General Knowledge(GK) (or) General Awareness

Correct Answer :   Punjab National Bank

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State-owned Punjab National Bank (PNB) on Thursday (6th July 2023) announced the launch of a virtual branch, PNB Metaverse.



* It is a virtual branch of the bank, which will deliver a unique experience of banking to existing and new customers, who can now explore the bank's products and services such as bank deposits, retail/MSME loans, digital products, women/senior citizens, 'Do It Yourself' and government flagship schemes, PNB said in a statement.

* PNB has developed the Bank's Metaverse Branch, where its customers will get exclusive access to its virtual environment from the comfort of their home or office through their mobile phones and laptops, it said.

* In addition, the bank will offer an immersive 3D experience to the customers while performing traditional banking activities through their digital avatars, it said.

* In this new phase of the internet, which evolves from a disparate collection of sites and apps into a persistent 3D environment, where moving from work to a social platform is as simple as walking from the office to the movie theatre across the street, PNB managing director Atul Kumar Goel said.

* "With this technology, we are looking forward to increasing the customer engagement rate, improving the customer acquisition process, and providing hyper-personalized customer experience,” he added.

* Indians could have increased awareness about the metaverse, according to a recent report by YouGov, which claimed that out of over a thousand surveyed participants from India, 53 percent were familiar with the metaverse..

Source : Gadgets360

Correct Answer :   Tamim Iqbal

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Bangladesh ODI skipper Tamim Iqbal announced his retirement from international cricket on Thursday (6th July 2023).

Tamim Iqbal has brought a 16-year-old international career to an end, just three months before the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup in India.

An emotional Iqbal, addressing the media stated, "This is the end for me. I have given my best. I have tried my best. I am retiring from international cricket from this moment."

Thanking the teammates and the coaching staff, Iqbal added, "I want to thank all my teammates, coaches, BCB officials, my family members, and those who have been with me through my long journey. They kept faith in me."

He also thanked the fans, saying, "I also want to thank the fans. Your love and faith in me inspired me to give my very best for Bangladesh. I want to ask for your prayers for the next chapter of my life. Please keep me in your prayers."

Iqbal made his international debut in 2007 and has represented Bangladesh in 70 Tests, 241 ODIs and 78 T20Is. The prolific left-handed opener has over 15,000 runs in international cricket, with 25 centuries and 94 half-centuries.

Iqbal had already retired from T20I cricket last year and played his last Test against Ireland in April. Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) are yet to name a successor for Tamim in the 50-over format..

Source : ANI

Correct Answer :   Lallianzuala Chhangte

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India and Mumbai City FC winger Lallianzuala Chhangte was on Tuesday (4th July 2023) named the AIFF Men's Footballer of the Year (2023), on the back of his impressive performance in the Indian Super League (ISL) and for the national team.

* The 26-year-old Mizoram player featured in 12 matches during the international season for India, scoring two goals and providing one assist in the 2022-23 season. He beat national team-mates Nandhakumar Sekar and Naorem Mahesh Singh to the coveted award.

* Chhangte, who is currently doing national duty in the SAFF Championships here, played in 22 matches during Mumbai City FC's ISL Winners' Shield-winning campaign last season and scored 10 goals while providing six assists.

* He also netted seven goals in seven matches in the Durand Cup last season, while also scoring one goal in three games in the Super Cup.

* Manisha Kalyan was named as the AIFF Women Player of the Year (2023) by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) after its Annual General Meeting here.

* The 21-year-old Punjab forward, who plies her trade for Cypriot first division club Apollon Ladies, beat Dalima Chhibber and Ngangbam Sweety Devi for the award. She had won the 2020-21 AIFF Women's Emerging Footballer of the Year..

Source : The Hindu

Correct Answer :   Bank of India

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Bank of India, one of the largest public sector banks (PSBs) in the country, has become the first bank to officially roll out Mahila Samman Savings Certificate (MSSC) scheme.

* The scheme was announced by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during her Budget speech this year (2023). The scheme offers an interest rate of 7.5 per cent per annum, compounded quarterly.

* Individual girls or women can open an account under the Mahila Samman Savings Certificate sheme or a guardian can open an account on behalf of a minor girl.

* The account will mature after two years from the date of opening. Accounts under this scheme can be opened until March 31, 2025.

* According to a statement by the bank, while the minimum investment is Rs 1,000, any sum in multiples of Rs 100 can be deposited, up to a maximum limit of Rs 2 lakh.

* Individuals can open multiple accounts with a gap of three months between each account, subject to the overall investment cap of Rs 2 lakh, per the statement.

* Account closure can be requested by the customer in case of emergencies or at their discretion, with a penalty of 2 per cent after six months from the date of account opening, and the applicable interest rate will be 5.5 per cent, the bank said.

* Account holders can also make partial withdrawals, up to 40 per cent of the eligible balance, after one year from the date of opening the account.

* Bank of India’s MD & CEO Rajneesh Karanatak further highlighted that Bank of India is the first bank to operationalise this scheme at all its branches..

Source : Business Standard

Correct Answer :   United States

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The navies of India and the United States carried out a 11-day military exercise in Kochi, Kerala that focused on boosting interoperability and operational coordination.

* The seventh edition of the Salvage and Explosive Ordnance Disposal exercise concludes on Thursday (6th July 2023), the Indian Navy said.

* The two navies have been participating in joint salvage and EOD exercises since 2005.

* The exercise saw deployment of frontline warships from both sides in addition to specialist diving and EOD teams.

* "The diving teams of both the countries shared experiences on maritime salvage and trained together in various facets of EOD operations on land as well at sea," the Indian Navy said in a statement.

* It said the exercise also saw the conduct of joint training exercises towards enhancing interoperability, cohesiveness and gaining from best practices in maritime salvage and EOD operations.

* "The constructive engagements on operational terms enhanced the skill-sets of the diving teams in a number of diverse disciplines such as mine detection and neutralisation, wreck location and salvage," the Navy said..

Source : BQ Prime

Correct Answer :   Aryan Nehra

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Young Indian swimmers Aryan Nehra and Lineysha AK emerged as the top performers ahead of Tokyo Olympians Sajan Prakash and Maana Patel at the Senior National Aquatic Championship 2023, which concluded in Hyderabad on Wednesday (5th July 2023).

* The 76th edition of India’s national swimming championship was held at Hyderabad’s GMC Balayogi Sports Complex in Telangana.

* Apart from being a qualifying event for the Paris 2024 Olympics, the four-day meet was the final chance for Indian swimmers looking to make the cut for the Asian Games, to be held in China later this year.

* The qualifying mark for the Asian Games in individual events was the time obtained by the sixth-place finisher in the last edition of the Asian Games at Jakarta 2018.

* Aryan Nehra, who had already qualified for the continental showpiece in men’s 800m freestyle, won four gold medals at the National Aquatic Championship 2023 - the most by any swimmer in the edition.

* Aryan Nehra also reset several swimming national records at the meet. The 19-year-old won the men’s 400m freestyle in 3:52.55, overtaking the previous record of 3:52.75 held by Kushagra Rawat. The likes of Sajan Prakash, Kushagra Rawat and Advait Page were also part of the race.

* Sajan Prakash made a comeback to win gold medals in his pet 100m and 200m butterfly events.

* Aryan Nehra’s other three gold medals came in 800m freestyle, 1500m freestyle and 400m medley, in which he also logged a national mark. He was adjudged as the best swimmer in the men’s category.

* Lineysha AK won two gold medals and a silver to be crowned the best swimmer in the women’s category. Her gold medals came in the 100m and 200m breaststroke events with national record timings. However, Lineysha AK settled for silver in the 50m breaststroke, losing to Manavi Varma.

* Maana Patel rewrote her national record in the 100m backstroke to win the gold medal but had to settle for silver as Suvana Baskar won the 50m backstroke. Siva Sridhar, who won three gold medals at the last edition, bagged a solitary gold in the 200m medley.

* Among other notable performances, Nina Venkatesh broke national records in the women’s 50m and 100m butterfly events. Karnataka's 13-year-old Dhinidhi Desinghu set a national record in the 200m freestyle with a timing of 2:04.24..

Source : Olympics

Correct Answer :   India

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Indian archers Priyansh and Avneet Kaur won gold in the junior mixed team compound event, defeating Israel in the final of the World Archery Youth Championships in Limerick, Ireland.

It was a nail-biting contest wherein the Indian players beat Israel with a close score of 146-144 on 5th July 2023.
 
India's Manav Jadhav and Aishwarya Sharma also won a bronze medal defeating Mexico in the cadet mixed compound event.

The World Archery Youth Championships event is taking place at the University of Limerick in the west of Ireland from July 3 to 9..

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   Visakhapatnam

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The seventh edition of the bilateral Japan-India Maritime Exercise 2023 (JIMEX 23) hosted by the Indian Navy, is being conducted at/ off Visakhapatnam from 05 -10 July 2023. This edition marks the 11th anniversary of JIMEX, since its inception in 2012.

Japan Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) units under the command of RAdm Nishiyama Takahiro, Commander Escort Flotilla One, and Indian Naval ships under the command of RAdm Gurcharan Singh, Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet are participating in the exercise.



JIMEX 23 will witness the participation of INS Delhi, India's first indigenously built Guided Missile Destroyer, INS Kamorta, an indigenously designed and built Anti-Submarine Warfare Corvette, fleet tanker INS Shakti, a submarine, maritime patrol aircraft P8I and Dornier, ship-borne helicopters and fighter aircraft. JMSDF will be represented by the guided missile destroyer JS Samidare and its integral helicopters.

The exercise will be conducted over six days in two phases - a Harbour Phase at Visakhapatnam comprising professional, sports and social interactions, after which, the two navies will jointly hone their warfighting skills at sea and enhance their interoperability through complex multi-discipline operations in the surface, sub-surface and air domains.

Having grown in scope and complexity over the years, JIMEX 23 provides an opportunity to learn from each other's best practices and facilitates operational interactions between IN and JMSDF to foster mutual cooperation and reaffirm their shared commitment towards maritime security in the region..

Source : PIB

Correct Answer :   Indian Overseas Bank

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Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) unveiled all new RuPay Select Debit card via tweet.

IOB said in the post that Rupay Select debit card will provide with “luxury, convenience, and security, all in one card.”

"Unleash the power of your spending with the IOB Rupay Select debit card. Experience luxury, convenience, and security, all in one card."https://t.co/HxjTfQj8tf#IndianOverseasBank #DFS #RBI #ATMcard #RupayCard #ATM pic.twitter.com/YEqx1bJGEH

— Indian Overseas Bank (@IOBIndia) July 3, 2023

The introduction of the RuPay Select debit card will offer users with gym memberships, free health check up, complimentary golf lessons, spa services, and lounge access in selected domestic and international airports.

Eligibility Criteria : One is required to have a savings bank account or a certificate of deposit (CD) with IOB, maintaining an average daily balance of ₹ one lakh.

Cash withdrawal limit is set to ₹50,000. Daily limit for usage in merchant establishments (PoS) is set at ₹ five lakh. An amount of up to ₹3,50,000 is set for daily usage in e-commerce platforms..

Source : Thehindubusinessline

Correct Answer :   India

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In Football, India have lifted the SAFF Championships trophy 2023 for the ninth time, beating Kuwait 5-4 in the penalty shoot-out in the final after a 1-1 stalemate at the end of regulation time at Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru 4th July 2023.

* A thrilling penalty shootout saw the game go down the wire after Udanta Singh missed his kick. Goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh again turned out as the hero for the Indian side, saving the final kick from the Kuwaiti captain.
 
* The Indian team made it to the final after beating Lebanon in a semi-final while Kuwait defeated Bangladesh 1-0 in the other last-four clash.

* This was the second meeting of India and Kuwait in this tournament with the earlier Group stage meeting ending in a 1-1 draw..

Source : AIR