1. Ambala airbase, where the first batch of Rafale fighter jets arrived, is located in which state/UT?
[A] Uttarakhand
[B] Haryana
[C] Sikkim
[D] West Bengal
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Haryana]
Notes:
The first batch of five Rafale fighter jets have landed at the Ambala Air Force Base, located in the state of Haryana.
The Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria received the fighter jets, which will be inducted in the No. 17 Squadron, ‘Golden Arrows’. The jets were flown by Indian Air Force pilots for seven hours with the help of the mid-air refuellers.
2. Which institution is to launch a new National Clinical Registry of COVID-19 patients?
[A] Indian Council of Medical Research
[B] Council of Scientific and Industrial Research
[C] Department of Biotechnology
[D] National Institute of Virology
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Indian Council of Medical Research ]
Notes:
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is set to roll out a new National Clinical Registry of COVID-19 patients admitted across the county.
To launch this comprehensive database, the ICMR has collaborated with the Health Ministry and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). This database will help to improve treatment in hospitals and will let officials conduct clinical trials and study the effectiveness of new therapies.
3. Who has been appointed as the Managing Director and Group Chief Executive Officer of the credit rating agency ICRA Ltd?
[A] N Sivaraman
[B] Sankara Narayanan
[C] Manoj Fadnis
[D] Dilip Sadarangani
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [N Sivaraman]
Notes:
India’s leading credit rating agency ICRA Ltd has appointed N Sivaraman as the Managing Director and Group Chief Executive Officer.
The appointment has been made for three years with effect from August 10. His tenure may also be extended for two more years. He had held senior positions in L&T Finance Holdings and he has served as the Chief Operating Officer at IL&FS till July 31, 2020.
4. ‘Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar’ is awarded by which Union Ministry?
[A] Ministry of Home Affairs
[B] Ministry of Defence
[C] Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
[D] Ministry of Corporate affairs
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Ministry of Home Affairs]
Notes:
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs presents the ‘Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar’ award.
The award recognises individuals as well as institutions for their contributions in the field of disaster management. The Government of India has recently invited the nominations for the award, which is presented on the birth anniversary of freedom fighter Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, on January 23.
5. Mahatma Gandhi Setu (bridge), that was seen in news, is located in which state?
[A] West Bengal
[B] Bihar
[C] Gujarat
[D] Uttarakhand
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Bihar]
Notes:
Union Minister for Road Transport, Highways Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the upstream lane of Mahatma Gandhi bridge, through video conference.
The 5.5 km four lane bridge is built over river Ganga connecting Patna and Hajipur of Bihar. The reconstruction work of this bridge started in the year 2017 and the cost outlay is Rs 1742 crore. The downstream lane of the bridge is to be completed by 2021. The concrete structure of the old bridge will be replaced by new steel deck.
6. Who has assumed office as the Union Health Secretary of India in August 2020?
[A] Rajesh Bhushan
[B] S Jai Shankar
[C] M Siva Shankar
[D] Anil Swarup
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Rajesh Bhushan]
Notes:
Veteran bureaucrat Rajesh Bhushan has recently assumed charge as the Union Health Secretary. He will succeed the previous Health Secretary Preeti Sudan.
Preeti Sudan superannuated and she was given a three-month extension in April. Rajesh Bhushan is a 1987 batch Bihar cadre IAS officer. He has been serving as an Officer on Special Duty in the Ministry of Health from April.
7. Which country successfully operated Arab world’s first nuclear power reactor?
[A] Kuwait
[B] United Arab Emirates
[C] Qatar
[D] Oman
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [United Arab Emirates]
Notes:
The United Arab Emirates has successfully commenced operation of the Arab world’s first commercial nuclear power plant.
The Barakah reactor is located in the oil-rich city of the UAE, Abu Dhabi. With the commission, the UAE joins the group of 30 countries that can generate nuclear energy. It is built and run by a joint venture with Korea Electric Power Corporation.
8. Where is the headquarters of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) located?
[A] Mumbai
[B] New Delhi
[C] Gandhi Nagar
[D] Kolkata
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [New Delhi]
Notes:
Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) is an autonomous organisation of the Government of India head-quartered in New Delhi.
It promotes India’s external cultural relations by cultural exchange. The council was founded by the first Education Minister of independent India, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad in the year 1950. ICCR recently organised a two-day international webinar on the theme of ‘Lokmanya Tilak – Swaraj to Self-reliant India’.
9. Which Indian bank is set to launch an Artificial-Intelligence powered multilingual voice bot ‘AXAA’?
[A] HDFC Bank
[B] ICICI Bank
[C] Yes Bank
[D] Axis Bank
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Axis Bank]
Notes:
India’s leading private sector bank Axis Bank is set to launch a an Artificial-Intelligence powered multilingual voice bot ‘AXAA’.
The bank has entered into a partnership with a Bengaluru start-up Vernacular.ai in this regard. The partnership aims to optimise AI-based voice solutions and automate customer interactions through human-like dialogues.
10. ATL Tinkering Marathon is conducted by which organisation?
[A] ISRO
[B] DRDO
[C] Atal Innovation Mission
[D] Baba Atomic Research Centre
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Atal Innovation Mission]
Notes:
The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) is a flagship initiative of the NITI Aayog to promote innovation and entrepreneurship across the country.
AIM conducts the ATL Tinkering Marathon, a national annual innovation challenge in partnership with MyGOV. AIM has released the results of the 2019 edition of the challenge. As many as 150 winners of the Marathon was announced by the AIM.