Best PSC / PCS / STATE PCS online Current Affairs

Current Affairs Aug-2020

Showing 41 - 60 of 222 entries

41. Who has been appointed as the new Election Commissioner by the Central Government?

A
Amitabh Kant

B
Ajay Bushan Pandey

C
Debashis Panda

D
Rajiv Kumar

Show Answer

Correct Answer : D [Rajiv Kumar]

Explaination : [The Government of India has appointed former finance secretary Rajiv Kumar as the new Election Commissioner. He is set to succeed Ashok Lavasa, who has resigned from the post, to join the Asian Development Bank. Rajiv Kumar is a 1984 batch Indian Administrative Service officer of Jharkhand cadre. He has been instrumental in merger of 10 public sector banks into four.]

42. When is International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief observed?

A
August 22

B
August 23

C
August 24

D
August 25

Show Answer

Correct Answer : A [August 22]

Explaination : [The United Nations General Assembly designated 22 August as the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief. It comes a day after the International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism. The UN asks its members to ensure the upholding of human rights of persons belonging to religious minorities, including their right to exercise their religion or belief freely.]

43. External Affairs Ministry organised the National Coordination Committee, with which country, for the first time?

A
Uzbekistan

B
Kazakhstan

C
Laos

D
Turkmenistan

Show Answer

Correct Answer : A [Uzbekistan]

Explaination : [The Union External Affairs Ministry has recently organised the first India-Uzbekistan National Coordination Committee. The virtual meeting was held to monitor the implementation of mutually agreed projects between India and Uzbekistan. They also reviewed implementation of identified projects under India’s LoC, cooperation between the Gujarat state and Andijan region among others. ]

44. Which institute is to organise an online International conference on climate change and its impact on Himalayan region?

A
Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences, Nainital

B
IISc, Bangalore

C
IIT, Guwahati

D
Birla Institute of Applied Sciences, Uttarakhand

Show Answer

Correct Answer : A [Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences, Nainital]

Explaination : [Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), Nainital is to organise an online international conference on ‘Aerosol Air Quality, Climate Change and Impact on Water Resources and Livelihoods in the Greater Himalayas’. ARIES, an autonomous research institute under the Department of Science and Technology (DST) is organising the conference along with Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University between 14th -16th September 2020. ]

45. India is set to begin operations of inland water trade route with which country?

A
Myanmar

B
Bangladesh

C
Nepal

D
Sri Lanka

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [Bangladesh]

Explaination : [From 3rd September 2020, India and Bangladesh would commence commercial operation of riverine trade route. Both the countries signed Addendum to the Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade (PIWTT) in May 2020. As per the agreement, the Sonamura (Tripura) – Daudkandi (Bangladesh) route is being operationalised. This move would enhance the regional connectivity to North Eastern India and reduce the transportation cost.]

46. Indian Railways is expected to meet all its energy consumption needs by which year?

A
2025

B
2030

C
2035

D
2040

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [2030]

Explaination : [Indian Railways organised a discussion with key stake holders under the chairmanship of Minister of Railways and Commerce & Industry Piyush Goyal. Indian Railways has developed a plan for installing solar plants of 20 GW capacity along its vacant land by 2030. It is also expected to meet all energy consumption needs of over 33 billion units by 2030. This will also contribute towards National Solar Mission while becoming a net zero carbon emitting Railway by 2030.]

47. As per the recent report released by McKinsey, at what rate India’s GDP should grow to create at least 90 million jobs?

A
4 – 4.5 per cent

B
6 – 6.5 per cent

C
8 – 8.5 per cent

D
10 – 10.5 per cent

Show Answer

Correct Answer : C [8 – 8.5 per cent]

Explaination : [The McKinsey Global Institute has recently released a report titled ‘India’s turning point – An economic agenda to spur growth and jobs’. As per the report, it highlights that the country’s GDP, which is set to contract by over 5% in FY21 should grow at 8-8.5% per annum for the next decade to create at least 90 million new non-agricultural jobs required by 2030.]

48. India organised a ‘Joint Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation’ meeting with which country?

A
Sri Lanka

C
Russia

D
Vietnam

Show Answer

Correct Answer : D [Vietnam]

Explaination : [Recently, the 17th meeting of “India – Vietnam Joint Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation” was organized via video conference. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had represented India and discussed the recent developments with his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Binh Minh. Both the countries deliberated on the strategic partnership and decided to explore cooperation in emerging fields such as space, energy, marine science etc.]

49. Who is the head of the new forum on Artificial Intelligence set up by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)?

A
Sandip Patel

B
Cyrus Mistry

C
Rekha Menon

D
Ramkumar Ramamoorthy

Show Answer

Correct Answer : A [Sandip Patel]

Explaination : [Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has recently announced that it has established a new forum on Artificial Intelligence chaired by Sandip Patel. Sandip Patel is the Managing Director of India/South Asia region of IBM. The CII AI Forum will focus on building a strong AI ecosystem in India. It also seeks to generate awareness at grassroot level and reskill the Indian workforce in emerging technologies.]

50. Marieke Lucas Rijneveld has been awarded International Booker Prize 2020, for which novel?

A
The Side Road

B
Discomfort of Evening

C
Such a Fun Age

D
Real Life

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [Discomfort of Evening]

Explaination : [The prestigious International Booker Prize for the year 2020 has been awarded to the Dutch author Marieke Lucas Rijneveld for her debut novel “Discomfort of Evening”. The novel has been translated to English by Michele Hutchison. This prize is announced annually for the best book translated into English and published in UK or Ireland.]

51. Which Public sector Unit has partnered with IIT- Kanpur, for training and research of Smart Grid Technology?

A
NTPC Ltd

B
Power Finance Corporation

C
ONGC Ltd

D
REC Ltd

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [Power Finance Corporation]

Explaination : [India’s leading NBFC and a Public sector Unit (PSU) under Ministry of Power, Power Finance Corporation (PFC) has partnered with Indian Institute of Technology- Kanpur (IIT-K) for Training and Research in Smart Grid Technology Under the agreement, PFC will provide financial assistance of over Rs 2 Crore to the institution under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative. This is expected to promote research and Entrepreneurship Development in the field. ]

52. Which is the first Armed Police Force to partner with Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) to procure products for its personnel?

A
Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)

B
Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)

C
Border Security Force (BSF)

D
Central Industrial Security Force (CISF)

Show Answer

Correct Answer : A [Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)]

Explaination : [The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) signed a deal with the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) to procure products for its personnel. ITBP became the first Central Armed Police Force to sign such an agreement with KVIC to procure a rande of khadi goods for around 10 lakh personnel. Earlier, the Home Ministry announced that CAPF canteens will only sell local-made products. ]

53. Which international bloc has imposed its first-ever sanctions over cyber attacks on organisations of Russia, China and North Korea?

A
G-20

C
European Union

D
ASEAN

Show Answer

Correct Answer : C [European Union]

Explaination : [The European Union has imposed its first-ever sanctions over cyber attacks, on alleged agents, spies and firms of Russia, China and North Korea. Six people and three groups which have been hit with sanctions also include the GRU military intelligence agency of Russia. The agency was earlier blamed by the European Union for the 2017 WannaCry ransomware and NotPetya malware attacks and a cyber espionage campaign. ]

54. What is the name of India’s solar-powered ferry that has won the prestigious Gustave Trouve Award?

A
Aditya

B
Arunan

C
Ravikant

D
Soorya

Show Answer

Correct Answer : A [Aditya]

Explaination : [India’s solar-powered ferry Aditya has won the prestigious Gustave Trouve Award for Excellence in Electric Boats and Boating. It has been named the best electric boat in the category of ferries designed for paid passenger service. Aditya was the first solar-powered ferry of the country when it began its operations in 2017 in Kerala. The ferry built by NavAlt Boats belongs to the Kerala State Water Transport Department. ]

55. Which Union Ministry has received SKOCH Gold Award for its IT enabled Scholarship Schemes?

A
Ministry of HRD

B
Ministry of Tribal Affairs

C
Ministry of Women and Child Development

D
Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [Ministry of Tribal Affairs]

Explaination : [Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) has received SKOCH Gold Award for its “Empowerment of Tribals through IT enabled Scholarship Schemes”. The 66th SKOCH award ceremony was organised on the title “India responds to Covid through Digital Governance”. The Tribal affairs won the award in ‘Digital India & E-Governance’ competition. The Ministry had integrated its 5 Scholarship Schemes with Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) Portal. ]

56. Which global firm became the world’s most valuable publicly listed company, after surpassing Saudi Aramco?

A
Apple

B
Amazon

C
Reliance

D
Google

Show Answer

Correct Answer : A [Apple]

Explaination : [Apple surpassed multinational petroleum company Saudi Aramco to become the world’s most valuable publicly listed company. The market capitalisation of the technology company surged to USD 1.82 trillion, as per the regulatory filing of the company. Whereas, the market capitalisation of Aramco stood at USD 1.760 trillion. ]

57. Which major technology company launched the second phase of ‘More Together’ campaign in India?

A
Amazon

B
Microsoft

C
Facebook

D
Google

Show Answer

Correct Answer : C [Facebook]

Explaination : [Facebook has recently launched the second phase of its consumer marketing campaign ‘More Together’ in India. The first phase was rolled out in the month of March 2020. Through the campaign, Facebook will spotlight people who connected with one another through Facebook for the first time and jointly addressed many challenges ]

58. Which trade association organised the “National Digital conference on Ease of Doing Business for Atmanirbhar Bharat”?

A
FICCI

C
ASSOCHAM

D
NASSCOM

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [CII]

Explaination : [Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) organised the “National Digital conference on Ease of Doing Business for Atmanirbhar Bharat”. Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal inaugurated the conference and said that the country is heading towards a complete digital eco-system. He also said that the government is aiming to cover the entire nation through optic fibres in the next two years.]

59. Mahatma Gandhi Setu (bridge), that was seen in news, is located in which state?

A
West Bengal

B
Bihar

C
Gujarat

D
Uttarakhand

Show Answer

Correct Answer : B [Bihar]

Explaination : [Union Minister for Road Transport, Highways Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the upstream lane of Mahatma Gandhi bridge, through video conference. The 5.5 km four lane bridge is built over river Ganga connecting Patna and Hajipur of Bihar. The reconstruction work of this bridge started in the year 2017 and the cost outlay is Rs 1742 crore. The downstream lane of the bridge is to be completed by 2021. The concrete structure of the old bridge will be replaced by new steel deck.]

60. Who has assumed office as the Union Health Secretary of India in August 2020?

A
Rajesh Bhushan

B
S Jai Shankar

C
M Siva Shankar

D
Anil Swarup

Show Answer

Correct Answer : A [Rajesh Bhushan]

Explaination : [Veteran bureaucrat Rajesh Bhushan has recently assumed charge as the Union Health Secretary. He will succeed the previous Health Secretary Preeti Sudan. Preeti Sudan superannuated and she was given a three-month extension in April. Rajesh Bhushan is a 1987 batch Bihar cadre IAS officer. He has been serving as an Officer on Special Duty in the Ministry of Health from April.]