1. Miss Teen International 2019 was conferred to an individual from which of the following countries?
[A] South Africa
[B] Zimbabwe
[C] India
[D] Pakistan
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [India]
Notes:
Miss Teen International is the oldest running teen pageant in the world. Aayushi Dholakia from India had bagged the title of Miss Teen International 2019, becoming the first Asian to do so in the last 27 years. She also won Best in National Costume Award and Best in Speech award.
2. What is the outlay of the National Infrastructure Plan, recently announced the Union Finance Minister?
[A] Rs.72 lakh crore
[B] Rs.82 lakh crore
[C] Rs.92 lakh crore
[D] Rs. 102 lakh crore
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Rs. 102 lakh crore]
Notes:
The Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a ₹102 lakh crore national infrastructure pipeline. The Ministry of Finance had set up a committee headed by Atanu Chakraborty to prepare a road map for the the ₹100 lakh crore ‘National Infrastructure Pipeline’ (NIP) from 2019-20 to 2024-25. In the plan which involves spending in various sectors, the central government and state governments would have an equal share of 39% each and the private sector would have 22% share.
3. Senior Politician and former Member of Parliament, D P Tripathi who passed away recently belonged to which political party?
[A] Bharathiya Janata Party
[B] Indian National Congress
[C] Nationalist Congress Party
[D] Communist Party of India
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Nationalist Congress Party]
Notes:
D P Tripathi (Devisree Prasad Tripathi) was a senior political leader of Nationalist Congress Party and a former Rajya Sabha MP from Maharashtra. He also served as the General Secretary and chief spokesman of the Nationalist Congress Party. Though he was initially associated with the Congress (INC) party during his early life, he later moved to the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). He was also an academic and the author of the journal titled “Think India”.
4. Which state has recently announced a scheme to deliver sand to customer’s doorstep from January 2, 2020?
[A] Odisha
[B] Maharashtra
[C] Andhra Pradesh
[D] Kerala
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Andhra Pradesh]
Notes:
The State Government of Andhra Pradesh recently announced that it would deliver sand to the customer’s doorstep. The scheme was launched as a pilot project in the Krishna District and would be expanded to other districts as well. The Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation (APMDC) would be the implementing agency of the delivery scheme. The state recently launched the new sand policy in September 2019 and has been taking various steps to curb illegal sand trade.
5. Which portal was recently launched by the Prime Minister in the Indian Science Congress, Bengaluru?
[A] I-STEM
[B] I-SCITECH
[C] I-SCIENCE
[D] I-SPACE
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [I-STEM]
Notes:
The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi has launched the Indian Science Technology and Engineering facilities Map (I-STEM) portal during the Indian Science Congress at Bengaluru. All academic institutions with R&D facility and research labs across the country will list themselves in the portal, so that a live inventory about the research facilities available in India will be created. The researcher can apply online for the research facility after he/she maps it in the portal.
6. When is the World Braille day celebrated every year?
[A] January 2
[B] January 3
[C] January 4
[D] January 5
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [January 4]
Notes:
The World Braille Day is celebrated across the world on the 4th day of January. The United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution in November 2018, to announce January 4 as World Braille Day. Following the proclamation, the day has been observed since 2019. According to the World Health Organization, there are 36 million blind people and 216 million people with moderate to severe visual impairment. Invented by Louis Braille, Braille is a representation of letters and number using six dots, which could be interpreted by the visually impaired.
7. Which state recently launched ‘e-Gazette’ portal, a digital platform for gazette publications?
[A] Odisha
[B] Kerala
[C] West Bengal
[D] Andhra Pradesh
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Odisha]
Notes:
The State Government of Odisha recently launched the e-Gazette portal, to release all gazette publications of the state in digital format. This scheme is launched a s part of the ‘5T initiatives’ of the Odisha Government. After the launch of the portal, the gazette notifications will be published online saving paper and cost of transportation. All the departments of the state will be asked to upload their data in the portal, which will be monitored and verified by digital signatures.
8. Who has been appointed as the first Chairman of National Medical Commission (NMC)?
[A] Suresh Chandra Sharma
[B] Rakesh Kumar Vats
[C] Randeep Guleria
[D] Atul Kumar
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Suresh Chandra Sharma]
Notes:
The Professor and Head of the Department of ENT and Head-neck surgery of AIIMS, Dr. Suresh Chandra Sharma has been appointed as the first Chairman of National Medical Commission (NMC). The appointment is approved for a tenure of three years or until the age of 70 years. Rakesh Kumar Vats is appointed as the new Secretary of NMC. The Medical Council of India (MCI) was dissolved and the National Medical Commission (NMC) was formed as the replacing body after the Union Cabinet approval, last year.
9. Who is the first and youngest tribal woman in the world to climb six tallest mountain peaks across six continents?
[A] Malavath Poorna
[B] Shivangi Pathak
[C] Aditi Vaidya
[D] Anuja Vaidya
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Malavath Poorna]
Notes:
The 18-year-old student from a tribal family of Telengana and the famous mountain climber Malavath Poorna recently scaled the highest mountain peak of Antartica, Mt. Vinson Massif. By conquering this 4987 m high peak, Poorna became the first and youngest tribal woman in the world to climb six tallest mountain peaks across six continents. She is now preparing for her next venture of scaling North America’s highest mountain peak, Mt. Denali.
10. In which city, the Human Space Flight Centre is proposed to be set up by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)?
[A] Bengaluru
[B] Vishakhapatnam
[C] Sriharikota
[D] Challakere
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Challakere]
Notes:
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has proposed to set up its Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC) in the Challakere town of Karnataka. It is located on the National Highway connecting Bengaluru and Pune. The 400-acre Training centre will entail a project cost of nearly 2700 Crores. Recently, four Indian astronauts selected for the Gaganyaan mission are sent to an Russian agency for space related training. This indigenous HSFC of ISRO will be have world class infrastructure and training facilities.