GA/FA/EA questions asked in SBI PO mains 31st July 2016

Q1. Mozambique capital- Maputo

Q2.  One question asked from- State Bank of India has inked agreements with the World Bank for a $625-million (around Rs. 4,200 crore) facility to support grid connected rooftop solar programme in the country.

Q3. Which of the following Banks heaquarter in Chennai- Indian Bank


Q4. FINO PayTech is a- Payment Bank

Q5. One question asked from- DBS Bank launched a ‘mobile-only bank’ in India. The ‘digibank’ uses technologies, such as biometrics and artificial intelligence, to enable paperless, signature-less and branchless bank.

Q6. One question asked from- State Bank Mingle is the social banking application of SBI which enables you to perform basic banking activities through SBI's official Facebook page.

Q7. lakhwar dam is built upon which river ? - Yamuna

Q8. Talcher coal hub is located in ? - Odisha

Q9. MD AND CEO of Bandhan bank ? - Chandrasekar gosh

Q10. First women to climb mount everest-Arunima sinha

Q11. Ease of doing business indrx is developed by ? - World Bank

Q12. USD 500 million sanctioned to Bihar project by? -ADB

Q13. Non farm micro units are eligible for how much loan under MUDRA scheme ? - 10 lakh

Q14. "State of children" report is prepared by ?-UNICEF

Q15. BSBDA max amount capping? -Rs50,000

Q16. NACH launched by?-NPCI

Q17. Housing to all by 2022 in how many rural areas?- 2.95 crore houses

Q18. Rani Jhansi Marine Park?- Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Q19. As per WESP,fastest growing economy at 7.3%- India

Q20. Krishi Kalyan Cess starting date?- 1st June 2016.

Q21. Women Economic Forum Summit held in – New Delhi

Q22. Small finance banks will also have to ensure that 50% of their loan portfolio constitutes advances of up to Rs.25 lakh

Q23. In FDI Intelligence report – Gujarat state top destination states for FDI in 2015

Q24. Madhavrao scindia cricket ground? Rajkot Gujarat

Q25. India 1st defence communication network ? Delhi

Q26. Small finance bank loan portfolio? 25 lakh

Q27. FRBM act committee? NK singh

Q28. One questions asked from-Which of the following is not money market instrument ?

Q29. Universal banks FDI limit ?74%

Q30. World bank lowered global forecast by ? 2.4%

Q31. Capital Small Finance Bank Limited headquarter- Jalandhar, Punjab

Q32. BMB merge with?- SBI

Q33. NATO summit- Warsaw Poland

MOTIVATION : Kargil me punarjanm, Jani zindgi ki keemat

INDIAN FEDERALISM

INDIAN FEDERALISM: DIVISION OF POWERS BETWEEN THE UNION AND THE STATES

INTRODUCTION
You have already come to know that India has two sets of government, one at the Centre and the other in the States. This is an important feature of a federal government. In this way, there are some other features as well, which can prove that India has a federal form of government. But the Indian Constitution has also some non-federal features which are opposite to the features of a federal government. Because of this, India is not regarded as a true federation. In this unit, we will discuss all these in detail.

NATURE OF INDIAN FEDERALISM
One important thing, here, is to be noted that the Constitution of India has not described India as a federation. On the other hand, Article 1 of the Constitution describes her as a “Union of States.” This means, India is a union comprising of various States which are integral parts of it. The Indian Union is not destructible. Here, the States can not break away from the union. They do not have the right to secede from the union. In a true federation, the constituting units or the States have the freedom to come out of the union.

India is not a true federation. It combines the features of a federal government and the features of a unitary government which can also be called the non-federal features. Because of this, India is regarded as a semi-federal state. Prof.K.C. Wheare describes it as “a quasi-federal state”. The Supreme Court of India also describes it as “a federal structure with a strong bias towards the Centre”. Let us now discuss the federal and the unitary or non-federal features of the Indian Constitution.

Federal Features
Two sets of government: India has two sets of government - the Central or Union government and the State government. The Central government works for the whole country and the State governments look after the States. The areas of activity of both the governments are different.

· Division of Powers: The Constitution of India has divided powers between the Central government and the state governments. The Seventh Schedule of the Constitution contains three lists of subjects which show how division of power is made between the two sets of government. Both the governments have their separate powers and responsibilities.

· Written Constitution: The Constitution of India is written. Every provision of the Constitution is clearly written down and has been discussed in detail. It is regarded as one of the longest constitutions of the world which has 395 Articles 22 Parts and 12 Schedules.

· Supremacy of the Constitution: The Constitution is regarded as the supreme law of the land. No law can be made which will go against the authority of the Constitution. The Constitution is above all and all citizens and organizations within the territory of India must be loyal to the Constitution.

· Supreme judiciary: The Supreme Court of India is the highest court of justice in India. It has been given the responsibility of interpreting the provisions of the Constitution. It is regarded as the guardian of the Constitution.

· Bi-cameral legislation : In India, the legislature is bi-cameral. The Indian Parliament, i.e., the legislature has two houses - the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. The Rajya is the upper house of the Parliament representing the States while the Lok Sabha is the lower house representing the people in general.

These are some of the features of a federal form of government and the Indian Constitution has included them in it. The Constitution has also included some unitary or non-federal features which are discussed as below:

Unitary or Non-Federal Features
division of power is not equal : In a federation, power are divided equally between the two governments. But in India, the Central government has been given has been given more powers and made stronger than the State governments.

· Constitution is not strictly rigid : The Constitution of India can be amended by the Indian Parliament very easily. On many subjects, the Parliament does not need the approval of the State legislatures to amend the Constitution. But in a true federation, both the Union and the State legislatures take part in the amendment of the Constitution with respect to all matters. Therefore, those constitutions are rigid and difficult to amend.

· Single Constitution: In India, we have only one Constitution. It is applicable to both the Union as a whole and the Stares. There are no separate constitutions for the States. In a true federation, there are separate constitutions for the union and the States.

· Centre’s control over States: The Centre exercises control over the States. The States have to respect the laws made by the central government and can not make any law on matters on which there is already a central law. The centre can also give directions to the States which they must carry out.

· Rajya Sabha does not represent the States equality: In a true federation, the upper house of the legislature has equal representation from the constituting units or the States. But in our Rajya Sabha, the States do not have equal representation. The populous States have more representatives in the Rajya Sabha than the less populous States.

The upper house of the Indian Parliament, that is, the Rajya Sabha is not properly representative of all the States of Indian union.

· Existence of States depends on the Centre: In India, the existence of a State or a federating unit depends upon the authority of the Centre. The boundary of a State can be changed by created out of the existing States.

· Single citizenship: In a true federal state, citizens are given dual citizenship. First, they are the citizens of their respective provinces or States and then they are the citizens of the federation. In India however, the citizens enjoy single citizenship, i.e., Indian citizenship or citizenship of the country as a whole.

· Unified judiciary: India has a unified or integrated judicial system. The High Courts which work in the States are under the Supreme Court of India. The Supreme Court is the highest court of justice in the country and all other subordinate courts are under it.

· Proclamation of emergency: The Constitution of India has given emergency powers to the President. He can declare emergency in the country under three conditions. When emergency is declared, the Union or Central governments become all powerful and the State governments come under the total control of it. The State governments lose their autonomy. This is against the principles of a federation.

Thus, we find that though India has adopted a federal form of government, yet there are various features of our Constitution which are non-federal or unitary. The framers of the constitution wanted to have a strong central government and therefore, had made every attempt to the make the central government more powerful than the state governments. There are various reasons for this. India is a vast country where the people of different religious, languages, races, castes, etc. are residing. In order to maintain unity and integrity among them, a strong centre was thought to be necessary. Again, to perform the vast responsibility of a modern welfare state and for the economic development of a newly independent country, a strong centre with sufficient resources and authority was essential. Further, to establish India, in the international forums, the central government needed to be powerful.

CENTRE-STATE RELATIONS: DIVISION OF POWERS BETWEEN THE UNION AND THE STATE GOVERNMENTS
Generally, three models are followed in the matter of division of powers in a federation. In the first model, the powers of the Centre are defined and the residuary powers are left to the States. This model is found in America. In the second module, the powers of the federating units or States are defined and the residuary powers are given to the centre. Canada follows this model. And in the third model, the powers of both the governments are clearly laid down. Australia has this model of federation. In India, we follow the combination of both the Canadian and the Australian models.

The Constitution of India divides powers between the Union and the State governments. The Seventh Schedule of the Constitution includes three lists of subjects - the Union List, the State List and the Concurrent List. The Central or Union Government has exclusive power to make laws on the subjects which are mentioned in the Union List. The States have the power to make law on the subjects which are included in the Concurrent List. With regard to the Concurrent List, both the Central and State governments can make laws on the subjects mentioned in the Concurrent List. Finally, the subjects which are not mentioned in the above three lists are called residuary powers and the Union government can make laws on them.

It may be noted here that in making laws on the subjects of the Concurrent list, the Central government has more authority than the State governments. And on the subjects of the State List also the Central government has indirect control. All this shows that though the Indian Constitution has clearly divided powers between the two governments, yet the Central government has been made stronger than the State governments.

We can discuss the division of powers between the two governments in India under three headings, such as, legislative relations, administrative relations and financial relations with reference to the three lists.

Legislative Relations
So far as the legislative relations between the Central government and the State governments is concerned, the Central government has been given exclusive power to make law on the subjects of the Union list. The union list has 96 subjects. These subjects are of great importance for the country and uniform in character. So, these subjects are given to the Union government. Some such subjects are defence, foreign affairs, currency and coinage, citizenship, census, etc.

The State governments can make laws on the subjects mentioned in the State list. The State list has 61 subjects. The subjects which are of local importance and may vary from State to State are included in the State list. Some subjects of the State list are - law and order, public health, forests, revenue, sanitation, etc. Though the State governments have power to make laws on the subjects of the State list, yet the Central government, on certain occasions, can also make laws on these subjects. For example, during the period of emergency, the Parliament makes laws on State subjects.

The Concurrent list has 52 subjects. On these subjects both the central and the state governments can make laws. The subjects which are of great importance and uniform in character but man require local variations, are included in the Concurrent list. In respect of Concurrent list also, though both the governments can make laws on the subjects included in the list, yet the laws made by the Central government will prevail over the State laws in case of a conflict between the two. Some subjects of this list are – economic planning, social security, electricity, education, printing and news papers, etc. In case of residuary powers, the Union government has exclusive power to make laws. The States have nothing to do in this regard.

Thus, we find that in legislative matters, the Union Parliament is very powerful. It has not only exclusive contral over the Union list and the residuary powers, but it has also dominance over the Concurrent list and the State list.


Administrative Relations
As in legislative maters, in administrative matters also, the Central government has been made more powerful than the States. The Constitution has made it clear that the State governments cannot go against the Central government in administrative matters. The State governments have to work under the supervision and control of the Central government. The States should exercise its executive powers in accordance with the laws made by the Parliament. The Central government can make laws for maintaining good relations between the Centre and the States. It can control the State governments by directing them to take necessary steps for proper running of administration. If the State fails to work properly or according to the Constitution, it can impose President’s rule there under Article 356 and take over its (the State’s) administration. Again, there are some officials of the Central government, working in the States, through which it can have control over the State governments.

Financial Relations
To run the administration properly, both the Central and the State governments need adequate sources of income. The income of the government comes mainly from various taxes imposed by it. In financial relations between the two governments, we will discuss how the sources of income are adjusted between the to governments.

There are certain taxes like land revenue, tax on agricultural income, estate duty, etc., which are levied and collected by the States. They are the sources of State revenue. Some taxes are there like stamp duty, excise on medicine, toilet preparations, etc. which are levied by the Union but collected and appropriated by the States. There are some other taxes also which are the sources of income of the Union government alone. They are revenue earned from railways, posts and telegraphs, wireless, broadcasting, etc.

In financial matters also, the central government is more powerful than the States. The President of India has the power to make alterations in the distribution of revenues earned from income-tax between the centre and the States. The Centre has also the power to great loans and great-in-aid to the State governments. The Comptroller and Auditor General India and the Finance Commission of India which are the central agencies also have control over the State finances.

AN ESTIMATE OF INDIAN FEDERALISM
The Constitution of India has described India as a “Union of States” and not a federation. Dr. Ambedkar, the Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Indian Constitution, while explaining the meaning of the phrase, said that though India was to be a federation, it was not the result of an agreement by the States to join a federation which is why no state had the right to secede from it. The federation is a union, because it is indestructible. He again said that the States are sovereign in the field which is left to them by the Constitution as the centre is in the field which is assigned to it.

So, though the Constitution makers made the Central government stronger than the State governments, yet they wanted a cooperative federation. They wished that States would perform their functions in their allotted spheres freely and both the governments would co-operate rather than confront each other.

But the real working of the Constitution in all these years shows that the Centre has grown stronger day by day and that the States have become just like administrative units of the Centre. They have not been able to work freely and independently. The Centre has been changing the boundary of the existing States from time to time in which the consent of the concerned States was not regarded as necessary. Again, the Centre has also been using Article 356 to have control over the States mostly in a discriminating way. The role of the Planning Commission has also been contributing to the strength of the Central government in financial matters. The Planning Commission exercises control over the working of the State governments and thus reduced the position of the States to the units of local administration in a unitary system of government.

But the States are always resenting the stronger position of the centre and demanding autonomy so that they can work independently in their own matters. The Rajamanner committee, the West Bengal Government Memorandum on Union-State Relations, the Anandpur Sahib Resolution and the J & K Assembly Autonomy Resolution have all given a call for the grant of more powers to the States. The Sarkaria Commission, in its report while accepting the need for a strong Centre also favoured the devolution of more powers to the States in some areas. The demand for State autonomy has become stronger with the emergence of the regional political parties in different States and with their growing influence in national politics.

In recent years, we have seen an important development in the working of Indian federalism. No single national political party has been able to secure absolute majority in the Parliament to form the government independently. Various regional and local political parties have been emerging and playing crucial role in the formation of coalition governments at the Centre. This development to some extent has changed the face of Indian federalism.

However, India has been continuing with a strong Central government. But, it is hoped that Coalition politics will enable Indian federalism to bring about some positive changes in the Center-State relations, particularly, in the use of Article 356 by the Central government, role of the Governor in a State and the distribution of financial powers between the two governments. These are some of the issues which have been constraining Centre-State relations from the very beginning.

SUM UP
we have discussed that India has various features of federal government. But India is not regarded as a true federation, as it has many non-federal features as well. The Central government has control over the State governments and the State governments are to work under the authority of the Central government although they have a certain degree of autonomy in their respective spheres. Accordingly, India combines both federal and non-federal or unitary features with unitary features outweighing the federal features.

POSSIBLE QUESTIONS
1. Mention some subjects of the Union list.
2. What are residuary powers?
3. Why is India regarded as a semi-federal state?
4. Discuss the legislative relations between the Union and States.
5. Discuss the financial relations between the union and the States.
6. Present an estimate of Indian federalism.

Learning to control crowds

With the death toll rising to at least 38 in the clashes in the Kashmir Valley, the brutal crowd-control tactics of the police have come under the spotlight. They call into question the changes in standard operating procedure that were made after the violent protests of 2010, when scores of people died, mostly to bullet injuries. A decision had then been taken to introduce “non-lethal” pellets. But ammunition can only be as “non-lethal” as the tactics employed. And it is evident that the security forces have failed to exercise enough restraint, given the nature of injuries sustained by many young men and women. A high number of the injured have suffered pellet injuries in the eyes. For instance, in one Srinagar hospital alone, the Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital, of the 87 civilians who were brought in with injuries, about 40 had sustained pellet injuries to their eyes. Of these, doctors concluded that 19 persons, or almost half of those with eye injuries, may never recover their eyesight. Do the mathematics, and a terrifying picture presents itself. The Centre has obviously, and correctly, read the situation, and rushed a team of eye specialists to the Valley. But the tragically excessive loss of life, limb and sight this month must force a serious rethink on how policemen are equipped and trained to bring calm to the streets.
Pellets have been fired from 12-bore guns for riot control. These are not long-distance weapons. Police around the world have been trained to aim for below the knee. The idea is that the pain caused by the pellets, usually made of metal and sometimes encased in rubber, acts as a deterrent without maiming or causing serious life-inhibiting injuries. Theoretically, it sounds viable. The reality that’s obtained in Kashmir this month tells another story. It speaks to a lack of both training and leadership. It is nobody’s case that it is an easy job to control a violent crowd, but it is the duty of the police to do so by causing as little injury as possible. They must ensure that the force they use is never disproportionately excessive to the cause of action. In the heat of the moment, there was a clear lack of restraint, evident in the numbers injured by the spray of pellets. Even as the best medical care is now sought to be provided, a more holistic healing must be expeditiously administered. It has to be a political exercise. This week of violence must also end with the assurance that the security forces have learnt important lessons — the most important among them being the adoption of more humane measures for crowd control.

T.H.

BREXIT: All You Need To Know

BACKGROUND 
European Union was originally formed with six nations in 1957. Today, it is a gigantic transnational entity of 28 countries, including the U.K., which joined only in 1973.
UK has a peculiar history with EU. Though part of EU, Britain has traditionally had a 'eurosceptic' stand. It continues to use the Pound as its currency, while most EU nations have moved to Euro. Neither does it participate in the Schengen border-free zone, which allows passport-free travel in EU.

On June 23rd, UK voted to leave the EU. The following article examines the various aspects of this Brexit.

Sequence of Events
In January 2013, Prime Minister Cameron announced that a Conservative government would hold an in-out referendum on EU membership before the end of 2017, on a renegotiated package, if elected in 2015
The Conservative Party won the 2015 general election with a majority. Soon afterwards the European Union Referendum Act 2015 was introduced into Parliament to enable the referendum.
Despite being in favour of remaining in a reformed European Union himself, Cameron announced that Conservative Ministers and MPs were free to campaign in favour of remaining in the EU or leaving it, according to their conscience.
This decision came after mounting pressure for a free vote for ministers. In an exception to the usual rule of cabinet collective responsibility, Cameron allowed cabinet ministers to publicly campaign for EU withdrawal
A referendum was scheduled on June 23rd 2016. Registered voters in UK were to voice their opinions on whether the nation should 'Remain' in or 'Leave' the European Union
UK voted to leave the European Union. The ‘Leave’ side won decisively with 52 per cent of the vote in the high-turnout vote, which overturned opinion polls that predicted a slender margin for ‘Remain’.
PM David Cameroon was the architect of the referendum. He supported “Remain”. As a result of the “Leave” verdict, he will be stepping down as PM.

A stunned EU urged Britain to leave as "soon as possible" amid fears the devastating blow to European unity could spark a chain reaction of further referendum

Reasons behind the result
The various people campaigning for “Leave” used the following issues to stress on the need for Brexit
Economy and austerity measures- There was public anger in Britain towards the status quo. Ordinary Britons, hit hard by the economic crisis, feel betrayed by their political leadership. The Conservative government’s austerity policies have further alienated these sections
Immigration- As EU's membership expanded, more Europeans, especially from poorer EU nations, started migrating to U.K. using the “freedom of movement” clause. The anti-immigration parties argue this puts a severe strain on national resources and add up to welfare expenditure. The pro-EU members argue that EU migrants contribute more to the national economy than they take out.
Security- The Remain side argues that in the era of international terrorism and criminality, cooperating with the EU will make the U.K. safer, while the other side says that the security risk will in fact increase if the U.K. does not have control over its borders.
Trade- On trade, the Remain side says that access to the single European market, free of tariffs and border controls, is critical for the U.K. as 45 per cent of its trade is with the EU. The Leave side says that the EU needs British markets and individual trade deals with European countries can be easily negotiated.
Employment- The Remain side argues that as three million jobs are tied to the EU there could be a jobs crisis if the U.K. leaves the EU; Brexiteers claim that there will be a jobs boom without the fetters that EU regulations impose.
Negative strategy- The Remain campaign focussed mainly on the dangers of leaving the EU rather than making a case reasons for staying in EU and present a future vision. This alienated the people further, rather than convincing them

Possible implications

For UK

UK is currently in a situation of deep uncertainty post-leave vote. It remains to be seen whether the propositions of how the leave would benefit UK would materialise.

Turmoil in currency markets- Pound dived to its lowest since 1985; Euro suffered its worst fall against the dollar

Second Scottish referendum likely- Scotland voted by a margin of 62 per cent to 38 per cent to remain in the EU in the referendum. Scotland sees its future in the European Union despite Britain’s vote to leave. Hence, a second Scottish independence referendum is likely.

Exports- 45% of UKs exports are to the Eurozone. Hence, the need to negotiate the relationship with EU is immediate.

Less influence in world politics- The collective bargaining benefits enjoyed by Britain as a part of EU would no longer exist.

Hamper Joint efforts- May hamper joint counter-terrorism, information sharing especially in context of instability in middle east

For European Union and rest of the world

The members of EU make monetary contributions towards EU and UK is one the largest contributors.

A British exit from the European Union would rock the Union — already shaken by differences over migration and the future of the Eurozone — by ripping away its second-largest economy, one of its top two military powers and by far its richest financial centre

Brexit would give rise more and more nations contemplating to exit the EU. Greece, last year held a referendum in which its citizens overwhelmingly rejected EU's bailout norms.

World economy- World stocks saw more than $2 trillion wiped off their value as Britain's vote to leave the European Union triggered 5-10 per cent falls across Europe's biggest bourses and a record plunge for sterling.

              Such a body blow to global confidence could prevent the Federal Reserve from raising interest rates as planned this year, and might even provoke a new round of emergency policy easing from all the major central banks.

For India

Though, Finance minister Jaitley claimed that India is well-prepared to deal with the consequences of the Bexit with strong macroeconomic situation, some issues still remain.

Volatility in Indian markets triggered by Brexit- BSE Sensex fell by 4%

Indian companies in UK -There are 800 Indian companies in the UK — more than the combined number in the rest of Europe. Britain's exit from EU may affect Indian companies’ appetite for investing in the U.K., particularly those seeking access to the European market.

The welfare of a nearly three-million strong diaspora of Indian-origin U.K. citizens is a major concern

The interests of a large number of Britain bound Indian tourists, business people, professionals, students, spouses, parents and relatives is also a concern.

India-EU FTA- The FTA talks with EU will have to be modified in the event of Brexit. Much will depend of the future equation between EU and UK

If Britain gets the same treatment in terms of Free Tariff and Free Movement of persons, not much will change for India. However, if Britain gets the treatment as applicable to a non-member country, it may lead to positive impact on India’s exports to EU as well as to Britain

Similarly, any restriction on movement of persons from EU to Britain will open opportunity for Indian service providers in wide range of services

The weakness in the currencies- Pound and Euro, may also lead to increase in imports to India from these countries

However, the uncertainties brought about by the referendum may benefit India too in some ways-

The drop in the pound will benefit Indian students bound for UK and Indian tourists

Buying property in UK will be easier due to weaker pound

Way ahead: options for UK

The vote doesn’t mean that Britain will be immediately out of the EU.

Under the Lisbon treaty, a member state wishing to leave the EU should first notify the European Council its decision, triggering Article 50.

This would set in motion a process by which the member and the EU leadership will negotiate the terms of the departure and reach and agreement in two years.

This means even if the British government invokes the Article 50 now, the earliest exit of Britain will take place after two years.

The decision to invoke Article 50 would be with the PM of UK; with PM Cameroon stepping down, it will be the new Prime Minister’s prerogative to decide the same.

Norway model- Some economists have already suggested that one of the options Britain could follow in the wake of a Brexit vote is the Norway model.

Norway, along with Liechtenstein and Iceland are members of the European Economic Area (EEA). They have access to the single market while staying out of the EU. They also make contributions to the EU budget. There is separate secretariat in Brussels to manage the relationship between the EU and EEA countries.

If Britain chooses to leave the EU but join the EEA, it will be a half-in-and-half-out arrangement, and the long-term impact on either side will be minimal.

If no compromise is reached between EU and UK, then UK move towards the WTO rules under which it will have to pay tariffs for the goods it sells to the EU countries.

Source-net.