Through current affairs and GK online test series, currentaffairsindia.info presents the most relevant model questions on Indian Current Affairs and GK. These questions are applicable to Civil Service Prelims, SSC Exams, Bank PO,clerical exams and various other competitive exams. The questions are framed from Government releases, various major news papers etc. Any comments/doubts are welcomed!!

1. Which of the following are true about NITI Aayog?

1. Prime Minister of India is the Chairperson of NITI Aayog

2. Governing Council comprising the Chief Ministers of all the States and Lieutenant Governors of Union Territories

3. It has Full-time organizational framework consisting mainly of Vice-Chairperson and CEO

4. Experts, specialists and practitioners with relevant domain knowledge as special invitees nominated by the Prime Minister

Coal India Limited(CIL) is an Government-controlled coal mining company headquartered in Kolkata and the world's largest coal miner with revenue exceeding 624.15 billion in FY 2012. It is the largest corporate employer with approx 3.8 lakh employees, contributing around 81% of the total coal production in india. It was formerly owned entirely by the Government of India, under the administrative control of the Ministry of Coal.In 2011, CIL was conferred the Maharatna status by the Union Government of India and ranked as one of India's most valuable company by market value. It is currently 90% owned by the Government of India with the remaining 10% owned by the public.

Indian Oil Corporation Limited is an India Government owned oil and gas corporation with its headquarters in New Delhi. According to the Fortune Global 500 list, the company is the world's 83rd largest public corporation and the largest public corporation in India when ranked by revenue. IndianOil and its subsidiaries account for a 47% share in the petroleum products market, 34% share in refining capacity and 67% downstream sector pipelines capacity in India. The IndianOil Group of Companies owns and operates 10 of India's 21 refineries with a combined refining capacity of 65.7 million metric tons per year.It is one of the five Maharatna status companies of India, along with Coal India, NTPC, ONGC and Steel Authority of India.

NTPC Limited, founded in 1975, is the largest India Government owned electric utilities company with its headquarters in New Delhi. It is listed in Forbes Global 2000 for 2011 ranked it 348th in the world. It is an Indian public sector company in which at present the Government of India holds 84.5% of its equity. With a current generating capacity of 39,174 MW, NTPC has embarked on plans to become a 75,000 MW company by 2017. NTPC's core business is construction and operation of power generating plants and providing consultancy to power utilities in India and abroad. It is one of the five Maharatna status companies of India, along with Coal India, IOCL, ONGC and Steel Authority of India.

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited, founded in 1956, is an India Government owned oil and gas company headquartered in Dehradun. It is one of the world's largest oil and gas exploration and production companies, and produces around 77% of India's crude oil which is equivalent nearly 30% of the country's total demand and around 81% of its natural gas. It is one of the largest publicly traded companies by market capitalization in India. In the Fortune Global 500 list, it has been ranked 357th of the world's biggest corporations for the year 2012. Currently India Government owns 74.14% equity stake and the rest is with public. It is one of the five Maharatna status companies of India, along with Coal India, IOCL, NTPC and Steel Authority of India.

Steel Authority of India, founded in 1973, is one of the largest India Government owned steel makers in India and one of the top steel makers in World. Steel Authority of India is among the top five highest profit earning corporates of the country. SAIL has more than 1.1 lakh employees. With an annual production of 13.5 million metric tons, SAIL is the 14th largest steel producer in the world. Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) in Odisha, Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP) in Chhattisgarh, Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL) in Jharkhand, Durgapur Steel Plant (DSP) in West Bengal are the main integrated steel plants of SAIL. It is one of the five Maharatna status companies of India, along with Coal India, IOCL, NTPC and ONGC.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), founded in 1940, is one of world's largest aerospace companies. It works under the management of the Defence Ministry of India and mainly involved in the manufacturing and assembling of aircrafts, navigation and related communication equipment, as well as operating airports. HAL built the first military aircraft in South Asia and is currently involved in the design, fabrication and assembly of aircraft, jet engines, and helicopters, as well as their components and spares. It has several facilities throughout India including Koraput, Lucknow, Bangalore, Nasik, Korwa, Hyderabad and Kanpur. The German engineer Kurt Tank designed the HF-24 Marut fighter-bomber, the first fighter aircraft made in India. HAL has a long history of collaboration with international players such as Boeing, Airbus, Israel Aircraft Industries, Sukhoi Aviation Corporation etc. Currently it has an employee strength of nearly 35,000.

Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL), founded in 1974, is an India-Government owned oil company headquartered at Mumbai. HPCL is one of the world's biggest corporations with a rank of 267 in the Fortune Global 500 rankings for the year 2012. Currently it has refining capacity of 13.00 million metric tonnes (MMT). Its main products are petrol, diesal, lubricants, LPG, bitumen etc. HPCL is the market leader in lubricant and associated products and has more than 30% of market share. It is one among the 16 navratna companies of India and has an employee strength of nearly 12,000.

Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL), founded in 1986, is a India-Government owned telecommunications service provider in the metro cities of New Delhi and Mumbai in India and Mauritius in Africa. The company was a monopoly until 1992, when the telecom sector was opened to other service providers. After 1992, due to severe competition from private players MTNL has been losing revenue and market share heavily due immense competition in the Indian telecom sector. In 2008 MTNL started 3G services in India under the name of "MTNL 3G Jadoo.". BSNL - MTNL Merger Plans are on the way. Department of Telecommunications recently said the government should set up a multi-stakeholder committee to develop a restructuring plan for both firms. It is one among the 16 navratna companies of India and has an employee strength of nearly 45,000.

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), founded in 1976, is an Indian state-controlled oil and gas company headquartered in Mumbai. BPCL has been ranked 225th in the Fortune Global 500 rankings of the world's biggest corporations for the year 2012. Bharat Petroleum owns refineries at Mumbai and Kochi with a capacity of 12 and 9.5 million metric tonnes per year. BPCL has been on forefront in harnessing technology. increasing efficiency and achieving greater customer satisfaction. Bharat Petroleum is the first Public Sector Oil Company to implement Enterprisewide Resource Planning (ERP) solutions - SAP. Over the years, Bharat Petroleum continues to meet the challenges of the rapidly changing technology environment, leading to changes in the marketing of products and services. It is one among the 16 Navratna companies of India with an employee strength of round 15,000. 

About GAIL

GAIL (India) Limited, founded in 1984, is an India Government owned natural gas processing and distribution company. GAIL has reached new milestones with its strategic diversification into Petrochemicals, Telecom(GAILTEL) and Liquid Hydrocarbons besides gas infrastructure. The company has also extended its presence in Power, City Gas Distribution, Liquefied Natural Gas re-gasification and Exploration & Production through participation in equity and joint ventures. The company has been awarded the Navaratna status due to its strong financial performance.

The Shipping Corporation of India, founded in 1961, is an Indian government-owned company that operates and manages vessels that services both national and international lines. Major clients of Shipping Corporation of India include Indian Oil Corporation Ltd, Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd, Steel Authority of India Ltd, Oil & Natural Gas Corporation Ltd, Reliance Industries Ltd etc. The company has been awarded the Navaratna status due to its strong financial performance. SCI started with a moderate figure of 19 ships but slowly evolved as a major player with around 85 ships. Sailing through for nearly five decades from 1960s, the Shipping Corporation of India today has a significant presence on the global maritime map.

Rural Electrification Corporation Limited, founded in 1969, is an India Government owned public Infrastructure Finance Company in India’s power sector under the purview of the Ministry of Power. The company finances and promotes rural electrification projects across India, operating through a network of 5 Zonal Offices and 13 Project Offices, headquartered in New Delhi. The company provides loans to Central and State Sector Power Utilities, Rural Electric Cooperatives, State Electricity Boards, NGOs etc. The company is currently among the top 500 Global Financial Services brands. The company is also among the Forbes Global 2000 companies for 2010. RECL has been awarded the Navaratna status due to its strong financial performance. Domestic debt instruments of REC have the highest rating “AAA” by credit rating agencies CRISIL, Fitch and ICRA.

Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL), founded in 1982, is an Indian government-owned steel producer based in Visakhapatnam. RINL is also known as Vizag Steel. RINL has been awarded the Navaratna status due to its strong financial performance. Vizag Steel is a market leader in steel industry with a share of about 10%. It has been supplying various grades of steel for construction of projects of National importance which include Metros, Power Sector, Bridges, Nuclear complexes and several others. RINL-VSP has exported finished products to countries like United States, UAE, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bangladesh etc. Its products are made from 100% virgin steel, maintaining stringent tolerances both in chemistry & physical properties. RINL-VSP has a wide marketing network spread across the country.

Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (POWERGRID), founded in 1992, is an Indian Government-owned electric utilities company headquartered in Gurgaon, India. Power Grid wheels about 50% of the total power generated in India on its transmission network. Power Grid has a pan-India presence with around 100,000 Circuit-km of Transmission network with a total transformation capacity of around 140,000 MVA. The Inter-regional capacity is enhanced to 28,000 MW. Power Grid has diversified its business into Telecom and established a telecom network of more than 25,000 km across the country. It is one among the 16 Navratna companies of India.

Power Finance Corporation Ltd, founded in 1986, is an India Government owned financial institution. it is considered as the financial back bone of Indian Power Sector. It went to public in 2007 and listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange. PFC is a ISO 9001:2000 certified company and enjoys the status of Navratna Company in India. The major part of funds are raised through Rupee denominated bonds. PFC bonds enjoy the highest credit rating in the Indian market and in international markets, they are rated at par with the Indian Sovereign rating. Major clients of PFC are State Electricity Boards, State Power Utilities, Central Power Utilities, Joint Sector Power Utilities, Equipment Manufacturers, Private Sector Power Utilities etc.

Oil India Limited, founded in 1959, is an India-Government owned oil and gas company in India under the administrative control of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. OIL is engaged in the business of exploration, development and production of natural gas and crude oil, production of liquid petroleum gas and transportation of crude oil. The company has more than 100,000 square kilometres of license areas for oil and gas exploration. It has emerged as a consistently profitable international company with exploration blocks as far as Libya and sub-Saharan Africa. It is one among the 16 Navratna companies of India. Currently it has an employee strength of around 10,000.

Neyveli Lignite Corporation Limited, founded in 1956, is a India government-owned lignite mining and power generating company. NLC has an installed capacity of 2740 MW of electricity and operates the largest open-pit lignite mines in India. It also supplies a large quantity of sweet water to Chennai from the artesian aquifers in the lignite mines. The Government of India holds 93% shares of NLC and is administered through Ministry of Coal. It has huge expansion plans including thermal power plants, Wind power projects, coal based power projects etc. Currently it has an employee strength of around 20,000.

NMDC limited, founded in 1958, is a India-Government owned mineral producer under administrative control of the Ministry of Steel. It is involved in the exploration of copper, iron ore, rock phosphate, diamond, tin, tungsten, limestone, dolomite, gypsum, graphite etc. NMDC is India's largest iron ore producer and exporter producing around 30 million tons of iron ore. It also operates the only mechanised diamond mine in the country at Panna in Madhya Pradesh. It is one among the 16 Navratna companies of India. As per latest reports NMDC has plans to undertake overseas mining in Australia or USA. Currently it has an employee strenght of around 6000.

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, founded in 1953, is one of the largest India Government owned engineering and manufacturing enterprise in the energy-related and infrastructure sector which includes Power, Railways, Transmission and Distribution, Oil and Gas sectors etc. It has given navaratna status by the Government of India. BHEL is the 12th largest power equipment manufacturer in the world. In 2011, It ranked ninth most innovative company in the world by Forbes magazine. BHEL is the only Indian Engineering company on the list. It is also placed at 4th place in Forbes Asia's Fabulous 50 List of 2010. The company has been earning profits continuously since 1971-72 and paying dividends since 1977. BEHL manufactures nearly 75% of the equipments used to produce power in India.

National Aluminium Company Limited is Asia's largest, and one of the world's leading integrated aluminium complex with headquarters in Bhubaneswar, Orissa. Its main operations are alumina refining, aluminium smelting and casting, bauxite mining, power generation and rail and port operations. It possesses some of the world's finest and latest technology in the Aluminium manufacturing industry. NALCO is one of the best profit making public sector enterprise in India and reaps impressively huge benefits every year. NALCO is not disinvested and Government of India holds its 100% stake. It is one among the 16 Navratna companies of India. NALCO received awards like ISO 9001:2000 and OHSAS 140001 for its excellence in production technology and occupational health & safety systems respectively.

Bharat Electronics Limited, founded in 1956, is an India Government owned electronics company with its headquarters in Bangalore. It has nine factories and few regional offices in India. It is owned by the Indian Government and primarily manufactures advanced electronic products for the Indian Army, Nay and Air Force. BEL is one of the eight public sector Units under Ministry of Defence, Government Of India. It has given navaratna status by the Government of India. BEL designs, develops and manufactures products in the fields of Electronic Voting Machines, Radars, Defence Communications, Tank electronics, Fire-control systems, Missiles etc.