31. As per the recent report of the National Centre of Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), which ocean has seen the greatest decline of ice in the last 41 years?
[A] Arctic Ocean
[B] Antarctic Ocean
[C] Pacific Ocean
[D] Indian Ocean
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Arctic Ocean]
Notes:
The National Centre of Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) has found that the Arctic Ocean has seen the largest decline in the last 41 years due to global warming.
This has led to localised increase in evaporation, air humidity, cloud cover and rainfall. NCPOR noted that this decline in Arctic Sea ice was -13 per cent in July 2019 while it was -4.7 per cent per decade in the last 40 years. The study also noted that if this trend continues, there would be no ice left in the Arctic sea by 2050.
32. Which company has become India’s first $150 bn company and has also become net debt-free recently?
[A] Reliance Industries
[B] Tata Consultancy Services
[C] HDFC Bank
[D] State Bank of India
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Reliance Industries]
Notes:
Reliance Industries has recently become the first Indian company to be valued at $150 billion. It also became the first company to be valued at over Rs 11 lakh crore, in rupee terms.
Reliance Industries is among the most valued energy companies in the world, at present. In the last two months, the company raised about Rs 1.69 lakh crore from global investors and a rights issue. As per the company’s release, Reliance had a net debt of Rs 1,61,035 crore as on March 31, 2020 and with these investments, RIL has become net debt-free.
33. What is ‘NavRakshak’, that was seen in news recently?
[A] Light Combat Aircraft
[B] Fighter Jet
[C] Personal Protective Equipment
[D] Covid-19 Drug
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Personal Protective Equipment]
Notes:
The manufacturing know-how of a PPE Suit being named ‘NavRakshak’ has been licensed by National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) to 5 five MSMEs.
The manufacturers are expected to mass produce more than 10 million PPEs per year, to meet the demand of quality PPE kits across the country. This know-how has been developed at the Mumbai-based Innovation Cell of the Institute of Naval Medicine. Intellectual property rights are also to be obtained.
34. What is the name of the special campaign of FICCI-FLO, launched by the Union Minister of Women and Child Development?
[A] Power to Empower
[B] Empowering the Greater 50%
[C] Women Entrepreneur Power
[D] Empowering Women ecosystem
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Empowering the Greater 50%]
Notes:
Union Minister of Women and Child Development Smriti Irani launched a special campaign titled ‘Empowering the Greater 50%’.
This campaign is an initiative of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and its division FICCI Ladies Organization (FLO). It seeks to create an ecosystem to support women entrepreneurship and empower as many as 1 lakh women in India over the next three years.
35. Which institution is to launch “Decarbonising Transport in India”, in collaboration with International Transport Forum (ITF)?
[A] NITI Aayog
[B] World Wide Fund for Nature – India
[C] Indian Council of Forestry Research Education
[D] Indian Institute of Forest Management
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [NITI Aayog]
Notes:
Indian Government’s think tank NITI Aayog in collaboration with International Transport Forum (ITF) will launch the “Decarbonising Transport in India” project on 24 June.
The project seeks to promote low-carbon transport system for India. Since 2008, India has been a member of ITF, which is an intergovernmental organisation for transport policy. The project is part of the “Decarbonising Transport in Emerging Economies” (DTEE) family of projects. India, Argentina, Azerbaijan, and Morocco are the present participants of DTEE.
36. Which Indian state/UT became the first to operationalise rail coaches converted into isolation units for Covid-19?
[A] New Delhi
[B] Madhya Pradesh
[C] Uttar Pradesh
[D] Gujarat
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Uttar Pradesh]
Notes:
The Uttar Pradesh Government has started using rail coaches as isolation units for COVID-19 suspected patients.
COVID coaches are deployed at Mau junction in Varanasi in the state of Uttar Pradesh, in a first in the country. Indian Railways is ready to offer as many as 5,231 isolation coaches to the states and the respective zonal railways have converted the coaches as quarantine facilities. After Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Madhya Pradesh have also been using rail coaches.
37. What is ‘Dhruva’, that has been developed by researchers and students of IIT-Bombay?
[A] Personal Protective Equipment
[B] COVID-19 Test Kit
[C] Receiver chip for NAVIC
[D] Microprocessor
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Receiver chip for NAVIC]
Notes:
The students and researchers of IIT-Bombay has recently developed a homegrown receiver chip – Dhruva.
The chip can be used in smartphones and navigation devices to find locations and routes within the country. It will receive signals from NAVIC group of navigation satellites of India, as well as the US Global Positioning System-based satellites to determine a person’s location precisely.
38. The Indian pavilion at Cannes Film Market has been jointly set up by Information & Broadcasting Ministry and which association of India?
[A] CII
[B] FICCI
[C] NASSCOM
[D] Digital Media Association
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [FICCI]
Notes:
Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar has recently inaugurated the India Pavilion at the Cannes Film Market 2020 virtually.
The Indian pavilion at Cannes Film Market has been jointly set up by Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). The Minister also informed that the Marathi movie titled ‘Mai Ghat’ and the Gujarati movie ‘Hellaro’ are the official entrants to be showcased in the Cannes film festival this year.
39. When is the United Nations Public Service Day celebrated?
[A] June 21
[B] June 23
[C] June 25
[D] June 24
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [June 23]
Notes:
Every year the United Nations Public Service day is observed on June 23 to honour people engaged in public service, around the world.
On 20 December 2002, the United General Assembly designated 23 June as UN Public Service Day. The United Nations also established the UN Public Service Awards (UNPSA) programme in 2003, to recognise the UN Public Service Day and to encourage youngsters to take up their career in public sector.
40. Who is the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information and Technology, that has started working on Aarogya Setu app?
[A] Prakash Javadekar
[B] Anand Sharma
[C] Shashi Tharoor
[D] Kalraj Mishra
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Shashi Tharoor ]
Notes:
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information and Technology has started working on queries on privacy of the Aarogya Setu application.
The Chairperson of the Parliamentary committee on IT is Shashi Tharoor. He said that despite challenges in organising meeting, the committee has started functioning. Data security of the application and the imposition on using the app would be focussed in the meeting.