ISRO won Gandhi Peace Prize 2014

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 27 March 2015 won Gandhi Peace Prize 2014. The award was selected by the jury under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Besides Prime Minister, other members of the Jury that selected the ISRO for the award were Justice H L Dattu, Chief Justice of India; Mallikarjun Kharge, leader of the single largest Opposition Party in the Lok Sabha; LK Advani, Member of Parliament and Gopalkrishna Gandhi.

The Indian space agency successfully launched Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) and at a very cost effective price of 450 crore rupees.

The launch makes India the first Asian country to enter the Martian sphere of influence.

ISRO became the fourth space agency after National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the US, Russian Federal Space Agency (RFSA) and European Space Agency to have undertaken a mission to Mars.

Besides launching various research and communication satellites, the space agency through its cutting-edge technologies contributes to the nation's development through satellite based education, health care and connectivity to community activities for sustainable economic development.

About the Award

The Gandhi Peace Prize for social, economic and political transformation through non-violence was instituted in the year 1995 on the occasion of the 125th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

It is given to individual or organisation for making social, economic and political transformation through non-violence means.

The award comprises an amount of one crore rupees and a citation.

Nobel Laureate John Nash won Abel Prize 2015 for work on partial differential equations

Nobel Laureate John F Nash Jr. won the Abel Prize 2015 for his work on partial differential equations. The prize was announced on 25 March 2015 by the Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters. They will receive the Abel Prize from His Majesty King Harald at a ceremony in Oslo on 19 May 2015.

He will share the Prize with Louis Nirenberg, Professor Emeritus at New York University's Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences. They both will share the prize money of 760000 US dollar.

Nash and Nirenberg won the prize for striking and seminal contributions to the theory of nonlinear partial differential equations and its applications to geometric analysis. Partial differential equations are important in both pure math and describing natural phenomena.

John Nash is a senior research mathematician at Princeton University. He won the Nobel Prize for Economics in 1994 for his work in game theory as dramatized in the 2001 film A Beautiful Mind in which he was portrayed by actor Russell Crowe.

About the Abel Prize

The Abel Prize is an international prize presented annually by the King of Norway to one or more outstanding mathematicians. The prize was named after Norwegian mathematician Niels Henrik Abel.

The award was established in 2001 by the Government of Norway and complements the Holberg Prize in the humanities.

The Abel Prize has often been described as the mathematician's Nobel Prize, competing in that respect with the much older Fields Medal. It comes with a monetary award of 6 million Norwegian kroner (NOK).

In 2014, it was won by Yakov G Sinai, Professor at Princeton University and Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences.

The first Abel Prize was won by Jean-Pierre Serre, Professor at Collège de France, Paris in 2003.

62nd National Film Awards Winners 2015

The 62nd National Film Awards were announced in a press conference in New Delhi on 24 March, 2015 . The conference was addressed by Jury Chairpersons Shri Bharathiraja and Shri Kamal Swaroop.

 List of winners:

• Best Feature Film: Court (Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati and English)
• Best Popular Film for Providing Wholesome Entertainment: Mary Kom
• Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director: Asha for Jaoar Majhe
• Special Jury Award: Khwada (Marathi)
• Best Direction: Srijit Mukherji for Chotushkone (Bengali)
• Best Actress: Kangana Ranaut for Queen
• Best Actor: Vijay for Nanu Avanalla Avalu (Kannada)
• Best Supporting Actor: Bobby Simhaa for Jigarthanda (Tamil)
• Best Supporting Actress: Baljinder Kaur for Pagdi The Honour (Haryanavi)
• Best Child Actor: Kaakkaa Muttai(Tamil)
• Best Female Playback Singer: Uttara Unnikrishanan for Azhagu, Saivam (Tamil)
• Best Costume Designer: Haider (Hindi) Dolly Ahluwalia
• Best Make-up Artist: Nangaraju and Raju for Nanu Avanalla Avalu (Kannada)
• Best Cinematography: Chotushkone (Bengali)
• Best Editing: Vivek Harshan for Jigarthanda (Tamil)
• Best Production Design: Aparna Raina for Nachom - IA Kumpasar (Konkani)
• Best Screenplay Writer (Original): Srijit Mukherji for Chotushkone (Bengali)
• Best Screenplay Writer (Adapted): Joshy Mangalath for Ottal (Malayalam)
• Best Dialogues: Vishal Bhardwaj for Haider
• Best Lyrics: NA. Muthukumar for Azhagu, Saivam (Tamil)
• Best Music Direction Songs: Haider
• Best Music Direction Background Score: Nineteen Eighty Three (Malayalam)
• Best Audiography - Location Sound Recordist: Mahaveer Sabbanwal for Khwada (Marathi)
• Best Audiography - Sound Designer: Anish John for Asha Jaoar Majhe (Bengali)
• Best Audiography - Re-recordist of the final mixed track: Anirban Sengupta and Dipankar Chaki for Nirbashito (Bengali)
• Best Choreography: Sudesh Bismil, Haider
• Best Assamese Film: Othello
• Best Bengali Film: Nirbashito
• Best Hindi Film: Queen
• Best Rabha Film: Orong
• Best Haryanvi Film: Pagdi The Honour
• Best Punjabi Film: Punjab 1984
• Best Tamil Film: Kuttram Kadithal
• Best Telugu Film: Chandamama Kathalu
• Best Malayalam Film: Ain
• Best Marathi Film: Killa
• Best Odiya Film: Aadim Vichar
• Best Kannada Film: Harivu
• Best Konkani Film: Nachom - IA Kumpasar
• Special Mention: Killa (Marathi), Bhootnath Returns (Hindi), Ain (Malayalam), Nachom - IA Kumpasar (Konkani)
• Best Film on Environment Consevation/Preservation: Ottaal (Malayalam)
• Best Educational Film: Komal and Behind the Glass Wall
• Best Exploration/ Adventure Film: Life Force - India's Western Ghats
• Best Investigative Film: Phum Shang 
• Best Animation Film: Sound of Joy
• Best Short Fiction Film: Mitraa
• Best Film on Social Issues: Chotoder Chobi
• Best Children's Film: Kaakkaa Muttai (Tamil) and Elizabeth Ekadashi (Marathi)
• Best Film Critic: Tanul Thakur
• Best Book on Cinema: Silent Cinema: (1895-1930) 

GENERAL AWARENESS PRACTICE MCQs FOR ALL BANK EXAMS

1. Banks obtain photograph at the time of opening of the account with a view to:
a) Avoid benami accounts
b) Verify the identity of the customer
c) Verify with police records
d) a & b
e) a to c

2. Banks are required to submit CTR (Cash Transaction Report) to ___ within ___ of succeeding month.
a) FIU, 30 days
b) FIU, 15 days
c) FIU, 7 days
d) RBI, 7 days
e) RBI, 15 days

3. Premium payable on deposit insurance on every Rs.100 per annum is
a) 10 paise
b) 5 paise
c) 25 paise
d) 50 paise
e) None

4. Which of the following can’t be a nominee?
a) Illiterate Person
b) Minor
c) NRI
d) HUF
e) None

5. In case of dishonor of cheques on financial grounds, the holder is required to issue notice to the drawer
within ___ days to claim remedy under section 138 of NI Act
a) 7 Days
b) 30 Days
c) One Year
d) Three Years
e) None

6. National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) has set up payment network to enable the member
banks to issue Domestic Payment Cards with a brand ___
a) Visa Card
b) Master Card
c) Prepaid Card
d) RuPay
e) Travel Card

7. Permanent Account Number (PAN) is mandatory for
a) Bank transactions (cash) of Rs. 50000/- & above
b) Purchase and sale of shares/ debentures/bonds of Rs. 50000/- & above
c) Purchase and sale of immovable property where the value of the property is Rs. 5 lakh & above
d) a & c
e) All

8. High Debt Service Coverage Ratio (DSCR) indicates
a) Unable to meet the installment obligations
b) Able to meet payment of installments comfortably
c) Liquidity problem
d) a & c
e) None

9. Which of the following statement is not true with regard to Capital Gains Deposit Scheme?
a) Income Tax Assess who are eligible for exemption under section 54 of the IT Act are alone can open account with Banks
b) Accounts can be opened under Savings, Fixed and Term Deposits
c) Cheque book can be issued to eligible accounts.
d) No lien or deposit loan is allowed against such deposits
e) None

10. Which of the following statement is not correct with regard to Tax Saver Scheme of Banks?
a) Tax exemption is available for the deposit amount under section 80C of IT Act
b) Period of deposit is allowed up to 5 Years
c) TDS is applicable, if interest payment is above Rs.10000/- in a financial year
d) Maximum amount of deposit allowed is Rs. 5 lakhs
e) c & d

11. Financial statements includes
a) Balance Sheet
b) P & L
c) Cash & Funds Flow
d) a & b
e) a, b & c

12. Banks are permitted to take over borrowal accounts from other Banks & Financial institutions provided
a) Account should be Standard Asset with positive net worth
b) Copy of the borrowal account for preceding 12 months is to be obtained
c) P & C report is to be obtained from other bank before disbursement
d) Branch to take approval from next sanctioning authority
e) All of the above

13. RBI extending incentives to Banks for the following services
a) Adjudication of Mutilated Bank Notes
b) Exchange of Soiled Notes
c) Distribution of Coins over the counter
d) Establishment of Coin vending Machines
e) All of the above

14. Which agency is enabling the transfer of subsidies directly to beneficiary accounts through Aadhaar Enabled Payment Bridge (APB)?
a) RBI
b) SEBI
c) IDRBT
d) NPCI
e) SBI

15. Call Money Market interest are linked to
a) Bank Rate
b) Repo Rate
c) Reverse Repo Rate
d) Market forces
e) None

16. Transaction Password relates to
a) Core Banking
b) ATM operations
c) Internet Banking
d) Tele banking
e) None

17. Nomination in respect of the following is to be witnessed by two persons.
a) All deposit accounts
b) Deposit accounts where the
nominee is a minor
c) Physically challenged accounts
d) Thumb impression accounts (illiterate)
e) None

18. When the contents of the Negotiable Instrument are modified by the drawer, it is treated as
a) Forgery
b) Fraud
c) Material alteration
d) suppression of facts
e) None

19. Prepayment charges are exempted for
a) Housing Loans
b) Education Loans
c) Agr. Loans
d) Corporate Loans
e) a, b & c

20. IFSC code consists of ___ Digits.
a) 9
b) 10
c) 11
d) 15
e) None

21. One Bank account per family is mandatory to avail
a) Credit facility from bank
b) Direct Benefit Transfer benefit (subsidy)
c) Interest subvention – Housing Loan
d) either a or b
e) none

22. What is the time limit to furnish the requested information under Right to Information Act (RTI) and what is the penalty for noncompliance of the said norm?
a) 30 days & Rs. 100 per day
b) 60 days & Rs. 100 per day
c) 30 days & Rs. 250 per day maximum of Rs. 25000/-
d) 60 days & Rs. 250 per day
e) None

23. The documents to be insisted from a NRI for opening an account is
a) Copies of Passport and VISA
b) Local and Overseas addresses
c) Compliance of KYC norms
d) Latest Passport size photographs
e) All of the above

24. Minimum and Maximum period of Certificate of Deposits
a) 15 days & 1 year
b) 30 days & 1 year
c) 7 days & 1 year
d) 7 days & no limit
e) None

25. Loans not exempted from Base Rate Purview?
a) Consortium Advance
b) Loans against deposits
c) Export Credit
d) Loans to staff members
e) None

26. Visually challenged persons are allowed to avail the following banking facilities?
a) Cheque Book
b) Debit Card
c) ATM Card
d) Locker
e) All

27. Housing Loan up to ___ is treated as Priority Sector.
a) 10 lakh
b) 15 lakh
c) 25 lakh in Metro with population above 10 lakh to 15 lakh in other centers
d) 25 lakh at all places
e) None

28. Nominee can exercise his right
a) During the tenure of deposit
b) On maturity of deposit
c) Any time since he will be treated as joint depositor
d) He has no right on deposit since it is in the name of the depositor
e) On the death of the depositor

29. Balances under Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) earn interest @___
a) 3% p.a.
b) Applicable SB Interest Rate
c) 5% p.a.
d) No interest
e) None

30. Banks are allowed to accept deposits under Capital Gains Scheme in ___
a) Savings
b) Fixed
c) Current
d) a & b
e) Any scheme

31. During March 2015, a Reserve Bank of India (RBI) committee had recommended introduction of PSLCs to enable banks "to meet their PSL requirements even while leveraging their comparative advantage in lending". What does the PSLC stands for?
a) Priority Sector Lending Certificates
b) Priority sector Loan Certificates
c) Primary and Secondary Sector Certificates
d) Public Sector Lending Certificates
e) None of the above

32. Zero Coupon Bonds refers to
a) Bond issued at face value
b) Bond issued with face value & interest
c) Bond issued at discount from its face value with interest
d) Bond issued at discount from its face value without interest
e) None

33. ATMs that are owned and managed by non-banking entities are called as ___
a) Onsite ATM
b) Offsite ATM
c) Third Party ATM
d) Red label ATM
e) White label ATM

34. For transfer of funds through NEFT (National Electronic Fund Transfer) and minimum and maximum amount that can be transferred are
a) Rs.1,000 and maximum Rs. 5 lakhs.
b) Rs. 1000 and maximum no limit
c)Rs. 5,000 and maximum 1 lakh
d) No minimum & maximum amount
e) None

35. Cash kept in the currency chest is owned by
a) Currency Chest Branch Bank
b) Central Government
c) Reserve Bank of India
d) State Bank of India
e) None of the above

36. Bank can't proceed against the borrower under SARFAESI Act where
a) Security is agri land
b) Liability is less than 1 lakh
c) Liability is less than 20% of the principal
d) Pledge of movables
e) All of the above

37. The minimum capital required to start a new private sector bank is?
a) Rs. 100 crore
b) Rs.200 crore
c) Rs. 300 crore
d) Rs.400 crore
e) Rs. 500 crore

38. RBI injects liquidity through
a) Increase Bank Rate
b) Reduction of Repo Rate
c) Reduction of Reverse Repo
d) Increase CRR
e) Increase SLR

39. A customer requested to include his wife and daughter as nominees after one year of opening of the account. Will it be accepted?
a) It can be accepted since the nominees are the family members of the depositor
b) Cannot be considered since the request is not received at the time of opening of account
c) Can be considered with 50% share each
d) Nomination should be made only in favor of single name. Hence can’t be considered
e) None of the above

40. What is the relationship between the Bank and Overdraft Customer where the account is showing credit balance?
a) Creditor & Debtor
b) Principle & Agent
c) Trustee & Beneficiary
d) Debtor & Creditor
e) None of the above

ANSWERS:
1) d; 2) b; 3) a; 4) d; 5) b; 6) d; 7) e; 8) b; 9) c; 10) d;
11) e; 12) e; 13) e; 14) d; 15) d; 16) c; 17) d; 18) c; 19) e; 20) c;
21) b; 22) a; 23) e; 24) c; 25) a; 26) b; 27) c; 28) e; 29) d; 30) d;
31) a; 32) d; 33) e; 34) c; 35) c; 36) b; 37) e; 38) b; 39) d; 40) d.

Establishment of PCPIRs

The Government of India has approved setting up four Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemicals Investment Regions (PCPIRs) in the States of Andhra Pradesh (Vishakhapatnam – Kakinada), Gujarat (Dahej), Odisha (Paradeep) and Tamil Nadu (Cuddalore – Nagapattinam) which are estimated to attract investments of around Rs.7.63 lakh crore and provide employment to around 33.96 lakh persons. These PCPIRs are at different stages of implementation. PCPIRs are the projects with long gestation period and may take around 15-20 years to achieve full potential. As on 31.01.2015, investment of approx. Rs. 1.60 lakh crore have been made and direct & indirect employment for approx 2.23 lakh persons has been generated. 

The PCPIR projects are already functional and realization of full potential is a gradual process. The Government has set up Steering Committees for monitoring the implementation of PCPIRs in various States. The PCPIRs have been promoted in domestic and international forum through exhibition, road shows and interaction with industry associations in order to attract investments. 

Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today gave its approval for the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) with an outlay of Rs.1500 crore. 

This will be the flagship scheme for skill training of youth to be implemented by the new Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship through the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). The scheme will cover 24 lakh persons. Skill training would be done based on the National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) and industry led standards. Under the scheme, a monetary reward is given to trainees on assessment and certification by third party assessment bodies. The average monetary reward would be around Rs.8000 per trainee. 

Out of the total outlay of Rs.1120 crore to be spent on skill training of 14 lakh youth, special emphasis has been given to recognition of prior learning for which an amount of Rs.220 crore has been provided. Awareness building and mobilization efforts would be focused for attention, for which Rs.67 crore has been provided. Mobilization would be done through skill melas organized at the local level with participation of the State Governments, Municipal Bodies, Pachayati Rai Institutions and community based organizations. The focus under the scheme is also on mentorship support and placement facilitation for which an outlay of Rs.67 crore has been provided. An allocation of Rs.150 crores has been made for training of youth from the North-East region. 

Highlights of skill training would be that it would be done on the basis of demand assessed on the basis of recent skill gap studies conducted by the NSDC for the period 2013-17. For assessment of demand of Central Ministries/Departments/State Governments, industry and business would be consulted. A demand aggregator platform would be launched for the purpose very soon. The target for skilling would be aligned to demand from other flagship programmes launched in recent times such as Make in India, Digital India, National Solar Mission and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Skill training under the new scheme will primarily be focused on a first time entrants to the labour market and primarily target Class 10 and Class 12 drop outs. 

The scheme would be implemented through NSDC training partners. Currently NSDC has 187 training partners that have over 2300 centres. In addition, Central / State Government affiliated training providers would also be used for training under the scheme. All training providers will have to undergo a due diligence before being eligible for participating under this scheme. Focus under the PMKVY would be on improved curricula, better pedagogy and better trained instructors. Training would include soft skills, personal grooming, behavioral change for cleanliness, good work ethics. Sector Skill Councils and the State Governments would closely monitor skill training that will happen under PMKVY. 

Skill Development Management System (SDMS) would be put in place to verify and record details of all training centres a certain quality of training locations and courses. Biometric system and video recording of the training process would be put in place where feasible. All persons undergoing training would be required to give feed back at the time of assessment and this would become the key element of the evaluation framework to assess the effectiveness of the PMKVY scheme. A robust grievance redressal system would be put in place to address grievances relating to implementation of the scheme. An online citizen portal would be put in place to disseminate information about the scheme. 

GENERAL AWARENESS MCQs FOR ALL BANK EXAMINATIONS

1. Alexis Tsipras became the Prime Minister of which of the following countries on January 26,
2015?
1) Spain
2) Poland
3) Cyprus
4) Portugal
5) Greece

2. How many persons were conferred the Padma Vibhushan award in 2015?
1) 2
2) 9
3) 5
4) 4
5) 20

3. Who was named the Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year in January 2015?
1) Gurinder Sandhu
2) Ryan Carters
3) Sean Abbott
4) Josh Hazelwood
5) Patrick Cummins

4. Who was crowned the Miss Universe 2014 on January 25, 2015 in Miami, Florida, USA?
1) Nia Sanchez (USA)
2) Dlana Harkusha (Ukraine)
3) Migbelis Castellanos (Venezuela)
4) Paulina Vega (Colombia)
5) None of these

5. Who received Australia's Allan Border Medal in January 2015?
1) Michael Clarke
2) David Warner
3) Mitchell Johnson
4) Brad Haddin
5) Steve Smith

6. 'Project Loon' is developed by which of the following companies with the mission of providing
internet access to rural and remote areas?
1) Yahoo
2) Microsoft
3) Facebook
4) Google
5) Oracle

7. The National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) is situated in?
1) Anand
2) Karnal
3) Ahmadabad
4) Lucknow
5) Kolkata

8. Which State has launched 'Gauravi', a One-Stop Crisis Centre for women?
1) Himachal Pradesh
2) Uttar Pradesh
3) Madhya Pradesh
4) Andhra Pradesh
5) None of these

9. World Refugee Day is observed on?
1) July 20
2) June 20
3) July 14
4) June 14
5) June 24

10. Which of the following regulates housing finance companies?
1) RBI
2) NABARD
3) IRDA
4) SEBI
5) NHB

11. Michelle Howard is the first woman to achieve the rank of admiral in the Navy of ?
1) UK
2) USA
3) Australia
4) South Africa
5) New Zealand

12. Which former Chief Election Commissioner is the author of the book "An Undocumented Wonder-
The Making of the Great Indian Election"?
1) Navin Chawla
2) T.N. Seshan
3) V.S. Sampath
4) N. Gopalaswami
5) S.Y. Quraishi

13. Which of the following countries issued a coin with an embedded thermometer to commemorate
the 270th death anniversary of Anders Celsius, a Swedish physicist?
1) Cook Islands
2) Fiji
3) Marshall Islands
4) Papua New Guinea
5) Solomon Islands

14. Which of the following public sector undertakings has been awarded the Navratna status?
1) Cochin Shipyard Limited
2) Goa Shipyard Limited
3) Indian Rare Earths Limited
4) Mazagaon Dock Limited
5) National Buildings Construction Corporation Limited

15. The first country to ratify the Marrakesh Treaty to facilitate access to published works for
persons who are blind is?
1) USA
2) India
3) Switzerland
4) UK
5) Finland

16. Which of the following is India's first ever indigenously built research ship?
1) Sindhu Ratna
2) Sindhu Rakshak
3) Sindhu Sadhana
4) Sindhu Garuda
5) None of these

17. Which eminent scientist was conferred the Dr Mohan Dharia Nation Building Award in 2014?
1) Raghunath Mashelkar
2) CNR Rao
3) MYS Prasad
4) Shekar Basu
5) Avinash Chander

18. The National Institute of Oceanography is located in?
1) Kerala
2) Goa
3) Maharashtra
4) Andhra Pradesh
5) Tamil Nadu

19. Balramji Das Tandon is the Governor of which of the following Indian States?
1) Uttar Pradesh
2) West Bengal
3) Haryana
4) Chhattisgarh
5) Mizoram

20. Mohammed Dionne has been appointed the Prime Minister of which of the following African
countries?
1) Senegal
2) Mauritania
3) Mali
4) Guinea
5) Gambia

21. The United States has named a mountain in Antarctica after eminent Indian -American scientist?
1) A.K. Mago
2) Akhouri Sinha
3) Asit Shah
4) Narendra Karmakar
5) None of these

22. Who was the Chairman of the Committee that submitted the report on Tendulkar Committee
methodology for estimating poverty?
1) Ashok Chawla
2) C. Rangarajan
3) Arvind Mayaram
4) R.S. Gujral
5) None of these

23. Global skin care giant Nivea is setting up its first ever manufacturing plant in India at Sanand in?
1) Assam
2) West Bengal
3) Gujarat
4) Himachal Pradesh
5) Haryana

24. Nivea is owned by Beiersdorf, a company based in?
1) China
2) South Korea
3) Spain
4) Germany
5) France

25. Which of the following has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Small Farmers
Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) to implement schemes for promotion of Farm Producers
Organizations (FPOs)?
1) RBI
2) SBI
3) SIDBI
4) APEDA
5) NABARD

26. The ancient Pyu cities became which country's first entry into the UNESCO World Heritage Site
List?
1) Vietnam
2) Philippines
3) Myanmar
4) Laos
5) Thailand

27. Which country will hold a referendum in 2016 on changing the national flag?
1) South Africa
2) Rwanda
3) Australia
4) New Zealand
5) Jamaica

28. India accounts for 17% of the world production of?
1) Grapes
2) Coffee
3) Banana
4) Fish
5) Milk

29. The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has named who among the following as ICRISAT Ambassador of Goodwill?
1) M.S.Swaminathan
2) Saina Nehwal
3) Sania Mirza
4) Both 1 and 2
5) All 1, 2 and 3

30. The George Polya Prize is given every two years in?
1) Sculpture
2) Literature
3) Mathematics
4) Physics
5) Life Sciences

31. Who won the 2014 George Polya Prize?
1) Manjul Bhargava
2) Nikhil Srivastava
3) Satya Nadella
4) Both 1 and 2
5) All 1, 2 and 3

32. Which country launched a military operation designated as "Operation Protective Edge"?
1) USA
2) Afghanistan
3) Israel
4) Syria
5) Iran

33. The second International Conference on Global Business, Economics, Finance and Social
Sciences was organized in?
1) Hyderabad
2) New Delhi
3) Chennai
4) Bangalore
5) Gandhi Nagar

34. Narendra Modi announced 'HIT' formula for?
1) Bhutan
2) Bangladesh
3) Fiji
4) Nepal
5) Maldives

35. How many Smart Cities will be developed with an amount of Rs 7,060 crore?
1) 50
2) 200
3) 100
4) 75
5) 125

36. The Malaysian aircraft, MH 17, was shot down by a missile over?
1) Russia
2) Ukraine
3) Netherlands
4) Australia
5) Philippines

37. Typhoon Rammasun was a powerful tropical cyclone that had destructive impact on?
1) China
2) Pakistan
3) USA
4) Cuba
5) Haiti

38. Which country recently got back historic Maori carvings after more than four decades from
Switzerland?
1) USA
2) Australia
3) Germany
4) New Zealand
5) Poland

39. David Katoatau won a gold medal in weightlifting in the 2014 Commonwealth Games. It is the first
ever Commonwealth Games medal for which of the following countries?
1) Kiribati
2) Tuvalu
3) Togo
4) Rwanda
5) Micronesia

40. Who was sworn in as the Governor of Nagaland in 2014?
1) Sheila Dixit
2) Kamla Beniwal
3) Ram Naik
4) K.N. Tripathi
5) Padmanabha Acharya

ANSWERS:
1) 5 2) 2 3) 3 4) 4 5) 5 6) 4 7) 2 8) 3 9) 2 10) 5
11) 2 12) 5 13) 1 14) 5 15) 2 16) 3 17) 1 18) 2 19) 4 20) 1
21) 2 22) 2 23) 3 24) 4 25) 5 26) 3 27) 4 28) 5 29) 4 30) 3
31) 2 32) 3 33) 3 34) 4 35) 3 36) 2 37) 1 38) 4 39) 1 40) 5

GENERAL AWARENESS PRACTICE MCQs FOR ALL BANK EXAMS

1. Novak Djokovic of Serbia won a record fifth Australian Open tennis men's singles title on
February 1, 2015. He defeated which of the following players in the final?
1) Stanislas Wawrinka
2) Roger Federer
3) Andreas Seppi
4) Andy Murray
5) Rafael Nadal

2. With effect from February 7, 2015 the Statutory Liquidity Ratio is?
1) 22 percent
2) 21.5 percent
3) 22.5 percent
4) 21 percent
5) 21.75 percent

3. Which of the following films won the Best Film Award at the 60th Filmfare Awards recently?
1) PK
2) 2 States
3) Queen
4) Haider
5) Mary Kom

4. Who assumed charge as the new Home Secretary on 2015 February 5?
1) Alok Rawat
2) Mukul Joshi
3) D.M. Spolia
4) L.C. Goyal
5) D.J. Pandian

5. Who is the first Indian shuttler to win two bronze medals at the World Badminton Championships?
1) Jwala Gutta
2) Ashwini Ponnappa
3) Saina Nehwal
4) Parupalli Kashyap
5) P.V. Sindhu

6. Who won the women's singles title at the World Badminton Championships in Copen Hagen in
August 2014?
1) Carolina Marin
2) Li Xuerui
3) Minatsu Mitani
4) Yu Yang
5) Wang Xiaoli

7. Environment Ministers of BASIC countries met in which of the following cities in August 2014?
1) Chennai
2) Hanzghou
3) New Delhi
4) Guangzhou
5) Beijing

8. Who won the inaugural STAR Prokabaddi League in Mumbai on August 31, 2014?
1) U Mumba
2) Jaipur Pink Panthers
3) Patna Pirates
4) Bengaluru Bulls
5) None of these

9. Prayuth Chanocha is the Prime Minister of which of the following Asian countries?
1) Vietnam
2) Cambodia
3) Philippines
4) Myanmar
5) Thailand

10. Haider alAbadi assumed office as the Prime Minister of which of the following countries on
September 8, 2014?
1) Iraq
2) Afghanistan
3) Yemen
4) Bahrain
5) Qatar

11. Who among the following 2014 Arjuna award winners excelled in Golf?
1) Abhishek Verma
2) V. Diju
3) Anirban Lahiri
4) Sunil Rana
5) Saji Thomas

12. The President Pranab Mukherjee presented the Outstanding Parliamentarian award to?
1) Arun Jaitley
2) Karan Singh
3) Sharad Yadav
4) Both 1and 2
5) All 1, 2 and 3

13. "Beyond 2020: A Vision for Tomorrow's India" is a book written by Y.S. Rajan and?
1) Amartya Sen
2) Jagdeesh Bhagwathi
3) Pranab Mukherjee
4) A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
5) C. Rangarajan

14. Mridula Sinha is the present Governor of?
1) Kerala
2) Goa
3) Karnataka
4) Tripura
5) Mizoram

15. Copley Medal is awarded every year for?
1) Mathematics
2) Science
3) Literature
4) Journalism
5) Sculpture

16. Which of the following public sector banks is/ are based in Kolkata?
1) United Bank of India
2) Allahabad Bank
3) UCO Bank
4) Both 1and 2
5) All 1, 2 and 3

17. State Bank of India has merged which of the following subsidiaries?
1) State Bank of Patiala
2) State Bank of Travancore
3) State Bank of Indore
4) Both 1 and 2
5) All 1, 2 and 3

18. Mouda Super Thermal Power Station is located in?
1) Gujarat
2) Chhattisgarh
3) Madhya Pradesh
4) Maharashtra
5) Jammu & Kashmir

19. Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayi Yojana (PMKSY) is related to?
1) Fertilizers
2) Pesticides
3) Seeds
4) Agriculture implements
5) Irrigation

20. North Karanpura Thermal Power Station is an upcoming coal based thermal power plant located
in?
1) Jharkhand
2) Karnataka
3) Gujarat
4) Uttarakhand
5) Madhya Pradesh

21. Istanbul Cup is associated with which of the following sports?
1) Table Tennis
2) Badminton
3) F1
4) Tennis
5) Golf

22. How many medals did India win at the 20th Commonwealth Games?
1) 15
2) 30
3) 57
4) 44
5) 64

23. Who is the first Indian woman gymnast to win a medal at the Commonwealth Games?
1) Dipa Karmarkar
2) Ashwini Ponappa
3) Apoorvi Chandela
4) Hina Sidhu
5) None of these

24. The world's tallest railway bridge will come up in Noney in?
1) Assam
2) Manipur
3) Arunachal Pradesh
4) Tripura
5) Himachal Pradesh

25. Manjula Chellur is the first woman Chief Justice of?
1) Karnataka High Court
2) Delhi High Court
3) Calcutta High Court
4) Bombay High Court
5) Gujarat High Court

26. Who assumed office as the 12th President of Turkey on August 28, 2014?
1) Ahmet Davutoglu
2) Abdullah Gul
3) Ali Babacan
4) Recep Tayyip Erdogan
5) None of these

27. India will host the 2015 Paragliding World Cup in Kangra district of?
1) Uttarakhand
2) Punjab
3) Haryana
4) Jammu & Kashmir
5) Himachal Pradesh

28. The government has re-launched the Varishtha Pension Bima Yojana (VPBY) for the benefit of
citizens aged?
1) 55 years and above
2) 60 years and above
3) 65 years and above
4) 62 years and above
5) None of these

29. The Varishtha Pension Bima Yojana is administered by the?
1) RBI
2) GIC
3) LIC
4) SEBI
5) IRDA

30. Which is the 17th Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) to achieve Navratna status?
1) Airports Authority of India
2) India Trade Promotion Organization
3) Indian Rare Earths Limited
4) Container Corporation of India Limited
5) Goa Shipyard Limited

31. Nimoo-Bazgo and Chutak hydroelectric projects are located in?
1) Himachal Pradesh
2) Madhya Pradesh
3) Arunachal Pradesh
4) Haryana
5) Jammu & Kashmir

32. Who is the inventor of genetic fingerprinting?
1) Alec Jeffreys
2) Andre Geim
3) Stephen Hawking
4) Dorothy Hodgkin
5) None of these

33. Vladimir Beara, considered one of Soccer's greatest goalkeepers, died recently. He played 59
games for?
1) Hungary
2) Yugoslavia
3) USSR
4) Finland
5) Sweden

34. Eminent cartoonist Pran Kumar Sharma passed away recently. He is the creator of which of the following iconic characters?
1) Shaktimaan
2) Mussadi Lal
3) Chacha Chaudhary
4) Uncle Anu
5) None of these

35. Xavi Hernandez retired from international football recently. He was a member of which of the
following teams that won the Euro 2008 and Euro 2012?
1) Germany
2) England
3) France
4) Italy
5) Spain

36. Prasar Bharti has entered into an agreement with Deutsche Welle (DW), the public service
broadcaster of?
1) Spain
2) Australia
3) Netherlands
4) Germany
5) Italy

37. Union Agriculture Minister has announced that a Cashew and Spices Research Centre will be
established in?
1) Telangana
2) Andhra Pradesh
3) Goa
4) Karnataka
5) Haryana

38. Rashtriya Gokul Mission will promote conservation and development of?
1) Sheep
2) Fish
3) Goats
4) Cows
5) None of these

39. The National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) has been transferred to the Ministry of Water
Resources from the Ministry of?
1) Rural Development
2) Urban Development
3) Environment
4) Agriculture
5) Mining

40. Which State government launched 'Bhamashah' scheme to empower women, in August 2014?
1) Kerala
2) Gujarat
3) West Bengal
4) Rajasthan
5) Uttar Pradesh

ANSWERS:
1) 4 2) 2 3) 3 4) 4 5) 5 6) 1 7) 3 8) 2 9) 5 10) 1
11) 3 12) 5 13) 4 14) 2 15) 2 16) 5 17) 3 18) 4 19) 5 20) 1
21) 4 22) 5 23) 1 24) 2 25) 3 26) 4 27) 5 28) 2 29) 3 30) 4
31) 5 32) 1 33) 2 34) 3 35) 5 36) 4 37) 3 38) 4 39)3 40) 4

Production of Bio-Gas

The estimated State-wise production of biogas from family type biogas plants and large biogas plants installed in the country under different programmes of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy during the 11^th Five Year Plan period is given below:-

Sl. No.	Name of State	Biogas production (in Lakh cubic metres)
1.	Andhra Pradesh	9969.60
2.	Arunachal Pradesh	58.82
3.	Assam	1616.33
4.	Bihar	2325.94
5.	Chhattisgarh	527.63
6.	Goa	71.83
7.	Gujarat	8731.94
8.	Haryana	1112.13
9.	Himachal Pradesh	842.47
10.	Jammu & Kashmir	47.44
11.	Jharkhand	107.19
12.	Karnataka	8213.62
13.	Kerala	2399.30
14.	Madhya Pradesh	5713.25
15.	Maharashtra	15297.74
16.	Manipur	38.80
17.	Meghalaya	146.30
18.	Mizoram	72.40
19.	Nagaland	95.83
20.	Odisha	4402.65
21.	Punjab	2966.70
22.	Rajasthan	1235.30
23.	Sikkim	144.66
24.	Tamil Nadu	5261.66
25.	Tripura	53.25
26.	Uttar Pradesh	7765.80
27.	Uttarakhand	531.37
28.	West Bengal	6213.70
TOTAL :		85963.53

Central Tool Rooms in the Country

10 Tool Rooms are presently functional in the country. The State-wise list of 10 Tool Rooms  is:

S.No	Name of the Technology Centre	Location	State
1.	Central Tool Room & Training Centre (CTTC),	Bhubaneswar	Odisha
2.	Indo Danish Tool Room (IDTR),	Jamshedpur	Jharkhand
3.	Central Tool Room & Training Centre (CTTC)	Kolkata	West Bengal
4.	Tool Room & Training Centre (TRTC)	Guwahati	Assam
5.	Indo German Tool Room (IGTR)	Aurangabad	Maharashtra
6.	Indo German Tool Room (IGTR)	Indore	Madhya Pradesh
7.	Indo German Tool Room (IGTR)	Ahmedabad	Gujarat
8.	Central Tool Room (CTR)	Ludhiana	Punjab
9.	Central Institute of Hand Tools (CIHT)	Jalandhar	Punjab
10.	Central Institute of Tool Design (CITD)	Hyderabad	Telangana

Gujarat Becomes The First State To Conduct Online Elections

Gujarat has been creating landmark strides in the wing of elections to the local body authorities. Earlier the Gujarat government was successful in clearing the bill which has paved the way for compulsory voting by all the voters in the local municipal and panchayat elections. The very controversial Gujarat Local Authorities Laws Bill, 2009 was passed in the previous year, which made

(a) The voting by all those voters in the electoral college mandatory
(b) Also provided for 50% reservation for women in the local authorities.

Now after making the voting mandatory, the government has decided to make some appeasements by facilitating easy voting. This, the State Election Commission plans to bring by Online Voting.

This according to the commission would facilitate all those voters who are unable to reach the polling stations. The method follows a series of steps as follows:

(1) The voters would have to register themselves in the Gujarat Election Commission Official website.(2) They would have to present themselves for the physical verification which would be carried out by the local officials who would visit the address specified by the voters.(3) The officials would collect the biometric details and along with that would also note the hardware configuration of the laptop and the desktops that would be possibly used for voting.(4) The voters would be asked to use the same hardware as checked by the officials for voting.(5) While voting the voters would receive a OTP(One Time Password) that would be sent to their mobile phones, which would be followed by a line for the purpose of verification.(6) Using these verifications the voter could cast his/her vote online.