PIB

24*7
26th – 31st March 2024
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Q1: The Government of India in consultation with the Reserve Bank of

India, has finalized its borrowing programme for the first half (H1) of FY
2024-25 for its financial management strategy, aiming to meet its fiscal
needs while ensuring market stability. Out of Gross Market borrowing of
Rs. 14.13 lakh crore projected for FY 2024-25 in the Union budget,
______________ is planned to be borrowed in the first half (H1) through
dated securities. Portion of this borrowing i.e. _______________, will be
raised through the issuance of Sovereign Green Bonds. Fill the gaps
[a] Rs. 8.50 lakh crores; Rs. 10, 000 crores
[b] Rs. 7.50 lakh crores; Rs. 12,000 crores
[c] Rs. 9.50 lakh crores; Rs. 13,000 crores
[d] Rs. 6.50 lakh crores; Rs. 14,000 crores
[e] Rs. 5.50 lakh crores; Rs. 15,000 crores

Solution: [b]
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Government's Borrowing
plan for 1st half of FY 2024-
25
What: The Government of India in
consultation with the Reserve Bank of
India, has finalized its borrowing
programme for the first half (H1) of FY
2024-25.
Why: For Government's financial
management strategy, aiming to meet its
fiscal needs while ensuring market
stability.
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Breakdown of Borrowing Program

• Total Gross Market Borrowing: Out of Gross Market borrowing of
Rs. 14.13 lakh crore projected for FY 2024-25 in the Union budget,
Rs. 7.50 lakh crore (53.08%) is planned to be borrowed in the first
half (H1) through dated securities.
▪ Portion of this borrowing i.e. Rs. 12,000 crores, will be raised
through the issuance of Sovereign Green Bonds (SGrBs).

• Introduction of a New Security: Government has decided to

introduce a new dated security of 15-year tenor based on market
feedback and in line with global practices.
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Breakdown of Borrowing Program

• Auction Schedule and Maturity Distribution: The gross market
borrowing shall be completed through 26 weekly auctions.
▪ The market borrowing will be spread over 3, 5, 7, 10, 15, 30,
40 and 50-year securities.
▪ The share of borrowing (including SGrBs) under different
maturities will be: 3-year (4.80%), 5-year (9.60%), 7-year
(8.80%), 10-year (25.60%), 15-year (13.87%), 30-year (8.93%),
40-year (19.47%) and 50-year (8.93%)
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Breakdown of Borrowing Program

• Security Switching and Greenshoe Option: Government will

continue to carry out switching of securities to smoothen the
redemption profile.
▪ Government will also continue to reserve the right to exercise
greenshoe option to retain an additional subscription of up to
Rs.2,000 crores against each of the securities indicated in the
auction notifications.
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Breakdown of Borrowing Program

• Treasury Bills Issuance: The plan includes detailed arrangements

for the issuance of Treasury Bills (T-Bills) in the first quarter (Q1)
of FY 2024-25, with specific amounts allocated for 91-day, 182-
day, and 364-day T-Bills across the first thirteen auctions.

• Ways and Means Advances (WMA): The Reserve Bank of India

has set the WMA limit for H1 of FY 2024-25 at Rs. 1.50 lakh crore.
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Q2: What is the name of network of global laboratories launched

recently by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to facilitate and
coordinate global expertise for early and accurate detection,
monitoring and assessment of SARS-CoV-2, MERS-CoV and novel
coronaviruses of public health importance?
[a] CoSupport
[b] CoHelp
[c] CoPedia
[d] CoViNet
[e] CoMonitor

Solution: [d]
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CoViNet
What: The World Health Organisation
(WHO) has launched a global network of
laboratories - CoViNet (Coronavirus
Network).
Why: To identify and monitor potentially
novel coronaviruses that could emerge
shortly.
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About CoViNet
• Objective: To facilitate and coordinate global expertise for early
and accurate detection, monitoring and assessment of SARS-CoV-
2, MERS-CoV and novel coronaviruses of public health
importance.

• It is a network of global laboratories with expertise in human,

animal and environmental coronavirus surveillance.

• It currently includes 36 laboratories from 21 countries (3 in India)

in all 6 WHO regions.
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Q3: Which country along with International Atomic Energy

Agency (IAEA) hosted the first Nuclear Energy Summit 2024?
[a] India
[b] USA
[c] Japan
[d] UK
[e] Belgium

Solution: [e]
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World's first Nuclear Energy

Summit
What: The first Nuclear Energy Summit
2024 was held in Brussels, Belgium
Why: To promote nuclear energy
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About Summit
• Objective: To highlight the role of nuclear energy in addressing
the global challenges to reduce the use of fossil fuels, enhance
energy security and boost economic development.

• Organisers: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and

Belgium Government.
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About Summit
• It was organised in the wake of the historic inclusion of nuclear
energy in the Global Stocktake agreed at the UN Climate Change
Conference (COP28), 2023 in Dubai, UAE.
▪ Currently, nuclear energy is responsible for around 25% of
global low carbon electricity production.

• It was attended by more than 30 nations (including India) and

European Union.
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About IAEA
• Objective: To promote safe, secure and peaceful nuclear
technologies.

• It is an autonomous international organization within the United

Nations system.

• Established Year: 1957

• Members: 178 (Including India)

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About IAEA
• Headquarters: Vienna, Austria

• Atoms4NetZero: It is an IAEA initiative that supports efforts by

Member States to harness the power of nuclear energy in the
transition to net zero.
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Q4: 1MYAC (One Million Youth Actions Challenge) is promoted

by the UN Climate Change Learning Partnership (UN
CC:Learn). It aims to encourage youth aged 10 to 30 years old
to take concrete actions for a more sustainable future. It
works to promote four Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs). Which SDG is not promoted by it?
[a] SDG 6
[b] SDG 10
[c] SDG 12
[d] SDG 13
[e] SDG 15

Solution: [b]
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1MYAC: One Million Youth

Actions Challenge
What: 1MYAC (One Million Youth Actions
Challenge) is promoted by the UN
Climate Change Learning Partnership
(UN CC:Learn).
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About 1MYAC
• Objective: To encourage youth aged 10 to 30 years old to take
concrete actions for a more sustainable future.

• It works to promote four Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

▪ SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation)
▪ SDG 12 (responsible consumption and production)
▪ SDG 13 (climate action)
▪ SDG 15 (life on land)
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About 1MYAC

About UN CC: Learn

• It is a collaborative initiative of 36 multilateral organizations
working together to help countries build the knowledge and skills
they need to take action on climate change.
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Q5: Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) has notified new wage

rates for unskilled manual workers under the Mahatma Gandhi
National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005 for
FY2024-2025. Identify incorrect statement
[a] Goa has witnessed the highest hike of 10.56% over the current
wage rate
[b] Goa, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have seen
significant hike of over 10% increase in the wage rate
[c] Bihar and Jharkhand have recorded the lowest raise of 3.04% each
[d] Haryana has the highest MNREGA wage rate at Rs 374 per day
[e] Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland have the lowest wage rate at Rs
234 per day

Solution: [c]
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MGNREGA: New Wage

Rates
What: Ministry of Rural Development
(MoRD) notified new wage rates for
unskilled manual workers under the
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural
Employment Guarantee Act
(MGNREGA), 2005 for FY2024-2025.
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About MNREGA
• MGNREGA gives legal guarantee of 100 days of wage employment
in a financial year to adult members of a rural household who are
willing to do unskilled manual work.

• MoRD revises state-wise wage rates for MGNREGA workers every

year, under section 6 of MGNREGA, 2005.
▪ This revision is based on changes in CPI-AL (Consumer Price
Index- Agriculture Labor).
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New Wage Rates

• MoRD has notified a 3-10% increase in the wage rate for the
financial year 2024-25(FY25).
▪ The last revision of wages was notified in March 2023 and
increase wages ranged from 2-10%.

• The wages have seen an average increase of about 7% from the

existing all-India average wage rate of Rs 267.32 per day to Rs
285.47 per day for FY25.

• Goa has witnessed the highest hike of 10.56% over the current
wage rate
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New Wage Rates

• Goa, Karnataka (10.4%), Andhra Pradesh (10.29%), and Telangana
(10.29%) have seen a significant hike of over 10% increase.

• Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand have recorded the lowest raise of

3.04% each.

• Kerala (3.90%) and Lakshadweep (3.62%) have a hike below 4%.

• Haryana has the highest MNREGA wage rate at Rs 374 per day

• Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland have the lowest at Rs 234 per

day.
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[a] 1, 2 and 3 Q6: Which of the following statements are incorrect about Food Waste
Index (FWI) Report 2024 released ahead of International Day of Zero
[b] 1, 3 and 4
Waste (observed annually on 30 March)?
[c] 3, 4 and 5
(1) It was released by UN Food and Agriculture Organization and WRAP
[d] 1, 3 and 5 (Waste and Resources Action Programme)
[e] 2, 3 and 5 (2) Globally, there is an increase in per capita household food waste from
74 kg to 79 kg in 2023
(3) Sri Lanka had the highest per capita household food waste at 207 kg in
2022
(4) India's annual per capita food waste at the household level has
decreased from 55kg to 50kg in 2022
(5) 50% of food waste occurred at the household level, 38% at food
services, and 12% at retail

Solution: [c]
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Food Waste Index (FWI)

Report 2024
What: The Food Waste Index (FWI)
Report 2024 has been released by
United Nations Environment Program
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About FWI
• It tracks global and national generation of food and inedible parts
wasted at retail and consumer (household and food service)
levels.

• Released by: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

and WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme).
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About FWI
• It assesses progress towards Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)
12.3, which is to be achieved by 2030.
▪ SDG 12.3 (with below sub indicators) targets the halving of
per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels,
along with reducing food losses throughout production and
supply chains, including post-harvest losses.
✓ SDG 12.3.1 (a): Food Loss Index (FLI), reduce food losses
along production and supply chains, including post-
harvest losses. UN Food and Agriculture Organization is
custodian of FLI.
✓ SDG 12.3.1 (b): FWI, halve per-capita global food waste at
retail and consumer levels. UNEP is custodian of FWI.
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Key Findings of FWI Report 2024

• Globally, 1.05 billion tonnes of food waste were generated in
2022, equivalent to nearly one-fifth of all food available to
consumers.

• On average, each person wasted 79 kg of food annually in

households worldwide, with India's per capita waste at 55 kg per
year.

• The economic cost of food loss and waste on the global economy
is estimated at approximately $1 trillion.

• Despite such massive food waste, 783 million people suffer from
hunger, and a third of humanity faces food insecurity.
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Key Findings of FWI Report 2024

• Trends Over Time:
▪ There is an increase in per capita household food waste
globally (from 74 kg to 79 kg) and in India (from 50 kg to 55
kg) in 2022.
▪ Maldives had the highest per capita household food waste at
207 kg in 2022.

• Distribution of Food Waste:

▪ 60% of food waste occurred at the household level, 28% at
food services, and 12% at retail.
▪ Additionally, 13% of the world's food is lost in the supply
chain, exacerbating the problem.
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Key Findings of FWI Report 2024

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Key Findings of FWI Report 2024

▪ Notably, food waste is not solely a problem of affluent
nations, as levels of household food waste vary minimally
across income groups.
▪ Hotter countries tend to generate more food waste per
capita, potentially due to higher consumption of fresh foods
with significant inedible parts and inadequate cold chain
infrastructure.
▪ Urban-rural disparities exist, with rural areas generally
wasting less due to practices such as diversion of food scraps
to pets and home composting.
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Key Findings of FWI Report 2024

• Environmental Impact:
▪ Food loss and waste contribute 8-10% of annual global
greenhouse gas emissions, surpassing emissions from the
aviation sector.
▪ It also leads to significant biodiversity loss, occupying nearly a
third of the world's agricultural land.
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Q7: Which state has started Telecom Facilitation Centre

aimed to support the telecom sector's growth by
assisting various stakeholders in navigating regulatory
processes and handholding for various schemes of the
department and fostering innovation?
[a] Maharashtra
[b] Karnataka
[c] Uttar Pradesh
[d] Gujarat
[e] Andhra Pradesh

Solution: [d]
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Q8: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has

recently released recommendations on ‘Usage of eSIM for
Machine-to-Machine (M2M) Communications’. What does
eSIM stand for?
[a] electronic SIM
[b] electrical SIM
[c] embedded SIM
[d] educational SIM
[e] entertainment SIM

Solution: [c]
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Q9: In the current year, the Government has directed National

Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED)
and National Cooperative Consumers Federation (NCCF) to
initiate procurement of ___________ tonnes of onion for the
buffer requirement directly from the farmers as Rabi-2024
harvest started arriving in the market. Fill the gap
[a] 5 lakh
[b] 4 lakh
[c] 6 lakh
[d] 3 lakh
[e] 7 lakh

Solution: [a]
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Q10: The G20 Employment Working Group (EWG) is mandated to

address labour, employment and social issues for strong,
sustainable, balanced and job-rich growth for all. The 2nd EWG
meeting under the Brazilian Presidency recently commenced in
Brasilia. As India is a member of the G20 Troika, it is co-chairing the
2nd EWG meeting, along with Brazil and ___________. Fill the gap
[a] Vietnam
[b] Indonesia
[c] Saudi Arabia
[d] Japan
[e] South Africa

Solution: [e]
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Q11: What is the name of the portal recently launched by

Press Information Bureau (PIB) for information on General
Election 2024?
[a] General Election Watch Portal
[b] General Election Information Portal
[c] Media General Elections 2024 Portal
[d] Media Facilitation Portal
[e] Media Information Monitoring Portal

Solution: [d]
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[a] 1, 2 and 3 Q12: The combined Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI) has
increased by 6.7% (provisional) in February 2024 as
[b] 2, 3 and 5
compared to the Index of February 2023. Which of the
[c] 1, 2, 3 and 5 following sectors have recorded positive growth in
[d] 2, 3, 4 and 5 February 2024?
[e] 1, 2, 3 and 4 (1) Coal
(2) Natural Gas
(3) Cement
(4) Electricity
(5) Fertilizers

Solution: [e]
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Q13: The Expert Committee on developing the Gujarat International

Finance Tech-City International Financial Services Centre (GIFT IFSC)
as ‘Global Finance and Accounting Hub’ has recently submitted its
report to Chairperson, International Financial Services Centre
Authority, (IFSCA). The Expert Committee was constituted in
pursuant to the notification issued by which Ministry?
[a] Ministry of Corporate Affairs
[b] Ministry of Finance
[c] Ministry of Law and Justice
[d] Ministry of Commerce and Industry
[e] None of the above

Solution: [b]
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Q14: Where has the closing ceremony of the International

Year of Millets (IYM) 2023 been organised by the Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO)?
[a] Rome
[b] Paris
[c] Brussels
[d] Germany
[e] London

Solution: [a]
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Q15: Which country is hosting the 4th Shanghai

Cooperation Organisation Startup Forum to catalyze
innovation and collaboration among startups?
[a] Russia
[b] China
[c] India
[d] Uzbekistan
[e] Kazakhstan

Solution: [c]