1. Parts of North India are experiencing a cold wave . What is the definition of a cold wave in     India ?
    Ans : In India, a cold wave is defined by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) based on low minimum temperatures, especially in plains (≤ 10°C) or hilly regions (≤ 0°C) and significant departure from normal, indicating dangerously low temperatures and requiring increased protection for health, agriculture, and livestock.
    Key Criteria (IMD):
    Plains:     Minimum temperature ≤ 10°C and 4.5°C-6.4°C below normal, OR ≤ 4°C.
    Hilly Regions: Minimum temperature ≤ 0°C and 4.5°C-6.4°C below normal, OR ≤ 0°C.
    Coastal Stations: Minimum temperature ≤ 15°C and at least 4.5°C below normal. 
  2. For Which edition of the India – Russia annual summit is President Putin of Russia visiting India ?
    Ans : 23rd edition
  3. What is DIGIPIN ?
    Ans : DIGIPIN is a 10-character alphanumeric expression of latitude and longitude. The technology was developed to provide more precise locations in rural areas or in cases where the textual expression of a physical address does not offer adequate information. DIGIPIN was open sourced by the Postal department, and each DIGIPIN corresponds to a roughly 14 square metre patch of land, with a mathematical function deterministically generating a unique code. This translates to around 228 billion DIGIPINs for Indian territory
  4. When is World Soil Day Observed /
    Ans : Every Year on 5th December . World Soil Day has been established by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO ) of the United Nations
  5. With which sports is the Jerusalem Masters tournament associated ?
    Ans : Chess . This year’s championship has been won by India’s Arjun Erigaisi
  6. Indigo airlines has cancelled more than 300 flights . Indigo has blamed it on the FDTL norms . What is the FDTL norms ?
    Ans : Flight Duty Time Limitations provisions . The revised Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms introduced multiple fatigue-mitigation measures:
    Weekly rest increased from 36 to 48 hours
    Night landings capped at two, down from six
    Definition of night hours extended by one hour
    These changes significantly tightened crew availability and operational flexibility, particularly for airlines with heavy night operations like Indigo
  7. When is international Cheetah Day observed ?
    Ans : Every year on 4th December . It was Initiated in 2010 by American zoologist Dr Laurie Marker, who founded the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF)
  8. What is PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana (PMSG: MBY) ?
    Ans : The Government of India has approved the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana on 29th February, 2024 to increase the share of solar rooftop capacity and empower residential households to generate their own electricity. The scheme has an outlay of Rs 75,021 crore and is to be implemented till FY 2026-27. The scheme provides for a subsidy of 60% of the solar unit cost for systems up to 2kW capacity and 40 percent of additional system cost for systems between 2 to 3kW capacity. The subsidy has been capped at 3kW capacity.
  9. What are BSBD accounts ?
    Ans : ‘Basic Savings Bank Deposit’ (BSBD) account . BSBD accounts started off as “non-frills” accounts about two decades back, with either ‘nil’ or low minimum balance and charges, to make them accessible to vast sections of the population. The “no-frills” nomenclature was done away in 2012 to remove the stigma associated with it. The RBI then asked banks to offer BSBD account as an SB account with certain minimum facilities free of charge.
  10. What is meant by La Nina ?
    Ans : La Niña, meaning “the little girl” in Spanish, is a climate pattern characterized by cooler-than-normal sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, acting as the cool phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle, opposite to El Niño. This cooling strengthens trade winds, pushes warm water west, increases nutrient-rich upwelling in the east, and alters global weather, often bringing heavier rains to Southeast Asia/Australia and colder/wetter winters to the U.S. Northwest, with drought in the U.S. Southwest.