1. Anshula Kant appointed as CFO and Deputy Managing Director of SBI
Anshula Kant was appointed as the Deputy Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of State Bank of India (SBI). She succeeded P K Gupta, who was promoted as Chief Executive Officer of SBI Capital.
Till recently, Kant headed Bombay Circle of SBI as the Chief General Manager. She joined State Bank of India as a Probationary Officer in 1983. Since then, she has handled many crucial assignments in Retail Banking, Corporate Credit, Cross-Border Trade and Banking in Developed Markets.
Earlier, she headed Network 2 of Mumbai Circle, which spans the State of Goa and the Districts of Pune, Solapur, Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara, Nashik, Ahmadnagar, Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri in the State of Maharashtra.
2. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar conferred with Columbia’s highest civilian award
The spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar was conferred with the Columbia’s highest civilian award Orden de la Democracia Simon Bolivar en el grado de cruz Caballero (Order of the Democracy Simon Bolivar) by Columbia.
For this, he was congratulated by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi .Sri Sri Ravi Shankar founded the Art of Living Foundation in 1981, which aims to relieve individual stress, societal problems, and violence.
In 1997, he also founded the International Association for Human Values (IAHV) to coordinate sustainable development projects, nurture human values and coordinate conflict resolution in association with The Art of Living.
3. RBI extended deadline for exchanging pre-2005 currency notes by 6 months
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) extended the date to exchange pre-2005 bank notes till 31 December 2015.
RBI in an official statement said that the notes can be exchanged for their full value. It has also clarified that all such notes continue to remain legal tender.
Soliciting cooperation from members of public in withdrawing these banknotes, it also urged them to deposit the old design notes in their bank accounts or exchange them at a bank branch convenient to them.
Earlier on 23 December 2014, it extended the deadline for exchanging pre-2005 of various denominations by another six months till 30 June 2015 from previous 31 December 2015.
4. Two-day long annual Hemis festival of Ladakh
Two-day long annual Hemis festival dedicated to the Guru Padmasambhava began on 26 June 2015 in largest monastery of Ladakh Hemis Gompa (monastery) of Jammu and Kashmir.
Hemis festival is celebrated to mark the birth anniversary of Guru Padmasambhava. During this festive season, Lamas called 'chhams,' perform masked dances and sacred plays to the accompaniment of cymbals, drums and long horns. The head lama presides over the function.
The festival takes an auspicious turn every 12 years in the Tibetan Year of the Monkey, when the two-storey high Thanka depicting Padmasambhava is displayed.
5. International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking observed globally
The International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking was on 26 June 2015 observed globally with the theme Let’s Develop our Lives, our Communities, our identities without Drugs.
This important day was created by the United Nations General Assembly on 7 December 1987 to help create a society free of illegal drugs and drug abuse. Each year the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) selects a theme for the day.
The day is observed internationally by various countries by spreading awareness about Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking through events and programmes.
6. RBI allowed AD Category-I Banks to borrow from International Financial Institutions
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) decided to allow Authorised Dealer Category I (AD Category-I) Banks to borrow foreign currency from International/Multinational Financial Institutions (IFIs/MFIs).
In this regard, a notification was issued by the RBI.
Earlier, AD Cat-I Banks were allowed to borrow from IFIs/MFIs for a short period in 2013 with prior permission from the RBI on a case-by-case basis.
In contrast, as per the recent notification, the banks can borrow without any such prior approvals from the RBI.
However, these shall include only those IFIs in which the Government of India is a shareholding member or which have been established by more than one government or have shareholding by more than one government and other international organizations.
Further, such borrowings should be for the purpose of general banking business and not for capital augmentation.
The decision was taken by the RBI in order to provide greater flexibility in seeking access to overseas funds by the banks.
About AD Category-I Banks
Authorised Dealer Category -I Banks (AD Category–I Banks) is one of the three types of Authorised Money Changers (AMCs) approved by the RBI under Section 10 of the Foreign Exchange Management (FEMA) Act, 1999.
An AMC is a Full Fledged Money Changer (FFMC) permitted to deal in foreign exchange for specified purposes.
Other two AMCs are: Authorised Dealers Category - II (ADs Category–II) and Full Fledged Money Changers (FFMCs).
At present 102 entities are recognised as AD Category–I Banks including State Bank of India, Canara Bank and Axis Bank Ltd.
7. Assam's Ambubachi Mela concluded
The four-day long Ambubachi Mela at Kamakhaya Devi temple at Guwahati, Assam concluded on 26 June 2015. With this, the door of the Shakti shrine at Nilachal hillock was re-opened for devotees.
The Ambubachi Mela also known as Ambubachi Festival that started on 23 June 2015 was visited by around 7 lakh 50 thousand pilgrims from various parts of the world.
Ambubachi Mela (Ambubachi Festival)
This yearly mela is celebrated during the monsoon season that happens to fall during the Assamese month Ahaar, around the middle of June, when the Brahmaputra River is in spate. It is related to the Tantric cult and is also known as Kamkhya Devi Puja.
The doors of the temple remains closed for three days during the festival as it is believed that Goddess Kamakhya goes through her menstrual cycle.
8. Sachin Tendulkar named as greatest Test player of 21st century
Former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar was voted as the Best Test Player of the 21st century in an online poll titled Top-100 Test players' list since 2000. The result of poll conducted by Cricket Australia’s website, cricket.com.au was released in the fourth week of June 2015.
Sachin received highest number of votes (23 percent votes) to emerge on the top of list of 100 best Test players since 2000. The survey was participated by more than 16000 fans.
9. Leander Paes became 47th player to join 100 partners club on ATP Circuit
India’s tennis player Leander Paes became the 47th player to play with 100 different partners on ATP Circuit.
The 42-year-old achieved this land mark feat when he joined Marcel Granollers of Spain in a match against Treat Huey and Scott Lipsky at the Aegon Open in Nottingham, the UK.
Of these 100 partners, While 71 played with him on the tour level, 29 at the Challenger level.
Among all the partners, Paes had been most successful with his Indian partner Mahesh Bhuapthi with whom he won three of his eight men’s doubles Grand Slam titles.
He won two each with Radek Stepanek and Lukas Dlouhy and one with Martin Damm. Incidentally, all of them are from Czech Republic.
10. International Conference on Nepal’s Reconstruction concluded
The one-day International Conference on Nepal’s Reconstruction (ICNR) concluded in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal.
The Conference was organised by the Government of Nepal to raise funds for carrying out rebuilding of areas devastated by the April 25 earthquake of magnitude 7.8 on Richter scale, which claimed nearly 9000 lives.
The Conference was attended by at least 35 countries, including China, Britain, Norway, Japan, Sri Lanka, the European Union besides the UN, World Bank and Asian Development Bank.
India was represented by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj who pledged 1 billion US dollars in assistance to Nepal for its reconstruction programme. The assistance is over and above India’s existing bilateral developmental assistance of another 1 billion US dollars over the next five years which takes the total assistance to 2 billion US dollars.
11. Union Government asked Bihar, TN, Rajasthan to introduce milk in mid day meal scheme
Union Government requested the Chief Ministers of Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan to encourage supply of free milk in the Mid Day Meal to school children.
Milk Products will be provided with an aim to increase the nutritional level in the Mid Day Meal for school children.
The decision was made in a review meeting in which it was found that the State Milk Federations of these states have surplus stock of skimmed milk powder.
In relation to supply of free milk products to students, Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh has written a letter to these states.
At present, two states Karnataka (under project Ksheerabhagya started in 2012-13) and Madhya Pradesh provides free milk products to school children under the Mid Day Meal scheme.
12. BHEL commissioned first 250-MW unit of NTPC’s Bongaigaon Thermal Power Project
Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) commissioned the first unit of 250-MW of Bongaigaon thermal power project of National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) in Assam. The project is located at Kumguri village of Salakati near Bongaigaon in Kokrajhar district. It is spread over an area of 964 acres. Fuel for the plant will be sourced from the mines in Margherita area in Assam under North-Eastern Coal Fields LTD (NECL) and Raniganj coal sources in West Bengal under Eastern Coal Fields Ltd (ECL).
BHEL is executing the NTPC’s project for setting up three units of 250 MW (750 MW in total) each as coal-based project which will be completed by 2016. On completion, this will become the highest rating coal based power plant in North East India.
The beneficiary states of the project are seven states of North East and adjoining Eastern region states along with the Union Territories.
Known as the gateway to Lower Assam, Bongaigoan is one of the industrial towns of the state, which also has a major petrochemical industry.
13. Union Cabinet approved to set up a National Memorial at birth place of Lok Nayak JP Narayan in Bihar
The Union Cabinet approved the setting up of a National Memorial at the birth place of Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan. Lok Nayak was born at Lala Ka Tola, Sitab, Diara in Chhapra (Saran) district of Bihar on 11 October 1902.
The memorial will contribute in furthering the vision of Lok Nayak who was an exemplary leader of Indian independence movement, a freedom fighter and a social reformer.
The memorial will house a virtual museum, an institute and the Lok Nayak Khadi Gaurav Samvardhan Kendra.
The institute will undertake study and research on (a) democracy, (b) enhancing the role of Panchayats in nation building, (c) Gandhian thoughts, and (d) centre for Khadi and constructive work keeping in view the thoughts of Lok Nayak.
On other hand, Lok Nayak Khadi Gaurav Samvardhan Kendra will be used in making national flags by women cluster(s)
Anshula Kant was appointed as the Deputy Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of State Bank of India (SBI). She succeeded P K Gupta, who was promoted as Chief Executive Officer of SBI Capital.Till recently, Kant headed Bombay Circle of SBI as the Chief General Manager. She joined State Bank of India as a Probationary Officer in 1983. Since then, she has handled many crucial assignments in Retail Banking, Corporate Credit, Cross-Border Trade and Banking in Developed Markets.
Earlier, she headed Network 2 of Mumbai Circle, which spans the State of Goa and the Districts of Pune, Solapur, Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara, Nashik, Ahmadnagar, Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri in the State of Maharashtra.
2. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar conferred with Columbia’s highest civilian award
The spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar was conferred with the Columbia’s highest civilian award Orden de la Democracia Simon Bolivar en el grado de cruz Caballero (Order of the Democracy Simon Bolivar) by Columbia.
For this, he was congratulated by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi .Sri Sri Ravi Shankar founded the Art of Living Foundation in 1981, which aims to relieve individual stress, societal problems, and violence.
In 1997, he also founded the International Association for Human Values (IAHV) to coordinate sustainable development projects, nurture human values and coordinate conflict resolution in association with The Art of Living.
3. RBI extended deadline for exchanging pre-2005 currency notes by 6 months
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) extended the date to exchange pre-2005 bank notes till 31 December 2015.
RBI in an official statement said that the notes can be exchanged for their full value. It has also clarified that all such notes continue to remain legal tender.
Soliciting cooperation from members of public in withdrawing these banknotes, it also urged them to deposit the old design notes in their bank accounts or exchange them at a bank branch convenient to them.
Earlier on 23 December 2014, it extended the deadline for exchanging pre-2005 of various denominations by another six months till 30 June 2015 from previous 31 December 2015.
4. Two-day long annual Hemis festival of Ladakh
Two-day long annual Hemis festival dedicated to the Guru Padmasambhava began on 26 June 2015 in largest monastery of Ladakh Hemis Gompa (monastery) of Jammu and Kashmir.
Hemis festival is celebrated to mark the birth anniversary of Guru Padmasambhava. During this festive season, Lamas called 'chhams,' perform masked dances and sacred plays to the accompaniment of cymbals, drums and long horns. The head lama presides over the function.
The festival takes an auspicious turn every 12 years in the Tibetan Year of the Monkey, when the two-storey high Thanka depicting Padmasambhava is displayed.
5. International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking observed globally
The International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking was on 26 June 2015 observed globally with the theme Let’s Develop our Lives, our Communities, our identities without Drugs.
This important day was created by the United Nations General Assembly on 7 December 1987 to help create a society free of illegal drugs and drug abuse. Each year the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) selects a theme for the day.
The day is observed internationally by various countries by spreading awareness about Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking through events and programmes.
6. RBI allowed AD Category-I Banks to borrow from International Financial Institutions
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) decided to allow Authorised Dealer Category I (AD Category-I) Banks to borrow foreign currency from International/Multinational Financial Institutions (IFIs/MFIs).
In this regard, a notification was issued by the RBI.
Earlier, AD Cat-I Banks were allowed to borrow from IFIs/MFIs for a short period in 2013 with prior permission from the RBI on a case-by-case basis.
In contrast, as per the recent notification, the banks can borrow without any such prior approvals from the RBI.
However, these shall include only those IFIs in which the Government of India is a shareholding member or which have been established by more than one government or have shareholding by more than one government and other international organizations.
Further, such borrowings should be for the purpose of general banking business and not for capital augmentation.
The decision was taken by the RBI in order to provide greater flexibility in seeking access to overseas funds by the banks.
About AD Category-I Banks
Authorised Dealer Category -I Banks (AD Category–I Banks) is one of the three types of Authorised Money Changers (AMCs) approved by the RBI under Section 10 of the Foreign Exchange Management (FEMA) Act, 1999.
An AMC is a Full Fledged Money Changer (FFMC) permitted to deal in foreign exchange for specified purposes.
Other two AMCs are: Authorised Dealers Category - II (ADs Category–II) and Full Fledged Money Changers (FFMCs).
At present 102 entities are recognised as AD Category–I Banks including State Bank of India, Canara Bank and Axis Bank Ltd.
7. Assam's Ambubachi Mela concluded
The four-day long Ambubachi Mela at Kamakhaya Devi temple at Guwahati, Assam concluded on 26 June 2015. With this, the door of the Shakti shrine at Nilachal hillock was re-opened for devotees.
The Ambubachi Mela also known as Ambubachi Festival that started on 23 June 2015 was visited by around 7 lakh 50 thousand pilgrims from various parts of the world.
Ambubachi Mela (Ambubachi Festival)
This yearly mela is celebrated during the monsoon season that happens to fall during the Assamese month Ahaar, around the middle of June, when the Brahmaputra River is in spate. It is related to the Tantric cult and is also known as Kamkhya Devi Puja.
The doors of the temple remains closed for three days during the festival as it is believed that Goddess Kamakhya goes through her menstrual cycle.
8. Sachin Tendulkar named as greatest Test player of 21st century
Former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar was voted as the Best Test Player of the 21st century in an online poll titled Top-100 Test players' list since 2000. The result of poll conducted by Cricket Australia’s website, cricket.com.au was released in the fourth week of June 2015.
Sachin received highest number of votes (23 percent votes) to emerge on the top of list of 100 best Test players since 2000. The survey was participated by more than 16000 fans.
India’s tennis player Leander Paes became the 47th player to play with 100 different partners on ATP Circuit.
The 42-year-old achieved this land mark feat when he joined Marcel Granollers of Spain in a match against Treat Huey and Scott Lipsky at the Aegon Open in Nottingham, the UK.
Of these 100 partners, While 71 played with him on the tour level, 29 at the Challenger level.
Among all the partners, Paes had been most successful with his Indian partner Mahesh Bhuapthi with whom he won three of his eight men’s doubles Grand Slam titles.
He won two each with Radek Stepanek and Lukas Dlouhy and one with Martin Damm. Incidentally, all of them are from Czech Republic.
10. International Conference on Nepal’s Reconstruction concluded
The one-day International Conference on Nepal’s Reconstruction (ICNR) concluded in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal.
The Conference was organised by the Government of Nepal to raise funds for carrying out rebuilding of areas devastated by the April 25 earthquake of magnitude 7.8 on Richter scale, which claimed nearly 9000 lives.
The Conference was attended by at least 35 countries, including China, Britain, Norway, Japan, Sri Lanka, the European Union besides the UN, World Bank and Asian Development Bank.
India was represented by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj who pledged 1 billion US dollars in assistance to Nepal for its reconstruction programme. The assistance is over and above India’s existing bilateral developmental assistance of another 1 billion US dollars over the next five years which takes the total assistance to 2 billion US dollars.
11. Union Government asked Bihar, TN, Rajasthan to introduce milk in mid day meal scheme
Union Government requested the Chief Ministers of Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan to encourage supply of free milk in the Mid Day Meal to school children.
Milk Products will be provided with an aim to increase the nutritional level in the Mid Day Meal for school children.
The decision was made in a review meeting in which it was found that the State Milk Federations of these states have surplus stock of skimmed milk powder.
In relation to supply of free milk products to students, Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh has written a letter to these states.
At present, two states Karnataka (under project Ksheerabhagya started in 2012-13) and Madhya Pradesh provides free milk products to school children under the Mid Day Meal scheme.
12. BHEL commissioned first 250-MW unit of NTPC’s Bongaigaon Thermal Power Project
Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) commissioned the first unit of 250-MW of Bongaigaon thermal power project of National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) in Assam. The project is located at Kumguri village of Salakati near Bongaigaon in Kokrajhar district. It is spread over an area of 964 acres. Fuel for the plant will be sourced from the mines in Margherita area in Assam under North-Eastern Coal Fields LTD (NECL) and Raniganj coal sources in West Bengal under Eastern Coal Fields Ltd (ECL).
BHEL is executing the NTPC’s project for setting up three units of 250 MW (750 MW in total) each as coal-based project which will be completed by 2016. On completion, this will become the highest rating coal based power plant in North East India.
The beneficiary states of the project are seven states of North East and adjoining Eastern region states along with the Union Territories.
Known as the gateway to Lower Assam, Bongaigoan is one of the industrial towns of the state, which also has a major petrochemical industry.
13. Union Cabinet approved to set up a National Memorial at birth place of Lok Nayak JP Narayan in Bihar
The Union Cabinet approved the setting up of a National Memorial at the birth place of Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan. Lok Nayak was born at Lala Ka Tola, Sitab, Diara in Chhapra (Saran) district of Bihar on 11 October 1902.
The memorial will contribute in furthering the vision of Lok Nayak who was an exemplary leader of Indian independence movement, a freedom fighter and a social reformer.
The memorial will house a virtual museum, an institute and the Lok Nayak Khadi Gaurav Samvardhan Kendra.
The institute will undertake study and research on (a) democracy, (b) enhancing the role of Panchayats in nation building, (c) Gandhian thoughts, and (d) centre for Khadi and constructive work keeping in view the thoughts of Lok Nayak.
On other hand, Lok Nayak Khadi Gaurav Samvardhan Kendra will be used in making national flags by women cluster(s)
1. Anshula Kant appointed as CFO and Deputy Managing Director of SBI
Anshula Kant was appointed as the Deputy Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of State Bank of India (SBI). She succeeded P K Gupta, who was promoted as Chief Executive Officer of SBI Capital.
Till recently, Kant headed Bombay Circle of SBI as the Chief General Manager. She joined State Bank of India as a Probationary Officer in 1983. Since then, she has handled many crucial assignments in Retail Banking, Corporate Credit, Cross-Border Trade and Banking in Developed Markets.
Earlier, she headed Network 2 of Mumbai Circle, which spans the State of Goa and the Districts of Pune, Solapur, Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara, Nashik, Ahmadnagar, Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri in the State of Maharashtra.
2. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar conferred with Columbia’s highest civilian award
The spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar was conferred with the Columbia’s highest civilian award Orden de la Democracia Simon Bolivar en el grado de cruz Caballero (Order of the Democracy Simon Bolivar) by Columbia.
For this, he was congratulated by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi .Sri Sri Ravi Shankar founded the Art of Living Foundation in 1981, which aims to relieve individual stress, societal problems, and violence.
In 1997, he also founded the International Association for Human Values (IAHV) to coordinate sustainable development projects, nurture human values and coordinate conflict resolution in association with The Art of Living.
3. RBI extended deadline for exchanging pre-2005 currency notes by 6 months
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) extended the date to exchange pre-2005 bank notes till 31 December 2015.
RBI in an official statement said that the notes can be exchanged for their full value. It has also clarified that all such notes continue to remain legal tender.
Soliciting cooperation from members of public in withdrawing these banknotes, it also urged them to deposit the old design notes in their bank accounts or exchange them at a bank branch convenient to them.
Earlier on 23 December 2014, it extended the deadline for exchanging pre-2005 of various denominations by another six months till 30 June 2015 from previous 31 December 2015.
4. Two-day long annual Hemis festival of Ladakh
Two-day long annual Hemis festival dedicated to the Guru Padmasambhava began on 26 June 2015 in largest monastery of Ladakh Hemis Gompa (monastery) of Jammu and Kashmir.
Hemis festival is celebrated to mark the birth anniversary of Guru Padmasambhava. During this festive season, Lamas called 'chhams,' perform masked dances and sacred plays to the accompaniment of cymbals, drums and long horns. The head lama presides over the function.
The festival takes an auspicious turn every 12 years in the Tibetan Year of the Monkey, when the two-storey high Thanka depicting Padmasambhava is displayed.
5. International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking observed globally
The International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking was on 26 June 2015 observed globally with the theme Let’s Develop our Lives, our Communities, our identities without Drugs.
This important day was created by the United Nations General Assembly on 7 December 1987 to help create a society free of illegal drugs and drug abuse. Each year the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) selects a theme for the day.
The day is observed internationally by various countries by spreading awareness about Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking through events and programmes.
6. RBI allowed AD Category-I Banks to borrow from International Financial Institutions
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) decided to allow Authorised Dealer Category I (AD Category-I) Banks to borrow foreign currency from International/Multinational Financial Institutions (IFIs/MFIs).
In this regard, a notification was issued by the RBI.
Earlier, AD Cat-I Banks were allowed to borrow from IFIs/MFIs for a short period in 2013 with prior permission from the RBI on a case-by-case basis.
In contrast, as per the recent notification, the banks can borrow without any such prior approvals from the RBI.
However, these shall include only those IFIs in which the Government of India is a shareholding member or which have been established by more than one government or have shareholding by more than one government and other international organizations.
Further, such borrowings should be for the purpose of general banking business and not for capital augmentation.
The decision was taken by the RBI in order to provide greater flexibility in seeking access to overseas funds by the banks.
About AD Category-I Banks
Authorised Dealer Category -I Banks (AD Category–I Banks) is one of the three types of Authorised Money Changers (AMCs) approved by the RBI under Section 10 of the Foreign Exchange Management (FEMA) Act, 1999.
An AMC is a Full Fledged Money Changer (FFMC) permitted to deal in foreign exchange for specified purposes.
Other two AMCs are: Authorised Dealers Category - II (ADs Category–II) and Full Fledged Money Changers (FFMCs).
At present 102 entities are recognised as AD Category–I Banks including State Bank of India, Canara Bank and Axis Bank Ltd.
7. Assam's Ambubachi Mela concluded
The four-day long Ambubachi Mela at Kamakhaya Devi temple at Guwahati, Assam concluded on 26 June 2015. With this, the door of the Shakti shrine at Nilachal hillock was re-opened for devotees.
The Ambubachi Mela also known as Ambubachi Festival that started on 23 June 2015 was visited by around 7 lakh 50 thousand pilgrims from various parts of the world.
Ambubachi Mela (Ambubachi Festival)
This yearly mela is celebrated during the monsoon season that happens to fall during the Assamese month Ahaar, around the middle of June, when the Brahmaputra River is in spate. It is related to the Tantric cult and is also known as Kamkhya Devi Puja.
The doors of the temple remains closed for three days during the festival as it is believed that Goddess Kamakhya goes through her menstrual cycle.
8. Sachin Tendulkar named as greatest Test player of 21st century
Former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar was voted as the Best Test Player of the 21st century in an online poll titled Top-100 Test players' list since 2000. The result of poll conducted by Cricket Australia’s website, cricket.com.au was released in the fourth week of June 2015.
Sachin received highest number of votes (23 percent votes) to emerge on the top of list of 100 best Test players since 2000. The survey was participated by more than 16000 fans.
9. Leander Paes became 47th player to join 100 partners club on ATP Circuit
India’s tennis player Leander Paes became the 47th player to play with 100 different partners on ATP Circuit.
The 42-year-old achieved this land mark feat when he joined Marcel Granollers of Spain in a match against Treat Huey and Scott Lipsky at the Aegon Open in Nottingham, the UK.
Of these 100 partners, While 71 played with him on the tour level, 29 at the Challenger level.
Among all the partners, Paes had been most successful with his Indian partner Mahesh Bhuapthi with whom he won three of his eight men’s doubles Grand Slam titles.
He won two each with Radek Stepanek and Lukas Dlouhy and one with Martin Damm. Incidentally, all of them are from Czech Republic.
10. International Conference on Nepal’s Reconstruction concluded
The one-day International Conference on Nepal’s Reconstruction (ICNR) concluded in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal.
The Conference was organised by the Government of Nepal to raise funds for carrying out rebuilding of areas devastated by the April 25 earthquake of magnitude 7.8 on Richter scale, which claimed nearly 9000 lives.
The Conference was attended by at least 35 countries, including China, Britain, Norway, Japan, Sri Lanka, the European Union besides the UN, World Bank and Asian Development Bank.
India was represented by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj who pledged 1 billion US dollars in assistance to Nepal for its reconstruction programme. The assistance is over and above India’s existing bilateral developmental assistance of another 1 billion US dollars over the next five years which takes the total assistance to 2 billion US dollars.
11. Union Government asked Bihar, TN, Rajasthan to introduce milk in mid day meal scheme
Union Government requested the Chief Ministers of Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan to encourage supply of free milk in the Mid Day Meal to school children.
Milk Products will be provided with an aim to increase the nutritional level in the Mid Day Meal for school children.
The decision was made in a review meeting in which it was found that the State Milk Federations of these states have surplus stock of skimmed milk powder.
In relation to supply of free milk products to students, Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh has written a letter to these states.
At present, two states Karnataka (under project Ksheerabhagya started in 2012-13) and Madhya Pradesh provides free milk products to school children under the Mid Day Meal scheme.
12. BHEL commissioned first 250-MW unit of NTPC’s Bongaigaon Thermal Power Project
Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) commissioned the first unit of 250-MW of Bongaigaon thermal power project of National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) in Assam. The project is located at Kumguri village of Salakati near Bongaigaon in Kokrajhar district. It is spread over an area of 964 acres. Fuel for the plant will be sourced from the mines in Margherita area in Assam under North-Eastern Coal Fields LTD (NECL) and Raniganj coal sources in West Bengal under Eastern Coal Fields Ltd (ECL).
BHEL is executing the NTPC’s project for setting up three units of 250 MW (750 MW in total) each as coal-based project which will be completed by 2016. On completion, this will become the highest rating coal based power plant in North East India.
The beneficiary states of the project are seven states of North East and adjoining Eastern region states along with the Union Territories.
Known as the gateway to Lower Assam, Bongaigoan is one of the industrial towns of the state, which also has a major petrochemical industry.
13. Union Cabinet approved to set up a National Memorial at birth place of Lok Nayak JP Narayan in Bihar
The Union Cabinet approved the setting up of a National Memorial at the birth place of Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan. Lok Nayak was born at Lala Ka Tola, Sitab, Diara in Chhapra (Saran) district of Bihar on 11 October 1902.
The memorial will contribute in furthering the vision of Lok Nayak who was an exemplary leader of Indian independence movement, a freedom fighter and a social reformer.
The memorial will house a virtual museum, an institute and the Lok Nayak Khadi Gaurav Samvardhan Kendra.
The institute will undertake study and research on (a) democracy, (b) enhancing the role of Panchayats in nation building, (c) Gandhian thoughts, and (d) centre for Khadi and constructive work keeping in view the thoughts of Lok Nayak.
On other hand, Lok Nayak Khadi Gaurav Samvardhan Kendra will be used in making national flags by women cluster(s)
Anshula Kant was appointed as the Deputy Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of State Bank of India (SBI). She succeeded P K Gupta, who was promoted as Chief Executive Officer of SBI Capital.Till recently, Kant headed Bombay Circle of SBI as the Chief General Manager. She joined State Bank of India as a Probationary Officer in 1983. Since then, she has handled many crucial assignments in Retail Banking, Corporate Credit, Cross-Border Trade and Banking in Developed Markets.
Earlier, she headed Network 2 of Mumbai Circle, which spans the State of Goa and the Districts of Pune, Solapur, Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara, Nashik, Ahmadnagar, Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri in the State of Maharashtra.
2. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar conferred with Columbia’s highest civilian award
The spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar was conferred with the Columbia’s highest civilian award Orden de la Democracia Simon Bolivar en el grado de cruz Caballero (Order of the Democracy Simon Bolivar) by Columbia.
For this, he was congratulated by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi .Sri Sri Ravi Shankar founded the Art of Living Foundation in 1981, which aims to relieve individual stress, societal problems, and violence.
In 1997, he also founded the International Association for Human Values (IAHV) to coordinate sustainable development projects, nurture human values and coordinate conflict resolution in association with The Art of Living.
3. RBI extended deadline for exchanging pre-2005 currency notes by 6 months
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) extended the date to exchange pre-2005 bank notes till 31 December 2015.
RBI in an official statement said that the notes can be exchanged for their full value. It has also clarified that all such notes continue to remain legal tender.
Soliciting cooperation from members of public in withdrawing these banknotes, it also urged them to deposit the old design notes in their bank accounts or exchange them at a bank branch convenient to them.
Earlier on 23 December 2014, it extended the deadline for exchanging pre-2005 of various denominations by another six months till 30 June 2015 from previous 31 December 2015.
4. Two-day long annual Hemis festival of Ladakh
Two-day long annual Hemis festival dedicated to the Guru Padmasambhava began on 26 June 2015 in largest monastery of Ladakh Hemis Gompa (monastery) of Jammu and Kashmir.
Hemis festival is celebrated to mark the birth anniversary of Guru Padmasambhava. During this festive season, Lamas called 'chhams,' perform masked dances and sacred plays to the accompaniment of cymbals, drums and long horns. The head lama presides over the function.
The festival takes an auspicious turn every 12 years in the Tibetan Year of the Monkey, when the two-storey high Thanka depicting Padmasambhava is displayed.
5. International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking observed globally
The International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking was on 26 June 2015 observed globally with the theme Let’s Develop our Lives, our Communities, our identities without Drugs.
This important day was created by the United Nations General Assembly on 7 December 1987 to help create a society free of illegal drugs and drug abuse. Each year the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) selects a theme for the day.
The day is observed internationally by various countries by spreading awareness about Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking through events and programmes.
6. RBI allowed AD Category-I Banks to borrow from International Financial Institutions
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) decided to allow Authorised Dealer Category I (AD Category-I) Banks to borrow foreign currency from International/Multinational Financial Institutions (IFIs/MFIs).
In this regard, a notification was issued by the RBI.
Earlier, AD Cat-I Banks were allowed to borrow from IFIs/MFIs for a short period in 2013 with prior permission from the RBI on a case-by-case basis.
In contrast, as per the recent notification, the banks can borrow without any such prior approvals from the RBI.
However, these shall include only those IFIs in which the Government of India is a shareholding member or which have been established by more than one government or have shareholding by more than one government and other international organizations.
Further, such borrowings should be for the purpose of general banking business and not for capital augmentation.
The decision was taken by the RBI in order to provide greater flexibility in seeking access to overseas funds by the banks.
About AD Category-I Banks
Authorised Dealer Category -I Banks (AD Category–I Banks) is one of the three types of Authorised Money Changers (AMCs) approved by the RBI under Section 10 of the Foreign Exchange Management (FEMA) Act, 1999.
An AMC is a Full Fledged Money Changer (FFMC) permitted to deal in foreign exchange for specified purposes.
Other two AMCs are: Authorised Dealers Category - II (ADs Category–II) and Full Fledged Money Changers (FFMCs).
At present 102 entities are recognised as AD Category–I Banks including State Bank of India, Canara Bank and Axis Bank Ltd.
7. Assam's Ambubachi Mela concluded
The four-day long Ambubachi Mela at Kamakhaya Devi temple at Guwahati, Assam concluded on 26 June 2015. With this, the door of the Shakti shrine at Nilachal hillock was re-opened for devotees.
The Ambubachi Mela also known as Ambubachi Festival that started on 23 June 2015 was visited by around 7 lakh 50 thousand pilgrims from various parts of the world.
Ambubachi Mela (Ambubachi Festival)
This yearly mela is celebrated during the monsoon season that happens to fall during the Assamese month Ahaar, around the middle of June, when the Brahmaputra River is in spate. It is related to the Tantric cult and is also known as Kamkhya Devi Puja.
The doors of the temple remains closed for three days during the festival as it is believed that Goddess Kamakhya goes through her menstrual cycle.
8. Sachin Tendulkar named as greatest Test player of 21st century
Former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar was voted as the Best Test Player of the 21st century in an online poll titled Top-100 Test players' list since 2000. The result of poll conducted by Cricket Australia’s website, cricket.com.au was released in the fourth week of June 2015.
Sachin received highest number of votes (23 percent votes) to emerge on the top of list of 100 best Test players since 2000. The survey was participated by more than 16000 fans.
India’s tennis player Leander Paes became the 47th player to play with 100 different partners on ATP Circuit.
The 42-year-old achieved this land mark feat when he joined Marcel Granollers of Spain in a match against Treat Huey and Scott Lipsky at the Aegon Open in Nottingham, the UK.
Of these 100 partners, While 71 played with him on the tour level, 29 at the Challenger level.
Among all the partners, Paes had been most successful with his Indian partner Mahesh Bhuapthi with whom he won three of his eight men’s doubles Grand Slam titles.
He won two each with Radek Stepanek and Lukas Dlouhy and one with Martin Damm. Incidentally, all of them are from Czech Republic.
10. International Conference on Nepal’s Reconstruction concluded
The one-day International Conference on Nepal’s Reconstruction (ICNR) concluded in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal.
The Conference was organised by the Government of Nepal to raise funds for carrying out rebuilding of areas devastated by the April 25 earthquake of magnitude 7.8 on Richter scale, which claimed nearly 9000 lives.
The Conference was attended by at least 35 countries, including China, Britain, Norway, Japan, Sri Lanka, the European Union besides the UN, World Bank and Asian Development Bank.
India was represented by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj who pledged 1 billion US dollars in assistance to Nepal for its reconstruction programme. The assistance is over and above India’s existing bilateral developmental assistance of another 1 billion US dollars over the next five years which takes the total assistance to 2 billion US dollars.
11. Union Government asked Bihar, TN, Rajasthan to introduce milk in mid day meal scheme
Union Government requested the Chief Ministers of Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan to encourage supply of free milk in the Mid Day Meal to school children.
Milk Products will be provided with an aim to increase the nutritional level in the Mid Day Meal for school children.
The decision was made in a review meeting in which it was found that the State Milk Federations of these states have surplus stock of skimmed milk powder.
In relation to supply of free milk products to students, Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh has written a letter to these states.
At present, two states Karnataka (under project Ksheerabhagya started in 2012-13) and Madhya Pradesh provides free milk products to school children under the Mid Day Meal scheme.
12. BHEL commissioned first 250-MW unit of NTPC’s Bongaigaon Thermal Power Project
Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) commissioned the first unit of 250-MW of Bongaigaon thermal power project of National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) in Assam. The project is located at Kumguri village of Salakati near Bongaigaon in Kokrajhar district. It is spread over an area of 964 acres. Fuel for the plant will be sourced from the mines in Margherita area in Assam under North-Eastern Coal Fields LTD (NECL) and Raniganj coal sources in West Bengal under Eastern Coal Fields Ltd (ECL).
BHEL is executing the NTPC’s project for setting up three units of 250 MW (750 MW in total) each as coal-based project which will be completed by 2016. On completion, this will become the highest rating coal based power plant in North East India.
The beneficiary states of the project are seven states of North East and adjoining Eastern region states along with the Union Territories.
Known as the gateway to Lower Assam, Bongaigoan is one of the industrial towns of the state, which also has a major petrochemical industry.
13. Union Cabinet approved to set up a National Memorial at birth place of Lok Nayak JP Narayan in Bihar
The Union Cabinet approved the setting up of a National Memorial at the birth place of Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan. Lok Nayak was born at Lala Ka Tola, Sitab, Diara in Chhapra (Saran) district of Bihar on 11 October 1902.
The memorial will contribute in furthering the vision of Lok Nayak who was an exemplary leader of Indian independence movement, a freedom fighter and a social reformer.
The memorial will house a virtual museum, an institute and the Lok Nayak Khadi Gaurav Samvardhan Kendra.
The institute will undertake study and research on (a) democracy, (b) enhancing the role of Panchayats in nation building, (c) Gandhian thoughts, and (d) centre for Khadi and constructive work keeping in view the thoughts of Lok Nayak.
On other hand, Lok Nayak Khadi Gaurav Samvardhan Kendra will be used in making national flags by women cluster(s)
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