1. What is the sanctioned strength of judges in the Supreme Court of India?
[A] 18
[B] 25
[C] 34
[D] 45
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [34]
Notes:
- Nine new judges, including three women, were administered oath of office as judges of the Supreme Court.
- This appointment has taken its strength to 33, including the Chief Justice of India, out of the sanctioned strength of 34.
- This is the first time in the history of the Supreme Court that nine judges took oath of office, all at the same time.
- Justice Nagarathna, one among the nine judges, is in line to become the first woman Chief Justice of India in September 2027.
2. Fintech services provider PayU is set to acquire which Indian fintech company for $4.7 bn?
[A] Razorpay
[B] BillDesk
[C] Mobikwik
[D] Pine Labs
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [BillDesk]
Notes:
- Fintech services provider PayU is set to acquire Indian digital payments provider- BillDesk for $4.7 billion.
- This is set to be one of the largest deals in the Indian fintech sector.
- After this, PayU, the payments and fintech business of Prosus which operates in more than 20 high-growth markets, will become one of the leading online payment providers globally
3. Which Indian city has prepared a Draft Regional Plan-2041 (DRP-2041)?
[A] Mumbai
[B] New Delhi
[C] Chennai
[D] Kochi
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [New Delhi]
Notes:
- New Delhi is preparing the ambitious Draft Regional Plan-2041 (DRP-2041), which aims to evolve it into a “future ready” and economically prosperous area with citizen-centric infrastructure.
- The NCRPB covers entire Delhi, eight districts of Uttar Pradesh, 14 districts of Haryana and two districts of Rajasthan.
- The regional plan says that population in National Capital Region (NCR) is expected to grow to around 7 crore by 2031 and to about 11 crore by 2041
- The draft plan envisages on making multilevel parking complexes, peripheral parking, Superfast trains and heli-taxi services, Trauma centres on highways and Helipads for high-rise buildings.
4. According to UNEP, which variant of petrol has been eradicated from the globe?
[A] Leaded Petrol
[B] Waxed Petrol
[C] High Octane Petrol
[D] High Cetane Petrol
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Leaded Petrol]
Notes:
- The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has recently declared that the use of leaded petrol has been eradicated from the globe.
- This is seen as a major milestone in safeguarding human lives and environment, since this is expected to prevent 1.2 million premature deaths globally.
- Lead is added to low quality petrol to increase its octane number and hence enhance engine performance.
5. Which Indian state/UT has launched a drone-based afforestation project, named ‘Hara Bhara’?
[A] Gujarat
[B] Punjab
[C] Telangana
[D] Rajasthan
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Telangana]
Notes:
- The Telangana government has recently launched a drone-based afforestation project, named ‘Hara Bhara’.
- The state has partnered with Marut Drones, a Hyderabad-based drone technology start-up, to launch the project.
- Under the initiative, the state government will plant 50 lakh trees across 12,000 hectares of land in forests in all the 33 districts of Telangana.
- Named the ‘Seedcopter’, it involves the preparation of the seed balls by the local women and welfare communities, which are dispersed via drones in the targeted areas.
6. Which Indian state/UT has proposed the ‘School bubble’ concept to mitigate the spread of Covid-19?
[A] Tamil Nadu
[B] Karnataka
[C] Kerala
[D] Jharkhand
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Karnataka]
Notes:
- The Covid-19 technical advisory committee (TAC) constituted by the Karnataka government has proposed the ‘school bubble’ concept.
- It aims to mitigate the spread of the disease among children attending offline classes at schools and colleges across the state.
- School bubbles are physical classifications made between groups comprising a small number of students.
- As per the concept, each such bubble will include students who will be made as a group during school hours throughout the term or an academic year.
7. What is the name of the India – Kazakhstan joint military excercise, which is held in Kazakhstan?
[A] INDKAZ – 21
[B] KAZIND – 21
[C] EX EAGLE – 21
[D] EX DRAGON – 21
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [KAZIND – 21]
Notes:
- KAZIND-21 is the India – Kazakhstan joint military exercise, which is held in Kazakhstan.
- This year’s KAZIND is the 5th annual bilateral joint exercise between the two armies.
- India is represented by a contingent of 90 soldiers and Kazakhstan is represented by 120 troops.
- This exercise comprises 48 hours joint validation exercise, under which the troops would be subjected to challenges of actual operations.
8. Which Indian company has commenced the process of retrofitting LNG kits onto trucks engaged in transportation of coal?
[A] NTPC
[B] IOCL
[C] CIL
[D] Tata Power
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [CIL]
Notes:
- India’s state-owned PSU – Coal India Limited (CIL) has commenced the process of retrofitting LNG kits in trucks engaged in transportation of coal.
- This move is aimed to reduce its carbon footprint and bring a positive impact on the environment.
- The company uses over 4 lakh kilolitres of diesel per annum, which costs about Rs.3500 crore
9. Digital Currency “eNaira”, which was in the news recently, is associated with which country?
[A] Nigeria
[B] Australia
[C] New Zealand
[D] Germany
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Nigeria]
Notes:
- Nigeria Central Bank announced plans to launch its own digital currency named the “eNaira”.
- The Central Bank will work with Bitt Inc as a technical partner to launch its own cryptocurrency.
- Nigeria barred banks and financial institutions from dealing in or undertaking transactions in cryptocurrencies, earlier.
- eNaira would operate as a wallet against which customers can hold existing funds in their bank account.
10. Which country has recently developed a prototype miniature helicopter for surveillance work on future Mars missions?
[A] Russia
[B] China
[C] UAE
[D] India
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [China]
Notes:
- China has developed a prototype miniature helicopter for surveillance work on future Mars missions, according to its space science agency.
- A few months ago, China achieved the historic landing of a robotic rover on the red planet.
- The prototype is similar in appearance to the robotic helicopter Ingenuity, developed by NASA for its Perseverance mission.
- As per the space agency, the helicopter could be a tool for China’s follow-up exploration on Mars.
