Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Obama nominates Indian-American on US Court of Appeals

US President Barack Obama has nominated Indian-American, Srikanth Srinivasan to a key judiciary position and termed him as a trailblazer. 
 

Srinivasan has been nominated to serve on the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit along with Caitlin Halligan.

"Caitlin Halligan and Sri Srinivasan are dedicated public servants who will bring their tremendous experience, intellect, and integrity to the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit," Obama said.

"This important court is often called the Nation's second-highest court, and it stands more than a quarter vacant. Srinivasan will be a trailblazer and, like Halligan, will serve the court with distinction and excellence," Obama added.

Born in Chandigarh and brought up in Kansas, Srinivasan is the Principal Deputy Solicitor General of the US.

"He is a highly-respected appellate advocate who has spent a distinguished career litigating before the US Supreme Court and the US Courts of Appeals, both on behalf of the United States and in private practice," the White House said.

Srinivasan began his legal career by serving as a law clerk for Judge J Harvie Wilkinson on the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit from 1995 to 1996.

He then spent a year as a Bristow Fellow in the Office of the Solicitor General before clerking for Justice Sandra Day O'Connor during the Supreme Court's 1997-98 term.

He was an associate at the law firm of OMelveny & Myers LLP in Washington, DC, from 1998 until 2002. In 2002, he returned to the Solicitor General's Office as an Assistant, representing the US in litigation before the Supreme Court.

In 2007, Srinivasan became a partner with OMelveny & Myers LLP. In 2011, he was named the Chair of the firms Appellate Practice Group. He was named as the Principal Deputy Solicitor General in August 2011.

13th IIFA AWARDS



The International Indian Film Academy Awards, also known as the IIFA Awards are presented annually by the International Indian Film Academy to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in Bollywood, the Hindi language film industry. Instituted in 2000, the ceremony is held in different countries around the world every year. This award ceremony has been organised by Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt Ltd – one of India’s premier event management and entertainment agencies - since its inception. The first awards were presented in 2000 at The Millennium Dome in London, United Kingdom. From then on the awards were held at locations around the world signifying the international success of Bollywood. The award ceremonies are held in various places around the world.

The 2012 IIFA Awards, officially the 13th International Indian Film Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the International Indian Film Academy honoring the films of 2011 took place on June 9, 2012, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore.

List of Awards: 
Best Actor
Ranbir Kapoor (Rock Star)
Best Actress Vidya Balan (The Dirty Picture)
Best Movie Zindagi Na Milegi Dobra
Best Director Zoya Akhtar (Zindagi Na Milegi Dobra)
Best Story Zoya Akhtar (Zindagi Na Milegi Dobra)
Best Supporting Actor Farhan Akhtar (Zindagi Na Milegi Dobra)
Best Music Director AR Rahman (Rock Star)
Best Female Debutante
Best Supporting Actress Parineeti Chopra (Ladies vs Ricky Bahl)
Best Male Deutante Vidyut Jamwal (Force)
Best Negative Role Actor Prakash Raj (Singham)
Best Comic Role Actor Ritesh Deshmukh (Double Dhamaal)
Best Male Playback Singer Mohit Chauhan (Naadan Parindey - Rockstar)
Best Lyrics Irshad Kamil (Naadan Parindey-Rockstar)
Best Female Playback Singer Shreya Ghosal (Teri Meri - Bodyguard)


LIV ULLMANN Honoured for her outstanding contribution to international Cinema
REKHA Honoured for her outstanding achievement in Indian Cinema
RAMESH SIPPY Honoured for the outstanding contribution to Indian Cinema Award

Technical awards

Best Action: Jai Singh Nijjar for Singham
Best Special Effects: Red Chillies VFX for Ra.One
Best Choreography: Bosco-Caesar for Senorita from Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
Best Cinematography: Carlos Catalan for Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
Best Costume Design: Niharika Khan for The Dirty Picture
Best Dialogue: Rajat Aroraa for The Dirty Picture
Best Editing: Anand Subaya for Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
Best Makeup: Vikram Gaikwad for The Dirty Picture
Best Production Design: Sabu Cyril for Ra.One
Best Screenplay: Reema Kagti and Zoya Akhtar
Best Sound Re-Recording: Anuj Mathur and Baylon Fonseca for Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
Best Sound Recording: Resul Pookutty and Amrit Pritam Dutta for Ra.One

Sachin Tendulkar was presented the Wisden India Outstanding Achievement Award

India’s Batting great Sachin Tendulkar was conferred upon the Wisden India Outstanding Achievement award for completing a century of 100 international hundreds, in Dubai on 11 June 2012. The legendary batsman was presented a trophy at an event organised by FidelisWorld. The trophy was made from crystal, it resembles a cricket ball resting on the open pages of a book.
Tendulakar achieved the incredible feat while playing against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup in March 2012. The batting genius has total 49 One-Day International centuries and 51 Test centuries to his credit.
Tendulkar, while receiving the award spoke on range of aspects of his career, like his favourite innings, the match-winning fourth innings hundred against England at Chennai in December 2008, balancing play and personal life, and the influence that his late father had in shaping his career.

Union Commerce Ministry unveiled New Trade Policy to boost India's Export

The Union Government of India on 5 June 2012 announced a new trade policy aimed at achieving 20 per cent increase in exports to 360 billion dollar in the fiscal year 2012-13. India's exports grew by 21 per cent and touched 303.7 billion dollar in 2011-12, while the trade deficit during the same period expanded to 185 billion dollar.
The government also announced to come out with new guidelines to restore Special Economic Zones (SEZ) and Export Oriented Unit (EOU) schemes to further boost the shipments.
As the part of the new trade policy, the Union Commerce Ministry had added seven new markets to the focus market scheme (FMS) and an equal number of new markets to the special FMS. Countries like Algeria, Aruba, Austria, Cambodia, Myanmar, the Netherland Antilles and Ukraine have been added to FMS; while countries including Belize, Chile, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Morocco and Uruguay have been added to special FMS. The FMS and SFMS scheme will help India to explore new markets and promote the product diversification.

The highlights of the new trade policy are as follows:
•    Government set the export target for 2012-13 at 20 per cent
•    2 per cent interest subsidy scheme extended till March 2013
•    Government to announce new guidelines to promote SEZs
•    Incentives for exports from north-eastern states
•    Shipments from Delhi, Mumbai through post, courier or e-commerce to get export benefits
•    Foreign Trade Policy document to be more user friendly
•    13 shows abroad to promote Brand India
•    Single revolving bank guarantee for different export deals
•    Seven new markets added to Focus Market Scheme
•    Market linked focus product scheme extended till March'13 for apparel export to USA and EU

Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince of Bahrain visited India

Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince of Bahrain visited India on 30-31 May 2012. During this visit, the following Agreement/ Memorandum of Understanding were signed: 
(i) Agreement between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain for Exchange of Information with respect to Taxes.

(ii) Memorandum of Understanding between Government of the Republic of India and Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain on Cooperation in the Field Of Information and Communication Technology.

India and Bahrain agreed on the importance of maintaining high-level contacts and increase the frequency of interactions in order to broaden and deepen bilateral ties. India expressed its appreciation to Bahrain in ensuring the safety and well-being of the Indian community in Bahrain. Issues of mutual concern in the region were discussed and the importance attached by India to peace and stability in the entire region was emphasized. Both nations also underlined the need to resolve all differences through peaceful dialogue and without recourse to violence.

Rafael Nadal beat Novak Djokovic to claim his Seventh French Open Singles Title

Spaniard Rafael Nadal on 11 June 2012 defeated Serbian Novak Djokovic to clinch his seventh French Open Singles Title 2012. Second seeded Nadal beat top seed Djokovic in a final clash which lasted four sets. With this victory the Spaniard also surpassed the Legend Bjorn Borg’s 6 title feat. Earlier Nadal had defeated Daid Ferrer in the Semi Finals to make to the finals of the tournament; While Djokovic had overwhelmed Swiss Roger Federer. The French Open title marked his 11th Gand Slam in a career marked by 16 Grand Slam finals. Currently he is one short off Roy Emerson, three off Pete Sampras and five title away from the arch rival Roger Federer’s record 16 grand slam titles.
Earlier

Russian Tennis Player Maria Yuryevna Sharapova won French Open 2012

Maria Yuryevna Sharapova won French Open 2012 on 9 June 2012. She defeated Saria Erani from Italy by 6-3 and 6-2. Sharapova is a Russian Lawn Tennis Player.  She won French open for the first time in her career.

French open was held at Rolland Garros in Paris. The tournament was run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF). French Open 2012 was a sixteen-day long tournament. The tournament consists of both men's and women's singles and doubles and as well as a mixed doubles events.

Moreover, Sharapova was the winner of Wimbledon in 2004, the US Open in 2006 and the Australian Open in 2008.

Veeravalli Sundaram Sampath appointed New Chief Election Commissioner of India

President Pratibha Patil appointed senior-most Election Commissioner Veeravalli Sundaram Sampath as the 18th Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India. He replaced S.Y. Quraishi on the constitutional position, whose term as the CEC is coming to an end on 10 June 2012.
Born at Vellore in Tamil Nadu on 16 January 1950, VS Sampath joined the elite Indian Administrative Service in 1973 as the officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre. He took over as Election Commissioner on 21 April 2009. He will carry out his term till 16 January 2015 — either for six years in the Commission or till the age of 65, whichever comes earlier. H.S. Brahma is the other Election Commissioner. The other Election Commissioner is yet to be appointed by the President.
Chief Election Commissioner is the head of the three-member election commission, which is a constitutional entity responsible for conducting free and fairs elections in the country. Article 324 of the Indian constitution provides for the institution of Election Commission of India. The commission was set up on 25 January 1950 with an aim to make electoral process in the world’s largest democracy more transparent and free from any external interference. Sukumar Sen was the first Election Commissioner of India.
The Election Commission was originally a one-member body when it started functioning but the number was later expanded to 3 on 16 October 1989. But the other two members in the body had a very short tenure as they left the office on 1 January 1990. Subsequently, on 1 October 1993 two additional Election Commissioners were appointed. The concept of multi-member Commission has been in operation since then, with decision making power by majority vote. The three-member body is headed by the Chief Election Commissioner who is appointed by the President of India.
The Chief Election Commissioner along with two other Election Commissioners enjoy the official status, salary and perks equivalent to judges of the Supreme Court of India. The Chief Election Commissioner can be removed only through impeachment by the Parliament. In order of precedence the Chief Election Commissioner stands at 9th position along with the judges of the Supreme Court of India, Comptroller and Auditor General of India, Chief Election Commissioner of India , Chairman of Union Public Service Commission.

Friday, June 8, 2012

GENERAL AWARENESS PRACTICE MCQs


1. Which is the Indian Share Price Index ?
(A) Dolex
(B) Sensex
(C) Nifty Fifty
(D) All of these
Answer: Sensex

2. NIKKEI is the Share Price Index of—
(A) India
(B) USA
(C) Tokyo
(D) Bangladesh
Answer: Tokyo

3. NSE-50 is renamed as—
(A) SIMEX
(B) Top 100
(C) S $ PCNX Nifty
(D) MID–100
Answer: S $ PCNX Nifty

4. Debt Recovery Tribunals is situated at—
(A) Delhi
(B) Agra
(C) Kota
(D) Chandigarh
Answer: Delhi

5. What is CRAR for all Indian banks ?
(A) 3%
(B) 9%
(C) 6%
(D) 8%
Answer: 9%

6. Who has replaced Harsh Mariwala as President FICCI in January 2012 ?
(A) Sunil Kanoria
(B) R.V. Kanoria
(C) Raj Kumar Dhoot
(D) Siddharth Birla
Answer: R.V. Kanoria

7. RBI introduced a Banking Ombudsman Scheme in the country on—
(A) June 1, 2010 

(B) June 1, 2009
(C) June 14, 1995 

(D) June 1, 2011
Answer: June 14, 1995

8. When Narasimhan Committee constituted by the Government of India ?
(A) August 14, 1991 

(B) July 1, 2005
(C) July 1, 2009 

(D) July 1, 2010
Answer: August 14, 1991

9. Which committee is set up for financial reforms?
(A) Narasimhan Committee
(B) Khanna Committee
(C) K.R. Birala Committee
(D) None of these
Answer: Narasimhan Committee

10. RBI constituted a committee under the Chairmanship of Sri M.N. Goiporia in—
(A) Sept. 1, 1992 

(B) Sept. 1, 1990
(C) Sept. 1, 2009 

(D) Sept. 1, 2010
Answer: Sept. 1, 1990

11. In case of NPA norms interest on advance should be more than—
(A) 170 days 

(B) 365 days
(C) 180 days 

(D) 95 days
Answer: 180 days

12. MIBOR and MIBID was launched by NSE on—
(A) June 15, 1998 

(B) June 1, 2007
(C) June 1, 2009 

(D) July 1, 2010
Answer: June 15, 1998

13. Which is a reference rate of NSE ?
(A) YES 

(B) SARFAESI
(C) MIBID 

(D) MID DAX
Answer: MIBID

14. SEBI was constituted on—
(A) April 1, 1956 

(B) April 1, 1979
(C) April 12, 1988 

(D) April 1, 2007
Answer: April 12, 1988

15. Mutual Fund controlled and regulated by—
(A) SEBI 

(B) RBI
(C) IRDA 

(D) SBI
Answer: SEBI

16. The paid up capital of National Housing Bank stood at (on June 30, 2009)—
(A) Rs. 400 crore 

(B) Rs. 450 crore
(C) Rs. 1300 crore 

(D) Rs. 1800 crore
Answer: Rs. 450 crore

17. NABARD was established on—
(A) July 12, 1982 

(B) July 1, 1990
(C) July 1, 2005 

(D) July 1, 2009
Answer: July 12, 1982

18. The paid up capital of NABARD stood at ......... on March 31, 2010.
(A) Rs. 12000 crore 

(B) Rs. 2000 crore
(C) Rs. 500 crore 

(D) Rs. 5000 crore
Answer: Rs. 2000 crore

19. Which is not Monetary aggregates ?
(A) M0 

(B) M1
(C) M3 

(D) M4
Answer: M4

20. L1 is used for—
(A) Liquidity aggregates
(B) Lower Rate
(C) Liability Rate
(D) All of these
Answer: Liquidity aggregates

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

GENERAL AWARENESS PRACTICE MCQs FOR IBPS EXAMS


1. Which Indian-American won the Scripps National Spelling Bee competition in Maryland, USA, in June 2012? (This is the 5th consecutive win for Indian-Americans)
1) Stuti Mishra
2) Arvind Mahamkali
3) Snigdha Nandipati
4) Vanya Shivshankar
5) None of these

2. Who became the 25th Chief of the Indian Army on May 31, 2012?
1) J.J.Singh
2) Bikram Singh
3) V.K.Singh
4) Dalbir Singh Suhag
5) None of these

3 Which country's Prime Minister was India's chief guest of honor at the 63rd Republic Day Parade on January 26, 2012?
1) Cambodia
2) Australia
3) Bangladesh
4) Thailand
5) Russia

4. Which is India's highest peacetime gallantry award?
1) Param Vir Chakra
2) Maha Vir Chakra
3) Ashok Chakra
4) Kirti Chakra
5) Shourya Chakra

5. The 10th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) conclave was held in Jaipur from January 7 to 9, 2012. Who was the chief guest for this conference?
1) Lakshmi Nivas Mittal
2) Datuk S.Subramaniam
3) Yingluck Shinawatra
4) Anand Satyanand
5) Kamla Persad Bissessar

6. Which city hosted the 99th Indian Science Congress in January 2012?
1) Chennai
2) Pune
3) New Delhi
4) Bhubaneshwar
5) Bangalore

7. According to a report on hunger and malnutrition (HUNGaMA), what percent of India's children are malnourished and underw-eight?
1) 42
2) 32
3) 38
4) 48
5) 53

8. The proposed National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) will work as an integral part of which of the following agencies?
1) Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
2) Intelligence Bureau (IB)
3) National Investigation Agency (NIA)
4) Research and Analysis Wing (RAW)
5) National Security Guard (NSG)

9. India and Thailand have decided to develop a seaport at Dawei, earlier known as Tavoy. In which Asian country is this town located?
1) Thailand
2) Cambodia
3) Myanmar
4) Vietnam
5) Laos

10. Who is the defense secretary of the United States of America?
1) Leon Panetta
 2) John Bryson
3) Tom Vilsack
4) Eric Holder
5) None of these

11. Nathpa Jhakri, India's largest hydroelectric project generated 7,610 million units of electricity in 2011-12 which is a record. In which state is this project located?
1) Assam
2) Arunachal Pradesh
3) West Bengal
4) Himachal Pradesh
5) None of these

12. Which state has instituted the Mallikarjun Mansur award?
1) Madhya Pradesh
2) Maharashtra
3) Odisha
4) Goa
5) Karnataka

13. Which state made Chess classes compulsory in schools to impr-ove cognitive skills of students from this academic year? (Gujarat is the first state to start chess programmes in schools)
1) Andhra Pradesh
2) Tamil Nadu
3) Kerala
4) Bihar
5) Jharkhand

14. Who became the new President of the Federation of Indian Cha-mbers of Commerce and Industry
(FICCI) in January 2012?
1) Naina Lal Kidwai
2) Sidharth Birla
3) R.V. Kanoria
4) Shikha Sharma
5) None of these

15. Homai Vyarawala passed away recently. She is India's first woman?
1) Jnanpith award winner
2) Photo journalist
3) Mountaineer
4) Cricketer
5) None of these

16. Which of the following is not a National Bravery Award?
1) Geeta Chopra Award
2) Sanjay Chopra Award
3) Bharat Award
4) Bapu Gaidhani Award
5) Chameli Devi Jain Award

17. Who was given the Mahatma Gandhi International Award for Peace and Reconciliation in Bodh Gaya in 2012?
1) Aung San Suu Kyi
2) Nelson Mandela
3) Dalai Lama
4) Ela Bhatt
5) Sheikh Hasina

18. Who won the best actor award at the 57th Filmfare Awards 2011?
1) Hrithik Roshan
2) Shah Rukh Khan
 3) Aamir Khan
4) Ranbir Kapoor
5) None of these

19. Francois Hollande became the President of which of the following countries in May 2012?
1) Netherlands
2) Germany
3) France
 4) Greece
5) Spain

20. Rahul Khullar took charge as the Chairman of which of the following regulators on May 14, 2012?
1) Insurance Regulatory Development Authority
2) Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
3) Pension Fund Regulatory Development Authority
4) Securities Exchange Board of India
5) None of these

21. The Standing Committee of the Inter State Council has been reconstituted. Who is the Chairman of this committee?
1) P.Chidambaram
2) Pranab Mukherjee
3) Sharad Pawar
4) M.Veerappa Moily
5) Mukul Roy

22. Who is the Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary of the Department of Atomic Energy?
1) K.Radhakrishnan
2) V.K.Saraswat
3) Avinash Chander
4) Ratan Kumar Sinha
5) None of these

23. Who has been nominated for the first 'Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony' in May 2012? (It was instituted by the Government to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore)
1) Anna Hazare
2) Pandit Ravishankar
3) Amartya Sen
4) Shanta Sinha
5) None of these

24. Which country has launched Hatf III (Ghaznavi), a short range ballistic missile capable of carry-ing both nuclear and conven-tional warheads across 290 km?
1) Iran
2) Afghanistan
3) Pakistan
4) Iraq
 5) Syria

25. The Union Cabinet cleared a Rs.8500 crore project under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) to connect how many habitations in the 78 naxalite affected districts of nine states?
1) 6000
2) 5000
3) 10000
4) 4000
5) 20000

26. Who among the following is not a woman squash player?
1) Joshna Chinappa
2) Dipika Pallikal
3) Anaka Alankamony
4) Aparajitha Balamurukan
5) Preeja Sreedharan

27. Which city hosted the Nuclear Security Summit in March 2012?
1) Washington D.C.
2) Perth
3) Seoul
4) Paris
5) None of these

28. India has voted against which of the following countries at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva for its alleged war crimes?
1) Sudan
2) North Korea
3) Rwanda
4) Sri Lanka
5) None of these

29. Who was chosen for the Saraswati Samman 2011 for his book on Ramayana? (This literary prize is awarded by the K.K. Birla Foundation)
1) Surjit Paatar
2) A.A.Manavalan
3) Lakshmi Nandan Bora
4) K.Ayyappa Panicker
5) Jagannath Prasad Das

30. In the Union Budget for 2012-13, how many crores of rupees are allocated for the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM)?
1) 3,534
2) 5,615
3) 3,915
4) 2,914
5) 4,535

31. Which of the following Cups/Trophies is associated with Lawn tennis?
1) Santosh Trophy
2) Davis Cup
3) FIFA Cup
4) Subrato Cup
5) Copa America

32. Coin of which of the following denominations is called small coin?
1) Rs.5/-
2) Rs.2/-
3) 50 paisa
4) Rs.1/-
5) None of these

33. Who among the following is not a Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India at present?
1) K.C.Chakraborty
2) Anand Sinha
3) Subir Gokarn
4) H.R.Khan
5) Usha Thorat

34. What does the letter F denote in NBFC, a banking term?
1) Fiscal
2) Financial
3) Functional
4) Formal
5) None of these

35. Who is the author of the book "Unleashing India"?
1) Kamal Nath
2) S.Jaipal Reddy
3) Veerappa Moily
4) P.Chidambaram
5) Pranab Mukherjee

36. Which programme was launched in 2009 to create a slum free India?
1) Indira Awas Yojana
2) Rajiv Awas Yojana
3) Bharat Nirman
4) PURA
5) None of these

37. Which of the following is a credit rating agency of Indian origin?
1) FMC
2) SEBI
3) CRISIL
4) IBA
5) None of these

38. Sensex is a term associated with which of the following stock exchanges?
1) BSE
2) NSE
3) USE
4) OTCEI
5) None of these

39. Who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2011?
1) Ralph Steinman
2) Bruce Beutler
3) Jules Hoffman
4) Tomas Transtromer
5) None of these

40. Who is the present Solicitor-General of India?
1) Rohinton Nariman
2) Vinod Rai 3) Ashok Chawla
4) Soli Sorabjee
5) None of these

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

India and Bahrain inked Tax Information Exchange Agreement

India and Bahrain, on 31 May 2012 inked a Tax Information Exchange Agreement to promote economic cooperation and joint investment between the two countries. The agreement is aimed at increasing bilateral trade that stands at 1.7 billion dollar. The agreement with its provision for effective exchange of information between the two countries, will help in reducing tax evasion and tax avoidance.
The agreement was signed by Indian Minister of State for Finance Namo Narain Meena and Bahrain’s Minister of Transportation and Acting Chief Executive of Economic Development Board Kamal Ahmed in New Delhi. The Bahrain delegation was led by Prince Salman Bin HamadAl-Khalifa, the Crown Prince of Bahrain and chairman of the Bahrain Economic Development Board.
The two countries also inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to make the ties on technological front more effective. Under the newly signed MoU India will provide technical assistance to Bahrain and help it to develop its own IT sector in Bahrain.
Besides Tax Information Exchange Agreement, several other commercial and economic cooperation agreements were also signed. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop business and commercial was signed between the industrial bodies of two countries.
The two countries historically enjoy an intimate and friendly relation with each other. Indian diaspora constitutes nearly a quarter of Bahrain’s entire 1.2 million population.

Union Government announced to constitute Panel on Implementaion of Dharmadhikari Committee Report

The Union Government of India on 1 June 2012 announced to constitute an implementation panel to look into the ways of implementing the Dharmadhikari committee report on Air India and earstwhile Indian Airlines merger. The implementation panel will suggest the government of ways to implement the recommendations of Dharmadhikari Committee on issues including pay, allowances and career progression structure.
The implementation committee will submit its report within 45 days of its constitution. The committee will also be given the task of ‘level mapping’ of employees of Air India and erstwhile Indian Airlines.
The four-member Dharmadhikari committee on integration of nearly 29000 employees of Air India and Indian Airlines was headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice D. M. Dharmadhikari. The committee had submitted its report in January 2012. The committee had consulted all the concerned parties including pilots and management staffs before submitting its findings. The committee was constituted in March 2011.
Some of the major recommendations of Dharmadhikari committee are as follows:
•    Air India should continue to maintain two separate lines of seniority for pilots belonging to the pre-merger Indian Airlines and Air India
•    Pilots of both erstwhile carriers must be allowed to fly aircraft of all types
•    A 10-15 per cent salary cut for pilots and engineers to bring their salaries on par with industry standards
•    Uniform salaries for both sets of pilots
•    Cross-utilisation of pilots, which means Indian Airlines pilots can fly Dreamliners, and Air India pilots can fly Airbus aircraft after obtaining requisite endorsements and training
The Government of India in 2007 announced the merger of Air India with Indian Airlines. Subsequently a new company called the National Aviation Company of India Limited (NACIL) was established, into which both Air India (along with Air India Express) and Indian Airlines (along with Alliance Air) was merged. On 27 February 2011, Air India and Indian Airlines merged along with their subsidiaries to form Air India Limited. The merger did not go down well with the national carrier as it got trapped under a huge debt of 10 billion dollar. Besides the post merger days have also been marred with the reports of controversies and rifts among the management. The pilots of Air India have been on indefinite strike since 8 May 2012.

Bihar prohibited Sale and Manufacturing of All Tobacco Products for Next One Year

Bihar Government on 30 May 2012 prohibited the sale and manufacturing of all the tobacco products for next one year. The decision taken on the eve of 'World No-Tobacco Day', made Bihar the third state in the country to ban tobacco products. Earlier Madhya Pradesh and Kerala had come out with the same decision.
The state government’s move is based on the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India regulation no 2.3.4 which seeks to ban tobacco or nicotine products. The regulation was issued by the Union Government of India on 1 August 2011. People who found violating the order would be awarded with a punishment ranging from monetary fine of upto 3 lakh rupees to imprisonment of one year.
Earlier Madhya Pradesh had become the first state to ban all the food products containing tobacco. The state had issued a notification in this regard on 7 May 2012.

World Environment Day 2012 observed across the World

The world community observed the World Environment Day (WED) on 5 June 2012. The World Environment Day is observed every year on 5 June to raise public awareness on the issues related to global environment. The World Environment Day activities keep going on through out the year, but culminate on 5 June every year.
Theme for the World Environment Day 2012 is: Green Economy: Does it include you? The host for World Environment Day 2012 was the Federative Republic of Brazil. Theme for the World Environment Day 2011 was Forests-Nature At Your Service and India was the global host for the year's events.
World Environment Day 2012 is the 40th edition of the global. The UN General Assembly started observing the day in 1972 to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment.

What does Green Economy means:
As per the definition of United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), a Green Economy is 'one that results in improved human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities.'
Green economy widely refers to an economic situation where the economic developments take place without hurting the environment. In the green economy the income of people is driven by the private and public investments which helps in the reduction of carbon emissions and pollution and stimulates energy and resource efficiency, and ultimately helps in the prevention of loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Justice Madan Bhimarao Lokur took Oath as the Supreme Court Judge

Justice Madan Bhimarao Lokur took the oath as the Supreme Court judge on 4 June 2012. Prior to his elevation to the apex court he was serving as the chief justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court. The joining of Justice Lokur has taken the total number of the apex court judge to 26, which is still five short of the total strength of 31 judges.
Supreme Court Chief Justice S.H. Kapadia administered the oath to Justice Lokur. This is the first time in the history of the apex court that a judge has sworn in during the summer vacation.
Born on 31 December 1953, Justice Lokur became Additional Judge of Delhi High Court on 19 February 1999 and Permanent Judge of the high court on 5 July 1999. He was appointed as Chief Justice of Guahati High Court on 24 June 2010. He took over as chief justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court on 15 November 2011.
In one of his landmark verdicts as chief justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, Justice Lokur had voided the Union government’s decision to provide 4.5 percent reservation in educational institutions and government jobs for Muslims within the existing reservation quota.



SUMMITS HELD ON 2012

1. 20th ASEAN Summit - Phnom Penh (Cambodia)
2. 4th BRICS summit - New Delhi
3. 10th BASIC Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change - New Delhi
4. Arab summit 2012 - Baghdad (Iraq)
5. Nuclear security summit 2012 – Seoul (South Korea)
6. 12th Annual summit of European Union and India - New Delhi
7. G-20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting - Mexico City
8. Friends of Syria Meeting – Istanbul (Turkey)
9. 5th Ministerial level India-UK Economic Financial Dialogue – New Delhi
10. United Nation Conference on Sustainable Development 2012 – Rio de janeiro (Brazil)
11. 17th National youth Festival – Mangalore (Karnataka)
12. World Economic Forum – Davos (Switzerland)
13. World Polio Summit 2012 - New Delhi

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

BANKING SYSTEM IN INDIA

Bank is a lawful organisation, which accepts deposits that can be withdrawn on demand. It also lends money to individuals and business houses that need it. Banks also render many other useful services – like collection of bills, payment of foreign bills, safe-keeping of jewellery and other valuable items, certifying the credit-worthiness of business, and so on.

Banks give two assurances to the depositors –

a)  Safety of deposit, and
b)  Withdrawal of deposit, whenever needed

They play a significant role in the economy of a nation such as:

• It encourages savings habit amongst people and thereby makes funds available for productive use.
• It acts as an intermediary between people having surplus money and those requiring money for various business activities.
• It facilitates business transactions through receipts and payments by cheques instead of currency.
• It provides loans and advances to businessmen for short term and long-term purposes.
• It also facilitates import export transactions.
• It helps in national development by providing credit to farmers, small-scale industries and self-employed people as well as to large business houses which lead to balanced economic development in the country.
• It helps in raising the standard of living of people in general by providing loans for purchase of consumer durable goods, houses, automobiles, etc.

TYPES OF BANKS IN INDIA
1) Reserve Bank of India
The Reserve Bank of India Act of 1934 established the Reserve Bank as the central banking institution of India which controls the monetary policy of the rupee as well as the currency reserves.  The shares were entirely owned by private shareholders. Finally Reserve Bank of India was nationalized in the year 1949.

The Bank was constituted for the following basic functions:


• To regulate the issue of Bank Notes

• To maintain reserves with a view to securing monetary stability and
• To operate the credit and currency system of the country to its advantage.

2) Commercial Banks

Commercial Banks are banking institutions that accept deposits and grant short-term loans and advances to their customers. In addition to giving short-term loans, commercial banks also give medium-term and long-term loan to business enterprises. Now-a-days some of the commercial banks are also providing housing loan on a long-term basis to individuals. There are also many other functions of commercial banks, which are discussed later in this lesson.

Types of Commercial banks: 


(i) Public Sector Banks:
These are banks where majority stake is held by the Government of India or Reserve Bank of India. Examples of public sector banks are: State Bank of India, Corporation Bank, Bank of Baroda and Dena Bank, etc.
(ii) Private Sectors Banks:
In case of private sector banks majority of share capital of the bank is held by private individuals. These banks are registered as companies with limited liability.  For example: The Jammu and Kashmir Bank Ltd., Bank of Rajasthan Ltd., Development Credit Bank Ltd, Lord Krishna Bank Ltd., Bharat Overseas Bank Ltd., Global Trust Bank, Vysya Bank, etc.
(iii) Foreign Banks:
These banks are registered and have their headquarters in a foreign country but operate their branches in our country. Some of the foreign banks operating in our country are Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC), Citibank, American Express Bank, Standard & Chartered Bank, Grindlay’s Bank, etc. The number of foreign banks operating in our country has increased since the financial sector reforms of 1991.

3) Regional Rural Banks 
Regional Rural Banks were established under the provisions of an Ordinance promulgated on the 26th September 1975 and the RRB Act, 1976 with an objective to ensure sufficient institutional credit for agriculture and other rural sectors. The RRBs mobilize financial resources from rural / semi-urban areas and grant loans and advances mostly to small and marginal farmers, agricultural labourers and rural artisans. The area of operation of RRBs is limited to the area as notified by Government of India covering one or more districts in the State.

RRBs are jointly owned by Government of India, the concerned State Government and Sponsor Banks (27 scheduled commercial banks and one State Cooperative Bank); the issued capital of a RRB is shared by the owners in the proportion of 50%, 15% and 35% respectively.


4) Co-operative Banks

Co-operative banks are small-sized units organized in the co-operative sector which operate both in urban and non-urban centers.  Co-operative Banks in India are registered under the Co-operative Societies Act. The cooperative bank is also regulated by the RBI. They are governed by the Banking Regulations Act 1949 and Banking Laws (Co-operative Societies) Act, 1965.

Types of Co-operative Banks


(i) Primary Credit Societies:
 These are formed at the village or town level with borrower and non-borrower members residing in one locality.  The operations of each society are restricted to a small area so that the members know each other and are able to watch over the activities of all members to prevent frauds.
(ii) Central Co-operative Banks:
 These banks operate at the district level having some of the primary credit societies belonging to the same district as their members. These banks provide loans to their members (i.e., primary credit societies) and function as a link between the primary credit societies and state co-operative banks.
(iii) State Co-operative Banks:
These are the apex (highest level) co-operative banks in all the states of the country.  They mobilise funds and help in its proper channelisation among various sectors.  The money reaches the individual borrowers from the state co-operative banks through the central co-operative banks and the primary credit societies

Cooperative banks in India finance rural areas under:


a)
Farming
b)
Cattle
c)
Milk
d)
Hatchery
e)
Personal finance

Cooperative banks in India finance urban areas under:


a)
Self-employment
b)
Industries
c)
Small scale units
d)
Home finance
e)
Consumer finance
f)
Personal finance

GENERAL AWARENESS PRACTICE QUESTIONS

1. Equity schemes managed strong NAV gains, which boost their assets'
was a news in some financial newspapers. What is the full form of the
term NAV as used in above head lines ?
(A) Nil Accounting Variation
(B) Net Accounting Venture
(C) Net Asset Value
(D) New Asset Venture
(D) None of these
Ans : (C)
2. As per reports published in various news papers, mutual fund
companies showed 94 per cent growth in their total profits during
2009-10. This means the profits earned by these companies were 94 per
cent—
(A) Of the total investments they made collectively during the year
(B) More than their profits during previous year
(C) Of the total capital of the company
(D) Less than the total expenditure of the companies
(D) None of these
Ans : (B)
3. As per the news published in various news papers Pakistan has
imposed 15 per cent regulatory duty on exports of cotton yarn. Why
countries are required to impose regulatory duties on exports of some
of their commodities while in the eyes of the layman more exports
means more foreign exchange and more revenue for the Govt. ?
1. It is done to control the exports of a commodity as it may be
needed more in local markets than in foreign countries.
2. It is done to control the general inflation in the country as the
inordinate exports of various commodities create imbalance and also
cost push inflation.
3. It is a good short time measure to collect more revenue from the
exports of the commodity which is in high demand in overseas markets.
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 3
(D) All 1, 2 and 3
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)
4. As per the reports published in some major news papers 'ADAG
companies' made good profits during the year. ADAG companies are
popularly known as—
(A) Companies owned by Tata Group
(B) Aditya Birla Companies
(C) Reliance companies
(D) Companies owned by Aptech
(E) None of these
Ans : (C)
5. ONGC – Mittal Energy finds hydrocarbons in two blocks OPL-279 & OPL
-285 in Nigerian sea was the news in some major news papers. what is
the full form of the term OPL as used in the above head line ?
(A) Oil Prospecting License
(B) Ownership and Partnership Lease
(C) Overseas Private Line
(D) ONGC Petroleum Ltd.
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)
6. "Mutual Funds reported exceptional performance in 2009-10" was the
news in major financial news papers recently. What is a mutual fund ?
1. A type of collective investment scheme that pools money from many
investors and invest it in stocks, bonds or other money market
instruments.
2. It is a subsidiary of a bank or financial company created specially
to ralse money to be invested in a particular industry i.e. housing or
insurance etc. The money raised thus cannot be invested anywhere else.
3. When several banks and financial companies come together and create
a common pool of money to fund
mega infrastructural project like bridges, roads, power plants etc.
the common pool is known as Mutual Fund.
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 3
(D) All 1, 2 and 3
(E) None of these
Ans : (B)
7. As we all know the Bank Rate at present is fixed at 6%. What does
it mean in context to the banking operations ?
(A) No bank will be able to give loan to any party on a rate lower
than the Bank Rate
(B) Bank should give loan to their priority sector customers/borrowers
at the rate of 6% only. They cannot charge less or more than this from
their priority sector clients
(C) Banks are required to invest 6% of their total capital on
financial inclusion and inclusive banking operations
(D) Banks will be required to give 6% of their total deposits to the
Govt. of India for meeting its Balance of Trade requirements
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)
8. As per the reports in various news papers many private companies
are trying to obtain the licences to launch a banking company in
India. Which of the following organizations/agencies issue the licence
for the same ?
(A) Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI)
(B) Indian Institute of Banking & Finance (IIBF)
(C) Indian Bank Association
(D) Registrar of Companies
(E) None of these
Ans : (E)
9. We very frequently read about Europe's Sovereign—debt crisis these
day. Which of the following statement/s is/are true about the same ?
1. In early 2010 the Euro crisis developed in some countries like
Greece, Spain and Portugal.
2. This created a credit default swap between the countries of the
European Union.
3. SAARC countries have offered some assistance to some of severely
affected countries like Portugal, Spain & Greece.
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 1 and 2
(D) All 1, 2 and 3
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)
10. As we all know the RBI has raised the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) by
25 bps. in April 2010. What action banks will have to take to
implement the same ?
1. They will have to deposit some more money with the RBI as a reserved money.
2. Banks will be required to give some more loan to projects of the
priority sector.
3. Banks will be required to give loan equivalent to the CRR to the
Govt. of India for its day to day expenditure as and when required.
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 3
(D) Only 1 and 2
(E) All 1, 2 and 3
Ans : (A)
11. As per estimates given by the RBI the Economic Growth during the
year 2010-11 will be at which of the following levels ?
(A) 6•5%
(B) 7%
(C) 7•5%
(D) 8%
(E) None of these
Ans : (D)
12. Which of the following is/are correct about the RBI's credit
policy announced in April 2010 ?
1. Repo rate raised by 25 bps.
2. A new reporting platform was introduced for secondary market
transactions in Certificate of Deposits (CDs) and Commercial Papers
(CPs).
3. Core Investment Companies (CICs) having an asset size of Rs. 100
crore are required to register also with the RBI.
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 3
(D) All 1, 2 and 3
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)
13. As per the announcement made by the RBI some Stock Exchanges in
India are allowed to introduce Plain Vanilla Currency Options. The
term Plain Vanilla Currency Options is associated with which of the
following activities / operations ?
(A) Dollar – Rupee Exchange Rate
(B) Floating of Commercial Papers
(C) Launch of new mutual funds
(D) Deciding the opening price of a share on a particular business day
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)
14. Which of the following is not a term related to banking/finance operations ?
(A) Provision Coverage Ratio
(B) Securitization
(C) Consolidation
(D) Commodification
(E) Derivatives
Ans : (C)
15. The process of "Artificial Application of Water to the soil
usually for assisting in growing crops", is technically known as—
(A) water harvesting
(B) irrigation
(C) water recharging
(D) percolation
(E) None of these
Ans : (B)
16. As per the news published in major news papers/journals henceforth
the Credit Card holders will be able to access their credit card
information though automated interactive voice response system over
the phone instead of speaking to the staff. This decision ofthe
banks/credit card companies will provide—
1. an additional hurdle to the customers as people feel comfortable in
talking to the staff instead of talking to a machine.
2. an additional security to the customers as this does not allow any
staff to handle any transaction directly.
3. some comfort to the banks as they will be able to reduce their
staff strength.
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 3
(D) All 1, 2 and 3
(E) Only 1 and 3
Ans : (B)
17. The 34th National Game which were postponed several times are
scheduled to be held in which of the following states ?
(A) Gujarat
(B) Kerala
(C) Tamil Nadu
(D) Uttar Pradesh
(E) Jharkhand
Ans : (E)
18. Waste Water generates which of the following gases which is more
powerful and dangerous than CO2 ?
(A) Nitrogen
(B) Sulphur di-oxide
(C) Hydrogen
(D) Methane
(E) None of these
Ans : (D)
19. Which of the following days was observed as World Water Day 2010 ?
(A) 20th June
(B) 22nd July
(C) 22nd March
(D) 20th May
(E) None of these
Ans : (C)
20. Late Vinda Karandikar who died a few months back was a famous—
(A) Author
(B) Cine-Actor
(C) Sportsman
(D) Classical Singer
(E) Social Worker
Ans : (A)
21. As per the reports published recently the Govt. of India has
decided to create a separate agency/body scrutinize all Foreign Direct
Investments (FDIs) officially. Up till now the security screening was
being done by the—
(A) Ministry of Foreign Affairs Govt. of India
(B) Reserve Bank of India
(C) Securities & Exchange Board of India
(D) Ministry of Finance, Govt. of India
(E) Ministry of Home Affairs Govt. of India
Ans : (E)
22. As per the news reports in various news papers the USA has
outlined some major policy goals to prevent the danger of nuclear
terrorism. Which of the following is/are included in those policy
goals ?
1. Convene a nuclear security summit within a year's time under the
leadership of the USA.
2. A new agreement/pact should be introduced in place of present
Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
3. Call for a global effort to secure all nuclear weapons at all
vulnerable sites all over the world.
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 1 and 3
(D) Only 2 and 3
(E) All 1, 2 and 3
Ans : (E)
23. 'Indira Gandhi Canal' which is around 450 km long provide
irrigation facility mainly to which of the following states ?
(A) Punjab
(B) Haryana
(C) Madhya Pradesh
(D) Gujarat
(E) Rajasthan
Ans : (E)
24. Former caption of the Indian Cricket team, Ajit Wadekar is
conferred which of the following awards for the year 2010 ?
(A) Bharat Ratna
(B) Khel Shri Award
(C) Dronacharya Award
(D) Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award
(E) None of these
Ans : (E)
25. Who amongst the following is the director of the popular Hindi
film "Oye Lucky ! Lucky Oye" ?
(A) Mani Ratnam
(B) David Dhavan
(C) Dibankar Banerjee
(D) R. Balakrishnan
(E) None of these
Ans : (C)
26. India recently signed an agreement to import Liquified Natural Gas
(LNG) from a country which is the largest LNG producer and supplier of
the world. Which is that country ?
(A) Kuwait
(B) Qatar
(C) Iran
(D) Saudi Arabia
(E) None of these
Ans : (B)
27. As a measure to help countries hit by global financial meltdown
the RBI has purchased notes worth US $ 10 billion in terms of Special
Drawing Rights from a World Organisation/agency. Which is this
agency/organization ?
(A) Federal Reserve of U.S.A.
(B) Asian Development Bank
(C) World Bank
(D) International Monetary Fund
(E) None of these
Ans : (D)
28. Which of the following is not a public sector undertaking under
the Ministry of Defence, Govt. of India ?
(A) Mazagaon Dock Ltd.
(B) Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd.
(C) Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd.
(D) Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.
(E) Bharat Earth Movers Ltd.
Ans : (C)
29. Which of the following states won the senior National Women's
Football Tournament 2010 ?
(A) Manipur
(B) Assam
(C) Tamil Nadu
(D) Kerala
(E) Delhi
Ans : (A)
30. Which of the following is not a missile developed by the Defence
Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) ?
(A) Shaurya
(B) Pinaka
(C) Brahmos
(D) Agni
(E) Nag
Ans : (A)
31. Which of the following declarations/treaties was adopted by the
BRIC countries recently to promote Global Food Security ?
(A) Moscow Declaration
(B) Doha Treaty
(C) Delhi Declaration
(D) Kabul Treaty
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)
32. Which of the following statements represent(s) the main
objective(s) of the revised National Health Policy–2002 of the Govt.
of India ?
1. Increase Public expenditure from 0•9 per cent to 2 per cent of the GDP.
2. Setting up of Medical Grants Commission for funding new Govt.
Medical & Dental colleges.
3. Mandatory two years rural posting before awarding the degree to
Medical Graduates.
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 3
(D) Only 1 and 3
(E) All 1, 2 and 3
Ans : (E)
33. Which of the following metals is used for genration of nuclear
Energy by most of the Nuclear Power Plants ?
(A) Zinc
(B) Platinum
(C) Uranium
(D) Nickel
(E) None of these
Ans : (C)
34. Indus Water Treaty is a pact on sharing of river water between India and—
(A) Bangladesh
(B) Pakistan
(C) Nepal
(D) Afghanistan
(E) Myanmar
Ans : (B)
35. The Union Cabinet recently cleared Prohibition of unfair Practices
in Technical Medical Educational Institutes and Universities Bill
2010. As per the bill which of the following will now be treated as a
cognizable offence ?
(A) Accepting capitation fee from the students
(B) Running a private college
(C) Not allowing students to change their course in between
(D) Running a college without proper facilities
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)
36. Which of the following is/are considered a Renewable Source of Energy ?
1. Wind Energy
2. Solar Energy
3. Nuclear Energy
(A) Only 1
(B) Only 2
(C) Only 3
(D) Only 1 and 2
(E) All 1, 2 and 3
Ans : (D)
37. Which of the following countries is not amongst the top ten in
industrial production in the world during 2010 ?
(A) India
(B) Iran
(C) China
(D) France
(E) U.S.A.
Ans : (B)
38. Commonwealth Games 2010 are being organized in which of the
following countries ?
(A) Australia
(B) South Africa
(C) Canada
(D) New Zealand
(E) India
Ans : (E)
39. Which of the following is not a banking related term ?
(A) Radiation
(B) Outstanding amount
(C) Benchmark Prime Lending Rate
(D) Explicit Guarantee
(E) Creditor
Ans : (A)
40. Insurance service provided by various banks is commonly known as—
(A) Investment Banking
(B) Portfolio Management
(C) Merchant Banking
(D) Bancassurance
(E) Micro Finance
Ans : (D)
41. Who amongst the following has recently taken over as the Chairman
of the 19th Law Commission ?
(A) Mr. A. R. Lakshmanan
(B) Mr. P. V. Reddy
(C) Mr. Yashwant Sinha
(D) Mr. Ranjan Bharti Mittal
(E) None of these
Ans : (B)
42. Moortidevi Award is given for excellence in the field of—
(A) Classical dance
(B) Literature
(C) Classical music
(D) Cinematography
(E) Social service
Ans : (B)
43. Which of the following terms is used in the game of Cricket ?
(A) Love
(B) Tee
(C) Penalty stroke
(D) No Ball
(E) None of these
Ans : (D)
44. Which of the following awards is given by an agency of the United
Nations Organization ?
(A) Normon Borloug Award
(B) Kalinga Prize
(C) Ramon Magsaysay Award
(D) Pulitzer Prize
(E) None of these
Ans : (B)
45. Which of the following countries won the Hockey World Cup 2010 ?
(A) Spain
(B) England
(C) India
(D) Australia
(E) None of these
Ans : (D)
46. Who amongst the following is the author of the English novel
'solo', which was given Common Wealth Writers' Prize 2010 ?
(A) Aamer Hussain
(B) Jonathan Tel
(C) Rana Dasgupta
(D) John Torrence Tate
(E) None of these
Ans : (C)
47. Mr. Surjit Patar who was awarded Saraswati Samman recently is a
well known poet of—
(A) Hindi
(B) English
(C) Punjabi
(D) Urdu
(E) Bengali
Ans : (C)
48. Which of the following is the book written by Kiran Desai ?
(A) Higher than Everest
(B) A Passage to England
(C) Affluent Society
(D) All my Yester Years
(E) The Inheritance of Loss
Ans : (E)
49. Which of the following Trophies/cups is associated with the game of Hockey ?
(A) Durand Cup
(B) Santosh Trophy
(C) Rangaswami Cup
(D) Ranji Trophy
(E) K. D. Singh Babu Trophy
Ans : (C)
50. Sandra Bullock who was awarded Oscar recently is a famous—
(A) Actress
(B) Director
(C) Music Composer
(D) Screen play writer
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)