Banking Monthly Test (January) - CLAT MCQ

Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered to host the 33rd Conference of Parties (COP33) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in India.Speaking at the opening ceremony of high-level segment at COP 28 in UAE, PM Modi expressed his desire to host the summit in India. India has hosted the UNFCCC COP8 was held from October 23-November 1, 2002, in New Delhi.

The International Institute for Management Development (IMD) unveiled its 2023 World Digital Competitiveness Ranking (WDCR).According to IMD’s study, India has made significant in terms of cybersecurity knowledge but lacks on fronts like technology and future readiness. India has been ranked at 49th rank among 64 economies.

The French parliament unanimously voted to ban single-use electronic cigarettes as health and environmental concerns continue to grow. The government has often said that e-cigarettes encourage bad habits in teenagers.Cheap pre-filled disposable e-cigarettes are popular among young people. They are known as puffs in France and come in a variety of tastes and have a high nicotine content. To tackle the issue, the national assembly has voted unanimously for the move.

Fifty artisans from across the country will showcase their traditional crafts at the newly made Aatmanirbhar Bharat Centre for Design (ABCD), which will be opened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.The centre, under the aegis of Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) of the Union ministry of culture, is in a British-era barracks, L1, in the Red Fort. ABCD is a part of the Art, Architecture and Design Biennale. The centre has been envisioned to facilitate craft development through design innovations in sync with current trends

Telangana government has issued guidelines for the implementation of Maha Lakshmi scheme, aimed at providing free travel to women in TSRTC buses.The Maha Lakshmi scheme aims to provide free travel for girls, women of all age groups, and transgender persons in state-run Palle Velugu and express buses operated by the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) within the borders of Telangana State.

Iran unveiled dozens of drones mounted with air-to-air missiles to be added to the army’s arsenal. The locally made Karrar drone has been equipped with the Majid thermal missile with a range of 8 kilometers (5 miles).The Karrar drone, which was first introduced in 2010, has an operational range of up to 1,000 kilometers (620 miles). In August, the Defense Ministry unveiled a new advanced combat drone, dubbed Mohajer 10, that it claimed has a range of 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles).

The India-US Payment Security Mechanism (PSM) for e-buses is a joint initiative between the Indian and US governments to facilitate the deployment of made-in-India electric buses. It aims to incentivize manufacturers to set up hubs in India, address the financial challenges posed by e-buses, and drive widespread adoption to decarbonize the transport sector. It will serve as an incentive for Indian and international OEMs to establish manufacturing in India, growing the e-bus industry. It will help overcome e-buses’ high upfront costs and lower revenue realization that poses adoption challenges and unlock up to $10 billion in lending to manufacture 38,000 e-buses over 10-12 years. The mechanism will have contributions of $240 million from India and $150 million from the US to guarantee state bus company payments; and drive progress towards India’s goal of 50,000 e-buses and its net-zero emissions target.

Indian wrestler Antim Panghal has been named the Rising Star of the Year among women by the United World Wrestling (UWW). Competing in the 53 kg category, the 19-year-old has had an exceptional season, overshadowing senior wrestler Vinesh Phogat in the same weight class. Panghal began her season by winning a silver medal in the Asian Championships, defeating the undefeated Japanese wrestler Akari Fujimani. She then defended her U20 world champion title in Jordan and made a memorable debut in the senior world wrestling championships in Serbia, where she won a bronze medal and secured the Paris 2024 Olympic quota for India in the women’s 53 kg category. The UWW’s recognition of Panghal as the Rising Star of the Year highlights her emergence as a dominant force in women’s wrestling on the global stage. Panghal’s achievements serve as an inspiration for aspiring wrestlers and showcase the growing prowess of Indian women in the sport.

Kabir Bedi, a renowned actor, was awarded the “Order of Merit of the Italian Republic” (Merito della Repubblica Italiana), Italy’s highest civilian honor, in a private ceremony in Mumbai in December 2023. President Mattarella of Italy praised Bedi for his significant role in enhancing India-Italy relations over the past three decades, acknowledging his popularity across generations in Italy.

Sultan Haitham bin Tarik was on state visit to India from December 16, 2023. Trade between India and Oman has a history of several millenniums and archaeological excavations in Oman have unearthed evidence to show Indo-Oman trade during the Classical Age dated to circa third century BCE. Later, Oman had links with the Indians through Gujarat, and with Tamilakam along the Malabar Coast. The Sultans of Oman and Zanzibar heavily banked on Kutchi moneylenders such as Jairam Shivji. A large number of Kutchi Bhatias migrated from Kutch to Muscat and from Muscat to Zanzibar.

The Maharashtra state cabinet recently approved over Rs 7,370 crores to extend the Tembhu lift irrigation project, under construction since 1996. Water from the Krishna river will now reach drought-prone areas spanning 3 districts – Sangli, Satara and Solapur, covering over 1 lakh hectares. With Tembhu currently unable to meet needs in the summer, this approval will reduce dependency on tankers and harness allocated unused share of Krishna waters. It follows hunger strikes by MLA Sumantai Patil over the long-pending extension that has seen credit wars between parties. But with agriculture key for Maharashtra, it promises relief for farmers in parched regions

Sirpur wetland is a Ramsar site in Indore. It was recently in news as it has got Rs 6 crore sanctioned for an interpretation centre. The district administration generated funds by selling unused government land, 25% of which will be used for Sirpur’s development including building an interpretation centre costing Rs 6 crore.

Indian scientific missions to Earth’s poles – the Arctic and Antarctica – are facilitated under the Polar and Cryosphere (PACER) scheme executed by the Ministry of Earth Sciences. The PACER scheme which coordinates R&D in polar regions involving scientists across India’s research institutes steers projects to expand understanding of climate change, space weather and cryosphere dynamics among other areas through these expeditions.

The coup attempt in Sierra Leone on November 26th stemmed from political instability following President Bio’s disputed re-election and economic hardships, such as a high cost of living and poverty. Sierra Leone is located on West Africa’s southwest coast, shares borders with Liberia and Guinea. Freetown serves as the capital and largest city.

Bangladesh won the 2023 ACC Under-19 Asia Cup by defeating the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by 195 runs on December 17, 2023. This was Bangladesh’s first Under-19 Asia Cup title. Shibli was named player of the tournament.

The Indian Railways launched an AI-based surveillance system to prevent elephant deaths on railway tracks. ‘Gajraj System’ will be installed on 700 kilometres of route passing through forest areas.Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said forest areas in Assam, West Bengal, Odisha, Kerala, Jharkhand and some parts of Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu which are home to elephants, are identified. The technology, which was created by the railroads in association with a few start-ups, was implemented on a 150-kilometer section of Assam last year.

Former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina has been appointed as the youth voter awareness ambassador for Jammu and Kashmir.Chief electoral officer (CEO) of Jammu and Kashmir, Pandurang K Pole announced the collaboration and said that Suresh Raina holds considerable influence, particularly among the youth.

The term extended reality (XR) covers virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), and other technologies. It merges the real and virtual worlds, providing users an immersive experience.The report, titled ‘Accelerating India’s Potential to Address the Global XR Opportunity’ which is supported by Meta, said Indian XR startups are evolving to develop global solutions, with 76% of those surveyed serving both domestic and international clients. The term extended reality (XR) covers virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), and other technologies. It merges the real and virtual worlds, providing users an immersive experience.

United States signed the first-ever defence cooperation agreement with Sweden that will strengthen military ties and permit bilateral exercises.Nordic country strengthens military alliances while waiting for approval to join NATO. Turkey and Hungary are the only two NATO members which have not given Sweden the green light yet.

Five weather systems in the Bay of Bengal had paths similar to the recent Cyclone Michaung since 1971.Weather disturbances in 1976, 1982, 1984, 1996 and 2005 brought intense rainfall that left the Chennai city flooded with both the Cooum and Adyar rivers, running through the course of the city, in full flow.

The Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme (ITEC) is a prominent capacity-building initiative by the Ministry Of External Affairs of the Government of India. Established in 1964, ITEC is one of the longest-standing international capacity-building programs, having trained over 200,000 officials from more than 160 countries in both civilian and defense sectors. Under this programme, recently India and Taiwan have been focussing on collaboration in cutting edge tech areas like 5G, AI, information security, semiconductors etc. ITEC is administered by the Development Partnership Administration-II Division of the Ministry of External Affairs.

The Anand Marriage Act, which provides statutory recognition and registration provisions for Sikh wedding rituals, has been implemented in Jammu & Kashmir. This fulfills a long-standing demand of the Sikh community as separate rules have now been notified for Anand marriage registration in J&K under this landmark Act.

ASEAN-India Millet Festival was hosted by the Indian Mission in ASEAN in collaboration with India’s Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare. Organized in line with the International Year of Millets 2023, the festival opening on December 14th in New Delhi aimed to increase awareness and boost the market for millets and millet-based products. It saw participation from India and ASEAN nations like Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia etc. The festival underscores India’s push for greater production and consumption of nutritious and climate-resilient crops like millets.

China has achieved a significant milestone in its quest to shift away from traditional coal-fired power plants and decrease its reliance on foreign technologies. Recently, the Shidao Bay nuclear power plant in eastern Shandong province commenced commercial operations, heralding the era of next-generation gas cooled nuclear reactors. This development is crucial for China’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions and securing a sustainable energy future.

The G7 nations will ban imports of rough diamonds directly from Russia starting January 1, 2024. The ban will also include Russian diamonds that have been processed in third countries starting March 1, 2024. The G7 will also implement a full traceability system by the beginning of September. The restrictions will apply to diamonds of one carat and above, expanding to half a carat or lower from September with traceability systems.