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February GK Capsule By www.sscjunction.com
February GK Capsule by www.sscjunction.com Page 0
www.sscjunction.com
February GK Capsule By www.sscjunction.com By: sscjunction.com
www.sscjunction.com 3/5/2016
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February GK Capsule by www.sscjunction.com Page 1
Banking News 1. India’s largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) has launched SBI e-Smart
SME to provide a working capital loan for sellers on ecommerce
platforms. It was launched by SBI in partnership with ecommerce platform
Snapdeal in the presence of bank’s chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya and
Snapdeal CEO Sri Kunal Bahl.
2. India’s largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) has launched ‘Japan Desk’, a
single window for inbound Japanese investments in India and vice-versa.
This is a first-of-its-kind initiative that seeks to facilitate Japanese
corporates looking to invest in India with banking and advisory services.
3. India’s Dinesh Sharma has been elected to the board of directors of the
China-sponsored Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). He has
been elected to the 12-member board through a secret ballot. This is the
first board of directors of AIIB in which 57 nations are founding members
including India.
4. India’s largest lender, State Bank of India (SBI) has launched dedicated
specialized branch for start-ups called ‘SBI InCube’ in Bengaluru,
Karnataka. It was announced by BI Chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya in
Bengaluru, Karnataka.
5. India’s largest private sector lender ICICI Bank has partnered with FINO
PayTech to foray into the payments bank space.
6. Andhra Bank has launched Immediate Payment Service (IMPS) at all its
branches across the country to provide inter-bank electronic fund transfer
service.
7. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a monetary penalty of one crore
rupees on State Bank of Travancore, an SBI associate bank for violation of
some of its instructions.
National News 8. The Lok Sabha on 25 February 2016 passed Election Laws (Amendment)
Bill, 2016. The bill seeks to amend the Delimitation Act, 2002 and the
Representation of the People Act, 1950.
-Features of Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2016
Objective: The Bill aims to empower the Election Commission to carry out
delimitation of assembly and parliamentary constituencies in Cooch Behar
district of West Bengal that were affected by the enactment of the
Constitution (100th Amendment) Act, 2015.
9. The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on 25 February 2016
decided to allow birth companions during delivery in public health
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facilities. The decision is aimed at reducing Maternal Mortality Ratio and
Infant Mortality Rate in India.
10. Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 24
February 2016 gave its nod for a proposal to establish Atal Innovation
Mission (AIM) and Self Employment and Talent Utilisation (SETU) in
NITI Aayog with appropriate manpower.
11. Supreme Court of India on 23 February 2016 ruled that the top officials and
employees of private banks will be considered as public servants for the
purposes of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
12. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 21 February 2016 launched Shyama
Prasad Mukherjee National Rurban Mission. The mission was launched
from Kurubhat village in Dongargarh block of Rajnandgaon district in
Chhattisgarh.
13. The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation on 18
February 2016 sanctioned construction of around eighty two thousand
houses for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) in urban areas of 163
cities.
-The cities are in West Bengal, Telangana, Bihar, Mizoram, Rajashtan,
Jharkhand and Uttarakhand. State wise number of houses sanctioned
14. The Union Cabinet on 17 February 2016 approved signing of a collaborative
agreement between the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy,
Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) and the World Health
Organisation (WHO).
15. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 18 February 2016 launched the
guidelines for operationalization of thePradhan Mantri Fasal Bima
Yojana (PMFBY). The guidelines were issued at a farmers’ convention in
Sherpur village of Madhya Pradesh.
16. The Union Cabinet gave its approval to amend Section 11 of the
Delimitation Act, 2002 and Section 9 of the Representation of the People
Act, 1950.
17. Union Urban Development Miniser M Venkaiah Naidu announced the
results of Swachh Survekshan 2016 survey.
-Out of the 73 cities, while Mysuru in Karnataka was adjudged as the
cleanest city, Dhanbad in Jharkand was adjudged as the least clean city.
18. Supreme Court on 15 February 2016 upheld the Union
Government’s Command Exit Model (CEM) of preferential promotion. The
2009 CEM aimed at lowering the age of battalion and brigade commanders
as well as improvement in career aspirations of military officers.
19. The Supreme Court on 11 February 2016 ruled that States can
clampdown mobile internet access under Section 144 of the Criminal
Procedure Code (CrPC) if there is apprehension that a public agitation
can turn aggressive and disturb public tranquillity.
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20. Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda on 11
February 2016 released the National Framework for Malaria
Elimination (NFME) 2016-2030at New Delhi. The framework outlines
India’s strategy for elimination of the disease by 2030.
21. Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Petroleum and Natural
Gas Dharmendra Pradhan released the Hydrocarbon Vision 2030 for
north-east India.
22. India’s the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and United States
Technical Development Agency (USTDA) were signed the grant agreement
for India Aviation Safety Technical Assistance Phase II in New Delhi.
23. TRAI issued Prohibition of Discriminatory Tariffs for Data Services
Regulations, 2016
24. Union government launched the 24x7 Toll Free Tourist Infoline in 12
International Languages including Hindi and English in New Delhi.
25. Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Jagat Prakash Nadda on
launched the Project Sunrise in Imphal, Manipur.
26. Union Labour Ministry signed agreements with leading organizations
engaged in employment and career related activities. The agreements were
signed to exploit the potential of the National Career Service (NCS)
project.
27. The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare decided to set up
the National Organic Farming Research Institute in Sikkim.
28. The Tea Board of India (TBI) issued Version 5.0 of the Plant Protection
Code (PPC) by expanding the list of pesticides and chemicals to 37 from
previous 35 that is permitted for use by Indian tea industry.
29. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) under chairmanship
of Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved Rajasthan Electronics and
Instruments Limited (REIL) of Jaipur to delink from its parent company
Instrumentation Limited (IL) and turn into an independent Central Public
Sector Enterprise (CPSE) under Department of Heavy Industry.
International News 1. Foreign Minister Hashim Thaci was elected as president of Kosovo by the
Members of Parliament amid the protests.
2. Union Ministry of Science and Technology and a consortium of top UK
research institutions signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for
establishment of a joint India-UK collaboration programme in crop
science.
3. In Italy, Senate approved a bill recognising civil unions for same-sex and
heterosexual couples. The motion was approved by a 173-71 vote.
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4. Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the
proposal for loan of 150 million US Dollars to Iran for the development
of Chabahar Port.
5. Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave approval
to sign an agreement between India and Maldives for the avoidance of
double taxation of income from international air transport.
6. Bolivia's Electoral Commission announced that people of the country
rejected an amendment to the Constitution in a referendum with 51.3
percent vote.
7. Missouri state court of United States ordered Johnson & Johnson Company
to pay 72 million dollars to the family of Jacqueline Fox, who died of ovarian
cancer caused due to the use of the company's talc-based Baby Powder and
Shower to Shower for several decades.
8. The Parliament of Pakistan became the world’s first to run fully on solar
power.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif inaugurated the solar power system, which
provides 62 MW to the parliament and a surplus 18 MW to the national
grid.
9. United States and Russia announced to have reached an Agreement on
Cessation of Hostilities in Syria that will come into effect on 27 February
2016.
10. India and Nepal inked and exchanged seven agreements and Memorandum
of Understandings (MoUs) to boost the bilateral cooperation.
11. Former Prime Minister of the Central African Republic, Faustin-Archange
Touadera was declared winner in the second round of presidential
elections.
12. Nepal Government decided to constitute an 11-member-political
committee to study the demarcation of federal states on the constitution.
It will also review the disputed provisions within the country’s new
constitution that was adopted on 20 September 2015.
13. United States (US) President Barack Obama on signed off a new law
imposing new sanctions against North Korea. The new law is titled North
Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act of 2016.
14. The World Bank Group on announced 150 million US dollars in funding
to combat Zika virus in Latin America and the Caribbean.
15. Indian Navy and Myanmar Navy signed Standard Operating Procedure
(SOP) for India-Myanmar Coordinated Patrol (IMCOR) at the Tri-Service
Headquarters in Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
16. The United Nations (UN) and the Government of Colombia announced the
launch of a new multi-partner trust fund in Bogota to respond to
stabilization and peacebuilding needs.
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17. United Nations said that the Syrian government has approved
humanitarian access to seven besieged areas. According to the UN, almost
half a million people live in besieged areas.
18. Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk led government in Ukraine survived a
no-confidence vote hours after the President Petro Poroshenko asked
him to step down.
19. The first train connecting Iran and China packed with Chinese goods
arrived in Tehran. The arrival revived the ancient Silk Road trade route and
also highlighted the economic possibilities for Iran since the lifting of
international sanctions.
20. The Ministry of Railways and the Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation of
the Kingdom of Sweden on inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
on technical cooperation in rail sector
21. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) appointed women ministers to the newly
created portfolios for happiness and tolerance, and youth affairs.
22. India and United Arab Emirates (UAE) signed nine agreements. The
agreements covered a wide range of sectors like the sphere of cyber
security, infrastructure, renewable energy and finance.
23. The UAE's national oil company Abu Dhabi National Oil Company
(ADNOC) agreed to store crude oil in India's maiden strategic petroleum
storage. The strategic reserve will help guard against global price shocks
and supply distribution.
24. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union
(EU) signed an agreement to improve cooperation in cyber defense.
25. National Assembly, the Lower House of the bicameral Parliament of France
passed a proposal to amend the Constitution to strip people convicted of
terrorist offences of their French nationality.
26. United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon on 9 February 2016
launched a report titled One Humanity: Shared Responsibility. The
report called for a global campaign to prevent the erosion of humanitarian
law and protect civilians in conflict.
27. India through the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and
Technology signed a Cooperation Agreement to acquire the status of the
Associate Member State European Molecular Biology Organisation
(EMBO).
28. World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended all governments to rate
movies with smoking scenes to protect children and adolescents from
tobacco addiction in Geneva.
29. All twelve Pacific Rim countries signed the US-led Trans-Pacific
Partnership (TPP) agreement in New Zealand. This is one of the biggest
trade deals in history.
30. India and Afghanistan inked a pact for visa-free travel by their diplomats.
The agreement was signed after Afghan Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
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Abdullah Abdullah's meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during
which they discussed key bilateral and regional issues including security
cooperation.
31. Bangladesh Cabinet approved the draft of a proposed Citizenship Law,
2016 that was framed by amalgamating two existing laws and expanding
scopes for dual citizenship for expatriate Bangladeshi nationals.
32. Union Ministry of Shipping exported a batch of six metro coaches to
Australia from Mumbai. The shipment was made as part of a deal with
Australian government to export 450 made-in-India coaches in two and a
half year period.
Science & Technology News 1. India and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
entered into a partnership in to explore the environment of Ladakh under
NASA’s Spaceward Bound programme.
2. World Health Organisation (WHO) declared Public Health Emergency of
International Concern over the explosive spread of the mosquito-borne
Zika virus, which is linked to birth defects in the Americas.
3. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) of United
Kingdom granted license to the Francis Crick Institute to use new gene
editing techniques on human embryos.
4. Dr Harsh Vardhan, the Union Minister for Science, Technology and
Earth Sciences inaugurated the construction work of Borehole Geophysics
Research Laboratory (BGRL) at Hazarmachi, Karad of Maharashtra.
5. Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) launched the BGR-34,
the country's first anti-diabetic ayurvedic drug for Diabetes. BGR is
acronym for blood glucose regulator.
6. Indian biotechnology company Bharat Biotech claimed that it has achieved
a breakthrough in developing a vaccine to fight the mosquito-borne Zika
virus.
Bharat Biotech developed world’s first, two promising
candidatesZikaVac vaccines for Zika infection.
The company is probably the first in the world to file for global patent for
the two vaccines.
7. NASA’s New Horizons mission spotted the nitrogen ice glaciers on Pluto
appeared to carry numerous isolated hills which are likely to be the
fragments of water ice, as per the press release of NASA
8. The first machine harvestable chickpea variety, NBeG 47 was released
in Andhra Pradesh. It was released by International Crops Research
Institute for the Semi-Arid-Tropics (ICRISAT).
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9. The US space agency NASA announced that the first flight of its new rocket,
the Space Launch System (SLS), carrying 13 CubeSats and an uncrewed
Orion Spacecraft will be launched in 2018.
10. The Union Cabinet gave in-principal approval to the Laser Interferometer
Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) - India project to study
gravitational waves.
LIGO-India is a part of the IndIGO (Indian Initiative in Gravitational-
wave Observations) initiative and seeks to move one Advanced LIGO
detector from Hanford to India.
11. The team, led by Pierre Maxted of the Keele University in Staffordshire of
UK, discovered five new Jupiter-like planets that orbits very close to their
host stars. The discovered planets exhibits similar characteristics that of
our solar systems biggest planet.
12. Engineers belonging to the University of Utah, the USA, discovered a new
kind of 2D semiconducting material for electronics that is made up of the
elements tin and oxygen or tin monoxide (SnO).
13. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) successfully launched
astronomy satellite ASTRO-H from the Tanegashima Space Center in
Kagoshima Prefecture.
The satellite was launched on-board the H-IIA rocket, which was previously
known as the New X-ray Telescope (NeXT), and is expected to operate in
low Earth orbit for three years.
14. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully tested high-
thrust cryogenic engine CE-20 at its Propulsion Research Centre in
Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu.
Environment & Ecology News 1. Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in the first week
published National Air Quality Indices (NAQI) for 24 cities. The AQI
published with a colour code and a numerical value will help in comparing
pollution levels in each cities.
2. Storm Imogen battered parts of southern Britain with heavy rain and winds
up to 96 miles per hour (mph). It forced the environment agency to issue
multiple flood warnings requiring immediate action for parts of the south
west, south east and Wales
3. An international team of scientists (biologists) discovered a new species of
hydroid polyps emitting green fluorescence in the Red Sea. These
polyps were found to be emitting light in the night in association with the
gastropod Nassarius margaritifer.
4. Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP) of United Nations’
(UN) International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) proposed binding
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carbon emission standards for aviation industry. Hence, it paved the way
for its ultimate adoption by ICAO Governing Council.
5. The Noor Ouarzazate Solar Complex, world’s largest solar power plant,
was opened in the Souss-Massa-Drâa area in Morocco, 10 km from
Ouarzazate town.
The plant holds the capacity to produce enough energy to power over one
million homes by 2018 and reduce carbon emissions by an estimated
760000 tons per year.
6. Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF) notified
wild pig as vermin for a period of one year from the date of issue of the
notification in Uttarakhand
7. The Marine Museum was inaugurated at the Marine Aquarium and
Regional Centre (MARC) of Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) in Digha,
West Bengal.
8. Draft National Wildlife Action Plan (2017-2031) prepared by the
Committee under the chairmanship of JC Kala was released by Union
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate (MoEF).
The Committee was constituted by the MoEF to review the implementation
of the National Wildlife Action Plan (2002-2016) and to suggest a new Plan
of Action for Wildlife Conservation.
9. Pangolins, the scaly anteaters and insectivorous mammals of the
order Pholidota, were in news because was observed as the fifth annual
World Pangolin Day.
10. The Road to Resilience is an initiative of the World Bank, under which a
team undertook a bus trip along the entire Indian coastline.
11. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) brought to
light the publication of a new study that quantifies how much crop yields
depend on the work of bees that unknowingly fertilize plants as they move
from flower to flower.
12. The tropical cyclone Winston lashed Fiji with winds up to 330
kilometers per hour on 20 February 2016. The cyclone that was
accompanied with torrential rain and strong winds killed at least 29 people.
13. Union Environment Ministry held the ninth meeting of the National
Steering Committee on Climate Change (NSCCC). The meeting was presided
by the Secretary of MOEFCC, Ashok Lavasa.
14. The Union Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Dr.
Harsh Vardhan released the Seismic microzonation reports for Delhi and
Kolkata in New Delhi.
15. Bees can help boost food security of two billion small farmers at no cost:
FAO.
Appointments & Obituaries
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1. Dinesh Sharma has been unanimously elected as the Chairperson of the
Governing Council of International Fund for Agriculture Development
(IFAD).
2. Senior IPS Officer Alok Kumar Verma has taken charge of new Police
Commissioner of Delhi. He has replaced B. S. Bassi.
3. Gianni Infantino (45) of Switzerland has been elected as new President of
Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), a global
governing body of football.
4. The Union Government has appointed Rajendra Singh as the Director
General (DG) of Indian Coast Guard (ICG), country’s coastal protection
force.
5. Justice Subhro Kamal Mukherjee has sworn-in as the 28th Chief Justice
of the High Court of Karnataka.
6. Yoichiro Ueno has been appointed as new President and Chief
Executive Officer (CEO) of Honda Cars India by its parent Honda Motor
Company.
7. Michael Pesch has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of
Infosys Consulting Holding, a subsidiary of India’s second largest software
company Infosys.
8. Union Government has selected former Chief Justice of India (CJI) H L
Dattu as new Chairman of National Human Rights Commission
(NHRC).
9. An Indian-origin Sikh Amar Singh has been appointed the Police
Commissioner of Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur. With this, he becomes
first person of Indian origin (PIO) and first Malaysian Sikh to achieve the
highest police rank in the Muslim-majority country.
10. Udai Kumar has been appointed as full-time Managing Director (MD) and
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Metropolitan Stock Exchange of India
(MSEI) Ltd.
11. President Pranab Mukherjee has appointed Justice Vineet Saran as the
new Chief Justice (CJ) of Orissa High Court as per the provisions of Article
217 of Constitution.
12. Distinguished scientist KN Vyas has been appointed as Director of
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) for a term of three years
13. Indian Railway Officer Vinay Kumar Singh has been appointed as
Managing Director of National Capital Region Transport Corporation
(NCRTC). Prior to this appointment, he was working with Rail Vikas Nigam
Limited (RVNL), a railway PSU involved in the study of high speed rail
corridors.
14. The famous Odissa singer Bhubaneshwari Mishra passed away
following a sudden cardiac arrest in New Delhi. She was 67.
15. Senior IRS officer Jayant Misra has been appointed as Director General
(DG) of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).
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16. Christine Lagarde (60) from France has been appointed as the Managing
Director (MD) of the International Monetary Fund for a second five-
year term.
17. Kalikho Pul has been sworn-in as the 9th Chief Minister of Arunachal
Pradesh after Governor JP Rajkhowa used his discretionary powers to
appoint him.
18. US writer Harper Lee passed away in Monroeville, Alabama, US at the age
of 89. She had authored a novel ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ released in 1960
which had become a classic of modern American literature. It has sold
more than 40 million copies worldwide.
19. Bollywood lyricist Sameer Anjaan has created world record by composing
around 3524 different songs in 650 Bollywood movies. Guinness Book of
World Records has officially recognised him as the Most prolific Bollywood
Lyricist Ever. With this he becomes first Guinness Record holder in this
category.
20. West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra has been appointed as the
Chairman of the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers on
Goods and Services Tax (GST).
21. Renowned Malayalam writer Akbar Kakkattil passed away in Kozhikode,
Kerala due to cancer. He was 62.
22. Devaraja Reddy has been elected as President of The Institute of
Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI).
23. India’s Ambassador to Tajikistan Biraja Prasad passed away following a
massive cardiac arrest. He was the youngest Indian Foreign Service
(IFS) officer to be appointed as India’s Ambassador to any country.
24. Dr. Vilas A. Tonapi has been appointed as Director of Indian Institute of
Millets Research (IIMR).
25. Noted Malayalam poet and lyricist O N V Kurup passed away in
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. He was 84.
26. Former IAS officer Ashok Chawla has been appointed as Chairman of The
Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).
27. Indian-origin lawyer Davinder Singh (58) has been named as Vice-
Chairman of International Chamber of Commerce Commission (ICC) on
Corporate Responsibility and Anti-corruption.
28. Indian-origin Harinder Sidhu has been appointed as Australian High
Commissioner to India. She replaces outgoing High Commissioner
Patrick Suckling.
29. Uttar Pradesh Panchayati Raj Minister Kailash Yadav passed away in
Gurgaon after reportedly suffering a brain stroke. He was 65.
30. Rajendra Kumar Pachauri has been appointed as Executive Vice
Chairman of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).
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31. Renowned Urdu Poet and well known Bollywood lyricist Nida Fazli
passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra following a heart attack. He was 78
years old.
32. Famous political cartoonist Sudhir Tailang, passed away in Gurgaon,
Haryana after battling with brain cancer for a long time. He was 56.
33. United States (US) Astronaut Edgar Mitchell passed away Lake Worth,
Florida under hospice care. He was 85. He was the sixth man to walk on
the Moon. He had spent more than nine hours on the Moon’s surface in the
Fra Mauro Highlands region as part of the Apollo 14 mission in 1971.
34. US Senate Armed Services Committee has confirmed the nomination of
General John Nicholson to the commander of the NATO forces in
Afghanistan.
35. Former IAS officer D J Pandian has been appointed vice-president and
chief investment officer (CIO) of Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure
Investment Bank (AIIB).
36. Renowned economist and former deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of
India (RBI) S.S. Tarapore passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra. He was
80.
37. Saroj Kumar Jha has been appointed Senior Director for the Fragility,
Conflict and Violence Group in the World Bank.
38. Legendary Urdu fiction writer, novelist, columnist and poet Intizar
Husain passed away in Lahore, Pakistan. He was 93.
39. Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba took over as Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief
(FOC-in-C) of Mumbai headquartered Western Naval Command (WNC) at a
ceremonial parade held at INS Shikra.
List of Important Days in February
1. 2 February — World Wetland Day
2. 4 February — World Cancer Day
3. 6 February — International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital
Mutilation
4. 13 February — World Radio Day
5. 14 February — Valentine’s Day
6. 20 February — World Day of Social Justice
7. 21 February — International Mother Language Day
8. 28 February — National Science Day
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Important Points of Census 2011
Census 2011 is the 15th Census of India since 1872. The motto of census 2011 was 'Our Census, Our future'. 1. 2011 Census Commissioner of India: C Chandramuli 2. Total population of India according to 2011 census – 121 crore. 3. The most populous state of India – Uttar Pradesh 4. Least populous state in India: Sikkim 5. State has highest rural population– Uttar Pradesh 6. State has lowest rural population - Sikkim 7. State has highest urban population– Maharashtra 8. State has lowest urban population - Sikkim 9. The rate of growth of population of India: 17.64 10. Literacy rate in India : 74.04% 11. Male Literacy rate in India : 82.14% 12. Female Literacy rate: 65.46% 13. Most literate state in India – Kerala (93.9%) 14. Most literate Union territory in India – Lakshadweep (92.2%) 15. Least literate Union territory in India – Dadar and Nagar Haveli 16. State has high density of population – Bihar (1102) 17. State has low density of population – Arunachal Pradesh (17) 18. The number of districts in India according to census 2011 – 640 19. State has highest sex ratio – Kerala (1084/1000) 20. State has lowest sex ratio – Haryana 21. Density of Population of India – 382 22. Sex ratio of India – 940/100 23. Union territory has highest sex ratio - Pondicherry 24. Union territory has lowest sex ratio - Lakshadweep 25. State has highest fertility rate in India – Meghalaya
List of Important Days
Sr.no. Date Day
1. 12th
January National Youth Day ( Birthday of Swami Vivekanand)
2. 15th
January Army Day
3. 24th
January National Girl Child Day
4. 25th
January National Tourism Day/ voters Day
5. 30th
January National Martyrs Day & World anti Leprosy Day
6. 4th
February World Cancer Day
7. 28th
February National Science Day
8. 8th
March International Women’s Day
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9. 9th
March World Kidney Day (celebrated on 2nd
Thursday of march)
10. 15th
March International Consumer Day
11. 20th
March World Sparrow Day & International Happiness Day
12. 21st
March World Forestry Day
13. 22nd
March World Water Day
14. 23rd
March World Meterological Day
15. 24th
March World T.B Day
16. 2nd
April World Autism Day
17. 7th
April World Health Day
18. 21st
April Civil Service Day
19. 22nd
April World Earth Day
20. 24th
April Panchayat Divas
21. 1st
May International Labour Day
22. 3rd
May World Press Freedom Day
23. 11th
May National Technology Day
24. 21st
May Anti Terrorism Day ( death date of Rajiv Gandhi)
25. 31st
May Anti Tobacco Day / No Smoking Day
26. 5th
June World Environment Day
27. 1st
July Doctors Day
28. 11th
July National Technology Day
29. 6th
August Hiroshima Day
30. 9th
August Nagasaki Day
31. 12th
August International Youth Day
32. 29th
August National Sports Day
33. 5th
September Teachers Day
34. 8th
September World literacy Day
35. 14th
September Hindi Divas
36. 15th
September Engineers Day
37. 16th
September Ozone Day
38. 2nd
October International non-violence Day
39. 8th
October Air force Day
40. 9th
October World Post Day
41. 24th
October United nation Day
42. 17th
November Students Day
43. 18th
November Adults Day
44. 19th
November Citizen Day
45. 27th
November National Law Day
46. 1st
December AIDS Day
47. 4th
December Navy Day
48. 10th
December Human Rights Day
49. 14th
December National Energy Conservation Day
50. 22nd
December National Mathematics Day
51. 24th
December National Consumer Rights Day
52. 25th
December Good Governance Day (Birthday of Atal Bihari Vajpai)
53. 21st
June International Yoga Day
February GK Capsule By www.sscjunction.com
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List of Indian States,their capital
and Chief Minister State Capital Chief Minister
Andhra Pradesh Amravati N.Chandrababu Naidu
Arunachal Pradesh Itanagar Nabam Tuki
Asom Dispur Tarun Gagoi
Bihar Patna Nitish Kumar
Chhattisgarh Raipur Raman Singh
Goa Panaji Laxmikant Parsekar
Gujarat Gandhinagar Anandi Ben Patel
Haryana Chandigarh Manohar Lal Khattar
Himachal Pradesh Shimla Virbhadra Singh
Jammu-Kashmir Jammu(Winters) Srinagar(Summers)
Mufti Mohammad Sayeed
Jharkhand Ranchi Raghuvar Das
Karnataka Bangaluru K.Siddharamaiah
Kerala Thiruvananthapuram Ooman Chandy
Madhya Pradesh Bhopal Shivraj Singh Chauhan
Maharashtra Mumbai Devendra Fadnavis
Manipur Imphal Okram Ibobi Singh
Meghalaya Shillong Mukul Sangma
Mizoram Aizawl P.Laltanhawla
Nagaland Kohima TR Zeliang
Odisha Bhubneswar Naveen Patnaik
Punjab Chandigarh Prakash Singh Badal
Rajasthan Jaipur Vasundhara Raje
Sikkim Gangtok Pawan Chamling
Tamil Nadu Chennai O.Panneerselvam
Tripura Agartala Manik Sarkar
Uttar Pradesh Patna Akhilesh Yadav
Uttrakhand Dehradun Harish Rawat
West Bengal Kolkata Mamata Banerjee
Telangana Hyderabad K.Chandrashekhar Rao
Countries Capital Currency Austria Vienna Euro
Argentina Buenos Aires Peso
Australia Canberra Australian Dollar
Afghanistan Kabul Afgan-afgani
Azerbaijan Baku Manat
Bangladesh Dhaka Taka
Belarus Minsk Ruble
Belgium Brussels Euro
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Bhutan Thimphu Ngultrum
Brazil Barsilia Real
Cambodia Phnom penh Riel
Canada Ottawa Canadian Dollar
Chile Santiago Peso
China Beijing Yuan
Colombia Bogota Peso
Costa Rica San jose Costa Rican Colon
Croatia Zagreb Kuna
Cuba Havana Peso
Czech Republic Prague Koruna
Denmark Copenhagen Krone Egypt Cairo Pound
Ethiopia Addis Ababa Ethiopian Birr
Fiji Suva Dollar
Finland Helsinki Euro
France Paris Euro
Germany Berlin Euro
Ghana Accra Cedi
Greece Athens Euro
Hungary Budapest Forint
Hong-kong Victoria Dollar
Iceland Reykjavik Euro
India New Delhi Indian Rupee
Indonesia Jakarta Rupiah
Iran Tehran Rial
Iraq Baghdad Dinar
Ireland Dublin Euro
Israel Jerusalem Sheqel
Italy Rome Euro
Japan Tokyo Yen
Jordon Amman Dinar
Jamaica Kingston Dollar
Kazakhstan Astana Tenge
Kenya Nairobi Shilling
Korea North Pyongyang Won
Korea South Seoul Won
Kuwait Kuwait City Dinar
Latvia Riga Euro
Lithuania Vilnius Euro
Luxembourg Luxembourg Euro
Malaysia Kuala Lumpur Ringgit
Maldives Male Rufiyaa
Mauritius Port Louis Rupee
Mexico Mexico city Peso
Myanmar (Burma) Nay Pyi Taw (Rangoon) Kyat
Namibia Windhoek Dollar
Nepal Kathmandu Rupee
Netherlands Amsterdam Euro
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New Zealand Wellington Dollar
Nigeria Abuja Naira
Norway Oslo Krone
Oman Muscat Rial
Pakistan Islamabad Rupee
Peru Lima Nuewo Sol
Philippines Manila Peso
Poland Warsaw Polish Zloty
Portugal Lisbon Euro
Qatar Doha Riyal
Russia Moscow Ruble
Saudi Arabia Riyadh Riyal
Seychelles Victoria Rupee
Sierra Leone Freetown Leone
Singapore Singapore Dollar
South Africa Cape Town Rand
South Sudan Juba Pound
Spain Madrid Euro
Sri Lanka Colombo Rupee
Sweden Stockholm Krona
Switzerland Bern France
Syria Damascus Pound
Taiwan Taipei Dollar
Tajikistan Dushanbe Tanzania Somoni
Thailand Bangkok Bhat
Turkey Ankara Lira
Uganda Kampala Shilling
Ukraine Kyiv Hryvnia
United Arab Emirates (UAE) Abu Dhabi Dirham
United States of America Washington D.C Dollar
Vietnam Hanoi Dong
Yemen Sanaa Rial
Zambia Lusaka Kwacha
Zimbabwe Harare Dollar
United Kingdom London Pound
List Of Folk and Classical Dances
State Dances
Andhra Pradesh Kuchipudi
Arunachal Pradesh Bardo Chham, Mask Dance
Asom Bihu Dance,Sattriya
Bihar Jat-Jatin,
Chhattisgarh Gaudi,Karma
Goa Mandi
Gujarat Garba
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Haryana Saang
Himachal Pradesh Dhaman,Daf, Jhora-Jhali
Jammu-Kashmir Rauf
Jharkhand Chhau,Sarahul
Karnataka Bharatnatyam
Kerala Kathakali
Madhya Pradesh Gaur maria Dance,Tertali
Maharashtra Lavni ,Koli
Manipur Thang Ta
Meghalaya
Mizoram Khanatm
Nagaland Chang Lo ,Sua lua
Odisha Odissi
Punjab Bhangra
Rajasthan Ghoomer
Sikkim Singhi Chham
Tamil Nadu Bharatnatyam
Tripura Hojagiri
Uttar Pradesh Kathak,Nautanki, Rasleela
Uttrakhand
West Bengal Kathi
Telangana Kuchipudi ,Kolattam
Head and Headquarter of International Organisation
International Organisation Headquarter Head
UNO ( United Nations Org) New York Ban Ki-Moon
UNICEF New York Anthony Lake
UNCTAD (United Nations Geneva Conference on Trade &
Development)
WHO (World Health Org) Geneva Margaret Chan
ILO (International Labour Geneva Guy Ryder Org)
WMO (World Meteorological Geneva Michel Jarraud
Org)
World Intellectual Property Geneva Francis Gurry Org
IMF (International Washington D.C Chirstine Lagrade
Monetary Fund)
World Bank Washington D.C Dr. Jim Yong Kim
UNESCO( United Nations Paris
Irina Bokova
February GK Capsule By www.sscjunction.com
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Educational Scientific and
cultural Org)
OECD (Org. for Economic Paris Jose Angel Gurria Cooperation and Dev.)
UNIDO (United Nations Vienna Mr. Li Yong Industrial Dev. Org)
FAO (Food and Agricultural Rome José Graziano da Silva Organization)
ICJ ( International Court of The Hague Ronny Abraham
Some Important Banking Terms Asset turnover ratio - This ratio can be explained as Net assets / Total turnover or sales. This ratio measures the operational efficiency of business assets. In simple terms this measures how many time total assets turned in a year and how efficiently the assets are used in a
business.
Amortization - It is an accounting technique by which intangible assets are written off over a period of time. For example provision for doubtful debts or preliminary expenses are written off over a certain period of time.
Audit - Financial statement and physical stock is checked annually by professional auditor (Chartered Accountant affiliated by ICAI in India)
Capital gain - Gain by selling a capital asset in which a person is not doing business. Income by selling a house by a bank employee is a capital gain whereas when a builder do the same thing it is Income from business and professional. Current asset - An asset that can be converted into cash with 12 months. For example - debtors, stock etc.
Credit rating - A ranking applied to an individual, business or a nation based upon its credit history and current financial position. There are various credit rating companies in India such as Crisil.
CPI - Consumer price index is measure to find price of a bundle of commodities. CPI is used to measure the inflation in a country.
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Depreciation - Depreciation is reduction in value of an asset due wear and tear over a period of time. For example a company purchased a machine in 2005 and planned to charge 20% depreciation. In 2010 the machine will be written off from the books of account. Dividend - Dividend is the amount per share paid by a company to its shareholders. Dividend value is based upon company's profitability
GDP - Gross domestic product is the aggregate value of goods and services produced by every person of a nation. GST - Goods and services tax is the same tax system for everything. It is proposed that GST will replace the multi tax system in India by 2015.
IPO - Initial public offer is issue of stocks for the first time in the market. Intangible assets – Assets which can’t be seen but have value for business. For example – Goodwill. Indemnity – A legal contract under which one party promises to pay another for any loses incurred to them by their acts. Interest rate risk – Risk that value of financial assets will deteriorate because of fall in interest rate. For example value of bonds decreases with decrease in interest rate.
Junk fund – A fund which invests investor’s money in junk investments means high risk investments which high returns.
Monopoly - A situation in market where there are many buyers but a single seller exist. Money market - Market dealing in short term lending and borrowing of funds. Also know as Cash market. Monetary policy - Set of actions by Central bank of a country ( RBI in case of India) to control the supply of money. These actions included increase in interest rate, open market purchases, changing commercial bank's reserve funds ratio (SLR) etc. Marginal cost - Additional cost to produce an extra unit of product.
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Margin - Amount of profit added to cost price of each unit of a product Margin call - Margin call term is used in two situations. First - Whenever a lender gives a secured loan and loan value is a fixed percentage of loan then whenever the value of security decrease below the decided ratio then lender given a margin call to borrower to bring loan to security ratio to decided level. Secondly in stock exchanges traders trades in various securities by paying 20-30% of the value of securities. Whenever the value of security goes below that margin, broker gives margin call to trader to bring the margin to desired level. Mark-to-market - As explained above while defining margin call, value of assets in case of securities is measured on daily basis. If the trader's asset value increased, increased value is transferred to his account. In case the value of assets decreased margin call is made to adjust the margin.
ROI - Rate on investment is return divided by value of investment Redemption - Maturity date of a security or a bond Recession - An economic situation of negative growth Repo rate - Rate at which Central bank (RBI in case of India) lends money to commercial banks Reverse repo rate - Rate at which commercial banks lends to central bank
Union Budget 2016 highlights
Tax
1. Infrastructure and agriculture cess to be levied.
2. Excise duty raised from 10 to 15 per cent on tobacco products other than
beedis
3. 1 per cent service charge on purchase of luxury cars over Rs. 10 lakh and in-cash
purchase of goods and services over Rs. 2 lakh.
4. SUVs, Luxury cars to be more expensive. 4% high capacity tax for SUVs.
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5. Companies with revenue less than Rs 5 crore to be taxed at 29% plus
surcharge.
6. Excise 1 per cent imposed on articles of jewellery, excluding silver.There fore
rates of gold jewellary will go up.
7. 5 per cent Krishi Kalyan Cess to be levied on all services.
8. Pollution cess of 1 per cent on small petrol, LPG and CNG cars, 2.5 per cent on
diesel cars of certain specifications, 4 per cent on higher-end models.
9. Dividend in excess of Rs. 10 lakh per annum to be taxed at additional 10 per cent.
Personal Finance
1. No changes have been made to existing income tax slabs
2. Rs 1,000 crore allocated for new EPF (Employees’ Provident Fund) scheme
3. The Government will pay EPF contribution of 8.33% for all new employees
for first three years.
4. Deduction for rent paid will be raised from Rs 20,000 to Rs 60,000 to benefit those
living in rented houses.
5. Additional exemption of Rs. 50,000 for housing loans up to Rs. 35 lakh, provided
cost of house is not above Rs. 50 lakh.
6. Service tax exempted for housing construction of houses less than 60 sq. m
7. 15 per cent surcharge on income above Rs. 1 crore
Agriculture and Farmer’s welfare:
1. Agricultural credit target for this fiscal year will be Rs.9 lakh crore.
2. Govt to allocate Rs 5,500 crore for crop insurance scheme.
3. Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana to bring 5 lakh acres under organic farming.
4. 5 lakh hectares of land will to be brought under irrigation.
5. Govt will reorganise agricultural policy to double farmer income in next five years.
6. There will be four new schemes for the animal welfare .
Rural Sector :
1. 5,542 villages have been electrified, more than the last three years combined.
2. 38,500 crore for MNREGA.Highest ever for the rural employment scheme.
3. 2.87 lakh crore for gram panchayats as per recommendation of 14th finance
commission.
4. Total rural sector allocation Rs. 87,769 crore.
Two schemes for digital literacy for rural India to cover 6 crore households in the
next three years.
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Social Sector including Healthcare
1. 9,000 crore for Swachch Bharat Abhiyan.
2. National dialysis service programme under PPP model.
3. LPG connection for women members of rural homes.
4. Government to provide health insurance of upto Rs. 1 lakh per family.top up
of Rs. 35,000 for people above 60 years. 3,000 stores to be opened for generic
drugs.
Education:
1. 10 public and 10 private educational institutions to be made world-class.
2. Digital repository for all school leaving certificates and diplomas.
3. 1,000 crore are allocated for higher education financing.
4. 62 new navodaya vidyalayas to provide quality education
5. Digital literacy scheme to be launched to cover 6 crore additional rural households
Skills and Job Creation:
1. 1,700 crore for 1500 multi-skill development centres.
2. Scheme to get Rs.500 cr for promoting entrepreneurship among SC/ST
3. Entrepreneurship training to be provided across schools, colleges and massive
online courses.
4. Objective to skill 1 crore youth in the next 3 years under the PM Kaushal Vikas
Yojna-FM Jaitley
5. National Skill Development Mission has imparted training to 76 lakh youth. 1500
Multi-skill training institutes to be set up.
Infrastructure
1. 27,000 crore to be spent on roadways.
2. 65 eligible habitats to be connected via 2.23 lakh kms of road. Current
construction pace is 100 kms/day
3. Shops to be given option to remain open all seven days in a week across markets.
4. 55,000 crore for roads and highways. Total allocation for road construction,
including PMGSY, – Rs 97,000 crore
5. India’s highest-ever production of motor vehicles was recorded in 2015.
6. Total outlay for infrastructure in Budget 2016 now stands at Rs. 2,21,246 crore
7. New greenfield ports to be developed on east and west coasts
8. Revival of underserved airports. Centre to Partner with States to revive small
airports for regional connectivity
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9. 100 per cent FDI in marketing of food products produced and marketed in
India
Highlights of Rail Budget : 1. There is no Hike in the Passenger Fare.
2. Target of Eliminating all unmanned level crossing by 2020.
3. 17000 biotoilets and additional toilets in 475 stations will be made before the
close of this financial year.
4. Mathura,Ajmer, Amritsar, Gaya, Nanded, Nashik, Puri, Tirupati, Varanasi,
Nagapattinam and other pilgrim stations to be beautified.
5. WiFi will be installed at 100 Stations and will be installed on 400 more railway
stations next year.
6. One can send message if the toilet is not clean and can request to clean the toilet.
7. All the major Railway Station will be Brought under CCTV surveillance in a phased
manner.
8. Railway will increase lower berth Quota for Senior Citizens to 50%.
9. FM services will be started in Railways to provide entertainment to the
passengers.
10. 33 per cent reservation to women in reserved quota in Railways will be
introduced.
11. Cold Stores will be set near the vacant lands near warehousing Facilities.
12. Baby foods and Baby boards to be made for the travelling mothers.
13. New uniforms and training for porters. Coolies to rechristened as ‘Sahayaks’.
14. Cancellation Facility will be started through 139 Helpline number.
15. High speed passenger corridor from Ahmedabad to Mumbai.
New Projects Started by Railways This Year :
1. 1600 kms electrification will be done this year and 2000 km electrification will be
done next year.
2. Mizoram and Manipur soon will be connected through Broad Gauge.
3. Special purpose vehicle for the Ahmedabad-Mumbai high speed corridor
registered this month.
4. Broad Gauge Lumding-Silchar section in Assam will be implemented this year
which will connect Barak Valley with rest of country.
5. Overnight double-decker trains will be introduced on business travel routes.
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