11. Scientists from which institution sequenced the draft genome of four native Indian cow breeds?
[A] IIT Madras
[B] IISc Bengaluru
[C] IISER Bhopal
[D] NIV Pune
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [IISER Bhopal]
Notes:
Scientists from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhopal, have sequenced the draft genome of four native Indian cow breeds.
For the first time, the genetic makeup of four native Indian cow breeds — Kasaragod Dwarf, Kasaragod Kapila, Vechur, and Ongole has been unravelled.
12. ‘MISHTI’ which was announced in the Union Budget 2023, is related to which field?
[A] Man-hole cleaning
[B] Mangrove plantations
[C] Motor vehicles
[D] Make in India
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Mangrove plantations]
Notes:
Union Finance Minister announced an initiative called MISHTI ‘Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats and Tangible Incomes’.
Under the scheme, mangrove plantations will be taken up along the country’s coastline apart from salt pans, wherever feasible, through the convergence of the job guarantee scheme MGNREGS, the Compensatory Afforestation Fund, and other sources.
13. Which institution releases the ‘Digital Payments Index’?
[A] NITI Aayog
[B] Ministry of Finance
[C] RBI
[D] NPCI
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [RBI]
Notes:
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) releases the Digital Payments Index (RBI-DPI) twice a year, to measure the adoption of online transactions, digital payments across India.
As per the recent data, the digital payments registered a growth of 24.13% in a year through September 2022. RBI-DPI stood at 377.46 in September 2022 against 349.30 in March 2022 and 304.06 in September 2021.
14. Which country has found the radioactive capsule that went missing in January?
[A] USA
[B] Australia
[C] Russia
[D] Ukraine
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Australia]
Notes:
Authorities in Western Australia announced that they have found a tiny radioactive capsule which went missing last month.
The capsule was found when a vehicle equipped with specialist equipment detected radiation. The object was lost while being transported along a 1,400 km route across the state. It contains a small quantity of Caesium-137, which could cause skin damage, burns or radiation sickness.
15. Which state has initiated serious action on child marriage and arrested over 2000 people?
[A] West Bengal
[B] Assam
[C] Odisha
[D] Jharkhand
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Assam]
Notes:
Assam state government has initiated action on child marriage. The state police have so far arrested nearly 2,500 people for marrying minor girls or facilitating such marriages.
Assam Cabinet earlier decided to book men who marry girls aged below 14 under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. Those who marry girls in the age group of 14-18 years will be tried under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006.
16. Which state inaugurated the ‘MV Ganga Vihar floating restaurant’?
[A] Bihar
[B] Uttar Pradesh
[C] West Bengal
[D] Uttarakhand
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Bihar]
Notes:
Bihar Deputy Chief minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav inaugurated the MV Ganga Vihar at NIT Ghat in Bihar.
The floating restaurant operated by the Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation (BSTDC). The two-storied floating restaurant has a restaurant on the ground floor with a seating capacity of 48 people along with a VIP lounge and a private lounge on the top floor.
17. Which tech major has invested nearly USD 400 million in artificial intelligence start-up Anthropic AI?
[A] Samsung
[B] Microsoft
[C] Meta
[D] Google
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Google]
Notes:
Google has invested nearly USD 400 million in artificial intelligence start-up Anthropic AI. The two companies announced a partnership that will see the AI start-up use Google’s cloud computing services.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei announced that they would use Google Cloud to build reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems and to create a robust AI platform.
18. India recently jumped to its highest spot of which rank in International Boxing Association’s (IBA) world ranking?
[A] First
[B] Second
[C] Third
[D] Fifth
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Third]
Notes:
India jumped to the third spot in the International Boxing Association’s (IBA) latest world ranking.
Indian boxing teams consistently finished amongst the top 5 countries at global multi-nation tournaments such as World Championships, Asian Games and the Common wealth games.
19. Ministry of Textiles is implementing ‘Enhancing Circularity and Sustainability’ project in collaboration with which institution?
[A] UNICEF
[B] UNEP
[C] World Bank
[D] UNESCO
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [UNEP]
Notes:
Ministry of Textiles is implementing ‘Enhancing Circularity and Sustainability’ project in collaboration with United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP).
The main objective of the project is to minimize the negative environmental impacts of Indian Textile by promoting sustainable practices and mainstreaming knowledge on circular production based practices in the Textiles and Apparel sectors. Government also approved 20 strategic research projects in the areas of Specialty fibres and geo textiles.
20. Medium-density Amorphous Ice, which was seen in the news, was created in a container filled with which material?
[A] Plastic
[B] Stainless Steel
[C] Water
[D] Paper
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Stainless Steel]
Notes:
Medium-density Amorphous (MDA) Ice is a new form of ice that was recently discovered by scientists. This ice has same density and structure as water.
The ice was created by scientists in a container with stainless steel balls at a -200°C. The MDA ice does not have any ordered structure. It will provide the opportunity to improve the understanding of the properties of water.