1. Which institutions released the ‘Gaganyaan Recovery Training Plan’?
[A] ISRO and Indian Air Force
[B] ISRO and Indian Navy
[C] ISRO and Indian Army
[D] ISRO and NSIL
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [ISRO and Indian Navy]
Notes:
The Indian Navy and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have released the Gaganyaan Recovery Training Plan at INS Garuda in Kochi.
It provides a training plan for recovery of the Crew Module of the Gaganyaan Mission. The Crew Module Recovery Model was also formally handed over to the Indian Navy.
2. Census 2021, which was postponed due to COVID-19, includes options for how many religions?
[A] Four
[B] Six
[C] Eight
[D] Ten
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Six]
Notes:
The Next Census will only count Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Sikh and Jain as distinct religion options.
This is despite demands from several sections including Sarnaism, the Lingayat religion, to be counted as a separate religion. Census 2021, which was to be conducted in two phases, has been postponed indefinitely, with the Central government initially attributing the delay to the COVID-19 pandemic.
3. A Submarine Mud Volcano has been recently spotted in which country?
[A] Australia
[B] Chile
[C] Norway
[D] Japan
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Norway]
Notes:
A Submarine mud volcano is an underwater geological structure that was formed after the constant expulsion of gas or fluids like methane from the seabed.
Scientists have recently spotted a submarine mud volcano close to Norway’s Bear Island in Barents Sea. Bear Island is the southernmost island of the Norwegian Svalbard archipelago.
4. Northeast India’s First Vande Bharat Express travels from Assam to which state/UT?
[A] West Bengal
[B] Odisha
[C] Arunachal Pradesh
[D] Uttarakhand
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [West Bengal]
Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently inaugurated the first Vande Bharat Express in Northeast India. It will travel from Assam’s Guwahati to West Bengal’s New Jalpaiguri.
The Vande Bharat Express will operate six days a week (except Tuesdays) and will cut down the travel time between Guwahati and New Jalpaiguri by one hour.
5. Which company is set to build Israel’s most powerful AI supercomputer- Israel1?
[A] Samsung
[B] NVIDIA
[C] IMD
[D] Qualcomm
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [NVIDIA]
Notes:
Israel-1 is an Israeli supercomputer that is set to be built by Nvidia. It will be partly operational by the end of this year.
The system is expected to deliver performance of up to eight exaflops of AI computing that will essentially make it one of the world’s fastest AI supercomputers.
6. Which country has launched USD 17 billion project known as the ‘Route of Development’?
[A] Iraq
[B] Iran
[C] UAE
[D] Israel
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Iraq]
Notes:
Iraq presented an ambitious plan to turn itself into a regional transportation hub by developing its road and rail infrastructure, linking Europe with the Middle East.
Once completed, the $17 billion project known as the ‘Route of Development’ would span the length of the country, stretching 1,200 km from the northern border with Turkiye to the Gulf in the south.
7. The ‘Greentech Safety Award 2023’ was awarded to which organisation?
[A] REC
[B] RINL
[C] PFC
[D] SAIL
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [RINL]
Notes:
The Greentech Safety Award 2023 was recently conferred to RINL under the Safety Excellence Category. It was recognized for its role in contributing towards improving workplace safety in the year 2022-23.
RINL was applauded for the initiatives like use of Drone technology for inspection of high-rise structures and chimneys, development of Software Application for tracking the usage of Safety Harnesses.
8. Which institution is set to introduce the ‘Expected Loss-based Approach for Bad Loan Provisioning’?
[A] RBI
[B] SEBI
[C] EPFO
[D] PFRDA
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [RBI]
Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is planning to introduce expected loss-based approach for provisioning during 2023-24.
It will help strengthen India’s bad loan resolution ecosystem. This will enable banks to design their own credit loss models and spread the higher provisions over a five-year period.
9. Which Asian country joined the ‘Centralised Laboratory Network (CLN)’?
[A] Sri Lanka
[B] India
[C] Myanmar
[D] Bangladesh
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [India]
Notes:
India recently joined the Centralised Laboratory Network (CLN) to test vaccines during pandemic and epidemics. This network currently has 15 partner facilities in 13 countries.
CLN is a part of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the Network is the largest global group which has standardised methods and materials for testing.
10. Which state announced that the Ahmednagar will be renamed Ahilyanagar?
[A] Odisha
[B] Gujarat
[C] Maharashtra
[D] Uttarakhand
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Maharashtra]
Notes:
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has announced that Ahmednagar will be renamed Ahilyanagar in an ode to 18th-century Maratha queen Ahilyabai Holkar.
Ahilyabai Holkar reigned Malwa from 1765 to 1795. She had established Maheshwar (in Madhya Pradesh) as the seat of the Holkar dynasty. In February, the government had renamed Osmanabad as Dharashiv and Aurangabad as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.