General Awareness and Banking Awareness
General Awareness and Banking Awareness tests the candidate's grip on India's financial architecture and Himachal Pradesh's basic facts. Questions mix static banking, current schemes and state-specific general knowledge, so prepare them as one connected map rather than separate lists.
Banking institutions
- RBI is India's central bank, established on 1 April 1935 and nationalised in 1949. It issues currency, conducts monetary policy and regulates banks.
- NABARD, set up in 1982, is the apex development bank for agriculture and rural credit; it refinances cooperative banks and regional rural banks.
- A cooperative bank is registered under the state Cooperative Societies Act but its banking business is regulated by RBI under the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
- CRR is the share of net demand and time liabilities kept with RBI; SLR is held in approved securities. Neither is a customer charge.
HP facts to anchor
Himachal Pradesh became a full state on 25 January 1971; Shimla is the summer capital and Dharamshala the winter capital. The main rivers are the Satluj, Beas, Ravi, Chenab and Yamuna. National highways and hydel projects frequently appear in state GK.
Worked example
Question: Who regulates the banking functions of a state cooperative bank? Reasoning: the Registrar of Cooperative Societies handles incorporation and management, but deposit-taking, licensing and prudential norms fall under RBI. Answer: RBI, with NABARD as refinancing agency.
Traps
Do not confuse RBI with NABARD or SEBI. Do not date the RBI to 1949; that is nationalisation. In HP questions, do not mix the formation date (1948) with statehood (1971), and do not label Dharamshala the summer capital.