1. Which Indian institution has been awarded the World Health Organization’s 2024 Nelson Mandela Award for Health Promotion?
(A) National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru
(B) All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi
(C) Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh
(D) Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai
(E) Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), New Delhi
Solution: Option A.)
Ans (A)
The National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) in Bengaluru has been conferred with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) 2024 Nelson Mandela Award for Health Promotion.
Dr. Pratima Murthy, the director of NIMHANS, received the award.
The award was conferred on NIMHANS at a special ceremony at the Seventy-seventh World Health Assembly in Geneva in May 2024.
The Seventy-seventh World Health Assembly President is Dr Edwin Dikoloti of Botswana.
The World Health Assembly is the highest decision-making body of the WHO, and its annual meeting is held at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
2. According to the National Statistical Office (NSO), what was the growth rate of the Indian economy in 2023-24?
(A) 8.2 percent
(B) 7.8 percent
(C) 6.5 percent
(D) 9.7 percent
(E) 8.9 percent
Solution: Option A.)
Ans (A)
According to the provisional estimate of the National Statistical Organisation (NSO), the Indian Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 8.2 percent in the financial year 2023-24.
The Indian GDP growth rate in 2022-23 was 7 percent.
This is the ninth time since 1960-61 the Indian GDP has grown by 8 percent or more in a financial year
The Reserve Bank of India had estimated a growth rate of 7.6 percent for the Indian economy in 2023-24.
The Indian GDP grew by 7.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2023-24 (January-March) compared to January -March 2023.
3. Which of the following Indian companies were included in the annual Time Magazine Global 100 Most Influential Companies of 2024?
(A) Infosys, Tata Group, and Serum Institute of India
(B) Reliance Industries Limited, Tata Group, and Serum Institute of India
(C) Wipro, Tata Group, and Infosys
(D) Reliance Industries Limited, Wipro, and Infosys
(E) Tata Group, Serum Institute of India, and Wipro
Solution: Option B.)
Ans (B)
Three Indian companies -Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), Tata Group, and the Serum Institute of India have been included in the annual Times Magazine Global 100 Most Influential Companies of 2024.
This was the fourth edition of the annual Times Magazine Global 100 Most Influential Companies.
The first edition was published by the American Time magazine in 2021.
The Times Magazine Global 100 Most Influential Companies list categorized the companies into five categories: Titans, Leaders, Disrupters, Innovators, and Pioneers.
Reliance Industries Limited and the Tata Group were included in the Titan category, while the vaccine maker Serum Institute of India was included in the Pioneer category.
4. Which company has been awarded the contract to manage Dar es Salaam Port in Tanzania for 30 years?
(A) Mumbai Port Trust
(B) Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust
(C) Chennai Port Trust
(D) Adani Ports
(E) Visakhapatnam Port Trust
Solution: Option D.)
Ans (D)
The Gautam Adani-owned Adani group has entered the port business in the African country of Tanzania by securing a 30-year lease of Container Terminal 2 at the Dar es Salaam Port.
An agreement was signed between the Tanzania Ports Authority and Adani International Ports Holdings Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd. (APSEZ).
Recently, the Indian government-owned Indian Ports Global Ltd secured a 10-year deal to manage and operate the Shahid Beheshti terminal of Chabahar Port of Iran.
5. Who won the Gold Medal in the Women’s Long Jump at Taiwan?
(A) Anju Bobby George
(B) Neena Varakil
(C) Nayana James
(D) Shaili Singh
(E) Prajusha Maliakkal
Solution: Option C.)
Ans (C)
India’s Nayana James clinched the gold medal in the women’s Long Jump.
She registered the best jump of 6.43 meters.
India’s Ankesh Choudhary bagged the gold medal and compatriot Somnath Chouhan won the silver medal in the Men’s 800 meters in Taiwan Athletics Open.
Sumire Hata of Japan won the silver, while Yu Jeongmi of South Korea won the bronze medal.
6. Who became the first woman brigadier in Pakistan from a minority community?
(A) Anita Ghulam Ali
(B) Helen Mary
(C) Asma Jahangir
(D) Hina Rabbani Khar
(E) Benazir Bhutto
Solution: Option B.)
Ans (B)
Dr. Helen Mary Roberts from the Pakistan Army Medical Corps has made history by becoming the first Christian woman to be promoted to the rank of brigadier in Pakistan.
Brigadier Dr. Helen has been serving as a senior pathologist in the Pakistan Army for 26 years.
Minority in Pakistan:
Hindus: 2.14%
Christians: 1.27%
Ahmadi Muslims: 0.09%
7. Who recently became Mexico’s first female President?
(A) Claudia Sheinbaum
(B) Enrique Peña Nieto
(C) Felipe Calderón
(D) Vicente Fox
(E) Andrés Manuel López Obrador
Solution: Option A.)
Ans (A)
Claudia Sheinbaum secured a sweeping win and became Mexico’s first female president.
She succeeded her mentor and outgoing leader, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, whose strong support among the impoverished contributed to her victory.
Opposition candidates Xóchitl Gálvez and Jorge Álvarez Máynez were defeated by a big margin.
Mexico is a country in the southern part of North America.
Capital: Mexico City.
It is the world’s 13th-largest country by area
8. What measure has recently been taken in Djibouti to halt the spread of malaria?
(A) Spraying insecticides
(B) Distributing mosquito nets
(C) Releasing genetically modified mosquitoes
(D) Introducing anti-malarial vaccines
(E) Implementing community health education programs
Solution: Option C.)
Ans (C)
Genetically Modified Mosquitoes have been released in Djibouti to stop the spread of malaria.
It is the first time such mosquitoes have been released in East Africa.
Similar technology has been successfully used in Brazil, the Cayman Islands, Panama, and India.
Male Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes, developed by Oxitec, carry a gene that kills female offspring before they reach maturity.
9. What was the GST collection by the Centre in May 2024, with respect to the previous month?
(A) Rs 1.73 lakh crore, a 10% increase
(B) Rs 2.1 lakh crore, a 10% decrease
(C) Rs 1.73 lakh crore, a 17% decrease
(D) Rs 2.1 lakh crore, a 10% increase
(E) Rs 1.73 lakh crore, a 17% increase
Solution: Option C.)
Ans (C)
In May, the Centre collected Rs 1.73 lakh crore in GST, a 10% annual increase. This is down from April’s record Rs 2.1 lakh crore.
The growth stemmed from a 15.3% rise in domestic transactions and a 4.3% decline in imports. Net GST revenue, after refunds, was Rs 1.44 lakh crore.
The Finance Ministry has so far collected Rs 3.83 lakh crore in FY25.
10. India has received the highest FDI from which country in 2023-24, despite a decline of 31.55%?
(A) Indonesia
(B) Malaysia
(C) Thailand
(D) Singapore
(E) Japan
Solution: Option D.)
Ans (D)
India received the highest FDI from Singapore in 2023-24.
Though FDI from Singapore has dipped by 31.55% to $11.77 billion in 2023-24, India has attracted the maximum inflows from that country.
FDI equity inflows decreased from major countries, including Mauritius, Singapore, the U.S., the U.K., UAE, the Cayman Islands, Germany, and Cyprus.
Since 2018-19, Singapore has been the largest source of such investments for India.