Q1: Who takes charge as Vice Chief of Naval Staff?
a) Sanjay Jasjit Singh
b) Hari Kumar
c) Rakesh Kumar
d) Satish Kumar
Solution: option a.)
Vice Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh took over as the new Vice Chief of Naval Staff.
He succeeds Vice Admiral Satishkumar Namdeo Ghormade who superannuated on April 01, 2023, after more than 39 years of service to the Indian Navy.
Before this, Vice Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh held charge of Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff.
Q2: Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) recently inaugurated its first dedicated Branch for start-ups in which of the following cities?
a) Nashik
b) Nagpur
c) Pune
d) Mumbai
Solution: option c.)
Bank of Maharashtra (BoM), a premier public sector bank in the country, has inaugurated its first dedicated Branch for start-ups in Pune.
A.S Rajeev, MD & CEO, Bank of Maharashtra and Prashant Girbane, Director General, Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA) inaugurated the Start-up Branch at FC Road, Yashomangal, Pune City Zonal Office.
Asheesh Pandey, Executive Director, Bank of Maharashtra, was present in the inaugural ceremony. Sadashiv Survase, Joint Director, Industries, Govt. of Maharashtra, Sajit Kumar, Senior VP SIDBI venture capital, General Managers of the bank, entrepreneurs from start-ups along with customers were present at the event.
Q3: Who took over as the Chairman and Managing Director of Power Trading Corporation of India (PTC ) Limited?
a) Sumanat Sharma
b) Razzaq Khan
c) Jishnu Mishra
d) Rajiv Mishra
Solution: option d.)
Power trading company PTC India on Wednesday said it has appointed Rajib Kumar Mishra as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD).
Mishra was holding the additional charge of the CMD of the company. He joined the PTC Board in February 2015 as Director (Marketing and Business Development). He has been appointed CMD with effect from March 29, the company said in a statement.
Before this, Mishra worked as Executive Director of PTC since October 2011 and was responsible for Operations, Business Development, Retail & Advisory Services.
He has 38 years of professional experience and has served at state-run NTPC and Power Grid in various capacities. He has authored four published books and twenty-four technical and management papers.
Q4: The Chief Minister of which state launched the “School Chalo Abhiyan 2023?”
a) Uttar Pradesh
b) Himachal Pradesh
c) Madhya Pradesh
d) Goa
Solution: option a.)
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will kick-start the ‘School Chalo Abhiyan’. The event will take place at Lokbhawan and will be broadcast live.
It is worth mentioning that the campaign is being run by the state government every year to ensure 100 per cent enrolment in primary and upper primary schools under the Uttar Pradesh Basic Education Council.
In April last year, CM Yogi started this campaign from the aspirational district Shravasti.
The state government has worked assiduously over the past four years to re-enrol the children who dropped out of school.
UP Governor: Anandi Ben Patel
UP Capital: Lucknow
Q5: Who conquer Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, wearing Luanchari?
a) Richa Sharma
b) Anthony Joseph
c) Anjali Sharma
d) Tenzin Sherpa
Solution: option c.)
Recently, the Union Information and Broadcasting Minister congratulated Anjali Sharma of Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh for conquering Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, wearing Luanchari.
She has become the first girl from India to scale Mount Kilimanjaro in a Gaddi costume. Anjali Sharma is working to promote Gaddi culture on the peaks of the mountains.
She has also conquered Hanuman Tibba and Pahar Deo with a height of 6001 meters.
Lunachari is a traditional dress of Himachal Pradesh.
Q6: Which state National park becomes the first to house a ferrnarium?
a) Assam
b) Tamil Nadu
c) Kerala
d) Goa
Solution: option c.)
Eravikulam National Park (ENP) in Kerala becomes the first to house a fernarium.
It was declared a Sanctuary in 1975 to protect the indigenous population of Nilgiri Tahr (highly endangered mountain goat). However, in 1978, it was declared a National Park considering its ecological, faunal, geomorphological and Zoological Significance.
What is a Fern?
Ferns are part of the Epiphytic family. They grow naturally in a soilless condition.
Q7: 10th Bilateral Maritime exercise SLINEX-2023 will be conducted in which place?
a) New Delhi
b) Kandy
c) Colombo
d) Cuttack
Solution: option c.)
The 10th Edition of the annual Indian – Sri Lanka Bilateral Maritime exercise, SLINEX-2023 was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
The exercise is being conducted in two phases of three days each, the Harbour Phase followed by Sea Phase.
The Indian Navy will be represented by INS Kiltan and INS Savitri while Sri Lanka Navy will have SLNS Vijayabahu and SLNS Samudura.
Q8: Which country launches the new Ofek-13 spy satellite into orbit?
a) France
b) Russia
c) India
d) Israel
Solution: option d.)
Israel has successfully launched the “Ofek-13” spy satellite into space by the Shavit launch vehicle, from Palmachim Airbase spaceport.
This satellite was manufactured by state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).
It is the latest in a series of domestically produced satellites that were first put into orbit in 1988. Immediately after launch, the satellite successfully entered orbit and started transmitting data, and completed an initial series of tests.
Q9: PM Modi participates in Combined Commanders’ Conference in which place?
a) Shimla
b) Bhopal
c) New Delhi
d) Mumbai
Solution: option b.)
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi attended the Combined Commanders’ Conference in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
The theme of the three-day conference of Military Commanders was ‘Ready, Resurgent, Relevant’.
The commanders from the three armed forces and senior officers from the Ministry of Defence participated in the conference. Deliberations on issues related to national security, including jointness and theorisation in the Armed Forces were held at the conference.
Q10: Which country invited PM Modi to the Bastille Day parade?
a) Sweden
b) Russia
c) France
d) Israel
Solution: option c.)
- France has recently invited Indian Prime Minister Narendra to visit Paris as a guest at the annual Bastille Day parade.
- The Bastille Day military parade, also known as the 14 July military parade, is a French military parade that has been held on the morning of 14 July each year in Paris since 1880.
- It is also one of the oldest regular military parades in the world.
• July 14 is the anniversary of the storming of the infamous Bastille prison in 1789 – a turning point for the success of the French Revolution. - This day is marked as the National Day of France.
Q11: Which state and Tamil Nadu Chief Ministers inaugurated the centenary celebrations of the anti-caste struggle Vaikom Satyagraha? The Vaikom Satyagraha was launched on 30th March 1924.
a) Telangana
b) Andhra Pradesh
c) Karnataka
d) Kerala
Solution: option c.)
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin will inaugurate the centenary celebrations of the Vaikom Satyagraha.
At the time, caste discrimination and untouchability were rife across India, with some of the most rigid and dehumanising norms documented in Travancore.
Lower castes like the Ezhavas and Pulayas have considered polluting and various rules were in place to distance them from upper castes.
These included a prohibition, not just on temple entry, but even on walking on the roads surrounding temples.
Q12: With which country, India has signed a defence cooperation agreement including co-development and cooperation of military hardware?
a) Romania
b) Italy
c) Germany
d) Spain
Solution: option a.)
The defence cooperation agreement signed between India and Romania earlier this week will enhance collaboration through the exchange of expertise and knowledge on subjects of mutual interest including co-development and co-production of military hardware, said State Secretary and Chief of the Department for Defence Policy, Planning and International Relations of Romania, Simona Cojocaru.
“The agreement will promote cooperation in the field of defence between our states. Furthermore, this agreement will open up enormous opportunities in sectors like defence medicine, scientifical research, cyber defence, technology and research and development.
Romania Capital: Bucharest
Romania Currency: Leu
Q12: The National Maritime Day is observed on which date every year?
a) 6 April
b) 5 April
c) 3 April
d) 4 April
Solution: option b.)
In India, National Maritime Day is observed on 5 April, since 1964.
2023 marks the 60th edition of the annual celebrations.
On this day in 1919 navigation history was created when SS Loyalty, the first ship of The Scindia Steam Navigation Company Ltd., travelled from Mumbai to the United Kingdom, a crucial step for India’s shipping history when sea routes were restricted and controlled by the British.
Q13: Who had been conferred with the highest French Civilian Award ‘Knight of the Legion of Honour 2023?
a) Shashi Tharoor
b) Kiran Nadar
c) Kiran Manjumdar
d) Manmohan Singh
Solution: option b.)
Philanthropist and art collector Kiran Nadar, (wife of Shiv Nadar, the founder of HCL Technologies), has been conferred with the highest French civilian award “Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur” (Knight of the Legion of Honour).
The award was conferred upon Kiran Nadar by French Ambassador to India Emmanuel Lenain, for her outstanding contribution to the field of art, her commitment to providing greater access to culture both nationally and internationally, and her leading role in fostering Indo-French cultural ties.
France President: Emanuel Macron
France Currency: Euro
Q14: Who becomes the 40th President of the FICCI Ladies Organisation?
a) Kiran Nadar
b) Namita Thapar
c) Ghazal Alagg
d) Sudha ShivKumar
Solution: option d.)
Chennai-based Sudha Shivkumar has assumed the charge as the 40th president of the FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) at the 39th annual session.
FLO is the oldest women-led and women-centric business chamber in Southeast Asia.
She was the Chairperson of the FLO Chennai Chapter in 2016-17. FLO is the women’s wing of the FICCI.
Q15: Thottathil B Radhakrishnan passed away was a/an _?
a) CJI
b) Poet
c) Actor
d) Politician
Solution: option a.)
Former Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court Thottathil B Radhakrishnan passed away in Kochi at the age of 63.
He also served as the Chief Justice of Telangana and Chattisgarh HC and was a judge of the Kerala HC.
He also chaired the expert committee formed by the Kerala Forest Department to record details of houses and commercial establishments that surround wildlife sanctuaries.
Q16: NASA astronaut Christina Koch becomes the first woman to go around the __?
a) Venus
b) Moon
c) Saturn
d) Mars
Solution: option b.)
The American space agency, NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) announced the names of four astronauts, who will venture around the Moon for science and exploration under the Artemis II mission.
The Artemis II mission is the first crewed voyage around the moon in more than 50 years.
The previous human flight to the lunar surface was the Apollo program in 1972. The Artemis II crew members consist of three from NASA and one from CSA.
They are Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Hammock Koch, from NASA and Jeremy Hansen from CSA.
Out of these four, Christina Hammock Koch is the first ever female, Victor Glover is the first ever African American and Jeremy Hansen is the first ever Canadian and first non-American to be sent on a lunar mission.
Q17: __ Social Network platform iconic ‘BLUE BIRD’ logo changed with ‘DOGE’ Meme of Dogecoin cryptocurrency?
a) Snapchat
b) Twitter
c) Facebook
d) Instagram
Solution: option b.)
The classic blue bird logo of the social media giant Twitter has been replaced with the “doge” meme, which is also the logo of the Dogecoin cryptocurrency.
The ‘doge’ meme has the face of a Shiba Inu. Twitter CEO Elon Musk, who took control of the social media giant in October 2022 under a $44 billion deal, confirmed the change in logo from Blue Bird to Doge via his Twitter account on April 04, 2023.
However, the change will be only visible on the web version of Twitter and not on the Twitter app.
Q18: World Bank projects India’s GDP growth at what % in FY24?
a) 6.3%
b) 6.8%
c) 6.7%
d) 6.1%
Solution: option a.)
The World Bank report titled, India Development Update, has estimated India’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth at 6.3 percent in FY24, beginning April 01, 2023.
Earlier, it was estimated at 6.6 per cent. A moderate decline in GDP prediction is due to shrinkage in consumption on the back of slower income.
ADB projects India’s GDP growth at 6.4% in 2023 and 6.7% in 2024.