11. As per a recent report, about 400 million workers of India will fall into poverty. Which international organisation released the report?
[A] World Bank
[B] World Economic Forum
[C] International Labour Organisation
[D] United Nations
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [International Labour Organisation]
Notes:
According to a recent report form International Labour Organisation (ILO) titled ‘ILO Monitor 2nd edition: COVID-19 and the world of work’, about 400 million workers of India will fall into poverty.
India has nearly 90 per cent of its people working in informal economy. It also revealed that the lockdown measures in India have impacted these workers significantly. The measures are at the high end of University of Oxford’s COVID-19 Government Response Stringency Index.
12. As per a recent survey released by the National Council for Applied Economic Research (NCAER), incomes of about 85% of households in which state/UT have been impacted by Covid-19?
[A] Maharashtra
[B] Delhi NCR
[C] Madhya Pradesh
[D] Uttar Pradesh
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Delhi NCR]
Notes:
As per a survey released by the National Council for Applied Economic Research (NCAER), incomes of about 85% of households in the National capital region (NCR) have been impacted by the Covid-19 outbreak and the resulting lockdown.
The survey also highlighted that casual labourers were excessively affected with the wages of nearly 75% of them were affected. For salaried class, the income was affected for about 46.7% of the employees.
13. ‘Exit from The Lockdown’ is the report released by which industry body of India?
[A] CII
[B] NASSCOM
[C] FICCI
[D] ASSOCHAM
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [CII]
Notes:
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is a leading non-government and non-profit Industry association of India. It has recently released a report titled ‘Exit from The Lockdown- A CII Strategy’.
In the report, the association suggested that government should give adequate notice before announcing the end of restrictions. It also recommended a calibrated lifting of the lockdown. The association also expects the announcement of an economic package before the lifting of lockdown.
14. Which international organisation recently estimated that remittances to South Asia will drop 22%, in this year?
[A] World Economic Forum
[B] International Monetary Fund
[C] Asian Development Bank
[D] World Bank
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [World Bank]
Notes:
The World Bank recently announced that it estimates that remittances to South Asia will drop 22% by this year.
India is the largest recipient of remittances of the world, which increases the foreign exchange reserves of the country. The reserves are used to fund the current account deficit of the country. After the lock-down and the resulting economic slow-down, the loss of income of expatriate Indians who work in foreign countries will affect the remittances. About 12% of the total inflow is the remittances form people working abroad. The Bank also estimated that Global remittances would drop by 20%.
15. According to the Open Budget Survey conducted by the International Budget Partnership (IBP), what is the rank of India, in terms of budget transparency and accountability?
[A] 53
[B] 68
[C] 82
[D] 102
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [53]
Notes:
Open Budget Survey, which was conducted by the International Budget Partnership (IBP) has been recently released. It rates the level of budget transparency on a scale of 0-100. New Zealand tops the list with a score 87.
In the list, India has been ranked at 53rd position among 117 nations, in terms of budget transparency and accountability. The survey provided a score of 49 out of 100 for the Union Budget process of India whereas the global average is 45. The survey report argues that the Union Government should publish a Pre-Budget Statement, which can be scrutinised by the legislators and the public.
16. ‘COVID-19 and the world of work’ is the title of the report, recently released by which international organisation?
[A] United Nations
[B] International Labour Organisation
[C] World Bank
[D] World Economic Forum
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [International Labour Organisation]
Notes:
The International Labour Organization has recently released a report titled ‘ILO Monitor third edition: COVID-19 and the world of work’.
In the report, it is said that almost 1.6 billion workers in the informal economy, which is about half of the global workforce, face an immediate danger of losing their livelihoods due to the continued lock-down imposed. Out of 3.3 billion workers, 2 billion have vulnerable jobs under informal economy.
17. As per the recent survey on Research and Development Statistics and Indicators 2019-20 by NSTIMS, what is the rank of India in number of scientific publications?
[A] Three
[B] Four
[C] Six
[D] Ten
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Three]
Notes:
National Science and Technology Management Information (NSTMIS), Department of Science and Technology (DST) has conducted a survey on Research and Development Statistics and Indicators 2019-20.
As per the survey, India is placed at the third position in terms of number of scientific publications. The number of researchers per million population has doubled since 2000 and India’s gross expenditure in R&D has tripled between 2008 and 2018, during the year the expenditure stood at Rs 1,13,825 crores.
18. As per the recent report of the Internet & Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), which areas of the country comprised of the highest number of Internet users?
[A] Metropolitan Areas
[B] Urban Areas
[C] Semi-urban Areas
[D] Rural Areas
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Rural Areas]
Notes:
According to the ‘Digital in India’ report recently released by the Internet & Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), there were more Internet users in rural areas when compared to those in urban areas for the first time.
As of last November, out of the total 504 million active internet users, there were 227 million active internet users in rural areas while there were 205 million in urban areas. But the time spent on internet is higher among the urban people. The report also highlighted that there was an increase of 21% in female internet users, higher than that of male users (9%).
19. Which organisation released a report titled ‘Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020 (FRA 2020)’?
[A] World Food Programme
[B] Food and Agriculture Organization
[C] International Fund for Agricultural Development
[D] World Wide Fund for Nature
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Food and Agriculture Organization]
Notes:
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a specialised agency of the United States has recently released a report titled ‘Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020 (FRA 2020)’. The report examines the status of 236 countries in the period 1990-2020.
The report highlighted that the forest area has declined all across the world in the past three decades. The rate of forest loss in 2015-2020 declined to an estimated 10 million hectares, down from 12 million hectares in 2010-2015. The report also revealed that the world lost 178 mha of forest since 1990, which is the size of Libya.
20. As per a recent study by the University of Washington, what is the number of people who do not have access to effective hand washing?
[A] 1 million
[B] 10 million
[C] 50 million
[D] 100 million
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [50 million]
Notes:
As per the study by the Researchers from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington in the US, more than 50 million people in India do not have access to effective handwashing.
This might place them at a higher risk of acquiring and transmitting the novel coronavirus. The study also highlighted that over 2 billion people in low and middle-income countries are without access to soap and clean water. More than 50 per cent of the people in sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania also lacked access to effective handwashing.
