11. Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has recently organised its first awareness programme in which city/UT?
[A] New Delhi
[B] Andaman & Nicobar Islands
[C] Guwahati
[D] Gangtok
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Andaman & Nicobar Islands]
Notes:
Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has recently organised its first awareness programme in Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
APEDA, which comes under the aegis of Union Ministry of Commerce and Industries, organised the programme in association with the Directorate of Industries of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, in the capital city of the islands, Port Blair. The campaign was aimed at examining methods to promote exports of agri products and implementation of the Agri Export Policy in the Islands. The draft state Agri Export action plan, developed by APEDA was also finalized.
12. Union Cabinet of India approved Alliance Air to start flight operations between India and which country, by waiving 20-aircraft rule?
[A] Sri Lanka
[B] Mauritius
[C] Thailand
[D] Singapore
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Sri Lanka]
Notes:
The Union Cabinet has granted approval to Alliance Air to fly between India and Sri Lanka, by waiving the rule that an airline needs to own minimum 20 aircrafts to operate internationally.
Alliance Air, which is a 100 per cent subsidiary of Air India, has five years of experience but does not have 20 aircrafts. A special exemption is allowed for the interim period, until the airline deploys the higher among- a minimum of 20 aircraft or 20 per cent of total capacity. There was no commercial operation scheduled from Palaly and Batticaloa airports of Sri Lanka, before this approval.
13. Which state is set to host the Hornbill Festival this month, which was originally celebrated in Nagaland?
[A] Assam
[B] Tripura
[C] Mizoram
[D] Meghalaya
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Tripura]
Notes:
Tripura government is to hold the two-day Hornbill Festival for the first time from February 8, 2020. The festival has been an important state festival of Nagaland, which is usually held in the month of December in the Naga heritage village of Nagaland.
Tripura hosts the festival with an aim to conserve the Hornbill bird and to boost the livelihood of the state’s people through tourism. Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur also had started organising the Hornbill festival in their states, following Nagaland.
14. ‘Sharang’, which is to be inducted into the Indian Army, is an upgraded version of which weapon?
[A] Artillery gun
[B] Assault rifle
[C] Combat Shotgun
[D] Sniper rifle
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Artillery gun]
Notes:
The Sharang Artillery gun would be inducted into the Indian Army on February 7, 2020, as per the recent announcement of the Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane. The 155 mm-Sharang is an upgraded version of the existing 130 mm M-46 field guns.
He also announced that Sig Sauer assault rifles and Spike anti-tank missiles are being issued to the army troops, who are deployed in the forward areas. The Gun Carriage Factory (GCF) in Jabalpur upgraded the Sharang artillery gun along with the ordnance factories and technical teams of Army and DRDO.
15. On February 8, 2020, Thaipoosam festival was celebrated by the Tamil community around the world. This festival marks birth day of which deity?
[A] Thirumal
[B] Murugan
[C] Nataraja
[D] Pavadairayan
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Murugan]
Notes:
Thaipoosam is a festival celebrated by the Tamil community on the full moon in the Tamil month of Thai, usually coinciding with Pushya star, known as Poosam in Tamil. It is believed to be Murugan’s birthday by many.
16. Which Metro rail service in India has become the second largest operational metro rail network in the country?
[A] Delhi Metro
[B] Kochi Metro
[C] Hyderabad Metro
[D] Chennai Metro
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Hyderabad Metro]
Notes:
The Chief Minister of Telangana recently flagged off the stretch of Hyderabad Metro between Hyderabad and its sister city Secunderabad. With this, Hyderabad Metro has become the second largest operational metro rail network in the country, only after the Delhi Metro Rail.
Hyderabad Metro is also the biggest metro project in the world in Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode, with a total project cost of ₹20,000 crore, constructed by Larsen & Toubro.
17. Giriraj Kishore, who recently passed away recently, was associated with which field?
[A] Literature
[B] Arts
[C] Politics
[D] Sports
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Literature]
Notes:
Renowned writer and academician Giriraj Kishore passed away recently. The Gandhian writer was 82-years-old. He was also the recipient of the prestigious civilian award ‘Padma Shri’.
The famous literary works of Giriraj Kishore include ‘Pahla Girmitiya’ and ‘Dhaai Ghar’. A recipient of ‘Sahitya Samman’, he was also a former member of the Sahitya Academy working committee.
18. Recently, the Supreme Court of India upheld the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act. When was the original act of 1989 amended?
[A] 2016
[B] 2017
[C] 2018
[D] 2019
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [2018]
Notes:
The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act of 1989 was legislated to protect the scheduled communities from harassments and atrocities.
In March 2018, the Supreme court gave a judgement diluting the original act and it even granted anticipatory bail for those booked in the atrocity case. After huge protest, the government amended the original act and passed the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act, 2018. This amendment has been upheld by the apex court.
19. American Factory, which won the Oscar for the best feature-length documentary, was produced by which famous American personality?
[A] Donald Trump
[B] Barrack Obama
[C] Hillary Clinton
[D] Tiger Woods
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Barrack Obama]
Notes:
Recently, the Oscar award for best feature-length documentary was presented to ‘American Factory’. It was the first documentary released by Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company named ‘Higher Ground’.
The documentary film was released in the Netflix, and it is about an Ohio auto glass factory that is run by a Chinese investor, who employs American and Chinese workers. Many global issues such as the rights of workers, globalization and automation are focussed in the film.
20. Jiri Vesely, who clinched the Tata Open Maharashtra 2020, belongs to which country?
[A] Czech Republic
[B] Serbia
[C] France
[D] Switzerland
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Czech Republic]
Notes:
Jiri Vesely of Czech Republic clinched the Tata Open Maharashtra 2020, held recently in Pune. He won the title after five years of his maiden ATP Tour title in Auckland.
He also become only the eighth player since 2013 to save six match points across two matches in a row, towards winning the ATP Tour crown. The tournament had been previously conducted at Chennai.