CURRENT AFFAIR PART 7

• Goa Government launched hot air balloon and amphibious vehicles service to add attractions to its tourism portfolio.
• Governement released commemorative coin on 100th anniversary of Swami Chinmayananda.
• Government approved 21 proposals of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) of Rs.280.70 crores on recommendations of Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB).
• Government approved Namami Gange Program to clean Ganga river in a comprehensive manner with a budget outlay of Rs. 20,000 crore for the next 5 years.
• Government of India has incurred over Rs. 4000 crore on this cleaning ganga since 1985.
• Government approved Gujarat State's Climate Change Action Plan 2015-2020 with proposal to invest over 21000 crores for creating environment-friendly water resource management, public health and agriculture improvement projects by 2020.
• Government approved Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) Continuation Programme consisting of fifteen operational flights PSLV-C36 to PSLV-C50 during 2017-2020 with cost of 3090 crore rupees.
• Government approved amending Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act, 1988 to fight the black money inside the country by Seizing benami properties and putting fine with imprisonmet.
• Government approved building GSAT-17 and GSAT-18 communication satellites, weighing over 3400 Kgs each, for providing replacement capacity with total budget of Rs. 1020 crores each in a period of 30 months with structure similar to GSAT-10 satellite. These satellites will provide replacement capacity in different frequency bands and protect operational services.
• Government approved construction of Rs 4,318.28 crore trunk infrastructure components in Dholera Special Investment Region (DSIR) in Gujarat and Shendra Bidkin Industrial Area (SBIA) in Maharashtra in the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) project.
• Government approved name change of Bangalore city railway station as ‘Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna’ railway station.
• Government approved revising Double Taxation Avoidance Convention (DTAC) with Korea (signed in 1985) to prevent fiscal evasion of taxes. Revised Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) will provide tax stability to Both Countries.
• Government approved revival of closed urea unit of Fertilizer Corporation India Limited (FCIL) at Sindri (Jharkhand) with an investment of Rs 6000 crore. This unit was not in operations since 2002.
• Government approved signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Bangladesh for prevention of human trafficking. An agreement for Coastal Shipping was also signed to carry out coastal movement of goods.
• Government approved signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sweden for cooperation in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
• Government approved signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Renewable Energy Cooperation between India and Seychelles in March, 2015 during visit of PM Narendra Modi to Seychelles.
• Government launched USTAAD scheme in Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh)  for growth of lakhs of traditional artisans of the city.
• Government launched website of National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog at URL - http://www.Niti.Gov.In. Website was launched by Arvind Panagariya, Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog.
• Government made Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) eligible under Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) to enable foreign investment inflows into real estate projects, that was prohibited as of now.
• Government on allocated 5000 crore rupees for growth of Department of AYUSH (comprising Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy).
• Gurpreet Singh qualified for 2016 Rio Olympics along with Abhinav Bindra , Gagan Narang, Jitu Rai and Apurvi Chandela.
• H. E. Mr. Raymond Tshibanda N'Tungamulongo, Foreign Minister of Democratic Republic of Congo visited India.
• HDFC Bank tied up with Apollo Hospitals to launch Medical Benefits Card. It will allow Apollo corporates to disburse medical allowances to their employees and has insurance cover for accidents.
• Han Changfu, China's Agriculture Minister Visited India.
• Haryana Government included Deaflympics in its Sports Policy to enable Deaflympian medalists to get cash rewards, jobs and other benefits. Deaflympics were previously known as World Games for the Deaf and International Games for the Deaf.
• Health and Family Welfare Minister J P Nadda launched Kayakalp awards to Public Health Facilities(PHFs) for following Swachchta Guidelines in Public Health Facilities.
• Himachal Pradesh government has set up satellite tracking system to check forest fire incidents in summer season.
• Himachal Pradesh will host Paragliding World Cup 2015 under the aegis of Para-gliding World Cup Association, France.
• Hollywood actress Elizabeth Wilson passed away.
• Home Ministry will implement NERS (Nationwide Emergency Response System) to save women in distress.
• Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani attended World Education Forum (WEF) meet organized by UNESCO in Incheon (South Korea).
• Hyderabad will host four-day Indo-Global Pharma Expo and Summit 2015 on July 24, 2015. The announcement was made by P V Appaji, Chief of Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India.
• India assumes Presidency of 68th WHA (World Health Assembly), the high decision making body of World Health organisation (WHO), after 19 years. Union Minister of Minister of Health & Family Welfare Jagat Prakash Nadda will lead India's delegation to the event.
• India has reached sixth position in terms of scientific publications, up from tenth position previously.
• India signed $31 million loan agreement with Asian Development Bank (ADB) to boost water availability in Karnataka through implementation of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM).
• India successfully test fired BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile for 48th time from Andaman and Nicobar islands. The advanced version of the land-to-land BrahMos Block-III version has full-range of 290 km.
• India won 3 gold and 2 bronze medals at International Shooting Competition in Germany. Abhinav Bindra won single and team gold with Chain Singh and Gagan Narang in 10 metre air rifle event. Chain Singh also won gold in 50 metre mens rifle. Gagan Narang won Bronze in 50 metre rifle and Apurvi Chandela won Bronze in womens air rifle.
• India's Exports during April, 2015 were US $ 22054.72 million and Imports in April 2015 were US $ 33047.02 (Trade Deficit of US $ 10992.30 million).
• India's GMR Infrastructure tied up with Chinese Guizhou International Investment Corporation (GIIC) for developing Kakinada Special Economic Zone (KSEZ) in Andhra Pradesh.
• India's Industry body ASSOCHAM proposed BRICS Under-17 Football Cup to be held in India in 2016.
• India-Singapore joint naval exercise SIMBEX started.
• Indian Air Force Chief Arup Raha visited United States of America.
• Indian Army team emerged champions in 19th Federation Cup National Senior Athletic Championships in Mangaluru (Karnataka) with 123.5 points. Tamil Nadu team came at second position by securing 114 poi
• Indian Chemistry Scientist C.N.R. Rao has been given Highest Civilian Award of Japan, Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star for his 'contribution to promoting understanding in science and technology between Japan and India.
• Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) reported that India has registered green building projects of over 3 billion sq ft area that made India second in terms of green building footprint. Next Aim is to cover 10 billion sq ft by 2022.
• Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management (IITTM) (Madhya Pradesh) signed an Agreement with Indira Gandhi National Tribal University(IGNTU) (Manipur) to start a Joint MBA Program.
• Indian Meteorological Department under Ministry of Earth Sciences signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Power System Operation Corporation Ltd (POSOCO) for optimum use of weather information in power sector.
• Indian Navy warships INS Ranvir and INS Shakti arrived at Jakarta (Indonesia) In pursuit of India's 'Look East' and 'Act East' policy for operational deployment to South East Asia and Southern Indian Ocean.
• Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) teamed up with ASI (Archaeological Survey of India) for e-ticket facility for entry to Taj Mahal and Humayun’s Tomb.
• Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced to launch ASTROSAT in October 2015 by the PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) C-34 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh).
• ASTROSAT is first Indian space observatory mission aimed at studying distant celestial objects. ASTROSAT carries four X-ray payloads, one UV telescope and a charge particle monitor.
• Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has initiated process of formulating a National Space Act for India for regulating space activities.
• Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) announced complete operationalisation of GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN). India became fourth nation after US, Europe and Japan to have inter-operable Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS). GAGAN is first SBAS system in world to serve equatorial region.
• Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) announced complete operationalisation of GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN). India became fourth nation after US, Europe and Japan to have inter-operable Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS). GAGAN is first SBAS system in world to serve the equatorial region.
• Indian archer Deepika Kumari won bronze in women's individual recurve event in Archery World Cup in Turkey.
• Indian author Neel Mukherjee won 2014 Encore Award worth 10000 pounds for his novel The Lives of Others.
• Indian boxers won 3 Gold and 2 silver medals at World Junior Women's boxing Championship in Taiwan. Savita, Mandeep Sandhu and Sakshi won Gold while Soniya and Niharika Gonella won silver medals.
• Indian boxers won 4 Gold, 1 Silver and 2 bronze at Doha (Qatar) International Boxing Tournament. L Devendro Singh, Shiva Thapa, Manish Kaushik, and Manoj Kumar won gold, Gaurav Bidhuri won Silver, Mandeep Jangra and Vikas Krishan won bronze.
• Indian discus thrower Vikas Gowda won Gold at Jamaican International Invitation meet throw of 65.14 metres.
• Indian-American Akhil Amar from Yale University has been appointed as a member of the prestigious National Council on Humanities of United States (US). Presently, Amar is Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at the Yale University.
• Indian-American Sivanadane Mandjiny won University of North Carolina (UNC) Board of Governors 2015 Award for Excellence in Teaching.
• Indian-American policeman Harkeert Singh Saini won prestigious Top Civilian Supervisor of the Year award for his services to Houston Police department in Texas state of United States of America.
• Indian-Origin Harbhajan Kaur Dheer became first Asian woman to be elected as mayor in the United Kingdom (Ealing Council in London).
• Indian-born Nikesh Arora appointed as President of Japan’s multinational telecommunications and internet company SoftBank Corp.
• Indian-origin person Parvinder Singh Batth appointed as mayor of Britains Wokingham Borough Council.
• Indian-origin teacher Gurnimrat Nimmy Sidhu named for University of Oxford Inspirational Teacher Award.
• Indirect Tax Collections increase 46.2%from Rs.32,661 Crore in April, 2014 to Rs. 47,747 Crore during April 2015.
• Central Excise collections increased from 8,655 crore in April, 2014 to 18,373 crore during April 2015.
• Customs collections increased from 11,555 crore in April, 2014 to 14,286 crore in April, 2015.
• Service Tax collections increased from 12,451 crore in April, 2014 to 15,088 crore in April, 2015.
• Infosys became first Indian Company to Join RE100 Renewable Energy Campaign which is global platform for major companies committed to 100% renewable power. Infosys also announced to become carbon neutral by 2018 with investment of 400 crore rupees.
• Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority 's Committee headed by M Ramaprasad in its report suggested changing wordings of disclaimer in advertisements of insurance companies from Insurance is a subject matter of solicitation to Before buying, know the conditions and exclusions, to make a well-informed decision.
• International Buddh Purnima Diwas 2015 To be hosted by India on 04 May, 2015 with support of International Buddhist Confederation.
• Internet firm Askme acquired Online grocery marketplace BestAtLowest.com for 10 million USD to expand companys search plus capabilities and sync between online and physical stores in real-time.
• Islamic clothing company East Essence tied up with Snapdeal to set up store on their portal.
• Italian Open Tennis -
• Women - Maria Sharapova (Russia) won by defeating Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro.
• Men - Serbian Novak Djokovic won be defeating Switzerland's Roger Federer.
• Japan will provide Loan of Rs. 1165 crore approx to India for Transmission System Improvement in Odisha.
• Joe Root and Charlotte Edwards have been named England mens and womens cricketers of the year for 2014-15.
• Joseph Sepp Blatter has been re-elected as President of FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) for fifth term.
• K Satish Reddy has been appointed as Chairman of the National Safety Council (NSC). He is also Chairman of Dr Reddys Laboratories Ltd.
• KV Kamath will be appointed as first chief of New Development Bank of BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) for Five years. He has served as chairman of Infosys and Non-Executive Chairman of ICICI Bank.
• Laszlo Krasznahorkai from Hungary won sixth prestigious Man Booker International Prize 2015 in London.
• Lee Alan Johnson of England is appointed as Head Coach of Under-19 football team of India.
• Lion census report 2015 (14th lion census )-
• Number of Asiatic lions in Gir sanctuary of Gujarat increased to 523
• 27 % increase in the number of Asiatic lions compared to 2010 census.
• There are 201 female lions, 109 male lions and 213 sub-adults in Gir sanctuary and in other protected areas in Gir Somnath, Junagadh, Amreli and Bhavnagar districts of Saurashtra region of Gujarat.
• The lion population was registered using Global Positioning System (GPS) in case of direct sighting or direct contact methods.
• Lok Sabha 2015 passed Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill 2014.
• According to data from National Crime Records Bureau, crimes by juveniles in the age group of 16-18 years have increased, especially in certain categories of heinous crimes.
• Bill will now allow children in 16-18 age group to be tried as adults if they commit heinous crimes and it will be examined by a Juvenile Justice Board to assess if the crime was committed as a child or as an adult.
• The bill proposed to streamline adoption procedures for orphaned, abandoned and surrendered children by making mandatory registration of all institutions engaged in providing child care.
• Lok Sabha passed Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill, 2014 (Also called Constitution (122nd Amendment))
• The bill is aimed at transforming India into a common market, unifying into a national goods and services tax expected to boost manufacturing and reduce corruption. Main Highlights are -
• It will insert Article 279A in the Constitution.
• It proposes an additional tax on supply of goods, under 1 % and will be collected by central government for a period of two years and apportioned to the States in inter-State trade.
• It provides for the compensation to the States for loss of revenue arising on account of implementation of GST for a period of five years.
• It combines all Central indirect taxes and State Value Added Taxes.
• It covers all goods and services except alcoholic liquor for human consumption for the levy of GST.
• Now, after passing in Rajya Sabha and approval by more than a half of India's 29 states, it will give equal tax goods and services powers to central and state governments.
• Lok Sabha passed Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets (Imposition of Tax) Bill 2015 -
• Provisions of the Act will apply to undisclosed foreign income and assets with Rate of tax of 30 % of Undisclosed foreign income or assets.
• Violation of the provisions of the proposed new legislation will entail penalties in form of three times the taxable amount.
• Failure to furnish return in respect of foreign income or assets shall attract a penalty of 10 lakh rupees.
• Punishment for willful attempt to evade tax in relation to a foreign income located outside India will be rigorous imprisonment from 3 - 10 years and a fine.
• The same punishment is prescribed for assessees who have filed a return of income, but have not disclosed foreign asset or has furnished inaccurate particulars of the same.
• Provisions will also apply to banks and financial institutions helping in concealment of foreign income of Indians through falsification of documents.
• Certain safeguards for assesses have been provisioned in the act including -
• Requirement of mandatory issue of notices to the person against whom proceedings are being initiated with grant of opportunity of being heard
• Right of appeal to Income-tax Appellate Tribunal, High Court and the Supreme Court has been protected.
• Failure to report bank accounts with maximum balance of up to 5 lakh rupees at any time during the year will not put penalty as it might not have been reported my mistake or by ignorance.
• The Bill provides a one-time compliance opportunity for a limited period to persons who have any undisclosed foreign assets which have not been disclosed for the purposes of Income-tax.
• M.J. Joseph has been appointed as India's Controller General of Accounts (CGA) replacing Sh. Jawahar Thakur.
• Madhya Pradesh Government will build a 750 megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic (SPV) plant in Rewa district. It will be developed in three phases of 250 MW each. On completion, it will become world’s largest solar power plant and will leave beghind Topaz Solar Farm (550 MW) in California (USA).
• Madrid Tennis Open 2015 -
• Men's Singles - Andy Murray of Britain won by defeating Spain’s Rafeal Nadal.
• Women's Singles - Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic won by defeating Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova.
• Men's Doubles - Rohan Bopanna (India) and Florin Mergea (Romania) won by defeating Serbian-Polish pair of Nenand Zimonjic and Martin Matkowski.
• Maharashtra Government amended Section 66(1)(c) of Factories Act, 1948 and allowed women employees to work in night shifts likewise Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
• Maharashtra Government banned digging of borewells over 200 feet to control decline of groundwater-level.
• Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with SIDBI Venture Capital provide easy finance to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Size of Funds is 200 crore rupees, 75 crore by MIDC and 125 crores by SIDBI.
• Manoj Mishra appointed as Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of National Fertilizers Limited (NFL).
• Marc Van Ameringen, Executive Director of GAIN (Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition) Visited India and met Minister of Tribal Affairs Jual Oram.
• GAIN was Founded in 2002 with headquarter in Geneva, Switzerland.
• May 1 - Constitution day of the Marshall Islands (island country near equator in Pacific Ocean). On May 1, 1979, constitution of the Marshall Islands was signed.
• May 1 - Gujarat day and Maharashtra Day. States of Maharashtra and Gujarat were formed by Bombay Reorganisation Act enacted on 25 April 1960 and came into effect on 1 May 1960.
• May 1 - Labour Day or International Workers' Day or May Day. In United states of America, It is celebrated as Labor Day on 1st monday of September.
• May 11 - National Technology Day. It is Celebrated since 1999. On this day, there have been several technological milestones achieved by India.
• Successful series of nuclear tests at Pokhran at May 11, 1998.
• First indigenous aircraft "Hansa-3" was test flown from Bangalore and successful test firing of the Trishul missile were also performed on the same date.
• May 13 - Birth Anniversary of Former Indian President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed was fifth President of India from 1974 to 1977.
• May 17 - Constitution Day of Norway (Celebrating signing of Norwegian Constitution in Eidsvoll on May 18, 1814).
• May 17 - World Hypertension Day.
• May 20, 2015 - 50th Anniversary of First Successful indian Mount Everest Expedition on May 20, 1965 led by Manmohan Singh Kohli.
• May 25 - Independence Day of Jordan (Arab nation).
• May 25 - National Day of Argentina (South American Country).
• May 28 - Freedom Frighter Vinayak Damodar Savarkar's Birth Anniversary.
• May 28 - National Day of Ethiopia (Country in Horn of Africa).
• May 28 -Republic Day of Azerbaijan (Country in Western Asia). On 28 May 1918, Azerbaijan declared independence from the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic, thus forming the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic.
• May 29 - International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers.
• May 9 - Birth Anniversary of Renowned Freedom Fighter Gopal Krishna Gokhale.
• Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) signed between Jharkhand Government and National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) for Patratu Thermal Power Station (PTPS) to be set up through a Joint Venture between NTPC and Jharkhand Bidyut Vitaran Nigam Ltd. (JBVNL) with 74:26 equity participation.
• Mhairi Black from Scotland became youngest lawmaker of Britain at the age of 20. The freshly elected lawmaker is . She belonged to Paisley and Renfrewshire South, a constituency outside Glasgow. She defeated Douglas Alexander, Labour's election chief and a former Cabinet minister with 17864 votes.
• Micro, small and medium enterprises ministry (MSME) tied up with Samsung to open a Digital Academy for offering young students a skill development course based on Tizen operating system (OS) platform.
• Microsoft will open India’s first Digital Experience Centre in Vadodara (Gujarat).
• Minister of State (I/C) for Petroleum and Natural gas, Dharmendra Pradhan visited Nigeria.
• Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Ministry of Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER), Jitendra Singh announced 325 crores worth projects for Northeast. Out of These, 200 crore for projects in Assam and Rs. 125 crore for "Organic Farming Mission" for entire North-Eastern region.
• Ministry for Social Justice & Empowerment launched Credit Enhancement Guarantee Scheme for Scheduled Castes. The scheme is implemented by Industrial Finance Corporation of India (IFCI) Ltd with a sum of 200 crore rupees for young and start-up entrepreneurs of Scheduled Castes (SC) to avail financial assistance.
• Ministry of Food Processing Industries approved setting up 30 new cold storage chains under the Integrated Cold Chain project with cost of 274.9 crore rupees. So far, 138 cold storage chains have been sanctioned out of which 108 are under implementation.
• Ministry of Railways will set up Malaviya Chair for Railway Technology at IIT (BHU) to develop new materials to be used in all assets of Railways with funds Rs 5 crore. R.K. Verma will be head of Chair Core Committee.
• Ministry of Railways will set up Technology Mission for Indian Railways for taking up identified railway projects for applied research and use on Indian Railways. N.S.Vyas will be head of Mission Implementation and coordination committee.
• Ministry of Road Transport, Highways and Shipping launched Road Asset Management System (RAMS) for National Highways. The system will use laser technology for compiling information on road assets, condition of pavements and traffic.
• Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports approved regognition of certain sports federations representing indigenous sports as Regional Sports Federations (RSFs) subject to substantial popularity of the sport in the concerned region.
• Mirage 2000 fighter jet of Indian air force landed successfully on Yamuna Expressway as part of developing road runaway for emergency landing.
• Moody's(USA) released quarterly Global Macro Outlook 2015-16 report -
• Stronger US dollar and shifts in capital flows will widen the gap between global economies in 2015-16.
• US GDP growth will be 2.8% in 2015 and 2016.
• GDP growth in G20 economies will be 2.8 % in 2015 and 3 % in 2016.
• GDP growth of europe will be 1.5 % in 2015 and 2016.
• China's GDP growth will be 6.8 % in 2015 and 6.5 % in 2016.
• Indias GDP growth will be 7.5 % in 2015-16, highest in G20 economies. Make-in-India campaign will give a boost to domestic manufacturing and other reforms measures would bring in higher investment and boost growth. inflation will remain moderate due to inflation targeting policy of Reserve Bank of India (RBI). RBI intends to lower retail inflation to 6 % by January 2016 and 4 % (+/- 2%) thereafter.
• Mugla Wali village of Yamunanagar district in Haryana came into news after district authorities claimed that they have drugged out a paleo (old) channel resembling now inactive River Saraswati.
• Mumbai Indians won eighth Indian Premier League (IPL) Tournament defeating Chennai Super Kings by 41-runs in Eden Gardens (Kolkata). It is second title for Mumbai Indians after their first win in 2013.
• NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) launched Arctic Challenge Exercise in north of Norway, Sweden and Finland with nine countries participating in it.
• Nadia district of West Bengal declared as first open defecation-free (ODF) district in India due to collaborative efforts with United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and World Bank for construction of toilets across the district.
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) ended operations of MESSENGER Mission to study planet Mercury s atmosphere. Journey of the spacecraft came to an end with Expected Impact (EI) on Mercurys surface at a speed of 14000 kmph and creating a crater about 52 feet wide.
• National Commodity & Derivatives Exchange Limited (NCDEX) launched Gold Now platform for forward trading in gold. Features are -
• It is India-centric gold forward contracts platform with maximum contract duration is 60 days.
• Delivery units are of 100 grams and 1 kilogram.
• National Green Tribunal (NGT) ordered that every household in Delhi will have to pay a monthly environmental compensation to clean up Yamuna River. NGT bench headed by its chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar made this decision on a petition of environmental activist, Manoj Misra against severe pollution in River Yamuna.
• National Safai Karamcharis Finance & Development Corporation (NSKFDC) and Credit Enhancement Guarantee Scheme for Scheduled Castes of IFCI launched Commercial Motor Driving Training Programme with Self Defense Skills for Women Programme.
• Nebraska became 19th USA state to abolish death penalty.
• Nepal Rastra Bank announced to provide interest-free loans for rebuilding houses up to 25 lakh nepali rupees in the Kathmandu Valley and 15 lakh nepali rupees for those outside the capital.
• Nepal Rastra Bank is the regulatory authority of the Nepalese economy.
• Nepal Rastra Bank also said the commercial banks and financial institutions could take a maximum interest of 2 % under home loan for such purposes.
• Nico Rosberg (Germany) of Mercedes won Monaco Grand Prix Formula 1 World Championship title.
• Nico Rosberg (Mercedes) from Germany won Spanish Grand Prix Formula 1 World Championship.
• Nirbhay Sharma is appointed as 17th Governor of Mizoram.
• North Korea successfully test-fired newly developed Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM).
• North and South America became first regions to eradicate rubella (German measles). due to no new cases reported in past five years.
• Noted Economist Mrinal Datta Chaudhuri passed away.
• Noted mathematician John Nash Passed Away.
• Nuclear Reactors of India - An Overview -
• There are 21 nuclear power reactors in the country with a total installed capacity of 5780 MW.
• One Of these, Rajasthan Atomic Power Station Unit 1 (100 MW) at Rawatbhata is under shutdown for techno-economic assessment.
• Kudankulam Unit – 2 is presently under commissioning.
• Share of the nuclear power generation in the 2014-15 was 3.6% of total electricity Generation.
• Nursultan Nazarbayev has been re-elected as President of Kazakhstan for his consecutive fifth term. He is first president of Kazakhstan and holding this post since 24 April 1990.
• O Panneerselvam resigned as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu as Jayalalitha re-appointed as Chief Minister for fifth Time after bail. J Jayalalitha announed welfare schemes of Rs. 1800 Crores after assuming charge as Chief Minister.
• One year of NDA (National Democratic Alliance) Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi completed with tagline 'Saal Ek Shuruat Anek'.
• Online fashion retailer Myntra.com acquired Bengaluru-based startup firm Native5 Software Solutions. With this acquisition, Native 5 will join Flipkart, parent company of Myntra.
• Oriental Insurance Company has been designated as insurance partner of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports under its Target Olympic Podium (TOP) scheme.
• PM Narendra Modi inaugurated first branch of ICICI Bank in China at Shanghai during his official visit to china.
• PM Narendra Modi inaugurated upgraded IISCO Steel Plant (ISP) in Burnpur (West Bengal). Cost for upgradation is 16000 crore rupees and plant's production capacity has increased from 0.85 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) to 2.9 mtpa.
• PM Narendra Modi joined Chinese social media platform Weibo.
• PM Narendra Modi launched Two Insurance and One Pension sector welfare Schemes -
• Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) - It provides annual life insurance of 2 lakh rupees and covers death due to any reason. A premium of 330 rupees per annum is paid by the subscribers to enroll in the scheme. People in the age group of 18 to 50 years having a bank account are eligible to join.
• Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMGSY) - It provides for risk coverage of 2 lakh rupees for accidental death and full disability and 1 lakh rupees for partial disability due to an accident. It is available to people in the age group of 18 to 70 years having a savings bank account. A premium of 12 rupees per annum is paid by the subscriber.
• Atal Pension Yojana (APY) - will address old age income security need of All citizens in unorganised sector.
• Age of joining is 18 - 40 years. All existing subscribers of Swavalamban would be automatically migrated to APY. Subscribers would receive fixed pension between 1000 - 5000 rupees per month at the age of 60 years, depending on their contributions, that will vary on the age of joining the scheme. Those joining at earlier age will get more pension on reaching 60 years of age.
• PM Narendra Modi launched new television channel for farmers - DD Kisan. It will provide information about best agricultural practices to promote growth of farmers.
• PM Narendra Modi left for Official Visit to China, Mongolia and South Korea.
• China
• 24 Agreements Signed To Enhance Bilateral Co-operation. Some Notable are -
• Establishment of State/Provincial Leaders’ Forum to enhance relations among the provinces (China) and states (India).
• Additional Consulate General to be established in each other’s country to promote greater cultural, tourism, economic and people-to-people engagement. India will open a Consulate General in Chengdu, while China shall open a new Consulate General in Chennai.
• India-China will exchange visits of naval ships and hold PASSEX and SAR exercises for defence exercises.
• International Yoga Day will be organised jointly on 21 June 2015 in collaboration between the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and Yunnan National University of China.
• India-China will annually exchange 200 youths in the second half for Cultural Exchange Initiatives.
• Agreements for provincial partnership between Karnataka and Sichuan and sister-city relationships between Aurangabad – Dunhuang, Chennai – Chongqing and Hyderabad – Qingdao were signed.
• Co-operation in Establishment of Mahatma Gandhi National Institute for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship at Gandhinagar/Ahmedabad in Gujarat.
• Cooperation in development of smart cities with GIFT City (Gujarat) in India and Shenzhen (China) as pilot smart cities.
• Agreement between Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and China National Space Administration for cooperation in Satellite Remote Sensing, Space-Based meteorology, Space Science, Lunar and Deep Space Exploration, Satellite Navigation, Space Components, Piggy-back Launching Services, and Education and Training.
• China allowed Indian pilgrims to use Nathu La Pass (Sikkim) route for Kailash Manasarover Yatra in 2015.
• A bilateral consultative mechanism on WTO (World Trade Organisation) related issues launched for coordination in context of global trade talks.
• India announced electronic tourist visa (e-Visa) facility for Chinese Tourists.
• 21 business agreements worth 22 billion USD signed in Indian and Chinese companies.
• Mongolia
• PM Narendra Modi Visited Mongolia and presented to Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj a special reproduction of a rare 13th century manuscript on the history of Mongols from the Rampur Raza Library, Rampur (Called Jami Ut Tawarikh).
• 13 Agreements signed with Mongolia including Air Services, Transfer of Sentenced Persons, Animal Health and Dairy, Traditional Systems of Medicine and Homeopathy, Joint Friendship School in Mongolia, Cyber Security Training Centre in the Ministry of Defence of Mongolia, National Security Councils, renewable energy technologies, border guarding forces and MoU between Tata Memorial Centre of India and National Cancer Center of Mongolia for Gifting Bhabhatron-II Tele-therapy Unit along with a Radiotherapy Simulator.
• South Korea
• PM Narendra Modi presented South Korean President Park Geun-Hye two finely woven pashmina stoles with a poem by Rabindranath Tagore written on it.
• 7 Agreements signed with Korea including Avoidance of Double Taxation and Prevention of Fiscal Evasion , Audio-Visual Co-Production, National Security, Electric Power Development and New Energy Industries, Youth Matters, Road Transport and Highways and Maritime Transport and Logistics.
• Pablo Picasso's painting Les Femme d’Alger (Version O) became the most expensive painting after being sold for 179.3 million USD at an auction in New York.
• Pandit Haridutt Sharma Award for Journalism, Writing and Social Services presented to Anurradha Prasad(, Editor-in-Chief of News-24 Channel).
• Pawan Goenka has been appointed as Honorary Ambassador of Foreign Investment Promotion for Korea.
• Philippine and Japanese coast guards held an anti-piracy drills in Manila Bay. This is the first drill between Japan and the Philippines since signing a strategic partnership pact in 2012.
• Picturesque Nelong Valley in Gangotri National Park in Uttarakhand has been opened for the first time since its closure in 1962.
• Porbandar Naval base in Gujarat has been commissioned as INS Sardar Patel by Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel.