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Weekly GK Blaster
SSC & Railway Exam
Best 50 Current Affairs Questions
26-31st March 2018

Dear readers,

Weekly GK Blaster is a collection of BEST 50 current affairs news and events that occurred from 26-31st of March 2018. This
file is important for all SSC & Railway Exams.

National & International Affairs

1. The first mega food park of Rajasthan is set up in which city? Ajmer
Note:
• The first mega food park of Rajasthan has inaugurated by Union Minister for Food Processing Industries Harsimrat
Kaur Badal at Roopangarh village near Ajmer.
• The first Mega Food Park in the state of Maharashtra is set up at village Degaon in district Satara.
2. India’s first Insect Museum opened in ____. Tamil Nadu
Note:
• India’s first Insect Museum has inaugurated by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswamy at the Tamil Nadu
Agricultural University in Coimbatore.
3. Which state government raised the retirement age of state government employees to 62 years from 60 years? Madhya
Pradesh
Note:
• Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister – Shivraj Singh Chouhan
• Capital of Madhya Pradesh – Bhopal
• Governor of Madhya Pradesh - Anandiben Patel
4. Which initiative was launched by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs for digital commerce? ‘e-Tribes:Tribes India’
Note:
• ‘e-Tribes:Tribes India’ is an initiative for digital commerce launched by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.
• Present Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Shri Jual Oram.
5. According to the Niti Aayog baseline ranking for aspirational districts which district is the best performing district of the
country? Vizianagaram
Note:
• According to the Niti Aayog, Andhra Pradesh’s Vizianagaram is the best-performing district of the country, while
Mewat in Haryana is the most backward district.
• While Chhattisgarh’s Rajnandgaon and Maharashtra’s Osmanabad lie second and third on the top of the table.
• Mewat is preceded by Madhya Pradesh’s Singrauli and Telangana’s Asifabad at the bottom of the list.
• Niti Aayog released the baseline ranking for 101 aspirational districts based on 49 indicators across five sectors
that includes health and nutrition, education, agriculture, and water resources, financial inclusion and skill
development and basic infrastructure.
6. Kadaknath chicken of which state got the Geographical Indication (GI) Tag? Madhya Pradesh
Note:
• After receiving GI tag, now no one else can use the name Kadaknath Chicken while selling any other black chicken.
• The GI tag was awarded by the Chennai based Geographical Indication Registry and Intellectual Property India.
• The demand of Kadaknath chicken very high because of its low cholesterol and high protein content.
• The breed is native to Jhabua, Alirajpur and parts of Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh.

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7. Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI) allowed physical settlement of both stock options and stock futures. The
headquarter of SEBI is in ____. Mumbai
Note:
• At present only cash settlement of derivatives is allowed.
• SEBI Chairman – Ajay Tyagi
• SEBI headquarter – Mumbai
• SEBI is the regulator of the capital market.
8. The Reserve Bank of India had imposed a penalty of Rs 58.9 crore on which bank for violating the direct selling
obligations of securities? ICICI Bank
Note:
• The Reserve Bank of India had imposed a fine of Rs. 58.9 crore on ICICI Bank due to non-compliance with the
guidelines issued regarding direct sale of securities.
• Under RBI guidelines banks have to split their holding of government securities into `held-to-maturity’ (HTM) and
available for `available-for-sale’ category.
• If the sale of securities in this category exceeds five percent of the investment required for the HTM, then the bank
must disclose it in the annual financial results.
• The bank also needs to disclose what the market value of HTM investment was and what was the difference
between the value recorded and the market value on the books.
9. Which country is the world top almond importer? India
Note:
• According to Almond Board of California data, Almond imports into India rose 7 per cent to worth $600 million
(about ₹3,900 crore) in 2017 against $560 million (₹3,640 crore) in 2016.
• India surpass China and Spain to emerge as the world’s largest consumer of the nut in recent times.
10. India received the first liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargo from which country at the Dabhol regasification terminal in
Maharashtra? United States
Note:
• Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan received the first-ever shipment of 1.2 lakh tonne LNG.
• Gail signed two, 20-year LNG supply agreements potentially worth $32 billion for LNG exports from the Dominion
Cove Point project in Maryland and the Sabine Pass project in Louisiana in 2011 and 2013 respectively.
• Under the long-term contract of 20 years, Gail will be getting 22-24 shipments per annum till the breakwater is
built. Once that is done we will be handling 80-90 ships a year.
• Currently due to lack of the breakwater the Dabhol terminal can operate only eight months.
11. Which union ministry partnered with the Ministry of Power to support household electrification scheme ‘Saubhagya’?
Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship
Note:
• The Union Ministry of Power has partnered with the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship to train
the manpower in six states – Assam, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh – for speedy
implementation of its household electrification scheme ‘SAUBHAGYA’.
• The purpose of the SAUBHAGYA (Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojna) scheme is to achieve universal
household electrification in all parts of the country in a time bound manner.
12. Which state has highest number of fully covered tribal habitations with the safe drinking water? Madhya Pradesh
Note:
• Madhya Pradesh has the highest number of 55770 fully covered tribal habitations with the safe drinking water in
the country followed by Odisha 52427 , Jharkhand 53476 numbers of habitations.

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13. India signed $80 million loan agreement with Asian Development Bank to help boost youth employability in which state?
Himachal Pradesh
Note:
• The government has signed $80 million loan agreement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to help
modernize technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions and improve the skills ecosystem
in the state of Himachal Pradesh.
14. Which ministry launched 2018 Saras Aajeevika Mela in New Delhi? Ministry of Rural Development
Note:
• Narendra Singh Tomar, the Union Minister of Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and Mines inaugurated Saras
Aajeevika Mela at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.
• The SARAS Aajeevika Mela 2018 in New Delhi is an endeavour of Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural
Livelihoods Mission.
• It aims to provide a national platform and an opportunity to the rural women producers to showcase their
products and seek buyers, either individuals or bulk buyers for sale nationally or internationally.
15. The Department of Posts has launched Cool EMS Service between India and which country ____. Japan.
Note:
• The Department of Posts under Ministry of Communications has launched Cool EMS Service between India and
Japan.
• It is one-way service from Japan to India which allows customers in India to import Japanese food items for
personal use which is allowed under Indian regulations.
16. Which Indian female badminton player featured in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2018 list? P.V. Sindhu
Note:
• P.V. Sindhu featured in the Forbes 30 under 30 list for 2018.
• P.V. Sindhu was selected as India’s flag bearer for the Commonwealth Games 2018 which will be held in Gold
Coast, Australia.
17. Which district became the first district in the country to have 100 percent solar powered Primary Health Centers (PHC)?
Surat
Note:
• Surat district of Gujarat became the first district in the country to have 100 percent solar powered Primary
Health Centers (PHC).
• There are a total of 52 PHCs in the district and all of them are now powered by solar system.
18. Which country is the third largest Electricity Producer in the World? India
Note:
• India become the 3rd largest electricity producer in the world as its electricity production grew 34% over seven
years to 2017.
• India now produces more energy than Japan and Russia.
• The top 3 Producers of Electricity in the world are-1. China, 2. The USA & 3. India.
19. What is the rank of India in the automobile market in the world? Fourth
Note:
• India has overtaken Germany to become the fourth largest automobile market in the world.
• The top 3 countries on the list are-1. China, 2. USA & 3. Japan.
20. Which small finance Bank signed an agreement with Chennai Super Kings to launch a new ‘Yellow Army Savings Account’?
Equitas Small Finance Bank
Note:
• The yellow army savings account will offer an interest rate of 6% per annum for balance below Rs10 lakh and
6.5% per annum for balance above Rs10 lakh.
• The average quarterly balance requirement will be Rs10,000 per account.

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21. ‘Videsh Aaya Pradesh ke Dwaar’ an initiative launched by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in which city?
Hyderabad
Note:
• The objective of the initiative is to create a pool of media professionals interested in foreign policy and guide them
on connecting with the MEA.

Appointments

22. Who has been appointed as the new Deputy Election Commissioner of India? Chandra Bhushan Kumar
Note:
• The Election Commission of India formed in 25 January 1950 is an autonomous constitutional authority responsible
for administering election processes in India.
• Election Commission headquarters is in New Delhi
• The current Chief Election Commissioner of India is Om Prakash Rawat.
• Under Chief Election Commissioner, there are two Election Commissioner which include - Sunil Arora and Ashok
Lavasa.
23. Who became the new Prime Minister of Ethiopia? Abiye Ahmed
Note:
• Abiye Ahmed became the new Prime Minister of Ethiopia.
• Earlier, he served as the head of OPDP Secretariat and Oromia Housing and Urban Development Office.
• The Capital of Ethiopia is Addis Ababa.
• The currency of Ethiopia is Birr.
24. Who became the first female Chief of the UN Political Affairs? Rosemary DiCarlo
Note:
• Former diplomat of United States Rosemary DiCarlo appointed as the Chief of UN Political Affairs.
• With this she became the first woman to head UN political affairs, one of the most high-profile positions at the
world body.
• She will succeed American Jeffrey Feltman who held the post of under-secretary-general for political affairs since
2012.
25. Who has been appointed as the new Director-General of the National Testing Agency (NTA)? Vineet Joshi
Note:
• The NTA under the Department of Higher Education is an autonomous and self-sustained premier testing
organisation, which will conduct entrance examinations for higher educational institutions organised by the CBSE,
AICTE and other bodies.
• The NTA will take over majority of the examinations conducted by the CBSE from 2019 in phased manner.
26. Who became the new chairman of the central panel of the 65th National Film Awards (NFA)? Shekhar Kapur
Note:
• Veteran director Shekhar Kapur has been appointed as chairman of the central panel of the 65th National Film
Awards (NFA). Mr Kapur is known for his work in Hindi cinema and International cinema.
• The 65th National Film Awards ceremony is an upcoming event during which the Directorate of Film Festivals
presents its annual National Film Awards to honour the best films of 2017 in the Indian cinema.
27. Who has been elected as the new President of Egypt? Abdel Fattah al-Sisi
Note:
• Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has been re-elected for a second term with a sweeping majority in the
2018 Egyptian presidential election.
• Capital of Egypt is – Cairo
• Currency of Egypt is – Pound

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28. Who became the new Director General Border Roads (DGBR)? Harpal Singh
Note:
• The Border Roads Organisation develops and maintains road networks in India's border areas and friendly
neighbouring countries.
29. Who has been appointed as the new CEO Of Ayushman Bharat Mission? Indu Bhushan
Note:
• Currently, he is Director General (DG) of East Asia Department of Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Manila,
Philippines.
• The Union cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently approved the centrally-sponsored
Ayushman Bharat mission.
• It is the world’s largest government funded health care programme, is introduced to cover over 10 crore poor
and vulnerable families (approximately 50 crore beneficiaries) providing coverage upto 5 lakh rupees per family
per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization.
30. Who has been elected as the new President of Myanmar? Win Myint
Note:
• Myanmar’s first democratically elected President Htin Kyaw resigned from the position due to health issues.
• Capital of Myanmar – Naypyidaw
• Currency of Myanmar - kyat
31. Who became the new acting chairperson of the National Green Tribunal (NGT)? Justice Jawad Rahim
Note:
• The Supreme Court appointed Justice Jawad Rahim as the new acting chairperson of the National Green Tribunal
(NGT).
• NGT hear cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests and other natural resources
including enforcement of any legal right relating to environment.
32. Who became the new Principal Scientific Advisor (PSA) to Government of India (GoI)? K Vijay Raghavan
Note:
• K. Vijay Raghavan, one of the most distinguished biologists of the country, has been appointed as the new Principal
Scientific Advisor (PSA) to the Government of India (GoI).
33. Who has been appointed as India’s representative to the Executive Board (EXB) of UNESCO? J S Rajput
Note:
• Prof. J S Rajput is the former Director National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).
• The executive board is one of the constitutional organs of UNESCO.

Sports
34. Which country claimed the top position in the final medal standings in the 2018 ISSF Junior World Cup Sydney, Australia?
China
Note:
• China claimed the top position in the final medal standings with total 25 medals: 9 golds, 8 silver and 8
bronzes.
• India ranked on the second spot with total 22 medals: 9 golds, 5 silvers and 8 bronzes.
• Italy ranked on the third spot with total 6 medals each claiming 3 golds, 1 silvers and 2 bronzes.
• Australia ranked on the fourth spot with total 3 medals - 1 gold and 2 silvers.
35. Which country announced a diplomatic boycott of 2018 Football World cup in Russia? Iceland
Note:
• Iceland has announced a diplomatic boycott of the 2018 Football World Cup in Russia.
• With this Iceland became the second nation after England by announcing a diplomatic boycott of the World Cup.
• This is for the first time, Iceland, will compete in the FIFA World Cup.
• The 2018 FIFA World Cup will be held in Russia from June 14 to July 15, 2018.
• Qatar will host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

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36. Who won the gold medal in the women’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol event at the 2018 ISSF Junior Shooting World Cup in
Sydney? Muskan
Note:
• Indian shooter Muskan has clinched the gold medal in women’s 25m pistol event at the ISSF Junior World Cup in
Sydney, Australia.
37. Who resigned as the head coach of Cricket Australia? Darren Lehmann
Note:
• Darren Lehmann announced his resignation as head coach of Cricket Australia.
• In the ball-tampering scandal, Cricket Australia gave a clean chit to the Darren Lehmann for any wrongdoing.
• Cricket Australia slapped one-year bans on Smith and Warner besides announcing a 9-month ban on the 25-year-
old opener Bancroft for their involvement in tampering with the cricket ball during the Newlands Test against
South Africa.
38. Which team won the 8th Hockey India Senior Men National Championship 2018? Punjab
Note:
• Hockey Punjab won the 8th Hockey India Senior Men National Championship title by defeating Petroleum Sports
Promotion Board in the final.
39. Anish Bhanwala is in news recently. He is related to which sports? Shooting
Note:
• Anish Bhanwala won the gold medal at the ISSF Junior World Cup in the 25-meter rapid fire pistol event in
Sydney, Australia.
40. Who won the Australian Grand Prix 2018? Sebastian Vettel
41. Which team won the U-17 Jockey Cup International Youth Invitational Football Tournament 2018? India
Note:
• India Under-16 team won the 2018 U-17 Jockey Cup International Youth Invitational Football tournament by
defeating hosts Hong Kong in the final by 4-2.

Honours & Awards

42. Who has been honoured with J.C. Daniel Award? Sreekumaran Thampi
Note:
• Lyricist and director Sreekumaran Thampi has been selected for the J.C. Daniel Award to his contributions to the
MalayalamFilm Industry.
• It is the Kerala government’s highest honour for the lifetime contribution to Malayalam cinema.
43. Who crowned the Miss Supermodel Worldwide 2018? Aleksandra Liashkova
Note:
• Aleksandra Liashkova from Belarus was crowned Miss Supermodel Worldwide 2018 at a grand finale in
Gurugram on March 26, 2018.

Summits & Conference

44. The first-ever National conclave on Psychological Trauma, Child Protection and Mental Illnesses was held in ____. New
Delhi
Note:
• Ministry of Women & Child Development organized the conclave in collaboration with the Dept. of Psychiatry of
AIIMS.
45. The 2018 National Conference on Down Syndrome was held in ____. New Delhi
Note:
• The ‘2018 National Conference on Down Syndrome’ was organised Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in
New Delhi.
• Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot is the current Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment.
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Defense

46. What is the name of the second S-band communication satellite which was launched by ISRO? GSAT-6A
Note:
• Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) launched its latest communication satellite - GSAT-6A.
• ISRO successfully launched GSAT-6A satellite from GSLV-F08 rocket vehicle.
• GSAT-6A is a high-power S-band communication satellite.
• It will be India's second predominantly S-band communications satellite - first being the GSAT-6.
• According to the ISRO, the life span of the GSAT-6A mission will be around 10 years.
• The overall size of the GSAT-6A satellite is 1.53m X 1.65 m X 2.4 m.

47. NASA is all set to send the first-ever mission dedicated to exploring the deep interior of which planet? Mars
Note:
• NASA is all set to send the first-ever mission dedicated to exploring the deep interior of Mars.
• The name of the mission is - “InSight”.
48. ‘KHANJAR V’ is a joint training exercise between India and ____. Kyrgyzstan.
Note:
• The joint training exercise was held in Counter Insurgency Jungle Warfare School, Vairengte Mizoram.

Important Dates

49. World Theatre Day observed every year on _____. 27 March

Note:
• World Theatre Day was initiated in 1961 by the International Theatre Institute ITI.
• The International Theatre Institute ITI is the world’s largest performing arts organization founded in 1948 by
theatre and dance experts and UNESCO.
• The headquarter of International Theatre Institute is in Paris, France.

Obituaries

50. R K Dorendra Singh, passed away recently. He was the former Chief Minister of which state? Manipur
Note:
• He had been chief minister of the state four times between 1974 to 1993.
• Before becoming the chief minister, he was the Speaker of Manipur Assembly.
• Capital of Manipur – Imphal
• CM of Manipur - N. Biren Singh
• Governor of Manipur - Najma Heptulla

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