11. Which Public Sector Undertaking of India partnered with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Rishikesh and developed a remote monitoring system for COVID-19?
[A] Bharat Electronics Limited
[B] Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited
[C] Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
[D] Electronics Corporation of India Limited
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Bharat Electronics Limited]
Notes:
Bengaluru-based aerospace and defence Public Sector Undertaking (PSU), Bharat Electronics Ltd has partnered with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Rishikesh and developed a remote monitoring system for COVID-19.
This newly developed system reduced the need for personal protective equipment as it uses non-invasive sensors to measure the main parameters of a COVID-19 suspected patient including temperature, pulse rate and respiration rate.
12. John Prine, who recently passed away, was a famous American personality associated with which field?
[A] Space Science
[B] Virology
[C] Music
[D] Sports
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Music]
Notes:
Renowned folk and country singer of the United States, John Prine recently passed away at the age of 73, due to complications from Covid-19.
The singer was considered as one of the most influential and inspiring songwriters of his generation. The singer cum songwriter had very close association with his compatriots and singers Bob Dylan and Kris Kristofferson.
13. National Safe Motherhood Day is celebrated on April 11. Which scheme was launched in 2011, to encourage institutional deliveries?
[A] Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram
[B] Janani Suraksha Yojana
[C] Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan
[D] Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram ]
Notes:
In 2003, the government of India declared the national safe motherhood day on April 11, which is the birth anniversary of Kasturba Gandhi, wife of Mahatma Gandhi. The day is celebrated to raise awareness about access to care during pregnancy, childbirth and postnatal services.
The government of India has launched Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram in 2011, to motivate the general public to opt for institutional deliveries. It aimed to eliminate out of pocket expenses for pregnant women and infants in accessing public health institution.
14. Which national park in India has set up the country’s first quarantine facility for animals?
[A] Jim Corbett Park
[B] Ranthambore National Park
[C] Kaziranga National Park
[D] Gir Forest National Park
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Jim Corbett Park]
Notes:
Jim Corbett, the oldest National Park of India, has set up the country’s first quarantine facility for animals. The national park is situated in Paurhi Garhwal region in the state of Uttarakhand.
After a Malayan tiger was tested positive for COVID-19 in Bronx zoo in the United States, the Indian park has started to set up about 10 quarantine centres within its premises to isolate animals. The cages built for wild animals are also to be converted into quarantine facility.
15. As per a recent survey released by the National Council for Applied Economic Research (NCAER), incomes of about 85% of households in which state/UT have been impacted by Covid-19?
[A] Maharashtra
[B] Delhi NCR
[C] Madhya Pradesh
[D] Uttar Pradesh
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Delhi NCR]
Notes:
As per a survey released by the National Council for Applied Economic Research (NCAER), incomes of about 85% of households in the National capital region (NCR) have been impacted by the Covid-19 outbreak and the resulting lockdown.
The survey also highlighted that casual labourers were excessively affected with the wages of nearly 75% of them were affected. For salaried class, the income was affected for about 46.7% of the employees.
16. The Central Bank of which country has become one of the investors with more than one per cent stake in Housing Development Finance Corporation Ltd (HDFC)?
[A] Japan
[B] Singapore
[C] China
[D] Malaysia
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [China]
Notes:
The Central Bank of China, the ‘People’s Bank of China (PBoC)’ has joined the group of investors with more than one per cent stake in Housing Development Finance Corporation Ltd (HDFC).
People’s Bank of China now holds 1.01 per cent in HDFC, which is the largest standalone housing finance company of India. The Central Bank has been included in the group of 8 foreign portfolio investors (FPIs), who own more than one per cent stake in HDFC.
17. Which technological company has launched a Braille keyboard called ‘TalkBack’, for assisting the visually challenged users?
[A] Google
[B] Apple
[C] Xiaomi
[D] Nokia
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Google]
Notes:
Google has recently announced that it has launched a Braille keyboard named ‘TalkBack’, for assisting the visually challenged users.
This new type of keyboard is integrated directly into its Android operating system and the visually challenged users can use the keyboard easily without having to install any extra hardware. The keyboard uses a six-key layout, wherein each key represents one among the six Braille dots.
18. Which country recently announced that it would host the Asian Boxing Championships for men and women in November-December 2020?
[A] China
[B] India
[C] Thailand
[D] Sri Lanka
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [India]
Notes:
The Boxing Federation of India has recently announced that it would host the Asian Boxing Championships for men and women in November-December this year.
Prior to this edition, India had last hosted the men’s Asian Boxing meet in 1980 and the women’s championships in 2003, before the event became a combined Championships for both gender in 2019. Last year, the Asian Boxing Championship 2019 was held in Huamark Indoor Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
19. In the year 2020, which country holds the Chairmanship of the ASEAN bloc?
[A] Thailand
[B] Vietnam
[C] Singapore
[D] Philippines
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Vietnam]
Notes:
The Chairmanship of the ASEAN group is held annually by the member countries based on the alphabetical order of their English names.
In the year 2020, Vietnam holds the Chairmanship of the ASEAN group. The country assuming Chairmanship chairs the ASEAN Summit, the ASEAN Coordinating Council and related summits. Thailand was the Chair of ASEAN for 2019. Recently Vietnam chaired the virtual ASEAN Special Summit and ASEAN+3 Special Summit on Covid-19 response.
20. What is ‘CovidGyan’, an initiative which was seen in news recently?
[A] Mobile application
[B] Web site
[C] Call Centre
[D] Social media handle
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Web site]
Notes:
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), and Tata Memorial Centre (TMC) have jointly created an informative website called ‘CovidGyan’.
This website serves as a comprehensive hub which consolidates all information available about the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. The initiative has been launched with an aim of making the scientific aspects of this pandemic available in public domain.