1. Crisil launched FPI Index, to measure performance of investments of FPI (____________) in fixed-income market. It will serve as benchmark for performance of FPI investments in government securities and high rated corporate bonds with maturity greater than three years.
2. Government notified terms of Scheme of Electoral Bonds, to curb flow of illegal money into political acvtivities -
- With issuance of electoral bonds, donors can purchase electoral bonds from specific ____________ branches, and receiving political parties can encash them only through a designated bank account.
- Electoral bonds will be available at specified SBI branches for 10 days each in the months of January, April, July and October.
- Electoral Bond shall be a bearer instrument in the nature of a Promissory Note (P-notes) and an interest-free banking instrument. Any Donor can buy bonds of any amount among INR 1000 / 10000 / 100000 / 1000000 and 10000000.
- Electoral bonds will not carry the name of payee or buyerm and will have a life of only 15 days during which it can be used for making a donation to political parties.
- To receive the electoral bonds, Political party must have secured over 1% of the votes polled in last general elections.
3. Government stated that from January 1, 2018, customers will not have to pay any transaction charges for payments made through debit card, BHIM app and Aadhaar-enabled payment systems for up to Rs ___________, as Merchant discount rate (MDR) Charges will be borne by Government (costing approx 2500 crores INR). Government will reimburse MDR to banks.
4. HDFC Bank partnered with _____________ State Government to promote and nurture the start-ups in state, by providing solutions like current accounts, credit cards and other solutions to start-ups in state under its SmartUp programme.
5. New subscription to GoI Savings (Taxable) Bonds, 2003 would now bear __________ % interest rate as compared to 8% earlier.
- Since April 2016, this instrument had become a preferred choice amongst fixed income investors as the interest rates on fixed deposits and small savings instruments dropped below 8% mark.
6. SBI reduced base rate and benchmark prime lending rates by __________ basis points each, brining down Base rate to 8.65 % and benchmark prime lending rates to 13.4 %.
7. Andhra Pradesh Grameena Vikas Bank (APGVB) operationalised its first _______________ in Warangal (Telangana), to facilitate customers to withdraw small amounts.
- It low power requirements and is designed to work in harsh climatic conditions. It is meant for rural customer who typically have small cash needs.
8. Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA) and _____________ Payments Bank signed agreement for training of Its employees in area of payment banking.
9. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) sanctioned Rs 372.51 crore loan assistance to ________________ for irrigation and rural bridge projects, that are to be undertaken during Jan- March 2018 period, under Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF).
10. SBI and NABARD signed agreement with five NGOs in ______________ for promotion of 2,500 joint liability groups (JLGs) in select districts. JLGs are informal groups of 4-10 members engaged in similar economic activities and willing to jointly repay loans taken by group.
11. Government launched Savings Bonds with 7.75% Interest, commencing from 10th January 2018. Features -
- Applications in form of Bond Ledger Account will be received in designated bank branches and SHCIL (numbering about 1600).
- Bonds will be issued in multiples of INR 1000 (face value).
- Interest on the Bonds will be taxable under Income-tax Act 1961. Bonds will be exempt from Wealth-tax under Wealth Tax Act 1957.
- Bonds will have a maturity of ______________ years carrying interest at 7.75% per annum payable half- yearly (cumulative value of 1000 at end of 7 years will be 1703).
12. _____________ Housing Finance raised INR 1000 crores by selling India’s first Social Bonds, that are debt instruments issued to raise funds which is to be deployed in financing/re-financing eligible social projects such as affordable housing, water supply, sanitation, transport etc. Yes Bank was sole investor in these bonds with 5 year maturity.
13. Paytm Payments Bank partnered with _____________ to introduce a facility to create a fixed deposit (FD) when customer's balance exceeds Rs. 1 lakh at end of day, and earn up to 6.85 % annual interest.
14. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) launched new design chocolate brown _______________ rupee note, with height 63mm (unchanged) and width 123mm (slightly lesser than 137mm width of existing note). Another difference is that reverse of note will carry a motif of Konark Sun Temple, as compared t0 images of fauna of India - rhinoceros, elephant and tiger o existing note.
15. _____________ government's Industrial Health Clinic Ltd received RBI clearance to function as a non-banking finance company (NBFC). It had won SKOCH Platinum Award earlier under smart governance category in MSME segment.
16. ______________ and Nearby tied up to provide Aadhaar- enabled cardless and pinless ATM service through which, customers can deposit or withdraw money at retailers’ place, using PayNEARBY mobile application.
17. Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) relaxed norms for levy of MAT (_______________) for insolvent companies, to make Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2016 more effective and minimise hardships faced by companies going in for insolvency resolution.
- MAT aims is to bring into tax realm the companies who do not pay any tax.
- This exemption facility will be available only for companies against whom application for corporate insolvency resolution process has been admitted by the adjudicating authority.
- This decision was taken after various hardships were faced by companies against whom application for corporate insolvency resolution process was admitted by Adjudicating Authority due to restriction in allowance of brought forward loss for computation of book profit.
18. A MOU is signed Between Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and _____________ to provide a centralized platform for processing interest subsidy to eligible beneficiaries under Self Employment Programme (SEP) component of Deendayal AntyodayaYojana- National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM).
- The Portal will -
- Enable processing interest subsidy for NULM schemes, which will be credited to Aadhaar linked beneficiary accounts through DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer).
- Facilitate on-line validation of loans granted by Banks, through Urban Local Bodies.
- Self-Employment Component (SEP) of NULM and Need for Portal -
- Under SEP, loans for setting up micro- enterprise are available to individuals (upto 2 lakhs) and groups (upto 10 lakhs). Interest subvention from Ministry is available for amount of interest charged above 7%. Women SHGs are eligible for additional 3% subvention on timely loan repayment.
- Currently, interest subvention is processed manually, making it a time taking Process and No mechanism was there to ascertain whether beneficiary has received subsidy or not.
- Under Proposed Common centralized IT platform to be maanged by Allahabad Bank, Claims will be uploaded by Central/Zonal HQ of banks on portal, concerned States/ULBs will verify thebeneficiaries, after which the claim amount will be transferred.
- _____________ will charge a service fee of 1.05% of interest subsidy amount released.
19. Flipkart-owned payments firm PhonePe tied-up with FreeCharge Wallet to enable over 45 million users to link their existing ___________________ Wallet to PhonePe app. PhonePe customers will be able to utilise their wallet balance for all online and offline transactions.
20. _____________________and National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation (NSFDC) signed MoU to provide financial assistance to Scheduled Caste (SC) families living below Double Poverty Line (DPL).
- Persons with annual family income below 40000 in rural areas and 55000 in urban areas are considered to be below double poverty line.
21. Paytm has set up a new entity called Paytm Money that will offer investment and wealth management products and will invest close to __________ million in new entity. Paytm Money is 4th product from One97 Communications, after Paytm Mall, Payments Bank and wallet.
22. Central Government divested _________ % of paid-up capital in National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) for approx INR 1200 crores.
23. ______________ will introduce India's first battery-powered, interactive payment cards, in association with Dynamics Inc (Pennsylvania(USA) based firm that manufactures intelligent, battery-powered payment cards). New card will have multiple buttons which will allow consumers to pay in multiple ways (through credit points / monthly instalments).
24. World Bank Group's International Finance Corporation (IFC) will provide ____________ million debt to Mahindra Renewables Pvt. Ltd, Acme Group and global private equity fund Actis Llp to build Rewa solar park in Madhya Pradesh.
- Earlier, three 250MW projects were awarded to Acme Solar Holdings, Mahindra Renewables and Actis LLP’s Solenergi Power.
25. India’s factory output, measured by Index of Industrial Production (IIP) rose to 17 Months high of ________________ in November 2017, up from 2% in October 2017, due to better performance by manufacturing and capital goods sectors.
26. As per RBI, housing loans in up to Rs. _______________ slab have the highest level of non-performing assets (NPAs).
27. Bombay Stock Exchange’s India International Exchange (India INX) listed Indian Railway Finance Corporation’s (IRFC’s) ________________on its debt listing platform, Global Securities Market (GSM).
28. Finance & Corporate Affairs Minister _____________ launched India’s First Agri-commodity Options in Guar Seed by National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange Limited (NCDEX). It is first-of-its-kind hedging tool in India, as an effort to make agri-economy more efficient and bring huge amount of value for the farmers.
29. ____________ topped among all states with investment intentions of Rs. 1.49 lakh crore till October 2017, accounting for 43 % of India’s total investment intentions.
30. ________________ Startup Mission (KSUM) and Zone Startups India launched Accelerator Program for three months, to promote startups in early revenue stage. It will help startups achieve product-market fit through a curated customer validation process. It will introduce startups to investors, relevant customers and industry connects.
31. NBFC Capital First has been merged with _______________. Merged entity will have assets under management of Rs 88000 crore,customer base of over 5 million and branch network of 194.
32. __________________'s fertiliser firm Yara International acquired India's Tata Chemicals’ 1.2 million tonnes per annum production capacity urea plant at Babrala in Uttar Pradesh, for INR 2682 crores. It is first foreign direct investment (FDI) in India's urea sector.
33. ___________ will launch its own cyptocurrency based on Blockchain Technology, named JioCoin.
34. _________________ launched 5th YES! i am the CHANGE’ (YIAC) campaign to inculcate spirit of responsible youth citizenship and drive social impact through the medium of films.
- Yes foundation invited participation in YIAC Social Filmmaking Challenge, to depict stories of change in a three-minute film. Selected entities will receive a grant of Rs 7.5 crore, for scaling up and capacity building and will also receive three-year mentoring for creating onground tangible social impact.
35. ____________ partnered with Hedge Equities Ltd for providing Portfolio Investment Scheme (PIS) services to NRIs.
36. _____________________ tied up with Digital invoice discounting marketplace Invoicemart, as TReDS (Trade Receivables Electronic Discounting System) partner. TReDS is an online platform through which, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) can access funds for working capital without hassle of applying for loans. Invoicemart is a joint venture between Axis Bank and mjunction services.
37. Department of Commerce signed MoU with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), for integrated development of Logistics sector. Government aims to reduce Logistics cost from ______________ of GDP to under 10% by 2022.
38. Department of Industrial Policyand Promotion (DIPP)'s Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM), launched ___________________ for university students as a unique Intellectual Property (IP) Competition, in association with ASSOCHAM and ERICSSON India.
- It aims to foster culture of innovation and creativity in younger generation and invites students to submit films on piracy & counterfeiting under categories of 30 and 60 seconds.
39. Dev Information Technology will sett up DevX, largest Accelerator Center for startups in _______________.
40. Government lowered additional borrowing requirement for current fiscal to INR _______________ crores from previous estimate of 50000 crores, considering revenue receipts and expenditure pattern. Lesser borrowing will enable resttricing fiscal deficit within target.
41. __________ Government will form a non-banking financial company named State Financial Services Limited, for efficient management of funds. It will be in-house treasury manager and will be responsible for efficient management of surplus funds of State public enterprises. Authorised capital of this NBFC will be Rs.10 crore while the paid up capital will be Rs. 2 crore.
42. Indian IT Firm _______________ signed over GBP 500 million (USD 690 million) deal with M&G Prudential (UK and European savings and investments business of Prudential plc).
43. __________________ Government will hold a Blockchain Hackathon for Governance, for students, startups, and other IT professionals. Cloud-based blockchain technology providers will be invited to provide platforms for use in this hackathon. It is 3rd Indian State (After Andhra Pradesh and Telangana) to announce plans to adopt blockchain for governance.
44. Reliance Communications (RCom) unveiled Eagle express submarine cable system to lay a 68000-km undersea cable for carrying data across Europe and Asia, as a cloud and fiber initiative which will be laid at a cost of ________________. This submarine cable system will connect its base in India with Italy to west and Hong Kong on east. It is expected to be operational by 2020.
45. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) stated that all the _____________ designs of Rs 10 coin are valid and legal tender for transactions, as it was observed that some traders and members of public were reluctant to accept INR 10 coins owing to a doubt about it genuineness.
46. 25th Meeting of GST Council held in New Delhi, chaired by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. Changes made in GST Regime -
- Late fee for failure to furnish FORM GSTR-1 (supply details), FORM GSTR-5 (Non-resident taxable person), FORM GSTR-5A (OIDAR) or FORM GSTR-6 (Input Service Distributor) is reduced to 50 rupees / day (20 rupees per day for NIL filers).
- Facility for generation, modification and cancellation of e-way bills is provided on trial basis on ewaybill.nic.in.
- Recommended reduced GST rates for ______________________ goods and 53 services, to come into force from January 25.
47. Chkfake Brand Protection Solutions aunched global app named Chkfake to check authenticity of ________________ .
48. India’s most-valued Bank _______________ crossed INR 5 trillion market capitalisation for first time (Approx 85 Billion USD), making it only 3rd Indian company (after TCS and Reliance) to achieve this milestone.
49. ____________ Small Finance Bank signed MoU with LIC to offer Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY). It will provide life cover of INR 2 lakh, at a premium of Rs 330 per annum.
50. According to RBI's Census on Foreign Liabilities and Assets of Indian Direct Investment Companies 2016-17 -
- _______________ was largest source of foreign investment (FDI) in India (21.8% share at market value) followed by USA, UK, Singapore and Japan.
- Singapore (19.7%) was major ODI (Outward Direct Investment) destination, followed by Netherlands, Mauritius, and US.
- The census carries information on market value of foreign liabilities and assets of Indian companies arising on account of FDI, ODI and other investments.
51. As per international rights group Oxfam's Survey -
- Richest 1% in India earned ___________ of wealth generated in country last year. Also, 67 crore Indians comprising population’s poorest half saw their wealth rise by just 1%.
52._____________ -based Prodigee Finance Limited received Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC-ND) license from Reserve Bank of India (RBI). ND indicates Non-Deposit accepting NBFC.
53. Government signed agreement with ONGC for strategic sale of its ___________ equity share-holding in HPCL for INR 36,915 crores. After this, ONGC will become India's first vertically integrated 'oil major' company, having presence across entire value chain. However, HPCL will continue to be a Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE).
54. Government will infuse INR 88139 crores in 20 public sector banks during current fiscal ending 31st March, to boost lending and revive growth. ______________ is biggest recepient with INR 10610 crores, followed by Bank of India (9232 Crores) and SBI (8800 crores).
55. India signed $120 million Loan Agreement with World Bank to improve access to Water Supply Services in ___________.
56. Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management ______________ and Blockchain Education Network (BEN) will jointly set up a Blockchain Academy in Thiruvananthapuram (_____________), as first of its kind in India and aims to utilise blockchain technology for welfare of public, promote innovations and entrepreneurship with blockchain technology.
57. ______________ signed MoU with National Housing Bank for Rural Housing Interest Subsidy Scheme (RHISS) of Ministry of Rural Development. RHISS provides subsidy for housing loans taken by those living in rural areas for construction and modifications of their dwelling units. Interest subsidy is 3% for a loan amount of 2 lakh for 20-year tenure.
58. ________________ Government approved Nanaji Deshmukh Krishi Sanjivani Yojna, with expenses of INR 4000 Crores INR. It will be active between 2018-19 to 2023-24.
- Scheme will be implemented in 5,142 villages across 15 districts, to improve soil quality, develop foodgrain varieties which can sustain climate variations and effect necessary changes in crop pattern as per availability of water.
- 70% of cost will be borne by World Bank while state will contribute 30% over six years.
59. Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) approved expansion of Government's APY (_____________) through operational Payments Banks and Small Finance Banks in India. Participation in APY builds a pensioned society and adds sustainable fee income to Banks by way of attractive incentive for mobilizing APY @ Rs 120-150 for each Account.
60. Rating agency CRISIL upgraded its outlook on 18 Indian public sector banks (PSBs) from “negative” to “stable”, after recent news of INR 88139 Crores Infusion by Goverment into PSBs. Along with capital infusion announcement, Government also unveiled ‘EASE (__________________)’, a six-fold roadmap for reforms in PSBs which will improve the overall functioning of these banks.
61. Economic Survey 2017-18 Presented in Parliament by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, prepared by chief economic adviser Arvind Subramanian.
- Goods and Services Tax (GST) -
- GST Regime was launched at midnight on July 1, 2017. This induced Twin Balance Sheet (TBS) problem that was addressed by sending major stressed companies for resolution under Indian Bankruptcy Code and implementing major recapitalisation package to strengthen Public sector banks.
- Under GST Regime, there has been 50% increase in number of indirect taxpayers, with 9.8 million GST registrants till Dec 2017. It is more than total Indirect Tax registrants under old system (where many taxpayers were registered under several taxes). After adjusting multiple countings of a single entity, GST has increased number of unique indirect taxpayers by over 50 % (3.4 million).
- Business-to-consumer (B2C) transactions account for only 17 % of total, while business-to-business (B2B) and exports are collectively 30-34 % of all transactions.
- GDP Growth - Economic Survey Predicts 7-7.5 % Growth in 2018-19 and _________________________ in 2017-18. GDP growth averaged 7.3% for 2014-15 to 2017-18, highest among major economies of the world.
- Sectoral Growth - Agriculture, industry and services sectors are expected to grow at the rate of 2.1 %, 4.4 %, and 8.3 % respectively in 2017-18.
- Facts about Services Sector -
- Out of the 32 States and UTs, 15 have Services Sector as dominant sector, contributing over half of Gross State Value Added (GSVA).
- However, wide variation in seen in terms of share and growth of services GSVA -
- In terms of services GSVA share- Delhi and Chandigarh are at top with over 80 % share, while Sikkim is at bottom (31.7 %)
- In terms of services GSVA growth - Bihar is at top and Uttar Pradesh at bottom with 14.5 % and 7.0 % growth respectively.
- FDI equity inflows to services sector grew by 15.0 % during 2017-18 (April-October), amid number of reforms by govt to ensure that India remains an increasingly attractive investment destination.
- During April-September 2017-18, Growth in Services Exports and Services Imports stayed good at 16.2 % and 17.4 % Respectively. India was 8th largest exporter in commercial services in 2016 with share of 3.4 %, double to India’s merchandise exports in world at 1.7 %.
- Other Factors -
- Forex Reserves are on an all time high of $409 Billion.
- Fiscal Defict is on a 4 year low in 2017 - 18, being 3.2% of GDP. It was 3.5 % of GDP in 2016-17.
- Inflation - WPI Based Inflation expected to be 2.9 % in 2017-18 (compared to 1.7 % in 2016-17). While, CPI Based Inflation expected to be 3.3 % in 2017-18 (compared to 4.5 % in 2016-17).Economic Survey sees average crude oil prices rising 12% in FY19.
- GVA (Gross Value Added) growth seen at 6.1% in 2017-18 vs 6.6% in FY2016-17.
- India's External Sector -
- Exports grew positive during 2016-17 (5.2%) and expected to grow faster in 2017-18 (12.1%).
- India’s Current Account Deficit (CAD) stayed 1.2 % of GDP in Q2 of 2017-18, less than 2.5 % of GDP in Q1 of 2017-18.
- Notable Points about indian Economy -
- India’s formal sector (formal non-farm payroll) is greater than what it currently is believed to be.
- When formality was defined in terms of social security provisions like EPFO/ESIC, formal sector payroll was 31 percent of non-agricultural work force.
- When formality was defined in terms of being part of GST net, formal sector payroll share was found to be 53 %.
- For first time in India’s history, data on international exports of states has been dwelt in Economic Survey. It indicates States that export internationally and trade with other states are richer.
- There has been addition of 1.8 million in individual income tax filers since November 2016.
- India’s firm export structure is substantially more egalitarian than in other large countries. Top 1 % of Indian firms account for 38 % of exports, much less than greater share such as 72, 68, 67 and 55 % of exports in Brazil, Germany, Mexico and USA respectively.
- Sanitation coverage in rural India increased substantially from 39 % in 2014 to 76 % in January 2018, post launch of Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) on October 2, 2014. So far, 296 districts and over 3.7 lakh villages have been declared Open Defecation Free (ODF).
- India is improving in Science and Technology with 14 % growth of annual publications between 2009 to 2014. This increased India's share in global publications from 3.1% in 2009 to 4.4% in 2014 as per Scopus Database.
- Relief from embedded state taxes (ROSL) announced in 2016 boosted exports of ready-made garments (but not others) by 16 %.
- Indian society exhibits strong son "Meta" preference as Parents continue to have children until they get the desired number of sons.
- There is substantial avoidable litigation in tax arena which government action could reduce. Tax department's petition success rate is very low (below 30 %). Note that 0.2 % of cases accounted for 56 % of value at stake; whereas 66 % of pending cases (under 10 lakh) accounted for only 1.8 % of value at stake.
- Own direct tax collections by Indian states and local governments are significantly lower than that in other federal countries.
- Impact of climate change is evident and extreme weather adversely impacts agricultural yields.
- INR 20339 crores approved by Government in 2017-18 to meet various obligations arising from interest subvention being provided to farmers on short term crop loans.
62. India signed ___________ million Loan Agreement with World Bank to help Boost Rural Economy of Tamil Nadu.
63. India signed ___________ million loan agreement with Asian Development Bank (ADB) to finance construction of 6254 kilometres all-weather rural roads in States of Assam, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal under Prime Minister’s Rural Roads Program (PMGSY).
64. Mobile payments Firm Paytm and _____________ based Alibaba Group-owned AGTech Holdings formed a joint venture to launch 'Gamepind' a gaming platform aimed at mobile users in India, with AGTech holding 45% in JV and Paytm owns 55%. Capital invested is $16 Million.
65. Central Statistics Office (CSO) revised gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate for 2015-16 to 8.2% from earlier estimates of 8% and kept 2016-17 growth unchanged at ________________%.
- Real GDP (GDP at constant (2011-12) prices) for 2016-17 and 2015-16 stands at 121.96 trillion and 113.86 trillion INR, showing growth of 7.1% during 2016-17 and 8.2% during 2015-16.
- In terms of real gross value added (GVA) at constant (2011-12) basic prices, It grew 7.1% in 2016- 17, as compared to 8.1% in 2015-16.
66. Indian GDP Growth Forecasts in Jan 2018 -
- HSBC predicted 6.5 % GDP Growth for India in FY 2017-18 and 7.0 % in 2018-19.
- As per government’s Central Statistics Office (CSO), Indian economy will grow by 6.5% in 2017-18, as compared to 7.1% in 2016-17. GDP Gew by 5.7 % in Apr - June Quarter and 6.3% in July - September quarter.
- 2018 Global Economics Prospect (GEP) report by World Bank has projected India’s growth rate to increase to 7.3% in 2018 and 7.5 for 2019 and 2020.
- India Ratings and Research projected GDP will improve to 7.1 % in 2018-19 as compared to 6.5 per cent in 2017-18.
- International Monetary Fund (IMF) projected Indian GDP to grow at _________________ in 2018 and 7.8 % in 2019. India’s growth rate dropped to 6.7%. In its latest World Economic Outlook update released in Davos (Switzerland).
