41. What is the name of the Cyclone, which has been forecast by the IMD, to cross Tamil Nadu and Puducherry in November 2020?
[A] Gaja
[B] Nivar
[C] Amphan
[D] Vajra
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Nivar]
Notes:
According to the IMD, Cyclone Nivar is estimated to cross Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts and make landfalls in the evening on November 25.
The IMD also highlighted that the cyclone will cross as a severe cyclonic storm with a wind speed of 120-130 kmph strengthening up to 145 kmph. Over 1000 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) rescue personnel have been deployed in the state of Tamil Nadu and its neighbouring coastal areas.
42. Who is the head of the panel set up by NITI Aayog, to study feasibility of Hyperloop technology in India?
[A] Ramesh Chand
[B] V K Saraswat
[C] A J Jha
[D] Rajiv Kumar
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [V K Saraswat]
Notes:
NITI Aayog has formed a high-level panel to explore the technological and commercial viability of the Virgin Hyperloop technology in India.
NITI Aayog member VK Saraswat has been named as the Chairman of the panel and Sudhendu Jyoti Sinha as its convener. The panel also includes Railway Board Chairman & CEO VK Yadav, DRDO Head, Director of IIT- Delhi among others.
43. Which is the first Indian bank to reach the market capitalisation of Rs 8 trillion?
[A] State Bank of India
[B] HDFC Bank
[C] ICICI Bank
[D] Punjab National Bank
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [HDFC Bank]
Notes:
HDFC Bank became the first bank in the Indian history to cross the Rs 8-trillion market capitalisation milestone.
The stock price has also surpassed its previous lifetime high and stood at Rs 1464 apiece on the BSE. The private sector bank now stands at third position in the overall market-cap ranking of listed companies, after Reliance Industries and Tata Consultancy Services that have crossed Rs 10 trillion.
44. Who has become the second Independent Chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC)?
[A] Manu Sawhney
[B] Greg Barclay
[C] Imran Khwaja
[D] Rahul Dravid
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Greg Barclay]
Notes:
New Zealand’s Greg Barclay has been elected as the new independent Ahairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC).
He is also the second independent chairman of the international body, after Shashank Manohar of India. Greg Barclay served as the Director of New Zealand Cricket Team since 2012. He had also been the Director of 2015 Men’s World Cup, held in Australia and New Zealand.
45. ‘Har Ghar Nal Yojana’ has been implemented in which Indian state/UT?
[A] Uttar Pradesh
[B] Gujarat
[C] Himachal Pradesh
[D] Assam
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Uttar Pradesh]
Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched ‘Har Ghar Nal Yojana’ in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The scheme aims to provide piped water supply to over 4.1 million people in the two districts of Sonbhadra and Mirzapur.
The outlay of the project is Rs 5,555 crore. The scheme will also benefit over 3,000 villages to access piped water supply.
46. As per the recent notification from Department of Telecom, calls from landline to mobile should be prefixed with which number, from January 2021?
[A] 9
[B] 8
[C] 7
[D] 0
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [0]
Notes:
The Department of Telecom (DoT) has recently released an order stating that all consumers trying to dial a mobile number using landline phones should prefix the mobile number with ‘0’.
This process is expected to be performed from January 15, 2021 from Fixed to Mobile calls only. Due to this activity, over 253.9 crore numbers would be generated, which will free up sufficient numbering resources for future use.
47. Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports restored the government recognition to which Sports Federation?
[A] Archery Association of India
[B] Ball Badminton Federation of India
[C] Cycling Federation of India
[D] Boxing Federation of India
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Archery Association of India]
Notes:
Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports has restored the government recognition to Archery Association of India as a National Sports Federation.
In the year 2012, the Government recognition of AAI was withdrawn, on failure to conduct its elections in accordance with the National Sports Code. In 2020, AAI conducted elections again and elected Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda as President. AAI now has the recognition of Indian Olympic Association and the World Archery.
48. What is the new name of the Central Bank of Saudi Arabia, formerly known as Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority?
[A] Saudi Arabian Financial Authority
[B] Saudi Central Bank
[C] Reserve Bank of Saudi
[D] Saudi Gulf Reserve
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Saudi Central Bank]
Notes:
Under a new law approved by the Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority will be renamed to Saudi Central Bank.
However, the Central Bank will continue to use its acronym “SAMA” due to its historic significance and relevance. The new law also mandates the objectives of the Central Bank to maintain monetary stability, support economic growth and to directly report King of Saudi Arabia.
49. Which new definition was included in the Motor Vehicles Amendment Act, 2019?
[A] Medical Vehicles
[B] Aggregators
[C] Cargo vehicles
[D] Electric Vehicles
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Aggregators]
Notes:
The Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 has been amended by the Motor Vehicles Amendment Act, 2019 to include the definition of the term ‘Aggregator’.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has issued the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines 2020, to regulate shared mobility services. The ride hailing services require permission from the state governments to start operations, and states will follow the norms specified by the Centre.
50. Which vaccine candidate of Russia, would be produced in India from the beginning of 2021?
[A] mRNA-1273
[B] BNT162
[C] Sputnik V
[D] ZyCoV-D
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Sputnik V]
Notes:
The promoter of the Sputnik V vaccine candidate – Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) has entered into an agreement with Hyderabad based company named “Hetero Biopharma”.
Under the agreement, the Sputnik V vaccine candidate would be produced in India from beginning of 2021. The Sputnik V vaccine is recently claimed to have reached an efficiency of 91.4% in Phase 3 trials.