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General Knowledge(GK) (or) General Awareness

Welcome to the General Knowledge Section of Free Time Learning. As we are aware General Knowledge (GK) is a very important area in all the competitive exams held in the country. Nowadays, a good knowledge of general awareness is very important in clearing any competitive and government recruitment examinations.

These General Knowledge Question are very important and usefull to UPSC, IAS/PCS, UPPSC, IBPS, SBI, RBI, SSC, CGL, Railway, APPSC, TSPSC, KPSC, TNPSC, TPSC, UPPSC, MPSC, RPSC, BPSC, MPPSC, UKPSC, MPSC, and other competitive exams.

A)
Sanshodhak
B)
Bhima
C)
Ajay
D)
Sadhak

Correct Answer : Option (A) - Sanshodhak


Sanshodhak’, the fourth of four ships of Survey Vessels (Large) (SVL) Project, being built by L&T/ GRSE for Indian Navy was launched on 13 Jun 2023 at Kattupalli, Chennai.

The chief guest of the Launch Ceremony was VAdm Adhir Arora, Chief Hydrographer to Government of India. In keeping with the Naval maritime tradition, Smt Tanvi Arora launched the ship to the chanting of invocation from Atharva Veda.

The ship named ‘Sanshodhak’, meaning ‘Researcher’, signifies the primary role of the ship as a Survey Vessel.

The contract for building four SVL ships was signed between MoD and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata on 30 Oct 2018. As per the build strategy, the first ship would be built at GRSE, Kolkata and construction of the remaining three ships upto outfitting stage, has been sub-contracted to M/s L&T Shipbuilding, Kattupalli.

The first three ships of the project, Sandhayak, Nirdeshak and Ikshak were launched on 05 Dec 21, 26 May 22 and 26 Nov 22 respectively.

SVL ships will replace the existing Sandhayak Class survey ships, with new generation hydrographic equipment, to collect oceanographic data. The Survey Vessel (Large) ships are 110 m long, 16 m wide with a displacement of 3,400 tons. The hull of these ships is made from indigenously developed DMR 249-A steel manufactured by Steel Authority of India Limited.

With a capability to carry four Survey Motor Boats and an integral helicopter, the primary role of the ships would be to undertake full scale coastal and deep-water hydrographic surveys of Ports and navigational channels.

The ships would also be deployed for collecting oceanographic and geophysical data for defence as well as civil applications. In their secondary role, the ships are capable of providing limited defence, HADR, and can serve as Hospital ship during emergencies.

The Survey Vessels Large will have over 80% indigenous content by cost, ensuring defence production by Indian manufacturing units with a spin off in employment generation and warship building capability in the country. Launch of the fourth Survey Vessel reinforces our resolve in indigenous shipbuilding, as part of the Government’s vision of ‘Make in India’ and ‘Aatma Nirbhar Bharat’. .

Source : PIB

Published On : June 14, 2023
A)
Madhav Gadgil
B)
Sujata Keshavan
C)
Romila Thapar
D)
Ramachandra Guha

Correct Answer : Option (D) - Ramachandra Guha


Historian and writer Ramchandra Guha’s book Rebels Against the Raj: Western Fighters for India’s Freedom has won the Elizabeth Longford Prize for Historical Biography 2023.

Guha has been awarded £5,000 (₹5 lakhs approximately) and a bound copy of Elizabeth Longford’s memoir, The Pebbled Shore.

The jury was chaired by Roy Foster. The judging committee also included Antonia Fraser and Flora Fraser (daughter and granddaughter of Longford respectively), Richard Davenport-Hines and Rana Mitter.

The Bengaluru-based historian’s book tells the story of seven foreigners — four British, Two American, and one Irish — who joined India’s freedom fight against British rule. The list of names includes Annie Besant, B.G. Horniman, Philip Spratt, Richard Ralph Keithahn, Samuel Stokes, Madeline Slade, and Catherine Mary Heilemann.

Jury’s praise :
* Roy Foster, the jury chair, commented on the book. “From an immensely strong field, the judges have chosen a book where the author’s deep empathy and impressive scholarship are lit up by a passionate regard for his subjects.

* Ramachandra Guha’s Rebels Against the Raj: Western Fighters for India’s Freedom profiles seven people from Britain, America, and Ireland who adopted India’s struggle for independence and, in doing so, found their own destinies. The experience of India changed their ideologies, their spirituality, and often their names.”

* Stokes, Slade, and Heilemann had changed their names to Satyanand, Miran Behn and Sarala Beh, respectively after arriving in India..

Source : Thehindu

Published On : June 14, 2023
A)
Bihar
B)
Odisha
C)
Uttarakhand
D)
Madhya Pradeh

Correct Answer : Option (B) - Odisha


This Raja festival festival has a special place in the hearts of Odisha people. Preparations for the three-day Raja festival are in full swing across the state.  They celebrate this festival with great enthusiasm.

* 15th June 2023 will be Pahili Raja and today(14th June 2023) is called ‘Sajabaja’. ‘Sajabaja’ means preparations. Traditionally, a lot of things are required to do ahead of the Raja festival.

* Today (14th June 2023) in rural as well as urban areas, girls can be found applying ‘alata’ on their feet and getting mehendi designs done on their palms and hands from seniors and experts. As Raja festival can’t be imagined without several mouth-watering delicacies, cakes, pasties and sweets, women folks can be found busy preparing them.  

* Raja festival falls in mid-June (ideally June 14). Though Raja festival is a three-day affair, it is actually observed for five days.

* While the first day is called ‘Sajabaja’, the second day is known as ‘Pahili Raj’, the third day is ‘Majhi Raja’ ‘Raja Sankranti’ or ‘Mithuna Sankranti’, the fourth day is ‘Bhudaha’ or ‘Basi Raja’ or ‘Sesha Raja’. And the fifth day is called ‘Basumati Snana’.

* On this day, ladies give a bath to the grinding stone, considering it as mother earth.

* The uniqueness of this festival lies in the fact that it is celebrated to honour womanhood.

* During the festival, young unmarried girls are refrained from cutting, cooking or doing anything because that might make them tired.

* They are even not allowed to walk barefoot. They are allowed to take complete rest. They enjoy the three-day-long festival to their fullest. They in new clothes look their best in these three days.

Source : Odishatv

Published On : June 14, 2023
A)
India
B)
USA
C)
Japan
D)
Germany

Correct Answer : Option (A) - India


* In Hockey, India beat Argentina 2-1 in its final FIH Pro League 2022-23 match in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, 11 June 2023.

* Akashdeep Singh and Sukhjeet Singh scored goals for India while Lucas Toscani netted the only goal for Argentina.

* With this victory, India consolidated their position atop the FIH Pro League standings with 30 points from 16 matches. Argentina are fifth with 13 points from 14 matches.

* India now holds a four-point advantage over second-placed Great Britain in the FIH Pro League 2022-23 standings but the European team has four games to go.

* The Indian men’s hockey team finished in fourth place in their debut FIH Pro League campaign back in 2020-21. Their best finish in the competition, third, came in the 2021-22 season..

Source : AIR

Published On : June 13, 2023
A)
CEAT
B)
MRF
C)
TVS
D)
JK Tyre

Correct Answer : Option (B) - MRF


MRF became the first Indian stock to touch the rupee one lakh per share mark on Tuesday (13 June 2023).



The stock opened at ₹99,500 on BSE against the previous close of ₹98,939.70 and touched an all-time high of ₹1,00,300 in morning trade.

* The stock has witnessed strong gains in the last one year. It is up 45 per cent in the last one year against a 19 per cent gain in the benchmark Sensex. MRF shares hit their 52-week low of ₹65,900.05 on BSE on June 17, 2022. As of the closing of the previous session, the stock is up 50 per cent from that level.

* The recent boost in the stock price could be attributed to the company's strong March quarter numbers and improved prospects of profitability due to the fall in raw material prices.

* The company's consolidated profit after tax (PAT) for the fourth quarter ended March 2023 was ₹313.53 crore, which is a rise of 86 per cent year-on-year (YoY) from the net profit of ₹168.53 crore achieved in the same quarter of FY22. Its consolidated revenue from operations in the fourth quarter of FY23 was ₹5,841.7 crore, which is a rise of 10.12 per cent YoY from ₹5,304.8 crore in the fourth quarter of FY22.

* Its net expenses stood at ₹5,410.26 crore during Q4FY23 as against ₹5,142.79 crore during Q4FY22. The EPS of MRF reached ₹803.26 during the quarter under review as compared to ₹389.55 recorded during the year-ago quarter.

* The fundamentals of MRF look attractive and analysts recommend one can buy this stock for the long term only if he/she can afford it. The stock's valuation is rich and after the sharp gains, some profit booking cannot be ruled out.

* Analysts pointed out that MRF’s balance sheet is strong and its revenue stream is diversified across the segments, making it less vulnerable to a slowdown in a particular segment. So, one with deep pockets can consider buying the stock for the long term. At present, the stock seems to have some steam left for the short term too. .

Source : Mint

Published On : June 13, 2023
A)
Indian Overseas Bank
B)
Bank of India
C)
Union Bank of India
D)
Tamilnad Mercantile Bank

Correct Answer : Option (A) - Indian Overseas Bank


In a first-of-its-kind move in the banking sector, Indian Overseas Bank has launched a Unique feature named 'My Account My Name' for IOB SB HNI and IOB SB MAX account holders.

This feature allows customers to choose any name as their account number.

The account name can only be a numeric, alphabetic, or alphanumeric combination of seven characters.

For example, a customer's account number can be 'Jackson' or '1234567' or 'Jack123..

Source : Times Now News

Published On : June 13, 2023
A)
Gujarat
B)
Tamil Nadu
C)
Uttarakhand
D)
Uttar Praesh

Correct Answer : Option (C) - Uttarakhand


The 12th edition of joint military exercise “Ex Ekuverin” between the Indian Army & the Maldives National Defence Force has commenced at Chaubatia, Uttarakhand from 11 to 24 June 2023.

* Ekuverin meaning ‘Friends’ is a bilateral annual exercise conducted alternatively in India and Maldives.

* A platoon strength contingent from Indian Army and Maldives National Defence Force will be participating in 14 days long exercise.

* The exercise is aimed at enhancing interoperability in Counter Insurgency/ Counter Terrorism Operations under the UN mandate and carry out joint Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief operations. The focus is to share best practices, enhance coordination and cooperation between both the forces at tactical level.

* The 11th edition of the exercise was held in Maldives in December 2021.

* The defence cooperation between the two countries extends from joint exercises to assisting Maldives with defence training and equipment requirements.

* Both the nations have very close and friendly relations in economic, cultural and military cooperation. ‘Ex Ekuverin’ will assist in further bolstering of these ties between the two nations..

Source : PIB

Published On : June 13, 2023
A)
SBI
B)
HDFC Bank
C)
ICICI Bank
D)
Axis Bank

Correct Answer : Option (D) - Axis Bank


Axis Bank, in partnership with NGO Dhruvansh, organised a lake cleaning drive, ‘Cleanathon’, in Hyderabad on Saturday (10th June 2023). This initiative was recorded in the Asia Book of Record as it was the largest cleaning drive conducted across the country.

* In Hyderabad, over 100 volunteers participated in cleaning Mushki Cheruvu and Neknampur Lake to restore these water bodies.

* The Cleanathon was conducted across 20 cities including Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, and Varanasi.

* In collaboration with local NGOs, the initiative aimed to combat plastic pollution and promote responsible waste management practices. The campaign aligned with the United Nations’ theme for World Environment Day 2023, ‘Beat Plastic Pollution’.

* Participants included Axis Bank employees, local communities, activists, influencers, and volunteers who collected and disposed of plastic waste from beaches and water bodies.

* They also raised awareness about the harmful effects of plastic pollution and advocated for reducing single-use plastics. This collective effort aimed to create a cleaner and healthier environment for all..

Source : New Indian Express

Published On : June 13, 2023
A)
4.25%
B)
4.63%
C)
4.82%
D)
5.19%

Correct Answer : Option (A) - 4.25%


India's retail inflation dropped to 4.25% in May 2023 from 4.7% in April 2023, according to a data from the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation on Monday (12th June 2023).

The consumer price-based index (CPI) inflation in May 2023 is lowest in 25 months. The food inflation also eased to 2.9% in April 2023. It was 3.84% in the month of April 2023. The food basket accounts for nearly half of the CPI. While, inflation in fuel and light also eased to 4.64%, from 5.52% in April 2023.

It was for the second month in a row that retail inflation remained within the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)'s comfort zone of below 6%. Despite the huge 227-basis-point fall since January, CPI inflation remains above the central bank's medium-term target of 4% for the 44th month in a row.

India's CPI inflation in April fell sharply to 4.7% from 6.4% in February on the back of favourable base effects, with softening observed across all the three major groups.

The RBI's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), headed by Governor Shaktikanta Das, on Thursday announced that the central bank marginally lowered its inflation projection for the current financial year to 5.1%. Das said the RBI's monetary policy actions are yielding the desired results. In April, the RBI had estimated the consumer price index (CPI) based retail inflation at 5.2% during the fiscal 2023-24.

The central bank has projected the CPI-based inflation at 5.2% for FY23-24, with 5.1% in Q1, 5.4% in Q2, 5.4% in Q3, and 5.2% in Q4, and risks evenly balanced.

The inflation price data are collected from selected 1,114 urban markets and 1,181 villages covering all states/UTs by the NSO. During the month of May 2023, the NSO collected prices from 98.56% villages and 97.04% urban markets, while the market-wise prices reported therein were 88.56% for rural and 90.76% for urban.

Meanwhile, the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) rose sharply to 4.2% in April. It was 1.1% in March, according to NSO data..

Source : Abplive

Published On : June 12, 2023
A)
Australia
B)
India
C)
Australia
D)
South Africa

Correct Answer : Option (A) - Australia


* Australia clinched the title of 2023 World Test Champions in a commanding fashion, securing a resounding 209-run victory over India in the thrilling WTC Final at The Oval. Travis Head and Steve Smith’s remarkable centuries in the first innings laid the foundation for Australia’s early control of the Test.

* Despite India’s valiant response, the match extended to a fifth day, but they fell short of an extraordinary record chase, ultimately being bowled out for 234. Australia scripted history on Sunday, June 11 as they became the first men’s team in world cricket to win an International Cricket Council (ICC) world title in all three formats.

* Player of the Match : Travis Head (163 off 174 balls in 1st innings, 18 off 27 balls in 2nd innings). Australia won the ICC Test Championship mace for the first time, and were also awarded the cash prize of US$1.6 million, while India won US$800,000.

AUSTRALIA’S ICC TITLE’S (MEN’S CRICKET) :

* 50-over World Cups: 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2015
* Champions Trophy: 2006, 2009
* T20 World Cup – 2021
* World Test Championship – 2021-23

World Test Championship 2023, Scott Boland and Lyon Lead Australia’s Bowling Charge :

* Australia’s triumph in the World Test Championship final was fueled by an exceptional bowling performance led by Scott Boland. Boland made early breakthroughs with two crucial dismissals on the final day, setting the tone for an impressive display.

* Accompanied by the contributions of Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Starc, Australia systematically dismantled India’s batting lineup, ultimately clinching the title. Nathan Lyon’s stellar performance throughout the Test Championship made him the highest wicket-taker in the world.


Australian Batsmen Shine Bright in ICC World Test Championship Cycle :

* Australia’s dominance in the WTC cycle was bolstered by their formidable batting lineup, with four of their top six run-scorers featuring prominently in the rankings.

* Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne showcased their prowess, accumulating an impressive tally of runs, with only Joe Root surpassing them in scoring.

* Furthermore, Travis Head and Steve Smith, the heroes of the first innings in the WTC Final, displayed their consistency throughout the Championship, contributing significantly with 1407 and 1389 runs respectively.

Published On : June 12, 2023