1. Who has won the FIH Goalkeeper of the Year award?
(A) Savita Punia
(B) Deep Grace
(C) Rani Rampal
(D) Gurjit Kaur
(E) Vandana Katariya
Solution: Option A.)
Ans (A)
Savita Punia has been acknowledged by the Sports Minister for winning the FIH Goalkeeper of the Year for the third consecutive time.
Hardik Singh was hailed by Thakur for winning the 2023 FIH Player of the Year (Male), noting his precision, attack orchestration, and influence on budding hockey players.
2. Recently, who has launched National Anganwadi-cum-Crèches program?
(A) Amit Shah
(B) Piyush Goyal
(C) Smriti Irani
(D) Nitin Gadkari
(E) S Jaishankar
Solution: Option C.)
Ans (C)
Smriti Irani kicks off the National Programme on Anganwadi-cum-Crèches in New Delhi.
The government plans to set up 17,000 crèches nationwide, primarily targeting women construction workers and women farm laborers.
The initiative offers economic opportunities for women-run self-help groups and cooperatives to provide childcare services, like child safety, nutrition, and health standards.
3. In which water area has the Indian Navy recently deployed indigenous guided missiles?
(A) Gulf of Oman
(B) Gulf of Aden
(C) Gulf of Bahrain
(D) Gulf of Mannar
(E) Gulf of Tonkin
Solution: Option B.)
Ans (B)
The Indian Navy has deployed indigenous guided missile destroyers in the Gulf of Aden region in view of the recent piracy incident.
The move is aimed at preventing piracy attempts in the Gulf of Aden region.
The Gulf of Aden is located in the Arabian Sea, between Yemen and Somalia (Horn of Africa).
It forms a natural maritime link between the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea.
4. Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda has inaugurated which tribal orientation programme for two days?
(A) Adi Sudhadhar
(B) Adi Mahotsav
(C) Adi Nirnayak
(D) Adi Vyakhyan
(E) Adi Manak
Solution: Option D.)
Ans (D)
Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda inaugurated a two-day tribal-centric program – Aadi Vyakhyan – in New Delhi.
The program has been organized by the National Tribal Research Institute (NTRI).
The objective of which is to provide a deeper understanding of the complexities of tribal traditions and culture and to explore the challenges of their survival.
5. With which company did the Ministry of Rural Development has signed an agreement to increase the reach of products of ‘Self Help Groups’?
(A) Jio Mart
(B) Amazon
(C) Big Basket
(D) Flipkart
(E) Walmart
Solution: Option A.)
Ans (A)
The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Reliance Retail’s JioMart to help expand the reach of Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY) products to self-help groups (SHGs) have signed.
Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana is a flagship poverty alleviation program of the Government of India and the world’s largest initiative to improve the livelihoods of the rural poor.
6. When has the National Mathematics Day celebrated recently?
(A) 20 December
(B) 21 December
(C) 22 December
(D) 23 December
(E) 24 December
Solution: Option C.)
Ans (C)
National Mathematics Day is celebrated every year on 22 December to commemorate the birth anniversary of the great mathematician Srinivas Ramanujan.
In the year 2012, the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had declared 22 December as National Mathematics Day.
In 1991, Srinivas Ramanujan’s biography ‘The Man Who Knew Infinity’ was published.
Ramanujan was born on this day in 1887 in a Brahmin Iyengar family in Erode, Tamil Nadu.
7. VGGS 2024 Pre-Summit Seminar on chemicals has been held in which state?
(A) Gujarat
(B) Maharashtra
(C) Rajasthan
(D) Tamil Nadu
(E) Kerala
Solution: Option A.)
Ans (A)
VGGS 2024 Pre-Summit Seminar on chemicals to be held in Gujarat.
The seminar titled ‘FutureChem Gujarat: Shaping Tomorrow’s Chemicals & Petrochemicals Industry’ will occur on Dec 23, 2023.
Eminent attendees include CM Bhupendra Patel, and Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare Mansukhbhai Mandaviya, among others.
The objective is to shape a growth roadmap for the sustainable chemicals and petrochemicals sector, highlighting Gujarat’s significant role.
8. Which company has introduced the “Paat-Mitro” app for farmers?
(A) Cotton Corporation of India
(B) Jute Corporation of India
(C) Quality Council of India
(D) Food Corporation of India
(E) National Council of Science
Solution: Option B.)
Ans (B)
The Jute Corporation of India has unveiled the ‘Paat-Mitro’ app aimed at aiding jute cultivation and income generation.
Launched by Rachna Shah, Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, the application offers vital knowledge on jute farming.
In addition to jute gradation parameters, the app provides information on farmer-centric schemes like ‘Jute-ICARE’, weather forecasts, and procurement policies.
9. Which zone of the Indian Railways has launched safety ‘panic button’ feature for the security of women passengers?
(A) East Coast Railway
(B) North-East Frontier Railway
(C) Northern Railway
(D) Central Railway
(E) North Central Railway
Solution: Option D.)
Ans (D)
Red push buttons installed within each of the four ladies coaches will trigger an alert in emergencies.
Until this installation, women relied on helpline calls, SMS, or chain-pulling in emergencies.
Pushing the button, situated next to the alarm chain, will activate an audio and visual signal on flasher units outside the coach, alerting platform staff and fellow passengers.
To enhance the safety of women passengers in trains, Central Railway (CR) in Mumbai has introduced ‘panic button’ system.
10. Which state government has initiated tab distribution to class 8 students?
(A) Telangana
(B) Karnataka
(C) Andhra Pradesh
(D) Kerala
(E) Arunachal Pradesh
Solution: Option C.)
Ans (C)
CM Reddy kickstarted a Rs 620 crore project, providing tabs to over 4 lakh Class 8 students across the state.
Each tab, valued at Rs 33,000, includes education-focused material from Byju’s and features AI-aided learning and language apps.
Addressing concerns, the CM assured parental control over tabs, allowing them to track usage and ensure their children’s focus remains on education.