1. Anthony Lianzuala, a 1982-batch Indian Civil Accounts Service (ICAS) Officer, took over as the new Controller General of Accounts (CGA) in New Delhi on May 1, 2017. With this, he became the first person from the North-Eastern Region to hold this position. The CGA is the apex Accounting Authority of the Central Government and exercises the powers of the President under Article 150 of the constitution for prescribing the forms of Accounts of the Union and State Governments on the advice of the Comptroller & Auditor General of India.
2. Ueli Steck (40), a renowned Swiss rock climber and mountaineer, has passed away on April 30, 2017 in an accident at a camp near Mount Everest in Nepal. At the time of his death, he was trying to climb the 25,791-foot Himalayan peak of Nuptse in preparation for an ambitious ascent of Everest. Steck was known as "Swiss Machine" for his rapid ascents of some of the world's most imposing peaks. He was best known for his speed-climbing, including setting several records for ascending the north face of the Eiger, a classic mountaineering peak in the Bernese Alps that he climbed in two hours and 47 minutes without using a rope.
3. The South Asia satellite "GSAT-09" will be launched by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on May 5, 2017 to boost the development and economy of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) nations in the region. It will be launched into the orbit from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota using a Geostationary Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mk-II launch vehicle. The 2,230 kg satellite has 12 Ku-band transponders. It is cuboid in shape and built around a central cylinder has a mission life of over 12 years. The satellite will enable full range of applications and services in the areas of telecommunication and broadcasting applications viz. Television, Direct-to-Home (DTH), Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSATs), Tele-education, Telemedicine and Disaster Management Support. The beneficiaries of GSAT-09 are as follows: Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Maldivies.
4. The Ganga Cleanliness Pledge Day (GCPD) will be observed by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) on May 2, 2017 to spread awareness and to promote active involvement of public for the Ganga swachhta abhiyan. The main objective of this day is to develop a sense of pride and ownership among citizens to engender support for Namami Gange programme. The day, which is also known as Ganga Swachhta Sankalp Divas, will be organised at 12 locations, namely- Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi, Patna, Bhagalpur, Sahibganj, Kolkata, Raj Ghat (Hardoi), Bithoor, Srinagar ( Uttarakhand), Vidhur Kuti (Bijnor) and Devprayag. The event would also be organized at more than 30 other locations through Ganga Vichaar Manch (a volunteer wing of NMCG), local NGOs and volunteer support.
5. India's first-ever Blind Football Academy (BFA) with full time training & rehabilitation for the visually impaired persons is expected to come up at Kochi in Kerala. The Society for Rehabilitation of Visually Challenged (SRVC) and the Indian Blind Federation (IBFF) are making an effort to establish the academy. The purpose to set up BFA is to train and develop the best players to create a national team of world class standard and to qualify for the Paralympics by 2024.
6. Karnataka is the India's most corrupt state on the basis of people's experience in paying bribes for public services, as per latest survey conducted by the Centre for Media Studies (CMS) on corruption perception. Andhra Pradesh has acquired second position, followed by Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Jammu & Kashmir and Punjab. The annual corruption survey "CMS India Corruption Study 2017", which covered 20 states, found Himachal Pradesh, Kerala and Chhattisgarh to be the least corrupt. The report stated that around one-third of the households experienced corruption in public services at least once during the last one year in comparison to about 53% of households that admitted to paying bribes during a similar study in 2005. The study further found that the total bribe paid by households across 20 states and 10 public services was Rs 6,350 crore in 2016 as against Rs 20,500 crore in 2005.
7. India will give Rs 35 crore to children of freedom fighters in Bangladesh during the next five years under the new 'Muktijodha scholarship' scheme. As per the scheme, all freedom fighters are eligible for five years multiple entry Indian visa and 100 of them will be provided free medical treatment in Indian hospitals every year. Apart from this, the students at higher secondary level will get a onetime grant of Taka 20,000 (Rs 15, 3700) and those at under graduate level will get Taka 50,000 (Rs 38,430). Students are selected on the basis of merit from every district for the scheme. India initiated the Muktijodha Scholarship Scheme in 2006 for descendants of the 1971 Freedom Fighters. Up to now, more than 10,000 scholarships worth Tk150 million have been disbursed.
8. The Aymanam grama panchayat of ward No. 15 in Kerala has become the India's first-ever digitised Panchayat ward. For this, Krishan Pal Gurjar (the Union minister of state for social justice and empowerment) has launched the website of the first digitalized panchayat ward number 15 of Aymanam grama panchayat "www.digitalaymanam.com" at a function held at a temple premises in Kottayam district. The website also contains information about blood donors' forum and telephone directory of the people of the ward.
9. The National Anti-Child Labour Day is observed every year in India on April 30 to create awareness and educate the citizens about the hardships of the child labourers. It is also an effort to surface the responsibility we hold as social citizens. Apart from this, the International Labour Organization (ILO) also observes World Day against Child Labour every year on June 12 to raise awareness and activism to prevent child labour worldwide.
10. The top-seeded Indo-American pair Leander Paes and Scott Lipsky has won the 2017 Tallahassee Challenger title of the men's doubles by defeating Argentine third seeds Leonardo Mayer and Maximo Gonzalez by 4-6, 7-6, 10-7 in the summit clash in Florida. This is Paes' 2nd Challenger level title of the season.
11. Prakash Javadekar, the Union Human Resource Development Minister, has launched Students for soldiers- a nationwide "Vidya – Veerta Abhiyan" on May 2, 2017 to encourage Universities to display portraits of Param Veer Chakra (PVC)-decorated soldiers. The aim of this Abhiyan is to instill a sense of patriotism and nationalism among students. The initiative has been launched in the wake of demand by the ex-servicemen that portraits of martyrs and tanks used in wars should be put on display in the campus to instill sense of nationalism and patriotism among the students. The Param Veer Chakra (PVC) is the India's highest military decoration awarded to officers or enlisted personnel from all branches of the Indian military for displaying distinguished acts of valour during wartime.
12. The UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) has released its annual flagship report 'The Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2017' on May 1, 2017. As per the report, India is expected to achieve 7.1% GDP growth rate in 2017, as re-monetisation restores consumption, and infrastructure spending increases. The report stated that India's growth would edge up to 7.5% in 2018. Though, it warned that the country faces heightened risks related to the concentration of bad loans in the public sector banks.
13. Yusra Mardini, a Syrian woman who helped save a boat carrying fellow refugees, has been appointed a new Goodwill Ambassador for United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to work harder for people seeking shelter from war. She is the Syrian refugee & Olympic athlete and has been granted asylum in Germany.
14. Rafael Nadal, a Spanish professional tennis player, has won the 2017 Men's Singles Barcelona Open Tennis Tournament by defeating Dominic Thiem of Austria in the summit clash by 6-4, 6-1 in Barcelona, Spain. With this, Nadal has won the Barcelona Open singles title a record ten times. The tournament is part of the 500 series on the ATP World Tour and is played on clay courts at the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona.
15. Joshna Chinappa has won the 19th edition of Women's singles Asian Individual Squash Championships (AISC) by defeating compatriot Dipika Pallikal Karthik in the women's final at the Express Avenue Mall in Chennai, Tamil Nadu on April 29, 2017. With this, she scripted history by becoming the first Indian to clinch the Asian Squash title.
16. Shobana Kamineni, executive vice chairperson of the Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited, has been appointed as first Woman President of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). She succeeded Dr Naushad Forbes and will hold the position for the year 2017-18. Apart from her, Rakesh Bharti Mittal takes charge as President Designate and Uday Kotak has become the new CII Vice President. CII is a non-government, not-for-profit, industry-led and industry-managed organisation, playing a proactive role in India's development process.
17. Dr. Sanjay Pratihar, a scientist at Tezpur University, has been chosen for the prestigious Indian National Science Academy (INSA) medal for the Young Scientist Award for the year 2017 for his excellent contribution to multi-metal complexes, theoretical understanding, selective sensing of Hq2+ions and important applications in agriculture. The award, which consists of a bronze medal, a certificate and cash award of Rs. 25,000, will be given to him during INSA's anniversary meeting scheduled in December 2017. The award of an Academy medal to a Young Scientist shall be made in recognition of notable contributions to any branch of science or technology, recognised by the Academy, on the basis of work carried out in India.
18. Dubai has become the first city in the world to have its own Microsoft-designed font "Dubai Font". The type face "Dubai Font" supports both Arabic and Latin script and will be available in 23 languages. It was created in partnership with Microsoft and is now available to Microsoft Office 365 users around the world. The font is available in three styles as 'Dubai', 'Dubai Medium' and 'Dubai Light'. The new font was officially launched by the Dubai government on May 1, 2017 to reflect the city's symbols of tolerance, happiness and respect, enabling people to express, communicate and connect.
19. The Maharashtra government has recently launched the state's first Automated Weather Stations (AWS) at Dongargaon in Nagpur. With this, the state has become the first Indian state to install first-of-its-kind service for farmers. Around 2,065 such weather stations will also install at the village/mandal level across Maharashtra. The AWS will be helpful in measuring the wind direction, wind speed, air temperature, relative humidity, and record the amount of rainfall. The gathered information will be shared among the farmers by making them available on Mahavedh portal (Maharashtra agriculture weather information network) as well as on the Skymet mobile application.
20. The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee has recently attended the 8th Convocation of the Lovely Professional University (LPU) at Phagwara, Punjab on May 2, 2017. The LPU is a semi-residential university college in North India created under the Punjab State Private University Act 2005 and recognized by UGC under Section 2(f) of UGC Act 1956. LPU offers around 200 programmes and courses at diploma, undergraduate, graduate, postgraduate, and doctoral levels. The university has more than 30,000 students graduating every year.
21. Madhya Pradesh has become the first Indian state to announce shifting of its financial year format to January-December starting from 2018, as against the current practice of April-March cycle. The decision has recently taken by the state government in its state cabinet meeting, which was chaired by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Thus, the budget session of the next financial year would be held in December-January 2018.
22. Padma Venkataraman, the chairperson of Women's Indian Association (WIA) and daughter of former President R Venkataraman, has been bestowed with the 2017 Avvaiyar Award by the Tamil Nadu government for her efforts in the areas of women's welfare and rehabilitation of leprosy-affected persons for the past 30 years. The award which has been instituted to encourage women excel in social reforms, women's development, communal harmony, arts, science, culture, journalism and administration, carries `1 lakh, a gold medal and a citation.
23. Mark Anthony Selby, an English professional snooker player from Leicester, has won the 2017 World Snooker Championship by beating John Higgins 18–15 in the final at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. With this win, Selby has become the fourth player after Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry and Ronnie O'Sullivan to claim back-to-back titles in the modern era. Selby is the reigning World and UK snooker champion and is the current world number one snooker player.
24. Soumyajit Ghosh, an Indian table tennis player from West Bengal, has won the 2017 ITTF Challenge Seamaster Chile Open men's singles event by defeating compatriot Anthony Amalraj in the final at Santiago. This was his first ITTF Pro title and he became the third Indian to win an ITTF event. Apart from this, the Indian duo of Ghosh and Amalraj has also won the Men's doubles title by defeating Philipp Floritz and Hunor Szocs 4-0 in the final.
25. The Government of Indonesia is hosting the World Press Freedom Day (WPFD)'s main event and the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize Ceremony in Jakarta, Indonesia from May 1-4, 2017. Dawit Isaak, an imprisoned Eritrean-Swedish journalist, has been bestowed with the 2017 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize on May 3, 2017. The $25,000 Prize award was given to Dawit Isaak's daughter "Bethelem Isaak". He was arrested in a crackdown on the media in September 2001 by the Eritrean government and till date his present location is unknown. The 2017 theme of WPFD is "Critical Minds for Critical Times: Media's Role in Advancing Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies". The day is observed every year on May 3 to raise awareness of the importance of freedom of the press and remind governments of their duty to respect and uphold the right to freedom of expression enshrined under Article 19 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
26. Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi will defend India's record on rights abuses, minority and religious rights at the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, Switzerland on May 4, 2017. He will also defend India's case against allegations of violations in Jammu and Kashmir, torture, minority rights and recent strictures against NGOs. The UPR is a mechanism within the UNHRC where all UN Member States have to undergo a periodic review of their human rights record once every four years. It is a state-driven process, which gives an opportunity to each state to declare what action they have taken to improve the human rights situation in their countries and fulfill their human rights obligations.
27. The United Nations has marked the first World Tuna Day (WTD) on May 2, 2017 to conserve one of the globe's most popular fish to be caught and eaten and to highlight the vital socio-economic importance of tuna to people around the world. Tuna plays a critical role in sustainable development, food security, economic opportunity, and livelihoods of people around the world. At present more than 80 States have tuna fisheries, thousands of tuna fishing vessels operate in all the oceans and tuna fishery capacity is still growing in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The Day was designated in December 2016 resolution of the UN General Assembly.
28. The Government of Japan is hosting the 50th annual meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Board of Governors from May 4 to 7, 2017 in Yokohama, Tokyo. The theme of the meeting is 'Building Together the Prosperity of Asia.' The event will emphasis issues such as regional cooperation, trade, financial and economic connectivity across Asia and the Pacific, small and medium sized enterprises, sustainable and inclusive cities, and employment.
29. T C A Anant, India's Chief Statistician and MOSPI Secretary, will launch the new series of Index of Industrial Production (IIP) with a base year 2011-12 on May 9, 2017 with an aim to map economic activities more accurately. The new data is expected to provide a more realistic and reliable growth in production. Currently, the IIP is calculated on base year of 2004-05. The IIP gives a broad outlook on output of various types of goods like basic, consumer and capital ones, which helps in gauging the level of economic progress and investments in the economy. The other leading indicators – Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Gross Value Addition (GVA) and Consumer Price Index (CPI) are already on the base year of 2011-12. The Wholesale price index (WPI) is also in process to be shifted to the new base year.
30. The China-sponsored Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has approved $160 million loan for Andhra Pradesh – 24×7 Power for All project with an objective to strengthen power transmission and distribution system in the state. It is the first credit from the AIIB for an Indian project. The power project is co-financed by the World Bank (WB). The project is part of the Government of India's Power for All Program that was launched in 2014 to provide an efficient, reliable and affordable electricity supply to all consumers across selected states within five years from the start of implementation of the program in each state.
31. In an annual "Asian Development Outlook" economic report released by Asian Development Bank (ADB), India's GDP growth is predicted at 7.4% in FY 18 (2017-18). The report states that the growth rate will continue to expand to 7.6% in the successive year FY 19 (2018-19). India had grown 7.1% in the previous fiscal year FY 2016-17). As per ADB Chief Economist Yasuyuki Sawada, the reforms like the Goods and Services Tax and the new bankruptcy law will make it easier to do business in India. Apart from this, the 50th annual meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Board of Governors has started in Yokohama, Tokyo from May 4 to 7, 2017. The theme of the meeting is 'Building Together the Prosperity of Asia.'
32. According to the latest rating review by the Global rating agency Fitch Ratings has forecast India's real gross domestic product (GDP) growth to accelerate to 7.7% in both FY17 and FY18, from 7.1% in FY16. It expects structural reforms to increase growth, along with higher real disposable income supported by implementation of the 7th pay commission recommendations and an average monsoon. Beside this, The agency kept India's sovereign rating unchanged at 'BBB-', which is the lowest investment grade. It has also retained "stable" outlook for the India's ratings. The ratings agency has also indicated that its India's sovereign ratings balance a strong medium-term growth outlook and favourable external balances with a weak fiscal position and difficult business environment.
33. The Sualgiri and Swalgiri communities of Odisha have been notified as Scheduled Castes (SC) after President Pranab Mukherjee gave the nod to the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Act, 2017. Now, the SC category status will entitle these communities to reservation in government jobs and admission in educational institutions, besides some other financial benefits. As per the modified list for Odisha, the "Sabakhia, Sualgiri, Swalgiri" are notified Scheduled Castes. The Constitution empowers the president to specify the scheduled castes in states and union territories in a list of notified scheduled castes. It also allows the list to be modified by Parliament. The new law has also replaced the term Union Territory of Pondicherry to Puducherry in the Constitution (Pondicherry) Scheduled Castes Order, 1964.
34. The world's highest railway bridge will come up over Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir (J& K), which is expected to be completed in 2019. The bridge will form a crucial link in the 111-km stretch between Katra and Banihal, which is part of the Udhampur- Srinagar-Baramu rail link project. It will be constructed at a cost of around Rs 1,100 crore in hostile terrain, will use over 24,000 tonnes of steel and will rise 359 m above the river bed. It will be designed to withstand wind speeds of upto 260 km per hour, the 1.315 km long engineering marvel" will connect Bakkal (Katra) and Kauri (Srinagar). Once completed, it will surpass the record of the Beipan river Shuibai railway bridge (275 m) in China.
35. Bengaluru FC skipper Sunil Chhetri, who scored seven goals in the 10th edition of the Hero I-League football tournament, has won the most coveted 2017 Hero of the League award. Mohun Bagan's Debjit Majumder was adjudged the Best goalkeeper award of this season. Apart from this, Bagan's Anas Edathodika won the 'Jarnail Singh Best Defender' of the league award while Alfred Kemah Jaryan of Aizawl FC was adjudged as the Best Midfielder.
36. The 27th Session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group has started at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, Switzerland from 1st to 12th of May. During the session, India's National Report for the UPR-III will be reviewed on May 4, 2017. Attorney General of India Mukul Rohatgi is leading the Indian delegation. The National Report of India covers areas that were part of the recommendations accepted by India following the UPR-II in 2012. The report also covers areas that India wish to share with member countries as part of the peer review mechanism and in a spirit of cooperative engagement and collaboration that has marked the approach to the issue of human rights.
37. The World Asthma Day (WAD) is an annual event organized by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) to increase the awareness among public worldwide about the precautions and prevention of the asthma. It is celebrated on annual basis at first Tuesday of May month. It is thought that as many as 300 million people suffer from some form of asthma in the world – and there are 250,000 deaths each year linked to the disease. The 2017 theme is "Better air better breathing".
38. Mallikarjun Kharge, the Congress leader, has been appointed as the new chairman of the 21-member Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament. He succeeded KV Thomas, whose term ended on April 30, 2017. The Committee on Public Accounts is the oldest Parliamentary committee that examines the accounts showing the appropriation of sums granted by Parliament for expenditure of Government of India and such other accounts of autonomous and semi-autonomous bodies. The committee also examines the Reports of Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) on various subjects like Civil, Defence, Posts, Railways and Taxation. Besides, the Committee examines the CAG reports on performance appraisals of various centrally sponsored schemes.
39. Rajive Kaul, the Chairman of Nicco group and past president of CII, has been conferred with the Order of Diplomatic Service Merit Sungnye Medal of the Republic of Korea for his services rendered as honorary consul general of South Korea in Kolkata. The award was conferred by the acting President and Prime Minister of South Korea Hwang Kyo-ahn at a programme in New Delhi recently.
40. According to the Swachh Survekshan 2017 (or Swachh Bharat survey 2017), Indore city of Madhya Pradesh has bagged the first position in the top ten clean cities of the country. Bhopal has acquired second position, followed by Visakhapatnam, Surat, Mysuru, Tiruchirapally, New Delhi Municipal Council, Navi Mumbai, Vadodara and Chandigarh. The Swachh Survekshan was commissioned in 434 cities which saw the participation of 37 lakh citizens. The criteria and weightages for different components of sanitation related aspects used for the survey were: a) Solid waste management including door-to-door collection, processing, and disposal, ODF (open defecation free) status etc, b) Citizen feedback (30%) and c) Independent observation (25%). The survey was carried out by the Quality Council of India (QCI), which had deployed 421 assessors for on the spot assessment of 17,500 locations in 434 cities and towns.
41. India's first-ever private sector small arms manufacturing plant has set up at Malanpur in Madhya Pradesh in a joint venture with Israel. The purpose of the plant is to supply world class weapons to the armed forces in sync with the India's defence indigenisation programme. The plant is a joint venture between Indian defence conglomerate 'Punj Lloy' and Israel Weapon Systems (IWS), which will produce four products — X95 carbine and assault rifle, Galil sniper rifle, Tavor assault rifle and Negev Light Machine Gun (LMG). The weapons will be assembled based on 100% transfer of technology.
42. Prabhat Kamal Bezboruah, a leading tea association industrialist, has been appointed the new chairman of the Tea Board of India. He will be in office till November 1, 2018. At present, Bezboruah is the chairman of the Tea Research Association and owner of Bokahola Tea Company Private Limited, which manages around 12 gardens in Assam with an annual production of about 55 lakh kg. Beside this, M.S. Boje Gowda has been appointed the new chairman of the Coffee Board of India. Gowda is a renowned coffee grower and will be in the post till December 14, 2018.
43. Facebook has officially launched its "Express Wi-Fi" internet services in India, which are already available at 700 hotspots across Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Meghalaya. Facebook has partnered with 500 local entrepreneurs who will sell these services through vouchers that are priced ranging Rs 10-20 for a day or Rs 200-300 for a month.The service is designed to complement mobile data offerings by providing a low-cost, high bandwidth alternative for getting online and access apps, download and stream content. Apart from this, additional 20,000 hotspots will be launched by Facebook in partnership with Bharti Airtel. The Express Wi-Fi initiative is also live in Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria and Indonesia.
44. Banganapalle mangoes, one of the most popular and finest varieties of mango from Andhra Pradesh, has received the Geographical Indication (GI) Registration Certificate by the GI Registry, Chennai. With this, the Andhra Pradesh government has become the registered proprietor of the GI tag for mangoes. Banganapalle mangoes have been grown for over 100 years in the State. It is also known as Beneshan, Baneshan, Benishan, Chappatai and Safeda. The GI indicates products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin. Once product is registered as GI, no producer can claim the same name, which is covered by a GI tag, without taking consent from the applicant.
45. The 4th edition of National Standards Conclave (NSC) was held in New Delhi on May 1-2, 2017 to bring awareness and prepare Industries, Central Government Ministries, State Governments, regulatory/standards setting and conformity assessment bodies on the growing importance of "Standards" in the changing scenario of global trade. The Department of Commerce, Government of India in collaboration with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and the National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB) and other knowledge partners has organized the Conclave.
46. The International Firefighters' Day (IFFD) is observed every year on May 4 to recognize and honor the fire fighters who risk their lives every day to save life and property of public. The day celebrates the dedication, heroism and importance of firefighters from all over the world. It was instituted after proposal emailed out across the world on January 4, 1999 due to deaths of 5 firefighters in tragic circumstances in a wildfire in Australia.
47. Braj Bihari Kumar has been appointed the new chairman of the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR). He is the editor of quarterly journals Dialogue and Chintan Srijan. Kumar succeeded economist S K Thorat and will have a term of three years. The ICSSR is a council in India which promotes research in the field of social sciences and its headquarters is located in New Delhi.
48. The Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy (IGNFA) is an organization under the Ministry of Environment and Forests (India) to impart knowledge and skills to the professional foresters and help them to develop competence for managing the country's forest and wildlife resources on a sustainable basis. It is in news because the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee has addressed the annual convocation of the IGNFA on May 5, 2017 at Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
49. The Vansda National Park (VNP) is a protected area which represents the thick woodlands of the Dangs and southern Gujarat, and is situated in the Navsari District of Gujarat. It is home to an array of wild animals viz. Indian leopard, rhesus macaque, common palm civet, Hanuman langur, small Indian civet, four-horned antelope, wild boar, Indian porcupine, barking deer, etc. The best time to visit is post-monsoon season till winter when the forests are lush green and streams are full.
50. Recently, the middleweight boxer Vikas Krishan Yadav from India has settled for a bronze medal in 75 kg category after giving a walkover in the semifinal to South Korean Lee Dongyun at the 2017 Asian Boxing Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. According to the Asian Boxing Confederation, Krishan was not there in the weigh-in on May 5, 2017, therefore his South Korean opponent walked over to the final. It is not yet known as to why Vikas gave a walkover in the bout.
51. The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) has constituted a technical Committee in accordance with Regulation 14 of the IBBI (Information Utilities) Regulations, 2017. The committee will be headed by Dr. R. B. Barman, who is the chairman of National Statistical Commission (NSC). The committee shall give its recommendation for laying down Technical Standards for the performance of core services like the Application Programming Interface, standard terms of service, registration of users, unique identifier for each record and each user, etc.
52. European X-ray Free Electron Laser (XFEL), the biggest X-ray laser in the world, has generated its first beam of light in a 3.4 km-long underground facility from the German city of Hamburg to the town of Schenefeld that will allow scientists to get a glimpse of new materials, drugs and chemical reactions at the atomic level. The laser's light is a billion times brighter than the typical light sources normally used in particle accelerators. The European XFEL has a wavelength of 0.8 nanometres and can be used to make pictures and videos of objects at an atomic level. The laser will be used to photograph biomolecules, from which researchers hope to understand the basis of illnesses and develop new therapies.
53. The 2017 India Integrated Transport and Logistics Summit (IITLS) was organized by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in New Delhi from May 3. The purpose of the 3-day summit was to facilitate constructive dialogue between various stakeholders for the development of multimodal infrastructure in the country. In it, 34 investment MoUs amounting to about Rs 2 lakh crores were signed. These MoUs were in the areas of port connectivity, Integrated Check Posts (ICP), multi modal logistics parks, etc. The summit was attended by 3000 delegates from India and abroad, which included central and state government organizations, international organizations like World Bank, ADB delegates, global transport and supply chain experts and representatives of private companies.
54. Captain Chand Roop (87), the Dronacharya awardee and acclaimed wrestler coach, has recently passed away in Delhi. He took up wrestling after joining the Indian Army in 1948. He was a former National champion who became a coach to train the Army wrestlers. There he produced Asian Games bronze medallist and former Bharat Kesari title winner Netrapal and another prominent wrestler Vijay Kumar. Besides, he trained countless wrestlers as a coach, including the likes of Ombeer Singh, Rohtash Dahiya, Ashok Kumar and Ramesh Kumar, who all were conferred with the Arjuna Award.
55. Justice (retd) Leila Seth (86), an eminent jurist and the first woman chief justice of Himachal Pradesh high court, has recently passed away at her residence in Noida. Justice Seth was the first woman to have topped the London Bar exam and was the first woman judge of the Delhi High Court. She was also one of the three members of the Justice Verma Committee which was constituted in 2012 to recommend amendments to the Criminal Law so as to provide for quicker trial and enhanced punishment for criminals accused of committing sexual assault against women, post the gruesome December 16 gangrape in Delhi. She was also part of the Law Commission of India till 2000, and was responsible for the amendments to the Hindu Succession Act which gave equal rights to daughters in joint family property. Justice Seth was the mother of eminent author Vikram Seth.
56. The Chhattisgarh government, United Nations (UN) and Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) has signed a tripartite agreement on May 7, 2017 for setting up an innovation lab in the state. The work for establishing this lab will begin in the next 15 days. The innovation lab will help the efforts to develop smart villages and give imputes to the digital India campaign.
57. The International No Diet Day (INDD) is observed every year on May 6 to promote a healthy life style and to raise awareness of the potential dangers of dieting and the unlikelihood of success. Its symbol is a light blue ribbon.
58. Saqib Majeed, a Srinagar based freelance photographer, has won the 2016 Wisden-MCC (Melbourne Cricket Council) Cricket Photograph of the Year. Majeed is the first Kashmiri and second Asian after Atul Kamble to receive the prestigious award. The MCC publishes a book titled 'Wisden Cricketer Almanack' every year, which includes best sports pictures from across the globe.
59. Adolph Gustav Kiefer (98), the oldest-living Olympic champion, has recently passed away in Wadsworth, Illinois. He was the first man in the world to swim 100-yard backstroke in under one minute. Kiefer was also an inventor and innovator of new products related to aquatics competition.
60. Great Britain has won the 26th edition of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup by defeating Australia 4-3 in a thrilling hockey final at Ipoh, Malaysia on May 7, 2017. This victory came to Great Britain in the Azlan Shah Cup after 23 years. Australia Earlier, India outclassed New Zealand 4-0 to clinch a bronze medal in the hockey tournament.
61. The 22nd edition of Asian Athletics Championship will be held in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, which has been scheduled to be held from July 1 to 4, 2017. Recently, the Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik has unveiled the logo and mascot of the championship. The logo depicts an athlete crossing the finishing line with historical tourist attractions of Odisha in the backdrop, while "Olly Turtle" has been declared the mascot of the Championship that represents the famous Olive Ridley sea turtle. The mascot personifies qualities like tactful planners and being cautiously wise. More than 700 athletes from around 45 Asian countries will participate in 42 sports of the tournament.
62. India's first bio-refinery plant has been inaugurated by the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highway Nitin Gadkari at Rahu in Pune district, Maharashtra. The plant will produce ethanol from variety of biomass. The bio‐refinery plant is capable of producing one million litre of ethanol per annum by processing a variety of agro-residue like rice and wheat straw, cotton stalk, cane trash, corn cobs with superior product yields. Biofuel is cost‐effective and pollution‐free.
63. Emmanuel Macron, a former civil servant and investment banker, has won the 2017 Presidential election of France and will take office on May 14, 2017. With this, he will become the youngest President in French history and the youngest French head of state since Napoleon. Beside this, Macron will also become the first President from outside the two traditional main parties since the modern republic's foundation in 1958. He fought the election under the banner En Marche! a social-liberal political party founded by him on April 2016.
64. India has been unanimously elected as the new President of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN–Habitat), an organ of the United Nations' Organisation (UNO) that promotes socially and environmentally sustainable human settlements across the world. Since the UN-Habitat came into being in 1978, it is only the third time that India has been elected to lead this important organization after 2007 and 1988. The UN-Habitat reports to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
65. The 26th session of the Governing Council (GC) of UN-Habitat-2017 has started at the United Nations Offices in Nairobi, Kenya from May 8, 2017 with the theme "Opportunities for effective implementation of the New Urban Agenda". The focus of the theme is on inclusive, sustainable and adequate housing for a better future and planning and financing sustainable urbanization and integrated human settlements. The 4-day session will be chair by M.Venkaiah Naidu, the Union Minister of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation of India. Naidu will preside over the deliberations of the Governing Council of UN-Habitat for the next two years. Apart from this, Venakiah Naidu will also chair the Bureau Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Ministers' Conference on Housing and Urban Development beginning in Nairobi on May 8, 2017.
66. The 7th edition of multinational military exercise "Eager Lion" has started in Jordon from May 8, 2017. Approx 7,400 troops from Europe, Asia, Africa and the Arab Gulf region are taking part in the exercises which run to May 18th, including from United States, Britain, Japan, Kenya, Pakistan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The man oeuvres would include border security, cyber defence, and "command and control" exercises, to bolster coordination in response to threats including terrorism. Jordan is a key recipient of US financial aid and a partner in the US-led coalition battling Islamic State group jihadists in Syria and Iraq.
67. The 33rd edition of joint military exercise "Balikatan ( or Shoulder-to- Shoulder)" has started between Philippines and the United States on May 8, 2017 at Camp Aguinaldo in Manila, Philippines . The focus of the 10-day exercise is on disaster response and counter terrorism while excluding territorial defense operations. Approx 5,400 personnel will be involved in the drills exercise.
68. The World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day is observed every year on May 8 to commemorate the birth anniversary Jean Henry Dunant, the founder of International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the recipient of the first Nobel Peace Prize. The 2017 theme is "Less Known Red Cross Stories".
69. The Navegaon National Park is located in the Gondia district of Maharashtra. It is a popular forest resort in the easternmost part of Maharashtra and was built in the 18th century. It is home to number of fishes, 209 species of birds, 9 species of reptiles and 26 species of mammals which includes Tiger, Panther, Jungle cat, Small India Civet, Palm Civet, Wolf, Jackals, Bisons, Sambars, Nilgais, Chitals, Wild boars, Sloth Bears, and Nathan Lewis.
70. Indian boxer Kavinder Singh Bisht (52kg) qualified for the World Championships in the 52 kilogram category after getting a walkover against Malaysia's Salam Abdul Kasim at the Asian Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on May 7, 2017. The other Indians to have qualified for the World Championships are Vikas Krishan (75kg), Amit Phangal (49kg), Shiva Thapa (60kg), Sumit Sangwan (91kg), Satish Kumar (+91kg) and Manoj Kumar (69kg).
71. Indian cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar has been conferred with the Fellowship Award at the 7th annual Asian Awards in United Kingdom (UK). Beside this, India's playback singer Adnan Sami has also won the award for 'Outstanding achievement in Music." The award for outstanding achievement in Cinema was conferred to renowned Indian actor Om Puri who died in 2017. Other award recipients were Krishnan Guru-Murthy (Outstanding Achievement in Television), Ajay Banga (Business Leader of the Year), Masayoshi Son (Entrepreneur of the year), Nisha Dutt (Social Entrepreneur of the year), Dr Jack Preger (Philanthropist of the year), Ding Punhui (Outstanding achievement in sport), Demis Hassabis (Outstanding achievement in Science and Technology) and Sir Harpal Kumar (Outstanding contribution to the community).
72. The Tholkappiyar award is a Presidential Award for scholars in classical Tamil. Recently, President Pranab Mukherjee presented the 'Presidential Awards for Classical Tamil' for the year 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16 at a function in Rashtrapati Bhavan on May 9, 2017. The Tholkappiyar Award for lifetime achievement in classical Tamil was awarded to Dr S N Kandaswamy (2013-14), Dr A Dakshinamurthy (2014-15) and Dr R Kalaikkovan (2015-16). Young scholar awards were conferred on 15 persons. The awards were instituted to give recognition and honour to distinguished scholars who have made outstanding contribution to Classical Tamil language and literature. The award carries a citation and shawl and a cash prize of Rs. 5 lakh for Tholkappiyar awardees, while Rs 1 lakh for young Scholar Awardees. The awards have been instituted by the Central Institute of Classical Tamil functioning under the aegis of Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD).
73. The Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary is located 10 km from the city of Jamshedpur in Jharkhand. It is famous for holding many elephants and other animals, which come downhill during the monsoons and winter and enter nearby villages and towns of Jharkhand and West Bengal. Beside elephants there are Indian giant squirrel, sloth bear, barking deer, wild boar, porcupine, mouse deer, pangolin and mongooses in the sanctuary. Commonly seen birds in the sanctuary are the falcons, golden oriole, Indian tree pie, paradise fly catchers, grey hornbills, Indian peafowl, different varieties of king fishers, herons, egrets, mynas, pigeons, racket tailed drongo, magpie robins etc.
74. As per latest report "Regional Economic Outlook (REO) for Asia and Pacific" by International Monetary Fund (IMF), India's GDP growth is projected to rebound to 7.2% in the FY18 (2017 18) and 7.7% in FY19 (2018-19) after disruptions caused by demonetization. IMF has recommended the removal of long-standing structural bottlenecks to enhance market efficiency. It said temporary disruptions caused by cash shortages accompanying the currency exchange initiative are expected to gradually dissipate in 2017 as cash shortages ease. Such disruptions would also be offset by tailwinds from a favorable monsoon season and continued progress in resolving supply-side bottlenecks. The IMF maintains a positive outlook on the Indian economic growth and is confident that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) implementation will be smooth. According to the report, growth in Asia is forecast to accelerate to 5.5% in 2017 from 5.3% in 2016.
75. The 2017 hunting festival 'Bishu Parv (or Sendra)" of the tribal community has recently observed in a 'bloodless and symbolic' manner without harming the wildlife in the Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary in Jharkhand. To observe fest peacefully, the awareness campaign was launched by the forest department to convince the tribals to observe the hunting festival in a symbolic manner. Apart from this, the forest department has set up check posts at all entry points to prevent hunters from entering the sanctuary with arms to kill the animals. The wildlife sanctuary has elephants, barking deer, sloth bear and porcupines as the main inhabitants.
76. The Union government has approved the proposal for re-appointment of Sushil Chandra as Chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) for a period of one year from June 1, 2017 till May 31, 2018. He was scheduled to retire on June 1, 2017. The Chairperson of CBDT is ex-officio special secretary and is under the direct charge of the revenue secretary of India. The CBDT is the apex policy making body for the Income Tax department. It has six members apart from the chairman and is responsible for framing policy and administrative issues related to direct taxes and the Income Tax department. The headquarters of CBDT is located in New Delhi.
77. The Hollywood star Emma Watson has won the first-ever Gender-Neutral Acting award for the Best Actor category for her movie "Beauty and the Beast" at the 2017 MTV Movie & TV Awards in Los Angeles, California. It was the 26th edition of the awards and for the first time it presented honors for work in television as well as cinema. It was also the first time men and women competed jointly in the acting categories.
78. The Government of Jharkhand and Oracle has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on May 8, 2017 to improve cloud-based citizen services and to make Jharkhand an attractive destination for start-ups. Oracle will offer its support to the state through its vast portfolio of technology solutions, including Oracle Cloud. As part of the MoU, the Government of Jharkhand and Oracle will jointly explore and identify areas in which Oracle's latest cloud-based technologies can be used to deliver improved citizen services and to address the state's citizen and business requirements.
79. Indian-born legendary sitar player Ustad Rais Khan (77) has recently passed away in Karachi, Pakistan on May 6, 2017. Ustad Raees was born in 1939 in Indore, India in a family of musicians. He belonged to the Mewati Gharana of Indian classical music. His maternal grandfather Inayat Ali Khan was also considered one of the finest sitar players in the subcontinent. He composed many famous songs like `Jab Tera Hukam Mila Tarkay Mohaabat Kar Di', `Ab Kay Saal Poonam Main, `Neend Ankhoun Se Uri', `Mojoun Sahil Se Milo', `Main Khayal Hun Kisi Aur Ka', `Kabhi Kitaboun Main Phool Rakhna' and many others. In 1968, he moved to Pakistan. Khan was honoured with Presidential award and Sitara-e-Imtiaz in 2005 and 2017, respectively.
80. Venu Rajamony, the 1986 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of the Netherlands. He will also be India's Permanent Representative to the Organisation for Prevention of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) based in The Hague and cover the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the Permanent Court of Arbitration and other international organisations based in the Netherlands. He is expected to take up his assignment shortly. Rajamony is a journalist-turned-career diplomat, who is currently the Press Secretary to President Pranab Mukherjee.
81. Moon Jae-in, a former human rights attorney, has been sworn-in as the 19th President of South Korea. He succeeded Park Geun-hye. After taking the office, Moon appointed South Jeolla Province Governor, Lee Nak-yon as the Prime Minister. He also nominated Suh Hoon, a longtime intelligence official with expertise in North Korea issues, as his new chief of the National Intelligence Service.
82. The Union Government has set up a high-level task force under Niti Aayog vice-chairman Arvind Panagariya to provide credible data for employment policies. The task force will recommend solutions which can be implemented in a time bound manner. At present, data on employment is collected and published by certain agencies including the Labour Bureau (LB) but the coverage is very small. The Labour Bureau data covers only a few sectors and the methodology is not based on updated panel of survey respondents.
83. The Sakewa festival of Rai Community has recently celebrated in Sikkim as a tribute to Mother Nature. The fest is also known as Bhoomi Puja or Chandi Puja or worship of land. This festival is marked with the performing of puja where prayers are offered to the Supreme Power for Peace and Protection and for the well-being of all the living and non-living things of the universe. Apart from this, Buddha Purnima is also celebrated in Sikkim as the day marked the birth of Gautam Buddha and also the day on which he attained Nirvana under the Mahabodhi tree at Bodh Gaya. The people visited monasteries and listen sermons across the state. Most monks have spent the day reading scriptures before the statue of the Buddha.
84. Jhulan Nishit Goswami, Indian women's team fast bowler, has become the highest wicket-taker in the history of women ODI cricket and broke the record of the Australia Cathryn Fitzpatrick of 180 wickets from 109 matches. She dismissed South Africa's Raisibe Ntozakhe in an ongoing ODI to claim her 181st victim in the 50-over format in Potchefstroom, South Africa. Jhulan's feat has been achieved in her 153rd match. Jhulan was also adjudged ICC's 'Women Cricketer of the Year' in 2007. Jhulan Goswami also has 40 wickets in 10 Tests and 50 wickets in 60 Twenty20 Internationals.
85. The Maharashtra government has recently imposed a ban on sale of 'High in Fat, Salt and Sugar' (HFSS) food at school canteens across the state. A Government Resolution (GR) listed 12 categories of foods which cover potato chips, noodles, carbonated soft drinks, pizza, burger, cakes, biscuits, buns, pastries, etc., which cannot be sold. It also gives a list of 20 items that can be sold, which include wheat roti, vegetable pulav, idli-vada, coconut water and jaljira. The resolution also calls for creating awareness among children about consuming nutritional food.
86. The Bollywood actress Konkona Sen Sharma has won the best actress award for "Lipstick Under My Burkha" at the New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) 2017. She also bagged the best director award for her debut film "A Death in the Gunj" at the award ceremony. The others who grabbed awards at the 17th annual extravaganza included K Kaladharan (Best actor) for Malayalam film Ottayaal n Paatha (A Narrow Path), Shubhashish Bhutiani for Mukti Bhawan (Best Film), An Insignificant Man (best documentary) and Malayalam film, Kammatipaddam, was honoured for the screenplay. Onir's film "Aaba" was declared the best short film at the festival.
87. The World Thalassaemia Day (WTD) is observed every year on May 8 to spread awareness about this deadly disease and the importance of blood donation and how it helps the millions of people suffering from Thalassemia worldwide. Thalassemia is genetic blood disorders characterised by reduction in the synthesis or absence of haemoglobin in the body. According to a WHO report, more than 90% patients with thalassaemia in western countries lead a normal life, whereas in India, roughly half of all patients die before reaching adulthood. Approx 3.9% of India's population is a carrier for thalassemia. The 2017 theme 'Together for Humanity' highlights the need for unity and the efforts that are required to fight this fatal disease.
88. Sohail Mahmood, one of Pakistan's senior-most diplomats, will be the Pakistan's new High Commissioner to India. The new envoy will face a daunting task of handling the ties with India amid strains in relationship over a range of issues including cross-border terror attacks in India and the sentencing of Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav to death for alleged spying. Mahmood will succeed Abdul Basit at the end of May 2017. Currently, he is the Ambassador of Pakistan to Turkey.
89. Arjun Tulshiram Pawar (80), the senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and former Maharashtra minister, has recently passed away in Mumbai. He was the minister of state for tribal welfare in the Congress-NCP government led by Vilasrao Deshmukh in 1999. The leader, who represented Kalvan Vidhan Sabha constituency for many years, lost the 2014 state Assembly election.
90. The Mudumalai National Park (MNP) is located about 150 kilometres north-west of Coimbatore city in Tamil Nadu. The protected area is home to several endangered and vulnerable species including Indian elephant, Bengal tiger, gaur and Indian leopard. There are at least 266 species of birds in the sanctuary, including critically endangered Indian white-rumped vulture and long-billed vulture.
91. Mark Lowcock, the head of Britain's international development department, will be the new Under-secretary General of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). He will succeed Stephen O'Brien, who held the post for two years. He will be tasked with leading the UN's struggling relief efforts in Syria along with major aid operations in South Sudan, Yemen, Iraq, the Central African Republic and the Lake Chad region.
92. Sanjay Mitra, the 1982 batch officer of West Bengal cadre, will be the new defence secretary of India for a fixed two-year tenure after G Mohan Kumar retires on May 24, 2017. This will be his first posting in the Defence Ministry. At present, Mitra is holding the charge of secretary in the ministry of road transport and highways.
93. Harpreet Singh from India has won the bronze mendal in Greco-Roman 80kg category at 2017 Asian Wrestling Championships. He edged out Na Junjie of China by 3-2 in the play-off for the bronze medal.
94. Prof. Vikram Vishal, the assistant professor in the Earth Sciences department of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, has been conferred with the 2017 Young Scientist award from the Indian National Science Academy (INSA). He won the award for proposing a scientific model that can trap the carbon dioxide emitted by industries and inject them in hard rock within the sub-surface of earth. It may prove to be a long-term solution for carbon dioxide emissions in the country. The award is considered to be the highest recognition of promise, creativity and excellence in young scientists, and awarded annually by INSA. It carries a bronze medal and a cash prize of Rs 25,000.
95. Taranjeet Singh has been appointed the Country Director for Twitter in India. He will lead the team by driving an integrated business strategy and spearheading cross-functional collaboration. Prior to this appointment, he was leading the charge for sales and marketing support for Twitter's advertisers in India. Singh was responsible for sales and marketing support for Twitter's advertisers in India. Before joining Twitter, he was sales director for BBC Advertising in South Asia. Prior to BBC, he held various positions at Outlook Publishing.
96. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the digital filing system "Integrated Case Management Information System (ICMIS)" of Supreme Court at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi to serve as a digital repository for case-related information. This digital filing system will enable the Supreme Court of India (SCI) to go paperless. Its functions include the option of e-filing cases, checking listing dates, case status, and online service of notice/summons, office reports and overall tracking of progress of a case filed with the apex court registry.
97. The 29th edition of India–Indonesia bilateral maritime exercise "Co-Ordinated Patrol (CORPAT)" has started at Port Blair under the aegis of Andaman and Nicobar Command from May 9 and will continue till May 12, 2017. The closing ceremony of the CORPAT is scheduled at Belawan, Indonesia from 22 – 25 May 17. The CORPAT reflects the shared concerns between the two countries for a peaceful Indian Ocean for the benefit of international community. The Andaman and Nicobar Command is the only Tri-service theater command of the Indian Armed Forces, based at Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a Union Territory of India.
98. Dr. Hubert Minnis has been elected as the new Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, after delivering a crushing defeat to Perry Christie's Progressive Liberal Party in a 34-5 parliamentary split.
99. The National Technology Day (NTD) is celebrated every year on May 11 by the Union Ministry of Science & Technology to mark the historic feat of test-firing its very first nuclear-capable missile back in 1998 and to commemorate achievements of Innovation and Technology in India. The 2017 theme is "Technology for inclusive and sustainable growth".
100. Radha Mohan Singh, the Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, has recently launched an online interface "e-Krishi Samvad" in New Delhi to provide direct solution to the problem faced by farmers in the agriculture sector. The e-Krishi Samvad is an internet-based interface and is a unique platform that will provide direct and effective solutions to the problems faced by farmers and stakeholders. With this facility, farmers can directly connect to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) website www.icar.org.in and get the appropriate solutions from the experts through web or SMS. Stakeholders can upload photographs related to diseases of the crops, animals or fishes for diagnostics and remedial measures instantly from the specialists.
101. Justice (Retd.) Mukul Mudgal, the Retired judge of Delhi High Court, has been elected as the new Chairman of FIFA Governance committee at the world football governing body's 67th Congress in Manama. The position of the governance chief fell vacant after Miguel Maduro was fired for his role in blocking Russian World Cup official Vitaly Mutko from retaining his seat on ruling council. Justice Mudgal headed the IPL 2013 spot-fixing probe and also involved in overseeing the conduct of international cricket matches. Prior to this appointment, Justice Mudgal was the deputy chairman of the governance committee.
102. The Indian Army has decided to re-introduce Cordon and Search Operations (CASO) as a "permanent feature" of its campaign against militants after a gap of 15 years. The CASO will be carried out in a major way in militancy-hit areas of Kulgam, Pulwama, Tral, Budgam and Shopian in south Kashmir. The Army had discontinued CASO following stiff opposition from the local population and after 2001 launched CASO only on specific intelligence-based inputs. The security establishment felt that CASO had alienated the local population from the armed forces due to difficulties people faced during such operations. The decision to re-introduce CASO as a major feature of the counter-terror operations comes against the backdrop of anger over the recent killing of young and unarmed Kashmiri Army officer Lieutenant Ummer Fayaz in Shopian by militants.
103. The 14th edition of United Nations International Day of Vesak has started at Colombo in Sri Lanka from May 12-14, 2017 under the theme "Buddhist Teachings for Social Justice and Sustainable World Peace". The events include an International Buddhist Symposium the participation of over 400 delegates from 100 countries. Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, is the chief guest for UN Vesak Day. The significance of Vesak lies with the Buddha's teaching of cessation of suffering and universal peace to all humankind. It is a message to urge followers to do that which is good and to turn away from evil. It is a message of peace and perfect harmony between human beings and nature.
104. The Haryana Government has decided to conduct a survey to provide affordable houses under 'Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna-Housing for All' to the people living in urban areas in the state. The residents of the state living in urban areas as on June 17, 2015, would be eligible to participate in the survey. Only those applicants would be given the benefit of the scheme who would have Aadhar card, a bank account and nobody in his family have any pucca house in any locality. Those who have been benefited under any Central or State Housing Scheme would not be eligible to avail the benefit of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna. The people in urban areas belonging to economically weaker sections, low income group and medium income group would be eligible for credit linked subsidy and affordable houses.
105. The United States has approved $75 million high-tech chemical protective clothing for the Indian armed forces that will protect soldiers against biological and chemical warfare. The Joint Service Lightweight Integrated Suit Technology (JSLIST) consists of 38,034 each: suits, pairs of trousers, pairs of gloves, pairs of boots and NBC bags; 854 aprons; 854 alternative aprons; 9,509 Quick Doff Hoods; and 114,102 M61 filters. The entire package also includes 38,034 M50 general purpose masks.
106. Anil Kumar from India has clinched bronze medal in men's Greco-Roman 85kg category by defeating Uzbekistan's Muhammadali Shamsiddinov at the 2017 Asian Wrestling Championship at the KD Jadhav Indoor stadium in New Delhi. Apart from this, Jyoti won the bronze in women's 75kg category.
107. Karan Singh (59), the Ayurveda and Co-Operative Minister of Himachal Pradesh, has recently passed away at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi. He was elected from Banjar assembly constituency in Kullu district in the last assembly elections in 2012. Karan Singh was a scion of the Kullu Royal family and younger brother of BJP stalwart Maheshwar Singh, the former Raja of Kullu.
108. V K Saraswat, the renowned scientist and former Director General of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), has been appointed as the new Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University(JNU). He succeeded former ISRO chairman K Kasturirangan, who completed his term on 30th March 2017. Saraswat has been appointed for a term of five years. Currently, he is serving as the Member of NITI Aayog. According to JNU Act, the post of chancellor is a titular post.
109. Vinay Mohan Kwatra, A 1988-batch Foreign Service officer, has been appointed as the next ambassador to France. Kwatra will succeed Mohan Kumar, who is retiring. Apart from having experience of dealing with the UN organisations such as International Labour Organization (ILO) and World Health Organization (WHO), Kwatra has served in Indian diplomatic missions in China and the US. Currently, he is a joint secretary in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). He has also held the position of joint secretary in-charge of the counter-terrorism division in the MEA.
110. The International Nurse Day (IND) is observed every year on May 12 across the world to mark the birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, and also to mark the contribution of nurses towards the society. The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has chosen the 2017 theme 'Nursing: A voice to lead – Achieving the sustainable development goals" to r aise awareness both amongst the nursing profession and the general population and policy makers of what the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are and why they matter.
111. Telangana has become the first Indian state to introduce a logo for vehicles driven by persons with hearing impairment. The logo is designed by Hyderabad-based graphic designer Manikanta Annapragada, who incidentally is the first person to obtain a driving license in the 'hearing impaired' category. For two-wheelers, the logo should be four inches high and three inches wide on the rear side, and three inches tall and two inches wide on the front. For four-wheelers, the logo should be six inches tall and five inches wide at the rear side and four inches tall and three inches wide in the front.
112. The 2017 Arctic Energy Summit (AES) will be held in Helsinki, Finland from September 18-20, 2017. It will be hosted by Institute of the North and Finland Ministry of Economy and Employment. The AES is a multi-disciplinary event expected to draw several hundred industry officials, scientists, academics, policy makers, energy professionals and community leaders together to collaborate and share leading approaches on Arctic energy issues. The 2017 Summit will address energy in the Arctic as it relates to small and off-grid community energy solutions, oil and gas development, renewable energy, etc.
113. Aruna Sundararajan, the 1982 batch officer of Kerala cadre, has been appointed as the new Secretary of Department of Telecommunications (DoT). Though, she will continue to hold post of secretary for Union Ministry of Electronics and IT (Meity). She succeeded PK Pujari. She has experience in overseeing operations of Kerala Government's Bharat Broadband Scheme (BBS) which provides subsidized broadband connections. She also administered several IT-based government projects and funds including the Universal Service Obligation Fund (which funds the BharatNet project).
114. India's first-ever National Basketball Association (NBA) academy has officially opened in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. The NBA Academy India is the NBA's 5th elite training centre globally, which will be fully funded by the NBA. The NBA academy will employ a holistic, 360-degree approach to player development with focuses on education, leadership, character development and life skills. As part of the program, the students will compete against top competition throughout the year and will have an opportunity to be selected for travel teams that play in international tournaments and exhibition games. The initiative is part of NBA's drive to expand recruitment globally.
115. VVS Laxman, the former India batsman, has been awarded the honorary life membership of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). With this, he joined fellow Indian icons Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly on the prestigious list of MCC Honorary Life Members. He played 134 Tests, 86 One-Day Internationals and 25 Twenty20 internationals for India. Currently, he is mentor of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
116. Austin has topped the list of 22 tech cities across the world, as per the 2017 Savills Tech Cities Index. San Francisco has acquired 2nd position followed by New York and London. From India, Bengaluru ranked 20th among tech cities in the world. But when it comes to the cost of living index, Bengaluru tops the charts with a weekly residential rent for tech employees and household standing at $236 – compared to the tech cities' average of $368. The purpose of 2017 Savills Tech Cities programme is to understand the diverse factors that make up a good location choice for the tech sector.
117. Three Indian women wrestlers Sakshi Malik (60kg), Vinesh Phogat (55kg) and Divya Kakran (69kg) bagged silver medals in their respective categories in the 2017 Asian Wrestling Championship in New Delhi after losing out their final bouts. Rio Olympic bronze medallist Sakshi Malik lost her final bout against Japan's Risako Kawai in 60kg category. Sakshi wrestled for the first time in women's 60kg category after jumping up the weight division from 58kg. Vinesh Phogat lost the final in women's 55kg category and Divya Kakran in 69 Kg to settle with silver medals.
118. Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan has been appointed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as its Goodwill Ambassador for Hepatitis in South-East Asia Region to boost awareness and intensify action to arrest the epidemic. As WHO goodwill ambassador for hepatitis in the region, Bachchan will lend his voice and support to public awareness programmes that aim to scale up preventive measures and advocate for early diagnosis and treatment of viral hepatitis. This is the first formal association between WHO and Bachchan, who served as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for Polio in India.
119. The first-ever One Belt One Road (OBOR) Summit will be held in Bejing, China on May 14 -15, 2017. The 29 heads of state including Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Myanmar and high-level delegations from Bangladesh and Nepal will attend the two-day Belt and Road Forum in China. Though, India will not attend the forum. The main reason behind India's opposition towards the policy is the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which is a part of OBOR. The focus of the summit is to improve connectivity and cooperation amount Asian countries, Africa, China and Europe. The emphasis is on enhancing land as well as maritime routes. The policy is significant for China since it aims to boost domestic growth in the country.
120. The first-ever Videsh Sampark outreach programme of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has started in Hyderabad on May 13, 2017. The one-day conference has inaugurated by Gen. Dr V.K. Singh, the Minister of State for External Affairs, which is being held in collaboration with the Government of Telangana. The conference will create awareness on the schemes and initiatives launched by the MEA with regard to consular and passport services; engagement with overseas Indians; and welfare and protection of overseas Indians.
121. Chanda Kochhar, the chairman of ICICI Bank, has become the first Indian woman to be conferred with the prestigious Woodrow Wilson Award for Global Corporate Citizenship from the Woodrow Wilson Centre in Washington DC on May 10, 2017. With this, she has joined the league of former Indian recipients– former President and space scientist APJ Abdul Kalam and IT honcho Narayana Murthy. The annual award was instituted in 1998 by the prestigious Wilson Center to felicitate individuals whose actions and accomplishments, either in their careers or through service.
122. The World Fair Trade Day (WFTD) is a global celebration of fair trade to promote and educate about fair trade in towns and communities. Its' an initiative of World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) that falls on the second Saturday of May of each year. This year, the day is organized on May 13, 2017 with theme "Human chains for fair trade and the planet", that highlights a tangible solution to poverty eradication, a good tool for sustainable development and most of all Fair Trade promotes social justice.
123. India's first electric cab fleet will be launched in Nagpur on May 26, 2017 to promote the usage of electric and hybrid vehicles in India. The pilot project will be undertaken by Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M) will provide 200 most likely the e-Verito and the e20 Plus. For this purpose, the Government of India (GoI) had already passed the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric (FAME) Vehicles scheme in 2015. Under the FAME India scheme, around 99,000 hybrid/electric vehicles (xEVs) are currently given direct support by way of incentives since the launch on April 1, 2015. The sole purpose of the scheme is to go completely electric by 2030.
124. Kerala has topped the 2017 Public Affairs Index (PAI) in governance indicators, followed by Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Karnataka and Maharashtra. The report was based on a wide range of themes such as essential infrastructure, support to human development, social protection, women and children, crime, law and order, delivery of justice, environment, transparency and accountability, fiscal management and economic freedom. The purpose of the PAI is to rank the states of India objectively in the field of governance based on various focus subjects and indicators and is an initiative of the Public Affairs Committee (PAC).
125. Rafael Nadal, a Spanish professional tennis player, has won the 2017 men's singles Mutua Madrid Open tennis tournament by defeating Dominic Thiem of Austria in the final by 7–6, 6–4 in Madrid, Spain. It is his 5th Madrid Open title. With this win, Nadal ties Novak Djokovic with 30 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 singles titles.
126. Sumit Kumar of India has won silver medal in the men's Freestyle 125 kg category at the 2017 Asian Wrestling Championships in New Delhi on May 14, 2017. In the gold medal round, Sumit lost to Yadollah Mohammadkazem Mohebi of Iran 2-6 to settle for the second position. With this, India finished their Asian Wrestling Championship campaign on a resounding note. The Indian wrestlers overall bagged 10 medals comprising a gold, five silver and four bronze. This bettered their tally of nine medals in the last edition of the Championship at Bangkok.
127. Pawan Kumar Chamling, the Chief Minister of Sikkim, has been conferred with the first-ever Bhairon Singh Shekhawat Lifetime Achievement Honour in Public Service by President Pranab Mukherjee in Jaipur, Rajasthan on May 15, 2017. Chamling is the longest standing Chief Minister in India, having won the legislative assembly elections for 5 terms in a row and will be completing 25 years of governance by the next legislative elections in 2019 creating a political history in India.
128. Govardhan Eco Village (GEV) of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) has won 2017 Smart Cities India Award in the "Smart Village Award" category for being a sustainability project in Wada district of Maharashtra. The village at Wada taluka is located 108km north of Mumbai at the foothills of the Sahyadri Mountains. The smart village award category recognises village project that integrates upgradation and uplift of various (socio-economic, infrastructure, etc.) facilities for making life smooth and accessible for the villagers. The Smart Village award has been instituted by the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), which also gives awards in various other categories. The headquarters of ISKON is located at Mayapur, West Bengal and its purpose is to spread the practice of bhakti yoga towards pleasing the Supreme Lord, Krishna.
129. The 43rd edition of G7 summit will be held at Taorminain Sicily, Italy. The attendees will include the leaders of the seven G7 member states as well as representatives of the European Union. The 43rd G7 summit will be the first summit for British Prime Minister Theresa May, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni and U.S. President Donald Trump.
130. The International Day of Families is observed every year on May 15 to promote awareness of issues relating to families and increase knowledge of the social, economic and demographic progression that affects families. The 2017 theme "Families, education and well-being" focuses on role of families and family-oriented policies in promoting education and overall well-being of their members. It highlights on the central goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which focus on ending poverty, promoting shared economic prosperity, social development and people's well-being while protecting the environment.
131. Edouard Philippe, a centre-right mayor, has been appointed as the new Prime Minister of France by the President Emmanuel Macron. Philippe is not from the President's new centrist party but from the centre-right Republicans. The choice is seen as an attempt to draw in key figures from both the right and left of French politics.
132. India has been ranked 26th in the list of electricity accessibility according to the World Bank in the current year from 99th spot in 2014. It is because of Indian government's rural electrification programme, over 13,000 villages electrified out of a total of 18,452 and are on track for completion within the targeted 1,000 days. Additionally, a person who applies for electricity connection should be able to get electricity in 24 hours if power infrastructure is available and in areas where there is no power infrastructure a person should expect electricity in a week.
133. S Ramassamy (80), the former Puducherry Chief Minister, has passed away in Puducherry on May 15, 2017id. He was Home Minister in the DMK-CPI coalition ministry from 1969 to 1973. He shifted his allegiance to the AIADMK in 1973. He became chief minister in 1974 heading the AIADMK-CPI coalition ministry for a brief period. He was also the Chief Minister in the AIADMK government in 1977, which lasted in office for a little over one year. He successfully contested as Independent from Karaikal in 1985 and 1990. Ramassamy joined Congress in 1992.
134. Lewis Hamilton, a British Formula One racing driver from England, has won the 2017 Formula One Spanish Grand Prix tournament at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Barcelona. It is the 71st season of Formula One motor racing.
135. The 2nd meeting of National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (NPDRR) has started in New Delhi from May 15-16, 2017 on the theme 'Disaster Risk Reduction for Sustainable Development: Making India Resilient by 2030'. The NPDRR is inaugurated by the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. The NPDRR is a multi-stakeholders National Platform which promotes participatory decision making in disaster management and strengthens federal policy of the country. The meeting is being attended by over 1000 distinguished guests including State Ministers, Parliamentarians, Heads of Local Self Government, and Heads of specialized disaster management agencies, academicians, representatives from private sector organizations, media and civil society organizations.
136. Bajrang Punia has won gold medal for India by defeating South Korea's Seunghui Lee 6-2 in the men's 65kg freestyle category at the 2017 Asian Wrestling Championship in New Delhi. With this, he became the first Indian to win gold in the championship. Apart from him, Sarita Mann won silver in the women's 58kg category and Sumit Kumar won silver medal in the men's Freestyle 125 kg category. With this, India finished their Asian Wrestling Championship campaign on a resounding note. The Indian wrestlers overall bagged 10 medals comprising gold, five silver and four bronze.
137. The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur has collaborated with the British Geological Survey (BGS) to turn Varanasi into a smart city. As part of the project, three dimensional geological modelling of the geology under Varanasi will be prepared to help improve the building of new transport and service infrastructure. The project includes application of geo-scientific methods like drilling, geological, geophysical, tectonics, hydrogeological and remote sensing. It would be the first major 3D subsurface urban study and planning of its kind in India, with the ultimate aim of developing methodologies and input of suburban geology for planning and hazard risk assessment. The purpose of the project is to develop the methodologies and approaches of urban geosciences and engineering of Varanasi as a pilot for other Indian cities.
138. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed Ovais Sarmad of India as Deputy Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), at the Assistant Secretary-General level. The appointment has been made after consultation with the Conference of Parties through its Bureau. Sarmad will succeed Richard Kinley of Canada. Currently, Sarmad serving as the chief of staff to the director general of the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
139. As per latest Economic Outlook Survey of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), India's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth forecast for FY 18 will be around 7.4%, with a minimum and maximum level of 7% and 7.6% respectively. As per the survey, agricultural sector is estimated to clock 3.5% growth in 2017-18, while the industry and services sector are expected to grow by 6.9% and 8.4% respectively in 2017-18. According to the survey results, Consumer Price Index (CPI) has a median forecast of 4.8% for 2017-18 with a minimum and maximum level of 4% and 5.3%.
140. The Nandankanan Zoological Park (NZP) is located in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. It is home to about 1660 individual animals representing 166 species, including 67 species of mammals, 81 species of birds, and 18 species of reptiles. It has the largest collection of white tigers in India. The zoo also includes 34 aquaria which are home to a large variety of fresh water fish. The endangered species such as the Asiatic lion, three Indian crocodilians, Sangal lion-tailed macaque, Nilgiri langur, Indian pangolin, mouse deer and countless birds, reptiles and fish have been breeding successfully at Nandankanan. The zoo enjoys a good reputation internationally for successfully breeding black panthers, gharials, and white tigers in captivity.
141. Dr. Aravind Kumar Rengan, the Assistant Professor in Department of Biomedical Engineering at Indian Institute of Technology – Hyderabad (IIT-H), has been awarded the prestigious Indian National Science Academy (INSA) medal in the Young Scientist category for 2017 for his research in cancer treatment. The award, which consists of a bronze medal, a certificate and cash award of Rs. 25,000, will be given to him during INSA's anniversary general meeting in December 2017.
142. Indian teen Rifath Sharook from Tamil Nadu has designed the world's lightest & smallest satellite named "KalamSat". The satellite weighs only 64 grams and will be launched by NASA on June 21, 2017. With this, he will become the first Indian student to have his experiment launched by NASA. The main role of the satellite will be to demonstrate the performance of 3-D printed carbon fibre. The satellite has been designed in a way which will have a 240-minute mission in space and will operate for 12 minutes in a micro-gravity environment of space.
143. Arun Jaitley, the Union Minister of Finance, has officially launched the Portal of Operation Clean Money on May 16, 2017 for a transparent tax administration as well as to enable citizen engagement for creating a tax compliant society. The salient features of the portal are to provide comprehensive information at one place, to enable citizen engagement for creating a tax compliant society & to enabling transparent tax administration by sharing status reports. The portal designed by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) will identify those who have made large deposits or purchases and which are not in line with declared income as a follow-up to Operation Clean Money.
144. Javier Valdez (50), the renowned Mexican journalist and founder of Ríodoce, was shot and killed by unidentified gunmen on May 15, 2017 in the northwest state of Sinaloa in Mexico. Valdez was a nationally and internationally-recognised journalist who authored several books on the drug trade, including "Narcoperiodismo" and "Los Morros del Narco". He was known for his reporting on drug trafficking and organized crime.
145. The Uttar Pradesh government has recently constituted "Maa committee" to check mid day meal quality in state-run primary schools to ensure that the students will get nutritious food prepared in hygienic conditions. It will be a committee of six mothers, from all sections of the society, whose students are studying in that school. From cleanliness in kitchen to quality of food being served to children, the committee will keep an eye on minute details.
146. The headquarters of OIC Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission of Organization (IPHRC) has recently inaugurated at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on May 15, 2017. The headquarters will help promote human rights and fundamental freedoms in the Muslim world through provision of objective and neutral views on many human rights issues, in accordance with international rules and in consonance with Islamic principles. The IPHRC is an expert body with advisory capacity established by Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) as the principal organ working independently in the area of human rights. The IPHRC has the power to monitor human rights within the member states and facilitates the integration of human rights into all OIC mandates. It also aids in the promotion of political, civil, and economic rights in all member states.
147. Arjun Maini from Bengaluru, driving for Jenzer Motorsports, has created history by becoming the first Indian driver to win his first race in the GP3 (a feeder series to GP2) series at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain on May 14, 2017. Now, Maini stands 3rd in the championship with 21 points after the first round of the nine-round GP3 series. Nirei Fukuzumi of Japan (Team ART Grand Prix) leads the standings with 29 points, followed by Maini's Jenzer teammate, Alessio Lorandi of Italy (25). The 2017 GP3 series will finish at the Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi on November 26, 2017.
148. Bandaru Dattatraya, the Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment, will lead the Indian delegation to the 2017 G20 Labour and Employment Ministers' Meet, which is scheduled to be held at Bad Neuenahr in Germany on May 18-19, 2017. Dattatraya will outline India's recent initiatives for the welfare of its workers including those related to employment promotion, social security, Maternity benefit and child labour. The G20 meet will discuss various topics on labour, migrants and youth employment. A G20 Labour and Employment Ministerial Declaration is likely to be adopted at the end of the meeting, which will be presented to the Summit scheduled on 7th-8th July at Hamburg, Germany.
149. The Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST) has successfully created India's first smart grid project, which will generate power from renewable sources of energy. Soon, the project is to be inaugurated by President Pranab Mukherjee. The smart grid will be synchronised to generate power from solar, wind and vegetable waste resources, depending on the weather conditions and availability of waste products. The power to be generated from solar energy depends on the availability of sunlight, while wind energy will be produced during nor'wester and tropical storm. The power from biogas will be generated from vegetable waste collected from the campus kitchen and outside markets.
150. Anshu Jamsenpa, the Indian mountaineer from Arunachal Pradesh, has scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman to scale the Mount Everest for the fourth time. She will attempt a double ascent to the world's highest peak to make it a total five successful climbs. If she is successful with her double ascent this time, Ms Jamsenpa will set a record five climbs of Mt Everest.
151. The Vishakhapatnam railway station in Andhra Pradesh has been adjudged as the cleanest railway station among the 75 busiest stations in the country in category A1, followed by Secunderabad, Jammu Tawi, Vijayawada and Anand Vihar railway stations. This was revealed by Third Party Audit Report on Station Cleanliness i.e. released by Ministry of Railway in New Delhi on May 17, 2017. The railway stations are categorised — A1, A, B, C, D, E and F — based on their annual passenger revenue by the ministry. Among the 'A' category stations, Beas railway station in Punjab was rated the cleanest station followed by Khammam station in Telangana and Ahmednagar station in Maharashtra. Zone wise South-East Central railway has been ranked first followed by East Coast railway and Central Railway. The survey was carried out by the Quality Council of India (QCI) and was based on criteria such as toilets on platforms, management of tracks and dustbins.
152. Mukesh Ambani, the chairman of Reliance Industries, has been named among the 25 most influential business leaders from around the world in the Forbes Global Game Changers 2017 list. Ambani is the only Indian in the list that comprises business leaders from 8 different countries. The 2017 list was based on corporate growth, innovation and international presence.
153. According to recently revised United Nations "World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) as of mid- 2017" report, India's GDP growth forecast has been downward from 7.7% to 7.3% in fiscal 2017. Earlier, the January edition of UN report had not taken into consideration the impact of the demonetisation policy on India's economic growth. However, the revised report projected that India will achieve an impressive 7.9% GDP growth in fiscal 2018, revising upwards its January estimates when it had said India's growth will be 7.6% next year. Though, the report warned that stressed balance sheets in banking sector will have an adverse effect on investment rebound in India.
154. Muhammed Anas Yahiya from Kerala has qualified for the 2017 World Championships by beating his own national record with a time of 45.32 seconds in the men's 400m race at the third leg of the Indian Grand Prix Athletics Meet meet at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi. The entry standard for the World Championships stands at 45.50 seconds, which is scheduled to be held in London in August 2017.
155. Sanjay Gubbi of Karnataka and Dr. Purnima Barman of Assam have won the prestigious 2017 Whitley Award, popularly known as Green Oscars, for their efforts in wildlife conservation. Ms. Barman has won the award for creating an all-female network to save the Greater Adjutant stork, known in India as Hargila, and its wetland habitat in Assam, while Mr. Gubbi has been awarded for his work to protect tiger corridors in Karnataka. Each of the winners will receive 35,000 pounds prize money in project funding over one year. The Whitley Fund for Nature is a UK-based charity that works to highlight grassroots leaders in nature conservation across the developing world.
156. Anil Madhav Dave (60), the Union Environment Minister, has passed away in New Delhi on May 18, 2017. He was well-known for his work on river Narmada through an organisation 'Narmada Samagra' founded by him, which works on conservation of Narmada and its catchment area through various activities and events. Dave was appointed as Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Environment, Forest and Climate Change on July 2016.
157. Indian scientist Shrinivas Kulkarni has won the prestigious 2017 Dan David prize in the "Future" category for his contribution in the field of astronomy. The "Future" category for 2017 is being shared by Kulkarni with two other recipients — Andrej Udalski of the University of Warsaw and Neil Gehrels of NASA — for their discoveries on time-domain astrophysics at festive awards ceremony in Tel Aviv, Israel on May 21, 2017. Kulkarni is a professor of astrophysics and planetary science at California Institute of Technology in Pasadenan, United States. The three Dan David prizes of $1 million each are given every year in the categories of "Past", "Present" and "Future" to people around the world who have made outstanding contributions to humanity in the sciences, humanities, or through their work in civil society.
158. Reema Lagoo (59), the veteran actress of film and TV, has passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra on May 18, 2017. She was best-known for her roles as mother in Bollywood movies such as "Hum Saath Saath Hain", "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai", "Kal Ho Na Ho", "Hum Aapke Hain Koun", etc. She was also known for starring in the TV serials Tu Tu Main Main and Shriman Shrimati. Her last screen appearances were in the Marathi film Katyar Kaljat Ghusali and TV show Naamkaran.
159. Pranay Varada, an Indian-American student, has won the prestigious $50,000 National Geographic Bee competition for year 2017. For the past one decade, this competition has been dominated by Indian-Americans. Another Indian-American from New Jersey Veda Bhattaram finished third at the finals and got $10,000 worth scholarships. This year, six of the 10 finalists were Indian-Americans.
160. The World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) is observed every year on May 17 to mark the anniversary of the signing of the first International Telegraph Convention (ITC) and the creation of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The purpose of the day is to help raise awareness of the possibilities that the use of the Internet and other information and communication technologies (ICT) can bring to societies and economies, as well as of ways to bridge the digital divide. The 2017 theme "Big Data for Big Impact" focuses on the power of Big Data for development and aims to explore how to turn imperfect, complex, often unstructured data into actionable information in a development context.
161. The 24th edition of bilateral maritime exercise "SIMBEX-17" has started between Navies of the Republic of Singapore and India in the South China Sea from May 18 and will continue to May 21, 2017. The purpose of the exercise is to increase interoperability between the two navies as well as to develop common understanding and procedures for maritime security operations. SIMBEX is an acronym for "Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercises".
162. Dr. Harsh Vardhan has given the additional charge of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) following the death of Minister Anil Madhav Dave. Dr. Vardhan is the incumbent minister at Ministry of Science and Technology and Ministry of Earth Sciences and represents Chandni Chowk in Delhi as a Member of Parliament (MoP) in the 16th Lok Sabha.
163. The 52nd annual meeting of African Development Bank (AfDB) Group will be held at the Mahatma Mandir convention centre in Gandhinagar , Gujarat from May 22 to 26, 2017 with theme "Transforming Agriculture for Wealth Creation in Africa". It's the first-ever AfDB meeting in India, which will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 23, 2017 . The 2017 AfDB meeting meeting will be a mega international event to be attended by more than 3000 delegates from 81 member countries from across the world including the Governors, Alternate Governors, Executive Directors, policy makers and businesses. It will provide a forum for representatives of government, business, civil society, think-tanks, academia and the media to debate key issues in Africa.
164. China has been ranked first among 40 nations in the 2017 Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index (RECAI) released by Ernst and Young (EY). India has been ranked 2nd, followed by United States, Germany, Australia, Chile, Japan and France. The RECAI ranks 40 markets on the attractiveness of their renewable energy investment and deployment opportunities, based on a number of macro, energy market and technology-specific indicators.
165. Sundaram Ravi is a cricket umpire from India and a member of the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires. Recently, he is selected in a team of 20 umpires by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, which is scheduled to be held on June 2017. The list of ICC match referees include Chris Broad, David Boon and Andy Pycroft while the umpires who will be seen umpiring in the tournament involve 12 names which are Aleem Dar, Kumar Dharmasena, Marais Erasmus, Chris Gaffaney, Ian Gould, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Nigel Llong, Bruce Oxenford, Sundaram Ravi, Paul Reiffel and Rod Tucker.
166. As per recently released 2017 Brand Finance India 100 report, Tata Group is the most valuable brand in India with an estimated brand value of $13.1 billion. Airtel has acquired 2nd position followed by LIC, Infosys, SBI and Reliance Industries Ltd. The Brand Finance is a global brand valuation and strategy consultancy firm. It advises strongly branded organisations, or those with valuable intangible assets, on how to maximise their value through effective management of their brand and other intangible assets.
167. India's first Aquatic Rainbow Technology Park (ARTP) will be set up in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The park will have an ultra-modern exclusive facility for ornamental fish equipped with multi-species hatchery and live feed culture units. The facility is being developed by Fisheries College and Research Institute (FCRI), Ponneri in Tamil Nadu. The ARTP will have an advanced infrastructure and technical expertise to boost production of high value ornamental fish species for both indigenous and exotic. It will also develop breeding technologies for high value indigenous ornamental fish species and ensure quality fish seeds in bulk quantities.
168. The International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia & Biphobia (IDAHOT) is observed every year on May 17 to raise awareness of LGBT rights violations and stimulate interest in LGBT rights work worldwide. The 2017 theme "families" focuses on the role of families in the well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people and respect of the rights of LGBTI families.
169. Chris Cornell (52), the renowned American musician, singer and songwriter, has recently passed away at Michigan, United States. He was best known as the lead vocalist, primary songwriter and rhythm guitarist for Seattle rock band "Soundgarden" and as lead vocalist and songwriter for the group "Audioslave".
170. The International Museum Day (IMD) is observed every year on May 18 to raise awareness on how important museums are in the development of society. The day provides the opportunity for museum professionals to meet the public and alert them as to the challenges that museums face. The 2017 theme "Museums and contested histories: Saying the unspeakable in museums" focuses on the role of museums that, by working to benefit society, become hubs for promoting peaceful relationships between people. It also highlights how the acceptance of a contested history is the first step in envisioning a shared future under the banner of reconciliation.
171. Indian teenager Prashant Ranganathan from Jamshedpurhas won the 2017 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) award worth $5,000 in the environmental engineering category for his innovation for fighting against pesticide and getting rid of its side effects through biodegradable use at the Los Angeles in California. Beside this, the topmost Gordon E Moore Award of $75,000 went to Ivo Zell of Germany for designing and constructing a remote-control prototype of a new flying wing.
172. The Haryana state government has recently launched e-textbook portal for school students. Now, students can download school books instantly from the e-textbook portal of the Haryana School Education Board (HSEB). As of now, 26 textbooks of classes IX to XII have been uploaded on the portal and these can be easily converted into audio files. The portal will also provide a facility to highlight certain portions of the e—textbooks making it easier for students to study.
173. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has presented the 2015 Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) at a function in New Delhi on May 18, 2017. Apart from this, the 2014 Indira Gandhi Peace Prize has been given to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for historic Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), which was received by the ISRO chairman Kiran Kumar on behalf of the space body. The award consists of a trophy, a cash prize of Rs 1 crore and a citation. The award
174. According to the latest Lancet report titled 'Global Burden of Disease (GBD)', India has been ranked 154th among 195 countries in the 2017 Healthcare Access and Quality Index (HAQI). The results have revealed that India, in spite of socio-economic growth in the given time-period, has not managed to achieve its goals in health care department. It performed worse than expected in tuberculosis, diabetes, rheumatic heart diseases and chronic kidney disease. According to the report, the countries were analysed for a period of 25 years between 1990 and 2015. The list is topped by Switzerland, followed by Sweden and Norway. The index is based on death rates for 32 diseases that can be avoided or effectively treated with proper medical care, also tracked progress in each nation compared to the benchmark year of 1990.
175. Grand Master R.R. Laxman of Integral Coach Factory finished has won the 2017 All India Open Rapid FIDE Rating Chess Tournament at the Kshudiram Anushilan Kendra, Kolkata on May 18, 2017. He got 9.5 points by defeating Mitrabha Guha who bagged 8.5 points.
176. Stanley Greene (52), an award-winning American photographer of conflict, disasters and humanitarian crises across the globe, has recently passed away in Paris, France. He was best known for his documentation of the conflict in Chechnya, between rebels and the Russian Armed Forces, which was compiled in his 2004 book "Open Wound". Greene was recognised in the World Press Photo awards, in 1994, 2001, 2004 and 2008.
177. The Bhindawas Bird Sanctuary (BBS) is located in Jhajjar district, Haryana. It is home to many birds such as Blue Peafowl, Gray Francolin, Black Francolin, Shikra, Black Kite, Greater Coucal, White-throated Kingfisher, Coppersmith Barbet and Indian Roller. It is in news because the sanctuary will soon be developed as a beautiful tourist resort and the additional facilities to be provided to the tourists coming to this place would include arrangements for camping for night stay, beautification of the lake, and opening of dispensary for birds and the wild life.
178. The Madhav Chitale committee on de-siltation of River Ganga has recommended a slew of measures which includes study to guide de-silting activities, sand registry for de-silting and a technical institute to conduct the sediment budget, flood routing studies and confirm the necessity of the de-silting of section of the river. The committee suggested good agricultural practices, river bank anti-erosion works and avoiding encroachment of flood plain and reclamation of adjoining lakes along the river. The committee also recommended de-silting of adjoining lakes to increase their storage capacities. The committee was constituted in July 2016 by the Ministry of Water Resources River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation to prepare guidelines for desiltation of river Ganga from Bhimgauda (Uttarakhand) to Farakka (West Bengal).
179. The Annual Joint Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Exercise "Karavali Karunya" has started by Indian Navy's Western Nava Command at Naval Station Karwar in Karnataka on May 18, 2017. The HADR exercise involves both professional exchange and actual disaster response mechanisms is set on a Tsunami disaster scenario and will continue till 20 May 2017.
180. Air Marshal PN Pradhan has been appointed as the new Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Operations), a key platform to ensure a high degree of synergy between the Armed forces. The Integrated Defence Staff (IDS) was created on October 1, 2001 based on the recommendations of the Group of Ministers which was set up after Kargil war to review India's defence management. It acts as the point organisation for integration of policy, doctrine, war fighting and procurement by employing best management practices. The current Chief of IDS is Lt General Satish Dua.
181. Anshu Jamsenpa, the Indian mountaineer from Arunachal Pradesh, has set the world record by becoming the world's first woman to conquer Mount Everest twice within five days. Jamsenpa along with Nepali climber Furi Sherpa scaled the peak at 8:00 am on May 21, 2017. Earlier, she stood atop of world's highest mountain on May 16, 2017. With this, Jamsenpa has also become the first Indian woman to scale Mt Everest for the fifth time. Beside this, Indian climbers Dhankude Kishor Dattatraya and Brij Mohan Sharma also scaled Mt. Everest on May 20, 2017. Brij Mohan Sharma, popularly known as Breeze Sharma has become the first civilian from the Indian Navy to summit Mount Everest. Earlier, Chhurim Sherpa (a Nepali mountaineer ) had scaled Mt Everest twice within a week, reaching the roof of the world first on May 12, 2012, then again on May 19.
182. Two Indian peacekeepers, Rifleman Brijesh Thapa and Private Ravi Kumar will be honored posthumously with a prestigious United Nation (UN)'s Dag Hammarskjold Medal for their courage and sacrifice in the line of duty. They are among 117 military, police and civilian personnel who will be awarded with the UN Medal on the 2017 International Day of UN Peacekeepers to be observed on May 29. Permanent Representatives to the UN will collect the medals on behalf of the fallen peacekeepers. Currently, India has deployed more than 7,600 military and police personnel to UN peace operations in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Lebanon, Liberia, the Middle East, South Sudan, Sudan and the Western Sahara.
183. The International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) is observed every year on May 22 to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues. The 2017 theme "Biodiversity and Sustainable Tourism" provides an opportunity to raise awareness and action towards the important contribution of sustainable tourism both to economic growth and to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.
184. The Maharashtra government has decided to form 'Good Morning' squads to curb open defecation in all villages and districts across the State. These squads will comprise representatives of local bodies, self-help groups, NGOs, students and social workers working in the area of sanitation and cleanliness. The squads will also check whether residents have access to toilets. They also have the right to take up issues, such as the pending construction of toilets, with the local civic bodies and help speed up the work.
185. Iran's incumbent President Hassan Rouhani has won his second term defeating his conservative rival Ebrahim Raeisi with a huge margin of votes in the the 2017 Presidential election of Iran. With this, he became the second Iranian President, after Mohammad Khatami, to win a presidential victory as an incumbent with an increased electoral mandate. Rouhani is considered to be a moderate and pragmatic politician.
186. R. Vaishali from India has won the 2017 Asian Continental Women Blitz Chess Championship with 8 points from nine rounds in Chengdu, China. She was at her best in the Blitz event and won seven games and posted two draws in the nine-round event. Vaishali drew her final round game against Uurt-saikh Uuriin-tuya of Mongolia to finish half-a-point ahead of Iran's Saras-dat Khademal-sharieh and clinch the gold medal. Her compatriot Padmini Rout finished 3rd with seven points after a last round win over Yuxin Song of China.
187. Indian squash player Harinder Pal Sandhu has won the 2017 Men's Makati Open Squash tournament by defeating Mohd. Syafiq Kamal of Malaysia in the final by 11-5, 11-7, 11-7 at the Manila Polo Club in Makati City, Phillipines. In the women's final, Japan's Satomi Watanabe bagged her first career title by beating Wales' Deon Saffery.
188. Alexander Zverev (20), a German professional tennis player, has won the 2017 Men's singles Rome Masters tennis tournament by defeating four-time champion Novak Djokovic in the final by 6-3, 6-4 in Rome, Italy. With this win, Zverev became the youngest player since Djokovic in 2007 to win a Masters 1000 title and the first player born in the 1990s to do so. Beside this, Elina Svitolina of Ukraine has won the women's singles Italian Open tennis title Simona Halep of Romania.
189. The World Metrology Day (WMD) is observed every year on May 20 to mark the signing of the Metre Convention on May 20, 1875. The Convention set the framework for global collaboration in the science of measurement and in its industrial, commercial and societal application. The 2017 theme is "Measurements for transport".
190. Bengaluru FC has won the 38th edition of Indian Federation Cup Football tournament on May 21, 2017 by defeating defending champions and 14-time winners Mohun Bagan at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack, Odisha. The match went into extra time after neither of the teams could break the deadlock in 90 minutes. Then, CK Vineeth scored twice for Bengaluru FC in extra time helping them to win the tournament for just the second time. With the win, Bengaluru also sealed a berth for next year's Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup. It also became the 8th team to have won more than one Federation Cup title.
191. The 7-member high-level committee on Scouts and Guides under the chairmanship of Harsh Malhotra has submitted its final report to Minister for State (Independent Charge) for Youth Affairs & Sports, Vijay Goel. The Committee has suggested mandatory revamp of the Bharat Scout and Guides and Hindustan Scouts and Guides. It has found a number of irregularities and anomalies in the management and financial management. It has further recommended for a permanent monitoring Committee to periodically assess the activities of both the organizations. The committee has also recommended that there should be government nominees on the Boards of both the organizations. It also stated that complaints have also been reported, regarding leakage of question papers related to Rashtrapati Puraskar in 2016-2017 in Bharat Scouts and Guides.
192. Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez has been bestowed with the International Humanitarian Award in Editor's Choice category at the 2017 annual Asian Voice Charity Awards for her work in India and worldwide. She has been working with the charity 'Habitat for Humanity for last five years. This organization works to help people to live with dignity by giving them homes to live in.
193. The 2017 Global Rajasthan Agritech Meet (GRAM) has started at Kota, Rajasthan from May 24, 2017 to empower farmers with latest technical know-how and best practices. Malaysia is the partner country in the GRAM Kota 2017. The GRAM will provide a platform for Agri-firms to promote themselves and/or find promoters. The 3-day event will bring all stakeholders- farmers from in and around Kota, academicians, technologists, agribusiness companies and policy makers – to accelerate development of sustainable agricultural and allied activities through innovative methods and best practices.
194. Recently, the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has inaugurated the 52nd annual meeting of African Development Bank (AfDB) Group-2017 at the Mahatma Mandir convention centre in Gandhinagar Gujarat with theme "Transforming Agriculture for Wealth Creation in Africa", which has started from May 22 and will continue till May 26, 2017. It is the first-ever AfDB meeting in India, in which more than 3000 delegates from 81 member countries from across the world including the Governors, Alternate Governors, Executive Directors, policy makers and businesses. The 2018 annual meeting of AfDB Group is scheduled to be held in Busan, South Korea.
195. Rohan Chakravarty, a young Indian Wildlife and environment cartoonist, has won the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) International President's Award in Manado, Indonesia for his efforts to inspire change and attitudes towards nature. The award is the global conservation organization's top accolade to recognize outstanding leadership in young conservationists from around the world. The award acknowledges and encourages outstanding achievements of young people under the age of 30 who are making significant contributions to nature conservation.
196. Sweden has won the 2017 Ice Hockey World Championship by defeating Canada 2-1 after a penaly shoot-out. With this win, Sweden has won its 10th ice hockey world title. The 2017 tournament was hosted by Paris, France, and Germany from May 5 to 21, 2017. The official tournament mascots were Asterix and Obelix, the main characters from the popular French comic book series "The Adventures of Asterix".
197. The World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development is observed every year on May 21 to bridge the gap between different cultures. The day is an opportunity to help communities understand the value of cultural diversity and learn how to |live together in harmony. This day was created as a result of the destruction of the Buddha statues of Bamiyan in Afghanistan in 2001. The 2017 theme is "Local Culture as a Driver for Economic Growth".
198. Mathunny Mathews (81), popularly known as 'Toyota Sunny', has recently passed away on May 20, 2017 in Qadisiya in Kuwait. The funeral was held at his native Podippara, Eraviperoor in Pathanamthitta district, Kerala. He was an Indian & a resident in Kuwait, who played a key role in the safe evacuation of 1.7 lakh Indian nationals from the Emirate after Saddam Hussein's Iraqi forces invaded Kuwait in 1990. Mathews was one of the founding members of the Indian Arts Circle which brought the expats together. He was the inspiration for 'Airlift', a Bollywood movie in which Akshay Kumar depicted Ranjit Katyal.
199. China has become the largest stainless steel producer in the world in 2016, according to data released by the International Stainless Steel Forum (ISSF) at annual conference held on May 14-19, 2017 in Tokyo, Japan. India overtook Japan as the second- largest producer in 2016. ISSF is a non-profit research and development organisation founded in 1996 and serves as the focal point for the international stainless steel industry. As per the report, India's stainless steel production rose to 3.32 million tonne in 2016 showing an impressive growth of about 9% over 3 million tonne it produced in 2015.
200. The Ghughua Fossil National Park is located near Shahpura in Madhya Pradesh in which plant fossils belonging to 31 genera of 18 families have been identified. The park is blessed with priceless treasure of plant fossils which have been dated 65 million years old. The site was founded during the 1970s by Dr. Dharmendra Prasad, a statistical officer of the Mandla district and honorary secretary of the district archaeology unit.
201. Sher Bahadur Deuba, a Nepali Congress leader, will become the new Prime Minister of Nepal, after Pushpa Kamal Dahal "Prachanda" resigned from the post. The resignation is to honor an accord signed in August 2016 when Prachanda was elected the prime minister with Deuba's support. According to the agreement, Prachanda was to remain in office until the local elections were held while polls at the provincial and central levels were to be conducted under Deuba as the Prime Minister. He was elected as the 39th prime minister of Nepal after forging an alliance with the Nepali Congress on August 3, 2016.
202. Recently, the Union government has appointed 7 members in the minorities panel along with chairperson. Gayarul Hasan, a social activist from Uttar Pradesh, will become the new chairperson of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM). The other members are Activist and BJP leader from Kerala George Kurian, former Maharashtra minister Sulekha Kumbhare, Jain representative from Gujarat Sunil Singhi and Vada Dasturji Khurshed, chief priest of Udvada Athornan Anjuman, are the other members of the panel. This is for the first time that a Jain member will be part of the panel after the community was notified as 'minority' in January 2014. The tenure of the panel members is of three years (if not extended). The NCM was set up under the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992 to look into complaints from members of five religious communities — Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Zoroastrians (Parsis). The panel has seven members, including its chairperson and vice chairperson.
203. The World Turtle Day (WTD) is observed every year on May 23 to raise awareness on conservation of tortoise and turtles and on illegal trafficking. One of the greatest threats facing turtles and tortoises in India is smuggling to East Asian and Southeast Asian markets. Many freshwater turtles and tortoises are considered delicacies just across the Bay of Bengal in Southeast Asia.
204. The philosophical novel for God titled "Confessions of a dying mind: the blind faith of atheism" has been authored by IAS officer Haulianlal Guite, which is recently unveiled by Union Minister Kiren Rijiju in august gathering at Civil Services Officers' Institute in New Delhi. The book billed as "the world's first philosophical novel for God", whose author is arguably the first Indian civil servant to write on philosophy since John Stuart Mill published On Liberty way back in 1858. The book explores the nature of science, religion, evidence and even love in light of leading developments. It makes use of the latest findings of modern science and the most solid theories in philosophy. It also presents some interesting arguments against atheism by using the theories and findings of atheists themselves.
205. The Madhya Pradesh Government has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with IIT Kharagpur's Rekhi Centre of Excellence for the Science of Happiness to collaborate on the development of a Happiness Index for measuring the well-being of the people of the state. The Happiness index would be developed by IIT-KGP and the data collected by the state government would be analyzed to assess the happiness levels of people of the state and to suggest recommendations to enhance happiness levels in the state. A door-to-door survey will be conducted for the purpose and people will be made to fill up questionnaire. The process will start from January 2018 and by the time of assembly elections in the state 2018, people will get to know how happy they are.
206. The Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF) has organized the first-ever "Ozone2Climate technology road show" along with the UN Environment OzonAction's Compliance Assistance Programme in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. The Technology Roadshow was organized for the first time as part of the annual network meeting for Ozone Officers of South Asia. The UN Environment along with the Technology Roadshow also organizing the annual network meeting for South Asia Ozone Officers from May 23 to 26, 2017 where delegates from 20 countries and industry visited the 2017 exhibition. The meeting focused on current policy and technology updates on ozone and climate friendly alternatives to HCFCs and HFCs specifically post-Kigali amendment, linking the HCFC phase out to future HFC phase down, the implications of Kigali amendment for the network countries and challenges and opportunities from a policy and technology perspective.
207. Ravichandran Ashwin has won the coveted International Cricketer of the Year award at the CEAT Cricket Rating (CCR) International awards 2017 at the Cricket Club of India (CCI) in Mumbai. He has taken 99 wickets in the past 12 months. Meanwhile, young batsman Shubhman Gill won the Young player of the year award for his superb performance during the India-England U-19 ODI series, played in Mumbai.
208. Sir Roger George Moore (89), the well-known British actor, has recently passed away in Switzerland after a brief battle with cancer. He was best known for his role as James Bond in films such as "Live and Let Die" and "The Spy Who Loved Me". Moore was the only actor who portrayed the popular fictional spy in seven movies between 1973 and 1985.
209. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus from Ethiopia has been elected as the new Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO). He will be the first African to head up the UN agency, after winning the most votes from 186 member States. He will succeed Dr. Margaret Chan, who will step down from her 10-year post at the end of June.
210. The Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area located in Assam that covers 175 km². It is located along the foothills of the Great Himalayan Range. The area was declared as a sanctuary in 1998. It is located 52 km from Tezpur town and 193 km away from Guwahati. It is home to Mammals: tiger, lesser cats, elephant, qaur, wild boar, hog deer and barking deer.
211. Taiwan has become the first Asian country to recognize same sex marriage after the constitutional court's ruling comes in support of legalizing same-sex marriage. The panel of judges has given the island's parliament two years to amend or enact new laws, which could potentially make Taiwan the first place in Asia to allow same-sex marriage. It must be noted that South Africa is the only country in Africa to permit same-sex marriage.
212. Nauru, the world's smallest republic, has become the sixth country to ratify the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Framework pact initiated by the Indian and French Governments at the climate change summit held at Paris in 2015. The motivating factor behind the ISA is the need for continents like Asia and Africa to protect the environment while generating energy for development goals. Beside this, five more African nations — Comoros, Cote d'Ivoire, Somalia, Ghana and Djibouti — have committed to sign the Solar Alliance pact during the ongoing meeting of the African Development bank (AfDB) in India. This is the first time that India is hosting the annual meetings of the AfDB. The tiny island nation of Nauru is the smallest state in the South Pacific and third smallest state by area in the world, behind only Vatican City and Monaco.
213. The boring of India's first underwater rail tunnel under the Hooghly River for establishing metro link between Howrah and Kolkata has completed before its scheduled deadline of July 2017. The tunnel is 16.6 km long, out of which 10.8 km runs under the ground. Of this 10.8 km, 502 metres is under the water and the whole thing connects Howrah to the west and Salt lake to the east. It will have 12 stations and six will be underground. Estimated cost of the entire project is $750 million or about Rs 5,000 crores. The final commissioning of the project is expected by December 2019, following which it will be operational. The project is built by Afcons Transtonnelstroy and implemented by Kolkata Metro Railway Corporation Ltd (KMRCL).
214. The 70th edition of World Health Assembly (WHA70) has started in Geneva, Switzerland on May 22, 2017 and ends on May 31, 2017. In it, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of Ethiopia has elected a new Director-General of World Health Organization (WHO). He will succeed Dr. Margaret Chan and will take office for a five-year term on July 1, 2017. From India, J P Nadda, the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, has addressed the plenary meeting on the theme – 'Advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: building better systems for health'. The WHA is the forum through which the WHO is governed by its 194 member states. It is the world's highest health policy setting body and is composed of health ministers from member states.
215. The world's first operational robot police officer "Robocop" was officially inducted into the Dubai police force at the 4th Gulf Information Security Expo and Conference (GISEC) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) on May 21, 2017. The robot is around 5-foot tall and weighs a 100kg. It can not only identify hand gestures from a distance of up to 1.5 metres, but can also detect people's emotions and facial expressions. The newly-recruit Robocop will be used for patrolling the city's malls and tourist attractions. The people will be able to use it to report crimes, pay fines and get information by tapping a touchscreen on its chest. Apart from being able to chat with people, the robocop can also shake your hand and offer a millitary salute. At present it can communicate only in Arabic and English, but there are plans to add Russian, Chinese, French and Spanish to its repertoire.
216. The Union Cabinet chaired by PM Narendra Modi has approved the allocation of 2.5% of Central Road Fund (CRF) for development and maintenance of National Waterways (NWs) by amending in the Central Road Fund Act (CRFA), 2000 will provide about Rs. 2000 crore per year to boost inland water transport. In addition to giving a boost to the economy, the policy is expected to provide employment in the Inland Waterways Transport sector as well. It is estimated that 1.8 lakh persons would be provided employment in the Inland Waterways Transport sector in the next 5 years. Jobs are expected to be created for operation, management of fairway, terminals, barges, training aids to navigation. Currently, there are five existing NWs and 106 new NWs. The Central Road Fund (CRF) is a duty on excise and customs levied on petrol and high-speed diesel.
217. Lenin Moreno has recently taken office as new President of Ecuador, after defeating his conservative rival & ex-banker Guillermo Lasso, by 2.3% in April's runoff vote. He served as Vice President from 2007 to 2013, serving under President Rafael Correa. Moreno is the first wheelchair-user to become Ecuador's leader and one of few such leaders in the world ever to serve as president. His legs have been paralyzed since he was shot during a robbery in 1998. He went on to lead a task force on disability rights as vice-president in Correa's government. That earned him a nomination for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2012.
218. The 28th edition of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit has started in Brussels, Belgium on May 24 and 25, 2017 in which terrorism will top the agenda of the meeting. It is expected that NATO is to join the US-led anti-Islamic State coalition(IS) to fight against Islamist terrorism. The 2018 NATO summit will held in Istanbul, Turkey.
219. Olympic silver medallist P V Sindhu has been elected as the new member of Badminton World Federation (BWF) Athletes' Commission after topped the ballot with 129 votes. With this, she became the second Indian after her compatriot Saina Nehwal to be inducted in the Commission. Apart from the Indian shuttler, Kirsty Gilmour of Scotland, Lithuania's Akvile and Germany's Marc Zwiebler were elected for a four-year term.
220. The Union Government has recently launched online verification portal 'e-Sanad' to make the document verification process easier for students who are planning to study aboard. The portal is an initiative of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), in association with two other ministries — will initially be hosting school leaving certificates with the help of Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). In subsequent phases, the portal will also host documents from central universities.
221. Rakesh Kapur, Joint Managing Director of Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) has been elected as the new Chairman of the International Fertilizer Association (IFA) at the 2017 IFA annual conference in Marrakech, Morocco. He is also the Chairman of the Fertiliser Association of India (FAI). With this, Kapoor has become the third Indian to hold this prestigious position in IFA's 90 years' history. The Paris-based IFA is the global fertiliser association with 500 members representing 68 countries, including 24 members from India.
222. The 2017 HCL Asian Junior Tennis Championship will be hosted by Hindustan Computers Limited (HCL) at Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune, Maharashtra from May 29. The tournament is the most reputed tennis championship in the Asian circuit for the under 18 category. The championship is being held in association with the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association and under the aegis of the International Tennis Federation (ITF); Asian Tennis Federation (ATF); and All India Tennis Association (AITA). This is the only B1 category tournament in India, in which players from 11 countries in the region – Thailand, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Philippines, Hong-Kong, Malaysia, China, Sri Lanka, Iran and India will participate. The 6-day Championship will witness participation from over 100 Indian and international players in the Singles and Doubles categories for both boys and girls.
223. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated India's longest bridge "Dhola-Sadia Bridge" in Assam on May 26, 2017. This three lane, 9.15 kilometre bridge has been built over river Lohit, a tributary of the Brahmaputra river. It links Dhola in Assam to Sadia. The bridge will reduce the distance from Rupai on NH- 37 in Assam to Meka-Roing on NH-52 in Arunachal Pradesh by 165 KM. The travel time between the two places will come down from the current six hours to just one hour, a total five hour reduction. This will result in saving of petrol and diesel worth Rs 10 Lakh per day. It will also cater to the strategic requirements of the country in the border areas of Arunachal Pradesh, besides facilitating numerous hydro power projects coming up in the state.
224. The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath has launched a massive immunization drive in 38 districts to eradicate Japanese Encephalitis (JE) from Kushinagar district on May 25, 2017. The government also launched a toll free number "18001805544" to get or provide any information about encephalitis. His several cabinet colleagues also participated in the launch programmes in different districts. The government has fixed the target of immunisation of above 88 lakh 55 thousand children in the age group of one to 15 during the drive in the targeted districts. The drive will be continued by June 11, 2017.
225. Rajan Anandan, Google's vice-president for South East Asia and India, has been appointed new chairman of Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI). He took over charge from FreeCharge's co-founder and chief executive officer Kunal Shah. Beside this, Deep Kalra, chairman and group CEO of MakeMyTrip, has become the new Vice-Chairman of IAMAI. Umang Bedi has been elected as the new treasurer, while Dr Subho Ray continues to be the President of the association. The tenure of the new council will be for two years. The IAMAI is a not-for-profit industry body registered under the Societies Act, 1986. Its mandate is to expand and enhance the online and mobile value added services sectors. The headquarters is located at Mumbai, Maharashtra.
226. The capital of Bangladesh "Dhaka" is the world's most crowded city with a population density of 44,500 people per square kilometre, released by World Economic Forum (WEF), citing UN Habitat data. According to UN Habitat data, of the top 10 most densely populated cities in the world, six are in Asia, three are in Africa and one is in South America. India's financial capital Mumbai, home to 31,700 people per square kilometre has acquired second place, where as Kota in Rajasthan with 12,100 people per square kilometre was ranked seventh. Others in the list include Medellin in Columbia (3rd), Manila in Philippines (4th, 14,800), Casablanca in Morocco (5th, 14,200), Lagos in Nigeria (6th, 13,300), Singapore (8th, 10,200) and Jakarta in Indonesia (9th, 9,600).
227. The 2017 World Street Food Congress (WSFC) will be held in Manila, Philippines from May 31 to June 4, 2017 with theme "Re-Imagine Possibilities". In the fest industry's global movers and shakers, leaders and innovators, entrepreneurs, chefs, street vendors, and food aficionados come together to share ideas, development and opportunities in a collaborative environment. The Bihari delicacy litti choka will represent India in the international food festival. Litti Choka is a two-dish combination which is wheat baked balls stuffed with roasted spices and Chokha a mixture of roasted potato tomatoes onions with garlic chillies among others.
228. Anurag Tripathy, a 1998 batch officer of Indian Railway personnel Service (IRPS), has been appointed the new secretary of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) for a period of five years.
229. The Mathikettan Shola National Park is located in Poopara village of Udumbanchola taluk in Idukki district of Kerala. It is home to beautiful and rare animals like tigers, panthers, wild elephants, giant grizzled squirrel, flying squirrels, spotted deer and Nilgiri tahrs. The park abounds in snakes such asking cobras, pythons, vipers and rat snakes, turtles, crocodiles and lizards. The national park is a biodiversity hotspot and plays a vital role in safeguarding wildlife in the region. The terrain acts as a natural defense in the protection of the animals and protects their natural habitat.
230. Kanwar Pal Singh Gill (82), the former Director General of Police (DGP) of Punjab, has recently passed away in Delhi on May 26, 2017. He was known for rooting out Sikh militancy from Punjab. During Indira Gandhi tenure, Gill mounted 'Operation Black Thunder', a critical success in the war against terrorism. In two tenures as DGP Punjab, he led one of the most successful counter-terrorist operations, bringing Punjab from the verge of disintegration to complete normalcy. He also worked for the Chhattisgarh government as a security adviser to help control Naxal activities in 2006. Gill was an author, editor, speaker, consultant on counter-terrorism, president of the Institute for Conflict Management and president of the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF).
231. The two-day annual Yelagiri Summer Festival has started at Yelagiri hills in Vellore district, Tamil Nadu on May 27, 2017. The festival would be marked by cultural programmes by students as well as professional artists. A concert by Tamil film music director Deva would also be held in the fest. The Minister for Commercial Taxes and Registration K.C. Veeramani has inaugurated the festival in the presence of District Collector S.A. Raman.
232. Laura Biagiotti (73), an Italian fashion designer who conquered global markets with her soft, has passed away in Rome, Italy on May 26, 2017. Biagiotti began designing women's clothes in the 1960s and by the 1980s was making her mark. In 1988, she became the first Italian designer to put on a fashion show in China, presenting dresses and blouses in silk and cashmere, and in 1995 was the first to have a show inside the Kremlin walls in Moscow.
233. India's first multi-modal electric vehicle project has been inaugurated by the Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, along with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at the Nagpur Airport Complex to promote eco-friendly transport. With this, Nagpur became the first city in India to have electric mass mobility system with a fleet of 200 electric vehicles, including taxis, buses, e-rickshaw and autos.
234. The 43rd edition of G7 summit has started at Taorminain Sicily, Italy on May 26, 2017. The 2-day meet will discuss a wide range of issues, including global economy, security and energy. The leaders of the Group of Seven wealthy nations as well as representatives of the European Union are participating in the summit. The 2017 G7 summit is the first summit for British Prime Minister Theresa May, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni and U.S. President Donald Trump. The G7 members are Italy, Canada, France, United States, United Kingdom, Japan and Germany.
235. Iconic attraction of India Taj Mahal has emerged as the 5th most popular landmark in the world and 2nd in Asia, according to the online travel portal TripAdvisor's 'Travellers' Choice Awards for Landmarks. Globally, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Center in Abu Dhabi, Mezquita Cathedral de Cordoba in Spain, and St Peter's Basilica in Italy, bagged the first four ranks respectively. Whereas, the top 10 landmarks in Asia has been topped by Angkor Wat, followed by Taj Mahal on the second place. Apart from this, Taj Mahal has also ranked first in the list of popular landmarks in India, followed by AmberFort, Jaipur; Swaminarayan Akshardham, New Delhi, etc.
236. The Pune city police have won the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FICCI) Smart Police Award for the year 2017 for their initiatives on women and cyber security. Pune Police Commissioner Rashmi Shukla received the award from BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi during a programme organised by FICCI and Vivekanand International Foundation on Homeland Security in Delhi on May 25. The initiatives like "BuddyCop", "Damini squad", "Lost & Found" portal, Beat Marshal Monitoring Sapience App, etc., were launched by Pune city police to tackle security issues in the city that paved the way to win the FICCI award.
237. The Kerala Tourism has won the 'Best Destination for Romance' for Munnar hill station by the magazine 'Lonely Planet' at its 6th edition of 'India Travel Award 2017' in Mumbai on May 25. The hilly Munnar town in Idukki district is famous for its romantic cottages, cloudy mountains, lively tea gardens, green valleys and the soothing background sound of waterfalls.
238. The book "Mann Ki Baat: a social revolution on radio" is a compilation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's addresses to the nation on radio every month under the programme 'Mann Ki Baat'. It contains a comprehensive, qualitative and academic analysis of 'Mann Ki Baat' – the themes, the choice of topics, the salient features. It illustrates how 'Mann Ki Baat' has connected with the 'New India' – the youth in particular. The book is authored by Rajesh Jain, which is recently presented to President of India Pranab Mukherjee at a function at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
239. The Royal Manas National Park is the oldest national park of Bhutan covers eastern Sarpang District, the western half of Zhemgang District, and western Pemagatshel District. And is It has an area of 1,057 square kilometers and It is home to Bengal tigers, elephants, gaur, rare golden langur, pygmy hog, etc. It is also the only Bhutanese park inhabited by the one-horned rhinoceros and wild water buffalo.
240. The Indo-Thailand Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) "Siam Bharat 17" table top exercise has held at Chiang Mai, Thailand from May 22 to 26 May 2017 between the Indian Air Force and Royal Thailand Air Force (RTAF). The 11-member IAF contingent is led by Group Captain Sucharu Rai VM. This is second such exercise to be conducted between the two Air Forces. The aim of the bilateral exercise is to evolve SOPs for planning and executing relief missions during unforeseen natural calamities like Tsunami, earthquakes, cyclones, floods etc. The objective is to enhance interoperability between both the Air Forces, while conducting combined air operations triggered by a crisis. The exercise would assist in laying down procedures and establish decision support system at various stages of relief operations.
241. The 2017 World Table Tennis Championships (WTTC) has started at Dusseldorf, Germany on May 29 with the Qualification matches. The main draw will start from May 20. Top-ranked Indian in the world, Achanta Sharath Kamal will lead the 8-member Indian squad. The team also includes Soumyajit Ghosh, Harmeet Desai, reigning national champion Madhurika Patkar, Manika Batra and Mouma Das. It will be the 54th edition of the competition, and hosted by Germany for the seventh time.
242. Gregory LeNoir Allman (69), an American musician, singer, keyboardist and songwriter, has recently passed away at Georgia in United States on May 27, 2017. He was the pioneer of southern rock and co-founder of the Allman Brothers Band.
243. South Korea has won the 15th edition of the Sudirman Cup-2017 by defeating China in the final with a 3-2 win Carrara Sports and Leisure Centre in Australia on May 28, 2017. It is S.Korea's fourth title, with the last one coming in 2003. It was the first time that Australia had hosted the tournament and the first time this event is hosted outside Asia and Europe since its establishment in 1989.
244. C A Bhavani Devi from India won the gold medal in the sabre event of the Tournoi Satellite Fencing Championship held at Reykjavik in Iceland on May 27, 2017. She beat Sarah Jane Hampson of Great Britain in the final by 15-13. With this, Bhavani Devi became the first Indian to win a gold medal in an international fencing event.
245. Ananya Kamboj, an 8th standard student from Chandigarh, has been selected to represent India as a young journalist at the Football for Friendship (F4F) social programme in St. Petersburg, Russia in July 2017. The F4F programme, supported by Gazprom and FIFA, focuses on the development of children's football, fostering tolerance and respect for different cultures and nationalities among children from different countries. India joins the programme for the first time and will participate alongside 60 other countries.
246. Padmalaya Nanda from Odisha will represent India at the 2017 Little Miss Universe beauty pageant competition, which is scheduled to be held in Georgia, United States from May 31. She will compete against 15 other contestants from around the world for the title of Little Miss Universe. Beside this, she will also lead India in the 2017 Little Miss World contest in Greece.
247. China has been ranked first in having most complex jurisdiction for taxation and most complicated requirements of tax in the Asia Pacific region, as per 2017 Asia Pacific Tax Complexity Survey conducted by Deloitte. India ranks only after China in the most complex tax jurisdiction in Asia-Pacific the survey, followed by Australia, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia. The report surveyed over 300 financial and tax executives on their views of the current and anticipated tax environment of 20 jurisdictions across Asia Pacific. Of the respondents, 147 had business operations in India.
248. The construction of the world's largest optical telescope has started in northern Chile, which is expected to begin operating in 2024. The Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) is being built by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and will have a main mirror that is 39m in diameter. The telescope will be positioned on top of Cerro Armazones – a 3046-metre long mountain Chile. It will tackle a wide range of scientific challenges, including probing Earth-like exoplanets for signs of life, studying the nature of dark energy and dark matter, and observing the universe's early stages to explore humans' origins.
249. Satyabrata Rout, a professor from the Department of Theatre Arts, S N School of Arts and Communication, University of Hyderabad (UoH), has been bestowed with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar for the year 2016 for developing a unique method of teaching and practicing direction and design achieved from his experience working with eminent theatre practitioners and scholars. He is one of the pioneers of 'visual theatre' in India, and has 'Scenography: An Indian Perspective'. He has directed a number of plays, participated in national and international theatre festivals and conducted numerous theatre workshops across the globe. The Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. It is the highest Indian recognition given to practising artists.
250. According to the latest report of World Bank titled "'India Development Report", India's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is expected to grow at 7.2% for FY18 (2017-18) due to the impact of demonetisation and protracted investment recovery. Though, India's growth would accelerate to 7.7% by FY 20 on strong fundamentals, reform momentum and improving investment scenario. The report stated that the overall impact of GST on equity and poverty is likely to be positive.
251. The Union Government has launched a new countrywide campaign "Darwaza Band" in Mumbai on May 30, 2017 for promotion of toilet usage in the rural areas across the country. The campaign has been supported by the World Bank and will lead by iconic star Amitabh Bachchan. The toilet usage campaign is designed to encourage behaviour change in men who have toilets but are not using them. The campaign also features actor, Anushka Sharma, who will be seen encouraging women to stand up for this issue in their villages and assume a leadership role.
252. The first-ever women television channel "Zan TV (or Women's TV)" has started in Kabul, Afghanistan on May 30, 2017 with a staff of all female presenters and producers. The purpose of the women TV channel is to highlight the rights of Afghan women, improve their status and ensure their equity with men in the conservative society. It is being seen as a groundbreaking step for women's rights, in a male dominated country which is struggling for peace. Media entrepreneur Hamid Samar is the founder of Zan TV.
253. Sebastian Vettel, a German racing driver for Scuderia Ferrari, has won the 2017 Formula One Monaco Grand Prix World Championship at Circuit de Monaco La Condamine and Monte Carlo in Monaco.
254. The bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra will be honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Academy Award under the newly introduced "Internationally Acclaimed Actress" category for being an international icon. The award ceremony will be held on June 1, 2017 in Mumbai. The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India's highest award in cinema and it was instituted in 1969.
255. Dr Najma Heptulla, the Governor of Manipur and former Minority Affairs Minister, has been appointed as the new Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi for five-years. She succeeded Lt. Gen. (Retd.) M.A. Zaki. Dr. Heptulla is the grand-niece of India's first education minister, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. She has been a 5-time member of the Rajya Sabha between 1986 and 2012 and deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha for 16 years. She has had the distinction of presiding over the women's parliamentarians' group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in 1993.
256. Love Raj Singh Dharmshaktu, a Padma Shri awardee, has become the first Indian mountaineer to conquer the world's highest peak Mount Everest for a record sixth time on May 27, 2017. He works as an assistant commandant with the Border Security Force (BSF) in Dehradun. He first summited Everest in 1998 and followed it with up with successive ascents in 2006, 2009, 2012 and 2013. He hails from Bona village of Munsiyari in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand.
257. The Manipur government has recently declared Dailong village of Tamenglong district as a Biodiversity Heritage Site of the state under Section 37(1) of Biological Diversity Act, 2002. The village covers an area of 11.35 sq km & has population of 1634 of which 819 are males while 815 are females as per Population Census 2011.
258. India's largest public broadcasting agency, Prasar Bharati has signed an MoU with Societe Nationale de Radiodiffusion et de Television (SNRT) at the 5th India Morocco Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) in Rabat, Morocco's to step up cooperation in the broadcasting sector. The SNRT is the public broadcaster of Morocco and is a member of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
259. The International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers is observed every year on May 29 to honor the memory of martyred peacekeepers and pay tribute to all those who have served and continue to serve in UN peacekeeping operations for their high level of professionalism, dedication and courage. The 2017 theme is "Investing in peace around the world". On this day, in 2017, two Indian peacekeepers, Rifleman Brijesh Thapa and Private Ravi Kumar have been honored posthumously with a prestigious United Nation (UN)'s Dag Hammarskjold Medal for their courage and sacrifice in the line of duty. Currently, India has deployed more than 7,600 military and police personnel to UN peace operations in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Lebanon, Liberia, the Middle East, South Sudan, Sudan and the Western Sahara.
260. Swedish film "The Square", directed by Ruben Oustland, has won the Palme d'Or at the 70th edition of Cannes film festival-2017 in Cannes, France. The movie is about a museum director who is desperate to make a success of his gallery and stages a new installation called "The Square" to promote it. The Palme d'Or is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival.
261. India has been ranked 120th among 131 countries in women workforce, as per recently released World Bank (WB)'s India Development Report (IDR). As per the report, the participation level has been dropping since 2005, despite 42% women are graduates. The report states that only 27% of women of the age of 15 or older are working or actively looking for a job. Three of every five prime working age Indian women (26-45 years) are not economically active, meaning they neither work on a farm, nor in businesses, nor do they earn any wages. The report highlighted that India's potential GDP growth rate can be boosted by a percentage point if women participation increased.
262. The World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) is observed every year on May 31 to encourage a 24-hour period of abstinence from all forms of tobacco consumption around the globe. The day is further intended to draw attention to the widespread prevalence of tobacco use and to negative health effects, which currently lead to nearly 6 million deaths each year worldwide, including 600,000 of which are the result of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke. The 2017 theme "Tobacco – a threat to development" has been set by the World Health Organization (WHO). The campaign aims to demonstrate the threats that the tobacco industry poses to sustainable development, including the health and economic well-being of citizens in all countries.
263. The Punjab National Bank (PNB) has got $100 million Asian Development Bank (ADB) loan to finance solar rooftop projects in India. The loan is guaranteed by the Government of India (GoI). This is the first tranche loan of the $500 million multi tranche finance facility Solar Rooftop Investment Program (SRIP) approved by ADB in 2016. The financing includes $330 million from ADB's ordinary capital resources and $170 million from the multi donor Clean Technology Fund (CTF) administered by ADB. The first tranche loan of $100 million would be financed entirely from the CTF. The entire cost of SRIP is estimated at $1 billion and it aims to install solar rooftop system of around 1 gigawatt capacity in India.
264. The researchers at IIT Kharagpur have developed a new technology to manufacture cheaper, quicker and pollution-free bio-fuel. The 'soil-to-soil' manufacturing technology developed at the P K Sinha Centre for bio-energy at IIT-KGP is in the process of being patented. The technique will ensure relatively quicker production of bio-fuel and the process is completely green. The green leafy part of corn and sugarcane plants, the waste part of paddy straw, bamboo, banana plant, pineapple and cotton plants, kans grass (kassh phool), castor plant and even non-edible weeds that grow in dry and waste land and a mix of all has been used by IIT-KGP to produce bio fuel. The project is funded by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Department of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Human Resource Development.
265. The Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) has signed MoU with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for fodder assessment using satellite observation and space technology. GCMMF markets its products under the brand name of 'Amul'. As per the agreement, ISRO will help in identification between food crops and fodder crops at village level and also locate suitable areas of current fallows and cultivable wastelands at village level for green fodder cultivation. Currently, Amul is procuring around 150 lakh litres of milk daily from around 35 lakh milk producer members from over 18,500 villages.
266. Dasari Narayana Rao (75), the renowned Telugu filmmaker and former Union minister, has recently passed away in Hyderabad on May 30, 2017. Dasari directed 151 pictures in Telugu and other languages and had several super hit films to his credit. He entered into Guinness book of Records for directing highest number of films. He also worked as script writer, lyricist and produced more than 50 films. He has the distinction of directing renowned actors like NT Rama Rao and Akkineni Nageswara Rao. Rao was also a journalist and ran a vernacular daily. Dasari joined Congress Party in early 2000 and served as minister of State for coal in the cabinet of Manmohan Singh government during UPA -1. He was one among the accused in the coal scam and CBI registered a case against him in 2013.
267. George Kurian, a BJP leader and 'social and educational activist' from Kerala, has become the new vice chairperson of National Commission for Minorities (NCM). The post was vacant for over two months. The appointment was made by union Minister of State for Minority Affairs (independent charge) Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. Former Maharashtra minister Sulekha Kumbhare, Jain representative from Gujarat Sunil Singhi and Parsi representative Vada Dasturji Khurshed Kaikobad Dastoor are the other members of the Commission. Gayarul Hasan, a social activist from Uttar Pradesh, is the new chairperson of the Commission. The NCM is responsible for safeguarding the constitutional rights of minorities in India.
268. The 2017 India Mobile Congress (IMC) will be held at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi from September 27-29 to attract investments from global players in the telecom and mobile phone manufacturing sectors. The event will provide an in-depth insight into the mobile industry, highlighting specific areas of growth as well as the latest technological developments, next generation services and future trends. The global event will be organised by telecom industry body Cellular Operators' Association of India (COAI) with support from the department of telecommunications and ministries of electronics and information technology, and skill development. IMC 2017 will make India a global destination for leaders & key players to discuss, deliberate and dialogue; unveil excellence and lead policy for a vibrant eco-system.
269. The Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis has recently launched a web portal 'Mahaswayam' for job seekers, employers, entrepreneurs and training institutes. At 'Mahaswayam', job seekers will be able to register themselves, search as well as apply for jobs, inquire for training, get information on self-employment and get details of job fairs. Besides, training institutes can also register, get details on participation in the state skill development programme, get training fee receipts, and can also receive training fee through ECS. Apart from this, entrepreneurs can also post job vacancy advertisements at the portal.
270. Konstantinos Mitsotakis (98), the former conservative Prime Minister of Greece, has recently passed away in Athens, Greece on May 29, 2017. He will be remembered for fierce confrontations with Greece's liberal and socialist parties as well as early free-market reforms during a 60-year political career. He was credited with starting unpopular free-market policies, which were quietly continued by later governments, and with improving relations with Turkey. But he was often considered a divisive figure in a country struggling to escape its volatile political history.
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