QUIZ-30

Q1. Name the mobile maker company that has become the first brand ever to sponsor front jerseys of two IPL teams in the same edition and will have its logo feature on the front jersey of both the teams.

(a) Oppo

(b) Vivo

(c) Lava

(d) Gionee

(e) Xiomi

Q2. The famous Berhampur ThakuraniYatra festival has begun recently (April 2017) in which of the following Indian states?

(a) Karnataka

(b) Odisha

(c) West Bengal

(d) Kerala

(e) Gujarat

Q3. Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas officially launched the low emission Bharat stage (BS)-IV Grade fuel in Odisha, recently. The foundation Day of Odisha is commonly known as __________

(a) Nisakal Diwas

(b) Adhar Diwas

(c) Utkal Diwas

(d) Parvan Diwas

(e) Gotham Diwas

Q4. Prime Minister NarendraModi has recently announced to lay the foundation stone of a multi-modal terminal on River Ganga at Sahebganj in which of the following State?

(a) Uttarakhand

(b) Jharkhand

(c) Uttar Pradesh

(d) Bihar

(e) Haryana

Q5. The Manila-headquartered Asian Development Bank (ADB) lends a $175 million loan to the Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd. Name the President of ADB.

(a) Takehiko Nakao

(b) San Ki Baan

(c) Adams Peter Yon

(d) Hikanzo Abe

(e) Chigobara Hayat

Q6. The National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) has recently appointed ___________ as its chairman for 2017-2018.

(a) SandeepJ ajodia

(b) B P Kanugo

(c) Geetha Kumari

(d) Raman Roy

(e) Deepak Daas

Q7. The International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP) is observed globally on ___________.

(a) 23 March

(b) 29 March

(c) 6 April

(d) 16 April

(e) 10 April

Q8. Name the cricketer who has recently become an acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Gulf Oil India just for a day.

(a) ViratKohli

(b) VirenderSehwag

(c) Sachin Tendulkar

(d) Rahul Dravid

(e) M S Dhoni

Q9. Name the company that has recently become the seventh entity to receive a final licence from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to set up a payments bank.

(a) Vodafon M-Pesa

(b) Aditya Birla Idea Payments Bank Ltd

(c) BhartiAirtel Payment System

(d) Reliance Payment System

(e) None of the given options are true

Q10. Cabinet has recently signed anMoU on Cooperation in the field of Mass Media between India and __________________.

(a) Bangladesh

(b) Malaysia

(c) Japan

(d) Bhutan

(e) Myanmar

Q11. According to the new report of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), 2016 India's travel and tourism sector ranks ____________ in the world in terms of its total contribution to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

(a) 3rd

(b) 5th

(c) 9th

(d) 7th

(e) 6th

Q12. Which of the following Indian state has decided to provide a one-time grant of Rs 21,000 to all those families whose third girl child was born after August 24, 2015, under the 'AapkiBeti, HamariBeti' scheme.

(a) Punjab

(b) Jharkhand

(c) Haryana

(d) Bihar

(e) Uttar Pradesh

Q13. India has recently decided to set up a 240 million pound fund to finance clean energy projects with which of the following country?

(a) Japan

(b) UK

(c) Malaysia

(d) Bangladesh

(e) Russia

Q14. IDBI Bank has reduced interest rates, ranging from 50 to 75 basis points, on retail term deposits (RTD). CEO of IDBI Bank is __________.

(a) Chanda Kocchar

(b) Shikha Singh

(c) Suman Roy

(d) Mahesh Kumar Jain

(e) Devendra Rawat

Q15. As per the new report of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) 2016 which country has topped in the world in terms of its total contribution to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP)?

(a) Norway

(b) Sweden

(c) USA

(d) Switzerland

(e) Denmark

Solutions

S1. Ans.(d)
Sol. Gionee has become the first brand ever to sponsor front jerseys of two IPL teams in the same edition and will have its logo feature on the front jersey of both the teams.

S2. Ans.(b)
Sol. The famous Berhampur Thakurani Yatra festival is one of the biggest festivals of southern Odisha, has been celebrated recently.

S3. Ans.(c)
Sol. DharmendraPradhan, Minister of State (I/C) for Petroleum and Natural Gas officially launched the low emission Bharat stage (BS)-IV Grade fuel in Bhubaneswar. The launch was made on the special occasion of UtkalDiwas which is the foundation day of Odisha.

S4. Ans.(b)
Sol. Prime Minister NarendraModi will lay the foundation stone of a multi-modal terminal on River Ganga at Sahebganj in Jharkhand. The state of the art terminal, to be constructed at an estimated cost of 280 crore rupees, is an important component of the development of the National Waterway-1 from Varanasi to Haldia. 

S5. Ans.(a)
Sol. The Manila-headquartered Asian Development Bank (ADB) lends a $175 million loan to the Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd. TakehikoNakao is the President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

S6. Ans.(d)
Sol. The National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) appointed Raman Roy (Managing Director of Quatrro Global Services) as its chairman for 2017-2018.

S7. Ans.(c)
Sol. 6 April was declared as the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP) by the UN General Assembly.

S8. Ans.(e)
Sol. The former Indian cricket team skipper MS Dhoni became an acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Gulf Oil India just for a day.

S9. Ans.(b)
Sol. Aditya Birla Idea Payments Bank Ltd becomes the seventh entity to receive a final licence from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to set up a payments bank.

S10. Ans.(a)
Sol. Cabinet has recently signedanMoU on Cooperation in the field of Mass Media between India and Bangladesh.

S11. Ans.(d)
Sol. India's travel and tourism sector ranks 7th in the world in terms of its total contribution to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), according to a new report of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), 2016.

S12. Ans.(c)
Sol. Haryana government has decided to provide a one-time grant of Rs 21,000 to all those families whose third girl child was born after August 24, 2015, under the 'AapkiBeti, HamariBeti' scheme.

S13. Ans.(b)
Sol. India and the UK decided to set up a 240 million pound fund to finance clean energy projects, as per the statement of Finance Minister ArunJaitley.

S14. Ans.(d)
Sol. IDBI Bank has reduced interest rates, ranging from 50 to 75 basis points, on retail term deposits (RTD) with effect from April 5, 2017. CEO of IDBI Bank is Mahesh Kumar Jain.

S15. Ans.(c)
Sol. As per the new report of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) 2016 United States of America has topped in the world in terms of its total contribution to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

QUIZ-29

Q1. The Centre has constituted National Board of Electric Mobility (NBEM) to promote electric mobility and manufacturing of electric vehicles and their components. The Board will be chaired by _____________.

(a) Shri Harish Bhagwat

(b) Shri Prakash Javedkar

(c) Shri Rajyavardhan Rathore

(d) Shri Girish Shankar

(e) Shri Nitin Gadkari

Q2. A national conference on Communicating India will be organized in which of the following Indian cities that will be inaugurated by Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Rathore.

(a) Kolkata

(b) New Delhi

(c) Bengaluru

(d) Chennai

(e) Varanasi

Q3. Name the IPS officer who has been appointed as the first woman Director General of Police (DGP) of Gujarat.

(a) Vimala Roy

(b) Falguni Upadhyay

(c) GeethaJ ohri

(d) Urmika Vansh

(e) Veera Joshi

Q4. The Government of India has recently announced a fund of ____________ for the first express highway project in the northeast region which be developed along the Brahmaputra river in Assam.

(a) Rs 25,000 Crore

(b) Rs 30,000 Crore

(c) Rs 35,000 Crore

(d) Rs 40,000 Crore

(e) Rs 45,000 Crore

Q5. Amazon India has launched an initiative called 'Amazon Classroom', a virtual training program to help sellers in learning online shopping. Name the CEO of Amazon.

(a) Larry Page

(b) Jeff Bezos

(c) Tim Cook

(d) John S. Watson

(e) Jeremy Stoppelman

Q6. Union Finance Minister ArunJaitley chaired the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Finance Ministers meeting in New Delhi. Name the country that has joined the SASEC program as its seventh member.

(a) Bangladesh

(b) Bhutan

(c) Myanmar

(d) Maldives

(e) Nepal

Q7. Name the Bank/Banks that sold Rs.1,800crore Ballarpur Industries loans to Edelweiss Asset Reconstruction Company.

(a) ICICI Bank

(b) HDFC Bank

(c) Axis Bank

(d) Both (a) and (c)

(e) Both (b) and (c)

Q8. The WTO’s dispute settlement set up a panel to resolve the dispute between ___________ and India over imposition of safeguard import duty on iron and steel products.

(a) Japan

(b) Pakistan

(c) China

(d) Afghanistan

(e) Myanmar

Q9. Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee declared ___________ as the 22nd district of the state.

(a) Chenani

(b) Ghorghram

(c) Bhorangram

(d) Jhargram

(e) Nasaini

Q10. Union Finance Minister ArunJaitley chaired the SASEC's Finance Ministers meeting in New Delhi. What is full form of SASEC?

(a) South Asean Specific Economic Cooperation

(b) South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation

(c) South Asia SubRegional Essential Cooperation

(d) South Asean Standard Export Corporation

(e) None of the given options are true

                                                            Solutions

S1. Ans.(d)
Sol. the Centre has constituted National Board of Electric Mobility (NBEM) to promote electric mobility and manufacturing of electric (& hybrid) vehicles and their components. The Board will be chaired by the ShriGirish Shankar, Secretary of the Department of Heavy Industry.

S2. Ans.(b)
Sol. A day-long national conference on Communicating India will be organized in New Delhi which will be inaugurated by Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting RajyavardhanRathore.

S3. Ans.(c)
Sol. A 1982 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) GeethaJohri has been appointed as the first woman Director General of Police (DGP) of Gujarat.

S4. Ans.(d)
Sol. The first express highway project in the northeast region will be developed along the Brahmaputra riverin Assam at an estimated investment of Rs 40,000 crore inaugurated by Union Road Minister NitinGadkari.

S5. Ans.(b)
Sol. To make on-boarding easy for new sellers, Amazon India has launched an initiative called Amazon Classroom, a virtual training program to help teach them the nuances of online selling. Jeff Bezos is CEO of Amazon

S6. Ans.(c)
Sol. Union Finance Minister ArunJaitley chaired the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Finance Ministers meeting in New Delhi. Myanmar has joined the SASEC program as its seventh member.

S7. Ans.(d)
Sol. ICICI Bank and Axis Bank sold Rs.1,800crore of loans to paper maker Ballarpur Industries Ltd to Edelweiss Asset Reconstruction Company.

S8. Ans.(a)
Sol. The WTO’s dispute settlement set up a panel to resolve the dispute between Japan and India over imposition of safeguard import duty on iron and steel products

S9. Ans.(d)
Sol. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee declared Jhargram as the 22nd district of West Bengal.

S10. Ans.(b)
Sol. Union Finance Minister ArunJaitley chaired the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Finance Ministers meeting in New Delhi.

QUIZ-28

Q1. India-Malaysia has recently signed seven agreements including air services agreement and MoUs in education and sports. What is the capital of Malaysia?

(a) Penang

(b) Selangor

(c) Kuala Lumpur

(d) Malaysian City

(e) Mallacca

Q2. Name the state that has become the 27th State to join the Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY).

(a) Himachal Pradesh

(b) Mizoram

(c) Tripura

(d) Kerala

(e) Arunachal Pradesh

Q3. Name the person who has been recently appointed as the new Chief Justice of the Madras High Court.

(a) KumariBhatnagar

(b) Jaya Biswas

(c) NeelamSulema

(d) Indira Banerjee

(e) SulekhaSubrato

Q4. The Government has recently launched a comprehensive scheme for power loom sector development at over 45 locations in the country. What is the name of that scheme?

(a) PowerTex India

(b) Loompower India

(c) TextilePower India

(d) Powerloom India

(e) None of the given options are true

Q5. Name the person who has been appointed as the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations Offices in Geneva, Switzerland.

(a) SandeepJajodia

(b) B P Kanugo

(c) Sumit Kumar Rao

(d) Amit Gupta

(e) Rajiv Kumar Chander

Q6. The Madhya Pradesh government has launched an app named ____________ to provide various municipal services online.

(a) MP i-Seva

(b) MP e-Safai

(c) MP i-Safai

(d) MP e-nagarpalika

(e) MP e-Cleaning

Q7. Which of the following Indian Universities has topped the list of country's official higher education rankings, recently announced by the HRD Ministry?

(a) Banaras Hindu University

(b) Jawaharlal Nehru University

(c) IISc-Bengaluru

(d) Delhi University

(e) Aligarh University

Q8. Renowned Hindustani classical vocalist ___________ passes away, recently.

(a) LakshmikantBai

(b) Sarana Begum

(c) KishoriAmonkar

(d) Girija Lakshmi Pandit

(e) SuvarnalekhaKumari

Q9. FIFA (International Federation of Association Football) has recently banned Guatemala's former football chief Brayan Jimenez for lifetime. Name the President of FIFA.

(a) IssaHayatou

(b) SeppBlatter

(c) Stanley Rous

(d) Gianni Infantino

(e) JoãoHavelange

Q10. After the merger of subsidiary bank in the State Bank of India, the base rate or the minimum lending rate of the bank has been reduced from 9.25% to ___________.

(a) 9.10%

(b) 9.15%

(c) 9.20%

(d) 9.00%

(e) 8.95%

Q11. Name the Cab aggregator that has integrated with Unified Payment Interface (UPI) to simplify digital payment options for its customers.

(a) Uber

(b) Ola

(c) Meru

(d) Mycab

(e) Tesla

Q12. Phoenix India Research and Development Group launched the first bio-gas fuelled bus in which of the following Indian cities keeping a flat fare of just Rs 1.

(a) Bengaluru

(b) Chennai

(c) Kolkata

(d) Mumbai

(e) Chandigarh

Q13. Name the country that has topped in a doping violation report published by World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) for 2015.

(a) Norway

(b) China

(c) Japan

(d) Russia

(e) Italy

Q14. A Malaysian company MTN has recently agreed to help set up a technology park in which of the following Indian State that’s expected to attract private sector investment of $100 million in the first phase.

(a) Andhra Pradesh

(b) Arunachal Pradesh

(c) Assam

(d) Maharashtra

(e) Tripura

Q15. Kerala, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh have also recently joined the Centre’s power distribution company debt relief scheme, UjjwalDiscom Assurance Yojna (UDAY). UDAY scheme was launched in ___________.

(a) 2010

(b) 2012

(c) 2013

(d) 2014

(e) 2015

Solutions

S1. Ans.(c)
Sol. India-Malaysia have recently signed seven agreements including air services agreement and MoUs in education and sports. Kuala Lumpur is the capital of Malaysia.

S2. Ans.(b)
Sol. Mizoram has become the 27th State to join the Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana (UDAY).

S3. Ans.(d)
Sol. Justice Indira Banerjee, a sitting judge of the Delhi High Court, has been appointed as the new Chief Justice of the Madras High Court.

S4. Ans.(a)
Sol. The Government has launched PowerTex India, a comprehensive scheme for power loom sector development, simultaneously at over 45 locations in the country.

S5. Ans.(e)
Sol. Rajiv Kumar Chander has been appointed as the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations Offices in Geneva.

S6. Ans.(d)
Sol. The Madhya Pradesh government has launched an app named ‘MP e-nagarpalika’ to provide various municipal services online.

S7. Ans.(c)
Sol. IISc- Bengaluru has topped the list of best universities of country's official higher education rankings, recently announced by the HRD Ministry.

S8. Ans.(c)
Sol. Renowned Hindustani classical vocalist KishoriAmonkar passes away. She was 84.

S9. Ans.(d)
Sol. FIFA (International Federation of Association Football) has recently banned Guatemala's former football chief Brayan Jimenez for lifetime. Gianni Infantino is the President of FIFA.

S10. Ans.(a)
Sol. After the merger of subsidiary bank in the State Bank of India, the base rate or the minimum lending rate of the bank has been reduced from 9.25% to 9.1%. SBI cuts lending rates by 0.15%.

S11. Ans.(b)
Sol. Cab aggregator Ola has integrated with Unified Payment Interface (UPI) to simplify digital payment options for its customers.

S12. Ans.(c)
Sol. Phoenix India Research and Development Group launched the first bio-gas fuelled bus in Kolkata keeping a flat fare of just Rs 1.

S13. Ans.(d)
Sol. India has been ranked third for the third year in a row in a doping violation report published by World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) for 2015. The list was topped by Russia.

S14. Ans.(a)
Sol. A Malaysian company MTN has agreed to help set up a technology park in Andhra Pradesh that’s expected to attract private sector investment of $100 million in the first phase.

S15. Ans.(e)
Sol. Kerala, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh have also recently joined the Centre’s power distribution company debt relief scheme, UjjwalDiscom Assurance Yojna (UDAY). UDAY Scheme was launched in November 2015.

QUIZ-27

Q1. Which among the following bank has launched the '811 banking app' which is part of the lender's vision to double customer base in 18 months?

(a) State Bank of India

(b) South Indian Bank

(c) HDFC Bank

(d) Kotak Mahindra Bank

(e) ICICI Bank

Q2. Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu has released the book titled __________________________________ jointly authored by Shri Bibek Debroy (Member, NITI Aayog) Shri Sanjay Chadha (Joint Secretary, Ministry of Commerce) & Ms. Vidya Krishnamurthi.

(a) Indian Railway- The weaving of a National Tapestry

(b) Indian Railway- The Historical Development of Railways in India

(c) Indian Railway- The Development in Chronological Order

(d) Indian Railway- The Chapters Dealing with Different Periods

(e) None of the given options is true

Q3. The Reserve Bank of India has completed its 82nd establishment day on 01st April 2017. RBI was set up on the basis of the recommendations of-

(a) David Young Commission

(b) Bibek Young Commission

(c) Hilton Young Commission

(d) Smith Young Commission

(e) Rangarajan Young Commission

Q4. The government has launched two mobile apps ______________________ that provide access to various services and information, and enable citizens to report any traffic violation or road accident. 

I. echallan

II. mParivahan

III. esuffar

IV. mrashta

V. esuvidha

(a) Both V and I

(b) Both I and IV

(c) Both IV and V

(d) Both III and II

(e) Both I and II

Q5. The State Bank of India, the country's largest lender has started functioning as unified entity from 01st April 2017 post merger of its five associate banks, besides Bharatiya Mahila Bank. State Bank of India was established on-

(a) 01st July 1954

(b) 01st July 1955

(c) 01st July 1956

(d) 01st July 1957

(e) 01st July 1958

Q6. The BRICS-backed New Development Bank (NDB) has invested in seven projects totaling $1.5 billion in about two years of its operation. Where is the headquarter of NDB?

(a) Shanghai, China

(b) Moscow, Russia

(c) New Delhi, India

(d) Curitiba, Brazil

(e) Pretoria, South Africa

Q7. Joyciline Jepkosgei has broken the world half marathon record as well as the 10km and 15km marks at the Prague Half Marathon on the way to winning the IAAF Gold Label Road Race in one hour, four minutes and 52 seconds. She is from-

(a) Jamaica

(b) Kenya

(c) USA

(d) China

(e) Kazakhstan

Q8. Name the American singer and songwriter, who has finally accepted his Nobel Prize for literature 2016, more than three months after the awards ceremony.

(a) Yoshinori Ohsumi

(b) Juan Manuel Santos

(c) Bob Dylan

(d) Sveriges Riksbank 

(e) Duncan Haldane

Q9. The World Autism Awareness Day 2017 has been observed across the world on 02 April 2017. The 2017 theme for the day is-

(a) Opportunity and Full and Effective Participation in Society.

(b) Early Childhood and Irrespective of Gender

(c) Measures to Raise Awareness about Children

(d) Toward Autonomy and Self-Determination

(e) None of the given options is true

Q10. In which among the following cities, the second annual meeting of BRICS's New Development Bank (NDB) has been concluded.

(a) Durban, South Africa

(b) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

(c) Saint Petersburg, Russia

(d) Beijing, China

(e) New Delhi, India

Q11. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the 9.2 km long Chenani-Nashri all-weather road tunnel on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. The 24.5-kilometer long Laerdal Tunnel in _________ is the longest road tunnel in the world.

(a) China

(b) Switzerland

(c) Denmark

(d) Norway

(e) USA

Q12. Who has won the India Open badminton championship 2017 in New Delhi?

(a) P.V. Sindhu

(b) Carolina Marin

(c) Saina Nehwal 

(d) Sung ji-Hyun

(e) None of the given options is true

Q13. Diplomat Vipul, a 1998 batch Indian Foreign Service officer has taken up the charge as the new Consul General of Dubai. Mr. Vipul has succeeded-

(a) S N Arya

(b) Pragati Sharma

(c) Anurag Bhushan

(d) Pooja Saini

(e) Naval Kishor

Q14. Which among the following cities, the 19th Commonwealth Forestry Conference (CFC) 2017 has been concluded?

(a) Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

(b) Patna, Bihar

(c) Nagpur, Maharashtra

(d) Shimla, Himachal Pradesh

(e) Dehradun, Uttarakhand

Q15. Which among the following player has won the Miami Open 2017 Singles title?

(a) Andy Murray

(b) Roger Federer

(c) Stan Wawrinka

(d) Rafael Nadal

(e) Novak Djokovic

Solutions

S1. Ans.(d)
Sol. Kotak Mahindra Bank has launched the '811 banking app' which is part of the lender's vision to double customer base in 18 months. Customers will be able to open an account on the 811 banking app with zero balance. Only Aadhaar and PAN card would be required to open 811 account which would provide access to over 100 features on mobile. The account offers up to 6 percent interest rate on savings deposits.

S2. Ans.(a)
Sol. Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu released the book titled 'Indian Railway- The weaving of a National Tapestry' jointly authored by Shri Bibek Debroy (Member, NITI Aayog) Shri Sanjay Chadha (Joint Secretary, Ministry of Commerce) & Ms. Vidya Krishnamurthi. The theme of this book is the historical development of railways in India, organized into chapters dealing with different periods of development in chronological order.

S3. Ans.(c)
Sol. The Reserve Bank of India has completed its 82nd establishment day on 01st April 2017. The Reserve Bank of India is the central bank of the country. The Reserve Bank of India was set up on the basis of the recommendations of the Hilton Young Commission. The Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 (II of 1934) provides the statutory basis for the functioning of the Bank, which commenced operations on April 1, 1935.

S4. Ans.(e)
Sol. The government has launched two mobile apps, echallan and mParivahan, that provide access to various services and information, and enable citizens to report any traffic violation or road accident. 'eChallan' is an integrated enforcement solution to manage traffic violations through an Android-based mobile app and back-end web application, for use by the Transport Enforcement Wing and Traffic Police.

S5. Ans.(b)
Sol. The State Bank of India, the country's largest lender has started functioning as unified entity from 01st April 2017 post merger of its five associate banks, besides Bharatiya Mahila Bank. The five associate banks merged with the SBI are State Bank of Bikaner & Jaipur (SBBJ), State Bank of Hyderabad (SBH), State Bank of Mysore (SBM), State Bank of Patiala (SBP) and State Bank of Travancore (SBT). With the merger, the SBI joins the league of top 50 banks globally in terms of assets. State Bank of India was established on July 01, 1955.

S6. Ans.(a)
Sol. The BRICS-backed New Development Bank (NDB) has invested in seven projects totaling $1.5 billion in about two years of its operation. NDB began operations in July 2015. Seven projects have been done so far which aggregate around $1.5 billion. Six of them are in the renewable energy sector and one in transport financing. The headquarter of NDB is in Shanghai, China.

S7. Ans.(b)
Sol. Kenya's Joyciline Jepkosgei has broken the world half marathon record as well as the 10km and 15km marks at the Prague Half Marathon on the way to winning the IAAF Gold Label Road Race in one hour, four minutes and 52 seconds. The 23-year-old, who was competing in just her fifth half marathon, clocked splits of 30:05 and 45:37 to improve the 10km and 15km world records. Defending champion Violah Jepchumba of Kenya finished second in 65:22, with Fancy Chemutai third.

S8. Ans.(c)
Sol. American singer and songwriter Bob Dylan has finally accepted his Nobel Prize for literature 2016, more than three months after the awards ceremony. The academy, which awards the coveted prize, ended prolonged speculation as to whether the 75-year-old troubadour would use a concert stopover in Stockholm to accept the gold medal and diploma awarded to him.
They were handed to Dylan at a "private ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden" attended by 12 academy members and Sara Danius, the academy's permanent secretary.

S9. Ans.(d)
Sol. The World Autism Awareness Day 2017 has been observed across the world on 02 April 2017. The 2017 theme for the day is "Toward Autonomy and Self-Determination". World Autism Awareness Day is an internationally recognized day, encouraging the Member States of the United Nations to take measures to raise awareness about children with autism throughout the world.

S10. Ans.(e)
Sol. The second annual meeting of BRICS's New Development Bank (NDB) has been concluded in New Delhi, India.

S11. Ans.(d)
Sol. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the 9.2 km long Chenani-Nashri all-weather road tunnel on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. The two-lane Chenani-Nashri tunnel is Asia's longest bi-directional highway tunnel, which will cut the distance between Jammu and Srinagar to around 250 km from the current 350 km. The 24.5-kilometer long Laerdal Tunnel in Norway is the longest road tunnel in the world.

S12. Ans.(a)
Sol. Olympic silver-medallist P.V. Sindhu has defeated Carolina Marin in straight sets 21-19, 21-16 in 47 minutes at the India Open badminton championship 2017 final in New Delhi. With this victory, she avenged her Olympic final defeat over the same opponent.

S13. Ans.(c)
Sol. Diplomat Vipul, a 1998 batch Indian Foreign Service officer took up the charge as the new Consul General of Dubai.
Mr. Vipul has succeeded Anurag Bhushan. Before joining the Consulate at Dubai, he was working in the office of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. He had earlier served at India’s diplomatic missions in Sri Lanka and Egypt.

S14. Ans.(e)
Sol. The 19th Commonwealth Forestry Conference (CFC) 2017 has been concluded in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. Uttarakhand Governor Dr. K.K. Paul has inaugurated the 19th Commonwealth Forestry Conference at the FRI in Dehradun.

S15. Ans.(b)
Sol. Roger Federer (Switzerland) has defeated Rafael Nadal (Spain) and won the Miami Open 2017 Singles title in Florida, USA.