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Table of Contents
General/Economy/Banking Awareness Questions ............................................................................ 3

General/Economy/Banking Awareness Answer Keys ......................................................................66

General/Economy/Banking Awareness Solutions .............................................................................68

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General/Economy/Banking Awareness Questions

1. Which among the following international International Aviation (CORSIA) and the Long-
groupings/regional groupings has agreed to Term Aspirational Goals (LTAG)?
adopt a 'risk-based' artificial intelligence a. 2025 b. 2027 c. 2030 d. 2032 e. 2035
regulation?
a. Group of Twenty (G2) 9. The ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise (AIME-
b. Group of Seven (G7) 2023) scheduled to take place from 2nd May to
c. Association of South-Asian Nations (ASEAN) 8th May in ______.
d. Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) a. India b. Singapore c. Indonesia d.
e. Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Vietnam e. Brunei

2. For hassle-free payments between the India 10. Recently, which among the following entities
and ________, both the countries have agreed has been given the 'Navaratna' status by the
to explore the possibility of accepting each Government of India?
other's payment cards, RuPay and Mir. a. Rail Vikas Nigam Limited
a. Russia b. Malaysia c. United Arab b. Airport Authority of India
Emirates d. Iran e. Israel c. Antrix Corporation
d. Bharat Dynamics Limited
3. The Anji-Khad rail bridge, India's first cable- e. Cochin Shipyard Limited
stayed rail bridge, is located in _______.
a. Assam b. Arunachal Pradesh c. Ladakh d. 11. Who among the following has been appointed
Jammu and Kashmir e. Himachal Pradesh as the chairman of Atomic Energy Commission?
a. Dr Ajit Kumar Mohanty
4. Ding Liren has recent became China's first b. Dr. Vinod Kumar Singh
world champion in ______. c. K. Sivan
a. Chess b. Archery c. Boxing d. Badminton e. d. S. Somnath
Shooting e. None of the above

5. Who among the following has recently won the 12. Which among the following Indian districts
Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2023? has become the first district in India to be
a. Sergio Perez b. Lewis Hamilton c. Fernando declared ODF (open defecation-free) Plus?
Alonso d. Carlos Sainz Jr. e. George Russel a. Mysuru b. Wayanad c. Hanumakonda d.
Cachar e. Lunglei
6. _______ has entered into a strategic
partnership with Ceylon Beverage International 13. 'CU-Chayan' an online centralized portal for
to co-pack and manufacture its Campa soft faculty recruitment, launched by______.
drinks cans. a. Ministry of Education
a. Reliance Consumer Products Limited b. Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and
b. Godrej Consumer Products Limited Pensions
c. ITC Limited c. University Grant Commission
d. Hindustan Unilever Limited d. Centre for Development of Advanced
e. Adani Wilmar Limited Computing
e. National Council of Educational Research and
7. Recently, which of the following payment bank Training
has collaborated with the National Payments
Corporation of India (NPCI) to roll out Face Answer Keys
Authentication for AePS (Aadhaar-enabled 1. b 2. a 3. d 4. a 5. a 6. a 7. a 8. b 9. b
Payment System)? 10. a 11. a 12. b 13. c
a. Airtel Payment Bank
b. Paytm Payment Bank 14. Who among the following has became the
c. Jio Payment Bank third-highest wicket-taker in the Indian Premier
d. India Post Payment Bank League (IPL)?
e. Fino Payment Bank a. Amit Mishra b. Jasprit Bumrah c. James
Faulkner d. Rashid Khan e. Ravichandran
8. The International Civil Aviation Organization Ashwin
(ICAO) has been tasked to reduce carbon
emissions from international civil aviation as one 15. On which of the following product "Windfall
of its focus areas. From which year, India will tax" is levied in India?
start participating in the ICAO's Carbon a. Import of electronics items
Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for b. Processed food items

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c. Crude oil a. Vanessa Hudson b. Ajay Banga c. Rajneesh

d. Gold Karnatak d. Shantanu Roy e. Margherita Della
e. Import of fertilizers Valle

16. In the World Press Freedom Index 2023 23. Which state government has recently
report, India's rank has been dropped launched a 'mobile app' for food safety, where
significantly. The report expressed concern about consumers can find information on safe food and
India's decline in which among the following sub- other details?
indicators? a. Karnataka b. Kerala c. Tamil Nadu d.
a. Political b. Economic c. Social d. Security e. Madhya Pradesh e. Rajasthan
Legislative
24. Recently, the Indian Army has carried out the
17. Recently, which among the following telecom 'Buland Bharat' exercise in ________ to test
service providers has announced its merger with "simulated war conditions in high altitude areas"
a Sri Lanka based telecom company 'Dialog', to .
become the larget telecom provider in Sri Lanka? a. Arunachal Pradesh b. Himachal Pradesh c.
a. Airtel b. Vodafone-idea c. BSNL d. Reliance Ladakh d. Meghalaya e. Sikkim
Jio e. Videocon
25. Which state in India ranked the most
18. Recently, the Union Ministry of Housing and 'innovative' State by the National Manufacturing
Urban Affairs has decided to extend the deadline Innovation Survey (NMIS) 2021-22?
for the Smart Cities Mission till ________. a. Tamil Nadu b. Maharashtra c. Kerala d.
a. June 2024 b. March 2025 c. August 2026 d. Karnataka e. Telangana
April 2028 e. March 2030
26. As per the Ministry of Commerce and
19. The United States Food and Drug Industry, India's exports of goods and services is
Administration (FDA) has approved the world's estimated to be ________ in the current financial
RSV vaccine, called ________, which will protect year (FY 2023-24).
older people as well as adults against respiratory a. USD 900 billion b. USD 650 billion c. USD
virus. 470 billion d. USD 820 billion e. USD 980
a. Bivalent b. Arexvy c. Prevnar 20 d. billion
Priorix e. Novavax
Answer Keys
20. Which among the following entities has 14. a 15. c 16. d 17. a 18. a 19. b 20. d 21
recently received a pan-India telecom licence to . c 22. b 23. c 24. a 25. d 26. a
offer its cloud-based private branch exchange
(PBX) service to multinational corporations 27. The Braille edition of 'Hemkosh', the first
(MNCs)? etymological dictionary of the ________
a. Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited language, entered the Guinness World Records
b. Google on May 1, 2023 and became the World's largest
c. Microsoft lexicon.
d. Zoom Video Communications a. Bengali b. Hindi c. Parsi d. Assamese e.
e. Tesla Odia

21. REC Limited, a Maharatna power finance 28. The G20 TechSprint 2023, a global
company has exclusively listed its recently issued technology competition launched by the Reserve
Green bonds worth $750 million at ______. Bank of India in collaboration with_______.
a. National Stock Exchange a. NITI Aayog
b. Bombay Stock Exchange b. Bank for International Settlement
c. India International Exchange c. International Monetary Fund
d. Ahmedabad Stock Exchange d. World Bank
e. New York Stock Exchange e. World Economic Forum

22. Who among the following has been selected 29. 'Machines Can See 2023' Summit, one of the
as President of the World Bank for a five-year international conferences in Artificial Intelligence
term beginning 2nd June 2023? (AI), recently launched by_________.
a. France

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b. Canada 38. In May 2023, SJVN Green Energy Limited

c. Australia (SGEL) bagged an order worth __________for
d. United Arab Emirates setting up of 1,000 MW STU Connected Solar PV
e. United States of America Power Plant from Rajasthan Urja Vikas Nigam
Ltd. (RUVNL) of the Rajasthan government.
30. In May 2023, India hosted Shanghai a. Rs 1000 crore b. Rs 900 crore c. Rs 800
Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Foreign crore d. Rs 700 crore e. Rs 600 crore
Ministers' Meeting in __________.
a. New Delhi b. Mumbai c. Darjeeling d. 39. In May 2023, Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail
Goa e. Chennai Ltd signed an agreement to acquire 51% stake in
TCNS Clothing Co for _______
31. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the a. Rs 1,650 crore b. Rs 953 crore c. Rs 150
guest of honour at France's traditional military crore d. Rs 657 crore e. Rs 2050 crore
parade, held during Bastille Day on July 14. This
is the ____time an Indian Prime Minister will be Answer Keys
the guest of honor. 27. d 28. b 29. d 30. d 31. c 32. b 33. a 34
a. 1st b. 4th c. 2nd d. 3rd e. 5th . b 35. a 36. b 37. a 38. e 39. a

32. In May 2023, Ajay Vij was appointed to the 40. In May 2023, the Finance Ministry notified
newly created role of country managing director changes to the Prevention of Money Laundering
of _______ Act bringing who among the following under the
a. Infosys b. Accenture c. TCS d. HCL e. ambit of the law?
Wipro I.Practicing chartered accountants
II.Lawyers
33. In May 2023, National Green Tribunal levied III.Company Secretaries
__________ crore Environmental Compensation IV.Cost and Works Accountants
on Bihar. V.Legal Professionals
a. Rs 4,000 b. Rs 3,000 c. Rs 2,000 d. Rs a. I and III only b. I,II,III and IV c. I,III and
1,000 e. Rs 5,00 IV d. I,II,III, IV and V e. I, II and III

34. In May 2023, Neeraj Chopra won the Doha 41. in April 2023, who among the following was
Diamond League with a world leading throw conferred an honorary MBE by King Charles III
of_________. for services to Indian classical arts in Britain?
a. 89.94m b. 88.67m c. 85.62m d. 85.88m e. a. M.N. Nandakumara b. Agehananda Bharati c.
88.63m Peter M Scharf d. Diwakar Acharya
e. Bogdan Diaconescu
35. Cristiano Ronaldo topped Forbes highest-paid
athletes list in 2023 with an earning of $136 42. In May 2023, which of the following state
million. Who was third on the list? became the first to launch its own ranking
a. Kylian Mbappe b. Lionel Messi c. Lebron system for higher education institutes taking a
James d. Canelo Alvarez e. Stephen Curry cue from the National Institutional Ranking
Framework (NIRF)?
36. In May 2023, India signed a Memorandum of a. Punjab b. Kerala c. Sikkim d. Himachal
Understanding (MoU) with which of the following Pradesh e. Odisha
country in order to further collaboration in high
technology areas such as Artificial Intelligence, 43. Luca Brecel has beaten Mark Selby to
Quantum and semiconductors, synthetic biology, become snooker world champion for the first
etc.? time. Luca Brecel is from _______
a. USA b. Israel c. Russia d. Iran e. Japan a. Belgium b. UK c. USA d. Germany e.
France
37. In May 2023, Finance Minister Sitharaman
represented as Governor India at the 56th ADB 44. Which of the following statement is correct
Annual Meetings held in _______ about "Project SMART", that has been recently in
a. South Korea b. India c. Georgia d. the news?
Germany e. Australia a. It envisages to develop certain specified high-
speed railway stations.

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b. It aims to develop smart cities in north- 52. MakeMyTrip has recently partnered
eastern states. with_________ to introduce voice assisted
c. It aims to develop innovative ways to solve the booking in Indian languages.
problems of urban slums. a. Google b. Microsoft c. Meta d. Nvidia e.
d. It provides smart collection and dissemination Open AI
of data on housing, building materials, and
techniques. Answer Keys
e. None of the above 40. c 41. a 42. b 43. a 44. a 45. b 46. a 47
. b 48. d 49. b 50. c 51. b 52. b
45. According to the report on Currency and
Finance (RCF) 2022-23, India's green financing 53. Which of the following card payments
requirement estimated at _______of Gross company has replaced BharatPe as global
Domestic Product (GDP). sponsor of International Cricket Council (ICC)?
a. 1.7% b. 2.5% c. 3.2% d. 4.8% e. 5.6% a. Visa b. Mastercard c. American Express d.
PayPal e. Rupay
46. Who among the following has been appointed
as the administrator of the Basketball Federation 54. The Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and
of India? Waterways Shri Sarbananda Sonowal has
a. Justice P Krishna Bhat recently launched 'Harit Sagar', the green port
b. Aravinda Kumar guidelines 2023, to _______.
c. Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel a. Meet the larger vision of achieving Zero
d. Subhodh Kumar Jaiswal Carbon Emission Goal.
e. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore. b. Exploration of clean geo-thermal energy
c. Enable ports for the development of human
47. With which technology firm, the India Post capacity and enterprise in ocean biology and
has recently signed a MoU for providing last mile engineering.
logistics services? d. Reduce electricity consumption in ports.
a. Wipro Technologies e. Use of solar energy and minimize the number
b. Tripta Technologies of electricity grids in ports.
c. Hexaware Technologies
d. HCL Technologies 55. "SAKSHAM", a Learning Management
e. Tech Mahindra Information System, launched by _________.
a. Ministry of Education
48. _________ became the first state/union b. Ministry of Health & Family Welfare
territory to make digital health cards for children. c. Ministry of Labour and Employment
a. Delhi b. Jammu and Kashmir c. Rajasthan d. d. NITI Aayog
Uttar Pradesh e. Madhya Pradesh e. Ministry of Science & Technology

49. Which card payments company has launched 56. Recently, the Director General of Trade
CVV-free payments for tokenised credit, debit Remedies (DGTR) has recommended to impose
cards? anti-dumping duty on imports of a certain type of
a. Mastercard b. Visa c. American Express d. optical fibre from which of the following to
Helcim e. None of the above protect the domestic industry from cheap
inbound shipments?
50. Indian triple jumper _________ set a new I. China
national record with an effort of 17.37 metres on II. South Korea
his way to winning a gold medal in the Prueba de III. Indonesia
confrontacion 2023 athletics meet in Havana, IV. Australia
Cuba. a. I, II and III only b. IV only c. II and III
a. Rajeshwari Tiwari b. Rahu Tolani c. Praveen only d. I only e. III and IV only
Chithravel d. Ajay Khare e. Sayantan Kushari
57. Who among the following won Laureus
51. Who among the following is the recipient of Sportsman of the Year 2023?
the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2023? a. Hima Das b. Lionel Messi c. Carlos Sainz
a. Caroline Kitchener b. Hernan Diaz c. Drew Jr. d. Asafa Powell e. Dutee Chand
Angerer d. Megan Twohey e. Jodi Kantor

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58. In the latest push to electric vehicles (EVs) to

meet climate goals, government think tank NITI 65. Who among the following has been appointed
Aayog has come up with yearly targets for ride- as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a
hailing apps for electrifying their fleet by microblogging platform, Twitter?
________. a. Karthik Balagopalan
a. FY 2024-25 b. FY 2027-28 c. FY 2030-31 d. b. Neera Tandon
FY 2034-35 e. FY 2040-41 c. Linda Yaccarino
d. Vanessa Hudson
59. The Government of India has recently e. Margherita Della Valle
exempted levy/duty on the imports of which of
the following items till 30th June, 2023? Answer Keys
I.Wheat 53. b 54. a 55. b 56. a 57. b 58. c 59. d 60
II.Crude sunflower oil . a 61. b 62. d 63. a 64. a 65. c
III.Crude soybean oil
IV.Electronic items 66. The Government of India has recently
a. I only b. III only c. I and IV only d. II and announced to spend around USD1.2 billion to
III only e. IV only modernize the Semi-conductor Laboratory (SCL)
in _______.
60. Which of the following disease has been a. Noida b. Solan c. Dehradun d. Mohali e.
declared as "No Longer a Global Health Pune
Emergency" by the World Health Organization
(WHO)? 67. Which among the following central ministries
a. Monkeypox b. SARS-CoV-2 c. Leprosy d. has been ranked second in the recently launched
Ebola e. Hepatitis Data Governance Quality Index?
a. Ministry of Home Affairs
61. Which among the following states becomes b. Ministry of Finance
the first state to have drone surveillance in all c. Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways
police districts? d. Ministry of External Affairs
a. Karnataka b. Kerala c. Maharashtra d. e. Ministry of Corporate Affairs
Telangana e. Rajasthan
68. Which among the following cultural sites has
62. Cyclone 'Mocha' is recently in the news. The recently been recommended for inclusion in the
name, cyclone 'Mocha' has been given by______. UNESCO World Heritage Site?
a. Bangladesh b. Indonesia c. Philippines d. a. Kalighat Temple
Yemen e. Sri Lanka b. Jagannath puri temple
c. Shantiniketan
63. Which of the following is the objective of the d. Namghar
'Trusted Traveller Programme' , recently e. Shirdi sai baba temple
launched by the Government of India?
a. Faster immigration clearance of pre-verified 69. The 'Piezoelectric MEMS technology' is
travellers. associated with ______.
b. Faster issuance of H1-B Visa a. Satellite communication
c. Faster renewal of work Visa b. Underwater communication
d. Rescue of Indian citizens stranded in Sudan. c. Infrared communication
e. None of the above d. Quantum computing
e. Laser printing
64. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has recently
announced a '100 Days 100 Pays' campaign for 70. According to the Reserve Bank of India's
banks to_______. half-yearly report on 'Management of Foreign
a. Trace and settle unclaimed deposits of every Exchange Reserves' (October 2022 " March
bank. 2023), the gold reserves with the RBI has been
b. Recover bad loans of all public sector banks. increased by _______ to approximately _______
c. Settle disputes related to acquisition and in 2022-23.
merger of public sector banks. a. 3.2%, 550 tonnes b. 4.5%, 794 tonnes c.
d. Settle claims regarding MSME loans. 5.2%, 600 tonnes d. 1.8%, 450 tonnes
e. Release loans granted for the agriculture e. 2.7%, 680 tonnes
sector.

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71. Which of the following public sector banks 78. According to the National Family Health
has recently announced to launch "Electronic Survey (NFHS), 2019-2021, Which state has the
Bank Guarantee (e-BG)" on its digital platform to highest case of domestic violence in India?
digitize the conventional paper-based process of a. Kerala b. Karnataka c. Gujarat d.
issuing inland Bank Guarantees? Maharashtra e. Odisha
a. State Bank of India
b. Bank of Baroda Answer Keys
c. Punjab National Bank 66. d 67. c 68. c 69. b 70. b 71. b 72. a 73
d. Union Bank of India . b 74. a 75. b 76. b 77. d 78. b
e. Canara Bank
79. In May 2023, India has inked an initial pact
72. Who among the following has been appointed with which of the following country on increasing
as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of private sector cooperation in the area of
Larsen & Toubro (L&T) with effect from October semiconductors with a view to reduce their
1, 2023? dependency on China and Taiwan?
a. S N Subrahmanyam b. Rajiv Dhar c. a. Germany b. Japan c. South Korea d. USA e.
Rahendra Raman d. Ajay Vij e. A M Naik Australia

73. Tungnath' is one of the highest Shiva 80. The newly launched mobile application "Meri
Temple, has been declared as a national LiFE" is associated with which of the following?
monument. The 'Tungnath' Temple is located in a. Health and Family Welfare
_______. b. Environmental Conservation
a. Solan b. Rudraprayag c. Chamoli d. c. Education
Jammu e. Dharwad d. Space Technology
e. Skill Development
74. International Day of Families is observed
every year on May 15, the theme for 2023 is 81. The "Meri LiFE, Mera Swachh Shehar"
a. Demographic Trends and Families campaign was launched by which ministry in May
b. Families and Urbanisation 2023?
c. Sustainable Development a. Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate
d. Families in Development of Country Change
e. Families and Climate Action b. Ministry of Power
c. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
75. Which of the following ministry has d. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
constituted a Group for "Development of e. Ministry of Finance
Electricity Market in India" under the
chairmanship of Shri Alok Kumar? 82. In May 2023, who among the following has
a. Ministry of Finance been conferred the first Govind Swarup Lifetime
b. Ministry of Power Achievement Award instituted by the
c. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy Astronomical Society of India (ASI)?
d. Ministry of Home Affairs a. K. Radhakrishnan b. Krishnaswamy
e. Ministry of Defence Kasturirangan c. Jayant Naralikar d. Roddam
Narasimha
76. Who among the following has been named e. Thanu Padmanabhan
the first Indian global ambassador for Gucci, the
Italian luxury house in May 2023? 83. In May 2023, the Gajraj Corps of the Indian
a. Deepika Padukone b. Alia Bhat c. Anushka Army conducted a Joint Flood Relief 'Exercise Jal
Sharma d. Katrina Kaif e. Priyanka Chopra Rahat' in which of the following state/UT?
a. Assam b. Kerala c. Jammu and Kashmir d.
77. With the aim of promoting aatmanirbharta West Bengal e. Sikkim
(self-reliance) in weaponry and defence
equipment, Ministry of Defence promulgated a 84. Sanchar Saathi Portal was recently launched
list of ______________ strategically important in Government of India for which of the following
spares and components that would face curbs on purpose?
their import. a. Registration of Unorganized sector workers
a. 159 b. 487 c. 532 d. 928 e. 344 b. Track and Block lost mobile phones
c. Downloading Vaccine certificates for children

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d. Simplification of college admission process a. Rajendra S Pawar b. Pramod Bhasin c.

e. Standardized terminologies & morbidity codes Vinayak Godse d. Kamlesh Bajaj e. Nandkumar
for Ayurveda Saravade

85. Food and grocery delivery company Zomato Answer Keys

has rolled out its own unified payments interface 79. d 80. b 81. d 82. c 83. a 84. b 85. b 86
(UPI) offering, called Zomato UPI in partnership . d 87. a 88. a 89. b 90. c 91. b
with which of the following banks?
a. Axis Bank b. ICICI Bank c. Federal Bank d. 92. In May 2023, Senior advocate KV
YES Bank e. Bank of Baroda Viswanathan's name was recommended by the
collegium for judgeship in the Supreme Court, he
86. In May 2023, The Appointments Committee will become the _____ Chief Justice of India, if
of the Cabinet (ACC) approved the appointment the Centre gives the nod.
of who among the following as the new chairman a. 54th b. 57th c. 58th d. 59th e. 55th
of the Petroleum & Natural Gas Regulatory Board
(PNGRB)? 93. In May 2023, which of the following company
a. Sanjiv Nanadan b. Satpal Garg c. S.S. has announced the launch of the country's first
Chahar d. AK Jain e. S. Rath mutual fund focused on defence sector?
a. Axis Asset Management Company Ltd.
87. In May 2023, The central government has b. Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC Limited
appointed who among the following as the c. Baroda Asset Management India Limited
Chairperson of the Competition Commission of d. HDFC Asset Management Company Ltd
India (CCI)? e. Bajaj Finserv Asset Management Limited
a. Ravneet Kaur
b. Jyoti Jindgar Bhanot 94. In May 2023, the First India - EU Trade and
c. Vijay Kumar Juneja Technology Council (TTC) meting was held at
d. Shiv Ram Bairwa a. Brussels b. Paris c. Copenhagen d.
e. Anil kumar Stockholm e. Amsterdam

88. According to the Knight Frank's report 'Prime 95. In May 2023, Arjun Ram Meghwal has been
Global Cities Index Q1 2023', which city ranks assigned the independent charge as Minister of
sixth among 46 cities globally in terms of annual State in the Ministry of Law and Justice, he
price growth of high-end residential properties replaced who among the following?
with appreciation of 5.5%? a. Narayan Tatu Rane b. Piyush Goyal c. Kiren
a. Mumbai b. Delhi c. Ahmedabad d. Rijiju d. Arjun Munda e. Smriti Zubin Irani
Chennai e. Kolkata
96. In May 2023, The Union Cabinet cleared a
89. In May 2023, German retailer METRO AG revised production linked incentive (PLI) scheme
announced the completion of the sale of its for IT hardware with an outlay of ____________
Indian cash & Carry business to Reliance Retail a. Rs. 16, 000 crore b. Rs. 17, 000 crore c. Rs.
Ventures Ltd (RRVL) for 18, 000 crore d. Rs. 19, 000 crore
a. Rs 1,589cr b. Rs 2,850cr c. Rs 3,951cr d. Rs e. Rs. 20, 000 crore
4,000cr e. Rs 5,010cr
97. In May 2023, The Union Cabinet approved a
90. Natarajan Chandrasekaran was conferred crop-nutrient subsidy of __________________
"Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur" (Knight of the for the June-September kharif or summer-sown
Legion of Honour) by French Minister for Europe season.
and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna in May a. Rs.4.08 lakh crore
2023, he is the chairman of which of the b. Rs.3.08 lakh crore
following companies? c. Rs.2.08 lakh crore
a. Infosys b. Wipro c. Tata Sons d. Bajaj d. Rs.1.08 lakh crore
Groups e. Reliance Industries e. Rs.5.08 lakh crore

91. In May 2023, who among the following has 98. According to latest newspaper report,
been appointed the new chairman of the Data Amazon Web Services, AWS will invest
Security Council of India (DSCI)? _________________ by 2030 on cloud-related
infrastructure in India.

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a. Rs 1.05 lakh crore Answer Keys

b. Rs 2.15 lakh crore 92. c 93. d 94. a 95. c 96. b 97. d 98. a 99.
c. Rs 3.89 lakh crore d 100. d 101. c 102. d 103. a 104. a
d. Rs 4.79 lakh crore
e. Rs 5.17lakh crore 105. In May 2023, the Indian Navy's sixth and
final Kalvari class submarine, ________, began
99. The Prime Minister inaugurated the its sea trials.
International Museum Expo 2023 in a. Khander b. Vaghsheer c. Karanj d. Vela e.
________________. Vagir
a. Chennai b. Bengaluru c. Kolkata d. New
Delhi e. Mumbai 106. For the first time ever, defence production
crossed _________ mark in Financial Year 2022-
100. In May 2023, who among the following took 23.
oath as the chairman of the Union Public Service a. Rs. 1 lakh crore b. Rs. 50,000 crore c. Rs. 2
Commission (UPSC)? lakh crore d. Rs. 1.5 lakh crore e. Rs. 3 lakh
a. Smita Nagaraj crore
b. Rajiv Nayan Choubey
c. Raj Shukla 107. In a recent notification, the Centre excluded
d. Manoj Soni up to _________ of debit and credit card
e. Pradeep Kumar Joshi payments in a financial year from the ambit of
the liberalised remittance scheme (LRS). These
101. The 75/25 initiative has been launched by transactions will not attract _______ levy of tax
which ministry? collected at source (TCS).
a. Ministry of Education a. Rs 10 lakh, 10% b. Rs 5 lakh, 20% c. Rs 7
b. Ministry of Power lakh, 20% d. Rs 10 lakh, 20% e. Rs 7 lakh,
c. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare 10%
d. Ministry of Finance
e. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy 108. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) board
approved the transfer of _______ as surplus to
102. Which of the following has become the first the central government for the accounting year
city in India to adopt the localisation of the 2022-23.
United Nations-mandated sustainable a. Rs.99,163 crore b. Rs.76,634 crore c.
development goals (SDG)? Rs.87,416 crore d. Rs.69,876 crore e.
a. Cochin b. Gandhinagar c. Pune d. Bhopal e. Rs.79,345 crore
Indore
109. Uttar Pradesh government was the top
103. In May 2023, which of the following has buyer of goods and services from Government e-
become the first state government to have marketplace (GeM) portal in FY23. Which of the
launched a welfare fund for Mahatma Gandhi following state was second?
Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme workers in a. Madhya Pradesh b. Gujarat c.
the State? Maharashtra d. Jammu and Kashmir e. Tamil
a. Kerala b. Karnataka c. Maharashtra d. Nadu
Gujarat e. Andhra Pradesh
110. Siddaramaiah took oath as Chief Minister of
104. In pursuance of the "Clean Note Policy", the Karnataka for a ______ term on May 20, 2023.
Reserve Bank of India has said it will withdraw a. second b. third c. fourth d. fifth e. sixth
Rs.2,000 notes from circulation. Which of the
following is/are true regarding the same? 111. The World Economic Situation and Prospects
I.People can exchange or deposit the Rs.2000 as of mid-2023, released by UN, said India's
notes in their bank accounts by September 30. economy, is expected to expand by ______ in
II.Rs.2000 notes will not be a legal tender from 2023 and _______ in 2024
October 1, 2023. a. 5.8%, 6.9% b. 5.8%, 6.7% c. 5.9%,
III.The Rs.2000 denomination banknote was 6.4% d. 6.1%, 6.9% e. 6.2%, 6.6%
introduced in November 2016
a. I and III b. I only c. II only d. I and II e. I, 112. Which of the following statements is/are
II and III true about Asia Petrochemical Industry
Conference 2023?

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I.Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya National Cooperative Development Corporation

presided over the Asia Petrochemical Industry (NCDC) under FPOs' Scheme.
Conference 2023. II.Since February 2021, the agriculture ministry
II.Chemicals and Petrochemicals Manufacturers' is implementing a central sector scheme titled
Association (CPMA) of India hosted the 41st 'Formation and promotion of 10,000 Farmer
edition of the Asia Petrochemical Industry Producer Organisations (FPOs) with a budgetary
Conference 2023 (APIC 2023) in New Delhi. provision of Rs 6,865 crore.
III.The theme of the event was "Ushering in a III.Under the FPO Scheme, financial assistance of
Sustainable Future". 20 lakh rupees is provided to each FPO.
a. I and II b. I only c. III only d. I and III e. a. I only b. I and II c. I and III d. I,II and
I,II and III III e. II only

113. Which of the following company elevated 119. In May 2023, the Union Cabinet approved
Bhavesh Gupta as its Chief Operating Officer and an MoU between CCI India and its
President? ______counterpart.
a. Airtel b. PhonePe c. Paytm d. Amazon a. American b. Egyptian c. Brazilian d.
Pay e. Shiprocket Bangladeshi e. Singaporean

114. The _______ G7 summit was held from 19 120. In May 2023, the consortium led by Tata
to 21 May 2023 in Hiroshima, Hiroshima Consultancy Services Limited received an
Prefecture, Japan. Advance Purchase Order valued over ______
a. 45th b. 55th c. 49th d. 65th e. 60th from BSNL, for the deployment of a 4G network
across India,.
115. In May 2023, SEBI proposed changes in the a. Rs 35,000 crore b. Rs 20,000 crore c. Rs
existing rules governing alternative investment 15,000 crore d. Rs 20,000 crore e. Rs 25,000
funds (AIFs). As per the proposal, which of the crore
following category AIFs should not borrow funds
directly or indirectly for making investments? 121. India's First Commercial Flight Powered By
a. Category I b. Category II c. Category III d. Indigenous Sustainable Aviation Fuel Flies From
Category I and II e. Category II and III Pune To Delhi. It was operated by ______
a. Air India b. IndiGo c. Akasa Air d. AirAsia e.
116. India partnered with which of the following SpiceJet
country to establish an Center of Water
Technology (CoWT) in water resources 122. Which of the following nation has become
management and water technologies at IIT-M? the world's biggest exporter of cars after
a. Belgium b. Israel c. Japan d. South Africa e. overtaking Japan in the first three months of this
Germany year?
a. China b. Germany c. USA d. Canada e.
117. In May 2023, Sebi proposed expanding Russia
definition of Qualified Institutional Buyer (QIB)
for debt market.According to Sebi, multistate 123. In May 2023, the Ministry of Education and
cooperatives with net worth of more than _________organised a one of its kind workshop
_______ should be classified as QIBs. on School-to-Work Transition under the STARS
a. Rs 500 crore b. Rs 400 crore c. Rs 300 Program in Mumbai.
crore d. Rs 200 crore e. Rs 100 crore a. NITI Aayog b. IMF c. World Bank d.
UNESCO e. UNDP
Answer Keys
105. b 106. a 107. c 108. c 109. b 110. a 1 124. India fish production at record 162.48 lakh
11. b 112. e 113. c 114. c 115. d 116. b 11 tonne in 2021-22. Currently, India is the_____
7. a largest fish producing country with about ____
share in global fish production.
118. Which of the following statements is/are a. 3rd, 8% b. 5th, 12% c. 2nd, 7% d. 1st,
true about Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) 10% e. 4th, 5%
scheme?
I.In May 2023, the Ministry of Cooperation said 125. In May 2023, the Board of Control for
additional 1100 FPOs have been allocated to Cricket in India (BCCI) announced its partnership

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with _______to be Indian cricket team's new kit 133. Which state government has recently signed
sponsor. a MoU with Uttarakhand to strengthen tourism
a. Puma b. Nike c. Killer Jeans d. Adidas e. cooperation?
MPL Sports a. Assam b. Mizoram c. Goa d. Kerala e.
Meghalaya
126. The Government of India has recently
reduced the subsidy provided under Faster 134. According to the Reserve Bank of India
Adoption of Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles in (RBI), the India's economic growth is expected to
India scheme applicable on electric two-wheelers exceed _______ in FY2023.
registered on or after ________. a. 5.2% b. 6% c. 7% d. 8.2% e. 9%
a. April 2022 b. August 2022 c. March 2021 d.
June 2023 e. April 2023 135. Who among the following has been
appointed elected as the chairman of the
127. Which among the following entities has Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI)
recently acquired the National Steel and Agro for 2023-25?
Industries Limited (NSAIL)? a. Harsh Jain b. A.K. Jain c. RN Jayaprakash d.
a. Tata Steel Limited Namdev Shirgaonkar e. Geeta Rao Gupta
b. JSW Steel Coated Products Limited
c. Essar Steel India Limited 136. Which of the following banking entities has
d. MECON India Limited recently launched 'Sarathi', a digital onboarding
e. Arcelor Mittal India Limited platform for POS Terminals to streamline
merchant acquisition process?
128. Which state in India declared itself as a. HDFC Bank b. ICICI Bank c. IDFC First
India's first "total e-governance state'? Bank d. Axis Bank e. Punjab National Bank
a. Karnataka b. Kerala c. Tamil Nadu d.
Rajasthan e. Uttar Pradesh 137. Who among the following has been
appointed as the brand ambassador of Tripura
129. Recently, Sameer Verma has won gold in Tourism?
which among the following sports? a. Amitabh Bachhan b. Saurav Ganguly c.
a. Badminton b. Long jump c. Javelin throw d. Prosenjit Chatterjee d. Pryanka Chopra e. Sunil
Shot Put e. Shooting Chhetri

130. Who among the following has won the 138. Gevra becomes India's first coal mine to
International Booker Prize for 'Time Shelter'? produce 50 million ton output annually. Gevra
a. Georgi Gospodinov b. Zadie Smith c. Coal Mine is located in which among the following
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie d. Cormac states?
McCarthy e. Elena Ferrante a. Jharkhand b. West Bengal c. Odisha d.
Chhattisgarh e. Meghalaya
Answer Keys
118. b 119. b 120. c 121. d 122. a 123. c 1 139. Under India's G20 Presidency, the
24. a 125. d 126. d 127. b 128. b 129. a 13 International Conference on Chemicals and
0. a Petrochemicals was held in ______.
a. Mumbai b. New Delhi c. Ranchi d.
131. Which among the following Indian Bhubaneswar e. Chandigarh
supercomputers has been ranked 75th in the
World as AI-based supercomputer? 140. Recently, the Union Minister Shri Giriraj
a. Mihir b. Pratyush c. Airawat d. Param Singh has launched 'SAMARTH campaign' to
Siddhi e. Titan promote_______.
a. Digital transactions at gram panchayat level.
132. Recently, an Indian athlete Murali b. Domestic manufacturing of essential
Sreeshankar won gold in which among the commodities.
following sports? c. Export of Indian handicrafts.
a. Long Jump b. Shot put c. Chess d. d. Digital literacy in rural areas in the northern
Badminton e. Basketball states.
e. Export of Indian agricultural commodities.

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141. With which among the following multilateral the Niti Aayog. What was the theme of the
agencies, the Government of India has recently meeting
signed a USD 141.12 million loan agreement for a. Sikhshit Bharat @2025: Role of Team India
the development of industrial corridor in Andhra b. Poshit Bharat @2045: Role of Team India
Pradesh? c. Viksit Bharat @2030: Role of Team India
a. International Finance Corporation d. Shikshit Bharat @2045: Role of Team India
b. Asian Development Bank e. Viksit Bharat @2047: Role of Team India
c. Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
d. International Monetary Fund 149. Damodar Mauzo has recently received the
e. New Development Bank prestigious Jnanpith Award, the country's highest
literary honour. He is the epitome of the
142. TIna Turner has recently passed away at ________ literary culture
the age pf 83. She is famous for/associated with a. Bengali b. Konkani c. Odia d. Marathi e.
___ Urdu
a. Singing b. Dancing c. Painting d. Script
writing e. Acting 150. Who won the award for Best Actor in a
Leading Role (male) at the International Indian
143. Which of the following recently Completes Film Academy Awards (IIFA) 2023?
Acquisition Of 51% Stake In Lotus Chocolate? a. Anupam Kher b. Ayushman Khurana c. Vicky
a. Reliance Retail b. Cadbury c. Nestle d. Kaushal d. Hritik Roshan e. Akshay Kumar
Amul e. Dabur
151. Which of the following company has become
Answer Keys the first digital payments app to successfully
131. c 132. a 133. c 134. c 135. a 136. d 13 enable linkage of two lakh RuPay credit cards to
7. b 138. d 139. b 140. a 141. b 142. a 143. the Unified Payments Interfac?
a a. Google pay b. Paytm c. PhonePe d. Amazon
pay e. Bhim
144. Ministry Of Finance recently launched
_______ Coin To Celebrate Launch Of The New 152. Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off
Parliament Building Northeast India's first Vande Bharat Express train
a. Rs 75 b. Rs 50 c. Rs 25 d. Rs 30 e. Rs 100 via video-conferencing. The train will connect
which among the following two locations?
145. Who among the following has been selected a. Guwahati to Dibrugarh
as a member of the international advisory b. Dibrugarh to Itanagar
committee for the 28th session of the Conference c. Guwahati to New Jalpaiguri
of the Parties (COP28)? d. New Jalpaiguri to Tripura
a. Ratan Tata b. Sundar Pichai c. Narayan e. Kolkata to Dibrugarh
Murthy d. Mukesh Ambani e. Gautam Adani
153. Who among the following has recently been
146. In May 2023, Reliance Retail inked appointed as the Chief Vigilance Commissioner?
partnership with ___________ for western a. Vijaya Lakshmi Nadendla
snacks. b. Dr. Vivek Saxena
a. General Mills b. Pespsi Co c. ITC d. c. Amit Garg
Cadbury e. Lays d. Praveen Kumar Srivsatava
e. Ganesh Kumar Baranwal
147. The Prime Minister took a decision to adopt
the Sengol as a national symbol of the Amrit 154. India's public sector Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam
Kaal. The sacred "sengol" was a symbol of just to develop second hydropower project Arun-4
and fair rule and had been used to mark the worth Rs 4,900 cr in which among the following
transfer of power from one king to another in countries?
the: a. Nepal b. Bhutan c. Bangladesh d.
a. Chola dynasty b. Pandava dynasty c. Rajput Myanmar e. Afghanistan
dynasty d. Kuru dynasty e. Mauryan dynasty
155. Recently, the Indian Space Research
148. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently Organization (ISRO), has launched GSLV F-12
chaired the eighth governing council meeting of rocket with NVS - 01 satellite in its
geosynchronous orbit. The NVS - 01 satellite is a

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a. Earth observation satellite III. Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha

b. Remote sensing satellite IV. Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab
c. Navigation satellite a. I and II only b. II only c. III and IV only d. I,
d. Communication satellite III and IV only e. III only
e. None of the above
162. Which state government has approved a
156. Which of the following is the primary aim of new financial scheme under which more than one
'UDAN 5.1', recently launched by the Ministry of crore farmers in the state will be paid 6,000
Civil Aviation? rupees annually?
a. To enhance India's connectivity with other a. Uttar Pradesh b. Rajasthan c.
Asian countries. Maharashtra d. Odisha e. West Bengal
b. To achieve domestic last mile connectivity
though helicopters. 163. Which among the following cricketers
c. To enhance seamless air connectivity within becomes the first Indian to record 300 dismissals
the northeastern region of India. with Gill stumping in IPL 2023 final?
d. To achieve a growth of 32% in domestic air a. MS Dhoni b. Dinesh Karthik c. Wriddhiman
transport by 2028. Saha d. Naman Ojha e. Ambati Rayudu
e. To enhance air connectivity in Himalayan hilly
states. 164. Recently, Justice Augustine George Masih
was sworn in as the Chief Justice of which High
Answer Keys Court?
144. a 145. d 146. a 147. a 148. e 149. b 1 a. Rajasthan High Court
50. d 151. c 152. c 153. d 154. a 155. c 156 b. Madhya Pradesh High Court
. b c. Punjab and Haryana High Court
d. Delhi High Court
157. Prannoy Haseena Sunil Kumar, also known e. Gujarat High Court
as HS Prannoy, is associated with which among
the following sports? 165. Which state government has recently
a. Badminton b. Long Jump c. Javelin throw d. named Sachin Tendulkar as 'Smile Ambassador'
Shot Put e. Boxing to promote oral hygiene?
a. Goa b. Gujarat c. Bihar d. Maharashtra e.
158. Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently claimed Uttar Pradesh
victory in the presidential election of ________.
a. Ukraine b. Turkey c. Israel d. Azerbaijan e. 166. The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) will
Russia open its first-ever overseas campus in _______in
October 2023 with a batch of 50 undergraduate
159. Who among the following has recently been students and 20 master's students.
re-elected as external auditor of the World Health a. Namibia b. Australia c. Bangladesh d.
Organization (WHO)? Tanzania e. Ethiopia
a. Girish Chandra Murmu
b. Sanjiv Puri 167. As per the National Electricity Plan (NEP),
c. Dr. Arvind Virmani India's non-fossil fuel-based power generation
d. Suman Sharma capacity is likely to increase to about 68.4% of
e. A.K. Jain the total installed capacity by _______.
a. 2023-24 b. 2024-25 c. 2027-28 d. 2031-
160. According to the 18th Periodic Labour Force 32 e. 2034-35
Survey (LFPR) report, In India, the
unemployment rate for persons aged 15 years 168. The 3rd India-Vietnam Maritime Security
and above in urban areas declined to Dialogue was recently held in ________.
________during January-March 2023. a. Mumbai b. New Delhi c. Panaji d.
a. 5.2% b. 6.8% c. 8.2% d. 7.5% e. 4.3% Chandigarh e. Visakhapatnam

161. With which among the following states, the 169. Recently, the Union Cabinet has approved
Government of India has recently signed an City Investments to Innovate, Integrate and
agreement to start digital crop survey? Sustain 2.0 (CITIIS 2.0) from 2023 till _______
I. Assam, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh to support competitively selected projects
II. Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh promoting circular economy.

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a. 2025 b. 2027 c. 2030 d. 2032 e. 2035 176. Which among the following ministries has
recently launched a Unified Registration Portal
Answer Keys For GOBARdhan Scheme?
157. a 158. b 159. a 160. b 161. a 162. c 1 a. Ministry of Jal Shakti
63. a 164. a 165. d 166. d 167. d 168. b 16 b. Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers
9. b c. Ministry of Commerce and Industry
d. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare
170. Who among the following has been e. Ministry of Science and Technology
appointed as the MD and CEO of UCO Bank for a
period of three years from June 1, 2023? 177. The 'Karnali Hydro Electric Project' is
a. Ajay Vij b. Vanrssa Hudson c. Rajneesh located in _______.
Karnatak d. Ashwani Kumar e. Hari Hara a. Nepal b. Bangladesh c. Myanmar d.
Mishra Bhutan e. Afghanistan

171. The World Milk Day is celebrated annually 178. Which country has recently won the
on June 1. This day was established by Presidency of World Meteorological Organization
the_________. (WMO) for a four-year term from 2023 to 2027?
a. World Health Organization a. India b. Russia c. United Arab Emirates d.
b. Food and Agriculture Organization Bangladesh e. Turkey
c. World Central Kitchen
d. World Food Programme 179. Who among the following has recently been
e. Heifer International elected as one of the three vice presidents of the
World Meteorological Organization (WMO)?
172. The Union Cabinet has recently approved a. Dr. Mrutunjay Mohapatra
the establishment of a Regional Office of the b. Amarendu Prakash
Universal Postal Union (UPU) in which among the c. Ashwani Kumar
following Indian cities? d. Sanjay Varma
a. Kolkata b. Nagpur c. New Delhi d. e. Angshumali Rastogi
Lucknow e. Guwahati
180. Which among the following entities has
173. _________ and Vijnana Bharati has jointly been directed by the Insurance Regulatory and
organized Global Indian Scientists and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) to
Technocrats Forum Meet at New Delhi. acquirer the life insurance business of Sahara
a. Indian Medical Association India Life Insurance Co Ltd (SILIC)?
b. All India Institute of Ayurveda a. PNB MetLife Insurance
c. Central Drugs Standard Control Organization b. SBI Life Insurance
d. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare c. Max Life Insurance
e. NanoHealth d. ICICI Prudential Life Insurance
e. HDFC Life Insurance
174. Which among the following
organizations/ministries has recently launched he 181. Who among the following has been
14th round of Survey on Foreign Collaborations appointed as the 'Goodwill Ambassador' for
in Indian Industry? Special Olympics Bharat?
a. Ministry of Commerce and Industry a. MS Dhoni b. Ayushmann Khurrana c.
b. Export Promotion Council of India Amitabh Bachhan d. Sachin Tendulkar e.
c. Reserve Bank of India Shahrukh Khan
d. State Bank of India
e. Ministry of External Affairs 182. Under the India's G20 presidency, the 3rd
G20 Health Working Group meeting was formally
175. Recently, a successful training launch of a opened in which among the following cities?
Medium-Range Ballistic Missile, Agni-1 was a. Hyderabad b. Thiruvananthapuram c.
carried out by the Strategic Forces Command Varanasi d. Kurukshetra e. Ahmedabad
from APJ Abdul Kalam Island, located in
__________. Answer Keys
a. Gujarat b. Odisha c. Goa d. Karnataka e. 170. d 171. b 172. c 173. b 174. c 175. b 1
Tamil Nadu 76. a 177. a 178. c 179. a 180. b 181. b
182. a

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International Cruise Vessel - MV Empress. This is

183. Which country will host the world's largest India's first international cruise vessel
conservation conference of the International from_______.
Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in a. Chennai to Sri Lanka
2025? b. Dibrugarh to Bangladesh
a. India b. Israel c. Russia d. United Arab c. Vishakhapatnam to Vietnam
Emirates e. Bangladesh d. Mumbai to Oman
e. West Bengal to Myanmar
184. Dennis Francis was recently elected as the
78th President of the United Nations General 191. Recently, the President of India, Smt.
Assembly. He was a nominated member from Droupadi Murmu has been conferred with the
which among the following countries? highest civilian honour of ________.
a. Trinidad and Tobago a. Cabo verde b. Sri Lanka c. Suriname d.
b. Liechtenstein Montenegro e. Indonesia
c. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
d. Saint Kitts and Nevis 192. 'Dhanush Srikanth' an Indian athlete, is
e. Timor-Leste associated with which of the following sports?
a. Air Rifle b. Sprint c. Field Hockey d. Golf e.
185. Which state government has recently Kurash
proposed to rename 'Ahmednagar', a district as
'Ahilyanagar'? 193. 'ANTARDRIHSTI', a financial inclusion
a. Uttar Pradesh b. Madhya Pradesh c. dashboard, launched by______.
Maharashtra d. Bihar e. Gujarat a. Ministry of Finance
b. Reserve Bank of India
186. Which among the following c. Ministry of Corporate Affairs
ministries/institutions has recently launched the d. Punjab National Bank
national Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) e. HDFC Bank Limited
ranking for the year 2023?
a. Ministry of Education 194. Which among the following countries has
b. NITI Aayog recently announced to reopen its diplomatic
c. University Grant Commission mission in Saudi Arabia, to restore diplomatic
d. National Council for Teachers Education ties?
e. National Council of Educational Research and a. Iran b. Israel c. United States of America d.
Training Australia e. Pakistan

187. ________is to become the first country to 195. Which of the following statements is/are
print health warnings on individual cigarettes. correct about the "Mission on Advanced and
a. Canada b. China c. United States of High-Impact Research (MAHIR)"?
America d. India e. Japan I) It was jointly launched by the Ministry of
Power and NITI Aayog.
188. K S Subramanian, a renowned figure has II) It aims to leverage emerging technologies in
recently passed away. He was the ______. power sector.
a. Commander of Indian Navy's First Submarine III) The mission is planned for an initial period of
b. First Indian to receive the gallantry award five years from 2023-24 to 2027-28.
c. First Indian to receive the Bharat Ratna award Select the correct answer using the codes given
d. First Indian captain of the Indian Hockey Team below.
e. First Indian diplomat a. I and III only b. II and III only c. I only d. II
only e. I, II and III
189. The Government of India has recently
planned to include refractories in the the Answer Keys
upcoming Production Linked Incentive Scheme 183. d 184. a 185. c 186. a 187. a 188. a 1
2.0 to support 300 MT steel capacity target by 89. c 190. a 191. c 192. a 193. b 194. a
________. 195. b
a. 2025 b. 2028 c. 2030 d. 2032 e. 2035
196. Which of the following statements is/are
190. The Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & correct about "Varunastra"?
Waterways has recently flagged off the maiden

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I)It is an indigenously build anti-submarine III) Survey of Professional Forecasters on

torpedo. Macroeconomic Indicators
II) It can be launched from a ship. Select the correct answer using the codes given
III)It is enabled with the Global Positioning below.
System. a. I only b. II and III only c. I, II and III d. II
Select the correct answer using the codes given only e. I and III only
below.
a. I and II only b. II and III only c. III only d. 204. On the basis of an assessment of the
I, II and III e. I only current and evolving macroeconomic situation,
the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) on June
197. Which of the following online payments 2023 kept the policy repo rate under the liquidity
platform has recently launched Aadhaar-based adjustment facility (LAF) unchanged at _______
authentication for UPI activation? a. 5.25% b. 5.5% c. 6.25% d. 6% e. 5%
a. Google Pay b. Paytm c. Phonepe d.
Paypal e. Razorpay 205. Which bank recently launched an integrated
campaign with the motto 'Life Ko Banao Rich,'
198. According to the recent data published by which reflects the bank's main goal of being a
the National Payment Corporation of India total solution provider for all financial matters?
(NPCI), the number of transactions in May 2023 a. ICICI Bank b. Yes Bank c. HDFC Bank d.
has recorded a growth of ______year-on-year as IDFC First Bank e. Axis Bank
compared to May 2022.
a. 65% b. 58% c. 45% d. 33% e. 51% 206. Which of the following statements is/are
correct about the new generation 'Agni Prime'
199. The Indian Space Research Organization Missile,?
(ISRO) awards Gaganyaan Mission mandate to I) It is a nuclear-powered ballistic missile.
which of the following Indian entities to deliver II) It was developed by the Defence Research
Crew Module Recovery Models (CMRM)? and Development Organization (DRDO).
a. Infosys b. Tata Elxsi c. HCL Technologies d. III) It has a strike range from 1,000 to 2,000-
Wipro e. LG Electronics km.
Select the correct answer using the codes given
200. The Air India Subsidiary has recently inked below.
a pact to build country's largest multi-mode a. I only b. II only c. I and III only d. I, II and
cargo hub at ________. III e. III only
a. Noida International Airport
b. Gopinath Bardoli International Airport 207. The first edition of the India, France and
c. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International UAE Maritime Partnership Exercise has been in
Airport the news. It was recently commenced in
d. Rajiv Gandhi International Airport _______.
e. Goa International Airport a. Gulf of Oman b. Gulf of Mannar c. Persian
Gulf d. Gulf of Aden e. Gulf of Kutch
201. In the latest edition of the Best Indian
Brands 2023 ranking, which Indian brand has 208. The WHO report, 'Health impact of Jal
reaffirmed its position as the top-ranked brand? Jeevan Mission', highlighted significant impact of
a. Infosys b. Tata Consultancy Services c. HCL 'Har Ghar Jal' Program on Public Health and
Technologies d. Mindtree e. Tech Mahindra Economic Savings. The report estimates that
ensuring safely managed drinking water for all
202. Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) households in the country could avert nearly 4
has issued first loss default guarantee (FLDG) lakh deaths caused by diarrheal diseases &
guidelines for digital lenders. As per the prevent approximately 14 million Disability
guidelines, the RBI has allowed a _______default Adjusted Life Years(DALYs) related to these
loss cover for bank-fintech deals. diseases. This achievement alone would result in
a. 5% b. 7% c. 3.2% d. 7.5% e. 6.2 estimated cost savings of up to _______
a. $201 billion b. $151 billion c. $101 billion d.
203. Which of the following survey reports are $251 billion e. $301 billion
published by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)?
I)Consumer Confidence Survey
II) Inflation Expectations Survey of Households

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Answer Keys
196. d 197. a 198. b 199. b 200. a 201. b 2 216. According to data from MyGovIndia, India
02. a 203. c 204. c 205. b 206. d 207. a 20 has recorded with 89.5 million digital
8. c transactions in the year 2022. India accounted
for _______ global real-time payments and it
209. Which of the following statements is/are was more than the other four leading countries
correct about SAGAR SAMRIDDHI, launched in combined.
June 2023? a. 22% b. 34% c. 39% d. 46% e. 55%
I. It was launched by Union Minister of Ports,
Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW) and Ayush 217. Iga Swiatek defeated Czech Republic's
Sarbananda Sonowal. Karolina Muchova to win 2023 French Open
II. It is the online dredging monitoring system. Women's Singles title. Iga Switek is from _____
III.This system has been developed by ISRO. a. Poland b. Germany c. Belgium d. USA e.
a. I and II b. I only c. II only d. I,II and III e. Romania
II and III
218. In June 2023, Global Alliance for Mass
210. According to SBI's latest Ecowrap report, Entrepreneurship (GAME), a mass
India's GDP growth is pegged at _____ for the entrepreneurship enablement platform, signed an
current financial year. MoU with which of the following to launch the
a. 6.5 % b. 6.2 % c. 5.5 % d. 5.1 % e. 6.8 NBFC Growth Acceleration Program (NGAP)?
% a. RBI b. SIDBI c. SBI d. NABARD e. SEBI

211. The Insurance Regulatory & Development 219. In June 2023, who among the following
Authority of India has granted certificate of inaugurated the first-ever National Training
registration to Go Digit Life Insurance to start life Conclave held in New Delhi?
insurance business in India. With this, the a. Amit Shah b. Rajnath Singh c. Narendra
number of insurers operating in life insurance Modi d. Droupadi Murmu e. Nirmala
segment has gone up to _____. Sitharaman
a. 20 b. 26 c. 30 d. 34 e. 40
220. Cyclone Biparjoy is in the news recently.
212. In June 2023, the Indian Army sealed a The name of the cyclone was given by which of
deal with a Bengaluru-based M/s Astrome Tech the following country?
Pvt Ltd, to procure the indigenously-developed a. Bangladesh b. Yemen c. India d.
______ Myanmar e. Pakistan
a. tactical internet
b. charging solution 221. 'Govt e-Marketplace', a government-owned
c. tactical LAN radio and national public procurement portal has
d. high-rate datalink announced to organize a 'Buyer-Seller
e. tactical mobile unit Workshops' in almost all the districts of which
among the following states?
213. In June 2023, Gitanjali Aiyar passed away. a. Madhya Pradesh b. Karnataka c. Bihar d.
She was associated with which of the following Uttar Pradesh e. Rajasthan
field?
a. TV Anchor b. Musician c. Dancer d. Answer Keys
Economist e. Writer 209. a 210. a 211. b 212. c 213. a 214. a 2
15. b 216. d 217. a 218. b 219. c 220. a 22
214. In June 2023, the Indian Navy carried out a 1. d
massive Carrier Battle Group (CBG) operation
involving more than 35 aircraft in the_______ 222. _________completed its emergency
a. Arabian Sea b. Indian Ocean c. Bay of takeover of Credit Suisse, creating a giant Swiss
Bengal d. Atlantic Ocean e. South China Sea bank with a balance sheet of $1.6 trillion.
a. Union Bank of Switzerland
215. In June 2023, who among the following b. Bank of America
chaired the G20 development ministers' meeting c. JP Morgan Chase & Co.
that took place in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh? d. Wells Fargo
a. Narendra Modi b. S Jaishankar c. Amit e. BNP Paribas
Shah d. Ajit Doval e. Rajnath Singh

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223. According to the Department for Promotion I. It has been awarded a special prize in the
of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), from 'Health for All' category by the NITI Aayog.
which among the following countries India has II. The documentary has been directed by
received the highest foreign direct investment in Vandita Saharia of Rajasthan.
the Financial Year 2023? III. The documentary focuses on the relationship
a. Singapore between domestic violence, climate change and
b. United Arab Emirates human trafficking.
c. United States of America Select the correct answer using the code given
d. Japan below.
e. Australia a. I only b. II and III only c. III only d. I, II
and III e. II only
224. Which of the following statements is/are
correct about the "World Day Against Child 230. The Securities and Exchange Board of India
Labour"? (SEBI) has recently introduced a framework for
I. The World Day Against Child labour is direct mutual fund investment platforms. As per
celebrated every year on 12th June. the framework, platforms providing Mutual Fund
II. The day was established by the United investment services in direct (commission-free)
Nations' International Children's Emergency Fund plans will have to apply for 'execution only
(UNICEF). platform' (EOP) licence either with Sebi or the
II. The day was celebrated for the first time in Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi)
2002. within _________ of the regulation coming into
Select the correct answer using the code given force, which happens in September 2023.
below. a. One month b. Two months c. Three
a. I only b. I and III only c. III only d. II months d. Seventy Five days e. One year
only e. I, II and III
231. Which among the following countries is
225. Who has been newly appointed as the hosting the U-17 Asian Wrestling Championships
director general of the Border Security Force 2023?
(BSF)? a. Malaysia b. Russia c. Kyrgyzstan d. United
a. Nitin Agarwal b. Praveen Sood c. Gaurav Arab Emirates e. Bulgaria
Yadav d. Ajay Kashyap e. Sheel Vardhan
Singh 232. Who among the following has been
conferred with the Federation of Indian
226. Who has been appointed as Chair-elect of Petroleum Industry (FIPI) Award 2022- "Special
the International Air Transport Association Commendation" in Young Achiever of the Year in
(IATA's) Board of Governors? Oil & Gas Industry category?
a. Pieter Elbers b. Vinay Dubey c. Ajay Singh d. a. Soma Mondal b. Divya Dutta c. Alka Mittal d.
Kaushik Khona e. Campbell Wilson Usha Ananthasubramanian e. Rekha Sharma

227. Recently, India and the Asian Development 233. The Director General of Civil Aviation
Bank (ADB) has signed a loan agreement of USD (DGCA) has recently issued aerodrome licence to
130 Million to promote horticulture in ________. Naini Saini Airport. The Naini Saini Airport is
a. Himachal Pradesh b. Jammu and Kashmir c. located in _______.
Assam d. Meghalaya e. Uttarakhand a. Pithoragarh b. Junagadh c. Bhagalpur d.
Silchar e. Bagdogra
228. The 12th edition of joint military exercise
"Ekuverin" commenced at Chaubatia, 234. Which of the following payments bank has
Uttarakhand from 11 to 24 June 2023. It is a entered into a tie-up with Sequoia Capital-backed
joint military exercise between India and fintech Hubble to introduce India's first spending
________. account?
a. Sri Lanka b. Singapore c. Maldives d. a. Paytm Payments Bank
Russia e. Japan b. Airtel Payment Bank
c. Fino Payments Bank
229. Which of the following statements is/are d. India Post Payment Bank
correct about recently awarded documentary e. Jio Payment Bank
titles "When Climate Change Turns Violent"?

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Answer Keys General Assembly and celebrated every year on

222. a 223. a 224. b 225. a 226. a 227. a 2 16 June, the theme for 2023 is
28. c 229. b 230. c 231. c 232. b 233. a 234 a. Digital remittances towards financial inclusion
. c and cost reduction
b. Recovery and resilience through digital and
235. Which among the following countries will financial inclusion
host the 2025 International Institute of c. Families in Development: Copenhagen &
Administrative Sciences (IIAS) Annual Beijing 25
Conference? d. Socially just transition towards sustainable
a. England b. India c. Germany d. France e. development: the role of digital technologies on
United States of America Families
e. Families and Urbanization
236. Who among the following central bank
governors has recently been conferred the 242. According to the Global Slavery Index (GSI)
Governor of the Year Award 2023? presented by Walk Free, a human rights
a. Jerome Powell organisation in June 2023, which of the following
b. Shaktikanta Das country was NOT ranked among the top 10 worst
c. Tharman Shanmugaratnam offenders list?
d. Khaled Mohammed Balama Al Tameemi a. Saudi Arabia b. Norway c. North Korea d.
e. Abdur Rouf Talukdar Japan e. Turkey

237. Who among the following cricketers has 243. In June 2023, which of the following
received the ICC (International Cricket Council) companies announced that it will set up an
Player of the Month Awards for May 2023? aviation fuel plant with LanzaJet in Haryana?
a. M.S. Dhoni b. Harry Tector c. Virat Kohli d. a. Indian Oil Corporation Limited
Jack Leach e. Josh Hazlewood b. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC)
c. Bharat Petroleum
238. In June 2023, The UN General Assembly d. Gas Authority of India (GAIL)
has adopted a Resolution to establish a new e. Reliance Petroleum Ltd
Memorial Wall for fallen Peacekeepers, the
resolution was introduced by which country? 244. In June 2023, India's defence ministry
a. Iran b. Japan c. India d. Russia e. Canada approved the acquisition of 31 MQ-9B armed
drones from which country?
239. The Government has reduced the basic a. Russia b. Israel c. United States of
import duty on edible oils to ensure their America d. Germany e. South Korea
availability to consumers at affordable prices.
The basic import duty on refined soyabean oil 245. The National Working Plan Code-2023 for
and refined sunflower oil was reduced from scientific management of forests and evolving
_______to _________. new approaches was released by
a. 18.5 percent to 13.5 percent a. Shri. Chandra Prakash Goyal
b. 17.5 percent to 12.5 percent b. Shri. Rajesh Verma
c. 25 percent to 20 percent c. Shri. Sunil Kumar Gupta
d. 20 percent to 25 percent d. Shri. P. K. Mishra
e. 15.5 percent to 10.5 percent e. Shri S. C. Tyagi

240. Tata Steel and SMS group have signed a 246. In National Water Awards 2022 awarded
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to recently, which state won the first prize in the
collaborate on the decarbonisation of steel best state category?
making process. The SMS group is based in a. Uttar Pradesh b. Rajasthan c. Madhya
which country? Pradesh d. Maharashtra e. Karnataka
a. UK b. South Africa c. South Korea d.
Germany e. Australia 247. Remains of a species of herbivorous
dinosaur previously unknown in the southern
241. The International Day of Family hemisphere have been discovered in which
Remittances (IDFR) is a universally-recognized country?
observance adopted by the United Nations a. Chile b. South Africa c. Brazil d. Morocco
e. Argentina

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ii)It consists of courses designed to enhance

Answer Keys functional, domain, and behavioural
235. b 236. b 237. b 238. c 239. b 240. d 2 competencies.
41. a 242. b 243. a 244. c 245. a 246. c 24 iii)It was launched in the iGOT Karmayogi
7. a Platform
Select the correct answer using the codes given
248. What is the name of generative AI model below.
which converts text to speech launched by Meta? a. I and II only b. I, II and III c. II only d. III
a. Funbox b. Voicebox c. Mailbox d. only e. I and III only
Speechox e. AI Box
256. Which among the following multilateral
249. The 37th Indian National Game going to be agencies has adopted the first-ever treaty to
held on October 2023 in ______. protect marine life in the high seas (waters
a. Maharashtra b. Goa c. Odisha d. Gujarat e. outside national boundaries)?
Haryana a. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change
250. The World Bank has recently launched its b. The United Nation General Assembly
first road safety project in which among the c. The International Union for Conservation of
following South-Asian countries? Nature
a. India b. Bangladesh c. Nepal d. Bhutan e. d. The European Environment Agency
Pakistan e. Partnerships in Environmental Management for
the Seas of East Asia
251. Indian men's senior football team clinched
the 2023 Intercontinental Cup with a 2-0 victory 257. Which among the following Indian banking
over ________in the final at Kalinga Stadium in entities has recently collaborated with the Wise
Bhubaneshwar. platform to offer low-cost & fast inward
a. Korea b. Lebanon c. Tajikistan d. remittance to India?
Mongolia e. Vanuatu a. ICICI Bank b. HDFC Bank c. IndusInd
Bank d. IDFC First Bank e. Axis Bank
252. "Intersolar Europe 2023" exhibition is the
world's leading exhibition for the solar industry, 258. Who has been appointed as the Chief of
held in _______. Research and Analysis Wing (RAW)?
a. Munich b. Geneva c. Philippines d. Beijing e. a. Ravi Sinha b. Parminder Chopra c. Shantanu
Paris Roy d. Anuj Tyagi e. Bhavesh Gupta

253. As per the recent changes in regulatory 259. Arundhati Roy has been awarded the 45th
provisions of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), European Essay Prize for lifetime achievement for
the Urban Co-operative Banks are allowed to the French translation of her compilation of
grant loan up to _________ against gold. essays titled _________.
a. Rs. 2.5 Lakh b. Rs. 3.5 Lakh c. Rs. 5 Lakh d. a. Azadi b. Pinjar c. Aansoo d. Kamayani e.
Rs. 7 Lakh e. Rs. 4 Lakh Yaatri

254. Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers 260. Who among the following has recently been
(GRSE) and Kongsberg Maritime (KM), Finland, appointed as the CEO of Unique Identification
signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) Authority of India (UIDAI)?
for co-production of __________. a. Amit Agrawal b. Uttam Lal c. Rajesh
a. Water jets Kumar d. Janardan Prasad e. Atul Verma
b. Commercial ships
c. Naval systems Answer Keys
d. Nuclear -powered submarines 248. b 249. b 250. b 251. b 252. a 253. c 2
e. Deep Sea mining ships 54. a 255. b 256. b 257. c 258. a 259. a 26
0. a
255. Which of the following statements is/are
correct about 'DAKSHTA'? 261. The theme for International Yoga Day 2023
i)It was launched for young professionals and is ___________.
consultants engaged in government work. a. Yoga for humanity
b. Yoga for Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam

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c. Yoga for wellness 269. Which among the following countries is

d. Yoga for Health - Yoga at Home hosting the inaugural edition of the Global Chess
e. Yoga for heart League 2023?
a. United Arab Emirates
262. Who among the following has recently been b. United States of America
appointed as the Chairman of GIFT City Limited? c. Russia
a. Hasmukh Adhia b. Aalok Kumar c. Rajiv d. France
Gauba d. Kamal Kishore Chaá¹iwal e. Nusrat e. Qatar
Chowdhary
270. The Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative
263. Who among the following has recently been Ltd (IFFCO) has recently signed a pact for the
appointed as the deputy governor of the Reserve export of nano liquid urea to which among the
Bank of India (RBI)? following countries?
a. Swaminathan Janakiraman a. China b. Australia c. France d. United States
b. Sanjay Verma of America e. Russia
c. Ashwani Kumar
d. Srikrishnan Harihara 271. Which among the following banking entities
e. Jayakumar S. Pillai in India has recently signed a MoU with the Tamil
Nadu State Rural Livelihood Mission to foster the
264. The recent 'INDUS X' event aims to boost growth of Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in the state?
defence partnership between India and _______. a. State Bank of India
a. Australia b. United States of America c. b. ICICI Bank
France d. England e. Japan c. Indian Overseas Bank
d. HDFC Bank
265. Which of the following statements is/are e. Union Bank of India
correct about "GEMCOVAC-OM"?
I)It is a mRNA-based vaccine. 272. Which of the following statements is/are
II)It was developed by Bharat Biotech. correct about the "Global Gender Gap Report
III)It is a thermostable vaccine. 2023"?
IV)It is implemented by Biotechnology Industry I)It is published by the World Economic Forum.
Research Assistance Council (BIRAC). II)India ranked 127th in terms of gender parity.
Select the correct answer using the code given iii)As per the report, the representation of
below. women in senior and technical roles has slightly
a. I, III and IV only b. IV only c. II and III declined.
only d. I only e. I, II, III and IV Select the correct answer using the codes given
below:
266. Which among the following Indian IT firms a. I, II and III b. I and III only c. II only d. III
has partnered with UK's largest workplace only e. I only
pension scheme, Nest for a initial tenure of 10
years? 273. Which among the following statements is
a. Tata Consultancy Services b. Infosys c. correct about the Integrated Simulator Complex
Wipro d. HCL Technologies e. Tech Mahindra (ISC) 'Dhruv'?
a. It is a testing centre of nuclear-enabled
267. According to Randstad Employer Brand defence systems.
Research (REBR) 2023 report, which among the b. It is envisaged to give real-time experience on
following entities is the India's most attractive navigation, fleet operations and Naval tactics.
employer brands? c. It is envisaged to improve the design quality of
a. Tata Power b. Tech Mahindra c. Hindustan indeginously build armoured vehicles.
Unilever Limited d. HCL Technologies e. d. It is a manufacturing facility of INS class
Infosys submarines with enabled hi-tech simulators.
e. None of the above
268. Who among the following has been awarded
with the Elizabeth Longford Prize for Historical Answer Keys
Biography 2023? 261. b 262. a 263. a 264. b 265. a 266. a 2
a. Ramachandra Guha b. Romila Thapar c. Vijay 67. a 268. a 269. a 270. d 271. c 272. a
Prashad d. Shekhar Pathak e. Satish Chandra 273. b

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274. In June 2023, Petteri Orpo was elected as after Independence released in June 2023. The
the Prime Minister of which country? book has been written by who among the
a. Sweden b. Finland c. Iceland d. Norway e. following?
Netherlands a. Rakshit Rajan b. A.K. Bhattacharya c.
Abhishek Kumar d. P V Subramanyam e.
275. In June 2023, who among the following has Monika Halan
been awarded the prestigious Peace Prize of the
German Book Trade for 2023 for his contribution 282. According to the Economist Intelligence
to the literary world? Unit's (EIU) Global Liveability Index 2023
a. Stephen King b. J K Rowling c. Salman released in June 2023, Vienna was ranked first
Rushdie d. John Grisham e. Dean Koontz as the world's most liveable city, based on a wide
range of indicators, Delhi was ranked at
276. India gifted the Missile Corvette INS Kirpan _______.
- a Khukri class warship commissioned in 1991 to a. 131st b. 141st c. 151st d. 161st e. 171st
which country in June 2023?
a. Philippines b. Malaysia c. Sri Lanka d. 283. In June 2023, The Asian Development Bank
Vietnam e. Laos (ADB) has approved a ______________ loan to
widen and upgrade around 265 kilometers of
277. In June 2023, the World Bank's Board of state highways, improving transport connectivity
Directors has approved a ______________ loan and safety in the state of Bihar in India.
to support the Resilient Kerala Program to a. $295 million b. $150 million c. $100
continue strengthening the state's preparedness million d. $50 million e. $496 million
against natural disasters, climate change
impacts, and disease outbreaks. 284. 'People first: Stop stigma and
a. $100 million b. $150 million c. $250 discrimination' is the theme of _______.
million d. $350 million e. $450 million a. World Labour Day 2023
b. World Drug Day 2023
278. In June 2023, The Reserve Bank said it has c. World Health Day 2023
imposed a penalty of ________________ on d. World Haemophilia Day 2023
Jammu and Kashmir Bank for non-compliance e. World Migratory day 2023
with certain directions, including one related to
'time-bound implementation and strengthening 285. The Pune based Inter-University Centre for
of SWIFT-related operational controls'. Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) has
a. Rs 5 crore b. Rs 4.5 crore c. Rs 3 crore d. Rs announced that it has handed over the Solar
2.5 crore e. Rs 1 crore Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT) instrument
for integration with the Aditya-L1 spacecraft.
279. In June 2023, which country won the UEFA Aditya-L1 is India's first _______.
Nations League title for the third time after a. Dedicated heliophysics observatory
edging past Croatia on penalties in the final in b. Dedicated Indian Astronomical observatory
Rotterdam, Netherlands? c. Rovers to explore Space
a. Italy b. Spain c. England d. France e. d. Dedicated remote station for monitoring the
Portugal movements of astroids
e. None of the above
280. In June 2023, Chinese tech giant Alibaba
announced that it will replace chairman and CEO 286. Who among the following has been
Daniel Zhang with who among the following as conferred with Egypt's highest honour 'Order of
its CEO in September 2023? the Nile'?
a. Eddie Wu. a. Narendra Modi b. Smt. Droupadi Murmu c. M
b. Daniel Zhang. Venkaiah Naidu d. Jagdeep Dhankhar e. S.
c. Jerry Yang. Jaishankar
d. Wan Ling Martello.
e. Albert Kong Ping Ng. Answer Keys
274. b 275. c 276. d 277. b 278. d 279. b 2
281. "From Independence to Emergency: India's 80. a 281. b 282. b 283. a 284. b 285. a
Finance Ministers 1947-1977" is the book of 286. a
India's unforgettable finance ministers who
shaped India's economy in the first thirty years

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287. Kyriakos Mitsotakis has recently been sworn 294. Consider the following statements with
in as the Prime Minister of which of the following reference to the 'Energy Transition Index 2023'
countries? report:
a. Australia b. Greece c. Japan d. Egypt e. I. It is published by the International Renewable
Mauritius Energy Agency (IRENA).
II. India ranked 67th in the Energy Transition
288. The athletes Sutirtha Mukherjee and Ayhika Index 2023.
Mukherjee became the first Indians to win a III. Sweden ranked first in the Energy Transition
Contender title this year (2023). They are Index 2023.
associated with which of the following sports? IV. India is the only major economy with energy
a. Badminton b. Table Tennis c. Swimming d. transition momentum accelerating across the
Shooting e. Shot put Energy Transition Index's equitable, secure and
sustainable dimensions.
289. S&P Global, a renowned credit rating Which of the following statements is/are correct?
agency, has retained India's GDP growth forecast a. I, II and IV only b. II, III and IV only c. II
at _______ for FY2024, saying it will be the and III only d. I and IV only e. II only
fastest-growing economy among Asia-Pacific
nations. 295. Which among the following Indian
a. 5.2% b. 6% c. 6.5% d. 7.2% e. 8% regulatory bodies has recently announced to roll
out a Risk-Based Supervision (RBS) framework
290. Which among the following state to promote strong supervision in order to
governments has recently announced a waiver of enhance financial stability, crisis preparedness
stamp duty to promote small businesses and and consumer protection?
start-ups, especially helmed by women a. Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
entrepreneurs? b. Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)
a. Madhya Pradesh b. Karnataka c. Uttar c. Insurance Regulatory and Development
Pradesh d. Rajasthan e. Maharashtra Authority of India (IRDAI)
d. Pension Fund Regulatory and Development
291. Infosys has signed a strategic collaboration Authority (PFRDA)
deal with _________to accelerate the bank's e. Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India
digital transformation initiatives for a period of 5 (IBBI)
years with an option to renew for one additional
year for a maximum of three times. 296. As per the Department of Animal Husbandry
a. DBS Bank b. Danske Bank c. Standard and Dairying, the dairy sector in India is
Chartered Bank d. BNP Paribas e. IDFC First expected to grow at more than ______ in FY
Bank 2023-24.
a. 4.5% b. 5.5% c. 6% d. 8% e. 12%
292. The Champions 2.0 is a Portal and a Mobile
App launched by________ 297. _________ has become the first public
a. Ministry of Education sector bank in India to introduce UPI (Unified
b. Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Payments Interface) payments for merchants
Enterprises through its RuPay Credit Card.
c. Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment a. Bank of Baroda
d. Ministry of Skill Development & b. Punjab National Bank
Entrepreneurship c. Union Bank of India
e. Ministry of Development of Northeast Region d. Canara Bank
e. State Bank of India
293. Which among the following state
government has recently signed a Memorandum 298. According to the Reserve Bank of India
of Understanding (MoU) with an American (RBI), India's current account deficit (CAD) in the
Chipmaker, Micron Technology for setting up a January-March quarter of FY23 narrowed to USD
semiconductor assembly and test plant in the 1.3 billion, accounting for 0.2 percent of the
state? country's GDP. This positive development was
a. Uttar Pradesh b. Uttarakhand c. Gujarat d. primarily attributed to which of the following?
Karnataka e. Tamil Nadu I. Reduction in the trade deficit
II. Increase in services exports
III. Inflow of foreign institutional investment

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IV. Inflow of remittances 304. Who among the following Indian-origin

Select the correct answer using the codes given satellite industry expert has been appointed as
below: the Director of the United Nations Office for
a. I and II only b. I only c. I and IV only d. III Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA)?
only e. II and III only a. Sunita Williams b. Aarti Holla-Maini c. Rakesh
Sharma d. Dr. Meya Meyappan e. Madhulika
299. Which among the following Indian insurance Guhathakurta
companies has introduced industries first digital
premium payment features in partnership with 305. As per the Financial Stability Report
WhatsApp and PayU? published by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI),
a. SBI Life Insurance The capital to risk-weighted assets ratio (CRAR)
b. Kotak Life Insurance of scheduled commercial banks (SCBs) rose to
c. TATA AIA Life Insurance historical highs of ______ in March 2023.
d. IndiaFirst Life Insurance a. 7.5% b. 12.5% c. 15% d. 17.1% e.
e. Aegon Life Insurance 21.5%

Answer Keys 306. Which among the following countries will

287. b 288. b 289. b 290. c 291. b 292. b 2 host the BRICS Leadership Summit 2023 that is
93. c 294. b 295. c 296. c 297. d 298. a 299 going to be held in the month of August 2023?
. c a. India b. China c. South Africa d. Russia e.
Egypt
300. As per the recently released Financial
Stability report, the net non-performing assets 307. The Indian state-owned entity, KABIL
(NPA) ratio of Scheduled commercial banks fell to (Khanij Bidesh India Ltd) has recently signed a
a 10-year low of ________in March 2023. pact with which among the following countries to
a. 2.7% b. 3.9% c. 4.2% d. 5.1% e. 6.5% secure lithium blocks?
a. Germany b. Argentina c. Russia d.
301. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has given Azerbaijan e. Egypt
approval for the appointment of A.P. Hota as
part-time Chairman of which among the following 308. Recognizing India's progress, India has
banks? been removed from which among the following
a. Federal Bank b. ICICI Bank c. Axis Bank d. reports published by the United Nations (UN)/UN
Karnataka Bank e. IndusInd Bank bodies?
a. The State of World's Children Report
302. ________ has been named in 2023 list of b. Reports on Counterfeiting and Organized
Great Immigrants. He is the only honouree from Crime
India in this year's list of 'Great Immigrants' by c. UN Secretary-General's Report on Impact of
the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Armed Conflict on Children
a. Satya Nadela b. Ajay Banga c. Sundar d. UN Human Development Report
Pichai d. Amitav Ghosh e. Vikas Khanna e. World Wildlife Crime Report

303. The Union Cabinet has approved the 309. __________ in collaboration with National
National Research Foundation (NRF) Bill, 2023 Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), has
which aims to establish the NRF as an apex body introduced the facility of linking its RuPay Credit
to provide "high-level strategic direction" to Card to UPI (Unified Payments Interface) apps.
scientific research in the country under the a. Kotak Mahindra Bank
_________ at an estimated cost of ₹50,000 b. IDFC First Bank
crore between 2023 and 2028. c. IndusInd Bank
a. National Education Policy (NEP) d. Ujjivan Small Finance Bank
b. Science, Technology and Innovation Policy e. IDBI Bank
(STIP)
c. National Health Policy (NHP) 310. Which among the following Indian private
d. National Policy on Information Technology banking entities to seal place in top echelons of
e. National Policy on Skill Development and world's most valued banking space?
Entrepreneurship a. ICICI Bank b. Axis Bank c. HDFC Bank d.
Bandhan Bank e. Kotak Mahindra Bank

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311. The Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI), 315. The government has kept interest rates for
which measures the combined and individual small savings, such as senior citizens accounts,
performance of key sectors in the Indian National Savings Certificates (NSC), Kisan Vikas
economy, showed a growth of 4.3 percent in May Patra (Kavap) and Public Provident Fund (PPF),
2023 compared to May 2022. unchanged for the second quarter of the current
___________sector saw the highest growth rate financial year starting July 1, 2023. The interest
of ________. rates for the one-year and two-year deposits
a. Steel, 9.2% were raised to ___________ and __________,
b. Fertilizers, 10.45% respectively,
c. Cement, 15.5% a. 6.5%,7% b. 6.9%,7% c. 7.1%,6.5% d.
d. Electricity, 11.24% 7%,6.9% e. 6.5%,7.1%
e. Coal, 13.8%
316. The Indian men's kabaddi team won the
312. National Chartered Accountants Day or CA 11th edition of the Asian Kabaddi Championship
Day is observed every year on July 1 to mark the beating _____ 42-32 in the final in Busan, South
establishment of the Institute of Chartered Korea.
Accountants of India (ICAI) in 1949 by an Act of a. Chinese Taipei b. Japan c. South Korea d.
Parliament in India. ICAI functions under which Iran e. Hong Kong
of the following ministry?
a. Ministry of Finance 317. The Appointments Committee of the Union
b. Ministry of Home Affairs Cabinet on June 30,2023 approved the re-
c. Ministry of Education appointment of _____________ as Solicitor
d. Ministry of Corporate Affairs General for India, for a period of three years.
e. Ministry of Statistics and Program a. Tushar Mehta b. Madhavi Diwan c. Sanjay
Implementation Jain d. KM Nataraj e. Vikramjit Banerjee

Answer Keys 318. Neeraj Chopra clinched his second Lausanne

300. b 301. a 302. b 303. a 304. b 305. d 3 Diamond League title with the best throw of
06. c 307. b 308. c 309. a 310. c 311. c 312 _____________ in the 5th attempt.
. d a. 86.13 meters b. 86.76 meters c. 87.16
meters d. 87.66 meters e. 88.44 meters
313. India's first-ever Olympic medallist in
women's boxing, MC Mary Kom, was honoured 319. In Tennis, India's Yuki Bhambri clinched his
with the Global Indian Icon of the Year award at maiden title on the ATP World Tour, winning the
the annual U.K.-India Awards in Windsor, south- doubles trophy at the Mallorca Championships
eastern England. She won the bronze medal at with his partner Lloyd Harris, in Spain. Lloyd
which of the following Olympics? Harris belongs to which country?
a. Vancouver 2010 b. Beijing 2008 c. London a. Germany b. South Africa c. France d.
2012 d. Rio de Janeiro 2016 e. Athens 2004 Australia e. United Kingdom

314. Which of the following statements is/are 320. The gross GST revenue collected in the
correct the 'Carbon Credit Trading Scheme, 2023' month of June, 2023 is Rs 1,61,497 crore of
that was notified in June 2023? which CGST is Rs 31,013 crore, SGST is Rs
I. It was notified by Ministry of Environment, 38,292 crore, IGST is Rs 80,292 crore, The
Forest and Climate Change(MoFCC). revenues for the month of June 2023 are
II. The scheme would entail formation of a ___________ higher than the GST revenues in
National Steering Committee chaired by the same month last year.
Secretary of the MoFCC. a. 10% b. 12% c. 15% d. 8% e. 4%
III. Central Electricity Regulatory Commission
(CERC) has been mandated to regulate the 321. In July 2023, Payments giant Visa Inc has
market. agreed to acquire Brazilian fintech platform
Select the correct option based on the code given Pismo for____________ in cash to expand its
below. footprint in Latin America.
a. I and II only b. I,II and III c. I only d. III a. $1 billion b. $2 billion c. $3 billion d.
only e. I and III only $4billion e. $5 billion

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322. In July 2023, which of the following has b. Praveen Kumar Srivasatava
become the first country to ban the thin plastic c. Aparesh Kumar Singh
bags that supermarket customers use to collect d. Manmeet K Nanda
their fruit and vegetables? e. Lalit Kumar Gupta
a. Australia b. India c. Malaysia d. New
Zealand e. Malaysia 329. Which of the following statements is/are
correct about 'NCUI'?
323. In July 2023, India's first indigenously I. NCUI is referred to as the National Cooperative
developed __________________ nuclear power Union of India.
reactor at the Kakrapar Atomic Power Project II. It is an apex organization for cooperative
(KAPP) in Gujarat started commercial operations. movement in India.
a. 500 MW b. 600 MW c. 700 MW d. 800 III. It has recently partnered with Google Cloud
MW e. 900 MW to launch its e-commerce application for Indian
cooperatives.
324. Union Minister of State for Panchayati Raj Select the correct answer using the code given
Shri Kapil Moreshwar Patil releases Report on below:
Panchayat Development Index in July 2023, the a. I and II only b. II and III only c. I only d. I,
Panchayat Development Index (PDI) Report has II and III e. III only
how many local targets?
a. 123 b. 129 c. 136 d. 144 e. 188 330. India's PMI manufacturing index softened to
57.8 in June from 58.7 in May.Which of the
325. Tamil Nadu's electronics exports nearly following statements is correct about the
tripled in one year to $5.37 billion in FY23 from Purchasing Manager Index (PMI)?
$1.86 billion in the previous year. From the a. It an indicator of business activity both in the
fourth spot in FY22, Tamil Nadu moved to the top manufacturing and services sectors.
spot in FY23. Which state was ranked second for b. It only measures the price volatility of
FY23? manufactured goods in an economy.
a. Maharashtra b. Uttar Pradesh c. West c. It is an indicator of sector specific retail
Bengal d. Kerala e. Andhra Pradesh inflation in an economy.
d. It is released twice in a year.
Answer Keys e. It is released by the Reserve Bank of India
313. c 314. d 315. b 316. d 317. a 318. d 3 (RBI).
19. b 320. b 321. a 322. d 323. c 324. d 32
5. b 331. Startup20 Shikhar summit under India's
G20 presidency was held in _______.
326. After more than two decades, India has a. Vijayawada b. Gurugram c. Mysuru d.
managed to bring home the offshore-traded Nifty Bhubaneswar e. Bengaluru
from __________ ,which is to be traded for the
first time on 3 July, 2023 at Gift City in Gujarat. 332. Sai Hira Global Convention Centre, the
a. Japan b. Singapore c. United State of centre of spiritual conferences and academic
America d. Canada e. Switzerland programs has recently been inaugurated in which
among the following places in India?
327. China's Qu-Dongyu has recently been re- a. Ahmednagar b. Puttaparthi c. Faridabad d.
elected as the director general in which among Nagpur e. Indore
the following United Nations bodies for the period
2023-2027? 333. Which of the following statements is/are Not
a. International Labour Organization (ILO) correct about the Shanghai Cooperation
b. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Organization (SCO)?
c. United Nations Industrial Development I. It is a seven-member body.
Organization (UNIDO) II. India become a member of the SCO in 2005.
d. World Health Organization (WHO) III. India is the host country of the SCO Summit
e. International Maritime Organization (IMO) 2023.
Select the correct answer using the codes given
328. Who among the following has been below:
appointed as the new National Cybersecurity a. I and II only b. II and III only c. I only d. II
Coordinator by the Government of India? only e. III only
a. M U Nair

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334. With reference to global appointments, a. World Trade Organization (WTO)

__________ has been appointed as the CEO of b. North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
Audi effective from September, 2023. c. United Nations (UN)
a. Gernot Dollner b. Martin Uhlarik c. Anish d. Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
Shah d. Dr. Pawan Munjal e. Oliver Zipse e. The World Bank Group

335. Which state police has recently launched 342. Which among the following public sector
India's first 'Police Drone Unit' in the state's undertakings has recently been awarded with
capital city? 'The Rising Star Award' by the Government e-
a. Telangana b. Tamil Nadu c. Uttar Pradesh d. Marketplace (GeM)?
Rajasthan e. Maharashtra a. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation
b. Bharat Electronics Limited
336. Deepak Parekh, has recently announced his c. Coal India Limited
retirement from the position of Chairman of d. Bharat Dynamics Limited
which among the following banks? e. Engineers India Limited
a. Axis Bank b. HDFC Bank c. ICICI Bank d.
Kotak Mahindra Bank e. Yes Bank 343. The REC Limited has recently extended a
loan of Rs 4,785 crores to HPCL Rajasthan
337. Zlatan Ibrahimovic announced retirement at Refinery Limited (HRRL) for setting up a green
41. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, an athlete associated field refinery-cum-petrochemical complex which
which which among the following sports? among the following districts in Rajasthan?
a. Boxing b. Cricket c. Football d. Wrestling e. a. Alwar b. Barmer c. Bundi d. Karauli e.
Swimming Dausa

338. The Indian National Anti-Doping Agency has 344. Who won the Golden Boot and Golden Ball
recently signed a memorandum of understanding awards at the SAFF Championship 2023?
(MoU) with the South Asia Regional Anti-Doping a. Sunil Chhetri b. Anisur Rehman c. Shabib Al
Organisation (SARADO) to increase the Regional Khalid d. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu e. Subrata
Cooperation in anti doping in sport. Which among Paul
the following is Not a member country of
SARADO? 345. Recently Who has been appointed as the
a. Nepal b. Bhutan c. Pakistan d. Maldives e. chairman of the Indian senior men's selection
Sri Lanka committee by the BCCI?
a. Sulakshana Naik b. Ashok Malhotra c. Jatin
Answer Keys Paranjape d. Ajit Agarkar e. Roger Binny
326. b 327. b 328. a 329. d 330. a 331. b 3
32. b 333. c 334. a 335. b 336. b 337. c 33 346. Which of the following statement is/are
8. c correct about the three-day International
Conference on Green Hydrogen (ICGH-2023)?
339. Who among the following has been (A) The three-day International Conference on
conferred with the Business Leader of the Year Green Hydrogen (ICGH-2023), was organized
award 2023? during 5th - 7th July 2023 at Vigyan Bhawan,
a. Vartika Shukla b. Dinesh Kumar Mishra c. New Delhi.
Atul Kumar Goel d. Lalit Tyagi e. Ashwani (B) The fundamental aim of the Conference is to
Kumar explore how we can establish a Green Hydrogen
ecosystem.
340. Piramal Finance, a leading housing finance C) The conference brings together global
company, has opened its first all-women branch scientific, policy, academic and industrial leaders
"Maitreyi" in which among following to discuss recent advances and emerging
places/regions in India? technologies in the entire green hydrogen value
a. Tripunithura b. Dharwad c. Pratapgarh d. chain.
Palwal e. Fatehpur a. Only statement A b. Only statement B c.
Only statement A and C d. A, B and C e. None
341. Recently, the tenure of Jens Stoltenberg has of these
been extended by one year as the Secretary
General of which of the following multilateral 347. What is the total outlay of the "Scheme for
organizations? Expansion and Modernization of Fire Services in

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the States" launched by the Union Ministry of d. Asset Reconstruction Companies

Home Affairs? e. Development Financial Institutions
a. Rs. 500 Crore b. Rs. 1,000 Crore c. Rs. 5,000
Crore d. Rs. 10,000 Crore e. 15,000 Crore 354. The Seventh Edition of the SALVEX Exercise
was concluded in Kochi. It is a joint naval
348. Which edition of the bilateral Japan-India exercise between India and _______.
Maritime Exercise was conducted in 2023, and a. Singapore b. Australia c. Japan d. United
where was it hosted? States of America e. France
a. JIMEX 9 at Visakhapatnam
b. JIMEX 7 at Visakhapatnam 355. Which of the following statements is/are
c. JIMEX 11 at Tokyo incorrect about the National Consumer Disputes
d. JIMEX 8 at Tokyo Redressal Commission (NCDRC):
e. JIMEX 9 at Mumbai I. It is a constitutional body.
II. It was set up in 1988.
349. In which state will the country's first III. Justice AP Sahi has recently been appointed
cooperative-run Sainik School be established? as the chairman of the NCDRC.
a. Maharashtra b. Rajasthan c. Gujarat d. Select the correct answer using the codes given
Madhya Pradesh e. West Bengal below:
a. I only b. II only c. III only d. I and III
350. Which measures have been suggested by only e. II and III only
an RBI-appointed committee to accelerate the
internationalization of the Indian rupee? 356. The Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL)
a. Allowing Indian banks to offer services in plans to raise Rs 22,000 crore capital through a
rupee overseas. rights issue of equity shares as part of a
b. Permitting non-residents to open INR government's plan to infuse capital into three
accounts. state-owned fuel retailers to fund ___________.
c. Withdrawing withholding tax on masala bonds. a. Paradip-Hyderabad Pipeline project.
d. Only (1) and (2). b. Net zero carbon emission projects.
e. All of these c. Offshore heavy engineering projects.
d. Offshore crude oil extraction projects.
351. Which state governments or union e. Creation of Oil pipeline grid projects in central
territories (UT) administrations have launched Asian countries.
India's first Tele-MANAS Chatbot for people in
mental distress? 357. With which among the following state
a. Meghalaya b. Karnataka c. Chandigarh d. governments the Taiwanese EV Giant Gogoro has
Jammu & Kashmir e. Delhi signed a USD 1.5 Billion deal to manufacture
electric vehicles, smart battery packs, and
Answer Keys battery swap stations?
339. a 340. a 341. b 342. c 343. b 344. a 3 a. Andhra Pradesh b. Karnataka c.
45. d 346. d 347. c 348. b 349. c 350. e 35 Maharashtra d. Gujarat e. Uttar Pradesh
1. d
358. Which among the following Central Public
352. Who among the following was invited as the Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) has been upgraded
guest of honour at the Bastille Day parade in from Schedule B to Schedule A CPSE by the
France? Government of India?
a. Droupadi Murmu b. Narendra Modi c. a. Numaligarh Refinery Limited
Jagdeep Dhankhar d. Subrahmanyam b. Bharat Petro Resources Limited
Jaishankar e. Rajnath Singh c. Hindustan Cables Limited
d. Mineral Exploration Corporation Limited
353. The Indian Banks' Association (IBA) has e. Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited
recently constituted a five-member working
group for implementing the recommendations of 359. During the International Conference on
the Reserve Bank of India's committee on the Green Hydrogen (ICGH-2023) held between July
working of the ___________. 5 to July 7 in New Delhi, which of the following
a. Microfinance Institutions multilateral development banks have pledged
b. Non-Banking Financial Companies upto USD 27 Billion for India's green growth?
c. Regional Rural Banks I. Asian Development Bank

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II. World Bank 365. Which of the following state-owned banks

III. European Investment Bank has recently launched UPI Payments with IVR-
IV. Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank Based 'UPI 123PAY'?
Select the correct answer using the code given a. State Bank of India
below: b. Punjab National Bank
a. I, II and III only c. Bank of Baroda
b. II and IV only d. Central Bank of India
c. II only e. Union Bank of India
d. I, III and IV only
e. II and III only 366. In July 2023, NHB operationalised Urban
Infrastructure Development Fund (UIDF). Which
360. Recently, which country has released its of the following statement is/are true about
first open-source computer operating system UIDF?
named 'OpenKylin'? I. UIDF was announced in this year's Budget for
a. Japan b. Vietnam c. South Korea d. creation of urban infrastructure in tier-2 and tier-
China e. Singapore 3 cities.
II. The initial corpus for this fund " managed by
361. Recently, the Indian Oil Corporation Limited NHB" is Fs 10,000 crore.
(IOCL) has committed to invest _________ crore III. Interest rate on UIDF loans has been kept at
in various projects in Tamil Nadu in the next few bank rate minus 1.5 percent
years. Select the correct answer from the code given
a. Rs. 25,500 b. Rs. 34,000 c. Rs. 44,000 d. below.
Rs. 54,000 e. Rs. 38,500 a. I and II b. II and III c. I and III d. I,II and
III e. II only
362. As per the recent data published by the
Comptroller General of Accounts (CGA), the 367. In July 2023, Justine Henin received the
central government's fiscal deficit at the end of Philippe Chatrier Award. Which of the following
May 2023 stood at _________of the full-year statement is/are true?
budget estimates for 2023-24. I. The award is named after former International
a. 7.5% b. 9.8% c. 11.8% d. 13.2% e. Tennis Federation president and was introduced
6.75% in 1996.
II.Justine Henin was a professional tennis player
363. From which among the following countries, from Denmark.
the Government of India (GoI) has permitted to III. Henin has won 7 grand slam singles titles.
import potato without license till June 2024? Select the correct answer from the code below.
a. Nepal b. Bangladesh c. Bhutan d. a. I only b. II only c. III only d. I and II e. I
Myanmar e. Sri Lanka and III

364. According to a recent report titled 'Trade in 368. Who is the author of the biography of late
services for development', jointly published by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee titled
the ____________India has doubled its share of 'Vajpayee: The Ascent of the Hindu Right 1924-
global commercial services exports to 4.4% in 1977'?
2022 from 2% in 2005. a. Abhishek Choudhary b. Ashok Chandan c.
I. World Trade Organization Ramachandra Guha d. Shruti Kapila e. Aakash
II. World Economic Forum Joshi
III. World Bank
IV. Export Import Bank of India 369. Who defeated Li Shi Feng in straight sets to
Answer Codes: clinch the men's singles title at the Canada Open
a. Only I and III b. Only I and IV c. Only II and 2023?
IV d. Only I and II a. Srikanth Kidambi b. Prannoy H S c. Parupalli
Kashyap d. Lakshya Sen e. Chetan Anand
Answer Keys
352. b 353. d 354. d 355. a 356. b 357. c 3 370. In July 2023, Education Ministry released
58. a 359. a 360. d 361. d 362. c 363. c 36 Performance Grading Index for Districts(PGI-D)
4. a combined report for 2020-21 and 2021-22.
Which of the following is/are INCORRECT about
PGI-D?

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I. The PGI-D structure comprises of total weight Credit Societies (PACS) through Farmer Producer
age of 800 points across 83 indicators, which are Organisations (FPOs) on July 14, 2023 in
grouped under 6 categories. ________.
II. PGI-D grades the districts into five grades. a. Gandhinagar b. Pune c. Raipur d. New
Highest achievable Grade is Daksh & lowest is Delhi e. Bhopal
Akanshi-3.
III. PGI-D report for 2018-19 and 2019-20 has 377. Carl Zeiss India is set to construct its
been released before this. largest spectacle lens production facility in
Select the correct answer from the code below. _______, with an investment of over
a. I only b. II only c. I and II d. III only e. II __________Euros.
and III a. Chennai; 120 million
b. Bengaluru; 250 million
371. Who among the following became the the c. Pune; 320 million
first male archer to win a gold in the recurve d. Dehradun; 190 million
category at the Youth World Championships? e. Gurugram; 400 million
a. Parth Salunkhe b. Manav Ganeshrao
Jadhao c. Priyansh d. Avneet Kaur e. Agastay Answer Keys
Singh 365. b 366. d 367. e 368. a 369. d 370. c 3
71. a 372. c 373. d 374. d 375. a 376. d 37
372. Currently, which country is the worlds third 7. b
largest economy in terms of Gross Domestic
Product (GDP)? 378. The Urban 20 (U20) Mayoral Summit has
a. Germany b. France c. Japan d. China e. recently concluded with handover of the
Russia Communique to G20 Leaders. The Communique
has been drafted as an action agenda for the six
373. Which among the following public sector priorities identified collectively by U20 cities.
banks has recently announced to sign Rs. 3,000 Which among the following is Not a priority
crore IT transformation deal to revamp and identified in the summit?
enhance its tech infrastructure, according to a. Increased financing in sanitation
sources familiar with the development? b. Accelerating climate finance
a. Bank of India c. Championing local culture and economy
b. Union Bank of India d. Ensuring water security
c. Central Bank of India e. Catalyzing digital urban futures
d. Canara Bank
e. Bank of Baroda 379. In the recently held, 50th GST Council
meeting, It has been decided that a __________
374. Hydrazine Hydrate, an inorganic compound GST rate will be levied on the full value of
extensively used in which among the following gaming, horse racing, and casinos.
industries? a. 15% b. 21% c. 28% d. 31% e. 17%
I. Agrochemicals industry
II. Polymer industry 380. The 'Obra D' thermal power plant will be the
III. Pharmaceutical industry first ultra super critical unit to be set up in
IV. Pesticide industry ________.
Select the correct answer using the code given a. Bihar b. Madhya Pradesh c. Punjab d. Uttar
below: Pradesh e. Jharkhand
a. I, II and IV only b. II and IV only c. I, II and
III only d. I, II, III and IV e. I and IV only 381. Recently, the global Multidimensional
Poverty Index (MPI) has been in the news. It is
375. Who among the following has been published by the United Nation Development
appointed as the Managing Director and CEO of Programme (UNDP) in collaboration with which
SBI Card? among the following agencies?
a. Abhijit Chakravorty b. Rohit Jawa c. Rajat a. World Bank
Verma d. Ashwani Kumar e. Pranav Haridasan b. World Economic Forum (WEF)
c. Organization for Economic Co-operation and
376. The Union Home and Cooperation Minister Development (OECD)
Amit Shah inaugurated a day-long conclave to d. Oxford Poverty and Human Development
discuss ways to strengthen Primary Agricultural Initiative (OPHI)

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e. World Food Programme (WFP) d. International Finance Corporation

e. International Monetary Fund
382. According to a recent data, India's direct
tax collection soared ________ to touch Rs. 4.75 388. Recently, the Union cabinet approved
trillion in FY2023-24, showing continuity in changes to the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of
revenue growth despite external headwinds. Provisions) Bill, 2022. Its its aim is to_________.
a. 11% b. 9% c. 16% d. 22% e. 5.8% a. Increase the penalties on non-compliance with
the GST law.
383. According to a new report published by the b. Reduce the compliance burden on individuals
___________, the global public debt surged to a and business.
record $92 trillion in 2022 as governments c. Ease the process of income tax filing.
borrowed to counter crises, such as the COVID- d. Reduce the burden on judiciary by appointing
19 pandemic, with the burden being felt acutely Lok Adalats in every districts
by developing countries. e. None of the above
a. World Bank
b. International Monetary Fund 389. ________ became the first-ever Indian
c. World Economic Forum woman athlete to win a gold medal in women's
d. United Nations 100m hurdles at the ongoing Asian Athletics
e. S & P Global Championships in Bangkok.
a. Jyothi Yarraji b. Anshu Malik c. Dutee
384. The India-ASEAN conference was held on Chand d. Karnam Malleswari e. Kunjarani Devi
July 20, 2023, in India. The conference was
related to _______. 390. Which among the following multilateral
a. Regional security financial institutions has announced an
b. Traditional medicine investment of 1 billion Euros for the development
c. Regional connectivity and infrastructure of green hydrogen and renewable energy
development projects in India?
d. e-Governance a. International Finance Corporation
e. Development of regional trade b. Asian Development Bank
c. New Development Bank
385. Which of the following banking entities has d. European Investment Bank
launched Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC)- e. International Bank for Reconstruction and
compatible UPI QR code for seamless payments? Development
a. ICICI Bank b. HDFC Bank c. State Bank of
India d. IDFC First Bank e. IndusInd Bank Answer Keys
378. a 379. c 380. d 381. d 382. c 383. d 3
386. Which of the following statements is/are 84. b 385. b 386. d 387. a 388. b 389. a 39
incorrect about the State Disaster Response Fund 0. d
(SDRF)?
I. The fund was created under the Environment 391. Recently, who among the following has
Protection Act, 1986. been conferred with France's highest award
II. The central government contributes 75 "Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour"?
percent to the fund. a. Anthony Albanese b. Narendra Modi c.
III. In Northeast and Himalayan states, the Droupadi Murmu d. Dr. S. Jaishankar e.
central government contributes 100 percent to Volodymyr Zelenskyy
the fund.
Select the correct answer using the codes given 392. Which state government has launched
below: "Gajah Kotha"campaign to address the issues of
a. I only b. II only c. III only d. I and III growing human-elemal conflict?
only e. II and III only a. West Bengal b. Kerala c. Karnataka d.
Assam e. Jharkhand
387. The United Arab Emirates becomes the first
Arab country to observer status at 393. Which of the following countries is/are not
__________on Money Laundering. participating in the Hero Asian Champions Trophy
a. Asia-Pacific Group 2023 that is going to began on 3rd August?
b. Financial Action Task Force I. Pakistan
c. Amnesty International II. Malaysia

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III. Sri Lanka Statement A: The All-India Institute of Ayurveda

IV. Bangladesh (AIIA) is organizing a three-day seminar from
V. Nepal 13-15th July 2023.
Select the correct answer using the codes given Statement B: Sushruta Jayanti is celebrated
below: every year on 15th July to honor Sushruta, the
a. III only b. III, IV and V only c. I only d. I, father of surgery.
III and V only e. I and IV only Statement C: During the seminar, live surgical
demonstrations were performed on 13 and 14th
394. Under India's G20 Presidency, the 3rd G20 July.
Sherpa meeting was convened from July 13- 16, a. Statement A is correct.
2023 in which among the following historic b. Statement B is correct.
places? c. Statement C is correct.
a. Kollam b. Hampi c. Rajgir d. Sanchi e. d. Statements A and B are correct.
Jhansi e. Statements A, B and C are correct.

395. What was the recent mission launched by 399. Which country is the host of the 28th
the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Session of the UNFCCC Conference of Parties
from Sriharikota? (COP28) in 2023?
a. LVM3 M 3 rocket carrying Chandrayaan 4 a. United States b. France c. United Arab
b. LVM3 M 4 rocket carrying Chandrayaan 2 Emirates (UAE) d. China e. Germany
c. LVM3 M 4 rocket carrying Chandrayaan 1
d. LVM3 M 3 rocket carrying Chandrayaan 3 400. Choose the correct statement about the
e. LVM3 M 4 rocket carrying Chandrayaan 3 recent MoUs signed between the India " UAE in
recent visit of PM Narendra Modi.
396. Which of the following statement about the Statement (I): Under the MOU in the education
G20 Conference on crime and security is/are sector, the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
correct. will set up an IIT campus in Abu Dhabi.
Statement A: The G20 Conference on Crime and Statement (II): The MoU signed by the Governor
Security in the Age of NFTs, AI, and Metaverse of the Reserve Bank of India, Shaktikanta Das
aimed to address the challenges posed by and the Governor of the Central Bank of UAE,
cybercrime and security in the era of new Khaled Mohamed Balama for the use of local
technologies. currencies for cross-border transactions covers
Statement B: The conference took place in all current account transactions and permitted
Gurugram. capital account transactions.
Statement C: The G20 Conference on Crime and Statement (III): The MoUs in the banking sector
Security in the Age of NFTs, AI, and Metaverse pertain cooperation for interlinking their payment
included discussions on the criminal use of and messaging systems.
information and communication technologies. a. Statement (I) Only
a. Only Statement A b. Statement (II) and (III) Only
b. Only Statement B and C c. Statement (I) and (II) Only
c. Both A and B correct d. Statement (III) Only
d. Both A and B incorrect e. (I), (II), (III) correct.
e. A, B, C correct
401. Which country's army contingent left for
397. Who convened the 23rd Prime Minister Mongolia to participate in the 15th edition of the
Science, Technology & Innovation Advisory bilateral joint military exercise "NOMADIC
Council (PM-STIAC) meeting on 14 July 2023 at ELEPHANT-23"?
Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi? a. Pakistan b. China c. India d. Bangladesh e.
a. Professor Ajay Kumar Sood Sri Lanka
b. Narendra Modi
c. Amit shah 402. In July 2023, Carlos Alcaraz marked a
d. Nirmala Sitharaman pivotal moment in men's tennis by ending Novak
e. Ashwini Vaishnaw Djokovic's illustrious Wimbledon reign with an
electrifying 1-6, 7-6(6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 victory
398. Which of the following statement is/ are claiming his first-ever title at the All England
correct about the Sushruta Jayanti- 2023? Club. Carlos Alcaraz Garfia is a
_______________ professional tennis player.Â

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a. Australian b. German c. Spanish d.

Serbian e. Russian 409. In July 2023, Bengaluru-headquartered
Razorpay which was established in 2014 has
403. India's Wholesale Inflation Fell to a announced the launch of its first international
______________ year low of minus 4.12% In payment gateway services in which country with
June 2023 primarily due to a fall in prices of Curlec after acquiring it in February 2022?
mineral oils, food products, Basic metals, crude a. Malaysia b. Sri Lanka c. Indonesia d.
petroleum & natural gas and textiles. Laos e. Singapore
a. Eight b. Five c. Seven d. Six e. Three
410. Which of the following statements is/are
Answer Keys NOT TRUE for the panel constituted by
391. b 392. d 393. b 394. b 395. e 396. e 3 government for internal oversight mechanism for
97. a 398. e 399. c 400. e 401. c 402. c 403 official data, revamping a Standing Committee
. a on Economic Statistics (SCES) in July 2023?
I. Pronab Sen, India's first chief statistician and
404. Marketa Vondrousova, 24-year-old left- the former chairman of the National Statistical
hander from the Czech Republic who is ranked Commission (NSC), has been named the chair of
42nd and was the first unseeded woman to play the new committee.
for the title at the All England Club in 60 years II. The panel can have up to 28 members, as per
won the women's singles title in Wimbledon after the order issued by the Ministry of Statistics and
defeating who among the following? Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
a. Iga Swiatek b. Aryna Sabalenka c. Elena III. The new panel was tasked with
Rybakina d. Ons Jabeur e. Anett Kontaveit examining economic indicators only unlike the
SCES which had a broader mandate review all
405. In July 2023, India's first-ever Local surveys conducted under the aegis of the
Currency Settlement (LCS) system arrangement, National Statistical Office (NSO).
to revolutionize cross-border transactions a. I only b. II and III c. III only d. II only e. I,
between the two nations was singed between II and III
India and which country?
a. Nepal b. UAE c. France d. Bangladesh e. Sri 411. The European Investment Bank (EIB) has
Lanka recently announced an investment of ________
for the development of India's renewable sectors
406. In July 2023, The Adani Group announced involving green hydrogen and solar panels.
the commissioning of India's first transnational a. 200 Million Euro b. 500 Million Euro c. 620
project at Godda in Jharkhand to supply power to Million Euro d. 120 Million Euro e. 350 Million
the Bangladesh electricity grid. APJL will supply Euro
1,496 MW from the Godda USCTPP under the
PPA with the Bangladesh Power Development 412. The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-
Board, executed in November 2017 for a period Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation
of __________ years. (BIMSTEC) Foreign Ministers' Retreat was held in
a. 10 b. 15 c. 20 d. 25 e. 30 Thailand capital city Bangkok.Consider the
following statements about the 'Bay of Bengal
407. In July 2023, CarTrade Tech, a marketplace Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and
for buying and selling vehicles, said it will acquire Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC)':
Dutch company OLX India's automotive business, I. It is a regional organization, established in
Sobek Auto India Private Ltd for 1997.
______________. II. It has eight member states.
a. Rs 537 crore b. Rs 437 crore c. Rs 337 III. BIMSTEC Secretariat was established in
crore d. Rs 237 crore e. Rs 137 crore Dhaka, Bangladesh
Which of the following statements is/are correct?
408. In July 2023, Life Insurance Corporation of a. I and II only b. I and III only c. II only d. I
India (LIC) has reduced its stake in Exide only e. I, II and III
Industries to ____________ by divesting more
than 1.70 crore shares, from 5.51% on 413. Which of the following statements is/are
December 17, 2020. correct about the 'National Multidimensional
a. 1.35% b. 2.69% c. 3.51% d. 3.03% e. Poverty Index 2023'?
5.01% I. It is published by the NITI Aayog.

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II. It measures simultaneous deprivations of 418. Former Chief Minister of Kerala Oommen
health, education, and standard of living. Chandy has passed away in July 2023, He was
III. Uttar Pradesh has registered the largest elected as the Chief Minister of Kerala for how
decline in number of poor in the state. many terms?
Select the correct answer using the codes given a. One b. Two c. Three d. Four e. Five
below:
a. I only b. II and III only c. I and II only d. I, 419. In July 2023, A private company from which
II and III e. II only country has launched the world's first methane-
liquid oxygen space rocket into orbit named
414. Which among the following public sector Zhuque-2?
undertakings has recently been conferred with a. Japan b. China c. South Korea d. Russia e.
1st Prize in Swachhta Pakhwada Awards 2023 by Singapore
Ministry of Power?
a. NHPC Limited b. NTPC Limited c. SJVN 420. In July 2023, India and which of the
Limited d. NEEPCO e. THDC India Limited following country jointly launched a call for
proposals on Critical and Emerging Technology:
415. In July 2023, Tamil Nadu has pipped Quantum Technologies and Artificial Intelligence
Maharashtra and Gujarat to emerge as the top for Transforming Lives?
state among coastal states in the Niti Aayog's a. USA b. Germany c. Australia d. France e.
Export Preparedness Index 2022. The ranking is UAE
based on which of the following broad
parameters? 421. Pension Fund Regulatory & Development
I. policy Authority (PFRDA) chairman Deepak Mohanty
II. Infrastructure said that the regulator will allow pension funds to
III. business ecosystem invest in sovereign green bonds when issued.
IV. export ecosystem Currently, there are ________ pension fund
V. export performance. managers which manage funds under the
a. I, III and V only National Pension System (NPS).
b. I, II and IV only a. Five b. Ten c. Fifteen d. Twenty e. Twenty
c. II, III, IV and V only Five
d. I, III, IV and V only
e. I, II, III, IV and V 422. In July 2023, Two frontline Indian Naval
ships INS Sahyadri and INS Kolkata arrived in
416. In July 2023, Who among the following has Indonesia's Jakarta to participate in the Maritime
set the Guinness world record for the fastest shot Partnership Exercise (MPX) with the Indonesian
by a male player in badminton, recording a Navy. INS Kolkata is the first indigenously
mindboggling 565 kilometres per hour with his designed and built stealth destroyer of the
smash and breaking a decade-long record set in __________ class.
May 2013 by Malaysian Tan Boon Heong? a. Project 15A b. Kalvari c. Vela d. Project
a. Lakshya Sen b. HS Prannoy c. Kidambi 17 e. Sindhugosh
Srikanth d. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy e. Sameer
Verma 423. OPPO India in collaboration with NITI
Aayog's Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) as its
Answer Keys knowledge partner has announced the
404. d 405. b 406. d 407. a 408. c 409. a 4 establishment of an Atal Tinkering Lab (ATL) in
10. b 411. b 412. b 413. d 414. c 415. d 41 _________. This collaboration marks the
6. d establishment of the first-ever Atal Tinkering
Lab, based on the PPP (Public-Private
417. The updated 2023 Henley Passport Index Partnership) model.
placed Singapore as the world's most powerful a. Tamil Nadu b. Karnataka c. Kerala d. Andhra
passport with visa-free access to 192 travel Pradesh e. Maharashtra
destinations out of 227 around the world. Which
of the following country's passport was ranked 424. In July 2023, The Asian Development Bank
the least? retained India's economic growth forecast at 6.4
a. Iran b. Afghanistan c. Thailand d. Laos e. percent for the current financial year and 6.7
Syria percent for the next, It also forecast _________

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inflation this year for developing economies in which aims to foster radical breakthroughs in
Asia. energy efficiency, renewables, decarbonisation,
a. 4.6% b. 3.6% c. 2.4% d. 6.9% e. 5.7% and environmental preservation was established
in which year?
425. Department of Animal Husbandry & a. 2000 b. 2004 c. 2005 d. 2007 e. 2010
Dairying, Ministry of Fishries, Animal Husbandry
and Dairying is implementing the Credit 431. In July 2023, which of the following state
Guarantee Scheme under Animal Husbandry governments has signed an MoU with London-
Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF) to based company OneWeb and the Department of
strengthen credit delivery system and facilitate Science and Technology, Government of India to
smooth flow of credit to the MSME. What is the set up two 'Satellite Network Portal Sites' to
Interest Subvention of the scheme? provide high-speed, affordable, and secure
a. 3% b. 4% c. 5% d. 6% e. 7% satellite internet access across the country?
a. Bihar b. Rajasthan c. Gujarat d. Uttar
426. According to an article published by the Pradesh e. Andhra Pradesh
Reserve Bank in its July bulletin, India could
become a developed country by 2047 with an 432. The recently released book, 'Through The
average annual real GDP growth of ___________ Broken Glass: An Autobiography' is an
over the next 25 years. autobiography of who among the following?
a. 7.6% b. 7.8% c. 6.9% d. 6.5% e. 8.2% a. Dr Nagendra Singh b. T Swaminathan c. RK
Trivedi d. TN Seshan e. RVS Peri Sastri
427. Ashok Leyland the largest supplier of
logistics vehicles to the Indian military, 433. In July 2023, Which of the following teams
announced on that it had won major orders for emerged as the champions of the Duleep Trophy,
defence vehicls, for the production of "field beating West Zone by 75 runs on the concluding
artillery tractors" (FAT 4x4) and "gun towing day of the final at the Chinnaswamy in
vehicles" (GTV 6x6) valued at Rs 800 crore. Bangalore?
Ashok Leyland is an Indian Flagship company a. North Zone b. Central Zone c. South Zone d.
under which group? North- East Zone e. East Zone
a. TATA Group b. Hinduja Group c. Mahindra
Group d. Reliance Group e. Aditya Group 434. Only an abysmal 1 per cent of women
across the world live in countries that have
428. In July 2023, Rakesh Pal has been managed to achieve both high women
appointed as the Director General of the Indian empowerment and gender parity, according to a
Coast Guard which was formally inaugrated by new report by the United Nations. The bodies
the then Prime Minister Shri Morarji Desai on collated data from ______________ countries
19th Aug 1978, He is set to become the ______ and analysed them based on the twin indices of
DG of the India Coast Guard. Women's Empowerment Index (WEI) and the
a. 21st b. 25th c. 23rd d. 15th e. 24th Global Gender Parity Index (GGPI).
a. 114 b. 120 c. 157 d. 168 e. 180
429. In July 2023, Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj,
India's Permanent Representative to the United 435. Days after its merger with HDFC Ltd, HDFC
Nations announced that India has made a Bank joined the exclusive club of companies with
voluntary contribution of $1 million to the UN to a market capitalisation of $100 billion. This
develop which of the following Indian language? makes it the _____________-largest lender
a. Hindi b. Tamil c. Sanskrit d. Malayalam e. globally.
Gujarati a. Third b. Fourth c. Seventh d. Fifth e. Sixth

Answer Keys 436. In July 2023, The Rural Livelihood Mission

417. b 418. b 419. b 420. a 421. b 422. a 4 of which of the following state/UT has bagged the
23. c 424. b 425. a 426. a 427. b 428. b 42 SKOCH Award under the theme "State of
9. a Governance India 2047" in Gold category for its
outstanding efforts in creating marketing
430. In July 2023, Professor Thalappil Pradeep avenues for Self-Help Groups?
from IIT Madras has been honored with the a. Delhi b. Tamil Nadu c. Maharashtra d.
esteemed Eni Award for his groundbreaking Jammu and Kashmir e. Goa
research in energy and environment, the award

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437. Recently, which Indian batter has equaled 430. d 431. c 432. d 433. c 434. a 435. c 43
Sir Donald Bradman's record of most test 6. d 437. b 438. b 439. d 440. b 441. d 442
centuries? . d
a. Rohit Sharma b. Virat Kohli c. Hardik
Pandya d. Suresh Raina e. Ravindra Jadeja 443. Which country in the world has most
recently honoured the Indian Army contribution
438. In July 2023, Commerce and Industry in 2nd World War ?
Ministry said that as per UN COMTRADE a. France b. United States c. United
statistics, India's exports of foodgrains have Kingdom d. Italy e. Spain
registered a steady growth in the last few years.
India's share in world foodgrain export in 2022 444. Who won the Korean Open 2023 Mens
stood at: Double title ?
a. 10.29% b. 7.79% c. 6.20% d. 5.88% e. a. Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang
12.14% b. Satwiksairaj Rankireddy & Chirag Shetty
c. W Koolhof and NShupski
439. Admiral R Hari Kumar, Chief of the Naval d. R Ram and A Krajicek
Staff, was on an official visit to Vietnam. Select e. N Mectik and M Pavick
the correct statement/s regarding his Vietnam
visit. 445. Identify which of the following statements
I. He handed over Indian Naval ship Trishul to are correct about the 5th Helicopter & Small
the Vietnam People's Navy. Aircraft Summit, organized on 25th July, 2023?
II. The handing over ceremony was on 22nd of I. It is organized in Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh.
July 2023. II. It aims to enhance the scope of the UDAN
III.This is the maiden occassion of gifting a fully Scheme in remote and hilly terrains.
operational corvette by Indian to any friendly III. It also aims to setup small helicopter
foriegn country. manufacturing plant under the Make in India
a. I, II and III b. I and III c. II only d. II and initiatives.
III only e. I and II only Answer Codes:
a. I and II only b. III only c. II only d. I, II and
440. In July 2023, Which of the following is III e. II and III only
India's first private hill station, sold for Rs 1.8k
crore after getting clearance from the National 446. Which one of the following states/Union
Company Law Tribunal (NCLT)? territories is going to be the pioneer of India's
a. Mahabaleshwar b. Lavasa c. Durshet d. first Cannabis Medicine Project?
Jawahar e. Koroli a. Himachal Pradesh b. Jammu and Kashmir c.
Puducherry d. Ladakh e. Andhra Pradesh
441. Which north Indian city has recently banned
sale of 'sharp-edged weapons' amid rise in 447. Which state government in India has
stabbing incidents? introduced country's first GIG Workers bill to
a. Jammu b. Patiala c. Roorkee d. Srinagar e. guarantee social security cover?
Ambala a. Madhya Pradesh b. Uttar Pradesh c.
Rajasthan d. Karnataka e. Maharashtra
442. Recently an online portal has been launched
to report violation of ban on e-cigarettes. Which 448. In July 2023, Retirement fund body EPFO
of the following statement/s regarding the portal had marginally raised the interest rate on
and ban on e-cigarettes is/are correct. employees' provident fund (EPF) deposits to
I. The portal is www.violation-reporting.in. ________________ for 2022-23 for its over six
II. The step has been taken considering the crore subscribers.
harmful effects of electronic cigarette and the a. 8.05% b. 8.10% c. 8.15% d. 8.20% e.
alarming rise in its prevalence among youth. 8.50%
III. Prohibition of Electronic Cigarette Act was
formalised in 2019. 449. In July 2023, The Rajasthan Assembly
a. I only b. I and II only c. II only d. I, II and passed The Rajasthan Minimum Guaranteed
III e. II and III only Income Bill, 2023, which seeks to cover the
entire adult population of the state with a
Answer Keys guarantee of wages or pension. As per the Bill,
all families of the state, whether urban or rural,

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will be able to get employment guarantee of Aegon and BCCL in Aegon Life Insurance
_______________ days every year. Company?
a. 125 b. 150 c. 200 d. 100 e. 250 a. Bandhan Financial Holdings
b. JPMorgan Chase
450. In July 2023, The government informed the c. Capital One Financial Corporation
Rajya Sabha that around one crore 19 lakh d. CITIGROUP INC
houses have been sanctioned under Pradhan e. Wells Fargo
Mantri Awas Yojana- Urban, PMAY-U so far. The
Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs is Answer Keys
implementing PMAY-UÂ since 443. d 444. b 445. a 446. b 447. c 448. c 4
__________________ to provide pucca houses 49. a 450. a 451. b 452. c 453. a 454. b 45
with basic amenities to all eligible urban 5. a
beneficiaries across the country.Â
a. 2015 b. 2016 c. 2017 d. 2018 e. 2019 456. In July 2023, Elon Musk has unveiled a new
______________ logo to replace Twitter's
451. In July 2023, who among the following has famous blue bird as he follows through with a
been appointed as the Tata Steel's Chief major rebranding of the social media platform he
Executive Officer & Managing Director for a bought for $44 billion.
period of five years effective September 19, a. Y b. X c. T d. S e. A
2023?
a. Mallika Srinivasan b. T V Narendran c. Aman 457. India finished 2nd on the medals tally at the
Mehta d. Deepak Kapoor e. D K Mehrotra recently concluded ISSF Junior Shooting World
Championships 2023 conducted in July. Indian
452. The National Geoscience Award for Lifetime shooters bagged 17 medals, which include 6
Achievement was conferred upon Dr. Om Narain Gold, 6 Silver, and 5 Bronze. The championship
Bhargava by the President of India Smt. took place in which country?
Droupadi Murmu at the prestigious National a. China b. Russia c. South Korea d. Japan e.
Geoscience Awards- 2022 (NGA) of the Ministry India
of Mines, the National Geoscience Awards (NGA)
was instituted in which year? 458. In July 2023, International Monetary Fund
a. 1946 b. 1956 c. 1966 d. 1976 e. 1986 (IMF) has raised India's growth forecast,
projecting a Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
453. According to government data, the result of growth of _________________ in the current
various steps undertaken to return the unclaimed fiscal. In the World Economic Outlook that was
deposits to their rightful owners/claimants, total released in April, the IMF had projected India's
₹5,729 crore has been transferred from GDP at 5.9 per cent in the current fiscal.
"Depositor Education and Awareness" (DEA) a. 6.0% b. 6.1% c. 6.5% d. 6.8% e. 5.5%
Fund to banks towards refund of settling
unclaimed deposits. The "Depositor Education 459. Marking a significant moment in history, the
and Awareness Fund Scheme" was launched by first woman member from _________________
RBI in which year? in the Rajya Sabha, Smt. Phangnon Konyak
a. 2014 b. 2016 c. 2018 d. 2020 e. 2022 presided over the House. Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar
in July 2023, had nominated four women
454. In July 2023, which of the following fintech members (50% of the total number) to the panel
companies has launched the 'Income Tax of Vice-Chairpersons.
Payment' feature on its application to enable a. Manipur b. Meghalaya c. Assam d.
taxpayers such as individuals and businesses to Nagaland e. Sikkim
pay self-assessment and advance tax directly
from within the app? 460. Identify which of the following statements
a. Paytm b. PhonePe c. Google Pay d. Amazon are correct about the 'Pradhanmantri Kisan
Pay e. Razorpay Samridhi Kendras (PMKSK)':
I. PM Sammridhi Kendras are the sales centres
455. In July 2023, which of the following has for fertiliser.
entered into a "definitive agreement" with Aegon II. These will be centres where farmers can buy
India Holding and Bennett, Coleman & Company fertilisers and seeds.
for the acquisition of the entire shareholding of

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III. These centres will provide soil testing and been taken to ensure adequate availability of
avail useful information about farming Non Basmati White Rice in the Indian market.
techniques. a. 10% b. 20% c. 30% d. 40% e. 50%
Answer codes:
a. Statements I and II 467. In July 2023, The Reserve Bank of India
b. Statements II and III (RBI) has clarified that a banknote with a
c. Statement II ________________ symbol is identical to any
d. Statements I, II and III other legal banknote, except that in the number
e. Statement I panel a symbol is added between the prefix and
the serial number.
461. Identify the correct statement about a. Dollar ($) b. At (@) c. Star (*) d. Add ( ) e.
'Jupiter-3'. Dash (-)
a. It is a space exploration mission of ISRO.
b. It is the world's largest private satellite. 468. In July 2023, The Government of India and
c. It is a mars rover developed by NASA. Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed
d. It is a lunar mission launched by NASA. a_________________ loan as additional
e. It is a remote sensing satellite launched by financing for the ongoing Rajasthan Secondary
ISRO Towns Development Sector Project to expand
water supply and sanitation systems and
462. Who among the following novelist has won enhance urban resilience and heritage living in
the 2023 Miles Franklin Literary Award for his/her selected towns.
novel "Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens"? a. $100 million b. $200 million c. $300
a. Shankari Chandran b. Arundhati Roy c. million d. $400 million e. $500 million
Aravind Adiga d. Anita Nair e. Amish Tripathi
Answer Keys
463. PM Modi inaugurated Semicon India 2023 456. b 457. c 458. b 459. d 460. d 461. b 4
conclave in Gujarat in July 2023 and said 62. a 463. b 464. d 465. b 466. b 467. c 46
semiconductor industry has faith in India 8. b
because of massive, the theme Semicon India
2023 is 469. As a follow-up to the first Global DPI
a. Design and Manufacture in India, for the Summit was organised by Ministry of Electronics
World: Making India a "Semiconductor Nation and IT on June 12-13, 2023 in Pune. Meity of the
b. Catalysing India's Semiconductor Ecosystem Republic of India and the Ministry of Information
c. India and Semiconductor manufacturing and Communication Technology (MICT) of which
d. Scope for Semicon in 4th Industrial Revolution country signed a Memorandum of Understanding
e. None of the above on sharing INDIA STACK i.e., successful digital
solutions implemented at population scale?
464. Which of the following payment service a. Malaysia b. France c. UAE d. Papua New
providers have joined hands with conglomerate Guinea e. Maldives
Adani Group for co-branded cards in July 2023?
a. Mastercard b. American Express c. Capital 470. In July 2023, The product basket of Pradhan
One d. Visa e. Discover Card Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana has
increased to 1,800 medicines and 285 Surgical
465. In July 2023, Hero Future Energies said it equipment. According to newspaper report, A
has signed two agreements with REC and PFC to total of over _____________- Jan Aushadhi
develop green energy projects. It has signed two Kendras have been opened across the country till
memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with June 2023.
REC Ltd and PFC Ltd for infusion of a total a. 9,500 b. 8,500 c. 7,500 d. 6,500 e. 5,500
amount of _______________.
a. Rs. 72, 000 b. Rs. 62, 000 c. Rs. 33, 000 d. 471. The Reserve Bank of India's Digital
Rs. 40, 000 e. Rs. 80, 500 Payments Index, a measure of the extent of
digitisation of payments across the country, rose
466. In July 2023, Government of India has to 395.57 in March 2023 from 377.46 in
amended the Export Policy of Non Basmati White September 2022 and
Rice from 'Free with export duty of 349.30 in March 2022.Which one of the following
_____________ to 'Prohibited'. The step has is NOT a parameter of Digital Payment Index
released by RBI?

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a. Payment Enablers 478. The Union Minister of State (Independent

b. Payment Infrastructure " Demand-side factors Charge) Science & Technology has recently
c. Payment Infrastructure " Supply-side factors launched India's first indigenous Magnetic
d. Seller Performance Resonance Imaging (MRI) Scanner, developed
e. Consumer Centricity under the ________.
a. National Health Mission
472. According to a report released by Minister of b. Atal Innovation Mission
State for Environment, Forest and Climate c. National Biopharma Mission
Change Ashwini Kumar on the occasion of Global d. Digital India Mission
Tiger Day. India's tiger population is estimated to e. Ayushman Bharat -National Health Protection
be 3,925 with an annual growth rate of Mission
_______________ per annum.
a. 6.1% b. 5.1% c. 4.1% d. 3.1% e. 2.1% 479. According to the UN's cultural agency
UNESCO, which international iconic city should
473. World Day Against Trafficking in Persons is be added to list of world heritage sites in danger?
observed on 30 July was adopted at a high-level a. Venice b. Budapest c. Prague d. Munich e.
meeting of the UNGA. The resolution reaffirms Vatican city
the commitment of the United Nations to end
trafficking in persons, especially women and 480. The Indian Parliament has recently passed
children, the theme for 2023 is the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill,
a. Use and abuse of technology 2023. The bill seeks to ________.
b. Victims' Voices Lead the Way a. Removed penalties on ITR dues of small
c. Reach every victim of trafficking, leave no one amounts.
behind b. Decriminalize minor offenses.
d. Committed to the Cause c. Authorizes tax authorities to freeze bank
e. Human Trafficking: Call Your Government To accounts on tax-filing related crimes.
Action d. Create a dispute resolution authority
e. Remove tax credit system
474. In July 2023, Which of the following has
become the first Indian city to become part of 481. Identify which of the following statements
the World Cities Culture Forum a global network is/are correct about the 'PEHCHAN scheme'?
of cities that share research and intelligence, and I. It was launched in 2016 by the Ministry of
explore the role of culture in future prosperity? Rural Development.
a. Chennai b. Hyderabad c. Cochin d. II. It aims to provide new identity to deserving
Bengaluru e. Mysore handicraft artisans.
III. Pehchan card holders, who have been
475. In July 2023, the historic Byculla Railway registered by June, 2023 can avail the benefits
Station in Mumbai has been awarded the under the scheme.
prestigious UNESCO Asia Pacific Cultural Heritage Answer codes:
award in recognition of its extensive restoration a. Statements I and II
efforts. the award was established in which year? b. Statements II and III
a. 2000 b. 1998 c. 1995 d. 1990 e. 2005 c. Statement III
d. Statements I, II and III
476. For the first time in Asia, which among the e. Statement II
following countries will host the World Coffee
Conference 2023 (WCC 2023) scheduled to be Answer Keys
held in September this year? 469. d 470. a 471. d 472. a 473. c 474. d 4
a. Sri Lanka b. India c. China d. Indonesia e. 75. a 476. b 477. b 478. c 479. a 480. b 48
Vietnam 1. b

477. The Directorate General of Training (DGT) 482. Identify which one of the following pairs
has collaborated with __________ to offer is/are Not correct regarding the items that have
skilling programs on emerging technologies in recently received GI Tag?
India. Jalesar Dhatu Shilp - Uttar Pradesh
a. Microsoft b. Amazon Web Services c. Mankurad Mango - Maharashtra
Meta d. Google e. Open AI Koftgari Metal Craft - Rajasthan
Bebinca - Goa

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Answer Codes: 490. In July 2023, The Adani Group has acquired
a. I and III only b. II only c. III only d. II and Gujarat-based Sanghi Industries in an all-cash
IV only e. IV only deal, valuing the company at an enterprise value
of
483. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently a. Rs 4,000 crore b. Rs 8,000 crore c. Rs 6,000
laid the foundation stone for redevelopment of crore d. Rs 5,000 crore e. Rs 2,000 crore
508 railway stations across the country. These
stations will be redeveloped under the Amrit 491. Effective from October 1, 2023 the
Bharat Station Scheme at an estimated cost of Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)
over _________. has mandated foreign portfolio investors (FPIs)
a. Rs. 12, 500 crore b. Rs. 17, 200 crore c. Rs. to place at least __________ of their trades in
21, 980 crore d. Rs. 24, 470 crore e. Rs. 31, corporate bonds through the Request For Quote
321 crore (RFQ) platform of stock exchanges.
a. 10 percent b. 12 percent c. 15 percent d. 21
484. Recently, India has handed over Rs. 45 percent e. 32 percent
crore in advance to __________to fund its
unique 'digital identity project'. 492. Who among the following has received the
a. Bangladesh b. Nepal c. Sri Lanka d. Global Leader Award 2023 for Healthcare
Bhutan e. Myanmar Expansion in Africa?
a. Jayesh Saini
485. Recently, the Defence Minister Shri Rajnath b. Rajindar Singh Dhatt
Singh has inaugurated 132nd Durand Cup in c. K. Venugopal
__________. d. Lalitha Nataranjan
a. Aizawl b. Kokrajhar c. Shillong d. e. Prabhu Chandra Mishra
Itanagar e. Gangtok
493. In a first-of-its-kind instance, the
486. In July 2023, Union finance minister Government of India has extended the tenure of
Nirmala Sitharaman laid the foundation stone for Shri Shrikant Madhav Vaidya, for a period of one
an archeological museum in Adichanallur, the site year as the Chairman and Managing Director
in located in which state of India? (CMD) of __________
a. Kerala b. Karnataka c. Andhra Pradesh d. a. Bank of Baroda
Tamil Nadu e. Telangana b. Life Insurance Corporation of India
c. Power Finance Corporation
487. In July 2023, The Ministry of Tourism has d. Indian Oil Corporation Limited
identified 'Prayagraj' and _________________ in e. Gas Authority of India Limited
Uttar Pradesh as destinations for development
under 'Swadesh Darshan 2.0 with the objective 494. Which among the following entities has
to develop sustainable and responsible tourism launched cryptocurrency called 'Stablecoin'?
destinations. a. PayPal b. Amazon Pay c. WePay d.
a. Naimisharany b. Varanasi c. Buland Google e. Alipay
Darwaza d. Fatehpur Sikri e. Ramnagar Fort
Answer Keys
488. Fortune announced that US retailer Walmart 482. b 483. d 484. c 485. b 486. d 487. a 4
has topped its Global 500 list for 2023, ranking 88. d 489. a 490. d 491. a 492. a 493. d 49
the world's largest corporations by revenue for 4. a
fiscal 2022. Which of the following was NOT
ranked in the top 10 companies list? 495. Who among the following has been
a. Apple b. Amazon c. Alphabet d. Google e. appointed as the Chairman of the Central Board
Exxon Mobil of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC)?
a. Sanjay Kumar Agarwal
489. In July 2023, NABARD has sanctioned Rs b. Nivruti Rai
1,974.07 crore to which state government under c. Rakesh Pal
the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund d. Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya
(RIDF) for 2023-24? e. TV Narendran
a. Rajasthan b. Odisha c. Jharkhand d.
Maharashtra e. Gujarat

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496. Which among the following private sector a. Bangladesh b. Malaysia c. United Arab
entities has been chosen as a strategic partner to Emirates d. Oman e. Iran
transform the Government e-Marketplace (GeM)?
a. Infosys 503. What is the maximum transaction limit of
b. Tata Consultancy Services UPI Lite set by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)?
c. Tech Mahindra a. Rs. 200 b. Rs. 500 c. Rs. 1000 d. Rs.
d. HCL Technologies 1500 e. Rs. 2000
e. L & T Technology Services
504. Engineering major L&T and its green
497. Which district in India has been ranked as hydrogen joint venture partners-Indian Oil
the top performing district under Jal Jeevan Corporation and ReNew-will invest upto
Survekshan (JJS-2023)? _________ in the green hydrogen businesses
a. Tiruchirappalli b. Prayagraj c. Srinagar d. over three-five Years.
Dehradun e. Bhadrak a. Rs. 25,000 crore b. Rs. 32,000 crore c. Rs.
41,000 crore d. Rs. 19,000 crore e. Rs. 52,000
498. The Securities and Exchange Board of India crore
(SEBI) has reduced the timeline for listing
securities after the closing of an initial public 505. Recently, the National Company Law
offering (IPO) to three days from the present Tribunal (NCLT) has approved the merger
requirement of six working days. This will be scheme of India's homegrown entertainment
mandatory for public issues opening after company Zee Entertainment Enterprises with
__________. which among the following entities?
a. September 1, 2023 b. October 1, 2023 c. a. Netflix
November 1, 2023 d. December 1, 2023 e. b. Culver Max Entertainment
February 1, 2024 c. Disney India
d. Live Nation Entertainment
499. Which banking entities has recently e. YG Entertainment
launched 24x7 customer services via video
banking? 506. __________ has bagged a USD 2.1 Billion
a. Axis Bank deal to become the primary managed network
b. Paytm Payments Bank services (MNS) collaborator of Verizon Business,
c. AU Small Finance Bank the enterprise division of global telecom giant
d. Utkarsh Small Finance Bank Verizon Communications.
e. HDFC Bank a. TATA Communications Limited
b. Jio Infocomm Limited
500. In a first, Central Railway's __________ c. Bharti Airtel Limited
station becomes the first station in Bhusaval d. HCL Technologies Limited
Division and third station of Central Railway to be e. Wipro Limited
a Pink Station to be fully managed by women
staff. 507. The Reserve Bank of India's Monetary Policy
a. New Amravati b. Dadar c. Puntamba d. Committee (MPC) has increased its CPI
Sainagar e. Kalaburagi (consumer price index) inflation forecast for FY24
to _______.
501. Which among the following committees has a. 4.8% b. 5.4 % c. 6.1% d. 7.2% e. 8.1%
recently been renamed as Standing Committee
on Statistics? Answer Keys
a. Estimates Committee 495. a 496. b 497. c 498. d 499. c 500. a 5
b. Committee on Economic Statistics 01. b 502. c 503. b 504. b 505. b 506. d 50
c. Committee on Finance 7. b
d. Public Accounts Committee
e. None of the above 508. Which state government approved the
disbursement of Rs 6,000 crore to eligible
502. India is participating in a three-day bilateral farmers under Chief Minister's Kisan Kalyan
naval exercise called 'Zayed Talwar' from 8th Yojana for financial year 2023-2024?
August, 2023. The other participating nation is a. Kerala b. Tamil Nadu c. Andhra Pradesh d.
_______. Madhya Pradesh e. Jharkhand

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509. Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Bill 2023, which systems using artificial intelligence and machine
will replace the Indian Penal Code, will have 356 learning for its supervisory functions?
sections instead of the earlier ___________ I. McKinsey and Company India
sections. II. Tata Consultancy Services
a. 400 b. 451 c. 501 d. 511 e. 565 III. Accenture Solutions Pvt Ltd India
IV. Bain & Company
510. Which of the following country has clinches a. I and III b. I and II c. I,II and III d. I,III
the Asian Hockey Championship trophy in 2023 and IV e. II and IV
held at Radhakrishnan Stadium in Chennai?
a. India b. Pakistan c. China d. Japan e. South 516. According to data released by the National
Korea Statistical Office (NSO), India's retail inflation
jumped to a 15 month high of ______ in July
511. Which one of following stock broking 2023 as prices of vegetables and other food
companies has received SEBI's (Securities and items spiked.
Exchange Board of India) approval to commence a. 6.97% b. 7.44% c. 7.21% d. 7.12% e.
a mutual fund business? 6.79%
a. Upstox b. Groww c. Zerodha d. NordFX e.
Moneycontrol 517. Exactly a month after India and UAE signed
a Memorandum of Understanding on having
512. Identity which of the following statements trade in national currencies, the UAE's Abu Dhabi
is/are correct about 'Maya OS'? National Oil Company (ADNOC) and Indian Oil
I. It is an open-source operating system. Corporation Limited (IOCL) made their first ever
II. It is an indigenously built operating system crude oil transaction in national currencies. UAE
designed and developed by Infosys. is India's ______ largest source of crude oil.
III. It can block hackers from accessing sensitive a. 1st b. 2nd c. 3rd d. 4th e. 5th
data through its virtual layer.
Answer Codes: 518. Who among the following Indian-American
a. Statements I and II only economist was awarded the coveted George
b. Statements II and III only Ledlie Prize for wielding big data to break myths
c. Statements I, II and III about who achieves the American Dream and the
d. Statements II only obstacles faced by others?
e. Statements I only a. Raj Chetty b. Kshama Sawant c. Ramanan
Laxminarayan d. Partha Dasgupta e. Rohini
513. 'SuSwagatam' a web-based and mobile- Pande
friendly application that allows users to register
themselves online and request for e-passes 519. In August 2023, Anwarul Haq Kakar was
attending court hearing, meeting advocates etc. sworn in as Pakistan's ______ interim Prime
It was launched by Minister.
a. Supreme Court of India a. 8th b. 9th c. 11th d. 10th e. 7th
b. Gujarat High Court
c. NIA Special Court 520. In Tennis, Jannik Sinner beat Australian
d. National Company Law Tribunal Alex De Minaur 6-4 6-1 at the National Bank
e. Allahabad High Court Open in Toronto to clinch his first Masters
_______ title after finishing runner-up in two
514. Sudha Murty, the chairman of the Infosys editions of the Miami Open in 2021 and 2023.
Foundation, has been named as a member of a a. 500 b. 1000 c. 2000 d. 3000 e. 4000
National Syllabus and Teaching Learning Material
Committee (NSTC) by the National Council of Answer Keys
Educational Research and Training (NCERT). It 508. d 509. d 510. a 511. c 512. c 513. a 5
will be focused on the development of textbooks 14. c 515. a 516. b 517. d 518. a 519. a 52
and supplementary learning materials for the 0. b
council's initiatives.
How many members does the committee have? 521. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet
a. 14 b. 17 c. 19 d. 21 e. 23 (ACC) has approved the appointment of
________ as
515. The Reserve Bank of India has selected the first full-time women CMD of Power Finance
which of the following companies to develop Corporation (PFC) Limited.

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a. Aarti Holla-Maini b. Parminder Chopra c. Irina a. Statements I only

Ghose d. Nivruti Rai e. Nisha Biswal b. Statements II only
c. Statements III only
522. Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) d. Statements I, II and III
has announced the development of a Public Tech e. Statements I and II only
Platform for frictionless credit. The platform is
being developed by 529. The Union Cabinet has recently approved
a. National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) extension of the Digital India programme with an
b. Reserve Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH) outlay of Rs 14,903 crore. Which of the following
c. Reserve Bank Information Technology Private initiatives is/are taken under the extended
Limited (ReBIT) programme?
d. Indian Financial Technology and Allied I. Addition of Super computers under the
Services (IFTAS) National Supercomputing Mission(NCM).
e. Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee II. Re-skilling of IT professionals.
Corporation of India (DICGC) III. Creation of national knowledge network
IV. Funding support to start-ups.
523. ________ has won a deal from Cricket Answer Codes:
Australia (CA), the national governing body for a. Statements I, II and III only
the game in Australia, for the next phase of CA's b. Statements II, III and IV only
digital transformation. c. Statements III only
a. Infosys b. HCL Technologies c. Tech d. Statements I, II, III and IV
Mahindra d. L & T Infotech e. MindTree e. Statements I and II only

524. _______ has become the first Indian state 530. What is the total financial outlay approved
to offer free in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment. by the Union cabinet for the Vishwakarma
a. Tamil Nadu b. Maharashtra c. Goa d. Uttar Yojana?
Pradesh e. Karnataka a. Rs. 10,500 crore b. Rs. 13,000 crore c. Rs.
14,200 crore d. Rs. 15,000 crore e. Rs. 17,000
525. With which country India has recently crore
signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
in the field of the regulation of medicines? 531. India has recently signed MoU with which
a. Australia b. Suriname c. Brazil d. Guyana e. Carribean nation to share India stack?
Saudi Arabia a. Trinidad And Tobago
b. Dominican Republic
526. Recently, which state has received a USD c. Jamaica
40.5 million for integrated early childhood d. Barbados
development (ECD) and maternal mental health e. Grenada
programme?
a. Assam b. Karnataka c. Meghalaya d. Madhya 532. What is the name of the recently launched
Pradesh e. Bihar Frigate of the Indian Navy which was launched
by the President?
527. The first-ever WHO (World Health a. INS Kaveri b. INS Vidhyagiri c. INS
Organization) Global Summit on Traditional Chakra d. INS Rakshak e. INS Shivalik
Medicine, 2023 to be held in _________.
a. Pune b. Kottayam c. Gandhinagar d. 533. The first 3D printed post office in India has
Salem e. Kolkata been inaugrated in which city?
a. Hyderabad b. Chennai c. Kolkata d.
528. Which of the following statements is/are Bengaluru e. Mumbai
correct regarding the recently approved 'Mutual
Recognition Arrangement (MRA)' by India? Answer Keys
I. The agreement has been signed between India 521. b 522. b 523. b 524. c 525. b 526. c 5
and Australia. 27. c 528. d 529. d 530. b 531. a 532. b 53
II. It provides reciprocal benefits to accredited 3. d
and trusted exporters of both the signatories.
III. It aims to strengthen end-to-end security of 534. Which Indian wrestler has recently became
supply chains. the Under 20 World Champion in the men's 61
Answer Codes: Kg Freestyle category?

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a. Mohit Kumar b. Sagar Jaglan c. Ankit 539. Esha Singh and Shiva Narwal are associated
Gulia d. Deepak Punia e. Rohit Dahia with which of the following sport?
a. Shooting b. Fencing c. Archery d. Tennis e.
535. According to a report by Association for Squash
Democratic Reforms(ADR) and the National
Election Watch(NEW), about 12% of sitting MPs 540. Which of the following bank has launched
of Rajya Sabha(RS) are billionaires. Which of the multi-branded credit card in partnership with
following were the top two states that had the Qatar Airways and British Airways?
highest percentage of MPs with declared assets a. Axis Bank b. IndusInd Bank c. ICICI Bank d.
more than Rs.100 crore? HDFC Bank e. State Bank of India
a. Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra
b. Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh 541. Which of the following statement is/are true
c. Andhra Pradesh, Telangana about Global Initiative on Digital Health (GIDH)?
d. Delhi, Telangana I.Union minister for health and family welfare,
e. Punjab, Delhi Mansukh Mandaviya, launched the 'Global
Initiative on Digital Health (GIDH).
536. In August 2023, Centre rolled out a II. It was launched at the Mahatma Mandir
research-linked-incentive(RLI) scheme for convention centre in Gujarat's Gandhinagar
pharmaceuticals and med-tech sector to during the second and final day of the G20 health
strengthen the research infra in the country & ministers' meeting.
promote more industry-academia linkages for III.It is a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
research and development(R&D). The total Managed Network.
outlay of the scheme would be __________ over a. I and II b. I,II and III c. I only d. II only e.
a period of five years from 2023-24 to 2027-28. I and III
a. Rs 2,000 crore b. Rs 3,000 crore c. Rs 4,000
crore d. Rs 5,000 crore e. Rs 6,000 crore 542. In August 2023, who became the first
Indian woman wrestler to win two U20 Wrestling
537. Which of the following statement is/are true World Titles?
about the construction of world's highest a. Priya Malik b. Savita c. Harshita Mor d.
motorable road in Eastern Ladakh? Antim Panghal e. Priyanshi Prajapat
I.Border Roads Organisation(BRO) has
commenced the Rs. 520 cr construction of the 543. Which of the following state cabinet has
world's highest motorable road, the 64 km decided to implement the Bhagwan Birsa Munda
Likaru-Migla-Fukche road close to Hanle in Jodaraste Scheme to connect all tribal villages in
Eastern Ladakh. 17 districts of the state with main roads?
II.Presently, the Umlingla pass at the height of a. Maharashtra b. Chhattisgarh c. Bihar d.
19,024 feet, is the world's highest motorable Jharkhand e. Andhra Pradesh
pass, constructed by BRO in the year 2021.
III.The new highest motorable pass will set a 544. Union Science and Technology Minister
new world record at an altitude of 19,400 feet. Jitendra Singh unveiled a new variety of lotus
a. I and II b. I only c. II only d. I,II and III e. flower with 108 petals, named "Namoh 108",
I and III developed by the _______-based National
Botanical Research Institute (NBRI).
538. The Government has approved PM-eBus a. Dehradun b. Lucknow c. Bhopal d. Ooty e.
Sewa for augmenting city bus operations. Which Hyderabad
of the following is NOT TRUE about the shceme?
I. 57 thousand 613 crore rupees will be spent on 545. West Bengal, Punjab, Telangana, Kerala,
PM-eBus Sewa. Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Bihar and Rajasthan
II. Ten thousand new electric buses will be wherein some of the districts are yet to achieve
deployed in 179 cities. the target of 75 Amrit Sarovars per district. So
III. The scheme will cover cities having a far, out of 1,12,277 Amrit Sarovars identified,
population of three lakh and beyond as per the work has been started on 81,425 Amrit Sarovars
census 2011. and a total of 66,278 Amrit Sarovars have been
a. I and II b. II only c. III only d. I and III e. built/rejuvenated.
I,II and III The Amrit Sarovar mission was launched by the
Prime Minister in
a. 2017 b. 2019 c. 2020 d. 2022 e. 2016

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III. It is administered by the United Nations.

546. The Government of India has notified the Answer Codes:
Green Hydrogen Standard for India. It defined a. II only b. I and II only c. II and III only d. I
Green Hydrogen as having a well-to-gate and III only e. I, II and III
emission including water treatment, electrolysis,
gas purification, drying and compression of 553. Who has been appointed as the Chairperson
hydrogen of not more than _________. of National Green Tribunal (NGT)?
a. 2 kg CO2 equivalent / kg H2. a. Subhasis Talapatra
b. 5 kg CH4 equivalent / kg H2. b. Prakash Shrivastava
c. 2.5 kg C2H5 equivalent / kg H2. c. Ashish Jitendra Desai
d. 1 kg CH4 equivalent / kg H2. d. Alok Aradhe
e. 3 kg O2 equivalent / kg H2. e. Rakesh Pal

Answer Keys 554. _________, recently got its first AI school

534. a 535. c 536. d 537. d 538. b 539. a 5 at Santhigiri Vidyabhavan in ____________.
40. b 541. a 542. d 543. a 544. b 545. d 54 a. Karnataka, Bengaluru
6. a b. Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram
c. Rajasthan, Udaipur
547. The state-owned Power Finance Corporation d. Mizoram, Aizawl
(PFC) has signed a loan agreement with Japan e. Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow
Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) for
USD 1.28 million for a waste-to-energy project in 555. Who among the following has been
_________. recognized as the 'National Icon' by the Election
a. Karnataka b. Maharashtra c. Gujarat d. Uttar Commission of India for voter awareness and
Pradesh e. Rajasthan education?
a. Neeraj Chopra b. Sachin Tendulkar c.
548. Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has received a Amitabh Bacchan d. Rajkumar Rao e. P.V.
significant order to build the largest urea plant of Sindhu
________.
a. United States of America b. Russia c. 556. Which movie won the best feature film
Australia d. Saudi Arabia e. Bangladesh award in the 69th National Film Awards 2023?
a. Rocketry: The Nambi Effect
549. ________ is the first bank among public b. Soorarai Pottru
and private sector banks in India to introduce c. Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea
UPI Interoperable Digital Rupee mobile d. Ondalla Eradalla
application. e. Village Rockstars
a. State Bank of India b. HDFC Bank c. Canara
Bank d. ICICI Bank e. Bank of India 557. Who is the winner of the 'FIDE World Cup
Chess Championship 2023?
550. Dibang Multipurpose Project is a 2,880 MW a. Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa b. Magnus
hydropower project located in which among the Carlsen c. Fabiano Caruana d. Nijat Abasov e.
following states/UT? Veselin Topalov
a. Ladakh b. Sikkim c. Meghalaya d. Arunachal
Pradesh e. Uttarakhand 558. According to a report titled 'Food and Drink
Report 2023' published by UK-based Brand
551. Which among the following countries is not Finance, ___________ranked world's strongest
a participant in the 27th edition of the dairy brand, second strongest food brand in the
multilateral naval exercise 'Malabar 2023'? world.
a. France b. Australia c. United States of a. Nestle b. Mother Diary c. Amul d. Verka e.
America d. India e. Japan Kwality

552. Identify which of the following statements 559. Which of the following
is/are correct regarding the G20 Pandemic Fund? organization/institution has recently partnered
I. It is established under India's G20 Presidency with the Ministry of Development of North-
in 2023. eastern Region (MDoNER) to fast-track
II. It mainly focuses on low- and middle-income sustainable development in northeast?
countries. a. NITI Aayog

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b. World Bank 565. What is the minimum capital required for

c. United Nations Development Programme foreign reinsurance branches (FRBs) or foreign
d. United Nations Environment Programme reinsurers to establish operation in India?
e. Asian Development Bank a. 50 crore b. 75 crore c. 100 crore d. 120
crore e. 200 crore
Answer Keys
547. a 548. c 549. c 550. d 551. a 552. a 5 566. In the 15th BRICS Summit, the Indian
53. b 554. b 555. b 556. a 557. b 558. c 55 Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has presented
9. c a special gift called 'Gond Painting' to BRICS
leaders. 'Gond Painting' is a famous art of
560. Which digital payment company has signed _______
up as ICC sponsor for 2023 World Cup? a. Rajasthan b. Madhya Pradesh c. Uttar
a. Visa b. Mastercard c. PayPal d. PayU e. Pradesh d. Karnataka e. Maharashtra
Stripe
567. As announced by honourable Prime
561. In which among the following countries has Minister, which day will be celebrated as the
Indian Prime Minister Shri. Narendra Modi National Space Day in India?
recently visited for the first time in 40 years? a. 20 August b. 21 August c. 22 August d. 23
a. Ethiopia b. Greece c. Norway d. Poland e. August e. 24 August
Ukraine
568. Select the correct statements regarding the
562. The BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China,and "One Week One Lab" Campaign.
South Africa) block has recently agreed to extend I. Student Scientist Connect Program Event
the membership of the bloc to which of the under the "One Week One Lab" Campaign CSIR-
following countries? Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute.
I. Saudi Arabia II. It was intended to promote scientific temper
II. Iran among school students.
III. Ethiopia III. Dr S.K. Mishra, Director CSIR-CGCRI
IV. Argentina welcomed the participants.
V. Australia a. Only I b. Only II c. Only III d. All I, II, and
Answer Codes: III e. Only II and III
a. II, III and IV only
b. I and V only 569. Read the following statements, & choose
c. I, II, III and IV the correct one(s).
d. II and III only I. PM Modi celebrated the success of India's
e. I, II, III, IV and V moon mission and named the landing spot of the
Vikram lander as 'Shivshakti'.
563. Identify which of the following statements II. He also christened the location where
is/are correct about 'Mera Bill Mera Adhikaa' Chandrayaan-2 had left its mark in 2018 as
scheme? 'Tiranga Point'.
I. It is an invoice incentive scheme launched by III. PM Modi visited the Indian Space Research
the Government of India. Organisation Telemetry Tracking and Command
II. It aims to encourage the culture of customers Network in Bengaluru.
asking for bills for all purchases. a. Only I b. Only II c. Both I & II d. Both I and
III. It will be initially launched in all the metro III e. Neither I nor III
cities in India.
Answer Codes: 570. Who amongst the following shuttlers of
a. II only b. I only c. I and II only d. II and III India recently won a bronze medal at the
only e. I, II and III Badminton World Federation (BWF) World
Championships?
564. Who has signed up as the brand a. B Sai Nath b. Kidambi Srikanth c. HS
ambassador of India's tech giant 'Infosys' for a Prannoy d. Ashwini Ponappa e. Parupalli
period of three years? Kashyap
a. Rafael Nadal b. Neeraj Chopra c. Lionel
Messi d. Virat Kohli e. Magnus Carlsen 571. The President of India Smt. Droupadi
Murmu on 28th August, 2023 has released the

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commemorative coin of Rs. 100 on the centenary Germany's professional association football
year of ___________. league 'Bundesliga' to help young players?
a. Dina Pathak b. N.T. Rama Rao c. Jyotirao a. Mizoram b. Karnataka c. Maharashtra d.
Phule d. M. G. Ramachandran e. R.C. West Bengal e. Assam
Majumdar
578. Jayanta Mahapatra has recently passed
572. Which among the following entities has away. He is a renowned ________
received the first unicorn status of 2023? a. Painter b. Social Worker c. Poet d.
a. Zepto b. DealShare c. Dunzo d. Blinkit e. Scientist e. Novelist
CoinDCX
579. India defeated _________in the final to win
Answer Keys the inaugural Women's Asian Hockey 5s World
560. b 561. b 562. c 563. c 564. a 565. a 5 Cup Qualifier and seal their berth in the berth in
66. b 567. d 568. d 569. d 570. c 571. b 57 the next year's World Cup.
2. a a. Thailand b. Iran c. Oman d. Indonesia e.
Japan
573. Identify which of the following statements
is/are not correct about the 'B 20 Summit'? 580. The Ministry of Defence has recently signed
I. It is established in 2010. a Rs. 19,000 crore deal with which among the
II. It is the official G20 dialogue forum with the following organizations for acquisition of first of
global business community. its kind five Fleet Support Ships (FSS) for the
III. The B20 Summit 2024 will be held under the Indian Navy?
Presidency of China. a. Hindustan Shipyard Limited
Answer Codes: b. Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers
a. I only b. II only c. III only d. I and II Limited
only e. II and III only c. L & T Technology Services
d. Bharat Dynamics Limited
574. __________ has become the first Indian to e. Mazagon Dock Limited
win gold at World Athletics Championships 2023.
a. Neeraj Chopra b. Amlan Borgohain c. Chanu 581. The Government of India has recently set
Saikhom Mirabai d. Abhinav Bindra e. Srikanth up a high powered committee under the
Kidambi chairmanship of Prof K Vijay Raghavan
to_________.
575. Which state government has signed pact a. Review the functioning of Public sector banks.
with TCPL Green Energy Solutions Private Ltd b. Review the functioning of the Defence
(TGESPL) to set up India's first hydrogen fuel Research and Development Organisation
project? (DRDO).
a. Uttar Pradesh b. Rajasthan c. Jharkhand d. c. Review and suggest the measure to modernize
Madhya Pradesh e. Maharashtra the Indian Navy.
d. Review and suggest the measure to improve
576. Identify which of the following countries are auditing standards of public sector undertakings.
the participants in the 'Exercise BRIGHT STAR- e. Study the scope of commercialization of Indian
23'? space sector.
I. United States of America
II. Saudi Arabia 582. The Government of India has decided to
III. Greece extend the Rs. 25,938-crore production-linked
IV. Qatar incentive (PLI) scheme for the __________ until
V. India FY 2027-28.
Answer Codes: a. Automotive sector
a. I, II, III, IV and V b. Electronics sector
b. I and V only c. Textile sector
c. II, III and IV only d. Medical sector
d. II and V only e. Telecom & Networking sector
e. I, IV and V only
583. _________ becomes India's first women
577. Which state government has signed a chargé d'affaires at India's High Commission in
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Islamabad, Pakistan.

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a. Geetika Srivastava b. Sujatha Singh c. Meera 590. Identify which of the following statements
Shankar d. Nirupama Rao e. Meira Kumar is/are correct about 'Mera Bill Mera Adhikaar'
scheme?
584. ________ has been appointed as the first I. It is an invoice incentive scheme launched by
women CEO and Chairperson of the Railway the Government of India.
Board. II. It aims to encourage the culture of customers
a. Jaya Verma Sinha b. Geetika Srivastava c. asking for bills for all purchases.
Parminder Chopra d. Shohini Sinha e. Nisha III. It will be initially launched in all the metro
Biswal cities in India.
Answer Codes:
585. Which country will host the Global India AI a. II only b. I only c. I and II only d. II and III
2023 Summit? only e. I, II and III
a. China b. United Arab Emirates c. India d.
Japan e. South Korea 591. The quarterly House Price Index (HPI)
report is released by _______.
Answer Keys a. National Housing Bank
573. c 574. a 575. c 576. a 577. c 578. c 57 b. Real Estate Regulatory Authority
9. a 580. a 581. b 582. a 583. a 584. a 585. c. Reserve Bank of India
c d. NITI Aayog
e. State Bank of India
586. Identify which of the following financial
entities constitute the Market Infrastructure 592. Identify the Public Sector Enterprise (PSE)
Institutions (MII)? that received the 'Navratna' status.
I. Stock exchanges a. MECON Limited
II. Clearing house b. Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers Limited
III. Depository organization c. National Film Development Corporation
IV. Fund Managers Limited
Answer Codes: d. Engineering Projects (India) Limited
a. I and II only b. II and IV only c. I and IV e. WAPCOS Limited
only d. I, II and III only e. I, II, III and IV
593. _______ has been appointed as the
587. "Adopt a Heritage 2.0 Programme" is an Principal Director General of Press Information
initiative of ________. Bureau (PIB).
a. Archeological Survey of India a. Dhirendra Ojha b. Manish Desai c. Umesh
b. National Culture Fund Revankar d. Neelkanth Mishra e. PR Seshadri
c. National Monuments Authority
d. Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya 594. Recently, an Indian-origin Economist and
e. NITI Aayog Former Senior Minister Tharman
Shanmugaratnam has registered a landslide
588. ___________ has officially designated victory in the Presidential election of which one
October as the 'Hindu Heritage Month' ' to of the following countries?
recognise and celebrate the contributions of the a. Malaysia b. Singapore c. Vietnam d.
'vibrant' Hindu-American community within the Maldives e. Kenya
state.
a. Georgia b. Texas c. Ohio d. Washington e. 595. Who has been nominated as the president
Indiana of the Film and Television Institute of India
(FTII)?
589. Who has won the bid for financially a. Anupam Kher b. Kamal Haasan c.
challenged Jet Airways? Ranganathan Madhavan d. Satyajit
a. Jalan Kalrock Consortium Majumdar e. Suniel Shetty
b. GMR Group
c. Adani Airport Holdings Limited 596. ________ has become the first State in the
d. TATA Projects Limited North Eastern Region to initiate Aadhaar Linked
e. Reliance Infrastructure Limited Birth Registration.
a. Arunachal Pradesh b. Nagaland c. Sikkim d.
Tripura e. Meghalaya

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597. Which of the following is/are the objective a. Dr. R Ravi Kannan b. Dr. Vinod Raina c. Dr.
of the recently launched 'Aditya L1' Mission? Rahul Bhargava d. Dr. Manas Kalra e. Dr. P
I. To study the particle dynamics from the Sun. Jagannath
II. To study the chromosphere and corona
III. To study the origin, composition and 603. In September 2023, Manoj Bubna has been
dynamics of solar wind conferred the prestigious 'Entrepreneur of the
Answer Codes: Year 2023' award by the renowned 'Entrepreneur
a. I and II only b. II and III only c. I, II and India' business magazine. Manoj Buban is the
III d. III only e. II only CEO of which company?
a. N7 b. Zepto c. Razorpay d. Meesho e.
598. In September 2023, Hyderabad-based Urbanclap
private firm, Grene Robotics, has demonstrated a
weapons platform named ________________, 604. The Government of India has decided to
which it calls the world's only autonomous wide organise a literacy week from 1st September to
area, counter-unmanned aircraft system (C- 8th September 2023 to celebrate International
UAS). Claimed to be the world's only anti-drone Literacy Day for generating awareness among all
system capable of protecting against micro, mini, the stakeholders/ beneficiaries/ citizens about
small, large and extra-large drones the ULLAS- Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram.
a. Varuna b. Indrajaal c. Kali d. Shakti e. Which one of the following is NOT a component
Cauvery of ULLAS- Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram
scheme?
Answer Keys a. Foundational Literacy and Numeracy
586. d 587. a 588. a 589. a 590. c 591. c 5 b. Critical Life Skills
92. b 593. b 594. b 595. c 596. b 597. c 59 c. Basic Education
8. b d. Child Labour
e. Continuing Education
599. In September 2023, which of the following
football teams won the Durand Cup? 605. Which among the following credit card
a. East Bengal FC issuing companies has launched new features of
b. Jamshedpur FC its super-premium card 'AURUM', targeted at the
c. Kerala Blasters premium section of society, such as high-net-
d. Mohun Bagan Super Giant worth individuals?
e. NorthEast United FC a. Capital One b. SBI Card c. OneCard d.
American Express e. Axis Bank
600. In August 2023, The India Cellular and
Electronics Association (ICEA) has announced the 606. Suresh Shukla has recently been appointed
establishment of an Indo-US task force for as the Chief Business Officer of which one of the
electronics with the aim of increasing trade following stock broking entities?
between the two countries to ___________ over a. Axis Securities
the next decade. b. SBICAP Securities
a. $100 billion b. $10 billion c. $1 billion d. c. PNB Investment Services
$500 billion e. $1000 billion d. ICICI Securities
e. BOB Capital Market
601. According to National Statistical Data
released in August 2023, India's gross domestic 607. Which one of the following countries is
product (GDP) grew 7.8% in the April- June hosting the 20th ASEAN-India Summit that is
quarter of 2023-2024 , the agriculture sector going to be held in September, 2023?
recorded a ___________ growth during the a. India b. Indonesia c. Singapore d.
period. Thailand e. Cambodia
a. 2.6% b. 3.0% c. 3.5% d. 2.8% e. 3.3%
608. Tata Motors, one of India's largest
602. The Ramon Magsaysay Award, Asia's commercial vehicle manufacturers has supplied
premier prize and highest honor, celebrates 400 Starbus electric buses to the Delhi Transport
greatness of spirit and transformative leadership Corporation (DTC), via which of its subsidiary?
in Asia. Who among the following Indian is one of a. TML CV Mobility Solutions
the awardees for the Ramon Magsaysay award b. Tata Technologies
2023? c. Tata Marocpolo

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d. FCA India Automobiles 616. The 'Bharat Drone Shakti 2023', a two-day
e. Tata Cummins event scheduled to take place in September 2023
in ________.
609. Country's first Solar City was inaugurated at a. Chandigarh b. Ghaziabad c. Pune d.
which of the following places? Jaipur e. Kozhikode
a. Raisen b. Sanchi c. Indore d. Sheopur e.
Badwani 617. In a significant development under India's
G20 Presidency, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
610. Investors in the Indian stock market could 9 September announced the addition of African
soon get their trades settled instantaneously. Union as the latest permanent member of the
India would be the _________ country to group. The African Union comprises of how many
achieve such a feat globally. states?
a. Third b. Fourth c. Second d. First e. Fifth a. 22 b. 33 c. 44 d. 55 e. 66

611. Which of the following has became the 618. In September 2023, An MoU on cooperation
second city in the country to implement an in Digital Payment mechanism was signed
emission trading scheme (ETS) for particulate between National Payments Corporation of India
pollution that will help in regulating industrial (NPCI) and the bank of which country?
emissions and reduce the pollution levels? a. Bhutan b. Bangladesh c. Russia d. Nepal e.
a. Surat b. Ahmedabad c. Jaipur d. Udaipur e. Sri Lanka
Nasik
619. In September 2023, which of the following
Answer Keys company said that it aims to invest 165 billion
599. d 600. a 601. c 602. a 603. a 604. d 6 rupees ($1.98 billion) in clean energy projects to
05. b 606. b 607. b 608. a 609. b 610. d 61 meet its 2040 net zero carbon emissions goal?
1. b a. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC)
b. Bharat Petroleum
612. Which one of the following entities has c. Gas Authority of India (GAIL)
launched India's first-ever UPI-ATM? d. Oil India
a. American Express e. Hindustan Petroleum
b. Hitachi Payment Services
c. WorldPay 620. Under the 'Eastern Maritime Corridor' plan,
d. Paytm Payment Bank which Indian port city is to be connected with
e. PayPal Vladivostok-the largest port city of Russia?
a. Chennai b. Kochi c. Surat d. Mumbai e.
613. In the UPI Merchant UDIR system, What Haldia
does the term 'UDIR' stand for?
a. Unique Digital Identity Registry 621. The Agricultural Market Information System
b. Unified Dispute and Issue Resolution (AMIS) is an inter-agency platform to enhance
c. Unified Data Identity Resolution food market transparency and policy response
d. Unique Data Identifier Reference for food security. It currently does not track
e. Universal Data Identity Registry which among the following agricultural crops?
a. Wheat b. Corn c. Soya d. Maize e. Rice
614. The Indian Bank has recently collaborated
with which of the following technology firm to 622. At G20 Leaders Summit in New Delhi, which
modernize its IT infrastructure? country has committed to provide USD 2 Billion
a. Google b. Microsoft c. Oracle d. IBM e. to the the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to help
Infosys developing countries cope with climate change?
a. United States of America b. France c.
615. India's first underground transformer center Italy d. Britain e. Canada
has recently been installed in the capital city of
which of the following states? 623. 'Koraput Kalajeera Rice, an aromatic rice
a. Karnataka b. Maharashtra c. Uttar variety with nutritional value, has recently
Pradesh d. Gujarat e. Telangana received Geographical Indications (GI) status.
This rice variety is grown in which one of the
following states?

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a. Andhra Pradesh b. Kerala c. West Bengal d. 630. 'Project Abhinandan', which aims to improve
Odisha e. Mizoram the experience for travelers on the airline at
airports, is launched by__________.
624. ____________ has broken Sachin a. Spicejet b. Air India c. Go Air d. Indigo e.
Tendulkar's record of the fastest batter to score Akasa Air
13000 runs in ODI.
a. Rohit Sharma b. Virat Kohli c. Hashim 631. Recently, with which country India has
Amla d. Kane Williamson e. David Waner signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
on cooperation in the field of sharing successful
Answer Keys Digital Solutions implemented at Population Scale
612. b 613. b 614. d 615. a 616. b 617. d 6 for Digital Transformation?
18. b 619. d 620. a 621. d 622. d 623. d 62 a. Australia b. Saudi Arabia c. Kenya d. Sierra
4. b Leone e. Maldives

625. Recently, the Defence Minister Shri. Rajnath 632. Which state government has signed a
Singh has announced to inaugurate several Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with La
critical infrastructure projects developed by the Liga to start a football academy and develop the
Border Roads Organization at a cost of 2,941 sport in the state?
crore rupees in ________. a. Sikkim b. Mizoram c. Karnataka d. West
a. Sikkim b. Arunachal Pradesh c. Bengal e. Meghalaya
Uttarakhand d. Jammu and Kashmir e.
Himachal Pradesh 633. The World Bank has recently announced to
provide financial assistance to which among the
626. In which of the following cities in India was following states to strengthen its early warning
the Global SME Finance Forum 2023 held? systems for natural disasters and expand social
a. Mumbai b. Gandhinagar c. Lucknow d. protection coverage for impoverished and
Bhopal e. Bengaluru vulnerable households?
a. Himachal Pradesh b. Uttarakhand c.
627. The 'National Career Service (NCS)' is an Assam d. Odisha e. Kerala
initiative of ________.
a. Ministry of Education 634. Divya Kala Mela' has been organized by the
b. NITI Aayog Department of Empowerment of Persons with
c. Ministry of Labour and Employment Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice and
d. Ministry of Skill Development and Empowerment in which of the following state
Entrepreneurship from 15 September to 24 September 2023 to
e. National Council for Vocational Education and showcase the products and craftsmanship of
Training entrepreneurs/artisans with disabilities?
a. Uttar Pradesh b. Uttarakhand c. Jammu &
628. Which fintech entity has launched 'AutoPay Kashmir d. Himachal Pradesh e. Haryana
on QR' feature in collaboration with the National
Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)? 635. Member of NITI Aayog, Professor Ramesh
a. Mswipe b. Cashfree c. Paytm d. PhonePe e. Chand officially launched the Unified Portal for
PayU Agricultural Statistics (UPAg Portal-
www.upag.gov.in). It is a groundbreaking move
629. Which institution has signed a Memorandum to address the complex governance challenges
of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Space India's agriculture sector is facing. Key
Research Organization (ISRO) trainings for the Challenges Addressed by UPAg Portal are?
capacity building in the areas of mineral I. Lack of Standardized Data
resources and disaster management? II. Dispersed Data
a. Geological Survey of India Training Institute III. Different Frequency Variables
(GSITI) a. III. Different Frequency Variables b. Only I
b. Forest Research Institute and II c. Only II and III d. Only I and III e. I,
c. Indian institute of Tropical Meteorology II, III f. Only I
d. Geological Society of India
e. Indian Institute of Remote Sensing 636. The Government of India has approved the
initiative of setting up of ___________________
new Sainik Schools in partnership with

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NGOs/Private Schools/State Governments in a 643. Identify the correct statement about the
graded manner class-wise, starting from Class recently launched "People's G20".
6th onwards. a. It is an eBook on the complete journey of
a. 40 b. 80 c. 90 d. 100 e. 130 India's G20.
b. It is an award ceremony for all the G20
637. IT major Infosys is the only Indian company participants.
to feature in the top 100 list of the World's Best c. It is a five year vision statement of the G20
Companies of 2023 released by TIME Magazine members.
and online data platform Statista. Microsoft, d. It is a mutually agreed binding agreement on
Apple, and Alphabet (Google owner) are top 3 in G20 member countries priorities.
the list while India's Infosys was ranked e. It is an 'Outcome Document' of successfully
__________ with an overall score of 88.38 out of implemented policies.
100.
a. 56th b. 64th c. 78th d. 81st e. 92nd 644. The Hoysala Temple has recently been
inscribed on the United Nations Educational,
Answer Keys Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
625. d 626. a 627. c 628. b 629. a 630. b 6 World Heritage list. It is located in ______.
31. d 632. d 633. d 634. a 635. d 636. d 63 a. Tamil Nadu b. Karnataka c. Maharashtra d.
7. b Andhra Pradesh e. Madhya Pradesh

638. Who is appointed as the new acting director 645. Recently, the Competition Commission of
of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) till the India has appointed three new members to
appointment of a regular director? complete full quorum. With these appointments,
a. Rahul Navin the antitrust body will now have _____
b. Sanjay Kumar Mishra members, including Chairperson.
c. Dinesh Kumar Khara a. Six b. Seven c. Four d. Five e. Three
d. Girraj Prasad Garg
e. Sujit Prasad 646. Which of the following research institutes
has recently carried out 1st Ever Genome
639. Ashok Leyland signed an MoU to invest Rs Sequencing Of Medicinal Plant Amla?
1000 crore to set integrated bus plant in which of a. IISC Bengaluru b. IISER Bhopal c. TIFR,
the following state? Mumbai d. ICAR, New Delhi e. FRI, Dehradun
a. Maharashtra b. Kerela c. Punjab d. Uttar
Pradesh e. Haryana 647. Who among the following has become the
first player to win three ICC Men's Player of the
640. Which of the following bank has announced Month prizes with August award?
the roll out of 'IB SAATHI' initiative aimed at a. Babar Azam b. Virat Kohli c. Mohammed
providing an integrated ecosystem for all Siraj d. Shakib Al Hasan e. Kusal Mendis
stakeholders in the financial sector through the
business correspondent route? 648. Who has been appointed as Chief Executive
a. ICICI Bank b. Indian Overseas Bank c. Indian Officer (CEO) of the Bitcoin Group?
Bank d. Canara Bank e. None of these a. Peter Bains b. Jim Skea c. Celeste Saulo d.
Dennis Francis e. V Anantharaman
641. As per the RBI's data from its Handbook of
Statistics on the Indian Economy for FY23, how 649. Identify the correct statement regarding
much worth of e-Rupee is in circulation as of 'Dhruvastra'.
March 2023? a. It is an guided anti-tank missile.
a. Rs. 10.69 crore b. Rs. 20.49 crore c. Rs. b. It is an air-to-surface missile.
16.39 crore d. Rs. 12.29 crore e. Rs. 25.79 c. It is a nuclear-powered attacking missile.
crore d. It is a surface-surface missile.
e. It is an INS class submarine.
642. In which of the following places has the
35th edition of the annual Gandhi Walk recently 650. The Lok Sabha has recently passed the 'Nari
taken place? Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam' bill. The bill is
a. Nairobi b. Johannesburg c. Addis Ababa d. associated with_______.
Accra e. Tashkent a. Women's entrepreneurship

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b. Women's reservation in state legislative 657. Which of the following statements is/are
assemblies NOT TRUE about Norman E Borlaug Award?
c. Women's education I. Dr Swati Nayak, an Indian scientist at the
d. Women's reservation in higher education International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), has
e. Women's participation in science & technology been named the 2023 recipient of the prestigious
Norman E Borlaug Award.
Answer Keys II. The award is given to exceptional scientists
638. a 639. d 640. c 641. c 642. b 643. a 6 under 50 and someone who works in the field of
44. b 645. c 646. b 647. a 648. a 649. b 65 food and nutrition security, hunger eradication in
0. b memory of the Nobel awardee and Green
Revolution's chief architect Dr Norman Borlaug.
651. Identify the state in which 'Atal Awasiya III. The award is endowed by the Rockefeller
Vidyalayas' to be inaugurated. Foundation.
a. Madhya Pradesh b. Rajasthan c. Uttar a. I, II and III b. I only c. I and II d. II only e.
Pradesh d. Jharkhand e. Maharashtra I and III

652. Which among the following international 658. In Wrestling, India's Antim Panghal won
groupings/league has announced to launch a new bronze medal at World Championships in Serbia
credit rating agency in the next year (2024) in by beating Emma Jonna Denise Malmgren in the
response to unfair ratings concerns by the global _________category.
rating agencies? a. 50 kg b. 53 kg c. 57 kg d. 62 kg e. 68 kg
a. European Union b. African Union c. BRICS d.
Arab League e. APEC 659. India's first lighthouse festival commenced
in ________on September 23, 2023.
653. In September 2023, which of the following a. Goa b. Tamil Nadu c. Kerala d.
Indian airlines and British Airways have launched Maharashtra e. Andhra Pradesh
a new codeshare partnership to improve
connectivity between India and the United 660. Which of the following bank has unveiled
Kingdom? 'NEO for Business', a mobile-first Business
a. Go Air b. IndiGo c. Vistara d. Spicejet e. Air Banking platform for MSMEs?
India a. Axis Bank b. ICICI Bank c. SBI Bank d.
Canara Bank e. Indian Bank
654. In September 2023, IT major Tata
Consultancy Services entered into a strategic 661. In September 2023, which of the following
partnership with BankID BankAxept to enhance inked an agreement with the Digital Lenders
the financial infrastructure. BankAxept is the Association of India (DLAI) to boost the country's
national payment and BankID is the electronic fintech sector?
identity system of which of the following country? a. RBI b. SEBI c. SIDBI d. NITI Aayog e.
a. Norway b. Sweden c. Finland d. Germany e. MeITY
Denmark
662. The Asian Development Bank (ADB)
655. Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal appointed Bhargav Dasgupta as Vice-President
Husbandry and Dairying, Parshottam Rupala (market solutions) for a period of three years. He
inaugurated the 2nd Edition of ICAR-CIBA's was the Managing Director and CEO of
Shrimp Farmers Conclave-2023 at the Navsari ___________
Agricultural University Campus in ___________. a. SBI General Insurance Company Limited
a. Uttar Pradesh b. Gujarat c. Maharashtra d. b. ICICI Lombard General Insurance
Punjab e. Haryana c. HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company
Limited
656. Biswanath Ghat has been selected as the d. Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Company Limited
Best Tourism Village of India 2023 by the e. Max Life Insurance
Ministry of Tourism, from amongst 791
applications from 31 States and UTs. The village 663. In September 2023, which of the following
is located in the state of __________ bank has entered into Co-Lending partnership
a. Jharkhand b. Bihar c. Assam d. with ECL Finance Ltd?
Rajasthan e. Uttar Pradesh a. Central Bank of India
b. State Bank of India

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c. HDFC Bank e. Narayan K. Seshadri

d. Bank of India
e. Union Bank of India 669. In September 2023, who among the
following emerged as the first-ever MotoGP race
Answer Keys winner in India?
651. c 652. b 653. b 654. a 655. b 656. c 6 a. Francesco Bagnaia b. Fabio Quartararo c.
57. d 658. b 659. a 660. a 661. c 662. b 66 Jorge Martin d. Marco Bezzecchi e. Raul
3. a Fernandez

664. India got its 54th tiger reserve with 670. S&P Global Ratings retained India's growth
Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve in Sagar forecast for current fiscal at _________ citing
district of Madhya Pradesh added to the list. slowing world economy, rising risk of subnormal
Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve is Madhya monsoons and delayed effect of rate hike.
Pradesh's ___tiger reserve. a. 6% b. 6.5% c. 6.9% d. 6.2% e. 7.2%
a. 5th b. 6th c. 7th d. 8th e. 9th
671. As per newspaper reports, in the next 4-5
665. The 6th Edition of 'NeSDA Monthly Report' years, iPhone maker Apple has plans to scale up
was released. The report is released by which of production in India by over five-fold to around
the following ministries/departments? ___________,
a. Department of Administrative Reforms & a. $20 billion b. $30 billion c. $40 billion d. $50
Public Grievances billion e. $60 billion
b. Department of Electronics and Information
Technology 672. In September 2023, India become the first
c. Department of Economic Affairs team in cricket history to cross the __________-
d. Department of Pensions and Pensioners' six mark in ODIs.
Welfare a. 1000 b. 2000 c. 3000 d. 4000 e. 5000
e. Ministry of Education
673. Who among the following will be honoured
666. In a development that could help India with this year's Dadasaheb Phalke Lifetime
attract $21 billion (Rs 1.7 lakh crore) worth of Achievement Award, the highest recognition in
investments from the next fiscal, global financial the field of Indian cinema?
firm __________ has said it plans to include a. Waheeda Rehman b. Dimple Kapadia c. Saira
Indian government bonds (IGBs) or government Banu d. Sulochana e. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
securities (G-Secs) into its benchmark Emerging
Market index. 674. In September 2023, Google announced a
a. Goldman Sachs b. JP Morgan c. AXA d. new transatlantic subsea cable system to connect
Fannie Mae e. Wells Fargo Portugal, Bermuda, and the US. What is the
name of the cable system?
667. World Pharmacist Day is celebrated each a. Mar b. Nuvem c. Agua d. Cabo e. Ilha
year, on September 25, 2023, as a dedicated
occasion to recognize and honour pharmacists for 675. Indian women's cricket team won their
their significant contributions to improving global maiden gold medal in Asian Games 2023 in
health. The theme of World Pharmacist Day for Hangzhou, China by defeating _______ by 19
this year is ___________ runs in final.
a. Pharmacy: Always Trusted For Your Health a. England b. Australia c. South Africa d. Sri
b. Transforming global health Lanka e. Bangladesh
c. Safe and effective medicines for all
d. Pharmacy Strengthening Health Systems 676. As per the report by the global payments
e. Pharmacists: Caring for you service provider Worldline released in September
2023, The United Payments Interface (UPI)
668. In September 2023, ICICI Lombard transactions in India surged by 62% in the first
appointed who among the following as new MD & half of 2023 compared to the same period last
CEO? year. The UPI transactions reached
a. Ritesh Kumar ______________ in June 2023.
b. Sanjeev Mantri a. 7.3 billion b. 8.3 billion c. 9.3 billion d. 10.3
c. Mahesh Kumar Sharma billion e. 11.3 billion
d. Ravi Krishnamurthy

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Answer Keys
664. c 665. a 666. b 667. d 668. b 669. d 6 683. Amazon is investing up to $4 billion in
70. a 671. c 672. c 673. a 674. b 675. d 67 Anthropic and taking a minority stake in the
6. c artificial intelligence startup, the two companies
said in September 2023, Anthropic is a company
677. The Scheme for Remission of Duties and based in ______________.
Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) support a. Germany b. India c. United States of
which was notified till 30th September 2023 is America d. Brazil e. Chile
now being extended till ______________ at the
same rates to the existing export items. 684. The movie "2018", subtitled Everyone Is A
a. 30th April 2024 b. 30th June 2024 c. 31st Hero, has been chosen as India's official entry to
July 2024 d. 31st August 2024 e. 31st January the Best Foreign Language Film category at the
2024 96th Academy Awards, 2018 is originally a
___________ movie.
678. The Union government's National Health a. Tamil b. Malayalam c. Telugu d. Kannada e.
Authority Arogya Manthan 2023 awards were Hindi
announced in connection with the annual
celebrations of the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan 685. In September 2023, Poonawalla Fincorp, a
Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY). Which of Cyrus Poonawalla group- promoted NBFC, has
the following state has won the Centre's Arogya received Reserve Bank of India's approval to
Manthan 2023 award for providing free medical issue co-branded credit card with
treatment to the maximum number of people in ___________________.
the country? a. YES Bank b. Axis Bank c. HDFC Bank d.
a. Andhra Pradesh b. Maharashtra c. Kerala d. IndusInd Bank e. Bank of Baroda
Tamil Nadu e. Punjab
686. Naorem Roshibina Devi, who won the silver
679. In September 2023, Cosmos Coop Bank has medal in Asian games is associated with which
merged Mumbai-based troubled Sahebrao sport?
Deshmukh Co-operative Bank (SDC Bank) with a. Sanda Wushu b. Weightlifting c. Boxing d.
itself. Cosmos Coop Bank is based in which city? Wrestling e. Karate
a. Chennai b. Trissur c. Hyderabad d. Pune e.
Mumbai 687. The 'Economic Freedom of the World: 2021
Annual Report' by Canada's Fraser Institute has
680. Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare been released in India in conjunction with New
Mansukh Mandaviya launched the Delhi-based think tank Centre For Civil Society.
____________________ Promotion of Research Which of the following statement is NOT TRUE
and Innovation in Pharma and MedTech sector regarding the report?
scheme, which aims to transform India's pharma a. India is ranked at 87th position out of 165
medtech industry from a cost-based one to countries on the economic freedom index.
innovation-based. b. India has been ranked higher than China.
a. Rs 1,000 crore b. Rs 2,000 crore c. Rs 3,000 c. Afghanistan is ranked last in the report.
crore d. Rs 4,000 crore e. Rs 5,000 crore d. Singapore topped the index.
e. None of the above.
681. In September 2023, Leander Peas has
become the first Asian man to be nominated for 688. According to a Reserve Bank data released
International Tennis Hall of Fame, He won a in September 2023, ________________
bronze medal for India in men's singles at the denominated debt remained the largest
__________ Atlanta Olympic Games component of India's external debt, with a share
a. 1992 b. 1996 c. 2000 d. 2004 e. 2008 of 54.4 per cent at end-June 2023.
a. Yen b. Euro c. Dollar d. Rupee e. SDR
682. Mankombu Sambasivan Swaminathan,
popularly known as M.S. Swaminathan, the 689. Which of the following company has
legendary agricultural scientist and a key announced a partnership with technology giant
architect of the country's 'Green Revolution,' Google to manufacture Chromebooks in India, in
passed away recently, Swaminathan was line with the government's Make in India
awarded the first World Food Prize in which year? initiative?
a. 1957 b. 1967 c. 1977 d. 1987 e. 1997 a. Apple b. Lenovo c. Del d. HP e. Acer

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d. M Sasikumar - Riya Bhatia

Answer Keys e. Sidharth Rawat - Riya Bhatia
677. b 678. c 679. d 680. e 681. b 682. d 6
83. c 684. b 685. d 686. a 687. c 688. c 689 695. The 46th edition of the Pacific Asia Travel
. d Association (PATA) Travel Mart 2023 is being
organised at:
690. India retains 40th rank out of 132 a. Mumbai b. Pune c. Delhi d. Lucknow e.
economies in the Global Innovation Index 2023 Jaipur
rankings published by the World Intellectual
Property Organization. Which country ranked first 696. Who is the newly appointed Managing
among the 37 lower-middle group income and Director and Chief Executive Officer of the South
first among the 10 economies in Central and Indian Bank?
South America? a. HV Swami b. PR Seshadri c. Smita Sharm d.
a. Egypt b. India c. Argentina d. Singapore e. K Venkaiah e. Surendra Bansal
Chile
697. In October 2023, which of the following
691. In September 2023, which of the following regulatory bodies has launched a centralised
companies has acquired a majority stake in mechanism for reporting the demise of an
digital entertainment company Pocket Aces investor through KYC (know your customer)
Pictures Pvt Ltd, the company with 51.8% shares registration agencies (KRAs)?
for ₹174 crore with a clear path to further a. Reserve Bank of India
acquire another 41% stake in the next 15 b. National Bank for Agriculture and Rural
months at pre-agreed multiples? Development
a. Zee Music Company b. Times Music c. T- c. Securities & Exchange Board of India
Series d. Saregama India Limited e. Sony d. Insurance Regulatory & Development
Music Authority of India
e. Pension Fund Regulatory & Development
692. The Reserve Bank of India imposed a Authority
monetary penalty of ₹23 lakh (Rupees Twenty
Three lakh only) on Saraswat Co-operative Bank 698. In October 2023, which of the following
Limited based in ________________ for fintech technology company has merged with the
contravention of various provisions Banking North East Small Finance Bank (NESFB) after
Regulation Act, 1949 (BR Act), and the directions getting approval from the Reserve Bank of India
issued by RBI on 'Loans and advances to (RBI)?
directors, their relatives, and firms/concerns in a. Pine Labs b. Slice c. Groww d. Billdesk e.
which they are interested'. CoinSwitch
a. Bengaluru b. Kolkata c. New Delhi d.
Mumbai e. Chennai 699. The Reserve Bank of India constituted an
external working group on expected credit loss
693. In September 2023, The Appointments (ECL) based framework for provisioning by
Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved an banks. Which of the following statement is/are
extension in Piyush Goyal's tenure as the CEO, TRUE for ECL based framework?
National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) beyond a. ECL is a method of accounting for credit risk
March 25, 2024, for a period up to November 19, based on the loss likely to occur on a loan or
2025. National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) is portfolio of loans.
under which ministry? b. It is used to get an understanding of the
a. Ministry of Finance potential future losses on financial assets and
b. Ministry of Home Affairs how those losses can be identified and addressed
c. Ministry of Cooperation in the financial statements.
d. Ministry of Corporate Affairs c. It represents the probability weighted estimate
e. Ministry of Commerce and Industry of the present value of all cash shortfalls from an
instrument.
694. Which pair won the Mixed Doubles Gold for d. It is in contrast to the existing regime where
India at the 2023 Asian Games? banks make provisions after incurring losses.
a. Rohan Bopanna - Ankita Raina e. All the above
b. Rutuja Bhonsale - Rohan Bopanna
c. Rutuja Bhonsle - M Sasikumar

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700. The Reserve Bank of India has included 23 entity to initiate and implement remedial
more banks under its UDGAM portal launched to measures in a timely manner. II)The PCA
help the public search for unclaimed deposits. framework is also intended to act as a tool for
Which of the following statement is TRUE for effective market discipline. III)The PCA
UDGAM Portal? I. The banking regulator launched framework does preclude the Reserve Bank of
the centralised UDGAM portal in August 2023. II. India from taking any other action as it deems fit
The portal wull help members of the public to at any time in addition to the corrective actions
identify and approach their respective banks for prescribed in the framework.
claiming unclaimed deposits. III. A total of Rs a. I only b. II only c. III only d. Both I and
35,000 crore as of February 2023 were II e. All of the above
unclaimed by the public and was transferred to
the RBI by the public sector banks, according to 705. In October, The Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
a response to parliamentary query. has imposed a monetary penalty of Rs. 5.39
a. I only b. II only c. II and III only d. I and II crore on which fintech company for violating KYC
only e. I, II and III norms?
a. Paytm b. Google Pay c. Phone Pay d.
701. In October 2023, The Reserve Bank of India Cashfree Payments e. Money Tab
has increased the existing limit for gold loans
under the Bullet Repayment scheme to 706. In October 2023, The Reserve Bank of India
_______________ for Urban Co-operative Banks (RBI) imposed a penalty of ₹3.95 crore on Kotak
that have met the overall target and sub-targets Mahindra Bank and ₹12.19 crore on which bank
under the Priority Sector Lending as of March- for non-compliance with a few regulatory norms?
end. a. State Bank of India b. ICICI Bank c. HDFC
a. Rs. 1 lakh b. Rs. 2lakh c. Rs. 3 lakh d. Rs. 4 Bank d. Axis Bank e. Canara Bank
lakh e. Rs. 5 lakh
707. In October 2023, which Russian bank
702. In October 2023, The Reserve Bank of India became first bank to register with Sebi as foreign
has decided to extend the 'prompt corrective portfolio investor (FPI)?
action (PCA) framework for non-banking financial a. Sberbank of Russia b. VTB Bank c.
companies (NBFCs)' to government NBFCs Gazprombank d. Novikombank e. Bank of
(except those in base layer) with effect Russia
from________.
a. 2024 b. 2025 c. 2026 d. 2023 e. 2027 708. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has
Answer Keys announced that its core banking solution, e-
690. b 691. d 692. d 693. b 694. b 695. c 6 Kuber, will be operational on Sunday, ________.
96. b 697. c 698. b 699. e 700. e 701. d 70 a. March 31, 2024 b. April 1, 2024 c. July 1,
2. a 2024 d. March 1, 2024 e. All of the above

703. In October 2023, The RBI directed which 709. Which bank has recently introduced a zero-
bank to stop onboarding new customers on its balance digital banking product - GO Savings
mobile application, Bob World ? Account, which has a subscription-based model?
a. State bank of India a. Bank of Baroda b. RBL Bank c. Axis Bank d.
b. Bank of Baroda HDFC bank e. Federal bank
c. HDFC Bank
d. Canara Bank 710. In October 2023, ________ Launched
e. Central Bank of India XpressWay Digital Banking Platform For
Paperless Self-Service Banking.
704. The Reserve Bank of India has recently a. RBL Bank b. HDFC Bank c. ICICI Bank d.
decided to extend the 'prompt corrective action Bank of Baroda e. Yes Bank
(PCA) framework for non-banking financial
companies (NBFCs)' to government NBFCs 711. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has
(except those in base layer) with effect from expanded the basket of products offered through
October 1, 2024. Which of the following the Retail Direct Portal, allowing retail investors
statement/s is/ are correct about 'prompt to subscribe to Floating Rate Savings Bonds
corrective action? I)The aim of the PCA (FRSBs). Which of the following is/are the
framework is to enable supervisory intervention characteristics of FRSBs? I) They are interest
at appropriate time and require the supervised

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bearing bonds II) They are non-tradeable bonds a. China b. India c. Brazil d. Ghana e. Kenya
III) They are issued by the Government of India.
a. I and II only b. II and III only c. I only d. I, 717. Pashmina, a more than 100-year-old
II and III e. I and III only traditional craft from which state/UT of India
received the Geographical Indication tag from
712. In a recent initiative, the Reserve Bank of Government of India in October 2023?
India (RBI) has increased the threshold limit of a. Rajasthan b. Ladakh c. Jammu and
non-callable deposits to _________ from Rs 15 Kashmir d. Assam e. Sikkim
lakh, a move that would provide more flexibility
to depositors. 718. In October 2023, The Ministry of Civil
a. Rs. 45 lakhs b. Rs. 75 lakhs c. Rs. 90 Aviation (MCA) has said that certain protection
lakhs d. Rs. 1 crore e. Rs. 2 crore offered to a corporate debtor from the recovery
of dues under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy
713. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has Code (IBC) 2016 will not be applicable to which
unveiled a framework for for compensation to of the following? I. Aircraft II. Helicopters III.
customers for delayed updation or rectification of Airframes IV. Real Estate
credit information by credit institutions (CIs) and a. I and IV only
credit information companies (CICs). b. I, II and III only
Complainants will be entitled to a compensation c. III and II only
of _________ per calendar day in case their d. I, III and IV only
complaint is not resolved within a period of e. IV only
_________ from the date of the initial filing of
the complaint by the complainant with a CI/ CIC. 719. The 52nd GST Council meeting was held in
a. Rs. 100; 30 days b. Rs. 200; 60 days c. Rs. New Delhi under the Chairmanship of Union
500; 45 days d. Rs. 150; 15 days Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Talking
e. Rs. 500; 90 days about the amendments regarding GST Appellate
Tribunal, finance minister said, the President will
714. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) met now have the tenure up to the maximum age of
on 4th, 5th and 6th October 2023. The Reserve _____________.
Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das a. 65 years b. 67 years c. 69 years d. 70
announced that the monetary policy committee years e. 63 years
(MPC) has decided unanimously to keep the
policy repo rate unchanged at 6.50 per cent. 720. In October 2023, the country's first solar
Consequently, the standing deposit facility (SDF) roof cycling track was inaugurated in which city
rate remains at ______________. of India?
a. 6% b. 6.25% c. 6.50% d. 6.75% e. a. Chennai b. Hyderabad c. Cochin d.
7.25% Mumbai e. Delhi

715. In October 2023, The government has 721. The Government of India has recently
decided to ban manufacturing, possession and approved royalty rate for lithium, niobium, and
imports of ____________________ from April for Rare Earth Elements (REEs). For lithium and
2025 in view of security concerns and public niobium a royalty rate of _________each has
safety. been fixed, while for Rare Earth Elements (REEs),
a. Electric Detonator b. Circuit Breaker c. the rate has been set at 1%.
Transistor d. Multimeter e. Transistor a. 4% b. 3% c. 2% d. 1% e. 5%

Answer Keys 722. In October 2023, Prime Minister Narendra

703. b 704. d 705. a 706. b 707. a 708. a 7 Modi launched ferry services between
09. b 710. b 711. d 712. d 713. a 714. b 71 __________ in India and Kankesanthurai in Sri
5. a Lanka which is a resumption after forty years.
a. Chennai b. Kanyakumari c. Toothukudi d.
716. In October 2023, the Government of India Nagapattinam e. Chidambaram
notified the constitution of the National Turmeric
Board. The National Turmeric Board will focus on 723. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has recently
the development and growth of turmeric and handed over the G20 Parliamentary Speakers'
turmeric products in the country. Which country Summit (P20) Presidency to which of the
is the largest producer of turmeric? following countries?

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a. China b. Japan c. Brazil d. Italy e. for companies issuing "green" bonds to help
Indonesia investors pick sustainable companies and avoid
greenwashing or misleading climate-friendly
724. The Cabinet Committee on Economic claims?
Affairs, approved the project on Green Energy a. African Union b. European Union c. United
Corridor (GEC) Phase-II ' Inter-State States of America d. Australia e. Brazil
Transmission System (ISTS) for 13 GW
Renewable Energy Project in Ladakh. The project 730. In October 2023, Researchers said that, one
is targeted to be set up by FY______. of the tallest mountains, Mont Blanc has shrunk
a. 2025-2026 b. 2027-2028 c. 2029-2030 d. and now stands 4,805.59 metres tall, which is
2031-2032 e. 2032-2033 2.2 metres shorter than its height in 2021. Mount
Blanc is in which continent?
725. India's first semi-high speed regional rail a. Europe b. North America c. Africa d.
service was flagged off by Prime Minister on the Australia e. South America
Priority Section of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut
corridor. The RRTS is a new rail-based, semi- 731. 8 The Indian Ocean Rim Association, is an
high-speed, high-frequency commuter transit intergovernmental organization established in
system with a design speed of_______. 1997, comprises ______________ member
a. 170 Kmph b. 180 kmph c. 160 kmph d. 150 states and 11 dialogue partners hailing from
kmph e. 190kmph regions surrounding the Indian Ocean.
a. 22 b. 34 c. 30 d. 23 e. 20
726. In October 2023, Union Home Minister Amit
Shah inaugurated India's first liquid nano di- 732. Who has recently become Ecuador's
ammonia phosphate (DAP) plant of Indian youngest-ever president?
Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) in a. Luisa Gonzalez's
_____________ b. Daniel Noboa
a. Maharashtra b. Uttar Pradesh c. Madhya c. Julio Enrique Moreno
Pradesh d. Gujarat e. Jharkhand d. Rafael Vicente Correa Delgado
e. Lucio Edwin Guti'rrez Borb'a
727. Which of the following is the objective of the
'Dark Patterns Buster Hackathon 2023'? 733. Which city in the world emerged as World's
a. To promote innovation and out-of-the-box fastest- recovering Services Hub in 2023?
thinking among young minds. a. Tokyo b. Shanghai c. Beijing d. Dubai e.
b. To institutionalize a model for harnessing the Bangalore
creativity and technical expertise of Indian
students 734. In October 2023, Who was appointed
c. To provide protection to consumers from all Slovakia's prime minister for the fourth time?
types of unfair trade practices. a. Robert Fico b. Zuzana Caputova c. Ludovit
d. To protect Indian citizens from cyber crimes. Odor d. Eduard Heger e. Peter Pellegirni
e. To create real-world, scalable software and
hardware solutions to improve and expand 735. Aditi Ashok, who was in news recently for
artificial intelligence's (AI). winning a Silver Medal at the 2022 Asian Games,
plays which sport?
728. Who is the newly appointed President of a. Hockey b. Tennis c. Badminton d. Golf e.
Maldives? Polo
a. Mohamed Amin Didi b. Mohamed Muizzu c.
Ibrahim Mohamed Solih d. Mushtaq 736. India's Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Pravin
Mohammad Ojas Deotale, who won gold medal for India in
e. Salim Mohammed Asian Games is associated with which sport?
a. Squash b. Tennis c. Archery d.
Answer Keys Badminton e. Chess
716. b 717. c 718. b 719. d 720. b 721. b 7
22. d 723. c 724. c 725. b 726. d 727. c 728 737. Dipika Pallikal and Harinder Pal Singh
. b Sandhu clinched the gold medal for India in Asian
Games in October 2023, they are associated with
729. In October 2023, which of the following which sport?
countries/groups have approved new standards

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a. Squash b. Archery c. Badminton d. 745. In October 2023, Which of the following

Tennis e. Equestrienne Dressage companies had said that its board has approved
the proposal to form joint venture companies
738. Goa is hosting the 37th edition of the with EverEnviro Resource Management and GPS
National Games, featuring a record-breaking 43 Renewables to set up compressed biogas (CBG)
sporting disciplines. Which of the following sport plants in India?
is set to make its debut in the 37th edition? a. Indian Oil Corporation
a. Beach football b. Golf c. Sepaktakraw d. b. Bharat Petroleum
Sqay martial arts e. All the above c. Hindustan Petroleum
d. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation
739. The Asian Games 2022 is the only the e. Oil India Ltd
second time India has won more than 100
medals in any of the three major Games - The 746. In October 2023, India & which country
Olympics, Commonwealth Games, and Asian have signed a Memorandum of Understanding
Games. In this edition of Asian Games, India won (MoU) in electrical interconnections, green/clean
a total of how many medals? hydrogen and supply chains?
a. 105 b. 106 c. 107 d. 108 e. 109 a. UAE b. Saudi Arabia c. Yemen d. Egypt e.
Iran
740. India's Neeraj Chopra, the reigning Olympic
and world javelin champion, became the second 747. In October 2023, India and which country
Indian to be named Laureus ambassador. Who announced elevating their ties to strategic
was the first Indian ? partnership and agreed on a five-year roadmap
a. Kapil Dev b. Rahul Dravid c. Sachin to significantly expand defence cooperation
Tendulkar d. Yuvraj Singh e. Virat Kohli following talks between the two leaders?
a. Chile b. Venezuela c. Tanzania d. Kenya e.
741. Who among the following pairs were named Bolivia
ICC Players of the Month for September 2023?
a. Shubman Gill and Chamari Athapaththu 748. Recently ,India and which country has
b. Mohammed Siraj and Arlene Kelly signed a Pact To Expand Defence Ties With Focus
c. Dawid Malan and Arlene Kelly On Co-Development Of Military Hardware?
d. Dawid Malan and Chamari Athapaththu a. Italy b. Spain c. Austria d. Hungary e.
e. None of the above Germany

Answer Keys 749. In a bid to diversify offerings, the National

729. b 730. a 731. d 732. b 733. d 734. a 7 Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)-backed
35. d 736. c 737. a 738. e 739. c 740. d 74 Bharat BillPay on October 19 announced its foray
1. a into the B2B space with the launch of multiple
value-added services. Which of the following
742. Identify the Badminton player, who beat statement(s) regarding this launch of this
Samiya Imad Farooqui to capture the women's multiple value-added services? I. NPCI Bharat
singles titles at the Abu Dhabi Masters 2023? BillPay will offer tailored products such as flexible
a. Ashwini Ponnappa b. Jwala Gutta c. invoice presentation, complaint management,
Rituparma Das d. Unnati Hooda e. Prakash and MIS, among other things. II. The Bharat
Padukone BillPay-enabled sellers will be able to issue
multiple invoices to their buyers while their
743. Who has won a Gold in the men's high jump clients (buyers) will have the flexibility to pay
T47 category, breaking the Asian Games record multiple invoices in a single transaction. III. The
by clocking in 2.02 metres at 4th Para Asian platform will also offer multiple payment modes
Games? such as UPI, net banking, cards, wallet, IMPS
a. Nishad Kumar b. Prachi Yadav c. Pranav and cash, including other channels such as
Soorma d. Amrit Siroha e. None of them mobile app and website.
a. Only I and II b. Only II and III c. Only I and
744. In October 2023, Bishan Singh Bedi passed III d. I, II, III e. Only III
away aged 77. He was a ________player.
a. cricket b. football c. hockey d. basketball e. 750. The Union Cabinet has recently approved a
none of the above memorandum of cooperation between India and

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which country on a Semiconductor Supply Chain 757. Who has recently been appointed as
Partnership? chairman of Association of Mutual Funds in India
a. South Korea b. Japan c. China d. Sri (AMFI)?
Lanka e. Bangladesh a. Navneet Munot b. Hari Babu c. Archita
Bhutoria d. Balasubramanian e. Sundeep
751. In October 2023 , which country became Sikka
the second Quad partner after the U.S. to sign an
agreement with India for the joint development 758. In October 2023, who among the following
of the semiconductor ecosystem and maintain has been elected as the new Prime Minister of
the resilience of its global supply chain? New Zealand?
a. Australia b. Japan c. New Zealand d. Iran e. a. Henry Sewell b. Chris Hipkins c. Christopher
South Korea Luxon d. Carmel Sepuloni e. Kelvin Davis

752. Recently, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) 759. Who has recently been appointed as India's
has signed a memorandum of understanding ambassador to UN in Geneva?
(MoU) a company of which of the following a. Arindam Bagchi
country to develop industrial cooperation in b. Kewal Singh Choudhary
manufacturing ring forgings for commercial c. Navtej Singh Sarna
aircraft engines? d. Pavan Kapoor
a. USA b. France c. UAE d. Saudi Arabia e. e. Neena Malhotra
Japan
760. Who has recently been elected to the Board
753. Mera Yuva Bharat (MY Bharat), an of the International Dairy Federation (IDF)?
autonomous body will benefit the youth in the a. Dr Meenesh Shah
age group of________, in line with the definition b. Ms Varsha Joshi.
of 'Youth' in the National Youth Policy. c. Dr Varghese Kurien
a. 15-29 years b. 18-30 years c. 15-30 d. Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh
years d. 15-40 years e. 18-40 years e. Dr Abhijit Mitra

754. Who is the newly appointed chairman of 761. Who has been appointed as governor of
Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT)? Tripura?
a. Mukesh Bansal b. Rohan Agrawal c. Nitin a. Raghubar Das
Gupta d. Varun Bandil e. Abhay Saxena b. Indra Sena Reddy
c. Satyadev Narayan Arya
Answer Keys d. Ramesh Bais
742. d 743. a 744. a 745. a 746. b 747. c 7 e. Krishna Mohan Seth
48. a 749. d 750. b 751. b 752. b 753. a 75
4. c 762. Who has been appointed as Secretary
General of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-
755. General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation
Re) appointed Ramaswamy Narayanan as its new (BIMSTEC)?
Chairman and Managing Director (CMD), a. Ruchira Kamboj b. Indra Mani Pandey c.
effective from October 1, 2023. He will replace Geetika Srivastava d. Manpreet Vihra e. Pooja
who among the following? Kapoor
a. Devesh Srivastava b. M P Tangirala c. A.
Manimekhalai d. T. Sivakumar e. Priya Bhushan 763. Who among the following has recently been
Sharma appointed as the Managing Director and CEO of
Kotak Mahindra Bank?
756. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet a. Ashok Vaswani b. Ipsita Dasgupta c.
has given its nod for extending the tenure of SBI Ramaswamy N d. Anirban Mukherjee e.
Chairman Dinesh Kumar Khara till August 28, Saugata Gupta
2024. The current norms stipulate that a person
can hold the post of SBI Chairman up to the age 764. Akbar Al Baker, the chief executive officer
of ______________. of Qatar Airways, the country's flag carrier
a. 60 b. 63 c. 65 d. 69 e. 70 announced his decision to step down from his
role after a 27-year tenure. Who has been
appointed as his successor?

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a. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer d. for the discovery of the interplay of disorder

b. Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum and fluctuations in physical systems from atomic
c. Saeed Yousef K H Al-Sulaiti to planetary scales
d. Akbar Al Baker e. for the discovery that black hole formation is a
e. Suhail Kadri robust prediction of the general theory of
relativity
765. The Election Commission appointed has
recently who among the following as its national 769. In October 2023, Nobel Prize 2023 in
icon? Chemistry was awarded to Moungi Bawendi,
a. Sachin Tendulkar b. Akashy Kumar c. Louis Brus & Alexei Ekimov:
Rajkummar Rao d. Mahendra singh Dhoni e. a. for the discovery and synthesis of quantum
Anupum Kher dots
b. for the development of click chemistry and
766. Recently, who has been appointed as a bioorthogonal chemistry
whole-time member of the bankruptcy regulator c. for the development of asymmetric
of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India organocatalysis
(IBBI)? d. for the development of a method for genome
a. Shanti Lal Jain b. Atul Kumar Goel c. Mukesh editing
Kumar Jain d. Sandip Garg e. for the development of lithium-ion batteries
e. Ashok Kumar Pradhan
770. The Nobel Prize in Literature 2023 is
767. Which of the following statement(s) awarded to author Jon Fosse, "for his innovative
regarding the Nobel Prize in Physiology is/are plays and prose which give voice to the
correct? I. The Nobel Prize in Physiology for 2023 unsayable." Jon Fosse belongs to which country?
has been awarded to Katalin Kariko, & Drew a. Germany b. Russia c. Norway d. Spain e.
Weissman for their discoveries concerning Ukraine
nucleoside base modifications that enabled the
development of effective mRNA vaccines against 771. Who among the following has been
Covid-19. II. Svante P'bo was awarded the prize conferred with the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize?
for Physiology in 2022 "for his discoveries a. Raoni Metuktire
concerning the genomes of extinct hominins and b. Saba Kord Afshari
human evolution". III. The youngest medicine c. Nazanin Afshin-Jam
laureate ever is Frederick G. Banting, who was d. Narges Mohammadi
awarded the 1923 Medicine Prize for the e. Elham Malekpoor Arashlu
discovery of insulin at the age of 32.
a. Only I and II b. Only II and III c. Only III d. 772. In October 2023, The Royal Swedish
Only I and III e. I, II, III Academy of Sciences has decided to award the
2023 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic
Answer Keys Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel to Claudia
755. a 756. b 757. a 758. c 759. a 760. a 7 Goldin
61. a 762. b 763. a 764. a 765. c 766. d 76 a. for research on banks and financial crises
7. e b. for empirical contributions to labour economics
c. for having advanced our understanding of
768. In October 2023, The Royal Swedish women's labour market outcomes
Academy of Sciences has decided to award the d. for improvements to auction theory and
2023 Nobel Prize in Physics to Pierre Agostini, inventions of new auction formats
Ferenc Krausz and Anne L'Huillier for their work e. for integrating climate change into long-run
in which of the following areas? macroeconomic analysis
a. for experiments with entangled photons,
establishing the violation of Bell inequalities and 773. The Department of Water Resources, River
pioneering quantum information science Development and Ganga Rejuvenation (DoWR,
b. for experimental methods that generate RD & GR), under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, has
attosecond pulses of light for the study of initiated the _________ National Water Awards
electron dynamics in matter (NWA), 2023 through the Rashtriya Puraskar
c. for groundbreaking contributions to our portal.
understanding of complex systems a. 5th b. 8th c. 9th d. 4th e. 3rd

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774. In October 202, President Droupadi Murmu 2023 International Military Exercise. This
has conferred the 69th National Film Awards in exercise took place in_______.
New Delhi. Who among the following won the a. Russia b. Japan c. France d. United
Best Actor Award for 'Pushpa: The Rise'? Kingdom e. Australia
a. Pallavi Joshi b. Vivek Agnihotri c. Allu
Arjun d. Alia Bhatt e. Kriti Sanon Answer Keys
768. b 769. a 770. c 771. d 772. c 773. a 7
775. Identify the correct statement about Global 74. c 775. c 776. c 777. b 778. b 779. a 780
Hunger Index 2023. A)India ranked 111th out of . d
125 countries in the Global Hunger Index-2023
B) India has the highest child wasting rate in the 781. The ICC named legendary Sachin Tendulkar
world at 18.7%, reflecting acute undernutrition. as the 'Global Ambassador' for the men's Cricket
C) For the 2023 GHI report, data were assessed World Cup 2023 beginning on October 5 in
for 148 countries. Ahmedabad. Sachin Tendulkar has featured in
a. Only A b. Only b c. Both A and B d. Both b how many 50 over world cup tournamnets?
and c e. All of the above a. 5 b. 6 c. 7 d. 2 e. 3

776. In October 2023, the Centre's health 782. The National Investment and Infrastructure
insurance scheme Ayushmn Bharat Pradhan Fund (NIIF) and the Japan Bank for International
Mantri - Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) has Cooperation (JBIC) jointly launched the India-
crossed the milestone of generating 26 crore Japan Fund (IJF) of ________________ to focus
Ayushman cards across the country. With four on increasing investments in environmental
crore cards, Which State topped the list of states sustainability and'low-carbon emission strategies.
with the highest number? a. $200 million b. $400 million c. $600
a. Madhya Pradesh b. Chhattisgarh c. Uttar million d. $800 million e. $10,00 million
Pradesh d. Gujarat e. Rajasthan
783. In October 2023, NPCI International
777. Pointing out that tax evasion is enabling Payments Ltd, the international arm of the
billionaires to enjoy effective tax rates equivalent National Payment Corporation of India inked an
to 0% to 0.5% of their wealth, the European agreement with a payment platform of which
Union Tax Observatory in its 'Global Tax Evasion country to provide real-time and cost-effective
Report 2024' has called for a global minimum tax cross-border remittances for the users of both
on billionaires equal to how many per cent (%) countries?
of their wealth? a. Germany b. France c. Nepal d. UAE e.
a. 1 % b. 2 % c. 4 % d. 5 % e. 7 % Malaysia

778. ________ was the ______most polluted 784. India had already served two terms as
city among 109 places tracked by IQAir, a Swiss President, Asia- Pacific Institute for Broadcasting
technology company measuring air quality in Development (AIBD) General Conference (GC)
real-time. from 2018 ' 2021 and 2021 ' 2023, and now has
a. Delhi, 2nd b. Mumbai, 2nd c. Delhi, 1st d. been elected as President of AIBD GC for the 3rd
Mumbai, 2st e. Ahmedabad, 2nd successive term to lead the prestigious
international organisation. In October 2023, The
779. World Mental Health Day is observed on 21st General Conference & Associated Meetings
October 10th every year. It is a day dedicated to 2023 (GC 2023) of Asia- Pacific Institute for
raising awareness about mental health issues Broadcasting Development (AIBD) was chaired
and promoting mental well-being globally. The by its President Shri Gaurav Dwivedi in which
theme for the World Mental Health Day 2023 is country?
a. Mental Health is a Universal Human Right a. Maldives b. Singapore c. Malaysia d.
b. Make mental health for all a global priority Mauritius e. Madagascar
c. Mental Health in an unequal world
d. Step up for mental health 785. In October 2023, India assumed the
e. Mental health care for all: let's make it a position of Vice Chair in the Indian Ocean Rim
reality Association (IORA). Which country got the
chairmanship from Bangladesh?
780. In October 2023, The Indian Army won a a. Sri Lanka b. Bangladesh c. Pakistan d.
gold medal at the Cambrian Patrol Competition Myanmar e. Malaysia

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those being run by the Panchayati Raj

786. Name the motor company which has Institutions (PRIs)?
recently become the first Indian automobile a. Kerala b. Telangana c. Andhra Pradesh d.
manufacturer to enter the Venezuela market? Odisha e. Maharashtra
a. Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.
b. Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. 793. In October 2023, Which State's Police
c. Hero MotoCorp Ltd. launched the Law Enforcement CISO (Chief
d. TVS Motor Information Security Officers) Council, a first-of-
e. Ashok Leyland Ltd. its-kind initiative in India at the Cyberabad Police
Commissionerate?
787. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has a. Hyderabad b. Andhra Pradesh c. Tamil
granted approval for a _________loan to Nadu d. Telangana e. Kerala
enhance road connectivity and climate resilience
in Madhya Pradesh, India. Answer Keys
a. USD 127 Million b. USD 175 Million c. USD 781. b 782. c 783. d 784. d 785. a 786. d 7
205 Million d. USD 250 Million e. USD 320 87. b 788. b 789. a 790. c 791. b 792. b 79
Million 3. d

788. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) 794. Which state has recently declared Gangetic
for the first time has become a member of the Dolphin as its aquatic animal?
steering group of the International Competition a. Uttarakhand b. Uttar Pradesh c. Bihar d.
Network (ICN) for a period of ______ years. West Bengal e. Assam
a. One b. Two c. Three d. Four e. Five
795. In which state is the Jamrani Dam
789. Which of the following has launched India's Multipurpose Project located?
first reference fuel to fully meet domestic a. Himachal Pradesh b. Uttarakhand c. Jammu
demand? and Kashmir d. Sikkim e. Karnataka
a. Indian Oil Corporation Limited
b. Numaligarh Refinery Limited 796. Which country became the first country to
c. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited successfully test-fired a medium-caliber maritime
d. TATA Petrodyne Limited electromagnetic railgun from an offshore
e. Reliance Petroleum Limited platform?
a. Israel b. North Korea c. China d. Japan e.
790. Recently, 'Kasaragod' district has become Russia
the first district in India to officially designate its
own tree, flower, bird and species. 'Kasaragod' is 797. The Competition Commission of India (CCI)
a district in _________. joins the prestigious Steering group of the
a. Tamil Nadu b. Karnataka c. Kerala d. International Competition Network (ICN) as a
Madhya Pradesh e. Maharashtra member at the ICN Annual Conference 2023,
held at _________.
791. Which state government has recently a. Geneva b. Barcelona c. Paris d. Washington
decided to launch scheme - Mukhyamantri Maka D.C. e. Doha
Mission (MMM) to promote maize cultivation?
a. Bihar b. Odisha c. Madhya Pradesh d. 798. The RBI has recently asked private banks &
Rajasthan e. Gujarat wholly-owned subsidiaries of foreign banks to
ensure at least what strength of Whole Time
792. After Tamil Nadu, In October 2023, which of Directors (WTDs), including the MD & CEO, on
the following state government launched the their boards?
'Chief Minister's Breakfast Scheme' for all school a. 4 b. 6 c. 2 d. 3 e. 5
children studying in government schools besides,

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General/Economy/Banking Awareness Answer Keys

1. b 2. a 3. d 4. a 5. a 6. a 7. a 8. b 9. b 10. a
11. a 12. b 13. c 14. a 15. c 16. d 17. a 18. a 19. b 20. d
21. c 22. b 23. c 24. a 25. d 26. a 27. d 28. b 29. d 30. d
31. c 32. b 33. a 34. b 35. a 36. b 37. a 38. e 39. a 40. c
41. a 42. b 43. a 44. a 45. b 46. a 47. b 48. d 49. b 50. c
51. b 52. b 53. b 54. a 55. b 56. a 57. b 58. c 59. d 60. a
61. b 62. d 63. a 64. a 65. c 66. d 67. c 68. c 69. b 70. b
71. b 72. a 73. b 74. a 75. b 76. b 77. d 78. b 79. d 80. b
81. d 82. c 83. a 84. b 85. b 86. d 87. a 88. a 89. b 90. c
91. b 92. c 93. d 94. a 95. c 96. b 97. d 98. a 99. d 100. d
101. c 102. d 103. a 104. a 105. b 106. a 107. c 108. c 109. b 110. a
111. b 112. e 113. c 114. c 115. d 116. b 117. a 118. b 119. b 120. c
121. d 122. a 123. c 124. a 125. d 126. d 127. b 128. b 129. a 130. a
131. c 132. a 133. c 134. c 135. a 136. d 137. b 138. d 139. b 140. a
141. b 142. a 143. a 144. a 145. d 146. a 147. a 148. e 149. b 150. d
151. c 152. c 153. d 154. a 155. c 156. b 157. a 158. b 159. a 160. b
161. a 162. c 163. a 164. a 165. d 166. d 167. d 168. b 169. b 170. d
171. b 172. c 173. b 174. c 175. b 176. a 177. a 178. c 179. a 180. b
181. b 182. a 183. d 184. a 185. c 186. a 187. a 188. a 189. c 190. a
191. c 192. a 193. b 194. a 195. b 196. d 197. a 198. b 199. b 200. a
201. b 202. a 203. c 204. c 205. b 206. d 207. a 208. c 209. a 210. a
211. b 212. c 213. a 214. a 215. b 216. d 217. a 218. b 219. c 220. a
221. d 222. a 223. a 224. b 225. a 226. a 227. a 228. c 229. b 230. c
231. c 232. b 233. a 234. c 235. b 236. b 237. b 238. c 239. b 240. d
241. a 242. b 243. a 244. c 245. a 246. c 247. a 248. b 249. b 250. b
251. b 252. a 253. c 254. a 255. b 256. b 257. c 258. a 259. a 260. a
261. b 262. a 263. a 264. b 265. a 266. a 267. a 268. a 269. a 270. d
271. c 272. a 273. b 274. b 275. c 276. d 277. b 278. d 279. b 280. a
281. b 282. b 283. a 284. b 285. a 286. a 287. b 288. b 289. b 290. c
291. b 292. b 293. c 294. b 295. c 296. c 297. d 298. a 299. c 300. b
301. a 302. b 303. a 304. b 305. d 306. c 307. b 308. c 309. a 310. c
311. c 312. d 313. c 314. d 315. b 316. d 317. a 318. d 319. b 320. b
321. a 322. d 323. c 324. d 325. b 326. b 327. b 328. a 329. d 330. a
331. b 332. b 333. c 334. a 335. b 336. b 337. c 338. c 339. a 340. a
341. b 342. c 343. b 344. a 345. d 346. d 347. c 348. b 349. c 350. e
351. d 352. b 353. d 354. d 355. a 356. b 357. c 358. a 359. a 360. d
361. d 362. c 363. c 364. a 365. b 366. d 367. e 368. a 369. d 370. c
371. a 372. c 373. d 374. d 375. a 376. d 377. b 378. a 379. c 380. d
381. d 382. c 383. d 384. b 385. b 386. d 387. a 388. b 389. a 390. d
391. b 392. d 393. b 394. b 395. e 396. e 397. a 398. e 399. c 400. e
401. c 402. c 403. a 404. d 405. b 406. d 407. a 408. c 409. a 410. b
411. b 412. b 413. d 414. c 415. d 416. d 417. b 418. b 419. b 420. a
421. b 422. a 423. c 424. b 425. a 426. a 427. b 428. b 429. a 430. d
431. c 432. d 433. c 434. a 435. c 436. d 437. b 438. b 439. d 440. b
441. d 442. d 443. d 444. b 445. a 446. b 447. c 448. c 449. a 450. a
451. b 452. c 453. a 454. b 455. a 456. b 457. c 458. b 459. d 460. d

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461. b 462. a 463. b 464. d 465. b 466. b 467. c 468. b 469. d 470. a
471. d 472. a 473. c 474. d 475. a 476. b 477. b 478. c 479. a 480. b
481. b 482. b 483. d 484. c 485. b 486. d 487. a 488. d 489. a 490. d
491. a 492. a 493. d 494. a 495. a 496. b 497. c 498. d 499. c 500. a
501. b 502. c 503. b 504. b 505. b 506. d 507. b 508. d 509. d 510. a
511. c 512. c 513. a 514. c 515. a 516. b 517. d 518. a 519. a 520. b
521. b 522. b 523. b 524. c 525. b 526. c 527. c 528. d 529. d 530. b
531. a 532. b 533. d 534. a 535. c 536. d 537. d 538. b 539. a 540. b
541. a 542. d 543. a 544. b 545. d 546. a 547. a 548. c 549. c 550. d
551. a 552. a 553. b 554. b 555. b 556. a 557. b 558. c 559. c 560. b
561. b 562. c 563. c 564. a 565. a 566. b 567. d 568. d 569. d 570. c
571. b 572. a 573. c 574. a 575. c 576. a 577. c 578. c 579. a 580. a
581. b 582. a 583. a 584. a 585. c 586. d 587. a 588. a 589. a 590. c
591. c 592. b 593. b 594. b 595. c 596. b 597. c 598. b 599. d 600. a
601. c 602. a 603. a 604. d 605. b 606. b 607. b 608. a 609. b 610. d
611. b 612. b 613. b 614. d 615. a 616. b 617. d 618. b 619. d 620. a
621. d 622. d 623. d 624. b 625. d 626. a 627. c 628. b 629. a 630. b
631. d 632. d 633. d 634. a 635. d 636. d 637. b 638. a 639. d 640. c
641. c 642. b 643. a 644. b 645. c 646. b 647. a 648. a 649. b 650. b
651. c 652. b 653. b 654. a 655. b 656. c 657. d 658. b 659. a 660. a
661. c 662. b 663. a 664. c 665. a 666. b 667. d 668. b 669. d 670. a
671. c 672. c 673. a 674. b 675. d 676. c 677. b 678. c 679. d 680. e
681. b 682. d 683. c 684. b 685. d 686. a 687. c 688. c 689. d 690. b
691. d 692. d 693. b 694. b 695. c 696. b 697. c 698. b 699. e 700. e
701. d 702. a 703. b 704. d 705. a 706. b 707. a 708. a 709. b 710. b
711. d 712. d 713. a 714. b 715. a 716. b 717. c 718. b 719. d 720. b
721. b 722. d 723. c 724. c 725. b 726. d 727. c 728. b 729. b 730. a
731. d 732. b 733. d 734. a 735. d 736. c 737. a 738. e 739. c 740. d
741. a 742. d 743. a 744. a 745. a 746. b 747. c 748. a 749. d 750. b
751. b 752. b 753. a 754. c 755. a 756. b 757. a 758. c 759. a 760. a
761. a 762. b 763. a 764. a 765. c 766. d 767. e 768. b 769. a 770. c
771. d 772. c 773. a 774. c 775. c 776. c 777. b 778. b 779. a 780. d
781. b 782. c 783. d 784. d 785. a 786. d 787. b 788. b 789. a 790. c
791. b 792. b 793. d 794. b 795. b 796. d 797. b 798. c

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General/Economy/Banking Awareness Solutions

1. b The Group of Seven advanced nations Sergio Pérez took advantage of a fortunately
agreed to adopt "risk-based" regulation on timed safety car to beat his teammate Max
artificial intelligence, as European lawmakers Verstappen to the win in the Formula One
hurry to introduce an AI Act to enforce rules on Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Sunday, adding it to
emerging tools such as ChatGPT. the sprint he won the day before, as Red Bull
But such regulation should also "preserve an kept up its winning start to 2023.
open and enabling environment" for the
development of AI technologies and be based on 6. a Reliance Consumer Products (RCPL) has
democratic values, G7 ministers said in a joint entered into a strategic partnership with Ceylon
statement issued at the end of a two-day Beverage International, one of the largest
meeting in Japan. beverage can and filling companies in Sri Lanka
promoted by former cricketer Muthiah
2. a In the latest meeting of the Internal Muralitharan, to co-pack and manufacture its
Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Campa soft drinks cans. Ceylon Beverage
Scientific, Technological, and Cultural International will co-pack cans for the Campa
Cooperation (IRIGC-TEC), India and Russia have soft drinks portfolio in India.
agreed to explore the possibility of accepting
each other's payment cards, RuPay (India) and 7. a Recently, the Airtel Payments Bank
Mir (Russia), for hassle-free payments between collaborated with the National Payments
the two countries. Corporation of India (NPCI) to roll out Face
Mutual acceptance of RuPay and Mir cards will Authentication for AePS (Aadhaar-enabled
facilitate transactions in Indian rupees and Payment System) at its 500,000 banking points.
Russian rubles, making it easier for citizens of Airtel Payments Bank is amongst the first four
both countries to carry out cross-border banks to offer Face Authentication for AePS in
payments. Both countries also agreed to explore the country.
the adoption of the Russian financial messaging NPCI's AePS allows customers to carry out
system, the Services Bureau of Financial financial and non-financial transactions at any
Messaging System of the Bank of Russia, for banking point using their Aadhaar number or
cross-border payments. Currently, overseas virtual ID to access their Aadhaar-linked bank
payments from India and Russia are made account.
through the SWIFT network, and exploring
alternative payment options is necessary to 8. b India will start participating in the
minimize the impact of sanctions imposed on International Civil Aviation Organization's (ICAO)
Russia by the West. Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for
International Aviation (CORSIA) and the Long-
3. d The Anji-Khad rail bridge, India's first cable- Term Aspirational Goals (LTAG) in 2027. The
stayed rail bridge, is ready. The first bridge of its ICAO has been tasked to reduce carbon
kind is made of 96 cables in total. Anji-Khad rail emissions from international civil aviation as one
bridge will connect Katra to Reasi in Jammu and of its focus areas. India committed to net zero by
Kashmir. The bridge has been made using 2070 at the 26th Conference of Parties (COP26)
cutting-edge technology and is designed to to the United Nations Framework Convention on
withstand harsh weather conditions. Climate Change.

4. a Ding Liren became China's first world chess 9. b Two frontline warships of the Indian Navy
champion after a rapid-play tie-break victory INS Satpura and INS Delhi has recently arrived
over Russia's Ian Nepomniachtchi in Kazakhstan. in Singapore to participate in the inaugural
Ding, takes over as winner of the World Chess edition of the ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise.
Championship from Norway's Magnus Carlsen, The ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise (AIME-2023)
who chose not to defend his title after a 10-year will provide an opportunity to the Indian Navy
reign. and ASEAN navies to work closely with each
other and conduct seamless operations in the
5. a Red Bull driver Sergio Perez held off maritime domain.
defending Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen With AIME-2023 India becomes the 4th ASEAN
to win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2023 at the dialogue partner, after Russia, China and the US
Baku City Circuit. to hold the ASEAN 1 maritime exercise in which

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navies of the Philippines, Cambodia, Myanmar, commission will be maintaining this portal for the
Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, benefit of all the CUs and is not a centralised
Vietnam, Laos, and Brunei, will be participating. recruitment process for all central universities.

10. a The Department of Public Enterprises 14. a Amit Mishra became the third-highest
granted the status of Navratna to the Rail Vikas wicket-taker in Indian Premier League (IPL)
Nigam Limited (RVNL). In India, Navratna history after surpassing Sri Lankan legend Lasith
companies are those state-controlled firms that Malinga. Mishra, achieved the milestone during
can receive investments up to a value of Rs the match between Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)
1,000 crore. and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the
RVNL is a project-executing agency working for Ekana Stadium. The 40- year old took advantage
and on behalf of the Ministry of Railways (MoR). of spin-friendly conditions to the fullest. He
India now has 15 Navratnas. ended with figures of 2/21 in his four overs.

11. a The government has appointed director of 15. c Recently, the Government of India has
the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Dr reduced Windfall tax on petroleum crude. India
Ajit Kumar Mohanty, as the chairman of the has cut the windfall tax on petroleum crude to
Atomic Energy Commission and secretary of the 4,100 rupees ($50.14) per tonne from 6,400
Department of Atomic Energy. Mohanty will rupees per tonne. The government left the
replace outgoing secretary and chairman Dr windfall tax on petrol, diesel and aviation turbine
Kamlesh Nilkanth Vyas, who has reached the age fuel at zero. The government revises tax rates
of retirement. fortnightly based on oil price fluctuations
The Department of Atomic Energy comes directly
under the Prime Minister's Office, and since its 16. d India's ranking in the 2023 World Press
inception in 1954, "has been engaged in the Freedom Index has slipped to 161 out of 180
development of nuclear power technology, countries, according to the latest report released
applications of radiation technologies in the fields by global media watchdog Reporters Without
of agriculture, medicine, industry and basic Borders (RSF). In 2022, India was ranked at
research," . 150. The World Press Freedom Index evaluates
countries based on five sub-indicators: Political,
12. b Wayanad has become the first district in Economic, Legislative, Social, and Security
the country to be declared ODF (open defecation- indicators.
free) Plus. India's rank in the Security indicator category is
Wayanad district has come first in the ODF Plus particularly concerning, as it has dropped to 172
rankings of the Swachh Bharat Mission in three- out of 180 countries.
star category, followed by Mancheriyal district in This indicates that India ranks worse than all but
Maharashtra and Anupur in Madhya Pradesh. eight countries when it comes to ensuring the
While Wayanad scored 100 points in the ODF safety of journalists.
ranking, Manchaeriyal and Anupur got 90.45 and The countries that rank worse than India in
88.79 points respectively, terms of journalist safety are China, Mexico,
The ODF Plus scores of panchayats and districts Iran, Pakistan, Syria, Yemen, Ukraine, and
were calculated on the basis of the ODF Plus Myanmar, in that order, with Myanmar at the
progress report submitted by the villages till bottom.
October 1, 2022.
17. a Bharti Airtel announced the merger of
13. c The University Grants Commission (UGC) operations of Bharti Airtel Lanka, with Dialog " a
has launched a new portal named 'CU-Chayan' subsidiary of Malaysian multinational
for faculty appointments in central varsities. The telecommunications conglomerate Axiata Group
portal will offer a range of features including a Berhad. Bharti Airtel Lanka is a wholly owned
consolidated listing of job openings across all subsidiary of Bharti Airtel, which began
participating universities. commercial operations in Sri Lanka in 2009.
Applicants will have a single login for applying to Dialog is Sri Lanka's largest telecom provider,
any of the universities, and personalised and the merger is expected to give Airtel access
dashboards to help manage the application to a much larger user base.
process. The new entity is set to become the largest
The commission has also asked all CUs to telecom provider in the country. Majority
deactivate their recruitment portal. The

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government-owned SLT-Mobitel is the second and CEO of Mastercard, a global organisation

largest player in the market. with nearly 24,000 employees.

18. a The Union Housing and Urban Affairs 23. c The Health minister of Tamil Nadu launched
Ministry has decided to extend the deadline for the mobile app 'Tamil Nadu Food Safety
the Smart Cities Mission till June 2024, following Consumer' and website
requests from some cities that sought more time www.foodsafety.tn.gov.in, where consumers can
to complete their ongoing projects. The existing find information on safe food and other details.
deadline of the Mission was June 2023. The website can be accessed in Tamil and English
The Narendra Modi government launched its and also has a screen reader facility for ease of
flagship Smart Cities Mission (SCM) on June 25, access for the differently-abled.
2015 and 100 cities were selected for
redevelopment through two-stage competition 24. a Army holds 'Buland Bharat' exercise in
from January 2016 to June 2018. Arunachal to test synergy in simulated war
conditions. The armed forces have carried out an
19. b The US Food and Drug Administration integrated surveillance and firepower training
(FDA) has approved the world's first RSV vaccine exercise known as Buland Bharat to test
that is meant for older adults. The respiratory "simulated war conditions in high altitude area"
virus (RSV) infection is more common among at the Mandala High Altitude Firing Ranges in
children but at times it also attacks the elderly Arunachal Pradesh even as tensions continue to
population. After the Food and Drug prevail along the Line of Actual Control with
Administration nod, GSK's shot, called Arexvy, China.
becomes the first vaccine to protect older adults The exercise validated plans for bringing down
against RSV. integrated firepower by orchestrating
synchronised firing by artillery guns and fire
20. d Web conference company Zoom Video support components of the infantry, aimed
Communications (ZVC) has secured a pan-India toward the destruction of designated targets.
telecom licence that will enable it to offer
telephone services as well to enterprise 25. d Karnataka ranked the most 'innovative'
customers. With these licences, the company will State by the National Manufacturing Innovation
be able to offer its cloud-based private branch Survey
exchange (PBX) service 'Zoom Phone' to A survey on the degree of innovation among
multinational corporations (MNCs) and manufacturing firms found that Karnataka,
businesses operating in India. overall, is the most "innovative" State, followed
by Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu
21. c REC Limited, a Maharatna power finance (DNH&DD), Telangana, and Tamil Nadu.
company has exclusively listed its recently issued Telangana, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu had the
Green bonds worth $750 million at GIFT IFSC highest share of innovative firms at 46.18%
Stock Exchanges (India International Exchange), ,39.10% and 31.90%, respectively.
under its Global Medium Term Programme of $7 Odisha, Bihar, and Jharkhand reported the lowest
billion. The Green bond issuance by REC Limited share of such firms at 12.78%, 13.47% and
reinforces its status as one of the most 13.71%, respectively. The findings are part of
accomplished and frequent issuers in the the National Manufacturing Innovation Survey
international capital markets. It also marks the (NMIS) 2021-22, a joint study by the
first Green Bond issuance by an Indian company Department of Science and Technology (DST)
post India's G20 Presidency. and the United Nations Industrial Development
Organization (UNIDO), to evaluate the innovation
22. b The Executive Directors of the World Bank performance of manufacturing firms in India.
selected Ajay Banga as President for a five-year
term beginning June 2. In February, President 26. a India's exports of goods and services could
Joe Biden announced that the U.S. would be touch $900 billion in the current financial year,
nominating Banga to lead the World Bank up from $770 billion in the previous year,
because he is "well equipped" to lead the global keeping resilient despite global headwinds.
institution at "this critical moment in history" Merchandise exports could expand to between
Banga recently served as Vice Chairman at $495 billion and $500 billion, while services
General Atlantic. Previously, he was President exports could touch $400 billion in the year
ending March 2024.

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32. b Global IT and consulting major Accenture

27. d The 21-volume Braille version of the said that Ajay Vij has been appointed to the
Assamese-English dictionary Hemkosh has newly created role of country managing director
become the world's largest lexicon. The India.
authorities of the Guinness World Records After a 20-year career at Accenture, Rekha M
handed over a certificate to Jayanta Baruah, the Menon, senior managing director and chairperson
publisher. The 123-year-old dictionary is the first for Accenture in India will retire on June 30.
etymological dictionary of the Assameses.
33. a National Green Tribunal has levied Rs
28. b The Reserve Bank of India(RBI) and Bank 4,000 crore in environmental compensation on
for International Settlements (BIS) have Bihar for failing to scientifically manage solid &
launched G20 TechSprint, a global technology liquid waste.
competition. The RBI and the BIS Innovation Hub NGT noted that there was legacy waste of more
have jointly announced the fourth edition of the than 11.74 lakh metric tonnes as well as
G20 TechSprint. The RBI said that the 2023 unprocessed urban waste of 4072 metric tonnes
TechSprint will focus on developing innovative per day, & the gap in liquid waste generation and
technology solutions for cross-border payments. treatment was 2,193 million litres per day.

29. d The UAE government launched the 34. b Tokyo 2020 Olympic javelin throw
'Machines Can See 2023' Summit, one of the champion Neeraj Chopra started his season by
international conferences in Artificial Intelligence winning the Doha Diamond League 2023 with a
(AI) in the whole region, taking place at the world-leading effort of 88.67m on his first
Museum of the Future in Dubai, in partnership attempt at the Qatar Sports Club. His personal
between Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, best and national javelin record is 89.94m.
and Remote Work Applications Office and Athletes competing in Diamond League are
'Machines Can See' company. awarded points instead of medals and top eight
The conference aims to bring together experts athletes at the end of the Diamond League series
from around the world to discuss the future of AI qualify for the Diamond League final.
and its potential in contributing to the UAE's
vision of creating the next Silicon Valley. The 35. a Cristiano Ronaldo became the world's
summit was held at the Museum of the Future in highest-paid athlete after his move to Saudi
Dubai and explored the current advancements of Arabian side Al-Nassr nearly doubled his annual
AI, its applications, and its future in the UAE and playing salary while Paris St Germain duo Lionel
the rest of the world. Messi and Kylian Mbappe round off the top three,
according to Forbes.
30. d Foreign ministers of eight member states Ronaldo, who joined the Saudi soccer club on a
of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) deal until 2025 after leaving Manchester United
meet in Goa on May 4-5. This meeting has set last year, earned $136 million, with his annual
the stage for the SCO Leaders' Summit to be playing salary going up to an estimated $75
held in July in New Delhi. million.
The theme of India's Chairmanship of SCO in Ronaldo signed with Al Nassr until 2025 on a
2023 is 'SECURE-SCO'. reported $200 million per year contract.
India became a member of the SCO in 2017.
36. b In order to further collaboration in high
31. c Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the technology areas such as Artificial Intelligence,
guest of honour at France's traditional military Quantum and semiconductors, synthetic biology,
parade, held during Bastille Day on July 14. etc., India and Israel have signed a
PM Modi's visit coincides with the 25th Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on
anniversary of the "strategic partnership" Industrial Research and Development
between France and India. Cooperation. The Council of Scientific and
Bastille Day is named after the fall of a fortress Industrial Research (CSIR) under the Ministry of
that symbolised the French revolution of 1789. Science and Technology (MoST) of India and the
PM Modi will be 2nd Indian PM to be the guest of Directorate of Defense Research and
honour after Manmohan Singh in 2009. Development (DDR&D), under the Ministry of
French heads of state have been the Republic Defense of Israel signed the MoU.
Day guests of honour five times since 1951.Â

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37. a Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Finance ministry notification clarified the extent
Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman lead the Indian of financial transactions carried at the behest of
delegation to attend the 56th Annual General the client that will be considered. This includes:
Meeting of the Board of Governors of Asian - Buying and selling of any immovable property.
Development Bank (ADB) along with Investor/ - Managing of client money, securities or other
Bilateral and other associated meetings, in assets.
Incheon, the Republic of Korea from May 2-5. - Management of bank, savings or securities
ADB Annual Meeting theme: Rebounding Asia: accounts.
Recover, Reconnect and Reform. - Organisation of contributions for the creation,
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has operation or management of companies.Â
announced Tbilisi, Georgia, as the host of its - Creation, operation or management of
57th Annual Meeting to be held from 2 to 5 May companies, limited liability partnerships or trusts,
2024. and buying and selling of business entities.

38. e SJVN announced that its arm SJVN Green 41. a A well-known UK-based Sanskrit scholar
Energy Limited (SGEL) has bagged an order and the Executive Director of the Bharatiya Vidya
worth Rs 600 crore for setting up of 1,000 MW Bhavan centre in London has been conferred an
STU Connected Solar PV Power Plant. It has honorary MBE by King Charles III for services to
bagged the order from Rajasthan Urja Vikas Indian classical arts in Britain.
Nigam Ltd. (RUVNL) of the Rajasthan Dr M.N. Nandakumara, who hails from the village
government. of Mattur in Karnataka, has been associated with
This 1,000 MW STU Connected Solar PV Power the Bhavan for 46 years.
Plant can be set up anywhere in Rajasthan. The honorary award, approved by the British
monarch for foreign nationals for their
39. a Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd.(ABFRL) contribution to public life, was confirmed by the
has signed a definitive agreement to acquire UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development
majority stake in TCNS Clothing Co. Office (FCDO) earlier this month and will be
As part of the transaction, the retail arm of formally awarded at a ceremony at a later date.
Aditya Birla Group will make an open offer to The honorary Member of the Order of the British
acquire up to 29% stake and the balance stake Empire (MBE) has been conferred "for services to
from the founding promoters of TCNS Clothing to the teaching, performance and accessibility of
reach 51%, according to an exchange filing. Indian classical arts in the UK".
ABFRL will shell out Rs 1,650 crore for acquisition The centre, registered as the Bharatiya Vidya
of an aggregate 51% stake. Following the Bhavan with the Charity Commission in England,
completion of the transaction, TCNS Clothing will operates a series of classes including Yoga,
be merged with ABFRL. Indian languages, dance and music. Before the
TCNS Clothing is the owner of ethnic brands, COVID pandemic it had 900 students enrolled for
including W, Aurelia, Wishful, Folksong and its classes and while that number has since
Elleven. dipped somewhat due to a switch to online
classes, its chief is confident of a boost in the
40. c Notifying changes to the Prevention of coming months as he sees a growing interest
Money Laundering Act, the Finance Ministry has among the youth in learning about Indian arts
brought in practicing chartered accountants, and culture.
company secretaries, and cost and works
accountants carrying out financial transactions on 42. b The Kerala government has launched its
behalf of their clients into the ambit of the own ranking system for higher education
money laundering law. Lawyers and legal institutes taking a cue from the National
professionals, however, seem to have been kept Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF).
out in the new definition of entities covered A state-level methodology has been adopted to
under the PMLA. assess and rank higher education institutions, for
The change brings 'a relevant person'"practising which a key parameter used would be 'Scientific
chartered accountants, company secretaries, and Temper and Secular Outlook(STSO)'.
cost and works accountants"carrying out financial Besides "Scientific Temper and Secular Outlook
transactions on behalf of their client, into the (STSO)", the performance parameters are
ambit of the anti-money laundering law. organised into four other broad heads including
Teaching, Learning & Resources (TLR),
Knowledge Dissemination and Research

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Excellence (KDRE), Graduation Outcome (GO), Guidelines (MEG). Dr. K Govindaraj, current
and Outreach and Inclusivity (OI), officials said. President of the Basketball Federation of India.

43. a Belgium's Luca Brecel became the first 47. b India Post has signed a Memorandum of
player from mainland Europe to win the snooker Understanding with Confederation of All India
world title resisting English player Mark Selby's Traders (CAIT) and Tripta Technologies for
fightback to win 18-15 at The Crucible, Sheffield, logistics service. The MoU will benefit small and
South Yorkshire, England. medium traders as they will be able to use India
World Snooker Championship along with the UK Post as a logistics service provider across the
Championship and the invitational Masters make country.
up snooker's Triple Crown Series. The partnership between India Post, CAIT and
Tripta Technologies will provide shipping and the
44. a The Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs last mile delivery services to CAIT's strong trader
(MoHUA) and Ministry of Railways jointly signed base and small and medium business in the
an MoU with Japan International Cooperation unorganized sector.
Agency (JICA) for 'Station Area Development The MoU marks a significant milestone for taking
along Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail' e-commerce to small towns and rural areas and
(Project-SMART). is expected to benefit thousands of traders.
Project-SMART envisages to develop surrounding
areas of Mumbai - Ahmedabad High Speed 48. d The Urban Development Department and
Railway (MAHSR) Stations to enhance Lucknow Smart City launched "School Health
accessibility and convenience of commuters & Program" making Uttar Pradesh the first state to
other stakeholders and to promote economic make digital health cards for children. Under the
activities in the vicinity of station areas. pilot project, the School Health Program has
The project would facilitate and enhance been started by Lucknow Smart City in three
institutional capacity of State Governments, schools in Lucknow.
Municipal Corporations and Urban Development A digital health report card for the overall
Authorities to plan, develop and manage physical and mental well-being of 1765 municipal
surrounding areas of MAHSR stations. school students is also being prepared under the
The MoU was inked for four High Speed Rail project.
Stations- Sabarmati, Surat in Gujarat and Virar Along with this, the benefit of health insurance
and Thane in Maharashtra; out of 12 stations in- worth Rs 25,000 is also being given to these
route. Surat, Virar and Thane are Green field children.
while Sabarmati is a Brown field development. The program is likely to be implemented in the
state's other 9 smart cities also after the
45. b According to the report on Currency and successful completion of the pilot project.
Finance (RCF) 2022-23, India's green financing
requirement estimated at 2.5% of Gross 49. b Card payments company Visa has launched
Domestic Product (GDP). a feature that allows users to carry out online
The Reserve Bank of India's report on Currency transactions without the need to punch in the
and Finance (RCF) for the year 2022-23 covers cardholder verification value (CVV), if the card
four major dimensions of climate change to has been tokenised.
assess future challenges to sustainable high The CVV-free feature launched in India is aimed
growth in India. The areas are the at making the online transaction process
unprecedented scale and pace of climate change; smoother.
its macroeconomic effects; implications for Tokenisation masks the card details with a
financial stability; and policy options to mitigate unique code, making the transactions more
climate risks. secure. Tokenised transactions are two-factor
authenticated, one at the time of tokenisation
46. a Delhi High Court appoints Justice P Krishna and later at the time of putting the OTP.
Bhat as administrator of Basketball Federation of
India. 50. c Indian triple jumper Praveen Chithravel set
The Delhi High Court appointed former Karnataka a new national record with an effort of 17.37
High Court judge, Justice P Krishna Bhat as the metres on his way to winning a gold medal in the
administrator of the Basketball Federation of Prueba de confrontacion 2023 athletics meet in
India (BFI) to conduct its elections in compliance Havana, Cuba. Chithravel improved on the
with the National Sports Code and Model Election previous men's triple jump national record of

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17.30m set by Renjith Maheswary at the third impact on biotic components of harbor
Indian Grand Prix in Bangalore in 2016. ecosystem
It lays emphasis on use of Clean / Green energy
51. b This year's (2023) Pulitzer winners include in Port operation, developing Port capabilities for
Associated Press, the New York Times and storage, handling and bunkering Greener Fuels
authors Barbara Kingsolver and Hernan Diaz. The viz. Green Hydrogen, Green Ammonia, Green
Associated Press won two Pulitzer prizes for Methanol / Ethanol etc.
journalism, in public service and breaking news
photography, for coverage of the Ukraine war 55. b Shri Rajesh Bhushan, Union Health
that included images of Russia's siege of Secretary launched the SAKSHAM (Stimulating
Mariupol. Advanced Knowledge for Sustainable Health
The Pulitzer prize for fiction was awarded to two Management), a Learning Management
class-conscious novels: Demon Copperhead, Information System (LMIS) of MoHFW.
Barbara Kingsolver's modern recasting of the This digital learning platform has been developed
Dickens classic David Copperfield, and Hernan by the National Institute of Health & Family
Diaz's Trust, an innovative narrative of wealth Welfare (NIHFW), New Delhi.
and deceit set in 1920s New York. SAKSHAM is a dedicated and unified platform for
providing online training and medical education
52. b MakeMyTrip collaborates with Microsoft to to all health professionals in the country. This
introduce voice assisted booking in Indian digital learning platform will ensure inclusive
languages. capacity building of health professionals from
MakeMyTrip has collaborated with Microsoft to primary health centres located in rural and
make travel planning more 'inclusive' and remote areas all the way up to tertiary care and
'accessible' by introducing voice assisted booking corporate hospitals in metropolitan cities.
in Indian languages.
The new, in-platform tech stack powered by 56. a DGTR Recommends Anti-Dumping Duty On
Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service and Azure Optical Fibre Imported From China, Korea,
Cognitive Services, will converse with the user to Indonesia
offer personalized travel recommendations based The commerce ministry's arm, the Directorate
on their preferences. General of Trade Remedies, has recommended
the imposition of anti-dumping duty on imports
53. b The American multinational financial of a certain type of optical fibre from China,
services corporation, Mastercard has replaced Korea, and Indonesia to protect the domestic
BharatPe as the global sponsor of the industry from cheap inbound shipments.
International Cricket Council (ICC). The The product is mainly applied to high-data-rate,
sponsorship pact between ICC & Mastercard is a long-distance, and access network
multi-year arrangement and will cover the transportation.
upcoming 4 years. DGTR has recommended the duty after
ICC primarily helms a three-year sponsorship conducting an investigation on the dumped
and its partnership with BharatPe was kicked off imports of "dispersion unshifted single-mode
on June 2 optical fibre" from these countries.
For the past year, Mastercard has been aiming to
bag some lucrative sponsorship deals as it also 57. b Argentina's World Cup winning captain
secured title sponsorship rights of the Board of Lionel Messi was named the Laureus Sportsman
Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) international of the Year at the awards ceremony in Paris.
and domestic home fixtures from Paytm. Messi also received an award on behalf of the
Argentina men's football team, who were named
54. a Union Minister Shri Sarbananda Sonowal World Team of the Year after their triumph at the
launches 'Harit Sagar' the Green Port Guidelines 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
2023. To meet the larger vision of achieving Zero Messi has previously won the award once before,
Carbon Emission Goal, Ministry of Ports, Shipping sharing it with Formula One driver Lewis
& Waterways has launched 'Harit Sagar' the Hamilton in 2020. Messi also became the first
Green Port Guidelines. athlete to scoop both the World Sportsman of the
Harit Sagar Guidelines 2023 envisages Year Award and the World Team of the Year
ecosystem dynamics in port development, Award in the same year.
operation and maintenance while aligning with
'Working with Nature' concept and minimizing

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58. c In the latest push to electric vehicles (EVs) expanded to 15 more international airports by
to meet climate goals, government think tank 2027 and all airports by 2032 airports in India.
NITI Aayog has come up with yearly targets for
ride-hailing apps for electrifying their fleet by FY 64. a The Reserve Bank of India announced a
2030-31. For two-wheelers, the target is to '100 Days 100 Pays' campaign for banks to trace
achieve 30 per cent of EVs in the fleet, while for and settle the top 100 unclaimed deposits of
four-wheelers the aim is 20 per cent. every bank in every district of the country within
100 days.
59. d The Centre has scrapped the customs duty This measure will complement the ongoing
and cess levied on shipments of crude soybean efforts and initiatives by the Reserve Bank to
oil and crude sunflower seed oil imported by reduce the quantum of unclaimed deposits in the
firms that had been authorized for such imports banking system. The banks will commence the
under the Tariff Rate Quota regime in 2022-23. campaign from June 01, 2023.
The duty exemptions will be effective till June 30. Balances in savings / current accounts which are
Ukraine is one of the world's leading suppliers of not operated for 10 years, or term deposits not
sunflower oil. claimed within 10 years from date of maturity
are classified as "Unclaimed Deposits". These
60. a The World Health Organization declared amounts are transferred by banks to "Depositor
that mpox no longer constitutes a global health Education and Awareness" (DEA) Fund
emergency , almost exactly a year after the maintained by the Reserve Bank of India.
disease formerly known as monkeypox started
spreading globally. The announcement comes 65. c Elon Musk hires ex-NBC Universal ad chief
just a week after the UN agency also declared Linda Yaccarino to be Twitter's CEO. Twitter boss
that Covid-19 no longer constitutes a public Elon Musk announced Linda Yaccarino as the new
health emergency of international concern , its CEO of the micro-blogging social media platform.
highest level. Yaccarino has worked at NBCUniversal for nearly
12 years with her team generating more than
61. b Kerala has become the first state in the USD 100 billion in ad sales since 2011.
country to have a drone surveillance system in
all police districts in the state. Chief Minister 66. d The government will spend around $1.2
Pinarayi Vijayan distributed the drones to all billion to modernise the Semi-conductor
police districts and the drone pilot licences to the Laboratory (SCL) in Mohali, a 30-year-old facility
specially trained drone pilots. Kerala is the first currently capable of producing 8-inch CMOS
state to develop a drone forensic lab and an anti- microchip wafers mostly used for the country's
drone system at the state level. strategic needs such as the space programme.
The planned modernisation and
62. d Cyclonic storm Mocha intensified into a commercialisation of the facility is a part of the
severe cyclonic storm and is very likely to turn government's $10 billion India.
into a very severe cyclonic storm over the central
Bay of Bengal. The system is likely to move 67. c The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and
north-northeastwards and intensify into a very Waterways (MoPSW) has been ranked second
severe cyclonic storm during the next few hours among 66 ministries in the Data Governance
over the Central Bay of Bengal, packing winds of Quality Index (DGQI) assessment for the
up to 135 kmph. Cyclone Mocha (pronounced December quarter (Q3) of FY23.
Mokha) has been named by Yemen after its Red The ministry secured a score of 4.7 out of 5,
Sea port city. highlighting its commitment to excellence in data
governance.
63. a Indian govt to launch faster immigration Conducted by the Development Monitoring and
clearance scheme for 'trusted travellers' at Evaluation Office (DMEO), NITI Aayog, the DGQI
airport. With an aim to reduce congestion at survey aims to measure the maturity level of
airport check points, Indian government will soon administrative data systems and their use in
launch a 'Trusted Traveller Programme' for faster decision-making of various ministries and
immigration clearance of pre-verified travellers. departments on the implementation of central
The new scheme will be launched for travellers sector schemes and centrally-sponsored
with Indian passports across international The schemes.
program will be started on a pilot basis at Delhi
and Mumbai airports this year. Later it will be

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68. c Shantiniketan, the abode of Nobel Laureate revolutionized the conventional paper-based
poet Rabindranath Tagore has been process of issuing inland Bank Guarantees that
recommended for inclusion in the UNESCO World typically takes a few days to execute, resulting in
Heritage List by an international advisory body. a substantial reduction in the turnaround time.
India has been striving for long to get a UNESCO Through e-BGs, physical stamping has been
tag for this cultural site in West Bengal's Birbhum replaced by e-stamping by NeSL, thus preventing
district. fraud.
The e-BGs are stored in a central repository,
69. b Recently, the researchers from the Indian which ensures complete transparency and
Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) have accessibility for all stakeholders, as well as easy
partnered with Defence Research and authentication and verification.
Development Organisation (DRDO) scientists to
develop cutting-edge sensor technology for 72. a Larsen & Toubro (L&T) named its Non-
underwater communications, which will be Executive Chairman A M Naik has who has
advantageous to defence applications, especially decided to step down from the post and will
in the Indian Navy. become the Chairman Emeritus.
The indigenous development of this technology S N Subrahmanyam, who is the Chief Executive
enables the nation to fabricate the devices at a Officer & Managing Director, has been re-
relatively lower cost than the internationally- designated as the Chairman and Managing
available foundries where the cost of fabrication Director of the company with effect from October
is high and the number of foundries is also 1, 2023, according to a regulatory filing.
limited.
The 'Piezoelectric MEMS technology' is required 73. b Tungnath is the highest of the five Panch
to develop high-performance thin films and Kedar temples in the district of Rudraprayag,
convert 'piezo thin film' into state-of-the-art Uttarakhand, has now been declared as a
futuristic naval sensors and devices for national monument.
underwater applications. The ancient temple which is located at an altitude
of 12,106 feet is connected with the Pandavas.
70. b The Reserve Bank's gold reserves rose
4.5% to 794.64 tonnes in 2022-23. The Reserve 74. a International Day of Families is celebrated
Bank of India (RBI) added 34.22 metric tonnes of on May 15 to raise awareness of the importance
gold in the fiscal year that ended March 31, of families and their role in society. The day
2023, taking the total gold reserves to 794.64 focuses on the important role that families play
metric tonnes. in our society while also highlighting the issues
The RBI held 760.42 metric tonnes as of March faced by them. The United Nations adopted a
31, 2022, compared to 695.31 metric tonnes as resolution in 1994 establishing the International
of March 31, 2021. Day of Families. The theme of International Day
The gold reserves as of March 31, 2023, included of Families 2023 is 'Demographic Trends and
gold deposits of 56.32 metric tonnes, according Families'.
to the RBI's half-yearly report on Management of
Foreign Exchange Reserves- October 2022 " 75. b India's electricity markets are set to
March 2023. undergo significant changes in the shift towards
renewable energy. Ministry of Power constituted
71. b State-owned Bank of Baroda announced a Group for "Development of Electricity Market in
the launch of electronic bank guarantee (e-BG) India" under the chairmanship of Shri Alok
on its BarodaINSTA platform, in partnership with Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Power, with
National E-Governance Services Limited (NeSL). representation from Ministry of Power, Ministry of
NeSL is India's first and only Information Utility New & Renewable Energy, Central Electricity
and is regulated by the Insolvency and Authority. The Central Electricity Regulatory
Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) under the Commission, Grid Controller of India (Grid-India)
provisions of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy along with State Governments of Maharashtra,
Code, 2016 (IBC). Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu also have
With this launch, the Bank of Baroda has joined a representaion in the newly formed group. The
select group of banks to issue electronic bank Group for "Development of Electricity Market in
guarantees. India" has proposed comprehensive solutions to
By joining a select group of banks that offer address key issues, including the dominance of
electronic bank guarantees, Bank of Baroda has inflexible long-term contracts, harnessing the

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inherent diversity of a large and synchronous have been indigenised, catering to domestic and
grid and the need for Resource Adequacy global markets.
planning in Centre and States, reduction in
system inefficiencies through lesser reliance on 78. b According to the National Family Health
self-scheduling, increasing share of renewables in Survey (NFHS), 2019-2021, "29.3 per cent of
the overall energy mix, encouraging market married Indian women between the ages of 18
participation for renewables, and firmness in and 49 have experienced domestic/sexual
procurement of ancillary services through well- violence; 3.1 per cent of pregnant women aged
developed ancillary services market. The 18 to 49 have suffered physical violence during
solutions are aimed at creating an efficient, their pregnancy."
optimal, and reliable market framework to enable In 2021, just 507 instances were registered
the energy transition and integration of across India under the Protection of Women from
renewable energy into the grid.According to the Domestic Violence Act, 2005, whereas 136,000
latest data for 2022-23, the total traded volume complaints were registered under Indian Penal
in the Indian electricity market was 1,02,276 MU, Code Section 498A (cruelty by husband or his
which represents only a small portion of the relatives).According to NFHS data, 87 per cent of
energy generated from all sources (including RE) married women who are victims of marital
of 16,24,465 MU. The peak demand for electricity violence do not seek help.The United Nations
in 2022-23 was 215.8 GW, and it is expected to defines gender-based violence as "any act of
increase to 335 GW by the year 2029-30. gender-based violence that results in, or is likely
to result in, physical, sexual, or mental harm or
76. b Alia Bhatt has been named the first Indian suffering to women, including threats of such
global ambassador for Gucci, the Italian luxury acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty,
house. The actor, producer and entrepreneur will whether occurring in public or in private life".The
make her first public appearance as Gucci's National Commission for Women said in 2020-21,
ambassador at the Gucci Cruise 2024 runway it received 26,513 complaints from women, an
show at the Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul. increase of 25.09 per cent, compared with the
20,309 complaints registered in 2019-20,
77. d With the aim of promoting aatmanirbharta testifying to the global trend that during the
(self-reliance) in weaponry and defence pandemic, more women were victims of domestic
equipment and minimise imports by defence violence than before.
public sector undertakings (DPSUs), the Ministry
of Defence (MoD) promulgated a list of 928 79. d India and the US inked an initial pact on
strategically important spares and components increasing private sector cooperation in the area
that would face curbs on their import. This so- of semiconductors under which the two countries
called 4th Positive Indigenisation List (PIL) will would facilitate business opportunities and
include Rs 715 crore worth of high-end materials develop an ecosystem with a view to reduce their
and spares, the import of which will be permitted dependency on China and Taiwan.
only until a date specified for each. After each The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on
one's import deadline elapses, it will have to be establishing semiconductor supply chain and
procured from the Indian industry.This fourth PIL innovation partnership under the framework of
list follows the earlier PILs, which restricted the IndiaUS Commercial Dialogue was signed by US
import of a range of line-replaceable units Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and
(LRUs), sub-systems, assemblies, spares, and Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal
components of defence systems.The 1st PIL during the Commercial Dialogue here.The MoU
comprising 101 items, was promulgated in seeks to establish a collaborative mechanism
August 2020. The 2nd PIL comprising 108 items, between the two governments on semiconductor
was promulgated in May 2021. The 3rd PIL supply chain resiliency and diversification in view
comprising 101 items, was promulgated in April of US's CHIPS and Science Act and India's
2022. The MoD has also notified three PILs as Semiconductor Mission.According to a joint
regards DPSUs, comprising 3,738 major LRUs, statement, both sides have agreed to set up a
sub-systems, assemblies, spares, and semiconductor sub-committee, led by the
components, each with an embargo on their Department of Commerce for the US side and the
import from defined timelines. Further, more Ministry of Electronics and Information
than 26,000 defence items have been uploaded Technology (MeitY) and Ministry of Commerce
on MoD's Srijan defence portal and offered to the and Industry for the Indian side.The committee
industry for indigenisation. So far, 7,031 items will convene its first engagement in mid-year to

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review recommendations from the joint industry- mobile phones. The Sanchar Saathi Portal is an
led task force launched in connection with the initiative of Department of Telecommunications.
iCET (Initiative on Critical and Emerging It empowers the citizens by allowing them to
Technologies). know the mobile connections issued in their
names, get the connections not required by them
80. b Environment, Forest, and Climate Change disconnected and to block and trace the lost
Minister Bhupender Yadav launched a mobile mobile phones.
application, called Meri LiFE (My life) in New
Delhi. This app is inspired by the concept of LiFE, 85. b Food and grocery delivery company
envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Zomato has rolled out its own unified payments
COP 26, which emphasizes mindful and interface (UPI) offering, called Zomato UPI,
deliberate utilization instead of mindless and which it has launched in partnership with ICICI
wasteful consumption. Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Bank. Zomato UPI is only a pilot of sorts and
Environment) was launched by the Prime Minister depending on the adoption rate and customer
in October 2022 at Kevadia, Gujarat and focuses stickiness, the company will either approach
on bringing about behaviour changes in more banks or go slow with the rollout.
individuals through simple easy to do actions.
86. d The Appointments Committee of the
81. d Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs Cabinet (ACC) approved the appointment of AK
(MoHUA)'s campaign titled " 'Meri LiFE, Mera Jain as the new chairman of the Petroleum &
Swachh Shehar' is launched to champion the Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB).
RRR's of waste management- Reduce, Reuse, He has been appointed as the Chairperson
and Recycle. Urban India is increasingly adopting PNGRB "for a period of five years from the date
the principles of making 'Wealth' from waste with of assumption of charge of the post or till
citizens actively refurbishing old items for reuse. attaining the age of 65 years. The Petroleum and
This nationwide campaign aims to highlight cities Natural Gas Regulatory Board Bill, 2005
to setup 'Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (RRR) Centres, establishes the Petroleum and Natural Gas
one stop collection centres, for citizens to Regulatory Board (PNGRB) to regulate
contribute clothes, shoes, old books, toys and downstream activities in the petroleum and
used plastic to be reused or recycled. natural gas sector.

82. c Jayant Naralikar conferred the first Govind 87. a The central government has appointed
Swarup Lifetime Achievement Award instituted Ravneet Kaur, as the Chairperson of the
by the Astronomical Society of India (ASI). Competition Commission of India (CCI).
Naralikar, a past president of ASI, was the She is the first woman in India to be appointed
founding director of the Inter-University Centre to this position and will serve for a period of five
for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) and years or until reaching the age of 65.
amongst the first to initiate cosmology research The Commission comprises a Chairperson and six
in the country. The award is named in honour of Members who are appointed by the Central
Prof. Govind Swarup (1929-2020), widely Government.
regarded to be the founder of radio astronomy in The goals of the Competition Act, 2002 are
the country. aimed at being accomplished through the
establishment of the CCI, which was set up by
83. a Gajraj Corps of the Indian Army conducted the Central Government on 14th October
a Joint Flood Relief 'Exercise Jal Rahat' at 2003.There has been no full-time Chairperson for
Hagrama Bridge on Manas River, Assam to the competition regulator since Ashok Kumar
validate joint drills and coordinate preparedness Gupta demitted office in October
by multi-agency flood relief columns. SSB, 2022. CCI Member Sangeeta Verma has been
National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster acting as the Chairperson since October last
Response Force (SDRF), District Disaster year.
Management Authority (DDMA) and police
representatives took part. 88. a Mumbai ranks sixth among 46 cities
globally in terms of annual price growth of high-
84. b Union Minister for Communications Ashwini end residential properties with appreciation of
Vaishnaw launched a Citizen Centric Portal 5.5%, according to Knight Frank. Real estate
named Sanchar Saathi Portal through which consultant Knight Frank India in its report 'Prime
mobile users can now track and block their lost Global Cities Index Q1 2023' said that Mumbai,

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Bengaluru and New Delhi have registered an period of over nine months if the Centre gives
increase in average annual prices in January- the nod.
March 2023. If the recommendation goes through, Viswanthan
Dubai clinched the top position globally with an will join the elite list of lawyers who went on to
increase of 44.2% in prime residential properties become the CJI after being directly elevated.
values.The Prime Global Cities Index is a Justice SM Sikri was the first CJI, who was
valuation-based index tracking the movement of directly elevated to the apex court bench from
prime residential prices across 46 cities the Bar. Justice UU Lalit was second in the list.
worldwide. The index tracks nominal prices in Sitting apex court judge Justice PS Narasimha
local currency. will become the third CJI who was directly
 elevated from the Bar.On the retirement of
Justice Jamshed Burjor Pardiwala on August 11,
89. b METRO and RRVL in December 2022 2030, Viswanathan would be in line to assume
announced a deal for the acquisition of German office as the Chief Justice of India till his
firm's wholesale operations in India by billionaire retirement on May 25, 2031.The collegium,
Mukesh Ambani-led firm for ₹2,850 crore. headed by Chief Justice of India DY
German retailer METRO AG announced the Chandrachud, in its meeting recommended two
completion of the sale of its Indian cash & Carry names -- Andhra Pradesh High Court Chief
business to Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd (RRVL), Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and Viswanathan
which holds the retail empire of Reliance -- to regain its full sanctioned strength of 34
Industries Ltd. The deal includes all 31 wholesale judges, including the CJI.Justice MR Shah and
stores operated by METRO Cash & Carry India Justice Dinesh Maheshwari demitted office within
and the entire real estate portfolio (6 store- a span of last two days, bringing the strength of
occupied properties) to RRVL the top court to 32 judges.
Â
90. c Tata Sons Chairman Natarajan
Chandrasekaran was conferred "Chevalier de la 93. d HDFC Asset Management Company Ltd
Légion d'Honneur" (Knight of the Legion of announced the launch of the country's first
Honour) by French Minister for Europe and mutual fund focussed on defence sector, a move
Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna. that will provide investors an opportunity to
N Chandrasekaran was felicitated with the participate in growth potential of this space.
highest French civilian award for his contribution The fund will invest at least 80 per cent of its net
in strengthening and building business between assets in defence and allied sector companies.
India and France.
Indo-French Chamber of Commerce and Industry 94. a India and the European Union will
(IFCCI) in partnership with Business France, held coordinate their policies with regards to the
the 5th edition of its flagship event, the Indo- strategic semiconductor sector, with the aim of
French Business Awards (IFBA) and Grand Prix concluding a Memorandum of Understanding by
VIE in the presence of H.E. Mr Édouard Sept 2023. According to joint statement issued
Philippe, former Prime Minister of-France and after the first India - EU Trade and Technology
Mayor, Le Havre as Guest of Honour. Council (TTC) meting held in Brussels , the two
sides will work towards bridging the digital skills
91. b Genpact founder Pramod Bhasin has been gaps.
appointed the new chairman of the Data Security
Council of India (DSCI), effective April 1, 2023, 95. c Arjun Ram Meghwal, who has been the
the organisation announced Wednesday. Bhasin minister of state for Culture, has been assigned
is currently also the chairman of Indian Council the independent charge as Minister of State in
for Research on International Economic Relations the Ministry of Law and Justice in addition to his
(ICRIER). existing portfolios, in place of Shri Kiren Rijiju,
He succeeds Rajendra S Pawar, the chairman the President's Secretariat said in a statement.
and cofounder of NIIT Group. Rijiju took over as the Law and Justice Minister
DSCI CEO Vinayak Godse. on July 8, 2021. Prior to this, he served as the
Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Youth
92. c Senior advocate KV Viswanathan, whose Affairs and Sports from May 2019 to July 2021.
name was recommended by the collegium for Prof. S.P. Singh Baghel, Minister of State has
judgeship in the Supreme Court, will become the been assigned as Minister of State in the Ministry
58th Chief Justice of India in August 2030 for a

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of Health and Family Welfare in place of Minister 100. d Eminent educationist Manoj Soni took
of State in the Ministry of Law and Justice. oath as the chairman of the Union Public Service
Commission (UPSC). Soni, who joined the
96. b The Union Cabinet cleared a revised Commission as member on June 28, 2017, has
production linked incentive (PLI) scheme for IT been performing the duties of the UPSC chairman
hardware with an outlay of Rs 17,000 crore, since April 5, 2022. He was administered the
more than doubling the budget for the scheme oath of office and secrecy as chairman, UPSC by
that was first cleared in 2021. The scheme will be Smita Nagaraj, senior most member in the
implemented from July 1, with a cap on Commission.
maximum incentives available to participating About UPSC:The UPSC conducts civil services
companies. examination to select officers of Indian
The tenure of the new scheme has been fixed for Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign
six years and the Centre is expecting an Service (IFS) and Indian Police Service (IPS)
investment of over Rs 2,430 crore as part of among others.The Commission is headed by a
it.The expected incremental production value chairman and it can have a maximum of 10
could touch Rs 3.35 lakh crore, and the scheme members. There is still a vacancy of five
could generate 75,000 direct jobs " in total, the members in the UPSC.
employment figure could touch 2 lakh when
accounted for indirect jobs. 101. c In a significant move to combat the rising
burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs),
97. d The Union Cabinet decided not to increase the Union Health Ministry of India unveiled the
fertiliser rates and approved a crop-nutrient ambitious "75/25" initiative. The program aims to
subsidy of Rs.1.08 lakh crore for the June- ensure that 75 million individuals suffering from
September kharif or summer-sown season. For hypertension and diabetes receive standardised
2023-24, the Union budget in February allocated care by 2025, primarily through Primary Health
Rs.1.75 lakh crore, but even though fertilizer Centers (PHCs).
rates have stabilized, actual full-year spending Under the initiative, the government plans to
could cross Rs.2 lakh crore again. train approximately 40,000 Primary Health Care
Medical Officers on the Standard Treatment
98. a Amazon Web Services, AWS will invest Workflow for NCDs. This training will be
around one lakh five thousand crore rupees by facilitated through the Shashakt Portal, enabling
2030 on cloud-related infrastructure in India. The healthcare professionals to provide improved
company is making this investment to meet the services at the community level.
growing demand of customers for cloud services.
With this, Amazon's total investment in India by 102. d Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh has become
2030 is estimated to reach over one lakh 36 the first city in India to adopt the localisation of
thousand lakh crore rupees. the United Nations-mandated sustainable
AWS is a subsidiary of Amazon, which provides a development goals (SDG). MP's capital city will
cloud computing platform on demand to now have voluntary local reviews (VLR)
individuals, companies, and governments.Earlier demonstrate local government's capacity and
this month, Cisco Systems also announced that it commitments.
will begin manufacturing in India to diversify its Bhopal's VLR is the result of a collaboration
global supply chain, while Apple Inc supplier between the Bhopal Municipal Corporation, UN-
Foxconn will invest 500 million dollars to Habitat and a collective of over 23 local
establish operations in Telangana. stakeholders to measurably demonstrate the
city's aspirations for a sustainable and inclusive
99. d The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi urban transformation
inaugurated the International Museum Expo
2023 at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. He also 103. a In a first in the country, the Kerala
unveiled the plan for one of the world's largest government launched a welfare fund for
museums, Yuge Yugeen Bharat, which will Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee
capture 5,000 years of India's history and Scheme workers in the State. Launching the
replace the existing one. The Mascot of the initiative, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the
International Museum Expo is a contemporized workers who have completed the age of 60 will
version of the Dancing Girl made of wood in the be entitled for pension under the fund which will
Chennapatnam art style. also provide financial assistance for medical,
education etc.

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The welfare fund has been formed as per the This relaxation does not extend to international
Kerala Employment Guarantee Workers' Welfare transactions charged to institutional or corporate
Fund Act, 2021. credit cards.
In the Union Budget 2023, the government
104. a In pursuance of the "Clean Note Policy", announced that international credit card
the Reserve Bank of India has said it will expenses would be subject to a higher TCS rate
withdraw Rs.2,000 notes from circulation and of 20 percent, effective from July 1.
people can exchange or deposit them in their Under the LRS scheme, the RBI allows residents
bank accounts by September 30. to spend funds abroad up to the specified ceiling
RBI's 19 regional offices and other banks will for investment and expenditure, including travel,
start taking ₹ 2,000 notes for exchange with education, medical treatment and buying
lower denomination one from May 23. securities and physical assets.
They will remain legal tender.
The ₹2000 denomination banknote was 108. c The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) board
introduced in November 2016 under Section has approved the transfer of Rs.87,416 crore as
24(1) of RBI Act, 1934, primarily to meet the surplus to the central government for the
currency requirement of the economy in an accounting year 2022-23. The central bank has
expeditious manner after the withdrawal of legal also decided to raise the contingency risk buffer
tender status of all ₹500 and ₹1000 to 6% from 5.5% earlier.
banknotes in circulation at that time. The apex bank had transferred Rs.30,307 crore
​​The objective of introducing ₹ 2,000 to the government in FY22 as against Rs.99,122
banknotes was met once banknotes in other crore in the previous year.
denominations became available in adequate
quantities. Therefore, printing of ₹ 2000 109. b The Uttar Pradesh government and its
banknotes was stopped in 2018- 19. agencies procured goods and services worth Rs
12,152 crore from the union commerce ministry's
105. b The Indian Navy's sixth and final Kalvari platform Government e-marketplace (GeM)
class submarine, Vaghsheer, has begun its sea during last fiscal year.
trials. Vaghsheer is scheduled for delivery to the It was followed by Gujarat (Rs 7,964 crore),
Indian Navy in early 2024 after completion of Maharashtra (Rs 4,130 crore), Jammu and
these trial. The submarine was launched on 20th Kashmir (Rs 1,999 crore) and Madhya Pradesh
April 2022 from the Kanhoji Angre Wet Basin of (Rs 1,983 crore).
Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL). Overall procurement of goods and services from
The commissioning of the submarine, built under GeM has crossed Rs 2 lakh crore this fiscal year
Project-75, is set to enhance the Navy's combat on account of an increase in buying activities by
capability at a time when China has been different ministries, departments and states.
increasing its presence in the Indian Ocean The GeM portal was launched on August 9, 2016
region. for online purchases of goods and services by all
Project - 75 includes indigenous construction of 6 the central government ministries and
submarines. departments.
GeM has over 63,000 government buyer
106. a The value currently stands Rs 1,06,800 organisations, over 6 crore sellers and service
crore and it will go further up once the data is providers offering a wide range of products and
received from the remaining private defence services.Among central government ministries,
industries. the power ministry was the top buyer in 2022-23
The current value of defence production in FY from the platform. The ministry procured goods
2022-23 is a rise of more than 12 per cent over and services worth Rs 30,572.9 crore . It was
FY 2021-22, when the figure was Rs 95,000 followed by the defence ministry (Rs 28,741.2
crore. crore), Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (Rs
28,157.2 crore), steel ministry (Rs 12,527.3
107. c The Centre excluded up to Rs 7 lakh of crore), and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
debit and credit card payments in a financial year (Rs 7,158.3 crore).
from the ambit of the liberalised remittance South Korea's KONEPS is the largest such
scheme (LRS). These transactions will not attract platform in the world. Currently, GeM stands at
20% levy of tax collected at source (TCS). the third position after Singapore's GeBIZ.

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110. a The Congress party formally named Established 40 years ago in 1979 by Japan,
Siddaramaiah as the Chief Minister of Karnataka, Korea and Taiwan as the East Asia Petrochemical
along with DK Shivakumar as the Deputy CM. Industry Conference (EAPIC), it was rechristened
The swearing in ceremony of CM designate will as Asia Petrochemical Industry Conference
be held at a Sree Kanteerava Stadium in (APIC) in 2000 with the inclusion of India,
Bengaluru. Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. APIC is
He previously led the government in 2013 for a hosted annually on a rotational basis by the
full term becoming the third CM in the state's partner Country Associations.Â
history to do so.
Siddaramaiah, became the first CM of Karnataka 113. c One97 Communications Limited (OCL),
to serve a complete five-year term between 2013 which owns Paytm, has elevated Bhavesh Gupta
and 2018 in the last 40 years. He was also only as the company's Chief Operating Officer and
the third chief minister to do so in the state's President.
history after Devaraj Urs and S Nijalingappa. If Gupta, who was previously Paytm's senior vice-
Siddaramaiah completes a full five-year term for president, will now be responsible to lead
a second time he will create a record of verticals on insurance, lending, payments "
becoming the longest-serving CM of Karnataka. online and offline, and consumer payments as
well as drive key initiatives.
111. b The World Economic Situation and
Prospects as of mid-2023, released by UN, said 114. c The 49th G7 summit was held from 19 to
India's economy, the largest in the South Asian 21 May 2023 in Hiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture,
region, is expected to expand by 5.8% in 2023 Japan. Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida
and 6.7% in 2024 (on a calendar year basis), invited Modi to the G-7 Summit as a guest.
supported by resilient domestic demand. Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Ukrainian
Inflation in India is expected to decelerate to 5.5 President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of
per cent in 2023. the G7 Summit in Japan's Hiroshima.
The estimates for India's economic growth in the He also unveiled a bust of Mahatma Gandhi in
mid-year assessment remained unchanged from the Japanese city Hiroshima, site of the world's
the projections made in the World Economic first nuclear attack. The 42-inch tall bronze bust
Situation and Prospects 2023 report launched in has been sculpted by Padma Bhushan awardee
January this year. Ram Vanji Sutar. The bust site, adjacent to the
The flagship report issued in January had said Motoyasu River, is close to the iconic A-Bomb
that India's GDP is projected to moderate to 5.8 Dome that is visited by thousands of people -
percent in 2023 as higher interest rates and locals and tourists alike - every day.
global economic slowdown weigh on investment Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a 10-point
and exports. call to action at the G7 summit in Hiroshima,
According to the report, the world economy is Japan to address food, health and development-
now projected to grow by 2.3 percent in 2023 ( related issues plaguing the world.
0.4 percentage points from the January forecast) Modi also held bilateral talks with his Japanese
and 2.5 percent in 2024 (-0.2 percentage counterpart Kishida, focusing on ways to
points), a slight uptick in the global growth synergise efforts under G7 and G20 presidencies
forecast for 2023. to deal with various global challenges.
The G7 bloc comprises Japan, the United States,
112. e Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada
Mandaviya presided over the Asia Petrochemical and Italy, as well as the European Union.Â
Industry Conference 2023. The Chemicals and
Petrochemicals Manufacturers' Association 115. d The Indian market regulator, proposed
(CPMA) of India hosted the 41st edition of the changes in the framework of investment funds,
Asia Petrochemical Industry Conference 2023 Uniform total expense ratio, market
(APIC 2023) in New Delhi on 18-19 May. malpractices, and registration of Foreign Venture
The theme of the event was "Ushering in a Capital Investors.
Sustainable Future". A new framework for AIF:
The APIC is a broad-based petrochemical SEBI proposed changes in the existing rules
industry conference with membership from 7 governing alternative investment funds (AIFs).
partner countries - India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, As per the proposal, SEBI suggested that the
Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand. Category I and Category II AIFs should not
borrow funds directly or indirectly for making

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investments. AIFs can borrow to meet the paper pitched a process granting registration to
shortfall in drawdown while investing in an FVCIs and processing other post-registration
investee company, under certain conditions. The references may be delegated to designated
borrowed amount should be less than 10 per depository participants (DDPs) in line with
cent of the proposed investment in the investee provisions prescribed for FPIs (Foreign Portfolio
company. Investors).
​​​​​​​Uniform total expense If a businessperson wishes to get registered as
ratio (TER): an FVCI, then he should engage a DDP to avail
In its set of proposals, SEBI also pitched for the its services for obtaining a registration certificate
formation of a uniform total expense as FVCI. As of now, SEBI is the sole operator
ratio (TER) across mutual fund schemes in a bid which carries out the registration process of
to bring in transparency in the cost charged to FVCIS. The Indian regulator also suggested to
unitholders. streamline the eligibility criteria for FVCIs.
The current framework allows asset
management companies (AMC) to charge four 116. b The Government of Israel is partnering
additional types of expenses over and above the with India through Indian Institute of Technology
TER limits. They are brokerage and transaction Madras (IIT-M) to establish an India-Israel
costs, additional TER for distribution commission Center of Water Technology (CoWT) in water
for inflows from B-30 (beyond top 30) cities, resources management and water technologies
good and services taxes, and addition expenses at IIT-M.
for exit loads.
TER stands for a certain amount of money 117. a Sebi proposed expanding definition of
charged by mutual fund houses. Its amount Qualified Institutional Buyer (QIB) for debt
equals a percentage of a scheme's corpus. Other market.According to Sebi, multistate
than this, SEBI suggested charging additional cooperatives with net worth of more than Rs 500
commissions to distributors to continue for crore should be classified as QIBs. Besides, Non-
inflows from B30 cities. banking financial companies (NBFCs), housing
TER is advised by SEBI to be kept at AMC level finance companies regulated by the Reserve
and inclusive of all costs and expenses including Bank of India (RBI), small finance banks,
GST on management fees, brokerage and reinsurance companies, pension funds, and
transaction costs, B-30 incentive etc. refinancing agencies such as MUDRA should be
SEBI's proposal to curb market malpractices: included in the category of QIB.
To control malpractices done by market
participants and deal with unexplained suspicious 118. b Govt is to set up 1,100 new Farmer
trading pattern in the market, SEBI proposed a Producer Organizations(FPOs) in cooperative
regulatory framework. sector. The Ministry of Cooperation said these
Under the new framework, a person or group of additional 1100 FPOs have been allocated to
connected persons exhibiting an unexplained National Cooperative Development Corporation
suspicious trading pattern -- repetitive abnormal (NCDC) under FPOs' Scheme.Under the FPO
gainful dealings in a security or a set of Scheme, financial assistance of 33 lakh rupees is
securities, around the presence of material non- provided to each FPO. Further, financial
public information, would be deemed to be assistance of 25 lakh rupees per FPO is provided
violating the securities laws, unless they are able to the Cluster Based Business Organizations.
to effectively rebut the said presumption. SEBI Since February 2021, the agriculture ministry is
also imposed a fine of ₹50 lakh on in- implementing a central sector scheme titled
genuine traders. 'Formation and promotion of 10,000 Farmer
In another proposal, SEBI proposed to change Producer Organisations (FPOs) with a budgetary
the current definition of unpublished price provision of Rs 6,865 crore.
sensitive information (UPSI) to bring regulatory According to the cooperation ministry, primary
certainty and uniformity in compliance for the Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) --- which
listed companies in respect of the identification of have a member base of around 13 crore farmers
certain events as UPSI. and are primarily engaged in short-term credit
Registration of Foreign Venture Capital Investors and distribution of seeds and fertilisers -- will
(FVCIs): now be able to undertake other economic
SEBI proposed to streamline regulatory activities as well.
framework for registration of Foreign Venture Integration of PACS in the FPO scheme will
Capital Investors (FVCIs). SEBI,in its consultation enable them to expand their business in the

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areas of supply of production inputs; agricultural since last year, reports the China Association of
equipment like cultivator, tiller and harvester, Automobile Manufacturers.
and processing, it said. In Q1, Japan exported 950,000 vehicles, marking
PACS will also be able to undertake high income a 6 per cent YoY increase per the Japan
generating activities like bee-keeping, mushroom Automobile Manufacturers Association.
cultivation, and others. China overtook the United States as the biggest
market for new vehicles in 2009, boosted by
119. b The Union Cabinet approved the signing government support for the domestic EV industry
of memorandum of understanding between through tax incentives, purchasing and charging
Competition Commission of India (CCI) and infrastructure.
Egyptian Competition Authority (ECA). China's move to electric cars has boosted its
The MoU envisages promotion and strengthening position as an auto exporter, with Q1 exports of
of cooperation in competition law and policy new energy vehicles surging 93 per cent to
through exchange of information, sharing of best 380,000 units, of which 40 per cent were
practices as well as through various capacity accounted for by EVs.
building initiatives. Tesla China exported 90,000 units of new energy
vehicles, making it the leading company in
120. c The consortium led by Tata Consultancy China, followed by SAIC Motor's passenger
Services Limited has received an Advance vehicle unit at 50,000 units and BYD at 30,000
Purchase Order valued over Rs 15,000 crore from vehicles.
BSNL, a 100 per cent Govt. of India owned Public Chinese-made new energy vehicles were most
Sector Undertaking, for the deployment of a 4G popular in Belgium, Australia, and Thailand. This
network across India,. highlights the interest of Chinese automakers in
The government has also reserved spectrum in building market share in Southeast Asia, a region
the 600 MHz, 3300 MHz and 26 GHz bands where Japanese car companies have historically
for BSNL for providing 5G services, which held control. China sent 140,000 vehicles to
would be provided after roll out of 4G services Russia in Q1 2021, more than triple the previous
all over India. year, making Russia the primary export market
for Chinese vehicles.Russian invasion of Ukraine
121. d India's first commercial passenger flight in February 2022 caused global carmakers like
using indigenously produced Sustainable Aviation Toyota and Volkswagen to shut down their
Fuel (SAF) blend was successfully flown. factories and exit the market, filled by Chinese
An Air Asia flight powered by SAF blended automakers.
aviation turbine fuel (ATF) flew from Pune to
Delhi. 123. c Ministry of Education and World Bank
The special flight was received by Union organised a one of its kind workshop on School-
Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri at the to-Work Transition under the STARS Program in
airport. Mumbai.
The SAF blended aviation turbine fuel (ATF) was The workshop focussed on discussion on a Skill
produced by Praj Industries Ltd by using Gap analysis of the six STARS States and Uttar
indigenous feedstock, supplied by Indian Oil Pradesh along with convergence of vocational
Corporation Ltd (IOCL) and used by Air Asia.This and skill.
would be the First domestic commercial The workshop was attended by the Secretaries of
passenger flight with SAF blending up to 1 per Education and Skill Department of the six STARS
cent as demonstration mode"."By 2025, if we states i.e. Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Odisha,
target to blend 1 per cent SAF blending in Jet Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and
fuel, India would require around 14 crore litre of Uttar Pradesh along with the State Project
SAF/annum. More ambitiously, if we target for 5 Directors of Samagra Shiksha, respective
per cent SAF blend, India required around 70 officers, and representatives from the World
crore litre of SAF/ annum". Bank.
The STARS program builds on the long
122. a China is now the world's leading auto partnership between India and the World Bank
exporter due to the growing demand for electric (since 1994), for strengthening public school
vehicles and higher shipments to Russia. education and to support the country's goal of
China exported 1.07 million automobiles between providing 'Education for All'. Prior to STARS,
January and March, marking a 58 per cent rise the Bank had provided a total assistance of more
than $3 billion towards this goal.

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comes decades after Kerala became the first

124. a From a mere 7.5 lakh tons in 1950-51, fully-literate state and began its quest to become
India's total fish production has reached a record a fully e-literate society, has been realised
162.48 lakh tons per annum in 2021-22, with a through a set of policy initiatives of the
10.34% growth in fish production in 2021-22 in government seeking to transform the state into a
comparison to 2020-21. Today, India is the 3rd digitally-empowered society.
largest fish producing country with about 8%
share in global fish production. 129. a Indian shuttler Sameer Verma has won
It stands 2nd in aquaculture production. gold in the Slovenia Open Badminton
The growth of inland fish production, Tournament being held in Maribor, Slovenia. In
predominantly propelled by aquaculture, has the men's singles final, he beat Taiwan's Su Li
been even more spectacular. From mere 28.23 Yang. While the duo of Rohan Kapoor and Sikki
lakh tons per annum in 2000-01, the inland fish Reddy bagged silver in the mixed doubles event
production stood at 121. 21 lakh tons per annum in Maribor, Slovenia.
in 2021-22, a staggering 400 percent increase.
In fact, the inland fisheries and aquaculture 130. a Bulgarian writer Georgi Gospodinov wins
production of the country has almost doubled International Booker Prize for 'Time Shelter'.
since 2014. 'Time Shelter' penned by Bulgarian author Georgi
Gospodinov and translated by Angela Rodel, has
125. d The Board of Control for Cricket in India become the 1st book,written in Bulgarian to bag
(BCCI) announced that the Indian national the International Booker Prize.
cricket team had secured a new kit sponsorship A £50,000 prize is awarded yearly to any
deal with the renowned German sportswear outstanding work of fiction (novel or short story
powerhouse, Adidas. collection) that has been translated into English.
The association between the BCCI and MPL It is split equally between the author and the
Sports concluded earlier than anticipated, translator.
prompting an interim sponsorship deal with the Time Shelter has also won Italy's Strega
makers of the renowned clothing brand Killer European Prize for literature in Italian
Jeans. translation.The International Booker Prize is
awarded yearly to a translated work of fiction
126. d The Government of india has reduced the published in the U.K. or Ireland.Last year's
subsidy provided under Faster Adoption of winners were Indian writer Geetanjali Shree and
Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles in India American translator Daisy Rockwell for Tomb of
scheme applicable on electric two-wheelers Sand.
registered on or after June, 2023.
For electric two-wheelers, the demand incentive 131. c The AI Supercomputer 'AIRAWAT',
will be Rs 10,000 per kWh installed at C-DAC, Pune has been ranked 75th in
The cap on incentives for electric two-wheelers the world. It was declared so in the 61st edition
will be 15% of the ex-factory price of vehicles of Top 500 Global Supercomputing List at the
from 40% at present. International Supercomputing Conference (ISC
The Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of 2023) in Germany. It puts India on top of AI
Electric and Hybrid Vehicles India scheme Supercomputing nations worldwide.
commenced on April 1, 2019, for a period of
three years, which was further extended for a 132. a Indian Long jumper Murali Sreeshankar
period of two years up to March 31, 2024. won gold while compatriot Jeswin Aldrin finished
bagged silver at the International Jumping
127. b JSW Steel announced that its wholly- Meeting at Kallithea in Greece. Successfully
owned subsidiary JSW Steel Coated Products defending his title in the Men's long jump event,
Limited (JSWSCPL) will complete the acquisition Commonwealth Games silver medallist
of National Steel and Agro Industries (NSAIL) for Sreeshankar registered his season-best jump of
a total consideration of Rs. 621 crore. JSW Steel 8.18 meter.
Coated Products, wholly-owned subsidiary, got
approval in respect to corporate insolvency 133. c The officials of the Government of Goa
resolution process of NSAIL. and the Government of Uttarakhand have signed
a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to
128. b Kerala is set to declare itself India's first collaborate towards enhancing the tourism
"total e-governed state". The achievement, which landscape of both Goa and Uttarakhand.

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The signing of this MoU between the officials of Gevra Mega project in Chhattisgarh recently
the two states marks a significant step towards became the first mine in the country to achieve
promoting tourism in Goa and Uttarakhand and 50 Million Tonne (MT) of coal production
showcasing India's rich cultural diversity to the annually. The feat is quite remarkable,
world, aligned with the 'Dekho Apna Desh' considering the fact that no Indian mine, until
initiative launched by the honorable Prime now, has produced more than 50 million tonne of
Minister Narendra Modi. coal in a year

134. c Reserve Bank Governor Shaktikanta Das 139. b During India's presidency of G20,
said the growth for 2022-23 is expected to be Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals in
more than the advance estimate of 7 per cent on association with Confederation of Indian Industry
the back of economic momentum maintained in (CII) organized B20 engagement on International
the third and fourth quarters of the last fiscal. As Conference on Chemicals and Petrochemicals:
per the second advance estimate released by the Sustainable Transitions through Greentech &
National Statistical Office (NSO) in February, the Digitalization in New Delhi, India.
economy is estimated to grow at 7 per cent in The aim of the Conference is to improve the
2022-23 against 8.7 per cent in the preceding safety and sustainable ecosystem for chemicals
fiscal. and petrochemicals industry across the four
pillars of De-carbonization, Circular Economy,
135. a Harsh Jain, co-founder, and CEO of Biodiversity and Water Conservation.
Dream Sports, has been elected the chairman of The conference is an effort to promote
the Internet and Mobile Association of India sustainable development in chemical and
(IAMAI) for 2023-25. He replaces Sanjay Gupta, petrochemical sector and to deliberate upon
vice president and country manager of Google sustainable solutions of various issues being
India. The IAMAI governing council election is faced by the industry.
held every two years. As many as 83 IAMAI
members contested the elections this year, after 140. a Shri Giriraj Singh launches SAMARTH
the end of the two-year tenure of the previous campaign to promote digital transactions at
council Gram Panchayat Level
Union Minister for Rural Development and
136. d Axis Bank launches 'Sarathi', a digital Panchayati Raj, Giriraj Singh, officially launched
onboarding platform for POS Terminals, the 'SAMARTH Campaign on Promoting Digital
streamlining the merchant acquisition process Transactions in 50000 Gram Panchayats' under
Axis Bank, one of the largest private sector the Amrit Mahotsav in Lucknow.
banks in India, has launched 'Sarathi', a first of This campaign, which will continue until August
its kind digital onboarding journey to enable 15, 2023, is part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav
Electronic Data Capture (EDC) or Point of Sale celebrations and aims to promote digital
(POS) for merchants. transactions in rural areas.
Unlike the cumbersome traditional onboarding
process that can take several days, Sarathi 141. b The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and
provides a seamless and hassle-free experience the Government of India signed, a $141.12
for merchants. With an innovative onboarding million loan to support the development of high-
solution, Sarathi is built to provide merchants quality internal infrastructure such as roads,
with a smooth and effective experience. The water supply systems and electricity distribution
paperless onboarding process eliminates the network in three industrial clusters in the state of
need for merchants to fill out cumbersome forms Andhra Pradesh.
or wait for extended periods to have their POS This financing is the second tranche of the $500
terminals installed. million multi-tranche financing facility (MFF) for
the program approved by ADB in 2016 to build
137. b Cricket icon Sourav Ganguly was infrastructure three industrial clusters in the
appointed the brand ambassador of Tripura Visakhapatnam and Srikalahasthi-Chittoor nodes
tourism. As the brand ambassador of Tripura in the state.
tourism, his participation in the campaigns would
give an impetus to the state's tourism sector. 142. a Tina Turner, widely known as the "Queen
of Rock 'n' Roll" died on May 24 at the age of 83.
138. d In a First In India, Chhattisgarh's Gevra
Coal Mine Records 50 Million Tonne Production

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The US-born, Swiss-naturalised singer passed ThiruvaduthuraiAdheenam (Mutt) in Tamil Nadu,

away in her home near Zurich after a long who had specially arrived for the occasion.
illness. The Prime Minister took a decision to adopt the
She was among the biggest recording artists of Sengol as a national symbol of the Amrit Kaal.
all time. About Sengol
Among her biggest hits were "What's Love Got to The Sengol is profound in meaning, which is
Do with It" and "(Simply) The Best." derived from the Tamil word "Semmai", meaning
"Righteousness".
143. a Reliance Retail Ventures Limited has It is blessed by the high priests of a leading
completed the acquisition 51 per cent stake in Dharmic Mutt in Tamil Nadu.
Lotus Chocolate for an aggregate consideration The Nandi, with its unyielding gaze as the
of Rs 74 crore from the promoter, Pai famil beholder of "Nyaya", is hand-carved at the top.
Most importantly, the recipient of the Sengol has
144. a The Ministry of Finance announced that a the "order" ("Aanai" in Tamil) to rule justly and
Rs 75 coin will be launched to commemorate the fairly.
inauguration of the new Parliament building.
The ministry's notification states that the circular 148. e The eighth governing council meeting of
Rs 75 coin will have a 44mm diameter. It also Niti Aayog was held in New Delhi, chaired by
announced that the coin will feature 'Parliament Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The meeting
Complex' as inscription along with the new discussed issues related to skill development,
Parliament building's image on it. health, infrastructure, women's empowerment
and aimed to make India a developed nation by
145. d Mukesh Ambani, CEO of Indian 2047. The meeting also focused on implementing
conglomerate Reliance Industries, has been 'Gati Shakti' for area development and social
selected as a member of the international infrastructure.
advisory committee for the 28th session of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the eighth
Conference of the Parties (COP28). The panel governing council meeting of the Niti Aayog.
features 31 experts from across the global south Themed on 'Viksit Bharat @2047: Role of Team
who are policy makers, finance executives, and India', the meeting was held at the new
sustainability leaders, among others. Convention Centre in the national capital's
Pragati Maidan.
146. a Reliance Consumer Products Ltd (RCPL), As the chairman of NITI Aayog, PM Modi presided
the fast moving consumer goods arm and a over the meeting, which deliberated on issues
wholly-owned subsidiary of Reliance Retail related to health, skill development, women
Ventures Ltd (RRVL), on Friday announced its empowerment and infrastructure development,
entry into the western snacking category with with an aim to make India a developed nation by
the launch of General Mills' Alan's Bugles brand 2047.
of chips in India in a move that is set to give
competition to PepsiCo and ITC. 149. b Panaji, May 28 (PTI) Goan writer
Alan's Bugles, is a brand of corn chips owned by Damodar Mauzo Goa has received the prestigious
American packaged consumer goods firm General Jnanpith Award, the country's highest literary
Mills and available across major global markets. honour, from state Governor P S Sreedharan
Alan's Bugles will offer snacks starting from Pillai.
₹10. RCPL's launch of Alan's Bugles will start Addressing a gathering after presenting the
from Kerala; the brand will be gradually rolled award, the governor said Mauzo is the "epitome
out across India. of the Konkani literary culture."
Mauzo's famous novel 'Karmelin' received the
147. a Sengol was accepted by the first Prime Sahitya Akademi Award in 1983.
Minister of India Nehru at his residence on the The novel, published in 1981, has been
night of 14th August, in the presence of several translated in Hindi, Marathi, English, Punjabi,
leaders. The sacred "sengol" was a symbol of Sindhi, Tamil, Odia and Maithili languages.
just and fair rule and had been used to mark the Mauzo is the second Goan to receive the Jnanpith
transfer of power from one king to another in the Award. Earlier, Ravindra Kelekar from the coastal
Chola dynasty. state got the award in 2008.
On this night Jawaharlal Nehru received the
'Sengol' from the Adheenams (Priests) of the 150. d Hrithik Roshan won the award for Best
Actor in a Leading Role (male) at the

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International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA) ISRO Chairmam -Sreedhara Panicker Somanath
2023 held in Abu Dhabi. Alia Bhatt also won the
award for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Female) 156. b The Ministry of Civil Aviation has launched
for her role in the movie Gangubai Kathiawadi. UDAN 5.1 to further enhance connectivity to
for her role in the film Gangubai Kathiawadi. remote areas of the country and achieve last-
mile connectivity through helicopters.
151. c PhonePe, announced that it has achieved This follows four successful rounds of the
two significant milestones. The company has Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) Ude Desh
become the first digital payments app to Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) and with version 5.0 of
successfully enable linkage of two lakh RuPay the fifth round underway.
credit cards to the Unified Payments Interface. In The main features of the 5.1 include -- an
addition, PhonePe has also processed a Total increase in the scope of operations for operators
Payment Value (TPV) of Rs.150 crore via RuPay wherein the scheme will now allow routes where
Credit on UPI. one of the origin or destination locations is in a
priority area.
152. c Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off Earlier both points had to be in priority areas.
Northeast India's first Vande Bharat Express train
via video-conferencing and added that it will 157. a India's ace shuttler HS Prannoy has
boost tourism, and enhance connectivity. clinched the Malaysia Masters badminton title. He
Connecting Guwahati with New Jalpaiguri, the defeated Weng Hong Yang of China 21-19, 13-
train will help save about an hour of journey 21, 21-18 in men's singles final in Kuala Lumpur
time, when compared with the current fastest this evening. Facing off for the first time,
train connecting the two places. Prannoy and Weng saw a close battle in the first
game, with the former taking a slender 11-10
153. d Praveen Kumar Srivastava was sworn in lead at the mid-way interval.
as the Central Vigilance Commissioner. President
Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office 158. b In the historical runoff to the presidential
to him at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Mr. Srivastava is a elections, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
1988-batch retired Indian Administrative Service declared victory in the polls that posed the
officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre. biggest challenge to his 20 years of
transformative but divisive rule. The official
154. a India's public sector Satluj Jal Vidyut Anadolu state news agency showed the Islamic-
Nigam to develop second hydropower project rooted leader ahead of his secular opposition
Arun-4 worth Rs 4,900 cr in Nepal. Nepal has rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu by four percentage
decided to allow India's Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam points.
(SJVN) Limited to develop a second hydropower
project in the country. 159. a The Comptroller and Auditor General of
At present SJVN is developing a 900-MW Arun - India, CAG, Girish Chandra Murmu has been re-
III hydroelectric project, a run-of-river located on elected as the External Auditor of the World
the Arun River in Eastern Nepal, scheduled to be Health Organisation (WHO) for a four-year term
completed in 2024. A meeting of the Investment from 2024 to 2027.
Board Nepal (IBN) chaired by Prime Minister The CAG is already holding this position in the
Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda approved the WHO since 2019 for a four-year term from 2019
draft project development agreement (PDA) to to 2022
be signed with India's state-owned SJVN to
develop the 669-megawatt (MW) Lower Arun 160. b The unemployment rate for persons aged
Hydropower project in eastern Nepal 15 years and above in urban areas declined to
6.8% during January-March 2023 from 8.2% a
155. c ISRO's GSLV f 12 rocket with NVS - 01 year ago, the National Sample Survey Survey
satellite was successfully launched at 10.42 from showed. Joblessness or unemployment rate is
Sriharikota . defined as the percentage of unemployed
The rocket lifted off from the second launch pad persons in the labour force.
at Satish Dhawan Space Centre and injected NVS In January-March 2022, the unemployment rate
-01 satellite in its geosynchronous orbit. The was 8.2%
satellite weighing 2232 kilograms is the first of Joblessness was high in January-March 2022,
the second-generation satellites envisaged for mainly due to the staggering impact of Covid-
the Navigation with Indian Constellation series. related restrictions in the country. The

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unemployment rate in July-September 2022 and 165. d With the aim to promote oral hygiene, the
October-December 2022 was 7.2% only. It was Maharashtra government named cricketing icon
7.6% in April-June 2022. The unemployment rate Sachin Tendulkar as 'Smile Ambassador' under
for persons aged 15 years and above in April- the state's 'Swachh Mukh Abhiyan'. The former
June 2022 was 7.6% in urban areas, the 18th Indian cricketer will be the campaign's brand
Periodic Labour Force Survey showed. ambassador for the next five years.

161. a The government signed an agreement 166. d Indian Institute of Technology will open
with six states -- Assam, Gujarat, Madhya its first-ever overseas campus in Tanzania's
Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh -- Zanzibar in October 2023 with a batch of 50
to begin the digital crop survey. The agreement undergraduate students and 20 master's
was signed at a workshop organised by the Union students.
agriculture ministry to discuss with state The new IIT campus will be set up in Zanzibar
governments the implementation plan of the under the name IIT Madras at Zanzibar. Zanzibar
digital crop survey. Digital crop survey is part of will be one of three campuses outside of India,
the government's Agristack or India Digital with the others located in Abu Dhabi and Kuala
Ecosystem for Agriculture (IDEA) that has been Lumpur.
under development since 2020.
167. d India's non-fossil fuel-based power
162. c Maharashtra government has approved a generation capacity is likely to increase to 68.4%
new financial scheme under which more than one of the total installed capacity in 2031-32 from
crore farmers in the state will be paid 6,000 42.5% at present as per the National Electricity
rupees annually. The scheme, Namo Shetkari Plan (NEP) unveiled by the power ministry. This
Mahasanman Yojana, was approved at a Cabinet assumes significance in view of India's target of
meeting chaired by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde net zero by 2070 and having 500 GW of
in Mumbai renewable energy by 2030.
Maharashtra Cabinet also approved
implementation of 'Gender Inclusive Tourism 168. b The 3rd India-Vietnam Maritime Security
Policy called 'Aai' to empower women in the Dialogue was recently held in New Delhi. The two
tourism sector. Similarly, approval was also sides discussed ways to sustain a secure
given to start women's bike-taxi services at some maritime environment conducive for inclusive
tourist spots in the State. growth. They also reviewed maritime cooperation
initiatives and avenues of reinforcing
163. a MS Dhoni becomes first Indian to record international and regional mechanisms for
300 dismissals with Gill stumping in IPL 2023 comprehensive maritime security.
final. Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni
became the first Indian to record 300 dismissals 169. b The Union Cabinet has approved the City
in T20 cricket during the IPL 2023 final against Investments to Innovate, Integrate and Sustain
Chennai Super Kings at the Narendra Modi 2.0 (CITIIS 2.0). CITIIS 2.0 is a program
Stadium in Ahmedabad. conceived by the Ministry of Housing and Urban
Dhoni recorded the feat when he stumped GT Affairs (MoHUA) in partnership with the French
opener Shubman Gill off Ravindra Jadeja's Development Agency (AFD), Kreditanstalt für
bowling. Dhoni's reaction time was clocked at a Wiederaufbau (KfW), the European Union (EU),
staggering 0.1 seconds. and National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA).
The program will run for a period of four years,
164. a Recently, Justice Augustine George Masih i.e., from 2023 till 2027.
was sworn in as the Chief Justice of Rajasthan The program envisages to support competitively
High Court. Governor Kalraj Mishra administered selected projects promoting circular economy
the oath of office to Masih at a ceremony held at with focus on integrated waste management at
Raj Bhavan. the city level, climate-oriented reform actions at
The post of chief justice fell vacant after Justice the State level, and institutional strengthening
Pankaj Mithal was appointed as the Supreme and knowledge dissemination at the National
Court judge in February this year, after which level.
Justice M M Srivastava was working as the acting
chief justice of the high court. 170. d The Government of India has appointed
Ashwani Kumar as UCO Bank MD & CEO. The
Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC)

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has approved the appointment of Ashwani (e.g., production, exports, imports, cost of
Kumar, Executive Director, Indian Bank as material) along with the crucial features of
Managing Director and CEO of UCO Bank. technology transfer agreements (viz., nature,
Ashwani Kumar will lead the public sector bank duration, mode of payment, export restriction,
for period of three years from June 1. provision of exclusive rights, use of technology
after expiry of the agreements.
171. b World Milk Day is celebrated annually on
June 1. This day was established by the Food and 175. b A successful training launch of a Medium-
Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Range Ballistic Missile, Agni-1 was carried out by
Nations and has been celebrated since 2001. the Strategic Forces Command from APJ Abdul
According to worldmilkday.org, the theme of Kalam Island, Odisha. The missile is a proven
World Milk Day 2023 is "Showcasing how dairy is system, capable of striking targets with a very
reducing its environmental footprint, while also high degree of precision. The user training launch
providing nutritious foods and livelihoods.". successfully validated all operational and
technical parameters of the missile
172. c The Union Cabinet has approved to
establish a Regional Office of the Universal Postal 176. a The Union Minister for Jal Shakti, Shri
Union (UPU) in New Delhi, India to undertake Gajendra Singh Shekhawat launched the Unified
UPU's development cooperation and technical Registration Portal for GOBARdhan which will act
assistance activities in the region by entering into as a one stop repository to assess investment
an agreement with UPU. and participation in Biogas/CBG sector at pan
The approval enables India to play active role at India level and more importantly streamline the
multilateral organizations in postal sector with process of setting up CBG/Biogas plants in India.
emphasis on South-South and Triangular Any government, cooperative or private entity
cooperation. India will provide a Field Project operating or intending to setup a Biogas/CBG/Bio
Expert, staff and office set up for UPU's regional CNG plant in India can obtain a registration
office. number by enrolling in this unified registration
Projects on capacity building and trainings, portal launched.
improving efficiency and quality of postal The registration number will enable availing of
services, enhancement of Postal technology, e- multitude of benefits and support from the
commerce and trade promotion etc will be Ministries & Departments of Government of
prepared and implemented for the region by this India.
office in coordination with UPU. Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources Dhan
(GOBARdhan) is a vital umbrella initiative of
173. b AIIA and Vijnana Bharati Organizes Global Government of India, based on the whole of
Indian Scientists and Technocrats Forum meet, Government approach and aims to convert waste
known as the GI-YSRI Conference at New Delhi. to wealth towards promoting circular economy.
and it will continue till June 2nd at National Government of India intends to build a robust
Agricultural Science Complex, New Delhi. Delhi. ecosystem for setting up Biogas/Compressed
The primary objective of the Conference is to Biogas (CBG)/ Bio-Compressed Natural Gas
introduce GIST to heads of agencies, showcase (CNG) plants to drive sustainable economic
ongoing collaborations and partnerships, identify growth and promote a circular economy.
new opportunities for collaborations, and
emphasize diversity, equity, and inclusion in 177. a NHPC and VUCL, Nepal sign MoU for
promoting science and technology. development of Phukot Karnali Hydro Electric
Project (480MW) in Nepal.
174. c The Reserve Bank of India has been Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources Dhan
conducting the survey on Foreign Collaborations (GOBARdhan) is a vital umbrella initiative of
in Indian Industry since 1965. The 14th round of Government of India, based on the whole of
survey with 2021-22 and 2022-23 as the Government approach and aims to convert waste
reference period has now been launched. to wealth towards promoting circular economy.
The schedule of this survey is required to be Government of India intends to build a robust
filled by the Indian companies having technical ecosystem for setting up Biogas/Compressed
collaborations with foreign companies. Biogas (CBG)/ Bio-Compressed Natural Gas
The survey collects information on the operations (CNG) plants to drive sustainable economic
of the Indian companies having foreign technical growth and promote a circular economy
collaborations in terms of performance indicators

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178. c UAE wins Presidency of World 183. d The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has won
Meteorological Organization. A meteorologist of the bid to host the 2025. World Conservation
United Arab Emirates (UAE) Dr Abdulla Al Congress (WCC) of the International Union for
Mandous has been elected as the new President Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) The WCC is the world's largest and most
for a four-year term from 2023 to 2027. important gathering of conservationists, and it is
The WMO is an authoritative body within the UN expected to draw more than 10,000 delegates
system that focuses on weather, climate, from over 160 countries. The 2025 WCC will be
hydrological, and related environmental fields. held in Abu Dhabi from October 10-21, 2025.
The event will be an opportunity for
179. a The Director General of the India conservationists from around the world to come
Meteorological Department (IMD), Mrutyunjay together and discuss the most pressing
Mohapatra was elected as one of the three vice- environmental challenges facing our planet. The
presidents of the World Meteorological WCC is also expected to produce a number of
Organisation. Along with Mohapatra, the UN important resolutions and recommendations that
agency for climate change, weather and water will help to guide future conservation efforts.
elected two other vice-presidents as well.
184. a Trinidad and Tobago's nominee Dennis
180. b Insurance regulator, Insurance Regulatory Francis was successfully elected as the 78th
and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has President of the United Nations General
identified SBI Life Insurance as acquirer insurer Assembly. He is the first T&T nominee to be
of the life insurance business of Sahara India Life elected as UNGA President. Ambassador Francis,
Insurance Co Ltd (SILIC). SBI Life has been who is the Permanent Representative of Trinidad
asked to take over the policy liabilities of around and Tobago, was elected by acclamation and will
two lakh policies of SILIC, backed by the preside over the 78th Session of the United
policyholders' assets, with immediate effect. Nations General Assembly, which begins in
September 2023. The 78th session of the
181. b Ayushmann Khurrana, who is the National assembly will run from September 2023 to
Ambassador of UNICEF, has now been appointed September 2024.
as the Goodwill Ambassador for Special Olympics
Bharat. 185. c Recently the Maharashtra Government
Special Olympics World Summer Games, is set to has recently proposed to rename 'Ahmednagar',
take place in Berlin, Germany, between June 17 a district as 'Ahilyanagar'. The Maharashtra
and 25. government has decided to rename Ahmednagar
India is sending a 280 strong contingent district as Ahilyadevi Nagar after Maratha ruler
comprising 198 athletes and partners along with Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar.
57 coaches who will be competing across 16 Chief minister Eknath Shinde made the
sports disciplines at the prestigious event. announcement during the 298th birth
anniversary celebrations of the hereditary noble
182. a The 3rd G20 Health Working Group queen of the Maratha Empire in Malwa.
meeting was formally opened in Hyderabad. The renaming of Ahmednagar was the latest
Minister of State for Health Family Welfare name-changing move taken by the Eknath
Bharati Pravin Pawar behalf of Union Minister Dr Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government, which
Mansukh Mandaviya, is taking forward the had renamed Maharashtra's Aurangabad and
agenda of the G20 Health Track under India's Osmanabad districts as Chhatrapati Sambhaji
Presidency. Nagar and Dharashiv respectively in February.
the Government is committed to providing all
health and medical service by the year 2030. 186. a The Ministry of Education today
The 3-day meeting is focusing on priorities announced the National Institutional Ranking
including Health Emergencies Prevention, Framework (NIRF) ranking for the year 2023.
Preparedness, and Response, Access, and The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras
Availability to Affordable Medical has been declared the best educational institute
countermeasures, and Digital Health. The under the overall category.
meeting will voice the challenges of the Global Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore got
South and discuss the solutions. second position and Indian Institute of
Technology, IIT-Delhi, awarded third position in
the same category.

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All India Institute of Medical Science, AIIMS New This marks the beginning of the international
Delhi was awarded the 5th position and cruise tourism terminal at Chennai, built at a cost
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi got of 17.21 crore rupees, heralding a new age of
the 10th position in the overall category. In the cruise tourism and maritime trade in the country.
category of top ten Universities in the country, Coinciding on the occasion of Environment Day,
IISc, Bangalore is in First position and JNU in Mr Sonowal along with the port officials also
second position. Jamia Millia Islamia got 3rd planted 2,500 tree saplings at the port.
position, Banaras Hindu University 5th position
and Aligarh Muslim University bagged 9th 191. c The President of India, Droupadi Murmu
position in this category. The University of has been decorated with the highest civilian
Hyderabad is also in 10th position in the same honour of Suriname - The Grand Order of the
category. The Ministry announced ranking for Chain of Yellow Star, in Paramaribo, the capital
several categories including Overall, Top ten city of Suriname. She received the honor from
Universities, Engineering, Pharmacy and the President of the Republic of Suriname,
Management. Chandrikapersad Santokhi.
President Murmu is the first Indian to receive this
187. a Canada is to become the first country to award
print health warnings on individual cigarettes.
The stark messages include "poison in every 192. a Dhanush Srikanth has won the Men's 10
puff" and "cigarettes cause impotence." The metre Air Rifle on Day 3 of the ongoing
country's new Tobacco Products Appearance, International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF)
Packaging and Labelling Regulations will be form World Cup Junior, giving India their third gold of
part of the government's efforts to help adults the competition so far. Dhanush posted 249.4 in
who smoke to quit. the 24-shot final to leave Swede Pontus Kallin, a
clear 1.3 points behind in a clinical display.
188. a Commodore KS Subramanian, a revered India also bagged a bronze in the Skeet Mixed
figure in the Indian Navy, has passed away at Team competition, when Harmehar Lally and
the age of 94. Sanjana Sood defeated Swedish pair of David
Having been commissioned on 1 September Jonsson and Felicia Ros.
1951, Commodore Subramanian's career
spanned over three decades and left an indelible 193. b Shri Shaktikanta Das, Governor, launched
mark on the Indian Navy. a Financial Inclusion Dashboard, named,
One of his notable achievements was his अंतरॕदृषॕटि
command of the Indian Navy's first submarine, (ANTARDRIHSTI). As the name suggests, the
INS Kalvari, a Foxtrot-class boat. dashboard will provide the required insight to
assess and monitor the progress of financial
189. c The Centre is looking to include inclusion by capturing relevant parameters. The
refractories in the upcoming Production Linked Reserve Bank has been promoting financial
Incentive Scheme 2.0 for steel as it aims at inclusion through various policy initiatives. To
doubling the country's production capacity for measure the extent of financial inclusion, RBI
the metal to 300 million tonne by 2030. had constructed the Financial Inclusion (FI)
Refractories are a critical input for steel Index in 2021, based on three dimensions of
production, and India depends on the import of financial inclusion, viz., 'Access', 'Usage' and
the raw material. 'Quality'.
Refractories are materials used by the steel
industry to line the internal furnaces for iron and 194. a Iran to reopen its diplomatic missions in
steel making. While the cost of refractory Saudi Arabia, to restore diplomatic ties after a
amounts to only 2-3 per cent of steel production, seven-year rift.
it is an essential component without which not a In March, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to
single tonne of steel can be produced. Currently, establish diplomatic ties, in a Chinese-brokered
India heavily depands on China for steel imports. deal, representing a major breakthrough in the
region.
190. a Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Saudi Arabia broke ties with Iran in 2016 after
Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal flagged off the protesters invaded Saudi diplomatic posts in
maiden International Cruise Vessel - MV Tehran and the northeastern city of Mashhad
Empress, India's first international cruise vessel - during demonstrations triggered by the execution
from Chennai to Sri Lanka.

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of a prominent Shiite cleric and 46 others in the

oil-rich Kingdom. 198. b UPI Scales New Peak In May 2023 With
941 Crore Monthly Transactions Worth Over Rs
195. b The Mission on Advanced and High- 14.3 Lakh Crores.
Impact Research (MAHIR) to be launched to Unified Payment Interface (UPI) transactions in
leverage Emerging Technologies in Power Sector. May 2023 scaled a new milestone with 9.41
The Ministry of Power and the Ministry of New billion (941 crores) transactions and Rs 14.3 lakh
and Renewable Energy are jointly launching a crores in terms of value, according to data made
National Mission to quickly identify emerging available by National Payments Corporation of
technologies in the power sector and develop India (NPCI).
them indigenously, at scale, for deployment No. of transactions in May 2023 is a 58% year-
within and outside India. on-year In May 2022 when 5.95 billion (595
The National Mission, titled "Mission on Advanced crore) transactions were recorded.
and High-Impact Research (MAHIR)" aims to Given the number of UPI transactions in April
facilitate indigenous research, development and 2023 was 8.9 billion (890 crore) and Rs 14.07
demonstration of the latest and emerging lakh crore in value terms, the May 2023 figures
technologies in the power sector. represents a 6 per cent rise in volume and 2 per
By identifying emerging technologies and taking cent in value on a month-on-month basis.FASTag
them to implementation stage, the Mission seeks transactions in May saw a 10 per cent rise in
to leverage them as the main fuel for future volume terms from 305 million(30.5 crores) in
economic growth and thus make India a April to 335 million (35.5 crores) in May. In value
manufacturing hub of the world. terms, this increased by 6 per cent to Rs 5,437
Planned for an initial period of five years from crore in May compared to Rs 5,149 in April.
2023-24 to 2027-28, the Mission will follow the
technology life cycle approach of Idea to Product. 199. b The Indian Space Research Organization
(ISRO) awards Gaganyaan Mission mandate to
196. d Indian Navy's Varunastra Torpedo Hits Tata Elxsi to deliver Crew Module Recovery
Underwater Target With Precision Models (CMRM)
Indigenously designed and developed heavy ISRO's Gaganyaan project envisions a
weight torpedo (HWT) Varunastra was demonstration of human spaceflight capability by
successfully test-fired with a live warhead launching the crew into a 400-kilometer orbit for
against an undersea target, by the Indian Navy. a three-day Mission and safely bringing them to
Varunastra was designed and developed by Earth by landing in Indian sea waters. One of the
Vizag-based Naval Science and Technological key requirements of this project is the safe
Laboratory (NSTL) under the Defence Research recovery of the crew, which must be carried out
and Development Organisation and is with minimum lapse of time.
manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited. Manoj Raghavan, CEO & Managing Director, Tata
Varunastra is a ship-launched anti-submarine Elxsi.
torpedo having low drift navigational systems, Currently, two Recovery-Models (CMRM and GSF)
acoustic homing, advanced acoustic counter have been delivered to Naval training teams at
measure features, autonomous guidance Kochi and Visakhapatnam to train the recovery
algorithms, insensitive munitions warhead and a teams.
GPS-based recovery aid for practice torpedo,
according to the Defence Ministry. 200. a Air India Subsidiary Inks Pact To Build
Country's Largest Multi-modal Cargo Hub At
197. a Google Pay launches Aadhaar-based Noida International Airport.
authentication for UPI activation. Air India SATS will develop a multi-modal cargo
Google Pay has introduced UPI verification via hub (MMCH) at the upcoming Noida International
Aadhaar card. The new feature will allow Airport at Jewar In Uttar Pradesh.
customers to register for Unified Paytments The concession agreement to build a state-of-
Interface (UPI) without the need of debit card. the-art multi-modal cargo hub was signed
The move is supported by the National Payments between Sanjay Gupta, Chief Executive Officer of
Corporation of India (NPCI). AISATS, and Christoph Schnellmann, Chief
Customers who want to activate UPI through executive Officer of Yamuna International Airport
Aadhaar should have a valid phone number Private Ltd.
linked to their bank and registered with the
Unique Identification Authority of India (UID

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201. b The latest edition of the Best Indian

Brands 2023 ranking has unveiled Tata 205. b YES BANK unveiled a lively new logo that
Consultancy Services (TCS) and Reliance Jio as continues and expands on the bank's visual
the top-ranked Indian brands, reaffirming their identity. The tick has been converted into a
position as industry leaders and drivers of growth soaring bird, representing the bank's current
in the Indian market. soaring position, according to the firm.
The Best Indian Brands 2023 ranking is a Furthermore, the smoothed-out corners and fluid
testament to the strong brand equity built by curves have replaced the former logo's jagged
TCS and Reliance Jio over the years. edges. Furthermore, YES BANK is preparing to
These brands have not only excelled in their launch an integrated campaign with the motto
respective industries but have also made 'Life Ko Banao Rich,' which reflects the bank's
significant contributions to India's economic main goal of being a total solution provider for all
growth, technology advancement, and digital financial matters.
empowerment.
206. d Agni Prime' ballistic missile successfully
202. a The RBI issued first loss default guarantee flight-tested by DRDO off Odisha coast. The New
(FLDG) guidelines for digital lenders. The central Generation Ballistic Missile 'Agni Prime' was
bank has allowed a 5% default loss cover for successfully flight-tested by Defence Research
bank-fintech deals. The RBI had earlier specified and Development Organisation (DRDO) from Dr
that banks and NBFCs must abide by APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha.
securitisation norms before entering into any It has a strike range from 1,000 to 2,000-km.
guarantee arrangement. During the flight test, all objectives were
Subject to certain guidelines, the RBI has successfully demonstrated. This was the first
decided to permit arrangements between pre-induction night launch conducted by the
regulated entities and lending service providers users after three successful developmental trials
or between two regulated entities involving of the missile, validating the accuracy and
default loss guarantee. reliability of the system.
The limits are aimed at reining in the risk of large Range Instrumentation like Radar, Telemetry and
slippages in tie-ups between lenders and Electro Optical Tracking Systems were deployed
fintechs. at different locations, including two down-range
ships, at the terminal point to capture flight data
203. c The Reserve Bank of India released on its covering the entire trajectory of the vehicle
website the results of the following Surveys:
Consumer Confidence Survey (CCS) " May 2023 207. a The first edition of India, France and UAE
Inflation Expectations Survey of Households Maritime Partnership Exercise commenced in the
(IESH) " May 2023 Gulf of Oman. INS Tarkash and French Ship
Survey of Professional Forecasters on Surcouf both with integral helicopters, French
Macroeconomic Indicators Rafale aircraft and UAE Navy Maritime Patrol
Aircraft are participating in the exercise.
204. c Monetary Policy Statement, 2023-24 The maiden exercise aims to enhance trilateral
Resolution of the Monetary Policy Committee cooperation between the three navies and pave
(MPC) June 6-8, 2023. way for adopting measures towards addressing
On the basis of an assessment of the current and traditional and non-traditional threats in the
evolving macroeconomic situation, the Monetary maritime environment.
Policy Committee (MPC). The exercise will also enhance collaboration in
Kept the policy repo rate under the liquidity ensuring safety of mercantile trade and freedom
adjustment facility (LAF) unchanged at 6.50 per of navigation at high seas in the region.
cent.
The standing deposit facility (SDF) rate remains 208. c The WHO report, 'Health impact of Jal
unchanged at 6.25 per cent. The next meeting of Jeevan Mission', highlighted significant impact of
the MPC is scheduled during August 8-10, 2023. 'Har Ghar Jal' Program on Public Health and
Marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the Economic Savings.
Bank Rate have been kept at 6.75 per cent. It estimates that ensuring safely managed
Policy Repo Rate: 6.50% Standing Deposit drinking water for all households in the country
Facility Rate: 6.25%, Marginal Standing Facility could avert nearly 4 lakh deaths caused by
Rate: 6.75% Bank Rate: 6.75% Fixed Reverse diarrheal diseases & prevent approximately 14
Repo Rate: 3.35% CRR: 4.50%, SLR: 18.00%. million Disability Adjusted Life Years(DALYs)

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related to these diseases. This achievement - Easy location track data with snapshot of
alone would result in estimated cost savings of loading, unloading and idle time
up to $101 billion. The NTCPWC was established under the
The 'Har Ghar Jal' report focuses on diarrheal Sagarmala Programme of MoPSW with the total
diseases as they contribute significantly to the investment of ₹ 77 Crores at IIT Madras which
overall disease burden related to water, was inaugurated by the Minister on 24th April
sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) issues. 2023. The aim of the centre is to enable research
 Prior to 2019, the situation of water supply in & development for the marine sector, enabling
rural areas was challenging, with a large solutions towards achieving the ultimate goal of
percentage of the population lacking access to building a robust marine industry in the country.
improved drinking-water sources on their
premises. Unsafe drinking water, along with 210. a In its 'Ecowrap' research report, SBI said
inadequate sanitation and hygiene, resulted in that domestic GDP growth is now on firm footing
1.4 million deaths and 74 million DALYs globally with urban demand showing good traction, while
in 2019. the lagging rural demand is a cause of concern.
The report emphasizes the tremendous time and The apex bank has also revised GDP growth
effort saved for women and girls through the marginally upwards from 6.4% to 6.5 % for the
provision of tap water. In 2018, women in India current financial year.
spent an average of 45.5 minutes daily collecting Inflation for the current financial year has been
water to meet household needs. Overall, pegged by 5.1%.
households without on-premises water spent a
staggering 66.6 million hours each day collecting 211. b The Insurance Regulatory & Development
water, with the majority (55.8 million hours) Authority of India has granted certificate of
occurring in rural areas. Universal coverage registration to Go Digit Life Insurance to start
through tap water provision will result in business in India.
substantial savings by eliminating the need for With this, the number of insurers operating in life
daily water collection efforts. insurance segment has gone up to 26.
The Har Ghar Jal Programme, implemented by Go Digit General Insurance, backed by Canadian
the Jal Jeevan Mission under the Ministry of Jal Prem Watsa's Fairfax and Kamesh Goyal, is
Shakti, was announced by Prime Minister Shri already in the general insurance business.
Narendra Modi on August 15, 2019. The program
aims to provide every rural household with 212. c The Indian Army said it has sealed a deal
affordable and regular access to an adequate with a Bengaluru-based M/s Astrome Tech Pvt
supply of safe drinking water through taps. The Ltd, to procure the indigenously-developed
program's components align with the "tactical LAN radio" through Innovations for
WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Defence Excellence(iDEX).
Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene (JMP) to The "tactical LAN radio" is a state-of-the-art
monitor progress on SDG 6.1 for safely managed high-bandwidth backhaul wireless radio
drinking water services equipment for the provisioning of reliable
communication.
209. a Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & It is the second contract that the Army has
Waterways (MoPSW) and Ayush Shri Sarbananda firmed up under iDEX.
Sonowal launched 'SAGAR SAMRIDDHI' - the iDEX was launched on 12 April 2018 during
online dredging monitoring system - in order to Defence Expo India 2018.
accelerate 'Waste to Wealth' initiative of the
Ministry. 213. a Gitanjali Aiyar, one of India's first English
This system has been developed by National female news presenters on national broadcaster
Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Doordarshan, passed away.
Coasts (NTCPWC) the technological arm of She joined Doordarshan in 1971 and was
MoPSW. awarded the best anchor four times. She also
The new technology brings in marked won the Indira Gandhi Priyadarshini Award for
improvement against the old system of Draft & Outstanding Women in 1989.
Loading Monitor (DLM) system.
Capabilities of 'Sagar Samriddhi' include: 214. a The Navy carried out a massive Carrier
- Real time dredging progress report Battle Group (CBG) operation involving more
- Daily and monthly progress Visualisation than 35 aircraft in the Arabian Sea, one of the
- Dredger performance and downtime monitoring

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biggest demonstrations of its operational small enterprises, announced their joint

capabilities in recent years. partnership to launch the NBFC Growth
This was a twin CBG operation involving both of Acceleration Program (NGAP). This programme
India's aircraft carriers - INS Vikramaditya & INS aims to handhold smaller NBFCs that have at
Vikrant,along with a diverse fleet of escort least 60 per cent of their exposure to MSMEs.
ships,submarines & aircraft. The NBFC accelerator programme will work on
A CBG is a naval fleet comprising an aircraft capacity building of at least 100 smaller NBFCs
carrier and its multiple escort vessels. with assets under management ranging from Rs
75 crore to Rs 250 crore who primarily lend to
215. b External Affairs minister S Jaishankar is to micro and small businesses in tier two and tier
chair the G20 development ministers' meeting, three cities.
taking place from 11-13 June in Varanasi, Uttar GAME will be responsible for executing the
Pradesh. program and will conduct a pilot with 20 NBFCs
The development ministers' meeting was to test and outline the program's strategy before
preceded by the fourth and final Development expanding it to other financial services players.
Working Group (DWG) meeting, held from June 6 NGAP is expected to be rolled out in August
to 9 in Delhi. 2023.

216. d According to data from MyGovIndia, India 219. c Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi
has recorded with 89.5 million digital inaugurated the first-ever National Training
transactions in the year 2022. Conclave at the International Exhibition and
India in the year 2022 accounting for 46% global Convention Centre Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.
real-time payments, adding that the digital The National Training Conclave is being hosted
payment transactions in India is more than the by Capacity Building Commission with an
other four leading countries combined. objective to foster collaboration among civil
Brazil which amounted to 29.2 million services training institutes and strengthen the
transactions was second on the list. China was training infrastructure.
3rd with 17.6 million transactions. The National Programme for Civil Services
On number 4 is Thailand with 16.5 million digital Capacity Building (NPCSCB) " 'Mission
transactions followed by South Korea with 8 Karmayogi' was launched to prepare a future-
million worth of transactions, the data from ready civil service with the right attitude, skills
MyGovIndia has stated. and knowledge. This Conclave is yet another step
in this direction.
217. a Polish Iga Swiatek defeated Czech
Republic's Karolina Muchova 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 in 220. a Biparjoy is likely to cross Saurashtra,
2023 French Open Women's Singles final. Kutch and adjoining Pakistan coasts between
Swiatek has become youngest women's player to Mandvi (Gujarat) and Karachi (Pakistan) around
clinch consecutive titles at the French Open since noon of June 15 as very severe cyclone with wind
Monica Seles (1990, 1991, 2002). speed reaching 125-135 kmph gusting to 150
She further became the first woman to win back- kmph.
to-back French Open titles since Belgium's 'Biparjoy' was suggested by Bangladesh and the
Justine Henin (2005, 2006, 2007). word means 'disaster' or 'calamity' in Bengali.
Swiatek also joined Seles and Naomi Osaka as
the only women in the Open Era to clinch each of 221. d Government e-Marketplace (GeM) will
their first four Grand Slam finals. organize Buyer-Seller Workshops in all 75
The Polish star earned more records by becoming districts of Uttar Pradesh . GeM is an online
the youngest to win a fourth Grand Slam title platform for the procurement of goods and
since Serena Williams (1999 US Open, 2002 services by government departments, public
French, 2002 Wimbledon, 2002 US Open). sector units, and other agencies.
Swiatek's four major titles include the French These workshops aim to enhance the
Open (2020, 2022, 2023) and the US Open understanding of GeM's functionalities among
(2023). buyers and sellers in the state, as well as provide
a platform to address any queries or concerns.
218. b Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship The workshop will continue till 31st August this
(GAME), a mass entrepreneurship enablement year.
platform and Small Industries Development Bank
of India (SIDBI), the principal financing body of

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222. a UBS completes Credit Suisse takeover, Air India also got elected to the Executive
gains clout as global wealth player. Committee of Star Alliance for the first time.
Swiss bank UBS said it completed its emergency At present, IATA's board of Governors' comprises
takeover of embattled local rival Credit Suisse, 31 airlines.
the biggest banking deal since the 2008 global IATA HQ- Montreal, Canada.
financial crisis, creating a giant bank with a Air India last year joined the Federation of Indian
balance sheet of $1.6 trillion. The mega group Airlines (FIA) and Association of Asia Pacific
will oversee $5 trillion of assets giving UBS, the Airlines (AAPA).
world's largest wealth manager, a leading
position in key markets it would otherwise have 227. a India & ADB ink USD 130 mn loan
needed years to grow in size and reach. agreement to promote horticulture in Himachal
Pradesh
223. a The United Arab Emirates (UAE), with The Ministry of Finance stated that the central
which India implemented a comprehensive free government and the Asian Development Bank
trade agreement in May last year, has emerged (ADB) have joined forces in a significant
as the fourth largest investor in India during endeavour to enhance agricultural productivity,
2022-23, according to government data. improve irrigation accessibility, and promote
Singapore was the largest investor in India with horticulture agribusinesses in the state of
USD 17.2 billion investment in FY23. Himachal Pradesh.
In the last fiscal, foreign direct investment (FDI) The project aims to enhance the income and
from the UAE to India jumped over three-fold to resilience to climate change effects for
USD 3.35 billion from USD 1.03 billion in 2021- approximately 15,000 farming households across
22, the data of the Department for Promotion of seven districts of Himachal Pradesh, namely
Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) showed. Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kangra, Mandi, Sirmour,
Solan, and Una.
224. b The World Day against Child Labour has
been observed annually on 12 June since 2002. 228. c The 12th edition of joint military exercise
This significant day was established by the "Ex Ekuverin" between the Indian Army & the
International Labour Organization (ILO), and all Maldives National Defence Force has commenced
United Nations member countries have since at Chaubatia, Uttarakhand from 11 to 24 June
been commemorating it. 2023. Ekuverin meaning 'Friends' is a bilateral
World Day against Child Labour serves as a call annual exercise conducted alternatively in India
to action, urging individuals, organizations, and and Maldives.
governments to take decisive steps in combating The 11th edition of the exercise was held in
child labour and promoting awareness about its Maldives in December 2021.
detrimental effects. It is a reminder for collective A platoon strength contingent from Indian Army
efforts to be made towards eradicating child and Maldives National Defence Force will be
labour and creating a better future for children participating in 14 days long exercise.
worldwide. The exercise is aimed at enhancing
interoperability in Counter Insurgency/ Counter
225. a Nitin Agarwal has been appointed as the Terrorism Operations under the UN mandate and
new director general of the Border Security Force carry out joint Humanitarian Assistance and
(BSF), more than five months after the post fell Disaster Relief operations.
vacant. The focus is to share best practices, enhance
The post of BSF chief has been vacant for more coordination and cooperation between both the
than five months after Pankaj Kumar Singh forces at tactical level.
retired on December 31, 2022.
229. b Raj gir's documentary 'When Climate
226. a IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers appointed as Change Turns Violent' wins WHO award. A
Chair-elect of IATA's Board of Governors documentary titled "When Climate Change Turns
IATA also announced that Pieter Elbers, CEO of Violent" has won a special prize in the 'Health for
IndiGo, will serve as Chair of the IATA BoG from All' category at the 4th Annual Health for All Film
June 2024, succeeding Yvonne Manzi Makolo, Festival held at the World Health Organization
CEO of Rwandair. Tata Sons-owned Air India was headquarters in Geneva. The documentary has
elected to the International Air Transport been directed by Vandita Saharia of Rajasthan.
Association (IATA) Board of Governors at the She was the only Indian among the winners. The
IATA. 4.32-minute documentary focuses on the

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relationship between domestic violence, climate and save up to 10 per cent on all purchases
change and human trafficking. made from the account.

230. c The Securities and Exchange Board of 235. b India expressed its willingness to host the
India (SEBI) has recently Tuesday introduced a 2025 International Institute of Administrative
regulatory framework for online investment Sciences (IIAS) Annual Conference at Kochi,
platforms that facilitate investments in Kerala, in February, 2025. The 2025 Annual
commission-free mutual fund (MF) schemes. The Conference of IIAS would be attended by 30
regulation brings clarity on obligations of such Member Countries, 18 National Sections and over
platforms while opening an avenue to monetise 50 IIAS Universities/ Institutes of Public
their business. Administration in Member Countries.
It also addresses investor concerns on associated The theme for 2025 IIAS Annual Conference at
risks and introduces grievance redressal Kochi is proposed as "Next Generation
mechanism. Administrative Reforms - Empowering the
As per the framework, platforms providing MF Citizens and Reaching the Last Mile".
investment services in direct (commission-free) The IIAS established in 1930, is a federation of
plans will have to apply for 'execution only member States, national sections and academic
platform' (EOP) licence either with Sebi or the research centres jointly elaborating public
Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi) administration solutions to the policy challenges
within three months of the regulation coming into of the day with headquarters in Brussels,
force, which happens in September 2023. Belgium.
As of now, these MF investment platforms
operate under a stock broker or investment 236. b Shaktikanta Das conferred Governor of
advisor (IA) licence. the Year award
Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das,
231. c India win one Gold, 3 Silver & 3 Bronze who was conferred the Governor of the Year
medals in U-17 Asian Wrestling Championships Award 2023 by Central Banking, has highlighted
In wrestling, India wrapped up their campaign in how monetary authorities went well beyond their
the U-17 Asian Wrestling Championships with traditional briefs in response to unprecedented
one gold, three silver and three bronze medals challenges over the last few years. Shaktikanta
on the final day in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Ankush Das received the award in London as part of the
won India's only gold medal of the day in the Central Banking Awards 2023.
freestyle 55kg weight category, defeating Iran's
Amirreza Ali Teymorizad. 237. b Ireland's Harry Tector, Thailand's
Thipatcha Putthawong Clinch ICC Player of the
232. b Engineers India Limited (EIL) Manager Month Awards for May 2023. While Tector
Divya Dutta has been conferred with the became the first Irish player to win the ICC Men's
Federation of Indian Petroleum Industry (FIPI) Player of the Month award, Thipatcha's win
Award 2022- "Special Commendation" in Young means it is the second consecutive time Thailand
Achiever of the Year in Oil & Gas Industry won the Women's Player of the Month award
category. Divya Dutta received the award from after skipper Naruemol Chaiwai's win in April.
Union Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and The left-arm spinner Thipatcha took 11 wickets in
Housing & Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri at a four T20Is at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games
function held in New Delhi. in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

233. a The Naini Saini airport has received the 238. c UN General Assembly has adopted a
DGCA's aerodrome licence to operate civil flights. Resolution to establish a new Memorial Wall for
The licence which permits the take-off and fallen Peacekeepers, piloted by India. India
landing of civil flights at the airport is valid for six piloted the adoption of the Resolution in the UN
months. General Assembly to establish a Memorial Wall
for fallen Peacekeepers. The Resolution received
234. c Fino Payments Bank has entered into a a record 190 co-sponsorships, which is a
tie-up with Sequoia Capital-backed fintech testimony to faith in India's contributions and
Hubble to introduce India's first spending intent.
account. The bank said customers can park their About UNGA
funds, spend (on categories such as food The UN General Assembly (UNGA) is the main
ordering, shopping, travel, entertainment etc.) policy-making organ of the Organization.

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Comprising all Member States, it provides a Theme for 2023- "Digital remittances towards
unique forum for multilateral discussion of the financial inclusion and cost reduction."
full spectrum of international issues covered by In 2022, international remittances to low- and
the Charter of the United Nations. Each of the middle-income countries (LMICs) amounted to
193 Member States of the United Nations has an US$626 billion.Â
equal vote.
The UNGA also makes key decisions for the UN, 242. b The Global Slavery Index (GSI) provides
including:appointing the Secretary-General on national estimates of modern slavery for 160
the recommendation of the Security countries.
Councilelecting the non-permanent members of It is presented by Walk Free, a human rights
the Security Councilapproving the UN budget organisation, and is based on data provided by
the Global Estimates of Modern Slavery, which,
239. b The Government has reduced the basic in turn, is produced by the International Labour
import duty on edible oils to ensure their Organisation (ILO), Walk Free, and the
availability to consumers at affordable prices. International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
The basic import duty on refined soyabean oil This is the fifth edition of the GSI and it is based
and refined sunflower oil was reduced from 17.5 on the 2022 estimates. The previous four
percent to 12.5 percent. This came into effect on editions were published in 2013, 2014, 2016,
16th April 2023 and will remain in force till the and 2018.In its report, Walk Free reported that
31st of March next year. The import duties were 49.6 million people are living in modern slavery,
last revised in October 2021 when they were out of which, India is home to 11
brought down to 17.5 per cent from 32.5 per million.According to the index, "modern slavery"
cent. refers to situations of exploitation that a person
cannot refuse because of threats, violence,
240. d Tata Steel and Germany's SMS group coercion, deception, or abuses of power. Modern
have signed a Memorandum of Understanding slavery includes abuses such as forced labour,
(MoU) to collaborate on the decarbonisation of forced marriage, debt bondage, sexual
steel making process. exploitation, human trafficking, slavery-like
As part of the MoU, the companies shall practices, forced or servile marriage, and the
undertake further technical discussions and sale and exploitation of children.Three sets of
initiate actions for conducting a Joint Industrial findingsThere are three sets of key findings. The
Demonstration of the EASyMelt technology, first set consists of countries that top in terms of
developed by the SMS group. the prevalence of modern slavery. The
The demonstration will be executed at 'E' Blast prevalence refers to the incidence of modern
Furnace in Tata Steel's Jamshedpur plant with slavery per 1,000 population. On this count, the
the objective to reduce CO2 emission by more following 10 countries are the worst offenders:
than 50 per cent from the blast furnace's North Korea, Eritrea, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia,
baseline operation. The EASyMelt (electric- Turkey, Tajikistan, the UAE, Russia, Afghanistan,
assisted syngas smelter) technology is a cutting- and Kuwait.The index states that "These
edge ironmaking solution that can be countries share some political, social, and
implemented in existing integrated steel plants to economic characteristics, including limited
accelerate decarbonisation. The core of the protections for civil liberties and human
technology utilises blast furnace top gas recycling rights."The second set consists of countries with
for syngas production through reforming of coke the lowest prevalence. The list includes countries
oven gas. The resulting syngas is then injected at such as Switzerland, Norway, Germany,
both shaft and tuyere levels, with the gas Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium,
injected at the tuyere level further being heated Ireland, Japan, and Finland.The third set consists
using a plasma torch system. of countries hosting the maximum number of
people living in modern slavery. The list is as
241. a The International Day of Family follows: India, China, North Korea, Pakistan,
Remittances (IDFR) is a universally-recognized Russia, Indonesia, Nigeria, Turkey, Bangladesh,
observance adopted by the United Nations and the US.The index states that "Collectively,
General Assembly and celebrated every year on these countries account for nearly two in every
16 June. The Day recognizes the contribution of three people living in modern slavery and over
over 200 million migrants to improve the lives of half the world's population. Notably, six are G20
their 800 million family members back home, nations: India, China, Russia, Indonesia, Turkey,
and to create a future of hope for their children. and the US."

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243. a Indian Oil Corp to set up aviation fuel 249. b Goa CM Pramod Sawant launches mascot
plant with LanzaJet in Haryana. The company is for upcoming 37th National Games. Chief
looking at an investment of about 23 billion Minister Pramod Sawant officially unveiled the
rupees ($280.1 million). The refiner is also eagerly-awaited mascot for the 37th National
running a pilot project for green fuel in Games, aptly named 'Moga,' during a ceremony
association with Praj Industries in the western held at Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Stadium,
state of Maharashtra. Taleigao. The unveiling marked a significant
milestone in the build-up to the upcoming
244. c India's defence ministry approved the National Games, highlighting the strong
acquisition of 31 MQ-9B armed drones from the connection between the Games and the rich
US. The clearance for procuring the drones made heritage of Goa.
by General Atomics was given by a meeting of
the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by 250. b The World Bank (WB) launched its first
defence minister Rajnath Singh. dedicated road safety project in South Asia with
India is expected to buy the drones, which have a USD 358 million financing agreement signed in
an endurance of more than 27 hours and can Dhaka with the government of Bangladesh. The
operate at up to 50,000 feet, in a deal worth a project seeks to improve road safety and reduce
little more than $3 billion. fatalities and injuries from road crashes in
selected cities, high-risk highways, and district
245. a The Ministry of Environment, Forest & roads.
Climate change has released the "National Two national highways of Bangladesh, Gazipur-
Working Plan Code-2023" for scientific Elenga (N4) and Natore-Nawabganj (N6), will be
management of forests and evolving new taken up for the implementation of this project.
approaches. The National Working Plan Code- The project will pilot comprehensive road safety
2023 was released by Shri. Chandra Prakash measures, including improved engineering
Goyal, IFS, Director General of Forests and designs, signage and marking, pedestrian
Special Secretary, Ministry of Environment, facilities, speed enforcement, and emergency
Forest & Climate change during the occasion of care.
the 'World Day to Combat Desertification and These measures will help reduce road traffic
Drought' organized by the Indian Council of deaths by more than 30 percent on these two
Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) in highways.
Dehradun on 17th June 2023.
251. b Indian Men's Senior Football Team beat
246. c Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar Lebanon 2-0 to clinch Intercontinental Cup in
conferred the fourth National Water Awards in Bhubaneshwar
New Delhi today, June 17. The Jal Shakti Ministry Indian men's senior football team clinched the
had announced a total of 41 winners, covering 11 Intercontinental Cup with a 2-0 victory over
categories, including joint winners, for the Lebanon in the final at Kalinga Stadium in
National Water Awards, 2022. Madhya Pradesh Bhubaneshwar. The first half was goalless while
was awarded the first prize in the best State in the second half, the hosts made it 1-0 in the
category. 46th-minute with Indian captain Sunil Chhetri's
goal.
247. a Remains of a species of herbivorous Lallianzuala Chhangte netted the second goal in
dinosaur previously unknown in the southern the 65th -minute, making it 2-0.
hemisphere have been discovered in Chile, This is India's second title in the tournament,
challenging long-held beliefs about the range of following their win in the inaugural edition in
duck-billed dinosaurs, The discovery showed that 2018. Korea won in 2019.
Chilean Patagonia served as a refuge for very
ancient species of hadrosaurs. 252. a The Indian Renewable Energy
Development Agency (IREDA) participated in the
248. b Meta has announced the 'state of the art' three-day "Intersolar Europe 2023" exhibition
generative AI model Voicebox which converts held in Munich, Germany. IREDA, a Mini Ratna
text to speech and includes features to edit audio (Category " I) Government of India enterprise
and work across languages. The multilingual under the administrative control of Ministry of
model can also produce speech in English, New and Renewable Energy, had set up a
French, German, Spanish, Polish, or Portuguese.

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pavilion at the exhibition to educate visitors reach an agreement had repeatedly stalled. The
about the organization. new treaty will be opened for signatures on
September 20, during the annual meeting of
253. c Urban co-operative banks (UCBs) have world leaders at the General Assembly, and it will
sought enhancement in the ceiling on loans take effect once it is ratified by 60 countries.
against gold and gold jewelry from ₹2 lakh to
₹5 lakh under the bullet payment scheme in 257. c IndusInd Bank collaborates with Wise to
order to meet the funding requirements of offer low-cost & fast inward remittance to India.
small/marginal borrowers. RBI permitted bullet IndusInd Bank's multi-partner remittance service
repayment of gold loans up to ₹1 lakh to start platform " Indus Fast Remit (IFR) and Wise
with (in 2007), which was increased later (in Platform " merged to provide NRIs with multi-
2014) to ₹2 lakhs, with the repayment being currency inbound remittance service. Wise
restricted to 12 months. Under bullet repayment, Platform, Wise's infrastructure offering for banks
the principal and interest on a loan are paid in and non-banks, is also being launched in India as
lump sum by a borrower to a lender at the end of a result of the merger of IFR and Wise Platform.
the loan tenure.
258. a IPS officer Ravi Sinha appointed new
254. a Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) chief
(GRSE) and Kongsberg Maritime (KM), Finland, Senior IPS officer Ravi Sinha was appointed as
signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) the chief of the country's external spy agency
for co-production of indigenous Water Jets (WJs) RAW, succeeding Samant Kumar Goel who will
of up to 3.5 MW. complete his four-year tenure on June 30, an
Waterjet Propulsion Systems are extensively official order said.
used onboard Indian Navy & Indian Coast Guard Sinha's predecessor Goel was appointed RAW
ships and therefore, this collaborative effort of chief for two years in June 2019. He was later
GRSE & Kongsberg Maritime (KM) has huge given two extensions of one year each in 2021
market potential in the coming years. and June 2022.

255. b A new curated collection, DAKSHTA 259. a Writer Arundhati Roy has been awarded
(Development of Attitude, Knowledge, Skill for the 45th European Essay Prize for lifetime
Holistic Transformation in Administration) For achievement for the French translation of her
Young Professionals, is now Live on the iGOT compilation of essays titled Azadi: Liberté,
Karmayogi Platform. Fascisme, Fiction (Azadi: Freedom, Fascism,
Tailored for Young Professionals & Consultants Fiction in English).
engaged in Government, this collection Roy will receive a cash prize of CHF 20,000
(consisting of 18 courses) seeks to build (about Rs 18 lakh), at a ceremony on September
functional, domain and behavioural competencies 12, 2023 in Lausanne, Switzerland.
by acquainting learners with subjects crucial for
discharging their duties, and responsibilities 260. a Senior Indian Administrative Service
effectively. (IAS) officer Shri Amit Agrawal assumed charge
Currently, 40 Young Professionals, and as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Unique
Consultants in NITI Aayog are undergoing phase- Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on
wise induction training through this curated Monday. He is an officer of the 1993 batch IAS
collection of courses on the iGOT Karmayogi from the Chhattisgarh cadre.
Platform.
261. b Yoga is an ancient physical, mental, and
256. b The United Nations has adopted the first- spiritual practice that originated in India. The
ever treaty to protect marine life in the high word 'yoga' derives from Sanskrit and means to
seas. UN Secretary-General António Guterres join or to unite, symbolizing the union of body
hailed the historic agreement as giving the ocean and consciousness.
a fighting chance. Recognizing its universal appeal, on 11
Delegates from the 193 member nations December 2014, the United Nations proclaimed
approved the treaty with jubilation. The treaty to 21 June as the International Day of Yoga.
protect biodiversity in waters outside national The theme for International Yoga Day 2023 is
boundaries, known as the high seas, covering 'Yoga for Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam,'.
nearly half of earth's surface, had been under The draft resolution establishing the International
discussion for more than 20 years as efforts to Day of Yoga was proposed by India and endorsed

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by a record 175 member states. The proposal systems, and space, showcased their
was first introduced by Prime Minister Narendra technologies to Indian and US stakeholders
Modi in his address during the opening of the
69th session of the General Assembly 265. a DCGI grants Emergency Use Authorization
to Gennova biopharma's Omicron-specific covid
262. a Former Union Finance Secretary & booster.
Revenue Secretary, Hasmukh Adhia, has been The Drug Control General of India has granted
appointed Chairman of GIFT City Ltd, the entity Emergency Use Authorization to an Omicron-
responsible for developing India's first smart city specific booster vaccine, the Department of
Gujarat International Finance-Tec City in Biotechnology.
Gandhinagar. As GIFT City Chairman, Adhia The mRNA-based vaccine, GEMCOVAC-OM, was
replaces Sudhir Mankad, former chief secretary developed by Gennova Biopharmaceuticals using
of Gujarat. the indigenous platform technology, and
Besides GIFT City, Adhia has also been appointed supported under the Mission COVID Suraksha.
Director and Chairman of the boards of State It is implemented by Biotechnology Industry
public sector undertakings Gujarat Alkalies & Research Assistance Council (BIRAC).
Chemicals Ltd (GACL) and Gujarat Mineral GEMCOVAC-OM is a thermostable vaccine, which
Development Corporation Ltd (GMDC) with does not require ultra-cold chain infrastructure
immediate effect. The appointments are as non- used for other approved mRNA-based vaccines,
executive chairman. At present Adhia is a non- making it easy for deployment pan India.
executive Chairman of Bank of Baroda, and also
the Chancellor of Central University of Gujarat. 266. a TCS expands partnership with British
He serves as a member of the Board of pension scheme Nest, signs $1.1 billion contract
Governors of the Indian Institute of Management for initial tenue of 10 years.
Bangalore. He also serves as Vice-President in Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and the UK's
Gujarat Energy Research and Management largest workplace pension scheme, Nest
Institute (GERMI) and Pandit Deendayal Energy expanded their long-standing partnership to
University, Gandhinagar. focus on digitally transforming Nest's scheme
administration services, delivering enhanced
263. a SBI MD Swaminathan Janakiraman member experiences and furthering the scheme's
appointed as Reserve Bank of India deputy mission of delivering better retirement outcomes
governor. Swaminathan Janakiraman, Managing for people across the United Kingdom.
Director of State Bank of India (SBI), has been Nest and TCS have been working closely since
appointed as the deputy governor of the Reserve 2011 when the digital, auto-enrolment pension
Bank of India for the next three years. scheme was first launched.
Janakiraman will succeed MK Jain who retires on
June 21, 2023. 267. a Tata Power Company has emerged as
The three other deputy governors of the bank India's most 'attractive employer brand', followed
are, M Rajeshwar Rao, Michael Debabrata Patra by Amazon and Tata Steel, reveals the findings
and T Rabi Sankar. of Randstad Employer Brand Research (REBR)
2023.
264. b India-United States Defence Acceleration Tata Power was at the ninth spot in 2022. Big
Ecosystem (INDUS X) launched in Washington Basket, the online megastore emerged as the
DC, U.S. most attractive start-up employer brand in the
India-United States Defence Acceleration country.
Ecosystem (INDUS X) was launched at an event Viswanath P.S, MD & CEO, Randstad India.
in Washington DC, USA. India's auto and auto components sector is the
The INDUS X event was co-organised by most sought-after industry for employees,
Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX), followed by IT, ITeS & Telecom, and FMCG, retail
Ministry of Defence, and US Department of and e-commerce.
Defence (DoD) and hosted by US-India Business
Council (USIBC). 268. a Historian Ramachandra Guha's book wins
The event also saw a first-of-its-kind joint Elizabeth Longford Prize for Historical Biography
showcasing of innovative technologies by Indian 2023
and US start-ups. Ramchandra Guha collected £5,000 cheque for
15 Indian start-ups and 10 US start-ups, from winning the highly regarded Elizabeth Longford
multiple domains of maritime, AI, autonomous Prize for Historical Biography 2023 in its 20th

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anniversary year for Rebels against the Raj: expand their ventures, and contribute to the
Western Fighters for India's Freedom (published economic development of the State
by William Collins).
Guha also received a bound copy of Longford's 272. a India climbs eight places to 127 in global
autobiography, The Pebbled Shore (1986). gender index, says WEF report
The annual prize "was established in 2003 in India has ranked at 127 out of 146 countries in
affectionate memory of Elizabeth Longford terms of gender parity -- an improvement of
(1906-2002), an acclaimed historical biographer eight places from last year -- according to the
and family matriarch best known for Victoria RI World Economic Forum's annual Gender Gap
(1964), her scholarly and readable life of Queen Report, 2023. The World Economic Forum (WEF)
Victoria, for her magisterial Wellington: Years of ranked India at 135 out of 146 countries in the
the Sword (1969), and Wellington: Pillar of State Global Gender Gap Index in the report's 2022
(1972) edition.
WEF Managing Director Saadia Zahidi.
269. a UpGrad Mumbai Masters Triumph with The report found that the overall gender gap has
Narrow Victory in Global Chess League's Opening closed by 0.3 % point from last year.
Match at Dubai. While India excels in enrollment across all
The opening match of the Global Chess League education levels, economic participation and
took place at Dubai, showcasing a clash between opportunity fall short at only 36.7% parity.
the Triveni Continental Kings and the upGrad Although wage and income parity have
Mumbai Masters. improved, the representation of women in senior
The upGrad Mumbai Masters emerged victorious and technical roles has slightly declined. In terms
with a narrow 8-7 win over the Triveni of political empowerment, India has made strides
Continental Kings. with a parity rate of 25.3%. Women now hold
Dubai witnessed the launch of the inaugural 15.1% of parliamentary seats, reflecting a
Global Chess League night, marking a significant positive trend in gender inclusivity.Health and
milestone for the sport. survival indicators show notable improvement,
This groundbreaking event aims to revolutionize with India's sex ratio at birth reaching 92.7%, a
chess and expand its global reach by introducing 1.9% increase from the previous year. This
the world's first chess team franchise progress contributes to a 95% parity in health
and survival, marking positive strides after a
270. d Leading fertiliser cooperative Indian decade of slow advancement. The index ranked
Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Ltd (IFFCO) said India's neighbours Pakistan at 142, Bangladesh
that it has signed an agreement with California- at 59, China at 107, Nepal at 116, Sri Lanka at
based Kapoor Enterprises Inc for the export of 115 and Bhutan at 103. Iceland is the most
nano liquid urea to the US. gender-equal country in the world for the 14th
In June 2021, IFFCO launched the world's first consecutive year and the only one to have closed
nano urea fertiliser, while nano DAP in April this more than 90 per cent of its gender gap,
year. A 500-mililitre bottle of IFFCO nano urea according to the report. Out of the 117 countries
liquid will replace at least one bag of with available data since 2017, 18 countries --
conventional urea. including Bolivia (50.4 per cent), India (44.4 per
The bottle can significantly bring down the cost cent) and France (42.3 per cent) -- have
of logistics and warehousing, the cooperative achieved women's representation of over 40 per
said. cent in local governance.The Global Gender Gap
IFFCO has already sold more than 5.7 crore Report, now in benchmarks the evolution of
bottles of nano liquid urea in India since its gender-based gaps in four areas: economic
inception in the commercial market. participation and opportunity; educational
attainment; health and survival; and political
271. c Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) has signed a empowerment. It is the longest-standing index
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the which tracks progress on closing these gaps since
Tamil Nadu State Rural Livelihood Mission its inception in 2006. It also explores the impact
(TNSRLM), on Tuesday, to foster the growth of of recent global shocks on the gender gap crisis
Self Help Groups (SHGs) in the State and provide in the labour market.
them with vital financial support.
This strategic collaboration aims to streamline 273. b Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh
access to financial resources for SHGs, enabling inaugurated the Integrated Simulator Complex
them to undertake entrepreneurial activities, (ISC) 'Dhruv' at Southern Naval Command.

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The ISC 'Dhruv' hosts modern state-of-the-art certain directions issued by RBI on Loans and
indigenously-built simulators which will Advances Statutory and Other Restrictions' and
significantly enhance practical training in the Advisory on Man in the Middle (MiTM) Attacks in
Indian Navy. ATMs'.The RBI said a penalty of Rs 30 lakh has
These simulators are envisaged to give real-time been imposed on Axis Bank. The lender, it said
experience on navigation, fleet operations and had levied penal charges in certain accounts for
Naval tactics. late payment of credit card dues though the
These simulators will also be utilised for training customers had paid the dues by the due date,
of personnel from friendly countries. through third-party platforms.

274. b Petteri Orpo to be Finland's new prime 279. b Spain won the UEFA Nations League title
minister for the third time after edging past Croatia on
Finland's newly elected parliament voted in penalties in the final in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
favour of National Coalition Party leader Petteri Unai Simón was Spain's hero making two saves
Orpo to become prime minister, as widely in the shoot-out following a match that finished
expected, ushering in a right-wing government goalless after extra-time. The next edition of
and ending Social Democrat Sanna Marin's rule. UEFA Nations League is due to begin in
Orpo will lead a coalition of the conservative September 2024, with the finals scheduled for
NCP, the nationalist Finns, the minority-language June 2025.
Swedish People's Party and the Christian
Democrats. 280. a Chinese tech giant Alibaba announced
that it will replace chairman and CEO Daniel
275. c Noted author Salman Rushdie has been Zhang with current executive vice chairman
awarded the prestigious Peace Prize of the Joseph Tsai as chairman and Eddie Wu as CEO in
German Book Trade for 2023 for his contribution September. Hangzhou-based Alibaba is one of
to the literary world. The author has also been China's most prominent technology firms, with
honoured for his resolve in the face of "constant business operations spanning cloud computing,
threat to his life." Last year, the award went to e-commerce, logistics, media and artificial
Ukrainian author Serhiy Zhadan. intelligence.

276. d India will gift Vietnam an in-service 281. b 'India's Finance Ministers' by AK
warship as a gesture of friendship and expanding Bhattacharya: Steering Indian economy from
military ties between the nations. Missile Independence to '77. From Independence to
Corvette INS Kirpan - a Khukri class warship Emergency: India's Finance Ministers 1947-1977
commissioned in 1991 - will soon be handed over is the story of India's unforgettable finance
to the Vietnam People's Navy. The ministers who shaped India's economy in the
announcement was made during a meeting first thirty years after Independence. The book
between defence minister Rajnath Singh and his highlights the significant difference that these
Vietnamese counterpart. finance ministers made to the management of
the Indian economy and to the policy evolution of
277. b The World Bank's Board of Directors has the government.
approved a $150 million loan to support the
Resilient Kerala Program to continue 282. b According to the Economist Intelligence
strengthening the state's preparedness against Unit's (EIU) Global Liveability Index 2023, for the
natural disasters, climate change impacts, and second year running, the Austrian capital Vienna
disease outbreaks. This financing complements took the title of world's most liveable city, based
the World Bank's earlier investment of $125 on a wide range of indicators, followed by
million. Copenhagen. From India, New Delhi and Mumbai
are at 141st position and Chennai at 144th.
278. d The Reserve Bank said it has imposed a Asia-Pacific cities were some of the most
penalty of Rs 2.5 crore on Jammu and Kashmir improved destinations, with eight of the 10
Bank for non-compliance with certain directions, biggest upward movers coming from the region.
including one related to 'time-bound New Zealand's Wellington rose 35 spots to take
implementation and strengthening of SWIFT- 23rd place, while Auckland rose 25 places to land
related operational controls'. at number 10. Hanoi, Vietnam moved up 20
A penalty of Rs 1.45 crore has also been imposed places to 129.
on Bank of Maharashtra for non-compliance with

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These are the top 10 most liveable cities in 2023 announced that it has handed over the Solar
(ranking numbers are the same where cities' Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (SUIT) instrument
scores were identical): for integration with the Aditya-L1 spacecraft.
1.  Vienna, Austria Aditya-L1 is India's first dedicated heliophysics
2.  Copenhagen, Denmark observatory, build for unlocking the secrets of
3.  Melbourne, Australia the Sun
4.  Sydney, Australia
5.  Vancouver, Canada 286. a Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been
6.  Zurich, Switzerland conferred with 'Order of the Nile' award in Cairo
7.  Calgary, Canada by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. 'Order
7.  Geneva, Switzerland of the Nile' is Egypt's highest state honour. PM
9.  Toronto, Canada Modi arrived in Cairo of Egypt on Saturday for a
10.  Osaka, Japan two-day State visit " a first bilateral visit by any
10.  Auckland, New Zealand Indian prime minister in the past 26 years.
And these are the bottom 10: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President
164Â Â Douala, Cameroon Abdel Fattah El-Sisi during a meeting in Cairo
165Â Â Kyiv, Ukraine elevated Indo-Egypt bilateral relationship to a
166Â Â Harare, Zimbabwe 'Strategic Partnership'. The two countries also
166Â Â Dhaka, Bangladesh signed pacts in the fields of agriculture,
168Â Â Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea archaeology and antiquities and competition law
169Â Â Karachi, Pakistan during the first PM-level visit from India to Cairo
170Â Â Lagos, Nigeria since 1997.
171Â Â Algiers, Algeria
172Â Â Tripoli, Libya 287. b Greece's centre-right leader Kyriakos
173Â Â Damascus, Syria Mitsotakis sworn in as Prime Minister for a
second term
283. a The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has Kmitsotakis Greece's centre-right leader Kyriakos
approved a $295 million loan to widen and Mitsotakis was sworn in as the Prime Minister for
upgrade around 265 kilometers of state a second term.
highways, improving transport connectivity and With 99.67 percent of the vote counted, Mr.
safety in the state of Bihar in India. The Mitsotakis' New Democracy party had 40.55
highways will be upgraded with climate- and percent of the vote, more than twice the main
disaster-resilient design, road safety elements, opposition Syriza's 17.84 percent. It was the
and other features that will respond to the needs largest margin of victory in half a century.
of the elderly, women.
288. b Table Tennis, Indian women's doubles
284. b World Drug Day or  International Day pair of Sutirtha and Ayhika clinches WTT
against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is Contender tournament title in Tunis
observed on June 26 every year to strengthen The Indian women's doubles pair of Sutirtha
action and cooperation in achieving a world free Mukherjee and Ayhika Mukherjee won the World
of drug abuse. Table Tennis, ( WTT) Contender tournament in
This year, the theme is 'People first: Stop stigma Tunis, after beating the Japanese pair of Miyuu
and discrimination'. Kihara and Miwa Harimoto.
At the International Conference on Drug Abuse The Indian duo won 3-1 (11-5, 11-6, 5-11, 13-
and Illicit Trafficking held in Vienna on June 26, 11) in a challenging final.
1987, it was recommended that a day be The pair also became the first Indians to win a
observed annually to commemorate the struggle Contender title this year
against drug abuse and illicit trafficking. The
United Nations General Assembly on December 289. b S&P Global Ratings retained India's GDP
7, 1987, decided to observe June 26 as growth forecast at 6 percent saying it will be the
International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit fastest-growing economy among Asia Pacific
Trafficking. nations.
The Asian emerging market economies remain
285. a IUCAA hands over SUIT instrument to among the fastest-growing ones in our global
ISRO for integration with Aditya-L1 spacecraft growth outlook through 2026. In India, under the
The Pune based Inter-University Centre for assumption of normal monsoons, we expect
Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) has

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headline consumer inflation to soften to 5 per Entrepreneurs will be announced during the
cent in fiscal 2024 from 6.7 per cent. programme.
S&P has lowered the growth forecast for China to
5.2 per cent from 5.5 per cent for 2023. 293. c The Gujarat government has signed an
MoU with American computer storage chipmaker
290. c To promote small businesses and start- Micron Technology for a semiconductor assembly
ups, especially helmed by women entrepreneurs, and test facility at Sanand in the Ahmedabad
the Uttar Pradesh government has announced a district.
slew of incentives, which include a waiver of Micron had announced to set up a semiconductor
stamp duty. assembly and test plant in Gujarat entailing a
The business ventures set up by women in the total investment of $2.75 billion (around Rs
comparatively backward regions of Purvanchal 22,540 crore). Micron's plant has been approved
and Bundelkhand would get a 100 per cent under the central government's "Modified
stamp duty waiver, whereas the subsidy would Assembly, Testing, Marking and Packaging
be 75 per cent in other pockets. Such units (ATMP) Scheme". Under the scheme, the US-
would also be exempt from mandatory based firm will receive 50 per cent fiscal support
inspections for three years from inception, to for the total project cost from the Centre and
allow these businesses to establish and incentives representing 20 per cent of the total
proliferate without worrying about procedural cost from the Gujarat government.
complexities.
The state government is gearing up to facilitate 294. b The World Economic Forum on June 28
bank loans totalling Rs. 20,000 crore to the ranked India at the 67th place globally on its
micro, small, and medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Energy Transition Index. Sweden topped the list
on easy terms. The state government has and was followed by Denmark, Norway, Finland,
launched a slew of schemes to promote the and Switzerland in the top five on the list of 120
MSME sector and make them globally countries.
competitive," UP MSME and khadi minister The report said, India is the only major economy
Rakesh Sachan said. with energy transition momentum accelerating
across the Energy Transition Index's equitable,
291. b Infosys has signed a strategic secure and sustainable dimensions. France (7)
collaboration deal with Danske Bank, a Nordic was the only G20 country in the top 10, followed
bank, to accelerate the bank's digital closely by Germany (11), the U.S. (12), and the
transformation initiatives. The $454 million deal U.K. (13). Out of 120 countries, 113 have made
will be in force for a period of 5 years with an progress over the last decade but only 55,
option to renew for one additional year for a including India, have improved their scores by
maximum of three times. more than 10 percentage points.

292. b "Micro-, Small, and Medium-Sized 295. c Insurance regulator IRDAI will be rolling
Enterprises Day" was established on June 27 by out the first phase of pilot projects associated
the United Nations General Assembly on April 6, with a Risk-Based Supervision (RBS) framework
2017, to highlight the significant contributions from July. The move to RBS is a shift towards
made by MSMEs to the achievement of the adopting global best practices for supervision
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the with a focus on proportionality and materiality
United Nations. and relies on holistic analysis of the activities of
In India, "Future-ready MSMEs for India@100" regulated entity from a risk perspective.
will serve as the theme for World MSME Day It has collaborated with Toronto Centre (TC) for
2023. the framework. A not for profit organization, TC
On June 27, 2023, the Ministry of MSME will hold has been working to promote strong supervision
"Udyami Bharat-MSME Day" as part of World in order to enhance financial stability, crisis
MSME Day at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. preparedness and consumer protection.
The CHAMPIONS 2.0 Portal and Mobile App for
Geo-tagging of Cluster Projects and Technology 296. c The dairy sector is expected to grow at
Centers will be launched by the Ministry of MSME more than 6% in 2023-24, said Union Animal
to promote MSMEs' expansion and development. Husbandry and Dairying Minister Parshottam
The results of "MSME Idea Hackathon 2.0" and Rupala.
"MSME Idea Hackathon 3.0" for Women Milk production has been growing at an annual
growth rate (CAGR) of 6.1% over the last eight

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years, and in the coming season, it is expected billion during Q3:2022-23 and an inflow of US$
to grow at over 6%. 3.3 billion in Q4:2021-22.There was an accretion
Dairy is the single largest agricultural commodity to the foreign exchange reserves (on a BoP
that contributes 5% to India's national economy basis) to the tune of US$ 5.6 billion as against a
and employ more than 8 crore farmers directly. depletion of US$ 16.0 billion in Q4:2021-22
With a contribution of 23% to global milk
production, India holds the first production. 299. c Tata AIA partners with WhatsApp, PayU to
introduce industry's first premium payment
297. d Canara Bank has become the first public feature
sector bank in India to introduce UPI (Unified Tata Group-backed life insurance arm, Tata AIA
Payments Interface) payments for merchants introduced digital payments via WhatsApp and
through its RuPay Credit Card. This exciting Unified Payment Interfaces. This newly added
feature is now accessible within the bank's payment option is first-of-its-kind in the
'Canara ai1' Banking Super App, thanks to a insurance industry and offers an instant premium
partnership with the National Payments payment facility through WhatsApp and UPI-
Corporation of India (NPCI). enabled payment options.
India has close to 500 million WhatsApp users
298. a India's current account deficit (CAD) in and more than 300 million UPI users.
the January-March quarter of FY23 narrowed to Tata AIA has adopted an Analytics-driven, Decile
$1.3 billion, accounting for 0.2 percent of the based approach to improve its renewal premium
country's GDP, according to the latest data collections. The company has enabled renewal
released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) This premium collections via multiple Digital modes
positive development was primarily attributed to and enhanced its language capability to 5
a reduction in the trade deficit and a significant Languages "English, Hindi, Tamil, Gujarati, and
increase in services exports. Bengali.
Key Features of India's BoP in Q4:2022-23India's
current account deficit (CAD) decreased to US$ 300. b Scheduled commercial banks' net non-
1.3 billion (0.2 per cent of GDP) in Q4:2022-23 performing assets (NPA) ratio fell to a 10-year
from US$ 16.8 billion (2.0 per cent of GDP) in low of 3.9 percent in March 2023, the Reserve
Q3:2022-231, and US$ 13.4 billion (1.6 per cent Bank of India noted in the latest edition of its
of GDP) a year ago [i.e., Q4:2021-22].The Financial Stability Report.
sequential decline in CAD in Q4:2022-23 was Gross and net NPA ratios have fallen from a high
mainly on account of a moderation in the trade of 11.5 per cent and 6.1 per cent in March 2018
deficit to US$ 52.6 billion in Q4:2022-23 from to 3.9 per cent and 1.0 per cent in March 2023
US$ 71.3 billion in Q3:2022-23, coupled with respectively. As per the report, macro stress
robust services exports.Net services receipts tests for credit risk reveal that SCBs are well-
increased, both sequentially and on a year-on- capitalized and all banks would be able to comply
year (y-o-y) basis, on the back of a rise in net with the minimum capital requirements even
earnings from computer services.Private transfer under adverse stress scenarios.
receipts, mainly representing remittances by
Indians employed overseas, increased to US$ 301. a Federal Bank gets RBI approval on
28.6 billion, up by 20.8 per cent from their level appointment of AP Hota as part time Chairman
a year ago.Net outgo on the primary income The Federal Bank announced that the Reserve
account, largely reflecting net income payments Bank of India (RBI) has given approval for the
on foreign investment, increased on a year-on- appointment of Abhaya Prasad Hota as part time
year basis, while showing a marginal decline chairman of the Bank with effect from June 29,
sequentially.In the financial account, net foreign 2023, till January 14, 2026.
direct investment (FDI) at US$ 6.4 billion was Mr. Hota was the architect of NPCI and served as
higher than US$ 2.0 billion in Q3:2022-23, its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer
although lower than a year ago (US$ 13.8 between 2009- 2017.
billion).Net foreign portfolio investment (FPI) Federal Bank Headquarters: Aluva (Kerala).
recorded an outflow of US$ 1.7 billion " driven by
the equity segment, as compared with an outflow 302. b World Bank President Ajay Banga Named
of US$ 15.2 billion during the corresponding In 2023 List Of Great Immigrants. Ajay Banga,
period a year ago.Net external commercial the President of the World Bank, has been
borrowings (ECBs) to India recorded an inflow of named by a prestigious philanthropic
US$ 1.7 billion, as against an outflow of US$ 2.5 organization to its annual "Great Immigrants" list

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of honourees who have enriched and Aarti Holla-Maini has worked as Secretary-
strengthened America and its democracy through General of the Global Satellite Operators
their contributions and actions. Association.
He is the only honouree from India in this year's The primary objective of UNOOSA is to foster
list of 'Great Immigrants' by the Carnegie global collaboration in the peaceful utilization and
Corporation of New York. exploration of outer space, as well as the
Every Fourth of July, which is celebrated as effective application of space science and
America's Independence Day, the Carnegie technology to achieve sustainable economic and
Corporation of New York honours a group of social progress.
"remarkable" Americans " all naturalised citizens
" "who have enriched and strengthened our 305. d The Reserve Bank of India released the
nation and our democracy through their 27th issue of the Financial Stability Report (FSR),
contributions and actions". which reflects the collective assessment of the
This year's honourees include Vietnamese-born Sub-Committee of the Financial Stability and
Academy Award-winning actor Ke Huy Quan, Development Council (FSDC) on risks to financial
Chilian-born actor Pedro Pascal, Director-General stability and the resilience of the Indian financial
of World Trade Organization Nigerian-born Ngozi system.
Okonjo-Iweala, US Congressman Ted Lieu who The global economy is facing heightened
was born in Taiwan, Grammy Award-Winning uncertainty amidst banking system fragility in
Singer and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador certain countries, persisting geopolitical tensions
Angélique Kidjo who was born in Benin, Polish- and moderating but elevated inflation. Despite
born Professor Emeritus of Chemistry, Cornell global headwinds, the Indian economy and the
University and Nobel Laureate Roald Hoffmann domestic financial system remain resilient,
and Guido Imbens, born in the Netherlands and supported by strong macroeconomic
Professor of Economics, Stanford University, and fundamentals. Continuing growth momentum,
Nobel Laureate moderating inflation, narrowing current account
deficit and rising foreign exchange reserves,
303. a The Union Cabinet has approved the ongoing fiscal consolidation and a robust financial
National Research Foundation (NRF) Bill, 2023. It system are setting the economy on a path of
aims to establish the NRF as an apex body to sustained growth. Healthy balance sheets of
provide "high-level strategic direction" to banks and corporates are engendering a new
scientific research in the country under the credit and investment cycle and brightening the
National Education Policy (NEP) at an estimated prospects of the Indian economy. The capital to
cost of ₹50,000 crore between 2023 and 2028. risk-weighted assets ratio (CRAR) and the
The Department of Science & Technology (DST) common equity tier 1 (CET1) ratio of scheduled
will be the "administrative" department of the commercial banks (SCBs) rose to historical highs
NRF, which will have a governing Board of of 17.1 per cent and 13.9 per cent, respectively,
eminent researchers and professionals. The in March 2023. SCBs' gross non-performing
Prime Minister will be the ex-officio president of assets (GNPA) ratio continued its downtrend and
the Board and the Union Ministers of Science and fell to a 10-year low of 3.9 per cent in March
Technology and Education ex-officio vice- 2023 and the net non-performing assets (NNPA)
presidents. The NRF's functioning will be ratio declined to 1.0 per cent. Macro stress tests
governed by an executive council chaired by the for credit risk reveal that SCBs would be able to
Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of comply with the minimum capital requirements
India.The new law will repeal the Science and even under severe stress scenarios. The system-
Engineering Research Board (SERB) established level capital to risk-weighted assets ratio (CRAR)
by Parliament in 2008 and subsumes it into the in March 2024, under baseline, medium and
NRF. severe stress scenarios, is projected at 16.1 per
cent, 14.7 per cent and 13.3 per cent,
304. b Indian-origin satellite industry expert respectively.
Aarti Holla-Maini was appointed as the Director of
the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs 306. c The BRICS Leadership Summit is going to
(UNOOSA) in Vienna by the United Nations be held in August 2023.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Aarti Holla- The BRICS nations may agree to induct around
Maini will succeed Simonetta Di Pippo of Italy. five new members into the grouping during its
August leadership summit, to be hosted by South
Africa. Out of the 25 countries that are keen to

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join the grouping, while Saudi Arabia's entry is The merger between HDFC Bank and HDFC will
almost certain, other frontrunners include give birth to a financial powerhouse that will
Indonesia, the UAE, Egypt, and Argentina. claim the fourth spot in equity market
The BRICS nations " Brazil, Russia, India, China, capitalisation, trailing only JPMorgan Chase,
and South Africa " currently represent over 42 Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and
per cent of the global population, 30 per cent of Bank of America.
the world's GDP. With the merger set to take effect on July 1, the
new HDFC Bank entity will serve a staggering
307. b State-owned firm KABIL to sign pact with customer base of around 120 mn. individuals.
Argentina to secure lithium blocks
India's KABIL, a state-owned joint venture 311. c The Index of Eight Core Industries
formed to scout for minerals overseas, will (ICI)(Base: 2011-12=100), which measures the
"shortly" sign an agreement with Argentina to combined and individual performance of key
secure a few lithium blocks. sectors in the Indian economy, showed a growth
KABIL, short for Khanij Bidesh India Ltd, was of 4.3 percent in May 2023 compared to May
formed in August 2019 to identify, acquire, 2022.
develop and process strategic minerals overseas Cement production, with a weightage of 5.37
for use in India. percent, saw the highest growth rate of 15.5
percent. Steel production, accounting for 17.92
308. c India dropped from UNSG report on percent, increased by 9.2 percent.
impact of armed conflict on children after 12 The ICI comprises the production of eight core
years industries: Coal, Crude Oil, Natural Gas, Refinery
In his 2023 report on Children and Armed Products, Fertilizers, Steel, Cement, and
Conflict, the UN chief said, "In view of the Electricity.
measures taken by the government to better These industries hold significant weight,
protect children, India has been removed from accounting for 40.27 percent of the items
the report in 2023." included in the Index of Industrial Production
In his latest report, he also called upon India to (IIP).
implement the remaining measures identified in
consultation with his special representative and 312. d National Chartered Accountants Day or CA
the United Nations. Day is observed every year on July 1 to mark the
India was mentioned in the report of the establishment of the Institute of Chartered
Secretary-General on Children and armed conflict Accountants of India (ICAI) in 1949 by an Act of
since 2010 along with other countries of Burkina Parliament in India.
Faso, Cameroon, Lake Chad basin, Nigeria, ICAI is the second-largest professional body of
Pakistan, and the Philippines for alleged Chartered Accountants in the world.
recruitment and use of boys by armed groups in To commemorate the start of its 75th-year
Jammu and Kashmir; detainment of boys by celebrations, ICAI unveiled a new logo with the
Indian security forces in J&K for their alleged tagline: '75 Years of Trust'.
association with armed groups, or on national ICAI functions under the administrative control of
security grounds. the ministry of corporate affairs.

309. a Kotak Mahindra Bank, in collaboration 313. c Sporting legend and India's first-ever
with National Payments Corporation of India Olympic medallist in women's boxing, MC Mary
(NPCI), has introduced the facility of linking its Kom, has been honoured with the Global Indian
RuPay Credit Card to UPI (Unified Payments Icon of the Year award at the annual U.K.-India
Interface) apps. Awards in Windsor, south-eastern England.
Customers are no longer needed to carry their The awards, now in their fifth year, honuors
physical credit card. They can choose from seven leaders who strengthen bilateral ties in various
RuPay credit cards and scan QR codes or initiate sectors.
transaction on POS (Point of Sale) through out She has won six women's world championship
the country. titles.
She clinched 🥉bronze medal at the London
310. c India's indigenous HDFC to seal place in 2012 Olympic Games.
top echelons of world's most valued banking
space. 314. d The Union ministry of power has notified
the much-anticipated carbon credit trading

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scheme, 2023. The 'Carbon Credit Trading Germany's Julian Webber slid secured second
Scheme, 2023' first announced under the Energy place with a best throw of 87.03 meter while
Conservation Act, aims to set up a carbon credit Jakub Vadlech of the Czech Republic got third
trading market in the country. place with an 86.13 meter throw.
Drafted by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, a In the Diamond League final in Zurich in
wholly owned subsidiary of the ministry of power, September 2022, Neeraj became the first Indian
the scheme would entail formation of a "National athlete to win the Diamond Trophy as he finished
Steering Committee, a technical committee, an on the top step of the podium with a best effort
Accredited Carbon Verification Agency and the of 88.44m.
Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC)
as the carbon market regulator. The Grid 319. b In Tennis, India's Yuki Bhambri clinched
Controller of India will be the registry for the his maiden title on the ATP World Tour, winning
Indian carbon market. The secretary, ministry of the doubles trophy at the Mallorca
power will be the ex-officio chairperson of the Championships with South African partner Lloyd
committee. Harris, in Spain. The 30-year-old Indian Bhambri,
Carbon credit means a value assigned to a who is ranked 75 in the ATP doubles tennis
reduction or removal or avoidance of greenhouse rankings, is all set to jump up to a career-best
gas emissions achieved, and is equivalent to one 58th position in the standings.
ton of carbon dioxide equivalent.
320. b The gross GST revenue collected in the
315. b The finance ministry on June 30 increased month of June, 2023 is ₹1,61,497 crore of
the interest rates for the one-year and two-year which CGST is ₹31,013 crore, SGST is
deposits were raised by 10 basis points (bps) ₹38,292 crore, IGST is₹80,292 crore and cess
each to 6.9% and 7%, respectively, while small is ₹11,900 crore (including ₹ 1,028 crore
savings rate for the five-year recurring deposit collected on import of goods). The revenues for
was raised by 30 bps to 6.5%. the month of June 2023 are 12% higher than the
The interest rates on PPF, Sukanya Samriddhi GST revenues in the same month last year.
Yojana and NSC were kept the same at 7.1%,
8% and 7.7%. 321. a Payments giant Visa Inc agreed to acquire
Brazilian fintech platform Pismo for $1 billion in
316. d The Indian men's kabaddi team won the cash to expand its footprint in Latin America. The
11th edition of the Asian Kabaddi Championship Pismo deal is the largest fintech exit in Latin
beating Iran 42-32 in the final in Busan, South America since Nubank went public in late 2021
Korea. Pawan Sehrawat was the captain of and the largest disclosed startup exit so far this
Indian Kabbadi team in this tournament. year.
This is India's eighth title in nine editions. For Visa its first major takeover since 2021 when
Six teams - India, Iran, Japan, Korea, Chinese it bought European open banking
Taipei and Hong Kong - participated in the platform Tink for $2.2 billion  as well as
Championships. British cross-border payments
provider Currencycloud.
317. a The Appointments Committee of the
Union Cabinet on June 30 approved the re- 322. d New Zealand will become the first country
appointment of Tushar Mehta as Solicitor General to ban the thin plastic bags that supermarket
for India, for a period of three years. customers use to collect their fruit and
Vikramjit Banerjee, KM Nataraj, Balbir Singh, SV vegetables. The new ban will also extend to
Raju, N Venkataraman and Aishwarya Bhati have plastic straws and silverware, as the government
been re-appointed as Additional Solicitors expands a campaign against single-use plastics it
General (ASGs).Pertinently, Madhavi Diwan, started in 2019 when it banned the thicker
Sanjay Jain and Jayant K Sud will not be plastic shopping bags that customers used to
continuing as ASGs. carry home.
Solicitor General is the second most senior law
officer after Attorney General. 323. c India's first indigenously developed 700
MW nuclear power reactor at the Kakrapar
318. d Neeraj Chopra clinched the Lausanne Atomic Power Project (KAPP) in Gujarat started
Diamond League 2023 title with the best throw of commercial operations. The Nuclear Power
87.66 meters in the 5th attempt. This is his Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) is building
second successive Diamond League victory. two 700 MW pressurised heavy water reactors

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(PHWRs) at Kakrapar, which is also home to two The Ministerial-level Conference, which takes
220 MW power plants. place every two years, is FAO's supreme
governing body and endorses the Programme of
324. d Panchayat Development Index (PDI) Work and Budget of the Organization for the
Report has come with 144 local targets, 577 local subsequent biennium. It also makes
indicators and 688 data points on 9 themes of recommendations on global food and agriculture
LSDGs. PDI will act as a baseline for Panchayat matters and reviews global governance policy
for setting local targets & local action points with issues.
measurable indicators in preparation of thematic
Gram Panchayat Development Plan. 328. a The government has appointed Lt Gen M
The PDI ranks panchayats on the basis of scores, U Nair as the new National Cybersecurity
and categorises them into four grades. Those Coordinator (NCSC). Lt Gen Nair, who assumed
with score under 40 per cent fall in grade D, 40- the role of the 28th Signal Officer-in-Chief in July
60 per cent in grade C, 60-75 per cent in grade 2022, brings with him experience and expertise
B, 75 to 90 per cent in category A, while those in the field of cyber warfare, signal intelligence,
scoring above 90 per cent will be categorised as and communication and information technology.
A .The pilot study showed 70 per cent of the Currently, the NCSC is actively engaged in
panchayats in the four districts of Maharashtra updating and replacing the 2013 National Cyber
are in category C, while 27 per cent are in Security Strategy. The upcoming National Cyber
category B. Around 53 per cent of the gram Security Reference Framework (NCRF), which will
panchayats in the state fall in grade D when it replace the outdated strategy, will adopt a
comes to water sufficiency, and 36 per cent fall common but differentiated approach (CBDR).
in grade D.
329. d NCUI collaborates with Google Cloud to
325. b Tamil Nadu's electronics exports nearly launch an E-commerce Application to empower
tripled in one year to $5.37 billion in FY23 from Indian
$1.86 billion in the previous year. From the Cooperative body National Cooperative Union of
fourth spot in FY22, Tamil Nadu moved to the top India (NCUI), partnered with Google Cloud to
spot in FY23. Uttar Pradesh was second with launch its e-commerce application for Indian
$4.90 billion and Karnataka third with $4.52 cooperatives. The launch took place at the two-
billion. Tamil Nadu is now home to over 15 day 17th Indian Cooperative Congress (ICC) on
leading electronics manufacturers, including July 1-2, 2023 in New Delhi.
Foxconn. NCUI is an apex organization of Cooperative
movement in India which is responsible for
326. b After more than two decades, India has education and training of Cooperatives in India.
managed to bring home the offshore-traded Nifty NCUI was looking for a scalable platform like
from Singapore, with the erstwhile SGX Nifty, Google Cloud to host this e-commerce
rechristened Gift Nifty, to be traded for the first application for its users. The e-commerce
time on Monday at 6:30am at Gift City in platform was built on Google Cloud and will
Gujarat. provide a scalable, easy to use and robust
Singapore Exchange Ltd (SGX) will transfer the technology for economic empowerment of the
order book of SGX Nifty to NSE IX effective 3 Cooperatives and their members by providing
July, under a September 2020 agreement for a easy access to currently inaccessible buyers.
so-called liquidity switch from Singapore to Gift
City. This will facilitate the offer of Gift Nifty 330. a India's PMI manufacturing index softens
derivatives to foreign investors. NSE to 57.8 in June from 58.7 in May
International Exchange IFSC Ltd (NSE IX), a fully India's manufacturing industry expanded at the
owned subsidiary of the National Stock Exchange second-fastest rate this year in June, albeit at a
(NSE) of India Ltd. slightly slower pace than in May, supported by
robust demand despite higher inflationary
327. b China's Qu-Dongyu re-elected unopposed pressures.
as head of FAO The S&P Global Manufacturing Purchasing
In a significant development at the ongoing FAO Managers' Index fell to 57.8 in June from May's
Conference in Rome, Qu Dongyu has been re- 58.7. That marked two years of the index being
elected unopposed as the head of the United above the 50-mark separating expansion from
Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) contraction.
for the period 2023-2027.

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PMI or a Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) is an vast areas and quick detection of criminal
indicator of business activity -- both in the activities.
manufacturing and services sectors. All drones are equipped with built-in Artificial
Intelligence (AI) capabilities and can be operated
331. b The Startup20 Shikhar summit under up to a distance of 5-10 Kms from the ground
India's G20 presidency was held in Gurugram, station (i.e.) the Drone Police Unit.
Haryana. The Startup20 Engagement Group The Drone Police Unit will comprise a total of 9
hosted the two day Startup20 Shikhar summit. drones under three categories - Quick Response
During the summit, startup 20 communique was Surveillance Drones (6 numbers), Heavy Lift
released, which urged G20 leaders to raise the multirotor Drone and Long Range Survey wing
joint investment in the global startup ecosystem plane (2 numbers).
to one trillion US dollar by 2030.
336. b Deepak Parekh, the chairman of HDFC,
332. b Prime Minister Modi inaugurates Sai Hira announces his retirement
Global Convention Centre in Puttaparthi, Andhra After a tenure spanning over 45 years that
Pradesh witnessed the creation of India's biggest financial
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that the services conglomerates, Deepak Parekh, the
next 25 years of India's Independence is going to chairman of HDFC, announced his retirement on
be "Kartavya Kaal" as the country is giving top the eve of HDFC's monumental merger with
priority to its "kartavya" (duties). The convention HDFC Bank.
centre will be the centre of spiritual conferences He was the first non-British recipient of the
and academic programs. Outstanding Achievement Award by the Institute
The Convention Centre, donated by of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.
philanthropist Shri Ryuko Hira, is a testament to
the vision of promoting cultural exchange, 337. c Zlatan Ibrahimovic announces retirement
spirituality, and global harmony. from football at 41
Zlatan Ibrahimovic announces his retirement
333. c India hosted the Shanghai Cooperation from football after they played season's final
Organisation (SCO) Summit in the virtual format game against Hellas Verona.
in July 2023. The summit was chaired by Prime The Swedish player decided to conclude a
Minister Narendra Modi. The three main issues on trophy-laden career in which he featured for
the agenda of the summit were terrorism, clubs such as Malmo, Ajax, Juventus, Inter,
regional security and prosperity. Barcelona, PSG, Manchester United and the LA
The acronym "SECURE," coined by Prime Minister Galaxy.
Modi at the 2018 SCO Qingdao Summit, inspired
India's SCO chairship theme. Its initials stand for 338. c National Anti-Doping Agency, India signs
S: Security, E: Economic development, C: a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with
Connectivity, U: Unity, R: Respect for South Asia Regional Anti-Doping Organisation.
sovereignty and territorial integrity, E: National Anti-Doping Agency,India signed an
Environmental protection. MoU with SARADO, comprising of Anti-Doping
SCO is a eight-member body. India became a Organizations of Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives,
member of SCO in 2005. Nepal and Sri Lanka, at the NADA India "
SARADO Cooperation Meet in New Delhi.
334. a German luxury carmaker has named The MoU aims to increase the Regional
Gernot Dollner, who heads Volkswagen Group's Cooperation in anti doping in sport.
Product and Group Strategy, as its new CEO. He
will take over from Markus Duesmann as 339. a Engineers India Limited's (EIL) C&MD
Chairman of the Board of Management of Audi Vartika Shukla EIL was donned with the Business
AG, effective September 1, 2023. Leader of the Year Award at the Donwards
Since 2021, he has overseen the Volkswagen Downstream India Awards at the Global Refining
Group's Product and Group Strategy and the and Petrochemicals Congress 2023 in New Delhi.
General Secretariat. This award is conferred in recognition of C&MDs
extensive contributions to the evolution and
335. b India's first 'Police Drone Unit' launched in development of the hydrocarbons sector.
Chennai
The Greater Chennai City Police (GCP) launched 340. a Piramal Finance, a leading housing
'Police Drone Unit' for aerial surveillance over finance company, has opened its first all-women

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branch "Maitreyi" in the country at Tripunithura, India (BCCI). the decision was unanimously
a suburban area in Kochi. This is part of strategic recommended by the Cricket Advisory Committee
expansion and the company has identified four (CAC), consisting of Sulakshana Naik, Ashok
more cities such as Jaipur, Mumbai, Mohali and Malhotra, and Jatin Paranjape.
New Delhi to open branches shortly.
346. d The three-day International Conference
341. b NATO members has extended the tenure on Green Hydrogen (ICGH-2023), being
of the alliance's Secretary General Jens organized during 5th " 7th July 2023 at Vigyan
Stoltenberg by one year, following failed efforts Bhawan, New Delhi
to settle on a consensus successor for the role. The conference brings together global scientific,
The announcement comes a week before the policy, academic and industrial leaders to discuss
NATO leaders summit in Vilnius, Lithuania that is recent advances and emerging technologies in
sure to be dominated by the Western military the entire green hydrogen value chain.
alliance's reponse to the conflict in Ukraine. The fundamental aim of the Conference is to
NATO Headquarter: Brussels, Belgium explore how we can establish a Green Hydrogen
ecosystem and foster a systemic approach for
342. c Coal India Limited (CIL) is the recipient of meeting the global goals for decarbonization
the Rising Star Award in appreciation of its through Green Hydrogen.
outstanding efforts to enhance procurement
through the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) 347. c The Union Ministry of Home Affairs, has
portal in FY 2022"23. launched a "Scheme for Expansion and
Modernization of Fire Services in the States" from
343. b REC Limited has extended a loan of Rs the earmarked allocation of Preparedness and
4,785 crores to HPCL Rajasthan Refinery Limited Capacity Building Funding Window under the
(HRRL) for setting up a green field refinery-cum- National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) for
petrochemical complex in Barmer district, strengthening fire services in the States with a
Rajasthan. total outlay of Rs. 5,000 Crore.
HRRL is a Joint Venture company of Hindustan For seeking funds for the projects/proposals
Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) and the under the Scheme, the concerned State
government of Rajasthan, incorporated on Governments shall have to contribute 25%
September 18, 2013. The project involves setting (except for the North-Eastern and Himalayan
up a pipeline for the transportation of both (NEH) States which shall contribute 10%) of total
Rajasthan crude and imported crude. The project cost of such projects / proposals from their
aims to produce clean fuels such as BS-VI grade budgetary resources.
Motor Sprit (MS or Petrol) & BS-VI grade High-
Speed Diesel (HSD or Diesel) and Petrochemical 348. b The seventh edition of the bilateral Japan-
products such as Polypropylene, Butadiene, India Maritime Exercise 2023 (JIMEX 23) hosted
LLDPE, HDPE, Benzene and Toluene. by the Indian Navy, is being conducted at/ off
REC Limited, a Maharatna CPSU under the Visakhapatnam from 05 -10 July 2023.
Ministry of Power, is an NBFC focusing on Power This edition marks the 11th anniversary of
Sector Financing and Development across India. JIMEX.
The exercise will be conducted over six days in
344. a India, who are 100th in the latest FIFA two phases - a Harbour Phase at Visakhapatnam
rankings, won their ninth SAFF Championship comprising professional, sports and social
2023 in 14 editions. This was India's second interactions, after which, the two navies will
silverware on the trot after clinching the jointly hone their warfighting skills at sea and
Intercontinental Cup last month. enhance their interoperability through complex
• Nepal won the Fair Play Award for showing multi-discipline operations in the surface, sub-
the greatest spirit of the game surface and air domains.
• Best goalkeeper of the competition (Golden
Glove): Anisur Rehman - Bangladesh 349. c Union Home and Cooperation Minister
• Golden Boot: Sunil Chhetri Amit shah virtually laid the foundation stone of
• Golden Ball: Sunil Chhetri the country's first cooperative-run Sainik School
near Mehsana in Gujarat.
345. d Former India fast bowler Ajit Agarkar has This Sainik School has been started in honor of
been named chairman of selectors for the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal to start
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100 new Sainik Schools on PPP basis in the other notable members are Mythili
country. Balasubramanian, Dharmendra Pali Anupama
Ranade.
350. e An RBI-appointed committee has
suggested various measures, like allowing Indian 354. d Indian Navy and US Navy Conduct
banks to offer services in rupee overseas, Seventh Edition of SALVEX Exercise in Kochi
permitting non-residents to open INR accounts, The Seventh edition of Indian Navy " US Navy
and withdrawing withholding tax on masala (IN " USN) Salvage and Explosive Ordnance
bonds, to accelerate the pace of Disposal (EOD) exercise, SALVEX was conducted
internationalization of the domestic currency. from 26 Jun " 06 Jul 23 at Kochi. IN and USN
The committee was headed by RBI executive have been participating in joint Salvage and EOD
director R S Ratho. exercises since 2005. India's INS Nireekshak and
The report of the Inter-Departmental Group United States USNS Salvor participated in this
(IDG) on Internationalization of INR also exercise.
suggested that in the process of attaining the
objective of INR as a "Vehicle Currency", the 355. a Justice AP Sahi, the Former Chief Justice
Reserve Bank may target the inclusion of the INR of Madras and Haryana High Courts has been
in the IMF's Special Drawing Rights (SDR) appointed as the new Chairman of the National
basket. Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission
(NCDRC) for a period of four-year term.
351. d J&K launches India's first chatbot for NCDRC is a quasi-judicial body created in 1988
people in mental distress under the Consumer Protection Act of 1986. Its
India's first Tele-MANAS chatbot, which will start head office is in New Delhi. Justice AP Sahi Gets
an instant conversation with people in distress, Appointed As The New Chairman Of NCDRC.
was launched in J&K. This year Kashmir saw the
highest number of distress calls to the Tele- 356. b ndian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) to
Manas centre.The initiative will ensure the raise Rs 22,000 crore via rights issue of equity
availability of health counsellors, clinical shares
psychologists and consultants round-the-clock. IOCL plans to raise Rs 22,000 crore capital
through a rights issue of equity shares as part of
352. b Indian tri-services contingent leaves for a government's plan to infuse capital into three
French Bastille Day Parade state-owned fuel retailers to fund their net zero
The tri-services contingent of the Indian armed carbon emission projects. The government is the
forces left for France on 6 July for the Bastille majority owner of the company, is likely to
Day parade. The Fete Nationale Francaise is subscribe to the rights issue and infuse equity in
celebrated on 15 July, the National Day in the company.
France. Bastille Day is celebrated as the In the Union Budhet 2023-24, the government
anniversary of Storming of the Bastille in 1789 announced Rs 30,000 crore of capital support to
during the French Revolution. Prime Minister state-run fuel retailers - BPCL, IOCL, HPCL, to
Narendra Modi has been invited as the guest of support their energy transition and net zero
honour. initiatives.

353. d IBA sets up 5-member group to 357. c Taiwanese EV Giant Gogoro Signs $1.5
implement RBI committee's recommendations on Billion Mega Deal With Maharashtra To
ARCs Manufacture Vehicles, Smart Battery Packs
The Indian Banks' Association (IBA) has Gogoro, a Taiwanese-based battery-swapping
constituted a five-member working group for service provider and two-wheeler manufacturer,
implementing the recommendations of the has entered in to an agreement with Maharashtra
Reserve Bank of India's committee on the government to invest $1.5 billion in the cities of
"working of the Asset Reconstruction Companies Pune and Aurangabad over the next eight years
(ARCs)". In light of the committee's to manufacture electric vehicles, smart battery
recommendations aimed at enabling ARCs to packs, and battery swap stations.
fulfill the increasing demand of the financial Gogoro is well-known for its high-speed electric
sector. scooters and their swappable batteries,
The Group comprises Ajit Kumar, MD and CEO,
Secondary Loan Market Association (SLMA); Hari 358. a Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) has
Hara Mishra, CEO, Association of ARCs in India; been upgraded from Schedule B to Schedule A

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CPSE by the Ministry of Power and Natural Gas, 363. c India on Monday permitted imports of
Government of India. This upgradation to potatoes from Bhutan without any license for one
Schedule A recognises NRL's strong financial more year till June 2024. Earlier, it was allowed
performance and operational efficiency and till June 30 this year.
contribution to the economic development of the The DGFT said that the import of 17,000 metric
Northeast region. tonnes of fresh (green) areca nut without a
It now make NRL eligible to achieve 'Navratna' minimum import price condition from Bhutan will
status which in turn will give higher financial also also be allowed through land customs
autonomy and allow the company to undertake station Chamurchi.
larger and more complex projects, take speedy Imports of fresh or chilled potatoes stood at
decision in creating joint ventures, strategic $1.02 million in 2022-23.
partnerships, etc. Chamurchi is a small village in the Jalpaiguri
district. It is close to the Bhutan border. INCHMB
359. a Multilateral development banks pledge up is a location code.
to $27 bn for India's green growth
European Investment Bank has pledged one 364. a India has doubled its share of global
billion euros to develop a large-scale hydrogen commercial services exports to 4.4% in 2022
industry hub, while the ADB intends to provide from 2% in 2005, according to a World Bank and
$20-$25 billion over five years to support India's World Trade Organization report.
green growth during International Conference on "China and India doubled their share of global
Green Hydrogen (ICGH-2023), held between July commercial services exports from 2005 to 2022,
5-7 in India. The World Bank also approved $1.5 from 3.0% to 5.4%, and from 2% to 4.4%,
billion to aid India's low-carbon transition. respectively," it said.
ICGH-2023 held in New Delhi The report titled 'Trade in services for
India commits to green hydrogen development, development' also said that in India, South Africa
encourages collaboration with private sector as and Turkey, jobs directly linked to cross-border
global demand for hydrogen is expected to reach services exports account for more than 10% of
200 million tons by 2030. total services sector jobs.
It added that India and the Philippines will need
360. d China has released its first homegrown to upskill and reskill their workforces and invest
open-source desktop operating system, named in the development of their domestic services
'OpenKylin' as the country steps up efforts to cut sectors"particularly in terms of R&D to keep pace
reliance on U.S. technology. It is based on the with rapidly changing technology and still remain
existing open-source Linux operating system. competitive and progress up the value chain.
China's version was built by a community of
about 4,000 developers, and is used in its space 365. b State-owned Punjab National Bank LTD
programme and industries such as finance and announced the launch of UPI 123PAY, an IVR-
energy. based UPI solution.
This offering aligns with the Digital Payment
361. d The Indian Oil Corporation Limited Vision 2025, propelling the nation towards a
(IOCL), Chennai, has committed to invest Rs cashless and cardless society.
54,000 crore in various projects in Tamil Nadu in The Unified Payments Interface has
the next few years, including a 9 MMTPA (million revolutionised the way transactions are
metric tonnes per annum) grass-root refinery at conducted in India, providing customers with ,
an estimated cost of Rs 35,580 crore. This new real-time payment experience.
refinery will produce petrol and diesel for BS-VI
specifications and also polypropylene. 366. d The National Housing Bank (NHB) has
operationalised the Rs 10,000-crore UIDF
362. c The central government's fiscal deficit at announced in this year's Budget for creation of
the end of May stood at 11.8% of the full-year urban infrastructure in tier-2 and tier-3 cities.
budget estimates for 2023-24. The fiscal deficit As many as 459 tier-2 cities with population of
was 12.3% of the 2022-23 budget estimates in 50,000 to less than a lakh and 580 tier-3 cities
the same period of the last year. In the Union with population of one lakh to less than a million
Budget, the government aimed to bring down the as per 2011 census are covered under UIDF as of
fiscal deficit during the current financial year now.
2023-24 to 5.9% of the GDP. Interest rate on UIDF loans has been kept at
bank rate minus 1.5%.

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The PGI-D structure comprises of total weight

367. e The International Tennis Federation has age of 600 points across 83 indicators, which are
awarded Justine Henin its highest honor, the grouped under 6 categories viz., Outcomes,
Philippe Chatrier Award. Effective Classroom Transaction, Infrastructure
Henin won seven Grand Slam singles titles, an Facilities & Student's Entitlements, School Safety
Olympic gold medal, and was part of Belgium's & Child Protection, Digital Learning and
team that won the Fed Cup now called the Billie Governance Process. These categories are
Jean King Cup in 2001. further divided into 12Â domains,
Henin won the French Open four times, the U.S. viz., Learning Outcomes and Quality (LO),
Open twice and the Australian Open once. She Access Outcomes (AO), Teacher Availability and
was a two-time runner-up at Wimbledon. She Professional Development Outcomes (TAPDO),
won Olympic gold at the 2004 Athens Games. Learning Management (LM), Learning Enrichment
The award, named after the former ITF Activities (LEA), Infrastructure, Facilities, Student
president, was introduced in 1996 and recognizes Entitlements (IF&SE), School Safety and Child
people who have made significant contributions Protection (SS&CP), Digital Learning (DL), Funds
to the sport on and off the court. convergence and utilization (FCV), Enhancing
CRCs Performance (CRCP), Attendance
368. a The early years of late Prime Minister Atal Monitoring Systems (AMS) and School
Bihari Vajpayee are captured in a new biography, Leadership Development (SLD).
Vajpayee: The Ascent of the Hindu Right 1924- PGI-D grades the districts into ten grades viz.,
77, by Abhishek Choudhary. Highest achievable Grade is Daksh, which is for
The book published by Picador India was Districts scoring more than 90% of the total
released in May 2023. points in that category or overall. The lowest
This first volume lays out 53 years of Vajpayee's grade in PGI-D is called Akanshi-3 which is for
life, spanning from 1924 to 1977. scores upto10% of the total points. Ultimate
objective of PGI-D is to help the Districts to
369. d Indian Badminton player Lakshya Sen priorities areas for intervention in school
defeated China's Li Shi Feng in straight sets 21- education and thus improve to reach the highest
18 and 22-20 to clinch the men's singles title at grade.
the Canada Open 2023.
21-year-old Lakshya Sen triumphed over the 371. a Parth Salunkhe became the first male
reigning All England Champion Li Shi Feng by archer to win a gold in the recurve category at
winning the first set by 21-18 and the second set the Youth World Championships as India finished
by 22-20. with their highest-ever tally of 11 medals. The
19-year-old from Satara in Maharashtra defeated
370. c Education Ministry on 9th July 2023 Korean Song Injun in the Under-21 men's
released the PGI-D combined report for 2020-21 recurve individual final, Limerick, Ireland.
and 2021-22. The medal haul of the 24-member Indian
The Indian Education System is one of the contingent included six gold, one silver and four
largest in the world with about 14.9 lakh schools, bronze. Of the 11 medals India won, six were
95 lakh teachers, and nearly 26.5 crore students bagged in the U21 category - four gold and two
from varied socio-economic backgrounds. bronze.Â
DoSE&L devised Performance Grading Index
(PGI) for States and released report for the 372. c India to surpass US to become world's
reference years 2017-18 to 2020-21. Based on 2nd largest economy by 2075: Goldman Sachs
the success of State PGI, 83-indicator based PGI Goldman Sachs said India, the fifth-largest
for District (PGI-D) has been designed to grade economy, will become the second largest
the performance of all districts in school economy in the world by 2075 surpassing not
education. The data is filled by districts through only Japan and Germany but also the United
online portal. The PGI-D is expected to help the States. According to the investment bank report
state education departments to identify gaps at the innovation and technology, higher capital
the district level and improve their performance investment and rising worker productivity to
in a decentralized manner. The indicator-wise increase drastically due to the burgeoning
PGI score shows the areas where a district needs population. Currently India is the world's fifth-
to improve. PGI-D report for 2018-19 and 2019- largest economy, behind Germany, Japan, China
20 has been released so far the current one is and US
combined report for 2020-21 & 2021-22.

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373. d Public sector bank Canara Bank will be 378. a The two-day Urban 20 Mayoral Summit,
signing a ₹3,000 crore IT transformation deal hosted by the chair city Ahmedabad, in
to revamp and enhance its tech infrastructure, Gandhinagar , concluded with the handover of
according to sources familiar with the the Communiqué from the Mayors to G20
development. In a highly competitive bidding leaders.
race, global tech giants IBM and its managed The Communique was officially endorsed by 105
infrastructure services spin-off Kyndryl are the cities across the world, the highest ever number
frontrunners, positioning themselves to secure of endorsements received to date for any U20
the partnership. Communiqué.
The Communiqué has been drafted as an
374. d GACL flags Off the first dispatch of import action agenda for the six priorities identified
substitute Hydrazine Hydrate and Purified collectively by U20 cities.
Phosphoric Acid These priorities include encouraging
Gujarat Alkalies and Chemicals Limited (GACL) environmentally responsible behaviours,
flagged off the first lot of Hydrazine Hydrate accelerating climate finance, championing local
(80%) and Purified Phosphoric Acid (85%). culture and economy, ensuring water security,
Hydrazine Hydrate as an import substitute catalysing digital urban futures, and reinventing
product with world-class quality will help in frameworks for urban planning and governance
reducing the country's dependency on imports,
thereby saving valuable foreign exchange. 379. c The 50th GST Council has recently
Hydrazine Hydrate has applications in various concluded in New Delhi. A 28% GST rate has
industries such as Pesticides, Agrochemicals, been levied on the full value of gaming, horse
Water racing, and casinos which comes as a drawback
Treatment, Pharmaceuticals, blowing agent in to online gaming companies. Further, the council
Polymer Industry, Fine Chemicals etc. members exempted GST on key import of
pharma products like cancer drug Dinutuximab,
375. a SBI Card said its parent State Bank of and Food for Special Medical Purposes (FSMP).
India (SBI) has appointed Abhijit Chakravorty as The GST Council is a constitutional body headed
Managing Director and CEO. He will replace by the Union Finance Minister.
Rama Mohan Rao Amara, who will cease to be
MD from August 11. Chakravorty's appointment 380. d The Uttar Pradesh government approved
would be effective from August 12 for a period of two 'Obra D' thermal power projects of 800 MW
two years. each to be built at the cost of Rs 18,000 crore in
Sonbhadra's Obra, a move aimed at providing
376. d Amit Shah to inaugurate conclave on cheaper electricity to the people of the state.
Primary Agricultural Credit Societies on July 14 The projects will be executed by the government
Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah with a 50:50 partnership with central
will inaugurate a day-long conclave to discuss government-owned power generator NTPC.
ways to strengthen Primary Agricultural Credit 'Obra D' thermal power plants will be the first
Societies (PACS) through Farmer Producer ultra super critical unit in the state.
Organisations (FPOs) in the national capital.
The PACS have a huge member base of around 381. d India registers remarkable reduction in
13 crore farmers, out of which more than 86 poverty; 415 million people out of poverty level
percent of farmers in the country are small and in just 15 years: UN
marginal. A total of 415 million people moved out of
poverty in India within just 15 years from
377. b Carl Zeiss India is set to construct its 2005/2006 to 2019/2021, the UN said
largest spectacle lens production facility in It said that 25 countries, including India,
Bengaluru, with an investment of over 250 successfully halved their global MPI values within
million euros. The construction of the facility will 15 years, showing that rapid progress is
commence next month on the land acquired two attainable. These countries include Cambodia,
years ago. The expected completion date for the China, Congo, Honduras, India, Indonesia,
project is October 2024. Zeiss aims to achieve Morocco, Serbia, and Vietnam.
sales of Rs 1,800 crore by the end of the current The latest update of the global Multidimensional
financial year and expects to double sales in less Poverty Index (MPI) was released by the United
than six years Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and

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the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Section 48 (1) (a) of the Disaster Management
Initiative (OPHI) at the University of Oxford. Act, 2005.
The fund is the primary fund available to state
382. c India's direct tax collection soared 16 per governments for responses to notified disasters.
cent to touch Rs. 4.75 trillion this finacial year, The central government contributes 75 per cent
showing continuity in revenue growth despite to the SDRF in general states and 90 per cent in
external headwinds. Northeast and Himalayan states.
It said that the numbers so far "continue to
register steady growth." On a gross basis, 387. a UAE becomes first Arab country to get
collection from direct taxes, which includes observer status at Asia-Pacific Group on Money
income and corporation taxes, grew 14.65 per Laundering A delegation from the UAE is
cent to Rs. 5.17 trillion. participating with observer status in the plenary
The central government expects to collect Rs. of the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering
18.2 trillion this financial year, which is 10.5 per (APG), a Financial Action Task Force-Style
cent more than what was collected in FY23, as regional body (FSRB), taking place this week in
per revised estimates. Vancouver, Canada.
The UAE is the first Arab country to be granted
383. d Global public debt surged to a record $92 observer status at the APG.
trillion in 2022 as governments borrowed to
counter crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, 388. b Cabinet approves changes to Jan Vishwas
with the burden being felt acutely by developing Bill to decriminalise offences in 42 laws
countries, according to a United Nations report ' The Union Cabinet on Wednesday cleared the Jan
A World of Debt'. The United Nations secretary- Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2022
general warned that nearly 40% of the that proposes to decriminalise various offences in
developing world is in serious debt. 42 laws, including minor ones that invite jail
term.
384. b India-ASEAN conference on traditional The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill,
medicines on 20th July 2023 2022 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on
India is going to hold an ASEAN countries December 22, 2022 and its aim is to reduce the
conference on traditional medicines on July 20, compliance burden on individuals and business
2023. It will amend almost 113 imprisonment clauses
Ten ASEAN countries including Cambodia, in various pieces of legislation, governing
Vietnam will be participating in the conference. matters pertaining to the environment, air
The Ministry of Ayush with support from the pollution, housing, and money laundering,
Ministry of External Affairs, Indian Mission to among others.
ASEAN and the ASEAN Secretariat is gearing up
to host the conference. 389. a Asian Athletics Championships: India's
Jyothi Yarraji wins historic gold medal in
385. b HDFC Bank enables CBDC-compatible UPI women's 100m hurdles
QR code for seamless payments Jyothi Yarraji created history on Thursday by
HDFC Bank launched UPI QR code interoperable becoming the first-ever Indian woman athlete to
with the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). win a gold medal in women's 100m hurdles at
The interoperable UPI QR code will allow HDFC the ongoing Asian Athletics Championships in
Bank merchants, who have been onboarded on Bangkok.
the bank's CBDC platform, to accept payments The 23-year-old, who, in 2023 itself, ran sub-13
from their customers in the form of Digital Rupee seconds six times, clocked 13.09 seconds at the
currency, India's largest private sector bank. Asian meet to finish first.
CBDC, is a tokenised digital version of the Indian
Rupee issued by the RBI 390. d European Investment Bank (EIB) it is
keen to extend finance of 1 billion euros for the
386. d The finance ministry on Wednesday development of green hydrogen and renewable
released Rs 7,532 crore to 22 state governments energy projects in India.
under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) EIB Vice-President Kris Peeters will make a four-
amid rain causing havoc in the northern parts of day business visit to India this week to
the country. The State Disaster Response Fund strengthen cooperation with the Indian public
(SDRF) has been constituted in each state under and private sectors and discuss EIB support for
clean energy investment.

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The European Investment Ban(EIB) is the development goals, technological transformation

lending institution of the EU member states. and digital public infrastructure, multilateral
institutions for the 21st century and women-led
391. b Prime Minister Narendra Modi has become development.
the first Indian Prime Minister to have been
conferred with the Grand Cross of the Legion of 395. e The Indian Space Research Organization
Honour, France's highest civilian and military successfully launched LVM3 M 4 rocket carrying
honour, by French President Emmanuel Macro. Chandrayaan 3 at 2.35 PM from the second
The Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour given launch pad of India's spaceport at Sriharikota.
by France is another in a series of top • Chandrayaan-3 will be inserted into the
international award bestowed by various Lunar Transfer Trajectory after the orbit raising
countries on PM Modi. maneuvers. Covering over 300,000 km, it will
Mr. Modi received the honour at the Elysee reach the Moon in the coming weeks. Scientific
Palace here on Thursday, July 13, 2023, and instruments onboard will study the Moon's
joined the ranks of other prominent world surface and enhance our knowledge.
leaders such as the former president of South
Africa Nelson Mandela, King Charles - the then 396. e The G20 Conference on Crime and
Prince of Wales, former Chancellor of Germany Security in the Age of NFTs, AI and Metaverse
Angela Merkel, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, former held in Gurugram successfully concluded with the
Secretary General of the United Nations, among release of the Chair's Summary. The conference
others. aimed to address the challenges posed by
cybercrime and security in the era of new
392. d Project Gajah Kotha Launched To Control technologies like NFTs, AI, and Metaverse.
Human-Elephant Conflict In Assam • During the conference, delegates from G20
Assam has launched the "Gajah Kotha" campaign countries, invitee countries, international
to address the growing human-elephant conflict organizations, and other participants discussed
(HEC) issue by engaging more than 1,200 various subjects including Internet Governance -
individuals and promoting coexistence. Digital Public Infrastructure, Extended Reality,
This initiative specifically targets villages in Metaverse, Artificial Intelligence, the Dark Net
eastern Assam affected by human-elephant and Cryptocurrency Challenges, and Criminal Use
conflict, aiming to educate residents about of Information and Communication Technologies.
elephant behaviour, ecology, and the cultural
significance. 397. a Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the
Government of India, Professor Ajay Kumar Sood
393. b Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports and convened the 23rd Prime Minister Science,
Minister of Information & Broadcasting, Shri Technology & Innovation Advisory Council (PM-
Anurag Thakur unveiled the coveted trophy for STIAC) meeting on 14 July 2023) at Vigyan
Hero Asian Champions Trophy, Chennai 2023at Bhawan in New Delhi.
the Major Dhyanchand National Stadium in New • The meeting brought together PM-STIAC
Delhi. members, key government officials, and experts
Hero Asian Champions Trophy, Chennai 2023 will to discuss the contemporary priorities of science
begin from August 3rd, 2023 and technology ecosystem in India including high
India, Korea, Malaysia, Japan, Pakistan, and performance Biomanufacturing, the role of
China will vie for the Title. Empowered Technology Group (ETG), and the
recently introduced National Research Foundation
394. b The third Sherpas meeting under India's (NRF) Bill.
G20 Presidency will begin in Hampi in Karnataka.
Chaired by India's G20 Sherpa, Amitabh Kant, 398. e The All-India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA)
the three days meeting on the banks of river is organizing a three-day seminar from 13-15th
Tungabhadra near UNESCO World Heritage site July 2023 on the auspicious occasion of Sushruta
Hampi will deliberate and engage in co-authoring Jayanti-2023. Sushruta Jayanti is celebrated
the Leaders Declaration to be adopted by the every year on 15th July to honour the legendary
G20 leaders in New Delhi Summit. Sushruta, hailed as the father of surgery.
Issues being considered are Green development, • During the seminar live surgical
climate finance, lifestyle for environment, demonstration was performed on 13 and 14th
accelerated, inclusive and resilient growth, July. On the first day of the session, nine live
accelerating progress on sustainable surgical demonstrations were performed

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including Laparoscopic surgery and General

surgical procedures. This allowed participants to 402. c Carlos Alcaraz marked a pivotal moment
witness and learn from live surgical in men's tennis by ending Novak Djokovic's
demonstrations. Additionally, a Scientific Session illustrious Wimbledon reign with an electrifying 1-
provided a platform for researchers and experts 6, 7-6(6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 victory claiming his first-
to share their knowledge and insights followed by ever title at the All England Club. At just 20
a cultural programme. On the second day of the years old, Alcaraz became Wimbledon's third
session 13 live surgeries were performed. youngest men's champion, adding to his previous
• The National Seminar on Shalya Tantra and major victory at the US Open last year.
Sangyaharan, organized in association with AAIM Carlos Alcaraz Garfia is a Spanish professional
(Bharatiya Sangyaharak Association, Varanasi), tennis player. Novak Djokovic is a Serbian
commenced on July 13, 2023 and will continue professional tennis player. About Wimbledon:
till July 15, 2023. The seminar aims to promote Wimbledon Championships, byname of All-
the wisdom and practices of Sushruta and England Championships, internationally
facilitate insightful discussions on the known tennis championships played annually
advancements in the field of surgery where 180 in London at Wimbledon.The tournament,
participants registered across India. held in late June and early July, is one of the four
annual "Grand Slam" tennis events"along with
399. c Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Australian, French, and U.S. Opens"and
India, and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al is the only one still played on natural grass.The
Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates first Wimbledon championship was held in 1877
(UAE) recognized the urgent need to address the on one of the croquet lawns of the All England
global challenge of climate change through global Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club (since 1882 the
collective action while respecting the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club).In
foundational principles and obligations under the 1884 a women's championship was introduced at
United Nations Framework Convention on the Wimbledon, and the national men's doubles was
Climate Change (UNFCCC) transferred there from Oxford.Mixed doubles
UAE is the host country of COP28 in 2023. and women's doubles were inaugurated in
1913.Roger Federer has won the most
400. e India and the UAE has signed three MoUs Wimbledon titles in men's singles - eight. Martina
in banking and education sectors. Navratilova, with nine titles, is the most
• The MoUs in the banking sector pertain to successful women's singles player in Wimbledon
the use of local currencies for cross-border history.
transactions and cooperation for interlinking their
payment and messaging systems. Under the 403. a The annual rate of inflation based on all
MOU in the education sector, the Indian Institute India Wholesale Price Index (WPI) is 4.12
of Technology Delhi will set up an IIT campus in percent down for the month of June, 2023. In
Abu Dhabi. May, 2023 it was recorded 3.48 percent down.
• The MoU signed by the Governor of the The decline in the rate of inflation in June, 2023
Reserve Bank of India, Shaktikanta Das and the is primarily due to a fall in prices of mineral oils,
Governor of the Central Bank of UAE, Khaled food products, Basic metals, crude petroleum &
Mohamed Balama for the use of local currencies natural gas and textiles.
for cross-border transactions covers all current Prices of Food Articles increased by 2.10 percent
account transactions and permitted capital in June, 2023 as compared to May, 2023.Prices
account transactions. of Non-food Articles are down by 2.40 percent,
whereas Crude Petroleum and Natural Gas prices
401. c Indian Army contingent comprising of 43 declined 3.01 percent. Minerals prices declined
personnel left for Mongolia. The contingent will 4.32 percent in June, 2023 as compared to May,
participate in the 15th edition of bilateral joint 2023.
military exercise "NOMADIC ELEPHANT-23". India
and Mongolia have a shared commitment to 404. d Marketa Vondrousova became the lowest-
regional security and cooperation. ranked woman to win Wimbledon, defeating
Exercise NOMADIC ELEPHANT is an annual 2022 runner-up Ons Jabeur 6-4, 6-4 in the final.
training event with Mongolia which is conducted Vondrousova is a 24-year-old left-hander from
alternatively in Mongolia and India, the last the Czech Republic who is ranked 42nd and was
edition was held at Special Forces Training the first unseeded woman to play for the title at
School, Bakloh in October 2019. the All England Club in 60 years.

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an average price of ₹179.84 per share, the

405. b In a significant move to strengthen insurer.
economic ties, India and the United Arab
Emirates have signed a historic Memorandum of 409. a India's home-grown fintech and payments
Understanding on the Local Currency Settlement solutions provider Razorpay has announced the
(LCS) system. This groundbreaking agreement, launch of its first international payment gateway
signed between the Reserve Bank of India and services in the Malaysian market with Curlec. In
the Central Bank of the UAE, aims to Feb 2022, Bengaluru-headquartered Razorpay
revolutionize cross-border transactions between which was established in 2014, announced its
the two nations. first international expansion into South-East Asia
The LCS system allows for the use of the Indian with the acquisition of a majority stake in Curlec.
Rupee  and UAE Dirham  in bilateral trade,
marking India's first-ever LCS arrangement. This 410. b The government has constituted a new
innovative system is expected to have a internal oversight mechanism for official data,
transformative impact on transaction costs and revamping a Standing Committee on Economic
processing time while also increasing reliance on Statistics (SCES) set up in late 2019, soon after
local currencies.The agreement comes as a the findings from the last round of household
significant milestone in the rapidly evolving surveys on consumption expenditure and
India-UAE relationship, in line with the Vision employment were junked, citing 'data quality
Statement unveiled by the two leaders during issues'.
their virtual summit in February 2022. Pronab Sen, India's first chief statistician and the
former chairman of the National Statistical
406. d The Adani Group announced the Commission (NSC), has been named the chair of
commissioning of India's first transnational the new committee.The Statistics Ministry said
project at Godda in Jharkhand to supply power to that the SCES " which was tasked with
the Bangladesh electricity grid. Chairman examining economic indicators only " will now
Gautam Adani called on Bangladesh Prime be replaced by a Standing Committee on
Minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka following the full Statistics (SCoS) which has a broader mandate
load commencement of power supply to to review the framework and results of all
Bangladesh from the Group's Ultra Super-Critical surveys conducted under the aegis of the
Thermal Power Plant. The Godda USCTPP, marks National Statistical Office (NSO).The SCoS " with
the the port-to-power conglomerate's entry into "enhanced terms of reference" vis-Ã -vis the
transnational power projects. Adani SCES, "to ensure more coverage" " has 10
Power Jharkhand Ltd (APJL), a wholly-owned official members, and four non-official members
subsidiary of Adani Power Ltd, will supply 100 who are eminent academics.The panel can have
per cent of the generated electricity from the up to 16 members, as per the order issued by
plant to another nation. APJL will supply 1,496 the Ministry of Statistics and Programme
MW from the Godda USCTPP under the PPA with Implementation (MoSPI).The SCES, which had
the Bangladesh Power Development Board, 28 members, including 10 non-official members,
executed in November 2017 for a period of 25 was also chaired by Mr. Sen.Â
years.
411. b
407. a CarTrade Tech, a marketplace for buying €500 million in EU's first phase funding for
and selling vehicles, will acquire OLX India's India green energy
automotive business, Sobek Auto India Private European Investment Bank (EIB), the lending
Ltd for ₹537 crore. In the filing, CarTrade Tech arm of the European Union, plans to invest about
said it will acquire 100 per cent stake in Sobek €1 billion in India's renewable energy sector.
Auto, the automotive business of OLX India, for a The investment will be made in renewable
cash consideration. OLX is the classified unit of sectors involving green hydrogen and solar
Dutch investment firm Prosus. panels. India is the largest investment
destination of EIB outside Europe.
408. c Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) So far EIB has made about €4 billion
has pared its stake in Exide Industries to 3.51% investment in India.
by divesting more than 1.70 crore shares. From Of this, about €3 billion is in the infrastructure
5.51% on December 17, 2020, the holding in the sector, particularly in public transport
battery maker has been reduced by two infrastructure like metro rail projects.
percentage points through open market sale at

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412. b The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi- 415. d Tamil Nadu has pipped Maharashtra and
Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation Gujarat to emerge as the top state among
(BIMSTEC) Foreign Ministers' Retreat began in coastal states in the Niti Aayog's Export
Thailand capital city Bangkok. Preparedness Index 2022. Tamil Nadu is followed
BIMSTEC is an economic and technical initiative by Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, Andhra
which brings together the countries of the Bay of Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal and Kerala in that
Bengal for multifaceted cooperation. The Bay of order in the ranking of coastal states.
Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Among hilly/Himalayan states, Uttarakhand has
Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is a regional ranked at the top position. It is followed by
multilateral organization. Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura, Sikkim,
Its members lie in the littoral and adjacent areas Nagaland, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and
of the Bay of Bengal constituting a contiguous Mizoram in that order.Haryana topped the chart
regional unity. It is a regional organization, among the landlocked regions. It was followed by
established in 1997. It has seven eight member Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Madhya
states.BIMSTEC Secretariat was established in Pradesh and Rajasthan.In the category of union
Dhaka, Bangladesh territories/small states, Goa was ranked first.
Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, Andaman and
413. d A record 13.5 crore people moved out of Nicobar and Ladakh were ranked second, third,
multidimensional poverty between 2015-16 and fourth and fifth, respectively.The index can be
2019-21 as per NITI Aayog's Report 'National used by the regions to benchmark their
Multidimensional Poverty Index: A Progress performance against their peers and analyse
Review 2023'. potential challenges to develop better policy
National MPI measures simultaneous mechanisms to foster export-led growth at the
deprivations across the three equally weighted sub-national level.The ranking is based on four
dimensions of health, education, and standard of main pillars: policy, business ecosystem, export
living that are represented by 12 SDG-aligned ecosystem and export performance.The index is
indicators. also aimed at promoting competition among all
Uttar Pradesh registered the largest decline in states (coastal, landlocked, Himalayan and UTs)
number of poor with 3.43 crore people. to bring about favourable policies, ease the
According to the Report, India has registered a regulatory framework, create necessary
significant decline of 9.89 percentage points in infrastructure and assist in identifying strategic
number of India's multidimensionally poor from recommendations for improving export
24.85% in 2015-16 to 14.96% in 2019-2021. competitiveness.
The rural areas witnessed the fastest decline in
poverty from 32.59% to 19.28%. During the 416. d Star Indian Shuttler Satwiksairaj
same period, the urban areas saw a reduction in Rankireddy has set the Guinness world record for
poverty from 8.65% to 5.27%. Uttar Pradesh the fastest shot by a male player in badminton,
registered the largest decline in number of poor recording a mindboggling 565 kilometres per
with 3.43 crore people escaping multidimensional hour with his smash during the game. Satwik,
poverty. Providing multidimensional poverty who along with his partner Chirag Shetty won the
estimates for the 36 States and Union Territories Indonesia Open recently, broke a decade-long
and 707 Administrative Districts, the Report record set in May 2013 by Malaysian Tan Boon
states that the fastest reduction in the proportion Heong.
of multidimensional poor was observed in the
States of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, 417. b The updated 2023 Henley Passport Index
Odisha, and Rajasthan. placed Singapore as the world's most powerful
passport with visa-free access to 192 travel
414. c SJVN Limited has been conferred with 1st destinations out of 227 around the world. Three
Prize in Swachhta Pakhwada Awards 2023 by European countries Germany, Italy, and Spain
Ministry of Power. SJVN's Chairman & Managing move up one slot with 190 visa-free destinations
Director (CMD) NL Sharma received the prize and shared the second place. Japan was placed
from Ministry of Power's Secretary Pankaj 3rd.
Agarwal in a ceremony at New Delhi. The Indian passport improved by five places and
The PSUs are evaluated on number of is now ranked 80th in the latest Henley Passport
parameters for the initiatives undertaken to Index, and it provides visa-free access to 57
create awareness for Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. destinations.Indian passport holders have visa-
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Indonesia, Thailand, and Rwanda. However, 422. a Two frontline Indian Naval ships INS
Indian citizens need a visa to enter 177 Sahyadri and INS Kolkata arrived in Indonesia's
destinations across the world in countries like Jakarta to participate in the Maritime Partnership
China, Japan, Russia, the United States, and the Exercise (MPX) with the Indonesian Navy. INS
entire European Union.Afghanistan stands at the Sahyadri is the third indigenously designed and
bottom of the ranking, its passport holders can built Project-17 class stealth frigate and INS
visit just 27 destinations without a visa. Just Kolkata is the first indigenously designed and
above sit Iraq with a score of 29 and Syria with built stealth destroyer of the Project-15A class.
30, rounding out the three weakest passports in Both the ships have been built at Mazagon Dock
the world. Shipbuilders Ltd, Mumbai.
 Recently, Indo-Indonesia concluded its bilateral
418. b Former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy Exercise Samudra Shakti-23 in the South China
has passed away. He was 79. He led the Sea.
Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF)
ministries in Kerala from August 31, 2004, to 423. c OPPO India in collaboration with NITI
May 12, 2006, and from May 18, 2011, to May Aayog's Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) as its
20, 2016. He was elected to the Kerala knowledge partner has announced the
Legislative Assembly for the first time in 1970. establishment of an Atal Tinkering Lab (ATL) in
Kerala. This collaboration marks the
419. b A private Chinese company has launched establishment of the first-ever Atal Tinkering
the world's first methane-liquid oxygen space Lab, based on the PPP (Public-Private
rocket into orbit. The Zhuque-2 carrier rocket Partnership) model. This collaboration between
blasted from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center the AIM and OPPO"with Learning Links
in northwest China. The first launch attempt of Foundation as the implementation
the Zhuqu-2 in December had failed. partner"adapts the 'Hub n Spoke' strategy to
create an innovative learning environment
420. a India and the United States also jointly through practical experiences and regular
launched a call for proposals on Critical and training sessions.Â
Emerging Technology: Quantum Technologies
and Artificial Intelligence for Transforming Lives. 424. b The Asian Development Bank retained
The Indo-U.S. Science and Technology Forum India's economic growth forecast at 6.4 percent
(IUSSTF) and the Secretariat for USISTEF have for the current financial year and 6.7 percent for
designed the program. the next, The ADB said robust domestic demand
India has recently approved the National will continue to support the region's recovery. In
Quantum Mission (NQM) with an aim to seed, an update to its Asian Development Outlook, the
nurture and scale up scientific and industrial R&D ADB said inflation is expected to continue to fall,
and create a vibrant & innovative ecosystem in approaching pre-pandemic levels.
Quantum Technology (QT). It forecast 3.6 percent inflation this year for
developing economies in Asia, and 3.4 percent in
421. b Pension Fund Regulatory & Development 2024.The Indian economy grew 7.2 percent in
Authority (PFRDA) chairman Deepak Mohanty the 2022-23 fiscal ended March 2023.
said that the regulator will allow pension funds to
invest in sovereign green bonds when issued. 425. a Department of Animal Husbandry &
The government is expected to issue sovereign Dairying, Ministry of Fishries, Animal Husbandry
green bonds in the second half of the current and Dairying is implementing the Credit
financial year (H2FY24) as part of overall market Guarantee Scheme under Animal Husbandry
borrowing programme. Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF) to
Currently, there are 10 pension fund managers strengthen credit delivery system and facilitate
which manage funds under the National Pension smooth flow of credit to the MSME.
System (NPS).In the last fiscal year (FY23), the For operationalizing the scheme, DAHD has
government raised Rs. 16,000 crore through the established a Credit Guarantee fund Trust of Rs.
issuance of maiden sovereign green bonds with 750.00 crores, which will provide credit
the objective to utilise the proceeds for funding guarantee coverage up to 25% of the credit
public sector projects seeking to reduce carbon facilities extended to the MSMEs by the eligible
emissions. lending institutions.
Key Features of AHIDF scheme:

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Interest Subvention of 3%loan up to 90% of the Hindi language within the organization and foster
total project cost from any Scheduled Bank, inclusive dialogue and understanding.
National Cooperative Development Corporation The Hindi@UN initiative, launched in 2018
(NCDC). through a partnership with the UN Department of
The establishment of credit guarantee fund trust Public Information, aimed to enhance the United
was approved under the Prime Minister's Nations' communication efforts in the Hindi
AtmaNirbhar Bharat Abhiyan stimulus package of language.
Rs.15000 crores" Animal Husbandry
Infrastructure Development Fund" (AHIDF) for 430. d Professor Thalappil Pradeep from IIT
incentivizing investments by individual Madras has been honored with the esteemed Eni
entrepreneurs, private companies, MSMEs, Award for his groundbreaking research in energy
Farmers Producers Organizations (FPOs) and and environment. The award recognises his
Section 8 companies to establish (i) the dairy innovative work in providing affordable clean
processing and value addition infrastructure, (ii) water using advanced nanoscale materials.
meat processing and value addition The Eni Award is highly regarded globally, with
infrastructure, (iii) Animal Feed Plant, (iv) Breed previous recipients including renowned Nobel
Improvement technology and Breed laureates and distinguished scientists. The
Multiplication Farm (v) Animal Waste to Wealth selection committee, which includes Nobel
Management (Agri Waste Management) and (vi) laureates, ensures that only exceptional
Setting up of Veterinary Vaccine and Drugs individuals receive this prestigious
Manufacturing facilities. recognition.Established in 2007, the award aims
to foster radical breakthroughs in energy
426. a India could become a developed country efficiency, renewables, decarbonisation, and
by 2047 with an average annual real GDP growth environmental preservation.
of 7.6 per cent over the next 25 years, said an
article published by the Reserve Bank in its July 431. c The Gujarat government has signed an
bulletin. During 2022-23, India recorded a MoU with London-based company OneWeb and
growth of 7.2 per cent. The RBI's projection for the Department of Science and Technology,
GDP growth for the current fiscal year is 6.5 per Government of India to set up two 'Satellite
cent. Network Portal Sites'. One of the sites is to be
launched in Jotana, Mehsana, Gujarat. The
427. b Ashok Leyland, the Indian flagship of the project is intended to provide high-speed,
Hinduja Group and the largest supplier of affordable, and secure satellite internet access
logistics vehicles to the Indian military, across the country.
announced on that it had won major orders for This is a prestigious and of its kind project for
defence vehicls, valued at Rs 800 crore. The providing internet in an affordable manner to
contracts awarded to Ashok Leyland include for villages, district panchayats, local administrative
the production of "field artillery tractors" (FAT bodies, government departments, among other,
4x4) and "gun towing vehicles" (GTV 6x6). across India under the Digital India
initiative.Under this, two Satellite Network
428. b Rakesh Pal has been appointed as the Portals (SMPs) are being set up in India, one in
25th Director General of the Indian Coast Guard. Gujarat and the other in Tamil Nadu through
The Indian Coast Guard came into being on 01st OneWeb.
Feb 1977 with a fleet strength of just seven ships
for surveillance in the Indian waters and the 432. d Unveiling the life and legacy of T.N.
Exclusive Economic Zone, The Indian Coast Seshan, 'Through The Broken Glass: An
Guard was formally inaugrated by the then Prime Autobiography' chronicles the captivating journey
Minister Shri Morarji Desai on 19th Aug 1978. of the former Chief Election Commissioner of
V.A.Kamath, the first Director General of Indian India, who left an indelible mark on the nation's
Coast Guard. process. Published by Rupa Publications India,
the autobiography provides an insightful glimpse
429. a Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj, India's into Seshan's pivotal term as the CEC from 1990-
Permanent Representative to the United Nations 1995.
announced that India has made a voluntary
contribution of $1 million to the UN. This 433. c South Zone emerged champions of the
contribution aims to support the promotion of the Duleep Trophy, beating West Zone by 75 runs on
the concluding day of the final at the

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Chinnaswamy in Bangalore. West were bowled 437. b Indian star batsman Virat Kohli smashed
out for 222, resuming at 182/5. Vidwath magnificent 121 runs. With this ton, Virat Kohli
Kaverappa who made his first-class debut in the has reached a milestone of 29 Test centuries in
2021-22 Ranji Trophy won the Man-of-the-Match his highly anticipated 500th international game.
and the Man-of-the-series awards. He equaled legendary Sir Don Bradman in the list
of most test centuries. Bradman had scored 29
434. a Only an abysmal 1 per cent of women centuries in 52 tests while Kohli achieved this
across the world live in countries that have feat in his 111th Test match. It was Virat's 76th
managed to achieve both high women international ton including 46 centuries in ODI
empowerment and gender parity, according to a and one in T20 format.
new report by the United Nations. The bodies
collated data from 114 countries and analysed 438. b Commerce and Industry Ministry said that
them based on the twin indices of Women's as per UN COMTRADE statistics, India's exports
Empowerment Index (WEI) and the Global of foodgrains have registered a steady growth in
Gender Parity Index (GGPI). the last few years which is reflected in the
Leadership roles and decision-making still mostly increase in India's share in world foodgrain
lie with men and are unavailable to women, the exports from 3.38 percent in 2010 to 7.79
report released July 18, 2023 at the Women percent in 2022. The government has taken
Deliver Conference being held in Kigali, Rwanda several steps to promote exports of agricultural
noted.The first-of-its-kind report that presents a products.
comprehensive analysis of the progress made in
human development of women and girls was 439. d Admiral R Hari Kumar, Chief of the Naval
jointly created by two UN agencies " UN Women Staff, on an official visit to Vietnam will preside
and UN Development Programme.None of the the Decommissioning followed by Handing Over
114 countries analysed achieved full women's Ceremony of Indian Naval Ship Kirpan to
empowerment or complete gender parity, they Vietnam People's Navy (VPN), scheduled on 22
found.More than 90 per cent of the global July 2023 at Cam Ranh, Vietnam. This is the
population of women live in countries with low or maiden occassion of gifting a fully operational
middle women's empowerment and low or middle corvette by Indian to any friendly foriegn
performance in achieving gender parity, the country.
authors wrote in the report.
440. b Lavasa, India's first private hill station,
435. c Days after its merger with HDFC Ltd, sold for Rs 1.8k crore. In a move that will
HDFC Bank joined the exclusive club of address claims of hundreds of homebuyers and
companies with a market capitalisation of $100 lenders, the National Company Law Tribunal
billion. This makes it the seventh-largest lender (NCLT) has cleared the sale of India's first
globally. The bank's market capitalisation crossed private hill station, Lavasa, to Darwin Platform
$150 billion, making it bigger than Morgan Infrastructure. The NCLT order approving the
Stanley, Goldman Sachs and Bank of China. resolution plan submitted by Darwin came after
JP Morgan is the largest bank, with a market cap the lenders voted in favour of the resolution plan.
of $438 million. It is followed by Bank of America
($232 billion) and China's ICBC ($224 billion).In 441. d Srinagar authorities on Friday banned the
terms of market value on BSE, HDFC Bank sale, purchase, and carrying of 'sharp-edged
remains the third-largest Indian company behind weapons' in public places in view of several
only Reliance Industries (Rs 18.6 trillion) and stabbing incidents in the city. The decision was
TCS (Rs 12.9 trillion). taken apparently as a result of several recent
incidents of stabbings reported several places in
436. d Jammu and Kashmir Rural Livelihoods the district.
Mission (JKRLM) has bagged the SKOCH Award
under the theme "State of Governance India 442. d The portal, www.violation-reporting.in,
2047" in Gold category for its outstanding efforts will allow faster action against any reported
in creating marketing avenues for Self-Help violations, the government said.
Groups in the UT of Jammu & Kashmir. SKOCH The Union government, considering the harmful
award marks a significant milestone for JKRLM, effects of electronic cigarette and the alarming
being the first award received since the inception rise in its prevalence among youth, prohibited
of the scheme. the production, manufacture, import, export,
transport, sale, distribution, storage and

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advertisement, of electronic cigarettes, which 446. b Jammu to pioneer India's first Cannabis
include all forms of electronic nicotine delivery Medicine Project
systems, heat not burn Products, e-hookah and Jammu is going to pioneer India's first Cannabis
the like devices, by whatever name called and Medicine Project. 'Cannabis Research Project' of
whatever shape, size or form it may have, vides CSIR-IIIM Jammu is a first of its kind in India
the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes initiated the project in Private Public Partnership
(Production, Manufacture, Import, Export, with a Canadian firm, which has great potential
Transport, Sale, Distribution, Storage and to put the substance of abuse for the good of
Advertisement) Act, 2019, which was introduced mankind, especially for patients suffering from
as an Ordinance and later formalised into an Act neuropathies, cancer, and epilepsy.
in 2019. CSIR-IIIM is the oldest scientific research
institute in India with the history of discovering
443. d Remembering the supreme sacrifices of mint way back in 1960s, the centre of purple
the Indian Soldiers, the Commune of Monotone revolution.
(in Italy) and Italian Military historians have
unveiled "V.C Yeshwant Ghadge Sundial 447. c The Rajasthan government tabled the
Memorial" at Montone (Perugia, Italy) as a Rajasthan Platform-Based GIG Workers
tribute to the Indian troops who fought during (registration and welfare) Bill, 2023 - the
Italian Campaign during the Second World War. country's first such - which seeks to guarantee
Indian Soldiers played a central role in the Italian social security to gig workers. The bill provisions
Campaign during the Second World War, wherein for monetary penalties if an aggregator fails to
more than 50,000 Indian Army soldiers from the comply with the Act. The state government may
4th, 8th and 10th Divisions took part. Out of the impose a fine of Rs. 5 Lakh to Rs. 50 lakh for It's
20 Victoria Crosses awarded in Italy, six were violation.
won by Indian soldiers. Indian soldiers suffered Under the bill, the state will constitute a 'The
23,722 casualties, of which 5,782 Indian soldiers Rajasthan Platform Based Gig Workers Welfare
made the supreme sacrifice, and are Board' which will ensure registration of gig
commemorated in the 40 Commonwealth War workers and aggregators operating in the state
Graves spread all over Italy. To make this
memorial a participative endeavour, an Indian 448. c The declared interest rate stands at 8.15
Army plaque has been placed at the memorial per cent, as notified by the retirement body
commemorating the gallant sacrifice of all ranks Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO)
of the Indian Army who fought in the Italian in a circular dated July 24, 2023. The EPFO has
Campaign. directed all filed offices to credit the interest at a
rate of 8.15 per cent on EPF for the financial year
444. b Satwiksairaj Rankireddy & Chirag Shetty 2022-23 into the respective accounts of its
won Korea Open 2023 men's doubles title in members.
Yeosu Korea. The duo entered the summit clash The Ministry of Labour and Employment,
after a thrilling straight-game win over the world Government of India, has conveyed the approval
number two Chinese pair of Liang Wei Keng and of the Central Government under para 60(1) of
Wang Chang. Employees' Provident Fund Scheme, 1952 to
credit interest@ 8.15 % for the year 2022-23 to
445. a The 5th Helicopter & Small Aircraft the account of each member of the EPF Scheme
Summit is to be jointly organised by the Ministry as per the provisions under Para 60 of EPF
of Civil Aviation, Government of Madhya Pradesh, Scheme, 1952. In March 2022, the Employees'
Pawan Hans Ltd. and the Federation of Indian Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) lowered the
Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) on interest rate on EPF deposits for the financial
25th July 2023 in Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh. year 2021-22 to 8.10 per cent, marking the
event's theme is "Reaching the Last Mile: lowest rate in four decades, down from 8.5 per
Regional Connectivity through Helicopters & cent in 2020-21.This was the lowest interest rate
Small Aircraft". recorded since 1977-78 when the EPF interest
One of the important objectives of the Summit is rate was at 8 per cent.The EPF scheme, managed
to enhance the scope of the UDAN Scheme in by the EPFO, is an essential social security and
remote and hilly terrains and expand the retirement benefit program that aims to provide
country's rural to urban connectivity. financial security to employees after their
retirement.Each month, an employee contributes
12 per cent of their earnings to their EPF

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account, with the entire contribution directed

towards the EPF account. On the employer's part, 452. c The President of India Smt. Droupadi
only 3.67 per cent is deposited into the EPF Murmu has conferred the prestigious National
account, while the remaining 8.33 per cent is Geoscience Awards- 2022 (NGA) of the Ministry
allocated to the Employees Pension Scheme of Mines in a glittering function organized at
(EPS). Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre. The National
Geoscience Award for Lifetime Achievement was
449. a The Rajasthan Assembly passed The conferred upon Dr. Om Narain Bhargava.
Rajasthan Minimum Guaranteed Income Bill, Instituted in 1966, the National Geoscience
2023, which seeks to cover the entire adult Awards (NGA) is a symbol of recognition and
population of the state with a guarantee of appreciation for exceptional individuals and
wages or pension. As per the Bill, all families of organizations that have demonstrated
the state, whether urban or rural, will be able to excellence, dedication and innovation in the
get employment guarantee of 125 days every realm of Geosciences.The awards are presented
year. It also provides a a minimum pension of in the field of Mineral Discovery and Exploration,
Rs 1,000 per month in case of Basic Geosciences, Applied Geosciences and
aged/disabled/single women, etc.Importantly, Mining, Mineral Beneficiation and Sustainable
the pension will also be automatically increased Mineral Development.
at the rate of 15 per cent each year.The bill
brings the rural employment guarantee scheme, 453. a The "Depositor Education and Awareness
the urban employment guarantee scheme and Fund Scheme, 2014", was notified by Reserve
the pension scheme under one umbrella Bank of India (RBI), which covers norms related
legislation. These will be implemented under the to unclaimed deposits and outlines details of
Mahatma Gandhi Minimum Income Guarantee utilisation of fund including, inter alia, promotion
Scheme.The bill guarantees to provide work for of depositors' interests and other purposes as
at least 25 days under the Mukhyamantri Gramin may be specified by the RBI.
Rozgar Guarantee Yojana in addition to the 100 This was stated by Union Minister of State for
days of employment given under the Mahatma Finance Dr Bhagwat Kisanrao Karad in a written
Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.
Act (MGNREGA). The Minister stated that as a result of various
steps undertaken to return the unclaimed
450. a The government informed the Rajya deposits to their rightful owners/claimants, total
Sabha that around one crore 19 lakh houses ₹5,729 crore has been transferred from
have been sanctioned under Pradhan Mantri "Depositor Education and Awareness" (DEA)
Awas Yojana- Urban, PMAY-U so far. In a written Fund to banks towards refund of settling
reply in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for unclaimed deposits, in last five-years.
Housing and Urban Affairs, Kaushal Kishore said The details of unclaimed deposits of public and
that of the sanctioned houses, around one crore private sector banks transferred to DEA Fund as
12 lakh houses have been grounded for on 31st March of last five-years
construction. Giving more information, Dr Karad stated that
Out of which 75.31 lakh have been completed. RBI has taken various steps to reduce the
He said, during the last three years, 39.63 lakh quantum of unclaimed deposits and return such
houses have been completed.The Ministry of deposits to rightful claimants. Banks are, inter-
Housing and Urban Affairs is implementing alia, advised toÂ
PMAY-UÂ since 2015 to provide pucca houses display the list of unclaimed deposits which are
with basic amenities to all eligible urban inactive/inoperative for ten years or more on the
beneficiaries across the country. bank's websites;find the whereabouts of the
customers and their legal heirs to return
451. b T.V. Narendran has been appointed again unclaimed deposits to the rightful
as the Tata Steel's Chief Executive Officer & claimants;formulate board approved policy on
Managing Director for a period of five years classification of unclaimed deposits; andput in
effective September 19, 2023. place a grievance redressal mechanism for quick
His present tenure as CEO & MD will conclude on resolution of complaints, record keeping, and
September 18, 2023, Tata Steel said in a periodic review of unclaimed deposit accounts.
regulatory filing. RBI has also launched campaign "100 Days 100
Tata Steel, Founded: 25 August 1907, Pays" for banks to trace and settle top 100
Jamshedpur. unclaimed deposits of every bank in every

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district of the country within 100 days, upward revision of 0.2 percentage points is
commencing from 1.6.2023 to 8.9.2023 reflective of the momentum from stronger-than-
expected growth in the fourth quarter of 2022 as
454. b Fintech major PhonePe has launched the a result of stronger domestic investment.The IMF
'Income Tax Payment' feature on its application has kept the GDP growth projection for the fiscal
to enable taxpayers such as individuals and year 2024-2025 unchanged at 6.3 per cent.India
businesses to pay self-assessment and advance also retains the tag of the fastest-growing
tax directly from within the PhonePe app. The economy with neighbouring China estimated to
company has partnered with a B2B payments grow at 5.2 percent in 2023 and 4.5 percent in
and service provider, PayMate, to make this 2024.The IMF in the latest World Economic
feature available. Outlook report has also revised upwards the
projection for global growth output to 3 per cent
455. a Bandhan Financial Holdings (BFHL) has in 2023 from its previous forecast of 2.8 per
entered into a "definitive agreement" with Aegon cent. Advanced economies continue to drive the
India Holding and Bennett, Coleman & Company decline in growth from 2022 to 2023, with
for the acquisition of the entire shareholding of weaker manufacturing, as well as idiosyncratic
Aegon and BCCL in Aegon Life Insurance factors, offsetting stronger services
Company. Aegon Life, a digitally focused life activity.Global headline inflation is expected to
insurance company, had a competitive bidding fall to 6.8 per cent in 2023 and further to 5.2 per
process that witnessed participation from various cent in 2024 from 8.7 per cent in 2022.
investors.
459. d Marking a significant moment in history,
456. b Elon Musk has unveiled a new "X" logo to the first woman member from Nagaland in the
replace Twitter's famous blue bird as he follows Rajya Sabha, Smt. Phangnon Konyak presided
through with a major rebranding of the social over the House. Earlier she had created history
media platform he bought for $44 billion. The by becoming the first ever women member to be
company first began its transition to X in April, appointed to the panel of Vice- Chairpersons on
when the name of Twitter Inc. changed to X July 17, 2023.
Corp., according to court filings. Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar last week had nominated
Musk also founded X.com before it merged with four women members (50% of the total number)
Confinity and rebranded to PayPal in 2001. He to the panel of Vice-Chairpersons.
repurchased the domain from PayPal in 2017.
460. d In a bid to provide help to farmers in
457. c ndia finished 2nd on the medals tally at cultivation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will
the recently concluded ISSF Junior Shooting dedicate 1.25 lakh centres of 'Pradhanmantri
World Championships 2023 in Changwon, South Kisan Samridhi Kendras (PMKSK) at a special
Korea. Indian shooters bagged 17 medals, which function in Rajasthan's Sikar district on 27 July.
include 6 Gold, 6 Silver, and 5 Bronze. The The launch of PMKSKs will provide solutions to
championships saw 90 Indian shooters vie for farmers on needs related to agricultural inputs,
medals in pistol, rifle, and shotgun competitions seeds, fertilisers, and testing facilities.
in the under-21 age category. He will also launch a new variety of sulphur-
 Seven Indians managed to bag more than one coated urea, which will help farmers in resolving
medal. Abhinav Shaw and Kamaljeet won two the issue of sulphur deficiencies in the soil. Also,
golds each.Sainyam won three medals -- gold in the prime minister will launch at least 1,500
the 10m air pistol women, and a bronze each in farmer-producer organisations (FPOs) on the
the 10m air pistol mixed team and women's Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC).
team events.
461. b Jupiter-3, world's largest private satellite,
458. b International Monetary Fund (IMF) has set for launch by SpaceX's Falcon Heavy
raised India's growth forecast, projecting a Gross SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket will launch Maxar
Domestic Product (GDP) growth of 6.1 per cent Technologies' largest ever satellite, the Jupiter 3.
in the current fiscal. In the World Economic The communications platform will join others in
Outlook that was released in April, the IMF had the Hughes Jupiter satellite fleet already in orbit,
projected India's GDP at 5.9 per cent in the which provides broadband internet services to
current fiscal. North and South America.
The IMF in its latest World Economic Outlook
report, which was released today said, the

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The satellite will be the world's largest 466. b Government of India has amended the
commercial communications satellite once it's Export Policy of Non Basmati White Rice from
fully deployed. 'Free with export duty of 20%' to 'Prohibited'.
The Falcon Heavy slated to carry JUPITER 3 to The step has been taken to ensure adequate
orbit will liftoff from Launch Complex-39A, at availability of Non Basmati White Rice in the
NASA's Kennedy Space Center, in Florida. This Indian market. The domestic prices of Rice are
will be the seventh launch for SpaceX's triple- on an increasing trend. The retail prices have
booster rocket, which first debuted to much fan- increased by 11.5% over a year and 3% over the
fare in 2018. past month.
Export duty of 20% on non-basmati white rice
462. a Shankari Chandran, novelist of Sri Lankan was imposed on 08.09.2022 to lower the price as
descent, wins Australia's Miles Franklin Literary well ensure availability in the domestic
Award market. However, the export of this variety
Shankari Chandran won the 2023 Miles Franklin increased from 33.66 LMT (Sept-March 2021-22)
Literary Award for her novel Chai Time at to 42.12 LMT (Sept-March 2022-23) even after
Cinnamon Gardens. The novel is set in the imposition of 20% export duty.In the current FY
Cinnamon Gardens Nursing Home in the suburb 2023-24 (April-June), about 15.54 LMT of this
of Westgrove, Sydney " populated with residents variety of rice was exported against only 11.55
with colourful histories. LMT during FY 2022-23 (April-June), i.e. an
increase by 35%.This sharp increase in exports
463. b Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said can be ascribed to high international prices due
that India has emerged as a powerful energy to geo-political scenario, El Nino sentiments and
conductor for the semiconductor industry of the extreme climatic conditions in other rice
world on July 28. Inaugurating the Semicon India producing countries, etc.Globally, the top rice-
2023 conclave in Gandhinagar today, he urged producing country is China, followed by India.
global private players to grab the right
opportunity to invest in the Indian semiconductor 467. c The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has
industry. clarified that a banknote with a Star (*) symbol
The theme of the Conference is 'Catalysing is identical to any other legal banknote, except
India's Semiconductor Ecosystem'.It showcases that in the number panel a Star (*) symbol is
India's semiconductor strategy and policy which added between the prefix and the serial number.
envisions making India a global hub for The central bank said the Star (*) symbol
semiconductor design, manufacturing and present on the number panel of a banknote is an
technology development. identifier that it is a replaced / reprinted
banknote.
464. d Payments gaint Visa Inc has joined hands In this connection, it is informed that the Star (*)
with conglomerate Adani Group for co-branded symbol is inserted in the number panel of a
cards.The partnership will give Visa access to banknote that is used as replacement for
customers passing through Adani's airports, and defectively printed banknotes in a packet of 100
those using online travel booking portal Cleartrip pieces of serially numbered banknotes,
and train booking platform Adani One. Adani has
eight airports under its fold, seven brownfield 468. b The Government of India and Asian
and one greenfield coming up in Navi Mumbai. Development Bank (ADB) today signed a $200
million loan as additional financing for the
465. b Hero Future Energies said it has signed ongoing Rajasthan Secondary Towns
two agreements with REC and PFC to develop Development Sector Project to expand water
green energy projects. The agreements were supply and sanitation systems and enhance
signed on the sidelines of the 4th G20 Energy urban resilience and heritage living in selected
Transition Working Group meeting, which towns.
concluded in Goa, Hero Future Energies said in a
statement. Hero Future Energies (HFE) has 469. d As a follow-up to the first Global DPI
signed two memorandums of understanding Summit was organised by Ministry of Electronics
(MoUs) with REC Ltd and PFC Ltd for infusion of and IT on June 12-13, 2023 in Pune. Meity of the
Rs 3,100 crore each into HFE over the next five Republic of India and the Ministry of Information
years and Communication Technology (MICT) of the
Papua New Guinea signed a Memorandum of
Understanding on sharing INDIA STACK i.e.,

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successful digital solutions implemented at also said that UPI (Unified Payments Interface)
population scale. transactions, have on average, grown 121Â per
India Stack is the name used to describe a cent in terms of value and 115Â per cent in
collection of disparate technology products and terms of volume between FY19 and FY22. In
frameworks. The components of this collection May 2023, UPI transactions had crossed the
are owned and maintained by different agencies. benchmark of 900 crore per month, with a record
Aadhaar products such as e-auth and e-KYC are high of 941 crore transactions worth ₹14.89
owned by the Unique ID Authority of India.eSign lakh crore being processed.
is a technology specification which is maintained
by the Ministry of Communications and 472. a India's tiger population is estimated to be
Information Technology. Digilocker is owned by 3,925 with an annual growth rate of 6.1%per
the Ministry of Electronics and Information annum. This was revealed in a report released by
Technology. UPI is owned by the National Minister of State for Environment, Forest and
Payments Corporation of India. The Account Climate Change Ashwini Kumar on the occasion
Aggregator framework is regulated by RBI and its of Global Tiger Day.
technology standards and owned by ReBIT. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate
Change said that now the further analysis of data
470. a The product basket of Pradhan Mantri done by the Wildlife Institute of India, from both
Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana has increased to camera-trapped and non-camera-trapped tiger
1,800 medicines and 285 Surgical equipment. presence areas, suggested that the upper limit of
These products are available at 50 to 90 percent the tiger population is estimated to be 3,925 and
lower prices compared to the market. The the average number is 3,682 tigers, reflecting a
Chemicals and Fertilisers Ministry said, the commendable annual growth rate of 6.1 percent
Government has decided to open 10,000 Jan per annumIndia currently harbors almost 75
Aushadhi Kendras by the 31st of December this percent of the world's wild tiger population. The
year in the country. Â A total of over 9,500 Jan largest population of tigers is found to be in
Aushadhi Kendras have been opened across the Madhya Pradesh with 785 in numbers followed by
country till last month. The Ministry said, in the 563 in Karnataka, 560 in Uttarakhand, and 444
last nine years, the number of Kendras has tigers in Maharashtra. As per the report,  the
increased by 100 times and the sales have tiger abundance within the Tiger Reserves is the
increased more than 170 times.  highest  of  260 tigers in Corbett  followed
by 150 in Bandipur and 141 Â tigers in
471. d The Reserve Bank of India's Digital Nagarhole.
Payments Index, a measure of the extent of
digitisation of payments across the country, rose 473. c World Day Against Trafficking in Persons
to 395.57 in March 2023 from 377.46 in is observed on 30 July was adopted at a high-
September 2022 and 349.30 in March 2022. The level meeting of the UNGA. The resolution
RBI introduced the composite Digital Payments reaffirms the commitment of the United Nations
Index in January 2021 with March 2018 as the to end trafficking in persons, especially women
base, to capture digitisation of payments. and children, and states that trafficking in
The index has since been steadily rising, crossing persons is a serious threat to "human dignity and
the 300-point mark in September 2021.Five physical integrity, huuman rights and
parametersThe RBI-DPI comprises five development"
parameters to measure the deepening and 2023 Theme: Reach every victim of trafficking,
penetration of digital payments over different leave no one behind
time periods. Of these parameters, payment
enablers account for 25 per cent of the index, 474. d Bengaluru has become the first Indian
payment infrastructure " demand-side factors for city to become part of the World Cities Culture
10 per cent, payment infrastructure " supply-side Forum a global network of cities that share
factors for 15 per cent, payment performance for research and intelligence, and explore the role of
45 per cent, whereas consumer centricity holds culture in future prosperity. The network
five per cent weightage.As per the Economic currently has 40 cities spanning six continents.
Survey 2022-23, India has the highest fintech Bengaluru being the latest addition is set to join
adoption rate of 87 per cent among the public the league of cities like New York, London, Paris.
compared to the global average of 64 per cent.
Further, India has gained the third place in digital 475. a The historic Byculla Railway Station in
payments, coming only after US and China.It Mumbai has been awarded the prestigious

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UNESCO Asia Pacific Cultural Heritage award in

recognition of its extensive restoration efforts. 479. a The UN's cultural agency UNESCO has
The award, declared in November of the previous said, the iconic Italian city, Venice should be
year, celebrates the station's significant added to a list of world heritage sites in danger.
contribution to cultural heritage conservation. UNESCO in its report said, the city is at risk of
Byculla Railway Station, standing for 169 years, irreversible damage from overwhelming tourism,
holds the distinction of being one of India's over development and rising sea levels due to
oldest operational railway stations, reflecting the climate change.
country's rich railway heritage.Byculla Railway The agency aims to encourage the better
Station is designated as a Grade-I heritage preservation of the site for the future
structure, underscoring its architectural and
historical significance, emphasizing the need for 480. b Rajya Sabha passed the Jan Vishwas
preservation.The UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2023, that seeks
Cultural Heritage Conservation, established in to promote ease of business by decriminalizing
2000, aim to acknowledge exceptional efforts in minor offenses through amendments in 183
conserving or restoring heritage structures, provisions of 42 Acts. The Bill, which was cleared
places, and properties in the region, recognizing by the Lok Sabha on July 27, was passed by a
both private sector entities and public-private voice vote in the Upper House.
collaborations. The Bill converts many fines to penalties, so that
court prosecution would not be necessary to
476. b For the first time in Asia, World Coffee administer punishments and removes
Conference to be held in Bengaluru imprisonment as a punishment for several
Bengaluru, the coffee capital of India, is all set to offences.
host the fifth edition of the World Coffee All offences under the Post Office Act of 1898 are
Conference (WCC 2023) between September 25 being removed.
and 28.This is the first time India and Asia are The Bill seeks to amend 183 provisions of 42
preparing to host this most prestigious global Acts administered by 19 ministries with the aim
coffee event. The event to be jointly organized of reducing compliance burden on individuals and
by the Coffee Board, the Ministry of Commerce businesses.
and Industry.
WCC, a property of the London-based 481. b 31.14 lakhs handicraft artisans have been
International Coffee Organisation (ICO), a body registered under PEHCHAN scheme across the
set up in 1963 under the United Nations to boost country to benefit of this programme.
the economic importance of coffee globally. These registered artisans with Pehchan card can
avail the benefits of the National Handicraft
477. b The Directorate General of Training Development Programme (NHDP) and
(DGT), under the aegis of the Ministry of Skill Comprehensive Handicrafts Cluster Development
Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE),is Scheme (CHCDS) of Ministry of Textiles.
collaborating with Amazon Web Services (AWS) PEHCHAN scheme was launched in 2016 to
India to upskill students in cloud computing, data provide new identity to deserving handicraft
annotation, artificial intelligence (AI), and artisans and help them avail benefits of various
machine learning (ML),to boost their capabilities schemes implemented by the Ministry of Textiles.
and employability. After due verification, Aadhar linked Pehchan
AWS India will provide individuals with self-paced Cards are issued by field functionaries of Office of
online learning programs in emerging Development Commissioner (Handicrafts),
technologies at no cost.This learning content will Ministry of Textiles. Pehchan card holders, who
be offered on DGT's Bharat Skills platform. have been registered as on 30.06.2023, can avail
the benefits across the country.
478. c Union Minister of State (Independent
Charge) Science & Technology; launched India's 482. b The Geographical Indications Registry in
first indigenously developed, affordable, Chennai granted the Geographical Indication (GI)
lightweight, ultrafast, high field (1.5 Tesla), next tag to seven products from various regions of
generation Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) India, including four from Rajasthan.
Scanner in New Delhi. Under the National The GI tags were secured by 'Jalesar Dhatu Shilp'
Biopharma Mission, Voxelgrids Innovations Pvt , 'Goa Mankurad Mango', 'Goan Bebinca', Udaipur
Ltd has MRI Scanner to solve the unmet need of Koftgari Metal Craft', 'Bikaner Kashidakari Craft',
the country.

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'Jodhpur Bandhej Craft', and 'BikaneUsta Kala world order, the Arkansas-based retailer claimed
Craft No. 1 for the 10th consecutive year and for the
18th time since 1995.
483. d PM Narendra Modi laid the foundation Reliance Industries had been ranked at number
stone for redevelopment of 508 railway stations 104 in the 2022 ranking and in the 2023 ranking
across the country. it is placed at number 88, according to the
These stations will be redeveloped under the publication. Meanwhile, Life
Amrit Bharat Station Scheme at an estimated Insurance Corporation of India (LICI) which
cost of over ₹ 24,470 crore. slipped nine places to rank at 107. Notably, LICI
The redevelopment will provide modern had been featured in the Fortune Global 500 list
passenger amenities along with ensuring better for the first time in 2022.A total of eight
designed traffic circulation and inter-modal companies had featured in this years Fortune
integration. Global 500 list.In that state-owned Indian Oil
Corporation (IOC) jumped 48 places to rank at
484. c India has handed over Rs 45 crore in number 94.Further, Oil and Natural Gas
advance to Sri Lanka to fund its unique digital Corporation was ranked at number 158, Bharat
identity project, the most crucial step in the Petroleum Corporation Ltd at number 233, and
island nation's digitalisation programme being State Bank of India was placed at number 235 on
implemented through the Indian grant the list. These were also the other state-owned
assistance. It is only the 15% of the total funds firms on the list.Tata Motors rose 33 places to
required for the successful implementation of the rank at number 337 and Rajesh
project given as an advance payment. Exports jumped 84 spots to number
353.These 10 companies topped the Fortune
485. b The 132nd edition of Durand Cup kicked 500 list of 2023.
off in Kokrajhar, Assam on August 05, 2023. 1. WalmartÂ
Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh graced the 2. Amazon
opening ceremony, which marked the grand 3. Exxon Mobil
beginning of the annual football competition for 4. Apple
the first time in the Assamese city. The 5. UnitedHealth Group
tournament is organised by the Armed Forces 6. CVS Health
and supported by the Government of Assam. 7. Berkshire Hathaway
8. Alphabet
486. d Union finance minister Nirmala 9. McKesson
Sitharaman laid the foundation stone for an 10. Chevron
archeological museum in Adichanallur in the
Thoothukudi district. 489. a NABARD has sanctioned Rs 1,974.07
Adichanallur was one of the five archaeological crore to the Rajasthan government under the
sites declared to be developed as 'Iconic Sites' in Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF)
the Union Budget 2020-21. It is an for 2023-24. NABARD Rajasthan Chief General
archaeological site located on the banks of river Manager Dr Rajiv Siwach said Rs 930.44 crore
Thamirabarani in this district. has been sanctioned for three rural drinking
water supply projects in Ajmer, Jalore, and Kota
487. a The Ministry of Tourism has identified districts.
'Prayagraj' and 'Naimisharanya' in Uttar Pradesh The RIDF was set up by the Government in
as destinations for development under 'Swadesh 1995-96 for financing ongoing rural
Darshan 2.0 with the objective to develop Infrastructure projects. The Fund is maintained
sustainable and responsible tourism destinations. by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural
The government launched 'Swadesh Darshan Development (NABARD).
Scheme' in the year 2014-15 for integrated
development of Theme-Based Tourist Circuits in 490. d The Adani Group has acquired Gujarat-
the country. based Sanghi Industries in an all-cash deal,
valuing the company at an enterprise value of Rs
488. d Fortune announced that US retailer 5,000 crore. Ambuja Cements will acquire 14.66
Walmart has topped its Global 500 list for 2023, crore shares of Sanghi Industries Ltd.,
ranking the world's largest corporations by representing 56.74% of the overall shareholding.
revenue for fiscal 2022. On Fortune's Sanghi Cement, a brand owned by Sanghi
authoritative ranking of the (current) corporate Industries, was incorporated in 1985.

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Adani Group acquired Ambuja Cements Ltd. and cryptocurrencies available on its platform, such
ACC Ltd. for $6.5 billion last year from Holcim as bitcoin.
Group, becoming country's second-largest
cement maker with 67.5 million tonne per annum 495. a Sanjay Kumar Agarwal has taken charge
capacity. The group plans to double the cement as the new Chairman of the Central Board of
capacity to 140 million tonne in the next five Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC). He has
years. taken over charge of the post with effect from
August 5, 2023. The CBIC, which deals with
491. a In order to boost liquidity, the Securities policy making in indirect taxes - GST, customs,
and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has excise, headed by a chairman and has six
mandated foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) to members in the board.
place at least 10 per cent of their trades in
corporate bonds through the Request For Quote 496. b Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has been
(RFQ) platform of stock exchanges. The chosen as a strategic partner to transform the
requirement will come into force from October 1, Government e-Marketplace (GeM) by bringing in
2023. RFQ, was launched on BSE and NSE in more transparency and efficiency into the public
February 2020. procurement process.
RFQ is an electronic platform that enables multi- In May 2023, TCS-led a consortium which
lateral negotiations to take place on a centralised bagged a $1.8-billion deal from the government-
online trading platform with straight-through owned telco Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited
processing of clearing and settlement to (BSNL) to deploy 4G network.
complete the trade. A wide variety of debt The company plans to redesign the platform for
securities are available for trading on the RFQ interoperability and cloud neutrality, making it
platform. technology-agnostic and vendor-independent. It
will be built in an open-API-based architecture to
492. a LifeCare Group, led by the visionary make it highly scalable and sufficiently flexible to
Jayesh Saini, is proud to announce its accommodate the anticipated six-fold growth in
remarkable achievements in expanding GMV over the next six years.
healthcare services across East Africa. Jayesh
Saini's leadership and commitment to expanding 497. c The Srinagar District has been Ranked as
healthcare services have been recognized the top performing District under Jal Jeevan
globally as he receives the prestigious Global Survekshan(JJS-2023) among 114 Har Ghar Jal
Leader Award 2023 - Global Indian of the Year Certified Villages across the Country in the
2023. implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission(JJM)
during October, 01, 2022 to June 30, 2023. The
493. d In a first-of-its-kind instance, the Srinagar District has attained the top rank in
government has extended the tenure of Indian implementation of JJM by obtaining highest score
Oil Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) Shri of 83.0.
Shrikant Madhav Vaidya, for a period of one year Jeevan Survekhshan (JJS 2022) is an evaluation
beyond the date of his superannuation, i.e. w.e.f. methodology introduced by MoJS, GoI on
01.09.2023 till 31.08.2024. October 02, 2022 to assess the Districts/ States
The decision to extend Vaidya's tenure was on the basis of performance in implementation of
authorized by the Appointments Committee of JJM and rank them accordingly at national level
the Cabinet (ACC). on a monthly basis.

494. a US-based payments major PayPal 498. d The Securities and Exchange Board of
announced the launch of a new stablecoin, India (SEBI) reduced the timeline for listing of
PayPal USD (PYUSD) which is backed by dollar securities after the closing of an initial public
deposits, US treasuries, and cash equivalents. offering (IPO) to three days from the present
It will be issued by Paxos Trust Co to PayPal requirement of six working days. This will be an
customers in the United States. option for IPOs opening after September 1,
A stablecoin is a type of cryptocurrency that is 2023, and will be mandatory for public issues
designed to have a stable value, typically pegged opening after December 1, 2023.
to a stable asset or reserve. SEBI was established as a statutory body in the
Elon Musk-owned PayPal's new stablecoin can be year 1992. It regulates the Indian capital
easily converted to US dollars whenever needed market.
and can also be used to purchase and sell other

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499. c AU Small Finance Bank has achieved an The three-day meeting of the six member
unprecedented feat with the launch of its Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of RBI was
groundbreaking customer service 24x7 via Video held from August 8 to 10. The Reserve Bank of
Banking. This service provides a virtual platform India (RBI) will allow offline payment of UPI by
where customers can communicate with a video using near-field communication. The central bank
banker in real time via video calls, like video raised payment limit via UPI lite to ₹500 from
conferencing. ₹200.Since May 2022, the central bank has
Security stands paramount in the realm of Video raised the repo rate by 250 basis points (bps).
Banking, with AU Small Finance Bank raising the
bar with advanced encryption, AI-powered facial 504. b Engineering major L&T and its green
recognition, OTP and signature verification, and hydrogen joint venture partners-Indian Oil
video validation. Corporation and ReNew-will invest upto $4 billion
Every transaction and confidential piece of (₹32,000 crore) in their green hydrogen
information is meticulously safeguarded, businesses over three-five
ensuring customers can engage with the platform years. he company will invest approximately
with the utmost confidence. ₹500 crore in manufacturing electrolysers.
Additionally, the joint venture with IOCL and
500. a In a first, Central Railway's New Amravati ReNew can also establish green hydrogen plants
station becomes the first station in Bhusaval Green hydrogen is produced using electrolysis of
Division and third station of Central Railway CR water with electricity generated by renewable
to be a Pink Station to be fully managed by energy. The carbon intensity ultimately depends
women staff. Central Railway has inaugurated on the carbon neutrality of the source of
the New Amravati station under the capable electricity (i.e., the more renewable energy there
management of an all-women team. is in the electricity fuel mix, the "greener" the
hydrogen produced).
501. b The government said Standing Committee
on Economic Statistics has been renamed as 505. b The National Company Law Tribunal
Standing Committee on Statistics. (NCLT) approved the merger scheme of India's
The committee will advise Ministry of Statistics homegrown entertainment company Zee
and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) on all Entertainment Enterprises with Culver Max
surveys. Entertainment (erstwhile Sony Pictures Networks
It will advise on survey methodology including India or SPNI).
sampling frame, sampling design, survey NCLT is a quasi-judicial body in India that
instruments, etc and to finalize tabulation plan of adjudicates issues relating to Indian companies.
surveys. It was created in 2016 under the Companies Act.

502. c Two Indian Navy ships, INS 506. d HCLTech has bagged a multi-billion-dollar
Visakhapatnam and INS Trikand, arrived at Port deal to become the primary managed network
Rashid in Dubai for a bilateral exercise with the services (MNS) collaborator of Verizon Business,
UAE Navy. the enterprise division of global telecom giant
The exercise, which will be held from August 8 to Verizon Communications, in all its networking
11 aims to share best practices and increase deployments for global enterprise customers. The
synergies between the two navies. deal has an estimated new total contract value
'Zayed Talwar' a bilateral exercise, is scheduled (TCV) of $ 2.1 billion for a duration of six years
to enhance interoperability and synergy between
t two navies 507. b The Reserve Bank of India's Monetary
Policy Committee (MPC) has increased its CPI
503. b The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor (consumer price index) inflation forecast for FY24
Shaktikanta Das announced the 3rd bi-monthly to 5.4 % from 5.1%. For the 2nd quarter, it
monetary policy for FY24. RBI kept the repo rate projected the CPI inflation to be at 6.2% followed
unchanged at 6.5%. The standing deposit facility by 5.7 % in the 3rd quarter and 5.2 percent in
(SDF) rate kept unchanged at 6.25 per cent and the 4th quarter. It further projected CPI inflation
the marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the to be at 5.2% for the 1st quarter of FY25.
Bank Rate at 6.75 per cent. MPC is a six member committee of the RBI
The next meeting of the MPC is scheduled during headed by RBI Governor. It sets the key policy
October 4-6, 2023. rates based on the level of inflation, economic
growth, etc.

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launch a mutual fund house, its founder Samir

508. d Madhya Pradesh Cabinet has approved Arora announced.
disbursement of 6,000 rupees to the eligible
farmers under the Chief Minister's Kisan Kalyan 512. c In the face of increasing cyber and
Yojana for the financial year 2023-2024. The malware attacks on defence as well as critical
decision was taken in a cabinet meeting chaired infrastructure across the country, the Defence
by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Ministry has decided to replace the Microsoft
Bhopal. Operating System (OS) in all computers
• The Cabinet also decided to give benefit of connected to the Internet with a new OS, Maya,
the seventh pay scale to Gram Panchayat based on open-source Ubuntu developed locally.
Secretaries. The Defence Ministry has developed Maya OS
• An additional expenditure of 178.88 crore with the help of various government agencies,
rupees on it will be met from minor mineral including the Defence Research and Development
heads. Organisation (DRDO), the Centre for
• The council of ministers further approved the Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC),
construction of 53 CM Rise Schools and 19 Kanya and the National Informatics Centre (NIC).
Shiksha Parisar with a total cost of over 2,491 One of the main advantages of Maya OS is that it
crore rupees. has a similar interface and functionality as
Windows, making it easy for users to adapt to it.
509. d Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Bill 2023, which It also has a feature called Chakravyuh, which is
will replace the Indian Penal Code, will have 356 an end-point anti-malware and antivirus software
sections instead of the earlier 511 sections, 175 that creates a virtual layer between the user and
sections have been changed, 8 new sections the internet, blocking hackers from accessing
have been added and 22 sections have been sensitive data.
repealed.
513. a The Supreme Court announced the launch
510. a In the Hero Asian Hockey Men's of portal 'SuSwagatam' which would enable
Championship, the Final between India and advocates, visitors, interns and others to register
Malaysia is underway at the Mayor themselves online and get e-passes to enter the
Radhakrishnan Stadium in Chennai. In the apex court.
semifinal, India beat Japan 5-0 at the same Suswagatam' is a web-based and mobile-friendly
venue. Indian players brilliantly scored and application that allows users to register
defended goalpost, making it difficult for Japan to themselves online and request for e-passes
score even a single goal. attending court hearing, meeting advocates etc.
o Earlier Japan clinched Bronze Medal, defeating
South Korea. 514. c Sudha Murty, the chairman of the Infosys
Foundation, has been named as a member of a
511. c Zerodha Gets Final Approval For Asset 19-member committee by the National Council of
Management Company; Vishal Jain Appointed Educational Research and Training (NCERT).
CEO Of AMC National Syllabus and Teaching Learning Material
Zerodha Asset Management Company (AMC) has Committee (NSTC), will be focused on the
received final approval from the market regulator development of textbooks and supplementary
to commence a mutual fund (MF) business. learning materials for the council's initiatives.
Zerodha AMC is a joint venture between discount The 19-member National Syllabus and Teaching
broker Zerodha Broking and fintech platform Learning Material Committee (NSTC) will be
Smallcase. headed by National Institute of Educational
The new entrant to the Rs 46-trillion MF industry Planning and Administration (NIEPA) chancellor
will only offer passive funds. MC Pant and develop textbooks for Classes 3 to
Navi MF is the only passive-focused AMC at 12. The committee is co-chaired by Manjul
present, though it has active funds by way of Bhargav, a professor of mathematics at Princeton
acquisition of existing funds of Essel MF. In June University.
2023, Bajaj Finserv Mutual Fund became the The committee is mandated to prepare the
43rd asset management company in India in the textbooks, and other teaching-learning materials,
Rs 46 lakh crore mutual fund sector. In other which will, in turn, be published and used by the
news, Helios Capital Management received final National Council of Educational Research and
approval from capital markets regulator Training (NCERT), as per the terms of reference,
Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to a senior official said.

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The main objective of this committee will be to about who achieves the American Dream and the
align the curriculum with the National Curriculum obstacles faced by others.
Framework for School Education (NCF-SE), which Along with Chetty, Biologist Michael Springer,
has been developed by K Kasturirangan for who created a better, faster COVID test system
executing the National Education Policy (NEP) to help deal with the spread of COVID was also
2020. The revised version of NCF-SE has been honoured with the Prize.
finalised by the Union Ministry of Education but is The award is bestowed "no more frequently than
not available in the market yet.Furthermore, the every two years to a member of the Harvard
legendary singer Shankar Mahadevan, community who has "made the most valuable
mathematician Sujatha Ramdorai, badminton contribution to science, or in any way for the
player U Vimal Kumar, Indian Economist and benefit of mankind," the university said on
Chairman of Economic Advisory Council Dr Bibek August 9 in a press release.
Debroy, Chairperson of the Centre for Policy
Studies MD Srinivas, Indian Economist and 519. a Anwarul Haq Kakar , the 52-year-old first-
Author Sanjeev Sanyal and the chairperson of time Senator, is an ethnic Pushtun from
BBSC Krishna Shastry, will all be part of this 19- Balochistan and a member of the Balochistan
member committee dedicated to the revision of Awami Party (BAP).
NCERT's syllabus and learning materials. He was administered oath of the office by
President Arif Alvi in a ceremony held at the
515. a The Reserve Bank of India has selected Aiwan-i-Sadr (the President House) in
global consultancy firms McKinsey and Company Islamabad. He became the 8th interim prime
India LLP and Accenture Solutions Pvt Ltd India minister of Pakistan.
to develop systems using artificial intelligence
and machine learning for its supervisory 520. b In Tennis, Jannik Sinner beat Australian
functions. Alex De Minaur 6-4 6-1 at the National Bank
On the data collection side, AI and ML Open in Toronto to clinch his first Masters 1000
technologies are used for real-time data title after finishing runner-up in two editions of
reporting, effective data management and the Miami Open in 2021 and 2023.
dissemination.The value of the contract is about Sinner has become the second Italian player in
Rs 91 crore. history to win a Masters 1000 title following
Fabio Fognini's triumph in Monte-Carlo in 2019.
516. b According to data released by the
National Statistical Office (NSO), India's retail 521. b Parminder Chopra to be 1st woman CMD
inflation jumped to a 15-month high of 7.44% in of PFC as ACC approves her appointment
July as prices of vegetables and other food items The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet
spiked. (ACC) has approved the appointment of
This is a sharp acceleration from the 4.87% Parminder Chopra for the post of Chairperson
inflation reported in June. A year ago, retail and Managing Director (CMD) of Power Finance
inflation was at 6.71%. Corporation (PFC) Limited. With this, she became
Previously, high inflation was recorded at 7.79% the first full-time women CMD of PFC. PFC is a
in April 2022. Maharatna PSU under the Ministry of Power.

517. d Exactly a month after India and UAE 522. b Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has
signed a Memorandum of Understanding on announced the development of a Public Tech
having trade in national currencies, the UAE's Platform for Frictionless Credit. The Platform is
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and being developed by Reserve Bank Innovation
Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) made their Hub (RBIH), a wholly owned subsidiary of RBI.
first ever crude oil transaction in national The Public Tech Platform would enable delivery of
currencies. frictionless credit by facilitating seamless flow of
The transaction involved the sale of one million required digital information to lenders.
barrels of oil. During the pilot, the platform shall focus on
UAE is 4th largest source of crude oil and 2nd products such as Kisan Credit Card loans up to
largest source of LNG and LPG for India. ₹1.6 lakh per borrower, Dairy Loans, MSME
loans (without collateral), Personal loans and
518. a Prominent Indian-American economist Raj Home loans through participating banks. The
Chetty has been awarded the coveted George platform shall enable linkage with services such
Ledlie Prize for wielding big data to break myths as Aadhaar e-KYC, land records from onboarded

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State Governments (Madhya Pradesh, Tamil

Nadu, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, and 527. c First-ever WHO Global Summit on
Maharashtra), Satellite data, PAN Validation, Traditional Medicine to be held in Gandhinagar,
Transliteration, Aadhaar e-signing, account Gujarat
aggregation by Account Aggregators (AAs), milk The Ministry of Ayush and World Health
pouring data from select dairy co-operatives, Organization are organizing the two day
house/property search data etc. Based on the Traditional Medicine Global Summit, on 17th and
learnings, the scope and coverage would be 18th August 2023 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
expanded to include more products, information The Union AYUSH Secretary highlighted that the
providers and lenders during the pilot. Global Centre on Traditional Medicines in
Jamnagar, established by the WHO, is the first
523. b HCLTech has won a deal from Cricket such centre in a developing country.
Australia (CA), the national governing body for It is the largest international event on Traditional
the game in Australia, for the next phase of CA's Medicine.
digital transformation. As part of the latest
agreement, HCLTech will help Cricket Australia to 528. d The Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister
deliver digital experiences to fans, players, Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the Mutual
partners, employees and volunteers across the Recognition Arrangement (MRA) between India
world. and Australia.
It aims at providing reciprocal benefits to
524. c In a first, Goa has become the first Indian accredited and trusted exporters of both the
state to offer free in vitro fertilization (IVF) signatories in the clearance of goods by the
treatment. The inauguration of this service, Customs authorities of the importing country.
alongside assisted reproductive technology (ART) Mutual recognition of Authorized Economic
and intrauterine insemination (IUI), was done by Operators is a key element of the World Customs
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant at the Goa Medical Organisation's SAFE Framework of Standards to
College (GMC) in Bambolim. secure and facilitate global trade.
Its aim is to strengthen end-to-end security of
525. b Cabinet approves signing of MoU between supply chains while providing higher facilitation
India and Suriname in the field of the regulation to trade at the global level.
of medicines
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister 529. d Union Cabinet approved extension of the
Shri Narendra Modi, was apprised of a Digital India programme with an outlay of Rs
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on 14,903 crore to boost digital initiatives in skilling,
4th June, 2023 between the Indian cyber security, high performance computing and
Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC), Ministry of simplifying technology for masses, among other
Health & Family Welfare, and Ministry of Health, areas.
Government of the Republic of Suriname for Under the extended programme, nine more
Recognition of Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP) in super computers will be added under the
Suriname. National Supercomputing Mission(NCM).
The Indian Pharmacopoeia (IP) is officially 18 super computers have been deployed under
recognized by five (5) countries: Afghanistan, NCM.In March 2015, the government approved
Ghana, Nepal, Mauritius and the Republic of installation of 70 supercomputers under NCM by
Suriname. 2022 with an outlay of Rs 4,500 crore.Under the
approved programme, 6.25 lakh IT professionals
526. c The Asian Development Bank has will be reskilled and upskilled, and 2.65 lakh
approved a USD 40.5-million loan for integrated persons will be trained in information security
early childhood development (ECD) and maternal under the Information Security and Education
mental health programme in Meghalaya. The Awareness Phase (ISEA) Programme. National
state government is also contributing USD 15.27 Knowledge Network, a network of 1,787
million to the project. universities and research and development
It will strengthen home-based childcare (children institutes, will be further developed into Digital
0-1.5 years) and centre-based childcare(1.5-6 India Infoways.The extended programme has a
years) through Anganwadi centres. provision for funding support to 1,200 startups
ADB was established in 1966. Currently it has 68 based in tier 2 and 3 cities.
member coutries including India. ADB
headquarters in Manila, Philippines

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530. b Cabinet approves ₹13,000-crore 532. b Vindhyagiri, the sixth Stealth Frigate of
Vishwakarma Yojana; craftsmen to get Project 17A being built at GRSE, was launched
subsidised loans up to ₹2 lakh: Ashwini today at the shipyard by the Hon'ble President of
Vaishnaw India, Smt Droupadi Murmu. As Vindhyagiri
Union Cabinet today approved a ₹13,000 crore descended into the waters of river Hoogly, a
PM Vishwakarma scheme that will benefit about wave of euphoria swept across the gathering.
30 lakh traditional artisans and craftsmen, • M/s GRSE has established itself as a reliable
including weavers, goldsmiths, blacksmiths, partner of the Indian Navy, with a record of
laundry workers, and barbers. multiple successful conventional launches in the
Under the scheme, craftsmen will be provided a past.
subsidised loan of ₹1 lakh in the first tranche, • Vindhyagiri's launch is yet another milestone
and another ₹2 lakh in the second tranche. in the illustrious journey of the Shipyard,
The loans will be provided at a concessional reflecting its commitment to deliver quality
interest rate of 5 per cent. warships.
The Scheme will further provide skill • Following the launch, 'Vindhyagiri' will join
upgradation, toolkit incentive, the incentive for its two sister ships at the Outfitting Jetty at
digital transactions, and marketing support.The GRSE, to progress remaining activities and
scheme will provide support to artisans and equipment trials, in the run up to their delivery
craftspeople of rural and urban areas across and commissioning.
India. Eighteen traditional trades will be covered • Project 17A Frigates are the follow-on class
in the first instance under PM Vishwakarma. of the Project 17 (Shivalik Class) Frigates, with
These trades include (i) Carpenter (Suthar); (ii) improved stealth features, advanced weapons &
Boat Maker; (iii) Armourer; (iv) Blacksmith sensors and platform management systems.
(Lohar); (v) Hammer and Tool Kit Maker; (vi)
Locksmith; (vii) Goldsmith (Sonar); (viii) Potter 533. d The 3D printed post office in India was
(Kumhaar); (ix) Sculptor (Moortikar, stone inaugurated at Cambridge Layout in east
carver), Stone breaker; (x) Cobbler(Charmkar)/ Bengaluru on August 18 by Ashwini Vaishnaw,
Shoesmith/Footwear artisan; (xi) Mason Union Minister for Railways, Communications and
(Rajmistri); (xii) Basket/Mat/Broom Maker/Coir Electronics & Information Technology.
Weaver; (xiii) Doll & Toy Maker (Traditional); This is said to be the first commercial building to
(xiv) Barber (Naai); (xv) Garland maker have used 3D printing technology. It has a built-
(Malakaar); (xvi) Washerman (Dhobi); (xvii) up area of 1,000 square feet. The Prime Minister,
Tailor (Darzi); and (xviii) Fishing Net Maker. Shri Narendra Modi has called India's first 3D
printed Post Office at Cambridge Layout,
531. a India Signs MoU With Trinidad And Bengaluru, a testament to our nation's
Tobago To Share India Stack innovation and progress. According to the postal
A similar MoU was signed with Papua New Guinea officials, the construction of this post office
also last month, showcasing the growing interest building was carried out by construction company
and acceptance of the initiative on a global scale. Larsen & Toubro Limited while IIT Madras
The ministry of electronics and IT, on Thursday, provided technical guidance.
announced that India has signed a Memorandum
of Understanding (MoU) with Trinidad and 534. a Indian wrestler Mohit Kumar scripted
Tobago to share the India Stack, a collection of history by becoming the Under 20 World
open APIs and digital public goods that aim to Champion in the men's 61 Kg Freestyle category.
facilitate identity, data, and payment services on The Championship is being held at Amman City
a large scale, with the Caribbean nation for in Jordan from August 14 to 20.
mutual digital advancement. Mohit defeated Russia's Eldar Akhmadudinov 9-8
This development comes after Rajeev in the final to become the fourth Indian Freestyle
Chandrasekhar, Union Minister of State for Skill Wrestler to win a Junior World Championship.
Development & Entrepreneurship and Electronics
& IT, met with Trinidad and Tobago's Minister of 535. c About 12 per cent of sitting MPs of Rajya
Digital Transformation, Senator Hassel Bacchus, Sabha are billionaires with Andhra Pradesh and
last week. Reportedly during the meeting, Telangana having the highest percentage of such
discussions on mutual cooperation in the fields of parliamentarians, according to a report by
IT, emerging technologies, and the India Stack Association for Democratic Reforms(ADR) and
were held. the National Election Watch(NEW).

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According to the report, 5 (45 per cent) out of 11 world's highest motorable road, the Likaru-Migla-
MPs from Andhra Pradesh, 3 (43 per cent) out of Fukche road close to Hanle in Eastern Ladakh.
7 MPs from Telangana, 3 (16 per cent) out of 19 The 64-km long road will connect Likaru to
MPs from Maharashtra, 1 (33 per cent) out of 3 Fukche which is situated 3 km away from the
MPs from Delhi, 2 (29 per cent) out of 7 MPs LAC in Eastern Ladakh.
from Punjab, 1 (20 per cent) out of 5 MPs from The new highest motorable pass will set a new
Haryana and 2 (18 per cent) out of 11 MPs from world record at an altitude of 19,400 feet.
Madhya Pradesh have declared assets worth Presently, the Umlingla pass at the height of
more than Rs 100 crore. 19,024 feet, is the world's highest motorable
Out of the 225 RS sitting MPs analysed,75 (33%) pass, constructed by BRO in the year
have declared criminal cases against themselves. 2021.Umlingla Pass is a 52 km long road that
The total assets of seven Members of Parliament connects Chishumle to Demchok, which is right
(MPs) analysed from Telangana is Rs 5,596 on the LAC, and also a friction point between
crore, that of 11 MPs from Andhra Pradesh is Rs India and China.
3,823 crore, and 30 MPs analysed from Uttar The proposed road between Likaru-Migla-Fukche
Pradesh have total assets worth Rs 1,941 crore. will provide an axis connecting Hanle to CDFD
road at Fukche.
536. d Centre has rolled out a Rs 5,000 crore The strategically important road will pass through
research-linked-incentive(RLI) scheme for Migla, which is at 19400 feet.A budget of
pharmaceuticals and med-tech sector to approximately Rs 520 crore has been slated for
strengthen the research infra in the country & the ambitious project.
promote more industry-academia linkages for
research and development(R&D). 538. b 57 thousand 613 crore rupees will be
The total outlay of the scheme would be Rs spent on PM-eBus Sewa.
5,000 crore over a period of five years from Ten thousand new electric buses will be deployed
2023-24 to 2027-28. in 169 cities.
The government feels that with the right growth The scheme will cover cities having a population
enablers, the Indian pharma industry can touch a of three lakh and beyond as per the census 2011
5 per cent share of the global market by 2030 including all the Capital cities of Union
from the 3.4 per cent now. Territories, North Eastern Region, and Hill States
The scheme has two components; the first being
strengthening the research infrastructure by 539. a Shooters Esha Singh and Shiva Narwal
setting up Centres of Excellence at National brought cheers to the India camp, clinching the
Institute of Pharmaceutical Education & Research 10m air pistol mixed team gold by defeating
(NIPERs). The Centres of Excellence will Turkey in the final of the ISSF World
strengthen the research infrastructure in pharma Championship at Baku, Azerbaijan on 18th
and med-tech sectors by providing advanced August 2023.
facilities to conduct research and will help in India is currently placed second on the medals
nurturing talent pool by promoting industry table with a gold and a bronze medal,while China
academia linkage, the Ministry of Chemicals and is leading the tally with five gold and two bronze
Fertilisers said in a gazette notification dated medals.
August 16. This has an outlay of Rs 700 crore
over a period of five years. 540. b IndusInd Bank launched a first-of-its-kind
The second component deals with promotion of multi-branded credit card -- 'IndusInd Bank
research in the pharma and med-tech sector in Avios Visa Infinite Credit Card' -- for all
six priority areas. The first product area is for customers, in partnership with British Airways
new chemical or biological or Executive Club and Qatar Airways Privilege Club.
phytopharmaceuticals (natural) entities. This This credit card aims to offer best-in-class
apart the product areas include complex rewards to customers, across travel, wellness,
generics, precision medicine (targeted innovative and lifestyle segments.
therapeutics), medical devices, orphan drugs
(drugs for rare diseases), and drug development 541. a Union minister for health and family
for antimicrobial resistance (AMR). welfare, Mansukh Mandaviya, launched the
'Global Initiative on Digital Health (GIDH)- a
537. d Border Roads Organisation(BRO) has World Health Organisation (WHO) Managed
commenced the Rs. 520 cr construction of the Network' at the Mahatma Mandir convention
centre in Gujarat's Gandhinagar during the

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second and final day of the G20 health ministers' lotus flowers and developed by the NBRI under
meeting. the Lotus Research Programme in collaboration
The GIDH will be a WHO Managed Network with Fragrance and Flavour Development Centre,
('Network of Networks') that will promote Kannauj.
equitable access to digital health by addressing
challenges such as duplication of efforts and 545. d West Bengal, Punjab, Telangana, Kerala,
"products-focused" digital health Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Bihar and Rajasthan
transformation. wherein some of the districts are yet to achieve
The ultimate goal of GIDH is to align efforts to the target of 75 Amrit Sarovars per district.
support the Global Strategy on Digital Health So far, out of 1,12,277 Amrit Sarovars identified,
2020-2025, support quality-assured technical work has been started on 81,425 Amrit Sarovars
assistance to develop and strengthen standards- and a total of 66,278 Amrit Sarovars have been
based and interoperable systems aligned to built/rejuvenated.
global best practices, norms and standards, as The Amrit Sarovar mission was launched by the
well as facilitate the use of digital transformation Prime Minister on the 24thth April 2022 with the
tools. aim of providing sustainable water sources where
each district should build/rejuvenate a minimum
542. d Indian wrestler Antim Panghal won her of 75 Amrit Sarovars.
back-to-back women's U20 world titles, The national target of 50,000 Amrit Sarovars was
successfully defending her 53kg crown and achieved following the due guidelines of the
became the first Indian woman to do so. Mission.
Panghal, who hails from Hisar in Haryana, This Mission is being implemented with a whole
dominated Ukrainian Mariia Yefremova in a facile of Government Approach in which 8 Central
4-0. Ministries/Department namely Dept. of Rural
In the 62kg final, Savita defeated Venezuela's A Development, Department of land resources,
Paola Montero Chirinos. Priya Malik had won the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation,
76kg title earlier. Department of Water resources, Ministry of
In a phenomenal result for Indian wrestling, Panchayati Raj, Ministry of Forest, Environment
seven wrestlers from the country won medals, and Climate changes, Ministry of Railway,
including three gold medals, one silver through Ministry of Road, Transport & Highways are
Antim Kundu (65kg) and three bronze via Reena participating.
(57kg), Arju (68kg) and Harshita (72kg). Also Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space
Application and Geo-informatics (BISAG-N) has
543. a The state cabinet decided to implement been engaged as Technical partner for the
the Bhagwan Birsa Munda Jodaraste Scheme in Mission.
Maharashtra to connect all tribal villages in 17
districts of the state with main roads. 546. a The Government has notified the Green
The project is estimated to cost Rs 5,000 crore Hydrogen Standard for India in a significant
and nearly 6,838 km of roads will be constructed move for the progress of the National Green
as part of the scheme. Hydrogen Mission.
The cabinet also decided to repeal the 45-year- It defined Green Hydrogen as having a well-to-
old Maharashtra Casinos (Control and Tax) Act, gate emission including water treatment,
1976. The state will not have casinos in future. electrolysis, gas purification, drying and
compression of hydrogen of not more than 2 kg
544. b Union Science and Technology Minister CO2 equivalent / kg H2.
Jitendra Singh on Saturday unveiled a new The standard is issued by the Ministry of New
variety of lotus flower with 108 petals, named and Renewable Energy.
"Namoh 108", developed by the Lucknow-based It also specifies that the Bureau of Energy
National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI). Efficiency, Ministry of Power shall be the Nodal
The "NBRI Namoh 108" lotus variety flowers Authority for accreditation of agencies for the
from March to December and is the first flower monitoring, verification and certification for
whose genome is completely sequenced for its Green Hydrogen production projects.
characteristics.
NBRI is a constituent institution of the Council of 547. a State-owned Power Finance Corporation
Scientific and Industrial Research. (PFC) has signed a loan agreement with Japan
Singh also released apparel made from lotus Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) for JPY
fibre and the perfume 'Frotus', extracted from

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1.85 billion or $1.28 million for a waste-to- Indian Navy was represented by Destroyers INS
energy project in Karnataka. Kolkata, Frigate INS Sahyadri,and P8I Maritime
The loan proceeds would be used to finance the Patrol aircraft.
11.5 MW for waste-to-energy project of KPC Gas The MALABAR series of maritime exercises
Power Corporation Ltd, a wholly owned commenced in 1992 as a bilateral exercise
subsidiary of KPCL, at Bidadi. between Indian Navy and US Navy. It has grown
in stature over the years to include four
548. c L&T wins 'significant' order to build prominent navies in the Indo-Pacific Region.
Australia's largest urea plant. Diversified group
L&T on has secured a "significant" order from 552. a The G20 Pandemic Fund has approved a
Perdaman Chemicals & Fertilisers to build a 2.3 25 million dollar proposal of the Department of
million tonne urea plant in Australia. On Animal Husbandry and Dairying for strengthening
completion, this facility will be the largest urea the Animal Health System of India.
plant in Australia and one of the largest in the Established under Indonesia's G20 Presidency,
world. the Pandemic Fund finances critical investments
to strengthen pandemic prevention,
549. c Canara Bank has launched UPI preparedness, and response capacities at
Interoperable Digital Rupee mobile application as national, regional,and global levels.
a part of the Reserve Bank of India's Central It mainly focuses on low- and middle-income
Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) pilot project. countries.
Canara Bank is the first Bank among public and
private sector banks to introduce this feature in 553. b Former Chief Justice of the Calcutta High
Bank's CBDC mobile app called 'Canara Digital Court, Justice Prakash Shrivastava is the new
Rupee app'. Chairman of the National Green Tribunal (NGT).
This feature allow customers to scan merchant The Cabinet Appointments Committee of the
UPI QR codes using the app and make the Central Government approved the appointment
payment through digital currency. of Justice Prakash Srivastava as the Chairman of
It also empowers the merchants to accept digital the NGT.
currency payments using their existing UPI QR NGT was set up under the National Green
codes in addition to the UPI based payments Tribunal Act in 2010.
without the requirements of a separate on
boarding process for CBDC. 554. b Kerala got it's first AI school at Santhigiri
Vidyabhavan in Thiruvananthapuram. The
550. d NHPC signs pact with RITES to construct inauguration was done by Former President Ram
railway siding for 2,880 MW Dibang project Nath Kovind. The Al School is designed and
State-owned hydro power giant NHPC Limited moulded by one of the world's most advanced
has inked an initial pact with RITES Limited to educational platforms iLearning Engines (ILE)
construct railway siding for a 2,880 MW Dibang USA in collaboration with Vedhik eSchool.
multipurpose project in Arunachal Pradesh.
NHPC's total installed capacity is 7,097.2 MW of 555. b Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar would begin a
renewable power (including wind and solar) new innings - as the 'National Icon' for voter
through its 25 power stations, including 1,520 awareness and education for the Election
MW through its subsidiary. Commission of India. An MoU was signed for the
RITES Ltd is a leading player in the transport period of 3 years at an event organized at Rang
consultancy and engineering sector in India, Bhavan, Akashvani, New Delhi in the presence of
having diversified services across sectors and Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar &
geographical reach. Election Commissioners Anup Chandra Pandey
and Arun Goel.
551. a The 27th edition of the multilateral naval Last year, the Commission recognised famous
exercise Malabar 2023 has concluded in Sydney, actor Mr. Pankaj Tripathi as the National Icon.
Australia. Earlier, during the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections,
The exercise saw the participation of Ships, stalwarts like M.S.Dhoni, Aamir Khan and Mary
Submarines, and aircraft from the Indian Navy, Kom had been the ECI National Icons.
Australian Navy, Japan Maritime Self-Defence
Force, and the US Navy. 556. a 69th National Film Awards: Madhavan's
'Rocketry: The Nambi Effect' wins Best Feature
Film

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Rocketry: The Nambi Effect, the biographical markets milk and a range of milk products under
drama written, produced and directed by R. the Amul brand.
Madhavan in his directorial debut, won the Best
Feature Film award. The National Film Award for 559. c UNDP partners govt to fast-track
best director went to Nikhil Mahajan for Marathi sustainable development in northeast
film Godavari. The Ministry of Development of North-eastern
The Best Actor award went to Allu Arjun for his Region (MDoNER) and the United Nations
performance in director Sukumar's Pushpa: The Development Programme (UNDP) joined hands to
Rise. enhance and expedite sustainable development
The Best Actress award went to two actors; Alia goals (SDGs) in the northeastern states.
Bhatt nabbed it for her role in Sanjay Leela Under this strategic collaboration, UNDP will
Bhansali's Gangubai Kathiawadi and Kriti Sanon provide crucial technical support to MDoNER in
was awarded for her performance in director several key areas, including fast-tracking
Laxman Utekar's Mimi. Pankaj Tripathi, who progress on the SDGs.
starred alongside Kriti Sanon in Mimi, won the In this journey, UNDP has been a key partner in
Best Supporting Actor award, while the Best promoting data-driven decision-making,
Supporting Actress award went to Pallavi Joshi especially through the North East Region District
for The Kashmir Files. The 68th National Film SDG Index".
Awards took place last year and honored the UNDP is the United Nations' lead agency on
movies released in 2020. international development. It support countries
and communities to eradicate poverty,
557. b FIDE World Cup 2023: Magnus Carlsen implement the Paris Agreement on climate
wins maiden World Cup, Praggnanandhaa change and achieve the Sustainable
finishes as runner-up Development Goals.
Norwegian Grand Master Magnus Carlsen became
the new world chess champion after defeating 560. b Digital payments company Mastercard has
India's 18-year-old Rameshbabu signed up as one of the International Cricket
Praggnanandhaa in FIDE World Cup Chess Council's (ICC) top-tier sponsors for the 2023
Championship 2023 final at Baku. World Cup in India, which will be held between
Carlsen beat the Indian grand master 1.5-0.5 in October 5 and November 19.
the tie-break after the classical games ended in a With this, Mastercard joins ICC's other global
stalemate. partners MRF Tyres, Booking.com, Aramco and
The five-time world champion clinched his first Emirates.
world cup title. ICC is the global governing body for cricket
Magnus Carlsen won prize money of $110,000. headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Praggnanandhaa, thus, became the third
youngest player after the legendary Bobby 561. b PM Modi arrives in Greece on first prime
Fischer and Carlsen to qualify for the Candidates ministerial visit in 40 years
tournament.World Cup 2023 - Top 4 Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for Greece
Winner - Magnus Carlsen (Norway) from Johannesburg, South Africa, where he
Runner Up - R. Praggnanadhaa (India) attended the BRICS summit. The visit was at the
Third position - Fabiano Caruana (USA) invitation of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos
Fourth Position - Nijat Abasov (Azerbaijan) Mitsotakis. This will be the first visit by an Indian
Prime Minister to Greece in 40 years.
558. c Amul ranked world's strongest dairy PM Modi will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the
brand, second strongest food brand in the world. Unknown Soldier in Athens .
Amul has been ranked as the world's strongest President of Greece: Katerina Sakellaropoulou.
dairy brand by the Brand Finance Food and Drink
Report 2023. The report evaluates and ranks the 562. c Iran, Saudi Arabia and Egypt among 6
strongest and most valuable food, dairy, and nations to join China and Russia in BRICS
non-alcoholic beverage brands. economic bloc
The report was conducted by UK-based Brand The BRICS bloc of developing nations agreed to
Finance, the world's leading brand valuation admit Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt,
consultancy. Argentina, and the United Arab Emirates in a
Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation move aimed at accelerating its push to reshuffle
(GCMMF), the umbrella organization that a world order.

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The expansion adds economic heft to BRICS, PM Modi gifted Bidri a pair of 'Surahi' from
whose current members are China, the world's Telangana to South African President Cyril
second-largest economy, as well as Brazil, Ramaphosa.
Russia, India and South Africa.
BRICS started in 2001 as BRIC, an acronym The Prime Minister also gifted a Nagaland shawl
coined by Goldman Sachs for Brazil, Russia, to the First Lady of South Africa Tshepo
India, and China. South Africa was added in MotsepeIn addition, PM Modi also gifted Gond
2010. Painting from Madhya Pradesh to the Brazilian
President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
563. c Government of India is launching an 567. d India to celebrate 23rd August as National
'Invoice incentive Scheme' by the name 'Mera Bill Space Day, announces PM Modi.
Mera Adhikaar' to encourage the culture of The site where Vikram Lander and Rover Pragyan
customers asking for bills for all purchases. landed on the Lunar surface will be named as
Under the scheme, invoices will be drawn at Shiva Shakti point.
regular intervals monthly and quarterly. Bills can Another site on the Moon where the
be uploaded on Mobile App 'Mera Bill Mera Chandrayaan 2 lander crash landed will be known
Adhikaar' available on IOS and Android or on as Tiranga Point.
web portal '
This scheme is being implemented in association 568. d Under the "One Week One Lab" Campaign
with State Governments. CSIR-Central Glass and Ceramic Research
It will be initially launched in the, Puducherry, Institute (CGCRI), Kolkata conducted a school
Dadra Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu and states of connect programme. It was intended to promote
Assam, Gujarat & Haryana. scientific temper among school students and
encourage them to pursue research in different
564. a Bengaluru-based tech-giant Infosys scientific domains. Dr S.K. Mishra, Director CSIR-
signed Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal as its CGCRI welcomed the participants.
ambassador for a three-year period.
Nadal's first collaboration with the company will 569. d PM Modi celebrated the success of India's
be in the development of an AI-powered match moon mission and named the landing spot of the
analysis tool, a personalized tool that will be Vikram lander as 'Shivshakti'.
available in real-time to Nadal's coaching team to He also christened the location where
simultaneously track insight from his live Chandrayaan-2 had left its mark in 2019 as
matches. 'Tiranga Point'.
Salil Parekh is the Chief Executive Officer & PM Modi was at the Indian Space Research
Managing Director of Infosys. Organisation Telemetry Tracking and Command
Network in Bengaluru.
565. a Insurance regulator Irdai has lowered the
minimum capital requirement for foreign re- 570. c India's ace shuttler HS Prannoy had to
insurance branches (FRBs) from Rs 100 crore to settle for a bronze medal as he registered a loss
Rs 50 crore, with the provision to repatriate any to Kunlavut Vitidsarn in the semifinals of the
excess assigned capital. ongoing Badminton World Federation (BWF)
It also streamlined the order of preference for World Championships.
international financial services center insurance Prannoy went down to world number three and
offices and simplified the format for reinsurance three-time Junior champion Vitidsarn by 21-18,
programmes. 13-21, 14-21.
The order of preference, previously spanning six With this win, World Number 7 Prannoy assured
levels, has been streamlined to four levels. a bronze medal for India.
Reinsurance an arrangement whereby an insurer
transfers all or part of a risk to another insurer to 571. b President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu
provide protection against the risk of the first releases the commemorative coin on Late Shri
insurance. NT Rama Rao on his centenary year
The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu
566. b PM Modi presented special gifts to the released the commemorative coin of Rs. 100 on
BRICS leaders including South African president Late Shri NT Rama Rao on his centenary year at
Cyril Ramaphosa, First Lady of South Africa Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre on August
Tshepo Motsepe, and Brazilian president Luiz 28, 2023.
Inácio Lula da Silva.

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Shri NT Rama Rao has enriched Indian cinema

and culture through Telugu films. He also spread 575. c Jharkhand government signs pact with
the message of social justice and equality TGESPL to set up India's 'first' hydrogen fuel
through one of his films 'Manushulanta Okkate. project in Jamshedpur
Jharkhand government inked a pact with TCPL
572. a Instant grocery delivery startup Zepto has Green Energy Solutions Private Ltd (TGESPL), a
raised $200 million in a new funding round at a joint venture between Tata Motors and Cummins
valuation of $1.4 billion.The funding makes Zepto Inc, USA to set up the country's "first" hydrogen
the first Indian startup to attain the unicorn fuel project in Jamshedpur.
status this year. The capacity of the proposed unit will be over
As many as 44 startups entered the unicorn 4,000 hydrogen IC engine/fuel agnostic engine
(reached/exceeded $1 billion valuation) club in and more than 10,000 battery system.
2021 and 23 were added last year. To set up this project, it would entail an
Kaivalya Vohra, Zepto co-founder and CTO. investment of Rs 354.28 crore.
Zepto co-founder and chief executive : Aadit
Palicha. 576. a Indian Air Force contingent reaches Egypt
to participate in Multilateral tri-service exercise
573. c India has handed over the B20 presidency In a significant move towards fostering global
to Brazil to host G20 in 2024. defence cooperation, an Indian Air Force (IAF)
According to N Chandrasekaran, the B20 India contingent reached the Egyptian Air Force Base
Chair, India's B20 Presidency under its G20 to participate in Exercise BRIGHT STAR-23.
Presidency worked under the theme of This will mark the first participation of the IAF in
Vasaudeva Katumbakam (One Earth, One Family, Ex BRIGHT STAR-23, which will also see the
One Future). participation of air force contingents from the US,
The B20 summit is the official G20 dialogue Saudi Arabia, Greece and Qatar.
forum with the global business community. India and Egypt have traditionally had an
Established in 2010, it aims to deliver concrete exceptional relationship and deep cooperation,
actionable policy recommendations on priorities with the two countries jointly undertaking the
by each rotating presidency to spur economic development of aero-engine and aircraft in the
growth and development. 1960s and the training of Egyptian pilots by their
Indian counterparts.
574. a Neeraj Chopra, in a historic moment for
Indian athletics, clinched the gold medal in the 577. c The Maharashtra Government has signed
men's javelin throw event at the World Athletics a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with
Championships held in Budapest, Hungary. Germany's professional association football
Displaying exceptional prowess, he recorded a league, 'Bundesliga', to build a football team for
stellar throw of 88.17 meters during his second players under the age of 14. It will help young
attempt. footballers to develop their skills and potentially
Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem & Jakub Vadlejch of compete at a high level.
the Czech Republic bagged silver and bronze.
This is the first instance of an Indian athlete 578. c Indian English poet Jayanta Mahapatra
standing on the top of the podium at a World passes away. Jayanta Mahapatra, one of India's
Athletics Championships event. Chopra has now best known English poets, passed away in
become only the second Indian after legendary Cuttack.
shooter Abhinav Bindra -- to simultaneously hold The legendary poet has left an imprint in the
the Olympics and World Championships title. Indian English poetry with his writings spanning
Chopra, who had become the first Indian Olympic over 50 years.
track and field gold medallist in Tokyo Olympics, He was conferred Sahitya Akademi Award for his
had won a silver in the 2022 edition of World poem Relationship in 1981, a rare recognition for
Championships. Before him, legendary long an Indian English writer.
jumper Anju Bobby George had won a bronze in He was awarded Padma Shri in 2015
the 2003 World Championships.The Indian
superstar also became only the third javelin 579. a India win inaugural Women's Asian
thrower in history to simultaneously hold the Hockey 5s World Cup Qualifier, beat Thailand 7-2
Olympics and World Championships titles after in final
the iconic Jan Zelezny of Czech Republic and India defeated Thailand 7-2 in the final here to
Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway. win the inaugural Women's Asian Hockey 5s

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World Cup Qualifier and seal their berth in the 582. a The government has decided to extend
berth in the next year's World Cup. the Rs 25,938-crore production-linked incentive
Mariana Kujur (2nd, 8th minutes) and Jyoti scheme for the automotive sector by one year,
(10th, 27th) scored a brace for India, while Union Heavy Industries Minister Mahendra Nath
Monika Dipi Toppo (7th), skipper Navjot Kaur Pandey said.
(23rd) and Mahima. Post extension, the five-year scheme, originally
in place from 2022-23 to 2026-27, will be active
580. a The Ministry of Defence (MoD) signed a until 2027-28.
contract with Visakhapatnam-based state-owned At present, incentives are applicable under the
Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) for acquisition scheme for determined sales of Advanced
of first of its kind five Fleet Support Ships (FSS) Automotive Technology (AAT) products (vehicles
of 44,000 tonnes for the Indian Navy at an and components) manufactured in India from 1
overall cost of approximately ₹19,000 crore. April 2022 onwards for a period of five
The Navy envisages eight FSS over next ten consecutive years. 'The scheme is being
years to augment its fleet of tankers. extended by one year after reviewing the
The FSS of 44,000 tonnes will be the first-of-its performance of the scheme with stakeholders.
kind to be built in India by an Indian shipyard. A
tanker of the proposed class can support multiple 583. a Geetika Srivastava, currently serving in
fleets, from aircraft carrier to other warships, the Indo-Pacific division of the Ministry of
since it has the capacity to onboard 20,000 to External Affairs (MEA), will be the new chargé
25,000 tonnes of fuel, and water, according to d'affaires at its High Commission in Islamabad,
Navy officials. Sources in HSL said the shipyard becoming the first woman to hold that post. She
has the capacity to take up this huge contract will succeed Dr M Suresh Kumar.
but the yard is also being modernised to take up The Indian & Pakistani missions in Islamabad and
simultaneous work as well. New Delhi have been without High
Commissioners since August 2019.
581. b Centre Sets Up High Powered 9-Member
Committee To Review DRDO's Activities, Report 584. a Govt appoints Jaya Verma Sinha as first
Expected In 3 Months woman CEO, chairperson of Railway Board
Led by former Principal Scientific Advisor to the The Secretariat of the Appointments Committee
Government, Prof K VijayRaghavan, the 9- of the Cabinet announced the appointment of
member committee has been tasked with the Jaya Verma Sinha as first woman CEO and
mission to comprehensively overhaul the DRDO. chairperson of Railway Board.
The committee's primary objective is to compile Sinha will assume charge on or after September
a comprehensive report, outlining 1 and her tenure will be till August 31, 2024. She
recommendations aimed at enhancing the succeeds Anil Kumar Lahoti.
adaptability of the DRDO amidst the rapidly The Railway Board is the apex decision-making
evolving technological terrain. body for the national transporter.
This comes after the Modi Government
corporatised Ordnance Factory Board (OFBs) two 585. c The Ministry of Electronics and
years ago.Corporatisation entailed the merger of Information Technology will be organizing the
41 ordnance factories and other non-production Global IndiaAI 2023, scheduled for October with
units into seven new defence public sector participation from leading AI players,
undertakings (DPSUs).The committee's researchers, start-ups, inventors in India and
constitutes experts like former Deputy Chief of worldwide.
Army Staff Lt Gen Subrata Saha (Retd), former The conference is poised to cover a wide
Vice Chief of Navy Staff Vice Admiral S N spectrum of topics, including next-generation
Ghormade, former Chief of Integrated Staff Air learning and foundational AI models, and other
Marshal B R Krishna, DG of MP-IDSA Sujan R AI's applications.
Chinoy, Prof Manindra Agarwal of IIT Kanpur, The Global IndiaAI summit will also catalyse
President of SIDM S P Shukla, head of Larsen India's AI landscape and innovation ecosystem.
and Toubro's Defence division J D Patil,
distinguished scientist at ISRO Dr S Unnikrishnan 586. d SEBI has come out with guidelines to
Nair, and Financial Advisor at the Ministry of strengthen the existing cyber security and cyber
Defence Ms Rasika Chaube. resilience framework for stock exchanges and
other market infrastructure institutions (MIIs).

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Under the guidelines, MIIs will have to maintain Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Jaipur, Kanpur, Kochi,
offline, encrypted backups of data and regularly Kolkata, Lucknow, and Mumbai).
test these backups at least every quarter to All India HPI growth (y-o-y) inched up to 5.1 per
ensure confidentiality, integrity, and availability. cent in Q1:2023-24 from 4.6 per cent in the
The Market Infrastructure Institutions primarily previous quarter and 3.4 per cent a year ago;
consist of the following 3 entities from the Stock annual growth in HPI varied widely across the
Market: Stock Exchanges (including Commodity cities - ranging from the high growth of 14.9 per
Exchanges), Clearing House or Clearing cent (Delhi) to a contraction of 6.6 per cent
Corporation and Depository Organization. (Kolkata).On a sequential (q-o-q) basis, all India
HPI increased by 2.6 per cent in Q1:2023-24;
587. a The Archaeological Survey of India - ASI eight of the ten cities witnessed housing
will launch the 'Adopt a Heritage 2.0' programme registration price increase vis-a-vis the previous
on, that seeks to invite corporate stakeholders to quarter
enhance amenities at monuments by utilizing
their CSR funds. The ASI has 3,696 monuments 592. b Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers (RCF)
under protection, spread throughout the country. has been granted the Navratna status by the
ASI functions under the Ministry of Culture. government of India. This is the highest status
Union Minister of Culture,Tourism and DoNER: that can be given to a public sector enterprise
Sh. G Kishan Reddy. (PSE).
RCF, established on 6th March,1978 is a leading
588. a The state of Georgia in the United States manufacturer of fertilizers, chemicals, and
has officially designated October as 'Hindu specialty products.
Heritage Month' to recognise and celebrate the RCF was established on the reorganization of
contributions of the 'vibrant' Hindu-American erstwhile Fertilizer Corporation of India Ltd. into
community within the state. five new companies'viz. Fertilizer Corporation of
The proclamation said that the celebration will India (FCI), Hindustan Fertilizer Corporation
focus on Hindu heritage's culture and spiritual Limited (HFC), Projects & Development India
traditions rooted in India. Limited (PDIL), National Fertilizers Limited (NFL)
and Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers Limited
589. a Jalan Kalrock Consortium, the successful (RCF)
bidder for financially challenged Jet Airways, has
deposited Rs 100 crore into the airline. This 593. b Central Bureau of Communications (CBC)
action follows the National Company Law chief Manish Desai will take over the
Appellate Tribunal's (NCLAT) directive permitting government's media outreach unit Press
the execution of the revival strategy. Information Bureau (PIB), under the Ministry of
With this recent contribution, JKC's total Information and Broadcasting.
investment in Jet Airways has reached Rs 250 He will assume charge of PIB on the
crore. superannuation of Rajesh Malhotra, who has
been at the helm of the media outreach unit
590. c Govt launches 'Mera Bill Mera Adhikar' since 2022.
scheme to encourage customers to ask for bills
The invoice incentive scheme - Mera Bill Mera 594. b Indian-origin Economist and Former
Adhikaar begins. The objective of the scheme is Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam has
to bring a cultural and behavioural change in the registered a landslide victory in Singapore's
general public to Ask for a Bill as their right and Presidential election.
entitlement. This scheme has been initially The Minister won over 70 percent of votes in the
launched as a pilot in the States of Assam, country's first contested presidential polls since
Gujarat and Haryana and Union Territories of 2011. Sixty-six-year-old Tharman
Puducherry, Dadra Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu Shanmugaratnam had served as Singapore's
The scheme will give an attractive reward of one Deputy prime minister from 2011 to 2019
crore rupees to the consumers.
595. c Ranganathan Madhavan has been
591. c Reserve Bank of India released its nominated as the new president of the Film and
quarterly house price index (HPI)1 (base: 2010- Television Institute of India (FTII) and chairman
11=100) for Q1:2023-24, based on transaction- of its governing council. He will replace noted
level data received from the registration filmmaker Shekhar Kapur.
authorities in ten major cities (viz., Ahmedabad,

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The FTII Society, headed by the FTII chairman, 598. b Hyderabad-based private firm, Grene
has 12 nominees of whom eight are nominated Robotics, has demonstrated a weapons platform
under the 'Persons of Eminence' category, while named Indrajaal, which it calls the world's only
four are FTII alumnus. autonomous wide area, counter-unmanned
aircraft system (C-UAS). Claimed to be the
596. b Nagaland has become the first State in world's only anti-drone system capable of
the North Eastern Region to initiate Aadhaar protecting against micro, mini, small, large and
Linked Birth Registration. extra-large drones, this marks a breakthrough in
This pioneering initiative aims to streamline birth Indian defence sector. Indrajaal was unveiled in
registration by integrating Aadhaar enrolment for the presence of Lieutenant General Gurmit
children in the age group of 0 to 5 years. Singh, the governor of Uttarakhand
The initiative is anticipated to enable children's
access to various social welfare schemes 599. d Arch rivals in Indian football- Mohun
designed for their welfare. Bagan Super Giant and East Bengal FC- faced off
each other to clinch the Durand Cup finals win. In
597. c Aditya L1 shall be the first space based the match that took place at Kolkata's
Indian mission to study the Sun. The spacecraft Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Mohun
shall be placed in a halo orbit around the Bagan SG emerged as winner, defeating East
Lagrange point 1 (L1) of the Sun-Earth system, Bengal 1-0, for the first time in twenty three
which is about 1.5 million km from the Earth. years.
The PSLV-C57.1 rocket carrying the Aditya-L1 Mohun Bagan SG and East Bengal FC are two
orbiter lifted off successfully from the Satish of the most successful sides in the Durand Cup,
Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra having won a record 16 titles each in the
Pradesh. tournament.
The largest and technically most challenging
payload on Aditya-L1 is the Visible Emission Line 600. a The India Cellular and Electronics
Coronagraph or VELC.VELC was integrated, Association (ICEA) has announced the
tested, and calibrated at the Indian Institute of establishment of an Indo-US task force for
Astrophysics' CREST (Centre for Research and electronics with the aim of increasing trade
Education in Science Technology) campus in between the two countries to $100 billion over
Hosakote in collaboration with ISRO.The first the next decade. The task force will focus on
Earth-bound maneuvre (EBN#1) was performed boosting trade, promoting innovation, creating
successfully from The ISRO Telemetry, Tracking jobs, and strengthening the partnership between
and Command Network Work (ISTRAC) in India and the US.
Bengaluru (on Sep 3rd at 11:45am). The new The areas include semiconductor advancements
orbit attained is 245km x 22459 km. The major and electronics supply chains.
science objectives of Aditya-L1 mission are:Study
of Solar upper atmospheric (chromosphere and 601. c India's economy grew at its fastest pace
corona) dynamics.Study of chromospheric and in a year in the April-June quarter, showed the
coronal heating, physics of the partially ionized National Statistical Data (NSO). India's gross
plasma, initiation of the coronal mass ejections, domestic product (GDP) grew 7.8% in the past
and flaresObserve the in-situ particle and plasma quarter, up from 6.1% growth in the previous
environment providing data for the study of quarter and 13.1% in April-June 2022. Reserve
particle dynamics from the Sun.Physics of solar Bank of India (RBI) had predicted a growth rate
corona and its heating mechanism.Diagnostics of of 8%.
the coronal and coronal loops plasma: India remains the fastest-growing major
Temperature, velocity and density.Development, economy as China's GDP growth in the April-June
dynamics and origin of CMEs.Identify the quarter was 6.3%.As per the NSO data, the
sequence of processes that occur at multiple agriculture sector recorded a 3.5% growth, up
layers (chromosphere, base and extended from 2.4% in the April-June quarter of 2022-
corona) which eventually leads to solar eruptive 23.However, the growth in the manufacturing
events.Magnetic field topology and magnetic field sector decelerated to 4.7% in the first quarter of
measurements in the solar corona .Drivers for the current fiscal compared to 6.1% in the year-
space weather (origin, composition and dynamics ago period.The growth in GDP during the
of solar wind . January-March quarter of 2022-23 was 6.1% and
4.5% in October-December.Private consumption,
which accounts for nearly 60% of the economy,

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grew about 6% year on year, up from 2.8% in Saaksharta Karyakram on Education for All
the previous quarter.However, growth in capital (erstwhile termed as Adult Education), was
formation, an indicator of investment, eased to approved by Government of India for
about 8% year on year from 8.9% in the implementation during FYs 2022-27 in alignment
previous three months.Services sector growth with National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The
was helped by brisk activity in financial services, Scheme has five components, namely (i)
trade, hotels and transport sectors. Foundational Literacy and Numeracy, (ii) Critical
Life Skills, (iii) Basic Education, (iv) Vocational
602. a Surgical oncologist R. Ravi Kannan, Skills, (v) Continuing Education.
Director of the Cachar Cancer Hospital and
Research Centre (CCHRC) in Assam, is one of the 605. b SBI Card, India's largest credit card
Ramon Magsaysay Awardees for 2023. He is issuer, launched new features of its super-
credited with revolutionising cancer treatment in premium card 'AURUM', targeted at the premium
Assam through people-centric and pro-poor section of society, such as high-net-worth
healthcare. Dr. Kannan hails from Chennai, individuals.
where he earlier worked at the Cancer Institute, With the enhancements, AURUM cardholders will
Adyar. be able to avail benefits worth up to Rs 2 lakh
The Ramon Magsaysay Award, Asia's premier annually, based on their spending.
prize and highest honor, celebrates greatness of The card offers unlimited international lounge
spirit and transformative leadership in Asia. access to cardholders, as well as four
Since 1958, the Ramon Magsaysay Award has international lounge visits for accompanying
been bestowed upon over three hundred guests.
outstanding individuals and organizations whose In addition, the card also offers a one-year Club
selfless service has offered their societies. Marriott membership as a welcome gift.
2023 Award Winners:Â Ravi Kannan R from The joining and annual membership fee for this
IndiaMiriam Coronel-Ferrer from by-invitation-only card is Rs 9,999, an amount
PhilippinesEugenio Lemos from Timor-LesteKorvi that will be reversed once the cardholder
Rakshand from Bangladesh. achieves a milestone of Rs 12 lakh spending in
the card membership year.
603. a In a remarkable recognition of visionary
leadership and outstanding contributions to the 606. b SBICAP securities appoints Suresh Shukla
e-commerce technology landscape, N7 " The as Chief Business Officer
Nitrogen Platform's CEO Manoj Bubna has been The broking arm of State Bank of India, SBICAP
conferred the prestigious 'Entrepreneur of the Securities Ltd. appointed Suresh Shukla as its
Year 2023' award by the renowned 'Entrepreneur chief business officer.
India' business magazine. This comes at a time when stock broking, deal-
He is the brain behind N7 - The Nitrogen making activities and secondary market
Platform, a cutting-edge AI/ML technology, transactions are making a comeback.
delivering phenomenal acceleration in website Shukla, who was the joint president of Kotak
performance, boost in SEO rankings & reduction Securities, is a veteran in the securities market
in operational costs, without any code changes or with at least 25 years of experience.
tech integrations. Arguably, the first Indian CDN
brand to do so. 607. b Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been
invited by President Joko Widodo of Indonesia to
604. d The Government of India has decided to visit Jakarta on September 6th and 7th.
organise a literacy week from 1st September to During this visit, he will participate in the 20th
8th September 2023 to celebrate International ASEAN-India Summit and the 18th East Asia
Literacy Day for generating awareness among all Summit, which Indonesia is hosting as the
the stakeholders/ beneficiaries/ citizens about current Chair of ASEAN.
the ULLAS- Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram. Notably, this upcoming ASEAN-India Summit
This vision would popularise the scheme and help marks the first such gathering since the elevation
attain the goal of making India fully literate. of India-ASEAN relations to a Comprehensive
 The week-long literacy campaign shall enable Strategic Partnership in 2022.
mass participation to inculcate a sense The Summit's agenda includes a comprehensive
of Kartavyabodh and Janbhagidari in each review of the progress in India-ASEAN relations
and every citizen of the nation.A Centrally and the formulation of future cooperation
Sponsored Scheme ULLAS- Nav Bharat strategies.

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An ETS, or "cap-and-trade" system, caps the

608. a Tata Motors, one of India's largest amount of pollution allowed from regulated
commercial vehicle manufacturers has supplied industries and allots permits to plants
400 Starbus electric buses to the Delhi Transport Under ETS, industries with low abatement costs
Corporation (DTC), via its subsidiary TML CV can make larger reductions in emissions and thus
Mobility Solutions. This is part of its larger order profit by selling excess permits.Â
from DTC to supply, maintain and operate 1,500 The industries under the scheme emitted 20%
low-floor, air-conditioned electric buses for a less particulate matter than the other industries.
period 12-years. Following the encouraging results from Surat,
The 400 e-buses are part of the larger order by GPCB has decided to expand the scope of
DTC to Tata Motors for 1,500 low-floor, air- emissions trading to industries in Ahmedabad to
conditioned electric buses.With this tackle particulate emissions of industries in the
deployment, Tata Motors says it has achieved a City and Vatva regions.
landmark of supplying over 1,000 e-buses across
the country. 612. b Hitachi Payment Services, a subsidiary of
Japan-based Hitachi Ltd, announced the launch
609. b In Madhya Pradesh, the country's first of India's first-ever UPI-ATM as a White Label
solar city Sanchi was inaugurated by state Chief ATM (WLA) named Hitachi Money Spot UPI ATM,
Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. It is noteworthy with the National Payments Corporation of India
that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a (NPCI).
target of developing a solar city in every state of A UPI-ATM allows users to withdraw cash from
the country by 2070. multiple accounts using the United Payments
An effort has also been made to attract tourism Interface (UPI) app.
by reducing environmental pollution through eco- WLAs are operated by non-banking entities.
friendly facilities in Sanchi. Battery operated e- Notably, Hitachi Payment Services is the only
rickshaws and garbage vehicles will also run in White Label ATM operator to offer a cash deposit
the city. E-vehicle charging stations have also facility.
been installed.
613. b UPI Merchant UDIR (Unified Dispute and
610. d In a little more than a year from now, Issue Resolution) system was successfully
investors in the Indian stock market could get completed by NPST & NPCI. NPST have
their trades settled instantaneously, the first completed POC for Realtime refund process with
country to achieve such a feat globally. As a a Marquee PAPG for resolving customer disputes
precursor, the market would move to a one-hour and grievances pertaining to UPI payments,
settlement cycle around March, a Sebi source using a system-driven and rule-based
said. The faster settlement cycle, however, will mechanism with a minimal manual intervention.
be optional for stock market investors. Unified Dispute and Issue Resolution or UDIR is
Currently, the Indian market operates on a T 1 an automated, single-channel redressal system
cycle. Shares bought reflect in the demat account designed to seamlessly address customer issues
the next day. Ditto proceeds of stock sales in the and complaints regarding pending transactions
bank account. ASBA, or application supported by and provide speedy dispute resolution in an
blocked amount, is a process used for applying in online manner instead of manual file-based
IPOs, where the fund required for the application processes. The Complaint Management System
in the offer is not moved out of the investor's allows customers to raise a complaint directly
bank account, but the amount is blocked for through the NPST TPAP App, which is then
debit. Once shares are allotted to the IPO assigned to the relevant bank or PSP involved in
applicant, the money is debited. If no shares are the transaction through an automated manner
allotted, the block is lifted. for resolution. Implementation UDIR will benefit
translate into higher customer Net Promoter
611. b The Gujarat government on Tuesday Score.
announced that Ahmedabad has become the
second city in the country to implement an 614. d IBM announced that it has collaborated
emission trading scheme (ETS) for particulate with Indian Bank to accelerate its modernisation
pollution that will help in regulating industrial path with flexible and secure compute
emissions and reduce the state's pollution levels. infrastructure for deploying new front-end
banking applications, while addressing the

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business growth of core banking solution seat at the G20 leaders meeting. The African
workloads for the bank. Union comprises 55 nations, and its inclusion in
As part of its Project Paradise, the public sector the G20 is a significant milestone, making it the
bank wanted to consolidate its front branch second-largest group of nations within the G20,
servers for greater manageability and availability following the European Union.
at both data centres and disaster recovery
centres, while also running its CBS workloads on 618. b The MoU on cooperation in Digital
the latest generation of IBM Power servers. In Payment mechanism was signed between
order to meet Indian Bank's digital infrastructure National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) &
needs, IBM suggested a hybrid cloud solution for Bangladesh Bank.
all Advanced Interactive eXecutive, or AIX, Another MoU focused on the renewal of the
workloads to increase agility and presented a Cultural Exchange Program (CEP) between India
combination of capex and opex models for & Bangladesh for 2023-2025. The third MoU was
consumption of compute resources. signed between the Indian Council of Agricultural
Research & the Bangladesh Agriculture Research
615. a Energy Minister KJ George inaugurated Council.
the country's first underground transformer
center in the state capital Bengaluru. 619. d Oil India Ltd aims to invest 165 billion
It has been set up at 15th Avenue, Malleswaram rupees ($1.98 billion) in clean energy projects to
in collaboration with BESCOM and BBMP at a cost meet its 2040 net zero carbon emissions goal,
of Rs 1.98 crore. said two sources familiar with state-run energy
This is a transformer of 500 KVA capacity. Only companies' net zero strategy.
Western countries have power transformer State-run energy companies - Indian Oil Corp,
underground stations. Bharat Petroleum Corp, Hindustan Petroleum
For the safety and convenience of the people, a Corp, GAIL (India) Ltd, Oil and Natural Gas Corp
room is constructed below the earth, in which a have already announced their net zero
30 mm cement block is constructed and electrical goal.Together with Oil India, the six-state run
transformers are installed on it. energy companies plan to invest 6.38 trillion
Presently, the converter is installed at a depth of rupees, the sources said.
10 feet from the top of the road in this center
which is established in Malleswaram. Electricity 620. a The Union Minister of Ports, Shipping &
related works are done by BESCOM and civil Waterways and Ayush, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal
works by BBMP. left for Russia to represent India at the 8th
This station has 500 KVA capacity oil free Eastern Economic Forum which is being held at
transformer, 8 way solid site ring main unit, 5- Vladivostok from 10-13 September, 2023.
way LT distribution box, UPS, water pump and air He will also address stakeholders meet for the
control system. BBMP has given Rs 64 lakh for 'Eastern Maritime Corridor' to operationalise
civil works. A BESCOM official said that the Chennai-Vladivostok route as an alternative trade
project was completed in 365 days. route.
Vladivostok is the largest port city of Russia.
616. b The Indian Air Force (IAF), recognizing He will also address the India Russia Business
the potential of indigenous drone design and Dialogue at the Eastern Economic Forum where
development, is collaborating with the Drone he will be highlighting the pivotal role of trade,
Federation of India to jointly host 'Bharat Drone and commerce.
Shakti 2023.' Eastern Economic Forum: The Eastern Economic
This event, scheduled for September 25th and Forum was established in 2015 by decree of the
26th, will take place at the IAF's Hindan airbase President of the Russian Federation Vladimir
in Ghaziabad and will feature live aerial Putin in 2015 to support the economic
demonstration. development of Russia's Far East and to expand
international cooperation in the Asia-Pacific
617. d In a significant development under India's region.
G20 Presidency, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
9 September announced the addition of African 621. d The G20 leaders have committed to
Union as the latest permanent member of the facilitate "open, fair, predictable, and rules-
group. based" trade in agriculture, food, and fertilizers
Following PM Modi's invitation, African Union and not impose export curbs in line with relevant
President Azali Assoumani of Comoros took his WTO rules.

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Adopting the New Delhi Declaration of G20, the

member countries are also committed to 624. b Virat Kohli becomes fastest to reach
supporting developing countries' efforts and 13,000 ODI runs
capacities to address their food security Virat Kohli stunned fans after he broke Sachin
challenges. Tendulkar's record of the fastest batter to score
Besides free trade, the G20 leaders committed to 13000 runs in ODI.
track two more commodities, fertiliser and He achieved the feat in the ongoing match
vegetable oils, under the Agricultural Market between India and Pakistan at Asia Cup 2023.
Information System (AMIS) and the Group on
Earth Observations Global Agricultural Monitoring 625. d Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will
(GEOGLAM) for greater transparency to avoid inaugurate 90 critical infrastructure projects
food price volatility. developed by the Border Roads Organization at a
AMIS, which currently tracks four crops - rice, cost of 2,941 crore rupees in Jammu and
wheat, corn and soya. It is for the first time, that Kashmir.
AMIS will track crop input fertiliser in view of He will physically inaugurate the state of the art
recent volatility in global prices. 422.9 meter long, Class 70 RCC Devak Bridge on
Bishnah-Kaulpur-Phulpur Road in Samba district.
622. d At G20 Leaders Summit in New Delhi, Defence Minister will also attend three day long
Britain has committed to provide $2 billion to the prestigious North Tech Symposium- 2023 being
Green Climate Fund (GCF) to help developing hosted by IIT Jammu at its Jagti campus.
countries cope with climate change.
The pledge would be the biggest single funding 626. a Tata Power Solar Systems Limited
commitment the UK has made to date to help the (TPSSL) has signed a Memorandum of
world tackle climate change. Understanding (MoU) with the Small Industries
The Green Climate Fund (GFC) - the world's Development Bank of India (SIDBI) to provide
largest such fund - was set up under United streamlined financing options for Micro, Small &
Nations' climate change negotiations to help Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) interested in
channel money needed by poor states to meet adopting rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) plants
their targets to reduce carbon emissions, develop and related services.
cleaner energy sources and adjust to a warming At the Global SME Finance Forum 2023 in
world. Mumbai, the MoU exchange ceremony was
graced by Hon'ble Union Minister of State for
623. d 'Koraput Kalajeera Rice, an aromatic rice Finance, Dr. Bhagwat Karad. Dr. Praveer Sinha,
variety with nutritional value, has got CEO & MD of Tata Power, and Shri
Geographical Indications (GI) status, bringing Sivasubramanian Ramann, Chairman & Managing
cheers to tribal farmers who have been growing Director of SIDBI, were the signatories of the
it for ages. MoU.Under this strategic partnership, TPSSL and
Koraput Kalajeera Rice known as the 'Prince of SIDBI will work together to promote solar energy
Rice' is an aromatic variety originating from adoption among MSMEs by offering tailor-made
Koraput district of Odisha. and innovative financing solutions through
It is popular among rice consumers for its black SIDBI's 4E (End to End Energy Efficiency)
colour, good aroma, taste and texture. Scheme. This scheme will provide TPSSL's
The farmers of Koraput district in Odisha, the customers with competitive interest rates and
centre of origin of cultivated rice, have loan limits customized to meet the specific
domesticated Kalajeera rice over generations. requirements of the MSME sector.In addition to
With the support of the National Bank for the financing options, TPSSL and SIDBI have
Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) jointly launched "The Big Solar Fest" at the
and the Odisha government's department of Global SME Finance Forum 2023.
agriculture and farmers empowerment, the
farmers' organisation received the GI tag for 627. c The Ministry of Labour and Employment
'Koraput Kalajeera Rice.' signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
The ancient text explains that Kalajeera rice with leading private job portals,
improves memory and controls diabetes. It is companies/employers and skill providers to
believed to increase hemoglobin levels and the integrate with the National Career Service (NCS)
body metabolism. This fragrant grain has portal of the Ministry.
antispasmodic, stomachic, carminative,
antibacterial, astringent and sedative properties.

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The objective of MoUs is to enhance employment Sierra Leone, Capital: Freetown; Currency:
opportunities and services for jobseekers on the Sierra Leonean Leone
NCS portal.
The private job portals partnering with the 632. d West Bengal government signs MOU with
Ministry of Labour and Employment will share La Liga to develop football in Indian state
their vacancies on NCS so that the NCS The Government of West Bengal has entered a
registered jobseekers can seamlessly apply for Memorandum of Understanding with La Liga to
such vacancies. start a football academy and develop the sport in
the Indian state.
628. b Cashfree Payments partners with NPCI to West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee signed the
launch customer onboarding feature MoU with La Liga President Javier Tebas in
Fintech company Cashfree Payments has Madrid during her Spain tour in the presence of
launched 'AutoPay on QR' in collaboration with former India captain and BCCI president Sourav
the National Payments Corporation of India Ganguly.
(NPCI).
The feature helps in the customer onboarding 633. d The World Bank has pledged to provide
process through a two-step workflow of scanning financial assistance to the government of Odisha,
the QR code and approving an e-mandate via UPI India, in an effort to bolster its early warning
apps within 30 seconds. systems for natural disasters and expand social
Cashfree Payments' AutoPay on QR would enable protection coverage for impoverished and
subscription-based businesses to enhance vulnerable households via digital platforms.
customer acquisition, support retention, and This collaborative initiative aims at safeguarding
facilitate rapid growth. poor and vulnerable households from economic
downturns
629. a Geological Survey of India Training In July, an agreement was signed between
Institute (GSITI), Hyderabad has signed an MoU India's central government and the World Bank
for five years with Indian Space Research regarding this programme.
Organisation (ISRO), Bengaluru under the The total cost of implementing OSCRGP is
National Natural Resources Management System estimated around Rs 1,183 crore ($159 million),
(NNRMS) programme. with state funding contributing Rs 367 crore ($49
The scope of this project is to conduct a series of million), according to a government official.
trainings for the capacity building in the areas of Approval for this project had been granted by the
mineral resources and disaster management. state cabinet in December of last year.

630. b Air India launches 'Project Abhinandan' 634. a Divya Kala Mela' has been organized by
for enhanced guest experience at 16 airports the Department of Empowerment of Persons with
Air India, which is owned by Tata Sons, stated Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice and
that it had launched "Project Abhinandan," which Empowerment at Town Hall, Maidagin, Varanasi,
aims to improve the experience for travelers on Uttar Pradesh from 15 September to 24
the airline at airports. September 2023 to showcase the products and
According to the airline, this project will give its craftsmanship of entrepreneurs/artisans with
customers a specific and hassle-free on-ground disabilities.
experience as part of its attempts to improve the • In this fair, artisans from different parts of
guest experience. the country including Jammu & Kashmir,
Northeastern States will showcase their
631. d Union Cabinet approves MoU between wonderful and attractive products like
India, Sierra Leone on cooperation in field of handicrafts, handlooms, embroidery works and
sharing successful Digital Solutions packaged foods etc. which will also be available
Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister for sale.
Narendra Modi approved the MoU between
India's Ministry of Electronics & Information 635. d Member of NITI Aayog, Professor Ramesh
Technology and and the Ministry of Information Chand officially launched the Unified Portal for
and Communications of the Republic of Sierra Agricultural Statistics (UPAg Portal-
Leone on Cooperation in the field of sharing www.upag.gov.in). It is a groundbreaking move
successful Digital Solutions implemented at to address the complex governance challenges
Population Scale for Digital Transformation. India's agriculture sector is facing.
Key Challenges Addressed by UPAg Portal:

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1. Lack of Standardized Data: Currently, 639. d Ashok Leyland announced that it will
agricultural data is scattered across various invest ₹1,000 crore in Uttar Pradesh to set up a
sources and often presented in different formats bus manufacturing facility focused on clean
and units. UPAg Portal aims to consolidate this mobility. The Hinduja flagship company has
data into a standardized format, making it easily inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
accessible and understandable for users. with the UP government for the facility, which
2. Lack of Verified Data: Reliable data is crucial will be its first plant in the state.
for accurate policy decisions. UPAg Portal ensures
that data from sources like Agmarket is vetted 640. c Indian Bank announced roll out of 'IB
and updated in a timely manner, providing SAATHI' initiative aimed at providing an
policymakers with accurate information on integrated ecosystem for all stakeholders in the
agricultural prices. financial sector through the business
3. Dispersed Data: To form a comprehensive correspondent route. The IB Sustainable Access
view of any crop, multiple variables need to be and Aligning Technology for Holistic Inclusion
considered, including production, trade, and (SAATHI) offers an enhanced user experience
prices. UPAg Portal brings together data from through the simplified delivery of services.
various sources, providing a holistic assessment
of agricultural commodities. 641. c The Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC)
4. Different Frequency Variables: Data updates or the e-rupee worth ₹16.39 crore was in
at different times, causing delays and circulation as of March 2023, shows the RBI's
inefficiencies. UPAg Portal offers real-time data from its Handbook of Statistics on the
connectivity with data sources, reducing the time Indian Economy for FY23.
and effort required for monitoring and analysis. Of the total eÂrupee in circulation, ₹10.69 crore
was wholesale CBDC and ₹5.70 crore retail
636. d 40 CBDC, data showed.
80
90 642. b Gandhi walk resumed in Johannesburg,
100 South Africa after Covid-19 pandemic
130 The 35th edition of the annual Gandhi Walk in
Answer key: 4 Johannesburg, South Africa has recently taken
The Government of India has approved the place. The event was organized after three years
initiative of setting up of 100 new Sainik Schools of delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
in partnership with NGOs/Private Schools/State More than 2,000 people joined the new format of
Governments in a graded manner class-wise, a fun six-kilometer walk that ended with a wide
starting from Class 6th onwards. Under this range of entertainment.
initiative, Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) has
been signed by Sainik Schools Society with 19 643. a Shri. Apurva Chandra, Secretary, Ministry
New Sainik Schools located all over the country. of Information and Broadcasting unveiled
"People's G20", an eBook on India's G20
637. b IT major Infosys is the only Indian Presidency in New Delhi.
company to feature in the top 100 list of the The book presents a complete journey of India's
World's Best Companies of 2023 released by G20 Presidency.
TIME Magazine and online data platform Statista. The book consists of three parts, the first part
Microsoft, Apple, and Alphabet (Google owner) dealing with the monumental G20 Summit that
are top 3 in the list while India's Infosys was was held between September 9-10, 2023 in New
ranked 64th with an overall score of 88.38 out of Delhi. The book encapsulates the structure and
100. working of G20 and elaborates on the initiatives
that have been taken under India's Presidency of
638. a The government appointed special the grouping.
director Rahul Navin as the acting director of the The second part provides a summary of the
Enforcement Directorate (ED) till the meetings of various Working Groups under the
appointment of a regular Director or until further Sherpa and Finance Track along with the
orders. Rahul Navin replaced Sanjay Kumar meetings of the Engagement Groups that have
Mishra who stepped down which was the been held across the country over the last year
Supreme Court-mandated deadline for his since India took over as the Chair.
tenure. The last part of the eBook presents a photo
essay of the Jan-Bhagidari events that were held

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across the country in the past year transforming Pakistan skipper Babar Azam becomes the first
India's G20 Presidency into a people-powered player to win three ICC Men's Player of the
movement. Month prizes with August triumph
Ireland's Arlene Kelly is named Women's Player
644. b Karnataka's Hoysala Temples' sacred of the Month for her bowling exploits in
ensembles have been inscribed on the United convincing T20I wins over Netherlands.
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage list. 648. a The board of Biocon Ltd. has approved
Notably, the Hoysala Temples of Belur, Halebid, the appointment of Peter Bains as group chief
and Somnathapura in Karnataka that are now executive officer.
included in the UNESCO World Heritage list make He will be reporting directly to Biocon Group
them the 42nd UNESCO World Heritage Site of Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw.
India. Bains has stepped down from his role on the
Biocon board as an independent director with
645. c Competition Commission of India gets immediate effect to assume this strategic
three new members to complete full quorum. executive responsibility.
Anil Agarwal, Sweta Kakkad and Deepak Anurag
have been appointed to the Competition 649. b Government Approves the Purchase Of 12
Commission of India Su-30 MKI Fighter Jets And Dhruvastra Missiles
With these appointments, the antitrust body will Made By HAL.
now have four members, including Chairperson 9 procurement bids totalling around Rs 45,000
Ravneet Kaur. crore have been approved by the defence
Competition Commission of India has been ministry, including one to buy 12 Su-30 MKI
established by the Central Government with fighter jets made by Hindustan Aeronautics
effect from 14th October 2003. Limited. Purchasing Dhruvastra air-to-surface
CCI consists of a Chairperson and 6 Members missiles and upgrading Dornier planes are also
appointed by the Central Government. included in the proposals.
In accordance with the regulations, the presence Any defence acquisition project's initial approval
of a quorum is a necessary requirement when is referred to as the AoN.
considering investigation reports and approving Defence Acquisition Council accorded Acceptance
adjudication orders at the CCI. of Necessity (AoN) for this acquisition.
The DAC approved the purchase of Light
646. b IISER Bhopal Scientists Carry Out 1st Armoured Multipurpose Vehicles (LAMV) and
Ever Genome Sequencing Of Medicinal Plant Integrated Surveillance and Targeting System
Amla. (ISAT-S) to improve the protection, mobility,
Scientists at the Indian Institute of Science attack capability, and increase survivability of
Education and Research, Bhopal (IISER-Bhopal) mechanised troops.
have carried out the genome sequencing of the The DAC approved the purchase of High Mobility
medicinal plant of amla for the first time. Vehicle (HMV) gun towing vehicles as well,
The genome sequencing refers to the mapping allowing for the quick mobilisation and
out of the order of the genetic structure of any deployment of radars and artillery
organism. The process is key to understanding guns.According to the ministry, the DAC
the basic structure of any organism and its
evolution. 650. b LS passes Women's Reservation Bill
The amla plant is indigenous to South Asia and providing one-third reservation of seats for
has been used in the Indian and Chinese women
traditional medicine for centuries. It is high in The Lok Sabha has given its nod to the
Vitamin-C and a rich source of various Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Eighth
phytochemicals, minerals, and amino acids. Amendment) Bill, seeking to reserve one-third of
While these pharmaceutical and nutritional the total number of seats for women in Lower
importance of Amla have been known for a long House and State legislative assemblies.
time, its genetic composition had hitherto not The Bill is called Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam.
been studied in detail, noted a press release by The Bill was passed last evening after a division
IISER-Bhopal. of vote in which 454 MPs voted in favor of the Bill
while two MPs against it.
647. a ICC Player of the Month 2023: Babar
Azam and Arlene Kelly Bag August Awards.

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651. c Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit promoted by one airline while being operated by
Varanasi on to inaugurate 16 Atal Awasiya another.
Vidyalayas built across Uttar Pradesh.
These are built at a cost of over 11 hundred 654. a IT major Tata Consultancy Services has
crore rupees to further enhance access to quality entered into a strategic partnership with
education for children of labourers, construction Norway's national payment and electronic
workers and orphans due to COVID-19 identity system BankID BankAxept to enhance
pandemic. the European country's financial infrastructure.
These residential schools intend to eventually BankAxept is the national payment system in
accommodate 1000 students each. Norway, with 80% of card payments made using
Prime Minister Modi will also lay the foundation a BankAxept card.
stone of the International Cricket Stadium in The partnership is aimed at enhancing resilience,
Varanasi. The cricket stadium, to be built in security, and availability of Norway's critical
Ganjari, Rajatalab, Varanasi will be developed in financial infrastructure.
more than 30 acre area, at a cost of about 450 BankAxept is the national payment system in
crore rupees. The stadium will have a capacity of Norway, with 80% of card payments made using
30,000 spectators. a BankAxept card. BankID is the Norwegian eID
verification solution, with more than 90% of the
652. b The African Union plans to launch a new country's population, banks, public institutions,
African credit rating agency next year in and commercial enterprises dependent on it.
response to its concerns about what it views as Under the partnership, TCS will create a new
unfair ratings given to African countries. operations command centre in Oslo for
The agency will generate its own evaluation of immediate responses to any service disruption,
lending risks associated with African countries. security issues, or client requests related to the
The African Union and its member nations' country's national payments and electronic
leaders assert that the "big three" ratings identity verification systems.
agencies " Moody's, Fitch, and S&P Global
Ratings " do not fairly assess the lending risks 655. b Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal
associated with African countries. They also Husbandry and Dairying, Parshottam Rupala
allege that these agencies are quicker to inaugurated the 2nd Edition of ICAR-CIBA's
downgrade African countries, especially during Shrimp Farmers Conclave-2023 at the Navsari
crises such as the global health crisis. Agricultural University Campus in Gujarat.
A study by the UN earlier had shown that MoUs were signed between CIBA and the
subjective biases in credit ratings had cost National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB), as
African countries a combined US$74.5 billion. well as CIBA and Fish Farmers Producer
This was through funding opportunities lost and Organization(FFPO) of Gujarat.
excess interest paid on public debt.
In essence, credit ratings serve to assess the 656. c Biswanath Ghat has been selected as the
likelihood of a borrower defaulting and influence Best Tourism Village of India 2023 by the
the terms under which banks and other entities Ministry of Tourism, from amongst 791
extend loans to them. Moody's, Fitch, and S&P applications from 31 States and UTs.
Global Ratings have consistently denied any bias Biswanath Ghat, often referred to as "Gupta
in their assessments and maintain that their Kashi," is named after Biswanath mandir in the
rating methodologies remain consistent village.
worldwide.
657. d Dr Swati Nayak, an Indian scientist at the
653. b IndiGo and British Airways have launched International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), has
a new codeshare partnership to improve been named the 2023 recipient of the prestigious
connectivity between India and the United Norman E Borlaug Award for Field Research and
Kingdom. British Airways will add new flights to Application, with the World Food Prize Foundation
the existing IndiGo network through this describing her as an "outstanding young
codeshare, improving travel connectivity between scientist."
India and the United Kingdom. Endowed by the Rockefeller Foundation, the
Code sharing is an arrangement between two award recognizes Ms Nayak for her innovative
airlines that allows one airline to place its two- approach to engaging smallholder farmers in
letter identifying code on another carrier's flight demand-driven rice seed systems, from testing
schedules. This means that a flight can be and deployment to equitable access and adoption

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of climate-resilient and nutritious rice varieties, a has resigned after serving the company for 14
release from the World Food Prize Foundation years.
said in a tweet on platform X. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) appointed
The award is given to exceptional scientists Bhargav Dasgupta as Vice-President (market
under 40 and someone who works in the field of solutions) for a period of three years.
food and nutrition security, hunger eradication in Dasgupta replaces Ashok Lavasa, former Finance
memory of the Nobel awardee and Green Secretary and Election Commissioner of India.
Revolution's chief architect Dr Norman Borlaug.
663. a Central Bank of India has entered into a
658. b Young Indian wrestler Antim Panghal strategic Co-Lending Partnership with M/s. ECL
secured a bronze medal in the women's 53 kg Finance Limited to offer MSME Loans at
category at the ongoing World Championships in competitive rates, subject to compliance with the
Belgrade, Serbia. applicable law(s) including the applicable
She also secured Paris Olympics 2024 quota for guidelines issued by Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
India. 19-year-old Antim beat two-time European
Champion Emma Jonna Denise Malmgren in the 664. c Until now, MP was home to six tiger
bronze medal bout by 16-6. This is India's first reserves " Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Satpura, Pench,
medal at the ongoing edition of the tournament. Panna and Sanjay-Dubri.
Antim has captured India's 23rd medal in the MP retained the "tiger state" status in the 2022
World Championships till date, which includes census with the number of big cats in the state
one gold, five silver and 17 bronze medals. rising to 785 from 526 in 2018.
The new tiger reserve, spread across Sagar,
659. a India's first lighthouse festival Damoh and Narsinghpur districts.
commenced in Goa on September 23, which will As per the report 'Status of Tigers: Co-predators
see the Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and & Prey in India-2022', released by the National
Waterways develop 75 lighthouses across the Tiger Conservation Authority and Wildlife
country into tourist hubs. The initiative is part of Institute of India in July this year, MP (785) has
the lighthouse heritage tourism plan, and the the highest number of tigers in the country,
first Indian lighthouse festival is being held in followed by Karnataka (563) and Uttarakhand
Goa from September 23 to 25. (560).
Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated
the Indian lighthouse festival at the iconic Fort 665. a Department of Administrative Reforms &
Aguada Lighthouse in Panjim, Goa. Public Grievances (DARPG) has released the sixth
edition of National e-Governance Service Delivery
660. a Axis Bank unveils 'NEO for Business,' a Assessment (NeSDA) " Way forward Monthly
unique Transaction Banking platform designed Report for States/UTs, which provides a detailed
specifically for Indian Micro, Small, and Medium overview of status of e-service delivery across
Enterprises (MSME's). This is the first full digital States/UTs.
solution of its kind, catering to MSMEs' real, The August monthly report sets a baseline for
present, and emerging Transaction Banking number of e-services and mandatory e-services
needs. provided by States/UTs on NeSDA " Way Forward
dashboard. It also underlines the saturation of e-
661. c The Small Industries Development Bank services provided through the State's/UT's single
of India (SIDBI) inked an agreement with the unified service delivery portal. Moreover, the
Digital Lenders Association of India (DLAI) to report assesses and compares the e-services
boost the country's fintech sector. under labour and employment sector and
The MoU aims for collaborations with SIDBI to highlights the state-specific opportunities to
develop standard protocols to expedite the transition offline services to online platforms.
adoption of digital lending partnerships including Key highlights of the Report for the month of
alliances between banks and Lending Service August, 2023 are as follows:
Providers (LSPs). e-Services:
Sivasubramanian Ramann,Chairman and - 14,736 e-services are provided across
Managing Director of SIDBI. States/UTs, which is an increase of 6.2% (869)
services from July Report
662. b ICICI Lombard General Insurance said its - 1,505 out of 2,016 mandatory e-services
Managing Director and CEO Bhargav Dasgupta (56*36 States/UTs) are available, making
saturation at 74.6%

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- Maximum number of e-services (5,502) lie in indicating 1% increment on its index weight. It
sector " local governance & utility services will reach the maximum weight threshold of 10%
- 61% i.e., 22 out 36 States/UTs have achieved in the GBI-EM Global Diversified, and
saturation of mandatory e-services in tourism approximately 8.7% in the GBI-EM Global index,
sector. This is followed by environment sector said a company statement.
53% i.e., 19 out of 36 States/UTs This would help attract higher foreign flows, as
- Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala and Odisha many overseas funds are mandated to track
provide 100% of their services through their global indices.
identified Single Unified Service Delivery Portal
i.e., e-UNNAT (1028), e-Sevanam (911) and 667. d World Pharmacist Day is celebrated each
Odisha One (404), respectively. year, on September 25, 2023, as a dedicated
e-Services in Labour and Employment Sector: occasion to recognize and honour pharmacists for
- 1,368 e-services are mapped under labour and their significant contributions to improving global
employment sector health.
- Identified sub-themes of e-services under The theme of World Pharmacist Day for this year
labour and employment sector are: is "Pharmacy Strengthening Health Systems."
- 413 e-services under Industry/Factory The history of World Pharmacist Day dates back
- 362 e-services under Workers and Labour Acts to its inception at the 2009 International
- 297 e-services under Employment related Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) Congress held in
- 276 e-services under Labour Scheme Istanbul, Turkey. This special day was
Beneficiaries established to underscore the vital significance of
- 20 e-services under Other pharmacists and pharmacy professionals in the
- Haryana provides the maximum e-services in realm of healthcare.
the sector (149), which is followed by Tamil Nadu
(96) and Jharkhand (89) 668. b ICICI Lombard approved the appointment
- Out of 26 types of distinct e-services identified of Sanjeev Mantri, presently Executive Director
under the sector, Haryana (21) provides the of the Company, as Managing Director & CEO of
maximum types of e-services and is followed by the Company with effect from December 1, 2023
Meghalaya (19). or the date of approval from Insurance
Best Practices: Regulatory and Development Authority of India,
- The Government of Bihar has launched a web- whichever is later for the period of five (5)
based Child Labour Tracking System (CLTS) consecutive years or his date of retirement
which facilitates case management of rescued whichever is earlier.
child labourers
- The Government of Gujarat has built 669. d Italian Grand Prix motorcycle racer Marco
Anubandham, that allows job seekers and job Bezzecchi on 23 September took victory from
providers to connect through auto-matching, in a pole position at the Buddh International Circuit in
transparent and user-friendly manner Noida and emerged as the winner for maiden
- The Government of Rajasthan provides the Indian GP.
single view of offerings of Rajasthan Single Sign
On, Factories and Boilers Inspection Department, 670. a S&P Global Ratings retained India's
and the Government of India's Ministry of Labour growth forecast for current fiscal at 6 per cent
& Employment, on a unified platform citing slowing world economy, rising risk of
- The Government of Uttarakhand provides subnormal monsoons and delayed effect of rate
employment opportunity to the unemployed hike.
youth in Uttarakhand through Rojgar Prayag While retaining its growth forecast for the current
portal. fiscal at 6 per cent, S&P also maintained that
India's economy will grow 6.9 per cent in both
666. b In a development that could help India 2024-25 and 2025-26 fiscal years.
attract $21 billion (Rs 1.7 lakh crore) worth of Indian economy grew 7.2 per cent in 2022-23
investments from the next fiscal, global financial fiscal year which ended March 2023.
firm JP Morgan has said it plans to include Indian
government bonds (IGBs) or government 671. c In the next 4-5 years, iPhone maker Apple
securities (G-Secs) into its benchmark Emerging has plans to scale up production in India by over
Market index. five-fold to around $40 billion (about 3.32 lakh
JP Morgan will stagger the inclusion over 10 crore), reported news agency PTI citing
months from June 28, 2024 to March 31, 2025, government sources.

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According to the report, the firm has crossed the Bangladesh took the bronze after restricting
$7 billion production mark in the last financial Pakistan to 64-9 and crawling to their target of
year. 65 in 18.2 overs in their medal playoff.
Apple manufactures iPhones in India and has This was India's second gold medal after 10m air
plans to start manufacturing Airpods from next rifle team clinched gold.
year. However the officer said that the firm has
no immediate plans to make iPads or its laptops 676. c The United Payments Interface (UPI)
in India. transactions in India surged by 62% in the first
half of 2023 compared to the same period last
672. c Centuries by Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer year. The UPI transactions reached 9.3 billion in
and Suryakumar Yadav in slog overs helped India June 2023, up from 151 million in January 2018,
reached 399 for 5 in 50 overs against Australia in primarily driven by the growth in Person-to-
the second ODI of three-match series in Indore. Merchant (P2M) transactions, a report by the
This is India's highest total against Australia in global payments service provider Worldline
the ODI format. revealed.
India become the first team in cricket history to Out of the total 51.91 billion UPI transactions
cross the 3000-six mark in ODIs. conducted between January and June this year,
29.15 billion were P2M payments, accounting for
673. a Veteran actor Waheeda Rehman will be approximately 56.1% of the total. In January
honoured with this year's Dadasaheb Phalke 2022, P2M transactions accounted for 40.3% of
Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest all UPI transactions compared to 57.5% in June
recognition in the field of Indian cinema, Union 2023, the Worldline's report India Digital
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Payments Report for H1 2023' said.The
Thakur announced on 26 September. remaining transactions, grew from 18.62 billion
Waheeda Rehman made her acting debut with transactions in H1'22 to 22.75 billion in H1'23; a
the 1955 Telugu films "Rojulu Maraayi" and 22% increase. During the same period, the value
"Jayasimha". of P2P transactions grew from ₹45.52 trillion
She made her Hindi cinema debut with "CID", to ₹63.99, a 41% increase.The report noted
the 1956 film headlined by Dev Anand. that three UPI apps -- PhonePe, Google Pay, and
In a career spanning over five decades, the Paytm-- accounted for 95.68% of all transactions
legendary actor has worked in more than 90 in terms of transaction volume, in June 2023,
films across languages. compared to 94.55% a year before. In terms of
Earlier, she has also received National Film transaction value, the 3 accounted for 93.65% in
Award for her role as a clanswoman in "Reshma June 2023 compared to 93.38% in June 2022.
and Shera" (1971).Â
She has been conferred with Padma Shri and 677. b The Scheme for Remission of Duties and
Padma Bhushan award. Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) support
which was notified till 30th September 2023 is
674. b Google announced a new transatlantic now being extended till 30th June 2024 at the
subsea cable system to connect Portugal, same rates to the existing export items. The
Bermuda, and the US, as the tech giant aims to Scheme is WTO compatible and is being
boost its internet infrastructure. implemented in an end-to-end IT environment.
Called Nuvem and named after the Portuguese The RoDTEP Scheme was introduced by the
word for "cloud," Nuvem will improve network Government as a duty remission scheme on
resiliency across the Atlantic, helping meet exports and is being implemented from 1st
growing demand for digital services. January 2021.The Scheme provides a mechanism
Expected to be ready for service in 2026, Nuvem for reimbursement of taxes, duties and levies,
will add capacity, increase reliability, and which are currently not being refunded under any
decrease latency for Google users and Google other mechanism, at the central, state and local
Cloud customers around the world. level, but which are incurred by the export
entities in the process of manufacture and
675. d Indian women's cricket team won their distribution of exported products.Under the
maiden gold medal in Asian Games 2023 in Scheme, a support of Rs. 27,018 crores has been
Hangzhou, China by defeating Sri Lanka by 19 extended for the 27 month period till
runs in final. 31.03.2023.The RoDTEP scheme operates under
a budgetary framework and for FY 23-24, a

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budget of Rs 15,070 crores is available to 'centres of excellence' in seven campuses of

support 10610 HS lines at the 8 digit level. National Institutes of Pharmaceutical Education
and Research (NIPER) at a tentative cost of Rs
678. c For the third time in a row, Kerala has 700 crore over five years.The second component
won the Centre's Arogya Manthan 2023 award would include financial assistance to large
for providing free medical treatment to the industries, micro, small and medium industries
maximum number of people in the country. The (MSME's) and startups. They will carry out
state bagged the award for the maximum research in collaboration with academic
utilisation of the Karunya Arogya Suraksha institutions as well as for in-house R&D. Around
Scheme (KASP). Rs 4,250 crore has been kept aside as financial
The Union government's National Health outlay for this component.Â
Authority Arogya Manthan 2023 awards were
announced in connection with the annual 681. b Leander Paes first Asian man to be
celebrations of the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan nominated for International Tennis Hall of Fame
Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY).Kerala India's Paes was one of six player candidates
also won the award for providing the best service announced for the Class of 2024, along with
for the visually challenged under the AB- returning nominees Cara Black, Ana Ivanovic,
PMJAY. In terms of the highest number of Carlos Moya, Daniel Nestor and Flavia Pennetta.
treatments, the awards were won by Kerala, Li Na, a Chinese woman who won two Grand
Meghalaya, and Puducherry in the categories of Slam singles titles, became the first Asian player
large state, small state, and Union Territories in the shrine based in Newport, Rhode Island,
respectively.In gender equity in service delivery, when she was inducted in 2019.
the awards were won by Karnataka, Meghalaya Paes beat Brazil's Fernando Meligeni 3-6, 6-2, 6-
and Jammu and Kashmir in the category of large 4 in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic games bronze
state, small state, and Union Territories medal playoff to become India's first and till
respectively. date, the only Olympic medallist in tennis.

679. d Pune-based Cosmos Coop Bank has 682. d Mankombu Sambasivan Swaminathan,
merged Mumbai-based troubled Sahebrao popularly known as M.S. Swaminathan, the
Deshmukh Co-operative Bank (SDC Bank) with legendary agricultural scientist and a key
itself. With this, Cosmos has added 11 branches architect of the country's 'Green Revolution,'
to its network " 10 in Mumbai and one in Satara. passed away at his residence in Chennai. During
Now, Cosmos would have 170 branches in seven his tenure in office, Swaminathan served in
states across India. In May 2023, it had merged various capacities across departments. He was
Marahta Co-op Bank. Till now it has acquired 18 appointed Director of the Indian Agricultural
small UCBs. Research Institute (1961-72), Director General of
ICAR and Secretary to the Government of India,
680. e Union Minister of Health and Family Department of Agricultural Research and
Welfare Mansukh Mandaviya launched the Rs Education (1972-79), Principal Secretary,
5,000 crore Promotion of Research and Ministry of Agriculture (1979-80), Acting Deputy
Innovation in Pharma and MedTech sector Chairman and later Member (Science and
scheme, which aims to transform India's pharma Agriculture), Planning Commission (1980-82)
medtech industry from a cost-based one to and Director General, International Rice Research
innovation-based. India accounts for only 1.5% Institute, the Philippines (1982-88).In 2004,
of the global medical devices market, while Swaminathan was appointed as chair of the
having 8% share of MedTech workforce. National Commission on Farmers, a commission
The scheme aims to strengthen research setup to look into farmer distress amid alarming
infrastructure in India, the third largest suicide cases. The commission submitted its
pharmaceutical industry in the world by volume, report in 2006 and suggested, among its
with a current market size of around $50 recommendations, that the Minimum Selling
billion. A recent report of the Pharmaceutical Price (MSP) should be at least 50 percent more
Exports Promotion Council of India suggested than the weighted average cost of
that Indian pharma exports could surge to $24 production.Swaminathan was awarded the first
billion in FY24, an increase from $23 billion in World Food Prize in 1987 following which he set
FY23. The PRIP scheme has two main up the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation
components " the first one would focus on (MSSRF) in Taramani, Chennai.Swaminathan
infrastructure building.It includes establishing has been conferred with the Padma Shri, Padma

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Bhushan and the Padma Vibhushan. He is also position.Venezuela is ranked last.India reported
the recipient of the H K Firodia award, the Lal marginal increase in the size of government
Bahadur Shastri National Award and the Indira (7.64 from 7.57) and and regulation of credit,
Gandhi Prize, apart from several international labour and business (5.98 from 5.96), while it
awards including the Ramon Magsaysay Award was down slightly in legal system and property
(1971) and the Albert Einstein World Science rights (5.29 from 5.3) and freedom to trade
Award (1986). internationally (6.19 from 6.27).

683. c Amazon is investing up to $4 billion in 688. c India's external debt rose marginally to
Anthropic and taking a minority stake in the USD 629.1 billion at June-end 2023, although the
artificial intelligence startup, the two companies debt-GDP ratio declined, according to a Reserve
said. The investment underscores how Big Tech Bank data. The debt rose by about USD 4.7
companies are pouring money into AI as they billion from USD 624.3 billion at March-end. The
race to capitalize on the opportunities that the lending to industry " small, medium and large "
latest generation of the technology is set to fuel. also slowed to 6.1 per cent Y-o-Y in August 2023
Anthropic is an AI safety and research from 11.4 per cent in August 2022.
company based in San Francisco. US dollar-denominated debt remained the largest
component of India's external debt, with a share
684. b Malayalam film 2018 is India official entry of 54.4 per cent at end-June 2023, followed by
for the Oscars. 2018, subtitled Everyone Is A debt denominated in the Indian rupee (30.4 per
Hero, is a survival drama about the floods that cent), SDR (5.9 per cent), yen (5.7 per cent),
devastated Kerala in 2018. It has been chosen as and the euro (3.0 per cent).Excluding the
India's official entry to the Best Foreign valuation effect, external debt would have
Language Film category at the 96th Academy increased by USD 7.8 billion instead of USD 4.7
Awards, making it only the fourth film from the billion at end-June 2023 over end-March
language to be chosen for the honour. 2023. Credit growth to the services sector
Directed by Jude Anthany Joseph, the film stars accelerated to 20.7 per cent Y-o-Y from 17.4 per
Tovino Thomas, Kunchacko Boban, Asif Ali, cent a year ago, primarily due to 'non-banking
Vineeth Sreenivasan, Narain and Lal. financial companies (NBFCs)' and 'commercial
real estate'. The loans to NBFC improved to 25.8
685. d Poonawalla Fincorp, a Cyrus Poonawalla per cent in August 2023 from 25.5 per cent a
group- promoted NBFC, has received Reserve year ago. The bank loans to commercial real
Bank of India's approval to issue co-branded estate showed a substantial rise to 13.9 per cent
credit card with IndusInd Bank. This partnership Y-o-Y, up from 4.8 per cent a year ago.Credit
will enable Poonawalla Fincorp to usher in a new growth to agriculture and allied activities
age of flexible and versatile retail credit. improved to 16.6 per cent Y-o-Y in August 2023
from 13.4 per cent a year ago, RBI said.
686. a India's Naorem Roshibina Devi won the
silver medal in the women's 60kg sanda wushu 689. d Global PC maker HP announced a
event at the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou, the partnership with technology giant Google to
People's Republic of China. In the final, Naorem manufacture Chromebooks in India, in line with
Roshibina Devi lost to China's Wu Xiaowei 2-0 to the government's Make in India initiative. The
settle for the second spot on the podium. devices will be manufactured at HP's Flex Facility
near Chennai. The devices manufactured in India
687. c The 'Economic Freedom of the World: will be sold solely in the Indian market and will
2021 Annual Report' by Canada's Fraser Institute not be exported to other countries.
has been released in India in conjunction with
New Delhi-based think tank Centre For Civil 690. b India retains 40th rank out of 132
Society. According to the report, Singapore economies in the Global Innovation Index 2023
topped the index. It was followed by Hong Kong, rankings published by the World Intellectual
Switzerland, New Zealand, the US, Ireland, Property Organization. India has been on a rising
Denmark, Australia, the UK, and Canada. trajectory, over the past several years in the
India has fallen one notch to the 87th position Global Innovation Index (GII), from a rank of 81
out of 165 countries on the economic freedom in 2015 to 40 in 2023.
index. The country was at the 86th spot in The country ranked first among the 37 lower-
previous year's rankings.India has been ranked middle group income and first among the 10
higher than China, which stands at the 111th economies in Central and South America.This

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year, the NITI Aayog, in partnership with the CII (NATGRID) beyond March 25, 2024, for a period
and the World Intellectual Property Organisation up to November 19, 2025.
(WIPO), is hosting, virtually, the India Launch of The NATGRID is a federal intelligence gathering
the GII 2023 on 29th September organization created to enhance the country's
2023.Switzerland, Sweden, the United States, counter-terrorism capabilities.
the United Kingdom and Singapore are the
world's most innovative economies in 2023, 694. b Bopanna-Bhosale duo won tennis mixed
according to WIPO's Global Innovation doubles gold at the Asian Games. Rutuja Bhosale
Index (GII).The GII 2023 uses 80 indicators to raised her game in nick of time while seasoned
track global innovation trends. Rohan Bopanna stayed solid with his big serves
as India came back from a set down to win the
691. d RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group-owned music tennis mixed doubles gold at the Asian Games.
label Saregama has acquired a majority stake in The victory ensured that India will return with at
digital entertainment company Pocket Aces least one tennis gold from the Asian Games in an
Pictures Pvt Ltd, the company said in a otherwise disappointing campaign.
statement. Saregama will acquire 51.8% shares
for ₹174 crore with a clear path to further 695. c Ministry of Tourism, Government of India,
acquire another 41% stake in the next 15 is delighted to announce that India will be
months at pre-agreed multiples. The transaction hosting the 46th edition of the Pacific Asia Travel
is an all-cash deal. Pocket Aces is a youth- Association (PATA) Travel Mart 2023 at the
focused digital content creator and publisher, magnificent International Exhibition-cum-
with an IP catalogue of over 3,000 content pieces Convention Centre (IECC), Pragati Maidan, in
ranging from web series and sketches to music New Delhi. The Mart is scheduled to take place
videos and reels on its channels FilterCopy, from October 4th to 6th 2023.
Nutshell and Gobble. The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA)
founded in 1951, with its Head Quarters in
692. d The Reserve Bank of India imposed a Bangkok, is a renowned not-for-profit association
monetary penalty of ₹23 lakh (Rupees Twenty recognized internationally for its role as a
Three lakh only) on Saraswat Co-operative Bank catalyst in the responsible development of travel
Limited, Mumbai for contravention of various and tourism in the Asia Pacific region.
provisions Banking Regulation Act, 1949 (BR PATA Travel Mart is one of the important
Act), and the directions issued by RBI on 'Loans international trade exhibitions catering to the
and advances to directors, their relatives, and tourism sector and it serves as a platform for
firms/concerns in which they are interested'. trade interactions between global buyers and
The Bassein Catholic Co-operative Bank Ltd, sellers mostly from the Asia Pacific region.
Vasai, Maharashtra, faced a monetary penalty The Mart will bring together exhibitors and
of ₹25 lakh (Rupees Twenty Five lakh only) attendees from diverse sectors, offering a unique
the RBI said in an order dated September 22, platform for networking, learning and
2023 for contravention of the provisions of collaboration.
Section 20 read with Section 56 of the Banking
Regulation Act, 1949 (BR Act), and the directions 696. b South Indian Bank has appointed PR
issued by RBI on 'Exposure Norms and Statutory Seshadri as its managing director and chief
/ Other Restrictions'.The Bassein Catholic Co- executive officer effective from October 1. He will
operative Bank had granted multiple unsecured succeed Murali Ramakrishnan who served at the
loans to one of its director/his proprietorship post from October 1, 2020 till September 30,
firm.The Reserve Bank imposed a monetary 2023. Sh. Seshadri has served, amongst other
penalty of ₹13 lakh (Rupees Thirteen lakh positions, as Managing Director & CEO of The
only) on Rajkot Nagarik Sahakari Bank Ltd., Karur Vysya Bank Limited (KVB).
Rajkot for non-compliance with the directions
issued by RBI on 'Interest Rate on Deposits'. 697. c In accordance with a SEBI circular, an
intermediary who receives notification of an
693. b National Intelligence Grid (hereinafter investor's death from a nominee, joint account
referred as "NATGRID") an attached office under holder, or even a family member is required to
Ministry of Home. Affairs, Government of India. obtain and verify the investor's death certificate
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet and PAN. This should be completed by the next
(ACC) has approved an extension in Goyal's day after receiving the information and can be
tenure as the CEO, National Intelligence Grid done through online or offline modes.

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· If the person notifying the death is unable to weighted estimate of the present value of all
provide the required details, the account shall be cash shortfalls from an instrument.
kept on hold until such details are obtained. The
status would be revoked only after conducting 700. e The Reserve Bank of India has included
proper due diligence.' 23 more banks under its UDGAM portal launched
· On verification, the intermediary shall make a to help the public search for unclaimed deposits.
KYC update request to the KYC Registration The Unclaimed Deposits Gateway to Access
Agency (KRA) on the same day to update the information platform now has 30 lenders,
investor's status. It will also block all debit according to a statement by the RBI. The search
transactions from the investor's account. facility for the lenders was activated on the
However, later, after contacting the investor, if portal on Sept. 28, the RBI said
the information turns out to be false, an update · The banking regulator launched the centralised
regarding the same should be made to KRA on UDGAM portal on Aug. 17 to help members of
the same day. the public to identify and approach their
· The KRA is also bound to undertake an respective banks for claiming unclaimed deposits.
independent verification of death before it blocks A total of Rs 35,000 crore as of February 2023
the account permanently. This includes were unclaimed by the public and was
verification of the death certificate as well as due transferred to the RBI by the public sector banks,
diligence with other intermediaries. according to a response to parliamentary query.'
· Once the accounts are blocked permanently, · Initially, only seven banks, State Bank of
the intermediary shall take the necessary steps India, Punjab National Bank, Central Bank
for the transmission of the investment within five of India, Dhanlaxmi Bank Ltd., South Indian
days. Bank Ltd., DBS Bank India Ltd. and Citibank
N.A. were onboarded onto the UDGAM
698. b Slice, a financial technology company, portal.
said, Slice and North East Small Finance Bank · The 23 banks added in the second phase are:
(NESFB) has merged with it after getting · Canara Bank
approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). · Bank of India
NESFB, which will continue to service parts of · Bank of Baroda
Northeast India, said collaborating with Slice will · Indian Bank
help it support the underserved in the financial · Union Bank of India
services space. · HDFC Bank
· Slice, among other fintechs, had stopped · Federal Bank
issuing prepaid cards loaded with credit line after · Kotak Mahindra Bank
the RBI issued a circular banning credit over · ICICI Bank
prepaid payment instruments (PPIs). · UCO Bank
· Bank of Maharashtra
699. e The Reserve Bank of India constituted an · IDBI Bank
external working group on expected credit loss · Jammu and Kashmir Bank Ltd.
(ECL) based framework for provisioning by · Punjab and Sind Bank
banks. The ECL model proposed by the regulator, · Axis Bank Ltd.
where banks have to recognize stress much · Indian Overseas Bank
earlier, is in contrast to the existing regime · Standard Chartered Bank
where banks make provisions after incurring · HSBC Ltd.
losses. · Karnataka Bank Ltd.
· The working group chaired by R. · The Karur Vysya Bank Ltd.
Narayanaswamy, former professor of IIM · Saraswat Co-operative Bank
Bangalore, will have domain experts from · IndusInd Bank Ltd.
academia and industry as also representatives · Tamilnad Mercantile Bank Ltd.
from select banks
ECL is a method of accounting for credit risk that 701. d The Reserve Bank of India has increased
is based on the loss that is likely to occur on a the existing limit for gold loans under the Bullet
loan or portfolio of loans. It is used to estimate Repayment scheme from '2 lakh to '4 lakh for
potential future losses on financial assets and to Urban Co-operative Banks that have met the
recognise those losses in the financial overall target and sub-targets under the Priority
statements. It represents the probability Sector Lending as of March-end. The move
comes on the back of sharp jump in gold prices.

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· The RBI permitted bullet repayment of gold "fully secure with robust security controls and
loans of up to '1 lakh to start with in 2007, which features".
was increased later in 2014 to '2 lakh, with the
repayment being restricted to 12 months. UCBs 704. d RBI extends prompt corrective action
are allowed to extend gold loans under Bullet framework to govt NBFCs The Reserve Bank of
repayment and Equated Monthly Instalment India has decided to extend the 'prompt
(EMI) repayment route for 12 months. corrective action (PCA) framework for non-
· Under bullet repayment, the principal and banking financial companies (NBFCs)' to
interest on a loan are paid in lump sum by a government NBFCs (except those in base layer)
borrower to a lender at the end of the loan with effect from October 1, 2024. This will be
tenure. based on the audited financials of these NBFCs
· Under EMI, a fixed amount of payment as on March 31, 2024, or thereafter. The
(includes principal and interest components) is objective of the PCA framework is to enable
made by a borrower to a lender at a specified supervisory intervention at appropriate time and
date each month. require the supervised entity to initiate and
implement remedial measures in a timely
702. a RBI extends prompt corrective action manner, so as to restore its financial health. The
framework to govt NBFCs The Reserve Bank of PCA framework is also intended to act as a tool
India has decided to extend the 'prompt for effective market discipline. The PCA
corrective action (PCA) framework for non- framework does not preclude the Reserve Bank
banking financial companies (NBFCs)' to of India from taking any other action as it deems
government NBFCs (except those in base layer) fit at any time in addition to the corrective
with effect from October 1, 2024. This will be actions prescribed in the framework.
based on the audited financials of these NBFCs
as on March 31, 2024, or thereafter. The 705. a RBI imposes '5.39 cr penalty on Paytm
objective of the PCA framework is to enable Payments Bank for KYC norms violation The
supervisory intervention at appropriate time and Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposed a monetary
require the supervised entity to initiate and penalty of '5.39 crore on Paytm Payments Bank
implement remedial measures in a timely for violating KYC norms. "This penalty has been
manner, so as to restore its financial health. The imposed in exercise of powers vested in RBI
PCA framework is also intended to act as a tool conferred under the provisions of Section
for effective market discipline. The PCA 47A(1)(c) read with Section 46(4)(i) of the
framework does not preclude the Reserve Bank Banking Regulation Act, 1949,". RBI said that
of India from taking any other action as it deems this action is based on the deficiencies in
fit at any time in addition to the corrective regulatory compliance and is not intended to
actions prescribed in the framework. pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or
agreement entered into by the bank with its
703. b RBI Directs Bank Of Baroda To Stop
Onboarding New Customers On Mobile App. The 706. b RBI slaps Rs 3.95 cr fine on Kotak
RBI directed Bank of Baroda to stop onboarding Mahindra Bank, ₹12.19 cr on ICICI Bank The
new customers on its mobile application, Bob Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Tuesday imposed
World. "This action is based on certain material a penalty of ₹3.95 crore on Kotak Mahindra Bank
supervisory concerns observed in the manner of and Rs 12.19 crore on ICICI Bank for non-
onboarding their customers onto this mobile compliance with a few regulatory norms. The
application,". It would not have a material impact action is based on regulatory compliance
on the overall business and growth plans. As of problems and is not meant to rule on the
March this year, the number of active users on legitimacy of any transaction or arrangement
Bob World doubled to 30 million from 14 million entered into by the two banks with their
at the end of the September quarter in 2022, customers. Kotak Mahindra Bank was penalised
according to the quarterly earnings presentation. for failing to conduct an annual review or due
However, the daily active users remained diligence of its service provider and for violation
stagnant at around 4 million. The bank also said of contact hours with customers, the bank also
that the RBI's decision would not impact its other faced criticism for charging interest from the
digital banking channels such as net banking, disbursement due date rather than the actual
WhatsApp banking, debit cards, ATMs, etc., while disbursement date, which is against the terms of
adding that the Bob World mobile application is sanctionICICI Bank, on the other hand, was
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where two of its directors sat on the board, the Account holders can conduct transactions without
bank also engaged in marketing and selling non- incurring any fees.
financial products and showed a negligent
attitude towards reporting frauds to the RBI 710. b HDFC Bank launched a digital banking
within the prescribed timeline. platform named XpressWay. The platform aims
to offer a swift, paperless, and self-service
707. a Sberbank becomes first Russian bank to banking experience to the bank's customers.
register with Sebi as FPI: NSDL. Sberbank of With over 30 banking products and more than 14
Russia has become the first Russian bank to services, it covers a range of financial offerings,
register with the Indian markets regulator as a from personal loans to credit cards and savings
foreign portfolio investor (FPI), according to data accounts. XpressWay is part of HDFC Bank's
available on the website of National Stock digital ecosystem, known as 'HDFC Bank NOW'.
Depository (NSDL). Sberbank of Russia, a state-
owned bank which already has a presence in 711. d Individual investors can subscribe to
India, registered with the Indian markets Floating Rate Savings Bonds, 2020 (Taxable),
regulator for a Category I FPI license. FPIs with under RBI's Retail Direct Portal The Reserve Bank
category I licence have to follow less lenient of India, in consultation with the Government of
beneficial ownership disclosures, can subscribe to India, has expanded the basket of products
overseas derivative instruments which have offered through the Retail Direct Portal, allowing
Indian stocks as underlying and also enjoy retail investors to subscribe to Floating Rate
certain taxation benefits. Category I FPI Savings Bonds (FRSBs), 2020 (Taxable). FRSBs
registration is only granted to government or are interest bearing, non-tradeable bonds, issued
government related foreign investors or by the Government of India, which are repayable
regulated entities such as banks, sovereign on the expiration of seven years from the date of
wealth funds, investment trusts, pension funds, issue. Currently, individual (retail) investors can
asset management companies. Sberbank invest in Central Government Securities,
received approval from the Reserve Bank of India Treasury Bills, State Government Securities and
(RBI) in May 2010 to set up a branch in India Sovereign Gold Bonds through the Retail Direct
and commenced its banking business from Portal. RBI-Retail Direct Scheme (RDS) was
January 2011. It acts as a key partner for Indian launched on November 12, 2021. Under the
and Russian companies in facilitating bilateral Scheme, individual investors are permitted to
trades. Industry experts expect a few more open Retail Direct Gilt account with RBI, using an
banks to follow Sberbank's suit. online portal (https://rbiretaildirect.org.in),
through which investments in Government
708. a RBI's e-Kuber will be operational on Securities can be made in primary and secondary
Sunday, March 31, 2024 as an exception. The market.
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced that
its core banking solution, e-Kuber, will be 712. d Reserve Bank of India allows premature
operational on Sunday, March 31, 2024. deposit withdrawal up to Rs 1 crore The Reserve
Traditionally, e-Kuber remains inactive on public Bank of India (RBI) has increased the threshold
holidays such as Republic Day (January 26), limit of non-callable deposits to Rs 1 crore from
Independence Day (August 15), Gandhi Jayanti Rs 15 lakh now, a move that would provide more
(October 2), as well as on the second and fourth flexibility to depositors. These new norms for
Saturdays of each month and all Sundays. This commercial and co-operative banks are
decision means that government transactions applicable with immediate effect. Banks typically
integrated with e-Kuber on March 31, 2024, will offer higher interest rates on non-callable
be recorded in the financial year 2023-24, aiding deposits. The callability feature is applicable for
in the calculation of the Government of India's non-resident (external) rupee deposits/ordinary
cash balance. non-resident deposits. Banks are allowed to offer
differential rates on interest on fixed deposits
709. b RBL Bank Introduces Subscription-Model, based on non-callability of deposits (i.e., non-
Zero Balance, GO Savings Accounts. RBL Bank availability of premature withdrawal option) in
has introduced a zero-balance digital banking addition to tenor and size of deposits, the RBI
product - GO Savings Account, which has a said. In 2019, the RBI re-defined bulk deposits
subscription-based model. RBL customers can as deposits of more than Rs 2 crore from a single
open their account in minutes by furnishing their customer, which was Rs 1 crore earlier.
PAN and Aadhaar details. Additionally, GO According to bankers, the move to increase the

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threshold for callable deposits was to align it with · The statement also mentioned that the MPC
bulk deposits definition change. remains highly alert and prepared to undertake
timely policy measures, as may be necessary, in
713. a RBI unveils framework for updating credit order to align inflation to the target and anchor
information, customers to get '100/day in case of inflation expectations.
delay The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released
the framework for compensation to customers for 715. a The government has decided to ban
delayed updation or rectification of credit manufacturing, possession and imports of electric
information by credit institutions (CIs) and credit detonator from April 2025 in view of security
information companies (CICs). The compensation concerns and public safety. In a notification, the
framework will come into effect six months from Department for Promotion of Industry and
the date of this circular. Complainants will be Internal Trade (DPIIT) has said that the central
entitled to a compensation of '100 per calendar government is of the opinion that electric
day in case their complaint is not resolved within detonator is of a "dangerous" character.
a period of thirty (30) calendar days from the
date of the initial filing of the complaint by the 716. b The Government of India today the
complainant with a CI/ CIC. constitution of the National Turmeric Board. The
National Turmeric Board will focus on the
714. b The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor development and growth of turmeric and
Shaktikanta Das announced that the monetary turmeric products in the country. India is the
policy committee (MPC) has decided unanimously largest producer, consumer and exporter of
to keep the policy repo rate unchanged at 6.50 turmeric in the world.
per cent. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) · The Board shall have a Chairperson to be
met on 4th, 5th and 6th October 2023. appointed by the Central Government, members
· As per a statement issued by the RBI today, from the Ministry of AYUSH, Departments of
after a detailed assessment of the evolving Pharmaceuticals, Agriculture & Farmers Welfare,
macroeconomic and financial developments and Commerce & Industry of the Union Government,
the outlook, it decided unanimously to keep the senior State Government representatives from
policy repo rate unchanged fourth time in a row.' three states (on rotation basis), select
· Consequently, the standing deposit facility national/state institutions involved in research,
(SDF) rate remains at 6.25 percent, and the representatives of turmeric farmers and
marginal standing facility (MSF) rate and the exporters, and have a Secretary to be appointed
Bank Rate at 6.75 per cent. The MPC also by the Department of Commerce.
decided by a majority of 5 out of 6 members to · 'In the year 2022-23, an area of 3.24 lakh ha
remain focused on withdrawal of accommodation was under turmeric cultivation in India with a
to ensure that inflation progressively aligns to production of 11.61 lakh tonnes (over 75% of
the target, while supporting growth. global turmeric production). More than 30
· The statement mentioned that the headline varieties of Turmeric are grown in India and it is
inflation had surged in July driven by tomato and grown in over 20 states in the country. The
other vegetable prices. The statement added that largest producing states of Turmeric are
it corrected partly in August, and is expected to Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil
see further easing in September on the back of Nadu.
moderation in these prices. It further added that
a silver lining amidst all these is declining core 717. c The famous Basohli Pashmina, known for
inflation, i.e., CPI excluding food and fuel. It its feather-like softness, and Udhampur's
further said, the overall inflation outlook, churned milk specialty Kalari received the
however, is clouded by uncertainties from the fall prestigious GI tag. Basohli Pashmina is a more
in kharif sowing for key crops like pulses and than 100-year-old traditional craft from Jammu
oilseeds, low reservoir levels, and volatile global and Kashmir's Kathua district. Earlier this year,
food and energy prices. the famed Basohli painting and Chikri wood from
· As per the statement issued by the RBI, the Rajouri district of Jammu division received the GI
real GDP growth for 2023-24 is projected at 6.5 tag.
per cent with Q2 at 6.5 per cent; Q3 at 6.0 per
cent; and Q4 at 5.7 per cent. It added the the 718. b The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MCA) has
risks are evenly balanced and the real GDP said that certain protection offered to a corporate
growth for Q1:2024-25 is projected at 6.6 per debtor from the recovery of dues under the
cent.

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Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) 2016 will · GST Council has recommended keeping Extra
not cover aircraft, helicopters and engines. Neutral Alcohol (ENA) used for manufacture of
· The provisions of sub-section (1) of Section 14 alcoholic liquor for human consumption outside
of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 the GST. The'Law Committee will examine
shall not apply to transactions, arrangements or suitable amendments in law to exclude ENA for
agreements, under the [Cape Town] Convention use in manufacture of alcoholic liquors for human
and Protocol, relating to aircraft, aircraft engines, consumption from ambit of GST.'
airframes and helicopters · The GST Council has also recommended
· With this notification, the Indian government exempting services of water supply, public
has officially adopted the Cape Town Convention health, sanitation conservancy, solid waste
(CTC), an international treaty that offers time- management, and slum improvement and
bound solutions for lessors to repossess aircraft, upgradation supplied to Governmental
thereby reducing their inherent risks. Lessors Authorities. The Council also recommended that
have advocated for the implementation of this the supply of all goods and services by Indian
treaty, which will grant precedence to the CTC Railways will be taxed under Forward Charge
over insolvency laws in India. Mechanism to enable them to avail Input Tax
· 'In 2008, India signed the CTC. Lessors have Credit which will reduce the cost for Indian
been urging the Indian government to pass a Railways.
parliamentary Bill to implement this treaty.
720. b In Hyderabad, the country's first solar
719. d The 52nd GST Council meeting was held roof cycling track was inaugurated. This
in New Delhi under the Chairmanship of Union innovative track named Healthway is the second
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The of its kind globally. Located on the Outer Ring
meeting was attended by Union Minister of State Road (ORR) between the main carriageway and
for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary along with Finance service road, the track will be open 24'7, giving a
Ministers of States and Union Territories. major push to the dedicated bicycling community
· Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, in the city.
several important decisions were taken relating
to GST Appellate Tribunals, GST on millets and 721. b Cabinet approves royalty rates for lithium,
molasses. She said, the council has taken a niobium, Rare Earth Elements The Centre
decision to reduce GST on molasses from 28 approved royalty rate for lithium, niobium, and
percent to 5 percent which will benefit sugarcane for Rare Earth Elements (REEs). For lithium and
farmers. niobium a royalty rate of 3% each has been
· The Finance Minister also informed that flour fixed, while for Rare Earth Elements (REEs), the
containing 70 percent millets will attract zero rate has been set at 1%. The royalty rate
percent GST if sold in other than pre-packaged approval will allow the Centre to auction lithium,
and labeled form. niobium and REEs blocks for the first time in the
· She added that if the same is sold in a pre- country. The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime
packaged'and labeled form, it will attract 5 Minister Shri Narendra Modi approved
percent GST. amendment of Second Schedule of the Mines and
· Talking about the amendments regarding Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act,
GST Appellate Tribunal, she said, the 1957 (MMDR Act) for specifying rate of royalty in
President will now have the tenure up to respect of 3 critical and strategic minerals,
the maximum age of 70 years from 67 years namely, lithium, niobium and Rare Earth
earlier, while the members' will have the Elements. Recently, the Mines and Minerals
tenure upto the maximum age limit of 67 (Development and Regulation) Amendment act,
years from 65 years earlier. 22023 was passed by the Parliament, which has
· She added that the minimum age for the come into force from 17th August, 2023. The
appointment of President and members in the Amendment, among other things, delisted six
GST Appellate Tribunal will be 50 years and minerals, including Lithium and Niobium, from
advocates with a minimum of 10 years of the list of atomic minerals, thereby allowing
experience will be considered for the grant of concessions for these minerals to private
appointment of judicial member in the Tribunbal. sector through auction. Further, the amendment
· The Finance Minister also said that the GST provided that mining lease and composite license
Council has ceded the right to tax extra- of 24 critical and strategic minerals (which are
neutral alcohol (ENA) to states. listed in Part D of the First Schedule of the Act),
including Lithium, Niobium and REEs (not

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containing Uranium and Thorium), shall be phosphate (DAP) plant of Indian Farmers
auctioned by the Central Government. Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) in
Ahmedabad ' Kalol highway in Gandhinagar.
722. d Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched IFFCO's Nano DAP (Liquid) contains 8% of
ferry services between Nagapattinam in India nitrogen and 16% of phosphorus. This can
and Kankesanthurai in Sri Lanka which is a replace a 50 kg bag of traditional DAP is
resumption after forty years. The ship will reach currently priced at Rs.1350 for farmers.
Kakesanthurai port in three hours if the weather
is normal. 727. c Centre launches 'Dark Patterns Buster
Hackathon 2023' to design & prototype
723. c Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla hands over innovative app or software The Department of
P20 Presidency to Parliament of Brazil. Lok Consumer Affairs in collaboration with IIT (BHU),
Sabha Speaker Om Birla, handed over the G20 launched Dark Patterns Buster Hackathon 2023.
Parliamentary Speakers' Summit (P20) The deliverables of the Hackathon will be to
Presidency to the President of the Chamber of design & prototype innovative app or software
Deputies of Brazil after successfully concluding based solutions such as; browser extensions,
the Ninth P20 Presidency at Yashobhoomi in plugins ,add-ons, mobile applications etc. that
Delhi. The Ninth P20 Summit was being hosted can detect the use, type and scale of dark
by Parliament of India in cooperation with IPU on patterns for e-Commerce platforms. The
October 13-14, 2023 in New Delhi. The theme of objective of the initiative is to provide protection
the Summit is Parliaments for One Earth, One to consumers from all types of unfair trade
Family, One Future, which draws inspiration from practices. The launch event was attended by law
the ancient Indian philosophy of Vasudhaiva Institutes, Higher Educational Institutes, experts
Kutumbakam (The World is one Family). from national and International Academia,
students, various companies and e-commerce
724. c The Cabinet Committee on Economic platforms in both physical and online mode.
Affairs, approved the project on Green Energy
Corridor (GEC) Phase-II ' Inter-State 728. b Prime Minister Narendra Modi has
Transmission System (ISTS) for 13 GW congratulated and extended greetings to Dr
Renewable Energy Project in Ladakh. The project Mohamed Muizzu on being elected as President
is targeted to be set up by FY 2029-30 with total of the Maldives. In a social media post, the Prime
estimated cost of Rs.20,773.70 crore and Central Minister said that India remains committed to
Financial Assistance (CFA) @ 40 percent of the strengthening the time-tested India-Maldives
project cost i.e. Rs.8,309. bilateral relationship and enhancing our overall
cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region.
725. b Delhi-Meerut RRTS: RapidX Train Now To
Be Known As NaMo Bharat India's first Regional 729. b European Union lawmakers approved new
Rapid Transport System (RRTS) will be known as standards for companies issuing "green" bonds to
NaMo Bharat, Hardeep Singh Puri said. India's help investors pick sustainable companies and
first semi-high speed regional rail service was avoid greenwashing or misleading climate-
flagged off by Prime Minister on the Priority friendly claims. The European Parliament voted
Section of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor. in favour of the new voluntary standard for the
The section between Sahibabad & Duhai Depot use of a "European Green Bond" label, calling it
has five stations -- Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, the first of its kind in the world.
Guldhar, Duhai and Duhai Depot. The RRTS is a · Europe is the world's biggest issuer of green
new rail-based, semi-high-speed, high-frequency bonds, accounting for more than half of global
commuter transit system with a design speed of volume in 2021, though issuance is still only 3%
180 kmph. This is the second time the name of to 3.5% of the overall bond market.
the RRTS, which is being developed by the · Greenwashing happens'when a company
National Capital Region Transport Corporation makes an environmental claim about
(NCRTC), has been changed. In April this year, something the organization is doing that is
the RRTS project was named RAPIDX and a logo intended to promote a sense of
of the new high-speed mass transit project was environmental impact that doesn't exist. The
released by NCRTC. green claim is typically about some form of
positive effect on the environment.
726. d Union Home Minister Amit Shah
inaugurated India's first liquid nano di-ammonia

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730. a The tallest mountain in France has shrunk

by more than 7 feet in the last two years. 734. a Robert Fico to become Slovakia's new
Researchers said that Mont Blanc stands prime minister Leftist leader Robert Fico was
4,805.59 metres tall, which is 2.2 metres shorter appointed Slovakia's prime minister for the
than its height in 2021. The Alpine peak fourth time. President Zuzana Caputova
measures 4,792 metres above sea level. appointed Fico and his cabinet after his SMER-
However, its thick covering of ice and snow gives SSD party won the Sept. 30 election and formed
rise to variations in its height from year to year. a coalition with the centre-left HLAS and
nationalist SNS parties. Fico quit as prime
731. d India has assumed the position of Vice minister in 2018.
Chair in the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA)
The 23rd Council of Ministers of IORA met in 735. d Golfer Aditi Ashok created history on
Colombo as Sri Lanka assumed the chairmanship Sunday after she became the first Indian woman
from Bangladesh. The Council of Ministers is the to win a golf medal at the Asian Games and took
highest decision-making body of IORA. India has the total tally of Golf medals by India at the
assumed the Vice Chair in the Indian Ocean Rim continental meet to 7. Before, Ashok's Silver
Association (IORA) for the next two years. The medal at Hangzhou, India had won six medals in
IORA, an intergovernmental organization golf at the Asian Games but all of them had been
established in 1997, comprises 23 member earned by male golfers. The young golfer hoped
states and 11 dialogue partners hailing from that her experience at the Hangzhou games
regions surrounding the Indian Ocean. could result in a medal for her at the Paris 2024
Olympics. She said, 'These type of events are so
732. b Daniel Noboa to become Ecuador's different from regular golf tournaments. Just
youngest-ever President Daniel Noboa will being able to have a good performance, living in
become Ecuador's youngest-ever president after the athletes' village, playing on a course I've
winning the runoff elections. Noboa received never played before ' hopefully having this
52.29% of the total votes, against rival Luisa experience will translate to something good (in
Gonzalez's 47.71%. Mr Noboa said, history was Paris), too,"
made by Ecuadorians as they chose a new future
with security and employment. 736. c ->India's Jyothi Surekha Vennam and
Pravin Ojas Deotale win gold in Compound
733. d Dubai Soars as World's Fastest- Archery Mixed Team event. ->' ' 'on ' in Women's
Recovering Services Hub in 2023 Dubai, a global 5000m. ->Annu Rani, with the best throw of
economic powerhouse, has proven its mettle as 62.92m to finish on top in the javelin throw. -
the world's fastest-recovering destination in the >Tejaswin Shankar Clinched Silver in Decathlon.
services sector, marking an impressive growth
rate of 3.2% in the first half of 2023. This 737. a In Archery, Indian men's compound
achievement has underpinned Dubai's standing archery team beat South Korea by a score of
as a leading city that defies economic challenges, 235-230 to win gold. Earlier the trio of Jyoti,
driven by visionary leadership. Dubai's success Parneet, and Aditi secured Gold in the women's
story in the first half of 2023 is marked by team compound event prevailing over Chinese
significant growth in key sectors, including Taipei with a scoreline of 230-228.
transportation, wholesale and retail trade, · In Squash, Indian mixed doubles pair Dipika
financial and insurance, accommodation and food Pallikal and Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu clinched
services, real estate, information and the gold medal after defeating the Malaysian
communication, and manufacturing. These pair. Saurav Ghosal settles with a silver against
sectors collectively contributed to about 93.9% Eain Yow NG of Malaysia in the men's individual
of growth, with the transportation and storage match.
sector leading with an astonishing 10.5% growth. · In Wrestling, Mansi in the 57kg category
A special mention goes to the services sector. It displayed sheer determination, securing victory
confirms Dubai's status as the world's fastest- against Bark Jeongae from South Korea by 2-0.
recovering destination, underpinned by its Antim Panghal defeated Bat-Ochiryn Bolortuyaa
thriving hospitality, tourism, and digital services. of Mongolia by points 3-1 in the women's 53kg to
This success showcases the emirate's resilience win bronze.
and adaptability in a rapidly changing global
landscape, setting an inspiring example for 738. e Goa is set to make history by hosting the
recovery and growth 37th edition of the National Games, featuring a

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record-breaking 43 sporting disciplines. 741. a India batting prodigy Shubman Gill

Compared to the previous edition in Gujarat, secures his second Men's Player of the Month
which featured 36 disciplines, and Kerala's 2015 crown after fluid scoring in September ODIs.
edition with 33, this year's National Games will Influential Sri Lanka skipper Chamari
be the largest ever. Athapaththu wins her first Women's Player of the
· The Olympic-style multisport event will witness Month accolade after spearheading an historic
participation from 28 states and 8 union T20I series win in England.
territories and is scheduled to take place from
October 26th to November 9th.' 742. d In a battle of future Badminton stars from
· The 37th National Games will mark the debut of India, Unnati Hooda beat Samiya Imad Farooqui
several new sports disciplines on the medal to capture the women's singles title at the Abu
stage, including beach football, roll ball, golf, Dhabi Masters 2023, on October 22. ' 16-year-
sepaktakraw, sqay martial arts, kalliyarapattu, old Unnati Hooda defeated the 20-year-old
and pencak silat. Samiya Imad Farooqui 21-16, 22-20. This is her
· Additionally, yachting and taekwondo are second BWF Super 100 World Tour title. She
making a triumphant return to the Games after became the youngest Indian to clinch a BWF title
their exclusion during the last edition. last year at 14 years of age.
· To celebrate tradition, the sports of lagori and
gatka have been included as demonstration 743. a At the 4th Asian Para Games being held in
sports, adding a unique and cultural dimension to Hangzhou, China, India began its campaign by
the event. adding 9 medals including 3 gold, 3 silver, and 3
bronze to its medal tally. ' Nishad Kumar won a
739. c The men's kabaddi team gave a stunning Gold in the men's high jump T47 category,
performance, as they clinched the gold against breaking the Asian Games record by clocking in
Iran. The men's Cricket team also bagged gold 2.02 metres. ' In women's canoeing, Prachi
after the final match against Afghanistan was Yadav bagged the first silver medal for the
called off due to rain. Another notable country. ' In the men's high jump T-63 event,
performance includes the duo of Chirag Shetty India swept the podium with Shailesh Kumar
and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy clinching gold in winning the gold, Mariyappan Thangavelu
badminton men's doubles. winning the silver and Ram Singh Padhiyar
· The Indian Men's and women's Chess team winning the bronze. ' India's Monu Ghanghas
bagged silver medal. In wrestling, Deepak Punia made the country proud by securing the bronze
held silver in men's 86kg freestyle category. medal in men's shot put by playing his best
· India has made history at the Asian Games in throw of 12.33 metres. ' In the men's club throw,
Hangzhou, China, surpassing the 100-medal Pranav Soorma, Dharambir, and Amit Siroha won
mark for the first time. the gold, silver, and bronze medals respectively.
· The nation has amassed a medal tally of 107
medals including 28 gold, 38 silver, and 41 744. a Former India captain Bishan Singh Bedi
bronze at Hangzhou. This is also only the second passed away. He was 77 years old. The
time India has won more than 100 medals in any legendary spinner played 67 Tests for India
of the three major Games - The Olympics, between 1967 and 1979 and picked 266 wickets.
Commonwealth Games, and Asian Games. He also took seven wickets in 10 One-Day
· India finished in fourth place in the Asian Internationals.
Games.The fourth-place finish was also India's
best-ever rank since the 1962 Jakarta edition 745. a State-run Indian Oil Corporation (IOC)
when India finished third. said on that its board has approved the proposal
to form joint venture companies with EverEnviro
740. d Neeraj Chopra appointed as Laureus Resource Management and GPS Renewables to
ambassador India's Neeraj Chopra, the reigning set up compressed biogas (CBG) plants in India.
Olympic and world javelin champion, was named · The board of directors approved the 'formation
a Laureus ambassador. The 25-year-old Chopra of 50:50 joint venture company in India between
became the second Indian to be named Laureus EverEnviro Resource Management Pvt. Ltd., and
ambassador after former cricketer Yuvraj Singh Indian Oil or its wholly owned subsidiary, subject
was honoured in 2017. Cricketers Kapil Dev, to approval of NITI Aayog, DIPAM etc. for setting
Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar are part of up of compressed biogas plants". Similarly, the
Laureus World Sports Academy. joint venture with GPS Renewables will also be

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formed with IOCL or a subsidiary of the public such as mobile app and website. ' The NPCI
sector major. hived off NPCI Bharat BillPay Limited as a
separate entity in early 2021. Since then, it has
746. b India & Saudi Arabia have signed a emerged as a one-stop solution for billers for
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in low-cost collections and payments. It also offers
electrical interconnections, green/clean hydrogen recurring payment services to customers across
and supply chains. While regular B2B meetings several segments. ' NPCI Bharat BillPay currently
will be held to set up a complete supply value claims to offer more than 20,000 billers across
chain in areas of cooperation, India's Power multiple banks and non-banking channels and
Ministry has said that the MoU aims to establish has over 900 agent institutions live on the
a general framework for cooperation between platform.
India and Saudi Arabia.
750. b Cabinet Approves Pact Between India,
747. c India and Tanzania announced elevating Japan On Semiconductor Supply Chain The Union
their ties to strategic partnership and agreed on Cabinet has approved a memorandum of
a five-year roadmap to significantly expand cooperation between India and Japan on a
defence cooperation following talks between Semiconductor Supply Chain Partnership. Japan
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Tanzanian has become the second Quad partner after the
President Samia Suluhu Hassan. It provides U.S. to sign an agreement with India for the joint
cooperation in the digital domain, culture, sports, development of the semiconductor ecosystem
maritime industries and white shipping and maintain the resilience of its global supply
information sharing. chain.

748. a India, Italy Ink Pact To Expand Defence 751. b Cabinet Approves Pact Between India,
Ties With Focus On Co-Development Of Military Japan On Semiconductor Supply Chain The Union
Hardware. India and Italy inked an agreement to Cabinet has approved a memorandum of
expand their defense ties including for co- cooperation between India and Japan on a
development and co-production of military Semiconductor Supply Chain Partnership. Japan
platforms following wide-ranging talks between has become the second Quad partner after the
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Italian U.S. to sign an agreement with India for the joint
counterpart Guido Crosetto in Rome. It said development of the semiconductor ecosystem
Singh suggested fostering the interaction of the and maintain the resilience of its global supply
Indian start-ups with the Italian defence chain.
companies. The signing of the pact is seen as a
major initiative to expand the defence 752. b Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and
cooperation that came nearly 2 yrs after the Safran Aircraft Engines of France signed a
defence ministry lifted the ban on memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop
AgustaWestland & its parent company Leonardo industrial cooperation in manufacturing ring
SpA. Leonardo SpA, which was earlier known as forgings for commercial aircraft engines. ' HAL
Finmeccanica, & AgustaWestland were banned in will produce LEAP (Leading Edge Aviation
2014 in the wake of allegations of corruption in a Propulsion) engine forgings at its foundry and
Rs 3,500-crore VVIP helicopters. forge facility in Bengaluru as part of the MoU. '
The products that HAL and Safran will jointly
749. d In a bid to diversify offerings, the National produce in Bengaluru will power the Airbus A320
Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)-backed Neo family and the Boeing 737 Max single-aisle
Bharat BillPay on October 19 announced its foray airliners.
into the B2B space with the launch of multiple
value-added services. ' NPCI Bharat BillPay will 753. a Cabinet approves establishment of an
offer tailored products such as flexible invoice autonomous body Mera Yuva Bharat The Union
presentation, complaint management, and MIS, Cabinet has approved establishment of an
among other things ' The Bharat BillPay-enabled autonomous body Mera Yuva Bharat (MY Bharat)
sellers will be able to issue multiple invoices to to serve as an overarchingI enabling mechanism
their buyers while their clients (buyers) will have powered by technology for youth development
the flexibility to pay multiple invoices in a single and youth led development and provide equitable
transaction ' The platform will also offer multiple access to youth to actualize their aspirations and
payment modes such as UPI, net banking, cards, build Viksit Bharat across the entire spectrum of
wallet, IMPS and cash, including other channels the Government. Mera Yuva Bharat (MY Bharat),

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an autonomous body will benefit the youth in the victory. People voted for change after six years
age group of 15-29 years, in line with the of a liberal government led for most of that time
definition of 'Youth' in the National Youth Policy. by Jacinda Ardern. With more than two-thirds of
In case of programme components specifically the vote counted, Mr. Luxon's National Party had
meant for the adolescents, the beneficiaries will about 40% of the vote.
be in the age group of 10-19 years. The Mera
Yuva Bharat (MY Bharat) will be launched on 759. a MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi
31st October, 2023 on National Unity Day. appointed India's ambassador to UN in Geneva.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam
754. c Government extended the tenure of Bagchi has been appointed India's permanent
Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) Chairman representative to the United Nations (UN) and
Nitin Gupta by nine months. The government other international organisations in Geneva. In
order said the Appointments Committee of the Geneva, Bagchi would succeed Indra Mani
Cabinet (ACC) has approved the re-appointment Pandey who is set to return to New Delhi. Earlier,
of Gupta as the CBDT Chairman on a contract Bagchi served as ambassador to Croatia and
basis, with effect from 1. 10. 2023 till 30. 06. deputy high commissioner to Sri Lanka.
2024. The CBDT is the apex policy-making body
for the Income-tax department. It is headed by a 760. a Dr Meenesh Shah, Chairman & MD, NDDB
chairman and can have six members who are in elected to Board of International Dairy
the rank of special secretary. Federation. National Dairy Development Board
(NDDB) Chairman and Managing Director
755. a General Insurance Corporation of India Meenesh C. Shah has been elected to the Board
(GIC Re) appointed Ramaswamy Narayanan as of the International Dairy Federation (IDF). He is
its new Chairman and Managing Director (CMD), the Member Secretary of the Indian National
effective from October 1, 2023. He will replace Committee and also a member of the Standing
Devesh Srivastava, whose four-year term ended Committee on Dairy Policy and Economics.
in September. Financial Services Institution
Bureau (FSIB) recommended Ramaswamy as the 761. a Raghubar Das appointed governor of
head of GIC Re in June 2023. Odisha, Indra Sena Reddy Nallu of Tripura.
Former Jharkhand chief minister Raghubar Das
756. b The Appointments Committee of the and Telangana BJP leader Indra Sena Reddy
Cabinet has given its nod for extending the Nallu have been appointed as the governors of
tenure of SBI Chairman Dinesh Kumar Khara till Odisha and Tripura, respectively. Das, currently
August 28, 2024. Khara was appointed as a national vice president of the BJP, was the first
Chairman of the country's largest commercial non-tribal chief minister of Jharkhand from 2014
bank on October 7, 2020, for a period of three to 2019. He has been appointed to the
years. The current norms stipulate that a person gubernatorial post in place of Prof. Ganeshi Lal.
can hold the post of SBI Chairman up to the age Mr. Reddy succeeds Satyadeo Narain Arya as the
of 63. Tripura governor.
· The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet
has also approved the extension of the tenure of 762. b Senior Diplomat Indra Mani Pandey
Ashwini Kumar Tiwari as the managing director Appointed As Secretary General Of BIMSTEC
for two years beyond January 27, 2024. Indra Mani Pandey will be the new secretary
general of the seven-nation grouping BIMSTEC,
757. a HDFC AMC's Navneet Munot elected as in a first for an Indian official to be appointed to
chairman of AMFI Association of Mutual Funds in the influential position of the regional bloc.
India (AMFI) said Navneet Munot, MD and CEO of Besides India, the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal
HDFC Asset Management, has been elected as Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and
the chairman of the industry body. In addition to Economic Cooperation) comprises Sri Lanka,
AMFI chairman, the board of the industry body Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Nepal and
also elected Anthony Heredia, MD and CEO of Bhutan.
Mahindra Manulife Mutual Fund as its vice-
chairman. 763. a Kotak Mahindra Bank gets RBI nod to
appoint Ashok Vaswani as MD & CEO for 3 years
758. c Conservative Former businessman Kotak Mahindra Bank said that the Reserve Bank
Christopher Luxon will be New Zealand's next of India (RBI) has approved the appointment of
Prime Minister after winning a decisive election Ashok Vaswani as the bank's next Managing

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Director & Chief Executive Officer (MD & CEO) Weissman. Karik' and Weissman came to the
following veteran banker and founder Uday conclusion that specific characteristics were
Kotak's resignation from the post last month required to separate the various mRNA types. '
after being associated with the bank for 21 The 2022 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
years. Vaswani's appointment is for a period of winner Svante Paabo, directs the Max Planck
three years. Currently, he is President of Pagaya Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in
Technologies Ltd - a US-Israeli AI Fintech. Leipzig, Germany, was recognised for his
groundbreaking work in extracting and analysing
764. a Akbar Al Baker, the chief executive officer DNA from ancient bones, particularly those of
of Qatar Airways, the country's flag carrier Neanderthals.
announced his decision to step down from his
role after a 27-year tenure. The Qatari 768. b The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
government, which manages the affairs of the has decided to award the 2023 Nobel Prize in
airline, has decided to appoint Badr Mohammed Physics to Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz and
Al-Meer as his successor. Baker would continue Anne L'Huillier"for experimental methods that
to discharge his role as the CEO till November 5. generate attosecond pulses of light for the study
of electron dynamics in matter". The Nobel Prize
765. c Actor Rajkummar Rao appointed Election in Physics 2022 was awarded jointly to Alain
Commission's national icon The Election Aspect, John F. Clauser and Anton Zeilinger. Eva
Commission appointed actor Rajkummar Rao as Olsson, Chair of the Nobel Committee for
its national icon. Chief Election Commissioner Physics.
Rajiv Kumar formally appointed Rao to the title. · Lawrence Bragg holds the distinction of being
National icons are appointed to motivate voters the youngest Nobel Prize laureate in physics to
to participate in elections. Earlier this month, the date, receiving the award alongside his father in
EC announced that over 161 million people 1915 at the age of 25. Arthur Ashkin became the
across five states states will vote in the oldest Nobel Prize laureate in physics to date
upcoming assembly elections. Election when he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2018 at
Commission of India, Founded: 25 January 1950. the age of 96.
· The three Nobel Laureates in Physics 2023 are
766. d Former tax officer Sandip Garg, who being recognised for their experiments, which
previously served as the executive director of the have given humanity new tools for exploring the
Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI), world of electrons inside atoms and molecules,
has been appointed as a whole-time member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said in
the bankruptcy regulator. Garg, a 1992-batch its press release.
Indian Revenue Service officer, had a wide range · Pierre Agostini (Professor, The Ohio State
of responsibilities during his tenure at the IBBI. ' University, Columbus, USA), Ferenc Krausz
Before the latest appointment, the board of the (Director at Max Planck Institute of Quantum
insolvency regulator comprised chairman Ravi Optics, Garching and Professor at Ludwig-
Mittal, two whole-time members and four ex- Maximilians-Universit't M'nchen, Germany), and
officio members. Anne L'Huillier (Professor at Lund University,
Sweden) have demonstrated a way to create
767. e The Nobel Prize in Physiology for 2023 extremely short pulses of light that can be used
has been awarded to Katalin Kariko, & Drew to measure the rapid processes in which
Weissman for their discoveries concerning electrons move or change energy, the release
nucleoside base modifications that enabled the said.
development of effective mRNA vaccines against · The laureates' experiments have produced
Covid-19. Svante P'bo was awarded the prize for pulses of light so short that they are measured in
Physiology in 2022 "for his discoveries attoseconds, thus demonstrating that these
concerning the genomes of extinct hominins and pulses can be used to provide images of
human evolution". ' The youngest medicine processes inside atoms and molecules.'
laureate ever is Frederick G. Banting, who was
awarded the 1923 Medicine Prize for the 769. a The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
discovery of insulin at the age of 32. ' In vitro has decided to award the Nobel Prize in
produced mRNA is seen by dendritic cells as a Chemistry 2023 to, 'Moungi G. Bawendi
foreign material, which causes them to become Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT),
activated and release inflammatory signalling Cambridge, MA, USA 'Louis E. Brus Columbia
molecules, as discovered by Karik' and University, New York, NY, USA 'Alexei I. Ekimov

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Nanocrystals Technology Inc., New York, NY, Peace Prize was awarded to human rights
USA "for the discovery and synthesis of quantum advocate Ales Bialiatski from Belarus, the
dots" Prize amount: 11 million Swedish kronor, Russian human rights organisation Memorial and
to be shared equally between the Laureates. the Ukrainian human rights organisation Center
· The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2023 rewards the for Civil Liberties.
discovery and development of'quantum dots,
nanoparticles so tiny that their size determines 772. c The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
their properties. These smallest components of has decided to award the 2023 Sveriges
nanotechnology now spread their light from Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory
televisions and LED lamps, and can also guide of Alfred Nobel to Claudia Goldin 'for having
surgeons when they remove tumour tissue, advanced our understanding of women's labour
among many other things. market outcomes.' Goldin is the 55th recipient of
· "Quantum dots now illuminate computer the prize and the third woman to receive the
monitors and television screens based on QLED award since its inception in 1969.
technology. They also add nuance to the light of · "This year's economic sciences laureate Claudia
some LED lamps, and biochemists and doctors Goldin showed that female participation in the
use them to map biological tissue. Quantum dots labor market did not follow an upward trend over
are thus bringing the greatest benefit to a 200-year period, but instead formed a U-
humankind. Researchers believe that in the shaped curve."
future they could contribute to flexible · Last year, Ben Bernanke, Douglas Diamond,
electronics, tiny sensors, thinner solar cells and and Philip Dybvig received the Nobel Prize in
encrypted quantum communication ' so we have Economic Sciences.
just started exploring the potential of these tiny · Claudia Goldin, a professor at Harvard is only
particles", the academy said. the third woman to ever be awarded the
· Carolyn R. Bertozzi, Morten Meldal and K. economics prize ' with just two since it was first
Barry Sharpless won the'2022 Nobel Prize in awarded in 1969 ' Elinor Ostrom in 2009 and
Chemistry'for the development of click chemistry Esther Duflo in 2019.
and bioorthogonal chemistry".
· Fr'd'ric Joliot became the youngest Nobel Prize 773. a The Department of Water Resources,
laureate in chemistry to date when he received River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation
the chemistry prize in 1935 at the age of 35, (DoWR, RD & GR), under the Ministry of Jal
along with his wife Ir'ne Joliot-Curie. John B. Shakti, has initiated the 5th National Water
Goodenough, who received the Nobel Prize in Awards (NWA), 2023 through the Rashtriya
Chemistry in 2019, holds the distinction of being Puraskar portal. The deadline for submitting
the oldest laureate in the field to date, having applications is set for December 15, 2023. The
been awarded the prize at the age of 97. primary objective of the National Water Awards
is to encourage stakeholders to adopt a
770. c The Nobel Prize in Literature 2023 is comprehensive approach to water resource
awarded to the Norwegian author Jon Fosse, "for management, recognizing the crucial roles played
his innovative plays and prose which give voice by both surface water and groundwater in the
to the unsayable." His immense oeuvre written in larger water cycle. The inaugural National Water
Norwegian Nynorsk and spanning a variety of Awards were launched in 2018, and the
genres consists of a wealth of plays, novels, distribution ceremony took place on February 25,
poetry collections, essays, children's books and 2019, in New Delhi, with 82 winners recognized
translations. across 14 categories. Eligibility The National
· This year, the prize money to be awarded to Water Awards (NWAs) are open to a wide range
the winner has been hiked to 11 million Swedish of entities and individuals, including: - States -
kronor from 10 million SEK. Districts - Village Panchayats - Urban Local
· French author Annie Ernaux, whose work Bodies - Schools and Colleges - Institutions
provides an insight into life and society in (other than schools or colleges) - Industries -
modern-day France, won this prestigious award Civil society organizations - Water User
last year. Associations - Individuals Trophy & Citation The
National Water Awards recognize outstanding
771. d Jailed Iranian women rights' activist contributions in various categories related to
Narges Mohammadi has been conferred with the water conservation and management. Here is a
2023 Nobel Peace Prize, the Norwegian Nobel summary of the awards and their associated
Committee announced on October 6. The 2022 prizes: Best State: Trophy and Citation. Best

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District: Trophy and Citation. Best Village on the index stated. Wasting is measured based
Panchayat: Cash prize of Rs. 2 lakhs, Trophy, on children's weight relative to their height. The
and Citation. Best Urban Local Body: Cash prize report also said that the prevalence of anemia in
of Rs. 2 lakhs, Trophy, and Citation. Best women aged between 15 and 24 years stood at
School/College: Cash prize of Rs. 2 lakhs, 58.1 per cent. The 2023 GHI score for the world
Trophy, and Citation. Best Institution (other than is 18.3. For the 2023 GHI report, data were
school/college): Cash prize of Rs. 2 lakhs, assessed for 136 countries.
Trophy, and Citation. Best Industry: Cash prize
of Rs. 2 lakhs, Trophy, and Citation. Best Civil 776. c The Centre's health insurance scheme
Society: Cash prize of Rs. 2 lakhs, Trophy, and Ayushmn Bharat Pradhan Mantri - Jan Arogya
Citation. Best Water User Association: Cash prize Yojana (AB PM-JAY) has crossed the milestone of
of Rs. 2 lakhs, Trophy, and Citation. Best generating 26 crore Ayushman cards across the
Individual for Excellence: Cash prize of Rs. 2 country, the health ministry said in a statement.
lakhs, Trophy, and Citation. The cash prizes vary With four crore cards, Uttar Pradesh tops the list
for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd winners in each of states with the highest number. Madhya
category. The 1st winner receives Rs. 2 lakhs, Pradesh and Chhattisgarh stand at number 2 &
the 2nd winner receives Rs. 1.5 lakhs, and the 3. MP (3.69 crore) and Chattisgarh (2.04 crore)
3rd winner receives Rs. 1 lakh. These awards aim Ayushman cards, respectively. The health
to encourage and acknowledge exceptional ministry further said in the statement 49 per cent
contributions in the field of water resource Ayushman cards are held by female beneficiaries.
management in India. The AB PM-JAY has successfully catered to 5.7
crore hospital admissions costing more than Rs
774. c President Droupadi Murmu to confer 70,000 crore. The flagship scheme being
National Film Awards in New Delhi. President implemented by the National Health Authority
Droupadi Murmu has conferred the 69th National (NHA) provides a health cover of Rs 5 lakh per
Film Awards in New Delhi. 'Rocketry: The Nambi family per year for secondary and tertiary care
Effect' directed by R Madhavan has been hospitalisation to 12 crore beneficiary families.
adjudged as the Best Feature Film for the year The NHA has launched the 'Ayushman App' to
2021. Allu Arjun has won the Best Actor Award generate Ayushman card. The app has a unique
for 'Pushpa: The Rise'. Alia Bhatt and Kriti Sanon feature of self-verification, which enables users
will share the Best Actress Award for 'Gangubai to generate Ayushman card in four steps without
Kathiawadi' and 'Mimi'. Pallavi Joshi will get the visiting any centre, the statement said.
Best Supporting Actress Award for 'Kashmir Files'
and Pankaj Tripathi will get the Best Supporting 777. b Pointing out that tax evasion is enabling
Actor Award for 'Mimi'. RRR bagged the award billionaires to enjoy effective tax rates equivalent
for Best Popular Film providing wholesome to 0% to 0.5% of their wealth, the European
entertainment and 'The Kashmir Files' directed Union Tax Observatory in its 'Global Tax Evasion
by Vivek Agnihotri will get the Nargis Dutt award Report 2024' has called for a global minimum tax
for Best Film on National Integration. on billionaires equal to 2% of their wealth. ' The
report justified the proposal by noting that while
775. c India Ranks 111th On Global Hunger the number of taxpayers affected by it would be
Index-2023 India ranked 111th out of 125 miniscule, the tax rate for them (2%) 'would still
countries in the Global Hunger Index-2023. The be very modest' given that the wealth of
index also stated that India has the highest child billionaires has grown at 7% a year annually on
wasting rate in the world at 18.7%, reflecting average since 1995 (net of inflation).
acute undernutrition. With a score of 28.7 in the
Global Hunger Index-2023, India has a level of 778. b Mumbai was the second most polluted
hunger that is serious, according to a report city among 109 places tracked by IQAir, a Swiss
based on the index. India's neighbouring technology company measuring air quality in
countries Pakistan (102nd), Bangladesh (81st), real-time. Air quality index (AQI) score is based
Nepal (69th) & Sri Lanka (60th) have fared on the US system where a score of between 0-50
better than it in the index. South Asia & Africa is good, 51-100 is moderate, 101-150 is
South of the Sahara are the world regions with unhealthy for sensitive groups, 151-200 is
the highest hunger levels, with a GHI score of 27 unhealthy, 201-300 is very unhealthy and >301
each, indicating serious hunger. "India has the is hazardous. Delhi was the sixth most polluted
highest child wasting rate in the world, at 18.7%, city. Beijing, meanwhile, took the top spot. The
reflecting acute undernutrition," the report based concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5)

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in Mumbai was 14.7 times the World Health initiative is focused on increasing investments in
Organization (WHO) guideline of five micrograms environmental sustainability and'low-carbon
per cubic metre. In Delhi, it was 9.8 times the emission strategies.
guideline value. · The joint initiative is focused on increasing
investments in environmental sustainability
779. a World Mental Health Day is observed on and'low-carbon emission strategies.
October 10th every year. It is a day dedicated to · The IJF is NIIF's first bi-lateral fund, with the
raising awareness about mental health issues government of India contributing 49 percent of
and promoting mental well-being globally. The the target corpus and JBIC contributing the
theme for the World Mental Health Day 2023 is remaining 51 percent.
'Mental Health is a Universal Human Right.' · NIIF Limited (NIIFL) and JBIC IG (a subsidiary
World Mental Health Day was celebrated for the of JBIC) will support NIIFL in promoting Japanese
first time on October 10, 1992. investments in India and manage the $600
million fund.
780. d Indian Army wins gold medal in Cambrian
Patrol 2023 military exercise in UK. The Indian 783. d NPCI International Payments Ltd, the
Army won a gold medal at the Cambrian Patrol international arm of the National Payment
Competition 2023 International Military Exercise Corporation of India inked an agreement with Al
in Wales, UK. A team from 3/5 Gorkha Rifles Etihad Payments of UAE to provide real-time and
(Frontier Force) represented the Indian Army at cost-effective cross-border remittances for the
the prestigious Cambrian Patrol Exercise in users of both countries. It would be as seamless
Wales, UK, the Army said. Exercise Cambrian as a domestic transaction, using a beneficiary
Patrol, organized by the UK Army, is considered identifier (mobile number VPA).
the ultimate test of human endurance and team · The objectives of the agreement include
spirit and is sometimes referred to as the integrating the Unified Payments Interface (UPI)
Olympics of Military Patrolling among militaries in of India and the Instant Payments Platform (IPP)
the world. In the year 2021, the Indian Army of the UAE, to process cross-border transactions
also won a gold medal at the Cambrian Patrol between two countries more efficiently; and
Exercise held in the UK while competing against interlinking card switches of the two countries --
96 teams including 17 international teams RuPay switch and UAESWITCH -- to facilitate the
representing Special Forces and prestigious mutual acceptance of their domestic cards and
Regiments from around the world. processing of card transactions directly without
relying on any other network.
781. b The ICC named legendary Sachin · The Central Bank of the UAE introduced
Tendulkar as the 'Global Ambassador' for the UAESWITCH in 1996 to link the Automated Teller
men's Cricket World Cup 2023 beginning on Machine (ATM) network of all banks in the UAE,
October 5 in Ahmedabad. Tendulkar, who has an enabling customers of different banks to use any
enviable record of featuring in six 50 over World ATM and Point of Sale (POS) facilities in the UAE.
Cups in his decorated career, will walk out with · The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), along with
the World Cup trophy before the opening match NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL), has
between England and New Zealand. been engaging with the Central Bank of the UAE
· The biggest Cricket World Cup ever will also (CBUAE) to link fast payment systems (FPS) and
witness an eclectic cast of ICC ambassadors ' bilateral acceptance of domestic cards between
West Indies legend Vivian Richards, South India and the UAE.
Africa's AB de Villiers, England World Cup- · Following several rounds of discussions in this
winning skipper Eoin Morgan, Australia's Aaron regard, including a meeting between the RBI and
Finch, Sri Lanka spin great Muttiah Muralitharan, CBUAE (The Central Bank of the UAE) in January
New Zealand's Ross Taylor, India's Suresh Raina this year, CBUAE shared a draft MOU for
and ex-captain Mithali Raj and Pakistan all- collaboration on linkages of FPS, cards, and
rounder Mohammad Hafeez. messaging systems. In 2022, the National
Payments Corporation Of India (NPCI), the
782. c The National Investment and umbrella organisation that offers UPI services,
Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) and the Japan Bank signed an MoU with France's fast and secure
for International Cooperation (JBIC) jointly online payment system called Lyra.
launched the India-Japan Fund (IJF). The $600 · In 2023, UPI and Singapore's PayNow signed an
million fund has the JBIC and Government of agreement, allowing users in either country to
India (GoI) as its anchor investors. The joint make cross-border transactions.

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· The UAE, Bhutan, and Nepal have already Market TVS Motor Company, a global
adopted the UPI payment system. manufacturer of two-wheeler and three-
· NPCI International is in talks to extend UPI wheelers, announced its entry into the
services in the U.S., European countries, and Venezuelan market through an exchange filing.
West Asia. This makes TVS Motor the first Indian automobile
· UPI is an instant real-time payment system manufacturer to enter the market with a host of
developed by NPCI facilitating inter-bank 14 SKUs for the enthusiastic riders of Venezuela,
transactions. with their local distributor, SERVISUMINISTROS
Mr. Ritesh Shukla, CEO ' NPCI International JPG.
Payments Limited (NIPL).
787. b The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has
784. d In an unprecedented development where granted approval for a USD 175 million loan to
India had already served two terms as President, enhance road connectivity and climate resilience
Asia- Pacific Institute for Broadcasting in Madhya Pradesh, India. ADB has played a
Development (AIBD) General Conference (GC) pivotal role in supporting the development of
from 2018 ' 2021 and 2021 ' 2023, India has road networks in Madhya Pradesh since 2002.
been elected as President of AIBD GC for the 3rd This endeavour has led to the enhancement of
successive term to lead the prestigious over 9,000 kilometres of state highways and
international organisation. major district road
· AIBD, established in 1977 under the auspices of
UNESCO, is a unique regional inter-governmental 788. b Competition Commission of India (CCI)
organisation, currently has 92 member has become a member of the steering group of
organisations from across 44 countries, including the International Competition Network (ICN). CCI
26 Government Members (countries) represented joins the prestigious Steering group of
by 48 broadcasting authorities and broadcasters, International Competition Network (ICN) as a
and 44 Affiliates (organisations) of which member at the ICN Annual Conference 2023 at
represented by 28 countries and regions in Asia, Barcelona, Spain after consistent efforts. The ICN
Pacific, Europe, Africa, Arab States and North comprises 140 competition agencies from 130
America. countries. This is the first time that the CCI has
· India is one of the founding members of AIBD become a member of the ICN's steering group
and Prasar Bharati, India's public service and the membership is for two years
broadcaster is the representative body of the
Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Govt. of 789. a Indian Oil launches country's first
India at AIBD. reference fuel; to fully meet domestic demand
· The 21st General Conference & Associated State-run Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL)
Meetings 2023 (GC 2023) of Asia- Pacific launched India's first gasoline and diesel
Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD) reference fuel, used by automobile
was chaired by its President Shri Gaurav manufacturers for testing vehicles. Production of
Dwivedi, CEO Prasar Bharati and concluded these specialised fuel by Indian Oil not only
successfully from 02-04 October, 2023 in Port reduces India's dependence on imports but also
Louis, Mauritius.' catapults country's energy industry to the select
global players armed with exclusive
785. a India has assumed the position of Vice competencies. his is the first time that India is
Chair in the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) venturing into the production of Reference
The 23rd Council of Ministers of IORA met in Gasoline and Diesel Fuels. The home-grown
Colombo as Sri Lanka assumed the chairmanship development of these products in-line with
from Bangladesh. The Council of Ministers is the international benchmarks testifies to the
highest decision-making body of IORA. India has brilliance and relentless hard work of IndianOil.
assumed the Vice Chair in the Indian Ocean Rim Reference fuels are required by automobile
Association (IORA) for the next two years. The manufacturers for developing engines and
IORA, an intergovernmental organization assessing vehicles' performance to ensure
established in 1997, comprises 23 member operability in all the global climatic conditions.
states and 11 dialogue partners hailing from Currently, these reference fuels are being
regions surrounding the Indian Ocean. imported by India from select companies of
Europe and the US.
786. d TVS Motor Becomes First Indian
Automobile Manufacturer To Enter The Venezuela

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790. c Kasaragod becomes first district in India Information Security Officers) Council, a first-of-
to declare official tree, flower, bird, species its-kind initiative in India at the Cyberabad Police
Kasaragod district has become the first district in Commissionerate. The CISO council will tackle
India to officially designate its own tree, flower, cyber security threats in real time by partnering
bird and species. The decision is a testament to with public and private institutions.
the region's rich biodiversity and natural
heritage. The white-bellied sea eagle, native to 794. b CM Adityanath declares Gangetic Dolphin
the region spanning from Mahe to Manjeswaram, as U.P's aquatic animal Uttar Pradesh declared
has been declared as the official bird of the Gangetic Dolphin state aquatic animal. These
Kasaragod district, Kerala. The official tree of the dolphins are found in rivers like Ganga, Yamuna,
district is 'Kanjiram' (Strychnos nux-vomica Chambal, Ghaghra, Rapti, and Gerua. The
Linn), a species deriving its name from 'kasara', estimated population of Gangetic dolphins in the
meaning wormwood, from which the name of the state is around 2000.
district originates. This declaration has played a
vital role in conserving these trees, preventing 795. b Govt approves inclusion of Jamrani Dam
their unnecessary felling.Notably, White Bellied under PMKSY-AIBP The government approved
Sea Hawk is listed under Schedule I of the the inclusion of the Jamrani Dam Multipurpose
Wildlife Protection Act, and its nest-building Project of Uttarakhand under the Pradhan Mantri
habits play a crucial role in protecting the trees Krishi Sinchayee Yojana-Accelerated Irrigation
where it resides. Kasaragod has also chosen the Benefit Programme (PMKSY-AIBP), which will
Cantor's Giant Softshell Turtle, locally known as cost Rs 2,584 crore. The project envisages the
'Bheemanama', as the district species. This rare construction of a dam near Jamrani village across
species is listed on the Red List of Endangered river Gola, a tributary of river Ram Ganga, in the
Freshwater Turtles and relies on estuaries for Nainital district. The dam will feed the existing
laying eggs, making its conservation particularly Gola barrage through its 40.5 km length of canal
critical. The district flower, 'Periya Polathali' or system and 244 km long canal system completed
Crinum malabarica, with its distinctive white in 1981.
flowers tinged with red, is another remarkable
addition to the list. This plant is found exclusively 796. d Japan Becomes 1st Country Ever To Fire
in the streams originating from the laterite hills Electromagnetic Railgun From An Offshore Vessel
in Kasaragod, emphasizing its significance Japan has successfully test-fired a medium-
caliber maritime electromagnetic railgun from an
791. b Odisha govt to launch programme to offshore platform as it continues to advance its
promote maize cultivation The Odisha cabinet defenses in the face of burgeoning regional
decided to launch a programme under the crop security threats. For the test, the Japanese
diversification initiative to enhance the Maritime Self-Defense Force collaborated with
production and productivity of maize and the Acquisition Technology & Logistics Agency
improve the value chain of its marketing. The (ATLA), a Japanese Ministry of Defense division
scheme - Mukhyamantri Maka Mission (MMM) - ATLA announced the successful testing, claiming
will be implemented in a "more scientific and that this was the first time any nation had
progressive way" which now envisages ease of achieved such a feat since maritime railguns are
doing for enhancement of area and production. obviously mounted on ships. Japan hopes to use
the railgun on land and at sea. Thus, the test
792. b The Telangana State government would be a significant advancement for this novel
launched the 'Chief Minister's Breakfast Scheme' technology.
for all school children studying in government
schools besides, those being run by the 797. b CCI becomes member of International
Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs). The breakfast Competition Network's steering group.
for all students from Class 1 to 10 will be served Competition Commission of India (CCI) has
45 minutes before the commencement of become a member of the steering group of the
classes. The scheme was first introduced in Tamil International Competition Network (ICN). CCI
Nadu. joins the prestigious Steering group of
International Competition Network (ICN) as a
793. d Telangana Police Launches India's First member at the ICN Annual Conference 2023 at
Law Enforcement CISO Council Telangana Police Barcelona, Spain after consistent efforts. The ICN
with support from the IT industry and academia, comprises 140 competition agencies from 130
have launched the Law Enforcement CISO (Chief countries. This is the first time that the CCI has

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become a member of the ICN's steering group submit their proposals for the appointment of
and the membership is for two years WTD(s) within a period of four months,". The RBI
asked banks to ensure the presence of at least
798. c The RBI asked private banks & wholly- two WTDs, including the MD & CEO, on their
owned subsidiaries of foreign banks to ensure at boards, to address issues and challenges. The
least two Whole Time Directors (WTDs), including number of WTDs should be decided by the board
the MD & CEO, on their boards. "In compliance to of the bank by taking into account factors such
these instructions, banks that currently do not as the size of operations, business complexity,
meet the minimum requirement are advised to and other relevant aspects.

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