Current Affairs Quiz — 14 December 2024
Daily news by your exam, state and topic — each with a short summary, key facts and MCQs.
In December 2024, the RBI raised the limit for collateral-free agricultural loans per borrower to:
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Correct answer: B — ₹2 lakh
PIB (Agriculture): the existing collateral-free agricultural loan limit of ₹1.6 lakh per borrower has been raised to ₹2 lakh, effective 1 January 2025.
Consider the following statements about the RBI's revised collateral-free agricultural loan limit: 1. The limit also applies to loans for allied activities. 2. The revised limit is effective from 1 April 2025. 3. The Modified Interest Subvention Scheme offers loans up to ₹3 lakh at a 4% effective interest rate. Which of the statements given above are correct?
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Correct answer: C — 1 and 3 only
PIB (Agriculture): the limit covers agricultural loans including allied activities, and the MISS offers loans up to ₹3 lakh at a 4% effective rate. Statement 2 is incorrect: the change is effective from 1 January 2025.
Small and marginal farmers, expected to benefit most from the RBI's December 2024 increase in the collateral-free agricultural loan limit, make up over what share of the farm sector?
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Correct answer: D — 86%
The Agriculture Ministry said the move would benefit small and marginal farmers, who make up over 86% of the sector.
National Energy Conservation Day is observed in India every year on:
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Correct answer: A — 14 December
PIB (Power): National Energy Conservation Day is commemorated in India on December 14 every year.
Which body confers the National Energy Conservation Awards presented on National Energy Conservation Day?
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Correct answer: D — Bureau of Energy Efficiency
PIB (Power): the National Energy Conservation Awards (NECA) are an initiative of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) under the Ministry of Power.
In which year was National Energy Conservation Day introduced in India?
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Correct answer: B — 1991
PIB (Power): introduced in 1991, the day is championed by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency; the NECA were instituted the same year.
Who was the Reviewing Officer of the Combined Graduation Parade at the Air Force Academy, Dundigal, on 14 December 2024?
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Correct answer: A — Air Chief Marshal AP Singh
PIB (Defence): Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, Chief of the Air Staff, was the Reviewing Officer of the parade and conferred the President's Commission on the graduating flight cadets.
The first batch of officers of which IAF branch was commissioned at the Air Force Academy parade on 14 December 2024?
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Correct answer: D — Weapon Systems
PIB (Defence): the day was marked by the first batch of Weapon Systems branch officers being commissioned into the IAF.
How many cadets graduated at the Combined Graduation Parade at the Air Force Academy on 14 December 2024?
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Correct answer: C — 204
PIB (Defence): a total of 204 cadets graduated, including 178 men and 26 women.
How many resolutions did PM Narendra Modi present in the Lok Sabha on 14 December 2024 during the special discussion on 75 years of the Constitution?
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Correct answer: C — 11
Inspired by the spirit of the Constitution, the Prime Minister presented 11 resolutions for India's future.
What was the first of the resolutions presented by PM Modi in the Lok Sabha on 14 December 2024 on the 75th anniversary of the Constitution?
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Correct answer: D — Citizens and government must fulfil their duties
The first resolution was that whether citizens or the government, all must fulfil their duties.
Raj Kapoor, whose 100th birth anniversary was marked on 14 December 2024, made his directorial debut with which film?
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Correct answer: A — Aag
Raj Kapoor's directorial debut Aag (1948) marked the beginning of RK Films.
In which year did Raj Kapoor, whose birth centenary was celebrated in December 2024, receive the Dadasaheb Phalke Award?
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Correct answer: C — 1988
Raj Kapoor received the Padma Bhushan in 1971 and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1988.
Raj Kapoor, whose 100th birth anniversary fell on 14 December 2024, was born in 1924 in which city?
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Correct answer: B — Peshawar
Raj Kapoor was born on 14 December 1924 in Peshawar, now in Pakistan, the son of Prithviraj Kapoor.
Under the revised GRAP (December 2024), Stage II ('Very Poor' air quality) applies when Delhi's AQI is in which range?
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Correct answer: B — 301-400
PIB (Environment): in the revised GRAP, Stage II – 'Very Poor' Air Quality – covers Delhi AQI ranging between 301 and 400.
Under the revised GRAP (December 2024), strict restrictions on BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel four-wheelers in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Gautam Budh Nagar fall under which stage?
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Correct answer: C — Stage III
PIB (Environment): the revised GRAP lists strict restrictions on BS III petrol and BS IV diesel LMVs (4 wheelers) in Delhi and the four NCR districts under Stage III – 'Severe' Air Quality (Delhi AQI 401-450).
The Indian Posts & Telecommunications Accounts and Finance Service (IP&TAFS), which marked its 50th Foundation Day on 14 December 2024, was established in:
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Correct answer: A — 1974
PIB (Communications): since its establishment in 1974, IP&TAFS has been at the forefront of India's telecommunications and postal financial landscape.
The Department of Telecommunications' SAMPANN portal, lauded at the IP&TAFS 50th Foundation Day, is used for:
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Correct answer: D — Pension disbursement
PIB (Communications): IP&TAFS oversees disbursement of DoT pensions through the cloud-based SAMPANN portal; revenue assurance is handled through the separate SARAS portal.