1. In which country was a statue dedicated to ‘Thiruvalluvar’ unveiled recently?
(A) Germany
(B) France
(C) USA
(D) Brazil
(E) Japan
Solution: Option B.)
Ans (B)
A statue dedicated to Thiruvalluvar, a cultural icon revered among Tamilians, was unveiled in the French city of Cergy.
This initiative is being considered an important cultural achievement.
Thiruvalluvar was a famous Indian poet and philosopher, the author of ‘Thirukkusanga’ (Thirukkural).
He is commonly known as ‘Valluvar’.
2. In December 2023, who has been suspended from Rajya Sabha for remaining session over “ignoble misconduct” and “gross defiance” of Chair’s directions?
(A) Nusrat Jahan Roohi
(B) Abhishek Banerjee
(C) Prasun Banerjee
(D) Derek O’Brien
(E) Saket Gokhale
Solution: Option D.)
Ans (D)
Trinamool MP Derek O’ Brien suspended from Rajya Sabha for remaining session over ‘ignoble misconduct’ and ‘gross defiance’ of Chair’s directions.
Privilege motion against him referred to Privileges Committee.
In the Rajya Sabha, House leader Piyush Goyal had presented a proposal to suspend him from the House.
3. Which British Indian composer has been included in the 2024 Booker Prize judging panel?
(A) Amitabh Ghosh
(B) Kiran Desai
(C) Salman Rushdie
(D) Nitin Sawhney
(E) Padma Lakshmi
Solution: Option D.)
Ans (D)
British-Indian composer Nitin Sawhney has been announced as a member of the 2024 Booker Prize judging panel.
He is best known for the screen adaptation of Salman Rushdie’s 1981 Booker Prize-winning Midnight’s Children.
The International Booker Prize is an international literary award held in the United Kingdom.
4. Reserve Bank of India has authorised which bank to disburse pension to railway employee?
(A) RBL Bank
(B) HDFC Bank
(C) Bandhan Bank
(D) DCB Bank
(E) IndusInd Bank
Solution: Option C.)
Ans (C)
Bandhan Bank has received authorisation from the Reserve Bank of India to distribute pensions through e-PPOs for the railway ministry.
This permission enables the bank to provide pensions to ex-Ministry of Railways employees and access about 50,000 Indian Railways retirees annually across various offices.
The Indian Railways is the biggest employer in the country.
5. Who has been appointed part-time member of PFRDA board?
(A) Parama Sen
(B) Deepak Mohanty
(C) Y Venkata Rao
(D) Chitra Jayasimha
(E) Ruchir Mittal
Solution: Option A.)
Ans (A)
The Centre has appointed Parama Sen, Additional Secretary, Department of Expenditure in the Finance Ministry, as a part-time member in Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA).
PFRDA has a chairman besides three whole-time members and three part-time members.
All three part-time member posts in PFRDA board are now filled.
6. Bipin Chandra, who has bagged champion of change award is the founder and CEO of which company?
(A) Esyasoft
(B) Wavesoft
(C) Softvent
(D) Softobotics
(E) EthicSoft
Solution: Option A.)
Ans (A)
Esyasoft Technologies’ visionary Founder and CEO, Bipin Chandra, was honoured with the “Champions of Change Award (Karnataka)” by the Interactive Forum on Indian Economy (IFIE), a non-profit organization recognized by Government of India, for his outstanding leadership and transformative impact.
Chandra received a Gold Medal and a Citation from the Governor of Karnataka.
7. Which fast attack craft ship has commissioned recently at Naval Dockyard, Vizag?
(A) INS Kadmatt
(B) INS Tarmugli
(C) INS Kamorta
(D) INS Kiltan
(E) INS Ranvijay
Solution: Option B.)
Ans (B)
Indian Navy has inducted Fast Attack Craft, INS Tarmugli in a commissioning ceremony at Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam.
The ship has a unique distinction of having served under the flag of two nations – India and Maldives with three names.
It was first commissioned in Indian Navy; next, it was handed over to Maldives National Defence Force. Now it has been returned back to Indian Navy.
8. State Bank of India has signed 70 million euro Line of Credit with which bank for promoting solar project in the country?
(A) African Development Bank
(B) Asian Development Bank
(C) German Development Bank
(D) New Development Bank
(E) International Finance Corporation
Solution: Option C.)
Ans (C)
State Bank of India (SBI) will sign 70 million euro (about Rs 630 crore) Line of Credit (LoC) with German Development Bank KfW for promoting solar project in the country.
The agreement will be signed on December 14 at the bank’s IFSC Gift City Branch in Ahmedabad.
SBI Chairman: Dinesh Kumar Khara.
9. Which state has got top spot in country as FDI recipient?
(A) Maharashtra
(B) Gujarat
(C) Uttar Pradesh
(D) Karnataka
(E) Tamil Nadu
Solution: Option A.)
Ans (A)
Maharashtra Industries Minister Uday Samant said that the state attracted Rs 28,868 crore of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the last three months.
As per the data on FDI released by the Union government, the state has regained its position as recipient of the highest FDI in the country, he said during a discussion in the legislative council.
10. Which Naval Ship has recently arrived at Manila, Philippines for long range op deployment?
(A) INS Kirpan
(B) INS Abhay
(C) INS Kora
(D) INS Kadmatt
(E) INS Khukri
Solution: Option D.)
Ans (D)
INS Kadmatt arrived Manila, Philippines for long range op deployment.
The visit is aimed at bolstering maritime cooperation between India and Philippines.
INS Kadmatt is an indigenously designed and built Anti-Submarine Warfare Corvette, equipped with state-of-the-art anti-submarine weapon suite.
The ship on its return will take part in the Maritime Partnership Exercise, scheduled in the South China Sea between the Indian Navy and Philippines Navy.