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com 2024 MAR 22

1. Who has been conferred the Sangita Kalanidhi award in 2024 by the Madras Music Academy?
A. Aruna Sairam

B. N G Ganesan

C. T M Krishna 

D. Ritha Rajan

✓ Carnatic vocalist T M Krishna was awarded the Sangita Kalanidhi award in 2024 by the Madras
Music Academy. The award recognizes Krishna's powerful voice, adherence to tradition,
exploratory approach to music, and his use of music as a tool for social reform.

2. Which state’s Animal Husbandry department has announced to recognize the ‘Thenmala Kullan’ a dwarf
cow, as an indigenous breed?

A. Tamil Nadu

B. Kerala 

C. Andhra Pradesh

D. Karnataka

✓ The Kerala Animal Husbandry department has announced plans to register the ThenmalaKullan,
a dwarf cow, as an indigenous breed. The cow is known for its distinctive features and adaptation
to the local agro-ecological conditions. The Thenmala utilise are also important for tribal
communities and traditional farming practices in the area. The cow has a small hump and is
reared by tribes’ people in Arippa and Thenmala.

3. Kalkothy–Walayar Corridor is a critical route for elephants to move between which two states?
A. Tamil Nadu and Kerala 

B. Andhra Pradesh and Telangana

C. Maharashtra and Karnataka

D. Tamil Nadu and Karnataka

✓ Disturbances in the proposed Kalkothy–Walayar corridor force elephants into villages.

Conservationists worry about disturbances and infrastructural developments along the corridor,
leading to increased elephant incidents in Coimbatore's Madukkarai region.

✓ Coimbatore Forest Division acts as a vital link between Kerala's Nilambur-Silent Valley and
Sathyamangalam, the Nilgiris, and the Eastern Ghats. The Kalkothy–Walayar Corridor, essential
for Tamil Nadu-Kerala elephant movement, faces bottleneck issues due to land use changes and
construction activities, including a Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board site and private educational
institutions.

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4. ULLAS initiative is related to which one of the following sectors?

A. Education sector 

B. Health sector

C. Agriculture sector

D. Finance sector

✓ The Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL), under the Ministry of Education, India,
conducted the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Test (FLNAT) on March 17, 2024,
across 23 states. FLNAT is part of the ULLAS - Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram initiative, aimed
at revolutionizing education nationwide. ULLAS fosters a learning ecosystem for individuals,
providing basic education, digital and financial literacy, and critical life skills, particularly for
those aged 15 and above without schooling opportunities, through volunteerism.

5. Ethanol 100 fuel, recently launched by petroleum ministry, is currently accessible in how many
states?

A. 3

B. 4

C. 5 

D. 6

✓ Union Minister Shri Hardeep Singh Puri launched 'ETHANOL 100', a groundbreaking automotive
fuel at IndianOil's retail outlet in Delhi. This ethanol-based fuel will be available in 183 outlets
across Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, New Delhi, and Tamil Nadu.

6. Which day is celebrated as 'Ordnance Factories Day' annually?

A. 17 March

B. 18 March 

C. 19 March

D. 20 March

✓ The theme for Ordnance Factories Day 2024 is "Operational Efficiency, Readiness, and Mission
Accomplishment in the Maritime Domain". The theme highlights the importance of improving the
country's naval capabilities through efficient ordnance manufacturing and supply networks.
Ordnance Factories Day is celebrated annually on March 18th. The day commemorates the
establishment of the Ordnance Factory in Cossipore, Kolkata.

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7. World Air Quality Report 2023 is published by which organization?
A. World Health Organization

B. Swiss organisation IQAir 

C. United Nations Environment Programme

D. United Nations Development Programme

✓ Delhi was labeled as the world’s most polluted capital city in the 2023 World Air Quality Report by
Swiss Organization IQAir. India ranked third in air quality with an average annual PM2.5
concentration of 54.4 µg/m³.

✓ Bangladesh and Pakistan were worse off, while Bihar’s Begusarai was named the most polluted
metropolitan area. Ten of the top 11 polluted cities were Indian, with Lahore being the only
exception. 96% of India’s population faces PM2.5 levels exceeding WHO guidelines.

8. e-crop, a crop simulation model-based device, was developed by which one of the following institutes?
A. Central Plantation Crops Research Institute, Kasargod

B. Central Tuber Crops Research Institute, Kerala 

C. Central Island Agricultural Research Institute, Port Blair

D. National Rice Research Institute, Cuttack

✓ e-Crop, a crop simulation model, offers growers SMS advice on water and nutrient needs.
Developed by Santhosh Mithra of CTCRI, Kerala, it received a patent from the Indian Patent Office
retroactively from 2014. Farmers utilize the ‘krihi kruthya’ app to record and transmit soil
moisture data to the server for analysis. This innovative device aids farmers in optimizing water
and nutrient management for enhanced crop yields.

9. Exercise ‘Tiger Triumph’ is conducted between which two countries?

A. India and Australia

B. India and Sudan

C. India and UK

D. India and USA 

✓ Exercise Tiger Triumph, occurring from March 18 to 31, 2024, is a bilateral Humanitarian
Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) drill between India and the USA on the Eastern Seaboard. It
focuses on enhancing interoperability and refining SOPs for rapid disaster response.

✓ The Harbor Phase runs from March 18 to 25, featuring joint training, exchanges, and social events.
Afterward, participating ships engage in maritime, amphibious, and HADR operations. Both
Indian and US forces, including naval, army, and air assets, partake in the exercise.

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10. Recently, Nepal has declared which city as its tourism capital?
A. Bharatpur

B. Pokhara 

C. Gaighat

D. Ghorahi

✓ Nepal's government announced that Pokhara, a city in the Gandaki province, will be the country's
tourism capital. The declaration took place during a ceremony at Barahi Ghat, on the shores of
Phewa Lake. This move is anticipated to elevate Pokhara's status and draw increased global
visitors, enhancing Nepal's tourism industry.

11. Signals Technology Evaluation and Adaptation Group (STEAG) is related to which one of the following?
A. CISF

B. Indian Army 

C. NSG

D. Indian Coast Guard

✓ The Signals Technology Evaluation and Adaptation Group (STEAG) is a specialized unit of the
Indian Army that research and evaluates cutting-edge communication technologies for defense
applications. STEAG is the first of its kind specialized unit in the Indian Army and is headed by a
Colonel-rank officer from the Corps of Signals. The unit is made up of approximately 280 personnel
and is poised to revolutionize communication infrastructure within the army.

12. 'Kovind Committee' is related to which one of the following?

A. Appointment of Governor

B. Simultaneous elections 

C. Reservation

D. Electoral Bond

✓ The High-Level Committee on One Nation, One Election, chaired by former President Ram Nath
Kovind, proposes synchronizing Lok Sabha, state Assembly, and local body (municipalities,
panchayats) elections. To implement this, 15 constitutional amendments are suggested, including
provisions for transitioning to simultaneous elections and procedures for early elections. Two
Constitution Amendment Bills are proposed to enact these changes. The report was submitted to
President Droupadi Murmu.

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