1. Who has been elected as the chairman of the Press Trust of India (PTI)?

A. Malini Parthasarathy B. N Ravi C. Vijay Kumar Chopra D. Shashi Shekhar E. Sanjay Gupta

2. With which of the following banks ECL Finance Limited, a subsidiary of Edelweiss Financial Services Limited, has signed a co-origination agreement to increase access to credit for micro, small and medium enterprises?

A. Punjab National Bank B. Bank of Baroda C. Canara Bank D. Union Bank of India E. State Bank of India

3. 68th Plenary session of North Eastern Council (NEC) was held in which city?

A. Shillong, Meghalaya B. Guwahati, Assam C. Kohima, Nagaland D. Imphal E. Agartala

4. Who among the following cricketers has become the first bowler to take 100 wickets in T20 International?

A. Jasprit Bumrah B. Trent Boult C. Kane Richardson D. Lasith Malinga E. Kieron Pollard

5. Who among the following has won the Italian Grand Prix 2019 at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza track, Italy?

A. Charles Leclerc B. Lewis Hamilton C. Valtteri Bottas D. Daniel Ricciardo E. Max Verstappen

Answers and Explanations
1. Answer - Option C
Explanation -
• Vijay Kumar Chopra (Chief Editor of the Punjab Kesari Group) has unanimously elected as the Chairman of the country’s premier news agency Press Trust of India (PTI).
• Vijay Kumar Chopra succeeds N Ravi, publisher and former Editor-in-Chief of the Hindu.
• Publisher of Times of India, Vineet Jain (MD of Bennett, Coleman and Company Limited) unanimously elected as Vice-Chairman of PTI.
• Earlier, Vineet Jain served as the Chairman of PTI in 2010
2. Answer - Option E
Explanation -
• ECL Finance Limited (a subsidiary of Edelweiss Financial Services Limited) and State Bank of India (SBI) have signed a co-origination agreement to increase access to credit for micro, small and medium enterprises.
• It plans to provide business loans, machinery loans and SME asset-backed loans ranging from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 50 lakh at a blended rate of interest.
• This is the third co-origination agreement for Edelweiss, after Bank of Baroda and Central Bank of India.
3. Answer - Option B
Explanation -
• 68th Plenary session of North Eastern Council (NEC) was held in Guwahati, Assam on 8- 9 September 2019. Plenary session was inaugurated by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
• All Governors and Chief Ministers of 8 north eastern states and senior officials from states and key Union Ministries also attended the meet.
• They suggested on increasing the scope of NEC’s interventions in Region and improving funds flow to states.
4. Answer - Option D
Explanation -
• Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga (36-years) has become the first T20I bowler to take 100 wickets during the 3rd T20I against New Zealand.
• Malinga surpassed Pakistan spinner Shahid Afridi's tally of 97 scalps to become the leading T20 wicket-taker.
• He also took a hat-trick, dismissing 4 batsmen (Hamish Rutherford, Colin de Grandhomme, Ross Taylor and Munro) in 4 consecutive deliveries and became the first-ever bowler to pick up 2 hat-tricks in T20I cricket.
• Till now Lasith Malinga has claimed 5 hat-tricks in his international career.
5. Answer - Option A
Explanation -
• Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc (21-years) has won the Italian Grand Prix 2019 (89th- edition) at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza track, Italy.
• Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes finished the race at 2nd and 3rd position respectively.
• Ferrari's last win at Monza came in 2010 through Fernando Alonso.
• The Italian Grand Prix is the fifth oldest national Grand Prix (after the French Grand Prix, the American Grand Prize, the Spanish Grand Prix and the Russian Grand Prix), having been held since 1921.

1. In 2019 the President of India appointed new governor in five Indian states with respect to that which of the following is not correct pair of governor and states?

A. Bhagat Singh Koshyari – Maharashtra B. Arif Mohammed Khan- Kerala C. Bandaru Dattatraya -Karnataka D. Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan – Telangana E. Kalraj Mishra -Rajasthan

2. In which of the following states India’s longest electried railway tunnel has been inaugurated by the vice-president M Venkaiah Naidu?

A. Jammu & Kashmir B. Maharashtra C. Karnataka D. Andhra Pradesh E. Goa

3. Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Prakash Javadekar announced the approval of the new ‘Gorewada International Zoo’ in ________.

A. Ahmedabad, Gujarat B. Nagpur, Maharashtra C. Mangalore, Karnataka D. Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh E. Puri, Odisha

4. Under the Poshan Abhiyaan, the Union government has set a target to reduce the stunting rate in children from 35% to _________.

A. 30% B. 25% C. 23% D. 20% E. 15%

5. Which of the following company has statement of intent with the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) for rolling out 'Build for Digital India' programme?

A. Facebook B. Microsoft C. Google D. Infosys E. Wipro

Answers and Explanations
1. Answer - Option C
Explanation -
● Bandaru Dattatraya has been appointed as the new governor of Himachal Pradesh.
● He has been appointed in place of Kalraj Mishra (78-years) who has been given the charge of Governor of Rajasthan.
● Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Bhagat Singh Koshyari (77-years) has been appointed as the new Governor of Maharashtra
● Former Union Minister Arif Mohammed Khan (68-years) will take the responsibility of Kerala governor
● Former Tamil Nadu BJP chief, Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan (58-years) is the new Governor of Telangana.
2. Answer - Option D
Explanation -
● Vice President Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated the longest electrified railway tunnel in the country, in Andhra Pradesh.
● The 112-km long railway line project between Krishnapatnam port and Obulavaripalli was constructed to ensure smooth transportation of minerals and industrial goods to and from the port.
● As part of the project, two tunnels were constructed; one which is 6.7 km long and another, which is 1 km long.
3. Answer - Option B
Explanation -
● Union Minister Prakash Javadekar has announced the approval of the new ‘Gorewada International Zoo’in Nagpur district of Maharashtra.
● The Zoo will have attractions like Bio Park, Indian Safari, African Safari, Night Safari, Research, Education and Training, facilities for tourists, etc.
● The task of construction of Indian Safari and ancillary activities, Water Reservoir and Gorewada Reserve has been given to FDCM Ltd. with Government Grants.
● The Government of Maharashtra has accorded permission for establishing the International Zoo, through Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra Limited (FDCM. Ltd.), Nagpur.
4. Answer - Option B
Explanation -
● The entire month of September will be celebrated as the ‘Rashtriya Poshan Maah’.
● This year the theme is ‘Complementary Feeding’.
● POSHAN Abhiyaan is a multi- ministerial convergence mission with the vision to address malnutrition with a targeted approach by 2022.
● Under the Poshan Abhiyaan, the Union government has set a target to reduce the stunting rate in children from 35% to 25%.
● The programme aims at achieving improvement in the nutritional status of children up to six years of age, adolescent girls, pregnant women and lactating mothers.
5. Answer - Option C
Explanation -
● Tech giant ‘Google’ has signed a statement of intent with the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) for rolling out 'Build for Digital India' programme.
● The programme will offer a platform for engineering students to develop market-ready, technology-based solutions that address key social problems.
● As part of the program, engineering students across the country will be invited to present their ideas and solutions in areas like healthcare, agriculture, education, smart cities and infrastructure, women safety, smart mobility and transportation, environment, accessibility and disability and digital literacy.
● Google will also offer mentor-ship sessions in product design, strategy and technology to the most promising products and prototypes.

1. Which Indian city hosted the 14th conference of Parties (COP 14), 2019 to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification?

A. New Delhi B. Ghaziabad C. Gurugram D. Greater Noida E. Faridabad

2. India won the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Under-15 Championship at the Kalyani Stadium, Kolkata, West Bengal by defeating ___________in the final.

A. Bhutan B. Bangladesh C. Nepal D. Sri Lanka E. Afghanistan

3. Recently in September, 2019 Tejinderpal Singh Toor clinched a silver medal during an athletic meet at Decin in the Czech Republic. He is associated with which sports?

A. Wrestling B. Sprinter C. Shot Put D. Badminton E. Shooting

4. Who among the following has won the Formula 1 Belgian Grand Prix 2019?

A. Lewis Hamilton B. Valtteri Bottas C. Sebastian Vettel D. Charles Leclerc E. Max Verstappen

5. Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has become the third Indian to claim a hat-trick in Test cricket during the second Test against West Indies at Sabina Park. Who was the first Indian to achieve the feat in the longest format of the game?

A. Kapil Dev B. Zaheer Khan C. Harbhajan Singh D. Javagal Srinath E. Anil Kumble

Answers and Explanations
1. Answer - Option D
Explanation -
● The 14th conference of Parties (COP 14) to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification was held in Greater Noida.
● The Conference focused on desertification and degradation of land and will go on till 13th September 2019.
● This Conference provided a framework for countries to restore the land and protect human health.
● The main objective of the convention is to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought in countries experiencing serious drought or desertification.
2. Answer - Option C
Explanation -
● India defeated Nepal 7-0 in the final of the 2019 SAFF (South Asian Football Federation) U-15 Championship at the Kalyani Stadium, Kolkata, West Bengal.
● The 2019 SAFF U–15 Championship was the 6th edition of the SAFF U–16 Championship held at Kalyani Stadium from 21st to 31st August 2019.
● Five teams (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India (Host), Nepal and Sri Lanka) from the region has taken part in this tournament.
3. Answer - Option C
Explanation -
● Indian Shot putter Tejinderpal Singh Toor (24-years) clinched a silver medal during an athletic meet at Decin in the Czech Republic.
● The Asian Games gold medalist came up with the best throw of 20.09 m in his last attempt at the event. Tajinder has been awarded the Arjuna Award this year.
● Toor has already qualified for World championship being the Area champion following his gold-winning feat at Asian Athletics Championships in April next year.
4. Answer - Option D
Explanation -
● Ferrari's Charles Leclerc took his maiden Formula 1 victory after holding off Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes to win the Belgian Grand Prix 2019.
● Lewis Hamilton (United Kingdom) was on second while Valtteri Bottas (Finland) finished third.
● The Belgian Grand Prix is an automobile race, part of the Formula One World Championship.
5. Answer - Option C
Explanation -
● Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah (25-years) has become the third Indian to claim a hat-trick in Test cricket during the ongoing second Test against West Indies at Sabina Park.
● Bumrah got the wickets of Darren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks and Roston Chase off successive deliveries to achieve the feat.
● Burmah is also the 44th player to achieve the feat in the longest format of the game.
● Harbhajan Singh was the first Indian to pick up a Test hat-trick (vs Australia in Kolkata in 2001).
● left-arm pacer Irfan Pathan repeated the feat when he took three wickets off consecutive balls against Pakistan in Karachi in 2006.