Current Affairs 2017

YEAR 2017

YEAR 2017 AGENDAS Awards & Honours Books & Authors Union Budget Banking India 2017 Yojanas Committees MoU International News Foreign Visits Summits Rankings & Distinctions Appointments Brand Ambassadors Science & Technology Defence News Sports

AWARDS & HONOURS 2017 Nobel Prizes 2017

Physics

Rainer Weiss, the other half jointly to Barry C. Barish and Kip S. Thorne

LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves.

Chemistry

Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank and Richard Henderson

cryo-electron microscopy for the high-resolution structure determination of biomolecules in solution.

Physiology or Medicine

Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash and Michael W. Young

discoveries of molecular mechanisms controlling the circadian rhythm.

Literature

Kazuo Ishiguro

novels of great emotional force, has uncovered the abyss beneath our illusory sense of connection with the world.

Peace

International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN)

to draw attention to the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons and for its ground-breaking efforts to achieve prohibition of such weapons.

Economics

Richard H. Thaler

contributions to behavioural economics.

Oscar Awards 2017 Best Picture

Moon Light

Best Actress

Emma Stone (La La Land)

Best Actor Best Director Best supporting actor

Casey Affleck (Manchester by the sea) Damien Chazelle (La La Land) Mahreshla Ali (Moon light)

Best supporting actress

Viola Davis (fences)

Best foreign language film

The sales man (Iran)

Grammy Awards 2017 India-American Tabala player “Sandeep das” won Grammy award in the Category of Best world music album with Yo-Yo ma: Album of the year:

25 – Adele

Record of the year:

Hello – Adele

Song of the year:

Hello – Adele

The Man Booker Prize 2017 The Man Booker Prize for Fiction is a literary prize awarded each year for the best original novel, written in the English language and published in the UK, instituted in 1969 by Man group. George Saunders won the Booker Prize for the book ‘Lincoln in the Bardo’ in 2017. He is the second American to win the prestigious Booker after Paul Beatty (in 2016) was the first, in a trend that some have suggested points to the growing Americanization of an award that used to be distinctly British.

Pulitzer Prizes 2017 Fiction

Colson whitehead for The underground railroad

Poetry

Tyehimba jess for Olio

Biography

Hisham Matar for The Return

Music

Du Yun for Angel’s Bone

Drama

Lynn Notage for Sweat

64th Annual National Cinema 2017 Best Feature Film

Kasaav(Marathi)

Best Actor

Akshay Kumar (Rustom)

Best Actress

Surabhi Lakshmi (Minnaminungu)

Best Director

Rajesh Mapuskar (Ventilator)

Best Film on Social Issues

'Pink'

Best Supporting Actor

Manoj Joshi (Dashkriya)

Best Supporting Actress

ZairaWasim (Dangal) STOKES

ESPN Cricinfo Awards Captain of the year

Virat Kohli

Test Batsman

Ben Stokes

Test Bowler

Stuart Broad

ODI Batsman

Quinton De Kock

ODI Bowler

Sunil Narine

T20I Batsman

Carlos Brathwaite

T20I Bowler

Mustafizur Rahman

Debutant of the year

Mehedi Hasan Miraz

Associate Batsman

Muhammad Shahzad

Associate Bowler

Muhammad Nabi

Women’s Batswoman

Hayley Mathews

Women’s Bowler

Leigh Kasperek

DE KOCK

MATHEWS

IIFA Awards Best Actor Best Actress Best Film Best Director Organisation Awards Raksha Mantri’s Award for Excellence Most Valuable Company on BSE Best News website award at WAN-IFRA World’s Most Valuable Brand Best University by TIMES Higher Education RedInk Awards for Excellence Unilever Global Development Award PM’s trophy for best integrated steel plant National Award for ‘Excellence’ in Energy Management

Shahid Kapoor for Udta Punjab Alia Bhatt for Udta Punjab Neerja Aniruddha Roy for Pink BEML 1.Reliance 2.HDFC The Hindu Apple Oxford Indian Express Water Health International (WHI) Tata Steel Hyderabad International Airport

National sports award 2017 Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna 2017 1.Shri Devendra Jhajharia (Para Athlete) 2.Shri Sardar Singh (Hockey) Arjuna Awards 2017 1. V.J. Surekha (Archery)

2. Khushbir Kaur (Athletics)

3. Arokia Rajiv (Athletics)

4. Prasanthi Singh (Basketball)

5. Laishram Debendro Singh (Boxing)

6. Cheteshwar Pujara (Cricket)

7. Harmanpreet Kaur (Cricket)

8. Oinam Bembem Devi (Football)

9. S.S.P. Chawrasia (Golf)

10. S.V. Sunil (Hockey)

11. Jasvir Singh (Kabaddi)

12. P. N. Prakash (Shooting)

13. A. Amalraj (Table Tennis)

14. Saketh Myneni (Tennis)

15. Satyawart Kadian (Wrestling)

16. Mariyappan (Para-Athlete)

17. Varun Singh Bhati (Para-Athlete)

P.Gopichand

PV Sindhu

Sports Awards , India (2017) SJFI Annual Best Sportsperson of the Year award : SJFI Annual Best Team of the Year award BAI’s first Lifetime Achievement Award Bharat Gaurav Maruti Suzuki- Sportsperson of the Year Coach of the Year award Living Legend of the Year award Game changer of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award

P V Sindhu Indian Junior Hockey Prakash Padukone Former Indian hockey captain Dhanraj Pillay P V Sindhu P Gopichand Milkha Singh KL Rahul Abhinav Bindra

Laureas Sports Awards 2017 Usain Bolt (Athletics)

Sportsman of the Year Sportswoman of the Year Comeback of the Year

Simone Biles (Gymnastics) Michael Phelps (Swimming)

Team of the Year

Chicago Cubs (Baseball)

Spirit of Sport

Leicester City (Soccer)

Action Sportsperson of the Year Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability

Manushi Chhillar Miss World 2017

Rachel Atherton (BMX) Beatrice Vio (Fencing)

Reita Faria Aishwarya Rai Diana Hayden Miss World Miss World Miss World 1994 1966 1997

Yukta Mookhey Miss World 1999

Priyanka Chopra Miss World 2000

An Indian medical student was crowned Miss World at a glitzy event in a Chinese resort on 18 November 2017, making her country the joint-most successful in the beauty pageant’s history. Manushi Chhillar is the sixth Indian winner of the long-running contest,Her win brings India level with Venezuela as the countries with most victories in the history of the pageant, now in its 67th edition. Meanwhile Stephanie Jayne Hill, who represented England, came second runner up.

BOOKS & AUTHORS 2017

Author

Book Beren And Lúthien The Ministry of Utmost Happiness Lalan Shah Fakir KeGeet The Crisis Within Indira Gandhi - A life in Nature Yug Purush, Bharat Ratna, Atal Ji’ The Emergency — Indian Democracy’s Darkest Hour Cryptocurrency for Beginners Making of A Legend Dalhousie...Through My Eyes President’s Lady Playing With Fire Future of Indian Universities: Comparative and International Perspectives Kadve Vachan I am HIV positive, so what? I Do What I Do’ Immortal India ‘How India Sees the World’ 100 things every professional cricketer must know’ Hit Refresh Unstoppable: My Life So Far Bhartiya Kala Mein Salil Kridayen Evam The Shershah of Kargil A to Z of Financial Management in Autonomous Institutions

J.R.R. Tolkien Arundhati Roy Prof. Muchkund Dubey Ganesh Devy Jairam Ramesh Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank Surya Prakash Amit Bhardwaj Bindeshwar Pathak Kiran Chadha Sangeeta Ghosh Katie Price C. Raj Kumar Jain saint Acharya Tarun Sagar Maharaj Jayanta Kalita ( Manipur bodybuilder Pradipkumar Singh’s inspirational fight to overcome HIV) Raghuram Rajan Amish Tripathi Shyam Saran BCCI player’s handbook Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella Maria Sharapova Dr. Kshetrapal Gangwar and Shri Sanjib Kumar Biography of Kargil war hero Late Captain Vikram Batra written by Deepak Surana Dr. Rajat Bhargava and Shri Deenanath Pathak

Economic Survey The Union Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley presented the Economic Survey 2016- 17 in the Parliament on January 31, 2017 that provides a base for the government to prepare the annual Budget. The survey has been authored by Shri Arun Jaitley with Arvind Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian. Subramaniam  The Economic Survey has estimated that the GDP growth rate for FY18 will be in the range of 6.75 percent to 7.5 percent.  The survey stated that the growth in export was increased by 0.7 percent during April-December of 2016-17 amounting to USD 198.8 billion.Similarly, during April-December of 2016-17, imports declined by 7.4 per cent to USD 275.4 billion.  The agriculture sector is estimated to grow at 4.1 percent in the current fiscal as compared to 1.2 percent in 2015-16 due to better monsoon.  The survey estimates a growth rate of the industrial sector to be moderate at 5.2 percent in 2016-17 from 7.4 percent in 2015-16.  The Service sector has been estimated to grow at 8.9 percent in 2016-17 which is almost similar to that in 2015-16.

Annual Budget 2017-2018 Agriculture Total Agriculture Credit to Farmers in 2017-18 Allocation under Fasal Bima Yojana for 2017-18 Long Term Irrigation Fund in NABARD created in 2016-17 Dedicated Micro Irrigation Fund to be created in NABARD Digital transformation of Primary Agriculture Credit Societies (PACS) in the next 3 Dairy Processing and Infrastructure Development Fund in NABARD

Rs. 10 lakh crore Rs. 9000 crore Rs. 20000 crore Rs. 5000 crore Rs. 19000 Cr Rs. 8000 crore

Rural Total allocation for rural, agriculture and allied sectors MNREGA Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (Gramin) Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana

Rs. 1,87,223 crore Rs. 48,000 crore Rs. 27,000 crore Rs. 23000 crore Rs. 4,814 crore Rs. 4,500 crore

Infrastructure Total Infrastructure Allocation Allocation in Transportation Sector including rail, roads, shipping Railway Sector Allocation for Highway

Rs. 3,96,135 crore Rs. 2,41,387 crore Rs. 1,31,000 crore Rs. 64,900 crore

Key Points: 

The total Budget expenditure allocated for 2017-18 is Rs. 21.47 lakh crores.  A political party can receive a maximum of Rs 2000 in cash per person.  For individuals with income between Rs. 2.5 Lakh and Rs.5 lakh rate of taxation has been reduced from 10% to 5%.  For individuals whose annual taxable income is between Rs. 50 lakhs and Rs.       

1 crore a surcharge of 10% of tax payable will be levied. Single Page Income Tax Return filing form for taxable income under Rs. 5 lakh. Small firms with turnover up to Rs.50 crore will now only need to pay 25% tax instead of 30%. No cash transaction above Rs 3 lakh will be permitted. The holding period for considering the Capital Gain Tax of immovable property has been increased from 2 years to 3 years. Minimum Alternate Tax (MAT) has been proposed to be carry forwarded for 15 years instead of 10 years. In MSME sector for companies with turnover upto Rs. 50 crore the income tax will be reduced to 25%. Basic customs duty on LNG reduced from 5% to 2.5%.

Latest Banking Apps: Apps/Portals

Launched by

Truecaller Pay

ICICI Bank

Mera iMobile

ICICI Bank

“Eazypay”

ICICI Bank

Appzillon

Karnataka Bank

‘811’ zero-balance app

Kotak Mahindra Bank

SIMsePAY

Yes Bank

YES mPower

Yes Bank

Aadhaar Pay

IDFC Bank

Chatbot Eva

HDFC Bank

FASTag service

Karur Vysya Bank

Batuaa

Oriental Bank of Commerce

Selfie

Federal Bank

BPay app

Fino Payments Bank

BANKING NEWS 2017: World Bank  India signs Loan Agreement with the World Bank for USD 36 Million for “Himachal Pradesh Public Financial Management Capacity Building Program”  India Signs Loan Agreement with the World Bank for USD 39.2 Million for the project “Assam Citizen Centric Service Delivery”  World Bank sanctions 44 million dollars for ASPIRe.  Bolivia declared total independence from World Bank & IMF  ICAR to undertake major research works on agriculture with World Bank fund  World Bank allocates $8 bn for China's Silk Road project  World Bank approves $500 million grant package for Afghanistan projects  World Bank clears $250-million loan for Skill India Mission  World Bank, AIIB to grant $380 million to Andhra Pradesh power project

RBI  

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New 500 rupee banknotes have been launched by RBI with inset letter 'A'. RBI issued new Rs 200 and Rs 50 denomination banknotes in the Mahatma Gandhi (New) Series (Rs.200 Note: Dimension: 66mm X 146mm, Colour: Bright yellow and Motif: Sanchi Stupa). (Rs.50 Note: Dimension: 66mm x 135mm. Colour: Fluorescent Blue and Motif: 'Hampi with Chariot) RBI has imposed a penalty of Rs. 3 crore on state-owned Union Bank of India for KYC “non-compliance” Ujjivan Small Finance Bank Ltd has been given scheduled bank status by RBI. RBI to introduce new Rs.100 coins along with special Rs.5 coins to commemorate the occasion of MG Ramachandran’s Birth Centenary RBI will also issue Rs.100 coins along with special Rs.10 coins to mark the birth centenary of MS Subbulakshmi. India’s Forex Reserves Top $400 billion for the First Time. RBI announced that Masala bonds will be treated as External Commercial Borrowings (ECB) RBI included HDFC Bank in the list of 'too big to fail' lenders RBI Opens Branch in Dehradun. Banks to Provide Funds at 7% to Women SHGs under DAY-NRLM: RBI DBS Bank Gets RBI Nod for Subsidiary in India RBI has initiated a 'prompt corrective action' against Oriental Bank of Commerce RBI initiates ‘prompt corrective action’ for Dena Bank RBI initiates PCA against Bank of Maharashtra RBI initiates prompt corrective actions on Central Bank of India. RBI to Pay Rs 30,659 cr Dividend to Government RBI is to launch a financial literacy drive in 80 blocks in nine states on the pilot basis to educate people on e-transactions, formal sector borrowings and insurance purchases.

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SBI signs MoU with Escorts for tractor financing 400 crore rupees for Rooftop solar projects announced by SBI. SBI cuts rate on home loan above Rs. 75 lakh by 10 bps to 8.6%. Tirumala Milk Products & State Bank of India has entered into a tie up for providing loans to dairy farmers Nepal SBI launches first paperless Banking services sbi INTOUCH SBI waives charge on IMPS fund transfer of up to Rs 1,000. State Bank of India launches website for home buyers - SBI Realty SBI, Samsung collaborate to advance Digital India initiative. SBI launches Indian bond index series in London SBI launches Chatbot to Help Customers in Banking Activities SBI to Set Up Country's Largest Innovation Centre at Mumbai SBI Launched SME Assist for MSME Clients. Odisha Government Department Signs MOU with SBI for integration of SBI e-Pay with the cyber treasury. SBI launches chatbot to help customers in banking activities. SBI to fund Maharashtra govt affordable housing schemes. SBI waives account closing fees

YES BANK  Indus OS partners with Yes Bank to launch OS-integrated UPI platform  Yes Bank Commits Rs 156 cr for Namami Gange Project  Yes Bank gets $150 mn from OPIC to fund SME lending  Yes Bank Partners with Abu Dhabi Global Markets for Collaboration on Fintech  Yes Bank partners with TerraPay for faster international remittance. AXIS BANK  Axis Bank to issue biodegradable prepaid gift cards  Freyr Energy Ties up With Axis Bank  GMR gets Rs. 1,330 cr loan from Axis Bank for developing Mopa airport.  Axis Bank Set to Waive Off 12 EMIs for Home Loans up to Rs 30L @8.35% p.a.  Axis Bank Buys FreeCharge For Rs 385 Crores(Snapdeal sells Freecharge at 90% discount to Axis Bank. ICICI BANK  ICICI Bank commissions 200 solar-powered ATMs  ICICI Bank committed financial assistance of Rs. 10 crore to the Indian Armed Forces.  ICICI Bank offers up to Rs 15 lakh instant personal loan via ATMs  ICICI Bank’s new home loan offers 1% cash-back for every EMI. (The EMI cashback benefit is available for fresh home loans with minimum tenure of 15 years.)  NTPC signs Rs 3,000-cr term loan agreement with ICICI Bank.

HDFC Bank     

HDFC Bank Becomes 2nd Most Valuable Company on BSE HDFC Bank Launches All-in-one PoS Machine HDFC Life Launched Neo, a Bot for Twitter HDFC Bank launches SmartUp zones to nurture, collaborate with start-ups HDFC Bank retains its No. 1 position in BrandZ India Top 50 for the fourth time

Other Banking News                

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Aadhaar made mandatory for new bank accounts,transactions above Rs.50,000 ADB, IndusInd Bank partner to provide finance to women borrowers AIIB grants USD 150 Mn loan for India Infrastructure Fund Air India Ties up with PNB, IndusInd Airtel Payment Bank ties up with HPCL for ATM services Airtel Payments Bank launches UPI enabled digital payments Banks to Pay 3% IGST on Gold Imports BoB signs MoU with DGS&D for services to govt’s e-marketplace Canara Bank and New India announces tie up Canara Bank launches 'CANDI' - its first digital branch in Bengaluru Canara Bank unveiled two new digital services for online payments-Bharat QR(Quick Response)and Bharat Bill Payment System(BBPS) Canara HSBC Oriental Life launched ‘PoS - Easy Bima Plan’ China, ADB launch green financing platform to fight pollution DCB bank launches Aadhaar based iris eye scan customer verification service Dhanlaxmi Bank, DHFL Pramerica Tie up for Bancassurance Fincare Small Finance Bank (previously known as Disha Microfin Limited) kick-started its banking operations with about 25 operational branches across Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. First Regional Centre of NDB Opens in South Africa HSBC Launches App to Track Trade Transactions - Trade Transaction Tracker IDBI Bank initiates 'Project Nishchay' to improve financial performance IDBI Bank only PSB to get ‘high’ rating for code compliance Indian Overseas Bank launches retail mart in Thiruvananthapuram IndusInd Bank and Bharat Financial Inclusion Sign Exclusivity Agreement for Merger IndusInd Bank secures $200 million loan from ADB for microlending Infosys partners with ToneTag for sound based payments IOB launches retail mart in Thiruvananthapuram Private insurer Tata AIA Life announced the launch of ‘Eazy Connect’, that will extend online customer service to social media platforms. Punjab National Bank and state-run firm BSNL teamed up to roll out open mobile wallet Speedpay across 10 states in the country. Reliance General Insurance Gets IRDAI Nod for IPO

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SEBI inks pact with ESMA for information exchange on CCPs South Indian Bank ties up with PFG Forex TCS launches BaNCS app development kit to help banks Union Bank launches bilingual Android App - Union Sahyog Unions to observe July 19 as ‘Save Public Sector Banks' day US Banking Regulators Shut Down Pakistan’s Habib Bank US fines HSBC $175 mn for Lax Forex Oversight Vijaya Bank Inks MoU with HPCL for Digital Payments Vijaya Bank set to develop 100 digital villages.

INDIA in 2017  India’s first ‘private’ railway station Habibganj to come up near Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.  114-year old Taj Palace (also referred to as Taj Mahal Palace) in Mumbai has become first Indian building to get itself trademarked.  Election Commission joins hands with Facebook to Launch First Time Nationwide Voter Registration Reminder.  On June 30, 2017, PM inaugurated ‘Textiles India 2017’country’s first-ever mega trade event for the textiles sector in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.  Union Minister of Food Processing Industries, Harsimrat Kaur Badal inaugurated first Mega Food Park in the state of Odisha M/s MITS Mega Food Park Pvt. Ltd. at Rayagada district.  India’s first ‘freight village’ will be developed by the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh  Odisha to have first automatic coastal warning for disasters in India.Early Warning Dissemination System (EWDS) project for natural disasters will be completed by July 31.  India's first public bicycle sharing project launched in Mysuru, Karnataka.  A national human milk bank and lactation counseling centre known 'Vatsalya - Maatri Amrit Kosh' has opened at College in New Delhi  Indore has become the first city in India where a robot is being used on an experimental basis to control its ever growing and unruly traffic.  Odisha is all set to become the first state in the country to have a blood bank for the cattle.  The Minister of State for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi inaugurates first Gharib Nawaz Skill Development Centre in Hyderabad.  Delhi will be the first state police to get ‘super cop belt,’.  Raghubar Das, the Chief Minister of Jharkhand, has recently inaugurated the India’s largest fresh water aquarium “Ranchi Machchli Ghar” at Bhagwan Birsa Munda Biodiversity Park in Ranchi.  Rajasthan is the first state of our country has set minimum educational qualification to candidates for elections to village cooperative societies and various other cooperative bodies.  India is set to get its first high-speed rail training centre at Gandhinagar Gujarat announced on 13th of July 2017.  India’s first Lucknow metro network to offer free drinking water and toilet facilities and will also become the first in the country to have its own FM radio station  The Mumbai Metro One Private Limited has announced the launch of India’s first Mobile Ticketing System ‘OnGo’on 26th of July 2017. It will help commuters to buy their tickets on their mobile phones.  Delhi Metro is the first Metro system to become completely green in the world

 The 9 year old Kaamya Karthikeyan became the youngest person to reach the summit of the 6,153 metres-high Mt Stok Kangri in Kashmir  India’s First Heli-taxi service launched by MoS for Civil Aviation Jayanth Sinha in Bengaluru. Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) is the first airport and Bengaluru is the first city in the country with such a service  India’s first private sector missile sub-systems manufacturing facility was inaugurated near Hyderabad, Telangana.  India’s first railways disaster management village is expected to come up near Bengaluru by December 2018.  India’s first museum will open in Amritsar Punjab, as India and Pakistan celebrate 70 years as independent nations.It will have ‘The Gallery of Hope’.  External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will inaugurate the country’s first Videsh Bhavan, incorporate all Regional Passport Offices under one roof, at the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC)in Mumbai.  First water ATM has been inaugurated by Telangana State Home Minister N Narasimha Reddy at Nalgonda X Roads on 7th of Sept. 2017.  Kerala’s Health minister K.K. Shylaja announced that kerla is planning to open India’s first transgender-exclusive clinics at government medical colleges across the state.  Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has launched first Intelligence Wing of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and Welfare & Rehabilitation Board (WARB) App in New Delhi.  Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi inaugurated India’s first Centre for Animal Law that has been established at the NALSAR University of Law in Hyderabad.  Tripura became the first state in the country to set up family welfare district committees to deal with the issue of fake and biased complaints by women against their husbands, in-laws and husband’s relatives.  Dr Jitendra Singh had inaugurated the first ‘Pension Adalat’ on 20th of Sept.

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2017.He will award the Pensioners for their outstanding contribution towards ‘Anubhav’. Himachal Pradesh government started electric bus service for the first time, in Rohtang Pass.Himachal Pradesh is the first state in India to start this initiative. Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport became the first airport in the country to introduce a wheelchair lift or Verti-lift Vice president Shri .M.Venkaiah Naidu laid the foundation stone for the first and only greenfield smart city project, in Ranchi coming up on the HEC land MP CM Mr.Shivraj Singh Chouhan inaugurated a community toilet for third gender, in the Mangalwara area, Bhopal.This is the first community toilet for exclusive third gender usage in India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the setting up of India’s first “Marine Police Training Institute” at Dev Bhoomi Dwarka district of Gujarat.

 Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) has planned to make Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) as India’s first airport to have complete Aadhaar-enabled entry and biometric boarding system in the country by December 2018.  Rajasthan State assembly has become the first in India to call attention and adjournment motions and proposals online from legislators.  India gets its first High Power Locomotive from France soon. The arrival of the first bodyshell of 12000 HP loco from Alstom France at Kolkata port on 20th of Sept. 2017.

Central/ State Bills & Policies in News  Karnataka Cabinet approved the state Bio-Technology Policy 2017-22 and AntiSuperstition Bill, in Bengaluru. Bio- Tech Policy for 2017-22 will enable further development in the Biotechnology sector in Karnataka.  The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Karnataka Amendment) Bill 2017 has cleared by the Union Ministry of Law and Justice on June 8, 2017.  Union Cabinet has approved the proposal to introduce a Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance Bill, 2017.  President Pranab Mukherjee gave his assent to a bill banning hookah in Gujarat on 3rd of July 2017.  Requisitioning and Acquisition of Immovable Property (Amendment) Bill, 2017 introduced in Lok Sabha by Minister of State for Planning, Programme Implementation and Statistics Rao Inderjit Singh.  A bill has introduced in Lok Sabha for setting up of the Indian Institute of Petroleum and Energy in Andhra Pradesh.  A bill to grant statutory status to the Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs) in Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode was passed through a voice vote in Lok Sabha  Arun Jaitleyhas introduced a Bill in the Lok Sabha to repeal the necessary Acts in wake of the merger of State Bank of India (SBI) with its subsidiary banks  Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Bill, 2017, a bill amending the law on free and compulsory education to extend the deadline for teachers to acquire the prescribed minimum qualifications for appointment was passed in Lok Sabha.  The Banking Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2017, was introduced in Lok Sabha by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.  The government has withdrawn from the Rajya Sabha a bill to amend the Architects Act, 1972 which provides for registration of architects.  Rajya Sabha passed Footwear Design and Development Institute (FDDI) Bill, 2017 and The Admiralty (Jurisdiction and Settlement of Maritime Claims), 2017.  Government introduced in the Lok Sabha, Central Road Fund (Amendment) Bill, 2017, a bill providing for allocation of about Rs 2,000 crore from Central Road Fund (CRF)  Rajya Sabha passed Collection of Statistics (Amendment) Bill, 2017, which seeks to amend the Collection of Statistics Act, 2008.  Cabinet gives ex-post facto approval for amendment of the Constitution (Application to Jammu & Kashmir) Order, 1954.  NITSER (National Institutes of Technology, Science Education and Research) Amendment Bill passed in Rajya Sabha. The Bill proposes to introduce two new Institutions. 1.Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Tirupati. 2.IISER Berhampur.

 Constitution 123rd Amendment Bill, 2017 for setting up of a National Commission for Backward Classes was passed by Rajya Sabha  Lok Sabha passed two bills, 1.CGST (Extension to Jammu and Kashmir) Bill, 2017 and 2.IGST (Extension to Jammu and Kashmir) Bill, 2017, extending Central Goods and Services Tax (GST) and Integrated Goods and Services Tax (GST) to Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).  The Goa Legislative Assembly has passed a bill which regain coconut as a `tree, ensuring legal protection for it  The Delhi Assembly has passed the Minimum Wages (Delhi) Amendment Bill 2017and the Delhi Netaji Subhash University of Technology Bill 2017  Code on Wages 2017 Bill that seeks to fix a national minimum wage was introduced in the Lok Sabha  As part of labour law reforms, the Government has undertaken the exercise of rationalisation of the 38 Labour Acts by framing 4 labour codes viz Code on Wages, Code on Industrial Relations, Code on Social Security and Code on occupational safety, health and working conditions. It subsumes 4 existing Laws, 1.The Minimum Wages Act, 1948; 2.The Payment of Wages Act, 1936; 3.The Payment of Bonus Act, 1965; 4.The Equal Remuneration Act, 1976.  Assam passed the Industrial Disputes (Assam Amendment) Bill, 2017, regarding lay off of employees, in Guwahati.  The Cabinet approves the introduction of the Payment of Gratuity (Amendment) Bill, 2017 in the Parliament.  Assam state Assembly passed PRANAM(Parental Responsibility And Norms for Accountability and Monitoring ) bill that makes it mandatory for state government employees to take care of their parents and needy siblings or face a cut in their income.  Odisha government passed a bill for starting the first Odia language university for post-graduate in literature,linguistics and epigraphy.  Union cabinet has given approval for beginning of the Dentists (Amendment) Bill, 2017 in Parliament subject to modifications of drafting or significant nature.  Law Ministry approved the Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill 2017, in New Delhi. The Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill 2017 would enable the government to seize the property of economic offenders and defaulters who escape from India, through a new provision.

SCHEMES AND YOJANAS Central Government Schemes :

 The Aadhaar card has been made mandatory for government subsidy on purchase of kerosene and benefits of Atal Pension Yojana.  Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) the administrative authority of Atal Pension Yojana (APY) has now introduced “APY@eNPS” which involves a complete digital enrolment process.  The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the renaming of the new Central Sector Scheme – SAMPADA (Scheme for Agro-Marine Processing and Development of Agro-Processing Clusters) .”Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY) “covers for the period of 2016-20 coterminous with the 14th Finance Commission cycle.  Government has doubled monthly child care allowance for women with disabilities. At present, the allowance of Rs. 1500 per month is given to differently-abled female employees for taking care of their newborn child. This has been raised to Rs. 3000 per month.  A revamped ‘Khelo India’ scheme has been approved by union cabinet. There may be 1,000 selected athletes will receive an annual scholarship of Rs5 lakh each for eight years under this scheme  Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Mr.Dharmendra Pradhan launched the ‘Pradhan Mantri LPG Panchayat’ in Mota Ishanpur village of Gujarat.  Narendra Modi launched a new scheme, Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana –‘Saubhagya’, to carry out electrification of all households in India.The total budget for this project is Rs.16,320 crore. Gross Budgetary Support (GBS) provided is Rs.12,320 crore.  The Cabinet approved the implementation of Umbrella Scheme of ‘Modernisation of Police Forces (MPF)’ for years 2017-18 to 2019-20. The estimated cost of the scheme is Rs.25,060 crore.  Government is finalising the Electoral Bonds Scheme, in New Delhi. Mr.Arun Jaitley announced this at a book release, named ‘India@70 [email protected]’. This is being done in a move to monitor political funding.  PM launched Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan Scheme in Gandhinagar aimed at imparting digital literacy to citizens in rural areas.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) at Vadnagar in Gujarat to ensure full immunization to more than 90% by December 2018

 The Department of Science and Technology (DST) has launched a scheme named 'Visiting Advanced Joint Research Faculty' (VAJRA)  Finance Minister Arun Jaitley formally launched Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY), a pension scheme exclusively for senior citizens (60 years and above) with 8% fixed rate of interest on their savingsfor 10 years  Ministry of Rural Development will launch a new sub-scheme under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) which will be named as “Aajeevika Grameen Express Yojana (AGEY)”.  President Ram Nath Kovind launched Mata Amritanandamayi Math (MAM)’s, ‘Jivamritam’ filtration system, a clean water initiative, in Vallikkavu, Kollam district of Kerala. ‘Jivamritam’ filtration system aims at providing filtration for clean drinking water to 1 crore villagers.  In a bid to provide a boost to ‘Skill India Mission’, on October 11, 2017, Union Cabinet approved two new skill development schemes named Skills Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion (SANKALP) and Skill Strengthening for Industrial Value Enhancement (STRIVE).  Minister for Communications Manoj Sinha launched the Sampoorna Bima Gram (SBG) Yojana and an initiative for expansion of clientele base of Postal Life Insurance (PLI).Under Sampoorna Bima Gram (SBG) Yojana, at least one village (having a minimum of 100 households) will be identified in each of the revenue districts India. State Government Schemes  Jharkhand Government launched the “Shaheed Gram Vikas Yojana” at Ulihatu Village ,Khunti district of Jharkhand.The scheme aims at developing the villages of freedom fighters in the state.  Odisha Government launched ‘Sampurna (Sishu Abond Matru Mrityuhara Purna Nirakaran Abhijan) Yojna’ scheme for pregnant women, in Odisha.Under the scheme gov will provide Rs.1,000 as transport cost for pregnant women to travel to the hospital from inaccessible areas arranging their own vehicles.  Telangana State Gov launched single-woman pension scheme across the state, thereby becoming the first state in India to launch such scheme. Under this scheme, Telangana State Govt. will provide 1,000 financial assistance per month to single women.  Punjab State government launched the “Chief Minister Scholarship Scheme” with an aim to provide cheaper and quality technical education to the meritorious and poor students of the state.  Madhya Pradesh government has launched a new debt relief scheme “Krishi Rin Samadhan Yojana” for farmers. The cabinet has allocated Rs 1,000 crore for the scheme.  Maharashtra government has approved a revised policy of the 'Majhi Kanya Bhagyashree' scheme who have a yearly income of upto Rs 7.5 lakh will be benefited from this scheme.

 Uttar Pradesh Power Minister Srikant Sharma has launched free power connection scheme for the BPL card holders in the state.  Punjab health minister Brahm Mohindra has launched a flagship care companion health scheme on 28th of July 2017. The main aim is to improve patient outcomes through better family engagement and education.  The Punjab government has announced the launch of its flagship 'Apni Gaddi Apna Rozgar' scheme by flagging off over 100 uber MOTO bikes.  Assam state government is introducing a new Scheme called, Scheme for Compassionate Family Pension (CFP) at Guwahati.The scheme plans to offer the compassionate family pension instead of job offers to family members due to some practical difficulties.  Karnataka government will merge the existing seven health schemes to launch a unified health scheme- ‘Arogya Bhagya’. It will cover all 1.4 crore households of the state. The main theme of the ‘Arogya Bhagya’ scheme is ”Treatment First and Payment Next”.  On 8th September 2017, Union Human Resource Development Minister Mr.Prakash Javadekar announced that Government would implement ‘School Chalo Abhiyan’ scheme in 2018, in New Delhi. This scheme has been introduced in order to enroll students who have dropped out from school.  Uttar Pradesh State Gov launched a mass marriage scheme called ‘Mukhyamantri Samoohik Vivaah Yojana’. Under the scheme, Uttar Pradesh social welfare department will conduct mass marriages.  Himachal Pradesh Cabinet under Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh approved ‘Heritage Tourism Policy 2017’ & ‘Mukhya Mantri Rural Road Repair Scheme’ along with other developmental and welfare initiatives.  Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched ‘Single Click Pension Delivery’ scheme. Under this scheme, the money will go directly into the account of the beneficiaries.  Karnataka CM Mr.Siddaramaiah launched ‘Mathru Poorna’ scheme, for nutritional wellness of pregnant and lactating women in rural areas, at Vidhan Soudha, in Bengaluru,Karnataka.The ‘MathruPurna’ scheme, aims at providing pregnant and lactating poor women in rural areas with one nutritious meal daily, for 25 days in a month.  Himachal Pradesh government implemented the Senior Citizen Health Insurance Scheme (SCHIS), in Shimla. The scheme would increase coverage of Rs.30,000 per senior citizen to all existing Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna (RSBY) smart card holders.

Government Projects  NITI Aayog has launched ‘SATH’ program with state governments for furthering the agenda for cooperative federalism. Acronym ‘SATH’ stands for ‘Sustainable Action for Transforming Human capital’.  Union Government has launched a Skill for Life, Save a Life Initiative on 6th of June. Its aim is to promote skill development in the health sector.  External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has inaugurated Know India Programme (KIP) for young overseas Indians at a function in New Delhi.  The Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DrJitendra Singh DoNER) has announced the launch of, “Hill Area Development Programme” (HADP) for Northeast in Imphal (Manipur).  Union Health Ministry has launched an Intensified Diarrhoea Control Fortnight (IDCF) across the country on 15th of June 2017.It has been launched to reduce child deaths due to diarrhoea.  Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines launched the Energy Conservation Building Code 2017 (ECBC 2017).  On June 23, 2017, Urban Development Ministry launched "City Liveability Index". It is a first of its kind initiative to measure the quality of life in 116 major cities including capital cities.  PM Narendra Modi inaugurated an integrated sports & entertainment 'Arena Project’ in Ahmedabad.  On July 6, 2017, ‘JIGYASA’, a student- scientist connect programme was officially launched in New Delhi.  President Pranab Mukherjee on 9th July launched digital initiatives Swayam, Swayam Prabha, National Academic Depository and National Digital Library in New Delhi.  Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, J P Nadda, launched the National Strategic Plan for Malaria Elimination (2017-22) at a function in New Delhi.  Government launched “AGRI UDAAN”- Food and Agribusiness Accelerator 2.0 programme in New Delhi.  Narendra modi has launched a New India movement from 2017- 2022, a Sankalp Se Siddhi (Attainment through Resolve) Program was organized at Coimbatore.  The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh has inaugurated the ‘YUVA’ –a skill development programme. It is an initiative taken by Delhi Police under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana.

 Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launched two new contraceptives, an injectibles, MPA (Medroxyprogesterone Acetate) under the ‘Antara’ programme and contraceptive pill ‘Chhaya’ in New Delhi.  The Union Finance Ministry, has announced that it is has planned to launch ‘Project Insight’ from October, 2017. A move initiated to restrict black money holdings and transactions.  'Anuyatra’, an empowerment programme for the differently abled launched by Kerala government. It aimed at bringing the differently abled to the mainstream and making the state differently abled-friendly.  Department of Biotechnology announced ‘lab on boat’ project for biological analysis of the Bramhaputra river.  Union Environment Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan unveiled India’s third National Wildlife Action Plan for 2017-2031, which outlines the future road map for wildlife conservation across the country.

COMMITTEES 2017

Name of Committee MHA Panel

Panel on National Education Committee on Corporate RBI Overseeing Committee

Chairperson Special secretary (Internal Security) in the Ministry of Home Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan UdayKotak Pradeep Kumar

Four-member committee of BCCI

CK Khanna

Nine member committee

Karnataka Gov

GST Council panel

Pradeep Kumar Sinha

AIFF’s Transfers Dispute Committee 10 member panel

Ushanath Banerjee Justice B.N Srikrishna

High level committee

Justice B N Srikrishna

Parliamentary panel

Renuka Chowdhury

RBI panel

Tarun Ramadorai

Parliamentary Panel

B C Khanduri

Task Force on Artificial Intelligence 29-member panel Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) Group of Ministers on the implementation of Economic Advisory Council (EAC)

Empowered Steering Committee (ESC)

Dr. V. Kamakoti K RajeswaraRao Shekatkar Committee Hasmukh Adhia Bibek Debroy

Based on the recommendations of the interim report of the8member Task Force headed by AbinavBindra

Agenda To examine the rules which allows free movement of Indian and Myanmarese citizens within 16 kms of the border To draft the National Education Policy To improving the standards of corporate governance of listed companies. To look at the stressed assets of the banking sector. To support staff of the Indian team and then decide on the contracts that will be handed to the coaches To design a 'state' flag and submit a report on giving it legal sanctity. To select National Anti-profiteering Authority Deal with the players’ transfer disputes’. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) appointed an expert panel committee that would study various issues relating to data protection to review the Institutionalization of Arbitration Mechanism Genetically Modified (GM)crop should be introduced only after biosafety, socioeconomic evaluation Rights- based privacy framework in household finance 100% pension to widow of deceased soldiers Artificial Intelligence (AI) for India’s Economic Transformation. To review the National Mineral Policy, 2008, and for submission of a report for a new National Mineral Policy. To enhance combat capability and rebalancing Defence Expenditure of the Armed Forces. To look at the issues of export sector and to recommend to the GST Council. The EAC is an independent body that gives advice on economic and related topics to the Government, especially to the Prime Minister . The committee will review the core probable list of each High Priority and Priority disciplines for Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and Olympic Games.

Hate speech on internet

T.K.Viswanathan

IRDAI panel

Dilip C Chakraborty

NITI Aayog Expert Task Force on Employment & Exports Group of Ministers on the implementation of GST Joint Parliamentary Committee Appointments Committee of the Cabinet Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) Cabinet Committee on Accommodation (CCA) Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs Afive member Commission Government constitutes a High Level Committee Uday Kotak-led panel Central Government has set up a study group a group of ministers (GoM) committee on GST The Standing Committee on External Affairs Reserve Bank of India (RBI) panel A Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence, Government committee Rajya Sabha secretariat, a fivemember committee

The committee has suggested that section 78 of the IT Act needs to be substituted and Section 153 & 505A of the Indian Penal Code needs to be amended .

To help in implementing the new risk-based capital (RBC) regime and it will also enhance protection to policyholders. Dr.Rajiv Kumar To provide a major thrust to job creation by enhancing India’s exports. Sushil Kumar Modi To monitor & resolve IT challenges faced in implementation of Goods and Services tax. Bhupender Yadav To examine and present a report on the Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance PM NarendraModi It is responsible for all appointments of higher ranks in the Central Secretariat. PM NarendraModi It deals with the activities pertaining to the economics of the country. PM NarendraModi responsible for all issues related to domestic &foreign affairs.The most powerful cabinet committee, also termed 'Super Cabinet'. PM NarendraModi It is one of the most important committees in India, it looks into the matters of defence responsible for the allotment of accommodatRajnath Singh ion for various top positions in Government. Rajnath Singh To look after the progress of government business in the Parliament of India. Delhi High Court’s former To examine sub categorization of Other Chief Justice G Rohini Backward Classes (OBCs) Chairmanship of Rajiv Kumar, For proper management of water resources Vice-Chairman of Niti Aayog. in North Eastern Region . Uday Kotak The study group will be headed by Rina Mitra (Special Secretary in the Home Ministry). The GoM has been set up under Assam Finance Ministe r Himanta Biswa Sarma

On corporate governance wants. to examine the problems being faced by the people residing near the International Border (IB) and the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir. to make the ‘composition scheme’ more attractive and also revisit GST rates on restaurants

Standing Committee on External Affairs headed by Headed by Janak Raj

Committee was formed to examine the India-China relations. on an external benchmark rate for banks

Headed by BJP MP B C Khanduri Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Prasar Bharati Chairman A Surya Prakash.

will examine the operational preparedness of the armed to coordinate celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary. to select the candidate for the post of editor-in-chief of Rajya Sabha TV (RSTV).

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) 2017

MoUs Assam govt & Google Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) Metal Industries Development Institute (MIDI), Ethiopia Gujarat government &Google India & Japan India & Afghanistan India & Armenia India & Armenia India & Armenia India & BRICS India & Cyprus India & Ethiopia India & Iran India & Israel India & Japan India & Japan India & Korea India & Mali India & Mauritius

India & Nepal

India & Norway India & Palestine India & Portugal

India & Somalia India & Sri Lanka

Agenda To increase digital literacy To implement a twinning programme

For Digital Gujarat For collaborative research in the field of silkworm and silk industries Technical Cooperation on Police Training and Development Cooperation on youth matters Cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space Cooperation in the field of Disaster Management Establishment of the BRICS Agriculture Research Platform (BRICS-ARP). Co-operation on Merchant Shipping Cooperation in the field of Information, Communication and Media Mutual cooperation on matters pertaining to securities markets. National Campaign for Water Conservation in India Disaster risk reduction,skill training developmental projects in the North Eastern Region of India . India, Japan sign $76 mn loan deal Co-operation in Rail Safety: For export credit of USD 9 billion For standardization and conformity assessment To institutionalise cooperation between their parliaments  Drug Demand Reduction and Prevention of Illicit Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance.  New Mechi Bridge over Mechi River at Indo-Nepal border  MoU was signed between the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nepal.  Modalities for utilization of India’s housing grant component to support reconstruction of 50,000 houses To extend health co-operation Cooperation in the field of agriculture Protocol of Cooperation was signed between the National Archives of India and the Minister of Culture of the Portuguese Republic in the field of archives in Lisbon, Portugal Agreement on Transfer of sentenced persons To provide fresh assistance of USD 318 million line of credit for the development of the railway sector.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 2017

 India has ratified the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol announced on 9th of August 2017 that commits countries to contain the emission of greenhouse gases, reaffirming its stand on climate action.  EU and France will give a grant of 3.5 million euros to three Indian citiesNagpur, Kochi and Ahmedabad.  India ratified two important core conventions on child labour – pertaining to minimum age for admission to employment and worst forms of child labour – at the International Labour Conference in Geneva, Switzerland.  India and Bangladesh have decided to construct a bridge over Mizoram’s Khawthlangtuipui River to facilitate trade and improve communication between the two neighbours.  The British government has launched a new project the ‘Grand Trunk Road’ to mark the 70th anniversary of India’s Partition in August 1947.  European Union (EU) and India announced the establishment of an Investment Facilitation Mechanism (IFM) for EU Investments in India.  The World Government Summit announced India as the guest country for its annual gathering on 11thto 13th February, 2018, in Dubai.  Indonesia has become the latest Southeast Asian nation to rename South China Sea as North Natuna Sea.  Australia became the 35th country to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA).  World Bank has said that India is allowed to construct hydroelectric power facilities on tributaries of the Jhelum and Chenab rivers with certain restrictions under the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).  US- India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) is being set up to enhance business relations between India and US.  India and US have established TWO-BY-TWO Ministerial Dialogue with an aim to elevate their strategic consultations.  Seychelles ratifies the ISA Framework Agreement and became the ninth member of ISA framework agreement.  Montenegro officially joined North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and thereby became the 29th member country of NATO.  Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates cut ties with Qatar in the worst diplomatic crisis to hit Gulf Arab states in decades.  The World Taekwondo Federation has changed its name to World Taekwondo on 25th June 2017. It is headqurtered in South Korea.  2017 India and China jointly submitted a proposal to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) calling for the elimination of farm subsidies by developed countries.

 Italian lawmakers on 5th of July, 2017 finally passed a bill making torture a crime under national law, after years of parliamentary haggling.  Malta parliament voted to allow same-sex couples to marry on 12th of July 2017.  Zimbabwe's parliament has passed a bill by amending the constitution to give the president (Robert Mugabe )sweeping powers to appoint the country's top judges without consulting any other institution.  Kenya passes world’s toughest plastic bag law. Those who are producing, selling or even using the non-degradable bags now face four years in jail or a $40,000 (USD) /(£31,000) fine in Kenya.  New Development Bank (NDB) of the five nations has approved $1.4 billion loans for sustainable development projects in China, India and Russia  Nepal’s Parliament has endorsed an electoral law for upcoming elections to the federal and provincial council  Saudi Arabia lifted its ban on internet calling applications like WhatsApp, Skype etc.  WADA has announced that it had provisionally suspended the WADA accreditation of the laboratory of the National Anti-Doping Organisation of France (AFLD) announced on 26th Sept. 2017.  China announced the commissioning of its first radar-evading J-20 stealth fighter jets into military service, in Beijing.  Austria’s law banning face veils such as burqa or niqab, came into force from October 1, 2017  From October 1, 2017, UAE has begun collecting new “sin” taxes on tobacco products, energy drinks and soft drinks  The first metro train to Pakistan has arrived from China as a gift to the country and rolled into Lahore and it is set to be launched in December 2017. This metro train service is Called as “The Orange Line Metro Train service”, and this is the Pakistan’s first mass transit system.  India and the UN Office for South- South Cooperation (UNOSSC) has launched a partnership fund for supporting sustainable development projects across the world.  UN General Assembly approved the establishment of a new office to help Member States implement the organization's global counter-terrorism strategy.  India won re-election To UN’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).India has been re-elected for a three-year term beginning January 1, 2018.  India ratifies United Nations Transports Internationaux Routiers(TIR) Convention,to ensure a secured supply chain and boost trade  Sharjah has been crowned with the prestigious 'the World Book Capital' for 2019 by UNESCO.

Robert Mugabe (Zimbabwe) Resigns in Nov 2017 as President. Held power for 37 years.

 A global treaty banning nuclear weapons was adopted at the United Nations on 7th July by 122 countries. But all nuclear states and NATO members have boycotted the negotiations except for the Netherlands.  India has contributed an additional million dollars to a UN partnership fund. It has launched to support sustainable development projects across the developing world.  The UN General Assembly has elected Cote DIvoire, Equatorial Guinea, Kuwait, Poland and Peru as the non- permanent members of the Security Council for a two-year term.  The UN has selected Dubai as the data hub for the Middle East North Africa and South Asia (MENASA) region.  United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has adopted a resolution to preventing terrorists from acquired weapons, particularly small arms and light weapons.  China launched its first cyber court specialising in handling internet-related cases in the e-commerce hub of Hangzhou amid a spike in the number of online disputes.  UN soldiers left Haiti finishing their 13 year military peacekeeping mission in Haiti.  US and Israel announced that, they quit from the UN’s cultural agency UNESCO, after US accused UNESCO of “anti-Israeli bias”.  WHO has declared the end of the latest Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).  Bolivia’s President Evo Morales has declared his government’s independence from World Bank and IMF.  WHO has declared that in the last three years Somalia had not recorded any case of polio disease and announcing the country polio free  WHO given the message to the South East Asian countries toassimilate their national plans and mobilise and utilise resources efficiently to reach the Tuberculosis elimination target of 2030.  The world's fastest elevator that can operate at a record breaking speed of 1,260 metres per minute is set to been installed in a skyscraper complex building in China.  India and Afghanistan are set to operationalize their first air-freight corridor.  China has launched world's largest floating solar farm consisting 160000 panels.  Estonia to open the world's first data embassy in Luxembourg on housing data and information systems between the two countries (Estonia& Luxembourg).  China has unveiled world's first train that operates on a virtual track using sensor technology instead of metal rails.  The world’s first emergency call telephone line marks 80th anniversary on 1st of July 2017 by police forces across, Britain.



The world's first saola breeding centre is being constructed in Vietnam's central region.

 The world's first full-scale floating wind farm has started to take shape off the north-east coast of Scotland  The world's longest pedestrian suspension bridge the Europabrücke or Europaweg (Europe Bridge) on 29th July 2017, a ribbon-thin span nearly a third of a mile long at in Randa, Switzerland  Nepal launches world’s First Climate smart landscape management plan for snow leopard conservation  The world’s largest and powerful X-ray laser- European X-ray Free Electron Laser (XFEL) presented in Hamburg, Germany.  Hurricane Irma has become the first storm in the world to sustain winds of 185 miles per hour for more than 24 hours  China has issued a commemorative stamp in honour of the world’s largest radio telescope located in Guizhou province on 18th of Sept. 2017  China has launched world’s fastest bullet train on the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway line to 350 kilometres per hour  On October 11, 2017, world’s first ‘negative emissions’ power plant started operating in Iceland.  Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has become the first female actor ever to hoist the Indian National Flag at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM),Australia  Utrecht has opened the world’s largest bicycle parking garage  The first regional centre of the New Development Bank was officially opened in South Africa.

FOREIGN VISITS

PM Modi Visit to Germany India and Germany inked 12 pacts - three memorandum of understanding (MoUs) and nine joint declaration of intent (JDI): Three MoUs between India and Germany:  Agreement between the Ministry of Health and BMG (Federal Ministry of Health) on cooperation in health sector.  Agreement on collaboration between the Ministry of Skill Development and Germany's BMBF (Federal Ministry of Education and Research) to facilitate training of Indian skill development officers and cluster managers.  Agreement between the AYUSH and BMG (Federal Ministry of Health) over cooperation in alternative medicine PM Modi Visit to Spain  As a part of his four-nation tour, PM Modi reached Spain on May 31, 2017. He thereby became 1st Indian PM to visit Spain in nearly 30 years after former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi visited Spain in year 1988.  India and Spain Sign Seven Agreements  After wide-ranging talks between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy at the Moncloa Palace in Madrid, Spain, India and Spain signed following agreements: 1. Pact on transfer of sentenced persons 2. Pact on visa waiver for holders of diplomatic passports 3. Agreement on cooperation in organ transplantation 4. Agreement on cooperation in cyber security 5. Agreement on cooperation in renewable energy 6. Agreement on cooperation in civil aviation 7. Agreement on cooperation between India’s Foreign Service Institute and Diplomatic Academy of Spain. PM Modi Visit to Russia Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended 18th Indo-Russia Annual Summit in St. Petersberg , Russia.The summit envisaged closer economic ties between the Indian and Russia.  Following the talks, India and Russia signed pact for 2 nuclear power units in Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu.  Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the St Petersburg Declaration to mark 70 years of India-Russia diplomatic ties. India, Russia to set up JVs to build aircrafts, automobiles - 5 MoUs signed 1. Agreement on intellectual property 2. A master framework agreement on building two units at the Kudankulam nuclear power plant 3. A programme of bilateral cultural exchanges for 2017-2019 4. An agreement on a feasibility study for a high- speed link between Nagpur and Secunderabad. 5.

A memorandum on cooperation between joint stock company ALROSA and India's Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council.

PM Modi Visit to France  Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met newly-elected French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, France.  After two-hour long talks between the two Prime Ministers, India and France vowed to work together for the successful implementation of the landmark Paris climate agreement and fight the challenge posed by terrorism.

Arun Jaitely’s four days visit to South Korea  Arun Jaitley participated in the India-Korea Financial Dialogue and the 2nd Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of AIIB. The theme of this year’s annual meeting was "Sustainable Infrastructure".  Indian and South Korea have signed agreements to establish $9 billion in concessional credit and $1 billion in Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding for infrastructure development projects in India.  The dialogue was followed by the Signing Ceremony of Economic Development Cooperation Fund  (EDCF) agreement between India and South Korea and thereafter, an MOU was signed between EXIM Bank of India and South Korea’s KEXIM Bank.  On 15th June 2017: Seminar on”Doing Business in India” hosted by the Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), FICCI and the Indian Embassy in South Korea.

Defence Minister ArunJaitley’s 3-day visit to Russia  On June 21, 2017, Mr. Jaitley co-chaired the first meeting of the India-Russia High Level Committee on Science and Technology with the Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin.  Mr. Jaitley co-chaired the 17th meeting of the India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation in Moscow with Russian Defence Minister General Sergei Shoigu.  India and Russia inked a protocol that lays out the roadmap to further boost bilateral defence cooperation, which ranges from joint development of futuristic weapon systems to a major upgrade of military-to-military ties. PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Portugal  During PM Modis’ visit to Portugal, India and Portugal signed 11 pacts for cooperation in various areas including cooperation in outer space, double taxation avoidance, nano technology, improving cultural ties, youth and sports, higher education, scientific research, and setting up of a Portugal-India Business Hub and an Indian Chamber of Commerce in Portugal.  On June 24, 2017, Indian Prime Minister Modi and Portugal Prime Minister Costa launched a unique startup Portal , the India-Portugal International StartUp Hub (IPISH) - in Lisbon.  On June 24, 2017, India and Portugal announced a four million Euros joint fund to bolster research in science and technology. PM Modi Visit to USA  India, US agree to strengthen ties to ensure peace in Afghan as they expressed

concern over rising instability in the war-torn country caused by terrorism.  Marking 70 years of diplomatic relations between India and the United States, the leaders resolved to expand and deepen the strategic partnership between the countries and advance common objectives. PM Modi Visit to Netherlands  During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Netherlands. The 2 Nations signed following three agreements: 1. MoU on water cooperation 2. MoU on Cultural Cooperation 3. Agreement on Amending Social Security Arrangement Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel  Commemorating Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit, Danziger Flower Farm named the flower Crysanthumun as 'Modi', on the name of Prime Minister.Crysanthumun is a new fast-growing Israeli flower.  PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel, first ever visit of an incumbent Indian PM  India’s Mahindra Telephonics and Israeli firm Shachaf Engineering signed a MoU to collaborate on design, development and manufacture of strategic electronics for military use.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifted his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu replicas of two sets of relics from Kerala, regarded as key artefacts of the long Jewish history in India. The gift comprise two different sets of copper plates that are believed to have been inscribed in 9-10th Century.  India, Israel sign seven agreements, to cooperate in fight against terror Nepal PM Sher Bahadur Deuba on 5-day visit to India Nepal’s PM Sher Bahadur Deuba made his maiden visit to India as prime minister. India and Nepal signed eight memorandums of understanding (MoUs)

Arun Jaitley visit to Japan 2017  On 4th September 2017, Mr.Arun Jaitley left to Japan for a two day visit. During the meeting issues relating to the US-2 amphibious aircraft were also figured out.  The two sides also agreed to commence technical discussions for research collaboration in the areas of Unmanned Ground Vehicles and Robotics.  India plans to buy the US-2 ShinMaywa aircraft from Japan for its navy. Last year, China had reacted angrily to reports that Japan plans to sell weapons to India at cheaper prices, saying that such a move is disgraceful. Swiss president Doris Leuthard is on a three-day visit to India  Swiss president Doris Leuthard will begin her three day visit to India on August 6 2017. The visit is significant as Switzerland is the chair of the Nuclear Suppliers Groupwhere India has been seeking membership.  Both countries will sign trade agreements and a MoU on railway infrastructure.

President Ramnath Kovind’s first overseas visit to Ethiopia and Djibouti:  On October 4, 2017, India and Djibouti signed an agreement to establish regular Foreign Office-level bilateral consultations.  The agreement was signed in the presence of Indian President Ram Nath Kovind during his official visit to Djibouti. It is to be noted that Ram Nath Kovind is the first Indian leader to visit Djibouti.  On October 5, 2017, India and Ethiopia signed agreements on trade, communication and media to boost bilateral ties. These agreements were signed in presence of Indian President Ram Nath Kovind during his official visit to Ethiopia.  India’s support to Ethiopia in the power sector, healthcare, and education sector was discussed between both the Presidents.  They also released a book titled ‘India- Ethiopia: 70 Years of Diplomatic Relations’.  President Ram Nath Kovind’s visit to Ethiopia is the first by an Indian President in past 45 years since President V V Giri’s visit in 1972.  During his visit to Ethiopia on October 5, 2017, Indian President Ram Nath Kovind announced that India would extend USD 195 million line of credit to Ethiopia for power transmission sector and another USD 2 million line of credit for medicines.

SUMMITS 2017

Summits& Conferences

Hosts

Key Points

BRICS Media Forum

Beijing, China

One Million Dollar fund established

Second Mission Innovation(MI) Ministerial BRICS Foreign Ministers Meeting Beijing, China BRICS Education Ministers

Beijing, China

To share knowledge and collaborate on priorities for clean energy innovation.

Beijing, China

Beijing, China BRICS Youth Forum

Beijing, China

SCO summit

Astana, Kazakhstan Bologna, Italy

G7 environment ministers meeting 2017 Biotechnology Innovation Organization International Labour Conference in Geneva

San Diego, US Geneva, Switzerland

World Summit on Information Society Namaskar Africa’ trade show

Geneva, Switzerland. Ghana

9th BRICS summit

Xiamen, China

International Hindu Conference

Kathmandu,Nepal

Indian Ocean Conference

Colombo, Srilanka

Eastern Economic Forum

Vladivostok, Russia Hamburg, Germany Hamburg, Germany

12th meeting of G20 Informal BRICS Leaders meeting

Creation of institutional mechanism in the form of BRICS Network University and BRICS Think Tank Council . Theme -Enhance BRICS Partnership, Promote Youth Development. Theme:“Future Energy”, India, Pakistan become members of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. ‘5-year Bologna Roadmap’ was adopted Indian Pavilion at BIO International C onvention & Exhibition 2017. India ratified two core conventions on childlabour – pertaining to minimum age of admission to employment and worst forms of child labour. implementation of the WSIS Action Lines for advancing sustainable development. M.J.Akbar gave a cheque of US$1 Mn as grant assistance rehabilitation of the Presidential residence

residence residence of Flagstaff House Theme - BRICS: Stronger Partnership for a Brighter Future”. Theme- ‘Emerging spiritualism: Renaissance of Hinduism’. Theme of the conference is peace, progress and prosperity The Eastern Economic Forum is considered as the biggest international communication Theme –“Shaping an Inter-connected World” G20 leaders adopted a World Bank funding The leaders had discussed preparations& priorities for the forthcoming Xiamen BRICS Summit.

World Petroleum Congress (WPC) International Model United Nations (MUN) EU-India Summit ional

Istanbul in Turkey

Theme “Bridges To Our energy Future”

Kathmandu, Nepal

BRICS Labour & Employment Ministers’

Chonqging, China

It is an educational simulation activity which students can learnabout diplomacy, EU and India announced the establishment of an Investment facilitation mechanism. China is the chair for the BRICS Labour & Employment Ministers’ Meet for the year

Brussels

Indian Road Congress (IRC)

Udaipur, Rajasthan

Global business meet

Kolkata

North East Connectivity Summit International meet on social justice Sankalp Se Siddhi Program First National Canine Seminar Coastal shipping and waterways summit World Congress of Optometry Good Governance and Replication

Arunachal Pradesh Bengaluru Coimbatore, Tamilnadu Manesar (Gurugram), Kochi Hyderabad Goa

The Indian Road Congress is the apex body of highway engineers in the country. It will focus on sustainable business practices in various areas,including power & energy. action oriented contemplations on sub regional economic integration between NE & SE Asia. A Quest for equity – reclaiming social justice. Participants took New India Pledge for building a New India by 2022, a Clean&Poverty-free India The theme " Canine as Tactical weapon in fight against Terrorism". The summit will be an initiative to explore the potential of coastal shipping and waterways. The aim of the congress is to give unique opportunity for anyone in the eye health . Good governance is an aid to ensure speedy delivery of services to the people.

RANKING & DISTINCTIONS 2017 Forbes

World's Highest-Paid Celebrities of 2017

Topped by American rapper and entrepreneur Sean Combs SRK ranked 65th Salman Khan is on the 71st spot

Forbes’

Annual list of top earners.(Female)

Forbes

World’s 20 highest paid actors

Emma Stone has been named as this year’s highest-paid actress Mark Wahlberg - world’s highest-paid actor ,Shahrukh Khan India’s Highest, Jack Ma becomes Asia’s richest person

Forbes Forbes

Highest paid author World’s 100 most innovative companies

JK Rowling 1.Salesforce 78.BhartiAirtel

Forbes &Transp arency Internatio nal.

Most corrupt country in Asia

1.India 2.Vietnam

Fortune Global 500 list Ranks companies by their revenues in 2016

Walmart(1st place)

Fortune

America’s top 500 companies

Tesla &Walmart are placed in the list

World Population Prospects - The 2017 Revision World Investment Report 2017: Investment and the Digital Economy

world’s population will surpass the 8 billion mark in year 2023 US, China and India are considered as top prospective destinations for foreign direct investment (FDI)

Sending Money Home: Contributing to the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals), One Family at a Time

India has been the top remittancereceiving country in year 2016 with USD 62.7 billion

Global Trends study

Developing regions host 84% of the world's refugees 65.6 million people displaced worldwide

UN Agencies UN United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) UN International Fund for Agricultural Developmen t (IFAD) UN Refugee Agency's

United Nations World Drug Report 2017 Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings 2018 (QS)

29.5 million people (0.6% of the global adult population) were engaged in problematic use of drugs and suffered from drug use disorders, including dependence. Top 3 in the world: 1.Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 2.Stanford University 3.Harvard University University IIT-Delhi - 172 IIT-Bombay - 179 IISc Bangalore - 190

Cornell University, INSEAD and World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO)

Global Innovation Index (GII) 2017

1.Switzerland, 2.Sweden and 3.Netherlands th India – 60

World Economic Forum (WEF) Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) World Bank

Global Competitiveness Report 2017

1.Switzerland 2.US 40.India Indians and Chinese were the top asylum seekers in countries such as New Zealand and Latvia between 2012 and 2016

BRICS

BRICS Innovative Competitiveness Report 2017

The Institute of Economics and Peace

Global Peace Index 2017

Top 3: Iceland, New Zealand and Portugal India th – 137

Institute for Management Development's A.T. Kearney

World competitiveness list

Top 3: Hong Kong, Switzerland and Singapore th India – 45

International Migration Outlook 2017 report

Global Economic Prospects–A fragile recovery

Fastest Growing Economies Estonia (1st place) India (4th place ) China is the leading BRICS nation

2017 Global Retail Development Index (GRDI) Top 3: India China and Malaysia Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of Child Rights and You CRY report children (250672) engaged in labour (CRY) Environmental impact UK-based Money Super Market survey

Topped by Mozambique th India - ranked 75

Mercer

Mumbai is the most expensive city for expatriates in India. Most Expensive City: 1. Luanda 2.Hong Kong 3.Tokyo

23rd Annual Cost of Living Survey

World's least expensive city for expatriates, is Tunis in Tunisia SKYTRAX

World's Best Airline in 2017

Qatar Airways

Social progress Imperative (SPI) with support from Deloitte

Social Progress Index 2017

Top 3: Denmark, Finland and Iceland rd India ranked 93

International Center for Climate Governance Swiss National Bank

World’s climate think tanks

TERI (2

Money parked by its citizens with Swiss bank

UK(1st place ) INDIA(88th place )

GQ India magazine

Most Influential Young Indians list

Actor Ranveer Singh & Bahubali Fame Prabhas

(OECD) and(FAO)

Agricultural Outlook 2017-2026

India will be the world’s largest milk producer by 2026

nd

Place)

International Organisation for Migration(UNMigra tionAgency)

GlobalMigration Potential (201015)

India second highest number of adults planning to migrate. Most popular destination planning to migrate is the US.

Travel+Leisure’(T+L) The World’s Top 15 Cities magazine

st San Miguel de Allende, Mexico( 1 place) Udaipur in Rajasthan in top 15

Fletcher Digital Evolution Index 2017 School at Tufts University A Report by Norton by in online harassment, in the Asia Pacific region. Symantec

India has been categorised under the “break out” segment

Forbes’s

India Rich List 2017

With a net worth of $38 billion, Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) chairman Mukesh Ambani

As per a survey by the Thomson Reuters Foundation

on the parameter of women safety

Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Asia .

University Rankings 2018

India’s capital Delhi is one of the worst megacities in the world. Japan’s capital Tokyo emerged as the safest city in terms of risk of sexual harassment. Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) has emerged as top- ranked Indian th institute IIT Bombay has ranked 34 and Singapore’s Nanyang Technology University has topped QS Asia University Rankings 2018.

A new survey named “Authentic Brands Study” \

Indian consumers regard

Globally, Amazon occupies the st nd 1 place and Apple the 2 , as the most authentic brands, according to the Cohn & Wolfe survey.in India Google as the most authentic brand

Global Hunger Index (GHI), 2017

Chile, Cuba and Turkey have a GHI score of less than 5 and have ranked as the best nations on the index.

India has ranked at 100th position among 119 countries

Brand Finance’s Nation Brands 2017 report The regulators list

th India has ranked as 8 most valuable nation brand

US retained its top spot as most valuable nation brand;

SEBI Chairman Ajay Tyagi has been named among the world’s top 10 regulators in the Market structure.

The regulators list is topped by European Unions Commissioner Margrethe Vestager

Indian cities Delhi and Mumbai have ranked 43rd and 45th respectively

Japan’s capital Tokyo has topped

Economist Intelligence Unit’s Safe Cities Index 2017

India ranks first

LinkedIn released a report

“The Indian Pharma and Biotech Industry”.

India ranks as the second largest market for pharmaceuticals and biotechnology workforce.

Travel+Leisure’(T+ L) magazine

World’s best airline

Singapore Airlines(1st place ) Emirates (2nd place )

National Consortium for the Study Oxfam &Development finance Global Infrastructure hub

Most terror attacks

Iraq(1st place ) Afghanistan (2nd place ) India (3rd place ) Sweden (1st place ) India (2nd place)

Global Infrastructure Outlook

India will need investment of around 4.5 trillion USD till 2040 to develop infrastructure.

Dell

Women Entrepreneur (WE) Cities Index 2017

NewYork (1st place ) Bengaluru (40th place)

Natixis Global

Global Retirement Index

1. Norway 2. Switzerland

Commitment to Reducing Inequality Index

3.Iceland

43. India Ministry of Drinking water&Sanitation

sanitation survey

Kerala and Haryana tops, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh has least access to toilets .

Oxford Economics

Asian Cities & Regions Outlook 2016

Delhi India’s largest

Bloomberg

Bloomberg Billionaires Index

Lika-shing is the richest man, Mukesh Ambani becomes Asia’s 2nd richest

Economi st Intellige nce Unit (EIU)

world’s most liveable city

Melbourne topped the Global Liveability Rankings

Scimago Institutions Scimago Institutions ranking World Report 2017.

1)Chinese Academy of Sciences. 9)CSIR, India.

World Economic Forum

Global Human Capital Index

India Ranks 103

China Development IKantar i Millward (CDI) Brown which specialized in brand equity research and brand valuation.

2017 Global Financial Centres Index

1.London 2.New York 3HDFC H remains K top position The report stated that Airtel, State Bank of India, Asian Paints, ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Maruti Suzuki, Bajaj Auto, Hero MotoCorp and Axis Bank comprise the rest of the top 10

BrandZ India Top 50

1.Russian gas firm Gazrpom. 2. German utility E.ON. 3. Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL). 1.Singapore 40 India

Platts

Top 250 Global Energy Company Rankings

HSBC

Best country for expats

Knight Frank

Global technology hubs

1.Bengaluru 2.Gurugram

Hurun India Rich List 2017

India’s Rich List 2017

1.Mukesh Ambani 8.Patanjali’s Acharya Balkrishna

International Telecommunicatio n Union(ITU)

Global Cyber security Index

Singapore (1st Place) India (23rd Place)

Sustainable Development Solutions Network

Sustainable Development Goals

Sweden (1st Rank) India (116th Rank)

APPOINTMENTS 2017 Designation

Name Sher Bahadur Deuba

Nepal's prime minister for fourth time

UkhnaagiinKhurelsukh

New PM of Mongolia

Mohammed Bin Salman Aleksandar Vucic Indian-origin Leo Varadkar Ana Brnabic

Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia New President of Serbia Next Ireland PM First openly gay and first female Prime Minister of Serbia

Jagmeet Singh

First non-white politician to lead a major party in Canada

Mihai Tudose Shahid Khaqan Abbasi Angela Merkel Bjarni Benediktsson (Resigns) Mercedes Araoz Halimah Yacob Peter O’Neill Hassan Rouhani Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif (resigns) Khaltmaa Battulga (Democratic Carrie Lam Ram Nath Kovind (NDA) Uhuru Kenyatta Paul Kagame Joao Lourenco

Prime-minister designate in Romania Prime Minister of Pakistan Chancellor of Germany Iceland PM Peru PM First female President of Singapore Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea President of Iran Over Panama Papers verdict Wins Mongolian presidential election Hong Kong's first female leader 14th President of India President of Kenya President of Rwanda Angola’s first new president in 38 years

JacindaArdern

New Zealand Prime Minister (youngest-ever female)

Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav

President of 72nd session of the UN General Assembly.

Sunny Verghese –

World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) Chair from 2018

Lt General Mahesh Senanayake Sandeep Chakravorty (India's Ambassador to Peru ) Justice Gopal Prasad Parajuli Kaushik Basu Sushila Karki (retires) Dalveer Bhandari

New Army Commander of Sri Lanka. New York Consul General

J-K Governor N N Vohra

Chief Justice of Nepal International Economic Association president. First woman Chief Justice of Nepal Supreme Court Re-nominated Justice as its candidate for another term as judge at the International Court of Justice. President of India International Centre (IIC)

Neeru Chadha

First Indian woman member of ITLOS

Indian origin Sikh Palbinder Kaur

First turbaned judge in Canada

Preet Gill

First female Sikh MP to be elected to the UK's Houses of Parliament

Darshan Lal

First Hindu in Pakistan's Cabinet in 20 years

Major Nana Kofi Twumasi-Ankrah

First Ever black assistant for Queen Elizabeth

M&M's Rajeev Dubey

Governing board of the International Labour Organisation

Raquel Dodge

first woman General Prosecutor of Brazil

Brenda Hale

UK supreme court's first female president

Former minister Lord Davies

Chair of the UK India Business Council

Brenda Hale

UK Supreme Court’s first female president

Dr SoumyaSwaminathan

WHO’s deputy director general

Zafar Mahmood Abbasi

New Navy Chief of Pakistan

John K Paul (re-elected)

Federations of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA)President Next UNESCO chief

France’s Audrey Azoulay

Indian Appointments Sunil Arora Rajiv Mehrishi Rajiv kumar Rajiv Kumar U. Kamachi Mudali Anita Karwal Nirmala Sitharaman Rajyavardhan Singh Ram Nath Kovind (resigns) KeshriNathTripathi Mukul Rohatgi Justice CS Karnan becomes (retires) Rajiv Gauba Yudhvir Singh Malik Subhash C. Garg Aruna Sundarajan Ajay Prakash Sawhney Avinash K. Srivastava Jagdish Prasad Meena Rajiv Kapoor Sanjeevanee Kutty, Arun Kumar Panda Ravi Kant, Anand Kumar, Ajay Kumar Bhalla, R K Pachnanda John Joseph Raninder Singh (Re-elected) Debi Prasad Dash Ruchira Kamboj JDU President Nitish Kumar TR Zeliang KK Venugopal

Election Commissioner Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Department of Financial Services Secretary chief executive of the Heavy Water Board CBSE chairperson First independent woman Defence Minister of India New Sports Minister Bihar Governor Bihar Governor Country's chief law officer (14th attorney general) First High Court Judge to retire while absconding Home Secretary Secretary, Road Transport and Highways. Secretary of Economic Affairs. Telecommunications Secretary. Electronics and Information Technology Secretary Consumer Affairs Secretary Secretary, Food Processing Industries Secretary, Chemicals and Petrochemicals. Secretary, Ex-Servicemen Welfare in the Defence Ministry. Secretary, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises,. Secretary in the Ministry of Shipping. Secretary, New and Renewable Energy. Power Secretary Director General of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). Director General of GST intelligence agency National Rifle Association of India President Director General of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI). High Commissioner of India to the Republic of South Africa Chief Minister of Bihar for 6th time 19th Cheif Minister of Nagaland. 15th Attorney General of India

Achal Kumar Jyoti Smriti Irani NarendraTomar Rajiv Kumar Himachal Pradesh DGP Sanjay Kumar M Venkaiah Naidu Sameer Garde Arvind Panagariya (resigns ) Rajiv Kumar Lt.Gen. Abhay Krishna Prasoon Joshi Justice Dipak Misra Banwarilal Purohit Admiral Devendra Kumar Joshi Brigadier (Retd.) BD Mishra Jagdish Mukhi Ganga Prasad Satya Pal Malik Arvind Subramanian Vanlalawmpuii Chawngthu Rajnikant Mishra Gautam Bambawale Viveck Goenka N. Ravi Harshil Mehta Baijendra Kumar O Panneerselvam Dipak Misra Rajiv Bansal Sekhar Basu Ajay Bisaria Y C Modi Dharmendra Kumar Rajiv Gauba Sanjay Kothari I.V. SubbaRao

21st Chief Election Commissioner Additional charge as I&B Minister Additional charge -Minister for housing and urban affairs. Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Chief 13th Vice President of India Cisco president for India, Saarc region As NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog Chief of the Indian Army’s Eastern Command CBFC chairperson 45th Cheif Justice of India Governor of Tamil Nadu Lieutenant Governor for Andaman and Nicobar Islands Governor ofArunachal Pradesh Governor of Assam Governor of Meghalaya Governor of Bihar one-year extension as Chief Economic Advisor Mizoram’s first woman minister in 30 yrs Chief of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB). India’s high commissioner to china PTI Chairman PTI Vice Chairman MD & CEO of DHFL NMDC chief Tamil Nadu Deputy CM 45th Chief Justice of India Air India chief 1 Year Extension as Atomic Energy Secretary High Commissioner to Pakistan Director General of NIA Director General of RPF Union Home Secretary Secretary to new President Ram Nath Kovind Secretary to Vice President

Ranjit Kumar (resigns)

Solicitor General of India

Banking Appointments KV Rama Moorthy

MD & CEO of TMB

Rajnish Kumar

SBI Chairman

Ajay Vipin Nanavati Nachiket Mor

Chairman of Syndicate Bank Re-appointed as a member of the Eastern local board of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Executive Director of IBBI Administrator for Sahara India Life Insurance Managing director of Manappuram Home Finance Directors of India Post Payments Bank (IPPB)

Dr. Mamta Suri RK Sharma Jeevandas Narayan K G Karmakar, Gauri Shankar

Shikha Sharma (Term Extended three- year from June 2018 ) Ajay Kanwal Mukesh Kumar Jain S Ganesh Kumar Sunil Kakar B K Manjunath Subhash Chandra Garg Ravi Mittal P R Seshadri Mohammad Mustafa David Rasquinha MD and CEO of Vijaya Bank Sankara Rao S.Aparna Vikram Limaye Ashish Chauhan Dhirendra Swarup Dilip Asbe B Sambamurthy

Axis Bank CEO Janalakshmi Financial Services- CEO MD & CEO of Oriental Bank Executive Director of Reserve Bank of India MD and CEO of IDFC Bank Part-time chairman Lakshmi Vilas Bank India’s Alternate Governor on the Board of Governors of ADB Part-time member on IRDAI board MD and CEO of Karur Vysya Bank CMD Of SIDBI Exim Bank MD Sankara Narayanan IFCI Chief Executive Officer Executive Director of World Bank MD & CEO of National Stock Exchange CEO of BSE BSE chairman Chief executive of NPCI NPCI interim Board chairman

Private Appointments Roopa Purushothaman Dara Khosrowshahi Puneet Chhatwal Vasant Narasimhan CMD of Coal India A.B. Pandey Abhay Firodia Pat Hickey (resigns ) Raj Shah Brian Acton (resigns ) Mahendra Pratap Mall Nagaraja Sharma Peter Thomson Ban Ki-moon Suresh Chitturi Vikram Sakhuja Abanti Sankaranarayanan Rajat Sharma Balraj Joshi Chuck Robbins Ram Jethmalani Binay Tamang Shashi Shanker David Harquail Rajiv Sabharwal Royana Singh Tony Douglas Shashi Shekhar Vempati

Chief Economist & Head of Policy Advocacy of Tata Sons CEO of Uber MD and CEO of Indian Hotels CEO of Novartis Gopal Singh Additional Charge as GSTN Chairman Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) president Member of International Olympic Committee Principal Deputy Press Secretary in US WhatsApp CMD of IRCTC CMD of United India Insurance First UN envoy for oceans IOC’s Ethics Commission head Vice-Chairman of International Egg Commission Advertising Club President Chairperson of ASCI News Broadcasters Association (NBA) president NHPC chairman Cisco executive chairman Retires as advocate at 94 Gorkha Territorial Administration chairman ONGC Chairman Chairman of World Gold Council Tata Capital CEO Banaras Hindu University’s first woman chief proctor CEO of Etihad Aviation Group CEO of public broadcaster Prasar Bharati

Nirupama Rao Vinay Dube Girish Wagh Travis Kalanick (resigns) Indian origin doctor Kailash Chand Russian Diplomat Vladimir Voronkov Rajesh V. Shah SN Subrahmanyan Hoshiar Singh Lt Col Raja Chari

N Chandrasekaran Sanjiv Goenka

Public Policy Fellow to US Think-Tank CEO of Jet Airways CV unit head Tata Motors Uber CEO and Co -Founder. Honorary VP of UK medical body Chief of United Nations CounterTerrorism Centre National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT)Chairperson. CEO & MD of Larsen & Toubro Chief of Copyrights office First Indian American after Kalpana Chawla to be chosen by NASA for one of its missions from 18,000 applicants at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Chairman of Tata Global Beverages IIT-Kharagpur chairman

Sambit Patra

Non-Official Director of ONGC

Industrialist Sanjiv Goenka Chairman, IIT Kharagpur

Industrialist Adi Godrej Chairman,ISB Hyderabad

BRAND AMBASSADORS Person Dia Mirza Sachin Tendulkar, Novak Djokovic and David Beckham Yuvraj Singh Muzoon Almellehan Amitabh Bachchan Priyanka Chopra Vidya Balan Vidya Balan Amitabh Bachchan Saima Wazed Sandeep Patil Lilly Singh Katrina Kaif Yuvraj Singh Nayanthara Kamal Haasan Bilal Dar Rahul Dravid Akshay Kumar Hritik Roshan

Brand / Campaign Wildlife Trust of India's brand ambassador UNICEF initiative Super Dad highlights the critical role played by fathers in children’s early development. Brand Ambassador of EazyDiner Ambassador for UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Ambassador to promote Goods and Services Tax Ambassador for Government's Skill India campaign Ambassador of the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM).

PV Sindhu

Brand Ambassador of Signature Global Ambassador of UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador of WHO Brand ambassador of Indoor Cricket Team UNICEF's Global Goodwill Ambassador Brand ambassador of Lenskart Laureus’ first Indian ambassador Brand Ambassador for Tata Sky Brand ambassador of Tamil Thalaivas Brand ambassador of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) Brand Ambassador of InCred Brand ambassador of Swachh Bharat Mission in UP Brand ambassador for health and wellness startup Cure.fit startup Cure.fit WHO Goodwill ambassador for physical activity in South-East Asia Region (SEAR) Ambassador of Swachh Andhra Mission.

Neymar P V Sindhu Parineeti Chopra Akshay Kumar Bilal Ahmad Dar Jacqueline Fernandez Corey Anderson Robert Mugabe

Goodwill ambassador for Handicap International Brand ambassador for Bridgestone India First Indian woman ambassador for Tourism Australia. Brand ambassador of the Swachh Bharat Mission in Uttarakhand. Brand ambassador for Swachhata Hi Seva Brand ambassador of Delhi Dynamos Event ambassador for U-19 World Cup 2018- ICC WHO withdraws as goodwill ambassador title

Milkha Singh

BUSINESS/CORPORATE NEWS 2017

Amazon Google Tez Suzuki Motor

Opened its largest fulfillment center in India on the outskirts of Hyderabad. Become the latest UPI-based payments app in the country. The app can be used to pay for movie tickets, utility bills, & make other transactions online. will invest more than Rs 1,150 crore along with Japanese partners Toshiba & Denso to set up India's first lithium-ion battery facility in Gujarat.

London's transport regulator stripped Uber of its licence to operate, affecting over 40,000 drivers in a huge blow to the taxi app. Samsung’s Bixby Voice now works in India. Bixby is meant to do additional & on-phone tasks which Samsung hopes will make getting things done faster & easier. Twitter Announced a test project allowing tweets to be expanded to 280 characters, double the existing limit in the latest effort to boost flagging growth at the social network. Samsung Tied up with State Bank of India to store higher variants of SBI debit cards on the app. Facebook Acquired an artificial intelligence (AI) startup Ozlo that specialises in understanding text-based conversations. Two Iranian companies

Signed the Iran’s biggest-ever car deal with French multinational automobile manufacturer Group Renault to produce 150,000 cars, beginning in 2018.

Netflix Amazon

Acquired Millarworld, a comic book company. Launched its virtual customer service (VCS) model, to create cost efficient employment prospects for skilled candidates seeking more flexible work opportunities.

BitBay (Cryptocurrency trading platform) Uber Google Microsoft

Launched a dedicated platform for trade & exchange of digital currencies such as bitcoin, litecoin, ether, Lisk, monero, dash & gamecredits. Launched a business to business model called "Uber for Business " has launched its version 8.0 the operating system as Android Oreo. Announced its 'Project Brainwave' deep learning acceleration platform for real-time artificial intelligence (AI).

Facebook Google

Rolled out 'Watch', a redesigned video platform for creators & publishers. Launched 'Hire', a recruiting app for small- & medium-sized businesses that also integrates seamlessly with G Suite.

Microsoft

Launched ‘Kaizala’, a productivity app that has been designed to enhance the collaboration & communication experience for Indian enterprises.

Amazon’s share price propelled founder Jeff Bezos to top of list of world’s richest individuals—for less than a day. Alphabet

Google CEO Sundar Pichai appointed to the board of directors of Alphabet. It is the second most valuable U.S. company behind Apple.

Siemens

Opened its first digital factory in India after one each in Germany & China.

Google

Acquired Bangalore-based artificial intelligence (AI) firm Halli Labs.

Nokia

Entered into a wide-ranging patent licensing & purchase deal with Xiaomi

Acquisitions & Mergers    

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Ambani has announced on 4th of June that RCom-Aircel merged company will be called Aircom. Microsoft has acquired Hexadite. It is an Israeli startup that uses AI to identify and protect against attacks. This deal cost $100 million. Amazon is buying USA based Whole Foods in a deal valued at about $13.7 billion. Bharti Airtel has received the merger approval between Airtel and Telenor Communications.from Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI), Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and National Stock Exchange (NSE). National Multi Commodity Exchange (NMCE) will merge with Indian Commodity Exchange (ICEX) creating the India's third biggest commodity exchange. SBI and Carlyle Group will acquire GE Capital's entire stake in SBI Card, the secondlargest credit card franchise in India. Yatra Online Inc, India’s second-largest online travel operator has acquired Air Travel Bureau (ATB) for $22.5-27.5 million. Axis Bank has announced to buy mobile payments wallet provider FreeCharge from Snapdeal for Rs 385 crore. Facebook has acquired an artificial intelligence (AI) startupOzlo that specialises in understanding text-based conversations Infosys would acquire London-based firm Brilliant Basics for Rs 62.76 crore (£7.5 million). National Company Law Tribunal has approved the merger of Reliance Communications (RCom) and Aircel Microsoft has announced the acquisition of Cycle Computing ONGC has given ‘in-principle’ approval to acquire government’s 51.11% stake in Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd Google has acquired a part of electronics company HTC Corporation’s engineering and design teams for $1.1 billion Flipkart has acquired F1 Info Solutions, a mobile and IT repair services company with a pan-India presence of owned and franchised centres. NABARD bought 7% stake in SIDBI for Rs900 crore from IDBI Bank India’s IndusInd Bank Ltd agreed an all-share deal to buy Micro-lender Bharat Financial Inclusion Ltd.IndusInd Bank has sealed the deal for $2.4 billion to buy Bharat Financial

FLIPKART Top 3 Buys

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

 The world's first hybrid "aeroboat" has been built by an Indo-Russian joint venture was unveiled in Moscow in June 2017.  The World’s smallest and cheapest private jet Vision Jet has launched in USA.  Chinese scientists have developed world’s most powerful submarine detector which could find hidden metallic objects, including minerals and submarines.  China's Navy launched its biggest new generation destroyer weighing 10,000 tonnes as part of its ambitious plans to become a global naval power.  Scientists in the US for the first time have successfully used gene-editing tools on human embryos to correct defective DNA that cause inherited diseases.  U.S. Navy recently tested the world’s first-ever active Laser Weapons System (LaWS). It is $40 million system.  Microsoft has introduced “Project Brainwave”. It is a deep learning acceleration platform that will enable faster system processes with ultra-low latency.  Scientists at The University of Manchester have created the world’s first ‘molecular robot’. This robot is capable of performing basic tasks including building other molecules.  Gurugram-based VVDN Technologies, in partnership with Ireland’s Embedded Downloads, launched the world’s first blockchain technology based smartphone ‘BitVault’.  Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) announced the setting up of a research centre for startups, academicians, environmentalists and entrepreneurs, in Guwahati, Assam.  National Centre for Combustion Research and Development (NCCRD), world’s largest combustion research centre was inaugurated at the Indian Institute of Technology,Madras.

Space News  India’s Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), also referred to as Mangalyaan, completed 1000 Earth days in Martian orbit and is still in good health.  National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is set to launch the world’s first mission directly into the atmosphere of the sun in 2018.  NASA’s Orion spacecraft, designed to take astronauts to deep space destinations successfully completed a series of tests for its critical safety systems.  NASA engineers, for the first time tested the effectiveness of a flexible solar array on space station that could be used to power satellites and spacecrafts in future.  NASA's Kepler space telescope has spotted 219 new potential planets.  According to a study published in the journal Nature the planet called KELT-9b is hotter than most stars. KELT-9b is 2.8 times more massive than Jupiter, but only half as dense.  Bengaluru girl, Sahithi Pingali to get planet named after her for research, app on lake pollution, crowd-sourced method to monitor pollution in water bodies.  NASA is developing the first-ever mission that will deflect a near-Earth asteroid  Astronomers from Cambridge University have discovered a smallest star in our galaxy.The star known as EBLM J0555- 57Ab  Astronomers had discovered seven Earth-sized planets orbiting a relatively nearby dwarf star. The system is called TRAPPIST-1. Environment  China is constructing for the 175 hectare the world’s first “Forest City “ in Liuzhou and it designed by Stefano BoeriArchitetti.  Assam government has raised a new Special Rhino Protection Force (SRPF) for better protection of the one-horned rhinos in Assam.  A rare ‘white tiger’ with a pale skin color has been spotted for the first time in the Nilgiris.  The Indian state of Telangana will have eco-friendly bridges for easy movement of tigers.  Vizag’s Rayichapalu is declared one of the rarest fish in the world by researchers from the Marine Living Resources Department of Andhra University.  Typhoon Haitang struck China's eastern Fujian Province with continual rain blows on different parts of the region.  Typhoon Hato smashed into Hong Kong on 23rd of Aug 2017 with hurricane force winds and heavy rains in the worst storm the city has seen for five years.

Rayichapalu Fish

DEFENCE NEWS 2017  Indian Army has signed a MoU with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to raise one regiment of the advanced Medium Range Surface to Air Missiles ( MRSAM) . The entire project has a total cost of Rs 17,000 cr.  China has formally launched its first overseas naval facility in Djibouti, an East African nation.  Central Government has approved a nearly Rs 32,000 crore “definitive five-year action programme” for the Indian Coast Guard to enhance its capability in maintaining vigil on coastal waters.  Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) has signed contract with Research Centre Imarat (RCI) for supply of Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missiles (MRSAM) to Indian Army announced on 25th Sept. 2017.  Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman flagged off the first such expedition by the Indian Navy, ‘Navika Sagar Parikrama’, at a ceremony at the INS Mandovi naval training base, Panaji Goa.  ‘Pralay Sahayam’, a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) exercise was held in Secunderabad.  15-day long joint military training exercise named Ex Maitree 2017 between the Indian and Thai army has begun from 3rd July in Himachal Pradesh  Trilateral Malabar exercise begins in Chennai on 7th July 2017. The U.S, Indian and Japanese maritime forces will be participating in the Malabar Naval Exercise  NATO military exercises Saber Guardian 17 exercises have begun in Bulgaria. It involves 25,000 military personnel from more than 20 allied and partner countries.  China and Russia have started their large-scale naval exercise “Joint Sea 2017” in the Baltic Sea. It has been announced on 23rd of July 2017.  A 66-member Indian Navy band has joined the historic Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in the UK announced on 5th of August 2017.  Indian Navy would join the Chinese Navy in the maiden International Maritime Search and Rescue Exercise (IMMSAREX) to be chaired by Bangladesh at the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS).  Seventh edition of India-Sri Lanka joint maritime naval exercise SLINEX 2017 started near Vishakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh in India on the Bay of Bengal.  Nepal India Joint Military Exercise Surya Kiran has launched and it is to be held from September 3 to 16 , 2017 at Saljhandi.  The air forces of China and Pakistan has begun a joint training exercise named “Shaheen VI”.  The Indian and U.S. armies started the 13th edition of their ‘Yudh Abhyas’ series of joint military exercises in Washington, United States.

 China and Russia started the second stage of their “Joint Sea-2017” naval exercises in Vladivostok, Russia.  Exercise Panda-Kangaroo 2017” were the first joint drills between China and Australia held in China.  Turkey was holding naval exercises with NATO members at a time of crisis in relations with several alliance states and controversy over Ankara’s plan to purchase weapons from Russia.  Pakistan and Russia will hold a two-week long military exercise DRUZBA 2017 in Minralney Vody, Russia.  Bangladesh Armed Forces Division and U.S. Army began their participation in the Pacific Resilience Disaster Response Exercise and Exchange (DREE).  On 13th – 25th October 2017, Mitra Shakti 2017, a joint exercise between India and Sri Lanka for military co-operation and interoperability, was conducted at the Aundh Military Camp, in Pune.

SPORTS 2017

Cricket Virat Kohli Yuvraj Singh

Fastest to 8000 & 9000 ODI runs Fifth Indian to play 300 ODIs

Virat Kohli

Became the highest run-scorer after 200 ODIs. During his innings against New Zealand, Virat overtook South African AB de Villiers's record.

Australian Cricketer John Wayne Hastings Kerala High Court

Confirmed his retirement from Tests and One-Day Internationals (ODIs). He plans to focus on T20 cricket. Restored life ban imposed on cricketer S.Sreesanth by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). World’s highest-earning cricket coach..He is paid around 1.17 million dollars per year Becomes first Bangladeshi to be inducted in MCC World Cricket Committee

Indian cricket team coach Ravi Shastri Shakib Al Hasan

ICC Next edition of Mens World T2O will only be held in 2020. Wicketkeeper-batsman Luke Announced his retirement from the international game. He also represented Australia Ronchi, (New Zealand) in ODIs. The eight top teams of the world will be competing for a winner's prize of USD 660,000 in the ICC Women's World Cup. India cricket coach Anil Kumble Stepped down from his position Pakistan Team Won ICC Champions Trophy 2017 beating India in the Finals. Ireland and Afghanistan International Cricket Council (ICC) conferred Test match status. Indian captain Virat Kohli No.1 Ranked Batsman in ODI and T20I in the latest ICC Rankings (as of Nov 2017) West Indies Cricket team Officially changed their name to WINDIES. Kuldeep Yadav Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) formed a special seven-member committee Muttiah Muralitharan Virat Kohli. England Misbah-ul-Haq Harmanpreet Kaur Mithali Raj MS Dhoni India has been ranked as the No.1 ODI Cricket ICC launches anticorruption investigation ODI

Became first male Chinaman bowler to represent India in One Day Internationals (ODI). To analyse the few contentious Lodha panel reforms which are being opposed by the Board's state units. The committee will be headed by Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Rajeev Shukla. becomes first Sri Lankan to be inducted into ICC Hall of Fame. only Indian in Forbes top 100 paid athletes Won ICC women world cup 2017 beating Indian women's cricket team in the finals. To get honorary life membership by Marylebone Cricket Club breaks into top 10 of ICC Women's ODI Player Rankings(6th position) Becomes leading run-getter in Women’s ODIs First Indian batsman to hit 200 sixes in ODIs and Sixth Indian player to play 300 ODI in Tests (Nov 2017). MS Dhoni has become the first wicketkeeper to effect 100 stumpings in ODI, surpassed former Sri Lankan wicket-keeper Kumar Sangakkara. ICC has confirmed that it has opened an investigation in Sri Lanka into corruption allegations. Chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav has become the first Indian spinner and Third Indian Bowler after Chetan Sharma (1987) & Kapil Dev (1991) to take hat- trick in ODI cricket against Australia at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

Cricket

Former Sri Lanka batsman Chamara Silva has been banned for two-year from cricket- related activities and for breaching the spirit of the game during a Tier-B first class match.

T20 series

Pakistan beat World XI to clinch the final Twenty20 match and the series at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium (2-1).

T20I

West Indies legend Chris Gayle has become the first batsman to hit 100 sixes in the shortest format of the game during their Twenty20 International match.

Test Cricket

South African all-rounder JP Duminy announced his retirement from test cricket, in South Africa.

IPL

Star India bagged the IPL media rights for TV and digital broadcast for a consolidated sum of Rs.16, 347.5 crore ($ 2.55 billion) for a period of five years. The rights from 2018 to 2022. Winners - Mumbai Indians, Most Runs - David Warner, Most Wickets - Bhuvneshwar Kumar and The Player of the Tournament - Ben Stokes. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has imposed a five-year ban and a fine of one million rupees on batsman Khalid Latif for his involvement in spot-fixing during the PSL.

IPL 2017 PSL

The Indian Women's Cricket team led by Mithali Raj reached the finals's of the ICC Women's World Cup 2017 in England. The Event was won by England Women's Team.

Tennis

Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal. This is Nadal’s 75th Career Title. French tennis player Caroline Garcia Chan Yung-Jan of Taiwan and Martina Hingis of Switzerland

won the men’s singles title at China Open 2017in Beiging

Swiss Tennis maestro Roger Federer

Won ninth Halle Open title by defeating Alexander Zverev in the final match played at Halle, Germany Won the Aegon Ilkley Challenger trophy with Canadian partner Adil Shamasdin on 25th of June 2017. It was held in Ilkey ,UK. Won the boys singles title of HCL Asian Junior Tennis Championship held in Pune.

Tennis star Leander Paes Indian wild card Nitin Kumar Sinha

Won the women’s singles title at China Open 2017. Won the women’s doubles title at China Open 2017.

India’s young paddler Selena Selvakumar

Won gold medal in the Junior Girls Team event to annex the 2017 Egypt Junior and Cadet Table-Tennis Open.

GaneshanNeelakantaIyer

First Indian to be nominated as a member of the Umpires and Referees Committee (URC) by International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).

Maria Sharapova of Russia beat Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus 137th edition of the US Open Tennis in 2017 (Winners)

In the final match of Tianjin Open tennis tournament.

Category Men’s Singles Women’s Singles Men’s Doubles Women’s Doubles Mixed Doubles

Men’s singles: Rafael Nadal (US OPEN 2017) Women singles: Sloane Stephens of US Men’s doubles: Jean-JulienRojer and HoriaTecau Women Doubles: Chan Yung-Jan and Martina Hingis Mixed Doubles: Martina Hingis and Jamie Murray

131st edition -Wimbledon Championships 2017 Winner Runners-up Roger Federer (Switzerland) Marin Cilic (Croatia) Garbine Muguruza (Spain) Venus Williams (US) Lukasz Kubot (Poland) & Marcelo Melo Oliver MArach (Austria) & Mate Pavic (Brazil) (Croatia) Ekaterina Makarova (Russia) & Elena Vesnina Monica Niculescu (Romania) & Chan (Russia) Hao-ching (Taiwan) Jamie Murray (UK) & Martina Hingis Heather Watson (UK) & Henri (Switzerland) Kontinen (Finland)

Category Men’s Singles Women’s Singles Men’s Doubles Women’s Doubles Mixed Doubles

French Open 2017 Winner Rafael Nadal (Spain) Jelena Ostapenko (Latvia) Ryan Harrison (US) & Michael Venus (New Zealand) Bethanie Mattek-Sands (US) & Lucie Safarova (Czech Republic) Gabriela Dabrowski (Canada) & Rohan Bopanna (India)

Neymer signs world record deal with PSG UEFA super cup football tournament Arjen Robben Switzerland’s Esther Staubli

Runners-up Stan Wawrinka (Switzerland) Simona Halep (Romania) Donald Young (US) & Santiago Gonzalez (Mexico) Ashleigh Barty (Australia)& Casey Dellacqua (Australia) Anna-Lena Grönefeld (Germany) & Robert Farah (Colombia)

Football most expensive player in football history

Real Madrid defeated Manchester United Retires from International Footbal. Arjen was in fourth position in the Netherlands “all time goal scorers” list. Set to become the first female football referee to officiate a match at the FIFA U-17 World Cup when Japan takes on New Caledonia in the final round group E match on October 14, 2017 at Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata

Spanish Super Cup

Real Madrid

Wayne Rooney

Retires from international football

UEFA player of season UEFA Women’s Player of the Year Real Madrid

Cristiano Ronaldo Lieke Martens Retained the UEFA Champions League title by defeating Juventus in the final match at Cardiff, UK. Won the U-20 World Cup final against Venezuela in Suwon (South Korea). Nominated as the '2016 All India Football Federation (AIFF) Player of the Year. Barcelona and Argentina star Lionel Messi Iceland has qualified to participate in FIFA World Cup 2018 World football's governing body FIFA has lifted the ban. won first Confederations Cup title beating Copa America winners Chile held 96th in FIFA World ranking, its best in 21 years. Brazil Topped a footballer legend from Italy confirmed his retirement Meghalaya CM launches at JN Sports Complex in Shillong To host AFC U-19 championship 2018. England

England’s Team Jeje Lalpekhlua striker First player to score 350 La Liga Iceland became the smallest Nation Sudan Football Association (SFA) Germany India Football team Francesco Totti Mission Football IndonesiaFIFA U-17 World Cup 2017 Winner

Moto Racing 2017

Grand Prix Canadian Grand Prix Azerbaijan Grand Prix Austrian Grand Prix British Grand Prix Hungarian Grand Prix Belgian Grand Prix Italian Grand Prix Singapore Grand Prix Malaysian Grand Prix Japanese Grand Prix United States Grand

FORMULA 1 SEASON 2017 Winning driver Constructor Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull ValtteriBottas Mercedes Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Sebastian Vettel Ferrari Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Max Verstappen Red Bull Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Lewis Hamilton Mercedes

Sebastian Vettel

PRO KABADDI SEASON 5 WINNERS

Lewis Hamilton

INDIAN BADMINTON SUPERSTAR

UPCOMING EVENTS

Summer Olympics 2020 – Tokyo, Japan 2024 - Paris, France 2028- Los Angeles,USA Winter Olympics 2018 – Pyeongchang, South Korea 2022 – Beijing, China Commonwealth Games 2018 – Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia Asian Games 2018 – Jakarta, Indonesia 2022- Hangzhou, China Hockey World Cup Mens 2018 – Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneshwar, India Women Hockey World Cup 2018 – London, England FIFA World Cup 2018 – Russia 2022 – Qatar

Women Football World Cup 2019 – France ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 – England 2023 – India Women Cricket World Cup 2017 – England (Winner England) 2021 – New Zealand ICC World T-20 World Cup 2020 – Australia Women ICC World T-20 World Cup 2018 – West Indies