General Affairs
New India by 2022 will be free of corruption, terror: PM Narendra Modi in Independence Day speech
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While addressing the nation on 71st Independence Day today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi insisted that there would be a New India by 2022 - when India will mark 75 years of independence.
"I Invoke Team India to run for a New India by 2022. By then the poor shall have concrete houses, the farmer shall double his income, youths and women will get ample opportunities, an India free of casteism, terrorism, corruption, nepotism, a clean India," said Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
PM Modi spoke on a plethora of issues concerning the nation. He spoke extensively on topics ranging from mob violence to the ongoing issue of Jammu and Kashmir. Talking to an energetic crowd, PM Modi instilled hope in many saying that a new hope had replaced the prevalent hopelessness.
"The usual attitude of 'chalta hai, theek hai, chalne do' (complacency) has been replaced and a new chapter has begun," said PM Modi.
Addressing the nation from the Red Fort, Modi warned those indulging in mob violence, saying attacks in the name of "aastha" (faith) was not something to be happy about and won't be accepted.
In a 56-minute speech, his fourth from the Red Fort, Modi touched upon various topics including demonetisation, black money and corruption and promised to take India ahead "with greater speed". He hoped the campaign against Triple Talaq would succeed.
CONGRESS CALLS IT HOLLOW PROMISES
Immediately after the prime minister finished his address, Congress accused him of making false promises. The Congress leadership hoped that rather than making empty promises, PM Modi should have given an account of the promises that had been fulfilled in the past three years.
On the eve of Independence Day, the party also hoped that Modi would talk about the state of the economy, the sharp decline in investment and loss of jobs in the country.
Senior Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma said that when the prime minister addresses the country from the ramparts of the Red Fort tomorrow, he should refrain from making more tall promises and false and hollow claims about the achievements of his government.
"We request and advise the prime minister to give an account of how many promises that he made to people of the country in the last three years have been fulfilled. How many jobs has this government created and how many jobs have been lost. And if jobs have not been created, who should we hold responsible," Sharma said.
While addressing the nation on 71st Independence Day today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi insisted that there would be a New India by 2022 - when India will mark 75 years of independence.
"I Invoke Team India to run for a New India by 2022. By then the poor shall have concrete houses, the farmer shall double his income, youths and women will get ample opportunities, an India free of casteism, terrorism, corruption, nepotism, a clean India," said Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
PM Modi spoke on a plethora of issues concerning the nation. He spoke extensively on topics ranging from mob violence to the ongoing issue of Jammu and Kashmir. Talking to an energetic crowd, PM Modi instilled hope in many saying that a new hope had replaced the prevalent hopelessness.
"The usual attitude of 'chalta hai, theek hai, chalne do' (complacency) has been replaced and a new chapter has begun," said PM Modi.
Addressing the nation from the Red Fort, Modi warned those indulging in mob violence, saying attacks in the name of "aastha" (faith) was not something to be happy about and won't be accepted.
In a 56-minute speech, his fourth from the Red Fort, Modi touched upon various topics including demonetisation, black money and corruption and promised to take India ahead "with greater speed". He hoped the campaign against Triple Talaq would succeed.
CONGRESS CALLS IT HOLLOW PROMISES
Immediately after the prime minister finished his address, Congress accused him of making false promises. The Congress leadership hoped that rather than making empty promises, PM Modi should have given an account of the promises that had been fulfilled in the past three years.
On the eve of Independence Day, the party also hoped that Modi would talk about the state of the economy, the sharp decline in investment and loss of jobs in the country.
Senior Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma said that when the prime minister addresses the country from the ramparts of the Red Fort tomorrow, he should refrain from making more tall promises and false and hollow claims about the achievements of his government.
"We request and advise the prime minister to give an account of how many promises that he made to people of the country in the last three years have been fulfilled. How many jobs has this government created and how many jobs have been lost. And if jobs have not been created, who should we hold responsible," Sharma said.
Bullets or abuses won't solve Kashmir problem, we must embrace its people: PM Narendra Modi
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Only love and not bullets or abuse can help resolve the dragging problem in Jammu and Kashmir, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today while addressing the nation on Independence Day.
"We are committed for the development of Jammu and Kashmir and this is also the resolve of every Indian," the Prime Minister said in his Independence Day speech from the Red Fort .
Modi said the separatist campaign in the state cannot be resolved by "gaali se" (abuse) or "goli se" (bullet) but by embracing every Kashmiri.
But Modi made it clear that there would be no let up while dealing with the separatists.
At the same, he appealed to the terrorists to join the mainstream. "You have every right to make your voices heard in Indian democracy."
MANY COUNTRIES ACTIVELY HELPING INDIA AGAINST TERROR
The Prime Minister also said that many countries were helping India in the war against terror.
Addressing the nation here on India's Independence Day, the Prime Minister thanked these countries but without naming them.
Only love and not bullets or abuse can help resolve the dragging problem in Jammu and Kashmir, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today while addressing the nation on Independence Day.
"We are committed for the development of Jammu and Kashmir and this is also the resolve of every Indian," the Prime Minister said in his Independence Day speech from the Red Fort .
Modi said the separatist campaign in the state cannot be resolved by "gaali se" (abuse) or "goli se" (bullet) but by embracing every Kashmiri.
But Modi made it clear that there would be no let up while dealing with the separatists.
At the same, he appealed to the terrorists to join the mainstream. "You have every right to make your voices heard in Indian democracy."
MANY COUNTRIES ACTIVELY HELPING INDIA AGAINST TERROR
The Prime Minister also said that many countries were helping India in the war against terror.
Addressing the nation here on India's Independence Day, the Prime Minister thanked these countries but without naming them.
Wildlife Trust of India launches jumbo effort to protect elephants
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In a bid to protect wild elephants and their walking corridors across the length and breadth of the country, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) on Saturday launched 'Gaj Yatra' in the Capital to commemorate World Elephant Day.
The elephant yatra is organised by WTI in partnership with the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).
In accordance with the plan, a roadshow will take place through 12 elephant-range states over the next 15 months, wherein local artists will create elephant-size artworks, and Gaj Mahotsavs will be held at various venues featuring concerts, parades, street plays and activities for children.
This year's event was hosted at Teen Murti Bhavan, and the campaign was launched by Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Vivek Menon, WTI executive director & CEO, and Dia Mirza, actor, filmmaker, humanitarian and WTI Brand Ambassador.
Chief guest Dr Harsh Vardhan released the 'All India Elephant Census, 2017 Report' along with the 'Right of Passage', which is a publication on India's 101 identified and mapped elephant corridors, prepared by WTI and the UK-based charity, Elephant Family in consultation with all elephant range state forest departments in the country.
200 children from 10 schools across the NCR attended the show, and accompanied the minister on a short walk.
Menon said, "Space is the biggest problem for wild elephants currently. Very simply, urbanisation is stopping elephants from moving. In at least more than a quarter of the corridors there is some linear infrastructure - either a road, railway line or a dam.
In the olden days when roads were built on elephant paths they had other directions to go, but now all directions are getting stopped and that will create a lot of havoc because elephants will kill - they kill 400 people a year and we kill 100, so they are winning the war."
Dia said: "Rather than infesting in fixed deposits, we should be investing in our forests because that is where we get our water and resources from, and without it we are nothing. Small changes in our lifestyles - like not using plastic bottles, segregating waste and using animal-friendly lifestyle products can make a big difference."
In a bid to protect wild elephants and their walking corridors across the length and breadth of the country, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) on Saturday launched 'Gaj Yatra' in the Capital to commemorate World Elephant Day.
The elephant yatra is organised by WTI in partnership with the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).
In accordance with the plan, a roadshow will take place through 12 elephant-range states over the next 15 months, wherein local artists will create elephant-size artworks, and Gaj Mahotsavs will be held at various venues featuring concerts, parades, street plays and activities for children.
This year's event was hosted at Teen Murti Bhavan, and the campaign was launched by Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Vivek Menon, WTI executive director & CEO, and Dia Mirza, actor, filmmaker, humanitarian and WTI Brand Ambassador.
Chief guest Dr Harsh Vardhan released the 'All India Elephant Census, 2017 Report' along with the 'Right of Passage', which is a publication on India's 101 identified and mapped elephant corridors, prepared by WTI and the UK-based charity, Elephant Family in consultation with all elephant range state forest departments in the country.
200 children from 10 schools across the NCR attended the show, and accompanied the minister on a short walk.
Menon said, "Space is the biggest problem for wild elephants currently. Very simply, urbanisation is stopping elephants from moving. In at least more than a quarter of the corridors there is some linear infrastructure - either a road, railway line or a dam.
In the olden days when roads were built on elephant paths they had other directions to go, but now all directions are getting stopped and that will create a lot of havoc because elephants will kill - they kill 400 people a year and we kill 100, so they are winning the war."
Dia said: "Rather than infesting in fixed deposits, we should be investing in our forests because that is where we get our water and resources from, and without it we are nothing. Small changes in our lifestyles - like not using plastic bottles, segregating waste and using animal-friendly lifestyle products can make a big difference."
Greed cannot be fulfilled: Nitish Kumar takes a jibe at Lalu
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Chief Minister Nitish Kumar took a jibe at RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav saying that needs could be fulfilled but not greed. Speaking at the historic Gandhi Maidan in Patna on the occasion of 71st the Independence Day, Kumar remembered Mahatma Gandhi and said, "Bapu said, Mother Earth had enough resources to fulfill the needs of the people but not greed of the people."
"A person's need can be fulfilled, but his greed cannot be fulfilled. It is important that people get rid of their greed", said the chief Minister of Bihar, during his Independence Day speech.
Interestingly, in the last few weeks, Nitish has spoken vociferously against corruption and asserted that "shrouds had no pockets".
Commenting on the recently exposed "fund transfer scam" in Bhagalpur, Nitish said that it was the greed which was compelling people to indulge in corruption and embezzle hundreds of crores of rupees of the state govt in favor of a private NGO, Srijan. He said, all those responsible for the fund transfer scam would not go unpunished.
"I had exposed this scam when I came to know about it. Investigations are going on, and I am asured that all those responsible for this will not go unpunished who so ever they are - government or bank officials", said Kumar.
Nitish also warned a crack down on sand mafia which was operating in the State and allegedly played key role in the political funding of RJD.
He also added that from 2nd of October, his govt will be starting a campaign against child marriage and dowry.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar took a jibe at RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav saying that needs could be fulfilled but not greed. Speaking at the historic Gandhi Maidan in Patna on the occasion of 71st the Independence Day, Kumar remembered Mahatma Gandhi and said, "Bapu said, Mother Earth had enough resources to fulfill the needs of the people but not greed of the people."
"A person's need can be fulfilled, but his greed cannot be fulfilled. It is important that people get rid of their greed", said the chief Minister of Bihar, during his Independence Day speech.
Interestingly, in the last few weeks, Nitish has spoken vociferously against corruption and asserted that "shrouds had no pockets".
Commenting on the recently exposed "fund transfer scam" in Bhagalpur, Nitish said that it was the greed which was compelling people to indulge in corruption and embezzle hundreds of crores of rupees of the state govt in favor of a private NGO, Srijan. He said, all those responsible for the fund transfer scam would not go unpunished.
"I had exposed this scam when I came to know about it. Investigations are going on, and I am asured that all those responsible for this will not go unpunished who so ever they are - government or bank officials", said Kumar.
Nitish also warned a crack down on sand mafia which was operating in the State and allegedly played key role in the political funding of RJD.
He also added that from 2nd of October, his govt will be starting a campaign against child marriage and dowry.
CJI JS Khehar brushes off nepotism charges against judiciary at Independence Day event
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The simmering issue of nepotism in the judiciary, with allegations of judges pushing their children or kin to the bench through lobbying, suddenly bubbled up on Tuesday.
This happened at a most unlikely venue: the Independence Day function at the Supreme Court.
Chief Justice J S Khehar, who is set to retire in two weeks, rejected allegations that he had "misused his authority" to promote his Chandigarh-based son.
He chose to do this in the presence of other judges of the court, law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, attorney general KK Venugopal and a large number of advocates when nobody had raised this specific issue on this occasion.
Nepotism is a very sensitive subject within the judiciary. There have been several reports of the Supreme Court receiving lists for appointments to several high courts with dozens of judges whose sons, daughters and relatives are also judges.
There are also complaints that some of them do not fulfill many of the eligibility conditions.
BAR ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT QUESTIONS
It all began when Supreme Court Bar Association president RS Suri while listing "issues of concern for the bar" said, "Why most of the judges who become HC judges are sons of acting or previous judges? Why is it that 80 per cent of panels are filled with sons and daughters of the judges? These things have to be explained logically so that we give some chance for other persons also to come up the ladder because they too are able and capable. We have excellent relationship with the judiciary but we have to be given our due."
When his turn came, CJI Khehar termed Suri's comments as a "left-handed compliment" and said, "About a few months ago, I woke up one morning and read a newspaper which said, 'Chief Justice's son appointed on a panel of government.' I immediately called him up and asked, 'Son, are you on the government panel?' He said. 'No father. I am not on any government panel.' He said there is another Khehar on the panel and they assumed it is me. Then I asked, 'Did you get a letter from the government appointing you?' He said, 'No.' I asked him if he takes occasional briefs from the government, he said, no. So what appears as a misuse of authority may not be a misuse of authority, Mr President (looking at Suri)."
The CJI then narrated an incident where he met a bright young lawyer who did not want to become a judge as he felt everybody would say he was a judge because of his father.
"There was an international conference on arbitration I attended. There I met a young enthusiastic lawyer and I was told he practises in Delhi High Court. I was impressed with him and even judges of Delhi High Court there spoke highly of him. When I met him later I asked him why don't you become a judge. He said, 'No, sir. Everybody will say I am a judge because of my father.' So, Mr President, please do not say that," the CJI said again looking at Suri.
By drawing attention to that meeting, the CJI said there are very bright children of judges too and if they have the calibre, there is nothing wrong in their becoming judges. No aspersions should be cast on them.
"There are good, bright, able children. Whether they are children of judges or not, in independent India we stand together to achieve whatever we can achieve. Everybody should get a chance," he said.
Was the Chief Justice angry after the SCBA president's comment as he left the venue without the customary tea with the members of the bar? "No, there is no chance," Suri told Mail Today. "He and I merely stated the facts. He left without having tea saying it was already getting late for him."
The simmering issue of nepotism in the judiciary, with allegations of judges pushing their children or kin to the bench through lobbying, suddenly bubbled up on Tuesday.
This happened at a most unlikely venue: the Independence Day function at the Supreme Court.
Chief Justice J S Khehar, who is set to retire in two weeks, rejected allegations that he had "misused his authority" to promote his Chandigarh-based son.
He chose to do this in the presence of other judges of the court, law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, attorney general KK Venugopal and a large number of advocates when nobody had raised this specific issue on this occasion.
Nepotism is a very sensitive subject within the judiciary. There have been several reports of the Supreme Court receiving lists for appointments to several high courts with dozens of judges whose sons, daughters and relatives are also judges.
There are also complaints that some of them do not fulfill many of the eligibility conditions.
BAR ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT QUESTIONS
It all began when Supreme Court Bar Association president RS Suri while listing "issues of concern for the bar" said, "Why most of the judges who become HC judges are sons of acting or previous judges? Why is it that 80 per cent of panels are filled with sons and daughters of the judges? These things have to be explained logically so that we give some chance for other persons also to come up the ladder because they too are able and capable. We have excellent relationship with the judiciary but we have to be given our due."
When his turn came, CJI Khehar termed Suri's comments as a "left-handed compliment" and said, "About a few months ago, I woke up one morning and read a newspaper which said, 'Chief Justice's son appointed on a panel of government.' I immediately called him up and asked, 'Son, are you on the government panel?' He said. 'No father. I am not on any government panel.' He said there is another Khehar on the panel and they assumed it is me. Then I asked, 'Did you get a letter from the government appointing you?' He said, 'No.' I asked him if he takes occasional briefs from the government, he said, no. So what appears as a misuse of authority may not be a misuse of authority, Mr President (looking at Suri)."
The CJI then narrated an incident where he met a bright young lawyer who did not want to become a judge as he felt everybody would say he was a judge because of his father.
"There was an international conference on arbitration I attended. There I met a young enthusiastic lawyer and I was told he practises in Delhi High Court. I was impressed with him and even judges of Delhi High Court there spoke highly of him. When I met him later I asked him why don't you become a judge. He said, 'No, sir. Everybody will say I am a judge because of my father.' So, Mr President, please do not say that," the CJI said again looking at Suri.
By drawing attention to that meeting, the CJI said there are very bright children of judges too and if they have the calibre, there is nothing wrong in their becoming judges. No aspersions should be cast on them.
"There are good, bright, able children. Whether they are children of judges or not, in independent India we stand together to achieve whatever we can achieve. Everybody should get a chance," he said.
Was the Chief Justice angry after the SCBA president's comment as he left the venue without the customary tea with the members of the bar? "No, there is no chance," Suri told Mail Today. "He and I merely stated the facts. He left without having tea saying it was already getting late for him."
Business Affairs
Sebi steps up surveillance on money laundering activities
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Cracking down on misuse of stock market for money laundering, regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) said it has stepped up "focused inspection" of suspected brokers and other entities leading to action against hundreds of them.
The capital markets watchdog has also enhanced its cooperation with other regulators and agencies in India as well as abroad for investigations.
Giving details of the trend in investigation cases in its latest annual report, Sebi said there was a significant increase in the number of cases taken up during 2016-17 mainly due to the references received from the Department of Income Tax in the matter of long term capital gain/short term capital loss in various scrips.
In 2016-17, 245 new cases were taken up for investigation and 155 cases were completed, compared to 133 new cases taken up and 123 cases completed in 2015-16.
Sebi said it is constantly striving to upgrade its investigative skills by making use of IT and other latest investigative tools.
Regarding the surveillance measures taken during last year, Sebi said it regularly conducts meetings with stock exchanges and depositories to keep track of market movements and surveillance activities.
Subsequently, action has been taken in the matter of dealing in shares of companies with poor fundamentals, as also "in cases of misuse of the stock exchange trading platform for tax evasion purposes, focused inspection of suspicious brokers and depository participants undertaken".
To deal with increasing instances of bulk fraudulent SMSes to investors at large, action was taken in a few cases to send a message to the market, while the depository alert system has been strengthened.
In one case, Sebi said, a telemarketer circulated bulk SMSes containing false news pertaining to a listed company on behalf of its alleged client. The telemarketer did not do due diligence of its alleged client and accepted cash for rendering services, thus "engaging in deceitful activity".
The exchanges also sought explanation from listed companies in hundreds of cases of rumour-mongering.
Inspections were also conducted of books of account, records and other documents pertaining to various market intermediaries such as venture capital funds, portfolio managers, mutual funds and investment advisors including to check compliance with respect to anti-money laundering (AML), combating of financing terrorism (CFT) and KYC norms.
Sebi said money laundering is globally recognised as one of the largest threats posed to the financial system of a country, while terrorist financing is another such emerging threat with grave consequences for both the political and economic standing of a jurisdiction.
"As in the past, during 2016-17 too Sebi continued focused efforts on strengthening the regulatory framework and minimising the risks emanating from money laundering and terrorist financing in the securities market," Sebi said.
It added that specific theme-based inspections of intermediaries focusing on compliance with KYC norms (including client due diligence) and AML/CFT guidelines were carried out.
During 2016-17, with respect to stock brokers, Sebi said it carried out over special purpose inspections to check their compliance with the AML/CFT and KYC norms of various market entities.
The compliance with AML/CFT norms was also verified by stock exchanges and depositories during their inspections of stock brokers and depository participants, while appropriate sanctions were applied for any discrepancy.
Giving details of the action taken for AML/CFT related discrepancies, Sebi said the BSE took action against 195 entities, CDSL against 236, MCX against 59 and the NSE against 27.
Besides, the BSE and the NSE issued warnings to 152 and 24 entities respectively, while monetary penalties were also imposed on several of them.
Sebi said it has consistently been in touch with global bodies and other Indian regulators to keep the regulatory framework for AML/CFT robust in the Indian securities market.
The Indian markets regulator also stepped up its engagements with the IOSCO (International Organisation of Securities Commissions) regarding information-sharing and cooperation with its peers in other countries.
During 2016-17, Sebi received 61 requests for information from overseas regulators seeking its assistance. Sebi said it executed such requests subject to the provisions of the Multilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MMoU).
Similarly, 13 such requests were made by Sebi to its regulatory counterparts in other jurisdictions.
In 2016-17, total 2,619 regulatory assistance requests were made or received by all capital market regulators under the IOSCO MMoU framework.
Cracking down on misuse of stock market for money laundering, regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) said it has stepped up "focused inspection" of suspected brokers and other entities leading to action against hundreds of them.
The capital markets watchdog has also enhanced its cooperation with other regulators and agencies in India as well as abroad for investigations.
Giving details of the trend in investigation cases in its latest annual report, Sebi said there was a significant increase in the number of cases taken up during 2016-17 mainly due to the references received from the Department of Income Tax in the matter of long term capital gain/short term capital loss in various scrips.
In 2016-17, 245 new cases were taken up for investigation and 155 cases were completed, compared to 133 new cases taken up and 123 cases completed in 2015-16.
Sebi said it is constantly striving to upgrade its investigative skills by making use of IT and other latest investigative tools.
Regarding the surveillance measures taken during last year, Sebi said it regularly conducts meetings with stock exchanges and depositories to keep track of market movements and surveillance activities.
Subsequently, action has been taken in the matter of dealing in shares of companies with poor fundamentals, as also "in cases of misuse of the stock exchange trading platform for tax evasion purposes, focused inspection of suspicious brokers and depository participants undertaken".
To deal with increasing instances of bulk fraudulent SMSes to investors at large, action was taken in a few cases to send a message to the market, while the depository alert system has been strengthened.
In one case, Sebi said, a telemarketer circulated bulk SMSes containing false news pertaining to a listed company on behalf of its alleged client. The telemarketer did not do due diligence of its alleged client and accepted cash for rendering services, thus "engaging in deceitful activity".
The exchanges also sought explanation from listed companies in hundreds of cases of rumour-mongering.
Inspections were also conducted of books of account, records and other documents pertaining to various market intermediaries such as venture capital funds, portfolio managers, mutual funds and investment advisors including to check compliance with respect to anti-money laundering (AML), combating of financing terrorism (CFT) and KYC norms.
Sebi said money laundering is globally recognised as one of the largest threats posed to the financial system of a country, while terrorist financing is another such emerging threat with grave consequences for both the political and economic standing of a jurisdiction.
"As in the past, during 2016-17 too Sebi continued focused efforts on strengthening the regulatory framework and minimising the risks emanating from money laundering and terrorist financing in the securities market," Sebi said.
It added that specific theme-based inspections of intermediaries focusing on compliance with KYC norms (including client due diligence) and AML/CFT guidelines were carried out.
During 2016-17, with respect to stock brokers, Sebi said it carried out over special purpose inspections to check their compliance with the AML/CFT and KYC norms of various market entities.
The compliance with AML/CFT norms was also verified by stock exchanges and depositories during their inspections of stock brokers and depository participants, while appropriate sanctions were applied for any discrepancy.
Giving details of the action taken for AML/CFT related discrepancies, Sebi said the BSE took action against 195 entities, CDSL against 236, MCX against 59 and the NSE against 27.
Besides, the BSE and the NSE issued warnings to 152 and 24 entities respectively, while monetary penalties were also imposed on several of them.
Sebi said it has consistently been in touch with global bodies and other Indian regulators to keep the regulatory framework for AML/CFT robust in the Indian securities market.
The Indian markets regulator also stepped up its engagements with the IOSCO (International Organisation of Securities Commissions) regarding information-sharing and cooperation with its peers in other countries.
During 2016-17, Sebi received 61 requests for information from overseas regulators seeking its assistance. Sebi said it executed such requests subject to the provisions of the Multilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MMoU).
Similarly, 13 such requests were made by Sebi to its regulatory counterparts in other jurisdictions.
In 2016-17, total 2,619 regulatory assistance requests were made or received by all capital market regulators under the IOSCO MMoU framework.
Reliance Industries, BP face Rs 1700 crore penalty for below par production
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The government has imposed a new penalty of USD 264 million (about Rs 1,700 crore) on Reliance Industries Ltd and its partners for producing less than the targeted natural gas from eastern offshore KG-D6 fields in 2015-16.
The total penalty now, which is in the form of disallowing recovery of cost incurred for missing the target during six years beginning April 1, 2010, stands at USD 3.02 billion, an oil ministry official said.
The Production Sharing Contract (PSC) allows RIL and its partners BP Plc of the UK and Canada's Niko Resources to deduct all capital and operating expenses from the sale of gas before sharing profit with the government.
Disallowing costs will result in government's profit share rising.
The government has claimed an additional USD 175 million as its profit share after the cost disallowance, the official said.
Gas production from Dhirubhai-1 and 3 gas field in the eastern offshore KG-D6 block was supposed to be 80 million standard cubic meters per day but actual production was only 35.33 mmscmd in 2011-12, 20.88 mmscmd in 2012-13 and 9.77 mmscmd in 2013-14. The output has continued to drop in the subsequent years and is now below 4 mmscmd.
E-mails sent to RIL and BP remained unanswered. The two companies have challenged the cost disallowance of the past years and have initiated an international arbitration seeking dropping of the same on grounds that the PSC does not provide for any such punishment.
The government had for 2010-11 disallowed USD 457 million of cost, USD 548 million for 2011-12, USD 792 million for 2012-13, USD 579 million for 2013-14 and USD 380 million for 2014-15.
Now an additional USD 264 million has been disallowed for output lagging behind target in 2015-16.
The output was behind target in 2016-17 as well and the cost disallowance will be calculated only next year, the official said.
RIL had previously stated that "every year, based on its own interpretations of the PSC and assumptions (with which the contractor group does not agree), the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas revises the total cost it proposes to disallow and consequently aggregates the figure with figures of the previous years.
"It also demands additional profit petroleum (in total including previous year claims as well) as Government of India share".
Of the additional profit petroleum claimed, the government has already collected gross USD 81.7 million in the gas pool account by taking away any gas price higher than USD 4.2 per million British thermal unit during November 2014 to March 2016 period.
From April 2016 to date, the gas price has been less than USD 4.2 and no deposits were made to the gas pool account.
Contractor group refers to RIL and its partners BP and Niko.
RIL holds 60 per cent interest in block KG-DWN-98/3 or KG-D6 in Bay of Bengal. BP has 30 per cent and Niko the remaining 10 per cent.
The government has imposed a new penalty of USD 264 million (about Rs 1,700 crore) on Reliance Industries Ltd and its partners for producing less than the targeted natural gas from eastern offshore KG-D6 fields in 2015-16.
The total penalty now, which is in the form of disallowing recovery of cost incurred for missing the target during six years beginning April 1, 2010, stands at USD 3.02 billion, an oil ministry official said.
The Production Sharing Contract (PSC) allows RIL and its partners BP Plc of the UK and Canada's Niko Resources to deduct all capital and operating expenses from the sale of gas before sharing profit with the government.
Disallowing costs will result in government's profit share rising.
The government has claimed an additional USD 175 million as its profit share after the cost disallowance, the official said.
Gas production from Dhirubhai-1 and 3 gas field in the eastern offshore KG-D6 block was supposed to be 80 million standard cubic meters per day but actual production was only 35.33 mmscmd in 2011-12, 20.88 mmscmd in 2012-13 and 9.77 mmscmd in 2013-14. The output has continued to drop in the subsequent years and is now below 4 mmscmd.
E-mails sent to RIL and BP remained unanswered. The two companies have challenged the cost disallowance of the past years and have initiated an international arbitration seeking dropping of the same on grounds that the PSC does not provide for any such punishment.
The government had for 2010-11 disallowed USD 457 million of cost, USD 548 million for 2011-12, USD 792 million for 2012-13, USD 579 million for 2013-14 and USD 380 million for 2014-15.
Now an additional USD 264 million has been disallowed for output lagging behind target in 2015-16.
The output was behind target in 2016-17 as well and the cost disallowance will be calculated only next year, the official said.
RIL had previously stated that "every year, based on its own interpretations of the PSC and assumptions (with which the contractor group does not agree), the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas revises the total cost it proposes to disallow and consequently aggregates the figure with figures of the previous years.
"It also demands additional profit petroleum (in total including previous year claims as well) as Government of India share".
Of the additional profit petroleum claimed, the government has already collected gross USD 81.7 million in the gas pool account by taking away any gas price higher than USD 4.2 per million British thermal unit during November 2014 to March 2016 period.
From April 2016 to date, the gas price has been less than USD 4.2 and no deposits were made to the gas pool account.
Contractor group refers to RIL and its partners BP and Niko.
RIL holds 60 per cent interest in block KG-DWN-98/3 or KG-D6 in Bay of Bengal. BP has 30 per cent and Niko the remaining 10 per cent.
Pending loans with PSU banks grow as wilful defaulters hold Rs 92000 crore
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Public sector banks have reported 20 per cent jump in the outstanding loans by the end of financial year 2016-17 in March this year with nearly 9,000 wilful defaulters collectively owing over than 92,000 crore to the lenders.
The outstanding loans by deliberate defaulters rose to Rs 92,376 crore at the end of March this year, as opposed to Rs 76,685 crore seen at the end of previous financial year, translating to a rise of 20.4 per cent.
Meanwhile, there has been almost 10 per cent increase in number of wilful defaulters simultaneously on annual basis.
The number of wilful defaulters increased to 8,915 at the end of March as against 8,167 in the previous fiscal, according to data collated by the Ministry of Finance.
Out of 8,915 cases of wilful defaults, banks have filed FIR (First Information Report) in 1,914 cases with outstanding loans of Rs 32,484 crore.
During 2016-17, 27 public sector banks, including SBI and its five associates have written off Rs 81,683 crore, the highest in the last five fiscals. The amount was 41 per cent higher than that in the previous fiscal.
SBI and its erstwhile associates alone have written off Rs 27,574 crore non-performing assets (NPAs) in 2016-17, according to the RBI data on "write offs" done by public sector banks. SBI merged its five associate banks with itself from April 1 2017.
Gross NPAs of the public sector banks rose to Rs 6.41 lakh crore at the end of March 2017 as against Rs 5.02 lakh crore a year ago. In order to check incidences of wilful default, RBI has tightened the norms and made it clear that promoter of the defaulting company cannot escape from his responsibility even if he is not a whole time director.
As per earlier guidelines, a bank couldn't label a non- whole-time director of a company as a wilful defaulter unless there was conclusive evidence that the individual was aware of the wilful default by the company and had not objected to it.
A wilful default occurs when a defaulting borrower doesn't honour an obligation, despite having the capacity to pay, or siphoning off funds and disposing of assets without the knowledge of the bank, according to RBI.
RBI also allowed banks to name and shame wilful defaulters by publish their photographs.
Public sector banks have reported 20 per cent jump in the outstanding loans by the end of financial year 2016-17 in March this year with nearly 9,000 wilful defaulters collectively owing over than 92,000 crore to the lenders.
The outstanding loans by deliberate defaulters rose to Rs 92,376 crore at the end of March this year, as opposed to Rs 76,685 crore seen at the end of previous financial year, translating to a rise of 20.4 per cent.
Meanwhile, there has been almost 10 per cent increase in number of wilful defaulters simultaneously on annual basis.
The number of wilful defaulters increased to 8,915 at the end of March as against 8,167 in the previous fiscal, according to data collated by the Ministry of Finance.
Out of 8,915 cases of wilful defaults, banks have filed FIR (First Information Report) in 1,914 cases with outstanding loans of Rs 32,484 crore.
During 2016-17, 27 public sector banks, including SBI and its five associates have written off Rs 81,683 crore, the highest in the last five fiscals. The amount was 41 per cent higher than that in the previous fiscal.
SBI and its erstwhile associates alone have written off Rs 27,574 crore non-performing assets (NPAs) in 2016-17, according to the RBI data on "write offs" done by public sector banks. SBI merged its five associate banks with itself from April 1 2017.
Gross NPAs of the public sector banks rose to Rs 6.41 lakh crore at the end of March 2017 as against Rs 5.02 lakh crore a year ago. In order to check incidences of wilful default, RBI has tightened the norms and made it clear that promoter of the defaulting company cannot escape from his responsibility even if he is not a whole time director.
As per earlier guidelines, a bank couldn't label a non- whole-time director of a company as a wilful defaulter unless there was conclusive evidence that the individual was aware of the wilful default by the company and had not objected to it.
A wilful default occurs when a defaulting borrower doesn't honour an obligation, despite having the capacity to pay, or siphoning off funds and disposing of assets without the knowledge of the bank, according to RBI.
RBI also allowed banks to name and shame wilful defaulters by publish their photographs.
ONGC eyes doubling gas production in 5-6 years
-
State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) today said it plans to double gas production to over 100 million standard cubic meters per day in the next 5-6 years.
In a statement issued on Independence Day celebrations at the company's headquarters in Dehradun, ONGC said despite tumbling oil prices in the last three years, it not only sustained production from existing fields through incremental inputs but has also taken large meaningful and calculated investment decisions to ensure sustained volumes and financial growth.
Government is targeting increase in share of gas in the energy basket from 6.5 per cent to 15 per cent in the next few years.
ONGC said 17 projects with a combined capex of Rs 76,000 crore have been approved in the last three years.
"These projects would produce 69 million tonnes of crude oil and 118 billion cubic meters of natural gas during their profile period. Cumulative production from these projects would peak during 2020-21 at 6.65 million tonnes of crude and 13.38 BCM of gas which is 45 per cent of company's oil and gas standalone production during FY17," it said.
Its flagship project includes Cluster-II in Bay of Bengal block KG-DWN-98/2 (KG-D5). The project would produce about 25 million tonnes of oil and 50 BCM of gas over the life of the project with peak production of 4 million tonnes of oil and 5.5 BCM of gas.
This would be equivalent to 17 per cent and 24 per cent of ONGC's current standalone oil and gas production, respectively.
During the last three years, ONGC completed 15 production related projects (including 8 brownfield and 7 greenfield) with capital investment of Rs 54,000 crore.
"These would produce 87 million tonnes of crude and 56 BCM of gas during their profile period," the statement said, adding during FY17, ONGC produced 5 million tonnes of crude and 3.5 BCM of gas from these projects, which is 22 per cent and 16 per cent of its standalone crude and gas production, respectively.
Stating that it made 23 hydrocarbon finds with a total reserve accretion of 65 million tonnes of oil equivalent in 2016-17, ONGC said its onshore assets have reversed declining trend in production, persisting for several years, by registering crude production at 5.97 million tonnes in FY17 as against 5.82 million tonnes in FY16.
State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) today said it plans to double gas production to over 100 million standard cubic meters per day in the next 5-6 years.
In a statement issued on Independence Day celebrations at the company's headquarters in Dehradun, ONGC said despite tumbling oil prices in the last three years, it not only sustained production from existing fields through incremental inputs but has also taken large meaningful and calculated investment decisions to ensure sustained volumes and financial growth.
Government is targeting increase in share of gas in the energy basket from 6.5 per cent to 15 per cent in the next few years.
ONGC said 17 projects with a combined capex of Rs 76,000 crore have been approved in the last three years.
"These projects would produce 69 million tonnes of crude oil and 118 billion cubic meters of natural gas during their profile period. Cumulative production from these projects would peak during 2020-21 at 6.65 million tonnes of crude and 13.38 BCM of gas which is 45 per cent of company's oil and gas standalone production during FY17," it said.
Its flagship project includes Cluster-II in Bay of Bengal block KG-DWN-98/2 (KG-D5). The project would produce about 25 million tonnes of oil and 50 BCM of gas over the life of the project with peak production of 4 million tonnes of oil and 5.5 BCM of gas.
This would be equivalent to 17 per cent and 24 per cent of ONGC's current standalone oil and gas production, respectively.
During the last three years, ONGC completed 15 production related projects (including 8 brownfield and 7 greenfield) with capital investment of Rs 54,000 crore.
"These would produce 87 million tonnes of crude and 56 BCM of gas during their profile period," the statement said, adding during FY17, ONGC produced 5 million tonnes of crude and 3.5 BCM of gas from these projects, which is 22 per cent and 16 per cent of its standalone crude and gas production, respectively.
Stating that it made 23 hydrocarbon finds with a total reserve accretion of 65 million tonnes of oil equivalent in 2016-17, ONGC said its onshore assets have reversed declining trend in production, persisting for several years, by registering crude production at 5.97 million tonnes in FY17 as against 5.82 million tonnes in FY16.
Armed forces personnel to board Air India flights first
-
Air India has decided to accord priority to the armed forces personnel in boarding its flights across the carrier's network.
The decision has been taken as a mark of honour and respect to these personnel, on the occasion of the country's 71st Independence Day.
The boarding priority on Air India's aircraft for the serving armed forces personnel has commenced from today, a senior official of the airlines said.
Air India already provides concessionary and discounted air fares to the armed forces personnel on its domestic sectors.
"The decision to accord priority in boarding to the personnel from the Army, Air Force and Navy has been taken as Air India, being the flag carrier, wants to recognise, respect and honour all of them," the official said.
Air India has decided to accord priority to the armed forces personnel in boarding its flights across the carrier's network.
The decision has been taken as a mark of honour and respect to these personnel, on the occasion of the country's 71st Independence Day.
The boarding priority on Air India's aircraft for the serving armed forces personnel has commenced from today, a senior official of the airlines said.
Air India already provides concessionary and discounted air fares to the armed forces personnel on its domestic sectors.
"The decision to accord priority in boarding to the personnel from the Army, Air Force and Navy has been taken as Air India, being the flag carrier, wants to recognise, respect and honour all of them," the official said.
General Awareness
GENERAL AWARENESS PRACTICE QUESTIONS FOR ALL BANK EXAMS
-
1. Recently State-owned oil firms IOC, BPCL and HPCL signed an agreement to jointly set up the world's largest refinery and petrochemical complex in:
a) Maharashtra
b) Gujarat
c) Rajasthan
d) Karnataka
2. Recently in an attempt to reduce the number of deaths of endangered wildlife in Thar Desert, new "rescue wards" have come up in the far-flung rural areas of Jodhpur. Thar Desert does not lie in:
a) Gujarat
b) Haryana
c) Madhya Pradesh
d) Punjab
3. Recently Reserve Bank of India has put which bank under prompt corrective action (PCA) due to a sharp increase in bad loans?
a) Union Bank of India
b) Central Bank of India
c) United Bank of India
d) IDBI Bank
4. Recently India has decided for the first time to place a dedicated cell to promote investments of which country in India?
a) Canada
b) USA
c) Australia
d) Russia
5. The National Physical Laboratory (NPL), part of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research and the only agency in India that is authorised to maintain Indian Standard Time (IST). It is located in:
a) Mumbai
b) Allahabad
c) New Delhi
d) Kolkata
6. Recently a team of experts at the Indian Institute of Technology - Kharagpur has fashioned a hybrid material based on silk protein called:
a) Silk Lyptonn
b) Silk Fibroin
c) Silk Ranyon
d) Silk Tinyton
7. Recently the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launched 'IDCF' in order to intensify efforts to reduce child deaths due to:
a) Diphtheria
b) Tuberculosis
c) Diarrhoea
d) Tetanus
8. Who has been appointed as India's ambassador to the European Union (EU) in June 2017?
a) Gaitri Issar Kumar
b) Ajit Vinayak Gupte
c) Reenat Sandhu
d) Ranjan Deepak
9. The government is set to roll out the 'Mission Parivar Vikas' programme to improve family planning services in how many districts of India?
a) 56
b) 78
c) 104
d) 146
10. Name the 1st Indian woman who has been elected as member of International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS)?
a) Sumedha Puri
b) Anandita Razdan
c) Koel Agrahari
d) Neeru Chadha
11. Recently Anglo American's diamond unit De Beers launched the world's largest diamond exploration vessel off the coast of:
a) South Africa
b) Chile
c) Namibia
d) Egypt
12. Recently the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) approved it's firstever equity investment, worth .......... to catalyze private capital for infrastructure projects in India.
a) $ 70 million
b) $110 million
c) $150 million
d) $230 million
13. Who was the first Indian woman driver competed in one of the highest classes of Formula racing in the country at the upcoming JK Tyre-FMSCI National racing championship?
a) Radha Menon
b) Aprajita Sehgal
c) Mira Erda
d) Ritu Das
14. According to the study by UK-based Money Super Market what is the present rank of India in survey of nations with the lowest global environmental impact?
a) 34th
b) 46th
c) 57th
d) 75th
15. Who is not among the three countries that will participate in Malabar 2017, a joint midsummer exercise aimed at addressing shared threats to maritime security in the Indo-Asia Pacific region?
a) Japan
b) USA
c) Indonesia
d) India
16. David Grossman has won the Man Booker International Prize for his novel "A Horse walks into a bar". David Grossman belongs to:
a) Uganda
b) Canada
c) Australia
d) Israel
17. Recently the government, through a notification amending a prevention of money laundering law, has made it mandatory to provide Aadhaar to open a bank account and to conduct a transaction of ......... or more.
a) Rs.20,000
b) Rs.50,000
c) Rs.1,00,000
d) Rs.2,50,000
18. According to Environment Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan, India is committed to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality by the year:
a) 2020
b) 2025
c) 2030
d) 2050
19. Recently which of the following country ratified automatic exchange of financial account information with India and 40 other jurisdictions to facilitate immediate sharing of details on suspected black money?
a) Belarus
b) Switzerland
c) Russia
d) USA
20. In order to boost G&J sector in the region Gem & Jewellery Training Institute, a first of its kind in Southern India is to be set up in:
a) Kochi
b) Palakkad
c) Udupi
d) Mangalore
21. In an attempt to keep India's regional navigation satellite system fully operational, ISRO is preparing to launch a back-up for IRNSS-1A, one of the seven satellites in the constellation. What is the name of its regional navigation satellite system?
a) GAGAN
b) NavIC
c) Galileo
d) None of the above
22. Recently which of the following countries's scientists have found that using blue-green algae and light to trigger photosynthesis could help treat cardiac disease, the top cause of death globally?
a) Japan
b) Germany
c) USA
d) China
23. Recently P.N.Bhagwati passed away. He was the:
a) Former Chief Election Commissioner of India
b) Former Chief Justice of India
c) Former Indian cricket test team captain
d) First Chief Information Commissioner of India
24. Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has been in the news, because it has been campaigns for the creation of a separate state Gorkhaland within India, out of districts in the north of which of the following states of India?
a) Tamil Nadu
b) West Bengal
c) Uttar Pradesh
d) Madhya Pradesh
25. Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State (Independent charge) for Culture & Tourism launched the implementation of the ''National Mission on Cultural Mapping of India' at:
a) Mathura, Uttar Pradesh
b) Chitradurga, Karnataka
c) Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu
d) Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh
26. How many new Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSKs) has been launched by Government of India in June 2017?
a) 50
b) 149
c) 100
d) 500
27. Which is the country's first public transport system to reserve jobs for members of the third gender people in June 2017?
a) Kolkata Metro
b) Hyderabad Metro
c) Kochi Metro
d) Delhi Metro
28. Sardar Sarovar Dam is being built on which of the following rivers?
a) Tapi
b) Krishna
c) Narmada
d) Godavari
29. Which of the following states of India is poised to fortify its position as the "Tiger State of India" with major reserves indicating an increase in the tiger population as per the annual census completed recently?
a) Karnataka
b) Assam
c) Gujarat
d) Rajasthan
30. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has progressed to the testing of subsystems in the development of a semi-cryogenic engine for rockets with heavier payload capacity. The semi-cryogenic engine uses a combination of which of the following as propellants?
a) Liquid oxygen (LOX)
b) Refined kerosene (Isrosene)
c) Solid lithium (SLM)
d) Both (a) and (b)
31. Who among the following won the doubles title in the $60,000 ITF women's tennis tournament in June 2017?
a) Prarthana Thombare and Kotomi Takahata
b) Prarthana Thombare and Natcharee Teerachodjiranon
c) Prarthana Thombare and Yu-Yun Li
d) Prarthana Thombare and Natasha Sengphrachanh
32. Right to Information Act reveals that the Election Commission of India had ordered registration of FIR against the Chief Minister and others for alleged electoral malpractices during the Dr. Radhakrishnan Nagar by-election of which of the following states?
a) Tamil Nadu
b) West Bengal
c) Goa
d) Karnataka
33. A Street in Thuruthi ward of Kasaragod municipality that was recently named 'Gaza', a reference to the disputed strip of land between which of the following countries?
a) Israel and Egypt
b) Israel and Syria
c) Israel and Libya
d) Israel and Jordon
34. Which among the following Palaces has becomes first Indian building to get trademark in June 2017?
a) Mysore Palace
b) Taj Mahal Palace
c) Nizam Palace
d) Raja Maharanjith Singh Palace
35. The 106th Session of International Labour Conference (ILC) was held from 5-16th June 2017 in:
a) USA
b) South Africa
c) Switzerland
d) Norway
36. How many member countries are there in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank?
a) 80
b) 10
c) 50
d) 40
37. Reserve Bank of India said its internal advisory committee (IAC) had identified 12 accounts, which account for ........... % of non-performing assets of the Indian banking system for immediate resolution under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC).
a) 30
b) 25
c) 20
d) 15
38. The 'Make in India' initiative unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, provided the supply side intervention(s) of which of the following?
a) FDI reforms
b) Ease of doing business
c) Scaling up physical infrastructure and competitive federalism
d) All of the above
39. Which among the following country's cricket team has won its maiden ICC Champion Trophy in June 2017?
a) India
b) England
c) Pakistan
d) South Africa
40. Who among the following won the Indonesia Open men's singles trophy in June 2017?
a) Sai Praneeth
b) Son Wan Ho
c) Kidambi Srikanth
d) Kazumasa Sakai
ANSWERS:
1-a, 2-c, 3-b, 4-d, 5-c, 6-b, 7-c, 8-a, 9-d, 10-d
11-c, 12-c, 13-c, 14-d, 15-c, 16-d, 17-b, 18-c, 19-b, 20-c
21-b, 22-c, 23-b, 24-b, 25-a, 26-b, 27-c, 28-c, 29-a, 30-d
31-a, 32-a, 33-a, 34-b, 35-c, 36-a, 37-b, 38-d, 39-c, 40-c
1. Recently State-owned oil firms IOC, BPCL and HPCL signed an agreement to jointly set up the world's largest refinery and petrochemical complex in:
a) Maharashtra
b) Gujarat
c) Rajasthan
d) Karnataka
2. Recently in an attempt to reduce the number of deaths of endangered wildlife in Thar Desert, new "rescue wards" have come up in the far-flung rural areas of Jodhpur. Thar Desert does not lie in:
a) Gujarat
b) Haryana
c) Madhya Pradesh
d) Punjab
3. Recently Reserve Bank of India has put which bank under prompt corrective action (PCA) due to a sharp increase in bad loans?
a) Union Bank of India
b) Central Bank of India
c) United Bank of India
d) IDBI Bank
4. Recently India has decided for the first time to place a dedicated cell to promote investments of which country in India?
a) Canada
b) USA
c) Australia
d) Russia
5. The National Physical Laboratory (NPL), part of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research and the only agency in India that is authorised to maintain Indian Standard Time (IST). It is located in:
a) Mumbai
b) Allahabad
c) New Delhi
d) Kolkata
6. Recently a team of experts at the Indian Institute of Technology - Kharagpur has fashioned a hybrid material based on silk protein called:
a) Silk Lyptonn
b) Silk Fibroin
c) Silk Ranyon
d) Silk Tinyton
7. Recently the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launched 'IDCF' in order to intensify efforts to reduce child deaths due to:
a) Diphtheria
b) Tuberculosis
c) Diarrhoea
d) Tetanus
8. Who has been appointed as India's ambassador to the European Union (EU) in June 2017?
a) Gaitri Issar Kumar
b) Ajit Vinayak Gupte
c) Reenat Sandhu
d) Ranjan Deepak
9. The government is set to roll out the 'Mission Parivar Vikas' programme to improve family planning services in how many districts of India?
a) 56
b) 78
c) 104
d) 146
10. Name the 1st Indian woman who has been elected as member of International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS)?
a) Sumedha Puri
b) Anandita Razdan
c) Koel Agrahari
d) Neeru Chadha
11. Recently Anglo American's diamond unit De Beers launched the world's largest diamond exploration vessel off the coast of:
a) South Africa
b) Chile
c) Namibia
d) Egypt
12. Recently the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) approved it's firstever equity investment, worth .......... to catalyze private capital for infrastructure projects in India.
a) $ 70 million
b) $110 million
c) $150 million
d) $230 million
13. Who was the first Indian woman driver competed in one of the highest classes of Formula racing in the country at the upcoming JK Tyre-FMSCI National racing championship?
a) Radha Menon
b) Aprajita Sehgal
c) Mira Erda
d) Ritu Das
14. According to the study by UK-based Money Super Market what is the present rank of India in survey of nations with the lowest global environmental impact?
a) 34th
b) 46th
c) 57th
d) 75th
15. Who is not among the three countries that will participate in Malabar 2017, a joint midsummer exercise aimed at addressing shared threats to maritime security in the Indo-Asia Pacific region?
a) Japan
b) USA
c) Indonesia
d) India
16. David Grossman has won the Man Booker International Prize for his novel "A Horse walks into a bar". David Grossman belongs to:
a) Uganda
b) Canada
c) Australia
d) Israel
17. Recently the government, through a notification amending a prevention of money laundering law, has made it mandatory to provide Aadhaar to open a bank account and to conduct a transaction of ......... or more.
a) Rs.20,000
b) Rs.50,000
c) Rs.1,00,000
d) Rs.2,50,000
18. According to Environment Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan, India is committed to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality by the year:
a) 2020
b) 2025
c) 2030
d) 2050
19. Recently which of the following country ratified automatic exchange of financial account information with India and 40 other jurisdictions to facilitate immediate sharing of details on suspected black money?
a) Belarus
b) Switzerland
c) Russia
d) USA
20. In order to boost G&J sector in the region Gem & Jewellery Training Institute, a first of its kind in Southern India is to be set up in:
a) Kochi
b) Palakkad
c) Udupi
d) Mangalore
21. In an attempt to keep India's regional navigation satellite system fully operational, ISRO is preparing to launch a back-up for IRNSS-1A, one of the seven satellites in the constellation. What is the name of its regional navigation satellite system?
a) GAGAN
b) NavIC
c) Galileo
d) None of the above
22. Recently which of the following countries's scientists have found that using blue-green algae and light to trigger photosynthesis could help treat cardiac disease, the top cause of death globally?
a) Japan
b) Germany
c) USA
d) China
23. Recently P.N.Bhagwati passed away. He was the:
a) Former Chief Election Commissioner of India
b) Former Chief Justice of India
c) Former Indian cricket test team captain
d) First Chief Information Commissioner of India
24. Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has been in the news, because it has been campaigns for the creation of a separate state Gorkhaland within India, out of districts in the north of which of the following states of India?
a) Tamil Nadu
b) West Bengal
c) Uttar Pradesh
d) Madhya Pradesh
25. Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State (Independent charge) for Culture & Tourism launched the implementation of the ''National Mission on Cultural Mapping of India' at:
a) Mathura, Uttar Pradesh
b) Chitradurga, Karnataka
c) Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu
d) Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh
26. How many new Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSKs) has been launched by Government of India in June 2017?
a) 50
b) 149
c) 100
d) 500
27. Which is the country's first public transport system to reserve jobs for members of the third gender people in June 2017?
a) Kolkata Metro
b) Hyderabad Metro
c) Kochi Metro
d) Delhi Metro
28. Sardar Sarovar Dam is being built on which of the following rivers?
a) Tapi
b) Krishna
c) Narmada
d) Godavari
29. Which of the following states of India is poised to fortify its position as the "Tiger State of India" with major reserves indicating an increase in the tiger population as per the annual census completed recently?
a) Karnataka
b) Assam
c) Gujarat
d) Rajasthan
30. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has progressed to the testing of subsystems in the development of a semi-cryogenic engine for rockets with heavier payload capacity. The semi-cryogenic engine uses a combination of which of the following as propellants?
a) Liquid oxygen (LOX)
b) Refined kerosene (Isrosene)
c) Solid lithium (SLM)
d) Both (a) and (b)
31. Who among the following won the doubles title in the $60,000 ITF women's tennis tournament in June 2017?
a) Prarthana Thombare and Kotomi Takahata
b) Prarthana Thombare and Natcharee Teerachodjiranon
c) Prarthana Thombare and Yu-Yun Li
d) Prarthana Thombare and Natasha Sengphrachanh
32. Right to Information Act reveals that the Election Commission of India had ordered registration of FIR against the Chief Minister and others for alleged electoral malpractices during the Dr. Radhakrishnan Nagar by-election of which of the following states?
a) Tamil Nadu
b) West Bengal
c) Goa
d) Karnataka
33. A Street in Thuruthi ward of Kasaragod municipality that was recently named 'Gaza', a reference to the disputed strip of land between which of the following countries?
a) Israel and Egypt
b) Israel and Syria
c) Israel and Libya
d) Israel and Jordon
34. Which among the following Palaces has becomes first Indian building to get trademark in June 2017?
a) Mysore Palace
b) Taj Mahal Palace
c) Nizam Palace
d) Raja Maharanjith Singh Palace
35. The 106th Session of International Labour Conference (ILC) was held from 5-16th June 2017 in:
a) USA
b) South Africa
c) Switzerland
d) Norway
36. How many member countries are there in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank?
a) 80
b) 10
c) 50
d) 40
37. Reserve Bank of India said its internal advisory committee (IAC) had identified 12 accounts, which account for ........... % of non-performing assets of the Indian banking system for immediate resolution under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC).
a) 30
b) 25
c) 20
d) 15
38. The 'Make in India' initiative unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, provided the supply side intervention(s) of which of the following?
a) FDI reforms
b) Ease of doing business
c) Scaling up physical infrastructure and competitive federalism
d) All of the above
39. Which among the following country's cricket team has won its maiden ICC Champion Trophy in June 2017?
a) India
b) England
c) Pakistan
d) South Africa
40. Who among the following won the Indonesia Open men's singles trophy in June 2017?
a) Sai Praneeth
b) Son Wan Ho
c) Kidambi Srikanth
d) Kazumasa Sakai
ANSWERS:
1-a, 2-c, 3-b, 4-d, 5-c, 6-b, 7-c, 8-a, 9-d, 10-d
11-c, 12-c, 13-c, 14-d, 15-c, 16-d, 17-b, 18-c, 19-b, 20-c
21-b, 22-c, 23-b, 24-b, 25-a, 26-b, 27-c, 28-c, 29-a, 30-d
31-a, 32-a, 33-a, 34-b, 35-c, 36-a, 37-b, 38-d, 39-c, 40-c
a) Maharashtra
b) Gujarat
c) Rajasthan
d) Karnataka
2. Recently in an attempt to reduce the number of deaths of endangered wildlife in Thar Desert, new "rescue wards" have come up in the far-flung rural areas of Jodhpur. Thar Desert does not lie in:
a) Gujarat
b) Haryana
c) Madhya Pradesh
d) Punjab
3. Recently Reserve Bank of India has put which bank under prompt corrective action (PCA) due to a sharp increase in bad loans?
a) Union Bank of India
b) Central Bank of India
c) United Bank of India
d) IDBI Bank
4. Recently India has decided for the first time to place a dedicated cell to promote investments of which country in India?
a) Canada
b) USA
c) Australia
d) Russia
5. The National Physical Laboratory (NPL), part of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research and the only agency in India that is authorised to maintain Indian Standard Time (IST). It is located in:
a) Mumbai
b) Allahabad
c) New Delhi
d) Kolkata
6. Recently a team of experts at the Indian Institute of Technology - Kharagpur has fashioned a hybrid material based on silk protein called:
a) Silk Lyptonn
b) Silk Fibroin
c) Silk Ranyon
d) Silk Tinyton
7. Recently the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launched 'IDCF' in order to intensify efforts to reduce child deaths due to:
a) Diphtheria
b) Tuberculosis
c) Diarrhoea
d) Tetanus
8. Who has been appointed as India's ambassador to the European Union (EU) in June 2017?
a) Gaitri Issar Kumar
b) Ajit Vinayak Gupte
c) Reenat Sandhu
d) Ranjan Deepak
9. The government is set to roll out the 'Mission Parivar Vikas' programme to improve family planning services in how many districts of India?
a) 56
b) 78
c) 104
d) 146
10. Name the 1st Indian woman who has been elected as member of International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS)?
a) Sumedha Puri
b) Anandita Razdan
c) Koel Agrahari
d) Neeru Chadha
11. Recently Anglo American's diamond unit De Beers launched the world's largest diamond exploration vessel off the coast of:
a) South Africa
b) Chile
c) Namibia
d) Egypt
12. Recently the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) approved it's firstever equity investment, worth .......... to catalyze private capital for infrastructure projects in India.
a) $ 70 million
b) $110 million
c) $150 million
d) $230 million
13. Who was the first Indian woman driver competed in one of the highest classes of Formula racing in the country at the upcoming JK Tyre-FMSCI National racing championship?
a) Radha Menon
b) Aprajita Sehgal
c) Mira Erda
d) Ritu Das
14. According to the study by UK-based Money Super Market what is the present rank of India in survey of nations with the lowest global environmental impact?
a) 34th
b) 46th
c) 57th
d) 75th
15. Who is not among the three countries that will participate in Malabar 2017, a joint midsummer exercise aimed at addressing shared threats to maritime security in the Indo-Asia Pacific region?
a) Japan
b) USA
c) Indonesia
d) India
16. David Grossman has won the Man Booker International Prize for his novel "A Horse walks into a bar". David Grossman belongs to:
a) Uganda
b) Canada
c) Australia
d) Israel
17. Recently the government, through a notification amending a prevention of money laundering law, has made it mandatory to provide Aadhaar to open a bank account and to conduct a transaction of ......... or more.
a) Rs.20,000
b) Rs.50,000
c) Rs.1,00,000
d) Rs.2,50,000
18. According to Environment Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan, India is committed to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality by the year:
a) 2020
b) 2025
c) 2030
d) 2050
19. Recently which of the following country ratified automatic exchange of financial account information with India and 40 other jurisdictions to facilitate immediate sharing of details on suspected black money?
a) Belarus
b) Switzerland
c) Russia
d) USA
20. In order to boost G&J sector in the region Gem & Jewellery Training Institute, a first of its kind in Southern India is to be set up in:
a) Kochi
b) Palakkad
c) Udupi
d) Mangalore
21. In an attempt to keep India's regional navigation satellite system fully operational, ISRO is preparing to launch a back-up for IRNSS-1A, one of the seven satellites in the constellation. What is the name of its regional navigation satellite system?
a) GAGAN
b) NavIC
c) Galileo
d) None of the above
22. Recently which of the following countries's scientists have found that using blue-green algae and light to trigger photosynthesis could help treat cardiac disease, the top cause of death globally?
a) Japan
b) Germany
c) USA
d) China
23. Recently P.N.Bhagwati passed away. He was the:
a) Former Chief Election Commissioner of India
b) Former Chief Justice of India
c) Former Indian cricket test team captain
d) First Chief Information Commissioner of India
24. Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has been in the news, because it has been campaigns for the creation of a separate state Gorkhaland within India, out of districts in the north of which of the following states of India?
a) Tamil Nadu
b) West Bengal
c) Uttar Pradesh
d) Madhya Pradesh
25. Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State (Independent charge) for Culture & Tourism launched the implementation of the ''National Mission on Cultural Mapping of India' at:
a) Mathura, Uttar Pradesh
b) Chitradurga, Karnataka
c) Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu
d) Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh
26. How many new Post Office Passport Seva Kendras (POPSKs) has been launched by Government of India in June 2017?
a) 50
b) 149
c) 100
d) 500
27. Which is the country's first public transport system to reserve jobs for members of the third gender people in June 2017?
a) Kolkata Metro
b) Hyderabad Metro
c) Kochi Metro
d) Delhi Metro
28. Sardar Sarovar Dam is being built on which of the following rivers?
a) Tapi
b) Krishna
c) Narmada
d) Godavari
29. Which of the following states of India is poised to fortify its position as the "Tiger State of India" with major reserves indicating an increase in the tiger population as per the annual census completed recently?
a) Karnataka
b) Assam
c) Gujarat
d) Rajasthan
30. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has progressed to the testing of subsystems in the development of a semi-cryogenic engine for rockets with heavier payload capacity. The semi-cryogenic engine uses a combination of which of the following as propellants?
a) Liquid oxygen (LOX)
b) Refined kerosene (Isrosene)
c) Solid lithium (SLM)
d) Both (a) and (b)
31. Who among the following won the doubles title in the $60,000 ITF women's tennis tournament in June 2017?
a) Prarthana Thombare and Kotomi Takahata
b) Prarthana Thombare and Natcharee Teerachodjiranon
c) Prarthana Thombare and Yu-Yun Li
d) Prarthana Thombare and Natasha Sengphrachanh
32. Right to Information Act reveals that the Election Commission of India had ordered registration of FIR against the Chief Minister and others for alleged electoral malpractices during the Dr. Radhakrishnan Nagar by-election of which of the following states?
a) Tamil Nadu
b) West Bengal
c) Goa
d) Karnataka
33. A Street in Thuruthi ward of Kasaragod municipality that was recently named 'Gaza', a reference to the disputed strip of land between which of the following countries?
a) Israel and Egypt
b) Israel and Syria
c) Israel and Libya
d) Israel and Jordon
34. Which among the following Palaces has becomes first Indian building to get trademark in June 2017?
a) Mysore Palace
b) Taj Mahal Palace
c) Nizam Palace
d) Raja Maharanjith Singh Palace
35. The 106th Session of International Labour Conference (ILC) was held from 5-16th June 2017 in:
a) USA
b) South Africa
c) Switzerland
d) Norway
36. How many member countries are there in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank?
a) 80
b) 10
c) 50
d) 40
37. Reserve Bank of India said its internal advisory committee (IAC) had identified 12 accounts, which account for ........... % of non-performing assets of the Indian banking system for immediate resolution under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC).
a) 30
b) 25
c) 20
d) 15
38. The 'Make in India' initiative unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, provided the supply side intervention(s) of which of the following?
a) FDI reforms
b) Ease of doing business
c) Scaling up physical infrastructure and competitive federalism
d) All of the above
39. Which among the following country's cricket team has won its maiden ICC Champion Trophy in June 2017?
a) India
b) England
c) Pakistan
d) South Africa
40. Who among the following won the Indonesia Open men's singles trophy in June 2017?
a) Sai Praneeth
b) Son Wan Ho
c) Kidambi Srikanth
d) Kazumasa Sakai
ANSWERS:
1-a, 2-c, 3-b, 4-d, 5-c, 6-b, 7-c, 8-a, 9-d, 10-d
11-c, 12-c, 13-c, 14-d, 15-c, 16-d, 17-b, 18-c, 19-b, 20-c
21-b, 22-c, 23-b, 24-b, 25-a, 26-b, 27-c, 28-c, 29-a, 30-d
31-a, 32-a, 33-a, 34-b, 35-c, 36-a, 37-b, 38-d, 39-c, 40-c
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