Q1.Which Asian country has declared a nationwide public emergency amidst protests over economic crisis?
[A] Myanmar[B] Afghanistan
[C] Sri Lanka
[D] Pakistan
C – Explanation:
- Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has declared a nationwide public emergency amidst protests over the worst economic crisis in the island nation.
The special gazette notification declared a public emergency in Sri Lanka with immediate effect from April 1. The residents are facing shortages in fuel, cooking gas, essentials in short supply and long hours of power cuts.
Q2.Which is the first Indian city to get processed Steel Slag Road?
[A] Varanasi[B] Surat
[C] Patna
[D] Gandhi Nagar
B – Explanation:
- Gujarat’s Surat has become the first city in the country to get a processed steel slag (industrial waste) road.
It has been built as part of a joint-venture project by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), Union Ministry of Steel, NITI Aayog, and Arcelor-Mitttal-Nippon Steel. The slag is generated from a steel furnace in the form of molten flux material as an impurity.
Q3.‘Prakriti’, which was recently launched, is mascot to create awareness on which field?
[A] Plastic pollution[B] Gender Equality
[C] LGBTQ Rights
[D] Skill Development
A – Explanation:
- Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav launched “Prakriti”, mascot that spreads awareness about small changes in life that can curb plastic pollution.
It also highlights various green initiatives taken by Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change and Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to ensure effective Plastic Waste Management (PWM) in the country.
Q4.Which Indian public sector bank launched its digital transformation project ‘SMBHAV’?
[A] State Bank of India[B] Canara Bank
[C] Union Bank of India
[D] Punjab National Bank
C – Explanation:
- Union Bank of India recently launched its super-app named UnionNXT and digital transformation project SMBHAV.
The project has been launched with an investment outlay of around Rs 1,000 crore for the financial year 2022-23 (FY23). A banking super-app combines several services, such as payments, online shopping, bill payments, recharges, investment, loans, and fund transfer, on a single platform.
Q5.‘Project Kuiper’ is a proposed project of which multi-national technology company?
[A] Google[B] Amazon
[C] Samsung
[D] Apple
B – Explanation:
- ‘Project Kuiper’ is a flagship project of the ace multi-national technology company Amazon. It is Amazon’s proposed internet-from-space initiative.
Amazon announced that it has booked new launches on three different rockets to get its satellites into orbit. The satellites will fly on rockets currently being developed by European launch provider Arianespace, US-based United Launch Alliance, and Blue Origin.
Q6.What is the Repo rate after the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting held in April 2022?
[A] 4.50 %[B] 4.25 %
[C] 4.00 %
[D] 3.75 %
C – Explanation:
- The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) kept the repo rate unchanged at 4 per cent for the 11th consecutive time.
RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das announced that the MPC had voted unanimously to maintain the accommodative stance and added that the reverse repo rate too was kept unchanged at 3.35 per cent. Marginal Standing Facility (MSF) rate and bank rate also were kept unchanged at 4.25 percent.
Q7.Mission Raftaar, which was seen in the news recently, was associated with which institution?
[A] NITI Aayog[B] Indian Railways
[C] Election Commission of India
[D] Indian Coast Guard
B – Explanation:
- Mission Raftaar introduced by the Indian Railways in 2016-17 targeted an average speed of 50 kmph for mail/express and 75 kmph for freight trains by 2021-22.
A recent audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) found that travel time of trains has increased over the past few years, and overall punctuality of trains has declined. The punctuality of mail/express trains over IR declined from 79 per cent (2012-13) to 69.23 per cent (2018-19) at the terminating stations.
Q8.Which organisation launched the first fully private astronaut mission to the International Space Station?
[A] NASA[B] ISRO
[C] SpaceX
[D] ESA
C – Explanation:
- A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched Ax-1, a mission from Houston-based Company Axiom Space. It is the first fully private astronaut mission to the International Space Station.
The four-member crew officially began a ten-day journey that will include eight days aboard the International Space Station. Their capsule is known as Endeavour.
Q9.What is the main objective of the ‘AIM’ programme of NITI Aayog
[A] To promote skill development[B] To promote innovation
[C] To promote higher education
[D] To improve nutrition level
B – Explanation:
- The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) of NITI Aayog was launched for creating an innovation culture and entrepreneurial ecosystem in the country.
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the continuation of Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), till March 2023.
Q10.Which Union Ministry is associated with the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019?
[A] Ministry of Home Affairs[B] Ministry of External Affairs
[C] Ministry of Defence
[D] Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
A – Explanation:
- The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has sought another six-month extension to frame the rules of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA).
The amendment seeks to fast-track the citizenship process of six non-Muslim undocumented communities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. This is also the fifth extension sought by the Union Home Ministry.