- What is the approximate total investment made by India in Uzbekistan as of September 2024, following the signing of the Bilateral Investment Treaty?
(A) $032 million
(B) $061 million
(C) $111 million
(D) $141 million
(E) $198 million
Solution: Option B.)
Ans (B)
A Bilateral Investment Treaty was signed between India and Uzbekistan in September 2024 in Tashkent to boost economic relations.
The treaty aims to protect and safeguard the interests of Indian investors in Uzbekistan and Uzbek investors in India.
Nirmala Sitharaman was visiting Uzbekistan for the 9th Board of Governors meeting of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
The treaty provides legal protection for investments, ensuring a level playing field and minimum standards of treatment for investors.
It includes an independent arbitration mechanism for dispute resolution related to investments.
India’s total investment in Uzbekistan is approximately $61 million, primarily in pharmaceuticals, amusement parks, and automobile components.
- Which initiative is associated with the development of the PARAM Rudra supercomputers that were recently dedicated to the nation?
(A) Digital India
(B) Make in India
(C) Skill India
(D) Startup India
(E) Clean India
Solution: Option B.)
Ans (B)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated three PARAM Rudra supercomputers and two high-performance computing systems in September 2024.
The systems were developed and manufactured indigenously under the National Supercomputer Mission.
They align with the Make in India initiative.
PARAM Rudra Supercomputers are named after Lord Shiva and designed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC).
Each PARAM Rudra Supercomputer has a computing speed of one petaflops (10^15 operations per second).
The recently dedicated PARAM Rudra Supercomputers were built at an estimated cost of Rs 130 crores.
One supercomputer is installed at the Giant Metre Radio Telescope (GMRT) in Pune for searching Fast Radio Bursts and pulsars.
Another supercomputer at the Inter-University Accelerator Centre (IUAC) in Delhi will boost research in material science and atomic physics.
The PARAM Rudra supercomputer at the S.N. Bose Centre in Kolkata will support research in physics, cosmology, and earth sciences.
- What was India’s ranking in the 2024 Global Innovation Index (GII)?
(A) 39
(B) 40
(C) 42
(D) 55
(E) 38
Solution: Option A.)
Ans (A)
India’s ranking in the 2024 Global Innovation Index (GII) is 39, up from 40 in the last edition.
India has improved by 42 ranks over the past nine years, moving from 81st in 2015 to 39th in 2024.
Switzerland is ranked as the top country, maintaining its position for the 14th consecutive year.
Angola is at the bottom of the ranking.
The 17th edition of the GII was released by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).
India ranks 1st among the 10 economies of Central and Southern Asia.
Top 10 countries in the 2024 GII:
Switzerland
Sweden
United States
United Kingdom
Singapore
Finland
Netherlands
Germany
Denmark
South Korea
- What is the theme for World Tourism Day in 2024?
(A) Tourism for Development
(B) Tourism and Culture
(C) Tourism and Peace
(D) Tourism and Technology
(E) Tourism and Education
Solution: Option C.)
Ans (C)
World Tourism Day is observed annually on 27 September since 1980.
The United Nations Tourism General Assembly passed a resolution in September 1979 to mark 27 September as World Tourism Day.
The date commemorates the adoption of the UN Tourism Statutes on 27 September 1970.
The United Nations World Tourism Organization was established in 1975 and renamed UN Tourism in January 2024.
The day marks the end of the tourist season in the northern hemisphere and the beginning in the southern hemisphere.
The theme for 2024 is “Tourism and Peace,” highlighting tourism’s role in promoting understanding and reconciliation among cultures.
- Which cricketer from West Indies Cricket team has announced retirement from all formats of cricket?
(A) Dwayne Bravo
(B) Kieron Pollard
(C) Chris Gayle
(D) Andre Russell
(E) Daren Sammy
Solution: Option A.)
Ans (A)
Dwayne Bravo, former West Indies all-rounder, has retired from all forms of cricket.
Bravo took over 600 wickets in T20 matches, ending with 631 wickets at an average of 24.40 and an economy of 8.26.
He won three IPL titles with Chennai Super Kings and is third on the list of most wickets in the IPL with 183.
Bravo also won the T20 World Cup twice with the West Indies.
He played 40 Tests and 164 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) for the West Indies before retiring from international cricket in 2021.
Following his retirement, Bravo will take up a mentor role with the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL.
- Who has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Cambodia?
(A) Sandeep Chakravorty
(B) Prashant Pise
(C) Akhilesh Mishra
(D) B Vanlalvawna
(E) Rudra Gaurav Shreshth
Solution: Option D.)
Ans (D)
- Vanlalvawna has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Cambodia.
He is a 1998 batch Indian Foreign Service officer currently serving as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
The appointment was confirmed by the MEA in a statement.
Vanlalvawna is expected to take up the assignment shortly.
Devyani Uttam Khobragade previously held the position of Indian Ambassador to Cambodia.
- Shigeru Ishiba has been chosen as the next Prime Minister of which country?
(A) China
(B) Japan
(C) Singapore
(D) Indonesia
(E) Taiwan
Solution: Option B.)
Ans (B)
Shigeru Ishiba has won the leadership election of Japan’s governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and is set to become the next prime minister.
This marks Ishiba’s fifth attempt to secure the LDP’s top job.
Ishiba is expected to be formally elected as Japan’s 65th prime minister by parliament on October 1.
- Which Union Minister has inaugurated the 5G O-RAN Testing Lab?
(A) Jyotiraditya M. Scindia
(B) Nirmala Sitharaman
(C) Shivraj Singh Chouhan
(D) Ashwini Vaishnaw
(E) Ravi Shankar Prasad
Solution: Option A.)
Ans (A)
Minister of Communications, Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, visited the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) Bengaluru Campus.
He inaugurated the 5G O-RAN testing lab and the “Tejas Centre of Excellence for Wireless Communications.”
Launched an indigenously designed 32T32R Massive MIMO radio capable of delivering 1+ Gbps download speeds using 5G mid-band spectrum.
The 5G O-RAN testing lab will benefit startups, academia, and industry for testing components of the 5G open RAN system.
- What is the theme of World Rabies Day 2024?
(A) All for 1, One Health for all
(B) Breaking Rabies Boundaries
(C) Rabies: One Health, Zero Deaths
(D) Rabies: Facts, Not Fear
(E) End rabies: collaborate and vaccinate
Solution: Option B.)
Ans (B)
World Rabies Day is observed every year on 28th September to raise awareness about the world’s deadliest infectious disease and bring together partners to enhance prevention and control efforts worldwide.
28th September marks the anniversary of Louis Pasteur’s death, the French chemist and microbiologist, who developed the first rabies vaccine.
In 2007, the first World Rabies Day (WRD) was organised by the two founding partners namely:
Alliance for Rabies Control (ARC)
Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta (CDC)
Theme for 2024 – “Breaking Rabies Boundaries”
- Which regulatory body in India has launched a dedicated Foreign Portfolio Investor (FPI) Outreach Cell to enhance the experience of foreign investors in the Indian securities market?
(A) RBI
(B) IRDAI
(C) MoF
(D) SEBI
(E) NSE
Solution: Option D.)
Ans (D)
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has launched a dedicated Foreign Portfolio Investor (FPI) Outreach Cell under its Alternative Investment Fund and Foreign Portfolio Investors Department (AFD). This initiative is aimed at assisting FPIs with documentation, compliance, and operational challenges to simplify the registration process and improve foreign investors’ experience in the Indian securities market.