Current

Affairs
Monthly MCQs Series
January - Part 12
Q1. In Jan 2025, the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA) has signed a
joint venture agreement with which of the following organizations and Nepal Electricity Authority
(NEA) to develop the 900 MW Upper Karnali Hydropower Project in Nepal ?
A. NHPC Limited
B. SJVN Limited
C. GMR Energy Limited
D. Both A & B
E. Both B & C
Ans : Both B & C
The USD 1.5 billion project will be in operation for 25 years from its Commercial Operation Date.
Nepal, will be utilising only 108 Megawatt (MW) of the total power generated and will export 792 MW to
countries like India and Bangladesh.
IREDA will invest Rs 174.22 crore to acquire a 5% stake with SJVN also investing a similar amount to
acquire up to 10% joint stake in GMR Upper Karnali Hydro Power Ltd and Karnali Transmission Co
Pvt Ltd, both of which are being executed by GMR Nepal, in association with SJVN
IREDA : CMD - Pradip Kumar Das Headquarters – New Delhi, Delhi Founded – 1987
Q2. The World Bank in its report titled Global Economic Prospects (GEP) for January 2025, has
projected India’s GDP will grow at __________ % for FY26 .
A. 6.3%
B. 6.5%
C. 6.6 %
D. 6.7%
E. 6.9%
Ans : 6.7%
FY27 : 6.7%| FY25 : 6.5%
The report has estimated that global growth will remain stable at 2.7% in both 2025 and 2026.
The report projected that South Asia Region (SAR) is estimated to grow at 6.2% in 2025 and 2026.
World Bank : President– Ajay Banga Headquarters– Washington, DC, USA Established– 1944
Q3. Which company recently(in Jan) signed a loan agreement worth Rs 31,802 crore with a
consortium of banks led by State Bank of India ?
A. IndianOil Corporation Limited

B. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited

C. Hindustan Petroleum corporation Limited
D. Oil India Limited
E. ONGC Limited
Ans : Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited
The agreement aims to finance the expansion of its refinery to 11 Million metric tonnes per annum
(MMTPA) from 7.8 MMTPA and setting up of a petrochemical complex in Bina, Madhya Pradesh.
The Consortium of banks includes : Punjab National Bank , Union Bank of India, Canara Bank, Bank of
India and Export-Import Bank of India
Q4. Which state govt has signed an MoU with Verkis Consulting Engineers (Iceland ) for
exploration and development of geothermal energy ?
A. Chhattisgarh
B. West Bengal
C. Uttarakhand
D. Madhya Pradesh
E. Himachal Pradesh
Ans : Uttarakhand
Agreement was signed in the virtual presence of CM Pushkar Singh Dhami and Icelandic Ambassador Dr
Benedict Hoskulsson
Q5. In Jan 2025, the Nawaf Abdallah Salim Salam, is appointed as new 53rd Prime Minister of
which country ?
A. Guyana
B. Brazil
C. Venezuela
D. Lebanon
E. Croatia
Ans : Lebanon
He will replaced incumbent PM Najib Azmi Mikati.
Prior to this , he was the President of the International Court of Justice from 2024 to 2025.
He also, served as the Lebanon's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN from 2007 to
2017.
Lebanon : President– Joseph Khalil Aoun Capital– Beirut Currency– Lebanese Pound (LBP)
Q6. Name the company that has recently(in Jan) launched its reusable ‘New Glenn rocket’ (NG1)
on a first test flight, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, the USA?
A. Blue Origin
B. SpaceX
C. United Launch Alliance (ULA)
D. Boeing
E. Rocket Lab
Ans : Blue Origin
The rocket was named after John Glenn who was the first American to orbit Earth.
The mission named NG-1, included a first-stage booster landing in the Atlantic Ocean, while the rocket’s
second stage continues towards orbit .
Blue Origin : CEO - Dave Limp Headquarters – Washington, USA Founded in - 2000
Q7. Recently(in Jan) the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket has launched 2 lunar landers Blue Ghost and
Hakuto-R Mission 2 from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA . Blue Ghost is expected to take about
_________ days to reach the Moon.
A. 20 days

B. 60 days
Firefly Aerospace: CEO-Jason Kim
C. 45 days HQ – Texas, USA Est – 2014
ispace Inc: Founder and CEO- Takeshi Hakamada Est : 2010
D. 50 days HQ : Tokyo, Japan
E. 100 days
Ans : 45 days
The Blue Ghost is developed by Firefly Aerospace.
Blue Ghost’s mission, targeting a landing on 2, March 2025, will span 60 days, (45 days in orbit + 14 days of
operations on the lunar surface).
Hakuto-R Mission 2 lander / Resilience mission : It is developed by ispace (tokyo, Japan ). It will take
about four to five months to reach the Moon’s Mare Frigoris in the far north. It includes : Tenacious Micro
Rover, Moonhouse: A symbolic model house designed by Swedish artist Mikael Genberg.
UNESCO Memory Disk: Preserving linguistic and cultural heritage.
Q8. China has recently(in Jan) launched the first Remote Sensing Satellite -Earth Observing 1 satellite
of which country ?
A. India
B. Pakistan
C. Japan
D. Sri Lanka
E. Maldives
Ans : Pakistan
China successfully launched Pakistan's first indigenous Electro-Optical Satellite (PRSC-EO1) using the
Long March-2D rocket , from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.
It was launched to enhance Pakistan’s capabilities in monitoring and managing natural resources, disaster
response, urban planning, and agricultural development.
The satellite was designed and developed by Pakistan’s Space and Upper Atmosphere Research
Commission (SUPARCO).
Pakistan : Capital: Islamabad Prime Minister: Shehbaz Sharif President: Arif Alvi
Q9. Recently (in Jan) the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) has signed an MoU with which
Institutions to develop an “Optical Transceiver Chipset for High-Bandwidth 6G Wireless Links.” ?
A. IIT Roorkee
B. IIT Delhi
C. IIT Kanpur
D. IIT Jodhpur
E. IIT Bombay
Ans : IIT Bombay
The collaboration is under the Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) 6G Call for Proposal
initiative.
It aims to accelerate research on the 6G ecosystem to position India as a global leader in the design,
development, and deployment of 6G technology by 2030.
Agreement signed in presence of : CEO of C-DOT : Rajkumar Upadhyay | Principal Investigator from
IIT Bombay : Prof Shalabh Gupta | C-DOT Directors : Dr. Pankaj Kumar Dalela and Shikha Srivastava.
Q10. Which among the following companies from India has joined the Global Lighthouse Network
of the World Economic Forum ?
A. CEAT Limited
B. Hindustan Unilever Limited
C. ITC Limited
D. Both A & B
E. All A, B & C
Ans : Both A & B
Sriperumbudur(Tamil Nadu, TN) based CEAT Limited and Tinsukia (Assam) based Hindustan Unilever
Limited joined .
Global Lighthouse Network (GLN): Est : 2018
The network aims to enhance the performance of manufacturing and supply chains by adopting 4IR
technologies.
As of January 2025, a total of 16 Indian companies joined WEF’s GLN, Jubilant Ingrevia {Bharuch
(Gujarat)} which became a member in October 24.
Key Points
A. Announcing 17 new members to the network, the WEF said this community of 189 industry leaders is
pioneering the use of cutting-edge Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies in manufacturing.
B. Other new members are based in the United Arab Emirates, China, Germany, Malaysia, Saudi
Arabia, Taiwan, United Kingdom, United States and newcomer Morocco, home to the first Lighthouse
site in Africa.

CEAT Limited:
MD & CEO – Arnab Banerjee
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
Founded – 1924

Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL):

CEO – Rohit Jawa
Headquarters – Mumbai, Maharashtra
Founded – 1933
Q11. India recently (in Jan) participated in the Multinational Exercise LA PEROUSE 25.
Which among the following Indian Naval Ship (INS) participated in this exercise ?
A. INS Mumbai
Nine Indo-Pacific nations participated in this major
B. INS Rana exercise:
1. Australia with the destroyer HMAS Hobart,
C. INS Ranjit
2. Canada with the destroyer HMCS Ottawa,
D. INS Visakhapatnam 3. United States of America with the LCS USS
Savannah,
E. INS Rajput 4. France with its French CSG,
Ans : INS Mumbai 5. India with the destroyer INS Mumbai,
6. Indonesia providing base support on land for the
This eight-day exercise, organized by the French Atlantique 2 maritime patrol aircraft of French CSG,
Carrier Strike Group (CSG). 7. Malaysia with the destroyer FFG Lekir and its
embarked helicopter and the vessel Gagah Samudera,
It is conducted in the strategic maritime straits of
8. United Kingdom with the offshore patrol vessel
Malacca, Sunda, and Lombok between the HMS Spey;
Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean 9. Singapore with the patrol vessel RSN Independence.
Q12. Which among the following life insurance company has launched “Sunishchit Laabh Savings Plan” ?
A. Aditya Birla Sun Life Insurance

B. Kotak Mahindra Life Insurance

Shriram Life Insurance :
C. Shriram Life Insurance MD - Manoj Kumar Jain
D. Bharti AXA Life Insurance HQ : Hyderabad , Telangana
Founded in : 2005
E. SBI Life Insurance
Ans : Shriram Life Insurance
Plan Name : Shriram Life Sunishchit Laabh
Age : 30 days to 60 years
Annual Premium : starting at Rs 30,000. (Rs. 15,500 half-yearly, Rs. 8,000 quarterly, and Rs. 3,000
monthly.)
It offers death benefits up to 160 times the annualised premium.
It offers tax-free maturity payouts for periods between 10 to 40 years, up to the maximum age of 101
years.
Q13. CRISIL Ratings in its report, has projected India's GDP to grow at ________ % in FY26 .
A. 6.3%
B. 6.5%
C. 6.6 %
D. 6.7%
E. 6.9%
Ans : 6.7%
CPI inflation is projected to average 4.6% for the FY25.
As per the report, Index of Industrial Production (IIP) has increased to 5.2% in November from 3.7% in
Oct 24.
CRISIL Ratings Limited: MD – Subodh Rai HQ - Mumbai, Maharashtra Est - 1987
Q14. The Department of Telecommunications extended the additional charge of Chairman and
Managing Director (CMD) of BSNL and MTNL for another 3 months with effect from 15 January
, 2025. Who is the current CMD of BSNL ?
A. Rajiv Kumar
B. Vivek Banzal
C. Robert Jerard Ravi
D. Kalyan Sagar Nippani
E. Sunil Kumar Verma
Ans : Robert Jerard Ravi
The Tenure Extended till 14th April 2025.
He is currently serving as a Deputy Director General the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) : Founded in : 2000 HQ : New Delhi
Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL ): Founded in : 1986 HQ : New Delhi
Q15. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar has launched a book titles " Parliament: Powers, Functions
& Privileges; A Comparative Constitutional Perspective" in New Delhi, Delhi. The book is authored
by ________ .
A. T. P. Naik
B. KS Chauhan
C. G. N. Dixit
D. Ram Nath Sharma
E. D. P. Singh
Ans : KS Chauhan
Book is published by Mohan Law House (MLH) Publishing Private Limited.
Q16. Which of the following organizations are removed from Restrictive Entity List by USA's
Bureau of Industry & Security (BIS) ?
A. Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC)
B. IREL (India) Limited
C. Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR)
D. Both A & B
E. All A, B & C
Ans : All A, B & C
The Entity List is a list of foreign individuals, businesses, and organizations that are subject to export
restrictions and licensing requirements.
The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) publishes the list.
United States of America (USA):
President- Donald John Trump Capital- Washington, D.C. Currency- United States Dollar (USD)
Q17. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Raising Day is observed annually across India on ?
A. 15th January
During the 20th Raising Day ceremony of the NDRF, Amit Shah inaugurates and
B. 17th January lays foundation stones for various projects worth approximately Rs 220 crore.
The projects includes
C. 19 January • National South Campus of the Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), AP.
D. 20 January • 10th Battalion of the NDRF. Regional Response Centre (RRC) at Supaul (9th
Battalion) Campus, AP.
E. 21 January • He laid foundation stone for ‘Integrated Indoor Shooting Range’ at the National
Ans : 19 January Police Academy (NPA) in Hyderabad, Telangana worth Rs. 27 crore.
• The range will be 50 meters (m) long and have 10 lanes
2025 : 20th Edition
National Disaster Response Force (NDRF):
DG - Piyush Anand HQ – New Delhi, Delhi Est : 2006
Q18. Which African country recently (in Jan) joined BRICS as a 9th Partner Country ?
A. Nigeria
B. Burundi
C. Niger
D. Ghana
E. Comoros
Ans : Nigeria
BRICS : Partner Country (9 ) : Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Thailand, Nigeria, Uganda,
and Uzbekistan.
New Full Member of BRICS 2024 : Egypt, Iran, the UAE(United Arab Emirates) and Ethiopia
2025 : Indonesia
Nigeria: Capital- Abuja President- Bola Ahmed Tinubu Currency- Nigeria Naira (NGN)
Q19. Who wrote a book titled " Wild Fictions" ?
A. Svdutt Pattanaik
B. Sudha Murty
C. Vikram Sampath
D. Kushwant Singh
E. Amitav Ghosh
Ans : Amitav Ghosh
Book is published by the Fourth Estate India.
He won the 1st English-language writer to receive the ‘Jnanpith Award in 2019.
Q20. As per the report released by International Labour Organization (ILO), the global
unemployment rate slowed down at _____ % in 2024.
A. 4%
B. 4.5%
C. 5%
D. 5.7%
E. 6.4%
Ans : 5%
Key Points : Report projected global unemployment rate will slow down at 4.9% in 2026.
Youth unemployment remain high at 12.6% in 2024.
Inflation rates : 5.9% in 2024 (2023 : 6.7%)
Global Labour Force Participation Rate(LFPR) : 61% in 2024
❑ In 2024, the number of young people Not in Education, Employment, or Training (NEET) in
Low-Income Countries(LICs) increased.
• Around 15.8 million young men (20.4%) and 28.2 million young women (37.0%) were
NEET, which increase from previous year (2023).
❑ The report says global jobs gap in 2024 is estimated to reach 402.4 million people .
❑ Southern Asia is expected to experience a 6.2% growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in
2024, with a slight slowdown to 5.8% in 2025 .
❑ According to the report, the unemployment rate in India is projected to grow by 6.2% in 2024
and 5.8% in 2025.

International Labour Organization (ILO):

Director- General (DG)- Gilbert Fossoun Houngbo
Headquarters- Geneva, Switzerland
Established- 1919
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