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1. For the first time Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena visited China and signed 5
agreements in Beijing to Strengthen ties between two nations. Sri Lanka accepted China’s
invitation to become a founding-member of Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
2. The Ministry of Commerce released Foreign Trade Policy for the term 2015-2020.
Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced two new schemes -- Merchandise
Exports from India Scheme (MEIS) and Services Exports from India Scheme (SIES).
3. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh launched India’s first E-Vidhaan Mobile
app. With this initiative, Himachal Pradesh Government is expecting to save about 8 crore
rupees per annum that were spent on the paper.
4. Finance Ministry approved 1500 crore rupees for Andhra Pradesh capital construction.
The Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act, 2014 mandates Hyderabad as a common capital
for Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for a period of 10 years. New proposed capital of
Andhra Pradesh is to be constructed near Vijaywada Region on the bank of Krishna river
and is named as Amaravathi.
5. Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba becomes Commanding-in-Chief of Southern Naval Command.
Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba took the charge from Vice Admiral SPS Cheema. Vice Admiral
Cheema will now take the charge of the flag officer commanding-in-chief of Western
Naval Command.
6. Prime Minister's trophy for the 'Best Performing Integrated Steel Plant' was conferred on
Tata Steel Ltd. For performance year 2010-11. The Steel Minister's trophy, for the runners
up, was given to Sail's Bhilai steel plant.
7. Mustafa Kamal resigned from the post of President of International Cricket Council
8. Kotak Mahindra-ING Vysya amalgamation scheme gets RBI approval. This approval would
create Kotak nation’s fourth largest confidential sector lender after HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank
and Axis Bank when it comes to market capitalisation.
9. Andhra Pradesh State Cooperative Bank Ltd (APCOB) has been reconstituted into two
banks following the bifurcation of the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh. Now it will function two
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Current Affairs – April, 2015 (Vol. 1)
separate state cooperative banks – Telangana State Cooperative Apex Bank Ltd (TSCAB)
and APCOB for the residual State of AP, according to a notification.
10. Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik launched the much-hyped cheap meal scheme ‘Aahar’ for
providing subsidised food to urban poor.
11. India launched an enormous air and sea operation ‘Raahat’ to evacuate over 4000 Indian
nationals from Yemen. The operation will contain complete of 5 ships and 4 plane.
12. Punjab Government has launched ‘Padho Punjab - Khedo Punjab’ i.e. Learn Punjab - Play
Punjab Mission. It is a special mission launched to provide school students a separate
period in the curriculum for playing along with studies.
13. The Reserve Bank of India penalised 16 central cooperative banks with a fine of Rs 5 lakh
each for non-adherence of the Know Your Customer and Anti-Money Laundering
guidelines.
14. New Zealand pace bowler Kyle Mills announced his retirement from all cricket, following
Daniel Vettori in calling it quits after the World Cup final. Mills represented New Zealand
in 170 ODIs and took 240 wickets to be the Black Caps’ second highest wicket-taker in the
shortened game behind Vettori, who took 297.
15. The number of living people who witnessed the 19th century has dwindled to four, after
Misao Okawa, the world’s oldest person, died in Japan at the age of 117.
1. PMO appoints Gulshan Rai as Cyber Security Chief under the Prime Minister’s Office as
Special Secretary.
2. A five-hour marathon meeting of Andhra Pradesh Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister N
Chandrababu Naidu, approved Amaravathi (which is coming up in Vijayawada-Guntur
region) as new capital city for its historic prominence.
3. Saina Nehwal officially crowned as World’s No. 1 women shuttler with the release of the
latest rankings by the game’s international governing body.
4. Pranab Mukherjee, The President of India appointed Justice Sunil Kumar Sinha as the
Chief Justice of the Sikkim High Court in accordance with the Article 217 (1) of the
Constitution of India.
5. Subadhra Devi Rai, a nurse and a senior lecturer at the School of Health Sciences (Nursing)
at Nanyang Polytechnic in Singapore, named for this year's International Achievement
Award by the Florence Nightingale International Foundation for her work in the
healthcare sector for women and refugees. The award will be presented to Rai at a
conference in Seoul on June 21.
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6. Harvard University set to open an office in Mumbai. It is about to open its global
workplaces in India, China and South Africa to facilitate analysis and educational paintings
for its associates in the ones areas.
7. The 72-year-old former military ruler General Muhammadu Buhari wins presidency in
historic Nigeria Election.
8. Sunita Tomar, the 28-year-old mother who emerged as an anti-tobacco crusader after she
was diagnosed with cancer, passed away early in her hometown Bhind in Madhya
Pradesh.
9. Union Government launched Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric
automobiles (FAME) – India Scheme to increase electric powered, hybrid car gross sales.
It is part of the National Mission for Electric Mobility.
10. Renowned Hindi poet Kailash Vajpeyi died at 79.
11. Indirect taxes collections for FY2014-15 exceeds revised estimates by Rs 4,000 crore. The
total collections as on 31 March 2015 stood at Rs 5,46,479 crore based on the provisional
report as against the Revised Estimates target of Rs 5,42,325 crore for the FY 2014-15.
1. India ranks 119 on 2015 FM Global Resilience Index that measures business resilience of
nations based on economic, risk quality and supply chain factors, dropping seven notches
from last year. The Index has been topped by Norway while Venezuela is ranked last.
2. Govt. sanctions Rs. 900 cr for Swachh Bharat Mission to States/UTs based on proposals
received during 2014-15. Gujarat leads the states in implementation of Swachh Bharat
Mission during 2014-15. Out of the 2.70 lakh household toilets constructed during the last
financial year, Gujarat alone accounted for 60 per cent of them having built 1.65 lakh
household toilets.
3. India welcomes understanding between Iran and the E3+3 on nuclear issue.
4. New Land Acquisition Ordinance recommended by the Union Cabinet on March 31 gets
President’s nod. The new ordinance incorporates the nine amendments adopted by the
Lok Sabha.
5. The Union Sports Ministry has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the
India Infrastructure Finance Company Limited (IIFCL) for supporting badminton. As per
the MoU, IIFCL, a company under Ministry of Finance, would contribute Rs. 30 crore over
a period of three years (Rs. 10 crore per year) to the Target Olympic Podium Scheme
(TOPS) as part of its corporate social responsibility.
6. Amitabh Bachchan honoured by Egypt's Academy of Arts for his contribution to cinema.
This is the first time that the Academy of Arts has given a doctorate to an international
actor.
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Current Affairs – April, 2015 (Vol. 1)
7. Former Finance Commission chairman Vijay Kelkar resigned from Tata Chemicals’ Board.
Kelkar was appointed on the Board of Tata Group firm on May 30, 2012. He has also
served as chairman of the National Stock Exchange and the 13th Finance Commission,
besides being adviser to Finance Minister.
8. New Zealand cricket team captain Brendon McCullum conferred with the highest
cricketing honour of New Zealand i.e. Sir Richard Hadlee Medal for 2014-15. McCullum
won the award for his remarkable performance both as a player and the captain during
the 2014-15 season.
9. The Government of India issued the Guidelines for utilization of ‘Nirbhaya Fund’ with the
approval of the Union Finance Minister. Ministry of Women and Child Development
(WCD) is the nodal authority which can be approached by various Ministries/Departments
with the proposals/schemes, to be funded from ‘Nirbhaya Fund’ targeted to strengthen
the safety and security of women in the country. As on date, the total amount for the
scheme is Rs. 3000.00 crore.
1. India’s first chess grandmaster, Vishwanathan Anand has been granted the honor of
having a minor planet named after him. With this privilege, Anand joins former world
chess champions Alexander Alekhine and Anatoly Karpov who have had a similar honour
bestowed on them.
2. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Give It Up campaign at the annual energyfocused summit Urja Sangam 2015. The movement appeals to the rich people to
voluntarily give up their subsidy amount given on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders.
The money surrendered under this movement will be utilised for poor to get LPG
connection in rural as well as in urban areas who are still using firewood for cooking.
3. Union Government extended National Food Security Act deadline by 6 months. Only 11
States and Union Territories have so far implemented the Act which was passed by
Parliament in September 2013. The deadline had been extended for the third time so that
the remaining States could adopt and implement the law within six months, said Union
Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan.
4. Bharti AXA General Insurance Company Ltd. launched 'Smart Traveller' that offers global
coverage for students, individuals, families and frequent travellers.
5. India's largest online marketplace Snapdeal announced to acquire RupeePower, a leading
digital financial products distribution platform, with an aim to launch financial service.
Snapdeal will now offer consumers a financial services marketplace, a first of its kind
initiative in the e-commerce industry.
6. Indian weightlifting got hit by one of the biggest doping scandals in recent years after 21
lifters tested positive for banned substances. The Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF)
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has provisionally suspended the lifters, who tested positive across different
championships — both out-of-competition and in-competition.
7. The Union government will increase the number of work days under the Mahatma Gandhi
National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme from 100 to 150 in places where the
recent unseasonal rain and hailstorms have affected crops. The relief package will include
cash compensation.
8. West Bengal and Bihar Governor K.N. Tripathi, who has been given additional charge of
Mizoram, sworn in as the 16th governor of the northeastern state. Tripathi replaces Aziz
Qureshi, who was sacked last week. His term would have ended in 2017.
9. Ace Indian badminton player Saina Nehwal bowed out of the $500,000 Malaysia
Open Super Series Premier after losing her semifinal clash to Olympic champion Li Xuerui,
in Kuala Lumpur.
1. Delhi International Airport Ltd. won ‘Golden Peacock National Quality Award’ for 2015 for
their concerted efforts in building a culture of Total Quality across Indira Gandhi
International Airport.
2. PM Modi has taken the first real step in giving India's capital city, Delhi, a security cover
that cities such as Beijing and Washington already have — a nuclear missile shield. Two
long-range missile-tracking radars have been placed in the national capital region. The
next Indian city to be covered is Mumbai.
3. Central Bank of India has topped the listing of public sector banks with highest dangerous
loans together with restructured belongings as a percent of complete advances.
According to the information offered by the RBI to the Finance Ministry, Central Bank
of India’s 21.5 per cent belongings are both dangerous or have been restructured to save
lots of them turning non-performing belongings (NPAs).
4. Diageo, the world’s largest spirits maker, took full control of South African beer maker
United National Breweries by acquiring the additional 50 per cent stake in the company
from Vijay Mallya-controlled Pestello Investments for an initial payment of $22 million.
5. Mumbai Indians, the Mukesh Ambani owned franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL),
has hired Prakash Iyer as its chief executive. Iyer will be the first formal CEO of the team.
6. Maharashtra tops in solid waste generation by generating over 26,820 tonne solid waste
per day, more than any other state in the country, a recent Central Pollution Control
Board (CPCB) report has said.
7. PepsiCo will make Andhra Pradesh its national sourcing hub for fruit pulp and other agro
products for the Indian market, global chairman and chief executive Indra Nooyi
announced. "PepsiCo wants to make Andhra Pradesh as the national sourcing hub for
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Current Affairs – April, 2015 (Vol. 1)
mango pulp. And in the process, at least 33,000 farmers will be benefited by 2020," said
Nooyi.
8. World number one Serena Williams thrashed Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro to win her
eighth Miami Open title.
1. Navy receives first indigenously-built Scorpene-class submarine. First of the six Scorpene
submarine was undocked at Mazagon Dock Limited by Defence Minister Manohar
Parrikar.
2. A three party MoU got signed between Union Ministry of Textiles, Maharashtra
Government and National Textile Corporation for transfer of land for construction of the
memorial for Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar in Mumbai.
3. Public sector lender Dena Bank has partnered with government-owned LIC (Life Insurance
Corporation) of India to provide insurance cover to all Aadhaar-linked savings account
holders.
4. PM Modi launched India’s first National Air Quality index to monitor pollution level in 10
cities.
5. Ace Indian mountaineer Malli Mastan Babu who went missing in the Andes mountains on
March 24 during a climbing mission has been found dead.
6. Rajeev Shukla gets re-appointed as chairman of the powerful IPL Governing Council.
7. State-run power equipment maker BHEL reported a net profit of Rs. 3,461 crore in the
fiscal 2013-14.
8. Miami Open 2015 – Winners
 Men’s Single Title : Novak Djokovic
 Women’s Singles Title : Serena Williams
 Men’s Doubles Title : Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan
 Women’s Doubles Title : Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis
1. Southern Railway announced three special EMU trains on the MRTS route between
Chennai beach and Velachery on April 9, 25, 30 and May 8 and 10.
2. World Health Day 2015 observed globally with the theme FROM FARM TO PLATE, MAKE
FOOD SAFE.
3. Yuvraj Singh started new innings as businessman with YouWeCan Ventures. He is floating
a venture fund that aims to support young entrepreneurs by investing in startups across
sectors.
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Current Affairs – April, 2015 (Vol. 1)
4. Indian Grandmaster Dronavalli Harika wins bronze in World Women's Chess
Championship
5. Paris-based Syrian-Lebanese Arab poet Adonis has been chosen for this year’s Kumaran
Asan World Prize for poetry, instituted by the Kumaran Asan Memorial Association.
6. In a proud moment for India, a 15-year-old Indian-origin schoolboy, Pratap Singh, in the
UK has been awarded the Institute of Physics Prize for conducting an experiment that
verified an effect of Albert Einstein's theory of special relativity.
7. Online search giant Google has entered into a strategic partnership with consulting firm
Pricewater House Coopers to go after the Digital India projects and large enterprise deals.
8. The Directorate General of Central Excise Intelligence (DGCEI) slapped 570 crore rupees
excise duty fine against confectionery giant Cadbury India Limited.
9. Steel Companies partnered with Union Ministry of Steel to set up Steel Research &
Technology Mission of India (SRTMI)
1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Micro Units Development and Refinance
Agency Ltd. - (MUDRA) Bank to fund the small entrepreneurs under Pradhan Mantri Jan
Dhan Yojna (PMJDY).
2. Mayilsamy Annadurai appointed as Director of ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC), Bengaluru. He
took over as Director, ISAC from Dr SK Shivakumar who superannuated on 31 March 2015.
3. State Bank of India, the country’s largest lender, has reduced its base rate by 15 basis
points (bps) to 9.85% just hours after Reserve Bank of India (RBI) nudged banks to cut
rates while leaving the policy rate unchanged. One basis point is one-hundredth of a
percentage point.
4. Union Cabinet approved amendments to the Real Estate (Regulation and Development)
Bill, 2013. The bill protects the interests of millions of consumers and curbs malpractices
in the real estate sector. The decision was taken at the Cabinet meet chaired by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.
5. The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change proposed a colour-coded
system to re-classify industries based on pollution potential. As per the proposal, the
industries will be re-classified under three-coloured scheme, viz., Red, Orange and Green.
6. The Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) suspended its president Rajesh Tomar for
mismanagement in 15th National Para-Athletics games held from 22 March to 24 March
2015 in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.
7. The Industrial Finance Corporation of India (IFCI) has now become a state-owned firm
with the government increasing its stake in the infrastructure financing firm to 51.04 per
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Current Affairs – April, 2015 (Vol. 1)
cent. IFCI was set up by government on July 1, 1948 as the first Development Financial
Institution in the country.
8. Gujarat cricket team won the 2014-15 Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy played at the KIIT
Cricket Stadium, Bhubaneshwar. In the final clash, Gujarat defeated Punjab by two
wickets.
9. Coming to the rescue of farmers hit by unseasonal rains and hailstorm, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi announced higher compensation for crop damage and eased criteria for
them to avail government support.
10. Sumit Mazumder, Chairman and Managing Director, TIL Limited, has been elected as the
President of CII for the year 2015-16. He succeeds Mr Ajay Shriram as the new President.
11. Snapdeal, one of India’s largest online marketplaces, announced that it has acquired
FreeCharge, a mobile transactions platform. With this acquisition, Snapdeal can offer a
wide range of products and services, including financial services, mobile recharge and
utility payments with a growing user base of over 40 million.
12. Civil Investiture Ceremony (held at the majestic Durbar Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan) :
 Padma Vibhusan (country’s second highest civilian honour) – Amitabh Bachchan, Prince
Karim Aga Khan, Kottayan K Venugopal and D Veerendra Heggade
 Padma Bhushan (third highest civilian honour) – Jahnu Barua and Vijay Bhatkar
 Padma Shri (fourth highest civilian honour) – Saba Anjum, Mithali Raj, Bibek Debroy, T
V Mohandas Pai and Ravindra Jain
1. The RBI (Reserve Bank of India) notified hike in FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) limit in
Insurance Sector to 49 percent from the present 26 percent.
2. President of India, Pranab Mukherjee appointed Dr. Nasim Zaidi as the Chief Election
Commissioner (CEC). Zaidi is the 20th CEC of India and will succeed Hari Shankar Brahma.
3. Delhi has been asked to ban all diesel vehicles older than 10 years by the National Green
Tribunal, which said: “Pollution levels are at alarming levels and residents of Delhi deserve
better.”
4. Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) raised the transaction limit in exchange
traded currency derivatives to 15 million US dollars for both foreign and domestic
investors without having any underlying exposure. Earlier, the limit was 10 million dollars.
5. Uttar Pradesh Government conferred Sahitya Shiromani Samman on noted Hindi poet
Gopaldas Neeraj and veteran Hindi litterateur Uday Pratap Singh. Along with the award,
the duo was given a cash prize of 21 lakh rupees.
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6. Moody’s ratings revised India’s sovereign rating outlook to “positive” from “stable” on
Thursday, a step closer to an upgrade of the credit rating, as it expects actions by
policymakers to lift the country’s economic growth.
7. Union Minister of State for Tourism (Independent Charge) Dr. Mahesh Sharma launched
Visit Kerala 2015 campaign to promote Kerala tourism. The campaign is an initiative of
Kerala Government to promote state-specific tourism products including Ayurveda,
Responsible Tourism and Spice route.
8. Tamil novelist, short story writer and literary critic Jayakanthan died in Chennai. He was
81. He is survived now by wife, two daughters and a son.
9. China’s Olympic gold medal-winning hurdler Liu Xiang, one of the country’s biggest sports
stars, has retired. The 31-year-old won the country’s first Olympic men’s athletics gold in
the 110m hurdles in Athens in 2004.
10. Sim Bhullar makes history as first player of Indian origin to play in an NBA game.
1. Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO), the retirement fund body, suspended
the 1000 rupees minimum monthly pension scheme from April 2015. The end of the
minimum monthly pension provided under Employee Pension Scheme (EPS)-95 will hit
about 32 lakh pensioners.
2. Nasa’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) probe – the first mission ever
devoted to understanding the Martian upper atmosphere – has completed 1,000 orbits
around the Red Planet, four-and-a-half months into its one-year primary mission.
3. Flipkart, India’s leading e-commerce marketplace, has tied up with the Dabbawalas of
Mumbai for last-mile delivery to customers. The partnership is an effort to explore newer
delivery channels and opportunities by partnering with this unique community of experts.
4. Arun Kumar Jha was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Khadi and Village Industries
Commission (KVIC), Mumbai.
5. Richie Benaud, the former Australian cricket captain and legendary commentator died in
Sydney on 10 April 2015. He died after fighting a long battle with skin cancer.
6. Rajasthan Legislative Assembly has passed a Bill to hike allowances for all sitting MLAs and
those who have been members of the House since April 1, 2012.
7. Seoul city, the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea, was awarded the title of
Global Earth hour Capital 2015 after it won the Earth Hour City Challenge (EHCC) of World
Wildlife Fund (WWF). Thane city was named as the National Earth Hour Capital 2015 of
India.
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Current Affairs – April, 2015 (Vol. 1)
8. IndusInd Bank entered into an agreement to acquire Royal Bank of Scotland’s Diamond &
Jewellery Financing business in India and related deposit portfolio.
9. Former Air Chief Marshal of Indian Air Force (IAF) Hrushikesh Moolgavkar died in Pune on
9 April 2015. He was 95. Moolgavkar had the honour of leading the fly-past on India’s first
Independence Day on 15 August 1947, and also on Republic Day on 26 January 1951. He
had led the fly-past as a Squadron Leader.
10. State Government of Rajasthan and Hindustan Zinc, a Vedanta group company signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to improve 3056 anganwadi centres in five
districts. The selected five districts are Udaipur, Chittorgarh, Bhilwara, Rajsamand and
Ajmer.
11. The career social network LinkedIn said that it is buying the online learning site lynda.com
in a cash-stock deal valued at $1.5 billion.
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