Daily GK Update 16th June 2017

India tops global remittance-receiving list 

i. India has claimed the top spot among the remittance-receiving nations, surpassing China. The United Nations, in its report, stated that Indians working across the globe sent home 62.7 billion US dollars in 2016.

ii. According to the ‘One Family at a Time’ study by the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development, about 200 million migrants globally sent more than 445 billion dollars as remittances in 2016 to their families.

Important Takeaways-

• 9th Secretary-General of United Nations is Antonio Guterres.
• Its headquarter is in New York City, USA.

GII Rankings: India 60th most innovative globally, Switzerland tops the list 

 

i. India continued to rise in the Global Innovation Index (GII) rankings for the second year in succession, after four consecutive years of decline. In 2017 rankings released in Geneva (Switzerland), India improved its position from 66 to 60.

ii. Its improvement is part of a trend both in the middle-income countries and Asian countries, many of which have improved their innovation capacities in recent years.

Top three most innovative countries in the list are-

1. Switzerland
2. Sweden
3. Netherlands

Ranking of Neighbouring countries of India-

1. China (22nd)
2. Sri Lanka (90th)
3. Nepal (109th)
4. Pakistan (113th)
5. Bangladesh (114th)

Important Takeaways-

• The first report of GII was released in 2007.
• Currently, it has 14 Advisory Members.

Centre launches IDCF to reduce child deaths due to diarrhoea 

i. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launched the Intensified Diarrhea Control Fortnight (IDCF) in order to intensify efforts to reduce child deaths due to diarrhoea. 

ii. Through this initiative, the Ministry will mobilize health personnel, State Governments and other stakeholders to prioritize investment in control of diarrhea, one of the most common childhood illnesses.

iii. It aims to create mass awareness about the most effective and low-cost diarrhoea treatment, a combination of Oral Rehydration Salt (ORS) solution and Zinc tablets. 

Important Takeaways-

• Jagat Prakash Nadda is the Ministers of Health and Family Welfare of India.

Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank grants USD 150 mn loan for India Infrastructure Fund 

i. China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank has approved USD 150 million equity investment loan to the India Infrastructure Fund. It is the bank's first such loan to fund private projects.

ii. The Board of Directors of the AIIB, who met in Jeju in South Korea has approved USD 150 million equity investment to the India Infrastructure Fund. The bank, in which India is a lead partner, has approved two loans and one equity investment totaling USD 324 million to support infrastructure projects in India, Georgia and Tajikistan. 

Important Takeaways-

• Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) headquarters in Beijing, China.

Yes Bank partners with TerraPay for faster international remittance 

i. Private sector lender Yes Bank has partnered with mobile payments switch TerraPay to enable real-time money transfer to bank accounts in India. Powered by TerraPay’s global clearing and settlement service, the partnership will make it faster and convenient for consumers to send money to any bank account.
ii. TerraPay has partnered with Yes Bank in a Rupee Drawing Arrangement which enables TerraPay’s network partners to make instant cross-border money transfer to bank accounts in India.
iii. For bank accounts other than Yes Bank accounts, Yes Bank will disburse funds using the immediate payment service, popularly known as IMPS. The service is available 24X7.

Banking Takeaways-

• Mr. Rana Kapoor is the Managing Director & CEO of YES Bank.
• The Bank was founded in 2004.
• Yes Bank is Headquartered in Mumbai.
• TerraPay is a Global transaction processing, clearing and settlement service for mobile wallets.

RBI places restrictions on banking activities of Central Bank of India 

i. The RBI has placed Central Bank of India under prompt corrective action  (PCA) which puts restricts on banking activities such as from lending, hiring and expanding branches.
ii. According to the RBI, the PCA has been triggered in view of negative return on assets and high ratio of bad loans. So far, RBI has triggered PCAs for four banks – IDBI Bank, UCO Bank, Dena Bank and Indian Overseas Bank. Central Bank has reported loss of Rs 2439 crore for the fiscal year 2016-17.

Banking Takeaways-

• Shri. Rajeev Rishi is the Chairman & Managing Director of Central Bank of India.
• CBI is Headquartered in Mumbai.

China launches 1st X-ray space telescope to study black holes 

i. China successfully launched its first X-ray space telescope to study black holes, pulsars and gamma-ray bursts. The 2.5-tonne Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (HXMT), named 'Insight,' was launched from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China's Gobi desert.
ii. It was delivered into orbit, 550km (341 miles) above the Earth, by the Long March-4B rocket.

Important Takeaways-

• The capital of China is  Beijing and its Currency is Renminbi.
• The President of China is Xi Jinping.
• Xichang Satellite Launch Cente is in China.

Neeru Chadha elected as first Indian woman Member of ITLOS

i. Indian nominee Neeru Chadha became the first Indian Woman to be elected as the Member of International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS). Chadha, the international law expert, got 120 votes with the highest in the Asia-Pacific group.

ii. She will have a nine-year term as the Judge at ITLOS from 2017 to 2026. Currently, an eminent jurist from India P Chandrasekhara Rao is a judge at the tribunal. He was elected as the member of the tribunal in 1996 and his term will expire in September 2017.

Important Takeaways-

• The Hamburg (Germany)-based ITLOS was established in 1996.
• Ms. Chadha is only the second woman to be the judge of ITLOS in its two decades of existence.

TCS executive Ramanathan Ramanan to head Atal Mission under NITI Aayog

i. The government of India has appointed a senior executive of Tata Consultancy Services Ramanathan Ramanan to head Atal Innovation Mission, its initiative to promote entrepreneurship in the country.

ii. Ramanathan Ramanan, senior vice president at TCS, has been appointed as mission director of Atal Innovation Mission, under the government’s premier think tank NITI Aayog, in the rank of additional secretary on secondment basis from the IT bellwether for two years initially. According to the notification, Ramanan’s appointment will be without pay and allowances.

Important Takeaways-

• Chairperson of NITI Ayog is Shri Narendra Modi.
• Vice Chairperson of NITI Ayog is Dr. Arvind Panagariya.

Israeli author David Grossman wins Man Booker International Prize 2017

i. Israeli author David Grossman has won the Man Booker International Prize 2017 for his novel `A Horse Walks Into a Bar'. Grossman beat out five other finalists, including fellow Israeli author Amos Oz for the counterpart to Britain's prestigious Booker Prize.

ii. Grossman's novel is about a failing standup comic and his final performance. The Award has a prize of 50,000 pounds ($64,000) that is split evenly between Grossman and translator Jessica Cohen.

Static Takeaways-

• Arundhati Roy won the Booker Prize for her brilliant and poetic novel “The God of Small Things” in the year 1997 making her the first Indian to receive the prestigious award.
• The prize for 2016 Booker prize was awarded to `The Vegetarian' by South Korea's Han Kang.

Yeshe Dorjee Thongshi conferred Bhupen Hazarika Award

i. The Fifth Bhupen Hazarika National Award, 2017 has been conferred to an eminent writer from Arunachal Pradesh Yeshe Dorjee Thongshi.
ii. The award consists of 51,000 rupees, a memento and a certificate.
iii. His most important novel is Mauna Onth Mukhar Hriday (Silent lips, murmuring hearts) which won the Sahitya Akademi award in 2005.

Important Takeaways-

• PM Modi had recently inaugurated India’s longest bridge in Assam, it has been named after Bhupen Hazarika.

Banking Awareness,

Q1. A Committee on Banking Supervision which provides a forum for regular cooperation on banking supervisory matters and to enhance understanding of key supervisory issues and improve the quality of banking supervision worldwide.

(a) BIS

(b) BASEL

(c) European Banking Supervisors

(d) All of the above

(e) None of the given options is true

S1. Ans.(b)
Sol. BASEL is a set of international banking regulations put forth by the Basel Committee on Bank Supervision, which set out the minimum capital requirements of financial institutions with the goal of minimising credit risk.

Q2. DIPP is the nodal agency in the field of foreign investments in India. What is the full form of DIPP?

(a) Department of Industry Policy and Promotion

(b) Department of Innovation Policy and Promotion

(c) Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion

(d) Department of Industrial Policy and Partnership

(e) Department of Internet Pulse and Partnership

S2. Ans.(c)
Sol. Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) is working under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India. This department is responsible for formulation and implementation of promotional and developmental measures for growth of the industrial sector, keeping in view the national priorities and socio-economic objectives.

Q3. The letter ‘R’ denotes which word in the term IFRS?

(a) Restructuring

(b) Reporting

(c) Recognising

(d) Remote

(e) Recurring

S3. Ans.(b)
Sol. International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS Standards) is a single set of accounting standards, developed and maintained by the International Accounting Standards Board (the Board) with the intention of those standards being capable of being applied on a globally consistent basis—by developed, emerging and developing economies—thus providing investors and other users of financial statements with the ability to compare the financial performance of publicly listed companies on a like-for-like basis with their international peers.

Q4. Which of the following is a bank account opened by NRI to deposit income mainly generated from an Indian source?

(a) NRI

(b) NRP

(c) NRO

(d) FCNR

(e) None of the given options is true

S4. Ans.(c)
Sol. Non-Resident Ordinary (NRO) Account held to manage the income earned in India like rent, pension, dividend, interest, etc. It is opened either by the citizen of India, while temporarily shifting to abroad or by an NRI by transferring money from his home country or from his other NRO account. A normal bank account can also be redesignated to NRO account when the residential status of the account holder is changed to NRI. The account is mainly used to park money earned from Indian sources in India.

Q5. In it, a worldwide recognised identification code used at the time of international credit transfer between banks and also when there is an exchange of messages between banks.

(a) IFSC Code

(b) SWIFT Code

(c) NEFT Code

(d) BIS Code

(e) FCRA Code

S5. Ans.(b)
Sol. SWIFT stands for Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication Code. The code is also used when there is an interchange of messages between banks. The code is a combination of 8 or 11 alphanumeric characters. First 4 characters bank code, Next 2 characters country code, Next 2 characters location code, Last 3 characters are optional that represents branch code.

Q6. In which of the following a credit facility is provided by the bank to an entity for a specific purpose, to be repayable after a short duration?

(a) Advances

(b) Loans

(c) Security

(d) Liabilities

(e) Goodwill

S6. Ans.(a)
Sol. Advances are the source of finance, which are provided by the banks to the companies to meet short-term financial requirement. They are granted against securities which are as under:
• Primary Security: Hypothecation of Debtors, Stock Pro-notes etc.
• Collateral Security: Mortgage of land and buildings, machinery, etc.
• Guarantees: Guarantees given by partners, directors or promoters, etc.

Q7. RRBs are working in all states of the country except _______.

(a) Sikkim

(b) Goa

(c) Andhra Pradesh

(d) Bihar 

(e) Both (a) and (b)

S7. Ans.(e)
Sol. RRB’s were established by the Government of India in the year 1975. Their establishment was followed by the 1976 Regional Rural Banks Act. These have had the main agenda to develop the economy of the rural areas and to enlarge credit amount of these areas as well as the agricultural sectors.

Q8. This organisation is made for empowering Micro, Small and Medium enterprises in India?

(a) ECGC

(b) RBI

(c) RRB

(d) SIDBI

(e) NABARD

S8. Ans.(d)
Sol. SIDBI is aimed to aid the growth and development of MSME in India.

Q9. ECS stand for-

(a) External Commercial System

(b) Electronic Clearing System

(c) Electronic Commercial System

(d) Electrical Clearing Service

(e) Electronic Clearing Service

S9. Ans.(e)
Sol. ECS stands for Electronic Clearing Service. It allows companies, Government departments and institutions which have to make bulk payments in the form of dividend warrants and interest payments on bonds to investors to transfer the proceeds electronically to customers’ bank accounts.

Q10. Nationalisation of banks took place in India in how many phases?

(a) 2

(b) 1

(c) 3

(d) 4

(e) 5

S10. Ans.(a)
Sol. Nationalisation of banks took place in India in two phases, in 1969 and 1980.

Q11. A closed economy is?

(a) Only Exports take place

(b) Only Imports take place

(c) Imports and exports take place

(d) Neither Imports nor Exports take place

(e) None of the given options is true

S11. Ans.(d)
Sol. A closed economy means no imports are brought in and no exports are sent out so as to provide consumers with everything that they need from within the economy’s borders.

Q12. Which organisation carry out open market operations?

(a) SEBI

(b) SIDBI

(c) RBI

(d) NABARD

(e) Finance Ministry

S12. Ans.(c)
Sol. RBI carries out open market operations. The open market operation is in which a country will conduct trade with outside regions.

Q13. What was the Purpose of setting up Narasimhan committee-2?

(a) Efficiency and productivity

(b) Banking reform process

(c) Export of IT sector

(d) Fiscal Reform process

(e) None of the given options is true

S13. Ans.(b)
Sol. In 1998 to analyse India’s banking sector and recommending legislation and regulations to make it more effective, competitive and efficient issued by banks or other financial institutions.

Q14. The largest bank Imperial Bank was nationalised in 1955 and rechristened as State Bank of India on the recommendation of which committee?

(a) Rangarajan Committee

(b) Chelliah Committee

(c) Rekhi Committee

(d) Gorewala Committee

(e) None of the given options is true

S14. Ans.(d)
Sol. Bank of Madras merged into the other two in British India i.e. Bank of Calcutta and Bank of Bombay to form the Imperial Bank of India which became the State Bank of India on the recommendation of Gorewala Committee.

Q15. Who monitors Priority Sector Lending (PSL) in commercial banks?

(a) Reserve Bank of India (RBI)

(b) Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI)

(c) National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD)

(d) Government of India (GOI)

(e) Finance Ministry (FM)

S15. Ans.(a)
Sol. The priority sector lending by commercial banks is monitored by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) through periodical returns received from them.

Banking Awareness,

Q1. A centralised database with online connectivity to branches and Internet as well as ATM Network which has been adopted by almost all major banks of our country is known as_________

(a) Investment Baking

(b) Mobile Banking

(c) Specialised Banking

(d) Core Banking Solution

(e) None of the given options is true

S1. Ans.(d)
Sol. Core Banking Solution (CBS) is networking of branches, which enables Customers to operate their accounts, and avail banking services from any branch of the Bank on CBS network.

Q2. Which of the following is the purpose of introducing “Know Your Customer” norms by the banks?

(a) Identifying people who do not pay Income Tax

(b) To bring more and more people under the banking net

(c) To ensure that the money deposited in banks has come from genuine sources

(d) All of the Above

(e) None of the given options is true

S2. Ans.(c)
Sol. Know your customer (KYC) is an important step developed globally to prevent identity theft, financial fraud, money laundering and terrorist financing.

Q3. Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India (SPMCIL) Limited was incorporated under the Companies Act, 1956 with its corporate office at-

(a) Mumbai

(b) Kolkata

(c) Bangalore

(d) New Delhi

(e) Nasik

S3. Ans.(d)
Sol. Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India (SPMCIL) Limitedis an Indian government-owned corporation that engages in the production of bank notes, coins, non–judicial stamps, postage stamps, and other government related documents for India. It was formed in 2006 as the result of corporatisation of security presses and mints functioning under the India Ministry of Finance. It contains nine units, which include four presses, four mints, and a paper mill. Corporate office of SPMCIL is at Janpath in New Delhi.

Q4. Security Paper Mill (SPM) was formally inaugurated and dedicated to the nation on the 9th March, __________ by the then Deputy Prime Minister, Shri Morarji Desai.

(a) 1956

(b) 1968

(c) 1949

(d) 1962

(e) 1971

S4. Ans.(b)
Sol. Security Paper Mill was established in 1968 at Hoshangabad, Madhya Pradesh. It produces papers for banknotes and non–judicial stamps.

Q5. What is Gross Domestic Product (GDP)?

(a) It is the market value of all final goods and services made in the country.

(b) It is the Cost production of all final goods and services made in the country.

(c) It is the Cost services of all final goods and services made in the country.

(d) It is the market value of all final goods and services made within the borders of a country in a year.

(e) None of the given options is true

S5. Ans.(d)
Sol. Gross domestic product (GDP) is the monetary value of all the finished goods and services produced within a country's borders in a specific time period.

Q6. Security Paper Mill (SPM) located at-

(a) Mumbai

(b) Kolkata

(c) Bangaluru

(d) Hoshangabad

(e) New Delhi

S6. Ans.(d)
Sol. Security Paper Mill was established in 1968 at Hoshangabad, Madhya Pradesh.

Q7. What is the meaning of Mixed economy?

(a) Co-existence of small and large industries

(b) Co-existence of public and private industries

(c) Co-existence of the rich and poor

(d) Promoting both agriculture and industries in the economy

(e) None of the given options is true

S7. Ans.(b)
Sol. All modern economies are mixed where the means of production are shared between the private and public sectors.

Q8. Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Limited (SPMCIL) was formed after corporatisation of nine units including four mints, four presses and one paper mill which were earlier functioning under the Ministry of Finance. The Company was incorporated on-

(a) 13th January 2006

(b) 01st April 2002

(c) 18th March 2004

(d) 02nd October 2008

(e) 15th September 1960

S8. Ans.(a)
Sol. Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Limited (SPMCIL) was formed after corporatisation of nine units including four mints, four presses and one paper mill which were earlier functioning under the Ministry of Finance. The Company was incorporated on 13.01.2006 under the Companies Act, 1956 with its headquarters at 16th Floor, Jawahar Vyapar Bhawan, Janpath, New Delhi. SPMCIL, a Miniratna Category-I CPSE, and wholly owned Schedule ‘A’ Company of Government of India, is engaged in the manufacture of security paper, minting of coins, printing of currency and bank notes, non-judicial stamp papers, postage stamps, travel documents, etc.

Q9. India Infrastructure Finance Company Limited (IIFCL) is a wholly-owned _____________ company set up in 2006.

(a) Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI)

(b) Finance Ministry (FM)

(c) Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) 

(d) Reserve Bank of India (RBI)

(e) Government of India (GOI)

S9. Ans.(e)
Sol. India Infrastructure Finance Company Limited (IIFCL) is a wholly-owned Government of India company set up in 2006 to provide long-term finance to viable infrastructure projects through the Scheme for Financing Viable Infrastructure Projects through a Special Purpose Vehicle called India Infrastructure Finance Company Ltd (IIFCL), broadly referred to as SIFTI.

Q10. _________ are the market operations conducted by the RBI with an objective to adjust the rupee liquidity conditions in the market on a durable basis.

(a) Open Market Operations (OMOs)

(b) Capital Market Operations

(c) When Issued Market

(d) All of the Above

(e) Monetary Policy

S10. Ans.(a)
Sol. Open Market Operations (OMO’s) conducted by the RBI by way of sale/ purchase of Government securities to/ from the market. When the RBI feels there is excess liquidity in the market, it resorts to sale of securities thereby sucking out the rupee liquidity. Similarly, when the liquidity conditions are tight, the RBI will buy securities from the market, thereby releasing liquidity into the market.

Q11. Which Act was framed specially to deal with Non Performing Assets(NPA)?

(a) Banking Regulation Act 1949

(b) Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) 1999

(c) Industrial Disputes Act 1947

(d) SARFAESI Act, 2002

(e) None of the given options is true

S11. Ans.(d)
Sol. SARFAESI Act (The Securitization and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act, 2002) was enacted to regulate securitization and reconstruction of financial assets and enforcement of security interest created in respect of Financial Assets to enable realization of such assets. The SARFAESI Act provides for the manner for enforcement of security interests by a secured creditor without the intervention of a court or tribunal. If any borrower fails to discharge his liability in repayment of any secured debt within 60 days of notice from the date of notice by the secured creditor, the secured creditor is conferred with powers under the SARFAESI Act.

Q12.  In Notice Money Market, the tenor of the transactions is from ________

(a) 2-7 days

(b) 2-14 days

(c) 2-21 days

(d) 2-28 days

(e) 2-90 days

S12. Ans.(b)
Sol. In money market, the amount that is lent for one day is known as “call money” and, if it exceeds one day or two days to 14 days is referred to as “notice money.”

Q13. An Asset Reconstruction Company (ARC) in India is associated with-

(a) UCPDC

(b) DICGC

(c) NPA

(d) Home Loan

(e) None of the given options is true

S13. Ans.(c)
Sol. Asset Reconstruction Company (ARC) also known as Securitization company in India helps to unlock the value of non-performing assets (NPA) in banks through Securitization and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest (SARFAESI) Act 2002.ARC is regulated by RBI as a Non Banking Financial Company (NBFC).

Q14. Which of the following is mainly used by the banks in order to meet their temporary requirement of Cash on a daily basis?

(a) Commercial Paper

(b) Certificate of Deposit

(c) Collateralized Borrowing and Lending Obligations (CBLO)

(d) Call Money

(e) None of the given options is true

S14. Ans.(d)
Sol. Call money market is a market for uncollateralized lending and borrowing of funds. This market is predominantly overnight and is open for participation only to scheduled commercial banks and the primary dealers.

Q15. ___________ is a voluntary market body for the bond, money and derivatives markets.

(a) RBI

(b) SEBI

(c) IRDAI

(d) FIMMDA

(e) UIDAI

S15. Ans.(d)
Sol. The Fixed Income Money Market and Derivatives Association of India (FIMMDA), an association of Scheduled Commercial Banks, Public Financial Institutions, Primary Dealers and Insurance Companies was incorporated as a Company under section 25 of the Companies Act,1956 on June 3rd, 1998. FIMMDA is a voluntary market body for the bond, money and derivatives markets. FIMMDA has members representing all major institutional segments of the market. The membership includes Nationalized Banks such as State Bank of India, its associate banks and other nationalized banks; Private sector banks such as ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, IDBI Bank; Foreign Banks such as Bank of America, ABN Amro, Citibank, Financial institutions such as IDFC, EXIM Bank, NABARD, Insurance Companies like Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company, Birla Sun Life Insurance Company and all Primary Dealers.

QUIZ-16+

Q1. President Pranab Mukherjee has launched the ______________ mobile application, aimed at raising awareness about female foeticide and sex selection.

(a) Selfie with Wife

(b) Selfie with Mother

(c) Selfie with Daughter

(d) Selfie with Sister

(e) Selfie with Friend

S1. Ans.(c)
Sol. President Pranab Mukherjee has launched the 'Selfie with Daughter' mobile application, aimed at raising awareness about female foeticide and sex selection. The President urged people to take photographs with their daughters and upload them to make the campaign a success. The campaign was started by Sunil Jaglan in June 2015 in village Bibipur in Haryana's Jind district.

Q2. Which among the following Banks is the Lead Bank for Thiruvananthapuram district and it has launched the Retail Mart, a retail lending concept, in Kerala's capital city?

(a) Indian Overseas Bank (IOB)

(b) State Bank of India (SBI)

(c) Bank of Baroda (BOB)

(d) Punjab National Bank (PNB)

(e) Central Bank of India (CBI)

S2. Ans.(a)
Sol. Indian Overseas Bank (IOB), the Lead Bank for Thiruvananthapuram district, has launched the Retail Mart, a retail lending concept, in Kerala's capital city. The exclusive facility that handles retail products has started functioning at the main branch.

Q3. The Central Council for Research in Yoga & Naturopathy (CCRYN)  under the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India, has initiated a Yoga Awareness Drive through Mascots and Flash Mobs __________ prior to International Yoga Day to increase the popularity of Yoga, especially among the youth.

(a) Yogya

(b) Yogasan

(c) Yogdhyan

(d) YogMob

(e) None of the given options is true

S3. Ans.(d)
Sol. The Central Council for Research in Yoga & Naturopathy (CCRYN)  under the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India, has initiated a Yoga Awareness Drive through Mascots and Flash Mobs (YogMob) prior to International Yoga Day (21st June) to increase the popularity of Yoga, especially among the youth. The campaign is underway at Delhi NCR, Haryana and Lucknow.

Q4. Name the players, who have clinched the French Open men's doubles title 2017?

(a) Santiago Gonzalez and Donald Young 

(b) Michael Venus and Ryan Harrison

(c) Rafael Nadal and Stan Wawrinka

(d) Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer 

(e) Andy Murray and Maria Sharapova

S4. Ans.(b)
Sol. Michael Venus became New Zealand's first Grand Slam champion since 1974 when he partnered American Ryan Harrison to the French Open men's doubles title. Venus and Harrison defeated Santiago Gonzalez of Mexico and American Donald Young 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (4/7), 6-3 in the final at Roland Garros.

Q5. Who is the present MD & CEO of Indian Overseas Bank?

(a) Sunil Mehta

(b) Dinabandhu Mohapatra

(c) RA Sankara Narayanan

(d) B K Manjunath

(e) R Subramaniakumar

S5. Ans.(e)
Sol. R Subramaniakumar is the present MD & CEO of Indian Overseas Bank.

Q6. The Ministry of AYUSH was formed on __________ to ensure the optimal development and propagation of AYUSH systems of health care.

(a) 09th November 2014

(b) 09th November 2012

(c) 09th November 2016

(d) 09th November 2015

(e) 09th November 2013

S6. Ans.(a)
Sol. The Ministry of AYUSH was formed on 9th November 2014 to ensure the optimal development and propagation of AYUSH systems of health care. Earlier it was known as the Department of Indian System of Medicine and Homeopathy (ISM&H) which was created in March 1995 and renamed as Department of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) in November 2003, with focused attention for development of Education and Research in Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy.

Q7. Who has won her first Grand Slam title in the women’s final of the French Open 2017? 

(a) Margaret Scriven

(b) Jelena Ostapenko

(c) Simona Halep

(d) Maria Sharapova

(e) Serena Williams

S7. Ans.(b)
Sol. Jelena Ostapenko won her first Grand Slam title by beating Simona Halep 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in just under two hours in the women’s final of the French Open 2017. With this win, the unseeded Latvian became the youngest women’s champion at Roland Garros in 20 years. Ostapenko also recovered from a break behind in the third set and finished the contest with a flashing backhand winner to become the first unseeded player to win the title since Briton Margaret Scriven in 1933.

Q8. Name the thespian Bengali actor, who has been conferred with the France's highest civilian honour, the coveted Legion of Honour recently.

(a) Satyajit Ray

(b) Victor Banerjee

(c) Soumitra Chatterjee

(d) Mithun Chakraborty

(e) None of the given options is true

S8. Ans.(c)
Sol. Thespian Bengali actor, Soumitra Chatterjee has been conferred with the France's highest civilian honour, the coveted Legion of Honour. The award will be presented to the Kolkata-based actor by the Ambassador of France to India Alexandre Ziegler. The award comes with the octogenarian Bengali screen legend exactly 30 years after Satyajit Ray got the honour by the then French President Francois Mitterrand in 1987.

Q9. Name the US actor, who rose to prominence in the 1960s for a TV series Batman was passed away in Los Angeles recently?

(a) Jack Nicholson

(b) Will Smith

(c) Johnny Depp

(d) Adam West

(e) None of the given options is true

S9. Ans.(d)
Sol. A well known US actor, Adam West died in Los Angeles. He was suffering to leukaemia for some time. He was 88. Adam West rose to prominence in the 1960s for a TV series Batman. First appearing in season two in 2002, he voiced Quahog's eccentric Mayor Adam West, described by series creator Seth MacFarlane as an "alternate universe", satirised version of the actor.

Q10. Aiming to reduce emissions and promote sustainability to help India’s smart city programme, France and the European Union have extended a grant of __________ under the ‘Moblise Your City’ (MYC) initiative.

(a) 210 million euros

(b) 100 million euros

(c) 8.5 million euros

(d) 50 million euros

(e) 3.5 million euros

S10. Ans.(e)
Sol. Aiming to reduce emissions and promote sustainability to help India’s smart city programme, France and the European Union have extended a grant of 3.5 million euros under the ‘Moblise Your City’ (MYC) initiative. Three Indian cities- Nagpur, Kochi and Ahmedabad -- will get the grant as part of the EU’s commitment under the Paris Climate agreement according to French Development Agency (AFD).

Q11. Furthering the agenda for cooperative federalism, NITI Aayog has launched SATH, a program providing with the State Governments. SATH stands for-

(a) Sustainable Action for Transforming Honour Capital

(b) Scheme Action for Transforming Human Capital

(c) Sustainable Action for Transforming Human Capital

(d) Sustainable Agency for Transforming Human Capital 

(e) Sustainable Association for Transport Human Capital

S11. Ans.(c)
Sol. Furthering the agenda for cooperative federalism, NITI Aayog has launched SATH, a program providing ‘Sustainable Action for Transforming Human Capital’ with the State Governments. The vision of the program is to initiate transformation in the education and health sectors. The program addresses the need expressed by many states for technical support from NITI.

Q12. Who has won the record 10th French men's Open title 2017? 

(a) Rafael Nadal

(b) Stan Wawrinka

(c) Jelena Ostapenko

(d) Novak Djokovic

(e) Andy Murray

S12. Ans.(a)
Sol. Spain's Rafael Nadal made history by winning a record 10th French men's Open title with victory over Stan Wawrinka in the Paris final (French Open 2017). Nadal came through 6-2 6-3 6-1 against the Swiss third seed to claim his 15th major title. He becomes the first man or woman in the Open era to have won a Grand Slam tournament 10 times.

Q13. Who is the Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog?

(a) Prof. Ramesh Chand

(b) Bibek Debroy

(c) Rao Inderjit Singh

(d) Narendra Modi 

(e) Arvind Panagariya

S13. Ans.(e)
Sol. Arvind Panagariya is Vice-Chairman, Niti Aayog and has been Professor of Indian Political Economy at Columbia University. He is a former Chief Economist of the Asian Development Bank and Professor of Economics at the University of Maryland at College Park. He has also worked with the World Bank, IMF and UNCTAD in various capacities. He holds a PhD degree in Economics from Princeton University.

Q14. The European Union is a unique economic and political union between _________ countries that together cover much of the continent.

(a) 30 European

(b) 29 European

(c) 26 European

(d) 28 European 

(e) 29 European

S14. Ans.(d)
Sol. The European Union is a unique economic and political union between 28 European countries that together cover much of the continent.

Q15. Who is the present Prime Minister of France?

(a) Angela Merkel

(b) Edouard Philippe

(c) Mariano Rajoy

(d) Emmanuel Macron

(e) Alexis Tsipras

S15. Ans.(b)
Sol. Edouard Philippe is a French lawyer and politician, serving as the Prime Minister of France since May 2017.

QUIZ-16+

Q1. Name the current Union Human Resource Development Minister of India.

Answer: Prakash Javadekar

Q2. The World Press Freedom Day is observed globally on _________

Answer: 3rd May

Q3. On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, UNESCO has co-organized the World Press Freedom Day's main event and the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize Ceremony in _________________.

Answer: Jakarta, Indonesia

Q4. Which Indian state has recently become the first state to switch to the January-December financial year from the existing April-March cycle?

Answer: Madhya Pradesh

Q5. The World Press Freedom Day was observed recently by UNESCO. Who is the Director-General of UNESCO?

Answer: Irina Bokova

Q6. Madhya Pradesh has become the first state to switch to the January-December financial year from the existing April-March cycle. India started adopting the April-March financial year from ____________.

Answer: 1867

Q7. Chhattisgarh has recently auctioned India’s most expensive limestone block. This block is named as ____________.

Answer: Kesla-II

Q8. India successfully carried out a fresh user trial of 3,000-kilometer range Agni-III ballistic missile from Abdul Kalam Island off Odisha coast. Abdul Kalam Island was previously known as ________________.

Answer: Wheelers Island

Q9. Chhattisgarh has recently auctioned India’s most expensive limestone block in Raipur District. The previous national record was held by _____________.

Answer: Rajasthan

Q10. Who is the Cabinet Minister of Road Transport and Highways?

Answer: Nitin Jairam Gadkari

Q11. India has launched the GSLV-F09 carrying the GSAT-9 or the “South Asia” satellite from Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. What is the meaning of "S" in GSLV?

Answer: Satellite

Q12. In order to Strengthen defence ties, India has opened its first private small arms manufacturing plant at-

Answer: Malanpur, Madhya Pradesh

Q13. The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) has constituted Technical Committee to lay down Technical Standards for the performance of core services and other services in accordance with Regulation 14 of the IBBI (Information Utilities) Regulations, 2017. The committee will be Chaired by-

Answer: Dr RB Barman

Q14. The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India was established on ______________ in accordance with the provisions of The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016.

Answer: 01st October 2016

Q15. Which state government has passed a resolution granting river Narmada the status of a living entity and committed itself to the protection of its legal rights recently?

Answer: Madhya Pradesh