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CORPORATE OFFICE : 415, 4th Floor., Amba Tower, DC Chowk Complex, Sec-9 Rohini, Delhi-110085 Ph.: 27860899, Mob: 9015557890; Website: www.teachwell.co.in GK September Part-1

GK September Part-1

NATION

• 2 + 2 Meet: India, US Ink Critical Defence Pact• President Ram Nath Kovind's Visit to Cyprus, Bulgaria and

Czech Republic• Prime Minister Narendra Modi Launches India Post

Payments Bank• PM Narendra Modi Inaugurates Global Mobility Summit

'MOVE' at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi• e-Courts Programme; Digital Push to Bring Over 2,900

Lower Courts Under 'e-courts'• India, Afghanistan and Iran Interact on Regional Issues

Including Counter-Terror• ISRO's PLSV-C42 Successfully Puts Two UK Earth Satellites

into Orbit• Union Cabinet Approves Ordinance to Ban Instant Triple

Talaq• PM Modi Holds Talks with Afghan President• PM Narendra Modi Launches Ayushman Bharat— Pradhan

Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana• Apex Court Upholds Constitutional Validity of Aadhaar

2+2 Meet: India, US Ink Critical Defence PactA long-negotiated defence pact under which critical and encrypted defence technologies will be provided to the Indian military by the United States was inked in New Delhi on September 6, 2018, after India and the US held their first 2 + 2 dialogue. Several key issues, including cross-border terrorism, India's nuclear suppliers group (NSG) bid and the contentious HIB visa issue were discussed.

During the talks external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman had with the US secretary of state Michael R Pompeo and defence secretary James Mattis, the two countries also decided to set up hotlines between them. 2 + 2 dialogue stands for dialogue between External Affairs and Defence Ministers of India and Secretaries of Defence and State of the US.

Communications Compatibility, Security Agreement (COMCASA)�� While Pompeo termed the Communications,

Compatibility, Security Agreement (COMCASA) agreement a 'milestone' in the relationship, Sitharaman asserted that the pact would enhance India's defence capabilities and preparedness.�� The COMCASA would facilitate India to obtain critical

defence technologies from the US, and access critical communication network to ensure interoperability between the US and Indian armed forces. It would also allow the intallation of high-security US communication equipment on defence platforms being sources from the country.

GK_Part-1_September 2018 by Puneet Bhatia Sir

�� Swaraj asserted that the dialogue reflected the desire of the leadership of the two countries to further elevate the bilateral strategic communication on cross-cutting defence and security issues.�� "The recent decision by the US to put India in the list

of countries eligible for Strategic Trade Authorization Tier-I License Exemption reflects India's robust and responsible export control policies. In our meeting today, we also agreed to work together to secure India's membership of the nuclear suppliers group at the earliest," she said.�� • Talking about her bilateral meeting with Pompeo before

the 2+ 2 dialogue, the external affairs minister said they reviewed the direction of the Indo-US relations in recent months and exchanged views on a number of regional issues of shared concern. Terming the rapidly growing trade and investment ties as an important element of bilateral relationship, Swaraj said this growth was giving rise to new opportunities and a basis for more intense economic engagement which supports development of manufacturing, promotes knowledge and innovation, creates jobs and provides critical resources for growth.

�� "I sought secretary Pompeo's support to nurture our people-to-people links. Specifically, I conveyed our expectation for a non-discriminatory and predictable approach to the HIE visa regime, given its high impact on innovation, competitiveness and people-to-people partnership, all of which are a vital source of strength for our relationship," Swaraj said. She also noted that there was a growing convergence of views, including on the Indo-Pacific, during the discussion among the four ministers.�� "We see the Indo-Pacific as a free, open and inclusive

concept, with ASEAN centrality at the core and defined by a common rules-based order that both our�� countries are pursuing," the minister said, adding

that India welcomed the US interest in expanding its economic footprint in the region as they "complement our own efforts."�� Asserting- that counter terrorism cooperation between

India and the US has acquired a new qualitative edge and purpose, Swaraj said they have agreed to deepen ties in international forums like the United Nations and the Financial Action Task Force, "We welcomed the recent designations of Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists by the US. They under-score the international community's scrutiny over the threat of terrorism emanating from Pakistan, which has affected India and the US alike. On the 10th anniversary of the 26/11 attacks, we recognised the importance of justice and retribution for the masterminds behind this terrorist attack," Swaraj said.



�� She added, "India supports President Donald Trump's South Asia policy. His call for Pakistan to stop its policy of supporting cross-border terrorism finds resonance with us".�� The two sides also discussed the ongoing efforts by India

and the US in promoting an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan government-controlled reconciliation process, that brings together all ethnic groups and political formation in that country, the minister added.

2 + 2 talks : A Platform that Reviews the Entire Gamut of Bilateral Relationship

The two plus two is a high level dialogue mechanism between the foreign ministers and defence ministers of the two countries that befits their strategic partnership. This is the highest level institutionalized mechanism for discussions between the two countries that have robust ties over a broad sweep of issues with 40 odd government-level working groups. It is aimed at addressing issues of concerns, charting a new course in ties and coordinating positions on broader regional issues such as the Indo-Pacific strategy.Why 2+2 Two Format The two plus two dialogue replaces the strategic commercial dialogue that was being held between the foreign and commerce ministers of the two sides. It's a coincidence that Nirmala Sitharaman who took part in the last edition of the strategic commercial dialogue in 2016 as the commerce minister of the country is the Indian co-chair of the two plus two dialogue in her present avatar as the defence minister along with Swaraj. The US has two plus two dialogue with Japan and Australia. Almost similar dialogue mechanism has been put in place between China and the US after their Mar-a-Lago summit between President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jingping in April 2017. On its part India has a two plus two dialogue at the level of foreign and defence secretaries between India and Japan.The Significance The India-US ties have come a long way overcoming the hesitations of history to be touted as one of "defining partnership of 21st century" as President Barack Obama had termed it. Under Trump administration, the ties are moving in the desired direction, amidst concerns over differences over trade issues, purported streamlining of work visas and the US sanctions on Russia and Iran affecting India's defence purchase and oil import respectively. However, the foundational strength of the ties remains intact and the two plus two dialogue is set to open a new path in the relationship. But The Trump adiministration's recent decision to elevate India to the STA-1 status (Strategic Trade Authorization-1) is seen as a deserving acknowledgement of the growing synergy between the two countries on strategic issues.Key, Issues, Subjects The two plus two dialogue reviews the entire gamut of bilateral relationship ranging from defence ties to trade ties to counter-terrorism cooperation and devising ways to achieve the ambitious target of $ 500 billion bilateral trade volume target by 2025. COMCASA (Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement) is a foundational defence pact which was signed between the two sides. It aims to give a legal framework for the transfer of highly sensitive communications security equipment from the US to India that would streamline and facilitate interoperability between their armed forces. COMCASA is one of the three foundational agreements for a seamless military relationship between the two sides. India had signed the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) in August 2016.

President Ram Nath Kovind's Visit to -Cfprus, Bulgaria and Czech RepublicCYPRUS

Key Highlights

• Kovind holds talks with Cypriot counterpart• Anastasiades.• Kovind invites investment from Cyprus in tourism, smart

cities.• India, Cyprus vow to curb money laundering.• The two countries signed two agreements on September 3,

2018.

Mr. Kovind was in Cyprus on the first leg of his three-nation visit to Europe to continue India's high-level engagements with European countries. Kovind's present itinerary included visit to Cyprus, Bulgaria and Czech Republic.

Two Agreement'sOn September 3, 2018 India and Cyprus signed two agreements on combating money laundering and cooperation in the field of environment as President Ram Nath Kovind met his Cypriot counterpart Nicos Anastasiades and held wide ranging talks in Cypriot capital Nicosia.

Economic CooperationMr. Kovind and Mr. Anastasiades exchanged views on economic cooperation.�� India was the fastest growing major economy in the

world today with a growth rate of 8-2% last quarter, Mr. Kovind said. "In this context and given Cyprus' niche expertise in financial services and investment banking, both of us agreed that there was much scope to deepen our investment partnership," he said in a statement.�� "We welcomed the signing of the MoU between Financial

Intelligence Unit, India, and Unit for Combating Money Laundering of Cyprus.�� "This agreement would further strengthen the

institutional framework to facilitate investment cross-flows. We also emphasised that the revision in the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement made in 2016 provided greater opportunities for our investment partnership to grow," Mr. Kovind said.�� External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar

said in a tweet : "India and Cyprus signed two MoUs [memoranda of understanding] today on combating money laundering and cooperation in the field of environment in the presence of Presidents of both "countries."�� "President Anastasiades and I held detailed discussions

on the way forward for our long-standing and excellent relations. I reaffirmed India's unwavering support to Cyprus" for upholding its sovereignty and territorial integrity, President Kovind said.�� Mr. Kovind and Mr. Anastasiades held discussions

on issues of mutual interest, including promotion of



business collaboration in the fields of IT and IT-enabled services, tourism, shipping and renewable energy.

Global Issues�� "We reviewed our ongoing bilateral and multi-lateral

engagements and discussed issues of regional and global concern. We underlined our common objectives to negotiate the challenges that lie ahead. And we committed ourselves to further stepup our mutually beneficial ties, especially in the economic field," Mr. Kovind said in the statement.�� The President also paid tributes to a statue of Mahatma

Gandhi."Our founding fathers, Archbishop Makarios and

Mahatma Gandhi have blessed our partnership with timeless values, wisdom and foresight. We have the greatest respect for Archbishop Makarios in India," Mr. Kovind said. Underlining Cyprus's contribution to India's economic growth, President Kovind invited the businesses in the Mediterranean nation to invest in the country in the areas of digitalisation, smart cities, infrastructure and tourism. Cyprus is the eighth largest investor in India and bilateral trade stands at around USD 8-2 billion.

Terrorism�� He said India is counting on Cyprus' support for finalising

the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism at the United Nations. "I would also like to thank Cyprus for its unstinted backing of India's candidature for an expanded UN Security Council as well as for the Nuclear Suppliers' Group," Kovind said.�� Noting that both the countries share issues of common

concern and are committed to peace, security and sovereignty he said, "Inevitably we find ourselves on the same side. In fact, there are hardly any major issues on which Cyprus and India disagree." President Kovind also addressed the Cypriot parliarment.

BULGARIAOn the second leg of his visit to Europe in the first week of September President Ram Nath Kovind arrived in Sophia, the capital of Bulgaria. The president visited Bulgaria at the invitation of Bulgarian head of state, Rumen Radev.

On September 6, 2018 President Radev and Kovind unveiled in Sophia a monument to the legendary leader of the Indian Indepen-dence Movement Mahatma Gandhi.President Kovind was the fifth Indian President to visit Bulgaria and the first in 15 years.

CZECH Republic�� President Ram Nath Kovind arrived in the Czech

Republic on September 6. 2018 on the final leg of his three-nation European tour. He is the fifth Indian President to visit the Central European country, and the first since President Shankar Dayal Sharma in 1996. Kovind earlier visited the Czech Republi in his capacity as a Member of Parliament.

Prime Minister Narender Modi Launches India Post Payments Bank�� PM Narendra Modi on September 1, 2018 launched the

payments bank of the Indian Postal Department that would take banking to door step of every citizen through a network of post offices and almost 3 lakh postmen and Grameen Dak Sewaks.�� India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) would be like any

other bank but4ts operations would be on a smaller scale without involving any credit risk. It would carry out most banking operations like accepting deposits but can't advance loans or issue credit cards. The freshly minted payments bank would accept deposits of upto ` 1 lakh, offer remittance services, mobile payments/ transfers/purchases and other banking services like ATM/debit cards, net banking and third party fund transfers.�� Communication minister Manoj Sinha said the IPPB

would be available through 650 branches and 3,250 access points. Deposits in 'any account that exceed ` 1 lakh would be automatically converted into post office savings account, he said. The government owns 100% of the IPPB, which had been set up under the aegis of the department of posts, and would offer products and services through multiple channels such as counter services, micro ATMs, mobile banking app, messages and interactive voice response services.�� The IPPB services would be available at 650 branches

and 3,250 access points from September 1, 2018 but would be quickly scaled to all 1-55 lakh post offices by December 2018. Of these, 1-30 lakh access points would be located in rural areas, taking it to vast untapped market. The IPPB also had permission to link around 17-crore postal savings bank (PSB) accounts with its own set up.

PM Narender Modi Inaugurates Global Mobility Summit 'MOVE at Vigyan Bhavan, New DelhiThe first Global Mobility Summit was organised at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi on September 7-8, 2018 by NITI Aayoe. It was attended by two thousand delegates from across the world. Prime Minister Modi unveiled a mobility road map that seeks investments in manufacturing electric vehicles and increased use of public transport for travel, saying congestion free mobility is critical to check economic and environmental costs of congestion. Speaking at the summit he said clean mobility powered by clean energy is the most powerful weapon to fight climate change. He said that we should champion the idea of clean kilometres.

7Cs:"My vision for the future of mobility in India is based on 7Cs: common, connected, convenient, congestion-free, charged, clean, cutting-edge," he said.�� The focus must be to go beyond cars to other vehicles

such as scooters and rickshaws,: Modi said.



"Common public transport must be the cornerstone of our mobility initiatives."�� The Prime Minister called for leveraging the full

potential for vehicle pooling to improve private vehicle utilisation.

"Congestion-free mobility is critical to check the economic and environmental costs of congestion," he said.�� Mobility should be safe, affordable and accessible for

all sections of the society, he said.�� Stating that charged mobility is the way forward, the

Prime Minister said the government wants to drive investments across the value chain from batteries to smart charging to electric vehicle manufacturing.

'e-Courts Programme; Digital Push to Bring Over 2,900 Lower Courts Under 'e-courts'The government expects to bring online connectivity to 3992 more district and lower courts across the country by the year-end as part of the Supreme Court monitored 'e-courts' project aimed at improving access to justice through digitisation, according to data released by the law ministry. Of these, 547 court complexes—mainly lower courts that are often the first point of litigation— still have no digital connectivity.

The e-courts programme seeks to enable litigants to track their case status, access 'cause lists', daily orders as well as verdicts online. A 'cause list' is a schedule of cases to be heard by a court.

India Afghanistan and Iran Interact on Regional Issues Including Counter-TerrorIndia, Afghanistan and Iran held first tripartite meet-ingbn September 11, 2018 in Kabul, during which implementation of Chabahar port project and a host of other issues including ways to deepen counter-terror cooperation were discussed.

The Indian panel was led by foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale while the Iranian team was headed by deputy foreign minister Abbas Araghchi. Afghan deputy foreign minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai chaired the meet.

ISRO's PSLV-C42 Successfully Puts Two UK Earth Satellites into Orbit

Key Highlights

• The Commercial launch was carried out under an arjaingement between UK's SSTL, and ISRO's Antrix Corporation Ltd.

• This is ISRO's first dedicated commercial launch in several months, and Antrix hopes to increase the frequency of such missions in the future.

The Indian Space Research Organisation's workhorse the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C42 (PSLV-C42) in it 44th flight put into orbit two UK earth observation satel lites in a text book launch on September 16, 2018.�� Both the satellites together weighed about 889 kg and

commercial launch was carried out under an arrangement between UK's Survey Satellite Technologies Limited

(SSTL) and Isro's commercial arm Antrix Corporation Ltd.�� One of the two UK satellites, the one NovaSAR is

an S-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite intended for forest mapping, land use and ice cover monitoring, flood and disaster monitoring. Its SAR payload has a dedicated maritime mode designed with a very wide swath area (400-km) to enable the monitoring of the marine environment, and will provide direct radar ship detection information simultaneously with AIS, ship tracking data to assist with the identification and tracking of sea-going vessels.�� The other satellite Sl-4 is a high resolution Optical Earth

Observation Satellite, used for surveying resources, environment monitoring, urban management and for the disaster monitoring. �� Just hours before the launch, Vikram Sarabhai Space

Centre (VSSC) director S. Somanath had said : "When I joined ISRO in 1985, the PSLV was still on paper, and the only rocket we had was SLV-3, the ASLV was struggling with people ridiculing us and asking , when it will reach space. It had earned the moniker of Always Sea Launch Vehicle (ASLV) as it kept failing and landing in water. To see PSLV grow from an idea to become ISRO's workhorse is a great feeling."�� According to the VSSC director, the rare night launch

(22-8 1ST) was at the request of the customer—SSTL as the satellites need specific imaging and illumination requirements.�� The PSLV-C42, was only the third launch of PSLV after

the rare failure it encountered in August last year due to problems in the heat shield.

Justice Rarijan Gogol Appointed 46th Chief Justice of India

Justice Ranjan Gogol, the seniormost judge in Supreme Court-Sfter Chief Justice Dipak Misra, was appointed as the next Chief Justice of India on September 13,2018. "The President of India has appointed Justice Ranjan Gogoi as the next Chief Justice of India. He will assume the office of Chief Justice on October 3, 2018 after the retirement of current Chief Justice, Justice Dipak Misra" said a press release issued by the Prime Minister's office. As the 46th Chief Justice of India, Justice Gogoi will have a tenure of about 13 months, till November 17,2019.

Union Cabinet Approves Oridinace to Ban Instant Triple Talaq

Key Highlights

• The instant triple talaq is to be made a penal offence. Minister cites compelling necessity to bring the measure, seeks support.

• A major section of muslim women welcome the move.

The Union Cabinet, on September 19, 2018, approved an ordinance criminalising the Muslim divorce practice of instant triple talaq, which has been banned by the Supreme Court, with the government blaming the Congress party for blocking a bill to that effect in the Rajya Sabha.

Key Highlights

• The Commercial launch was carried out under an arjaingement between UK's SSTL, and ISRO's Antrix Corporation Ltd.

• This is ISRO's first dedicated commercial launch in several months, and Antrix hopes to increase the frequency of such missions in the future.



The proposed ordinance makes instant and arbitrary divorce by a Muslim man by uttering the Urdu word 'talaq' thrice in a row, a crime, but has provisions for reconciliation and bail.

PM Narendra Modi Launches Ayushman Bharat–Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna

Ayushman Bharat is a Scheme to Cover 107-4 Mn FamiliesSix months after it was announced in this year's Union Budget, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on September 23, 2018, launched his government's flagship

Ayushman Bharat— Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJA) in Jharkhand's capital Ranchi.�� The scheme which aims at providing an annual cover of

` 5 lakh to 1074 million poor and vulnerable families, was simultaneously launched in 476 districts across 26 states.

World's Largest Public Health Insurance ProgrammeIt is the world's largest public funded health insurance programme, and if implemented successfully, would be one of the most important schemes of the Modi government across sectors.�� To mark the formal launch of the scheme, five people

were distributed golden e-cards to acknowledge them as beneficiaries.�� Ayushman Bharat, also described as 'Medicare'—on

the lines of the former US President Barack Obama's 'Obamacare' Affordable Act—has 1,350 procedures covering pre and post-hospital care, diagnostics and medicines in government and private empanelled /hospitals.�� It will cover cancer surgeries, radiation therapy,

chemotherapy, cardiac surgeries, stents; neuro (brain) surgeries, spine surgeries, dental surgeries, eye surgeries, and specialised tests such as MRI and CT scans among others. "We have achieved the launch in just six months. We were working in a time-bound manner and managed to bring together nearly 13,000 hospitals to be a part of this mega healthcare delivery initiative, and benefit the poor. I congratulate my entire team", Modi said during the launch. Expressing his gratitude to the PM for choosing his state to formally launch the scheme, Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das said, "The state had three medical colleges in 67 years. But in three and a half years work for five more has started.�� With 31 States and Union territories already being on

board, and formally signing the mandatory memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the central government, the implementation is being done in a phased manner.�� According to the National Health Agency (NHA), which

is the central implementing agency for the scheme, 31 have joined so far, and two more (Punjab and Kerala) are in the process of signing the MoU.

Apex Court Upholds Constitutional Validity of Aadhar

Key Highlights

• Majority opinion upholds it as a reasonable restriction on privacy.

• Says it fulfils government's aim to provide dignity to the marginalised.

• It is a unique ID that can not be duplicated unlike PAN, ration card.

• Upholds the passage of the Aadhaar Act as a Money Bill.

The Supreme Court, in a majority opinion on September 26, 2018, upheld Aadhaar as a reasonable restriction on individual privacy that fulfils the government's 'legitimate aim' to provide dignity to a large, marginalised population living in abject poverty.

"The Constitution does not exist for a few or minority of the people of India, but 'We, the People', the Supreme Court observed.

WORLD

US Cancels $ 300 Million in Security Aid in PakistanThe United States has decided to cancel $ 300 million insecurity-related aid to Pakistan that had been suspended over Islamabad's failure to take decisive action against terror groups operating from its soil.

The Pentagon proposes to use that money—which came from security-related Coalition Support Fund (CSF)—for other purposes if approved by Congress.

"Due to a lack of decisive actions in support of the South Asia Strategy, the remaining $ 300 million was repro-grammed," Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Kone Faulkner said in a statement on September 1, 2018\

Arif Alvi of Pakistan's Elected New Pakistan PresidentPakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) Ariful Rehman Alvi was on September 4, elected the 13th President of Pakistan. Alvi won the election by securing the requisite number of votes. Arif convincingly defeated Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the PML-N backed Chief of the Muttahada Majlis-e-Amal (MMA).

'I am grateful to God that the PTI-nominated candidate has been successful in the Presidential race today," Alvi said in his victory speech. "I am also thankful to Imran Khan for nominating me for such a big responsibility."

Haqqani Terror Network Found DeadUS ally-turned foe once a CIA asset, Jalaluddin Haqqani is thought to have introduced suicide bombings to Afghanistan.

Jalaluddin Haqqani, founder of the militant Haqqani network, one of the most powerful and feared groups in the Afghan insurgency, passed away after long illness on September 4, 2018 in Kabul.



Haqqani, who founded the network in the 1970s, gave up operational leadership of the group some years ago to his son Sirajuddin, who is now deputy leader of the Afghan Taliban.

Pakistan to be the 5th Largest Nuke Weapon State

Pakistan's stockpile of atomic warheads could increase to 220 to 250 by 2025, making it the world's fifth-largest nuclear weapon state, according to a news report from the Federation of American Scientists (FAS).Though FAS's latest report focussed solely on Pakistan, an earlier report on global nuclear warhead inventories published in June had estimated that Pakistan currently has 150 atomic warheads, compared to 140 for India. It had also said in its earlier report that Pakistan, North Korea, China and India were among the countries that are increasing their warhead inventories.

Nepal Ends Indian Monopoly on TransitKathmandu gets access to China's ports, ending dependence on India for supply of essential goods, trade.

China wiill allow Nepal the use of four of its ports, the Nepalese government said on September 7, 2018 as the landlocked Himalayan nation seeks to end India's monopoly over its trading routes by increasing connections with Beijing.�� Wedged between China and India, Nepal depends

heavily on India for the supply of essential goods including fuel and the use of its ports for trade with other countries. But Kathmandu has sought access to Chinese ports to reduce dependence on India since a prolonged blockade of its border crossings with India in 2015 and 2016 left the country short of fuel and medicines for several months. Officials from Nepal and China finalised the protocol of 'Transit and Transport Agreement' during a meeting in Kathmandu on September 7, 2018 giving Nepal access to the Chinese ports at Tianjin, Shenzhen, Lianyungang and Zhanjiang, a statement from Nepal's commerce ministry said. It said China had also agreed to allow Nepal use of its dry (land) ports at Lanzhou, Lhasa and Xigatse as well as roads to these f acilities.

REGIONAL

'Uttarakhand Becomes First State to Declare Cow as 'Rashtra Mata' (National Mother)Uttarakhand on September 19, 2018 became the first state of India to declare cow as 'Rashtra Mata' (national mother) as the State Assembly approved a resolution of this purpose.

Animal husbandry minister Rekha Arya tabled the resolution in the Uttarakhand assembly. "We all—be it the opposition or the ruling party are aware of the importance of cow. Not only in India but in other countries as well it is vastly respected/' said the minister. She maintained that in religious texts too, we find the mention of cow and it is said that its body is abode to 33 crore gods and deities.

She added that if cow is accorded the status of Rashtra Mata, required steps would be taken to protect the animal from being slaughtered. "Besides, the animal is a major source of earning for the people.

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu Imposes a Complete Ban on e-CigrettesTaking a serious note of the health hazards due to e-cigarettes, Tamil Nadu government imposed a complete ban on 'Electronic Nicotine' Delivery Systems—ENDS, popularly known as e-cigarettes with immediate effect in the state in September 2018. The' order includes the ban on' the manufacture, sale including online and'possession of e-cigarettes.

NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL

Alibaba's Jack Ma, China's Richest Man, Retires at 54Alibaba company's co-founder and executive chairman Jack Ma stepped down from the Chinese e-commerce giant on September 11, 2018 to pursue philanthropy in education, a changing of guard for the $ 420 billion internet company.

A former English teacher, Ma started Alibaba in 1999 and built it into one of the world's most consequential e-commerce and digital payments companies, transforming how Chinese people shop and pay for things. That fuelled his networth to more than $ 40 billion, making him China's richest man. He is revered by many Chinese, some of whom have put his portrait in their homes to worship in the same way that the they worship the God of wealth. Ma turned 54 on September 11, 2018.

He's a symbol of the health of China's private sector and how high they can fly whether he likes it or not," Duncan Clark, author of the book. "Alibaba : The House Jack Ma Built," said of Ma. "His retirement will be inter-preted as frustration or concern whether he likes it or not."

DiesAnna Rajam Malhotra: Independent India's first Woman IAS Officer Dies VIndia's first woman IAS officer, post Independence, AnnavRajam Malhotra, died at her residence in suburban Andheri, Mumbai on September 17, 2018. She was 91.She was born as Anna Rajam George in Kerala's Ernakulum district in July 1927. She shifted to Chennai after her schooling in Kozhikode to pursue higher education at the University of Madras.

Awards and Honours

National Sports Awards-2018, Virat Kohli and Mirabai Chanu Get Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna HonourThe annual National Sports Awards in different categories were announced in September, 2018 by the government of India to recognize the outstanding performances and



contributions to the sports by numerous sportspersons across the games.

EducationIndia's First Railway Varsity Starts Operations at Vadodara 7The first of its kind University in the country on the transport sector, the National Rail and Transport Institute (NRTI) started operations in the second week of September. Currently, it is functioning out of the National Academy of Railways, Vadodara.

Funded by ministry of railways, with University of California, Berkeley and Cornell University as its international partners, the university started with two undergraduate courses—B.Sc. Transportation and BBA Transport Management with 50 students each.

IMPORTANT DAYS/ WEEKS/ YEARS

National�� November 11 National Education Day�� November 14 Children's Day�� November 16 National Press Day�� November 17 National Journalism Day�� November 19 National Integration Day�� November 26 National Law Day

International Days�� November 5 World Tsunami Awareness Day�� November 7 Infant Protection Day�� November 9 Legal Service Day�� November 10 World Science Day For Peace and

Development�� November 14 World Diabetes Day�� November 19 World Citizen Day�� November 21 World Fisheries Day, World Television

Day

SPORTS WORLD

CricketIndian-Retains Asia Cup-2018 Cricket CrownDefending champion India defeated Bangladesh by three wickets in the final on September 28, 2018 in Dubai to retain its Asia Cup Cricket title for 2018. It is India's 7th Asia Cup title as it had clinched it in 1984, 1988, 1990-91, 1995, 2010 and 2016 before this one in 2018. Winning the toss, India asked Bangladesh to bat first. Bangladesh set the target of 223 runs before India which got it at the last ball of the innings with the collective efforts from Indian batsmen at the cost of its seven wickets. It is Bangladesh's second successive Asia Cup final loss as India won the title in 2016, beating the same opponent. India remained unbeaten throughout the Asia Cup tournament.

India Blue Wins Duleep Trophy 2018-19India Blue emerged champion of theDuleep Trophy 2018-19, the coveted domestic cricket trophy of India, beating defending champion India Red by an innings and 187 runs in the final on September 7, 2018 at Dindigul. India Blue scored 541 runs in the first innings. In reply India Red scored 182 and 172 runs in their first and second isnings respectively and lost the title.

FootballGermany Chosen Host of Euro Football Cup-2024UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin declared Germany as the host of EURO Cup football tournament in 2024 as Germany beat Turkey in a two-way contest in the UEFA, the European football governing body, executive committe vote on September 27, 2018 in Nyon.

HockeyIOC Clinches MCC-Muru-ganpa Gold Cup-2018The Indian Oil Corporation (IOC)- registered a facile 4-0 victory on Indian Railways in the final on September 16, 2018 in Chennai to clinch the MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup 92nd All-India Hockey Championship title.

US Open-2018: Results in BriefEvent/Competition Winner Runner-up

Men's Single Novak Djokovic (Serbia)

Juan Martin del Porto (Argentina)

Women's Single Naomi Osaka (Japan)

Serena Williams (USA)

Europe Retains Laver Cup Crown-2018Europe successfully defended its Laver Cup Tennis title when its Alexander Zverev of Germany beat Kevin Anderson to complete a 13-8 victory over the world te&m on September 23, 2018 in Chicago.

MEMORABLE POINTS

National�� Who has been appointed the new Chief Justice of

India? Justice Ranjan Gogoi � Justice Ranjan Gogoi was appointed as the 46th

Chief Justice of India on September 13, 2018 after President Ram Nath Kovind gave his approval for his appointment on the top post of the Supreme Court. He succeeds Justice Dipak Misra on this post. Justice Misra recommended Justice Gogol's name for the post of CJI, following the tradition of suggesting the name of the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court as the CJI. Justice Gogoi will have a tenure of a little over 13 months. He will retire on November 17, 2019 as CJI. Justice Gogoi has been the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. He became a judge of the Apex Court on April 23, 2012.



�� Who has been elected the President of INS for 2018-19? –Jayant Mammen Mathew

� Jayant Mammen Mathew, Executive Editor of 'Malayala Manorama', was on September 28, 2018 elected as the President of the Indian Newspaper Society, an apex body of the country's print media industry for the year 2018-19. Mr. Mathew succeeds Akila Urankar of 'Business Standard' on this post. L. Adimoolam of 'Health and the Antiseptic' became the Vice-President of the INS.

�� India successfully test-fired its indigenously developed surface-to-surface short range tactical ballistic missile named –Prahaar

� India successfully test-fired its indigenously developed surface-to-surface short range tactical ballistic missile 'Prahaar' on September 20, 2018 at the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur. Prahaar missile, developed by the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), is a solid-fuelled short range missile. It is equipped with inertial navigation system. It can carry a payload of 200 kg upto a strike range of 150 km.

�� PM Modi launched a great healthcare scheme 'PMJAY-Ayushman Bharat' from –Ranchi, Jharkhand

� Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 23, 3018 launched his government's flagship the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY)—Ayushman Bharat from Ranchi, Jharkhand. PMJAY-Ayushman Bharat also referred to as 'Medicare' aims to provide an annual health cover of ` 5 lakh to lakhs of poor and vulnerable families in the country. It was simultaneously launched in 476 districts across 26 states. The PMJAY will cover beneficiaries identified on the basis of the Socio Economic Caste Survey (2011) and will provide health cover from many health related medical procedures. To mark the formal launch of the PMJAY five people were given golden e-cards to acknowledge them as beneficiaries under the scheme.

�� Which movie has been selected as India's official entry for the 'Best Foreign Language Film' Category in the 91st Oscar Awards ? –Village Rockstars

� Rima Das' national award winning Assamese movie 'Village Rockstars' was selected as India's official entry for the 'Best Foreign Language Film' category of the 91st Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscar awards in 2019, on September 22, 2018. The 12-member selection panel of the Film Federation of India, chaired 1 by Kannada filmmaker Rajendra Babu selected 'Village Rockstars' for the 2019 Oscar from 29 movies including films- like Manto, Gali Guleiyan, Razi, October, 'Padman' etc. In 'Village Rockstars', Rima Das tells the story of a 10-year old girl named Dhunu who dreams of owning a guitar and forming

her own musical band in a great natural, touching and dramatic way. This movie won the National Film Award as the Best Film this year. It is the first film from north-east to be nominated to the Oscars.

�� Which state emerged on top of the AMRUT's Ease of Living Index this year ? –Andhra Pradesh

� Andhra Pradesh emerged on top of the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 'Ease of Living Index' 2018 list, released by the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry on September 24, 2018. Odisha and Madhya Pradesh secured second and third positions on the list respectively. The Ministry honoured the top three states under AMRUT's Ease of Living Index this year at the National Dissemination Workshop on Ease of Living index in New Delhi on September 24.

�� The Supreme Court formed a three-member committee on jail reforms, headed by –Justice (retd.) Amitava Roy

� The Supreme Court on September 25, 2018 constituted a three-member committee on jail reforms across the country. Former Apex Court Judge, Justice Amitava Roy will be the head of the Committee. An Apex Court bench of Justices Madam B. Lokur, S. Abdul Nazeer and Deepak Gupta appointed the Inspector General of Police of Bureau of Police Research and Development and the DG (Prisons) Tihar Jail as the other two members of the Committee. The Committee would give its suggestions on numerous aspects of jail adminis-/tration and lives of prisoners like overcrowding of jails, lack of staff in jails, health related facilities for / prisoners etc. The panel would also probe the reasons for violence in prisons.

�� The Centre government formed an eight-member search committee for Lokpal body headed by –Former Supreme Court Judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai

� The Central government on September 27, 2018 constituted an eight-member search committee to recommend the chairperson and members of the anti-corruption Ombudsman Lokpal. Former Supreme Court Judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai will be the head of the committee. Former SBI Chief Arundhati Bhattacharya, Prasar Bharati Chairperson A Surya Prakash, ISRO head AS Kiran Kumar, former Allahabad HC Judge Justice Sakha Ram Singh Yadav, Shabbirhusein S. Khandelwala, former Gujarat Police DG, Lalit K. Panwar, retired IAS and former Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar are other members of the Panel.

�� Who have been honoured with the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, this year? –Virat Kohli and Mirabai Charm



� Indian cricket team (men's) skipper Virat Kohli and World Champion Weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu were selected as the joint winners of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, India's top sports honour, for 2018 on September 20, 2018. Kohli is the third Indian.Cricketer after Sachin Tendulkar (1997) and M.S. Dhoni (2007) to get this honour. World Champion and Commonwealth Games gold medalist Mirabai Chanu was the unanimous choice for the honour of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award-committee headed by retired Delhi High Court Judge Justice Indermeet Kaul Kochhar. The award comprises a medal, a citation and a prize money worth ` 7-5 lakh.

International�� The first hydrogen-powered train of the world was

launched in –Germany � Germany on September 17, 2018 launched the

world's first hydrogen-powered train to give a big boost to eco-friendly technology. Two bright blue Coradia iLint trains, built by French TGV-maker Alstom, became operational on a 100 km stretch of northern Germany. This hydrogen powered train is a costlier but eco-friendly transport means with about zero polluting emission. Hydrogen-fuelled trains are equipped with fuel cells that produce electricity and energy through a combination of hydrogen and oxygen, a process that gives steam and water as the only emissions. Excess energy is stored in ion lithium batteries on board the trains. The Coradia iLint trains can cover about 1000 kms on a single tank of hydrogen.

�� Who has been elected the new President of Maldives? –Ibrahim Mohamed Solih

� Senior Parliamentarian of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and joint opposition candidate Ibrahim Mohamed Solih registered an emphatic victory in the Maldives presidential polls on September 24, 2018 by securing about 58-5 per cent votes in his support. Mr. Solih takes the charge of Maldives as the President, succeeding incumbent Abdulla Yameen who secured only about 41 per cent votes. Mr. Solih was the only candidate against Abdulla Yameen.

�� Who was crowned the FIFA Men's Player of the year, 2018 ? –Luka Modric of Croatia

� Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric was felicitated with the FIFA Men's Player of the year honour on September 24,- 2018 in London, pipping Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Solah in the race for the top FIFA honour. He won the honour with 26 per cent votes in his favour while Ronaldo got 19-08 per cent only to finish second in the race. Modric led Croatia to its first FIFA World Cup Final this year as the captain. Winning this honour, Modric broke the decade-long domination of Lionel Messi

and Cristiano Ronaldo on the FIFA Player of the year honour. Brazil's Marta won the FIFA Women's Player of the year honour for the record sixth time.

�� Who has been selected for UN's coveted Nansen award, this year ? –Evan Atar Adaha

� Dr. Evan Atar Adaha, a doctor in South Sudan was on September 25, 2018 chosen for the UNHCR's (UN refugee agency) Nansen award for his great selfless services to humanity. Dr. Evan through his Maban Hospital in the South Sudanese town of Bunj serves more than 1,44,000 refugees amid poor medical facilities like no regular supply of general anaesthesia and no properly-equipped surgical theatre. UNHCR Chief Filippo Grandi said Atar's profound humanity had saved thousands of lives. The Nansen Prize is named after Norwegian polar explorer Fridtjob Nansen, who was the first high commissioner for refugees agency in the League of Nations, the predecessor of the UN.

�� Which university or educational Institute retained its top spot on THE-world University Ranking, 2019 ? –University of Oxford

� University of Oxford, UK emerged on top of the Times Higher Education-THE World University Rankings, 2019, released on September 26, 2018. The Oxford claimed the top position on the list for the third year in a row. University of Cambridge and Stanford University secured second and third positions on the list respectively. Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore retained its position as the top educational institute in India, maintaining its position in 251-300 band on the list.

�� Which country's anti-doping agency was reinstated in a vote by WADA ? –Russia

� The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on September 20, 2018 lifted a ban on Russia's anti-doping agency, known as RUSADA, paving the way for Russian athletes to return to Global sports events. The executive board of WADA, the global regulator of drugs in sports, massively backed Russia's return to WADA with 9 votes in the support of lifting of -the ban on RUSADA. 2 votes went against it with one abstention. RUSADA was suspended in November, 2015 after an independent WADA report which outlined evidence of massive state-backed systematic doping in Russian athletes. Russia's revival on WADA list is subject to various conditions.

�� Who emerged the champion of the US Open-2018 Men's Singles title ? –Novak Djokovic of Serbia

� Serbia's Novak Djokovic defeated Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-3 in the final on Septembejr 9, 2018 at the Sir Arthur Ashe Stadium, New York to clinch the 2018 US Open Men's Singles Crown. It was Novak's third US Open Singles and 14th Grand Slam Singles Crown of the



career. He had won it in 2011 and 2015 before this latest one. It is also Novak's second Grand Slam after his Wimbledon title in July. Novak thrashed Japan's Kei Nishikori 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in the semi-final to secure his place in the US Open final. Osaka Naomi beat Serena Williams of the USA in the final to clinch the US Open Women's Singles title, becoming the first Japanese to win a Grand Slam Singles Title.

ECONOMIC SCENARIO

India May Breach 3-3% Fiscal Deficit Target as Oil Prices Rise: Moody'sCredit rating agency Moody's Investors Service foresees risks of India breaching the 3-3 per cent fiscal deficit target for the current financial year as higher oil prices add to short-term fiscal pressures. According to the US-based agency, the Current Account Deficit (CAD), which is the difference between inflow and outflow of foreign currency, will widen but will not jeopardize India's external position; and the gap will remain significantly narrower than five years ago.

HDFC Bank Again Most Valuable Indian Brand for 5th Year: SurveyPrivate sector HDFC Bank has become India's most valuable brand for the fifth year in a row with a 21 per cent rise in its brand value to $ 21-7 billion over the previous year, according to a survey. HDFC Bank retained its top spot in the "WPP and Kantar Millward Brown's BrandZ 75 Most Valuable Indian Brands" ranking that was started in 2014 by the global communication services company.

Global Hunger Continues to Rise: UN ReportRecently released United Nations report reveals that the new evidence continues to signal that the number of hungry people in the world is growing, reaching 821 million in 2017 or one in every nine people, according to the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2018.

India's 44th Rank in Global-Logistics Per formance Index 2018According to the World Bank Global Logistics Performance Index for the year 2018, India slipped down to 44th rank among 160 nations while in 2016 its rank was 35th at the global level. Based on a worldwide survey of global freight forwarders and express carriers, the World Bank's Logistics Performance Index (LPI) is a benchmarking tool developed by the Washington-based institution that measures performance along the logistics supply chain within a country. Allowing for comparisons across 160 countries, the index can help countries identify challenges and opportunities and improve their logistics performance. The World Bank conducts the survey every two years.

Fitch Raises India's GDP Forecast to 7-8% from 7.4% for 2018-19US multinational Fitch Ratings onSeptember 21, 2018 raised India's GDP growth forecast for the current fiscal to 7-8 per cent, up from their earlier estimate of 74 per cent, indicating, however, that-tightening of financial conditions, global oil prices and accumulated bad loans of banks continued as headwinds to the country's growth.

Foreign Exchange JSesirws Fall Below $400 BillionForeign exchange reserves fell below $ 400 billion, for the first time since November 11, 2017, in the first week of September" 2018. As on September 7, foreign exchange reserves stood at $ 399-28 billion, a result of the Reserve Bank of India's intervention at a time when portfolio flows were witnessing some reversals. On September 14, 2018, the total foreign exchange slightly improved to $ 400-489 billion.

Ease of Living Index: Andhra Pradesh Best Performing StateAccording to the report of the Urutrrr Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Madhya Pradesh were awarded the best performing states in terms of "Ease of Living Index" under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) at the National Dissemination Workshop on Ease of Living Index, 2018. Kakinada, Visakhapatnam, Tirupati, and Vijaya-wada cities of Andhra Pradesh; Indore, Bhopal, Ujjain, Satna, Sagar, Jabalpur and Gwalior of Madhya Pradesh and Bhubaneswar and Rourkela from Odisha were covered under the Ease of Living Index.

Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana is Now Openended Scheme with More IncentivesThe government on September 5, 2018 decided to make the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) an open-ended scheme and added more incentives to encourage people to open bank accounts. The flagship financial inclusion scheme was launched in August 2014 for a period of four years. Key features of the Revised Jan Dhan Yojana are following:�� Jan Dhan Yojana is now an open ended scheme.�� The over-draft limit for account holders has now

been doubled to ` 10,000. There will be no conditions attached for over-draft of up to ` 2,000.�� The free accident insurance cover for those opening

Jan Dhan accounts after August 28, 2018 too has been doubled'to ̀ 2 lakh. Also, the upper age limit for availing the .facility has been hiked to 65 from the earlier 60 years.�� As on August 29, 2018, there areapproximately 32-54

crore Jan Dhan accounts having a total deposit balance of ` 82,039-5 crore.



�� About 30 lakh people have so far availed the over-draft facility.

'PARWARTAN' Scheme'PARIVARTAN' (Power Asset Revival through Warehousing and Rehabilitation) is a scheme proposed by Rural Electrification Corporation, which can be considered as one of the resolution routes of SAMADHAN (Scheme of Asset Management and Debt Change Structure). In this scheme, an Asset Management and Rehabilitation Company (AMRC) will be formed, which will be backed by the financial institutions. The stressed projects of 25GW will be housed under AMRC, which can appoint state run utilities like NTPC for operation and maintenance of such projects. The proposed scheme has following characteristics:�� Asset Restructuring Company under PARIWARTAN

will be registered with the RBI. * It can bail out stressed power assets for 4-5 years.�� The assets will continue to be listed as NPAs in the

lenders' books.�� They will be auctioned once demand is visible.�� The Pariwartan' scheme is inspired by the Troubled Asset

Relief Programme, or TARP, which was introduced in the US during the 2008 financial crisis.�� The proposed plan also aims to stem the rise in bad

loans in the power sector. The assets will be managed by a professional O&M agency preferably NTPC.

Ajal Bimit Vyakti Kalyan YojanaThe Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) has approved a scheme for providing unemployment allowance to workers rendered jobless due to the "changing employment pattern", acknowledging the fact that permanent jobs are on a decline in the country.�� The scheme, named Atal Bimit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana,

will be applicable for employees covered under the Employees' State Insurance (ESI) Act, 1948, It will benefit over 1 million workers across the country.�� Workers who are left unemployed for whatsoever

reasons will be paid money, from their own contribution towards the ESI scheme, in cash through bank account transfer.�� Workers who are 'insured persons' under the ESI Act for

a period of two years continuously will be eligible to be a part of it.�� Workers will be able to draw 47 per cent of their total

contributions towards ESIC after remaining unemployed for at least three months from the date of leaving their previous jobs.�� The person can choose to receive the cash at one go or

in installments.Nearly 4-75 per cent of a worker's monthly salary goes

towards ESI as the employer's contribution, 1-75 per cent of the income is the employee's share. The employees' insurance scheme applies to all factories and establishments employing at least 10 workers. Workers drawing salary up

to ` 15,000 per month are entitled to medical benefits'for treatment during incidences of sickness, maternity, disability and death due to injury during work. The ESI Act applies tofactories with 10 or more workers and it is also applicable to shops, hotels, restaurants, cinemas and road transport undertakings.

The new scheme is in addition to the Rajiv Gandhi Shramik Kalyan Yojana (RGSKY) under which ESIC subscribers are provided unemployment allowance. However, persons who have become unemployed after being insured for at least three years, only for three reasons closure of factory, retrenchment or permanent invalidity are entitled to be a part of the RGSKY scheme. Unemployment allowance equal to 50 per cent of wage for a maximum period of two years is provided, along with medical care for the worker and her family during the perjod of unemployment.

MSME in NumbersThe number of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises registered on Udyog Aadhaar Memorandum (UAM) Portal till July 12, 2018 (since September 2015) is 48-40 lakh. However, as per the data received from the 73rd round of the National Sample Survey on 'Unincorporated Non-Agricultural Enterprises (excluding Construction)', conducted by National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (during July 2015 to June 2016), the total number of MSMEs in the country was 633-88 lakh. India's export of products from the MSMEs increased to $ 137-1 billion in 2016-17 from $130-8 billion in 2015-16, registering a growth of 4-8 per cent, which was an improvement from the negative growth of 5-9 per cent in 2015-16.

India Ranks 158 Among 195 Countries on Human Capital Formation in 2016According to a study on human capital undertaken by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, India stands at 158 of 195 countries and territories analysed using data from numerous sources, including government, agencies, schools, and health care systems and over a 26 year period between 1990 and 2016. Interestingly, the US which is regarded as the choicest destination for the students and researchers of almost all the developing countries, ranks at 27, while China was pegged at 44 and Pakistan at 164.

WORLD PANORAMA

Indi And Africa: Opportunities And ChallengesIndia and Africa have shared close historical, political, economic and cultural ties for long time. Even before India became independent, Gandhi launched peaceful mass struggle in South Africa in the first decade of 20th century to fight against racial discrimination. This is not a coincidence that South Africa's national hero Nelson Mandela is also known as 'African Gandhi'. India was the first country to raise the issue of apartheid in the United



Nations in 1946. After India became independent, India launched tirade against colonialism, apartheid, neo-colo-nialism and stood for Afro-Asian unity, South-South Cooperation and a just and equal international economic order under the banner of Non-Align Movement (NAM), which became a new global forum for third world countries, including newly independent African nations since 1960s to raise their voice in the international arena. It was this ideological resonance between India and Africa, which underlined their close ties during much of cold war era. It was also because of valuable support of African nations that India was elected a non-permanent member of Security Council for seven times. A large Indian Diaspora settled in African countries, particularly East Africa and South Africa provided a cultural bridge between India and Africa. India's engagement with African countries was not confined merely to ideological rhetoric, but was extended to a robust development partnership since 1960s with focus on human resource development and capacity building.

The Status of Contemporary India-Africa EngagementIn the post cold war period, though the ideological affinity forged by NAM has weakened, yet India's engagement with Africa in the form of trade, investment, development partnership, capacity building and cultural ties has been strengthened and expanded. India, South Africa and Brazil joined hands to establish IBSA in 2003 as a new forum of South-South Cooperation and raising the concerns of the developing countries. India initiated the Pan-African e-Network in Africa in 2004. This scheme aims to provide facilities for tele-education, tele-medicine and network video conferencing for heads of state in all 54 members* of the AU. The network will also connect learning centers, ten super-specialty hospitals (three of which are in India), 54 other hospitals and five universities (two in India). In 2009, this programme was extended to cover all African countries. India started the Techno-Economic Approach for Africa-India Movement' or TEAM-9 initiative in 2004 in eight West African countries: Burkina Faso, Chad, Cote d'lvoire, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Mali and Senegal. This project aims to improve food security, healthcare, telecommunications and transport through a technological focus in these countries. India also became an active partner in NEPAD (New Partnership for Africa's Development) project, which was launched in 2001 under the banner of African Union. In 2006-07, India advanced ? 1816 crore as grants, which increased to ? 5708 crore in 2015-16. Nearly 25 per cent of this grant goes to African countries. The total number of operative LOCs to Africa stood at 154 in 44 countries at the end of 2016 amounting to US $ 7-7 billion.

The trade and investment ties between India and Africa have also witnessed a high swing in recent decades. The trade between India and African nations grew from $3.39 billion in 2000 to $ 30 billion in 2007 and further jumped to $ 52 billion in 2017. Thus Africa has emerged as preferred investment destination for Indian companies.

The cumulative investments from India to Africa amounted to US $ 54 billion during April 1996 to March 2016. Among the African nations, Mauritius leads with highest FDI inflows," followed by Mozambique, Sudan, Egypt and South Africa.

India-Africa Forum SummitIn order to give boost to Indo-African partnership with high level consultation, India initiated the mechanism of India-Africa Forum Summit in 2008. This is a multi lateral summit where Heads of government of invited African countries and Indian leaders review the progress of ongoing programmes of the partnership and decide new measures for strengthening India-Africa partnership. China has already launched such summit ahead of India. The first India Africa Forum Summit was held in April, 2008 in New Delhi. Fourteen African Heads of State and the leaders of all eight African regional groupings participated in this Summit. It adopted the Africa-India Framework for Cooperation, which contained measures to elevate the scope of Indian-African partnership for mutual benefit. The Second India-Africa Summit was held in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia on 24-25 May, 2011. The Summit advanced the process of high level consultation initiated in 2008 for developing mutually beneficial partnership between India and Africa. The Second Summit adopted two documents: 'Addis Ababa Declaration' and the 'Africa-India Framework for Enhanced Cooperation.'

Third India-Africa Partnership Summit (26-29 Oct, 2015)Going by the extent of participation and the importance attached by the government of India, the third India-Africa summit was a high profile event. For the first time delegations from all the 54 countries participated in this event. Prime Minister highlighted that around 27 Lakhs Indians have been living in different African countries cementing economic, cultural and political ties between the two peoples and over 25,000 African students have got education in India and political leaders of a number of African countries are India-educated.The main theme of this summit was "Partners in Progress: Towards a Dynamic and Transformative Development Agenda." The logo of the Summit, depicting a lion with the background of the joined land mass of Africa and India, encircled by the words "Reinvigomted Partnership" and "Shared Vision ". This symbolizes their historical bonds and a shared destiny, ready to march forward. After hectic consultation for four days, the Summit produced two documents : The Delhi Declaration 2015 and Indian-Africa Framework for strategic Cooperation.

Modi Visits Africa, 2018Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tour of Rwanda, Uganda and South Africa from 23 to 27 July, 2018 reiterates the growing importance of Africa for India and will go a long way towards revitalizing relations with the continent. This is Modi's third visit to Africa. He visited Seychelles and



Mauritius in 2015, followed by another visit to Mozambique, Squth Africa, Tanzania and Kenya in 2016. During current visit, India and Rwanda signed eight MoUs and other agreements for cooperation in trade, agriculture, defence, leather and dairy products. India also extended two lines of credit valued at $100 million each for the development of industrial parks and an agriculture irrigation scheme. India has accorded priority to Rwanda due to fast growing economy; corruption free and transparent governance; and her leading role in the African integration and development process. In 2018, Rwanda hosted 'the Extraordinary Summit of the African Union oh African Continental Free Trade Area. The free trade area aims to deepen the African integration process and will allow free movement of people and trade across the continent. Rwanda is also the current chairman of African Union.

Indian Prime Minister's visit to Uganda is also significant as Uganda has huge oil reserves of 6-5 billion barrels, discovered in 2006 and is a home of 30000 strong India Diaspora. Before their forced exodus during the Idi Amin regime in 1972, Ugandan Indians dominated the economy and accounted for about 90 per cent of the country's tax revenue. Since their return from exile in the mid-1980s at the invitation of Ugandan President Museveni, Indians have started to regain prominence in the economy. Currently, they account for 65 per cent of Uganda's tax revenues. During this visit, India and Uganda signed four MoUs on defence, cultural exchanges, and diplomatic ties and for the setting up of a material testing laboratory for highway construction. Indian Prime Minister also announced two lines of credit -one worth $ 141 million for energy infrastructure development and another of $ 64 million for the agriculture and dairy sector. This was the first visit by an Indian prime minister after a gap of 21 years. Modi also became the first Indian Prime Minister to address the Ugandan Parliament.

The Indian Prime Minister also visited Johannesburg, South Africa to participate in the 10th annual BRICS Summit. The visit to South Africa was also important bilaterally, as 2018 marks the 25th anniversary of the re-establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries. The year 2018 is also the 125th anniversary of the Pietermaritzburg incident, related to Mahatma Gandhi, and the 100th birth anniversary of Nelson Mandela. On the sidelines of the BRICS summit, Prime Minister Modi and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa reaffirmed their partnership and signed three MoUs for cooperation in the fields of space technology, agriculture and skills enhancement.

In last four years, 26 high level Indian visits have been made to the continent. Nine of these visits were made by the Prime Minister himself, and the rest at the levels of President and Vice President. These visits demonstrate India's desire to have a high level dialogue with the African leadership. Indian Prime Minister's current visit to the three African countries has resulted in a greater understanding of mutual concerns and priorities.

The current visit, along with earlier initiatives, such as the high profile Third India-Africa Forum Summit in 2015 and the launch of the Asia Africa Growth Corridor, an initiative to enhance connectivity and people-to-people partnership between Asia and Africa in collaboration with Japan in 2017, demonstrate the high priority that India accords to the continent. However, India's path in Africa faces hard competition from China.

Chinese InroadsAfrica is rich in natural resources and China needs mineral and energy resources to sustain her rising economy. Africa also provides a huge market for Chinese manufacturing goods. Thus, China has shown keen interest in economic engagement with Africa in recent decades, in terms of trade, investment and infrastructure development. Chinese funds became instantly attractive to African leadership as they are not attached with any political string like respect for human rights or democracy. In last two decades, China's economic engagement with Africa has grown by leaps and bounds and she has left far behind other players in the continent like European Union, Japan, Turkey or India. China has emerged Africa's biggest trading partner since last decade, and its resources have helped fuel China's transformation into the world's second-largest economy. In 2017 China-Africa trade was at 170 billion. But most African nations exporting minerals and buying Chinese manufactured goods run large deficits with China. China has invested $ 86 billion as loan in Africa in last ten years and most of it has gone into mining or construction of roads and other infrastructure. Most of the Chinese investments in Africa are loans from China. Critics say Africa is going to be caught up in Chinese debt that countries may struggle to repay. That could leave African nations with no choice but to hand over controlling stakes in strategic assets to China.China has also institutionalized her engagement with Africa under the mechanism of Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, which held its first summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2015. China, announced $ 60 bn in assistance and loans for Africa during this summit. The once-every-three-year conference typically sees China dole out large loan packages for the continent. The second round of this Summit was held in Beijing on 3-4 September, 2018, where delegations from more than 50 African countries participated in the meet. The two-day summit focused on economic ties with China amid increasing criticism of its debt-laden approach to aid in the developing world.

Africa is an important part of China's Belt and Road initiative (BRI), consisting of a network of infrastructure connecting China by land and sea to Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa. China has pledged $126 billion for BRI, which has been touted as game changer. Along with trade and investment, China views African nations as key strategic partners. China opened its first overseas naval base in the Horn of Africa country of Djibouti in 2017, which is close to China



operated Gwadar port in Indian Ocean and India-developed Chabahar port in Iran.

ConclusionIn view of her close historical and cultural ties with Africa, India has developed multidimensional partnership with African countries since her independence. India and Africa together stood against apartheid, colonialism and neo-imperia-lism under the banner of Non-Align Movement during cold war. India also initiated a robust development partnership with African countries under the rubric of South-South Cooperation (SSC) with focus on capacity building. India and Africa together raised the voice of developing and poor countries at various international fora, which was further strengthened due to their common colonial experience and ideological affinity. In the post cold war period, India's approach to Africa is characterized by expansion of development partnership; mutually beneficial trade and investment ties; collective engagement with African nations under the Indo-Africa Forum; partnership with regional economic communities of Africa; and strengthening ties with Indian Diaspora in Africa. Thus, India and Africa have immense opportunities to strengthen their mutually beneficial partnership.

However, India faces some challenges also in view of political instability and civil wars in some parts of Africa as well as tough competition from other players particularly China. Yet India has some ray of hope.

China's big bang approach in the forms of huge investment in infrastructure development, resource extraction and burgeoning trade in Africa has come under sharp scrutiny. African leaders fear the pending debt trap caused by huge Chinese loans to African nations. In contrast, Indian approach is more benign with focus on capacity building and need driven development partnership with African countries. Thus, China's visibility may be more in Africa, but India enjoys more acceptability and soft power advantage in Africa.

PM-AASHA: NEW UMBRELLA SCHEME TO ENSURE FARMERS GET REMUNERATIVE

PRICE

Giving a major boost to the pro-farmer initiatives of the Government and in keeping with its commitment and dedication for the Annadata, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved a new Umbrella Scheme "Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanraks Han Abhiyan' (PM-AASHA). The Scheme is aimed at ensuring remunerative prices to the farmers for their produce as announced in the Union Budget for 2018. This is an unprecedented step taken by Govt. of India to protect the farmers' income which is expected to go a long way towards the welfare of farmers. Government has already increased the MSP of kharif crops by following the principle of 1-5 times the cost of production. It is expected that the increase in MSP will be translated to farmers' income by way of

robust procurement mechanism in coordination with the State Governments.

The government on September 12, 2018 announced the launch of a new umbrella scheme 'Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay Sanraks Han Abhiyan' (PM-AASHA), which aims to provide minimum support price (MSP) assurance to farmers. The scheme has been designed to ensure that farmers get remunerative prices for their produce as announced in the General Budget 2018-19.

The new Umbrella Scheme includes the mechanism of ensuring remunerative prices to the farmers and comprises : 1. Price Support Scheme (PSS) 2. Price Deficiency Payment Scheme (POPS), and 3. Pilot of Private Procurement & Stockist Scheme

(PPPS).The other existing schemes of Department of Food and

Public Distribution (DFPD) for procurement of paddy, wheat and nutri-cereals/ coarse grains and of Ministry of Textile for cotton and jute will be continued for providing MSP to farmers for these crops.

POPS has been framed on the lines of the Madhya Pradesh government's Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojana (BBY) to protect oilseed farmers. The government said the other existing schemes of the Department of Food and Public Distribution for the procurement of paddy, wheat and nutri-cereals/coarse grains and of the Ministry of Textile for cotton and jute will be continued to provide MSP to farmers for these crops.

The Food Corporation of India, the government's nodal agency for procurement and distribution of foodgrains, already procures wheat and rice at MSP for supply through ration shops and welfare schemes.

The Centre also implements the Market Intervention Scheme for procurement of those commodities, which are perishable in nature and are not covered under the MSP policy. Under the MSP policy, the government fixes the rates for 23 notified crops grown in kharif and rabi seasons.

PM-AASHA

• PM-AASHA has three components: 1. Price Support Scheme 2. Price Deficiency Payment Scheme (POPS) 3. Pilot of Private Procurement & Stockist Scheme• POPS is based on Madhya Pradesh's 'Bhavantar Scheme'

where farmers get difference if the purchase price is lower, than the market price.

• Participation of private sector in procurement operations to be piloted.

• States have the option to roll out private Procurement Stockist Scheme on a pilot basis in select areas.

Budget AllocationNAFED is the largest procurement agency for the purchase of pulses and oilseeds in case of any decline of market price of these commodities blow the minimum support price. NAFED arranges funds to pay the farmers through the government guarantee. NAFED utilised ` 29000 crore



guarantee during 2017-18. The Cabinet has decided to give additional government guarantee of ? 16,550 crore making it ` 45,550 crore in total in 2018-19. In addition to this, budget provision for procurement operations has also been increased and ` 15,053 crore is sanctioned for PM-AASHA implementation. The scheme henceforth is a reflection of Government's commitment and dedication to our 'Annadata'.

Procurement Over the YearsDuring financial years 2010-14 total procurement was ` 3500 crore only whereas during financial years 2014-18, it has risen 10 times and reached to ` 34,000 crore. For procurement of these agri-commodities during 2010-14, Government Guarantee of ` 2500 crore was provided with expenditure of only ` 300 crore; while during 2014-18, Guarantee amount has been increased to ` 29,000 crore with expenditure of ` 1,000 crore.

Government of India is working with the holistic approach of solving any issue rather than in fragments. Increasing MSP is not adequate and it is more important that farmers should get full benefit of the announced MSP. For this, government realizes that it is essential that if price of the agriculture produce market is less than MSP, then in that case State Government and Central Government should purchase either at MSP or work in a manner to provide MSP for the farmers through some other mechanism.

In Price Support Scheme (PSS), physical procurement of pulses, oilseeds and Copra will be done by Central Nodal Agencies with proactive role of State governments. It is also decided that in addition to NAFED, Food Cooperation of India (FCI) will take up PSS operations in states /districts. The procurement expenditure and losses due to procurement will be borne by Central Government as per norms.

New Compensation Scheme for Oilseed farmersThe Union Government has made a new promise to make good the difference between the market price and Minimum Support Price (MSP) to oilseed farmers. The aim is to encourage farmers to grow more oilseeds as the country has to pay out about US$10 billion annually for the import of edible oils. India has 60-65% import dependency in edible oils as there is huge demand supply gap in domestic market. India imports over 14 million tonnes of vegetable oils annually to meet domestic demand. Under Price Deficiency Payment Scheme (POPS), it is proposed to cover all oilseeds for which MSP is notified. In this direct payment of the difference between the MSP and the selling/modal price will be made to pre-registered farmers selling their produce in the notified market yard through a transparent auction process. All payment will be done directly into registered bank account of the farmers. This scheme does not involve any physical procurement of crops as farmers are paid the difference between the MSP price and Sale/ model price on disposal in notified market. The support of central government for POPS will be given as per norms.

States can rope in private traders to procure oilseeds at

Minimum Support Price and that they would be compensated through an incentive which can be in the form of bearing the administrative cost for procurement (up to @ of 15 per cent of MSP) or relaxing the regulations, including the stock control order.

It has been decided that for oilseeds, states have the option to roll out Private Procurement Stockist Scheme (PPSS) on pilot basis in selected district/APMC(s) of district involving the participation of private stockists. The pilot district/selected APMC(s) of district will cover one or more crop of oilseeds for which MSP is notified. Since this is akin to PSS, in that it involves physical procurement of the notified commodity, it shall substitute PSS/POPS in the pilot districts.

The selected private agency shall procure the commodity at MSP in the notified markets during the notified period from the registered farmers in consonance with, the PPSS Guidelines, whenever the prices in the market fall below the notified MSP and whenever authorized by the state /UT government to enter the market and maximum service charges up to 15% of the notified MSP will be payable.

The proposed scheme is based on the recommendations of NITI Aayog which has suggested 'Price Deficiency Payment' for implementation of Minimum Support Price in crops where procurement is poor. The 2018-19 Price Policy report of Commission on Agricultural Cost and Prices (CACP) says that in kharif 2017-18, the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation of India (NAFED)procured only 948 tonnes of groundnut and 6539 tonnes of sunflower, which is miniscule compared to the total production of these commodities as well as other oilseeds. The key points of the scheme are the following:�� If the sale price is below a model price (average price

in three states in the same crop) then the farmers may be compensated to the extent of the difference between MSP and actual price subject to a ceiling which may not exceed 25 per cent of the MSP.�� In pulses and copra, in addition to NAFED, Food

Corporation of India (FCI) will take up Price Support Scheme operations in States and the procurement expenditure will be borne by the Central Government.

Evaluation of Bhavantar Bhugatan Yojana of Madhay PradeshMadhya Pradesh was the first state in the country to launch its unique Bhavantar Yojana to provide price support to the farmers during the sudden decline in the prices of agricultural commodities for which the Minimum Support Price is announced by the Central Government. Bhavantar scheme works in the same manner as price deficiency payment. The close scrutiny of Bhavantar scheme revealed the following weaknesses:�� Market price across crops—urad, tur and maize—

corrected in Madhya Pradesh and turned sharply lower as compared to the prices in neighbouing Uttar Pradesh. It was alleged that local traders, especially



the Arhatiyas (Middlemen) formed cartels across the state and lowered the prices of these commodities they have successfully persuaded. The farmers to sell their produce at the prevailing price because the difference will be paid by the government and the farmers would not be in loss in any way. In this manner traders earned profit in hidden manner and the real advantage of the scheme could not reach the farmers. The farmers were exploited by knavish traders.�� Also, since not all the farmers, especially the small and

marginal farmers ones, were able to register themselves for the scheme, they took a double blow as prices post the Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojana dropped in other States due to trader cartel rigging the price and they were unable to get the compensation assured by the government. ij A prominent agri-economist Prof. Ashok Gulati et.al concluded in their research paper entitled, 'Supporting Indian Farmers: Price Support or direct income/ Investment Support ?' that the price deficiency payment (PDF) scheme might end up helping traders and lower level mandi functionaries more than the farmers, despite best intentions of the government.

In this way another one of the best schemes of the government derailed by the powerful lobby of the middlemen working in the agricultural marketing system. Highly indebted farmers have no options but to sell their produce at the price offered by the Arhatiyas/traders. Forced sale is a common phenomenon in the agricultural marketing. It always results in lower price to The Intension of the Central Government is clear. It wants to help the farmers to double their income. The success of the scheme depends on how efficient the States will be in the implementation- how smooth the process of registration of farmers will be and if it facilitates easy registration for small and marginal farmers with less paper work and how it will check rich farmers from exploiting the system. The success of the scheme will also depend on how effective the States machinery will be in checking the manipulative practice of the traders.

Pro-farmer Initiatives of the GovernmentThe Government is committed to realizing the vision of doubling farmers' income by 2022. The emphasis is on enhancing productivity, reducing cost of cultivation and strengthening post-harvesting management, including market structure. Several market reforms have been initiated. These include Model Agricultural Produce and Livestock Marketing Act, 2017 and Model Contract Farming and Services Act, 2018. Many States have taken steps to adopt these through legislation.

Efforts are on for a new market architecture, so as to ensure that farmers get remunerative prices on their produce. These include setting up of Gramin Agricultural Markets (GrAMs) so as to promote 22,000 numbers of retail markets in close proximity of farm gate; competitive and transparent wholesale trade at APMC through eNAM and a robust and pro-farmer export policy.

Besides, several other pro-farmers' initiatives such as implementation of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana, Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana and distribution of Soil Health Cards have been undertaken. The commitment for farmers' welfare is also reflected by unprecedented decision of announcing minimum support price based on the formula of 1-5 times the cost of cultivation.

Despite all these initiatives, farmers in general and marginal and small farmers in particular, are always at disadvantageous stage, because of their high indebtedness, lack of warehousing facilities, forced sale, strong and cartelised middleman in the marketing system. Indian farming community is facing paradoxical situation now a days. Production of foodgrains and horticulture crops in 2017-18 has been estimated at 284-83 million tonnes and 306-8 million tonnes respectively, which is a record; on the other hand market prices of almost all the agricultural commodities are below the minimum support prices as announced by the government. Experiences show that the system based on market forces, which is regarded as the best in terms of welfare maximisation, never work in agricultural sector. Government intervenes in the market, through imports, in case of any surge in the prices of agricultural commodities, but never supports the farmers in a desired manner during glut.

COMPENDIUM

Indian Polity and Constitution�� The Preamble of the Constitution of India has been

amended only once so far, in 1976 by —The 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act�� The 42nd Constitutional Amendment Act incorporates

three words in the Preamble. These words are —Socialist, Secular and Integrity�� The procedure and method of election of President has

been taken from the —Irish Constitution�� The concept of 'Office of Governor' in the Indian

Constitution is inspired from the —Government of India Act, 1935�� Which part of the Constitution deals with the

'Amendment of the Constitution' ? —Part XX�� Which Article of the Indian Constitution deals with the

'original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court' ? —Article 131�� Who appoints a member of the Lok Sabha as the Speaker

Protem and administers oath to him ? —President of India�� Articles 52 to 78 in Part V of the Constitution deal with

—The Union Executive�� In absence of the Chief Justice of India, the oath of

office of the President is administered by —The Seniormost judge of the Supreme Court



�� The joint sitting of the two houses of Parliament is governed by the Rules of Procedure of —Lok Sabha

Indian National Movement�� Regarding the Government of India Act, 1935, who

made the remark, "It was a new charter of slavery' ? —Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru�� Who earned the epithet of 'Heroine of the 1942

Movement' ? —Aruna Asaf All�� Who was the Governor-General of India when

McDonald's Communal Award was announced ? —Lord Willingdon�� Who was called 'The Father of Unrest in India' by V.

Chirol ? —Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak�� Who is the first Indian to be elected to the British

Parliament in 1892 ? —Dadabhai Naoroji�� Who was the President of the Indian National Congress

on August 15,1947 ? —J.B. Kriplani�� Who is known to be the political guru of Gopal Krishna

Gokhale ? —Mahadev Govind Ranade�� Who launched the newspaper 'Bombay Chronicle'

during India's struggle for independence ? —Pherozeshah Mehta�� Who was the former name of 'Harijan Sevak Sangh' ?

—All India Anti-untouchability League�� The birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on

October 31, is observed as —The National Unity Day

History and Culture of India�� Bal Gangadhar Tilak was of the opinion that the original

home of the Aryans was the —Arctic region�� Who was the founder of the sect of the 'Ajivikas' and

also the contemporary of Lord Mahavira ? —Makkhali Gosala�� Second Buddhist Council was organised in Vaishali

during the reign of —King Kalashoka of Shisunaga dynasty�� Which Rashtrakuta ruler is stated to have performed the

Hiranyagarbha ritual to assert his political dominance? —Dantidurga�� Mughal emperor Jahangir gave the title of 'English

Khan' to —William Hawkins�� Which Mughal Prince was a great supporter of the

Hindu-Muslim Unity ? He also wrote 'Majm-ul-Bahrain' to propagate his ideas on Hindu-Muslim harmony. —Prince Dara Shikoh�� Great scholars like Vasumitra, Asvaghosha, Charak and

Nagarjuna were the members of the royal court of —King Kanishka�� Which saint propounded the Vishishtadvaita

philosophy? —Ramanuj Acharya�� The head of 'Royal Correspondence' in Shivaji's

Ashtapradhan was called —Surnavis (Sachiv)�� Nizam-ul-Mulk Asaf Jah founded the State of Hyderabad

in —1724 A.D.

Economic Affairs of India�� What is India's rank on the WEF's Inclusive Development

Index-2018 ? —62nd rank�� What is India's position in terms of market performance

this year ? —Ninth rank�� Who has been appointed the Chairperson of the

Appellate Tribunal for Electricity ? —Justice Manjula Chellur�� Which Indian State secured top spot in terms of the

'renewable energy generation capacity' in India in 2018? —Karnataka�� Which city secured top position as the most liveable

city on the government's inaugural 'Ease of Living Index'-2018 ? —Pune�� For how many years will the Central government

compensate the loss of State governments due to GST? —Five years�� Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) is determined and

maintained by —The Reserve Bank of India�� The official exchange rate of Indian rupee is associated

with —A basket of selected companies�� 'Primary Deficit' refers to fiscal deficit without

—Interest payments�� An account maintained by a foreign bank in India with

the corresponding bank is called —Vostro Account

Geography (India and the World)�� Niagara Falls is located between

—Lake Erie and Lake Ontario �� 'Pranhita' and 'Kinnarasani' are tributaries of

—The Godavari river�� Kuroshio is a warm ocean current which runs from

—Philippines to Japan�� Which current raises the temperature near the eastern

coasts of North America and the Western Coast of Europe ? —Gulf Stream�� The 'Tropical Grasslands' in Venezuela and Colombia

are known as —Llanos�� 'Aswan Dam' has been built on which African river ?

—Nile river�� The Great Indian Desert lies to the west of

—The Aravali range�� Lines joining places experiencing a thunderstorm at the

same time are known as —Isobronts�� 'Shipki-La' and 'Bara-La' passes are located in

—Himachal Pradesh�� Winter rains in the North Indian plains are caused by

depressions coming from the —Mediterranean Sea

Science & Technology�� A 'Rocket' works on the principle of conservation of

—Linear momentum�� Which great scientist was the writer of the book

'Principia' ? —Issac Newton



�� When a running horse stops suddenly, its rider bends forward. It is an example of —Inertia�� The longitudinal mechanical waves which lie in the

frequency range of 20 Hz to 20000 Hz are called —Audible or sound waves�� Atoms of the elements having the same mass number

but different atomic numbers are called —Isobars�� 'Bauxite', 'Felspar', 'Corundum' and 'Cryolite' are the

ores of —Aluminium (Al)�� Which vitamin is also known as 'Pyridoxine' ?

—Vitamin-B6�� Genes control characters of living organisms through

—Protein synthesis�� The damage of the human body due to radiation is

measured in —Rads

Agriculture�� 'PBW-65' and 'LOK-1' are salinity resistant varieties of

—Wheat�� Phosphorus is generally fixed in acid soils in the form

of —Aluminium Phosphate�� The 'Khaira' disease in rice is caused due to the

deficiency of —Zinc (Zn)�� 'National Research Centre of Citrus' (NRCC) is located

in —Nagpur�� Guava 'Hybrid-45' is the cross of

—Allahabadi Safeda and L-45�� Fruit-dropping in mango can be controlled by using

—2,4-D�� The beautiful colour in flowers is due to the presence

of —Anthocyanin�� 'Karnal Chana-1' is a salt tolerant variety of

—Chickpea �� Short duration crops are mainly suitable for

—Dry farming�� The farmers having land below one hectare are called

—Marginal Farmers

Environment, Biodiversity, Climate Change etc.�� Who became the first Asian to be elected chair of the

International Nitrogen Initiative (INI) ? —Nandula Raghuram�� Who gave the concept of 'Sea floor spreading' ?

—Harry Hess�� Early succession ecosystems are those which are

characterized by —High net community production ir The ecosystems which are characterized by 'low net community production' are called —Mature ecosystem �� Centre for Ecological Sciences is located at

—Bengaluru�� 'World Forestry Day' is observed on —March 21�� The term 'Deep Ecology' was used for the first time by

—Armies Naess�� 'World Wetlands Day' is observed on —February 2

�� The study of a single species and the environmental factors in its habitat is called —Autecology�� Presence of ozone in the atmosphere is important

because it absorbs —Ultra Violet-A and Ultraviolet Bradiations

Communication�� Interaction inside the classroom should generate

—Ideas�� The type of communication that a teacher has, in the

classroom, is called —Group communication�� Chinese leader Mao Zedong used a type of

communication to talk to the masses, it is known as —Mass line communication�� Classroom communication of a teacher rests on the

principle of —Edutainment�� Public communication tends to occur within a more

—Convenient structure�� Effective communication needs a supportive

—Social environmen�� Maximum participation of students during teaching is

possi ble through —Demonstration method�� In mass communication, selective perception is

dependent on the receiver's —Receptivity�� Who made this comment, "Good communication is the

foundation for sound administration" ? —Peter Drucker�� Communication in admin istrative organization has

three main aspects, mainly —Internal, external and interpersona I

Education and Child Psychology!�� Thinking is one of the several activities of human mind.

It is also called —Systematised and Directed�� The raw material of thinking is —Symbols�� The concept of Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

was given by —Vygotsky�� Vygotsky's socio-cultural theory suggests that a child's

most important discoveries are guided by —Adult acting as tutors�� The best method to study growth and development of

the child is —Developmental Method�� "Individual learns from his own mistakes" This

statement is based on which learnin g theory ? —Trial & Error�� If a child has mental age of 5 years and chronological

age of 4 years than what will be the IQ of child ? —125�� Special education is related to

—Educational programmes for disabled�� According to John Dewey, schools must prepare

students for —Present life�� At the pre-pri mary stage reading aloud while writing

is given importance. This is based on which theory of learning ? —Conditioning



Sports and Games�� The 18th Asian Games 2018 were successfully organized

in —Jakarta and Palembang�� What were the names of the mascots of 18th Asian

Games ? —Bhim Bhim, Atung and Kaka�� What was India's rank on the medals tally of the 18th

Asian Games?' —Eighth rank�� Which country emerged overall champion of the 18th

Asian Games in Indonesia ? —China�� Who became India's 53rd Chess Grandmaster ?

—Nihal Sarin�� 'Bajrang Punia' and 'Vinesh Phogat' are noted Indian

piayers, associated with —Wresiling�� Which country emerged champion of the women's

Hockey World Cup-2018 title? —Netherlands�� 'Cue', 'Jigger', 'Break Pot' and 'Cans' are the terms

associated with the game of —Billiards�� 'Spa Francorchamps' Formula one circuit is located in

—Belgium�� How many players are there in a 'Netball' team ?

—Seven

Miscellany�� 'Commonwealth Day'is observed on —May 24�� 'Ustad Amjad Ali Khan', 'Ustad Ali Akbar Khan' and

'Ustad Alauddin Khan' are famous exponents of —Sarod�� 'Lavani', 'Nataka','Koli', 'Ta masha', 'Mauni' etc. are

popular folk dances of —Maharashtra�� Who was the founder of the Red Cross organization ?

—Jean Henry Dunant�� Where is the headquarters of 'World Health Organisation'

(WHO)? —Geneva�� Who was the first Asian to become the Secretary-

General of the United Nations ? —U.Thant ofMyanmar�� Who is the author of the book 'A House for Mr.

Biswas'? —V.S. Naipal�� 'Lieutenant General' in the Indian Army is equal to the

rank of —Air Marshal in the Indian Air Force�� Official reports or publications of Italy and Iran are

known as —Green Book�� 'Knesset' is the name of Parli ament of —Israel



CORPORATE OFFICE : 415, 4th Floor., Amba Tower, DC Chowk Complex, Sec-9 Rohini, Delhi-110085 Ph.: 27860899, Mob: 9015557890; Website: www.teachwell.co.in

GK September Part-1

GK September Part-1

Test-1

1. The S&P BSE SENSEX 30 index actually has 31 constituents. Which constituent has two variants ?

(A) Reliance Industries (B) HDFCBank (C) Tata Motors (D) Asian Paints 2. The term 'ball-in' is often used in relation to— (A) Shareholders (B) Bondholders (C) Creditors (D) Depositors 3. Which country levied a tax on WhatsApp and

Facebook in June 2018 ? (A) Uganda (B) Zambia (C) Zimbabwe (D) Tanzania 4. 18th Asian Games, 2018 were held in— (A) Tehran (Iran) (B) Manila (Philippines) (C) Jakarta (Indonesia) (D) Bangkok (Thailand) 5. Consider the following statements and choose the

correct code given below: I. According to a 2017 United Nations r,and IPU

report, India ranked 148th globally in terms of representation of women in Parliament.

II. In the 16th Lok Sabha only 12.2 per cent of total MPs are women , and in Rajya Sabha women's representation is only 11-5 per cent

Correct code is— (A) Only I is correct (B) Only II is correct (C) I and II both are correct (D) Neither I nor II is correct 6. 6th International Buddhist Conclave was held on 24th

August, 2018 in— (A) Aurangabad (Maharashtra) (B) Amarawati (Andhra Pradesh) (C) Boddh Gaya (Bihar) (D) Sarnath (Uttar Pradesh) 7. 'Industry 4-0' refers to the trend of— (A) Using automation and data exchange in

manufacturing technologies (B) Industrial revolution in backward countries (C) Industrial revolution in backward regions within

a country (D) Putting MSME on higher trajectory 8. Government's fiscal deficit excluding ............ is

known as 'Primary Deficit'. (A) Defence Expenditure (B) Interest Payments (C) Subsidy (D) Salary to public servants 9. According to Securities and Exchange Board of India,

retail investors can invest up to an amount of ? ......in initial public offerings.

(A) 1,00,000 (B) 2,00,000 (C) 3,00,000 (D) 5,00,000 10. India's biggest trade partner in 2017-18 was— (A) USA (B) UK (C) China (D) UAE 11. To which country did India export most in the year

2017 ? (A) China (B) United Arab Emirates (C) Saudi Arabia (D) USA 12. 'Aapka bank, aapke dwaar' is a tagline of— (A) State Bank of India (B) India Post Payments Bank (C) Bank of India (D) Jio Payments Bank 13. Which of the following factors is/are responsible for

the weakening of rupee in mid 2018 ? I. Trade war initiated by the USA II. Dollar strengthening against other major

currencies III. Increase in crude oil prices Correct eode is— (A) Only II (B) Only I and II (C) I, II and III (D) Only II and III 14. As per the Annual report 2017-18 of RBI Stressed

assets [gross non-performing assets (GNPAs) plus restructured standard advances in the banking system were......of gross advances at end-March 2018.

(A) 12-1 per cent (B) 11-6 per cent (C) 10-6 per cent (D) 8-1 per cent 15. 19 out of 21 public sector banks posted huge losses

during 2017-18. Which of the following factors was responsible for it ?

I. The combined impact of the increase in provisioning against NPAs.

II. Market-to-market (MTM) treasury losses on account of the hardening of yields.

Correct code is— (A) Only I is correct (B) Only II is correct (C) I and II both are correct (D) Neither I nor II is correct 16. India Post Payments Bank was launched officially by

the PM Narendra Modi on..........simultaneously in all the 650 districts and 3250 places in the country.

(A) October 2, 2017 (B) April 1,2018 (C) September 1, 2018 (D) July 1,2018 17. Which country's currency was used to make handbags

in mid 2018? (A) Zimbabwe (B) Iraq



(C) Timor-Leste (D) Venezuela 18. A roll-up merger usually accelerates the process of— (A) Consolidation (B) Diversification (C) Expansion (D) Monopsony 19. A total-return Index takes into account— A. Dividends B. Buyback C. Stock splits D. All of the above 20. The Economist Big Mac Index compares global

currencies against the US Dollar in terms of— (A) Real effective exchange rate (B) Quarterly Average closing price (C) Purchasing power parity (D) Nominal Exchange Rate 21. The........System ensures economic benefits like

social security and pensions for certain sections of the population, in China—

(A) Guanxi (B) Yakuza (C) Hukou (D) Ganqing 22. DRIP Index measures— (A) Impact of Deficient rain in a particular region (B) Coverage under drip irrigation in a particular

region (C) Potential of micro irrigation in a particular region (D) None 23. Which country proposed ban on sale of energy drinks

to kids ? (A) Pakistan (B) France (C) England (D) None 24. The Hartz reforms pertain to— (A) Banks (B) Labour Unions (C) International Trade (D) Deficit financing 25. The Triffin Paradox is related to— (A) Currencies (B) Bonds (C) Equities (D) Commodities 26. ...............is at the top in Forbes magazine's list (June

2018)of the public companies (By Revenue). (A) Sinopec (B) Royal Dutch Shell (C) Walmart (D) Alibaba Inc 27. 'Hamara Swasthya, Hamari Awaaz' campaign has

been initiated by— (A) Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (B) Family Planning Association of India (C) White Ribbon Alliance for safe Motherhood,

India (D) World Health Organisation 28. Government of India has planned to incorporate

'PARIWARTAN' scheme The scheme is related to— (A) Stressed Assets in power sector (B) Bring phenomenal change in the socio-economic

conditions of nomadic tribes (C) Social empowerment of transgender people (D) A drive against superstitions

29. Central government announced a new scheme PM-AASHA on September 12, 2018. It is related to—

(A) Strengthening Aanganwadi network in India. (B) Preparing ASHA workers under National Rural

Health Mission to act as 'barefoot doctors' in rural areas

(C) Ensuring remunerative price to farmers for their produce

(D) "Empowering tribal youths to make them young entrepreneurs

30. Consider the following statements and choose the correct code given below:

I. India's total exports declined by 3-5 per cent from US $ 314 billion in 2013-14 to US $ 303 billion in 2017-18.

II. India's exports to neighbouring countries increased by 30 per cent from US$ 18-08 billion in 2013-14 to US$ 23-71 billion in 2017-18.

(A) Only I is correct (B) Only II is correct (C) I and II both are correct (D) Neither I nor II is correct 31. A number of Indian and overseas charitable

organizations have joined hands with the UK government's department for International Development to launch a Development Impact Bond to improve quality of ..........in India.

(A) Health Care Services (B) Education (C) Drinking water and sanitation (D) Slums 32. Which of the following statements is correct in

relation to Assertion (A)and Reason (R): Assertion (A) : State governments will likely reap a windfall gain around Z 22,700 crore during 2017-18 from the increase in prices of petrol and diesel. Reason(R): Diesel and petrol are out side the purview of Goods and Services Tax.

(A) (A) and (R) both are correct and (R) is the correct explanation of (A)

(B) (A) and (R) both are correct and (R) is not the the correct explanation of (A)

(C) (A) is correct but (R) is incorrect (D) (A) is incorrect while (R) is correct 33. India's foreign exchange reserves declined to $ 399-

3 billion in the week ended September 7, 2018. This dip in reserves comes in the wake of the rupee depreciating in the backdrop of—

I. An escalating tariff war between the US and China.

II. Rising global crude oil prices. III. Concerns on India's widening current account

deficit (CAD). Correct code is: (A) I, II and III all are correct



(B) Only II and III are correct (C) Only III is correct (D) None is correct 34. As per UNDP's Human Development report, 2018

India's rank in HDI-2017 is— (A) 135th (B) 134th (C) 131st (D) 130th 35. India ranks......out of 160 countries on the Gender

Inequality Index, 2017. (A) 127th (B) 128th (C) 129th (D) 130th 36. Gender Inequality Index has been developed by

UNDP. It reflects Gender-based inequalities in— I. Reproductive health, II. Empowerment (political and educational), III. Economic activity. (A) Only I and II (B) Only II and III (C) Only I and III (D) I, II, and III

1. (C) 2. (B) 3. (A) 4. (C) 5. (C) 6. (A) 7. (A) 8. (B) 9. (B) 10. (C)

11. (D) 12. (B) 13. (C) 14. (A) 15. (C) 16. (C) 17. (D) 18. (C) 19. (D) 20. (C)

21. (C) 22. (A) 23. (C) 24. (B) 25. (A) 26. (C) 27. (C) 28. (A) 29. (C) 30. (C)

31. (B) 32. (A) 33. (A) 34. (D) 35. (A) 36. (D) 37. (A) 38. (D) 39. (C) 40. (B)

Answer Key (GK September-Part-1_TEST-1)

37. The term fiscal dominance is usually used in connection with—

(A) Tax Avoidance (B) Money Laundering (C) Monetary Policy (D) High Tax regime 38. The concept of 'co-pay' is most akin to the concept of

...........in insurance. (A) Insurable Interest (B) Subrogation (C) Contribution (D) Deductible 39. Which of the following components is not a part of

Broad Money (M3) ? (A) Demand deposits (B) Currency with the public (C) Post office deposits (D) Bank credit to the commercial sector 40. Oil Year in India (In relation to vegetable oils) is

from— (A) April to March (B) November to October (C) July to June (D) October to December




GK September Part-1

Test-2

1. Fiscal deficit of Ql (2018-19) stood at...... per cent of budgeted target.

(A) 68-7% (B) 65-2% (C) 60-8% (D) 53-6% 2. India's Trade deficit of Ql (2018-19) stood at— (A) $ 48-32 bn (B) $ 44-94 bn (C) $41-39bn (D) $ 40-89 bn 3. At end-June 2018, the number of broadband

subscribers in the country stood at— (A) 39-60 crore (B) 42-31 crore (C) 44-71 crore (D) 52-13 crore 4. At end-June 2018, the tele-density in India stood at— (A) 89-72 (B) 82-93 (C) 79-87 (D) 78-32 5. Which of the following is the largest wired broadband

service provider in the country ? (A) BSNL (B) Bharti Airtel (C) Hathway Cable (D) Atria Convergence 6. Who amongst the following Indians has been placed

at the highest rank in the list of '40 under 40'—a list of most influential young people in business ?

(A) Anu Duggal (B) BaijuBhati (C) Dhivya Suryadevara (D) AnjaliSud 7. 7 Indian companies got ranks in 'Fortune 500' list this

year. Which of the following Indian companies got the highest rank ?

(A) Reliance Industries (B) SBI (C) Tata Motors (D) Indian Oil Corporation 8. Which of the following companies got the highest

rank in 'Fortune 500' list ? (A) State Grid (B) Walmart (C) Exxon Mobil (D) Apple 9. India ranked ......in terms of Market performance

2018. (A) 7th (B) 8th (C) 9th (D) 10th 10. Which of the following nations got the top rank in

terms of Market Performance 2018 ? (A) Brazil (B) Hong Kong (C) China (D) Japan 11. What is India's rank in WEF's Inclusive Development

Index 2018? (A) 58th (B) 60th (C) 62nd (D) 64th 12. Which of the following nations becomes world's most

inclusive advance economy in the WEF's Index 2018?

(A) Norway (B) Ireland (C) Luxemburg (D) Switzerland 13. According to the results of Grant Thornton's

International Business Report (IBR), India's rank in Business Optimism Ranking stood at......among 37 nations.

(A) 6th (B) 7th (C) 8th (D) 9th 14. Milk production in India during 2017-18 stood at— (A) 162 MT (B) 169 MT (C) 176 MT (D) 182 MT 15. As per the 4th advance estimates of foodgrains, for

the year 2017-18, the total foodgrains production stood at the level—

(A) 290-32 MT (B) 284-83 MT (C) 275-11 MT (D) 271-32 MT 16. As per the 4th advance estimates of foodgrains for

the year 2017-18, the wheat production in the country stood at—

(A) 96-48 MT (B) 98-51 MT (C) 99-60 MT (D) 100-03 MT 17. Horticulture production in India during the year ended

June 2018 is pegged at— (A) 298-53 MT (B) 301-32MT (C) 306-82 MT (D) 310-32 MT 18. As per the CSO's latest estimates, the GDP growth in

Ql of 2018-19 (at constant prices of 2011-12) stood at—

(A) 8-0% (B) 8-2% (C) 8-5% (D) 8-9% 19. As per the CSO's latest estimates the GDP growth in

Ql of 2018-19 at current prices stood at— (A) 13-8% (B) 12-2% (C) 12-0% (D) 11-9% 20. As per the CSO's latest estimates which quarter

of 2017-18 registered the highest GDP growth at constant price of 2011-12 ?

(A) Ql (B) Q2 (C) Q3 (D) Q4 21. As per the latest estimates of CSO, released on August

31, 2018, the GVA growth at Basic prices for Ql of 2018-19 stood at—

(A) 8-2% (B) 8-0% (C) 7-7% (D) 7-6% 22. Which of the following sectors showed the maximum

growth in GVA at basic prices in Ql of 2018-19 ? (A) Manufacturing (B) Construction



(C) Electricity, Gas etc. (D) Trade, Hotel etc. services 23. What is India's rank in Logistics Performance Index

2018 ? (A) 42nd (B) 44th (C) 46th (D) 48th 24. Which of the following nations tops the list of

Logistics Performance Index 2018 ?

(A) Germany (B) Sweden (C) Austria (D) Singapore 25. In Ql of 2018-19, Indian exports (in US $ terms)

registered a growth of...... per cent over the figure of Ql of 2017-18.

(A) 10-32 (B) 12-83 (C) 14-21 (D) 16-32

1. (A) 2. (B) 3. (C) 4. (A) 5. (A) 6. (C) 7. (D) 8. (B) 9. (C) 10. (A)

11. (C) 12. (A) 13. (B) 14. (C) 15. (B) 16. (C) 17. (C) 18. (B) 19. (A) 20. (D)

21. (B) 22. (A) 23. (B) 24. (A) 25. (C)





GK September Part-1

1. Which Indian President served in various educational institutions after completing his MA in economics ? He started as a professor of English at the Langat Singh College in Muzaffarpur in Bihar and went on to become the principal—

(A) Dr. Rajendra Prasad (B) Dr. Zakir Husain (C) Fakharruddin Al Ahmad (D) Dr. S. Radha Krishnan 2. Which Santiniketan graduate and award-winning

writer was the most famous teacher of Vijay-garh Jyotish Ray College, and known for works such as Rudali, Hajar Churashir Maa and Aranyer Adhikar ?

(A) Dr. Ravindra Nath Tagore (B) Mahasweta Devi (C) Bankim Chandra Chatterji (D) Satyajit Ray 3. India and.........have signed an implementation

agreement on "MOBILISE YOUR CITY" (MYC) programme—

(A) France (B) UK (C) Italy (D) Japan 4. India has signed an implementation agreement with

France to launch 'Mobilise Your City' programme. MYC aims at supporting three pilot cities for reduc tion of Green House Gas (GHG) emissions related to urban transport. These cities are :

I. Nagpur II. Kochi III. Ahmedabad IV. Jaipur V. Kanpur Correct code is— (A) Only I, II and III (B) Only II, III and IV (C) Only III, IV and V (D) I, II,JH, IV and V . 5. Which of the following is/are associated with maternal

care ? I. Janani Suraksha Yojana ' (JSY) II. Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram(JSSK) III. White Ribbon Alliance (WRAI) Correct code is— (A) I, II and III (B) Only I (C) Only II (D) Only I and II 6. India Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is working

on a mission to put the first Indian in space through— (A) Chandrayaan (B) Mangalyaan (C) Gaganyaan (D) None of the above 7. Section 377 of IPC was in the news in August, 2018.

Which of the following terms is/are closely associated with it ?

I. LGBTQ II. LGBTTTQQIAA (A) Only I (B) Only II

Test-3

(C) I and II both (D) Neither I nor II 8. India's rank in Human Development Index 2017 is— (A) 125th (B) 130th (C) 136th (D) 139th 9. India's Rank in Gender Inequality Index 2017 is— (A) 127th (B) 128th (C) 129th (D) 130th 10. Which of the following indices is/are estimated and

released by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) ?

I. Human Development Index II. Physical Quality of Life Index III. Gender Development Index IV. Multidimensional Poverty Index V. Gender Inequality Index VI. Inequality Adjusted Human Development Index Correct code is— (A) Only I, III and V (B) Only I, III, IV, V and VI (C) Only I (D) I, II, III, IV, V and VI 11. Logistic Performance Index is estimated and released

by— (A) World Bank (B) United Nations Industrial Development

Organisation (C) Organisation for Economic Cooperation and

Development (D) World Economic Forum 12. India's rank in World Bank Logistic Performance

Index, 2018 is—' (A) 27th (B) 44th (C) 100th (D) lllth 13. Sustainable Development Goal Index is estimated and

released by- (A) World Bank (B) UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (C) Bertelsmann Stiftung (D) Jointly by (B) and (C) 14. Fourth Summit of BIMSTEC was organised on 30-31

August, 2018 at— (A) Nay Pyi Taw (Myanmar) (B) Bangkok (Thailand) (C) Kathmandu (Nepal) (D) Colombo (Sri Lanka) 15. How many Gold Medals were won by India in 18th

Asian Games held in Indonesia ? (A) 12 (B) 13 (C) 14 (D) 15 16. ............on September 17, 2018 rolled out the world's

first hydrogen-powered train.



(A) Japan (B) China (C) Germany (D) USA 17. Government of India announced a proposal to

amalgamate three public sector banks : Bank of Baroda, Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank. Which of these banks is the only profit making bank ?

I. Bank of Baroda II. Dena Bank III. Vijaya Bank (A) I, II and III (B) Only III (C) Only I and III (D) None of the above 18. The government of India has set a foodgrain target

of............for 2018-19. (A) 285-2 million tones (mt) (B) 300-0 million tones (mt) (C) 310-0 million tones (Mt) (D) 325-0 million tones (mt) 19. India Post Payments Bank was launched on September

1,2018 by PM Modi. Which of the following Life insurers has entered into a strategic partnership with/it to bring life insurance to every household in the country ?

(A) Life Insurance Corporation of India (B) Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Co. (C) ICICI Life Prudential Life Insurance (D) HDFC Life Insurance 20. According to a report by United Nations Inter-agency

Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNIGME) three infants dies every minutes on an average in India due to lack of—

I. Access to water II. Access to sanitation III. Proper nutrition IV. Adequate basic health services Correct code is— (A) Only III and IV are correct (B) Only IV is correct (C) Only I, III and III are correct (D) I, II, III and IV are correct 21. Which of the following pairs is mismatched ? (A) Egyptian Civilization —River Nile (B) Mesopotamian Civilization —River Tigris (C) Indus Valley Civilization —River Sutlej (D) Chinese Civilization —River Huang Ho 22. Consider the List-I and List-II and choose the correct

code given below:List-I List-II

(A) Pharaoh 1. Youngest King of ancient Egypt

(B) Sphinx 2. Picture Writing in ancient Egypt

(C) Hieroglyphics 3. A mythical creature with the body of a lion and the head of a human

(D) KingTu 4. Kings of EgyptCorrect code is— (A) (B) (C) (D) (A) 4 3 2 1

(B) 1 2 3 4 (C) 3 2 1 4 (D) 2 1 4 3 23. Palas patronized which form of Buddhism ? (A) Hinayana (B) Mahayana (C) Sarvastavadin (D) All of the above 24. Palas, Pratiharas, and the Rashtra-kutas fought for the

control over which city ? (A) Ujjain (B) Patilputra (C) Kannauj (D) Kaushambi 25. Which of the following was the last dynasty of Delhi

Sultanate ? (A) Khalji Dynasty (B) Tughlaq Dynasty (C) Lodi Dyanasty (D) Sayyid Dynasty 26. Who was a leader and a member of Hindu Mahasabha

and also the President of Trade Union Congress ? (A) Bal Gangadhar Tilak (B) Bipin Chandra Pal (C) Madan Mohan Malviya (D) Lala Lajpat Rai 27. The Servants of India Society was established by— (A) Smt. Annie Besant (B) Gopal Krishna Gokhale (C) Dada Bhai Naoroji (D) Mahatma Gandhi 28. Which of the following statements is/are correct about

the Rajya Sabha ? (A) It is the Upper House of the parliament but

powerwise, it is inferior to Lok Sabha (B) Rajya Sabha is not empowered to pass a^no

confidence motion against the government (C) Vice-President of India is the Ex-officio

Chairman of the Rajya Sabha (D) All of the above 29. The term of Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Assembly

is— (A) Four Years (B) Five Years (C) Six Years (D) Seven Years 30. Which of the following bodies has/ have constitutional

status ? I. Gram Panchayat II. Municipality III. Zila Panchayat IV. Nagar Nigam Correct code is— (A) Only I and II (B) Only III and IV (C) Only I and IV (D) I, II, III and IV 31. Which of the following state(s) has/have two Lok

Sabha Constituencies ? I. Nagaland II. Arunachal Pradesh III. Meghalaya IV. Sikkim Correct code is— (A) Only III (B) Only I and II (C) Only IV (D) None of the above 32. Tenth Schedule of the Constitution of India is related

to the—



(A) Panchayati Raj Institutions (B) Anti defection law (C) List of approved Languages (D) Forms of Oath and allegiance for various

constitutional posts 33. Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) deals with— (A) Recruitment matters (B) Promotion Matters (C) Disciplinary Matters (D) Recruitment and all service matters 34. The condition(s) for recognition as a National political

party in India is/are— (A) Secure at least 6% of the valid vote in an

Assembly or a Lok Sabha General Election in any four or more states and won at least 4 seats in a Lok Sabha General Election from any State or States

(B) Win at least 2% of the total Lok Sabha seats in a Lok Sabha General Election and these seats have to be won from at least 3 states

(C) The party is recognized as a State Party in at least four states

(D) Any of the above 35. The Nile river in the Egypt flows from— (A) South to north (B) North to south (C) East to west (D) West to east 36. A river originates in Upper Himalaya and flows from

1. (A) 2. (B) 3. (A) 4. (A) 5. (A) 6. (C) 7. (C) 8. (B) 9. (A) 10. (B)

11. (A) 12. (B) 13. (D) 14. (C) 15. (D) 16. (C) 17. (B) 18. (A) 19. (B) 20. (D)

21. (C) 22. (A) 23. (B) 24. (C) 25. (C) 26. (D) 27. (B) 28. (D) 29. (C) 30. (D)

31. (A) 32. (B) 33. (D) 34. (D) 35. (A) 36. (B) 37. (A) 38. (A) 39.T (B) 40. (D)


west to east initially but finally east to west. The river is—

(A) Ramganga (B) Brahmaputra (C) Indus (D) Sutlej 37. Keoladeo National Park is situated in the state of

Rajasthan. It is also known as— (A) Ghana Pakshee Vihar (B) Swarna Pakshee Vihar (C) Mraga Vihar (D) Harit Bird sanctuary 38. Cirrhosis is a late stage of scarring (fibrosis) of the— (A) liver (B) Lungs (C) Kidney (D) Spleen 39. Female Anopheles mosquito is the vector of— (A) KalaZaar (B) Malaria (C) lymphatic filariasis (D) None of the above 40. Which of the following pairs is not matched correctly? (A) Valley of flowers —Uttarakhand (B) Sahaliyon kee bari —Rajasthan (C) Rani ki vav —Gujarat (D) Chilka Lake —Jammu & Kashmir




GK September Part-1

GK September Part-1

1. Which one of the following is not correctly matched ? Crop Disease (A) Paddy Wilt (B) Mustard White rust (C) Bajra Smut (D) Groundnut Tikka 2. Which of the following chemical fertilizers is

relatively more soluble in water at 20°C ? (A) Ammonium Sulphate (B) Urea (C) Diammonium phosphate (D) A m m o n i u m

Chloride 3. The leading mulberry silk producing Indian State is— (A) Andhra Pradesh (B) Tamil Nadu (C) Karnataka (D) West Bengal 4. Which one of the following agency is not involved in

exporting agricultural goods ? (A) NAFED (B) State Trading Corporation (C) IFFCO (D) MMTC 5. What is/are the cause/s of slow progress of India's

export ? (A) High price (B) Foreign competition (C) Low level of goods (D) All of the above 6. Asia's biggest gold market is— (A) Jakarta, Indonesia (B) Beijing, China (C) Kathmandu, Nepal (D) Meerut, India 7. In India, Special Economic Zone policy was

announced in— (A) April 2000 (B) April 2001 (C) April 2002 (D) April 2003 8. V.V. Giri National Labour Institute is located at— (A) Noida (B) New Delhi (C) Ghaziabad (D) Gurugram 9. Which of the following group belongs to fibre crop ? (A) Patsan, Gram, Linseed (B) Lentil, Oat, Dhaicha (C) Cotton, Jute, Sunhemp (D) Jute, Wheat, Cotton 10. National Chamber of Industries and Commerce, U.P.

is located in— (A) Kanpur (B) Lucknow (C) Agra (D) Allahabad 11. The category/categories of commodities exported

from India is/are— (A) Traditional export item (B) Non-traditional item with uncertainty (C) Non-traditional item with good prospects (D) All of the above

12. The main security guard of international trade is— (A) WTO (B) World Bank (C) IMF (D) IFC 13. Inside trading is related to— (A) Horse racing (B) Taxation (C) Public expenditure (D) Share market 14. The Round Conference of GATT is normally held

every year in— (A) London (B) New York (C) New Delhi (D) Geneva 15. Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer

from codes given below—List-I (Area) List-II (Minerals)

(A) Sonebhadra 1. Copper

(B) Allahabad 2. Glass Sand

(C) Lalitpur 3. Non-plastic fire clay

(D) Mirzapur 4. Limestone

Codes: (A) (B) (C) (D) (A) 4 3 1 2 (B) 3 1 2 4 (C) 3 2 4 1 (D) 4 2 1 3 16. As on December 31, 2017, how many State

Universities are there under the Higher Education Department in Uttar Pradesh ?

(A) 12 (B) 13 (C) 14 (D) More than 15 17. The long-term vision of the Department of Commerce

is to make India a major player in the world trade by—

(A) 2018 (B) 2019 (C) 2020 (D) 2021 18. According to Census 2011, the highest average

literacy rate of the following four districts in correct descending order is—

(A) Gautam Buddha Nagar, Kanpur Nagar, Auraiya, Ghaziabad

(B) Gautam Buddha Nagar, Kanpur Nagar, Auraiya, Etawah

(C) Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Auraiya, Kanpur Nagar

(D) Ghaziabad, Kanpur Nagar, Auraiya, Gautam Buddha Nagar

19. 'The culture of Uttar Pradesh has a historical past.' It consists of which amongst the following:

Test-4



1. Buddha 2. Rama 3. Nawabs 4. Maharaj Select the correct answer from the codes given below: Codes: (A) 1,2 and 3 (B) 2, 3 and 4 (C) 3,4 and 1 (D) 4,1 and 2 20. Which of the following pairs is not correctly matched? (A) Harmonium player—Shri Ram (B) Brij—Ras Nritya (C) Mirzapur—Birha (D) Gayaki—Mubarak Ali Khan 21. Which one of the following is the main commercial

crop of Uttar Pradesh ? (A) Jute (B) Sugarcane (C) Cotton (D) Oilseeds 22. Which one of the following is not a major upcoming

investment project of Uttar Pradesh Industrial Development Corporation ?

(A) Theme Park, Agra (B) Mega Food Park, Bareilly (C) Textile Park, Varanasi (D) Defence Park, Shahjahanpur 23. Which one of the following pairs is not correctly

matched ? (A) Lock Industry —Aligarh (B) Carpet Industry —Bhadohi (C) Bangle Industry —Shahjahanpur (D) Chikan Industry —Lucknow 24. Uttar Pradesh is the highest producer of which of the

following crops in the country ? 1. Sugarcane 2. Paddy 3. Potato 4. Maize Select the correct answer— (A) land 2 (B) 2 and 3 (C) 3 and 4 (D) 1 and 3 25. Diesel Locomotive Works, Varanasi now

manufactures/ provides— (A) Diesel Engine (B) Electric Engine (C) Diesel and Electric Engine both (D) Diesel Engine & Electric Supply 26. The first 'Deendayal Handicraft Complex' trade

facilitation centre is located at— (A) Agra (B) Varanasi (C) Kanpur (D) Gorakhpur 27. The length of Agra-Lucknow Express Highway is

approximately— (A) 300 kms (B) 250 kms (C) 350 kms (D) 400 kms 28. In Uttar Pradesh, coal deposits are found in— (A) Vindhya Region (B) Singrauli Region (C) Bundelkhand Region (D) All of the above 29. As per 2011 Census, what is the Male/Female ratio in

U.P. ?

(A) 898/1000 (B) 836/1000 (C) 912/1000 (D) 950/1000 30. Under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM)

Scheme, a village level health worker is known as— (A) USHA (B) ASHA (C) AMW (D) PUJA 31. Which of the following community in Western Uttar

Pradesh has a traditional social organization called 'Khap Panchayat System' ?

(A) Rajputs (B) Gujjars (C) Jats (D) Jatav 32. Which of the following committees recommended

'Three-Tier Panchayat Raj System' ? (A) Balwant Rai Mehta Committee (B) Ashok Mehta Committee (C) Rao Committee (D) Singhvi Committee 33. Consider the following in relation to 'Single Window

Clearance Department' in U.P. and select the correct answer from the codes given below:

1. Industrial Services 2. Industrial Acceptance 3. Industrial Approval 4. Industrial Solid Waste Management Codes: (A) 1 is correct (B) 1 and 2 are correct (C) 1, 2 and 3 are correct (D) 1,2, 3 and 4 are correct 34. Who has -authored 'Kissa Radha Kanhaiya' ? (A) Syed Agha Hassan Kashmiri (B) Nawab Wajid Ali Shah (C) Babu Gopalchandra Alias Girdhardas (D) Pandit Pratap Narain Mishra 35. "Women Power Line-1090 Yojana" was started on— (A) 12-12-2012 (B) 15-11-2012 (C) 16-11-2013 (D) 20-11-2014 36. With reference to Uttar Pradesh Financial Corporation,

which of the following statement/s is/are correct ? 1. It provides financial assistance to small and

medium industries. 2. It provides financial assistance to small and

medium sector service units. Select the correct answer from the codes given below: (A) Only 1 is correct (B) Only 2 is correct (C) Both 1 and 2 are correct (D) Neither 1 nor 2 is correct 37. Match List-I and List-II and select the correct answer

from the codes given below :List-I

(World Days)List-II (Date)

(A) World Earth Day 1. 22 March

(B) World Cities Day 2. 11 July

(C) World Populaton Day 3. 31 October

(D) World Water Day 22. April



38. Examine the following statements and select the correct answer from the codes given ahead:

1. The child sex-ratio (0-6 years) of India has declined during 2001-11.

2. The child sex-ratio in Haryana has increased during 2001-11.

3. India's rural sex-ratio is higher than urban sex-ratio.

4. The male infant mortality-rate in India is higher than female infant mortality rate.

Codes: (A) 1 and 2 (B) 2 and 3 (C) 1,2 and 3 (D) 1,3 and 4 39. In which of the following districts of U.P. 'Agariya'

tribe resides ? (A) Ghaziabad (B) Ghazipur (C) Mirzapur (D) Sonebhadra 40. Consider the following statements and select the

correct answer from the codes given below : Assertion (A): There is very small number of

Scheduled Caste population in the North Eastern States of India. Reason (R) : The North-Eastern States of India have very small percentage of area under cultivation. Codes:

(A) Both (A) and (R) are correct and (R) explains (A) (B) Both (A) and (R) are correct, but (R) does not

explain (A) (C) (A) is true, but (R) is false (D) (A) is false, but (R) is true 41. Which of the following States recorded negative

growth rate of population in 2011 ? (A) Kerala (B) Goa (C) Nagaland (D) Meghalaya 42. Match the List-I with List-II and select the correct

answer from the codes given below:

List-I List-II(A) Gaddis" 1. Meghalaya

(B) Todas 2. Himachal Pradesh

(C) Khasis 3. Manipur

(D) Naga 4. Tamil Nadu

Codes: (A) (B) (C) (D) (A) 1 2 4 3 (B) 3 1 2 4 (C) 4 3 2 1 (D) 2 4 1 3 43. Among the following whose name is associated with

migration theory ? (A) Notestein (B) Thompson (C) Lee (D) Doubleday 44. Consider the following statements and select the

correct answer from the codes given below:

Assertion (A): In India rural to urban migration of population constitutes the largest share. Reason (R) : Rural to rural migration is mainly the women migration.

Codes: (A) Both (A) and (R) are correct and (R) explains

(A) (B) Both (A) and (R) are correct, but (R) does not

explain (A) (C) (A) is true, but (R) is false (D) (A) is false, but (R) is true 45. The place of India among 58 countries of the world as

per 2017 Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) published by the German watch is—

(A) 23rd (B) 22nd (C) 21st (D) 20th 46. When and where the National Environment

Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) was established ?

(A) 1970, Dhanbad (B) 1958, Nagpur (C) 1956, New Delhi (D) 1960, Chennai 47. When the Environment (Protection) Act for

preservation and protection of environment was passed by the Government of India ?

(A) 1986 (B) 1981 (C) 1987 (D) 1978 48. Which one of the following is the permanent gas in

the atmosphere ? (A) Carbon dioxide (B) Ozone (C) Nitrogen (D) Neon 49. Greenwash refers to— (A) Promoting Jhum agriculture (B) Cleaning of river water (C) Removing greenery (D) Making false promises of protecting environment 50. Which one of the following is not the objective of the

smart city development ? (A) Good governance (B) Clean green city (C) Stabilizing quality of life (D) Smart mobility 51. In which of the following institutes, the Environmental

Information System (ENVIS)'s 'Centre on Pollution and Environment' is located ?

(A) IIT, Kharagpur (B) IIT, New Delhi (C) UPS, Mumbai (D) NIRS, Dehradun 52. Among the following Union Territories which one is

the least urabanized ? (A) Lakshadweep (B) Andaman and Nicobar Islands (C) Dadra and Nagar Haveli (D) Puducherry 53. When did India adopted the New National Population

Policy ? (A) 1990 (B) 1995 (C) 2000 (D) 2005



54. According to 2011 Census, how many million cities are there in India ?

(A) 35 (B) 46 (C) 53 (D) 57 55. As per United Nations data, what percentage of

world's population was estimated to live in urban settlements in 2016 ?

(A) 53-5 (B) 54-5 (C) 55-5 (D) 56-5 56. What is meant by the term 'Umland' ? (A) The heart area of a town (B) A satellite town (C) Area surrounding a town (D) Residential area of a town 57. Which one of the following States ranks second

in India in terms of total literacy rate and level of urbanization as per 2011 Census ?

(A) Tamil Nadu (B) Mizoram (C) Nagaland (D) Gujarat 58. In which of the following States the level of

urbanization (% of urban population) is the lowest as per 2011 Census ?

(A) Arunachal Pradesh (B) Sikkim (C) Bihar (D) Nagaland 59. Which of the following were underlined by Indian

Prime Minister as the Global Challenges at the World Economic Forum's Annual Summit at Davos (Switzerland) on January 23, 2018 ?

1. Climate change 2. Terrorism 3. Protectionisms 4. Cold War Select the correct answer from the codes given below:

Codes: (A) 1,2 and 3 only (B) 2, 3 and 4 only (C) 1,3 and 4 only (D) 1,2 and 4 only 60. Consider the' following statements and select the

correct answer from the codes given below: Assertion (A): India is a case of an over-urbanized

country. Reason (R) : Most of the large cities in India do not have adequate infrastructure. Codes:

(A) Both (A) and (R) are correct and (R) explains (A)

(B) Both (A) and (R) are correct, but (R) does not explain (A)

(C) (A) is true, but (R) is false (D) (A) is false, but (R) is true 61. Which of the following presents the correct sequence

(in descending order) of the area of the Continents ? (A) Asia, Africa, North America, Europe (B) Africa, Asia, Europe, North America (C) North America, Africa,Asia, Europe (D) North America, Asia, Africa, Europe 62. Which of the following countries is not located in the

Continent of Africa ? (A) Gabon (B) Guinea (C) Guinea Bissau (D) Guyana

63. Match the List-I with List-II and select the correct answer from the codes given below:

List-I (Ocean) List-II (Deepest Point)(a) Pacific Ocean 1. Java Trench

(b) Atlantic Ocean 2. Eurasian Basin

(c) Indian Ocean 3. Mariana Trench

(d) Arctic Ocean 4. Puerto Rico Trench

Codes: (a) (b) (c) (d) (A) 4 3 2 1 (B) 3 4 1 2 (C) 1 3 4 2 (D) 2 4 3 1 64. Match the List-I with List-II and select the correct

answer from the codes given below:

List-I (Mineral) List-II (Country)(a) Silver 1. Chile

(b) Mica 2. Russian Federation

(c) Iron Ore 3. Mexico

(d) Copper 4. India

Codes: (a) (b) (c) (d) (A) 3 4 2 1 (B) 2 3 4 1 (C) 3 2 1 4 (D) 3 1 4 2 65. Which of the following lakes is located entirely within

the United States ? (A) Michigan (B) Superior (C) Ontario (D) Erie 66. Which of the following instruments is used to record

seismic waves ? (A) Seismogram (B) Seismograph (C) Seismoscope (D) Seismometer 67. What was the total Fertility Rate (TFR) by residence

of India as per Same Registration Survey (SRS), 2016?

(A) 3-4 (B) 3-1 (C) 2-3 (D) 2-8 68. P. Sengupta and G. Sdasyuk (1968) divided India into

how many million agricultural regions ? (A) 58 (B) 63 (C) 60 (D) 65 69. Kole Dam Project has been constructed which of the

following rivers in India ? (A) Krishna (B) Satluj (C) Godavari (D) Narmada 70. Which of the following States of India produces

maximum silk yarn ? (A) Tamil Nadu (B) Punjab (C) Madhya Pradesh (D) Karnataka 71. Match List-I with List-II and select correct answer

from the codes given below:



List-I (Coalfields) List-II (States)(a) Rajmahal 1. West Bengal

(b) Sohagpur 2. Chhattisgarh

(c) Bisrampur 3. Madhya Pradesh

(d) Raniganj 4. Jharkhand

Codes: (a) (b) (c) (d) (A) 1 2 3 4 (B) 4 3 2 1 (C) 1 4 3 2 (D) 3 2 4 1

72. Which of the following represents correct sequence in descending order the four largest sugar producing State India in 2015-16 ?

(A) Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu

(B) Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu

(C) Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka

(D) Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu

73. Which of the following countries was largest exporter (value in $) of tea in world in 2016-17 ?

(A) Sri Lanka (B) India (C) China (D) Kenya 74. Which of the following city is nearest to the Tropic of

Cancer ? (A) Jabalpur (B) Ahmedabad (C) Ujjain (D) Varanasi

75. State boundary of Uttar Pradesh is common with how many Staets in India ?

(A) 6 (B) 7 (C) 8 (D) 9 76. Given below are two statements. One labelled as

Assertion (A) and the other as Reason (R): Assertion (A) : Gondwana System of Rocks provides about 95% of the coal of India. Reason (R) : Most of the ferrous and non-ferrous minerals are associated with the Dharwar system of rocks.

Select the correct answer from the codes given below: Codes:

(A) Both (A) and (R) are correct and (R) is the correct explanation of (A)

(B) Both (A) and (R) are correct, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A)

(C) (A) is true, but (R) is false (D) (A) is false, but (R) is true 77. Which of the following States had the largest

percentage of its geographical area under forests in 2015 ?

(A) Arunachal Pradesh (B) Nagaland (C) Meghalaya (D) Mizoram

78. Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer from the codes given below:

List-I(Grassland/Hill Station)

List-II(Location/State)

(a) Banni Grassland 1. Uttarakhand

(b) Bugyal Grassland 2. Jammu & Kashmir

(c) Khajjiar 3. Gujarat

(d) Pahalgam 4. Himachal Pradesh

Codes: (a) (b) (c) (d) (A) 1 3 2 4 (B) 3 1 4 2 (C) 3 1 2 4 (D) 4 2 1 3 79. Which of the following mountain systems of India is

the oldest ? (A) Aravalli (B) Himalayas (C) Satpura (D) Nilgiri 80. Which of the following is not correctly matched ? (A) Kumargupta-I : Mandsore Inscription (B) Patika : Takshila Inscription (C) Prabhavatigupta : Udaigiri Cave Inscription (D) Samudragupta : Erana Inscription 81. Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer

from the codes given belolw:List-I List-II

(a) Harappa 1. Cemetry R-37

(b) Lothal 2. Dockyard

(c) Kalibanga 3. Dancing Girl Statue

(d) Mohenjo-Daro 4. Furrowed land

Codes: (a) (b) (c) (d) (A) 1 2 3 4 (B) 2 1 4 3 (C) 3 4 1 2 (D) 1 2 4 3 82. Arrange in chronological order : 1. Patpara formation 2. Khetaunhi formation 3. Baghor formation 4. Sihawal formation Codes: (A) 1,4,2,3 (B) 4,1,3,2 (C) 1,2,3,4 (D) 4,3,2,1 83. Both Sankarshana and Vasudeva are depicted on the

coins of which of the following rulers ? (A) Huvishka (B) Kanishka (C) Samudragupta (D) Agathocles 84. Study the following statements about the Vedic God

Indra and select the correct answer from the codes given below :



1. Was the God of thunder. 2. Punished the sinners. 3. Was the guardian of the moral or,der. 4. Was the God of Rain. Codes: (A) 1 and 2 are correct (B) 1 and 3 are correct (C) 2 and 4 are correct (D) 1 and 4 are correct 85. Arrange the names of the following historical

personalities in correct chronological order and select the correct answer from the codes given below :

1. Nagabhatta-II 2. Mahipala 3. Mahendragupta 4. Vatsaraja Codes: (A) 2, 3,1, 4 (B) 4,1, 3, 2 (C) 1,2,3,4 (D) 3,1,4,2 86. With reference to digging canals for enriching

agriculture, who among the following is given the credit of being the first ruler of 13th Century ?

(A) Balban (B) Iltutmish (C) Ghiasuddin Tuglaq (D) Razia Begum 87. Who among the following Sikh Guru started

'Gurumukhi' ? (A) Guru Nanak (B) Guru Amardas (C) Guru Ramdas (D) Guru Angad 88. The attempt of Allauddin Khilji to control the market

prices— (A) led to agricultural progress (B) benefitted only Nobles/ Courtiers (C) was highly successful (D) alienated ruler from masses 89. The department of 'Diwan-i-Amir-Kohi' dealt with

which of the following during Sultanate period ? (A) Army (B) Revenue (C) Agriculture (D) Entertainment 90. Who among the following was the first Sultan to

introduce token currency in India ? (A) Iltutmish (B) Balban (C) Muhammad bin Tughlaq (D) BahlolLodi 91. Who among the following was the first Persian poet to

depict Indian environment in his poetry ? (A) Amir Khusrau (B) Amir Hasan (C) Abu Talib Kaleem (D) Faizi 92. During whose rule did Magas-thanes come to India ? (A) Ashoka (B) Harshvardhan (C) Chandragupta Maurya (D) Kumargupta 93. Which of the following events occurring last ? (A) Chauri-Chaura incident (B) Dandi March (C) Gandhi-Irwin Pact (D) Declaration of Communal Award

94. Match List-I with List-II and select correct answer from the codes given below:

List-I (Commission) List-II (Chairman)(A) Railway Commission (1901) 1. Anthony Mac Donnell

(B) Famine Commission (1899) 2. Colin Scott Moncrieff

(C) Irrigation Commission (1901) 3. Andrew Frazer

(D) Police Reform Commission (1902)

4. Thomas Robertson

Codes: (A) (B) (C) (D) (A) 3 1 4 2 (B) 3 2 1 4 (C) 4 1 2 3 (D) 4 2 1 3 95. With reference to 'deindus-trialization' which of the

following statements is/are true ? 1. This process started in 1813. 2. Abolition of monopoly trade rights East India

Company aggravated to process. Select the correct answer from the codes given below:

Codes: (A) 1 only (B) 2 only (C) Both land 2 (D) Neither 1 nor 2 96. Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer

from the codes given below:List-I List-II

(A) Bhimsen Kayestha 1. Char Chaman

(B) Chandrabhan Brahman 2. Futuhat-i-Alamgiri

(C) Ishwardas Nagar 3. Khulasat-ut-Tawarikh

(D) Sujanrai Bhandari 4. Tarikh-i-Dilkusha

Codes: (A) (B) (C) (D) (A) 1 2 3 4 (B) 2 3 4 1 (C) 3 4 1 2 (D) 4 1 2 3 97. Consider the following events : 1. Cripps Mission 2. August Offer 3. Nehru Report 4. Wavell Plan The correct chronological order of these events is: (A) 3,1, 2, 4 (B) 3, 2,1,4 (C) 2,1,3,4 (D) 1,3,2,4 98. Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer

from the code's given below:

List-I (Place) List-II (Year of Annexation by British)

(A) Sambalpur 1. 1848

(B) Satara 2. 1849

(C) Awadh 3. 1854

(D) Jhansi 4. 1856



Codes: (A) (B) (C) (D) (A) 2 1 3 4 (B) 2 1 4 3 (C) 1 2 4 3 (D) 3 1 4 299. Which of the following pairs is not correctly matched ? (A) Delhi Conspiracy Case— Amirchand (B) Kakori Conspiracy Case— Ashfaqulla (C) Lahore Conspiracy Case— Jatin Das (D) Nasik Conspiracy Case— Ras Bihari Bose 100. With the reforms of 1919 having failed to fulfil the

aspirations of the people of India, the Indian National Congress launched an agitation for 'Swaraj' or 'Self-Government' under the leadership of—

(A) Mahatma Gandhi (B) G.K. Gokhale (C) Bal Gangadhar Tilak (D) Moti Lai Nehru 101. With reference to revolts in British India, people

known as 'Kallar' belonged to which of the following region ?

(A) Kolhapur (B) Midnapore (C) Madurai (D) Rangpur 102. Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer

from the codes given ahead:List-I (Newspaper) List-II (Editor)

(a) Kal 1. Surendra Nath Banerjee

(b) Bengalee 2. Gopal Krishna Gokhale

(c) Sudharak 3. Dwarkanath Vidyabhushan

(d) Somaprakash 4. Shivrama Madhav Paranjape

Codes: (a) (b) (c) (d) (A) 4 1 2 3 (B) 4 1 3 2 (C) 3 1 4 2 (D) 3 1 2 4 103. Whose name amongst the following is not associated

with the Revolt of 1857 ? (A) Col. St. Legar (B) Lt.Col. Gibbs (C) Col. Wallace (D) All of the above 104. Which of the following events occurred first ? (A) Lord Lytton's Delhi Darbar (B) Santhal Revolt (C) First Anglo-Sikh War (D) Ilbart Bill Controversy 105. With reference to 'Santhal Hool' of 1855, which of

the following statement/s is/are correct ? Select the correct answer from the codes given below:

1. Major Baroz lost the battle with Santhals near Bhagal-pur.

2. Gokko was an important leader of Godda. 3. Mahajan Deen Dayal Rai is also an important

name in this context.

4. There was a time when Santhals enjoyed full sovereignty over the area of Ganga valley near Muzaffar-pur.

Codes: (A) lonly (B) 1,3,4 (C) 1,2,3 (D) 2 and 3 only - 106. Which one of the following was not a cause for

starting the Non-Cooperation Movement ? (A) Question of Khilafat (B) Salt Law (C) Atrocities in Punjab (D) RowlattAct 107. With which of the following Newspaper/Magazine,

Maha-tma Gandhi was not associated ? (A) Indian Opinion (B) Young India (C) Nav Jeevan (D) Yuganter 108. Which of the following was started in opposition to

the religious/social ideas of Ram Mohan Roy ? (A) Digdarshan (B) Samachar Chandrika (C) Samvad Kaumudi (D) Bengal Gazette 109. Rabindra Nath Tagore was awarded Nobel Prize in

the year— (A) 1913 (B) 1920 (C) 1922 (D) 1936 110. Who among the following are known as the 'Bombay

Triumvirate' ? (A) Tilak, Gokhale, Naoroji (B) Mehta, Tilak, Tyabjee (C) Mehta, Telang, Tyabjee (D) Naoroji, Telang, Deshmukh 111. Who wrote, "It is difficult to avoid the conclusion

that the so called first National War of Independence of 1857 is neither first, nor National, nor a war of independence ?"

(A) R. C. Majumdar (B) Syed Ahmad (C) Roberts (D) Coupland 112. Who among the following made 'Sanyasi Rebellion'

famous through his writings ? (A) Din Bandhu Mitra (B) Bankim Chandra Chatterjee (C) Sisir Kumar Ghosh (D) Harish Chandra 113. Which one of the following Congress leaders had

participated in the first meeting of All India Kisan Sabha ?

(A) Jawahar Lai Nehru (B) M.K.Gandhi (C) Subhash Chandra Bose (D) Rajendra Prasad 114. Who has written 'Satyarth Prakash' ? (A) Raja Ram Mohan Roy (B) Bal Gangadhar Tilak (C) Swami Vivekananda (D) Dayanand Saraswati 115. Which of the following was not one of the political

associations to be set up during the pre-Congress phase ?



(A) The British India Association (B) The Indian Association (C) Madras Native Association (D) Landholder's Society at Calcutta 116. Who founded the Asiatic Society Bengal in Calcutta

in 1784 ? (A) Jonathan Duncan (B) William Jones (C) Warren Hastings (D) Charles Grant 117. Arrange the following events chronologically: 1. Vernacular Press Act 2. Rowlatt Act 3. Ban on Sati 4. Woods Despatch (A) 1,2,3,4 (B) 3,1,2,4 (C) 3, 4,1, 2 (D) 3,1, 4, 2 118. Who among the following founded the India Harijan

Sevak Sangh in 1932 ? (A) B.C. Gokhale (B) M.K.Gandhi (C) B.R.Ambedkar (D) None of the above 119. Arrange the following events chronologically : 1. August Offer 2. Cripps Mission 3. Quit India Movement 4. Desai-Liyaqat Pact (A) 1,2,3,4 (B) 1,3,2,4 (C) 4,1, 3, 2 (D) 3, 2,1, 4 120. Which of the following is not correct matched ? (A) Famine in Western U.P.— 1871-72 (B) Famine in Orissa, Bengal, Bihar—1865-66 (C) Famine in Madras, Mysore, Hyderabad—1876-78 (D) Famine in Bengal—1943 121. Who was the Governor-General when Indian National

Congress was founded 1885 ? (A) Lord Linlithgo (B) Lord Wellesely (C) LordDufferin (D) Lord Salisbury 122. The world's longest glass bridge opened for public

recently lies in which of the following Chinese province ?

(A) Shandong (B) Hebei (C) Sichuan (D) Jiangsu 123. According to TRAL as on December 31, 2017, which

of the following telecommunication providers had the maximum market share (in percentage) ?

(A) Vodafone (B) Airtel (C) Reliance Jio (D) BSNL 124. An Indian who became Judge for second time in the

International Court of Justice. Hague, Netherlands is—

(A) Neeru Chadha (B) Dalveer Bhandari (C) H. L.Dattu (D) Harish Salve 125. On February 20, 2018 who became the first ever

Indian female to fly solo 'MIG-21 Bison' ? (A) Avani Chaturvedi (B) Mohana Singh (C) Bhawana Kanth (D) Shivangi Singh

126. Consider the following statements about the opening ceremony parade of athletics on February 9, 2018 in winter Olympic at Seoul, South Korea :

1. North Korean athelets did not participate. 2. There was no Russian flag. Of the above, the

correct statement/s is/are— (A) Onlyl (B) Only 2 (C) Both land 2 (D) Neither 1 nor 2 127. Who among the following is the first Indian

transgender Judge ? (A) Sadhna Sharma, Chhattis-garh (B) Chitra Barucha, Tamil Nadu (C) Oman Kutty, Kerala (D) Joyita Mondal, West Bengal 128. A major terror attack of 2017, in which over 500

people died, took place at— (A) Mogadishu, Somalia (B) Bir al-abed, Egypt (C) Kabul, Afghanistan (D) Wadi at Shati District, Libya 129. As on March 31, 2018, which of the following is the

India's fastest super computer ? (A) Piyush (B) Prashant (C) Pratyush (D) Pushkar 130. The second WTO/UNESCO Conference on Tourism

and Culture (11-12 December, 2017) was held in— (A) Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (B) Kuwait City, Kuwait (C) Muscat, Oman (D) Abu Dhabi, UAE 131. On February 18, 2018 who became the first ever

Indian bowler to have a Wicket haul in all the three formats (Test, ODI and T20) of International Cricket ?

(A) Ravichandran Ashwi (B) Ravindra Jadeja (C) Jasprit Bumrah (D) Bhuvaneshwar Kumar 132. In view of the World Happiness Report, 2018

published by United Nations on March 14, 2018. Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer from the codes given below the lists:

List-I (Country) List-II (Rank in Report)(A) Denmark 1. 1

(B) Finland 2. 2

(C) Norway 3. 3

(D) Ireland 4. 4

Codes: (A) (B) (C) (d) (A) 2 3 1 4 (B) 3 1 2 4 (C) 1 4 3 2 (D) 1 2 3 4 133. According to Bloomberg/ Forbes, Indian billionaire to

have the highest worth in 2017 is— (A) Gautam Adani (B) LaxmiMittal



(C) Mukesh Ambani (D) Ratan Tata 134. 'The Mobile World Congress' was held between

February 26 to March 1, 2018 in— (A) Wellington, New Zealand (B) Barcelona, Spain (C) Dubai, United Arab Emirates (D) Paris, France 135. Which of the following is the first Indian city to have

its own logo ? (A) Bengaluru (B) Mysuru (C) Mumbai (D) Indore 136. After winning a Gold Medal on March 2, 1018 at

the Asian Wrestling Championship held at Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan), who among the following created history of becoming first ever Indian woman to win a gold medal at an Asian Wrestling Championship ?

(A) Sakshi Malik (B) Sangeeta (C) VineshPhogat (D) NavjotKaur 137. Saubhagya Yojana is concerned with— (A) Financial assistance for marriage of girls (B) Scholarship • for girl's education (C) Provision of free electricity to BPL families (D) Provision of financial assistance to a new born

baby girl 138. According to UNICEF Report released on 20/02/2018,

which of the following countries is the riskiest for newborns ?

(A) Central Africa Republic (B) Afghanistan (C) Pakistan (D) Syria 139. Consider the following statements about Amma

Scooter Scheme : 1. It is a 75% subsidized scheme for working

women. 2. It is a scheme of AIADMK government of Tamil

Nadu. 3. It was launched by Prime Minister Shri

Narendra Modi on 69th birth anniversary of Late Jayalalithaa.

4. This scheme will benefit working women living in Chennai only.

Of the above, the correct statements are— (A) Only land 2 (B) Only 2 and 3 (C) Only 2 and 4 (D) Only 1,3 and 4 140. The First People of Indian Origin Parliamentarian

Conference was held at— (A) New Delhi (B) Dhaka (C) Bhopal (D) Rajshahi 141. The Indian Women who won the Miss World Title

was:

1. Manushi Chillar 2. Aishwarya Rai 3. Priyanka Chopra 4. Diana Hayden The correct chronological order of their win is— (A) 4, 3, 2, 1 (B) 2,4,3,1 (C) 3,2,4,1 (D) 3,4,2,1 142. According to Time Magazine the person/institution of

the year 2017 is— (A) Narendra Modi (B) Donald Trump (C) Angela Markel (D) The Silence Breakers 143. Which of the following is not correctly matched ?

List-I (World Days) List-II (Dates)(A) International Women Day 8 March

(B) World Water Day 22 April

(C) World Leprosy Day 30 June Eradication

(D) World Cancer Day 4 February

144. The leading crude oil supplier to India during 2017-18 is—

(A) Saudi Arabia (B) Iran (C) Iraq (D) Kuwait 145. The best film of 90th Oscar, 2018 is— (A) Darkest hour (B) A fantastic woman (C) Three billboards outside ebbing (D) The shape of water 146. The State having largest area under tubewell and well

irrigation in India is— (A) Uttar Pradesh" (B) Madhya Pradesh (C) Andhra Pradesh (D) Punjab 147. Which of the following crop has the highest percentage

of oil content ? (A) Groundnut (B) Soyabean (C) Sunflower (D) Sesamum 148. 'Yellow Revolution' in India is related to which of the

following ? (A) Agricultural production (B) Oil seeds production (C) Fish production (D) Pulse production 149. The largest area under salt-affected soils exists in the

State of— (A) Tamil Nadu (B) Rajasthan (C) Gujarat (D) Andhra Pradesh 150. Which of the following countries refused India's

invitation to participate in Naval Exercise 'Milan-2018'?

(A) Myanmar (B) Mauritius (C) Oman (D) Maldives



1. (A) 2. (B) 3. (C) 4. (D) 5. (D) 6. (B) 7. (A) 8. (A) 9. (C) 10. (C)

11. (D) 12. (A) 13. (D) 14. (D) 15. (D) 16. (D) 17. (C) 18. (B) 19. (A) 20. (C)

21. (B) 22. (D) 23. (C) 24. (D) 25. (C) 26. (B) 27. (A) 28. (B) 29. (C) 30. (B)

31. (C) 32. (A) 33. (C) 34. (B) 35. (B) 36. (A) 37. (A) 38. (C) 39. (D) 40. (B)

41. (C) 42. (D) 43. (C) 44. (C) 45. (D) 46. (B) 47. (A) 48. (C) 49. (D) 50. (A)

51. (B) 52. (B) 53. (C) 54. (C) 55. (B) 56. (C) 57. (B) 58. (C) 59. (A) 60. (D)

61. (A) 62. (D) 63. (B) 64. (A) 65. (A) 66. (B) 67. (C) 68. (C) 69. (B) 70. (D)

71. (B) 72. (C) 73. (C) 74. (C) 75. (D) 76. (B) 77. (D) 78. (B) 79. (A) 80. (C)

81. (D) 82. (C) 83. (D) 84. (D) 85. (B) 86. (C) 87. (D) 88. (C) 89. (C) 90. (C)

91. (A) 92. (C) 93. (D) 94. (C) 95. (C) 96. (D) 97. (B) 98. (B) 99. (D) 100. (D)

101. (A) 102. (D) 103. (C) 104. (C) 105. (B) 106. (B) 107. (D) 108. (B) 109. (A) 110. (C)

111. (A) 112. (B) 113. (D) 114. (D) 115. (*) 116. (B) 117. (C) 118. (B) 119. (A) 120. (A)

121. (C) 122. (B) 123. (C) 124. (B) 125. (A) 126. (D) 127. (D) 128. (A) 129. (C) 130. (C)

131. (D) 132. (*) 133. (C) 134. (B) 135. (A) 136. (D) 137. (C) 138. (C) 139. (A) 140. (A)

141. (B) 142. (D) 143. (B) 144. (C) 145. (D) 146. (A) 147. (B) 148. (B) 149. (C) 150. (D)





GK September Part-1

GK September Part-1

1. The Supreme Court has stayed an order (in January 2018) of which State High Court for reducing size of the pictorial warnings on packages to Tobacco products from 85% to 40% ?

(A) Maharashtra (B) Rajasthan (C) Madhya Pradesh (D) Karnataka (E) Kerala 2. A mobile application launched by Eastern Railway for

security of passengers, especially women passengers in Kolkata and suburban areas of the Zone is named as......App.

(A) ER-SEC (B) R-MITRA (C) RAIL-SAHAYOG(D) R-SATHI (E) W-SARATHI 3. 'Notice Money', with reference to interbank money

market, means deals in funds for— (A) 5-180 days (B) None of those given as options (C) 2-60 days (D) 2-14 days (E) 12-90 days 4. The Union Government has appointed a new

committee to review the Income Tax Act of 1961 which is headed by—

(A) Arvind Subramanian (B) MansiKedia (C) ArbindModi (D) GirishAhuja (E) Rajiv Memani 5. The 7th edition of the Rashtriya Sanskrit! Mahotsav

under the 'Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat' matrix was organised in January 2018 in which State in India ?

(A) Rajasthan (B) Uttar Pradesh (C) Tamil Nadu (D) Gujarat (E) Karnataka 6. The Federal Bank Limited is an old generation private

sector commercial bank. It is headquartered in— (A) Chennai, Tamil Nadu (B) Mumbai, Maharashtra (C) Aluva, Kerala (D) Thrissur, Kerala (E) Manipal, Karnataka 7. ............ a resident of Rajasthan became the first

woman combat officer to be commissioned in the history of the Border Security Force (BSF).

(A) PunitaArora (B) Mitali Madhumita (C) ShantiTigga (D) Gunjan Saxena (E) Tanushree Parek 8. Under 'Ayushman Bharat National Health Protection

Mission (AB-NHPM)', what is the insurance cover per family, per year, offered to every vulnerable family ?

(A) ` 3 lakh (B) ` 7 lakh (C) ` 5 lakh

(D) ` 2 lakh (E) ` 10 lakh 9. The World's longest sandstone cave called 'Krem Puri'

has been discovered in' which Indian State ? (A) Meghalaya (B) Sikkim (C) Tripura (D) Arunachal Pradesh (E) Nagaland 10. Which of the following 'key ratios' is monitored by

the regulators to ensure that the bank can absorb a reasonable amount of loss and complies with statutory Capital Requirements ?

(A) Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) (B) Credit to Deposit Ratio (CD Ratio) (C) None of those given as options (D) Cost to Income Ratio (CIR) (E) Return on Assets (ROA) 11. The 'Corporate Office' of the recently established

'Paytm Payments Bank' is situated at— (A) None of those given as options (B) NOIDA, Uttar Pradesh (C) Hyderabad, Telangana (D) Kolkata, West Bengal (E) Gurugram, Haryana 12. A note of which a portion is missing or which is

composed of more than two pieces it is called a— (A) Mutilated Note (B) None of those given as options (C) Mismatched Note (D) Forged Note (E) Imperfect Note 13. Which one of the following is 'not' a function of the

Reserve Bank of India ? (A) Regulation of issue of bank notes (B) Banker to the government (C) Controller of Credit (D) Managing Foreign Exchange and foreign

reserves (E) Refinancing loans granted to MSME 14. The first knowledge portal of its kind in India, which

focuses on becoming a single point source for multiple language learning—

(A) Satyavachan (B) Sikshaprasar (C) Bharatvani (D) Bramhawani (E) Akashwani 15. 'RDA' is a channel to receive cross-border remittances

from overseas jurisdictions. The alphabet 'R' in the abbreviation 'RDA' stands for—

(A) Rural (B) Rupee (C) Rate

Test-5



(D) Resident (E) Registered 16. The 'Bharat Bill Payment System' (BBPS) is aimed at

easing— (A) Retail Merchant Trade Transactions (B) Utility and Other repetitive bill payments by

consumers (C) Payments for purchase of real estate (D) None of those given as options (E) Foreign inward remittance transactions 17. Which is a First State in India to commission automatic

Early Warning Dissemination System (EWDS) that aims at establishing a fool-proof communication system to disseminate disaster ?

(A) Kerala (B) West Bengal (C) Tamil Nadu (D) Gujarat (E) Odisha 18. Union Government has proposed to construct a tunnel

under Sela Pass, which is in the State of— (A) Sikkim (B) Assam (C) Nagaland (D) Mizoram (E) A runachal Pradesh 19. The term. 'Mortgage by deposit of title-deeds' is

defined in Section 58 of the— (A) Transfer, of Property Act, 1882 (B) Banking Regulation Act, 1949 (C) Indian Contract Act, 1872 (D) Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881 (E) None of those given as options 20. The International Solar Alliance (ISA), headquartered

in India is an Indian initiative that was jointly launched by India and ...... to boost solar energy in developing countries.

(A) Russia (B) United Kingdom (C) France (D) United States (E) Germany 21. Who has been recently (February 2018) appointed

as the first Independent female Director of the Internationa] Cricket Council (ICC) Board ?

(A) VinitaBali (B) Manisha Girotra (C) Kalpana Morparia (D) IndraNooyi (E) IreenaVittal 22. The interest rate charged by a bank on a short-term

loan to another bank (not the central bank of our country) is known as—

(A) CRR (B) Marginal standing facility rate (C) Interbank rate (D) Spot rate (E) Forward rate 23. 'SEPA' is a payment-integration initiative of the

European Union for simplification of bank transfers denominated in—

(A) EURO (B) Indian rupee (C) US Dollar (D) British Pound

(E) None of those given as options 24. Union Cabinet has recently approved setting up of

tribunal for adjudication of long-pending dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh States over...... river water.

(A) Godavari (B) Narmada (C) Vasundhara (D) Indravati (E) Mahanadi 25. Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has

planned to launch the first Indian mission by the year 2020 to study the Sun is called as —

(A) Aditya-Ll (B) Orbit-Li (C) Avatar-Li (D) Nisar-Ll (E) Surya-Ll 26. In an emergency situation when inter-bank liquidity

dries up completely, banks can utilise the 'Marginal Standing Facility Rate' facility to borrow from the—

(A) Mutual funds and insurance companies (B) Inter-bank call money market (C) None of those given as options (D) Corporates and Individuals (E) Reserve Bank of India 27. MUDRA bank is as— (A) to boost imports (B) Provide tax free interest to investors (C) Flush out black money from the economy (D) Encourage financial inclusion among the poor (E) Encourage entrepreneurship in India 28. State Bank of India or SBI is an Indian multinational,

public sector banking and financial services company. It is a government owned corporation with its headquarters in Mumbai. Which of the following is the tagline of SBI ?

(A) Pure Banking Nothing Else (B) Where Service is a Way of Life (C) The Name you can Bank Upon (D) A Friend You Can Bank On (E) A Friend You Can Bank Upon 29. The Department of Posts has launched Cool EMS

Service between India and which country ? (A) Brazil (B) China (C) Japan (D) United States (E) Russia 30. Which union ministry holded the first-ever National

conclave on Psychological Trauma, Child Protection and Mental Illnesses ?

(A) Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (B) Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (C) Ministry of 'Women and Child Development (D) Ministry of Human Resource Development (E) None of the given options 31. The pan-India expansion of flagship programme "Beti

Bachao-Beti Padhao (BBBP)" will start from which district of Raja-sthan ?

(A) Baran (B) Jhunjhun (C) Karauli



(D) Pratapgarh (E) Jabalpur 32. Which country will become the world's country to

issue digital legal tender 'Sovereign' ? (A) Kiribati (B) Fiji (C) Marshall Islands (D) Nauru (E) None of the given options 33. 'Indradhanush 2' is a comprehensive plan for

recapitalisation of public sector lenders and will be finalised by RBI after completion of AQR. What does Q stands for in the abbreviation AQR?

(A) Quantum (B) Quantity (C) Quest (D) Quality (E) Qualm 34. The Ombudsman Scheme for Non-Banking Financial

Companies (NBFCs) for redressal of complaints against NBFCs have been launched by RBI under which section of the RBI Act, 1934?

(A) 36 (B) 18 (C) 45 (D) 20 (E) 25 35. The Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) norms

has been tightened up by the RBI under which an individual can transfer up to $......abroad in a year.

(A) 1,00,000 (B) 2,50,000 (C) 3,00,000 (D) 4,00,000 (E) 1,50,000 36. Interactive Robotic Assistant (IRA) 2-0, an

interactive huma-noid has been launched by which of the following banks to enhance user experience for customers visiting in its branch ?

(A) Kotak Mahindra Bank (B) Yes Bank (C) HDFC Bank (D) ICICI Bank (E) Axis Bank 37. SWIFT is global financial messaging service that

enables financial institutions worldwide to send and receive information about financial transactions. The word 'W in the abbreviation 'SWIFT' stands for—

(A) Welfare (B) World (C) Wedge (D) Whole (E) Will 38. The unique, first of its-kind, floating market has come

up in which city of West Bengal ? (A) Siliguri (B) Jalpaiguri (C) Kolkata (D) Medinipur (E) None of the given options 39. In the Union Budget 2018, the Central Government

has allocated ? 48,000 crore for which scheme to encourage farmers for Solar Farming ?

(A) KUSUM Scheme (B) KUTSUB Scheme (C) KUSUN Scheme (D) KUTUB Scheme (E) KUTUMB Scheme 40. Who has been conferred with the 5th edition of Yash

Chopra Memorial Award 2018 ? (A) Jackie Shroff (B) AshaBhosle (C) Poonam Dhillon (D) David Dhawan (E) Shami Kapoor

41. The first ever India-Vietnam Bilateral Army Exercise (VINBAX-2018) took place in which of the following state ?

(A) Madhya Pradesh (B) Karnataka (C) Gujarat (D) Kerala (E) Uttar Pradesh 42. Rajneesh Gurbani is associated with of the following

sports ? (A) Cricket (B) Chess (C) Boxing (D) Table Tennis (E) Golf 43. The Union Government has recently given

environmental clearance for Kaleshwarm Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS). The KLJS is associated with which State ?

(A) Andhra Pradesh (B) Kerala (C) Telangana (D) Odisha (E) Madhya Pradesh 44. The world's largest solar park has recently been

launched in which of the following states ? (A) Odisha (B) Madhya Pradesh (C) Rajasthan (D) Karnataka (E) Kerala 45. The 2018 culture festival 'India By The Nile' will be

held in which country ? (A) Nigeria (B) South Sudan (C) Egypt (D) Tunisia (E) South Africa 46. Which Indian Organisation has won the 'Most

Informative Pavilion' award at the 105th Indian Science Congress (ISC-2018) ?

(A) ISRO (B) DRDO (C) BARC (D) VSSC (E) None of the given options 47. Which of the following has become the North India's

first city to install digital automatic speed gun cameras for traffic management ?

(A) Shimla (B) New Delhi (C) Chandigarh (D) Ranchi (E) Lucknow 48. Which Indian swimmer has become the first Asian to

swim across Ocean Seven ? (A) BhaktiSharma (B) Ashwin Menon (C) RehanPoncha (D) Rohan More (E) None of the given options 49. The first-of-its-kind centre for learning Sanskrit

Language has come up in which city ? (A) Chennai (B) Ahmedabad (C) Delhi (D) Patna (E) Bhopal 50. The National Sugar Institute (NSI) is located in which

city of Uttar Pradesh ? (A) Lucknow (B) Agra (C) Varanasi (D) Kanpur (E) Chennai



1. (C) 2. (B) 3. (D) 4. (C) 5. (E) 6. (C) 7. (E) 8. (C) 9. (A) 10. (A)

11. (B) 12. (A) 13. (E) 14. (C) 15. (B) 16. (B) 17. (E) 18. (E) 19. (A) 20. (C)

21. (D) 22. (C) 23. (A) 24. (E) 25. (A) 26. (E) 27. (E) 28. (A) 29. (C) 30. (C)

31. (B) 32. (C) 33. (D) 34. (C) 35. (B) 36. (C) 37. (B) 38. (C) 39. (A) 40. (B)

41. (A) 42. (A) 43. (C) 44. (D) 45. (C) 46. (B) 47. (C) 48. (D) 49. (B) 50. (D)


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Teachwell Institute