1. Which state government has decided to ban online food delivery without hygiene rating?
[A] Punjab
[B] Kerala
[C] Karnataka
[D] Tamil Nadu
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Punjab ]
Notes:
The Punjab government has decided to make it mandatory for all online aggregators to ensure that food supplied by them have hygiene rating as per the guidelines of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). The online order and delivery mechanism of food supply has created a physical disconnect between the consumer and the food maker. Hence, the onus of ensuring the quality of food and the hygienic condition under which food is prepared, has shifted to the intermediate food delivery mechanism. Thus, keeping this in mind, the state government has decided that all the online food order-delivery companies shall ensure that FBO’s registered or affiliated with them have their hygiene rating done from the FSSAI empanelled companies.
2. Puerto Williams, which has become the world’s southernmost city, is located in which of the following countries?
[A] Ecuador
[B] Peru
[C] Argentina
[D] Chile
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Chile]
Notes:
Puerto Williams is the main settlement, port and naval base on Navarino Island in Chile. It faces the Beagle Channel. Recently, Puerto Williams has become the world’s southernmost city after the Chilean authorities upgraded its status from hamlet to city. It took over the title from Ushuaia, the capital of the Argentine province of Tierra del Fuego. Puerto Williams is the port of entry and major hub for scientific activity linked to Antarctica and the islands south of Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego.
3. Who has become the Youngest Parliamentarian in the history of Indian Parliament?
[A] Jothimani S.
[B] Chandrani Murmu
[C] Sumalatha Ambareesh
[D] Ramya Haridas
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Chandrani Murmu]
Notes:
Chandrani Murmu (25) has created history by becoming the youngest Member of Parliament (MP), after elected to the 17th Lok Sabha from Keonjhar (Odisha) in the 2019 Indian general election as a member of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD). She defeated two-time BJP MP Ananta Nayak by a margin of 66,203 votes. Ms. Murmu earned her B. Tech degree from a Bhubaneswar-based engineering college. Previously, the record of Youngest Parliamentarian was held by Dushyant Chautala, who represented Hisar Lok Sabha Constituency in Haryana in the 16th Lok Sabha.
4. Which city to host 10th National Science Film Festival of India (NSFFl) in 2020?
[A] Agartala
[B] Bhubaneshwar
[C] Mohali
[D] Lucknow
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Agartala]
Notes:
The 10th edition of National Science Film Festival of India (NSFFl) is scheduled to be held in Agartala, Tripura on January and February 2020. The aim of the fest is to raise awareness about science and environment through films. This the second time the show will be held in a North Eastern city. The film festival is being held with the objective of highlighting science, technology, innovation, energy, environment, agriculture and traditional knowledge in a simple way that would bring science closer to common people through simple ways of explanation. The film festival would include films produced by UNICEF, UNESCO and filmmakers from different countries. It will also include entries from Tripura and other states.
5. Ruma Guha Thakurta, who passed away recently, was the veteran actress of which regional cinema?
[A] Odia
[B] Telugu
[C] Tamil
[D] Bengali
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Bengali]
Notes:
Ruma Guha Thakurta (84), the veteran Bengali actress & singer, has passed away in Kolkata, West Bengal. She was best known for her roles in Satyajit Ray-directed films such as Ganashatru (1989) and Abhijan (1962). She started her career as a dancer before moving to the then Bombay where she married singer Kishore Kumar in the early 1950s but they got divorced in 1958. Their son Amit Kumar is a singer and composer for Bollywood movies. She later married writer-director Arup Guha Thakurta and had two children – singers Sromona and Ayan. Ruma’s major film roles include “Palatak”, “Antony Firingee”, “80 Te Asio Na”, “Balika Badhu”, “Dadar Kirti”, “Bhalobasa Bhalobasa” and “Wheelchair”. “Jwar Bhata” will be remembered for being the debut of both Ruma and acting legend Dilip Kumar. Her other Hindi films were “Mashaal”, “Afsar”, “Raag Rang” and “Paar”. Ruma founded the Calcutta Youth Choir, a song and dance troupe, in 1958, which is known for its performance of folk and mass songs.
6. Which state government has recently passed resolution to increase reservation for OBCs to 27 %?
[A] Madhya Pradesh
[B] Rajasthan
[C] Haryana
[D] UP
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Madhya Pradesh]
Notes:
In Madhya Pradesh, the state Cabinet has passed a resolution to increase reservation quota for Other Backward Classes (OBC) from existing 14% to 27%. The matter will now be taken up in the monsoon session of the state Assembly. The move will lead to reservation in the state breaching the Supreme Court-mandated 50% cap to reach 63%. If implemented, Madhya Pradesh will become the only state in the country to have a 27% quota for OBCs. Earlier, the Madhya Pradesh government passed an Ordinance on March 9 to implement the quota. However, the Madhya Pradesh High Court had stayed the Ordinance on March 19. Now the resolution will be taken in the monsoon session of the state assembly.
7. Enoplotrupes tawangensis, which is in news recently, is a new species of which of the following bettles?
[A] Dung beetle
[B] Mountain pine beetle
[C] Lady beetle
[D] Coconut hispine beetle
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Dung beetle]
Notes:
Enoplotrupes tawangensis is a new species of dung beetle that has been discovered in Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh. The species is shining dark blue in colour and, measuring up to 27 mm, is relatively bigger than most of the dung beetles. The specimens were first collected and studied by two scientists from the Zoological Survey of India: Kailash Chandra and Devanshu Gupta. From India, approximately 65,000 species of insects are known, of them, more than 22,000 species are beetles. Dung beetles belong to the super family scarabaeoidea. They are the one of the fascinating group of insects because of their ability to bury dung deep in the soil and are indicators of the ecological health of an ecosystem, having clubbed antennae and pro-tibiae (pro-legs) modified for burrowing dung inside the soil. Often referred to as little recyclers, these scavenger beetles require mammalian dung to survive.
8. Which of the following countries are the members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QSD)?
[A] India, Russia, South Korea & China
[B] India, US, Japan & Australia
[C] India, Indonesia, Myanmar & Thailand
[D] India, Nepal, Bhutan & Bangladesh
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [India, US, Japan & Australia]
Notes:
In Bangkok , the 2019 edition of Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) was attended by senior officials of India, US, Japan and Australia to hold consultations on their collective efforts for a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region and to reaffirm their shared commitment to preserving and promoting the rules-based order in the region. The four countries underscored their intent to continue regular consultations on Indo-Pacific engagement and initiatives together and with other interested countries and institutions. The consultations were part of the Quad an informal strategic grouping consisting of India, US, Australia and Japan. China has been trying to expand its military presence in the Indo-Pacific which is a biogeographic region. China claims almost all of the South China Sea whereas Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have also counter claims over it.
9. Which Indian-American personality has been chosen for the USIBC Global Leadership Awards 2019?
[A] Anand Chandrasekaran
[B] Ashok Amritraj
[C] Sundar Pichai
[D] Jay Chandrasekhar
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Sundar Pichai]
Notes:
In United States, Google’s India-born CEO Sundar Pichai and Nasdaq President Adena Friedman have been chosen for the prestigious Global Leadership Awards 2019 by business advocacy group USIBC in recognition of the two companies’ contribution as the leading technology-driven platforms. The award by Washington-based US-India Business Council (USIBC) would be conferred upon them during the 2019 India Ideas Summit. Given annually since 2007, the USIBC Global Leadership Awards recognise top corporate executives from the United States and India whose companies play a major role in catalysing growth in the US-India commercial corridor.
10. What is the theme of the 2019 edition of World Environment Day (WED)?
[A] Green Economy
[B] Beat Air Pollution
[C] Connecting People to Nature
[D] Go wild for life
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Beat Air Pollution]
Notes:
The World Environment Day (WED) is observed every year on 5st of June to raise awareness of the environment and specific environmental issues. The theme for 2019 “Beat Air Pollution” is a call to action call to combat this global crisis. To celebrate the 2019 WED, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC) of India has launched the song ‘Hawa Aane De’ to spread awareness about Air pollution. The theme song is written by Swanand Kirkire and sung by Shantanu Mukherjee, Kapil Sharma, Sunidhi Chauhan and Shankar Mahadevan. On this Day, the Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar has launched #SelfiewithSapling campaign to promote awareness about environmental protection. Mr. Javadekar also urged people to plant a sapling and post a selfie with it on the social media.