1. Who took charge as the 33rd Director General of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers?
(A) Alok Puri
(B) General JS Sidana
(C) Anirudh Sinha
(D) Mahesh Kumar Nagar
(E) Maj Deepak Tewari
Solution: Option B.)
Ans (B)
Lieutenant General JS Sidana took charge as the 33rd Director General of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers.
Lieutenant General JS Sidana is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakvasla.
He joined the army in 1985.
The Corps of Electronics & Mechanical Engineers (EME) holds a rich heritage of innovation and technological advancement.
It was originally known as the Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (EME) during the Second World War.
Post-independence the Corps evolved and played pivotal roles in various conflicts including the war of 1962, 1965, and 1971 as well as operations such as Op Pawan, Op Meghdoot, Op Vijay, and most recently Op Parakram.
2. Who has been appointed as the first woman Prime Minister of Congo?
(A) Felix Tshisekedi
(B) Bintou Keita
(C) Tony Mwaba Kazadi
(D) Sama Lukonde
(E) Judith Suminwa Tuluka
Solution: Option E.)
Ans (E)
The African country Congo has appointed Judith Suminwa Tuluka as the country’s first woman Prime Minister.
Tuluka’s appointment has come at a time when there is an atmosphere of tension in the area bordering Rwanda.
Congo is a Central African country, its capital is Kinshasa.
The DRC’s territory straddles the Equator, with one-third of its land area to the north and two-thirds to the south.
It is the second largest country in Africa, with a total land area of 2,345,408 km2.
3. Who has taken charge as the Principal Director General of the Press Information Bureau?
(A) Ambika Soni
(B) Pramod Sharma
(C) Shefali B Sharan
(D) Abhay Singh
(E) Ritu Raj Puri
Solution: Option C.)
Ans (C)
Shefali B. as Principal Director General of the Press Information Bureau (PIB).
Sharan has assumed charge.
Sharan is a 1990 batch officer of the Indian Information Service.
PIB is the nodal agency of the Government of India for disseminating information in the print and electronic media, including government policies.
4. Who has taken charge as the National President of the FICCI Ladies Organization?
(A) Joyshree Das Verma
(B) Aarti Singh
(C) Dhanashree Sharma
(D) Anjali Kapoor
(E) Sudha Shivkumar
Solution: Option A.)
Ans (A)
Joyshree Das Verma has taken charge as the 41st National President of the FICCI Ladies Organization (FLO).
At the same time, Israel has appointed him as its honorary consul for North-East India.
Verma is also the director of the HR firm Kapro Management Solutions Private Limited.
FICCI Ladies Organization (FLO) is the women’s wing of the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FICCI).
Last year, Chennai-based Sudha Shivkumar took over as the 40th President of Ficci Ladies Organisation (FLO), the oldest women-led and women-centric business chamber of Southeast Asia.
5. With which company RBI collaborated for Digital India Trust Agency (DIGITA)?
(A) Amazon
(B) Google
(C) Apple
(D) Microsoft
(E) Paytm
Solution: Option B.)
Ans (B)
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is considering establishing the Digital India Trust Agency (DIGITA) as a new tool to combat cybercrime.
This proposed agency focuses on the approval of legal applications and the growth of publicly registered illegal loan applications.
DIGITA would verify digital lending apps to ensure that they comply with RBI regulations and guidelines. Apps without DIGITA’s verification may be penalized.
As part of its collaboration with the government, the RBI has shared a list of 442 genuine loan apps with the IT Ministry for whitelisting on app stores such as Google Play. This partnership has already resulted in the removal of more than 2,200 suspicious lending apps by Google over the past year.
Sources suggest that law enforcement may consider them unauthorized. This will be a major step towards tackling financial scams and protecting borrowers in the digital lending sector.
The agency would maintain a public list of verified digital lending apps, which would help consumers identify legitimate apps easily.
6. Who has won the SKOCH ESG Award 2024 in the RE Financing Category?
(A) Power Finance Corp
(B) IRDAI
(C) REC Limited
(D) NTPC Limited
(E) NHPC Limited
Solution: Option C.)
Ans (C)
REC Limited under the Ministry of Power won the SKOCH ESG Award 2024 in the ‘Renewable Energy Financing’ category.
This award recognizes REC’s commitment to sustainable financing, which is paving the way for a greener future and accelerating the transition to renewable energy.
REC has emerged as a key player in India’s clean energy transition and is actively contributing to the country’s sustainable future. Through various initiatives and achievements, REC has committed to numerous sustainable projects and has signed various MOUs for green projects.
REC has also engaged in one-on-one discussions with various developers of green projects, spanning sectors such as solar, wind, Pumped Storage Projects, E-mobility, RE manufacturing, green ammonia and green hydrogen, and battery storage.
REC is a government-owned company that helps fund power infrastructure and non-power infrastructure projects in India.
The company offers loans of varying lengths to state, central, and private companies to build infrastructure assets within the country.
REC has registered itself with the Reserve Bank of India as a Non-Banking Finance Company (NBFC) and Infrastructure Financing Company (IFC).
7. Which port in India emerged as the highest cargo handling port in 2023-24?
(A) Deendayal Port
(B) Paradip Port
(C) Haldia Port
(D) Dhamra Port
(E) Cochin Port
Solution: Option B.)
Ans (B)
The Paradip Port Authority, Odisha, has displaced the Deendayal Port Authority, Kandla, as the top cargo-handling major port of India in 2023-24.
In 2023-24, the Paradip Port handled 145.38 Million Metric Tons (MMT) of cargo.
Paradip Port handled 10.02 million metric tons more cargo than last year, registering a growth of 7.4%.
The Paradip port has the capacity to handle 289 million metric tonnes.
Paradip Port is the cheapest in terms of tariff among all the ports in the country. As part of its business development plan, the Paradip Port has frozen its tariff for cargo handling for three years starting in 2022.
Paradip Port was initially set up by the government of Odisha in 1962. However, in 1965, the government of India took over the ownership and management of the port from the Odisha government.
Paradip Port was declared a major port by the government of India on 18 April 1966, becoming the 8th major port of India.
The Port of Paradip is an autonomous body under the Major Port Trusts Act 1963, functioning under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways. It is administered by a Board of Trustees set up by the Government of India.
8. Sarthebari Metal Craft, which has recently got geographical indication, is famous in which state?
(A) Odisha
(B) Kerala
(C) Bihar
(D) Assam
(E) Punjab
Solution: Option D.)
Ans (D)
Nineteen traditional products and crafts from Assam have been granted the prestigious Geographical Indication (GI) tag, out of which thirteen are credited to the Bodo community.
These iconic items include Assam Bihu Dhol, Jaapi, Sarthebari Metal Craft, and more.
These products have a rich historical significance and provide direct support to nearly one lakh people.
Assamese Bihu Dhol: The two-faced drum is an iconic instrument in Assam’s folk culture, played with both a stick and hand.
Assamese Jaapi: Tokou Pat and a traditional bamboo hat made of densely woven bamboo or cane are a symbol of pride in Assam and were historically used for protection from the sun and rain.
Sarthebari Metal Craft: The handicraft industry from Barpeta, known for its bell-metal products, engages around 2000 artisans.
Panimeteka Craft (Water Hyacinth): This product, made from water hyacinth, has gained recognition.
Mising Taat (Handloom): Handwoven textiles made by the Mising community play a significant role in Assamese culture.
Asharikandi’s Exquisite Terracotta Works: The beautiful terracotta creations from Asharikandi are an essential part of Assamese cultural heritage.
Thirteen of the products that have been awarded Geographical Indication (GI) tags are associated with the Bodo community.
9. Which team has won the men’s Kho-Kho title at the 56th National Kho-Kho Championship 2023-24?
(A) Maharashtra
(B) Gujarat
(C) Uttar Pradesh
(D) Telangana
(E) Tamil Nadu
Solution: Option A.)
Ans (A)
The Maharashtra team made a clean sweep at the 56th National Kho Kho Championship 2023-24.
It won both the men’s and women’s titles, held at Delhi’s Karnail Singh Stadium and the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium.
The winning team collected a cash prize of Rs 3 lakh and a trophy.
The runner-up got a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh and a Trophy.
In the women’s category, the Maharashtra team, led by Sampada Maurya, defeated the Airport Authority of India team by 18-16 points.
The 56th National Kho Kho Championship 2023-24 was organized by the Kho Kho Federation of India at Delhi’s Karnail Singh Stadium and the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium from 28 March to 1 April 2024.
10. Vineet Jain, who has been awarded by ENBA Lifetime Achievement Award 2023, is the MD of which company?
(A) HT Media
(B) Zee Entertainment
(C) Star Group
(D) Times Group
(E) Network 18
Solution: Option D.)
Ans (D)
Vineet Jain wins the “ENBA Lifetime Achievement Award 2023”.
Vineet Jain, MD of Times Group, was awarded the ENBA Lifetime Achievement Award 2023 for his contributions to Indian news television.
The jury, comprising notable figures like ex-Supreme Court judge AK Sikri, praised Jain for his innovative programming and ability to draw top journalistic talent, reinforcing the Times Network’s impact on news delivery in India.