QUIZ-13

QUIZ-13

Q1. Pankaj Advani has won the Indian National Snooker Championship with a 6-0 win over Pandurangaiah of Railways in a one-sided final. Apart from clinching his __________ national title overall, Advani broke several other records.
Answer: 29th

Q2. In a massive crackdown on unauthorised agencies offering Aadhaar-related services illegally and charging excessive money from the public, UIDAI has got shut down 12 such websites and 12 mobile apps available on the Google Play store. What does UIDAI stands for-
Answer: Unique Identification Authority of India

Q3. Which bank has decided to steeply raise the charges on certain transactions, capping cash component in others and also introducing charges on certain transactions from 01st March 2017?
Answer: HDFC Bank

Q4. A truly global event taking place every year on 04th February World Cancer Day unites the world’s population in the fight against cancer. Taking place under the tagline_______________.
Answer: We can. I can

Q5. Name the former Consulate General of India (CGI), who has been appointed as convener of the high-level panel on ways to improve India's Haj policy and also look into the issue of subsidy to the pilgrimage in light of 2012 Supreme Court order on gradually reducing and abolishing it by 2022.
Answer: Jeddah Afzal Amanullah

Q6. The world’s longest commercial flight has landed in ______________ with the arrival of Qatar Airways’s 14,535km (9,032-mile) Doha-Auckland service.
Answer: New Zealand

Q7. Global taxi-hailing platform Uber has announced it has launched a new category ________ that allows customers to hire a taxi for the day, to cover several destinations, and is targetting senior citizens, business travellers and tourists.
Answer: UberHIRE

Q8. Which state government has launched India's first social innovation centre The ‘Kakatiya Hub For Social Innovation’?
Answer: Telangana

Q9. In which state, the first Smart Police Station, having look and feel of a corporate-style office, started functioning from 07th February 2017?
Answer: Andhra Pradesh

Q10. Alastair Cook has resigned as Test captain after a record 59 matches in the role. Alastair Cook was the Test cricket captain of- 
Answer: England

Q11. Which team/country has won the gold medal in the boy's team event at the Asian Junior Squash championship in Hong Kong recently?
Answer: India

Q12. Queen Elizabeth II, the world’s longest reigning sovereign, has became the first ______________ monarch to reach her Sapphire Jubilee, with 65 years on the throne.
Answer: British

Q13. India and Austria have signed a Protocol to amend the existing DTAC between the two countries recently. What does DTAC stand for-
Answer: Double Taxation Avoidance Convention

Q14. IDBI Bank has reduced its marginal cost of funds based lending rate (MCLR) by 30-35 basis points across various tenors. Where is the headquartered of IDBI Bank?
Answer: Mumbai

Q15. Name the person, who has won the men’s singles titles in the 81st Senior National Badminton Championships tournament in Patna, Bihar.
Answer: Sourabh Varma

Daily GK Update 13-14th March, 2017

Daily GK Update 13-14th March, 2017

No Limit On Cash Withdrawals From Savings Bank Accounts

i. All limits on savings bank cash withdrawals post-demonetisation ended on 13 march 2017, as had been announced by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) last month.

ii. In a two-stage process, the weekly withdrawal limit per account had been raised to Rs. 50,000, from Rs. 24,000, with effect from February 20,2017, and all limits on ATM withdrawals were slated to cease from March 13, 2017. 

iii. It kept its key interest rate unchanged at 6.25%, saying it awaited data on the full impact of the government's demonetisation drive.

Jaitley gets additional charge of Defence Ministry

i. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley was given the additional charge of the Defence Ministry after Manohar Parrikar resigned to take on the new role of Goa Chief Minister.

ii. This is the second time that Jaitley is holding the additional portfolio of Defence Ministry during the present NDA government. 

iii. He was incharge of the ministry earlier from May 26 to November 9 in 2014.

Manohar Parrikar appointed Goa chief minister

i. Defence minister Manohar Parrikar appointed as the Goa chief minister after BJP concluded hectic negotiations with regional parties and independents to stitch up the numbers to form a government.

ii. He was made the Defence Minister at the Centre in 2014 and was succeeded by Laxmikant Parsekar as the Chief Minister.

iii.  He will take oath as the chief minister on 14th March, 2017.

India Bangladesh border guards celebrate Holi together

i. Border guards of India and Bangladesh celebrated the festival of Holi together along the international border. 

ii. India’s Border Security Force (BSF) and Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) played Holi at Akhaura, an integrated checkpost, and other bordering areas of Tripura and exchanged sweets.

 iii. BSF and BGB are very close and have celebrated various annual carnivals each year.

Women Safety app ‘Ammavin Aran’ launched by AIADMK

i. The AIADMK IT Wing has launched the first-of-its-kind women safety application in Tamil Nadu. The app is called 'Ammavin Aran' meaning 'mother's fortress'.

ii. The app will give the user details about the nearest police station and hospital along with map details and phone number. 

iii. There is an in-built whistle, which can manipulate the phone speaker to create a loud noise when pressed by anyone in distress.Also the app carries an in-built call recorder and and 'Tips' icon to provide life saving information.

Arunachal Pradesh Launches Adarsh Gram Yojana for Rural Poor

i. The Arunachal Pradesh government has launched a new scheme Adarsh Gram Yojana that is in accordance with the basic philosophy of the Prime Minister 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikaas'. 

ii. The scheme aims to reach the poor people in rural areas of the state to serve them better. Under the scheme, 123 villages (comprising one village per circle) will be developed as 'Model Villages' during the fiscal year 2017-18.

Karnataka announces Rs10-crore fund for women entrepreneurs

i. Karnataka has announced an Idea2POC (Proof of Concept) fund of Rs10 crore for women entrepreneurs. 

ii. Under this (Idea2POC) scheme, the Karnataka Department of IT, BT and S&T will fund up to Rs50 lakh for any woman innovator looking for funds for Proof of Concept validation, certification, and cover costs in manufacturing of pilot devices. 

iii. The IT/BT Department, under the Multi-Sector Startup Policy of Karnataka, created the Idea2PoC Fund.

Rs605-crore ‘KCR Kit’ scheme for pregnant women, new born

i. Focussing on women welfare and new born, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has come out with an innovative scheme – KCR Kit. The scheme is designed to address complications during the time of pregnancy and aimed at reducing infant mortality rate and encourage institutional deliveries.

ii. The KCR Kit consists of 16 essential things needed for a new-born and will be useful for up to three months.The government proposes to earmark Rs605 crore for the scheme.

Over 1 lakh SB accounts opened in TN: Airtel Payments Bank

i. Airtel Payments Bank, offered by telecom major Bharti Airtel, announced that over one lakh savings accounts were opened in 100 villages across Tamil Nadu.

ii. Through the initiative, the villages would have access to banking services along with the option of making digital payments. 

iii. Till date, over one lakh savings accounts have been opened with Airtel Payments Bank across Tamil Nadu.

iv. By launching the service, Airtel Payments Bank will not charge any processing fee from its customers and merchant partners for digital transactions.  Payment Banks accept deposits from individuals and small businesses up to a maximum of Rs 1 lakh per account.

HSBC breaks with tradition, names AIA boss Tucker as Chairman

i. HSBC Holdings Plc , Europe's biggest bank, tapped an outsider for its top job appointed insurance veteran and AIA Group boss Mark Tucker as chairman to replace Douglas Flint, who plans to step down in 2017.

ICICI Bank, SBI top bank frauds list: RBI

i. As per RBI data, ICICI Bank topped the list of banks that witnessed most number of frauds during April to December period of 2016 with state-owned SBI taking the second spot.

ii. During the first nine months of the current fiscal, as many as 455 fraud cases, involving 1 lakh rupees and above, were detected in ICICI Bank, closely followed by SBI with 429, Standard Chartered with 244 and HDFC Bank with 237.

iii. However, in value terms, frauds involving 2,237 crore rupees were reported in SBI, followed by Punjab National Bank with 2,250 crore rupees and Axis Bank with 1,998 crore rupees.

OnePlus India Ropes Amitabh Bachchan as its New Brand Ambassador 

i. Chinese smartphone company OnePlus has roped in Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan as its new brand ambassador for India.

 ii. Mr Bachchan is the first major face that OnePlus India is associating with for its latest flagship smartphone, OnePlus 3T. With this, Amitabh Bachchan has now joined the first-ever 'OnePlus Star' which is a select group of distinguished OnePlus users.

Pakistan set to conduct its first census in 19 years

i. Pakistan is set to conduct its first national census in 19 years which will begin on Wednesday with the assistance of over 200,000 troops.

ii. Army spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor and Minister of State for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb addressed a joint conference about preparation for the sixth census, which will be conducted in two phases and will be completed on May 25, 2017. iii.Islamabad last conducted a census in 1998, which recorded a national population of approximately 180 million at that time.

Hyundai Signs 3 Bn Euro Deal For Iran Oil Project

i. Korea’s Hyundai Engineering Co has signed a deal worth 3 billion euros (USD 3.2 billion) with an Iranian investment fund to invest in a major Iranian oil project. 

ii. This agreement covers construction of the second phase of the Kangan Petro Refining Complex in southwest Bushehr province of Iran in which Hyundai Engineering plans to invest 3.1 billion euros which is 95% of the overall project cost.

 Intel to buy Mobileye for $ 15.3 billion

i. U.S. chip giant Intel has agreed to buy Israeli driverless technology firm  Mobileye for $15.3 billion, the largest ever acquisition of an Israeli high-tech company. 

ii. The $63.54 per share cash deal is the world's biggest purchase of a company solely focused on the autonomous driving sector. 

iii. Mobileye accounts for 70 percent of the global market for advanced driver-assistance and anti-collision systems.

Sena's Vishwanath Mahadeshwar elected as Mumbai Mayor 

i. Shiv Sena's Vishwanath Mahadeshwar elected as the Mayor of Mumbai with the support of the BJP, marking a coming together of the two parties after contesting the civic polls separately. 

ii. Mahadeshwar defeated Congress nominee Vitthal Lokare by 171-31 margin. He is the 76th mayor of the city.

KPMG elects Bill Thomas as Global Chairman

i. William B Thomas has been elected Chairman of KPMG International. He will lead the KPMG global network of professional services firms for a 4-year term, effective October 1, 2017, succeeding John B Veihmeyer who is completing his term as Chairman and retiring from the firm, at the end of September 2017.

ICC appoint Sachin Tendulkar as official ambassador of women's World Cup 2017

i. Indian cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar was announced as the official ambassador of Women's Cricket World Cup 2017 by the International Cricket Council (ICC) yesterday, on the occasion of International Women's Day.

ii. The women’s World Cup this year starts on June 24, 2017 at England and Wales with eight top cricketing countries locking horns to grab the coveted trophy. 

iii. The 21-day tournament having 28 matches will be played at five different venues with the final at Lord's Cricket Ground,London. 

UK parliament gives final approval for Brexit bill

i. In UK, the House of Lords has passed the Brexit bill, paving the way for the government to trigger Article 50 so the UK can leave the EU. 

ii. The Prime Minister could theoretically invoke Article 50, which formally starts the Brexit process. 

iii.The EU Withdrawal Bill was passed unamended after peers voted by 274 votes to 118 not to challenge the Commons again over the issue of whether Parliament should have a veto on the terms of exit.

CAS upholds lifetime ban on Sergei Portugalov

i. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld a lifetime ban levied against Sergei Portugalov, former chief of the Russian Athletics Federation's Medical Commission for his role in providing illicit substances to Russian athletes.

ii. The CAS stated that Portugalov had been found to have violated several articles of the IAAF anti-doping regulations, including the possession, trafficking and administration of prohibited substances.

Former Puducherry Agriculture Minister M Chandrakasu passes away  

The former Puducherry Agriculture Minister M. Chandrakasu passed away after a prolonged illness. He was 67 .

Chawrasia clinches second successive Indian Open title in Golf

i. SSP Chawrasia has become only the second Indian golfer to successfully defend the Hero Indian Open title.He clinched a seven-stroke win at the redesigned DLF golf and country club in Gurgaon. 

ii. This was his sixth win on the Asian Tour and overall sixth international victory. Chawrasia pocketed a winner's cheque of 291,660 US Dollars.

iii. He is the third player to win back-to-back Indian Open. The other two golfers who did so earlier are Jyoti Randhawa who won in 2006 and 2007 and Japan's Kenji Hosoishi who won in 1967 and 1968.

All England Open badminton: Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia lifts Men's Singles crown

i. Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia has lifted the Men's Singles crown at the All England Open badminton championships.In the final in Birmingham, the 34-year-old world number one defeated Shi Yuqi of China in straight games 21-12, 21-10. 

ii. For the Malaysian, it is his fifth Singles Title in seven finals in the prestigeous championships.

QUIZ-12

QUIZ-12

Q1. The Sports Ministry budget got a substantial hike of Rs 350 crore in the union budget for 2017-18, presented by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the Parliament. How much amount has allocated compared to Rs 1592 crore earmarked last year for Sports Ministry budget?
Answer: Rs 1943 crore

Q2. Name the person, who has been appointed as principal economic adviser in department of Economic affairs?
Answer: Sanjeev Sanyal

Q3. The National Rail Museum has celebrated its 40th anniversary on 01st February 2017. National Rail Museum is located at- 
Answer: New Delhi

Q4. Joginder Singh has passed away recently. Joginder Singh was the former chief of-
Answer: Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)

Q5. Name the person, who has been appointed as new CEO and Managing Director of National Stock Exchange (NSE), two months after the sudden exit of Chitra Ramkrishna from the top post?
Answer: Vikram Limaye

Q6. Which state has launched the Chief Minister Samagra Gramya Unnayan Yojana (CMSGUY) recently?
Answer: Assam

Q7. Who has been featured in the latest cover star of the bible of cricket- Wisden Cricketer's Almanack?
Answer: Virat Kohli

Q8. Which country will be host International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Women's Asia Cup basketball tournament in July, 2017?
Answer: India

Q9. The renowned Urdu novelist and playwright Bano Qudsia has passed away recently. She hailed from-
Answer: Pakistan

Q10. Which banks has signed an agreement with Religare Health Insurance Co Ltd to market its products and services through the distribution network of the bank across India?
Answer: Corporation Bank

Q11. The Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry led by under Prakash Javadekar is set to constitute a NTA which will be responsible for conducting examinations for higher and secondary education. What does NTA stand for-
Answer: National Testing Agency

Q12. The Ujjivan Small Finance Bank has started its operation with 5 pilot branches in Bengaluru. Who is MD and CEO of the Ujjivan Small Finance Bank?
Answer: Samit Ghosh

Q13. ____________lifted up the ban it had imposed on United States Wrestlers, thus allowing them to participate in the Freestyle World Cup to be held in Iran in February 2017.
Answer: Iran

Q14. Who has been honoured with the prestigious $1 million 2017 Genesis Prize by Israel for the utmost contribution for Jewish community?
Answer: Anish Kapoor

Q15. A Tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed among the Ministry of Tourism, M/s NPCC & NBCC and Government of ______________ for the implementation of Tourism projects.
Answer: Jammu and Kashmir

Daily GK Update 12th March, 2017

Daily GK Update 12th March, 2017

                        B P Kanungo was appointed Deputy Governor in Reserve Bank of India (RBI)

i. B P Kanungo was on Friday appointed Deputy Governor in Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for three years.
ii. He has been appointed in place of R Gandhi. 
iii. Kanungo was in March last year appointed as executive director in the central bank.




 'Dangal' won the Viewer's Choice Best Film award at Zee Cine Awards 2017

i. 'Dangal' won the Viewer's Choice Best Film award at Zee Cine Awards 2017 on 11th March 2017. 
ii. Salman Khan won the Best Actor and Anushka Sharma was named the Best Actress for their film 'Sultan' based on votes by viewers. 

iii. The song 'Channa Mereya' from the film 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' was named the Viewer's Choice Song of the Year.


Maritime Admiralty Bill passed by Lok Sabha

i. The Lok Sabha on 10 March 2017 passed the Admiralty (Jurisdiction and Settlement of Maritime Claims) Bill,2016. 

ii. The Bill aims to establish a legal framework to consolidate the existing laws relating to admiralty jurisdiction of courts, admiralty proceedings on maritime claims, arrest of vessels and related issues. It also aims to replace archaic laws which are hindering efficient governance.

Reliance Capital’s CEO Sam Ghosh to quit after 9 years

i. Reliance Capital’s long serving CEO Sam Ghosh will leave the company on 31 March, after spending nine years at the financial services arm of Anil Ambani-led business conglomerate.

ii. Ghosh, a Chartered Accountant from England had joined the company in April 2008 as group chief executive officer of Reliance Capital, while he was elevated to the board in May 2015.

Thai contestant wins transgender beauty pageant

i. Thai contestant Jiratchaya Sirimongkolnawin was crowned Miss International Queen 2016 on Friday at a contest billed as the world's largest and most popular transgender pageant.

ii. The 25-year-old beat 24 other contestants for the crown, with the second and third place going to contestants from Brazil and Venezuela, respectively.

iii. The contest was held at the Tiffany's nightclub in the Thai seaside town of Pattaya.

Exhibition “Revolutionary Patriots (1905-1947)” was Inaugurated

i. On the occasion of 127th Foundation Day of National Archives of India (NAI), an exhibition entitled “Revolutionary Patriots (1905-1947)” was inaugurated by Shri N.K. Sinha, Secretary, Ministry of Culture in the presence of Shri Raghvendra Singh, Director General of NAI and many dignitaries. 

ii. Addressing on the occasion, Shri N.K. Sinha praised the initiative of NAI and opined that the Digital Technology can make a lot of difference in collection and preservation of historical treasures in NAI. 

India launches second stage of HCFCs phaseout plan

i. Environment minister Anil Madhav Dave, on Monday released the second stage of the Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC) phase-out management plan (HPMP), greenhouse gases that damage the earth’s ozone layer.

ii. It is estimated that with this plan, there would be a net direct CO2-equivalent emission reductions of about 8.5 million metric tonnes annually from 2023.

India has already successfully implemented HPMP stage-I.

Daily GK Update 11th March, 2017

Daily GK Update 11th March, 2017

Goa Election 2017: Francis D'Souza (BJP) wins from Mapusa 

i. Deputy Chief Minister Francis D'Souza wins from Mapusa constituency by a margin of over 6,000 votes.

ii. The total voter turnout was 78.94% and Francis D’souza was the candidate from BJP who had won followed by Ashish Tulshidas Shirodkar of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). 

RBI Restricts Cash Loan Against Gold by NBFC to Rs 25,000

i. Non-Banking Finance Companies (NBFCs) cannot lend more than Rs 25,000 in cash against gold according to RBI.

ii. The earlier provision for NBFC was that high-value loans against the gold of Rs 1 lakh and above must only be disbursed by cheque. RBI reduced the amount to Rs 25,000 from the earlier Rs 1 lakh in line with the provisions of the Income Tax Act.

iii. The decision was taken in the backdrop of government’s focus on less cash economy and promoting digital payments.

Himachal launches mobile app 'Mera Hunar HP' for job-seeker

i. Virbhadra Singh led Himachal Pradesh government has launched mobile app and website titled ‘MeraHunar HP’ or ‘My Talent’  to help skilled and semi-skilled workers find jobs.

ii. The mobile app will connect prospective employers with job aspirants as the latter’s resume will contain addresses and contact numbers.

iii. This initiative will foster the skill development scheme and be of great help to pass-outs of industrial training institutes also make available real-time employment data of the state.

President of India inaugurates the 12th CII-Exim bank conclave on India Africa Project Partnership

i. President Pranab Mukherjee has inaugurated the two-day 12th CII-EXIM Bank Conclave on India-Africa Project Partnership in New Delhi.The first conclave has held in 2005.

ii. It was organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in partnership with the EXIM Bank of India with the support of the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India.

iii. The Objective is to discuss cooperation in Trade, Regional Integration & Infrastructure Development, Finance & Consultancy, Mining & Minerals, Agriculture & Agro-Processing, Power & Alternative Energy, Healthcare, Small & Medium Enterprises, Human Capital Development and People-to-People Contacts. 

Government releases draft rules for wallet companies

i. In a bid to make transactions through e-wallets safer and strengthen the grievance redressal mechanism for consumers, a government has released a set of guidelines for wallet firms.

ii. The draft Information Technology (Security of Prepaid Payment Instruments) Rules 2017 which have been released for public consultation by the ministry of electronics and IT cover an entire spectrum such as protecting consumer information, especially financial data. The Rules mandate that each Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPI) company or wallet firm will have a privacy policy posted on its website.

iii. It will also have to appoint a chief grievance officer, the contact details of whom will have to be prominently displayed on the website. The grievance officer will have to "act upon" any complaint within 36 hours and "close" it in a month's time. 

Paytm to levy 2% fee on recharge via credit cards

i. Digital wallet player Paytm will now levy a 2% fee for adding money to Paytm wallet using credit cards.

ii. This is a result of multiple users using Paytm to get free credit by using credit cards to top up their digital wallets and transferring the money back to their bank accounts at zero transaction cost.

iii. The digital payment wallet will, however, provide an equivalent amount of cashback for using credit card to add money to the wallet. The cost of adding money to the wallet through other modes such as net banking and debit cards remains non-chargeable.

IBM Researchers Creates World’s Smallest Magnet to Store Single Bit Data

i. A team of researchers at IBM has created the world’s smallest magnet using a single atom which can store one bit of data on it.Currently, hard disk drives use about 100,000 atoms to store a single bit.

ii. The IBM scientists used a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) to build and measure isolated single-atom bits using the holmium atoms.  Then, they used an electrical current to write and read binary data (1s and 0s) on the atom.

Google acquires Kaggle for undisclosed amount to boost data play

i. Technology giant Google has announced the acquisition of Kaggle, a start-up that hosts a number of data scientists, for an undisclosed amount at the Cloud Next 2017 conference.

ii. Kaggle and Google Cloud will continue to support machine learning training and deployment services while offering the community the ability to store and query large datasets.

Ford Foundation appoints Pradeep Nair as regional director for India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka

i. New York-based Ford Foundation has appointed Pradeep Nair as regional director for India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.Nair will take charge at the end of March from David Hulse.

ii. He will lead the global non-profit grant-making organization’s operations in New Delhi, serving the three countries.

Paddleboarder makes world-first Atlantic crossing

i. A South African man Chris Bertish has become the first person to cross the Atlantic Ocean on a stand-up paddleboard after completing an epic 4,050-mile voyage alone at sea.

ii. Chris Bertish pulled into Antigua, in the Leeward islands of the Caribbean after departing from Agadir, Morocco, 93 days ago. Bertish, 42, a big-wave surfer as well as a sailor, who won the renowned Mavericks surf contest in northern California in 2010.

QUIZ-11

QUIZ-11

Q1. India ended their campaign in the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) World Cup 2017 with five medals at New Delhi. China topped the list with how many medals?

(a) 15

(b) 18

(c) 10

(d) 12

(e) 8

Q2.  Name the scheme that has recently been launched by the Haryana government for senior citizen of the state.

(a) Vriddha Suraksha Scheme

(b) Tirtha Darshan Scheme

(c) Senior Pension Scheme

(d) Senior Shelter Scheme

(e) Char Dham Scheme

Q3. Social networking site Facebook has recently launched a new initiative named _____________ to support women-founded or co-founded startups.

(a) SheLeadsTech

(b) SheMeansBusiness

(c) SheSupportEducation

(d) SheMeansService

(e) SheLeadsBusiness

Q4. Name the player, who has recently won the Dubai Tennis Championships, 2017.

(a) Roger Federer

(b) Fernando Verdasco

(c) Andy Murray

(d) Marcin Matkowski

(e) Rafael Nadal

Q5. An Eminent personality Mr. M P Veerendra Kumar was presented the 30th Moortidevi award by Bharatiya Jnanpith organization, recently. He is famous ___________.

(a) Author

(b) Journalist

(c) Critic

(d) Both (a) and (c)

(e) Both (a) and (b)

Q6. Name the Taxi aggregator, that has signed an MoU with Madhya Pradesh government in aim to provide training, skill development, and empowerment to taxi Drivers across the state.

(a) Ola

(b) Uber

(c) Meru Cabs

(d) Taxi For Sure

(e) Tab Cab

Q7. Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti inaugurated a national conference on Jal Kranti Abhiyan in New Delhi, recently. Ministry of Water Resources and River Development had launched Jal Kranti Abhiyan in ________.

(a) 2010

(b) 2012

(c) 2013

(d) 2015

(e) None of the given options are true

Q8. Name the festival, celebrated by the tribal people of the Indian state Madhya Pradesh, recently.

(a) Bhagoria

(b) Napuchan

(c) Kalawar

(d) Sochagam

(e) Dancharia

Q9. Rabi Ray passed away, recently. He was ___________.

(a) Former MP

(b) Singer

(c) Former Lok Sabha Speaker

(d) Former Chief Justice of India

(e) Classical Dancer

Q10. Name the Indo-Oman Joint Army Exercise that was started recently (March 2017) in the Dhauladhar Ranges at Bakloh in Himachal Pradesh.

(a) Operation Parakram

(b) AL NAGAH-II

(c) Ind-Om Exo-II

(d) Operation Dhruva

(e) Sahastra-II

Q11. Name the person who has been recently appointed as the adviser to the Odisha government.

(a) S N Rangaswamy

(b) R K Patil

(c) T Venkatesh Raman

(d) K Srinath Reddy

(e) P Srinivasan

Q12. Name the Private lender, which has recently launched India's first artificial intelligence based banking chatbot Electronic Virtual Assistant (EVA) for customer services.

(a) Axis Bank

(b) ICICI Bank

(c) HDFC Bank

(d) Yes Bank

(e) Karnataka Bank

Q13. Indo-Oman Joint Army Exercise- AL NAGAH-II 2017 started recently in ____________.

(a) Jammu & Kashmir

(b) Punjab

(c) Uttarakhand

(d) Rajasthan

(e) Himachal Pradesh

Q14. Name the Kerala’s playback singer who has created a new world record by playing the maximum number of songs in the shortest time on Gayathri veena during a program.

(a) Vaikom Vijayalakshmi

(b) P. Madhuri

(c) Sunitha Sarathy

(d) Radhika Thilak

(e) Jyotsna Radhakrishnan

Q15. The world’s oldest aircraft carrier in active service, INS Viraat, was decommissioned on 06 Mar after serving the Indian Navy for nearly 30 years. India had bought the carrier from __________.

(a) Israel

(b) UK

(c) France

(d) Russia

(e) USA

                                                      ANSWERS

S1. Ans.(d)

Sol. India ended their campaign in the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) World Cup (Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun) with five medals, including one Gold, two Silver and two Bronze medals at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range, New Delhi. China topped the list with 12 medals (6 Gold, 6 Silver) in the contest.

S2. Ans.(b)

Sol. Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced that the state government had prepared a Tirtha Darshan scheme under which senior citizens above 60 years of age and of Haryana domicile would be able to go on a pilgrimage within the country at government expense.

S3. Ans.(a)

Sol. Social networking site Facebook launched a new initiative 'SheLeadsTech', to support women-founded or co-founded startups. SheLeadsTech will give women-founded or co-founded start-ups access to a year-long program that provides tools, mentorship and resources.

S4. Ans.(c)

Sol. The Dubai Tennis Championships were held at the Aviation Club Tennis Centre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Britain’s Andy Murray claimed his first title of the year with a straight-sets victory over Fernando Verdasco.

S5. Ans.(e)

Sol. Eminent Malayalam author and journalist M P Veerendra Kumar presented the 30th Moortidevi award by Bharatiya Jnanpith organization.

S6. Ans.(a)

Sol. Taxi aggregator Ola has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Madhya Pradesh State Skill Development Mission (MPSSDM) and Directorate of Skill Development. In line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Skill India initiative, the MOU is focused towards training, skill development and empowerment of 25,000 driver partners in the next two years.

S7. Ans.(d)

Sol. Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti inaugurated a national conference on Jal Kranti Abhiyan in New Delhi, recently. Ministry of Water Resources and River Development had launched Jal Kranti Abhiyan on June, 2015 to consolidate water conservation and management in the country through a holistic and integrated approach involving all stakeholders.

S8. Ans.(a)

Sol. Bhagoria Festival, also known as Bhagoria Haat Festival, celebrated by the tribal people of the Indian state Madhya Pradesh began on March 6, 2017 in Jhabua district.

S9. Ans.(c)

Sol. Eminent socialist leader, former Union Minister and former Speaker of Lok Sabha Rabi Ray passed away after a prolonged illness while undergoing treatment at the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack. He was 91.

S10. Ans.(b)

Sol. 'Indo-Oman Joint Army Exercise- AL NAGAH-II 2017' was started on 6th march and will end on 19th March in the Dhauladhar Ranges at Bakloh in Himachal Pradesh.

S11. Ans.(d)

Sol. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced appointment of Prof Dr K Srinath Reddy as the adviser to the Odisha government. Prof Dr K Srinath Reddy will advise the state government on proper implementation and smooth delivery of the ongoing health service programs so as to better the indicators.

S12. Ans.(c)

Sol. Mumbai-headquartered HDFC Bank has launched India’s first AI (artificial intelligence) based banking chatbot Electronic Virtual Assistant (EVA) for customer services.

S13. Ans.(e)

Sol. In an effort to build bilateral military-to-military relations and skills, a 14-day joint defense exercise 'Al-Nagah-II' between the armies of India and Oman begun in Himachal Pradesh.

S14. Ans.(a)

Sol. Kerala’s playback singer Vaikom Vijayalakshmi created a new world record by playing the maximum number of songs in the shortest time (5 hrs) on Gayathri veena during a program in Kochi.

S15. Ans.(b)

Sol. The world’s oldest aircraft carrier in active service, INS Viraat, was decommissioned on 06 Mar after serving the Indian Navy for nearly 30 years. India had bought the carrier from The United Kingdom.