11. What is the name of the petitioner in the landmark SC judgement on basic structure of the Constitution, who has recently passed away?
[A] Kesavananda Bharati
[B] Narendra Kumar Swain
[C] S Mohinder
[D] Ramkrishna Baba Patil
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Kesavananda Bharati]
Notes:
Kesavananda Bharati, who was a petitioner of the landmark Supreme Court judgement on basic structure of the Constitution in 1973, has recently passed away.
He was the head of a Mutt at Kasaragod in Kerala, and had moved the Supreme Court challenging the Kerala government’s land reforms Act of 1969. Supreme Court ruled that the basic structure of the Constitution is unbreakable and cannot be amended by Parliament.
12. The annual Indo-Pacific Business Forum is to be held in which country, in the month of October?
[A] Philippines
[B] Vietnam
[C] India
[D] Sri Lanka
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Vietnam]
Notes:
The third annual Indo-Pacific Business Forum is to be held in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam on October 28 and 29, 2020.
The United States Government will sponsor the forum, in collaboration with the Government of Vietnam, the US-ASEAN Business Council and others trade associations. The main focus will be on Infrastructure, Digital economy, Market connectivity, health and economic recovery.
13. The programme named ‘Khadi Agarbatti AatmaNirbhar Mission’ is implemented by which Ministry?
[A] Ministry of Education
[B] Ministry of Tribal Affairs
[C] Ministry of MSME
[D] Ministry of Labour
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Ministry of MSME]
Notes:
The programme named ‘Khadi Agarbatti Aatmanirbhar Mission’ is implemented by the Union MSME Ministry. The programme is aimed at creating employment for the unemployed and migrant workers give handholding artisans and support the local agarbatti industry.
To make India self-reliant in this sector, the total size of the programme, has been increased to more than ₹55 crore. This includes immediate support to 1,500 artisans and development of two centres of Excellence costing at ₹2.20 crore.
14. Which state has topped in literacy rate as per a recent report by NSO?
[A] Gujarat
[B] Uttar Pradesh
[C] Kerala
[D] Madhya Pradesh
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Kerala]
Notes:
Recently National Statistical Office (NSO) has released a report on ‘Household Social Consumption: Education in India’ as part of 75th round of National Sample Survey.
As per the report, Kerala ranks No.1 in literacy with 96.2% literacy rate. It is followed by Delhi with 88.7% and Uttarakhand with 87.6%. Andhra Pradesh featured at the bottom with a rate of 66.4%.
15. The country’s second Kisan Rail that was flagged off recently, would connect which two cities?
[A] Bangalore – Mumbai
[B] Chennai – Delhi
[C] Anantapur – Delhi
[D] Hyderabad – Kolkata
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Anantapur – Delhi]
Notes:
The Country’s second and South India’s first Kisan Rail service has been recently flagged off.
This would connect Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh to Adarsh Nagar Railway Station in Delhi. The train was flagged off by the Union Minister for Agriculture Narendra Singh Tomar. The Kisan Rail scheme was announced in Budget 2020-21 for transport of agricultural products.
16. As per a recent global report by UNICEF, WHO, UN and World Bank, what is the under-five mortality rate in India, in 2019?
[A] 55
[B] 45
[C] 35
[D] 34
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [34]
Notes:
As per a recent report on released by UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO), the Population Division of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs and World Bank Group, the Under-five mortality rate in India declined from 126 in 1990 to 34 in 2019.
Also, the Infant mortality rate in India declined from 89 in 1990 to 28 in 2019. The data has been published in ‘Levels & Trends in Child Mortality’ Report 2020.
17. US- based Aerospace company Northrop Grumman has named its Spacecraft after which Indian-origin astronaut?
[A] Rakesh Sharma
[B] Kalpana Chawla
[C] Sunita Williams
[D] Laurel Clark
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Kalpana Chawla]
Notes:
The US-based Aerospace and Defence company Northrop Grumman has named its spacecraft named after Kalpana Chawla, the first woman of Indian descent to go to space.
The company’s next space station resupply ship, which is a NG-14 Cygnus spacecraft has been named as ‘S.S. Kalpana Chawla’. The company has a tradition of naming each of its Cygnus ship after an individual achiever in Human spaceflight.
18. ARISE-ANIC is an initiative launched by which Indian organization?
[A] ISRO
[B] NITI Aayog
[C] DRDO
[D] Finance Ministry
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [NITI Aayog]
Notes:
In order to boost applied research and innovation in MSMEs and start-ups, the Atal Innovation Mission of NITI Aayog has launched “ARISE ANIC”.
ANIC stands for “Atal New India Challenges” and ARISE stands for “Applied Research and Innovation for Small Enterprises”. The programme is to be driven by ISRO along with 4 ministries namely Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
19. Which Indian bank has launched a programme for start-ups named ‘iStartup 2.0’?
[A] State Bank of India
[B] ICICI Bank
[C] HDFC Bank
[D] Axis Bank
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [ICICI Bank]
Notes:
Leading Private sector bank of India, ICICI Bank has launched an exclusive programme for start-ups named ‘iStartup2.0’.
Under this programme, a Current Account can be created for new businesses that are up to ten years old seamlessly. The Bank has integrated its APIs with the website of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) and the account number is obtained at the time of incorporation.
20. Which Indian state has partnered with SIDBI to provide support to MSMEs in the state?
[A] Rajasthan
[B] Karnataka
[C] Andhra Pradesh
[D] Tamil Nadu
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Rajasthan]
Notes:
The Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Rajasthan government to develop the MSME ecosystem in the state.
This is the initiative of the Department of Industries, Rajasthan to provide financial and technical support to MSMEs in the state. The state has also amended the MSME Act to promote industries and exempt businesses from permissions and inspections for three years.