Dear Readers, we are providing important current affairs of May for Competitive Exams specially for Bank and SSC.
May Current Affairs Revision- 11-20 May 2016
73. National Technology Day is being observed across India on May 11 to glorify the importance of science in day-to-day life and motivate students to adopt science as a career option. 2016.
74. NASA’s unmanned Kepler space observatory has discovered the largest trove of exoplanets outside our solar system.
75. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced that it will shortly issue 1000 rupees denomination banknotes in the Mahatma Gandhi Series – 2005 with the inset letter 'R' in both the number panels.
76. The term ‘Social Fridge’ was in news in the second week of May 2016 with Argentina adopting it to feed the needy ones who are facing the hardship due to increase in job cuts and inflation in the country.
77. Madhya Pradesh Tourism (MPT) received the Best Indian Destination for Wildlife Award. The award was presented by the Lonely Planet Group.
78. Indian Navy has launched the state-of-the-art Harbour Defence Systems, viz. Integrated Underwater Harbour Defence and Surveillance System (IUHDSS) in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. Besides, Mine Warfare Data Centre (MWDC) was also launched.
79. Anti-crime candidate and mayor of Davao City, Rodrigo Duterte has won the 2016 presidential election of the Philippines by a landslide victory. He will become the 16th President-elect of Philippines.
80. Shashank Manohar was elected unanimously and unopposed as the Chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC) by the Board.
81. Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry on 10 May 2016 was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player for the second straight year.
82. The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced that it has lifted the provisional suspension imposed on Sri Lanka wicket-keeper batsman Kusal Perera.
83. Famous West Indian cricket writer, commentator and journalist Tony Cozier passed away on 11 May 2016 in Barbados. He was 75.
84. Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Jio Infocomm has launched digital wallet service, named JioMoney Wallet, for Indian consumers. JioMoney is a semi-closed prepaid wallet that aims to enable mobile-based transactions. Using it customers can store money and use it for purchasing goods and services.
85. Uttar Pradesh Cabinet has given its approval to develop over 197 km long ‘bicycle highway’ from Agra up to the lion safari in Etawah to encourage eco-tourism in vicinity of Taj Mahal. Decision in this regard was taken by State Cabinet meeting presided by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.
86. US President Barack Obama has honoured an Indian-American elementary teacher Revathi Balakrishnan from Texas at the White House.
87. The Kenyan Government announced that it will close Dadaab refugee camp. The camp, which is home to 330000 Somali refugees, is often referred to as the world's largest camp.
88. Six countries, namely India, China, Israel, New Zealand, Canada and Iceland, signed a Multilateral Competent Authority agreement for the automatic exchange to boost transparency by multinational enterprises (MNEs). The signing ceremony took place in Beijing on 12 May 2016.
89. India’s largest private sector bank ICICI Bank has launched country’s first contactless business credit card in association with Jet Airways for small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs). The card has been christened as the ‘Jet Airways ICICI Bank Business Advantage Card’.
90. Indian Air Force has launched its Electronic Maintenance Management System (e-MMS) Project, an automated military maintenance system. It was inaugurated by the Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha at the Air Force Station in Pune, Maharashtra.
91. Union Government’s apex think tank NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog has decided to come up with a 15-year vision document in tandem with global trends and economic growth. NITI Aayog which had replaced erstwhile Planning Commission (PC) in 2015, with its 15-year vision document will also abandon the concept of five-year plans prepared by the PC since 1951.
92. Former India captain Anil Kumble has been re-appointed ICC (International Cricket Council) Cricket Committee chairman for a second term of three years. Earlier he was appointed as the chairman for his first term in 2012 and now he will continue to head the panel until 2018. Anil Kumble is all-time highest wicket-taker for India.
93. United States has activated a land-based missile defence station (Aegis Ashore Missile Defence System) in Deveselu, Romania. The missile defence station is part of NATO’s larger European shield to protect member countries from short and medium-range missiles, particularly from the Middle East.
94. FIFA (International Federation of Association Football) Council named a Senegalese UN diplomat Fatma Samba Diouf Samoura as its first female Secretary General (SG).
95. The Union Cabinet approved the National Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Policy that will lay the future roadmap for intellectual property in India.
96. The Prime Minister along with Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena released 'Simhastha Declaration' at Ninora village in Ujjain.
97. Parkash Singh committee constituted to inquire into the omission and commission on part of all officers and officials of police and civil administration during Jat Quota agitation submitted its report to Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. The report was submitted on 13 May 2016.
98. India has signed a historic Project Collaboration Agreement (PCA) with World Health Organization (WHO) for cooperation on promoting the quality, safety and effectiveness of service provision in traditional and complementary medicine. The PCA aims at supporting WHO in the development and implementation of the ‘WHO Traditional and Complementary Medicine Strategy.
99. The multilateral Red Flag Aerial combat exercises between US, NATO and allied forces and India Air Force (IAF) concluded in Alaska, US. The four-week long (from April 28 to May 13, 2016) aerial combat exercises was held at the Nellis Air Force Base, Alaska.
100. Justice Naveen Sinha has sworn in as the 31st Chief Justice of Rajasthan. He was administered the oath to the office by Governor Kalyan Singh as per the provisions of the Article 219 of Constitution.
101. India is placed at the third position after the United States and China in the 'Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index', according to an EY report.
102. India successfully test-fired its indigenously developed supersonic interceptor missile , capable of destroying any incoming hostile ballistic missile, from a test range off Odisha coast.
103. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced that noted space scientist Udupi Ramachandra Rao, popularly known as U. R. Rao, will be honoured with the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) Hall of Fame Award for 2016.
104. The USA launched the Phase 2 of the European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA) missile defence system in Romania.
105. Renewable energy country attractiveness index 2016 released: India Placed at 3rd Position. Index was topped by the United States (US) and was followed by China at 2nd position and India at 3rd position.
106. The 2016 International Day of Families was observed across the world on 15 May 2016. The theme for the year was Families, healthy lives and sustainable future.
107. Former Test cricketer Deepak Shodhan, the first Indian to score a memorable ton in his debut innings, died on 16 May 2016. He was 87.
108. Dutch teenager, Max Verstappen, became Formula One's youngest race winner after winning the Spanish Grand Prix. Red Bull's Verstappen defeated Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen by 0.616 seconds.
109. Income Declaration Scheme of the Union Finance Ministry will start from 1 June 2016 and will remain in force till 30 September 2016. The scheme is also called four month window for declaring black money.
110. China has successfully launched Yaogan-30 remote-sensing satellite into sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) using the Long March-2D rocket. The rocket was launched from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center located in Gobi desert in northwest China’s Gansu Province. It was the 227th flight of the Long March rocket series and was also the second orbital launch from the Jiuquan Satellite launch Center in 2016.
111. US-based law firm BakerHostetler in May 2016 hired the world’s first robot lawyer ROSS to assist the company and its various teams in legal research.
112. Australian researchers built the world’s first scanning helium . microscope (SHeM). An announcement in this regard was made by the scientists belonging to the University of Newcastle in the third week of May 2016.
113. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the European Union (EU) on 16 May 2016 announced the launch of #EmergencyLessons campaign on education in crisis zones. The campaign is a social media-driven public awareness campaign. It is aimed at reaching 20 million Europeans and highlighting the importance of education for children affected by emergencies.
114. Nandini Bhandaru, a PhD student at IIT-Kharagpur has won the Young Scientist Award of the European Materials Research Society’s (E-MRS) for contribution to materials science. She had won the award for her outstanding contribution to materials science and nanotechnology, particularly nano-patterning of soft films and surfaces.
115. The World Bank’s Board has approved 625 million dollars loan to support India’s grid connected rooftop solar programme to generate clean energy. The loan will be provided by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), lending arm of World Bank and has a maturity of 20 years and a 19.5 year grace period.
116. Justice Deepak Gupta has sworn-in as the new Chief Justice (CJ) of the Chhattisgarh High Court. He was administered the oath of office as per by Chhattisgarh Governor Balram Das Tandon at Raj Bhawan in Raipur as per the provisions of the Article 219 of Constitution.
117. South Korean author, Han Kang, has won the 2016 Man Booker International Prize for her novel ‘The Vegetarian’. With this Han becomes the first South Korean to win this prestigious literary prize.
118. The Royal Bank of Scotland NV (RBS) said it will commence closing its retail banking branches in a phased manner and has started informing its customers.The foreign bank operates 10 retail bank branches across India.
119. The Union Government has constituted a five member committee to comprehensively review and give recommendations on the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) roadmap for the future.
120. HDFC Bank Ltd. on 16 May 2016 launched SmartUp solution. It is a first-of-its-kind dedicated platform for start-ups to fulfill all their banking needs.The SmartUp is tailored to meet all the requirements of a start-up, offering banking and payment solutions, along with advisory and forex services.
121. India successfully test fired indigenously developed Prithvi-II missile from the Chandipur, off Odisha coast. It weighs 4600 kilogram and has a strike range of 350 kilometer.
122. Steeplechase athlete Sudha Singh on 14 May 2016 set a national record in women’s 3000m steeplechase event to finish eighth at the IAAF World Diamond League held at Shanghai.
123. Indian-American Syamantak Payra, a 15-year-old from Friendswood, Texas, in May 2016 won Intel Foundation Young Scientist Awards of 50000 US dollar. He was awarded for developing a low-cost electronically aided knee brace that allows an individual with a weakened leg to walk more naturally.
124. The J&K Wildlife Department in 2016 spotted a group of eight Himalayan brown bears in Kargil’s Drass Sector. These brown bears were last seen in the zone, which is their natural habitat, before the 1999 Kargil War.
125. Indian artist Anjali Chandrashekar on 3 May 2016 won the third prize in UN Poster for Peace contest presented by the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (ODA) to raise awareness of the need for nuclear disarmament.
126. Barcelona FC on 15 May 2016 retained the Spanish league title La Liga with 3-0 score against Granada in the final match. Luis Suárez finished as top scorer, being the first player apart from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to do so since the 2008–09 season.
127. Odisha Government has decided to launch Green Passage scheme for orphan students to ensure that they get free of cost higher education in the state.
128. World’s largest single rooftop solar power plant of 11.5 MegaWatt (MW) capacity was inaugurated at Dera Baba Jaimal Singh in Beas near Amritsar in Punjab. This is the largest Solar Power Plant spread over 82 acres of rooftop in single campus on multiple roofs with installed capacity of 19.5 MW.
129. The Income Tax (IT) department has launched electronic grievance redressal system ‘e-nivaran’ to fast track taxpayer grievances and ensure early resolution of their complaints.
130. Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani has been conferred the prestigious Othmer Gold Medal for his entrepreneurial leadership that has resulted in the expansion of India’s petroleum refining industry, creation of the Jamnagar Refinery in Gujarat – the largest grassroots petroleum refinery in the world, and path-breaking initiatives in oil and gas exploration.
131. Finland-based companies Nokia Technologies and HMD global Oy (HMD) signed a 10-year licensing agreement to market Nokia-branded phones and tablets.
132. Mobile app for transportation Ola on 18 May 2016 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation (NSKFDC) of the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to benefit Safai Karamcharis. The MoU aims to focus on building a sustainable framework by supporting entrepreneurship, skill development training and self-defence courses for Safai Karamcharis and Scavengers.
133. Rakesh Kumar Mishra, a noted expert in the study of function of genes, has been appointed as the new Director of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
134. sai Ing-wen was sworn-in as the President of Taiwan on 20 May 2016. With this, she became the first woman to hold the post in Taiwan.
135. The Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare J P Nadda launched the Centre for Environmental Health in New Delhi.The centre was launched to assess the impact of environment-related problems like air pollution, climate change, pesticide use and sanitation on health.
136. India and Slovenia have signed a protocol to amend the bilateral Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA). The protocol was signed by Ambassador of India to Slovenia Sarvajit Chakravarti and the Slovenian Minister of Finance Dusan Mramor in Ljubljana.
137. President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated an Intelligent Operations Centre (IOC) in Rashtrapati Bhavan. He also launched a mobile application ‘Monitor’ for transformation of President’s Estate into a smart township. During the launching ceremony President announced that President’s Estate will work around the ‘4H’ theme of a humane, Hi-Tech, Heritage and Happy Township.
138. An Indian-American biotechnologist Rupa Iyer has been awarded Distinguished Leadership in Teaching Excellence Award, University of Houston’s highest teaching award. She was bestowed with this award for her sustained and significant contributions in the field of education.
139. US personal and consumer technology giant Apple Inc. opened a new Development Office in Hyderabad, Telangana. The office was formally opened by Apple’s CEO Tim Cook who is on official visit to India.
140. A joint US-Australian military research team successfully tested a hypersonic technology in the Australian desert. In the test, scramjet attached to a rocket booster was successfully sent to an altitude of 278 km at Mach 7.5 (seven times the speed of sound).
141. Veteran Gujarati folk singer Diwaliben Bhil passed away in Junagadh, Gujarat. She was 80.
Dear Readers, we are providing important current affairs of May for Competitive Exams specially for Bank and SSC.
May Current Affairs Revision- 11-20 May 2016
73. National Technology Day is being observed across India on May 11 to glorify the importance of science in day-to-day life and motivate students to adopt science as a career option. 2016.
74. NASA’s unmanned Kepler space observatory has discovered the largest trove of exoplanets outside our solar system.
75. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced that it will shortly issue 1000 rupees denomination banknotes in the Mahatma Gandhi Series – 2005 with the inset letter 'R' in both the number panels.
76. The term ‘Social Fridge’ was in news in the second week of May 2016 with Argentina adopting it to feed the needy ones who are facing the hardship due to increase in job cuts and inflation in the country.
77. Madhya Pradesh Tourism (MPT) received the Best Indian Destination for Wildlife Award. The award was presented by the Lonely Planet Group.
78. Indian Navy has launched the state-of-the-art Harbour Defence Systems, viz. Integrated Underwater Harbour Defence and Surveillance System (IUHDSS) in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. Besides, Mine Warfare Data Centre (MWDC) was also launched.
79. Anti-crime candidate and mayor of Davao City, Rodrigo Duterte has won the 2016 presidential election of the Philippines by a landslide victory. He will become the 16th President-elect of Philippines.
80. Shashank Manohar was elected unanimously and unopposed as the Chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC) by the Board.
81. Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry on 10 May 2016 was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player for the second straight year.
82. The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced that it has lifted the provisional suspension imposed on Sri Lanka wicket-keeper batsman Kusal Perera.
83. Famous West Indian cricket writer, commentator and journalist Tony Cozier passed away on 11 May 2016 in Barbados. He was 75.
84. Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Jio Infocomm has launched digital wallet service, named JioMoney Wallet, for Indian consumers. JioMoney is a semi-closed prepaid wallet that aims to enable mobile-based transactions. Using it customers can store money and use it for purchasing goods and services.
85. Uttar Pradesh Cabinet has given its approval to develop over 197 km long ‘bicycle highway’ from Agra up to the lion safari in Etawah to encourage eco-tourism in vicinity of Taj Mahal. Decision in this regard was taken by State Cabinet meeting presided by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.
86. US President Barack Obama has honoured an Indian-American elementary teacher Revathi Balakrishnan from Texas at the White House.
87. The Kenyan Government announced that it will close Dadaab refugee camp. The camp, which is home to 330000 Somali refugees, is often referred to as the world's largest camp.
88. Six countries, namely India, China, Israel, New Zealand, Canada and Iceland, signed a Multilateral Competent Authority agreement for the automatic exchange to boost transparency by multinational enterprises (MNEs). The signing ceremony took place in Beijing on 12 May 2016.
89. India’s largest private sector bank ICICI Bank has launched country’s first contactless business credit card in association with Jet Airways for small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs). The card has been christened as the ‘Jet Airways ICICI Bank Business Advantage Card’.
90. Indian Air Force has launched its Electronic Maintenance Management System (e-MMS) Project, an automated military maintenance system. It was inaugurated by the Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha at the Air Force Station in Pune, Maharashtra.
91. Union Government’s apex think tank NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog has decided to come up with a 15-year vision document in tandem with global trends and economic growth. NITI Aayog which had replaced erstwhile Planning Commission (PC) in 2015, with its 15-year vision document will also abandon the concept of five-year plans prepared by the PC since 1951.
92. Former India captain Anil Kumble has been re-appointed ICC (International Cricket Council) Cricket Committee chairman for a second term of three years. Earlier he was appointed as the chairman for his first term in 2012 and now he will continue to head the panel until 2018. Anil Kumble is all-time highest wicket-taker for India.
93. United States has activated a land-based missile defence station (Aegis Ashore Missile Defence System) in Deveselu, Romania. The missile defence station is part of NATO’s larger European shield to protect member countries from short and medium-range missiles, particularly from the Middle East.
94. FIFA (International Federation of Association Football) Council named a Senegalese UN diplomat Fatma Samba Diouf Samoura as its first female Secretary General (SG).
95. The Union Cabinet approved the National Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Policy that will lay the future roadmap for intellectual property in India.
96. The Prime Minister along with Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena released 'Simhastha Declaration' at Ninora village in Ujjain.
97. Parkash Singh committee constituted to inquire into the omission and commission on part of all officers and officials of police and civil administration during Jat Quota agitation submitted its report to Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. The report was submitted on 13 May 2016.
98. India has signed a historic Project Collaboration Agreement (PCA) with World Health Organization (WHO) for cooperation on promoting the quality, safety and effectiveness of service provision in traditional and complementary medicine. The PCA aims at supporting WHO in the development and implementation of the ‘WHO Traditional and Complementary Medicine Strategy.
99. The multilateral Red Flag Aerial combat exercises between US, NATO and allied forces and India Air Force (IAF) concluded in Alaska, US. The four-week long (from April 28 to May 13, 2016) aerial combat exercises was held at the Nellis Air Force Base, Alaska.
100. Justice Naveen Sinha has sworn in as the 31st Chief Justice of Rajasthan. He was administered the oath to the office by Governor Kalyan Singh as per the provisions of the Article 219 of Constitution.
101. India is placed at the third position after the United States and China in the 'Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index', according to an EY report.
102. India successfully test-fired its indigenously developed supersonic interceptor missile , capable of destroying any incoming hostile ballistic missile, from a test range off Odisha coast.
103. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced that noted space scientist Udupi Ramachandra Rao, popularly known as U. R. Rao, will be honoured with the International Astronautical Federation (IAF) Hall of Fame Award for 2016.
104. The USA launched the Phase 2 of the European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA) missile defence system in Romania.
105. Renewable energy country attractiveness index 2016 released: India Placed at 3rd Position. Index was topped by the United States (US) and was followed by China at 2nd position and India at 3rd position.
106. The 2016 International Day of Families was observed across the world on 15 May 2016. The theme for the year was Families, healthy lives and sustainable future.
107. Former Test cricketer Deepak Shodhan, the first Indian to score a memorable ton in his debut innings, died on 16 May 2016. He was 87.
108. Dutch teenager, Max Verstappen, became Formula One's youngest race winner after winning the Spanish Grand Prix. Red Bull's Verstappen defeated Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen by 0.616 seconds.
109. Income Declaration Scheme of the Union Finance Ministry will start from 1 June 2016 and will remain in force till 30 September 2016. The scheme is also called four month window for declaring black money.
110. China has successfully launched Yaogan-30 remote-sensing satellite into sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) using the Long March-2D rocket. The rocket was launched from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center located in Gobi desert in northwest China’s Gansu Province. It was the 227th flight of the Long March rocket series and was also the second orbital launch from the Jiuquan Satellite launch Center in 2016.
111. US-based law firm BakerHostetler in May 2016 hired the world’s first robot lawyer ROSS to assist the company and its various teams in legal research.
112. Australian researchers built the world’s first scanning helium . microscope (SHeM). An announcement in this regard was made by the scientists belonging to the University of Newcastle in the third week of May 2016.
113. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the European Union (EU) on 16 May 2016 announced the launch of #EmergencyLessons campaign on education in crisis zones. The campaign is a social media-driven public awareness campaign. It is aimed at reaching 20 million Europeans and highlighting the importance of education for children affected by emergencies.
114. Nandini Bhandaru, a PhD student at IIT-Kharagpur has won the Young Scientist Award of the European Materials Research Society’s (E-MRS) for contribution to materials science. She had won the award for her outstanding contribution to materials science and nanotechnology, particularly nano-patterning of soft films and surfaces.
115. The World Bank’s Board has approved 625 million dollars loan to support India’s grid connected rooftop solar programme to generate clean energy. The loan will be provided by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), lending arm of World Bank and has a maturity of 20 years and a 19.5 year grace period.
116. Justice Deepak Gupta has sworn-in as the new Chief Justice (CJ) of the Chhattisgarh High Court. He was administered the oath of office as per by Chhattisgarh Governor Balram Das Tandon at Raj Bhawan in Raipur as per the provisions of the Article 219 of Constitution.
117. South Korean author, Han Kang, has won the 2016 Man Booker International Prize for her novel ‘The Vegetarian’. With this Han becomes the first South Korean to win this prestigious literary prize.
118. The Royal Bank of Scotland NV (RBS) said it will commence closing its retail banking branches in a phased manner and has started informing its customers.The foreign bank operates 10 retail bank branches across India.
119. The Union Government has constituted a five member committee to comprehensively review and give recommendations on the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) roadmap for the future.
120. HDFC Bank Ltd. on 16 May 2016 launched SmartUp solution. It is a first-of-its-kind dedicated platform for start-ups to fulfill all their banking needs.The SmartUp is tailored to meet all the requirements of a start-up, offering banking and payment solutions, along with advisory and forex services.
121. India successfully test fired indigenously developed Prithvi-II missile from the Chandipur, off Odisha coast. It weighs 4600 kilogram and has a strike range of 350 kilometer.
122. Steeplechase athlete Sudha Singh on 14 May 2016 set a national record in women’s 3000m steeplechase event to finish eighth at the IAAF World Diamond League held at Shanghai.
123. Indian-American Syamantak Payra, a 15-year-old from Friendswood, Texas, in May 2016 won Intel Foundation Young Scientist Awards of 50000 US dollar. He was awarded for developing a low-cost electronically aided knee brace that allows an individual with a weakened leg to walk more naturally.
124. The J&K Wildlife Department in 2016 spotted a group of eight Himalayan brown bears in Kargil’s Drass Sector. These brown bears were last seen in the zone, which is their natural habitat, before the 1999 Kargil War.
125. Indian artist Anjali Chandrashekar on 3 May 2016 won the third prize in UN Poster for Peace contest presented by the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (ODA) to raise awareness of the need for nuclear disarmament.
126. Barcelona FC on 15 May 2016 retained the Spanish league title La Liga with 3-0 score against Granada in the final match. Luis Suárez finished as top scorer, being the first player apart from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to do so since the 2008–09 season.
127. Odisha Government has decided to launch Green Passage scheme for orphan students to ensure that they get free of cost higher education in the state.
128. World’s largest single rooftop solar power plant of 11.5 MegaWatt (MW) capacity was inaugurated at Dera Baba Jaimal Singh in Beas near Amritsar in Punjab. This is the largest Solar Power Plant spread over 82 acres of rooftop in single campus on multiple roofs with installed capacity of 19.5 MW.
129. The Income Tax (IT) department has launched electronic grievance redressal system ‘e-nivaran’ to fast track taxpayer grievances and ensure early resolution of their complaints.
130. Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani has been conferred the prestigious Othmer Gold Medal for his entrepreneurial leadership that has resulted in the expansion of India’s petroleum refining industry, creation of the Jamnagar Refinery in Gujarat – the largest grassroots petroleum refinery in the world, and path-breaking initiatives in oil and gas exploration.
131. Finland-based companies Nokia Technologies and HMD global Oy (HMD) signed a 10-year licensing agreement to market Nokia-branded phones and tablets.
132. Mobile app for transportation Ola on 18 May 2016 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation (NSKFDC) of the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to benefit Safai Karamcharis. The MoU aims to focus on building a sustainable framework by supporting entrepreneurship, skill development training and self-defence courses for Safai Karamcharis and Scavengers.
133. Rakesh Kumar Mishra, a noted expert in the study of function of genes, has been appointed as the new Director of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
134. sai Ing-wen was sworn-in as the President of Taiwan on 20 May 2016. With this, she became the first woman to hold the post in Taiwan.
135. The Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare J P Nadda launched the Centre for Environmental Health in New Delhi.The centre was launched to assess the impact of environment-related problems like air pollution, climate change, pesticide use and sanitation on health.
136. India and Slovenia have signed a protocol to amend the bilateral Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA). The protocol was signed by Ambassador of India to Slovenia Sarvajit Chakravarti and the Slovenian Minister of Finance Dusan Mramor in Ljubljana.
137. President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated an Intelligent Operations Centre (IOC) in Rashtrapati Bhavan. He also launched a mobile application ‘Monitor’ for transformation of President’s Estate into a smart township. During the launching ceremony President announced that President’s Estate will work around the ‘4H’ theme of a humane, Hi-Tech, Heritage and Happy Township.
138. An Indian-American biotechnologist Rupa Iyer has been awarded Distinguished Leadership in Teaching Excellence Award, University of Houston’s highest teaching award. She was bestowed with this award for her sustained and significant contributions in the field of education.
139. US personal and consumer technology giant Apple Inc. opened a new Development Office in Hyderabad, Telangana. The office was formally opened by Apple’s CEO Tim Cook who is on official visit to India.
140. A joint US-Australian military research team successfully tested a hypersonic technology in the Australian desert. In the test, scramjet attached to a rocket booster was successfully sent to an altitude of 278 km at Mach 7.5 (seven times the speed of sound).
141. Veteran Gujarati folk singer Diwaliben Bhil passed away in Junagadh, Gujarat. She was 80.