Business, Economy & Banking Current Affairs MCQs

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The Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority (IEPFA) and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) launched the “Niveshak Shivir” initiative to help investors reclaim unclaimed dividends and shares. This nationwide program offers direct support to investors, making it easier to recover unclaimed assets. IEPFA provides a digital tool for tracking shares and filing claims. The initiative includes on-ground helpdesks for investors to interact with company representatives. It aims to reduce reliance on intermediaries, increase transparency, and improve financial literacy. The program also speeds up the resolution of investor grievances.

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Goods and Services Tax (GST) was introduced on July 1, 2017, to simplify and unify India’s complex tax system. It merged multiple central and state taxes into a single tax, making compliance easier and improving transparency. In 2024, India’s total GST revenue collection reached ₹21.36 lakh crore, the highest since the GST launch, showing an 8.86% rise from the previous year. In April 2025, gross GST revenue was ₹2.36 lakh crore, marking a 12.6% year-on-year growth, as per the Ministry of Finance. Maharashtra topped GST collections for FY 2024 and April 2025 but saw slower growth at 11% in April. Gujarat showed the highest growth, with a 13% rise and ₹14,970 crore collection in April 2025. Gujarat’s total GST revenue for FY 2024–25 stood at ₹1.74 lakh crore, the highest ever, according to GST Council data shared via Forbes.

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The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has made it mandatory for Regulated Entities (REs) to report details of their Digital Lending Apps (DLAs) through the Centralised Information Management System (CIMS) portal. Centralised Information Management System (CIMS) is a modern data management platform introduced by the RBI to handle large-scale data processing, analysis, and sharing. It acts as a central data warehouse, using advanced tools for data mining, text analysis, and visual insights across financial and economic sectors. It improves the efficiency of regulatory reporting and reduces workload for banks and regulated firms. It helps RBI monitor the financial system better and react faster to potential risks.

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Tamil Nadu has received the highest funds from the Central government under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in the current financial year 2025–26. Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, which is heading for elections, are next in line. Karnataka, governed by the opposition, is also among the top 10 recipients. MGNREGS is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) aimed at providing rural employment with shared funding by the Centre and states. This comes amid political debates over fair fund distribution under CSS. These fund allocations highlight the Centre’s continued focus on rural job security.

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The Department of Financial Services (DFS) under the Ministry of Finance recently held a colloquium in New Delhi with heads of Debt Recovery Appellate Tribunals (DRATs) and Debt Recovery Tribunals (DRTs). Debt Recovery Tribunals (DRTs) are special courts set up under the Recovery of Debts Due to Banks and Financial Institutions Act, 1993. They mainly handle loan default cases involving amounts above ₹20 lakh from banks and financial institutions. DRTs also hear Securitisation Applications (SAs) under the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest (SARFAESI) Act, 2002. India currently has 39 DRTs, each led by a Presiding Officer.

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India attracted a record USD 81.04 billion in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the fiscal year 2024–25, a 14% rise from the previous year. This growth was supported by liberalized policies and strong inflows in services and manufacturing. The services sector received the highest FDI equity at 19%, followed by computer software and hardware at 16%, and trading at 8%. FDI in services rose by 40.77% to USD 9.35 billion from USD 6.64 billion. Maharashtra received the highest share of FDI at 39%, followed by Karnataka at 13% and Delhi at 12%. From 2014 to 2025, India attracted USD 748.78 billion in FDI, 143% more than the USD 308.38 billion received from 2003 to 2014.

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Recently, India’s first Artificial Intelligence-focused Special Economic Zone (AI SEZ) was announced in Nava Raipur, Chhattisgarh. It will be developed by RackBank Datacenters Private Limited with an investment of ₹1,000 crore. The AI SEZ will span six acres and include a 1.5 lakh square foot facility with high-end servers for large-scale AI operations. It will house four high-density data centres with a total capacity of 80 megawatts to support national digital infrastructure. For the first time, India will not just consume but also host and deliver Artificial Intelligence services globally. It will offer jobs to youth from remote areas like Kanker, Sukma, Bilaspur, and Dantewada in roles such as IT engineers and cybersecurity officers.

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Recently, the Minister of State for Commerce and Industry inaugurated the new unified headquarters of the Quality Council of India (QCI) at the World Trade Centre in New Delhi. The Quality Council of India (QCI) is a non-profit autonomous organisation registered under the Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860. It was set up in 1997 by the Government of India along with Indian industry associations like the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). Mr. Ratan Tata was the first Chairman of QCI. QCI functions under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry. It serves as the national accreditation body of India.

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The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released its latest Urban Consumer Confidence Survey (UCCS) in May 2025. The UCCS showed that urban consumers had stable views about the current economic situation but were hopeful about the future. The UCCS is a bi-monthly survey by RBI to study urban household opinions on economy, employment, income, inflation, and spending. In May 2025, the survey covered 6,090 people from 19 cities. For the first time, RBI renamed it as UCCS, to separate it from the new Rural Consumer Confidence Survey.

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According to the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Maharashtra and Karnataka together accounted for 51% of India’s Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows in 2024–25. Maharashtra received the highest FDI at $19.6 billion, which is 31% of the national total. Karnataka came next with $6.62 billion in overseas investment. They were followed by Delhi ($6 billion), Gujarat ($5.71 billion), Tamil Nadu ($3.68 billion), Haryana ($3.14 billion), and Telangana ($3 billion). Total FDI inflow rose 14% to $81.04 billion in 2024–25, the highest in three years.