- Which app has been launched as part of the Humsafar Policy to help commuters find service providers along National Highways and Expressways?
(A) Rajmarg Yatra app
(B) NHAI Services app
(C) Highway Finder app
(D) Travel Smart app
(E) Quick Stop app
Solution: Option A.)
Ans (A)
The Humsafar Policy was launched by Nitin Gadkari on 7 October 2024 in New Delhi.
The launch event included Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways, Ajay Tamta, and NHAI Chairman, Santosh Kumar Yadav.
The policy aims to enhance convenience for travelers on National Highways and Expressways.
It focuses on accelerating the development of Wayside Amenities.
The policy seeks to establish world-class facilities along National Highways and Expressways.
It provides a framework for service providers such as eateries, fuel stations, and trauma centers.
Commuters will have access to standardized, well-maintained, and hygienic facilities.
The NHAI’s ‘Rajmarg Yatra app’ will help commuters find details of relevant service providers near their location instantly.
- Who has been re-elected as the President of Tunisia for a second term?
(A) Moncef Marzouki
(B) Beji Caid Essebsi
(C) Kais Saied
(D) Hamadi Jebali
(E) Hafez al-Sarraj
Solution: Option C.)
Ans (C)
Tunisian President Kais Saied has been reelected for a second five-year term.
President Saied secured 90.7% of the votes polled in the election.
The presidential election was held on 6 October 2024.
In the 2019 presidential election, which Kais Saied won, the voter turnout was 55%.
Ayachi Zammel considered a serious rival, was sentenced to 12 years in prison just before the polling.
- Which country topped the medal tally at the 4th ISSF Junior World Championships 2024?
(A) Italy
(B) Norway
(C) USA
(D) India
(E) China
Solution: Option D.)
Ans (D)
India topped the medal tally with a total of 24 medals, including 13 gold, three silver, and eight bronze.
Italy came second with 13 medals: five gold, four silver, and five bronze.
Norway secured third place with 10 medals: four gold, three silver, and three bronze.
The championships were organized by the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF).
The event was hosted in Lima, Peru, from 26 September to 7 October 2024.
A total of 553 shooters from 53 countries participated in the championships.
India sent the largest contingent, consisting of 61 shooters.
- Under the ‘Sankalp’ initiative, where will the state government set up the model de-addiction and rehabilitation center?
(A) Kotla Barog
(B) Kinnaur
(C) Mandi
(D) Solan
(E) Bilaspur
Solution: Option A.)
Ans (A)
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu launched the ‘Sankalp’ initiative to tackle drug trafficking and support the rehabilitation of drug addicts.
The initiative was announced at an event organized by Divya Jyoti Jagriti Sansthan in Shimla on 6 October 2024.
A state-level model de-addiction and rehabilitation center will be established under the ‘Sankalp’ initiative at Kotla Barog in the Pachhad subdivision of the Sirmaur district.
The model center will assist drug addicts in de-addiction and help them reintegrate into mainstream society.
The state government aims to make Himachal Pradesh a Green Energy State by 31 March 2026.
A green hydrogen plant with a capacity of one megawatt is being set up in Nalagarh, expected to be operational by July 2025.
Under the Ekal Nari scheme, free education is being provided to 23,000 children of widows and single women in the state.
- Which exhibition at the Ustad Allauddin Khan Festival 2024 is based on miniature paintings of 108 names of Goddesses?
(A) Tantu
(B) Surya
(C) Devi
(D) Brahma
(E) Vishnu
Solution: Option C.)
Ans (C)
The Ustad Allauddin Khan Festival has started today in Maihar, Madhya Pradesh, marking its golden jubilee.
The festival has been scheduled from 8 October to 10 October 2024.
It has been jointly organized by the Madhya Pradesh Culture Department, Ustad Allauddin Khan Music and Art Academy, and Maihar District Administration.
Two exhibitions have been organized as part of the festival: ‘Devi’ and ‘Tantu.’
The ‘Devi’ exhibition has showcased miniature paintings based on 108 names of Goddesses.
The ‘Tantu’ exhibition has focused on string instruments.
- Which country will host the World Pickleball Championship (WPC) Series for the first time in 2024?
(A) Vietnam
(B) India
(C) Australia
(D) Singapore
(E) Poland
Solution: Option B.)
Ans (B)
The World Pickleball Championship (WPC) Series will be held for the first time in India.
The event is scheduled to take place in Mumbai from November 12th to 17th, 2024.
Around 650 players from 6 to 7 countries, including Australia, Vietnam, Taiwan, Poland, and Singapore, will participate.
The tournament is organized by the All India Pickleball Association (AIPA), powered by the World Pickleball League (WPBL).
Pickleball combines elements of tennis, badminton, and table tennis, and has gained global popularity.
AIPA, founded in 2007 by Sunil Valavalkar, is the governing body for pickleball in India.
- What was the recent increase in monthly nutrition support under the Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana for TB patients, in October 2024?
(A) ₹700 to ₹1400
(B) ₹600 to ₹1200
(C) ₹400 to ₹700
(D) ₹500 to ₹1000
(E) ₹300 to ₹600
Solution: Option D.)
Ans (D)
The Centre has announced that the monthly nutrition support under the Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana for TB patients has been doubled from ₹500 to ₹1000.
An additional allocation of ₹1,040 crore has been approved for the scheme as nutritional support for all TB patients.
India has set 2025 as the target year for TB elimination, five years ahead of the SDG target.
TB patients will now receive nutritional support between ₹3,000 and ₹6,000 under the Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana.
EDNS will cover approximately 12 lakh underweight TB patients for the first two months of their treatment.
- Who was awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics?
(A) Roger Penrose and Andrea Ghez
(B) John J. Hopfield and Geoffrey E. Hinton
(C) Alain Aspect and John Clauser
(D) Kip Thorne and Rainer Weiss
(E) David J. Thouless and F. Duncan M. Haldane
Solution: Option B.)
Ans (B)
The 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to John J. Hopfield and Geoffrey E. Hinton.
Their work contributed to machine learning through artificial neural networks.
John J. Hopfield developed the Hopfield network for storing and recreating patterns using principles of physics.
The Hopfield network lowers its energy to find the closest match to a distorted or partial image.
Geoffrey Hinton built on the Hopfield network, creating the Boltzmann machine, which identifies patterns and generates new instances.
Hinton’s work contributed to the rapid growth of modern machine learning.
Each Nobel Prize winner will receive a cash award of 10 million Swedish kronor (approximately $900,000).
Nobel Prizes in Physics and Chemistry are presented by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
The Nobel Prize was established by Alfred Nobel, a Swedish inventor.
The Nobel Prize ceremony will take place on December 10, 2024.
- Which organization built the Major Atmospheric Cherenkov Experiment (MACE) telescope, recently inaugurated in Ladakh?
(A) ISRO
(B) DRDO
(C) BARC
(D) CSIR
(E) BHEL
Solution: Option C.)
Ans (C)
The Major Atmospheric Cherenkov Experiment (MACE) Observatory was inaugurated in October 2024, by Dr. Ajit Kumar Mohanty in Hanle, Ladakh.
MACE is the largest imaging Cherenkov telescope in Asia and the highest of its kind in the world, located at an altitude of approximately 4,300 meters.
The telescope was indigenously built by BARC with support from ECIL and other Indian industry partners.
The telescope will facilitate the study of high-energy gamma rays, enhancing understanding of the universe’s most energetic events.
- Which notable university has partnered with Ahmedabad University to establish the Energy Policy Institute?
(A) University of Chicago
(B) Harvard University
(C) Stanford University
(D) University of California
(E) Cambridge University
Solution: Option A.)
Ans (A)
Ahmedabad University has launched The Climate Institute to address these challenges, focusing on three key aspects of research, education, and impact.
The Climate Institute aims to address climate challenges in the Global South.
The Institute is developing India’s first comprehensive Climate, Energy, and Environmental education programme.
It will collaborate with universities from America, Europe, and Asia.
Notable partnerships include the University of Chicago and the London School of Economics.
Members include Michael Greenstone and Shamika Ravi.
Ahmedabad University has received the IGBC Platinum Rating for its sustainable campus.
The University is recognized as a Centre of Excellence.
Ahmedabad University was established in 2009.