General Awareness PYQs

The correct answer is 6.15

Key Points

• The Monetary Policy Committee of the Reserve Bank of India has decided to increase Bank Rate to the 6.15 percent, with immediate effect.
• The repo rate is the interest rate at which the central bank lends to commercial banks.
• The RBI has raised the repo rate by 1.9 percent since May 2022.
• RBI also projected real GDP growth for 2022-23 at 7.0 percent.

Additional Information

• RBI:
• Governor - Shaktikanta Das.
• Headquarters - Mumbai.
• Founded: 1 April 1935, Kolkata.
• The Bank publishes two statutory reports, the Annual Report of the Bank and the Report on Trend and Progress of Banking in India.
• It also publishes Financial Stability Report.

The correct answer is Lakshadweep.

Key Points

• Minicoy Thundi Beach and Kadmat Beach, in Lakshadweep are the proud entrants in the coveted list of Blue Beaches, an eco-label given to the cleanest beaches in the world.
• As of October 2022, the tally of total blue flag-endorsed beaches in India stands at 12.
• Both beaches have designated staff for beach cleanliness, maintenance, safety, and security of swimmers.
• Further, they comply with all the 33 criteria mandated by the Foundation for Environment Education (FEE).
• Blue Beaches: Thundi and Kadmat beaches
• Thundi Beach is one of the most scenic beaches in the Lakshadweep archipelago with hues of white sand mixed with turquoise & blue shade water by the lagoon, a paradise for swimmers and tourists.
• While Kadmat Beach is popular with cruise tourists who visit the island for water sports. It is a paradise for nature lovers with its pearl white sand, blue lagoon waters, moderate climate and friendly locals.
• The other Indian beaches in the blue list are
• Kappad: Kerala,
• Shivrajpur: Gujarat,
• Ghoghla: Diu,
• Kasarkod and Padubidri: Karnataka,
• Rushikonda: Andhra Pradesh,
• Golden: Odisha,
• Radhanagar: Andaman and Nicobar,
• Eden in Puducherry and
• Kovalam in Tamil Nadu.
• Blue Flag tag- The Blue Flag is an eco-label (certification) awarded to beaches, marinas and sustainable boat tourism operators that meet a comprehensive set of requirements.

The correct answer is DAKSH.

Key Points 

• The RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das on 6^th Oct 2022 launched a web-based application called 'DAKSH', to make the supervisory processes more robust.
• It will monitor compliance requirements in a more focused manner with the objective of further improving the compliance culture in Supervised Entities like Banks & NBFCs.
• It will also enable cyber incident reporting & analysis.

Additional Information

• RBI released the 'Quarterly Statistics on Deposits and Credit of SCBs for June 2022'.
• RBI imposed certain restrictions on Kerala-based Thodupuzha Urban Co-operative Bank for a period of six months due to its deteriorating financial condition.
• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved HSBC’s acquisition of L&T Investment Management Ltd., the investment manager for L&T Mutual Fund.
• The $425 million deal involves HSBC buying the entity from its parent L&T Finance Holdings Ltd. (LTFH).
• RBI:
• RBI 25^th Governor: Shaktikanta Das
• RBI Headquarters: Mumbai
• RBI Founded: 1 April 1935, Kolkata$

The Correct answer is Norway

Key Points

• Tennis player Carlos Alcaraz has won the title match of US Open 2022, he is from Spain.
• In the men's singles final, the Spanish player defeated Casper Rood of Norway 6-4, 2-6, 7-6, 6-3.
• With this win, Alcaraz has also become the world's number one tennis player.
• This is Alcaraz's 51^st Tour level win this season.
• Carlos Alcaraz has become the youngest player after Pete Sampras to win the US Open title.
• Sampras became the youngest champion in 1990.
• At the same time, Alcaraz was successful in winning the Grand Slam title, becoming the second youngest player in Spain after the legendary Rafael Nadal.
• Nadal won the French Open title in 2005.
• In addition, Alcaraz is the fourth player from Spain to become the world's number one player after his coaches Juan Carlos Ferrero, Carlos Moya, and Rafael Nadal.

Additional Information

• US Open 2022
• The 2022 US Open was the 142^nd edition of the tennis US Open.
• It was the fourth and final Tennis Major (Grand Slam event) of the year.
• It was held on outdoor hard courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City.
• Carlos Alcaraz and Inga Swistek won the men's and women's singles titles respectively.

​The correct answer is '57^th'.

Key Points

• Rishi Sunak will become the 57^th UK's next prime minister on October 25, after meeting King Charles at Buckingham Palace.
• He will become the UK's first British Asian Prime Minister.
• 42-year-old Rishi Sunak becomes Britain's third Prime Minister in less than two months as Boris Johnson and Liz Truss have resigned from their posts.
• Rishi Sunak is a British politician who is Prime Minister-designate of the United Kingdom and has served as Leader of the Conservative Party since 24 October 2022.
• He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer and Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
• He has also been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Richmond (Yorks) since 2015.

Additional Information

• Former UK Prime Minister Liz Truss resigned from the post just six weeks after her appointment. She became the shortest-serving prime minister in British history, just for 45 days.
• George Canning previously held the record, serving 119 days in 1827 when he died.

The correct answer is Arunachal Pradesh.

Key Points

• PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the Donyi Polo Airport at Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh on 19 November 2022.
• It is the first Greenfield Airport in the state.
• It is equipped with ultra-modern facilities to ensure all-weather operations.
• The name of the airport is given after Donyi and Polo, i.e. Sun and Moon.

Additional Information

• ​Arunachal Pradesh is popularly known as the Land of the Dawn-lit Mountains.
• Arunachal Pradesh is India's remotest state and the first Indian state to greet the rising sun.
• It was formed from the erstwhile North-East Frontier Agency region and became a state on 20 February 1987.
• It borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south.
• Solung is the most popular festival of the Adis of Arunachal Pradesh which is celebrated on September 1 every year.
• Capital: Itanagar
• Chief minister: Pema Khandu

The correct answer is 'Bangladesh'

Key Points

• India ranked 132 out of 191 countries in the 2021 human development index (HDI), according to a report released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
• Among India’s neighbours, Sri Lanka (73^rd), China (79^th), Bangladesh (129^th) and Bhutan (127^th), Nepal (143^rd) and Pakistan (161^th). are ranked above India.
• Switzerland remained at the top spot, followed by Norway and Iceland.
• India ranked 131 in the 2020 index.

Additional Information

• ​Important Ranking and Index:
• India ranks 135 among a total of 146 countries in the Global Gender Gap Index 2022.
• Austrian capital Vienna has been ranked as the world's most liveable city in the report 'Global Liveability Index 2022'.
• Vienna replaced New Zealand's Auckland city as the most liveable city.
• Kerala has been ranked first in Asia in Affordable Talent in Global Startup Ecosystem Report (GSER) 2022.
• India has jumped six positions to 37^th rank on the annual World Competitiveness Index for the year 2022.
• Denmark has been ranked at the top while Switzerland has been ranked at second position.
• According to a report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), around 7.3% of Indians owned some form of digital currency in 2021.
• The website of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has been ranked first under the Central Ministries Portal in National e-Governance Service Delivery Assessment.

The correct answer is Varanasi.

Key Points

• Varanasi will be the first city in Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) region to be granted the rotating title of ‘Cultural & Tourism capital of SCO’.
• It will become the Capital for 2022-23 under a new rotating initiative by the SCO to promote people-to-people contacts and tourism among the member states.

Additional Information

• The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a Eurasian political, economic and security alliance.
• In terms of geographic scope and population, it is the world's largest regional organization.
• It covers approximately 60% of the area of Eurasia, 40% of the world's population, and more than 30% of global GDP.
• The SCO currently comprises eight Member States (China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan).
• The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation:
• Headquarters: Beijing, China
• Founded: 15 June 2001
• Found ers: Russia, China, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan​​

The correct answer is 'TATA Advanced Systems Limited'

In News 

• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the C-295 transport aircraft manufacturing facility - the country’s first in the private sector - in Vadodara, Gujarat on October 30, 2022.
• The facility will manufacture C-295 aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF) through collaboration between Tata Advanced Systems Limited and Airbus Defence and Space S.A., Spain.
• This is the first project of its kind in which a military aircraft will be manufactured in India by a private company.
• The total cost of the project is Rs 21,935 crore.
• The aircraft can be used for civilian purposes as well.
• Sixteen (16) aircraft will be delivered in flyaway condition.
• They are scheduled to be received between September 2023 and August 2025.
• Remaining forty (40) will be manufactured at the Vadodara manufacturing facility. The first Made in India aircraft is expected in September 2026.

Important Points

• The C-295 is a transport aircraft of 5-10 tonne capacity with contemporary technology that will replace the aging Avro aircraft of IAF.
• Robust and reliable, it is a versatile and efficient tactical transport aircraft that can perform a number of different missions.
• The aircraft, with a flight endurance of up to 11 hours, can carry out multi-role operations under all weather conditions.
• It can routinely operate day as well as night combat missions from desert to maritime environments.
• It has a rear ramp door for quick reaction and para-dropping of troops and cargo.
• Short take-off/land from semi-prepared surfaces is another of its features.

The correct answer is 'On the reduction of the risk of financial crises developing into long-term depressions.'

Key Point

• The Nobel Prize in economics 2022 has been given to US economists Ben S. Bernanke, Douglas Diamond, Philip H. Dybvig.
• The trio's research reduces the risk of financial crises developing into long-term depressions with severe consequences for society.
• Bernanke’s work - Former US Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke analysed the Great Depression of the 1930s.
• Among other things, he showed how bank runs were a decisive factor in the crisis becoming so deep and prolonged.
• Using historical sources and statistical methods, his analysis showed which factors were important in the drop in gross domestic product.

The correct answer is 'Navi Mumbai'.

Key Points

• The world’s largest exclusive business platform for the spice sector, 14^th World Spice Congress (WSC), organized by Spices Board India in association with various trade and export forums, is scheduled to be held at CIDCO Exhibition and Convention Centre in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra during 16-18 February 2023.
• Over 1000 delegates from more than 50 countries are expected to participate in the event.
• This biennial event organized by Spices Board India remains the premier platform that brings the global spice industry together to deliberate on the problems and prospects in the spices sector.
• The event looks forward to deliberations on aspects such as production, processing, value addition, quality and safety, trade, and supply chain management of spices in the new normal situation.
• The Regulatory Authorities from major importing countries and Ministry of Trade and Export Promotion agencies of the G20 member countries are expected to have deliberations with Indian Spice Industry.
• The theme chosen for the current edition of WSC is ‘Vision 2030: SPICES’ (Sustainability– Productivity – Innovation – Collaboration- Excellence and Safety).

Additional Information

• The Spices Board is the Indian government regulatory and export promotion agency for Indian spices, headquartered in Kochi.
• Spices Board was constituted in 1987 under Spices Board Act 1986 with the responsibility of production/development of cardamom and export promotion of 52 spices shown in the schedule of the Act.

The correct answer is Rs. 1.76 crores.

Key Points

• RBI has imposed heavy penalties on several financial entities for violation of various norms.
• The penalties went as high as Rs. 1.76 crores for Vakrangee Ltd, which was fined for non-compliance with some provisions related to White Label ATM (WLA) directions.
• It has imposed a Rs 30 lakh penalty on The Jammu and Kashmir State Co-operative Bank Ltd; Rs 5 lakh each on LIC Housing Finance.

Important Points

• The Nagar Sahakari Bank Ltd, Maharajganj, Uttar Pradesh has been levied a fine of ₹4 lakh while an Rs. 2 lakh fine was imposed on Karnataka-based the City Co-operative Bank Ltd and Uttar Pradesh-based Banda Urban Co-operative Bank Ltd.

Additional Information

• The central bank also launched the first pilot of the Digital Rupee with nine banks, including SBI, HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank, issuing the virtual currency for transactions in government securities.
• The pilot project will involve nine banks: State Bank of India (SBI), Bank of Baroda, Union Bank of India, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Yes Bank, IDFC First Bank, and HSBC.

The correct answer is UCO bank

Key Points

• UCO Bank has received the RBI’s approval to open a special vostro account with Gazprombank of Russia for trade settlement in Indian rupees.
• With this, it has become the first bank to receive RBI’s approval to settle trade in Indian currency.
• On 11 July 2022, RBI issued a circular allowing trade settlements between India and other countries in rupee.

Additional Information

• ​UCO Bank is one of the nationalised banks in India.
• It is under the ownership of the Ministry of Finance, Government of India.
• Based on 2020 data, it is ranked 80 on the Fortune India 500 list.
• UCO Bank:
• Headquarters: Kolkata
• CEO: Soma Sankara Prasad (1 Jan 2022–)
• Founded: 6 January 1943
• Founder: Ghanshyam Das Birla

The correct answer is ‘6 days’

Key Points

• Market regulator SEBI has reduced the time taken for the listing of such emerging investment vehicles to six working days from the present 12 days.
• The decision is taken to streamline the process of public issue of units of REIT and InvIT.
• The new rule will apply to a public issue of units of Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) and Infrastructure Investment Trust (InvIT), which opens on or after June 1.
• The move is aimed at making the existing process of issuance of such emerging investment vehicles simpler and more cost-effective.
• The regulator has asked Self Certified Syndicate Banks (SCSBs), stock exchanges, depositories, and intermediaries to coordinate to ensure completion of listing (through the public issue) and commencement of trading of units of REIT and InvIT within six working days from the date of closure of the issue.
• REITs and InvITs are relatively new investment instruments in the Indian context but are extremely popular in global markets.
• While a REIT comprises a portfolio of commercial real assets, a major portion of which is already leased out, InvITs comprise a portfolio of infrastructure assets, such as highways and power transmission assets.
• As of March 2021, a total of 15 InvITs and four REITs were registered and of these, six InvITs and three REITs were listed on the stock exchanges.

The correct answer is Konark.

Key Points

• The ninth edition of the International Sand Art Festival has begun at the Chandrabhaga Beach of Konark in Odisha’s Puri district.
• Sudarsan Pattnaik, world-renowned sand artist and Padmashree Awardee, has been appointed as Chief Curator of the festival.
• Every year, the festival is celebrated with great fervour in the first week of December.
• The sand art Festival displays Spectacular sand art by skilful artists from India and around the world.

Additional Information

• World-recognised sand artists from Mexico, Spain, Singapore, France, Norway, Germany, Netherlands, etc.
• The theme of the 2020 event is 'Environment and covid-19.
• 70 artists from across India.
• The International Sand Art Festival was started in 2015 on Chandrabhaga beach, a short distance from Konark.​
• 12^th International Sand Art Festival, 2022 scheduled to be held on 1^st – 5^th December 2022 at Chandrabhaga Beach near Konark, Dist. Puri, Odisha.

Important Points

• About Odisha.
• ​Capital-Bhubaneswar.
• Chief-Minister-Naveen Patnaik
• Governor-Ganeshi Lal
• Odisha is famous for its heritage sites and enthralling view

The correct answer is ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund.

Key Points

• ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund has launched India’s first Auto Index Fund: ICICI Prudential Nifty Auto Index Fund.
• It is an open-ended index scheme replicating Nifty Auto Index.
• It is designed to reflect the behaviour & performance of the automobile segment of the financial market

Additional Information

• ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund is the second largest asset management company in India.
• ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund was established in 1993.
• The AMC is a joint venture between ICICI Bank in India and Prudential Plc, one of the UK’s largest players in the financial services sectors.
• CEO: Nimesh Shah (26 Jul 2007–)
• Headquarters: Mumbai

The correct answer is HDFC Bank.

Key Points

• HDFC Bank, India’s largest private sector bank, became the first bank in the country to issue an Electronic Bank Guarantee (e-BG) in partnership with National E-Governance Services Limited (NeSL).
• The paper-based, time-consuming process has been eliminated with the new electronic bank guarantees that can be processed, stamped, verified, and delivered instantly with enhanced security.
• e-BG has been developed in consultation with NeSL, CVC-CBI committee, and IBA to simplify the process and eliminate the possibility of fraud and manipulation.

Additional Information HDFC Bank Limited

The correct answer is The Coca-Cola Company.

Key Points

• Sprite is an American-owned brand of clear, lemon, and lime-flavored soft drink created by The Coca-Cola Company.
• The Sprite brand name was created by T. C. Bud Evans, a Houston-based bottler who also distributed Coca-Cola products, circa 1955 for a line of drinks with flavors such as strawberry and orange; the rights to the name were acquired by The Coca-Cola Company in 1960.
• The lemon-lime drink known today as Sprite was developed in West Germany in 1959 as Fanta Klare Zitrone ('Fanta Clear Lemon' in English) and was introduced in the United States under the Sprite name in 1961 as a competitor to 7 Up.
• In July 2022, The Coca-Cola Company announced that Sprite will discontinue its green bottles on August 1 and switch to clear plastic bottles.
• The green plastic contains green polyethylene terephthalate (PET), an additive that cannot be recycled into new bottles.

Additional Information The Coca-Cola Company

The correct answer is ​Rural Electrification Corporation Limited.

Key Points

• Rural Electrification Corporation Limited (REC) has been accorded the status of a ‘Maharatna’ Central Public Sector Enterprise, thus giving REC greater operational and financial autonomy.
• An order to this effect was issued on 21^st September by the Department of Public Enterprises, under the Ministry of Finance.
• Incorporated in 1969, REC is an NBFC focusing on Power Sector Financing and Development across India.
• Shri Vivek Kumar Dewangan, CMD, REC said that REC achieved this feat owing to its adaptability, resilience, and consistent performance even during the global covid-19 pandemic.
• REC has played a key role in the success of the flagship schemes of the Government of India such as DDUGJY and SAUBHAGYA and has contributed towards achieving village and household electrification in the country.
• The Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) is an Indian government scheme intending to provide an uninterrupted power supply to the rural parts of India.
• Saubhagya Scheme or Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana is an Indian government project to provide electricity to non-electrified rural households.

Additional Information List of Maharatna Companies in India 2022

The correct answer is Tamil Nadu.

Key Points

• The Tamil Nadu Assembly passed a Bill moved by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin in October to prohibit online gambling and to regulate online games in the State.
• The Bill seeks to replace an Ordinance promulgated by Governor R.N. Ravi recently banning online gambling and regulating online gaming.
• According to the Statement of Objects and Reasons of the Bill, online gambling and online games are addictive in nature and increase the threat to public order manifold, while posing difficulties in terms of designing appropriate regulation.
• The Tamil Nadu government had constituted a four-member panel under Justice (retd) K Chandru to examine the adverse effects of online rummy and to enact fresh legislation on online games.