1. Who has been appointed as the Vice Chief of Naval Staff in May 2024?
(A) Krishna Swaminathan
(B) Tarun Sobti
(C) Sanjay Vatsayan
(D) Rajesh Pendharkar
(E) Atul Anand
Solution: Option A.)
Ans (A)
Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, AVSM, VSM, was appointed Vice Chief of Naval Staff on 01 May 2024.
He is a decorated officer with key roles across operational, staff, and training segments.
He commanded INS Vikramaditya among notable ships.
Alumni of prestigious military academies; instrumental in naval training and safety, previously led Western Fleet and Offshore Defence Advisory Group.
2. Who has recently assumed the charge of Director General of Akashvani News?
(A) Neeraj Chaudhry
(B) Navneet Kumar Sehgal
(C) Gaurav Dwivedi
(D) Maushumi Chakravarty
(E) Neerja Sekhar
Solution: Option D.)
Ans (D)
Maushumi Chakravarty, a 1991 batch Indian Information Service officer, has become the Director General of Akashvani News, succeeding the superannuated Principal DG Vasudha Gupta.
With over three decades of experience, she has contributed to various I&B Ministry media outlets, including the Press Information Bureau and Central Bureau of Communication.
All India Radio (AIR) aka Akashvani (literal meaning “Voice from the Sky”), is an Indian state-owned public radio broadcaster founded by the Government of India, owned by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and one of Prasar Bharati’s two divisions.
It was established in 1936.
It is the sister service of Prasar Bharati’s Doordarshan, an Indian television broadcaster.
3. According to IQAir’s World Air Quality Index, which city has topped the list of cities with unhealthy air in the world?
(A) New Delhi in India
(B) Chiang Mai in Thailand
(C) Kathmandu in Nepal
(D) Hanoi in Vietnam
(E) Dhaka in Bangladesh
Solution: Option C.)
Ans (C)
According to IQAir’s World Air Quality Index-Ranking, in terms of pollution, Kathmandu, New Delhi, Chiang Mai in Thailand, Hanoi in Vietnam, Bangkok in Thailand and Dhaka in Bangladesh are ranked first, second, third, fourth, and fifth respectively.
The Ministry of Health and Population of Nepal has urged people to wear masks given the increase in air pollution in Kathmandu valley.
According to IQAir, an organization that measures real-time pollution in 101 cities worldwide, Kathmandu has been ranked as the most polluted city globally.
4. The Reserve Bank of India has estimated how much growth in jobs in FY23 in post-covid recovery.
(A) 4%
(B) 5%
(C) 8%
(D) 9%
(E) 2%
Solution: Option B.)
Ans (B)
RBI estimates show 5% growth in jobs in FY23 in post-covid recovery..
The number of people in jobs grew nearly 5% to 580 million in the financial year 2022-23.
Pronab Sen – Economist and former country director for the India Programme of the International Growth Centre.
According to the PLFS, the unemployment rate among female workers saw a decline from 5.6% in 2017-18 to 2.9% in 2022-23.
However, among the youth, including women, the unemployment rate has come down from 17.8% in 2017-18 to 10% in 2022-23.
Number of people employed in India.
2017-18: 471 million
2018-19: 483 million
2019-20: 522 million
2020-21: 544 million
2021-22: 553 million
2022-23: 580 million
5. Pravrajika Anandaprana, who has passed away recently, was the president of which Matha?
(A) Jyotir Matha
(B) Govardhana Matha
(C) Kalika Matha
(D) Sri Sarada Matha
(E) Krishna Matha
Solution: Option D.)
Ans (D)
President of Sri Sarada Math Pravrajika Anandaprana passed away at 98.
PM Modi and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee mourned the passing of Pravrajika Anandaprana Mataji, the revered president of Sri Sarada Math and Ramakrishna Sarada Mission.
Mataji is remembered for her exceptional service to society, her dedication to spiritual values, healthcare, education, and the empowerment of women.
She passed away at 98 after suffering from age-related ailments.
Pravrajika Anandaprana was the fifth president of Sri Sarada Math.
Sri Sarada Math is named after Sri Sarada Devi, the consort of Sri Ramakrishna, and was founded on 2 December 1954.
Built by a group of eight sadhavis, as per the instructions given by Swami Vivekananda, it serves as a monastic order for women.
6. DRDO successfully tested the SMART missile system for the Indian Navy. What does “S” stand for in the abbreviation of “SMART”?
(A) Surface
(B) Supersonic
(C) Superlative
(D) Supreme
(E) Superimpose
Solution: Option B.)
Ans (B)
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully tested the next-generation Supersonic Missile-Assisted Release of Torpedo (SMART) system in May 2024 from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha.
The SMART (Supersonic Missile Assisted Release of Torpedo) system is a next-generation missile-based lightweight torpedo delivery system being developed by DRDO for the Indian Navy.
A torpedo is a cigar-shaped, self-propelled underwater missile launched from a submarine, ship, or airplane. It is designed to explode upon contact with submarines or surface ships.
DRDO has developed an indigenous torpedo, Varunastra. It is a ship-launched anti-submarine torpedo that was inducted into the Indian Navy in 2016.
Varubastra has a range of 40-50 kilometers and is a subsonic missile.
Chairman of DRDO: Dr Samir V Kamath
7. Which institution will host the 46th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting be held in India?
(A) National Institute of Ocean Technology
(B) Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services
(C) National Institute of Oceanography, India
(D) National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research
(E) Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology
Solution: Option D.)
Ans (D)
India will host the 46th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM 46) and the 26th Meeting of the Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP 26) from May 20 to 30, 2024, in Kochi, Kerala.
The National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research, Union Ministry of Earth Science, will host the meeting.
Over 350 delegates from more than 60 countries are expected to attend the 46th ATCM and 26th CEP meetings.
The agenda of the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting includes strategic planning for sustainable management of Antarctica and its resources; policy, legal, and institutional operations etc.
The Antarctic Treaty was signed in 1959 in Washington, D.C., by 12 countries and came into force in 1961. At present, 56 countries have signed the Antarctic Treaty.
India signed the Antarctic Treaty in 1983. India enacted the Antarctic Act in 2022.
At present, India operates two research stations: Maitri (1989) and Bharati (2012).
8. What is the new name of the Fursatganj Railway Station in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh?
(A) Jais City
(B) Swami Paramhans
(C) Maa Kalikan Dham
(D) Tapeshwarnath Dham
(E) Maharaja Bijli Pasi
Solution: Option D.)
Ans (D)
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has issued a no-objection certificate to approve the change in the names of eight railway stations in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh.
The government has approved the change in the name of the following eight stations of Amethi –
Fursatganj Railway Station as Tapeshwarnath Dham,
Kasimpur Halt as Jais City,
Jais City as Guru Gorakhnath Dham,
Bani as Swami Paramhans,
Misrauli as Maa Kalikan Dham,
Nihalgarh as Maharaja Bijli Pasi,
Akbarganj as Maa Kalikan Dham,
Warisganj as Amar Shahid Bhale Sultan
On 15 December 2018, the name of Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, was changed to Prayagraj.
In 2022, the Ministry of Home Affairs approved changing the name of the nagar panchayat ‘Mundera Baazar’ to’ Chauri Chaura’ in Gorakhpur and the village’ Telia Afghan’ to Telia Uttar Pradesh.
In 2021, Madhya Pradesh‘s Hoshangabad name was changed to Narmadapuram..
In 2022, the birthplace of Makhan Lal Chaturvedi’s Babai in Madhya Pradesh was renamed Makhan Nagar.
9. India has agreed to train the civil service personnel of which country for the next five years?
(A) Nepal
(B) Bangladesh
(C) Bhutan
(D) Afghanistan
(E) Sri Lanka
Solution: Option B.)
Ans (B)
The government of India has signed an agreement with the government of Bangladesh to renew the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to train 1500 Bangladeshi officers from 2025 to 2030.
The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances is the nodal agency of the Government of India for administrative reforms as well as the redressal of public grievances.
India shares its longest international boundary, 4097 km, with Bangladesh.
West Bengal, Tripura, Assam, Meghalaya, and Mizoram share a boundary with Bangladesh.
Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries in the world.
10. What is the theme of the 2024 International Labour Day?
(A) Ensure workplace safety and health amidst climate change
(B) Universal Social Protection to End Child Labor
(C) Uniting Workers for Social and Economic Advancement
(D) No to child labor, Yes to quality education
(E) Celebrating the international labor movement
Solution: Option A.)
Ans (A)
Every year, 1st May is observed as International Labour Day /Workers Day, or May Day, in many countries of the world, including India.
The genesis of International Labour Day is traced to a strike by the labor union in the American industrial city of Chicago on 1 May 1886.
At the Second International Meeting in Paris in 1889, leaders of around twenty countries decided to observe 1 May as International Labour Day.
The theme of International Labour Day 2024 is “to ensure workplace safety and health amidst climate change”.