IBS Quest Position Index Top Ranked Country CONTENTS of India 1. Economic watch 1 Human Development Index -2017 131 Topped by Norway followed by Australia 100th The list is topped by New Zealand followed by Ease of Doing Business Index 2018 2. Editor’s Message 2 Singapore, Denmark. Foreign Direct Investment The list is topped by USA followed by 3. Articles 3 8th confidence index Germany 4. Current Affairs December 2017 7 The list is topped by Switzerland, followed by Global Competitiveness Index 2016 39th Singapore and USA. 5. Banking: At a Glance 17 The list is topped by Switzerland, followed by Global Talent Index 92nd 6. Miscellaneous 25 Singapore The list is topped by Norway, followed by Global Human Capital index 2017 103 7. State: At a Glance Gujarat 27 Finland Developed by International food policy and 8. GK Model Test Paper-1 28 Global Hunger Index 2017 100th research institute (IFPRI) 9. GK Model Test Paper-2 31 The list is topped by Switzerland, followed by Global Innovation Index 2016 60 Sweden 10. State GK: Haryana 34 The list is topped by Iceland, followed by Global Peace Index (GPI) 2017 137 11. State GK: Punjab 38 Newzland The list is topped by North Korea, followed by Global Slavery Index 2016 4th 12. State GK: Himachal Pradesh 41 Uzbekistan and Cambodia. Global Talent Competitiveness Index The list is topped by Switzerland, followed by 13. Current Affairs Last 3 Months 44 89th 2017 Singapore and Luxembourg. 14. Latest GK Tablets 66 The list is topped by USA, followed by UK Intellectual Property Index 2017 43rd and Germany. The list is topped by Germany, followed by Logistics Performance Index 2016 35th Luxembourg and Sweden. IBS Quest The list is topped by Norway followed by Global Human Capital Index 103 Finland AN IBS (P) LTD. Sustainable Development Goal Index The list is topped by Sweden, followed by 116th INITIATIVE 2017 Denmark The list is topped by Hong Kong, followed by Economic Freedom Index 2017 143rd Owned, Printed & Published By Singapore. The list is topped by Norway followed by World Happiness Index 2017 122nd Institute of Banking & SSC Exams Denmark, The list is topped by Norway, followed by SCO 13-14-15, Sector 34A, CHD. World Press Freedom Index 2017 136 Sweden The list is topped by Island state of Vanuatu, www.ibsindia.co.in World Risk Index 2016 77th followed by Tonga and Philippines. Global Travel and Tourism Index- e-mail: [email protected] 40 The list topped by Spain followed by France 2017 Policy Rates of Reserve Bank of Global Corruption perception index- The list is topped by New Zealand and 79 India w.e.f 6th December 2017 2017 Denmark The list is topped by Norway, followed by Bank Rate : 6.25% Legatum Prosperity Index 2017 100th New Zealand, Finland, Switzerland and Repo Rate : 6.0% Sweden. Reverse Repo Rate (RRR) : 5.75% CRR (Cash Reserve Ratio) : 4% FDI Limits SLR (Statutory Liquidity Ratio) : 19.5% List of Limits in Various Sectors (In %) Base Rate : 8.95% - 9.45% 1. Petroleum Refining by PSU 49% 7. Civil Aviation 100% Saving Deposit rate :3.5%- 4% 2. Pharmaceutical Sector 74% 8. Private security agencies 49% Term Deposit Rate for >1 Year : 6.00% -6.70 % 3. Medical Devices 100% 9. Private Sector Banking 74% Marginal Standing Facility (MSF): 6.25% 4. White Label ATM Operation 100% 10. Public Sector Banking 20% Marginal Cost of Fund Based Lending RatE 5. Cable Networks 100% 11. Insurance and sub-activities 49% : 7.70%-8.05% 6. Print Media 26% << 1 >> | IBS QUEST | FEBRUARY, 2018 IBS Quest EDITOR’S MESSAGE TACKLING THE CHALLENGES OF LIFE-In our personal lives as well as on a global scale, we face challenges that test our emotional mettle such as, injury, illness, unemployment, grief, divorce, death, or even a new venture with an unknown future. Here are few strategies to help carry us through: Embrace Your Life as It Is rather than as you Wish It to Be;The Buddha taught that the secret to life is to want what you have and to not want what you don’t have. Being present means being present to the life that you have right here, right now. There is freedom in taking life as it comes to us—the good with the bad, the wonderful with the tragic, the love with the loss, and the life with the death. When we embrace it all, then we have a real chance to enjoy life, to value our experiences, and to mine the treasures that are there for the taking. When we surrender to the reality of who we are, we give ourselves a chance to do what we can do. Practice Gratitude; It is easy to count our troubles rather than our blessings, but such an attitude undermines our ability to draw from the good that we have been given and to see our lives fundamentally as a gift. A change in perspective can make all the difference. Recognizing the good and receiving it with gratitude is a recipe for emotional health and well-being. This attitude enlarges the possibility that we can make use of the good we have been given and even use it to cope with the difficulties that we inevitably have inherited.Accept Success and Fiascos as Part of Life’s Journey; We are all learning. No one gets it right every time. A more compassionate attitude toward ourselves only helps us to stay in the game. The dynamic process of life— trying, succeeding, failing, and trying again—is the only way to develop lasting confidence in ourselves. We learn through experience that we can both succeed and recover from failure. We also learn to be humble and so develop a view of ourselves as limited creatures that will always need the help and support of others. No matter how mature or successful we become, the child within always will need mentors and friends who’ll see us through.Self Introspection; “what lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us”. When you realize that everything springs from yourself, you can start walking on the path of tranquility. However, always keep one thing in mind that in any kind of circumstances that “Positivity Will Take You Everywhere” just have faith and patience. ALL THE BEST << 2 >> | IBS QUEST | FEBRUARY, 2018 IBS Quest GUJARAT ELECTION 2017 : A New Picture of Bhartiya Janta Party & INDIA Through much of the election campaign in Gujarat in the last two months there has been one refrain that has rung out, “Congress is fighting well but BJP will form the government.” Election’s results in Gujarat has conformed to that view, with the Congress having improved on its 2012 tally, but still resigned to being the opposition, albeit the strongest in many years, in the state. Every poll result has its reasons and lessons, and what worked, what didn’t. The electoral victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party reinforces that Prime Minister Modi remains the most potent weapon in its armoury. As the BJP’s attempts to take on the opposition campaign narrative appeared to be flailing, Prime Minister Modi’s blistering campaign in every district of the state — 34 rallies in 15 days — and the reinforcement of his connect with the people of Gujarat was an important factor. While a lot of heat was raised by some of the campaign rhetoric, especially with regard to former former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister Modi’s was successful in intervening in the campaign at the most crucial juncture. Self goals by the Congress like former Union Minister Mani Shankar Aiyyar’s “neech” (low) comment and his former Cabinet colleague Kapil Sibal’s appearance in the Ayodhya case before the Supreme Court asking for a deferment helped the BJP gain some traction around both the persona of Prime Minister Modi and Hindutva issues. “The comment by Mani Shankar Aiyyar focused the campaign from issues raised by the Congress with regard to reservations and GST to the personality of Prime Minister Modi, and helped regain traction for the BJP”. There is a clear rural urban divide in the voting pattern in Gujarat with the BJP holding on to its urban bastions and Congress giving it a tough challenge in rural areas. And while BJP president Amit Shah ran down the Hardik Patel effect in these polls saying that the party had won handsomely in Surat and Mehsana considered the epicentre of the Patidar agitation for reservation under the aegis of the Hardik Patel led Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS), the cotton and groundnut growing belt in Saurashtra is where the BJP took most damage. It lost all three seats in Morbi, four seats in Surendranagar, four in Somnath and five seats in Amreli where it had held ground in 2012. Rural distress is therefore something that the party needs to address, not just in Gujarat but across the country. The formidable electoral machinery of the BJP however has cleared the test of this strongly fought contest. By June the party had “completed” its booth committees (a Committee is considered complete if it consists of 21 members). These were sub divided into panna pramukhs (page in charge) of a 48 voters in a particular constituency. A total of 7,500 people were deployed for this and, according to Madhya Pradesh minister Narottam Mishra who had been in charge of 26 seats in Saurashtra, BJP Chief Amit Shah spoke to each of these panna pramukhs. The BJP is however elated at having registered a sixth straight win in Gujarat with 99 seats out of the total 182 Legislative Assembly seats in the State & Vijay Rupani became the new Chief Minister with Nitin Bhai Patel as his Deputy.