Q1.Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs signed MoU with which organisation to develop Waste to Energy and bio-methanation projects in million plus cities?
[A] Engineers India Limited[B] Bharat Electronics Limited
[C] DRDO
[D] Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
A – Explanation:
- The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs signed a MoU with Engineers India Limited to develop Waste to Energy and bio-methanation projects in cities with a population of million plus.
It was signed as a part of furthering the ‘Green Growth’ agenda. There are 59 million plus cities in India and EIL will assist them in developing such projects for larger quantum of waste integrating circularity in waste management.
Q2.‘State of the Union (SOTU) Address’ is associated with which country?
[A] UK[B] USA
[C] Australia
[D] China
B – Explanation:
- US President Joe Biden recently delivered the State of the Union (SOTU) Address at the Joint Session of the Parliament in the US Capitol in Washington DC.
This is Biden’s second SOTU address. According to the country’s Constitution, the US President is required to deliver the state of the Union to Congress and recommend measures that he judges to be necessary and beneficial.
Q3.The Indian Armed Forces are set to procure armed Predator MQ 9A drones from which country?
[A] France[B] Israel
[C] USA
[D] Russia
C – Explanation:
- The Indian Armed Forces are looking to procure 18 armed Predator MQ 9A drones from the United States.
Of these 18 drones, six will be provided for each of the three armed forces. These unmanned aerial vehicles are capable of flying up to 50,000 feet for a maximum duration of 24 hours. It is capable of carrying air-to-ground missiles to target high-value ground targets or air-to-air missiles.
Q4.‘Paris Club’ an informal group of creditor nations, are the members of which organisation?
[A] OPEC[B] OECD
[C] G-20
[D] G-7
B – Explanation:
- The Paris Club is an informal group of creditor nations that functions as a platform for official creditors that resolves payment issues faced by debtor countries. All of its 22 member states belong to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
The Paris Club has recently decided to offer financial support to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for Sri Lanka’s debt.
Q5.Which neighbouring country of India is set to receive electricity from power plant in Jharkhand?
[A] Sri Lanka[B] Bangladesh
[C] Nepal
[D] Myanmar
B – Explanation:
- Bangladesh will start receiving electricity from the Godda power plant in Jharkhand from the first week of March.
750 megawatt power will come from the first unit of Adani power plant in Godda in March. Another 750 megawatt of power will come from the second unit of the Godda power plant in April. The Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) signed an agreement with Adani group for importing electricity.
Q6.Who is the chairperson of the special committee to examine the need for a separate competition law for digital companies?
[A] Manoj Govil[B] Ashwini Vaishnaw
[C] Nirmala Sitharaman
[D] Ramesh Chand
A – Explanation:
- The government has set up a special committee to examine the need for a separate competition law for digital companies.
Chaired by Corporate Affairs Secretary Manoj Govil, the committee will review whether existing antitrust laws in the country are equipped to deal with the challenges that have emerged from the digital economy, and submit to the government a draft Digital Competition Act within three months.
Q7.Aaron Finch, who announces retirement from International Cricket, is from which country?
[A] England[B] South Africa
[C] Australia
[D] West Indies
C – Explanation:
- Australian men’s T20 captain Aaron Finch announced his retirement from international cricket. The 36-year-old led Australia to its maiden T20 World Cup victory in 2021.
Aaron Finch has captained the team in 76 of the 103 T20 internationals he has played since debuting against England in 2011. He retired as Australia’s one-day skipper last September.
Q8.‘Yaya Tso’ is a bio-diversity site located in which state/UT?
[A] Arunachal Pradesh[B] Ladakh
[C] Assam
[D] Sikkim
B – Explanation:
- Yaya Tso has been recently proposed as Ladakh’s first biodiversity heritage site (BHS) under the Biological Diversity Act.. It is also known as birds’ paradise for its beautiful lake located at an altitude of 4,820 metres.
Yaya Tso is a nesting habitat for bar-headed goose, black-necked crane and brahminy duck and it it also has the distinction of being one of the highest breeding sites of the black-necked crane in India.
Q9.What is the theme of the ‘World Pulses Day’ 2023?
[A] Pulses for a Sustainable Future[B] Pulses for Malnutrition
[C] Pulses for a Healthier Future
[D] Pulses for a Scalable Future
A – Explanation:
- ‘World Pulses Day’ is observed on February 10 to raise global awareness about the importance of pulses as a stable global food source that delivers nutritional and environmental security across the world.
The theme for World Pulses Day 2023 is ‘Pulses for a Sustainable Future’.
Q10.Scientists found ‘Oldowan toolkit’, the oldest known stone tools in which country?
[A] Australia[B] Greece
[C] Turkey
[D] Kenya
D – Explanation:
- Scientists have discovered the oldest known stone tools in Kenya, dating back 2.9 million years, known as Oldowan toolkit.
This toolkit included hammer-stones, cores and flakes. It is a critical invention for early human ancestors that expanded across Africa and China. The discovery provides a glimpse of importance of stone technology in adapting to different environments.
