11. The Government of India has extended the term of Banks Board Bureau members by how many years?
[A] One
[B] Two
[C] Three
[D] Five
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Two]
Notes:
The Indian government has extended term of board members of the Banks Board Bureau (BBB), for a period of two years beyond April 11 or until further orders whichever is earlier.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has also approved to extend the term of existing part-time chairman B P Sharma. Bank Boards Bureau was constituted in 2016 to recommend appointment of whole-time directors and non-executive chairpersons of public sector banks (PSBs) and financial institutions owned by the government.
12. Who has been selected as the nominee for the American Presidential elections from the Democratic party, against Donald Trump?
[A] Joe Biden
[B] Bernie Sanders
[C] Hillary Clinton
[D] Barrack Obama
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Joe Biden]
Notes:
The Democratic party of the United States has selected former Vice President Joe Biden as the nominee for the American Presidential Election.
Earlier, US Senator Bernie Sanders announced that he is not participating in the upcoming elections, which are due in November. Hence Joe Biden became the official Democratic nominee for the election to take on the incumbent US President Donald Trump.
13. According to the Forbes 34th annual world’s billionaires list, who was named the richest person in the world?
[A] Bill Gates
[B] Jeff Bezos
[C] Mark Zuckerberg
[D] Bernard Arnault
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Jeff Bezos]
Notes:
Forbes released its 34th annual world’s billionaires list recently. As per the list, Amazon Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos has been named the world’s richest man with a net worth of $113 billion.
Jeff Bezos who tops the billionaires list for the third year, is followed by Bill Gates in the second spot at $98 billion. Chairman and CEO of LVMHF, Bernard Arnault has been placed in the third place. The total combined net worth of the billionaires of this year is $8 trillion.
14. What is the amount of financial package released by the Centre for ‘India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package’, to the states/UTs?
[A] Rs.10000 Cr
[B] Rs.15000 Cr
[C] Rs.20000 Cr
[D] Rs.25000 Cr
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Rs.15000 Cr]
Notes:
The Union Government has approved Rs. 15,000 crores for ‘India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package’ for states/UTs.
This package which has been approved to build the health infrastructure, will be provided in three phases — January 2020 to June 2020, July 2020 to March 2021 and April 2021 to March 2024. This fund would be divided on the basis of the number of positive Covid-19 cases and the size of the state/UT. Rs 7,774 crore is expected to be released for immediate response.
15. National Pension System (NPS) subscribers are to be allowed partial withdrawal for covering expenses for COVID-19 treatment. Which organisation manages NPS?
[A] Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDAI)
[B] Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority of India (PFRDA)
[C] Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC)
[D] Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority of India (PFRDA)]
Notes:
The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority of India (PFRDA) recently announced that the National Pension System (NPS) subscribers will be allowed partial withdrawal for covering expenses related to COVID-19 treatment.
It also announced that COVID-19 would be declared as a critical illness which is life threatening in nature. PFRDA also announced that there is no provision for partial withdrawal for Atal Pension Yojana (APY) customers at present. Both NPS and APY are managed and run by PFRDA.
16. Masatsugu Asakawa is the President of which international financial institution, which has also assured $2.2 billion assistance to India?
[A] World Economic Forum
[B] World Bank
[C] Asian Development Bank
[D] BRICS Bank
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Asian Development Bank]
Notes:
Manila-based international financial institution, Asian Development Bank (ADB) assured $2.2 billion assistance to India, for tackling the Covid-19 outbreak.
Earlier, the World Bank has approved to provide $1 billion assistance to India for fighting against Covid-19, especially to detect and prevent the disease and to strengthen its public health preparedness.
17. National Commission for Women (NCW) launches WhatsApp number to report cases of domestic violence. Where is the Headquarters of NCW located?
[A] Lucknow
[B] New Delhi
[C] Nagpur
[D] Mumbai
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [New Delhi]
Notes:
The National Commission for Women (NCW) has recently launched a WhatsApp number, where people can report cases of domestic violence.The head-quarters of NCW is New Delhi.
As per the announcement of NCW, the cases of domestic violence have seen a big increase during the lockdown period resulting from coronavirus pandemic. This WhatsApp number service will be operated in addition to the existing online complaint links and emails and only for the period of lockdown.
18. Who represented India in the recently held G20 Extraordinary Energy Ministers’ virtual Meeting?
[A] Piyush Goyal
[B] Dharmendra Pradhan
[C] Harsh Vardhan
[D] Nirmala Sitharaman
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Dharmendra Pradhan]
Notes:
Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Steel, Dharmendra Pradhan represented India in the recently held G20 Extraordinary Energy Ministers’ virtual Meeting.
Saudi Arabia, which currently holds the Presidency of G20 nations, had called for the Energy Ministers’ meeting. It was chaired by Energy Minister of Saudi Arabia, Prince Abdulaziz. Heads of several international organizations including OPEC, IEA and IEF also attended the meeting. The meeting focused on measures to ensure stable energy markets.
19. The International Day of Human Space Flight is celebrated on April 12, to commemorate the first flight carried out by which astronaut?
[A] Neil Armstrong
[B] Yuri Gagarin
[C] Valentina Tereshkova
[D] Alan Shepard
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Yuri Gagarin]
Notes:
The United Nations General Assembly declared 12 April as the International Day of Human Space Flight in the year 2011.
12 April 1961 was the date of the first human space flight, carried out by the Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, who was the first person to fly in space. The day is celebrated to commemorate this historic event which opened the way for space exploration across the globe.
20. Which global organisation has released a report titled ‘South Asia Economic Focus’, wherein it has estimated India’s growth at 1.5%-2.8% this fiscal?
[A] International Monetary Fund
[B] World Bank
[C] World Economic Forum
[D] Asian Development Bank
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [World Bank]
Notes:
The World Bank has released its bi-annual flagship report titled ‘South Asia Economic Focus’ recently. In the report, it estimates a sharp economic crash in eight countries of the South Asian region.
The report has also estimated India to grow at 1.5%-2.8% this fiscal year, which will be the worst economic phase since the liberalisation policies implemented in 1991. It also forecasted that all countries would see a decline in GDP in the worst-case scenario.