11. The provisions of which act is relaxed by the states to increase the working hours of labourers?
[A] Companies Act
[B] Factories Act
[C] Epidemic Diseases Act
[D] Trade Unions Act
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Factories Act]
Notes:
Several states in India including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha and Goa have relaxed the provision of the Factories Act, 1948 and increased the working hours of labourers, after facing a shortage of workers following the lock-down.
Recently, Odisha and Maharashtra labour departments exempted their industries from four sections of the Factories Act, 1948, related to working hours of the staff, till June 30. Uttar Pradesh suspended key labour laws for three years through an ordinance. With the approved exemption, employers can allow labourers to work in two shifts of 12 hours each.
12. ‘Mission Sagar’ the outreach initiative launched by India covers how many countries?
[A] Two
[B] Four
[C] Five
[D] Seven
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Five]
Notes:
India launched an outreach initiative named ‘Mission Sagar’, to assist Island nations in the Indian Ocean in tackling the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Indian Naval Ship Kesari has departed for the five island nations: Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles, Madagascar and Comoros, to deliver Food, Medicines including HCQ Tablets and Special Ayurvedic Medicines, related to Covid-19. A team of select medical personnel was also sent earlier to Maldives to help increase their preparedness.
13. The TVS group and the Sundaram Medical Foundation collaborated with which institution to develop a respiratory device called ‘The Sundaram Ventago’?
[A] AIIMS
[B] IISC
[C] IIT-Madras
[D] IIT-Guwahati
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [IIT-Madras]
Notes:
The TVS group and the Sundaram Medical Foundation collaborated with IIT-Madras to develop an affordable and automated respiratory assist device called The Sundaram Ventago.
This device has been developed in collaboration with hospitals like Madras Medical College and Kauvery Hospital along with guidance from institutions like MIT-Boston. The device uses automated squeezing of a self-inflating bag or AMBU bag to provide respiratory support to patients.
14. Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), that was seen in news, is an autonomous organisation of which Union Ministry?
[A] Ministry of Culture
[B] Ministry of External Affairs
[C] Ministry of Home Affairs
[D] Ministry of Tourism
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Ministry of External Affairs]
Notes:
The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) is an autonomous organisation of Union Ministry of External Affairs. Its main objective is to build cultural relations with other countries.
Recently, ICCR released a song titled “United We Fight” featuring famous musicians like Usha Uthup and Joe Alvares, as a part of its efforts to instil hope among Indians in their fight against COvid-19. The song was written and composed by Joe Alvares and sung by several famous singers from across the country.
15. What is the liquidity infusion fund allotted for DISCOMs (Distribution Companies), in the recent economic stimulus package?
[A] ₹50000 Crore
[B] ₹75000 Crore
[C] ₹90000 Crore
[D] ₹1 lakh Crore
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [₹90000 Crore]
Notes:
The Union Minister announced ₹90,000 crore one-time liquidity injection for fund-starved DISCOMs. This will be used to pay the central public sector power generation companies, transmission companies, independent power producers and renewable energy generators.
PSUs Power Finance Corporation (PFC) and Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) will infuse the liquidity by raising an amount of about ₹90,000 crore from the market against the receivables of DISCOMs. The state governments are expected to provide a guarantee for the fund.
16. The Chief Minister of which state/UT has been recently elected unopposed to the State Legislative Council?
[A] Madhya Pradesh
[B] Maharashtra
[C] Jammu &Kashmir
[D] Uttarakhand
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Maharashtra]
Notes:
The Chief Minister of Maharashtra Uddhav Thackeray and eight other candidates were recently declared to be elected unopposed to the State Legislative Council.
Uddhav Thackeray, who was sworn in as the Chief Minister on November 28 last year, required to become a member of either Houses of the state legislature before May 27, 2020. The eight other candidates also include Council Deputy Chairperson Dr Neelam Gorhe among others. They would be officially sworn-in after the official notification is released.
17. Which Union Ministry has successfully patented the affordable personal protective equipment (PPE)?
[A] Ministry of Science and Technology
[B] Ministry of Defence
[C] Ministry of Textiles
[D] Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Ministry of Defence]
Notes:
A patent was filed by the Defence Ministry in association with the National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) for the low cost personal protective equipment (PPE) developed by the Indian Navy.
The Defence Ministry has successfully patented PPEs, which would fast-track mass production of PPEs. The equipment developed by the Navy is made of a special fabric which provides high quality and high breathability, unlike other PPEs available in the market. A pilot batch of PPEs has already been produced at Naval Dockyard in Mumbai.
18. What is the name of the Padma Bhushan awardee and veteran national Professor of Bangladesh, who passed away recently?
[A] Debesh Roy
[B] Khalid Mahmood
[C] Anisuzzaman
[D] Gurdas Singh Badal
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Anisuzzaman]
Notes:
Veteran educationist and litterateur Anisuzzaman, who was also the national Professor of Bangladesh, passed away recently at the age of 83.
He was born in Kolkata and later moved to Bangladesh shortly after the partition of India. He had contributed significantly for the Bangla literature. He also played a crucial role in all democratic movements including the Language Movement of 1952 to Liberation War in 1972 etc. He was awarded Padma Bhushan by India in 2014.
19. Which global organisation has approved USD 1 billion ‘Accelerating India’s COVID-19 Social Protection Response Program’?
[A] World Bank
[B] International Monetary Fund
[C] Asian Development Bank
[D] New Development Bank
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [World Bank]
Notes:
World Bank has recently approved USD 1 billion ‘Accelerating India’s COVID-19 Social Protection Response Program’.
The program aims to support India in fighting Covid-19 and providing assistance to the poor and vulnerable people of the country who are affected by the pandemic. Last month, the World Bank had announced a USD 1 billion support for India and hence this step raises its total commitment for India to USD 2 billion, as of now.
20. What is ‘Eventbot’, that was seen in news recently?
[A] Disinfectant Robot
[B] Cryptocurrency
[C] Malware
[D] Chatbot
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Malware]
Notes:
According to the Computer Emergency Response Team of India (CERT-In), the national technology arm to prevent cyber-attacks, android users who use mobile banking in mobile phones might be vulnerable to a new malware called ‘EventBot’.
The authorities also announced that the new malware steals personal and sensitive information of the users. It also warned that the Trojan virus may project itself as a genuine application such as MS Word and enter into the victim’s device. To combat the malware, CERT-in has advised users not to download applications from untrusted sources.