Monday, July 30, 2012

Indian Economy Key Sector IT-BPO


The year 2011-12 was marked by growing global uncertainties. Global recovery has stalled, growth prospects have dimmed and downside risks have escalated. By contrast, the Indian IT-BPO Industry (including hardware) continued to exhibit resilience. It weathered uncertainties in global business environment and reached a significant milestone in the year 2011-12 by aggregating revenue of US $ 101 billion, a growth of about 14.7 per cent over the previous year. Thus, the year 2011-12 is a landmark year for the IT-BPO Industry.

The Indian software and services export including BPO exports is estimated at US $ 68.7 billion in 2011-12, an increase of 16.4 per cent. The IT services exports is estimated to be US $ 39.8 billion, showing a growth of 18.8 per cent. BPO exports are estimated to grow to US $ 15.9 billion in 2011-12, a year-on-year growth of about 12 per cent. IT services contributed 58 per cent of total IT-BPO exports in 2011-12, followed by BPO at 23 per cent and Software products/engineering services at 19 per cent.

USA continues to drive IT-BPO exports growth. Growth is being driven by higher demand for IT services and support. Continental Europe and UK, the second largest markets for Indian IT-BPO exports are seeing their share decline in the last three years. Indian service providers have been aggressively growing business in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) market. Aimed at reducing their geographic dependency and spread currency risk, APAC is growing fastest at nearly 18 per cent; its share in total IT-BPO exports is expected to increase to nearly 8 per cent.

The IT-BPO market is being driven by demand across all key consumer segments. Notwithstanding the growth witnessed in the IT-BPO domestic segment, it accounts for a little over 21 per cent of overall industry revenues. India continued its dominant position as the leading sourcing market as compared to other emerging economies. Its share is global sourcing stood at 58 per cent in 2011.
The IT-BPO sector has become one of the key sectors for the Indian economy because of its economic impact. The sector is responsible for creating significant employment opportunities in the economy. Direct employment within the IT-BPO sector reached 2.77 million, with over 2,30,000 jobs being added in 2011-12.

The spectacular growth performance in the IT-BPO industry in the last decade has helped the industry contribute substantially to India's GDP. In 2011-12, this sector’s contribution to GDP is estimated to be 7.5 per cent. The IT-BPO industry has played a key role in putting India on the world-map. This segment has enormous potential to grow in the year to come. By 2012-13, this would have developed to a potential to touch US $ 100 billion in revenues as compared to US $ 87.7 billion in 2011-12, a growth of about 14 per cent.

NERAMAC – A Vibrant Agri-Marketing Organization of North East


North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation (NERAMAC) Ltd, is a Government Enterprise under the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER). The Company with an authorized capital of Rs 10.00 Cr and a paid up capital of only Rs 7.62 Cr has registered a sales turnover of Rs. 96 Cr during the just concluded fiscal year 2011-12 with a net profit of Rs 1 Cr.

NERAMAC is playing a significant role by intervening in the sourcing, procuring and marketing of cash crops like ginger, fresh pineapple, cashew nut, Kiwi fruits etc. from the farmers and growers of the North Eastern Region. Its role as a dynamic and vibrant marketing organization essentially to support farmers of North East has started showing visibility through its operations to sustain farmers’ interest in production by application of post harvest technology thereby arresting decline in prices arising from larger output of the farm produces and marketing.

It has also procured and marketed various other items such as turmeric, large cardamom, maize etc, input supplies like fertilizer, assorted seeds, planting materials, floriculture items etc. under the Horticulture Mission for North East & Hill States (HMNEHS) & National Horticulture Mission. It has tied up with reputed companies in the field of setting up of various Horticultural Projects like High-tech green house, tissue culture laboratory, supply of planting materials etc. besides its initiative in supporting tiny and small scale processors in marketing their end products. NERAMAC helped farmers in getting better price of their produce besides procurement of the same. The Corporation has initiated building linkages by tying up through MoU with different farmer’s Societies as well processed products manufacturers having FPO licenses. It has helped building confidence among farmers and producers for a better network of procurement through NERAMAC.

It has taken initiative in involving various stakeholder particularly private sector in the field of processing thereby playing a greater role to tap the market potential for Kiwi and Passion fruit. Linkage were initiated with Passion Fruit Growers Association of Manipur and for procurement of passion fruit from them to make end product with the help of private and women entrepreneurs and marketing them through NERAMAC. Similiarly, Kiwi fruit was introduced  by sourcing them from Arunachal Pradesh by involving private entrepreneur group.

In order to support the large cardamom growers of Sikkim, NERAMAC has set up a Large Cardamom Auction Centre at Rongpo,Sikkim during the last fiscal. Large cardamom growers are getting immense benefit as it has given them edge in getting value for their produce.Traders from all over the country are coming and participating in this auction program which has given a fillip to the cardamom producers.

NERAMAC has also taken a lead in setting up a outlet at Siliguri Regulated market to make way for produces like oranges and other fresh produces. This has given a facelift to the farmers. Oranges from Wakro and Tezu of Arunachal Pradesh are coming to Assam.

The Company has hosted a series of programs in the North-East to scale up awareness among the budding agri-preneurs, inviting investment on food processing involving national institutes and organizations of repute and large business houses in agro- horticulture processing with the financial support of Ministry of Food Processing Industries & North Eastern Council.

It has organized North East Food Processing Expo, an exhibition for the fruit processors of North East followed with conference and buyers sellers meet at Guwahati during January 2012 where processors from all the North Eastern states participated. This initiative was organised for the first time with the financial support of the Ministry of DoNER.

NERAMAC in association with IIP, Mumbai, organised for the first time in the region,  INDPACK 2012 at Maniram Dewan Trade Centre, Guwahati to support the first generation entrepreneurs of the North East in food processing and value addition. Two food processing entrepreneurs from each state of North East was taken to INDPACK 2011 at Hyderabad to give them the knowledge and expertise in packaging with the support of North Eastern Council.

100 Orange farmers were taken to National Research Centre for Citrus at Nagpur, Maharastra for giving them exposure to better orange production technique & demonstration.

North East Connect program was organised to show case potential of north east at Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai & Bengaluru seeking investment opportunities as well as create business opportunity for the naturally grown organic produces of North East.

For the first time, an initiative has been taken to set up kiosks at six Malls in the National Capital Region (NCR) Delhi to sell North East produces to the consumers of NCR Delhi. Outlets in the name N E Fresh are located at Shipra mall, EDM mall, Mahugana mall, Sab mall, StarCity mall & TDI mall at NCR Delhi. This was followed with weeklong Mall festivals in the beginning.

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Abbreviations


AADCP ASEAN Australia Development Cooperation
AADCP ASEAN Aquaculture Development and Coordinating Programme
AADCP-RPS ASEAN-Australia Development Cooperation Programme Regional Partnership Scheme
AAECP ASEAN-Australia Economic Cooperation Programme
AAF ASEAN Automotive Federation
AAM ASEAN Airlines Meeting
AAPSIP ASEAN-Australia Postharvest System Improvement Programme
AARNET ASEAN-AVRDC Regional Network for Vegetable Research and Development
AASROC Asian-African Sub-Regional Organizations Conference
ABAC ASEAN Business Advisory Council
ABAPAST Advisory Body on ASEAN Plan of Action on Science and Technology
ABASF Advisory Body of the ASEAN Science Fund
ABF ASEAN Business Forum
ACBC ASEAN – China Business Council
ACBC AFTA – CER Business Council
ACCICG AFTA-CER CEP Implementation and Coordination Group
ACCORD ASEAN and China Cooperative Operations in Response to Dangerous Drugs
ACCSM ASEAN Conference on Civil Service Matters
ACCSQ ASEAN Consultative Committee for Standards and Quality
ACCTC ASEAN Coordinators of Customs Training Centre
ACDM ASEAN Committee on DIsaster Management
ACE ASEAN Centre for Energy
ACE ASEAN Committee on Education
ACECA ASEAN-Canada Economic Cooperation Agreement
ACEDAC ASEAN Centre for the Development of Agricultural Cooperatives
ACF ASEAN Cultural Fund
ACFTA ASEAN-China Free Trade Area
ACJCC ASEAN-China Joint Cooperation Committee
ACP ASEAN Cooperation Plan
ACSOC ASEAN-China Senior Officials Consultation
ACTC ASEAN Center for Combating Transnational Crime
ACTD ASEAN Common Technical Dossiers
ACTS ASEAN Cargo Transport Study
ACTRs ASEAN Common Technical Requirements
ACTT ASEAN Communication Team for Tourism
ACW ASEAN Committee on Women
ACWGDC ASEAN-China Working Group on Development Cooperation
ADB ASEAN Development Bank
ADCF ASEAN Development Cooperation Forum
ADCG ASEAN Datacom Coordinating Group
ADGICM ASEAN Directors-General of Immigration Departments and Consular Affairs Division
ADPC ASEAN Agriculture Development Planning Centre
ADPC ASIAN Disaster Preparedness Centre
AEBF ASEAN Energy Business Forum
AEC ASEAN Economic Community
AEEAP ASEAN Environmental Education Action Plan
AEEMTRC ASEAN-EC Energy Management Training and Research Centre
AEG ASEAN Experts Group
AEGCD ASEAN Expert Group on Communicable Diseases
AEGDM ASEAN Expert Group on Disaster Management
AEGFS Adhoc Expert Group on Food Safety
AEGM ASEAN Experts Group on Minerals
AEIC ASEAN Earthquake Information Centre
AEM
AEMC
ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Meeting
ASEAN-European Community Management Centre
AEMEC ASEAN Economic Ministers on Energy Cooperation
AEMM ASEAN-European Union Ministerial Meeting
AENRIC ASEAN Environmental and Natural Resources Information Centre
AEP ASEAN Environmental Partnership
AERISRP ASEAN Plus Three Emerging and Resurging Infections Surveillance and Response Programme
AERR
AEY
AF
ASEAN Emergency Rice Reserve
ASEAN Environment Year
ASEAN Foundation
AFAS ASEAN Framework Agreement on Services
AFC ASEAN Food Conference
AFDM ASEAN Finance and Central Bank Deputies
AFDM-WG ASEAN Finance and Central Bank Deputies Working Group
AFEEC ASEAN Forum on Energy and Efficiency and Conservation
AFF
AFFA
AFHB
ASEAN Fisheries Federation
ASEAN Federation of Forwarders Association
ASEAN Food Handling Bureau
AFMA
AFMM
AFOC
AFPIC
AFPHTC
AFSIS
AFSRB
ASEAN Federation of Mining Associations
ASEAN Finance Ministers Meeting
ASEAN Forum on Coal
ASEAN Forest Product Industry Club
ASEAN Fisheries Postharvest Technology Centres
ASEAN Food Security Information System
ASEAN Food Security Reserve Board
AFTA ASEAN Free Trade Area
AFTEX
AGBEP
AHEWS
AHIA
AHMM
AHRN
AHPISA
ASEAN Federation of Textile Industries
ASEAN Business/Economic Graduate Programme
ASEAN Agricultural Hazards Early Warning System
ASEAN Heads of Investment Agencies
ASEAN Health Ministers Meeting
Asian Harm Reduction Network
Animal Health and Production Information System in ASEAN
AHPR ASEAN Declaration on Heritage Parks and Reserves
AHSOM ASEAN Heads of Statistical Offices Meeting
AHTN ASEAN Harmonised Tariff Nomenclature
AIA ASEAN Investment Area
AIBC
AIC
ASEAN-India Business Council
ASEAN Insurance Commisioner
AICO
AIDA
ASEAN Industrial Cooperation Scheme
ASEAN-India Digital Archive Project
AIDAB Australian International Development Assistance Board
AIFM
AIFOCOM
ASEAN Institute Forest Management
ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Organization Fact Finding Committee to Combat the Drug Menace
AIELTF
AII
AIJSCC
ASEAN-India Economic Linkage Task force
ASEAN Information Infrastructure
ASEAN-India joint Sectoral Cooperation Committee
AIJV ASEAN Industrial Joint Venture
AIMS ASEAN Interconnection Masterplan Study
AIPA ASEAN Intellectual Property Association
AIPO ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Organization
AIR ASEAN Investment Report
AIRM ASEAN Insurance Regulators Meeting
AIT
AITRI
AJCCEP
ASEAN Institute of Technology
ASEAN Insurance Regulators Meeting
ASEAN-Japan Committee on Comprehensive Economic Partnership
AJCEP ASEAN-Japan Closer Economic Partnership
AJCEPEG ASEAN-Japan Closer Economic Partnership Expert Group
AJCGM ASEAN-Japan Consultative Group Meeting
AJDF ASEAN-Japan Development Fund
AJSTD ASEAN Journal for Science and Technology Development
AJUT ASEAN-Japan Urban Transportation
AKECOP ASEAN-Korea Environment Cooperation
ALIA ASEAN Legal Information Authority
ALMM ASEAN Labour Ministers Meeting
AMAF ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Agriculture and Forestry
AMBDC ASEAN Mekong Basin Development Cooperation
AMCA ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Culture and Arts
AMC Australian Managing Contractor
AMCs ASEAN Member Countries
AMEICC AEM-MITI Economic and Industrial Cooperation committee
AMEM ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting
AMG Alliance for Mutual Growth
AMM ASEAN Ministerial Meeting
AMME ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on the Environment
AMMH ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Haze
AMMTC ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime
AMMST ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Science and Technology
AMO ASEAN Macroeconomic Outlook
AMRDPE ASEAN Ministers on Rural Development and Poverty Eradication
AMRI ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Information
AMRI-TWC ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Information Technical Working Group
AMRSW ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Social Welfare
AMSAT Australian Marince Science and Technology Pty. Limited
AMST ASEAN Ministers for Science and Technology
ANDIN ASEAN Newsletter on Disaster Management Information Network
ANEX ASEAN News Exchange
ANWRA ASEAN Network of Water Resource Agencies
ANZEC ASEAN-New Zealand Economic Cooperation Programme
ANZCERTA Australia-New Zealand Closer Economic Relations Trade Agreement
ANZECP ASEAN-New Zealand Economic Cooperation Programme
ANZJMC
AONBS
APAA
APAEC
APCASO
ASEAN-New Zealand Joint Management Committee
Asia-Oceania Network on Biological Science
ASEAN Port Authorities Association
ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation
Asia Pacific Council on AIDS Service Organization
APBSD ASEAN Policy Blueprint for SME Development
APCS ASEAN Promotional Centre on Information, Culture and Tourism in Seoul
APCTs
APDRTC
ASEAN Promotional Chapters for Tourism
ASEAN Poultry Disease Research and Training Center
APEC Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation
APERC Asia Pacific Energy Research Centre
APHCN ASEAN Plant Helath Cooperation Network
APJSCC
APRIS
ASEAN-Pakistan Joint Sectoral Cooperation Committee
ASEAN Project for Regional Integration Support
APRTC
ARC
ASEAN Poultry Research and Training Centre
ASEAN Research Centre
ARCBC ASEAN Regional Centre for Biodiversity Conservation
ARCSTC ASEAN-Russia Commission on Scientific and Technological Cooperation
ARDCMR ASEAN Regional Development Centre for Mineral Resources
ARF ASEAN Regional Forum
ARF ISM CT TC
ARISPA
ARIX
ARPDM
ARWGTEC
ARYDEC
ASEAN Regional Forum Inter-Sessional Meeting on Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime
ASEAN ISP Association
ASEAN Regional Internet Exchange
ASEAN Regional Programme in Disaster Management
ASEAN Russia Working Group on Trade, Economic Cooperation
ASEAN Rural Youth Development Centre
ASAP AIDS Society of Asia Pacific
ASAP ASEAN Services Access Platform
ASC ASEAN Security Community
ASC ASEAN Standing Committee
ASCC ASEAN Socio-cultural Community
ASCHN ASEAN Sub-Committee on Health and Nutrition
ASCLA ASEAN Sub-Committee on Labour Affairs
ASCOE ASEAN Sub-Committee on Education
ASCOPE
ASCU
ASEAN CCI
ASEAN Council on Petroleum
ASEAN Surveillance Coordinating Unit
ASEAN Chambers of Commerce and Industry
ASEANTA
ASEM
ASEP
ASF
ASFOM
ASITF
ASEAN Tourism Association
ASEAN Europe Meeting
ASEAN Subregional Environment Programme
ASEAN Science Fund
ASEAN Senior Finance Officials Meeting
ASEAN Shrimp Industry Task Force
ASLOM ASEAN Senior Labour Officials Meeting
ASLOM ASEAN Senior Law Officials Meeting
ASMC
ASNEM
ASEAN Specialized Meteorological Centre
ASEAN Network for Environment Management
ASNET-RESED
ASOD
ASEAN Network for Rapid Exchange of Strong Earthquake Data
ASEAN Senior Officials on Drugs
ASOEN
ASOF
ASEAN Senior Officials on the Environment
ASEAN Senior Officials on Forestry
ASOMM ASEAN Senior Official Meeting on Minerals
ASP ASEAN Surveillance Process
ASP-5
ASPEN
ASEAN Sub-Regional Programme for the Fifth Cycle
ASEAN Strategic Plan of Action on the Environment
ASTICK ASEAN Science and Technology Community for Innovation, Competitiveness and Knowledge
ASTNET ASEAN Science and Technology Information Network
ASTU ASEAN Surveillance Technical Support Unit
ASTW ASEAN Science and Technology Week
ASW ASEAN Sub-Committee on Women
ASWGFi ASEAN Sectoral Working Group on Fisheries
ASWGL ASEAN Sectoral Working Group on Livestock
ASY ASEAN Sub-Committee on Youth
ASQP ASEAN Standards and Quality Programme
ATC ASEAN Traffic Control
ATF ASEAN Tourism Forum
ATFI ASEAN Tourism Forum
ATFOA ASEAN Task Force on AIDS
ATFSSN ASEAN Task Force on Social Safety Net
ATIC ASEAN Tourism Information Centre
ATM ASEAN Transport Ministers
ATRC ASEAN Telecommunication Regulators’ Council
ATS Amphetamine-Type Stimulants
ATTC ASEAN Timber Technology Centre
ATTEN ASEAN Tourism Training and Education Network
AUN ASEAN University Network
AUN BOT ASEAN University Network Board of Trustee
AUNILO ASEAN University Network Inter-Library Online
AUNP ASEAN-EU University Network Programme
AUNQUANET ASEAN University Network Quality Assurance Network
AUSAID Australian Agency for International Development
AVDRC ASEAN Vegetable Development and Research Center
AVIST ASEAN Virtual Institute of Science and Technology
AVOC ASEAN Vegetable Oils Club
AWGASME ASEAN Working Group on ASEAN Seas and Marine Environment
AWGATE ASEAN Working Group on Agriculture and Training Extention
AWGCM ASEAN Working Group on Custom Matters
AWGCME ASEAN Working Group on Coastal and Marine Environment
AWGEE ASEAN Working Group on Environmental Economics
AWGEIPAE ASEAN Working Group on Environmental Information, Public Awareness and Education
AWGEM ASEAN Working Group on Environment Management
AWGMEA ASEAN Working Group on Multilateral Environment Agreement
AWGNC ASEAN Working Group on Nature Conservation
AWGNCB ASEAN Working Group on Nature Conservation and Biodiversity
AWGTCP ASEAN Working Group on Technical Cooperation in Pharmaceuticals
AWGTM ASEAN Working Group on Tax Matters
AWGTP ASEAN Working Group on Transboundary Pollution
AWP ASEAN Women’s Programme
AWPII ASEAN Work Programme on HIV/AIDS II
AYDM ASEAN Youth Day Meeting


BAAIC Basic Agreement on ASEAN Industrial Complementation
BCJ Builders-Carpentry and Joineries
BFA Bilateral Payment Arrangement
BBC Brand-to-Brand Complementation
BIMP-EAGA Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malysia-Philippines Aast ASEAN Growth Area
BISS Biodiversity Information Sharing System
BSA Bilateral Swap Agreements
CAAS China Academy of Agricultural Sciences
CAMMY China-ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Youth
CARAM Coordination of Action Research on AIDS and Mobility
CARD Centre for ASEAN Agriculture Research and Development Database
CATC Civil Aviation Training Centre
CCCA Coordinating Committee on the Implementation of the CEPT for AFTA
CCEC Coordinating Committee on Electronic Commerce
CCFAC Codex Committee on Food Additives and Contaminants
CCFICS Codex Committee on Food Import and Export
CCFL Codex Committee on Food Labeling
CCFO Codex Committee on Fats and Oils
CCGP Codex Committee on General Principle
CCI Chamber of Commerce and Industry
CCI Coordinating Committee on Investment
CCS Coordinating Committe on Services
CDC Cooper Development Center
CDM Clean Development Mechanism
CEDAW Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Woman
CEP Closer Economic partnership
CEPT Common Effective Preferential Tariff Scheme
CER Closer Economic Relations
CERTs Computer Emergency Response Teams
CGM Consultative Group Meetings
C&I Criteria and Indicators
CIDA Canadian International Development Agency
CITES Convention on International Trade Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
CLM Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar
CLMV Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam
CLP lassification, Labeling and Packaging
CMI Chiang Mai Inisiative
CNS/ATM Communication, Navigation and Surveillance/Air Traffic Management
COCI Committee on Culture and Information
COE Certificate of eligibiltiy
COFAB Committee on Finance and banking
COFAF Committee on Food, Agriculture and Forestry
COIME Committee on Industry, Minerals and Energy
COP Conference of Parties
COSD Committee on Social and Development
COST Committee on Science and Technology
COTAC Committee on Transportation and Communication
COTT Committee on Trade and Tourism
CPMS Cooperative Programme on Marine Science
CRC Convention on the Right of Children
CRISP Center for Remote Imaging, Sensing and Processing
CRM Customs Reforms and Modernisation
CSU Coordination and Support Unit
CTI Committe on Trade and Investment
CZERMP Coastal Zone Environmental and Resources Management Project


DGICM Directors-General of Immigration and Consular Matters
DIPs Detailed Implementation Plans
DOTS Directly-Observed Treatment, Short Course






EAEC East Asia Economic Caucus
EAEF EC-ASEAN Energy Facility
EAERR East Asia/ ASEAN Rice Reserve System
EAF East Asian Forum
EAI Enterprise for ASEAN Integration
EASG East Asia Study Group
EATF E-ASEAN Task Force
EAP-AP Environmental Assessment Programme for Asia and the Pacific
EAVG East Asia Vision Group
EAWG E-ASEAN Working Group
EBU Europe Broadcasting Union
EC European Commission
ECAP ASEAN-EC Patents and Trademarks System
ECCM Experts Committee on Custom Matters
EC-IIP European Community International Investment Partner
ECIP European Community Investment Partner Scheme
ECO Economic Cooperation Organization
ECOPS Environmental Cooperation Project Steering COmmittee
ECU European Currency Union
EDP Executive Development Programme
EE Environmental Education
EE&C-SSN Energy Efficiency and Conservation-Subsector Network
EG Expert Group
EGAT Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand
EGIM Experts Group Meeting on Immigration Matters
EIB European Investment Bank
EIP Environmental Improvement Project
EIPA European Institute of Public administration Programme
ELTO English Language Training for Officials
EMC Electromagnetic Compatibility
EMTC Energy Management Training Courses
ENRA Environmental and Natural Resources Accounting
EPG Eminent Persons Group
EPGG Energy Policy Governing Group
EPO European Patent Office
EPSAP Energy Policy and System Analysis Project
ESA European Space Agency
ESC Environmentally Sustainable Cities
ESCAP UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
ESSPA Energy Supply Security Planning in the ASEAN
EU European Union
EVSL Experts Group on early Voluntary Sectoral Liberalization


FAO Food and Agriculture Organization
FANS Future Air Navigation System
FASC Federation of ASEAN Shippers Councils
FASA Federation of ASEAN Shipowners’ Association
FASID Japan Foundation for Advanced Studies on International Development
FCG Fisheries Consultative Group
FDI Foreign Direct Investment
FDRS Fire Danger Rating System
FDS Feasibility Design Stage
FGRID Forest Genetic Resource Information Database
FIFSTA Federation of International Food Science and Technology Associations
FIQC Fish Inspection and Quality Control
FMD Foot and Mouth Disease
FOCPF Future-Orieted Cooperation Projects Fund
FPT Fish Product Technology
FSDPs Full Scale Demonstration Projects
FSMP Fire Supression Mobilization Plan


GAP Good Agricultural Practice
GATS General Agreement on Trade in Services
GATT General Agreement on Tariff and Trade
GMOs Genetically Modified Organism
GMS Greater Mekong Subregion
GMP Good Manufacturing Practices
GRAs Genetic Reource Areas
GRSP Global Road Safety Partnership
GSP General System of Preference


HACCP Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points
HAPUA Heads of ASEAN Power Utilities / Authorities
HLTF High Level Task Force
HONLEA Heads of National Drug Law Enforcement Agencies
HPA Hanoi Plan of Action
HPG Haze Prevention Group
HRD Human Resource Development
HIV/AIDS Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
HRDM Human Resources Development and Management
HS Harmonized System
HTTF Haze Technical Task Force


IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency
IAECC India-ASEAN Economic Cooperation Committee
IAI Initiative for ASEAN Integration
IAPs Immediate Action Plans
IATEP Inter-ASEAN Technical Exchange Programme
IBRS International Business Reply Services
ICAO Internation Civil Aviation Organization
ICGFI International Consultative Group on Food Irradiation
ICLARM International Centre for Living Aquatic Resources Development
ICMSF International Commission on Microbiological Specification for Foods
ICP International Comparison Programme
ICPM International Committee on Phytosanitary Measures
ICTSD Information and Communication Technology for Sustainable Development
ICT Information and Communication Technology
IDCF IAI Development Cooperation Forum
IDEA Initiative for Development in East Asia
IDPAS Institutional Development for ASEAN Secretariat
IEA International Energy Agency
IFIs International Financial Institutions
IFF Intergovernmental Forum on Forests
IILP Inter-Institutional Linkages Programme
IIP International Investment Position
ILO International Labour Organization
ILS Instrument Landing System
ILSI International Life Sciences Institute
IMF International Monetary Fund
IMT-GT Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle
INTA International Trademark Association
IOM Internation Organization for Migration
IP Intellectual Property
IPD Information Preparation and Dissemination
IPM Integrated Pest Management
IPR Intellectual Property Rights
IRS Indian Remote Sensing
ISEAS Institute of Southeast Asian Studies
ISG-CBM Intersessional Support Group on Confidence-Building Measures
ISM-CTTC Inter-sessional Meeting on Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime
ISRO Indian Space Research Organization
ISIS Institute of Strategic and International Studies
ISO Inetrnational Standard Organization
ISP Internet Service Provider
ISQAP Industrial Standards and Quality Assurance Programme (ASEAN-EC Programme)
ITB Internationale Tourisme Bourse
ITS Intelligent Transport System
ITTO International Tropical Timber Organization
ITWG Interim Technical Working Group
IUEP Integrated Urban Energy Planning
IWRM Integrated Water Resources Management


JACPP Japan-ASEAN Cooperation Promotion Programme
JAEP Japan-ASEAN Exchange Project
JAFTA Japan-ASEAN Finance Technical Assistance
JAGEF Japan-ASEAN General Exchange Fund
JATA Japan Association of Travel Agents
JBIC Japan Bank for International Cooperation
JCC Joint Consultative Committee
JCM Joint Consultative Meeting
JETRO Japanese Exetrnal Trade Organisation
JLSAP Joint Linkages Appraisal Panel
JMC Joint Management Committee
JPC Joint Planning Committee
JPC-SC Joint Planning Committee to the Sub-Committee
JPMC Joint Planning and Monitoring Committee
JPRC Joint Planning and Review Committe
JSTC Joint Science and Technology Committee


KAIST Korean Advance Institute of Science and Technology
KDI Korean Development Institute
KIET Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade
KMA Korean Metereology Administration
KOICA Korea International Cooperation Agency
KOTFA Korean World Travel Fair
KOTRA Korea Trade Promotion Corporation
KNTC Korea National Tourism Corporation
KRIBB Korean Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology








LBI Legally Binding Instrument
LCR Living Coastal Resources
LINKS Legal Information Network System
LTIIR Land Transport Infrastructure Integration Roadmap


M-ATM Meeting of the ASEAN Tourism Ministers
MBDS Mekong Basin Disease Surveilance
MC Management Committee
MCM Multinational Cultural Mission
MEAs Multilateral Environment Agreements
METI Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industri
MFRD Marine Fisheries Research Department
MFN Most Favoured Nation
MITI Ministry of International Trade and Industry
MLS Microwave Landing System
MOU Memorandum of Understanding
MRAs Mutual Recognition Arrangements
MRLs Maximum Residue Limits
MT-NIT Multimodal Transport and New Information Technology
MU Ministerial Understanding


NACA Network of Aquaculture Centre in Asia and Pacific
NAFTA North American Free Trade Area
NASDA National Space Development Agency
NBRUs National Biodiversity Refernce Units
NCSW National Council on Social Welfare
NECTEC National Electronics and Computer Technology Center
NERIC National Environment Resource Information Centers
NFP National Forest Programme
NFPWG National Focal Point Working Group
NGOs Non-Governmental Organizations
NGUT Natural Gas Utilization in Transport
NHAPs National Haze action Plans
NIIs National Information Infrastructure
NIIT National Institute of Information Technology
NRSE New and Renewable Sources of Energy
NTBs Non-Tariff Barriers
NTOs ASEAN National Tourism Organizations
NTTCCs National Transit Transprot Coordinating Committees
NWS Nuclear Weapon States


ODA Official Development Assistance
ODS Ozone Depleting Substances
OECD Organization for Economic Co-operation Development
OHIM Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market
OIE Organisation Internationale des Epizootics
OPCV Overseas Project Corporation of Victoria
OSHNET ASEAN Occupational Safety and Health Network
OWP Overall Working Plan


PAC Project Advisory Committee
PAC Project Appraisal Committee
PCA Post Clearance Audit
PCC Project Coordinating Committee
PDD Project Design Document
PEM Policy Exchange Mechanism
PIDS Philippine Institute for Development Studies
PITO Private Investment Trade Opportunities
PIWP Policy Implementation and work Programme
PLANTI Plant Quarantine and Training Institute
PLWHA People Living with HIV/AIDS
PMC Post Ministerial Conferences
POATC Program of Action in Transportation and Communication
POES Polar Orbiting Environment Satellite
PRA Pest Risk Analysis
PRESSEA Promotion of Renewable Energy Sources in Southeast Asia
PROMEEC Promotion of Energy Efficiency and Conservation
PROSEA Plant Resources on Southeast Asia
PSC Project Steering Committee
PTA Preferential Trading Arrangement


QASAF Quality Assurance Systems for ASEAN Fruits
QRs Quantitative Restrictions


RBAAIJV Revised Basic Agreement on ASEAN Industrial joint Ventures
RCCRF Regionalization of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries
RCICM Regional Training Course on Integrated COastal Management
RCP Research Priorities Committee
R & D Research and Development
RETA Regional Technical Assistance
RETA PMU RETA’s Project Management Unit
RHAP Regional haze Action Plan
ROD Regional Ocean Dynamics
ROK Republic of Korea
ROO Rules of Origin
RPS Regional Partnership Scheme
RTB Radio Television Brunei
RTD Research and Technological Development
RTP Regional Training Programme


SAEI Southeast Asian Environment Initiative
SAR Search and Rescue
SAREX Search and Rescue Exercise
SARS Severe Acute Respiration Syndrome
SAARC South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation
SCB Sub-Committee on Biotechnology
SCF Special Cooperation Fund
SCFST Sub-Committee on Food Science and Technology
SCIRD Sub-Committee on Science and Technology Infrastructure and
Resources Development
SCMG Sub-Committee on Meteorology and geophysics
SCMIT Sub-Committee on Microelectronics and Information Technology
SCMS Sub-Committee on Marine Science
SCMST Sub-Committee on Materials Science and Technology
SCNCER Sub-Committee on Non-Conventional Energy Research
SCSTA Sub-Committee on Space Technology Application
SCOT Sub-Committee on Tourism
SDI Selective Dissemination of Information
SoE State of the Environment
SEAFDEC South East Asia Fisheries Development Centre
SEA HDR Southeast Asian Human Development Report
SEAMEO Southeast Asian Ministers on education Organization
SEANWFZ Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapons Free Zone
SEOM Senior Economic Officials Meeting
SMES Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises
SoER State of the Environment Report
SFM Sustainable Forest Management
SHS Sender-Keeper Management
SKRL Singapore-Kunming Rail Link
SL Sensitive List
SLOA Suplementary Letters of Agreement
SLOM Senior Labour Officials Meeting
SMCE Small and Medium-size Cultural Enterprise and Industry
SMEs Small and Medium enterprises
SMEWG SMEs Agencies Working Group
SOM Senior Officials Meeting
SOM-I Senior Officials Meeting on Investment
SOME Senior Officials Meeting on Energy
SOMEC Senior Officials Meeting on Energy Cooperation
SOME-METI Senior Officials Meeting on Energy – Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
SOMHD Senior Officials Meeting on Health Development
SOMRDPE Senior Officials Meeting on Rural Development and Poverty Eradication
SOMSWD Senior Officials Meeting Social Welfare and Development
SOMTC Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime
SOMTI Senior Officials Meeting on Trade and Investment
SOMY Senior Officials Meeting on Youth
SPAE Strategic Plan of Action and the Environment
SPC South Pacific Commission
SPF South Pacific Forum
SPS Sanitary and Phytosanitary
SRCR Sub-Regional Climate Review
SRFA Sub-Regional Firefighting Arrangement
SSN Social Safety Nets
S&T Science and Technology
STOM Senior Transport Officials Meeting


TAC Treaty of Amity and Cooperation
TAGP Trans-ASEAN Gas Pipeline Project
TCDC Technical Cooperation Among Developing Countries
TEDI Trade Electronic Data Interchange
TEL Temporary Exclusion List
TELSOM Telecommunication Senior Officials Meeting
TELMIN Telecommunication Ministers Meeting
TEMIC Telecommunications Executive Management Institute
TFGR Transport Facilitation of Goods Roadmap
TIFA Trade and Investment Framework Agreement
TIPP Trade and Investment Promotion Programme
TISI Thai Industrial Standard Institute
TNC Trade Negotiating Committee
TNG Trade Negotiating Group
TOR Terms of Reference
TPAS Technology Promotion and Assistance Services
TQMC Total Quality Management Control
TREATI Trans-Regional EU-ASEAN Trade Initiative
TRIPs Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights
TROPMED Tropical Medicine and Public Health
TTCB Transit Transport Coordinating Board
TWG1 Technical Working Group on Standards and Conformance
TWG2 Technical Working Group on Conformity Assessment
TWG3 Technical Working Group on Testing, Calibration and Laboratory
Accreditation
TQM Total Quality Management


UAP Unprocessed Agricultural Products
UNCSD United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development
UNCTAD United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
UNDCP United Nations International Drug Control Programme
UNDESA United Nations Departments for Economic and Social Affairs
UNDP United Nations Development Programme
UNEP United Nations Environmental Programme
UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
UNICEF United Nations International Children Education Fund
UN-ODC United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
UNTAET United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor
UNSD United Nations Statistics Division
US-AEP United States Asian Environmental Partnership
US-EIP United States Environmental Improvement Programme
USEPA United States Environmental Protection Agency
USTR United States Trade Representative


VAC Visit ASEAN Campaign
VALENTE ASEAN Energy Database, Valorization of Energy Technology
VAP Vientiane Action Programme
VAY Visit ASEAN Millenium Year


WCAIA Working Committee on ASEAN Investment Area
WCT WIPO Copyright Treaties
WEC West-East Corridor
WGABI Working Group on Agribusiness
WGASME Working Group on ASEAN Seas and Marine Environment
WGEE Working Group on Environmental Economics
WGEIPAE Working Group on Environmental Information, Public Awareness and Education
WGEM Working Group on Environmental Management
WGFDIS Working Group on Foreign Direct Investment Statistics
WGIC Working Group on Industrial Cooperation
WGIPC Working Group on Intelectual Property Cooperation
WGL Working Group on Livestock
WGNC Working Group on Nature Conservation
WGTEC Working Group on Trade and Economic
WGTP Working Group on Transboundary Pollution
WHO World Health Organization
WIPO World Intellectual Property Organization
WPPT WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty
WSSD World Summit on Sustainable Development
WTM World Travel Mart
WTO World Trade Organization
WWTTT-CPD Waste Water Treatment Technology Transfer and Cleaner Production
Demonstration
ZOPFAN Zone of Peace Freedom and Neutrality

GENERAL AWARENESS MCQs

  1: When will be the opening ceremony of 2012 Summer olympics?
  1. July 27, 2012
  2. Aug 27, 2012
  3. July 17, 2012
  4. July 21, 2012
  2: Which City will become the first host Summer Olympics for three times?
  1. London
  2. Rome
  3. Athens
  4. Lahore
  3: When will be the closing ceremony of 2012 Summer Olympics ?
  1. 14th November, 2012
  2. 19th August, 2012
  3. 12th August, 2012
  4. 14th August, 2012
  4: When will be the next pair of solar transit of venus predicted?
  1. Year 2117 and 2128
  2. Year 2114 and 2120
  3. Year 2119 and 2123
  4. Year 2117 and 2125
  5: In which part of the world will the total Solar Eclipse appears which occurs
on 13th November 2012?
  1. Nothern Alaska
  2. Eastern Russia
  3. Nothern Australia And South Pacific
  4. South Africa
  6: Which country test launched first 3D television Broadcast?
  1. Russia
  2. America
  3. Japan
  4. China
  7: The name “ Hitachi” is a combination of two Chinese characters, ‘Hi’ and ‘Techi’ meaning:
  1. Flying and Eagle
  2. Moon and Sun
  3. Sun and Rise
  4. High and Mountain
  8: The sportswear company “Adidas” belongs to which country?
  1. Japan
  2. Russia
  3. China
  4. Germany
9: What is the name given to “ Nike” logo ?
  1. Sweep
  2. Swift
  3. Swoosh
  4. Swipe
  10: What is the name of Super Computer built by “ IBM”?
  1. Recta
  2. Compac
  3. Ultra Super
  4. Sequoia
Answers
Q 1: (a) July 27, 2012
Q 2: (a) London
Q 3: (c) 12th August, 2012
Q 4: (d) Year 2117 and 2125
Q 5: (C) Nothern Australia And South Pacific
Q 6: (d) China
Q 7: (c) Sun and Rise
Q 8: (D) Germany
Q 9: (c) Swoosh
Q 10 (d)Sequoia

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

GENERAL AWARENESS FOR ALL COMPETITIVE EXAMS


1. Donor nations offered $16 billion to Afghanistan in development aid through 2015 at an international conference on Afghanistan that was held on July 8, 2012 in?
1) London
2) Tokyo
3) Kabul
4) New Delhi
5) Islamabad

2. Roger Federer of Switzerland won his seventh Wimbledon and 17th Grand Slam tennis title on July 8, 2012. Whom did he defeat in the final?
1) Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
2) David Ferrer (Spain)
3) Florian Mayer (Germany)
4) Andy Murray (Great Britain)
5) Marin Cilic (Croatia)

3. Which of the following is/are considered as retail loans?
1) Personal loans
2) Educational loans
3) Auto loans
4) Home loans
5) All the above

4. Which Hollywood actor has been named Ambassador-at-large for Haiti in recognition of his humanitarian work since the 2010 earthquake?
1) Brad Pitt
 2) Sean Penn
3) Tom Cruise
4) Will Smith
5) Leonardo Dicaprio

5. Which of the following foreign banks has appointed Sunil Kaushal as its Chief Executive for India and South Asia?
1) BNP Paribas
2) Deutsche Bank
3) Citi bank
4) ABN-AMRO Bank
5) Standard Chartered Bank

6. Akhlaq Mohammed Khan Shahr-yar passed away recently. He was a Jnanpith award winner in wh-ich of the following languages?
1) Hindi
2) Oriya
3) Urdu
4) Punjabi
5) Marathi

7. Which of the following footballers won the Euro 2012 Golden Boot award after scoring three goals in the Championship?
1) Mario Gomez (Germany)
2) Mario Mandzukic(Croatia)
3) Mario Balotelli (Italy)
4) Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
5) Fernando Torres (Spain)

8. Oscar Pistorius, known as the 'Blade Runner' because he runs on carbon fiber blades, has won the 2012 Laureus World Sports-person of the Year with a Disabi-lity Award. He belongs to which of the following countries?
1) Sweden
2) Norway
3) Denmark
4) South Africa
5) Australia

9. Which state has become the first state in the country to issue e-stamp papers in all denomi-nations?
1) Gujarat
2) Delhi
 3) Karnataka
4) Maharashtra
5) West Bengal

10. Operation Atlanta is undertaken by which of the following organizations to prevent and combat acts of piracy off the coast of Somalia?
1) NATO
2) UNO
3) EU
4) SAARC
5) FAO

11. Indian diplomat Vijay Nambiar has been appointed as United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Advisor on which of the following countries?
1) China
2) Pakistan
3) Afghanistan
4) Myanmar
5) Sri Lanka

12. Who is the author of the book 'Last Man in Tower'?
1) Anita Desai
2) Kiran Desai
3) Aravind Adiga
4) Vikram Seth
5) Rahul Bhattacharya

13. Which of the following honorary ranks has been given to Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Indian cricket team captain, in the Territorial Army?
1) Captain
2) Major
3) Colonel
4) Major General
5) Lieutenant Colonel

14. Who became the new Chief of Pakistan's spy agency Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) on March 9, 2012?
1) Hamid Gul
 2) Asad Durrani
3) Nadeem Taj
4) Zaheer-ul-Islam
5) Ashfaq Parvez Kayani

15. Sherwood Rowland of America passed away recently. He won the 1995 Nobel Prize in which of the following disciplines?
1) Physics
2) Chemistry
3) Medicine
4) Economics
5) Literature

16. Who among the following is a Golf player?
1) Pankaj Advani
2) Vijender Singh
3) Jeev Milkha Singh
4) Susheel Kumar
5) Rohan Bopanna

17. Mukul Roy became the new Railways Minister on March 20, 2012. He belongs to which of the following political parties?
1) Samajwadi Party
2) Bahujan Samaj Party
3) Rashtriya Janata Dal
4) Rashtriya Lok Dal
5) Trinamool Congress

18. Which of the following is an asset reconstruction company?
1) CIBIL
2) IRDA
3) ASCI
4) ARCIL
5) DICGC

19. Who is the present Cabinet Secretary of India?
1) K.M.Chandrasekhar
2) Ajit Kumar Seth
3) Ranjan Mathai
4) Nirupama Rao
5) Pankaj Dwivedi

20. Bihari Puraskar is a literary award instituted by the K.K.Birla Foundation. It is given only to writers from?
1) Rajasthan
2) Bihar
3) Orissa
4) Uttarakhand
5) Uttar Pradesh

21. Gopal Krishna Gandhi, former Governor of West Bengal, is the Chairman of the governing body of Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS). Where is IIAS located?
1) Pune
2) Shimla
3) Nagpur
4) Deharadun
5) Kolkata

22. Joy Mukherjee passed away recently. He was an eminent?
1) Scientist
 2) Poet
3) Actor
4) Musician
5) Chess player

23. Hindi film music composer Rajesh Roshan was conferred the Lata Mangeshkar award recently. Which state gives this award?
1) Maharashtra
2) Gujarat
3) Rajasthan
4) Madhya Pradesh
5) Karnataka

24. According to the 2012 Environ-mental Performance Index (EPI) released in January 2012, what is India's rank? (The Index is produced by researchers at Yale and Columbia Universities in collaboration with the World Economic Forum. Switzerland took the top spot.)
1) 134
2) 125
 3) 135
4) 143
5) 142

25. The residents of which of the following cities created a world record when over 15,000 people gathered to sing the national anthem on the eve of Republic day on January 26, 2012?
1) Gandhinagar
2) Yamunanagar
3) Aurangabad
4) Pushkar
5) Jaipur

26. The National Security Guard (NSG) hub at which of the following cities is the regional centre for eastern India?
1) Bhubaneshwar
2) Gangtok
3) Itanagar
4) Kolkata
5) Shillong

27. India is likely to produce how many million tones of food grains during 2011-12, according to the 2nd Advance estimates of crop production released in February 2012?
1) 249.78
2) 244.78
3) 250.42
4) 245.54
5) 247.45

28. Which country has developed a rating index called ' Comparative Rating Index of Sovereigns' (CRIS) on the basis of sovereign ratings of various countries compiled through rating data of Moody's and GDP data of the International Monetary Fund?
1) Pakistan
2) USA
3) Indonesia
4) India
5) Ecuador

29. Which of the following private banks is/are eligible to handle central and state government business as agents of the Reserve Bank of India, at par with public sector banks?
1) ICICI Bank
2) HDFC Bank
3) Axis Bank
4) All 1, 2, 3

5) All private sector banks
30. A huge stock of gas was found recently in Rashidpur field which is in?
1) Bangladesh
2) Pakistan
3) India
4) Kazakhstan
5) Iran

31. IAEA is an organization working in the area of?
1) Banking
2) World trade
3) Defense
4) Nuclear Energy
5) Social welfare

32. Which of the following is a non institutional source of credit?
1) Commercial Banks
2) RRBs
3) Cooperative Banks
4) Moneylenders
5) None of these

33. Which of the following is/are renewable source of energy?
A) Solar Energy
B) Wind Energy
C) Nuclear Energy
1) Only (A)
 2) Only (B)
3) Only (C)
4) Both (A) & (B)
5) All (A), (B) & (C)

34. The Head of which of the following agencies/organizations is designated as Governor?
1) SEBI
2) LIC
3) All public sector banks
4) All private sector banks
5) None of these

35. Which of the following is the currency of Myanmar?
1) Taka
2) Peso
3) Dinar
4) Kyat
5) Baht

36. Heavy water is used in?
1) Pharma industry
2) Textile industry
3) Nuclear power
4) Cement industry
5) None of these

37. Which of the following terms is related to cricket?
1) Grand Slam
2) Love
3) Trump
4) Ashes
5) Jockey

38. Which of the following books is written by Chetan Bhagat?
1) A Suitable Boy
2) Golden Gate
3) A Bend in the River
4) Revolution 2020
5) A House for Mr.Biswas

39. Who headed a high level committee that was mandated to go into all aspects of black money and suggest measures to stop its generation?
1) M.C.Joshi
2) Sam Pitroda
3) C.Rangarajan
4) Pranab Mukherjee
5) Pradeep Kumar

40. A meeting of the Environment Ministers of BASIC countries took place in February 2012 in which of the following cities?
1) New Delhi
2) Durban
3) Brasilia
4) Beijing
5) Sanya

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

Saturday, July 14, 2012

GENERAL AWARENESS MCQs FOR BANK EXAMS


1. Abel Prize is named after Norwegian mathematician Niels Henrik Abel (1802-1829). It is given annually to outstanding mathematicians by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters. Who won this prize in 2012?
1) Mikhail Gromov
2) John Tate
3) John Thompson
4) Jacques Tits
5) Endre Szemeredi

2. The Inter State Council was set up in 1990 following the recom-mendation of the Sarkaria Com-mission on Centre-State relatio-ns. Who is its present Chairman?
1) Hamid Ansari
2) Manmohan Singh
3) Pranab Mukherjee
4) C.Rangarajan
5) None of these

3. Which state has recently started a programme called 'Anandadhara' for Self Help Groups?
1) Andhra Pradesh
2) Odisha
3) West Bengal
4) Madhya Pradesh
5) Himachal Pradesh

4. Which country's lower house of the Parliament is called State Duma?
1) Japan
2) Italy
3) Russia
4) Maldives
5) Philippines

5. Who was appointed as the Prime Minister of France on May 15, 2012?
1) Jean-Marc Ayrault
2) Francois Hollande
3) Laurent Fabius
4) Nicolas Sarkozy
5) None of these

6. Golden Globe Awards are given for excellence in which of the following fields?
1) Literature
2) Journalism
3) Sports
4) Science
5) Film & Television

7. Who won her first world cup individual recurve gold medal in archery at Antalya, Turkey in May 2012?
1) Dola Banerjee
2) Deepika Kumari
3) Bombayala Devi
4) Purnima Mahato
5) None of these

8. Who was presented Ashok Chakra posthumously on January 26, 2012?
1) Lt.Sushil Khajuria
2) Lt.Navdeep Singh
3) Lt.Col.Kamaldeep Singh
4) Captain Ashutosh Kumar
5) None of these

9. According to the Prime Minister, the research and development spending would be doubled by which of the following years?
1) 2015
2) 2016
3) 2017
4) 2020
5) 2018

10. What is the bilateral trade target between India and Thailand for 2014?
1) 7 billion dollars
2) 14 billion dollars
3) 10 billion dollars
4) 20 billion dollars
5) 12 billion dollars

11. Which of the following is a pilot less target aircraft?
1) Prithvi
2) Akash
3) Pinakini
4) Lakshya
5) None of these

12. Amjad Ali Khan has been prese-nted the Mallikarjun Mansur award, which is named after the legendary Hindustani singer. He is an expert in playing which of the following instruments?
1) Santoor
2) Sitar
3) Sarod
4) Bansuri
5) Mohan Veena

13. What does 'I' denote in the abbreviation FIPB?
1) Innovation
2) Investment
3) India
4) Industrial
5) None of these

14. With regard to the 57th Filmfare Awards for 2011 which of the following pairs is not matched correctly?
1) Best Film - Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
2) Best Actress - Priyanka Chopra
3) Best Music - A.R. Rahman
4) Lifetime Achievement - Aruna Irani
5) Best Director - Zoya Akhtar

15. Who was recently honoured with a Knighthood by the British royal establishment?
1) Amartya Sen
2) Lakshmi Nivas Mittal
3) Anil Agarwal
4) Venkatraman Ramakrishnan
5) None of these

16. The DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2012 was given to Shehan Karunatilaka for his book 'Chinaman'. To which country does this author belong?
1) Nepal
2) Bhutan
3) Thailand
4) India
5) Sri Lanka

17. Who among the following was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2012?
1) Ronen Sen
2) N.Vittal
3) T.V.Rajeshwar
4) Shabana Azmi
5) Dharmendra

18. Where was the largest literary festival in Asia-Pacific held in January 2012?
1) Hyderabad
2) Jaipur
3) Mumbai
4) Kolkata
5) Chandigarh

19. Laurent Lamothe became the Prime Minister of which of the following countries on May 16, 2012?
1) Cuba
2) Jamaica
3) Barbados
4) Haiti
5) Dominican Republic

20. Goolam Vahanavati was reappoi-nted to which of the following posts for two more years with effect from June 8, 2012?
1) Chief Election Commissioner
2) Attorney General
3) Solicitor General
4) Central Vigilance Commissioner
5) None of these

21. Who was given the Phalke Ratna Award in May 2012?
1) Manoj Kumar
2) Shashi Kapoor
3) Rishi Kapoor
4) Amitabh Bachchan
5) None of these

22. Identify the mismatched pair STATE GOVERNOR
1) Goa - B.V.Wanchoo
2) Uttarakhand - Aziz Qureshi
3) Maharashtra - K.Sankara- narayanan
4) Rajasthan - Margaret Alva
5) Gujarat - H.R.Bharadwaj

23. Hillary Clinton visited India in May 2012. She is the United States?
1) Secretary of State
2) Defense Secretary
3) Commerce Secretary
4) Treasury Secretary
5) None of these

24. Edvard Munch's painting 'The Scream' was sold for a record $ 120 million at an auction in May 2012. Munch belonged to which of the following countries?
1) Sweden
2) Denmark
3) Poland
4) Ukraine
5) Norway

25. Who was awarded the Ernst & Young Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to the emergence of financial Services in India?
1) Deep Kalra
2) Deepak Parekh
3) Anand Burman
4) Analjit Singh
5) N.Chandrasekaran

26. Jana Gana Mana, India's National Anthem, completed 100 years recently. It was sung for the first time at the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress on which of the following dates?
1) January 24, 1912
2) January 26, 1912
3) December 27, 1911
4) December 25, 1911
 5) None of these

27. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was sworn in the President of which of the following African countries for the second time on January 16, 2012?
1) Malawi
2) Liberia
3) Uganda
4) Rwanda
5) Sudan

28. Viswanathan Anand won the world chess championship for the fifth time in Moscow in May 2012 by defeating which of the following players?
1) Magnus Carlsen
2) Vladimir Kramnik
3) Boris Gelfand
4) Vassily Ivanchuk
5) None of these

29. Which is the largest bank in the private sector in India in terms of number of branches?
1) HDFC Bank
2) ICICI Bank
3) Axis Bank
4) IndusInd Bank
5) Kotak Mahindra Bank

30. Which organization was set up to boost overall rural development in India?
1) RBI 2) SEBI
3) SIDBI
4) NABARD
5) PFRDA

31. Indian Overseas Bank celebrated Platinum Jubilee (75 years) in 2012. Where is its headquarters located?
1) Bangalore
2) Mumbai
3) Chennai
4) New Delhi
5) Hyderabad

32. Which of the following is a private bank in India?
1) Corporation Bank
2) Canara Bank
3) Syndicate Bank
4) Vijaya Bank
5) South Indian Bank

33. The Head Office of which of the following banks is in Kolkata?
1) Indian Bank
2) Syndicate Bank
3) Bank of India
4) UCO Bank
5) None of these

34. Amar Kant is an eminent author in which of the following languages?
1) Odiya
2) Hindi
3) Kannada
4) Punjabi
5) None of these

35. Which of the following organizations work for the welfare of women?
1) CRY
2) CII
3) SEWA
4) WIPO
5) CCI

36. Who is the author of the book 'A Bend in the River'?
1) Mark Tully
2) Amrita Preetam
3) Mulk Raj Anand
4) V.S.Naipaul
5) None of these

37. Which of the following countries is not a member of SAARC?
1) Nepal
2) Myanmar
3) Bhutan
4) Bangladesh
5) Sri Lanka

38. The Kyoto Protocol is aimed at fighting?
1) Terrorism
2) Global warming
3) Maritime piracy
4) Economic recession
5) None of these

39. David Ferrer is a Lawn Tennis player of which of the following countries?
1) Spain
2) Australia
3) Switzerland
4) Argentina
5) None of these

40. Which agency was set up to boost foreign investments in India?
1) FCCB
2) FEMA
3) FIPB
4) FRBM
5) None of these

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