General Affairs
Enough Already With 'Ball's In Pakistan's Court', Says Sarcastic Shiv Sena
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MUMBAI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a new dose of criticism from ally Shiv Sena today, which said, in its mouthpiece, "Without giving a befitting reply, attacks like Mumbai or Pathankot will not end."
A terror attack launched pre-dawn on January 2 at the air force base in Pathankot killed seven military personnel and left another 20 injured. The terrorists came from across the border and were sent by the Jaish-e-Mohammed, India has said, while sharing what it describes as "actionable evidence" with Pakistan's government.
"The ball is now in Pakistan's court," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said last week, stressing that Islamabad must deliver action against those responsible for the Pathankot assault. "It has been announced that '(the) ball is in Pakistan's court', but the ball was also in Pakistan's court for the attack on parliament in 2001 and Mumbai (in 2008). They target us, but we keep pushing balls in their court, waiting for the next attack," was the scathing assessment of the Sena in an editorial in its magazine.
Last week, Pakistani premier Nawaz Sharif phoned Prime Minister Narendra Modi to pledge assistance and cooperation in the Pathankot investigation. Mr Sharif has also set up a committee comprising top military and intel officers to identify the masterminds of the attack.
The Sena had, in an earlier editorial, flayed PM Modi for making an unscheduled visit to Pakistan in December to visit Mr Sharif in an initiative to speed up the rapprochement between the two countries. "Seven of our soldiers get martyred in return for a cup of tea with Nawaz Sharif," the Sena had said. The party is a member of the PM's coalition government and co-governs Maharashtra with the BJP.
MUMBAI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a new dose of criticism from ally Shiv Sena today, which said, in its mouthpiece, "Without giving a befitting reply, attacks like Mumbai or Pathankot will not end."A terror attack launched pre-dawn on January 2 at the air force base in Pathankot killed seven military personnel and left another 20 injured. The terrorists came from across the border and were sent by the Jaish-e-Mohammed, India has said, while sharing what it describes as "actionable evidence" with Pakistan's government.
Last week, Pakistani premier Nawaz Sharif phoned Prime Minister Narendra Modi to pledge assistance and cooperation in the Pathankot investigation. Mr Sharif has also set up a committee comprising top military and intel officers to identify the masterminds of the attack.
The Sena had, in an earlier editorial, flayed PM Modi for making an unscheduled visit to Pakistan in December to visit Mr Sharif in an initiative to speed up the rapprochement between the two countries. "Seven of our soldiers get martyred in return for a cup of tea with Nawaz Sharif," the Sena had said. The party is a member of the PM's coalition government and co-governs Maharashtra with the BJP.
Mehbooba Mufti Yet To Convene Legislature Party Meet in Jammu and Kashmir
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SRINAGAR: Uncertainty continued over government formation in Jammu and Kashmir as Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti, who is tipped to be the next chief minister of the state, is yet to convene the Legislature Party meeting.
"The party president has not made any moves yet. As and when anything development takes places, we will let you know," said a senior PDP leader.
Ms Mufti, who resumed work as PDP president last evening at the end of four-day mourning period for her father and former chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, has not yet called the Legislature party meeting.
"At the farewell function to the personal staff of Sayeed, the party legislators, who were also present, have thrown their weight behind the president on the future course of action. We are now waiting for her decision," the leader said.
Although BJP, the coalition partner of PDP in the government headed by Mr Sayeed, has not given in writing its support to Ms Mufti as the next chief minister yet, several party leaders including former deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh have expressed hope that the alliance with the regional party will continue for the rest of the term of the current assembly.
The visit of Congress President Sonia Gandhi and other senior leaders to Ms Mufti's residence yesterday had fueled speculation that moves might be afoot for weaning the PDP away from BJP to form an alternative government.
The speculation was only fueled further by the visit of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari to Ms Mufti's residence minutes after the Congress president left the PDP leader's residence.
Congress has earlier shared power with PDP between 2002 and 2008, with both parties having their Chief Minister on rotational basis after three years. They later had a bitter split in 2008 following the Amarnath land row agitation.
PDP has already given a letter to Governor NN Vohra, saying that all its 27 legislators support Ms Mufti for the chief ministership. But Ms Mufti had reportedly said that she will not take oath till the end of mourning period for her father, which ended yesterday.
Mr Vohra on Friday had asked both PDP and BJP to convey their position on the government formation. Since BJP did not convey its position, the Governor on Saturday imposed Governor's Rule in the state.
SRINAGAR: Uncertainty continued over government formation in Jammu and Kashmir as Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti, who is tipped to be the next chief minister of the state, is yet to convene the Legislature Party meeting."The party president has not made any moves yet. As and when anything development takes places, we will let you know," said a senior PDP leader.
"At the farewell function to the personal staff of Sayeed, the party legislators, who were also present, have thrown their weight behind the president on the future course of action. We are now waiting for her decision," the leader said.
Although BJP, the coalition partner of PDP in the government headed by Mr Sayeed, has not given in writing its support to Ms Mufti as the next chief minister yet, several party leaders including former deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh have expressed hope that the alliance with the regional party will continue for the rest of the term of the current assembly.
The visit of Congress President Sonia Gandhi and other senior leaders to Ms Mufti's residence yesterday had fueled speculation that moves might be afoot for weaning the PDP away from BJP to form an alternative government.
The speculation was only fueled further by the visit of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari to Ms Mufti's residence minutes after the Congress president left the PDP leader's residence.
Congress has earlier shared power with PDP between 2002 and 2008, with both parties having their Chief Minister on rotational basis after three years. They later had a bitter split in 2008 following the Amarnath land row agitation.
PDP has already given a letter to Governor NN Vohra, saying that all its 27 legislators support Ms Mufti for the chief ministership. But Ms Mufti had reportedly said that she will not take oath till the end of mourning period for her father, which ended yesterday.
Mr Vohra on Friday had asked both PDP and BJP to convey their position on the government formation. Since BJP did not convey its position, the Governor on Saturday imposed Governor's Rule in the state.
'Indira Rule Worse Than British': Bihar Website Edited As Congress Fumes
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PATNA: The history of Bihar as told by a state government website has hastily been edited after it was highlighted that it made an unflattering assessment of Indira Gandhi's rule at the Centre in the 1970s.
The Congress is a partner in the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar and the party's state unit is livid. In Delhi, Congress spokesperson Tom, Vaddakan said, "We have heard about it and our Bihar unit has protested. Delhi is taking note. There is a need for clarification on this issue by Nitish ji."
The website's section called History of Bihar, had mentioned former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of the Congress in the context of socialist leader Jay Prakash Narayan or JP, whom both Nitish Kumar and his other partner in Bihar, Lalu Yadav of the RJD venerate.
Till yesterday the website said JP "steadfastly and staunchly opposed the autocratic rule of Indira Gandhi," and documented the Bihar leader's 1975 arrest and incarceration at Delhi's Tihar Jail, "where notorious criminals are jailed."
JP, the website had said, "who had fought for India's freedom alongside Indira Gandhi's father, Jawahar Lal Nehru, received a treatment that was worse than what the British had meted out to Gandhiji in Champaran in 1917, for his speaking out against oppression." It said the JP movement brought an end to Emergency and led to Indira Gandhi's "massive defeat" in the next elections.
The newly edited portion has no mention of Indira Gandhi or Emergency. "JP's substantial contribution to modern Indian history continued up until his death in 1979. It was he who led a movement that led to massive win of a non-Congress government -The Janata Party - at Delhi, for the first time," it now states.
The BJP is sniggering about the gaffe, likely left over from the days the Congress was an opposition party in Bihar. "The Congress has to face the truth," said the BJP's Muqtar Abbas Naqvi.
In state elections held in November last, Nitish Kumar led the JDU-RJD-Congress coalition to a massive win the BJP, his ally for 17 years before they parted ways.
PATNA: The history of Bihar as told by a state government website has hastily been edited after it was highlighted that it made an unflattering assessment of Indira Gandhi's rule at the Centre in the 1970s.The website's section called History of Bihar, had mentioned former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of the Congress in the context of socialist leader Jay Prakash Narayan or JP, whom both Nitish Kumar and his other partner in Bihar, Lalu Yadav of the RJD venerate.
Till yesterday the website said JP "steadfastly and staunchly opposed the autocratic rule of Indira Gandhi," and documented the Bihar leader's 1975 arrest and incarceration at Delhi's Tihar Jail, "where notorious criminals are jailed."
JP, the website had said, "who had fought for India's freedom alongside Indira Gandhi's father, Jawahar Lal Nehru, received a treatment that was worse than what the British had meted out to Gandhiji in Champaran in 1917, for his speaking out against oppression." It said the JP movement brought an end to Emergency and led to Indira Gandhi's "massive defeat" in the next elections.
The newly edited portion has no mention of Indira Gandhi or Emergency. "JP's substantial contribution to modern Indian history continued up until his death in 1979. It was he who led a movement that led to massive win of a non-Congress government -The Janata Party - at Delhi, for the first time," it now states.
The BJP is sniggering about the gaffe, likely left over from the days the Congress was an opposition party in Bihar. "The Congress has to face the truth," said the BJP's Muqtar Abbas Naqvi.
In state elections held in November last, Nitish Kumar led the JDU-RJD-Congress coalition to a massive win the BJP, his ally for 17 years before they parted ways.
The newly edited portion has no mention of Indira Gandhi or Emergency. "JP's substantial contribution to modern Indian history continued up until his death in 1979. It was he who led a movement that led to massive win of a non-Congress government -The Janata Party - at Delhi, for the first time," it now states.
The BJP is sniggering about the gaffe, likely left over from the days the Congress was an opposition party in Bihar. "The Congress has to face the truth," said the BJP's Muqtar Abbas Naqvi.
In state elections held in November last, Nitish Kumar led the JDU-RJD-Congress coalition to a massive win the BJP, his ally for 17 years before they parted ways.
Government To Spend Rs 11,000 Crore On Infrastructure To Check Road Accidents
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NEW DELHI: Concerned over alarmingly high number of road accidents in the country, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari today said the government will spend Rs. 11,000 crore over the next five years to improve the road infrastructure.
Stating that road accidents cause an annual loss of around Rs. 60,000 crore, or 3 per cent of the GDP, to the country, the Road Transport and Highways Minister said the Centre has initiated a slew of steps aimed at minimising such mishaps.
"In a year 5 lakh accidents take place in the country, of which 1.5 lakh people die and another 3 lakh are crippled for life. So many people do not even die in wars. This is a serious concern," he said.
The Minister said that India can learn in this regard from Sweden that witnessed just one accident last year.
Marking the start of the Road Safety Week with a 'Walkathon' from India Gate, Mr Gadkari said the government has identified and started work on ten major accident black spots in Delhi.
The spots identified include Sarai Kale Khan, Kashmere Gate chowk (Morigate), Nigam Bodh Ghat, Mukundpur Chowk, Dr Bhahbha Marg crossing, Punjabi Bagh Chowk, ISBT Kashmere Gate, Mahipalpur Flyover, Shani Mandir and Shahdara Flyover.
Mr Gadkari said that a large number of people have died on these accident spots, of which the majority were in the age group of 25-33 years.
"The government is committed to make National Highways accident-proof and has taken a number of steps to improve the situation including launch of a website where people can inform about such spots and improving the road engineering, construction of flyover and underpasses etc," he said.
Terming it unfortunate that about 30 per cent of driving licenses were "bogus" in the country, he said that the system for grant of licence would be made electronic.
On safety measures in vehicles, he said that "no car will be built without airbag and trucks cabin will require mandatory air-conditioned fittings".
Mr Gadkari expressed hope that Parliament will soon pass the Road Transport and Safety Bill which has a number of steps to minimise road accidents.
He said the government was aiming to reduce accidents by at least 50 per cent and roads are being equipped with CCTVs in 12 cities to check the traffic violation.
At the Walkathon event, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that a life is lost every four minutes in road accidents and stressed on the need for a National Road Safety Authority.
NEW DELHI: Concerned over alarmingly high number of road accidents in the country, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari today said the government will spend Rs. 11,000 crore over the next five years to improve the road infrastructure.Stating that road accidents cause an annual loss of around Rs. 60,000 crore, or 3 per cent of the GDP, to the country, the Road Transport and Highways Minister said the Centre has initiated a slew of steps aimed at minimising such mishaps.
The Minister said that India can learn in this regard from Sweden that witnessed just one accident last year.
Marking the start of the Road Safety Week with a 'Walkathon' from India Gate, Mr Gadkari said the government has identified and started work on ten major accident black spots in Delhi.
The spots identified include Sarai Kale Khan, Kashmere Gate chowk (Morigate), Nigam Bodh Ghat, Mukundpur Chowk, Dr Bhahbha Marg crossing, Punjabi Bagh Chowk, ISBT Kashmere Gate, Mahipalpur Flyover, Shani Mandir and Shahdara Flyover.
Mr Gadkari said that a large number of people have died on these accident spots, of which the majority were in the age group of 25-33 years.
"The government is committed to make National Highways accident-proof and has taken a number of steps to improve the situation including launch of a website where people can inform about such spots and improving the road engineering, construction of flyover and underpasses etc," he said.
Terming it unfortunate that about 30 per cent of driving licenses were "bogus" in the country, he said that the system for grant of licence would be made electronic.
On safety measures in vehicles, he said that "no car will be built without airbag and trucks cabin will require mandatory air-conditioned fittings".
Mr Gadkari expressed hope that Parliament will soon pass the Road Transport and Safety Bill which has a number of steps to minimise road accidents.
He said the government was aiming to reduce accidents by at least 50 per cent and roads are being equipped with CCTVs in 12 cities to check the traffic violation.
At the Walkathon event, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that a life is lost every four minutes in road accidents and stressed on the need for a National Road Safety Authority.
Pathankot Attack: Pakistan Makes Arrests, Forms Joint Investigation Team
- ISLAMABAD: Pakistani authorities carried out raids at different places following attack on the Pathankot air base in India, leading to some arrests, intelligence officials said today.
They said that raids were carried out in Gujranwala, Jhelum and Bahawalpur districts and an unspecified number of people were arrested.
After the arrests, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ordered the formation of a high-profile joint investigation team (JIT) to investigate the links of the Pathankot air base attackers with Pakistan, a media report said today.
Mr Sharif's decision to form the JIT came after the leads provided by India which has linked the Foreign Secretary-level talks, scheduled for January 15, to Islamabad's decisive action on the Pathankot terror attack.
The decision to form the JIT, comprising officials from Intelligence Bureau (IB), Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Military Intelligence (MI), was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Mr Sharif recently, The Express Tribune said.
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, National Security Adviser Lt-Gen (retd) Nasser Khan Janjua, Prime Minister's Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar attended the meeting.
Prime Minister Sharif "is taking an active role in getting to the bottom of the Pathankot incident," a Prime Minister's House source was quoted as saying by the paper.
"He also discussed the issue with army chief Gen Raheel Sharif and took him on board about the decision to form a JIT," the source added.
"This investigation will be a major test of the prime minister to move Pakistan-India relationship forward and to break the cycle of off-again on-again talks between the two neighbours," the source added.
In a pre-dawn attack on January 2, a group of heavily- armed Pakistani terrorists, suspected to be belonging to Jaish-e-Mohammed outfit, struck at the Air Force base in Pathankot.
Indian intelligence reports suggested that groups and people in Pakistan planned and executed the strike.
India has provided "specific and actionable information in this regard" to Pakistan.
The evidence is said to include some voice recordings and the cellular phone numbers of the attackers' handlers which were traced to Pakistan.
Mr Sharif has assured leaders from India and the US that Pakistan will investigate the matter and make the results public.
They said that raids were carried out in Gujranwala, Jhelum and Bahawalpur districts and an unspecified number of people were arrested.
After the arrests, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ordered the formation of a high-profile joint investigation team (JIT) to investigate the links of the Pathankot air base attackers with Pakistan, a media report said today.
Mr Sharif's decision to form the JIT came after the leads provided by India which has linked the Foreign Secretary-level talks, scheduled for January 15, to Islamabad's decisive action on the Pathankot terror attack.
The decision to form the JIT, comprising officials from Intelligence Bureau (IB), Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Military Intelligence (MI), was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Mr Sharif recently, The Express Tribune said.
Prime Minister Sharif "is taking an active role in getting to the bottom of the Pathankot incident," a Prime Minister's House source was quoted as saying by the paper.
"He also discussed the issue with army chief Gen Raheel Sharif and took him on board about the decision to form a JIT," the source added.
"This investigation will be a major test of the prime minister to move Pakistan-India relationship forward and to break the cycle of off-again on-again talks between the two neighbours," the source added.
In a pre-dawn attack on January 2, a group of heavily- armed Pakistani terrorists, suspected to be belonging to Jaish-e-Mohammed outfit, struck at the Air Force base in Pathankot.
Indian intelligence reports suggested that groups and people in Pakistan planned and executed the strike.
India has provided "specific and actionable information in this regard" to Pakistan.
The evidence is said to include some voice recordings and the cellular phone numbers of the attackers' handlers which were traced to Pakistan.
Mr Sharif has assured leaders from India and the US that Pakistan will investigate the matter and make the results public.
Business Affairs
Sensex ends 110 points down, Nifty holds 7,550-mark on global cues
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The S&P BSE Sensex pared some of initial losses to end the day 110 points lower in trade on Monday, while broader CNX Nifty managed to settle above its key 7,550-mark.
The headline indices fell to 1-1/2-year lows on the back of continued worries about Chinese equities, but the market pared losses in the afternoon session as European shares gained and as some investors saw domestic losses as overdone.
The 30-share index ended the day at 24,825.04, down 109.29 points, while broad-based 50-share index quoted 7,563.85, down 37.50 points at close.
Market breadth remained negative with 22 of the 30 Sensex components ending the day in red.
Mahindra & Mahindra was the worst performer on Sensex and slipped 3.4 per cent.
Nifty has fallen 4.5 per cent so far this year, as turbulent markets in China have raised doubts about Beijing's ability to manage the world's second-biggest economy.
But analysts feel India's relatively stronger economic fundamentals will allow domestic markets to withstand shocks from China.
Instead investors are soon expected to shift focus to earnings, with Tata Consultancy Services due to kick off earnings on Tuesday.
"We're seeing some short-covering, but worries about China still exist. I'm not very optimistic about Q3 earnings, we could fall further," said Alex Mathews, head of research at Geojit BNP Paribas.
Among Asian markets, China's Shanghai Composite was trading over 2 per cent down, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index shed 2.45 per cent. Japan's Nikkei was ruling with a downtick of 0.39 per cent.
On Friday, US markets closed about 1 per cent lower, ending the year's first trading week with sharp losses as concerns about China and global economic slowdown persisted.
A lowdown on markets
12:17 pm
Sensex at 24,753.42, down 180.91 points
Nifty at 7,537.35, down 64.00 points
11:00 am
Sensex at 24,748, down 187 points
Nifty at 7,547, up 54 points
9:24 am
Sensex at 24,668.82, down 265.51 points
Nifty at 7,512.60, down 88.75 points
_011116093555.jpg "Sensex falls over 300 points, Nifty tests 7,500 on global cues; Tata Steel top loser")
The S&P BSE Sensex pared some of initial losses to end the day 110 points lower in trade on Monday, while broader CNX Nifty managed to settle above its key 7,550-mark.
The headline indices fell to 1-1/2-year lows on the back of continued worries about Chinese equities, but the market pared losses in the afternoon session as European shares gained and as some investors saw domestic losses as overdone.
The 30-share index ended the day at 24,825.04, down 109.29 points, while broad-based 50-share index quoted 7,563.85, down 37.50 points at close.
Market breadth remained negative with 22 of the 30 Sensex components ending the day in red.
Mahindra & Mahindra was the worst performer on Sensex and slipped 3.4 per cent.
Nifty has fallen 4.5 per cent so far this year, as turbulent markets in China have raised doubts about Beijing's ability to manage the world's second-biggest economy.
But analysts feel India's relatively stronger economic fundamentals will allow domestic markets to withstand shocks from China.
Instead investors are soon expected to shift focus to earnings, with Tata Consultancy Services due to kick off earnings on Tuesday.
"We're seeing some short-covering, but worries about China still exist. I'm not very optimistic about Q3 earnings, we could fall further," said Alex Mathews, head of research at Geojit BNP Paribas.
Among Asian markets, China's Shanghai Composite was trading over 2 per cent down, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index shed 2.45 per cent. Japan's Nikkei was ruling with a downtick of 0.39 per cent.
On Friday, US markets closed about 1 per cent lower, ending the year's first trading week with sharp losses as concerns about China and global economic slowdown persisted.
A lowdown on markets
12:17 pm
Sensex at 24,753.42, down 180.91 points
Nifty at 7,537.35, down 64.00 points
11:00 am
Sensex at 24,748, down 187 points
Nifty at 7,547, up 54 points
9:24 am
Sensex at 24,668.82, down 265.51 points
Nifty at 7,512.60, down 88.75 points
GDP seen at 7.7% on global headwinds in FY17: Citi
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India's GDP will grow marginally to 7.7 per cent in the next fiscal from an estimated 7.5 per cent in FY 2016 as the economy is going through a "painfully gradual cyclical recovery" process, even as the external headwinds are also posing challenges, says a Citigroup report.
According to the global financial services major, the structural drivers of growth are likely to benefit from the reform process, but external headwinds may remain strong in 2016.
"We expect real GDP growth to inch up to 7.7 per cent in FY17 from 7.5 per cent in FY16," Citigroup said in a research note.
Citigroup said that 2016 is likely to be a year of consolidating a cyclical recovery amid a challenging global environment.
Some of the "risks" to the Indian economy could stem from a protracted global slowdown, competitive devaluation, super El Nino and stalling of reforms process among others.
"We believe this is going to be a painfully slow cyclical investment recovery, as the 'animal spirits' are yet to return," the report said.
Meanwhile, the government recently lowered its economic growth forecast for 2015-16 to 7-7.5 per cent from 8.1-8.5 per cent.
Interestingly, notwithstanding the headwinds, India is likely to remain an attractive destination for investors given its relative macro outperformance, according to Citigroup.
The government, however, should give renewed focus on macro stability because of temporary shocks to inflation and fiscal deficit, it said.
For the current financial year, deficit is likely to slip to 4.1 per cent of GDP on lower nominal economic growth.
While, the implementation of the 7th Pay Commission will increase the fiscal burden in FY 2017, it said.
On reforms, the report said the focus of the government is likely to be on executive decision led reforms. The important reforms for fiscal year 2017 include GST and bankruptcy code among others.
India's GDP will grow marginally to 7.7 per cent in the next fiscal from an estimated 7.5 per cent in FY 2016 as the economy is going through a "painfully gradual cyclical recovery" process, even as the external headwinds are also posing challenges, says a Citigroup report.
According to the global financial services major, the structural drivers of growth are likely to benefit from the reform process, but external headwinds may remain strong in 2016.
"We expect real GDP growth to inch up to 7.7 per cent in FY17 from 7.5 per cent in FY16," Citigroup said in a research note.
Citigroup said that 2016 is likely to be a year of consolidating a cyclical recovery amid a challenging global environment.
Some of the "risks" to the Indian economy could stem from a protracted global slowdown, competitive devaluation, super El Nino and stalling of reforms process among others.
"We believe this is going to be a painfully slow cyclical investment recovery, as the 'animal spirits' are yet to return," the report said.
Meanwhile, the government recently lowered its economic growth forecast for 2015-16 to 7-7.5 per cent from 8.1-8.5 per cent.
Interestingly, notwithstanding the headwinds, India is likely to remain an attractive destination for investors given its relative macro outperformance, according to Citigroup.
The government, however, should give renewed focus on macro stability because of temporary shocks to inflation and fiscal deficit, it said.
For the current financial year, deficit is likely to slip to 4.1 per cent of GDP on lower nominal economic growth.
While, the implementation of the 7th Pay Commission will increase the fiscal burden in FY 2017, it said.
On reforms, the report said the focus of the government is likely to be on executive decision led reforms. The important reforms for fiscal year 2017 include GST and bankruptcy code among others.
Plan to install 2,500 wi-fi hotspots by next fiscal: Ravi Shankar Prasad
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The Indian government is targetting to reach the 50-crore internet subscribers mark in the next 6-7 months, besides installing 2,500 wi-fi hotspots at 256 places by the next fiscal, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Sunday.
"Today mobile penetration is 100 crore, while internet penetration is 40 crore. It took more than 3-4 years to become from 20 to 30 crore.
"It took less than a year to become from 30 to 40 crore and I have fixed a target of 50 crore...God willing, we will cross 50 crore in coming 6-7 months," he said.
The minister was speaking at the inauguration of stock exchange BSE's free wi-fi service to public, which has been launched in partnership with Tata Docomo.
Noting that wi-fi services are crucial to connect India, Prasad said that state-owned telecom firm BSNL plans to install 2,500 wi-fi hotspots at 256 places by the next fiscal.
So far, the telecom firm has provided 500 hotspots in 200 places.
The wi-fi hotspot project will provide a major fillip to the 'Digital India' initiative.
The government had in 2014 unveiled the Digital India initiative comprising various projects worth about Rs 1 lakh crore to transform the country into a digitally empowered knowledge economy.
The programme includes projects that aim to ensure that government services are available to citizens electronically and people get benefits of the latest information and communication technology.
"Digital India will transform the country and is more for people like chaiwallas and paanwallas so that they can enhance their skills," Prasad said.
The Indian government is targetting to reach the 50-crore internet subscribers mark in the next 6-7 months, besides installing 2,500 wi-fi hotspots at 256 places by the next fiscal, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Sunday.
"Today mobile penetration is 100 crore, while internet penetration is 40 crore. It took more than 3-4 years to become from 20 to 30 crore.
"It took less than a year to become from 30 to 40 crore and I have fixed a target of 50 crore...God willing, we will cross 50 crore in coming 6-7 months," he said.
The minister was speaking at the inauguration of stock exchange BSE's free wi-fi service to public, which has been launched in partnership with Tata Docomo.
Noting that wi-fi services are crucial to connect India, Prasad said that state-owned telecom firm BSNL plans to install 2,500 wi-fi hotspots at 256 places by the next fiscal.
So far, the telecom firm has provided 500 hotspots in 200 places.
The wi-fi hotspot project will provide a major fillip to the 'Digital India' initiative.
The government had in 2014 unveiled the Digital India initiative comprising various projects worth about Rs 1 lakh crore to transform the country into a digitally empowered knowledge economy.
The programme includes projects that aim to ensure that government services are available to citizens electronically and people get benefits of the latest information and communication technology.
"Digital India will transform the country and is more for people like chaiwallas and paanwallas so that they can enhance their skills," Prasad said.
It's raining MoUs in Andhra Pradesh! Anil Ambani announces big plans
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He calls it the "single largest investment at one location anywhere in Andhra Pradesh". Speaking at the Partnership Summit 2016, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in Visakhapatnam on Sunday, January 10th, Anil Ambani was referring to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that the Reliance Group signed with the Andhra Pradesh government to build a Naval shipbuilding facility with an investment of Rs 5,000 crore.
"We have signed an MoU with the Andhra government to set up a world class naval facility at Rambilli along the East Coast, just 70 km south of Visakhapatnam (Vizag)," he said. Calling it a "small measure of what can be achieved when entrepreneurial energy and intent is backed by political will and administrative commitment", he said, it is "an investment that will not only generate thousands of skilled jobs but also lead to the creation of a multi-tier array of defence ancillaries, bringing in further investments of anywhere between Rs 5,000 to 10,000 crore and thousands of additional skilled jobs. It will also make us a close neighbour of some of India's proudest institutions, from Indian Navy which is developing a facility for its strategic assets in close proximity and BARC which is providing support infrastructure for these assets."
Ambani was not alone in his praise for Andhra and of its Chief minister Chandrababu Naidu and in signing MoUs. Baba Kalyani, the Chairman and Managing director of Bharat Forge, reiterated the faith in the potential of the state and said he had signed two MoUs at the Partnership Summit, saying that a manufacturer should not miss the opportunity to invest in the state, a press release put out by the CII said. G.M. Rao, Chairman, GMR Group, said what made the state an ideal investment destination - apart from the resources everyone had mentioned - was the strong leadership of Naidu, who put Hyderabad and Andhra Pradesh on the global map, and continued to work with the same dedication and zeal for the development of the state. In terms of MoUs, the state is expected to enter into some 250 to 300 MoUs during the summit, across sectors like energy, pharma and retail. On January 11, pharma majors Dr Reddy's and Divi's would also be signing the MoUs.
Arun Jaitley, Minister of Finance and Corporate affairs & Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, appreciating the challenges that Naidu faces - and assuring him of Central support - said: "Andhra Pradesh is moving towards a situation where people will see new institutions being built, greater ease of doing business, greater transparency and good governance and the state could well emerge as the engine of growth for India's economy."
Naidu, on his part, talked of the state working towards creating a business environment and the infrastructure required for business to prosper by simplifying policies and processes to reduce permissions. His vision is to make Andhra Pradesh among the top three states in India by 2022 and the best destination in the world by 2050. The CII release says, "He was expecting a double digit growth of 13-15 per cent to make his vision a reality, and urged industry to invest in the state."
He calls it the "single largest investment at one location anywhere in Andhra Pradesh". Speaking at the Partnership Summit 2016, organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in Visakhapatnam on Sunday, January 10th, Anil Ambani was referring to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that the Reliance Group signed with the Andhra Pradesh government to build a Naval shipbuilding facility with an investment of Rs 5,000 crore.
"We have signed an MoU with the Andhra government to set up a world class naval facility at Rambilli along the East Coast, just 70 km south of Visakhapatnam (Vizag)," he said. Calling it a "small measure of what can be achieved when entrepreneurial energy and intent is backed by political will and administrative commitment", he said, it is "an investment that will not only generate thousands of skilled jobs but also lead to the creation of a multi-tier array of defence ancillaries, bringing in further investments of anywhere between Rs 5,000 to 10,000 crore and thousands of additional skilled jobs. It will also make us a close neighbour of some of India's proudest institutions, from Indian Navy which is developing a facility for its strategic assets in close proximity and BARC which is providing support infrastructure for these assets."
Ambani was not alone in his praise for Andhra and of its Chief minister Chandrababu Naidu and in signing MoUs. Baba Kalyani, the Chairman and Managing director of Bharat Forge, reiterated the faith in the potential of the state and said he had signed two MoUs at the Partnership Summit, saying that a manufacturer should not miss the opportunity to invest in the state, a press release put out by the CII said. G.M. Rao, Chairman, GMR Group, said what made the state an ideal investment destination - apart from the resources everyone had mentioned - was the strong leadership of Naidu, who put Hyderabad and Andhra Pradesh on the global map, and continued to work with the same dedication and zeal for the development of the state. In terms of MoUs, the state is expected to enter into some 250 to 300 MoUs during the summit, across sectors like energy, pharma and retail. On January 11, pharma majors Dr Reddy's and Divi's would also be signing the MoUs.
Arun Jaitley, Minister of Finance and Corporate affairs & Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, appreciating the challenges that Naidu faces - and assuring him of Central support - said: "Andhra Pradesh is moving towards a situation where people will see new institutions being built, greater ease of doing business, greater transparency and good governance and the state could well emerge as the engine of growth for India's economy."
Naidu, on his part, talked of the state working towards creating a business environment and the infrastructure required for business to prosper by simplifying policies and processes to reduce permissions. His vision is to make Andhra Pradesh among the top three states in India by 2022 and the best destination in the world by 2050. The CII release says, "He was expecting a double digit growth of 13-15 per cent to make his vision a reality, and urged industry to invest in the state."
Zomato shuts down operations in four cities
-
Food ordering app company Zomato announced on Monday it will be shutting down its online ordering service in Lucknow, Kochi, Indore, and Coimbatore, as the size of the markets are small in these cities now.
"We are shutting down the ordering business in Lucknow, Kochi, Indore, and Coimbatore. The size of the market is in these cities is small right now and is growing with time. We will re-launch when the time is right," co-founder Pankaj Chaddah said in a statement.
Zomato launched its online food ordering business in April 2015, which allows its users to order food online from restaurants using its app, and had since expanded this offering to 14 cities across India.
The company said despite its recent marketing efforts, including television ads, it didn't see a significant increase in the order volumes in these few cities.
"These smaller cities are not yet entirely ready for the online food ordering business, but once they are, Zomato will reconsider its strategy," it added.
It said the combined order volume in these four cities accounted for less than 2 percent of its total order volumes. Overall, Zomato's online order volume is growing at 40 per cent month-on-month.
Food ordering app company Zomato announced on Monday it will be shutting down its online ordering service in Lucknow, Kochi, Indore, and Coimbatore, as the size of the markets are small in these cities now.
"We are shutting down the ordering business in Lucknow, Kochi, Indore, and Coimbatore. The size of the market is in these cities is small right now and is growing with time. We will re-launch when the time is right," co-founder Pankaj Chaddah said in a statement.
Zomato launched its online food ordering business in April 2015, which allows its users to order food online from restaurants using its app, and had since expanded this offering to 14 cities across India.
The company said despite its recent marketing efforts, including television ads, it didn't see a significant increase in the order volumes in these few cities.
"These smaller cities are not yet entirely ready for the online food ordering business, but once they are, Zomato will reconsider its strategy," it added.
It said the combined order volume in these four cities accounted for less than 2 percent of its total order volumes. Overall, Zomato's online order volume is growing at 40 per cent month-on-month.
General Awareness
NABARD Recruitment of Officers in Grade ‘A’ and Grade ‘B’ Exam 2015 General Knowledge Solved Paper
-
-
1. How many countries are the members of WTO as of June 2014?
(A) 160 (B) 156 (C) 153 (D) 145 (E) 172 (Ans : A)
--------------------------------------------------------------
2. What is the maximum amount that can be invested under the recently launched Kisan Vikas Patra?
(A) Rs. 1,50,000 (B) Rs. 1,00,000 (C) Rs. 5,00,000 (D) No ceiling (E) Rs. 25,000 (Ans : D)
--------------------------------------------------------------
3. The world's biggest airport for international traffic as per 2014 data is
(A) Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (B) Chicago International Airport (C) London's Heathrow Airport
(D) Dubai International Airport (E) Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (Ans : D)
--------------------------------------------------------------
4. Who has been named as the winner of the 2014 Sahitya Academi Award for Sanskrit?
(A) Harekrishna Satapathy (B) Ramji Thakur (C) Mithila Prasad Tripathi
(D) Prabhu. Nath Dviwedi (E) Om Prakash Pande (Ans : D)
--------------------------------------------------------------
5. What is the full form of CAFRAL in financial world?
(A) Council for Advanced Financial Research and Learning (B) Centre for Advanced Financial Research and Learning
(C) Other than those given as options (D) Council for Advanced Financial Reporting and Learning
(E) Centre for Advanced Financial Research to Logistics (Ans : B)
--------------------------------------------------------------
6. Report for 14th Finance Commission was submitted on 15. 12. 2014. Who was the Chairman of this Commission?
(A) Dr. Nachiket Mor (B) Dr. C. Rangarajan (C) Dr. YV Reddy
(D) Dr. D. Subbarao (E) Smt. Usha Thorat (Ans : C)
------------------------------------------------------------
7. In April 2014, the Government of India signed an agreement for implementing four Hydroelectric power projects on a joint venture with which neighbour country?
(A) Myanmar (B) Bangladesh (C) Bhutan (D) Sri Lanka (E) Nepal (Ans : C)
------------------------------------------------------------
8. The amount invested in Kisan Vikas Patra would get doubled in.
(A) 6 years and 3 months (B) 7 years and 6 months (C) 5 years and 6 months
(D) 8 years and 4 months (E) 7 years and 3 months (Ans : D)
------------------------------------------------------------
9. Union Government announced on December 24, 2014 to confer the Bharat Ratna on which two personalities?
(A) P. V Narasimha Rao and Deen Dayal Upadhayay (B) Madan Mohan Malviya and Deen Dayal Upadhayay
(C) Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Madan Mohan Malviya (D) C. N. R. Rao and P. V Narasimha Rao
(E) Deen Dayal Upadhayay and Subhash Chandra Bose (Ans : C)
------------------------------------------------------------
10. Who amongst the following has been recently appointed as Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) Limited?
(A) Deepak Parekh (B) YH. Malegam (C) B. Venkataramani
(D) Prakash Parthasarathy (E) S. B. Mathur (Ans : C)
------------------------------------------------------------
11. Recently a new board of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has been appointed. Who amongst the following is the new Chairman?
(A) Anupam Kher (B) Sharmila Tagore (C) Pahlaj Nahlani
(D) Asha Parekh (E) Jaya Bachchan (Ans : C)
------------------------------------------------------------
12. Which of the following is the regulator of the credit rating agencies in India?
(A) FMC (B) SBI (C) SIDBI (D) SEBI (E) IRDA (Ans : D)
------------------------------------------------------------
13. VAT stands for–
(A) Virtual Action Tasks (B) Virtual Assessment Technique (C) Value And Tax
(D) Other than those given as options (E) Value Added Tax (Ans : E)
------------------------------------------------------------
14. The Government has decided to start printing of one-rupee currency notes for this year. Printing of these notes was discontinued in which year–
(A) 2008 (B) 2005 (C) 2001 (D) 1995 (E) 1994 (Ans : E)
------------------------------------------------------------
15. Which is the second-largest import for India after petroleum ?
(A) Iron and Steel (B) Electronic Goods (C) Gold (D) Coal (E) Engineering Goods (Ans : C)
------------------------------------------------------------
16. As per the data published by World Steel Association (WSA) for the period January-September 2014, which of the following country has been ranked as top steel-producing company in the world?
(A) China (B) South Korea (C) USA (D) India (E) Japan (Ans : A)
------------------------------------------------------------
17. What is the minimum amount that can be granted as overdraft under the PMJDY?
(A) Rs. 10,000 (B) 25,000 (C) Rs. 50,000 (D) 1,00,000 (E) Rs. 5,000 (Ans : E)
------------------------------------------------------------
18. Recently which of the schemes of Union Government has entered into Guinness World Records ?
(A) Prime Minister Jan Dhan Yojna (B) Other than those given as options (C) Indira Awas Yojna
(D) MGNREGA (E) Swacch Bharat Abhiyan (Ans : A)
------------------------------------------------------------
19. Which of the following stock exchange was derecognised by SEBI in November 2014 on the allegation of serious irregulatiries in its function?
(A) Calcutta Stock Exchange (B) Delhi Stock Exchange (C) Madras Stock Exchange Ltd.
(D) Ahmedabad Stock Exchange Ltd. (E) Madhya Pradesh Stock Exchange Ltd. (Ans : B)
------------------------------------------------------------
20. Amitabh Bachchan was appointed as brand ambassador of health sector by which State Government ?
(A) Maharashtra (B) Punjab (C) Haryana (D) Andhra Pradesh (E) Gujarat (Ans : D)
------------------------------------------------------------
21. As per RBI guidelines, banks can allow minors above………. years to independently open savings bank accounts in India?
(A) 16 (B) 10 (C) 14 (D) 12 (E) 8 (Ans : B)
------------------------------------------------------------
22. To increase the awareness among people about all the inequalities faced by the girl child in society, which of the following day is observed as 'National Girl Child Day'?
(A) 8th March (B) Other than those given as options (C) 21st January
(D) 24th January (E) 14th November (Ans : D)
------------------------------------------------------------
23. During the period' 2013-14 the highest FDI in India came from which of the, following countries?
(A) Singapore (B) Netherlands (C) Abu Dabhi (D) UK (E) Mauritius (Ans : A)
------------------------------------------------------------
24. What is the slogan of 'Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna'?
(A) Mera Khata Desh Pehchan (B) Mera Khata Anna Daata (C) Mera Khata Unnati Ki Pehchan
(D) Mera Khata Bhagya Vidhata (E) Ek Khata Sabkeliye (Ans : D)
------------------------------------------------------------
25. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's suit with his name embroidered in gold pinstripes was out on auction recently at which of the following cities?
(A) Varanasi (B) New Delhi (C) Surat (D) Mumbai (E) Ahmedabad (Ans : C)
------------------------------------------------------------
26. The Charlie Hebdo, a weekly magazine, is published in which of the following countries ?
(A) Sweden (B) Germany (C) France (D) Switzerland (E) Greece (Ans : C)
-------------------------------------------------------------
27. The stock market index of London stock exchange is referred to as–
(A) NIKKEI225 (B) DOWJONES (C) S&P TSX (D) FTSE 100 (E) SENSEX (Ans : D)
------------------------------------------------------------
28. As per the Income Tax law, who among the following is categorised as 'very senior citizen'?
(A) Individuals above the age of 85 (B) Individuals above the age of 62
(C) Individuals above the age of 80 (D) Individuals above the age of 60
(E) Individuals above the age of 75 (Ans : C)
------------------------------------------------------------
29. As per the recent press reports which among the following banks of India appear in the top 50 Global Banks in terms of market capitalisation?
(A) HDFC Bank and SBI (B) ICICI and HDFC bank (C) Bank of Baroda and SBI
(D) Axis Bank and SBI (E) ICICI and SBI (Ans : A)
------------------------------------------------------------
30. The first Indian cricketer to score century against Pakistan in World Cup is–
(A) Sunil Gavaskar (B) Virat Kohli (C) M. S. Dhoni (D) Sachin Tendulkar (E) Yuvraj Singh (Ans : B)
------------------------------------------------------------
31. What is the new name of Planning Commission ?
(A) National Development Agency (B) National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog
(C) Bharat Pragati Lakshya (BPL) Aayog (D) Naya Yojna Ayog
(E) Social Economic Development Committee (Ans : B)
------------------------------------------------------------
32. In Dubai International Film Festival 2014, who among the following artists was awarded Lifetime Achievement Award?
(A) Manoj Kumar (B) Asha Bhonsle (C) Lata Mangeshkar (D) Amitabh Bachchan (E) Dilip Kumar (Ans : B)
------------------------------------------------------------
33. Which of the following banks will have the highest share of capital infusion out of Rs. 6,990 crore announced by the Government recently?
(A) Punjab National Bank (B) Canara Bank (C) State Bank of India (D) Bank of Baroda (E) ICICI (Ans : C)
------------------------------------------------------------
34. Which of the following institutions has introduced Rupay debit card?
(A) VISA (B) NPCI (C) DISCOVER (D) RBI (E) MASTER (Ans : B)
------------------------------------------------------------
35. A credit card user has to be conversant with 'MITC' of the issuer. What is the full form of this term?
(A) Most indicated terms and clauses (B) Other than those given as options
(C) Most important terms and conditions (D) Most indicated terms and conditions
(E) Most important terms and clauses (Ans : C)
------------------------------------------------------------
36. Who was R.K. Laxman, who passed away recently?
(A) A fiction writer (B) A music director (C) A film director (D) A cartoonist (E) An actor (Ans : D)
------------------------------------------------------------
37. Jim Corbett National Park is situated in which State?
(A) Uttarakhand (B) Uttar Pradesh (C) Himachal Pradesh (D) Assam (E) Meghalaya (Ans : A)
------------------------------------------------------------
38. Which of the following micro finance companies has been given a licence by RBI to start a bank?
(A) Bandhan Financial Services Pvt. Ltd. (B) Grameen Financial Services Pvt. Ltd.
(C) SKS Microfmance Ltd. (D) Janalakshmi Financial Services Pvt. Ltd.
(E) Ujjivan Financial Services Pvt. Ltd. (Ans : A)
------------------------------------------------------------
39. Recommendations of 7th Pay Commission are likely to be implemented from–
(A) 1st December 2015 (B) 1st June 2015 (C) 1st April 2015
(D) 1st January 2016 (E) 15th November 2015 (Ans : D)
------------------------------------------------------------
40. How many teams are playing in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015?
(A) 16 (B) 15 (C) Other than those given as options (D) 12 (E) 13 (Ans : C)
- 1. How many countries are the members of WTO as of June 2014?
(A) 160 (B) 156 (C) 153 (D) 145 (E) 172 (Ans : A)
--------------------------------------------------------------
2. What is the maximum amount that can be invested under the recently launched Kisan Vikas Patra?
(A) Rs. 1,50,000 (B) Rs. 1,00,000 (C) Rs. 5,00,000 (D) No ceiling (E) Rs. 25,000 (Ans : D)
--------------------------------------------------------------
3. The world's biggest airport for international traffic as per 2014 data is
(A) Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (B) Chicago International Airport (C) London's Heathrow Airport
(D) Dubai International Airport (E) Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (Ans : D)
--------------------------------------------------------------
4. Who has been named as the winner of the 2014 Sahitya Academi Award for Sanskrit?
(A) Harekrishna Satapathy (B) Ramji Thakur (C) Mithila Prasad Tripathi
(D) Prabhu. Nath Dviwedi (E) Om Prakash Pande (Ans : D)
--------------------------------------------------------------
5. What is the full form of CAFRAL in financial world?
(A) Council for Advanced Financial Research and Learning (B) Centre for Advanced Financial Research and Learning
(C) Other than those given as options (D) Council for Advanced Financial Reporting and Learning
(E) Centre for Advanced Financial Research to Logistics (Ans : B)
--------------------------------------------------------------
6. Report for 14th Finance Commission was submitted on 15. 12. 2014. Who was the Chairman of this Commission?
(A) Dr. Nachiket Mor (B) Dr. C. Rangarajan (C) Dr. YV Reddy
(D) Dr. D. Subbarao (E) Smt. Usha Thorat (Ans : C)
------------------------------------------------------------
7. In April 2014, the Government of India signed an agreement for implementing four Hydroelectric power projects on a joint venture with which neighbour country?
(A) Myanmar (B) Bangladesh (C) Bhutan (D) Sri Lanka (E) Nepal (Ans : C)
------------------------------------------------------------
8. The amount invested in Kisan Vikas Patra would get doubled in.
(A) 6 years and 3 months (B) 7 years and 6 months (C) 5 years and 6 months
(D) 8 years and 4 months (E) 7 years and 3 months (Ans : D)
------------------------------------------------------------
9. Union Government announced on December 24, 2014 to confer the Bharat Ratna on which two personalities?
(A) P. V Narasimha Rao and Deen Dayal Upadhayay (B) Madan Mohan Malviya and Deen Dayal Upadhayay
(C) Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Madan Mohan Malviya (D) C. N. R. Rao and P. V Narasimha Rao
(E) Deen Dayal Upadhayay and Subhash Chandra Bose (Ans : C)
------------------------------------------------------------
10. Who amongst the following has been recently appointed as Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) Limited?
(A) Deepak Parekh (B) YH. Malegam (C) B. Venkataramani
(D) Prakash Parthasarathy (E) S. B. Mathur (Ans : C)
------------------------------------------------------------
11. Recently a new board of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has been appointed. Who amongst the following is the new Chairman?
(A) Anupam Kher (B) Sharmila Tagore (C) Pahlaj Nahlani
(D) Asha Parekh (E) Jaya Bachchan (Ans : C)
------------------------------------------------------------
12. Which of the following is the regulator of the credit rating agencies in India?
(A) FMC (B) SBI (C) SIDBI (D) SEBI (E) IRDA (Ans : D)
------------------------------------------------------------
13. VAT stands for–
(A) Virtual Action Tasks (B) Virtual Assessment Technique (C) Value And Tax
(D) Other than those given as options (E) Value Added Tax (Ans : E)
------------------------------------------------------------
14. The Government has decided to start printing of one-rupee currency notes for this year. Printing of these notes was discontinued in which year–
(A) 2008 (B) 2005 (C) 2001 (D) 1995 (E) 1994 (Ans : E)
------------------------------------------------------------
15. Which is the second-largest import for India after petroleum ?
(A) Iron and Steel (B) Electronic Goods (C) Gold (D) Coal (E) Engineering Goods (Ans : C)
------------------------------------------------------------
16. As per the data published by World Steel Association (WSA) for the period January-September 2014, which of the following country has been ranked as top steel-producing company in the world?
(A) China (B) South Korea (C) USA (D) India (E) Japan (Ans : A)
------------------------------------------------------------
17. What is the minimum amount that can be granted as overdraft under the PMJDY?
(A) Rs. 10,000 (B) 25,000 (C) Rs. 50,000 (D) 1,00,000 (E) Rs. 5,000 (Ans : E)
------------------------------------------------------------
18. Recently which of the schemes of Union Government has entered into Guinness World Records ?
(A) Prime Minister Jan Dhan Yojna (B) Other than those given as options (C) Indira Awas Yojna
(D) MGNREGA (E) Swacch Bharat Abhiyan (Ans : A)
------------------------------------------------------------
19. Which of the following stock exchange was derecognised by SEBI in November 2014 on the allegation of serious irregulatiries in its function?
(A) Calcutta Stock Exchange (B) Delhi Stock Exchange (C) Madras Stock Exchange Ltd.
(D) Ahmedabad Stock Exchange Ltd. (E) Madhya Pradesh Stock Exchange Ltd. (Ans : B)
------------------------------------------------------------
20. Amitabh Bachchan was appointed as brand ambassador of health sector by which State Government ?
(A) Maharashtra (B) Punjab (C) Haryana (D) Andhra Pradesh (E) Gujarat (Ans : D)
------------------------------------------------------------
21. As per RBI guidelines, banks can allow minors above………. years to independently open savings bank accounts in India?
(A) 16 (B) 10 (C) 14 (D) 12 (E) 8 (Ans : B)
------------------------------------------------------------
22. To increase the awareness among people about all the inequalities faced by the girl child in society, which of the following day is observed as 'National Girl Child Day'?
(A) 8th March (B) Other than those given as options (C) 21st January
(D) 24th January (E) 14th November (Ans : D)
------------------------------------------------------------
23. During the period' 2013-14 the highest FDI in India came from which of the, following countries?
(A) Singapore (B) Netherlands (C) Abu Dabhi (D) UK (E) Mauritius (Ans : A)
------------------------------------------------------------
24. What is the slogan of 'Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna'?
(A) Mera Khata Desh Pehchan (B) Mera Khata Anna Daata (C) Mera Khata Unnati Ki Pehchan
(D) Mera Khata Bhagya Vidhata (E) Ek Khata Sabkeliye (Ans : D)
------------------------------------------------------------
25. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's suit with his name embroidered in gold pinstripes was out on auction recently at which of the following cities?
(A) Varanasi (B) New Delhi (C) Surat (D) Mumbai (E) Ahmedabad (Ans : C)
------------------------------------------------------------
26. The Charlie Hebdo, a weekly magazine, is published in which of the following countries ?
(A) Sweden (B) Germany (C) France (D) Switzerland (E) Greece (Ans : C)
-------------------------------------------------------------
27. The stock market index of London stock exchange is referred to as–
(A) NIKKEI225 (B) DOWJONES (C) S&P TSX (D) FTSE 100 (E) SENSEX (Ans : D)
------------------------------------------------------------
28. As per the Income Tax law, who among the following is categorised as 'very senior citizen'?
(A) Individuals above the age of 85 (B) Individuals above the age of 62
(C) Individuals above the age of 80 (D) Individuals above the age of 60
(E) Individuals above the age of 75 (Ans : C)
------------------------------------------------------------
29. As per the recent press reports which among the following banks of India appear in the top 50 Global Banks in terms of market capitalisation?
(A) HDFC Bank and SBI (B) ICICI and HDFC bank (C) Bank of Baroda and SBI
(D) Axis Bank and SBI (E) ICICI and SBI (Ans : A)
------------------------------------------------------------
30. The first Indian cricketer to score century against Pakistan in World Cup is–
(A) Sunil Gavaskar (B) Virat Kohli (C) M. S. Dhoni (D) Sachin Tendulkar (E) Yuvraj Singh (Ans : B)
------------------------------------------------------------
31. What is the new name of Planning Commission ?
(A) National Development Agency (B) National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog
(C) Bharat Pragati Lakshya (BPL) Aayog (D) Naya Yojna Ayog
(E) Social Economic Development Committee (Ans : B)
------------------------------------------------------------
32. In Dubai International Film Festival 2014, who among the following artists was awarded Lifetime Achievement Award?
(A) Manoj Kumar (B) Asha Bhonsle (C) Lata Mangeshkar (D) Amitabh Bachchan (E) Dilip Kumar (Ans : B)
------------------------------------------------------------
33. Which of the following banks will have the highest share of capital infusion out of Rs. 6,990 crore announced by the Government recently?
(A) Punjab National Bank (B) Canara Bank (C) State Bank of India (D) Bank of Baroda (E) ICICI (Ans : C)
------------------------------------------------------------
34. Which of the following institutions has introduced Rupay debit card?
(A) VISA (B) NPCI (C) DISCOVER (D) RBI (E) MASTER (Ans : B)
------------------------------------------------------------
35. A credit card user has to be conversant with 'MITC' of the issuer. What is the full form of this term?
(A) Most indicated terms and clauses (B) Other than those given as options
(C) Most important terms and conditions (D) Most indicated terms and conditions
(E) Most important terms and clauses (Ans : C)
------------------------------------------------------------
36. Who was R.K. Laxman, who passed away recently?
(A) A fiction writer (B) A music director (C) A film director (D) A cartoonist (E) An actor (Ans : D)
------------------------------------------------------------
37. Jim Corbett National Park is situated in which State?
(A) Uttarakhand (B) Uttar Pradesh (C) Himachal Pradesh (D) Assam (E) Meghalaya (Ans : A)
------------------------------------------------------------
38. Which of the following micro finance companies has been given a licence by RBI to start a bank?
(A) Bandhan Financial Services Pvt. Ltd. (B) Grameen Financial Services Pvt. Ltd.
(C) SKS Microfmance Ltd. (D) Janalakshmi Financial Services Pvt. Ltd.
(E) Ujjivan Financial Services Pvt. Ltd. (Ans : A)
------------------------------------------------------------
39. Recommendations of 7th Pay Commission are likely to be implemented from–
(A) 1st December 2015 (B) 1st June 2015 (C) 1st April 2015
(D) 1st January 2016 (E) 15th November 2015 (Ans : D)
------------------------------------------------------------
40. How many teams are playing in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015?
(A) 16 (B) 15 (C) Other than those given as options (D) 12 (E) 13 (Ans : C)
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