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Bank is a lawful organisation, which accepts deposits that can be withdrawn on demand.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)