PSU companies are divided into three categories:

• Maharatna
• Navratna
• Miniratna CPSEs

MAHARATNA

In 2009, the government established the Maharatna, which raises a company’s investment ceiling from ₹ 1,000 Crore to ₹ 5,000 Crore. The Maharatna firms can now decide on investments of up to 15 per cent of their net worth in a project; The Navaratna companies could invest up to ₹ 1,000 Crore without explicit government approval.

Criteria to be a Maharatna:

The six criteria for eligibility as Maharatna are:

• Having Navratna
• Listed on Indian stock exchange with minimum prescribed public shareholding under SEBI regulations.
• An average annual turnover of more than ₹ 20,000 Crore during the last 3 years. Earlier it was ₹ 25,000 Crore.
• An average annual net worth of more than ₹ 10,000 Crore during the last 3 years. Earlier it was ₹ 15,000 Crore.
• An average annual net profit after tax of more than ₹ 2500 Crore during the last 3 years. Earlier it was ₹ 500 Crore.
• Should have significant global presence/international operation.

NAVRATNA

Navratna was the title given originally to nine Public Sector Enterprises, identified by the Government of India in 1997 as having comparative advantages, which allowed them greater autonomy to compete in the global market. The number of PSEs having Navratna status has been raised to 16. The government is likely to accord the coveted status to Engineers India Limited, which is under consideration.

MINIRATNA

In addition, the government created another category called Miniratna. Miniratnas can also enter into joint ventures, set subsidiary companies and overseas offices but the certain conditions. In 2002, there were 61 government enterprises that awarded Miniratna. However, at present, there are 68 government enterprises that were awarded Miniratna.

Exam Pattern of Some of PSUs:

Pattern of Question Papers and Marking Scheme

Pattern of Question Papers

In all the papers, there will be a total of 65 questions carrying 100 marks, out of which 10 questions carrying a total of 15 marks are in General Aptitude (GA).

In the papers bearing the codes AE, AG, BT, CE, CH, CS, EC, EE, IN, ME, MN, MT, PE, PI, TF and XE, the Engineering Mathematics will carry around 15% of the total marks, the General Aptitude section will carry 15% of the total marks and the remaining 70% percentage of the total marks is devoted to the subject of the paper.

In the papers bearing the codes AR, CY, EY, GG, MA, PH and XL, the General Aptitude section will carry 15% of the total marks and the remaining 85% of the total marks is devoted to the subject of the paper.

GATE 2016 would contain questions of two different types in various papers:

(i) Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) carrying 1 or 2 marks each in all papers and sections. These questions are objective in nature, and each will have a choice of four answers, out of which the candidate has to mark the correct answer(s).

(ii) Numerical Answer Questions of 1 or 2 marks each in all papers and sections. For these questions the answer is a real number, to be entered by the candidate using the virtual keypad. No choices will be shown for this type of questions.

Design of Questions

The questions in a paper may be designed to test the following abilities:

(i) Recall : These are based on facts, principles, formulae or laws of the discipline of the paper. The candidate is expected to be able to obtain the answer either from his/her memory of the subject or at most from a one-line computation.

(ii) Comprehension : These questions will test the candidate’s understanding of the basics of his/her field, by requiring him/her to draw simple conclusions from fundamental ideas.

(iii) Application : In these questions, the candidate is expected to apply his/her knowledge either through computation or by logical reasoning.

Examples of each of this design is given in the types of questions above.

The questions based on the above logics may be a mix of single standalone statement/phrase/data type questions, combination of option codes type questions or match items type questions.

(iv) Analysis and Synthesis : In these questions, the candidate is presented with data, diagrams, images etc. that require analysis before a question can be answered. A Synthesis question might require the candidate to compare two or more pieces of information. Questions in this category could, for example, involve candidates in recognising unstated assumptions, or separating useful information from irrelevant information.

Marking Scheme

For 1-mark multiple-choice questions, 1/3 marks will be deducted for a wrong answer. Likewise, for 2-marks multiple-choice questions, 2/3 marks will be deducted for a wrong answer. There is no negative marking for numerical answer type questions.

General Aptitude (GA) Questions

In all papers, GA questions carry a total of 15 marks. The GA section includes 5 questions carrying 1 mark each (sub-total 5 marks) and 5 questions carrying 2marks each (sub-total 10 marks).

Question Papers other than GG, XE and XL

These papers would contain 25 questions carrying 1 mark each (sub-total 25 marks) and 30 questions carrying 2 marks each (sub-total 60 marks). The question paper will consist of questions of multiple choice and numerical answer type. For numerical answer questions, choices will not be given. Candidates have to enter the answer (which will be a real number, signed or unsigned, e.g. 25.06, -25.06, 25, -25 etc.) using a virtual keypad. An appropriate range will be considered while evaluating the numerical answer type questions so that the candidate is not penalized due to the usual round-off errors.

XE Paper (Engineering Sciences)

In XE paper, Engineering Mathematics section (Section A) is compulsory. This section contains 11 questions carrying a total of 15 marks: 7 questions carrying 1 mark each (sub-total 7 marks), and 4 questions carrying 2 marks each (sub-total 8 marks). Some questions may be of numerical answer type questions.

Each of the other sections of the XE paper (Sections B through G) contains 22 questions carrying a total of 35 marks: 9 questions carrying 1 mark each (sub-total9 marks) and 13 questions carrying 2 marks each (sub-total 26 marks). Some questions may be of numerical answer type.

Note on Negative Marking for Wrong Answers

For a wrong answer chosen for the multiple choice questions, there would be negative marking. For 1-mark multiple choice questions, 1/3 mark will be deducted for a wrong answer. Likewise, for 2-mark multiple choice questions, 2/3 mark will be deducted for a wrong answer. However, there is no negative marking for a wrong answer in numerical answer type questions.

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