1. Which financial regulator has recently launched the SEVA chatbot?
(A) Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
(B) Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)
(C) Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI)
(D) National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD)
(E) Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA)
Solution: Option B.)
Ans (B)
The capital market regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), has introduced SEBI’s Virtual Assistant (SEVA) chatbot to help investors of the securities market.
The SEVA Chatbot is an artificial intelligence-enabled chatbot that will answer certain investors’ questions.
The chatbot will have multiple features, such as citations, answering follow-up questions, and the ability to convert speech-to-text and text-to-speech.
The SEVA chatbots will enable users to ask questions about the securities market and SEBI’s complaint redressal platform (SCORES).
2. With whom did Manu Bhaker partner to win the bronze medal in the 10m air pistol mixed team shooting at the 2024 Paris Olympics?
(A) Sarabjot Singh
(B) Arjun Singh
(C) Anish Bhanwala
(D) Sanjeev Rajput
(E) Sumit Ojha
Solution: Option A.)
Ans (A)
During the 2024 Paris Olympics, shooter Manu Bhaker continued her successful run by winning a bronze medal in the 10m air pistol mixed team event. She achieved this feat in collaboration with Sarabjot Singh.
In the match for the bronze medal held on July 30, 2024, at the National Shooting Center in Chateauroux, Paris, Bhaker and Singh secured a victory against the South Korean duo of Oh Ye Jin and Wonho Lee with a score of 16-10.
The 33rd Summer Olympics are taking place in Paris from July 26 to August 11, 2024. India has sent a notable 21-member shooting team to the Games.
3. Which body of water did Jiya Rai cross to set her record in 17 hours and 25 minutes?
(A) Suez Canal
(B) English Channel
(C) Panama Canal
(D) Danube Channel
(E) Corinth Canal
Solution: Option B.)
Ans (B)
16-year-old Jiya Rai of Mumbai became the youngest and the fastest para swimmer in the world to cross the English Channel.
She started her 34-kilometer swim from Abbot’s Cliff in England on 28 July 2024 and reached her final destination, Pointe de la Courte-Dune, in France on 29 July.
She covered the entire distance in a new world record time of 17 hours and 25 minutes for a para swimmer.
Jiya Rai, who suffers from Autism Spectrum Disorder, is the daughter of an Indian Navy personnel.
Jiya Rai also holds the world record for being the youngest and the fastest swimmer to cross the Palk Strait, which separates India from Sri Lanka.
She covered the 29-kilometer distance from Talaimannar, Sri Lanka, to Dhanuskodi, India, in 13 hours and 10 minutes.
4. Nicolas Maduro has been recently reelected as the President of which country?
(A) Argentina
(B) Colombia
(C) Ecuador
(D) Venezuela
(E) Paraguay
Solution: Option D.)
Ans (D)
The National Electoral Council (CNE) of Venezuela has declared the sitting President Nicolas Maduro as the winner of the Presidential poll held in the country.
The sitting president, Nicolas Maduro of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), was contesting for the third time.
A former bus driver, Nicolas Maduro, was elected the president of Venezuela after the death of the hugely popular socialist leader Hugo Chavez in 2013. He was again re-elected in 2018 for a six-year term.
5. Which countries will host the Men’s Cricket Asia Cup in 2027?
(A) India
(B) Pakistan
(C) Bangladesh
(D) Sri Lanka
(E) Afghanistan
Solution: Option C.)
Ans (C)
The Asian Cricket Council has announced the host of the forthcoming biennial Men’s Cricket Asia Cup to be held in 2025 and 2027.
India will host the 2025 edition in T20 format, and Bangladesh will host the 2027 edition in One-Day International (ODI) format.
The last 2023 Asia Cup hosted by Pakistan was held in a hybrid model as India refused to play in Pakistan.
Indian matches were held in Sri Lanka and the final involving India was also held in Sri Lanka.
India won the final, defeating Sri Lanka by 10 wickets to lift its 8th Asia Cup title.
6. Manika Batra, who reached the round of 16 in singles competition at the Olympic Games, is associated with which sport?
(A) Badminton
(B) Table Tennis
(C) Tennis
(D) Volleyball
(E) Baseball
Solution: Option B.)
Ans (B)
Manika Batra became the first Indian table tennis player to reach the round of 16 in the Olympic Games singles competition.
She defeated Prithika Pavade of France with a score of 4-0.
Manika Batra won the match with scores of 11-9, 11-6, 11-9, 11-7.
She was the gold medallist at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
In the Tokyo Olympics, Manika reached the round of 32 in singles, making one step further this time.
Achanta Sharath Kamal reached the round of 32 in men’s singles at the Tokyo Olympics.
Manika is currently ranked 28th in the world, 10 places lower than Pavade.
7. How many research projects have the Ministry of Textiles approved under the National Technical Textiles Mission?
(A) 22
(B) 14
(C) 38
(D) 19
(E) 04
Solution: Option D.)
Ans (D)
Ministry of Textiles approves 19 research projects under National Technical Textiles Mission
19 research projects have been approved under the National Technical Textiles Mission.
The total value of these projects is approximately INR 21 crore.
The projects cover strategic areas such as composites, geotextiles, smart textiles, and machinery.
Approval came during the 9th Mission Steering Group meeting.
The projects were proposed by institutions like IITs, NITs, and CSIR.
The Union Minister reviewed 27 applications from 16 public and 11 private institutes.
The review included initiatives on technical textiles papers, lab infrastructure, training, and internships.
8. Which award did the Central Water Commission (CWC) win at the Global Water Tech Summit 2024?
(A) Water Department of the Year
(B) Best Hydro-Meteorological Organization
(C) Best Flood Forecasting Unit
(D) Top Reservoir Monitoring Agency
(E) Excellence in Water Management
Solution: Option A.)
Ans (A)
Central Water Commission (CWC) won the ‘Water Department of the Year’ at the Global Water Tech Summit 2024 by GEEF in New Delhi.
Acknowledged for hydro-meteorological data collection, flood forecasting, reservoir monitoring, and initiatives like ‘Floodwatch India’.
CWC is a premier Technical Organization in India, under the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
Founded in 1945.
Chairman: Kushvinder Vohra.
9. What initiative will the Department of Defence Production and NSE undertake as part of their recently signed MoU?
(A) Developing new defense technologies
(B) Establishing new defense production facilities
(C) Conducting seminars and workshops for MSMEs
(D) Increasing defense sector imports
(E) Enhancing defense sector training programs
Solution: Option C.)
Ans (C)
Defence Ministry, NSE signed MoU to boost MSMEs’ Capital Market Access
The Ministry of Defence and National Stock Exchange signed an MoU to help MSMEs in the defense sector access capital markets through the NSE platform ‘NSE Emerge’, promoting efficient and transparent capital raising.
Over five years, the Department of Defence Production and NSE will conduct seminars, camps, and workshops to educate MSMEs on fund-raising, market access, and regulatory compliance.
10. At which event did Rohan Bopanna announce his retirement from Indian tennis?
(A) Paris Olympics 2024
(B) Wimbledon 2024
(C) US Open 2024
(D) Australian Open 2024
(E) Davis Cup 2024
Solution: Option A.)
Ans (A)
Rohan Bopanna has announced his retirement from Indian tennis.
His retirement follows an early exit from the Paris Olympics 2024 after losing a match against France.
Bopanna and N Sriram Balaji lost to Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Gael Monfils in the men’s doubles first round on July 28.
Leander Paes won the last Olympic medal for Indian tennis, a bronze in 1996.
Bopanna and Sania Mirza finished fourth in the mixed doubles event in 2016.
He has also announced his retirement from the Davis Cup.