Current Affairs Quiz — 30 December 2024
Daily news by your exam, state and topic — each with a short summary, key facts and MCQs.
How many payloads were flown on the POEM-4 platform of the PSLV-C60/SpaDeX mission launched on 30 December 2024?
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Correct answer: A — 24
ISRO: POEM-4 carried 24 payloads, 14 from ISRO/DOS centres and 10 from non-government entities through IN-SPACe; POEM-3 had carried 8.
The Walking Robotic Arm (RRM-TD) on POEM-4, described by ISRO as India's first space robotic manipulator with walking capability, was developed by:
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Correct answer: C — ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU)
ISRO: the Relocatable Robotic Manipulator-Technology Demonstrator (Walking Robotic Arm) was developed by IISU; the debris capture robotic manipulator and CROPS are from VSSC.
Consider the following statements about the PSLV-C60 mission: 1. PSLV-C60 was the first vehicle integrated up to the PS4 stage at the PSLV Integration Facility before being moved for satellite assembly. 2. Ten of the POEM-4 payloads came from academia and start-ups through IN-SPACe. 3. The previous POEM-3 platform had hosted 12 payloads. Which of the statements given above are correct?
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Correct answer: B — 1 and 2 only
ISRO: PSLV-C60 was the first vehicle integrated up to PS4 at PIF, and 10 of the 24 payloads came from NGEs via IN-SPACe; POEM-3 hosted only eight payloads, so statement 3 is wrong.
According to the RBI's Financial Stability Report released on 30 December 2024, the gross NPA ratio of scheduled commercial banks fell to a 12-year low of how much in September 2024?
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Correct answer: D — 2.6%
RBI FSR: the GNPA ratio of SCBs declined to a 12-year low of 2.6% in September 2024; 0.6% is the NNPA ratio and 3.0% the baseline stress-test projection for March 2026.
The RBI's Financial Stability Report reflects the collective assessment of which body on the resilience of the Indian financial system?
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Correct answer: B — Sub-Committee of the Financial Stability and Development Council
RBI press release: the FSR reflects the collective assessment of the Sub-Committee of the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC).
Consider the following statements about scheduled commercial banks as reported in the RBI's December 2024 Financial Stability Report (September 2024 data): 1. CRAR and CET1 ratios stood at 16.7% and 14.0% respectively. 2. The provisioning coverage ratio improved to 77.0%. 3. The net NPA ratio stood at around 1.6%. Which of the statements given above are correct?
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Correct answer: A — 1 and 2 only
RBI FSR: CRAR and CET1 were 16.7% and 14.0% and the PCR improved to 77.0%; the NNPA ratio was around 0.6%, not 1.6%, so statement 3 is wrong.
According to India's fourth Biennial Update Report (BUR-4) submitted to the UNFCCC on 30 December 2024, by how much did India's total GHG emissions in 2020 change compared with 2019?
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Correct answer: D — Decreased by 7.93%
PIB (MoEFCC): India's total GHG emissions in 2020 decreased by 7.93% with respect to 2019.
As per BUR-4, which sector was the second-largest contributor to India's GHG emissions in 2020, after energy?
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Correct answer: B — Agriculture
PIB (MoEFCC): energy contributed 75.66%, followed by agriculture (13.72%), IPPU (8.06%) and waste (2.56%); LULUCF acted as a net sink.
Consider the following statements regarding India's BUR-4: 1. It contains the national GHG inventory for the year 2020. 2. Between 2005 and 2020, India's emission intensity of GDP fell by 36%. 3. By October 2024, non-fossil sources made up more than half of India's installed electricity capacity. Which of the statements given above are correct?
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Correct answer: C — 1 and 2 only
PIB (MoEFCC): BUR-4 contains the 2020 inventory and emission intensity of GDP fell by 36% (2005–2020); the non-fossil share of installed capacity was 46.52%, less than half, so statement 3 is wrong.
With which company did the Ministry of Defence sign a contract of about ₹1,990 crore on 30 December 2024 for construction of the Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) plug for the DRDO-AIP system?
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Correct answer: A — Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited
PIB (Defence): the ~₹1,990 crore AIP plug contract was signed with Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, Mumbai.
The ₹877 crore contract signed with Naval Group, France, on 30 December 2024 is for integrating the Electronic Heavy Weight Torpedo on which class of Indian Navy submarines?
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Correct answer: D — Kalvari class
PIB (Defence): the Naval Group contract covers integration of the DRDO-developed EHWT on the Kalvari-class submarines.
Consider the following statements about the submarine contracts signed by the Ministry of Defence on 30 December 2024: 1. The two contracts together were worth about ₹2,867 crore. 2. The AIP technology is being indigenously developed by DRDO. 3. The torpedo integration contract was the larger of the two, at about ₹1,990 crore. Which of the statements given above are correct?
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Correct answer: D — 1 and 2 only
PIB (Defence): the contracts total about ₹2,867 crore and the AIP technology is being developed by DRDO; the EHWT contract was about ₹877 crore while the AIP plug contract was about ₹1,990 crore, so statement 3 is wrong.
Who assumed charge as Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on 30 December 2024?
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Correct answer: A — Justice V. Ramasubramanian
PIB (NHRC): Justice V. Ramasubramanian, former Supreme Court judge, assumed charge as Chairperson; Justice Sarangi joined as Member and Vijaya Bharathi Sayani had been Acting Chairperson.
Justice (Dr) Bidyut Ranjan Sarangi, who joined the NHRC as a Member on 30 December 2024, is a former Chief Justice of which High Court?
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Correct answer: D — Jharkhand High Court
PIB (NHRC): Justice (Dr) Bidyut Ranjan Sarangi is the former Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court.
Consider the following statements about the NHRC appointments that took effect in December 2024: 1. The new Chairperson and Members were appointed by the President on 21 December 2024. 2. Priyank Kanoongo, a former NCPCR Chairperson, joined the Commission as a Member. 3. Justice V. Ramasubramanian had served as Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court before his elevation to the Supreme Court. Which of the statements given above are correct?
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Correct answer: B — 1, 2 and 3
PIB (NHRC): the appointments were made by President Droupadi Murmu on 21 December 2024; Priyank Kanoongo, former NCPCR Chairperson, joined as Member; and Justice Ramasubramanian was Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court in 2019 before becoming a Supreme Court judge. All three are correct.
India's first glass bridge over the sea, inaugurated in Kanniyakumari on 30 December 2024, connects which two landmarks?
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Correct answer: A — Thiruvalluvar Statue and Vivekananda Rock Memorial
The Hindu/Kanniyakumari district: the glass bridge connects the Thiruvalluvar Statue and the Vivekananda Rock Memorial.
What is the length of the glass bridge over the sea inaugurated in Kanniyakumari in December 2024?
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Correct answer: C — 77 metres
The Hindu/Kanniyakumari district: the bridge is 77 metres long and 10 metres wide; ₹37 crore was its cost.
The Kanniyakumari glass bridge was inaugurated as part of the silver jubilee celebrations of:
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Correct answer: D — The Thiruvalluvar Statue's installation
The Hindu: the bridge was inaugurated as part of the silver jubilee celebrations of the installation of the Thiruvalluvar Statue.
What is the estimated cost of the Godavari-Banakacherla project unveiled by Andhra Pradesh on 30 December 2024?
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Correct answer: B — ₹80,112 crore
The Hindu/Swarajya: the project is estimated at ₹80,112 crore; ₹38,041 crore is the cost of its third segment.
Which place did Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu describe as the 'gateway to Rayalaseema' while announcing the Godavari-Banakacherla project?
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Correct answer: A — Banakacherla
The Hindu/Swarajya: Naidu said, 'Banakacharla will be the gateway to Rayalaseema'; Bollapalli is the reservoir site and Polavaram the source project.
Consider the following statements about the Godavari-Banakacherla project: 1. It aims to provide drinking water to 8 million people. 2. It aims to irrigate an additional 7.5 lakh acres. 3. Segment I, from Polavaram to the Krishna river, is the costliest of its three segments. Which of the statements given above are correct?
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Correct answer: B — 1 and 2 only
The Hindu/Swarajya: the project targets drinking water for 8 million people and 7.5 lakh additional acres; Segment I costs ₹13,511 crore, the least, while Segment III (₹38,041 crore) is the costliest, so statement 3 is wrong.
Where was the keel of the Indian Navy's third Cadet Training Ship (Yard 18005) laid on 30 December 2024?
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Correct answer: B — L&T Shipyard, Kattupalli
PIB (Defence): the keel laying of Yard 18005 was held at M/s L&T Shipyard, Kattupalli, on 30 December 2024.
Consider the following statements about the Indian Navy's Cadet Training Ships: 1. The contract for three such ships was concluded between the Ministry of Defence and L&T on 7 March 2023. 2. The Long Term Integrated Perspective Plan (LTIPP 2012-27) envisages a force level of three Cadet Training Ships. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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Correct answer: C — Both 1 and 2
PIB (Defence): the contract for three Cadet Training Ships was concluded on 7 March 2023, and LTIPP 2012-27 envisages a force level of three such ships; both statements are correct.
According to the Agriculture Ministry, what was the total area sown under rabi crops as on 30 December 2024?
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Correct answer: C — 614.94 lakh hectares
PIB (Agriculture): total rabi area was 614.94 lakh ha as on 30 December 2024; 611.80 lakh ha was last year's figure and 635.30 lakh ha is the normal rabi area.
As on 30 December 2024, which of the following crop groups had a smaller sown area than in the corresponding period of the previous year?
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Correct answer: A — Oilseeds
PIB (Agriculture): oilseeds covered 96.15 lakh ha against 101.37 lakh ha last year; wheat (319.74 vs 313.00), pulses (136.13 vs 136.05) and Shri Anna (48.55 vs 47.77) were all higher.
On 30 December 2024, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis directed the scrapping of about how many old government vehicles?
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Correct answer: D — 13,000
India Today/Indian Express: the CM directed that over 13,000 old government vehicles be scrapped.
Consider the following statements about Maharashtra's directions of 30 December 2024 on the state transport fleet: 1. State transport buses older than 15 years are to be scrapped. 2. The remaining buses are to be retrofitted with LNG and CNG systems. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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Correct answer: C — Both 1 and 2
India Today/Indian Express: buses older than 15 years are to be scrapped and the remaining buses retrofitted with LNG and CNG; both statements are correct.