English grammar short-notes PDF

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Current Affairs

                                           1-31 JANUARY 2019

Important Dates:-

      1)     1st January - The Defence Research and Development Organisation                                                                         (DRDO) day. [रक्षा  अनुसन्धान एवं विकास संगठन दिवस]
     2)      4th January - The World Braille Day.
     3)      10th January - The World Hindi day.
     4)      12th January - National Youth Day (युवा दिवस).
     5)      15th January - The 71st Army day.
     6)      19th January - 14th Raising Day of The National Disaster Response Force                                                                (NDRF) [राष्ट्रीय आपदा प्रतिक्रिया बल]
     7)      21st January - Statehood day of Manipur, Meghalaya and Tripura.
     8)      24th January - The National girl child day.

     9)     27th January  -    Anti-Leprosy Day.

   10)      24th January - 69th foundation day of U.P
   11)   25th January - National Voters Day & 49th Statehood Day of Himachal Pradesh.

Obituaries:-

    1)      Kader Khan (actor-writer)

    2)      Ramakant Achrekar (Sachin Tendulkar's childhood coach cricket coach)

    3)      C H Lokanath (Kannada actor)

    4)      Dibyendu Palit (Bengali writer)

    5)      Meera Sanyal (Banker-turned politician AAP leader)

    6)      Masazo Nonaka[Japan] (The world's oldest man)

    7)      Mary Oliver (The Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet)

    8)      Shivajirao Deshmukh (Senior Congress leader and former chairman of Maharashtra                                                   Legislative Council & Revenue Minister)

    9)      Lenin Rajendran (Malayalam director & screenwriter)

  10)   Pocharam Srinivas Reddy (Speaker of Telangana)

  11)   Vishnu Hari Dalmia( Former president of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP))

  12)   Shivakumar Swami (popularly known as 'walking God')

  13)   Raghbir Singh Bhola (Former India hockey player)

  14)   Gopinath Kochattil (Senior journalist)

  15)   Krishna Sobti (Hindi writer)

  16)   Russell Baker (writer)

  17)   Michel Legrand (Oscar-winning French composer)

  18)   George Fernandes (Former Defence Minister)

                                            1-28 FEBRUARY 2019

Important Dates:-

    1)      2nd February - The 8th annual pulicat day.

    2)      4th February - The world cancer day & 71st Independence Day of Sri Lanka.

    3)      6th February - International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).  

    4)      10th February - The first-ever World Pulses Day.  

    5)      11th February - International Day of Women and Girls in Science.

    6)      12th February - The National Productivity Day. 

    7)      13th February - The World Radio Day (WRD).

     8)     19th February - The birth anniversary of Maratha Warrior King ‘Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’

     9)     20th February - The United Nations' (UN) World Day of Social Justice(Theme - " If You Want                                                 Peace & Development, Work for Social Justice”[यदि आप शांति और 

                         विकास चहाते है, तो सामाजिक न्याय के लिए कार्य करे])

   10) 21st February - International Mother Language Day(theme - ‘Indigenous Languages as a factor in                                    development,  peace and reconciliation’[विकास,शांति और समन्व्ये के                          कारक के रूप में स्वदेशी भाषा])

   11) 24th February - Central Excise Day[केंद्रीय उत्पाद शुल्क दिवस].

   12) 24th February - National Science Day. (Theme "Science for the People and the People for                              Science”[लोगो के लिए विज्ञान और विज्ञान के लिए लोग])

Obituaries:-

    1)      Mr. Hiten Bhaya (Former Planning Commission member)

    2)      Ramesh Bhatkar (Marathi actor) 

    3)      Ladu Kishore Swain (Odisha MP)

    4)      Gardon Banks (Goalkeeper Of England)

    5)      Mahesh Anand (actor)

    6)      John Dingell (The longest-serving congressman in US history)

    7)      Manfred Eigen (German scientist won Nobel Prize for Chemistry)

    8)      Manfred Eigen(Nobel Prize winner German scientist)

    9)      Sibghatullah Mojaddedi (Former Afghan Mujahedeen commander)

  10)     Andrea Levy (Bestselling British Author)

  11)     Vishnu Wagh (writer, ex-Goa deputy speaker)

  12)    Karl Lagerfeld (Iconic German Fashion Designer)

  13)    Wallace Smith Broecker (Climate scientist)

  14)    Prof. Namvar Singh (Hindi Writer)

  15)    Pratik Choudhury (Bengali singer)

  16)    Raj Kumar Barjatya. (Bollywood producer)

  17)    S Rajendran (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) Member of  

                                      Parliament (MP).)        

  18)   Rabindra Adhikari (Nepal’s Tourism and Civil Aviation Minister killed in helicopter crash in Nepal)

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THE HINDU EDITORIAL VOCABULARY

THE HINDU EDITORIAL 5th-Feb-2019

        

Visa crackdown: On Indian students’ arrest

Students should be made aware of the risks of falling afoul of U.S. immigration laws

The arrest of 129 Indians on the charge of wilfully violating immigration laws to stay and work in the United States sends a stark message to youth looking for better prospects abroad: their efforts should begin with due diligence and strictly follow the letter of the law. In the sting operation carried out by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which threatens to encompass many more Indians in the ‘University of Farmington’ case, the contentious issue is whether they fell victim to unscrupulous recruiters who offered to secure an I-20 student document that allowed them to undertake paid work using the provision for Curricular Practical Training, or knowingly engaged in fraud. Going by the indictment of eight recruiters of Indian origin, they knew they were violating U.S. immigration law when they enrolled students using fraudulent and unlawful means, and their profits included negotiated referral fees paid into their accounts by undercover agents. The prosecution has alleged that each student who enrolled in the ‘university’ was aware that there would be no classes, credit scores or academic requirements, and the intention was merely to “pay to stay” and gain access to employment. These statements are, of course, subject to scrutiny during the trial of the alleged recruiters. The Ministry of External Affairs has made the correct distinction between students who may have been duped and the recruiters. Students who are eligible to pursue studies at an authorised university in the U.S. should, therefore, get a further opportunity and not be subjected to summary deportation or humiliation. It must also not prejudice the prospects of such students who may apply in future for legal entry.

The University of Farmington case in Michigan is not the first instance of Indian students falling foul of U.S. immigration laws, although it stands apart as a racket exposed by a sting operation. Others such as Tri-Valley University and Herguan University were degree mills run by individuals that used false claims and documents to enable youth to unlawfully stay in the U.S. and, in many cases, pursue employment. These trends reinforce the need for good communication that would help students identify credentialed institutions that meet the requirements of the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, and highlight the serious nature of visa fraud. If the averments in the Michigan case are correct, the prospect of working in America attracted many of the 600 students who were recruited. This should serve as a reminder to India’s policymakers that access to higher education, job-creation and raising of living standards to meet the aspirations of youth must receive priority. Talk of an impending demographic dividend is meaningless without creating opportunities at home.

Vocabulary   

• stark - कड़ा, rigid, hard
• sting - sore, wound,पीड़ादायक 
• deportation - देशान्तरण, the action of deporting a foreigner from a country. 
• humiliation - dishonor, disrespect, निरादर, अपमान 
• averments - द्रढ़ कथन, fact, claim

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Weekly Current Affairs [4th-week-Jan]

Weekly Current Affairs [4th-week-Jan]

1.    The central banks of the UAE and Saudi Arabia have launched a common digital currency called ____Aber.

2.    As per International Monetary Fund (IMF) report, India will grow this year at ______7.5%.

3.    The Reserve Bank Of India has approved the appointment of V Vaidyanathan as Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of_____ IDFC First Bank.

4.    According to Nepal’s central bank circular, Indian currency of denominations cannot be carried and used for trading_____ Rs. 200, Rs.500 and Rs. 2,000.

5.    The Union Cabinet approved the creation of a national bench of the Goods and Services Tax Appellate Tribunal (GSTAT) located in_____ New Delhi.

6.    Agyey Kumar Azad joins Punjab National Bank (PNB) as a new_____ Executive Director.

7.    RBI has decided to conduct purchase of government securities under Open Market Operations (OMOs) in February for an aggregate amount of___ Rs 375 billion.

8.    India’s rank on the Global Talent Competitive Index (GTCI) 2019______80th positions.

9.    Who has appointed as the MD & CEO of private sector lender Yes Bank___Ravneet Gill.

10.According to the UN's World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) 2019, India's GDP growth is expected to accelerate in 2019-20____ 7.6 %.

11.According to the Crisil Ratings, India's growth rate is likely to inch up in 2019-20_____ 7.3 %.

12.Private sector Lakshmi Vilas Bank has reappointed managing director_____ Parthasarathi Mukherjee.

13.Goods and Services Tax (GST) on Haj has been reduced from 18% to____ 5%.

14.The National girl child day is celebrated every year on ______24th January.

15.The ‘Anti-Leprosy Day’ observed every year on the Martyrdom Day of_____ Mahatma Gandhi.

16.Uttar Pradesh is celebrating its 69th foundation day _____24th January.

17.Himachal Pradesh is celebrating its 49th Statehood Day_____25th Jan,

18.India is celebrating National Voters Day across the country___ 25th January.

19.Former India hockey player passed away recently____ Raghbir Singh Bhola.

20.Former Defence Minister passed away in New Delhi___ George Fernandes.

21.Who has been appointed as the interim finance minister, with Arun Jaitley undergoing surgery in the US______ Piyush Goyal.

22.Who has been named as the Malaysia’s new king___ Sultan Abdullah.

23.Who has been appointed as the Regional Director of World Health Organization (WHO) South-East Asia___ Poonam Khetrapal Singh.

24.The largest defence exercise coordinated by Indian Navy ____'Sea Vigil'.

25.India Steel 2019 Exhibition and Conference held in _______Mumbai.

26.Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose museum at Red Fort (in Delhi) to mark the leader's _______122nd birth anniversary.

27.AYUSH Minister Shripad Naik has inaugurated the 2nd World Integrated Medicine Forum 2019 in_____ Goa.

28.As per Crisil report, state has been ranked the top state in terms of GSDP (Gross State Domestic Product) growth in financial year 2017-18___Bihar.

29.The Centre is looking at allowing non-resident Indians to subscribe to municipal bonds issued by various urban local bodies, especially for _____‘Swachh Bharat’ projects.

30.15th Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas concludes in ____Varanasi.

31.Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba today commissioned the new Naval Air Base ‘INS Kohassa’ at _____Diglipur.

32.South Africa President was the Chief Guest at the Republic Day Parade 2019___ Cyril Ramaphosa.

33.Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a ‘Yojana’ under which a group of Indian diaspora will be taken on a government-sponsored tour of religious places in India twice a year______ Pravasi Teerth Darshan Yojana’.

34.'Beating Retreat ceremony' held at the historic place ______Vijay Chowk,New Delhi.

35.Who has partnered with French company Be-Bound to offer data connectivity through SMS in areas where there is no Internet connectivity or signal breaks___ BSNL.

36.Director General of Ministry of Tourism Shri Satyajeet Rajan has inaugurated the six-day cultural extravaganza Bharat Parv (4th edition) in ______Delhi.

37.Ministry of Defence has launched a mobile app with the intent of making available the highlights of the Republic Day event New Delhi__ RDP India 2019’.

38.The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Ropar has developed an Android app_____ Roshni(It would help the Visually Impaired to recognise currency notes in Chandigarh)

39.India's fastest indigenous train which will run from Delhi to Varanasi has been named as______ 'Vande Bharat Express'.

40.The HRD Ministry has signed an agreement with Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for India’s Participation in ________ Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2021.

41.The state Government has announced a hike of Rs 200 per month in the social security pension under Madhu Babu Pension Yojana (MBPY) _____ Odisha.(MBPY is a pension scheme under the Department of Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities for the disabled, old age persons in the state of Odisha.)

42.In Assam, Railway Protection Force (RPF) Women Squad launched in Guwahati ____JOYMATI BAHINI.(The Objective of the Joymati Bahini is to strengthen women security around Guwahati region within railway premises and trains.)

43.The Union Minister Nitin Gadkari laid the foundation stones of 6 Namami Gange projects in _____Agra and Mathura.

44.Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister ‘Pema Khandu’ has declared Pakke Paga Hornbill Festival (PPHF) as the ‘State Festival’ at____ Seijosa, East Kameng.

45.Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari dedicated to the nation Kerrian Gandyal bridge in ___Jammu and Kashmir.(The 1.2 km long bridge has been constructed over river Ravi in Kathua district,This will reduce the distance between the two cities [Kathua (Jammu) and Pathankot (Punjab)] from 45 kms to 8.6 kms.)

46.The state Government has announced “Jiban Sampark” project for the welfare of the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups at the annual Adivasi Mela-2019____ Odisha.(The Jiban Sampark Project undertaken in association with UNICEF to generate awareness among Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) in Odisha; The focus areas of Jiban Sampark Project are skill development, empowering communities, cooperation and innovation among the groups.)

47.The state govt. has partnered with private sector lender YES Bank to onboard fair price shops (FPS) as Business Correspondent Agents___ Maharashtra.

48.Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for All India Institutes of Medical Sciences, (AIIMS) at _____Madurai.

49.Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has inaugurated four-lane setu in Panaji, Goa __Atal Setu.(This is the third bridge across Mandovi River)

50.The state Government has obtained the permission to develop the Tulip garden____ Uttarakhand(It will be the second Tulip garden (first in Srinagar, J&K) in the country)

51.The state government has decided to form a 'State Tiger Protection Force' to save the Big Cat population in the State___ Telangana.

52.Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced that the country has cut off diplomatic relations with the_____ United States.

53.The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched a students' satellite Kalamsat and an imaging satellite Microsat-R from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in______ Sriharikota.(Kalamsat is a payload developed by students and Chennai based Space Kidz India for the first time;The Microsat-R satellite is meant for the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) purposes)

54.Indian Africa Field Training Exercise (IAFTX)-2019 is scheduled to be conducted at Aundh Military Station and College of Military Engineering _____Pune.(The joint training exercise is being conducted with more than a dozen African countries & India. It aims at synergizing humanitarian mine action and joint peace operations.)

55.The Union Cabinet has approved the signing Memorandum of Understanding between India and Kuwait for cooperation on the Recruitment of _____Domestic Workers.

56.The Oxford Dictionaries has announced the Hindi Word of the Year 2018_____Nari Shakti

57.Pakistan Govt. has declared the “national drink” of the country__ sugarcane juice.

58.US based Indian poet has been awarded the “Woman’s Voice Award” at the Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival (AKLF)____ Ranjani Murali.(The Objective of the award is to recognize and encourage creative writing by women in India.)

59.Member of Parliament (MP) Lok Sabha has been bestowed with Sansad Ratna Award for his distinguished performance as a parliamentarian under Jury Committee Special Award category ______Anurag Thakur (He has become the first BJP MP to receive the Jury Committee award; In 2010, the Sansad Ratna Awards were set up after a suggestion from former President Dr A. P. J Abdul Kalam; The idea was to honour parliamentarians who perform.)

60.Noted Gujarati poet Sitanshu Yashashchandra has been awarded Saraswati Samman,2017, for his poetry collection in Gujarati named _______Vakhar.

61.India-set short film gets Oscars nomination____ Period. End of Sentence".

62.Who conferred with Ashok Chakra ___ Lance Naik Nazir Ahmad Wani.(Lance Naik Wani (38-years) laid down his life during an anti-terror operation at Shopian in Kashmir in November last year, will be conferred with the Ashoka Chakra, India's highest peacetime gallantry award; Ashok Chakra is the highest peacetime military decoration for valour, courageous action or self-sacrifice away from the battlefield.)

63.Who has become India's only port to get listed among the top 30 global container ports___ Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT).(It is located Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra.)

64.Pranab Mukherjee (Former president), Nanaji Deshmukh(Bharatiya Jana Sangh leader) and Bhupen Hazarika (singer) were conferred the country's highest civilian award _____Bharat Ratna.

65.The Union government has instituted an annual award titled ______Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar.(It will be announced every year on 23rd January, the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose; The Award carries a certificate and a cash prize of 51 lakh rupees.)

66.Who has been awarded the best Miniratna PSU (public sector undertaking) in strategic performance (Financial Category) __ Numaligarh Refinery Limited’ (NRL).

67.Assam Government has given the Republic Day Journalism Award 2019 to Veteran journalist) _____ Dhirendra Nath Chakraborty.

68.Railway zone has bagged the number one position for cleanliness in all the 17 railway zones in the country ___Southern Railway zone.

69.French sailor has won the round-the-world yacht race after 212 days alone at sea without modern instruments____ Jean-Luc Van Den Heede.

70.The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the men’s Test and ODI teams of the year_____ Virat Kohli.

71.Who has announced a bonus of 20 lakh rupees each for the senior selection committee members following India's maiden Test series win in Australia ____Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

72.Who has become the fastest Indian bowler to claim 100 ODI wickets_____ Mohammed Shami.

73.The ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2020 event will take place later in the year from ____18 October to 15th November.(The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced fixtures for the ICC T20 World Cup 2020 (Australia) in 2020.)

74.The ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2020 women's event will take place from ____21st February to 8 March.(This edition marks the first occasion when the men and women tournaments will be held as standalone events in the same year and in the same country.)

75.Former South Africa all-rounder has announced his immediate retirement from all forms of cricket__ Johan Botha.

76.India’s Ace shuttler won the Indonesia Masters women’s singles title ___ Saina Nehwal.

77.India's Kartik Sharma(from Gurgaon) has won the New South Wales men's Amateur Golf Championship in ____Australia.

78.Indian cricketer has been suspended from bowling in International Cricket by the International Cricket Council (ICC)__ Ambati Rayudu.

79.Serbian professional tennis player has won the 7th Australian Open Men's Singles title at Melbourne____ Novak Djokovic (The 2019 Australian Open (107th edition) was a Grand Slam tennis tournament that took place at Melbourne Park (Australia) from 14th to 27th January 2019.)

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The Hindu Editorial Vocabulary

The Hindu Editorial Vocabulary

           

Shopping for votes: on the Interim Budget 2019-20

The interim budget casts away established conventions and targets votes with sops

As election-eve budgets go, Interim Budget 2019-20 must rank as one of the most politically expedient ones this country has seen. The shadow of the general election falls squarely on the budget proposals, which are aimed at seeking votes in the name of various schemes that rain cash on beneficiaries. Whether the strategy will work at the hustings remains to be seen. But there is no denying that a lot of thought has gone into identifying and targeting the sections of population across social segments that are in distress and unhappy with the Centre for a variety of reasons. There is an income support scheme for farmers who are reeling under the impact of falling realisations for their crops, and a pension scheme for informal sector workers earning up to ₹15,000 a month. There are income tax concessions for the middle class that have been carefully framed to target the lower rung. The ₹6,000 a year income support to farmers will benefit 12 crore households, which is almost half of the total number of households. Similarly, the increase in standard deduction from ₹40,000 to ₹50,000 may be small but it will cover three crore taxpayers, which is again almost half of the 6.8 crore taxpayers. The income tax rebate on those with taxable annual income of up to ₹5 lakh a year will benefit three crore middle class voters that includes traders, small businesses, those who have just joined the formal workforce and pensioners.

While these sops will benefit sections of the population, the question is whether it is correct for a government that will be in power for less than two months in the next financial year to write into the statute books proposals that are permanent. Though some past governments have announced sops in their interim budgets with an eye on elections, this budget has gone much further by announcing very significant measures. In political terms, the strategy cannot be faulted as it appears to have put the Opposition in a difficult spot — protesting too much about the concessions given to those in distress may be counter-productive. That said, some of these ideas may actually work in economic terms as they put money in people’s hands. The housing-related tax proposals can give a leg-up to the real estate sector, which is a job-creator and is now in trouble. The sops come with a cost, though. The Centre will miss the glide-path for reducing the fiscal deficit, yet again. The estimated slippage of 0.10 percentage point is not significant if we assume that the concessions will spur spending by the beneficiaries. This is, of course, assuming that the gross tax revenue projection of ₹25.52 lakh crore, which is a 13.5% growth over the revised estimates of 2018-19, is achieved. But this arithmetic will be the headache of the next government.

Vocabulary --

  §  Cast away – (फेंक देना) to discard, dispose of

  §  Conventions – (परिपाटी) a way in which something is usually done, 

  §  Expedient – (उपाय,लाभकारक) convenient, appropriate

  §  Beneficiaries – (लाभार्थियों) a person who drives advantage from something

  §  Hustings – (चुनाव) a meeting at which candidates in an election address 

        potential voters.

  §  Reeling – (लच्छा बनना, घिरना) coil

  §  Fiscal deficit –  (राजकोषीय घाटा) government revenue reduction.

  §  Spur – (प्रेरणा ) stimulus, encouragement

  §  Squarely – directly (without deviating to one side)

  §  Seeking – (मांगना) ask, demand

  §  Whether – (या, दोनों में से कोन सा ) choice between alternatives.  

  §  Distress – (संकट) hazard, difficulty

  §  Concessions – (छूट) discount

  §  Rung – (सीडी का डंडा) rod of ladder

  §  Statute – (कानून) provision

  §  Counter-productive – अनुत्पादक

  §  Sops – रियायतों

  §  Glide-path – (उड़ान पथ) a series of events or actions leading smoothly to a       particular outcome.

  §  Slippage – (फिसलना)

§  Rebate - (छूट) discount

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