March 18, 2025 Current Affairs (English)

March 18, 2025 Current Affairs (English)

1. What was India’s goods trade deficit in February 2025?

a) $19.5 billion
b) $14.05 billion
c) $22.9 billion
d) $11.81 billion

Answer: b) $14.05 billion

2. Which of the following contributed to the reduction in India’s trade deficit in February 2025?

a) Increased crude oil imports
b) Higher imports of gold and silver
c) A decline in crude, gold, and silver imports
d) A rise in service imports

Answer: c) A decline in crude, gold, and silver imports

3. When did India and New Zealand originally begin negotiations for the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA)?

a) 2005
b) 2010
c) 2015
d) 2022

Answer: b) 2010

4. Which key area of cooperation is part of India-New Zealand bilateral relations?

a) Joint military exercises and port visits
b) Formation of a new military alliance
c) Merging both nations’ economies
d) Common currency agreement

Answer: a) Joint military exercises and port visits

5. What was India’s first Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which came into effect in 2000?

a) India-Singapore FTA
b) India-Sri Lanka FTA
c) India-ASEAN FTA
d) India-Korea FTA

Answer: b) India-Sri Lanka FTA

6. Why was the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative’s (CHRI) FCRA registration canceled?

a) Failure to register with the Ministry of Home Affairs
b) Alleged misuse of foreign funds and security concerns
c) Lack of human rights advocacy
d) Involvement in political activities

Answer: b) Alleged misuse of foreign funds and security concerns

7. Which organization oversees the enforcement of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) in India?

a) Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
b) Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)
c) NITI Aayog
d) Ministry of Finance

Answer: b) Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)

8. Which of the following was a key Supreme Court ruling related to FCRA regulations?

a) NGOs must have an Aadhaar-linked bank account
b) NGOs cannot receive foreign funding
c) NGOs must open a designated bank account at SBI’s Sansad Marg branch for foreign funds
d) NGOs can freely transfer foreign funds to any other organization

Answer: c) NGOs must open a designated bank account at SBI’s Sansad Marg branch for foreign funds

9. Which organization presented the Digital Transformation Award 2025 to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)?

a) Bank for International Settlements (BIS)
b) Central Banking, London
c) International Monetary Fund (IMF)
d) World Economic Forum (WEF)

Answer: b) Central Banking, London

10. What is the primary purpose of RBI’s Saarathi initiative?

a) Public financial literacy program
b) Digital workflow system for internal RBI operations
c) A mobile payment solution
d) Real-time gross settlement (RTGS) enhancement

Answer: b) Digital workflow system for internal RBI operations

11. Which digital initiative by RBI is designed to help individuals and entities apply for regulatory approvals, licenses, or authorizations?

a) UPI 2.0
b) Digital Rupee
c) Pravaah
d) Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS)

Answer: c) Pravaah

12. Which of the following articles of the Indian Constitution deals with the appointment and functions of the CAG?

a) Article 148
b) Article 280
c) Article 324
d) Article 246

Answer: a) Article 148

13. Which of the following institutions is CAG currently auditing at the international level?

a) United Nations Security Council (UNSC)
b) International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
c) World Trade Organization (WTO)
d) International Court of Justice (ICJ)

Answer: b) International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

14. What is the primary concern raised in the Supreme Court plea regarding the appointment of the CAG?

a) CAG’s tenure is too short
b) Executive control over CAG’s appointment affects its independence
c) CAG lacks power to audit government finances
d) The government does not fund the CAG’s office expenses

Answer: b) Executive control over CAG’s appointment affects its independence

15. Which organization in India is developing the electronics component technology for the Hyperloop transportation project?

a) BHEL
b) DRDO
c) Integral Coach Factory (ICF) Chennai
d) HAL

Answer: c) Integral Coach Factory (ICF) Chennai

16. Who proposed the concept of Hyperloop technology?

a) Richard Branson
b) Elon Musk
c) Jeff Bezos
d) Sundar Pichai

Answer: b) Elon Musk

17. Where is India’s 410-meter-long Hyperloop test tube located?

a) IIT Delhi
b) IIT Bombay
c) IIT Madras Discovery Campus
d) IISc Bangalore

Answer: c) IIT Madras Discovery Campus

18. Where did the recent avalanche hit a Border Roads Organisation (BRO) project site?

a) Zojila Pass, Ladakh
b) Rohtang Pass, Himachal Pradesh
c) Mana Pass, Uttarakhand
d) Nathula Pass, Sikkim

Answer: c) Mana Pass, Uttarakhand

19. Which type of avalanche is considered the deadliest, moving at speeds up to 100 km/h?

a) Loose Snow Avalanche
b) Powder Avalanche
c) Wet Snow Avalanche
d) Slab Avalanche

Answer: d) Slab Avalanche

20. Which Indian organization conducts avalanche research and forecasting, particularly for military zones?

a) Border Roads Organisation (BRO)
b) Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE)-DRDO
c) National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC)
d) Geological Survey of India (GSI)

Answer: b) Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE)—DRDO