31. Which state cabinet recently passed an ordinance which seeks to recover losses caused by damage to public property from rioters?
[A] Maharashtra
[B] Uttar Pradesh
[C] Chhattisgarh
[D] Gujarat
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Uttar Pradesh]
Notes:
The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet recently passed the ‘Recovery of Damage to Public Properties Ordinance 2020’ for recovery of losses caused by damage to public property during violent protests.
The decision which was taken in a cabinet meeting headed by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath aims to prevent loss of public property in the state. The damages in the violence shall be recovered from the rioters, as per the ordinance. This comes at the backdrop of several violent protests in the state against Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
32. Sahitya Akademi award winner Puthussery Ramachandran, who passed away recently, was a poet and scholar in which language?
[A] Tamil
[B] Malayalam
[C] Kannada
[D] Telugu
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Malayalam]
Notes:
Renowned poet and Malayalam scholar Puthussery Ramachandran recently passed away at the age of 91. He played an instrumental role in making Malayalam getting recognised as a classical language by the union government in 2013.
Ramachandran has won several prestigious awards, including the Sahitya Akademi award, the Ezhuthachchan Puraskaaram in 2015, Kerala Sahitya Akademi award among others. He was also associated with the Communist movement of Kerala.
33. Which badminton player won the men’s singles title at the All England Open Badminton Championships 2020?
[A] P Kashyap
[B] K Srikanth
[C] Viktor Axelsen
[D] Lin Dan
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Viktor Axelsen]
Notes:
In the recently concluded All England Open Badminton Championships, Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen won his first singles title. He defeated Taiwanese top seed Chou Tien-chen in straight sets in the summit clash. Last year, Axelsen was the runner-up in the tournament after losing to Kento Momota.
Taiwan’s Tai Tzu Ying is the women’s champion for the third time in four years, after defeating Chinese world number one Chen Yu Fei.
34. Which country has begun the first human trial to evaluate vaccine against COVID-19?
[A] China
[B] United Kingdom
[C] United States
[D] France
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [United States]
Notes:
The United States has begun the first phase of clinical trial of a vaccine to protect against the coronavirus disease.
The initiative is supported by a global coalition founded by India and Norway. It is funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The first participant received the investigatory vaccine in the trial, which is to enrol 45 healthy adult volunteers for approximately six weeks.
35. As per the recent notification from the Reserve Bank of India, PAs are to be regulated by the central bank. What does ‘PA’ stand for?
[A] Payment Agency
[B] Payment Aggregator
[C] Payment Authority
[D] Processing Authority
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Payment Aggregator]
Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India recently announced that it will regulate the entire activities of Payment Aggregators (PAs). Payment Aggregators enable the e-commerce sites and merchants to accept various payment instruments from the customers.
As per the guidelines on regulation of PAs and Payment gateways (PGs), the existing PAs should attain a net-worth of Rs 15 crore by March 31, 2021 and a net-worth of Rs 25 crore on or before March 31, 2023. Thereafter the net-worth of Rs 25 crore shall be maintained at all times.
36. Air India CMD Ashwani Lohani has been appointed as the Chairman of Tourism Development Corporation of which state?
[A] Uttar Pradesh
[B] Gujarat
[C] Andhra Pradesh
[D] Rajasthan
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Andhra Pradesh]
Notes:
Former Chairman and Managing Director of Air India Ashwani Lohani has been recently appointed as the Chairman of Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC).
This was announced in the order released by the Chief Secretary of the state and the appointment has been made for one year. He had earlier served in several similar positions including the Chairman of the Railway Board and CMD of the India Tourism Development Corporation.
37. Noel Quinn has been appointed as the Chief executive officer of which multi-national bank?
[A] HSBC
[B] NatWest
[C] BNP Paribas
[D] Standard Chartered
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [HSBC]
Notes:
Europe’s largest bank and multinational investment bank HSBC recently announced that it appointed Noel Quinn as Chief Executive officer.
Noel Quinn joined the HSBC bank in 1987 and took interim charge of HSBC last August after the sudden exit of the previous CEO John Flint. There have been several speculations regarding the appointment, which ended now as an insider has been appointed.
38. 12 journalists were selected for Road Safety Media Fellowship 2019, which is implemented by Centre for Media Studies (CMS) in association with which global organisation?
[A] United Nations
[B] World Bank
[C] World Health Organization
[D] UNESCO
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [World Health Organization]
Notes:
Centre for Media Studies (CMS) in partnership with World Health Organization (WHO) is implementing a media fellowship programme on road safety, called WHO Road Safety Media Fellowship.
Recently it was offered to 12 journalists based in Delhi and Karnataka from print, broadcast and online media of Hindi, English and Kannada languages. The fellowship is aimed at improving the capacities of journalists in coverage of news related to road safety.
39. The validity of authorization issued to which company was extended by the Reserve Bank of India till 31 March 2021, to setup, own and operate the White Label ATMs?
[A] Hitachi
[B]
State ATM
[C] Tata Communications Payment Solutions
[D] Vakrangee
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Vakrangee]
Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has extended the validity of authorization issued to IT service management company Vakrangee, to setup, own and operate the White Label ATMs (WLA) in India.
The validity of authorization has been extended till 31 March 2021. RBI has assigned a target of minimum 1,000 ATMS to be deployed by Vakrangee for three years starting from 2020, with the stipulated ratio in Metro & Urban, Semi-Urban and Rural regions.
40. Which multi-national bank has announced a USD 6.5 billion package for its member countries to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic?
[A] European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
[B] African Development Bank
[C] Asian Development Bank
[D] Inter-American Development Bank
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Asian Development Bank ]
Notes:
Manila-based Asian Development Bank recently announced an initial package of $6.5 billion (equivalent to ₹48,230 crore) to cater the immediate needs of its developing member countries in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic.
As per the announcement of the Development bank, out of the total package, $3.6 billion will be made available to governments for addressing health and economic consequences of the pandemic and $1.6 billion for micro, small and medium enterprises, domestic and regional trade.