2005

SOUTHERN RAILWAY
Qu
Examination for Selection for the post of Assistant Accounts Officers
(70 percent quota)
Time: 3 hours 5th January 2005 Max Marks 150

Note 1. THE QUESTION PAPER CONSISTS OF FOUR SECTIONS. SECTION-A AND SECTION-B CARRY
24 MARKS EACH, SECTION-C CARRIES 20 MARKS AND SECTION –D CARRIES 82 MARKS
2. ALL QUESTIONS IN SECTIONS – A , B AND C ARE COMPULSORY
3. IN SECTION –D ANSWER ANY FOUR QUESTIONS, ALL OF WHICH CARRY EQUAL MARKS
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SECTION - A 8 x 3 = 24 Marks
Explain whether the following are TRUE or FALSE giving reasons and explaining the correct position.
1. General Manager has no power to authorise SAG officers to travel by Private Airlines
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2. Arbitration awards under Arbitration Act 1996 can be contested in a Court Of Law
3. Works and Stores tenders cannot be awarded to a party other than the lowest (L-1)
4. National Holiday Allowance is payable to eligible staff for the three National Holidays only
5. Dividend payable on Capital invested in Residential Buildings is less that the Capital
invested in Track
6. FReight on material transported by train for a Deposit Work executed by the Railway is
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credited to Abstract – Y
7. Accident Compensation, Safety and Passenger Amenities Fund has been abolished
8. City Compensatory Allowance is not include for Leave Salary Encashment at the time of
retirement
SECTION B 8 x 3 = 24 Marks
How will you deal with the following situation?
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1. After opening of the tenders, one of the tenderers offers a discount
2. wagons weighed enroute are found to carry excess weight beyond the permissile limits
3. ex-gratia payment has been sanctioned by GM to railway employees affected by Tsunami
4. central railway refuses to accept IRFA debits on the plea that I is not an adjacent railway of
southern railway
5. a PHOD asks the administration to pay the entire amount of Rs 2000/- in December 2004 for
his mobile phone provided by the railway
6. a special pay sheet is lost by the cashier before payment has been made
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7. you have detected a fraud of aout Rs 50000/- while inspecting a booking office
8. after opening of the tenders, the lowest tenderer expresses inability to carry out his work

SECTION- C 5 x 4 = 20 Marks
Distinguish between ANY FIVE of the following
1. Special Railway Safety Fund and Railway Safety Fund
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2. PLB and Incentive Bonus

3. PEI and Operating Ratio
4. Gross Traffic Receipts and Gross Earnings
5. Single Tender and Single Offer
6. Pink Book and Green Book
7. Vote-On-Account and Voted Expenditure
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 SECTION – D 82 Marks
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FIRST QUESTION IS COMPULSORY AND CARRIES 22 MARKS ANSWER ANY THREE OF THE
REMAINING EACH OF WHICH CARRIES 20 MARKS

1. The three major achievements of the Accounts Department in the last 50 years are
Computerisation in the 60s, Revised Classification in the 70s and FMIS in the 90s. Elaborate
on the statement
OR
What are the major points of justification for provision of the 5th and 6th line between Chennai
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Central and Arakkonam. What are the points to be examined in Finance when such a
proposal is received for inclusion in PWP?
2. What are the salient features of accounting followed in Southern Railway for reserved
ticketing and in reserved ticketing in passenger traffic? What are your suggestions for
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improvement in both areas?
3. Elaborate the present system of accountal of Pension Payments. What are your suggestions
for improving the same?
4. What are the important recommendations of Sudhir Chandra Committee? What changes are
necessary in the present system of project management as far as Accounts Department is
concerned?
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5. What is the Official Language Policy followed in the railways? List out the documents which
must be bilingual under section 3(3) of the Act. Give the Hindi equivalent for FA&CAO,
Senior AFA and FC (Railways)
6. What are the various ways in which Railway Projects are financed? Explain the special
features of financing followed in MRTS projects
7. elaborate on the system of Inventory Control followed in Railways with special emphasis on
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the role of Accounts Department

8. „operating ratio is a good indicator of the financial health of a railway‟, elaborated\ on this
statement, what are your suggestions to bring down the operating ratio of Southern Railway
to less than 100 % in the next five years
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 2008
SOUTHERN RAILWAY
Qu
Examination for Selection for the post of Assistant Accounts Officers
(70 percent quota)
Time: 3 hours 23rd January 2008 Max Marks 150

Note 1. THE QUESTION PAPER CONSISTS OF FOUR SECTIONS. SECTION-A CARRIES 15 MARKS,
SECTION-B CARRY 10 MARKS. ALL THE QUESTIONS ARE TO BE ANSWERED IN THESE TWO
SECTIONS
2. SECTION-C CARRIES CONSISTS OF TWO QUESTINS
3. SECTION –D CARRIES 82 MARKS CONSISTS OF 7 QUESTIONS OUT OF WHICH FOUR HAVE TO
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BE ANSWERED. EACH QUESTION CARRIES 20 MARKS
SECTION - A 3 x 5 = 15
Explain whether the following are TRUE or FALSE giving reasons
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1. Financial performance is judged by wagon turn around
2. arbitration awards are to be treated as charged expenditure
3. General Managers have full powers to waive profit and departmental charges in respect of
deposit work of a central Government organisation
4. the value realised from scrap sales is allocated to sundry earnings
5. a tender submitted after the opening date of a tender can be considered if it is financially
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advantageous to railways
SECTION B 2 x 5 = 10
I Identify the correct choice
a. expenditure which cannot be anticipated is met through Consolidated Fund of India/
Contingency Fund of India
b. transaction between railways and other ministries is known as Transfer Transactions/
Remittance Transactions
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c. freight on material transported by a train for a deposit work executed by the railway is
credited to Abstract Y / Abstract Z
d. postal haulage charges are computed on berth replacement / seat replacement
e. the index of fuel efficiency is SFC / O R

SECTION –C 4 x 5 = 20
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1 ) Distinguish any FOUR of the following

a. Special Railway Safety Fund and Development Fund
b. Originating Earnings and Apportioned Earnings
c. M&P Programme and Works Programme
d. Bills Receivables and Bills Payable
e. IRCA and IRFA adjustments
f. Stock Adjustment Account and Stores in Transit account
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g. Fall Clause and Option Clause

2) Write short note on any FIVE of the following 5 x 5 = 25

a. Traffic Book
b. Inventory Turn over Ratio
c. P E Index
d. PRIME and AFRES
e. Official Language Policy
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f. Internal Rate of Return

g. Material Modification

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 SECTION D
Answer any FOUR of the following 4 x 20 = 80
Qu
1. What are the reasons for the operating ratio of Southern Railway exceeding 100? Is it healthy or
inescapable? If it is not acceptable level, what are your suggestions for bringing it down below
100
2. What is the process for preparing the revenue and expenditure budget on Southern Railway?
What are the various stages of Budgetary Review? Also discuss about the adoption of Zero
Based Budgeting Techniques.
3. What are the major points of justification for electrification of existing Broad Gauge line between
station A and Station B. what are the checks to be exercised by Finance when such a proposal
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is received for inclusion in PWP?
4. “Control of inventory is the effective way to control expenditure”. In the light of this, describe the
inventory control mechanism on railways right from indenting stage through procurement,
storage, issue and disposal?
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5. What is traffic suspense? What are its constituent items? What steps you would suggest to
reduce traffic suspense to the minimum?
6. Explain in detail the Costing System adopted in Southern Railways Repair Workshops? In what
way it differs from the system of Production Units. Can you suggest any improvement on this?
7. Describe the various sources of funding for Railway Projects. Describe what the alternative
sources of finance are. What do you understand by Pubic-Private-Partnership.PPP)
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