Daily GK Update 11th June 2017

Ayush Ministry launches yoga awareness drive using attractive mascots

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

ii. The first such event was held in Rohini area of the National Capital. According to the Ministry, illustrative Yoga sessions with the help of mascots were organised where the Mascots demonstrated a few Yoga asanas to the crowd. The mascots Provide an eye-catching way of helping boost the awareness of International Day Of Yoga. They are connecting with families by providing added entertainment and interactivity, especially at Malls, Public Places, Events & Recreational Tourist Areas. 

Static Takeaways-

• On December 11 in 2014, the United Nations General Assembly declared June 21st as the International Day of Yoga. 
• Yoga is a 5,000-year-old physical, mental and spiritual practice Having its origin in India, Which Aims to transform both body and mind.
• The Ministry of AYUSH was formed on 9th November 2014 to ensure the optimal development and propagation of AYUSH systems of health care.

Bengali actor Soumitra Chatterjee to receive Legion d' Honneur

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

ii. Dadasaheb Phalke award winner, Chatterjee featured in some of Ray’s most talked about movies such as Apur Sansar, on one of the famous Apu trilogy, Charulata, Aranyer Din Ratri and Sonar Kella. 

Static Takeaways-

• Soumitra Chatterjee first worked with Ray in `Apur Sansar' in 1959.
• Soumitra Chatterjee or Soumitra Chattopadhyay is an Indian Bengali film and stage actor and poet.

EU, France grant 3.5m euros to curb emissions in India

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

ii. More funds would be provided to India as the loan to take forward the smart city and sustainable transport initiatives in the three cities on the pilot basis. The MYC, supported by the French and German government, also has financial support from the European Union (EU).

Static Takeaways-

• Emmanuel Macron is present President of France.
• Prime Minister of France is Edouard Philippe.
• The European Union is a unique economic and political union between 28 European countries that together cover much of the continent.
• The EU was created in the aftermath of the Second World War. 

NITI Aayog launches SATH programme

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

ii. NITI Aayog invited all States and Union Territories for the three-stage selection process out of which 16 responded. Five States were shortlisted post project presentation by 14 States. Subsequently, three States will be selected through further assessments. SATH programme will be implemented by NITI Aayog along with global consultancy McKinsey & Company and IPE Global consortium in the three selected States after the signing of MoUs.

Static Takeaways-

• The National Institution for Transforming India, also called NITI Aayog, was formed via a resolution of the Union Cabinet on January 1, 2015. 
• NITI Aayog is the premier policy ‘Think Tank’ of the Government of India, providing both directional and policy inputs.
• The Government of India, in keeping with its reform agenda, constituted the NITI Aayog to replace the Planning Commission instituted in 1950.
• Arvind Panagariya is Vice-Chairman of Niti Aayog.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi is Chairperson of NITI Aayog.

Michael Venus-Ryan Harrison clinch French Open men's doubles title

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

ii. The 29-year-old is just New Zealand's second Grand Slam winner in the modern era after Onny Parun teamed up with Australian Dick Crealy to win the men's doubles crown in Paris 43 years ago.

Jelena Ostapenko won French Open title 2017

i. Jelena Ostapenko won her first Grand Slam title by beating Simona Halep 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in just under two hours in the women’s final of the French Open 2017. With this win, the unseeded Latvian became the youngest women’s champion at Roland Garros in 20 years.

ii. Ostapenko also recovered from a break behind in the third set and finished the contest with a flashing backhand winner to become the first unseeded player to win the title since Briton Margaret Scriven in 1933.

Static Takeaways-

• Simona Halep is a Romanian professional tennis player.
• The French Open is a major tennis tournament held over two weeks between late May and early June at the Stade Roland-Garros in Paris, France. 
• Michael Venus-Ryan Harrison clinches French Open men's doubles title 2017.

Adam West, TV's Batman dies at 88

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

UPSC Advt No 11/ 2017 -Senior Grade (IIS) Group B

UPSC Advt No 11/ 2017 – Apply Online for 72 Senior Grade Posts: Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has advertised a notification for the recruitment of 72 Senior Grade of Indian Information Service Group ‘B’ (Gazetted) vacancies in Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for different languages. Eligible candidates can apply online on or before 29-06-2017 by 23:59 Hrs. Other details like age limit, educational qualification, selection process & how to apply are given below…

UPSC Vacancy Details:
Total No of Posts: 72
Name of the Post: Senior Grade of Indian Information Service
Name of the Language:
1. Hindi: 19 Posts
2. English: 21 Posts
3. Marathi: 03 Posts
4. Gujrathi: 02 Posts
5. Bengali: 03 Posts
6. Oriya: 02 Posts
7. Tamil: 04 Posts
8. Malayalam: 02 Posts
9. Telugu: 04 Posts
10. Kannada: 02 Posts
11. Urdu: 04 Posts
12. Assamese: 02 Posts
13. Punjabi: 02 Posts
14. Kashmiri: 01 Post
15. Manipuri: 01 Post

Age Limit: Candidates age limit is 30 years. Age relaxation is admissible as per rules.

Educational Qualification: Candidates should possess Degree of a recognized University or Institute, Diploma/ Post Graduation Diploma in Journalism/ Mass Communication from a recognized University Institution or Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from a recognized University/ Institute, have 2 years experience of journalistic, publicity or public relation work in Government Department/ Public Sector Undertaking/ Autonomous Organisation/ News agency/ Newspaper registered with the Registrar of News papers of India (RNI)/ any other Listed Private Organization.

Selection Process: Candidates will be selected based on Recruitment test followed by interview.

Application Fee: Applicants required to pay Rs. 25/- by remitting the money in anybranch of the SBI by cash/ by using net banking facility of the SBI/ by using visa/ master credit/ debit card. No fee for SC/ ST/ PH/ Women candidates of any community. No “fee exemption” is available to OBC male candidates and they are required to pay the full prescribed fee.

How to Apply: Eligible candidates can apply online through website www.upsconline.nic.in on or before 29-06-2017 by 23:59 Hrs.

Instructions for Applying Online:
1. Before applying online candidates have to scan the copies of photograph & signature.
2. Log on through the website www.upsconline.nic.in
3. Click on “Online Recruitment Application (ORA) for Various Recruitment Posts”.
4. Select the Desired post & Click on “Apply Now”.
5. Fill all the details carefully & submit the form.
6. After successful registration, a unique registration ID will be allotted, note down the ID & password.
7. Now fill the personal profile, contact details, age relaxation if applicable.
8. Now fill the details of qualification, experience.
9. Now fill the details of Professional Registration, Language, Miscellaneous Module.
10. Now candidate have to choose the Recruitment Test Centre.
11. Now upload soft copies of educational qualification & experience documents in Document Upload Module.
12. After uploading photograph & signature preview the ORA form and check the details carefully.
13. Now click on the submit button
14. Candidates can Pay Fee using the Internet banking facility in SBI or other associated banks or can pay through Visa/ Master
Debit or Credit card issued by any Bank/ Institution.
15. Here the Transaction ID & Date of Registration details will directly uploaded automatically.
16. Now pay the fee through cash at any branch of State Bank of India through the Pay-in-Slip
17. A transaction ID will be given, again revisit the website and click on the “Click here to view your Previous/ Currently
active applications”.
18. Log in by registration ID & password, candidates can see “My Active Application (My draft Application)” link.
19. Now fill the details of transaction ID and Date of Transaction if paid through cash.
20. Click “Continue”, check the details of fee and submit the application.
21. Now take printout of online application for future use.

Important Dates
Last Date to Apply Online: 29-06-2017 by 23:59 Hrs. 
Last for Printing of Online Application: 30-06-2017 by 23:59 Hrs.

For more details like job description, remuneration, duties & other information click on the link given below….

Click here for Recruitment Advt

Click here for Apply Online

Read more: UPSC Advt No 11/ 2017 - Apply Online for 72 Senior Grade Posts

QUIZ-11+

Q1. Mukta Dutta Tomar has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to which Q1. Union Health Minister has launched the Test and Treat policy for providing treatment to patients suffering from Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Who is the present Union Health Minister?
Answer: Jagat Prakash Nadda

Q2. From 04th May 2017 "Bhilar" will become India’s first ‘book village’ where tourists and locals can come and read books, magazines, newspapers stacked at 25 premises. "Bhilar" is located in ________________.
Answer: Maharashtra

Q3. Which state has organized the country's first transgender one-day athletic meet in which 132 participants from 12 districts participated?
Answer: Kerala

Q4. Internationally renowned sand artist ________________ has won the jury prize gold medal at the 10th Moscow Sand art Championship.
Answer: Sudarsan Pattnaik

Q5. Who has become the first Indian to take pole in the F3 European series, securing the top spot on the starting grid for Race 1 of the second round of the championship in Monza, Italy?
Answer: Jehan Daruvala

Q6. Name the squash player who recently scripted history by becoming the first Indian to clinch the Asian Squash title held in Chennai.
Answer: Joshna Chinappa

Q7. India and Turkey has recently signed an agreement to strengthen co-operation in combating terrorism. What is the Capital of Turkey?
Answer: Ankara

Q8. Name the Chief Minister of one of the Indian state who has been selected for the ‘Transformative Chief Minister Award 2017’ in recognition for his role in advancing the US-India partnership at the state level.
Answer: Chandrababu Naidu

Q9. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has recently announced new office-bearers for the year 2017-18. Who has been appointed as the new President of CII?
Answer: Shobana Kamineni

Q10. Asha Parekh’s autobiography “Asha Parekh: The Hit Girl” was released recently in New Delhi. 'The Hit Girl' has been penned down by __________.
Answer: Khalid Mohamed

Q11. The World Press Freedom Day 2017 is celebrated globally under the theme _______________.
Answer: Critical Minds for Critical Times

Q12. Department of Commerce, Government of India has recently (May 2017) organized the 4th National Standards Conclave in which Indian cities?
Answer: New Delhi

Q13. The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) has announced the winners of the 44th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards held in California, USA. Which show has won the award for Outstanding Game Show?
Answer: Jeopardy

Q14. Name the past president of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) who was recently conferred with the Order of Diplomatic Service Merit Sungnye Medal of the Republic of Korea for his services rendered as honorary consul general of South Korea in Kolkata.
Answer: Rajive Kaul

Q15. The Telecom Ministry of India has recently launched a portal for Information sharing on Mobile Towers and EMF Emission Compliances in an event organized at New Delhi. The web portal is named as ____________.
Answer: Tarang Sanchar

QUIZ-11+

Q1. NSDC and Bird Academy have signed an MoU to skill more than 30 thousand unemployed youth from across states in the aviation and aerospace sectors. What does 'D' stands for in NSDC?

(a) Department

(b) DISCOM

(c) Development

(d) Deployment

(e) None of the given options is true

S1. Ans.(c)
Sol. National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and Bird Academy have signed an MoU to skill more than 30 thousand unemployed youth from across states in the aviation and aerospace sectors.

Q2. Energy Efficiency Services Ltd. has initiated a French Agency-funded project to retrofit 10 lakh conventional street lights with LED lights in Gram Panchayats which of the following state? This is the first project for rural LED street lighting in the country under the Centre’s Street Lighting National Project (SLNP).

(a) Himachal Pradesh

(b) Haryana

(c) Uttar Pradesh

(d) Andhra Pradesh

(e) Telangana

S2. Ans.(d)
Sol. Energy Efficiency Services Ltd. has initiated a French agency funded project to retrofit 10 lakh conventional street lights with LED lights in Gram Panchayats of 7 districts in Andhra Pradesh. This is the first project for rural LED street lighting in the country under the Centre’s Street Lighting National Project (SLNP).

Q3. To emphasize the importance of financial literacy, the Reserve Bank of India is observing June 5-9, 2017 as Financial Literacy Week across the country. The Week will focus on which of the following theme/themes?

(a) Know Your Customer (KYC)

(b) All of the given themes

(c) Exercising Credit Discipline

(d) Grievance Redress

(e) Going Digital

S3. Ans.(b)
Sol. To emphasise the importance of financial literacy, the Reserve Bank of India is observing June 5-9, 2017 as Financial Literacy Week across the country. The Week will focus on four broad themes, viz. Know Your Customer (KYC), Exercising Credit Discipline, Grievance Redress and Going Digital.

Q4. TRAI has recently launched three new apps to help customer’s rate quality of services, speed and performance. What does 'R' stands for in TRAI?

(a) Regulatory

(b) Reformative

(c) Resource

(d) Reconstruction

(e) None of the given options is true

S4. Ans.(a)
Sol. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has recently launched three new apps to help customer’s rate quality of services, speed and performance. The three new apps are Mycall app, MySpeed app and 'Do not disturb (DND 2.0)' app. The apps are being launched with the motive that there is more transparency between the consumers and the service providers.

Q5. Which of the following state government has recently launched the single-women pensions’ scheme across the state? It is the first such scheme in India.

(a) Maharashtra

(b) Telangana

(c) Gujarat

(d) Madhya Pradesh

(e) Assam

S5. Ans.(b)
Sol. Telangana government has recently launched the single-women pensions’ scheme across the state. Single women will be given Rs 1,000 per month. It is the first such scheme in India.

Q6. Which one of the following state has recently launched India’s first public bicycle sharing (PBS) initiative 'Trin Trin?

(a) Tripura

(b) Assam

(c) Karnataka

(d) Nagaland

(e) Uttar Pradesh

S6. Ans.(c)
Sol. Chief Minister of Karnataka Siddaramaiah has recently launched India’s first public bicycle sharing (PBS) initiative 'Trin Trin' in Mysuru. A short video detailing various aspects of Trin Trin and a mobile app were also released on the occasion. The World Bank, Global Environmental Fund, and state govt have jointly funded the initiative.

Q7. Leading bourse National Stock Exchange (NSE) launched its international exchange in the GIFT City. GIFT City is situated in _____________.

(a) Karnataka

(b) Goa

(c) Rajasthan

(d) Gujarat

(e) Kerala

S7. Ans.(d)
Sol. Leading bourse National Stock Exchange (NSE) launched its international exchange in the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City). NSE IFSC Ltd, the global exchange promoted by NSE, will remain operational for a longer period than NSE during a trading day.

Q8. As per the Global Retail Development Index (GRDI) India has surpassed which one of the following countries to secure the top position among 30 developing countries on ease of doing business?

(a) Japan

(b) Malaysia

(c) Switzerland

(d) Indonesia

(e) China

S8. Ans.(e)
Sol. India has surpassed China to secure the top position among 30 developing countries on ease of doing business, according to a study that cited India’s rapidly expanding economy, relaxation of FDI rules and a consumption boom as the key drivers. The Global Retail Development Index (GRDI) was titled as ‘The Age of Focus’, ranks China in second place. Malaysia was in the third position in the list.

Q9. The book “The Ministry of Utmost Happiness”, authored by ______________ was released recently.

(a) Shashi Tharoor

(b) Arundhati Roy

(c) Vikram Seth

(d) Salman Rushdie

(e) Chetan Bhagat

S9. Ans.(b)
Sol. The book “The Ministry of Utmost Happiness” has been authored by Arundhati Roy, was released recently. It is fiction-based novel and will be published by Hamish Hamilton UK and Penguin India.

Q10. Mumbai-headquartered IDBI Bank was recently in News. Who is the current CEO of IDBI Bank?

(a) Tapan Ray

(b) Shashikanta Das

(c) Mahesh Kumar Jain

(d) R D Rego

(e) Kishor Kharat

S10. Ans (c)
Sol. The present Chief Executive Officer of Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI) is Mahesh Kumar Jain. It is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

QUIZ-11

Q1. Name the port that has recently topped the list in the First-Ever Ranking of Ports on Sanitation Parameters in the exercise that was undertaken during the ‘Swachhta Pakhwada’.
Answer: Haldia Port


Q2. Jharkhand Police has initiated __________ programme, recently to enlighten children in Naxal-affected areas in the Palamau district of Jharkhand.
Answer: Tare Zameen Par

Q3. Name the Public lender, which has joined hands with Department of Posts to promote Point of Sale (POS) machines for cashless transactions at post office counters.
Answer: SBI

Q4. Name the Finance Bank that has recently launched a social deposit scheme called 'Hrudaya Deposit scheme' in Thrissur, Kerala.
Answer: ESAF Small Finance Bank

Q5. Name the State, which has been selected by the Union Ministry of Agriculture for the Krishi Karman Award 2015-16 for the commendable increase in food grains production, recently.
Answer: Himachal Pradesh

Q6. RBI has issued a new set of enabling provisions titled PCA which is used to resolve the problem of banks mounting non-performing assets (NPAs), or bad loans. What does C stands for in PCA
Answer: Corrective

Q7. The Income Tax department has launched the second phase of 'OCM' to investigate over 60,000 individuals with an aim to detect black money generation post demonetization, recently. What is the full form of 'OCM'?
Answer: Operation Clean Money

Q8. Name the Yojana under which Loans extended have crossed the target of Rs 1,80,000 crore during 2016-17.
Answer: PMMY

Q9. Name the City, in which PM Narendra Modi launched a cashless/less cash township model, developed by Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers and Chemicals Ltd (GNFC), recently.
Answer: Nagpur

Q10. Name the State which has signed an MoU with central govt for the 'Power for All' scheme across the state. The aim of this scheme is to ensure 24-hour quality power supply in the state by October 2018 and electric connection to every house and agriculture field by 2019.
Answer: Uttar Pradesh

Q11. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently inaugurated 1980 MW of the Koradi super-critical thermal power project of state-run Mahagenco. Koradi super-critical thermal power project is situated in ____________.
Answer: Maharashtra

Q12. Sixteen-time world champion Pankaj Advani has won his sixth Asian Billiards title and seventh overall Asian championship. The final of the Asian Billiards Championship was held in ____________.
Answer: Chandigarh

Q13. An eminent personality Mr. Girish Chandra Saxena has passed away recently. He was ________.
Answer: Former Governor

Q14. Emma Morano, the oldest person alive and the last survivor of the 19th century died recently at the age of 117. She was from which country?
Answer: Italy

Q15. Name the player who has won the title match of Men's singles at Singapore Open Badminton, recently.
Answer: Sai Praneeth

QUIZ-10+

Q1. International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression is observed globally on ______________.
(a) 6 June
(b) 4 June
(c) 2 June
(d) 8 June
(e) 10 June

S1. Ans.(b)
Sol. International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression was observed across the world on 4 June 2017.

Q2. The Bank of Baroda (BoB) recently entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC). Who is the present MD and CEO of BoB?
(a) ChandaKocchar
(b) Shikha Sharma
(c) ShyamSrinivasan
(d) P S Jayakumar
(e) RajkiranRai G

S2. Ans.(d)
Sol. The Bank of Baroda (BoB) recently entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC). P S Jayakumar is the Present MD and CEO of BOB.

Q3. The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council recently cleared the pending rules for the rollout of the new indirect tax regime from Jul 1. The tax on Jute will be ____________.

(a) 5 Percent

(b) 15 Percent
(c) 0 Percent
(d) 18 Percent
(e) 28 Percent

S3. Ans.(c)
Sol. The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council recently cleared the pending rules for the rollout of the new indirect tax regime from Jul 1. The tax on Jute will be 0 Percent.

Q4. Name the Badminton Player who has recently clinched the Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold badminton title 2017.
(a) Lin Dan
(b) Jonatan Christie
(c) SaiPraneeth
(d) Cai Yun
(e) Lee Chan Mung

S4. Ans.(c)
Sol. B SaiPraneeth has clinched the Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold badminton title by defeating Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie in a closely-fought final in Bangkok. The success in the Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold extended SaiPraneeth’s remarkable run in 2017.

Q5. Name the only assigned competition manager of International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) who has recently become the first Indian to be nominated as a member of the Umpires and Referees Committee (URC).
(a) Shashikant Dev
(b) Neelmani Prasanna
(c) Gurbax Dayal
(d) Ganeshan NeelakantaIyer
(e) Samantha Das

S5. Ans.(d)
Sol. Ganeshan Neelakanta Iyer, the only assigned competition manager of International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), has become the first Indian to be nominated as a member of the Umpires and Referees Committee (URC).

Q6. India has successfully test-fired its first all-weather tracked-chassis QR-SAM from a mobile launcher at Integrated Test Range at Chandipur in Odisha. QR is abbreviated as _____________.
(a) Quick Radiation
(b) Quality Reaction
(c) Quality Radiation
(d) Quartic Reaction
(e) Quick Reaction

S6. Ans.(e)
Sol. India has successfully test-fired its first all-weather tracked-chassis Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QR-SAM) from a mobile launcher at Integrated Test Range at Chandipur in Odisha.

Q7. Market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has recently set up a committee to help improve the standards of corporate governance of listed companies in India. The committee will be headed by _____________.

(a) Ajay Tyagi

(b) SandeepJajodiya

(c) UdayKotak

(d) Mahabaleshwar

(e) ArvindPanghariya

Q8. The Ministry of Rural Development has selected Vizianagaram district in which of the following Indian State as one among the 17 districts across the nation for the MGNREGA annual award for effective implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MGNREGA) Act during 2015-16.
(a) Himachal Pradesh
(b) Telangana
(c) Karnataka
(d) Andhra Pradesh
(e) Maharashtra

S8. Ans.(d)
Sol. The Ministry of Rural Development has selected Vizianagaram district in Andhra Pradesh as one among the 17 districts across the nation for the MGNREGA annual award for effective implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MGNREGA) Act during 2015-16.

Q9. Kotak Mahendra Bank is headquartered in ___________.

(a) New Delhi

(b) Mumbai

(c) Jaipur

(d) Chennai

(e) Mysuru

S9. Ans.(b)
Sol. Kotak Mahendra Bank is headquartered in Mumbai and it was founded in 2003.

Q10. In the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2017, India has been ranked __________ out of total 63 countries. 
(a) 45th
(b) 51st
(c) 48th
(d) 52nd
(e) 50th

S10. Ans.(a)
Sol. In the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook, 2017 India has been ranked 45th out of total 63 countries. Hong Kong topped the list.

Q11. Name the company that has recently announced the launch of Green Thumb, an initiative to enhance the green cover on the occasion of World Environment Day (05th June).
(a) TATA Power
(b) Reliance Power
(c) TATA Communications
(d) TATA Projects
(e) None of the given options is true

S11. Ans.(d)
Sol. TATA Projects has announced the launch of Green Thumb, an initiative to enhance the green cover. This new initiative of the infrastructure company coincides with World Environment Day (05th June). TATA Projects planted over 42,000 saplings across over 100 locations during 2016-17.

Q12. Which defaulting telecom firm recently got time till Dec 2017 from its lenders to make interest and principal repayment?
(a) Aircel
(b) Airtel
(c) RCom
(d) Telenor
(e) Vodafone India

S12. Ans.(c)
Sol. Reliance Communications is the defaulting telecom firm recently got time till Dec 2017 from its lenders to make interest and principal repayment. The lenders have taken the strategic debt restructuring (SDR) route for the firm.

Q13. PM NarendraModi will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit at Astana in which of the following country on June 8-9?

(a) Kazakhstan
(b) Ajerbaijan
(c) Oman
(d) Indonesia
(e) Hong Kong

S13. Ans.(a)
Sol.  PM Narendra Modi will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit at Astana in Kazakhstan on Jun 8-9.

Q14. In the World Competitiveness Rankings 2017, compiled by the International Institute for Management Development’s (IMD) World Competitiveness Center, which of the following country topped the list?
(a) Switzerland
(b) Hong Kong
(c) Denmark
(d) Sweden
(e) Ireland

S14. Ans.(b)
Sol. India has ranked 45th out of 63 countries in the World Competitiveness Rankings 2017, compiled by the International Institute for Management Development’s (IMD) World Competitiveness Center. Hong Kong topped the World Competitiveness Rankings 2017.

Q15. NursultanNazarbayev is the current President of ____________.

(a) Hong Kong
(b) Kazakhstan
(c) UAE
(d) Afghanistan
(e) Thailand

S15. Ans.(b)
Sol. Nursultan Nazarbayev is the President of Kazakhstan and its currency is Kazakhstani tenge.

QUIZ-10+

Q1. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis launched a web portal named ____________ that will cater to job seekers, employers, entrepreneurs, and training institutes who can avail details regarding skill development and employment.
(a) Maharojgar
(b) Mahaswayam
(c) Mahaseva
(d) Mahabalesh
(e) Mahavikas
S1. Ans.(b)
Sol. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis launched a web portal 'Mahaswayam' that will cater to job seekers, employers, entrepreneurs, and training institutes who can avail details regarding skill development and employment. Earlier, the state government ran three different portals- Maharashtra State Skill Development Society (MSSDS) portal for Skill Development, 'Maharojgar' for employment and 'Mahaswayamrojgar' for entrepreneurship. These three have now been merged into 'Mahaswayam'.

Q2. Name the Indian-Origin leader who is all set to become the Republic of Ireland's next Prime Minister after winning the leadership of the Fine Gael party.
(a) Ruby Dhalla
(b) Dave Hayer
(c) Leo Varadkar
(d) Kamal Khera
(e) Deepak Obhrai
S2. Ans.(c)
Sol. Indian-Origin Leo Varadkar is set to become the Republic of Ireland's next Prime Minister after winning the leadership of the Fine Gael party. The 38-year-old will become the first gay Prime Minister and will also be the country's youngest ever leader. He will succeed Enda Kenny as leader of the centre-right party within weeks.

Q3. Which of the following lender and the World Bank has recently announced that they had financed 100 MW of rooftop solar projects worth Rs400 crore in India?
(a) State Bank of India
(b) ICICI Bank
(c) Punjab National Bank
(d) Allahabad Bank
(e) Ratnakar Bank Ltd.
S3. Ans.(a)
Sol. State Bank of India and the World Bank had recently financed 100 MW of rooftop solar projects worth Rs400 crore in India. SBI has availed of a loan of $625 million from the World Bank for on-lending to viable Grid-Connected Rooftop Solar PV (GRPV) projects undertaken by developers, aggregators and end-users, for installation of rooftop solar systems.

Q4. Name the person who has been recently appointed as the CEO of Prasar Bharati.
(a) A. Surya Prakash
(b) Kantadas Acharya
(c) Ashok Samrat
(d) Shashi Shekar Vempati
(e) Swapnil Shah
S4. Ans.(d)
Sol. Shashi Shekar Vempati has been appointed as the CEO of Prasar Bharati on the recommendation of the three-member committee headed by the Vice-President, and consisting of the Chairman, Press Council of India, and the President’s nominee.

Q5. The Reserve Bank of India has initiated PCA for Dena Bank in view of high net non-performing assets and negative return on assets. What does 'C' stands for in PCA?
(a) Catholic
(b) Chamber
(c) Corrective
(d) Character
(e) Combined
S5. Ans.(c)
Sol. The Reserve Bank of India has initiated prompt corrective action (PCA) for Dena Bank in view of high net non-performing assets and negative return on assets. Last month (May 2017), the central bank had initiated PCA for IDBI Bank and UCO Bank in view of high NNPAs and negative ROA.

Q6. Bharti Airtel has received approvals from the Securities & Exchange Board of India, BSE and the National Stock Exchange of India for its proposed merger with _____________.
(a) Aircel
(b) Telenor India
(c) Tata Indicom
(d) MTS India
(e) Photon
S6. Ans.(b)
Sol. Bharti Airtel has received approvals from the Securities & Exchange Board of India, BSE and the National Stock Exchange of India for its proposed merger with Telenor India. Airtel entered into an agreement with Telenor South Asia Investments in February, 2017 to buy Telenor India’s operations in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Gujarat, UP (East), UP (West) and Assam. These seven circles contribute about 35% to Airtel’s total revenue.

Q7. Which the first State in India to have developed an automatic public address system that can be activated along its entire coast?
(a) Odisha
(b) Kerala
(c) Gujarat
(d) Maharashtra
(e) Goa
S7. Ans.(a)
Sol. Odisha is the first State in India to have developed an automatic public address system that can be activated along its entire coast. The State government is all set to commission the ambitious Early Warning Dissemination System (EWDS) that would enable loud sirens go off simultaneously from towers at 122 locations by July 2017.

Q8. Name the Indian-American legal luminary who has been appointed a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit by President Donald Trump.
(a) Sumitra Pant
(b) Kedar Nath
(c) Amul Thapar
(d) Sumal Chand
(e) Aditya Gehlot
S8. Ans.(c)
Sol. Amul Thapar, an Indian-American legal luminary, has been appointed a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit by President Donald Trump. Before his appointment to the Court of Appeals, Judge Thapar served on the District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky.

Q9. The cricket board for West Indies on its 91st anniversary has announced that the cricket team from now on will be officially known as ___________.
(a) WESTIES
(b) INDIES
(c) CRIC INDIES
(d) WINDIES
(e) None of the given option is true
S9. Ans.(d)
Sol. The cricket board for West Indies, on its 91st anniversary, has re-branded themselves as Cricket West Indies from the former West Indies Cricket board. The board also announced in a media release on their official website that the cricket team from now on will be officially known as ‘WINDIES’.

Q10. Which of the following team has become the first to win back-to-back UEFA Champions League titles?
(a) Manchester United
(b) Real Madrid
(c) Arsenal
(d) Juventus
(e) Manchester City
S10. Ans.(b)
Sol. Never in the history of the UEFA Champions League had a team won the title in consecutive seasons. That is until now — Real Madrid has done it. Now, they stand alone as the only team in the history of the competition to win back-to-back titles.

Q11. Which of the following city metro has partnered with Google to display its services in Google Maps application?
(a) Mumbai
(b) Delhi
(c) Bengaluru
(d) Chennai
(e) Kolkata
S11. Ans.(a)
Sol. Reliance Infrastructure-promoted Mumbai Metro One Private Limited (MMOPL) has partnered with Google to display its services in Google Maps application. To bring convenience for the commuters, MMOPL has collaborated with Google Maps to publish authentic timetable information and associated geographic information of the Metro One stations in the app.

Q12. World Environment Day is observed globally on ____________.
(a) 2 June
(b) 4 June
(c) 5 June
(d) 15 June
(e) 20 June
S12. Ans.(c)
Sol. World Environment Day (WED) is the biggest annual event for positive environmental action and takes place every on 5 June. This year’s host country is Canada.

Q13. As per the recent announcement of Reliance Communications (RCom), the merged entities of RCom and Aircel will be called ______________.
(a) ComAir
(b) Reliair
(c) Recel
(d) Aircom
(e) None of the given option is true
S13. Ans.(d)
Sol. Reliance Communications (RCom) Chairman Anil Ambani has announced that the merged entities of RCom and Aircel will be called Aircom. These merged entities are Reliance Communications and Maxis Communications Berhad (MCB). Both the companies announced their merger plans in September 2016.

Q14. Dena Bank was recently in News. Who is the current Chairman and MD of Dena Bank?
(a) A. Mahabaleswar
(b) Ashwani Kumar
(c) Sunil Mehta
(d) Sakshi Tanwar
(e) Shikha Sharma
S14. Ans.(b)
Sol. The MD and Chairman of Dena Bank is Ashwani Kumar and its headquarter is in Mumbai.

Q15. The theme for World Environment Day 2017 is ______________.
(a) The world with us
(b) Towards the sustainable growth
(c) The world in our hands
(d) Connecting People to Nature
(e) Lets grow together with Environment
S15. Ans.(d)
Sol. World Environment Day (WED) is the biggest annual event for positive environmental action and takes place every on 5 June. This year’s host country is Canada. The theme for World Environment Day 2017 is "Connecting People to Nature".