Q1: The 4th Asian Kho Kho Championship for Men and Women will begin in which of the following states?
a) Karnataka
b) Assam
c) Gujarat
d) Sikkim
Show solution
Solution: option b.)
The 4th Asian Kho Kho Championship will begin in Tamulpur in Baksa district in Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) in Assam from Monday.
Altogether 17 teams (both male and female) will participate in this event.
The participating countries are – Bangladesh, Bhutan, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka and the host India.
The event is being organised by the Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI) and is being hosted by the Assam Kho Kho Association (AKKA) with support from the BTR Government.
Eight matches will take place each day in the four-day event. On March 23, the last day of the event, only the semifinals and the final will take place.
Q2: 4th Defence Cooperation Dialogue between India and Maldives was recently held in ___________.
a) Male
b) Kochi
c) Lakshadweep
d) Port Louis
Show solution
Solution: option a.)
India and the Maldives conducted the 4th Defence Cooperation Dialogue (DCD) in Male on March 19, 2023. The dialogue was co-chaired by Defence Secretary Shri Giridhar Aramane and his Maldivian counterpart, Chief of Defence Force, Maldives National Defence Forces Major General Abdulla Shamaal.
This DCD is the highest institutionalised interactive mechanism between the two countries. Its significance in chartering the future course of relations between both the Armed Forces was highlighted by the importance given to the talks by the two nations.
The Armed Forces of India & the Maldives continue to seek bilateral cooperation in multiple fields and the increased engagements are a positive sign for the future of bilateral relations.
Q3: Who becomes the 1st Indian woman in the sport to have a stadium after her name?
a) Sania Mirza
b) P.T Usha
c) Rani Rampal
d) Saina Nehwal
Show solution
Solution: option c.)
Indian team’s star hockey player Rani Rampal has become the first woman in the sport to have a stadium named after her, in Rae Bareli.
The MCF Rae Bareli has renamed the hockey stadium as ‘Rani’s Girls Hockey Turf’.
Rani shared photos on her social media handles, where she is seen interacting with the players and inaugurating the stadium alongside other staff members.
Q4: Trans Woman Padma Lakshmi becomes 1st to join which Bar council?
a) Tamil Nadu
b) Karnataka
c) Kerala
d) Nagaland
Show solution
Solution: option c.)
In first, Padma Lakshmi, a transwoman in Kerala, has been enrolled on the state’s Bar Council as an advocate. She was included in the council at a ceremony on March 19, 2023.
Lakshmi was among 1,500 law graduates who were inducted into the ceremony. Congratulating her, Kerala’s Industries Minister P Rajeev shared a post dedicated to Lakshmi on his official Instagram account.
Kerala CJI: S.Manikumar
Q5: Who gets an additional charge of MD & CEO of Invest India?
a) Sarbjeet Kaur
b) Deepak Bagla
c) Noor Rahman Sheikh
d) Manmeet K Nanda
Show solution
Solution: option d.)
The board of Invest India has appointed Manmeet K Nanda as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the investment promotion and facilitation body under the commerce ministry.
Nanda succeeds Deepak Bagla, who resigned from the post last week.
In its meeting held on Monday, the board approved the appointment of Nanda, an IAS officer of the West Bengal Cadre of 2000 Batch, as the new MD and CEO, the Commerce Ministry said in a statement.
Q6: Who has been named India’s most valuable celebrity in 2022, according to Kroll Report?
a) Arjun Kapoor
b) Ranveer Singh
c) Salman Khan
d) Sanjay Dutt
Show solution
Solution: option b.)
Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh has surpassed cricketer Virat Kohli to become the most valued celebrity of 2022 with a brand value of $181.7 million, revealed a report by corporate investigation and risk consulting firm Kroll.
This year, Singh has dethroned cricketer Virat Kohli, who was in the top position for five consecutive years, said a report, titled “Celebrity Brand Valuation Report 2022: Beyond the Mainstream”.
Ace cricketer Kohli came in second position with a brand value of $176.9 million and Akshay Kumar remained steady at the third position with a brand value of $153.6 million.
Meanwhile, South Indian stars Allu Arjun and Rashmika Mandanna made it to the list of India’s top 25 most valued celebrities for the first time. Allu Arjun ranked 20th with a brand value of $31.4 million, while Rashmika Mandanna ranked 25th with a brand value of $25.3 million.
Q7: Yesterday, Bihar celebrated ____ edition of state foundation day.
a) 101
b) 111
c) 113
d) 117
Show solution
Solution: option b.)
Bihar is today celebrating its 111th (one hundred eleven) foundation day. The state of Bihar was carved out from the Bengal presidency on March 22 in 1912.
This day is celebrated as Bihar Diwas. The theme of this year’s event is ” Yuva Shakti Bihar ki Pragati”. Prabhat Pheri organised today at more than 70 thousand government and private schools across the state.
A three-day function has been organised for this occasion. Different departments of the state government will organise cultural functions on this occasion. Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar have congratulated people on the occasion of Bihar Divas
Q8: IFSCA has formed a committee to design a road map to attract Indian start-ups to set up a base in GIFT city. Who is the chairman of the committee?
a) Geeta Rani
b) Shailza Dhami
c) Deepak Verma
d) G Padmanabhan
Q9: India on track to achieve energy independence by which year?
a) 2050
b) 2047
c) 2045
d) 2040
Show solution
Solution: option b.)
India, the world’s fifth largest economy, can achieve energy independence through clean technology by 2047, a report of a top research institute said, highlighting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Atmanirbhar Bharat push that spans from a massive renewable capacity addition to electric mobility, saving billions of dollars in imports.
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, a federally funded research and development centre, along with The India Energy and Climate Center (IECC) located at UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy published a report, ‘Pathways to Atmanirbhar Bharat’, that highlights the steps taken by India towards the adoption of clean energy.
India is 80-85 per cent dependent on imports to meet its oil and coal needs.
Q10: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) executive board has approved a $3-billion how many years extended financing arrangement for Sri Lanka.
a) 5 Years
b) 4 Years
c) 3 Years
d) 6 Years
Show solution
Solution: option b.)
▪ It paves the way for an immediate disbursement of about $333 million to the cash-strapped country.
▪ The new Extended Fund Facility (EFF) arrangement program aims to restore Sri Lanka’s macroeconomic stability and debt sustainability, mitigate the economic impact on the poor and vulnerable, and safeguard financial sector stability.
Q11: The gross NPA ratio was declining from 14.6% in March 2018 to _________ in December 2022.
a) 5.53%
b) 4.93%
c) 5.63%
d) 5.98%
Show solution
Solution: option a.)
The government has taken various reforms following which the asset quality of public sector banks has improved significantly with the gross NPA ratio declining from the peak of 14.6 per cent in March 2018 to 5.53 per cent in December 2022, Parliament was informed on Monday.
All PSBs are in profit with aggregate profit being Rs 66,543 crore in 2021-22, and that further increased to Rs 70,167 crore in the first nine months of the current financial year, Minister of State for Finance Bhagwat K Karad said in a written reply to Lok Sabha.
At the same time, resilience has increased with the provision coverage ratio of PSBs rising from 46 per cent to 89.9 per cent in December 2022, he said, adding capital adequacy ratio of PSBs improved significantly from 11.5 per cent in March 2015 to 14.5 per cent in December 2022.
Q12: Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a monetary penalty of _________ rupees on private lender RBL Bank Ltd.
a) 30.7
b) 22.7
c) 28.7
d) 20.7
Show solution
Solution: option b.)
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Monday (20 March 2023) imposed a monetary penalty of Rs 2.27 crore on RBL Bank for non-compliance with certain provisions.
The central bank stated that this action is based on the deficiencies in regulatory compliance observed relating to the period FY 2018-19 to FY 2021-22 and is not intended to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or agreement entered into by the bank with its customers.
In a statement, RBI said that the penalty is for non-compliance with certain provisions of the directions issued by the central bank on the Internal Ombudsman Scheme, 2018, Fair Practices Code for Lenders, credit card operations of banks, managing risks, and the code of conduct in outsourcing of financial services by banks and recovery agents engaged by banks.
RBL Headquarters: Mumbai; MD & CEO: R. Subramaniakumar.
Q13: World Poetry Day is observed across the world on which date each year to honour the expression of language through poetry, which unites people through shared humanity and values?
a) 21 March
b) 20 March
c) 19 March
d) 18 March
Show solution
Solution: option a.)
Writer Elizabeth Barrett Browning dedicated this iconic poem to her husband Robert Browning but her famous sonnet could just as easily declare love for poetry itself. We can all do that on World Poetry Day, on March 21.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was founded on this day in 1999. Poetry uses rhythms and imagery to elicit emotion and the imagination of the reader. Poetry can rhyme, using what are called meters of long and short syllables. Some poetry, written in what’s called ‘free verse,’ doesn’t employ rhyme or meters. Poems are broken into stanzas, which are like paragraphs and can be up to 12 lines long.
HISTORY OF WORLD POETRY DAY
Poetry is a beautiful form of expression. No other type of literature creates such a plethora of feelings and emotions as the abstraction of poetry. The earliest poetry is believed to have surfaced with the “Epic of Gilgamesh” sometime during 2000 B.C., but it is likely that poetry existed even before the spread of literacy. Different types of poetry have trended during different eras, and undergone transformations.
/spoiler]
Q14: International Day of Forests is celebrated each year on which date to raise awareness about the importance of forests and trees for the survival of humanity?
a) March 20
b) March 21
c) March 22
d) March 23
[spoiler title="Show solution"]
Solution: option b.)
▪ 2023 theme: Forests and health
▪ This day can be traced back to 1971 when the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) established World Forestry Day.
▪ In 2011, the United Nations declared the years 2011 to 2020 as the International Decade of Forests.
▪ In 2012, the International Day of Forests was established.
/spoiler]
Q15: India’s per capita income doubled since which financial year?
a) 2011-12
b) 2012-13
c) 2013-14
d) 2014-15
[spoiler title="Show solution"]
Solution: option d.)
▪ According to National Statistical Office (NSO), the estimated annual per capita (net national income) at current prices for 2022-23 is Rs 1,72,000, showing a growth of around 99% from Rs 86,647 in 2014-15.
▪ However, after adjusting for inflation (constant prices), the per capita income has risen by approximately 35% from Rs 72,805 in 2014-15 to Rs 98,118 in 2022-23.
▪ The average growth of India’s per-capita income in real terms from 2014 to 2019 was 5.6 per cent per annum.
/spoiler]
Q16: Which Bank signed a co-lending pact with Autotrac Finance through Yubi?
a) ICICI
b) AXIS
c) PNB
d) Kotak Mahindra
[spoiler title="Show solution"]
Solution: option b.)
▪ Axis Bank has entered into a co-lending pact with Autotrac Finance (AFL) through YubiCo.Lend platform to offer new tractor loans for agricultural and allied activities in rural segments of the country.
▪ This partnership will leverage the wide customer experience of Autotrac Finance and the deep financial expertise of Axis Bank to enable easy credit availability for farmers.
▪ They would be able to reach out to potential customers.
▪ Axis Bank CEO: Amitabh Chaudhry
Q17: Asia’s largest 4-metre liquid mirror telescope was inaugurated in which state?
a) Sikkim
b) Arunachal Pradesh
c) Himachal Pradesh
d) Uttrakhand
Show solution
Solution: option b.)
▪ Union MoS (Independent Charge) Science & Technology Dr Jitendra Singh has inaugurated Asia’s largest 4-meter International Liquid Mirror Telescope (ILMT) at Devasthal in Uttarakhand.
▪ It is situated at an altitude of 2450 meters at the observatory, which lies at the campus of Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences.
▪ The ILMT employs a 4-meter-diameter rotating mirror, which was made up of a thin layer of liquid mercury, to collect and focus light.