21. When is the ‘World Population Day’ observed across the world?
[A] July 10
[B] July 11
[C] July 12
[D] July 14
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [July 11]
Notes:
The ‘World Population Day’ is observed across the world, on July 11 every year. The day was first celebrated in the year 1990.
Inspired by the awareness created by ‘Five Billion Day’ on the same day in 1987 when the world’s population reached 5 billion, UNDP recommended the observance of Population Day on July 11. “Putting the brakes on COVID-19: how to safeguard the health and rights of women and girls now” is the theme of the campaign for 2020.
22. What is the rank of Mukesh Ambani in the world’s billionaire’s list, as per the Hurun Research?
[A] Five
[B] Nine
[C] Ten
[D] Twelve
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Five]
Notes:
The head of Reliance Industries Ltd, Mukesh Ambani has moved up to become the fifth richest man in the world, as per the Hurun Research.
Last month, the billionaire was at eighth position in the list. Now, he surpassed Warren Buffet and shares 5th rank with Tesla founder Elon Musk and Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. His net-worth rose to USD 78 billion. Earlier, Jio platforms had raised Rs 117,588 crore from global investors.
23. Andrzej Duda has been re-elected as the President of which country?
[A] France
[B] Poland
[C] The Netherlands
[D] Egypt
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Poland]
Notes:
The incumbent President of Poland, Andrzej Duda has been re-elected to a second term, in a narrow count.
Andrzej Duda was backed by the ruling party, the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party. He won with 51.21% of the votes, as per the country’s election committee. Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, of the center-right opposition Civic Platform party (PO) secured 48.79%.
24. What is the rate of TDS deducted if cash withdrawal of above 1 crore is made by a person who is an income-tax payee?
[A] 0.5 per cent
[B] 1 per cent
[C] 2 per cent
[D] 3 per cent
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [2 per cent]
Notes:
TDS is deductible at the rate of 2 % if cash withdrawal of above 1 crore made by a person who is an income-tax payee. While, TDS is deductible at the rate 2 % if cash withdrawal exceeds 20 lakh rupees and at the rate of 5 % if it exceeds one crore rupees, if made by a non-income-tax filer.
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has launched a new tool, through which Banks and Post offices can determine the TDS rates on cash withdrawals, by entering their PAN number.
25. One of the richest temples in the country, Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple is located in which city of Kerala?
[A] Cochin
[B] Kozhikode
[C] Thiruvananthapuram
[D] Kannur
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Thiruvananthapuram]
Notes:
The historic Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple located at Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, has been in dispute over its management. It is considered as one of the richest temples in the country.
The Supreme Court of India has recently upholded the rights of Travancore royal family in the administration of the temple. This dispute has been pending in the Supreme Court for the past nine years after charges of financial irregularities. The Travancore Royal house had ruled southern Kerala and some parts of Tamil Nadu.
26. Which major Technology Company is set to launch USD 10 billion ‘India Digitization Fund’?
[A] Facebook
[B] Google
[C] Amazon
[D] Apple
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Google]
Notes:
The CEO of Google Sundar Pichai has recently announced the launch USD 10 billion ‘India Digitization Fund’.
This was announced at the ‘Google for India’ virtual live-stream event, which focused on accelerating India’s digital economy. Through this initiative, Google will invest about Rs 75000 Crores in India over the next 5 to 7 years. The fund will focus on enabling affordable access and information to every Indian.
27. Which international organisation has released a report titled ‘The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World’?
[A] International Monetary Fund
[B] United Nations
[C] World Economic Forum
[D] Asian Development Bank
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [United Nations]
Notes:
The United Nations has recently released a report titled ‘the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World’, prepared jointly by FAO, UNICEF, IFAD and WFP.
As per the report, the number of undernourished people in India has fell down from 249.4 million in 2004-06 to 189.2 million in 2017-19. There was a rise in obesity level in India, as per the report. India and China are the only Asian countries that reported a reduction in number of undernourished people.
28. Which Indian institution developed the World’s Most Affordable COVID-19 Diagnostic Kit ‘Corosure’?
[A] AIIMS
[B] IIT Delhi
[C] IISc
[D] IIT Madras
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [IIT Delhi]
Notes:
The Union Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank launched a low-cost Covid-19 test developed by Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT) Delhi.
The test kit named ‘Corosure’, has been claimed as the world’s most affordable probe free RT-PCR based Covid-19 diagnostic kit. It uses an alternative method of testing samples and costs approximately Rs 650 per kit.
29. As per the recent study of the Lancet journal, the population of which country is to peak at 1.61 billion by 2047?
[A] China
[B] India
[C] United States
[D] Indonesia
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [India]
Notes:
As per the recent study released in the online edition of the Lancet, India’s population is likely to peak by 2047 at about 1.61 billion.
The study also estimated that the population of India would then decline to 1.03 billion by the year 2100. But, if the country’s targets of United Nations Sustainable Goal Development (SDG) were achieved, India’s population would decline to 929 million.
30. Who has been appointed as the new Vice Chancellor of the Indian Maritime University?
[A] Malini Shankar
[B] Sanjeev Ranjan
[C] Sujeet Kumar
[D] Leela Nandan
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Malini Shankar]
Notes:
Union Shipping Ministry has named the retired IAS officer Malini Shankar, as the Vice-Chancellor of Indian Maritime University.
Malini Shankar is also the Chairperson of the National Shipping Board (NSB), the ace advisory agency to the Central government on shipping-related matters. Before being appointed as the VC in the Chennai-based University, she was the Director General of Shipping.