Major Events of 2015 in India

Click to View Infographic of Major Events in 2015

New Year is a time for new beginnings. It is a time when we look forward to a brighter future. And while we stand on the threshold of the year 2016, lets us take a sneak peak into a few of the major events of the year 2015.

 

Political

• NITI Aayog: The Union Government of India announced formation of NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India Aayog) on 1 January 2015 to replace Planning Commission. NITI Aayog is a Government of India policy think-tank which has been formed to represent the economic interests of the State Governments and Union Territories of India, which the Planning Commission lacked.
• Aam Aadmi Party Rules Delhi: In February polling for New Delhi state elections were held which saw Aam Aadmi Party wiining with 67 seats out of 70.
• Nitish, New CM of Bihar : The Legislative Assembly election was held over five-phases in Bihar through October–November 2015. This election saw highest voter turnout in Bihar assembly polls and the choice of the people was evident with RJD emerging as the single largest party with 80 seats.
• Amravati, the New Capital of Andhra Pradesh: The Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation of Amravathi, a world-class riverfront capital city on the 23^nd October. Governors E S L Narashiman and K Rosaiah, CMs N Chandrababu Naidu and K Chandrasekhara Rao accompanied the PM.
• Hardik Patel Agitation: Hardik Patel, an Indian political activist, campaigned for the inclusion of the Patidar caste in the Other Backward Class category in order to qualify for reserved quotas in education and government jobs. With the rallying slogan of ‘Jai Sardar’, Patel used the social media as a weapon to protest and demand. Patel was booked and arrested for insulting the Tricolour as well as for threatening to kill cops.

Economic

• Budget 2015: This time the budget included plans for schemes like Safe India with 100 crores into the Nirbhaya Fund, Skill India to increase the employability of the youth especially in the rural areas and Green India where the Government is aiming at increasing the usage of renewable energy and to regulate and streamline the various sectors of infrastructure.
•  Give it Up Campaign: Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, urged the rich people to give up the LPG subsidy in this campaign.
•  Prime Minister’s Schemes: Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched 3 large-scale social security schemes, Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, and Atal Pension Yojana which will be beneficial to the lower middle class and the population falling under BPL. The Prime Minister also launched the Digital India programme in May this year to allow transparency to the common man.
• AIIB: The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is a proposed international financial institution which is focused on supporting infrastructure construction in the Asia-Pacific region. India signed the legal framework of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and pledged US$8.3 billion towards it.
• Mudra Bank Launched: Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Mudra (Micro Unit Development and Refinance Agency) Bank on 9^th April, 2015. The bank aims to provide employment opportunities as well as financing with the help of loans to small and vulnerable sections of the businesses.
• Bandhan: Indian microfinance company Bandhan Financial Services launched banking operations in India  on 28^th August. The bank aims at making banking more accessible to its rural population. Bandhan will have 500-600 bank branches and 10 million customers in the initial phase. Bandhan will make a initial public offering by 2018.
• IDFC Bank: Infrastructure financier IDFC, received a universal banking licence from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in 2014 and started the banking operations in India from October 1^st.

Major Decisions by the Government

• OROP: Narendra Modi, the BJP prime Ministerial candidate, in order to win armed forces and veteran support has made implementation of OROP an election rallying call. On assuming office, he continued making promises but did not implement OROP which raised doubts and suspicion amongst ex-servicemen. A nationwide protest by veterans began on  15 June 2015. During the peaceful protests conducted by the veterans, they were man handled by the security forces under the order of Rajnath Singh, the Home Miminster of India. The 83 days of public protests ended with the order to implement OROP on 7^th November, 2015. However the OROP Scheme sanctioned by the government did not conform to the ‘accepted’ definition and thus the veterans continue to protest.
• Gold Monetisation Scheme: Prime Minister has launched this scheme in November wherein individuals who deposit their gold in authorised banks will receive interest on the same.
• Gold & Silver a tad cheaper: On 30^th November the government cut the import tariff on gold and silver which saw a dip in the prices of the precious metals.
• Liquid Gold: The price of petrol and diesel saw many changes in the year 2015 till it finall stands at 60.48/ltr and 46.55/ltr respectively as of 16^th November, 2015.

Health and Environment:

• Swine Flu: In February, India saw the re-emergence of swine flu which took a toll of 585, with Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra being the worst-affected.
• Dengue: The number of dengue cases in Delhi has mounted to a staggering 10,683, making it the worst outbreak of the vector-borne disease in the national capital since 1996. Till now dengue has claimed 41 lives in India.
• Earthquake: A massive earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Ritcher Scale hit Nepal in April, and parts of North India was also affected by the same.
• Killer Landslide buries Village: Incessant rainfall in Manipur saw a devastating landslide on the 1^st of August which buried an entire village, killing 20 people. This tragedy occurred in the remote Joupi area of Manipur’s Chandel district bordering Myanmar.
• Green Highway: The government has launched the Green Highways policy that includes a roadway design integrating the functionalities of transport and ecological sustainability. Under this policy the government plans to convert 96,000 km of highways in India into a green corridor.

Science and Technology

• Digital India: Prime Minister Modi has launched the Digital India programme in July, which will ensure transparency as also the fact that Government services are made available to citizens electronically by improving online infrastructure and by increasing Internet connectivity.
• Launches: India took a step forward into the future with the launching and test firing of Agni V, Beyond visual range (BVR) air-to-air missile, Astra, GSAT-6 using the GSLV D-6 launch vehicle, and placed Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) 1-D satellite in orbit by a PSLV C-27 launch vehicle. National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) unveiled Polar Remotely Operated Vehicle (PROVe), which would be used to study the monsoon.
• The RuPay pre-paid card service: The rail ministry launched a new debit card service for ticket bookings by passengers on the 24^th of March. The RuPay card service has been developed by Indian Railways Tourism and Catering (IRCTC) in collaboration with the Union Bank of India (UBI) and the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and will initially be used to buy tickets. Later the card can also be used for facilities like shopping and bill payment.
• The 10th edition of Aero India took place at Yelahanka Air Force Station near Bangalore.

Sports

• Saina Nehawal Numero Uno in the World: Saina Nehwal created history on 28^th March as she became the first Indian woman badminton player to attain the world number one ranking . She won the spot after she beat her closest challenger, Spain’s Carolina Marin, in the India Open Super Series semi-final  in New Delhi.
• IPL 2015: The eight edition of the Indian Premier League was  inaugurated on 7^th April, 2015 at the the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. With the Kolkata Knight Riders were the defending champions having won the title in the 2014 season, there were 8 teams participating in the tournament. The IPL 8 saw Mumbai Indians as the winners on 24^th May, defeating Chennai Super Kings in the finals at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
• ICC World Cup: This year the 11^th Cricket World Cup was jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand. India was the defending champion. With 14 teams participating in the tournament,  the finals was played between Australia and New Zealand, and Australia emerged the new World Cup holder.
• Sania Mirza Numero Uno : Sania Mirza created history on 13^th April by becoming the first female tennis player from India to achieve the world number one rank in doubles, following her stupendous title win at the WTA Family Circle Cup with partner Martina Hingis, Charleston.
• First International Yoga Day: The UN declared 21^st June as the International Yoga Day this year. The first International Yoga Day was celebrated the world over on the 21^st of June, 2015. Prime Minister Narendra Modi specifically selected this date as it is the day of Summer Solstice (the beginning of the transitional phase to Dakshinayana), the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

Terror

• Gurdaspur Terrorist Attack: Heavily-armed terrorists in army uniform attacked a and stormed a police station, killing six persons, including an SP, and injuring eight others, in Gurdaspur bordering Pakistan. 3 terrorists were also killed in the encounter.
• Yakub Memon found Guilty:  Yakub Abdul Razak Memon the chartered accountant turned terrorist, who was convicted over his involvement in the 1993 Bombay bombings, was executed by hanging on 30^th July, once his  petitions for clemency were all rejected.
• Cross Border Attack: Indian Army carried out a rare cross-border operation into Myanmar on the 9^th of June. This was in retaliation of the militant attack in Manipur on the 4^th of June which killed 18 soldiers.

A Step towards Peace

• Obama Visits India: The year started well for India in the global front with Barrack Obama visiting India during the 66th Republic Day celebrations on 26^th January. India and the U.S. achieved a breakthrough on operationalisation of the civil nuclear deal. The most watched moment of the Modi-Obama relationship came at tea-time on the second day, as Modi poured tea for the US president with a smile playing on both the world leaders’ face.
• The Yemen Crisis: In March this year India began evacuating Indian citizens from Yemen after a civil war broke out in the nation. By April 4,640 Indians and 960 nationals from 41 other countries were evacuated.
• The Third India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS-III): The IAFS-III was held in New Delhi, India from 26–30 October 2015. The five-day summit was attended by the head of states/governments. This summit was India’s biggest diplomatic outreach involving delegates from a large number of African nations.

Unusual India

• Accelaration in growth: India’s annual economic growth accelerated to 7.4 per cent in the three months through September from 7.0 per cent in the previous quarter as per government data, which came as a good news to the Modi government which has been focussing on reforms to accelerate growth.
• High Pulse Rate: October saw the price of Arhar (tuar) dal, a pulse commonly used in most Indian houses, touching Rs200/kg. The prices of other pulses have also shot up. The government has stepped in to provide relief to the common man by directing the state governments to take the subsidised imported pulses from MMTC and supply in their states to bring down prices.
• Cochin International Airport becomes world’s first to operate on solar power: The 12 MWp solar power plant, comprising 46,150 solar panels laid across 45 acres near the cargo complex was inaugurated by  Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on 18^th August.

Awards

• Bharat Ratna: This year the most prestigious civilian award was bestowed upon the erstwhile Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the freedom fighter Late Madan Mohan Malaviya.
• The Padma awards: This yearamong the 50 recepients of the award were actor Amitabh Bachchan, actor Dilip Kumar, nuclear scientist M.R. Srinivasan, mathematician Manjul Bhargava, computer scientist Vijay P. Bhatkar, Hindu spiritual guru Swami Satyamitranand and Aga Khan.
• Returning Awards: Many famous and not so famous literary personalities and artists started returning their awards in protest of the murder of literary personalities including M.M. Kalburgi, Govind Pansare and Narendra Dhabholkar who voiced their opinions against the superstitions in India. Later this protest in the form of returning awards also included the lynching of a man in Dadri on the assumption of eating beef.

The End of an Era

• APJ Abdul Kalam Dies: India’s 11th President APJ Abdul Kalam died on 27^th July at a hospital in Meghalaya, where he had gone to deliver a lecture at the age of 83. He was delivering a lecture at the Indian  Institute of Management in Shillong when he collapsed and suffered cardiac arrest.

They Gave Their Today for Our Tomorrow

The year 2015 saw many jawans and officers laying their life for the country. Maj Dhruv, Col Mahadik, Capt Ashwani Kumar, Nk Tariq Ahmad Lone, Nk Waseem Ahmad Lone, Lance Naik Govind Singh, are just a few of the names who have made the supreme sacrifice this year, leaving behind families for the sake of their nation. We at MyIndia salute these bravehearts.

Conclusion

2015 is well on its way out, but things look bright for India and we hope that 2016 will bring an overall success, development, and advancement of the nation Here is to wishing you all a Happy New Year. Cheers!!
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