31. Which organization has built a 180 feet bridge in Pithoragarh district, Uttarakhand in a short span of 3 weeks?
[A] Indian Army
[B] National Highways Authority of India
[C] Boarder Roads Organization
[D] Larsen and Toubro
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Boarder Roads Organization]
Notes:
A 180-feet Bailey bridge in Jauljibi sector of Pithoragarh district, Uttarakhand has been constructed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), amidst frequent landslides and heavy rains.
The 50-metre span concrete bridge was damaged in the month of July as the area was hit by a cloud burst. The bridge construction by BRO will help around 15,000 people in 20 villages of the district.
32. Which institution is to set up a new Umbrella entity for retail payments?
[A] Reserve Bank of India
[B] National Payment Corporation of India
[C] Securities Exchange Board of India
[D] Indian Banks Association
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Reserve Bank of India]
Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has released the framework for setting up of a new umbrella entity for retail payments.
It will operate as a ‘for-profit’ company that will have minimum paid-up capital of Rs 500 crore. It will set up and operate the payment systems such as ATMs, white-label PoS and Aadhaar-based payments. The company will also manage clearing and settlement systems of banks/ non-banks.
33. Which organisation is deploying ‘Ninja’ unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for surveillance?
[A] Indian Space Research Organisation
[B] Defence Research and Development Organisation
[C] Railway Protection Force
[D] Indo Tibetan Border Police Force
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Railway Protection Force]
Notes:
Indian railways has announced that it has procured ‘Ninja Unmanned Aerial Vehicles’ (UAV) for surveillance operations.
The Railway Protection Force is deploying the Ninja UAVs to improve monitoring and provide safety to railway assets and passengers. RPF has recently procured nine drones worth over Rs 30 lakh. It is to procure more drones shortly, which are capable of for real-time tracking and video streaming.
34. Which State / UT has recently given approval for construction of sky scrapers with 70 or more floors?
[A] Delhi
[B] Maharashtra
[C] Gujarat
[D] Telangana
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Gujarat]
Notes:
Vijay Rupani, the Chief Minsiter of Gujarat has given approval for construction of sky scrapers and high-rise buildings of 70 floors or more in five major cities of the state namely Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot and Gandhinagar.
The present rule governing the construction of buildings permits construction only up to 23 floors. A special technical committee would be set up to give approval to such projects.
35. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has recently permitted a relaxation to which financial institutions, to inject liquidity into Discoms?
[A] RBI and NABARD
[B] PFC and REC
[C] NTPC and NHPC
[D] ONGC and GAIL
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [PFC and REC]
Notes:
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved a one-time relaxation to Power Finance Corporation (PFC) and Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) for extending loans to state-owned electricity distribution companies (Discoms).
This measure has been made by the Government to inject liquidity into Discoms, as a part of the Atma Nirbhar Bharat Scheme. As per the existing guidelines, Discoms can avail working capital loans equal to 25% of last year’s revenues, under UDAY scheme from PFC and REC.
36. Which Indian Parliamentarian has attended the inaugural ceremony of the Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament?
[A] Venkaiah Naidu
[B] Om Birla
[C] Thambi Durai
[D] Harivansh Narayan Singh
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Om Birla]
Notes:
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has attended the inaugural ceremony of the 5th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament (5WCSP).
It is a two-day virtual Conference organized jointly by Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Geneva and Parliament of Austria. The programme is supported by United Nations (UN). The theme of the Conference is “Parliamentary leadership for more effective multilateralism that delivers peace and sustainable development for the people and planet.”
37. Which company has partnered with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to offer free Digital skill training?
[A] Microsoft
[B] Google
[C] IBM
[D] Apple
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [IBM]
Notes:
Leading multi-national company IBM India, has collaborated with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to offer a free digital education platform.
The training focuses on recent technologies like cybersecurity, blockchain, artificial intelligence and machine learning and professional development skills. The online courses developed by IBM will be offered through NSDC’s eSkill India portal to the learners between 18 to 22 years.
38. Indian e-commerce company Flipkart is to expand its business to which country?
[A] Sri Lanka
[B] Nepal
[C] Bangladesh
[D] Japan
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Nepal]
Notes:
Indian e-commerce company Flipkart has signed a strategic partnership with Nepal’s leading e-commerce company Sastodeal.
This partnership will provide lakhs of sellers registered with Flipkart, an access to the e-commerce market of Nepal. Sastodeal will host more than 5,000 products from Flipkart sellers including the Flipkart Private Brands, MarQ and SmartBuy in various categories.
39. When is International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism observed?
[A] August 21
[B] August 22
[C] August 23
[D] August 24
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [August 21]
Notes:
The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 21 August as the International Day of Remembrance of and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism.
The day is observed to honour and support the victims and survivors of terrorism. It also strives to promote and protect their human and fundamental rights. This year, the UN held a virtual commemoration of the 3rd International Day of Remembrance of and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism.
40. Which country has discovered a large natural gas reserve along Black Sea coast?
[A] Turkey
[B] Georgia
[C] Bulgaria
[D] Romania
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Turkey]
Notes:
The President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan has recently announced that the country has discovered a large natural gas reserve along the Black Sea coast.
Around 302 billion cubic meters area of natural gas reserve has been discovered that will reduce the import dependency of the country. As per the country, it will start extracting and using the gas by 2023, when Turkey marks the centenary of the founding of Republic.
