General Awareness PYQs

The correct answer is Shehbaz Sharif.

Key Points

• Pakistan’s parliament has elected Shehbaz Sharif as the country’s new Prime Minister following the removal of Imran Khan in a vote of no confidence.
• He will now form a new government that can remain in place until August 2023, when general elections are due.
• No Prime Minister has ever completed a five-year term in office during the country’s nearly 75-year history.

Additional Information

• Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan-led government was ousted from power on 9 April 2022 after he failed the no-confidence motion moved against him by the opposition.
• He served as the 22^nd Prime Minister of Pakistan since 2018.
• He is also a former cricketer.
• Khan scored 3,807 runs and took 362 wickets in Test cricket and was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.
• Pakistan's Army on 9 April 2022 conducted a successful flight test of the surface-to-surface medium-range ballistic missile Shaheen-III.
• ​Veteran politician, former Supreme Court judge, and President of Pakistan, Rafiq Tarar passed away at the age of 92 years in March 2022.
• The global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog, Financial Action Task Force (FATF), retained Pakistan on the grey list in March 2022.

The correct answer is Bihar.

Key Points

• Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari and State Chief Minister Nitish Kumar inaugurated the eastern end of the Mahatma Gandhi Setu at Patna in the state of Bihar on 7 June 2022**.**
• Built over the river Ganges, Gandhi Setu connects Patna in the south to Hajipur in the North.
• The bridge has been reconstructed by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) at Rs 1,742 crore under the Prime Minister’s package to Bihar.
• The eastern lane of the Mahatma Gandhi Setu, which was the longest bridge in the country for 35 years, has been completed after five years.
• This bridge will be a lifeline from Patna to north Bihar, now the distance from Patna to Vaishali will be covered in 15 minutes.
• It is made of steel instead of cemented. This bridge is the largest steel bridge in the country. It is 5.6 km long.
• Such a steel bridge has been constructed for the first time in the country. 67,000 tons of iron have been used in its construction.
• It is known that Mahatma Gandhi Setu has been constructed under 15 National Highway projects at a cost of Rs.13,585 crore.

Additional Information

• The bridge was originally inaugurated in 1982 by then PM Indira Gandhi. The 5.57-km long bridge was in a dilapidated condition in absence of proper maintenance before the Modi government in 2016 approved the reconstruction of the four-lane bridge at an estimated cost of Rs 1,742 crore.
• The bridge was constructed after dismantling the damaged pre-stressed cantilever arms superstructure and subsequent re-decking by steel truss.
• The bridge can now see about 1 lakh passenger car unit traffic daily. The bridge will benefit Hajipur, Chhapra, Muzzafarpur, Samastipur, Darbhanga, Madhubani, Sitamarhi, Siwan and eastern Uttar Pradesh on the northern side and Patna, Ara, Arwal, Jahanabad, Nalanda, Gaya, Aurangabad, Sasaram and Jharkhand on the southern side.

The correct answer is Indonesia.

Key Points

• India’s Men’s Badminton team made history by winning their first-ever title in the Thomas Cup tournament, on 15^th May 2022.
• The team defeated the 14 times champion Indonesia by 3 - 0 in the final held at the Impact Arena in Thailand.
• India has become the 6^th different country to win the title.
• Lakshya Sen, Satwiksairaj-Chirag Shetty and Kidambi Srikanth clinched stunning victories to help India script history.

 Additional Information

• Some of the important sports tournaments and their winners in 2022 are mentioned below:
• ICC Women's World Cup 2022 - Australia
• ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2022 - India
• Men's singles title at the Australian Open 2022 - Rafael Nadal
• Women's Hockey Asia Cup 2022 - Japan

The correct answer is ‘Jan Samarth portal’

Key Points

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a unified portal for the government’s credit-linked schemes, aimed at improving the ease of living for citizens.
• The so-called “Jan Samarth portal” will act as a single platform for loan application and processing.
• It is a one-stop digital portal linking Government credit schemes and also a first-of-its-kind platform that directly connects beneficiaries to lenders.
• The main purpose of the Jan Samarth portal is to encourage inclusive growth and development of various sectors by guiding and providing them with the right type of government benefits through simple and easy digital processes.
• As many as 13 schemes and over 125 lending institutions have joined the portal, according to the ministry of finance.
• The portal can be used to avail loans for education, agricultural infrastructure, business activity and livelihood opportunities.
• Key state-owned lenders like the State Bank of India and large private lenders are part of the initiative.
• Prime Minister also released special series of one, two, five, ten and twenty rupees coins.
• These special series of coins will have the theme of the logo of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav and will also be easily identifiable to visually impaired persons.

The correct answer is National Health Authority.

Key Points

• The National Health Authority has announced the launch of a revamped Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) mobile app.
• It has been launched under its flagship scheme of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM).
• The application enables an individual to create an ABHA address (username@abdm), an easy-to-remember username that can be linked with the 14-digit randomly generated ABHA number.

Important Points

• The updated version of the ABHA app has a new User Interface (UI) and added functionalities that enable individuals to access their health records anytime and anywhere.
• The mobile application also enables users to link their health records created at ABDM compliant health facility and view them in their smartphones.
• The application also allows self-uploading of physical health records in the ABDM compliant health lockers along with sharing of digital health records such as diagnostic reports, prescriptions, CoWIN vaccination certificate etc. after the consent of an individual through the ABDM network.
• The Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) Mobile App (previously known as NDHM Health Records or PHR App) is available on the Google Play Store, and has over 4 lakh downloads.

The correct answer is ‘Vinay Mohan Kwatra’

Key Points

• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has appointed Vinay Mohan Kwatra as the new foreign secretary of India.
• He will succeed Harsh Vardhan Shringla who will retire on April 30.
• Vinay Mohan Kwatra is a Seasoned diplomat and prior to this appointment, he was serving as India’s envoy to Nepal.
• Before his diplomatic posting to Nepal in 2020, he served as the Ambassador of India to France from August 2017 to February 2020.
• He is having extensive expertise in dealing with India’s neighbourhood as well as the US, China and Europe.
• A career diplomat with over 32 years of experience, Kwatra has also held the position of a Joint Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) for two years between October 2015 to August 2017.
• There is a possibility that Shringla may get an assignment after his retirement and he could be considered for the post of coordinator for the G-20 summit which India is hosting in late 2023.

The correct answer is Odisha.

Key Points

• Dhanua Jatra is held in Odisha. It is a 11 day festival which began on January 2 in western Odisha.
• All rituals were performed before Goddess Samaleswari, the presiding deity of the event.
• Dhanua Jatra is an annual drama-based open air theatrical performance celebrated in and around Bargarh city spanning over an area of 6 km radius.
• It is considered to be the world’s largest open air theatrical festival.

The correct answer is ‘Brazil’

Key Points

• The Australian High Commissioner to India Barry O’Farrell said “the Quad member countries have accepted India’s position on the crisis in Ukraine”.
• The Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison held a virtual summit with Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and they are set to discuss the situation in Ukraine.
• The Quad comprises India, Japan, Australia and the US.
• Except for India, the three other Quad member countries have been severely critical of Russia for its military aggression against Ukraine.
• However, the Quad Countries have agreed to set up a new humanitarian assistance and disaster relief mechanism.
• This mechanism will enable the Quad to meet future humanitarian challenges in the Indo-Pacific and provide a channel for communication as they respond to the crisis in Ukraine.

The correct answer is 75^th.

Key Points

• India's 1 mn all-women ASHA workers were awarded and honored by WHO on 22 May 2022.
• They were honoured for their outstanding contribution to advancing global health, demonstrated leadership and commitment to regional health issues.
• Accredited Social Health Activists or ASHA volunteers are Indian government's affiliated healthcare workers who are the first point of contact in rural India.

Important Points

• ASHAs worked to provide maternal care and immunization for children against vaccine-preventable diseases; community health care; treatment for hypertension and tuberculosis; and core areas of health promotion for nutrition, sanitation, and healthy living.
• The ceremony for the awards, which were established in 2019, was part of the live-streamed high-level opening session of the 75^th World Health Assembly.

Additional Information

• WHO:
• Headquarters - Geneva, Switzerland.
• Founded In - 1948.
• Director-General - Tedros Adhanom.

The correct answer is ‘AVSAR’

Key Points

• The Airport Authority of India (AAI) has launched an initiative “AVSAR” to encourage the talent of women, artisans and craftsmen and provide them with the right opportunities.
• AVSAR stands for ‘Airport as Venue for Skilled Artisans Of The Region’.
• Under “AVSAR”, an opportunity to help the indigent to mobilize their households into functionally effective self-earned groups for self-reliance and self-dependence has been provided.
• SHGs operated by local women are showcasing and marketing their homemade local products like Puffed Rice, Pickles, Bamboo-based Ladies Bag/Bottle/Lamp Sets to the air travellers.
• Few outlets have already been commissioned at Chennai, Agartala, Dehradun, Kushinagar, Udaipur & Amritsar Airport.
• An area of 100-200 square feet has been earmarked at each AAI-operated airport and is being allotted to the self-help groups, turn on a turn basis, for a duration of 15 days.

The correct answer is Vinai Kumar Saxena.

Key Points

• Vinai Kumar Saxena has been appointed new Lieutenant Governor of Delhi.
• Born on March 23, 1958, Saxena is currently the chairman of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC). He was appointed to the post in 2015.
• Saxena will succeed Anil Baijal who resigned from the post on May 18 citing "personal reasons".

Additional Information​ 

• Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT), is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India.
• ​It is situated alongside River Yamuna and bordered by Haryana state on three sides and by Uttar Pradesh state to the east.
• The States Reorganisation Act, 1956 created the Union Territory of Delhi from its predecessor, the Chief Commissioner's Province of Delhi.
• The Constitution (Sixty-ninth Amendment) Act, 1991 declared the Union Territory of Delhi to be formally known as the National Capital Territory of Delhi.

The correct answer is V. Anantha Nageswaran.

Key Points

• V. Anantha Nageswaran took charge on 28 January 2022.
• He is the former executive with Credit Suisse Group AG and Julius Baer Group.
• He will succeed Krishnamurthy Subramanian.
• The Chief Economic Adviser (CEA) in the Finance Ministry, advises the govt on economic matters and traditionally scripts the economic survey presented in Parliament a day before the Union budget presentation.

Additional Information

• ​Indian Entrepreneur and writer Jaithirth Rao, popularly known as Jerry Rao, has come out with a book on Mahatma Gandhi titled “Economist Gandhi: The Roots and the Relevance of the Political Economy of the Mahatma” in October 2021.
• Noted Economist and former Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India, Dr. Shankar Acharya has authored a new book titled “An Economist at Home and Abroad: A Personal Journey” in November 2021.
• French-born economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas has been named as the chief economist of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
• International Monetary Fund Chief Economist, Gita Gopinath has taken over from Geoffrey Okamoto as the institution’s No. 2 official in December 2021.

The correct answer is 146^th.

Key Points

• National Unity Day or Rashtriya Ekta Diwas is celebrated on October 31 every year.
• The day was introduced by the Government of India in 2014 to mark the birth anniversary of Iron Man of India - Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
• This year marks the 147^th birth anniversary of the freedom fighter.
• He was the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of independent India.

Additional Information

• India’s tallest statue, the statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is located in the state of Gujarat, India.
• Statue of Unity has a height of 182 metres (597 ft) and is the world's tallest statue.
• It is located on the Sardar Sarovar Dam on river Narmada in Kevadiya colony, 100 kilometres (62 mi) southeast of the city of Vadodara.

The correct answer is M. Karunanidhi.

Key Points

• In May, the then Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu unveiled a 16–feet tall bronze statue (standing on a 14–feet high pedestal) of Dravidian political leader and five-time Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Late 'Kalaignar' M. Karunanidhi in Chennai on May 28, 2022.
• The statue is located at the campus of the multi-super specialty government hospital at Omandurar Estate.
• The 16-feet high bronze statue is mounted on a 14-foot high pedestal.
• After the formal unveiling, the Vice President, accompanied by the chief minister and other leaders paid floral tributes to a portrait of Karunanidhi kept near the statue.

Additional Information 

M. Karunanidhi

• Muthuvel Karunanidhi (3 June 1924 – 7 August 2018) was an Indian writer and politician who served as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for almost two decades over five terms between 1969 and 2011.
• He was popularly referred to as Kalaignar (Artist) and Mutthamizh Arignar (Tamil Scholar) for his contributions to Tamil literature.
• He had the longest tenure as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu with 6,863 days in office.
• He was also a long-standing leader of the Dravidian movement and ten-time president of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam political party.
• Karunanidhi has the record of never losing an election to the Tamil Nadu Assembly, having won 13 times since his first victory in 1957.

The correct answer is Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.

Key Points

• Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) is a credit-linked subsidy program.
• It was launched in 2008 for the generation of employment opportunities through the establishment of microenterprises in rural and urban areas.
• It is a central sector scheme being administered by the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME).
• Implementing Agency at the National Level is Khadi and Village Industries Commission(KVIC).
• It is a statutory organization under the administrative control of the Ministry of MSME.
• Features of the scheme are as follow-
• It allows entrepreneurs to set up factories or units.
• Any individual above 18 years of age is eligible for this scheme.
• Only new projects/units are considered for sanction of loans.
• Maximum Cost of Project/Unit Admissible for Manufacturing Sector is Rs. 25 lakh.
• Maximum Cost of Project/Unit Admissible for  Service Sector is Rs. 10 lakh.
• The government has decided to provide Subsidy in Rural Areas - 25% for the general category and 35% for the special category, which includes SC/ST/ OBC/Minorities, Northeast Region, Hill, and Border Areas. and, In Urban Areas- 15% for general category and 25% for special categories.
• Under the scheme, loans are provided by Public Sector Banks, Regional Rural Banks, Co-operative Banks, and Private Scheduled Commercial Banks approved by respective State Task Force Committee.

​

Additional Information

• The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, a branch of the Government of India.
• It is the apex executive body for the formulation and administration of rules, regulations, and laws relating to micro, small and medium enterprises in India.

Important Points

• The Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises is Nitin Gadkari.
• Constituency-Nagpur

The correct answer is B.V. Doshi.

Key Points

• Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi received the Royal Gold Medal 2022 by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the world’s highest honor for architecture.
• Many of his iconic buildings include the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore and Aranya Low-Cost Housing (1989), Indore, which won the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 1995.

Important Points

• The Royal Gold Medal is “approved personally by Her Majesty The Queen and is given to a person or group of people who have had a significant influence on the advancement of architecture”.
• His buildings combine pioneering modernism with vernacular.
• His projects include administrative and cultural facilities, housing developments and residential buildings.
• Doshi’s key projects include:
• Shreyas Comprehensive School Campus (1958-63), Ahmedabad.
• Atira Guest House (1958), Ahmedabad, low-cost housing.
• The Institute of Indology (1962), Ahmedabad, a building to house rare documents.
• Ahmedabad School of Architecture (1966, with additions until 2012) - renamed CEPT University in 2002 - which focused on creating spaces that promoted collaborative learning.
• Tagore Hall and Memorial Theatre (1967), a 700-seat Brutalist auditorium in Ahmedabad etc.

Money laundering is the process of transforming the proceeds of crime and corruption into ostensibly legitimate assets. In a number of legal and regulatory systems, however, the term money laundering has become conflated with other forms of financial and business crime, and is sometimes used more generally to include misuse of the financial system (involving things such as securities, digital currencies, credit cards, and traditional currency), including terrorism financing and evasion of international sanctions. Most anti-money laundering laws openly conflate money laundering (which is concerned with source of funds) with terrorism financing (which is concerned with destination of funds) when regulating the financial system.

The correct answer is ‘Kalol’

Key Points

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated World's first Nano Urea (Liquid) Plant constructed at Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative Ltd (IFFCO) at Kalol.
• The Nano Urea (Liquid) Plant has been built at the cost of around 175 crore rupees in an effort to further provide farmers the means to boost productivity and help increase their income.
• The ultramodern Nano Fertilizer Plant has been established keeping in mind the increase in crop yield through the use of Nano Urea.
• The Plant will produce about 1.5 lakh bottles of 500 ml per day.
• The cooperative sector of Gujarat has been a role model for the entire nation.
• There are more than 84 thousand cooperative societies in the state.
• The organization of the Seminar of leaders of various Cooperative institutions on 'Sahakar Se Samriddhi' is yet another step towards further strengthening the cooperative movement in the state.
• He also addresses the Seminar of Leaders of various Cooperative Institutions on 'Sahakar Se Samriddhi' at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar.
• Prime Minister also inaugurated the newly built Matushri KDP Multispeciality Hospital in Atkot, Rajkot.

The correct answer is Manoj Pande.

Key Points

• Army Vice Lieutenant General Manoj Pande has become Chief of the Army Staff.
• Previously, he served as the General Officer-Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Command.
• The incumbent Army Chief General M.M. Naravane will retire by the end of April 2022.
• General Naravane is the front runner for the post of Chief of Defence Staff after the passing of General Bipin Rawat.

Additional Information

• The Army Medical Corps (AMC) celebrated its 258^th raising day on 3 April 2022.
• The Corps has the motto of “Sarve Santu Niramaya” meaning “Let all be free from disease and disability”.
• Chief of Army Staff General MM Naravane left for Singapore on a three-day visit from 4-6 April 2022.

The correct answer is Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Key Points

• Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is the Director-General of WHO.
• Former Ethiopian Health Minister Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has been elected as the Director-General of the World Health Organisation.
• The election has earned the distinction of being the first election that saw the participation of all WHO member states in the voting process.
• Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus defeated the other two contenders to the post, namely, UK’s Dr. David Nabarro and Pakistan’s Dr. Sania Nishtar.

WHO works worldwide to promote health, keep the world safe, and serve the vulnerable.

Important Points

• World Health Organisation (WHO)​
• It aims to achieve better health for everyone, everywhere.
• Total members- 194
• Founded- 7 April 1948.
• It is celebrated as world health day.
• Headquarters- Geneva, Switzerland
• Director-General- Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
• WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia- Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh

Additional Information

• Margaret Chan Fung Fu-Chun, OBE, JP, FRCP is a Chinese-Canadian physician, who served as the Director-General of the World Health Organization delegating the People's Republic of China for 2006–2017.
• Roberto Carvalho de Azevêdo is a Brazilian career diplomat who served as Director-General of the World Trade Organization from 2013 until 2020. Since 2020, he has been Executive Vice President and Director of Corporate Affairs at PepsiCo.
• Christine Madeleine Odette Lagarde is a French politician and lawyer who is the current President of the European Central Bank, a position she has held since 1 November 2019. Prior to this appointment and between July 2011 and September 2019, she was the Managing Director of the International Monetary