General Knowledge(GK) (or) General Awareness

Correct Answer :   Paterson Joseph

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Author Paterson Joseph was announced as the  winner of the 2023 Royal Society of Literature (RSL) Christopher Bland Prize for his debut novel 'The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho' on June 8, 2023.

This book is a historical fiction novel that tells the story of Charles Ignatius Sancho, who was the first Black man to vote in England.

RSL Christopher Bland Prize :

* The RSL Christopher Bland Prize is an annual award that is given to a debut writer for their work of fiction or non-fiction, who is first published at the age of 50 or over.

* The winner receives a prize money of £10,000.

* This is the fifth year of the award.

'The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho' is a historical fiction novel that tells the lesser-known story of Charles Ignatius Sancho, who was the first Black man to vote in England.

The story was initially written and performed by Joseph as a one-man show in 2018..

Source : India Times

Correct Answer :   Agni Prime

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The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Wednesday (7th June 2023), successfully test-fired its New Generation Ballistic Missile Agni Prime from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha.

* The test flight was completed at around 7:30 pm on the coast of Odisha. The flight test successfully demonstrated all objectives of the missile.

* After performing well in three development trials, the Agni Prime missile successfully test-fired in the first pre-induction night launch conducted by the users.

* The test flight validated the accuracy and reliability of the system. The successful test flight of the missile has opened its gates of entry into the Armed forces.

* The range instrumentation like Radar, Telemetry, and Electro-Optical Tracking Systems were also deployed at different locations. These tracking systems were fitted at two down-range ships, at the terminal point to capture flight data covering the entire trajectory of the vehicle, the statement said.

* The test flight of the ballistic missile was conducted in the presence of senior officials from DRDO and Strategic Forces Command. On DRDO's success, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated DRDO and the Armed Forces for the success as well as the copy-book performance of the Agni Prime missile.

* The Secretary Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr Samir V Kamat also applauded the DRDO team for its efforts in making the test flight a success..

Source : Mint

Correct Answer :   SIDBI

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State-owned Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with HDFC Bank for providing financial solutions to MSMEs.

Under the MoU, SIDBI and HDFC Bank will work together to provide complete financial product and services to the customers under Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

The MoU will facilitate providing complete financial solutions to MSMEs in a seamless manner.

This arrangement will enable MSMEs to avail financial products and services of both the banks.

Both banks will endeavour to bring more MSMEs in financial ecosystems through the arrangement..

Source : Money Control

Correct Answer :   GalaxEye Aerospace company

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An IIT-Madras-incubated space-tech startup, GalaxEye, is building the world’s first multi-sensor earth observation satellite with the help of a visible spectrum camera providing synchronised imaging that can take multiple images at the same time.

* The startup is going to launch its first satellite, ‘Drishti Mission’ 2024.

* Founded in 2020 by Suyash Singh, Denil Chawda, Kishan Thakkar, Pranit Mehta, Rakshit Bhatt and Prof S R Chakravarthy, GalaxEye is working on deploying a satellite constellation with a first-of-its-kind sensor based on data fusion to provide the most comprehensive imagery dataset from space.

* The data fusion technology developed in-house will bring unparalleled insights and data from space, enabling satellite constellations to perform all-weather imaging at all times without atmospheric interference typical of today’s single-sensor satellites. The technology will enable the production of images with extremely high resolution via a small satellite constellation that, once fully operational, will provide global coverage in under 12 hours, according to a statement from GalaxEye.

* GalaxEye founding member and Vice-President Pranit Mehta said, “The first launch is a very important milestone to us. It would put to space India's first and the world's highest resolution multi-sensor imaging satellite. Given the strong value of all-time all-weather imaging, our objective is to boost the EO industry and unlock several new applications across domains like insurance, maritime, supply chain and more.

* This also proves our proprietary technology, Drishti, synchronising two complementary sensors, thus pioneering Data Fusion at its core, “We are looking at mid-2024 for our first launch. While we are yet to fix our launch provider, our top preference remains to launch with "ISRO" itself. We are in active conversations regarding the same,” the VP said.

* The advanced satellites will change the way industries make decisions. Suyash Singh, co-founder & CEO, GalaxEye Space, envisions making GeoAnalytics a key tool  for every industry for their decision-making. Awarded multiple times, including Emerging Geospatial Star of 2022, Suyash has featured in Fortune India 40 Under 40 2023 for his key contributions to the Indian satellite service market..

Source : India Times

Correct Answer :   Sunil Kumar

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19-year-old Indian player Sunil Kumar won the gold medal in the men's decathlon event at the Asian Under-20 Athletics Championships 2023 being held in Yecheon city of South Korea.

* Sunil secured the first position by scoring 7003 points in 10 events decathlon.

* He got first place in 100 meters hurdles, discus throw and javelin.


Asian U20 Athletics Championships: Indian medal winners :

* Rezoana Mallick Heena (women’s 400m) - gold medal

* Laxita Vinod Sandila (women’s 1500m) - gold medal

* Rezoana Mallick Heena/Anushka Dattaray Kumbhar/ Riya Nitin Patil/ Kanista Teena (women’s 4x400m relay) - gold medal

* Siddharth Choudhary (men’s shot put) - gold medal

* Bharatpreet Singh (men’s discus throw) - gold medal

* Sunil Kumar (men's decathlon) - gold medal

* Susmita (women’s long jump) - silver medal

* Shivam Lohakare (men’s javelin throw) - silver medal

* Sharuk Khan (men's 3000m steeplechase) - silver medal

* Bushra Khan Gauri (Women's 3000m) - silver medal

* Pooja (women's high jump) - silver medal

* Shivaji Parashu Madappagoudra (men's 5000m race) - silver medal

* Deepak Singh/Sharan Megavarnam/Rihan Choudhary/Navpreet Singh (men’s 4x400m relay) - silver medal

* Antima Pal (women’s 5000m) - bronze medal

* Shakeel (men’s 800m) - bronze medal

* Rezoana Mallick Heena/Navpreet Singh/Anushka Dattaray Kumbhar/Deepak Singh (mixed 4x400m relay) - bronze medal

* Abinaya Rajarajan/Akshaya/Tamanna/Nayana Kokare (women's 4x100 relay) - bronze medal

* Vallip Hima Teja/Arijit Rana/Mohammad Reyan Basha/ Dondapati Mrutyam Jayaram (men's 4×100m relay) - bronze medal

* Mehdi Hasan (men’s 1500m event) - bronze medal.

Correct Answer :   $1 trillion

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According to a joint report by Temasek, Google, and Bain & Company, India’s internet economy is anticipated to grow six-fold, reaching a milestone of USD 1 trillion by 2030.

The main driving force behind this expansion is expected to be the e-commerce sector. The report also estimates that India’s internet economy was valued at USD 155-175 billion in 2022.

As per the report findings, the B2C e-commerce segment will spearhead the growth, with the B2B e-commerce sector, software-as-a-service providers, and online media, mainly led by over-the-top players, also playing significant roles in driving the anticipated expansion.

Sharing insights from the report, Sanjay Gupta, Country Manager & Vice President of Google India, stated that India’s internet economy is projected to experience a remarkable six-fold growth, reaching USD 1 trillion by 2030.

Gupta further mentioned that a significant shift towards digital transactions is expected in the future, with most purchases taking place digitally. He highlighted that while startups have been at the forefront of digital innovation, small and medium businesses and large enterprises have embraced digital technologies post-pandemic to enhance their competitiveness.

According to the report, the B2C e-commerce sector is expected to grow more than 5-6 times, reaching a valuation between USD 350-380 billion by 2030. This projection represents a significant increase from its approximate worth of USD 60-65 billion in 2022.

Furthermore, the report estimates that the B2B e-commerce segment will experience a remarkable growth of 13-14 times, reaching a value ranging from USD 105-120 billion, compared to its valuation of around USD 8-9 billion in 2022.

Vishesh Shrivastav, Managing Director (Investments) at Temasek, expressed that India has emerged as a promising prospect for global GDP growth. This indicates that India’s economic progress, particularly in the realm of the Internet economy, is viewed with optimism and holds significant potential for contributing to overall global economic growth..

Source : Clear Tax

Correct Answer :   Jagdish S Bakan

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IFS officer Jagdish S Bakan who won the prestigious Michel Batisse award 2023 for biosphere reserve management from UNESCO was lauded by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Tuesday (6th June 2023) for his remarkable achievement.

* The 2017 batch officer of the Indian Forest Service is currently the director of Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve.

* The USD 12,000 award is given in memory of Dr Michel Batisse for outstanding achievement in the management of biosphere reserves in line with the recommendations of the Seville Strategy.

* Bakan will receive the award from UNESCO in Paris on June 14, 2023,  to present his case study at the award ceremony..

Source : The Print

Correct Answer :   HDFC Bank

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HDFC Bank has introduced a new credit card — Millennia — offering cashback. The card comes with contactless technology allowing customers to ‘tap and pay’ via POS machine.

* The HDFC Millennia Credit card offers cashback and reward points on Amazon, Flipkart, and other e-commerce platforms.

* In addition, the card also offers 1 per cent cashback on offline purchases, smart EMI, and lounge access for free, among others.

* Millennia credit card can be used for Amazon, Flipkart, BookMyShow, Cult.fit, and Myntra, to earn 5 per cent cashback points. In every billing, a maximum reward of ₹1000 would be offered.


Eligibility to obtain HDFC Millennia Credit card :

* The Millennia card is applicable to both self-employed and salaried persons.

* The minimum age limit is 21 and maximum age is 40.

* People earning a maximum of ₹35,000 gross salary can apply for the card.

* Self-employed people with an annual income of ₹6 lakh or above are also eligible..

Source : H B

Correct Answer :   Dhanush Srikanth

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* Dhanush Srikanth won the gold medal in the Men’s 10m air rifle event in the ISSF Junior World Cup in Suhl, Germany, 5th June 2023.

* Dhanush Srikanth’s triumph marked India’s third gold medal in the ISSF WC so far. Dhanush defeated Pontus Kallin of Sweden.

* India also picked up a bronze in the skeet mixed team competition, when Harmehar Lally and Sanjana Sood defeated their Swedish opponents David Jonsson and Felicia Ros in a shoot-off.

* With these achievements, India currently leads the medal table, having secured three gold, one silver, and two bronze medals...

Source : AIR

Correct Answer :   Siddharth Choudhary

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* India showcased its dominance on the second day of the Under 20 Asian Athletics Championships in Yecheon, South Korea. India’s Siddharth Choudhary clinched gold in men’s shot put with a personal best throw of 19.52 metres.

* Further three other players Sharuk Khan (3000 metre steeplechase), Shivam Lohakare (Javelin), and Susmita (Long Jump) claimed silver medals in their respective events.

* Shakeel (800 metre) and the mixed relay team concluded the day by winning the bronze medal. With this India won six medals on day 2 with the overall tally accounting to nine..

Source : AIR