April 2016 current affair’s

1.            The Maharashtra government has recently tied up with the Tata Trusts to link all government colleges and medical colleges with he latter's national cancer grid. With this, Maharashtra has become the India's first state to join the initiative. The national cancer grid links all existing and proposed cancer care centres to create a uniform line of treatment for cancer patients across India.

 

2.            India has become the world's 4th largest spender on defence according to the US business research provider HIS Inc. According to IHS analysis, India's defence budget 2016 has increased to 13.1% due to increase in military pay and the introduction of One Rank, One Pension (OROP).

 

3.            ReNuAL stands for "Renovation of the Nuclear Applications Laboratories project (ReNuAL)". It is an IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) initiative focussing mainly on modernization of the nuclear applications laboratories. The countries provide funds to this initiative. India also has made a voluntary contribution of US$ 100,000 in 2015 for the modernization of IAEA's nuclear applications laboratories in Seibersdorf, Austria under the ReNuAL project.

 

4.            Gyan Chakra is the name of a new think tank on Defence and Strategic Affairs formed by the Army's Western Command. It will provide a platform to army veterans and thinkers to pursue research on strategic and national security issues. It has been established as an extension of the Khetarpal Oicers Institute (KOI), Chandimandir.

 

5.            The fourth statement is partially incorrect. The MCI was established under the Indian Medical Council Act 1933 and given responsibility for maintaining standards of medical education, providing ethical oversight, maintaining the medical register, and, through amendments in 1993, sanctioning medical colleges. It maintains uniform standards of medical education, both undergraduate and postgraduate. Registration as a pharmacist comes under Pharmacy Act and that job is done by Pharmacy Council of India.

 

6.            DC, USA The fourth Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) was held in Washington, D.C. on March 31-April 1, 2016.

 

7.            Dame Zaha Hadid was an Iraq born British architect. She recently died at 65. She was first woman to receive the Pritzker Prize, referred to as the Nobel Prize of architecture, in 2004. The building designed by her include London Olympic aquatic centre, Riverside Museum Glasgow and many others.

 

8.            Core sector industries and their weight in IIP is given below: 

Industry                                           % Weightage in IIP

Electricity                                         10.32

Steel (Alloy + Non-alloy)                6.68

Refinery Products                            5.94

Crude Oil                                         5.22

Coal                                                  4.38

Cement                                             2.41

Natural Gas                                      1.71

Fertilizers                                         1.25 

9.            The government has extended safeguard duty on steel imports till March 2018. The move is aimed at protecting the Indian industry from cheap China steel.

 

10.        Filippo Grandi is an Italian diplomat mainly active with the United Nations' humanitarian operations. Between 2010 and 2014, he served as Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

 

11.        Palaniappan Chidambaram (born 16 September 1945) is an Indian politician affiliated with the Indian National Congress and a former Union Minister of Finance of India. He launched his book "Standing Guard – A Year in Opposition" a compilation of his Sunday columns published in the Indian Express in 2015.

 

12.        The World Autism Awareness Day is observed every year on April 2 to raise awareness of spectrum disorder. The 2016 theme is "Autism and the 2030 Agenda: Inclusion and Neuro diversity".

 

13.        According to the recently released United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) report titled "YearBook", India has been ranked 6th among the world's 10 largest manufacturing countries. In it, China has topped the list of 10-top industrial producers followed by the US, Japan, Germany and Korea.

14.        Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, has recently bestowed with the Saudi Arabia's highest civilian honour "the King Abdulaziz Sash" by King Salman bin Abdulaziz at the Royal Court.

 

15.        The world's first 'White Tiger Safari' has recently opened for public at Mukundpur in Satna district, Madhya Pradesh. The first of its kind safari has cost Rs. 50 crore and is spread over an area of 25 hectares. It is home to three white tigers including one male, two females and two Royal Bengal tigers.

 

16.        Novak Djokovic (Serbia) has won the 2016 Miami Open Title in the men's singles category by defeating Kei Nishikori (Japan) by 6-3, 6-3 at Miami, Florida. On the other hand, in the women's singles category, Victoria Azarenka of Belarus has won the title by defeating Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) by 6–3, 6–2 score.

 

17.        Nico Rosberg, a German racing driver for Mercedes Formula One team, has won the 2016 Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, Bahrain.

 

18.        Cyprian Kotut, Kenyan long-distance runner, has won the 40th edition of the 2016 Paris marathon in the men's category in Paris. With this, he became the 12th Kenyan to win the race and put his case straight ahead of the national marathon team selection for 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

 

19.        Unakoti hill is an ancient Shaivite place of worship with huge rock reliefs celebrating Shiva. It is the prime tourist spot of Unakoti Tripura District in the Kailashahar Subdivision in the North-eastern Indian state of Tripura.

 

20.        Humsafar is the fully air-conditioned third AC service with an optional service for meals. Tejas will be operating at speeds of 130 kmph and above, it will offer onboard services such as entertainment, local cuisine, Wi-Fi, etc. Through one service provider. Antyodaya Express, a long-distance, fully unreserved, superfast train service, for the common man to be operated on dense routes. Utkrisht Double-Decker Air-conditioned Yatri (UDAY) Express will be on busiest routes, which has the potential to increase carrying capacity by almost 40%.

 

21.        The Sultan Azlan Shah Cup is an annual international men's field hockey tournament held in Malaysia. It began in 1983 as a biennial contest. The tournament became an annual event after 1998, following its growth and popularity.

 

22.        Iceland Prime Minister Sigmundur Gunnlaugsson resigned recently, after his name was revealed in Panama paper leaks.

 

23.        The world's first mass dengue vaccination programme has been launched by Philippines with a French drug Dengvaxia (world's 1st dengue fever vaccine) to combat mosquito-borne disease. In this program, hundreds of children whose age is between 9 to 10 are protected with the injections in front of government health workers at a public school in eastern Manila.

 

24.        Prof. Ashok Kumar Singhvi, honorary professor of PRL Ahmadabad, has been conferred with the 2014 National Geoscience Award for Excellence for his outstanding contributions in the field of Quaternary Geology. Apart from him, Dr. Indra Kumar Sen, Assistant professor of IIT Kanpur, receives the Young Scientist Award for his contributions in the field of geochemical evolution of earth. Besides, 31-geoscientists receive the award, as individuals or team, for meritorious contributions in twelve fields of geosciences. The awards were presented by the President of India Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi.

 

25.        The DCB Bank has launched India's first Aadhaar-based ATM usage facility to make transactions easier with ATM for customers. The ATM will accept Aadhaar number and Aadhaar fingerprint (biometric) instead of ATM/ Debit Card and PIN to dispense cash from the bank account. It is a Cardless and PIN less ATM. The user can key-in the 12-digit Aadhaar number or swipe the card at an ATM to start a transaction, but at the stage of confirming the identity, it requires biometric details rather than the PIN. In case of authentication, a customer just has to put his/her finger on the scanner.

 

26.        Tran Dai Quang, a former chief of Vietnam's internal security organisation, has recently sworn-in as the 9th President of Vietnam. He succeeded Truong Tan Sang and shall have term of five years. Quang is a member of the 12th Politburo of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

 

27.        The Union Government has recently launched a mobile app "Vidyut PRAVAH- Electricity, Price Availability and Highlights" in New Delhi to provide highlights of the power availability in the country on real time basis. The app will empower common people to demand 24X7 power from the states and will take transparency to the next level and make state governments more accountable.

 

28.        The International Day of Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action is observed every year on April 4 to foster the establishment and development of national mine-action capacities in countries where mines and explosive remnants of war constitute a serious threat to the safety, health and lives of the civilian population or an impediment to social and economic development at the national and local levels. The 2016 theme is "Mine Action is Humanitarian Action".

 

29.        India's first cash giving app "CASHe" has been launched by the Tslc Pte Ltd, a fin-tech company. The app will provide users a personalized experience to borrow cash anytime, anywhere within minutes for their needs. This application offers immediate cash loans based on users social profile, merit and earning potential with the support of various algorithms and machine learning. Here, one get convenient 15-day loan for a one-time processing fee. There are no other hidden costs, no painful paper work and no human interaction.

 

30.        The National Maritime Day of India is celebrated every year on April 5. On this day, in 1919 navigation history was created when SS Loyalty, the first ship of the Scindia Steam Navigation Company, journeyed to the United Kingdom.

 

31.        Dev Javia, one of the Gujarat's top tennis players, will lead the Indian challenge in the ITF World Junior Tennis Competition of Asia/Oceania under-14 in Nonthaburi, Thailand from April 16 to May 1, 2016.

 

32.        Dr. Myneni Hari Prasad Rao (88), was considered as the architect of the Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS) and it's first project director, was passed away recently in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. During his career, he received many awards such as Padma Shri (1984), Sanjay Gandhi Award for contribution in Science and Technology (1983), etc.

 

33.        The Government of India (GoI) has recently constituted a high-level committee to suggest ways to fortify the security along the border with Pakistan and address the issue of gaps and vulnerability in border fencing. The committee will be headed by former Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta and will submit its report in 3 months. The mandate of the committee is to study all types of gaps in fencing and all other vulnerabilities in the International Border on Indo-Pakistan Border. It will suggest comprehensive approach to fix the gaps in fencing and other vulnerabilities on interim and permanent basis.

 

34.        The 25th edition of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2016 has started at Ipoh, Malaysia. It is the Asia's biggest hockey tournament, which is celebrating its' Silver Jubilee this year.

 

35.        The United Nations' (UN) International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP) is observed every year on April 6 to recognize the power of sport in promoting peace and erasing cultural barriers worldwide. On IDSDP 2016, the United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace (UNOSDP) has launched "Let's play for Sustainable Development Goals" campaign to build awareness about the newly adopted UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its SDGs, focusing on how sport can contribute to their advancement.

 

36.        India's fastest train Gatimaan Express "Gatimaan Express" has been flagged off from Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway station to Agra Cantt. Station. The train completed its 200 km journey to Agra within 100 minutes. It is capable of running at a maximum speed of 160 kmph.

 

37.        The Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Rajeev Pratap Rudy has recently launched "Transnational Skill Standards" in India to support international mobility of Indian workforce and also prepare them to work in international companies having their operations in India. These standards in skill development are benchmarked to the skill standards in United Kingdom across 82 identified job roles. It will highlight the gaps in Indian Standards against the UK standards and to cover the gaps, those intending to migrate, will undergo 'bridge training'.

 

38.        The 2016 Water Film Festival, a part of the India Water Week 2016 celebrations, has started at Water Expo-2016 in New Delhi on April 6, 2016. The film festival is organized by the Water and Power Consultancy Services (WAPCOS), a PSU under Ministry of Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.

 

39.        Vodafone Group Plc has moved the International Court of Justice (ICJ) seeking appointment of a third arbitrator in its Rs 20,000-crore tax dispute with India.

 

40.        Mossack Fonseca & Co. is a Panamanian law firm and corporate service provider. The firm has received worldwide media attention in 2016, when an enormous cache of its documents was provided to news media in the Panama Papers leak of information on off-shore tax havens.

 

41.        The World Health Day (WHD) is observed every year on April 7 to raise awareness on different health topics.The 2016 theme is "Beat Diabetes" to scale up diabetes prevention, strengthen care and enhance surveillance.

 

42.        India has won the 2016 Asian Nations Cup Chess tournament by defeating Vietnam with a 3-1 victory in the final round in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Previously, India won the event in Esfahan, Iran (2005) and Kolkata, India (2009).

 

43.        The 2016 International Conference on the "Zero" has recently held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France. On this occasion, a bronze bust of the ancient Indian mathematician-astronomer Aryabhata has gifted by India to UNESCO as its tribute to the world of mathematics and science. From India, the Union Minister of Human Resource Development, Smriti Zubin Irani has addressed the conference.

 

44.        Sigurdur Ingi Johannsson is the newly elected Prime Minister of Iceland. Previously, he was the Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture and deputy leader of the Progressive Party. Johannsson succeeded Sigmundur Gunnlaugsson, who stepped down in the wake of the leaked Panama Papers incident.

 

45.        The Union Ministry of Human Resource Development has recently launched the International Standard Book Number (ISBN) portal in New Delhi to facilitate publishers and authors to register for ISBN online. The ISBN is a 13-digit unique International Publisher's Identifier number, which is meant for monograph publications. It will provide access to bibliographic data bases used by the book industry and libraries to provide information. The Raja Ram Mohan Roy National Agency for ISBN is responsible for ISBN registration in the India and is affiliated to UK based International Agency. The ISBN Nos. are allotted free of cost. 

 

46.        The Gujarat Government has launched the state-wide "Maa Annapurna Yojna (Scheme)" at Sanand, Ahmedabad to provide cereals at concessional rates to poor and middle class families under the National Food Security Act (NFSA). This scheme will cover BPL, Antyodaya and APL families.

 

47.        The East Coast Railway (ECoR) has become the largest freight loading zone of Indian Railways in FY 2015-16 by achieving record revenue loading performance. It has loaded 173.49 million tonnes of freight as compared to 161.91 million tonnes in FY 2014-15. The EoCR has headquarters in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

 

48.        The first National Tribal Carnival will be held in Delhi from April 29 to May 02, 2016 to preserve and promote various facets of the tribal life relating to culture, tradition, customs and their skills and to expose it to the general population with a view to utilizing the potential for overall holistic development of the Scheduled Tribes.

 

49.        The first-ever North East-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Business Summit 2016 was held at Imphal, Manipur with the focus on road connectivity, trade and tourism. It is organised by the Union ministry of development of NE region in association with the Manipur government in Imphal from April 7 to 9, 2016.

 

50.        CP Gurnani has been appointed as the chairman of National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) for 2016-17. He succeeded BVR Mohan Reddy.

 

51.        The Union Government has recently constituted a B B Tandon committee to see that guidelines set for government advertisements by the Supreme Court are followed.

 

52.        An Indian-origin researcher, Ratnakumar Bugga has recently selected for NASA's Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) programme for his concept titled "Venus Interior Probe Using In-situ Power and Propulsion (VIP-INSPR)". The purpose of the programme is to revolutionise future space missions to Mars and beyond. Bugga is from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California, United States.

 

53.        Rajasthan has become the first Indian state to pass land title bill as the Rajasthan Urban Land (Certification Of Titles) Bill, 2016, has recently passed by the state assembly for providing statutory backing to land records, effectively guaranteeing land and property ownership.

 

54.        The Union Government has approved India's first Metrino Pod project i.e. Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) network for Gurgaon, Haryana. The financing for this 'completely private project' will be made by the private company that sets up the PRT in the region. Every pod of Metrino taxi can accommodate up to five passengers and the fare is likely to be similar to that of Metro rail in Delhi.

 

55.        B.G. Verghese is the author of the book titled "A State in Denial – Pakistan's Misguided and Dangerous Crusad". The book explores a subject of immense global significance of Pakistan and its relations with remaining World including India.

 

56.        Mother Teresa has been posthumously honoured with the UK's prestigious Founders Award 2016, which is given to recognise and reward exemplary achievements of people within the global Asian community. She founded the Missionaries of Charity and spent 45 years serving the poor, the sick, the orphaned and the dying on the streets of Kolkata. The award was received by the Agi Bojazhiu (niece), Teresa's only living relative.

 

57.        The Pakistan Navy has successful test-fired "Zarb", a shore-based anti-ship missile. The surface to sea missile has launched from coastal site and successfully hit the surface target in the Arabian Sea.

 

58.        The 5th edition of the joint air force training exercise "Shaheen Eagle 2016" has been conducting between Pakistan and China in Pakistan from April 9, 2016 and it will be continue till April 30, 2016.

 

59.        Anthony Joshua defeated Charles Martin in two rounds at London's O2 Arena to claim the IBF heavyweight title in only his 16th professional fight. Joshua is also just the third man to win a pro heavyweight world title while still a reigning Olympic champion.

 

60.        The Puttingal temple was recently in news after huge fire broke out at the temple at Paravaur (Kollam District) of Kerala, leaving at least eighty dead and over a hundred injured.

 

61.        The Permanent Mission of India to the UN will commemorate the 125th birth anniversary of Ambedkar on April 13 at the UN headquarters here, a day before his birthday. On the occasion, a panel discussion will be organised on 'Combating inequalities for the achievement of SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals)'.

 

62.        The Mullaperiyar Dam or Mullaiperiyar Dam is a masonry gravity dam on the Periyar River in the Indian state of Kerala. It is located 881 m above mean sea level, on the Cardamom Hills of the Western Ghats in Thekkady, Idukki District of Kerala, South India. It has been a subject of controversy between Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

 

63.        CII is a non-government, non-profit organisation, industry-led and industry-managed organization, playing a proactive role in India's development process. Founded in 1895, CII has over 7200 members, from the private as well as public sectors.

 

64.        "Doda-post" is a drug made of poppy husk, and is consumed widely in Rajasthan and Punjab. Rajasthan is the only state in India to legally sell doda. The drug was in news when Rajasthan Government recently decided to put a ban on sale of the drug.

 

65.        Maharashtra (16.8 lakh crore)>Uttar Pradesh(9.76 lakh crore)>West Bengal(8.00 lakh crore)>Gujarat(7.66 lakh crore).

 

66.        The Group of 7 (G7) is a group consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The next major G7 summit will be held in Japan in 2016.

 

67.        Recently, India has offered to invest up to 20 billion US dollars in Iran's energy industry, subject to provision of concessional rights.The two nations, also discussed developments regarding Farzad-B gas field.

 

68.         Mission Bhagiratha is the water grid project in Telangana State of India, which aims at reaching out drinking water supply to even remotest place in the State.

 

69.        The RV Easwar Committee gave recommendations on simplification of income tax laws. 

 

70.        Subhash Palekar, popularly known as Krishi ka Rishi (the "sage of agriculture"), is a famous exponent of natural farming.

 

71.        The 3rd edition of Asia Ministerial Conference on Tiger Conservation 2016 is to be held in New Delhi on April 12, 2016. The three-day conference will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

 

72.        Priyadarshini Chatterjee from Delhi has crowned the FBB Femina Miss India World 2016. With this, she will represent India at the Miss World 2016 pageant.

 

73.        Priyanka Chopra will be given Dadasaheb Phalke Film Foundation's Best Actress of the Year award. The ceremony will be held in Mumbai, Maharashtra on April 24, 2016. This will be her 2nd award from the Foundation after she received her first one for 'Most Memorable Performance' in 2011 for her role in Vishal Bhardwaj's film "Saath Khoon Maaf".

 

74.        Khadija Ismayilova, an investigative journalist from Azerbaijan, has won the 2016 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize in recognition of her outstanding contribution to press freedom in difficult circumstances. The prize will be awarded on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day on May 3, 2016 in Finland.

 

75.        The IIT-Kharagpur has won the National Intellectual Property (IP) award by the Government of India (GoI) for being the top academic institute for patents in 2016. The award carries an amount of Rs.1,00,000, a citation and a memento and will be given by the Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on the occasion of World IP Day (April 26, 2016) in New Delhi.

 

76.        The book titled "India's War: The Making of Modern South Asia 1939-1945" has been authored by historisn Srinath Raghavan. The book highlights India as a power in its own right, rather than a mere bastion of the British Empire. It details India's contribution to World War II and explores the war's impact on the Independence movement.

 

77.        The Colombo Port City project will be developed by both China and Sri Lanka to convert it into a financial hub.

 

78.        Soni Chaurasiya, who is a 31-year-old Kathak dancer from Varanasi, have broken the previous record of marathon dancing of 123 hours and 20 minutes.

 

79.        Danny Willett, an English professional golfer, has won the 80th edition of US Masters golf tournament 2016 at Augusta National in Georgia, United States. With this, he became the first European to win the Masters since 1999 and the first from England since Nick Faldo's similar win in 1996.

 

80.        Anthony Joshua, a British professional boxer, has won the 2016 International Boxing Federation heavyweight title in London. With this, he became the first boxer in history to hold the Olympic super heavyweight crown and a version of the world heavyweight title simultaneously with his stunning triumph at the O2 Arena, a few miles from where he won gold at the London 2012 Games.

 

81.        The International Day of Human Space Flight is observed every year on April 12 to begin the space era for mankind and to reaffirm the important contribution of space science and technology in achieving sustainable development goals. On this date, in 1961, the first human space flight was carried out by Yuri Gagarin, which opened the way for space exploration for the benefit of all humanity.

 

82.        The Jammu and Kashmir government has recently launched Mufti Mohammad Sayeed Food Entitlement Scheme (MMSFES) to supplement the National Food Security Act in the state. As per the scheme, all those persons who are covered under the state's public distribution system, will get additional 5 kgs of ration per person in addition to 5 kgs of ration they are entitled to get under NFSA.

 

83.        Airtel M Commerce Services Ltd., a subsidiary of Bharti Airtel, has become the first entity to receive final approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to start a payments bank. The payments banks are not allowed to lend, they have to tie-up with banks will help them source loans for their customers.

 

84.        The Haryana Government has recently renamed Gurgaon district as "Gurugram district". The city is the corporate hub of Haryana located immediately south of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. As per the sources, Gurgaon derived its name from the name of Guru Dronacharya, the master of archery in Mahabharata who tutored the Pandavas. The village was given as gurudakshina to him by his students "the Pandavas" and thus, it came to be known as Guru-gram, which in course of time got distorted to Gurgaon. Beside this, the Haryana government has also decided to rename Mewat district as Nuh.

 

85.        The bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has won the Global Indian of the Year award at the 2016 NRI of the Year award function in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The NRI of the Year Award recognises outstanding achievements of the Indian diaspora globally.

 

86.        China has successfully launched a retrievable scientific research satellite "SJ-10" in a bid to aid scientists to study microgravity and space life science. The satellite was put into orbit by Long March 2-D rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwestern China's Gobi desert. It will house 19 experiments including microgravity fluid physics, microgravity combustion, space material, space radiation effect, microgravity biological effect and space bio-technology, etc., before coming back to Earth with results.

 

87.        The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has launched "Unified Payments Interface (UPI)", which will leverage trends such as increasing smart phone adoption and deeper penetration of mobile data. The UPI is a new payment method that powers multiple bank accounts into a single mobile application (of any bank) of a participating bank,merging several banking features, seamless fund routing and merchant payments into one hood. It facilitates 'virtual address' as a payment identifier for sending and collecting money and works on single click 2 factor authentication. It also provides an option for scheduling push and pull transactions for various purposes like sharing bills among peers.

 

88.        Padma Sachdev, Jammu-born poet and novelist, has been chosen for the 25th edition of prestigious Saraswati Samman 2015 for her autobiography 'Chitt-Chete' written in Dogri language. The award carries an award money of Rs 15 lakh, a citation and a plaque.

 

89.        Joginder Jaswant Singh, ex-Indian Army Chief General, has been conferred with the prestigious "Officer of the Legion of Honour" in recognition of his "stellar role" in modernising the Indian Army and initiating robust exchanges between the Indian and French armies leading to unprecedented levels of cooperation and inter-operability and creation of enduring ties and promotion of mutual understanding between the two countries. The award is the highest civilian award given by the French Republic for outstanding service to France, regardless of the nationality of the recipients.

 

90.        Meeran Chadha Borwankar, senior Maharashtra cadre IPS officer of the 1981 batch, has been appointed as the Director General of Bureau of Police Research & Development (BPR&D). She will hold the post till her retirement in September 2017.

 

91.        Bernie Sanders has acquired the top position in the Time magazine's readers' poll of the   world's 100 most influential people. He is a candidate for the Democratic nomination for   President of the United States in the 2016 election.

 

92.        The Republic of Nauru, a tiny South Pacific island nation, has become the 189th member of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank. By joining the World Bank (WB), Nauru will get access to financial support, technical support and special expertise in dealing with Pacific area issues like water and sanitation and disaster risk management amid the threat of climate change and rising sea levels. With the IMF, Nauru can benefit from the crisis lender's advice on managing government finances and monetary policy.

 

93.        Mohammad Aamir Khan is the author of a book titled "Framed As a Terrorist: My 14-Year Old Struggle to Prove My Innocence". It's a story of author, who is from Delhi, who was proved innocent 14 years after being charged in 18 bomb blast cases.

 

94.        As per the recently released report by IT major Dell, the National Capital of India, Delhi has been ranked 44th among the world's 50 'future-ready economies cities' that are embracing technology for growth. The list is topped by San Jose, followed by San Francisco, Singapore, London, Washington DC, etc. These high-growth cities were evaluated on the parameters of human capital, infrastructure and commerce. The 'Future-Ready Economies Model' scores large, high-growth global metropolitan areas based on attributes that enable people and organisations to access new tools and ideas that deliver better connectivity, better economic performance and a greater ability to attract talent.

 

95.        The 7th edition of Laadli Media & Advertising Award for Gender Sensitivity 2014-15 for "Films" has been awarded to "Dum Laga Ke Haisha" and "Aligarh and Margarita with a Straw".

96.        The Union Government has launched the "DEEP" web portal, an e-Bidding & e-Reverse Auction portal, for the acquisition of short-term power by Distribution Companies (DISCOMs). The DEEP stands for Discovery of Efficient Electricity Price. The web portal will ensure the continuous flow of power from seller to the buyer.

 

97.        The Indian Air Force base at Panagarh in West Bengal has been renamed after Marshal of the Indian Air Force (MIAF) Arjan Singh and be called as "Air Force Station Arjan Singh". MIAF Arjan Singh, the former Indian Air Force (IAF) chief, is the only officer of the IAF to be promoted to five-star rank, equal to a Field Marshal and had led the IAF in the 1965 India-Pakistan war.

 

98.        Mary Kom, an iconic Indian woman boxer, has been named as the International Boxing Association (AIBA) ambassador for Women's World Championship, which is scheduled from May 19 to 27, 2016 in Astana, Kazakhstan. 

 

99.        The supercomputer "Param Kanchenjunga" has been launched by Sikkim Governor Shrinvas Patil at the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Sikkim campus at Ravangla in South Sikkim District. The Pune-based Centre for Development of Advanced Computing 'C-DAC' and the NIT Sikkim have jointly established the supercomputer at a cost of Rs. 3 crore. The supercomputer is expected to help achieve excellence in engineering education and research in the north-east region.

 

100.    Jonathan Bairstow (England), Ben Stokes (England), Brendon McCullum (New Zealand), Kane Williamson (New Zealand) and Steven Smith (Australia) have been named as the Wisden Almanack's Five Cricketers of the Year 2015 for their outstanding performance in a year.

 

101.    Mhow, officially known as Dr Ambedkar Nagar, is a cantonment in the Indore District in Madhya Pradesh state of India. The Central Government, in collaboration with States and Panchayats, is carrying out a 'Gram Uday Se Bharat Uday Abhiyan' (Village Self Governance Campaign) in the period between 14th April to 24th April 2016.

 

102.    Cochin (Kochi) International airport became the first airport in the world that completely operates on solar power.Now, Cochin airport's solar power plant is producing 50,000 to 60,000 units of electricity per day to be consumed for all its operational functions, which technically make the airport ' absolutely power neutral '.

 

103.    India and the U.S. have agreed "in principle" on a logistics support agreement. The agreement was first proposed in 2004, but was resisted by UPA government for years. The agreement will make it easier for both militaries to share each other's facilities.

 

104.    Ministry of Water Resources, has signed the River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation implementation agreement with German International Cooperation (GIZ) of Germany. The objective of the agreement is to enable responsible stakeholders at National and State level to apply integrated river basin management approach for the rejuvenation of the river Ganga. 

 

105.    POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS), an outfit of the local people in Odisha has been opposing land acquisition for the project since 2005.

 

106.    Recently, the U.S. has launched a joint South China Sea naval patrols with the Philippines, escalating its presence as it accused Beijing of "militarising" a region which is locked in territorial disputes. The U.S. unleashed six missiles at distant targets from a dry riverbed three hours' drive from Manila.

 

107.    The headquarters of World Anti-Doping Agency are located at Montreal, Canada.The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has that athletes can escape from ban for taking meldonium because it does not know for sure how long it takes for the substance to leave the body.

 

108.    The new pictorial warnings notification by Government of India mandates 85% pictorial warnings on both sides of the tobacco product packages. Golden Tobacco Ltd has become the first company to implement 85 per cent pictorial health warnings on both sides of their products.

 

109.    Prime Minister Narendra Modi, inaugurated the first Maritime India Summit in Mumbai. He discussed over the agenda of emphasising on port-led development, the Centre plans to mobilise an investment of Rs 1 lakh crore in the port sector to more than double port capacity to 3,000 million tonnes by 2025.

 

110.    Australia defeated India 4-0 in the summit showdown to win the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament in Ipoh, Malaysia.

 

111.    The Indian Army's tank exercise 'Shatrujeet' was conducted in the deserts of Bikaner district of Rajasthan

 

112.    India became the largest remittances receiving country at USD 72 billion this year followed by China at USD 64 billion, as per the World Bank Report.

 

113.    Maharashtra Government has decided to paste "polyester base track and trace" hologram, to be supported by a mobile app, which will help consumers find out whether the liquor is fake or genuine.

 

114.    Dipa Karmakar becomes the first ever Indian woman to qualify for Olympics in Gymnastics.

 

115.    Susmita Pande has been appointed as the new chairperson of National Monument Authority (NMA). She succeeded Himanshu Prabha Ray.Presently, Pande is the head of the School of Studies in Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology in the Vikram University of Madhya Pradesh.

 

116.    President Pranab Mukherjee has inaugurated the 4th edition of retreat of Supreme Court Judges 2016 at the National Judicial Academy in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. In the 3-day retreat, the national issues such as global terrorism, economic growth globalization, climate change, environmental challenges, would be discussed by experts, serving and retired government officials.

 

117.    James Cross Giblin (82), who is known for writing a biography of Adolf Hitler "The Life and Death of Adolf Hitler", has recently passed away in United States. He was a highly skilled editor and a children's book author.

 

118.    The World Haemophilia Day is observed every year on April 17 to create awareness for hemophilia and other bleeding disorders. It also serves to raise funds and attract volunteers for the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH).

 

119.    The Union government will launch a new service "Twitter Seva" on April 21, 2016 to address various queries of startups in a time-bound manner. In it, any startup which wants to access government irrespective of any department, they can (put their queries).

 

120.    India's first online interactive heritage portal "Sahapedia" will be launched on April 23, 2016 by the Union Government in New Delhi. The web portal will be a collaborative knowledge resource on the arts, culture and heritage of India. The purpose of this portal is to inform, educate and act on subjects such as knowledge traditions, visual and material arts, performing arts, literature and languages, practices and rituals, histories, institutions, people, built spaces and natural environment. It will be accessible across user groups such as scholars, practitioners, students, teachers, travellers and enthusiasts, while integrating activities and services including research, documentation, digitization and conservation.

 

121.    Novak Djokovic of Serbia has won the 2016 Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award in Berlin, Germany. Beside this, 2016 Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award has been awarded to Serena Williams and Paralympic swimmer Daniel Dias of Brazil was given disabled sportsperson of the year award. He won the award for the third time. The Laureus World Sports Awards (also known as the Oscars of Sports) has been given to honour the notable sporting personalities and their achievements of the previous year.

 

122.    India and Mauritius has recently signed MoU to promote cooperation in the field of Traditional Medicine and Homoeopathy. It envisages exchange of experts, supply of traditional medicinal substances, joint research and development and recognition of the traditional systems of health and medicine in both countries.

 

123.    The "Twinning Network Program on Chemical Ecology" has been launched in Kohima, Nagaland by Dr. Harsh Vardhan, the Union Minister for Science and Earth Sciences. The program is a new collaborative and interdisciplinary programme in Chemical Ecology between institutions in the North Eastern Region (NER) and partners in Bangalore.

 

124.    The Regional Conference of North Eastern States on Child Adoption has been held at State Convention Centre in Shillong, Meghalaya. The Union Minister for Women & Child Development Maneka Gandhi has inaugurated the conference to familiarize the stakeholders involved in the adoption process in North Eastern States about the provisions relating to adoption under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 and orient them about the provisions of Adoption Guidelines – 2015 as well as the online adoption process through Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System (CARINGS).

 

125.    In Telangana, Balamallupalli village in Karimanagar district has been awarded as the best Panchayat in India. The sarpanch of the Kasturi village, Tirupati Reddy will receive the award from Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Jamshedpur, Jharkhand state on April 24, 2016.

 

126.    The 13th edition of the Islamic Summit Conference has been concluded in Istanbul, Turkey under the theme "Unity and Solidarity for Justice and Peace". The agenda of the summit included many issues such as the question of Palestine and Arab-Israeli conflict, conflict situation in the Muslim world, combating terrorism and violent extremism, Islamophopia, humanitarian situation in the Muslim world and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) 2025 Programme of Action.

 

127.    The RBL Bank Ltd. (formerly Ratnakar Bank) has become the first private sector bank in India to open a specialized branch for start-ups offering a bouquet of banking products to service the end-to-end needs of the emerging entrepreneurial eco-system. The branch was inaugurated at Koramangala, Bengaluru, by Nandan Nilekani, noted entrepreneur and former chairman of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).

 

128.    Durga Thakur from India has recently been promoted to international outdoor umpire by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) following her good performance at the recently-held Hawkes Bay Cup in Hastings, New Zealand. She is a physical education teacher at Modern School, New Delhi and represented her state Himachal Pradesh in the National Championships in three sporting disciplines viz. handball, basketball and hockey.

 

129.    The Centre for Ganga River Basin Management and Studies (CGRBMS) has been launched in New Delhi by the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation with Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IITK). The CGRBMS will work as a think-tank to coordinate all activities within the Ganga river basin, including science, technology, research, innovation, social and investment related aspects.

 

130.    As per the recently released ASSOCHAM-SREI report titled 'PPP Investment in Indian Infrastructure: Need for growth and development', Uttar Pradesh has acquired the top position with the highest share (15%) in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects across India, followed by Maharashtra (11%), Haryana (8.5%), Gujarat (6%) and Madhya Pradesh (4.5%).

 

131.    The Cheraman Juma Masjid is a mosque in Methala, Kodungallur Taluk, Thrissur District in the Indian state of Kerala Built in 629 AD, it is the first mosque in India.

 

132.    Pakistan and China have recently signed an agreement for the launch of a special satellite "Pakistan Remote Sensing Satellite (PRSS-1) System" in June 2018 to monitor the development of the $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects. The CPEC project has launched with the help of China to connect western China to southern Pakistan's port city of Gawadar that gives China an opening to the Arabian Sea. India has been protesting the corridor's passing through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir ever since the project was started by President Xi Jinping during his visit to Islamabad 2015.

 

133.    India has been ranked 133rd out of 180 countries listed in the 2016 World Press Freedom Index (WPFI), released by NGO Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The list is topped by Finland followed by Netherlands, Norway, Denmark and New Zealand. Among India's neighboring countries, Bhutan has ranked 94, Nepal (105), Afghanistan (120), Sri Lanka (141), Bangladesh (144), Pakistan (147) and China (176).

 

134.    Vishnu Vardhan, former national champion, has become the first champion of the Asian Tennis Tour (ATT) after defeating Sidharth Rawat by 7-6(7), 6-3 in the final of the $5,000 event at Delhi Lawn Tennis Association (DLTA) Complex, Delhi.

 

135.    The book "The Story of Kashmir through the Ages" has been authored by Arjan Nath Chaku and Inder K Chaku. Its' a two volume encyclopedia on Kashmir, which was recently launched in New Delhi.

 

136.    Viet Thanh Nguyen, the Vietnamese American professor at the University of Southern California and editor of diaCRITICS, has won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for fiction for his 2015 novel "The Sympathizer". The novel is the story of a man of two minds, someone whose political beliefs clash with his individual loyalties.

 

137.     The National Civil Services Day is celebrated every year on April 21, when civil servants rededicate themselves to the cause of the citizens and renew their commitment to public service. On this day, "PM Awards for Excellence in Public administration" have been instituted with a view to acknowledge, recognize and reward the extraordinary and innovative work done by officers of the Central and State Governments for the welfare of common citizen. This day coincides with the date on which Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel had addressed the first batch of probationers at the All India Administrative Service Training School at Metcalfe House, New Delhi in 1947.

 

138.    The 10th edition of Civil Services Day 2016 has been celebrated at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on April 21, 2016. On this occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has released a book titled "Transforming India" and gave away awards for good governance. For the priority programme Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJSY), Chandigarh was awarded in Union Territories (Uts), Nagaon, Assam in North East and Hill States category, and North 24 Parganas, West Bengal in Other States group.

 

139.    As per recently released World Malaria Report 2015 of World Health Organization (WHO), Europe has become the world's first region to wipe out malaria with zero cases reported in the year 2015. The report has stated that the number of malaria cases fell from 90,712 to zero between 1995 and 2015 in the countries of European region.

 

140.    Ge Fuping, the Chinese professor, has been honoured with the 2013 Dr. George Grierson prize by the President of India Pranab Mukherjee for his remarkable works done for the propagation of Hindi in foreign. Besides him, Alka Dunputh (from Mauritius) and Shichiro Soma (from Japan) were also given the George Grierson award for 2012 and 2014 by the honourable President.

 

141.    Bhupendra Kainthola, an Indian Information Service (IIS) officer of 1989 batch, has been appointed as the new Director of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII). He succeeded Prashant Pathrabe. FTII is the India's premier institute that provides training for acting, film making, video editing, direction and production.

 

142.    The Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary is located at Asola near Tughlaqabad in the Delhi, National Capital Territory of India. It is in news recently because the Haryana Government has proposed to declare a 100-metre Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) in Gurgaon and a 1-km ESZ in Faridabad along the boundary of the sanctuary and regarding to it, environment activists have opposed the state government's move to reduce the eco- sensitive zone of the sanctuary from 10 kilometres to 100 metres.

 

143.    The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS)-1G in orbit using Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C33 on April 28, 2016 at Sriharikota, ?Andhra Pradesh.The 1,425-kg spacecraft, IRNSS-1G, will be the 7th spacecraft to be placed in orbit.

 

144.    The book "Hindutva or Hind Swaraj" was penned by Udupi Rajagopalacharya Ananthamurthy, a contemporary writer and critic in the Kannada language. This was the very last work of the Ananthamurthy. The book examines two directions that were open to India at the time of Independence, comparing Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) founder V.D. Savarkar's idea of Hindutva with Mahatma Gandhi's concept of Hind Swaraj.

 

145.    The Khongjom Day is celebrated every year on April 23 by the Government of Manipur to pay tribute to the war heroes of Anglo-Manipur War 1891 who had sacrificed their lives fighting against the British to protect freedom of Manipur.

 

146.    The Union Government has recently constituted Dr. Ashok Lahri committee to interact with the trade and industry on the imposition of Central Excise Duty on jewellery.

 

147.    The United Nations' World Book and Copy Right day is observed every year on April 23 to mark the anniversary of the birth or death well-known writers such as Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, Manuel Mejía Vallejo, Vladimir Nabokov, William Shakespeare, etc. The purpose of this day is to encourage everyone to discover the pleasure of reading and gain a renewed respect for the irreplaceable contributions of those, who have furthered the social and cultural progress of humanity.

 

148.    The Union Government has recently constituted 8-member committee to prepare a blueprint for doubling farmers' income by 2022. The committee will be headed by Ashok Dalwai, who is the additional secretary at the Union Agriculture Ministry. The committee will identify potential areas of agriculture where more investment should happen and suggest ways to reduce the risk of farming by diversifying to horticulture and allied activities like livestock and fisheries to boost income.

 

149.    Indian automobile giant Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. has become the first Indian company to sign up for "EP100", a global energy productivity campaign. The campaign is a brainchild of the "Climate Group", an international non-profit organization, which helps businesses from all over the world to increase their energy productivity and thereby lessen their carbon footprints. By joining this campaign, the Indian company has committed to double their energy productivity by 2030, which is a core requirement for any business signing on to the campaign.

 

150.    The bollywood actor Salman Khan has been named as the goodwill ambassador for the Indian contingent in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. This is the first time that a Bollywood superstar has been chosen to as a Goodwill Ambassador for the games.

 

151.    The book "Flying in High Winds: A Memoir" has been authored by S.K. Mishra.The book chronicles a life well lived, revealing unknown facets of the prominent personalities with whom author interacted, such as Jawaharlal Nehru, M.F. Husain, Prince Charles, Sanjay Gandhi and Ebrahim Alkazi and behind-the-scenes history of major events in which he played a key role.

 

152.    Sandeep Tomar, wrestler from India, has recently secured the 2016 Rio Olympic quota place in the men's 57kg freestyle category by clinching bronze-medal at the first World Olympic Qualifying tournament in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. With this, Sandeep has become the 4th Indian wrestler after Yogeshwar Dutt (men's 65kg freestyle), Narsingh Yadav (men's 74kg freestyle) and Hardeep Singh (Greco-Roman 98kg) booked a berth for the Rio Games 2016.

 

153.    Indian shooter Mairaj Ahmed Khan has won the silver medal in men's skeet event at the 2016 International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup (Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. With this win, he has won the India's first ever skeet medal at the 2016 ISSF World Cup. Before this, he also became India's first skeet shooter to win 2016 Rio Olympic quota place.

 

154.    The National Panchayati Raj Day (NPRD), also known as National Local Self-Government day, is celebrated every year on April 24 by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj in India. On this day, in 1993, the Constitution ( 73rd Amendment) Act, 1992 came into force that has institutionalized Panchayati Raj through the village, Intermediate and District level Panchayats. So far, NPRD was celebrated in New Delhi, but in 2016, as part of the 'Gramoday se Bharat Uday' Abhiyan, the NPRD has celebrated in all Gram Panchayats in the country (except in poll bound States), as Gram Sabhas were held between April 21-24, 2016 nationwide.

 

155.    The 6th edition of Heart of Asia – Istanbul Ministerial Process 2016, a regional conference, will be held in New Delhi on April 26, 2016. The conference was established in 2011 to provide a platform to discuss regional issues, particularly encouraging security, political, and economic cooperation among Afghanistan and its neighbors.

 

156.    The 2018 Commonwealth Judo Championships will be hosted in Jaipur.

 

157.    The International Mother Earth Day is observed every year on April 22 to raise awareness among humans that they have a collective responsibility to promote harmony with nature and to balance the economic, social and environmental needs of present and future generations. The 2016 theme is 'Trees for the Earth', which signifies that trees are crucial for combating climate change as they absorb harmful levels of Carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere.

 

158.    The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Abhiyan (RGKA) scheme has been rechristened as Khelo India Programme by the Union Government for development of sports. Beside this, two other sport projects launched under the Congress-led UPA government namely Urban Sports Infrastructure Scheme (USIS) and National Sports Talent Search Scheme (NSTSS) have been merged under Khelo India. The Khelo India scheme is based on Gujarat's model of Khel Mahakumbh under which the schools and colleges from different parts of the country participate in about 27 disciplines.

 

159.    The Bollywood actress Radhika Apte has bagged the best actress in an International Narrative Feature for her performance in anthology film "Madly" at the 15th edition of Tribeca Film Festival 2016 in New York, United States. With this, she has become the first Indian actress to won the best actress award at Tribeca. The movie is directed by Anurag Kashyap.

 

160.    The Chithirai festival is celebrated every year at the Meenakshi Temple in Madurai, Tamil Nadu during the month of April for symbolizing the unity of saivitism and vaishnavism. It does so by re-enacting the wedding of Lord Sundareswarar (Lord Shiva) and Goddess Meenakshi (Lord Vishnu's sister). The festival includes a procession of Kallazhagar avtar of Lord Vishnu entering Vaigai river. He travels from his abode in Azhagarmalai to get his sister married to Lord Sundareshwarar. This journey from his abode to his sister's wedding, on a golden chariot, is the legend behind celebrating the Chithirai Festival.

 

161.    The 11th edition of Indo-Mongolia joint training Exercise, 'Nomadic Elephant – 2016' has started in Mongolia to promote military associations between India and Mongolia. The exercise will culminate on May 8, 2016. The purpose of this exercise is to develop synergy and inter operability between the two armies to fight in Counter Insurgency and Counter Terrorism environment under the United Nation mandate.

 

162.    The World Intellectual Property Day (WIPD) is observed every year on April 26 to raise awareness of how patents, copyright, trademarks and designs impact on daily life and to celebrate creativity, and the contribution made by creators and innovators to the development of societies across the globe. The 2016 theme is "Digital Creativity: Culture Reimagined" to explore the future of culture in the digital age in order to answer questions how we create it, how we access it, how we finance it related to it.

 

163.    The World Malaria Day (WMD) is observed every year on April 25 to provide a common platform for countries to showcase their successes in malaria control and unify diverse initiatives in the changing global context. The 2016 theme is "End Malaria For Good", it reflects the vision of a malaria-free world set out in the Global technical strategy for malaria 2016-2030.

 

164.    The Visakhapatnam-based Andhra Pradesh Eastern Power Distribution Company Limited (APEPDCL) has become the India's first e-office electricity distribution company among all power utilities. The purpose of the e-office is to clear the files without any delay, and to ensure transparency and accountability.

 

165.    The "Operation Sulaimani" has been launched by the Kozhikode district Collector with the slogan "Food for the Hungry" to eradicate poverty from the Kozhikode district of Kerala. Its' an initiative by the district administration in collaboration with the state Hotel and Restaurants Association and numerous non-governmental organisations, to eliminate hunger by providing food free of cost to the needy. 

 

166.    Indian rower Dattu Bhokanal has qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics after winning a silver medal in the finals of men's single sculls at the 2016 FISA Asian and Oceania Olympic Qualification Regatta at Chung-ju, South Korea.

 

167.    The book "Alphabet Soup for Lovers" has been authored by Anita Nair. The book is a cool love story between Shoola Pani, a popular film star on a self-imposed retreat up in the Anamalai Hills, and his landlady Lena Abraham.

 

168.    The veteran actor Jeetendra has been honoured with the 2016 Lifetime Achievement of Master Dinanath Mangeshkar Award for his contribution in film industry in movies such as Himmatwala, Tohfa and Dharam Veer, etc.

 

169.    Indian striker Jeje Lalpekhlua has won the FPAI Indian Player of the Year award by the Football Players Association of India (FPAI) at the Cooperage Ground in Mumbai. Apart from him, Nigerian striker Ranti Martins has won the FPAI Foreign Player of the Year award.

 

170.    Sharana Basaveshwara Temple is a shrine at Kalburgi (Gulbarga), an ancient town in the north-eastern part of Karnataka.

 

171.    India has recently signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with France for implementation of six Evolutionary Pressurised Water Reactors (EPR) at Jaitapur, Maharashtra together with associated fuel, fuel services and other services. The scope of work under the MoU is also to define technical configuration to meet the Indian statutory and regulatory requirements for certification and design.

 

172.    Lobsang Sangay has been re-elected as the Prime Minister of Tibetan government-in-exile for a second consecutive term. It was the 2nd election since the Dalai Lama stepped down as head of the government-in-exile in 2011 to focus on his role as the Tibetans' spiritual leader. China doesn't recognize the Tibetan government-in-exile and hasn't held any dialogue with the representatives of the Dalai Lama since 2010.

 

173.    Sudarsan Pattnaik, the renowned sand artist from India, has won the gold medal at the 9th edition of Moscow Sand Sculpture Championship "The magical world of sand" 2016 at Moscow, Russia. He has won the competition for his 15 feet high sand sculpture "Mahatma Gandhi–World Peace" for non-violence and peace.

 

174.    The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has recently appointed 12 new members to the global body United Nations University Council (UNUC) to formulate its principles and policies, consider and approve biennial budget and work programme. Among them, Radha Kumar, an Indian academician, has been chosen by the UN chief. She is the Director General of New Delhi-based think tank Delhi Policy Group. The new appointees, who will take office on May 2016, will serve for terms of either 3 or 6 years.

 

175.    The World Day for Safety and Health at Work (WDSHW) is observed every year on April 28 to raise awareness about safe work and awareness of the dimensions and consequences of work-related accidents and diseases and to provide support to the national efforts for the improvement of national Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) systems and programmes in line with relevant international labour standards. The 2016 theme is "Workplace stress: a collective challenge" to draw attention to current global trends on work-related stress and its impact.

 

176.    The book "The Great Indian World Trip" has been authored by Tushar Agarwal. The book narrates the incredible journey of the author and his friend who beat all odds to live their dream of driving all around the world by car covering 90000 kms in 50 countries and 6 continents.

 

177.    Indian athlete Deepika Kumari has recently equalled the world record in 2016 Women's Recurve event at the qualifying stage of Archery World Cup at Shanghai, China. She equalled the world record set by South Korea's Ki Boe Bae at the World University Games in Gwangju in 2015. Beside this, she has already qualified for the Rio Olympics with her performance at the 2015 Copenhagen World Championships.

 

178.    The Uttar Pradesh police have recently launched 'Operation Milan' in Lucknow to rescue abducted youths and minors, including girls and reunite them with their families.

 

179.    The Bhupender Yadav Committee on Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2015 has recently submitted its report to Parliament of India. It's a 30-member joint committee of the Members of Parliament. As per the report, any person adjudged as an undischarged insolvent may also be covered under the definition of bankrupt. The Committee also recommended that provident fund, pension fund and gratuity which provide social safety net of employees should be secured in the event of liquidation of a Company or bankruptcy of partnership firm. It has also favoured insertion of new provisions relating to cross-border insolvency saying the code does not have any provision to deal with such eventualities.

 

180.    The '2016 RedInk Veer Patrakar Puraskar', the RedInk Award for bravery , has been posthumously honoured to journalist Jagendra Singh by the Mumbai Press Club in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It was received by his daughter Diksha Singh. Jagendra Singh, the Uttar Pradesh-based brave journalist, ran a Facebook page " Shahjahanpur Samachar" through which he exposed local MLA and Uttar Pradesh minister Ram Murti Verma's links with illegal sand mining. He was allegedly set on fire on June 1, 2015 by some local policemen and criminals for the expose and lost his life.

 

181.    The book "No Time to Pause" has been authored by Pavithra Ramesh. The book chronicles the life of a typical college student who decides to stay miles away from her family to get value education. The book afterward details into the challenges she encounters, the people she meets and how she finally completes college as a strong woman ready to face the rough world outside.

 

182.    At the 6th edition of the RedInk Awards for Excellence in Journalism 2016, T.N. Ninan, chairman of Business Standard, has been honoured with the 2016 Red Ink Life Time Achievement Award in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Beside him, the '2016 Red Ink Journalist of the Year' award has been bestowed to NDTV India's senior executive editor Ravish Kumar, forhis consistent and good reporting on politics and issues that concern the common man. The theme of the Red Ink Awards 2016 is "To Rise Above It All".

 

183.    New Zealand's $5 polymer note has won the 'IBNS Bank Note of the Year Award' for 2015. This award is an initiative of the International Bank Note Society (IBNS) to recognize an exceptional banknote issued each year. To be eligible for this award, a banknote must have been issued for the first time during the year of the award and be in general circulation. It is assessed for its artistic merit and/or innovative security features, including use of colour, contrast and balance.

 

184.    The Indian Naval Ships (INS) Veer and Nipat have been decommissioned at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Both the ships, which are 1241 RE class missile vessels, played a significant role as the guardian of International Maritime orderline off west coast of India and were extensively deployed during the Operations Vijay and Parakram.

 

185.    Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been invited to address a joint meeting of the United States Congress during his visit to Washington, DC on June 8, 2016. He will become the 5th Indian PM to address the congress after Rajiv Gandhi (1985), PV Narasimha Rao (1994), Atal Bihari Vajpayee (2000) and Manmohan Singh (2005).

 

186.    According to the recently published World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)'s annual report for 2014, India has been ranked third in Anti-Doping Rule Violations Report (ADRVs) in 2014, with 96 of the 1,693 doping violations cases. The list is topped by Russia (148), followed by Italy (123), India (96), Belgium (91), France (91), Turkey (73), Australia (49), China (49), Brazil (46) and South Korea (43). 

 

187.    The International Dance Day, also known as World Dance Day, is observed every year on April 29 to promote the art of dance around the world.

 

188.    Indian politician N K Singh will be bestowed with the prestigious 'The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star', Japan's 2nd highest national decoration, for his contribution in boosting Indo-Japan economic relations over last few decades on May 10, 2016. The Order of the Rising Sun is a Japanese Government honor established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji.

 

189.    The Almatti Dam is a hydroelectric project on the Krishna River in North Karnataka, India which was completed in July 2005. It was recently in news due to fall of water level in the Dam.

 

190.    National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has entered into a collaboration with German government for a special programme on 'Soil Protection and Rehabilitation for Food Security'. The programme is a part of the German government's recently introduced special initiative 'One World, No Hunger' initiative.