Current Affairs Quiz — 24 December 2024
Daily news by your exam, state and topic — each with a short summary, key facts and MCQs.
Who was appointed Governor of Manipur by the President of India on 24 December 2024?
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Correct answer: A — Ajay Kumar Bhalla
PIB (President's Secretariat): Ajay Kumar Bhalla was appointed Governor of Manipur in the press communique of 24 December 2024.
General (Dr) Vijay Kumar Singh (Retd.) was appointed Governor of which State on 24 December 2024?
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Correct answer: D — Mizoram
PIB (President's Secretariat): General (Dr) Vijay Kumar Singh (Retd.) was appointed Governor of Mizoram.
Whose resignation as Governor of Odisha did the President of India accept on 24 December 2024?
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Correct answer: B — Raghubar Das
PIB (President's Secretariat): the President accepted the resignation of Raghubar Das as Governor of Odisha and appointed Dr Hari Babu Kambhampati in his place.
Consider the following statements about the gubernatorial changes announced on 24 December 2024: 1. Arif Mohammed Khan was moved from Kerala to Bihar. 2. Dr Hari Babu Kambhampati was Governor of Mizoram before being appointed to Odisha. 3. The appointments take effect from the dates the appointees assume charge. Which of the statements given above are correct?
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Correct answer: C — 1, 2 and 3
PIB (President's Secretariat): Arif Mohammed Khan, Governor of Kerala, was appointed Governor of Bihar; Hari Babu Kambhampati, Governor of Mizoram, was appointed to Odisha; and the appointments take effect from the dates of assuming charge. All three statements are correct.
What was the theme of National Consumer Day 2024, observed on 24 December 2024?
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Correct answer: C — Virtual Hearings & Digital Access to Consumer Justice
PIB (Consumer Affairs): the theme for National Consumer Day 2024 was 'Virtual Hearings & Digital Access to Consumer Justice'.
On National Consumer Day 2024, a voluntary Safety Pledge for consumer safety was signed by how many major e-commerce platforms?
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Correct answer: A — 13
PIB (Consumer Affairs): the Safety Pledge, a voluntary commitment for ensuring consumer safety, was signed by 13 major e-commerce platforms.
On National Consumer Day 2024, an Organic Food Testing Laboratory was inaugurated at the National Test House in which city?
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Correct answer: B — Guwahati
PIB (Consumer Affairs): the Minister inaugurated the Organic Food Testing Laboratory at National Test House, Guwahati, and a Low Voltage Switch Gear Testing Facility at National Test House, Mumbai.
Milma's milk powder factory inaugurated by the Kerala Chief Minister on 24 December 2024 is located at Moorkanad in which district?
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Correct answer: B — Malappuram
The Hindu/Malabar Milma: the milk powder factory is at Moorkanad near Valanchery in Malappuram district, commissioned on 24 December 2024.
How much milk can the Milma plant at Moorkanad, Kerala (commissioned in December 2024), process in a day?
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Correct answer: C — 1,00,000 litres
Malabar Milma/The Hindu: the plant's processing capacity is 1,00,000 litres a day; it converts one lakh litres of milk into 10 tonnes of milk powder a day.
Which unit of Milma set up the milk powder factory at Moorkanad, opened on 24 December 2024?
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Correct answer: D — Malabar Regional Co-operative Milk Producers' Union
Malabar Milma/The Hindu: the Malappuram Dairy and Powder Plant at Moorkanad is a unit of the Malabar Regional Co-operative Milk Producers' Union, which met most of the cost.
How much was released to Uttar Pradesh as the second instalment of XV Finance Commission untied grants for rural local bodies (2024-25), as announced on 24 December 2024?
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Correct answer: B — ₹1,598.80 crore
PIB (Panchayati Raj): Uttar Pradesh received ₹1,598.80 crore as the second instalment of untied grants; ₹446.49 crore went to Andhra Pradesh.
XV Finance Commission untied grants to Panchayati Raj Institutions can be used for location-specific needs under the 29 subjects listed in which Schedule of the Constitution?
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Correct answer: C — Eleventh Schedule
PIB (Panchayati Raj): untied grants are used for location-specific felt needs under the 29 subjects enshrined in the Eleventh Schedule, except salaries and establishment costs.
Consider the following statements about XV Finance Commission grants to rural local bodies, as explained by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj in December 2024: 1. Tied grants can be used for sanitation and maintenance of ODF status. 2. Tied grants can be used for drinking water supply, rainwater harvesting and water recycling. 3. Untied grants can be used to pay salaries of panchayat staff. Which of the statements given above are correct?
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Correct answer: D — 1 and 2 only
PIB (Panchayati Raj): tied grants are for sanitation/ODF status and for drinking water, rainwater harvesting and water recycling; untied grants exclude salaries and other establishment costs, so statement 3 is wrong.
Under which scheme did Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis inaugurate solar projects at Umbartha and Narangwadi on 24 December 2024?
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Correct answer: A — Mukhyamantri Saur Krishi Vahini Yojana 2.0
The Hindu/TOI/IANS: the projects were inaugurated under the Mukhyamantri Saur Krishi Vahini Yojana 2.0, the Chief Minister's solar agriculture feeder scheme.
Umbartha village, where a solar project was inaugurated under Maharashtra's solar agriculture feeder scheme on 24 December 2024, is in which district?
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Correct answer: C — Washim
The Hindu/TOI/IANS: the projects were at Umbartha in Washim district and Narangwadi in Dharashiv district.
According to Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis on 24 December 2024, how much electricity does the State currently supply to farmers?
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Correct answer: B — 16,000 MW
The Hindu/TOI: Fadnavis said the State currently supplies 16,000 MW of electricity to farmers and these feeders are to be shifted to solar energy in phases.
According to ASUSE 2023-24 released on 24 December 2024, how many unincorporated non-agricultural establishments were there in India?
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Correct answer: D — 7.34 crore
PIB (MoSPI): the number of establishments rose from 6.50 crore in 2022-23 to 7.34 crore in 2023-24.
As per ASUSE 2023-24, what was the Gross Value Added (GVA) per worker in the unincorporated sector at current prices?
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Correct answer: B — ₹1,49,742
PIB (MoSPI): GVA per worker rose to ₹1,49,742 in 2023-24 from ₹1,41,769 in 2022-23; ₹1,38,207 was the 2021-22 figure and ₹2,45,687 is GVA per establishment.
According to ASUSE 2023-24, what share of unincorporated establishments used the internet?
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Correct answer: A — 26.7%
PIB (MoSPI): the percentage of establishments using the internet grew from 21.1% in 2022-23 to 26.7% in ASUSE 2023-24.
In its clarification of 24 December 2024, the Ministry of Mines asked which body to re-examine the Nayakkarpatti tungsten block and explore redefining its boundary?
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Correct answer: C — Geological Survey of India
PIB (Mines): the Geological Survey of India (GSI) was requested to re-examine the block and explore the possibility of redefining its boundary by excluding the biodiversity heritage site.
According to the Ministry of Mines, the biodiversity heritage site reported by Tamil Nadu covered about what share of the Nayakkarpatti tungsten block?
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Correct answer: D — About 10%
PIB (Mines): the State Government informed about a biodiversity site covering 193.215 ha, about 10% of the total area of the block.
Consider the following statements in the context of the Ministry of Mines' clarification on the Nayakkarpatti block (24 December 2024): 1. A composite licence is a prospecting licence-cum-mining lease. 2. The Letter of Intent to the preferred bidder is issued by the Ministry of Mines. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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Correct answer: A — 1 only
PIB (Mines): a composite licence refers to a prospecting licence-cum-mining lease; the ministry's role is limited to the auction, and the Letter of Intent, composite licence and mining lease are issued by the State Government, so statement 2 is wrong.
The Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF), under which Amantya Technologies received a grant in December 2024, is a scheme of which fund?
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Correct answer: C — Digital Bharat Nidhi (formerly USOF)
PIB (Communications): Amantya was funded under the TTDF scheme of USOF, now called 'Digital Bharat Nidhi', by the Department of Telecommunications.
What will Amantya Technologies develop under the TTDF grant announced on 24 December 2024?
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Correct answer: B — A carrier-grade 'Made in India' 5G Standalone (SA) core
PIB (Communications): the project is to develop an 'India 5G Stack' with a 3GPP Release 16/17-compliant 'Made in India 5G SA Core' for public carrier and enterprise deployment.
With which concessionaire did NHAI sign an MoU in December 2024 to build and maintain cattle shelters along National Highways as a pilot project?
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Correct answer: D — Gawar Construction Ltd
PIB (Road Transport): NHAI signed an MoU with its existing concessionaire M/s Gawar Construction Ltd to build cattle shelters on land provided by NHAI and maintain them.
Under NHAI's December 2024 cattle-shelter pilot, shelters on the Bhiwani-Hansi section of NH-148B are to be built along which bypass?
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Correct answer: A — Hansi Bypass
PIB (Road Transport): shelters will be built along the Bhiwani-Hansi section of NH-148B at the Hansi Bypass; the Kharkhoda Bypass is on NH-334B.