Current Affairs Quiz — 23 December 2024
Daily news by your exam, state and topic — each with a short summary, key facts and MCQs.
Filmmaker Shyam Benegal, who died on 23 December 2024, is best known as a pioneer of which movement in Indian cinema?
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Correct answer: A — Parallel cinema
The New Indian Express and The Hindu: Shyam Benegal heralded the 'parallel movement' in Hindi cinema in the 1970s and 1980s with films such as Ankur, Mandi and Manthan.
Shyam Benegal's film Manthan, restored and screened at Cannes in 2024, was based on the milk cooperative movement of which place?
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Correct answer: C — Anand, Gujarat
The New Indian Express and The Hindu: Manthan was based on the milk cooperative movement in Anand, Gujarat, and its restored version was shown at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024.
Shyam Benegal's last film, released in 2023, was a biopic of which leader?
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Correct answer: D — Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
The New Indian Express and The Hindu: Benegal's most recent work was Mujib: The Making of a Nation (2023), a biopic of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. A film on Noor Inayat Khan remained unmade.
The revised detention policy notified by the Centre in December 2024 under the RTE rules applies to students of which grades?
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Correct answer: B — Grades 5 and 8
PIB (Ministry of Education): the revised "Detention Policy" applies to students in Grades 5 and 8 of schools run by the Central Government or by UTs without a legislature.
Under the RTE (Amendment) Rules, 2024, within what period of the declaration of results must a student who fails the annual examination get a re-examination?
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Correct answer: C — Two months
PIB (Ministry of Education): a student who fails to meet the promotion criteria gets additional instruction and a re-examination within two months of the declaration of results.
Consider the following statements about the RTE (Amendment) Rules, 2024: 1. They apply to schools established, owned or controlled by the Central Government or by the administrator of a UT having no legislature. 2. They allow a child to be expelled from school before completing elementary education. 3. They were notified through G.S.R. 777(E) dated 21 December 2024. Which of the statements given above are correct?
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Correct answer: D — 1 and 3 only
PIB (Ministry of Education): statements 1 and 3 are correct. Statement 2 is wrong because the amendment reinforces that no child shall be expelled from school until the completion of elementary education.
The Assam International Skill Centre approved by the Assam cabinet on 23 December 2024 will have its hub in which city?
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Correct answer: D — Guwahati
NewsLive and India Today NE: the AISC will operate in a hub-and-spoke model with its hub in Guwahati and centres spread across the state.
The Assam cabinet decided on 23 December 2024 that 2025 would be observed as a special year to promote which habit?
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Correct answer: B — Book reading
NewsLive and The Sentinel: the cabinet decided to observe 2025 as a year of reading ('Year of Reading' / 'Book Year') to promote book reading, with a book fair at Khanapara.
What monthly remuneration did the Assam cabinet approve in December 2024 for Gaon Pradhans of forest villages and FRA villages, effective 1 January 2025?
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Correct answer: A — ₹9,000
NewsLive and India Today NE: a remuneration of ₹9,000 per month was approved from 1 January 2025 for 278 Gaon Pradhans in forest villages and 668 in FRA villages in non-Sixth Schedule areas.
According to TRAI data released in December 2024, what was India's overall tele-density at the end of October 2024?
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Correct answer: B — 84.46%
PIB (TRAI): overall tele-density was 84.46% as on 31 October 2024.
As per TRAI's subscription data as on 31 October 2024, how many broadband subscribers did India have?
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Correct answer: D — 941.47 million
PIB (TRAI): total broadband subscribers decreased from 944.40 million at the end of September 2024 to 941.47 million at the end of October 2024.
Who was appointed Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court on 23 December 2024?
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Correct answer: C — Justice G.S. Sandhawalia
PIB (Ministry of Law and Justice): Justice G.S. Sandhawalia, judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, was appointed Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court.
Justice Guhanathan Narendar, a judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, was appointed Chief Justice of which High Court in December 2024?
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Correct answer: A — Uttarakhand High Court
PIB (Ministry of Law and Justice): Justice Guhanathan Narendar was appointed Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court.
Under TRAI's Telecom Consumers Protection (Twelfth Amendment) Regulations, 2024, the validity cap for Special Tariff Vouchers and Combo Vouchers was raised to how many days?
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Correct answer: C — 365 days
PIB (TRAI): the cap on validity period for STVs and Combo Vouchers was increased from 90 days to 365 days.
Which of the following did TRAI mandate through its December 2024 amendment to the Telecom Consumers Protection Regulations?
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Correct answer: A — A separate Special Tariff Voucher for voice and SMS
PIB (TRAI): the regulations mandate a separate STV for voice and SMS. Colour coding was done away with, and the reservation of ₹10 and its multiples for top-up vouchers was removed.
Consider the following statements about TRAI's December 2024 changes to voucher rules: 1. Colour coding of vouchers was done away with. 2. Telecom operators no longer need to offer any ₹10 top-up voucher. 3. The changes followed a consultation paper released on 26 July 2024. Which of the statements given above are correct?
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Correct answer: D — 1 and 3 only
PIB (TRAI): statements 1 and 3 are correct. Statement 2 is wrong because the mandate of at least one ₹10 top-up voucher is retained.
What is the theme for tableaux at the Republic Day Celebrations 2025, as announced by the Ministry of Defence?
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Correct answer: B — Swarnim Bharat: Virasat aur Vikas
PIB (Ministry of Defence): the theme for tableaux at RDC-2025 has been decided as 'Swarnim Bharat: Virasat aur Vikas'.
How many States/UTs were selected to showcase their tableaux on Kartavya Path for the Republic Day Celebrations 2025?
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Correct answer: C — 15
PIB (Ministry of Defence): 15 States/UTs were selected for Kartavya Path for RDC-2025, along with 11 central ministries/departments.
Consider the following statements about the Republic Day Celebrations 2025 tableaux announced on 23 December 2024: 1. Karnataka, Tripura and West Bengal were among the States selected for Kartavya Path. 2. Only the States selected for Kartavya Path were invited to Bharat Parv at the Red Fort. 3. The tableaux theme was decided on the basis of suggestions from States/UTs. Which of the statements given above are correct?
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Correct answer: A — 1 and 3 only
PIB (Ministry of Defence): statements 1 and 3 are correct. Statement 2 is wrong because all States/UTs, irrespective of their selection for Kartavya Path, were invited to Bharat Parv at the Red Fort (26–31 January 2025).
What was the size of the loan signed by India and the Asian Development Bank in December 2024 for green and sustainable infrastructure through IIFCL?
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Correct answer: C — $500 million
PIB (Ministry of Finance): India and ADB signed a $500 million loan to support green and sustainable infrastructure projects, to be extended to IIFCL.
The ADB loan signed on 20 December 2024 under the Financing Environmentally Sustainable Growth in Infrastructure Project will be extended to which entity?
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Correct answer: B — India Infrastructure Finance Company Limited
PIB (Ministry of Finance): the ADB loan, with a sovereign guarantee, will be extended to India Infrastructure Finance Company Limited (IIFCL).
Consider the following statements about the India–ADB loan to IIFCL announced on 23 December 2024: 1. The loan carries a sovereign guarantee. 2. A sustainability unit and a sustainability scoring method for projects will be set up at IIFCL. 3. The loan was signed for India by the Secretary, Department of Financial Services. Which of the statements given above are correct?
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Correct answer: A — 1 and 2 only
PIB (Ministry of Finance): statements 1 and 2 are correct. Statement 3 is wrong because Juhi Mukherjee, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, signed for India.
How many appointment letters did Prime Minister Narendra Modi distribute at the Rozgar Mela on 23 December 2024?
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Correct answer: D — More than 71,000
PIB (PMO): the Prime Minister distributed more than 71,000 appointment letters to newly appointed recruits via video conferencing on 23 December 2024.
At how many locations across the country was the Rozgar Mela of 23 December 2024 held?
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Correct answer: A — 45
PIB (PMO): the Rozgar Mela was held at 45 locations across the country.
At the Rozgar Mela of 23 December 2024, the Prime Minister said that around how many permanent government jobs had been offered in the previous one and a half years?
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Correct answer: B — 10 lakh
PIB (PMO): the Prime Minister said that in the last one and a half years, around 10 lakh permanent government jobs had been offered.
What renewable energy capacity target has Odisha set for 2030, as cited by IREDA at the Odisha Solar Investor Conclave in December 2024?
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Correct answer: A — 10 GW
PIB (MNRE): IREDA reaffirmed its commitment to Odisha's target of achieving 10 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030.
Which organisation hosted the Odisha Solar Investor Conclave in Bhubaneswar on 23 December 2024?
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Correct answer: D — GRIDCO
PIB (MNRE): the Odisha Solar Investor Conclave was organised by GRIDCO in Bhubaneswar, where IREDA CMD Pradip Kumar Das delivered a special address.
Karnataka's first semiconductor project, announced at the State High-Level Clearance Committee meeting of 23 December 2024, will be set up near which city?
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Correct answer: B — Mysuru
The New Indian Express and NewsDrum (PTI): Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the first semiconductor project in the state would be established at the Kochanahalli Electronics Manufacturing Cluster near Mysuru.
What was the total investment of the nine projects approved by Karnataka's 64th SHLCC on 23 December 2024?
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Correct answer: C — ₹9,823.31 crore
The New Indian Express and NewsDrum (PTI): the 64th SHLCC approved nine projects with a total investment of ₹9,823.31 crore, expected to create about 5,605 jobs.
Consider the following pairs of companies and project locations approved by Karnataka's SHLCC on 23 December 2024: 1. Silectric Semiconductor Manufacturing – Kochanahalli, Mysuru 2. Sansera Engineering – Harohalli 3. DN Solutions India – ITIR, Devanahalli Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
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Correct answer: D — 1, 2 and 3
The New Indian Express and NewsDrum (PTI): all three pairs are correct. Silectric's ₹3,425.60 crore unit is at Kochanahalli, Mysuru; Sansera's ₹2,150 crore project is at Harohalli; and DN Solutions India's ₹998 crore investment is at ITIR, Devanahalli.
What was the year-on-year inflation rate based on CPI-AL (Agricultural Labourers) for November 2024?
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Correct answer: C — 5.35%
PIB (Ministry of Labour and Employment): CPI-AL-based inflation was 5.35% in November 2024, compared with 5.96% in October 2024 and 7.37% in November 2023.
What level did the All-India CPI for Rural Labourers (CPI-RL) reach in November 2024?
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Correct answer: B — 1331
PIB (Ministry of Labour and Employment): CPI-RL rose by 5 points to 1331 in November 2024, while CPI-AL rose by 5 points to 1320.