Banking and Financial Awareness – 5

1) According to the latest figures released by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA), which private-sector insurance company has overtaken PSU Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) in terms of profits for 2011-12 to become most profitable insurance company of the country? – ICICI-Prudential (a 12-year old joint-venture between ICICI Bank and UK-based Prudential Life Insurance)

2) Which edition of National Development Council (NDC) was held in New Delhi on 27 December 2012, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and was attended by Chief Ministers of almost all states of India? – 57th

3) The Sakhir Declaration was done recently at the end of summit meet of which organization? – The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC’s 33rd Summit Meet was held in Sakhir in Bahrain) – GCC is a political and economic union of the Arab states bordering the Persian Gulf and located on or near the Arabian Peninsula

4) Who was appointed recently as the first Chairperson of the National Green Tribunal – the apex body constituted under a 2010 Act for deciding cases pertaining to environmental protection and conservation of forests and natural resources? –Justice Swatanter Kumar, a Judge of the Supreme Court

5) As per the data released by the Planning Commission of India, which state recorded fastest growth rate of 10.6 per cent per annum between 2006-10, leaving behind states like Gujarat, Haryana and Maharashtra? – Bihar (Bihar was followed by Orissa, Maharashtra, Haryana, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat in this list)

6) The Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) on 26 December 2012 approved the proposal of IKEA, a furniture major’s Rs. 10,500 crore project, which is the largest FDI in single-brand retail so far in India. IKEA is a company based in which country? – Sweden

7) Which airline on 21 December 2012 made a national record of flying over 50 thousand passengers? – Air India (Air India carried 50,765 passengers on this single day, comprising of 35,246 domestic passengers and 15,519 international passengers)

8) Which panel has recently come up with an outlook on challenges and options in the implementation of the National Food Security Bill (NFSB), which is to guarantee food availability to all? – Ashok Gulati Panel (Ashok Gulati is the Head of the Commission of Agricultural Costs (CAC))

9) Which Indian CEO was top ranked among Indian CEOs in a global study on the 100 best performing Global CEOs by the Harvard Business Review (HBR) to be published in HBR’s January-February 2013 edition? – YC Deveshwar (CEO of ITC Limited, who was ranked seventh in the list. This list was decided after evaluating how much total shareholders returns has changed over a time from CEO’s first day in office to 31st August 2012)

10) A pact was signed between the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and a public sector bank on 24 December 2012 to set up a $ 2 billion fund to fund core sector projects as well as improving bilateral investments between the two countries. Which Indian PSU bank was involved in this pact? – State Bank of India