Krishna canal breach adds to Andhra woes
Guntur: The cup of woes was overflowing for the Andhra Pradesh government with a fresh breach in Krishna river submerging a whole town in chief minister K Rosaiah’s home district of Guntur
Will check if China making Brahmaputra dam: Centre
New Delhi: While increasingly distrustful of China’s intentions, the government on Thursday refrained from questioning Beijing’s denial of reports that it was engaged in constructing a dam on Brahmaputra which could impact ecology in the northeastern states.
By 2021, Russia plans to go nuclear in space
Moscow: Russia’s space agency chief has proposed to build a new spaceship — one with a nuclear engine.
Anatoly Perminov told a government meeting on Wednesday that the preliminary design could be ready by 2012. He said it will then take nine more years and 17 billion rubles (about $600 million) to build the ship.
Delhi’s climate pledge
Delhi has become the first city in the country to unveil a green agenda. Under 6 broad environment categories, govt to implement 65 projects
Elephants to be banished from all zoos
New Delhi: The city zoo will soon be bidding farewell to its three elephants. In fact, elephants will no longer be seen in any zoo or circus in the country after the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) issued a notice on Monday to the effect that all of these animals in zoos, numbering about 140, should be sent to national parks, sanctuaries and tiger reserves as soon as possible.
India targets 1000mw solar power in 2013
New Delhi: The US and other advanced countries may be dithering in the fight against climate change but India is all set to open a new front — with the Solar Mission under National Action Plan on Climate Change, aiming to generate 1,000mw of power by 2013.
First time in 2 decades, India to import rice
New Delhi: The Centre on Wednesday said it may have to import rice — the first time in 20 years — to make up the shortfall in kharif crop even though it has surplus stock in godowns.
In 20 yrs, India’s water need to be double the supply
In the next two decades, global water consumption will increase from the present 4,500 billion cubic metres (bcm) to 6,900 bcm. This will be 40% more than the estimated reliable and sustainable supply today,
France wants a ‘carbon tax’ on EU imports
New Delhi/Paris: In a dampener for India, the French government is set to insist that the European Union impose a carbon tax on imports from countries such as India which are supposed to have ‘‘low environmental standards’’.
$3bn WB loan for roads soon
New Delhi: India may soon get a $3 billion (about Rs 14,000 crore) loan from the World Bank for building roads in the country, road and highways minister Kamal Nath said on Wednesday. “The World Bank president Robert B Zoellick is arriving here on December 2 and we are hopeful of getting clearance for $3 billion loan as sought by us for highway projects,” Nath said.
India’s forest cover rises to over 21%
New Delhi: Continuing the commendable trend of the past decade, India’s forest cover increased by 728 sq km during 2005-07 — a marginal rise of 0.03%. Overall, 21.02% of the country’s geographical area is now under green cover. In the past 10 years, forest cover has increased by 3.31 million hectares, showing an average 0.46% increase every year.
India’s forest cover rises to over 21%
New Delhi: Continuing the commendable trend of the past decade, India’s forest cover increased by 728 sq km during 2005-07 — a marginal rise of 0.03%. Overall, 21.02% of the country’s geographical area is now under green cover. In the past 10 years, forest cover has increased by 3.31 million hectares, showing an average 0.46% increase every year.
New emission norms may miss deadline
Non-Availability Of Fuel Can Upset April Plan
New Delhi: Will the new emission norms miss the April 2010 deadline? Automobile industry body Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (Siam) is upset over the non-assurance by oil companies on supply of requisite-quality fuel and has requested the government to look at delaying the deadline for the new emission norms
25% solar power must for SEZs
New Delhi: In a quiet move for greening its rapid industrialisation plan, the government is making it mandatory for all SEZs (special economic zones) to power at least a quarter of their lighting needs with solar energy. The government also wants at least half of the lighting requirements for billboards to be solar-powered.
Rs 380-crore subsidy for wind power
Mumbai: India will offer Rs 380 crore ($81 million) in incentives to wind power projects that feed into the national grid, the government said on Thursday, a move analysts believe will attract large companies.
3rd-party players in Bhutan’s hydel policy worries India
New Delhi: Bhutan king Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck’s visit to India has further strengthened bilateral ties, as evident in the 12 MoUs signed between the two countries, but there is growing concern about changes in the Himalayan kingdom’s hydel power policy.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Friday, February 26, 2010
GK-4
India Economic Summit 2009 Ends
During the session, the six summit Co-Chairs reviewed the discussions of the past three days and how to move forward on an agenda to drive “India’s next generation of growth”, which takes place in New Delhi from 8-10 November 2009.
The review draws on the findings of the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index 2009-2010
The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has selected three social enterprises with significant impact in India as winners of the India Social Entrepreneurs Award for 2009: Rajendra Joshi, Managing Trustee,
So, the opening commitments to get us en route to a 2 degree world by 2020 are:
From rich countries:
• The EU 27 offer a 20% reduction against 1990 levels or 30% if other countries make big cuts too
• Japan offers 25% reduction against 1990 levels
• Russia pledges to match Japan if other countries also do the same
• US offers 17% reduction against 2005 levels (the figure in the Waxman Markey bill), which equates to about 4% against 1990 levels.
• Canada and Australia are offering less that then the US.
• The best in class is Norway with a 40% reduction target against 1990 levels
• On average, this gives us about a 15% reduction against 1990 levels for developed countries
From fast growing developing countries
• China offers a 40-45% cut in the carbon intensity of its economy (tonnes of carbon /unit of GDP) by 2020
• India offers up to a 25% cut in the carbon intensity of its economy by 2020
• Brazil has offered to curb emissions 38-42% from business as usual by 2020, including a reduction in deforestation by 80% by 2020
• South Korea has promised 30% by the same measure (equivalent to a 4% reduction against 2005 levels); Indonesia 26%
• Only South Africa is yet to provide some sort of target.
Bill and Melinda Gates announced that their foundation will commit US$ 10 billion over the next 10 years to help research, develop and deliver vaccines for the world’s poorest countries.
In its quarterly review, Reserve Bank of India has directed banks to increase their provisions for non performing assets (NPAs) to 70 percent which include floating provisions.
There are 32 foreign banks operating in India.
Banks may demand more time for meeting the deadline to implement International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Presently the banks are required to meet the deadline by March 2011
During the session, the six summit Co-Chairs reviewed the discussions of the past three days and how to move forward on an agenda to drive “India’s next generation of growth”, which takes place in New Delhi from 8-10 November 2009.
The review draws on the findings of the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index 2009-2010
The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has selected three social enterprises with significant impact in India as winners of the India Social Entrepreneurs Award for 2009: Rajendra Joshi, Managing Trustee,
So, the opening commitments to get us en route to a 2 degree world by 2020 are:
From rich countries:
• The EU 27 offer a 20% reduction against 1990 levels or 30% if other countries make big cuts too
• Japan offers 25% reduction against 1990 levels
• Russia pledges to match Japan if other countries also do the same
• US offers 17% reduction against 2005 levels (the figure in the Waxman Markey bill), which equates to about 4% against 1990 levels.
• Canada and Australia are offering less that then the US.
• The best in class is Norway with a 40% reduction target against 1990 levels
• On average, this gives us about a 15% reduction against 1990 levels for developed countries
From fast growing developing countries
• China offers a 40-45% cut in the carbon intensity of its economy (tonnes of carbon /unit of GDP) by 2020
• India offers up to a 25% cut in the carbon intensity of its economy by 2020
• Brazil has offered to curb emissions 38-42% from business as usual by 2020, including a reduction in deforestation by 80% by 2020
• South Korea has promised 30% by the same measure (equivalent to a 4% reduction against 2005 levels); Indonesia 26%
• Only South Africa is yet to provide some sort of target.
Bill and Melinda Gates announced that their foundation will commit US$ 10 billion over the next 10 years to help research, develop and deliver vaccines for the world’s poorest countries.
In its quarterly review, Reserve Bank of India has directed banks to increase their provisions for non performing assets (NPAs) to 70 percent which include floating provisions.
There are 32 foreign banks operating in India.
Banks may demand more time for meeting the deadline to implement International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Presently the banks are required to meet the deadline by March 2011
Monday, February 22, 2010
GK-3
Eko Vehicles, a company based in Bangalore has launched the world's first hybrid bikes and scooters
Government will give 50 paise as incentive for a unit of electricity generated by wind power producers for 4-10 years under GBI scheme. Incentive will be provided to wind power producers at 50 paise per unit of electricity fed into the grid for a period not less than four years and the maximum of 10 years.
December 29, 2009: India Sri Lanka Power Link
A high-capacity power transmission link between India and Sri Lanka will be completed by 2013. The 285-kilometre power link, including submarine cables over a stretch of 50 km, will enable the two countries to trade their surplus power, thereby offering a cheaper option to bridge their power generation deficit and also manage their peak demand. India's side is Powergrid Corporation of India Ltd, & stakeholder in Sri Lanka side is Ceylon Electricity Board.
World Bank has approved loans worth $405 million to promote environment-friendly urban transport projects in Andhra Pradesh.
Index of Industrial Production growth 10.3% in October.
industrial output grew by 10.3 per cent in October. This was mainly powered by manufacturing, particularly consumer durables, which was driven by the stimulus packages
December 14, 2009: India's share in global FDI is 2.45% now
36 sick cenral public sector enterprises to be revived
Based on the recommendation of Board for Reconstruction of Public Sector Enterprises, Government of India has approved revival of 36 sick central public sector enterprises (CPSEs) that will require Rs 2,921 crore of cash infusion, besides Rs 12,333 crore of other assistance
MNRE Minister Farooq Abdullah inaugurated the country's first mega-watt level solar photovoltaic plant at Jamuria, near Asansol in West Bengal.Accepting that there is no clear blueprint for his ministry's plans for bringing solar power into the mainstay of India's energy mix, he said that about 1,300 MW of solar power would be added over the next three years.
Bangalore and San Francisco have signed 7 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) strengthening the "sister cities" arrangement.
World's Most powerful Cities survey by "citimayors.com" : Mumbai ranks 34
Climate Change Risk Report 2009/10: Australia Biggest CO2 emitter (per capita)
China is the world's worst polluter nation with the highest overall annual emission of greenhouse gases (6,018 million tonne). However, in terms of per capita emissions it is ranked 44th in the world, emitting 4.5 tonne (per person).
Trade Marks (Amendment) Bill
Government of India has introduced Trade Marks (Amendment) Bill. The objective of this bill is to simplify the trade marks registration procedure. Before we understand this we have to know what is Madrid Protocol.
India's indirect tax collections (of 7 months) have shrunk by over 21 per cent from the last Fiscal year. The first 7 months of last year the tax collected was 1.61 lakh crore and this year it is 1.26 Lakh Crore. None of the three components of Indirect tax excise, customs and service tax could post positive results. Maximum drop was in customs 31.8 %.
World Travel Award to Incredible India campaign
The Incredible India campaign has won the World Travel Award 2009 for being the best campaign of the year
Mittal, ONGC will wind up 4 year Joint Venture
ONGC and Mittal had in July 2005 joined hands to form two joint ventures. These JVs were ONGC Mittal Energy Ltd (OMEL) for exploration blocks and ONGC Mittal Energy Services Ltd (OMESL) for trading and shipping of hydrocarbons. The JOV has failed now. In both OMEL and OMESL, ONGC held 49.98 per cent stake while the Mittal-owned Mittal Investment Sarl had 48.02 per cent. ONGC and Mittal have decided to wind up the firm now as per the report published in newspapers.
Government will give 50 paise as incentive for a unit of electricity generated by wind power producers for 4-10 years under GBI scheme. Incentive will be provided to wind power producers at 50 paise per unit of electricity fed into the grid for a period not less than four years and the maximum of 10 years.
December 29, 2009: India Sri Lanka Power Link
A high-capacity power transmission link between India and Sri Lanka will be completed by 2013. The 285-kilometre power link, including submarine cables over a stretch of 50 km, will enable the two countries to trade their surplus power, thereby offering a cheaper option to bridge their power generation deficit and also manage their peak demand. India's side is Powergrid Corporation of India Ltd, & stakeholder in Sri Lanka side is Ceylon Electricity Board.
World Bank has approved loans worth $405 million to promote environment-friendly urban transport projects in Andhra Pradesh.
Index of Industrial Production growth 10.3% in October.
industrial output grew by 10.3 per cent in October. This was mainly powered by manufacturing, particularly consumer durables, which was driven by the stimulus packages
December 14, 2009: India's share in global FDI is 2.45% now
36 sick cenral public sector enterprises to be revived
Based on the recommendation of Board for Reconstruction of Public Sector Enterprises, Government of India has approved revival of 36 sick central public sector enterprises (CPSEs) that will require Rs 2,921 crore of cash infusion, besides Rs 12,333 crore of other assistance
MNRE Minister Farooq Abdullah inaugurated the country's first mega-watt level solar photovoltaic plant at Jamuria, near Asansol in West Bengal.Accepting that there is no clear blueprint for his ministry's plans for bringing solar power into the mainstay of India's energy mix, he said that about 1,300 MW of solar power would be added over the next three years.
Bangalore and San Francisco have signed 7 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) strengthening the "sister cities" arrangement.
World's Most powerful Cities survey by "citimayors.com" : Mumbai ranks 34
Climate Change Risk Report 2009/10: Australia Biggest CO2 emitter (per capita)
China is the world's worst polluter nation with the highest overall annual emission of greenhouse gases (6,018 million tonne). However, in terms of per capita emissions it is ranked 44th in the world, emitting 4.5 tonne (per person).
Trade Marks (Amendment) Bill
Government of India has introduced Trade Marks (Amendment) Bill. The objective of this bill is to simplify the trade marks registration procedure. Before we understand this we have to know what is Madrid Protocol.
India's indirect tax collections (of 7 months) have shrunk by over 21 per cent from the last Fiscal year. The first 7 months of last year the tax collected was 1.61 lakh crore and this year it is 1.26 Lakh Crore. None of the three components of Indirect tax excise, customs and service tax could post positive results. Maximum drop was in customs 31.8 %.
World Travel Award to Incredible India campaign
The Incredible India campaign has won the World Travel Award 2009 for being the best campaign of the year
Mittal, ONGC will wind up 4 year Joint Venture
ONGC and Mittal had in July 2005 joined hands to form two joint ventures. These JVs were ONGC Mittal Energy Ltd (OMEL) for exploration blocks and ONGC Mittal Energy Services Ltd (OMESL) for trading and shipping of hydrocarbons. The JOV has failed now. In both OMEL and OMESL, ONGC held 49.98 per cent stake while the Mittal-owned Mittal Investment Sarl had 48.02 per cent. ONGC and Mittal have decided to wind up the firm now as per the report published in newspapers.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
GK
Rosa in Shahjahanpur district in Uttar Pradesh has witnessed the launch of Rosa Power Plant of Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group recently.It is a 300 MW unit. It is a coal based plant and coal for the project would be sourced from the Ashoka mines in Jharkhand
India’s total external debt stock at US$ 242.8 billion as at end-September 2009 recorded an increase of US$ 18.2 billion or 8.1 per cent over end-March 2009 estimates.
This is a Rs. 2300 crore project and Powergrid Corporation of India Ltd, the country's largest electricity transmission company is the implementing agency from the Indian side. Sri lankan side implementation will be done by Ceylon Electricity Board
The Finance Commission is established under Article 280 of the Constitution of India by the President of India for the purpose of allocation of certain resources of revenue between the Union and the State Governments as well as to make recommendations on other related issues as required under its terms of reference.
INS Industrial Excellence Award 2008 was conferred to Heavy Engineering Corporation by eminent nuclear scientist Anil Kakodkar
Code-10, a Malaysian hair styling products firm is a subsidiary of Colgate-Palmolive has been acquired by Marico.
Bharti-Walmart Pvt Ltd is a joint venture between Bharti Enterprises and global retail major Walmart Stores. The company opens its first agricultural cooperative centre at Sirhind in Punjab
Google IPL Tie Up
Rajasthan: First State in India to launch Web enabled online answering system
On Proposed Nuclear Parks
Central Government plans to set up 5 nuclear parks in the country. Each park would have the capacity of generating nearly 10,000 MW energy. These would be set up at Kudarkulam in Tamil Nadu, Jaitapur in Maharashtra, Mithivindhi in Gujarat, Haripur in West Bengal and Kovada in Andhra Pradesh. Russia and France would be providing the nuclear reactors for Kudarkulam and Jaitapur. Nuclear Park at Haripur in East Midnapore district of West Bengal is facing opposition due to environment issue, impact study of the site was already completed and Base-line study would be done in the coming few months
UNESCO : International Year of Rapprochement of Cultures : Tagore in Interdisciplinary programme.
Bihar : Nawada and Purnia Women to learn economic farming.This comes under "Economic Empowerment of Women" programme of world bank.
Thomas Cook - India Post MOU:
India’s total external debt stock at US$ 242.8 billion as at end-September 2009 recorded an increase of US$ 18.2 billion or 8.1 per cent over end-March 2009 estimates.
This is a Rs. 2300 crore project and Powergrid Corporation of India Ltd, the country's largest electricity transmission company is the implementing agency from the Indian side. Sri lankan side implementation will be done by Ceylon Electricity Board
The Finance Commission is established under Article 280 of the Constitution of India by the President of India for the purpose of allocation of certain resources of revenue between the Union and the State Governments as well as to make recommendations on other related issues as required under its terms of reference.
INS Industrial Excellence Award 2008 was conferred to Heavy Engineering Corporation by eminent nuclear scientist Anil Kakodkar
Code-10, a Malaysian hair styling products firm is a subsidiary of Colgate-Palmolive has been acquired by Marico.
Bharti-Walmart Pvt Ltd is a joint venture between Bharti Enterprises and global retail major Walmart Stores. The company opens its first agricultural cooperative centre at Sirhind in Punjab
Google IPL Tie Up
Rajasthan: First State in India to launch Web enabled online answering system
On Proposed Nuclear Parks
Central Government plans to set up 5 nuclear parks in the country. Each park would have the capacity of generating nearly 10,000 MW energy. These would be set up at Kudarkulam in Tamil Nadu, Jaitapur in Maharashtra, Mithivindhi in Gujarat, Haripur in West Bengal and Kovada in Andhra Pradesh. Russia and France would be providing the nuclear reactors for Kudarkulam and Jaitapur. Nuclear Park at Haripur in East Midnapore district of West Bengal is facing opposition due to environment issue, impact study of the site was already completed and Base-line study would be done in the coming few months
UNESCO : International Year of Rapprochement of Cultures : Tagore in Interdisciplinary programme.
Bihar : Nawada and Purnia Women to learn economic farming.This comes under "Economic Empowerment of Women" programme of world bank.
Thomas Cook - India Post MOU:
General Awareness
The study had identified Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary with an area of 344.686 Sq.Kms. as the best potential site for reintroduction of lions.
Saurav Ghosal is India's no. 1 squash player and is on noumber 29 in the latest PSA rankings with 1860.00 points.
Out of 15 nations Togo has withdrawn from the tournament after a terrorist attack on their bus upon arriving for the tournament.
The Dragon has outplaced Germany and has become world's largest exporter. China's total exports for 2009 were $1.2tn and shwon a growth of 17.7% .
Dokbug area of Nyoma sector in Leh District of J & K during the winter months every year
UP is the first state in India to launch a power transmission sub stations and transmission lines project on PPP
This scheme has shown encouraging results and recently World Bank has come forward with an offer to provide additional funding of $ 500 million (Rs 2,325 cr approx) for the programme. Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA)
Sixth International Children's Film Festival has started in Bangalore. The main theme is Environment
Economic Times "Business Reformer of the Year " award - Nitish Kumar
India's first investment and manufacturing zone-Rajasthan
Looking East To Look West: Lee Kuan Yew's Mission India - Sunanda K Datta-Ray
India, which exports apparel worth 11 billion dollars annually, ranks as the fifth largest worldwide
Based on formal requests from the Mauritian Government, the Indian Navy had deployed INS Savitri with a Chetak helicopter and Marine Commandos,
TN Governemnt will set up an "Envrionment Protection and Renewable Energy Development Fund" to protect the environment and promote clean energy to combat climate change
Life Goes On' has bagged the Best Feature Film Award at the first Pravasi Film Festival in New Delhi
Angelina Jolie : Beauty of the decade
Keyoor Bakshi has been elected as the President of International Federation of Company Secretaries (IFCS) for the year 2010.
Reena Kaushal Dharmshaktu has become the first Indian woman to ski to the South Pole
e-Dharini is the new e-registration project of the Orissa state government
Saurav Ghosal is India's no. 1 squash player and is on noumber 29 in the latest PSA rankings with 1860.00 points.
Out of 15 nations Togo has withdrawn from the tournament after a terrorist attack on their bus upon arriving for the tournament.
The Dragon has outplaced Germany and has become world's largest exporter. China's total exports for 2009 were $1.2tn and shwon a growth of 17.7% .
Dokbug area of Nyoma sector in Leh District of J & K during the winter months every year
UP is the first state in India to launch a power transmission sub stations and transmission lines project on PPP
This scheme has shown encouraging results and recently World Bank has come forward with an offer to provide additional funding of $ 500 million (Rs 2,325 cr approx) for the programme. Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA)
Sixth International Children's Film Festival has started in Bangalore. The main theme is Environment
Economic Times "Business Reformer of the Year " award - Nitish Kumar
India's first investment and manufacturing zone-Rajasthan
Looking East To Look West: Lee Kuan Yew's Mission India - Sunanda K Datta-Ray
India, which exports apparel worth 11 billion dollars annually, ranks as the fifth largest worldwide
Based on formal requests from the Mauritian Government, the Indian Navy had deployed INS Savitri with a Chetak helicopter and Marine Commandos,
TN Governemnt will set up an "Envrionment Protection and Renewable Energy Development Fund" to protect the environment and promote clean energy to combat climate change
Life Goes On' has bagged the Best Feature Film Award at the first Pravasi Film Festival in New Delhi
Angelina Jolie : Beauty of the decade
Keyoor Bakshi has been elected as the President of International Federation of Company Secretaries (IFCS) for the year 2010.
Reena Kaushal Dharmshaktu has become the first Indian woman to ski to the South Pole
e-Dharini is the new e-registration project of the Orissa state government
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Computer general
1. If a word is typed that is not in Word’s dictionary, a____________wavy underline appears below the word.
(A) red
(B) green
(C) blue
(D) black
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)
2. The____________button on the quick access Toolbar allows you to cancel your recent commands or actions.
(A) Search
(B) Cut
(C) Document
(D) Undo
(E) None of these
Ans : (D)
3. In Excel, any set of characters containing a letter , hyphen, or space is considered—
(A) a formula
(B) text
(C) a name
(D) a title
(E) None of these
Ans : (B)
4. ____________Software allows users to perform calculations on rows and columns of data.
(A) Word processing
(B) Presentation graphics
(C) Database Management Systems
(D) Electronic Spreadsheet
(E) None of these
Ans : (C)
5. A ____________represent approximately one billion memory locations.
(A) kilobyte
(B) megabyte
(C) gigabyte
(D) terabyte
(E) None of these
Ans : (C)
6. ____________cells involves creating a single cell by combining two or more selected cells.
(A) Formatting
(B) Merging
(C) Embedding
(D) Splitting
(E) None of these
Ans : (B)
7. The operating system is the most common type of____________software.
(A) communication
(B) application
(C) system
(D) word-processing
(E) None of these
Ans : (C)
8. When you quickly press and releaes the left mouse button twice , you are—
(A) Primary-clicking
(B) pointing
(C) Double-clicking
(D) Secondary-clicking
(E) None of these
Ans : (C)
9. The horizontal and vertical lines on a worksheet are called—
(A) cells
(B) sheets
(C) block lines
(D) gridlines
(E) None of these
Ans : (D)
10. To delete an incorrect character in a document, ____________ to erase to the right of the insertion point.
(A) press the left mouse key
(B) double-click the right mouse key
(C) press the BACKSPACE key
(D) press the delete key
(E) None of these
Ans : (D)
11. The operating system does all of the following EXCEPT:
(A) provide a way for the user to interact with the computer.
(B) manage the central processing unit (CPU).
(C) manage memory and storage.
(D) enable users to perform a specific task such as document editing.
Ans : (D)
12. During the boot process, the____________looks for the system files.
(A) CD
B. BIOS
C. CPU
D. DVD
Ans : (B)
13. ____________ are lists of commands that appear on the screen.
(A) GUIs
(B) Icons
(C) Menus
(D) Windows
Ans : (C)
14. ____________ is the ability of an operating system to control the activities of multiple programs at the same time.
(A) Multitasking
(B) Streamlining
(C) Multiuser
(D) Simulcasting
Ans : (A)
15. The unique signal, generated by a device, that tells the operating system that it is in need of immediate attention is called an:
(A) action.
(B) event.
(C) interrupt.
(D) activity.
Ans : (C)
16. The operating system controls access to the processor by assigning a(n) ____________ to each task requiring the processor’s attention.
(A) CPU
(B) slice of time
(C) stack
(D) event
Ans : (B)
17. The blocks of code, included in the operating system, that software applications interact with are known as:
(A) application programming interfaces (APIs).
(B) complimentary metal-oxide conductors (CMOS).
(C) device drivers.
(D) bootstrap loaders.
Ans : (A)
18. MS-DOS is a ____________ operating system.
(A) point-and-click
(B) user-friendly
(C) command-driven
(D) Mac
Ans : (C)
19. An interrupt handler is a(n):
(A) location in memory that keeps track of recently generated interrupts.
(B) peripheral device.
(C) utility program.
(D) special numeric code that indicates the priority of a request.
Ans : (D)
20. A spooler is a(n):
(A) location in memory that maintains the contents of a document until it prints out.
(B) print job.
(C) program that coordinates the print jobs that are waiting to print.
(D) message sent from the printer to the operating system when a print job is completed.
Ans : (C)
21. Virtual memory is typically located:
(A) on a floppy disk.
(B) in the CPU.
(C) in a flash card.
(D) on the hard drive.
Ans : (D)
22. The purpose of a swap (or page) file is to:
(A) maintain pages of documents that are being spooled to the printer.
(B) hold a program’s data or instructions in virtual memory when it can’t fit in RAM.
(C) prevent thrashing in a multitasking environment.
(D) allow multiple print jobs to print their pages out simultaneously.
Ans : (B)
23. The definition of thrashing is:
(A) swapping data between virtual memory and RAM too frequently.
(B) insufficient hard disk space.
(C) too many processors being managed by the operating system.
(D) inaccurate information stored in the registry.
Ans : (A)
24. All of the following are TRUE of Safe Mode EXCEPT:
(A) Safe Mode is a special diagnostic mode.
(B) Safe Mode loads all nonessential icons.
(C) Safe Mode allows users to troubleshoot errors.
(D) Safe Mode loads only the most essential devices.
Ans : (B)
25. Verification of a login name and password is known as:
(A) configuration.
(B) accessibility.
(C) authentication.
(D) logging in.
Ans : (C)
26. The combination of the operating system and the processor is referred to as the computer’s:
(A) CPU.
(B) platform.
(C) BIOS.
(D) CMOS.
Ans : (B)
27. The following message generally means:
(A) a nonsystem floppy has been left in the floppy disk drive.
(B) the CD drive is not functioning.
(C) the BIOS is corrupted.
(D) there is a problem loading a device.
Ans : (A)
28. Which of the following is the correct sequence of actions that takes place during the boot-up process?
(A) Load operating system ? Activate BIOS ? Perform POST ? Check configuration settings
(B) Activate BIOS ? Perform POST ? Load operating system ? Check configuration settings
(C) Perform POST ? Load operating system ? Activate BIOS ? Check configuration settings
(D) Activate BIOS ? Check configuration settings ? Perform POST ? Load operating system
Ans : (B)
29. All of the following are steps involved in the boot process EXCEPT:
(A) load the operating system into RAM.
(B) the power-on self-test.
(C) activate the basic input/output system (BIOS).
(D) load application programs.
Ans : (D)
30. The ____________, stored on a ROM chip, is responsible for loading the operating system from its permanent location on the hard drive into RAM.
(A) BIOS
(B) API
(C) device driver
(D) supervisor program
Ans : (A)
31. The basic input/output system (BIOS) is stored in:
(A) RAM.
(B) ROM.
(C) the CPU.
(D) the hard drive.
Ans : (B)
32. Ensuring that the essential peripheral devices are attached and operational is the ____________ process.
(A) configuration
(B) CMOS
(C) POST
(D) ROM
Ans : (C)
33. The memory resident portion of the operating system is called the—
(A) registry.
(B) API.
(C) CMOS.
(D) kernel.
Ans : (D)
34. Which of the following does NOT occur during the power-on self-test (POST)?
(A) The ScanDisk utility begins to run.
(B) The video card and video memory are tested.
(C) The BIOS identification process occurs.
(D) Memory chips are checked to ensure they are working properly.
Ans : (A)
35. All of the following are TRUE regarding virtual memory EXCEPT—
(A) any amount of RAM can be allocated to virtual memory.
(B) the setting for the amount of hard drive space to allocate to virtual memory can be manually changed.
(C) this temporary storage is called the swap file (or page file).
(D) virtual memory is physical space on the hard drive.
Ans : (A)
36. The operating system allows users to organize the computer’s contents in a hierarchical structure of directories that include all of the following EXCEPT:
(A) files.
(B) folders.
(D) drives.
(D) systems.
Ans : (D)
37. All of the following statements concerning windows are true EXCEPT—
(A) windows are an example of a command-driven environment.
(B) windows can be resized and repositioned on the desktop.
(C) more than one window can be open at a time.
(D) toolbars and scrollbars are features of windows.
Ans : (A)
38. All of the following statements concerning files are true EXCEPT—
(A) A file is a collection of related pieces of information stored together for easy reference.
(B) Files can be generated from an application.
(C) Files are stored in RAM.
(D) Files should be organized in folders.
Ans : (C)
39. Using Windows Explorer, a plus (+) sign in front of a folder indicates—
(A) an open folder.
(B) the folder contains subfolders.
(C) a text file.
(D) a graphics file.
Ans : (B)
40. In Windows XP, if you want to see the file size and modified dates of all files in a folder, the best viewing option is the __________ view.
(A) List
(B) Thumbnails
(C) Details
(D) Icon
Ans : (C)
(A) red
(B) green
(C) blue
(D) black
(E) None of these
Ans : (A)
2. The____________button on the quick access Toolbar allows you to cancel your recent commands or actions.
(A) Search
(B) Cut
(C) Document
(D) Undo
(E) None of these
Ans : (D)
3. In Excel, any set of characters containing a letter , hyphen, or space is considered—
(A) a formula
(B) text
(C) a name
(D) a title
(E) None of these
Ans : (B)
4. ____________Software allows users to perform calculations on rows and columns of data.
(A) Word processing
(B) Presentation graphics
(C) Database Management Systems
(D) Electronic Spreadsheet
(E) None of these
Ans : (C)
5. A ____________represent approximately one billion memory locations.
(A) kilobyte
(B) megabyte
(C) gigabyte
(D) terabyte
(E) None of these
Ans : (C)
6. ____________cells involves creating a single cell by combining two or more selected cells.
(A) Formatting
(B) Merging
(C) Embedding
(D) Splitting
(E) None of these
Ans : (B)
7. The operating system is the most common type of____________software.
(A) communication
(B) application
(C) system
(D) word-processing
(E) None of these
Ans : (C)
8. When you quickly press and releaes the left mouse button twice , you are—
(A) Primary-clicking
(B) pointing
(C) Double-clicking
(D) Secondary-clicking
(E) None of these
Ans : (C)
9. The horizontal and vertical lines on a worksheet are called—
(A) cells
(B) sheets
(C) block lines
(D) gridlines
(E) None of these
Ans : (D)
10. To delete an incorrect character in a document, ____________ to erase to the right of the insertion point.
(A) press the left mouse key
(B) double-click the right mouse key
(C) press the BACKSPACE key
(D) press the delete key
(E) None of these
Ans : (D)
11. The operating system does all of the following EXCEPT:
(A) provide a way for the user to interact with the computer.
(B) manage the central processing unit (CPU).
(C) manage memory and storage.
(D) enable users to perform a specific task such as document editing.
Ans : (D)
12. During the boot process, the____________looks for the system files.
(A) CD
B. BIOS
C. CPU
D. DVD
Ans : (B)
13. ____________ are lists of commands that appear on the screen.
(A) GUIs
(B) Icons
(C) Menus
(D) Windows
Ans : (C)
14. ____________ is the ability of an operating system to control the activities of multiple programs at the same time.
(A) Multitasking
(B) Streamlining
(C) Multiuser
(D) Simulcasting
Ans : (A)
15. The unique signal, generated by a device, that tells the operating system that it is in need of immediate attention is called an:
(A) action.
(B) event.
(C) interrupt.
(D) activity.
Ans : (C)
16. The operating system controls access to the processor by assigning a(n) ____________ to each task requiring the processor’s attention.
(A) CPU
(B) slice of time
(C) stack
(D) event
Ans : (B)
17. The blocks of code, included in the operating system, that software applications interact with are known as:
(A) application programming interfaces (APIs).
(B) complimentary metal-oxide conductors (CMOS).
(C) device drivers.
(D) bootstrap loaders.
Ans : (A)
18. MS-DOS is a ____________ operating system.
(A) point-and-click
(B) user-friendly
(C) command-driven
(D) Mac
Ans : (C)
19. An interrupt handler is a(n):
(A) location in memory that keeps track of recently generated interrupts.
(B) peripheral device.
(C) utility program.
(D) special numeric code that indicates the priority of a request.
Ans : (D)
20. A spooler is a(n):
(A) location in memory that maintains the contents of a document until it prints out.
(B) print job.
(C) program that coordinates the print jobs that are waiting to print.
(D) message sent from the printer to the operating system when a print job is completed.
Ans : (C)
21. Virtual memory is typically located:
(A) on a floppy disk.
(B) in the CPU.
(C) in a flash card.
(D) on the hard drive.
Ans : (D)
22. The purpose of a swap (or page) file is to:
(A) maintain pages of documents that are being spooled to the printer.
(B) hold a program’s data or instructions in virtual memory when it can’t fit in RAM.
(C) prevent thrashing in a multitasking environment.
(D) allow multiple print jobs to print their pages out simultaneously.
Ans : (B)
23. The definition of thrashing is:
(A) swapping data between virtual memory and RAM too frequently.
(B) insufficient hard disk space.
(C) too many processors being managed by the operating system.
(D) inaccurate information stored in the registry.
Ans : (A)
24. All of the following are TRUE of Safe Mode EXCEPT:
(A) Safe Mode is a special diagnostic mode.
(B) Safe Mode loads all nonessential icons.
(C) Safe Mode allows users to troubleshoot errors.
(D) Safe Mode loads only the most essential devices.
Ans : (B)
25. Verification of a login name and password is known as:
(A) configuration.
(B) accessibility.
(C) authentication.
(D) logging in.
Ans : (C)
26. The combination of the operating system and the processor is referred to as the computer’s:
(A) CPU.
(B) platform.
(C) BIOS.
(D) CMOS.
Ans : (B)
27. The following message generally means:
(A) a nonsystem floppy has been left in the floppy disk drive.
(B) the CD drive is not functioning.
(C) the BIOS is corrupted.
(D) there is a problem loading a device.
Ans : (A)
28. Which of the following is the correct sequence of actions that takes place during the boot-up process?
(A) Load operating system ? Activate BIOS ? Perform POST ? Check configuration settings
(B) Activate BIOS ? Perform POST ? Load operating system ? Check configuration settings
(C) Perform POST ? Load operating system ? Activate BIOS ? Check configuration settings
(D) Activate BIOS ? Check configuration settings ? Perform POST ? Load operating system
Ans : (B)
29. All of the following are steps involved in the boot process EXCEPT:
(A) load the operating system into RAM.
(B) the power-on self-test.
(C) activate the basic input/output system (BIOS).
(D) load application programs.
Ans : (D)
30. The ____________, stored on a ROM chip, is responsible for loading the operating system from its permanent location on the hard drive into RAM.
(A) BIOS
(B) API
(C) device driver
(D) supervisor program
Ans : (A)
31. The basic input/output system (BIOS) is stored in:
(A) RAM.
(B) ROM.
(C) the CPU.
(D) the hard drive.
Ans : (B)
32. Ensuring that the essential peripheral devices are attached and operational is the ____________ process.
(A) configuration
(B) CMOS
(C) POST
(D) ROM
Ans : (C)
33. The memory resident portion of the operating system is called the—
(A) registry.
(B) API.
(C) CMOS.
(D) kernel.
Ans : (D)
34. Which of the following does NOT occur during the power-on self-test (POST)?
(A) The ScanDisk utility begins to run.
(B) The video card and video memory are tested.
(C) The BIOS identification process occurs.
(D) Memory chips are checked to ensure they are working properly.
Ans : (A)
35. All of the following are TRUE regarding virtual memory EXCEPT—
(A) any amount of RAM can be allocated to virtual memory.
(B) the setting for the amount of hard drive space to allocate to virtual memory can be manually changed.
(C) this temporary storage is called the swap file (or page file).
(D) virtual memory is physical space on the hard drive.
Ans : (A)
36. The operating system allows users to organize the computer’s contents in a hierarchical structure of directories that include all of the following EXCEPT:
(A) files.
(B) folders.
(D) drives.
(D) systems.
Ans : (D)
37. All of the following statements concerning windows are true EXCEPT—
(A) windows are an example of a command-driven environment.
(B) windows can be resized and repositioned on the desktop.
(C) more than one window can be open at a time.
(D) toolbars and scrollbars are features of windows.
Ans : (A)
38. All of the following statements concerning files are true EXCEPT—
(A) A file is a collection of related pieces of information stored together for easy reference.
(B) Files can be generated from an application.
(C) Files are stored in RAM.
(D) Files should be organized in folders.
Ans : (C)
39. Using Windows Explorer, a plus (+) sign in front of a folder indicates—
(A) an open folder.
(B) the folder contains subfolders.
(C) a text file.
(D) a graphics file.
Ans : (B)
40. In Windows XP, if you want to see the file size and modified dates of all files in a folder, the best viewing option is the __________ view.
(A) List
(B) Thumbnails
(C) Details
(D) Icon
Ans : (C)
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Articles From FICCI
The new banking secretary R. Gopalan will meet state-run bank heads in February to further discuss the Finance Ministry's recommendations and its implications especially as major
as there are no current or future capital infusion issues for the banks, especially in light of the $3.1-billion loan from the World Bank, which will be disbursed to banks short on capital.
D. Subbarao that the central bank may have to tighten the accommodative monetary policy has contributed to the rise of the rupee.
The two sides signed five agreements while India gave a $1 billion line of credit to Bangladesh, the largest assistance given by India to any country.
Additionally, Dr. Singh has also agreed to the proposal to give Dhaka 250 megawatts of electricity from the central grid. India had earlier agreed to supply 100 mw of power.
reached to a high of over a year in December, at 7.31%, primarily due to higher food prices. The December figures were greater than the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) forecast of a 6.5%-level inflation by the end of the fiscal.
October 2009, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had, in its bi-annual report on the world economy, forecasted that consumer price inflation in India will average 8.7% in 2009 and 8.4% in 2010
The textile industry has requested the Central government to specifically allocate Rs. 4,500 crore in the Union Budget for the Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (TUFS).
The Indian economy is the fourth largest economy of the world on the basis of Purchasing Power Parity (PPP).
Steel Minister Virbhadra Singh has said that the Centre is leaving no stone unturned to see that South Korean steel major Posco's Rs 54,000-crore project in Orissa is kicked off after all the regulatory clearances in the 4-5 months
Japan:-
PM, Dr. Manmohan Singh referring to the country's impeccable record as a responsible nuclear power and the joint-target set by the two nations to cross $20 billion (Rs.93,400 crore) in trade by next year from only around $12 billion in 2008-09,
To further these ties the two countries signed on a project development fund that will finance feasibility studies for a $90 billion (Rs4.2 trillion) Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) project, to be built on both sides of the 1,480km of rail track between Delhi and Mumbai across seven Indian states
Investors who found themselves swindled by the scam-hit IPOs of 2003-2005 finally found themselves in a position to recover their losses and be compensated as well. IDFC, NTPC, TCS, YES Bank and Suzlon Energy were some of the companies identified by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), among a list of 21 such IPOs.
There has been a significant 13% drop in remittances at $22.8 billion during the first half of the year (January-June) 2009, as opposed to $26.2 billion in the same period in 2008.
The domestic automobile industry has seen a rise in its sales in December, bringing the year to a close with a whopping 18.7 per cent jump year-on-year.
Free Trade Enters the Indian Market
Week Ending 2 January 2010
Beginning with the New Year India is all set to give effect to the free-trade-agreements (FTA) it has signed with South Korea and the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc. For now, India will liberalise its trade with three key ASEAN countries (Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia) by slashing duties on several items such as fish, apparel, cheese, tyres and construction equipment, with the remaining seven ASEAN members requesting more time as the trade pact needs to be internally approved or ratified by their parliaments.
Under the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between India and Korea, Indian professionals from as many as 163 sectors, including IT, English teaching, consultancy and engineering, would be eligible for temporary visas up to one year in Korea. The agreement also aims for an eventual duty free trade of goods and services between the two countries by reducing duties on as many as 90 per cent of Korean products which include tyres, electrical goods, vehicle parts and petroleum products.
The CEPA negotiations had started in March 2006 and were concluded in September 2008 with the Indian approval being granted by the Union cabinet at its meeting presided over by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on July 2, 2009. The CEPA comprises six agreements relating to opening up of trade in goods, services and customs, and trade facilitation. Also important is the fact that the agreement is South Korea's first free trade accord with one of the fast growing BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) nations and also India's first comprehensive trade agreement with a major economy. Although the bilateral trade between the two countries amounted to just $2.6 billion in 2002, it reached $15.6 billion (Rs74724 crore) last year, and has been steadily growing.
In contrast, India is the seventh largest trading partner of ASEAN, with trade between the two close to $48 billion in 2008-09, but still it took six years for the two to appreciate each others' sensitivities before the Comprehensive Economics Cooperation Agreement (CECA) was inked in 2009. Also, only three ASEAN countries are implementing the agreement with India from January 1, but they account for the bulk of the India-ASEAN trade at around $40 billion. Myanmar, Brunei and Vietnam are also expected to implement the trade pact by March 2010, with the rest of the countries joining in from June. Both the sides have agreed to reduce or eliminate tariffs on 95% of the commodities in the trade basket over the next nine years, opening-up a 1.7 billion people market in a phased manner, with India to do this in three phases, beginning 2010 and ending around 2018. By 2016, duties of bulk trade would get eliminated or drastically reduced on about 4,000 products.
Analysts hope that India's 'Look East Policy' would give a quantum jump to its annual bilateral trade with the rest of Asia. Despite the global economic slowdown, it is believed that India can maintain its policy of opening up at a rapid rate, as trade agreements look for long term gains and by the time the impact of the CECA/CEPA comes into effect, the current global downturn should be over.
A task force of the 13th Finance Commission has proposed a single 12 per cent rate for GST which would consist of a 5 per cent tax imposed by the Centre and 7 per cent by the states
Rural tele-density is 20 per cent as compared to over 100 per cent for towns and cities. It is therefore essential to double rural tele-density over the next few years, by exploiting to the fullest extent, the opportunities offered by mobile telephony for purposes of promotion of financial inclusion.
In this context, the Reserve Bank's permission to telecom companies to use external commercial borrowings to fund bidding for the 3G spectrum auction slated for January 14 is rather intriguing.
Bilateral trade between Israel and India has increased consistently from US$ 200 million
in 2001 to US$ 1.4 billion in 2008.
In this environment, Mr. Maran said that the Ministry has fixed a growth target of 12% to reach a market size of US$ 115 billion in the next five years and a global trade share of 7%. “If we have to sustain and grow, we need to reorient not only our policy goals by the entire production system,” he declared.
The Cabinet decision to import sugar at zero duty up to December 31 this year should similarly bring down prices of sugar.
Addressing captains of trade and industry here at a meeting organized jointly by FICCI, CII and ASSOCHAM, Mr. Razak said, “I will reiterate to the Indian Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, the imperative need to conclude the Malaysia-India CECA by this year end and invite him to Malaysia to the sign the bilateral agreement.”
India-ASEAN trade, which was US$ 2.5 billion in 1993-94, stood at US $ 39.06 billion in 2007-08 and is expected to reach US $ 50 billion by 2010. Total trade during April-December 2009 was US$ 34.01 billion.
These complementarities and the imperatives of realizing the full potential of India’s ‘Look East’ and ASEAN’s ‘Look West’ policy will be discussed threadbare at ‘The Delhi Dialogue-II, on January 21-22, 2010.
The ASEAN region is a net importer of services and it imported nearly $180 billion worth of services in 2007.
The top sectors attracting FDI inflows (from April 2000 to September 2009) are: services (34%), Petroleum & Natural Gas (13%), Computer Software & Hardware (10%), Telecommunications (7%) and Construction Activities (4%).
The proposed India-ASEAN Green Fund, with a corpus of US$ 5 million, would promote adaptation and mitigation technologies in the area of climate change.
Mr, Singhania said that India-ASEAN bilateral trade has crossed the US$ 45 billion mark and we will top the US$ 50 billion mark in 2010. “While our next immediate target for bilateral trade is US$ 70 billion, FICCI would like to propose that the two sides aim to achieve US$ 100 billion in trade by 2015”, he said, adding that with the first essential step towards this already taken – India – ASEAN FTA is now operational – this target is certainly achievable.
as there are no current or future capital infusion issues for the banks, especially in light of the $3.1-billion loan from the World Bank, which will be disbursed to banks short on capital.
D. Subbarao that the central bank may have to tighten the accommodative monetary policy has contributed to the rise of the rupee.
The two sides signed five agreements while India gave a $1 billion line of credit to Bangladesh, the largest assistance given by India to any country.
Additionally, Dr. Singh has also agreed to the proposal to give Dhaka 250 megawatts of electricity from the central grid. India had earlier agreed to supply 100 mw of power.
reached to a high of over a year in December, at 7.31%, primarily due to higher food prices. The December figures were greater than the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) forecast of a 6.5%-level inflation by the end of the fiscal.
October 2009, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had, in its bi-annual report on the world economy, forecasted that consumer price inflation in India will average 8.7% in 2009 and 8.4% in 2010
The textile industry has requested the Central government to specifically allocate Rs. 4,500 crore in the Union Budget for the Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (TUFS).
The Indian economy is the fourth largest economy of the world on the basis of Purchasing Power Parity (PPP).
Steel Minister Virbhadra Singh has said that the Centre is leaving no stone unturned to see that South Korean steel major Posco's Rs 54,000-crore project in Orissa is kicked off after all the regulatory clearances in the 4-5 months
Japan:-
PM, Dr. Manmohan Singh referring to the country's impeccable record as a responsible nuclear power and the joint-target set by the two nations to cross $20 billion (Rs.93,400 crore) in trade by next year from only around $12 billion in 2008-09,
To further these ties the two countries signed on a project development fund that will finance feasibility studies for a $90 billion (Rs4.2 trillion) Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) project, to be built on both sides of the 1,480km of rail track between Delhi and Mumbai across seven Indian states
Investors who found themselves swindled by the scam-hit IPOs of 2003-2005 finally found themselves in a position to recover their losses and be compensated as well. IDFC, NTPC, TCS, YES Bank and Suzlon Energy were some of the companies identified by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), among a list of 21 such IPOs.
There has been a significant 13% drop in remittances at $22.8 billion during the first half of the year (January-June) 2009, as opposed to $26.2 billion in the same period in 2008.
The domestic automobile industry has seen a rise in its sales in December, bringing the year to a close with a whopping 18.7 per cent jump year-on-year.
Free Trade Enters the Indian Market
Week Ending 2 January 2010
Beginning with the New Year India is all set to give effect to the free-trade-agreements (FTA) it has signed with South Korea and the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc. For now, India will liberalise its trade with three key ASEAN countries (Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia) by slashing duties on several items such as fish, apparel, cheese, tyres and construction equipment, with the remaining seven ASEAN members requesting more time as the trade pact needs to be internally approved or ratified by their parliaments.
Under the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between India and Korea, Indian professionals from as many as 163 sectors, including IT, English teaching, consultancy and engineering, would be eligible for temporary visas up to one year in Korea. The agreement also aims for an eventual duty free trade of goods and services between the two countries by reducing duties on as many as 90 per cent of Korean products which include tyres, electrical goods, vehicle parts and petroleum products.
The CEPA negotiations had started in March 2006 and were concluded in September 2008 with the Indian approval being granted by the Union cabinet at its meeting presided over by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on July 2, 2009. The CEPA comprises six agreements relating to opening up of trade in goods, services and customs, and trade facilitation. Also important is the fact that the agreement is South Korea's first free trade accord with one of the fast growing BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) nations and also India's first comprehensive trade agreement with a major economy. Although the bilateral trade between the two countries amounted to just $2.6 billion in 2002, it reached $15.6 billion (Rs74724 crore) last year, and has been steadily growing.
In contrast, India is the seventh largest trading partner of ASEAN, with trade between the two close to $48 billion in 2008-09, but still it took six years for the two to appreciate each others' sensitivities before the Comprehensive Economics Cooperation Agreement (CECA) was inked in 2009. Also, only three ASEAN countries are implementing the agreement with India from January 1, but they account for the bulk of the India-ASEAN trade at around $40 billion. Myanmar, Brunei and Vietnam are also expected to implement the trade pact by March 2010, with the rest of the countries joining in from June. Both the sides have agreed to reduce or eliminate tariffs on 95% of the commodities in the trade basket over the next nine years, opening-up a 1.7 billion people market in a phased manner, with India to do this in three phases, beginning 2010 and ending around 2018. By 2016, duties of bulk trade would get eliminated or drastically reduced on about 4,000 products.
Analysts hope that India's 'Look East Policy' would give a quantum jump to its annual bilateral trade with the rest of Asia. Despite the global economic slowdown, it is believed that India can maintain its policy of opening up at a rapid rate, as trade agreements look for long term gains and by the time the impact of the CECA/CEPA comes into effect, the current global downturn should be over.
A task force of the 13th Finance Commission has proposed a single 12 per cent rate for GST which would consist of a 5 per cent tax imposed by the Centre and 7 per cent by the states
Rural tele-density is 20 per cent as compared to over 100 per cent for towns and cities. It is therefore essential to double rural tele-density over the next few years, by exploiting to the fullest extent, the opportunities offered by mobile telephony for purposes of promotion of financial inclusion.
In this context, the Reserve Bank's permission to telecom companies to use external commercial borrowings to fund bidding for the 3G spectrum auction slated for January 14 is rather intriguing.
Bilateral trade between Israel and India has increased consistently from US$ 200 million
in 2001 to US$ 1.4 billion in 2008.
In this environment, Mr. Maran said that the Ministry has fixed a growth target of 12% to reach a market size of US$ 115 billion in the next five years and a global trade share of 7%. “If we have to sustain and grow, we need to reorient not only our policy goals by the entire production system,” he declared.
The Cabinet decision to import sugar at zero duty up to December 31 this year should similarly bring down prices of sugar.
Addressing captains of trade and industry here at a meeting organized jointly by FICCI, CII and ASSOCHAM, Mr. Razak said, “I will reiterate to the Indian Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, the imperative need to conclude the Malaysia-India CECA by this year end and invite him to Malaysia to the sign the bilateral agreement.”
India-ASEAN trade, which was US$ 2.5 billion in 1993-94, stood at US $ 39.06 billion in 2007-08 and is expected to reach US $ 50 billion by 2010. Total trade during April-December 2009 was US$ 34.01 billion.
These complementarities and the imperatives of realizing the full potential of India’s ‘Look East’ and ASEAN’s ‘Look West’ policy will be discussed threadbare at ‘The Delhi Dialogue-II, on January 21-22, 2010.
The ASEAN region is a net importer of services and it imported nearly $180 billion worth of services in 2007.
The top sectors attracting FDI inflows (from April 2000 to September 2009) are: services (34%), Petroleum & Natural Gas (13%), Computer Software & Hardware (10%), Telecommunications (7%) and Construction Activities (4%).
The proposed India-ASEAN Green Fund, with a corpus of US$ 5 million, would promote adaptation and mitigation technologies in the area of climate change.
Mr, Singhania said that India-ASEAN bilateral trade has crossed the US$ 45 billion mark and we will top the US$ 50 billion mark in 2010. “While our next immediate target for bilateral trade is US$ 70 billion, FICCI would like to propose that the two sides aim to achieve US$ 100 billion in trade by 2015”, he said, adding that with the first essential step towards this already taken – India – ASEAN FTA is now operational – this target is certainly achievable.
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