Q1. Who was chosen as the 12th
President of Pakistan, elections for which were held on 30 July 2013?
– Mamnoon Hussain
Q2. Who was chosen for the 21st Rajiv Gandhi National Sadabhavna Award for year 2013, which is given for contribution towards promotion of communal harmony and peace?
– Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, the Sarod maestro
Q3. What is the name given to a newly announced scheme under which a free mobile handset will be provided to one member of every rural household who has completed 100 days of work under MGNREGA?
– Bharat Mobile Scheme (Under this scheme the handset will be provided preferably to a woman member of family. A brief of this proposed scheme was made by the union govt. on 30 July 2013. The provided handset will be non- transferable as it will later also be used in customized transfer of benefits under the direct transfer scheme of the central govt.)
Q4. US Senate on 29 July 2013 approved the choice of James Comey as the next Director of FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation). Comey will take whose place, who has been at this post since 2001?
– Robert Mueller
Q5. Which private bank became first commercial bank to announce a hike in deposit rates in view of RBI’s move to tighten liquidity in the market?
– YES Bank (YES Bank on 31 July 2013 hiked deposit rates by 0.25% to 0.50%. The bank also hiked the base rate by 0.25% to 10.75%. This hike came into effect on 1 August 2013)
Q6. Who took over as the new Foreign Secretary of India on 1 August 2013?
– Sujatha Singh, She replaced Ranjan Mathai who retired on 31 July 2013.
Q7. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), on 1 August 2013, approved the proposal for sale of 10% government stake in Indian Oil Corporation (IOC). This stake sale is likely to fetch around Rs. 3,840 crore to the exchequer at the current market price. What is Union Govt.’s disinvestment target through the stake sale of public sector undertakings in the current financial year (2013-14)?
– Rs. 40,000 crore
Q8. Union Govt. relaxed the norms for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the multi-brand retail on 1 August 2013 with a view to attract more investments and transparency in the sector. What are the major norms which were relaxed?
– Multi-brand retailers like Walmart are now required to source 30% of their products from the small and medium enterprises of India only at the time of starting the business Now state governments will have the right to grant permission to open a multi- brand retail store in cities of their states
(Earlier 53 urban centers with a minimum population of 1 million were made eligible for opening-up of multi-
brand retail stores) Now the norm of 50% investment in the back-end infrastructure for the retailers will be applicable, only during the first tranche of investments (within three years) of up to 100 million dollars.
Q9. Union Health Ministry on 1 August 2013 revoked its earlier suspension on a drug named Pioglitazone used to treat diabetes. What was the main reason for revoking this suspension within a month?
– Doctors said that this drug was best suited for Indian patients.
Q10. What is the name of a breast cancer drug of the British drug major GlaxoSmithKline Pharma, patent for which was revoked by the Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) of India?
–Tykerb
Q11. United States expressed its disappointment over Russia’s decision to give temporary asylum to Edward Snowden, the ex-CIA contractor who had leaked National Security Agency’s secret telephone and Internet surveillance programme. What is the duration of the temporary asylum offered to Snowden by Russia?
– 1 year
Q12. Who will be the new US ambassador to the United Nations (UN), after the appointment was confirmed by the United States Senate on 1 August 2013?
– Samantha Power
Q13. What is the name of the former world champion shot putter from Belarus who was stripped of his 4 World Championship medals by International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF) for doping?
– Andrei Mikhnevich
Q14. Union Govt. on 2 August 2013 gave its approval for setting up of a fund to help six PSUs, to make them compliant with the 10% minimum public holding norm of market regulator SEBI. What is the name assigned of this fund?
– Special National Investment Fund (SNIF). Six sick PSUs which will be covered under this proposed fund are – HMT, ITI, Scooters India Limited, Andrew Yule, Fertilizer and Chemical Limited (Travancore) and Hindustan Photo Films Limited
Q15. Union Govt. on 2 August 2013 unveiled the long awaited Unified License norms for the telecom sector. What are the main features of this new norm?
The new norm provides for delinking of spectrum from operational permits and allows companies to offer services using any technology. Telecom companies would be allowed to offer mobile and fixed-line services using any technology. They can also provide Internet TV services. It allows companies to offer intra and
inter-circle roaming, but bars operations from acquiring subscribers in areas where they don’t own a license
The licenses acquired under this new norm will be valid for 20 years, and will be renewable for another ten years Telecom companies will have to pay a license fee of eight per cent of annual revenues from telecom services. All telecom companies will have to migrate to the new licensing regime upon expiry of their current permits.
Q16. Who was awarded 22nd Saraswati Samman of K.K. Birla Foundation on 2 August 2013?
– Sugathakumari, the Malayalam poetess (She was given this prestigious award for her collection of poems in Malayalam entitled Manalezhuthu.
Q17. Which union territory of the country celebrated its 60th Liberation Day on 2 August 2013?
–Dadra and Nagar Haveli
Q18. Who was appointed as the first woman Managing Director (MD) of State Bank of India (SBI) on 3 August 2013?
– Arundhati Bhattacharya
Q19. Who took over as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Central Bank of India recently?
– Rajeev Rishi
Q20. Indian girls created history by winning country’s first ever bronze medal in the junior women hockey World Cup in the seventh edition of the cup held in Germany. India defeated which team on 4 August 2013 to win the bronze medal?
– England
Q21. Hasan Rouhani took oath as the new President of Iran on 4 August 2013. He replaced Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. What was special about his swearing-in ceremony?
– It was the first time since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution that foreign dignitaries attended the swearing-in ceremony of an Iranian president
Q22. Russia and China flagged off their regular anti-terrorist war games in Russia’s Urals region from 3 August 2013. This joint military drill was seen by many defence experts as preparations for a local military conflict in Central Asia. What was the name given to this drill?
– “Peace Mission 2013 ”
Q23. China is establishing a 4,411-metre- high airport in the Tibetan area of its southwestern Sichuan province, which will become the world’s highest civilian airport when put into operation later this year. What is the name of this airport?
– Daocheng Yading airport
Q24. What is the name of a breast cancer drug of Roche Holding AG, patent for which was partly revoked in India recently?
– Herceptin
Q25. Households belonging to which community are the largest spenders on average as disclosed in the data from the National Sample Survey Office’s (NSSO’s) 8th quinquennial survey on employment during the 12 months up to June 2010?
– Sikh
Q26. The union govt. on 5 August 2013 reduced the customs duty on imports of rice bran and rice bran oil cake to nil with effect from 1 October 2013. What was the import duty on this commodity till now?
– 15%
Q27. Union Govt. on 5 August 2013 shelved the plans for disinvestment of its stake in BHEL due to BHEL’s low share price, decreased capital expenditure and less demand for power-sector equipment. What was the proposed target of selling govt. stake in BHEL?
– 5%
Q28. The first arrest for default in paying which tax was made recently after union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram made applicable provisions of CrPC (criminal procedure code) to arrest such offenders?
– Service Tax
Q29. How many embassies and consulates of the United States were closed till 10 August 2013 due to threat of a major al-Qaida attack?
– 19
Q30. Who became the first Indian bowler since Anil Kumble to top the ICC ODI Bowlers Rankings, which were released by the ICC on 4 August 2013?
– Ravindra Jadeja (Jadeja’s career-best rating of 733 has him tied for the pinnacle spot with West Indies spinner Sunil Narine. Kumble had claimed the No.1 position back in 1996 in these rankings)
Q31. Who will be the new Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), as announced by the Finance Ministry on 6 August 2013?
– Raghuram Rajan, who is at present the Chief Economic Advisor to the Govt. of India
Q32. What is the name of the Gujarat village which came into limelight after discovery of prominent artifacts including gold-beads dating to the Harappan era?
– Khirsara
Q33. Who has recently agreed to purchase ‘The Washington Post’ and other newspapers for $250 million?
– Jeff Bezos , founder of Amazon.com
Q34. Telecommunication major Vodafone has recently launched a unique money transfer and payment service “M-Pesa” in Bihar and Jharkhand where banking network and financial penetration is inadequate, particularly in rural areas. Which bank is the banking partner of Vodafone in this service?
– ICICI Bank
Q35. Union Govt. on 7 August 2013 introduced the much-anticipated National Food Security Bill, 2013, which proposes to give the country’s three- fourth population the right to highly- subsidised food. Who moved this bill in the Lok Sabha?
– Union Food Minister K.V. Thomas
Q36. Which body is the regulator of commodity derivatives markets in India, which would be given more teeth to ensure that National Spot Exchange Ltd (NSEL) settles the Rs 5,600-crore dues to investors, as announced by the Union Govt. on 7 August 2013?
– Forward Markets Commission – FMC
Q37. A modern and sophisticated breast milk bank, which is touted as the first such bank in the public sector was opened on 7 August 2013. This newly established breast milk bank is situated
in which city?
– Kolkata
Q38. Indian Parliament on 8 August 2013 passed the Companies Bill, 2012, which replaced the 58-year old legislation with radical changes. What is the name of the old bill which was replaced by this
legislation?
– Companies Act, 1956
Q39. Union Cabinet on 8 August 2013 gave approval to Bharatiya Mahila Bank, which will be India’s first women’s bank. With an initial capital of Rs. 1,000 crore, this bank would provide dedicated financial services to women in general and women self-help groups (SHGs). Which was world’s first women’s bank?
– Pakistan’s First Women Bank (FWB), which was established in 1989
Q40. Union Power Ministry is believed to have shelved the plan to set up the Rs 20,000-crore ultra mega power project (UMPP) in Chhattisgarh as the coal blocks for the proposed project fall under dense forest area and could rake-up the environment issue. This UMPP was proposed to be established at which place of Chhattisgarh?
– Sarguja
Q41. What is the name of the spacecraft which will undertake NASA’s next mission to Mars in November 2013?
– MAVEN – Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution
Q42. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has recently transferred its surplus profit to the government for the year ended June 2013, which is the highest amount to be transferred by the RBI to the government, except year 2007. How much amount was transferred as surplus profit to the govt.?
– Rs. 33,010 crore
Q43. An inter-ministerial committee constituted to suggest steps to contain the rising current account deficit (CAD) has suggested higher taxes for non- essential imports with a view to curbing inward shipments and containing the current account deficit CAD. These suggestions form part of the recommendations made by the committee set up by Finance Minister P Chidambaram. Who is the Chairman of this committee?
- Rajat Bhargava , Joint Secretary (Budget Division)
Q44. On 9 August 2013 who became the first Indian badminton player since Prakash Padukone to reach singles semi- finals of World Championships?
– P.V. Sindhu
Q45. The Union Cabinet on 8 August 2013 approved the proposal for establishing a new media wing that will address the communication and dissemination requirements of the government on social media. What is the proposed name of this new wing which will be established at a cost of Rs. 22.5 crore?
– Bureau of New and Concurrent Media (The proposal for establishment of this new wing was drawn on the basis of the experience of its pilot program on the social media platforms such as Youtube, Facebook and Twitter)
Q46. The proposal for export of how much additional amount of wheat was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 8 August 2013?
– 2 million tonnes
Q47. India on 10 August 2013 achieved a major milestone in nuclear capability by activating the atomic reactor on-board an indigenous nuclear submarine and achieving nuclear criticality, thus paving the way for its operational deployment by the Indian Navy. Which indigenous nuclear submarine is this?
– INS
Q48. Which five countries presently possess nuclear-powered submarines?
– The U.S., Russia, the U.K., France and China
Q49. With effect from 15 August 2013, eight cities in India will have visa-on- arrival facility for tourists visiting India. Which are the four cities which have been extended this facility recently by the Union Govt.?
– Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram
Q50. Which former US President was one among the 16 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom for the year 2013, which were announced on 8 August 2013?
– Bill Clinton
Q51. On 10 August 2013 South Korea and the United States announced holding of a joint-military exercise later this month. The South Korea-US Combined Forces Command (CFC) will conduct this joint military exercise from 19 August to 30 August 2013. What is the name given to this joint exercise?
– ‘Ulchi Freedom Guardian’
Q52. India’s largest IT exporter Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) on 10 August, 2013 announced setting up of a software development centre in Madhya Pradesh, for which the Madhya Pradesh Govt. has allotted an SEZ (Special Economic Zone) to TCS. In which city will this development centre come up?
– Indore
Q53. During August 2013 Maharashtra became the first state of the country to disburse employees’ salary through Aadhaar-linked bank accounts. Employees of which department of Maharashtra Govt. were disbursed their salaries through Aadhaar mode?
– Information Technology (IT) Department
Q54. Who won the men’s singles title at the World Badminton Championships held at Guangzhou?
– Lin Dan of China
Q55. India on 12 August, 2013 launched its first indigenous aircraft carrier, thus making an entry into a select club of countries capable of designing and building a carrier of this size andcapability. What is the name of this aircraft carrier?
– INS Vikrant
Q56. India on 12 August, 2013 successfully test-fired nuclear weapons capable surface-to-surface ballistic missile, Prithvi-II for its full range from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur, Odisha. The indigenously- developed missile was picked up randomly from the production lot and launched by the personnel of the Strategic Force Command (SFC) from ITR’s Launch Complex-III as part of routine user training. What is the full range of this missile?
– 350 km
Q57. Olympics 100 m champion Usain Bolt on 11 August, 2013 reclaimed his sprint gold medal at the World Athletics Championships when he won the gold medal at the ongoing IAAF World Athletics Championships at Moscow. What was the time clocked by him?
– 9.77 seconds
Q58. The Steel Authority of India (SAIL) on 10 August, 2013 commissioned the largest blast furnace in India named ‘Durga’. This huge furnace has a volume of 4,060 cu. Meters and it costed SAIL almost Rs. 1,600 crore. At which unit of SAIL is this furnace installed?
– Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP), Odisha
Q59. On 13 August, 2013 Shooter Ronjan Sodhi was chosen for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, the highest honour for a sportsperson in India. Sodhi is associated with which discipline of shooting?
– Double Trap Shooting (He won two silver medals at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and a gold medal at the 2010 Asian Games. In 2011, he became the first Indian shooter to successfully defend a World Cup title. He is the 7th shooter to receive this prestigious award. Other six shooters to have conferred with this award are – Abhinav Bindra (2001-02), Anjali Bhagwat (2002-03), Lt Col Rajyavardhan Singh Rahore (2004-05), Manavjit Sandhu (2006-07), Gagan Narang (2010-11) and Vijay Kumar (2011-12)
Q60. India’s first Cyber Forensic Laboratory (CFL) was inaugurated on 11 August, 2013. This CFL has been established at which High Court of India?
– Tripura High Court at Agartala
Q61. In a huge setback to the Indian Navy, INS Sindhurakshak, a conventional submarine exploded after a fire on board and sank early on 14 August, 2013 in which 18 personnel, including three officers, may have been killed. INS Sindhurakshak was India’s mainstay kilo- class submarine and was the most modern submarine of the Indian Navy. This accident took place at which place?
– Naval Dockyard at Colaba in Mumbai
Q62. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 14 August, 2013 cut down the amount of foreign exchange an Indian may use to invest or spend abroad from the current annual limit of $2,00,000 to
– $75,000 (This means Indian citizens would not be able to take out more than $75,000 in a year by way of travel or investment. In addition to this RBI imposed a restriction on Indians from making an investment in a property abroad. These measures were announced in a bid to check the drain on foreign exchange reserves in the country)
Q63. The Finance Ministry on 14 August, 2013 announced that public sector insurance company LIC can increase its investments in companies up to 25% under special circumstances. What is the present investment limit of LIC in companies?
– 20%
Q64. Recently which company became the most valuable company of the Aditya Birla group by overtaking cement company UltraTech?
– Idea Cellular
Q65. In the recently released Academic Ranking of 500 World Universities (ARWU) for 2013 only one Indian institute features in the list. Which institute is this?
– Indian Institute of Science (IIS), Bangalore
Q66. Subrata Kumar was nominated for the Prime Minister’s Shram Ratna Award for year 2012 as announced by the union govt. on 14 August, 2013 on the eve of the Independence Day. He is associated
with which company?
– Tata Steel Limited, Jamshedpur (Shram Ratna is the highest honour in India given to workers
employed in any private or public enterprise or departmental undertaking employing 500 or more workers. A cash award of Rs. 2 lakh and a citation is given under Shram Ratna. In addition to this 8 employees of different departments were conferred with the Shram Bhushan Award, 20 with Shram Veer or Shram Veerangana and 41 with the Shram Shri or Shram Devi awards. Shram Bhushan carries a cash prize of Rs. 1 lakh while Shram Veer or Shram Veerangana and Shram Shri or Shram Devi carry a cash prize of Rs. 60,000 and Rs. 40,000 respectively)
Q67. Which public sector bank recently sought Rs 1,800-crore capital infusion from the Centre through allotment of preferential shares? – Bank of Baroda (BoB)
– Union govt. currently, has a stake of 55.4% in BOB
Q68.The Rashtriya Uchattar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) has proposed to put a ceiling on the number of colleges to be affiliated to any university. What is this proposed ceiling?
– 200
Q69. A Dronacharya Award winner and the coach of former Indian cricket captain Kapil Dev passed away on 16 August, 2013 at Mohali. Apart from Kapil Dev, he helped shaping the careers of cricketers such as Yograj Singh, Ashok Malhotra, Chetan Sharma and Harbhajan Singh. What was the name of this famous cricket coach?
– Desh Prem Azad
Q70. State Bank of India (SBI) on 17 August, 2013 achieved another milestone by opening its ……… branch.
– 15,000th (The 15,000th Branch of the SBI was inaugurated by Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram at Tamil Nadu’s Sooranam)
Q71. What is the name of a proposed commission that will look into removing ambiguity and establishing a stable and non-adversarial tax administration in the country and establishment of which was approved by the union govt. recently? -
– Tax Administration Reform Commission – TARC
Q72. “Faster: 100 ways to improve your digital life” is the name of 15th book written by a Stanford educated 28-year old ethical hacker, which was released recently. What is the name of this author?
– Ankit Fadia
Q73. Who was appointed as the new Director-General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on 17 August, 2013?
– Dilip Trivedi
Q74. A citizenship bill passed recently by the Parliament has brought about major changes in India’s citizenship provisions. From now on any person who is or had been a citizen of Pakistan and Bangladesh would not be eligible for registration as an overseas Indian card holder. What is the name of this bill passed by the Parliament during August 2013?
– The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2011
Q75. Recently the Union Cabinet gave its approval for establishment of the International Centre for Drinking Water Quality (ICDWQ). ICDWQ will be set up to undertake research on problems pertaining to water quality including arsenic and fluoride contamination. This proposed centre will be established at
– Kolkata
Q76. What is the name of the proposed nodal agency for offshore wind projects in the country that will soon be constituted under the aegis of Ministry of New and Renewable Energy? – National Offshore Wind Energy Authority
– NOWA
Q77. Who recently took over as the new Ambassador and Permanent Representative of India to the UN
Conference on Disarmament at Geneva?
– D. Bala Venkatesh Varma
Q78. Who was appointed as the new Chairperson of the National School of Drama (NSD) Society on 19 August, 2013?
– Ratan Thiyam
Q79. Cheraman Financial Services Limited (CFSL), which became the first Islamic financial services company to be launched in India, started its operations in which Indian state recently?
– Kerala
Q80. “My Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions”, which was published recently by Rupa, is a new book written by
– A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the former President
Q81.Which state on 20 August, 2013 became the first to launch the food security scheme for its citizens?
– Delhi
Q82. The Reserve Bank of India had directed two Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs), to stop allowing the use of its premises / branches to accept deposits from public by their associate unincorporated bodies. Which two NBFCs are these?
– Muthoot Fincorp Ltd. (MFCL)and Manappuram Finance Ltd. (MAFIL)
Q83. On 21 August, 2013 the social- networking giant Facebook announced joining hands with six other technology companies (Nokia, Samsung, Ericsson, Opera, MediaTek and Qualcomm) to launch a new global initiative to make Internet access affordable for people across the globe. What is the name given to this initiative?
– “Internet.org”
Q84. Nishi Vasudeva’s name came to news when she was selected by the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) to head a Navratna category PSU and thus is on the way to become the first- ever woman to head a Navratna PSU. She is expected to take over as the Chairman and Managing Director of which PSU in March, 2014?
– Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd – HPCL
Q85. Which private sector bank claimed to have opened its 500th branch during August, 2013?
– Yes Bank
Q86. On 21 August, 2013 insurance regulator IRDA (Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority) imposed a hefty fine of Rs. 3.1 crore on which private sector life insurance company?
– Bajaj Allianz
Q87. 89-year old Robert Mugabe was sworn in as the President of Zimbabwe on 22 August, 2013. Mugabe won a landslide victory in the 31 July elections with 61% of the presidential votes. What is the name of his political party?
– Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF)
Q88. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 23 August, 2013 announced imposition of a total of Rs. 6.50 crore monetary penalty on six public sector banks for violation of rules relating to know your customer and anti-money laundering. Which 6 public sector banks are these?
– Allahabad Bank
Q89. Who was appointed as the new Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) of Vijaya Bank, as announced on 23 August, 2013?
– V Kannan
Q90. How many government hospital beds per person were available in India as on 1 January, 2013, according to the estimates disclosed by Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on 23 August, 2013 in the Lok Sabha?
– 879
Q91. As per information furnished by Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA), what was the life insurance penetration rate in India in the year 2012?
– 3.17%
Q92. Which state became the only state of India to have increased its forest cover in the past two decades, as announced recently by the state govt.?
– Sikkim
Q93. Which IIM of the country recently launched a first-of-its-kind management development programme on Islamic Banking and Finance?
– IIM, Kashipur
Q94. The Lok Sabha on 26 August, 2013 passed the ambitious National Food Security Bill, 2013 that seeks to provide highly subsidised food grains to the poor. This bill proposes to legally entitle 67% of the population (including 75 per cent rural and 50 per cent urban) to get subsidised grains under which category of food distribution system?
- Targeted Public Distribution System – TPDS
Q95. How many Additional Solicitors General (ASGs) were appointed in the Supreme Court on 26 August, 2013?
– Three (These three newly appointed ASGs are – L. Nageswara Rao, Santosh Kumar Bagaria and K.V. Viswanathan and their tenure will be for three years.)
Q96. A committee constituted by the Corporate Affairs Ministry to look into ways to improve the country’s overall business climate is ready to submit its report to the Union Govt. Who is heading this 25-member committee?
– M. Damodaran, Former SEBI Chairman
Q97. What is the name of the first vehicle rolled-out by luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz India from its Chakan plant near Pune in Maharashtra, which is the world’s first of this type to be manufactured out of the USA?
- GL-Class
Q98. Who is heading the seven- member Tax Administration Reform Commission (TARC), which was
constituted by the Union Govt. on 26 August, 2013 to have a comprehensive review of existing tax laws and suggest a stable tax administration?
– Parthasarathy Shome
Q99. What is the name of a new typhoid vaccine launched by Bharat Biotech International Ltd on 26 August 2013, which provides longer immunity and efficacy against typhoid?
- Typbar TCV
Q100.The Indian Rupee fell sharply on 28 August, 2013 to hit a record low of 68.80 to the dollar. This was its biggest single- day percentage fall since how many years?
– 18 years
Q101.It was recently reported in some sections of media that a 1,750 MW nuclear power plant is being established, which will be the largest nuclear power plant in the world till date. This plant is reportedly being established in which country?
– China
Q102. During 2011-12, which state replaced Maharashtra to become the state with the largest number of HIV patients in India?
– Andhra Pradesh
Q103. The population of which BRICS nation crossed 200 million mark recently?
– Brazil
Q104. Raghunath Panigrahi, who passed away during August, 2013, was associated with which field?
– Classical Singing
Q105. Who was selected as the next Chairman & Managing Director of PSU major ONGC by Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) as announced on 30 August, 2013?
– D.K. Sarraf
Q106.What is the name of India’s first defence satellite which was launched on 30 August, 2013 (IST) from Kourou spaceport in French Guiana?
– GSAT-7 (This satellite was successfully launched by European space consortium Arianespace’s Ariane 5 rocket.)
Q107. Which mutual fund company recently launched an auto premium payment system in collaboration with Life Insurance Corporation to enable its mutual fund investors to pay their insurance premium?
– LIC Nomura Mutual Fund
Q108. Which two new members were appointed to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the 2G scam on 29 August, 2013 by the Union Govt., a move which was opposed by the BJP?
– P. Bhattacharya and Ashok S. Ganguly
Q109. Union Govt. is very soon going to sell 100% of its stake in 6 airports of the country to private parties. Which 6 airports are these?
– Chennai, Lucknow, Jodhpur, Guwahati, Ahmedabad and Kolkata
Q110. Who was elected as the President of International Olympic Committee?
- Thomas
– Mamnoon Hussain
Q2. Who was chosen for the 21st Rajiv Gandhi National Sadabhavna Award for year 2013, which is given for contribution towards promotion of communal harmony and peace?
– Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, the Sarod maestro
Q3. What is the name given to a newly announced scheme under which a free mobile handset will be provided to one member of every rural household who has completed 100 days of work under MGNREGA?
– Bharat Mobile Scheme (Under this scheme the handset will be provided preferably to a woman member of family. A brief of this proposed scheme was made by the union govt. on 30 July 2013. The provided handset will be non- transferable as it will later also be used in customized transfer of benefits under the direct transfer scheme of the central govt.)
Q4. US Senate on 29 July 2013 approved the choice of James Comey as the next Director of FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation). Comey will take whose place, who has been at this post since 2001?
– Robert Mueller
Q5. Which private bank became first commercial bank to announce a hike in deposit rates in view of RBI’s move to tighten liquidity in the market?
– YES Bank (YES Bank on 31 July 2013 hiked deposit rates by 0.25% to 0.50%. The bank also hiked the base rate by 0.25% to 10.75%. This hike came into effect on 1 August 2013)
Q6. Who took over as the new Foreign Secretary of India on 1 August 2013?
– Sujatha Singh, She replaced Ranjan Mathai who retired on 31 July 2013.
Q7. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), on 1 August 2013, approved the proposal for sale of 10% government stake in Indian Oil Corporation (IOC). This stake sale is likely to fetch around Rs. 3,840 crore to the exchequer at the current market price. What is Union Govt.’s disinvestment target through the stake sale of public sector undertakings in the current financial year (2013-14)?
– Rs. 40,000 crore
Q8. Union Govt. relaxed the norms for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the multi-brand retail on 1 August 2013 with a view to attract more investments and transparency in the sector. What are the major norms which were relaxed?
– Multi-brand retailers like Walmart are now required to source 30% of their products from the small and medium enterprises of India only at the time of starting the business Now state governments will have the right to grant permission to open a multi- brand retail store in cities of their states
(Earlier 53 urban centers with a minimum population of 1 million were made eligible for opening-up of multi-
brand retail stores) Now the norm of 50% investment in the back-end infrastructure for the retailers will be applicable, only during the first tranche of investments (within three years) of up to 100 million dollars.
Q9. Union Health Ministry on 1 August 2013 revoked its earlier suspension on a drug named Pioglitazone used to treat diabetes. What was the main reason for revoking this suspension within a month?
– Doctors said that this drug was best suited for Indian patients.
Q10. What is the name of a breast cancer drug of the British drug major GlaxoSmithKline Pharma, patent for which was revoked by the Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) of India?
–Tykerb
Q11. United States expressed its disappointment over Russia’s decision to give temporary asylum to Edward Snowden, the ex-CIA contractor who had leaked National Security Agency’s secret telephone and Internet surveillance programme. What is the duration of the temporary asylum offered to Snowden by Russia?
– 1 year
Q12. Who will be the new US ambassador to the United Nations (UN), after the appointment was confirmed by the United States Senate on 1 August 2013?
– Samantha Power
Q13. What is the name of the former world champion shot putter from Belarus who was stripped of his 4 World Championship medals by International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF) for doping?
– Andrei Mikhnevich
Q14. Union Govt. on 2 August 2013 gave its approval for setting up of a fund to help six PSUs, to make them compliant with the 10% minimum public holding norm of market regulator SEBI. What is the name assigned of this fund?
– Special National Investment Fund (SNIF). Six sick PSUs which will be covered under this proposed fund are – HMT, ITI, Scooters India Limited, Andrew Yule, Fertilizer and Chemical Limited (Travancore) and Hindustan Photo Films Limited
Q15. Union Govt. on 2 August 2013 unveiled the long awaited Unified License norms for the telecom sector. What are the main features of this new norm?
The new norm provides for delinking of spectrum from operational permits and allows companies to offer services using any technology. Telecom companies would be allowed to offer mobile and fixed-line services using any technology. They can also provide Internet TV services. It allows companies to offer intra and
inter-circle roaming, but bars operations from acquiring subscribers in areas where they don’t own a license
The licenses acquired under this new norm will be valid for 20 years, and will be renewable for another ten years Telecom companies will have to pay a license fee of eight per cent of annual revenues from telecom services. All telecom companies will have to migrate to the new licensing regime upon expiry of their current permits.
Q16. Who was awarded 22nd Saraswati Samman of K.K. Birla Foundation on 2 August 2013?
– Sugathakumari, the Malayalam poetess (She was given this prestigious award for her collection of poems in Malayalam entitled Manalezhuthu.
Q17. Which union territory of the country celebrated its 60th Liberation Day on 2 August 2013?
–Dadra and Nagar Haveli
Q18. Who was appointed as the first woman Managing Director (MD) of State Bank of India (SBI) on 3 August 2013?
– Arundhati Bhattacharya
Q19. Who took over as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Central Bank of India recently?
– Rajeev Rishi
Q20. Indian girls created history by winning country’s first ever bronze medal in the junior women hockey World Cup in the seventh edition of the cup held in Germany. India defeated which team on 4 August 2013 to win the bronze medal?
– England
Q21. Hasan Rouhani took oath as the new President of Iran on 4 August 2013. He replaced Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. What was special about his swearing-in ceremony?
– It was the first time since Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution that foreign dignitaries attended the swearing-in ceremony of an Iranian president
Q22. Russia and China flagged off their regular anti-terrorist war games in Russia’s Urals region from 3 August 2013. This joint military drill was seen by many defence experts as preparations for a local military conflict in Central Asia. What was the name given to this drill?
– “Peace Mission 2013 ”
Q23. China is establishing a 4,411-metre- high airport in the Tibetan area of its southwestern Sichuan province, which will become the world’s highest civilian airport when put into operation later this year. What is the name of this airport?
– Daocheng Yading airport
Q24. What is the name of a breast cancer drug of Roche Holding AG, patent for which was partly revoked in India recently?
– Herceptin
Q25. Households belonging to which community are the largest spenders on average as disclosed in the data from the National Sample Survey Office’s (NSSO’s) 8th quinquennial survey on employment during the 12 months up to June 2010?
– Sikh
Q26. The union govt. on 5 August 2013 reduced the customs duty on imports of rice bran and rice bran oil cake to nil with effect from 1 October 2013. What was the import duty on this commodity till now?
– 15%
Q27. Union Govt. on 5 August 2013 shelved the plans for disinvestment of its stake in BHEL due to BHEL’s low share price, decreased capital expenditure and less demand for power-sector equipment. What was the proposed target of selling govt. stake in BHEL?
– 5%
Q28. The first arrest for default in paying which tax was made recently after union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram made applicable provisions of CrPC (criminal procedure code) to arrest such offenders?
– Service Tax
Q29. How many embassies and consulates of the United States were closed till 10 August 2013 due to threat of a major al-Qaida attack?
– 19
Q30. Who became the first Indian bowler since Anil Kumble to top the ICC ODI Bowlers Rankings, which were released by the ICC on 4 August 2013?
– Ravindra Jadeja (Jadeja’s career-best rating of 733 has him tied for the pinnacle spot with West Indies spinner Sunil Narine. Kumble had claimed the No.1 position back in 1996 in these rankings)
Q31. Who will be the new Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), as announced by the Finance Ministry on 6 August 2013?
– Raghuram Rajan, who is at present the Chief Economic Advisor to the Govt. of India
Q32. What is the name of the Gujarat village which came into limelight after discovery of prominent artifacts including gold-beads dating to the Harappan era?
– Khirsara
Q33. Who has recently agreed to purchase ‘The Washington Post’ and other newspapers for $250 million?
– Jeff Bezos , founder of Amazon.com
Q34. Telecommunication major Vodafone has recently launched a unique money transfer and payment service “M-Pesa” in Bihar and Jharkhand where banking network and financial penetration is inadequate, particularly in rural areas. Which bank is the banking partner of Vodafone in this service?
– ICICI Bank
Q35. Union Govt. on 7 August 2013 introduced the much-anticipated National Food Security Bill, 2013, which proposes to give the country’s three- fourth population the right to highly- subsidised food. Who moved this bill in the Lok Sabha?
– Union Food Minister K.V. Thomas
Q36. Which body is the regulator of commodity derivatives markets in India, which would be given more teeth to ensure that National Spot Exchange Ltd (NSEL) settles the Rs 5,600-crore dues to investors, as announced by the Union Govt. on 7 August 2013?
– Forward Markets Commission – FMC
Q37. A modern and sophisticated breast milk bank, which is touted as the first such bank in the public sector was opened on 7 August 2013. This newly established breast milk bank is situated
in which city?
– Kolkata
Q38. Indian Parliament on 8 August 2013 passed the Companies Bill, 2012, which replaced the 58-year old legislation with radical changes. What is the name of the old bill which was replaced by this
legislation?
– Companies Act, 1956
Q39. Union Cabinet on 8 August 2013 gave approval to Bharatiya Mahila Bank, which will be India’s first women’s bank. With an initial capital of Rs. 1,000 crore, this bank would provide dedicated financial services to women in general and women self-help groups (SHGs). Which was world’s first women’s bank?
– Pakistan’s First Women Bank (FWB), which was established in 1989
Q40. Union Power Ministry is believed to have shelved the plan to set up the Rs 20,000-crore ultra mega power project (UMPP) in Chhattisgarh as the coal blocks for the proposed project fall under dense forest area and could rake-up the environment issue. This UMPP was proposed to be established at which place of Chhattisgarh?
– Sarguja
Q41. What is the name of the spacecraft which will undertake NASA’s next mission to Mars in November 2013?
– MAVEN – Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution
Q42. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has recently transferred its surplus profit to the government for the year ended June 2013, which is the highest amount to be transferred by the RBI to the government, except year 2007. How much amount was transferred as surplus profit to the govt.?
– Rs. 33,010 crore
Q43. An inter-ministerial committee constituted to suggest steps to contain the rising current account deficit (CAD) has suggested higher taxes for non- essential imports with a view to curbing inward shipments and containing the current account deficit CAD. These suggestions form part of the recommendations made by the committee set up by Finance Minister P Chidambaram. Who is the Chairman of this committee?
- Rajat Bhargava , Joint Secretary (Budget Division)
Q44. On 9 August 2013 who became the first Indian badminton player since Prakash Padukone to reach singles semi- finals of World Championships?
– P.V. Sindhu
Q45. The Union Cabinet on 8 August 2013 approved the proposal for establishing a new media wing that will address the communication and dissemination requirements of the government on social media. What is the proposed name of this new wing which will be established at a cost of Rs. 22.5 crore?
– Bureau of New and Concurrent Media (The proposal for establishment of this new wing was drawn on the basis of the experience of its pilot program on the social media platforms such as Youtube, Facebook and Twitter)
Q46. The proposal for export of how much additional amount of wheat was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 8 August 2013?
– 2 million tonnes
Q47. India on 10 August 2013 achieved a major milestone in nuclear capability by activating the atomic reactor on-board an indigenous nuclear submarine and achieving nuclear criticality, thus paving the way for its operational deployment by the Indian Navy. Which indigenous nuclear submarine is this?
– INS
Q48. Which five countries presently possess nuclear-powered submarines?
– The U.S., Russia, the U.K., France and China
Q49. With effect from 15 August 2013, eight cities in India will have visa-on- arrival facility for tourists visiting India. Which are the four cities which have been extended this facility recently by the Union Govt.?
– Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram
Q50. Which former US President was one among the 16 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom for the year 2013, which were announced on 8 August 2013?
– Bill Clinton
Q51. On 10 August 2013 South Korea and the United States announced holding of a joint-military exercise later this month. The South Korea-US Combined Forces Command (CFC) will conduct this joint military exercise from 19 August to 30 August 2013. What is the name given to this joint exercise?
– ‘Ulchi Freedom Guardian’
Q52. India’s largest IT exporter Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) on 10 August, 2013 announced setting up of a software development centre in Madhya Pradesh, for which the Madhya Pradesh Govt. has allotted an SEZ (Special Economic Zone) to TCS. In which city will this development centre come up?
– Indore
Q53. During August 2013 Maharashtra became the first state of the country to disburse employees’ salary through Aadhaar-linked bank accounts. Employees of which department of Maharashtra Govt. were disbursed their salaries through Aadhaar mode?
– Information Technology (IT) Department
Q54. Who won the men’s singles title at the World Badminton Championships held at Guangzhou?
– Lin Dan of China
Q55. India on 12 August, 2013 launched its first indigenous aircraft carrier, thus making an entry into a select club of countries capable of designing and building a carrier of this size andcapability. What is the name of this aircraft carrier?
– INS Vikrant
Q56. India on 12 August, 2013 successfully test-fired nuclear weapons capable surface-to-surface ballistic missile, Prithvi-II for its full range from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur, Odisha. The indigenously- developed missile was picked up randomly from the production lot and launched by the personnel of the Strategic Force Command (SFC) from ITR’s Launch Complex-III as part of routine user training. What is the full range of this missile?
– 350 km
Q57. Olympics 100 m champion Usain Bolt on 11 August, 2013 reclaimed his sprint gold medal at the World Athletics Championships when he won the gold medal at the ongoing IAAF World Athletics Championships at Moscow. What was the time clocked by him?
– 9.77 seconds
Q58. The Steel Authority of India (SAIL) on 10 August, 2013 commissioned the largest blast furnace in India named ‘Durga’. This huge furnace has a volume of 4,060 cu. Meters and it costed SAIL almost Rs. 1,600 crore. At which unit of SAIL is this furnace installed?
– Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP), Odisha
Q59. On 13 August, 2013 Shooter Ronjan Sodhi was chosen for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, the highest honour for a sportsperson in India. Sodhi is associated with which discipline of shooting?
– Double Trap Shooting (He won two silver medals at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and a gold medal at the 2010 Asian Games. In 2011, he became the first Indian shooter to successfully defend a World Cup title. He is the 7th shooter to receive this prestigious award. Other six shooters to have conferred with this award are – Abhinav Bindra (2001-02), Anjali Bhagwat (2002-03), Lt Col Rajyavardhan Singh Rahore (2004-05), Manavjit Sandhu (2006-07), Gagan Narang (2010-11) and Vijay Kumar (2011-12)
Q60. India’s first Cyber Forensic Laboratory (CFL) was inaugurated on 11 August, 2013. This CFL has been established at which High Court of India?
– Tripura High Court at Agartala
Q61. In a huge setback to the Indian Navy, INS Sindhurakshak, a conventional submarine exploded after a fire on board and sank early on 14 August, 2013 in which 18 personnel, including three officers, may have been killed. INS Sindhurakshak was India’s mainstay kilo- class submarine and was the most modern submarine of the Indian Navy. This accident took place at which place?
– Naval Dockyard at Colaba in Mumbai
Q62. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 14 August, 2013 cut down the amount of foreign exchange an Indian may use to invest or spend abroad from the current annual limit of $2,00,000 to
– $75,000 (This means Indian citizens would not be able to take out more than $75,000 in a year by way of travel or investment. In addition to this RBI imposed a restriction on Indians from making an investment in a property abroad. These measures were announced in a bid to check the drain on foreign exchange reserves in the country)
Q63. The Finance Ministry on 14 August, 2013 announced that public sector insurance company LIC can increase its investments in companies up to 25% under special circumstances. What is the present investment limit of LIC in companies?
– 20%
Q64. Recently which company became the most valuable company of the Aditya Birla group by overtaking cement company UltraTech?
– Idea Cellular
Q65. In the recently released Academic Ranking of 500 World Universities (ARWU) for 2013 only one Indian institute features in the list. Which institute is this?
– Indian Institute of Science (IIS), Bangalore
Q66. Subrata Kumar was nominated for the Prime Minister’s Shram Ratna Award for year 2012 as announced by the union govt. on 14 August, 2013 on the eve of the Independence Day. He is associated
with which company?
– Tata Steel Limited, Jamshedpur (Shram Ratna is the highest honour in India given to workers
employed in any private or public enterprise or departmental undertaking employing 500 or more workers. A cash award of Rs. 2 lakh and a citation is given under Shram Ratna. In addition to this 8 employees of different departments were conferred with the Shram Bhushan Award, 20 with Shram Veer or Shram Veerangana and 41 with the Shram Shri or Shram Devi awards. Shram Bhushan carries a cash prize of Rs. 1 lakh while Shram Veer or Shram Veerangana and Shram Shri or Shram Devi carry a cash prize of Rs. 60,000 and Rs. 40,000 respectively)
Q67. Which public sector bank recently sought Rs 1,800-crore capital infusion from the Centre through allotment of preferential shares? – Bank of Baroda (BoB)
– Union govt. currently, has a stake of 55.4% in BOB
Q68.The Rashtriya Uchattar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) has proposed to put a ceiling on the number of colleges to be affiliated to any university. What is this proposed ceiling?
– 200
Q69. A Dronacharya Award winner and the coach of former Indian cricket captain Kapil Dev passed away on 16 August, 2013 at Mohali. Apart from Kapil Dev, he helped shaping the careers of cricketers such as Yograj Singh, Ashok Malhotra, Chetan Sharma and Harbhajan Singh. What was the name of this famous cricket coach?
– Desh Prem Azad
Q70. State Bank of India (SBI) on 17 August, 2013 achieved another milestone by opening its ……… branch.
– 15,000th (The 15,000th Branch of the SBI was inaugurated by Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram at Tamil Nadu’s Sooranam)
Q71. What is the name of a proposed commission that will look into removing ambiguity and establishing a stable and non-adversarial tax administration in the country and establishment of which was approved by the union govt. recently? -
– Tax Administration Reform Commission – TARC
Q72. “Faster: 100 ways to improve your digital life” is the name of 15th book written by a Stanford educated 28-year old ethical hacker, which was released recently. What is the name of this author?
– Ankit Fadia
Q73. Who was appointed as the new Director-General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on 17 August, 2013?
– Dilip Trivedi
Q74. A citizenship bill passed recently by the Parliament has brought about major changes in India’s citizenship provisions. From now on any person who is or had been a citizen of Pakistan and Bangladesh would not be eligible for registration as an overseas Indian card holder. What is the name of this bill passed by the Parliament during August 2013?
– The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2011
Q75. Recently the Union Cabinet gave its approval for establishment of the International Centre for Drinking Water Quality (ICDWQ). ICDWQ will be set up to undertake research on problems pertaining to water quality including arsenic and fluoride contamination. This proposed centre will be established at
– Kolkata
Q76. What is the name of the proposed nodal agency for offshore wind projects in the country that will soon be constituted under the aegis of Ministry of New and Renewable Energy? – National Offshore Wind Energy Authority
– NOWA
Q77. Who recently took over as the new Ambassador and Permanent Representative of India to the UN
Conference on Disarmament at Geneva?
– D. Bala Venkatesh Varma
Q78. Who was appointed as the new Chairperson of the National School of Drama (NSD) Society on 19 August, 2013?
– Ratan Thiyam
Q79. Cheraman Financial Services Limited (CFSL), which became the first Islamic financial services company to be launched in India, started its operations in which Indian state recently?
– Kerala
Q80. “My Journey: Transforming Dreams into Actions”, which was published recently by Rupa, is a new book written by
– A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the former President
Q81.Which state on 20 August, 2013 became the first to launch the food security scheme for its citizens?
– Delhi
Q82. The Reserve Bank of India had directed two Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs), to stop allowing the use of its premises / branches to accept deposits from public by their associate unincorporated bodies. Which two NBFCs are these?
– Muthoot Fincorp Ltd. (MFCL)and Manappuram Finance Ltd. (MAFIL)
Q83. On 21 August, 2013 the social- networking giant Facebook announced joining hands with six other technology companies (Nokia, Samsung, Ericsson, Opera, MediaTek and Qualcomm) to launch a new global initiative to make Internet access affordable for people across the globe. What is the name given to this initiative?
– “Internet.org”
Q84. Nishi Vasudeva’s name came to news when she was selected by the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) to head a Navratna category PSU and thus is on the way to become the first- ever woman to head a Navratna PSU. She is expected to take over as the Chairman and Managing Director of which PSU in March, 2014?
– Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd – HPCL
Q85. Which private sector bank claimed to have opened its 500th branch during August, 2013?
– Yes Bank
Q86. On 21 August, 2013 insurance regulator IRDA (Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority) imposed a hefty fine of Rs. 3.1 crore on which private sector life insurance company?
– Bajaj Allianz
Q87. 89-year old Robert Mugabe was sworn in as the President of Zimbabwe on 22 August, 2013. Mugabe won a landslide victory in the 31 July elections with 61% of the presidential votes. What is the name of his political party?
– Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF)
Q88. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 23 August, 2013 announced imposition of a total of Rs. 6.50 crore monetary penalty on six public sector banks for violation of rules relating to know your customer and anti-money laundering. Which 6 public sector banks are these?
– Allahabad Bank
Q89. Who was appointed as the new Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) of Vijaya Bank, as announced on 23 August, 2013?
– V Kannan
Q90. How many government hospital beds per person were available in India as on 1 January, 2013, according to the estimates disclosed by Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on 23 August, 2013 in the Lok Sabha?
– 879
Q91. As per information furnished by Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA), what was the life insurance penetration rate in India in the year 2012?
– 3.17%
Q92. Which state became the only state of India to have increased its forest cover in the past two decades, as announced recently by the state govt.?
– Sikkim
Q93. Which IIM of the country recently launched a first-of-its-kind management development programme on Islamic Banking and Finance?
– IIM, Kashipur
Q94. The Lok Sabha on 26 August, 2013 passed the ambitious National Food Security Bill, 2013 that seeks to provide highly subsidised food grains to the poor. This bill proposes to legally entitle 67% of the population (including 75 per cent rural and 50 per cent urban) to get subsidised grains under which category of food distribution system?
- Targeted Public Distribution System – TPDS
Q95. How many Additional Solicitors General (ASGs) were appointed in the Supreme Court on 26 August, 2013?
– Three (These three newly appointed ASGs are – L. Nageswara Rao, Santosh Kumar Bagaria and K.V. Viswanathan and their tenure will be for three years.)
Q96. A committee constituted by the Corporate Affairs Ministry to look into ways to improve the country’s overall business climate is ready to submit its report to the Union Govt. Who is heading this 25-member committee?
– M. Damodaran, Former SEBI Chairman
Q97. What is the name of the first vehicle rolled-out by luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz India from its Chakan plant near Pune in Maharashtra, which is the world’s first of this type to be manufactured out of the USA?
- GL-Class
Q98. Who is heading the seven- member Tax Administration Reform Commission (TARC), which was
constituted by the Union Govt. on 26 August, 2013 to have a comprehensive review of existing tax laws and suggest a stable tax administration?
– Parthasarathy Shome
Q99. What is the name of a new typhoid vaccine launched by Bharat Biotech International Ltd on 26 August 2013, which provides longer immunity and efficacy against typhoid?
- Typbar TCV
Q100.The Indian Rupee fell sharply on 28 August, 2013 to hit a record low of 68.80 to the dollar. This was its biggest single- day percentage fall since how many years?
– 18 years
Q101.It was recently reported in some sections of media that a 1,750 MW nuclear power plant is being established, which will be the largest nuclear power plant in the world till date. This plant is reportedly being established in which country?
– China
Q102. During 2011-12, which state replaced Maharashtra to become the state with the largest number of HIV patients in India?
– Andhra Pradesh
Q103. The population of which BRICS nation crossed 200 million mark recently?
– Brazil
Q104. Raghunath Panigrahi, who passed away during August, 2013, was associated with which field?
– Classical Singing
Q105. Who was selected as the next Chairman & Managing Director of PSU major ONGC by Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) as announced on 30 August, 2013?
– D.K. Sarraf
Q106.What is the name of India’s first defence satellite which was launched on 30 August, 2013 (IST) from Kourou spaceport in French Guiana?
– GSAT-7 (This satellite was successfully launched by European space consortium Arianespace’s Ariane 5 rocket.)
Q107. Which mutual fund company recently launched an auto premium payment system in collaboration with Life Insurance Corporation to enable its mutual fund investors to pay their insurance premium?
– LIC Nomura Mutual Fund
Q108. Which two new members were appointed to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the 2G scam on 29 August, 2013 by the Union Govt., a move which was opposed by the BJP?
– P. Bhattacharya and Ashok S. Ganguly
Q109. Union Govt. is very soon going to sell 100% of its stake in 6 airports of the country to private parties. Which 6 airports are these?
– Chennai, Lucknow, Jodhpur, Guwahati, Ahmedabad and Kolkata
Q110. Who was elected as the President of International Olympic Committee?
- Thomas