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Dear Readers, Daily Current Affairs Questions Quiz for SBI, IBPS, RBI, RRB, SSC Exam 2020 of 19th, 20th, & 21st September 2020. Daily GK quiz online for bank & competitive exam. Here we have given the Daily Current Affairs Quiz based on the previous days Daily Current Affairs updates. Candidates preparing for IBPS, SBI, RBI, RRB, SSC Exam 2020 & other competitive exams can make use of these Current Affairs Quiz.
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1) International Equal Pay-Day is being celebrated for the first time on which date to represent the longstanding efforts towards the achievement of equal pay for work of equal value?
A) September 11
B) September 12
C) September 15
D) September 18
E) September 14
2) Ruth Bader Ginsburg who passed away at the age of 87 was a prominent ________.
A) Director
B) Singer
C) Jurist
D) Musician
E) Writer
3) What is the theme of the International Day of Peace observed around the world on 21 September?
A) The Sustainable Development Goals: Building Blocks for Peace
B) Together for Peace: Respect, Safety and Dignity for All
C) The Universal Declaration of Human Rights at 70
D) Climate Action for Peace
E) Shaping Peace Together
4) A national jury, composed of environmentalists and scientists, has recommended India’s _________ beaches for consideration by an international jury for the coveted Blue Flag certification.
A) 12
B) 8
C) 6
D) 5
E) 10
5) Which of the following airports has launched India’s first General Aviation Terminal facility for private jets?
A) Rajiv Gandhi International Airport
B) Goa International Airport
C) Indira Gandhi International Airport
D) Chennai International Airport
E) Mumbai International Airport
6) The Chief Minister of which state has recently announced a subsidy scheme of Rs 12,000 each for e-scooters and rickshaws?
A) Assam
B) Chattisgarh
C) Madhya Pradesh
D) Gujarat
E) Haryana
7) The deputy minister of which country has hosted the The BRICS Communications Ministers’ Meet?
A) India
B) Russia
C) Brazil
D) China
E) South Africa
8) Which of the following divisions of railways have launched the Freight Seva app to serve customers better?
A) Central Railway
B) Northern Railway
C) Eastern Railway
D) North Eastern Railway
E) Southern Railway
9) Name the scheme launched by ICICI Home Finance launches home loan scheme with credit amount in the range of Rs 2 lakh to 50 lakh, for skilled workers employed in the informal sector in Delhi?
A) Easy Dream Home
B) My Dream My House
C) Easy Home Finance
D) Apna Ghar Dreamz
E) My Affordable House
10) World Bamboo Day is observed annually on which date to raise awareness of the benefits of bamboo and to promote its use in everyday products?
A) September 11
B) September 12
C) September 18
D) September 14
E) September 15
11) Which of the following banks has launched a new gold loan scheme Vikas Laghu Suvarna to provide easy and affordable credit to needy customers at a cheaper cost considering the pandemic situation in the country?
A) United Bank of India
B) Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank
C) Arunachal Pradesh Rural Bank
D) Assam Gramin Vikash Bank
E) Bangiya Gramin Vikash Bank
12) Who among the following has been appointed as the new chief of the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO)?
A) Syed Amin
B) RS Bedi
C) Anil Dhasmana
D) Satish Jha
E) K Advani
13) Who among the following has attended the 10th BRICS’ meeting on security issues from India?
A) Amit Shah
B) Rajnath Singh
C) Taranjit Sandhu
D) Ajit Doval
E) S Jaishankar
14) Barack Obama has announced the publication ‘A Promised Land’ coming out in November. The book will be published by which publishing house?
A) Random House Inc
B) Scholastic Inc
C) Harper Collins
D) Nature America
E) Penguin Random House
15) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the VAIBHAV summit on which of the following dates to bring out the comprehensive roadmap to leverage the expertise and knowledge of global Indian researchers for solving emerging challenges?
A) 2nd November
B) 5th November
C) 2nd October
D) 1st October
E) 3rd October
16) Which of the following institutions has claimed to make the first-of-its-kind ventilation device “Swasner”to ease mild breathing issues?
A) IIM Ahmedabad
B) IIT Madras
C) IIT Delhi
D) IIIT-Bhubaneswar
E) IIT Hyderabad
17) Which of the following Cup has been renamed as Billie Jean King Cup to honour the legendary player?
A) World Team Cup
B) Fed Cup
C) Hopman Cup
D) US Open
E) Laver Cup
18) Sachin Deshmukh who passed away at 52 due to coronavirus complications was a famous ________.
A) Producer
B) Singer
C) Cricketer
D) Athlete
E) Director
19) International Coastal CleanUp Day is observed on which date to encourage people to rid beaches of the garbage plaguing beaches?
A) September 12
B) September 13
C) September 15
D) September 19
E) September 18
20) Which of the following banks has decided to set up a new vertical called Emerging Entrepreneurs Business to serve unbanked customers?
A) HDFC
B) SBI
C) Bandhan Bank
D) Axis Bank
E) ICICI
21) The Lok Sabha has recently passed the bill on National Forensic Science University Bill 2020. The bill establishes National Forensic Science University as an institute of national importance and seeks to upgrade which of the following Universities?
A) Vivekananda Global University
B) Jayaprakash Narayan National Institute of Criminology and Forensic Science
C) Gujarat Forensic Sciences University
D) Osmania University
E) Bundelkhand University
22) Which of the following State/UT has launched the National Generic Document Registration System marking a major shift from the existing manual registration system to online registration for transactions in sale or purchase of land?
A) Tamil Nadu
B) Haryana
C) Chattisgarh
D) Jammu & Kashmir
E) Delhi
23) An MoU has been signed between which of the following ministries for controlling Malnutrition as a part of the POSHAN Abhiyaan?
A) Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Ministry of AYUSH
B) Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Ministry of Women and Child Development
C) Ministry of Education and Ministry of AYUSH
D) Ministry of Women and Child Development and Ministry of Education
E) Ministry of AYUSH and Ministry of Women and Child Development
24) The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2020 has recently been introduced in the Lok Sabha. It seeks to make Aadhar mandatory for which of the following types of organisations?
A) One Person Company
B) Joint Venture Company
C) Sole Proprietorship
D) NGOs
E) Partnership Firms
25) India has extended how much amount of support to Maldives to overcome the economic impact of Covid-19?
A) 450 million
B) 400 million
C) 250 million
D) 500 million
E) 300 million
26) The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has extended the date of implementation of Toys (Quality Control) Order, 2020 to _________ in place of 1st September 2020.
A) 31st January 2021
B) 30th November 2020
C) 1st February 2021
D) 31st December 2020
E) 1st January 2021
27) Which of the following satellites of NASA recently detected a Jupiter-sized planet found orbiting around a white dwarf- the remnant after a star’s death?
A) Landsat-8
B) Terra
C) TESS
D) Aqua
E) Juno
28) Who among the following is the head of the expert committee set up by the Government to probe China Watching and assess any violations of law?
A) Hiten Shah
B) Ankit Mishra
C) Saurav Jha
D) Rajesh Pant
E) Ajit Doval
29) The FSSAI has constituted a task force on vegan food comprising ______ members to look into guidelines/ provisions for vegan foods in the country.
A) 6
B) 7
C) 5
D) 8
E) 4
30) The Jal Jeevan Mission has collaborated with which of the following ministries to launch a challenge to create an innovative, modular and cost-effective solution to develop a smart water supply measurement and monitoring system?
A) Ministry of Earth Sciences
B) Ministry of Education
C) Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
D) Ministry of Education
E) Ministry of Commerce and Industry
31) Kazakhstan Financial Regulator has cancelled the license of the subsidiary of which bank for failure to meet prudential standards and other mandatory norms?
A) Axis
B) SBI
C) HDFC
D) PNB
E) ICICI
32) The government has launched the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan in how many districts of the country with the aim at reduction of adverse consequences of drug abuse?
A) 245
B) 253
C) 272
D) 250
E) 265
Answers :
1) Answer: D
International Equal Pay Day, celebrated for the first time this 18 September, represents the longstanding efforts towards the achievement of equal pay for work of equal value.
It further builds on the United Nations commitment to human rights and against all forms of discrimination, including discrimination against women and girls.
2) Answer: C
US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg who has been regarded as an iconic champion of women’s rights and history-making jurist passed away at the age of 87.
Ginsburg, the second woman appointed to the bench, developed a rock star status during her career and was dubbed the ‘Notorious RBG’.
3) Answer: E
Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on 21 September.
The UN General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, through observing 24 hours of non-violence and cease-fire.
The 2020 theme for the International Day of Peace is “Shaping Peace Together.”
4) Answer: B
A national jury, composed of environmentalists and scientists, has recommended India’s eight beaches for consideration by an international jury for the coveted International eco-label, the Blue Flag certification.
The Blue Flag beaches are considered the cleanest beaches of the world.
The eight beaches are Shivrajpur in Gujarat, Ghoghla in Daman & Diu, Kasarkod and Padubidri beach in Karnataka, Kappad in Kerala, Rushikonda in Andhra Pradesh, Golden beach of Odisha and Radhanagar beach of Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
Total 4664 beaches, marinas and boats from 46 countries have, so far, received the Blue Flag certification by an international jury. Spain has the highest number of Blue Flag tagged sites. There is none from India.
On the eve of International Coastal Clean-Up Day which is celebrated across 100 countries since 1986, India launched its own eco-label “BEAMS” (Beach Environment & Aesthetics Management Services) under its Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) project.
The objective of BEAMS program is to abate pollution in coastal waters, promote sustainable development of beach facilities, protect & conserve coastal ecosystems & natural resources, and seriously challenge local authorities & stakeholders to strive and maintain high standards of cleanliness, hygiene & safety for beachgoers in accordance with coastal environment & regulations. This program promotes beach recreation in absolute harmony with nature.
5) Answer: C
Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), a GMR Group-led consortium launched India’s first General Aviation Terminal facility for private jets at Indira Gandhi International Airport.
The event was organised while taking all social distancing protocols into consideration, given the pandemic.
It was inaugurated by Union civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri
Equipped with 57 parking bays, this new terminal can cater to over 150 private jets per day. The newly-developed flight line or apron is spread over an area of 8 lakh square feet with 24/7 personal concierge services.
The new General Aviation Terminal has been built to support the movement and processing of passengers flying through chartered flights from IGI Airport.
6) Answer: D
Chief Minister Vijay Rupani announced subsidy schemes for electric two-wheelers and e-rickshaws, during a virtual programme on climate change to commemorate the founding day of the state climate change department.
The CM announced the subsidy as a “Panchsheel gift” of five development schemes in Gujarat to celebrate the 70th birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The CM declared that students will get a subsidy of Rs 12,000 each to buy e-scooters. Under this scheme, the government will provide assistance to students studying from Class 9 to college to purchase battery-powered two-wheelers. The target is to provide this assistance to 10,000 such vehicles.
The state government will also provide assistance of Rs 48,000 for the purchase of 5,000 battery-powered e-rickshaws for individual and institutional beneficiaries.
The Climate Change department also signed virtual MoU with 10 organisations to work on mitigating the effects of climate change and increasing the use of renewable energy via the usage of space technology and geo-informatics.
Another MoU, “Climate Change Risk Assessment of Mitigation”, was signed with the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) for climate finance and climate policy matters and with the Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar (IITGn) on capacity building, research and enhancing the public utility of scientific information in the field of climate change and environment.
7) Answer: B
Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology Sanjay Dhotre appreciated the field force who managed telecom networks during COVID-19, and shared technology initiatives taken by the government to curb the pandemic at a BRICS meeting.
The BRICS Communications Ministers’ Meeting, was hosted by Maxim Parshin, deputy minister of digital development, communications and mass media of Russia.
The meeting is held annually under the rotating chairship of member countries, and India will take over the chairmanship of the next meeting to be hosted in 2021 by India.
The minister also highlighted various initiatives taken by the Indian government for COVID-19 management, such as AarogyaSetu app, Covid Quarantine Alert System (CQAS), CovidSavdhan and ICT solutions to facilitate movement of migrant workers back to their homes.
Dhotre also talked about the BharatNet project to connect 2,50,000 gram panchayats involving local people through innovative PPP models, and other projects to connect hilly regions of northeast and remote islands of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
8) Answer: E
The Chennai Division of Southern Railways (SR) has launched an in-house mobile application – Freight Seva – to serve customers better.
The app will be a one stop destination for information needs, and have requisite details for access by freight customers.
This includes various incentive schemes of Indian Railways for freight customers; all goods sheds in Chennai Division; types of wagons and the various commodities that can be dealt in them and parcel cargo express trains with schedules, freight rates and parcel rates.
The mobile app also facilitates customers to ask for an approximate quote for any commodity and to any rail destination.
9) Answer: D
ICICI Home Finance has launched a new loan scheme ”Apna Ghar Dreamz”, with credit amount in the range of Rs 2 lakh to 50 lakh, for skilled workers employed in the informal sector in Delhi.
The scheme is meant for skilled workers such as carpenters, plumbers, electricians, tailors, painters, welders, auto mechanics, manufacturing machine operators, computer mechanics, RO repair technicians, small and medium business owners and grocery store owners in the city.
The loan scheme is targeted at the informal segment of the population who wish to purchase their own home, but may not have all documents that a formal financial institution would require.
Customers seeking to avail the special 20-year tenure loan would need to provide documents such as PAN and Aadhaar details, and bank statements of the past six months.
The customers should have a minimum account balance of Rs 1,500 for loan up to 5 lakh and Rs 3,000 for loan above 5 lakh.
Customers can also avail all the benefits of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) which is a credit-linked subsidy scheme (CLSS) for Lower Income Groups/ Economically Weaker Sections (EWS/LIG) and Middle Income Groups (MIG – I & II).
Under PMAY-CLSS, a borrower is eligible for a maximum subsidy of up to Rs 2.67 lakh.
10) Answer: C
World Bamboo Day is observed globally on 18 September every year.
World Bamboo Day was officially established on September 18 at the 8th World Bamboo Congress held in Bangkok in 2009 and declared by the Thai Royal Forest Department.
People and businesses from around the world use this day to raise awareness of the benefits of bamboo and to promote its use in everyday products. The theme for the 11th edition of WBD 2020 is ‘BAMBOO NOW.’
11) Answer: B
The Dharwad -headquartered Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank (KVGB) has launched a special gold loan scheme — Vikas Laghu Suvarna — with a reduced interest rate of 7.25 per cent.
The bank has reduced the rate of interest to provide easy and affordable credit to needy customers at a cheaper cost considering the pandemic situation in the country.
Under this scheme, the bank is giving 80 per cent of the market value of the gold subject to a maximum of ₹,3200 a gram.
A maximum loan of up to ₹15 lakh will be provided. The loan is repayable within six months.
12) Answer: C
Former Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) chief Anil Dhasmana was appointed as the new chief of National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO).
He will take charge and serve till 65 years of age.
Dhasmana would be the head of NTRO for the next two years. He will replace former Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer Satish Jha.
13) Answer: D
The 10th meeting of the NSAs, hosted by the current chair of BRICS Russia, was attended by China’s State Councillor Yang Jiechi and senior security officials from Brazil and South Africa.
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval attended a virtual meet.
This is to discuss an anti-terrorism draft strategy which is likely to be approved at an upcoming summit.
The meeting exchanged views on combating terrorism and extremism besides deliberating on global and regional security issues.
14) Answer: E
Former U.S. President Barack Obama announced the publication in November of the first half of his memoirs, A Promised Land.
Published by Penguin Random House and the book will be released in 25 languages on November 17.
15) Answer: C
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate and address Vaibhav (Vishwik Bhartiya Vaignaynik) Summit on 2nd October.
Vaibhav Summit is a global summit of Resident and Overseas Indian scientists, academicians and researchers.
More than 5500 academicians of Indian origin are in top 500 Global Education Institutions and about 600 are working in the professional R&D institutes.
Vaishwik Bhartiya Vaigyanik (VAIBHAV) Summit is a collaborative initiative by S&T and Academic Organisations of India to enable deliberations on thought process, practices and R&D culture with a problem solving approach for well defined objectives.
The VAIBHAV initiative aims to bring out the comprehensive roadmap to leverage the expertise and knowledge of global Indian researchers for solving emerging challenges.
The aim of the summit is to reflect in-depth on the collaboration and cooperation instruments with academia and scientists in India. The goal is to create an ecosystem of Knowledge and Innovation in the country through global outreach.
The virtual summit will be inaugurated by the Prime Minister on 2nd October’2020 in the virtual presence of registered academia and researchers from across the world.
This will be followed by online month-long deliberation sessions starting from 3rd October to 25th October 2020 among researchers through webinar mode. Concluding session is planned on 2nd November.
16) Answer: D
A group of seven engineering students from IIIT, Bhubaneswar claimed to have developed a first-of-its-kind helmet-like ventilation device “Swasner” that benefits patients suffering from mild respiratory distress.
It can also act as a comfortable alternative to the suffocating PPE kits, the students claimed.
Shaped as a bubble enclosure for the head, the device works on the principle of hyperbaric oxygen therapy – mostly used for treating diving-related illness and some other medical conditions.
These students – Tapaswin Padhy, Sai Sambit Nayak, Sidharth Nayak, Ananya Aprameya, Jivitesh Debata, Vitthal Gupta, Nand Kishore Gupta, Divyajyoti Dash and Shovit Mitra – took four months to design the device named ‘Swasner.’
These students have connected the device to an IoT-powered diagnostics monitoring system that allows doctors to check the patient’s vitals from remote locations.
17) Answer: B
The Fed Cup will be renamed as Billie Jean King Cup, the International Tennis Federation announced.
The change of name is being done to honour King, considered the greatest trailblazer in women’s tennis for her lifelong battle for equality and social justice.
Almost six decades after King helped the US to win the inaugural Fed Cup, the tournament became the first tennis competition to be named after a woman.
18) Answer: E
Mini Gavaskar’ in local cricket, Sachin Deshmukh passes away at 52 after coronavirus complications.
The cricketer has been part of Mumbai and Maharashtra Ranji teams but could never find a place in playing XI of the team.
Deshmukh was Superintendent Excise and Customs in Mumbai – known as GST and customs.
19) Answer: D
During the third Saturday in September, International Coastal CleanUp Day encourages people to rid beaches of the garbage plaguing beaches.
This year it falls on 19th September.
Awareness is also spread about preserving and protecting the world’s oceans and waterways.
20) Answer: C
Bandhan Bank, which recently completed five years of operations as a bank, has set up a new vertical called Emerging Entrepreneurs Business (EEB) to support the emerging needs of the unbanked and underbanked segment of customers.
The vertical will focus on supporting this segment of customers in their journey to becoming entrepreneurs.
In addition to micro loans, the vertical will also manage micro home loan, micro bazaar loan and micro enterprise loan. The bank has further appointed Kumar Ashish as the Executive President and Head to spearhead EEB.
21) Answer: C
Lok Sabha has passed The National Forensic Science University Bill 2020. The Bill establishes National Forensic Science University as an institute of national importance by upgrading the Gujarat Forensic Sciences University.
The proposed university would facilitate and promote studies and research and help achieve excellence in the field of forensic science in conjunction with applied behavioural science studies, law, criminology and other allied areas.
The Lok Sabha also passed the Rashtriya Raksha University Bill. The Bill seeks to provide for the establishment of the Rashtriya Raksha University, Gujarat. The key objectives of the University include providing dynamic and high standards of learning and research, and providing a working environment dedicated to advancing research, education and training in the domain of policing.
22) Answer: D
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor (LG) Manoj Sinha launched the National Generic Document Registration System (NGDRS), marking a major shift from the existing manual registration system to online registration for transactions in sale or purchase of land.
“The NGDRS represents a major shift from the existing manual registration system to online registration of all transactions in sale-purchase/transfer of land and the stamp papers have been replaced by e-stamps which have been incorporated in coordination with Stockholding Corporation of India,” an official statement stated.
The overall intent is to ensure hassle-free service delivery and transparency in the registration process by online uploading of the document, appointment with the registration office, e-stamp and a one-time visit to the registration office.
“The entire process has been reduced to 15 minutes, which earlier would take several days in view of multiple steps involved. Now, all five steps are under the digital process,” the LG remarked.
Apart from Srinagar district, four other districts — Jammu, Samba, Kathua and Udhampur have also been included under NGDRS coverage.
23) Answer: E
A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Ministry of AYUSH and Ministry of Women and Child Development in New Delhi for controlling Malnutrition as a part of POSHAN Abhiyaan. The MoU will see some time-tested and scientifically proven Ayush-based solutions being adopted for controlling malnutrition in the country.
On this occasion, Shripad Yesso Naik stated that Ayurveda and other AYUSH systems have much to contribute in dealing with mild and moderate mal-nutrition by way of many specific measures such as right intake of diet by the pregnant women, feeding practices by lactating mothers, use of traditional products augmenting milk secretion and nutritional food for children.
He further stated that India enjoys the distinction of having the largest network of traditional health care systems which are widely accepted owing to its wide accessibility, affordability,
safety and trust of people.
24) Answer: D
The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2020 was introduced in Lok Sabha. The Bill seeks to streamline the provisions of the FCRA by strengthening the compliance mechanism, enhancing transparency and accountability in the receipt and utilisation of foreign contributions worth thousands of crores of rupees every year.
The proposed amendments seek to bar public servants from receiving foreign funding. The amendments seek to make Aadhar mandatory for all office bearers of NGOs and other organisations which are seeking foreign contributions.
Introducing the Bill, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai stated, the Bill has been brought in the wake of Supreme Court order on AADHAR. He stated, there are some NGOs which do not inform the government about the foreign contributions they receive. He added that some NGOs have been found to be violating norms by deviating from their objectives.
25) Answer: C
India has provided financial assistance of 250 million dollars as budgetary support to the Maldives government to mitigate the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. A handover ceremony was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maldives government to mark the occasion. Maldives Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid, Finance Minister Ibrahim Ameer, High Commissioner Sunjay Sudhir and CEO, SBI, Male Bharat Mishra were present on the occasion.
The 250 million dollar budgetary support was a response to the request made by Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for financial assistance to overcome the difficult economic situation in the Maldives.
India has provided substantial and continued assistance to the Maldives during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The budgetary support of 250 million dollars has been extended without conditions. The Maldives government is at liberty to use the money in repairing the domestic economic situation in line with its own priorities. The financial assistance is being routed through SBI, Male so that it does not reflect in the external borrowings of the Maldives. Indian government has provided a sovereign guarantee to SBI for this financial assistance.
26) Answer: E
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade issued a notification extending the date of implementation of Toys (Quality Control) Order, 2020 as 1st January 2021 in place of 1st September 2020.
This decision allows domestic manufacturers four months of extra time to make necessary arrangements for compliance of standards in view of difficulties arising out of COVID-19 pandemic.
27) Answer: C
According to findings published in the journal Nature, a planet the size of Jupiter is in orbit around a white dwarf — the remnant after a star’s death — which is 80 light years away from Earth. The planet takes merely 1.4 days to complete one orbit.
Earlier it was thought that planets could not form around a white dwarf due to the violent nature of the white dwarf formation.
However, this study supports the theory that massive planets can survive the creation of a white dwarf, migrate close to it and then resume orbit around the new remnant.
The observations were made using NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and retired Spitzer Space Telescope.
The findings have implications for the survival of other kinds of planets during the death of a star, including Earth-like rocky planets.
28) Answer: D
The Government set up an expert committee under the National Cyber Security Coordinator to study the revelations in China Watching, an investigation, that a Shenzhen-based company, with links to the Chinese government, is monitoring over 10,000 Indian individuals and entities.
The expert committee, led by Lt Gen (retd) Rajesh Pant, India’s chief coordinator on cyber security, will evaluate the “implications” of the digital surveillance by Data Information Technology Co. Limited and “assess any violations of law and submit its recommendations within thirty days.”
29) Answer: B
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) constituted a task force to look into guidelines/ provisions for vegan foods in the country. The task force comprises seven members including Shankar Narayan, founder-president, Satvik Vegan Society (formerly Indian Vegan Society), Bengaluru-Byndoor.
Narayan founded the society in 2004 as a registered charitable trust. The society is a member of the International Vegetarian Union and Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisation.
ICAR’s retired principal scientist (food and nutrition) Sumedha S. Deshpande, Sangeeta Pandey, Head of Nutrition and Dietetics, Mount Carmel College, Bengaluru, Lalitha Appukkutan, NIMS Medicity, Thiruvananthapuram, Palak Mehta, Founder and CEO, Vegan First, Pune, a representative each from the Ministry of Commerce and the Industry and Quality Council of India are the other members of the task force.
The terms of reference for the task force include a look into the definition of vegan foods available across the globe and to formulate a guideline/advisory/ provisions for assessing/ certifying vegan food in India.
30) Answer: C
The government has launched an information and communications technology (ICT) contest to create an innovative, modular and cost-effective solution to develop a smart water supply measurement and monitoring system to be deployed at the village level, according to an official statement.
Jal Jeevan Mission, in partnership with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, has launched the challenge and will be inviting proposals from Indian firms, including start-ups and micro, small and medium enterprises.
“National Jal Jeevan Mission, in partnership with the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MEITY), has launched an ICT Grand Challenge to create innovative, modular, and cost-effective solutions to develop a ”Smart Water Supply Measurement and Monitoring System” to be deployed at the village level,” the statement stated.
Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) aims at providing tap water connection to every rural household by 2024.
The challenge will provide support at ideation, prototype development and deployment stage.
31) Answer: D
State-owned Punjab National Bank (PNB) stated the financial regulator of Kazakhstan has revoked licence of its associate for failure to meet prudential standards and other mandatory norms. PNB holds 41.64 per cent in JSC Tengri Bank, the bank stated in a regulatory filing.
The financial regulator of Kazakhstan has revoked the licence of JSC Tengri Bank on account of failure to observe prudential standards and other mandatory norms and limits by the JSC Tengri Bank, it stated. JSC Tengri Bank has nine branches in Kazakhstan.
32) Answer: C
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has formulated and is implementing a National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR) for 2018-2025. The Plan aims at reduction of adverse consequences of drug abuse through a multi-pronged strategy.
The activities under the NAPDDR include awareness generation programmes in schools, colleges, Universities, workshop and provisioning of treatment facilities and capacity building of service providers.
The Lok Sabha Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Rattan Lal Kataria stated that the Ministry has also initiated focused intervention programmes in vulnerable districts across the country with an aim to increase community participation and public cooperation in the reduction of demand for dependence-producing substances.
He stated, the Ministry has also launched Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan in 272 most affected districts with focus on institutional support, community outreach and awareness generation.
