General Awareness Objective Questions 6................

1. The Reserve Bank of India in May 2015 issued notification on the Modalities for implementation 

of which scheme?

(1) Jan Dhan Yojana (2) Atal PensionYojana

(3) Jeevan BimaYojana (4) Sukanya Samridhi Yojana (5) All of these

RBI issues notification on the Modalities for implementation of Atal Pension Yojana: The RBI, on 21 May 2015, issued notification on the Modalities for implementation of Atal Pension Yojana (APY). The scheme will be implemented by member banks in accordance with the preliminary rules and terms finalised by the Government.

Atal Pension Yojana

• Ministry of Finance announced the launch of Atal Pension Yojana (APY) on May 9, 2015. The 

scheme is an universal social security measure specially for the poor and the under-privileged, which 

will provide a defined pension, depending on the contribution, and its period to its subscribers.

• The enrolment under the scheme was introduced from June 1, 2015. The APY will be focused on all 

citizens in the unorganised sector, who join the National Pension System (NPS) administered by the 

Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) • Under the APY, the subscribers would receive the fixed minimum pension of Rs. 1000-Rs 5000 per 

month at the age of 60 years, depending on their contributions, which itself would be based on the 

age of joining the APY.

• The minimum age of joining APY is 18 years and maximum age is 40 years. Therefore, minimum 

period of contribution by any subscriber under APY would be 20 years or more.

• The benefit of fixed minimum pension would be guaranteed by the Government.

• The Central Government would co-contribute 50% of the total contribution or Rs. 1000 per annum, 

whichever is lower, to each eligible subscriber account, for a period of 5 years, i.e., from Financial 

Year 2015-16 to 2019-20, who join the NPS before 31st December, 2015 and who are not members 

of any statutory social security scheme and who are not income tax payers.

• The Government co-contribution is payable to eligible PRANs by PFRDA after receiving the 

confirmation from Central Record Keeping Agency at such periodicity as may be decided by 

PFRDA.

2. The Reserve Bank of India in June 2015 announced to issue banknotes of what denomination with 

inset letter ‘U in both the numbering panels?

(1) 1000 (2) 500 (3) 100 (4) 50 (5) 10

The Reserve Bank of India, on 11 June 2015, announced to shortly issue Rs. 10 denomination Banknotes in the Mahatma Gandhi Series-2005, incorporating “Rs.” symbol on the obverse and the reverse, with inset letter ‘U’ in both the numbering panels, bearing the signature of Dr. Raghuram G. Rajan, Governor, Reserve Bank of India and the year of printing 2015 printed on the reverse of the Banknote.

3. According to the Data released by RBI on International Banking Statistics of India, which of the 

following option gives a true picture of Indian banking? 

(1) The international liabilities of banks recorded a gradual deceleration in annual growth

(2) There is a upsurge in growth rate of cross border assets of Indian barking system 

(3) Moderate increase in Foreign Currency Loans to Residents 

(4) All of these 

(5) None of these

The Reserve Bank of India, on l2 June 20l5, released the data related to International Banking Statistics of India for the quarters ending March, June, September and December2014. The data are presented in terms of INR and USD

Highlights of Data on International Banking Statistics 

• The international liabilities (based on LBS) of banks in India recorded a gradual deceleration in 

annual growth rate after achieving high growth rate (35.8 per cent) in December2013. 

• Upsurge in growth rate of international/cross border assets of the Indian banking system since 

September 2013 moderated to 4.3 per cent in December2014. 

• Share of ‘Foreign Currency Borrowings’ in total international liabilities of Indian banks declined 

during 2014. 

• Moderate increase in ‘Foreign Currency Loans to Residents’ and decline in NOSTRO balances was 

observed during the year. 

• The share of the non-bank sector in the international liabilities as well as international assets increased 

during 2014.

• The international claims of Indian banks, on immediate risk basis, based on Consolidated Banking 

Statistics (CBS), on all other countries grew at a slower pace in 2014.

4. Which bank in June 2015 launches 10-second paperless instant loan plan? 

(1) ICICI Bank (2) Dena Bank (3) HDFC Bank 

(4) Syndicate Bank (5) Oriental Bank of Commerce

Country’s second-largest private sector lender, HDFC Bank on 18 June 2015 launched a 10-second paperless instant loan plan for its existing customers. The bank will now disburse personal loans to its customers in just 10 seconds. With this product, existing customers will have a pre-approved loan amount available to them 24x7. 

• The 10-second loan is another offering under HDFC Bank’s digital banking platform Go Digital. 

• Under the platform, the bank had launched Pay Zapp application to cater to e-commerce space.

5. With which bank ING Bank in June 2015 ink MoU for cross border business?

(1) Kotak Mahindra Bank (2) Union Bank of India (3) HDFC Bank 

(4) IDBI Bank (5) UCO Bank

Kotak Mahindra Bank (KMB) and ING Bank, on 5 June 2015, joined hands to cooperate and explore opportunities arising from cross border business, investment and trade flows across Benelux, Western Europe, Eastern- Europe, North America, Asia and Australia.

6. Which nation in June 2015 developed first facial recognition ATM?

(1) Japan (2) Malaysia (3) Thailand (4) New Zealand (5) China

Chinese researchers, in June 2015, announced to have successfully developed the first Automated Teller Machine (ATM) with facial recognition technology to reduce the risk of theft. The developers include Tsinghua University and Tzekwan Technology, a Hangzhou firm in eastern China’s Zhejiang province that provides security protection - for financial transactions. It is believed that the technology

will curb ATM-related crimes.

• The news came a week after the state launched its “Made in China” campaign, which aims to 

transition the mainland from a manufacturing hub for low-end goods to high-quality products 

within the next 10 years.

7. What does ‘Masala Bonds’ imply? 

(1) Rupee-denominated debt abroad (2) Rupee - currency in country 

(3) Foreign Exchange (4) Local currency bonds (5) None of these

As per news reports of 2 June 2015, the RBI is awaiting responses from the Government to release final guidelines on the issuance of global rupee offshore bonds by Indian companies. In early April 2015, the RBI had said it will allow Indian companies to raise rupee-denominated debt offshore- known as “masala bonds.” This would be the first time domestic firms would be allowed to raise rupee- denominated debt abroad.

8. Reserve Bank of India in June 2015, fixed the rate of interest on the floating rate bonds 2020 at 

(1) 6 per cent per annum (2) 6.8 per cent per annum 

(3) 7.2 per cent per annum (4) 7.5 per cent per annum (5) None of these

The RBI, on 20 June 2015, fixed the rate of interest on the floating rate bonds, 2020 (FRB, 2020), applicable for the half year June 21 to December 20 at 7.80 % per annum.

9. The Reserve Bank of India and Finance Ministry in June2015 set up panel on reducing cash 

transactions having representatives from which bank? 

(1) State Bank of India (2) ICICI Bank (3) National Payment Corporation of India 

(4) All of these (5) None of these

To reduce cash transactions in the economy and boost the usage of cards and Point of Sales (PoS)

terminals, the Union finance ministry and RBI have set up a committee to look at ways to encourage use of plastic money. The committee has representatives from National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), State Bank of India and ICICI Bank.

• RBI data at the end of December 2014 showed 1.05 million PoS machines in the country, whereas 

there are over 50 mn debit cards and at least 20 mn credit cards. 

• Transfer through ECS systems was three per cent; NEFT/RTGS use was four percent.

10. Reserve Bank of India in May 2015 asked banks to submit progress on the work done under the 

National Urban Livelihoods Mission on _________ basis. 

(1) yearly (2) bi-yearly (3) quarterly (4) monthly (5) weekly

The Reserve Bank, on 28 May 2015, asked banks to submit progress on the work done under 

the National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM) on a quarterly basis. The central bank also 

gave a proforma as per which the progress has to be reported.

• The Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana was restructured as the NULM. The NULM is 

focused on reducing poverty and vulnerability of the urban poor households.

11. What is the function of Public Debt Management Agency (PDMA)?

(1) It manages the internal and external liabilities of central Government

(2) It manages debt of the Government

(3) It manages foreign exchange

(4) It manages foreign trade 

(5) All of these

Union Finance Minister Arun jaitley said on 22 May 2015 that the government was in consultations with the Reserve Bank of India on setting up an independent Public Debt Management Agency (PDMA). Since the RBI has been handling public debt management, the government in consultation with the RBI will prepare a detailed roadmap separating the debt-management function and the market infrastructure from the RB1 and having a unified financial market.

• The idea, seen as crucial to efficient functioning of the new inflation targeting monetary policy 

framework, was mooted by the RBI itself for the first time in its 2000-01 annual report.

Public Debt Management Agency

What it is? Public Debt Management Agency (PDMA) is a specialized independent agency 

that manages the internal and external liabilities of the Central Government in a holistic manner 

and advises on such matters in return for a fee. PDMA was proposed to be established in India 

through the Finance Bill, 2015. As a corollary of the decision to create a PDMA, the RBI was 

given the task of inflation targeting under a monetary policy framework agreement.

Status of PDMA: However, the creation of PDMA was put on hold as the proposals mentioned in 

the Finance Bill 2015 could not be agreed upon in the Parliament. Accordingly, Clauses relating to 

the PDMA, amendments to the RBI Act 1934 and the Government Securities Act 2006 were withdrawn from the Finance Bill, 2015.

Background: Genesis of the thinking on an independent debt management office is traced back to the Committee on Capital Account Convertibility (1997) and the Review Group of Standing Committee on International Financial Standards & Codes (2004). Both were in-house reports from RBI.

Justice B. N. Srikrishna chaired .FSLRC or Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission report (2013) also recommended setting up the independent Public Debt Management Agency (PDMA) at the earliest. Expected Outcomes from PDMA: The Public Debt Management Agency (PDMA) will bring both India’s external borrowings and domestic debt under one roof and would usher in better debt management practices such as creating a “medium term debt strategy framework’, just as the case for fiscal deficit. This may also lead to gradual reduction of Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) and frees up the lending space of commercial banks.

Relationship of RBI with central Government after the removal of debt management functions: The Constitution of India gives the executive branch of the Government the powers to borrow upon the security of the Consolidated Fund of India. Reserve Bank as an agent of the Government (both Union and the States) implemented the borrowing program. The Reserve Bank draws the necessary statutory powers for debt management from Section 21 of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.

12. In May 2015, Reserve Bank of India increases trade related remittance limit upto what amount per 

transaction?

(1) 500000 (2) 750000 (3) 1000000 (4) 1500000 (5) 1800000

On a review of the permitted transactions under the Rupee Drawing Arrangements (RDAs), the RBI on 21 May 2015 decided to increase the limit of trade transactions from the existing Rs. 5,00,000/- per transaction to Rs. 15,00,000/- per transaction, with immediate effect. Further, it was decided to permit AD banks to regularize payments exceeding the prescribed limit under RDA provided that they are satisfied with the bonafide of the transaction.

13. Global payment service provider Western Union in June 201 tied up with which of the following 

bank for International direct-to-bank transfer? 

(1) UCO Bank (2) IDBI Bank (3) ICICI Bank 

(4) HDFC Bank (5) Yes Bank

Global payment service provider Western Union, in June : 2015, tied up with mid-sized private lender Yes Bank for international direct-to-bank transfers. This will facilitate money transfers to bank accounts in India, through the NEFT as well as IMYS clearing systems. This collaboration with YES Bank will allow consumers in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and many other countries, to send money directly to more than 900 million bank accounts in India.

14. How many bank unions in May 2015 signed the 10th bipartite agreement with the Indian Banks 

Association?

(1) 10 (2) 8 (3) 7 (4) 5 (5) 3

The Indian Banks ‘Association (IBA) signed the 10th bipartite agreement with five employee unions in Mumbai on 25 May 2015.The signatories included eight representatives on behalf of 43 member banks and 56 workmen representatives on behalf of live bank unions - AIBEA, NCBE, BEFI, NOBW and INBEF. With this, bankers will receive a 15 per cent hike in their salary s1ip component and would translate into an increase of Rs. 2,270 crore the salary slip component of establishment expenses of public sector banks which are I parties to this settlement for FY12.

Highlights of the Bipartite Wage Agreement

• The wage revision will be effective from November 1, 2012 and will benefit about 10 lath employees 

from public sector banks, old private banks and some foreign banks.

• The new salary of pay would be constructed, after the merging dearness allowance corresponding to 

4440 points and with a loading of about two per cent

• As per the agreement, bankers will have a holiday on every second and fourth Saturday of the month 

and the other Saturdays would be full working days.

• Cash and transfer transactions will take place as per the operations of individual banks, but RTGS, 

NEFT and other clearing functions will not be available on second and fourth Saturdays and other 

notified holidays.

• The RBI has given in-principle approval for the Saturday holidays and it is expected to come into 

effect by July after approval from the government and the Law Ministry.

• The wage settlement also includes a medical insurance scheme for the families of employees. The 

medical insurance will cover 100 per cent reimbursement for self and dependents in the staffs family 

as against the earlier 90 per cent and 70 per cent, respectively.

15. Which microfinance firm in June 2015 got final nod from RBI to start banking operations?

(1) HDCL (2) Bandhan (3) Ratnakar (4) Both (1) and (2)

(5) All of these

India’s largest microfinance firm, Bandhan Financial Services, in June 2015, received final nod from RBI to start banking operations. It will start operations as a full-fledged bank on 23 August 2015 in Kolkata, its headquarters, with nearly 600 branches across 27 states. The bank to be called Bandhan Bankwill specially cater to the needs of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). Bandhan currently operates as a Microfinance Institution (MFI) in 22 states, through 2,022 branches. In April 2014, Bandhan and infrastructure lender IDFC had got ‘in-principle’ approval from the RBI to start banking operations within 18 months.

16. Who among the following was conferred as Japan’s highest civilian award for promoting academic 

interchange between the two countries?

(1) CNR Rao (2) Atal Bihari Vajpayee (3) S. Srinivasan 

(4) Prakash Singh (5) Chandrasekhar Azad

Eminent scientist and recipient of Bharat Ratna CNR Rao was on 19 June 2015 conferred Japan’s highest civilian award for promoting academic interchange and mutual understanding in science and technology between the two countries. He was presented with the ‘Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star’ and certificate by Japanese ambassador to India Takeshi Yagi in New Delhi.

• Rao had been bestowed with about 70 honorary doctorates and is the ‘Linus Pauling Research 

Professor’ and honorary president of the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, 

Bangalore.

• He is the only Indian to be elected as a foreign member of the Japan Academy.

17. Name the Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry who passed away in June 2015?

(1) Irwin Rose (2) Albert Bose (3) Irwin Lee

(4) Hart Bose (5) Shekhar Misra

Irwin Rose: Renowned biochemist Irwin Rose who was awarded 2004 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for discovering molecule Ubiquitin passed away in June 2015. He had shared the 2004 noble prize with Aaron Ciechanover and Avram Hershko.

• Ubiquitin destroys or cleans up unwanted proteins. It is also involved in repairing faulty DNA and 

quality control of newly made proteins.

18. Name the Nobel Memorial Prize Winner in Economic Science who died in May 2015 and on whom 

Oscar winning film, ‘A beautiful mind’ was inspired?

(1) John Forbes Nash (2) Manhat Nash (3) Remhard Selten 

(4) John Kennedy (5) John Erick

John Forbes Nash Jr., the Princeton University mathematician, died along with his wife in a car crash on 23 May 2015. He was 86. Oscar-winning film, A Beautiful Mind was inspired by his life. Nash was famous for his game theory, differential geometry, and partial differential equations, which provided an insight into the factors that, govern chance and events inside complex systems in daily life.

• He shared the 1994 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences with game theorists Reinhard Selten 

and John Harsanyi.

19. Who was conferred with the prestigious 14th Sant Nam dev National Award-2015?

(1) Manmohan Singh (2) Prakash Singh Badal (3) Smriti Irani 

(4) Giani Jail Singh (5) General Dyer

Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal was on 10 June 2015 was conferred the prestigious 14th Sant Namdev National Award- 2015 for promoting peace, communal harmony and universal brotherhood. This award was bestowed upon Badal by Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in Pune.

20. Which film in June 2015 bagged the Best Picture, Best Story and Best Performance in Leading 

Role (Female) awards at the International Indian Film Academy?

(1) Queen (2) Haider (3) PK (4) EK Villain (5) Heropanti

Vikas Bahi’s Queen bagged the Best Picture, Best Story and Best Performance in a Leading Role (Female) award’s at the three-day long 16th edition of the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Weekend and Award in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on 7 June 2015. The Bet Performance in a Leading Role (Male) went to actor Shahid Kapoor for his performance in Haider. Riteish Deshmukh grabbed the award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role (Male) for his villainous act in Ek Villain.

21. Bangladesh in June 2015 confers Award of Liberation War Honour on __________

(1) Manmohan Singh (2) Narendra Modi (3) Indira Gandhi

(4) P.V. Narsimha Rao (5) Atal BihariVajpayee

Bangladesh on 7 June 2015 conferred its prestigious liberation war honour on former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for his “active role” in its independence struggle and consolidating friendship with India. President Abdul Hamid handed over the Bangladesh Liberation War Honour to Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a glittering ceremony at Bangabhaban, the President’s house, in Dhaka.

22. Which Indian Film wins Fipresci Award at Cannes?

(1) Murder (2) Haider (3) Queen (4) Masaan (5) Nihaal

Indian filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan’s indie project “Masaan”, centered around a group of people in Varanasi, was awarded the International Federation of Film Critics (Fipresci) award at the 68th Cannes International Film Festival on 23 May 2015. Showcased in the UnCertain Regard section at the movie gala, “Masaan” received a five-minute standing ovation post its screening.

23. Who among the following badminton player ranked as No.1 in single Badminton World Federation 

ranking? 

(1) Saina Nehwal (2) Jwala Gutta (3) Li Xueri 

(4) Shi li chow (5) None of these

Badminton World Federation (BWF) on 21 May 2015 released the latest single’s rankings. The ranking was topped by Ace shuttler Saina Nehwal. She was followed by Li Xuerui of China. In April 2015, she secured the number one position for the first time.

24. Which IPL Team won the eighth edition of the Indian Premier League?

(1) Mumbai Indians (2) Delhi Daredevils (3) Kolkata knight Riders 

(4) Chennai Super Kings (5) None of these

Mumbai Indians (MI) on 24 May 2015 won the eighth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). In the final clash played at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Mumbai Indians defeated Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by 41-runs. This was the second title triumph for Mumbai Indians after their maiden win back in 2013.

• Player of the Tournament: Andre Russell 

• Orange Cap awarded to: David Warner 

• Purple Cap awarded to: Dwayne Bravo 

• Emerging Player of the Season: Shreyas Iyer 

• Most Valuable Player: Andre Russell

25. Who among the following is named as the International Cricketer of the Year 2015 by CEAT? 

(1) Kumar saina (2) Virat Kohli (3) Kumar Sangakkara 

(4) Kapil Dev (5) Ajinkya Rahane 

Former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara was, on 25 May 2015, named as the International Cricketer of the Year 2015.

• Indian batsman Ajinkya Rahane was named as the CEAT Indian Cricketer of the Year 2015. 

• Former Indian captain Kapil Dev was conferred with the International Lifetime Achievement Award 

at the 19th edition of the awards.

26. Who among the following in June 2015 was included into the BCCI’s newly constituted cricket 

advisory committee? 

(1) Sachin Tendulkar (2) Sourav Ganguly (3) VVS Laxman 

(4) All of these (5) None of these

Former cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman were, on 1 June 2015, inducted into the BCCI’s newly-constituted cricket advisory committee.

27. Who was re-appointed as the Director of Indian Cricket team for Bangladesh tour? 

(1) Ravi Shastri (2) Kapil Dev (3) Sunil Gavaskar 

(4) Sachin Tendulkar (5) MS Dhoni

Ravi Shastri was on 2 June 2015 re-appointed as the Director of Indian cricket team for the Bangladesh tour. His appointment was made by BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India).

28. Who won gold medals in men’s shot put event in the 21st Asian Athletics Championship?

(1) Inder Sen (2) Inderjeet Singh (3) Mohan Vajpayee 

(4) Atul sharma (5) Rahul Singh

Inderjeet Singh won gold medal in men’s shot put event in the 21st Asian Athletics Championships at Wuhan, China, on 3 June 2015.

28. Name the famous person who has acquired CPL T20 team Trinidad & Tobago?

(1) Shekhar Kapoor (2) Anil Ambani (3) Shahrukh Khan 

(4) Sunil Bharti Mittal (5) Aamir Khan

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) co-owner Shah Rukh Khan on 9 June 2015 acquired Caribbean Premier League (CPL) T20 team Trinidad & Tobago (T&T).

29. Which team has won UEFA Champions League title 2015?

(1) Chelsea (2) Arsenal (3) Manchester United 

(4) FC Barcelona (5) None of these

FC Barcelona won the 2015 Champions League title on 6 June 2015 by defeating Juventus FC 3-1 in the final match held at the Berlin’s Olympic Stadium in Germany. With the win, Barcelona became the first Spanish club to win the: European treble in a single season for two times having won the European League and Spanish League titles in the 2014-15 season.

30. Which Cricketer is the sole Indian in the Forbes 2015 List of Highest-Paid Athletes?

(1) Virat Kohli (2) Suresh Raina (3) Rohit Sharma 

(4) Ms Dhoni (5) Sachin Tendulkar

Forbes on 10 June 2015 released the list of 2015 World’s 100 Highest-Paid Athletes. The list was topped by boxing legend Floyd Mayweather. The only Indian to figure in the list is Mahendra Singh Dhoni with earnings of 31 million US dollars at 23rd position. Dhoni shared the 23rd position with Neymar.

31. Who is the first Indian footballer to score 50 international goals?

(1) Peter Thangraj (2) Baichung Butia (3) Sailendra Nath Manna 

(4) Sunil Chhetri (5) Jarnail Singh Dhillon

Sunil Chhetri on 16 June 2015 became the first Indian footballer to score 50 international goals. He achieved the fete during India’s second match of the second round of qualifiers for 2018 football World Cup qualifying group match against Guam at the Guam National Football Stadium.

32. Who has won 2015 Canada Grand Prix title?

(1) Sebastian Vettle (2) Lewis Hamilton (3) Grand Haenix 

(4) Joe Fry (5) Bruce Mclaren

Mercedes racing driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain on 7 June 2015 won the 2015 Formula 1 Canada Grand Prix title by winning the final race held in Montreal, Canada. His team mate Nico Rosberg of Germany stood at the second position, Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany was at the third position.

33. In which of the following city French Open Tennis Tournament was held in May2015? 

(1) Sweden (2) Paris (3) Switzerland 

(4) New York (5) Auckland

The 2015 French Open Tennis Tournament (also known as Rolland Garros) was held 

at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris from 24 May to 7 June, 2015.

• Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland won the Men’s Singles title on 7 June 2015, defeating Novak 

Djokovic of Serbia. He became the second Swiss to win at Roland Garros after Roger Federer. 

• Serena Williams of US defeated Lucie Safarova of Czechoslovakia to win the women’s title of French 

Open. This was her third French Open title and 20th Grand Slam title

34. A comprehensive book in Dogri language on the Dogri literature was released by__ 

(1) Vijay Seth (2) Saptarishi Sarkar (3) Atul Malhotra 

(4) Bhim Singh (5) None of these

A comprehensive book in Dogri language on the Dogri literature of 20th century entitled ‘Beehmi Sadi Da Dogri Da Gadya Sahitya: Ik Jayzaa’ was released in Jammu and Kashmir in June 2015. The book has been written by a noted Dogri language scholar Dr. Vijay Seth. The book based on extensive research work and incorporates five chapters chronologically covering the development of essays, literary sketches, travelogue, memoirs, biographic and autobiographical literature in Dogri.

35. Who is the author of the novel ‘Flood of Fire’? 

(1) Bhim Singh (2) Amitav Ghosh (3) Anne Sethi 

(4) Mahesh Manjrekar (5) Atul Jain

Booker Prize awardee Amitav Ghosh on 7 June 2015, released his new novel Flood of fire. With the novel, he has concluded the Ibis trilogy, his fictional recreation of the events leading up to the first opium war of 1839-42.

• The Ibis trilogy is a work of historical fiction by Amitav Ghosh. It comprises Sea of Poppies (2008), 

River of Smoke (2011), and Flood of Fire (2015)

36. Who is the author of the book ‘Modi-Incredible emergence of a star’?

(1) Dr. Seth (2) Dr. Joshi (3) Tarun Vijay 

(4) Rahul Jain (5) Anna Suvorova

This book is written in Chinese language. Tarun Vijay is a BJP Member of Parliament and a journalist. The book was published in July 2014 by Sichuan University’s South Asia Study Centre.

37. Which book is written by Dr. Anna Suvorova which is devoted to the life and work of former 

Pakistani Prime Minister?

(1) A Multidimensional Portrait (2) Dynamics (3) Mechanism of Democracy

(4) None of these (5) Both (1) and (2)

This book was written by Dr Anna Suvorova. The book is devoted to the life and work of former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto (1953-2007).She was the first female head of government in a Muslim state.

38. From which nation Delhi Metro, in June 2015 received its first driver-less train?

(1) South Africa (2) Nigeria (3) South Korea 

(4) Denmark (5) Japan

Delhi Metro, in June 2015, received its first driver-less train from Republic of South Korea which is capable of running without a driver. The six-coach train has been manufactured at Changwan in South Korea and had arrived by sea at the Mundhra port in Gujarat and was brought to Delhi by road.

39. In which state, India’s first-ever Jan Aushadhi Generic Drug Store was inaugurated?

(1) Delhi (2) Maharashtra (3) Gujarat (4) Rajasthan (5) Punjab

Indian Medical Associations (IMA) first-ever Jan Aushadhi Generic Drug (JAGD) Store was inaugurated on 5 June 2015 at its headquarters in IP Estate, New Delhi. The store will offer over 118 commonly used drugs at a 10 to 20 percent lesser price than market value.

40. Anti -Terrorism Day was observed __________.

(1) 21 May (2) 28 May (3) 5 June (4) 8 June (5) 15 June

Anti-Terrorism Day was observed across India on 21 May 2015. The day is annually observed on the death anniversary of seventh Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

41. The International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers was observed on________

(1) 20 May (2) 29 May (3) 3 June (4) 7 June (5) 15 June

The international Day of United Nations Peacekeepers was observed on 29 May 2015 with the theme Together for Peace. The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution in 2003 and designated 29 May as the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers.

• On this day, the Dag Hammarskjold Medal is awarded I posthumously to the peacekeepers who lost 

the lives while serving in the cause of peace, during the preceding year.

42. World No Tobacco Day was observed globally on__.

(1) 31 May (2) 2 June (3) 7 June (4) 15 June (5) 20 June

The World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) 2015 was observed globally on 31 May 2015. To mark this occasion, the World Health Organisation (WHO) launched a campaign to stop illicit trade of tobacco products. On 17 May 1989, the WHO passed another resolution calling for 31May to be annually known as WNTD.

43. 5 June 2015 was observed as which Day with theme “Seven Billion Dreams; One Planet”?

(1) World Environment Day (2) World Earth Day (3) World Health Day 

(4) World United Day (5) None of these

World Environment Day (WED) was observed globally on 5 June 2015 with theme ‘Seven Billion Dreams; One Planet. Consume with Care. The day was established by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on the day when Stockholm’s United Nations Conference on the Human Environment 1972 began.

• It is run by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

• The host country for the WED 2015 is Italy.

44. What is the theme of the World Ocean Day 2015 celebrated across the world on 8 June 2015?

(1) Healthy Oceans, Healthy Planet (2) Healthy Way 

(3) Wealthy Oceans (4) Mighty Oceans (5) Healthy and Mighty Oceans

World Ocean Day 2015 was celebrated across the world on 8 June 2015 with the theme Healthy oceans, Healthy planet. In the year 2008, United Nations General Assembly decided to designate 8 June as the World Oceans Day.

45. Who among the following was appointed as executive director of Reserve Bank of India?

(1) Meena Hemchandra (2) Rekha Gupta (3) Bimal Roy 

(4) Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa (5) Meenakshi Goel

The RBI, in June 2015, appointed Meena Hemchandra as the executive director who would be in charge of department of banking supervision. She will also be in charge of department of non-banking supervision and department of co-operative banking supervision. 

• Prior to this appointment, Meena Hemchandra was in charge of department of supervision.

• She has also been Principal of Reserve Banks College of Agriculture Banking at Pune.

46. Reserve Bank of India in June 2015, issues final guidelines for _years of Interest Rate Futures?

(1) 6 years (2) 10 years (3) 13 years (4) Both (1) and (2)

(5) Both (1) and (3)

The RBI, on 12 June 2015, issued the final guidelines for the 6- year and 13-year cash settled Interest Rate Futures (IRF) on government securities with residual maturity of 4-8 years and 11-15 years respectively under the Interest Rate Futures (Reserve Bank) (Amendment) Directions, 2015. For this purpose, RBI amended the Interest Rate Futures (Reserve Bank) Directions, 2013.

RBI Guidelines on IRF

• For the 6-year cash settled IRF contracts, the underlying shall be a coupon bearing government 

security of face value of 100 rupees and the residual maturity of 6-year 1RF is between 4 and 8 years 

on the expiry of futures contract.

• For the 13-year cash settled IRF contracts, the underlying can be a coupon bearing government 

security of face value of 100 rupees and residual maturity will be between 11 and 15 years on the 

expiry of futures contract.

• Moreover, the RBI also expanded the residual maturity for the existing 10-year cash settled IRF from

9-11 years to 8-11 years to provide market participants a greater choice and flexibility to hedge their 

interest rate risk across different tenors.

47. Reserve Bank of India in June 2015 announces SDR Scheme. What is the full form of SDR?

(1) Strategic Dear Ransom (2) Strategic Debt Recovery

(3) Strategic Debt Restructuring (4) Smart Debt Recovery

(5) Smart Dear Restructuring

The RBI, on 8 June 2015, announced Strategic Debt Restructuring (SDR) Scheme which allows banks and non- banking lending institutions to convert their loans into equity stake. The scheme will benefit all Scheduled Commercial Banks, excluding Regional Rural Banks (RRBs), all-India term-lending and Refinancing Institutions including Export-Import (EXIM) Bank and National Housing Bank (NHB) and National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD).

RBI announced the scheme against the backdrop of huge surge in bad loans or Non Performing Assets (NPAs) in the banking system. As per an estimate, the Gross NPAs may rise to 5.9 percent of total advances during 2015-16 against 4.4 percent during 2014-15.NPAs are those assets, where Interest and/or installment of principal remain overdue for a period of more than 90 days in respect of a term loan.

48. Cross holding was permitted by Reserve Bank of India in which bonds in June 2015?

(1) Investment Bonds (2) Infrastructure Bonds (3) Oil Bonds 

(4) Securities (5) All of these

The RBI, on 1 June 2015, allowed cross holding in long-term infrastructure bonds. With this, now banks would be able to cross hold these bonds among themselves for financing infrastructure and affordable housing loans, which earlier was not permitted. The move was taken amidst the concerns that such prohibition on cross-holding was inhibiting the liquidity and tradability of these bonds, as banks are the major participants in the debt market.

• Banks investment in such bonds will not be treated as assets with the banking system in India for the 

purpose of calculation of Net Demand and Time Liability (NDTL).

• Such investments will not be held under Held to Maturity (HTM) category.

49. The Reserve Bank of India proposed to make Net Stable Funding Ratio applicable to all banks in 

India from year?

(1) 2015 (2) 2016 (3) 2017 (4) 2018 (5) 2020

The Reserve Bank of India, on 28 May 2015, released the Draft Guidelines on Net Stable Funding Ratio (NSFR) under Basel III Framework on Liquidity Standards for banks. The Reserve Bank proposed to make NSFR applicable to all banks in India from 1 January 2018. The objective of NSFR is to ensure that banks maintain a stable funding profile in relation to their assets and off-balance sheet activities.

Net Stable Funding Ratio, What is NSFR?

• Net Stable Funding Ratio (NSFR) is defined as the amount of available stable funding relative to the 

amount of required stable funding.

• It measures the amount of longer-term, stable sources of funding employed by an institution relative 

to the liquidity profiles of the assets funded and the potential for contingent calls on funding liquidity 

arising from off-balance sheet commitments and obligations.

Background

• In the backdrop of the global financial crisis that started in 2007, the Basel Committee on Banking 

Supervision (BCBS) proposed certain reforms to strengthen global capital and liquidity regulations 

with the objective of promoting a more resilient banking sector.

• In this regard, the Basel III: International framework for liquidity risk measurement, standards and 

monitoring was issued in December 2010 which presented the details of global regulatory standards 

on liquidity. The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision issued the final rules on the NSFR in 

October 2014.

• Two minimum standards- Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR) and Net Stable Funding Ratio (NSFR) 

for funding liquidity were prescribed by the Basel Committee for achieving two separate but 

complementary objectives.

• The RBI has already started phasing in implementation of the Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR) from 

January 2015.

50. Reserve Bank of India in May 2015 introduces PPI for mass Transit system. What do you mean by 

PPI?

(1) Prepaid Payment Instrument (2) Prepaid income (3) Post Paid Payment

(4) Postpaid Income (5) None of these

The RBI, on 28 May 2015, proposed to introduce Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPI) for Mass Transit System (PPI-MTS). These PPI-MTS will be semi-closed instruments that will be used facilitate the migration to electronic payments in line with the country’s vision of moving to less-cash society. Such PPIs will be reloadable instruments subjected to an outstanding limit of 2000 rupees at any point of time.

Main features of Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPIs)

• The semi-closed PPIs will be issued by the mass transit system operator (PPI- MTS) who will be 

authorised under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007.

• The PPI- MTS will necessarily contain the Automated Fare Collection application related to the 

transit service.

• Such PPI-MTS can be used by other merchants whose activities are allied to or are carried on within 

the premises of the transit system only.

• The PPI- MTS issuer will ensure on-boarding of merchants following due procedure applicable to any 

other PPI issuer.

• The PPI-MTS will have minimum validity of six months from the date of issue.

• The issuer may decide upon the desired level of Know Your Customer (KYC), if any, for such PPIs.

• No cash-out or refund will be permitted from these PPIs.

• Funds transfer under Domestic Money Transfer (DMT) will also not be applicable to these PPIs.