21. An international commission named USCIRF, which was seen in news recently, is headquartered in which city?
[A] Geneva
[B] Paris
[C] Washington D.C
[D] Nairobi
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Washington D.C]
Notes:
The US Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released its annual report recently, where it has classified India under ‘Countries of particular concern’ (CPC) for increasing assault on religious minorities.
The report has placed India in the concern list along with 13 other nations including nine countries which were placed in December 2019 and 5 countries added now. The recently added countries include Nigeria, Russia, Syria, and Vietnam in addition to India.
22. 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.
23. As per the recent report of the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), which area of the country recorded maximum unemployment rate after Covid-19?
[A] Rural areas
[B] Urban areas
[C] Semi-urban areas
[D] Hilly areas
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Urban areas]
Notes:
Mumbai based think tank, the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) has recently released its report on unemployment rates of the country in various parts.
As per the report, unemployment rate of India has risen to 27.11% for the week ended May 3, against 7% in the month of March. The monthly unemployment rate is 23.52% in April. It also highlighted that the unemployment rate was the highest in urban areas and the lowest in hilly areas.
24. What is the rank of India in the recently released global ‘Energy Transition Index’ (ETI) of the World Economic Forum?
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [74]
Notes:
The World Economic Forum has recently released the global ‘Energy Transition Index’. The index ranks 115 economies on the current performance of their energy systems and their readiness for transition to secure and sustainable energy systems.
India has moved up two positions to rank 74th from previous year, and has improved on all key parameters. Sweden has topped the Energy Transition Index (ETI) for the third consecutive year. Switzerland and Finland were ranked in the next two positions.
25. ‘Global Nutrition Report’ is a flagship annual report of which international organisation?
[A] United Nations
[B] Food and Agriculture Organization
[C] World Health Organisation
[D] United Nations Children’s Fund
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [World Health Organisation]
Notes:
The World Health Organisation recently released its flagship annual report ‘Global Nutrition Report’. The report highlighted that India and 87 other countries are likely to miss the global nutrition targets by 2025.
It also revealed that India has the highest rates of domestic inequalities in malnutrition. India would miss targets for all four nutritional indicators including stunting among under-5 children, anaemia among women of reproductive age, childhood overweight and exclusive breastfeeding. It also said that 37.9% of children under 5 years are stunted and 20.8% are wasted.
26. What is the rank of India in the Environment Performance Index (EPI Index 2020), released by the Yale University?
[A] 120
[B] 146
[C] 168
[D] 171
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [168]
Notes:
The 12th edition of the biennial Environment Performance Index (EPI Index 2020) has been released by the Yale University.
In the index that measured the environmental performance of 180 countries, India secured 168th rank with a score of 27.6 out of 100. Last year, the country scored 30.57 and was placed at 177th rank. Denmark was placed at the first place, followed by Luxembourg and Switzerland. The United States was placed at 24th rank.
27. As per the latest Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University rankings, how many Indian institutions feature among the top-200?
[A] One
[B] Three
[C] Five
[D] Seven
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Three]
Notes:
The QS World University Rankings has been released by global higher education consultancy QS Quacquarelli Symonds.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) topped the list for the ninth consecutive year, followed by Stanford University and Harvard University all being American. Only three Indian institutions namely IIT-Bombay (172nd), IISc Bangalore (185th) and IIT Delhi (193rd) feature among the top 200 in the list, with none in the top-100.
28. What is the rank of India in the Global Direct Selling –2019 Retail Sales report?
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [15]
Notes:
The World Federation of Direct Selling Associations (WFDSA) has released the Global Direct Selling –2019 Retail Sales report.
As per the latest edition of the report, India’s direct selling industry has recorded sales of USD 2.47 billion in 2019, reporting a growth of 12.1 per cent. Due to the growth in sales, India has been ranked 15th in the report, from its previous year rank of 19. The list is topped by the US. In terms of the number of direct sellers, India is at 6th rank.
29. As per the ‘Cooling Emissions and Policy Synthesis Report’ by the UNEP and IEA, what is the estimated number of cooling machines in the world by 2050?
[A] 1.4 million
[B] 1.4 billion
[C] 14 billion
[D] 140 billion
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [14 billion]
Notes:
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Energy Agency (IEA) have jointly released a report titled ‘Cooling Emissions and Policy Synthesis Report: Benefits of cooling efficiency and the Kigali Amendment’ report released July 17, 2020.
As per the report, the world will need more than 10 billion new cooling appliances by 2050, that will make the count of such machines to 14 billion. As per the report around 3.6 billion appliances are being used and it is increasing by up to 10 cooling appliances every second.
30. Which global organisation releases the ‘Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA)’ report?
[A] Food and Agriculture Organization
[B] World Food Programme
[C] International Fund for Agricultural Development
[D] World Wide Fund for Nature
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Food and Agriculture Organization ]
Notes:
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations releases the Global Forest Resources Assessment (FRA)’ report.
FAO has been publishing this assessment once in every 5 years since 1990. It evaluates the state of forests and their management in all member countries. As per the recent report, India has ranked third among the countries that gained in forest areas in the last decade (2010-2020). China and Australia held the first two ranks.
