1. Who is the Chairperson of the 15th Finance Commission?
[A] A K Sikri
[B] N K Singh
[C] Rajiv Kumar
[D] Ranjan Gogoi
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [N K Singh]
Notes:
Economist and former Indian Administrative Service officer N K Singh is the Chairperson of the 15th Finance Commission.
Recently, the Finance Commission has decided to form a group to develop a mechanism to incentivise states for carrying out the agricultural reforms, that were announced as part of the Rs 20 lakh crore stimulus package. The group consists of Finance Commission member Ramesh Chand, Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agarwal and Agriculture, Research and Education Secretary T Mahapatra.
2. Lazarus Chakwera has been elected as the President of which African country?
[A] Zimbabwe
[B] Malawi
[C] Zambia
[D] Mozambique
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Correct Answer: B [Malawi]
Notes:
The electoral commission of the East African country Malawi has declared opposition alliance leader. Lazarus Chakwera, as the winner of the country’s presidential re-election.
The result of the previous May 2019 election has been declared invalid by the constitutional court, over allegations of irregularities. Lazarus Chakwera secured the required majority defeating the incumbent President Peter Mutharika, who has been in power since 2014.
3. Which is the first Indian state/UT to launch a dedicated Plasma Bank to treat COVID-19 patients?
[A] Kerala
[B] Maharashtra
[C] New Delhi
[D] Uttar Pradesh
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [New Delhi]
Notes:
The government of New Delhi has recently announced the launch of the country’s first dedicated plasma bank for treating Covid-19 patients.
The facility would be set up at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS), and it will be made available to all government and private hospitals of the UT. The therapy involves drawing blood from patients who have recovered from covid-19 and using the plasma and antibodies to treat active patients.
4. The Indian Government has banned 59 Chinese apps, by invoking its power under which act?
[A] Information Technology (IT) Act
[B] Right to Information Act
[C] The Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act
[D] Export-Quality Control and Inspection Act
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Information Technology (IT) Act]
Notes:
The Government of India has banned 59 Chinese mobile apps, including TikTok, UC Browser among others, by invoking its power under Section 69 A of Information Technology (IT) Act.
As per the statement from the Information Technology Ministry, the applications are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, Defence of India and public order. The Government has arranged talks with some firms including TikTok, after the ban was imposed.
5. Indian Oil and NTPC Ltd partnered to develop a Waste to Energy plant at which Indian state/UT?
[A] Maharashtra
[B] New Delhi
[C] Odisha
[D] Chhattisgarh
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [New Delhi]
Notes:
A MoU was recently signed between Indian Oil, NTPC Ltd and South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), to develop a demonstration Waste-to-energy Plant at Okhla landfill site in Delhi.
The plant is to be developed using Gasification technology and it shall process 17500 tons per annum of Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) from combustible components of Municipal Waste. Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Steel, Dharmendra Pradhan and Minister of State for Power and New & Renewable Energy, R K Singh were present during the virtual event.
6. Food aggregator company Swiggy has partnered with which bank to launch its own digital wallet?
[A] HDFC Bank
[B] State Bank of India
[C] ICICI Bank
[D] Axis Bank
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [ICICI Bank]
Notes:
Food aggregator platform and unicorn start-up Swiggy has launched its own digital wallet Swiggy Money in partnership with ICICI Bank.
The full-fledged digital wallet enables single-click checkout experience and will let its customers to store money and pay for all food orders on Swiggy. Swiggy has used ICICI Bank’s insta wallet service API, to create its own wallet.
7. Which digital platform of the Indian Government won two awards at the prestigious Global Leadership Summit, CogX 2020?
[A] MyGov Corona
[B] Digital India
[C] Fit India
[D] Swachh Bharat Mission
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [MyGov Corona]
Notes:
An Artificial Intelligence enabled digital platform of the Indian Government named MyGov Corona Helpdesk bagged two awards at the Global Leadership Summit, CogX 2020.
The helpdesk bagged two awards under categories namely “Best Innovation for Covid-19 – Society” and “People’s Choice Covid-19 Overall Winner”. CogX 2020 is a prestigious Global Festival of AI & Emerging Technology held annually in London.
8. Which global organisation released the Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report?
[A] UNICEF
[B] UNESCO
[C] IMF
[D] World Bank
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [UNESCO]
Notes:
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has released the Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report.
As per the report, 40% of poorest countries failed to support learners at risk during COVID-19 crisis. It also revealed that fewer than 10% of countries have laws that help ensure inclusion in education. UNESCO urged all countries to focus on people who are left behind and improve inclusion.
9. What is the name of the new scheme launched by the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) to strengthen research ecosystem?
[A] Accelerate Vigyan
[B] Bharat Vigyan
[C] Vigyan Padhe
[D] Vigyan Kendra
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Accelerate Vigyan]
Notes:
The Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) has launched a new scheme called ‘Accelerate Vigyan’.
It aims to provide a single exclusive platform for research internships and science workshops across the country. It also aims to encourage high-end scientific research and research careers. Several programmes to identify research potential, training programmes are to be carried out across the country.
10. Which global organisation has enhanced support to USD 400 million, for India’s programme to rejuvenate Ganga river?
[A] International Monetary Fund
[B] World Bank
[C] Asian Development Bank
[D] BRICS Bank
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [World Bank]
Notes:
The World Bank has recently announced that it has enhanced its support for India’s flagship program to rejuvenate Ganga river.
World Bank would provide a USD 400 million assistance to the program, which will help reduce pollution and strengthen river basin management. The Second National Ganga River Basin Project (SNGRBP) will support the government’s Namami Gange program. The loan has a maturity of 18.5 years including a grace period of 5 years.