Shah Rukh Khan, Zayn Malik honoured at the 5th Asian Awards

Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan and teen idol Zyan Malik on 17 April 2015 were honoured at the 5th Asian Awards held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London.  

Khan was awarded with the prestigious Outstanding Contribution to Cinema award. The 49-year-old actor received the award by Indian-origin British filmmaker Gurinder Chadha.

Previous winners in the cinema category included Irrfan Khan (2014), Anupam Kher (2013) and Yash Chopra (2011).

On the other hand, 22-year-old Malik was awarded with the Outstanding Contribution to Music. He is an English singer and songwriter, and a previous member of the boy band One Direction. 

List of Awardees

Category	Winners
Founders Award		Dr. Amar Bose, Founder of Bose Corporation
Entrepreneur of the Year		Jack Ma, Founder & CEO of Alibaba
Outstanding Achievement in Cinema		Shah Rukh Khan, Bollywood actor
Chivas Regal Social Entrepreneur of the Year		Gopi Gopalakrishnan, President, World Health Partners
Outstanding Achievement in Sport		Kumar Sangakkara, Cricketer of Sri Lanka
Business Leader of the Year		The Hinduja Brothers
Outstanding Achievement in Television		Sanjeev Bhaskar, Comedian, actor and broadcaster
Outstanding Achievement in Art & Design		John Rocha, Designer
Outstanding Achievement in Science & Technology		Sir Tejinder Singh Virdee, Experimental particle physicist
Outstanding Achievement in Music		Zayn Malik, English singer and songwriter

About Asian Awards
It was launched in 2010 by Paul Sagoo, entrepreneur and Founder of the Lemon Group to recognise and reward exemplary achievement from within the Asian community across 14 categories that include business, philanthropy, entertainment, culture and sport. 

In 2010 and 2011, the awards were only open to those born in or with direct family origin from India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, or Bangladesh, however, in 2013, the Awards were opened to all people of both South and Eastern Asian origin.

UN Report India fifth biggest E waste producer

Global E-Waste Monitor Report   which takes a detailed overview of e-waste generation across the countries  is released by UN University- a UN Think Tank.

Report Highlights: 

•    India has generated total 1.7 Mt (million tonnes) of electronic and electrical equipment in 2014. 
•    Ranking: 1. USA  2. China, 3. Japan 4. Germany 5. India
•    The US and China produced 32% of total world s e-waste which is highest e-waste generation in 2014.
•    Asia is the largest e-waste producer in the world . Total e-waste generated by Asia is 16 Mt or 3.7 kg per inhabitant.  
•    e-waste generation ranking in Asia : 1. China -6.0 million tonnes  2. Japan- 2.2 million tonnes  3. India -1.7 million tonnes.
•    Africa generated the lowest amount of e-waste per inhabitant in 2014 which amounts 1.7 kg/inhabitant. Total waste generated by Africa is only 1.9 Mt.
•    Developed countries from Europe are among the top per capita producers.  The top five being Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, Denmark, and the UK.
•    People discarded mostly kitchen equipments, laundry and bathroom equipments like microwave ovens, washing machines and dishwashers.
•    Report estimated that the e-waste volume may rise from 21% in 2014 to 50 million tonnes in 2018 which highlights the world s fast-growing e-waste problem. Increase in sales of electrical and electronic equipments coupled with reduced product life cycle period , have been resulting into rapid rate e-waste generation.
•    Less than 16% of e-waste has been recycled and reused. Thus recycling of e-waste is a major challenge.
•    Toxins in e-waste include lead glass, batteries, mercury, cadmium, chromium and ozone-depleting substances (CFCs) which pose health associated problems like impaired mental development, cancer, and damage to livers and kidneys.

Banking Awareness Practice Questions for Bank Exams

1. Interest payable on savings bank accounts is. 
(A) not regulated by RBI (B) regulated by Sate Governments 
(C) regulated by Central Government 
(D) regulated by RBI 
(E) regulated by Finance minister 

2. Fixed deposits and recurring deposits are. 
(A) repayable after an agreed period (B) repayable on demand 
(C) not repayable (D) repayable after death of depositors 
(E) repayable on demand or after an agreed period as per bank’s choice 

3. When a bank returns a cheque unpaid, it is called.  
(A) payment of the cheque (B) drawing of the cheque (C) cancelling of the cheque 
(D) dishonor of the cheque (E) taking of the cheque 

4. Which of the following states became the first state in the country to launch RBI’s e-payment system for commercial tax payers?  
(A) Andhra Pradesh (B) Kerala (C) Gujarat 
(D) Maharashtra (E) Karnataka 

5. NEFT means–  
(A) National Electronic Funds Transfer system (B) Negotiated Efficient Fund Transfer system 
(C) National Efficient Fund Transfer solution (D) Non Effective Fund Transfer system 
(E) Negotiated Electronic Foreign Transfer system 

6. Largest shareholder (in percentage shareholding) of a nationalized bank is.  
(A) RBI (B) NABARD (C) LICI 
(D) Govt. of India (E) IBA 

7. Banks in our country normally publicise that additional interest rate is allowed on retail domestic term deposits of.  
(A) Minors (B) Married women (C) Senior citizens 
(D) Govt. employees (E) Rural residents 

8. A centralized database with online connectivity to branches, internet as well as ATM-network which has been adopted by almost all major banks of our country is known as.  
(A) investment banking (B) core banking (C) mobile banking 
(D) national banking (E) specialized banking 

9. With a view to facilitate payment of balance in the deposit account to the person named by the depositor without any hassles in the event of death of the account holder, the following facility was introduced for bank accounts in our country–  
(A) Will (B) Registration (C) Nomination 
(D) Indemnity (E) Guarantee 

10. What is money laundering?  
(A) Conversion of assets into cash (B) Conversion of Money which is illegally obtained 
(C) Conversion of cash into gold (D) Conversion of gold into cash 
(E) Conversion of gold with foreign currency 

11. Which one of the following is not a salient feature of debit card? 
(A) No bad debts to banks and no suits for recovery (B) No interest earning for banks 
(C) Works like a normal withdrawal slip (D) 45 days credit is given to the card holder 
(E) All the above 

12. Which of the following is a measure taken by Reserve Bank of India to control inflation in our country?  
(A) Increase in CRR (B) Increase in SLR (C) Contraction of supply of currency 
(D) Raising of Repo / Reverse Repo Rate (E) Decrease the SLR 

13. What type of loan is granted by banks for purchase of white goods?  
(A) Consumption loan (B) Mortgage loan (C) Consumer durables loan 
(D) Home loan (E) None of these 

14. What is a stale cheque?  
(A) A cheque issued without drawer’s signature (B) A cheque with only signature of the drawer 
(C) A cheque which has completed six months from its date of issue (D) A six months’ post dated cheque 
(E) Anyone of these 

15. Which one of the following constitutes the largest percentage of Retail loans in India?  
(A) Auto loans (B) Personal loans (C) Personal overdrafts 
(D) Consumer loans (E) Home loans 

16. Credit risk to the bank is high from which of these cards?  
(A) Debit cards (B) Credit cards (C) ATM cards 
(D) All the above (E) None of these 

17. Depreciation of an asset occurs due to.  
(A) Fire in the unit (B) Theft (C) Labour Trouble 
(D) Wear and tear (E) None of these 

18. Which of the following is NOT a source of funds of a commercial bank?  
(A) Capital (B) Borrowings from RBI (C) Call money borrowings 
(D) Deposits (E) Cash Reserves with RBI 

19. Which one of the following is a Credit Card Association?  
(A) India Card (B) Master Card (C) SBI Cards 
(D) City Bank Cards (E) BOB Card

20. Which one of the following is not an electronic Banking delivery channel?  
(A) Mobile Vans (B) Mobile Phone Banking (C) Internet Banking 
(D) Tele Banking (E) ATM 

21. The Rate at which the domestic currency can be converted into foreign currency and vice-versa is known as the.  
(A) Exchange rate (B) MIBOR (C) Inter bank Call money rate 
(D) Base rate (E) UBOR 

22. Crossing on a cheque can be cancelled by the of the cheque, under his full signature.  
(A) payee (B) drawee (C) endorser 
(D) holder (E) drawer 

23. Bank branches which can undertake foreign exchange business directly are known as in foreign exchange.  
(A) Authorized dealers (B) Foreign dealers (C) Overseas branches 
(D) Approved dealers (E) Exchange branches 

24. Insurance cover for bank deposits in our country is provided by.  
(A) SBI (B) Govt. of India (C) GIC 
(D) UCI (E) DICGC 

25. Loan of very small amounts given to low income groups is called.  
(A) Cash credit (B) Micro credit (C) Simple overdraft 
(D) No frills loans (E) Rural credit 

26. When a banker talks about CDR, what is he talking about?  
(A) Corporate Debt Restructuring (B) Corporate Debt Rollover (C) Company Debt Rollover 
(D) Corporate Deposit Restructuring (E) Company Deposit Restructuring 

27. Expand the term ALM as used in Banking/Finance sector ?  
(A) Asset Liability Management (B) Asset Liability Maturity (C) Asset Liability Mismatch 
(D) Asset Liability Manpower (E) Asset Liability Maintenance 

28. Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) and Statutory’ Liquidity Ratio (SLR) are terms most closely related to which of the following industries/ markets?  
(A) Capital Market (B) Banking industry (C) Commodities market 
(D) Money Market (E) Mutual fund industry 

29. What is the maximum period for which domestic term deposits are normally accepted by banks in our country?  
(A) 3 years (B) 5 years (C) 7 years 
(D) 10 years (E) 12 years 

30. What does the letter ‘L’ stands for in the term LAF commonly used in financial/economic news?  
(A) Liquidity (B) Least (C) Liabilities 
(D) Long (E) Liquid 

ANSWERS : 
1. (D) 2. (B) 3. (D) 4. (E) 5. (A) 6. (D) 7. (C) 8. (E) 9. (C) 10. (B) 
11. (D) 12. (D) 13. (C) 14. (C) 15. (E) 16. (B) 17. (D) 18. (A) 19. (B) 20. (A) 
21. (A) 22. (E) 23. (E) 24. (E) 25. (B) 26. (A) 27. (A) 28. (B) 29. (D) 30. (A) 

Banking Awareness Practice MCQs

1. The Banking Ombudsman–  
(A) is in charge of bank loans for buses (B) fixes the rates of interest for loans (C) resolves complaints of customers 
(D) issues licences for new bank branches (E) is the head of all nationalised banks 

2. Which of the following is NOT classified as a commercial bank?  
(A) Public sector bank (B) Foreign bank (C) Private sector bank 
(D) Regional rural bank (E) Urban cooperative bank 

3. Which of the following is not the name of a Banking Organisation?  
(A) HDFC (B) IDBI (C) YES 
(D) SEBI (E) ICICI 

4. Monetary Policy as an arm of the economic policy is administered by–  
(A) Government of India (B) Reserve Bank of India (C) State Bank of India 
(D) Governments of the respective states (E) None of these 

5. Which of the following is not a primary function of a Bank?  
(A) Granting Loans (B) Collecting Cheques/Drafts customers (C) Facilitating import of goods 
(D) Issuing Bank Drafts (E) Selling Gold/Silver Coins 

6. Reserves which can act as a liquidity buffer for commercial banks during crisis times are–  
(A) CAR (B) CRR (C) CAR and CRR 
(D) CRR and SLR (E) SLR 

7. For repayment of loan availed from Banks NBFC we come across a term known as EMI What does it stand for?  
(A) Equated Money Index (B) Easy Money Installment (C) Equated Monthly Installment 
(D) Equal Monthly Installment (E) Equal Minimum Installment 

8. Many a times we read in the news paper about CASA deposits of banks. CASA deposits are.  
(A) Demand deposits (B) Term deposits (C) Hybrid deposits 
(D) Recurring deposits (E) Special schemes of banks 

9. While investing in mutual funds we come across a term called NAV. What is the meaning of NAV?  
(A) Net Annual Value (B) Non Asset Value (C) Net Actual Value 
(D) Net Asset Value (E) Net Average Value 

10. Assume that Reserve Bank of India reduces the Bank Rate by 1%, what will be its impact?  
(A) Less liquidity in the market (B) More liquidity in the market 
(C) No change in the liquidity in the market (D) Mobilization of more deposits by commercial-banks 
(E) None of these 

11. Whose signature is found on a 50 rupee currency note in India?
(A) President of India (B) Governor, RBI (C) Finance Minister 
(D) Prime Minister of India (E) Secretary, Ministry of Finance 

12. Which of the following institutions is involved mainly in granting Housing Loans?  
(A) RBI (B) SBI (C) IBA 
(D) ICICI (E) HDFC 

13. Which of the following terms is not related to banking?  
(A) Repayment (B) Loan (C) NPA 
(D) Fasting (E) Deposit 

14. Almost all banks in our country have introduced facility for granting crop loans to farmers.  
(A) Term Loans (B) Kisan Credit Cards (C) Bank Guarantee 
(D) Foreign Exchange (E) Reverse Mortgage 

15. Many times we read the term ‘ECB’ in newspapers. What is the full form of ‘ECB’ ?  
(A) Essential Commercial Banking (B) European Credit Borrowing (C) External Credit For Business 
(D) External Commercial Borrowing (E) None of these 

16. Which of the following is a Private Sector Bank in India?  
(A) Corporation Bank (B) Kotak Mahindra Bank (C) IDBI Bank 
(D) Syndicate Bank (E) Oriental Bank of Commerce 

17. A bank branch receives a counterfeit note of Rs. 100 from the customer, which customer wants it back. Which of the following action should be taken by the Bank?  
(A) Will return to customer (B) Will impound and not return 
(C) Will ask for exchange of note (D) Will replace with genuine note 
(E) Will check all the notes in possession with the customer which are not being deposited also 

18. Which of the following is not a mode of foreign capital inflow in India?  
(A) FDI (B) NRI deposits (C) FII 
(D) No frills accounts (E) None of these 

19. In India, which of the following have the highest share in the disbursement of credit to agriculture and allied activities?  
(A) Commercial Banks (B) Cooperative Banks (C) Private sector Banks 
(D) Microfinance Institutions (E) Regional Rural Banks 

20. Which of the following banks was not nationalized in 1969 ?  
(A) Punjab National Bank (B) Bank of India (C) State Bank of India 
(D) Bank of Baroda (E) Bank of Maharashtra 

21. Which of the following is NOT a bank or finance company?  
(A) ABN Amro (B) HSBC (C) Lufthansa 
(D) BNP Paribas (E) Barclays 

22. What is the maximum permissible limit for investment in PDF account in a financial year?  
(A) Rs. 1 lakh (B) Rs. 70,000 (C) Rs. 50,000 
(D) Rs. 60,000 (E) There is no limit 

23. In our country, a cheque remains valid for payment for from the date of issue.  
(A) 3 months (B) 6 months (C) 9 months 
(D) 12 months (E) 18 months 

24. The Govt. of India has acquired RBI’s stake in one of the major banks of India. Which of the following is the bank?  
(A) AXIS Bank (B) IDBI Bank (C) ICICI Bank 
(D) State Bank of India (E) None of these 

25. Credit Cards are known as.  
(A) Hard money (B) Easy money (C) Soft money 
(D) Plastic money (E) Real money 

26. On domestic term deposits, banks in our country generally offer additional rate of interest on term deposits from.  
(A) Minors (B) Married women (C) Govt. employees 
(D) Rural residents (E) Senior citizens 

27. Which of the following instruments cannot be transferred from one person to another by endorsement? 
(A) Fixed Deposit Receipt (B) Cheque (C) Bill of Exchange 
(D) Promissory Note (E) None of these 

28. ‘Crossing’ applies to which of the following instruments?  
(A) Cheques (B) Bills (C) Promissory Notes 
(D) Hundies (E) Fixed Deposit receipts 

29. Which of the following assets can be mortgaged?  
(A) Stock (B) Book Debts (C) National Savings Certificates 
(D) Shares (E) Land and Building 

30. Among the banks in our country, which of the following is not a foreign bank?  
(A) HSBC (B) Standard Chartered Bank (C) BNP Paribas 
(D) Citi Bank Na (E) Ing Vysya Bank 

ANSWERS : 
1. (C) 2. (E) 3. (D) 4. (B) 5. (C) 6. (E) 7. (C) 8. (A) 9. (D) 10. (B) 
11. (B) 12. (E) 13. (D) 14. (B) 15. (D) 16. (B) 17. (B) 18. (D) 19. (D) 20. (C) 
21. (C) 22. (B) 23. (A) 24. (D) 25. (D) 26. (E) 27. (A) 28. (A) 29. (E) 30. (E) 

Banking Awareness Practice Questions

1. Which of the following is foreign bank having offices/branches in India?  
(A) Yes Bank (B) HDFC Bank (C) IDBI Bank 
(D) Karnataka Bank (E) Standard Chartered Bank 

2. Basel-II norms are associated with which of the following aspects of the banking industry?  
(A) Risk management (B) Manpower planning (C) Retirement benefits for the employees 
(D) Corporate Governance (E) None of the above 

3. Which of the following is NOT a banking/finance related term?  
(A) Credit wrap (B) EMI (C) Held to Maturity 
(D) Exposure limit (E) Diffusion 

4. The approach of ‘Micro-Credit’ or ‘Banking with the poor’ is comparatively a new concept in the field of rural credit. This approach has been tried very successfully in which of the following countries?  
(A) Bangladesh (B) India (C) China 
(D) Japan (E) None of these 

5. The lowering of Bank Rate by the Reserve Bank of India leads to–  
(A) More liquidity in the market (B) Less liquidity in the market 
(C) No change in the liquidity in the market (D) Mobilization of more deposits by commercial banks 

6. What is the full form of ‘ULIP’, the term which was in the news recently? 
(A) Universal Life and Investment Plan (B) Unit loan and Insurance Plan 
(C) Universal Loan and Investment Plan (D) Uniformly Loaded Investment Plan 
(E) Unit Linked Insurance Plan

7. Which of the following is not a part of the scheduled banking structure in India? 
(A) Moneylenders (B) Public Sector Banks (C) Private Sector Banks 
(D) Regional Rural Banks (E) State Co-operative Banks 

8. The rate of interest on Savings Bank Account is stipulated by– 
(A) The concerned bank (B) RBI (C) Indian Banks Association 
(D) Government of India (E) Banking Codes and Standards Board of India 

9. Many times we read a term, CBS used in banking operation. What is the full form of the letter ‘C in the term ‘CBS’ ? 
(A) Core (B) Credit (C) Continuous 
(D) Complete (E) None of these 

10. Many a time we read a term ‘PPP’ in financial dailies/magazines. What is the full form of the same as used in financial world? 
(A) Public Per Capita Power (B) Per Capita Potential Purchases (C) Purchasing Power Parity 
(D) Present Purchasing Power (E) None of these 

11. In India, the interest rate on savings accounts in all the nationalized commercial banks is fixed by–  
(A) Union Ministry of Finance (B) Union Finance Commission 
(C) Indian Banks’ Association (D) None of the above 

12. Fiscal policy in India is formulated by–  
(A) the Reserve Bank of India (B) the Planning Commission 
(C) the Finance Ministry (D) the Securities and Exchange Board of India 

13. Many times we read about SHGs in financial newspapers. What is the full form of the term?  
(A) Small Help Groups (B) Self Help Groups (C) Small Hope in Crowns 
(D) Self Hope Groups (E) None of these 

14. Which of the following agencies/organizations in India maintains the Micro. Finance Development and Equity Fund ?  
(A) Confederation of Industries in India (CII) (B) Indian Bank’s Association (IBA), 
(C) Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) (D) Reserve Bank of India (RBI) 
(E) National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) 

15. Many times we read about ‘Hawala’ transactions in newspapers. Hawala in India is prohibited under the provision of which of the following Acts?  
(A) Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act (B) Banking Regulation Act 
(C) Financial Action Task Force Act (D) Foreign Exchange Management Act 
(E) None of these 

16. Which of the following terms is NOT used in Economics? 
(A) Balance of Payment (B) Call Money (C) National Debt 
(D) Elasticity of Demand (E) Boyle’s Law 

17. What is the full form of ‘NBFC’ as used in the Financial Sector?  
(A) New Banking Finance Company (B) National Banking and Finance Corporation 
(C) New Business Finance and Credit (D) Non Business Fund Company 
(E) None of the above 

18. A major Public Sector Bank raised interest rates on loans by 25 basis points - was news in some major financial newspapers recently. This means bank has raised interest by 25 basis points of.  
(A) Savings Bank Interest Rate (B) Base Lending Rate (C) Repo Rates 
(D) Present Rates on Deposits (E) Discounted Rates of Interest 

19. What does the letter ‘L’ denote in term ‘LAF’ as referred every now and then in relation to monetary policy of the RBI?  
(A) Liquidity (B) Liability (C) Leveraged 
(D) Longitudinal (E) Linear 

20. Banks and other financial institutions in India are required to maintain a certain amount of liquid assets like cash, precious metals and other short term securities as a reserve all the time. In Banking World this is knows as.  
(A) CRR (B) Fixed Asset (C) SLR 
(D) PLR (E) None of these 

21. If PAN details are not provided, the TDS is deducted at which of the following rates? 
(A) 10% (B) 20% (C) 10% for senior citizens and 20% for others 
(D) 10% plus 10% surcharge (E) None of these 

22. Lending to Micro Finance Institutions by Bank considered as finance to–  
(A) Non Priority Sector (B) Priority Sector (C) Commercial Sector 
(D) Agriculture Sector (E) None of these 

23. Maximum FDI in Private Banks in India is allowed up to the limit of–  
(A) 25% (B) 51% (C) 49% 
(D) 70% (E) None of these 

24. Which one of the following will setup sore banking infrastructure for rural banks?  
(A) RBI (B) NABARD (C) SIDBI 
(D) IBA (E) None of these 

25. The letter ‘F’ denotes which of the following in the term IFRS.  
(A) Formative (B) Formal (C) Functional 
(D) Fiscal (E) Financial 

26. Which of the following terms is used in the field of banking ?  
(A) Accounts (B) Entropy (C) Plank’s Law 
(D) Plasma (E) Viscosity 

27. Which one among the following is not an institution of Indian Money Market?  
(A) Reserve Bank of India (B) Bill Brokers 
(C) Merchant Bankers (D) Non-Banking Financial Intermediaries 

28. Which one of the following is not a function of the central bank in an economy?  
(A) Dealing with foreign exchange (B) Controlling monetary policy 
(C) Controlling government spending (D) Acting as a banker’s bank

ANSWER : 
1. (E) 2. (A) 3. (E) 4. (A) 5. (A) 6. (E) 7. (A) 8. (B) 9. (A) 10. (C) 
11. (D) 12. (C) 13. (B) 14. (E) 15. (D) 16. (E) 17. (E) 18. (B) 19. (A) 20. (C) 
21. (B) 22. (B) 23. (E) 24. (B) 25. (E) 26. (A) 27. (B) 28. (C) 

Headquarters of Nationalised & Public Sectors Bank in India

1. SBI ----Mumbai
2. State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur -- Jaipur
3. State Bank of Travancore -- Thiruvananthapuram
4. State Bank of Mysore ---- Bangalore
5. State Bank of Patiala ---- Patiala
6. State Bank of Hyderabad --- Hyderabad
7. Union Bank of India ----- Mumbai
8. Bank of India ----- Mumbai
9. Central Bank of India ----- Mumbai
10. Dena Bank ------ Mumbai
11. IDBI Bank ----- Mumbai
12. Allahabad Bank ----- Kolkata
13. UCO Bank ----- Kolkata
14. United Bank of India ----- Kolkata
15. Punjab National Bank ----- New Delhi
16. Oriental Bank of Commerce ---- New Delhi
17. Punjab and Sind Bank --- New Delhi
18. Bhartiya Mahila Bank --- New Delhi
19. Canara Bank --- Bangalore
20. Vijaya Bank --- Bangalore
21. Indian Bank --- Chennai
22. Indian Overseas Bank--- Chennai
23. Bank of Baroda --- Vadodara
24. Syndicate Bank ---- Manipal(Karnataka)
25. Corporation Bank --- Mangalore
26. Andhra Bank --- Hyderabad
27. Bank of Maharashtra --- Pune

Note: 
i.There are a total of 27 PSBs in India [21 Nationalised banks + 6 State bank group (SBI + 5 associates) ]
ii. At present there are 23 Private Banks functioning in India
iii. At present there are 56 RRBs (Regional Rural Banks ) functioning in India.
iv. At present there are 41 Foreign Banks functioning in India

Banks and Their Tag Lines

1. SBI - With you all the way, Pure Banking Nothing Else, The Nation’s banks on us
2. State Bank of Hyderabad – You can always bank on us.
3. State Bank of Mysore - Working for a better tomorrow
4. State Bank of Patiala – Blending Modernity with Tradition
5. State Bank of Travancore - A long Tradition of Trust
6. Allahabad Bank - A Tradition of Trust
7. Andhra Bank – Where India Banks
8. Bank of Baroda - India’s International Bank
9. Bank of India - Relationship beyond banking
10. Bhartiya Mahila Bank – Empowering Women
11. Bank of Maharashtra - One family one bank
12. Canara Bank – Together We Can
13. Central Bank of India – “Central To you Since 1911”
14. Corporation Bank – A Premier Public Sector Bank
15. Dena Bank - Trusted Family Bank
16. ECGC Bank – You focus on exports. We cover the risks
17. IDBI Bank – Banking For All, “Aao Sochein Bada”
18. Indian Bank – Your Tech- Friendly Bank
19. Indian Overseas Bank – Good people to grow with
20. Punjab National Bank - The name you can bank upon
21. Punjab & Sind Bank – Where service is a way of life
22. Oriental Bank of Commerce – Where every individual is committed
23. UCO Bank – Honours Your Trust
24. Union Bank of India – Good People to Bank with
25. United Bank of India – The Bank that begins with “U”
26. Vijaya Bank - A friend you can bank on
27. Axis Bank – Badhti Ka naam Zindagi
28. ICICI Bank – Hum Hai Na, Khyal Apka
29. HDFC Bank - We understand your world indeed
30. Yes Bank – Experience our Expertise
31. HSBC - The world’s local bank  

General Awareness Questions for SBI PO 2014 Exam

1.    Recently “Ship of Theseus' named the best film in National Film Awards. Who among the following is the director of the film?

(1) Saurabh Shukla                                               
(2) Anand Gandhi

(3)  Aida El-Kashef                                               
(4)  Hansal Mehta

(5) None of the above

2.    Recently Book “Crusader or Conspirator? Coalgate and other Truths” is in news. Who among the following is the author of the book?

(1) Sanjay Baru                             
(2) Rajiv Pillai

(3) PC Parekh                               
(4) Yashwant Sinha

(5) Pullock Chatterjee

3.    According to RBI Guidelines, what fractions of the branches are mandatory to opened in rural areas by newly licensed banks?

(1) 15                                 (2) 25

(3) 35                                 (4) 45

(5) None of these

4.    Lee Kun-hee, who is facing an arrest warrant in a 4.1million dollar cheating case is chairman of ____?

(1) Nokia                           (2) Samsung

(3) LG                                (4) IBM

(5) None of these

5.    Consider the following statements with respect to the recently granted banking license by the Reserve Bank of India?

(A) RBI grant banking license to infrastructure financier IDFC Ltd and micro lender Bandhan Financial Services Ltd to start new banks.

(B) This approval will be valid for 18 months, during which the two companies will have to comply with rules stipulated by RBI.

(C) Chandra Shekhar Ghosh is the Chairman of IDFC Ltd and Rajiv B Lall is the Chairman of Bandhan Financial Services Ltd

Which of the above statements is/are correct in this context?

 (1) Only A  & B                                          
(2) Only B & C

(3) Only A & C                                         
(4) All the above

(5) None of these

6.    Recently who among the following has been appointed as the new Finance Secretary?

(1) Sumit Bose                              
(2) Vijay Seshadri

(3) Arvind Mayaram                     
(4) V.K. Murthy

(5) None of these

7.    Vijay Seshadri wins the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for his work ____?

(1) 2 states                                               
(2) The Goldfinch, 

(3) 3 Sections                                
(4) 11 Attacks

(5) None of these

8.    Which of the following countries  was formally accepted as a new member by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in a ministerial conference held in Bali recently?

(1) Uganda                                
(2) Yemen                   
(3) Romania

(4) South Sudan                
(5) None of these 

9.    Examine the following with respect to Exchange Earner’s Foreign Currency Account (EEFC):

(A) It is a facility provided to the foreign exchange earner (individual or company)

(B) The account holders are entitled to get only 50 percent of their foreign exchange earnings  credited to the account

(C) It can be held only in the form of a current with no interest payable ion it

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

(1) All the above                
(2) Only A

(3) Only B                         
(4) Only A & C
(5) Only B & C

10.  A bank draft can be issued by a bank accepting cash provided the amount does not exceed?

(1) Rs 25,000                    
(2) Rs 50,000

(3) Rs 75,000                    
(4) Rs 10,000

(5) None of these

11.  Banks have strict regulations to protect themselves as well as their customers and if these regulations are violated, banks levy penalty on the violator. Which one of the following will not be considered a bad money practice?

(1) Frequent ATM pin request

(2) Not updating change in personal and residential details

(3) Using Non-bank ATM machines more frequently

(4) Withdrawing over the minimum balance limit

(5) All the above

12.  Consider the following with respect to the much talked about health insurance cover, Obamacare, which came into effect recently in the US.

(A) Under the scheme, it is now compulsory for the people who have health cover

(B) Those who cannot afford the cover will get help from the state

(C) Those who remain without any insurance will be fined

Which of the above statements is true?

(1) Only A                         
(2) Only B

(3) Only C                         
(4) Only A & B
(5) All A, B & C

ANSWERS:

1. 2, 2. 3, 3. 2, 4. 2, 5. 1, 6. 3, 7. 3, 8. 2, 9. 4, 10. 2, 11. 5, 12. 5

National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act, 2014

Union Government has brought into force the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act, 2014 along with the 99th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2014. In this regard, notification to effect from 13 April 2015 was issued by the Union Law Ministry. With this new law the collegium system to appoint members to the higher judiciary has come to an end. Now President will appoint judges in the Supreme Court (SC) and 24 High Courts (HCs) in consultation with the NJAC. 

Facts about NJAC Act, 2014 
Composition of NJAC 
As per Article 124A, NJAC is a 6 member constitutional body. Consisting of Chairman- Chief Justice of India (CJI). Members- Two senior most Judges of the Supreme Court, the Union Minister of Law and Justice and two eminent persons. Two eminent persons will be nominated by committee led by Prime Minister of India, the CJI, and the Leader of the Opposition in the House of the People. 

As per 124B, functions of NJAC are 
Recommend persons for appointment as CJI, Judges of SC, Chief Justices and other Judges of High Courts. Recommend transfer of Chief Justices and other Judges HCs from one HC to another HC. 

About Collegium system 
Previously, under the collegium system, five top judges of the Supreme court recommended transfer and elevation of judges to Supreme Court and High Courts. It came into existence in 1993 after a Supreme Court judgement.

India elected to four United Nations agencies

India was elected to four important United Nations (UN) agencies on 8 April 2015. These agencies are United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Food Program (WFP), Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) and the Governing Council of UN-Habitat.

India was elected to these bodies at the Coordination and Management Meeting (CMM) of UNECOSOC (the United Nations Economic and Social Council) held at the UN headquarters in New York, USA.

India was elected by acclamation, which is a form of election that doesn’t use a ballot.

Results of Elections
• India, along with thirteen other nations, was elected to the Executive Board of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for a three year period starting from January 2016.
• India was re-elected to the Executive Board of the World Food Programme (WFP) along with five other nations for a two year period starting from January 2016. 
• India was elected to the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) along with nineteen other nations for a three year period starting from January 2016. Some of the nations that were elected to CCPCJ included Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia Austria, France, Sweden and the United States.
• India was re-elected to the Governing Council of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) along with thirteen other nations for a three year period starting from January 2016.

Significance of India’s election to UN bodies

• India has a 100 percent record of winning the UNECOSOC elections. For instance, in the first week of April 2015, India was re-elected to the 47-nation UN Human Rights Council for the period of 2015-17. In October 2014, India was re-elected to ECOSOC by garnering the maximum number of votes in the Asia-Pacific group. 
• These continuous wins at various UN bodies highlights the fact that India’s role as an important and influential global power is now recognised by a vast majority of the UN membership.

PM launches first Indian Air Quality Index (AQI)

The government has unveiled the National Air Quality Index (AQI) that will give real time data regarding the level of pollutants in the air. It will inform people on the impact of air pollution on their health.

Initially, 10 cities will be covered by the index. These cities include Delhi, Agra, Kanpur, Lucknow, Varanasi, Faridabad, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad. Each of These cities will have a monitoring station with Air Quality Index displayed on the board.

Different studies have found high level of air pollution in India. The environmental preference index placed India at 174th position out of 178 countries for air quality last year. A study conducted by WHO has found 13 of the most polluted 20 cities in the world present in India.

The Air Quality Index is the global standard that is used to determine the quality of air. Multiple data that is already available with the country’s Central Pollution Control Board is considered and is presented on a color coded scale having six levels by it.

Dark green is the first level, which indicates good quality air where as maroon indicates severe pollution. The index identifies health impacts associated with each category.

The index gives current and 24-hour average data on particulate matter – PM2.5 and PM 10 along with other pollutants like nitrogen dioxide, ozone and carbon monoxide.

New CEC named by President

Dr Nasim Zaidi has been named as the next Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) by President Pranab Mukherjee. He will succeed H.S.Brahma, who is the current CEC.

He is a 1976 batch officer of UP cadre and has retired in July 2012 as Secretary to the Union Government in Ministry of Civil Aviation. He had also hold the position of the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

Bad performance for India on Social Progress Index (SPI)

India has been ranked at 101th place out of 133 countries on the Social Progress Index (SPI) in which Norway is placed at 1st position and U.S at 16th position. India s performance is very poor in the Index as even its neighbours such as Nepal and Bangladesh have secured better ranks. India s ranking is poor than it per capita GDP ranking, which is 93.

The index ranked all these countries on different indicators of wellness including health, water and sanitation, personal safety, access to opportunity, tolerance, inclusion, personal freedom and choice.

MUDRA Bank becomes reality

MUDRA Bank announced in the union budget this year has finally become a reality. It was launched by PM Modi on Wednesday. It will be functioning as a regulator for Micro-Finance Institutions and will serve as a credit provider to small entrepreneurs. The initial corpus is Rs. 20,000 crore.

MUDRA will play the role of laying down policy guidelines for the business of micro enterprise financing and registering MFI entities along with their rating and accreditation.

MUDRA Bank will be enumerating "responsible financing practices", whose will eliminate over indebtedness while ensuring proper principles of client protection and recovery methods.

It will also work to develop standards to govern last mile lending to micro enterprises.

The initial products and schemes of MUDRA will be known as  Shishu ,  Kishor  and  Tarun  signifying the level of development and need of funding for the beneficiary micro unit.

Delhi Government launched India’s first e-ration card Service

Delhi Government on 27 March 2015 launched India’s first e-ration card service. The service was launched by the Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal.

In this service, E-ration card will be linked with Aadhaar cards and it would enable the beneficiaries of Public Distribution System (PDS) to get the cards online from the government’s web portal without hassles.

The new service is expected to curb corruption and increase transparency in the system.

The service would cut down the delays in preparation of ration card and would ensure the fast delivery to the beneficiaries.

As soon as an application for providing food security is approved by the Food Supply Officer concerned, a message will go to the cellphone number of the beneficiary informing him or her about approval of application and ration card.