Current Affairs Quiz: April 19, 2024
- What is the name of the inter-city mobility platform that has pioneered the introduction of the industry’s first digital luggage tag feature, aimed at transforming and simplifying luggage management for bus travelers?
A) IntrCity SmartBus
B) SmartTravel Express
C) UrbanTransit Link
D) CityConnect Coach
E) None of the above
- What is the primary objective of the ‘Longevity India’ initiative launched by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc)?
A) To promote short-term health interventions for the elderly population.
B) To conduct a large-scale clinical study on the effects of aging.
C) To address aging-related challenges, extend healthy life expectancy, and promote longevity through research and technology development.
D) To focus solely on financial aspects of aging without considering healthcare solutions.
E) None of the above
- How does the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur aim to benefit soldiers?
A) By providing financial support to soldiers for medical treatment.
B) By offering free healthcare services to soldiers deployed in difficult terrains.
C) By collaborating on research and developing new technologies to address soldiers’ health issues in challenging environments.
D) By organizing recreational activities for soldiers to improve their mental well-being.
E) None of the above
- What measure has the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) suggested to banks regarding the salaries of internal ombudsmen, aimed at enhancing their independence and protecting customer rights?
A) Increasing the workload of internal ombudsmen to justify their salaries.
B) Considering the possibility of establishing a central fund to cover the salaries of internal ombudsmen.
C) Decreasing the salaries of internal ombudsmen to reduce expenses.
D) Outsourcing the role of internal ombudsmen to external agencies.
E) None of the above
- What action did the Reserve Bank of India take to manage the liquidity surplus in the banking system as it approached Rs 1 trillion?
A) Increased the repo rate to absorb excess liquidity.
B) Conducted a variable rate reverse repo (VRRR) auction.
C) None of these
D) Issued additional currency to banks to absorb excess liquidity.
E) Decreased the reverse repo rate to encourage borrowing.
- What regulatory change did the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) introduce regarding the hedging of gold price risk for resident entities, as stated in the ‘Master Direction – Foreign Exchange Management (Hedging of Commodity Price Risk and Freight Risk in Overseas Markets) Directions, 2022’?
A) It imposed stricter limitations on resident entities, allowing them to hedge gold price risk only through exchanges within the IFSC.
B) It expanded options for resident entities by allowing them to hedge gold price risk through over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives in the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC).
C) It completely prohibited resident entities from hedging gold price risk in any form.
D) It required resident entities to obtain special permission from the RBI to engage in gold price risk hedging.
E) None of the above
- What recent change did the Employees’ Provident Funds Organisation (EPFO) make regarding auto claims processing under Paragraph 68J, as conveyed in a circular issued on April 16, 2024?
A) It reduced the qualifying limit for auto claims from Rs 1,00,000 to Rs 50,000.
B) It increased the qualifying limit for auto claims from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1,00,000.
C) It eliminated the qualifying limit for auto claims processing.
D) It introduced stricter eligibility criteria for auto claims processing.
E) None of the above
- Which two companies recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to facilitate financing for dealers under the bank’s dealer finance program?
A) Tata Motors and HDFC Bank
B) Ashok Leyland and South Indian Bank
C) Mahindra & Mahindra and ICICI Bank
D) Maruti Suzuki and Axis Bank
E) None of the above
- In the Asia-Pacific region in 2023, which Indian banks made it to the list of top 50 banks by assets, and what were their respective rankings?
A) State Bank of India (20th), HDFC Bank (33rd), Axis Bank (48th)
B) ICICI Bank (20th), HDFC Bank (33rd), Kotak Mahindra Bank (48th)
C) State Bank of India (20th), HDFC Bank (33rd), ICICI Bank (48th)
D) HDFC Bank (20th), ICICI Bank (33rd), State Bank of India (48th)
E) None of the above
- What is the primary objective of the standing committee set up by the International Financial Centers Authority (IFSCA) for GIFT City?
A) To explore options for renewable energy sources in GIFT City.
B) To improve sustainability practices within GIFT City.
C) To develop a framework for launching climate finance products like Alternate Investment Funds, transition bonds, and transition insurance.
D) To address environmental concerns in GIFT City.
E) None of the above
- What milestone did the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) mark on April 19, 2024, and what efforts has the regulator been undertaking in light of this milestone?
A) The 20th anniversary, with a focus on strengthening existing regulations.
B) The 25th anniversary, with a focus on implementing regulatory reforms announced in March for the current financial year.
C) The 30th anniversary, with a focus on enhancing consumer protection measures.
D) The 15th anniversary, with a focus on promoting innovation in the insurance industry.
E) None of the above
- How much financial assistance does the World Bank plan to provide to the State Bank of India (SBI) to accelerate India’s transition to clean energy?
A) USD 500 million
B) USD 1 billion
C) USD 100 million
D) USD 2 billion
E) None of the above
- By when does Prime Minister Narendra Modi aim to achieve his ambitious economic goals for India, including propelling the country to become the third-largest economy globally and reaching a USD 6.69 trillion economy with USD 1.58 trillion in exports?
A) 2030
B) 2050
C) 2025
D) 2040
E) None of the above
- What type of project are ReNew Energy Global (ReNew) and JERA jointly evaluating for development in India, as per their recent agreement?
A) Solar power generation
B) Wind energy production
C) Green hydrogen production
D) Green ammonia production
E) None of the above
- Who has been appointed as the Managing Director & CEO of Dhanlaxmi Bank by the Reserve Bank of India?
A) Ajith Kumar K.K
B) Ravi Kumar Gupta
C) None of these
D) Deepak Kumar Sharma
E) Anjali Patel
- Who has been appointed as the CEO of Munich Re’s India Branch, effective from October 2024, according to the recent announcement by the company?
A) Rajesh Singhania
B) Ananya Gupta
C) Rahul Sharma
D) None of these
E) Surbhi Goel
- Who has been appointed as the new chairman of the board of HDFC Life Insurance, following Deepak S Parekh’s resignation from the role?
A) Keki M Mistry
B) Deepak S Parekh
C) Aditya Puri
D) Uday Kotak
E) None of the above
- Who has been appointed as the next Chief of the Naval Staff by the Union government, effective from April 30, 2024?
A) Vice Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi
B) Admiral R. Hari Kumar
C) Vice Admiral Ajendra Bahadur Singh
D) Admiral Karambir Singh
E) None of the above
- Who has been assigned the additional charge as Secretary of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) by the Central Government?
A) Saurabh Garg (IAS)
B) Rajesh Kumar (IAS)
C) Anjali Gupta (IAS)
D) Amit Sharma (IAS)
E) None of the above
- Who won the prestigious 2024 World Press Photo of the Year award for his image capturing a Palestinian woman cradling the body of her five-year-old niece in the Gaza Strip?
A) Ahmad Abu Hussein
B) Nidal al-Mughrabi
C) Mohammed Salem
D) None of these
E) Wissam Nassar
- Who will be honored with the prestigious third Lata Dinanath Mangeshkar award for his remarkable dedication to the nation, its people, and society, as announced by the Mangeshkar family?
A) Shah Rukh Khan
B) Amitabh Bachchan
C) Aamir Khan
D) Salman Khan
E) None of the above
- Which airport was crowned the world’s best airport at the annual Skytrax Awards, dethroning the 12-time champion, Singapore Changi Airport?
A) Seoul Incheon Airport
B) Hamad International Airport (HIA)
C) Tokyo Haneda Airport
D) Narita International Airport
E) None of the above
- Where did the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conduct a successful flight-test of the Indigenous Technology Cruise Missile (ITCM)?
A) Integrated Test Range (ITR), Pune
B) Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Sriharikota
C) Integrated Test Range (ITR), Balasore
D) Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad
E) Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur
- Which Indian state has taken the lead in implementing the Centre’s Green Credit Programme (GCP), with over 500 land parcels spanning 4,980 hectares across 10 states approved for tree plantation in the past two months?
A) Maharashtra
B) Madhya Pradesh
C) Karnataka
D) Rajasthan
E) Tamilnadu
- What is the title of the memoir authored by former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Duvvuri Subbarao, which has been released recently?
A) “Just a Mercenary?: Notes from My Life and Career”
B) “Governor’s Reflections: Insights into My Term at the RBI”
C) “Journey of a Central Banker: An Inside Story”
D) “The RBI Chronicles: A Governor’s Memoir”
E) None of the above
- Who is the author of the book titled “India — the Road to Renaissance: A Vision and an Agenda,” which was recently released at the Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI) campus in Hyderabad?
A) Bhimeswara Chall
B) Narendra Modi
C) Arundhati Roy
D) Raghuram Rajan
E) None of the above