41. 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.
42. As per a recent report, which sector has the maximum number of delayed projects?
[A] Railways
[B] Transport and highways sector
[C] Tele- communication
[D] Housing
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Transport and highways sector]
Notes:
As per a recent report by the Centre, Transport and highways sector has the maximum number of delayed projects.
Of the 769 projects of the sector, 358 projects are delayed. The total original cost of implementation of the projects when sanctioned, was ₹4,33,744 crore, but this was subsequently anticipated at ₹4,60,524 crore with a cost overrun of 6.2%.
43. UIDAI is a statutory authority established under which Union Ministry?
[A] Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology
[B] Ministry of Home Affairs
[C] Ministry of Finance
[D] Ministry of Science and Technology
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology]
Notes:
The Unique Identification Authority of India is a statutory authority established under the provisions of Aadhaar Act 2016 under the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology.
UIDAI has urged the residents to keep their documents updated in Aadhaar issued 10 years back, by uploading supportive documents either online through myAadhaar portal or offline by visiting the nearest Aadhaar centre.
44. Home Affairs Ministry and which state signed cessation of operations agreement with ZUF armed group?
[A] Manipur
[B] Assam
[C] Arunachal Pradesh
[D] Sikkim
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Manipur]
Notes:
The Union government and the Manipur government have signed a cessation of operations agreement with the Zeliangrong United Front (ZUF).
ZUF is a Manipur-based Naga armed group, which has been demanding a separate State for the Zeliangrong Naga tribe. The agreement seeks rehabilitation and re-settlement of the armed cadres.
45. Bar-headed goose, one the world’s highest flying birds, visited which Indian state recently?
[A] Goa
[B] Tamil Nadu
[C] Kerala
[D] Odisha
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Tamil Nadu]
Notes:
The bar-headed goose, considered one the world’s highest flying birds, recently visited the Muttukadu backwaters in Tamil Nadu.
As many as seven bar-headed geese made a temporary stop at Muttukadu. Bar-headed geese, native to Central Asia, are capable of flying through the passes of the highest mountains with speedy winds freezing temperatures.
46. What is the name of the digital project funded by Google to map the language diversity of India?
[A] Project Bharat
[B] Project Vaani
[C] Project Echo
[D] Project Inimai
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Project Vaani]
Notes:
The Indian Institute of Sciences (IISc), ARTPARK (AI and Robotics Technology Park) and Google have partnered together for ‘Project Vaani’ Initiative.
The digital project aims to map the language diversity of India by collecting speech sets of about a million people across 773 districts. The project aims to record over 150,000 hours of speech, part of which will be transcribed in local scripts. The goal is to boost development of automatic speech recognition, speech to speech translation and natural language understanding.
47. Which state/UT passed a draft Solar Policy, aiming a total installed solar capacity of 6,000 megawatt by 2025?
[A] Rajasthan
[B] Delhi
[C] Andhra Pradesh
[D] Karnataka
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Delhi]
Notes:
Delhi government has recently cleared the draft Delhi Solar Policy 2022. It aims to increase the share of the city’s annual electricity demand met by solar energy from 9% at present to 25% by 2025.
The draft targets a total installed solar capacity of 6,000 megawatt by 2025. It includes benefits such as Generation Based Incentives and subsidy for consumers. The draft has been put in public domain for 30 days after which it will be tabled before Cabinet for final approval.
48. Who is the author of the book titled ‘Forks in the Road: My Days at RBI and Beyond’?
[A] Urjit Patel
[B] Raghuram Rajan
[C] C Rangarajan
[D] M Narasimhan
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [C Rangarajan]
Notes:
‘Forks in the Road: My Days at RBI and Beyond’ book is a memoir of Dr C. Rangarajan, the 19th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India and a former Member of Parliament.
The book includes his journey as an economist and RBI Governor and sheds lights on some of the hidden truths surrounding India’s economic history including the account of 1991 reforms.
49. What species is ‘Solanum scalarium’ which was recently discovered in Australia?
[A] Potato
[B] Tomato
[C] Onion
[D] Turmeric
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Tomato]
Notes:
The newly-discovered species named ‘Solanum scalarium’ belongs to Solanum, a large genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae.
Solanum is the most species-rich genus in the family Solanaceae and among the largest in the angiosperms or flowering plants. Solanum includes the potato, the tomato and the eggplant (brinjal or aubergine).
50. Which state has set up a Commission to conduct a survey to ensure that OBCs are provided reservation on the basis of ‘Triple test’?
[A] Jharkhand
[B] Uttar Pradesh
[C] Karnataka
[D] Himachal Pradesh
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Uttar Pradesh]
Notes:
Uttar Pradesh has set up a five-member commission, which will conduct a survey to ensure that the OBCs are provided reservation on the basis of the triple test, as mandated by the Supreme Court. Earlier, the Allahabad High Court ordered the Uttar Pradesh government to hold urban local body elections without reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) because the ‘triple test’ requirement had not been fulfilled.