This document has been prepared across the forums from various sources.I don’t take the credit for this. I have just complied from this document. Brands and SubBrands:- ITC Cigarettes : Wills, Classic, Gold Flake, NAVY Cut, Hotels : Welcome Group Hotel Packaged Foods, Confectionery : Aashirvaad, Sunfeast, Mint-O, Candyman, Bingo Branded Apparel : Wills Lifestyle, John Players, Miss Players Personal Care : Essenza Di Wills, Fiama Di Wills Greeting Card : Expressions Safety matches : Mangal Deep, Delite Stationery : Classmate, Paperkraft, Saathi Proctor & Gamble Health Care : Vicks Action 500+, Vicks Vapo Rub, Vicks Cough Drops, and Vicks Inhaler. Fabric Care : Tide, Ariel Hair Care : Head & Shoulders Pantene. Olay, Max Factor, Cover Girl. Joy. Essences and Clairol Nice "n' Easy, Rejoice Baby Care : Pampers Hindustan Lever Soaps : Lifebuoy, Lux, Breeze, Liril, Rexona. Hamam, Moti Beverages : Lipton tea, Brooke Bond tea, Bru Coffee Detergents : Surf, Rin, Wheel Creams and Beauty products : Pond's talcs and creams, Vaseline lotions, Fair & Lovely creams, Lakme beauty products Shampoos : Clinic Plus, Clinic All Clear, Sunsilk Dove Dishwashers : Vim dishwash, Ala bleach, Domex disinfectant Toothpaste and Brushes : Pepsodent, Close Up Deosprays : Rexona, Axe ICe Cream : Kwality Walls Squashes and Jams : Kissan Dabur Foods : Real juice, Real Active, Real Twist, Capsico, Honey Healthcare : Dabur Lal Tail, Dabur Baby Olive Oil, Dabur Janma Ghunti Health Supplements : Dabur Chyawanprash, Dabur Glucose D Digestives : Hajmola, Anardana, Hajmola Candy, Pudin Hara, Dabur Hingoli Natural Cures : Shilajit Gold, Isabgol, Itch Care, Dabur Balm, Hair Care Oil : Amla Hair Oil, Vatika Hair Oil, Dabur Olive Oil, Jasmine Hair Oil Hair Care Shampoo : Vatika Henna Conditioning Shampo, Vatika Anti-Dandruff Shampoo Oral Care : Dabur Red Toothpaste, Dabur Lal Dant Manjan Dabur Binaca
Toothbrush, Miswak, Promise Skin Care : Vatika Fairness Face Pack Marico Hair Care : Parachute, Hair & Care, Mediker, Revive Food : Saffola Nestle Beverages : Nescafe classic, Nescafe sunrise. Nestle milo Food : Maggi, Kit kat, Munch, Milkybar, Bar-one, Eclairs, Polo, Polo Powermint Pepsi Co Beverages : Pepsi, 7UP, Mirinda and Mountain Dew, Aquafina, Tropicana and Slice. Lehar Soda, Dukes lemonade and Mangola Snacks : Lay’s Potato Chips; Cheetos snacks, Uncle Chips and namkeen snacks under the Kurkure and Lehar brands. Coca-Cola Beverages : Coca-Cola, Thumbs Up, Fanta , Limca, Sprite, Maaza, Kinley, Georgia, Minute Maid Britannia Biscuits : VitaMariegold, Tiger, Nutrichoice Junior, Good Day, 50-50, Treat, Pure Magic Future Group: Fashion : UMM, RIG, BARE DENIM, LOMEBARD, DJ&C;, BUFFALO, SRISHTI Electronic :KOREO, DREAMLINE,SENSEI, T24 UNPAID FMCG : FRESH N PURE, CARE MATE, TASTY TREAT, CLEAN MATE, SACH Raymond PARX,JK Helen Kurtis,Colourplus,Raymond Shop,ZAp,Zambaiti,Manzoni
Oscars Trivia
Record Film/Actor/ Actress/Director
Most Nominations (film) Titanic & All about Eve (14 nominations each)
Most Nominations (Actress) Meryl Streep (16)
Most Nominations (Actor) Jack Nicholson (12)
Youngest actor to win best actor
Adrien Brody (29 years)
Cost of each Oscar Statuette cost
500 Dollar
1. The longest National Highway of India connects which two cities?
Varanasi and Kanyakumari (National Highway 44) 2. “Man is a social animal” – Which thinker said this? Aristotle 3. Christine Lagarde is the head of? International Monetary Fund 4. Name the political thinker who inspired French Revolution. Rousseau 5. Which ocean resembles the English alphabet ‘S’? Atlantic Ocean 6. Where was the 2nd India-Africa summit held? Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) 7. Who received the Dhyan Chand award for 2011? Shabbir Ali 8. Who received the Dada Saheb Phalke Award 2011? Soumitra Chatterjee
9. Priyanka Chopra is the new Brand Ambassador of which Organisation? UNICEF 10. Name the canal connecting Europe and Africa. Strait of Gibraltor 11. What day is celebrated as the ‘Computer Literacy Day’? December 2nd 12. Leukemia is a disease related to what? Blood 13. Name the largest gland in a human body. Liver 14. International Criminal Court is located in which city? The Hague (The Netherlands) 15. The G8 summit of 2012 is scheduled to be held at? Camp David – Maryland (USA) 16. December 10 is celebrated every year as? International Human Rights’ Day 17. India joined the United Nations Organisation on which date? 30th October 1945 18. Which is the largest flightless bird? Ostrich 19. Osama Bin Laden was killed at? Abbottabad 20. What is ‘Salwa Judum’?
A people’s resistance movement against the Naxalities started in 2006, in the state of Chhattisgarh 21. Name the longest canal of India. The Indira Gandhi Canal 22. Where is Akshardham Temple is located? Gandhinagar (Gujarat) 23. The Nobel Prize in Literature 2011 was awarded to? Tomas Tranströmer 24. What was Taiwan earlier called? Formosa 25. Name the first woman Director General of Police? Kanchan Chaudhary Bhattacharya 26. Where did the UN Climate Change Conference take place in 2011? Durban (South Africa) 27. Where was the First Annual Formula One Indian Grand Prix held? Greater Noida 28. Arab Summit of 2012 took place in? Baghdad (Iraq) 29. How many years has it been since NREGA was implemented? Six Years 30. ‘The Google Story’ is a book written by? David A Wise and Mark Malseed 31. Where are the 2012 Summer Olympics scheduled to be held? London 32. Which state won the ‘Santosh Trophy’ in the year 2011? West Bengal 33. When was the BRICs summit held in New Delhi? 29th March 2012 34. Name the Supreme Court judges who delivered the judgement in the 2G Case? Justice A K Gunguly and Justice G S Singhvi 35. Which countries jointly hosted the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011? India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka 36. Name the leading contender from the Republican party’s side in the United States’ Presidential Elections. Mitt Romney 37. The Architect Le Corbusier wass a citizen of which country? France 38. Name the indigenous nuclear powered submarine which is now under construction. INS Aridaman (See this) 39. Name the Camel Fair held every year in Rajasthan. Pushkar Camel Fair 40. What does ‘Light-year’ measure? Distance 41. Who won the UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize? National Literacy Service – Burundi 42. Name this Indian Tennis player who has turned Hollywood filmmaker. Ashok Amritraj 43. Which country is the largest Iron Ore importer from India? China 44. Which sector witnessed the highest growth during the Eleventh Five Year Plan? Services (9.62) 45. Which organisation assisted India in the Census Operation of 2011? UNICEF
and UNDP 46. Name the first Indian to reach the North Pole. Ajit Bajaj 47. On which day is the ‘Earth Day’ celebrated every year? April 22nd 48. Name the longest shipping canal of the world. The Beijing Hangzhou Grand Canal (China) 49. The phenomenon when there is excess of money relative to the supply of goods is?Inflation
50. Name the youngest Indian to climb Mt. Everest. Arjun Bajpai
Several Initiatives
Black Revolution - Petroleum Production Blue Revolution - Fish Production Brown Revolution - Leather/non-conventional(India)/Cocoa production Golden Fibre Revolution - Jute Production Golden Revolution - Overall Horticulture development/Honey Production/Fruits and Vegetables Green Revolution - Food grain (Cereals, Wheat &Leguminous; plant) production Grey Revolution - Fertilizer Revolution Pink Revolution - Onion production/Pharmaceutical (India)/Prawn production Red Revolution - Meat & Tomato Production Round Revolution - Potato Revolution Silver Fiber Revolution - Cotton Revolution Silver Revolution - Egg/Poultry Production White Revolution - Milk/Dairy production (In India - Operation Flood) Yellow Revoution - Oil Seeds production Evergreen Revolution - Overall development of Agriculture
Its a Re-post ....Post Credits @lay_man
P.S :- Any correction ..just PM me ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Edit :- Golden Revolution - Fruits and Vegetables too
Warren Hastings, the first Governor-General of British India
Lord mountbatten, the first Governor-General of Independent India
C Rajagopalachari , the first Indian Governor-General of Independent India
1. Which was the first animal tamed by human being?
Ans: Dog
2. The Planning Commission was constituted in…
Ans: 1950
3. What is the age of earth?
Ans: 4.55 billion years
4. How much time did it took to draft Constitution of India?
Ans: Two years, Eleven months and Eighteen days
5. Imposing President’s rule in case of emergency is given in which article of
the Constitution?
Ans: Article 356
6. On what basis is the poverty line ascertained?
Ans: The calorie in take by the people of the country
7. ‘Synecology’ is the study of…
Ans: Ecological interrelationships among communities of organisms.
8. Who is the author of Selling the Dream?
Ans: Guy Kawasaki
9. Why did Mumbai’s dabbawalas become world famous?
Ans: The Mumbai’s dabbawalas came into limelight because of their efficient
management systems. Forbes recognized their efforts and conducted a
quality assurance study and finally gave them Six Sigma rating.
10. Which is the world’s largest flower?
Ans: Rafflesia
11. ‘Isoprene’ is also known as…
Ans: Natural rubber
12. Which is the lightest metal?
Ans: The lightest metal known is Lithium.
13. What is cinnabar?
Ans: Its an ore of mercury.
14. Myopia (short sightedness) is a condition associated with…
Ans: Eyes
15. FERA has been replaced by…
Ans: FEMA
Bengal’s Sorrow Damodar River
Blue Mountains Nilgiri Hills Britain of the South New Zealand
City of Palaces Kolkata City of Skyscrapers New York
City of Dreaming Spires Oxford, England
City of Golden Gate San Francisco City of Seven Hills Rome, Italy
City of Magnificent Distances Washington D.C. Cockpit of Europe Belgium
China’s Sorrow Hawang Ho
Dakshin Ganga Godavari
Dark Continent Africa Diamond Harbour Calcutta
Emerald Island Ireland Empire City New York
Eternal City Rome, Italy Forbidden City Lhasa, Tibet
Gate of Tears Bab-el-mandab, Jerusalem Garden City of India Bangalore
Gateway of India Mumbai Great White Way Broadway, New York
Gift of Nile Egypt Holy Land Palestine
Hermit Kingdom Korea Island Continent Australia
Island of Pearls Bahrain
Island of Cloves Madagascar Key to the Gibraltar Mediterranean
Land of Kangaroo Australia Land of Golden Pagoda Burma (Myanmar)
Land of Maple Canada Land of Thousand Lakes Finland
Land of Morning Calm Korea Land of Midnight Sun Norway
Land of Five Rivers Punjab, India Land of White Elephant Thailand
Land of Thunderbolt Bhutan Never, Never Land Prairies, N. Australia
Pearl of Antilles Cuba Pillars of Hercules Strait of Gibraltar Information
Pearl of the Pacific Guyayaquil Port of Ecuador
Playground of Europe Switzerland Queen of the Arabian Sea Cochin, India
Roof of the World Pamirs, Central Asia Rose-pink City Jaipur
Sorrow of Bihar Kosi Sorrow of China River Hwang Ho, China
Spice Garden of India Kerala Sick Man of Europe Turkey
Sugar Bowl of the World Cuba The City of Nawabs Lucknow
The Land of Kangaroo Australia Venice of the East Cochin, India
Venice of the North Stockholm, Sweden White City Belgrade, Yugoslavia
White Man’s Grave Guinea Coast
World’s Loneliest Island Tristan da Cunha
World’s Bread Basket Prairies of N. america
#20th ASEAN Summit - Phnom Penh (Cambodia)
#4th BRICS summit - New Delhi #10th BASIC Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change - New Delhi #Arab summit - Baghdad (Iraq) #Nuclear security summit – Seoul (South Korea) #12th Annual summit of European Union and India - New Delhi #G-20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting - Mexico City #Friends of Syria Meeting – Istanbul (Turkey) #5th Ministerial level India-UK Economic Financial Dialogue – New Delhi #United Nation Conference on Sustainable Development 2012 – Rio de janeiro (Brazil) #17th National youth Festival – Mangalore (Karnataka) #World Economic Forum – Davos (Switzerland) #World Polio Summit 2012 - New Delhi
TSE(tokyo stock exchange)---Nikkie 225 and TOPIX- Asia largest
NYSE-- Dow Jones ans S n P 500 --U.S (Indian first -- icici first into it)
(new york stock exchange) -- world largest -- called BIG BOARD
NASDAQ- NASDAQ composite,NASDAQ 100--U.S (Indian first -- infi into it)
(national association of securities dealers and automated quotations)
BSE - SENSEX
(Bombay stock exchange)
HKEX- Hang Seng index - hong kong
(hong kong stock exchange)
PSE- Paris Stock Exchange--- CAC 40 --- France
FSE -Frankfurt stock exchange- DAX 30 - Germany
SSE - - shanghai stock exchange- SSE180,SSE50, SSE composite - CHINA
FTSE - London Stock Exchange- FTSE ....
1997 India :
Arundhati roy had many questions in mind, many small questions, so she thought that root
of all these questions is this world “Small”, so she went to god and asked: “Please tell me
who is the god of small things”? God replied: “for that answer you will have to wait for 9
months, umm sorry 9 years” ...and god disappeared....she became disappointed and waited
for 9 years.
After 9 yrs in 2006 she recalled that such an incident happened in past and indeed was a
GreatInheritance loss to her, her desi neighbor Kiran Desai came to her to sympathize her
and 2 years passed in sympathizing
So in 2008 came a person sitting on The white tiger – That was a robotic tiger run on AA
batteries (AA- Aravind Adiga) , he asked everybody to immediately leave for UK as white
tiger was going to eat everyone in India
People asked how to go to UK, AA said my tiger's friend- wolf , will drop you in a hall
(Wolf Hall) where you'll meet a Mental patient who couldn't climb mount Everest (so the
name Hillary Mental)
2009 onwards UK :
So in 2009, In Wolf Hall they met Hillary Mental, she informed them next year she is
going to ask them a question , whose answer will be provided to them by her husband
Jacob's son ( Jacob had a son on its own)
So in 2010 there was a Question - The Finkler Question whose answer was provided by
Jacob's son while sitting on Howrah Bridge (so the name Howard Jacobson)
So in 2011 , after getting answer they went to Juli who worked in a Bar, and everyone there
used to call her Julian Barnes. Juli said everything is going to finish in in 2012 so she
hadThe Sense of an ending ...
So in 2012 , as per Juli's advice everything ended but mental patient Hilary
(Hillary Mental) was still alive and kicking, seeing all destruction she ordered
dead air- “dead air please Bring up the Bodies”, dead air said “sorry I am dead I
cant do anything”
miZOram=aiZAwal (Sounds like MIZA and AIZA [ If Sania Mirza ever have twine she could very well name them these])
Assam =Dispur ( "SAM you have to go DIS way ")
Manipur = Iamphal (If Maniratnam did the ad for adidas he would say " I_AM MANI ")
Nagaland= Kohima (girl screaming on seeing a snake "OEEE MAAA NAG")
Arunachal= Itanagar (Arun k sir pe laga ITA )
Tripura= Agartala(AGAR TRI nahi karuge to jeetoge nahi kabhi )
Mehgalya = Shelong(Well a name of girl MEGHA is well apparent + There is a SHE in the
1. Arvind Kejriwal launched his political party with the name "Aam Admi Party"
2. November 10 Declared as Malala day by United Nation
3. Prasar Bharati Establishment day: 23rd November
4. Vodafone India tied up with ICICI Bank for Mobile Money Service "m-
pesa"
5. Swiss Company Launched Health Product in Bihar
6. Oman Banned Import of Eggs and Chicken from India
7. Uttar Pradesh Govt. has announced to set up Family Courts all districts of
the state.
8. Andhra Pradesh High Court quashes life ban against former Indian skipper
Azharuddin
9. Nelson Mandela bank notes launched by South Africa
10. Most powerful Business woman in India: Chanda Kochhar of ICICI
11. Suu Kyi comes to India after almost 40 years
12. India ranked 7th largest player in Global Services Trade
13. India Rank in Global gender gap report-105th (previous 113 in 2011) in
135 county
14. India ranked at 65th position in Global Hunger Report 2012
15. India Rank in Global Competitiveness Index-59th(earlier 56)
16. India slips 169th in world rankings of Football
17. India’s ranks 2nd in retail reality investment Momentum Index
18. Kerala banned entry of poultry from other states
19. India and World Bank Signed 500 Million Dollar Deal for Shiksha Abhyan
20. Indian Navy successfully test-fired the 290-km range BrahMos
Supersonic Cruise Missile, capable of carrying a conventional warhead of 300
kg, from a warship off the Goa coast.
21. Anti-corruption campaigner Arvind Kejriwal kicked off the ‘Bijli-Paani
Satyagraha’, a civil disobedience movement today to persuade the Delhi
government to roll back power and water tariffs. 22. Nirmal Bharat
Campaign has started in Sevagram, Maharashtra.
23. Indian boxer Mary Kom to be conferred Lt Colonel rank.
24. Rajiv Gandhi Jeevandayee Arogya Yojana (health insurance scheme) was
launched in Maharashtra
25. Mangalam village became the first village in India where all households
were provided banking facilities, it is situated in Pondicherry
26. M S Dhoni becomes brand ambassador of cricket in Nepal
27. 8 Indian Company in Fortune Global 500 Company. IOC on 83rd
place.132 company of USA is in this list
28. Rawatbhata Atomic Power Station is in Rajasthan.
29. Google’ Buying ‘Meebo’ To Help Social Networking Push
30. Aung San Suu Kyi (Myanmar) Accepts Nobel Peace Prize 21 years late.
31. China won both Thomas cup and Uber Cup of Badminton. Venue of Both
were in China.
32. India’s First River-lake link project launched In Bundelkhand
33. Kofi Annan resign as the UN special Envoy to Syria
34. India has allowed foreign direct investment (FDI) from Pakistan.
35. Market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) granted
permission to MCX Stock Exchange (MCXSX) to operate as a full-fledged
stock exchange
36. 11th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2013 will be held in Cochin (Kerala). Last
meeting was held in Jaipur.
37. Iran has tested Fateh 110 missiles (Range - 300 km).
38. Home Ministry declined permission to three Iranian banks (Eghtesad-e-
Novin, Parsian Bank and Bank Kasargad) to open branches in India.
39. 9th World Hindi Conference will be held in South African city
Johannesburg from 22 to 24 of September this year. The main theme of the
conference is “Bhasha Ki Asmita Aur Hindi Ka Vaishvik Sandarbh”.
40. State Bird of Delhi-Sparrow
41. States which ban Gutka-MP, Kerela, Maharashtra, Bihar Rajsthan,Gujrat
42. Russia and India will conduct sixth joint INDRA-2012 anti-terrorism
military exercises in the Siberian republic of Buryatia. The last INDRA was
held in India in October 2010.
43. Coal India Ltd will be investing Rs 7,500 crore to develop railway
infrastructure in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha.
44. Abhijeet Gupta has won the Sixth Kavala International Chess
Tournament in Greece.
45. Sunita Williams became the second woman in history to take command
of ISS
46. IRCTC introduced Interbank Mobile Payment System
47. India and Singapore will provide list of Black money holders to each
other.
48. Maruti Suzuki plans to start its new plant in Mehsana in Gujarat
49. London became no.1 Fashion City of the world (earlier it was Paris)
50. ISRO launches its 100th space program named – PSLV C21 form Sri
Harikota (Andhra Pradesh)
51. UP govt. launch unemployment allowance scheme
52. Sachin Pilot commissioned as Lieutenant in Territorial Army
53. ‘Pieta’ the South Koran Film won Golden Lion Venice Top prize
54. US Ambassador and 3 diplomats killed in Benghazi rocket attack (US
Ambassador to Libya – Christopher Evans)
55. India, Myanmar & Thailand decided to implement Trilateral Connectivity
Project by 2016
56. UP Government launched the Samajwadi Swasthya Seva in the state
57. Japan unveils plan to phase out nuclear power by 2030
58. 58th Commonwealth Parliamentarian conference concluded in Colombo
(The next conference will be held in South Africa 2013)
59. Pakistan test fired cruise missile Babur with a range of 700km
60. India offered Telecom Support to Turkmenistan
61. India test fired its nuclear capable strategic missile AGNI – IV (range –
4000 km) from a test range of Odisha Coast
62. Mynamar’s Suu Kyi gets Congress highest honour
63. China test New generation inter-continental ballistic missile – Dongfeng –
41 Range- 14,000 km
64. Afghanistan & China to expand bilateral relations
65. Ranbir Kapoor & Priyanka Chopra starrer Hindi film – Barfi has been
nominated for Oscar for next year film category
66. UNAIDS (United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS) appointed Bollywood
actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as International Goodwill Ambassador
2. CURRENT AFFAIRS OF NOVEMBER 2012 -
3. >Sebastian Vettel won third Formula One world title. >Drug that can halt cancer spread -- Scientists developed a new drug called "Aflibercept" -- it stops the cancer cells from multiplying. >Arvind Kejriwal announced the name for his newly launched party as “Aam Admi Party” on 24 November 2012 in New Delhi. >Usain Bolt won the IAAF(International Amateur Athletic Federation) World male Athlete of the Year award for the fourth time >US Sprinter Allyson Felix won the women’s World Athlete of the Year award on 24 November 2012. >Joaquim Barbosa was sworn-in as Brazil’s Supreme Court’s first non-White President on 23 November 2012 at a packed ceremony in the capital Brazilia . Barbosa, became famous in Brazil after overseeing one of the country’s biggest corruption trials involving key members of the former President Lula Da Silva’s government. >The ban on manufacture, sale and use of most types of "plastic bags" in the Capital came into force on on 23 November 2012. >Senior IPS officer "Ranjit Sinha" was appointed the next Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation for two-year term on 22 November 2012. >"Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva", the former President of the Federative Republic of Brazil, was conferred the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development at a function at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 22 November 2012. >"Autar Kaw", an Indian born professor of mechanical engineering at the University of South Florida received the award of ” 2012 US Professor" of the Year. >Former India captain "Sunil Gavaskar" conferred with BCCI’s prestigious Col CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement award -- 21 November 2012 >President Pranab Mukherjee released a commemorative postage stamp on late "Ramgopal Maheshwari" on 20 November 2012. >India was among the 39 countries that voted against a UN General Assembly draft resolution which called for abolishing the death penalty,saying every nation had the “sovereign right” to determine its own legal system. >The book on Indian Cricketer Yuvraj Singh named "Yuvi" wasvreleased in third week of November 2012 .Yuvi,the book on Yuvraj Singh is published by Harper Sport and written by Makarand Waingankar.The book illustrates the brilliance of cricket shown by Yuvraj Singh in his career as a cricketer and the way he recovered from Cancer. >President of the Republic of Liberia Mrs.Ellen Johnson Sirleaf got the Indira Gandhi peace prize for 2012 for her Excellency, Peace,Disarmament and Development. >‘Bitter Seeds’, a documentary film produced by US-based filmmaker Micha Peled on the agrarian crisis of cotton growers and their plight, is being shown in Vidarbha region. Every 30 minutes, a farmer in the country kills himself in despair because he no longer can provide for his family. The film has won 18 international awards. >An Indian-American physician from California became only the third person
of Indian-origin to be elected to the US House of Representatives by defeating Republican Dan Lungren with just 184 votes lead. >The Vice President of India M. Hamid Ansari presented the Moortidevi Award for 2010 to eminent Urdu scholar "Gopi Chand Narang" for his outstanding work on Urdu Ghazal aur Hindustani Zehan wa Tehzeeb at a function organized by Bhartiya Jnanpith. >Chinese movie `11 Flowers` wins award at Kolkata Film Fest. >Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Cambodian capital Phnom Penh on 18 November 2012 to attend the ASEAN and East Asia Summits. >Barack Obama became "the first American president" visited the Myanmar.He visited the Myanmar on 18 November 2012 and then went to Cambodia to attend the ASEAN and East Asia Summits. >Asian under-10 girls chess champion "Nuthaki Priyanka"bagged the world youth chess championship at Maribor,Slovenia on 18 November 2012. She completed with 9.5 points of 11 rounds. >Rahul Gandhi has Appointed Head of INCCoordination Panel for 2014 Lok Sabha Elections.
4. Marasmus -------- Protein, energy and other nutrients. 5. Pellagra -------- Niacin (B3) 6. Anaemia -------- Iron 7. Rickets -------- Calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D 8. Night Blindness -------- Vitamin A
1. Under nutrition: - Intake of insufficient food is called under nutrition. Under nutrition is very common among the poorer sections of the society. Under nourished people are prone to diseases like rickets, anemia, cold, cough and fever. 2. Over nutrition: - Intake of excessive food is called over nutrition. Over nutrition is seen among the richer section of the society. Over nourished people become obese and overweight. They become prone to diseases like diabetes, arthritis, hyper tension and other cardio – vascular diseases. 3. Malnutrition: - Malnutrition means disordered nutrition which is due to lack of sufficient food or excessive intake of food. 4. Night blindness: - Night blindness is a deficiency disease of the eye caused due to the deficiency of vitamin A in diet. 5. Beriberi: - Beriberi is a deficiency disease caused due to the deficiency of Vitamin B1 . 6. Rickets: Rickets is a disease caused by the deficiency of calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D. 7. Marasmus: - Marasmus is a disease caused by the deficiency of energy, proteins and other nutrients. 8. Pellagra: - Pellagra is a disease caused by the deficiency of Vitamin B3 (niacin) 9. Scurvy: - Scurvy is a disease caused due to deficiency of Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid). It is very common in infants. 10. Anemia: - Anemia is a disease caused by the deficiency of iron. 11. Kwashiorkor: Kwashiorkor is a disease caused by the deficiency of protein. It occurs when babies are taken away from protein rich breast milk to other foods, which are not rich in proteins and energy.
MS.SWAMINATHAN : Father of INDIA's GREEN REVOLUTION VARGHESE KURIEN: Father of WHITE REVOLUTION Norman Borlaug : father of the " International Green Revolution "
OSCARS 2012: Best cinematography Robert Richardson, Hugo Best art direction Hugo Best costume design The Artist Best make up The Iron Lady Best foreign language film A Separation Best actress in a supporting role Octavia Spencer, The Help Best film editing The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Best sound editing Hugo Best sound mixing Hugo Best documentary feature Undefeated Best animated film Rango Best visual effects Hugo Best actor in a supporting role Christopher Plummer, Beginners Best original score Ludovic Bource, The Artist Best song
Man or Muppet, The Muppets Best adapted screenplay Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash, The Descendants Best original screenplay Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris Best live action short The Shore Best documentary short Saving Face Best animated short The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr Morris Lessmore Best director Michel Hazavanicius, The Artist Best actor in a leading role Jean Dujardin, The Artist Best actress in a leading role Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady Best picture
The Artist
Government Schemes and Plans - II:-
Swabhimaan #Launched on 10 Feb 2011 #The initiative enables Government subsidies and social security benefits to be directly credited to the accounts of the beneficiaries, enabling them to draw the money from the Business correspondents in their village itself.
MahatmaGandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) #Promotes inclusive growth,augment wage employment and strengthening natural resource management through works that address causes of chronic poverty like drought, deforestation, and soil erosion and thus encourage sustainable development. #Under this scheme,Govt provides at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work with mandatory 33% women participation. #minimum Wage is Rs 125
SwarnjayantiGram Swarojgar Yojana #It was launched to help poor rural families (Swarozgaris) cross the poverty line by assisting them to take up income- generating economic activities through a mix of bank credit and government subsidy. The scheme involves selection of key
activities, planning of activity clusters, organization of the poor into self-help groups (SHGs), and building of their capacities through training and skill development, creation of infrastructure, and technological and marketing support. #A new initiative has also been taken up for setting up a Rural Self Employment Training Institute(RSETI) in each district of the country for basic and skill development training of rural BPL youth to enable them to undertake micro-enterprises and wage employment.
SwarnaJayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY) #The SJSRY launched by the Government of India . To provide gainful employment to the urban unemployed and underemployed through encouraging the setting up of self-employment ventures or provision of wage employment.
Bharat Nirman #Launched in 2005-06 for building infrastructure and basic amenities in rural areas, has six components, namely rural housing, irrigation potential, drinking water, rural roads, electrification, and rural telephony. #Important initiative for reducing the gap between rural and urban areas and improving the quality of life of people in rural areas.
JawaharLal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) The JNNURM emphasizes the implementation of the following three mandatory pro-poor key reforms to enhance the capacity of urban local bodies (ULBs) - (i) internal earmarking within local body budgets for basic services to the urban poor. (ii) earmarking at least 20-25 per cent of developed land in all housing projects (both public and private agencies) for the economically weaker section (EWS)/lower income group (LIG) category. (iii) implementation of seven-point charter for provision of seven basic entitlements/services.
KasturbaGandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs) The KGBV is a scheme for setting up residential schools at upper primary level for girls belonging predominantly to the SC/ ST, OBC, and minority communities. The scheme is being implemented in the EBBs where rural female literacy is below 30 per cent and in select urban areas where female literacy is below the national average. The KGBV scheme was merged with the (SSA) with effect from 1 April 2007. The scheme provides for minimum reservation of 75 per cent of the seats for girls belonging to SCs, STs, OBCs or minority communities and priority for the remaining 25 per cent to girls from BPL families.
NationalProgramme for Education of Girls at Elementary Level (NPEGEL) The NPEGEL, is a focused intervention of the Government of India to reach the 'Hardest to Reach' girls. It is an important component of the SSA, which provides additional support for enhancing girl's education over and above the normal SSA interventions. The programme provides for setting up of a 'model school' in every cluster with more intense community mobilization and supervision of girls' enrolment in schools. Gender sensitisation of teachers, development of gender-sensitive learning materials, and provision of need-based incentives like escorts, stationery, workbooks, and uniforms are some of the endeavours under the programme. The scheme is being implemented in the EBBs where the level of rural female literacy is less than the national average and gender gap is above the national average; in blocks of districts which are not covered under EBBs but where
at least 5 per cent of population is SC/ST and where SC/ST female literacy is below 10 per cent; and also in select urban slums.
National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) #To provide accessible, affordable, and accountable quality health services to rural areas with emphasis on poor persons and remote areas. It is being operationalized throughout the country, with special focus on 18 states, which include 8 empowered action group States (Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Orissa, and Rajasthan), 8 north-eastern States, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir. #The Mission addresses the issue of health in the context of a sector-wide approach addressing sanitation and hygiene, nutrition, and safe drinking water as the basic determinants of good health. Keeping this in view, it seeks greater convergence among the related social-sector departments, namely AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy), Women & Child Development, Sanitation, Elementary Education, Panchayati Raj, and Rural Development.
RajivGandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls (RGSEAG) This scheme was launched on 19 November 2010 with the objective of empowering adolescent girls in the age group 11-18 years by bringing improvement in their nutritional and health status and upgrading various skills like home skills, life skills, and vocational skills.
Some of the other schemes implemented by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, include: (i) Dhanlakshmi, which is a conditional cash transfer scheme for the girl child which was launched as a pilot project in March 2008. The objective is to encourage families to educate girl children and to prevent child marriage. The scheme provides for cash transfers to the family of a girl child on fulfilling certain specific conditionalities relating to birth and registration, immunization, and enrolment and retention in school up to Class VIII. (ii) Scheme for the Welfare of Working Children in Need of Care and Protection providing for nonformal education, vocational training, etc. to working children to facilitate their entry/re-entry into mainstream education. There are 120 projects of 100 children each currently being funded under the Scheme. (iii) Bal Bandhu Scheme for protection of children in areas of civil unrest is being implemented through the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) with the grant sanctioned from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund. (iv) Swadhar scheme for providing temporary accommodation, maintenance, and rehabilitative services to women and girls rendered homeless and women in difficult circumstances (v) Short Stay Home (SSH) scheme being implemented by the Central Social Welfare Board with similar objectives/target group as in case of the Swadhar scheme. (vi) Ujjawala, a comprehensive scheme for prevention of trafficking with five specific components- prevention, rescue, rehabilitation, reintegration, and repatriation of victims-was launched on 4 December 2007. Under this scheme, 134 projects including 73 rehabilitation homes, spread over 16 States, have been sanctioned.
Various Sciences:-
Acoustics : The study of sound and sound waves Agrostology: The study of grasses Anatomy : The science of the structure study of the animal / human body learnt by dissection Astronautics : A science dealing with space travel & space vehicles Astronomy : The science of heavenly bodies (planets) Biology : The science of living organisms Botany : The science of the plant kingdom Bryology : The study of mosses Cardiology : A branch of medicine dealing with heart Chemistry : The study of elements, their behaviour and laws of their combination, etc. Cosmetology : The study of cosmetics and their use Dactylogy : The study of fingerprints Dietetics : The science of diet and nutrition Endocrinology : The study of glands Lithology : The study of the characteristics of rocks Mycology : Concerned with fungi and fungal diseases Nephrology : A branch of medicine dealing with kidney diseases Oncology : Study dealing with tumours Orology : The study of mountains Paediatrics : A branch of medicine dealing with child diseases Pathology : A branch of medicine that deals with etiologies, mechanisms and manifestation of diseases Psychiatry : The study & treatment of mental & emotional disorders Radiology : A branch of medical science dealing with the use of x-rays for diagnosis and treatment Rheumatology : The study of small joints in human body Seismology : The study of earthquakes & related phenomena Theology : The study of religions Virology : The science that deals with viruses Zoology : A branch of biology that deals with animal life
Zymology : A study that deals with the process of fermentation.
Important Committees and its head
Committees are formed to investigate an incident that has already happened or to get a fresh
perspective and suggestions into an present issue. The important committees formed are
listed here:
1. U.C. Banerjee Commission :- Enquiry into Godhra carnage (railways) 2. Sarkaria Commission : Centre-State relations 3. Srikrishna Commission : 1992 Bombay riots 4. Thakkar Commission : Indira Gandhi assassination case 5. Malhotra Committee : Insurance Reforms 6. Ajay Vikram Singh Committee : Faster promotions in army 7. Rajinder Sachar Committee {1} : Companies and MRPT Act 8. Rajindar Sachar Committee {2} : Report on the social, economic and educational status of the Muslims of India 9. Jyoti Basu Committee : Report on Octroi abolition 10. Sawant Committee : Enquiry on corruption, charges against ministers & Anna Hazare 11. Chelliah Committee : Eradicating
black money 12. Kothari Commission: Educational reforms 13. Wanchoo Committee : Tax enquiry 14. Rangarajan Committee : Reforms in private sector 15. Chakravarti Committee : Banking sector reforms 16. G.V.Ramakrishna Committee : Disinvestment in PSU shares 17. Kelkar Committee : First committee on backward castes 18. Godbole Committee :Enron Power Project 19. Rangarajan Committee : Statistics 20. Wardha Committee : Inquiry on murder of Graham Staines
Govt Schemes:- Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana(PMGSY) ========================================== Nationwide plan in India to provide good all-weather road connectivity to unconnected villages. It is under the authority of the Ministry of Rural Development
Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojana(RGGVY) ===================================================== with the objective of electrifying over one lakh un-electrified villages and to provide free electricity connections to 2.34 Crore rural BPL households. This programme has been brought under the ambit of Bharat Nirman.
Indira Awaas Yojana - (IAY) =================================== is a Government of India social welfare programme to provide housing for the rural poor in India
National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme – (NREGS) =========================================================== is an Indian job guarantee scheme, enacted by legislation on August 25, 2005. The scheme provides a legal guarantee for one hundred days of employment in every financial year to adult members of any rural household willing to do public work-related unskilled manual work at the statutory minimum wage of INR120 (US$2.43) per day in 2009 prices.[1] The Central government outlay for scheme is INR40,000 crore (US$8.11 billion) in FY 2010-11.
National Horticulture Mission(NHM) ====================================== The objective of this scheme is to provide holistic growth of horticulture sector in India and to enhance horticulture production.
Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana(RKVY) =========================================== aims at achieving 4% annual growth in the agriculture sector during the XI Plan period, by ensuring a holistic development of Agriculture and allied sectors.
Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan - (SSA) ===================================== India's flagship programme for achievement of Universalization of Elementary Education (UEE) in a time bound manner, as mandated by 86th amendment to the Constitution of India making free and compulsory Education to the Children of 6-14 years age group, a Fundamental Right.
Mid Day Meal Scheme - (MDM) =================================== Objectives of the mid-day meal scheme - avoid classroom hunger, - increase school enrolment, - increase school attendance - improve socialization among castes - address malnutrition & - empower women through employment
Integrated Child Development Scheme- (ICDS) ================================================= The Integrated Child Development Sevices Programme aims at providing services to pre-school children in an integrated manner so as to ensure proper growth and development of children in rural, tribal and slum areas. ICDS is a centrally sponsored scheme.
National Social Assistance Programme(NSAP) ================================================= The objective of the Programme is to extend financial assistance to old persons having little or no regular means of subsistence, to households living below the poverty line in case of death of the primary breadwinner and to pregnant women of households below the poverty line upto the first two live births.
National Rural Health Mission - (NRHM) ===============================================
The National Rural Health Mission of India mission was created for the years 2005–2012, and its goal is to "improve the availability of and access to quality health care by people, especially for those residing in rural areas, the poor, women, and children."
Jawahar Lal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) ================================================================= is a massive city modernisation scheme launched by the Government of India under Ministry of Urban Development. It envisages a total investment of over $20 billion over seven years.
Total Sanitation Campaign - (TSC) =========================================== Total Sanitation Campaign is a comprehensive programme to ensure sanitation facilities in rural areas with broader goal to eradicate the practice of open defecation.
In which year did commercial cinema begin in India? 1913
Which was the first Indian talkie movie to be released ? Alam Ara
Which was the first monochrome film to be fully converted into colour in 2004? Mughal-e-Azam
Prem Rog' a movie directed by Raj Kapoor is based on which social cause? Widow-Remarriage
Who is the only Indian to have won an Oscar for Lifetime achievement in films? Satyajit Ray
Which was the First 70 MM film of India? Around the World (1967)
Which was the first Cinemascope Film? Kagaz Ke Phool (1959)
Sivaji Rao Gaikwad is the real name of a South Indian Super Star? Who is he? Rajnikanth
Who is called the Father of Indian Cinema? Dada Saheb Phalke
Who was the first Indian who won Oscar Award? Bhanu Athaiya for the costume design of the film Gandhi
Who won the first Dada Saheb Phalke award ? Devika Rani
Which was the First fully indigenously made silent feature film of India ? Raja Harishchandra
Which was the First Cinemascope Film of India? Kagaz Ke Phool (1959- Guru Datt)
Who is known as First Lady of Indian Cinema? Nargis Dutt
Which is the biggest film studio of India? Ramoji Film Studio (Hyderabad)
Which is the first complete Technicolor film ? Jhansi Ki Rani (1953)
Which was the first song-less film of India ? Naujawan (1937)
Which is the first Cinema Theatre of India? Elphinstone Palace (Calcutta, 1907)
Where was the First film festival of India was held ? Mumbai
Who was the Music Director of the film Gandhi ? Ravi Sankar
Who was the first actress who was nominated as a member of Rajya Sabha ? Nargeez Dutt
Who was the first actress to become a Chief Minister of a state? Janaki Ramachandran
Where is Film & Television Institute of India situated ? Pune
Which is India’s first 6 Track stereophonic film? Sholay
Brands & Companies
Question Answer
In 1950, because the president of a company refused to be on the cover of it, what appeared on the Time magazine? Coke
Which company recently launched 1.4 billion special edition white cans onto the market as part of its Arctic Home campaign; to raise funds and awareness for attempts to protect the endangered species - a first for this brand? Coco-Cola
13 billion dollars is spent by the Americans every year on which apparel? Jeans
A multinational food chain actually did a blunder of advertising a slogan "Eat your fingers off" initially in the Chinese market. Name this company.
Kentucky Fried Chicken (trying to translate- Finger lickin' good!)
Ariel, Oral-B, Pantene and Gillete are brands owned by which multinational corporation? Procter & Gamble
Barricade is one of the world’s largest selling brands of __________. Tennis shoes
BrickFest is a convention for adult fans of which toy? Lego
Caterham Cars recently entered India. Which business family is their Indian partner?
Burmans, promoters of FMCG company Dabur
CEAT and Zensar Technologies are owned by which conglomerate? RPG Enterprises
Easyown, Gotone and M-Zone are mobile services of the most valuable mobile telecommunications company in the world. Name the company? China Mobile Limited
Facebook recently acquired a company founded by Josh Williams. Name it? Gowalla.com
Firewire and i.Link are brands associated with IEEE 1394 interface for high speed data transfers. Name the companies owning these brands. Apple and Sony respectively
Fluensee is a brand known for producing_______. RFID tag towels in hotels
In 1960's, a well known Swedish company made an amusing tagline (later proved to be a brand blunder) for sales of its Vacuum cleaners in UK which was " Nothing sucks like an_______." Electrolux
In 1996, Stanford University graduate students Larry Page and Sergey Brin built 'BackRub'. What is it now known as? Google search engine
In Bareilly district about 25000 families are engaged in manufacturing activities related to which type of type of embroidery work? Zardozi
Indiaink is a website owned by______. New York Times
Initial name of this product was Sky Peer to Peer; what is it known today? Skype
Kanti, Dant Kanti, Ojas, Tejas Beauty cream are brands of? Patanjali (Baba Ramdev)
Leela Chitnis, a well known Indian film actress endorsed a major soap brand in 1941? Name the brand. Lux
Monopoly is a board game published by________? Parker Brothers, a subsidiary of Hasbro
Name the brand which has been promoted by Film actress Rekha in the past and is currently endorsed by cricketer MS Dhoni? Emami
Name the British beer named after a reptile? Cobra
Name the company which is a direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil company ? ExxonMobil Corporation
Name the company which produces Lycra? Invista, (Wichita, Kansas)
Name the dissolvable aspirin tablets first introduced by Reckitt & Colman? Disprin
Name the Indian SUV which is inspired by Cheetah in its styling (as per company's ad campaign)? Mahindra XUV 500
Name the largest selling biscuit brand in the world. Parle-G
Name the world's second largest food company which acquired Cadbury in 2010? Kraft
Organization Headquarters Head Designation
International Monetary Fund (IMF) Washington D.C., USA
Christine Lagarde Managing Director
World Bank Washington D.C., USA
Robert B. Zoellick President
World Trade Organization (WTO) Geneva, Switzerland
Pascal Lamy Director-General
Name this company which will use gold from Mongolia to make medals for London’s 2012 Olympic Games? Rio Tinto
Now what is the official trade name of ‘Simplo-Filler Pen Company? Montblanc
Plume is the official name of the paper that sticks out of the top of_________. Hershey’s Kiss
Sam Walton is known as founder of a company which was ranked as world's largest public corporation by revenue in 2010 (Forbes Global 2000 list). Name the company. Wal- Mart
The Striding Man can be seen as a logo on which of the best selling brand of scotch whiskey? Johnnie Walker
This Hotel in Mumbai has a suite called Shantaram Suite. It also keeps a copy of Shantaram in every room, along with Suketu Mehta’s Maximum City. Name the hotel? Four Seasons
This Mascot has a scarf, a chef’s hat, two big blue eyes, a blush when girls kissed him, and a soft, warm chuckle when poked in the stomach. What are we talking about? Pillsbury Doughboy Poppin
To avoid a brand blunder this Mitsubishi car is called Montero in Spain. What is this famous car known as elsewhere? Pajero
Today this brand name is mostly associated with an automobile manufacturer. It was used by GE earlier for their tungsten filament bulbs. This name first appeared for these bulbs in 1909. Which brand name? Mazda
Toggle, Selector, Joystick, Proximity are types of_______. Electrical switches
What does Avon Products, Amway and Tupperware have in common?
All these companies follow person to person marketing style to sell their products
What does ExxonMobil Corporation produce? Fuels, Lubricants & Petrochemicals
What is the Walmart ticker in Mexico? Walmex
What mobile phone brand does cricketer Virender Sehwag endorse? Karbonn Mobiles
Which animal is part of the Porsche logo? Horse
Which bank printed Thailand’s first currency notes? HSBC
Which brand of scooter when translated into Italian means "wasp"? Vespa
Which company created the world’s first frozen dosa? MTR
Which does the German company Blaupunkt produce? Car Audio Systems
Which was the first company to offer paperless proxy voting to employee shareholders? Microsoft
Who has replaced David Beckham as the new Brylcreem Boy? Kevin Pietersen
Asian Development Bank Manila, Philippines Haruhiko Kuroda President
European Union (EU) Brussels, Belgium Herman Van Rompuy President of the European Council
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Jakarta, Indonesia Surin Pitsuwan Secretary-General
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Kathmandu, Nepal Mohamed Nasheed Chairman
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Kathmandu, Nepal Fathimath Dhiyana Saeed Secretary-General
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Paris, France José Ángel Gurría Secretary-General
United Nations (UN) New York, USA Ban Ki-moon Secretary-General
World Wide Fund (WWF) Washington D.C. Yolanda Kakabadse President
World Health Organisation (WHO) Geneva, Switzerland
Dr. Margaret Chan Director General
United Nations Children`s Fund (UNICEF) New York, USA Anthony Lake Executive Director
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Paris, France Irina Bokova Director General
Commonwealth of Nations London, UK Queen Elizabeth II Head of Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations London, UK Kamalesh Sharma Secretary-General
International Cricket Council (ICC) Dubai, UAE Sharad Pawar President
International Olympic Committee (IOC) Lausanne, Switzerland
Jacques Rogge President
International Federation of Association Football (FIFA ) Zurich, Switzerland Sepp Blatter President
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Brussels, Belgium Anders Fogh Rasmussen Secretary-General
International Court of Justice Hague, Netherlands Hisashi Owada President
International Labour Organization (ILO) Geneva, Switzerland
Juan Somavía Director General
Food & Agricultural Organization (FAO) Rome, Italy Jacques Diouf Director General
Amnesty International London, UK Salil Shetty Secretary-General
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Geneva, Switzerland Jakob Kellenberger,
President
Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Vienna, Austria Abdallah el-Badri Secretary-General
International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) Lyon, France Khoo Boon Hui President
Top 10 acquisitions made by Indian companies worldwide:
Acquirer Target Company Deal value ($ ml) Industry
Tata Steel Corus Group plc 12,000 Steel
Hindalco Novelis 5,982 Steel
Videocon Daewoo Electronics Corp. 729 Electronics
Dr. Reddy’s Labs Betapharm 597 Pharmaceutical
Suzlon Energy Hansen Group 565 Energy
HPCL Kenya Petroleum Refinery Ltd. 500 Oil and Gas
Ranbaxy Labs Terapia SA 324 Pharmaceutical
Tata Steel Natsteel 293 Steel
Videocon Thomson SA 290 Electronics
VSNL Teleglobe 239 Telecom
Top Merger & Acquisition Deals worldwide by value (in mn USD) from 2000 to 2010
Acquirer Target Company Deal value ($ ml) Year
Fusion: AOL Inc. (America Online)[28][29] Time Warner 164747 2000
Glaxo Wellcome Plc. SmithKline Beecham Plc. 75961 2000
Royal Dutch Petroleum Company "Shell" Transport & Trading Co. 74559 2004
AT&T Inc.[30][31] BellSouth Corporation 72671 2006
Comcast Corporation AT&T Broadband 72041 2001
Pfizer Inc. Wyeth 68000 2009
Pfizer Inc. Pharmacia Corporation 59515 2002
JPMorgan Chase & Co.[32] Bank One Corporation 58761 2004
InBev Inc. Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. 52000 2008
Who was the First……….???
Question Answer
First Indian IT company to cross billion dollar mark? TCS(2004)
In which year windows first version (Windows 1.0) released? 1985
Where was world's first ever website created? CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Where was world's first Nuclear Power Plant built? USSR (1954)
Which is India's first fully indegenous passenger car? Tata Indica
Which is India's first indigenously-built stealth warship? INS Shivalik
Which is India's first nuclear-powered submarine? INS ARIHANT
Which is India's India’s first port-based multi-product SEZ? Mundra Port and SEZ, Gujarat
Which is the First Indian telecom service provider to achieve Cisco Gold Certification?
Bharti Airtel
Which was first Indian IT company to be listed on NASDAQ? Infosys(1999)
Which was India's first 70 mm feature film? Around the world in eight dollars (1967)
Which was India's first Field Marshal? Gen. Sam Manekshaw (1973)
Which was India's first indigenously made feature film in colour? Kisan Kanya (1937)
Which was the first computer developed in India? TIFRAC (Tata Institute of Fundamental Research Automatic Calculator)
Which was the first place to get electricity in India? Kolar Gold fields, Mysore Kingdom, (1902)
Which was World's first supersonic aircraft? Bell X-1
Who was first Indian to win Nobel prize in economics? Amratya Sen
Who was the first Indian (individual sports) to win a gold medal in olympics?
Abhinav Bindra
Who was the first Indian to have a wax statue at Madame Tussaud's? M K Gandhi
Who was the First Indian to score an ODI century? Kapil Dev
Who was the first Indian to win an Olympics medal in wrestling? K D Jadhav (1958)
Who was the first Indian to win the Grammy Award? Pandit Ravi Shankar
Who was the first non-European to be awarded Nobel prize in literature?
Rabindranath Tagore
Who was the first woman film star to be a member of Rajya Sabha? Nargis Dutt
Who was the first woman speaker of loksabha? Meira Kumar
Top Merger & Acquisition Deals worldwide by value (in mn USD) from 1990 to 1999
Acquirer Target Company Deal value ($ ml) Year
Vodafone Airtouch PLC[22] Mannesmann 183000 1999
Pfizer[23] Warner-Lambert 90000 1999
Exxon[24][25] Mobil 77200 1998
Citicorp Travelers Group 73000 1998
SBC Communications Ameritech Corporation 63000 1999
Vodafone Group AirTouch Communications 60000 1999
Bell Atlantic[26] GTE 53360 1998
BP[27] Amoco 53000 1998
Qwest Communications US WEST 48000 1999
Worldcom MCI Communications 42000 1997
Mythology
Question Answer
According to classical mythology, who was the first mortal woman? Pandora
According to legend, who fired the arrow that hit Achilles in the heel, his only vulnerable spot? Paris
According to Mahabharata, who did the commentry for Dhrithrashtra during war? Sanjay
According to Ramayana who was the architect behind Ram-Setu? Nal-Neel
According to the Puranas, how many heads did Brahma have before Shiva plucked one out? Five
Bhishm Pitamah was the son of? Ganga
How many avatars of Vishnu are believed to have come down to Earth so far? Nine
How many days did the battle of Mahabharat last? 18 days
How many legs do the Hindu gods Agni and Kuber have? Three
How many years did Ulysses wander after the siege of Troy? 20 years
How was Krishna related to Kunti? Nephew
In ancient Athens, what tree was considered sacred --with all its fruit belonging to the state, and death the penalty for anyone caught cutting one down? The olive tree
In Greek mythology, who was the goddess of the rainbow? Iris
In Hindu mytholgoy, which kingdom did Kamsa rule? Mathura
In the epic Mahabharata, who is called Dharmaputra? Yudhishtira
In the epic Ramayana, with which weapon did Rama finally kill Ravana? Prasvapna
In the epic, Ramayana, Rama asks Hanuman to fetch him a medicinal herb that grew in the Himalayas. What was its name? Sanjivini
Question Correct Answer
What creature is associated with Athena, the Greek Goddess of Wisdom? The owl
What kind of fruit were the apples of Greek mythology? Golden apricots
What was the name of the ‘prophets of doom in Trojan myth’? Cassandra
What was the name of the fabled lost kingdom? Atlantis
What was the name ofBhim's son? Ghatothkach
Who is the wife of Brahma, and mother to the first man, Manu? Sarasvati
Who was Hanuman's father ? Pawan
Who was killed by the evil-minded Loki in Norse mythology? Balder
Who was Laxman's wife? Urmila
Who was the ancient Greek god of dreams? Morpheus
Who was the Latin Goddess of Peace? Pax
Who was the son of King Bali? Angad
Who was the wife of Lord Krishna?? Rukmini
Indian Cinema
Question Answer
In which year did commercial cinema begin in India? 1913
Which was the first Indian talkie movie to be released ? Alam Ara
Which was the first monochrome film to be fully converted into colour in 2004? Mughal-e-Azam
Prem Rog' a movie directed by Raj Kapoor is based on which social cause? Widow-Remarriage
Who is the only Indian to have won an Oscar for Lifetime achievement in films? Satyajit Ray
Which was the First 70 MM film of India? Around the World (1967)
Which was the first Cinemascope Film? Kagaz Ke Phool (1959)
Sivaji Rao Gaikwad is the real name of a South Indian Super Star? Who is he? Rajnikanth
Who is called the Father of Indian Cinema? Dada Saheb Phalke
Who was the first Indian who won Oscar Award? Bhanu Athaiya for the costume design of the film Gandhi
Who won the first Dada Saheb Phalke award ? Devika Rani
Which was the First fully indigenously made silent feature film of India ? Raja Harishchandra
Which was the First Cinemascope Film of India? Kagaz Ke Phool (1959- Guru Datt)
Who is known as First Lady of Indian Cinema? Nargis Dutt
Which is the biggest film studio of India? Ramoji Film Studio (Hyderabad)
Which is the first complete Technicolor film ? Jhansi Ki Rani (1953)
Which was the first song-less film of India ? Naujawan (1937)
Which is the first Cinema Theatre of India? Elphinstone Palace (Calcutta, 1907)
Where was the First film festival of India was held ? Mumbai
Who was the Music Director of the film Gandhi ? Ravi Sankar
Who was the first actress who was nominated as a member of Rajya Sabha ? Nargeez Dutt
Who was the first actress to become a Chief Minister of a state? Janaki Ramachandran
Where is Film & Television Institute of India situated ? Pune
Which is India’s first 6 Track stereophonic film? Sholay
Corporate Heads
Industry Company Name Designation
Advertising JW Thomson Bob Jeffrey Worldwide Chairman & CEO
Advertising Ogilvy and Mather Miles Young CEO
Auto General Motors Daniel Akerson Chairman & CEO
Auto Volkswagen Prof. Dr. rer nat. Martin Winterkorn Chairman
Auto Maruti Suzuki Shinzo Nakanishi MD & CEO
Auto Bajaj Auto Rahul Bajaj Chairman
Aviation Jet Airways Naresh Goyal Founder & Chairman
Banking Bank of America Brian Moynihan President and CEO
Banking Citibank Vikram Pandit CEO
Banking SBI Pratip Chaudhuri Chairman
Chemicals Dow Chemical Andrew N. Liveris Chairman, CEO & President
Entertainment The Walt Disney Co. Robert Iger President & CEO
FMCG Colgate Palmolive Ian M. Cook CEO
FMCG Nestle Peter Brabeck-Letmathe Chairman
FMCG P&G Bob McDonald President & CEO
FMCG Unilever Michael Treschow Chairman
FMCG Hindustan Unilever Harish Manwani Chairman
FMCG Hindustan Unilever Nitin Paranjpe CEO & MD
Internet Facebook Mark Zuckerberg Founder & CEO
Internet Facebook Eduardo Saverin, Dustin Moskovitz, Chris Hughes Co-founder
Internet Google Sergey M. Brin, Lawrence E. Page Founders
Internet Google Lawrence E. Page CEO
Internet Twitter Jack Dorsey Founder & Chairman
Internet Twitter Evan Williams Co-founder
Internet Twitter Biz Stone Co-founder
Internet Wikileaks Julian Assange Editor-in-Chief
Internet Wikipedia Jimmy Wales, Larry Sanger Founder
IT Accenture Mr.William D. Green Chairman
IT TCS N Chandrasekaran CEO & MD
IT Infosys N R Narayana Murthy Chairman Emeritus
IT Infosys K. V. Kamath Chairman
IT Wipro Azim Premji Chairman
IT - Hardware & Software Apple Tim Cook CEO
Oil & Gas Shell Marvin E. Odum President
Oil & Gas ONGC Sudhir Vasudeva Chairman & MD
Pharma Johnson & Johnson William C. Weldon Chairman & CEO
Pharma Cipla Y K Hamied Chairman
Pharma Biocon Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw Chairman & MD
Retail Wal-Mart Mike Duke CEO
Retail Pantaloon Retail (Future Group) Kishor Biyani MD & CEO
Steel Arcelor Mittal Lakshmi Mittal Chairman & CEO
Steel Tata Steel HM Nerurkar MD
Steel SAIL Chandra Shekhar Verma Chairman
Telecom BSNL R.K.Upadhyay Chairman & MD
Telecom AT&T Randall L. Stephenson Chairman, CEO & President
Telecom Nokia Stephen Elop President & CEO
Telecom Research In Motion Mike Lazaridis President, Founder & co-CEO
Telecom Vodafone Gerard Kleisterlee Chairman
Telecom Bharti Airtel Sunil Bharti Mittal Chairman & MD
New Nation Heads 2012:- Egypt PM--Hisham Kandil Prez--Mohamed Morsi
France PM--Jean Marc Ayrault
Prez--Francois Hollande
Greece PM--Antonis Samaras
Pakistan PM--Raja Pervez Ashraf
Russia Prez--Vladimir Putin
Yemen Prez--A.Mansour Hadi
Germany Prez--Joachim Gauck
Maldives Prez--Mohamed Waheed
Malawi Prez--Joyce Banda
Guyana Prez--Donald Ramotar
Syria PM--Wael al-Halki
Algeria PM--Abdelmalek Sellal
China Prez--Xi Jhinping
Ethiopia PM--Hailemariam Desalegn
Ghana Prez--John Dramani Mahama Hungary Prez--Janos Ader
Telecom BSNL R.K. Upadhyay Chairman & MD
Iceland Prez--Olafur Ragnar
Jamaica PM--Simpson Miller
Mexico Prez--Enrique Pena Nieto
Paraguay Prez--Federico Franco
Serbia Prez--Tomislav Nikolic
Venezuela Prez--Hugo chavez
Major Sporting Events 2012(Venues and Results):--
Tennis: Australian Open 2012(Melbourne)-- Singles(Men)--Novak Djokovic(Serbia) Singles(Women)--Victoria azrenka(Belarus) Doubles(Men)--Leander Paes & Radek Stapnek
French Open 2012(Paris)-- Singles(men)--Rafeal Nadal(Spain) Singles(women)--Maria Sharapova(Russia) Mixed doubles--Sania mirza & Mahesh Bhupathi
Wimbeldon 2012(London)-- Singles(men)--Roger Fedrrer(Switzerland) Singles(women)--Serena Williams(USA) Mixed Doubles--Leander Paes & elina vesnina(Russia) lost in Finals.
US open 2012(New York)-- Singles(men)--Andy Murray(UK) Singles(Women)--Serena Williams(USA) Doubles(Men)--Leander Paes % Radek Stepnek Lost in Finals
London Summer Olympics 2012-- Gold--Andy Murray(UK) Silver--Roger Fedrrer(Switzerland)
Other Indian Results: Leander paes & radek Stepnek won Miami Masters(Miami,USA) and Shanghai Masters(Shanghai,China)(beating Bhupathi/Bopanna in finals) Mahesh Bhupathi/Bopanna won Dubai Tennis Championship and BNP Paribas Open(Paris,France) and made it to finals of ATP World Tour Finals.
Badminton: All England Super Series Singles(Men)--Lin Dan(China) Singles(Women)--Li Xurei
Indian Super series Singles(men)--Shon wan-ho(Malaysia) Singles(Women)--Li Xurei(China)
Indonesia Open Singles(Men)--Simon Santoso(Denmark) Singles(Women)--Saina Nehwal
Denmark Open Singles(Men)--Lee Chong Wei(malaysia) Singles(Women)--Saina Nehwal
French Super Series Singles(Men)--Liew Daren(malaysia) Singles(Women)--Mitani Minatsu(Japan) beating Saina Nehwal in Finals
Swiss Open Grand prix Singles(Men)--Chen Jin(China) Singles(Women)--Saina Nehwal
Thailand Open Singles(Men)--Sony Dwi(Denmark) Singles(Women)--Saina Nehwal
London Olympics 2012 Gold--Li Xurei(China) Silver--Wang Yihan(China) Bronze--Saina Nehwal
MotoRacing: Australian Grand Prix (Melbourne) 2012 winner: Jenson Button(UK) Malaysia Grand Prix (Kuala Lumpar) 2012 winner: Fernando Alonso(SPain) Chinese Grand Prix (Shanghai)* 2012 winner: Nico Rosberg(Germany) Bahrain Grand Prix (Sakhir) 2012 winner: Sebastian Vettel(Germany) Spanish Grand Prix (Catalunya)* 2012 winner: Pastor Maldonado(Venezuela) Monaco Grand Prix (Monte Carlo)* 2012 winner: Mark Webber(Australia)
Canadian Grand Prix (Montreal) 2012 winner: Lewis Hamilton(UK) European Grand Prix (Valencia)* 2012 winner: Fernando Alonso(SPain) British Grand Prix (Silverstone)* 2012 winner: Mark Webber(Australia) German Grand Prix (Hockenheim) 2012 winner: Fernando Alonso(Spain) Hungarian Grand Prix (Budapest) 2012 winner: Lewis Hamilton(UK) Belgian Grand Prix (Spa-Francorchamps)* 2012 winner: Jenson Button(UK) Italian Grand Prix (Monza) 2012 winner: Lewis Hamilton(UK) Singapore Grand Prix (Singapore)* 2012 winner: Sebastian Vettel(Germany) Japanese Grand Prix (Suzuka) 2012 winner: Sebastian Vettel(Germany) Korean Grand Prix (Yeongam)* 2012 winner: Sebastian Vettel(Germany) Indian Grand Prix(Gr. Noida) Winner : Sebastian Vettel(Germany)
Cricket: T20 World Cup 2012[Sri Lanka] Winner:- West Indies beating Sri lanka at R.Premdasa,Columbo Man of the Match(in Finals):- Marvon Samuels(West Indies) Man of the Series :- Shane Watson(Australia)
IPL 2012 Winner:- Kolkata Knight riders beating Chennai Super Kings at MA Chindambaram,Chennai man of the Match(in Final):- Manvinder Bisla(KKR) Man of the Series:- Sunil Narine(KKR) Most Runs:- Chris Gayle(Royal Challengers bnaglore)
Champions league 2012 Winner:- Sydney Sixers(Australia) beating Highveld Lions(South Africa) at Wanderers,Johannesburg Man of the series:- Mitchell Starc(Sydney)
London Olympics 2012: 1st Place--USA--104(46..29..29) 2nd Place--China--88(38..27..23) 3rd Place--UK--65(29..17..19) 55th Place--India--06(00..02..04)
India's performance at a glance(83 atheletes,60 men and 23 women) Silver--Vijay Kumar Shooting Men's 25 m rapid fire pistol
Silver--Sushil Kumar Wrestling Men's freestyle 66 kg Bronze--Gagan Narang Shooting Men's 10 m air rifle Bronze--Saina Nehwal Badminton Women's singles Bronze--Mary Kom Boxing Women's flyweight Bronze--Yogeshwar Dutt Wrestling Men's freestyle 60 kg
MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS
TOP 5 INBOUND DEALS
S.No Acquirer Target Sector U.S.$ mn
1 British Petroleum Reliance Industries Oil & Gas 7200
2 Vodafone Vodafone Essar Telecom 5000
3 Vedanta (Sesa Goa) Cairn India Oil & Gas 7200
4 Siemens AG Siemens Ltd Engineering 1350.5
5 Nippon Life Insurance Reliance Life Insurance Insurance 665.7
TOP 5 OUTBOUND DEALS
S.No Acquirer Target Sector U.S.$ mn
1 Mundra Port SEZ Ltd. (Adani Group) Abbot Point Port Shipping & Ports 1956.5
2 GVK Power & Infrastructure Hancock Group - coal,mines,port & rail project Mining 1260
3 Aditya Birla Group Columbian Chemicals Co. Plastic & Chemicals 875
4 Fortis Health Care Fortis Healthcare International
Pharma,Healthcare & Biotech 665
5 Genpact Headstrong Corporation IT & ITeS 550
INDIAN RAILWAYS
Divided into 17 zones as follows:-
S.No. Zone Zonal Head quarters 1 Northern New Delhi 2 Southern Chennai 3 Eastern Kolkatta 4 Western Mumbai 5 Central Mumbai 6 North Eastern Gorakhpur 7 North Western Jaipur
8 North Central Allahabad 9 South Central Secunderabad 10 South Eastern Kolkata 11 South Western Hubli 12 North East Frontier Maligaon (Guwahati) 13 East Coast Bhubaneshwar 14 West Central Jabalpur 15 East Central Hajipur 16 South East Central Bilaspur 17 Kolkata Metro Kolkata
Dance State
Bharat Natyam Tamil Nadu
Bihu Assam
Bhangra Punjab
Chhau Bihar, Orissa, W. Bengal and Jharkhand
Garhwali Uttaranchal
Garba Gujarat
Hattari Karnataka
Kathak North India
Kathakali Kerala
Kutchipudi Andhra Pradesh
Khantumm Mizoram
Karma Madhya Pradesh
Laho Meghalaya
Mohiniattam Kerala
Mando Goa
Manipuri Manipur
Nati Himachal Pradesh
Nat-Natin Bihar
Odissi Orissa
Rauf Jammu & Kashmir
Yakshagan Karnataka
Major Performers at London Olympics 2012 • Michael Phelps won 6 medals (4 Gold+2 Silver) in swimming to become the most decorated Olympian ever with 22 medals. • Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt bagged 3 gold in three separate events (100 meter race, 200 meter race and 4X100 meter relay team race). He set up a new Olympic of 9.63 seconds in 100 metres. • Germany beat Netherlands 2-1 to win gold in men’s hockey. • Mexico defeated Brazil 2-1 to bag Soccer gold. • In Men’s Basketball, US beat Spain to win gold • Andy Murray of Great Britain defeated Roger Federer of Switzerland to clinch tennis men’s singles gold • Russia beat Brazil to win men’s volleyball gold.
• In Men’s singles Badminton, Dan Lin of China won gold after beating Malaysian Chong Wei Lee. Mascots at Olympics Since Munich Olympic Games in 1972 when Waldi, a dachshund, was made the symbol of Munich games, mascots have been assigned to every Olypics. Mascots for London Olympics were Wenlock and Mandeville. Wenlock was mascot for Olympics and Mandeville was mascot for Paralympics. 31st Summer Olympics Reo de Janeiro in Brazil, has been awarded to host 31st Summer Olympics, in 2016.
“Those were the Days and then-The Life & Times of Lal Krishna Advani”- Mira Govind Advani Turning Points-APJ Abdul Kalam Diamond Dust & Other Stories- Anita Desai My Unforgettable Memories-Mamata Banerjee Mind Positive-Life Positive-S.Joginder Singh Aawan Main Baarahon Maas-Ambika Dutta "Muslim in Indian cities”- Hamid Ansari Ye Jo Hai Pakistan'- Shivendra Kumar Singh What Young India Wants – Chetan Bhagat Joseph Anton - Sulman Rushdie (Autobiograph)
Awards and recognitions 2012- Part-I:-
Noble Prize 2012 #Physics:--Serge Haroche and David J. Wineland "for ground-breaking experimental methods that enable measuring and manipulation of individual quantum systems" #Chemistry:--Robert J.Lefkowitz and Brian K. Kobilika "for studies of G-protein-coupled receptors" #Medicine:--Sir John B. Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka "for the discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent" #Litreature:--Mo Yan "who with hallucinatory realism merges folk tales, history and the contemporary" #Peace:--European Union(EU) "for over six decades contributed to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe" #Economics:--Alvin E. Roth and Llyod S. Shapley "for the theory of stable allocations and the practice of market design"
Major Gallantry awardees 2012 #Ashok Chakra(01)(Highest gallantry honour) Lt. Navdeep Singh
#Kirti Chakra(03)(2nd highest gallantry hounour) Kamaldeep Singh,Ashutosh Kumar,Sushil Khajuria
#and other 364 defence personnel awards.
For the full list check www.rediff.com/news/report/rep...
Padma Awards 2012 #Padma Vibhushan(2nd highest civilian honour)[05] KG Subramanyam(Painting),Late Mario De Miranda(Cartoonist),Late Bhupen hazarika(Music),Dr.Kantilal Sancheti(Orthopedics),TJ Rajeswar(Civil Service)
#Padma Bhushan(3rd Highest Civilian honour)[27] Shabana Azmi,Khaled Choudhary(theatre),jatin das(painting),Buddhadev das Gupta(Instrumental-Sarod),Dr. TV Gopalkrishnan(Classical Vocal),Mira Nair(Cinema),MS Gopalkrishnan(Violin),Anish kapoor(Sculpture)and 19 others.
#Padma Shri(4th Highest Civilian Honour)[77] Vanraj Bhatia(Music),Sarkar Khan Mangniar(Rajasthani Folk music),Gopal Prasad Dubey(Chhau dance),Anup Jalota(Music-Vocal),PriyaDarshan(Cinema-Direction),Ajeet Bajaj(Sports-Skiing),Jhulan Goswami(Women's Cricket),Devendra Jhajrija(Atheletics-Paralympics),Limba Ram(Archery) and 68 others.
For Full list of Awardees check www.bharatnewsportal.com/2012/...
Acadamy Awards 2012(Oscars) #Best film: The Artist #Best Director: Michael Hazanivicus #Best Actor: Jean Dujardin( The artist) #Best Actress: Meryl Streep( Iron Lady) #Best Supporting actor: Cristopher Plummers #Best Supporting actress: Octavia Spencer #Best Foreign Film: The separation( Iran) #Best doc(short): Saving face( Pakistan) #Best doc:Undefeated #Best Animated movie: Rango #Best Animated movie"(short): The fantastic Flying Boots of Mr Morriss Lessmore #Best Sound mixing: Hugo #Best Sound editing: Hugo #best Art direction: Hugo #Best Cinematography:Robert richardson( Hugo) #Best Visual effects: Hugo #Best Original score: Ludovic Bource(the Artist) #Best Costume design: The Artist #This year two movies, the Artist and Hugo won a max of 5 oscars
Entrepreneur India Awards 2012 #Manufacturing:-------------------:Dr. Velu- Founder-Trivitron group #Innovation in technology---------:Ankur Bhatia-Executive Director-Amadeus #Consumer Business):------------:Mukesh Batra- Founder - Batra's positive health clinic #Business Mentor -----------------:Himanshu Johar , Director , Lloyds Venture #Social Entrepreneur--------------:Moon Sharma, CEO, Tara Projects #Creative Entrepreneur-----------:Sabbas Joseph, Founder, Wizcraft Intl Entertainment #Young Entrepreneur--------------:Dhruv Galgotia- CEO-Galgotias University #Dynamic Entrepreneur------------:Sundeep Malhotra-CEO- TV18 Home Shopping Network #Professional Entrepreneur--------:Pearl Uppal - CEO-Fashionand you #Innovative Start Up---------------:Harinder Takhar, CEO, Paytm Mobile Solutions Pvt. Ltd #Emerging Entrepreneur-----------:Yogesh Lakhani- founder-Bright Advertising Co. #Woman Entrepreneur-------------:Veena Kumaravel, Founder, Naturals Unisex Salon #Lifetime Achievement-------------:Pawan Jain , CMD, Safexpress Pvt Ltd #Entrepreneur(Overall)-------------:Shantanu Prakash- Founder- Educomp Solutions Ltd
59th National Film Awards 2012 #Best Feature Film: Deool(Marathi) and Byari(Beary) #Best Actress: Vidya Balan, The Dirty Picture #Best Actor: Girish Kulkarni for Deool #Best Hindi Film: I Am #Best Choreography: Bosco-Caeser for Senorita from Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara #Best Special Effects: RA.One #Best Make Up: Vijram Gaekwad for The Dirty Picture and Bal Gandharva #Best Costume Designer: Niharika Khan for The Dirty Picture and Neeta Lulla for Bal Gandharva #Best Children's Film: Chillar Party #Best Supporting Actor: Appu Kutty #The film ‘The Dream Fulfilled – Memories of the Engineering Challenges’, which has won the Rajat Kamal award at the 59th National Film Awards, is based on Delhi Metro.
For Full Detailed List check en.wikipedia.org/wiki/59th_Nat...
2012 Pulitzer Prize Winners #Public Service - The Philadelphia Inquirer
#Fiction - No award #Drama - "Water by the Spoonful" by Quiara Alegría Hudes #History - "Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention," by the late Manning Marable (Viking) #Biography - "George F. Kennan: An American Life," by John Lewis Gaddis (The Penguin Press) #Poetry - "Life on Mars" by Tracy K. Smith (Graywolf Press) #General Nonfiction - "The Swerve: How the World Became Modern," by Stephen Greenblatt (W.W. Norton and Company) #Music - "Silent Night: Opera in Two Acts" by Kevin Puts (Aperto Press)
Awards and Recognitions 2012 - Part II:-
ICC Cricket Awards 2012: #Cricketer Of the Year :- Kumar Sangakara(Sri Lanka) #Test Player Of The Year :- Kumar Sangakara(Sri Lanka) #ODI Payer Of The year :- Virat Kohli(IndiA) #Women ODI Cricketer of the year :- Stafani taylor(West Indies) #Emerging Player of the year :- Sunil Narine(West Indies) #T20 Performance of the year :- Richard Levi(South Africa) #People's Choice Cricketer :- Kumar Sangakara(Sri Lanka) #Umpire of the year :-Kumar Dharamsena(Sri Lanka)
National Sports Awards 2012: #Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna -- Vijay Kumar(Shooting),Yogeshwar Dutt(Wrestling)
#Arjuna Award -- Deepika Kumari(Archery),P Kashyap(Badminton),Yuvraj Singh(Cricket),Deepika Pallikal(Squash),Sardar Singh(Hockey) and 20 others.
#Dronacharya Award -- Virender poonia(Shotput-Athletics),Yashvir Singh(Wrestling),BI Fernandez(Boxing),JS Bhatia(Athletics),Sunil Dabbas(kabbadi),Harendra Singh(Hockey),Satyapal Singh(Para-Athletics)
for the full list of award winners check www.rasexam.com/2012/08/nation...
Ramon Magsaysay Award 2012: #Established in 1957, the Ramon Magsaysay Award is Asia's highest honor and is widely regarded as the region's equivalent of the Nobel Prize. It celebrates the memory and leadership example of the third Philippine President, and is given every year to individuals or organizations in Asia who manifest the same sense of selfless service that ruled the life of the late and beloved Filipino leader.
#Community Leadership :- Kulendei Francis(India) #Journalism, Literature, and the Creative Communication Arts :- Romulo Davide(Philippines) #Peace and International Understanding :- Chen Shu-chu(Taiwan) for the full detailed list check www.rmaf.org.ph/home.php?id=1&...
Abel Prize 2012: #Endre Szemerédi(Hungary) for "for his fundamental contributions to discrete mathematics and theoretical computer science, and in recognition of the profound and lasting impact of these contributions on additive number theory and ergodic theory" #Founded in 2003 also known as Mathematician's Nobel prize Named after Norwegian mathematician Niels Henrik Abel.
44th Man Booker prize 2012: #Hilary Mantel for her Book "Bring up the bodies" #She is the first women to win this prize twice(previously she won in 2009 for Wolf Hall) #Prize money of 50,000 pounds.
31st Chameli Devi Jain Award 2012: #Tusha Mittal of Tehelka Kolkata"s Correspondent #for her “sterling reportage of life in the raw at the margins in deep interior Bengal, Orissa and Chhattisgarh, in areas affected by bloody civil strife, Naxal and vigilante violence and dangerous living along the Bangladesh border, where cattle smuggling is rife." #Instituted by Media Foundation
21st Vyas Samman Award: # Prof Ramdarash Mishra for his poetry collection "Aam Ke Patte". # 2.5 lakh prize money # Instituted by KK Birla Foundation # for outstanding work in Hindi
V. Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award: # Veteran filmmaker Mike Pandey # He is known for acclaimed documentaries like The Last Migration-Wild Elephant
Capture in Sarguja, Shores of Silence, Vanishing Giants and Khullam Khulla. # The award was given at the Mumbai International Festival 2012. # It carries a citation, a trophy and cash prize of 5 lakh Rs and is given in the memory of legendary filmmaker V. Shantaram
Barack Obama honours Amartya Sen with US Humanities Medal # Economist Dr. Amartya SEn was given 2011 National Humanities Medal. # For his insights into the causes of povery, famine and injustice. # 1st Indian citizen to receive this award
Pride of India Award:
# Mallikarjun Kharge # For his over 4 decades of publicn service # Presented jointly by the Indian American Friendship Council(IAFC) and India Association of North Texas(IANT) in Dallas
Lata Mangeshkar Award: # Veteran Hindi film music composer Rajesh Roshan # Given by Madhya Pradesh govt
S.R. Jindal Prize: # Mr. A.P.J. abdul Kalam for his contributions in science and technology # Justice N. Santosh Hegde for his service in social development. # Instituted by Sitaram Jindal Foundation, it carries a cash prize of 1 crore Rs
Ernst and Young Entrepreneur Awards: # Entrepreneur of the Year: Rahul Bhatia, Group Management Director, InterGlobe Enterprises. # Lifetime Achievement: Deepak Parekh, Chairman, HDFC. # Services: Analjit Singh, Founder and Cairman, Max India Group. # Consumer Products: Dr. Anand Burman, Chairman, Dabur India. # Startup: Dr. B. S. Ajaikumar, Founder and Chairman, Healthcare Global Enterprises. # Business Transformation: Deep Kalra, Founder and CEO, Makemytrip(India). # Lifesciences and Healthcare r. Desh Bandhu Gupta, Lupin
Sarawati Samman: #A A Manavalan for his work Irama Kathaiyum Iramayakalyum. #Prize money 7.5 Lakh #Instituted by K.K Birla Foundation
NOTABLE DEATHS OF SOME GIANTS PASSING AWAY IN RECENT MONTHS
Amit Saigal - Founder of India’s first rock music magazine, Rock Street Journal Homai Vyarawalla - First Indian woman to work as photo journalist Sukumar Azhikode - Author of Tatvamasi, a book which won Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award, Kerala Sahithya Akademi Award, Vayalar Award and the Rajaji Awards Kartar Singh Duggal - Padma Bhushan 1988. An author and ex director of AIR Raj Kanwar - Noted film director. Directed Shahrukh Khan in Deewana. Introduced Priyanka Chopra. O P Dutta - Writer of Border and LOC Kargil. Won lifetime achievement award in 2006 V S Acharya - Minister of Higher Education in Karnataka. Sailen Manna - Only Asian Footballer ever to be named among the 10 best Captains in the world by the English FA in 1953. Represented India in Olympics and Asian Games. Played for record 19 years for Mohun Bagan. Ranganath Misra - Chief justice of India 1990-91 Verghese Kurien - Father of White revolution, Amul and IRMA. Joy Mukherjee - 60′s Film Actor. N. K. P. Salve - Credited with bring world cup to India in 1987. Father of ex-Solicitor General of India, Harish Salve Govind Narain - Padma Vibhushan in 2009. Ex Governer of Karnataka. Grand father of TV Journaloist Vikram Chandra Ranjitsinhrao Gaekwad - Maharaja of Baroda Leela Dube - One of the earlier faculty at IRMA, she was a known anthropologist. J. C. Bhattacharyya - Credited with discovering thin atmosphere around Jupiter’s sattellite Ganymede. Anadi Sankar Gupta - Noted mathematician. Faculty at IIT Kgp Abid Hussain - Padma Bhushan 1988. IAS officer and economist. Hiren Bhattacharyya - Noted Assamese poet. Awarded Sahitya Akademi Award in 1992 Dara Singh - Wrestler, MP and Film Actor. First sportsperson to be nominated to Rajya Sabha Rajesh Khana - Film Actor. Original Super star. P. N. Dhar - Noted economist, Padma Vibhushan 2008 Vilasrao Deshmukh - Ex CM Maharashtra. Was Minister of Science and Technology Ashok Mehta - Film Cinematographer. Most famous work, Bandit Queen A. K. Hangal - Film Actor
1) Ken to Betwa is being the First River interlinking project in the country under the river interlinking project. Another noteworthy project on the Betwa River is the construction of theMatatila Dam, an undertaking between the states of Madhya Pradesh and UP. The region is important for migratory waterbirds.
2) Kakodkar Committee is formed for the Railway Safety.
3) Attorney General of India - Goolam E. Vahanvati
4) India born Suma Chakrabarti heads the EBRD( European bank for reconstruction and Develpement.
5) Rakesh mohan is appointed as the IMF's Executive Director.
6) India's former Chief Economist Advisor Kaushik Basu is appointed as the Chief Economist and Senior Vice President of the World Bank.
7) Parthasarathi Shome panel is formed for the Tax related matters. And is also preparing the GAAR ( General Anti Avoidance Rule ).
8) Felix Baumgartner, an Austrian pilot and sky driver, has broken a record that had stood for 52 yrs with his some 24 miles up skydiving.
UN Agencies-Headquarters
-------------------------------
Headquarters- Geneva ILO,WHO,UNHCR,UNCTAD,UNIDO,WMO,WTO,ITU
Headquarters-Newyork UNICEF,UNFPA,UNDP,UNITAR,UNRWA[palestine refugees]
Headquarters-Washington DC IMF,IFC,IBRD,IDA
FAO,IFAD-Rome IMCO-London UNEP-Nairobi UPU-Berne ICAO-Montreal IAEA-Vienna UNESCO-Paris
UN International years
2013-International year of water cooperation
2012-International year of Cooperatives and of sustainable energy for all
UN International Decades
201-2020-Decade of action for road safety
First Secretary General- Trygve Lie - Norway-1946 to 1952
1) Recently, in a report released by Centre for Science & Environment (CSE) it has been declared that Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh is critically-polluted area due to the presence of high levels of: Mercury
2) Filmmaker Yash Chopra was not conferred with which among the following honour/award? Padma Bhushan 3) Who among the following sports personalities has been honoured with the Services Best Sportsman award for 2012?
Vijay kumar
4) At which among the following places Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on 20 October 2012 launched Aadhaar Enabled Service Delivery?
Dudu, Rajasthan
this is important Question ....
5) Recently, the Eleventh Conference of the Parties (CoP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was held at:
Hyderabad
6) Panna Tiger Reserve is located in which among the following states?
Madhya Pradesh 7) Recently, for the first time, the country’s defence establishment led by Union Defence Minister A. K. Antony on October 20, 2012 paid homage to whom?
Those who fought the 1962 war with China
9) Recently which among the following aviation company’s license was suspended by the DGCA?
Kingfisher 10) Recently, Alvin Roth and Lloyd Shapley were awarded the Nobel Prize for economics for 2012. They belong to which of the following countries?
USA
UNCH LINES
L&T; - We Make the Things that Make India Proud LG - Digitally Yours Sify - Making the Internet work for you
Voltas - ACs with IQ Alcatel - Architect of an Internat World Cathy Pacific Airlines - The Heart of Asia MS Office 97 - Work Less, Do More Hyundai - Drive Your Way Canon - Delighting You Always Philips - Sense & Simplicity The Economic Times - The Power of Knowledge Cell One - The One for Everyone Cantabill - International Clothing Business World - Play the Game Dolphin - The Affordable Network Service SBI - With You all the Way Amway - Better Ideas-Better Life Omega - The Sign of Excellance Jaguar - Dont Dream it, Drive it Honda - The Power of Dreams MTNL - Transparency makes us Different SOTC - You Look the World, We Look After You ABN AMRO - Making More Possible Business Today - For managing Tomarrow Nokia - Connecting People Wipro - Applying Thought Air France - Making the Sky the best place on Earth Air Lufthansa - There's no Better Way to Fly Toyota - Touch the Perfection Jet Airways - The Joy of Flying ITC - Enduring Value IFFCO TOKIO - The Life You Desire Microsoft - Your Potential, Your Passion Epson - Exceed Your Vision Park Avenue - Play the Lead British Airways - The World is Waiting DIGJAM - Dressing the World Chevrolet - For a Special Journey called Life CNN - Be the First to Know MICO-BOSCH - The Power of We Sun Microsystem - The Network is the Computer TATA Indicom - Business Without Limits Amkette - When Reliability Matters Dell - Easy to Buy, Easy to Own Motorola - Intelligence Everywhere ICICI Bank - - Hum Hai Na Compaq - Ban jaaye baat Hyundai Santro - The complete family car IBM ThinkPad----- " I think, therefore IBM"---- Adidas ------ " Forever Sport"----- American Express ---- "Don't leave home without it" Birla Mutual Fund ----- "The name inspires Trust" ----- kingfisher - - king of good times TCS --- --- Beyond the obvious
Wipro--------Applying thought
Infosys-------Driven by intellect,powered by values
SET- 1
Directions for questions 1 to 40: Select the correct alternative from the given choices. 1. Which of the following organizations was started for promoting the development of small industries sectors, by the Government of India? (1) NHB (2) NABARD (3) SIDBI (4) EXIM BANK 2. The CRR & SLR are based on which of the following? (1) Total amount of loans disbursed by a bank (2) Total amount of foreign exchange available with a bank (3) Total amount of bank guarantees given by a bank (4) Total amount of deposits received by a bank 3. Bank Swadesi TBK in Indonesia, having 13 offices in 6 major cities there, is the subsidiary of which public sector bank of India? (1) Bank of Baroda (2) Bank of India (3) Bank of Maharashtra (4) Central Bank of India 4. Which of the following companies complained to Competition Commission of India in (CCI) April 2012, against 10 explosives manufacturing companies of India regarding their 'cartelisation' while quoting in tenders for supply of explosives? (1) ONGC Ltd (2) Gas Authority of India Ltd (GAIL) (3) Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) (4) Coal India Ltd 5. Which of the following is an international credit rating agency? (1) CIBIL (2) CARE (3) CRISIL (4) Standard & Poor’s 6. Which of the following describes the term 'Green Washing' in the field of Environment and new challenges faced by the world? (1) Companies having genuine concern for the environment & working towards a safe & green planet (2) Companies not interested in environmental activities undertaken across the world (3) Companies showing apparent concern for the environment by fake methods and shortcuts to appear as environment friendly organisations (4) Companies, piggy backing on successful companies 7. Which of the following is an organ of the UNO? (1) OPEC (2) OECD (3) ILO (4) IOC 8. In India, disguised unemployment is generally observed in the (1) secondary sector. (2) primary sector. (3) tertiary sector. (4) both tertiary and secondary sectors. 9. The highest award presented to famous personalities from the film industry of India, for their achievement during their long careers is the (1) Jnanpith Award. (2) Lata Mangeshkar Award.
(3) Dada Saheb Phalke Award. (4) Dronacharya Award. 10. Which of the following was established exclusively for diamond trade? (1) NSE (2) CCI (3) BDB (4) MCX 11. At present who is the leader of the opposition in the Rajyasabha? (1) Brinda Karat (2) Sushma Swaraj (3) Arun Jaitley (4) Jaya Bhaduri 12. Committee for improvement, in customer service by banks was headed by –––––––. (1) AK. Khandelwal (2) Bimal Jalan (3) C. Rangrajan (4) M. Damodararn 13. As per RBI, failed ATM transactions are to be settled by banks within how many days? (1) 7days (2) 10day (3) 15days (4) 30days 14. ‘Serving to empower’ is the mission statement of ––––. (1) Nainital Bank (2) UCO Bank (3) Jammu & Kashmir bank (4) Bank of Bahrain & Kuwait 15. What is the minimum level of gold reserves to be maintained by the RBI as the note issue authority of India? (1) `500cores (2) `1000crores (3) `200crores (4) `250crores 16. A high level committee was constituted by the Ministry of Railways headed by Mr. Sam Pitroda for which of the following? (1) Modernisation of Railways (2) Safety in Railways (3) Railways Reservation system (4) Railways changes 17. “Gold loan in 3 minutes” is the punch line of which of the following? (1) Muthoot Gold Finance (2) Manappuram finance (3) Malabar Gold Ltd (4) Gitanjali Jewellery 18. G - 8 is a group of –––––––. (1) South American countries having close bilateral relations (2) European countries but not in Eurozone group (3) Informal group of world’s rich, industrialized nations (4) Group of middle eastern countries, in pact for crude oil production. 19. Basharat Al. Assad, who is facing people’s uprising & rebellion against his administration for the past one year, is the leader of which of the following countries? (1) Oman (2) Jordan (3) North Sudan (4) Syria 20. Mario De Miranda, who was awarded the ‘Padma Bhushan’ in 2012 (Posthumously) was a ––––––. (1) writer (2) journalist (3) cartoonist (4) boxer 21. Ravi Subrahmanyam is the author of ––––––––. (1) If God was a banker (2) Devil in Pinstripes (3) The incredible Banker (4) All of the above 22. Which of the following leading companies of the world, announced for the first time, losses in the 04 of 2012? (1) Apple industries (2) Google (3) Microsoft corporation (4) Yahoo. Com 23. Which of the following pairs is wrong? (1) Lakshya – Pilotless Target Aircraft (2) Nishant – Unmanned Aerial vehicle
(3) Saras – Multipurpose Civilian Aircraft (4) Tejas – Anti Tank missile 24. Which of the following environmental conferences declared June 5, as the world environment day? (1) Nairobi conference (2) Stockholm conference (1972) (3) Kyoto conference (4) Stockholm convention (2004) 25. Which Indian leader (CM of a state) visited China in November 2011, seeking investments in his state? (1) J. Jayalalitha, Tamil Nadu (2) Mamata Banerjee, West Bengal (3) Narendra Modi, Gujarat (4) N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, Andhra Pradesh 26. Who among the following was found to be guilty in the death of world famous dancing star, Michael Jackson, on charges of involuntary manslaughter, and sentenced to prison, by American judicial authorities? (1) Dietician. (2) Personal physician. (3) Family members. (4) Exercise and health instructor and trainer. 27. The promoters of which of the following banks were asked by the RBI, in March 2012, to reduce their ownership stake to 10% by 2016? (1) Development Credit Bank (2) Kotak Mahindra Bank (3) Catholic Syrian Bank (4) City Union Bank 28. At 4.5 people per sq mile which of the following is the least densely populated country in the world? (1) Russia (2) Canada (3) Australia (4) Mongolia 29. Which of the following were on strike for 3 weeks (March – April 2012) protesting against government budget proposals for taxes and duties affecting their industry? (1) Automobile industry (2) Pharma companies (3) Gems and Jewellery trade (4) Fertilisers industry 30. Which of the following was proposed at BRICS 2012 meeting in New Delhi, to provide low cost funding for this group of nations? (1) Separate loans and advances facility at World Bank (2) To increase SDR (Special Drawing Rights) quota to this group at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) (3) To start a banking institution called BRICS bank (4) To seek interest waiver for all loans from IMF & IBRD 31. Which of the following is the 2nd largest investor (after govt of India) in Coal India Ltd? (1) LIC of India (2) SBI (3) The Children’s Investment Fund (4) National Thermal Power Corporation 32. Who among the following won the election in March 2012 to become the President of Russia for the 3rd time? (1) Andrei Medvedev (2) Gennady Zuganov (3) Vladmir Putin (4) Garry Kasparov 33. 50% of the capital required for regional rural banks is provided by _______ (1) NABARD (2) the RBI (3) the state government (4) The Central Government 34. Election process for Rajya Sabha seat from which state was countermanded by the Election Commission of India in March due to irregularities and election code violations by candidates of a political party? (1) Uttar Pradesh (2) Uttarakhand
(3) Jharkhand (4) Bihar 35. Which of the following is an economic power in Europe and is actively helping other recession- affected countries to be stable? (1) Italy (2) Greece (3) Portugal (4) Germany 36. Which of the following establishes and produces power from nuclear power plants in India? (1) Atomic Energy Commission (2) Nuclear Power Corporation of India (3) Atomic Minerals Dept (4) Nuclear Fuel Complex 37. The Simla peace accord of 1972 was between India and (1) Bangladesh. (2) Pakistan. (3) Chennai. (4) Bhutan. 38. The flowering of bamboo and a subsequent famine in the 1960s led to an armed rebellion in (1) Nagaland. (2) Mizoram. (3) Manipur. (4) Tripura. 39. Which of the following oceans is called “Herring Pond”? (1) Arctic Ocean (2) Pacific Ocean (3) Atlantic Ocean (4) Indian Ocean 40. The owners of which of the following IPL cricket team announced in July 2012, that their team is up for sale with a reserve price of `1500cores? (1) Pune warriors (2) Deccan Chargers (3) Kochi Tuskers (4) Mumbai Indians Set - 1 key
1. 3 2. 4 3. 2 4. 4 5. 4 6. 3 7. 3 8. 2 9. 3 10. 3 11. 3 12. 4 13. 1 14. 3 15. 3 16. 1 17. 1 18. 3 19. 4 20. 3 21. 4 22. 3 23. 4 24. 2 25. 3 26. 2 27. 2
28. 4 29. 3 30. 3 31. 3 32. 3 33. 4 34. 3 35. 4 36. 2 37. 2 38. 2 39. 3 40. 2
SET - 2
1. Micro credit means which of the following? (1) Loans given to micro finance companies (2) Loans given by micro finance companies (3) Loans of small amounts (4) Agricultural Loans given to the poor & the low income groups 2. Who among the following gives loans to regional rural banks for working capital, and for financial support for large loans? (1) District Co – Op Central Banks. (2) State Co-op Bank (3) State Government (4) NABARD 3. The ‘Giant from Bentonville’ is an apt description of (1) General Motors. (2) Goldman Sachs. (3) Walmart. (4) Exxon Mobil. 4. Which of the following countries passed a land mark carbon tax legislation called Clean Energy Act in November 2011? (1) Australia (2) USA (3) China (4) Brazil 5. Which of the following countries Joined World Trade Organization (W.T.O) in August 2012? (1) Australia (2) China (3) Brazil (4) Russia 6. Which of the following works exclusively for the protection of human rights across the world? (1) Amnesty international (2) International Council for Red Cross (3) Commonwealth (4) Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) 7. Which of the following is an organization of the former soviet bloc nations? (1) ASEAN (2) CARICOM (3) CSTO (4) BCIM 8. Which of the following countries is only the 3rd in the world (after USA and Russia) to accomplish a docking exercise of a spaceship with a space lab module? (1) England (2) Japan (3) India (4) China 9. The Government of India plans to generate `3000 crores by divesting its
stake/selling off, in which of the following? (1) Public Sector Banks (2) Life Insurance Corporation of India (3) State Bank of India (4) Non- Life Insurance companies 10. Which of the following telecom companies is the largest in India, having a 70% market share in telecom business in India? (1) Airtel, Bharti Enterprises (2) Idea Communication, Aditya Birla group (3) Reliance Communication, ADAG (4) Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited 11. Which of the following is now confirmed as the mainstay of India’s defense capabilities and missile program, capable of carrying nuclear warheads? (1) Prithvi (2) Akash (3) Agni (4) Trishul 12. Which of the following was removed as a clause in home loans offers of commercial banks as per the instructions of the National Housing Bank and the RBI from the 3rd quarter of 2011 onwards? (1) Prepayment penalties (2) Fixed interest rates (3) Floating rates of interest (4) Loan processing charges 13. Which of the following does not relate to environment issues? (1) Carbon emission (2) Carbon credits (3) Carbon foot print (4) Carbon dating 14. The President of which country was asked to step down and handover power to a transition arrangement immediately by the US President Barrack Obama, in view of large scale violence and military police brutality against protestors, civilians, etc. in that country during September 2011? (1) Yemen (2) Libya (3) Syria (4) Egypt 15. Which of the following is called the Bird Continent? (1) Europe (2) North America (3) South America (4) Asia 16. Which of the following statements is not correct? (1) India is situated in the Southern Hemisphere. (2) India has the longest international border with Bangladesh. (3) The Brahmaputra enters India at Arunachal Pradesh. (4) India’s southernmost point – Indira Point is located in the Great Nicobar group of islands. 17. Financial aid given by government to a beneficiary directly is called (1) grant. (2) subsidy. (3) lease. (4) rent. 18. Nexavar, an advanced cancer drug patented by Bayer, Germany is now to be manufactured under a Compulsory Licence (CL) issued by (IPO) Indian Patents Organisation in March 2012, to which of the following companies? (1) Natco pharma (2) Pfizer (3) Dr. Reddy’s labs (4) Abbot laboratories 19. Micro marketing is ______. (1) marketing strategy adopted by micro finance companies. (2) to ensure that products are offered to low income groups in the society. (3) to ensure that products are offered with features to suit individuals’ specific needs. (4) to ensure that promotional activities reach all sections/divisions of the company. 20. Orient Green power specializes in the production of
(1) solar power. (2) thermal power. (3) bio mass power. (4) tidal power. 21. The eminent sportsman nominated by the President of India to Rajya Sabha, in April 2012, is (1) V. Anand. (2) Leander -Paes (3) Sachin Tendulkar. (4) P.C Mary Kom. 22. Which of the following is located in Hyderabad? (1) NIN (2) NGRI (3) NIRD (4) All of above 23. Which of the following are norms for identification of customers and their details? (1) KYC Norms (2) Lending Norms (3) Basel Norms (4) Service Norms 24. Which of the following banks is headed by a woman Chief Executive Officer? (1) ICICI bank (2) Canara Bank (3) State Bank of India (4) Indus Ind Bank 25. Non-convertible debentures are ______. (1) debt instruments which cannot be converted into equity shares (2) those which can be converted into preference shares (3) those which can be converted into zero coupon bounds (4) those which can be reissued on maturity with same conditions 26. Which of the following are scheduled banks? (1) Banks which have more than 1000 branches (2) Banks which have 50% of their branches in rural areas. (3) Banks which have more than 500 crores deposit base. (4) Banks which are in the 2nd schedule of the Reserve Bank of India. 27. Off shore banking is _______. (1) bank dealings in foreign exchange (2) bank dealing with only Oil & Natural gas exploration companies, OPEC customers/ institutions (3) branch of a bank in another country / Tax Haven, accepting investment of private customers and not accepting local deposits in that country. (4) banks dealings in only tourism promotion & destinations 28. The Government of India passed the National Food Security Bill, which divided population into two categories. Which are they? (1) Rich and Poor (2) Above BPL & Below BPL (3) Priority households & general household (4) Access to PDS & No access to PDS 29. Mr. Arun Mishra was appointed as head of which of the following in July 2012? (1) DGFT (2) DGCA (3) PNGRB (4) WD & RA 30. Which of the following prize committies decided to cut the prize money by 20% effective from 2012? (1) The UNESCO & Odisha Government for Kalinga prize (2) The Nobel foundation for Nobel prizes (3) Sweden’s parliament RIKSDAG for Right to Livelihood award (4) John Templeton Foundation for Templeton prize 31. Who among the following came forward to start a new company for Infrastructure Debt Fund (IDF) to be structured as an NBFC? (1) ICICI group (2) LIC of India (3) Citicorp finance of India (4) All of the above
32. Which country announced in June 2012, successful breeding of a Genetically Modified (GM) calf to produce low lactose milk to help lactose intolerant population? (1) India (2) China (3) Russia (4) Great Britain 33. Who is the winner (Men’s category) of the 2012 French open championships at Roland Garros, Paris France? (1) Roger Federer (2) Novak Djokovic (3) Rafael Nadal (4) Andy Murray 34. Mr. V. S. Sampath assumed charge in June 2012 as India’s _____. (1) CEC (2) CIC (3) U. K (4) CAG 35. Dada Saheb Phalke award is presented to (1) media & Advertising Professionals. (2) tV Artists. (3) film Personalities. (4) journalists. 36. Which of the following ‘business dailies’ is owned by Bennet Coleman Co. Ltd? (1) Business Standard (2) Business Line (3) Economic Times (4) Business Today 37. ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) has its head quarters in - - - (1) Malayasia (2) Vietnam (3) Philippines (4) Indonesia 38. The Annual meeting of World Economic Forum (WEF) is held in (1) Basel. (2) Geneva. (3) Zurich. (4) Davos. 39. Which of the following organizations provides risk & insurance coverage for exporters in India? (1) EXIM Bank (2)The Reserve Bank of India (3) Ministry of Corporate Affairs (4) Export Credit & Guarantee Corporation (ECGC) 40. DAX is the stock exchange index of (1) New York Stock Exchange. (2) London Stock Exchange. (3) Frankfurt Stock Exchange. (4) Milan Stock Exchange.
2. SET - 2 KEY
3. 4. 1. 3
2. 4 3. 3 4. 1 5. 4 6. 1 7. 3 8. 4 9. 4 10. 1 11. 3 12. 1 13. 4 14. 3 15. 3 16. 1 17. 1 18. 1 19. 3 20. 3 21. 3
22. 4 23. 1 24. 1 25. 1 26. 4 27. 3 28. 3 29. 2 30. 2 31. 4 32. 2 33. 3 34. 1 35. 3 36. 3 37. 4 38. 4 39. 4
40. 3
5. Country-----------------Capital------Currency 6. Norway-----------------Oslo------------Norwegian Krone 7. Panama----------------Panama City---Balboa, US Dollar 8. Paraguay---------------Asuncion------Guarani 9. Philippines-------------The Manila-----Peso 10. Poland-----------------Warsaw--------Zloty 11. Portugal---------------Lisbon----------Euro (Formerly Escudo) 12. Qatar -----------------Doha------------Qatari Riyal 13. Russia-----------------Moscow--------Ruble 14. Saudi Arabia----------Riyadh----------Riyal 15. Serbia-----------------Belgrade-------Yugoslav new dinar 16. Singapore-------------Singapore-----Singapore Dollar 17. Slovenia --------------Ljubljana------Slovenian Tolar 18. Somalia---------------Mogadishu-----Somali Shilling 19. South Africa----------Pretoria---------Rand 20. Spain------------------Madrid----------Euro (Formerly Peseta) 21. Sudan-----------------Khartoum-------Dinar 22. Sweden---------------Stockholm------Krona 23. Switzerland ----------Bern------------Swiss Franc 24. Syria------------------Damascus------Syrian Pound 25. Taiwan----------------Taipei----------Taiwan New Dollar 26. Tajikistan-------------Dushanbe------Somoni 27. Tanzania--------------Dar es Salaam-Tanzanian Shilling 28. Thailand---------------Bangkok--------Baht 29. Trinidad and Tobago-Port-of-Spain--Trinidad and Tobago Dollar 30. Tunisia-----------------Tunis-----------Tunisian Dinar 31. Turkey-----------------Ankara----------Turkish New Lira (YTL) 32. Uganda----------------Kampala--------Ugandan New Shilling 33. Ukraine----------------Kiev--------------Hryvna 34. United Arab Emirates-Abu Dhabi------UAE Dirham 35. Uruguay----------------Montevideo-----Uruguay Peso 36. Vatican City------------Vatican City-----Euro 37. Venezuela-------------Caracas----------Bolivars
38. Vietnam----------------Hanoi------------Dong 39. Yemen-----------------Sana-------------Rial 40. Zambia----------------Lusaka------------Kwacha 41. Zimbabwe-------------Harare------------Zimbabwean dollar
1 AKAI Land Of Rising Technology 2 ACCENTURE Innovation Delivered 3 AIR DECCAN Simplifly 4 AIR INDIA Moving India Forward 5 AIR SAHARA Emotionally Yours 6 AIRTEL EXPRESS Express Yourself 7 ALLEN SOLLY Friday Dressing 8 ALLIANZ INSURANCE The Power On Your Side 9 APPLE COMPUTERS Think Different 10 BAJAJ AUTO Inspiring Confidence 11 BAJAJ PULSAR Born In A Gym, Not In A Studio 12 BAJAJ SPIRIT The College Bike 13 BLUE STAR May Your Theatre Always Be House Full 14 BLUESTARAC Breathe Easy 15 BOURNVITA Balanced Nutrition.Great Taste 16 BROOKE BOND Cheers Your Senses 17 BSNL Connecting India 18 BUSINESS STANDARD When You're Sure 19 BUSINESSWORLD Magazine Of The New Economy 20 C A That Manages E-Business 21 CHOLAMANDALAM INSURANCE Enter A Better Life 22 CITIBANK The City Never Sleeps 23 CLUB MAHINDRA HOLIDAYS Holidays For A Lifetime 24 CROCODILE Tough Guys, Dress Easy 25 CROMPTON GREAVES Everyday Solutions 26 D’DMAS Art Of Beauty 27 DHL We Move The World 28 DHL We Make Importing Smooth 29 DOORDARSHAN Satyam Sivam Sundaram 30 ELECTROLUX India Makes Life A Little Easier 31 ENERGIZER Keep Going 32 ESSAR STEEL 24 Carat Steel 33 FED-EX The World On Time 34 FORD MONDEO Redefined Aggression 35 FORD MOTORS Built For The Road Ahead 36 GODREJ LOCKS Peace Of Mind.Guaranteed 37 GRAVIERA SUITINGS The Man Of Substance 38 GUCCI Quality Is Remembered Long After The Price Is Forgotten 39 HAIER Inspired Living 40 HARLEY-DAVIDSON If You Don't Have To Answer To Anyone, What Would You Do 41 HARROD'S RETAILER, London ENTER A DIFFERENT WORLD 42 HERO HONDA CBZ Motorcycling Unplugged 43 HERO HONDA PASSION Born In A Studio, Not In A Factory 44 HINDUSTAN TIMES Let There Be Light 45 HITACHI Inspire The Next 46 HONDA THE The Power Of Dreams
47 HSBC World's Local Bank 48 HUGHES SOFTWARE Think Skywards 49 HYUNDAI ELANTRA Play A Bigger Game 50 HYUNDAI'S NEW AD Drive Your Way 51 JOBSAHEAD.COM Fill In Your Ambition 52 JOHNNIE WALKER WHISKEY Keep Walking 53 KINGFISHER AIRLINES Fly The Good Times 54 KODAK You Press The Button And We Do The Rest 55 LACOSTE Because What You Are 56 LG Expand Your Life 57 LG AC Breathe Healthy 58 LUFTHANSA There Is No Better Way To Fly 59 MARUTI SUZUKI Count On Us 60 NIKON At The Heart Of The Image 61 NOKIA Connecting People 62 OBC Where Every Individual Is Committed 63 OCM Be Somebody 64 ONIDA Neighbor’s Envy, Owner’s Pride 65 PAGALGUY.COM Insanely Different 66 PAI INTERNATIONAL A World Of Home Appliances 67 PANTALOONS Where India Shops 68 PARRYWARE Sparkling Clean Glamour Rooms 69 PARX (RAYMOND’S PRODUCT) Catch Up With Life 70 POWER (FUEL WITH ENERGYBOOSTERS FROM HPCL) Unleash The Power Within 71 PROFESSIONAL TUTORIALS Success Simplified 72 PUNJAB NATIONAL BANK The Name You Can Bank Upon 73 RAYMOND The Complete Man 74 REID AND TAYLOR Bond With The Best 75 SAMSONITE Because You Earned Your Wings 76 SBI With You -All The Way 77 SINGAPORE AIRLINES A Great Way To Fly 78 SPICE JET Flying For Everyone 79 TALLY Power Of Simplicity 80 TATA Improving The Quality Of Life 81 TATA Empowering People 82 TATA INDICA Spoil Yourself 83 TATA INDICOM Talk As You Pay, Pay As You Talk- 84 THAI AIRWAYS Smooth As Silk 85 TIMES OF INDIA Let Truth Prevail 86 TOYOTA Touch The Perfection 87 TRUMP (MTNL) The Easy Way To Stay In Touch 88 UNION BANK OF INDIA Good People To Bank With 89 VIRGINIA SLIM CIGARETTES You've Come A Long Way Baby
90 VOLKSWAGEN Think Small
Business News Infosys has announced acquisition of Lodestone Holding, s Switzerland-based global management consultancy firm, for an enterprise value of Rs 1,930 crore in cash. Infosys has also acquired the Voluntary Group Life Insurance business of US-based Marsh BPO.
Software services provider Tech Mahindra has announced the acquisition of a 51% stake in mobile value added services provider Comviva, in which Bharti Airtel has a major stake.
Infiniti Retail Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Sons, is acquiring Australian retailer Woolworths’ wholesale arm in India for about Rs 200 crore. The acquisition comes in the wake of the Australian firm deciding to exit the specialty consumer electronics category and divest the business in Australia and New Zealand as well, apart from India.
Former Chairman of LIC, S.B. Mathur, has been appointed as the Chairman of National Stock Exchange (NSE).
he Parthasarathi Shome Committee report on General Anti-Avoidance Rules (GAAR) has recommended the postponement of GAAR by three years and abolition of short-term capital gains tax.
According to the United Nations Children Fund report, India has earned the dubious distinction of reporting the highest mortality rate of under-five children in 2011. The report states that 16.55 lakh children below the age five died in India in 2011—almost six times higher than China. While India has made a lot of progress with a 48% decline in death rate, its performance was much lower than poorer countries such as Bangladesh, Rwanda, Nepal and Malawi. Globally, the under-five child mortality rate has come down from nearly 12 million in 1990 to 6.9 million in 2011.
RBI cut Cash Reserve Ration (CRR) by 0.25 per cent to 4.5 per cent on September 17, 2012. The CRR is the share of deposits that banks need to maintain with RBI. Banks ca profit by deploying Rs 17,000 crore released due to the CRR cut. The cut will also lead to interest rates on deposits coming down.
Oslo is the world’s most expensive city, ahead of Zurich and Tokyo, according to a survey of 72 cities by Swiss Bak. The cheapest cities are Delhi and Mumbai.
World Heart Day is observed on September 29.
According to a UN Report on “aging in the 21st century”, and Help Age International, brought out jointly by Un Population fund (UNFPA) India has 90 million elderly and the number is expected to increase to 315 million by 2050, constituting 20% of the total population. By 2050, for the first time there will be more older people than children under 15.
According to a research by Thomson Reuters, just 3.5% of global research output in 2010 was from India. In mathematics, India’s share of world output stood at around 2% in 2010; it was 17% for China. Only 2.4% of global research in Computer Sciences was from India, while the world share moved to three emerging economies—China (15%), South Korea (6.3%) and Taiwan (5.7%).
The Union Cabinet has approved thr 12th Five-Year Plan, aimed at rejuvenating India’s economy and infusing higher government funding in key social sectors such as health, education and sanitation. The Rs 47,70,000 lakh crore Plan, three times the size of the last one, targets economic growth at 8.2%. It also aims to attract one trillion USD private investment in the infrastructure sector and reduce the subsidy burden of the government to around 1.5% of GDP, from over 2% of GDP now.
The Union Cabinet has approved 49% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) limit in insurance and pension funds.
The UN Convention of Biodiversity was held in Hyderabad in September 2012.
The Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing, negotiated in 2010, sets the standards for benefit sharing between industry and holders of traditional knowledge. The objective of the protocol is fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources. It has been signed by 92 countries but only five countries have ratified it so far. India has approved the ratification of the protocol.
October 5, 2012, was branded as “Global James Bond Day” to mark 50 years since the world premiere of “Dr No” which introduced author Ian Fleming’s suave, sophisticated secret agent to the masses.
Online marketplace is an e-commerce site where product and inventory information are provided by multiple third-parties. In an online marketplace, consumer transactions are processed by the marketplace operator and then delivered and fulfilled by the participating retailers.
An average Indian lived 4.6 years longer in 2008, compared with a decade earlier. Life expectancy at birth for women was 67.7 years in 2008. It stood at 64.6 for men.
The Kelkar Committee was set up by Finance Minister P. Chidambaram to chalk out a roadmap for fiscal consolidation. It was headed by Mr Vijay Kelkar, former Finance Secretary. The report was warned there is an urgent need to take immediate corrective measures to fix the fiscal deficit to prevent the economy from slipping in to a situation worse than 1991.
1.Which is the 100th mission of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)? PSLV C-21
2.Countries that are members of The Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC)?
Cambodia, Lao Peoples Democratic Republic, Myanmar
3.Which country is known as the ‘Rock of Polynesia’? Nieu
4.Recently, a special court convicted 32 people, in infamous 2002 Naroda Patiya riots case. Naroda Patiya riots are related with: Gujarat
5.India’s official rank in Global Competitiveness Report 2012-2013 released on 5 September 2012 by the World Economic Forum? 59
1.Which of the following personalities has become the first person from Indian-American origin to serve as a parliamentarian for Democratic National Convention? Smita Shah
2. Aditi Mukherjee won which prestigious award? Norman Borlaug Award
3. Recently, CIC Energy Corp of Canada was acquired by which of the following Indian companies? Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL)
4. Recently, which of the following young politician has been commissioned to be a Lieutenant in Territorial Army? Sachin Pilot
5. Girisha Hosanagara Nagarajegowda won a silver medal at London
Paralympics Games. He belongs to: High Jump
1.Who has been appointed as the chief economist and senior vice president of The World Bank?Kaushik Basu
2.Recently, Supreme Court directed to which group to refund around 17400 crore rupees to their investors within three months with 15 per cent interest? Sahara Group
3.Who is current CAG? Vinod Rai
4.Which of the following countries topped the medal tally in London Olympics? USA
5.'Joseph Anton' is a book written by: Salman Rushdie
1.Shri Laxmi Narayan Mandir, believed to have been constructed 200 years ago, has been prevented from demolition by a court in which of the following countries recently? Pakistan
2.FIFA has labelled 10-month ban on Juventus coach Antonio Conte for not reporting match-fixing. Antonio belongs to: Italy
3.Who won the FIFA U-20 women’s World Cup 2012? USA
4.'Aditya-1' is a: India's first solar satellite
5.As per United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in its “Child Mortality Estimates Report 2012,”the world’s highest under-five mortality rates were in: India
1. Christopher Stevens, ambassador of the United States, has been recently killed during an armed mob attack in: Libya
2. The Coal Ministry has recently accepted the recommendations of the Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG) and notified de-allocation of four blocks. The IMG, was headed by? Zohra Chaterjee
3. To promote worldwide action to prevent suicides World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) is observed every year on: September 10
4. 'Arrogant Master' is the book written by which of one the following cricket players?Yuvraj Singh
5. The first indigenously built ship by Alcock Ashdown Gujarat Ltd, a Gujarat Government unit, has been commissioned into the Navy. Name the ship: INS
MAKAR
1.Human Rights activist Sima Samar won the Swedish Right Livelihood Award. She belongs to:Afghanistan
2.'The Casual Vacancy' is a novel written by: J.K. Rowling
3.India’s first National Security Adviser has been died recently. Name the personality: Brajesh Mishra
4.To promote the message of making the country open defecation-free and ensuring proper sanitation in rural areas which among the following campaign has been started recently?Nirmal Bharat Yatra
5.Lewis Hamilton has recently signed a three-year deal with which of the following formula one team? Mercedes
L GK Gyan Dhara (Oct.)
1.India has signed the agreement on joint research project into pricing structures in LNG markets with? Japan
2.In which country, Hyderabad-based GVK Power and Infrastructure Limited, has received the green nod for port development? Australia
3.Which National Park will get remote controlled aircraft and a satellite based electronic eye for round-the-clock surveillance of the animals? Kaziranga National Park
4.Which service has been launched by the Indian Railways to find out the location of 6500 trains on real-time basis on Google Map? RailRadar
5.Who has been conferred the prestigious Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award 2012? Smt. Tessy Thomas
CL GK Gyan Dhara (Oct.)
1.At present which country is the Russia’s second largest defense customer after India? Iraq
2.China based Research firm, Hurun on October10, 2012 has released ‘INDIA Rich List’ a list of India’s rich individuals. Who among the following has topped the list? Mukesh Ambani
3.Robert Lefkowitz, has won the Nobel Prize 2012 in Chemistry for study and research on Protein Receptors along with? Brian Kobilka
4.Which country has won women's T-20 world cup 2012? Australia
5.A British biologist who was a key member of the Ian Wilmut team that created Dolly the sheep, has died recently. Name the personality. ? Keith Campbell
CL GK Gyan Dhara (Oct.)
1.Along with Serge Haroche who among the following American scientists won Nobel Prize 2012 in physics? David Wineland
2.The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in collaboration with LEAD Pakistan and Buksh Foundation has launched which campaign in Pakistan? “Lighting a Million Lives”
3.Which pharmaceutical company has launched its first indigenously manufactured re-usable insulin pen 'AllStar'? Sanofi India
4.Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011, is the current President of:Liberia
5.Along with Shinya Yamanaka who won the Nobel Prize 2012 in physiology or medicine?John B. Gurdon
CL GK Gyan Dhara (Oct.)
1.Antisa Khvichava, who claimed to be the world's oldest living person surviving through two World Wars and the Russian Revolution, has died at the age of 132. She belongs to: Georgia
2.In which State, ISRO's Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre is not located? Andhra Pradesh
3.Who won the Nobel Prize in Literature for year 2012? Mo Yan
4.Which bollywood actor is brand ambassador of West Bengal? Shah Rukh Khan
5.Which among the following Indian born women has become the First Woman Team Principal in Formula one team ’Sauber’, a swiss Formula one team? Monisha Kalterborn
CL GK Gyan Dhara (Oct.)
1.Which State Government has announced to launch the biggest ever door-to-door campaign for early detection of cancer? Punjab
2.The tunnel that connects the two monuments of historical importance- Amber Palace and Jaigarh Fort, has been inaugurated in which of the following cities of Rajasthan? Jaipur
3.The Shadman Chowk has been renamed as Bhagat Singh Chowk on the 105th birth anniversary. Shadman Chowk is located in which among the following cities? Lahore
4.According to latest reports, the highest incidence of the juvenile rape cases ((23.6%) was reported from: Madhya Pradesh
5.The tomb of a powerful seventh-century Maya queen 'K’abel', who carried the title ‘Supreme Warrior’, has been discovered recently by archaeologists in which of the following countries?Guatemala
L GK Gyan Dhara (Oct.)
1.Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has bought 30 per cent stake in Houston-based Carrizo Oil & Gas's Niobrara shale oil and gas assets in Colorado for $82.5 million (about Rs.428 crore) jointly with which of the following oil companies? Oil India Ltd. (OIL)
2.MagicBoard, an integrated portable device, is a mobile office that can issue a policy on the spot, has been launched by which insurance companies? IndiaFirst Life Insurance
3.Which Life Insurance companies is a joint venture between Bank of Baroda, Andhra Bank and U.K.'s Legal & General? IndiaFirst Life Insurance
4.30-Plus', popular energiser brand, relaunched by Dabur, has been promoted by which Bollywood female actors? Malaika Arora Khan
5.Which seven times world Champion German Formula-one driver, has recently announced his retirement from Formula one Race? Michael Schumacher
CL GK Gyan Dhara (Oct.)
1.Who is the brand ambassador of the 'Nirmal Bharat Yatra'? Vidya Balan
2.Endangered Gangetic dolphin ( Platanista Gangetica ) is also known as: 'Tiger of the Ganges'
3.Which bank has been awarded recently gold trophy of Niryat Bandhu Award? Canara Bank
4.Which country has unveiled a colossal radio telescope that will allow astronomers to detect distant galaxies and explore the depths of the universe with unprecedented precision?Australia
5.A Maldivian court has issued an arrest warrant against the country’s first democratically elected President. Name the personality. Mohamed Nasheed
CL GK Gyan Dhara (Oct.)
1.Who is the longest-serving chief minister of the Gujarat? Narendra Modi
2.Who is the current administrator of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)?Charles Bolden
3.'Liaoning', is the first aircraft carrier of: China
4.Who won Japanese Grand Prix 2012? Sebastian Vettel
5.Who is the current chairperson of the Indian Central Board of Film Certification? Leela Samson
ECONOMIC QUIZ – JANUARY 2012
1. Union government raised the ad valorem duty (export duty) on iron ore exports to what per cent from 20 per cent?
a. 30%
b. 33%
c. 41%
d. 43%
Answer: (a)
2. As per the to Commerce Ministry data released on 2 January 2012, India’s exports recorded their slowest pace of growth in two years in November 2011. What was the per centage of growth recorded?
a. 4.2%
b. 3.8%
c. 2.2%
d. 0.94%
Answer: (b)
3. Union government on 3 January 2012 approved Reliance Industries' (RIL) investment plan for developing four satellite fields in the flagging KG-D6 block. What was the proposed sum to be invested for developing the satellites?
a. $1.500 billion
b. $1.692 billion
c. $1.529 billion
d. $1.375 billion
Answer: (c)
4. The capital market regulator SEBI on 3 January 2012 allowed auctioning of securities through stock exchanges and introduced a new method for institutional placement of stocks. Which of the following facts related to the above statement is/are not true?
1. Under the institutional placement programme (IPP), shares can be sold only to qualified institutional buyers.
2. There shall be at least 25 allottees in every IPP issuance. No single investor shall receive allotment for more than 25% of the offer size
3. The IPP method can be used to increase public holding by 10% and could be offered to only qualified institutional buyers with 25% being reserved for mutual funds and insurance companies
4. Under the IPP, companies will have to announce the ratio of buy-back, as is done in the case of rights issues and fix a record date for determination of entitlements as per shareholding on record date
a. Only 1
b. Only 3
c. Only 2
d. Only 4
Answer: (c)
5. What is the Finace Ministry’s decision on the rates applicable on small savings instruments schemes that would be announced on April 1 each year?
a. rate would remain valid till the maturity of the scheme
b. rate would change in the first qurter of that respective year
c. rates would change depending on different maturity period
d. rates would remainvalid for six months post the maturity
Answer: (a)
6. Foreign direct investment (FDI) into India went up by what per cent to $2.53 billion in November 2011, indicating an improvement in investor sentiment?
a. 56%
b. 49%
c. 33%
d. 26%
Answer: (a)
7. As per the Forward Markets Commission data released on 9 January 2012 that the turnover of the 21 commodity exchanges in India increased by 66% to what amount till December 2011?
a. Rs 123 lakh crore
b. Rs 137.22 lakh crore
c. Rs 100.57 lakh crore
d. Rs 93 lakh crore
Answer: (b)
8. Indirect tax collections increased by what per cent to Rs 285787 crore during April-December 2011 driven by an increase in service tax mop-up?
a. 15%
b. 14.56%
c. 16.1%
d. 16.33%
Answer: (c)
9. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) notified that the Commerce Ministry on on 11 January 2012 lowered the minimum export price of onions by $100 a tonne to boost exports. What is the changed minimum export price of onion?
a. $200 a tonne
b. $250 a tonne
c. $300 a tonne
d. $150 a tonne
Answer: (d)
10. Prime Minister's Office on 11 January 2012 directed cash-rich public sector undertakings (PSUs) to invest around Rs.1.76 lakh crore to act as a stimulus in the next fiscal 2012-13. What is the amount to be invested domestically?
a. Rs.1.41 lakh crore
b. Rs 1.57 lakh crore
c. Rs 2.50 lakh crore
d. Rs 3.19 lakh crore
Answer: (a)
11. As per the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) data, industrial production bounced back with a growth of what per cent in November 2011, marking a five-month high in a reversal from the negative trend witnessed in October 2011?
a. 5.9%
b. 6.5%
c. 7%
d. 8.2%
Answer: (a)
12. India on 13 January 2012 extended for how many years an anti-dumping duty on import of four Chinese products like nylon filament yarn, Saccharin, cellophane transparent film etc?
a. 3 years
b. 5 years
c. 10 years
d. 12 years
Answer: (b)
13. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 13 January 2012 issued guidelines on compensation of wholetime directors, chief executive officers and other risk takers in private and foreign banks. Which of the following facts regarding the above statement is/are not true.
1. The central bank’s directions are aimed at preventing greed from destabilising the institution.
2. The guiderlines include provisions to clawback pay if transactions fail years after origination
3. The norms provided also include capping the variable component of the compensation at 48% of the fixed pay in a year
4. As per the guidelines issued, banks are permitted to exclude the Employees Stock Option Plan from variable pay
a. Only 2
b. Only 4
c. Only 3
d. 2 & 4
Answer: (c)
14. Which of the following bodies unveiled rules for direct investment in stocks by foreign investors, including individuals to put curbs on opaque structures to prevent routing of funds by resident Indians?
a. IRDA
b. FICCI
c. CCI
d. SEBI
Answer: (d)
15. As per the Wholesale Price Index, published by the government on 16 January 2012, Reduced food prices caused the inflation to dip to a year low at what per cent in December 2011?
a. 7.47%
b. 7.65%
c. 6.33%
d. 5.41%
Answer: (a)
16. Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) estimated Corporate India’s sales to grow by what per cent in 2011-12?
a. 21.6%
b. 20.8%
c. 22
d. 23.7%
Answer: (a)
17. According to the report by Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) released in January 2012, gems and jewellery exports fell into the negative zone to $3 billion in December 2011. What per cent fall did it register in the month in question?
a. 10.33%
b. 12.17%
c. 13.33%
d. 15%
Answer: (d)
18. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 24 January 2012 cut the cash reserve ratio (CRR) by 50 basis point. The current CRR stands at what percent?
a. 5%
b. 5.5%
c. 6%
d. 6.5%
Answer: (b)
19. The Reserve Bank of India on 24 January 2012 also kept the repo rate unchanged for the second consecutive time after raising it 13 times between March 2010 and October 2011. What is the present repo rate?
a. 8%
b. 7.5%
c. 8.5%
d. 9%
Answer: (c)
20. The poor performance of National Pension System, or NPS led the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) to change the incentive structure for the distributors. Which of the following statements in this regard is/are not true?
1. The pension regulator on the basis of the recommendation of the G.N. Bajpai committee constituted by PFRDA to review NPS, fixed the incentive at 0.25% of the subscription amount
2. As per PFRDA’s measures announceds, a distributor will get a flat Rs 50 on initial subscription and 0.05% of the initial subscription amount
3. Every year on subsequent investments, the point of presence will be entitled to 0.25% of that amount.
4. The minimum that a point of presence can charge is Rs 20 and the maximum Rs 25000.
a. Only 1
b. Only 2
c. Only 3
d. Only 4
Answer: (b)
21. Market regulator, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on 28 January 2012 decided to enhance the minimum investment amount per client managed by portfolio managers. Which of the following facts are not true with respect to the above statement?
2. SEBI decided to enhance the minimum investment amount per client managed by portfolio managers to Rs.25 lakh from Rs.5 lakh
3. insurance companies and mutual funds, which are broad-based investment vehicles representing the interests of the public at large to be included in the provisions of SEBI (Issue of Capital and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations
4. As per the current norm, SEBI (ICDR) Regulations preclude companies from issuing preferential allotment to entities which have sold any of their holdings during the six months prior to the relevant date
5. SEBI approved changes in the SEBI (Mutual Fund) Regulations, 1996, which ask the asset management companies (AMCs) to ensure a fair treatment to all investors.
a. Only 1
b. Only 2
c. Only 3
d. Only 4
Answer: (b)
22. The Union government in January 2012 decided to subscribe to preferential equity shares issued by which of the two public sector banks?
a. SBI & PNB
b. PNB & Union Bank
c. SBI & UCO
d. Bank of Baroda & Canara Bank
Answer: (a)
23. According to the data released by the Commerce and Industry Ministry on 30 January 2012, the growth rate of eight core industries slowed down to what per cent in December 2011 from 6.3 per cent in December 2010?
a. 2.5%
b. 3.1 %
c. 4%
d. 5.2%
Answer: (b)
24. The apex decision-making body of the communications ministry, the Telecom Commission decided to allow mobile phone companies to share spectrum. Identify the statement which is incorrect.
1. The Commission has however limited this facility to 3G airwaves alone
2. Only those operators that have airwaves in a particular region can share it. Spectrum can be shared only between two spectrum holders
3. Two companies can share airwaves only if their combined holdings do not exceed the limits prescribed in the M&A; norms
4. Spectrum sharing deals will also have to be renewed every five years
a. Only 4
b. Only 2
c. Only 1
d. 2 & 3
Answer: (c)
25. The Union government on 31 January 2012 revised the economic growth rate for 2010-2011 financial year to what percent in comparison to the previous estimate of 8.5 percent?
a. 8%
b. 8.4%
c. 7.5%
d. 7%
Answer: (b)
Corporate Quiz= January 2012
1. Oman Investment Fund (OIF), the Sultanate of Oman’s sovereign wealth fund, filed application with the government to buy a stake in which of the software solutions company, IT People promoted exchange?
a. Universal Commodity Exchange
b. Agri bourse NCDEX
c. Intercontinental Exchange
d. National Spot Exchange Limited
Answer: (a)
2. Which company on 27 Deember 2011 mentioned that it would acquire the remaining 51 per cent stake from BP Alternative Energy Holdings in the joint venture that it formed with BP?
a. Reliance Power
b. Tata Power
c. Adani Power Limited
d. ABB Ltd
Answer: (b)
3. Which paharmaceutical company announced in December 2011 the launch of Supamovecream used for treating pain and inflammation in India?
a. Cipla
b. Ranbaxy
c. Dr. Reddy’s
d. Sun Pharmaceuticals
Answer: (c)
4. Name the state-run Mumbai-headquartered bank which on 29 December 2011 surprised the market by cutting its base rate, the minimum lending rate, by 10 basis points, thereby becoming the first banker this year to do so when others are waiting for a signal from the central bank.
a. State Bank of India
b. Union Bank
c. United Bank of India
d. Allahabad Bank
Answer: (b)
5. The $35-billion Aditya Birla group plans to set up a viscose staple fibre (VSF) plant in the Adana Organised Industrial Zone in which of the following countries?
a. Tunisia
b. Tanzania
c. Turkey
d. Tibet
Answer: (c)
6. Which PSU announced on 2 January 2012 that its board approved in a meeting held on 30 December 2011 the switching over to internationally-accepted Gross Caloric Value-based pricing mechanism?
a. BHEL
b. ISPAT
c. CIL
d. IOC
Answer: (c)
7. Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) entered the media and entertainment sector by making a major investment in one of India’s largest broadcast companies. Name the broadcast company.
a. Network18 Group
b. Adlabs Films
c. Balaji Telefilms
d. Bag Films
Answer: (a)
8. Credit Suisse upgraded which company to neutral from underperform, citing valuation comfort at current?
a. Essar Energy
b. Reliance Power
c. Bajaj Auto
d. Tata Steel
Answer: (d)
9. Which PSU lender called off its plans to set up a joint venture with Visa Inc and Elavon Inc to enter the merchant acquiring business over differences on sharing technology?
a. Union Bank
b. State Bank of India
c. Syndicate Bank
d. Corp Bank
Answer: (b)
10. This company acquired Star more than 500 films like blockbusters like Salman Khan's Dabangg, Ready, Golmaal 3, Tees Maar Khan, Thank You, No One Killed Jessica, Guzaarish, Kites and Raavan from a general entertainment channel owned by the Viacom 18 Group?
a. Sony
b. UTV movies
c. Colors
d. Sab TV
Answer: (c)
11. State-run Northern Coalfields (NCL) agreed to surrender land required to mine two blocks attached to the Sasan ultra mega power plant to which of the following companies giving the comapany the benefit of over Rs 6000 crore over the life of the venture?
a. Reliance Power
b. Adani Power
c. Birla Power Solutions
d. DLF Power
Answer: (a)
12. Which car took home the crown of Indian Car Of The Year 2012 in January 2012?
a. Toyota Etios Liva
b. Maruti Suzuki Swift
c. Hyundai Verna
d. Hyundai Eon
Answer: (b)
13. B. D. Park was appointed the President and CEO of this electronic major’s South West Asia Operations and Managing Director of its India operations. Which electronic major is in question here?
a. Phillips
b. Videocon
c. Samsung
d. LG
Answer: (c)
14. Maldives authorities allowed Male International Airport operator to collect airport development and insurance charges from passengers, nearly a month after a local court barred the Bangalore-based company from doing so. Name the operator.
a. GMR Infrastructure
b. International Air Transport Association (IATA)
c. Fraport AG
d. DIAL
Answer: (a)
15. Which French construction major entered the Indian market by buying out 100 per cent stake in NAPC, a Chennai-based construction company?
a. Sinopec Engineering
b. Uhde
c. Vinci
d. Snamprogetti
Answer: (c)
16. Which of the following companies infused Rs 520 crore equity into BSES Delhi distribution companies as part of Rs 5,100 crore financial package being worked by IDBI
a. NTPC
b. RIL
c. Adani Power Ltd
d. Birla Group
Answer: (b)
17. Suzlon Energy signed a memorandum of understanding with this State Government as a part of the CII's Partnership Summit that concluded on 13 January 2012. As per the MoU, Suzlon Energy will develop wind power projects totalling 3,000 MW in Andhra Pradesh over the next four years, involving potential
investment of up to Rs.18,000 crore. Name the state government with which the MoU was signed.
a. Andhra Pradesh government
b. Gujarat governemnt
c. Orissa government
d. Arunachal Pradesh government
Answer: (a)
18. Name the auto making company which launched three new variants of the Eon-D — Lite plus, Era plus and Magna plus in the Indian market in January 2012.
a. Tata Motors
b. Hyundai Motor India
c. Volkswagen
d. Maruti Suzuki
Answer: (b)
19. The Government of which of the following countries acquired 1.09 per cent stake, currently worth about Rs.2500 crore, in Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL), the company's latest shareholding data show?
a. Malaysia
b. Japan
c. Phillipines
d. Singapore
Answer: (d)
20. Which Photography Pioneer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on 19 January 2012 making it likely for the 132-year-old trailblazer to become the most storied casualty of a digital age?
a. Eastman Kodak Company
b. Fuji
c. Nikon
d. Canon
Answer: (a)
21. Which company retained its top position in Interbrand's list of the top 100 global brands in 2011?
a. Apple
b. Coca cola
c. Microsoft
d. Google
Answer: (b)
22. The Bangalore-based pharmaceutical major, Strides Arcolab, sold its 94 per cent stake in Ascent Pharmahealth, a subsidiary with operations in Australia and Southeast Asia, to which of the following U.S.-based pharma companies?
a. Watson Pharmaceuticals
b. Abbott Laboratories
c. Pfizer
d. Derma Sciences
Answer: (a)
23. The Board of Approval (BoA) under the Commerce Ministry on 24 January 2012 approved the proposal of this company to set up a special economic zone (SEZ) at Indore in Madhya Pradesh. Identify the company.
a. Reliance Industries
b. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)
c. Hero Motors
d. Infosys
Answer: (b)
24. Which private life insurance company from India on 25 January 2012 launched its first international operations with the opening of its representative office in Dubai?
a. Kotak Insurance
b. New India Insurance
c. HDFC Life
d. Religare Insurnce
Answer: (c)
25. Name the world’s largest biotechnology company, agreed to buy Micromet in a $1.16 billion deal to gain an experimental leukemia drug.
a. Celgene Drug
b. B B Biotech
c. Dechert
d. Amgen
Answer: (d)
26. Which channel developed a 52-week special India: Wild Encounters to focuss on India's enchanting wildlife s well as take viewers on an exploration spree ?
a. Discovery India
b. Animal Planet
c. Sony
d. National Gepgraphy
Answer: (b)
List of important M&A;'s
Tata Steel's mega takeover of European steel major Corus for $12.2 billion. The biggest ever for an Indian company. This is the first big thing which marked the arrival of India Inc on the global stage. The next big thing everyone is talking about is Tata Nano.
Vodafone's purchase of 52% stake in Hutch Essar for about $10 billion. Essar group still holds 32% in the Joint venture.
Hindalco of Aditya Birla group's acquisition of Novellis for $6 billion.
Ranbaxy's sale to Japan's Daiichi for $4.5 billion. Sing brothers sold the company to Daiichi and since then there is no real good news coming out of Ranbaxy.
ONGC acquisition of Russia based Imperial Energy for $2.8 billion. This marked the turn around of India's hunt for natural reserves to compete with China.
NTT DoCoMo-Tata Tele services deal for $2.7 billion. The second biggest telecom deal after the Vodafone. Reliance MTN deal if went through would have been a good addition to the list.
HDFC Bank acquisition of Centurion Bank of Punjab for $2.4 billion.
Tata Motors acquisition of luxury car maker Jaguar Land Rover for $2.3 billion. This could probably the most ambitious deal after the Ranbaxy one. It certainly landed Tata Motors into lot of trouble.
Wind Energy premier Suzlon Energy's acquistion of RePower for $1.7 billion.
Reliance Industries taking over Reliance Petroleum Limited (RPL) for 8500 crores or
$1.6 billion.
. The tusks of male elephant are
(a) premolar (b) molar (c) incisor (d) canine
2. In which year was the RBI nationalized ?
(a) 1948 (b) 1950 (c) 1947 (d) 1949
3. The Mauryan dynasty from 321 BC to 185 BC. The last Mauryan emperor was defeated by
Pushyamitra Sunga. Who among the following was the last Mauryan emperor ?
(a) Brihadratha (b) Asoka (c) Bindusara (d) Samprati
4. Which of the following books is not written by Shashi Tharoor ?
(a) Bookless in Baghdad (b) The Great Indian Novel
(c) Riot : A Novel (d) India : The Siege Within
5. When bullet is fired upwards vertically it gains in
(a) Potential energy (b) Kinetic energy (c) Speed (d)
inertia
6. How many players make up a team in a basketball game ?
(a) 4 (b) 5 (c) 6 (d) 7
7. Who among the following is the director of the film Corporate ?
(a) Shekar Kapoor (b) Mahesh Bhatt
(c) Nagesh Kukanoor (d) Madhur Bhandarkar
8. The traditional new year celebrations of Bihu are associated with
(a) West Bengal (b) Orissa (c) Assam (d) Kerala
9. Who is the author of the book, Elizabeth Costello ?
(a) J.M. Coetzee (b) Peter Carey (c) Glunter Grass (d) Hari Junzru
10. Which is the solar system's fastest planet, which orbits the sun at nearly twice the speed of
the earth ?
(a) Venus (b) Mercury (c) Jupiter (d) Pluto
11. US President Barack Obama serced as United States Senator from January 4, 2005 to
November 16, 2008 from which of the following states ?
(a) Iowa (b) California (c) Illinois (d) New York
12. Who among the following owns The Taj Hotel, Mumbai which was recently attacked by
militants ?
(a) Ratan Tata (b) Arun Sarin (c) KM Birla (d) Vijay Mallya
13. Which among the following is the most common element on earth ?
(a) Hydrogen (b) Carbon (c) Oxygen (d) Nitrogen
14. Which of the following nations gave women, the right to vote, first ?
(a) West Indies (b) United States of America
(c) India (d) New Zeland
15. What is the meaning of Veni, Vidi, Vici ?
(a) I come, I fought, I won (b) I came, I saw, I conquered
(c) I saw, I planned, I achieved (d) I saw, I fought, I won
16. The disease Swine Flu, is caused by which subtype of Influenza A virus ?
(a) H5N1 (b) H5N5 (c) H1M1 (d) H1N1
17. What are the Primary Colours ?
(a) Red, Blue amd Yellow (b) Red, Blue, Green
(c) Blue, Yellow, Brown (d) Blue, Brown, Black
18. The Narmada Valley Project is spread across three states. Which of the following is not a
part of the project ?
(a) Maharashtra (b) Jharkhand (c) Gujarat (d) Madhya Pradesh
19. The PGA championship is associated with
(a) Bridge (b) Polo (c) Horse racing (d) Golf
45. Jeep, an automobile brand, is registered and owned by
(a) General Motors (b) Ford Motors
(c) Damiler Chrysler (d) Mahindra & Mahindra
20. What should be the minimum level of public share holding in listed companies under the
new SEBI guidelines issued in April 2006 ?
(a) 20% of total equity capital (b) 15% of total equity capital
(c) 25% of total equity capital (d) 30% of total equity capital
21. Which company is associated with the campaign, Tase Bhi, Health Bhi ?
(a) Glaxo Smith Kline (b) Dabur (c) Nestle (d)
Amul
22. The book, To Kill a Mocking Bird, is written by
(a) Harper Lee (b) Joseph Heller (c) Ken Casey (d) Ayn Rand
23. Spoil yourself, is the punch line of
(a) Tata Indigo (b) Tata Indica (c) Toyota Corolla (d) Toyota Camr y
24. Lawrence J Ellison, one of the world's highest paid CEOs is heading __________
Company ?
(a) IBM (b) Toshiba (c) Oracle (d) Wipro
incisor 1949
Brihadratha
India : The Siege Within
Potential energy
5
Madhur B Assam
J.M. Coetzee
Mercury
illinois
Ratan Tata
H20 NZ I came, I saw, I conquered
H1N1
Red, Blue amd Yellow
Jharkhand
Damiler Chrysler
25% of total equity capital Nestle
Harper Lee
Tata Indigo
Oracle
1. who is the PM of Norway who recently appointed a muslim woman of pakistani origin as the new Culture Minister ? Ans: Jens Stoltenberg (rem tips: Jeans + steal +burger :-P) Culture minister : Haadia Tajik (Had kar di Taj ne ) 2. Who is the PM of japan who took the landmark decision to phase out Nuclear energy by 2040 ? ans: Yoshiko Noda (rem the japanese term Sayonada for goodbye ) Note: japan used to rely on nuclear power for 30 %.
3. Latest book by J.K Rowling , for which 2 million orders have been placed before its release ? "The Casual Vacancy" release date : Thursday, 27th sept 2012 4.Latest book by Salman Rushdie
"Joseph Anton"
National Filmfare Award- 2012
Best Film – Kannada film ‘Byari’ and Marathi film ‘Deool’ Best Malayalam film – Indian Rupee Best Bengali Film – Ranjana Ami Aar Ashbo Na Best Tamil Film – Vaagai Sooda Vaa Best Marathi Film – Shaala Best Hindi Film – I Am Best Actor – Girish Kulkarni (Marathi film ‘Deool’) Best Actress – Vidya Balan (The Dirty Picture) Best Child Actor – Partho Gupte (Stanley Ka Dabba) and Chillar Party kids Best Supporting Actor – Appu Kutty (Tamil film ‘Azhagar Samiyin Kuthirai’) Best Supporting Actress – Leishangthem Tonthoingambi Devi (Manipuri film
‘Phijigee Mani’) Best Director – Gurvinder Singh (Punjabi film ‘Anhe Ghore Da Daan’) Best Children’s Film – Chillar Party Indira Gandhi Award for Best First Film by a director – Thiagarajan Kumararaja
(Aranya Kandam) Best Lyrics – Amitabh Bhattacharya (I Am) Best Choreography – Bosco – Caesar for ‘Senorita’ (Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara) Best Visual Effects – Ra.One Best Costumes – Neharika Khan (The Dirty Picture) and Neeta Lulla (Bal
Gandharva)
Best Makeup – Vijram Gaekwad (The Dirty Picture) Best Screenplay – Nitish Tiwari, Vikas Bahl, Vijay Maurya, Rajesh Bajaj (Chillar
Party) Best Adapted Screenplay Writer – Avinash Deshpande Best Dialogues – Girish Kulkarni (Deool) Best Editing – Praveen KL (Aranya Kandam) Best Audiography – Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara Best Playback Singer Male – Anand Bhate Best Playback Singer Female – Rupa Ganguly Best Book – Anirudha Bhattacharjee, Balaji Vittal (RD Burman The Man The
Music) Best Film Critic – Manoj P Pujari Special Mention – Director Shari for Malayalam film ‘Adi Madhyantam’ and Mallika
Kannada film ‘Byari’ Special Jury Award – Anjan Dutta (Ranjana Ami Aar Ashbo Na)
January 2012
1. Youngest ever Microsoft Certified Professional who died recently at the age of 16 ?
Arfa Karim Randhawa
2. What is the total number of districts in Chhattisgarh as on 1st January 2012?
27
3. Where the Coastal Business Development Summit is is held?
Mangalore,Karnataka
4. Name the DGP replacing outgoing chief Sankar Baruah for Assam.
Jayanta Narayan Choudhury
5. Where National Kannada conference is is set to be held in the month of April?
Delhi
6. Which country recently joined UNSC as non-permanent member?
Pakistan
7. Who are now allowed to invest in Indian stock market directly?
QFI’s – Qualified foreign investors
8. How much of share can a QFI company and QFI’s put together hold a stake in Indian
companies?
5% and 10%
9. Which two countries have strengthened business ties to start trading electricity and
petroleum products?
India and Pakistan
10. What is SEBI toll free helpline number launched to support 14 languages?
1800 227 575
11. Who has been named male player of the year by Golf writers Association of America?
Luke Donald
12. Name the Argentinean bike rider who died after being involved in an accident on the first
day of the Dakar Rally.
Jorge Martinez Boero
13. Name Afghan’s first team of female boxers set to aim for Olympics 2012.
Shabnam and Sadaf Rahimi
14. Which country test launched first 3D television broadcast?
China
15. What rank does Vishwanathan Anand holds as he prepares for 2012 World chess
championship?
4th
16. Name the former Macedoninan President who passed away recently.
Kiro Gligorov
17. Which Indian ace tennis star withdrew out of Aircel Chennai Open 2012 because of
recurring shoulder injury?
Somdev Devvarman
18. Where the 5-day 99th Indian Science Congress science event is is set to start on 3rd
January 2012?
Kalinga Institute of industrial Technology, Bhuvaneshwar, Orrisa
19. What bank account facility is set to be launched in India?
Bank Number Portability
20. Name the new education tablet launched by Classteacher Learning Systems, a Delhi
based Educational Solutions Provider.
Classpad
21. Who has been appointed as chief coach of Kolkata Knight Riders?
Trevor Bayliss
22. Where in India is Literary Festival 2012 is scheduled to be held?
Jaipur
23. What is the concept introduced by Indian Postal Department (Bihar Postal Circle) to get a
personalized stamp with photograph on it?
My Stamp
24. Who takes over as Wipro Technologies Senior Vice President and Corporate Treasurer?
Manoj Jaiswal
25. Who has been considered for first Gates Innovation Award?
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar
26. Which auto major is set to invest USD142 million at its Chennai plant in India to
manufacture a compact sports utility vehicle named EcoSport?
Ford India
27. Name the Government policy introduced by Karnataka to boost animation industry.
Karnataka Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics (KAVGC) Policy 2011
28. Name the ace woman tennis player who withdrew from Australian Open due to left ankle
injury.
Serena Williams
29. Who has been named as CEO of Yahoo?
Scott Thompson
30. Who has been appointed as Senior Vice President in India by CIBER?
Vivek.K.Marla
31. Name the interactive presentation tool launched by HP in India.
Pocket whiteboard
32. Name the Australian cricket captain who joined the triple-century club recently.
Michael Clarke scored 329* against India at SCG
33. Where the national and international theater festival, the Bharat Rang Mahotsav set to be
held?
National School of Drama, Amritsar
34. Who won gold for triple jump at the all India inter-university athletics meet held in
Mangalore, Karnataka?
Arpinder Singh
35. Who has been named Chief Information Officer of WildCard Systems?
Shahi Kapur
36. Who has been appointed as VP, Chief Information Officer of Qwest Communications?
Girish Varma
37. Name the Indian doctor who became famous for his selfless work in China during the
Sino-Japan war whose memorial was dedicated to India.
Dr.Dwarkanath Shantaram Kotnis
38. Where has Union Government planned to build 11 tunnels to connect important roads?
Pakistan and China borders
39. Which version of Internet Explorer is dead as per Microsoft?
Internet Explorer 6
40. Name the website launched by Jammu and Kashmir government for the state’s school
education department.
www.jkeducation.gov.in
41. Who was given the first S.K.Singh award for negotiating Indo-US nuclear deal?
D.Bala Venkatesh Varma
42. Where is the world’s largest solar telescope set to be built?
Merak on Pangong Tso lake in the cold desert Ladakh region
43. Who has been appointed as President of Federation of Indian Export Organisations?
Rafeeq Ahmed
44. Which state has planned to teach Bhagavad Gita in schools?
Karnataka
45. Which automobile maker has re-entered Indian markets after 13 years?
Vespa
46. Who won the doubles title at the Chennai Open 2012?
Leander Peas and Janko Tipsarevic
47. Which country has called for Indian investments and sought partnership in oil and gas
exploration?
Trinidad and Tobago
48. Who has been appointed as Managing Director, President and CEO of Samsung’s South-
West Asia operations?
B.D.Park
49. Name the world’s first hydrogen powered 3-wheeler which was launched by Mahindra
and Mahindra at the 11th Auto Expo 2012.
HyAlfa
50. Who won the FIFA women’s World player of the year?
Homare Sawa of Japan
51. Who won the FIFA men’s world player of the year 3rd time in a row?
Lionel Messi of Argentina
52. Name the car which won the 2012 North American Car of the year award.
Hyundai Elantra
53. Name the Guinea Bissau President who died recently.
Malam Bacai Sanha
54. Name the chairman of Swiss National Bank who stepped down recently.
Philipp Hildebrand
55. Which company has acquired Bangalore-based event and entertainment guide
Buzzintown?
Yatra online
56. Which country’s Prime Minister is to be chief guest at Indian Republic Day parade?
Thailand Prime Minister, Yingluck Shinawatra
57. How many banks are now allowed to import bullion or precious metals?
35
58. Name the recently added banks to import precious metals.
Yes Bank, Bank of Maharashtra, City Union Bank and ING Vysya Bank
59. Which bollywood actor is campaigning for clean voting?
Aamir Khan
60. Who took over as Director General Military Operations succeeding Lt Gen Anand Mohan
Verma?
Lt Gen Ashok Kumar Chaudhary
61. Name the Chinese dancer who took Bharatanatyam and Kathak to Mao’s China died
recently.
Zhang Jun
62. Where the Quick service cum mobile medical dispensary was inaugurated recently?
Bodh Gaya Temple premises
63. What is the lowest one-day score by Sri Lanka in the recently held match against South
Africa?
43 all out
64. What is the worth of total Private equity investment made in India in 2011?
$10.11 billion
65. Which country has been ranked first on nuclear safety?
Australia
66. What has Kerala hospital introduced to diagnose small bowel bleeding sites, tumours and
ulcers?
Wireless Capsule Endoscopy
67. Where does the industrial output stand as of November 2011 in India?
5.9%
68. When did India complete one polio-free year?
13th January 2012
69. What is the cost of cheapest electric car unveiled by Tata in Detroit?
$20,000
70. Which legendary singer is set to be honoured with lifetime achievement award at the 18th
Annual Colors Screen Awards?
Asha Bhosle
71. Who has been appointed to google board recently?
Diane Greene, VMware co-founder
72. Which service the Indian Government has planned to launch for farmers?
Interactive medium of spoken web service
73. Who won gold in Asian shooting championship?
Abhinav Bindra
74.Which airways bagged best airline award?
Ethad Airways
75. Which Indian city is set to host psychiatry conclaves?
Kochi
76. Which country reported rare decline of foreign reserves?
China
77. Name India’s first woman journalist who died recently.
Homai Vyarawalla
78. Who won the Mumbai marathon title recently?
Laban Moiben
79. Where does inflation stand as on 16th January 2012?
7.47%
80. Name the scheme launched by Arunachal Pradesh government for the treatment of Multi
Drug Resistant TB patients.
Directly Observed Treatment Plus Service (DOTS)
81. Who took charge as Kerala governor?
H.R.Bharadwaj
82. Who won the trust of vote in Parliament of Pakistan?
Yousuf Raza Gilani
83. Which currency is world’s most undervalued currency as per Big Mac Index?
Indian rupee
84. Who has been appointed as Director Enterprise Business (India and South Asia) by
Adobe?
Kulmeet Bawa
85. What is the amount received by India in venture capital funding in the solar energy
sector?
Rs.500 crore
86. Which Government has bought 1.09% worth stake in Reliance Industries?
Singapore Government
87. Which bank is likely to increase their presence in Karnataka from the present 71 to 100
branches?
Bank of Baroda
88. Name the boxer who turned 70 recently.
Mohammad Ali
89. What is the export growth as of December 2011?
6.7% at $25billion
90. Which website is to be shut for 24hrs to stop anti-piracy act?
Wikipedia
91. Name the Indian-origin Sikh who has been unanimously elected as the mayor of
Charlottesville, a historic American city in Virginia.
Satyendra Singh Huja
92. What fund has India planned to launch by July 2012?
$1 billion innovation fund
93. Where is the India-Burma talks scheduled on January 19th 2012?
Myanmar capital, Naypyitaw
94. Name the Yahoo co-founder who resigned recently.
Jerry Yang
95. Which global consulting and IT service provider is set to participate in World Economic
Forum?
Mahindra Satyam
96. Which card has BSNL launched to facilitate making utility bill payments like electricity and
telephone bills?
Itz Cash Card (Trust Card)
97. Name the media advisor to Prime Minister who resigned recently.
Harish Khare
98. Where India’s first Startup Village is to be setup?
KINFRA Park, Kalamassery, Kochi
99. Expand SOPA & PIPA
Stop Online Piracy Act & Protect IP Act
100. Which photo pioneer company filed bankruptcy recently?
Kodak
101. Which online video streaming site has launched a film festival?
YouTube
102. Name the Indian wicketkeeper who is set to debut in place of MS Dhoni in test cricket
against Australia.
Wriddhiman Saha
103. Where is the Jaipur Literature Festival held in India?
Diggi Palace, Jaipur
104. Which file-sharing website has US shut down recently?
Megaupload
105. Petroleum ministry recently allowed import of?
ATF – Aviation Turbine Fuel
106. Name the new kind of train launched by China.
Magnetic train
107. Which auto-maker regained its title as the world’s top-selling automaker in 2011?
General Motors
108. Who is appointed as COO of Intel?
Brain Krzanich
109. Who is appointed as Managing Editor of Wall Street Journal?
Raju Narisetti
110. Where did India open its 5th Consulate in US?
Atlanta
111. Which country is set to join European Union in 2013?
Coratia
112. Name the year that is been celebrated across China?
Dragon year
113. Who won the Ranji Trophy 2011-12?
Rajasthan
114. What rank does India hold to have a nuclear submarine?
6th position
115. Which parliament passed Armenian gernocide bill?
French Parliament
116. What is the prevailing CRR as on 25th January 2012?
5.5%
117. Which state’s theme has been set in 26th Surajkund Crafts Mela in Faridabad, Haryana?
Assam
118. Who won Grand slam title in men’s Australian Open 2012?
Djokovic
119. What rank does India hold as steel maker in 2011 as per World Steel Association?
4th rank
120. What sum of capital has been approved to be infused in SBI and PNB?
Rs.7,900 crore and Rs.1,285 crore
Name the Australian world's richest woman as per an annual index by Business Review Weekly. Gina Rineheart Which country would infuse 30 billion euros into businesses to repay debts? Italy Who has been appointed as CEO of Motorola Mobility post Google's acquisition? Dennis Woodside Name the social network launched for the people who are on death bed. My Last Wish To which country did India lose in Azlan Shah Cup?
New Zealand Who will receive the honorary doctorate in civil law nearly after 20 years after Oxford University awarded? Aung Saan Suu Kyi Indian Air Force signed a deal worth Rs.2,800 crore for acquisition of which planes? Pilatus planes Name the new system that is introduced to get information of foreigners visiting India. Immigration, Visa and Foreigners Registration and Tracking (IVFRT) Which 2 Indian companies have been included in the 'BrandZ list' of the top 100 mostvaluable global brands of 2012 by research firm Millward Brown? Bharti Airtel and ICICI Bank Which 2 teams qualify for finals of Indian Premier League 2012 to be held on 27th May 2012? Kolkata Kinght Riders and Chennai Super Kings As stated in Railway Budget which train from Rajasthan will help huge flow of pilgrims to reach the shrine of Khawaja Moinuddin Chisti? Ajmer-Delhi Duronto train Which tourism has joined hands with IRCTC in India to improve their tourism services by making use of each other's expertise and facilities? Indian Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) Expand ADaRSH. Association for Development and Research of Sustainable
Expand GRIHA. Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment Name the former chief minister of Meghalaya who passed away recently. Flinder Anderson Khonglam Which state Government in India announced a pension of Rs.1,000 per month post retirement and housing scheme for homeless journalists? Tripura Name the deputy Prime Minister who quit from Nepal cabinet recently. Krishna Sitaula Expand PAC.
Public Accounts Committee Who won the 2012 Indian Premier League? Kolkata Knight Riders Name the Indian who became the first Prime Minister to visit Myanmar after 25 years. Dr.Manmohan Singh Who won the 66th Santosh Trophy? Services against Tamil Nadu (3-2) Which company has warned of internet blackout on July 9th 2012? Google Which company has invested Rs.21,000 crore to setup railway wagon and component factory in West Bengal? SAIL Name the tennis player who played his 50th Grand Slam tournament at the French Open 2012. Roger Federer Who won the Monaco Grand Prix 2012? Mark Webber Who won the Chennai Open 2012 at the Indian Squash Academy? Joshna Chinappa (6th title of her career) Who won the Thomas Cup 2012 title?
Lin Dan
Top 9 Mergers & Acquisitions in India for 2010 Tata Chemicals buys British salt Reliance Power and Reliance Natural Resources merger Airtel's acquisition of Zain in Africa Abbott's acquisition of Piramal healthcare solutions GTL Infrastructure acquisition of Aircel towers ICICI Bank buys Bank of Rajasthan JSW and Ispat Ki Kahani Reckitt Benckiser goes to paras pharma Fortis Healthcare acquisitions
Which 2 countries have agreed to resume dialogue on disarmament and non-proliferation after a gap of 9 years? India and China Which Hyderabad based Business school signed MoU with Karachi-based Institute of Business Administration to launch executive MBA programmes for working
professionals in Pakistan? Indian School of Business Which country's scientists have found volcanic activity on moon? India Which repayment transaction is now allowed by RBI electronically i.e. NEFT? Repayment of Loan EMI's How many co-sponsors are against the Bill of outsourcing call centres in USA? 106 co-sponsors How much basis point did RBI cut key rates after 3 years? 50 basis points Name the Master Card's President and CEO who has been elected next chairman of the US-India Business Council? Ajay Banga Which Indian FMCG company crossed $1 billion mark in 2011-12? Dabur India Where in India first e-toll plaza will be inaugurated? Chandimandir near Punchkula in Haryana on Delhi-Chandigarh highway Which 14 year old ICC cricket tournament would end after 2013? ICC Champions Trophy Name the Ex Pakistan all-rounder who is set to play in IPL for Kings XI Punjab. Azhar Mahmood Which state has included services of the petroleum industry, including that provided by tanker operations as essential services under the state's Essential Services Maintenance Act 1971, (Act 20 of 1971)? Andhra Pradesh Which Indian state's 100th anniversary was celebrated recently?
Bihar
Important Operation and committee:- 1. India and USA navy exercise - Malabar 2012 2. The IAF's Eastern Air Command commenced Exercise codenamed "Pralay" 3. Rangrajan committee - Sugar industry 4. Kakodkar committee - railway safety 5. Sam pitroda committee - railways 6. Shyamala Gopinath committee - Financial frauds 7. M.V. Nair committee - Priority lending sector 8. Shivraj patil committee - Productivity in Agriculture sector
9. B.K. chaturvedi committee - Power sector reform
India's Rank in Important world Index :- 1. Human development Index - 134th 2. World Hunger Index - 66th
3. World Corruption Index - 95th 4. World Competitiveness Index - 56th 5. Annual Global Innovation Barometer - 6th
IRMA 2012 ISC QA
Which of the following organisation helps in establishing small scale industries? Answer: SIDBI Statement of World Bank….. “ensuring that all people at all times have both physical and economic access to the basic food that they need”- What is this called? Answer: Food security What is the main objective of Public Distribution System? Answer: to provide subsidy in essential items like food grains, kerosene etc. Which policy is used to control Inflation? Answer: monetary policy Which of the following gives recommendation on revenue sharing between states? Answer: Finance Commission What is Sex ratio of India?- Answer: 940 Which State has the highest percentage of Scheduled Tribes in total population?- Answer: Mizoram What is the main cause of high drop out rate in schools in rural areas? Which of the following determines the quality of life?- Answer: life expectancy Full form of FDI- Answer: Foreign direct investment What is the objective of National population policy? Which of the following does not determine Human development Index? Answer: Migration rate from rural to urban area Human Development Report is published by which of the following organisation? Answer: UNDP By which year are the UNDP millennium goals to be achieved? Answer: 2015 Which of the following is not a BIMARU state? Answer: Uttarakhand Alvin E. Roth, Lloyd S. Shapley have won which among the following awards? Answer: Nobel prize in economics, 2012 Which among the following country has joined WTO in 2012? Answer: Russia 11th Convention on Biological Diversity was held in? Answer: India Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana targets Answer: Below poverty line persons. 12th five year plan encompasses years? Answer: 2012-17 Which of the following has helped farmers in Rajasthan? Answer: Indira Gandhi Canal Which of the following dams is located on Narmada River? Answer: Sardar Sarovar dam Which of the following scheme is not related with wage or self employment? Answer: Mid-day meal. Which of the following is not a basic feature of India as developing economy? Answer: Abundance of Skilled manpower
Which of the following is a book of MS Swaminathan? Answer: Towards a hunger free India Which of the following pension scheme is related with unorganised sector? Answer: Swavalamban Which of the following country is largest producer of milk in the world? Answer: India Kudankulam was in news recently. It is a……? Answer: nuclear power station site. Dr. Verghese Kurien is related with …..? Answer: Operation Flood Which of the following scheme is related to adolescent girls? Answer: SABLA Which of the following organization gives funds to Self Help Groups? Answer: NABARD Which of the following is not related to money market? Answer: Indian gold council In case of liquidity crunch what step does Reserve Bank of India takes? Answer: Cut CRR and SLR rates. Fiscal policy of India is monitored by ……….. Answer: Finance Ministry What is purpose of Know your customer scheme? Answer: to prevent money laundering Loan granted by banks to microfinance institutions comes under. Answer: priority sector lending What do you mean by PPP? Answer: purchasing power parity The purpose of Kisan credit card?. Answer: to provide affordable credit for farmers in India Who among the following is associated with Green revolution? Answer: M.S. Swaminathan Which of the following program aims to increase the self-reliance and autonomy of women by enhancing their productivity and enabling them to take up income generaion activities?
MAY JUNE GK (1) Which of the following state has maximum forest cover ? [a] Madhya Pradesh [b] Arunachal Pradesh [c] Gujarat [d] Maharastra OA: (a) MP has 11.24% of the forest land in the country. second is Arunanchal Pradesh. (2) Who won the world CHESS championship 2012? [a] Vaseline Topolov [b] Boris Gelfand [c] Viswanathan Anand [d] Vladimir Kramnik OA (c) title has been held by Anand since 2007.
(3) Indian government constitutes a committee to review the functioning of Petroleum Service Companies. At present, who heads this committee? [a] Dr. C. Rangrajan [b] Nandan Nilekani [c] Sudha Murty [d] Montek Singh Ahluwalia OA: [a] Dr. C. Rangrajan is a former Member of Parliament and Governor of the Reserve Bank of India. Currently, he is the Chairman of the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Counci (4) Recently, which of the following bank tied up with Bahrain's Ahli United Bank for remittance? [a] ICICI Bank [b] Axis Bank [c] HDFC Bank [d] India Overseas Bank OA: [b] Axis Bank.According to this tie up, any person having an a/c with Ali United Bank can transfer money to a bank a/c holder in India. using Internet Banking platform. (5) As per 30th May 2012, Who replaced 'Rahul Khullar' as new Commerce Secretary'? [a] S. D. Sibulal [b] Sudha Murty [c] S. R. Rao [d] Sam Pitroda OA: [c] S. R. Rao Rahul Khullar is appointed as the new chairman of TRAI (6) Recently, Which of the following bank & Myanmar signed a MoU with $500 mn credit line for Myanmar? [a] Axis Bank [b] EXIM Bank of India [c] ICICI Bank [d] HDFC bank OA: [b] EXIM Bank of India (7) Interest rate on SDS(Special Deposit scheme), SPF(State Provident Fund) and GPF (General Provident Fund) as per May 25, 2012 is: [a] 8.6 [b] 8.8 [c] 8.2 [d] 8.4] OA: [b] previously, it was 8.6 (8) Okay. An easy one: Who won the man's single title of the Italian Open Tennis Tournament at Rome?
[a] Roger Federer [b] Lleyton Hewitt [c] Rafael Nadal [d] Novak Djokovic OA: [c] Rafael Nadal. He defeted Novak Djokovic in the finals (9) As per 23rd May 2012, who is president of France? [a] Jean Marc Aryault [b] Nicolas Sarkozy [c] Slobodan Milosevic [d] Francois Hollande OA: [d] . Francois Hollande replaced Nicolas Sarkozy on May 23rd, 2012. (10) When do we observe Anti-Terrorism Day? [a] 20th May, 2012 [b] 21st May, 2012 [c] 22nd May, 2012 [d] 23rd May, 2012 OA: [b] 21st May 2012 is also the death aniversary of Ex. PM of India, Mr. Rajeev Gandhi (11) As per TRAI's standard of Quality of Service Regulation 2012, What is the advertisement duration limit on TV channels?? [a] 10 minutes [b] 12 minutes [c] 14 minutes [d] 16 minutes OA: [b] Also, Min. time gap b/w any two consecutive advertisements should no be less than 15 minutes. (12) As per, 2nd May 2012, Who is the attorney General of India? [a] Goolam E. Vahanvati [b] Milon K. Banerji [c] Altmas Kabir [d] Ashok Desai OA: [a] Goolam E. Vahanvati. Prios to that, he was Solicitor General of India. (13) Nomura has predicted India's growth estimate for the fiscal to 5.8% and GDP for 2013-14 to 6.6%. Numra belongs to which of the following country? [a] South Korea [b] Japan [c] Singapore [d] malaysia
A: [b] Japan. Nomura is a japanese multinational conglomerate of financial services, financial management consulting companies and related organizations. HQ- Tokyo, Japan. (14) In a move targeted at preventing the continuous decline of rupee, the Reserve Bank of India incresed the limit of foreign investment in government bonds to: [a] $20b [b] $25b [c] $30b [d] $35b OA: [a] $20 b (15) India recently signed a MoU with $ .66 mn investment in tourism sector, laying the foundation to create a tourism development forum. Name the country. [a] Australia [b] Singpore [c] Malaysia [d] Israel OA: [d] Israel (16) Regulators in united states, Europe and Asia are scanning a number of key financial institutions for manipulating Inter-bank. Whick of the following bank was first to come into the scanner and fined $450 mn? [a] Deustche Bank [b] City group [c] Goldman sachs [d] Barclays Bank OA: [d] Barclays Bank. City group, JPMorgan, HSBC, RBS and Deustche Bank are also under the scanner. (17) When do we observe International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit trafficking? [a] 24 June [b] 25 June [c] 26 June [d] 27 June OA: [c] June 26. Theme for 2012 was ''Global Action for the healthy communities without drugs." (18) Inclusive Wealth Index (IWI) per capita listed top 20 countries on the basis of economic performances assessed between 1990 and 2008. What was India's rank? [a] 6th [b] 7th [c] 8th
[d] 9th OA: [a] 6th IWI is a more holistic measure which consider full range of assets (manufacturing, human and natural capital), which shows wealth and sustainability. (19) One confidence booster: Who won the European Grand Prix held on 25th june, 2012? [a] Fernando Alonso [b] Mark Webber [c] Sebastian Vettel [d] Narayan karthikayen OA: [a] Fernando Alonso (20) Who is current President of International Cricket Council? [a] Jagmohan Dalmiyan [b] Sharad Pawar [c] Alan Isaac [d] David Richardson OA: [c] Alan Isaac. He relaced Sharad Pawar as the terms of latter came to an end. David Richardson is the chief executive officer of ICC (21) After the government declared 100% FDI in single brand retail, which the following Furniture manufacturing major plans to investment neraly $2 billion in India? [a] IKEA [b] Alfa Vega [c] Beco Industries [d] Brastilo OA: [a] Swedish major IKEA (22) Who among the following was announced first islamist president of Egypt after 1st election in the country's history? [a] Ahmed Shafiq [b] Hosni Mobarak [c] Mohamed Morsy [d] Raja Parvez Ashraf OA: [c] Mohamed Morsy. He defeated Ahmed Shafiq with a close margin. (23) Founding director of National Investigation Agency (NIA) passed away on 24th June, 2012. Who is the present director general of NIA? [a] SC Sinha [b] Vikram Singh [c] Kiran Mazumdar [d] C. Rangarajan
OA: [a] SC Sinha (24) Greece is going through the severe economic crisis. In recently held elections, leader of New Democratic Party sowrn in as the new prime minister. Name the PM: [a] Kyrie Eleison [b] Antonis Samaras [c] Jose Manuel Boroso [d] Yiannis Stournaras OA: [b] Antonis Samaras (25) Name the Fastest Super Computer in the world: [a] Sequoia - US [b] K Computer - Japan [c] Mira - US [d] SuperMUC-Germany OA: [a] Sequoia Above 4 are top 4 Supercomputers in the world (26) Which of the following Indian major bagged the 2012 World Business and Development Award at the Rio+20 UN Summit at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil? [a] Godrej Industries Ltd. [b] ITC Ltd. [c] Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd. [d] Dabur OA: [b] ITC limited for it's social and farm forestery programs. (27) As per Visa's 2012 golbal financial literacy barometer survey, India stood at ---- position: [a] 21st, 35 % literacy rate. [b] 22nd, 36 % literacy rate [c] 23rd, 35% literacy rate [d] 24th, 36% literacy rate. OA: [c] 23rd position. 25%litracy rate.brazil topped the chart 50.4% PFL followed by Mexico, 46.3 % PFL. (28) Who was the captain of India Hockey team in London Olympics? [a] Bharat Chhetri. [b] Sardar Singh [c] Sandeep Singh [d] Prabhjeet Singh OA: [a] Bharat Chhetri India lost all the six matches and finished last place at the Olympics .Germany Won the gold medal beating Netherlands 2-1.
[29] Spain's Rafael Nadal beat Serbia's Novak Djokovic in the final of French Open. This win overtook whose world record of 6 roland garros titles? [a] Bjorn Borg [b] Pete Sampras [c] Roger Federer [d] Henry Cochet [a] Bjorn Borg [30] Revision: When do we celebrate World Environment day? [a] 3rd June [b] 4rth June [c] 5th June [d] 6th June OA: [c] June 5. Theme for this year: "Green Economy: Does it include you?" Government flagged-off the 'Science Express-Biodiversity Special'' Train in the new delhi to mark the day. [31] The Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize is an annual literary award given by the Loyal Society of Literature.Who won this prestigious award in 2012? [a] Rahul Bhattacharya [b] Edmund de Waal [c] Ian Thomson [d] Adam Nicolson OA: [a] Rahul Bhattacharya for 'The Sly Company of People Who Care'. First Indian Author to bag this award.He also received the 'Hindu Literary Prize' for Best Fiction, 2011 for the same book.
April 1. From which country India had taken INS Chakra for a period of 10 years lease recently? a) Australia b) France c) Russia d) Britain OA-C 2. What is the length of the World Largest Telescope in which India is going to join to build ? a) 40 metre b) 30metre c) 25 metre d) 45 metre OA-B
3.Which ministry on its meeting on 17th April 2012, decided to set up three new committee to accelerate procurements and border infrastructure projects [A]Defence Ministry [B]Railways Ministry [C]Commerce Ministry [D]Home Ministry OA-A 4. Name the Italian tourist who was released by the Maoist in Orissa on 12 April 2012? [A]Bosusco Paolo [B]Joel Melchiori [C]Giacomo Carr [D]Allen Carr OA-A 5. The two member Adarsh Judicial commission set up to probe in to the scam-tainted Adarsh Housing society submitted its interim report to the state Govt. on 13th April 2012? By which of the following bodies/entities was the committee set up? [A]Maharashtra Government [B]Union Government [C]Gujarat Government [D]Lok Sabha OA-A 6. By how much % the Reverse Repo rate has been adjusted recently? a) 7% b) 8.5% c) 6.9% d) 7.5% OA-A 7.The Government had made mandatory of E-filling for the income above_______? a) 5lakh b) 7lakh c) 15lakh d) 10lakh OA-D 8. The Union Cabinet on April 27, 2012, cleared the proposal by which country to hike the gas price for an Indian fertilizer Plant in the Gulf nation to $ 1.5 per million metric British thermal unit? [A]Oman [B]Qatar [C]Kuwait [D]Saudi Arabia
OA-A 9. The Union Cabinet on April 2012,gave its approval for signing a new liberal visa regime with which of the following countries paving way for easing travel restrictions and increasing people-to-people exchange? [A]Afghanistan [B]Pakistan [C]Sri Lanka [D]Bangladesh OA-B 10. India was in April 2012 announced to host the 46th annual meeting of the board of governors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in May 2013.Where is ADB based? [A]Singapore City [B]Tokyo [C]Manila [D]Jakarta OA-C 11.The 1,200-MW Rosa Thermal Power Project of Reliance Power in Shahjahanpur district in April 2012 became fully operational with the final unit of 300 MW being commissioned on March 31,2012.In which of the state it is located? [A]Bihar [B]Haryana [C]Orissa [D]Uttar Pradesh OA-D 13.Where was the India & US 16th Navy training " Malabar 2012 " held recently? a) Chennai b) Hyderabad c) Mumbai d) Odisha OA-A 14.Which state received the best state award recently for strengthening its panchayat raj? a) Sikkim b) Gujarat c) Rajasthan d) Bihar OA-A 15.Where will be the ICC Champions trophy held in 2013? a) Australia
b) South Africa c) Bangladesh d) England OA-D 16.Who is the top most woman who claimed the World's Ladies Billiards & Snooker Association held in England recently ? a) Uma devi b) Eva Palmius c) Monica webb d) Yu Ram Cha OA-A 17.On which date the Titanic ships 100 th anniversary was celebrated recently? a) 14 April 1912 b) 22 April 1914 c) 15 April 1912 d) 7 April 1912 OA-A 18. What is the name of newly designed 5500 horse power diesel locomotive engine manufactured recently? a) Rail b) Rail Bheem c) Rail Nigam d) Rail Horse OA-B 19.As per the WHO,India accounted for 47% of global deaths due to this disease.Name that disease a.AIDS b.Malaria c.Measles d.Dengue OA-C 20.S.Narsing Rao took over as the Chairman of which company in April 2012? a.ONGC b.Coal India Limited c.NTPC d.IOCL OA-B 21.Which country's PM and Cabinet resigned in April following the failure of austerity talks? a.Greece
b.Spain c.Netherlands d.Italy OA-C 22.Cable and Wireless Worldwide was acquired in a 1 billion pounds deal.Which company acquired it? a.AT & T b.Vodafone c.Motorola d.Sigmatel OA-B 23.Tata Consultancy Services(TCS) on April 1,2012 announced the appointment of this person on company board's with effect from April 2,2012.Who is he? 1) O.P Bhatt 2) S.N.Ram 3) K.P Singh 4) N.R Sinha OA-1 24.Global Power system company Rolls-Royce in April 2012 announced to have opened its largest facility in Asia at the Seletar Aerospace Park in 1) Japan 2) China 3) Singapore 4) India OA-3 25.In which of the following cities did union Telecommunications Minister Kapil Sibal Launch the country's first 4G services on April 10,2012? 1) Pune 2) New Delhi 3) Kolkata 4) Bangalore OA-3 26.To improve corporate government, the ministry of corporate Affairs in April 2012 announced to have constituted a High-Level Committee,headed by 1) Ratan Tata 2) Adi Godrej 3) Anil Ambani 4) Suresh Mittal OA-2 27.Who was in April 2012 appointed as Dean at the University of Minnesota's carlson school of management becoming the first Indian dean at American B-School? 1) Srilata Zaheer
2) Panchali Bose 3) Suparna Sen 4) Anjali Dubey OA-1 28.Puerto Rican Poet Jack Agueros was in April 2012 selected for the 2012 Asan World prize, the international award given for poetry. He belongs to : 1) Tamil Nadu 2) Kerala 3) Karnataka 4) Andhra Pradesh OA-2 29.Which company was involved in Tatra Truck scam by Indian Army? a.BEML b.BHEL c.SAIL d.NTPC OA-A 30.L & T finance acquired assets of which Mutual Fund company? a.HDFC b.DBS c.Fidelity d.Religare OA-C 31.Which European Bank has become largest European bank in terms of Assets a.UBS b.RBS c.BNP Paribas d.Deutsche Bank OA-D 32.Asia's 1st Dolphin Research Centre is set up at : a.Singapore b.Patna c.Jakarta d.Colombo OA-B 33.How many Indian origin scientists have been elected for Royal Society recently? a) 7 b) 3 c) 6 d) 10 OA-C
34. Global agency Moody's on April 30, 2012, placed credit ratings of which of the following on watch for a possible downgrade within three months? [A]ICICI Bank [B]HDFC Bank [C]Axis Bank [D]All of the above OA-D The Union Govt. and which of the following alongwith Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand on April 2,2012, signed a $ 43.84-million loan agreement towards the second tranche for an infrastructure development investment programme for tourism in the two states? [A]World Bank [B]Asian Development Bank [C]National Development Council [D]Inter State Council OA-B 36.The Union Cabinet, on April 26, 2012 decided to retain the voting rights in the private sector banks at 10 percent and felt it could be raised progressively to [A]26 percent [B]18 percent [C]33 percent [D]42 percent OA-A 37. NTPC in April 2012 was successful in the automation package for the Simhadri stage-II 2 X 500 MW super thermal power project located near which of the following places-(It is NTPC's first coastal-based coal-fired thermal power project too)? [A]Visakhapatnam [B]Mangalore [C]Cuttack [D]Satara OA-A 38) R.K LAXMAN:the uncommon man's is written by a)R.K Naraya b)Kamala Laxman c)Mulk raj anand d)dharmendra bhandari OA-A
BANKING GK 1.What is CAS in context with banking markets in India
a.Cash Authorisation Scheme b.Credit Access Scheme c.Credit Authorisation Scheme d.Cash Accredition Scheme C 2.RBI was established on the recommendation of ____ Commission a.Smith-Yardley Commission b.Rangarajan Commission c.Hilton-Young Commission d.Mehta Commission C 3.The rate at which RBI gives short term credit to the commercial banks against Givt.securities with buy back provision is called : a.Bank rate b.Repo rate c.Reverse Repo rate d.Interest rate B 4.How many languages are there on a 10-rupee note? a.8 b.10 c.15 d.16 16 5.Regional Rural banks are working in all states of India except in : a.Sikkim and Goa b.Sikkim and Manipur c.J & K d.Manipur and Nagaland A 6.Bank of Bengal,Bank of Bombay,Bank of Madras were known as : a.Traders banks b.Presidency banks c.Imperial banks d.Central banks B 7. On the recommendation of which committee was NABARD established? (a) Shivraman (b) Rangarajan (c) Malegam (d) Vijay Kelkar
A 8.Which among the following does the RBI not decide? (a) CAR (b) CRR (c) Base Rate (d) Bank Rate OA-C.Base rate is determined by each individual bank 9.________is the organization that maintains the borrower’s history in India. (a) CRISIL (b) CIBIL (c) CARE (d) RBI B 10.Which of the following statement is incorrect about SEBI? (a) SEBI is a capital market regulator (b) SEBI is the mutual fund regulator (c) SEBI also regulates the credit rating agencies in India (d) None of these OA-D. 11.With which among the following countries has India signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA)? (a) Japan (b) Singapore (c) Malaysia (d) France OA-A Japan. India has signed a CEPA (Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement) with Japan and South Korea. India has signed CECA (Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement) with Singapore and Malaysia. 12.In India, the commercial banks are required to provide_______% of their ANBC (Adjusted Net Bank Credit) to priority sector. (a) 15 (b) 25 (c) 35 (d) 40 OA-40% 13._____________has been declared the first ‘total banking state’ in India, successfully implementing the total financial inclusion thereby ensuring banking facility to all households. (a) Maharashtra (b) Kerala (c) Himachal Pradesh (d) Uttarakhand B 14.On what basis is Ad Valorem Tax levied? (a) Volume (b) Value (c) Imports (d) Exports OA-Value 15.____________are the beneficiaries of the “Reverse Mortgage Scheme”. (a) Government employees (b) Senior citizens
(c) Unemployed persons (d) Persons of BPL category B 16.RBI has introduced “Marginal Standing Facility” with the objective of: (a) Controlling Inflation (b) Containing instability in long term inter-bank rates (c) Containing instability in the overnight inter-bank rates (d) All of the above OA-C 17.What is understood by Fiduciary Issue of currency? (a) The issue of currency notes without keeping gold or silver as deposit (b) The issue of currency notes keeping gold or silver as deposit (c) The issue of currency notes with partial gold or silver deposits (d) The issue of currency notes with comparative gold or silver deposits A The fiduciary issue is the part of the issue of notes and coins that is not backed by gold. In the past bank notes were issued and were backed by gold. You could always redeem your notes and have gold back in exchange. However, the system quickly developed so that the value of notes issued exceeded ... 18.Often, we read in newspapers that the RBI has changed the Repo rate and the Reverse Repo rate by a few basis points. What is a basis point? (a) Ten % of one hundredth point (b) One hundredth of 1% (c) One tenth of 1% (d) Ten % of 100 B 19.‘Fiat Money’ is defined as the money which is (a) Accepted internationally (b) Accepted temporarily in lieu of gold (c) Issued by keeping gold or silver as deposit (d) Decreed as money by the government D 20.Euro bond is an instrument a) issued in the European market b) issued in Euro Currency c) Issued in a country other than the country of the currency of the bond. d) All of the above C 21.Sub Prime refers to a) lending done by banks at rates below PLR b) Funds raised by the banks at sublibor rates c) Group of Banks which are not rated as prime banks as per bankers's Almanac.
d) Lending done by Financing institutions including banks to customers who are not meeting with normally required credit appraisal standards. D 22.Currency swap is an instrument to manage a) Currency Risk b) Interest Rate Risk c) Currency and interest rate risk d) Cash flows in diffrent currencies OA-D 23.In the capital market, the term arbitrage is used with reference to-- a) purchase of securities to cover the sale b) sole of securities to reduce the loss on purchase c) simultaneous purchase and sale of securities to make profit from price. d) variation in different market C 24.An instrument that derives its value from a specified underlying( Currency, gold,stocks etc) is known as--- a) Derivative b) Securitisation Receipts c) Hedge Fund d) Factoring C 25.What is an Indian depository means? a) A deposit account with a public sector bank b) A depository account with any of depositories in India c) An instrument in the form of depository receipt created by an Indian depository against underlying equity shares of the issuing company d) An instrument in the form of deposit receipt issued by Indian depositories. C 26.The bank rate means a) Rate of interest charged by commerical bank from borrowers b) Rate of interest at which commercial banks discounted vills of their borrowers. c) Rate of interest allowed by commercial banks on their deposits. d) Rate at which RBI purchases or rediscounts bills of exchange of commercial banks. D 27.Open market operations, one of the measure taken by RBI in order to control credit expansion in the economy Means ---- a) Sale or purchase of govt. securities
b) Issuance of different type of bonds c) Auction of gold d) To make available direct finance to borrowers A 28.When more than one bank is allowing credit facilities to one party in coordination with eachother under a formal arrangement,the arrangement is generally known as a) Participation b) Consortium c) Syndicate d) Multiple banking OA-Consortium 29.RBI's open market operation transactions are carried out with a view to regulate all of the following except : a) Liquidity in the economy b) Prices of essential commodities c) Deflation d) Borrowing power of the banks C 30.SBI Day is celebrated on : a.3rd March b.1st July c.18th October d.25th May OA-1st July 31.SBI card is a JV between SBI and : a.ABN Amro Bank b.HSBC c.GE Capital d.GE Money C 32.While passing the Finance Bill the Finance Minister agreed to withdraw the controversial 'misery tax' on healthcare from the tax proposals. What did this 'misery tax relate to? 1) Expenditure tax for luxury treatment 2) Service tax on air conditioned hospitals and diagnostics 3) Sales tax on expensive healthcare 4) GST on costly hospital and medical treatment A-2.It is a 'Service' Tax..not a 'Sales' Tax 33.What is the full form of LAF? 1) Liquid Advance & Finance 2) Liquidity Adjustment Facility 3) Legal Adjournment of Finance
4) Local Advance Finance 2 34.Which of the following banks has taken over the Centurion Bank of Punjab ? a) ICICI Bank b) IDBI Bank c) HDFC Bank d) AXIS Bank OA-HDFC 35.If an investment strategy is considered extremely risky,it is termed as : a.Risky Finance b.Casino Finance c.Mar Finance d.Volatile Finance B 36.With which bank would you associate 'Balvidhya Scheme'? a.SBI b.Bank of Baroda c.Indian Bank d.Punjab National Bank OA-Indian bank
Banking GK
1. On the recommendation of which committee was NABARD established?
(a) Shivraman (b) Rangarajan (c) Malegam (d) Vijay Kelkar
2. ‘Swabhiman’, the financial inclusion scheme, comes under the purview of which
ministry?
(a) Ministry of Commerce (b) Ministry of Home Affairs (c) Ministry of Finance (d) Ministry of External Affairs
3. RBI was established on .
(a) April 1, 1925 (b) April 1, 1935
(c) April 1, 1945 (d) April 1, 1955
4. The one-rupee note bears the signature of .
(a) RBI Governor (b) Deputy Governor
(c) Finance Secretary (d) Finance Minister
5. Which among the following does the RBI not decide?
(a) CAR (b) CRR (c) Base Rate (d) Bank Rate
6. What does ‘T’ in RTGS stand for?
(a) Transaction (b) Transfer (c) Tax (d) Time
7. In banking, IFSC code stands for .
(a) International Format System Code (b) Indian Function System Code
(c) International Forex System Code
(d) Indian Financial System Code
8. If a customer does not get a satisfactory response to his grievance from the bank
within days, then he can approach the Banking Ombudsman.
(a) 60 (b) 90 (c) 30 (d) 15
9. Which of the following organizations is the Mutual Fund Market regulator?
(a) AMFI (b) SEBI (c) CIBIL (d) CRISIL
10. Which of the following statements is incorrect regarding RTGS system?
(a) The transactions take place in real time (b) The system operates on DNS (Deferred Net Settlement) basis
(c) The minimum amount that can be remitted is Rs. 2 lakh
(d) Service charges for RTGS transactions vary from one bank to another
11. Banks have recently launched a service through which money can be transferred
using mobile phones. This service is known as
(a) MMTF (Mobile Money Transfer Facility)
(b) MTMT (Mobile To Mobile Transfer)
(c) IMPS (Inter Bank Mobile Payment Service) (d) IBMPS (Internet Banking Mobile Payment Service)
12. Which among the following is at times mentioned as a kind of Direct Debit Facility?
(a) ECS (b) RTGS (c) IMPS (d) UTR
13. The discounting rate at which RBI borrows government securities from commercial
banks is known as
(a) Repo Rate (b) Reverse Repo (c) Deposit Rate (d) Base Rate
14. Which among the following is an instrument of monetary policy used by the RBI?
(a) Base Rate (b) PLR (c) CRR (d) BPLR
15. Which among the following statements is incorrect in the context of IMPS?
(a) It’s a mobile-to-mobile fund transfer facility (b) For this facility we need a GPS-enabled mobile phone
(c) Both the sender and the receiver must have an account in the same bank
(d) Both the customers must have an MMID (Mobile Money Identifier Number) number
16. is the organization that maintains the borrower’s history in India.
(a) CRISIL (b) CIBIL (c) CARE (d) RBI
17. RBI has directed commercial banks to resolve ATM transaction-related complaints
within seven working days. If a commercial bank is unable to do so then it has to pay
Rs. per day as compensation.
(a) 50 (b) 100 (c) 200 (d) 225
18. RTGS as well as NEFT uses
(a) UTR Number (b) MICR (c) IFSC (d) DNS
19. Which of the following statement is incorrect about SEBI?
(a) SEBI is a capital market regulator (b) SEBI is the mutual fund regulator
(c) SEBI also regulates the credit rating agencies in India
(d) None of them is wrong
20. What does liquidity mean?
(a) It means how cash is converted into gold (b) It means how cheaply and quickly an asset is converted into cash
(c) It means how cash is converted into SDR (Special Drawing Rights)
(d) It means how uncertain the money market conditions are
21. SWIFT is a commonly used acronym in the banking industry. The ‘I’ in SWIFT
stands for .
(a) Interbank (b) International (c) Intercom (d) Indian
22. What does the term Open Market Operations refer to?
(a) Selling of equities in the open market (b) Selling of commodities in the open market
(c) Buying and selling of government securities in the open market
(d) Buying and selling of products in the wholesale market
23. Under which act does RBI issue directives to banks?
(a) PMLA Act, 2002 (b) RBI Act, 1934 (c) DICGC Act, 1961 (d) Banking Regulation Act, 1949
24. Which committee recommended the change in the base year of the Wholesale Price
Index?
(a) Narsimhan committee (b) Vijay Kelkar committee (c) Srikrishna committee (d) Abhijit Sen committee
25. is the base year of the New Consumer Price Index Series.
(a) 2009 (b) 2008 (c) 2006 (d) 2010
26. isn’t a method of measurement of National Income.
(a) Value-added method (b) Income method (c) Investment method (d) Expenditure method
27. With which among the following countries has India signed a Comprehensive
Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA)?
(a) Japan (b) Singapore (c) Malaysia (d) France
28. In India, the commercial banks are required to provide % of their ANBC
(Adjusted Net Bank Credit) to priority sector.
(a) 15 (b) 25 (c) 35 (d) 40
29. What does FSDC stand for?
(a) Financial Security and Development Council
(b) Financial Stability and Development Council
(c) Fiscal Security and Development Council
(d) Fiscal Stability and Development Council
30. has been declared the first ‘total banking state’ in India,
successfully implementing the total financial inclusion thereby ensuring banking facility
to all households.
(a) Maharashtra (b) Kerala (c) Himachal Pradesh (d) Uttarakhand
31. Since April 1, 2012 has become the validity of cheques and bank drafts.
(a) 2 months (b) 3 months (c) 4 months (d) 6 months
32. On what basis is Ad Valorem Tax levied?
(a) Volume (b) Value (c) Imports (d) Exports
33. RBI is coming up with the concept of to protect banks against possible
harmful effects arising from the operations of their non-banking financial subsidiaries.
(a) Financial Holding Company
(b) Bank Holding Company
(c) Bureau of Credit Union
(d) Financial Institutions Audit Cell
34. RBI has introduced “Marginal Standing Facility” with the objective of:
(a) Controlling Inflation (b) Containing instability in long term inter-bank rates
(c) Containing instability in the overnight inter-bank rates
(d) All of the above
35. are the beneficiaries of the “Reverse Mortgage Scheme”.
(a) Government employees (b) Senior citizens (c) Unemployed persons (d) Persons of BPL category
36. RBI was nationalized in the year
(a) 1949 (b) 1952 (c) 1955 (d) 1964
37. Which of the following is/are associated with the fiscal policy? 1. Marginal Standing
Facility 2. Devaluation of Currency 3. Market Stabilization Scheme
(a) 1 & 2 (b) Only 3 (c) 2 & 3 (d) Only 2
38. When was Liberalized Exchange Rate Management System (LERMS) started in
India?
(a)1990 (b)1996 (c)1992 (d)1998
39. National income of India is estimated by
(a) NCAER (b) Ministry of Statistics (c) Central Statistical Office (d) Ministry of Finance
40. What is understood by Fiduciary Issue of currency?
(a) The issue of currency notes without keeping gold or silver as deposit (b) The issue of currency notes keeping gold or silver as deposit
(c) The issue of currency notes with partial gold or silver deposits
(d) The issue of currency notes with comparative gold or silver deposits
41. is the percentage of total deposits of a bank which it has to keep with
itself in the form of liquid assets.
(a) Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) (b) Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR)
(c) Statutory Reserve Ratio (d) Cash Ratio
42. The exchange rate in India is dependent upon: 1. Government policy 2. Demand-
supply forces 3. Monetary policy objectives
(a) Only 2 (b) 2 & 3 (c) 1 & 2 (d) 1, 2 & 3
43. Collateralized Borrowing and Lending Obligation (CBLO) is a/an .
(a) Money Market Instrument (b) Instrument of Monetary Policy (c) Type of Risk Cover (d) Stock Market Instrument
44. Often, we read in newspapers that the RBI has changed the Repo rate and the
Reverse Repo rate by a few basis points. What is a basis point?
(a) Ten % of one hundredth point (b) One hundredth of 1%
(c) One tenth of 1% (d) Ten % of 100
45. Banks generally don’t pay interest on money deposited in which of the following
accounts?
(a) Savings account (b) Current account (c) Fixed deposit account (d) None of these
46. ‘Fiat Money’ is defined as the money which is
(a) Accepted internationally (b) Accepted temporarily in lieu of gold
(c) Issued by keeping gold or silver as deposit
(d) Decreed as money by the government
47. Demand-pull inflation can be caused by which of the following?
(a) A decline in consumption expenditure (b) A sharp increase in lending rates
(c) A steep decline in income tax
(d) An increase in direct taxation
48. For obtaining which among the following does a customer not require a bank
account?
(a) A loan (b) A cheque (c) A banker’s draft (d) A credit card
49. RBI isn’t expected to perform the role of
(a) Acting as a clearing house (b) Working as a banker to the government
(c) Managing forex (d) Accepting deposits from general public
50. For paying which among the following will a bank standing order be suitable?
(a) Telephone bills (b) Electricity bills (c) Grocery bills (d) Mortgage repayments
51. A bank draft can be defined as a/an
(a) Letter from commercial bank (b) Cheque drawn on the bank itself
(c) Direction to a banker to collect a customer’s debt
(d) Instruction to dishonour a stop payment
52. When RBI sells government securities, its result is that
(a) The liquidity in the banking system increases (b) The liquidity in the banking system remains unchanged
(c) The liquidity in the banking system gets diminished
(d) None of the above
53. It has been made mandatory for NBFCs to get themselves registered with ……
before July 8, 1997.
(a) RBI (b) SEBI (c) Ministry of Finance (d) CBDT
54. Which of the following is not an instrument in the hands of the RBI to check
inflation in our country?
(a) Open Market Operations (OMO) (b) Special Drawing Rights (SDR)
(c) Bank Rate (BR) (d) Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR)
55. In India, which among the following is/are a part of Legal Tender Money?
(a) Both coins and currency notes (b) Both coins and bank drafts
(c) Both currency notes and SDRs
(d) Only currency notes issued by RBI
56. has become the first state in India to launch RBI’s e- payment system for
commercial tax payers.
(a) Goa (b) Kerala (c) Karnataka (d) Maharashtra
57. In which among the following types occurs the Interest Rate Risk?
(a) Credit risk (b) Market risk (c) Operational risk (d) All the above
58. Which among the following is true regarding Forex (Foreign Exchange) markets?
(a) Foreign exchange markets are a type of localized markets (b) Foreign exchange markets operate within the time zone of region
(c) Foreign exchange markets are dynamic and round-the-clock markets
(d) Foreign exchange markets are used only for business transactions
59. Securities Trading Corporation of India Limited (STCI) has been promoted jointly
by and Public sector Banks. (a) SEBI (b) RBI (c) SIDBI (d) ICICI Ltd
60. is an agreement under which an issuing bank at the request of the
importer undertakes to make payment to the exporter against certain specified
documents.
(a) Bill of exchange (b) Letter of exchange (c) Letter of credit (d) Bill of entry
61. is the duty applied by a government to control the exports of an article
of trade, so that the article of trade can be used by the local markets rather than in
foreign countries.
(a) Customs duty (b) Excise duty (c) Anti-dumping duty (d) Dumping duty
62. finalizes the market-borrowing programmes of state
governments in India.
(a) State governments (b) RBI (c) Union Ministry of Finance (d) Planning Commission
63. Which among the following is not incorrect?
(a) Money market provides long term source of finance (b) Recession in the industrial sector in India is normally due to a fall in exports
(c) Ways and means advances given by RBI are nowhere related to the state’s revenue
(d) Exchange rate is fixed by RBI
64. We have read in the newspapers that the Government of India has signed a DTAA
to broaden the scope of article of exchange of information to include exchange of
banking information. What does DTAA stand for?
(a) Double taxation article agreement (b) Double taxation avoidance agreement
(c) Double taxation avoidance arrangements
(d) Dual tax agreement arrangement
65. Which of the statements mentioned below is/are correct?
1. T-bills are issued by the Government of India on behalf of the RBI 2. T-bills are short-term money market instruments
3. T-bills cannot be purchased by a resident of India
(a) All are correct (b) 2 & 3 are correct
(c) Only 2 is correct (d) Only 3 is correct
66. Which of the following is an incorrect statement?
(a) Reverse Repurchase operation by RBI is aimed at increasing the liquidity in the banking
system
(b) Special Drawing Rights (SDR) are issued by IMF
(c) Rupee appreciation results in decrease in imports
(d) Increase in the inflation rate leads to decline in real interest rate
67. What purpose does the MICR number, which is present on a cheque, serve?
(a) It is used to identify the genuineness of the cheque (b) It is used to identify the bank branch
(c) It is nothing but a type of cheque number
(d) Both (a) and (b)
68. In TRIPS, what does ‘I’ stand for?
(a) Intellectual (b) Information (c) Indian (d) Infra
69. Insurance companies use the bank sales channels to sell their products. Which of the
following terms describes this selling process?
(a) Scheduled banking (b) Scheduled Insurance (c) Bankinsuring (d) Bancassurance
70. Which of the following acts is useful in controlling HAWALA transactions?
(a) FEMA Act (b) RBI Act (c) DICGC Act (d) Banking Regulation Act
71. What does the term SME stand for?
(a) Small and Micro Enterprises (b) Small and Medium Enterprises (c) State and Medium Economy (d) Small and Medium Economy
72. ‘CAMELS’ is a type of Bank Rating System. In CAMELS, what does ‘C’ stand for?
(a) Currency (b) Compensation (c) Capital Adequacy (d) Capitalisation
73. A Eurobond is
(a) A bond released in a currency of the European countries (b) A bond released in an Indian currency in European nations
(c) A bond released in Euro in our country
(d) A bond released in a currency other than the currency of the country in which it is issued
74. In banking parlance, ‘NPA’ stands for
(a) Non Performing Asset (b) Net Producing Asset (c) Net Performing Asset (d) Not Promoting Asset
75. LAF is an indirect instrument of monetary policy, which is used by \RBI to regulate
the liquidity in banking system. ‘LAF’ stands for:
(a) Liquidity Adjustment Facility (b) Liquidity Account Facility (c) Liquidity Allotment Facility (d) Long Adjustment Facility
76. On the basis of which commission was RBI established?
(a) Hilton Young Commission (b) British Commission (c) Federal Commission (d) Federation Commission
77. Life insurance and general insurance companies like LIC, ICICI Prudential, ICICI
Lombard, National Insurance etc. are regulated by which organisation?
(a) RBI (b) PFRDA (c) IRDA (d) IBA
78. Bank rate is defined as the
(a) Rate of interest charged by commercial banks from borrowers (b) Rate of interest at which RBI lends money to banks against government securities
(c) Rate of interest allowed by commercial banks on their deposits (d) Rate at which RBI purchases or rediscounts bills of exchange of commercial banks
79. An IDR (Indian Depository Receipt) is
(a) An instrument of monetary policy used by RBI
(b) A deposit account with a depository in India
(c) An instrument in the form of depository receipt created by an Indian depository against
underlying equity shares of the issuing company
(d) An instrument in the form of deposit receipt issued by an Indian depository
80. Fiscal deficit is
(a) total income less government borrowing (b) total payments less total receipts
(c) total payments less capital receipts
(d) total expenditure less total receipts excluding borrowing
81. are NOT a part of the Scheduled Banking structure in India.
(a) Money lenders (b) Public sector banks (c) Private sector banks (d) Regional rural banks
82. ‘MAT’ is an acronym which stands for
(a) Maximum Alternate Tax (b) Minimum Alternate Tax (c) Minimum Affordable Tax (d) Maximum Affordable Tax
83. Often, we read in the newspapers that several Indian companies are taking the
FCCB route to raise capital. What does the term FCCB stand for?
(a) Foreign Currency Convertible Bond (b) Foreign Convertible Credit Bond
(c) Financial Consortium and Credit Bureau
(d) Future Credit and Currency Bureau
84. Which of the following interest rates signifies RBI’s long term stance of monetary
policy?
(a) Repo Rate (b) CRR (c) Bank Rate (d) Reserve Repo Rate
85. As per RBI instructions, places having a population of 2000 and above have to be
provided with banking facilities by
(a) March 2011 (b) March 2012 (c) March 2013 (d) March 2015
86. was the main objective of the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget
Management Act, 2003.
(a) Achieving fiscal surplus (b) Eliminating revenue deficit (c) Eliminating fiscal deficit (d) Stopping money laundering
87. DEPB (Duty Entitled Passbook) scheme which ended in September 2011 was related
to
(a) Foreign direct investment (b) Foreign institutional investment (c) Export promotion (d) Import substitution
88. Recently, the Ministry of commerce has introduced a new “Niryat Bandhu” scheme
for the guidance and mentoring of first generation entrepreneurs. Who are the “Niryat
Bandhus”?
(a) Entrepreneurs (b) Officers (c) Agents (d) Export assistants
89. In capital markets, the term arbitrage is used in reference to the
(a) purchase of securities to cover the sale (b) sale of securities to reduce the loss on purchase
(c) concomitant sale and purchase of securities to make profits from price
(d) variation in different markets
90. If RBI wants to limit the capital outflows and control currency depreciation, which
of the following would be the most viable action?
(a) Increase interest rates (b) Decrease interest rates (c) Purchase government bonds (d) Decrease statutory liquidity ratio
91. The buying of shares and bonds of Indian firms by foreign institutional investors is
known as
(a) FDI (b) Portfolio investment (c) NRI investment (d) Foreign indirect investment
92. The Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP) is a comprehensive and in-depth
analysis of a country’s financial sector. Which among the following bodies conducts this
programme?
(a) International Monetary Fund (b) G-20
(c) World Economic Forum (d) World Bank
93. The ability of commercial banks to increase their deposits by expanding their loans
and advances is known as
(a) Capital expansion (b) Credit expansion (c) Credit control (d) Credit creation
94. Which among the below mentioned is/are dealt by the Indian Capital Market?
1. Short-term funds 2. Medium-term funds 3. Long-term funds (a) 1 & 2 (b) 2 & 3
(c) 1 & 3 (d) 1, 2 & 3
95. Net Interest Income is defined as the
(a) Interest earned on advances (b) Interest earned on investments
(c) Total interest earned on advances on advances and investment
(d) Difference between interest earned and interest paid
96. ‘KYC’ (Know Your Customer) norms were implemented in the Indian banking
system in 2002 as per the directive of
(a) SEBI (b) RBI (c) IBA (d) IRDA
97. has got RBI’s nod to issue prepaid card to its clients.
(a) LIC (b) SIDBI (c) NABARD (d) GIC
98. If there is an inflationary trend in the economy, what would be the trend in the
pricing of banking services? (a) Increasing trend (b) Decreasing trend (c) Constant trend (d) There is no relevance of inflation in pricing of the banking products
99. The SBI (Amendment) Bill-2010, which was passed by the parliament, reduces the
statutory minimum shareholding of the Central Government in the bank from
% to %. Which among the following figures fills the blanks correctly?
(a) 59, 52 (b) 55, 51
(c) 59, 55 (d) 62, 51
100. Inflation happens when there are
(a) fewer goods and more buyers (b) more goods and fewer buyers (c) fewer goods and fewer buyers (d) more goods and more buyers
Explanations- Banking General Knowledge
1. (a) NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) was established in
1982 on the recommendation of Shivraman Committee.
2. (c) Ministry of Finance.
3. (b) RBI was established on 1st of April 1935.
4. (c) Finance secretary.
5. (c) Base rate is decided by commercial banks, not the RBI.
6. (d) RTGS-Real Time Gross Settlement system is a funds transfer systems where transfer of
money or securities takes place from one bank to another on a “real time”. (Real time means
within fraction of seconds.)
7. (d) Indian Financial System Code.
8. (c) 30 days.
9. (b) SEBI is also known as Capital regulator or Mutual funds regulator or Market regulator.
SEBI is also created investors protection fund and SEBI is the only organization which
regulate the credit rating agencies in India such as CRISIL and CIBIL.
10. (b) NEFT-National Electronic Fund Transfer. This is a method used for transferring funds
across banks in a secure manner. It usually takes 1-2 working days for the transfer to happen.
NEFT is an electronic fund transfer system that operates on a Deferred Net Settlement (DNS)
basis which settles transactions in batches. RTGS does not works on DNS.
11. (c) IMPS-Interbank Mobile Payment Service is an instant interbank electronic fund
transfer service through mobile phones. Both the customers must have MMID (Mobile
Money Identifier Number).
12. (a) ECS: Electronic Clearing Service.
13. (a) Also called Repurchase Rate, the rate at which the RBI lends money to the banks or in
other words we can say that Repo rate is the discounting rate at which central bank borrows
government securities from commercial bank. Repo means repurchase agreement between
RBI & commercial bank.
14. (c) CRR (Cash Reserve Ratio)
15. (b) We don’t need any GPS enabled cell phone for IMPS.
16. (b) CIBIL: Credit Information Bureau of India Limited. CIBIL is India’s first credit
information bureau. Whenever a person apply for new Loans or Credit Card to a Financial
Institution, they generate the CIBIL report of the said person or concern to judge the credit
worthiness of the person and also to verify existing track record. CIBIL actually maintains
the borrower’s history.
17. (b) Rs 100 per day.
18. (c) IFSC: Indian Financial System Code.
19. (d) None of them is wrong.
20. (b) It refers to how quickly and cheaply an asset can be converted into cash. Money (in
the form of cash) is the most liquid asset.
21. (a) Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication. It operates a
worldwide financial messaging network which exchanges messages between banks and other
financial institutions.
22. (c) Open Market Operations. The buying and selling of government securities in the open
market in order to expand or contract the amount of money in the banking system.
23. (d) Banking Regulation Act, 1949
24. (d) Abhijit Sen Committee.
25. (d) 2010. Since January 2011 the C.S.O. (Central Statistical Office) has started
calculating inflation on C.P.I. as well. Earlier inflation was being calculated on the basis of
W.P.I.
26. (c) Investment Method. The methods of calculation of National income are: 1) Product
Method or Value Added Method 2) Income Method 3) Expenditure Method or Outlay
Method.
27. (a) Japan. India has signed a CEPA (Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement)
with Japan and South Korea. India has signed CECA (Comprehensive Economic Cooperation
Agreement) with Singapore and Malaysia.
28. (d) 40%
29. (b) Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC),
30. (b) Kerala. Palakkad district in Kerala was the first district in the country to achieve total
financial inclusion.
31. (b) 3 months
32. (b) Value
33. (a) Financial Holding Company
34. (c) Containing instability in the overnight inter-bank rates
35. (b)Senior citizens
36. (a) 1949
37. (d) Devaluation of currency
38. (c) 1992
39. (c) Central Statistical Office
40. (a) The issue of currency notes without keeping gold or silver as deposit.
41. (a) Statutory Liquidity Ratio
42. (a) Demand-supply forces
43. (a) CBLO is an RBI approved money market instrument which can be issued for a
maximum tenor of one year. CBLO as a product has been conceived and developed by
Clearing Corporation of India, CCIL, for the facilitating deployment in a collateralised
environment.
44. (b) One hundredth of 1%
45. (b) Current account
46. (d) ‘Fiat Money’ is the currency that a government has declared to be legal tender, despite
the fact that it has no intrinsic value and is not backed by reserves. Historically,
most currencies were based on physical commodities such as gold or silver, but fiat money is
based solely on faith.
47. (c) A steep decline in Income tax
48. (c) A Banker’s Draft
49. (d) Accepting deposits from general public
50. (d) Mortgage repayments
51. (b) A bank draft is a bill of exchange drawn by a bank on itself, or on a correspondent
bank in another city or country.
52. (c) The liquidity in the banking system gets diminished
53. (a) RBI
54. (b) Special Drawing Rights
55. (a) Both coins and currency notes
56. (c) Karnataka
57. (b) Market risk is the risk that the value of a portfolio, either an investment portfolio or a
trading portfolio, will decrease due to the change in value of the market risk factors. Interest
rate risk, which is a type of market risk, is the risk that interest rates (e.g. Libor Euribor,
inflation, etc.) and/or their implied volatility will change.
58. (c) Foreign exchange markets are dynamic and round the clock markets
59. (b) RBI
60. (c) Letter of Credit
61. (a) Customs Duty is a type of indirect tax levied on goods imported into India as well as
on goods exported from India.
62. (d) Planning Commission
63. (c) Ways and means advances is given by RBI are nowhere related to state’s revenue
64. (b) Double taxation avoidance agreement
65. (c) Only 2 is correct
66. (a) Reverse Repurchase operation decreases the liquidity in the banking system.
67. (a) MICR number is used to identify the genuineness of cheque.
68. (a) TRIPS: Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights.
69. (d) Bancassurance.
70. (a) FEMA Act. (Foreign Exchange Management Act)
71. (b) Small and Medium Enterprises.
72. (c) CAMELS is a type of Bank Rating System. (C) stands for Capital Adequacy, (A) for
Asset Quality, (M) for Management, (E) for Earnings, (L) for Liquidity and (S) for
Sensitivity to Market Risk.
73. (d) A bond released in a currency other than the currency of the country in which it is
issued.
74. (a) Non Performing Asset.
75. (a) Liquidity Adjustment Facility.
76. (a) Hilton Young Commission.
77. (c) Insurance companies in India are regulated by IRDA (Insurance Regulatory and
Development Authority.)
78. (d) Rate at which RBI purchases or rediscounts bills of exchange of commercial banks
79. (c) An instrument in the form of depository receipt created by an Indian depository
against underlying equity shares of the issuing company
80. (d) Total expenditure less total receipts excluding borrowing
81. (a) Money Lenders
82. (b) Minimum Alternate Tax
83. (a) Foreign Currency Convertible Bond
84. (c) Bank Rate
85. (b) March 2012
86. (c) Eliminating Fiscal Deficit
87. (c) Export Promotion
88. (b) Officers
89. (c) Concomitant sale and purchase of securities to make profits from price
90. (a) Increase Interest Rates
91. (d) Foreign Indirect Investment
92. (a) International Monetary Fund
93. (d) Credit Creation
94. (b) 2 & 3
95. (d) Difference between interest earned and interest paid
96. (b) RBI
97. (a) LIC
98. (a) Increasing trend
99. (b) 55, 51
100. (a) Fewer goods and more buyers Banking Basics
RBI: The Reserve Bank of India was established on April 1, 1935 in accordance with
the provisions of the RBI Act, 1934. RBI was nationalized in 1949 and it is fully owned
by the Government of India. RBI was established on the recommendation of the Hilton
Young Commission.
RBI’s FUNCTIONS:
1. Issue of currency notes 2. Controlling the monetary policy
3. Regulator and supervisor of the financial system
4. Banker to other banks
5. Banker to the government
6. Granting licenses to banks
7. Control over NBFIs (Non Banking Financial Institutions)
8. Manager of Foreign Exchange of India (also known as FOREX)
RBI & Monetary Policy:
Monetary policy refers to the use of instruments under the control of the central bank to
regulate the availability, cost and use of money and credit.
The main objectives of monetary policy in India are:
Maintaining price stability Ensuring adequate flow of credit to the productive sectors of the economy to support
economic growth
Financial stability
There are several direct and indirect instruments that are used in the formulation and
implementation of monetary policy.
Direct instruments:
Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR): The share of net demand and time liabilities that banks must
maintain as cash balance with the Reserve Bank.
Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR): The share of net demand and time liabilities that banks
must maintain in safe and liquid assets, such as government securities, cash and gold.
Refinance facilities: Sector-specific refinance facilities (e.g., against lending to export
sector) provided to banks.
Indirect instruments
Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF): Consists of daily infusion or absorption of liquidity
on a repurchase basis, through repo (liquidity injection) and reverse repo (liquidity
absorption) auction operations, using government securities as collateral.
Open Market Operations (OMO): Outright sales/purchases of government securities, in
addition to LAF, as a tool to determine the level of liquidity over the medium term.
Market Stabilisation Scheme (MSS): This instrument for monetary management was
introduced in 2004. Liquidity of a more enduring nature arising from large capital flows is
absorbed through sale of short-dated government securities and treasury bills. The mobilised
cash is held in a separate government account with the Reserve Bank.
Repo/reverse repo rate: These rates under the Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF)
determine the corridor for short-term money market interest rates. In turn, this is expected to
trigger movement in other segments of the financial market and the real economy.
Bank rate: It is the rate at which the Reserve Bank is ready to buy or rediscount bills of
exchange or other commercial papers. It also signals the medium-term stance of monetary
policy.
Key financial terms
APR: It stands for Annual Percentage Rate. APR is a percentage that is calculated on the
basis of the amount financed, the finance charges, and the term of the loan.
ABS: Asset-Backed Securities. It means a type of security that is backed by a pool of bank
loans, leases, and other assets.
EPS: Earnings Per Share means the amount of annual earnings available to common
stockholders as stated on a per share basis.
CHAPS: Clearing House Automated Payment System. It’s a type of electronic bank-to-bank
payment system that guarantees same-day payment.
IPO: Initial Public Offerings is defined as the event where the company sells its shares to the
public for the first time. (or the first sale of stock by a private company to the public.)
FPO: Follow on Public Offerings: An issuing of shares to investors by a public company that
is already listed on an exchange. An FPO is essentially a stock issue of supplementary shares
made by a company that is already publicly listed and has gone through the IPO process.
Difference: IPO is for the companies which have not been listed on an exchange and FPO is
for the companies which have already been listed on an exchange but want to raise funds by
issuing some more equity shares.
RTGS: Real Time Gross Settlement systems is a funds transfer system where transfer of
money or securities takes place from one bank to another on a “real time”. (‘Real time’
means within a fraction of seconds.) The minimum amount to be transferred through RTGS is
Rs 2 lakh. Processing charges/Service charges for RTGS transactions vary from bank to
bank.
NEFT: National Electronic Fund Transfer. This is a method used for transferring funds
across banks in a secure manner. It usually takes 1-2 working days for the transfer to happen.
NEFT is an electronic fund transfer system that operates on a Deferred Net Settlement (DNS)
basis which settles transactions in batches. (Note: RTGS is much faster than NEFT.)
CAR: Capital Adequacy Ratio. It’s a measure of a bank’s capital. Also known as “Capital to
Risk Weighted Assets Ratio (CRAR)”, this ratio is used to protect depositors and promote the
stability and efficiency of financial systems around the world. It is decided by the RBI.
NPA: Non-Performing Asset. It means once the borrower has failed to make interest or
principal payments for 90 days, the loan is considered to be a non-performing asset. Presently
it is 2.39%.
IMPS: Inter-bank Mobile Payment Service. It is an instant interbank electronic fund transfer
service through mobile phones. Both the customers must have MMID (Mobile Money
Identifier Number). For this service, we don’t need any GPS-enabled cell phones.
BCBS: Basel Committee on Banking Supervision is an institution created by the Central
Bank governors of the Group of Ten nations.
RSI: Relative Strength Index.
IFSC code: Indian Financial System Code. The code consists of 11 characters for identifying
the bank and branch where the account in actually held. The IFSC code is used both by the
RTGS and NEFT transfer systems.
MSME and SME: Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), and SME stands for
Small and Medium Enterprises. This is an initiative of the government to drive and encourage
small manufacturers to enjoy facilities from banks at concessional rates.
LIBOR: London InterBank Offered Rate. An interest rate at which banks can borrow funds,
in marketable size, from other banks in the London interbank market.
LIBID: London Interbank Bid Rate. The average interest rate at which major London banks
borrow Eurocurrency deposits from other banks.
ECGC: Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India. This organisation provides risk as
well as insurance cover to the Indian exporters.
SWIFT: Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication. It operates a
worldwide financial messaging network which exchanges messages between banks and other
financial institutions.
STRIPS: Separate Trading for Registered Interest & Principal Securities.
CIBIL: Credit Information Bureau of India Limited. CIBIL is India’s first credit information
bureau. Whenever a person applies for new loans or credit card(s) to a financial institution,
they generate the CIBIL report of the said person or concern to judge the credit worthiness of
the person and also to verify their existing track record. CIBIL actually maintains the
borrower’s history.
CRISIL: Credit Rating Information Services of India Limited. Crisil is a global analytical
company providing ratings, research, and risk and policy advisory services.
AMFI: Association of Mutual Funds of India. AMFI is an apex body of all Asset
Management Companies (AMCs) which have been registered with SEBI. (Note: AMFI is not
a mutual funds regulator)
FCCB: Foreign Currency Convertible Bond. A type of convertible bond issued in a currency
different from the issuer’s domestic currency.
CAC: Capital Account Convertibility. It is the freedom to convert local financial assets into
foreign financial assets and vice versa. This means that capital account convertibility allows
anyone to freely move from local currency into foreign currency and back, or in other words,
transfer of money from current account to capital account.
BANCASSURANCE: Is the term used to describe the partnership or relationship between a
bank and an insurance company whereby the insurance company uses the bank sales channel
in order to sell insurance products.
Balloon payment: Is a specific type of mortgage payment, and is named “balloon payment”
because of the structure of the payment schedule. For balloon payments, the first several
years of payments are smaller and are used to reduce the total debt remaining in the loan.
Once the small payment term has passed (which can vary, but is commonly 5 years), the
remainder of the debt is due - this final payment is the one known as the “balloon” payment,
because it is larger than all of the previous payments.
CPSS: Committee on Payment and Settlement Systems
FCNR Accounts: Foreign Currency Non-Resident accounts are the ones that are maintained
by NRIs in foreign currencies like USD, DM, and GBP.
M3 in banking: It’s a measure of money supply. It is the total amount of money available in
an economy at a particular point in time.
OMO: Open Market Operations. The buying and selling of government securities in the open
market in order to expand or contract the amount of money in the banking system. Open
market operations are the principal tools of monetary policy. RBI uses this tool in order to
regulate the liquidity in economy.
Umbrella Fund: A type of collective investment scheme. A collective fund containing
several sub-funds, each of which invests in a different market or country.
ECS: Electronic Clearing Facility is a type of direct debit.
Tobin tax: Suggested by Nobel Laureate economist James Tobin, was originally defined as a
tax on all spot conversions of one currency into another.
Z score is a term widely used in the banking field.
POS: Point Of Sale, also known as Point Of Purchase, a place where sales are made and also
sales and payment information are collected electronically, including the amount of the sale,
the date and place of the transaction, and the consumer’s account number.
LGD: Loss Given Default. Institutions such as banks will determine their credit losses
through an analysis of the actual loan defaults.
Junk Bonds: Junk bonds are issued generally by smaller or relatively less well-known firms
to finance their operations, or by large and well-known firms to fund leveraged buyouts.
These bonds are frequently unsecured or partially secured, and they pay higher interest rates:
3 to 4 percentage points higher than the interest rate on blue chip corporate bonds of
comparable maturity period.
ARM: Adjustable Rate Mortgage is basically a type of loan where the rate of index is
calculated on the basis of the previously selected index rate.
ABO: Accumulated Benefit Obligation, ABO is a measure of liability of pension plan of an
organisation and is calculated when the pension plan is terminated.
Absorption: A term related to real estate, it is a process of renting a real estate property
which is newly built or recently approved.
AAA: A type of grade that is used to rate a particular bond. It is the highest rated bond that
gives maximum returns at the time of maturity.
DSCR: Debt Service Coverage Ratio, DSCR is a financial ratio that measures the company’s
ability to pay their debts.
FSDC: Financial Stability and Development Council, India’s apex body of the financial
sector.
ITPO: India Trade Promotion Organisation is the nodal agency of the Government of India
for promoting the country’s external trade.
FLCC: Financial Literacy and Counseling Centres.
ANBC: Adjusted Net Bank Credit is Net Bank Credit added to investments made by banks in
non-SLR bonds.
Priority sector lending: Some areas or fields in a country depending on its economic
condition or government interest are prioritised and are called priority sectors i.e. industry,
agriculture.
M0, M1, M2 AND M3: These terms are nothing but money supply in banking field.
BIFR: Bureau of Industrial and Financial Reconstruction.
FRBM Act 2003: Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management act was enacted by the
Parliament of India to institutionalise financial discipline, reduce India’s fiscal deficit,
improve macroeconomic management and the overall management of the public funds by
moving towards a balanced budget.
The main objectives of FRBM Act are:-
1. To reduce fiscal deficit. 2. To adopt prudent debt management.
3. To generate revenue surplus.
Gold Standard: A monetary system in which a country’s government allows its currency
unit to be freely converted into fixed amounts of gold and vice versa.
Fiat Money: Fiat money is a legal tender for settling debts. It is a paper money that is not
convertible and is declared by government to be legal tender for the settlement of all debts.
BCSBI: The Banking Codes and Standards Board of India is a society registered under the
Societies Registration Act, 1860 and functions as an autonomous body, to monitor and assess
the compliance with codes and minimum standards of service to individual customers to
which the banks agree to.
OLTAS: On-Line Tax Accounting System.
EASIEST: Electronic Accounting System in Excise and Service Tax.
SOFA: Status of Forces Agreement, SOFA is an agreement between a host country and a
foreign nation stationing forces in that country.
CALL MONEY: Money loaned by a bank that must be repaid on demand. Unlike a term
loan, which has a set maturity and payment schedule, call money does not have to follow a
fixed schedule. Brokerages use call money as a short-term source of funding to cover margin
accounts or the purchase of securities. The funds can be obtained quickly.
Scheduled bank: Scheduled Banks in India constitute those banks which have been included
in the Second Schedule of RBI Act, 1934 as well as their market capitalisation is more than
Rs 5 lakh. RBI in turn includes only those banks in this schedule which satisfy the criteria
laid down vide section 42 (6) (a) of the Act.
FEDAI: Foreign Exchange Dealers Association of India. An association of banks
specialising in the foreign exchange activities in India.
PPF: Public Provident Fund. The Public Provident Fund Scheme is a statutory scheme of the
Central Government of India. The scheme is for 15 years. The minimum deposit is Rs 500
and maximum is Rs 70,000 in a financial year.
SEPA: Single Euro Payment Area.
GAAP: Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. The common set of accounting
principles, standards and procedures that companies use to compile their financial statements.
Indian Depository Receipt: Foreign companies issue their shares and in return they get the
depository receipt from the National Security Depository in return of investing in India.
Hot Money: Money that is moved by its owner quickly from one form of investment to
another, as to take advantage of changing international exchange rates or gain high short-term
returns on investments.
NMCEX: National Multi-Commodity Exchange.
PE RATIO: Price to Earnings Ratio, a measure of how much investors are willing to pay for
each dollar of a company’s reported profits.
CASA: Current Account, Savings Account.
CAMELS: CAMELS is a type of Bank Rating System. (C) stands for Capital Adequacy, (A)
for Asset Quality, (M) for Management ,(E) for Earnings, (L) for Liquidity and (S) for
Sensitivity to Market Risk.
OSMOS: Off-site Monitoring and Surveillance System.
Free market: A market economy based on supply and demand with little or no government
control.
Retail banking: It is mass-market banking in which individual customers use local branches
of larger commercial banks.
Eurobond: A bond issued in a currency other than the currency of the country or market in
which it is issued.
PPP: Purchasing Power Parity is an economic technique used when attempting to determine
the relative values of two currencies.
FEMA Act: Foreign Exchange Management Act, it is useful in controlling HAWALA.
Hawala transaction: It’s a process in which large amount of black money is converted into
white.
Teaser Loans: It’s a type of home loans in which the interest rate is initially low and then
grows higher. Teaser loans are also called terraced loans.
ECB: External Commercial Borrowings, taking a loan from another country. Limit of ECB is
$500 million, and this is the maximum limit a company can get.
CBS: Core Banking Solution. All the banks are connected through internet, meaning we can
have transactions from any bank and anywhere. (e.g. deposit cash in PNB, Delhi branch and
withdraw cash from PNB, Gujarat)
CRAR: For RRB’s it is more than 9% (funds allotted 500 cr) and for commercial banks it is
greater than 8% (6000 cr relief package).
NBFCs: NBFC is a company which is registered under Companies Act, 1956 and whose
main function is to provide loans. NBFC cannot accept deposit or issue demand draft like
other commercial banks. NBFCs registered with RBI have been classified as AssetFinance
Company (AFC), Investment Company (IC) and Loan Company (LC).
IIFCL: India Infrastructure Finance Company Limited. It gives guarantee to infra bonds.
IFPRI: International Food Policy Research Institute. It identifies and analyses policies for
meeting the food needs of the developing world.
Currency swap: It is a foreign-exchange agreement between two parties to exchange aspects
(namely the principal and/or interest payments) of a loan in one currency for equivalent
aspects of an equal in net present value loan in another currency. Currency swap is an
instrument to manage cash flows in different currency.
WPI: Wholesale Price Index is an index of the prices paid by retail stores for the products
they ultimately resell to consumers. New series is 2004 2005. (The new series has been
prepared by shifting the base year from 1993-94 to 2004-05). Inflation in India is measured
on WPI index.
MAT: Minimum Alternate Tax is the minimum tax to be paid by a company even though the
company is not making any profit.
Future trading: It’s a future contract/agreement between the buyers and sellers to buy and
sell the underlying assets in the future at a predetermined price.
Reverse mortgage: It’s a scheme for senior citizens.
Basel 2nd norms: BCBS has kept some restrictions on bank for the maintenance of
minimum capital with them to ensure level playing field. Basel II has got three pillars:
Pillar 1- Minimum capital requirement based on the risk profile of bank.
Pillar 2- Supervisory review of banks by RBI if they go for internal ranking.
Pillar 3- Market discipline.
Microfinance institutions: Those institutions that provide financial services to low-income
clients. Microfinance is a broad category of services, which includes microcredit. Microcredit
is provision of credit services to poor clients.
NPCI: National Payments Corporation of India.
DWBIS: Data Warehousing and Business Intelligence System, a type of system which is
launched by SEBI. The primary objective of DWBIS is to enhance the capability of the
investigation and surveillance functions of SEBI.
TRIPS: Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights is an international agreement
administered by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) that sets down minimum standards for
many forms of intellectual property (IP) regulation as applied to nationals of other WTO
Members.
TRIMs: Trade Related Investment Measures. A type of agreement in WTO.
SDR: Special Drawing Rights, SDR is a type of monetary reserve currency, created by the
International Monetary Fund. SDR can be defined as a “basket of national currencies”. These
national currencies are Euro, US dollar, British pound and Japanese yen. Special Drawing
Rights can be used to settle trade balances between countries and to repay the IMF. American
dollar gets highest weightage.
LTD: Loan-To-Deposit Ratio. A ratio used for assessing a bank’s liquidity by dividing the
bank’s total loans by its total deposits. If the ratio is too high, it means that banks might not
have enough liquidity to cover any fund requirements, and if the ratio is too low, banks may
not be earning as much as they could be.
CAD: Current Account Deficit. It means when a country’s total imports of goods, services
and transfers is greater than the country’s total export of goods, services and transfers.
LERMS: Liberalized Exchange Rate Management System.
FRP: Fair and Remunerative Price, a term related to sugarcane. FRP is the minimum price
that a sugarcane farmer is legally guaranteed. However sugar Mills Company gives more than
FRP price.
STCI: Securities Trading Corporation of India Limited was promoted by the Reserve Bank
of India (RBI) in 1994 along with Public Sector Banks and All India Financial Institutions
with the objective of developing an active, deep and vibrant secondary debt market.
IRR: Internal Rate of Return. It is a rate of return used in capital budgeting to measure and
compare the profitability of investments.
CMIE: Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy. It is India’s premier economic research
organisation. It provides information solutions in the form of databases and research reports.
CMIE has built the largest database on the Indian economy and companies.
TIEA: Tax Information Exchange Agreement. TIEA allows countries to check tax evasion
and money laundering. Recently India has signed TIEA with Cayman Islands.
Contingency Fund: It’s a fund for emergencies or unexpected outflows, mainly economic
crises. A type of reserve fund which is used to handle unexpected debts that are outside the
range of the usual operating budget.
FII: Foreign Institutional Investment. The term is used most commonly in India to refer to
outside companies investing in the financial markets of India. International institutional
investors must register with the Securities and Exchange Board of India to participate in the
market.
P-NOTES: “P” means participatory notes.
MSF: Marginal Standing Facility. Under this scheme, banks will be able to borrow upto 1%
of their respective net demand and time liabilities. The rate of interest on the amount accessed
from this facility will be 100 basis points (i.e. 1%) above the repo rate. This scheme is likely
to reduce volatility in the overnight rates and improve monetary transmission.
FIU: Financial Intelligence Unit set by the Government of India on 18 November 2004 as the
central national agency responsible for receiving, processing, analysing and disseminating
information relating to suspect financial transactions.
SEBI: Securities and Exchange Board of India. SEBI is the primary governing/regulatory
body for the securities market in India. All transactions in the securities market in India are
governed and regulated by SEBI. Its main functions are:
1. New issues (Initial Public Offering or IPO)
2. Listing agreement of companies with stock exchanges
3. Trading mechanisms 4. Investor protection
5. Corporate disclosure by listed companies etc.
Note: SEBI is also known as capital regulator or mutual funds regulator or market regulator.
SEBI also created investors protection fund and SEBI is the only organization which
regulates the credit rating agencies in India. (CRISIL and CIBIL).
FINANCIAL REGULATORS IN INDIA: RBI, SEBI, FMCI (Forward Market
Commission of India), IRDA etc.
ASBA: Application Supported by Blocked Amount. It is a process developed by the SEBI for
applying to IPO. In ASBA, an IPO applicant’s account doesn’t get debited until shares are
allotted to him.
DEPB Scheme: Duty Entitlement Pass Book. It is a scheme which is offered by the Indian
government to encourage exports from the country. DEPB means Duty Entitlement Pass
Book to neutralise the incidence of basic and special customs duty on import content of
export product.
LLP: Limited Liability Partnership, is a partnership in which some or all partners (depending
on the jurisdiction) have limited liability.
Balance sheet: A financial statement that summarises a company’s assets, liabilities and
shareholders’ equity at a specific point in time.
TAN: Tax Account Number, is a unique 10-digit alphanumeric code allotted by the Income
Tax Department to all those persons who are required to deduct tax at the source of income.
PAN: Permanent Account Number, as per section 139A of the Act obtaining PAN is a must
for the following persons:-
1. Any person whose total income or the total income of any other person in respect of
which he is assessable under the Act exceeds the maximum amount which is not chargeable
to tax.
2. Any person who is carrying on any business or profession whose total sales, turnover or
gross receipts are or are likely to exceed Rs. 5 lakh in any previous year.
3. Any person who is required to furnish a return of income under section 139(4) of the Act.
JLG: Joint Liability Group, when two or more persons are both responsible for a debt, claim
or judgment.
REER: Real Effective Exchange Rate.
NEER: Nominal Effective Exchange Rate.
Contingent Liability: A liability that a company may have to pay, but only if a certain future
event occurs.
IRR: Internal Rate of Return, is a rate of return used in capital budgeting to measure and
compare the profitability of investments.
MICR: Magnetic Ink Character Recognition. A 9-digit code which actually shows whether
the cheque is real or fake.
UTR Number: Unique Transaction Reference number. A unique number which is generated
for every transaction in RTGS system. UTR is a 16-digit alphanumeric code. The first 4
digits are a bank code in alphabets, the 5th one is the message code, the 6th and 7th mention
the year, the 8th to 10th mentions the date and the last 6 digits mention the day’s serial
number of the message.
RRBs: Regional Rural Banks. As its name signifies, RRBs are specially meant for rural
areas, capital share being 50% by the central government, 15% by the state government and
35% by the scheduled bank.
MFI: Micro Finance Institutions. Micro Finance means providing credit/loan (micro credit)
to the weaker sections of the society. A microfinance institution (MFI) is an organisation that
provides financial services to the poor.
PRIME LENDING RATE: PLR is the rate at which commercial banks give loans to its
prime customers (most creditworthy customers).
BASE RATE: A minimum rate that a bank is allowed to charge from the customer. Base rate
differs from bank to bank. It is actually a minimum rate below which the bank cannot give
loan to any customer. Earlier base rate was known as BPLR (Base Prime Lending Rate).
EMI: Equated Monthly Installment. It is nothing but a repayment of the loan taken. A loan
could be a home loan, car loan or personal loan. The monthly payment is in the form of post
dated cheques drawn in favour of the lender. EMI is directly proportional to the loan taken
and inversely proportional to time period. That is, if the loan amount increases the EMI
amount also increases and if the time period increases the EMI amount decreases.
Basis points (bps): A basis point is a unit equal to 1/100th of a percentage point. i.e. 1 bps =
0.01%. Basis points are often used to measure changes in or differences between yields on
fixed income securities, since these often change by very small amounts.
Liquidity: It refers to how quickly and cheaply an asset can be converted into cash. Money
(in the form of cash) is the most liquid asset.
Certificate of Deposit (CD) is a negotiable money market instrument and issued in
dematerialised form for funds deposited at a bank or other eligible financial institution for a
specified time period.
Commercial Paper (CP) is an unsecured money market instrument issued in the form of a
promissory note. It was introduced in India in 1990. Corporates and the All-India Financial
Institutions are eligible to issue CP. Indian Banking Structure
Types of banks in India
Central Bank (RBI)
Specialised banks
Commercial banks
Development banks
Co-operative banks
Central Bank:
As its name signifies, a bank which manages and regulates the banking system of a particular
country. It provides guidance to other banks whenever they face any problem (that is why the
Central Bank is also known as a banker’s bank) and maintains the deposit accounts of all
other banks. Central Banks of different countries: Reserve Bank of India (INDIA), Federal
Reserve System (USA), Swiss National Bank (SWITZERLAND), Reserve Bank of Australia
(AUSTRALIA), State Bank of Pakistan (PAKISTAN).
SpecialisedbBanks:
Those banks which are meant for special purposes. For examples: NABARD, EXIM bank,
SIDBI, IDBI.
NABARD: National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development. This bank is meant for
financing the agriculture as well as rural sector. It actually promotes research in agriculture
and rural development.
EXIM bank: Export Import Bank of India. This bank gives loans to exporters and importers
and also provides valuable information about the international market. If you want to set up a
business for exporting products abroad or importing products from foreign countries for sale
in our country, EXIM bank can provide you the required support and assistance.
SIDBI: Small Industries Development Bank of India. This bank provides loans to set up the
small-scale business unit / industry. SIDBI also finances, promotes and develops small-scale
industries. Whereas IDBI (Industrial Development Bank of India) gives loans to big
industries.
Commercial banks:
Normal banks are known as commercial banks, their main function is to accept deposits from
the customer and on the basis of that they grant loans. (Loans could be short-term, medium-
term and long-term loans.) Commercial banks are further classified into three types.
(a) Public sector banks
(b) Private sector banks
(c) Foreign banks
(a) Public Sector Banks (PSB): Government banks are known as PSB. Since the majority of
their stakes are held by the Government of India. (For example: Allahabad Bank, Andhra
Bank, Bank of Baroda, Bank of India, Bank of Maharastra, Canara Bank, Central Bank of
India etc).
(b) Private Sector Banks: In these banks, the majority of stakes are held by the individual or
group of persons. (For example: Bank of Punjab, Bank of Rajasthan, Catholic Syrian Bank,
Centurion Bank etc).
(c) Foreign Banks: These banks have their headquarters in a foreign country but they operate
their branches in India. For e.g. HSBC, Standard Chartered Bank, ABN Amro Bank.
Development banks:
Such banks are specially meant for giving loans to the business sector for the purchase of
latest machinery and equipments. Examples: SFCs (State Financial Corporation of India) and
IFCI (Indian Finance Corporation of India).
Co-operative banks:
These banks are nothing but an association of members who group together for self-help and
mutual-help. Their way of working is the same as commercial banks. But they are quite
different. Co operative banks in India are registered under the Co-operative Societies Act,
1965. The cooperative bank is regulated by the RBI.
Note: Co-operative banks cannot open their branches in foreign countries while commercial
banks can do this.
137
Types of bank accounts Savings bank account
Current account
Fixed Deposit account
1. Saving Bank Account: These accounts are maintained by individuals/ salaried peoples.
Such account offers interest on customer deposit. The interest on these accounts is regulated
by Reserve Bank of India. No Overdraft is allowed on such accounts.
2. Current Account: These accounts are used mainly by businessmen and are not generally
used for the purpose of investment. These deposits are the most liquid deposits and there are no
limits for number of transactions or the amount of transactions in a day. No interest is paid by
banks on these accounts. One of the prominent advantage of such account is that Overdraft is
allowed.
2. Fixed Deposit Account: also known as term deposit account. All Banks offer fixed
deposits schemes with a wide range of tenures for periods from 7 days to 10 years. The
term “fixed” in Fixed Deposits (FD) denotes the period of maturity or tenor.
Principles of Macroeconomics, 9e - TB1 (Case/Fair/Oster)
Chapter 5 Introduction to Macroeconomics
5.1 Macroeconomic Concerns
1 Multiple Choice
1) Which of the following is NOT a topic studied in Macroeconomics?
A
)
gross domestic product
B) the unemployment rate
C
)
the price of IBM computers
D
)
the inflation rate
Answe
r:
C
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
Macroeconomic Concerns
Skill
:
Conceptual
AACS
B:
Reflective Thinking
2) Which of the following is a topic studied in Macroeconomics?
A
)
gross domestic product
138
B) the wage of auto workers
C
)
the price of IBM computers
D
)
the amount of pizza produced
Answe
r:
A
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
Macroeconomic Concerns
Skill
:
Conceptual
AACS
B:
Reflective Thinking
3) Which of the following is a topic studied in Macroeconomics?
A
)
the functioning of individual industries
B) aggregate behavior of households and industries
C
)
the behavior of individual households
D
)
the decision-making behavior of individual business firms
Answe
r:
B
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
Macroeconomic Concerns
Skill
:
Conceptual
AACS
B:
Reflective Thinking
4) Prices that do not always adjust rapidly to maintain equality between
quantity supplied and quantity demanded are
A
)
administered prices.
B) sticky prices.
C
)
regulatory prices.
D
)
market prices.
Answe
r:
B
Diff: 1
139
Topi
c:
Macroeconomic Concerns
Skill
:
Definition
140
5) The demand for corn has increased in May without any change in supply.
Eight months later there still has been no change in corn prices. This is an
example of a
A
)
price floor.
B) price control.
C
)
sticky price.
D
)
macroeconomic price.
Answe
r:
C
Diff: 2
Topi
c:
Macroeconomic Concerns
Skill
:
Conceptual
AACS
B:
Reflective Thinking
6) The demand for massage therapists declined in the spring of 2007, but the
starting wages paid to massage therapists was still the same at the end of
2007. This is an example of a
A
)
sticky price.
B) flexible price.
C
)
highly regulated market.
D
)
price control.
Answe
r:
A
Diff: 2
Topi
c:
Macroeconomic Concerns
Skill
:
Conceptual
AACS
B:
Reflective Thinking
7) An increase in the overall price level is known as
A
)
deflation.
B) recession.
C )
141
inflation.
D
)
stagflation.
Answe
r:
C
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
Macroeconomic Concerns
Skill
:
Definition
8) Aggregate behavior is
A
)
the behavior of each household and firm.
B) the behavior of each individual.
C
)
the behavior of all households and firms together.
D
)
none of the above.
Answe
r:
C
Diff: 2
Topi
c:
Macroeconomic Concerns
Skill
:
Definition
9) Inflation is a(n)
A
)
decrease in the overall price level.
B) decrease in the overall level of economic activity.
C
)
increase in the overall price level.
D
)
increase in the overall level of economic activity.
Answe
r:
C
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
Macroeconomic Concerns
Skill
:
Definition
10) Deflation occurs when
A
)
the average price level declines.
142
B) economic activity declines.
C
)
the economic growth rate declines.
D
)
the unemployment rate declines.
Answe
r:
A
Diff: 2
Topi
c:
Macroeconomic Concerns
Skill
:
Definition
11) A period of very rapid increase in the overall price level is known as
A
)
stagnation.
B) hyperinflation.
C
)
stagflation.
D
)
depression.
Answe
r:
B
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
Macroeconomic Concerns
Skill
:
Definition
12) The trend of the economy is
A
)
the long run growth path of the economy.
B) the long run inflation rate.
C
)
the long run unemployment rate.
D
)
the short run production capacity of an economy.
Answe
r:
A
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
Macroeconomic Concerns
Skill
:
Definition
13) The term business cycle refers to the
143
A
)
short-term ups and downs in the price level.
B) long-term trends in the price level.
C
)
short-term ups and downs in the level of economic activity.
D
)
long-term trends in the level of economic activity.
Answe
r:
C
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
Macroeconomic Concerns
Skill
:
Definition
14) A period during which aggregate output rises is known as a(n)
A
)
recession.
B) inflation.
C
)
hyperinflation.
D
)
expansion.
Answe
r:
D
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
Macroeconomic Concerns
Skill
:
Definition
144
15) A period when the economy shrinks is known as
A
)
a recession.
B) a contraction.
C
)
a slump.
D
)
all of the above.
Answe
r:
D
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
Macroeconomic Concerns
Skill
:
Definition
16) In a business cycle, a peak represents the end of ________ and a trough
represents the end of ________.
A
)
an expansion; a recession
B) a depression; an expansion
C
)
a trough; a peak
D
)
a recession; an expansion
Answe
r:
A
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
Macroeconomic Concerns
Skill
:
Conceptual
AACS
B:
Reflective Thinking
17) In a business cycle, a peak represents the end of
A
)
an expansion.
B) a depression.
C
)
trough.
D
)
a recession
Answe
r:
A
145
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
Macroeconomic Concerns
Skill
:
Conceptual
AACS
B:
Reflective Thinking
18) In a business cycle, a trough represents the end of
A
)
an expansion.
B) an inflation.
C
)
a peak
D
)
a recession.
Answe
r:
D
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
Macroeconomic Concerns
Skill
:
Conceptual
AACS
B:
Reflective Thinking
19) It has become conventional to classify an economic downturn as a recession
when aggregate output declines for
A
)
three consecutive quarters.
B) two consecutive quarters.
C
)
a year.
D
)
six consecutive quarters.
Answe
r:
B
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
Macroeconomic Concerns
Skill
:
Fact
20) If the labor force is 500 and employment is 450, then the unemployment rate
is
A )
146
100%.
B) 90%.
C
)
10%.
D
)
0%.
Answe
r:
C
Diff: 2
Topi
c:
Macroeconomic Concerns
Skill
:
Analytic
21) A prolonged and deep recession is called
A
)
a business cycle.
B) a depression.
C
)
a stagflation.
D
)
hyperinflation.
Answe
r:
B
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
Macroeconomic Concerns
Skill
:
Definition
22) Between a trough and a peak, the economy goes through a(n)
A
)
recession.
B) bust.
C
)
expansion.
D
)
hyperinflation.
Answe
r:
C
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
Macroeconomic Concerns
Skill
:
Conceptual
147
AACS
B:
Reflective Thinking
23) Between a peak and a trough, the economy goes through a(n)
A
)
expansion.
B) inflation.
C
)
recession.
D
)
boom.
Answe
r:
C
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
Macroeconomic Concerns
Skill
:
Conceptual
AACS
B:
Reflective Thinking
24) Unemployment means that
A
)
at the going wage rate, there are people who want to work but cannot
find work.
B) people are not willing to work at the going wage rate.
C
)
there are some people who will not work at the going wage rate.
D
)
there is excess demand in the labor market.
Answe
r:
A
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
Macroeconomic Concerns
Skill
:
Definition
148
25) Unemployment implies that in the labor market
A
)
there is an excess supply of labor.
B) there is an excess demand for labor.
C
)
there are too few workers for the jobs available.
D
)
quantity demanded of labor exceeds quantity supplied.
Answe
r:
A
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
Macroeconomic Concerns
Skill
:
Conceptual
AACS
B:
Reflective Thinking
26) The unemployment rate equals
A
)
labor force/population.
B) unemployed/employed.
C
)
(employed - unemployed)/labor force.
D
)
(labor force - employed)/labor force.
Answe
r:
D
Diff: 2
Topi
c:
Macroeconomic Concerns
Skill
:
Definition
27) The unemployment rate equals
A
)
labor force/population.
B) unemployed/employed.
C
)
(employed - unemployed)/labor force.
D
)
unemployed/labor force.
Answe
r:
D
Diff: 2
149
Topi
c:
Macroeconomic Concerns
Skill
:
Definition
28) If the labor force is 50 million and 48 million are employed then the
unemployment rate is:
A
)
2%.
B) 4%.
C
)
5%.
D
)
52%.
Answe
r:
B
Diff: 2
Topi
c:
Macroeconomic Concerns
Skill
:
Analytic
AACS
B:
Analytic Skills
29) If 20 million workers are unemployed and 180 million workers are
employed, then the unemployment rate is
A
)
10%.
B) 11.1%.
C
)
18%.
D
)
80%.
Answe
r:
A
Diff: 2
Topi
c:
Macroeconomic Concerns
Skill
:
Analytic
AACS
B:
Analytic Skills
30) The period in the business cycle from a trough to peak is called a(n)
A
)
recession.
150
B) expansion.
C
)
slump.
D
)
depression.
Answe
r:
B
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
Macroeconomic Concerns
Skill
:
Conceptual
31) If output is rising and unemployment is falling, the economy MUST be in
a(n)
A
)
contraction.
B) expansion.
C
)
depression.
D
)
hyperinflationary period.
Answe
r:
B
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
Macroeconomic Concerns
Skill
:
Conceptual
AACS
B:
Reflective Thinking
32) The period in the business cycle from a peak to a trough is a(n)
A
)
recession.
B) boom.
C
)
expansion.
D
)
inflation.
Answe
r:
A
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
Macroeconomic Concerns
151
Skill
:
Conceptual
33) Unemployment generally ________ during recessions and ________ during
expansions.
A
)
falls; rises.
B) falls; falls.
C
)
rises; falls.
D
)
rises; rises.
Answe
r:
C
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
Macroeconomic Concerns
Skill
:
Conceptual
AACS
B:
Reflective Thinking
34) Which of the following statements is FALSE?
A
)
The rate of change in economic activity is used to assess whether an
economy is expanding or contracting.
B) Short-term ups and downs in the economy are known as business cycles.
C
)
During a recession, output and employment are falling.
D
)
Business cycles are always symmetric the length of an expansion is the
same as the length of a contraction.
Answe
r:
D
Diff: 2
Topi
c:
Macroeconomic Concerns
Skill
:
Conceptual
AACS
B:
Reflective Thinking
2 True/False
1) Macroeconomics is concerned with inflation or deflation, output growth and
unemployment.
Answe
r:
TRUE
Diff: 1
152
Topi
c:
Macroeconomic Concerns
Skill
:
Conceptual
AACS
B:
Reflective Thinking
2) Macroeconomics is concerned with the market price and equilibrium
quantity of each good or service.
Answe
r:
FALSE
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
Macroeconomic Concerns
Skill
:
Conceptual
AACS
B:
Reflective Thinking
3) The employment rate is the number of people employed divided by number
of people in the labor force.
Answe
r:
TRUE
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
Macroeconomic Concerns
Skill
:
Definition
4) Hyperinflation and stagflation are two different names which refer to
identical economic conditions.
Answe
r:
FALSE
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
Macroeconomic Concerns
Skill
:
Definition
5) Macroeconomic behavior is the sum of all the microeconomic decisions made
by individual households and firms.
Answe
r:
TRUE
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
Macroeconomic Concerns
Skill :
153
Conceptual
AACS
B:
Reflective Thinking
6) All business cycles are symmetric the length of an expansion is the same as
the length of a recession.
Answe
r:
FALSE
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
Macroeconomic Concerns
Skill
:
Conceptual
7) The following is a correct order in a business cycle: recession, trough, peak,
expansion.
Answe
r:
FALSE
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
Macroeconomic Concerns
Skill
:
Conceptual
154
8) A recession is usually associated with increasing unemployment.
Answe
r:
TRUE
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
Macroeconomic Concerns
Skill
:
Conceptual
AACS
B:
Reflective Thinking
9) An expansion is usually associated with rising price levels.
Answe
r:
TRUE
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
Macroeconomic Concerns
Skill
:
Conceptual
AACS
B:
Reflective Thinking
10) A recession is associated with a negative rate of growth of the economy.
Answe
r:
TRUE
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
Macroeconomic Concerns
Skill
:
Conceptual
AACS
B:
Reflective Thinking
5.2 The Components of the Macroeconomy
1 Multiple Choice
1) If the central bank decreases the money supply, it is conducting
A
)
monetary policy.
B) supply-side policy.
C
)
fiscal policy.
D
)
incomes policy.
Answe
r:
A
155
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
The Components of the Macroeconomy
Skill
:
Conceptual
AACS
B:
Reflective Thinking
2) If Congress increases government spending, it is using
A
)
monetary policy.
B) supply-side policy.
C
)
fiscal policy.
D
)
incomes policy.
Answe
r:
C
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
The Components of the Macroeconomy
Skill
:
Conceptual
AACS
B:
Reflective Thinking
156
3) Government policies regarding taxes and expenditures are called
A
)
fiscal policy.
B) income policies.
C
)
supply-side policy.
D
)
monetary policy.
Answe
r:
A
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
The Components of the Macroeconomy
Skill
:
Definition
4) The government implements fiscal policy when it changes
A
)
spending and/or interest rate.
B) money supply and/or taxes.
C
)
taxes and/or spending.
D
)
taxes and/or interest rate.
Answe
r:
C
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
The Components of the Macroeconomy
Skill
:
Conceptual
AACS
B:
Reflective Thinking
5) The government wants to encourage consumer spending through cutting
income taxes. This is an example of
A
)
an incomes policy.
B) a fiscal policy.
C
)
a supply-side policy.
D
)
a monetary policy.
Answe
r:
B
157
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
The Components of the Macroeconomy
Skill
:
Conceptual
AACS
B:
Reflective Thinking
6) The ________ can change the quantity of money in the economy.
A
)
Treasury Department
B) Federal Reserve
C
)
Congress
D
)
Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
Answe
r:
B
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
The Components of the Macroeconomy
Skill
:
Fact
7) The Federal Reserve affecting the supply of money is known as
A
)
fiscal policy.
B) monetary policy.
C
)
growth policy.
D
)
supply side policy.
Answe
r:
B
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
The Components of the Macroeconomy
Skill
:
Definition
158
8) Policies designed to affect the quantity of money are
A
)
fiscal policies.
B) supply side or growth policies.
C
)
government spending policies.
D
)
monetary policies.
Answe
r:
D
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
The Components of the Macroeconomy
Skill
:
Definition
9) The diagram that shows the income received and payments made by each
sector of the economy is the
A
)
aggregate demand-aggregate supply diagram.
B) circular flow diagram.
C
)
income flow diagram.
D
)
income-production diagram.
Answe
r:
B
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
The Components of the Macroeconomy
Skill
:
Definition
10) In the circular flow diagram, the different payments made by firms to
households include
A
)
wages and profits.
B) interest and taxes.
C
)
transfer payments and dividends.
D
)
taxes and transfer payments.
Answe
r:
A
Diff: 1
159
Topi
c:
The Components of the Macroeconomy
Skill
:
Conceptual
11) An example of a transfer payment is
A
)
an interest payment on a General Motors' bond.
B) the added value of stock from the time it was bought to the time it was
sold.
C
)
a Social Security retirement benefit.
D
)
the salary paid to a member of the armed forces.
Answe
r:
C
Diff: 2
Topi
c:
The Components of the Macroeconomy
Skill
:
Conceptual
AACS
B:
Reflective Thinking
12) A transfer payment is
A
)
a bonus to get a worker to accept a transfer.
B) a cash payment made by the government to people who do not supply
goods, services or labor in exchange for the payment.
C
)
a cash payment for transferring a good from one person to another.
D
)
an in kind payment for working "off the books."
Answe
r:
B
Diff: 2
Topi
c:
The Components of the Macroeconomy
Skill
:
Definition
160
13) A household that spends less than it receives in income during a given
period is
A
)
saving.
B) dissaving.
C
)
running a deficit.
D
)
receiving transfer payments.
Answe
r:
A
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
The Components of the Macroeconomy
Skill
:
Conceptual
AACS
B:
Reflective Thinking
14) The major lesson of the circular flow diagram is that
A
)
saving must always be less than investment.
B) taxes must always be greater than government expenditures.
C
)
total income in the economy must always equal total spending.
D
)
tax receipts must be equal to transfer payments
Answe
r:
C
Diff: 2
Topi
c:
The Components of the Macroeconomy
Skill
:
Conceptual
AACS
B:
Reflective Thinking
15) In which of the following markets are funds demanded and supplied?
A
)
the labor market
B) the goods and services market
C
)
the money market
D
)
the factor market
161
Answe
r:
C
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
The Components of the Macroeconomy
Skill
:
Definition
16) In the goods-and-services market, households
A
)
only supply.
B) only demand.
C
)
both supply and demand.
D
)
neither supply nor demand.
Answe
r:
B
Diff: 2
Topi
c:
The Components of the Macroeconomy
Skill
:
Conceptual
AACS
B:
Reflective Thinking
17) The demanders in the goods-and-services market are
A
)
households and business firms.
B) households, the government, and the rest of the world.
C
)
the government and business firms.
D
)
households, the government, business firms, and the rest of the world.
Answe
r:
D
Diff: 2
Topi
c:
The Components of the Macroeconomy
Skill
:
Conceptual
AACS
B:
Reflective Thinking
18) In which basic market would DVDs be traded?
A )
162
the goods and services market
B) the money market
C
)
the labor market
D
)
the factor market
Answe
r:
A
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
The Components of the Macroeconomy
Skill
:
Conceptual
19) In the circular flow diagram, firms ________ labor and households ________
goods and services.
A
)
demand; supply.
B) demand; demand.
C
)
supply; demand.
D
)
supply; supply.
Answe
r:
B
Diff: 2
Topi
c:
The Components of the Macroeconomy
Skill
:
Conceptual
AACS
B:
Reflective Thinking
20) In the circular flow diagram, households demand ________ and supply
________.
A
)
labor; labor.
B) goods; services.
C
)
goods and services; labor.
D
)
labor; goods and services.
Answe
r:
C
Diff: 2
163
Topi
c:
The Components of the Macroeconomy
Skill
:
Conceptual
AACS
B:
Reflective Thinking
21) Promissory notes issued by the federal government when it borrows money
are known as
A
)
Treasury shares.
B) Treasury stocks.
C
)
Treasury bonds.
D
)
none of the above
Answe
r:
C
Diff: 2
Topi
c:
The Components of the Macroeconomy
Skill
:
Definition
22) A promissory note issued by a corporation when it borrows money is a
A
)
share.
B) corporate bond.
C
)
corporate dividend.
D
)
stock.
Answe
r:
B
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
The Components of the Macroeconomy
Skill
:
Definition
164
23) Dividends are
A
)
government profits distributed among bondholders.
B) corporate profits distributed among shareholders.
C
)
capital gains realized by stockholders.
D
)
promissory notes issued by corporations.
Answe
r:
B
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
The Components of the Macroeconomy
Skill
:
Definition
24) Which of the following is a CORRECT statement?
A
)
Companies issue shares but don't issue bonds.
B) The government issues both bonds and shares.
C
)
Bondholders earn dividends but shareholders don't.
D
)
Shareholders earn dividends but bondholders don't.
Answe
r:
D
Diff: 2
Topi
c:
The Components of the Macroeconomy
Skill
:
Conceptual
25) A capital gain is
A
)
a financial instrument that gives the holder a share in the ownership of a
firm and therefore the right to share in the profits of the firm.
B) the portion of a corporation's profits that the firm pays out each period
to its shareholders.
C
)
an increase in the value of an asset over the price initially paid for it.
D
)
the difference between an individual's economic income and money
income.
Answe
r:
C
Diff: 2
Topi c:
165
The Components of the Macroeconomy
Skill
:
Definition
26) An increase in the value of an asset over the price initially paid for it is a
A
)
dividend.
B) share of stock.
C
)
promissory note.
D
)
capital gain.
Answe
r:
D
Diff: 2
Topi
c:
The Components of the Macroeconomy
Skill
:
Definition
27) If Tomas purchases a share of stock for $150 and one year later sells it for
$225, he will realize a
A
)
dividend of $75.
B) capital gain of $75.
C
)
dividend of $225.
D
)
a capital gain of $225
Answe
r:
B
Diff: 2
Topi
c:
The Components of the Macroeconomy
Skill
:
Analytic
AACS
B:
Analytic Skills
28) If Juanita purchases a share of stock for $20 and three years later sells it for
$120, she will realize a
A
)
dividend of $100.
B) capital gain of $100.
C
)
dividend of $120.
166
D
)
capital gain of $140.
Answe
r:
B
Diff: 2
Topi
c:
The Components of the Macroeconomy
Skill
:
Analytic
AACS
B:
Analytic Skills
29) Wayne purchased 10 autographed Eli Manning football cards when he was
15 years old for a total cost of $50 and then sold those football cards 4 years
later for $800. Due to these transactions
A
)
Wayne earned a capital gain of $800.
B) Wayne earned a capital gain of $750.
C
)
Wayne earned a dividend of $800.
D
)
Wayne earned a dividend of $750.
Answe
r:
B
Diff: 2
Topi
c:
The Components of the Macroeconomy
Skill
:
Analytic
AACS
B:
Analytic Skills
30) Mike purchased a 1968 Chevy Corvette in 2006 for $30,000 and a year later he
sold it for $36,000. Due to these transactions
A
)
Mike earned a capital loss of $6,000.
B) Mike earned a dividend of $36,000.
C
)
Mike earned a dividend of $600.
D
)
Mike earned a capital gain of $6,000.
Answe
r:
D
Diff: 2
Topi c:
167
The Components of the Macroeconomy
Skill
:
Analytic
AACS
B:
Analytic Skills
31) Ami purchased 100 shares of stock for $10,000. A year later the stock is
valued at $18,000. Instead of selling the stock, Ami held onto it for another
year. Which of the following is TRUE?
A
)
The $8,000 increase in the value of the stock represents an unrealized
capital gain.
B) The $8,000 increase in the value of the stock represents a dividend.
C
)
To determine the capital gain, it is first necessary to know the normal
rate of return on capital.
D
)
none of the above
Answe
r:
A
Diff: 2
Topi
c:
The Components of the Macroeconomy
Skill
:
Analytic
AACS
B:
Analytic Skills
168
32) A dividend is
A
)
a promissory note issued by corporations when they borrow money.
B) an increase in the value of an asset over the purchase price initially paid
for it.
C
)
the difference between the interest rate a bank pays on deposits and the
interest rate it charges for loans.
D
)
the portion of a corporation's profits that the firm pays out each period
to its shareholders.
Answe
r:
D
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
The Components of the Macroeconomy
Skill
:
Definition
33) The portion of a corporation's profits that a firm pays out each period to its
shareholders is a
A
)
dividend.
B) promissory note.
C
)
capital gain.
D
)
corporate bond.
Answe
r:
A
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
The Components of the Macroeconomy
Skill
:
Definition
2 True/False
1) Fiscal policy generally takes the form of regulations specifying the maximum
amount by which the money supply can be changed.
Answe
r:
FALSE
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
The Components of the Macroeconomy
Skill
:
Conceptual
2) Contractionary fiscal policy includes raising taxes.
169
Answe
r:
TRUE
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
The Components of the Macroeconomy
Skill
:
Conceptual
AACS
B:
Reflective Thinking
3) Monetary policy includes changing the level of household taxes.
Answe
r:
FALSE
Diff: 2
Topi
c:
The Components of the Macroeconomy
Skill
:
Conceptual
AACS
B:
Reflective Thinking
4) A corporate bond is a promissory note issued by a firm when it borrows
money.
Answe
r:
TRUE
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
The Components of the Macroeconomy
Skill
:
Definition
170
5) In the circular flow diagram everyone's expenditure is someone else's receipt.
Answe
r:
TRUE
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
The Components of the Macroeconomy
Skill
:
Conceptual
AACS
B:
Reflective Thinking
6) A dividend is is paid by shareholders to firms.
Answe
r:
FALSE
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
The Components of the Macroeconomy
Skill
:
Definition
7) A transfer payment is the tax one pays when transferring real estate.
Answe
r:
FALSE
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
The Components of the Macroeconomy
Skill
:
Definition
8) A capital gain is the increase in value of an asset above its initial cost.
Answe
r:
TRUE
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
The Components of the Macroeconomy
Skill
:
Definition
5.3 A Brief History of Macroeconomics
1 Multiple Choice
1) To get the economy out of a slump, Keynes believed that the government
should
A
)
cut both taxes and government spending.
B) increase both taxes and government spending.
C )
171
increase taxes and/or decrease government spending.
D
)
decrease taxes and/or increase government spending.
Answe
r:
D
Diff: 2
Topi
c:
A Brief History of Macroeconomics
Skill
:
Fact
AACS
B:
Reflective Thinking
2) To bring the economy out of an inflationary period, Keynes argued that the
government should
A
)
cut both taxes and government spending.
B) increase both taxes and government spending.
C
)
increase taxes and/or decrease government spending.
D
)
decrease taxes and/or increase government spending.
Answe
r:
C
Diff: 2
Topi
c:
A Brief History of Macroeconomics
Skill
:
Conceptual
AACS
B:
Reflective Thinking
172
3) Which of the following is an assumption used by Classical economists?
A
)
Wages adjust downward but not upward.
B) Wages adjust upward but not downward.
C
)
Wages are inflexible.
D
)
Wages adjust both upward and downward.
Answe
r:
D
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
A Brief History of Macroeconomics
Skill
:
Fact
4) According to the Classical model, unemployment
A
)
could not persist because wages would rise to eliminate the excess
supply of labor.
B) could not persist because wages would fall to eliminate the excess
supply of labor.
C
)
could be eliminated through fiscal and monetary policies.
D
)
could be eliminated only through government intervention.
Answe
r:
B
Diff: 2
Topi
c:
A Brief History of Macroeconomics
Skill
:
Fact
5) According to Classical economists, if the quantity of labor demanded exceeds
the quantity supplied, there is a
A
)
surplus of labor and wages will rise.
B) shortage of labor and wages will fall.
C
)
shortage of labor and wages will rise.
D
)
surplus of labor and wages will fall.
Answe
r:
C
Diff: 2
173
Topi
c:
A Brief History of Macroeconomics
Skill
:
Fact
6) According to the Classical economists, the economy
A
)
requires fine-tuning to reach full employment.
B) has sticky prices in many industries.
C
)
is self-correcting.
D
)
will never be at full employment.
Answe
r:
C
Diff: 2
Topi
c:
A Brief History of Macroeconomics
Skill
:
Fact
7) Macroeconomic policies became more influenced by Keynes' theories starting
with,
A
)
the period of high unemployment and high inflation in the 1970s.
B) the Great Depression.
C
)
the period of high inflation in the early 1980s.
D
)
the OPEC recession.
Answe
r:
B
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
A Brief History of Macroeconomics
Skill
:
Fact
174
8) According to Classical models, the level of employment is determined
primarily by
A
)
the level of aggregate demand for goods and services.
B) prices and wages.
C
)
government taxation.
D
)
government spending.
Answe
r:
B
Diff: 2
Topi
c:
A Brief History of Macroeconomics
Skill
:
Fact
9) According to Keynes, the level of employment is determined by
A
)
flexible wages and prices.
B) interest rates.
C
)
price and wages.
D
)
the level of aggregate demand for goods and services.
Answe
r:
D
Diff: 2
Topi
c:
A Brief History of Macroeconomics
Skill
:
Fact
10) The concept of "market clearing" is adopted and defended by
A
)
Keynesian economists.
B) Classical economists.
C
)
fine-tuning economists.
D
)
demand-side economists.
Answe
r:
B
Diff: 1
Topi c:
175
A Brief History of Macroeconomics
Skill
:
Fact
11) Suppose the economy suffers a high rate of unemployment. According to
Keynesian economists, the government should increase employment by
A
)
decreasing money supply.
B) balancing the budget.
C
)
not doing anything.
D
)
increasing government spending.
Answe
r:
D
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
A Brief History of Macroeconomics
Skill
:
Conceptual
AACS
B:
Reflective Thinking
12) Which of the following would be an example of fine tuning?
A
)
Firms increase wages to attract high-quality workers.
B) Firms increase employment benefits to increase workers' productivity.
C
)
The federal government enacts legislation to increase spending to try to
stimulate the economy.
D
)
The federal government passes legislation that would require that the
government's budget always be balanced.
Answe
r:
C
Diff: 2
Topi
c:
A Brief History of Macroeconomics
Skill
:
Conceptual
AACS
B:
Reflective Thinking
13) Rapid increases in the price level during periods of recession or high
unemployment are known as
A
)
stagflation.
B) stagnation.
176
C
)
depression.
D
)
inflation.
Answe
r:
A
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
A Brief History of Macroeconomics
Skill
:
Definition
14) Stagflation occurs when the economy's inflation rate is high and
A
)
employment is high.
B) the unemployment rate is high.
C
)
the unemployment rate is low.
D
)
the rate of change in economic activities is positive.
Answe
r:
B
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
A Brief History of Macroeconomics
Skill
:
Definition
15) Related to the Economics in Practice on p. 97 [409]: F. Scott Fitzgerald's The
Great Gatsby is set in the "Roaring '20s". This decade in U.S. history was
characterized by
A
)
economic expansion and high unemployment.
B) recession and high unemployment.
C
)
economic expansion and low unemployment.
D
)
the Great Depression and stagflation.
Answe
r:
C
Diff: 2
Topi
c:
A Brief History of Macroeconomics: Economics in Practice
Skill
:
Fact
177
16) Related to the Economics in Practice on p. 97 [409]: John Steinbeck's The Grapes
of Wrath is set in the early 1930s. During this time, the U.S. economy was
primarily in the ________ phase of the business cycle, culminating in the
Great Depression.
A
)
peak
B) recession
C
)
trough
D
)
expansion
Answe
r:
B
Diff: 2
Topi
c:
A Brief History of Macroeconomics: Economics in Practice
Skill
:
Fact
17) Related to the Economics in Practice on p. 99 [411]: John Maynard Keynes'
most notable published work is entitled
A
)
Capitalism Doomed.
B) The General Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money.
C
)
The Communist Manifesto.
D
)
Freakonomics.
Answe
r:
B
Diff: 2
Topi
c:
A Brief History of Macroeconomics: Economics in Practice
Skill
:
Fact
18) Related to the Economics in Practice on p. 99 [411]: John Maynard Keynes
sought to solve the economic paradox of the Great Depression, which was
the coexistence of
A
)
low production and low unemployment.
B) high production and low inflation.
C
)
high production and high inflation.
D )
178
low production and high unemployment.
Answe
r:
D
Diff: 2
Topi
c:
A Brief History of Macroeconomics: Economics in Practice
Skill
:
Fact
2 True/False
1) Keynes believed that expansionary fiscal policy could help get an economy
out of an inflation.
Answe
r:
FALSE
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
A Brief History of Macroeconomics
Skill
:
Fact
2) According to the Classical model, an excess supply of labor would drive up
wages to a new equilibrium level and therefore unemployment would not
persist.
Answe
r:
FALSE
Diff: 2
Topi
c:
A Brief History of Macroeconomics
Skill
:
Fact
3) According to Keynes, aggregate supply determines the level of economic
activities in the economy.
Answe
r:
FALSE
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
A Brief History of Macroeconomics
Skill
:
Fact
4) According to Keynes, the government's role during periods when private
demand is low is to stimulate aggregate demand and, by so doing, lift the
economy out of recession.
Answe
r:
TRUE
Diff: 1
179
Topi
c:
A Brief History of Macroeconomics
Skill
:
Fact
5) In the Classical model, the level of employment is determined by the level of
aggregate demand.
Answe
r:
FALSE
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
A Brief History of Macroeconomics
Skill
:
Fact
6) "Fine tuning" is any government attempt to regulate inflation or
unemployment.
Answe
r:
TRUE
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
A Brief History of Macroeconomics
Skill
:
Definition
180
7) Classical economists believed that economic slowdowns are self-correcting.
Answe
r:
TRUE
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
A Brief History of Macroeconomics
Skill
:
Fact
5.4 The U.S. Economy Since 1970
1 Multiple Choice
1) Since 1970, the U.S. economy has experienced four
A
)
periods of high inflation.
B) recessions.
C
)
deflations.
D
)
periods of stagflation.
Answe
r:
B
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
The U.S. Economy Since 1970
Skill
:
Fact
2) Since 1970, the U.S. economy has experienced two
A
)
periods of high inflation.
B) recessions.
C
)
deflations.
D
)
all of the above
Answe
r:
A
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
The U.S. Economy Since 1970
Skill
:
Fact
3) During the U.S. recession of 1980-1982, the unemployment rate reached a
high of ________ percent.
181
A
)
7.6
B) 8.8
C
)
10.7
D
)
22.4
Answe
r:
C
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
The U.S. Economy Since 1970
Skill
:
Fact
4) In the U.S. economy, the inflation rate in 1975 peaked at ________ percent.
A
)
10.1
B) 11.0
C
)
14.2
D
)
22.4
Answe
r:
B
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
The U.S. Economy Since 1970
Skill
:
Fact
182
Refer to the information for this hypothetical economy provided in Table 5.1 below to
answer the questions that follow.
Table 5.1
2006 2007 2008
Quarte
r I II III IV I II III IV I II III IV
Output 90 94 98 102 96 91 88 84 87 94 90 87
5) Refer to Table 5.1. In this economy, a trough existed around the
A
)
fourth quarter of the year 2007
B) fourth quarter of the year 2006.
C
)
second quarter of the year 2007.
D
)
third quarter of the year 2008.
Answe
r:
A
Diff: 2
Topi
c:
The U.S. Economy Since 1970
Skill
:
Analytic
AACS
B:
Analytic Skills
6) Refer to Table 5.1. In this economy, a peak existed around the
A
)
third quarter of the year 2008.
B) third quarter of the year 2006.
C
)
fourth quarter of the year 2007.
D
)
fourth quarter of the year 2006.
Answe
r:
D
Diff: 2
Topi
c:
The U.S. Economy Since 1970
Skill
:
Analytic
AACS
B:
Analytic Skills
7) Refer to Table 5.1. The period from after the fourth quarter of 2006 until
183
before the first quarter of 2008 can be categorized as a period of
A
)
high inflation.
B) low unemployment.
C
)
high production.
D
)
high unemployment.
Answe
r:
D
Diff: 2
Topi
c:
The U.S. Economy Since 1970
Skill
:
Analytic
AACS
B:
Analytic Skills
8) Refer to Table 5.1. Which of the following quarters can be associated with
inflation?
A
)
the second quarter of the year 2006
B) the first quarter of the year 2008
C
)
the second quarter of the year 2008
D
)
all of the above
Answe
r:
D
Diff: 2
Topi
c:
The U.S. Economy Since 1970
Skill
:
Analytic
AACS
B:
Analytic Skills
184
2 True/False
1) Since 1970, the U.S. economy has experienced 2 recessions.
Answe
r:
FALSE
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
The U.S. Economy Since 1970
Skill
:
Fact
2) Since 1970, the U.S. economy has experienced 2 periods of high inflation.
Answe
r:
TRUE
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
The U.S. Economy Since 1970
Skill
:
Fact
3) Since 1970, the annual inflation rate in the U.S. has been about 9.7 percent or
more.
Answe
r:
FALSE
Diff: 1
Topi
c:
The U.S. Economy Since 1970
Skill
:
Fact
ISSUES OF SOCIAL CONCERNS SPECIFIC TO IRMA ( Can be read for other exams too )
PORTFOLIOS AFTER RECENT CABINET RESHUFFLE:
President of India : Pranab Mukherjee Vice President of India : Mohd. Hamid Ansari Manmohan Singh : Prime Minister of India Ministry of Planning Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Department of Atomic Energy Department of Space
Sushilkumar Shinde
Minister of Home Affairs
P Chidambaram :
Minister of Finance
Salman Khurshid
Minister of External Affairs
A K Antony :
Ministry of Defense
Jairam Ramesh
Minister of Rural Development
Sharad Pawar :
Minister of Food Processing Industries
Minister of Agriculture
Ghulam Nabi Azad
Minister of Health and Family Welfare
Farooq Abdullah
Minister of New and Renewable Energy
Kamal Nath
Minister of Urban Development
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs
Vayalar Ravi
Minister of Overseas Indian Affair
S. Jaipal Reddy
Minister of Science and Technology
186
Minister of Earth Sciences
Ajit Singh
Minister of Civil Aviation
Kapil Sibal
Minister of Communications and Information Technology
M.M. Pallam Raju
Minister of Human Resource Development
M. Veerappa Moily
Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas
Mallikarjun Kharge
Minister of Labour and Employment
C. P. Joshi
Minister of Road Transport and Highways
Anand Sharma
Minister of Commerce and Industry
Minister of Textiles
Praful Patel
Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises
Chandresh Kumari Katoch
Minister of Culture
Ajay Maken
Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation
K Rahman Khan
Minister of Minority Affairs
G K Vasan
Minister of Shipping
Pavan Kumar Bansal
Minister of Railways
Harish Rawat
Minister of Water Resources
Kumari Selja
Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment
V. Kishore Chandra Deo
Minister of Tribal Affairs
Minister of Panchayati Raj
M. K. Alagiri
Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers
Beni Prasad Verma
Minister of Steel
Ashwin Kumar
Minister of Law and Justice
Shriprakash Jaiswal
187
Minister of Coal
Dinsha Patel
Ministry of Mines
=== Ministers of State with Independent Charge ===
Krishna Tirath
Ministry of Women and Child Development
Jitendra Singh
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
Srikant Kumar Jena
Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
Jayanthi Natarajan
Ministry of Environment and Forests
Manish Tewari
Minister of Information and Broadcasting
Jayanthi Natarajan
Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region
K. Chiranjeevi
Minister of Tourism
Bharatsinh Madhavsinh Solanki
Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation
Jyotiraditya Scindia
Minister of Power
K.H. Muniyappa
Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
Sachin Pilot
Minister of Corporate Affairs
=============================================
Montek Singh Ahluwalia
Planning Commission
Nandan Nilekani
Unique Identification Authority of India
>>The 4 percent target for growth in agriculture, which will be missed in the
Eleventh Plan (3.28% achieved in 11th FYP), must be achieved in the Twelfth Plan
as it is critical for inclusiveness. (Ministry Of Rural Development).
>>NEDFi was declared Winner of the NABARD Rural Innovation Award -2012 in the
Category of Public/ Co-Operative Sector / Government for its contribution towards
promoting handicraft products made from water hyacinth.
>>UPA GOVT. SWABHIMAN SWAVALAMBAN scheme.
188
SIKKIM first NIRMAL STATE IN THE COUNTRY,UNDER TOTAL SANITATION
PROGRAM.
National rural livelihood mission launched in BANSWADA district ,Rajasthan in 2011.
KUNWAR BAINU MAMERU (GUJRAT GOVT SCHEME FOR WOMAN)
BHARAT NIRMAN -SIX COMPONENTS IRRIGATION,HOUSING,ROADS,WATER
SUPPLY ELECTRIFICATION AND RURAL COMMUNICATION.
KAUSHIKI BASU WORLD BANK CHIEF ECONOMIST.
ICICI TO EXTEND NET BANKING VIA FACEBOOK.
TATA CONSULTANCY SIGNS 103 CRORE DEAL WITH MGNREGA IN WEST BENGAL.
Onnu Ruhl country director for india,world bank.
PUNJAB GOVT. DOOR TO DOOR CANCER CAMPAIGN.
21 ST SEPT WORLD PEACE DAY.
Union Ministry for women and child development launched SAKSHAM to empower
boys on gender sensitivity. Web portaL TRACH CHILD LAUNCHED........
>>KULENDEI FRANCIS---RAMON MAGSAYSAY 2012 COMMUNITY SERVICE
>>UTI LAUNCHES MICRO PENSION SCHEME FOR UNORGANISED POOR INDIAN
WORKERS
>>MRINAL GORE - ASSOCIATED WITH WATER RIGHTS, PRICE RISE AND WOMENS EMPOWERMENT
>>VILASRAO SALUNKHE- ASSOCIATED WITH PAANI PANCHAYATS
>>RAJENDRA SINGH-- WATER CONSERVATION
>>GOI SWAJAL DHARA SCHEME
>>CARBON SEQUESTRATION---TECHNIQUE USED TO REMOVE CARBON FROM ATMOS AND DEPOSITING IT IN THE RESERVOIR
>>DELHI--IST TO GET CARBON CREDIT AWARD FROM UN
>>CHIEF CROP --RICE FOR 2ND GREEN REVOLUTION IN EASTERN INDIA
>>5 JUNE WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY
189
>>PURA SCHEME BRAINCHILD OF APJ KALAM.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Providing_Urban_Amenities_to_Rural_Areas_(PURA)
Provision of Urban Amenities to Rural Areas (PURA) is a strategy for rural development in India. Concept given by former president Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.and framed by Prof.Emerson.
PURA proposes that urban infrastructure and services be provided in rural hubs to create economic opportunities outside of cities. Physical connectivity by providing roads electronic connectivity by providing communication network and knowledge connectivity by establishing professional and Technical institutions will have to be done in an integrated way so that economic connectivity will emanate. The Indian central government has been running pilot PURA programs in several states since 2004.
>>RASHTRIYA AAROGYA NIDHI SCHEME---ITANAGAR ARUNACHALPRADESH PROVIDES FINANCE UPTO 1.5 LAKH
>>UP GOVERNMENT LAUNCHED SAMAJWADI SWASTHYA SEWA (BIGGEST EMMERGENCY TRANSPORT SERVICE IN INDIA)
>>VERGHESE KURIEN--MILKMAN AND WHITE REVOLUTIONARY OF INDIA PASSES AWAY.
6TH MEKONG GANGA COOPERATION MEET HELD IN DELHI
>>Bharat Nirman Objectives: 1) provide safe drinking water to all uncovered habitations by 2012.Cover approximately 55 thousand uncovered habitations and provide safe drinking water to approximately 2.16 lakh villages affected by poor water quality. 2) Target of 60 lakh houses for the poor already achieved in 2009. New target of 1.2 crore houses by 2014 adopted. Provide additional 1.2 crore houses at the rate of 24 lakh houses each year to be built by funds allocated to the homeless through Panchayats. 3)Achieve 40% rural teledensity by 2014,assure broadband coverage to all 2.5 Lakh Panchayats and setup Bharat NIrman Seva Kendra at Panchayat level by 2012. 4) Connect all villages that have a population of 1000(500 in Hilly and tribal areas by all weather roads by 2012.Provide road connections to remaining 23,000 villages approximately with population of 1000 or 500 in case of hilly or tribal areas. 5) Reach electricity to all villages and offer electricity connection to 1.75 crore poor households by end of 2012. Provide electricity to remaining 40,000 villages approximately and connections to about 1.75 crore poor households. 6) Bring additional one crore hectare of land under assured irrigation by 2012.(1.85 Million Hectare achieved during 2009-10 and 1.56 Million Hectare achieved during
190
2010-11.6.5 million hectares brought under assured irrigation till 2009. Remaining 3.5 million hectares to be completed by 2012.
>>HIMAYAT SCHEME: LAUNCHED UNDER NRLM
Himayat is a placement linked skill development scheme for youth from Jammu and Kashmir. Himayat scheme will cover 1 lakh youth from J&K; in the next 5 years and will be implemented through competent training providers, from the private sector and non-profit organisations. The training providers for placement linked skill training will give a 75 percent placement guarantee for the trained youth. Placement for youth will be provided all over the country, within J&K; and outside. Under SEE J&K; Scheme, different training strategies will be used for diverse groups of youth – school dropouts, dropouts of XII class level, and those who have had college education.
>>Aajeevika - National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) was launched by the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), Government of India in June 2011. Aided in part through investment support by the World Bank, the Mission aims at creating efficient and effective institutional platforms of the rural poor enabling them to increase household income through sustainable livelihood enhancements and improved access to financial services. NRLM has set out with an agenda to cover 7 Crore BPL households, across 600 districts, 6000 blocks, 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats and 6 lakh villages in the country through self-managed Self Help Groups (SHGs) and federated institutions and support them for livelihoods collectives in a period of 8-10 years. In addition, the poor would be facilitated to achieve increased access to their rights, entitlements and public services, diversified risk and better social indicators of empowerment. NRLM believes in harnessing the innate capabilities of the poor and complements them with capacities (information, knowledge, skills, tools, finance and collectivization) to participate in the growing economy of the country.
>>NRLM initiated livelihood enhancement and vulnerability reduction interventions through a special program "Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana". MKSP was launched in 2010-11. The programme envisages empowering women in agriculture by making systematic investments to enhance their participation and productivity, as also create and sustain agriculture based livelihoods of rural women. The program is being implemented by NRLM in partnership with State Departments/CSOs as implementing partners (PIAs) across the country. The central to state share in funding for MKSP stands at 75:25 ratio. Under NRLM, the core agenda of MKSP is to (i) create sustainable livelihood institutions around agriculture and allied activities (ii) create sector-specific geography-specific best package of practices and (iii) create a wide pool of community resource persons for scaling up livelihood interventions in the entire country. The mission has narrowed down to four major themes, to work with partners in MKSP programme. They are: (a) Sustainable agriculture (b) Non Timber Forest Produce (NTFP)
191
NRLM SPECIAL SCHEMES: Special Projects have been developed to bridge the skill gap and entry level barriers for the rural BPL youth and facilitate their entry into relatively high level wage employment in the growing sectors of the economy. The initiative was piloted in 2005-06 as a special project under SGSY in partnership with Dr. Reddy's Foundation. The project sanctioned for training of 35,000 youth was spread in seven states: Bihar, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh .The success of this pilot catalysed progressive growth of innovative attempts by different private sector and civil society organizations to train and place rural BPL youth. SGSY skill development is an outcome based programme with funding linked to placement – 75% of trainees should be placed by an agency to avail any payment of training and placement services under this program. It primary objective is to train rural BPL youth in the age group of 18-35 years in marketable skills and place them in suitable jobs.
>>PARVAAZ PROGRAMME
One of the initiatives of Special Projects being implemented by the Project
Implementing Agency IL&FS; is Parvaaz - a pilot program on "Comprehensive Skills
and Education Program for Rural BPL Minority Youth. The main objective of this
programme is to mainstream the minority BPL youth of the country by empowering
them with education, skills & employment.
>>OMKAR NATH SHARMA ---KNOWN AS MEDICINE BABA. ESTABLISHED A
MEDICINE BANK FOR THE POOR
>>EIGHT Millenium Development Goals :-eradicate poverty and hunger,universal
primary education,promote gender equality andn empower women,reduce child
mortality,improve maternal health,combat HIV.AIDS,malaria and other
diseases,ensure environmental sustainability,develop a global partnership for
development
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act
aims at enhancing the livelihood security of people in rural areas by guaranteeing 100 days of wage employment in a financial year
to a rural household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.
192
MGNREGA- enacted on 5th sep,2005, came into force w.e.f. 2nd feb,2006 and named as MGNREGA on 31st dec ,2009
>>INDIA -- 2.4%-world surface area >>16.7%-world population-1.28billion people -28 states-7 union territories population mix- 80.5%-Hindu 13.43-muslims Christians-2.3% others-3.7% social inclusion - sarwa shikshan abhiyan (2001)-education to all children universalisation of secondry education- 11 th plan national literary mission-80% 11 th plan public expenditure on education-3.6%of gdp >>the right to children for free and compulsory education bill 2008 (up to age of 14%) is a constitutional commitment in india kasturaba ghandhi balika vidhyalaya scheme subsidized under sarwa shiksah abhiyan is specially designed for under privileged girls -- >>mid day may scheme (originated tamilnadu - followed by central laterally - 100% center sponsored) launched aug 1995 - revised sep 2004 - minimum 300 calories, 8-12 gms protein 11plan target- achieve 80% - reduce gender gap in literacy to 10%
IMS ISSUES OF SOCIAL CONCERN FOR IRMA----------------------------------- 2012 1.According to central plan outlay 2011-2012 RS 11075 Crore has been allocated for rural housing 2.NOVOD a statutory body was constituted in 1984 3.World Ozone day 16th September 4.Rabi crop is the spring harvest also known as winter harvest 5.Maternal Mortality ratio means number of maternal deaths per 1,00,000 live births. 6. The live stock census is done every 5 years. Last was done in 2008 7.Country programe action plan 2008-2012 signed between GOI and UNDP 8.City of locks Aligarh 9.India is the largest MILK producer in the world 10.Saboni west Bengal is the location of an RBI Currency printing press 11.The world’d largest foreign exchange market is London market 12.RBI has 100% equity on National Housing 13.Economic survey is an annual commentary on the state of economy in india which is put together by the Finance ministry of India. 14.The dairy cooperative network operates in over 346 districts 15. As per the economic survey of 2011-2012 the area coverage under total food grains during Kharif season 2010 compared to Kharif season 2009 shows a marginal
193
decline of 2.71 lakh ha. 16.UREA is NOT a bio fertilizer but a chemical fertilizer. 17.Macro economics is often called Aggregative economics as it is the study of aggregates 18.National Income calculated at constant price is according to the base price year 19.The input method is NOT a method to estimate national income 20.Barter economy was replaced my money economy 21.RBI has the power of issuing currency notes in India 22.The banyan tree is National Tree of India 23.All landless labourers living BPL in rural areas come under the coverage Aam Admi Bima Yojana 24.GREEN HIKER CAMPAIGN is the name of the campaign by WWF for Nature India launched on june 4,2012.The idea is to encourage the tour operators to adopt better practices for disposal of waste in the Himalayas and protect the fragile eco system. 25. For the year 2011-2012 India’s economy grew by 5.3% in fourth quarter ending March 2012 26.The National Literacy Mission was set up by GOI on 5th may 1998 with the aim to irradicate illiteracy in the country by imparting functional literacy to non illiterates 27.ITC Ltd plans to scale up 20000 E Choupals by 2012 covering 100000 villagers in 15 states servicing 15 million farmers 28. The main objective of Mill Gate Price Scheme is to provide all types of yarns to the handloom weavers organizations at the mill gate price 29. The publication titled Data Base on Indian Economy is realeased from time to time by the RBI 30. The full form of PFRDA is Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority 31. Services sector of Indian Economy is most dependent on economic developments in advanced nations 32. Yeshaswini Health Insurance Scheme was introduced in 2003 in Karnataka for rural farmers and peseants in Karnataka 33. About 65% of Indian population is mainly dependent on agriculture for their livelihood 34.The 9th five year plan was from 1997-2002 35. About 70 million new work opportunities will be created as per 11 th Five year plan 36.Carbamide is a fertilizer, another name for UREA 37. World forestry day March 21st 38. Asia’s FIRST ECONOMIC PROCESSING ZONE was set up in KANDLA,india 39. The R K Talwar Committee deals with enactments having bearing on agro lendings by commercial banks
IMS MATERIALS
1.The Indian institute of crop processing technology is situated at tanjavur 2.Girish wagh is associated with TATA motors 3.In order to achieve 11th five year plan target of average growth of 4% per year the agriculture sector needs to grow at 8.5% during 2011-2012 as per economic survey of 2010-2011
194
4.The national project on management of soil health fertility (NPMSF) was introduced in 2008-2009 5.Per capita income at current prices during 2011-2012 is estimated to have attained a lever of Rs 60603 as per advanced estimates of national income 2011-2012 released by Central statistics office 6.Currently there are 15 state seed corporations operational in india 7.KUDUMBASHREE is the woman oriented community based state poverty eradication mission of GOI 8.The country expects to lower its infant mortality rate to below 30 per 1000 live births by year 2012 according to economic survey 2010-2011 9.The handicrafts development wing of the union textile ministry has started organizing BAMBOO BAZAARS in various parts of the country from june 2010. The first was launched in CHENNAI 10.Indias main import is petroleum and crude oil 11.The NRLM was launched for the first time in state of ORRISSA IN april 2011 12.The SABLA scheme caters to the health needs of adolescent girls 13.The SANJHA CHULHA YOJANA has been launched in 2009 in Madhya Pradesh .it provides nutritious food to children between age of 3 to 6 years under integrated child development scheme in rural areas 14.The Maharashtra state buget has fixed of rs 438 crores for the MIHAN PROJECT 2012-2013 15.IN APRIL 2011 The GOI has started full scale survey of the families living BPL 16.PROJECT GREEN HANDS is a MOVEMENT to raise GREEN COVER IN TAMIL NADU BY 10% 17.KNIDS GREEN INITIATIVE is marketed under the brand name of SAMRIDDHI 18.RAJIV GANDHI JEEVAMDAYI YOJANA has been launched in 6 districts of MAHARASHTRA. The objective is to provide mediclaim insurance worth rs one lakh to people living BPL 19.NABARD came into existence on 12th july 1982 20.IFFCO one of the largest co operatives produces fertilizers 21.The first CREDA(CENTRE FOR RURAL EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT ACTION) was set up in UTTAR PRADESH 22.The rate of GDP growth to be maintained in the 12th five year plan is 10% 23.According to 11th five year plan 4% is the required percentage of increase in agricultural GDP growth rate to ensure a broader spread of benefits 24.According to the 11th five year plan by 2012 the GOI will provide broadband connectivity to all villages 25.The main target of MAHILA SAMAKHYA PROGRAMME is education and empowerment of women in rural areas 26.38 rivers have been brought under the National River conservation plan (NRCP) till date 27.24TH APRIL IS OBSERVED AS PANCHAYATI RAJ DAY 28.Service sector in the Indian economy received maximum equity inflow in 2012 29.GRAM SUMANGAL a 100% central sector scheme is associated with RURAL POSTAL LIFE INSURANCE 30.NABARD has been releasing money of recapitalizing assistance to Primary agricultural credit societies (PACS) in various states to introduce cooperative reforms. PROF. A VAIDYANATHAN COMMITTEE provides recommendation for this
195
purpose 31.According to prime ministers National council Skill Development under 11th five year plan by year 2022 India will have 500 million skilled people 32.5 Communities in india come under the category of minorities as prescribed by section 2 (a) of the National commission for Minorities act 1992 33.The percentage of central government expenditure in IAY is 75%.it is a flagship scheme of ministry of rural development to provide houses to rural poor 34.The ministry of Rural development has identified 35 districts for RURAL BUSINESS HUB INTERVENTION PROGRAMME 35.AGRICOLA MEDAL--------------- Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (please see latest
awardees)
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (R) is awarded the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)'s Agricola Medal by FAO's General Director Jose Graziano da Silva at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, Oct 2, 2012.[Photo/Xinhua]
36.Rs 9271 crore is the provision made for Rashtriya Krishi Vikas yojana (RKVY) in the UNION BUDGET 2012-2012
>>11th 5 year plan targets- GDP growth rate-9% Agriculture growth rate- 4% Industrial growth rate - 9% to 11% Manufacturing growth rate- 12% Revised GDP growth rate- 8.1% Vision- Inclusive growth and improve quality life Total layout of 11th year plan 120% of 10th 5 year plan Reduce Infant mortality rate to 1 out of 1000. Reduce Maternal mortality Rate to 28 out of 1000 Reduce poverty by 10 percentage points.
>>The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an organization that intends to supervise and liberalize international trade. The organization officially commenced on January 1, 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which commenced in 1948.[5]The organization deals with regulation of trade between participating countries; it provides a framework for negotiating and formalizing trade agreements, and a dispute resolution process aimed at enforcing participants' adherence to WTO agreements which are signed by representatives of member governments[6]:fol.9-
10 and ratified by their parliaments.[7] Most of the issues that the WTO focuses on derive from previous trade negotiations, especially from the Uruguay Round (1986–1994).
WTO's current Director-General is Pascal Lamy, who leads a staff of over 600 people in Geneva, Switzerland.
IMS
1.RICE is the most cultivated crop in india.india is the worlds second largest producer of rice behind china and more than 33% of cropland in india is under rice
196
cultivation 2.LULANDEI FRANCIS whose integrated village development project in krishnagiri has helped change the lives of the many TAMIL NADU workers has won the RAYMON MAGSAYSAY AWARD 2012 Community leadership 3.India ranks second in the world in the production of sugar 4.DDT was first synthetic pesticide of the modern age.it ultimately created widespread concern as an environmental hazard 5.Slash and Burn is an agricultural technique which involves cutting and burning of forests or woodlands to create fields 6.Crop stubble helps to hold soil in place and thus reduce erosion 7.Wetlands don’t serve as landfill sites 8.PUSA HYBRID 4 is TOMATO HYBRID 9.In between rabi and kharif season there is a period during the summer months known as ZAID season---crops grown in ZAID are watermelon pumpkin etc 10.India is the worlds largest cattle population 11.The commission for agriculture submits its recommendations on price policy for 23 crops 12.The swarnjayanti gram swarozgar yojana was launched as an integrated programme for self employment for the rural poor with effect from 1999. 13.Antyaoday anna yojana launched in 2000 for food security 14.1980’s has been best phase of agricultural development and growth in india 15.The SARVODAY PROGRAMME WAS LAUNCHED BY VINOBA BHAVE IN 1948-49 16.AGMARK is an acronym for agricultural marketing.agmark is a qualifiy certification mark provided by GOI 17.Kasturba Gandhi balika vidayalay (KGBV) is a scheme launched in 2004 for setting up residential schools at upper primary lever for girls belonging to SC ST OBC and MINORITRY communities 18.The 6th five year plan marked the beginning of economic liberalization 19.Rashtriya swasthya bima yojana is a central government scheme announced by PM Manmohan scheme on 15 august 2007 . 20.Brazil is the largest producer of sugar in the world 21.THE KISAN CREDIT CARD is a pioneering credit delivery innovation for providing adequate and timely credit to farmers under single window with flexible and simplified procedure adopting whole farm approach 22.AMMONIUM SULPHATE is used largely as an artificial fertilizer for alkaline soils. 23.THE B HORIZON is commonly refered to as SUBSIOL 24.Chickens as succeptable to at least 11 species of COCCIDIAA 25.Red data book consists lists of endangered species published by international union for conservation of nature 26.KERELA has the highest number of children delivered in hospitals 27.The new symbol of Indian rupee is designed by IIT postgraduate D UDAI KUMAR 28.The union territory of PUDDU CHERI leads the country in EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT INDEX 29.RAJIV GANDHI EQUITY SCHEME aims at boosting retail investments in the capital market 30.NIRMAN BHARAT ABHIYAN YOJANA is a SLUM SANITATION INITIATIVE aimed at constructing community toilets in SLUMS 31.The term “EVERGREEN REVOLUTION “ is coined by MS SWAMINATHAN
197
.The green revolution was coined in 1968 to indicate revolutionary improvements in crop yield in several asian countries .many of these improvements came at a cost of adverse environmental effects in areas subjected to intensive farming. However where population pressure is high there is no option except to produce more food. Productivity must increase but in ways which are environmentally safe , economically viable and socially sustainable. This has been rechristened as “EVERGREEN REVOLUTION” 32.The MICRO IRRIGATION PLAN is not restricted to western indiaa 33.The MINISTRY OF RURAL AREAS AND EMPLOYMENT was renamed as MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN 1999 34.KERELA IS KNOWN AS INDIAN SPICE GARDEN because of the variety of spices that are grown there
India - Some Basic Information Land – 32,87,263 sq km; 7th largest in the world Pop – 102 cr. (2001 Census); 2nd most populous 28 states, 7 UTs including 1 NCR (Delhi) Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, & Uttarakhand - 3 new states in that order Land Frontier – 15,200 km Total length of coast line – 7,516.6 km Population Density – 324 / sq km Sex ratio – 933 Literacy rate – 65.38 2.4% of the world’s surface area & 16.7% of the world’s population India has a heritage of democratic republics (Janapadas) National Symbols Jana Gana Mana: adopted January 24, 1950, 1st sung on December 27, 1911, at INC, Calcutta, originally in Bengali…..written by Rabinder Nath Tagore Vande Mataram: 1st sung at 1896 INC session, originally in Sanskrit by Bankim C Chatterji Saka Era (AD 78), adopted on March 22, 1957 Tiger ( national animal) , Peacock ( national bird) , Lotus (national flower) National Flag adopted on July 22, 1947 State emblem is an adaptation of Sarnath lion capital of Asokha adopted on January 26, 1950 Flag code adopted in 2002 Dolphin – National Aquatic Creature Satyameva Jayate – from Upanishads Traditional Indian calendar starts with Chaitra Major Sectors of the Economy [1] Primary – Agriculture & allied - 20-22% [1] Secondary – Industrial, which includes mining & quarrying; manufacturing; electricity, gas & water supply, and construction - 22-24% [1] Tertiary – Services, which includes trade, hotels, IT, transport & communication; financial
198
services, and community, social & personal services - 57.2% [1] Micro finance hub of India is Andhra Pradesh [1] IT and Biotechnology hub is Bangalore [1] Automobile hub is Tamil Nadu [1]Hyderabad pharma hub [1] Mumbai financial capital [1] GDP - $1.25 trillion (2009), world’s 11th largest economy [1] At $3.13 trillion, 4th largest by PPP, after U.S., Japan, & China [1] 2nd fastest GDP growth among large economies [1]India a services led economy. GDP growth rate was 7.5% in 2004-05, 9.5% in 2005-06, 9.7% in 2006-07, 9.2% in 2007-08, 6.7% in 2008-09, 7.4% in 2009-10 [1]India’s share in world trade has increased from 0.7% in 2003 to 1.1% in 2008. Export target $200 billion by March 2011. [1] Latest poverty estimate of Tendulkar Panel is 8.3 crore households and 37.2% [1] Principal commodities exported are ores and minerals, gems and jewelry chemical and allied products engineering goods petroleum products, agriculture and allied products [1] Principal commodities imported are pearls, fertilizers, cereals, edible oils, newsprint and petroleum products [1] Infrastructure and building up of social infrastructure - top priorities [1]India was the second largest economy in the world before British era [1] Shameful record of famines in British India – 1947 famine in Bengal Agriculture [1] About 64% of the population dependent on agriculture [1] Contributes 20-22% to GDP [1] 2008-09 – 4th Advance estimate 233.88 MT [1] Net sown area – 1,412 lakh hectares (2000) [1] Area under forests – 695.5 lakh hectares (2003-04) [1] 60% of area sown is dependent upon rainfall [1] Agriculture, Animal husbandry and Fisheries contributed 5.3% to GDP in 2005-06 [1] 3 harvesting seasons – Rabi, Kharif, & Zaid [1] Major Rabi crops: wheat, barley, mustard [1] Major Kharif crops: rice, jowar, bajra, cotton [1] Foodgrain cropping share comes down to 65 per cent of gross cropped area (2000) [1] Estimated production of Rice in 2008-09 is 99.37 mt [1] Estimated production of Wheat in 2008-09 is 77.63 mt [1]India third largest producer and consumer of fertilizers [1]India second largest producer of fruits and vegetables [1] Land area under marginal holdings (less than 1 hectare) is 20% of Total Cultivated Area (2001-2002) [1] High level of disguised unemployment [1] 33% ideal forest cover
199
[1] Need for improved irrigation, better seeds & fertilizers, consolidation of land holdings, land reforms, better access to credit, extension of marketing facilities, etc. [1] The first Green Revolution achieved breakthrough in the production of wheat and rice [1] No significant breakthrough in production of oil seeds & pulses [1] M.S. Swaminathan, C. Subramaniam and Norman Borlaug key figures in Green Revolution [1] National Food Security Mission [1] Rotting foodgrains and malnutrition [1] Contract farming and regulated markets - key areas of reforms [1] Controversy over GM crops - GM cotton and Brinjal [1] Organic farming a necessity not a fad (latest controversy of antibiotics in honey) Dairy, Poultry and Fisheries [1] NDDB ( National Dairy Development Board) – chairperson Dr. Amrita Patel [1] AMUL started by Dr. Verghese Kurien, who also launched Operation Flood (White Revolution) [1] 105 MT of milk production (2008-09) [1] UP – largest milk producer, also largest milch bovine pop [1] 485 million livestock population, World No.1 [1] Total egg production reached 50.7 billion in 2006-07 [1]India ranked sixth in poultry [1]India 3rd largest producer of Fish [1] Fisheries sector major contributor to exports [1] Rs.8,357 crore valuation in 2008-09 of fisheries exports [1] National Fisheries Development Board set up in Hyderabad [1] Allied activities give good scope for income generation and employment Agri & related institutes Central Institute for Medicinal and Aromatic Plants - Lucknow International Crop Research Institute for Semi-arid Tropics - Hyderabad National Fisheries Development Board - Hyderabad National Dairy Research Institute - Karnal Indian Council of Agricultural Research - Delhi Central Sheep Breeding Farm - Hissar National Institute of Agricultural Marketing - Jaipur National Institute of Rural Development - Hyderabad National Institute of Agriculture Research Management – Hyderabad PANCHAYATI RAJ The 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act The idea that produced the 73rd Amendment was not a response to pressure from the grassroots, but to an increasing recognition that the institutional initiatives of the preceding decade had not delivered, that the extent of rural poverty was still much too large and thus the existing structure of government needed to be reformed. It is interesting to note that this idea evolved from the Centre and the state governments. It was a political drive to see
200
PRIs as a solution to the governmental crises that India was experiencing. The Constitutional (73rd Amendment) Act, passed in 1992 by the Narasimha Rao government, came into force on April 24, 1993. It was meant to provide constitutional sanction to establish "democracy at the grassroots level as it is at the state level or national level". Its main features are as follows : • The Gram Sabha or village assembly as a deliberative body to decentralised governance has been envisaged as the foundation of the Panchayati Raj System. • A uniform three-tier structure of panchayats at village (Gram Panchayat — GP), intermediate or block (Panchayat Samiti — PS) and district (Zilla Parishad — ZP) levels. • All the seats in a panchayat at every level are to be filled by elections from respective territorial constituencies. • Not less than one-third of the total seats for membership as well as office of chairpersons of each tier have to be reserved for women. • Reservation for weaker castes and tribes (SCs and STs) have to be provided at all levels in proportion to their population in the panchayats. • To supervise, direct and control the regular and smooth elections to panchayats, a State Election Commission has to be constituted in every State and UT. • The Act has ensured constitution of a State Finance Commission in every State/UT, for every five years, to suggest measures to strengthen finances of PRIs. • To promote bottom-up-planning, the District Planning Committee fDPC} in every district has been accorded constitutional status. • An indicative list of 29 items has been given in Eleventh Schedule of the Constitution. Panchayats are expected to play an effective role in planning and implementation of works related to these 29 items. 74 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT RELATED TO MUNICIPAL COMMITTEES EDUCATION AS A FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT (86th CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT ) Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Launched in 2001, 75:25 exp sharing during 10th Plan between Centre & States All children in 6-14 yrs bracket in school Bridge all gender & social category gaps at primary stage by 2007 & elementary stage by 2010 Universal retention by 2010
201
Before 1976 education was the exclusive responsibility of the states Central Advisory Board for Education was first established in 1920 National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education was launched in 1995 NCERT set up in 1961 National Literacy Mission was launched in 1988 Navodaya Schools launched in 1985 Mid-Day Meal Scheme – Launched 1995, aims to increase enrolment & retention in schools Operation Blackboard – Launched 1987-88, 2 large classrooms, 2 teachers, essential teaching material Lok Jumbish – Launched in Rajasthan with assistance from Sweden, aims for edu for all Shiksha Karmi Project – aims at universalisation & qualitative improvement of primary edu in remote places of Rajasthan, special emphasis on girl child National Curriculum Framework was launched in 2005 UGC set up in 1953 IGNOU set up in 1985 National Book Trust set up in 1957 Environment [1] 20.55% area under forest cover ( Ideal forest cover is 33.33%) [1] Forest Survey of India – HO at Dehra Dun [1] 15 Biosphere Reserves, 4 recognized by UNESCO viz., Nilgiri, Sunderbans, Gulf of Mannar and Nanda Devi [1]Forest Policy – 1894, revised 1952 & 1988 [1] Project Tiger – 1973; 281 Tiger Reserves in 17 states [1] Project Elephant – 1992; 14 reserves [1] Eco-mark – to label environment-friendly consumer products [1] Sunderlal Bahuguna of Chipko Movement awarded Padma Vibushan [1] Sunita Narain Centre for Science and Environment Delhi [1] Vandana Shiva, Maneka Gandhi and Amala – Blue Cross, Navadhanya [1] Mining license of Vedanta revoked [1] Many projects in Uttarakhand on Ganga put on hold [1] Development vs Environment [1]India’s good record in carbon emissions [1] Low development responsible for low emissions? [1] Is environment clearance becoming politicized? Ex: Vedanta and Polavaram [1] Bishnois – highly eco friendly community – Haryana, Rajasthan Welfare Schemes – [1] Annapurna Scheme (2000-01) – Poor over 65 yrs of age with no pension are eligible, 10 kg of rice per month [1] Antyodaya Anna Yojana (2000) – Poorest of the poor, 35 kg of foodgrain at highly subsidised rates (Rs.2 - rice, Rs.3 - wheat)
202
[1] Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana (2001) – Universal Food for Work scheme in all UTs / states, who are supplied with 50 lakh tonne food grain free of cost by MoRD [1] MGNREGS – Food for Work programme in 200 most backward districts; 100 days employment guarantee for ONE member of a poor household or else compensation provided; Minimum Wage at Rs.60 per day [1] Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship for scheduled caste and students launched in 2006. For higher studies like M.phil and P.hd [1] Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers launched in 2007 [1] A central scheme for Primitive Tribal Groups launched in 1998-99 [1] National Policy for older persons launched in 1999 [1] Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act enacted in 2006 [1]India ratified the Convention on Elimination of Discrimination against Women in 1993 [1] Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) launched in 1975 [1] SABLA scheme for adolescent girls [1] Basic services for urban poor Employment Scenario [1] Total labour force – Estimated 457.50 million. More than 86% in informal sector [1] Services – 23 per cent; Industry – 17-19 per cent [1] Unemployment for males in 2004 – Increases to 9% in rural areas (5.6% in 1993-94) and 8.1% in urban areas (6.7% in 1993-94) [1] Unemployment for females in 2004 – Increases to 9.3% in rural areas (5.6% in 1993-94) and 11.7% in urban areas (10.5% in 1993-94) [1] Disguised unemployment and underemployment feature of India. More than 50% of the workforce in Agriculture [1]India’s first Rural Employment Guarantee Programme in Maharashtra [1] 61st round of NSSO 2004-05 informal sector workers 395 million out of total of 457.50 million [1] About 62% of unemployment in rural areas and 38% unemployment in urban areas [1] Demographic dividend – 15 to 64 years age group was 62.9% in 2006 – to be 68.4% in 2026 Health ( INDIAN DEMOGRAPHY) [1] Population growth – 1.93% (annual) [1] Decadal growth – 21.34 (1991-2001) [1] Crude Birth Rate (CBR) – 25; CDR – 8.1 [1] IMR – 64 (2002); MMR – 487 [1] Total Fertility Rate (TFR) – 3.2 [1] Life Expectancy at Birth – 63.8 yrs (M); 66.9 yrs (F) [1] Highest TFR – Bihar with 4.5 [1]India first country to officially adopt family planning programme
203
[1]Sale of non-iodated salt banned in 2006 to control Goitre [1] AYUSH programme for alternate medical systems (Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy) [1]India has the largest number of Homeo practitioners [1]India has digitalized traditional knowledge of healing systems like Ayurveda Yoga and Siddha and registered with European patent office to prevent frivolous grant of patents [1] Small-pox officially “eliminated” in 1975 [1] New disease - SARS / Dengue and Swine flu [1] Nation Rural Health Mission launched in 2005 [1] Acute need for Health Insurance [1] Malnutrition acute problem [1] Fluoride ‘belts’ in the country [1] Recurrence of Brain Fever National Health Policy 2002 Eliminate [1] Malaria, Yaws, & Leprosy - 2005 [1] Kala Azar - 2010; Filariasis - 2015 [1] Achieve zero level growth of HIV / AIDS - 2007 Reduce [1] IMR to 30 / 100 & MMR 100 / lakh by 2010 [1] Prevalence of Blindness to 0.5% by 2010 [1] Mortality by 50% on a/c of vector diseases like TB / Malaria India is home to [1] As per revised estimates carried out in 2006, the number of persons living with HIV in India is 2 to 3.1 million [1] Highest blind population [1] Highest polio-afflicted population specially in parts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar [1] Highest TB population (1/3rd of global TB pop) [1] Highest diabetic population (nearly 15%) [1] Highest projected population with cardiovascular diseases [1] Lifestyle diseases in urban, semi-urban areas Health - National Programmes [1] National Malaria Control Programme (1953) [1] National Filaria Control Programme (1955) [1] National TB Control Programme (1962) [1] National Leprosy Control Programme (1955) [1] National Programme for Control of Blindness (1953) [1] National AIDS Control Programme (1987) [1] National Goitre Control Programme (1962) [1] National Mental Health Programme (1955) [1] National Surveillance Programme for Communicable Diseases (1997-98) [1] The Universal Immumisation Programme aims at preventing TB, Diphtheria, Pertusis, Tetanus Polio and Measles [1] The pulse polio programme was launched in 1995-96
204
TRANSPORT [1] Railways modest beginning in 1853 [1] 6909 stations over total track kms of 1,09,996; 41% of total track electrified [1] 16 Railway Zones; 11 InternationalAirports [1] 12 Major Ports incl. one at Ennore (TN) – India’s first coporatised port [1] 200 non-major ports [1] 219 National Highways; longest NH 7 between Kanya Kumari & Varanasi; shortest is NH 47A between WillingdonIsland & Kochi (Kerala) [1]Cochin largest shipyard in country [1] Golden Quadrilateral – 5,486 km (D-M-C-K) [1] North-South Corridor & East-West Corridor – 7,300 km [1]Hyderabad and BangaloreInternationalAirports are greenfield airports [1]India 33 lakh kms of roads [1] NHDP largest highway project in the country [1]India has largest merchant shipping fleet in developing countries [1] Railways largest employer [1] Railway still a monopoly of public sector [1] Dedicated Railway freight corridor proposed SOME OTHER FACTS [1] Biggest constituent of UPA after Congress is Trinamool Congress [1] Agatha Sangma aged 28 is the youngest Cabinet Minister [1] Pranab Mukherjee is Finance Minster – heads many GOMs [1] Hamidullah Syed Basheer, age 27 is the youngest Member of Parliament from Lakshwadweep [1] The chairman of the National Identification Authority is Nandan Nilekani [1] The chairman of the PMEAC is C. Rangarajan [1] Bindeswari Pathak receives the prestigious Stockholm Water Prize [1] Vandana Shiva awarded Sydney Peace Prize [1] Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley – leaders of opposition Five Year Plans – 1. First plan – 1951-56 Highest Priority to agriculture, irrigation and power 2. Second plan – 1956 to 1961 Highest Priority to Heavy Industries 3. Third plan – 1961-1966 Self sustaining growth 4. 1967 to 1969 plan Holiday three annual plans 5. Fourth plan – 1969-74 Equality and Social Justice 6. Fifth plan – 1974-79 Self Reliance 7. Sixth plan – 1980-85 Removal of Poverty 8. Seventh plan – 1985-90 Increased employment 9. 1991, 1992 – Annual plans 10. Eighth plan – 1992-97 Faster economic growth 11. Ninth plan – 1997-2002 accelerating growth rate with stable prices 12. Tenth plan – 2002-07 Growth with enhanced quality of life 13. Eleventh plan – 2007-2012 Faster and inclusive growth 14. NDC approves plans 15. Planning Commission is advisory body Important Government Programmes SGSY Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY)launched in 1999
205
PURA ( Provision of Urban Amenities in Rural Area) is a concept of Abdul Kalam Maharashtra first state to launch Food for Work Programme NREGA rechristened as Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Act Prime Minister Gram Sadak Yojana launched in 2000 Indira Awaas Yojana launched in 1985 National Drinking Water Missionlaunched in 1986 Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana launched in 2001 Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) aims at urban development VAMBAY( Valmiki Ambedkar Awas Yojna) is a programme aimed at rehabilitation of slum households Integrated Child Development Services launched in 1975 Some important Statutory and Autonomous Organisations 1. National Commission for Minorities, 1993 2. National Commission for Women, 1992 3. National Commission for Protection of Rights of Children, 2007 4. Rashtriya Mahila Kosh, 1993 to facilitate credit support to poor women 5. National Handicapped Finance and Development Corporation 6. Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO) Kanpur a public sector unit 7. Rehabilitation Council of India, 1992 8. National Trust for Welfare of Persons with Autism Cereberal Palsy Mental Retardation and Multiple Disabilities 9. National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation 10. National Commission for Religious and Linguistic Minorities, 2005 11. National Commission for Scheduled Castes 12. National Commission for Safai Karamchari’s 13. National Commission for Backward Classes, 1993 14. National Commission for Human Rights 15. Central Adoption Resource Agency (CARA), 1990 16. National Commission on Population, 2000 17. National Knowledge Commission 18. Council for Advancement of People Action and Rural Technology (CAPART), 1986 19. Unique Identification Authority 20. National Innovation Council 21. Investment Commission MAHATAM GANDHI JI BOOK : A WEEK WITH GANDHI …………LOUIS FISCHER MY EXPERIMENTS WITH TRUTH…………..AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MAHATAMA GANDHI MOVIE “ GANDHI”…….DIRECTOR : Richard Attenborough WRITER : JOHN BRILEY IMPORTANT DAYS Important Days in World History Timeline
206
Jan 10 World Laughter Day Jan 11 Death anniversary of Lai Bahadur Shastri Jan 12 National Youth Day (Birth day of Swami Vivekanand) Jan 23 Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose's birth anniversary Jan 25 International Customs Duty Day, India Tourism Day Jan 26 Republic Day Jan 30 (Martyr's day) Mahatma Gandhi's Martyrdom Day; World Leprosy Eradication Day Feb 2 World Wetlands Day Feb 13 Sarojini Naidu's Birth Anniversary Feb 14 St. Valentine's Day Feb 24 Central Excise Day Feb 28 National Science Day Mar 8 International Women's Day Mar 15 World Consumer Day Mar 16 National Vaccination Day Mar 19 World Disabled Day Mar 21 World Forestry Day Mar 22 World Day for Water Mar 23 World Meteorological Day Mar 24 World TB Day April 7 World Health Day April 13 Jallianwallah Bagh Massacre Day (1919) April 22 World Earth Day April 23 World Books Day May 1 International Labour Day (May Day) May 3 International Energy Day May 8 International Red Cross Day (It is celebrated to commemorate the birth anniversary of the founder of the Red Cross Organisation Jean Henry Dunant) May 11 National Technology Day May 15 International Family Day May 24 Commonwealth Day May 31 World No Tobacco Day Jun 5 World Environment Day Jun 27 World Diabetes Day Jul 1 Doctor's Day Jul 11 World Population Day Aug 29 Sports Day (Dhyanchand's birthday) Aug 30 Small Industry Day Sep 5 Teacher's Day Sep 7 Forgiveness Day Sep 8 International Literacy Day Sep 14 Hindi Day, World First Aid Day Sep 15 International Day of Democracy Sep 16 Weld Ozone Day Sep 21 Word Alzheimer's Day Sep 25 Social Justice Day
207
Sep 27 World Tourism Day Oct 1 International Day for the Elderly (UN) Oct 2 Gandhi Jayanti, International Non-violence Day Oct 3 World Nature Day Oct 4 World Animal Day Oct 5 World Habitat Day; World Teacher's Day Oct 6 World Wildlife Day Oct 8 Indian Air force Day Oct 9 World Postal Day Oct 10 World Mental Health Day; National Post Day Oct 12 World Sight Day Oct 13 World Calamity Control Day (UN) Oct 14 World Standards Day Oct 15 World White cane day (guiding the blind) Oct 17 International Poverty Eradication Day Oct 20 National Solidarity Day (China attacked India on that day) Oct 24 United Nations Day Nov 7 Infant Protection Day; World Cancer Awareness Day Nov 14 Children's Day/World Diabetics day Nov 26 Law Day Dec 1 World AIDS Day Dec 10 Human Rights Day Dec 11 UNICEF Day Dec 14 National Energy Conservation Day Dec 23 Kisan Divas (Farmer's day) UNIQE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER - Tembhali: India’s most ambitious project to issue an unique identification number to all its citizens got off to a start with the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh handing over the first UID Number ‘782474317884’ to Rajana Sonawane, a tribal lady 's in Tembhali village in Nandurbar, Maharashtra on September 29, 2010. This marks the national launch of the Aadhaar Project under Unique Identification Authority of India. Ranjna received the Aadhaar letter from the Prime Minister. Ranjna’s letter marks the point where the Aadhaar initiative transforms from a technology concept to an on the ground reality. Ranjna had enrolled with her five year old son Hitesh, who was the second person to receive the Aadhaar letter. For Hitesh, Aadhaar will be his first proof of identity. The launch of Aadhaar in Tembhali was also attended by the UPA Chairperson, Sonia Gandhi. During a public function marking the launch, the Prime Minister acknowledged the significance of the number and dedicated Aadhaar to the service of the nation. Nandan Nilekani, Chairman of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) & Ex Infosys
208
CEO, mentioned the significance of the Aadhaar number for the millions of residents who still do not have any form of identification, “Today many people in this country do not possess any form of identification. The Aadhaar number will be able to fill this void”. Ranjna and Hitesh were among ten people from Tembhali who received letters containing their Aadhaar number from the Prime Minister and UPA Chairperson. Tembhali thus becomes India’s first ‘Aadhaar-gram’. The Aadhaar (UID) project will be rolled out across the country in the next four years. The 12-digit UID number will be stored in a centralised database and linked to the basic demographics and biometric information - photograph, ten fingerprints and iris - of each individual. In Kerala, Akshaya, IT@School and Keltron have been identified as enrolment agencies. MAHATAM GANDHI NATIONAL RURAL EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE SCHEME - Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is an Indian job guarantee scheme, enacted by legislation on August 25, 2005. The scheme provides a legal guarantee for one hundred days of employment in every financial year to adult members of any rural household willing to do public work-related unskilled manual work at the statutory minimum wage of Rs.100 per day. The Central government outlay for scheme is Rs. 40,100 crores in FY 2010-11.It was initially called the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) but was renamed on 2 October 2009. The act was brought about by the UPA coalition government supported by the left parties. The promise of this project is considered by many to be one of the major reasons for the re-election of the UPA in the Indian general election, 2004. - Dr. Jean Drèze, a Belgian born economist, at the Delhi School of Economics, has been a major influence on this project The act directs state governments to implement MNREGA "schemes". Under the MGNREGA the Central Government meets the cost towards the payment of wage, 3/4 of material cost and some percentage of administrative cost. State Governments meet the cost of unemployment allowance, 1/4 of material cost and administrative cost of State council. Since the State Governments pay the
209
unemployment allowance, they are heavily incentivized to offer employment to workers. However, it is up to the State Government to decide the amount of unemployment allowance, subject to the stipulation that it not be less than 1/4th the minimum wage for the first 30 days, and not less than 1/2 the minimum wage thereafter. 100 days of employment (or unemployment allowance) per household must be provided to able and willing workers every financial year. - The scheme commenced on February 2, 2006 in 200 districts, was expanded to cover another 130 districts in 2007-2008 and eventually covered all 593 districts in India by April 1, 2008. The outlay was Rs. 110 billion in 2006-2007, and rose steeply to Rs. 391 billion (140% increase in amount with respect to previous 2008-2009 budget) in 2009-2010. First a proposal is given by the Panchayat to the Block Office and then the Block Office decides whether the work should be sanctioned. The MGNREGA achieves twin objectives of rural development and employment. Human Development Index - INDIAN RANK 134 OUT OF 182 IN HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDEX - The Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite statistic used to rank countries by level of "human development" and separate developed (high development), developing (middle development), and underdeveloped (low development) countries. The statistic is composed from data on life expectancy, education and per-capita GDP (as an indicator of standard of living) collected at the national level . The HDI combines three dimensions: * Life expectancy at birth, as an index of population health and longevity * Knowledge and education, as measured by the adult literacy rate (with two-thirds weighting) and the combined primary, secondary, and tertiary gross enrollment ratio (with one-third weighting). * Standard of living, as indicated by the natural logarithm of gross domestic product per capita at purchasing power parity. Poverty: - Poverty in India is widespread with the nation estimated to have a third of the world's poor. According to a 2005 World Bank estimate, 42% of India falls below the international poverty line of US$ 1.25 a day (PPP, in nominal terms 21.6 a day in urban areas and 14.3 in
210
rural areas); having reduced from 60% in 1981. According to the criterion used by the Planning Commission of India 27.5% of the population was living below the poverty line in 2004–2005, down from 51.3% in 1977–1978, and 36% in 1993-1994. As per the 2001 census, 35.5% of Indian households availed of banking services, 35.1% owned a radio or transistor, 31.6% a television, 9.1% a phone, 43.7% a bicycle, 11.7% a scooter, motorcycle or a moped, and 2.5% a car, jeep or van; 34.5% of the households had none of these assets MID DAY MEAL SCHEME The Mid-day Meal Scheme is the popular name for school meal programme in India. It involves provision of lunch free of cost to school-children on all working days. The key objectives of the programme are: protecting children from classroom hunger, increasing school enrolment and attendance, improved socialisation among children belonging to all castes, addressing malnutrition, and social empowerment through provision of employment to women. The scheme has a long history especially in Tamil Nadu introduced statewide by K. Kamaraj government in 1960s and expanded by M. G. Ramachandran in 1982 has been adopted by most of the states in India after a landmark direction by the Supreme Court of India on November 28, 2001. 12 crore (120 million) children are so far covered under the Mid-day Meal Scheme, which is the largest school lunch programme in the world. Allocation for this programme has been enhanced from Rs 3010 crore to Rs 4813 crore (Rs 48 billion1.2 billion) in 2006-2007. In April 2001 People’s Union for Civil Liberties (Rajasthan) initiated the now famous right to food litigation. This public interest litigation has covered a large range of issues relating to right to food, but the best known intervention by the court is on mid-day meals. In one of its many direction in the litigation the Supreme Court directed the government to fully implement its scheme of providing cooked meals to all children in primary schools. This landmark direction converted the mid-day meal scheme into a legal entitlement, the violation of which can be taken up in the court of law. The direction and further follow-up
211
by the Supreme Court has been a major instrument in universalising the scheme The State of Karnataka introduced the provision of cooked meals in June 2002. Since then it has successfully involved private sector participation in the programme. One of the successful of the ventures is Akshaya Patra, which started with leadership from ISKCON in the Bangalore community. The Foundation gets a corpus from the State government but meets a major share of its costs with donations from private corporations and individuals in the city. Despite the success of the program, child hunger as a problem persists in India. According to current statistics, 42.5% of the children under 5 are underweight. This is due to simple reasons such as not using iodized salt. “India is home to the world’s largest food insecure population, with more than 200 million people who are hungry,” India State Hunger Index (ISHI) said, adding that the country’s poor performance is driven by its high levels of child under-nutrition and poor calorie count. “Its rates of child malnutrition is higher than most countries in Sub-Saharan Africa,” it noted. A report released as part of the 2009 Global Hunger Index ranks India at 65 out of 84 countries. LOOK EAST POLICY : Look East policy is an attempt to forge closer and deeper economic integration with its eastern neighbours as a part of the new realpolitik in evidence in India’s foreign policy, and the engagement with Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a part of the recognition on the part of India’s elite of the strategic and economic importance of the region to the country’s national interests Members: BruneiDarussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam SARVA SHIKSHA ABHIYAAN The 'Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan' (Hindi: The 'Education for All' Movement, is a flagship programme of the Government of India pioneered by Atal Bihari Vajpayee for achievement of universalization of elementary education in a time bound manner, as mandated by the 86th amendment to the Constitution of India making free and compulsory education to children of ages 6–14 (estimated to be 205 million in number in 2001) a
212
fundamental right. The programme aims to achieve the goal of universalization of elementary education of satisfactory quality by 2010. There are 8 main programs in SSA.It includes ICDS,AANGANWADI etc. It also Includes KGBVY. Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidalaya Yojana was started in 2004 with a view to give primary education to all girls. later on it was merged with SSA. Goals 1. All in school by 2005. 2. Complete 5 years of primary education by 2005 and 8 years of schooling by 2010. 3. Satisfactory Quality with emphasis on education for life. 4. Bridge all gender and social gaps at primary level by 2007 and elementary level by 2010. 5. Universal retention by 2010. The program seeks to open new schools in those habitations which do not have schooling facilities and strengthen existing school infrastructure through provision of additional class rooms, toilets, drinking water, maintenance grant and school improvement grants. KUTIR JYOTI SCHEME In order to boost electrification of households that are below the poverty line (BPL), the Power Ministry wants to revitalise the Kutir Jyoti programme. Originally launched by the Congress Government in the late 80s, the Kutir Jyoti programme envisaged extending single point light connections to households of rural BPL families. These were to include Harijan and tribal families. The programme had come under criticism as it was seen as one of the factors responsible for rampant increase in transmission & distribution (T&D losses and even inflating supplies to the agriculture sector over the years. PMGSY PRADHAN MANTRI GRAMEEN SADAK YOJNA : Rural Road Connectivity is not only a key component of Rural Development by promoting access to economic and social services and thereby generating increased agricultural incomes and productive employment opportunities in India, it is also as a result, a key ingredient in ensuring sustainable poverty reduction. Notwithstanding the efforts made, over the years, at the State and Central levels, through different Programmes, about 40% of the Habitations in the country are still not connected by All-weather roads. It is well known that even where connectivity has been provided, the roads constructed are of such
213
quality (due to poor construction or maintenance) that they cannot always be categorised as All-weather roads. With a view to redressing the situation, Government have launched the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana on 25th December, 2000 to provide all-weather access to unconnected habitations. The Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) is a 100% Centrally Sponsored Scheme. 50% of the Cess on High Speed Diesel (HSD) is earmarked for this Programme. SWARNJAYANTI GRAM SWAROZGAR YOJANA Swarnajayanthi Gram Sswarozgar Yojana Scheme is a holistic approach towards poverty eradication in rural India through creation of self-employment opportunities to the rural Swarozgaries. This scheme is implemented in the country through District Rural Development Agencies. The Centre and State fund this program in the ratio of 75:25. It is designed to help poor rural families cross the poverty line. This is achieved through providing income generating assets and inputs to the target groups through a package of assistance consisting of subsidy and bank loan. Objectives SGSY came into existence in 1999-2000 duly merging the schemes of Integrated Rural Development Program (IRDP), Training for Rural Youth under Self Employment (TRYSEM) Development of Women & Children in Rural Areas (DWCRA) and Supply of Improved Toolkits to Rural Artisans (SITRA). The scheme aims to bring every assisted poor family above the poverty line by ensuring appreciably sustainable level of income over a period of time. This objective is to be achieved by organizing the rural poor in to Self Help Groups (SHG) through the process of social mobilization, their training and capacity building,and provision of income generating assets. INDIRA AWAS YOJNA ( IAY) FOR RURAL HOUSING With a view to meeting the housing needs of the rural poor, Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY) was launched in May 1985 as a sub-scheme of Jawahar Rozgar Yojana. It is being implemented as an independent scheme since 1 January 1996. The Indira Awaas Yojana aims at helping rural people below the poverty-line belonging to SCs/STs, freed bonded labourers and non-SC/ST categories in construction of dwelling units and up gradation of existing unserviceable kutcha houses by providing grant-in-aid. From 1995-96, the IAY benefits have been extended to widows or next-of-kin of defence personnel killed in action. Benefits have also been extended to ex-servicemen and retired members of the paramilitary forces as long as they fulfill the normal eligibility conditions of Indira Awaas Yojana.
214
Under the scheme allotment of the house is done in the name of the female member of the households or in the joint names of husband and wife. A minimum of 60 % of funds are to be utilized for construction of houses for the SC/ST people. Further, 60% of the IAY allocation is meant for benefiting SC/ST families, 3% for physically handicapped and 15% for minorities. 5% of the central allocation can be utilized for meeting exigencies arising out of natural calamities and other emergent situations like riot, arson, fire, rehabilitation etc. NATIONAL SOCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMME : The National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP) then comprised of National Old Age Pension Scheme (NOAPS), National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS) and National Maternity Benefit Scheme (NMBS). These programmes were meant for providing social assistance benefit to the aged, the BPL households in the case of death of the primary breadwinner and for maternity. These programmes were aimed to ensure minimum national standards in addition to the benefits that the States were then providing or would provide in future. Council for Advancement of People’s Action & Rural Technology (CAPART) Recognising the need for an organisation that would coordinate and catalyse the development work of voluntary agencies in the country, particularly to ensure smooth flow of benefits to the underprivileged and socio-economically weaker sections of society, Government of India, in September, 1986 set up the Council for Advancement of People’s Action and Rural Technology (CAPART), a registered society under the aegis of the Department of Rural Development, by merging two autonomous bodies, namely, People’s Action for Development of India (PADI) and Council for Advancement of Rural Technology (CAPART). DRDA( DISTRICT RURAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY) The District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) has traditionally been the principal organ at the District level to oversee the implementation of different anti-poverty programmes. Since its inception, the administrative costs of the DRDAs were met by way of setting apart a share of the allocations for each programme. However, of late, the number of the programmes had increased and while some of the programmes provided for administrative costs of the DRDAs, others did not. There was no uniformity among the different programmes with reference to administrative
215
costs. Keeping in view the need for an effective agency at the district level to coordinate the anti-poverty effort, a new Centrally Sponsored Scheme for strengthening the DRDAs has been introduced with effect from 1st April, 1999. Accordingly, the administrative costs are met by providing a separate budget provisions. This scheme which is funded on a 75:25 basis between Centre and States, aims at strengthening and professionalsing the DRDAs. PURA ( PROVISION FOR URBAN AMENITIES IN RURAL AREAS) ELEVENTH FIVE YEAR PLAN MAJOR OBJECTIVES Eleventh plan (2007-2012) The eleventh plan has the following objectives: 1. Income & Poverty o Accelerate GDP growth from 8% to 10% and then maintain at 10% in the 12th Plan in order to double per capita income by 2016-17 o Increase agricultural GDP growth rate to 4% per year to ensure a broader spread of benefits o Create 70 million new work opportunities. o Reduce educated unemployment to below 5%. o Raise real wage rate of unskilled workers by 20 percent. o Reduce the headcount ratio of consumption poverty by 10 percentage points. 2. Education o Reduce dropout rates of children from elementary school from 52.2% in 2003-04 to 20% by 2011-12 o Develop minimum standards of educational attainment in elementary school, and by regular testing monitor effectiveness of education to ensure quality o Increase literacy rate for persons of age 7 years or above to 85% o Lower gender gap in literacy to 10 percentage point o Increase the percentage of each cohort going to higher education from the present 10% to 15% by the end of the plan 3. Health o Reduce infant mortality rate to 28 and maternal mortality ratio to 1 per 1000 live births o Reduce Total Fertility Rate to 2.1 o Provide clean drinking water for all by 2009 and ensure that there are no slip-backs o Reduce malnutrition among children of age group 0-3 to half its present level o Reduce anaemia among women and girls by 50% by the end of the plan 4. Women and Children o Raise the sex ratio for age group 0-6 to 935 by 2011-12 and to 950 by 2016-17 o Ensure that at least 33 percent of the direct and indirect beneficiaries of all government schemes are women and girl children o Ensure that all children enjoy a safe childhood, without any compulsion to work 5. Infrastructure
216
o Ensure electricity connection to all villages and BPL households by 2009 and roundthe- clock power. o Ensure all-weather road connection to all habitation with population 1000 and above (500 in hilly and tribal areas) by 2009, and ensure coverage of all significant habitation by 2015 o Connect every village by telephone by November 2007 and provide broadband connectivity to all villages by 2012 o Provide homestead sites to all by 2012 and step up the pace of house construction for rural poor to cover all the poor by 2016-17 6. Environment o Increase forest and tree cover by 5 percentage points. o Attain WHO standards of air quality in all major cities by 2011-12. o Treat all urban waste water by 2011-12 to clean river waters. o Increase energy efficiency by 20 percentage points by 2016-17. CREDIT RATING AGENCIES IN INDIA - ONICRA Credit Rating Agency of India Ltd. - Credit Rating Information Services of India Limited (CRISIL) - Investment Information and Credit Rating Agency of India (ICRA) - Credit Analysis & Research Limited (CARE) - Duff & Phelps Credit Rating India Private Ltd. (DCR India) Ratings awarded by major credit rating agencies: - AAA - : Highest Safety - AA - : High Safety - A - : Adequate Safety - BBB - : Moderate Safety - BB - : Sub -moderate Safety - B - : Inadequate Safety - C - : Substantial Risk - D - : Default - Under Pulse Polio Programme children in which group are given two doses of oral polio vaccines at an interval of six weeks ………………0 to 5 years - Vaidyanathan Committee : corporate credit institutions - The last live stock census was done in the year 1992. - NATIONAL FISHRIES DEVELOPMENT BOARD IS LOCATED AT…………HYDERABAD LATEST CENSUS IN INDIA : - 15th Indian National census began on April 1, 2010. Census has been conducted in India since 1872 and this is the first time biometric information will be collected. - The census will cover all 1.2 billion Indians, involve 25 lakh (2.5 millions) officials. It is estimated to cost Rs 2,209 crore (1.3 billion US dollars). - Information such as name, age, sex, date of birth, caste, ownership of mobile phones,
217
computers and Internet will be collected during this massive undertaking. - Information on castes initially not intended to be collected was later included after demand from almost all opposition parties. Opposition to not including the caste was spearheaded by Lalu Prasad Yadav, Sharad Yadav and Mulayam Singh Yadav and supported by opposition parties Bharatiya Janata Party, Akali Dal, Shiv Sena, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.[1] Information on caste was last collected during British Raj in 1931. During the early census, people often exaggerated their caste status to garner social status and it is expected that people downgrade it now in the expectation of gaining government benefits - Once the information will be collected and digitalised, fingerprints and photos will be collected. Unique Identification Authority of India will issue a 16-digit identification number to all individuals and the first ID is expected to be issued in 2011 NATIONAL RURAL HEALTH MISSION • The National Rural Health Mission (2005-12) seeks to provide effective healthcare to rural population throughout the country with special focus on 18 states, which have weak public health indicators and/or weak infrastructure. • These 18 States are Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Jammu & Kashmir, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Madhya Pradesh, Nagaland, Orissa, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttaranchal and Uttar Pradesh. • The Mission is an articulation of the commitment of the Government to raise public spending on Health from 0.9% of GDP to 2-3% of GDP. It has as its key components provision of a female health activist in each village; a village health plan prepared through a local team headed by the Health & Sanitation Committee of the Panchayat; strengthening of the rural hospital for effective curative care and made measurable and accountable to the community through Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS); and integration of vertical Health & Family Welfare Programmes and Funds for optimal utilization of funds and infrastructure and strengthening delivery of primary healthcare. • It seeks to revitalize local health traditions and mainstream AYUSH into the public health system. Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) and Maternal Mortality - Ratio (MMR) - Revitalize local health traditions and mainstream AYUSH Every village/large habitat will have a female Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) Now Surfing – Rural India @ 5.4 Million Users
218
If you are talking about an Internet revolution in India, you will, now, have some very impressive numbers to aid you. The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and the Indian Market Research Bureau (IMRB), jointly, carried out a research recently and concluded that the number of active Internet users in rural India is expected to rise to 5.4 million in 2010 – a staggering 30% increase since 2008. The numbers are of users who have logged in atleast once over the last 30 days which adds considerable weight to the figures. e-Choupal: ITC Scaled Down Commodities, Launched Tamil Portal In FY09 its annual report, BSE listed ITC Ltd has noted that with Government intervention over the past year – like a ban on exports, stock controls and subsidization of prices, ITC had to exit trading in several commodities, and consequently, restructure its e-Choupal network. ITC launched 50 e-Choupals during the year in Tamil Nadu, supported by the Tamil version of echoupal.com... “with over 250 web pages”, looking to target crops such as paddy. ITC also set up three more Choupal Sagar malls during the year, and now has 24 Choupal Sagars in three states. e-Choupals are outlets for sourcing raw materials and selling FMCG products, set up in Rural India by ITC, in partnership with local entrepreneuts. These are backed by a digital infrastructure, and offer farmers value added services such as crop advisories, advance weather forecasts, output price discovery, direct communication tools etc. Reuters Market Light also has a service for daily updates via SMS, and powers Nokia Life Tools with similar inputs. eChoupals claim to cover over 40,000 villages, but I wonder if all villagers have access to them. Access to information is power, and given the societal complexities of our country, I feel that personal access to such information via the mobile would be more powerful than having a “Sanchalak” in control of information. According to a press release in July, e-Choupals reached out to 1 million farmers, which isn’t much. Pranab launches pension scheme for unorganised sector workers JANGIPUR (WEST BENGAL): Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday launched a pension scheme for workers in the unorganised sector who do not have access to the social security net. “I launched the scheme to coincide with the 78th birthday of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. This
219
scheme will help those who are not covered under any social security scheme,” Mr. Mukherjee said after unveiling the programme at a function here in Murshidabad district. Validity period Under the scheme — which is named ‘Swavalamban' — subscribers would get Rs.1,000 from the government each year for a subscription amount of Rs.12,000 per year. The scheme will remain valid for this financial year and for the next three consecutive fiscals. Mr. Mukherjee has already allocated Rs. 100 crore for the scheme in the budget for 2010-11. It will be managed by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority of India. A subscriber can enter the scheme at the age of 18 years and will be eligible for pension after turning 60. Mr. Mukherjee said 87 per cent of the country's workforce would benefit from the ‘Swavalamban' scheme, adding that there were eight crore people above 60 who were not getting pension. This figure will rise to 20 crore over the next 17-18 years. On turning 60, the pensioner can withdraw 60 per cent of his contribution, while the balance will be given as a monthly annuity by the LIC. The LIC has been appointed one of the many aggregators who will collect subscription amounts from subscribers. Higher pension amount Mr. Mukherjee said that while announcing the scheme in the budget, he had asked the State governments to join the programme so that pensioners could benefit by getting a higher pension amount. Responses “However, only two states — Haryana and Karnataka — have responded to the scheme,” he said. Minister of State for Finance N.N. Meena, LIC chairman T.S. Vijayan and other senior Finance Ministry officials were present at the event. MAHATAMA GANDHI TANTA MUKTI GAON MOHIM Pune: The United Nations has decided to recognise the Mahatma Gandhi Tanta Mukti Gaon Mohim (Dispute-freeVillage Scheme) of the Maharashtra government. The scheme was introduced as a way to get rid of small disputes in the village and thus bring about harmony. It was also seen as a measure to reduce the work pressure on policemen. Pune Rural SP Pratap Dighavkar will present the model to the U.N. at their New York headquarters on August 11.
220
Speaking to journalists here, he said that he was really happy to be representing India at the global level. “The credit goes to the local police officers and constables. I am just representing them,” he said. The presentation will be given to the officials of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the U.N. General Assembly and the Security Council. The Maharashtra model is likely to be replicated in other developing countries, where logistics and infrastructure of the judicial machinery were weak, Mr. Dighavkar said. He will also spend time with social scientists, reformers and peace makers in various universities and share the model and his experiences with them. Speaking of the achievements of the scheme, he cited figures in Pune district where 790 out of 1,134 villages have become ‘dispute-free' in the last two and a half years and hence the district received Rs. 19,31,000,00 ($4.4 million), as the prize money from the State government. Since October 2009, 36,294 conflicts at the village-level were resolved and now, 28,084 cases were awaiting resolution, he said. Mr. Dighavkar said the scheme helped the government save Rs. 20 crore and also 15 tonnes of paper. The government did not have to spend a single rupee for the implementation of the scheme. In April 2010, Khairlanji was recognised by the scheme as a dispute-free village. The award and the money came to the village three years after four from a family of Dalits were brutally massacred there. The case will now be heard in the Supreme Court after the death sentence of six of the accused was commuted to life term. Calling Khairlanji dispute-free, some would argue, was an irony. The committee members of the village defended themselves saying that murder, as a cognizable offence, was out of the ambit of the scheme and hence, the committee could not do anything about it. Mr. Dighavkar refused to comment on Khairlanji and said he would do the same if the question came up in the U.N. presentation. “I cannot say anything about a matter that is in the courts. But I agree, sometimes political and
221
communal biases may play a role at the village level.” Khairlanji was not the only village facing such issues over the scheme being implemented in the State since 2007, when Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and Home Minster R.R. Patil introduced it. Gender issues surrounding the scheme came to light when Kiran Moghe, State president of the All India Women's Democratic Association (AIDWA) studied its implementation in Pune district in association with the Department of Women's Studies, University of Pune. “In Pune, there are not many sharp distinctions in caste. But there are serious gender problems. In a society that is mostly male-dominated, it is already difficult for women, especially in the rural areas, to express themselves. To add to it, the committee members are in most cases, men. This puts more pressure on the women and cases of domestic violence are covered up,” she said. Five-eggs-a-week scheme inaugurated in Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri KRISHNAGIRI/DHARMAPURI: Collector V. Arun Roy inaugurated the five-eggs-a-week scheme at the PanchayatUnionPrimary School, Kaveripattinam, near Krishnagiri, on Tuesday in the presence of Public Relations Officer N. Monoharan and other officials. Inaugurating the scheme, the Collector said that during the birth anniversary celebrations of former Chief Minister C.N. Annadurai, Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi had announced the scheme to increase the number of eggs from three to five a week at all the noon meal centres. Accordingly, a total of 1,99,833 students would get the extra nutrition through the 1,585 rural noon meal centres and 12 urban centres across the Krishnagiri district. For 4,401 students who do not consume eggs, bananas would be supplied for all the five days. The Collector called upon the noon meal centre workers to maintain hygiene in the centres, check the quality of eggs and boil them to the required temperature. He also called up on the Block Development Officers, Assistant Project Officers and elected representatives to visit the noon meal centres on regular basis and verify whether the scheme is implemented properly. The serving of boiled channa (20 grams) on Tuesdays and boiled potato (20 grams) on Fridays would continue, the Collector added. In Dharmapuri, Collector P. Amutha inaugurated the scheme at the Illakkiampatti Government Girls
222
Higher Secondary School in Dharmapuri on Monday. After inaugurating the scheme, she said that under the scheme, a total number of 1,92,335 students will be benefited from this scheme. She also said that 7,075 students who do not consume eggs will be provided banana in all the five days. Pranab to launch LIC's Swavalamban scheme today NEW DELHI: Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee is scheduled to formally launch the ‘Swavalamban Scheme' of Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) on Sunday at Murshidabad in West Bengal. The Centre has already approved the operational guidelines for the scheme which was announced by Mr. Mukherjee in his budget speech for 2010-11. The scheme is applicable to all citizens in the unorganised sector who join the New Pension Scheme (NPS), subject to their meeting the eligibility criteria, an official statement said here. The scheme is to be funded by grants from the Centre. Under the scheme, the Central government will contribute Rs.1,000 a year to each NPS account opened in 2010-11 and for the next three years. To be eligible, a person will have to make a minimum contribution of Rs.1,000 and a maximum contribution of Rs.12,000 annually . In recognition of their faith in the NPS, all NPS accounts opened in 2009-10 will also be entitled to the benefit of ‘Swavalamban', subject to fulfilment of the eligibility criteria. A person will have the option to join the NPS as an individual as per the existing scheme or through the CRA Lite approved by the Pension Fund Regulatory Development Authority (PFRDA). Akrama-Sakrama scheme approved by Cabinet Bangalore: The State Cabinet has given approval to the Akrama-Sakrama scheme for regularisation of unauthorised housing layouts and violations in building bylaws across the State. The scheme will come into effect immediately (after it is notified in the State gazette) and building bylaw violations up to 25 per cent for commercial structures and up to 50 per cent for residential structures will be regularised. The penalty for various categories and varieties of violations has also been slashed by 50 per cent. All violations, with December 3, 2009, being the cut-off date, will be eligible under the regulation scheme, and those who pay the fine within a specified period (likely to be a month) will be eligible for a 5 per cent discount. Further, the declaration and the fine to be paid will also be similar to the self-
223
assessment scheme (SAS) in payment of the property taxes. All building owners will be given three months’ time to submit their application and the applications received will be processed within a period of three months. In other words, violations can be regularised within a period of six months after the notification is gazetted. Exit from the ‘Swavalamban scheme' would be on the same terms and conditions on which exit from Tier-I account of NPS is permitted and will be subject to the condition that the minimum pension out of the accumulated pension wealth would be Rs.1,000 a month, in accordance with the provisions of operational guidelines. Sabla scheme likely to be launched on November 14 NEW DELHI: The Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls - Sabla - is likely to be launched in 200 select districts on November 14, celebrated as Children's Day in the country. The Scheme is aimed at addressing the multi-dimensional problems of adolescent girls between 11 and 18 years and would be implemented through the platform of Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) projects and anganwadi centres. Over one crore girls are expected to benefit from the scheme annually. Upgrading skills The girls would be empowered by improvement in their nutritional and health status and upgrading home, life and vocational skills. It also aims at equipping the girls on family welfare, health, hygiene and information and guidance on existing public services, along with mainstreaming out of school girls into formal or non-formal education. Nutrition would be provided to all girls of 11 to 15 years who are out of school and those of 15 to 18 years. The scheme is expected to tackle the inter-generational cycle of malnutrition, effectively, to prepare young girls for future motherhood. It would eventually result in the reduction of high levels of anaemia, maternal mortality rate and child marriages. Launch on pilot-basis The Centre is in the process of identifying the 200 select districts where the scheme would be launched on a pilot basis. The government has allocated Rs. 1,000 crore for the purpose for the current financial year. Sabla would be a Centrally-sponsored scheme except for the
224
nutrition component for which the State would have to shell out 50 per cent of the cost. As per the estimates, the cost of nutrition would be Rs. 5 per day per girl. Health problems Adolescent girls in general, and those out of school in particular, have considerable unmet needs in terms of health including reproductive health, education, nutrition and skill development. Given the high levels of under-nutrition and anaemia in adolescent girls and women, compounded by early marriage, early child bearing and inadequate spacing between births, adolescent girls perpetuate an inter-generational cycle of under-nutrition, gender discrimination and poverty. ‘Laadli' scheme making its mark NEW DELHI: Over 6,900 girls registered under the Delhi Government's ‘Laadli' girl child welfare scheme have passed their Class X examination. As per information provided by the Delhi Government, the flagship scheme launched in 2008 has come a long way as Rs.3.7 crore has already been released as final claim in respect of these girls who have attained 18 years of age. The scheme has received a good response so far with 290,655 girls registered under it till July this year. It has helped improve the gender ratio in Delhi and enrolment of girls in schools. Girls who are keen to pursue their studies after passing Class X would be helped in securing admission to higher secondary classes. INDIAN AGRICULTURE [1]India is the largest producer of wheat in the worl [1]India is the largest producer of Rice in the world [1]India is among the largest vegetable oil economies in the world [1]India is the largest producer of Tea in the world [1]India is the second largest producer of Fruits in the world [1]India is the largest producer of Milk in the world [1]India is the largest producer of Coffee in the world [1]India is the largest producer of Cotton in the world Indian Agriculture by its sheer size can dictate global markets directly and indirectly. Majority of rural population still is dependent on agriculture for their livelihood and over 600 million farmers involved in agriculture related activities. Agriculture in India has a long history dating back to ten thousand years. Today, India ranks second worldwide in farm output. Agriculture and allied sectors like forestry and
225
logging accounted for 16.6% of the GDP in 2007, employed 52% of the total workforce and despite a steady decline of its share in the GDP, is still the largest economic sector and plays a significant role in the overall socio-economic development of India. India is the largest producer in the world of milk, cashew nuts, coconuts, tea, ginger, turmeric and black pepper.It also has the world's largest cattle population (281 million). It is the second largest producer of wheat, rice, sugar, groundnut and inland fish. It is the third largest producer of tobacco.India accounts for 10% of the world fruit production with first rank in the production of banana and sapota. India's population is growing faster than its ability to produce rice and wheat. INDIAN ECONOMY AT AGLANCE • Illiteracy (Literacy – 64.8% - 75.3% male and 53.7% female literates) • Low HDI – 134 (Calculated using Life expectancy at birth, primary education, Per capita income) • Low level of technology and productivity • Poverty • 46% of children suffer from malnutrition. • High savings and low capital formation • Low per capita income • Over sized population (1.38% growth) • Dependence on primary production • 72.25% live in villages • High density of population – 324/sq.km Agriculture Sector Overview • Growth rate of 2% approximately • Green Revolution helped to achieve self sufficiency in food. • Blue, White, Yellow Revolutions increased the production of marine products, milk and oil seeds. • 43% land arable • 60% of arable land - monsoon dependent • Minimum Support Price, (MSP) on pulses, oilseeds, sugarcane to help farmers Cropping season The Indian crops can be divided into three groups in which two are major namely Kharif & Rabi- Kharif crop- The Kharif season is during the southwest monsoon (July-October). During this season, agricultural activities take place both in rain-fed areas and irrigated areas. Kharif crop includes Rice (Paddy), Jowar, Bajra, Maize, Cotton, Sugarcane, Seasamum, Soyabean, and Groundnut. Rabi crops- The Rabi season is during the winter months, when agricultural activities
226
take place only in the irrigated areas. This crop is sown in October last and harvested in March/April every year. These crops include Wheat, Jowar, Barley, Gram, Tur, Rapeseed, and Mustard. Zayad Crop- In some parts of the country a crop is sown during March to June every year. Zayad crops include Melon, watermelon, Vegetables, Cucumber, Moong, Urad etc. Irrigation India is a monsoon dependent country for its water resources. Irrigation sector has been fundamental to India’s economic development and poverty alleviation since 25% of India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 65% of employment is based on agriculture. During the post independence period, the country has invested a huge amount of capital in the major and the medium irrigation projects. Among the states, three have already achieved 70% or more of the ultimate irrigation potential with Tamilnadu recording 100% achievement, followed by Punjab and Rajasthan at 84% and 74% respectively. Six states, i.e., Haryana, Karnataka, Jammu & Kashmir, and West Bengal are in the range of 63% to 71%, whereas in U.P. and Maharashtra, the achievement would be 56% each. The states of Bihar, Gujarat, Orissa, M.P. and Assam have achieved less than 50% of the ultimate potential. Revolutions Revolutions in Indian Economy Revolutions Area Key Person Green Agriculture Dr. Norman Borlaug and Dr. M.S.Swaminathan. Yellow Oil Seeds Sam Pitroda White Milk Varghese Kurien Blue Fish - Pink Shrimp - Brown Masaaley -Spices Grey Wool & Poultry –
Black Crude Oil Agriculture: At A Glance - Agriculture growth rate target for Tenth Plan (2002-2007) is 4%,but achived was merely 1.8%. target for 11th plan is again 4%. - Agriculture sector provides employment to 58.4% of country’s workforce and is the single largest private sector occupation. - India holds first position in the world in the production of sugarcane and sugar,
227
Brazil closely follow us and many times its production is more than ours. Brazil is also largest producer of Ethanol. - Cashew nuts assume an important place in the Indian Economy. India produces 45% of the global production of cashew. India is the largest producer,processor, consumer & exporter of cashew in the world. - India contributes about 13% to the world vegetable production and occupies first rank in the production of Cauliflower, second in onion and third in cabbage in the world. - India’s share in the world production of mango is about 54%. - India occupies the first rank in banana production of 1.16 Million tones. - Animal husbandry output constitutes about 30% of the country’s agriculture output. - U.P. is the highest wheat producing state, Punjab and Haryana hold 2nd & 3rd positions respectively. - Rice is the main food crop in India. The highest rice producing State is West Bengal, U.P & Punjab are 2nd& 3rd respectively. - The highest pulses & Soyabean producing state is Madhya Pradesh. - The highest cereals producing state is Maharashtra. - India is the largest producer & consumer of tea in the world and accounts for around 27% of world production and 13% of world trade. - Karnataka, which is the largest producer of coffee in the country, accounts for 56.5% of total coffee production in India. India ranks sixth in the world coffee production. - Kerela is the main rubber producing state, which produces 90% of the rubber in the country and accounts for over 85% of the area under cultivation. - India is the largest Milk producing country in the world. - India is the third highest tobacco producing country in the world. - India ranked first in production of vegetable in the world. Besides India is the second largest producer of fruits in the world. - The Horticulture sector contributed 28% of GDP in agriculture. Agriculture finance Agricultural production in this country depends upon millions of small farmers. It is the intensity of their effort and the efficiency of their technique that will help in raising yields per acre. Because of inadequate financial resources and absence of timely credit facilities at reasonable rates, many of the farmers, even though otherwise willing, are unable to go in for improved seeds and manures or to introduce better methods or techniques. Works of minor irrigation like wells owned by the cultivators either get into disuse or are not fully utilized for want of capital. Types of Financing: Finance required for production can be divided broadly into : (a) short-term (for periods up to 15 months) ; (b) medium-term (from 15 months up to 5 years) and (c) long-term (above 5 years). Short-term loans are required for purchasing seeds, manures and fertilizers or for meeting labour charges, etc. These are
228
expected to berepaid after the harvest. Medium-term loans are granted for purposes such as sinking of wells, purchase of bullocks, pumping plants and other improved implements, etc. Loans repayable over a longer period (i.e. above 5 years) are classified as long-term loans. These are utilised for payment of old debts, purchase of the heavier machines, making permanent improvements and increasing the size of the holding17. Primary sources of agricultural credit are: The following agencies provide finance to the cultivators :— 1. Private agencies: (a) Money lenders and landlords ; (b) Commercial banks. 2. Public or semi-public agencies: (a) The State (b) Co-operative societies (c) Regional Rural banks Co-operatives: Commercial and regional rural banks are institutional lenders whereas moneylenders which operate in the villages and talukas are non-institutional lenders. Moneylenders have exploited the farmers and small landowners. With increased institutional intervention in the rural finance sector, this exploitation has reduced considerably and the farmers are no longer at the mercy of the whimsical moneylenders for the satisfaction of their financial requirements. NABARD: NABARD, which is considered to be the leading institution in the agricultural sector, was set up on July1, 1982. Since its inception, NABARD has taken over the functions of the Agricultural finance department of RBI and the Agricultural Refinance and Development Corporation (ARDC). NABARD is responsible for the development, planning, operational matters, coordination, monitoring, research, training and consultancy in relation to rural credit. NABARD maintains two funds, viz National Rural Credit (Long term operations) and the National Rural Credit (Stabilization) Fund. Both the Central and the State governments contribute to these funds. It operates throughout the country through its 16 regional offices and 3 Sub-offices. Crop Insurance Scheme: the United Front government on an experimental basis in selected districts during the Rabi 1997-98 season introduced The Crop Insurance scheme. The limit of insurance cover was fixed at Rs. 10000 irrespective of the losses incurred by them. Under the new scheme, the farmers will themselves deal with the insurance provider directly and the government will not provide any subsidiary directly to the
229
farmers. Both premium and claims were shared between the central and the state governments in the ratio of 4:1. National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS): The National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS) was introduced in the country from the1999-2000 Rabi season, replacing the Comprehensive Crop Insurance Scheme (CCIS), which was in operation in the country since1985. The General Insurance Corporation (GIC) on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture implements this scheme. The main objective of the scheme is to protect the farmers against losses suffered by them due to crop failure on account of natural calamities, such as, drought, flood, hailstorm, cyclone, fire, pest/diseases etc. Forest The overall forest cover in India is around 19.3% in the year 1999. The estimate is done by the planning commission of India. One would find different figure from different sources precisely because different agencies have different definition of what constitute a forest. The latest assessment on forest cover (FSI 1999) indicates that 11.48 per cent of the total geographical area is dense forest (over 40 per cent crown density) and 7.76 per cent is the open forest (10-40per cent crown density). Dense forest 37.73 m ha 11.48% Open forest 25.51 m ha 7.76 % Mangroves 0.49 m ha 0.15% SOME IMPORTANT KEY POINTS: - The Tehri Dam is a rock and earth-fill embankment dam on the BhagirathiRiver near Tehri in Uttarakhand, India. It is the primary dam of theTehri Hydro Development Corporation Ltd. and the Tehri hydroelectric complex. Completed in 2006, the Tehri Dam withholds a reservoir of 2.6 billion cubic meters for irrigation, municipal water supply and the generation of 1,000 MW of hydroelectricity along with an additional 1,000 MW of pumped storage hydroelectricity - Watershed Development Fund (NABARD) A Watershed Development Fund (WDF) has been established at NABARD with the objective of integrated watershed development in 100 priority districts of 18 States through participatory approach. The total corpus of WDF is Rs.200 crore. Under WDF, two-thirds of amount is
230
given for loan based project and one-third of amount is given for grant based project in the State. A number of externally aided projects are also under implementation on watershed approach, which covers an area of about 1.5 lakh hectares annually. Various Watershed Development Programmes namely: • National Watershed Development Project for Rainfed Areas (NWDPRA) • Soil Conservation in the Catchments of RiverValley Project & Flood Prone River (RVP & FPR) • Reclamation & Development of Alkali & Acid Soil (RADAS) • Watershed Development Project in Shifting Cultivation Areas (WDPSCA) are being implemented. - Treasury Information Management System In Kerala - The Group of Eight (G8, and formerly the G6 or Group of Six and also the G7 or Group of Seven) is a forum, created by France in 1975, for governments of six countries in the world: France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In 1976, Canada joined the group (thus creating the G7). In becoming the G8, the group added Russia in 1997 - The Group of Twenty Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (G-20, G20, Group of Twenty) is a group of finance ministers and central bank governors from 20 economies: 19 countries plus the European Union, which is represented by the President of the European Council and by the European Central Bank - 97th Indian Science Congress held at Trivantpuram ( Kerala) in Janurary 2010 - Kiran Mazumdar Shaw – Biocon- related to biotechnology - Un accoustomed Earth – Jumpha Lahiri - Republic Day Guests : 2008 President Nicolas Sarkozy France o 2009 President Nursultan Nazarbayev Kazakhstan o 2010 PresidentLeeMyungbakRepublic of Korea - Inflation is checked from Whole sale Price Index ( WPI) - The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an organization that intends to supervise and liberalize international trade. The organization officially commenced on January 1, 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which commenced in 1948. The WTO has 153 members, representing more than 97% of total world trade. The WTO's headquarters is at the Centre William Rappard, Geneva, Switzerland. - BRIC COUNTRIES : BRIC (typically rendered as "the BRICs" or "the BRIC countries" or known as
231
the "Big Four") is a grouping acronym that refers to the countries of Brazil, Russia, India, and China that are deemed to all be at a similar stage of newly advanced economic development. - OPEC ( ORGANISATION OF PETROLEUM EXPORTING COUNTRIES) The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries(OPEC) was created in 1960 to unify and protect the interests of oil-producing countries. OPEC allows oil-producing countries to guarantee their income by coordinating policies and prices among them. This unified front was created primarily in response to the efforts of Western oil companies to drive oil prices down. The original members of OPEC included Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela. OPEC has since expanded to include seven more countries (Algeria, Angola, Indonesia, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, and United Arab Emerates) making a total membership of 12. - Competition Bill 2002 replaced MRTP Act………… ( Monopoly restrictive Trade practices Act) - Narmada Bachao Andolan …………..Megha Patkar - Bhoo Daan …………Vinoba Bhave INDIAN ECONOMY : SOME IMPORTANT DATA According to the estimates by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, the Indian economy has registered a growth of 7.4 per cent in 2009-10, with 8.6 per cent year-on-year (y-o-y) growth in its fourth quarter. The growth is driven by robust performance of the manufacturing sector on the back of government and consumer spending. GDP growth rate of 7.4 per cent in 2009- 10 has exceeded the government forecast of 7.2 per cent for the full year. According to government data, the manufacturing sector witnessed a growth of 16.3 per cent in January-March 2010, from a year earlier. Economic activities which showed significant growth rates in 2009-10 over the corresponding period last year were mining and quarrying (10.6 per cent), manufacturing (10.8 per cent), electricity, gas and water supply (6.5 per cent), construction (6.5 per cent), trade, hotels, transport and communications (9.3 per cent), financing, insurance, real estate and business services (9.7 per cent), community, social and personal services (5.6 per cent). The Gross National Income is estimated to rise by 7.3 per cent in 2009-10 as compared to 6.8 per cent in 2008-09.
232
The per capita income is estimated to grow at 5.6 per cent in 2009-10. India’s industrial output grew by 17.6 per cent in April 2010. The manufacturing sector that accounts for 80 per cent of the index of industrial production (IIP) grew 19.4 per cent in April 2010, as against 0.4 per cent a year-ago. Capital goods production grew by 72.8 per cent against a contraction of 5.9 per cent a yearago. Consumer durables output continued to grow at a fast pace of 37 per cent, mirroring higher purchase of goods such as televisions and refrigerators. The Economic scenario The number of registered foreign institutional investors (FIIs) was 1710 as on May 31, 2010 and the total FII inflow in equity during January to May 2010 was US$ 4606.50 million while it was US$ 5931.80 million in debt. Net investment made by FIIs in equity between June 1, 2010 and June 14, 2010 was US$ 530.05 million while it was US$ 875.73 million in debt. As on June 4, 2010, India's foreign exchange reserves totalled US$ 271.09 billion, an increase of US$ 9.88 billion over the same period last year, according to the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) Weekly Statistical Supplement. Moreover, India received foreign direct investment (FDI) worth US$ 25,888 million during April- March, 2009-10, taking the cumulative amount of FDI inflows during August 1991 - March 2010 to US$ 1, 32,428 million, according to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP). The services sector comprising financial and non-financial services attracted 21 per cent of the total FDI equity inflow into India, with FDI worth US$ 4,392 million during April-March 2009-10, while construction activities including roadways and highways attracted second largest amount of FDI worth US$ 2,868 million during the same period. Housing and real estate was the third highest sector attracting FDI worth US$ 2,844 million followed by telecommunications which garnered US$ 2,554 million during the financial year 2009-10. • Exports from India were worth US$ 16,887 million in April 2010, 36.2 per cent higher than the level in April 2009, which touched US$ 12,397 million, according to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. India's imports during April 2010 were valued at US$
233
27,307 million representing a growth of 43.3 per cent over April 2009. • India's logistics sector is witnessing increased activity—the country's major ports handled 560,968 metric tonnes (MT) of cargo during April-March 2009-10, an increase of 5.74 per cent over previous year traffic, according to revised estimates released by the Ministry of Shipping. • Foreign tourist arrivals in India during the month of May 2010 were 345,000, an increase of 15.5 per cent over May 2009. Foreign tourist arrivals during January-May 2010 were 2.263 million, an increase of 11.3 per cent over the corresponding period last year. Foreign exchange earnings during May 2010 were US$ 951 million, an increase of 42.2 per cent over May 2009. Foreign exchange earnings during January-May 2010 were US$ 5822 million, an increase of 38.3 per cent over the corresponding period last year, according to data released by the Ministry of Tourism. • The total telephone subscriber base in the country reached 638.05 million in April 2010, taking the overall tele-density to 54.10, according to the figures released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). Also the wireless subscriber base increased to 601.22 million. • According to the latest statistics from the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI), the assets under management (AUM) of mutual funds were worth US$ 170.46 billion in May 2010 as compared to US$ 135.58 billion in May 2009. • As per NASSCOM’s Strategic Review 2010, the BPO sector continues to be the fastest growing segment of the industry and is expected to reach US$ 12.4 billion in 2009-10, growing at 6 per cent. • According to data released by Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), the total number of vehicles including passenger cars, commercial vehicles, two wheelers and three wheelers produced in 2009-10 was 14,049,830, as compared to 11,172,275 produced in 2008- 09. • According to the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council, the exports of gems and
234
jewellery from India including rough diamonds, rose by 57.08 per cent during April-May 2010 to touch US$ 5551.24 million. • According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, domestic airlines carried 211,380 passengers between January-May 2010, an increase of 21.95 per cent over 173,340 passengers carried in the same period last year. • The number of corporate merger & acquisitions (M&As and private equity (PE) transactions, have more than doubled during January-May 2010. 439 M&A; and PE deals valuing over US$ 30 billion took place between January-May 2010 as compared to 179 deals worth US$ 8.1 billion in the corresponding period in 2009. • The HSBC Market Business Activity Index, which measures business activity among Indian services companies, based on a survey of 400 firms, rose to 62.1 in April 2010, its highest since July 2008, and compared with 58.1 in March 2010. Agriculture Agriculture is one of the strongholds of the Indian economy and accounted for 15.7 per cent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2008-09, and 10.23 per cent of the total exports. Moreover, it provided employment to 58.2 per cent of the work force. Production of foodgrains during 2009-10 is estimated at 216.85 million as per second Advance Estimates. In the Union Budget 2010-11, the Finance Minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee made the following announcements for the agriculture sector. • US$ 86.89 million is provided to increase the Green Revolution to the eastern region of the country comprising Bihar, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Eastern up, West Bengal and Orissa. • US$ 65.17 million has been provided to organise 60,000 pulses and oil-seed villages in rainfed areas in 2010-11 and provide an integrated intervention for water harvesting, watershed management and soil health to improve productivitiy of the dry land farming areas. • Banks have been consistently meeting the targets set for agricultural credit flow in the past few years. For the year 2010-11, the target has been set at US$ 81.47 billion. • In addition to the 10 mega food park projects already being set up, the government has decided to set up five more such parks. • External commercial borrowings are available for cold storage for preservation or
235
storage of agricultural and allied products, marine products and meat. Growth potential story • The data centre services market in the country is forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.7 per cent between 2009 and 2011, to touch close to US$ 2.2 billion by the end of 2011, according to research firm IDC India’s report published in March 2010. The report further stated that the overall India data centre services market in 2009 was estimated at US$ 1.39 billion. • According to a report by research and advisory firm Gartner published in March 2010, the domestic BPO market is expected to grow at 25 per cent in 2010 to touch US$ 1.2 billion by 2011. Further, the BPO market in India is estimated to grow 19 per cent through 2013 and grow to US$ 1.8 billion by 2013. According to the report, the domestic India BPO services market grew by 7.3 per cent year-on-year in 2009. • The BMI India Retail Report Quarter 3, 2010 released in May 2010, forecasts that total retail sales will grow from US$ 353.0 billion in 2010 to US$ 543.2 billion by 2014. • According to a report titled 'India 2020: Seeing, Beyond', published by domestic broking major, Edelweiss Capital in March 2010, stated that India's GDP is set to quadruple over the next ten years and the country is likely to become an over US$ 4 trillion economy by 2020. • India will overtake China to become the world's fastest growing economy by 2018, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the research arm of London-based Economist magazine. Exchange rate used: 1 USD = 47.14 INR (as on June 2010) IMPORTANT READING ON ENERGY SECTOR Sustainable Development Last Updated: August 2010 Sustainable development in India now encompasses a variety of development schemes in social, cleantech (clean energy, clean water and sustainable agriculture) and human resources segments, having caught the attention of both the Central and State governments and also public and private sectors. In fact, India is expected to begin the greening of its national income accounting, making depletion in natural resources wealth a key component in its measurement of gross domestic
236
product (GDP). As per a report by UN Environment Program (UNEP), 'Global Trends in Sustainable Energy Investment 2010', released on July 2010, India was ranked eighth in the world in terms of investment in sustainable energy. The report further stated that India invested around US$ 2.7 billion in sustainable energy in 2009. Wind energy attracted 59 per cent of financial investment in clean energy in India. India was placed fifth in the world for installed wind power during the year. Biomass and waste was the second largest sector recipient of investment, generating US$ 0.6 billion of new financial investment or 22 per cent of the total. India's sustained effort towards reducing greenhouse gases (GHG) will ensure that the country's per capita emission of GHG will continue to be low until 2030-31, and it is estimated that the per capita emission in 2031 will be lower than per capita global emission of GHG in 2005, according to a new study. Even in 2031, India's per capita GHG emissions would stay under four tonnes of CO2, which is lower than the global per capita emission of 4.22 tonnes of CO2 in 2005. India has been ranked ninth in the tree planting roll of honour in 2009 in a campaign to plant a billion trees, which was launched by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in November 2006. The Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Mr. Vijay Sharma, announced that India has joined the United Nations Environment Programme's Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign (BTC) by planting two billion trees since 2007. The number of carbon credits issued for emission reduction projects in India is set to triple over the next three years to 246 million by December 2012 from 72 million in November 2009, according to a CRISIL Research study. This will cement India's second position in the global carbon credits market (technically called Certified Emission Reduction units or CERs). The growth in CER issuance will be driven by capacity additions in the renewable energy sector and by the eligibility of more renewable energy projects to issue CERs. Consequently, the share of renewable energy projects in Indian CERs will increase to 31 per cent. CRISIL Research expects India's renewable energy capacity to increase to 20,000
237
mega watt (MW) by December 2012, from the current 15,542 MW. The contribution of renewable energy to the power business in India has now reached 70 per cent, compared to 10 per cent in 2000, in terms of project numbers and dollar value, according to Anita George, Director, Infrastructure, International Finance Corporation (IFC). As per industry estimates, private equity and global venture capital companies will invest up to US$ 1 billion in high-growth, incentive-driven renewable energy companies by the end of the current fiscal. Companies such as Moser Baer and Caparo Energy along with state-owned companies are planning to raise funds for clean energy projects. Recently, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a World Bank arm, committed US$ 10 million in Azure Power India, a solar energy producer. India's first-ever 3 MW solar photovoltaic power plant, developed by the Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL), the state-owned power generating company, was dedicated to the nation at Yalesandra village in Kolar district on June 17, 2010. The plant, which uses modular crystalline technology to generate solar energy, has been set up at a cost of US$ 1.29 million. India is the fifth largest wind energy producer in the world, with installed capacity of nearly 10,500 MW and a target to scale up capacity to 14,000 MW by the end of 2011. Corporate Initiatives According to a study released in May 2010 by leading Swiss lender, Bank Sarasin, Indian information technology (IT) giant Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), telecom major Bharti Airtel and windturbine maker, Suzlon are among the global firms having high sustainable development standards. Other Indian firms, which have high level of sustainability standards mentioned in the report include India's largest manufacturer of irrigation plants, Jain Irrigation and leading IT-firm Infosys. The study, which was conducted among 360 emerging market companies, found that a third of these firms have high rating in terms of sustainability. Further, Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) commercial arm Antrix Corporation was awarded the Globe Sustainability Research Award 2010, set up by Stockholm-based Global Forum, for fostering sustainable development. The prestigious award has been conferred on Antrix for its
238
contribution to improve sustainable livelihood of the rural poor while reducing their vulnerability to climate risks. • Tata Steel Rural Development Society (TSRDS), an organisation involved in the steel major's community building initiatives, embarked on an initiative to empower communities by creating awareness on the Right to Information (RTI) Act at the grassroot level, in October 2009. • Wipro Infotech, provider of IT and business transformation services, has unveiled its new eco-friendly and toxin-free desktops, manufactured with materials completely free of deadly chemicals like polyvinyl chloride and brominated flame retardants. • Ramky Enviro Engineers Ltd and GE Power & Water have signed an agreement, to work together and offer environment management solutions, including waste-water treatment and recycling. Public sector major the Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited's (BHEL) two units—Tiruchi and Ranipet— have collaborated Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IITM) for joint research and the focus would be sea water desalination and pollutant control systems. National Solar Mission According to Union Minister of New and Renewable Energy Dr Farooq Abdullah, the government targets to set up 1,100 MW grid-connected solar plants, including 100 MW capacity plants as rooftop and smaller solar power plants for the first phase of the National Solar Mission till March 2013. In addition, the government plans to generate 20,000 MW solar power by 2022 under the threephase National Solar Mission, with 2000 MW capacity equivalent off-grid solar applications, including 20 million solar lights, also planned to be installed during this period. The new and renewable energy ministry has signed power purchase agreements for solar capacity of as much as 100 MW to speed up solar power capacity addition in the country. Seven projects from Tamil Nadu have been selected under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission programme. Each of these seven companies is to set up a 1 MW solar photovoltaic power generation facility connected to the state grid. Clean Energy and Technology Investment levels in energy efficiency have remained strong despite the global
239
recession according to the Energy Efficiency Indicator (EEI) survey conducted by Johnson Controls in June 2010. Across all regions surveyed, energy management is considered an important priority among commercial decision-makers (92 per cent). Notably, respondents from India (85 per cent) and China (80 per cent) were more likely to consider energy management very or extremely important as compared to those in Europe (55 per cent) and North America (53 per cent). Green Industry Bio Energy Private Limited, a special purpose vehicle (SPV) formed by Emergent Ventures and US-based Indus Terra is aiming to use poultry litter in Haryana to generate power for the state power grid. The power project, costing US$ 13.23 million, will convert poultry manure into electricity and slurry into fertiliser by the process of anaerobic digestion at a high temperature through a process called thermophilic digestion. The 5.6 MW power project would be built in two phases; phase one with a capacity of 1.4 MW and the second with 4.2 MW capacity. The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) is looking to create a demand for energy efficient, products, goods and services awareness. The Bureau has set up an energy efficiency financing platform (EEFP), which aims at ensuring availability of finance at reasonable rates for energy efficiency project implementation and its expansion. USAID through its clean-tech energy initiatives is stepping up its presence in India by partnering stakeholders and mentoring and working with the policy makers. Through the Environmental Cooperation-Asia Clean Development and Climate Programme (ECO-Asia), a programme of the US Agency for International Development's Regional Development Mission for Asia (USAID/RDMA), it aims to catalyse policy and finance solutions for clean energy. Corporate Investments • Gamesa Corporacion Tecnologica, a Spanish company specialising in sustainable energy technologies, especially fabrication of wind turbines and setting up of wind farms, has set up a 500 MW per year capacity facility in Chennai at an investment of US$ 54.7 million. • CLP India aims to add around 200 MW of wind power installations every year to its portfolio and has committed an investment of over US$ 2.2 billion towards this. It recently
240
opened its 99 MW Theni Wind Farm in Tamil Nadu taking its total wind power portfolio in India to 446 MW. • Power and automation technology major ABB has launched its fourth global wind power generator factory at Vadodara. The factory will supply wind power generators for Indian and global markets. • US-based private equity (PE) fund Blackstone has invested US$ 300 million in Moser Baer Projects Private Ltd (MBPPL), a subsidiary of Moser Baer India. It is considered to be the largest investment by a single PE investor in power sector. The investment will fund MBPPL's plans of commissioning 5,000 MW of power generation capacity—4,000 MW of thermal power, 500 MW of solar power and 500 MW of hydro power—over the next six years in India and Germany. • Orient Green Power Company Ltd (OGPL), a part of the Chennai-based Shriram Group, has tied up with Nishi-Nippon Environmental Energy Co of Japan to set up a 7.5 MW biomass power project. • The Mumbai-based Apar Group has announced partnership with Neat Energy, Inc, US, to set up a solar power generation facility of up to 40 MW near Bhuj in Kutch district, at an investment of up to US$ 130.3 million. • The Cleantech division of the diversified Mahindra & Mahindra Group plans to install 50 MW of solar power generation capacity across five States at an outlay of US$ 161.12 million. Government Initiatives In the Union Budget 2010-11, the government announced the setting up of the National Clean Energy Fund (NCEF) for funding research and innovative projects in clean technologies. To build the corpus of the NCEF, clean energy cess on coal produced in India at a nominal rate of US$ 1.08 per tonne has been levied. This cess is also applied on imported coal. The clean energy cess imposed on coal, lignite and peat came into effect from July 1, 2010. Moreover, the plan outlay for the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has been increased by 61 per cent, from US$ 134.7 million in 2009-10 to US$ 217.2 million in 2010-11. The Urban Development Ministry has launched a US$ 300 million green urban
241
transport project called the Sustainable Urban Transport Project (SUTP). Under the project, green urban transport will be introduced in select cities to overcome pollution and other hazards of the existing urban transport system, including traffic impediments for pedestrians. The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) has announced renewable energy certificate (REC) norms in a bid to promote power generation from clean sources in the country. The Orissa government has come out with a draft Action Plan on Climate Change entailing an investment of around US$ 3.6 billion in 11 key sectors over the next five years. It has proposed to put in place a Climate Change Agency to ensure effective implementation of the plan. Orissa has become the first state to have formulated the Climate Change Action Plan. During 2009, the Indian government approved its national biofuels policy, targeting 20 per cent biodiesel and ethanol blends in diesel and petrol respectively by 2017. Under the plan, the government proposes a minimum support price for non-edible oilseeds. UNITED NATIONS - The United Nations Organization (UNO)……….. There are currently 192 member states, - the General Assembly (the main deliberative assembly); the Security Council (for deciding certain resolutions for peace and security); the Economic and Social Council (for assisting in promoting international economic and social cooperation and development); the Secretariat (for providing studies, information, and facilities needed by the UN); the International Court of Justice (the primary judicial organ); and the United Nations Trusteeship Council (which is currently inactive). Other prominent UN System agencies include the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Food Programme (WFP) and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). The UN's most visible public figure is the Secretary-General, currently Ban Ki-moon of South Korea, who attained the post in 2007. The organization is financed from assessed and voluntary contributions from its member states, and has six official languages: Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), English, French, Russian, and Spanish - International Court of Justice is located in The Hague, while other major agencies are based in the
242
UN offices at Geneva, Vienna, and Nairobi. Other UN institutions are located throughout the world.
Irman until cut off do us apart QuoteReply . Like . Share
3
parasharv Reply #856 08:05 PM, 23 Oct '12
GK Capsule - 1 1) Name the president of World Bank? Robert Zoellick Ban – Ki – Moon Jerzy Buzek Dr. Abdul Wahhed 2) When is World Environment Day celebrated? 05th June 05th May 10th Jan 26th Feb 3) Who is presently the Secretary General of United Nations Organisation? Robert Zoellick Michael Griffin Ban Ki – Moon Pascal Lamy 4) As on date 4th June 2010, what is the CRR? 6% 6.25% 7% None of these 5) What is the present Reverse Repo rate (as on 4th June 2010)? 3.75% 6% 3.25% 5.25% 6) During an official visit to China, which among the following ministers recently plunged himself into controversy and criticism for critic sing the working of Union home ministry ? Anand Sharma Jai Ram Ramesh S M Krishna Sharad Pawar 7) Who among the following was not among the9 gems (Navratna)of the Vikramaditya's court ? Vetalbhatt Amar Simha Kaalidasa
243
Aryabhatta 8) As per recent data released by Reserve bank of India, what was the number of online frauds in India in 2009? more than 1000 more than 750 more than 350 more than 250 9) What is the maximum limit, the Telecom regulator TRAI has fixed for mobile operators to charge from customers for switching to another operator under the proposed Mobile Number Portability scheme? Rs. 10 Rs. 15 Rs. 19 Rs. 26 10) Walk the Worldis an awareness campaign of which of the following UN agencies? United nations Environment programme United Nations Institute for Training and Research World Food Programme United Nations Children's Fund 11) Who among the following Indians is the winner of United Nations Environment Programme established Champions of the Earth award for 2009? Tulsi Tanti Bindeshwar Pathak Meera Kosambi Sunderlal Bahuguna 12) Sports footwear maker Reebok is a subsidiary of ...? a.Adidas b.Nike c.HUL d.Bata 13) Which company’s mobile phone are marketed with the slogan - Big inside. Small Outside a.Samsug b.Nokia c.Sony d.Motorola 14) Which newspaper says You needn't read us to understand us? Times of India The Hindu Indian Express Malyalam Manorama 15) Which network marketing company sells with the slogan - Better Ideas- Better Life Amway
244
SkyBiz HUL Nirma 16) Power is the name of oil from which of the following Oil gaints? IOCL HP BPCL Shell 17) Cerelac is the brand of which companies baby foods? Kellogs Nestle Johnson n Johnson HLL 18) This company is - Applying Thought Infosys Wipro Sun Ernest & Young 19) In which year was National Rural Health Mission launched? 2009 2008 2005 2000 20) In February 2010, India’s Index of Industrial Production (IIP), registered a growth rate of 16% 15.1% 17.6% 8% 21) World Health Day is celebrated every year on 7th April 13th April 13th March 7th March 22) Who amongst the following is not a Brand Ambassador of Whirlpool India? Kajol Ajay Devgan Amitabh Bachaan None of these 23) Which is the first Indian company to be listed on NASDAQ? Infosys TCS
245
HCL Reliance 24) “Love What you Do. Do What You Love” is the punch line of Nokia Samsung BlackBerry LG 25)As per the latest guidelines of Reserve bank of India, the banks have been mandated to calculate interest paid on money kept in the savings bank account in the banks on the which of the following basis? Daily Weekly 10 days monthly 26) The line “Rishtaaon ki jaama poonji” is associated with which of the following banks: Bank of India Corporation Bank Indian Bank HDFC Bank 27) "The God of Small Things" was the tile of the novel for which Arundhati Roy won a Booker Prize. She was the first Indian to win a booker prize. In which year she won this prize? 1996 1997 1998 1999 28) Expand SIM Subscriber Ideal Module Subscriber in Mobile Subscriber Identity Module Subscriber Immediate Memory 29) The new name of UID project is : Aadhaar Pehchaan Universal Pehchaan None of these 30) .Which of the following company is coordinating with Government of India in Passport Seva Project? Ernst & Young Tata Consultancy Services Wipro Patni Computer System 31) Which among the following is world's largest mobile operator having largest subscriber base in the world ? ChinaMobile
246
Vodafone Orange Telenor 32) Which of the following bollywood star pair recently became India's first to ring the opening bell of NASDAQ, the world's biggest stock exchange in the United states? Sharukh Khan - Aishwarya Bachchan Shahrukh Khan – Kajol Ajay Devgan – Kajol Abhishek Bachchan - Aishwarya Bachchan 33) On which date recently International Women’s Day was observed? March 8 March 11 March 14 March 17 34) Who is the brand ambassador of BSNL? Kajol Katrina Kaif Kareena Kapoor Deepika Padukone 35) “The power of Knowledge : is the punchline of Hindustan Times Times of India The Hindu The Economic Times 36) The Future group has launched a toothpaste brand called? White Sach True Always clear 37) ‘Building India’ whose baseline? MRF First Flight DLF Binani Cement 38) If it's Corby, which company's mobile phone are we talking about? Nokia Samsung LG Sony 39) Who is the brand ambassador of Big TV? Sharukh Khan Amitabh Bhachan Hrithik Roshan None of these 40) “ Jeetey Raho” is the punchline of HDFC Standard
247
Aegon Religare ICICI Prudential SBI Life 41) CEAT – the tyre company gives cricket ratings. To which group does this company belong? Tata group RPG Group Essar Apollo 42) Which among the following substances can be used as a Food preservative? Borax Vinegar Sodium Benzoate Sodium Hydroxide 43) Which of the following country is the host of 2014 FIFA World Cup? Mexico Argentina Brazil France 44) Which Softdrinks group launched Montain Dew in Indian market? Coca – Cola Pepsi Parle Dukes 45) Philip Kotler is a widely known personality in the field of: Fine Arts Music Management Agriculture 46) Who among the following is the current chief Justice of United States of America? John G. Roberts William Rehnquist. Warren E Burger Earl Warren 47) Apart from UN General Assembly, which among the following is not among five principal active organs of United Nations? UN Security Council UN Economic and Social Council UN Secretariat UN Trusteeship Council 48) Who among the following was chairman of Union Carbide when Bhopal tragedy occurred on 3 December 1984? Marc Galanter Warren Anderson Mike Ciresi None of them
248
49) .How many digits of Pincode in India are assigned to the Individual Post Offices? last 1 digit last 2 digits last 3 digits first 3 digits 50) Who among the following is known as the first tomeasure the distance round the earth and also known as Father of Geometry? Eratosthenes Euclid Happarchus Galileo
I GK Capsule - 2 1)-The ruler who introduced the Salivahana Saka era, now being followed by the Indian Government was A)Kanishka B)Ashoka C)Salivahana D)Sathavahana 2)-Where did Buddha penance for 40 days? A)Kapila Vasthu B)Prayaga C)Varanasi D)Gaya 3)-On the basis of certain events Indian history has been divided into _____periods A)3 B)4 C)2 D)5 4)-The book Harshacharitha is a biography of _________ emperor A)Ashoka B)Chanakya C)Harsha D)None 5)-Where was the Indus Valley Civilization was first discovered? A)Kashmir B)Punjab C)Kushinagar D)Harrappa and Mohenjodaro 6)-In which period Indus Valley Civilization was flourished? A)1900 AD B)1800BC C)1800AD D)500BC
249
7)-Who was the author of Mahabharatha? A)Valmiki B)Kalidas C)Vedvyasa D)Pothana 8)-Which was the epic Adi Kavya? A)MahaBharatha B)Ramayana C)VishnuPuram D)Sivapuran 9)-In whose court Kautilya worked as the minster? A)Samudragupt B)Vikramaditya C)Ashoka D)Chandragupt Maurya 10)-Which of the following country is priviously called as Siam? A)Japan B)S.Korea C)N.Korea D)Thailand 11)-Who invented Xeroxe machine in 1935? A)Chester F Karlson B)Alexander C)Chester f kennedy D)Miche J Jhonson 12)-Who was the founder of Indian National Congress? A)Motilal Nehru B)A.O Hume C)AnneBeaseant D)Mahatma Gandhi 13)-Maximum number of Members of Rajya Sabha is A)232 B)540 C)244 D)250 14)-Emperor Ashoka was belong to which of the following dynasty? A)Maurya B)Gupta C)Ikshvak D)Kushan 15)-How many languages recognised by Indian Constitution as National Languages? A)12 B)13 C)14 D)15 16)-Which of the following bird is a symbol of peace? A)Peacock B)Parrot
250
C)Pigeon D)Pea Hen 17)-In which language bible was first written? A)English B)Greek C)Hibru D)Urdu 18)-Which group of blood is known as universal donor? A)A+ B)B+ C)AB+ D)O+ 19)-The country who first enacted the Right of Information A)India B)UK C)USA D)Sweden 20)-Who will preside over the combined meetings of both houses? A)President B)Vice President C)Speaker D)Prime minister 21)-The largest revenue in India is obtained from A)Railways B)Excise duty C)Sales tax D)Direct tax 22)-The tax levied by Central Government and collected by State Government is A)Stamp Duty B)Excise duty C)Income Tax D)Gift Tax 23)-The period for Call Money is (days) A)1-14 B)10-15 C)15-30 D)0ne month 24)-Who regulates the money circulation in India? A)RBI B)SBI C)NABARD D)Commercial banks 25)-Which of the following is not an organized sector in India? A)Nationalised banks B)Cooperative banks C)Chits and Money lenders D)Regional rural banks 26)-Who will settle the grievances of customers of banks?
251
A)RBI B)Local Courts C)Ombudsmen D)SBI 27)-When was Reserve Bank of India established? A)1920 B)1925 C)1935 D)1948 28)-How many banks were first nationalised? A)10 B)12 C)14 D)16 29)-When was Reserve Bank of India Nationalised? A)1947 B)1948 C)1949 D)1950 30)-When was Indian Banking Act come into force? A)1951 B)1948 C)1949 D)1950 31)-What is the maximum number of judges in Supreme Court of India as per the new policy? (Excluding Chief Justice) A)30 B)31 C)25 D)28 32)-Who was the first non congress prime minister of India? A)Lal Bahadur Sastry B)Morarji Desai C)Chandra Shekhar D)Charan Singh 33)-Who is the present Attorney General of India? A)GE Vahanvati B)Vinod Rai C)Soli Sorabji D)Bala Krishnan 34)-In which muslim festival the goat is sacrificed? A)Ramjan B)Moharram C)Bakrid D)None 35)-Who was the first Home Minister of India? A)Sardar Vallabhai Patel B)S. Radha Krishnan
252
C)Jawahar lal Nehru D)None 36)-Earth Day is observed on A)April 22 B)May 21 C)May 22 D)April 21 37)-Who discovered that the plants have life and also exhibits feelings? A)C.V. Raman B)J.C. Bose C)Arya Bhatt D)M.S. Swaminathan 38)-Which of the following is the birth place of Jesus Christ? A)Jerusalam B)Bethelam C)Egypt D)Vatican City 39)-What is the maximum limit for members of Lok Sabha? A)544 B)542 C)545 D)552 40)-What was the name of inaugural stadium at Beijing for Olympics? A)Bird Nest National Stadium B)Beijing Central Stadium C)Olympics Village D)Tiazine National Stadium 41)-Who won 8 Gold medals in one Olympics and created record? A)Mark Spitz B)Michael Phelps C)Walter Diks D)Richard Thompson 42)-Which country won highest number of Gold Medals in Beijing Olympics? A)USA B)Russia C)China D)Italy 43)-Which country won the highest number of Medals in Beijing Olympics? A)USA B)Russia C)China D)Italy 44)-Who made the hat trick winning 100M, 200M and 4X100M running in Beijing Olympics? A)Usain Bolt B)Karluis C)Churandi Martina D)Croford
253
45)-Which of the following chemical was used in rockets to avoid rainfall on inauguration day of Olympics on Beijing Stadium? A)Silver Iodide B)Silver Bromide C)Silver Chloride D)Silver oxide 46)-What are the colors on Olympics flag? A)Blue, Yellow, Black, Green and Red on White Back Ground B)Blue, Yellow, Black, Orange and Red on White Back Ground C)Pink, Yellow, Black, Green and Red on White Back Ground D)Brown, Yellow, Black, Green and Red on White Back Ground 47)-How many countries( olympic committee) were participated in Beijing Olympics? A)201 B)204 C)203 D)202 48)-Which of the following famous country was not qualified for Hockey in Beijing Olympics? A)India B)Australia C)Germany D)Canada 49)-Rings in Olympics Logo are represents A)Oceans B)Mountains C)Continents D)Famous Cities 50)-What is Khap Panchayat? A)local Panchayat’s in Haryana villages B)local Panchayat’s in Punjab villages C)local Panchayat’s in Bihar villages D)local Panchayat’s in Uttar Pradesh villages Answers to previous GK Capsule a a c a a b d d c c a a a
254
d a b b b c b a c a c a a b c a b a b a d d b c b c c b c c b c a d b .c b
GK Capsule - 3
1). Which of the follwoing is the sweetest sugar?
a. Sucrose
b. Glucose
c. Fructose
d. Maltose
2). The first indian to win Nobel prize was
255
a. C.V. Raman
b. Rabindra Nath Tagore
c. Hargovind Khurana
d. Amartya Sen
3). The Governments stake in Indian airlines is
a. 50%
b. 51%
c. 49%
d. 26%
4). The first General Elections to the Lok Sabha were held in
a. 1949
b. 1952
c. 1950
d. 1954
5). Which country won the Thomas Cup 2008?
a. Spain
b. Australia
c. France
d. China
6). Asia Cricket Cup 2010 was started on
a. June 15, 2010
b. May 10, 2010
c. Jan 15, 2010
d. March 14, 2010
7). Whose death took place on the opening day of the World Cup (June 11, 2010) ?
a. Nadia Joelle Torrado
b. Zenani Mandela
c. Mickky Pacheco
d. None of these
8). Which country won the Thomas Cup title for Badminton in 2010?
a. Indonesia
b. Malaysia
c. China
d. India
9). Who is the recipient of Lokmanya Tilak Award for 2009?
a. Amartya Sen
b. Pranab Mukherjee
c. L.K. Advani
d. Somnath Chatterjee
10). Which Indian IT company is associated with FIFA World Cup 2010 as one of the
sponsors?
a. TCS
256
b. Infosys
c. CTS
d. Mahindra Satyam
11). Which country won the World Twenty-20 cricket final?
a. England b. Australia c. India d. None of These
12). The length of night on Venus is a. 180 earth days b. 135 earth days c. 118
earth days d. 50 earth days
13). Which place India has got in HDI ranking in Human Development Report 2009?
a. 126 b. 134 c. 128 d. 135
14). The UN Census Bureau has projected world population in 2050 to be around a.
8850 million b. 9346 million c. 8246 million d. 7590 million
15). Which country will host the World Cup Football Tournament in 2014? a. New
Zealand b. West Indies c. Brazil d. South Africa
16). Which is the oldest type of organisation? a. Line b. Line and Staff c.Functional
d. Matrix
17). Which of economy system occurred first?
a. Laizes-fare b. Socialism c. Communism d. Capitalism
18). Which of the following is not the method of forecasting demand?
a.Collective opinion method b. Total out line method c. Expert opinion method d.
Controlled experiment method
19). Which of the following elements is not present in stainless steel? a. Iron b.
Tungsten c. Chromium d. Nickel
20). Select the one which is not a mixture. a. Air b. Gasoline c. LPG d. Distilled water
21). The most abundant element in the earth's crust is a. O b. Al c. Si d. N
22). In an economy, the sectors are classified into public and private on the basis of
a. emloyment conditions b. nature of economic activities c. ownership of enterprises
d. use of raw materials
23). In March 2010, the World Bank approved two education projects for India
which are worth a. $95 million b. $98 million c. $1.05 million d. $1.08 million
24). Which one of the following business magnates has been adjudged the 'Business
Person of the Year 2008' by The Times of India Survey? a. Ratan Tata b. Rahul Bajaj
c. Aditya Birla d. Laxmi Mittal
25). Which one of the following longitudes determines the Indian Standard Time? a.
85.5° E b. 86.5° E c. 84.5° E d.82.5° E
26). As per the Census 2001 data released in March 2010, how many Indians speak
at least two languages?
a. 255 million b. 260 million c. 262 million d. 265 million
27). How much percentage of income comes from animals, out of India's total
income? a. 20% b. 25% c. 15% d. 10%
28). What is the average temperature of cow and buffalo? a. -98.4°F b. 100°F c.
101.5°F d. 102°F
29). The relationship between the value of money the price level in an economy is a.
257
Direct b. Inverse c. Propotional d. Stable
30). The "Emerging Player of the Year 2008" award was given by ICC to which Sri
Lankan cricketer?
a. Ajantha Mendis b. Muttiah Mulitharan c. C. Kapugedera d. M. Mahroof
31). Who is the author of 'Ageless Body, Timeless Mind'? a. V. S. Najpaul b. Deepak
Chopra c. Dom Moraes d. Tony Kusher
32) Name the author of the ‘Communitisation: The Third Way of Governance’. The
book was released by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
a. RS Pandey
b. Murli Deora
c. Gurucharan Das
d. CK Prahlad
33). Name this Indian beauty who has featured in the top ten list of most stylish
women in the ‘Vogue’.
a. Aishwarya Rai
b. Preity Zinta
c. Freida Pinto
d. Katrina Kaif
34). Which among these radio broadcast services will be terminated for all
customers who are serviced from India?
a. Radio Mirchi
b. Red FM
c. WorldSpace
d. Fever 104
35). Name this person who has been awarded with the title ‘Indian of the Year’ by
CNN-IBN.
a. Rahul Gandhi
b. AR Rehman
c. Pandit Ravi Shankar
d. Kamal Hassan
36). US President Barack Obama has nominated 36-year-old doctor Rajiv Shah as
the head of
a. UNDP
b. USAID
c. UNHCR
d. None of the above
37). Which among these is the co-writer of ‘3 Idiots’ along with Raju Hirani?
a. Aamir Khan
b. Shimit Amin
c. Jugal Hansraj
d. Abhijat Joshi
38). Which of these has been charged of corruption by the Central Bureau of
258
Investigation in a case of collecting assets worth Rs 80 crore along with his brother?
a. Om Prakash Chautala
b. Justice Dinakaran
c. Ajay Singh Chautala
d. Bhupinder Singh Hooda
39). Out of 27 members of the European Union, which country is India's biggest
trade partner?
a. UK
b. France
c. Germany d. None of these
40). The new service tax rate as per the Union Budget of 2010-2011 is...
a. 10 per cent
b. 10.5 per cent
c. 10.8 per cent
d. 11.2 per cent
41).As per the domestic passenger vehicles sales in January 2010 , which of the
following was the market leader?
a. Tata Motors
b. Hyundai Motors India Ltd
c. Maruti Suzuki Ltd
d. Honda Motors India Ltd
42). ‘Obsessed with quality since 1895’, is the punch line of … a. Volkswagen AG b.
TAG Heuer c. Skoda Automobiles d. Swarovski
43). Recently Bharti Airtel bided for the Kuwait based Zain Telecom’s Affrican assets.
What was the amount of the bid?
a. $ 9.8 billion
b. $10.7 billion
c. $12.2 billion
d. $ 14.9 billion
44). The first city in the world where metro started is?
a. New York
b. London
c. Tokyo
d. Hong Kong
45). The oldest printed work in the world that dates back to 868 AD is- a. The Bible
b. The Hirake Sutra c. The Ramayana d. The Mahabharata
46). “Golden Quadrilateral”, is the name of the project that is linked with… a.
Waterways b. airways
c. roadways d. None of these
47). Which of the following represents the year in which the Regional Rural Banks
came into existence?
a. 1973 b. 1975 c. 1977 d. 1979
259
48). As per the Macroeconomic and Monetary Development Report by RBI - what is
the latest growth rate for Agriculture in 2010-11?
a. .7%
b. 3.5%
c. -1.2% d. None of these
49). How many Indian women corporate leaders have made it to the Forbes' list of
Asia Pacific's 48 "Heroes Of Philanthropy" released recently
a. 1
b. 4
c. 3 d. 5
50). Which one of the following newspaper was launched by Motilal Nehru?
a. Leader
b. The Independent
c. Hindustan Times
d. National Herald
Answers to previous GK Capsule
1a
11a
21b
31a
41b
2d
12b
22a
32b
42c
3d
13d
23a
33a
43a
4c
14a
24a
34c
44a
5d
15d
25c
35a
45a
260
6b
16c
26c
36a
46a
7c
17c
27c
37b
47b
8b
18d
28c
38b
48a
9d
19d
29c
39c
49c
10d
20c
30c
40a
50a
>>Hilary Mintel won womens booker prize 2012 for her novel "Bring Up the Bodies"
>>AShish chauhan is appointed as new MD and CEO of BSE.
>>Current Chief Justice of India -- Altmas Kabir
>>He was the president of the US during the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki -
- Harry Truman
>>Famous Books : a)Savitri: Sri Aurobindo B)The hungry tide: Amitav ghosh C)The Great Indian Novel: Shashi Tharoor
>>who was the opponent for Saina nehwal(Bronze medalist) in London olympics
2012. -- Xin Wang
>>Sariska Tiger Reserve is located in: Aravalli Range ,Rajastan
>>2009: man booker prize : WOLF HALL
2012 : man booker prize : Bringing up the bodies:
261
>>The Casual Vacancy - J.K. Rowling
>>Who won the Gold Medal in Tennis Mens Singles Event at London 2012?
Andy Murray
silver - federer bronze - juan martin delpo
>>USA won a total of 46 Gold Medals
>> TOTAL MEDAL TALLY -- USA -> 104 China -> 88 GBR -> 65 >>The Director General of AADHAR ? Ram Sewak Sharma >>When did the London 2012 Olympics officially Start and End??? July 27 to August 12 >>INDIA F1 Buddha International Circuit 1 Vettel 2 Fernando Alonso 3 Webber 4
Hemilton Katrhikayen: 21st
>>The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is an
organisation of south asian nations, which was established on 8 December 1985
when the government ofBangladesh , Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and
Sri Lanka formally adopted its charter providing for the promotion of economic and
social progress, cultural development within the South Asia region and also for
friendship and cooperation with other developing countries.
OSCAR AWRDS
Best cinematography
Robert Richardson, Hugo
Best art direction
Hugo
Best costume design
The Artist
Best make up
The Iron Lady
Best foreign language film
A Separation
Best actress in a supporting role
Octavia Spencer, The Help
262
Best film editing
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Best sound editing
Hugo
Best sound mixing
Hugo
Best documentary feature
Undefeated
Best animated film
Rango
Best visual effects
Hugo
Best actor in a supporting role
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Best original score
Ludovic Bource, The Artist
Best song
Man or Muppet, The Muppets
Best adapted screenplay
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash, The Descendants
Best original screenplay
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Best live action short
The Shore
Best documentary short
Saving Face
Best animated short
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr Morris Lessmore
Best director
263
Michel Hazavanicius, The Artist
Best actor in a leading role
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Best actress in a leading role
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Best picture
The Artist
Martin Scorsese's 3D film Hugo and silent movie The Artisttopped the night with five wins apiece. The Artist took home several of the top awards, including best picture, director (Michel Hazanavicius) and actor (Jean Dujardin). The Iron Lady was the only other film to take home multiple awards with two honors, including Meryl Streep's third Oscar. Other films represented with wins include The Descendants, The Help, A Separation, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Undefeated, Beginners, The Muppets, Midnight in Paris and the short films The Shore, Saving Face and The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore.
Who among the following won Nobel Prize 2012 in physics???
Serge Haroche and David J. Wineland
2012
THE NOBEL PRIZE IN PHYSICS Serge Haroche, David J. Wineland
THE NOBEL PRIZE IN CHEMISTRY Robert J. Lefkowitz, Brian K. Kobilka
THE NOBEL PRIZE IN PHYSIOLOGY OR MEDICINE Sir John B. Gurdon, Shinya Yamanaka
THE NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE
Mo Yan --- who with hallucinatory realism merges folk tales, history and
the contemporary
THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE European Union (EU)
THE PRIZE IN ECONOMIC SCIENCES Alvin E. Roth, Lloyd S. Shapley
TOP 10 Mergers and Acusation Top 10 Mergers & Acquisitions in India for 2010 Tata Chemicals buys British salt Tata Chemicals bought British Salt; a UK based white salt producing company for about US $ 13 billion. The acquisition gives Tata access to very strong brine supplies and also access to British Salts facilities as it produces about 800,000 tons of pure white salt every year
264
Reliance Power and Reliance Natural Resources merger This deal was valued at US $11 billion and turned out to be one of the biggest deals of the year. It eased out the path for Reliance power to get natural gas for its power projects Airtels acquisition of Zain in Africa Airtel acquired Zain at about US $ 10.7 billion to become the third biggest telecom major in the world. Since Zain is one of the biggest players in Africa covering over 15 countries, Airtels acquisition gave it the opportunity to establish its base in one of the most important markets in the coming decade Abbotts acquisition of Piramal healthcare solutions Abbott acquired Piramal healthcare solutions at US $ 3.72 billion which was 9 times its sales. Though the valuation of this deal made Piramals take this move, Abbott benefited greatly by moving to leadership position in the Indian market GTL Infrastructure acquisition of Aircel towers This acquisition was worth about US $ 1.8 billion and brought GTL Infrastructure to the third position in terms of number of mobile towers 33000. The money generated gave Aircel the funds for expansion throughout the country and also for rolling out its 3G services ICICI Bank buys Bank of Rajasthan This merger between the two for a price of Rs 3000 cr would help ICICI improve its market share in northern as well as western India JSW and Ispat Ki Kahani Jindal Steel Works acquired 41% stake at Rs 2,157 cr in Ispat Industries to make it the largest steel producer in the country. This move would also help Ispat return to profitability with time Reckitt Benckiser goes shopping Reckitt acquired Paras Pharma at a price of US $ 726 million to basically strengthen its healthcare business in the country. This was Reckitts move to establish itself as a strong consumer healthcare player in the fast growing Indian market Mahindra goes international Mahindra acquired a 70% controlling stake in troubled South Korea auto major Ssang Yong at US $ 463 million. Along with the edge it would give Mahindra in terms of the R & D capabilities, this deal would also help them utilise the 98 country strong
265
dealer network of Ssang Yong Fortis Healthcare acquisitions Fortis Healthcare, the unlisted company owned by Malvinder and Shivinder Singh looks set to make it two in two in terms of acquisitions. After acquiring Hong Kongs Quality Healthcare Asia Ltd for around Rs 882 cr last month, they are planning on acquiring Dental Corp, the largest dental services provider in Australia at Rs 450 cr As you see in the list, the M & As have happened across industries and sectors like banking, automotive, healthcare, FMCG, telecom etc. This shows that this really has
been the dream year of Indian industry.
RBI POLICY "Under Section 22 of the Reserve Bank of India Act, the RBI has the sole right to issue bank notes of all denominations. The distribution of one rupee notes and coins and small coins all over the country is undertaken by the Reserve Bank as agent of the Government." "Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR): Every commercial bank has to keep certain minimum cash reserves with RBI. RBI can vary this rate between 3% and 15%. RBI uses this tool to increase or decrease the reserve requirement depending on whether it wants to affect a decrease or an increase in the money supply. An increase in Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) will make it mandatory on the part of the banks to hold a large proportion of their deposits in the form of deposits with the RBI. This will reduce the size of their deposits and they will lend less. This will in turn decrease the money supply. The current rate is 6%. " This is an important mechanism through which RBI controls liquidity in market and inturn the inflation. "Bank Rate: RBI lends to the commercial banks through its discount window to help the banks meet depositors demands and reserve requirements. The interest rate the RBI charges the banks for this purpose is called bank rate. If the RBI wants to increase the liquidity and money supply in the market, it will decrease the bank rate and if it wants to reduce the liquidity and money supply in the system, it will increase the bank rate. As of 5 May, 2011 the bank rate was 6%." "Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR): Apart from the CRR, banks are required to maintain liquid assets in the form of gold, cash and approved securities. Higher liquidity ratio forces commercial banks to maintain a larger proportion of their resources in liquid form and thus reduces their capacity to grant loans and advances, thus it is an anti-inflationary impact. A higher liquidity ratio diverts the bank funds from loans and advances to investment in government and approved securities." Repo Rate and Reverse Repo Rate in simple terms: Repo (Repurchase) rate is the rate at which the RBI lends shot-term money to the banks against securities. When the repo rate increases borrowing from RBI becomes more expensive. Therefore, we can say that in case, RBI wants to make it
266
more expensive for the banks to borrow money, it increases the repo rate; similarly, if it wants to make it cheaper for banks to borrow money, it reduces the repo rate. Reverse Repo rate is the rate at which banks park their short-term excess liquidity with the RBI.The banks use this tool when they feel that they are stuck with excess funds and are not able to invest anywhere for reasonable returns. An increase in the reverse repo rate means that the RBI is ready to borrow money from the banks at a higher rate of interest. As a result, banks would prefer to keep more and more surplus funds with RBI. More comprehensive explanation: Repo rate or repurchase rate is the rate at which banks borrow money from the central bank (read RBI for India) for short period by selling their securities (financial assets) to the central bank with an agreement to repurchase it at a future date at predetermined price. It is similar to borrowing money from a money-lender by selling him something, and later buying it back at a pre-fixed price. Bank rate is the rate at which banks borrow money from the central bank without any sale of securities. It is generally for a longer period of time. This is similar to borrowing money from someone and paying interest on that amount. Both these rates are determined by the central bank of the country based on the demand and supply of money in the economy. 1.According to a UN study what is India's rank among a total of 187 countries in terms of Human Development Index? a.95 b.134 c.119 2.Goa State Assembly Unanimously Passed Goa Lokayukta Bill 2011. The bill is a modified version of Goa Lakayukta Bill of which yr? a.2002 b.2004 c.2003 3.Which one of the following launched the social auditing programme of gram Panchayats? a.Goa b.Assam c.Uttar pradesh 4. The largest ever water supply scheme in Himachal Pradesh was inaugurated in __ district. a. Kangra b. Kullu c.Kinnaur 5.Name the legendary Bollywood playback singer who entered the Guinness World
267
Records for the most number of single studio recordings. a.Suchitra Krisnamurthy b.Lata Mangeshkar c.Asha Bhosle 6.Rajasthan government on 19 October 2011 launched a web based Social Security Pension system. At which one of the following places the system was launched? a.Jaipur b.Jodhpur c.Bikaner 7.UP state government increased the age limit for recruitment of Primary school teachers from 35 to __ years. a.40 b.38 c.45 8.Nabum Tuki was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh on 1 November 2011. He is the__ Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh? a.Seventh b.Sixth c.Fifth 9.The Save Sharmila Campaign was flagged off by Magsaysay award winner Sandeep Pandey on 16 October 2011. In which of the following Indian cities was the campaign launched? a.Imphal b.Guwahati c.Srinagar 10.Who was honoured with the Swiss Ambassador's award for exceptional leadership and his contribution to strengthening bilateral ties between India and Switzerland on 16 October 2011? a.Anil Ambani b.Narayan Murthy c.Ratan Tata OAs 1. 134 2. 2003 3. Assam 4. Kangra 5. Asha Bhosle 6. Jaipur 7. 40 8. Seventh
268
9. Srinagar
10. Ratan Tata
Important facts about India:
1) Seventh largest in area
2) Made up of 28 states
3) UP is largest population wise and Sikkim smallest
4) 6 union territories, and 1 national capital territory
5) 77pc population lives in rural areas(this is according to 2001 census)
6) India has largest number of persons on Electoral roll.
7) Area wise Rajasthan is biggest and Goa smallest.
Shares political border with Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, China,
Bhutan and Nepal.
9) Seperated with Sri Lanka by Palk Straits and Gulf of Mannar.
10) The national song has been taken from Bankim Chandra Chatterjees novel
Ananda Math.
11) National aquatic animal: Dolphin
12) National heritage animal : Elephant
13) National Tree: Banyan Tree
14) National River: Ganges
FDI IN INDIA
films:100%
Coal & Lignite :74%
Tourism :100%
Electricity :100%
Private Sector Banking 49%
Non-Banking Financial Com-panies (NBFC) 100%
Insurance 26%
Telecom-munications 49%
Drugs & Pharmaceuticals 100%
Road and highways, Ports and harbours 100%
Hotel & Tourism 100%
Airports 74%
The United Nations
Origin: The United Nations Organization is an association of states which have pledged themselves to maintain international peace and security and cooperate in
269
solving international political, economic, social, cultural and humanitarian problems
towards achieving this end.
The United Nations officially came into existence on Oct. 24,1945, with the deposit of the requisite number of ratifications of the Charter, the constituting instrument of
the UN with the US Department.
United Nations Day is celebrated on 24 Oct. each year. The headquarters
of the UNO is in New York.
Flag : White UN Emblem (two bent olive branches open at the top and in between
them in world map) on a light blue background.
Official Languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.
The United Nations has six principal organs according to the Charter which are indicated as below :
The General Assembly It consists of all 193 member nations and functions as the main deliberative body. It meets once a year on the third Tuesday of the month of September and session lasts for two weeks. At each session the Assembly elects a new President, 21 Vice-Presidents and Chairmen of the six main committees. For proper geographical representation, the Presidency of the Assembly rotates every year among the five geographical groups–Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America and Caribbean, and Western Europe and
other stares.
The Security Council The UN Charter has entrusted the primary responsibility for maintenance of international peace and security. The Security Council is made up of 15 member states, consisting of 5 permanent members–China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States–and 10 non-permanent members, currently Azerbaijan, India, South Africa, Colombia, Morocco, Togo, Germany, Pakistan, Guatemala, and Portugal.
The Economic and Social Council (ECO-SOC) The Trusteeship Council The International Court of Justice
The International Court of Justice (ICJ), located in The Hague, Netherlands, is the
primary judicial organ of the United Nations.
The UN Secretariat
The United Nations Secretariat is headed by the Secretary-General, assisted by a staff of international civil servants worldwide. It provides studies, information, and facilities needed by United Nations bodies for their meetings. It also carries out tasks as directed by the UN Security Council, the UN General Assembly, the UN Economic and Social Council, and other UN bodies. The current Secretary-General is Ban Ki-moon, who took over from Kofi Annan in 2007 and has been elected for a second term to conclude at the end of 2016.
270
Important Years Observed by UNO
2005 Year of Physics
2006 International Year of Desert and Desertification
2008 International Year of the Potato
2009 International Year of Reconciliation
2010 International Year of Biodiversity
2011 International Year of Forests
2012 International Year of Cooperatives
2013 International Year of Water Cooperation
2014 International Year of Family Farming
Organizations and specialized agencies of the United Nations
FAO
Food and Agriculture Organization
Rome, Italy
1945
IAEA
International Atomic Energy Agency
Vienna, Austria
1957
ICAO
International Civil Aviation Organization
Montreal, Canada
1947
IFAD
271
International Fund for Agricultural Development
Rome, Italy
1977
ILO
International Labour Organization
Geneva, Switzerland
1946 (1919)
IMO
International Maritime Organization
London, United Kingdom
1948
IMF
International Monetary Fund
Washington, D.C., USA
1945 (1944)
ITU
International Telecommunication Union
Geneva, Switzerland
1947 (1865)
UNESCO
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
Paris, France
1946
272
UNIDO
United Nations Industrial Development Organization
Vienna, Austria
1967
UPU
Universal Postal Union
Bern, Switzerland
1947 (1874)
WB
World Bank
Washington, .C., USA
1945 (1944)
WFP
World Food Programme
Rome, Italy
1963
WHO
World Health Organization
Geneva, Switzerland
1948
WIPO
World Intellectual Property Organization
273
Geneva, Switzerland
1974
WMO
World Meteorological Organization
Geneva, Switzerland
1950 (1873)
UNWTO
World Tourism Organization
Madrid, Spain
1974
Q1. which economist has written an article about 100 million missing women in S-E
asia?
A. Amartya Sen
Q2. who has written the book- ‘towards a hunger-free world’?
A. M.S. Swaminathan
Q3. Punjab national bank has launched a reverse mortgage scheme for senior
citizens under what name?
A. Baghban
Q4. India’s first weather satellite ‘Megha-tropiques’ is built in collaboration with
which country?
A. France
Q5. What is the name of the time tracking delivery project created by Indian
railways?
A. Simran
Q6. which disease was officially eradicated in 1975?
A. Small pox
Q7. which state in India is touted as India’s first banking state as it has got 100%
financial inclusion?
A. kerela
Q8. ILO and govt. of India have collaborated for eradication of child labor, what is
the name of that project?
A. Project Indus
Q9.’ sayani rani’ is the mascot of which popular campaign?
A. jaago grahak jaago.
274
Q10. what is the other name given to GM foods?
A. Frankenstein food.
1. Total population of the country : 1.21billion
2. Most populated state : Uttar Pradesh (19.96 crore)
3. Most populated district : Thane (Maharashtra)(1.11 crore)
4. Most populated city : Mumbai (Maharashtra)(1.25 crore)
5. Least populated state : Sikkim (6,07,688)
6. Least populated district : Dilbang valley (Arunachal Pradesh)(7,948)
7. Least populated city : Nagda (Uttar Pradesh)(1,00,036)
The combined population of which 2 states in India is bigger than that of USA
A)UP and Maharashtra
In 2011 , the ___ census was conducted?
A)15th
CDR and CBR stand for?
Crude Death Rate and Crude Birth Rate.
CDR and CBR in 2008?
7.8 and 22.8 respectively.
Rural population?
83.3 crore
Chairman of National Commision on Populn(NCP)?
PM of Ind.
No. of Members of NCP?
44
The National Popultn Stabilisation Fund was renamed?
Janasankhya Stithrata Kosh
3 objectives of Population Policy 2000?
i)meet the needs of contraception, health infrastructr, manpower,integrated service delivery of reproductive n child health care
ii) bring TOTAL FERTILITY RATE(TFR) to replacement level.
iii)achieve stable populn by 2045
275
goals to achieve populn policy?
i)Compulsory school edu
ii)Reduce infant mortality rate to 30 per 1000
iii)reduce maternal mortality to blow 100 per 1000
iv)promote delayed marrg of girls
v)achieve 80% institutional deliveries
vi)prevent communicable diseases
vii)promote small family norm
Occupational classification -
58.4% of the total workers are either cultivators or agricultural laborers.
Highest % of workers engaged as cultivators is in Himachal Pradesh
Lowest in- Kerala
Highest % of agricultural workers- Bihar
Lowest- Arunachal Pradesh
The % of workers in Bihar engaged directly in agriculture?- 77.35
Facts about UP- Most populous state. 16.4% of India's populn orOne sixth of India's populn
Most populous city in Up: Lucknow and Kanpur
The GDI and GEI stand for?
Gender Development Index and Gender Empowerment Index. The 2 key parameters of women's development.
The GDI is the human development index. GEI is the participation in politics and decision making, power over economic resources, etc.
They were analysed from 1996-2006. The figures for 06 - GDI = 0.590 and GEI = 0.497
Least GDI- Bihar (only state with a score of less than 0.5)
The Global Gender Gap report???
total countries in the assessment- 134
276
Rank 1- Iceland (the best)
Rank 134- Yemen
India- Rank 112
The TFR(Total fertility rate) in 2006- 2.7
The TFR in 2012- 2.5 (outside the magazine)
TFR- average number of children expected to be born per woman during her reproductive years
THE NHRM- launched in 2005
Among other major innovations of NHRM the creation of ASHA is of prime importance.
ASHA- Accredited Social Health Activists.
13th finance commission chairman - vijay kelkar
13th finance commission has become operational from 2010-14
nabard was established in sixth paln
outlines of the second five year plan was made by P.C. Mahalanobis
planning commission has lowered the poverty line from 32 rs to 28 rs per day
indian planning commission was constitued in 1950
national development council was constitued in 1952
the 12th plan proposes country's average growth rate at 9.0 %
rolling plan was made for the period 1978-83
recently planning commission has released a document presenting pre-estimated a progress
of the economy.it is named as india vision 2020
277
chairman of planning commission is dr.Manmohan Singh
vice-chairman of planning commission is montek singh ahluwaliah
he Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are eight international
developmentgoals that were officially established following theMillennium Summit of
the United Nations in 2000, following the adoption of the United Nations Millennium
Declaration. All 193 United Nationsmember states and at least 23 international
organizations have agreed to achieve these goals by the year 2015. The goals are:
eradicating extreme poverty and hunger,
achieving universal primary education,
promoting gender equality and empowering women
reducing child mortality rates,
improving maternal health,
combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases,
ensuring environmental sustainability, and
developing a global partnership for development.
India may miss infant, maternal health goals said Nata Menabde, World Health Organization (WHO) representative to India.The Millennium Development Goals-India Country Report 2011released by the statistics ministry, forecast that by 2015, infant mortality rate at 44 per 1,000 live births and maternal mortality at 139 per 100,000 live births will continue to remain higher than MDG targets, which are 27
and 109, respectively.
Revolution Associated with + some details
Green The Introduction of High-yielding varieties of seeds and the increased use of fertilizers and irrigation
White Milk production (Operation flood : India->Milk-deficient to Largest milk-producer)
Pink Prawns
Black /Brown
Non-conventional Energy ( For making country self-dependent in crude oil)
Blue Fisheries
Grey Fertilizers
Red Meat /Tomato
Golden Apple (fruits)
Silver Eggs/ Poultry
Yellow Oilseeds/ Oil
Evergreen Doubling the present production of foodgrains (Agri-scientist Dr.Swamninathan has given a call for this)
278
Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme
Launched on 2nd October 1975, today, ICDS Scheme represents one of the world’s largest and most unique programmes for early childhood development. ICDS is the foremost symbol of India’s commitment to her children – India’s response to the challenge of providing pre-school education on one hand and breaking the vicious cycle of malnutrition, morbidity, reduced learning capacity and mortality, on the other.
1. Objectives: The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme was launched in 1975 with the following objectives:
i. to improve the nutritional and health status of children in the age-group 0-6 years;
ii. to lay the foundation for proper psychological, physical and social development of the child;
iii. to reduce the incidence of mortality, morbidity, malnutrition and school dropout;
iv. to achieve effective co-ordination of policy and implementation amongst the various departments to promote child development; and
v. to enhance the capability of the mother to look after the normal health and nutritional needs of the child through proper nutrition and health education.
2. Services: The above objectives are sought to be achieved through a package of services comprising:
i. supplementary nutrition, ii. immunization,
iii. health check-up, iv. referral services, v. pre-school non-formal education and
vi. nutrition & health education.
·Delhi Police launched a Drive named Katkth to make Sex workers Independent
·The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development decided to launch a scheme calledSaksham to empower adolescent boys by educating them on gender sensitivity and moral behavior
·The NCR Planning Board approved the Controversial Greater Noida Master Plan 2021
·The state government of Delhi launched a Kishori Scheme under which sanitary napkins would be distributed to adolescent girls
279
·The Centre Launched an Ambitious Programme Called Himayat for Unemployed Kashmiri Youth
·The Sanchar Shakti project of the Department of Telecommunications was launched by President Pratibha Patil on 7 March 2011 to empower women.
·SABLA was launched by the Indian Women and Child Development Ministry for empowerment of adolescent girls
MONTREAL PROTOCOL:
The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer(a protocol to theVienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer) is an international treatydesigned to protect theozone layerby phasing out the production of numerous substances believed to be responsible for ozone depletion. It is believed that if the international agreement is adhered to, the ozone layer is
expected to recover by 2050.
KYOTO PROTOCOL The Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC or FCCC) that set binding obligations on the industrialised countries to reduce their emissions ofgreenhouse gases. The Protocol was initially adopted on 11 December 1997 in Kyoto, Japan, and entered into force on 16 February 2005. As of September 2011, 191 states have signed and ratified the protocol. The only remaining signatory not to have ratified the protocol is the United States. OtherUnited Nations member states which did not ratify the protocol are Afghanistan, Andorra and South Sudan. In December 2011, Canadawithdrew from
the Protocol.
STOCKHOLM CONVENTION Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants is an internationalenvironmentaltreaty, signed in 2001 and effective from May 2004, that aims to eliminate or restrict the production and use of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). POPs, which are defined as "chemical substances that persist in the environment,bio-accumulatethrough the food web, and pose a risk of causing adverse effects to human health and the environment".
BASEL CONVENTION The Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, usually known simply as the Basel Convention, is an international treatythat was designed to reduce the movements ofhazardous waste between nations, and specifically to prevent transfer of hazardous waste fromdeveloped to less developed countries (LDCs). It does not, however, address the movement of radioactive waste. The Convention is also intended to minimize the amount and toxicity of wastes generated, to ensure
280
their environmentally sound management as closely as possible to the source of generation, and to assist LDCs in environmentally sound management of the hazardous and other wastes they generate.
BAMAKO CONVENTION The Bamako Convention (in full: Bamako Convention on the ban on the Import into Africa and the Control of Transboundary Movement and Management of Hazardous Wastes within Africa) is a treaty of African nations prohibiting the import of any hazardous(including radioactive)waste. The Convention was negotiated by twelve nations of theOrganization of African Unity atBamako, Mali in January, 1991, and came into force in 1998. Impetus for the Bamako Convention arose from the failure of the Basel Convention to prohibit trade of hazardous waste to less developed countries(LDCs), and from the realization that many developed nations were exporting toxic wastes to Africa.
ROTTERDAM CONVENTION The Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade, more commonly known simply as the Rotterdam Convention, is a multilateral treaty to promote shared responsibilities in relation to importation of hazardous chemicals. The convention promotes open exchange of information and calls on exporters of hazardous chemicals to use proper labeling, include directions on safe handling, and inform purchasers of any known restrictions or bans. Signatory nations can decide whether to allow or ban the importation of chemicals listed in the treaty, and exporting countries are obliged make sure that producers within their jurisdiction comply.
Chief of army - Vikrim singh
Chief of Navy - D.K. joshi
Air chief - N.A. Brown
some important info: 2012- international year of sustainable energy,international year of cooperatives
2011- international year of forests
2011-2020- united nations decade of biodiversity
5 th Year Plan
The economy of India is based in part on planning through its five-year plans, which
are developed, executed and monitored by thePlanning Commission. The eleventh
plan completed its term in March 2012 and the twelfth plan is currently
underway.[1] Prior to the fourth plan, the allocation of state resources was based on
schematic patterns rather than a transparent and objective mechanism, which led to
the adoption of the Gadgil formula in 1969. Revised versions of the formula have
been used since then to determine the allocation of central assistance for state
281
plans.[2]
Contents
[hide] 1First Five-Year Plan (1951–1956)
2Second Five-Year Plan (1956–1961)
3Third Five-Year Plan (1961–1966)
4Fourth Five-Year Plan (1969–1974)
5Fifth Five-Year Plan (1974–1979)
6Sixth Five-Year Plan (1980–1985)
7Seventh Five-Year Plan (1985–1990)
8Eighth Five-Year Plan (1992–1997)
9Ninth Five-Year Plan (1997–2002)
10Tenth Five-Year Plan (2002–2007)
11Eleventh Five-Year Plan (2007–2012)
12References
13External links
[edit]First Five-Year Plan (1951–1956)
The first Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru presented the first five-year plan to
theParliament of India on December 8, 1951.This plan was based on the Harrod-
Domar model. The plan addressed, mainly, the agrarian sector, including
investments in dams and irrigation. The agricultural sector was hit hardest by
the partition of India and needed urgent attention.[3]The total planned budget of
2069 crore was allocated to seven broad areas: irrigation andenergy (27.2
percent), agriculture and community development (17.4
percent), transport andcommunications (24 percent), industry (8.4 percent), social
services (16.64 percent), land rehabilitation (4.1 percent), and for other sectors and
services (2.5 percent).[4] The most important feature of this phase was active role of
state in all economic sectors. Such a role was justified at that time because
immediately after independence, India was facing basic problems—deficiency of
capital and low capacity to save.
The target growth rate was 2.1% annual gross domestic product (GDP) growth; the
achieved growth rate was 3.6%[5] The net domestic product went up by 15%.
The monsoon was good and there were relatively high crop yields, boosting exchange
reserves and the per capita income, which increased by 8%. National income
increased more than the per capita income due to rapid population growth. Many
irrigation projects were initiated during this period, including the Bhakra
Dam and Hirakud Dam. The World Health Organization, with the Indian government,
addressed children's health and reduced infant mortality, indirectly contributing to
population growth.
At the end of the plan period in 1956, five Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) were
started as major technical institutions. TheUniversity Grant Commission was set up to
take care of funding and take measures to strengthen the higher education in the
282
country.[6]Contracts were signed to start five steel plants, which came into existence
in the middle of the second five-year plan. The plan was successful.
Target Growth: 2.1% Actual Growth: 3.6%[5]
[edit]Second Five-Year Plan (1956–1961)
The second five-year plan focused on industry, especially heavy industry. Unlike the
First plan, which focused mainly on agriculture, domestic production of industrial
products was encouraged in the Second plan, particularly in the development of
the public sector. The plan followed the Mahalanobis model, an economic
development model developed by the IndianstatisticianPrasanta Chandra Mahalanobis in
1953. The plan attempted to determine the optimal allocation of investment
between productive sectors in order to maximise long-run economic growth . It used
the prevalent state of art techniques of operations research and optimization as well
as the novel applications of statistical models developed at the Indian Statistical
Institute. The plan assumed a closed economy in which the main trading activity
would be centered on importing capital goods.[7][8]
Hydroelectric power projects and five steel mills at Bhilai, Durgapur, and Rourkela were
established. Coal production was increased. More railway lines were added in the
north east.
The Atomic Energy Commission was formed in 1958 with Homi J. Bhabha as the first
chairman. The Tata Institute of Fundamental Research was established as a research
institute. In 1957 a talent search and scholarship program was begun to find
talented young students to train for work in nuclear power.
The total amount allocated under the second five-year plan in India was Rs. 4,600
crore. This amount was allocated among various sectors:
Power and irrigation
Social services
Communications and transport
Miscellaneous
Target Growth:4.5% Growth achieved:4.0%[5]
[edit]Third Five-Year Plan (1961–1966)
The third plan stressed on agriculture and improvement in the production of
wheat, but the brief Sino-Indian War of 1962 exposed weaknesses in the economy and
shifted the focus towards the [Defence industry]. In 1965–1966, India fought a
[Indo-Pak] War with Pakistan. Due to this there was a severe drought in 1965. The
war led to inflation and the priority was shifted to price stabilisation. The construction
of dams continued. Many cement and fertilizerplants were also built. Punjab began
producing an abundance of wheat.
Many primary schools have been started in rural areas. In an effort to bring
democracy to the grassroot level, Panchayat elections have been started and
the states have been given more development responsibilities.
State electricity boards and state secondary education boards were formed. States
283
were made responsible for secondary and higher education. State road transportation
corporations were formed and local road building became a state responsibility.
Target Growth: 5.6% Actual Growth: 2.4%[5]
[edit]Fourth Five-Year Plan (1969–1974)
At this time Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister. The Indira Gandhi
government nationalised14 major Indian banks and the Green Revolution in
India advanced agriculture. In addition, the situation in East
Pakistan (now Bangladesh) was becoming dire as the Indo-Pakistani War of
1971 and Bangladesh Liberation War took Funds earmarked for the industrial
development had to be diverted for the war effort. India also performed the Smiling
Buddhaunderground nuclear test in 1974, partially in response to the United
Statesdeployment of the Seventh Fleet in theBay of Bengal. The fleet had been
deployed to warn India against attacking West Pakistan and extending the war.
Target Growth: 5.7% Actual Growth: 3.3%[5]
[edit]Fifth Five-Year Plan (1974–1979)
Stress was by laid on employment, poverty alleviation, and justice. The plan also
focused onself-reliance in agricultural production and defence. In 1978 the newly
elected Morarji Desaigovernment rejected the plan. Electricity Supply Act was
enacted in 1975, which enabled the Central Government to enter into power
generation and transmission.[citation needed]
The Indian national highway system was introduced and many roads were widened to
accommodate the increasing traffic. Tourism also expanded.
Target Growth: 4.4% Actual Growth: 5.0[5]
[edit]Sixth Five-Year Plan (1980–1985)
The sixth plan also marked the beginning of economic liberalization. Price
controls were eliminated and ration shops were closed. This led to an increase in
food prices and an increase in the cost of living. This was the end of Nehruvian
Plan and Rajiv Gandhi was prime minister during this period.
Family planning was also expanded in order to prevent overpopulation. In contrast to
China's strict and binding one-child policy, Indian policy did not rely on the threat of
force[citation needed]. More prosperous areas of India adopted family planning
more rapidly than less prosperous areas, which continued to have a high birth rate.
Target Growth: 5.2% Actual Growth: 5.4%[5]
[edit]Seventh Five-Year Plan (1985–1990)
The Seventh Plan marked the comeback of the Congress Party to power. The plan laid
stress on improving the productivity level of industries by upgrading of technology.
The main objectives of the 7th five-year plans were to establish growth in areas of
increasing economic productivity, production of food grains, and generating
employment.
As an outcome of the sixth five-year plan, there had been steady growth in
284
agriculture, control on rate of Inflation, and favourable balance of payments which
had provided a strong base for the seventh five Year plan to build on the need for
further economic growth. The 7th Plan had strived towards socialism and energy
production at large. The thrust areas of the 7th Five year plan have been enlisted
below:
Social Justice
Removal of oppression of the weak
Using modern technology
Agricultural development
Anti-poverty programs
Full supply of food, clothing, and shelter
Increasing productivity of small- and large-scale farmers
Making India an Independent Economy
Based on a 15-year period of striving towards steady growth, the 7th Plan was
focused on achieving the pre-requisites of self-sustaining growth by the year 2000.
The Plan expected a growth in labour force of 39 million people and employment
was expected to grow at the rate of 4 percent per year.
Some of the expected outcomes of the Seventh Five Year Plan India are given
below:
Balance of Payments (estimates): Export – 33,000 crore (US$6.2 billion), Imports – (-
)54,000crore (US$10.2 billion), Trade Balance – (-)21,000 crore (US$4 billion)
Merchandise exports (estimates): 60,653 crore (US$11.5 billion)
Merchandise imports (estimates): 95,437 crore (US$18 billion)
Projections for Balance of Payments: Export – 60,700 crore (US$11.5 billion), Imports
– (-) 95,400 crore (US$18 billion), Trade Balance- (-) 34,700 crore (US$6.6 billion)
Under the Seventh Five Year Plan, India strove to bring about a self-sustained
economy in the country with valuable contributions from voluntary agencies and the
general populace.
Target Growth: 5.0% Actual Growth: 5.7%[5]
[edit]Eighth Five-Year Plan (1992–1997)
1989–91 was a period of economic instability in India and hence no five-year plan
was implemented. Between 1990 and 1992, there were only Annual Plans. In 1991,
India faced a crisis in Foreign Exchange (Forex) reserves, left with reserves of only
about US$1 billion. Thus, under pressure, the country took the risk of reforming the
socialist economy. P.V. Narasimha Rao was the twelfth Prime Minister of the Republic
of India and head of Congress Party, and led one of the most important
administrations in India's modern history overseeing a major economic
transformation and several incidents affecting national security. At that time
Dr.Manmohan Singh(currently, Prime Minister of India) launched India's free market
reforms that brought the nearly bankrupt nation back from the edge. It was the
beginning of privatisationand liberalisation in India.
285
Modernization of industries was a major highlight of the Eighth Plan. Under this plan,
the gradual opening of the Indian economy was undertaken to correct the
burgeoning deficit and foreign debt. Meanwhile India became a member of the World
Trade Organization on 1 January 1995.This plan can be termed as Rao and
Manmohan model of Economic development. The major objectives included,
controlling population growth, poverty reduction, employment generation,
strengthening the infrastructure, Institutional building, tourism management, Human
Resource development, Involvement of Panchayat raj, Nagar Palikas, N.G.O'S and
Decentralisation and people's participation. Energy was given priority with 26.6% of
the outlay. An average annual growth rate of 6.78% against the target 5.6%[5] was
achieved.
To achieve the target of an average of 5.6% per annum, investment of 23.2% of the
gross domestic product was required. The incremental capital ratio is 4.1.The saving
for invetsment was to come from domestic sources and foreign sources, with the
rate of domestic saving at 21.6% of gross domestic production and of foreign saving
at 1.6% of gross domestic production. [9]
[edit]Ninth Five-Year Plan (1997–2002)
Ninth Five Year Plan India runs through the period from 1997 to 2002 with the main
aim of attaining objectives like speedy industrialization, human development, full-
scale employment, poverty reduction, and self-reliance on domestic resources.
Background of Ninth Five Year Plan India: Ninth Five Year Plan was formulated
amidst the backdrop of India's Golden jubilee of Independence.
The main objectives of the Ninth Five Year Plan of India are:
to prioritize agricultural sector and emphasize on the rural development
to generate adequate employment opportunities and promote poverty reduction
to stabilize the prices in order to accelerate the growth rate of the economy
to ensure food and nutritional security.
to provide for the basic infrastructural facilities like education for all, safe drinking
water, primary health care, transport, energy
to check the growing population increase
to encourage social issues like women empowerment, conservation of certain
benefits for the Special Groups of the society
to create a liberal market for increase in private investments
During the Ninth Plan period, the growth rate was 5.35 per cent, a percentage point
lower than the target GDP growth of 6.5 per cent.[10]
[edit]Tenth Five-Year Plan (2002–2007)
Attain 8% GDP growth per year.
Reduction of poverty ratio by 5 percentage points by 2007.
Providing gainful and high-quality employment at least to the addition to the labour
force.
Reduction in gender gaps in literacy and wage rates by at least 50% by 2007.
286
20 point program was introduced.
Target growth:8.1% Growth achieved:7.7%
[edit]Eleventh Five-Year Plan (2007–2012)
The eleventh plan has the following objectives:
Income & Poverty
Accelerate GDP growth from 8% to 10% and then maintain at 10% in the 12th Plan
in order to double per capita income by 2016–17
Increase agricultural GDP growth rate to 4% per year to ensure a broader spread of
benefits
Create 70 million new work opportunities.
Reduce educated unemployment to below 5%.
Raise real wage rate of unskilled workers by 20 percent.
Reduce the headcount ratio of consumption poverty by 10 percentage points.
Education
Reduce dropout rates of children from elementary school from 52.2% in 2003–04 to
20% by 2011–12
Develop minimum standards of educational attainment in elementary school, and by
regular testing monitor effectiveness of education to ensure quality
Increase literacy rate for persons of age 7 years or above to 85%
Lower gender gap in literacy to 10 percentage point
Increase the percentage of each cohort going to higher education from the present
10% to 15% by the end of the plan
Health
Reduce infant mortality rate to 28 and maternal mortality ratio to 1 per 1000 live births
Reduce Total Fertility Rate to 2.1
Provide clean drinking water for all by 2009 and ensure that there are no slip-backs
Reduce malnutrition among children of age group 0–3 to half its present level
Reduce anaemia among women and girls by 50% by the end of the plan
Women and Children
Raise the sex ratio for age group 0–6 to 935 by 2011–12 and to 950 by 2016–17
Ensure that at least 33 percent of the direct and indirect beneficiaries of all
government schemes are women and girl children
Ensure that all children enjoy a safe childhood, without any compulsion to work
Infrastructure
Ensure electricity connection to all villages and BPL households by 2009 and round-
the-clock power.
Ensure all-weather road connection to all habitation with population 1000 and above
(500 in hilly and tribal areas) by 2009, and ensure coverage of all significant
habitation by 2015
Connect every village by telephone by November 2007 and provide broadband
connectivity to all villages by 2012
287
Provide homestead sites to all by 2012 and step up the pace of house construction
for rural poor to cover all the poor by 2016–17
Environment
Increase forest and tree cover by 5 percentage points.
Attain WHO standards of air quality in all major cities by 2011–12.
Treat all urban waste water by 2011–12 to clean river waters.
Increase energy efficiency by 20%
Target growth:8.33% Growth achieved:7.9%
Which is the Biggest Museum in the World ? British Museum (London)Which is the
Longest Railway Bridge in the World ? Huey P. Long Bridge, Louisiana (U.S.A.)Which
is the Tallest Building in the World ? Burj, Dubai (UAE)Which is the Costliest City in
the World ? TokyoWhich is the Highest Dam in the World ? Hoover Dam
(U.S.A.)Which is the Largest Dam in the World ? Grand Coulee Dam (U.S.A.)
Which is the Largest Desert in the World ? Sahara (Africa)
Which is the Largest Epic in the World ? Mahabharat
Which is the Deepest Lake in the World ? Baikal (Siberia)
Which is the Largest Democracy in the World ? India
Which is the Lightest Gas ? Hydrogen
Which is the Lightest Metal ? Lithium
Which is the Largest Sea in the World ? Mediterranean sea
Which is the Longest Road Tunnel in the World ? Mont Blanc Tunnel between France
and Italy
Which is the Longest river in the World ? Nile
Which is the The longest tributary river of India ? Yamuna
Which is the Largest Mosque in India ? Jama Masjid, Delhi
Which is the Largest Museum in India ? National Museum, Kolkata
Which is the Largest Delta in India ? Sunderban Delta, West Bengal
Which is the Highest Waterfall in India ? Gersoppa Waterfall, Karnataka
Q 1. What is the objective of Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) mechanism?
Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) mechanism is a market based instrument to
promote renewable energy and facilitate compliance of renewable purchase
obligations (RPO). It is aimed at addressing the mismatch between availability of RE
resources in state and the requirement of the obligated entities to meet the
renewable purchase obligation (RPO).
288
Eleventh Five-Year Plan (2007–2012)
The eleventh plan has the following objectives:
Income & Poverty
Accelerate GDP growth from 8% to 10% and then maintain at 10% in the 12th Plan
in order to double per capita income by 2016–17
Increase agricultural GDP growth rate to 4% per year to ensure a broader spread of
benefits
Create 70 million new work opportunities.
Reduce educated unemployment to below 5%.
Raise real wage rate of unskilled workers by 20 percent.
Reduce the headcount ratio of consumption poverty by 10 percentage points.
Education
Reduce dropout rates of children from elementary school from 52.2% in 2003–04 to
20% by 2011–12
Develop minimum standards of educational attainment in elementary school, and by
regular testing monitor effectiveness of education to ensure quality
Increase literacy rate for persons of age 7 years or above to 85%
Lower gender gap in literacy to 10 percentage point
Increase the percentage of each cohort going to higher education from the present
10% to 15% by the end of the plan
Health
Reduce infant mortality rate to 28 and maternal mortality ratio to 1 per 1000 live
births
Reduce Total Fertility Rate to 2.1
Provide clean drinking water for all by 2009 and ensure that there are no slip-backs
Reduce malnutrition among children of age group 0–3 to half its present level
Reduce anaemia among women and girls by 50% by the end of the plan
Women and Children
Raise the sex ratio for age group 0–6 to 935 by 2011–12 and to 950 by 2016–17
Ensure that at least 33 percent of the direct and indirect beneficiaries of all
government schemes are women and girl children
Ensure that all children enjoy a safe childhood, without any compulsion to work
289
Infrastructure
Ensure electricity connection to all villages and BPL households by 2009 and round-
the-clock power.
Ensure all-weather road connection to all habitation with population 1000 and above
(500 in hilly and tribal areas) by 2009, and ensure coverage of all significant
habitation by 2015
Connect every village by telephone by November 2007 and provide broadband
connectivity to all villages by 2012
Provide homestead sites to all by 2012 and step up the pace of house construction
for rural poor to cover all the poor by 2016–17
Environment
Increase forest and tree cover by 5 percentage points.
Attain WHO standards of air quality in all major cities by 2011–12.
Treat all urban waste water by 2011–12 to clean river waters.
Increase energy efficiency by 20%
Target growth:8.33% Growth achieved:7.9%
Indian Economy 2012
Government of India announced Minimum Support Price for Cotton
The Union Government on 2 October 2012 announced a revised Minimum Support
Price (MSP)for cotton and this would help in inducing stabilisation in cotton price.
Cotton has witnessed a sharp decline in the past and remained operational round
about its minimum support price.
After the review meet conducted on 2 October 2012, by the Union Textiles Minister,
Anand Sharma the revisions were done. The decided minimum support price of
medium staple cotton has gone up to 3600 rupees per quintal from initial rate of
2800 rupees. Similarly, the MSP for long staple cotton has gone up to 3900 per
quintal from 3300 rupees. This rate is fixed for the fiscal year 2012-13.
The Cotton Advisory Board has declared that the estimated production of cotton
in the country for this year would be about 334 lakh bales, out of which the national
consumption would record to 260 lakh bales. The surplous 70 lakh bales would be
available for exports purposes.
290
The government has formulated a contingency plan to procure 90 lakh bales of
cotton under MSP operations in the season of cotton production in the year 2012-13.
To carry on with this procurement process, it has also operationlised 288
procurement centers across all the nine cotton growing states of the nation. The
working capital requirement was raised to 15000 crore rupees by the Cotton
Corporation of India (CCI) for operationlisation of the MSP fixed.
To control the MSP plan a special MSP cell has also been created at the CCI’s
corporate office and it is headed by the A. Chokalingam, Director Marketing. To
alleviate the distress of farmers from NAFED and CCI, the government would be
taking serious steps for price stabilization and operationlisation of the MSP decided.
Criteria of Selection of Procurement Centers
• Centers that would cross the expected arrivals of 50000 quintals of cotton
• It should have an existence of market yard that is functional
• Weighbridge should be available in the market
• Ginning and pressing factories must be available in proximity to the center, with
availability of facilities for fire fighting
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RBI kept Repo Rate unchanged at 8 Percent with cutting of CRR by 0.25
Per cent
The RBI on 30 October 2012 left interest rates unchanged but had cut the cash
reserve ratio for banks and indicated that it is going to cut monetary policy further in
the January-March 2013 quarter, with inflation remaining a near-term concern.
The decision of leaving the policy repo rate unchanged at 8.00 percent, which is at
the same level for the past six months was in line with forecasts in a recent review
of macroeconomic and monetary developments by Reuters.
Also, the reverse repo, at which RBI absorbs excess liquidity through borrowings
from banks, remained at 7 percent.The new rates will be effective 3 November
2012.
The expectations for a rate cut had grown after India's finance minister P.
Chidambaram on 29 October 2012 outlined a plan to trim the country's hefty fiscal
deficit.
291
D. Subbarao mentioned in his quarterly policy review that with the reduction in
inflation, there is an opportunity for monetary policy to act in conjunction with fiscal
and other measures to mitigate the growth risks and take the economy to a
sustained higher growth trajectory.
The RBI, however, cut the Cash Reserve Ratio (the amount parked by banks with
the RBI) by 25 basis points from 4.5 per cent to 4.25 per cent. This measure is
expected to infuse Rs 17,500 crore liquidity into the banking system.
The RBI cut its GDP growth forecast for Asia's third-largest economy to 5.8 per cent
for the current fiscal year, from 6.5 per cent previously, and increased its projection
for headline inflation in March to 7.5 per cent, from 7 per cent earlier.
Repo rate - The rate at which banks borrow f from RBI. It is an instrument of
monetary policy. Whenever banks have any shortage of funds they can borrow from
the RBI.
Reverse Repo rate -The rate at which the RBI borrows money from commercial
banks.
Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) - the amount of total deposits that banks are required
to keep with the central bank. If the central bank decides to increase the CRR, the
available amount with the banks comes down. The RBI uses the CRR to drain out
excessive money from the system.
Highlights of the RBI Quarterly Monetary Policy Review:
• Repo rate remain unchanged at 8 percent
• CRR decreased by 0.5 Percent, coming down to 4.5 to 4.25 percent
• Reverse repo rate remain unchanged at 7 Percent
• GDP growth forecast cut down to 5.8 per cent for the current fiscal year 2012-13
from 6.5 percent.
2012- International year of sustainable energy, international year of cooperatives
2011- international year of forests
2011-2020- united nation’s decade of biodiversity
The following are some of the Government Schemes and Projects that have been
named after the Nehru-Gandhi family.
Central Government Schemes :
1. Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana, Ministry of Power – A
scheme “Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana” for Rural Electricity
292
Infrastructure and Household Electrification was …launched for the attainment of the
National Common Minimum Programme of providing access to electricity to all Rural
Household by 2009. Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) is the nodal agency for
the scheme. Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana to be continued during the
Eleventh Plan period with a capital subsidy of Rs. 28000 Crore; allocation of Rs 5500
crore for FY09.
2. Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission (RGNDWM), Ministry of
Rural Development, Annual allocation plan 2007-08 was Rs.6,400 crore and Annual
allocation plan 2008-09 is Rs.7,300 crore.
3. Rajiv Gandhi National Crèche Scheme for the Children of Working
Mothers, Department of Women & Child Development, Ministry of HRD, New
Delhi,
Budgetary allocation 2008-09 – 91.88 crore.
Budgetary allocation 2009-10 – 91.52 crore
4. Rajiv Gandhi Udyami Mitra Yojana for benefit of NE entrepreneurs,
Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises, Government of India,
Budgetary allocation 2008-9 – Rs. 2.70 crore
Budgetary allocation 2009-10 – Rs.1.12 crore
5. Indira Awas Yojana, Ministry of Rural Areas and Environment – IAY is a
CSS funded on cost-sharing basis between the Centre and the States in the ratio of
75:25. In the case of UTs, the entire funds are provided by Centre. The target
groups for housing under IAY are households below poverty line living in rural areas,
particularly those belonging to SC/ST and freed bonded labourers.
Budgetary allocation 2008-09 – Rs. 7919.00 crores
Budgetary allocation 2009-10 – Rs.7914.70 crores
6. Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme – objective to provide
social security to workers in the unorganized sector in a phased manner. Budgetary
allocation in 2008-09 is Rs. 3,443 crore
7. Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission, Ministry of Urban Development,
Govt. of India – 7 years time frame, 50,000 cr.
Budgetary allocation for 2008 – 9 – 10447.98 crore
Budgetary allocation for 2009-10 – 10713.84 crore
8. Jawaharlal Nehru Rojgar Yojna – Ministry of Labour and Employment – A
Self- employment programme for urban poor
9. Rajiv Gandhi Shramik Kalyan Yojna, Employees’ State Insurance Corporation
10. Indira Gandhi Canal Project, Funded by World Bank
11. Rajiv Gandhi Shilpi Swasthya Bima Yojana, Union Ministry of Textiles, in
association with ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Limited
12. Indira Vikas Patra
CRR - Cash reserve Ratio
SLR Statuary Liquidity Ratio
293
Nabard - National bank for agriculture and rural development
Exim bank - Export Import bank
NATIONAL PARKS IN INDIAN
National Park of Uttrakhand - Raja ji National Park , Carbbet National Park , NAnda ki devi ,Govind National Park .
titasdebnath National Parks in Uttrakhand - GOvind national park , Raja ji National Park ,
CarbetNational Park
National Park in Rajasthan - Rantham bore , Sariska national PArk , Koiladeo national park , Desert national park .
National park in Assam - Nameri national park , Manas national park , Orang National Park , Kanziranga National Park
Karnatark - Bandipur
CORPS AND ITS SEASON
kharif crops |July –October | sown in monsoon | harvested in winter | Rice , pulses
Rabi crops |October-March |sown in winter | harvested in summer |Wheat , barley
Summer crops| March- June | sown in summer |
11th Five Year Plan of India (2007 - 2012) On the eve of the 11th Plan, our economy is in a much stronger position than it was a few Years ago. After slowing down to an average growth rate of about 5.5% in the 9th Plan period (1997 - 98 to 2001 - 02), it has accelerated significantly in recent Years. The average growth rate in the last four Years of 10th Plan period (2003 - 04 to 2006 - 07) is likely to be a little over 8%, making the growth rate 7.2% for the entire 10th Plan period. Though, this is below the 10th Plan target of 8%, it is the highest growth rate achieved in any plan period. This performance reflects the strength of our economy and the dynamism of the private sector in many areas. Yet, it is also true that economic growth has failed to be sufficiently inclusive, particularly after the mid - 1990s.
Agriculture lost its growth momentum from that point on and subsequently entered a near crisis situation. Jobs in the organized sector have not increased despite faster growth. The percentage of our population below the poverty line is declining but only at a modest pace. Malnutrition levels also appear to be declining, but the magnitude of the problem continues to be very high. Far too many people still lack access to basic services such as health, education, clean drinking water and sanitation facilities without which they cannot claim their share in the benefits of growth. Women have increased their participation in the labor force as individuals, but continue to face discrimination and are subject to increasing violence, one stark example of which is the declining child sex ratio.
294
India's Vision for the 11th Five Year Plan : The 11th Plan provides an opportunity to restructure policies to achieve a new vision based on faster, more broad - based and inclusive growth. It is designed to reduce poverty and focus on bridging the various divides that continue to fragment our society. The 11th Plan must aim at putting the economy on a sustainable growth trajectory with a growth rate of approximately 10 per cent by the end of the Plan period. It will create productive employment at a faster pace than before, and target robust agriculture growth at 4% per Year. It must seek to reduce disparities across regions and communities by ensuring access to basic physical infrastructure as well as health and education services to all. It must recognize gender as a cross - cutting theme across all sectors and commit to respect and promote the rights of the common person. Rapid growth is an essential part of our strategy for two reasons. Firstly, it is only in a rapidly growing economy that we can expect to sufficiently raise the incomes of the mass of our population to bring about a general improvement in living conditions. Secondly, rapid growth is necessary to generate the resources needed to provide basic services to all. Work done within the Planning Commission and elsewhere suggests that the economy can accelerate from 8 per cent per Year to an average of around 9% over the 11th Plan period, provided appropriate policies are put in place. With population growing at 1.5% per Year, 9% growth in GDP would double the real per capita income in 10 Years. This must be combined with policies that will ensure that this per capita income growth is broad based, benefiting all sections of the population, especially those who have thus far remained deprived. A key element of the strategy for inclusive growth must be an all out effort to provide the mass of our people the access to basic facilities such as health, education, clean drinking water etc. While in the short run these essential public services impact directly on welfare, in the longer run they determine economic opportunities for the future. The private sector, including farming, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and the corporate sector, has a critical role to play in achieving the objective of faster and more inclusive growth. This sector accounts for 76% of the total investment in the economy and an even larger share in employment and output. MSMEs, in particular, have a vital role in expanding production in a regionally balanced manner and generating widely dispersed off - farm employment. Our policies must aim at creating an environment in which entrepreneurship can flourish at all levels, not just at the top. All this is feasible but it is by no means an easy task. Converting potential into reality is a formidable Endeavour and will not be achieved if we simply continue on a business - as - usual basis. There is need for both the Centre and the States to be self critical and evaluate programmes and policies to see what is working and what is not. Macroeconomic Indicators for the 11th Five Year Plan SI. No.Macroeconomic Indicators10th Plan (Actual)*11th Plan (Average) 1. Growth rate of GDP (%); of which; 7.2 9.0 a. Agriculture 1.7 4.1 b. Industry 8.3 10.5
295
c. Services 9.0 9.9 2. Investment rate (% of GDP) 27.8 35.1 a. Public 6.7 10.2 b. Private 21.1 24.9 3.Domestic Savings rate (% of GDP) of which 28.232.3 a. Household 22.8 22.0 b. Corporate 4.5 6.1 c. PSEs 4.2 3.0 d. Government -3.2 1.2 4. Current account balance (% of GDP) 0.2 -2.8 5. Government revenue balance (% of GDP) -4.4 -0.2 6. Government Fiscal balance (% of GDP) -8.0 -6.0 *1. GDP growth rate is actual up to 2005 - 06 and as estimated by the EAC to PM for 2006 - 07. Savings rate, investment rate and CAB are actual up to 2004 - 05. 2. Government Fiscal Balance and Revenue Balance are Based on Actuals (3 Years for Centre and 2 Years for states) and for remaining Years RE / BE / Projected. Monitorable Socio - Economic Targets of the 11th Plan Income & Poverty in India : Accelerate growth rate of GDP from 8% to 10% and then maintain at 10% in the 12th Plan in order to double per capita income by 2016 - 17. Increase agricultural GDP growth rate to 4% per Year to ensure a broader spread of benefits Create 70 million new work opportunities. Reduce educated unemployment to below 5%. Raise real wage rate of unskilled workers by 20 percent. Reduce the headcount ratio of consumption poverty by 10 percentage points. 11th Five Year Plan Education Reduce dropout rates of children from elementary school from 52.2% in 2003 - 04 to 20% by 2011 - 12. Develop minimum standards of educational attainment in elementary school, and by regular testing monitor effectiveness of education to ensure quality. Increase literacy rate for persons of age 7 Years or more to 85%. Lower gender gap in literacy to 10 percentage points. Increase the percentage of each cohort going t6 higher education from the present 10% to 15% by the end of the 11th Plan. 11th Five Year Plan Health Reduce infant mortality rate (IMR) to 28 and maternal mortality ratio (MMR) to 1 per 1000 live births. Reduce Total Fertility Rate to 2.1. Provide clean drinking water for all by 2009 and ensure that there are no slip - backs by the end of the 11th Plan. Reduce malnutrition among children of age group 0 - 3 to half its present level. Reduce anemia among women and girls by 50% by the end of the 11th Plan. Women and Children Raise the sex ratio for age group 0 - 6 to 935 by 2011 - 12 and to 950 by 2016 - 17. Ensure that at least 33 percent of the direct and indirect beneficiaries of all government schemes are Women and Girl Children. Ensure that all children enjoy a safe childhood, without any compulsion to work.
296
11th Five Year Plan Infrastructure : Ensure Electricity connection to all villages and BPL households by 2009 and round - the - clock power by the end of the Plan. Ensure all - weather road connection to all habitation with population 1000 and above (500 in hilly and tribal areas) by 2009, and ensure coverage of all significant habitation by 2015. Connect every village by telephone by November 2007 and provide broadband connectivity to all villages by 2012. Provide homestead sites to all by 2012 and step up the pace of house construction for rural poor to cover all the poor by 2016 - 17. Environment in India Increase forest and tree cover by 5 percentage points. Attain WHO standards of air quality in all major cities by 2011 - 12. Treat all urban waste water by 2011 - 12 to clean river waters. Increase energy efficiency by 20 percentage points by 2016 - 17. Growth During Five Year Plans It was developed in the context of four important dimensions: Quality of life, generation of productive employment, regional balance and self-reliance. Appraisal of the Ninth Plan in India Growth rate of GDP during the plan was 5.4% per annum as against the target of 6.5%. Agriculture grew by 2.1% as against the target of 4.2% p.a. Industrial growth was 4.5% as against the target of 3% p.a. Exports grew by 7.4% (target was 14.55%) and imports grew by 6.6% (target was
12.2% p.a.).
Statutory Liquidity Ratio refers to the amount that the commercial banks require to
maintain in the form gold or govt. approved securities before providing credit to the
customers. Here by approved securities we mean, bond and shares of different
companies. Statutory Liquidity Ratio is determined and maintained by the Reserve
Bank of India in order to control the expansion of bank credit. It is determined as
percentage of total demand and percentage of time liabilities.
The maximum limit of SLR is 40% and minimum limit of SLR is 23%.In India,
Reserve Bank of India always determines the percentage of Statutory Liquidity Ratio.
At present, the minimum limit of Statutory Liquidity Ratio that can be set by the
Reserve Bank is 23% AS ON AUGUST 2012 Objectives of SLR:
If any Indian Bank fails to maintain the required level of Statutory Liquidity Ratio,
then it becomes liable to pay penalty to Reserve Bank of India. The defaulter bank
pays penal interest at the rate of 3% per annum above the Bank Rate, on the
shortfall amount for that particular day.
The objectives of SLR are to restrict the expansion of bank credit.
1. To augment the investment of the banks in government securities.
2. To ensure solvency of banks. A reduction of SLR rates looks eminent to support the credit growth in India.
297
Diff between SLR and CRR
SLR restricts the bank’s leverage in pumping more money into the economy. On the other hand, CRR, or cash reserve ratio, is the portion of deposits that the banks have to maintain with the Central Bank to reduce liquidity in economy. Thus CRR controls liquidity in economy while SLR regulates credit growth in the country
The other difference is that to meet SLR, banks can use cash, gold or approved securities whereas with CRR it has to be only cash. CRR is maintained in cash form with central bank, whereas SLR is money deposited in govt. securities.CRR is used to control inflation.
FCI CMD is Dr. Amar singh
Raghu Ram Rajan is Chief Economic Advisor of Govt. of India Finance Ministry and
Chakravarthy Rangarajan is Chairman of PRIME MINISTERS ECONOMIC ADVISORY
COUNCIL (PMEAC) ....
A detrimental effect of the green revolution is... (1) Neglect of low input agricultural practices. (2) More emphasis on hybrid varieties and thus destroying the local seed varieties (3) Indiscriminate use of pesticides and fertilizers thus pushing up the cost of farming. (4) Destroying the local seed varieties (5) Eliminating the native animal breeds
Hydrabad Biodiversity Summit
Hyderabad will play host to the 18-day International Biodiversity Conference of
Parties slated from October 1.
The next round of the conference will be held in Korea.
R. Hampaiah, Chairman of the Andhra Pradesh State Bio Diversity Board, said over
8,000 delegates from 193 countries were expected to participate in the summit.
“It will discuss a wide-range of bio-diversity issues. At the end, the outcome of the
conference will be named as the Hyderabad Protocol or something to that effect,” he
told media persons here today.
To mark the occasion, an Rs 100-crore biodiversity museum will be set up in
Hyderabad. While the Union Government will provide the finance, the State
Government will contribute 15-acre land for the project, he said, adding that it would
take about two years for completion.
The Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh, pledged around $50 million (Rs. 264
crore) for domestic biodiversity protection, reports the Hindu. The pledge came this
week at theConvention on Biological Diversity (CBD) meeting in Hyderabad, India.
The CBD has set bold goals on stemming the rate of extinction worldwide, but these
298
have suffered from a lack of funding. India also said it had set aside another $10
million (Rs. 50 crore) for biodiversity projects abroad. Still, such funds are far below
what scientists say is necessary to stem ongoing extinctions. Read more
at news.mongabay.com/2012/1018-ha...
the British government has also pledged $1.6 million (one million pounds) for the
effort.
STOCKHOLM CONVENTION
Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants is an international
environmental treaty, signed in 2001 and effective from May 2004, that aims to
eliminate or restrict the production and use of persistent organic pollutants
(POPs).
POPs, which are defined as "chemical substances that persist in the
environment, bio-accumulate through the food web, and pose a risk of causing
adverse effects to human health and the environment".
BASEL CONVENTION
The Basel Convention on the Control of Trans boundary Movements of
Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, usually known simply as the Basel
Convention, is an international treaty that was designed to reduce the movements
of hazardous waste between nations, and specifically to prevent transfer of
hazardous waste from developed to less developed countries (LDCs).
It does not, however, address the movement of radioactive waste. The Convention
is also intended to minimize the amount and toxicity of wastes generated, to ensure
their environmentally sound management as closely as possible to the source of
generation, and to assist LDCs in environmentally sound management of the
hazardous and other wastes they generate.
BAMAKO CONVENTION
The Bamako Convention (in full: Bamako Convention on the ban on the
Import into Africa and the Control of Transboundary Movement and
Management of Hazardous Wastes within Africa) is a treaty of African nations
prohibiting the import of any hazardous(including radioactive)waste. The Convention
was negotiated by twelve nations of theOrganization of African
Unity at Bamako, Mali in January, 1991, and came into force in 1998.
Impetus for the Bamako Convention arose from the failure of the Basel
Convention to prohibit trade of hazardous waste to less developed countries(LDCs),
and from the realization that many developed nations were exporting toxic wastes to
Africa.
ROTTERDAM CONVENTION
299
The Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for
Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade, more
commonly known simply as the Rotterdam Convention, is a multilateral treaty to
promote shared responsibilities in relation to importation of hazardous chemicals.
The convention promotes open exchange of information and calls on exporters of
hazardous chemicals to use proper labeling, include directions on safe handling, and
inform purchasers of any known restrictions or bans. Signatory nations can decide
whether to allow or ban the importation of chemicals listed in the treaty, and
exporting countries are obliged make sure that producers within their jurisdiction
comply
The boxes :In WTO terminology, subsidies in general are identified by “boxes” which are given the colours of traffic lights: green (permitted), amber (slow down — i.e. be reduced), red (forbidden). In agriculture, things are, as usual, more complicated. The Agriculture Agreement has no red box, although domestic support exceeding the reduction commitment levels in the amber box is prohibited; and there is a blue box for subsidies that are tied to programmes that limit production.
Amber box :All domestic support measures considered to distort production and trade (with some exceptions) fall into the amber box.
Blue box : This is the “amber box with conditions” — conditions designed to reduce distortion. Any support that would normally be in the amber box, is placed in the blue box if the support also requires farmers to limit production.
Green box : In order to qualify, green box subsidies must not distort trade, or at most cause minimal distortion. They have to be government-funded (not by charging consumers higher prices) and must not involve price support.
Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for Empowerment of Adolescent Girls
(RGSEAG)
This scheme was launched on 19 November 2010 with the objective of empowering
adolescent girls in
the age group 11-18 years by bringing improvement in their nutritional and health
status and upgrading
various skills like home skills, life skills, and vocational skills. To start with, it will be
implemented in 200
selected districts across the country on a pilot basis. RGSEAG would be implemented
through State
Governments / UT Administrations with 100 per cent financial assistance from the
Central Government for
300
all inputs other than nutrition provision for which 50 per cent Central assistance to
states/UTs would be
provided. Anganwadi centres will be the focal points for delivery of services. Nearly
100 lakh adolescent
girls in 200 districts are expected to be benefited per annum under the scheme. In
these 200 districts,
Kishori Shakti Yojna (KSY) and the Nutrition Programme for Adolescent Girls (NPAG)
have been merged
in the RGSEAG. In the remaining districts, the KSY will continue as before.
The Rajiv Gandhi National Creche Scheme for Children of Working
Mothers
This scheme provides for day-care facilities to 0-6 year-old children of working
mothers by opening
crèches and development services, i.e., supplementary nutrition, health-care inputs
like immunization,
polio drops, basic health monitoring, and recreation. The combined monthly income
of both the parents
should not exceed ` 12000 for availing of the facilities. The scheme is presently
being implemented
through the Central Social Welfare Board (CSWB) and Indian Council for Child
Welfare (ICCW). As of
now 22,599 crèches are functional and the number of beneficiary children is
5,64,975. Under the revised
scheme, an amount of ` 1.70 lakh per annum per crèche has been proposed against
` 42,384 per annum
per crèche in the existing scheme. This will provide for better nutritional support as
well as better services
for children.
Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS)
This scheme was launched in 2009-10 with the objective of providing a safe and
secure environment for
comprehensive development of children in the country who are in need of care and
protection as well as
children in conflict with the law. The ICPS provides preventive and statutory care
and rehabilitation
services to any vulnerable child including, but not limited to, children of potentially
vulnerable families and
families at risk, children of socially excluded groups like migrant families, families
living in extreme
301
poverty, families subjected to or affected by discrimination and minorities, children
infected and / or
affected by HIV / AIDS, orphans, child drug abusers, children of substance abusers,
child beggars,
trafficked or sexually exploited children, children of prisoners, and street and
working children. The
allocation of funds under this scheme for 2010-11 is ` 300 crore. The Scheme is
Centrally Sponsored and
is being mainly implemented through State Governments / UT Administrations from
2009-10 and 33
states/UTs have signed the MOUs for implementation of this scheme. During 2010-
11, ` 82.37 crore have
been released under the scheme upto 11 February, 2011. Thirteen more States/ UTs
have agreed to
implement this it and are at various stage of preparation of plans including financial
proposals.
Support to Training and Employment Programme for Women (STEP)
Scheme
This scheme seeks to provide updated skills and new knowledge to poor women in
10 traditional sectors
for enhancing their productivity and income generation. It is being implemented
through public-sector
organizations, State corporations, cooperatives, federations, and registered voluntary
organizations with
minimum existence of three years. With a view to expanding the reach of the
programme and furtherstrengthening implementation and monitoring, the norms
and parameters of this scheme have been
revised in November 2009. The major changes in the norms relate to the number of
beneficiaries to be
covered, project duration, and per capita cost and the scheme now provides for
introduction of locally
appropriate sectors in consultation with State governments. The number of
beneficiaries in each project
may now vary from 200 to 10,000 with the funding ceiling at ` 16,000 per
beneficiary up to a period of five
years. During 2010-11, a total number of 91 STEP projects were ongoing and 196
more were under
consideration at various stages as on 30 November 2010. A sum of ` 25 crore has
been allocated in the
302
financial year 2010-11 to achieve a target of 35,000 beneficiaries.
Some of the other schemes implemented by the Ministry of Women and Child
Development,
include:
(i) Dhanlakshmi, which is a conditional cash transfer scheme for the girl child which
was launched as a
pilot project in March 2008. The objective is to encourage families to educate girl
children and to prevent
child marriage. The scheme provides for cash transfers to the family of a girl child on
fulfilling certain
specific conditionalities relating to birth and registration, immunization, and
enrolment and retention in
school up to Class VIII. The Scheme is being implemented in 11 blocks of seven
States on pilot basis.
(ii) Scheme for the Welfare of Working Children in Need of Care and Protection
providing for
nonformal education, vocational training, etc. to working children to facilitate their
entry/re-entry into
mainstream education. There are 120 projects of 100 children each currently being
funded under the
Scheme.
(iii) Bal Bandhu Scheme for protection of children in areas of civil unrest is being
implemented through
the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) with the grant
sanctioned from the
Prime Minister's National Relief Fund.
(iv) Swadhar scheme for providing temporary accommodation, maintenance, and
rehabilitative services
to women and girls rendered homeless and women in difficult circumstances
(v) Short Stay Home (SSH) scheme being implemented by the Central Social Welfare
Board with similar
objectives/target group as in case of the Swadhar scheme.
(vi) Ujjawala, a comprehensive scheme for prevention of trafficking with five specific
components–
prevention, rescue, rehabilitation, reintegration, and repatriation of victims–was
launched on 4 December
2007. Under this scheme, 134 projects including 73 rehabilitation homes, spread
over 16 States, have
been sanctioned.
Scheme for Gender Budgeting : This Scheme for Gender Budgeting has been
303
included in the Eleventh
Plan. At present, 56 Ministries / Departments have set up gender budget cells and a
number of Ministries
/ Departments have reflected allocation for women in the Gender Budget Statement
of the Union Budget.
National Mission for Empowerment of Women (NMEW)
This has been set up with a view to empowering women socially, economically, and
educationally. The
Mission aims to achieve empowerment of women on all these fronts by securing
convergence of
schemes / programmes of different Ministries / Departments of the Government of
India as well as State
Governments. Alongside, the Mission shall monitor and review gender budgeting by
Ministries /
Departments as well as effective implementation of various laws concerning women.
Rashtriya Mahila Kosh (RMK)
This was created in 1993 with a corpus fund of ` 31crore. Since, its creation, the
RMK has established
itself as a premier micro-credit agency of the country, with its focus on poor women
and their
empowerment through the provision of credit for livelihood-related activities. The
RMK provides microcredit
in a quasi-informal manner, lending to intermediate micro-credit organizations
(IMOs) (for example
NGOs/voluntary organizations, women development corporations, women's
cooperative societies, and
suitable Government / local bodies). The IMOs in turn lend to self-help groups
(SHGs), which, in turn,
lend to individual members at a rate not above the ceiling prescribed by the RMK,
i.e. 18 per cent per
annum on reducing balance method.
M V Rao was the father of yellow revolution...
also india is the highest producer and consumer of yellow oil..
Kundankulam Nuclear Protest
Thousands of protesters, belonging to the vicinity of the plant, have used various
means to protest against the plant fearing a Fukushima like disaster.[17] The
protesters base their objection on the "more than 1 million people live within the 30
km radius of the KKNPP which far exceeds the AERB (Atomic Energy Regulatory
Board) stipulations. It is quite impossible to evacuate this many people quickly and
304
efficiently in case of a nuclear disaster at Koodankulam", etc.[18] According to S P
Udayakumar, of the voluntary People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy, "the
nuclear plant is unsafe". No public hearing was held. It's an authoritarian project
that has been imposed on the people." A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has also
been filed against the government’s civil nuclear programme at the Supreme Court.
The PIL specifically asks for the "staying of all proposed nuclear power plants till
satisfactory safety measures and cost-benefit analyses are completed by
independent agencies".[19][20] Protesters said that even advanced countries like
Germany have decided to shutdown all its 17 Nuclear reactors through which the
country gets 23% of its energy.[21][22]Gopal Gandhi, grandson of Mohandas
Karamchand Gandhi, former West Bengal governor also said that an "Indian
Fukushima cannot be ruled out and government needs to convince people about
safety aspects of the project".[23]
In March 2012, police said they had arrested nearly 200 anti-nuclear protesters
objecting resumption of work of building one of two 1 GW reactors, a day after the
local government restarted work on the project.[24]
There have also been rallies and protests in favour of commissioning this nuclear
power plant.[25][26]
On, February 24, 2012, Prime Minister
Manmohan Singhblamed American and Scandivanian
NGOsfor fuelling protests at the power plant. Three of the NGOs were later found to
have used foreign funds received for social and religious purposes to fuel the
protests, violating foreign exchange regulatory rules.
[27]The PM also blamed these NGOs for opposing genetically modified foods and the
use of biotechnology to increase food production in the country.
----------------
list of major sea ports in india
Kandla Port - Gujarat
Visakhapatanam - Andhra Pradesh
Chennai Port - Tamil Nadu
Jawaharlal Nehru Port - Maharashtra
Paradip - Odhisa
Mumbai - Maharashtra
Mormugoa - Goa
Kolkata & Haldia - West Bengal
New Mangalore Port - Karnataka
Tuticorin - Tamilnadu
Cochin - Kerala
Ennore - Tamilnadu
305
Port Blair--Port Blair
Out of these 12 are controlled by Govt and 1 Ennore in controlled by private
players..
issue of internal security...naxals
background--
Several Left Wing Extremist groups have been operating in certain parts of the
country for a few decades now. In a significant development in 2004, the People’s
War (PW), then operating in Andhra Pradesh, and the Maoist Communist Centre of
India (MCCI), then operating in Bihar and adjoining areas, merged to form the CPI
(Maoist). The CPI (Maoist), is the major Left Wing Extremist outfit responsible for
most incidents of violence and killing of civilians and security forces and has been
included in the Schedule of Terrorist Organisations along with all its formations and
front organisations under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. The CPI
(Maoist) philosophy of armed struggle to overthrow the Indian State is not
acceptable in a Parliamentary Democracy. The Government has given a call to the
Left Wing Extremists to abjure violence and come for talks. This plea has been
rejected by them, since they believe in violence as a means to achieve their
objective. This has resulted in a spiralling cycle of violence in many parts of India.
The poor and the marginalised sections like the tribals are bearing the brunt of this
violence. Many well-meaning liberal intellectuals fall prey to Maoist propaganda
without understanding the true nature of Maoist insurgency doctrine which glorifies
violence and believes in annihilation of the so called class enemies. Since, 2001,
more than 5661 civilians and 2036 security force personel (till 30-07-2012) have
been killed by the Maoists in different parts of India. A majority of the civilians killed
are tribals, often branded as ‘Police informers’ before being brutally tortured and
killed. In fact, tribals and the economically underprivileged sections have been the
biggest victims of the so called ‘protracted peoples war’ of the CPI (Maoist) against
the Indian state.
Dynamics Of Naxal mission--
Many sections of society, especially the younger generation, have romantic illusions
about the Maoists, arising out of an incomplete understanding of their ideology. The
central theme of Maoist ideology is violence. The Maoist insurgency doctrine glorifies
violence as the primary means to overwhelm the existing socio-economic and
political structures. The Peoples Liberation Guerilla Army (PLGA), the armed wing of
CPI (Maoist), has been created with this purpose in mind. In the first stage of the
insurgency, the PLGA resorts to guerrilla warfare, which primarily aims at creating a
vacuum at the grass-roots level of the existing governance structures. They achieve
this by killing lower-level government officials, police-personnel of the local police
stations, the workers of mainstream political parties and the peoples representatives
306
of the Panchayati Raj system. After creating a vacuum, they coerce the local
population to join the movement. A strident propaganda is also carried out against
the purported and real inadequacies of the existing state structure.
Plans to cater naxalism
Security Related Expenditure (SRE) Scheme : Under the Security Related
Expenditure (SRE) scheme, funds are provided for meeting the recurring expenditure
relating to insurance, training and operational needs of the security forces,
rehabilitation of Left Wing Extremist cadres who surrender in accordance with the
surrender and rehabilitation policy of the State Government concerned, community
policing, security related infrastructure for village defence committees and publicity
material.
Special Infrastructure Scheme (SIS) : The Scheme for Special Infrastructure in
Leftwing Extremism affected States was approved in the Eleventh Plan, with an
allocation of Rs. 500 crore, to cater to critical infrastructure gaps, which cannot be
covered under the existing schemes. These relate to requirements of mobility for the
police / security forces by upgrading existing roads / tracks in inaccessible areas,
providing secure camping grounds and helipads at strategic locations in remote and
interior areas, measures to enhance security in respect of police stations / outposts
located in vulnerable areas etc.
Central Scheme for assistance to civilian victims/family of victims of
Terrorist, Communal and Naxal violence : The broad aim of the Scheme is to
assist families of victims of Terrorist, Communal and Naxal violence. An amount of
Rs. 3 lakh is given to the affected family under the scheme. The assistance given to
those who are adversely affected by naxal violence under this scheme is in addition
to the ex-gratia payment of Rs. 1 lakh paid under the Security Related Expenditure
(SRE) scheme.
Integrated Action Plan : The Planning Commission is implementing the
Integrated Action Plan (IAP) for 82 Selected Tribal and Backward Districts for
accelerated development. The aim of this initiative is to provide public infrastructure
and services in 82 affected / contiguous Districts. Originally, a sum of Rs. 25 crores
and Rs. 30 crores was released to 60 Districts during the financial years 2010-11 and
2011-12 respectively. This Scheme has now been extended to 22 more LWE affected
Districts, taking the total coverage to 82 Districts. The nature of major
works/projects taken up by the districts under the IAP include construction of School
Buildings / School Furniture, Anganwadi Centres, Drinking Water Facilities, Rural
Roads, Panchayats Bhawan / Community Halls, Godowns / PDS shops, livelihood
activities, skill development/ trainings, Minor Irrigation Works, Electric Lighting,
Health Centres/Facilities, Ashram Schools, construction of Toilets, construction of
multi-purpose chabutra, construction of passenger waiting hall, special coaching
307
classes for students, construction of ANM Centres, development of play grounds etc.
Out of 81180 projects taken up by the states under the IAP, 61677 projects have
been completed till 21.8.2012.
Road Requirement Plan for LWE areas : The Road Requirement Plan (RRP)
Phase-I was approved in February, 2009 for improvement of road connectivity in 34
extremely LWE affected districts in 8 States viz. Andhra Pradesh, Bihar,
Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa and Uttar Pradesh.
The RRP-I envisages development of 1126 kms of National Highways and 4351 kms
of State Roads (total 5477 kms), at a cost of Rs. 7300 crore. A length of 848 kms
has been built at an expenditure of Rs 1363 crores till 31st December, 2011. The
stretches for Phase-II of the Road Requirement Plan have been finalised by the
Ministry of Home Affairs in August, 2011, based on the priority indicated by the State
Governments and is under consideration with the Ministry of Road Transport &
Highways.
Scheme of Fortified Police Stations : The Ministry has sanctioned 400 police
stations in 9 LWE affected States at a unit cost Rs. 2 crores under this scheme.
Civic Action Programme : Under this scheme financial grants are sanctioned to
CAPFs to undertake civic action in the affected states. This is a successful scheme
which aims to build bridges between the local population and the security forces.
LIST OF NATIONAL PARKS IN INDIA:
Kaziranga, manas –assam
Indravati- chattisgarh
Gir, Nal Sarovar- Gujarat
Sultanpur- Haryana
Great Himalayan- Himachal Pradesh
Bandipur, Bhadra , Billigiri –Karnataka
Periyar, silent valley – Kerala
Bandhavgarh , Kanha , panmarhi, Sanjay – M.P
Melghat ,Tadoba – Maharashtra
Kaldeo, Kumbhalgarh ,Ranthambore , Sariska – Rajasthan
Indra Gandhi WLS , Kallakad ,Mudumalai- Tamil Nadu
Jim Corbett , Kedarnath, Govind ,Rajaji , valley of flowers -Uttarakhand
Dudhwa ,Kaimur – U.P
Jaldapara, Sunderbans- W. Bengal
Kavery river dispute: The sharing of waters of the river Kaveri has been the source of a serious
conflict between the Indian states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.The 802 km Kaveri river has 32,000 sq km basin area in Karnataka and 44,000 sq km basin area in Tamil Nadu. The state of Karnataka contends that it does not receive its due share of
308
water from the river as does Tamil Nadu. Karnataka claims that these agreements were skewed heavily in favour of the Madras Presidency, and has demanded a renegotiated settlement based on "equitable sharing of the waters". Tamil Nadu, on the other hand, pleads that it has already developed almost 3,000,000 acres (12,000 km2) of land and as a result has come to depend very heavily on the existing pattern of usage. Any change in this pattern, it says, will adversely affect the livelihood of millions of farmers in the state. On 19th Sep 2012, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh , who is also the Chairman of Cauvery River Authority (CRA), directed Karnataka to release 9,000 cusecs of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu at Biligundlu
(the border) daily from September 21
Manthan-1977 National Filmfare award winner Based on Operation Flood Directed by Shyam Benegal
Government on 11 September 2012 reduced interest rates on rescheduled crop
loans from 12 to 7 per cent in drought-affected areas for this fiscal. It also increased
the number of guaranteed work days under the MGNREGA to 150 days from 100
days.Four Indian states namely Karnataka, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan have
declared drought in more than 390 taluks.
During agrarian crisis, crop loans get converted into term loans for a longer period of
three years but at a higher interest rate of 12 per cent.
The Empowered Group of Ministers also approved 846 crore rupees to Karnataka,
Maharashtra, Gujarat and Haryana under the National Rural Drinking Water
Programme, and relaxed some norms.
Millennium Development Goals
Eight Millennium Development Goals, as set by UN in September 2000, for target year 2015-
1. Eradicating extreme poverty and hunger,
2. Achieving universal primary education,
3. Promoting gender equality and empowering women
4. Reducing child mortality rates,
5. Improving maternal health,
6. Combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases,
7. Ensuring environmental sustainability, and
8. Developing a global partnership for development
Millennium Development Goals [Targets]-
Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
Target 1A: Halve the proportion of people living on less than $1 a day
Target 1B: Achieve Decent Employment for Women, Men, and Young People
309
Target 1C: Halve the proportion of people who suffer from hunger
Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education
Target 2A: By 2015, all children can complete a full course of primary schooling, girls
and boys
Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women
Target 3A: Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education preferably
by 2005, and at all levels by 2015
Goal 4: Reduce child mortality rates
Target 4A: Reduce by two-thirds, between 1990 and 2060, the under-five mortality
rate
Goal 5: Improve maternal health
Target 5A: Reduce by three quarters, between 1990 and 2015, the maternal
mortality ratio
Target 5B: Achieve, by 2015, universal access to reproductive health
Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases
Target 6A: Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS
Target 6B: Achieve, by 2010, universal access to treatment for HIV/AIDS for all those
who need it
Target 6C: Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the incidence of malaria and
other major diseases
Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability
Target 7A: Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies
and programs; reverse loss of environmental resources
Target 7B: Reduce biodiversity loss, achieving, by 2010, a significant reduction in the
rate of loss
Target 7C: Halve, by 2015, the proportion of the population without sustainable
access to safe drinking
Target 7D: By 2020, to have achieved a significant improvement in the lives of at
least 100 million slum-dwellers
Goal 8: Develop a global partnership for development
Target 8A: Develop further an open, rule-based, predictable, non-discriminatory
trading and financial system
310
Target 8B: Address the Special Needs of the Least Developed Countries (LDC)
Target 8C: Address the special needs of landlocked developing countries and small
island developing States
Target 8D: Deal comprehensively with the debt problems of developing countries
through national and international measures in order to make debt sustainable in
the long term
Target 8E: In co-operation with pharmaceutical companies, provide access to
affordable, essential drugs in developing countries
Target 8F: In co-operation with the private sector, make available the benefits of
new technologies, especially information and communications
Demographics of India
As per 2011 census, population of India is 1.21 Billion, making it second most populous
country in world. Already containing 17.5% of the world's population, India is projected to
be the world’s most populous country by 2025, surpassing China, its population reaching 1.6
billion by 2050. Its population growth rate is 1.41%, ranking 102nd in the world in 2010.
India has more than 50% of its population below the age of 25 and more than 65% below
the age of 35. It is expected that, in 2020, the average age of an Indian will be 29 years,
compared to 37 for China and 48 for Japan; and, by 2030, India's dependency ratio should
be just over 0.4. India has more than two thousand ethnic groups, with Hindus consisting
80% of population and Muslims as 13%, followed by Christians, Sikhs and Buddhists. States
U.P., Maharashtra, Bihar tops the population counts, while Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and
Sikkim are on the bottom in the list.
Eleventh Five Year Plan of India
The eleventh plan has the following objectives:
Income & Poverty
Accelerate GDP growth from 8% to 10% and then maintain at 10% in the 12th Plan in
order to double per capita income by 2016–17
Increase agricultural GDP growth rate to 4% per year to ensure a broader spread of
benefits
Create 70 million new work opportunities.
Reduce educated unemployment to below 5%.
Raise real wage rate of unskilled workers by 20 percent.
Reduce the headcount ratio of consumption poverty by 10 percentage points.
Education
Reduce dropout rates of children from elementary school from 52.2% in 2003–04 to 20%
by 2011–12
311
Develop minimum standards of educational attainment in elementary school, and by
regular testing monitor effectiveness of education to ensure quality
Increase literacy rate for persons of age 7 years or above to 85%
Lower gender gap in literacy to 10 percentage point Five-Year plans of India 114
Increase the percentage of each cohort going to higher education from the present 10%
to 15% by the end of the plan
Health
Reduce infant mortality rate to 28 and maternal mortality ratio to 1 per 1000 live births
Reduce Total Fertility Rate to 2.1
Provide clean drinking water for all by 2009 and ensure that there are no slip-backs
Reduce malnutrition among children of age group 0–3 to half its present level
Reduce anaemia among women and girls by 50% by the end of the plan
Women and Children
Raise the sex ratio for age group 0–6 to 935 by 2011–12 and to 950 by 2016–17
Ensure that at least 33 percent of the direct and indirect beneficiaries of all government
schemes are women and girl children
Ensure that all children enjoy a safe childhood, without any compulsion to work
Infrastructure
Ensure electricity connection to all villages and BPL households by 2009 and round-the-
clock power.
Ensure all-weather road connection to all habitation with population 1000 and above
(500 in hilly and tribal areas) by 2009, and ensure coverage of all significant habitation
by 2015
Connect every village by telephone by November 2007 and provide broadband
connectivity to all villages by 2012
Provide homestead sites to all by 2012 and step up the pace of house construction for
rural poor to cover all the poor by 2016–17
Environment
Increase forest and tree cover by 5 percentage points.
Attain WHO standards of air quality in all major cities by 2011–12.
Treat all urban waste water by 2011–12 to clean river waters.
Increase energy efficiency by 20%
Target growth:8.33% Growth achieved:7.9%
312
CAPART
Council for Advancement of Peoples Action and Rural Technology
PURA
Provision of Urban Amenities in Rural Areas
NSAP
NATIONAL SOCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMME
PMRDF
Prime Minister's Rural Development Fellows Scheme
SGSY
Swarna Jayanthi Gram Swarozgar Yojana
SECC
Socio Economic and Caste Census
BRGF
Backward Regions Grant Fund
IAP
Integrated Action Plan
Triple(555) Five scheme: The Union Government set up a directorate, under Tea Board, which will serve small tea growers,Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry. The initiative is now only for the tea sector. This could be extended to other plantation sectors, if needed, Scindia said. He added that some of the areas of importance for the tea sector were re-plantation and rejuvenation, increase in exports, and tackling challenges such as labour shortage and higher mechanisation. The government had come out with the Triple Five (555) scheme to increase Indian tea exports. It is 555 scheme because, the focus would be on five markets with five major measures for five years. For the first phase, the government had sanctioned Rs.6.5 crore for this scheme.
Sugarcane : India
Sugar: Brazil
Norman Borlaug, the "Father of the Green Revolution"
Onion – Maharastra Maize,tomato,bt cotton - APCotton, potato ,
groundnut- GujaratRice - WBWheat, sugercane – UP soyabean – MP
flowers, coffee – Karnataka tea – assam
Highlights of 11th Five Year Plan of India:
313
Income and Poverty
● GDP growth target of 9% p.a.
● Increase agricultural GDP growth rate to 4% per year.
● To enhance domestic investment from 35•9% of GDP in 2006-07 to an average of
36•7% of GDP in plan period.
● To raise industrial growth rate from 9•2% in the 10th plan to between 10% and
11%.
● Manufacturing sector is targeted to grow at 12% p.a.
● Create 58 million new work opportunities.
● Reduce educated unemployment to below 5%.
● Raise real wage rate of unskilled workers by 20 per cent.
● Reduce the headcount ratio of consumption poverty by 10 percentage points.
Education
● Reduce dropout rates of children from elementary school from 52•2% in 2003-04
to 20% by 2011-12.
● Develop minimum standards of educational attainment in elementary school, and
by regular testing monitor effectiveness of education to ensure quality.
● Increase literacy rate for persons of age 7 years or more to 85%.
● Lower gender gap in literacy to 10 percentage points.
● Increase the percentage of each cohort going to higher education from the
present 10% to 15% by the end of the 11th Plan.
Health
● To raise public health spending to 2% of GDP during plan period.
● Reduce infant mortality rate (IMR) to 28 and maternal mortality ratio (MMR) to 1
per 1000 live births.
● Reduce total fertility rate to 2.1 by the end of the plan.
● Provide clean drinking water for all by 2009 and ensure that there are no slip-
backs by the end of the 11th Plan.
● Reduce malnutrition among children of age group 0-3 to half its present level.
● Reduce anemia among women and girls by 50% by the end of the 11th Plan.
Women and Children
● Raise the sex ratio for age group 0-6 to 935 by 2011-12 and to 950 by 2016-17.
● Ensure that at least 33 per cent of the direct and indirect beneficiaries of all
government schemes are women and girl children.
● Ensure that all children enjoy a safe childhood, without any compulsion to work.
Infrastructure
314
● To achieve telecom subscriber base of 600 million and a rural teledensity of 25%.
● Ensure electricity connection to all villages and BPL households by 2009 and
round-the-clock power by the end of the Plan.
● Ensure all weather road connection to all habitation with population 1000 and
above (500 in hilly and tribal areas) by 2009, and ensure coverage of all significant
habitation by 2015.
● Connect every village by telephone by November, 2007 and provide broadband
connectivity to all village by 2012.
● Provide homestead sites to all by 2012 and step up the pace of house construction
for rural poor to cover all the poor by 2016-17.
Environment
● Increase forest and tree cover by 5 percentage points.
● Attain WHO standards of air quality in all major cities by 2011-12.
● Treat all urban waste water by 2011-12 to clean river waters.
● Increase energy efficiency by 20 percentage points by 2016-17.
Top Related