11. Who won the men’s gold medal in 10-metre air pistol in the 63rd National shooting Championship?
[A] Saurabh Chaudhary
[B] Sarabjot Singh
[C] Abhishek Verma
[D] Shiva Narwal
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Saurabh Chaudhary]
Notes:
The 17-year-old ace shooter of India, Saurabh Chaudhary clinched the men’s gold medal in 10-metre air pistol in the 63rd National shooting Championship, being held at Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. Saurabh had earlier won the gold medal in Youth Olympics and Asian Games. Sarabjot Singh won the silver medal while Shiva Narwal bagged the bronze medal. Saurabh is also qualified to represent India in the Tokyo Olympics in Shooting (Air pistol category).
12. Which city is to host the third International Symposium on Marine ecosystems (MECOS-3)?
[A] Mumbai
[B] New Delhi
[C] Goa
[D] Cochin
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Cochin]
Notes:
The third ‘International Symposium on Marine ecosystems- challenges and opportunities’ (MECOS-3) is to be held in Cochin from January 7 to 10, 2020. The summit will be organised by the Marine Biological Association of India at the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Cochin. A veteran Marine Fisheries Researcher of Finland, Petri Suuronen will be the Chief Guest. The event will focus on United Nation’s SDG Goal of ‘Life Under water’ and sustainable utilisation of marine wealth.
13. The Reserve Bank of India has recently revised the ‘Supervisory Action Framework’ of which category of banks?
[A] Public Sector Banks
[B] Private Sector Banks
[C] Foreign Banks
[D] Urban Cooperative Banks
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Urban Cooperative Banks]
Notes:
India’s Central bank, the Reserve Bank of India recently released various stipulations for the Urban Cooperative Banks (UCB). A UCB shall be placed in the Supervisory Action Framework upon certain conditions announced by the RBI, which include Net NPA exceeding 6% and CRAR ratio falling below 9%. Depending on the financial stress, the lending powers of the UCBs may also be cut short.
The Reserve Bank has made this announcement at the backdrop of the Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative Bank scam. The new norms would provide faster resolution to the bad assets of UCBs.
14. What is the name of the new relay satellite series, to be launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)?
[A] Indian Relay Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS)
[B] Indian Data Relay Satellite System (IDRSS)
[C] Indian Relay Satellite System (IRSS)
[D] Indian Relay Tracking System (IRTS)
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Indian Data Relay Satellite System (IDRSS)]
Notes:
The Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) recently announced that indigenous relay satellite series called the Indian Data Relay Satellite System (IDRSS) will be launched soon .
The IDRSS is a set of relay satellites that will continuously track the Indian satellites and exchange information with them. The first of the two proposed satellites will be launched by the end of 2020, before the unmanned space flight to be conducted preceding the Gaganyaan Mission. Such crucial missions can be continuously monitored by the new relay satellite series.
15. Recently, Supreme Court of India has asked the centre to consider deployment of which force to guard various courts of India?
[A] Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)
[B] Central Industrial Security Force (CISF)
[C] National Security Guard (NSG)
[D] Indian Army
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [ Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) ]
Notes:
Supreme Court recently asked the Centre to consider the deployment of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) to guard the various courts in India — taking over the job of securing the courts from the local police forces.
16. On 9th January 2020, birth anniversary of Har Gobind Khorana was observed. He won Nobel Prize in Physiology in which year?
[A] 1965
[B] 1968
[C] 1972
[D] 1979
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [ 1968 ]
Notes:
Khurana shared the 1968 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine with Marshall W. Nirenberg and Robert W. Holley for research that showed the order of nucleotides in nucleic acids, which carry the genetic code of the cell and control the cell’s synthesis of proteins. In 1972, he also created the first ever artificial gene.
17. Which airline is currently headed by Ashwani Lohani?
[A] Indigo
[B] Spicejet
[C] Air India
[D] Vistara
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [ Air India ]
Notes:
Current Ashwini Lohani heads Air India. It began operations in 1932 with a single-engine, de Havilland Puss Moth monoplane. In 1962, it became the world’s first airline to boast an all-jet fleet. Last October, it also became the world’s first airline to use a Taxibot on an A320 aircraft with passengers onboard. Recently, Group of Ministers (GoM) of the central government have approved the proposal to divest stake in the national carrier. Led by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the GoM met on Tuesday and approved all proposals on debt transfer from Air India to a special purpose vehicle. The Expression of Interest (EoI) and the share purchase agreement would be issued in January 2020.
18. The Union External Affairs Minister recently launched a book titled ‘PAX SINICA: Implications for the Indian Dawn’. Who is the author of the book?
[A] Samir Saran
[B] Samrat Upadhyay
[C] Sharad Rathore
[D] Sumit Agarwal
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Samir Saran]
Notes:
The Union External Affairs Minister S. Jai Shankar recently launched the book titled ‘PAX SINICA: Implications for the Indian Dawn’ authored by Dr. Samir Saran. The book was co-authored by Akhil Deo. The book highlights the steps of China during the presidency of Xi Jinping and the key policy measures of China.
Dr Samir Saran is the President of the renowned Asian think tank, Observer Research Foundation. He is also a member of the World Economic Forum’s South Asia advisory board.
19. Which city is set to host the international naval event ‘MILAN’ in March 2020?
[A] Goa
[B] Vishakhapatnam
[C] Cochin
[D] Mumbai
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Vishakhapatnam]
Notes:
MILAN is a multilateral naval exercise, which is scheduled to be held at Vishakhapatnam in March 2020. The event was previously planned at Andaman and Nicobar Islands and then has been changed to Vishakhapatnam as navies from many countries are participating in the event.
Nearly 30 international navies have confirmed their participation in the event. The theme of the exercise is “Synergy Across the Seas”. This event would help the navies to have professional discussions and learn the best practices in the naval arena across the world.
20. Who has been recently chosen for “Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu National Award for Excellence”?
[A] K Sivan
[B] MS Swaminathan
[C] Azim H Premji
[D] Dutee Chand
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [MS Swaminathan]
Notes:
The Father of Green Revolution Dr M S Swaminathan is chosen as the recipient of ‘Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu National Award for Excellence’. This award is instituted by the Muppavarapu Foundation based at Hyderabad. Eminent Agricultural Scientist and plant geneticist, M.S. Swaminathan is awarded for his contributions towards the field of agriculture.
This award was presented during the 10th Anniversary Celebrations of Muppavarapu Foundation in Hyderabad by the Vice President of India, Venkiah Naidu.