1. Which institution is to set up the ‘Corporate Debt Market Development Fund’?
[A] RBI
[B] SEBI
[C] NSE
[D] BSE
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [SEBI]
Notes:
SEBI decided to set up a corporate debt market development fund in the form of an Alternative Investment Fund.
Corporate Debt Market Development Fund will be set up with an initial corpus of Rs 3,000 crore. It will function as a backstop facility for buying investment grade corporate debt securities during stressful times.
2. What is the estimated amount that the government will borrow for the first half of financial year 2023-24?
[A] Rs 5.55 lakh crore
[B] Rs 8.88 lakh crore
[C] Rs 11.11 lakh crore
[D] Rs 13.33 lakh crore
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Rs 8.88 lakh crore]
Notes:
The Centre plans to raise ₹ 8.88 lakh crore through market borrowing in the April-September period of 2023-24 to fund the revenue gap to push economic growth.
The Finance Ministry announced this after consultation with the Reserve Bank of India.
3. Which country is the host of ‘International Conference on Human-Wildlife Conflict and Coexistence’?
[A] India
[B] UK
[C] USA
[D] France
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [UK]
Notes:
The International Conference on Human-Wildlife Conflict and Coexistence is being held this year at Oxford, the United Kingdom.
It is being organized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the UN Development Programme and others.
4. The ‘Foreign Trade Policy 2023’ aims to boost India’s merchandise and services exports by 2030 by?
[A] USD 1 trillion
[B] USD 2 trillion
[C] USD 5 trillion
[D] USD 10 trillion
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [USD 2 trillion]
Notes:
The Indian government unveiled its Foreign Trade Policy 2023 which seeks to boost merchandise and services exports by USD 2 trillion by 2030 from the current level of USD 765 billion.
The Policy also seeks to make the Indian Rupee the global currency in settling international trade payments.
5. ‘Sagar-Setu’ app is associated with which Union Ministry?
[A] Ports, Shipping and Waterways Ministry
[B] Jal Shakti Ministry
[C] Road Transport and Highways Ministry
[D] Commerce and Industry Ministry
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Ports, Shipping and Waterways Ministry]
Notes:
Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal launched the App Version of National Logistics Portal (Marine) ‘Sagar-Setu’.
It will provide real-time information on activities that are generally not within reach of the importer, exporter, and customs broker.
6. After recent revision in March 2023, what is the rate of interest of Sukanya Samriddhi Scheme?
[A] 7.5 %
[B] 7.75 %
[C] 8.0 %
[D] 8.2 %
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [8.0 %]
Notes:
The government has raised the interest rates across all small savings schemes except the post office savings deposit and the Public Provident Fund (PPF) for the April-June 2023 quarter.
The Sukanya Samriddhi Account Scheme too will enjoy a higher rate of interest – up from the existing 7.6 percent to 8 percent. The interest rate on the National Savings Certificate (NSC) has been hiked from 7 percent to 7.7 percent for the April – June 2023 quarter.
7. Which country is the host of the Bilateral Maritime exercise ‘SLINEX-2023’?
[A] India
[B] Sri Lanka
[C] France
[D] Singapore
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Sri Lanka]
Notes:
SLINEX-2023 is the 10th edition of the annual Indian – Sri Lanka Bilateral Maritime exercise. It is scheduled to be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
The Indian Navy is represented by INS Kiltan, an indigenous Kamorta class ASW corvette and INS Savitri, an Offshore Patrol Vessel, while the Sri Lanka Navy is being represented by SLNS Gajabahu and SLNS Sagara.
8. Sea Lamprey, which was seen in the news, belongs to which species?
[A] Turtle
[B] Fish
[C] Snake
[D] Spider
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Fish]
Notes:
Sea Lamprey is a rare species of fish that is known to extract blood of its prey. It was recently spotted on the Dutch island of Texel. It was last sighted on the island in 2017.
The sea lamprey is also known as ‘vampire fish’ due to its nature of sucking blood from its host like a parasite.
9. Ukraine recently placed an order to procure ‘Rosomak multi-purpose armoured vehicle’ from which country?
[A] USA
[B] UK
[C] Germany
[D] Poland
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Poland]
Notes:
Ukraine has recently placed an order to procure 100 Rosomak multi-purpose armoured vehicles from Poland.
These multi-purpose armoured vehicle is the licensed variant of the Finnish Patria AMV. The order will be financed through funds that Poland has received from the European Union and US funds that Ukraine has received.
10. What is the GST collection recorded in the month of March?
[A] Rs 1.5 lakh crore
[B] Rs 1.6 lakh crore
[C] Rs 1.8 lakh crore
[D] Rs 2 lakh crore
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Rs 1.6 lakh crore]
Notes:
India’s Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenue collection for the month of March 2023 is stood at 1.6 lakh crore rupees.
This is 13 percent higher than the GST revenues in the same month of last year. It is for the fourth time, in the current financial year that the gross GST collection has crossed 1.5 lakh crore rupees, since the implementation of GST.