1. How many branches or Banking outlets does the State Bank of India plan to open in 2024-25?
(A) 500
(B) 300
(C) 100
(D) 400
(E) 200
Solution: Option D.)
Ans (D)
According to the State Bank of India, Chairman Dinesh Kumar Khara, the bank plans to open 400 branches in India in the 2024-25 financial year.
India’s largest scheduled commercial bank opened 137 branches in 2023-24, of which 59 were rural branches.
The SBI chairman said that despite the increase in digital transactions by SBI customers, the physical bank branches are needed to provide customer services in newly emerging areas of wealth management and advisory services.
The government of India-owned SBI has over 22,500 branches, 63,580 ATMs/ADWMs, and 82,900 business outlets in the country as of March 2024.
2. Where has the Under17 & Under 23 Asian Wrestling Championship 2024 held?
(A) Amman, Jordan
(B) Beirut, Lebanon
(C) Doha, Qatar
(D) Cairo, Egypt
(E) Muscat, Oman
Solution: Option A.)
Ans (A)
Indian wrestlers have ended their campaign in the Under-17 Asian Wrestling Championship 2024 with a total of 11 medals- four gold, two silver, and five bronze.
The annual Under 17 & Under 23 Asian Wrestling Championship 2024 is being held in the Jordanian capital city of Amman.
The U-17 championship was held from 22 to 24 June 2024. After the end of the U-17 championship, the U-23 championship has started.
The Indian wrestlers competed in the men’s and women’s freestyle and men’s Greco-Roman categories.
There were 10 weight divisions in each of the three wrestling formats per age group.
The 2023 U-17 & U-23 Asian Wrestling Championship was held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
3. Which country is the chairman of the International Sugar Organisation for 2024?
(A) China
(B) India
(C) USA
(D) Japan
(E) Russia
Solution: Option B.)
Ans (B)
The 64th International Sugar Organisation Council meeting commenced on 25th June 2024 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.
Delegates from more than 30 countries and representatives of many international organizations are expected to participate in the meeting to be held from 25-27 June 2024, to discuss issues related to the sugar industry and biofuels sectors.
India was elected as the chairman of the International Sugar Council for 2024 at the 63rd International Sugar Organisation Council meeting held in London. the United Kingdom last year.
As a chairman, India is hosting the 64th International Sugar Organisation Council meeting.
4. The Kerala Assembly recently passed a resolution to rename the state as what?
(A) Kerala Pradesh
(B) Keralam
(C) Tulu Nadu
(D) Malabar
(E) Kerala Nadu
Solution: Option B.)
Ans (B)
The Kerala legislative assembly has unanimously passed a resolution on 24 June 2024 to rename the state to Keralam.
The resolution, moved by Kerala’s chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, requested the government of India change the state’s name in the constitution.
A similar resolution was passed by the Kerala Legislative Assembly in August 2023.
The first schedule of the constitution mentions the name of the state and the Union Territories.
The fourth schedule of the constitution mentions the seats allocated to the states and the Union Territory, which have a legislative assembly in the Rajya Sabha or the Council of States of the Parliament.
The modern state of Kerala came into existence on 1 November 1956, when the State Reorganisation Act 1956 was enacted, and 14 new States and 6 Union Territories were created in the country.
5. Eastern Coalfield Limited has launched a pilot project for underground coal gasification in which state?
(A) Jharkhand
(B) Bihar
(C) Chhattisgarh
(D) Odisha
(E) West Bengal
Solution: Option A.)
Ans (A)
The government of India-owned Coal India Limited subsidiary company, Eastern Coalfields Limited, has launched a pilot project for in situ underground coal gasification at the Kasta coal block in Jamtara District, Jharkhand.
The coal will not be removed from the mine, and the coal gasification process will take place within the mine.
The project aims to prove that underground gasification at the coal-bearing site is economically viable.
It will convert coal into valuable gasses like methane, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide.
These gasses will be used to produce synthetic natural gas, chemical feedstocks for fuels, fertilizers, explosives, and other industrial applications.
6. Who did Jessica Pegula defeat to clinch the Berlin Open title?
(A) Serena Williams
(B) Naomi Osaka
(C) Anna Kalinskaya
(D) Simona Halep
(E) Ashleigh Barty
Solution: Option C.)
Ans (C)
Jessica Pegula clinched the Berlin Open title by defeating Anna Kalinskaya in the final, marking her fifth singles title.
Prior to the final, Pegula triumphed over top seed Coco Gauff in a rain-interrupted semi-final.
In the final, Pegula displayed resilience, recovering from a first-set loss to secure victories in the subsequent sets, showcasing her skill and determination.
7. What significant milestone did ISRO’s RLV Pushpak achieve recently in June 2024?
(A) First manned mission to Mars
(B) Successful deployment of a new satellite
(C) First commercial lunar landing
(D) Third consecutive successful landing
(E) Completion of a year-long space mission
Solution: Option D.)
Ans (D)
ISRO’s third and final Reusable Launch Vehicle Autonomous Landing Mission (RLV LEX-03) was conducted at the Aeronautical Test Range (ATR), Chitradurga in Karnataka.
The RLV-TD acted as a flying test bed to evaluate various technologies like powered cruise flight, hypersonic flight, and autonomous landing using air-breathing propulsion.
8. Who has been appointed as the new Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha, succeeding Piyush Goyal?
(A) Jagat Prakash Nadda
(B) Anurag Thakur
(C) Shivraj Singh Chouhan
(D) Nitish Kumar
(E) N. Chandrababu Naidu
Solution: Option A.)
Ans (A)
BJP president Jagat Prakash Nadda was appointed as the new Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha, succeeding Piyush Goyal.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge remains Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha.
The 18th Lok Sabha session began on June 24 with key leaders, including PM Modi, Amit Shah, and Rajnath Singh, taking oaths alongside 280 new MPs.
The Leader of the House is responsible for organizing government meetings and business in the House. This office is not enshrined in the constitution and is provided under the Rules of Rajya Sabha.
9. Who has been appointed as the vice chancellor of Universal AI University, India’s first AI-dedicated institution?
(A) Jingyi Jessica
(B) Charlotte Deane
(C) Janet Wittes
(D) Simon Mak
(E) Liyan Xie
Solution: Option D.)
Ans (D)
Simon Mak has been appointed as the vice chancellor of Universal AI University, India’s 1st AI-dedicated institution, marking him as the first foreign national to hold such a position in an Indian university.
Mak, with a background in Silicon Valley startups and academia, will collaborate with Chancellor Tarundeep Singh Anand to enhance UAIU’s global standing.
Mumbai: Universal AI University
10. The HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company has appointed whom as its new MD and CEO?
(A) Keki Mistry
(B) Ritesh Kumar
(C) Anuj Tyagi
(D) Vinod Sanghi
(E) Samir Shah
Solution: Option C.)
Ans (C)
Private sector general insurer HDFC ERGO General Insurance announced the appointment of Anuj Tyagi as its new Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
Tyagi, who has been with the company since 2008 and currently serves as Deputy MD, will succeed Ritesh Kumar, the MD & CEO since 2008.