21. ‘Indian National Women’s Day’ is observed every year to commemorate the birth anniversary of which personality?
[A] Savitribhai Phule
[B] Fatima Sheikh
[C] Sarojini Naidu
[D] Annie Besant
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Sarojini Naidu]
Notes:
Indian National Women’s Day is observed every year on 13 February to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sarojini Naidu.
She was also called ‘Nightingale of India’ or ‘Bharat Kokila’. Sarojini Naidu was the first woman Governor of Uttar Pradesh and the first woman ever to be elected as the President of the Indian National Congress.
22. The Northern Mariana Islands, which was seen in the news recently, is a territory of which country?
[A] USA
[B] Russia
[C] France
[D] China
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [USA]
Notes:
The Northern Mariana Islands, a United States territory, is located only 2500km southeast of Japan.
Japan has planned to dump more than 1 million tonnes of treated water from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power station into the Pacific Ocean. The Northern Mariana Islands has proposed another viable solution to the plan to be considered.
23. Which institution hosts the ‘World Sustainable Development Summit’?
[A] UNFCCC
[B] NITI Aayog
[C] The Energy and Resources Institute
[D] Bhabha Atomic Research Centre
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [The Energy and Resources Institute]
Notes:
The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) hosted the latest edition of the World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the summit, which was based on the theme ‘Towards a Resilient Planet: Ensuring a Sustainable and Equitable Future’. The keynote addresses will be delivered by President of Republic of Guyana Dr Irfaan Ali and Deputy Secretary-General of the UN.
24. Which is the headquarters of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC)?
[A] UAE
[B] Saudi Arabia
[C] Oman
[D] Qatar
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Saudi Arabia]
Notes:
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is an international organization founded in 1969, consisting of 57 member states. It is headquartered at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The Union government of India described the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) remarks on the ongoing hijab controversy in Karnataka as ‘motivated and misleading’.
25. Which state announced to commemorate February 15 as “Shahid Diwas” in memory of 34 freedom fighters killed 90 years ago?
[A] Uttar Pradesh
[B] Bihar
[C] Gujarat
[D] Chhattisgarh
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Bihar]
Notes:
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said February 15 would be commemorated as “Shahid Diwas” in memory of the 34 freedom fighters who were killed by police in Tarapur town of Bihar 90 years ago.
The Chief Minister said the Tarapur massacre was the biggest carried out by the British police after the one in Jallianwala Bagh in 1919. Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to the Tarapur massacre in his Mann ki Baat radio address of January 2021.
26. Who has been appointed as India’s first National Maritime Security Coordinator (NMSC)?
[A] G Ashok Kumar
[B] Ajit Doval
[C] Hari Kumar
[D] Karambir Singh
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [G Ashok Kumar]
Notes:
Former Chief of Navy Vice Admiral G Ashok Kumar, who retired last year, has been appointed as the country’s first National Maritime Security Coordinator (NMSC).
NMSC will be part of the National Security Council Secretariat, and will report to National Security Adviser Ajit Doval. NMSC was proposed after the 26/11 terror attacks. His responsibility is coordinating between all the agencies involved in maritime security and maritime civil issues.
27. With reference to plastic packaging, what does EPR stand for?
[A] Extended Producer Responsibility
[B] Environment Protection Responsibility
[C] Ecological Protection Role
[D] Epoxy Poly Rehydroxy-sulphate
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Extended Producer Responsibility]
Notes:
The Government of India’s Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has recently notified guidelines on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for plastic packaging, under the Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2022. This aims to eliminate single use plastic.
This defines the roles and responsibilities of producers, importers and pollution control units in bringing down plastic waste.
28. Asia’s biggest Bio-CNG plant has been inaugurated in which Indian state?
[A] Madhya Pradesh
[B] Maharashtra
[C] Gujarat
[D] West Bengal
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Madhya Pradesh]
Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated Asia’s biggest Bio-CNG plant in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore.
The Bio-CNG plant has been set up based on the concept of waste-to-wealth innovation in Indore, India’s cleanest city. It has a capacity of 550 MT per day, claimed to be the highest in Asia.
29. Indian Institute of Geomagnetism is located in which city?
[A] Hyderabad
[B] Mumbai
[C] New Delhi
[D] Guwahati
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Mumbai]
Notes:
Indian Institute of Geomagnetism, Mumbai an autonomous institute of the Department of Science & Technology conducted a study on Greater Maldive Ridge (GMR). It is located in the western Indian Ocean.
The researchers claimed that the GMR may have an oceanic crust underneath. The results from their study can help in understanding the plate-tectonic evolution of the Indian Ocean.
30. Which institution has developed a new detection method for Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV)?
[A] IISc Bengaluru
[B] National Institute of Animal Biotechnology
[C] ICMR- NARFBR
[D] National Institute of Animal Health
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [National Institute of Animal Biotechnology]
Notes:
The National Institute of Animal Biotechnology is an autonomous research establishment of the Department of Biotechnology. It is located at Hyderabad.
Researchers at NIAB have developed an electrochemical based immune-sensor for rapid and sensitive detection of the Non-Structural 1 (NS1) secretory protein, which is the biomarker for Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV). JEV is the leading cause of mosquito-borne encephalitis in South-East Asia and Western Pacific and is often misdiagnosed as Dengue.