21. Who is the head of the Empowered Group of Secretaries recently constituted to facilitate investment in the country?
[A] Union Finance Minister
[B] NITI Aayog CEO
[C] Cabinet Secretary
[D] Union Corporate Affairs Minister
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Cabinet Secretary]
Notes:
The Union Government has recently constituted an Empowered Group of Secretaries to facilitate investment in the country.
The committee, which is to be headed by the Cabinet Secretary, will identify potential investors and help in accelerating investment in key sectors of the economy. The committee will also recommend specific incentive packages for both domestic and foreign investors. The 7-member empowered group has CEO of NITI Aayog along with secretaries of DPIIT, Commerce, Revenue and Economic Affairs as its members.
22. Gulzar Dehlvi, who recently passed away, was associated with which profession?
[A] Politician
[B] Poet
[C] Mountaineer
[D] Sportsperson
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Poet]
Notes:
Veteran Urdu poet Anand Mohan Zutshi Gulzar Dehlvi recently passed away at the age of 93, in New Delhi.
The poet was earlier infected by Coronavirus and was undergoing treatment. Though he returned home after recovering from Covid-19, he has passed away. He was the editor of ‘Science ki Duniya’, the only science magazine published by the government in Urdu from 1975. He also played an instrumental role in opening Urdu schools across India.
23. Which country has launched its first nationwide gas trading platform called IGX?
[A] Iraq
[B] Iran
[C] India
[D] Indonesia
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [India]
Notes:
India has recently launched its first nationwide gas trading platform called Indian Gas Exchange (IGX).
The first online delivery-based exchange has been launched by the Indian Energy Exchange, a power trading exchange regulated by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission. IGX will be incorporated as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Indian Energy Exchange. The platform is powered by technology from global exchange GMEX.
24. “Raja Parba”, a festival seen in news recently, is celebrated in which state?
[A] Arunachal Pradesh
[B] Odisha
[C] Assam
[D] Meghalaya
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Odisha]
Notes:
“Raja Parba” is a three-day-long festival celebrated in the state of Odisha. Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted the people of Odisha on the festival.
As per the Odisha tourism website, the second day signifies beginning of the solar month of “Mithuna”, that represents the beginning of rains. It is also considered as an agricultural festival and a festival that marks the menstruation cycle of women.
25. India recently joined which international multi-stakeholder alliance as its founding member?
[A] Global Partnership for Artificial Intelligence
[B] Global Vaccination Alliance
[C] Global Covid-19 vaccine Alliance
[D] Global Partnership for SDGs
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Global Partnership for Artificial Intelligence]
Notes:
India has recently joined the Global Partnership for Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) as its founding member, along with USA, UK, EU, Australia among others.
Union minister for Electronics and IT Ravi Shankar Prasad announced that this multi-stakeholder international partnership will promote responsible human centric development and use of Artificial Intelligence. India has recently launched the National AI Strategy and also launched its dedicated National AI Portal.
26. Which Indian chess player bagged the second place in the Sharjah World Stars online chess tournament?
[A] P. Harikrishna
[B] Adhiban
[C] Koneru Humpy
[D] Harika Dronavalli
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [P. Harikrishna ]
Notes:
Ace Indian chess player P. Harikrishna bagged joint second place in the Sharjah World Stars online chess tournament.
Top seed Shakhriyar Mamedyarov won the online tournament by scoring 7.5 out of 10 points. The second-seeded Indian Grandmaster Pentala Harikrishna finished second while Polish Grandmaster Radoslaw Wojtaszek finished third.
27. Which Indian financial start-up firm has been awarded as technology pioneer by World Economic Forum?
[A] ZestMoney
[B] Snapmint
[C] PayU
[D] CC Avenue
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [ZestMoney]
Notes:
Two Indian firms namely ZestMoney and Stellapps feature in the new list of Tech Pioneers released by the World Economic Forum (WEF).
The 100 firms selected as pioneers will be invited to participate at World Economic Forum workshops, events and high-level discussions. Zestmoney offers affordable credit as an alternate to traditional way of finance. Stellapps, is a farm-to-consumer dairy technology solutions company.
28. Galwan valley, that was seen in news recently, is located in which Indian state/UT?
[A] Jammu and Kashmir
[B] Ladakh
[C] Uttarakhand
[D] Sikkim
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Ladakh]
Notes:
In a violent conflict that took place in the Galwan Valley located in the Union Territory of Ladakh, as many as 20 Indian soldiers were killed.
As per the statement of the Indian Army, the two sides disengaged from the area where the fight happened. The US media reported that its intelligent officials quoted about 35 Chinese troops have been killed. The infrastructure projects that India has undertaken recently, a strategic road through the Galwan Valley, connecting the region to an airstrip, has escalated the conflict.
29. Who has been elected as the President of 75th United Nations General Assembly?
[A] Gita Gopinath
[B] Volkan Bozkir
[C] Masatsugu Asakawa
[D] David Malpass
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Volkan Bozkir]
Notes:
The United Nations General Assembly has recently elected Turkish diplomat Volkan Bozkir to be its president. He is the first Turkish national to head the General Assembly.
This decision has been taken ahead of the 75th General Assembly in September. Volkan Bozkir is serving as the head of the Turkish Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee. He had also served as Turkey’s Minister of European Affairs and Chief Negotiator. He would assume office in September 2020 and hold the post for one year.
30. What is the name of the first mobile COVID-19 testing lab launched by the Health Minister, to promote testing access in rural areas?
[A] I-LAB
[B] Bharat Lab
[C] CO-LAB
[D] GRAM LAB
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [I-LAB]
Notes:
Union Health and Family Welfare Minister, Dr. Harsh Vardhan has recently launched India’s first mobile lab for COVID-19 testing to promote last mile testing access in rural India.
The Infectious Disease Diagnostic Lab (I-LAB) has been launched with the support of the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, under the COVID command strategy. This mobile lab will be deployed in the remote and inaccessible parts of the country. It can perform 25 RT-PCR tests and 300 ELISA tests per day.