Who was appointed as the new Executive Director (ED) of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in place of U. S. Paliwal?

Introduction / Context:
Appointments to senior positions in the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) are important current affairs topics for banking and general awareness exams. The position of Executive Director (ED) in the RBI carries significant responsibility in policy and operations. This question asks who was appointed as the new Executive Director in place of U. S. Paliwal, who retired from that post. Remembering such personnel changes is a regular requirement for exam aspirants.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The outgoing Executive Director was U. S. Paliwal.
• The question asks for the name of the person who replaced him as ED.
• Options are Anjali Singh, Manish Tomar, Susheela Singh and Surekha Marandi.
• We assume that candidates are familiar with major appointments in RBI from current affairs reports.

Concept / Approach:
The approach is to recall news items that specifically mentioned the appointment of the new Executive Director. Many banking exam capsules reported that Surekha Marandi was appointed as Executive Director of the RBI with effect from early 2017, succeeding U. S. Paliwal. Recognising this name among the options simplifies the task. The other names serve as distractors with similar sounding patterns.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall from banking awareness notes that Surekha Marandi, previously serving within RBI, was elevated to the post of Executive Director. Step 2: Remember that this appointment was specifically noted as succeeding U. S. Paliwal, who retired on 31 December 2016. Step 3: Compare the remembered name with the options given. Step 4: Identify that among the names listed, Surekha Marandi is the one clearly associated with this appointment. Step 5: Mark Surekha Marandi as the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
Verification is straightforward by recalling the typical question and answer pair from previous practice tests: "Who has been appointed as the new Executive Director of RBI in place of U. S. Paliwal?" with the answer "Surekha Marandi". This pairing appears in many question banks and online practice sites for banking exams.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Anjali Singh, Manish Tomar and Susheela Singh: These names do not correspond, in standard exam material, to the appointment in question. They are likely included to confuse candidates who remember that the selected person was a woman but do not recall the exact name. Only Surekha Marandi matches the official appointment.

Common Pitfalls:
One common pitfall is confusing different RBI appointments, such as Deputy Governors, Executive Directors and other senior posts. Another is partial recall, where a candidate knows that a woman replaced U. S. Paliwal but mixes up the name. To avoid this, aspirants should make a small table of major appointments with predecessor and successor details.

Final Answer:
The new Executive Director of the Reserve Bank of India who succeeded U. S. Paliwal is Surekha Marandi.