GK & Current Affairs – December 31, 2015

1. Who of the following has been appointed as the new Director-General of National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG)?
[A]Arvind Subramanian
[B]Bibek Debroy
[C]Gyanendra Bandgaiyan
[D]Sanjay Madhav
Answer: Gyanendra Bandgaiyan
The former United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) economist, Gyanendra D. Bandgaiyan has been appointed as the Director-General of National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG), a think tank on good governance reforms. He has been appointed for a period of three years which is extendable by another two years or up to 60 years of age. Bandgaiyan, a former IAS officer of the Union Territories cadre, hails from Madhya Pradesh.
2. Which of the following States is planning to construct the first ever underwater road tunnel in the country?
[A]Tamil Nadu
[B]Gujarat
[C]Andhra Pradesh
[D]Kerala
Answer: Andhra Pradesh
The detailed master plan for the upcoming Andhra Pradesh new capital city envisages a transparent road tunnel from beneath the Krishna river connecting the administrative capital with Vijayawada, the commercial hub of Andhra Pradesh. Once completed, it will be the first ever underwater road tunnel in the country. It is about 3km long. There are about 200 such tunnels around the world.
3. Bajrang Punia is related to which of the following sports?
[A]Basketball
[B]Volleyball
[C]Wrestling
[D]Swimming
Answer: Wrestling
Rising India wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Ritu Phogat have won gold medals in Men’s 65kg and Women’s 48kg Freestyle categories respectively at the Senior National Wrestling Championship in New Delhi.
4. Which of the following committees suggested initiatives on Revisiting & Revitalizing PPP Model?
[A]Dinesh Pachori Committee
[B]Arun Pasricha Committee
[C]Vijay Kelkar Committee
[D]Deepak Mohanty Committee
Answer: Vijay Kelkar Committee
Recently, the Union Ministry of Finance has released the Vijay Kelkar Committee report on Revisiting and Revitalising Public Private Partnership (PPP) Model. The committee stated that speeding up of the PPP model is urgently required for India to grow rapidly and generate a demographic dividend for itself and also to tap into the large pool of pension and institutional funds from aging populations in the developed countries.
5. Mangesh Padgaonkar, who passes away recently, was related to which of the following fields?
[A]Scientist
[B]Journalist
[C]Sportsperson
[D]Poet
Answer: Poet
The iconic Marathi poet and Padma Bhushan recipient, Mangesh Keshav Padgaonkar (86) passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Some of his famous works are Kavita Manasanchya, Manasasathi, Radha, Kabira, Dharanrtya, etc. He received several awards including the Sahitya Academy Award (1980) for his collection of poems Salam, the MP Literary Conference Award in 1956, Maharashtra Bhushan Award (2008), etc.
6. Who of the following Indian-origin person has been honoured with Knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II?
[A]Samir Desai
[B]Harpal Singh Kumar
[C]Rekha Mehr
[D]Joginder Singh
Answer: Harpal Singh Kumar
Recently, Harpal Singh Kumaran Indian-origin cancer researcher, has been honoured with Knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II for his influential work on prevention and treatment of cancer in the annual New Year’s Honours list published in London. He is the chief executive of Cancer Research UK (CRUK). The other prominent civilian awardees include Prathibha Ramsingh (for services to job seekers and employer engagement in London), Gurmukh Singh of Khalsa Aid (community cohesion and charity), Meena Upadhyaya (medical genetics and the Welsh Asian community), Ayesha Hazarika, chief of staff to Labour party’s deputy leader (for political service), etc.
7. The headquarters of the Reporters Without Borders (RWB), an international NGO, are located at which city?
[A]New York
[B]Paris
[C]London
[D]Berlin
Answer: Paris
The Paris-headquartered Reporters Without Borders (RWB) is an international NGO that promotes and defends freedom of information and freedom of the press. According to RWB, India is Asia’s deadliest country for journalists. Globally, 110 journalists were killed in connection with their work or for unclear reasons in 2015. Out of those 110 journalists, 9 were Indian journalists. These journalists had been murdered in India for reporting on organised crime and its links with politicians and others for covering illegal mining.
8. Subir Sen, who passed away recently, was related to which of the following fields?
[A]Singer
[B]Painter
[C]Human rights activist
[D]Scholar
Answer: Singer
The renowned singer, Subir Sen passed away recently in Kolkata. He was known for his renditions in many Hindi and Bengali films. Some of his well-known songs include ‘Dheere chalao zara’ with Lata Mangeshkar in ‘Aas Ka Panchhi’ and ‘Humein un rahon parchalna hai’ in ‘Masoom’. In the 1950s, Sen added a unique romantic touch to hit Bengali songs such as ‘Monalisa tumi ki bolona’.
9. Farzad-B gas field is located in which of the following countries?
[A]Afghanistan
[B]Iran
[C]Iraq
[D]Saudi Arabia
Answer: Iran
Recently, India told to Iran for early completion of all necessary procedures for its participation in the $5 billion Farzad-B gas field. The Farzad-B gas field, located in Persian Gulf, has an estimated reserve of 12.8-trillion cubic feet. A consortium headed by ONGC Videsh discovered the Farzad-B gas field in 2008 in the Farsi offshore block.
10. Which of the following countries new Parliament building is built by India?
[A]Bhutan
[B]Afghanistan
[C]Nepal
[D]Maldives
Answer: Afghanistan
Recently, Indian Prime Minister has inaugurated the Afghan parliament building that was constructed by India with a cost of USD 90 million. The Parliament building project, initially conceived to cost 45 million, was started by India in 2007 as a mark of friendship and cooperation to help rebuild Afghanistan.

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4 Comments

  1. kitty

    January 1, 2016 at 4:12 pm

    5/10

  2. cypher

    March 20, 2016 at 1:58 am

    thanks gktoday

  3. kempu

    December 5, 2016 at 11:41 am

    grt effort

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