INSIGHT UPSC QUIZ

GS Economy Economic Concepts
Q.

 With reference to Indian Economy, which among the following is/are classified as foreign investment:

1. Investment made by Multinational Corporations (MNCs).

2. FDI under government route.

3. External Commercial Borrowings. 

4. Foreign investor investing in an Indian small scale industrial unit.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Explanation:

ANSWER: (D)

  • MNCs set up factories and offices for production. The money that is spent to buy assets such as land, building, machines and other equipment is called investment. Investment made by MNCs is called foreign investment. Any investment is made with the hope that these assets will earn profits. 
  • Foreign Investment in India is governed by the FDI policy announced by the Government of India and the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) 1999
  • A foreign investor can invest in an Indian company which is a small-scale industrial unit provided it is not engaged in any activity which is prohibited under the FDI policy. 
  • Indian companies can freely issue equity shares / convertible debentures and preference shares subject to valuation norms prescribed under FEMA Regulations. 
  • Issue of other types of preference shares such as non-convertible, optionally convertible or partially convertible are considered as debt. 
  • As such, the guidelines applicable for External Commercial Borrowing (ECB), viz. eligible borrowers, recognised lenders, amount and maturity, end use stipulations, etc. will apply to such issues.

Q.

Consider the following statements: 

1. It issues currency of the country. 

2. It controls money supply of the country.

3. It acts as a banker to the government. 

4. It acts as a bank to the banking system.

5. It is the lender of last resort.

Which of the statements given above correctly define the functions of ‘Reserve Bank of India’? 

Explanation:

ANSWER: (D)

Central bank

  • India got its central bank in 1935. Its name is the ‘Reserve Bank of India’. 
  • Central bank has several important functions. 
  • It issues the currency of the country. 
  • It controls money supply of the country through various methods, like bank rate, open market operations and variations in reserve ratios. 
  • It acts as a banker to the government. 
  • It is the custodian of the foreign exchange reserves of the economy.
  • It also acts as a bank to the banking system.
  • When commercial banks need more funds in order to be able to create more credit, they may go to market for such funds or go to the Central Bank. 
  • Central bank provides them funds through various instruments. This role of RBI, that of being ready to lend to banks at all times is another important function of the central bank, and due to this central bank is said to be the lender of last resort.

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