India Current Affiars December, 2011, General Awareness December, 2011

• Winter session has not done any significant business after Parliament was convened on November 22. Congress party firmly backs the government as the NDA supports 5 crore traders holding protests today. – Dec-01
• Former Malaysian prime minister Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad said today that India could be China in terms of its economic development if it was less democratic. Mahathir said though democracy is the best form of government, it is not the easiest to govern because people do not understand the limitations of democracy. – Dec-02
• The central government has decided to keep on hold its decision to allow foreign equity in retail till a consensus emerged on the issue, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said on Saturday after talking to union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee. – Dec-03
• Expressing concern over China’s involvement in the Kashmir region, Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah has said India should show “some spine” while dealing with that country. China sucking out CBI’s secrets – Dec-04
• Police in Hyderabad have sounded a high alert ahead of Dec 6, the anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Masjid which is coinciding this year with ‘Yaum-e-Ashoora’, the 10th day of Muharram. – Dec-05
• “Standing committee has betrayed the whole country. The poor are suffering and will not get justice till lower level officers are brought under the Lokpal,” said Hazare. – Dec-10
• It was on this day, 100 years ago, that an event changed the course of Delhi’s history forever. The Delhi Durbar on December 12, 1911 was marked as a celebration of the coronation of King Emperor George V. – Dec-12
• Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will hold consultations with allies on Tuesday on the Lokpal issue at a meeting of UPA leaders, the first such exercise after the fiasco over FDI in retail. – Dec-13
• Ahead of WTO Ministerial Conference in Geneva, trade ministers of G-20 countries are expected to meet today to review the progress of talks on liberalising global trade through the Doha pact, an official said. – Dec-14
• Around 250 staff members of Kolkata’s Advanced Medicare Research Institute (AMRI), where 93 people were killed in a blaze last week, have resigned en masse citing “security reasons”. – Dec-15
• With pressure mounting on the Centre for enacting a strong anti-graft legislation, home minister P Chidambaram today said the Lokpal Bill will “certainly” be introduced in the Winter Session of Parliament. – Dec-17
• Railways plans to launch bullet trains in six high-speed corridors; top speed: 350kmph; journey time to be reduced by half. – Dec-18
• VP Singh to Narasimha Rao to AB Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh — Chaudhary Ajit Singh, 72, has been sought by one and all. The 3.7% Jat vote he controls in western Uttar Pradesh is a catalyst for both state assembly and Lok Sabha elections. – Dec-19
• Team Anna rejects govt draft, cautions BJP on ‘double speak’ – Dec-20
• Union home ministry Dec.21,2011 sanctioned National Investigation Agency to file chargesheet against American terrorist David Coleman Headley, his accomplice Tahawwur Hussain and others including Pakistani Army serving and retired officers. – Dec-21
• Claiming that the Centre was not paying heed to her suggestions on the lokpal bill, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati today said her Bahujan Samaj Party would not support the legislation if CBI is not brought under its ambit. – Dec-22
• As Bombay high court rejected a petition seeking concessional rate for hiring MMRDA ground to hold his fast, Anna Hazare on Friday said he will seek donations from public to book the protest venue. – Dec-23
• Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani has provided much-needed support to the government and said he plans to invest Rs 70,000 crore in India. – Dec-24
• Observing that Anna Hazare had already “cleared the air” on links between himself and Sangh Parivar, former RSS chief K Sudarshan today accused Congress of purposefully using the name of the saffron organisation to target the anti-corruption movement. – Dec-26
• A Russian court on Wednesday rejected a petition, described by India as “patently absurd”, which had sought a ban on a translated version of Bhagvad Gita, bringing cheers to followers here as well as those across the world. – Dec-28
• Attacking the opposition for Rajya Sabha’s failure to pass the Lokpal Bill, parliamentary affairs minister Pawan Bansal today said the Bill will be taken up for consideration in the Budget session of Parliament. – Dec-30

India Current Affiars November, 2011, General Awareness November, 2011

• The Income Tax Department on Thursday conducted searches at the premises of prominent industrialist Gautam Singhania in Mumbai and in Delhi over alleged tax evasion. — Nov 03, Hindustan Times
• The Kerala high court today said central and state governments cannot “wash their hands” off and directed the Indian Oil Corporation and Reliance Petroleum to produce their balance sheets and quarterly reports before it in three weeks. Petrol price up by Rs 1.82 — Nov 04, Hindustan Times
• Former president APJ Abdul Kalam today visited the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP) in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu and said the plant was totally safe and a “boon to the people”. — Nov 06, Hindustan Times
• In a major setback for the Centre’s ambitious nuclear plant project, villagers protesting against the Kudankulam nuclear plant have refused to accept former president Kalam’s endorsement of the project. — Nov 07, Hindustan Times
• Logjam over the Kudankulam nuclear plant continued today as talks between representatives of protesters and the central and state expert panels over the plant’s safety concerns failed to reach any conclusions despite APJ Kalam’s intervention, reports said. — Nov 08, Hindustan Times
• A special trial court today acquitted 42 of 73 accused in Sardarpura massacre case in which 33 people were burnt to death on March 1, 2002 post Godhara communal riots in Gujarat. — Nov 09, Hindustan Times
• Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US president Barrack Obama are to meet on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit at Bali on November 18, the White House announced on Wednesday. — Nov 10, Hindustan Times
• Raking up the issue of RSS-Team Anna “nexus”, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Friday alleged that Mohan Bhagwat, Anna Hazare and Govindacharya are “contradicting” one another over the issue. — Nov 11, Hindustan Times
• Rajat Gupta, former McKinsey head and founder of the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad, pleaded not-guilty to the charges of insider trading that could put him in jail for life, if proven true. HT reports. — Nov 14, Hindustan Times
• Only a division can solve the problems and remove the inherent imbalances in the state, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati said. — Nov 15, Hindustan Times
• Issuing notice to CBI, Justice Shali also asked the probe agency to file a status report by December 1, the date on which the bail pleas of other five accused including Kanimozhi are also slated for hearing. — Nov 16, Hindustan Times
• Team Anna today demanded that Citizen’s Charter, specifying a time limit on government departments for providing services, should be included in the Lokpal Bill as it will help the common people to get their work done. — Nov 17, Hindustan Times
• Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari was so scared of a military coup after Osama bin Laden’s death that he was ready to create a “new security team” favourable to Americans and promised the US to hand over Pak-based 26/11 perpetrators including those from its intelligence agency to India. — Nov 18, Hindustan Times
• Former telecom minister Sukhram was today awarded five years imprisonment by a Delhi court after being convicted of taking Rs three lakhs as bribe to give a lucrative contract to a private firm in 1996. — Nov 19, Hindustan Times
• Pictures of Aishwarya Rai and her newborn baby girl have been doing the rounds on the internet. However, Ash’s father-in-law, megastar Amitabh Bachchan and her husband, Abhishek Bachchan have claimed the pictures to be fake. — Nov 20, Hindustan Times
• The 30-share benchmark BSE index and the 50-share Nifty both closed down 2.60% each at 15,946.10 points and 4,778.35 points respectively, their lowest close in more than six weeks, weighed by a plunging rupee, faltering domestic growth, sluggish policy and shaky global outlook. — Nov 21, Hindustan Times
• t least seven people including two children were charred to death when two AC coaches of the Howrah-Dehradun express train caught fire early on Tuesday in Giridih district of Jharkhand, police said. “Seven people, including two children, died after two coaches of the Howrah-Dehradun
  express caught fire — Nov 22, Hindustan Times
• India’s giant family-owned Tata conglomerate named Cyrus P Mistry as the successor on Wednesday to the group’s boss, 73-year-old local business icon Ratan Tata, who will retire in 2012. — Nov 23, Hindustan Times
• A youth identified as Harvinder Singh on Thursday attacked agriculture minister Sharad Pawar at the NDMC centre in New Delhi. Singh slapped Pawar as he was walking after talking to reporters. — Nov 24, Hindustan Times
• PM Manmohan Singh on Tuesday said the government’s decision to allow foreign equity in retail was not taken in haste but after a careful thought — Nov 29, timesofindia
• PM Manmohan Singh on Tuesday said the government’s decision to allow foreign equity in retail was not taken in haste but after a careful thought — Nov 29, timesofindia
• As he prepares to launch yet another anti-corruption agitation, Anna Hazare today opened a new front against government, attacking it for allowing FDI in retail sector which he said was not in the country’s interest. — Nov 30, Hindustan Times.

India Current Affiars October, 2011, General Awareness October, 2011

• Health Insurance portability came into force; INS Shakti commissioned.
• Rajasthan launch free medicine scheme.
• The draft national policy on Electronics, 2011 unveiled; India Switzerland inled deal to exchange related info.
• Afghan President on India visit: signed strategic pact; Moody’s cut SBI ratings.
• World cheapest tablet ‘Akash’ at Rs 2276 launched.
• RBI eases norms on Small money transfers.
• The draft national policy on information Technology 2011 unveiled.
• Govt. simplifies law for removing DD, AIR heads.
• UP Chief Minister launch projects worth Rs 6,035 crore; Mumbai Indians win CLT 20 title in Cricket.
• The draft National Telecom Policy 2011 unveiled; Eminent Ghazal singer Jagjit Singh passed away.
• India ranked 67th in Global Hunger Index among 81 countries with worst figures.
• J and K Interlocutors submitted their final report; PSLV launched four satellites.
• Union Cabinet Cleared digitization of cable TV services; Centre announced Rs 900-crore package for exporters.
• India announced $500 million line of credit for Mayan mar.
• IIL tourists broke Kashmir Valley’s 25-yr record.
• Ritu Kumar to represent India at UN’s maiden run of the world fashion week.
• CBI said the release of the accused would hamper investigations into the transfer of Reliance Telecom shares in Swan Telecom to Mauritius-based Delphi.
• Anti-cancer Drug Letrozole banned.
• Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will travel across the Tin Bigha Corridor through India on Wednesday linking two Bangladeshi enclaves Dahagram and Angarpota in Indian territory.
• India first formula one circuit at Greater Noida (UP) unveiled.
• Taking a dig at Kiran Bedi over allegations that she charged her hosts full fare on air tickets while availing discount, law minister Salman Khurshid today said unlike Team Anna he cannot pass “ex-parte” judgements on people.
• CBI Court charged Raja, Kani, 15 others with criminal breach of trust.
• The Human Development Index in the country rose by 21%, says a report while cautioning that health, nutrition and sanitation remained the key challenges for the country.
• Simplified Russian Visa rules for Indians.
• A Delhi court today found prima facie evidence against all the 17 accused including former telecom minister A Raja and DMK MP Kanimozhi and corporate honchos to frame charges against them in the 2G spectrum allocation scam case for varying roles.
• South Africa ditched India, favouring rich nations on climate issue.
• Pakistan’s military forced an Indian Army helicopter to land for violating Pakistani airspace on Sunday and detained four Indian Army officers, the army said.
• India made a clean sweep against England (5-0); : RBI raised repo rate from 8.25 to 8.5 percent.
• Days after 100-year-old Fauja Singh of Indian-origin became the oldest person to complete a marathon, a 102-year-old Dalit woman in Tamil Nadu has put on another display of centenarian vigour, winning a local body election.
• India defeat in three Nation’s Hockey Tournament.
• Mukesh Ambani becomes richest Indian billionaire in Forbes Richest list.
• Renowned Hindi novelist Pt.shree Lal Shukla passed away.
• BCCI stands firm, rejects revised sports bill.

India Current Affiars September, 2011, General Awareness September, 2011

• Justice Sen quit ahead of Lok Sabha action.
• Painter Jehangir Sabaval died on 2^nd September.
• Center, ULFA and Assam Government signed peace pact.
• Producer-Director Jagmohan Mundhra died on 4^th September.
• Union Cabinet cleared land Acquisitions bill.
• Indian Bangladesh inked pact on demarcation of entire land boundary.
• Customs Bill passed by Rajya Sabha.
• Monsoon Session of parliament concluded.
• Indian lifters bagged four bronze at Asian meet.
• 58^th National Film Awards presented.
• 51^st National Open Athletic Championships began in Kolkata.
• BC Khanduri sworn in as CM of Uttarakhand.
• Indian Hockey team won the Asian Champions Trophy.
• Indian women squash player won California open title.
• Bollywood’s star lensmen Rajadhyaksha died on 13^th September.
• Delhi United won maiden DSA title.
• Mahindra Aerospace made its maiden flight.
• RBI increased gift transfer limit to NRIs to $50,000.
• Government passed 12^th Plan approach.
• RBI allows NRIs to hold Joint Accounts.
• Centre rolling out Information and Communication Technology (ICT) enabled services in North-East.
• Jnanpith 2008 Award presented to Urdu poet Shaheryar.
• 6.8 magnitude quake rocks north-east.
• Kochi Tuskers axed from Indian Premier League.
• Jananpith 2009 Award to Hindi Author Amar Kant, 2010 Award to Kannada litterateur Chandrasekhar Kambar announced.
• Interlocutors wrap up J&K mission, final report next month.
• 34^th ISO General Assembly inaugurated in New Delhi.
• Year of Germany in India Begins.
• SC restored Tamil Nadu’s Meenakshi temple’s control to Math.
• Rajiv Gandhi International Prize for Tech in Education announced.
• Centre reconstitutes Reserve Bank of India Board.
• BJP leader L.K.Advani’s former aide Sudheendra Kulkarni arrested in the cash-for-vote scam.
• Calcutta HC Judgement: Tatas lose, Mamta wins in Singur Land Row.
• 1000 crore central aid for quake-hit Sikkim.
• Cabinet okayed Mines and Minerals ( Development and Regulation) Bill, 2011.

India Current Affiars August, 2011, General Awareness August, 2011

• Month-long monsoon session of Parliament began.
• Centre agreed to a Rs.19000 Crore ballout package for West Bengal.
• The first-ever Kashmir Premier League (KPL) T-20 Chinar Cup-2011 ended.
• DV Sadananda Gowda sworn in as Chief Minister of Karnataka.
• SC partially lifted mining ban in Bellary.
• Indian archers won three silver medals in the Archery World Cup in Ogden.
• N-E body sought national drink status for tea.
• Indian wrestlers won 49 medals in the commonwealth wrestling championship in Melbourne.
• Aditya Mehta clinched the 78th National Snooker Championship title.
• Former TN Governor and political analyst PC Alexander died.
• Lok Sabha passed SBI Subsidiary Banks Bill.
• BrahMos Varian Block III supersonic cruise missile test-fired successfully.
• Indian cricket team lost the No. 1 Test rank to England.
• Veteran actor Shammi Kapoor died.
• PM Manmohan Singh addressed the nation on 65th Independence Day.
• New Indian Chief suspended over credit over for Paramount Air.
• N A K Browne has been takes charge as the 23rd chief of the Indian Air Force.
• Coal India Ltd. Dethroned Reliance Industries Ltd. as most valued firm.
• National Sports awards announced.
• All-party meeting in West Bengal decided to rename the state as Paschimbanga.
• Stealth frigate Statpura commissioned into navy.
• Historian and Indologist Ram Sharan Sharma died.
• Leader Paes and Mahesh Bhupati won the doubles title at Cincinnati tennis match.
• Government and Team Anna held talks to reach truce.
• Haryana lifted ceiling on non-farm land.
• Baichung Bhutia brought down the curtain on his international career.
• Fast attack warship INS Karuva inducted into Navy.
• K. Rosaiah appointed new Tamil Nadu Governor.
• Birla Corp suspended mining in Rajasthan.
• Indian Finished 8th in the WSF men’s world team squash championship held in Germany.
• Juvenile Justice (amendment) Bill introduced in Lok Sabha.
• Sucheta 33 year old women from Pune became first Indian woman to cross Gobi desert.
• Ronjan Sodhi has been ranked world No.1 in double trap shooting as per the ISSF world rankings.
• HDFC bank has launched a service of accepting income tax payment through ATMs.
• Gagan Narang Ace Indian shooter is set to get Khel Ratna.
• Prahaar missile was recently test-fired successfully at Chandipur, Orrisa.
• Rahul Dravid became 2nd highest run scorer in Test cricket surpassing Ricky Ponting’s record.
• Former Supreme Court Judge Shivraj V.Patil has been appointed as Lokayukta of Karnataka to succeed Santosh Hegde.
• Shammi Kapoor bollywood actor passed away recently.

India Current Affiars July, 2011, General Awareness July, 2011

• Delhi CM Sheila Dixit received the first Mercy Ravi Award for Woman of Substance from Defence Minister A.K. Antony.
• Centre set 2012 deadline to seal Bangladesh border.
• Pradeep Kumar elected as the new CVC.
• TN chief minister reshuffled her cabinet.
• RBI allowed fresh loans to finance FCCBs.
• MPs and MLAs quit en masse in Andhra Pradesh.
• 25 more Telangana legislators resigned.
• Noted filmmaker Mani Kaul passed away.
• Mayookha Johny won 1st Gold for India at the Asian Athletics Championship.
• Cho-Lhamu lake in Sikkim declared highest lake in the country.
• VS Hegde appointed Antrix Corporation Chief.
• More than 30 dead and more 240 hurt as Kalak Mail derailed.
• Rs1543 crore deficit budget presented for Assam for 2011-12.
• Bharti, IBM inked 10 year deal for Africa.
• Serial blasts in Mumbai left 21 dead.
• Pradeep Kumar sworn in new CVC.
• PSLV-C17 put GSAT-12 inot orbit.
• Government lifted wheat export ban.
• Ambika Pande became the first Indian to win the Canadian U-18 ITF Jr world ranking championship.
• Pacts singed for Gorkhaland Territorial Administration.
• RS Gujral Appointed as the new finance secretary.
• Himachal inked $95.16 mn loan agreement with ADB.
• Prahaar missile flight-tested successfully.
• Cabinet cleared $7.2 bn RIL-BP deal.
• India, Bangladesh revived border ‘haat’.
• President Patil began her two-nation tour to Korea and Mongolia.
• SC approved national-level medical exam.
• India inked tax treaty with Lithuania.
• Neelima Mishra and Harish Hande won Ramon Megsaysay Award 2011.
• Union Cabinet approved draft of Lokpal Bill.
• Dinesh Trivedi and Salman Khursheed are the new Union Railway Minister and Law Minister respectively.
• The insurgent organization which recently declared unilateral, indefinite ceasefire is ULFA.

India Current Affairs June 2011, General Awareness June, 2011

• India is setting up a special facility known as Gamma Ray Telescope in Hanle (Leh) which will help in unraveling the mysteries of normal and dark matter in the universe.
• India’s Chetan Anand defeated Chiang Jiann of Malaysia to clinch the Mauritius Open Badminton Championship in Hyderabad recently.
• The provision of free and compulsory education will be extended upto class X. A proposal to this effect was approved at a meeting of tile Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE)
• The new ‘mother-child health care scheme launched on June 1, 2011 is a – The Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram
• Indian American Sukanya Roy won the crown at the prestigious Spelling Bee Championship in Maryland U.S. on June 2, 2011 for correctly spelling the tongue twister ‘Cymotrichous’
• Revenue Secretary Sunil Mitra on June 1, 2011 took charge as the Finance Secretary in place of Sushama Nath.b Mr. Sunil Mitra is a 1975 batch IAS officer (West Bengal Cadre).
• Lieutenant General H.L. Kakria in last week of May 2011 appointed took over as Director-General of the Armed Forces Medical Services.
• Hyderabad has been chosen for hosting the prestigious 11th conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity in October 2012.
• The Committee on Comprehensive Review of National Small Savings Fund has suggested 4% interest on -Post Office Savings Deposits
• The Central Government on June 7, 2011 approved 16 Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) proposals worth Rs. 923’55 crore.
• Punjab defeated Mumbai in the final of Junior National Hockey Championship for undergo
• The winner of the inaugural edition of indian Volley League (Volleyball) is a- Chennai Spikers
• Water-jet-propelled Fast Attack Craft (FAC) INS Kabra-eight in a series of 10 Car Nicobar Class FACS designed and built by the Kolkata-based Garden Reach Shipbuilders and engineers (GRSE) for the Navy, was commissioned at the naval base in Kochi.
• The Cabinet Committee on Security, chaired by the PM Dr. Manmohan Singh cleared the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) that will facilitate robust information sharing among law enforcement agencies to combat terror threats at home and abroad.
• An Iron Age megalithic burial site dotted with cairn-circles has been discovered near Veeranam village at the foot of a chain of hills inTamil Nadu’s Tiruvannamalai district.

India Current Affiars May, 2011, General Awareness May, 2011

• Jharkand’s Premlata Agarwal, 45, became the oldest Indian to scale Mount Everest on May 20, A2011. Ms. Agrawal, supported by that Steel is also the first person form Jharkhand to go on an expedition to Mt. Everest
• Air Marshal Norman Anil Kumar Browne has been appointed the next chief of Air Staff of India. He will assume office on retirement of Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik on July 31, 2011.
• Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on his visit to Madhya Pradesh dedicated the world class 6 Million tones per annum Bina Refining to the nation in Bina (Madhya Pradesh) on may 20.2011. He said that the country would increase its refining capacity to 23-80 million by 2012.
• Professor Subhasis Chaudhuri of Indian Institute of Technology Mumbai has been selected for the prestigious G.D. Birla Award for Scientific Research.
• Under the 58th National Film Awards adaminte Makan Abu- a Malayalm movie has been chosen as the best feature film. The Movie shows humanist values freeing matters of faith from the constrictions of narrow parochialism.
• Salim Kumar for his role in Adaminte Makan Abu and Dhanush for his brilliant Performance in Aadukula have been selected best Actors under the 58th National Film Awards this year.
• During his African visit to Africa in May 2011, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh said India would off $5 billion for next three years under lines of credit to help Africa to achieve its development goals. The $ 5 billion line of credit represents an increase of $1.6 billion over the billion that remains unspent.
• On 21, 2011 the 800- tonne Ariane 5 launcher carrying two communication satellites weighing over 9,000 kg in its nose fairing blasted off into space. India’s GSAT-8 the largest and heaviest satellite built by Indian Space Research Organisation and its partners was one of the two co-passengers on the flight.
• India on May 21, 2011 twice successfully test-fired the indigenously developed air-to-air Astra interceptor missile from Chandipur in Orissa. The Missile is envisaged to intercept and destroy enemy aircraft at supersonic speeds.
• A Successful flight-test of Russia I UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle ) was conducted by the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) a lab of Defiance Research and Development Organisation near Hosur (Karnataka) on May 21,2011
• Aditya Sudarshan has been declared the winner of the Metro Plus Playwright Awards 2011 for his entry “The Green Room’ This prestigious award is instituted by the Hindu newspaper and is given for the best original unpublished and unperformed playscript in English.
• Mamta Benerjee took over as the first woman Chief minister of West Bengal in May 2011 after her party Trinamool Congress in alliance with Indian National Congress secured absolute majority and ended the 34 year rule of mighty Left Front reducing them to a double them to double digit figure of 62 seats in the newly constituted Assembly.
• Human Right Activist Binayak Sen has been made member of the Planning Commission’s Steering Committee on Health which will advise the panel on The Twelfth Five Year Plan (2012-2017). He will represent the Bilaspur based healthcare organization Jan Swasthya Shayog.
• Famous Bollywood singer Shaan was on May 10, 2011 announced as the Tobacco Control Ambassador of India by the Union Ministry of Health And Family Welfare given his popularity and fan following among young age group people.
• In order to build a capability based approach the Army’s Western Command Embarked on a simulated war game in the deserts of northern Rajasthan in May 2011. The exercise named ‘Vijayee Bhava’ (Blessed to win) is the first in series of Annual summer exercise that got underway at Suratgarh in Rajasthan with Indian Air Force supporting the drill

India Current Affiars April, 2011, General Awareness April, 2011

• Rabobank got RBI nod for India operations.
• Team India won the Cricket World Cup after 28 years.
• World Cup celebration continue bio-fuel flight leader Safar named all over nation.
• Delhi cabinet gave its nod to ban on plastic bags.
• India suspended food imports from Japan for 3 months.
• Union Cabinet approved Consulate General of India in Perth.
• The government decided that blanket ban on food Imports from Japan was not required as items tested so far were not found contaminated from radiation leak.
• Indian Premier League (IPL-4) got off in Chennai.
• Anirban Lahiri won the inaugural Panasonlc Open Golf title.
• SFI founder C Bhaskaran died.
• 44-deemed univs facing derecognition got reprive from Supreme Court.
• PM Singh reached China for BRICS summit.
• India, China’ agreed to resume defence exchanges.
• Kanishtha Dhankhar crowned Femina Miss India World 2011.
• Alok Kumar won Asian Billiards Championship title.
• India,Kazakhstan Inked nuke,oil pacts.
• Jaipur’s last titular Maharaja Bhawanl Singh died.
• Orissa became first state to launch rural livelihood mission.
• Abhijit Gupta won the Dubai International Open Chess title.
• India, Japan signed pact on digital library- PSLV-CI6 placed 3 satellites in orbit.
• Congress won first civic polls in Gandhi nagar
• RBI granted relief of banks on NPAS.
• India-Pak panel okayed repatriation of prisoners.
• Spiritual leader Sri Sathya Sai Baba died.
• Ex-chief of CWG Suresh Kalmadi arrested on charges of forgery.
• A special CBI Court sent ‘ Kalmadi and two others to 8-day custody.
• Indo-pak trade talks resumed after two years.
• 2G: PM Singh got clean chit from Public Accounts Committee.
• The winner of Dubai Open Chess Championship is – Abhijeet Gupta
• Recently PSLV-C16 put into space orbit – Three Setellites
• The Indian who recently won prestigious Indu Sharma Katha Samman is – Vikas Kumar
• As per Time Manazine list, the most influential Indian is – Mahendra singh Dhoni
• Saraswati Samman has been conferred on – S.L. Bhyrappa
• The person who has been appointed as Chairperson of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) – Leela samson
• As per the provisional data of 2011 Census, India’s population stands at – 1,210,193,422
• The percentage growth of India’s population in 2001-11 was recorded at – 17.6%
• The overall sex ratio nationwide has been recorded during 2001-11 Census at – 940 females per 1000 males – Kerela
• The state which registered highest sex ratio during 2001-11 Census is- Kerala
• The literacy rate during census 2001-11 has been registered at – 74-04%
• The Indian state which has achieved first rank in harnessing solar energy is – Rajasthan
• The Indian who has been chosen for South Korean Gwangju Award for human rights for 2011 is – Binayak Sen
• As per recent data Planning Commission, Poverty rate in India has declined-32%
• As per 2001-2011 census, the density of population in India is – 382 Persons per square km
• The percentage of female literates in India as per 2011 Census provisional data is – 65.46% to total population of women
• As per the 2011 census provisional data the four states with highest population (in descending order) are – U.P.Maharashtra, Bihar and. West Bengal
• Wisden’s Leading Cricketer for is – Sachin Tendulkar

World December 2011, International Current Affairs December, 2011, General Awareness December, 2011

• A bomb exploded near the office of a regional government official in the often restive city of Peshawar early on Thursday, police officials said, but there were no immediate reports of casualties. – Dec 01
• A ‘scientific’ report has alleged that relaxing the ban on women drivers would also see more Saudis – both men and women – turn to homosexuality and pornography. The report was delivered to all the 150 members of the country’s legislative body. – Dec 02
• Often accused of playing a negative role in Nepal, India seems interested in reshaping its ties with the Himalayan nation in a new way with stress on economic cooperation. – Dec 03
• Five militants and two members of an elite police force were killed in a clash in southern Kazakhstan, prosecutors said today, amid concerns about rising Islamist unrest in the Central Asian state. – Dec 04
• Pakistan will review all its agreements with the US and NATO in the aftermath of the November 26 airstrike that left two dozen Pakistan Army soldiers dead, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said. Pak troop deaths ‘regrettable’: Obama – Dec 05
• The deputy commander of the Pakistan Taliban, who have been waging a four-year war against the government in Islamabad, confirmed the two sides were in peace talks, a move that could further fray the US-Pakistan relationship. – Dec 10
• A strong 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck early today near the South Sandwich Islands, a remote British territory near Antarctica and South America’s southern tip, the US Geological Survey said – Dec 12
• With the US troop withdrawal from Iraq in its final days, President Barack Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri-al Maliki will meet at the White House on Monday to discuss the next phase of the relationship between their countries. – Dec 13
• Nordine Amrani, the lone gunman who died after killing three people and injuring scores in an attack in a crowded Belgian square today, had a long criminal record but not for violent crime. – Dec 14
• The Indian rupee fell by 46 paise to a record low of Rs 54.17 per US dollar in early trade on Thursday, breaching the Rs 54 per dollar-mark for the first time in history on sustained foreign capital outflows and dollar gains against the euro and other rivals overseas. – Dec 15
• The death toll from tropical storm Washi surged to 180 today with nearly 400 people missing in flash floods that ravaged the southern Philippines. – Dec 17
• The external affairs ministry has said it has no records of any “purported” letter written in 1962 by then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to his Israeli counterpart David Ben Gurion seeking help during the Sino-India war. – Dec 18
• The external affairs ministry has said it has no records of any “purported” letter written in 1962 by then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to his Israeli counterpart David Ben Gurion seeking help during the Sino-India war. – Dec 18
• A Russian court today suspended its verdict till December 28 on the demand for banning Hindu scripture Bhagavad Gita, which a group linked to the Christian Orthodox Church has described as ‘extremist’. – Dec 19
• The death toll from a destructive storm that hit the southern Philippines has risen to 927, the head of the govt disaster monitoring council said late Monday. – Dec 20
• BEIJING: The proposed February launch of India’s Agni-V missile has ruffled feathers among Chinese policy makers with Communist Party organ, the People’s Daily, saying the move reflects India’s “intention of seeking regional balance of power”. – Dec 21
• Facebook Inc has agreed to make several changes to its services to improve transparency and better protect the personal data of its millions of users outside of the US, following an in-depth audit of its international headquarters that was released on Dec.22,2011. – Dec 22
• The earthquake-devastated New Zealand city of Christchurch was rocked by two powerful 5.8 magnitude tremors on Dec 23,2011 sending terrified residents onto the streets and forcing the airport to close. – Dec 23
• An Afghan official says 11 miners have died in an accident at a coal mine in central Afghanistan. – Dec 24
• A fake marriage gang, which involved five Pakistani men and several Slovak women, has been jailed for manipulating marriage system to flout UK immigration laws. – Dec 26
• A roadside bomb attack killed three NATO troops in eastern Afghanistan, one of the deadliest flashpoints in the 10-year war against Taliban insurgents, the military said on Dec 28,2011 . – Dec 28
• As the United States enters the crucial election year, president Barack Obama and his Democratic party has a clear edge over the opposition Republican party, a latest opinion poll has said. – Dec 30

International Current Affairs November, 2011, General Awareness November, 2011

• Obama bumped Chinese President Hu Jintao from the No. 1 spot on the magazine’s annual rankings to the third place with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin taking the second position. — Nov 03, Hindustan Times
• Pakistan on Friday said it is not taking any “U-turn” on normalising trade relations with India and granting the MFN status is a part of that process. — Nov 04, Hindustan Times
• An asteroid larger than an aircraft carrier will dart between the Earth and Moon on Tuesday. It will be the closest encounter by such a huge space rock in 35 years. — Nov 06, Hindustan Times
• Former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf has said that the country’s nuclear weapons are very hard targets and can never be attacked by the United States. — Nov 07, Hindustan Times
• Former Libyan dictator Col Muammar Gaddafi scavenged for food and fled from one abandoned house to another during his desperate final days in his hometown of Sirte, one of his top security officials has revealed. — Nov 08, Hindustan Times
• The head of the International Monetary Fund warned on Wednesday that Europe’s debt crisis risked plunging the global economy into a “lost decade” and said it was up to rich nations to shoulder the burden of restoring growth and confidence. — Nov 09, Hindustan Times
• Ahead of the two important summits in the Asia Pacific region in the next 10 days, the White House made it intentions clear that US will continue to be a strong power in the region and work with key regional partners in this regard. Manmohan, Obama to meet in Bali — Nov 10, Hindustan Times
• China’s campaign to stifle dissenters such as artist Ai Weiwei through secret detentions could come cloaked in a thicker veneer of legality if proposed crime law changes go through, a prominent rights advocacy group said on Thursday. — Nov 11, Hindustan Times
• Two Russians and an American on Monday blasted off for the International Space Station (ISS) on a Russian rocket from Russia’s Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, an AFP correspondent said. — Nov 14, Hindustan Times
• British Prime Minister David Cameron has reportedly impersonated the Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard during his annual foreign policy speech in London. — Nov 15, Hindustan Times
• A salvo of missiles fired by US drones destroyed a Pakistani Taliban base today, killing up to 18 militants in Pakistan’s tribal badlands on the Afghan border, officials said. — Nov 16, Hindustan Times
• Julian Assange’s mother has joined protesters in Australia’s capital demanding the government oppose a possible U.S. extradition of her son in a WikiLeaks investigation. — Nov 17, Hindustan Times
• US President Barack Obama said today there were “flickers of progress” towards democratic reform in Myanmar and opened the door to a new US relationship with the long-isolated country. — Nov 18, Hindustan Times
• The Inter-Services Intelligence agency “conclusively authenticated” the delivery of a secret memorandum purportedly sent by Pakistan’s civilian leadership to the former US military chief before army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani raised the matter with President Asif Ali Zardari. — Nov 19, Hindustan Times
• If Pakistan’s telecom regulator has its way, millions of mobile phone users may be unable to send text messages with “offensive” and “obscene” words like crap, damn, hobo, flatulence, gay, lesbian and slime from Monday. — Nov 20, Hindustan Times
• Officials say satellite surveillance has shown a recent increase in activity at an Iranian site suspected of secret work on nuclear weapons. — Nov 21, Hindustan Times
• The Indian rupee depreciated by 35 paise to a lifetime low of Rs 52.50 per US dollar in early trade on the Interbank Foreign Exchange on Tuesday on sustained demand for the American currency from banks and importers. Dollar gains against other currencies overseas also put pressure on the
  Indian rupee. — Nov 22, Hindustan Times
• Authorities say a small plane has crashed in eastern Indonesia, killing the Spanish pilot and leaving his co-pilot in critical condition. — Nov 23, Hindustan Times
• Arguing that the UN Security Council is no longer reflective of contemporary reality, India has said this poses the “most important challenge” to global peace and security as well as conflict prevention. — Nov 24, Hindustan Times
• No scaling down of military operations against Taliban, says US — Nov 29, Times of India
• A German federal court was to rule today whether a Muslim pupil has the right to pray according to Islamic rites in school, capping a more than two-year legal battle — Nov 30, Hindustan Times

International Current Affairs October, 2011, General Awareness October, 2011

• Denmark became first country in world to impose Fat Tax on foods such as butter and oil.
• Afghan rocked at first musicial festival in 3 decades.
• Three immune pioneers shared Medicine Nobel.
• Three shared physics Nobel for Universe insights.
• US President Obama unveiled Jobs plan; Israeli got Chemistry Nobel for Crystals.
• Steve Jobs, 56, iconic cofounder of Apple, passed away; Swedish poet won Nobel for Literature.
• 1 Arab, 2 Liberian women shared peace Nobel.
• 111 person including 13 ethnic Indians charged in the biggest credit card scam in US History.
• NATO pounded strategic city of Sirte, Libya as assault nears end.
• 2 of US won Economics Nobel in Microeconomics.
• Egypt Dy PM quit over Coptic killings.
• Myanmar began releasing 6,300 convicts in its latest liberalizing move.
• Bhutan’s King Jigme Khesar married Jetsun Pema.
• Italian Pm Silvio Berlusconi won a crucial confidence vote in Parliament.
• Demonstrators of 951 cities in 82 countries across the world rallied to accuse bankers and politicians of wrecking economics.
• Pope Benedict declare a “year of faith”, starting on October 11, 2012.
• Jordan’s king name Intl court of Justice Judge Awn Khasawneh as PM.
• The Buddh International Circuit was today unveiled amid much fanfare ahead of the widely-anticipated inaugural Indian Grand Prix and was described as “one of the best in the world” by the country’s first F1 driver Narain Karthikeyan.
• Israel traded 1927 prisoners for one soldier in Hamas captivity.
• A first group of 200 French soldiers was due to leave Afghanistan on Wednesday as part of an early troop withdrawal announced in July by President Nicolas Sarkozy.
• Julian Balnes won Man Booker for “The sense of the ending”.
• Former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi died of wounds suffered in his capture near his hometown of Sirte today, a senior NTC military official told Reuters. National Transitional Council official Abdel Majid Mlegta told Reuters earlier that Gaddafi was captured and wounded in both legs at dawn on Thursday as he tried to flee in a convoy which NATO warplanes attacked
• Revolution killed Muammar Gaddafi, dictator of Libya for 42 years.
• Muammar Gaddafi was fatally wounded by a bullet in his intestines following his capture, according to a doctor who examined his body, amid conflicting accounts of how the fugitive former Libyan leader met his end.
• Pak won two-year non-permanent seat in UN Security Council.
• US authorities have approved the transfer of 435 Indian students of the Tri-Valley University to other institutions, indicating some progress in addressing the plight of nearly 1,800 Indian students affected by its closure.
• Inert German satellite Rosat hit to the ground.
• The Pakistani Taliban have threatened to attack installations of Shell Pakistan and the state-run Pakistan State Oil if the two firms do not pay a total of Rs 400 million within 20 days as extortion money, a media report said today.
• Tunisia voted in first Free Polls; Libya declared itself Liberated.
• As many as 1,000 people were feared killed on Sunday when a powerful earthquake hit southeast Turkey, destroying dozens of buildings and trapping some victims alive under rubble.
• US pulled out envoy from Syria.
• UK House rejected referendum on EU membership.
• US industrialist of Indian origin, Rajat Gupta arrested in Insider Trading Scam.
• IBM named Virginia Rometty the first female CEO in the company’s 100-years history.
• Britain rewrites rules for Royal line of Succession.
• Qantas Airways grounded its global fleet indefinitely and locked out workers.