1. Where was India’s first green hydrogen plant established in the stainless steel sector?
(A) Pune
(B) Surat
(C) Hisar
(D) Jaipur
(E) Patna
Solution: Option C.)
Ans (C)
Union Steel and Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia virtually inaugurated India’s first green hydrogen plant in the stainless steel sector located at Jindal Stainless Limited, Hisar (Haryana).
This project will be the world’s first green hydrogen plant with an off-grid green hydrogen plant and roof-top floating solar for the stainless steel industry.
India’s steel output has been 125.32 million tonnes (MT) of crude steel and 121.29 MT of finished steel production in FY23.
The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has announced a National Green Mission for green hydrogen production and usage.
The steel sector has also been made a stakeholder in the mission.
2. Where is the Asian River Rafting Championship being organized?
(A) Rishikesh
(B) Shimla
(C) Dehradun
(D) Srinagar
(E) Manali
Solution: Option B.)
Ans (B)
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu inaugurated the Asian River Rafting Championship to be held from March 4 to March 9, 2024, on the Sutlej River near Basantpur (Sunni) in Shimla.
More than 20 national and international teams from Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Iran Iraq, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Indonesia are participating in this championship.
The Sutlej River is one of the five rivers that give Punjab its name, and it is an ancient river.
It is one of the tributaries of the Indus River.
Satluj enters India near Shipki La Pass and passes through numerous Himalayan valleys before merging with the Beas River in Punjab.
3. Recently, who has taken oath as the 24th Prime Minister of Pakistan?
(A) Shahbaz Sharif
(B) Arif Alvi
(C) Maryam Nawaz
(D) Imran Khan
(E) Anwaar-ul-Haq
Solution: Option A.)
Ans (A)
Shehbaz Sharif took oath as the 24th Prime Minister of Pakistan. President Arif Alvi administered the oath to 72-year-old Shehbaz at a ceremony held at the President’s residence.
This is the second time that he has become the Prime Minister of the country.
Earlier, Shahbaz had served as the Prime Minister of the country from April 2022 to August 2023.
4. “Risa” is a tribal costume of which state, that was recently granted GI tag?
(A) Kerala
(B) Assam
(C) Bihar
(D) Tripura
(E) Meghalaya
Solution: Option D.)
Ans (D)
Tripura’s tribal attire “Risa” has also been given a GI tag.
Geographical Indication is mainly given to link a product to its region of origin.
The famous silver Tarkashi of Cuttack (Odisha) has been given a GI tag.
Odisha State Cooperative Handicrafts Corporation Limited requested the GI tag for the famous silver tarkashi on July 1, 2021.
5. Who has been appointed as the new Chief Electoral Officer of Maharashtra?
(A) SM Deshpande
(B) Abhishek Banerjee
(C) S Chokalingam
(D) Akash Sinha
(E) Suvendu Adhikari
Solution: Option C.)
Ans (C)
Ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the Election Commission of India recently appointed IAS officer S Chokkalingam has been appointed as the new Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Maharashtra.
Chockalingam, a 1996 batch IAS officer of Maharashtra cadre, has been named as the state CEO in place of current SM Deshpande.
The Chief Electoral Officer(India) is a statutory authority created to represent the Election Commission of India for conducting elections in states and union territories of India.
The Constitution of India with the introduction of Article 324 made the powers of the Chief Electoral Officer(India) independent.
6. Recently, Brajesh Mehrotra has been appointed as the new chief secretary of which state?
(A) Haryana
(B) Bihar
(C) Punjab
(D) Odisha
(E) Rajasthan
Solution: Option B.)
Ans (B)
Brajesh Mehrotra was appointed the new chief secretary of Bihar, replacing Amir Subhani who was seeking voluntary retirement.
Nitish Kumar approves Subhani’s retirement request; Subhani is likely to head the Bihar Public Service Commission or Bihar Electricity Regulatory Commission.
Chaitanya Prasad was named the new development commissioner, taking over from Vivek Kumar Singh.
7. A 5-day exchange program for the faculties of foreign service academies of the BIMSTEC members began in which city?
(A) Dhaka
(B) New Delhi
(C) Bangkok
(D) Naypyidaw
(E) Kathmandu
Solution: Option A.)
Ans (A)
A 5-day exchange program for the faculties of foreign service academies of the BIMSTEC members began in Dhaka for the first time.
The thirteen faculties of Foreign Service academies from seven BIMSTEC countries are taking part in the program.
It is an international organization of 7 South and Southeast Asian nations – Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
8. Who has won the elections for Senior Deputy Mayor of Chandigarh?
(A) Nilesh Maniyar
(B) Shivankit Singh
(C) Kuljeet Singh
(D) Namita Parihar
(E) Neeraj Madhav
Solution: Option C.)
Ans (C)
Kuljeet Singh won the elections for Senior Deputy Mayor of Chandigarh.
Bharatiya Janata Party won both the Senior Deputy Mayor and the Deputy Mayor seats in Chandigarh
BJP’s Kuljeet Singh Sandhu defeated candidate Gurpreet Singh Gabi.
Rajendra Kumar Sharma won the Deputy Mayor post.
The Supreme Court declared Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councilor Kuldeep Kumar as the winner of the Chandigarh mayoral polls.
9. The Maharashtra government has extended the tenure of DGP Rashmi Shukla for how many years?
(A) 5 years
(B) 2 years
(C) 4 years
(D) 6 years
(E) 3 years
Solution: Option B.)
Ans (B)
Maharashtra extends tenure of DGP Rashmi Shukla for 2 years.
Shukla, the first woman Maharashtra DGP, was granted an extension till Jan 3, 2026, from June 2024 retirement.
Legal opinion sought, citing SC rulings, ensuring a minimum 2-year term for DGP appointment.
Shukla, a senior IPS officer, previously served in central roles including SSB Director General.
The senior IPS officer has also served as additional DG of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
10. Which team has won Pro Kabaddi League season 10?
(A) Patna Pirates
(B) Gujarat Giants
(C) Bengaluru Bulls
(D) Puneri Paltan
(E) Jaipur Pink Panthers
Solution: Option D.)
Ans (D)
PKL Season 10 culminated in an intense final clash between Haryana Steelers and Puneri Paltan, with Puneri Paltan emerging victorious in the finals.
Game Changer: Gaurav Khatri(Puneri Paltan)
Moment of the Final: Pankaj Mohite(Puneri Paltan)
Most Valuable Player – Aslam Mustafa Inamdar (Puneri Paltan)
Defender of the Season – Mohammad Reza Chiyaneh (Puneri Paltan)