Q1: Prime Minister inaugurated Shivamogga Airport in which state?
a) Andhra Pradesh
b) Karnataka
c) Maharashtra
d) Goa
Show solution
Solution: option b.)
▪ Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 27 February 2023 launched the newly built Shivamogga airport along with various development projects worth over Rs 3,600 crore in Shivamogga, Karnataka.
▪ The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for two rail projects, the Shivamogga Shikaripura-Ranebennur New Railway Line and the Koteganguru Railway Coaching Depot and several road development projects worth over Rs 215 crore.
▪ The Prime Minister also inaugurated multi-village schemes worth over Rs 950 crore under the Jal Jeevan Mission and 44 smart city projects worth over Rs 895 crore in Shivamogga city.
Shivamogga Airport: • Shivamogga Airport has been developed at a cost of about Rs 450 crore. • The passenger terminal building of this airport is spread over 4340 square metres and is capable of handling 300 passengers per hour. • There were only 74 airports in the whole country till the year 2014, while today the number of airports has doubled (148) after the inauguration of Shivamogga Airport. • The Shivamogga airport is designed in the shape of a lotus flower and has been constructed at a cost of Rs 450 crore.
Q2: 22nd World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS) was held in which city?
a) Mumbai
b) Hyderabad
c) New Delhi
d) Lucknow
Show solution
Solution: option c.)
▪ It is primarily the flagship annual event of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).
▪ Theme: “Mainstreaming Sustainable Development and Climate Resilience for Collective Action”. ▪ Other highlights at WSDS 2023 included high-level sessions on COP28, Women’s Leadership, CEO Forum, Youth Plenary and G20 Leadership.
▪ COP28, will be the 28th United Nations Climate Change conference, held from November 30th until December 12th, 2023 at the Expo City, Dubai.
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) • TERI is an independent think-tank, multi-dimensional organization, with expertise in research, policy, consultancy and implementation.
• Established in 1974. • Headquarters – New Delhi. • It was formerly known as the Tata Energy Research Institute. It was later renamed The Energy and Resources Institute in 2003
. • Dr Vibha Dhawan Director General, TERI
Q3: Which company becomes World’s strongest TELECOM Brand?
a) Reliance
b) AIRTEL
c) Swisscom
d) Giffgaff
Show solution
Solution: option a.)
Reliance Jio has climbed up to number two rank — up from fifth place last year — in a list of the top 10 strongest telecom brands in the world.
As the telecommunications industry continues to grow and evolve, keeping track of who’s-who in terms of establishing a strong presence can be difficult. Brand Finance has compiled a list of companies based on their brand value. In this post, we will explore the Top 150 most valuable and strongest telecom operator brands according to Brand Finance 2023 rankings. Read on to find out who has made it onto this list and what makes them so successful.
Q4: India’s unemployment rate rose to ____% in February 2023 data from the Centre for monitoring Indian economy showed.
a) 7.35
b) 7.45
c) 7.55
d) 7.65
Show solution
Solution: option b.)
Joblessness as measured by the CMIE All India unemployment rate remained elevated in February 2023 and rose to 7.45% from 7.14% in the previous month.
The urban unemployment rate decreased for the second straight month and was at 7.93% in February as against 8.55% in January. It touched a record high of 10.09% in December 2022.
But more worrying the rural unemployment rate spiked to 7.23% last month from 6.48% in January.
Mahesh Vyas, Managing Director and CEO, of the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy however, said that it is important to note that labour participation has increased at the same time from 39.8% to 39.92%. “The employment rate, which is the most important indicator has dropped a bit from 36.96% to 36.94%,
Q5: What were the UPI Transactions in February 2023?
a) Rs 12 Lakh Crores
b) Rs 14 Lakh Crores
c) Rs 11 Lakh Crores
d) Rs 16 Lakh Crores
Show solution
Solution: option a.)
Payments transactions via the UPI (Unified Payments Interface) network fell in February 2023 after touching a peak in January 2023 and rising for seven straight months, according to data by NPCI (National Payments Corporation of India). The value of UPI transactions fell 4.9 per cent in February to ₹12.35 lakh crore owing to a 6.6 per cent reduction in the number of transactions to 750 crores. In January, the platform had seen a record 803 crore transactions worth ₹12.98 lakh crore.
Q6: What is the Length of the World’s longest river cruise Ganga Villas?
a) 3100 KM
b) 3300 KM
c) 3400 KM
d) 3200 KM
Show solution
Solution: option d.)
1) The luxury cruise will cover a distance of more than 3,200 km across 27 river systems in 5 states in India and Bangladesh.
2) The maiden voyage of MV Ganga Vilas will witness 32 tourists from Switzerland relishing the Varanasi to Dibrugarh journey.
3) The 51 days cruise is planned with visits to 50 tourist spots including World Heritage Sites, National Parks, river Ghats, and major cities like Patna in Bihar, Sahibganj in Jharkhand, Kolkata in West Bengal, Dhaka in Bangladesh and Guwahati in Assam.
Q7: Who assumes charge of the Principal Director General, PIB?
a) Rajesh Malhotra
b) Rakesh Malhotra
c) Prakash Malhotra
d) Rupesh Kumar
Show solution
Solution: option d.)
Senior Indian Information Service officer Rajesh Malhotra today, March 1, assumed the charge of Principal Director General, Press Information Bureau.
Mr Malhotra takes over after the superannuation of Satyendra Prakash yesterday. A 1989 batch officer Mr Malhotra was earlier working in the Ministry of Finance. He has over 32 years of operational experience in the planning and implementation of media and communication strategies for various Central Government Ministries and Departments.
He was associated with the Election Commission as in charge of media and communication for 21 years. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, he effectively steered the media and communication policy in the Finance Ministry in sync with the various AatmaNirbhar Bharat Packages announced by the government.
Q8: In which city, India hosted the 1st meeting of the Governing Board of BIMSTEC Energy Centre?
a) Mumbai
b) Bengaluru
c) Kolkata
d) Varanasi
Show solution
Solution: option b.)
The central government hosted the first meeting of the governing board of BIMSTEC Energy Centre (BEC) on 27 February 2023 in Bengaluru.
The meeting witnessed active participation from member countries Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
“India’s ‘Neighbourhood first’ and ‘Act East’ policies were highlighted during the meeting and a snapshot of areas where BIMSTEC countries can learn and adapt from each other was also presented,” the Ministry of Power said.
As host, India made a presentation on establishing the BIMSTEC Energy Centre (BEC) on the premises of the Central Power Research Institute (CPRI), Bengaluru.
Q9: Which Bank has partnered with IRCTC to launch a co-branded travel credit card?
a) HDFC Bank
b) AXIS Bank
c) SBI
d) PNB
Show solution
Solution: option a.)
Indian Railway-backed catering services provider, IRCTC tied up with the largest private sector lender HDFC Bank on Wednesday to launch one of India’s most rewarding co-branded travel credit cards. The co-branded card will be called “IRCTC HDFC Bank Credit Card” and will be in a single variant exclusively available on NPCI’s Rupay network.
In a statement, it said, the card combines the strength of two leading Indian brands to deliver superior value and an enhanced customer experience to travellers.
Q10: The Italian Prime Minister will be the Chief Guest and Keynote Speaker at which edition of Raisina Dialogue, 2023?
a) 6th
b) 10th
c) 9th
d) 8th
Show solution
Solution: option d.)
▪ Italy PM, Giorgia Meloni will be on a two-day visit to India on 2nd March 2023 with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and a high-powered business delegation
. ▪ The Italian Prime Minister will be the Chief Guest and Keynote Speaker at the 8th Raisina Dialogue, 2023.
▪ Indian PM Narendra Modi and his Italian counterpart will hold discussions on bilateral, regional, and global issues.
▪ Both countries are celebrating 75 years of diplomatic relations.
Q11: A ‘Grand Startup Conclave‘ was organised by the Central Animal Husbandry and Dairy Department for current and emerging startups in livestock, dairy and animal husbandry areas in which city?
a) Mumbai
b) New Delhi
c) Hyderabad
d) Mumbai
Show solution
Solution: option c.)
▪ It was inaugurated by Union Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairy Minister Purushottam Rupala.
▪ The aim of the conference is to promote startups in livestock, dairy and animal husbandry areas in collaboration with the National Dairy Development Board, the Government of Telangana and Industry Organization Indian Industry (CII).
Q12: The government is planning to set up 10 ‘Clean Plant Centres’ to boost the domestic production of the selected crops. These centres will be established for fruit crops with a budget of ____________ in the next seven years till 2030.
a) Rs 2,000 crore
b) Rs 2,200 crore
c) Rs 2,500 crore
d) Rs 3,000 crore
Show solution
Solution: option b.)
▪ These centres were already established in developed countries such as the US, Netherlands, and Israel.
▪ They will be set up under the ‘Atmanirbhar Clean Plant Program’.
▪ It was announced by FM Nirmala Sitharaman in the Union Budget 2023-24.
Q13: Which Bank tops the list of public sector lenders in loan growth?
a) Bank of Maharashtra
b) Bank of India
c) PNB
d) SBI
Show solution
Solution: option a.)
▪ According to an analysis of the latest financial results of public sector banks (PSBs) showed that the Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) has emerged as the top performer in terms of loan growth percentage during the third quarter of 2022-23.
▪ The BoM recorded a 21.67% increase in gross advances on a year-on-year basis.
▪ BoM was followed by the Union Bank of India (19.80%) growth.
▪ While the State Bank of India (SBI) ranked fourth with a 16.91% rise in advances growth.
Q14: Union Minister _____________ launches VAIBHAV Fellowships.
a) Jitendra Singh
b) Nitin Gadkari
c) Giriraj Singh
d) Amit Shah
Show solution
Solution: option a.)
▪ Union MoS (Independent Charge) Science & Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh has launched the VAIBHAV Fellowship scheme for the Indian Diaspora abroad.
▪ To improve the research ecosystem of India’s Higher Educational Institutions by facilitating academic and research collaborations between Indian Institutions and the best institutions in the world.
▪ The duration of the fellowship is three years with the government offering the researchers an amount of up to Rs 37 lakh for the entire period.
Q15: ACF confers whom with the ‘player of the year 2022’ award?
a) Gukesh
b) Lokesh
c) Ramesh
d) Suresh
Show solution
Solution: option a.)
Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh has been honoured with the Player of the Year award by the Asian Chess Federation (ACF) for clinching the gold medal with a record-breaking score of 9/11 in the 44th Chess Olympiad at Mahabalipuram last year.
In March last year, Gukesh became only the sixth Indian to break the 2700 Elo-rating mark, and the youngest Grandmaster from the country to be rated above 2700.
Q16: Who appointed the DG of SSB?
a) Shyama Chauhan
b) Meenal Kumari
c) Rashmi Shukla
d) Lalita Sharma
Show solution
Solution: option a.)
The New Delhi establishment appointed Mrs Rashmi Shukla (IPS: 1988:MH) as Director General, Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) till her superannuation i.e. 30.06.2024. Currently, she is working as an Additional DG of, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). SSB is the border-guarding force deployed along Nepal and Bhutan border.