41. Which Union Ministry is associated with Maritime Anti Piracy Bill 2022?
[A] Ministry of External Affairs
[B] Ministry of Defence
[C] Ministry of Home Affairs
[D] Ministry of Finance
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Ministry of External Affairs]
Notes:
Parliament has passed the Maritime Anti Piracy Bill 2022 after the approval of Rajya Sabha. The Bill has already been passed by Lok Sabha.
The Bill enables Indian authorities to take action against piracy on the high seas. It applies to the sea beyond the Exclusive Economic Zone, which is beyond 200 nautical miles from India’s coastline. Ministry of External Affairs is associated with the bill.
42. Which state launched Mananala Nallaadharavu Mandram (Mind Health Support Forum) for students?
[A] Kerala
[B] Tamil Nadu
[C] Karnataka
[D] West Bengal
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Tamil Nadu]
Notes:
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin launched the Mananala Nallaadharavu Mandram (Mind Health Support Forum) at government medical colleges to offer counselling and support to school students.
A helpline 14416 was also introduced to reach out to psychiatrists at government medical colleges. In all medical colleges, the forum has been created to offer programmes to improve the mental health of students. The programme will be extended to all colleges and schools.
43. iNCOVACC, which was approved as an intranasal booster dose for Covid, is manufactured by which institution?
[A] Serum Institute of India
[B] Biological E Ltd
[C] Bharat Biotech
[D] Biocon
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Bharat Biotech]
Notes:
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has approved Bharat Biotech’s intranasal Covid vaccine as a booster dose for those above 18 years of age.
India’s first intranasal Covid vaccine iNCOVACC will be added to the CoWin app, which is a web platform for vaccination registration in the country. At present, only Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, Serum Institute’s Covishield and Covovax, Russian Sputink V and Biological E Ltd’s Corbevax are listed in the CoWin portal.
44. India has agreed to start negotiations for a free trade agreement with which neighbouring country?
[A] China
[B] Sri Lanka
[C] Bangladesh
[D] Nepal
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Bangladesh]
Notes:
India and Bangladesh agreed to start negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) at an early date. The decision was taken in a meeting between Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and his Bangladeshi counterpart Tipu Munshi.
A joint feasibility study on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), has been carried out after the two countries agreed to explore the possibility of negotiating a trade pact. The bilateral trade between India and Bangladesh increased to USD 18.2 billion in 2021-22.
45. Which institution has been named as ‘G20 Science working group’s secretariat’?
[A] IIT Madras
[B] IIT Bombay
[C] IIT Delhi
[D] IISc Bengaluru
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [IISc Bengaluru]
Notes:
The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has been named as the secretariat for Science 20 (S20), one of the G20’s groupings.
The G20 is being presided over by India and the theme of the S20 in 2023 is ‘Disruptive Science for Innovative and Sustainable Development’. Discussions will take place throughout the year in various regions of India.
46. As of 2022, what is the minimum wage fixed for labourers in India?
[A] Rs 148 per day
[B] Rs 178 per day
[C] Rs 202 per day
[D] Rs 308 per day
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Rs 178 per day]
Notes:
In India, the minimum wage for labourers has been fixed at Rs 178 per day. The labour ministry is considering a shift from the minimum wage to a living wage.
As per reports, India could seek help from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to arrive at living wages. A minimum wage is the amount required for subsistence and is set by law while the living wage is necessary for workers to meet their basic living requirements. The difference between the two may range from 10 to 25 per cent.
47. Asian Development Bank (ADB) ranked which Indian firm in its ‘Top Consulting Services Firm’ list?
[A] WAPCOS
[B] Engineering Projects (India) Ltd
[C] MECON Ltd
[D] Engineers India Ltd
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [WAPCOS]
Notes:
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has ranked Indian-PSU company WAPCOS as top amongst consulting services firms in water and other infrastructure sectors.
In another report ‘Fact Sheet – 2022’ released by the ADB, WAPCOS was placed amongst the Top 3 consultants from India involved in consulting services contracts under ADB loan, grant, and technical assistance projects in energy, transport and water, and other urban infrastructure sectors.
48. As per the US Census Bureau, what is the projected population of the world on New Year’s Day 2023?
[A] 5.9 billion
[B] 7.9 billion
[C] 9.9 billion
[D] 11.9 billion
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [7.9 billion]
Notes:
The US Census Bureau said the world’s population is projected to be at 7.9 billion on New Year’s Day 2023.
This is an increase of 73.7 million since January 2022 and an increase in global population of 0.9 percent over the previous year. The Census Bureau projected that there will be 4.3 births and two deaths globally every second in January 2023.
49. Pele, who passed away recently, was a legendary footballer of which country?
[A] Germany
[B] Brazil
[C] Argentina
[D] France
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Brazil]
Notes:
Brazil football legend Pele recently passed away due to cancer at the age of 82. His funeral is set to be held at the stadium where Brazilian soccer legend Pele played some of his best matches.
The legendary player led Brazil to World Cup victory in 1958, 1962 and 1970. He remains one of the team’s all-time leading scorers with 77 goals. Brazil’s Neymar tied Pele’s record during this year’s World Cup in Qatar.
50. ‘Prahari’ is an application launched for better governance of which institution?
[A] BSF
[B] CRPF
[C] Indian Railways
[D] PSUs
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [BSF]
Notes:
Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently launched the Mobile App ‘Prahari’ and Manual of Border Security Force in New Delhi.
Through the Prahari app, BSF personnels can get information related to accommodation, Ayushman-CAPF and leaves on their mobiles.