RAILWAY BUDGET 2016-17 HIGHLIGHTS

● Minister sees operating ratio of 92 percent in FY17 as against 90 percent in current year
● Rs 8,720 cr saving in 2015-16 budget in fuel cost like power
● The railways have ramped up capital expenditure to remove the huge backlog and provide for future needs; rate of capital expenditure has increased
● Investment proposed in 2016-17 at Rs 1.21 lakh crore, higher from Rs 1 lakh crore last year.
● Proposes to commission 2,800 km of new tracks in next year
● Outlay for railway electrification increased by 50 percent; 2,000 km route to be electrified next fiscal
● 2000 km rail route to be electrified in 2016-17
● Railways to get Rs 40,000 cr budgetary support from the government
● Railways to increase lower berth quota for senior citizens by 50 percent
● Ajmer, Amritsar, Gaya, Mathura, Nanded, Nashik, Puri, Tirupati, Varanasi, Nagapattinam and other pilgrim stations to be beautified
● Two elevated suburban railway corridors - Churchgate-Virar and CST-Panvel to be constructed in Mumbai; Ring railway covering 21 stations to be revived with state participation.
● India's first railway auto hub in Chennai to be inaugurated soon
● Logistics and warehouse parks to be created on PPP mode
● Station development and re-development, monetisation of land to raise rail revenue from non-freight sources
● Rs 30,000 crore is the loss on subsidising passenger fares, says Railway Minister
● Railways to shift to completely paperless contract system in 2016-17, says minister
● Bar-coded tickets to be introduced at select stations on pilot basis
● E-booking of tickets on concessional passes for journalists introduced
● Cleaning of coach on demand to be introduced; Disabled enabled toilet in 11 Class-A stations this year
● 33 percent reservation to women in reserved quota in Railways will be introduced
● Children menu to be introduced on pilot basis on trains
● North-South, East-West dedicated freight corridor proposed in Railway Budget for 2016-17
● Three direct services - fully air-conditioned Humsafer to travel at 130-km per hour
● Bar-coded tickets to be introduced at select stations on pilot basis
● Overnight double-decker train Uday Express to be introduced on busiest routes, carrying capacity to be 40 percent more
● Propose to start cancellation through 139. Bar-coded tickets will be issued on a pilot basis. This is aimed at reining in the menace of ticket less travel and also making travel hassle-free.
● 400 railway stations to be equipped with wifi, 100 this year
● 124 MPs have committed to contribute from MPLADS for passenger amenities. 

List of BAFTAs Awards 2016

Britain's 69th British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) were held at the Royal Opera House in London on February 14, The "Revenant" won big at this year’s BAFTA Awards, winning best film, best director for Alejandro González Iñárritu, and best actor for Leonardo DiCaprio, the full list of 2016’s BAFTA winners.

Complete List of Winners:

Film: The Revenant
Director: Alejandro G Inarritu, The Revenant
Leading Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Leading Actress: Brie Larson, Room
Supporting Actor: Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
Supporting Actress: Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs
Adapted Screenplay: The Big Short, Adam McKay, Charles Randolph
Animated Film: Inside Out
British Short Animation: Edmond
British Short Film: Operator
Cinematography: The Revenant, Emmanuel Lubezki
Costume Design: Mad Max: Fury Road, Jenny Beavan
Documentary: Amy
EE Rising Star: John Boyega
Editing: Mad Max: Fury Road, Margaret Sixel
Film not in the English Language: Wild Tales
Make-Up and Hair: Mad Max: Fury Road
Original Music: The Hateful Eight, Ennio Morricone
Original Screenplay: Spotlight, Tom McCarthy, Josh Singer
Outstanding British Film: Brooklyn
Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer: The Theeb, Rupert Lloyd
Production Design: Mad Max: Fury Road
Sound: The Revenant
Special Visual Effects: Star Wars: The Force Awakens

National Insurance Company Ltd. Administrative Officers Exam General Awareness Solved Paper (Exam Held on: 12-04-2015)

1. Mohammad Nasheed who was arrested recently, is the former President of which country ? 
(A) Philippines (B) Myanmar (C) Bangladesh (D) Maldives (E) Malaysia (Ans : D)

2. Which IT firm has been ranked as Top Employer in Europe? 
(A) Abbott (B) Tata Consultancy Services (C) Bentley (D) HEINEKEN (E) Samsung (Ans : B)

3. The country, which set up two commissions on February 10, to investigate human rights abuses and disappearances during nation's decade long civil war– 
(A) Syria (B) Iraq (C) Nepal (D) Tunisia (E) Afghanistan (Ans : C)

4. In 'SIFI', 'S' stands for– 
(A) Science (B) School (C) Systematically (D) Structural (E) System (Ans : C)

5. Air India headquarters located at– 
(A) Hyderabad (B) Kolkata (C) Chennai (D) New Delhi (E) Ahmedabad (Ans : D)

6. As per the World Bank's Index of Ease of Doing Business 2014 India was ranked– 
(A) 138th (B) 189th (C) 123rd (D) 142nd (E) 154th (Ans : D)

7. How many Bank Accounts were opened under "Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana" on its inaugural day? 
(A) 2.00 crores (B) 1.25 crores (C) 1.50 crores (D) 1.00 crores (E) None of these (Ans : C)

8. What is the operational range of Shaheen III ? 
(A) 2750 km (B) 2500 km (C) 2250 km (D) 3000 km (E) 3150 km (Ans : A)

9. Ganga Talao is a crater lake situated in a secluded mountain area in the district of Savanne, deep in the heart of– 
(A) Indonesia (B) Maldives (C) Mauritius (D) Malaysia (E) Thailand (Ans : C)

10. Which one of the following rivers of India is called 'biological desert' ? 
(A) Noyyal (B) Damodar (C) Bhiwani (D) Bhadar (E) Narmada (Ans : B)

11. Researchers of which country have developed a candidate vaccine to protect against the deadly Ebola virus which will soon undergo human clinical trials in Africa ? 
(A) Sweden (B) China (C) Britain (D) Russia (E) India (Ans : D)

12. Which of the following authorities is approached for insurance related complaints? 
(A) Governing Body of Insurance Council (GBIC) (B) Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDA) 
(C) Insurance Ombudsman (D) National Insurance Corporation Limited (NICL) 
(E) United India Insurance Corporation (UIIC) (Ans : B)

13. Which of the following states is the winner of the recently held Ranji Trophy 2014-15? 
(A) Tamil Nadu (B) Maharashtra (C) Mumbai (D) Karnataka (E) Vidarbha (Ans : D)

14. The currency of Belgium is– 
(A) Belgian Franc (B) Euro (C) Dollar (D) Pound (E) Yen (Ans : B)

15. Parliament has passed Insurance Laws (amendment) Bill, 2015 in Rajya Sabha on– 
(A) 12 January, 2015 (B) 12 February 2015 (C) 10 February, 2015 (D) 10 March, 2015 (E) 12 March, 2015 (Ans : E)

16. On March 8, which of the following days is celebrated? 
(A) Army Day (B) Women's Day (C) Labour Day (D) AIDS Day (E) Navy Day (Ans : B)

17. Kidambi Srikanth is associated with which of the following sports? 
(A) Chess (B) Cricket (C) Badminton (D) Lawn Tennis (E) Hockey (Ans : C)

18. According to the Insurance Amendment Bill 2015, a health insurance company is required to maintain an equity capital sum of how much ? 
(A) Rs. 25 crores (B) Rs. 22 crores (C) Rs. 30 crores (D) Rs. 25 crores (E) Rs. 100 crores (Ans : E)

19. According to the census 2011, what is the literacy rate in India? 
(A) 74.04% (B) 65.46% (C) 82.14% (D) 61.80% (E) 67.02% (Ans : A)

20. National Insurance Academy (NIA) is situated at– 
(A) Hyderabad (B) New Delhi (C) Ahmedabad (D) Kochi (E) Pune (Ans : E)

21. Which of the following countries has Copenhagen as its capital ? 
(A) Austria (B) Denmark (C) Argentina (D) Sweden (E) Germany (Ans : B)

22. 'The Substance and Shadow' is an autobiography of which of the following eminent personality ? 
(A) R. K. Laxman (B) Dilip Kumar (C) Amitabh Bachchan (D) Lata Mangeshkar (E) Hema Malini (Ans : B)

23. What is the maximum age limit to open Sukanya Samridhi Account? 
(A) 10 years (B) 12 years (C) 15 years (D) 5 years (E) 8 years (Ans : A)

24. World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) head-quarters are located at– 
(A) New York, USA (B) Geneva, Switzerland (C) Paris, France 
(D) Vienna, Austria (E) Berlin, Germany (Ans : B)

25. March 10, 2015 is the foundation day of which organization? 
(A) IIT Bombay (B) Life Insurance Corporation of India (C) CSIR 
(D) Public Health Foundation of India (E) Andhra Pradesh Foundation Day (Ans : A)

26. The tennis legend who brought up his 1000th victory at tour level on January 11, 2015 in Brisbane, Australia, is– 
(A) David Ferrer (B) Roger Federer (C) Stanislas Wawrinka (D) Rafael Nadal (E) Novak Djokovic (Ans : B)

27. Maximum shares in NICL is held by– 
(A) Scheduled Commercial Banks (B) Reserve Bank of India (C) Government of India 
(D) IRDA (E) Both (B) and (D) (Ans : C)

28. The Union Budget 2015-16 announced additional surcharge for the super rich with income of over Rs. 1 crore. At what rate will this surcharge be charged ? 
(A) 1% (B) 2% (C) 3% (D) 4% (E) 6% (Ans : B)

29. With reference to which sector of Indian economy did the Economic Survey say that it is suffering from "double financial repression" ? 
(A) Services sector (B) Infrastructure sector (C) Banking sector 
(D) Only (A), (B) and (C) (E) Insurance sector (Ans : C)

30. Which of the following is the winner of the best picture for Oscar Awards 2015? 
(A) The Theory of Everything (B) The Grand Budapest Hotel (C) Boyhood 
(D) Birdman (E) Whiplash (Ans : D)

31. As per the Income Tax Regulations, E-ring of the income tax returns is mandatory for individuals, including salaried taxpayers, earning more than… taxable income during the financial year. 
(A) Rs. 10.00 lakhs (B) Rs. 7.50 lakhs (C) Rs. 2lakhs (D) Rs. 5lakhs (E) None of these (Ans : D)

32. The full form of NBFC is– 
(A) Non-Banking Foreign Company (B) Non-Business Foreign Company (C) New-Business Financial Corporation 
(D) New-Business Finance Company (E) Non-Banking Financial Company (Ans : E)

33. In which of the following countries, the next SAARC summit will be held ? 
(A) India (B) Pakistan (C) Malaysia (D) Sri Lanka (E) China (Ans : B)

34. In insurance sector, FDI is raised from 26% to– 
(A) 47% (B) 50% (C) 49% (D) 40% (E) 60% (Ans : C)

35. Which of the following firm has the highest revenue? 
(A) Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) (B) Bharat Petroleum (C) Hindustan Petroleum 
(D) Reliance Industries (E) State Bank of India (Ans : A)

36. Ranthambore National Park is situated in which of the following states? 
(A) Gujarat (B) Uttarakhand (C) Karnataka (D) Assam (E) Rajasthan (Ans : E)

37. Which amongst the following is not an insurance company functioning in India ? 
(A) ICICI prudential (B) ING Vysya (C) National Securities Depository Limited 
(D) New India Insurance Company (E) None of these (Ans : C)

38. Which of the following is not related to the insurance sector? 
(A) Indemnity (B) Coverage (C) Misuse Alert (D) Annuity (E) Life Insurance (Ans : C)

39. Which of the following types of companies / organisations issue ULIP? 
(A) Insurance companies (B) Banks (C) NABARD (D) RBI (E) SIDBI (Ans : A)

40. 'Kepler 78b' is the name given to a recently discovered- 
(A) Island in the Arctic ocean 
(B) Unidentifying flying object 
(C) Planet beyond Solar System 
(D) Comet in the Solar System 
(E) Particle tested as 'Positive Boson' 
(Ans : C) 

Useful books for Preparation

THE MEGA YEARBOOK 2016 - Current Affairs & General Knowledge for Competitive Exams

Banking Awareness (Objective with Subjective)

Banking Awareness for SBI/IBPS Bank Clerk Exams

India 2016

Current Affairs Yearly 2016 (English)

Current Affairs Made Easy 2016

Current Affairs 2016 for Competitive Exams

LIC AAO EXAM GENERAL KNOWLEDGE AND CURRENT AFFAIRS SOLVED PAPER (Exam Held on: 22-03-2015)

1. The United Nations University established in 1973 is the academic and research arm of the United Nations.  It is headquartered in–
(a) New York, USA (b) Washington DC, USA 
(c) Tokyo, Japan (d) Geneva, Switzerland 
(e) Manila, Philippines (Ans : c)

2. Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, the Union Minister for Mines and Steel is a Member of Parliament from the Indian State of–
(a) Bihar (b) Maharashtra (c) Rajasthan 
(d) Madhya Pradesh (e) Chattisgarh (Ans : d)

3. PM Shri Narendra Modi has recently dedicated to the nation two units, each of 600 MW of the Shree Singaji Thermal Power Plant in–
(a) Ujjain District (b) Khandwa District (c) Ratlam District 
(d) Bhopal District (e) Indore District (Ans : b)

4. The committee recently set up by the Central Government to interact with industry on tax laws to give recommendations to CBDT and CBEC for issuance of clarifications when necessary, is headed by–
(a) Arvind Goswami (b) Arvind Subramaniam (c) Arvind Mayaram 
(d) Vijay Kelkar (e) Ashok Lahiri (Ans : e)

5. According to the Public Enterprises Survey recently tabled in Parliament, the most profitable Public Sector Enterprise during 2013-2014 was–
(a) BSNL (b) ONGC (c) NTPC (d) NMDC (e) NPCL (Ans : b)

6. In terms of the Motor Vehicle Agreement signed between the two countries during the recent 18th SAARC Summit at Nepal, a direct bus service has recently been launched in March 2015 between Varanasi and–
(a) Lahore, Pakistan (b) Kathmandu, Nepal (c) Thimphu, Bhutan 
(d) Kabul, Afghanistan (e) Dhaka, Bangladesh (Ans : b)

7. The 'Armed Forces Flag Day' is observed every year on the– 
(a) 26th October (b) 21st November (c) 18th December 
(d) 7th December (e) 21st September (Ans : d)

8. 'Vishu' is the New Year day and a Hindu festival celebrated in the Indian State of–
(a) Karnataka (b) Goa (c) Telangana (d) Odisha (e) Kerala (Ans : e)

9. Sushil Kumar is associated with the sports of–
(a) Tennis (b) Basketball (c) Football (d) Wrestling (e) Golf (Ans : d)

10. The 'Shwedagon Pagoda' also known as 'Great Dagon Pagoda' and the 'Golden Pagoda' is situated in–
(a) Mumbai, India (b) Tokyo, Japan (c) Yangon, Myanmar 
(d) Kyoto, Japan (e) Thimphu, Bhutan (Ans : c)

11. The capital of the Myanmar is– 
(a) Thimphu (b) Putrajaya (c) Langkawi (d) Naypyidaw (e) Punakha (Ans : d)

12. The World's largest and tallest Indian National flag was recently unfurled in–
(a) Faridabad (b) Gurgaon (c) Kamal (d) Ghaziabad (e) Panipat (Ans : a)

13. As per 2011 census, the total number of children in the age-group 0-6 years was–
(a) 185. 8 million (b) 198. 8 million (c) 221. 8 million 
(d) 189. 8 million (e) 158. 8 million (Ans : e)

14. 'G.  Karthikeyan', who recently passed away at Bengaluru was the speaker of the Legislative Assembly of–
(a) Karnataka (b) Kerala (c) Telangana (d) Tamil Nadu (e) Andhra Pradesh (Ans : b)

15. In the budget for 2015-2016, the Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley has proposed to set up a centre for film production, animation and gaming in the State of–
(a) Haryana (b) Meghalaya (c) Andhra Pradesh 
(d) Jammu and Kashmir (e) Arunachal Pradesh (Ans : e)

16. The film 'Ida' named as the 'Best Foreign Language Film' at the 87th Academy Awards 2015 is– 
(a) a Polish drama film (b) a French family drama film 
(c) an American comedy film (d) a Russian short story film 
(e) a British documentary film (Ans : a)

17. Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, India's largest drug maker, has recently announced that it would acquire the oplates business of British drug maker Glaxo Smith Kline(GSK) in–
(a) Europe (b) USA (c) New Zealand (d) Asia (e) Australia (Ans : e)

18. The first woman to be appointed as a Director on the board of Reliance industries- the nation's largest private sector company is– 
(a) Tina Anil Ambani (b) Meera Sanyal (c) Nita Mukesh Ambani 
(d) Usha Thorat (e) Kokilaben Ambani (Ans : c)

19. The Lok Sabha recently passed the Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2015, that proposes to raise the foreign investment cap in the insurance sector from 26 percent to–
(a) 69 percent (b) 51 percent (c) 59 percent (d) 55 percent (e) 49 percent (Ans : e)

20. Who amongst the following has recently been elected as the new President of BCCI ? 
(a) N. Srinivasan (b) Rajiv Shukla (c) Sanjay Patel 
(d) Jagmohan Dalmiya (e) Anurag Thakur (Ans : d)

21. 880 MW Kaiga Atomic Power Plant is situated near the river Kali in the Indian State of–
(a) Tamil Nadu (b) Kerala (c) Andhra Pradesh (d) Karnataka (e) Maharashtra (Ans : d)

22. The currency of the 'Republic of South Africa' is–
(a) Rand (b) Rial (e) Ruble (d) Riyal (e) Rial (Ans : a)

23. 'Fugdi' is a traditional folk dance popular in the Indian State of– 
(a) Goa (b) Bihar (c) Odisha (d) Chattisgarh (e) Gujarat (Ans : a)

24. The 'CNSA' is the national space agency of–
(a) Soviet Union (b) Republic of Singapore (c) Russian Federation 
(d) People's Republic of China (e) United States of America (Ans : d)

25. In the recent Union Budget 2015, the Union Minister of Finance has proposed to support the 'Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana' which aims to boost– 
(a) Floriculture Production (b) Drip Irrigation (c) Watershed Development 
(d) Minor Irrigation (e) Organic Farming (Ans : c)

26. The RBI has recently allowed Indians to carry high value denomination notes while travelling to Nepal and Bhutan within a limit of–
(a) Rs. 20,000/- (b) Rs. 30,000/- (c) Rs. 35,000/- 
(d) Rs. 25,000/- (e) Rs. 40,000/- (Ans : d)

27. Reliance infrastructure with its wholly-owned subsidiary Reliance Defence Systems Private Ltd.  has.  recently announced the acquisition of Pipavav Defence Company Limited based in–
(a) Tamil Nadu (b) Maharashtra (c) Goa (d) Kerala (e) Gujarat (Ans : b)

28. Tile abbreviation 'CSR' stands for– 
(a) Collective Social Responsibility (b) Collective Shared Responsibility 
(c) Corporate Social Responsibility (d) Corporate Shared Responsibility 
(e) Commercial Shared Responsibility (Ans : c)

29. For highlighting women's safety, the National Insurance of gender justice has recently honoured film actress–
(a) Rani Mukherji (b) Vidya Balan (c) Jaya Bachchan 
(d) Priyanka Chopra (e) Hema Malini (Ans : a)

30. The global meet on countering Violent Extremism was recently held in–
(a) London, UK (b) New York, USA (c) Washington, USA 
(d) Ottawa, Canada (e) Paris, France (Ans : c)

Useful Books for Preparation

India 2016

Current Affairs Yearly 2016 (English)

Current Affairs Made Easy 2016

Current Affairs 2016 for Competitive Exams

LIC AAO EXAM GENERAL KNOWLEDGE AND CURRENT AFFAIRS SOLVED PAPER (Exam Held on: 12-05-2013)

1 To which category of customers do the banks in India offer a 'Basic Savings Bank Deposit Account' with minimum common facilities?
(a) Businessmen (b) BPL families (c) Beneficiaries of Antyodaya Anna Yojana 
(d) NRIs and PIOs (e) All customers (Ans : e)

2. Which of the following is correct regarding the Reverse Repo Rate used by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)? 
(a) It is used to control liquidity in the system 
(b) It is the rate at which the RBI borrows money from commercial banks. 
(c) An increase in reverse repo rate can prompt banks to park more funds with the RBI 
(d) It is a tool which can be used by the RBI to drain excess money out of the banking system 
(e) All of the above (Ans : e)

3. In which of the following categories is the prestigious Kalidas Samman not given?
(a) Classical Music (b) Classical Literature (c) Classical Dance (d) Theatre (e) Plastic Arts (Ans : b)

4. In India, the capital market is regulated by the Capital Markets Division of– 
(a) Reserve Bank of India (b) Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance 
(c) Securities and Exchange Board of India (d) Confederation of Indian Industry 
(e) None of the above(Ans : b)

5. Which country would be visited by Bangladesh External Affairs Minister Ms. Dipu Moni in May 2013 to co-chair the first Joint Consultative Commission meeting between the two countries? 
(a) India (b) Saudi Arabia (c) Austria (d) Myanmar (e) China (Ans : a)

6. What does NMCEX stand for? 
(a) National Multi-Commodity Exchange (b) National Mineral Corporation Export Council 
(c) National Mint for Currency Exchange (d) National Multi-Currency Exchange 
(e) National Multipurpose Council for Export (Ans : a)

7. SHG is the abbreviated form of– 
(a) Shimla Housing Group (b) Standard Himalayan Goat (c) Self Help Group 
(d) Swedish High Grapevine (e) Standard Horse Genome (Ans : c)

8. Which of the following situations is described by "too much money chasing too few goods" ? 
(a) Built-in Inflation (b) Recession (c) Cost-pull Inflation (d) Stagflation (e) Demand-pull Inflation (Ans : e)

9. Which of the following bodies/ institutes/ministries provides insurance to bank deposits in India? 
(a) Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance (b) Department of Currency Management, Reserve Bank of India 
(c) Insurance Regulatory Development Authority (d) Securities and Exchange Board of India 
(e) Deposit insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (Ans : e)

10. What does EMI denote in the context of housing loans? 
(a) Easy Money in India (b) Equated Monthly Installment (c) Easy Monthly Installment 
(d) Equity at Monthly Invar (e) Equivalent Mortgage Institution (Ans : b)

11. The Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are being increasingly used by the governments to deliver its services at the locations convenient to the citizens. All possible information services for the rural citizens are packaged as a single point access through PC based– 
(a) Outlets (b) Kiosks (c) Internet Cafes (d) Offices (e) ISPs (Ans : b)

12. Which of the following is not a category of Schedule Commercial Banks in India? 
(a) Nationalized Banks (b) Foreign Banks (c) Regional Rural Banks 
(d) State Bank of India and its associates (e) All of the above (Ans : e)

13. Where is the Secretariat of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS), which provides a forum for regular cooperation on banking supervisory matters, located? 
(a) Denmark (b) South Africa (c) Switzerland (d) Canada (e) Spain (Ans : c)

14. Financial Holding Company (FHCs) in India are regulated by– 
(a) Reserve Bank of India (b) Securities Exchange Board of India (c) NABARD 
(d) Union Ministry of Finance (e) Federation of Indian Industries (Ans : a)

15. Which of the following public sector insurance companies of India is headquartered in Mumbai ? 
(1) National Insurance Company Limited (2) Life Insurance Corporation of India 
(3) New India Assurance Company Limited (4) United India Insurance Company Limited 
Select the correct answer using the codes given below 
(a) Only (1) and (2) (b) Only (3) and (4) (c) Only (2) and (3) 
(d) Only (1), (3) and (4) (e) All of the above (Ans : c)

16. Who among the following is the signatory to a Rs. 10 note in India with the promise. "I promise to pay the bearer the sum often rupees" ? 
(a) President of India (b) Union Minister of Finance (c) Governor, Reserve Bank of India 
(d) Prime Minister of India (e) Secretary to the Union Ministry of Finance (Ans : c)

17. Which country recently passed legislation regarding provisions that allow the constitution to be adopted via referendum ? 
(a) Moldova (b) Italy (c) Greece (d) Ukraine (e) Mexico (Ans : d)

18. Regional Rural Banks in India are classified as– 
(a) Scheduled Commercial Banks (b) Cooperative Banks (c) Non-Scheduled Commercial Banks 
(d) Non Banking Financial Companies (e) Finance Holding Companies (Ans : a)

19. Francois Hollande paid a two-visit to India In February 2013. He is the President of– 
(a) Venezuela (b) France (c) Brazil (d) South Africa (e) Canada (Ans : b)

20. Jacob Juma who was in recent news is the President of– 
(a) Democratic Republic of Congo (b) Algeria (c) South Africa (d) Rwanda (e) Morocco (Ans : c)

21. The most popular India Rupee exchange rate is the INR to the rate of– 
(a) Euro (b) Yen (c) U. S. Dollar (d) Pound Sterling (e) Yuan (Ans : c)

22. Which country recently announced to sell its first indigenously developed 1000 MW nuclear reactor to Pakistan? 
(a) Russia (b) United States of America (c) China (d) Britain (e) France (Ans : c)

23. Which of the following is/are not the objectives of the International Monetary Fund? 
(a) To promote International monetary cooperation 
(b) To facilitate the expansion of international trade 
(c) To assist in the reconstruction and development of territories of members by facilitating the investment of capital for productive purpose 
(d) To ensure stability to foreign exchange rates 
(e) To promote capital investment in backward and underdevelopment countries (Ans : c)

24. What does FDI stand for? 
(a) Foreign Development Investment (b) Foreign Direct Investment (c) French Development Institution 
(d) Foreign Development Investment (e) For Deep Insight (Ans : b)

25. In the field of business and finance, AML, is the abbreviated form of– 
(a) Association for Mormon Letters (b) Algebraic Modeling Language (c) Anti-Money Laundering 
(d) Acton Main Line (e) Association of Muslim Lawyers (Ans : c)

26. Which of the following tools is used by the Reserve Bank of India to reduce liquidity in the banking system? 
(a) Cash Reserve Ratio (b) Open market operations (c) Statutory Liquidity Ratio 
(d) Current Base Rate (e) Repo Rate (Ans : a)

27. Which of the following is a tax on domestic production ? 
(a) Corporation Tax (b) Wealth Tax (c) Income Tax (d) Excise Tax (e) Customs Duty (Ans : d)

28. Which of the following bodies/ organizations decides on the volume and value of bank notes to be printed in India? 
(a) Securities Exchange Board of India (b) India Government Mint, Kolkata (c) Reserve Bank of India 
(d) Union Ministry of Finance (e) International Monetary Fund (Ans : c)

29. Which of the following is not a negotiable instrument as per the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 ? 
(a) Promissory note (b) Bill of Exchange (c) Cheque (d) Hundi (e) All of the above (Ans : d)

30. Which of the following does not come under insurance sector in India ? 
(a) Life Insurance (b) General Insurance (c) Health Insurance 
(d) Property Insurance (e) Mental Disability Insurance (Ans : e)

Useful Books:

Current Affairs Yearly 2016 (English)

Current Affairs Made Easy 2016


Current Affairs 2016 for Competitive Exams

United India Insurance Assistants Exam General Awareness Solved Paper 2015

1. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) World Investment Report published by the year 2014, direct foreign investment in the country is-
(A) USA (B) Japan (c) China (d) India (e) Russia (Ans: a)

2. Which of the following recent Philadelphia Liberty Medal for Human Rights has been selected for 2015?
(A) Anna (b) the Dalai Lama (c) Asman Jahangir (d) Kailash Pradhan (e) Mansi head (Ans: b)

3. The capital of the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli Forms
(A) Silvassa (b) Dispur (c) Amboli (d) Kwarti (e) Bedpa (Ans: a)

4. Which of the following entities associated with the United Nations specialized agency attached to the International Health Forms
(A) WFO (b) WPO (c) WWF (d) WHO (e) WTO (Ans: d)

5. Unit-linked savings schemes (ELSS) of a type of equity mutual funds in which we are to receive the tax exemption
(A) of the Income Tax Act under section 80 C (b) of the Income Tax Act under section 80 G
(C) of the Income Tax Act under section 80 E (d) of the Income Tax Act under section 80 D
(E) Income Tax Act under section 80 F (Ans: a)

6. Which of the following countries, India recently with the next 5 years to obtain uranium-related agreements are signed
(A) Japan (b) Germany (c) Netherlands (d) Canada (e) Russia (Ans: d)

7. Sukanya Prosperity Plan accounts can be opened under the name of a child whose age does not exceed ......
(A) 10 years (b) 9 years (c) 7 years (d) 16 years (e) 5 years (Ans: a)

8. Europe's largest natural gas field, "located in the Groningen gas field is-
(A) France (b) Netherlands (c) Switzerland (d) Austria (e) Belgium (Ans: b)

9. Keoladeo Ghana National Park, located in the Indian state is-
(A) Karnataka (b) Maharashtra (c) Madhya Pradesh (d) Rajasthan (e) Gujarat (Ans: d)

10. Information and Communications Minister, who is currently in the Union Cabinet? -
(A) Mr. Prakash Javedkr (b) Mr. Suresh Prabhu (c) Mr. Rajnath Singh (d) Mr. Naidu (e) Mr. Arun Jaitley (Ans: e)

11. Which of the following was the first private bank to its customers Voyls password feature is launched?
(A), HDFC Bank (b) Axis Bank (c), ICICI Bank (d) IndusInd Bank (e) Yes Bank (Ans: c)

12. The International Monetary Fund is an international organization, whose headquarters Forms
(A) Washington D. C. U. s. a. (B) Geneva, Switzerland (c) The Hague, Netherlands (d) Rome, Italy (e) New York, USA (Ans: a)

13. The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision is related to the regulation of the banking industry, the Basel Convention on the recommendations made by the committee stated. The committee's headquarters is located in ......
(A) Switzerland (b) Netherlands (c) USA (d) Austria, (e) Canada (Ans: a)

14. Charles Correa has died at the age of 84, was India's greatest ......
(A) poet (b) Journalists (c) designer (d) Architect (e) historian (Ans: d)

15. The 11th biannual Financial Stability Report (FSR) released in June 2015 Gyi-
(A) by the Bank for International Settlements (b) by the Securities and Asschenj Board of India (c) by the World Economic Forum
(D) International Monetary Fund (e) by the Reserve Bank of India (Ans: e)

16. Switzerland and Liechtenstein's official currency is-
(A) Euro (b) CFA bank (c) Pound Sterling (d) Swiss bank (e) US $ (Ans: d)

17. National Teachers' Day in India is celebrated annually is-
(A) 6 नवम्बर (b) 6 सितम्बर (c) 5 सितम्बर (d) 5 नवम्बर (e) 6 अक्टूबर (Ans: c)

18. The Reserve Bank before the 2005 deadline for the change ..... is extended.
(A) मार्च 31, 2016 (b) December, 31, 2015 (c) सितम्बर 30, 2015 (d) जून 30, 2015 (e) सितम्बर 30, 2016 (Ans: b)

19. In December 2014 a bill was passed in the Lok Sabha, the regional rural banks to increase the authorized capital ..... provision.
(A) Rs. 5,000 million (b) Rs. 500 million (c) Rs. 2,000 crore (d) Rs. 1,000 crore (e) Rs. 250 million (Ans: c)

20. A multipurpose sports stadium Kalinga Stadium, which is- located
(A) Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh (b) Patiala, Punjab (c) Bhubaneswar, Orissa (d) Nagpur, Maharashtra (e) Indore, Madhya Pradesh (Ans: c)

21. Recently, new NASA spacecraft Horijns frozen methane on the surface of the planet which is detected.
(A) Pluto (b) Venus (c) Jupiter (d) Mercury (e) Mars (Ans: a)

22. Nifty 50 or a stock market index, Nifty Forms
(A) the NASDAQ, New York, (b) the National Stock Exchange of India (c) The Bombay Stock Exchange of India
(D) the Shanghai Stock Exchange of China (e) Stock Exchange of Taiwan Taipei (Ans: b)

23. Which country's largest city and the capital-to Vienna
(A) Belgium (b) Italy (c) Austria (d), Germany (e) Poland (Ans: c)

24. Which of the following European countries recently, the International Monetary Fund does not repay the loan, the first European country declared Hua-
(A) Belarus (b) Poland (c) Greece (d) Albania (e) Liechtenstein (Ans: c)

25. Inshyurens SBI Life Insurance Company Limited F joint stock company which is a subsidiary of State Bank of India and ......
(A) New York Life Inshyurens Company (b) Prudential Life Inshyurens Company (c) Standard Life Inshyurens company
(D) BNP Paribas Ashyurens (e) Life Insurance Corporation (Ans: d)

26. What river in the world's longest river, is known as?
(A) Chang Jiang (Yengtji), China (b) Neil Africa (c) Mississippi, USA (d) Missouri, USA (e) The Amazon, The. USA (Ans: b)

27. Floyd Jr. Medevr is related to which game?
(A) Tennis (b) Cricket (c) football (d) Hockey (e) Boxing (Ans: e)

28. International daily journal is published by the Global Times, where is-
(A) France (b) Singapore (c) Russia (d) China (e) Japan (Ans: d)

29. Recently BIBEK DEBROY committee which was to reform and restructure?
(A) IR (b) public bank (c) the insurance sector (d) India's legal system (e) The Shipping Corporation Limited (Ans: a)

30. AB recently announced a Rs pension plan. 1000 from Rs. 5000 per month for a limited amount will be provided to any person between the age of 18 ......
(A) 55 years (b) 40 years (c) 45 years (d) 50 years (e) 60 years (Ans: b)

31. The recently launched micro units Development and refinance Agency (currency) plan to fund early to-
(A) Rs. 50,000 crore (b) Rs. 25,000 crore (c) Rs. 20,000 crore (d) Rs. 10,000 crore (e) Rs. 5,000 crore (Ans: c)

32. Kaiga atomic energy center located in the Indian state is-
(A) Telangana (b) Karnataka (c) Andhra Pradesh (d) Tamil Nadu (e) Maharashtra (Ans: b)

33. A recent research paper published by the World Economic Forum, in India-the largest employer
(A) Tata Consultancy Service (b) State Bank of India (c) Indian Post (d) IR (e) Indian Army (Ans: d)

34. cricketer Yuvraj Singh's autobiography was published Q. By what name?
(A) The Race of My Life (b) My Country My Life (c) The Book of My Life
(D) The Test of My Life (e) One Life is the Enough (Ans: d)

35. Recently, the world's first electric passenger aircraft 'BOCTE' which was created by the country.
(A) Canada (b) U. of. (C) u. s. a. (D) China (e) Russia (Ans: d)

36. DR. Nasim Zaidi department took over what is?
(A) The Chief Election Commissioner (b) the Chief Vigilance Commissioner (c) the Chief Justice of India
(D) The Chief Commissioner PWD (e) Chief Information Commissioner (Ans: a)

37. Starting with capital of $ 100 Biliyr the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank have established the headquarters Forms
(A) Jakarta (b) BEIJING (c) Taiwan (d) Singapore (e) Tokyo (Ans: b)

38. India-Africa Forum Summit 2015: the host country
(A) India (b) Nigeria (c) Zimbabwe (d) The. Africa (e) Mauritius (Ans: a)

39. Which of the following recently appointed president of the International Cricket Council's?
(A) Bangladesh Shakib-al-Hasan, former Kmpan (b) Former Bangladesh captain Mohammad Arshfull (c) Former Pakistan captain Younis Khan
(D) Former Pakistan Kmpan Zaheer Abbas (e) Former Sri Lanka captain Sanath Jayasuriya (Ans: d)

40. Recently, Mr. KV Kamath, ICICI Bank's non-executive chairman, who resigned to become chief.
(A) The SAARC Development Bank (b) New BRICS Development Bank (c) The Asian Development Bank
(D) the African Development Bank (e) Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (Ans: b)

GENERAL AEARENESS PRACTICE QUESTIONS FOR ALL COMPETITIVE EXAMS

1. Who is the author of the book "The Turbulent Years 1980-1996"?
1) Sharad Pawar
2) Hamid Ansari
3) Pranab Mukherjee
4) L.K. Advani
5) Sonia Gandhi

2. Who won the 2016 Australian Open women's singles tennis title on January 30, 2016?
1) Serena Williams
2) Angelique Kerber
3) Victoria Azarenka
4) Zhang Shuai
5) Maria Sharapova

3. Who won the Syed Modi International Grand Prix Gold Championship Badminton men's singles title on January 31, 2016?
1) Huang Yuxiang
2) Parupalli Kashyap
3) Kidambi Srikanth
4) Shi Yuqi
5) None of these

4. The President's Rule was imposed in which of the following States on January 26, 2016?
1) Manipur
2) Sikkim
3) Meghalaya
4) Arunachal Pradesh
5) Tripura

5. Shiv Prakash Mishra was given the 2015 Dhyan Chand Award. He is associated with?
1) Hockey
2) Volleyball
3) Golf
4) Football
5) Tennis

6. Which of the following organizations is headquartered in London?
1) International Maritime Organization
2) World Meteorological Organization
3) Food and Agriculture Organization
4) United Nations Environment Program
5) International Atomic Energy Agency

7. Who was elected Chairman of the Press Trust of India in September 2015?
1) Riyad Mathew
2) Prabhu Chawla
3) Hormusji N. Cama
4) N. Ram
5) Vineet Jain

8. Who was appointed as a full-time member in the NITI Aayog in September 2015?
1) M.S. Swaminathan
2) Kaushik Basu
3) Raghuram Rajan
4) Ramesh Chand
5) Avinash Chander

9. Which of the following teams won the Moin-ud-Dowlah Gold Cup cricket tournament in September 2015?
1) India Cements
2) Hyderabad Cricket Association
3) ONGC
4) Air India
5) FCI

10. The Finance Minister Arun Jaitley inaugurated the new bank note paper line of 6,000 tonnes capacity in?
1) Indore
2) Bhopal
3) Hoshangabad
4) Nasik
5) Noida

11. Who is the author of the novel "A Strangeness in My Mind"?
1) Orhan Pamuk
2) V.S. Naipaul
3) P.H. Newby
4) Doris Lessing
5) None of these

12. Which of the following statements is not correct?
1) Karnataka is the highest coffee growing State in India
2) London is situated on the banks of the river Thames
3) Graphite is used in making pencils
4) The first Indian to give a speech in Hindi in the United Nations General Assembly is Narendra Modi
5) Disguised Unemployment means more people working than required

13. Identify the mismatched pair?
Country - Prime Minister
1) Sri Lanka - Ranil Wickremesinghe
2) Australia - Malcolm Turnbull
3) Greece - Alexis Tsipras
4) England - David Cameron
5) China - Xi Jinping

14. India has gifted its former Indian Coast Guard (ICG) ship "Varaha" to?
1) Maldives
2) Sri Lanka
3) Mauritius
4) Myanmar
5) Seychelles

15. Which of the following banks has launched a mobile wallet app "Buddy"?
1) HDFC Bank
2) Axis Bank
3) Corporation Bank
4) State Bank of India
5) None of these

16. Which of the following statements about Bandhan Bank is not correct?
1) Bandhan Bank was inaugurated on August 23, 2015
2) It is headquartered in Kolkata
3) Its Chairman is Ashok Kumar Lahiri
4) Its tag line is "Aapka Bhala, Sabki Bhalai"
5) Bandhan is the second microfinance company to transform into a bank

17. Who among the following is not an archer?
1) Abhishek Verma
2) Rajat Chauhan
3) Sandeep Kumar
4) Chekrovolu Swuro
5) Aditi Ashok

18. Who is the present Chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR)?
1) Shanta Sinha
2) Deepika Shrivastava
3) Stuti Narain Kacker
4) Krishna Tirath
5) Preet Verma

19. INS Vajrakosh has been commissioned at Karwar Base in?
1) Karnataka
2) Odisha
3) Tamil Nadu
4) Kerala
5) Gujarat

20. The Union Cabinet has approved what per cent of Foreign Direct Investment in White Label Automated Teller Machines (WLAs)?
1) 26%
2) 49%
3) 74%
4) 100%
5) None of these

21. Who was awarded the prestigious 2015 SASTRA Ramanujan Prize?
1) Manjul Bhargav
2) Jacob Tsimerman
3) Wei Zhang
4) Ben Green
5) None of these

22. Which country's Prime Minister was selected for the United Nations Champions of the Earth Award in September 2015?
1) Canada
2) Singapore
3) Bangladesh
4) UK
5) China

23. Baba Farid Gold Cup is associated with which of the following sports?
1) Cricket
2) Football
3) Hockey
4) Shooting
5) Boxing

24. Which of the following is the majority stakeholder in the capital of Regional Rural Banks?
1) Sponsor Bank
2) Reserve Bank of India
3) State Government
4) Central Government
5) NABARD

25. Madison Square Garden is an indoor arena in?
1) London
2) Paris
3) Sydney
4) Ankara
5) New York

26. Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has entered into a partnership with which of the following banks for a payments bank?
1) ICICI Bank
2) HDFC Bank
3) State Bank of India
4) Bank of Baroda
5) Union Bank of India

27. Aqueela Asifi won the 2015 United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Nansen Refugee Award. She belongs to?
1) Afghanistan
2) Syria
3) Iran
4) Lebanon
5) None of these

28. The 18th Asian Games will be held from August 18 to September 2, 2018 in which of the following cities?
1) Hanoi, Vietnam
2) Dubai, UAE
3) Bangkok, Thailand
4) Jakarta, Indonesia
5) Tokyo, Japan

29. The World Pneumonia Day is observed every year on?
1) May17
2) November 12
3) May 13
4) November 14
5) May 20

30. Ratan Watal has been appointed as the new?
1) Home Secretary
2) Revenue Secretary
3) Finance Secretary
4) Financial Services Secretary
5) Economic Affairs Secretary

31. Union Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad recently released a Rs 5/-postal stamp in honor of the Indian emperor?
1) Ashoka
2) Bimbisara
3) Bindusara
4) Chandragupta Maurya
5) Harshavardhana

32. Which of the following countries is not a member of the United Nations Organization?
1) Sudan
2) Kosovo
3) South Sudan
4) Rwanda
5) Bahrain

33. Where are the headquarters of UCO Bank located?
1) Mumbai
2) New Delhi
3) Kolkata
4) Chennai
5) Pune

34. Which bank has recently launched mCASH facility, where in a sender needs to know only the
mobile number or email ID of the recipient to transfer money?
1) ICICI Bank
2) Punjab National Bank
3) Bank of India
4) State Bank of India
5) Corporation Bank

35. The recently launched IDFC Bank is a scheduled?
1) Public sector bank
2) Regional rural bank
3) Commercial bank
4) Cooperative bank
5) Local Area bank

36. Which one of the following is not a capital city of a country?
1) Copenhagen
2) Bern
3) Helsinki
4) Brussels
5) Milan

37. Veer Savarkar International Airport is located in?
1) Kolkata
 2) Chennai
3) Port Blair
4) Kochi
5) Jaipur

38. Which of the following is the currency of Italy?
1) Lira
2) Franc
3) Krona
4) Euro
5) Peso

39. Who is the author of the book "Making India Awesome"?
1) Vikram Seth
2) Neil Mukherjee
3) Chetan Bhagat
4) Amitav Ghosh
5) Salman Rushdie

40. Who acts as the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee?
1) President
2) Prime Minister
3) Defense Minister
4) Defense Secretary
5) None of these

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

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act - The Journey of a Decade

The Mandate of the Act and Achievements

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) completes ten years of implementation on 2nd February 2016. The achievements of a decade are a cause of national pride and celebration. Since the start of the programme, the expenditure on the programme has amounted to Rs. 3,13,844.55 crore and out of this 71% has been spent on wage payments to workers.

Of the workers, the percentage of Scheduled Caste workers has consistently been about 20% and Scheduled Tribe workers has been about 17%. A total of 1,980.01 crore persondays have been generated, out of which the percentage worked by women has steadily increased much above the statutory minimum of 33%.

Sustainable assets have been created linked to conservation of natural resources and overall development of Gram Panchayats. More than 65% of the works taken up under the programme are linked to agriculture and allied activities.

Revival of the Programme

The past year, 2015-16, has seen a revival of the programme. The personday generation is the highest in the second quarter (45.88 crore) and third quarter (46.10 crore) than it has been in the last five years. The national personday generation to date at 146 crore is well above what this figure was at this time last year.

44% of all wage payments are being made on time. More than 64% of total expenditure is on agriculture and allied activities, the highest in three years. 57% of all workers are women, well above the statutory requirement of 33% and the highest in three years. 23% of all persondays are being done by SC workers, and 18% by ST workers, the highest in three years.

This revival has been achieved due to a slew of reforms undertaken by the Ministry of Rural Development. Most important of these has been the timely release of funds to states to provide work on demand. An electronic fund management system has been successfully instituted which allows for real time and transparent release of funds to implementing agencies and beneficiaries. There has been consistent coordination between banks and post offices and constant monitoring of pendency of payments has led to a reduction in wage delays.

The Ministry has reacted swiftly to the distress situation of droughts in nine states by declaring an additional 50 days of employment in the drought affected areas.

Way Forward

The focus for the upcoming years will be on simplification and strengthening of procedures for the implementation of the MGNREGA as an employment guarantee. A Master Circular is being issued today which consolidates all key instructions from the Central Government on the implementation of the Act. Beyond this, states are encouraged to innovate with flexibility.

The convergent planning exercise currently underway in 2569 backward blocks in the country will be consolidated in the State Rural Development Plan (SRDP) which will be the basis of implementation and monitoring for the coming year.

Concurrent social audits and community monitoring will be undertaken. There will be a renewed focus on sustainable individual assets to benefit the poor and vulnerable households with the following targets; 5 Lakh farm ponds and 10 Lakh Vermi and NADEP compost pits in the FY 2016-17.  There will be a continued focus on construction of Anganwadi Buildings and individual household latrines.

The Ministry will focus on imparting skills to workers. It will aim to train and place 10,000 Barefoot Technicians from worker households and through Project LIFE, skill and train workers for wages, for self-employment and livelihood upgradation.