Business, Economy & Banking Current Affairs MCQs

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India has taken over as Chair of the Kimberley Process (KP) for the year 2026. The Kimberley Process is a global partnership of governments, civil society, and the diamond industry to stop the trade in conflict diamonds. The Kimberley Process has 60 participants representing 86 countries and covers over 99% of global rough diamond trade. The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) ensures each rough diamond shipment carries a conflict-free certificate in tamper-proof containers.

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Reserve Bank of India issued draft revised guidelines for the Lead Bank Scheme for public comments. Lead Bank Scheme was introduced in December 1969 on the recommendation of the Nariman Committee. The objective of scheme is to coordinate banks and development agencies to increase bank finance to priority and other sectors. It also promotes the role of banks in overall rural development. Under the scheme, one bank is assigned as the Lead Bank for each district. The Lead Bank coordinates credit institutions and Government efforts at district level.

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In March 2026, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) deployed an in-house Artificial Intelligence (AI) system named “Sudarshan” to strengthen the digital monitoring of financial content across online platforms. The primary objective of the Sudarshan AI system is to detect misleading financial information and curb illegal advisory activities carried out by unregistered financial influencers (finfluencers) on digital platforms. Using this AI-based surveillance system, SEBI has facilitated the removal of more than 1.20 lakh misleading social media posts that were shared by unregistered individuals or entities providing financial advice.

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National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), with Gates Foundation and Dalberg Advisors, launched the National Climate Stack Innovation Challenge to strengthen India’s rural climate resilience. The initiative aims to build a National Climate Stack, integrating fragmented climate datasets into a unified digital platform. It will develop 10–15 year climate hazard forecasting frameworks for risks like heatwaves, floods, droughts, and cyclones affecting agriculture. The project will also create practical dashboards for agriculture, rural finance, and public planning decisions.

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Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) released a new Gross Domestic Product (GDP) data series with base year 2022–23, replacing 2011–12. GDP data is crucial for economic policymaking, fiscal planning, investment decisions, and overall macroeconomic analysis in India. The new series includes updated methodologies and improved data collection techniques. Despite improvements, concerns remain over large statistical discrepancies in the data. Questions have also been raised about the accuracy and credibility of real GDP growth estimates.

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Tamil Nadu has become India’s top textile-exporting state, with shipments worth USD 7,997.17 million in 2024-25, a 29.12% increase over the last four years. In 2020-21, Tamil Nadu’s textile exports were USD 6,193 million, showing consistent growth under the Dravidian Model government, led by Chief Minister M. K. Stalin. The state now contributes 21.84% of India’s total textile exports, outpacing Gujarat (USD 5,646.01 million) and Maharashtra (USD 3,831.29 million). Data is reported through the National Import-Export Record for Yearly Analysis of Trade, providing real-time comprehensive foreign trade data.

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PRARAMBH 2026 (Policy Reform and Responsible Action for Mission Viksit Bharat) was launched by the Ministry of Finance as a nationwide awareness campaign on the Income Tax Act, 2025. The initiative aims to familiarise citizens with provisions of the new tax law, which will come into effect from 1 April 2026, through a multi-channel outreach including print, TV, radio, digital and social media. It offers taxpayer-centric resources such as guidance notes, brochures, tutorial videos, FAQs, and public engagement activities like the MyGov Quiz. The campaign adopts a multilingual approach, with materials released in 10 regional languages along with English and Hindi for wider accessibility.

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Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises implements MSE-CDP (Micro and Small Enterprises Cluster Development Programme) to improve productivity and competitiveness of MSEs (Micro and Small Enterprises). The scheme provides financial assistance to set up Common Facility Centres (CFCs) and upgrade infrastructure in industrial clusters. It is a demand-driven scheme with proposals from States and Union Territories based on needs. 242 CFCs have been approved across India including 6 in Punjab, while 513 clusters approved under SFURTI (Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries) since 2015–16.

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The Reserve Bank of India has released the “Payments Vision 2028” roadmap with the theme “Shaping India’s Payment Frontier” to guide the future of digital payments. The vision outlines 15 key initiatives and marks a shift beyond the earlier “4Es” (Everyone, Everywhere, Every time) toward consumer trust, system resilience, and global expansion. It proposes a shared liability framework, where both the sender’s and receiver’s banks will jointly bear responsibility for unauthorised digital transactions. It aims to bring e-commerce marketplaces and payment aggregators under direct RBI regulation, strengthening oversight of digital payments.

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Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH) has been integrated with the e-Shram Portal to provide skilling opportunities to registered workers across all States. Through this integration, e-Shram beneficiaries can directly access training courses and upskilling programmes available on SIDH. SIDH enables issuance of digitally verifiable and tamper-proof credentials, improving trust, portability, and recognition of skills. The platform is integrated with Bhashini, allowing translation into 22 regional languages, promoting inclusivity.