Dear Readers, Daily Current Affairs Questions Quiz for SBI, IBPS, RBI, RRB, SSC Exam 2024 of 12th April 2024. Daily GK quiz online for bank & competitive exam. Here we have given the Daily Current Affairs Quiz based on the previous days Daily Current Affairs updates. Candidates preparing for IBPS, SBI, RBI, RRB, SSC Exam 2024 & other competitive exams can make use of these Current Affairs Quiz.

 

Start Quiz

 

1) ICRA downgrades banking sector outlook to stable due to slowing credit growth in FY25. ICRA estimates that credit growth would decrease to 11.6-12.5% in FY25, down from what percentage (excluding the HDFC twins merger impact) in FY24?

(a) 16.2%

(b) 16.3%

(c) 16.4%

(d) 16.5%

(e) 16.6%

2) In which country does PhonePe collaborate with eSewa to increase the use of Unified Payments Interface services?

(a) Bhutan

(b) Nepal

(c) Bangladesh

(d) Myanmar

(e) Srilanka

3) Which bank becomes the first private lender to establish a branch on Kavaratti Island?

(a) Axis bank

(b) ICICI bank

(c) Citi bank

(d) HDFC bank

(e) RBL bank

4) How much money does the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) Limited invest in iBUS to expand its digital infrastructure?

(a) $100million

(b) $200million

(c) $300million

(d) $400million

(e) $500million

5) Computer Age Management Services Limited(CAMS) has received approval from the Reserve Bank of India to operate as an online payment aggregator. In March 2024, CAMSPay registered over how many million mandates for UPI autopay?

(a) >1.20million

(b) >1.10million

(c) >1.00million

(d) >1.15million

(e) >1.12million

6) How many members will the government appoint to supervise thermal power capacity additions?

(a) 4

(b) 5

(c) 6

(d) 7

(e) 8

7) The Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) is organising a Clean Economy Investor Forum in Singapore. What is the current number of IPEF partners?

(a) 11

(b) 12

(c) 13

(d) 14

(e) 15

8) Global Biofuels Alliances will complete the governance framework and draft a charter. Which nation, together with Brazil and India, made up the alliance's original members?

(a) Vietnam

(b) Malaysia

(c) US

(d) Japan

(e) Singapore

9) Which company is getting ready to introduce its flagship CSR program, Girl Empowerment Mission (GEM), in its most recent iteration?

(a) NPCI

(b) NTPC

(c) NABARD

(d) SIDBI

(e) SEBI

10) India has set a lofty goal to increase textile exports from how many billion dollars in FY22 to $600 billion by 2047?

(a) $40billion

(b) $42billion

(c) $44billion

(d) $48billion

(e) $46billion

11) Which language poet Mamta G. Sagar receives the World Literary Prize international honor?

(a) Telugu

(b) Kannada

(c) Malayalam

(d) Hindi

(e) Bengali

12) Which IT company has named Malay Joshi the 'Americas 1' Strategic Market Unit's new CEO?

(a) Accenture

(b) Wipro

(c) TCS

(d) Infosys

(e) HCL

13) At the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), Kuldip Narayan assumes the role of Managing Director. NCRTC, a joint venture between the Indian government and how many NCT states is the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs' administrative subordinate?

(a) 2

(b) 3

(c) 4

(d) 5

(e) 6

14) The youngest Prime Minister (Taoiseach) of the Republic of Ireland, Simon Harris, was elected. The Oireachtas is the name of Ireland's bicameral parliament. The Seanad Éireann (Senate) and the Dáil are the two houses that make up the Oireachtas. What is the total number of members in the Dail?

(a) 154

(b) 156

(c) 158

(d) 157

(e) 155

15) Which city will Justice Aniruddha Bose lead the National Judicial Academy after retiring as a Supreme Court judge?

(a) Pune

(b) Kolkata

(c) Hyderabad

(d) Bhopal

(e) Manipal

16) Which Bank receives a 1.08% stake sale by Bain Capital for Rs 3575 crore?

(a) Axis bank

(b) ICICI bank

(c) Citi bank

(d) HDFC bank

(e) RBL bank

17) EU and India work together to support the Trade and Technology Council's (TTC) new initiative to recycle batteries used in electric vehicles. How many working groups does TTC have?

(a) 2

(b) 3

(c) 4

(d) 5

(e) 6

18) IndiGo's shares reached a record high, making it the third-largest airline in the world by market capitalization. Which airline ascended to the top?

(a) Vistara

(b) SpiceJet

(c) AirIndia

(d) Delta Air

(e) Ryanair

19) According to QS Rankings, JNU is the best institution in India, and IIM-Ahmedabad is among the top 25 universities in the world for management courses. How many Indian universities in all, with 424 submissions in all subjects, made it to the rankings?

(a) 68

(b) 67

(c) 69

(d) 63

(e) 65

20) Which country will host the esteemed Paavo Nurmi Games, where superstar Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will compete?

(a) Thailand

(b) Vietnam

(c) Singapore

(d) Finland

(e) Fiji

Answers :

1) Answer: B

• Domestic rating agency ICRA revised downwards its outlook for the banking sector to 'stable' from 'positive' on expectations of a moderation in credit growth and profitability.
• ICRA predicts that credit growth will moderate to6-12.5% in FY25 from 16.3% (excluding the HDFC twins merger impact) in FY24.
• This moderation is expected to impact profitability due to lower net interest income margins resulting from higher deposit rate payouts.

Detailed Explanation:

• Domestic rating agency ICRA revised downwards its outlook for the banking sector to 'stable' from 'positive' on expectations of a moderation in credit growth and profitability.
• ICRA predicts that credit growth will moderate to6-12.5% in FY25 from 16.3% (excluding the HDFC twins merger impact) in FY24.
• This moderation is expected to impact profitability due to lower net interest income margins resulting from higher deposit rate payouts.
• Asset Quality Expectations: The agency anticipates a further moderation in the gross non-performing assets (NPAs) ratio for the banking system, projecting it to decrease to 2.2% by March 2025 from an estimated 3% in March 2024.
• This would mark the lowest level since September 2011.
• Unsecured retail advances and loans to non-bank finance companies will slow down in FY25, leading to a dip in the overall non-food credit growth in the system.
• Credit Deposit Ratio: The credit deposit ratio, which has reportedly come under the regulatory gaze lately, will continue to be elevated at over 80%.
• The agency stated it expects a "convergence" between credit and deposit growth in FY25, which will be helpful for the system, given the 4 percentage point gap that exists at present.
• Impact on Net Interest Margins: The share of low-cost current and savings account deposits is expected to decrease as customers prefer higher-yielding term deposits.
• This shift may pressure net interest margins (NIMs) for banks.
• Fresh NPA Generation: ICRA projects gross fresh NPA generation to be 3% in FY24 for state-owned banks and 2% for private sector banks.
• These figures are expected to increase to5% and 2.2% respectively in FY25.
• Implementation of Expected Credit Loss-based Provision System: The RBI is expected to implement the expected credit loss-based provision system from April 1, 2025, as observed by ICRA.

2) Answer: B

• Fintech firm PhonePe has partnered with Nepal's digital wallet service eSewa and the Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN) Pokhara to promote digital payments through Unified Payments Interface (UPI) on the Himalayan country's payment processor Fonepay Network.

Detailed Explanation:

• Fintech firm PhonePe has partnered with Nepal's digital wallet service eSewa and the Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN) Pokhara to promote digital payments through Unified Payments Interface (UPI) on the Himalayan country's payment processor Fonepay Network.
• The partnership is a part of the Fewa New Year Festival which will be held from April 11-14, 2024 in Nepal.
• Over 3,000 merchants will participate in the festival with more than 1,00,000 visitors expected to visit.
• PhonePe along with eSewa and HAN Pokhara will showcase the ease of UPI (Unified Payments Interface) payments.

3) Answer: D

• Largest private sector lender HDFC Bank inaugurated a branch in Lakshadweep's Kavaratti island.
• The bank becomes the first private sector lender to have a presence in Lakshadweep.

Detailed Explanation:

• Largest private sector lender HDFC Bank inaugurated a branch in Lakshadweep's Kavaratti island.
• The bank becomes the first private sector lender to have a presence in Lakshadweep.
• The bank seeks to serve customers wherever they are and looks forward to serving the financial needs of individuals, families, and businesses in Lakshadweep, the bank's retail branch banking .
• The branch inauguration ceremony was attended by Captain Lovekesh Thakur, Commanding Officer of the Indian Navy, and K P Muthukoya, a prominent local resident, along with bank officials.

4) Answer: B

• The National Investment and Infrastructure Fund Limited. (NIIF) has invested $200 million in iBUS Network and Infrastructure Private Limited., a connectivity technology firm, to support the growth of India’s digital infrastructure.

Detailed Explanation:

• The National Investment and Infrastructure Fund Limited. (NIIF) has invested $200 million in iBUS Network and Infrastructure Private Limited., a connectivity technology firm, to support the growth of India’s digital infrastructure.
• Utilization of Funds: The funds raised will be utilized for scaling iBUS’ operations through both organic and inorganic growth initiatives.
• Business Focus : iBUS aims to strengthen its position as a leader in In-building solutions, outdoor small cells and managed WiFi services while expanding its presence in new emerging sectors (such as IoT solutions).
• Infrastructure Development : Additionally, investments will be directed towards developing new infrastructure solutions to address evolving market demands and technological advancements.
• Change in Ownership: Following the transaction, NIIF will hold a significant majority stake in iBUS, indicating a change in ownership structure.
• Transaction Advisor: Avendus acted as the transaction advisor to iBUS for this investment, facilitating the deal between NIIF and iBUS.

5) Answer: A

• agency, has received authorization from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate as an online payment aggregator.
• UPI Autopay Registration : In March 2024, CAMSPay achieved a registration of more than 1.2 million mandates for UPI autopay.

Detailed Explanation:

• Computer Age Management Services Limited (CAMS), India's largest mutual fund transfer agency, has received authorization from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate as an online payment aggregator.
• In-Principle Authorization: CAMS initially received an in-principle authorization from RBI in February 2023, and the certificate of authorization was officially received on April 10, 2024.
• Regulatory Compliance: The authorization comes after CAMS made an application to RBI for a certificate of authorization following the issuance of 'Guidelines on Regulation of Payment Aggregators and Payment Gateways' in March 2020.
• Business Background: CAMS' payment business unit, CAMSPay, has been operating in the payment solutions industry for 15 years, catering to a diverse portfolio of clients including mutual funds, insurance companies, banks, and non-banking finance companies (NBFCs).
• UPI Autopay Registration : In March 2024, CAMSPay achieved a registration of more than 1.2 million mandates for UPI autopay.

6) Answer: E

• The Power Ministry has set up the Thermal Power Monitoring Group (TPMG) that will regularly track the progress of upcoming thermal power plants (TPPs) in the country.
• The 8-member TPMG will be headed by the Central Electricity Authority’s (CEA) member (Thermal).

Detailed Explanation:

• The Power Ministry has set up the Thermal Power Monitoring Group (TPMG) that will regularly track the progress of upcoming thermal power plants (TPPs) in the country.
• Power Minister R K Singh approved the setting up of an independent TPMG, which will conduct site inspections and provide an assessment of each site of the TPP under implementation by a central or State utility and Independent Power Producers (IPPs).
• The 8-member TPMG will be headed by the Central Electricity Authority’s (CEA) member (Thermal).
• The members also include a Chief Engineer or higher-level officer from the CEA.
• TPMG members will visit the TPPs under implementation inspection to observe first-hand progress made by the project developers and based on their assessment, will submit a progress report to the group.
• Besides, six retired senior officers from the CEA, NTPC and Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) will also be part of the panel and will be selected by the Ministry.
• The high-level panel will identify challenges being encountered during the implementation phase and evaluate the effectiveness of the mitigation strategies employed by the developers.
• The development assumes significance as the Ministry has planned to add a total of 80 gigawatts (GW) of thermal capacity by FY32 in line with a growing appetite for electricity from commercial and industrial (C&I) as well as households with peak power demand expected to rise to 366 gigawatts (GW) by 2032 from 240 GW in 2023.

7) Answer: D

• The Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) was launched in May 2022 and currently includes 14 partners – Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, United States and Vietnam.

Detailed Explanation:

• The Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) was launched in May 2022 and currently includes 14 partners – Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, United States and Vietnam.
• It provides a platform for countries in the region to collaborate on advancing resilient, sustainable, and inclusive economic growth, and aims to contribute to cooperation, stability and prosperity in the region.
• The IPEF comprises four pillars of cooperation namely: Trade, Supply Chain, Clean Economy and Fair Economy.
• The IPEF is not a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), but it allows members to negotiate the parts they want to.
• India has been actively participating in the IPEF, but not in all pillars.
• India has decided to opt out of the trade pillar of the IPEF as most issues promoted by the IPEF do not align with India's trade policies.
• The 14 IPEF partners represent 40 percent of the global GDP and 28 percent of global goods and services trade.The IPEF Clean Economy Investor Forum is one of the initiatives under the IPEF.

8) Answer: C

• India- and US-backed Global Biofuels Alliance (GBA) is set to draw up a charter to achieve its objective of promoting biofuels and lowering the dependence on fossil fuels.
• India, Brazil and the US is the founding members of the alliance.

Detailed Explanation:

• India- and US-backed Global Biofuels Alliance (GBA) is set to draw up a charter to achieve its objective of promoting biofuels and lowering the dependence on fossil fuels.
• The meeting will be on the sidelines of a G20 working group meeting in Brazil.
• This would be the second meeting of the temporary executive committee, which has representatives from all the member countries of the alliance.
• The committee had first met in December on the sidelines of the COP28 in the United 15 Apr Energy Transition Working Group expected to meet the Arab Emirates.
• Global Biofuels Alliance is an India-led Initiative to develop an alliance of Governments, International organisations and Industry to facilitate the adoption of biofuels.
• India, Brazil and the US is the founding members of the alliance.
• The initiative aims to position biofuels as a key to energy transition and contribute to jobs and economic growth.
• 22 countries and 12 international organizations have already agreed to join the alliance. USA (52%), Brazil (30%) and India (3%), contribute about 85% share in production and about 81% in consumption of ethanol.

9) Answer: B

• NTPC Limited, India’s largest integrated power company, is gearing up to launch the latest edition of Girl Empowerment Mission (GEM), its flagship Corporate Social Responsibility initiative.
• The program aligns with the Government of India's Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao initiative and aims to tackle gender inequality by nurturing girls' imaginations and fostering their ability to explore opportunities.

Detailed Explanation:

• NTPC Limited, India’s largest integrated power company, is gearing up to launch the latest edition of Girl Empowerment Mission (GEM), its flagship Corporate Social Responsibility initiative.
• The program aligns with the Government of India's Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao initiative and aims to tackle gender inequality by nurturing girls' imaginations and fostering their ability to explore opportunities.
• GEM does this through a 1-month workshop for young girls during summer holidays, by offering them a platform for their all-round upliftment and development.
• Starting from April 2024, the new edition of GEM will add nearly 3,000 meritorious children belonging to underprivileged sections of the society at 42 identified locations of the power sector PSU.
• The GEM Mission, initiated as a pilot project in 2018 with just three locations and 392 participants, has flourished into a nationwide movement

10) Answer: C

• India is working on an ambitious target to achieve $600 billion of textile exports by 2047 from $44 billion in FY22 and the domestic market to grow to $1.8 trillion from $110 billion in 2022.
• The textiles ministry is formulating its Vision 2047 based on five thematic pillars-research & innovation; infrastructure, trade & investment; marketing & brand promotion; skilling & quality and sustainability.

Detailed Explanation:

• India is working on an ambitious target to achieve $600 billion of textile exports by 2047 from $44 billion in FY22 and the domestic market to grow to $1.8 trillion from $110 billion in 2022.
• The textiles ministry is formulating its Vision 2047 based on five thematic pillars-research & innovation; infrastructure, trade & investment; marketing & brand promotion; skilling & quality and sustainability.
• As per initial discussions, the exports of apparel and made ups could cross $350 billion by 2047 and those of technical textiles could be around $85 billion.
• For the domestic market, apparels could grow to $1.2 trillion and technical textiles to around $460 billion.
• Moreover, milestones for 2030 are also under consideration wherein domestic market is seen growing to $250 billion by 2030 and exports to $100 billion.
• The country also plans to reduce emission intensity to 2.25 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of crude steel (2.25 T/tcs) production by FY29 from 2.50 T/tcs now, and even further by 2047.

11) Answer: B

• Mamta G. Sagar, a Bengaluru-based Kannada poet, writer, academic and activist, has recently won the World Literary Prize from the World Organization of Writers (WOW) for her contributions to the world of literatur

Detailed Explanation:

• Mamta G. Sagar, a Bengaluru-based Kannada poet, writer, academic and activist, has recently won the World Literary Prize from the World Organization of Writers (WOW) for her contributions to the world of literature.
• Dr Sagar, a facilitator at Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design, and Technology, known for her involvement in diverse forms of transdisciplinary creative writing and cultural industries, received the award on April 6 at a ceremony in Abuja, Nigeria.
• Sagar produced Interversions 1,2, & 3, three films based on her poetry collections, with Srishti Films as part of the Wales-India collaborative projects (2018).

12) Answer: B

• IT major Wipro Limited has appointed company veteran Malay Joshi as the chief executive officer (CEO) of its largest and fastest-growing market, Americas 1, the company informed the stock exchanges.
• Joshi succeeds Srini Pallia, who was appointed Wipro’s CEO and Managing Director (MD) on April 6,2024 following Thierry Delaporte’s resignation.

Detailed Explanation:

• IT major Wipro Limited has appointed company veteran Malay Joshi as the chief executive officer (CEO) of its largest and fastest-growing market, Americas 1, the company informed the stock exchanges.
• Joshi succeeds Srini Pallia, who was appointed Wipro’s CEO and Managing Director (MD) on April 6,2024 following Thierry Delaporte’s resignation.
• Under Thierry Delaporte's tenure, Wipro implemented a new operating model with 4 Strategic Market Units (SMUs): Americas 1, Americas 2, Europe, and Asia Pacific Middle East Africa (APMEA).
• While Americas 1 and Americas 2 are organized by sectors, Europe and APMEA are structured by countries.
• The Americas 1 strategic market unit encompasses the entire business of Latin America and various industry sectors in the United States of America, making it Wipro's biggest revenue generator as of the three months ended December 31, 2023.

About Malay Joshi :

• Joshi is a veteran of Wipro, having joined the company in 1996.
• He brings over 28 years of extensive experience in various leadership roles across functions, industries, and geographies.
• With this appointment, Joshi will also join the Wipro Executive Board and will be based out of the company’s New York City office.
• Prior to this appointment, he served as the Senior Vice President (SVP) and Business Unit Head, leading the Communications, Media, Tech, Retail, Travel, Hospitality, and Public Sector industries, which make up one of Wipro’s largest business units globally.

13) Answer: C

• Kuldip Narayan, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer and Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) in the Government of India, has assumed additional charge as Managing Director (MD) of the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC).
• NCRTC, a joint venture of Govt of India and the States of NCT of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, under the administrative control of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, is mandated to implement the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) projectacross the National Capital Region, ensuring a balanced and sustainable urban development through better connectivity and access.

Detailed Explanation:

• Kuldip Narayan, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer and Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) in the Government of India, has assumed additional charge as Managing Director (MD) of the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC).
• Narayan has been associated with the NCRTC as a Government Nominee Director from December 2022.
• At MoHUA, he is looking after its flagship programme, Housing for All / Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban).
• He is also serving as a Nominee Official Director in the National Housing Bank (NHB) and Housing & Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO).
• He has served as the District Magistrate of Gopalganj, Chhapra, Munger, and Madhubani districts in Bihar.
• He also held the charge of Chairman of Bihar State Bridge Corporation; MD of Bihar State Milk Co-Operative Federation Ltd; MD of Bihar State Water Board and Patna Municipal Commissioner.

14) Answer: C

• Simon Harris has been elected as the youngest Prime Minister (Taoiseach) of the Republic of Ireland.
• In Ireland, the prime minister is called Taoiseach.
• Harris succeeds Leo Varadkar, who resigned from the position in March 2024.
• Ireland has a bicameral parliament called the Oireachtas.
• The Oireachtas have two houses: the Dáil and the Seanad Éireann (Senate).
• The Dail is the popularly elected lower house, just like the Lok Sabha of India, and its members are directly elected by the people.
• The total number of members of the Dail is 158.

Detailed Explanation:

• Simon Harris has been elected as the youngest Prime Minister (Taoiseach) of the Republic of Ireland.
• In Ireland, the prime minister is called Taoiseach.
• Harris succeeds Leo Varadkar, who resigned from the position in March 2024.
• At the age of 37, Simon Harris became the youngest Prime Minister in Ireland's history.
• He is set to hold the post till the general election which is set to be held in March 2025.
• Before him, the Indian-born prime minister Leo Varadkar was the youngest prime minister of Ireland.
• Leo Varadkar became prime minister at the age of 38 in 2017.
• Simon Harris has served as Taoiseach and leader of Fine Gael since 2024.
• A Teachta Dála (TD) for the Wicklow constituency since 2011, he has served as a minister in the government of Ireland since 2016 and formerly served as a minister of state from 2014 to 2016.
• He is from the Fine Gael party, which emerged as the third-largest party in the country after the 2020 parliamentary election.
• Ireland has a bicameral parliament called the Oireachtas.
• The Oireachtas have two houses: the Dáil and the Seanad Éireann (Senate).
• The Dail is the popularly elected lower house, just like the Lok Sabha of India, and its members are directly elected by the people.
• The total number of members of the Dail is 158.

15) Answer: D

• Justice Aniruddha Bose has been appointed as the Director of the National Judicial Academy (NJAC) in Bhopal.
• The appointment was announced by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud during a ceremonial bench honouring Justice Bose's retirement from the Supreme Court.

Detailed Explanation:

• Justice Aniruddha Bose has been appointed as the Director of the National Judicial Academy (NJAC) in Bhopal.
• The appointment was announced by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud during a ceremonial bench honouring Justice Bose's retirement from the Supreme Court.
• Justice Bose's tenure in the Supreme Court concluded on April 10, after which he assumed the role at NJAC.
• Justice Bose served as a Permanent Judge of the Calcutta High Court starting January 2004 and later became the Chief Justice of Jharkhand High Court in August 2018.
• He was elevated to the position of a judge in the Supreme Court on May 24, 2019.

16) Answer: A

• Bain Capital has sold a 08% stake in Axis Bank for ₹3,575 crore through an open market transaction.
• The stake sale involved the offloading of 37 million shares at ₹1,071 per share on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).

Detailed Explanation:

• Bain Capital has sold a 08% stake in Axis Bank for ₹3,575 crore through an open market transaction.
• The stake sale involved the offloading of 37 million shares at ₹1,071 per share on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).
• In December,2023 Bain Capital had sold a similar quantity of shares at ₹1,120 per share, generating $448 million.
• Bain Capital invested Rs 6,854 crore in Axis Bank as part of an Rs 11,626-crore capital raising exercise in November 2017.
• It had picked up the stake at around Rs 525 per share. Since then, it has pared its holdings in several tranches.

17) Answer: B

• The European Union (EU) and India launched an Expression of Interest (EoI) for startups working in Battery Recycling Technologies for Electric Vehicles (EVs) for a matchmaking event.
• The matchmaking aims to enhance the cooperation between European and Indian Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and startups in the clean and green technologies sector.
• The TTC consists of three Working Groups:
  • Working Group 1 on Strategic Technologies, Digital Governance and Digital Connectivity.
  • Working Group 2 on Green and Clean Energy Technologies; and
  • Working Group 3 on Trade, Investment and Resilient Value Chains.

Detailed Explanation:

• The European Union (EU) and India launched an Expression of Interest (EoI) for startups working in Battery Recycling Technologies for Electric Vehicles (EVs) for a matchmaking event.
• The matchmaking aims to enhance the cooperation between European and Indian Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and startups in the clean and green technologies sector.
• This initiative takes place under the India-EU Trade & Technology Council (TTC), announced by India and the European Commission in New Delhi on 25th April 2022.
• Twelve innovators, six each from India and the EU will be selected and get a pitching opportunity during the Matchmaking Event, scheduled for June 2024.
• Six finalists (three from the EU and three from India) will be selected following their pitching presentations and awarded the possibility to visit India and the EU, respectively.
• The India-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) was first announced by the European Commission and India in April 2022.
• Established on 6 February 2023, this strategic coordination mechanism allows both sides to tackle challenges at the nexus of trade, trusted technology, security and deepens cooperation in these fields.
• The TTC consists of three Working Groups:
  • Working Group 1 on Strategic Technologies, Digital Governance and Digital Connectivity.
  • Working Group 2 on Green and Clean Energy Technologies; and
  • Working Group 3 on Trade, Investment and Resilient Value Chains.

18) Answer: D

• IndiGo has now become the world's third-largest airline in terms of market capitalisation (m-cap) with shares of the operator InterGlobe Aviation Limited soaring nearly five per cent to achieve a lifetime record-high mark during intra-day.
• Delta Air and Ryanair Holdings are the top two airlines with $30.4 billion and $26.5 billion m-cap, respectively, according to Bloomberg.
• According to Bloomberg data, IndiGo surpassed United Airlines to become the sixth-largest airline in the world during December 2023.

Detailed Explanation:

• IndiGo has now become the world's third-largest airline in terms of market capitalisation (m-cap) with shares of the operator InterGlobe Aviation Limited soaring nearly five per cent to achieve a lifetime record-high mark during intra-day.
• According to Bloomberg data, IndiGo surpassed United Airlines to become the sixth-largest airline in the world during December 2023.
• Delta Air and Ryanair Holdings are the top two airlines with $30.4 billion and $26.5 billion m-cap, respectively, according to Bloomberg.
• InterGlobe Aviation is India’s largest commuter airline, with a domestic capacity share of 55 per cent in FY23. Indigo maintains the world's youngest aircraft fleet, with an average age of 3.9 years.

19) Answer: C

• The Jawaharlal Nehru University emerged as the highest-ranked Indian university in the list announced by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), the London-based higher education analytics firm, for various subjects.
• Under the subject of Development Studies, JNU was ranked 20th in the QS World University Rankings.
• The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) - Ahmedabad grabbed the next best rank of 22nd in the subject of Business & Management Studies.
• A total of 69 Indian universities made it to the rankings with 424 entries across all subjects.

Detailed Explanation:

• The Jawaharlal Nehru University emerged as the highest-ranked Indian university in the list announced by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), the London-based higher education analytics firm, for various subjects.
• Under the subject of Development Studies, JNU was ranked 20th in the QS World University Rankings.
• The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) - Ahmedabad grabbed the next best rank of 22nd in the subject of Business & Management Studies.
• A total of 69 Indian universities made it to the rankings with 424 entries across all subjects.
• It is 19.4 per cent higher than the previous year's 355 entries.
• The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB) secured 25th rank in the subject of Engineering - Mineral & Mining.
• The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) secured 29th spot in Petroleum Engineering.
• In the broader Asian regional context, India secured the second spot in terms of the number of universities featured (69), trailing only mainland China (101), and holds the fourth position in the total number of ranked entries (454) after China (1,041), Japan (510) and South Korea (499).
• India ranks fifth regionally for the number of top 200 entries and sixth for the number of top 100 entries.QS CEO Jessica Turner.
• For subject rankings, QS uses five components: academic reputation, employer reputation, research citations per paper, the H-index (a measure of both the productivity and impact of published work) and International research network (by broad faculty area).

20) Answer: D

• Superstar Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will compete in the prestigious Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland, where he will be up against 19-year-old sensation Max Dehning of Germany, the latest entrant in the 90m club.
• The 26-year-old Chopra, who will begin his season in the Doha Diamond League Meeting on May 10, had won a silver in the 2022 edition of the Paavo Nurmi Games with a throw of 89.30m -- his career second best -- while he pulled out of the event in 2023 as he was recovering from an injury then.

Detailed Explanation:

• Superstar Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will compete in the prestigious Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland, where he will be up against 19-year-old sensation Max Dehning of Germany, the latest entrant in the 90m club.
• The 26-year-old Chopra, who will begin his season in the Doha Diamond League Meeting on May 10, had won a silver in the 2022 edition of the Paavo Nurmi Games with a throw of 89.30m -- his career second best -- while he pulled out of the event in 2023 as he was recovering from an injury then.
• Chopra has a personal best of 89.94m.
• The Paavo Nurmi Games are named after the legendary Finnish middle and long-distance runner.
• It is a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series event, one of the most prestigious single-day competitions outside the Diamond League Meeting series.