41. Who is the head of the Committee set up by the Union HRD Ministry, on retaining Indian students in its institutions?
[A] D P Singh
[B] Anil Sahasrabudhe
[C] Vineet Joshi
[D] Bhushan Patwardhan
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [D P Singh]
Notes:
The Union Human Resources and Development Ministry has set up a committee under the Chairperson of University Grants Commission (UGC) D P Singh.
The committee will give suggestions on retaining Indian students in the country’s institutions. The Minister also said that the seat capacity in all premier institutions would be increased by 50% by 2024. Under this plan, the number of institutions under the Institutes of Eminence (IoE) programme will also go up to 50.
42. India has conducted the ‘Joint Economic and Trade Committee meeting’ with which country?
[A] United States
[B] United Kingdom
[C] Japan
[D] Russia
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [United Kingdom]
Notes:
India and the United Kingdom has organised the 14th Joint Economic and Trade Committee meeting virtually.
The meeting was co-chaired by Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal and UK Secretary of State for International Trade, Elizabeth Truss. Both the countries confirmed their shared commitment to a Free Trade Agreement.
43. Who has been appointed as the Managing Director & CEO of Indian Overseas Bank?
[A] Partha Pratim Sengupta
[B] Padmaja Chundru
[C] A K Goel
[D] Sankara Narayanan
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Partha Pratim Sengupta]
Notes:
Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) announced that Partha Pratim Sengupta has been appointed as its new Managing Director and Chief Executive.
He was a former Deputy Managing Director at the State Bank of India (SBI). The appointment is made up to the date of attaining the age of superannuation in 2022. He is to succeed the previous MD & CEO Karnam Sekar.
44. India is set to renew the ‘Agreement on Scientific cooperation’ for the next five years with which global association?
[A] ASEAN
[B] BIMSTEC
[C] European Union
[D] G-20
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [European Union]
Notes:
India and the European Union are set to renew the Agreement on Scientific cooperation for the next five years, 2020-2025.
This was announced at the virtual 15th India-EU Summit, attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen led the EU. The mentioned Agreement was initially signed in 2001 and has been renewed two times in 2007 and 2015.
45. Which Asian country has banned all wildlife imports amidst Coronavirus spread?
[A] China
[B] Vietnam
[C] Philippines
[D] Malaysia
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Vietnam]
Notes:
The Prime Minister of Vietnam Nguyen Xuan Phuc has recently signed an order that bans all imports of wildlife either dead or alive including eggs and larvae.
The order also includes tougher penalties for crimes involving the trade in wildlife. Amidst the coronavirus spread, this ban has been imposed in Vietnam, which is a popular destination for endangered wildlife products used in medicine or cuisine.
46. As per the UN World Wildlife Crime Report, which two countries were the main suppliers of illegal tiger products in the world?
[A] India and China
[B] India and Thailand
[C] China and Thailand
[D] India and Indonesia
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [India and Thailand]
Notes:
According to the recently released United Nations World Wildlife Crime Report, India and Thailand supplied highest illegal tiger products in the world.
It also highlighted that the biggest destination of the tiger parts was China, followed by Thailand and Vietnam. The most valuable body part of the tigers is their bones which are used to treat bone and ligament injuries in humans.
47. Which Union Ministry monitors infrastructure projects worth Rs 150 crore and above?
[A] Ministry of Finance
[B] Ministry of Corporate Affairs
[C] Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
[D] Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation]
Notes:
As per the latest report released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), about 403 infrastructure projects are hit by cost overruns of Rs 4.05 lakh crore.
Due to delays and other reasons, the projects each worth Rs 150 crore or more have been affected by overruns. MoSPI monitors infrastructure projects worth Rs 150 crore and above. Out of the 1686 projects, while 403 ones reported cost overruns and 530 projects reported time escalation.
48. IRCTC partnered with which organisation to launch a new Co-branded Contactless RuPay Credit Card?
[A] SBI Card
[B] Citibank
[C] American Express
[D] IndusInd Bank
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [SBI Card]
Notes:
IRCTC and SBI Cards & Payment Services have jointly launched their Co-branded Contactless Credit Card on RuPay Platform.
Railway Minister Piyush Goyal introduced this new card. The card has several advanced features like Near Field Communication and payback for AC tickets among others. The cards can also be used for retail, dining and entertainment payments.
49. As per the United Nations, which Indian city witnessed a drop in levels of nitrogen dioxide by more than 70%, during lock-down?
[A] Mumbai
[B] New Delhi
[C] Dhanbad
[D] Ranchi
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [New Delhi]
Notes:
As per the latest United Nations policy brief on’COVID-19 in an Urban World’, the capital city of India New Delhi has witnessed a drop in levels of nitrogen dioxide by more than 70%, during lock-down.
The UN also highlighted that if the cities re-open without policies to prevent air pollution and promote de-carbonisation, this environmental gains could only be temporary. It also said that urban areas are the epicentre of the pandemic, with estimated 90 per cent of all reported cases.
50. Thierry Bollore has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer of which automobile company?
[A] Mercedes Benz
[B] Jaguar Land Rover
[C] BMW
[D] Aston Martin
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Jaguar Land Rover]
Notes:
The Chairman of Tata Sons N Chandra Sekaran announced that Thierry Bollore would be appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Tata’s British luxury arm Jaguar Land Rover (JLR).
Thierry Bollore, who was previously working with the Renault, will assume office with effective from September 10. He is to succeed Professor Sir Ralf Speth, who would take up the position of Non-Executive Vice Chairman of Jaguar Land Rover.