1. Who has been named as the new Ambassador of India to Myanmar?
(A) Abhay Thakur
(B) Abhishek Saxena
(C) Deepak Sinha
(D) Syed Akbaruddin
(E) Nirupama Rao
Solution: Option A.)
Ans (A)
Veteran diplomat Abhay Thakur has recently been appointed as the new Ambassador of India to Myanmar.
Abhay was a key member of the team guiding the talks during India’s G20 presidency last year.
Abhay is a 1992 batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and is currently working in the Ministry of External Affairs.
The 1992-batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) had served as sous-sherpa of the G20 process during India’s presidency of the influential bloc.
2. Who has acquired Lanco Amarkantak Power Limited which has been approved by the Competition Commission of India?
(A) Tata Power
(B) Adani Power Limited
(C) Reliance Industry
(D) Tata Power Company
(E) NTPC Limited
Solution: Option B.)
Ans (B)
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved a 100 percent acquisition of Lanco Amarkantak Power Limited by Adani Power Limited. Adani Power Limited (Acquirer) is a company of the Adani Group.
Lanco Amarkantak is a company associated with thermal power generation.
The Competition Commission of India is the main national competition regulator in India.
3. Who led the Indian delegation to the 148th meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Geneva recently?
(A) Harivansh Narayan Singh
(B) Rajnath Singh
(C) Venkaiah Naidu
(D) Pramod Tiwari
(E) Jagdeep Dhankhar
Solution: Option A.)
Ans (A)
Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh participated in the 148th meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, IPU, in Geneva, Switzerland.
He led the Indian parliamentary delegation.
The Inter-Parliamentary Union is an international organization of national parliaments.
It was established in 1889.
4. Who won the gold medal in the 59 kg youth category in the recent Para Powerlifting World Cup?
(A) Ajay Rathi
(B) Atul Kumar
(C) Vinay
(D) Rishabh Singh
(E) Bhavina Patel
Solution: Option C.)
Ans (C)
India’s Vinay performed brilliantly in the Para Powerlifting World Cup held in Egypt and won the gold medal by lifting 120 kg in the 59 kg youth category.
18-year-old athlete Vinay is a resident of Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh.
In the same event, Ahmed Abdelkader of Egypt won the silver medal.
5. Who has recently been appointed the head of the National Investigation Agency?
(A) Rajeev Kumar Sharma
(B) Dinkar Gupta
(C) Sadanand Vasant Date
(D) Ajay Anand
(E) Abhinav Sharma
Solution: Option C.)
Ans (C)
Maharashtra cadre officer Sadanand Vasant Date has been appointed as the chief of the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Piyush Anand has been appointed Director General of NDRF and Rajeev Kumar Sharma has been appointed Director General of Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD).
6. Swami Smaranananda, who recently passed away at the age of 95, served as the ___ President of the Ramakrishna Mission.
(A) 14th
(B) 15th
(C) 16th
(D) 17th
(E) 18th
Solution: Option C.)
Ans (C)
Swami Smaranananda, the 16th President of the Ramakrishna Mission, passed away at the age of 95.
Swami Smaranananda Maharaj was born in Andami village, Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu, in 1929.
He was elected as the President of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission during a meeting of the Math’s Board of Trustees and the Mission’s Governing Body on July 17, 2017.
He is the 16th President of the Order, according to the official website of Belur Math.
Swami Smaranananda had a keen interest in literature, particularly English literary works and self-help books by Napoleon Hill.
He was also deeply influenced by Mahatma Gandhi’s teachings.
In 1991, he assumed leadership at the Ramakrishna Math in Chennai, overseeing the construction of the Sri Ramakrishna Temple there.
7. What is the enterprise value at which Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd. (APSEZ) agreed to acquire the stake in Gopalpur Port Ltd (GPL)?
(A) ₹2,150 crore
(B) ₹3,350 crore
(C) ₹4,500 crore
(D) ₹6,500 crore
(E) ₹5,750 crore
Solution: Option B.)
Ans (B)
The Shapoorji Pallonji Group announced the sale of its brownfield Gopalpur Port to Adani Ports and SEZ Ltd for an enterprise value of ₹ 3,350 crore
Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd. (APSEZ) announced the acquisition of Gopalpur Port Ltd. (GPL).
APSEZ entered into a definitive agreement to purchase a 56% stake from the Shapoorji Pallonji Group and a 39% stake from Orissa Stevedores Ltd. (OSL) in GPL.
The acquisition will enable APSEZ to offer more integrated and enhanced solutions to its customers.
Gopalpur Port is situated on the east coast of India and has a handling capacity of 20 MMTPA.
The port deals with a variety of dry bulk cargo, including iron ore, coal, limestone, ilmenite, and alumina.
8. In which city has Tata Cummins Private Limited (TCPL) inaugurated a new factory to produce hydrogen-based internal combustion engines?
(A) Ranchi
(B) Dhanbad
(C) Bokaro
(D) Jamshedpur
(E) Rourkela
Solution: Option D.)
Ans (D)
Tata Cummins Private Limited (TCPL) inaugurated the factory in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand.
The factory is dedicated to producing hydrogen-based internal combustion engines for medium and heavy commercial vehicles.
Spread across approximately seven acres, it was established quickly within a year following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Jharkhand government.
Alongside engines, the factory is set to manufacture products featuring low to zero-emission technologies.
TCPL is a collaborative venture between Tata Motors Limited and Cummins Inc., USA.
In March 2023, TCPL Green Energy Solutions (TCPL GES) was formed as a subsidiary to focus on developing low and zero-emission propulsion technology solutions.
9. The Election Commission has launched which app to supervise the election process.
(A) cVIGIL
(B) RAKSHAK
(C) e-CIVIL
(D) Eyed
(E) Eagle
Solution: Option A.)
Ans (A)
The Election Commission launched the CVIGIL App to supervise the election process
The cVIGIL app has allowed the public to report election code violations via photos/videos.
It has enabled the reporting of Model Code of Conduct and expenditure breaches.
CEC Rajiv Kumar has assured action on reports within 100 minutes.
The app will connect vigilant citizens with the District Control Room, Returning Officer, and Flying Squads Teams, making the electoral system more transparent.
10. Which Gulf country has become the first to debut in the Miss Universe Pageant?
(A) Kuwait
(B) Saudi Arabia
(C) Bahrain
(D) Qatar
(E) Oman
Solution: Option B.)
Ans (B)
Saudi Arabia officially enters the Miss Universe Pageant.
This will be a first for this gulf country that has been constantly trying to shed its conservative cloak for the past few years.
Rumy Alqahtani, the 27-year model, will represent Saudi Arabia in this competition.
Saudi Arabia announces its participation in the Miss Universe Beauty pageant with 27-year-old pageant veteran Rumy Alqahtani.
Saudi Arabia is known for its strict social and religious control over its citizens.