Q1: Name the personality who has recently (in March ‘23) been re-elected as the president of the International Federation of Football Association (FIFA).
a) Alejandro Dominguez
b) Sepp Blatter
c) Issa Hayatou
d) Gianni Infantino
Show solution
Solution: option d.)
Gianni Infantino has been re-elected FIFA president by acclamation for a four-year term until 2027. Soccer’s boss is seeking to stay in power until 2031.
Infantino won a new term by acclamation. It was a sweet victory for the FIFA president, hosted by Paul Kagame, Rwanda’s authoritarian head of state. In 2019, in Paris, Infantino was also elected by acclamation when one senior FIFA figure famously asked why one would queue if one could do it by acclamation.
Infantino nurtured Africa as his power base and it was the first time that an elective congress took place in Africa.
FIFA (H.Q): Zurich, Switzerland
Q2: Which state recently inaugurated the ‘Keeladi museum’?
a) Karnataka
b) Kerala
c) Telangana
d) Tamil Nadu
Show solution
Solution: option d.)
Chief Minister M.K. Stalin inaugurated the much-awaited Keeladi museum, a testimony to the regal life lived by ancient Tamils during the Sangam Age, in the Sivaganga district on Sunday.
The museum has been built on 2 acres at Keeladi at a cost of ₹18.43 crore. Located 12 km southeast of Madurai city, the hamlet gained an indispensable place in history as a major urban habitation site, unlike many other archaeological sites in the State, after the excavations began in 2015.
The Chief Minister opened the museum which is adorned with over 15,000 unique artefacts unearthed between the 4th and 8th phases of excavations by the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology in 2018.
Tamil Nadu Governor: R.N. Ravi
Q3: On which day we celebrated ‘World Sparrow Day’?
a) 21 March
b) 20 March
c) 22 March
d) 23 March
Show solution
Solution: option b.)
World Sparrow Day is observed annually on 20 March to create awareness among people about how to prevent the extinction of these species.
Sparrows or house sparrows are found in almost every continent of the world. However, in the last few years, these species are becoming extinct globally, including in India, for many reasons, including urbanization, environmental pollution, the decline in ecological resources, global warming and many more.
World Sparrow Day is a joint initiative by the Nature Forever Society, India, an NGO by Mohammed Dilawar (internationally acclaimed conservationist) along with other global organisations. The main purpose of the Nature Forever Society is to save common flora and fauna including sparrows by involving citizens.
Every year, World Sparrow Day is observed under a specific theme. This year, the theme of World Sparrow Day 2023 is “Let’s Together Say – I Love Sparrow.”
Q4: On which day we celebrated ‘World Forestry day’?
a) 24 March
b) 23 March
c) 22 March
d) 21 March
Show solution
Solution: option d.)
World Forestry Day or International Day of Forests is observed every year on 21 March. The day is recognised to create global awareness among people about the importance of forests for the survival of living beings.
There are countless benefits of forests in our lives. Some of these include providing food, purifying air, providing resources, helping in combating climatic changes, poverty alleviation, providing life-saving medicines, maintaining ecological balance, and many more.
Every year, the international day of forests is recognized under a specific theme. This year, the theme of World Forestry Day 2023 is “Forests and Health.” The main aim of this theme is to make people realize that healthy forests will bring healthy people.
Q5: Who is the Governor of Andhra Pradesh, as of March 2023?
a) Gulab Chand Kataria
b) Biswa Bhusan Harichandan
c) S. Abdul Nazeer
d) P.S. Sreedharan Pillai
Show solution
Solution: option c.)
President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday notified the appointment of the Supreme Court’s retired Justice Abdul Nazeer as the third Governor of Andhra Pradesh. Syed Abdul Nazeer is a former judge of the Supreme Court of India and retired on January 4, 2023.
Justice Nazeer is succeeding Biswa Bhusan Harichandan who has been transferred as the Governor of Chhattisgarh.
Q6: Who becomes the oldest tennis player to win ATP Masters 1000 title?
a) Andre Agassi
b) Rohan Bopanna
c) Roger Federer
d) Daniel Nestor
Show solution
Solution: option b.)
Rohan Bopanna, 43, made history by becoming the oldest tennis player to win an ATP Masters 1000 title. On Saturday, he won the men’s doubles title at the Indian Wells Masters 2023 tournament in California with Australian partner Matthew Ebden.
The Indo-Australian pair beat top seeds, Wesley Koolhof of the Netherlands and Neil Skupski of the United Kingdom, 6-3, 2-6, 10-8 in the final to lift the BNP Paribas Open trophy. With the Indian Wells Open win, 43-year-old Bopanna surpassed Daniel Nestor as the oldest player to win an ATP Masters 1000 title. Nestor won the Cincinnati Masters in 2015 at the age of 42.
Q7: Which state CM announced 19 new districts and three sub-divisions?
a) Haryana
b) Karnataka
c) Telangana
d) Rajasthan
Show solution
Solution: option d.)
In a significant announcement in the election year, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has announced the formation of 19 new districts and three new divisions in the state, earmarking Rs 2,000 crore for infrastructure development for them.
The new districts are — Anoopgarh which was a part of Ganganagar, Balotra (Barmer), Beawar (Ajmer), Kekri (Ajmer), Deeg (Bharatpur), Deedwana-Kuchaman (Nagaur), Dudu (Jaipur), Gangapur City (Sawai Madhopur), Jaipur North, Jaipur South, Jodhpur East, Jodhpur West, Kotputli-Behror (Jaipur-Alwar), Khairthal (Alwar), Neem ka Thana (Sikar), Phalodi (Jodhpur), Salumber (Udaipur), Sanchore (Jalore) and Shahpura (Bhilwara).
Four districts will be carved out from Jaipur — Jaipur North, Jaipur South, Dudu and Kotputli-Behror. Kotputli is currently a part of Jaipur, while Behror is in Alwar.
Q8: Which statutory body of the Ministry of Finance has recently provided 60 days of initial relaxation to all ‘Registrars to an Issue and Share Transfer Agents’?
a) Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority
b) Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority
c) Securities and Exchange Board of India
d) Reserve Bank of India
Show solution
Solution: option c.)
Markets regulator Sebi on Monday provided a relaxation of 60 days to large Registrars to issue/ Share Transfer Agents (RTAs) from complying with the enhanced requirements about periodic reporting.
Under the rules, QRTAs or qualified RTAs are required to comply with enhanced responsibilities through the adoption and implementation of an internal policy framework and periodic reporting requirements.
In a circular, Sebi clarified that an RTA would be categorized as QRTA if at any time during a financial year, the combined number of physical and demat folios being serviced by the RTA for listed companies exceeds 2 crores.
Q9: Who authored the book “Bipin: The Man Behind the Uniform” which was released in March 2023?
a) Joy Pachuau
b) Rachna Biswat Rawat
c) Sumit Sarkar
d) Tanika Sarkar
Show solution
Solution: option b.)
Rachna Biswat Rawat, a well-known journalist and writer from India, has written a book titled “Bipin: The Man Behind the Uniform,” which focuses on the life, personality, and principles of General Bipin Rawat, India’s first Chief of Defence Staff. Published by Penguin Veer, the book serves as a tribute to Rawat’s life and achievements.
The book tells the story of General Bipin Rawat, from his days as a cadet at the National Defence Academy to his role as India’s first Chief of Defence Staff. It highlights his experiences during his training, including anecdotes such as his demotion for not completing a mandatory swimming pool jump and losing his ID card at Amritsar railway station. It also sheds light on his decision as Army Chief to retaliate openly to every act of cross-border terrorism and his love for dancing the jams with his Gorkha troops.
Q10: ___ Edition Poshan Pakhwada celebrations begin?
a) 5th
b) 4th
c) 3rd
d) 6th
Show solution
Solution: option a.)
5th Poshan Pakhwada celebrations begin
Theme: “Nutrition for All: Together Towards a Healthy India”
The Focus of the Poshan Pakhwada will be to popularise ‘Shree Anna’- the mother of all grains, as a valuable asset to address malnutrition
Activities during Poshan Pakhwada from 20th March to 3rd April 2023 to focus on the promotion and popularization of Shree Anna, Celebration of Swasth Balak Spardha and Popularizing Saksham Anganwadis
Ministry of Women and Child Development aims to raise awareness about the importance of nutrition and promote healthy eating habits through Jan Andolan and Jan Bhagidari during Poshan Pakhwada
Q11: AFINDEX field training exercise to be held in ____?
a) Vishakhapatnam
b) Cuttack
c) Mumbai
d) Pune
Show solution
Solution: option d.)
The second edition of the Africa-India Field Training Exercise, (AFINDEX-2023) will be held from March 21-30 in Pune.
The 10-day-long exercise will commence with an opening ceremony at Foreign Training Node, Aundh, Pune. (HT PHOTO)
The event is important from the perspective of India-Africa relations wherein Army Chiefs and representatives of Chief from 21 African countries will be attending the event.
The chief aim of the exercise is to enable the participating contingents to hone their tactical skills, drills and procedures in joint operations for pea under the UN mandate, create synergy and better understanding with armies of African nations and promote Indian defence IndThe10-day-longday-longg exercise will commence with an opening ceremony at Foreign Training Node, Aundh, Pune. A comprehensive validation exercise on the theme “Humanitarian Mine Actions and Peace Keeping Operations” under the UN mandate is also scheduled.
Q12: Sagar Parikarma Phase 4th begin in which state?
a) Goa
b) Karnataka
c) Tamil Nadu
d) Kerala
Show solution
Solution: option b.)
The fourth phase of ‘Sindi facifacilitatingir economic uplifting through various schemes — will begin on Saturday, covering three coastal districts of Karnataka.
According to the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, phase IV of the Sagar Parikrama programme will take place from 18-19 March. It will cover the stretch of Uttara Kannada, Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts.
Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Parshottam Rupala and the state minister concerned besides officials and stakeholders will be present at the event.
During the event, certificates/sanctions related to the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada scheme, KCC& State Scheme shall be awarded to the progressive fishermen, especially coastal fishermen, fishers and fish farmers, young fishery entrepreneurs etc. Literature on the PMMSY scheme, State schemes, e-ashram, FIDF, KCC etc. shall be popularised through print media, electronic media, videos, and digital campaigns through jingles among fishers for wide publicity of schemes. A song on Sagar Parikrama in Kannada shall also be launched.
Q13: In which city, in India, will host the 2023 SAFF Championship?
a) Mumbai
b) New Delhi
c) Hyderabad
d) Bengaluru
Show solution
Solution: option d.)
The 2023 edition of the SAFF Championship, South Asia’s marquee international tournament, will be held in Bengaluru from 21 June to 3 July, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) announced on Sunday.
India will be hosting the tournament for the fourth time and first since the 2015 edition when it was held in Thiruvananthapuram.
All the member associations of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) are expected to participate in the 13th edition of the tournament, the AIFF said.
India has won the tournament eight times out of the 12 earlier editions.
The tournament will see the teams divided into two groups and play round-robin league matches on one group stage. The top two sides from each group will progress to the semi-finals. The date of the draw will be announced later.
Q14: In which city, UP will get its 3rd international stadium?
a) Lucknow
b) Varanasi
c) Agra
d) Chandauli
Show solution
Solution: option b.)
After Lucknow and Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh is set to get its third international cricket stadium in Varanasi and the work on the same will commence by May or June this year. The state government has purchased and measured 31 acres in the Rajathe talab area of Varanasi for the international cricket stadium, and the land will be handed over to the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) by the end of this month, according to officials.
BCCI’s honorary secretary Jay Shah and BCCI vice president Rajeev Shukla had ted Varanasi earlier this week in this regard.
“The Uttar Pradesh government has identified around 31 acres of land in Ganjari village in Rajatalab tehsil (of Varanasi) for the construction of the international cricket stadium. It will be the third such stadium in the state after Green Park in Kanpur and Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana stadium in Lucknow, where international matches will be played.
Q15: According to the Ministry of Education which state has the lowest literacy rate?
a) Bihar
b) Jharkhand
c) New Delhi
d) Tripura
Show solution
Solution: option a.)
Bihar has the lowest literacy rate in the country followed by Arunachal Pradesh and Rajasthan, according to the Ministry of Education.
The literacy rate in rural India is 67.77 per cent as compared to 84.11 per cent in urban India, it said.
The information was shared by Union Minister of State for Education, Annapurna Devi in response to a written question in Lok Sabha.
“Samagra Shiksha scheme envisages the school as a continuum from pre-school, primary, upper primary, secondary to senior secondary levels.
“The states and UTs are assisted by the central government to implement the Samagra Shiksha as a programme for providing universal access and retention, bridging the gender and social category gaps in education and enhancing the learning level of children at all levels of school education,”