Useful Questions for Upcoming Railway Recruitment Board (RRB)

Useful Questions for Upcoming Railway Recruitment Board (RRB)
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1.National Institute of Oceanography is located in which city?
Ans-Panaji
2.Air India on 7th March flew"world's longest"all-women-operated flight from Delhi TO which City?
Ans-SanFrancisco
3.which is female harmone?
Ans- Estrogen
4.Central Drug Research Institute is located in?
Ans- Lucknow
5.Thumba Rocket Launching satelite is located in?
Ans-Kerela
6. The C. K. Nayudu Trophy is related to which sport?
Ans-Cricket
7.The earliest known Indian script is-
Ans-Brahmi script
8.How many times the preamble was amended?
Ans-Once
9.The state with the lowest population in India is?
Ans-Sikkim
10.How many Island does Lakshwadeep consists of-
Ans-36
11.Which Mughal Emperor donated land for construction of Golden Temple at Amritsar?
Ans-Akbar
12.All India Radio commenced operations in?
Ans-1936

Weekly current affairs 7th to 12th March

•    To allow travelers to get their compartments cleaned by sending an SMS or by using an app or a designated website, the Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on 11 March 2016 launched an online service named - Clean My Coach
•    RITES (Public Sector Enterprise under Ministry of Railways) signed a contract to supply 18 Meter Gauge 1350 HP Diesel Electric Locomotives to - Myanmar Railway
•    Union Cabinet on 11 March 2016 approved the proposal to remove the criteria of minimum capacity utilisation for Single Super Phosphate (SSP) units that are eligible for subsidy, under - the Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) Scheme
•    Worldwide Cost of Living Report 2016 that claims that Mumbai and Bangalore after Lusaka are among the cheapest cities in the world was released by – Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)
•    According to Economist Intelligence Unit’s Worldwide Cost of Living Report 2016 the priciest city of the world is - Singapore
•    India defeated this country in the final to win the record Sixth Asia T20 Cup of Cricket in Mirpur – Bangladesh
•    The year by which China plans to land a probe on Mars so as to coincide with 100th year of founding of Communist Party of China – 2021
•    He was inventor of E-mail who passed away in Washington at the age of 74 on 6 March 2016 – Ray Tomlinson
•    The place where National Conference of Women Legislators was held – New Delhi
•    The name of the inquiry commission that give clean chit to the Uttar Pradesh Government in the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots: Justice Vishnu Sahai Inquiry Commission
•    The place where 17th International Congress on Infectious Disease was held – Hyderabad
•    The four colour classification scheme released by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for industries based on their pollution level – Red, Orange, Green, White
•    He is an Iranian billionaire who was sentenced to death for corruption by the Iran judiciary – Babak Zanjani
•    World Table Tennis Team Championship won by India in both the men and women category was held in this city – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
•    He will head a 17-member Indian wrestling team named for the Asian Olympic Qualification tournament, to be held in Astana, Kazakhstan from 18 March to 20 March 2016 – Olympian Yogeshwar Dutt
•    India agreed to collaborate with this country in standardization and improving the quality of AYUSH products – United States (US)
•    The economic growth rate set by China for the financial year 2016 – 6.5%
•    The Indian bank that was granted operating license along with three Asian Banks by the Myanmar government – State Bank of India
•    Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into the services sector surged 85.5 percent in the first nine months of the financial year 2015-16 to reach - 4.25 billion dollars
•    She is a renowned Dogri poetess and writer who was awarded Krutitava Smagra Samman for 2015 by Bharatiya's Bhasha Parishad, Kolkata - Padma Sachdev
•    This spiritual organisation was fined 5 crore rupees by the NGT for causing damage to the Yamuna flood plain to organize 2-day World Culture Festival in New Delhi – The Art of Living Foundation
•    To this company the Ratna and R-series oil fields were given back on 10 March 2016 by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs - Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited
•    This city will host the Maritime India Summit for 2-days beginning from 14 April 2015 – Mumbai
•    To achieve these objectives the revised policy on gas production from Deep Waters & HPHT areas was approved the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs – Marketing and Pricing freedom
•    The city which was ranked as the most expensive city in the world by the Economist Intelligence Unit is - Singapore
•    The Finnish city that will host the 2018 U-20 World Championships in Athletics is - Tampere
•    The Union Cabinet on 10 March 2016 approved the Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy which will replace the - New Exploration Licensing Policy
•    The university that won the annual Visitor’s Award for the Best University is - Tezpur University
•    The NITI Aayog in partnership with the UN in India and MyGov launched the - Women Transforming India initiative
•    The Centre and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) organised a three-day conference in New Delhi on the theme of - 'Advancing Asia: Investing for the Future'
•    Rest of India on 10 March 2016 won the Irani Cup Cricket title by defeating 41-time Ranji Champions - Mumbai
•    Union Government on 10 March 2016 appointed former Supreme Court judge Justice Balbir Singh Chauhan as the chairperson of - 21st Law Commission
•    Egyptian diplomat and former Foreign Minister who was named as Secretary General of the Arab League on 10 March 2016 - Ahmed Abul Gheit
•    Rajya Sabha on 10 March 2016 passed the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, 2015 that seeks to set up a - Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA)
•    The Supreme Court on 10 March 2016 asked telecom operators to give an undertaking that they have not exceeded this percent of threshold limit of call drops as mandated in the regulations of TRAI – Two percent
•    Indian Naval Ship that will participate in the Mauritius National Day celebrations to strengthen the existing bonds of friendship between the two nations - INS Tabar
•    Myanmar's lower house of parliament voted to confirm a close friend and confidant of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi as its presidential candidate - Htin Kyaw
•    The scheme that was approved by the CCEA to provide free LPG connections to the BPL households across the country - Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana
•    This State became the first in the country to issue bonds under the Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana – Uttar Pradesh
•    India signed an agreement with this country to provide over 400 million US dollars to finance three water supply projects in that country – Sri Lanka
•    ISRO on 10 March 2016 launched the country’s sixth navigation satellite IRNSS-1F, on board the trusted launch vehicle - PSLV C-32
•    The Allahabad High Court (HC) on 9 March 2016 asked the Uttar Pradesh (UP) to immediately stop illegal mining in reserved forest areas of - Sonbhadra district
•    The Rajya Sabha on 9 March 2016 passed National Waterways Bill, 2015 that seeks to unleash the navigation potential of - India’s larger river ways resources
•    The eight time Grammy Award-winning Brazilian percussionist, who died on 9 March 2016 in Recife, Brazil at the age of 71 - Nana Vasconcelos
•    The first-ever all girls National Cadet Corps (NCC) Mount Everest expedition that was flagged off on 9 March 2016 will be led by - Colonel Gaurav Karki
•    A State’s Council of Secondary Education made singing of National Anthem compulsory in all schools affiliated to the council - West Bengal
•    In the wake of a court order and wide-spread protest, the Kerala State Cabinet on 9 March 2016 withdrew its controversial order to fill up a portion of - Methran Lake & land filling at Kadamakkudi, Kochi
•    Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament, on 9 March 2016 passed the Enemy Property (Amendment and Validation) Bill, 2016 that seeks to make amendments to the 48-year-old - Enemy Property Act, 1968
•    This pass at the height of 3727 feet lies on the crest of the Patkai Hills on the India-Burma border was in news in March 2016 - Pangsau Pass
•    As per ICC’s announcement on 9 March 2016, the venue of India and Pakistan World T20 match has been shifted from Dharamsala to - Kolkata
•    The Union Government signed a Raptor Mou for Conservation of birds of prey in - Africa and Eurasia
•    The pharmaceutical company that announced the completion of the acquisition of privately held US-based GAVIS Pharmaceuticals LLC and Novel Laboratories (GAVIS) is - Lupin
•    The 100% subsidiary of Tata Power which signed an agreement to completely acquire Indo Rama Renewables Jath Limited (IRRJL) is - Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited
•    India extended 2 billion US dollar Line of Credit (LOC), the biggest credit line India has so far extended to any country, to - Bangladesh
•    The Act under which the Joint Secretary level Nominated Authority post was created in the Ministry of Coal by the Union Cabinet - Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act, 2015
•    The Union Cabinet gave its approval for entering into a MoU on setting up of this agency’s South Asia regional training centre in India – International Monetary Fund
•    This company was given 12 industrial licenses by the DIPP for manufacturing defence systems - Reliance Defence
•    He was elected as the President of Aluminium Association of India - Tapan Kumar Chand
•    He was appointed as the head of United National Political Mission in Columbia – Jean Arnault
•    President Pranab Mukherjee on 8 March 2016 presented Nari Shakti Puraskar for the year 2015 to - 15 women, 5 organisations, one state and panchayat
•    The name of the combat operation launched by Meghalaya police against GNLA (Garo National Liberation Army) militants in the Garo Hills and West Khasi Hills districts - 'Hillstorm 3'
•    Rajya Sabha on 8 March 2016 passed Bureau of Indian Standards Bill, 2015 that seeks to replace - Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986
•    Theme of the Cycling event of Indian Army that was flagged off on 8 March 2016 from Pangsau Pass on the India-Myanmar border as part of the Assam Rifles 181st raising day celebrations - Cycle to Recycle
•    This State on 8 March 2016 announced inclusion of widow marriage under the state government’s Mukhyamantri Kanya Vivah Yojana - Madhya Pradesh
•    To help Latin America and the Caribbean countries fight against Zika virus, the Board of Governors of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on 8 March 2016 approved - 2.3 million euro initiative
•    Under 2.3 million euro initiative, IAEA will transfer a form of pest control technique, that uses ionizing radiation to sterilize male insects mass-produced in special rearing facilities - Sterile Insect Technique (SIT)
•    These two UN Agencies jointly launched the Global Programme to Accelerate Action to End Child Marriage - United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF)
•    Famous music producer George Henry Martin died on 9 March 2016. He was the producer of – The Beatles band
•    This bank launched the iWork@Home programme to facilitate its women employees work from home - ICICI Bank
•    The CMD of Mahindra & Mahindra Group who was conferred with France’s Knight of the Legion of Honour – Anand Mahindra
•    This bank became the first to receive Small Finance Bank license from the Reserve Bank of India - Capital Local Area Bank Ltd
•    The scheme launched by the Karnataka Government to provide free treatment to road accident victims for the first 48 hours is - Mukhyamantri Santwana Harish Yojana
•    The multinational professional services firm that was appointed as the consultant of Indian Railways to discover the advertising potential in trains and stations is - Ernst & Young
•    Vivek Jain on 8 March 2016 was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of - CA Media Digital (India) Pvt. Ltd.
•    The multilateral military exercise between the Indian Army and Armies of countries from the ASEAN Plus which concluded on in Pune is – FORCE 18
•    International Women's Day was observed across the world on 8 March 2016 with the theme - Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality
•    International Women's Day was observed across the world on 8 March 2016 with campaign theme - #PledgeForParity
•    Institution that on 8 March 2016 released a report titled Women at Work: Trends 2016 which provides the latest data on women’s position in labour markets is - International Labour Organization (ILO)
•    Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on 8 March 2016 announced to withdraw proposal to tax Employee Provident Fund (EPF) withdrawals which was announced in - Union Budget 2016-17
•    On the International Women’s Day (8 March), the state that felicitated the acid attack survivors with the Rani Laxmi Bai award and financial assistance is - Uttar Pradesh
•    Congress deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, who resigned from the membership of the upper house on 8 March 2016 to pave the way for his return as a lawmaker from his home state of Himachal Pradesh - Anand Sharma
•    Reliance Jio announced to provide free Wi-Fi services at six cricket stadiums during the upcoming T20 World Cup matches in India, and the stadiums are in - Bangalore, Dharmashala, Kolkata, Mohali, New Delhi and Mumbai
•    US imposed sanctions on Chinese telecoms equipment giant ZTE for ties with – Iran
•    Former world number one tennis player who on 7 March 2016 in a press-conference announced that she failed a drug test at the Australian Open - Maria Sharapova
•    The US and South Korean troops on 7 March 2016 began their largest ever military exercises off the coast of the - Korean peninsula
•    Country that on 7 March 2016 announced that it will partner with India in turning Bhubaneswar into a smart city is - Germany
•    Indian Railways on 7 March 2016 formed a new Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to implement – Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Bullet Train project
•    The golfer who won the 2016 WGC-Cadillac Championship is - Adam Scott
•    The former chairman of the National Dairy Development Board who was conferred with the Mahindra Samriddhi Krishi Shiromani Samman is – Amrita Patel
•    The famous Malayalam actor and folk singer who passed away on 6 March 2016 in Kochi is - Kalabhavan Mani
•    The team that won the third season of Pro Kabaddi League is - Patna Pirates
•    A new species of burrowing snake, named Melanophidium Khairei, is discovered in – Western Ghats
•    This many extra deaths will occur per million populations in India due to the impact of climate change on food production in 2050 as per a study published in the Lancet – 105
•    This online marketing portal was launched by the Union Government to provide access to markets to women self help groups spread all over the country – Mahila E-haat
•    Industries were re-classified as these four colour categories by the Union Government based on their pollution levels – Red, Orange, Green and White
•    As per a study by the Lancet, extra deaths of this many people will occur due to the impact of climate change on food production in 2050 - 500000
•    This high court ruled that the national anthem should be sung in all private schools in the State during the morning assembly – Madras High Court

March 9th 2016

1. The fourth edition of the joint exercise between India and Indonesia will be conducted for 13 days from 10 to 23 March 16 at Magelang, Indonesia. Indo-Indonesia Joint Training Exercise GARUDA SHAKTI is conducted as part of military diplomacy between Indian and Indonesian Army alternatively in India and Indonesia respectively.

भारत और इंडोनेशिया के बीच 13 दिन तक चलने वाले संयुक्त सैन्य अभ्यास के इस चौथे संस्करण का आयोजन इंडोनेशिया के मेगेलांग में 10 से 23 मार्च, 2016 के बीच किया जाएगा। भारत और इंडोनेशिया के बीच सैन्य कूटनीति के एक हिस्से के तौर पर बारी-बारी से संयुक्त प्रशिक्षण अभ्यास गरूड़ शक्ति का आयोजन किया जाता है।

2. The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee conferred the ‘Nari Shakti Puraskar-2015’.The awards are given every year by the Ministry of Women & Child Development to institutions and individuals who have made exceptional contribution towards empowerment of women.

राष्‍ट्रपति श्री प्रणब मुखर्जी ने नारी शक्‍ति पुरस्‍कार-2015 प्रदान किए। ये पुरस्‍कार महिला एवं बाल विकास मंत्रालय प्रतिवर्ष महिला सशक्‍तिकरण के क्षेत्र में शानदार योगदान करने वाले संस्‍थानों और व्‍यक्‍तियों को देता है।

3. Indian Railways appoints Ernst Young as consultant to tap advertising potential of stations and trains.

स्‍टेशनों और रेलगाडि़यों के जरिये विज्ञापन क्षमता के दोहन के लिए भारतीय रेलवे ने अर्नेस्‍ट एंड यंग को सलाहकार नियुक्‍त किया।

4. Parliament has passed the Bureau of Indian Standards Bill 2015, with the Rajya Sabha. The Bill extends the ambit of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) to include services, processes and products while ensuring production of world class goods it will also proposes to make BIS a national standards body.

लोकसभा ने भारतीय मानक ब्‍यूरो-बीआईएस विधेयक-2015 पारित किया और राज्‍यसभा ने भी इसका अनुमोदन कर दिया है। इस विधेयक में सेवाओं, प्रक्रियाओं और उत्‍पादों को शामिल करते हुए भारतीय मानक ब्‍यूरो के दायरे का विस्‍तार किया गया है।

5. Dr. Mahesh Sharma, the Minister for State (I/C) for Culture and Tourism and Minister of State for Civil Aviation released a book entitled “The Culture Heritage of Trans Himalayas-Kinnaur” authored by IAS (retd.) Shri P.S. Nagi Loktus.

संस्‍कृति एवं पर्यटन राज्‍य मंत्री (स्‍वतंत्र प्रभार) और नागरिक उड्डयन राज्‍य मंत्री डॉ. महेश शर्मा ने आईएएस (सेवानिवृत्त) श्री पी.एस. नेगी लोक्‍टस द्वारा लिखी गई पुस्‍तक ‘द कल्‍चर हेरिटेज ऑफ ट्रांस हिमालयाज- किन्‍नौर’ का विमोचन किया।

6. Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) successfully test-fired two ballistic missiles in line with the country's defence doctrine.

ईरान के 'इस्लामिक रिवोल्यूशन गार्ड्स कॉर्प्स' (आईआरजीसी) ने दो बैलिस्टिक मिसाइलों का सफल परीक्षण किया। इन मिसाइलों का परीक्षण देश की रक्षा नीति के तहत किया गया।

7. Sun Pharmaceutical Industries has appointed Indian cricket team captain MS Dhoni as the brand ambassador for its brand, Revital H.

सन फार्मास्युटिकल इंडस्ट्रीज ने भारतीय क्रिकेट टीम के कप्तान एमएस धोनी को रीवाइटल एच के नए ब्रांड अंबेसडर के तौर पर अनुबंधित किया है।

8. State-run telecom services provider Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has signed an agreement with DTH operator Tata Sky to offer video-on-demand.

दूरसंचार सेवाएँ देने वाली सार्वजनिक क्षेत्र की कंपनी भारत संचार निगम लिमिटेड (बीएसएनएल) ने अपने उपभोक्ताओं को वीडियो-ऑन-डिमांड सेवा उपलब्ध कराने के लिए डीटीएच सेवा प्रदाता कंपनी टाटा स्काई के साथ करार किया है।

MARCH 8TH :: CURRENT AFFAIRS DAILY

•    International Women's Day was observed across the world on 8 March 2016 with the theme - Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality

•    International Women's Day was observed across the world on 8 March 2016 with campaign theme - #PledgeForParity

•    Institution that on 8 March 2016 released a report titled Women at Work: Trends 2016 which provides the latest data on women’s position in labour markets is - International Labour Organization (ILO)

•    Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on 8 March 2016 announced to withdraw proposal to tax Employee Provident Fund (EPF) withdrawals which was announced in - Union Budget 2016-17

•    On the International Women’s Day (8 March), the state that felicitated the acid attack survivors with the Rani Laxmi Bai award and financial assistance is - Uttar Pradesh

•    Congress deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, who resigned from the membership of the upper house on 8 March 2016 to pave the way for his return as a lawmaker from his home state of Himachal Pradesh - Anand Sharma

•    Reliance Jio announced to provide free Wi-Fi services at six cricket stadiums during the upcoming T20 World Cup matches in India, and the stadiums are in - Bangalore, Dharmashala, Kolkata, Mohali, New Delhi and Mumbai

•    US imposed sanctions on Chinese telecoms equipment giant ZTE for ties with – Iran

•    Former world number one tennis player who on 7 March 2016 in a press-conference announced that she failed a drug test at the Australian Open - Maria Sharapova

•    The US and South Korean troops on 7 March 2016 began their largest ever military exercises off the coast of the - Korean peninsula

•    Country that on 7 March 2016 announced that it will partner with India in turning Bhubaneswar into a smart city is - Germany

•    Indian Railways on 7 March 2016 formed a new Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to implement – Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Bullet Train project

•    The golfer who won the 2016 WGC-Cadillac Championship is - Adam Scott

•    The former chairman of the National Dairy Development Board who was conferred with the Mahindra Samriddhi Krishi Shiromani Samman is – Amrita Patel

•    The famous Malayalam actor and folk singer who passed away on 6 March 2016 in Kochi is - Kalabhavan Mani

•    The team that won the third season of Pro Kabaddi League is - Patna Pirates

•    A new species of burrowing snake, named Melanophidium Khairei, is discovered in – Western Ghats

•    This many extra deaths will occur per million populations in India due to the impact of climate change on food production in 2050 as per a study published in the Lancet – 105

•    This online marketing portal was launched by the Union Government to provide access to markets to women self help groups spread all over the country – Mahila E-haat

•    Industries were re-classified as these four colour categories by the Union Government based on their pollution levels – Red, Orange, Green and White

•    As per a study by the Lancet, extra deaths of this many people will occur due to the impact of climate change on food production in 2050 - 500000

•    This high court ruled that the national anthem should be sung in all private schools in the State during the morning assembly – Madras High Court

Union Budget 2016-17

Union Budget 2016-17: Highlights
Union Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley on 29 February 2016 presented Union Budget 2016-17 in the Lok Sabha. This was the second full year Budget of the NDA government and the third budget of Jaitley.

The finance minster announced nine pillars of the budget and they are Agriculture and farmers' welfare, rural sector, social sector including healthcare, education, skills and job creation, infrastructure, financial sector reforms, ease of doing business, fiscal discipline, tax reforms to reduce compliance burden.



Highlights of the Union Budget 2015-16
• Agricultural policy will be reorganised to double farmer income in five years
• For gas connections, new scheme to be launched for BPL families
• Law will be enacted to confer benefits on deserving sections on Aadhar Platform
• Government to work for passage of insolvency and bankruptcy laws
• Incentive for deepwater gas exploration will be provided
• Government to enhance expenditure for social, rural and agricultural sector
• 28.5 lakh hectares will be brought under irrigation under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sichai Yojana
• A dedicated long term irrigation fund will be created in NABARD with a corpus of 20000 crore rupees
• 35984 crore rupees allocation done for the farm sector
• Agricultural credit target of 9 lakh crore rupees
• Unified e-platform for farmers to be inaugurated on Ambedkar's birthday
• Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana to bring 5 lakh acres under organic farming
• 300 rurban clusters to be set up under Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission
• 38500 crore rupees allocated to MNREGA
• Quantum jump of 228% in grants to gram panchayats and urban local bodies in accordance with FFC recommendations
• Allocation to PM Fasal Bima Yojana for 2016/17 is 5500 crores rupees
• 87765 crores rupees for rural development as a whole have been allocated in the budget
• 100 % village electrification to be achieved by 1 May 2018
• Allocation of Pradhanmatri Gram Sadak Yojna to be increased to 19000 Crore rupees
• 65 eligible habitats to be connected via 2.23 lakh kms of road
• 300 'rurban' clusters will be developed
• As per recommendation of 14th finance commission, 2.87 lakh crore rupees will be given as grants-in-aid to village panchyats and municipalities to boost rural economy.
• Government to spend 850 crore rupees in a few years on animal husbandry, cattle and livestock breeding
• Four schemes for animal welfare announced
• States will be encouraged to take up decentralised procurement of food grains
• 5500 crore rupees allocated for crop insurance scheme
• Hub to support SC/ST entrepreneurs
• National dialysis service programme under PPP model to come up
• LPG connection for women members of rural homes to be provided
• Health insurance of up to 1 lakh rupees per family, top up of Rs 35,000 for people above 60 years
• 3000 generic drugs stores to be opened
• Two schemes for digital literacy for rural India to cover 6 crore households in the next three years
• 9000 crore rupees allocated for Swachch Bharat Abhiyan
• 1700 crore rupees allocated for 1500 multi-skill development centres
• 10 public and 10 private educational institutions to be made world-class
• Digital repository for all school leaving certificates and diplomas
• 1000 crore rupees provided for LPG connection to rural households in name of women; scheme to go on for 2 yrs to cover 5crore BPL households
• 500 crore rupees allocated for Stand Up India scheme
• Certain parts of dialysis machines to be exempt from all forms of customs duty; national dialysis service programme to be launched in all districts
• At least one crore youth to be skilled over next three years
• 62 new Navodaya Vidyalayas to be opened in next two years
• 160 airports and airstrips to be revived at a cost of 50-100 crore rupees each
• To enable entrepreneurship in the road transport sector, Motor Vehicles Act to be amended
• Total outlay for infrastructure is at 2.31 lakh crore lakh rupees
• 97000 crore rupees sanctioned for all roads
• Total outlay on roads and rails will be 2.80 lakh crore rupees, under which 10000 km of national highways in 2016-17 and 50000 km state highways to be converted to NH roads.
• Small shops should be given the choice to remain open on all 7 days a week
• In the power sector, the government is drawing up a plan for 15-20 years to augment investment in nuclear power. 3000 crore rupees per annum for this.
• 1700 crore rupees to be spent for setting 1500 multi-skill training institutes
• 1500 multi-skill training institutes to be opened to train youths under Skill Development programme; for this 1.7 thousand crore earmarked
• 8.33% will be paid towards employee pension fund
• Shopping malls to be allowed to open on all seven days of week; a model shops and establishment bill to be circulated to states
• Abolition of permit law will be medium-term goal in public transport
• RBI Act to be amended to set up monetary policy committee
• 100% FDI through FAPB route in marketing of food products produced and manufactured in India
• 8000 crore rupees provided for Sagarmala project
• Department of Disinvestment renamed as Department of Investment and Public Asset Management
• Direct Benefit Transfer for fertilisers
• 25000 crore rupees sanctioned for recapitalisation of public sector banks
• General insurance companies owned by the government to be listed in stock exchanges
• Amendments to boost Asset Reconstruction Companies to manage NPAs of public sector banks
• A bill on targeted delivery of financial services using Aadhar to be introduced
• Amendment to the Companies Act to ensure speedy registration and boost start-ups
• 900 crore rupees for buffer stock of pulses
• To boost stagnant domestic output, government considering providing calibrated market freedom to new gas production from deep sea, ultra deep sea
• A Public Utility Resolution of Disputes Bill to be passed to solve problems in infrastructure contracts, PPP and public utilities
• Duty drawback scheme widened and deepened to include more products and countries
• A new credit rating system for infrastructure will be developed
• More FDI reforms proposed in insurance, pension, asset restructuring companies and stock markets
• Relief will amount to 3000 rupees per annum; 1 crore tax payers to benefit
• Ceiling of tax rebate for tax payers with up to Rs 5 lakh annual come to be raised to 5000 rupees from 2000 currently
• SEBI Act to be amended to provide for more benches for Securities Appellate Tribunal
• SEBI to develop new derivatives products as well as products for corporate bond market
• RBI Act to be amended to provide statutory backing for monetary policy framework and monetary policy committee (MPC)
• A comprehensive bankruptcy code to be enacted as part of financial sector reforms
• 100 percent FDI will be allowed through FIPB in marketing of food products produced and manufactured in India
• Policy for strategic sale of CPSE assets to be brought
• To benefit those living in rented houses, deduction for rent paid will be raised from Rs 20000 rupees to 60000 rupees
• The Banking Boards Bureau will be operationalised fiscal year 2016-17
• Presumptive income tax scheme to be extended to all professionals with income of 50 lakh rupees with a presumption of 50 percent profit
• Consolidation roadmap for public sector banks to be spelt next year
• Government is open to reducing its stake in PSBs below 50%
• Accelerated depreciation to be limited to 40% wef from 1 April 2017 as part of phasing out of exemptions to industry
• ATMs, micro-ATMs to be increased in post offices in next three years
• In 2016-17, credit target of 180000 crore rupees set up through Mudra bank
• Tax holiday for startups for three of five years of setting up the company. Tax holiday for startups for three of five years of setting up the company. Start-ups to get 100% tax exemption for 3 years except MAT which will apply from April 2016-2019 for creation of jobs
• Lowering of Corporate IT rate for companies not exceeding 5 crore rupees turnover to 25% plus surcharge
• 100 crore rupees sanctioned for Deendayal Upadhyay's birthday celebrations and Guru Gobind Singh 300th birth anniversary
• Classification of expenditure as plan and non-plan to be done away with
• Fiscal deficit at 3.5% of GDP in 2016-17
• Service Tax to be exempted on general insurance schemes under NIRMAYA Scheme
• Target delivery of financial, other intermediary services to be introduced using Aadhar
• 1% service charge on purchase of luxury cars over 10 lakh rupees and in-cash purchase of goods and services over 2 lakh rupees
• Additional exemption of 50000 rupees for housing loans up to 35 lakh rupees, provided cost of house is not above 50 lakh rupees
• 40% of withdrawal at the time of retirement under
• Long term capital gains period for unlisted companies to be reduced from 3 to 2 years
• DBT to be used to transfer subsidy on fertilizer in select districts on pilot basis
• Service tax on single premium annuity to be reduced to 1.5 percent from 3.5 percent
• For ease of doing business and enabling registration of companies in a day, Bill to amend Companies Act to be introduced
• Fiscal deficit target for 2015-16 and 2016-17 retained at 3.9%and 3.5% respectively.
• Plan to spend 19.78 lakh crore rupees in 2016-17 - 5.5 lakh crore rupees under plan head, 14.28 lakh crore rupees under non-plan head
• Revenue deficit target improved from 2.8 %to 2.5% in current fiscal
• Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act to be reviewed and for this purpose a committee to be constituted
• New manufacturing companies incorporated after March 2016 will be given option of being taxed at 25% plus cess plus surcharges
• Clean energy cess increased from 200 rupees/ton to 400 rupees/ton on coal, lignite and peat
• High level committee headed by Revenue Secretary to oversee creation of fresh liability using retrospective tax legislation
• One-time dispute resolution scheme introduced for retro tax cases, payment of tax arrears to lead to waiving of penalty and interest
• Plan and non-Plan classification of Budget will be done away with from Fiscal 2017-18
• Levying heavy penalty for non-payment of tax has led to high litigation, thus Proposes to modification in penalties scheme proposed
• 13 different cesses levied by various ministries with collections less than 50 crore rupees a year to be done away with.
• No Service Tax for houses built in less than 60 square metres
• Excise duty on tobacco increased by 10-15 percent.
• Committed to stable taxation regime and for that reason no more retrospective amendments to be introduced
• 4% high capacity tax for SUVs
• Limited period compliance window for domestic taxpayers to declare undisclosed income
• Declarations to have immunity from prosecutions
• No changes have been made to existing income tax slabs
• Infrastructure and agriculture cess to be levied
• GAAR (General anti-avoidance rule) to be implemented from 1 April 2017
• Tax exemption given to Braille paper
• Service tax exempted for General Insurance Schemes under Niramaya Swasthaya Bima Yojana
• Dividend in excess of 10 lakh rupees per annum to be taxed at additional 10%
• TDS provisions to be rationalised. Non resident Indians providing alternate documents will not be subject to higher tax rate.
• Rate of securities transaction tax to be raised from 0.017% to 0.05%
• 0.5% Krishi Kalyan Cess to be levied on all services
• Excise 1% imposed on articles of jewellery excluding silver
• Pollution cess of 1% on small petrol, LPG and CNG cars; 2.5% on diesel cars of certain specifications; 4% on higher
• 15% surcharge on income above 1 crore rupees
• New grading system of imposing penalties to be introduced for under-reporting or concealment of income
• Tax on black money declared will be 30% plus 7.5% penalty and 7.5% surcharge
• One year limit provided for disposing of income tax cases relating to waiver of interest and penalty
• 11 new benches of Customs & Excise Services Appelate Tribunal to be introduced
• Customs baggage rules for international travellers to be simplified
• Government to pay interest of 9% if there is delay in giving effect to an appellate order

Railway Budget 2016 Important points for exams

Railway Budget 2016, Presented by Hon’ble Railway Minister Mr. Suresh Prabhu
Following are the Key 100 highlights:
1.No hike in railway fares, No passenger fare hike, no new trains announced.
2.Railways to generate employment of 14 crore man-days in 2018-2019.
3.Railways to double investment to Rs 1.2 lakh crore for FY17.
4.Suresh Prabhu targets operating ratio of 92% for FY17.
5.Railway revenue growth pegged at 10.1% in FY17.
6.Railways to generate revenue to the order of Rs 1,84,820 crores.
7.Indian Railways will generate employment of 14 crore man-days in 2018-'19.
8.Propose to electrify 2000 km next year, increased electrification budget by 50%.
9.17,000 bio toilets in trains & additional toilets in 475 stations will be provided before close of this financial year.
10.New locomotive factories to be set up with order book of Rs 40k-cr.
11.Wi-Fi at 100 railway stations this year and 400 next year.
12.Introduced 1,780 ticket-vending machines.
13.Drones to be used for remote monitoring of ongoing projects.
14.Over 65,000 berths added via new coaches; 17,000 more bio-toilets by FY16.
15.Enhanced capacity of e-ticketing system from 2000 tickets/min to 7,200/min.
16.To introduce National Rail Plan to harmonise network & set up a new R&D organisation.
17.Broad gauge line building target at 7 km/day.
18.There is an increase in seat quota this year; 50% up for senior citizens.
19.Swacch Bharat: 17,000 bio-toilets and additional toilets to be provided by end of this Fiscal Year.
20.Mumbai: elevated corridors churchgate-virar&cst-panvel to be interconnected with metro.
21.Coolies will now be called so anymore. We want to call them 'sahayak'.
22.Special focus on exploring advertising options, will evolve models to identify revenues for advertising potential.
23.India's first rail auto hub to be introduced in Chennai.
24.Railways to increase lower berth quota for senior citizens by 50%.
25.Enhanced capacity of e-ticketing system to 7,200/min.
26.To introduce a sub-quota of 33% for women in each of reserved categories.
27.Will partner with state Govt for suburban system in Tech Hub of Bengluru.
28.Railways to provide 2-month internship to 100 students across engineering and MBA colleges.
29.Gangmen to carry wireless instrument #Rakshak that will notify them about approaching trains.
30.44 new projects of 5300 km valuing Rs 92714 crore will be launched.
31.Railways intends to focus on exploring advertising options, will evolve models to identify revenues for advertising potential.
32.Women-friendly Rail Budget: Prabhu introduces kids menu, baby food & hot water for benefits of travelling moms.
33.introduces Humsafar Express - full air-conditioned third AC service with an operational services for meals.
34.To introduce Tejas, this will showcase the future of train travel in India with operating speeds of 130kmph and above with world-class on board services.
35.Railways to introduce Utkrisht double-decker air-conditioned Yatri (Uday) express with increased carrying capacity of almost 40%.
36.Unreserved travel coaches to be introduced.
37.Railways to introduce "Clean My Coach" service through SMS.
38.Railways to add 2-4 DeenDayalu coaches in some long distance trains for unreserved travel with portable water & more mobile chargers.
39.Railways to introduce barcoded tickets.
40. 2000 kms of line electrification proposed in the budget is expected to increase demand for power in 2016-17. The sector is facing subdued demand growth.
41.Railways to provide 2-month internship to 100 students across engineering and MBA colleges.
42.E-catering services will be increased from 40 stations now to over 400 stations.
43.Railways announces expansion of Vikalp- train on demand to provide choice of accommodation in specific trains to wait-listed passengers.
44.Railways to tie up with Ministry of Health for ensuring an exchange between railway hospitals and government hospitals.
45.Fully unreserved superfast trains coming on heavy traffic routes.
46.Suresh Prabhu proposes to reorganise the Railway Board and suitably empower the Railway Board Chairman.
47.Railways intends to focus on exploring advertising options, will evolve models to identify revenues for advertising potential.
48.Railways will run Asha circuit trains to connect important pilgrim centres in the country.
49.To capture automobile traffic, railways will soon inaugurate India's first rail auto hub in Chennai.
50.Railways working with insurance companies to offer travel insurance.
51.Soft skill training to be provided to 'Coolies' who will now be called 'Sahayaks'.
52.Setting aside Rs. 50 crore for providing innovation grants to start-ups.
53.Special purpose vehicle for the Ahmedabad-Mumbai high speech corridor registered this month.
54.More than 1 lakh telephone calls are made everyday to seek inputs from passengers.
55.Indian Railways to surpass ambitious target of commissioning 2500 kms of broad gauge lines, almost 30% higher than last year.
56.Finalised bids for setting up 2 locomotive factories. New factories to be set up with an order book of Rs. 40,000 crore.
57.By 2020, we'll have time-tabled freight trains.
58.Generate 9 crore man-days employment by 2017-18 and 14 crore man-days by 2018-19.
59.Commission broad gauge lines at the rate of 7 km per day against 4.5 km over last five years.
60.Will also add two to four Dayalu coaches in some long distance trains for unreserved travel with facility for potable drinking water and a higher number of mobile charging points.
61.Introduced Humsafar Express - full air-conditioned third AC service with an operational services for meals.
62.Railways Vision 2020: Time tabled freight trains with credible service commitments
63.Time tabled freight trains with credible service commitments.
64.Aim to generate 10-20% of Revenues from non-tariff sources over next 5 yrs by monetising assets.
65.Will evolve models to determine revenue potential of at least 20 stations in next 3 months.
66.To capture the automobile traffic, will soon inaugurate India's 1st Rail Auto hub in Chennai.
67.400 railway stations to be equipped with WiFi.
68.Container sector would be opened to all traffic barring coal & specified mineral ores; part-loads would be permitted during non-peak season.
69.At least 10 goods sheds will be developed by TransLoc in 2016-2017. Proposed to develop rail side logistics parks & warehouses.
70.Ongoing metro works of around 100 kms in Kolkata, would quadruple the installed capacity. Phase I to be completed by June 2018.
71.To help mother, baby foods, hot milk and hot water would be made available on stations.
72.e-booking of tickets facility on the concessional passes available to journalist.
73.Introduced 1780 automatic ticket vending machines, mobile apps &GoIndia Smartcard for cashless purchase of UTS & PRS tickets.
74.17000 bio-toilets in trains and additional tiolets at 475 stations will be provided. World's 1st bio-vaccum toilet was developed by Railways.
75.Enhanced capacity of e-ticketing system from 2000 tickets/ min to 7200/ min to support 1.2 lakh.
76.online booking of wheelchairs and Braille enabled new.
77.One-time registration for availing concessions while booking tickets.
78.Reserved middle bays in coaches for women security.
79.17 consented & 6 MoUs signed with state govts. 44 new partnership works covering about 5300km have been indicated.
80.Delegation led to compression of project sanction time to 6-8 months from 2 yrs earlier.
81.44 new projects of 5300 km valuing Rs 92714 cr.
82.Intend switch over to paperless contract management system where bids will be invited online and tender will be awarded electronically.
83.Finalised bids for two Loco factories with an order of about Rs 40 cr.
84.Better connectivity to the Northeastern states is of utmost priority.
85.Rs. 8.5 lakh crore to be spent over 5 years for modernization of railway infrastructure.
86.Expect revenue growth of over 10% this year.
87.Companies owned by Railways to come under a holding company.
88.Two dedicated freight corridors by 2019.
89.Rail University to be established at Indian Railway Academy at Vadodara.
90.Like flights, there would be hostesses on the train and catering will also match the standard of airliners.
91.Introduction of SMART coaches - better customer experience, high carrying capacity and lower costs.
92.No new trains introduced.
93.Railways Vision 2020: Time tabled freight trains with credible service commitments.
94.Target to commission 1000 MW of solar capacity in next 5 years.
95.Vision 2020 unveiled by Prabhu: Reserved accommodation on trains being available on demand.
96.Will evolve models to determine revenue potential of at least 20 stations in next 3 months.
97.Aim to generate 10-20% of Revenues from non-tariff sources over next 5 years by monetising assets.
98.Will lease out huge tracts of land available adjacent to our rail network to promote horticulture and tree plantation.
99.Will evolve models to determine the revenue potential of at least 20 stations in the next three months. In all, we target to increase the advertising revenues by more than four times the current revenue.
100.Will partner with Gujarat, Telangana and Tamil Nadu for developing suburban systems in Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Chennai by innovative financing mechanism
101.Appeal to all state governments to stagger office timings to ease peak traffic load on suburban train services.

Top Headlines - 18.02.2016

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1. The Union Minster of State for AYUSH (Independent Charge) and Health & Family Welfare Shri Shripad Yesso Naik launched the pilot project ‘Integration of Homoeopathy/Yoga with National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases & Stroke (NPCDCS) in Krishna District’ at Gudivada near Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh.

केन्‍द्रीय आयुष राज्‍य मंत्री (स्‍वतंत्र प्रभार) और स्‍वास्‍थ्‍य एवं परिवार कल्‍याण राज्‍य मंत्री श्री श्रीपद येसो नाइक ने आंध्र प्रदेश में अमरावती के निकट गुडीवाड़ा में ‘कृष्‍णा जिले में कैंसर, मधुमेह, हृदय रोग और स्ट्रोक की रोकथाम एवं नियंत्रण के लिए राष्‍ट्रीय कार्यक्रम (एनपीसीडीसीएस) के साथ होम्‍योपैथी/योग का एकीकरण’ नामक पॉयलट परियोजना का शुभारंभ किया।

2. Boutros-Ghali, the former UN secretary general died. He was 93. He was the UN secretary general from 1992 to 1996.

संयुक्त राष्ट्र के पूर्व महासचिव बुतरस बुतरस घाली का निधन हो गया। वह 93 वर्ष के थे। वह 1992 से 1996 तक संयुक्त राष्ट्र के महासचिव रहे थे।

3. The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) hiked the interest rate on provident fund from 8.75% to 8.8% for 2015-16. It was announced by Union labour minister Bandaru Dattatreya.

कर्मचारी भविष्य निधि संगठन (ईपीएफओ) ने साल 2015-16 के लिए पीएफ ब्याज दर को 8.75 प्रतिशत से बढ़ाकर 8.8 प्रतिशत कर दिया गया है। केंद्रीय श्रम मंत्री बंडारू दत्तात्रेय ने इसकी घोषणा की।

4. Noted Malayalam novelist and short story writer Akbar Kakkattil passed away. He was 62.

मलयालम भाषा के प्रसिद्ध उपन्यासकार और लघुकथा लेखक अकबर कक्कात्तील का निधन हो गया। वह 62 साल के थे।

5. Indian Railways has won The National Chess team Championship for the first time. The 36th National Chess team Championship was held at Bhubaneswar.

भारतीय रेलवे ने पहली बार राष्ट्रीय शतरंज टीम चैम्पियनशिप जीती है। 36वीं राष्ट्रीय शतरंज टीम चैम्पियनशिप भुवनेश्‍वर में आयोजित की गई थी।

6. BAE Systems announced selection of Mahindra as its India partner for the nearly USD 700 million deal for the supply of 145 M777 howitzers, which are ultra light weight artillery guns having a strike range of 25 kms.

बीएई सिस्टम्स ने 145 एम777 होवित्जर की आपूर्ति के लिए करीब 70 करोड़ डालर के सौदे के लिए अपने भागीदार के तौर पर महिंद्रा का चुनाव किया है जो बेहद हल्की तोपें है जिसकी मारक क्षमता 25 किलोमीटर तक है।

7. The Space Applications Centre (SAC) of ISRO and Space Flight Laboratory (SFL) of University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies are collaborating on developing the 'Next Generation Earth Monitoring and Observation and Aerosol Monitoring' (NEMO-AM) satellite.

इसरो का स्पेस ऐप्लिकेशन सेंटर और यूनिवर्सिटी ऑफ टोरोंटो, इंस्टिट्यूट ऐरोस्पेस स्टडीज की स्पेस फ्लाइट लैबरेटरी साथ मिलकर अगली पीढ़ी के धरती के प्रदूषण पर नजर रखने वाली सैटलाइट के विकास पर काम कर रहे हैं।

8. Cabinet approves Agreement for collaborative activities in the area of Traditional Medicine between Ministry of AYUSH and the World Health Organization.

n सरकार ने भारतीय चिकित्सा पद्धतियों के अंतरराष्ट्रीय मानकीकरण और मान्यता के लिए आयुष मंत्रालय और विश्व स्वास्थ्य संगठन के बीच एक समझौते के प्रस्ताव को मंजूरी दे दी है।

9. India signed off 12th South Asian Games with a record breaking performance grabbing 308 medals including 188 gold medals.

भारत ने दक्षिण एशियाई खेलों के 12वें संस्करण में रिकॉर्ड तोड़ प्रदर्शन करते हुए 188 स्वर्ण समेत कुल 308 पदक हासिल कर खेलों का शानदार समापन किया।

10. The Union Cabinet gave its ex-post facto approval for signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Singapore Cooperation Enterprise (SCE), an Agency of Government of Singapore on cooperation in the field of Urban Planning and Governance.

केन्द्रीय मंत्रिमंडल ने शहरी नियोजन एवं गवर्नेंस के क्षेत्र में सहयोग के लिए सिंगापुर सरकार की एक एजेंसी सिंगापुर सहयोग उद्यम (एससीई) के साथ भारत द्वारा हस्ताक्षरित सहमति पत्र (एमओयू) को अपनी पूर्वव्यापी स्वीकृति दी।

11. The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today gave its ex-post facto approval for Memoranda of understanding (MoU) signed between India and various countries for cooperation in the field of agriculture and allied sectors.

प्रधानमंत्री श्री नरेन्द्र मोदी की अध्यक्षता में केन्द्रीय मंत्रिमंडल ने कृषि एवं संबंधित क्षेत्रों में सहयोग के लिए विभिन्न देशों के साथ भारत द्वारा हस्ताक्षरित सहमति पत्र (एमओयू) को अपनी पूर्वव्यापी मंजूरी दे दी।