21. As per a recent Parliamentary committee report, what is the proposed ‘guaranteed number of days of work’ in MGNREGA?
[A] 90
[B] 120
[C] 150
[D] 200
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [150]
Notes:
A Parliamentary committee has recommended increase in guaranteed days of work from 100 to 150, in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA)
They also highlighted that the scheme is a last “fall-back” option for many in the rural areas. The Standing Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, headed by Shiv Sena member Prataprao Jadhav tabled the report in Lok Sabha.
22. Which is the only Indian documentary that has been nominated at 2022 Oscar awards?
[A] India Untouched
[B] Writing with Fire
[C] Period. End Of Sentence
[D] Jai Bheem
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Writing with Fire]
Notes:
Indian documentary ‘Writing with Fire’, directed by filmmakers Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh, has been nominated at the 94th Academy Awards in the Best Documentary Feature category.
Writing with Fire is the only Indian documentary to be nominated at this year’s Oscar awards. It focuses on the rural newspaper run by Dalit women called Khabar Lahariya and her transition from print to digital in recent years.
23. Which Indian city has the most Traffic congestion, as per TomTom Traffic Index?
[A] New Delhi
[B] Mumbai
[C] Bengaluru
[D] Chennai
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Mumbai]
Notes:
Geo-location technology specialist TomTom has released the 11th edition of its annual TomTom Traffic Index. It is a report analysing traffic trends seen in 404 cities in 58 countries, during 2021.
India fared better than the global average of 10% decrease in congestion. But, four cities from India featured in the Index’s global top-25 list namely Mumbai (5th), Bengaluru (10th), and New Delhi (11th) and Pune (21st).
24. What is the target of All-India coal production up to 2023-24?
[A] 20 million tonne
[B] 50 million tonne
[C] 1.2 billion tonne
[D] 5.2 billion tonne
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [1.2 billion tonne]
Notes:
Ministry of Coal announced that a target of all India coal production of 1.2 billion tonne up to the year 2023-24 has been fixed.
The Union government launched Single Window Clearance portal in 2021 for the coal sector to speed up the operationalisation of coal mines. It is a unified platform that assists for clearances and approvals required for starting a coal mine in India.
25. The India-US bilateral goods trade crossed which milestone recently?
[A] USD 10 billion
[B] USD 50 billion
[C] USD 100 billion
[D] USD 500 billion
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [USD 100 billion]
Notes:
According to figures released by the US Census Bureau, India-US bilateral goods trade was worth USD 113.391 billion from January to December 2021.
This is the largest volume of goods trade in a calendar year in India-US economic history. India exported goods worth over USD 73 billion, and imported goods worth over USD 40 billion dollars. In 2020 trade fell to USD 78.2 billion due to pandemic, from the high of USD 92.1 billion in 2019.
26. Which country has become the first to allow drones in civilian airspace?
[A] USA
[B] Israel
[C] Russia
[D] UAE
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Israel]
Notes:
Israel’s Ministry of Transport and Road Safety has announced the country’s first certification for unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAVs) to operate in civilian airspace.
With this, it has become the first country to allow drones in civilian airspace. For safety purposes, international aviation regulations prohibit uncertified aircraft from flying in civilian airspace.
27. Which institution released a report titled ‘Reimagining Healthcare in India through Blended Finance’?
[A] Ministry of Health
[B] NITI Aayog
[C] AIIMS
[D] Reserve Bank of India
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [NITI Aayog]
Notes:
NITI Aayog released a report titled ‘Reimagining Healthcare in India through Blended Finance’. As per the report, about 65 per cent of hospital beds in the country cater to almost 50 per cent of the population concentrated in some states.
The report also stressed that the number of beds must be increased by at least 30 per cent to ensure equitable access to healthcare facilities for people.
28. ‘World Pulses Day’ is celebrated every year on which date?
[A] February 6
[B] February 8
[C] February 10
[D] February 12
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [February 10]
Notes:
‘World Pulses Day’ is celebrated on February 10 every year. The UN General Assembly in 2019 dedicated this day to increase awareness and access to pulses globally.
World Pulses Day 2022 is celebrated under the theme of “Pulses to empower youth in achieving sustainable agri-food systems”.
29. Which body regulates the Stock Exchanges in India?
[A] Reserve Bank of India
[B] Securities and Exchange Board of India
[C] Finance Ministry
[D] Securities and Exchange Commission
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Securities and Exchange Board of India]
Notes:
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is a regulatory authority established under the SEBI Act 1992. It is the principal regulator for Stock Exchanges in India.
SEBI has recently penalised the National Stock Exchange (NSE), its former CEOs Chitra Ramkrishna and Ravi Narain for governance lapses in hiring of its chief operating officer (COO) Anand Subramanian.
30. ‘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.