Current Affairs Quiz: February 3, 2024

Click here to read 3rd February 2024 Current Affairs

1. Chairman of Digital Communications Commission and Secretary, Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Ministry of Communications (MoC) recently launched a 5G portal on the sidelines of ‘Bharat Telecom 2024 – An Exclusive International Business Expo’. Where did it take place?
   A) New Delhi
   B) Bombay
   C) Kerala
   D) Lucknow
   E) None of the above
   View Answer

   Option A
   Explanation:
   Dr Neeraj Mittal, Chairman, Digital Communications Commission and Secretary, Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Ministry of Communications (MoC), launched the “Bharat 5G Portal- an integrated portal” on the sidelines of ‘Bharat Telecom 2024 – An Exclusive International Business Expo’ being organized by Telecom Equipment and Services Export Promotion Council (TEPC) in collaboration with DoT, in New Delhi.
   
2. National Rural Livelihood Promotion Society (NRLPS), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) signed an MOU with which organization for the mission to empower people and communities?
   A) BRAC International
   B) IGCAR
   C) RRCAT
   D) VECC
   E) AMD
   View Answer

   Option A
   Explanation:
   National Rural Livelihood Promotion Society (NRLPS), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) signed an MOU with BRAC International, a Global South-led organisation with a mission to empower people and communities.
   
3. Indian Overseas Bank has become the fifth public sector lender to surpass Rs 1 lakh crore in market capitalisation with its shares soaring over 22 percent. Which bank is on the top of the list?
   A) Punjab National Bank
   B) State bank of India
   C) Bank of Baroda
   D) Union Bank
   E) None of the above
   View Answer

   Option B
   Explanation:
   State-owned Indian Overseas Bank’s (IOB) market capitalization crossed the Rs 1 lakh crore mark for the first time following a 100% rally in the stock over the last six months.
   State Bank of India (SBI) leads the league with a market value of around Rs 5.8 lakh crore, followed by Bank of Baroda and Punjab National Bank at Rs 1.33 lakh crore for both, while for Union Bank of India, it is Rs 1.1 lakh crore
   
4. As a part of the ‘Make in India’ initiative, Kolkata-based PSU Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) and UK’s Rolls-Royce have signed a ‘frame and individual licence’ agreement for production of the MTU IMO Tier II compliant Series 4000 marine engines to power government ships. At which manufacturing plant will it be manufactured?
   A) New Delhi
   B) Kanpur
   C) Kolkata
   D) Ranchi
   E) Puri
   View Answer

   Option D
   Explanation:
   Under this agreement inked, the IMO Tier II engines, which conform to stipulated emission standards set by United Nations’ International Maritime Organization (IMO), will be manufactured at the diesel engine plant of the GRSE in Ranchi which, the company said, has fully equipped with test bench facility as well as trained service personnel.
   
5. India’s Leon Luke Mendonca clinched the 2024 Tata Steel Challengers title. He won against whom at Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands?
   A) Vidit Gujarathi
   B) Praggnanandha R
   C) Gukesh
   D) Divya Deshmukh
   E) None of the above
   View Answer

   Option D
   Explanation:
   Leon Mendonca wins Tata Steel Challengers title against Divya Deshmukh; Gukesh finishes second in Masters section
   
6. Recently who among the following became the brand ambassador and investor of boat?
   A) Alia Bhatt
   B) Ranveer Singh
   C) Ranbir Kapoor
   D) Kartik Aryan
   E) Alia Bhatt
   View Answer

   Option B
   Explanation:
   Leading audio wearable brand boAt has roped in actor Ranveer Singh as the brand ambassador, and he has also invested an undisclosed amount in the company, becoming a key stakeholder in the company
   
7. The Centre has merged, with immediate effect, four existing Home Minister’s medals to institute one new medal named “Kendriya Grihmantri Dakshata Padak”. Which one of the following is not one among those existing medals?
   A) Union Home Minister’s Special Operation Medal
   B) Union Home Minister’s Medal for Excellence in Investigation
   C) Asadharan Aasuchana Kushalata Padak
   D) Union Home Minister’s Awards for Meritorious Service in Forensic Science.
   E) None of the Above
   View Answer

   Option E
   Explanation:
   The new medal is named after merging the Union Home Minister’s Special Operation Medal, the Union Home Minister’s Medal for Excellence in Investigation, Asadharan Aasuchana Kushalata Padak and the Union Home Minister’s Awards for Meritorious Service in Forensic Science.
   
8. Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Ajay Bhatt gave away best marching contingents & tableaux awards for Republic Day Parade 2024. Which State won the best tableaux Award?
   A) Uttar Pradesh
   B) Gujarat
   C) Odisha
   D) Tamil Nadu
   E) None of the above
   View Answer

   Option C
   Explanation:
   Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Ajay Bhatt gave away the best marching contingents and tableaux awards for the Republic Day Parade on January 30, 2024. He announced separate results – one by a panel of judges and other through an online public vote conducted by MyGov and congratulated all the winners.
   
9. Which of the states has got its 18th wildlife sanctuary as Thanthai Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary?
   A) Kerala
   B) Odisha
   C) Uttar Pradesh
   D) Tamil Nadu
   E) Assam
   View Answer

   Option D
   Explanation:
   The Tamil Nadu government has declared 80,114.80 hectares of reserve forests in Bargur Hills in Erode district, as the Thanthai Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary.
   
10. Who is the first Native American novelist to win a Pulitzer Prize for his 1968 debut novel, “House Made of Dawn,” died recently?
    A) Mark Twain
    B) Scott Momaday
    C) William Faulkner
    D) Toni Morrison
    E) Truman Capote
    View Answer

    Option B
    Explanation:
    Momaday published more than a dozen books of poetry and novels across his career and is credited for sparking the modern Indigenous literary movement.
    
11. Recently a report of the All India Survey of Higher Education (AISHE) 2021–22 that was made public, found that 4.33 crore students are currently enrolled in a higher educational institute. The survey captures total student enrolment at how many levels?
    A) 7
    B) 8
    C) 6
    D) 5
    E) 4
    
    View Answer

    Option B
    Explanation:
12. In February 2024, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah delivered a lecture on “Security Beyond Tomorrow: Forging India’s Resilient Future” and launched a policy survey, with what name?
    A) Money Back Policy
    B) National Health mission
    C) Endowment Policy
    D) ORF Foreign Policy Survey’
    E) None of the above
    
    View Answer

    Option D
    Explanation:
    Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah delivered a lecture on “Security Beyond Tomorrow: Forging India’s Resilient Future” and launched ‘ORF Foreign Policy Survey’ in New Delhi.
    
13. Union Minister for the Ports, Shipping & Waterways and AYUSH, Sarbananda Sonowal, launched two digital modules namely Maritime Single Window (MSW) and the Mercantile Maritime Department (MMD), within which platform?
    A) Calendar
    B) iGOD
    C) SagarSetu Platform
    D) Webcast Services
    E) None of the above
    
    View Answer

    Option C
    Explanation:
14. In Ladakh, the ‘Drass Winter Carnival 2024’, came to a spectacular close at Vishwanathan Stadium (Old Polo Ground). What was the theme of the carnival?
    A) Celebrating Life in the Second Coldest Inhabited Place
    B) Shifting the Cultural Climate through the Study and Practice of Kingian Nonviolence
    C) Holistic Wellness: Mind, Body, and Soul”.
    D) Empowering Through Inclusion and Diversity
    E) None of the above
    
    View Answer

    Option AExplanation:
    Ladakh, the ‘Drass Winter Carnival 2024’, known as ‘Janshne Fateh’, came to a spectacular close at Vishwanathan Stadium (Old Polo Ground). The Dras Winter Carnival-2024, themed “Celebrating Life in the Second Coldest Inhabited Place in the World,” commenced with unparalleled fanfare in a dazzling opening ceremony.
    
15. Which state’s Chief Minister inaugurated National Chilika Birds Festival in the state?
    A) Madhya Pradesh
    B) Odisha
    C) Uttar Pradesh
    D) Assam
    E) None of the above
    View Answer

    Option B
    Explanation:
    Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the fourth National Chilika Birds Festival at an event coordinated by the department of tourism, department of forest, and Chilika Development Authority.
    
16. National Rural Livelihood Promotion Society (NRLPS), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) signed an MOU with whom?
    A) CSIR
    B) DRDO
    C) BRAC International
    D) ISRO
    E) None of the above
    
    View Answer

    Option C
    Explanation:
17. The annual Orange festival 2023 was being organised in collaboration with the department of Horticulture, Agriculture, Rural Development, Land Resources and Kohima Smart City. Where was the festival Celebrated?
    A) Mizoram
    B) Nagaland
    C) Assam
    D) Madhya Pradesh
    E) None of the above
    
    View Answer

    Option B
    Explanation:
18. Recently in February 2024, RBI imposed monetary penalty on which Housing Finance Limited for non-compliance with provisions?
    A) L and T housing finance company
    B) IIFL housing finance
    C) PNB housing Finance
    D) HDFC Housing Finance
    E) Bajaj Housing Finance Company
    
    View Answer

    Option E
    Explanation:
    The Reserve Bank of India(RBI) has imposed a monetary penalty of Rs 5 lakh on Bajaj Housing Finance Limited, Pune for non-compliance with certain provisions.
    
19. NTPC Limited, India’s largest integrated power utility, has signed a non-binding MoU with whom?
    A) Kochi Refinery
    B) Barauni Refinery
    C) Numaligarh Refinery Limited
    D) Jamnagar Refinery
    E) Bombay Refinery
    
    View Answer

    Option C
    Explanation:
    NTPC Limited, India’s largest integrated power utility, has signed a non-binding MoU with Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL), for partnership opportunities in the proposed bamboo-based Bio-Refinery at NTPC Bongaigaon and other green projects. NRL is a subsidiary of Oil India Limited, which is engaged in the business of refining and marketing of petroleum products.
    
20. With whom UK’s Rolls-Royce has signed a ‘frame and individual licence’ agreement for production of the MTU IMO Tier II compliant Series 4000 marine engines to power government ships?
    A) Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) Ulsan, South Korea
    B) Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) Seoul, South Korea
    C) Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers
    D) Samsung Heavy Industries
    E) None of the above
    
    View Answer

    Option C
    Explanation:
    As a part of the ‘Make in India’ initiative, Kolkata-based PSU Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) and UK’s Rolls-Royce have signed a ‘frame and individual licence’ agreement for production of the MTU IMO Tier II compliant Series 4000 marine engines to power government ships.
    
21. Which state government has signed MoU with Wistron to set up laptop manufacturing unit in the state?
    A) Karnataka
    B) Uttar Pradesh
    C) Haryana
    D) Maharashtra
    E) None of the above
    
    View Answer

    Option A
    Explanation:
    Karnataka government said Taiwan-based Wistron (ICT Service Management Solutions) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to set up a laptop manufacturing plant near Bengaluru.
    
22. The Khelo India Youth Games was concluded on February 11. Wwhich state was at the top of the points table, with a total of 161 medals?
    A) Haryana
    B) Madhya Pradesh
    C) Karnataka
    D) Uttar Pradesh
    E) Maharashtra
    
    View Answer

    Option E
    Explanation:
    The fifth edition of the Khelo India Youth Games concluded on February 11, and Maharashtra finished at the top of the points table, with a total of 161 medals, which includes 56 gold, 55 silver and 50 bronze medals. Haryana came in 2nd with a tally of 128 medals, while Madhya Pradesh was the far third with 96 medals against their name.
    
23. When is “World Wetland Day” observed?
    A) 7 December
    B) 15 February
    C) 16 January
    D) 31 January
    E) 2 February
    View Answer

    Option E
    Explanation:
    On World Wetlands Day 2024 (February 2), three more wetlands from Karnataka have been added to the list of Ramsar sites. The three newly added sites include Magadi Kere Conservation Reserve in Gadag, Aghanashini River in central Uttara Kannada,and Ankasamudra Bird Conservation Reserve (ABCR) in Vijayanagara.
    
24. The biodiverse forests have thrown up yet another marvel of evolution – a new species of tiny lizards.researchers have described by ‘diminutive dragon’ in which region?
    A) Western ghats
    B) Southern ghats
    C) Northern ghats
    D) eastern ghats
    E) None of the above
    View Answer

    Option A
    Explanation:
    The biodiverse forests of Western Ghats have thrown up yet another marvel of evolution – a new species of tiny lizards, which researchers have described as a “diminutive dragon.
    
25. Banking tycoon Bao Fan stepped down as head of which organisation?
    A) World Bank
    B) Bank of China
    C) China Renaissance
    D) Credit Suisse
    E) None of these
    
    View Answer

    Option C
    Explanation:
    Billionaire financier Bao Fan has stepped down as head of investment bank China Renaissance, the company said , almost a year after he was revealed to be cooperating in an investigation by authorities.