BANKING AWARENESS MODEL PRACTICE MCQs

1.    Periodically Reserve Bank of India (RBI) reviews a few SLR norms. SLR stands for?
    a) Statutory Liquidity Ratio
    b) Statutory Liquidity Rate
    c) Statutory Liquidity Return
    d) Statutory Liquidity Repo
    e) None of the above

2.    In the recent months, Indian Rupee depreciated heavily against US Dollar. Rupee depreciation means?
    a)    Value of Rupee decreasing against a basket of currencies
    b)    Less number of Rupees per US Dollar
    c)    More number of Rupees per US Dollar
    d)    Less number of Dollars per Rupee
    e)    None of the above

3.    In India, Commodities Market is regulated by?
    a) Forward Market Commission
    b) Forward Market Committee
    c) Forward Market Corporation
    d) Forward Market Council
    e) None of the above

4.    Food Security Bill is recently passed by Parliament. What does the Food Security Bill intend to achieve?
    a)    At least 3kg of food grains per person per month to be given to general category households, at prices not exceeding 50% of Minimum Support Price.
    b)    Up to 75% of the rural population and up to 50% of urban population are to be covered under Targeted Public Distribution System.
    c)    Children aged six months to 14 years would get take-home ration or hot cooked food.
    d)    The oldest adult woman in each house would be considered the head of that household when issuing the ration card.
    e)    All of the above

5.    FIPB stands for?
    a)    Foreign Investment and Production Board
    b)    Foreign Investment and Promotion Board
    c)    Foreign Investment and Promotion Bureau
    d)    Foreign Investment and Protection Board
    e)    None of the above

6.    In India, Capital Markets are regulated by?
    a)    Securities and Exchange Board of India
    b)    Reserve Bank of India
    c)    State Bank of India
    d)    International Monetary Fund
    e)    None of the above

7.    RAND is the currency of ?
    a) China    b) Japan
    c) North Korea    d) South Africa
    e) None of the above

8.    Recently RBI took several steps to control Rupee depreciation. Due to Rupee depreciation?
    a) Exports become costlier
    b) Imports become costlier
    c) Imports become cheaper
    d) Both (a)&(c)
    e) None of the above

9.    India's GDP growth is slowing down. GDP means?
    a) Gross Domestic Product
    b) Gross Domestic Poverty
    c) Gross Demand Production
    d) Gross Demand Product
    e) None of the above

10.    Chakravarthy Rangarajan is?
    a)    Governor of Reserve Bank of India
    b)    Director of Securities and Exchange Board of India
    c)    Chairman of Prime Minister Economic Advisory Council
    d)    Chairman of State Bank of India
    e) None of the above

11.    International Monetary Fund (IMF) works to foster global monetary cooperation, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth. Who is the current managing director of IMF?
    a) Kaushik Basu
    b) Dr. Y V Reddy
    c) Jim Yong Kim
    d) Christine Lagarde
    e) None of the above

12.    Air-Asia India is the new proposed Airline in India. It tied up with the following Industrial group for its launch in India?
    a) TATAs    
    b) Reliance group
    c) Aditya Birla group
    d) Infosys    
    e) None of the above

13.    Raghuram Rajan became the 23rd RBI Governor on 5th September 2013. Whom did he succeed?
    a) Dr Y V Reddy
    b) D Subba Rao
    c) Bimal Jalan
    d) Dr Rangarajan    
    e) None

14.    IRDA headquarters located in which City?
    a) Mumbai    
    b) Bangalore
    c) Hyderabad    
    d) Chennai
    e) None of the above

15.    Arundathi Battacharya was recently in the news. She is?
    a) Managing Director of SBI
    b) Chairman of Punjab National Bank
    c) CEO of ICICI Bank
    d) CEO of Axis Bank
    e) None of the above

16.    India's CAD was 4.8% of GDP in 2012-13. CAD means?
    a) Current Amount Deficit
    b) Current Account Deficit
    c) Current Asst Debt
    d) Common Account Deficit
    e) None of the above

17.    Which of the following is NOT matched?
    a) C B Bhave - SEBI
    b)    Rangarajan - Planning Commission
    c) Raghuram Rajan - RBI
    d) T S Vijayan - IRDA
    e) Yogesh Agarwal - PFRDA

18.    Who is the Chairman of the Planning Commission?
    a) P. Chidambaram
    b) Monteksingh Ahluwalia
    c) Raghuram Rajan
    d) Manmohan Singh
    e) None of the above

19.    As per findings of the recent Raghuram Rajan Committee report which State is the most developed?
    a) Kerala    
    b) Goa
    c) Gujarat    
    d) Tamilnadu
    e) None of the above

20.    As per the insurance bill, 2013, Foreign Investors can hold up to?
    a)    51% of the capital in an Indian insurance company
    b)    39% of the capital in an Indian insurance company
    c)    49% of the capital in an Indian insurance company
    d)    29% of the capital in an Indian insurance company
    e) None of the above

21.    Statutory liquidity ratio(SLR) refers to the amount that the commercial banks require to maintain with RBI.
    What are the permitted SLR investments?
    a) Only Gold
    b)    Gold or Govt approved Securities
    c) Only Govt approved Securities
    d) Only Cash
    e) None of the above

22.    Direct Taxes Code (DTC) is intended to be introduced in the monsoon session of Parliament. DTC seeks to replace?
    a) Indian Contract Act
    b) Indirect Tax Act
    c) Income-Tax Act
    d) Banking Regulation Act
    e) None of the above

23.    In July 2013, RBI notified that Non-CTS Cheques are valid till the end of year 2013. CTS means?
    a) Cheque Truncation System
    b) Cheque Transaction System
    c) Cheque Transmission Service
    d) Cheque Transport Service
    e) None of the above

24.    In July 2013, SEBI Act was amended to curb Ponzi schemes. Ponzi Scheme means?
    a)    Name of a Mutual Fund Scheme to earn higher returns
    b)    Collective investment Schemes floated by fly by night operators
     c)    Name of a Bank Deposit Product
    d)    Name of a Health Insurance scheme
    e)    None of the above

25.    The minimum rate of Interest charged by a Bank from Customers on the loans is?
    a) Base Rate    
    b) Bank Rate
    c) Prime Rate
    d) Prime Lending Rate
    e) None of the above

26.    Which of the following is NOT true with regard to FCNR Accounts?
    a)    NRIs can open the Account
    b)    Can be opened in 'Permitted Currency' only
    c)    Minimum Term is 1 year
    d)    Maximum Term 5 years
    e) None of the above

27.    REPO rate means?
    a)    Rate at which the RBI will borrow from the banks
    b)    Rate at which banks will borrow from other banks
    c)    Rate at which the RBI lends to banks
    d)    Rate at which banks lend to customers
    e)    None of the above

28.    Fiscal Deficit Refers to?
    a)    The difference between the government's total expenditure and its total receipts (including borrowing)
    b)    The difference between the government's total expenditure and its total receipts (excluding borrowing)
    c)    The difference between the government's Tax collections and Salary payments
    d)    The difference between the government's Tax collections and government's Borrowings
    e)    None of the above

29.    "DAX" is the stock market in?
    a) Germany    
     b) USA
    c) France    
    d) Hongkong
    e) None of the above

30.    After retirement, Ratan Tata was made the Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons. Who succeeded Ratan Tata as Chairman of Tata Sons?
    a) Cyrus Mistry    
    b) Niira Radia
     c) Mukesh Ambani
    d) Nandan Nilekani
    e) None of the above

31.    Yellow Metal refers to?
    a) Copper    
    b) Silver
    c) Platinum    
    d) Gold
    e) None of the above

32.    Who is the Chairman of the committee set up to scrutinize applications for new Bank licenses?
    a) Usha Thorat    
    b) Bimal Jalan
    c) C B Bhave    
    d) S Damodaran
    e) None of the above

33.    Who is the World Bank President?
    a) Christine Legrade
    b) Jim Yong Kim
    c) Raghuram Rajan
    d) Monteksingh Ahluwalia
    e) None of the above

34.    Ben Bernanke is the Chairman of Federal Reserve. What is Federal Reserve?
    a)    Central Bank of UK
    b)    Financial wing of the World Bank
    c)    Central Bank of USA
    d)    European Union Central Bank
    e)    None of the above

Answers:
1) a; 2) c; 3) a;  4) e;  5) b;  6) a; 7) d; 8) b; 9) a; 10) c; 
11) d; 12) a; 13) b; 14) c; 15) a; 16) b; 17) b; 18) d; 19) b; 20) c; 
21) b; 22) c; 23) a; 24) b; 25) a; 26) e; 27) c; 28) b; 29) a; 30) a; 
31) d; 32) b; 33) b; 34) c

BANKING AWARENESS PRACTICE MCQs FOR BANK EXAMS

1.    The first Indian bank to open a branch outside India in London in 1946?
     a) SBI    
     b) PNB    
     c) BOB    
     d) Canara Bank
     e) BOI
 
 2.    Coins are minted at ?
     a) Mumbai    
     b) Hyderabad    
      c) Noida    
      d) Kolkatta    
      e) All of these
 
 3.    Which of the following is not a function of commercial bank?
      a) Providing project finance
      b) Selling mutual funds
      c)    Deciding policy rates like CRR, Repo rates/SLR etc.
      d)    Settlement of payments on behalf of the customers
      e)    Providing services such as locker facilities, remittances etc..
 
 4.    The New Capital Adequacy Frame work prescribed for the banks is commonly known as?
     a) KYC norms    
     b) Credit Policy
     c) Basel accord
     d) Fiscal Policy
     e) None of these
 
 5.     Expand the term FRBM?
 a)    Financial Responsibility and Business management
 b)    Fiscal Responsibility and Business management
 c)    Financial Responsibility and Budget Management
 d)    Fiscal Responsibility and     Budget Management
 e)    Formal Responsibility and Business Management
 
 6. What is an Indian Depository Receipt?
 a)    A deposit account with a Public Sector Bank
 b)    A depository account with any of depositories
 c)    An instrument in the form of depository receipt created by an Indian depository against underlying equity shares of the issuing company
 d)    An instrument in the form of deposit receipt issued by Indian depositories
e) None of these
 
 7.    Land Development Banks form a part of the?
     a) Commercial Banks
     b) Industrial Development Bank of India
     c) Food Corporation of India
     d) Co-operative Credit Structure
     e) None of these
 
 8.    Which of the following cannot be called as a value Added Service offered by bank?
 a)    Special Accounts for poor sections of society
 b)    Accident Insurance Cover
 c)    Instant credit of outstations cheques     
 d)    free cheque books    
 e) All of these
 
 9.    The minimum number of women required for formation of women groups under Development of women and children in Rural Areas Programme is?
a) 20        
b) 15        
c) 10        
d) 05        
e) None of these
 
 10.    What is the full form of 'FINO', a term we see frequently in financial newspapers?
 a)    Financial Investment Network and Operations
 b)    Farmer's Investment in National Organization
 c)    Farmers Inclusion News and Operations
 d)    Financial Inclusion Network and Operations
 e) None of these
 
 11.    With an aim to provide better services to the debit card holders, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has directed all commercial and public sector banks to introduce new Automated Teller Machines (ATM) that can deliver lower denomination notes such as?
     a) Rs 10    
     b) 20    
     c) 50.
     d) None of the above
     e) All the above
 
 12.    Which of the following banks is limited to the needs of agriculture and rural finance?
     a) RBI    
     b) SBI    
     c) IFC    
     d) NABARD    
     e) Axis Bank
 
 13.    Open-market operations of Reserve Bank Of India refer to?
     a) Trading in securities        
      b) Auctioning        
     c) Transaction in gold
     d) All of these            
     e) None of these
 
 14.    Which of the following has introduced a new tool named Data Warehousing and Business Intelligence System for speedy analysis of data and identifica-tion of violations?
     a) IRDA     
      b) SBI    
     c) RBI    
     d) TRAI    
     e) None of these
 
 15.    The Reserve Bank hiked the limit for foreign investment in Asset Reconstruction Companies (ARCs) from the earlier cap of 49 percent to?
     a) 74 %    
      b) 47 %
     c) 57 %    
     d) 72 %
     e) None of the above
 
 16. Which of the following is NOT the part of the scheduled banking structure in india?
     a) Money Lenders
     b) Public  Sector Banks    
     c) Private Sector Banks
     d) Regional Rural Banks    
     e) State Co-operative Banks
 
 17.    Who is the chairman of the committee constituted by RBI to study issues and concerns in the Micro Finance Institutions sector?
     a) Y.H. Malegam        
     b) Dr K.C.Chakraborty        
     c) C.Rangarajan
     d) M.Damodaran     
     e) Smt Usha  Thorat
 
 18.    An instrument of qualitative credit control in india is?
     a) Open market operations    
     b) Credit rationing    
     c) Change in reverse ratio
     d) Bank rate policy
     e) None of these
 
 19.    Which of the following is the full form of the term SLR as used in the banking sector?
     a) Social Lending Ratio
     b) Statutory Liquidity Ratio    
     c) Scheduled Liquidity Rate
     d) Separate Lending  Rate    
     e) None of these

 20.    World Bank Headquarters is in?
a) India    
b) USA        
c) Switzerland    
d) Japan        
e) UK
 
 Answers
 1)  e;    2)  e;  3)  c;4)  c; 5)  d;  6)  c;    7)  d;    8)  d;  9)  c; 10) a;    
 11) e; 12) d; 13) a; 14) b; 15) a;     16) a; 17) a; 18) b; 19) b: 20) b.  

RBI allowed the Non-Resident Investors to buy Shares under FDI Scheme

The Reserve Bank of India on 6 September 2013 allowed the Non-Resident Investors including NRIs to purchase shares of Indian entities Under FDI Scheme. The investment can be made as per the mentioned conditions. RBI has allowed the NRIs to make investment under the FDI scheme only on the listed entities, on recognized stock exchanges.

The Reserve Bank of India has decided to include the non-residents, including the NRIs to acquire the shares of domestic companies listed under FDI scheme, on the stock exchanges through a registered broker, if the investor has already acquired and continues to hold control in accordance with SEBI, Substantial Takeover Code. 

RBI has also cleared that the inward remittance using the normal banking channels can be used for payment of the transfer of shares to non-residents consequent to purchase. The debit to the NRE pr FCNR account of a person with authorized dealer or bank can also be considered for making the payment of the transferred shares. Escrow Accounts (non-interest bearing) maintained in India can also be used to debit the payment.  The prices of the transfer of the shares for the non-resident shareholders would be made in accordance to the pricing guidelines mentioned under, FEMA. 

Till now, the FIIs (Foreign Institutional Investor), QFIs (Qualified Foreign Investors) and NRIs were eligible to invest and acquire the shares on the recognized stock exchanges of India in compliance with the FEMA (Foreign Exchange Management Act) regulations. But the NRIs were not allowed to acquire shares on exchange (bourses) under the FDI Scheme.

RBI Revised Gold Import Norms to Contain CAD

To contain the current account deficit, RBI announced some measures to curb the demand for gold in the month of September 2013 considering one of the major reason for widening the current account deficit.

Supplies of the metal to special economic zones (SEZs) will not be counted as exports to qualify for further purchases from overseas. As per the existing norms, 20 percent of every lot of imported gold has to be made exclusively available for the purpose of exports.

Gold made available by a nominated agency to units in the SEZ and export oriented units, Premier and Star trading houses shall not qualify as supply of gold to the exporters.RBI announced that entities and units in SEZs and EoUs, Premier and Star trading houses are permitted to import gold exclusively for the purpose of exports.

The government aims to bring it down to USD 70 billion in 2013-14 fiscal from 88 billion US Dollar in 2012-13. Gold imports in April-July 2013 rose 87 percent to 383 tonnes.

RBI Released the Discussion Paper on ‘Banking Structure in India – The Way Forward’

The Reserve Bank of India on 27 August 2013 released the Discussion Paper on ‘Banking Structure in India – The Way Forward’. 

Primary Features of the Discussion Paper on ‘Banking Structure in India – The Way Forward’

• The paper focuses on certain building blocks for the reorientation of the banking structure with a view to addressing various issues such as enhancing competition, financing higher growth, providing specialised services and furthering financial inclusion.
• The paper also emphasised the need to address the concerns arising out of such changes with a view to managing the trade off for ensuring financial stability.
• The paper discussed that the overall thrust of the reorientation is to impart dynamism and flexibility to the evolving banking structure, while ensuring that the structure remains resilient and promotes financial stability.

Crucial issues covered by the Discussion Paper on ‘Banking Structure in India – The Way Forward’

• Small banks vs. large banks: The paper discussed how small local banks play an important role in the supply of credit to small enterprises and agriculture and banking services in unbanked and under-banked regions in India. However, while permitting large number of small banks, there are certain issues which need to be addressed suitably and these issues include their size, numbers, capital requirements, exposure norms, regulatory prescriptions, corporate governance and resolution.
• Universal Banking: The paper discussed that the universal banking model remains the dominant and preferred model in most of the post crisis world because of the failure of many investment banks during the crisis. In this banking model, the Financial Holding Company (FHC) structure offers a range of benefits and therefore becomes a preferred model. The paper discussed that there is a need of promoting investment banks as well as investment banking activities. 
• Continuous Authorisation: The RBI, in its paper discussed that there is a case for reviewing the current ‘Stop and Go’ licensing policy and consider adopting a continuous authorisation policy, as continuous authorisation keeps the competitive pressure on the existing banks and also does not strain the banking system as the block licensing may do. The entry norms should however be stringent in order to encourage the entry of only well-qualified entities. 
• Conversion of UCBs into commercial banks: The RBI in its paper discussed the possibilities of converting the UCBs to commercial banks or small banks in order to help them reach the regions that are characterised by poor banking outreach.
• Consolidation: The RBI suggested, in its paper that taking into account the pros and cons of consolidation, it has to be taken into consideration that while consolidation of commercial banks with established synergies and on the basis of voluntary initiatives is welcome, it cannot be imposed on banks. A measured approach is to be made both on consolidation and global presence even if attaining global size is not imminent.
• Presence of Foreign Banks in India: The importance of the foreign banks in India has increased tremendously after the crisis. Domestic incorporation of these banks through the route of subsidiarisation has gained momentum. 
• Presence of Indian Banks at International Locations: The RBI suggested local incorporation by large banks either individually or in joint venture mode with other banks or with overseas banks, at the international locations. This will enable the large Indian banks to engage in a much wider range of activities and have greater potential for growth. Eventually, this may facilitate banks increasing their global reach.
• Government Ownership: The Central Bank suggested that optimal ownership mix in the banking sector is required to promote a balance between efficiency, equity and financial stability. The Government of India may consider options from menu of choices available such as issue of non-voting equity shares or differential voting equity shares, adopting FHC structure or diluting stake in PSBs.
• Deposit Insurance and resolution: The RBI, in its paper discussed that the existence of an effective resolution regime is essential for any type of banking structure India may pursue. The FSB key attributes could be the guiding principles for setting up a resolution framework in India.
• Indicative reorientation of the banking structure: The RBI suggested that the reoriented banking structure would comprise four tiers. The first tier may consist of three or four large Indian banks with domestic and international presence along with branches of foreign banks in India. The second tier is likely to comprise several mid-sized banking institutions including niche banks with economy-wide presence. The third tier may encompass old private sector banks, Regional Rural Banks, and multi state Urban Cooperative Banks. The fourth tier may embrace many small privately owned local banks and cooperative banks.

The need of Discussion Papers by the Reserve Bank of India

The need of reviewing the banking systems has been taken up by various jurisdictions, primarily after the global meltdown. The motive of current exercise in reviewing the banking structure in India is to put forth various options to enable the banking system to cater to the needs of a growing and increasingly globalising economy. 

Various studies have been undertaken in order to examine whether the nature of the banking structure matters for the economic growth of a country.

In the light of all this, the Reserve Bank of India issued guidelines for licensing of new banks in the private sector on 22 February 2013. In those guidelines, it was stated that there was a need for an explicit policy on banking structure in India, keeping in view the recommendations of the Narasimham Committee, Raghuram Rajan Committee and other viewpoints.

GENERAL AWARENESS MCQs FOR BANK EXAMS

1. Habiba Sarobi recently conferred with....
1) Bharat Ratna
2) Noble Award for Peace
3) Ramon Magsaysay Award
4) Templeton Prize
5) None

2. First full pledged legislation to allow the formation of Co-operative Societies is .......
1) Co-operative Credit Societies Act, 1904
2) Co-operative Credit Societies Act, 1912
3) Co-operative Credit Societies Act, 1911
4) Co-operative Credit Societies Act, 1971
5) None

3. The first Act to pass to pave the establishment of Co-operative banks -
1) Co-operative Credit Societies Act, 1922
2) Co-operative Credit Societies Act, 1924
3) Co-operative Credit Societies Act, 1972
4) Co-operative Credit Societies Act, 1951
5) Co-operative Credit Societies Act, 1912

4. Which committee was appointed in 1944 to give recommendations to improve co-operative movement?
1) Hilton-young
2) Radhakrishnan
3) MacLagan
4) Rodgers
5) None

5. Which sector is the major beneficiary of Cooperative banking system till 1969?
1) Education
2) Service
3) Agriculture
4) Export
5) Industrial

6. Indian Co-operative Bank system is ........
1) Unicameral
2) Semi Federal
3) Less Federal
4) Federal
5) Autocrat

7. On 13 April 2013, RBI decided to cancel the licenses of 26 loss-making co-operative banks as they got losses. Majority of them are in .....
1) AP
2) MP
3) Karnataka
4) Rajasthan
5) UP

8. ......... is the apex of the three-tier co-operative structure in India.
1) District Central Co-operative banks
2) Union Co-operative banks
3) District Co-operative banks
4) State Co-operative banks
5) None

9. Which bank finance, coordinate and control the working of District Central Co-operative Banks in the states?
1) National Co-operative Bank
2) Primary Co-operative Bank
3) State Co-operative Bank
4) Lower Development Bank
5) None

10. State Co-operative Banks (SCB) usually lend .......
1) District Central Co-operative Banks
2) Primary Co-operative banks
3) to individuals in exceptional cases
4) All of above
5) None

11. Capital of State Co-operative Banks (SCB) mobilized from ........
1) Members of District Central Co-operative Banks
2) Members of Primary Cooperative banks
3) 1 & 2
4) Only (1)
5) None

12. The external lending agencies to State Cooperative Banks (SCB) are ......
1) NABARD
2) Development Banks
3) State Government
4) Financial institutes
5) All of above

13. ........ is the intermediate rung in the threetier Co-operative Credit structure.
1) Primary Co-operative Banks
2) State Co-operative Banks
3) National Co-operative Banks
4) District Central Co-operative Banks
5) None

14. The funds of District Central Co-operative Banks arisen from ..........
1) NABARD lending
2) State government
3) Affiliated Co-operative societies
4) Funds from State Co-operative Banks
5) All of above

15. Gross level of arms of the short term cooperative credit structure is ........
1) District Central Co-operative banks
2) Primary Agricultural Credit Society
3) State Co-operative Banks
4) National Co-operative Banks
5) None

16. The functions of Primary Agricultural Credit Society is .......
1) lending
2) mortgage
3) pledge
4) accepting deposits
5) All of above

17. Primary Urban Co-operative banks established with the aim of giving delivering banking services in .... areas.
1) Urban
2) Rural
3) Metro
4) Villages
5) None

18. By which date, the Urban Co-operative banks must implement CBS facility in all its branches as per the order of RBI on 13 March 2013?
1) 31 October 2013
2) 31 December 2013
3) 31 January 2014
4) 31 August 2013
5) None

19. The recent actions/ orders of RBI to control Co-operative banks given. Pick the correct one.
1) Customers of Pune-based Rupee Cooperative Bank restricted by limiting the amount of money that depositors can withdraw up to Rs.1000 only. It is pune based bank.
2) On 5 March 2013, RBI asked Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs) to take necessary steps to ensure smooth transition to new international accounting norms IFRS from April 2014.
3) Amanath Co-operative Bank can conduct a financial transaction of not more than Rs.1,000 per account a day as per the directions of RBI on 7 April 2013. It is Karnataka based bank.
4) On 8 January 2013, RBI notified that all co-operative banks should not issued cobranded ATM cards without approval of RBI.
5) All of above

20. Primary Urban Co-operative Banks norms reviewed on the recommendations of ....... committee.
1) K.Madhava Rao
2) N.Laxaman Sinha
3) Vedanarayana
4) Sacchindananda
5) None

21. Probe against the chairman and directors of Gurusiddheshwar Urban Co-operative Bank started on 19th July 2013. It is in ...
1) Hublli
2) Hyderabad
3) Pune
4) New Delhi
5) Lucknow

22. Which is India's largest co-operative bank in India looking to acquire the Pune-based Rupee Co-operative Bank?
1) Mahesh Co-operative bank
2) Mandavi Co-operative bank
3) Saraswat Co-operative bank
4) Lucknow Co-operative bank
5) None

23. In an effort to defend rupee, the Union government proposed to hike in the foreign investment limit in government debt by .....
1) $ 6 billion
2) $ 8 billion
3) $ 9 billion
4) $ 5 billion
5) $10 billion

24. Who heads the inter-ministerial panel has suggested higher taxes for non-essential imports to curb the Current Account Deficit (CAD)?
1) Anil Goswamy
2) C.Ranga Rajan
3) Rajat Bhargava
4) Anand Sharma
5) None

25. On 20 July 2013, the Parliamentary Committee on Finance submitted finalized its Goods and Services Tax Report. It is headed by ......
1) Murali Manohar Joshi
2) Venkaiah Naidu
3) Raghuram Govinda Rajan
4) Aravind Mayaram
5) Yashwant Sinha

26. To settle inter-state water disputes, prevent flood and pollution, on 24 June 2013, the Union government released a Draft River Basin Management bill which aims to set up how many river basin authorities?
1) 10
2) 24
3 ) 5
4) 18
5) 12

27. For the transformation of barren land in to cultivating land which state launched Bhumi sena scheme on 8 August 2013?
1) UP
2) AP
3) MP
4) Goa
5) Jammu and Kashmir

28. Douglas Engelbart died recently. He invented ........
1) QWERTY keyboard
2) Universal Serial Bus (USB)
3) Compact Disc
4) Computer Mouse
5) None

29. As per the 2013 Global Peace Index published by the Institute for Economics and Peace, the top most peaceful countries of the world are ...... ?
1) Iceland, Denmark and New Zealand
2) USA, UK and Australia
3) Japan, Switzerland and Finland
4) India, China and Mexico
5) None

30. Indian Junior Women Hockey team won its first ever Bronze medal on 4 August 2013 in Hockey Junior World Cup held in .........
1) India
2) France
3) Japan
4) Germany
5) Australia

31. BCCI stands for ........
1) Board of Cricket Control of India
2) Board of Control for Cricket in India
3) Board of Central Cricket in India
4) Board of Cricket Commission in India
5) None

32. Parupalli Kashyap is a........
1) Badminton player
2) Chess player
3) Member of Rajyasabha
4) Mountaineer
5) None

33. From 5 September 2013, the G-20 heads of government summit to be held in ........
1) Russia
2) USA
3) UK
4) India
5) Australia

34. 'An Uncertain Glory: India and its Contradictions' co-authored by Jean Dreze and ........
1) Amartya Sen
2) Subba Rao
3) Manmohan Singh
4) Abdul Kalam
5) None

35. Kalinga prize will be given for the ......
1) Popularization of Science
2) Cricket
3) Popularization of internet
4) Architecture models
5) None

36. Informal method of borrowing is familiar from .......
1) Regional Rural Banks
2) Public Sector Banks
3) Private Sector Banks
4) Money lenders
5) NABARD

37. State Bank of Pakistan is the central bank of Pakistan. Its headquarters is in .......
1) Islamabad
2) Hyderabad
3) Sind
4) Karachi
5) Abbotabad

ANSWERS:

1-3, 2-1, 3-5, 4-3, 5-3, 6-4, 7-5, 8-4, 9-3, 10-4
11-312-5, 13-4, 14-5, 15-2, 16-5, 17-1, 18-2, 19-5, 20-1
21-1, 22-3, 23-4, 24-3, 25-5, 26-5, 27-1, 28-4, 29-1, 30-4
31-2, 32-1, 33-1, 34-1, 35-1, 36-4, 37-4

Safefuards in New Banking Licence Norms

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued guidelines for setting up new banks in the private sector vide Press Release dated 22.02.2013. The last date for receipt of applications was 01.07.2013. In all, RBI has received 26 (twenty six) applications. 

At the first stage, the applications will be screened by RBI to ensure prima facie eligibility of the applicants, including the assessment of ‘fit and proper’ status of applicants. Thereafter, the applications will be referred to a High Level Advisory Committee to be set up by RBI. In view of the processes involved, it is expected to issue ‘in-principle’ approvals for new banks by the first quarter of 2014. 

The safeguards and prudential regulations which have been put in place in the guidelines for the new bank, the parent Non-Operative Financial Holding Company (NOFHC) and the consolidated bank to serve as adequate safeguards to deal with conflict of interest situations, inter-alia, include ‘fit and proper’ criteria; corporate structure of the Non-Operative Financial Holding Company (NOFHC); no exposure to the promoter group by bank, NOFHC and other financial sector entity under the NOFHC and; corporate governance of NOFHC and stipulation of majority of independent directors on the Board of the Bank. 

Investment of Banks in Money Laundering

The contravention of any of the directions and instructions issued by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) under the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 is an offence punishable under sub-section (4) of Section 46 of the Banking Regulation Act. In terms of sub-section (1) of Section 47A of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, if a contravention or default of the nature referred to in sub-section (4) of Section 46 is made by a bank, the Reserve Bank may, inter-alia, impose on such bank, a penalty not exceeding one crore rupees for each of such contravention and a further penalty which may extend to one lakh rupees for every day during which the contravention or default continues. 

The monetary penalties have been imposed on banks in exercise of powers vested in the RBI under the provisions of Section 47(A)(1)(c) read with Section 46(4)(i) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949. 

The fines and monetary penalties under section 46 and 47A of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 respectively were substantially increased through the Banking Laws (Amendment Act, 2012 which was brought into force in January, 2013. The objective of the amendments was to establish an effective and dissuasive penalty regime for violations of the provisions of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949. 

In view of the recent amendment to strengthen the regulatory and supervisory powers of RBI by rationalising the fine and penalty regime for violations under the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, there is no proposal to further rationalise the fine and penalty regime under the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.