Business, Economy & Banking Current Affairs MCQs

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Recently, the Government launched the Revised SHAKTI Policy 2025 for transparent coal allocation. SHAKTI stands for Scheme for Harnessing and Allocating Koyala (Coal) Transparently in India. It ensures transparent coal linkages for all power producers, including Central Generating Companies (GENCOs), State GENCOs, and Independent Power Producers (IPPs). It replaces the SHAKTI Policy, 2017 by simplifying coal linkage into only two windows. The policy promotes competition, efficiency, pit-head thermal capacity, and affordable power. It boosts coal availability, mining, and revenue for coal-bearing states.

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Recently, the Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority (IEPFA) launched the “Saksham Niveshak” campaign. It is a 100-day national drive running from 28th July to 6th November 2025. IEPFA works under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. The campaign aims to help shareholders reclaim unclaimed dividends held by companies. It guides investors to update their Know Your Customer (KYC) and nomination details. Companies are encouraged to proactively contact shareholders to recover pending dividends.

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Recently, the United States (US) President announced a 25% tariff on all imports from India, effective from August 1, 2025. A separate penalty has also been imposed due to India’s continued purchase of Russian oil and military equipment. The US cited India’s high tariffs on American goods, calling them “among the highest in the world.” The US currently has a $40.8 billion trade deficit with India. India’s membership in BRICS, seen by the US as an anti-dollar group, is also a concern. A proposed Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) failed to materialize before the August 2025 deadline. The tariff move is viewed as a pressure tactic to speed up trade negotiations with India.

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As reported by the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO), Gujarat remained India’s top exporting state in 2024–25 with outbound shipments totaling ₹9.83 lakh crore, representing 26.6% of the nation’s total exports. Gujarat’s exports were ₹4.3 lakh crore higher than Maharashtra at ₹5.57 lakh crore, followed by Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. Gujarat’s top exports were Petroleum Products, Gems & Jewellery, Organic Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals, and Engineering Goods. Uttar Pradesh exported ₹1.86 lakh crore (5% of total), with the United States as its top destination, showing diverse market reach.

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The Geological Survey of India (GSI) discovered huge gold deposits in Mahgawan Keolari area of Sihora tehsil, Jabalpur district, Madhya Pradesh. Samples confirmed the presence of gold along with valuable metals like iron, manganese, and copper. The deposits span about 100 hectares and are estimated to be in lakhs of tonnes. This is the first gold discovery in Jabalpur, which is already known for iron, manganese, and limestone exports. Earlier, gold was found in Katni, Madhya Pradesh.

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The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will shift the Cheque Truncation System (CTS) from batch processing to continuous clearing with settlement on realisation in two phases. The Cheque Truncation System (CTS) in India was introduced by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). It is an online image-based cheque clearing system where cheque images and Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) data are sent electronically, stopping physical cheque movement. Benefits include same-day realisation, shorter clearing cycles, easy data storage, and reduced risks. Currently, cheques clear in up to two working days. After the new RBI measures, clearance will happen within hours of submission.

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The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released a report on Framework for Responsible and Ethical Enablement of Artificial Intelligence (FREE-AI) in the financial sector. FREE-AI Committee was constituted on 6th December 2024 to promote innovation while safeguarding consumer interests. The report prescribes 7 guiding sutras and 26 recommendations under six strategic pillars for responsible AI adoption. Objectives include transparency, accountability, fairness, customer protection, and balancing innovation with risk mitigation. AI benefits include efficiency, automation, data-driven decisions, improved customer experience, fraud prevention, and regulatory compliance.

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Dubai International Airport (DXB), the world’s busiest hub for international travel, launched an AI-powered passenger corridor under the “Travel Without Borders” initiative. The corridor lets up to 10 passengers clear immigration in just 14 seconds using facial recognition and pre-registered biometric data. It eliminates the need for passports, smart gates, or physical checks. Initially, it is rolled out in Terminal 3’s First and Business Class lounges. The system builds on Dubai’s “smart tunnel” introduced in 2020. Artificial Intelligence (AI) verifies passenger data, while suspicious cases are flagged for review.

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India has become the world’s third-largest solar power producer, surpassing Japan, as per International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). India generated 1,08,494 GWh of solar energy, while Japan produced 96,459 GWh. China is the world’s largest solar power producer, generating the highest amount of solar electricity annually. United States holds the second position with large-scale solar farms and widespread adoption of rooftop systems. As of July 2025, India’s total solar capacity is 119.02 GW, with 90.99 GW from ground-mounted plants, 19.88 GW from rooftop systems, 3.06 GW from hybrid projects, and 5.09 GW from off-grid installations.

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The Ministry of Finance removed the 11% import duty on cotton from 19 August to 30 September 2025. Imports earlier had 11% duty since February 2021, including 5% Basic Customs Duty and 5% Agriculture Infrastructure and Development Cess. India imported 39 lakh bales of cotton in the 2024-2025 season, with 2 lakh bales in transit to benefit from this waiver. Cotton imports rose 107.4% from 579.2 million in FY24 to 1.20 billion in FY25, with suppliers like Australia, United States, Brazil, and Egypt. The waiver will ease high input costs, support yarn and fabric exporters, and stabilise markets until the new crop.