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Indian Economy - General Knowledge Questions
A)
$250 Billion
B)
$300 Billion
C)
$350 Billion
D)
$400 Billion

Correct Answer :   $300 Billion

The country’s services exports are doing “extremely well” and going by the current trend these outbound shipments would register about 20 per cent growth in this fiscal (FY 2022 - 2023) and cross the USD 300 billion target despite global economic uncertainties, Commerce and Industry Minister "Piyush Goyal" has said.

* Minister Piyush Goyal further said that on the merchandise front also, exports are so far registering healthy growth despite the world being under recession, huge inflationary pressure, and overstocking of various commodities.

* With all these stress, where every global leader is talking of “very” tough times, India’s exports rose 9 per cent year-on-year during April-December 2022-23.

* During April-December 2022-23, overall exports rose 9 per cent to USD 332.76 billion while imports increased 24.96 per cent to USD 551.7 billion.

Widening Trade Deficit :

* Trade deficit during the nine-month period widened to USD 218.94 billion as against USD 136.45 billion in April-December 2021-22. In last fiscal year, the country’s merchandise shipments touched an all-time high of USD 422 billion.

* India’s exports contracted 12.2 per cent to USD 34.48 billion in December 2022, mainly due to global headwinds, and the trade deficit widened to USD 23.76 billion during the same period. The minister said individual months have seen some ups and downs, but overall the exports sector is doing well so far despite global economic uncertainties.

All time high Services Exports :

* According to the data of the commerce ministry, the estimated value of services export in April-December 2022 is USD 235.81 billion as compared to USD 184.65 billion in the year-ago period. In 2021-22, these exports touched an all-time high of USD 254 billion.

* IT and ITeS accounts for 40-45 per cent share in the exports. It is followed by travel and tourism, education, and financial services like banking, and accountancy.

* Developed countries are contributing maximum share in these exports, he said adding Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries holds huge potential to increase the exports....

Source : India Times

A)
5.4%
B)
5.8%
C)
6.2%
D)
6.7%

Correct Answer :   6.2%

India’s gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to grow at 6.2% in FY24 as drivers of domestic demand remain intact amid fears of an impending slowdown, Morgan Stanley said in a research report released on Thursday (16th February 2023).

The report said that as the economy fully reopened in 2022 leading to a cyclical recovery in consumption, pickup in private capex with healthy balance sheets in the private corporate and financial sector, and acceleration in government capital spending, the world’s fifth largest economy will breach the consensus GDP growth figure of 6%.

“We believe that the key for sustained domestic demand is a pickup in capex, which will help create more jobs, thus leading to a virtuous cycle of more jobs leading to higher income, which will lead to higher saving, resulting in higher investment”, the report notes.

Earlier, the Union Budget for FY24 had projected nominal GDP growth at 10.5%, as the centre increased the capital investment outlay steeply for the third year in a row by 33% to Rs 10 trillion.

The Economic Survey for 2022-23 projected that India would witness a growth between 6-6.8% in FY24, depending on the trajectory of economic and geo-political developments globally.

The report also mentioned that the incoming high-frequency data on indicators like private consumption and investment reflected a moderation in the December quarter driven by base effect and shift in the festival calendar rather than a slowdown.

“Indeed, incoming data on high-frequency indicators have gained momentum both in YoY (year-on-year) and MoM (month-on-month) terms in January. The trend is thus encouraging after these indicators exhibited mixed signs, with some of them slowing in YoY terms in Q3 after peaking in Q2, driven by the impact of shift in festival dates on growth rates”, the report notes...

Source : Business Standard

A)
$6.46 Billion
B)
$7.08 Billion
C)
$7.69 Billion
D)
$8.31 Billion

Correct Answer :   $8.31 Billion

India's foreign exchange reserves experienced its biggest decline in over 11 months, dropping by 8.3% in the week ending 10th February 2023, according to the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) statistical supplement released on Friday (17th Feb 2023).

As of the end of last week, India's foreign exchange reserves were recorded at a one-month low of $566.95 billion, reflecting a decline of 8.3% from the previous week's figure of $575.27 billion, during which it fell 1.5%.

The Weekly Statistical Supplement released by the RBI revealed that, for the week ending February 10, the foreign currency assets - a significant component of India's foreign exchange reserves - decreased by $7.108 billion to $500.587 billion.

According to the Reserve Bank of India, gold reserves have decreased for the second consecutive week, dropping by $919 million to reach a total of $42.862 billion.

Additionally, the Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) also decreased by $190 million to $18.354 billion. The country's reserve position with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) also declined by $102 million to $5.145 billion during the reporting week, as per data from the apex bank..

Source : CNBC

A)
12%
B)
15%
C)
18%
D)
20%

Correct Answer :   18%

Gross direct tax collections grew 24% to Rs 15.67 trillion so far FY2023, the finance ministry said on Saturday (11th Feb 2023).

* After adjusting for refunds, the net direct tax collection stood at Rs 12.98 trillion, a growth of 18.40%.

* The net collections are about 79% of Revised Estimates (RE) of direct tax collection for current FY2023.

* The revised estimates for the current fiscal pegged direct tax revenues at Rs 16.50 lakh crore, higher than the budget estimates of Rs 14.20 trillion.

* "The provisional figures of direct tax collections up to 10th February, 2023 continue to register steady growth. Direct tax collections up to 10th February, 2023 show that gross collections are at Rs 15.67 trillion which is 24.09% higher than the gross collections for the corresponding period of last year," Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).

* In the current fiscal (2022-23), the revenues from direct tax (which includes income and corporate taxes) are projected to grow by over 17 per cent compared to 2021-22 fiscal when the collection was Rs 14.08 trillion...

Source : Business Standard

A)
Rs 2.70 lakh crore
B)
Rs 2.40 lakh crore
C)
Rs 1.90 lakh crore
D)
Rs 1.50 lakh crore

Correct Answer :   Rs 2.40 lakh crore

The Union Budget 2023-24 includes the Railways received its highest-ever allocation of Rs 2.40 lakh crore for 2023-24.

Rs 1 lakh crore higher than the previous year (FY 2022 -23).

The Railways has kept a capital spend target of Rs 2.6 lakh crore for FY24.

In the Revised Estimates, Railways received Gross Budgetary Support of Rs 1.59 lakh crore from the Finance Ministry, which is over Rs 20,000 crore more than what was originally allocated in the last Budget. This figure is Rs 2.4 lakh crore for the next fiscal, a never-before jump in Gross Budgetary Support...

Source : Indian Express

A)
1,55,922
B)
1,56,987
C)
1,58,562
D)
1,59,839

Correct Answer :   1,55,922

The gross GST revenue collected in the month of January 2023 till 5:00 PM on 31.01.2023 is Rs 1,55,922 crore of which CGST is Rs 28,963 crore, SGST is Rs 36,730 crore, IGST is Rs 79,599 crore (including Rs 37,118 crore collected on import of goods) and cess is Rs 10,630 crore (including Rs  768 crore collected on import of goods).

* The Government has settled Rs 38,507 crore to CGST and Rs 32,624 crore to SGST from IGST as regular settlement.

* The total revenue of Centre and the States in the month of January 2023 after regular settlement is Rs 67,470 crore for CGST and Rs 69,354 crore for the SGST.

* The revenues in the current financial year upto the month of January 2023 are 24% higher than the GST revenues during the same period last year.

* The revenues for this period from import of goods are 29% higher and from domestic transaction (including import of services) are 22% higher than the revenues from these sources for the same period last year (2022).

* This is for the third time, in the current financial year, GST collection has crossed Rs 1.50 lakh crore mark. The GST collection in January 2023 is the second highest next only to the collection reported in April 2022.

* During the month of December 2022, 8.3 crore e-way bills were generated, which is the highest so far and it was significantly higher than 7.9 crore e-way bills generated in November 2022.

* Over the last year, various efforts have been made to increase the tax base and improve compliance. The percentage of filing of GST returns (GSTR-3B) and of the statement of invoices (GSTR-1), till the end of the month, has improved significantly over years.

* The trend in return filing in the Oct-Dec quarter over last few years is as shown in the graph below. In the quarter Oct-Dec 2022, total 2.42 crore GST returns were filed till end of next month as compared to 2.19 crore in the same quarter in the last year...

Source : PIB

A)
10,000 crores
B)
9,000 crores
C)
8,000 crores
D)
5,000 crores

Correct Answer :   9000 crores

During the budget address on February 1, 2023, Finance Minister Niramala Sitharaman proposed a Rs 9,000 crore infusion into the corpus to reform the credit guarantee plan for MSMEs.

According to the finance minister, the policy would go into force on April 1, 2023. Sitharaman further stated that the announced injection will enable extra collateral-free guaranteed credit of Rs 2 lakh crore and cut credit costs by 1%.

A)
5.2%
B)
5.7%
C)
6.1%
D)
6.5%

Correct Answer :   6.5%

The Indian economy is seen growing 6.0-6.8 per cent with a baseline real GDP growth of 6.5 per cent in the next financial year 2023-24 on the back of a rebound in private consumption, higher capital expenditure, near-universal vaccination coverage enabling spending on contact-based services, and strengthening of the balance sheets of the corporates, says the Economic Survey for 2022-23 tabled in Parliament on Tuesday (31 January 2023).

Key Points :

* The government stated in its Economic Survey 2022-23 report that their baseline scenario for growth for 2023–2024 was 6.5%, with nominal growth—which takes inflation into account—predicted at 11%.

* Since the COVID-19 pandemic, India’s economy has recovered, but the crisis in Russia and Ukraine has increased inflationary pressures and forced central banks, including India’s, to change their ultra-loose monetary policy.

* The Economic Survey 2022-23 report found that even though inflation remained over the central bank’s target in 2022–2023, the rate of price increases was neither too high nor too low to discourage private consumption or hamper investment.

* India’s economy will expand by 6.5 percent in 2023–2024 compared to 7 percent this fiscal year and 8.7 percent in 2021–2022

* India will continue to be the world’s fastest-growing major economy, according to the Economic Survey 2022-23.

* To be 11 percent in nominal terms in the upcoming fiscal year

* Private consumption, more capital expenditures, a stronger corporate balance sheet, increased financing to small enterprises, and the return of migrant workers to cities all contributed to growth.

* India is the world’s third-largest economy by purchasing power parity and the fifth-largest by exchange rate.

* The economy has almost “recouped” what it lost, “renewed,” and “renergised,” what had stalled during the pandemic and since the conflict in Europe.

* Real GDP growth will be between 6 and 6.8% next fiscal year, depending on regional and international political and economic developments, according to the Economic Survey 2022-23.

* India recovered from the epidemic quite quickly, and growth will be underpinned by strong domestic demand and an increase in capital investment in the upcoming fiscal year.

* The RBI expects inflation to be 6.8 percent this fiscal year, which is higher than the upper goal limit but not high enough to discourage private consumption or too low to reduce incentives for investing.

* Long-term inflation may make borrowing costs “higher for longer” and lengthen the tightening cycle.

* With the possibility of additional interest rate increases by the US Fed, the challenge to the rupee’s depreciation continues.

* Given the elevated global commodity prices and the continued strength of the economic growth momentum, the CAD may continue to widen.

* The rupee may see devaluation pressure if CAD widens much more, according to the Economic Survey 2022-23.

* An overall manageable external environment

* India has enough foreign exchange reserves to cover CAD and participate in the FX market to control currency volatility.

* elevated potential risks to the outlook for the world economy as a result of continuing inflation in advanced economies and indications of additional rate hikes by central banks

* In comparison to a number of developed countries, inflation did not “climb too much above” the acceptable limit.

* The second part of this year saw a loss of export stimulus due to slowing global GDP and declining worldwide trade.

* On the strength of low inflation and moderate lending costs, bank credit growth is anticipated to be robust in FY24.

* Over 30.5 percent of credit growth went to small firms between January and November of 2022.

* After the release of pent-up demand and a drop in inventory, housing prices have firmed up.

* In the current fiscal year’s April to November, Central Government Capex increased by 63.4 percent.

* Unaffected by the FPI pullout, the stock market saw positive reruns in calendar year 2022.

* India fared better than other economies in overcoming an unprecedented mix of difficulties.

* GST paid by small firms has increased and currently exceeds pre-pandemic levels after declining in FY21, demonstrating the success of focused government assistance, according to the Economic Survey 2022-23.

* Plans like PM KISAN and PM Garib Kalyan Yojana made a big difference in reducing poverty.

* Drive economic growth through credit distribution, the capital investment cycle, the expansion of public digital platforms, and programmes like PLI, the National Logistics Policy, and PM Gati Shakti.

* In the current fiscal year, private consumption and capital formation-led economic growth have contributed to job creation; urban employment rates have fallen while Employee Provident Fund registrations have risen..

* India’s economic resilience has enabled it to meet the task of reducing external imbalances brought on by the crisis between Russia and Ukraine while maintaining development momentum.

* The increase in growth rates in 2021–22 and the first half of the current fiscal year caused production processes to change from “mild acceleration” to “cruise mode,” although export growth has since decreased.

A)
6.7 percent
B)
6.2 percent
C)
5.8 percent
D)
5.3 percent

Correct Answer :   5.8 percent

The United Nations (UN) has cut its GDP growth forecast for India for calendar year 2023 to 5.8 percent, citing the effect of tighter monetary policy and weak global demand.
 
"Growth in India is expected to remain strong at 5.8 percent, albeit slightly lower than the estimated 6.4 percent in 2022, as higher interest rates and a global slowdown weigh on investment and exports," the UN's World Economic Situation and Prospects 2023 report, published on January 25,2023.

The report is written by the UN's Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the UN Conference on Trade and Development, and the regional economic commissions for Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific, and Western Asia.

Like several other central banks around the world, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) reacted to elevated inflation and hiked the policy repo rate by 225 basis points in 2022 to 6.25 percent...

Source : CNBC

A)
$18 Trillion
B)
$23 Trillion
C)
$26 Trillion
D)
$30 Trillion

Correct Answer :   $26 Trillion

India is likely to become a $26-trillion economy in 100th year of its Indepe­ndence in 2047 with per capita GDP growing six times from current level to over $15,000 during the period, Ernst & Young (EY) said in a report released at the sidelines of the World Economic Forum 2023 at Davos.
 
The report, titled “India@100: Realising the potential of a $26 trillion economy”, says India is most likely to overtake Germany and Japan to become the third largest economy after China and the US by 2030.
 
Carmine Di Sibio, global Chairman and CEO at EY, said India offers a unique investment opportunity as the world struggles, with increased geo-political pressures.

“With the biggest talent pool, an accelerated pace of economic reforms, breakthroughs in energy transition, and rapid digital transformation, the long-term growth trajectory is clearly positive. India shows immense potential and is positioned to make a truly transfo­rmative impact on the world stage”...

Source : Business Standard