1. The world’s largest electric cruise ship has made its maiden voyage in which country?
[A] China
[B] USA
[C] Germany
[D] Australia
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [China]
Notes:
The world’s largest electric cruise ship has made its maiden voyage in China, after cruising up and down the Yangtze River and settling into port in Yichang. It is developed by China Yangtze Power.
It is powered by a massive 7,500 kilowatt-hour marine battery from the top battery manufacturer for electric cars, Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL). The ship will go into commercial operations from next month, to be used mainly for sightseeing trips.
2. ‘Business Blasters’ is a flagship programme of which Indian state/UT?
[A] Karnataka
[B] Kerala
[C] New Delhi
[D] Odisha
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [New Delhi]
Notes:
The Business Blasters programme of the Delhi government provides Class 11 and Class 12 students with seed money worth Rs 2000 each for developing business ideas.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the Delhi government’s business blasters programme should be implemented in colleges and universities. This is to ensure that the entrepreneurial ideas of the students shall be encouraged after school education.
3. Which Indian state launched “Mukhyamantri Nibir Matsyachash Prakalpa”?
[A] Assam
[B] Tripura
[C] Gujarat
[D] Chhattisgarh
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Tripura]
Notes:
Tripura Chief Minister Bipab Kumar Deb recently launched “Mukhyamantri Nibir Matsyachash Prakalpa”. It is an integrated fishery scheme.
Tripura government has allocated Rs 6 crore in the budget for promotion and support to biofloc technology for fish production. The Chief Minster also pushed for Biofloc Fish Farming as a environment-friendly technique for fish farming.
4. Which institution releases the ‘State of World Population Report’?
[A] UNICEF
[B] UNFPA
[C] IMF
[D] World Bank
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [UNFPA]
Notes:
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) recently released the ‘State of World Population: Seeing the Unseen: The case for action in the neglected crisis of unintended pregnancy’ Report.
As per the report, nearly half of all pregnancies, totalling 121 million each year throughout the world, are unintended. Globally, an estimated 257 million women who want to avoid pregnancy are not using safe and modern methods of contraception.
5. Which Indian state has announced ‘Doorstep delivery of ration’ in the state?
[A] Uttar Pradesh
[B] Punjab
[C] Assam
[D] Madhya Pradesh
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Punjab]
Notes:
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced that his government has decided to start doorstep delivery of ration in the state.
While it is an optional scheme, the government officials will call Punjab’s residents and ask them for their preferred time slot. Earlier, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had tried to implement the same scheme in Delhi.
6. The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) system crossed which milestone in terms of volume?
[A] 10 crore
[B] 50 crore
[C] 100 crore
[D] 500 crore
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [500 crore]
Notes:
As per the data from the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) crossed the 500-crore mark in terms of volume.
In March this year, UPI was close to touching the ₹10-lakh crore milestone in value terms in March this year. There were around 315 banks live on the UPI platform by March this year.
7. Which is the first Indian city to get processed Steel Slag Road?
[A] Varanasi
[B] Surat
[C] Patna
[D] Gandhi Nagar
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Surat]
Notes:
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.
8. Which state passed a bill seeking to regulate stray cattle in urban areas of the state?
[A] Bihar
[B] Uttar Pradesh
[C] Gujarat
[D] Odisha
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Gujarat]
Notes:
The Gujarat government’s Bill which seeks to regulate stray cattle in urban areas of the state was passed by majority in the Assembly.
The Gujarat Cattle Control (Keeping and Moving) in Urban Areas Bill, 2022 mentions the threat stray cattle pose to those riding two-wheelers. The new Bill, when it becomes a law, will be applicable in Gujarat’s eight major cities – Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot, Gandhinagar, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar and Junagadh.
9. What is the theme of the ‘National Maritime Day’ 2022?
[A] International trade and Economy
[B] Sustainable Shipping beyond Covid-19
[C] Gratitude towards Navy
[D] Atmanirbhar Maritime Force
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Sustainable Shipping beyond Covid-19]
Notes:
India recently celebrated the 59th National Maritime Day which falls on April 5 every year. This year’s theme is ‘Sustainable Shipping beyond Covid-19’.
The first anniversary of the day was held in 1964 to raise awareness about international trade and economy. An award ceremony is held to honour those who made important contributions to the Indian maritime industry.
10. Who has been appointed as the new Foreign Secretary of India?
[A] Vinay Mohan Kwatra
[B] Rudrendra Tandon
[C] Dinesh Bhatia
[D] Santosh Jha
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Vinay Mohan Kwatra]
Notes:
The Indian government appointed senior Indian Foreign Service officer Vinay Mohan Kwatra as the new Foreign Secretary.
The 1988-batch IFS officer is currently serving as Ambassador in Kathmandu since January 2020. He worked in Prime Minister’s Office from 2015 to 2017 and had served as India’s ambassador to France. Vinay Kwatra will replace the incumbent Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla.