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Current Affairs Quiz of September 1st 2020
Dear Readers, Daily Current Affairs Questions Quiz for SBI, IBPS, RBI, RRB, SSC Exam 2020 of 01st 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) Who among the following has inaugurated the college, administration buildings of Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University in Jhansi?
A) Dr Harsh vardhan
B) Anurag Thakur
C) Narendra Modi
D) Prahlad Patel
E) Amit Shah
2) Which airport has won the CII-Godrej Green Business Centre (GBC) ‘National Energy Leader’ and ‘Excellent Energy Efficient Unit’ award?
A) Dabolim Airport
B) Hyderabad International Airport
C) Indira Gandhi International Airport
D) Chennai International Airport
E) Dum Dum Airport
3) Sivaramakrishna Iyer Padmavati who passed away due to Covid-19 at 103 was an eminent _______.
A) Athlete
B) Director
C) Cardiologist
D) Writer
E) Singer
4) The chartered Airliner of which country has completed its symbolic First Direct Flight to the United Arab Emirates?
A) Thailand
B) Qatar
C) North Korea
D) Palestine
E) Israel
5) Vedanta has tied up with which bank for a long-term syndicated loan of Rs 10,000 crores?
A) Bandhan
B) SBI
C) ICICI
D) HDFC
E) Axis
6) Which Insurance provider company has introduced a customer service chatbot ‘LiGo’ on Google Assistant?
A) Religare
B) Reliance Nippon
C) ICICI Prudential
D) Max Bupa
E) Aviva
7) Reliance Industries has acquired which Group’s retail, wholesale, logistics and warehousing business for Rs 24,713 crore?
A) Adani
B) Birla
C) Mahindra
D) Future
E) ITC
8) Who has been signed as the next brand ambassador for Flipkart-owned fashion e-commerce brand Myntra?
A) Alia Bhatt
B) Deepika Padukone
C) Ranveer Singh
D) Manoj Bajpai
E) Kiara Advani
9) Who among the following has been named as the new Prime Minister of Lebanon ?
A) Emile Eddie
B) Charles Debbas
C) Mustapha Adib
D) Michel Aoun
E) Riad Solih
10) K Shankar Bajpai who passed away recently was a former _________.
A) Writer
B) Singer
C) Athlete
D) Diplomat
E) Cardiologist
11) Who among the following has been selected for the National teachers Award 2020 for her play way method to teach the students?
A) Raza Yusuf
B) Noor Inayat
C) Shabana Parveen
D) Nazia Begum
E) Roohi Sultana
12) Name the bot developed by Indian Railways to remotely control medical trolley to deliver food and medicines to COVID-19 patients?
A) MEDICBOT
B) HUMANBOT
C) MEDBOT
D) DAVAIBOT
E) ROBOBOT
13) Researchers from which university have launched an AI-based alternative to CamScanner, named AIR Scanner?
A) IIT Madras
B) IIT Roorkee
C) IIT Delhi
D) IIT Bombay
E) IIT Hyderabad
14) Which has become the first Indian dairy company to be ranked in the Rabobank’s Global Top 20 list?
A) Hershey’s
B) Amul
C) Parag
D) Nestle
E) Mother Dairy
15) Which two countries have been jointly declared winners at the 2020 Chess Olympiad after internet disconnection and server malfunction?
A) South Korea and Japan
B) India and South Korea
C) Russia and Japan
D) India and Japan
E) India and Russia
16) Which team defeated Liverpool on penalties in a thrilling final to win the FA Community Shield at Wembley, England?
A) Barcelona
B) Manchester United
C) Arsenal
D) Inter-Milan
E) Leicester
17) Bharat Ratna Pranab Mukherjee who passed away recently, was sworn in as the President in which of the following year?
A) 2009
B) 2012
C) 2013
D) 2014
E) 2011
18) Which country has launched a New e-market platform to bridge the gap between Indian farmers and the country’s food industry?
A) US
B) Japan
C) Israel
D) UAE
E) Oman
19) India will receive a development assistance loan worth Rs 3,500 crores from which country to fight the COVID-19 pandemic?
A) UK
B) Japan
C) Germany
D) France
E) US
20) The government of which state is all set to launch two schemes for pregnant women on September 1st?
A) Chhattisgarh
B) Madhya Pradesh
C) Andhra Pradesh
D) Haryana
E) Uttar Pradesh
21) The National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language ( NCPUL ) organised the “World Urdu Conference” in which city?
A) Dispur
B) Puducherry
C) Chandigarh
D) Chennai
E) New Delhi
22) As per SBI’s Economic Research Department, the decline in GDP in FY21 is touted to be ______ per cent.
A) 14.3
B) 15.7
C) 23.1
D) 7.5
E) 10.9
23) An amount of Rs 601.12 crore annual action plan has been approved for Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) for the year 2020-21 in which state/ UT?
A) Madhya Pradesh
B) Haryana
C) Jammu & Kashmir
D) Chandigarh
E) Delhi
24) Who among the following has been appointed as the Secretary in Lok Sabha with effect from September 1?
A) Rajesh Talwar
B) Anand Singh
C) Rajiv Kumar Singh
D) Ravi Gupta
E) Utpal Kumar Singh
25) Name the first newspaper specially designed for kids which has been launched in Assam.
A) The Creative Minds
B) The Brave Minds
C) The Strong Minds
D) The Young Minds
E) The Enlightened Minds
26) The Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Ministry of Finance, Government of India in collaboration with the _______ launched the Sustainable Finance Collaborative on 26th August 2020.
A) UNICEF
B) UNDP
C) IMF
D) GEF
E) UNESCO
27) Who among the following co-chaired the 17TH ASEAN-India Economic Ministers’ Consultations held virtually on 29th August 2020?
A) Anurag Thakur
B) Nirmala Sitharaman
C) Piyush Goyal
D) Amit Shah
E) Prahlad Patel
28) The Chief Minister of Karnataka has flagged off the Roll-On/Roll-Off (RO-RO) train between Nelamangala, Bengaluru to ___________.
A) Vadodara, Gujarat
B) Solapur, Maharashtra
C) Dewas, Madhya Pradesh
D) Nagpur, Maharashtra
E) Rajkot, Gujarat
29) Where will the 51st International Film Festival of India (IFFI) be held and would screen films on official digital platforms along with the theatrical screenings?
A) Assam
B) Mizoram
C) Goa
D) Chandigarh
E) Manipur
30) Which has become the first country to eliminate human African Trypanosomiasis or sleeping sickness?
A) Tanzania
B) Senegal
C) Togo
D) Nigeria
E) Ghana
31) Which Bank has launched a virtual property exhibition that digitally showcases real estate projects from key cities across the country?
A) Bandhan
B) HSBC
C) HDFC
D) ICICI
E) SBI
32) Who among the following has taken charge as the Chairman and Managing Director of Hindustan Shipyard?
A) Rajalakshmi Natarajan
B) Shrish Kumar
C) Venkata Rambabu Surapaneni
D) Hemant Khatri
E) Kunjumon Mathew
33) Who among the following has invited stakeholders in the country and the public at large to participate in formulating an evidence-driven, inclusive Science Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP 2020)?
A) Smriti Irani
B) Anurag Thakur
C) Prahlad Patel
D) Harsh Vardhan
E) Amit Shah
34) Who among the following has been appointed as the Head Coach for Chennaiyin FC for the 2020-21 Season?
A) José Couceiro
B) Csaba Laszlo
C) Rafael Crivellaro
D) Igoris Pankratjevas
E) Edgaras Jankauskas
Answers :
1) Answer: C
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated college and administration buildings of the Rani Lakshmi Bai (RLB) Central Agricultural University in Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi through video conferencing.
The RLB Central Agriculture University is located in Jhansi and is a prominent institute in the Bundelkhand region.
This would improve the education infrastructure and contribute to cutting edge research in agriculture as well as further farmer welfare.
2) Answer: B
The Hyderabad International Airport has won the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) – Godrej Green Business Centre (GBC) ‘National Energy Leader’ and ‘Excellent Energy Efficient Unit’ award.
The GMR led Hyderabad International Airport was awarded at the 21st National Awards for ‘Excellence in Energy Management” organized by CII and GBC, during the 19th edition of ‘Energy Efficiency Summit”.
The airport is also a Carbon Neutral Airport having Level 3 + “Neutrality” Accreditation from
Airports Council International (ACI) under its Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) programme.
3) Answer: C
Pioneering cardiologist Dr Sivaramakrishna Iyer Padmavati, who had established the country’s first cardiac care unit at Delhi’s Govind Ballabh Pant hospital, passed away of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19). She was 103.
Born in Myanmar, she fled to India after the Japanese invasion during World War II and became the country’s first woman cardiologist.
Popularly referred to as the ‘Godmother of cardiology’.
4) Answer: E
A chartered El Al airliner carrying Israeli and American diplomats landed in the United Arab Emirates, completing a symbolic first direct flight from Tel Aviv to Abu Dhabi.
This would pave the way for formal diplomatic and commercial ties and might inspire other Arab nations to follow suit in normalizing relations with the Jewish state.
5) Answer: B
Vedanta Ltd has tied up with State Bank of India for a long-term syndicated loan facility worth Rs 10,000 crore.
Vedanta Ltd has tied up a long-term syndicated loan facility for Rs 10,000 crore with State Bank of India as facility agent and SBICAP Trustee Company Ltd as the security trustee with door to door tenor of seven years.
State Bank of India has given a commitment of Rs 5,000 crore as a lender.
Security is provided by way of pledge over the shares held by the company in Hindustan Zinc Ltd, representing 14.82 per cent of the paid-up share capital of HZL which will be released in a phased manner as per the terms of the facility.
The company has also given a non-disposal undertaking in respect of its shareholding in HZL to the extent of 50.1 percent of the paid-up share capital of HZL which shares are not pledged.
6) Answer: C
ICICI Prudential Life Insurance has introduced its customer service chatbot ‘LiGo’ on ‘Google Assistant’.
This would enable the Company’s policyholders to have their queries addressed by simple voice commands such as “Ok Google, I want to speak to ICICI Prudential Life LiGo” or “May I talk to ICICI Prudential Life LiGo”.
There has been rapid adoption of AI-powered voice assistants by individuals owing to personalized, and immediate experiences being provided.
Customers can instantly access information on their policies by activating ‘Google Assistant’ on their Android smartphones and speaking out their policy number or registered phone number. It is as simple as asking Google for directions or traffic.
7) Answer: D
Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries announced the acquisition of the retail, wholesale, logistics and warehousing businesses of Kishore Biyani’s Future Group for Rs 24,713 crore. The acquisition was done through the company’s subsidiary Reliance Retail Ventures.
Reliance Retail will now have access to close to 1,800 outlets of Future Group’s Big Bazaar, Easyday, Central, and Foodhall stores, which are spread across 420 cities in India.
The deal will help Reliance Retail accelerate and provide support to millions of small merchants in increasing their competitiveness and enhance their income during these challenging times.
The Reliance Retail and Fashion Lifestyle Limited also proposes to invest about Rs 1,200 crore in the preferential issue of equity shares of Future Enterprises to acquire 6.09% of post-merger equity.
8) Answer: E
Flipkart-owned fashion e-commerce brand Myntra has signed up with Bollywood actress Kiara Advani as its brand ambassador.
Myntra is one of the largest fashion e-commerce stores in India and has partnered with fashion and lifestyle brands in the country such as Nike, Adidas, Puma, Levis, Wrangler, Arrow, Jealous 21, Diesel, CAT, Harley Davidson, Ferrari, Timberland, US Polo, FabIndia, Biba among others.
9) Answer: C
Lebanon’s leaders have designated the country’s ambassador to Germany, Mustapha Adib, as the new premier.
Adib, who has been Beirut’s Berlin envoy since 2013, is affiliated with a small Sunni party headed by former Prime Minister Najib Mikati.
Days after the blast, the government of Prime Minister Hassan Diab, a self-styled technocrat, stepped down.
10) Answer: D
Former diplomat Katyayani Shankar Bajpai passed away at the age of 92.
Bajpai joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1952, and went on to become India’s ambassador to the United States, China, and Pakistan — three of the most important diplomatic postings for an Indian official.
Bajpai also played a notable part in the integration of the kingdom of Sikkim into the Union of India — he was posted as India’s political officer there between 1970 and 1974.
11) Answer: E
Roohi Sultana, a Kashmir based teacher, who uses ‘play way method’ to teach her students has been selected for National Teachers Award 2020 which she dedicated to her students and education department.
She completed her Masters in Urdu and Kashmiri languages, B.Ed (Bachelor of Education), and also three years degree course in calligraphy.
The award will be given away by President Ram Nath Kovind on September 5 (Teacher’s Day). The award is given every year to provide public recognition to meritorious teachers working in primary, middle, and secondary schools.
12) Answer: C
Indian Railways has developed a remote-controlled medical trolley named ‘MEDBOT’ to help deliver food and medicines to COVID-19 patients.
It is providing service in the Central Hospital of the Diesel Rail Engine Factory of Indian Railways.
13) Answer: D
IIT Bombay, launched AIR Scanner, a free-of-cost document-scanning mobile application.
The AI (Artificial Intelligence) based Reading Assistant and Document Scanner app is developed by Rohit Kumar Chaudhary and Kavin Agrawal, both students of IIT Bombay.
AIR Scanner app does not collect any information about the user and all the documents are stored in the phone’s local storage.
The document scanned using a mobile camera will be saved in PDF format and will be stored in the device only.
14) Answer: B
Amul, Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), has become the first Indian dairy firm to make a place of 16th in the global top 20 list released by Rabobank, a Dutch multinational banking and financial services company.
Switzerland’s Nestle topped the list with a turnover of US $22.1 billion, followed by France’s Lactalis with US $ 21 billion turnover. Amul has achieved an annual turnover of $5.5 billion.
15) Answer: E
India and Russia were declared joint winners of the 2020 Online Chess Olympiad after the final was marred by internet disconnection and server malfunction.
This was the first time FIDE, the international chess federation, was holding the Olympiad in an online format, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich made a decision to give gold medals of FIDE Online #ChessOlympiad to both teams – India and Russia.
Russia were initially declared winners after two Indian players — Nihal Sarin and Divya Deshmukh — lost out on time in the final after suffering a disconnection with the server.
The first round of the final ended in a 3-3 draw with all the six games finishing in stalemate.
Russia won the second round 4.5-1.5 with wins for Andrey Esipenko over Sarin and Polina Shuvalova over Deshmukh, leading to a controversy as the Indians claimed the losses were due to connection issues.
The Indian squad at the Chess Olympiad 2020 included Vishwanathan Anand, Vidit Santosh Gujarati (captain), P. Harikrishna, Koneru Humpy, Dronavalli Harika, Bhakti Kulkarni, Nihal Sarin, Divya Deshmukh, R. Praggnanandha, Vantika Agrawal, R. Vaishali and Arvindh Chithambaram.
16) Answer: C
Arsenal defeated Liverpool on penalties to win the FA Community Shield at the Wembley Stadium in England.
FA Community Shield is an annual football match played between the winners of the previous season’s Premier League winner and the previous season’s FA Cup winners.
Liverpool had won the 2019-20 Premier League title while Arsenal had won the FA Cup after defeating Chelsea in the finals.
17) Answer: B
Former President Pranab Mukherjee passed away after he developed a lung infection and also tested positive for COVID-19.
He first became an MP, in the Rajya Sabha in 1969 on a Congress nomination.
Mr. Mukherjee held many ministerial positions in the government of India, including Defence, Finance, and External Affairs before he was elected President of India in 2012.
18) Answer: D
The UAE has launched Agriota, a new technology-driven agri-commodity trading and sourcing e-market platform that will bridge the gap between millions of rural farmers in India and the Gulf nation’s food industry.
Launched by the Dubai’s free-zone Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) and the government of Dubai’s authority on commodities trade and enterprise.
The marketplace allows the farmers to bypass intermediaries, optimising the supply chain and ensuring traceability to create value for all stakeholders.
The online marketplace also provides end-to-end traceability and transparency through last-mile verification and extension infrastructure in a blockchain environment.
Initially, the platform will offer cereals, pulses, oil seeds, fruits, vegetables, spices and condiments.
19) Answer: B
Japan has committed an official Development Assistance loan of 3 thousand 500 crore rupees for the COVID-19 Crisis Emergency Response Support. The Notes were exchanged between the Additional Secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs Dr C.S. Mohapatra and Ambassador of Japan to India Suzuki Satoshi for a Health sector programme loan to fight the COVID-19 crisis.
Subsequent to the Exchange of Notes, Loan Agreement for the programme loan was signed between Dr Mohapatra and Chief Representative of JICA in New Delhi Katsuo Matsumoto.
Japan International Cooperation Agency, JICA is a governmental agency that coordinates Official Development Assistance for the Government of Japan.
This programme loan aims to support India’s efforts in fighting COVID-19 and to prepare the health system to manage future epidemics and also to improve the resilience of India’s health systems against infectious diseases.
Notes were also exchanged between Dr. Mohapatra and Mr Satoshi for Grant Assistance of 70 crore rupees from the Government of Japan.
20) Answer: C
Andhra Padesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy will launch two new schemes for pregnant women.
The schemes, YSR Sampoorna Poshana and YSR Sampoorna Poshana Plus, to be launched on September 1, 2020 aim at providing nutritious food for pregnant women and lactating mothers along with children.
While YSR Sampoorna Poshana Plus is intended to supply nutritious food exclusively in 77 Tribal areas covering 8 ITDAs, 52 ICDS projects and 8,320 Anganwadi Centres, all the remaining urban and rural areas lying in plain lands will be covered under YSR Sampoorna Poshana.
In order to address malnutrition and anemia among pregnant and lactating mothers and children aged between 6 months and 72 months, the State government has brought YSR Sampoorna Poshana Plus and YSR Sampoorna Poshana schemes to provide supplementary nutrition through Anganwadi centers.
As many as 30,16,000 pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children belonging to BPL families will be benefited from this scheme.
21) Answer: E
Union Education Minister Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ virtually addressed the inaugural session of the two days World Urdu Conference organised by National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language ( NCPUL ) in New Delhi.
Shri Pokhriyal emphasized that Urdu is a language of not only composite culture and interfaith bonds but also of humanness and heart and soul. He added that this webinar has been conducted to celebrate the quintessential spirit of Urdu, its inclusive ethos and creative character. He was proud to declare that NCPUL has become the biggest Urdu networking hub in the world.
The Education Minister also made an important announcement and stated that Urdu writers and literators will be honoured with awards and honours in the name of important personalities of Urdu like Amir Khusrow, Mirza Ghalib, Agha Hashar, Ram Babu Saxena and Daya Shankar Naseem to encourage Urdu writers for literary and creative services by the Urdu Council from next year.
22) Answer: E
With first quarter (Q1) gross domestic product (GDP) contraction of 23.9 percent revealing a deeper economic malaise, State Bank of India’s Economic Research Department has now estimated that the decline in FY21 growth will likely be in double-digits, around 10.9 per cent, against the previous estimate of 6.8 per cent.
SBI’s Economic Research Department, in its report Ecowrap, emphasised that the contraction in Q1 (April-June) FY21 GDP due to the nation-wide lockdown imposed on March 25, 2020, in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, is much worse than market and its own estimates.
“It is now clearly visible that Q2 (July-September) decline will also be in double-digits. Our preliminary estimate indicates that all the four quarters of FY21 will exhibit negative real GDP growth and decline of full-year growth will likely be in double-digits (around 10.9 per cent),” Soumya Kanti Ghosh, Group Chief Economic Adviser, SBI, said.
As per Ecowrap, Q2 real GDP decline will be in the range of –12 per cent to –15 per cent, Q3: -5 per cent to –10 per cent and Q4: -2 per cent to -5 per cent.
Ecowrap observed that the GDP contraction in Q1FY21 is India’s worst growth performance since the country started reporting quarterly GDP data in 1996. In the 2004-05 base, India’s lowest quarterly GDP growth was 1.66 per cent in Q3FY03.
23) Answer: C
An amount of Rs 601,12 crore has been approved for Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) for the year 2020-21, an official spokesman stated .
The Committee approved Rs. 601.12 crore annual action plan of PMKSY for the year 2020-21. The annual plan lays emphasis on various components under the schemes Per Drop More Crop (PDMC), Har Khet Ko Paani (HKKP), Integrated Watershed Management Plan (IWMP) and Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP).
It was informed that as a result of previous interventions, area irrigated by bore wells, community WHT and farm ponds has increased by 6798 Ha, whereas, area under micro-irrigation- drip, sprinkler and rain guns, has gone up by 6766 Ha. These measures have increased crop production by 30 per cent, saved water by 70 per cent and benefitted 7,000 agro-dependent families, besides, reducing water runoff and recharging ground water reservoirs.
In the current financial year, the Department has proposed bringing 12,000 Ha additional areas under irrigation and reducing the gap between ultimate irrigation potential and irrigation potential by converging 144 existing schemes.
The State Level Sanctioning Committee also approved top up subsidy amounting to Rs. 10.26 crore including 55 per cent central assistance, as Micro Irrigation Fund from NABARD, which will provide financial assistance to farmers adopting micro irrigation techniques as a part of sustainable agricultural activities.
Earlier, while chairing a meeting of State Level Executive Committee of National Livestock Mission (NLM), Chief Secretary approved Rs 32.24 crore action plan of centrally sponsored scheme for the year 2020-21. NLM is an umbrella scheme comprising sub-missions on livestock development, feed & fodder development and skill development, technology & extension.
24) Answer: E
Retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Utpal Kumar Singh has been appointed as Secretary in Lok Sabha with effect from September 1. The appointment was approved by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on August 28.
According to the notification issued by Lok Sabha secretariat, Singh has been appointed Secretary on a contract. Singh, a 1986 batch IAS officer served as the chief secretary of Uttarakhand before retiring on July 31 this year. The detailed terms and conditions of Singh’s appointment will be issued separately.
25) Answer: D
Two Guwahati-based women entrepreneurs have launched a newspaper specifically designed for kids, to promote creative thinking among children and inculcate in them the habit to read and write.
The newspaper named ‘The Young Minds’ is the brainchild of Neelam Sethia and Neha Bajaj, Assam news portal Gplus reported.
The Young Minds, reportedly, will cater to kids of 4-14 years of age.
This weekly newspaper will include content that will help engage children in activities such as games, puzzles, riddles, fun facts and news, vocabulary, science and maths experiments.
It will also provide kids with a platform to get their arts and write-ups published and win prizes by participating in monthly contests.
26) Answer: B
Department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Ministry of Finance, Government of India, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme India launched the Sustainable Finance Collaborative on 26th August 2020. The consultation was held on 26th, 27th and 28th August over a virtual platform which brought forth thematic discussions around some key aspects of Sustainable Finance.
The Collaborative saw a host of thematic discussions centred around the broad scope of Sustainable Finance architecture in India. It included dialogues on critical elements such as the barriers to deploying new and innovative financing such as impact investing, role of blended finance instruments, green finance instruments for sustainable development, need for taxonomy of environmentally sustainable activities, sustainability related disclosures by corporates, and preparing the financial sector for the risks posed by climate change and other environmental and social issues.
27) Answer: C
Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce and Industry & Railways and H.E. Tran Tuan Anh, Minister of Industry and Trade of Vietnam co-chaired the 17th ASEAN-India Economic Ministers Consultations held virtually on 29th August 2020.
The meeting was attended by the Trade Ministers of all the 10 ASEAN countries Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
The Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to take collective actions in mitigating the economic impact of the pandemic and resolved to ensure macroeconomic and financial stability and resilient supply chain connectivity, particularly the unimpeded flow of essential goods and medicines in the region, in compliance with the WTO rules.
28) Answer: B
Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa flagged off Roll-On/Roll-Off (RO-RO) train between Bengaluru (Nelamangala) to Solapur (Maharashtra) through video conferencing. CM Yediyurappa flagged off the RO-RO train from Nelamangala station on the outskirts of Bengaluru at 9.15 am.
Explaining about the RO-RO service, the South Western Railway (SWR) stated it will have an open flat wagon on which trucks with goods are loaded. The driver and cleaner of the lorries sit in their vehicles. They are dropped at a particular point from which they drive off.
The train will take 17 hours to reach its final destination which is at a distance of about 682 kms.As many as 42 trucks with goods can be carried at time in this train.
The train will run via Dharmavaram, Guntakal, Raichur and Wadi to reach Bale near Solapur in Maharashtra.
29) Answer: C
Fifty first International Film Festival of India IFFI will be held in Goa, from November 20th to 28th. This film festival being a hybrid film festival due to Covid 19, would screen films on official digital platforms along with the theatrical screenings.
Vice-chairman of the Entertainment Society of Goa, Subhash Faldesai informed that in a virtual meeting held last week, the IFFI steering committee decided to hold the festival in compliance with the Central government’s SOP. Mr Faldesai added that another meeting would be held shortly.
The segments that could be screened virtually and those which can be shown at auditoriums in Goa will be decided in this meeting. Phaldesai added that the possibility of giving online access to delegates for films rather than inviting them to the venue is worked out and it is likely to be finalised in the next meeting.
30) Answer: C
Togo has become the first country in Africa to eliminate human African Trypanosomiasis or sleeping sickness, a disease caused by parasites transmitted through infected tsetse flies. The World Health Organization (WHO) August 27, 2020 certified so, after the country applied for it in 2018.
Sleeping sickness is currently found in 36 sub-Saharan African countries, according to the WHO. If untreated, it can become fatal.
Togo did not report any cases in the past 10 years. The west African country managed to achieve this after more than two decades of sustained political commitment, surveillance and screening of cases, according to the WHO.
The country’s public health officials started implementing control measures from 2000. In 2011, it established surveillance sites at hospitals in Mango and Tchamba cities, covering the main areas at risk from the disease.
Public health officials maintained heightened disease surveillance in endemic and at-risk areas after this. Global collaboration led by the WHO supported national efforts by facilitating donation of medicines and resources from pharmaceutical companies as well.
Five more countries — Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana — have applied for WHO certification as well. Benin and Burkina Faso have not reported any sleeping sickness cases since 2001. Except for one case in 2013, Ghana did not report any more cases since 2001.
31) Answer: D
Private sector lender ICICI Bank, launched a virtual property exhibition that digitally showcases real estate projects from key cities across the country.
Called Home Utsav, the exhibition is available for everyone, including ICICI Bank’s customers, and those who are not customers of the bank.
They can also avail exclusive offers such as attractive interest rates, special processing fees and digital sanction of loans on buying a property through this exhibition,” the lender stated in a statement, adding that its customers can get further benefits such as pre-approved and insta series of products.
32) Answer: D
Cmde Hemant Khatri (Retd) assumed charge as the Chairman and Managing Director of state-owned defence shipbuilder, Hindustan Shipyard Ltd.
Khatri was until recently the Director (Strategic Projects) in Hindustan Shipyard and was in-charge of the normal refit of INS Sindhuvir (EKM class submarine) that was successfully completed ahead of contractual timelines.
He also spearheaded the refit of INS Astradharani, which was also completed ahead of schedule.
Prior to taking over as Chairman and Managing Director of HSL, he was also Project Director of fleet solid support (FSS) programme and concluded an important contract for collaboration with a foreign yard earlier this year.
Khatri comes with experience of overseeing the construction of two naval fleet tankers – INS Deepak and INS Shakti – in Italy, which were also completed on time, a company statement said.
33) Answer: D
Union Minister for Science and Technology, Dr. Harsh Vardhan invited stakeholders and the public at large in the country and abroad to participate in formulating an evidence-driven, inclusive Science Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP 2020).
He stated that it would bring about technology indigenization to become self-reliant, mainstream traditional knowledge systems with conventional R&D, strengthen industry-academia, government interconnectedness and promote equity.
Dr. Harsh Vardhan was speaking at the inauguration of ‘In Conversation With’ – a series of exclusive interactions with leaders from across the country on STIP 2020, which is being formulated. He also launched the STIP 2020 Page on MyGov Portal’ along with popularisation Quiz for school children in a virtual event.
34) Answer: B
Two-time Indian Super League (ISL) champions Chennaiyin FC announced the appointment of experienced Csaba Laszlo as their head coach for the 2020-21 season. It will be the 56-year-old Hungarian Laszlo’s first stint in Asia. He has more than two decades of coaching experience at club and international level. The Romania-born Laszlo had coaching stints in eight countries, including two national teams — Uganda and Lithuania. Laszlo replaced Owen Coyle, who took the team to the final in the 2019-20 ISL season. Coyle recently moved to Jamshedpur FC as their head coach.
CFC had recently announced the retention of 11 Indian players from last ISL season’s squad, apart from retaining the services of Brazilian duo of defender Eli Sabia and creative midfielder Rafael Crivellaro. A central midfielder himself, Laszlo’s playing career comprised a host of clubs in Romania, Hungary and erstwhile West Germany before he was forced to retire due to a knee injury at the age of 27.
