Best PSC / PCS / STATE PCS online Current Affairs

Current Affairs Dec-2019

Showing 141 - 160 of 263 entries

141. Which Union Territory unveiled a start up policy of the Industries Department?

A
Chandigarh

B
Delhi

C
Puducherry

D
Lakshadweep

Show Answer

Correct Answer : C [Puducherry]

Explaination : [The Union Territory Puducherry unveiled a startup policy of the Industries Department. It was announced by Puducherry Industries Minister Shajahan. The policy lays emphasis to provide financial grants, monthly stipend, fiscal incentives to interested entrepreneurs and bring new business ventures to the Union Territory.The policy creates a corpus fund of Rs.10 crore to support the setting up of startup incubators and to develop co-working spaces. It will provide a grant of Rs.3 lakh to the projects recommended by incubators that are established by the government or private sector as a startup grant.]

142. Which site has been selected for sample collection on asteroid Bennu?

A
Nightingale

B
Ceres

C
Itokawa

D
Hygiea

Show Answer

Correct Answer : A [Nightingale]

Explaination : [NASA has finally selected a sample collection site on asteroid Bennu after the arrival of OSIRIS-REx spacecraft in December 2018. The OSIRIS-Rex mission team has selected the site designated Nightingale, which is located in a crater high in Bennu’s northern hemisphere. The team has also selected site Osprey of Bennu as a backup sample collection site.Site Nightingale is located in a northern crater 460 feet wide of the asteroid. As per the observation, Nightingale’s regolith or rocky surface material is dark, and images show that the crater is relatively smooth.]

143. Which famous massage has been recently added to prestigious heritage list of UNESCO?

A
Swedish massage

B
Hot Stone massage

C
Aroma Therapy massage

D
Nuad Thai massage

Show Answer

Correct Answer : D [Nuad Thai massage]

Explaination : [Thailand’s famous 2000-year-old massage, Nuad Thai was added to UNESCO’s (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) prestigious heritage list. Nuad Thai is an intense form of massage in which the body is pulled and rotated well with the help of the thumb, elbow, knees and feet. Thai massage originated in India and brought it to Thailand about 2,500 years ago by doctors and monks who carried its secrets for generations.]

144. Recently, the Indian troops serving with the UNMISS received the UN Medal for their dedication and sacrifice. The UNMISS is in service to which country?

A
Morocco

B
South Sudan

C
Sudan

D
Syria

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [South Sudan]

Explaination : [Around 850 Indian peacekeepers who are serving in South Sudan were awarded with the prestigious UN medal for their service and contribution to promote peace in the strife-torn nation. India is among the largest contributors to the UN peacekeeping operations.]

145. Five US tech giants are currently facing lawsuits over the death of child labourers in cobalt mines in which country?

A
Democratic Republic of Congo

B
Uganda

C
Angola

D
Sierra Leone

Show Answer

Correct Answer : A [Democratic Republic of Congo]

Explaination : [Apple, Microsoft and Google’s parent Alphabet are among the tech giants who were named in a case that is currently looking into the death of child labourers in cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Democratic Republic of Congo is the largest producer of Cobalt, a rare metal and a vital raw material for batteries used in mobile phones and electric vehicles.]

146. Which neighbouring country of India was recently criticised for providing special permits for the royal family of Qatar to hunt vulnerable species Houbara Bustards?

A
Nepal

B
China

C
Sri Lanka

D
Pakistan

Show Answer

Correct Answer : D [Pakistan]

Explaination : [International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed houbara bustard as “vulnerable” species. IUCN states that these species are currently at a high risk of extinction. These birds are constantly under threat due to hunting and trapping. Current estimates state that there are about 50,000 to 10,000 left.]

147. Which joint military exercise was recently concluded by Nepal and India?

A
Yudh Abhyas

B
Sampriti

C
Hand in Hand

D
Surya Kiran

Show Answer

Correct Answer : D [Surya Kiran]

Explaination : [Surya Kiran is an annual bilateral military exercise between India and Nepal. It is conducted in alternative basis. This year it was held in Salijhandi of Rupendehi district of Nepal. Its aim is to conduct battalion-level combined training to increase interoperability in jungle warfare and counter-terrorist operations in mountainous terrain, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, medical and environmental conservation.]

148. In December, the MSME ministry launched which of these products produced by women of militancy affected areas of J&K?

A
Khadi Rumal

B
Kashmiri Rug

C
Papier mache crafts

D
Pashmina shawls

Show Answer

Correct Answer : A [Khadi Rumal]

Explaination : [In December, the ministry of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) launched ‘Khadi Rumal’ from the militancy affected areas of Jammu and Kashmir. These are handkerchiefs made of khadi cloth and stitched by the women of the affected region. This is an effort to create employment in the region.]

149. The Ilisu Dam, which has been in the news recently, is in which country?

A
Pakistan

B
Bhutan

C
Turkey

D
Bangladesh

Show Answer

Correct Answer : C [Turkey]

Explaination : [Ilisu Dam is in Turkey. It is one of the Southeastern Anatolia Project which involves 22 dams. The Ilisu Dam is located on the Tigris River. The dam is meant for water storage, flood control and also hydroelectricity generation. It is a concrete face rock filled dam.]

150. The scientists at the IIT-H developed a ‘memristor’ for detecting Bovine Serum Albumin. Which of the following is not a feature of this ‘memristor’?

A
SET switching

B
RESET switching

C
Metal electrodes

D
None of the above

Show Answer

Correct Answer : D [None of the above]

Explaination : [The scientists at the IIT Hyderabad had developed a memristor sensor for detecting the bovine serum albumin, which is analogous to the human serum albumin. The memristor or ‘Resistive Random Access Memory’ device is capable of changing its resistance state with voltage (called SET and RESERT switching). It is made up of metal electrodes and uses titanium dioxide as the active material.]

151. Pakistani judiciary recently announced the death sentence for former president Pervez Musharraf. In which year, Musharraf had seized power in a military coup in Pakistan?

A
1996

B
1999

C
2000

D
2002

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [1999]

Explaination : [The judiciary of Pakistan recently handed the death sentence to Pervez Musharraf in December. The penalty was handed by a special court against the former military dictator for high treason. Musharraf was a 4 star general of the Pakistani Army and the 10th president of the country. Musharraf seized power in a military coup in 1999 and ruled Pakistan as President until 2008.]

152. The Centre is planning to initiate ‘Saksham Anganwadi’ scheme through which of its ministries?

A
Ministry of health and family welfare

B
Ministry of science and technology

C
Ministry of women and child development

D
Ministry of human resource development

Show Answer

Correct Answer : C [Ministry of women and child development]

Explaination : [The ministry of women and child development is planning to implement the ‘Saksham Anganwadi’ scheme. Through this program, 2.5 lakh anganwadis are to be upgraded over the next 5 years. The scheme will introduce upgraded facilities like smart teaching, smart learning, crèche facilities, etc.]

153. Which sportsman was recently named “BBC Sports Personality of the year 2019”?

A
Lewis Hamilton

B
Ben Stokes

C
Jos Buttler

D
Eoin Morgan

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [Ben Stokes]

Explaination : [Ben Stokes, the famous all rounder of the England Cricket team has won the coveted ” BBC Sports Personality of the year 2019″. He played a crucial role in the World Cup finals match against New Zealand. This is one among the BBC’s annual sporting awards, that honours sportspersons and teams selected through public voting. The England Cricket team won the Best Team of the year award.]

154. India and the US are going to hold 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue in Washington. India holds similar dialogue format with which other country?

A
Japan

B
Australia

C
Russia

D
New Zealand

Show Answer

Correct Answer : A [Japan]

Explaination : [Japan and the US are the only two countries with which India is currently holding 2+2 Ministerial dialogue. It is held between the countries’ foreign and defence ministers. This year, Japan and India held its first ever 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue.]

155. What is the name of the trilateral naval exercise held between India, the US and Japan?

A
Milan

B
Malabar

C
SIMBEX

D
INDRA

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [Malabar]

Explaination : [India, Japan and the US are part of the trilateral naval exercise Malabar. Initiated in 1992, it was originally a bilateral exercise between the US and India. Japan became a permanent member in 2015. It includes diverse activities, ranging from fighter combat operations from aircraft carriers through Maritime Interdiction Operations Exercises.]

156. India’s Supreme Court has decided to examine the constitutional validity of the Citizenship Amendment Act. Which part of the constitution deal with citizenship in India?

A
Part I

B
Part II

C
Part III

D
Part IV

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [Part II]

Explaination : [Article 5 to 11 (Part II) of the Indian constitution deals with the citizenship in India. The legislation related to this is the Citizenship Act, 1955. It has been amended many times and the most recent of it is in 2019 to provide path to citizenship to certain religious minorities from several Muslim countries.]

157. The US has recently rejected China and Russia’s call to ease sanctions on North Korea. Which country supported North Korea during the Korean War?

A
China

B
USSR

C
Vietnam

D
Cambodia

Show Answer

Correct Answer : A [China]

Explaination : [Korean War (1950-53) took place when North Korean military invaded South Korea. The UN force led by the US intervened to defend the south and rapidly advanced into North Korea. Chinese forces intervened on behalf of North Korea. No peace treaty was signed but an armistice in 1953 led to the restoration of the original boundary of the two nations.]

158. The Odisha Cabinet has approved SAMRIDHI. What is it?

A
Agriculture policy

B
Healthcare policy

C
Education policy

D
Trade policy

Show Answer

Correct Answer : A [Agriculture policy]

Explaination : [Agriculture Policy 2020, SAMRIDHI was approved by the Odisha Cabinet recently. It is based on 8 components – Science and Technology, Adaptation to Climate Change, (Markets) Domestic and Global, Physical and financial, Resource use efficiency and higher productivity and Creating appropriate Infrastructure.]

159. Lok Sabha speaker emphasised on the implementation of e-cabinet. Which is the first North East State to implement e-cabinet solution?

A
Assam

B
Sikkim

C
Tripura

D
Arunachal Pradesh

Show Answer

Correct Answer : D [Arunachal Pradesh]

Explaination : [In 2017, Arunachal Pradesh became the first North East state to implement e-cabinet solution. The solution allows the ministers to prepare, conduct and review the cabinet meetings without the use of papers. It gives remote access to the Ministers to view and circulate Cabinet notes in advance for the proper analysis and feedback. It has also reduced the time consumed during the cabinet meeting.]

160. Where is the Bharat Vandana Park being constructed?

A
New Delhi

B
Gujarat

C
Rajasthan

D
Uttar Pradesh

Show Answer

Correct Answer : A [New Delhi]

Explaination : [The foundation stone for the Bharat Vandana Park was recently laid at Dwarka in New Delhi. The park is to serve as a major tourist attraction upon completion. It is to be developed at the cost of 550 crore INR.]