC.
    9. Government signed peace accord with Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) to end insurgency in northeastern state of Nagaland.
    10. Filipe Nyusi, President of Mozambique (Southeast African Country) visited India.

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