11. Who has been named as the head of the trust for construction of the Ram Temple, which was recently constituted by the Centre?
[A] K. K. Venugopal
[B] K Parasaran
[C] G E Vahanvati
[D] Maninder Acharya
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [K Parasaran]
Notes:
As per the Supreme Court ruling on November 9, 2019, a trust had to be set up for the construction of the Ram Temple within three months of the court order. Hence the Indian Government constituted the trust, which is named as ‘the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra’.
Former Attorney General of India, Advocate K Parasaran has been named as the head of the trust, which will function at his residence in Delhi. The advocate had earlier represented the litigant ‘Ram Lalla’ in the dispute and earned the verdict in its favour. An independent 15-member team has been named as the members of the trust, which will always have a trustee from the Dalit community, as per the Union Home Ministry.
12. Sports Authority of India (SAI) and which sports federation recently announced to establish High Performance Centres in seven places across the country?
[A] Athletic Federation of India
[B] Hockey India
[C] Boxing Federation of India
[D] Swimming Federation of India
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Hockey India]
Notes:
Sports Authority of India (SAI) and Hockey India jointly announced that High Performance Centres would be established in seven places across the country. The Centres are expected to provide world-class facilities to Junior and Sub-Junior hockey players.
The Centres, which would provide international exposure to players, will be monitored by Hockey India. Four Centres including the National Hockey Academy at Dhyan Chand National Stadium will be functional within three months. This step is taken to promote the game and groom young players for the upcoming Olympic Games.
13. The term “SPICe”, sometimes seen in news, is related to which of the following fields?
[A] Science & Technology
[B] Environment Protection
[C] Business & Economy
[D] Defence and Arms Production
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Business & Economy]
Notes:
Ministry of Corporate Affairs is replacing the existing SPICe (Simplified Proforma for Incorporating Company Electronically) form with a new web form called SPICe+. The existing form, which is used for reservation of name, company incorporation, DIN allotment, and application for PAN/TAN, in its new avatar, would offer 10 services by three central government ministries and departments.
14. Which sports coach / guru of India has received an honorable mention in the male category of the prestigious 2019 International Olympic Committee’s Coaches Lifetime Achievement Award?
[A] P. Gopichand
[B] Ramakant Achrekar
[C] Mahavir Singh Phogat
[D] Michael Ferreira
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [P. Gopichand]
Notes:
Chief national badminton coach Pullela Gopichand has received an honourable mention in the male category of the prestigious 2019 International Olympic Committee’s Coaches Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of the role he played in the development of the game in the country.
15. Which city’s police recently launched an initiative called ‘Operation Nakai’ to verify the identity of auto-drivers?
[A] Mumbai
[B] Ghaziabad
[C] Hyderabad
[D] Lucknow
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Ghaziabad]
Notes:
The City Police has recently launched ‘Operation Nakail’ in Ghaziabad, to verify the identity of auto-drivers of the city. Under the initiative, a unique four-digit number will be allotted to every auto-rickshaw of the city.
The owner of the vehicle has to paint the number, his name and mobile number on the auto, which would be easy to identify them. After many crimes were reported to be held in auto-rickshaws, this initiative was launched.
16. Municipal Performance Index (MPI), is an index recently launched by which organisation/ Ministry?
[A] NITI Aayog
[B] Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs
[C] Ministry of Home Affairs
[D] National Development Council
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs]
Notes:
The Union Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs has recently launched two Assessment Frameworks, namely Ease of Living Index (EoLI) and Municipal Performance Index (MPI) 2019.
The two indices are expected to assess the quality of life of citizens in 100 Smart Cities and 14 other cities, with more than 1 million population. The MPI assesses the performance of municipalities based on five parameters of Service, Finance, Planning, Technology and Governance.
17. Which city is host to the 13th UN Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS) (COP 13), 2020?
[A] Mumbai
[B] Madrid
[C] Gandhinagar
[D] Tokyo
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Gandhinagar]
Notes:
The 13th UN Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS) (COP 13) is scheduled to be hosted by India in 2020, at Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The COP-13 (Conference of Parties) is to be held from February 15-22, 2020.
It was recently announced that the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the summit. The theme of this year’s summit is, ‘Migratory species connect the planet and we welcome them home’.
18. ‘Ajeya Warrior‘ is the joint military exercise conducted between India and which country?
[A] Japan
[B] United Kingdom
[C] Israel
[D] France
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [United Kingdom]
Notes:
The fifth edition of joint military exercise ‘Ajeya Warrior’ between India and the United Kingdom will be conducted at Salisbury Plains, United Kingdom. The exercise is scheduled from February 13 to 26, 2020.
120 soldiers each from Indian and United Kingdom Army would participate in the exercise. The joint military exercise has been conducted alternatively in United Kingdom and India. The training will be held with emphasis on counter-terror operations in urban and semi-urban areas.
19. Which city plays host to the first cultural festival called ‘Jerusalem-Mumbai Festival‘?
[A] Jerusalem
[B] Mumbai
[C] New Delhi
[D] Tel Aviv-Yafo
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Mumbai]
Notes:
The first cultural festival called ‘Jerusalem-Mumbai Festival’ is set to be hosted by India, in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The festival is celebrated to promote the ties between India and Israel.
This is the first such joint event for Jerusalem in an Asian city. The two-day festival commences on February 15 and comprises of several art and cultural events to showcase the tradition of both countries.
20. Which Indian hockey player was named as the 2019 Women’s Rising Star of the Year, by the International Hockey Federation (FIH)?
[A] Rani Rampal
[B] Lalremsiami
[C] Navneet Kaur
[D] Vandana Katariya
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Lalremsiami]
Notes:
Ace Indian hockey player Lalremsiami has been named as the ‘2019 FIH Women’s Rising Star of the Year’, by the International Hockey Federation (FIH). The 19-year-old player from the state of Mizoram, is the first Indian woman player to win the award.
In the men’s category, the Indian men’s team midfielder Vivek Sagar Prasad was named as the ‘2019 Rising Star of the year’ by FIH.