Daily GK Update 18th April, 2017

The International Day for Monuments and Sites: 18th April

i. Every year on 18 April, ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) celebrates the International Day for Monuments and Sites (also called as World Heritage day).
ii. The theme for 2017 is “Cultural Heritage & Sustainable Tourism".


Suresh Prabhu Launched 'Vistadome' Coaches 

i. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu launched India's First Train With Glass Ceiling, LED Lights And Rotable Seats in 'Vistadome' Coaches.
ii. He has flagged off the train with Vistadome coaches between Visakhapatnam and Araku through video conferencing from Rail Sadan in Bhubaneswar.
iii. He Inaugurated the Life Line Express at Sindhudurg, Maharashtra of Konkan Railway.

PM Modi inaugurated Link-II of SAUNI project in Botad, Gujarat

i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated phase-I of the Link-II pipeline canal of the ambitious Saurashtra Narmada Avtaran Irrigation (SAUNI) Yojana in Botad district of Gujarat.
ii. This will be the second milestone in the Rs 12,000 crore project to pump Narmada water in 115 dams of arid Saurashtra region after the PM dedicated to public phase-I of the Link-I canal in August 2016.

President inaugurates Kempegowda festival in New Delhi
i. President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the Kempegowda Festival in New Delhi.
ii. The festival is organized by the Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Foundation.




BHEL commissions 2 units at Maharashtra thermal power project 

i. Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) has successfully commissioned two units of 270 MW at RattanIndia Nasik Power Ltd's, Maharashtra. 
ii. With the commissioning of these units, BHEL has commissioned eight sets for RattanIndia in Maharashtra in which 3 sets at Nasik and 5 sets at Amravati.

BEML bags Hindustan PSU award
i. Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) a defence public sector has received the Hindustan PSU Award under the category ‘Fastest Growing Organisation – Miniratna’.
ii. Umesh Chandra, Executive Director, received the award on behalf of the company. The award was presented by Nitin Gadkari a Union Minister of State for Road Transport.

PNB launches three new products on foundation day

i. On the occasion of its Foundation Day, Punjab National Bank (PNB) has launched three new products for its customers.
ii. The three new products are automated electronic toll collection to facilitate hassle-free toll payment/ collection, a credit card mobile App and a scheme for financing a grid connected Roof Solar Power Project.

SBI surpasses ONGC to become most valued PSU stock

State Bank of India (SBI) surpassed oil exploration major Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) to become most valued public sector undertaking (PSU) stock in terms of market capitalization (m-cap) in intra-day trade. SBI with m-cap of Rs 239,808 crore was ahead of ONGC having m-cap of Rs 236,003 crore, BSE data showed.



ISRO, BHEL tie-up for lithium-ion batteries 

i. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) to help develop low-cost lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles.



Philippine President Duterte wins TIME 100 Reader Poll 

i. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has won Time magazine's readers' poll of the 100 most influential people in the world. 
ii. Rodrigo also known as Digong, is a Filipino politician and jurist who is the 16th and current President of the Philippines.

Gayatri Pullela wins twin crown at Pembangunan Jaya Raya Junior Grand Prix

i. National Badminton coach Pullela Gopichand's daughter Gayatri Pullela has bagged both the singles and doubles crown at the Pembangunan Jaya Raya Junior Grand Prix in Jakarta.
ii. Gayatri eked out a hard-fought win over her doubles partner Samiya Farooqui to win the girls U-15 singles title.
iii. She later teamed up with Samiya to clinch the U-15 doubles title with a straight-game 21-17, 21-15 win over Indonesian pair of Kelly Larissa and Shelandry Vyola.

Sebastian Vettel wins Bahrain Grand Prix 2017

i. Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) won the Bahrain Grand Prix 2017 by defeating Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes).
ii.  It was Sebastian's 3rd victory in Bahrain and 44th of his career. Sebastian Vettel belongs to Germany.




Important Takeaways from above GK Update are as follows

• SBI surpass ONGC to become most valued PSU 
• SBI headquarter is in Mumbai and it was founded in 1955
• ONGC headquarter is in Uttarakhand and it was formed in 1956
• SBI slogan is The Banker to Every Indian
• SBI chairman is Arundhati Bhattacharya 
• ONGC chairman is Dinesh K Sarraf
• BHEL and ISRO tie-up for lithium-ion batteries 
• Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd is a full form of BHEL
• Indian Space Research Organization is a full form of ISRO
• BHEL headquarter is in New Delhi and was founded in 1964
• CEO of BHEL is Atul Sobti
• ISRO was founded in 1969 and its Headquarter is in Bengaluru
• ISRO founder is Vikram Sarabhai and CEO is Aluru Seelin Kiran Kumar
• Gayatri Pullela wins twin crown at Pembangunan Jaya Raya Junior Grand Prix in Jakarta
• Samiya Farooqui was her doubles partner
• Gayatri Pullela is the daughter  of National Badminton coach Pullela Gopichand
• BHEL has successfully commissioned two units of 270 MW at Maharashtra
• Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd is a full form of BHEL
• BHEL headquarter is in New Delhi and was founded in 1964
• CEO of BHEL is Atul Sobti.
• 16th Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has won Time magazine's readers' poll of the 100 most influential people in the world
• PM Modi had been named among the probable contenders for the annual list of the most influential people in the world. 
• Philippine Capital is Manila and Currency is Philippine Peso
• Sebastian Vettel wins Bahrain Grand Prix 2017
• He defeated Lewis Hamilton
• Sebastian Vettel belongs to Germany
• Bahrain is an Arabian country with its capital in Manama.
• India's First Train With Glass Ceiling, LED Lights And Rotable Seats in 'Vistadome' Coaches has been launched by Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu
• The train is running between Visakhapatnam and Araku 
• Inaugurated the Life Line Express at Sindhudurg, Maharashtra.
• The International Day for Monuments and Sites is celebrated on 18th April
• The day is celebrated by ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites)
• The theme for 2017 is “Cultural Heritage & Sustainable Tourism”
• Punjab National Bank (PNB) has launched three new products for its customers viz.  automated electronic toll collection,  a credit card mobile App, a Roof Solar Power Project.
• PNB CEO is Usha Ananthasubramanian
• PNB Headquarter is in New Delhi and was founded on 12th April 1895.
• PM Modi inaugurated phase-I of the Link-II pipeline canal of SAUNI Yojana
• Saurashtra Narmada Avtaran Irrigation is full form of SAUNI

QUIZ-18

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.

Daily GK Update 16-17th April, 2017

PM Modi on 2-day visit to Gujarat- Day 1

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on the 2-Day visit to Gujarat. He launched various projects and schemes during his visit on the first day. The two main actions of the day one were-

1. Inauguration of the Kiran Multi-Speciality Hospital and Diamond Manufacturing Unit in Surat

2. Inauguration of Cattle Feed Plant and launch of irrigation and water supply schemes at Bajipura, Gujarat- PM inaugurated the SUMUL (the Surat District Cooperative Milk Producers Union Limited) cattle feed plant at Bajipura in southern Gujarat. He also laid the Foundation Stone for three Lift Irrigation Schemes and inaugurated the Drinking Water Supply Scheme for Vyara Town and Jesinhpur-Dolvan Groups of Tapi district.

Nepal President to arrive in India on five-day visit

i. Nepalese President Bidya Devi Bhandari is arriving in New Delhi on a five-day visit to India. 
ii. This will be Bhandari's first foreign trip after assuming the office in October 2015, following the promulgation of the new Constitution in Nepal. A high-level delegation comprising several ministers and MPs accompanying her.

Manipur CM launched DARPAN web applications to check corruption

i. Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh launched two web applications to check corruption and keep track of government activities. 
ii. The two web applications were Anti-Corruption Cell and Digital Application for Review by Public And Nation (DARPAN). The two web applications would monitor all government funded projects and ensure transparency and accountability.

Maharashtra, the first state to stage special drive for transgenders to register as voters

i. Maharashtra has become the first state to launch a special awareness drive to ensure that transgenders in the state register as voters in greater numbers. 
ii. The state branch of the Election Commission of India (ECI)  launched the drive on April 15, celebrated as Third Gender Day. According to ECI officials, despite the approximate population of third genders in Maharashtra being pegged at more than 10 lakh, only about 1,700 are registered voters.

 Finance Ministry approves 8.65% interest rate on EPF
i. The Finance Ministry have permitted the Labour Ministry to go ahead with 8.65% rate of interest on Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) for 2016-17, which will benefit over four crores EPFO members. 




Prakash Javadekar launched RUSA Portal, Mobile App

i. Human Resource and Development Minister Prakash Javadekar launched the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) portal and mobile app in New Delhi. 
ii. The portal is one-stop for States’ Higher Education Plans, the decision of the States’ Higher Education Councils and details of the resources. The mobile application will ensure that all projects under RUSA are tracked for 24x7.

Bhopal to have India's first privately run railway station

i. For the first time in Indian Railway history Habibganj station in Bhopal has been handed over to the private firm to be operated by it. 
ii. The station building will be developed in line with airport terminals. However, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu clarified that trains at the station will still be run by the Railways.


Over 50 Indians in Forbes’ under 30 list of super achievers
i. Over 50 Indians, including gymnast Dipa Karmakar, Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik and actress Alia Bhatt, are among Forbes’ list of super achievers from Asia under the age of 30 who are “pushing boundaries of innovation“. 
ii. The second Forbes ‘30 Under 30’ Asia list 2017 features 300 impressive young entrepreneurs 30 in 10 categories, including entertainment, finance and venture capital, retail, social entrepreneurs and enterprise technology, under the age of 30 years.  
iii. The youngest Indians on the list are brothers Sanjay, 15, and Shravan Kumaran, 17, who founded GoDimensions, a mobile app developer five years ago.

India’s economy will grow by 7.2% in 2017-18, predicts World Bank

i. India’s gross domestic product is expected to spike to 7.2% in the 2017-18 financial year from 6.8% the previous fiscal, according to a new World Bank report titled “Globalization Backlash”. 
ii. The international agency forecast that India’s economic growth will rise gradually to 7.7% in 2019-’20, underpinned by a recovery in private investments.

Hanchinal receives M.S. Swaminathan Award

i. The sixth prestigious M.S. Swaminathan Award for contribution in the field of agriculture given to R.R. Hanchinal, Chairperson of Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Rights Authority, the government of India. 
ii. He received the award for his contributions and sustained support to the areas of crop improvement for hot and very hot dry environments, seed production technology and intellectual protection rights in plant varieties.

Indian engineer Trupti Jain wins ‘Cartier Women’s Initiative award’
i. An Indian environmental engineer Trupti Jain has won 2017 prestigious ‘Cartier Women’s Initiative Award’ for providing women working on farms with water management solutions and protecting small farmers against droughts and flash flood. ii. She, was one among the six winners chosen for the Asia-Pacific laureate from a pool of nearly 1,900 applicants from over 120 countries and were selected by an independent international jury.

BRICS envoys on Middle East meet in India 

i. Special Envoys of five BRICS member states who specialises on West Asian Affairs held a quiet meeting in Vishakhapatnam to assess current situation in the volatile region after use of chemical weapons in Syria and US retaliatory strike on the Syrian air base. 
ii. This was the first meeting of the BRICS special envoys on the Middle East held in India and gained significance following growing instability in West Asia and North Africa. 

Google launches Areo app

i. Google has launched a new food delivery and home services aggregator called Areo for the Indian market. The app is available as a free download on the Google Play store and is currently operational in Bengaluru and Mumbai.

World's oldest person Emma Morano dies aged 117

i. Emma Morano, an Italian woman believed to have been the oldest person alive and the last survivor of the 19th century died at the age of 117. Morano, born on November 29, 1899, died at her home in Verbania, northern Italy.

Arjun Gaind launches his book on Punjab

i. Author Arjun Gaind launched his latest book, 'Punjab: Building the Land Of Five Rivers' in Mumbai. A panel discussion was organised on the occasion at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya in which Punjab’s history, heritage, culture and growth were discussed. 

Sai Praneeth wins Singapore open Badminton

i. Sai Praneeth has won the title match of Men's singles at Singapore Open Badminton beating his compatriot Kidambi Srikanth.  
ii. This was the first time that two Indians featured in a men’s singles Superseries final and India became only the fourth country to have both players in a Super series final. The other three are China, Denmark and Indonesia.

Pankaj Advani won his sixth Asian Billiards title
i. Sixteen-time world champion Pankaj Advani has won his sixth Asian Billiards title and seventh overall Asian championship. 
ii. The ace cueist defeated his compatriot Sourav Kothari 6-3 in an entertaining final of the Asian Billiards Championship in Chandigarh. 


Important Takeaways from above GK Update are as follows

• PM Modi is on 2-day visit to Gujarat
• Inaugurated the Kiran Multi-Speciality Hospital and Diamond Manufacturing Unit in Surat
• Inaugurated SUMUL, Cattle Feed Plant and launched irrigation and water supply schemes at Bajipura, Gujarat
• R.R. Hanchinal accloaded by M.S. Swaminathan Award
• He received the award for his contributions and sustained support to the areas of crop improvement
• The award is in a name of M S Swaminathan, who was an Indian geneticist and international administrator.
• Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh launched two web applications Anti-Corruption Cell and DARPAN to check corruption and keep track of government activities
• Digital Application for Review by Public And Nation  is the full form of DARPAN
• Maharashtra becomes the first state to launch a special drive for transgenders to register as voters
• CM of Maharashtra is Devendra Fadnavis and governor of Maharashtra is C Vidyasagar Rao.
• Trupti Jain  has won 2017 'Cartier Women’s Initiative Award'
• The Cartier Awards are an international business competition that aims to encourage women entrepreneurs to solve contemporary global challenges.
• Habibganj station in Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) has been handed over to a private firm to be operated by it
• Railway Minister of India is Suresh Prabhu
• Over 50 Indians in Forbes’ under 30 list of super achievers in Asia including gymnast Dipa Karmakar, Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik and actress Alia Bhatt
• India has 53 achievers on the list, second only to China which has 76 honorees
• The youngest Indians on the list are brothers Sanjay, 15, and Shravan Kumaran, 17, who founded GoDimensions, a mobile app developer five years ago
• B. C. Forbes is the founder of Forbes
• Finance Ministry approved 8.65% interest rate on EPF
• Employees Provident Fund Organization is full form of EPFO
• Arun Jaitley is the Finance Minister of India
• Central Provident Fund Commissioner (CPFO) of EPFO is D.R. V.P. Joy
• EPFO head office is in New Delhi.
• India’s economy will grow by 7.2% in 2017-18, predicts World Bank
• The World Bank report titled “Globalization Backlash”
• The president of the World Bank is Jim Yong Kim and it is headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States.
• Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari is arriving in India (New Delhi) on a five-day visit
• Kathmandu is the capital of Nepal and currency is Nepalese Rupee
• Prime Minister of Nepal is Pushpa Kamal Dahal.
• Human Resource and Development Minister Prakash Javadekar launched the RUSA portal
• RUSA full form is Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan
• Sai Praneeth has won the title match of Men's singles at Singapore Open Badminton.
• Sai Praneeth has defeated his compatriot Kidambi Srikanth.
• Praneeth is a male Indian badminton player.
• World's oldest person Emma Morano dies aged 117.
• Emma Morano was an Italian woman.
• Morano was born on November 29, 1899. 
• Pankaj Advani won his sixth Asian Billiards title.
• At the tender age of 18, Pankaj won his first World Title in 2003.
• He is the only person in the history of the game to have won both the billiards and snooker IBSF World Titles as well as the World Professional Billiards Championship.
• His excellence in the sport has also earned him the highest sporting honor - Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 2006.
• Pankaj Advani Born in Pune on 24 July 1985.
• Advani won his sixth Asian Billiards title and seventh overall Asian championship. 

QUIZ-17

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.