1. On which date, the ‘Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas’ observed in India?
A. January.01
B. January.09
C. January.14
D. January.21
- Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas is celebrated on January 9th every year to mark the contribution of the overseas Indian community to the development of India. The day commemorates the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to Mumbai on January 9, 1915. The Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas was established in 2003 by the Government of India Ministry of External Affairs to connect the Indian diaspora community more closely to India.
2. As per United Nations World Economic Situation And Prospects Report for 2024, what is the projected GDP growth rate for India in 2024?
A. 5.9%
B. 7.1%
C. 6.2%
D. 4.0%
- The Indian economy is projected to grow at a rate of 6.2% in 2024, a slight decrease from the 6.3% estimate for 2023. This growth is supported by strong domestic demand and the robust performance of the manufacturing and services sectors. This positions India as the fastest-growing large economy in the world, as stated in the United Nations World Economic Situation and Prospects Report for 2024.
3. Wancho Wooden Craft, which has recently received a Geographical Indication (GI) tag, belongs to which state?
A. Arunachal Pradesh
B. Bihar
C. Uttar Pradesh
D. Madhya Pradesh
- Recently, three items of Arunachal Pradesh have received the prestigious Geographical Indication tag. These are adi kekir (ginger), handmade carpets by Tibetan settlers and wooden items made by Wancho community. Wancho wooden craft items are unique as they feature.
4. Which company is operating the Krishna Godavari Basin Deep Sea Project in the Bay of Bengal?
A. Reliance Industries
B. Indian Oil
C. Bharat Petroleum
D. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC)
- The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) is operating the Krishna Godavari Basin Deep Sea Project in the Bay of Bengal. The project is located in the KG-DWN-98/2 block, which has been delayed and extended multiple times over the past few years.
- The Krishna Godavari Basin is a petroliferous basin on the east coast of India. The onshore part is 15,000 square kilometers, and the offshore part is 25,000 square kilometers. ONGC has hired the floating platform Armada Sterling V for the project. The platform is owned 70% by Shapoorji Palonji Oil and Gas and 30% by Malaysia’s Bumi Armada.
5. Lanjia Saura paintings, which recently got GI tag, belong to which state?
A. West Bengal
B. Odisha
C. Jharkhand
D. Bihar
- Lanjia Saura paintings, also known as ekons or iditals, are a unique style of wall mural art from Odisha. The art form belongs to the Lanjia Saura community, a tribal group largely residing in the Rayagada district. These paintings are in the form of exterior murals painted on the mud walls of homes. White paintings figure over a crimson-maroon background.
6. Laokhowa and Burhachapori wildlife sanctuaries are Protected Areas (PA) of which state?
A. Arunachal Pradesh
B. Assam
C. Manipur
D. Mizoram
- Two rhinos have recently returned to the Laokhowa and Burhachapori Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam after nearly four decades, following a successful anti-encroachment operation. Located on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra River, these two wildlife sanctuaries, despite having distinct names, form a unified entity both ecologically and geographically. They serve as vital connecting corridors for animal migration between Kaziranga and Orang National Parks.
7. Which one of the following describes the ‘30 Doradus B’, that was recently in news?
A. A supernova remnant
B. A supermassive blackhole
C. A space observatory
D. An earth-size exoplanet
- NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory recently captured a captivating image of 30 Doradus B, a supernova remnant situated in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. Also known as NGC 2060, this celestial phenomenon is part of a dynamic star-forming region where stars have been continuously emerging for 8 to 10 million years. Located 160,000 light-years away from Earth, 30 Doradus B presents a complex landscape featuring dark gas clouds, young stars, high-energy shocks, and superheated gas.
8. Which country recently announced its participation in developing a module on NASA’s Lunar Gateway Station alongside the USA, Japan, Canada, and the European Union?
A. China
B. Russia
C. India
D. UAE
- The UAE has recently made a significant stride in space exploration by announcing its collaboration in developing a module for NASA’s Lunar Gateway Station. This joint effort includes participation from the USA, Japan, Canada, and the European Union, emphasizing the truly multinational nature of space exploration. The Lunar Gateway Station is a pivotal component of NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to establish a long-term base on the Moon known as the Artemis base. Unlike its predecessor, the International Space Station (ISS), which orbits Earth in low Earth orbit (LEO), the Gateway will be the first space station to exist outside of LEO.
9. What is the name of the first US spacecraft to land on the moon’s surface since Apollo 17 in 1972?
A. Peregrine Mission – 1
B. Vulcan Centaur
C. Apollo – 24
D. Astrobotic
- Peregrine Mission – 1 marks a significant milestone in lunar exploration as it is the first US spacecraft to land on the moon’s surface since the historic Apollo 17 mission in 1972. Recently Peregrine Mission – 1 was launched by the American company Astrobotic aboard the Vulcan Centaur rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida. The mission’s scientific objectives include studying the moon’s thin atmosphere and water molecule movements. The scheduled landing date for Peregrine Mission – 1 is February 23.
10. Which company has recently announced an initiative “AI Odyssey” to skill 100,000 developers in India on AI technology?
A. IBM
B. Microsoft
C. Google
D. Samsung
- Microsoft has announced an initiative named AI Odyssey to skill 100,000 developers in India in artificial intelligence technologies and tools. This will enable developers to solve complex real-world problems and create value by building AI solutions aligned to business outcomes. The program aims to promote AI fluency and adoption in the country by imparting comprehensive AI training to the developers over a month.
11. Which film won the Best Film (Drama) award at the 81st Golden Globe Awards 2024?
A. The Fabelmans
B. Top Gun: Maverick
C. Oppenheimer
D. Jailer
- 81st Golden Globe Awards were held on January 7, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California to honor the best in American and international film/TV. The ‘Best Film (Drama)’ award was given to historical drama “Oppenheimer”. The movie depicts the life of American physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer who led the Manhattan Project to develop the first nuclear weapons. It details Oppenheimer’s work during World War II on creating the atomic bomb, hence calling him the “father of the atomic bomb”.
12. Which city is the host of India International Science Festival (IISF) 2023?
A. Chennai
B. Pune
C. Faridabad
D. Kolkata
- A curtain raiser event for India International Science Festival (IISF) 2023 was held in Faridabad, Haryana on January 8, 2024. IISF-2023 will be hosted in the DBT Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI) – Regional Centre for Biotechnology (RCB) campus, NCR Biotech Science Cluster, Faridabad from 17 to 20 January 2024.
13. Which company has recently received a patent for its ‘Solar Flour Mill’ innovation?
A. Philips
B. Kirloskar Brothers
C. Shakti Pumps
D. Crompton Greaves
- Shakti Pumps (India) Ltd has received a patent from the Patent Office of Government of India for its ‘Solar Flour Mill’ innovation. This is the ninth patent awarded to the company. The solar-powered flour mill tackles electricity shortages in rural areas and helps save costs.
